As he turned to continue his rounds, making sure that his movements were flawless, a voice called out to him. "Guard," Unni called out, sending a chill up his spine. "Your majesty," he turned to face her, dropping to a knee with a hand across his chest. He could feel his heart beating through the leather of his gauntlet. "Was my study door open when you arrived?" she asked plainly. While her tone wasn't accusatory, he knew it was a loaded question.
"Your majesty, I have only just completed my first round, and I have yet to verify the security of your study," he said, keeping his tone as even as he could with his heart in his mouth. "I see. In that case, please secure it for me. His majesty and I still have much to discuss about the day's meetings," she said dismissively. "It will be done, your majesty," he said, lowering his head a little more.
"Oh, and Guardsman?" Anders called out, turning to face him. "Yes, your majesty?" Wien replied, sinking back into his kneeling position as quickly as he could. "I thought the guard change was supposed to only be this evening. Did Commander Lande send you here?" he asked, curiosity ringing in his voice.
How the fuck do I answer that? Wien thought, sweat beading down the side of his cheek.
"Your majesty, I was doing my primary rounds when one of my fellow guardsmen came and told me that his wife was due for their child today. I am here to cover for his absence while his wife brings their child into this world, your majesty," he answered in an even tone. "Does the Commander know of this?" Unni asked. "She does, your majesty. She knows every one of her soldier's personal lives quite well, and sent me here in his place," he replied, glaring at her through the slits in his helmet.
Anders whistled critically. "I've always been proud of her for keeping such close contact with the men and women under her command. I should probably take a page out of her book and get to know those closest to me a little better," he said with a light-hearted tone.
You should probably start with the bitch to your right, Wien thought but said nothing.
"In any case, I'm glad you're here, Guardsman. In fact, I would like to start right now: What is your name?" Anders asked, genuine curiosity in his voice prompted Wien to answer truthfully. "Sergeant Bjorn Wien, of the 1st Royal Battalion, your majesty," he replied in a crisp, yet humble tone. "Aha! Bjorn, Ulfric's son! My apologies, it is difficult to see your face beneath the helm. I remember your father introducing me to you when you were just a young boy! You're all grown up and a member of the 1st, eh? I'm glad to see such an upstanding soldier guarding us and making sure that his comrades are well taken care of," Anders said, no small amount of surprise in his voice.
Unni, however, eyed him curiously.
"Thank you, your majesty. It is both a privilege and an honor to serve under your banner," Wien said in his well-practiced tone. "The honor is mine, Sergeant. I was a member of the 1st myself before misfortune befell my family," Anders retorted with a small amount of both pride and pain in his voice, to which Unni shifted uncomfortably.
Wien, of course, noticed the shift and grinned with malicious intent beneath his helm.
"I didn't know you were a member of the 1st, your majesty, and I am sorry to hear about your family. It is… good to know that we have a capable leader who understands the difficulties of being in the service," Wien said, his tone as honest as it could be. "Of course! We must always take care of those who keep us safe from enemies both foreign and domestic, no? In any case, I will not keep you from your duties any longer. You are dismissed," Anders said with a warm smile. "Thank you, your majesties. I will fulfill them and those of my comrade to the best of my ability," Wien said, lowering his head.
Once the two had turned and walked away, Wien let out a deep breath that he didn't know he'd been holding.
Fuck. Me. Sideways, Wien thought, his eyes widening as he realized just how close he'd come to being found out.
He completed his rounds until the evening guardsman came to replace him. Luckily for him, no further encounters happened between him and the rulers of Odensby. After conducting his shift change, he made his way to Trina's office, where she sat with a plate of half-eaten food, and a tall mug of ale.
"What's the meaning of this feast, Commander?" he asked as he opened the door, seeing the genuinely confusing sight of Trina Lande, of all people, drinking an ale with dinner. She wasn't prone to doing so unless there was something to be celebrated, but he had no clue what that could be. "I heard you had an interesting run-in with Anders today," she said in a more cheerful tone than her tired appearance would've allowed her to have in normal conditions. "I-I did, ma'am, but what is the meaning of this feast?" he asked again, even more confused this time.
"I'll tell you in a bit, but first: Did you find what we were looking for?" she answered his question with one of her own. "I did, ma'am, but I was nearly found out by the bitch herself," Wien added, clicking his tongue. Trina chuckled, and took another bite of food. "You know, I'm a little mad you never told me about your father, Ulfric. He was a good man, truly," she began, pointing her drumstick at him as if she were pointing a finger. Wien gave a half-bow. "Thank you, Commander. It means a lot to me to hear that from you. I just wish I knew how he died, since there was never any record of it," he said solemnly.
