Eclipse

Eclipse: Chapter 10

Eclipse: Chapter 10

By

Dracanoth Dereal and Spottedleaf9

(Dracanoth)

The funeral ended quickly and we were able to return to our hut outside the great walls of Solitude in minimal time. Every Companion had given me dirty looks and did not give me one single hint of recognition beyond those glares, they did not threaten me nor implore as to why I was doing the things I was. Many of them gave their advice and words of woes to the Dragonborn, sharing these petty emotions that I was beginning to understand a bit better with her. Valisilwen did not reply, but instead nodded simply showing she did not care and that the matter was irrelevant. All that was of importance was serving; I am her master as it should be.

The funeral ended silently and the little girl continued to cower behind the woman I had come to know as Aela. It seemed as though the entire time she stared at Valisilwen, only taking her boring gaze off of the woman to look at the dead, burning corpse. Tears seemed to stain her face and I had guessed that she lacked the capacity to continue crying any longer, even were I to break off her little finger.

Once we returned to the hut Michael and I were finally able to return to our research. I sat down in the dark room, the candles having long past gone out, and began stripping my equipment and settling back into my dark abode. Michael stood after having done the same, and relit the candles before he took a quick scan again over all of our notes. Now that we've learned everything about the land, the politics of the people and who held power. I had learned the structure of society for each city and how they all worked together for some sort of common greater good for the land, but at the same time worked differently and separately none being more important or having a larger stature than the others. The cities of the land worked as a round table. In a square table, there was a head and a foot. The most important man of the hour sat at the head of the table, and people of lower rank sat in order down to the foot of the table, the least important sitting at the bottom. In a round table there was no head or foot symbolizing that no man was more powerful than another. That was the system of Skyrim, and each city could per say claim a certain seat at the table but none could bring themselves above the others in that seat.

As for the politics of the land there was a particular structure or working to each city, different social levels and each person held a certain amount of power inside of a city but that power did not stretch outside, for that would disrupt the order of the round table structure. A nobleman might have a high amount of say-so as to what food and what products go where in the city giving him a higher stature in the city, but aside from that there were very little politics within just one city alone. There was poverty in certain areas just as there was in every society but the Jarl left that in the hands of the people with a strong belief that his "strong-hearted Nordic citizens" could take care of it, and that the farmers were working as hard as they could. All the Jarl worried about outside of his own city was relations with cities surrounding, and that is where the politics came in. A Jarl would listen to the opinions of his citizens on the matter, be it war disagreement or even agreement with a neighboring city, and with his own opinions greatly considering the wishes of his people make a decision for the greater good of his city, and the other cities of Skyrim. Although jarls might hold biased opinions about certain races in their city as well were they not a Nord, they are inclined and responsible to hold all of their citizens opinions in as much consideration as the next.

There are the basis laws that rule each city, but between all the cities when they are sitting at a round table there is but one law. This law is called the Prime Law that no city would start a war or partake in a war unless they were out of options or a neighboring city was in a war and required assistance. That is the way of Skyrim, work hard and live long; everyone will always work for the greater good of themselves to improve their own life enough that they can then help their neighbor. That is a Jarl's job, to look over the good of his people and keep them in good shape so that they can then help a neighbor in need. That is what the Prime Law calls for, not to put another city before itself but to always consider them as a dear friend. It is a complex system that keeps up each city's structure and keeps the people healthy, should the city fall under the surrounding lands would try their best to aid their friend in shipments of products that they can't get, or even give agricultural guidance. What one Jarl can do for another is frequently limited, but it appears to be a system that has worked well enough and kept the land of Skyrim alive for well over a thousand years. Of course all this heartfelt nonsense about Nords being hardy strong and noble was a load of nonsense, the system works and the emotions of the people does not matter. Emotions have nothing to do with politics.