Chapter 59

“I thought Gelebor was going to try to force things earlier,” Serana said as she finished removing her gown.

“I think if it was any other day than today, he might have. But this is one time that my ... what’d you call it, love, adventuring ways ... will not get in the way of family.”

Elisif looked up from where she was crouched between my legs, gently stroking my private hair and starting to rub things. “Something like that. But do we have to have this conversation now? I totally drenched my smalls earlier, and I’m ready.”

“This is private time for all of us, something we’ll not have much of in the near future. While I agree that spending a good portion of it reaffirming our love for each other is a good idea ... oh, watch that tongue ... I depend upon your advice, just as you and Astrid will have to depend upon your stewards.”

Astrid leaned back in bed, her lithe nude form enticing. “While I agree with you that we need to speak of things, I’m not sure what Erandur did to me earlier but if you don’t get that toy out and start using it on me, I’m going to have to find something or someone rather quickly.” She reached down and spread her lips open so that we could all see the juices glistening within and starting to run out.

Elisif took that as an invitation to run her tongue deep within me, freeing the dam within and letting my own juices flow freely. Serana chuckled at the moan I made. “This is the only time I think I’m going to suggest you surrender, Martina. You’re obviously in over your head ... or Elisif is in over her head, something like that.”

I crawled up onto the bed with Astrid, looking her in the eye. “Are you ready, my love?” She nodded, licking her lips and reaching for me. I took the shorter end and put it up inside me, giving a gasp as it ran across my nubbin. Serana ran the strap around my waist so it’d stay in place, then ran her finger down and along my crack.

“Come here, Elisif, let’s help these two make a baby.” Serana leaned over and gave the end of the toy a good lick, then moved her tongue up to Astrid to taste her as well. Elisif did the same. I was on my knees now, between Astrid’s legs, with her open wide and ready for me. Serana took the end of the toy and rubbed it into the wetness now coating Astrid’s slit, then guided it inside as I moved forward.

The four of us made love to each other for hours that night. We did something different this time, taking a break between each try to simply enjoy the joys of Dibella without the toy. That way there was no Daedric influence, just three wonderful women giving me pleasure while I tried to return it to them as well.

The quiet knocking on the door woke Astrid. Her call, asking who it was, woke me.

“My Jarl, it’s morning and we have hot water for all of you to clean up with, and food will be ready for all of you shortly.” The voice wasn’t instantly familiar to me, then I realized who said it.

Astrid replied, “Thank you, Mjoll. I would say that we are decent, but I’m quite certain that Lydia and Jordris have told you otherwise, so you may as well bring the water in.”

The door opened to three laughing Nord warrior women. “They told me you’d probably say something like that. I do not regret becoming your housecarl, I only wish that I had been able to see our Queen in action first.”

I looked at Astrid. “With your permission, my wife? She’s your housecarl.” Astrid nodded. “Lydia will give you guidance on what you need to take. Plan on being gone from Riften for a week.”

I then looked at Elisif. “Rikke and Surgus will be escorting you back to Solitude, my wife, whether he knows it or not. Serana, my wife, I would like you to remain here for now, help Astrid get this town under control again. Delphine will be staying here, and if I can make it happen, Fasendil will as well. I shouldn’t need him or his troops, not with these three and those that I know will be going.”

The former vampire nodded. “This is one of those Daedric things, isn’t it? Some deal between Nocturnal and your mother.”

“While I doubt that this will cure the Falmer themselves, this whole thing reeks of a long term project between the Daedra.” While talking, we’d quickly bathed and dressed. I had another thought but didn’t share it with anyone else.

Erandur and a young woman in priestly garb were waiting for us when we entered the dining room. “My Queen, this is Alessandra, the priestess of Arkay for Riften.”

“Thank you, Erandur.” I looked at the sad woman. “I presume that Erandur told you what I wanted?”

She sighed. “Yes, Your Majesty. It will only take me a moment. At least this isn’t my usual duties that I’m stuck with, tending the dead.” She did something similar to Styrr while looking at my wives. A faint smile crossed her face. “I believe congratulations are in order, ladies. And if I’m understanding this correctly, my Jarl, an extra special one for you. It appears you are bearing twins.”

Astrid glared at Erandur. “So, gave me a bit too much of a fertility blessing, did you?” Her voice sounded angry, but she couldn’t keep it that way, it quickly changing to a soft tone. “Twins. Doubly blessed by the gods, then. Thank you.”

“Alessandra, you’ll forgive me, but you don’t sound like you actually like what you do.”

She tried to smile. “It’s not that, really, Your Majesty. It’s just ... I grew up as the weird little girl taking care of dead people, because that was what my father did. He was the priest of Arkay here before me. So I never had anything like a normal childhood. And there is a ceremonial dagger that is given to each priest by the one who trains him or her, so I have my fathers since he trained me. He died far from here, though, and I’ve never been able to make the pilgrimage to take his dagger to him, as it is normally interred with us. So I have two, as I received one of my own. I’d just like to see his taken back to him is all.”

