“Why’s Ulfric...Like that?” Anna asks making vague gestures toward the palace as we enter the city. “What’s That supposed to mean?” I ask copying her movement, Anna stops walking and looks at me “An inconsiderate asshole that’s what.” I look around to hear some passing guards muttering and take her arm to keep moving “Not so loudly, people might hear you.” We walk to the inn and find a spot in the common room upstairs in the corner. “I get what you mean but that’s not the kind of thing you say in front of a group of patrolling guards. Or else they might arrest you.” Anna huffs and crosses her arms in frustration “To be honest, I think it’s being stuck in this city that’s made him like that...lack of sunlight.” I joke which draws a subtle grin from her.
There’s an element of truth in the assessment though, Windhelm isn’t known for being a pretty city by any means, more for being cold and snowy all year round. Winter is approaching and the days are growing shorter, making the city become even gloomier than usual. Having warmed up again after the trip from Dawnstar, a place I’ll never understand why anyone would live there, Anna and I head home, passing the palace of the kings on our way. Anna makes a face as we walk by and runs ahead briefly down the steps and crossing through an alleyway. Luckily it’s a short walk home, while the cold air can be good for a while, the freezing temperatures aren’t great for the long term.
Anna slams the door after we’re inside before too much snow and wind blows in. “I saw the face you made while we were walking.” Anna smirks and hangs up her coat. “Like I said before. He’s an ignorant asshole, who can burn in oblivion.” She explains turning around. I give her a quizzical look “you left that last part out the first time.” I quip and she shrugs, wrapping herself in a blanket “Why’s it got to be so cold here all the time? I don’t get it!” I walk over to her and scoop her up easily “Because it’s northern Skyrim?” I reply walking upstairs “Well northern Skyrim needs to get its act together and stop being so cold!” Anna says exasperatedly flailing her arms in the process. I set her down once upstairs and pull the blanket around her more. “You want to know what will make you warm up? A nice bath.” Anna glances toward the bathroom, then drops the blanket and grabs her clothes, before bolting toward it. “One step ahead of you.” She jokes peeking her head out from behind the doorframe beckoning for me to follow her.
“Close your eyes, and no peeking!” Anna hangs a towel up “Wouldn’t it be easier if I just turned around? And you’ll have nothing on in there anyways?” Anna makes an annoyed noise “Just...Close your eyes.” She pauses and looks at the drawn bath “...And there’s bubbles in there so there’s not much to see.” With a sigh I cover my eyes until the signal to open them. Kneeling down beside her I grab one of the bath toys that had been left here the last time by the housecarl, a rubber duck and toss it in, something she finds highly amusing. Anna splashes around content enough until the water begins to run cold, and I hear a knock at the door. Leaving her to get dressed I go downstairs, turning on the light and opening the door to find...no one. Muttering to myself I go back upstairs to find Anna kneeling on the desk trying to look out the window “Who was it?” She asks, trying to angle herself to see the doorway. “Just the wind.” I sigh, taking her off the desk before something gets knocked over. Anna looks at me and glances toward the bed and, judging by her choice of clothing, the mischievous glint in her eyes, and absolute lack of any tiredness at all, I accurately guess her motive. “Ok come here it’s getting late.” I gently toss her onto the bed and close the door. Anna laughs gleefully upon impact, while she’s fragile she does enjoy being tossed around on to soft surfaces, I've never understood why, I think to myself searching through a drawer. Now where did those silk ribbons go?
“Better?” I ask as Anna rolls over and squeezes up against me, trying to regulate her breathing again. She nods sleepily and puts her head on my chest with a sigh “Much better.” Slipping a hand under her, Anna allows me to move her to a more comfortable position. Anna dozes against me, much warmer than when we’d first gotten home.
