*Haafingar Hold, Solitude City, The Blue Palace*

  The mood in this time of year in the city of Solitude is always good. The cold wind of the Sea of Ghosts that blow through the city every year gets settled and the sun rises brightly. Still, something managed to make the mood a bit muddy in King Torygg’s hall.

  "Can you just shut up? You come here all day ranting about this and that and when someone actually does some really good job, you start throwing stones at him."

  "What? Do you call depriving one-ninth of Skyrim a ’Good Job’? A ’Really Good Job’ at that? This is the kingdom we are talking about!"

  "Depriving? The man replied to all our fears and talked with sense. He fought for the whole Hold on his own and liberated it! Why do you keep pushing all that on him, Erikur?"

  "Please, Bryling! The guy is hoarding money from god knows where. He is ruling in the stead of the Jarl with an iron fist and no one is out there to oversee him. What kind of nonsense is that?"

  "Are you sure? Because all I see is you trying to deprive someone who is doing his job. He is a Thane just like you and me……"

  "No no no, his Thaneship is questioned due to the Jarl being in the dark all that time, the legality of his so-called Dare Dragon Company is questioned, all his actions are questioned. And he is not a Thane like us, he is the Thane of Winterhold, the poorest hold in Skyrim, we are the Thanes of Haafingar, the Capital and the most important hold in Skyrim."

  "All I know is that you are jealous and vexed. You’re vexed of him because he started that entertainment card game business that your gambling house is too high and mighty to adopt some measly card games called ’Gwent’, you’re vexed because all your efforts to trade with the College of Winterhold have gone to the gutter, you are vexed because of what happened in the tournament two years ago, and you’re vexed because you see a big sum of money that you can’t get your hands on."

  "Outrageous! How does the thrive of an important hold in Skyrim vex me? All I am concerned about is that someone acting in Skyrim like a Warlord and ruling the way he likes."

  "You just called it a poor hold a while ago and we are back at where we started again. Listen, the Jarlship is divided on nine permanent and strong families in Skyrim. Right now, the family and the actions of Jarl Korir are proving that both he and his family are in decline……"

  "Wait wait wait…… are you about to suggest that Jon Dare and his family…… adoptive family! The Firemanes…… are you suggesting that they take over the Jarlship of Winterhold?"

  "Isn’t it the best course of action for the sake of Winterhold?"

  "Bryling, I warn you……"

  "Show me what you got, spineless fool."

  Thane Bryling and Thane Erikur of Solitude were shooting death glares at each other.

  "Are you two done?" Falk Firebeard, the steward of High King Torygg, spoke in a scolding tone and looked at the man seated at the throne.

  "That was…… a good warm up. I am sure that a Thane on the other side of Skyrim is the most important thing that should keep my thanes busy." High King Torygg spoke sarcastically.

  "Excuse me, my king. It is just Thane Erikur’s attitude is really rude towards another man who is working hard for the sake of his Hold." Thane Bryling spoke.

  "Not his hold…… excuse me, my king. Not his hold, that boy came from the gutter of Riften and took over by the power of his Arch-Wizard mother and his adoptive family, god knows if he is just a puppet for the Firemanes to take over Winterhold somehow." Thane Erikur interrupted.

  "I value both your opinions, Bryling, Erikur. You are the most active Thanes in my hold and I thank you for your concern about my Kingdom. But please, let me remind you that according to law, Jarl Korir is the…… dominant lord of his hold and my words to him, if not about a matter that is important to the whole Skyrim or to enforce the law, are nothing more than pieces of advice."

  After saying that Jarl Korir is the ’dominant lord of his hold’, the thanes and even the high king himself felt a bad taste to it and laughed at it.

  "Also, the Firemanes are a Hidden Clan. By the ancient agreement with the Alessian Empire at the First Era, the Clans that are willing to come under the Alessian Doctrine and the Imperial Pantheon are to live among the populace while the others who worship Daedra, Ancestors, or the Old Nordic Gods are to live outside the populace." Falk Firebeard continued.

  "But the Firemanes are told to have lived in Winterhold before the Collapse." Erikur insisted.

  "There is no crime to worship the Old Nordic Gods in a none official temple even inside a city like Winterhold’s current Temple of Kyne. The Firemanes worshiped the Animal Totem Gods, the Nordic Gods and the Imperial Gods all at the same time." Bryling refuted.

