Stin

Opinions

Ayla walks into the main hall downed in a heavy dress with multiple layers beneath and a white and grey fur that rests only on her shoulders and stops at her midback. Her hair is down and a simple yet elegant braid runs down the middle of it. She sends a small smile at Xaliyah before turning to walk towards Windhelm's throne where Ulfric sits tall and proud.

"Do you suppose he knows about Riverwood?" Xaliyah asks as they approach the Jarl. Xaliyah is also not wearing her armor, instead, going for a light and flowy dress, suitable for a pregnant woman.

"I would imagine so," she replies, looking over at her second before back at the blonde Jarl, "It is a small town full of Stormcloak supporters and a good place for wood. Not to mention Ralof's family lives there," Xaliyah hums her response and remains quiet as they approach Ulfric, who watches them as they approach.

"Dragonborn, it is good to see you again," Ulfric greets with a formal tone of voice, "I hope you had a peaceful journey to Windhelm," he adds and Ayla smiles a closed-lip smile, bowing her head slightly as a sign of respect.

"It was no easier than my past journeys, Jarl Ulfric," she responds, standing up straighter and her smile fading slightly. She takes a deep breath as she glances over at Galmar, who has his arms crossed and a frown on his aging face. She blinks before looking back up at Ulfric, "if I am not mistaken, you summoned me here to discuss important matters?" she adds and Ulfric nods, standing up and descending the stairs.

"Matters best kept private," he says as he walks towards Windhelm's war room, Galmar close behind him as well as Ayla after she says a quick goodbye to Xaliyah, who is heading to Windhelm's medic. Once they are in the room, Galmar closes and locks the door. Ayla stares at the door for a few seconds, unsure of what to make of it. Should she grab her sword just in case? She doesn't trust these two completely, but she knows she can handle herself well should things take a violent and bloody turn.

Ayla returns her gaze to Ulfric, who holds a letter in his hand. She recognizes the seal; the official Whiterun seal, and knows immediately what this is about, "I received this yesterday hours before you arrived in Windhelm," Ulfric explains, stretching his arm out to hand her the letter, which she takes with a confused expression. She looks at Ulfric for a second before unfolding the letter and reading its contents.

'Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Windhelm,

I write to you with a simple yet important request. But before I reveal my request, I want to preface this with the news that the Dragonborn will soon be arriving in Windhelm and will be able to help you come to a decision on this matter.

Once this war is over and you are High King of Skyrim, you will need a bride to become High Queen and give you children.  With that said, I would like to formally offer you my niece, Olfina, as your potential bride.

I hope to get your response soon,

Jarl Vignar Grey-Mane of Whiterun'

Ayla sets the letter aside after reading it, looking at Ulfric with an expression that silently asks him how he wants her to react. She truly didn't care if he accepted the proposal or not, she was curious as to why both Ulfric and Vignar want to drag her into it.

Ulfric sighs, glancing at Galmar who shrugs, before looking back at Ayla, "the letter said that you will be able to help me with Vignar's request," he explains bluntly, his tone neither calm nor angry, "what I want to know is whether or not you gave him this idea,"

Ayla remains silent, studying his face closely. His eyes are cold and calculating like they usually are. He wears a small frown and his posture suggests that he isn't angry at the idea. Good, their alliance won't suffer from her response. With a sigh, she clasps her hands in front of her, "Vignar came up with the idea himself," she explains, her tone emotionless, "he requested my audience a few days ago when I was passing through Whiterun and there he revealed it to me, saying how I will be able to help him achieve his goal,"