“Anna?” I ask moving a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she opens one eye “Yeah?” I pull the blanket up and hold her closer “You still never told me why you don’t like Ulfric so much” Anna opens her eyes and goes to say what she’d repeated earlier but I stop her “In detail…You never explained the specifics.” Anna frowns and sits up “I don’t want to talk about it.” She says crossing her arms and looking away, toward the opposite wall. Turning on the light on the side table and sitting up as well, as I seem to have stumbled upon a conversation that may take awhile, I gently poke her cheek. The wind rattles the window, startling her. “It’s just the wind, nothing to be worried about.” I wrap an arm around her stabilizing her so she doesn’t fall from her place sitting up and notice something then “Are you...crying?” I ask wiping the tear off her face, Anna refuses the look at me “What? No. No I’m not crying, why would I be crying?” She asks sarcastically but the break in her voice clearly says otherwise. Gently I take the side of her face and turn it until we’re looking at each other. Anna looks at me with sad, almost hurt eyes and whimpers before breaking into a sob and burying her face against my shoulder. I let her cry, holding her and running a hand through her hair and along her back in the effort to calm her. “Sh sh sh, you’re alright. It’s okay.” In time Anna stops crying and wipes her eyes “I’m sorry…” Anna whispers and I look at her “No need to apologize. Now would you mind explaining why the topic is so emotionally charged?” I give her a smile and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, getting a small smile in return. Anna sighs “It started at Helgen, or really before that actually.” Anna begins wiping the one of last stray tears from her eyes “At the ambush at the boarder, the one I accidentally walked into? They put us all in the same cart after making us change into this awfully made, for the lack of better explanation, prisoners “clothing” it was basically rags. I was stuck next to him the entire trip with him making comments the whole time until they gagged him.” I go to ask a question but she knows before I ask it and gestures to herself “Those kind of comments.” She says with a displeased look. “Then at Helgan itself he pushed me ahead of him in line...Where I almost got my head cut off... for nothing!” Her exasperated expression and flailing makes me unable to hold back a slight laugh and Anna swats me lightly “You wouldn’t be laughing if that were you!” I give her a slight squeeze “I’m sorry just the way you said that, and the entire situation on the whole is so absolutely ridiculous, you couldn’t write it if you tried.” I explain and allow her to continue “Then dragon attack, we ran, all that blah blah blah and Ulfric still has it in him to make a smart comment then make Ralof and I do all the work. After Helgan when we showed up here he continued to make snide comments, and rant about his messed up ideaology.” Anna pauses and tries to calm her rapid breathing. “And after that…He-he threatened to…” She trails off and mumbles something. “What? I didn’t quite catch that end of it.” Anna looks down and mumbles again. “Still couldn’t hear you.” I say “He threatened to have me assaulted if I didn’t follow orders because he’s the Jarl!” She cries and breaks down again. Sitting there, stunned but not surprised I hold her until she calms down again, running the information through my head over and over.
“When did he say that?” I ask and Anna stops to think “Maybe three months ago, four months ago...why?” I explain to her a bit about the legal system in Skyrim, and how that’s not an isolated incident. “If he wants to be king he’s surely not making his chances any better by threatening a person with three dragons and a group of werewolves around.” I joke which causes her to laugh and seemingly cheer up. “I’m sorry that happened Anna, he really is an ignorant asshole then.” Anna hugs me tightly “It’s okay. You’re the exact opposite.” She whispers and kisses me.
The wind rattles the windows again and interrupts the moment, and now drawn by curiosity, Anna climbs off my lap and out of bed, walking over to the window again “Can we go sledding or something tomorrow?” She asks, pressing her hands against the window and trying to get a clearer look outside. I look at the clock “It’s already tomorrow. First you need to go to sleep. And second, only if you promise not the magically pelt me with snowballs again.” Anna turns around and grins “But that was fun!” I give her a look “Maybe for you but not to me.” Anna’s eyes light up “I have an idea of who to throw them at…” She says with an almost evil tone of voice before climbing back into bed. I turn out the light and give Anna her stuffed rabbit, she always seems to sleep better with it after getting upset. Anna falls asleep relatively quickly, in the scheme of things, though she sleeps fitfully, during the moments of quiet leaving me to contemplate the retold events alone in the dark, before I too fall asleep.
A series of shifting movements wakes me up, in particular when Anna forcibly opens my eyes. “Wake up.” She says with a grin I sigh and pull her down, rolling over “No.” Anna pouts “But why not?” She whines trying to squirm out of my grip until I let go and sit up “I’m just kidding.” Anna sprawls out with a small noise, somehow the blanket and sheets had gotten twisted up during the night and are practically falling off the bed. “How are you not freezing?” I ask looking down at her, as she’s wearing barely more than a tank top and underwear. Anna simply shrugs “Between you and the blanket I’m alright.” She pauses and gets up “But you’re right... now I’m getting cold again.” She laughs and goes to get dressed, in far better spirits than last night, if still a bit melancholy.
“So what are we doing today?” I ask as Anna struggles to cut up a pancake “Well...first I have to get this stupid thing to work. Then stop by the market and pick something up. Then we go to the castle.” I take the fork and knife and cut it up for her. “That’s something I never figured out.” She says eating a piece “Cutting things up, never was good at it. People kept saying ‘oh keep your arm close to you’ blah blah blah. Never worked.” She cuts a piece into smaller bites “I just figured out my own way of doing things, works well enough for most stuff.” She explains cutting it up.