  "Also, someone like Jon Dare can’t be a puppet." High King Torygg continued. "I investigated him myself and openly at that, the man is humble, lives in a house smaller than the Jarl’s and…… he did one hell of a score on Erikur that day. Come on admit it, he deserves the name ’Dare’. Argir, brother-in-law, don’t you think so too?"

  "Ehem…… yes, my king. Jon Dare is a good fighter and clever mage. His fame is reaching far and wide." Argir, who was standing beside Elisif, replied.

  The words of High King Torygg and Argir Swift-Hilt made Erikur’s face turn red and Bryling smile brightly. Thane Bryling is always a supporter of hardworking and she can be seen as one of the most honorable high-class people in Haafingar Hold.

  "Putting aside Jon Dare and Winterhold aside, for the sake of Eight, can we start the council?" Lady Elisif the Fair, who was present the whole time, pleaded everyone around.

  As the queen herself was present and she hates councils and appointments, the participants hurried up with their business.

  Falk Firebeard was standing beside High King Torygg and started to present the reports from Haafingar hold first and the Council became busy solving the problems and putting new laws. High King Torygg was a peaceful young ruler who exiled in management and was talented in the Arena but he had an easygoing personality and a sense of humor so the Council passed very fast.

  The Council also showed concern about Ulfric Stormcloak’s recent messages to oppose and kick out the Empire from Skyrim but High King Torygg knew how dangerous it was to make such a hasty unstudied decision and kept stalling. He was actually considering doing so to lessen the Imperial taxes and establish some new Nordic Order that fits Solitude but he kept reminding himself that Ulfric Stormcloak was trying to swallow the problem and put himself on top. He needed to be very careful.

  "In regards to the Matter, Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone has requested an Assembly in Solitude." Falk Firebeard viewed a letter from Jarl Idgrod of Morthal, Hjaalmarch.

  "Are we going to invite the whole troupe?" Erikur asked.

  "Yes. Every Jarl and his Thanes as well as the Clans." Bryling said.

  "I suppose that Jarl Idgrod is concerned about Ulfric Stormcloak. Let’s make it small this time and invite the Jarls and the Thanes. It will be like the horse market if the Clans came here." High King Torygg said.

  All the people around the hall nodded in agreements. Nordic Politics is brash and chaotic and involves cursing and fighting but it is honest.

  "Fine, the next subject."

  "Yes, my king. There are no messages from the Pale, Eastmarch, Falkreath or the Rift. However, there are quite a few from Winterhold." Falk Firebeard said so.

  "Oh! Hold tight, Erikur. Complain when it all ends." High King Torygg cracked a light joke and urged Falk Firebeard to continue.

  "The first one is from…… the Dare Dragon Company’s Chief Executive Officer, the Head Director of the [Dare Industries] and the Thane of Winterhold."

  "Gods! Falk loves the big title." All the parties smiled wryly and thought of the same thing.

  "What does Jon Dare have to say?" Torygg asked.

  "He says, ’Blessings of Akatosh upon thee…… blah blah blah…… I wish to notify the General Administrative Affairs Department of the Supreme Authority of Skyrim represented by High King Torygg and to inform his eminence the Imperial Embassidor……’ I am sorry, do we have something like General Administrative Affairs Department?" Falk read and came to a pause.

  "…… It is you Falk, my steward who handles the general affairs." Torygg said.

  "Oh! It sounds pretty appealing." Falk fell in love instantly with the new synonym of his job title.

  "Just tell us what the letter says." Erikur had to be the mood breaker again.

  "Oh, let’s see…… they are building a new town." Falk said and kept reading the letter.

  "Didn’t he just build south to Winterhold? Whispering Town, I guess? A few months ago?" Torygg asked.

  "Yes, my king. It was for the Dark Elven populace that overcrowded Winterhold. He gave them a town to mine and farm around, it is also close to the Shrine of Azura."

  "Oh, good thinking. Falk, what information you have about this town…… Falk!" Torygg asked Falk but the later seemed to have frozen while reading the rest of the letter.

  "Falk, what is it?" Only Bryling’s voice woke him up.

  Falk Firebeard looked at High King Torygg and came closer to whisper something. A matter important enough for Falk to whisper was surely no ordinary matter. Torygg took the letter from Falk and read it while keeping the rest waiting.

  "Jon Dare, you sly fox." High King Torygg laughed loudly and brashly like a true Nord which is different from his normal temperaments.

  He declared what was written and an uproar followed.

  It said ’Saarthal’.…… [Neo Saarthal].