"Funny you should mention that," Lande began, a malicious smile strewn across her face. "You, of course, know he was a member of the 1st as well, correct?" she asked. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Wien asked, moving to sit in the chair as per Lande's gesture. She pulled out another plate of food and a mug of ale, and set the two in front of him.
"You know that Anders suffered greatly at the hands of both the former king and Unni's machinations, right? What if I told you that our discoveries are twofold?" she asked, taking another bite of her drumstick, smudging a bit of grease along the corners of her mouth. Wien did the same, and washed the food down with a gulp of ale before asking his next question.
"Twofold? What are you talking about, ma'am?" he asked, finally swallowing the remnants of the food still stuck in his cheek. "Twofold as in both Anders and you will have your revenge," she said, a sudden, heavy air filled the room. "Wh-what?" Wien paused his chewing. "Remember how I said that appearances can be deceiving?" she asked, following her question up with another gulp of ale.
"Y-you're telling me that Unni, now-Queen of Hjalfar, got my father killed?" he said, his tone darkening as his heart began to race. "Drink up, friend. Tomorrow is a big day for all of us, because I have a plan," she nodded, clinking her mug to his.
Needless to say, Wien didn't sleep a wink that night, even with the added effects of the ale.
The following morning, Anders and Unni were both seated in the Great Hall for yet another round of meetings. Farmers, mayors, and tax collectors all gathered around and deliberated what rates should be implemented and other such boring topics that few are interested in.
This has been going on for a week now. Can't we move on? Anders thought tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Unni noticed his expression and laid her hand across his forearm, gently rubbing it with her thumb as the others in the hall argued and bickered with each other. He glanced up at her, pausing for a moment before giving her a thin-lipped and pained smile. "My lords," Anders called out, his patience having reached its peak. The others in the hall immediately quieted down, and turned to look at him.
"These deliberations have gone on for too long. I will have my financial advisor take this matter into his office, as I trust him to do what is right by all of you. Now, if you'll excuse my candor, we have other business to attend to," he said forcefully. Each of the men before him glared at each other, but ultimately bowed and took their leave before the next group was ushered in.
"Last one of the day, love," Unni said quietly, mentally preparing herself as well. "It's nearly midday, and we've had all of two meetings today. Who knew ruling a country would be so… boring?" he asked in a half-joking tone. She chuckled and patted his forearm while he gestured for the next group to come in. Oddly enough, there was only one person standing between the great doors. Backed by the sunlight, the person took a few steps forward after being instructed to do so by the guard.
Anders shielded his eyes from the sunlight that now radiated off the stone floor and into the hall, making his eyes water a little in the process. "Your majesty, may I present Sergeant Bjorn Wien of the 1st Royal Battalion," the announcer called out.
Unni shot Anders a glance that could've pierced steel. "What is he doing here?" she hissed quietly. Anders shook his head. "He wasn't on the list for today, so I have no idea, either," he said hushedly.
"Welcome, Sergeant! It is good to see you again," Anders said, warmly feigning his lack of surprise. Wien knelt before the throne a good distance away. "Your majesties, I thank you for allowing me the honor to stand before you," he said humbly, keeping his eyes downcast. "O-of course, Sergeant. We would be remiss to not uphold the sanctity of these kinds of meetings. So, tell me, what brings you here today?" Anders asked.
What the hell is going on? He thought.
"Your majesties, I have come before you today after giving yesterday's conversation some thought," Wien began, keeping his tone as humble as he could manage it. "I was told by my superior officer, Commander Trina Lande, that while it was true that my father served with the 1st Royal Battalion, there was no record of his death anywhere," he said, letting his words hang a moment alongside the gasps of surprise from the witnesses of the Great Hall's meetings.
Anders cocked his head to the side, and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "There are no records of his death?" he asked with genuine surprise. "None, your majesty. Which I thought was strange, since we have records dating all the way back to the Lyse War, but nothing within a few years prior or after his death," he stated, eyeing the scribes in the corner of the room.
Anders pursed his lips and squinted his eyes, watching the man carefully. "And you're certain of this? How did you even get that information?" Unni asked promptly, intrusively inserting herself into the conversation with no small amount of concern in her voice. "I'm certain, your majesty. Commander Lande has also given me the authority to conduct research of my own accord, as well as granted me unrestricted access to files from that time period," he said, nodding his head.
I knew she was going to be trouble, but this takes things to another level, Unni thought, feeling a weight in her stomach that wasn't there before.