Song of the Dragon and the Bear

Chapter 11

A/N By the way, the New Life Festival is a holiday I got from a mod called 'Skyrim Holidays' by Isoku. I've never actually played the mod, so the traditions of the Festival are of my own making.

The streets of Windhelm were festive, a word that couldn't often describe them. Banners hung from window sills and houses were decorated with colorful ribbons the fluttered in the breeze. People filled the streets, dressed in bright colors and wearing more smiles than Ulfric normally saw. A few bowed or nodded to him as he passed, and he nodded back.

It felt good to be out here in the city. Far too often he was confined to the Palace by meetings or the slightly paranoid thoughts of his councilors. It was like they had forgotten that he could tear a man apart with only his voice; it had taken him almost thirty minutes to convince them to let him walk among the crowds without soldiers following him. He appreciated their caution though. After all, more than a few people had a target on his head.

Ulfric shook his head, pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind and knocking on the door of Hjerim. The stone had a soft orange glow from the setting sun, giving the home a warm look. Soon it would be dark, and the Festival would start, and for once, Ulfric didn't find himself dreading it. His thoughts were cut off as the door swung open to reveal Vara Oaken-Song.

Ulfric's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected the woman who had spent her entire life in the woods to dress better than most of the women in the city. But here she was. "You look-" Ulfric didn't get to finish his sentence as Vara cut him off.

"If you were going to say exhausted, you would be right. I have spent the last three days dress shopping. I didn't even know this city had so many dresses," Vara said, and as Ulfric looked closer, he could see slight bags under her eyes, but that most definitely wasn't what he was going to say.

"No, I was going to say that you look very nice tonight," he stated. And she really did. She wore a dark blue dress that fit her perfectly. It didn't have a giant skirt like many of the dresses he had seen lately did.

Vara chuckled slightly. "Trust me," she said. "It took a lot of work to get this far. I've learned a lot of things since I've been in Windhelm, including how to catch a murderer, how to patch a roof, and who controls what in the upper class. But do you know what the most important thing I've learned is?" Vara leaned in, a smile playing on her lips, and Ulfric couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head. "The most important thing I have learned is that I, Vara Oaken-Song, hate, above almost everything else, the color pink."

Ulfric smiled. "Well, blue seems to suit you," he stated as he offered Vara his arm. They needed to be at the Palace soon for the feast that preceded the rest of the Festival.

Vara took his arm as she replied, "I do like this dress, although it took me ages to find. I told Ninesea that I hadn't planned what I would be wearing and she looked aghast. She dragged me straight to the stores." Ulfric smiled inwardly. He should have figured that Vara had had some help. He could almost imagine the woman offhandedly mentioning the fact that she didn't know what she would wear, or even suggesting one of her tunics. "Almost every single dress had skirts wider around than I am tall and was either some form of pink, brown, or yellow."

Ulfric chuckled as he led them down the streets of Windhelm. There were a few curious glances thrown their way, but he ignored them. A silence fell between them, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. He glanced over at Vara and found her surveying the crowds with a thoughtful look on her face. "What are you thinking about?"

Vara blinked, seeming to come out of a daze. "What? Oh, I was thinking about the way the people are mixing. The Dark Elves are mostly staying to the side of the street and the Nords take up most of the center. They do mix in a few places though."