“Where is he now?”

“He unexpectedly died while visiting the Temple of Kynareth. He was interred in the Whiterun Hall of the Dead.”

“Do you have his dagger?”

“Of course.” She removed it from her belt, showing it to me.

“I personally cannot take it to Whiterun at this time. But if you will entrust it to me, I can make sure it is delivered to the Priest of Arkay in Whiterun in just a few days. My wife, Jarl Elisif of Solitude, will be returning to her home. She will be traveling with Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun.”

“I ... I don’t know what to say. Yes, thank you, that would be wonderful!”

Elisif took the dagger from her. She reached out and touched Alessandra on the cheek. “Do not worry. If possible I will place this with your father myself.”

“Thank you, Jarl Elisif. I ... I appreciate this, more than you can know.”

Elisif smiled back at her. “Oh, I’m learning. This one,” she pointed her thumb at me, “is a bad influence, always having too much to do. Come, join us for breakfast.” She didn’t give the priestess a chance to object, taking her by the arm and leading her into the dining area.

The celebrations of our marriage were likely to continue for a couple more days. Due to the sheer number of important guests, a few people were able to slip from town without notice later that afternoon.

I was quite surprised, but basically there had been a decision to have a Council of Jarls in Riften, since all the holds but Windhelm were represented. Serana would act as my direct representative in case anything came up that needed a tie broken, but other than that, the Jarls were actually having an intelligent group discussion about the future for all of Skyrim.

I still felt as if I were leading a small war party, which realistically I was. The group that headed north consisted of myself, Lydia, Jordris, Mjoll, Erandur, Gelebor, Sapphire, and Karliah. I barely avoided having more than fifty soldiers accompany us as well. It was only because I convinced Delphine that taking that many troops with me into a dwarven ruin would end up with half of them dead that I was able to avoid the cavalcade. Her own trip through the depths of Ustengrav convinced her that a smaller party was best.

Other than for Gelebor, I did borrow the equipment of Balimund and improve to the best of the supplies available the armor and weapons of those who hadn’t already been with me. For whatever reason, Gelebor refused to let me work on his gear. I was even able to make the Nightingale armor and weapons that Karliah used better, which surprised her greatly, as well as making her wonder about the power of Nocturnal.

We stopped for the night at Darkwater Crossing. The guards told us that there had been no bandit trouble for quite a while, so the miners had been getting more corundum ore out that ever before. Fortunately I didn’t have to talk to Annekke’s former husband this time, either. That made it a pleasant sleep.

Our second day saw us pass many Stormcloak patrols that looked concerned. We had continued to follow the river north, passing Mixwater Mill, then turning towards Agna’s Mill when we neared Windhelm, so we could stay at Nightgate Inn before heading to Irkngthand. We had passed Agna’s Mill and were heading west when finally one of the Stormcloak patrols stopped us.

“Hold, strangers. What is your business here in Eastmarch?” There were half a dozen Stormcloak troops that were blocking the road.

‘Eastmarch? Unless I’m mistaken and perhaps Eastmarch has declared a war I know not of, this territory belongs to the Pale.”

“This is Eastmarch territory now because Dawnstar is now ruled by a bootlicker to the Imperial cause. Somehow or other the rightful Jarl of Dawnstar was killed, so we are simply making sure that we hold as much of what was his as possible.”

“Ah, I see. Well, you’ll have no trouble from us, we’re simply passing through. And while I may be of Imperial birth, as you can see, my friends are Nord and mer.”

“And that’s supposed to make me happy, that you’re a mixed group? We’ve had too many traitors to the cause of Ulfric lately. Perhaps you should explain yourselves a bit more, or face our blades.”

“What cause do you speak of? The one where Windhelm stands alone against the true High Queen of Skyrim, she who has been recognized by the other eight holds as the rightful ruler of the realm? You know, the Dragonborn, right?”

I saw one of the soldiers in the back look up at that. The leader was also slightly shaken at my simple comment. “What do you mean, the Dragonborn, and other eight holds?”

“You haven’t heard? Ah, well, if you’ve been on patrol, that perhaps explains much. We recently passed through Riften, where the Dragonborn, the one who defeated Alduin due in part to her mastery of the Voice, was declared High Queen of Skyrim by every Jarl in Skyrim except Ulfric. She wears the Jagged Crown, you know, which means she’s truly the High Queen, and it’s said she’s also Septim, so she’s the Empress of all Tamriel. Oh, one thing I do know for certain, she has renounced the White-Gold Concordat, so that worship of Talos is no longer banned anywhere in the Empire.”

Lydia said, “Yes, we saw both Thongvor of Markarth and Korir of Winterhold in public while passing through Riften, swearing their allegiance to the High Queen.”