Having finished breakfast we stop by the market quickly where Anna picks up something from the Shattershield family, it’s wrapped in paper so I don’t know what it is, I make a mental note to ask later. “Alrighty, time to go give Ulfric a piece of my mind...and something else too.” Anna says matter of fact my beginning to trudge off toward the palace. “Did I tell you that Teldryn and Ling went to see Toryggs body the other day?” Anna asks as we walk “No...can’t imagine how that went, even if Elisif is pretty tolerant.” I reply and Anna chuckles slightly “Well, Teldryn basically went up to her and asked to see the body, for police business, while stunned she agreed and he and Ling went off on their way to the cemetery. Apparently it was pretty ghastly.” Anna explains, I’d expected being shouted to pieces might result in such an explanation, and Torygg certainly didn’t deserve it. “Don’t think he’ll try it again, do you?” I ask hesitantly “I mean he can shout but he’s no Dragonborn...unlike one of us, that is. So...No I don’t.” I had thought that would be the case, but the reassurance is helpful. “Time to give this bastard a taste of his own medicine.” Anna mutters as we get to the gates of the palace and go inside.
For such a large place you’d think it would be better lit, a sharp contrast from Dragonsreach in Whiterun known for being filled with light due to its natural perch on the hill. “Well well well, if it isn’t the Dragonborn and her ever following companion.” Ulfric claps sarcastically with a sneer “What did I ever do to enjoy such a visit?” He asks coyly, sitting back on his throne. “Oh you know, just a bit of treason, deceit, sexual harassment, and murder...nothing major.” Anna replies equally as sarcastic, the dry humor, witty and sarcastic personality Bretons are known for becoming clearly evident. “It was a duel. Torygg agreed to it, something I’m sure your people wouldn’t understand, petty kingdoms and all.” Ulfric scoffs. Anna rolls her eyes in reply “Well if you know so much about High Rock then perhaps you knew the last time a feudal system was in place was the mid-late third era, and may I remind you we are now two-hundred and one years into the fourth era. As for your so-called argument, duels are fought between opponents with fair ground, ie; no magic powers, similar armor and weaponry, and no dirty tricks. Doesn’t seem like your fight fits the criteria considering you ‘shouted him apart’ now does it?” Anna gives a coy smile and tilt of the head when finishing her sentence. The guards standing in the corners of the room, along with Galmar, Ulfric's own right hand seem stunned, I guess no one has put their mighty so called ruler in his place ever.
Enraged Ulfric sits forward in his chair “Why you little-“ he breaks off into a frustrated sound “I should have you-“ Anna interrupts before he can finish “Have me- what? Assaulted? Attacked in the street? You’ve made those threats before, dimwit.” Ulfric growls angrily and Anna grins devilishly and turns to leave before stopping “Oh, and one more thing-“ she makes a motion and snowballs materialize out of thin air, rapidly flying toward their target “If you ever threaten me again I’ll report you to the greybeards and give you to the dragon myself...have a nice day.” Anna finishes, turns on a heel and heads to leave, walking toward the door, the trail of her dress flowing behind her. Ulfric goes to stand and seems to be beginning to shout but is quickly cut off when Anna waves her hand nonchalantly as she walks, and suddenly, as if being choked, Ulfric grips his neck, before being lifted in the air and sent flying into the cold hard stone.
Having seen the spectacle I come to my senses and quickly turn to catch up with Anna as she walks to the door, red dress moving slightly as she walks, the colour a sharp contrast to the blue and grey of the castle. A soldier at the door gives us a wink and seems to be trying not to laugh as we exit the palace into the cold once again. “Well, That was...something.” I remark and Anna grins “Wasn’t it brilliant? If that didn’t put him in his place I don’t think anything will.” A thought comes to me then “I wonder why nobody did anything, usually guards and right hands are pretty protective of their jarl.” Anna shrugs “Well, based on that one soldier I think they were all waiting for someone to bring him down a notch.” We walk through the grey quarter and out of the city itself on to the docks, a much quieter place to chat.
“You might find this offensive but Skyrim really is a shite province, not that the others are much better.” Anna remarks sitting on one of the boxes at the docks as we watch the ships go by. “Honestly, I’m inclined to agree with you. Can you understand why Kodlak says not to get involved in politics?” Anna nods with a slight grin “Absolutely, and in terms of the civil war, you either pick a crumbling empire, or Ulfric. In that case, I’d choose none.” Anna pauses for a moment “that’s not to say I don’t believe in a free Skyrim, just not one under Ulfric's control, he’s just a wanna be tyrant. He’d fit in wonderfully with second and third era Breton monarchs, with the whole city state thing.” Anna explains. We watch the people on the docks go about their day, continuing to chat for a while longer until it begins to get dark and a cold front moves in, then it starts to snow.
“Every day there’s more snow, what is it with this blasted country?!” Anna mutters trudging back through the deepening snow. “What can I say? Windhelm is the snowiest city in Skyrim, and it’s Winter in Windhelm after all…”
Happy Holidays from the team at Disability Diaries!
Until Next Time,
Max
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