The Stormcloak Queen - A skyrim Fanfiction

[6] With his voice!

Skyrim- 4 Era 201

"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes." Ulfirc replied, not even turning to look me in the eye.
"Really Ulfric are you sure, are you ready for a war?"
"By the nine woman, how many more times do you need to ask him?" Galmar huffed, as he speed his horse up so he was in stride beside me as we rode up the winding path to solitude.
"This isn't something to be embarked upon lightly. This is going to cause all out war and you know it" I said, glaring at Galmar.

"You know who and what the Thalmor are kore than anyone, Freya. The high king is no more than another puppet and isn't capable of ruling the people of Skyrim" Ulfric growled lowly, finally turning around to face me astride his beautiful horse. I loved that horse, it had such a noble temperament.
"I know but.." I began to protest again and Ulfric cut me off swiftly and sharply with a glare. "This needs done Freya" he snapped.

Reaching the city gates we jumped down from our horses and I pulled a carrot from my satchel and fed it to my darling stallion quickly before we began the walk to the blue palace. I could feel the tension spread across me like a plague.

I adjusted the circlet that sat on my head nervously, I had never gotten back the one my father gave me, regrettably. It probably sat pride of place in that gods damned elfs trophy cabinet. The one I was wearing was gold and sapphire, a beautiful piece that Ulfric had had made for my Name day some years ago.

As we walked through solitude we were largely ignored apart from a few curious stares, we must have been a strange sigh to behold. I was in aromour, a fur mantle wrapped around my shoulders to protect from the cold, Galmar in an armour made of bear skin and Ulfric in his fine clothes and fur cape. We looked a mismatched group, not quite adventurers yet not quite the expected sight of a group of travelling nobles. Where were the guards for one? The gaudy horses, the fine silken dresses?

We made the walk in silence, there was no place for levity here. I plucked a bloom of nightshade from a bush as we passed closer and closer to the Blue palace and stopped dead just free of its shadow.

Ulfric

What was I thinking?

There were so many ways this could go wrong. What if it changed nothing?

Now I was stood just outside the gate of the Blue Palace all the worries I had suppressed were bubbling up and rearing their ugly heads, trying to cast their shadow of doubt in me. Just one look in the large sapphire eyes of Freya was enough to make me reassert the lie that I was calm, quietly confident and unwaveringly brave.

She wore a look of worry on her pale face which was somehow even paler. Freya's skin was the colour of freshly fallen snow in Windhelm, a bright clear white. I grasped her hand in mine and almost laughed at how small it was, this woman -who prided herself on wielding the biggest weapon she could find- had hands so small I could almost envelop them in my own, and with my free hand I brushed a few stray tendrils of her golden hair out of her face.

They way she had braided her hair around her head resembled a crown, a crown fit for a queen one day, perhaps if we survived this, and the circlet I had given her sat pride of place on top of her braids, the gold almost blending in with her hair.

I doubted I would die at the hands of the King. I simply wouldn't allow it. Not with Freya watching, not with Galmar there, the two people out of everyone who mattered most.

"Don't worry it's all going to be fine." I said quietly before dropping her hand and striding ahead, pushing open the doors to the Blue Palace.

Freya'.

"You have become a slave to the empire and a mere puppet of the thalmor. You're not capable of ruling skyrim and her people, they deserve to be more than broken under the wheel of the empire and the dominion yet you sit by idily in your guilded palace and let it happen. High king Toryig, I challenge your honour and I challenge your throne in the Nordic way, the way of our ancestors." Ulfric said proudly, puffing out his chest as he stood before the King and Queen.

Titterings of laughter echoed around the court, but every smile died when they realised that Ulfirc was nothing but serious.

I don't think I've ever prayed faster to all of the nine than I did in the pause before the King gave his answer. Would an arrow simply fly from the shadows and snuff Ulfric out like a candle? Would the King laugh and deny him? All were possible.

"So be it." the kinglets instead said simply, rising from his throne and smoothing out his clothes.
Elisif put her hand on his arm, trying to pull him back, a gesture I recognised too well and he pulled her into a kiss.

Hmph, men.

Galmar's hand on my shoulder brought me back to nirn as I unconsciously took a step towards Ulfric and I quickly rearranged my face into the mask of indifference one can only learn by growing up in a court. Ulfric quickly stride over to where we stood, just to the side and pulled me into a quick, yet strong embrace. "I swear to the Gods Stormcloak, if I loose you now I'll track you down in sovengarde and kill you again." I muttered, pushing him away from me and boding him at arms length before he went to face the King.

The king unsheathed his sword, confidently and proudly with a flourish with Ulfric doing the same with less splendor. While the King stood regal and straight, the sword-no matter how finely crafted it was- looked awkward in his hand, almost as if he had no idea what he was doing with it. When was the last time he tasted true battle? Ulfric's posture was impeccable, it was that of a seasoned warrior and Galmar's hand dug into my shoulder in reassurance. "What is a milk drinker to Ulfric?" Galmar muttered quietly and I turned to look into the man's harsh face. "The bear doesn't fear the skeever."

'Fus Roh Dah.'

Torygg flew across the room and slammed into the wall with a wet thud by the force of Ulfric's Thu'um.

"I will see you in sovengarde." He said plunging his sword through the High kings chest.

Then, it was all quiet apart from the strangled cry of Elisif. I didn't want to pause to think about how that would have been me if the battle had went any different.

Then, at the urging of Galmar, we took off down the stairs before anyone could react.

Running through the streets definitely gained more stares than walking, I could tell you that.

The guards were quite a distance behind us when we reached the gates and if we could just...

"For the love of Talos open the fucking gate" I shouted at the guard.

"Will you open the gate?" Ulfric snapped after me.

"Of course my jarl" the man said, rushing to open the gate.

"Finally" I sighed jumping on my horse.

And then we rode far and we rode fast.