The soldier in the rear cursed. “Dammit, I knew there was something up. No wonder Galmar sent us out here when the Imperial patrols pulled back, they don’t need to be out here at all now. We’re fucked.”

“Quiet in the ranks!” The leader of the patrol looked shaken. “Look, what you said may have some semblance to the truth, but we’re soldiers. We’ve been given orders, and that means we’re to secure this road.”

“Even if those orders are from a traitor to the true High Queen?” I quietly asked.

“Shit, I don’t know.” He looked frustrated.

In a calm and quiet voice, I said, “Just out of curiosity, would any of your soldiers know the Jagged Crown if they saw it?”

“Aye, lady. We’ve heard that tale before. So if you can describe it, I think we can know if you’re really telling us a tale about what you say you saw in Riften.”

I smiled, not a cruel smile. “How about I do you one better?” I reached into my saddle bag and pulled the Crown out, setting it on my head. “My name is Martina Grizé. I am wearing the Jagged Crown now, for I am the High Queen of Skyrim and Empress of Tamriel. Ulfric Stormcloak is in rebellion against my rule. And yes, I’m the Dragonborn that you’ve heard so much about. Now, would you like to accompany me to Nightgate Inn as the newest members of the Dragonborn’s Own and then on to Hob’s Fall Cave, or would you prefer we leave your corpses here on the road?”

Later that evening I said, “Hadring, it is my pleasure to be here at your inn again. I need meals for fourteen for tonight and for in the morning as well. I know this is more than you have rooms for inside, but some of us can sleep in the common or perhaps in your basement?” He blustered for a moment, then made arrangements for all of us.

The next morning before we sat down for breakfast, Karliah came up to me. “How many, and which way?”

“You knew, didn’t you? That’s why you had Sapphire and I switch off on watches outside. Anyone, it was only one, and he headed back towards Windhelm.” As she was finishing, I saw the leader of the former Stormcloak soldiers coming up from the basement, looking very upset. I waved him over.

“Apologies, my Queen, but ... I am sorry, it appears one of my men was not the man I thought he was. He left in the middle of the night, I can only presume to go tell Ulfric that you’re heading for Hob’s Fall, so he can try to capture or kill you. Those of us who remain, we are your sworn ... why are you laughing?”

“Oh, I just hope that Ulfric sends his most loyal troops to Hob’s Fall Cave to capture or kill me. I understand it’s a rather nasty place, full of warlocks and other undead. In the meantime, please, have your men enjoy their breakfast. We have a short ride and a long day ahead of us.”

“You knew?”

“When Thongvor Silver-Blood decided to back me, we ended up having to kill a little less than half of the city guard. Even with all the evidence in the world, people will still do stupid things, make stupid decisions. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I would much rather find out someone is being false to me now, than when I’m fighting.”

He snorted. “To be brutally honest, Ulfric has tried to quash the rumors that have been going around. May as well try to stop the wind from blowing. Most of the troops are like us, we like a good fight, but right now there’s just nothing. No fighting, like the Imperials are trying to avoid us. Ulfric said it’s because they’re scared of us. We figure it’s because they’re planning a big offensive and simply gathering up an overwhelming force to finally crush us. But you ... you make a difference, to our thinking. That’s why I had no problem pledging myself to you, my Queen.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s eat.”

After eating we headed south passed the lake, then around a ridge. The dwarven ruins were visible from a distance, as was the smoke from a couple of campfires. I had our troops pause just around the bend from Irkngthand. “If, and I doubt it, but if these are peaceful people, then they are citizens of Skyrim and are to be treated as such. If they are bandits, which is more likely, then ... well, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you.”

I could hear one of the soldiers asking Lydia why I was wearing the Jagged Crown. She told him, “She’s the Dragonborn Queen, so what do you think? The Jagged Crown is made of dragon bones and teeth, and is still armor, the rest of her armor is made of dragon scale. Gods know I’ve seen her kill enough of them. She’s a warrior, pure, plain, and simple.”

We openly approached Irkngthand then. From out of the bushes stepped a bandit who started to bluster. “Don’t get any closer!” Then he noticed how many of us there were. “Uh, wait, what is it you want?”

“We’re not here for you and yours. So you have a simple choice. Leave, or die.”

He made his choice and turned to run inside. A single arrow showed it was a bad choice. Several more bandits showed themselves at this point. I took out three of them with arrows while Lydia and Jordris each killed two, even before we’d managed to actually enter the courtyard in front. I could see more up on the walls and started picking them off one by one before they could get closer. In moments, it was over.

“Let’s get this barrier down, gather up the dead, get what’s useful, and set up a camp in that open area over there, so the horses have a bit of room,” I ordered. Everything was quickly accomplished. “All right, we are going to be entering a dwarven ruin. This is too many people for me to keep safe in such a place. There will certainly be automatons inside, probably Falmer as well. Gelebor, if you cannot...”