The Stormcloak Queen - A skyrim Fanfiction

[19] Falmer Blood Elixr

"Huh, you're sure they know nothing?"
"She's sure delphine. The thalmor, believe it of not aren't responsible for every single crisis." Lydia cut in.
"We need to find a guy named Esbern?"
"Esbern? He's alive?"
"Well, We wouldn't be trying to find him if he was dead." Lydia said boredly
"I thought the thalmor would have gotten him years ago!"
"That reminds me, this belongs to you." I said placing the small red book down on the table.
"What's this?"
"Thalmor dossier." I shrugged.
"On me?"
"No on me. Of course it's on you." Lydia sighed.
"Anyway, while you read about yourself I'm going to Riften. Any advice on what to do if I find this guy?"
"Ask him where he was on the 31st of Frostfall."
"Will do."

Emerging in to the cool air after the smoke of the tavern was nice. Riverwood was nice.
Fuck it, Whiterun was nice. The weather was nice, the scenery was nice, the people were nice. And I was actually Jarl of the hold. Ulfric had outdone himself, the gift of my home beat any necklace or ring he threw my direction after he fucked up.

"Jarl Freya!" Gerdur called, leaning against the waist high stone wall.
"It's Freya for a friend Gerdur! How's your son? Still eager to take the fight to the imperials?" I caked back, walking over to the woman.
"Yes, but I'll be damned if this war lasts long enough for him to join."
"Don't worry, if I have it my way I'll have dealt with the war and the dragons before the years out."
"The dragons as well? Shouldn't you leave that to the dragonborn?"
"I am the dragonborn." I laughed at the surprised look on her face.
"Yeah, and you need to get to Riften before the Gods damned Thalmor." Lydia cut in glaring at me, but she was right. There was a dragon crisis that needed dealt with.
"Well, sounds important. I'll let you go."
"Fight or die well."
"And may you die with a sword in your hands, or should I say hammer?" She laughed turning her back and waking towards her mill.

"Riften, now."
"We are going by carriage, we can make it by midnight."

Jumping off of the carriage and landing in the hard ground, I stretched out, looking upwards.
It was a clear night and the two moons and the stars were clear in the night sky. The aurora was shimmering atop it all, and it truly was beautiful. The night smelled of rain and soil. The smell of Riften had yet to reach me, the canal that ran through parts of the city had fallen into disuse and disrepair sadly due to the civil war. The stagnant waters were the main cause of Riftens odour problem.

"Hey you need to pay the visitors tax!" The guard called stepping into my way as I had tried to enter the city.
"What's the tax for?" I asked quizzically, taking a step back and raising an eyebrow.
"For the pleasure of entering out fine city. What else?"
"You're going to step aside before I scram shakedown. We clear?" I hissed at him.
"Okay, okay! Not too loudly! Just let me open the gate."

Pushing open the gate I was greeted by a hulking man, nothing I couldn't take though.
"I don't know you. You in Riften looking for trouble?"
"Why are you talking to me?" I said rolling my eyes and walking away from the man.

"Did you hear about that Arentino boy?" Was hear over the over of the inn as we entered the bee and bard and Lydia and I snapped to attention, we love gossip.
"No what's going on?"
"Ran away from the orphanage, trying to summon the dark brotherhood to kill grelod the kind!"
"Poor woman, Grelod the Kind?"
"Don't feel sorry for her. Bit of a joke, deserves everything she gets really. Horrible to them kids."
"Ahh, I see..."

"Hey!" I called over the din of the inn, slapping my hand on the counter to get the Lizards attention.
"What can I do to help you?" She said walking over while cleaning out a tankard.
"Two rooms and two bottles of black briar." I said placing the money down on the counter.
Walking over to Lydia I passed her a bottle and sat down at the table.

"I still don't get why we didn't stay at the keep."
"What was I supposed to do? Walk in while everyone's in bed, wake them up and go 'Hey, Laila. You've only met me like twice, you know that blonde girl that's sometimes with Ulfric? Yeah no, but you might of heard that I'm a Jarl now! So can my Housecarl and I have a room while we go look for this crazy guy on run from the thalmor?"
"That's exactly what you say."
Pulling the cork out of the bottle with my teeth and blowing it at Lydia I laughed. "Well I'm not going there tonight, so shut up about it."
"Dibellas tits." she laughed throwing her cork at me.

"Do you not have a bard?" Lydia asked confused.
"No, Milady. Sadly the bee and Bard is without a bard."
"Freya, your thinking what I'm thinking right?" She said exitedly.
"That that drink was really strong?"
"No we should totally go sing!"
"Okay, you go sing about me and I'll sit here and watch."
"I'm definitely going to do that!"

Oh Lydia, you can't handle your drink.

"Our hero, Our hero claims a warriors heart."

"Get up." I snapped, stepping into Lydia's room.
"Huh?" She groaned.
"Out of bed Lydia."
"What time is it?" She murmured sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Suns height, so much for beating the thalmor to it."
"Right, let's go then."
"Aye, move. I have something I want to look in on first as well."

"So we're what?"
"You're standing outside and looking non-suspicious and I'm going to see if I can give these kids a better life."
"By murder?"
"It's for the greater good Lydia." I groaned, before disappearing into the dingy orphanage.

"How did it go?"
"I didn't get caught and a bunch of urchins now have a sunny outlook on life. To the rat way." I declared, pointing in what I thought was the general direction of the ratway.

"Where do we start looking?" I asked as we wandered into the sewer masquerading as a tavern known as the ragged flaggon.
"We don't, we gotta be direct." Lydia decided, walking ahead further into the tavern.
"How do we be direct then Lydia?" I sighed raising an eyebrow.
Lydia just rolled her eyes at me and walked up to the counter, slamming her fist down
"Where's Esbern?"
"Who are you?" The man said suspiciously, placing down his grimy mug.
"That's irrelevant." Lydia said bluntly
"Look, I don't know you so I'm not going to tell you. Now it's best if you leave." The man warned, glaring at her.
"You want me to beat it out of you?" Lydia said, placing both hands on the countertop and leaning closer to the man who took a nervous step back.
"He's in the rat way, pays good money for food and for me to keep his secret."
"Look we both got want we wanted. I know where he is and you didn't get punched." She smirked walking away and I followed behind her laughing.

"I'm terrified." I laughed.
"Great, I made the dragonborn shake." She said proudly.
"Not quite shake. Now let's go kill some Gold skins." I smirked as I opened the door to the rat way.

There was a lot of thalmor killing lately and I really was loving it.

"Aha! There you are!"
"Fus Roh!" I shouted, toppling the wizard, then with my war-hammer I relived him of his head.
Slamming my hammer into the other soldiers leg and then head, we moved on.

"Esbern!"
"What there's no Esbern here, go away!"
"Esbern, for the love of Talos open the fuck up!"
"Go away!"
"The thalmor are here, we have to go!"
"And how do I know your not with them!"
"Because the first of Frostfall or something similar! Delphine sent me!"

After an insufferable amount of locks and a doom and gloom speech followed by some hasty packing we were on our way out of the sewers. Of course we were intercepted by a wizard, two soldiers and a cat, but we got out.

The stagnant waters of the canal roiling slightly in the breeze, my boots clinking in the wooden walkways. This is what made Riften.

"Get your falmer blood elixir here! Make love like a sabre cat!" An all to familiar voice rang out from above. A voice I had grown to believe I would never hear again.

"Take Esbern to Riverwood, wait there." I turned to Lydia.
"Tell me that's not who I think it is?"
"I'm pretty sure it is."