» Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:09 am Silence, it was the only sound in the halls of the Palace of Kings. Lunpa Mieux sat in his throne, his thoughts brooding and deep. The throne was cold, he'd just gotten to his seat for the day. Sitting quietly. "Are you alright, my Jarl?" Ask Hadvar, his House Carl. He'd named Hadvar this in honour of all they went through during the Dragon Crisis and the civil war. "What? Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for your concern, my friend." He looked around the cool room, looking to his Court. He'd kept Jorleif as Steward, with Brunwulf being his counsel. Though he was at first honoured by his new position, he found himself ruling empty heartedly. The love in him drowned out.
He thought of all the great heroes whom had polished the seat of the Throne of the Eastmarch. Ysgramor, Harald, Wulfarth, Olaf, Ulfric, and now, according to the peoples in Skryim, Lunpa himself. However, he did not escape the war without scars. Scars that could never heal. He looked down at the diamond wedding ring on his finger, kissing it gently, and felt his heart fall into the familiar feeling it had known for years now.
Three years earlier-
Lunpa opened the door to his home in Solitude, named a Thane for all his deeds in the Hjaalmarch region. He used his public appearance to garner power to support his true life. In truth he was something much less reputable. In the public eye, he was known as the 'Banisher of Potema', but his deeds meant nothing. All he cared about was his honour, his wife, and his coin. He dropped a heavy bag on the floor of his house and called loudly but with happiness in his throat for his wife. "YSOLDA! Get down here, you have a visitor!" She came downstairs in a rush, the two greeted each other with a fierce and tight embrace. They kissed with a happy passion as his House Carl Jordis looked on. He grinned and opened his bag and said with cheer, "I've found a new treasure!". Ysolda scolded him teasingly as she looked at the ancient relic in his hand. "I swear, you say you're a thief, but you come home with JUNK!" Lunpa laughed as she carried on. "I'm serious, you have a safe full of septims, a chest full of septims upstairs, but your private property is all books, Dwemer relics, or Ancient Nordic relics." Still laughing, he gave her a peck and the cheek and said with a mock tone of disgust, "Maybe that's why I keep YOU around." Ysolda punched him in the shoulder and called him a jerk, but didn't take it to heart. "Ow!" He said, half serious. She might be a woman, but she was a Nord woman, and despite the shoulder pauldron of his Thieves Guild armour, he still felt the muscle in his shoulder blade knot up. Ysolda laughed at Lunpa rubbing his shoulder, mocking him. She'd then put a serious look on her face and spoke in a normal voice, "Lunpa, go clean up my love. You're all dirty, your hair is a mess, and when have you last shaved? You've grown another light beard."
Not wanting to carry on with the topic, he'd just slogged downstairs tiredly. He was an avid adventurer, thief, and hunter. However, when he got home, his strength and speed failed him. At home, he was just a normal man as any other. He'd run a hot tub, and soaked for a while, shaving his face clean. He felt so at easy in the huge basin, soaking and feeling clean for the first time in months. He sat there, soaking, his face in a gentle grin. "What are you all smiles about Lunpa?" Came a voice from behind. He'd opened his eyes to see Ysolda baring down with a look of menace on her face. "You really want to know? You!" His tone equally filled with sharpness. Then they laughed as Ysolda bent down to kiss him. He was gone weeks, sometimes months. It scared Ysolda, he knew, but he wanted to give her as much as he could. When he first confessed his true life, she was shocked, but love made her slowly accept it. Lunpa was many things in his line of work, a skilled lockpick, sneak, daggerman, and liar. But he held himself to his own sense of honour. The Guild said to always put the guild above all else, but he put Ysolda and his faithfulness to her above all else. He never once betrayed Ysolda, in flesh or heart, and she him. As he grinned up, he grabbed a linen towel an dried himself off, putting some warm clothing Ysolda brought down for him on, the warmth of the clothes was invigourating to his soul. "Thanks my little dove, when's dinner ready?" He asked curiously, his stomach ready for a decent meal in Gods knew how long. "Actually, it's ready. Jordis and I were waiting on you." He gripped Ysolda by the waist, his head on her shoulders, her dark hair smelling of scented perfumes from the aromatic shop in the market, he said with a sly grin, "Oh? Perhaps you can show me what sweets are for dessert then hm?" With an equally coy grin, she simply said "We'll see." and led Lunpa upstairs.
The room was quiet, aside from the cackle of the fireplace. The three sat to dinner, eating a warm meal of biscuits, venison, stew, and sweetrolls for desert. Lunpa took a drink from his cup, filled with mead and a gentle smile befell his lips and he spoke contently with Ysolda, "So, how is life in Solitude my little dove? Well I hope?" He continued to eat and Ysolda almost went like a rapid fireball spell as she carried on about how things were well, what all she's bought from the marketplace, the new friends she was making in town, and all the new sights she was seeing as she learned the way around. "And what about you Lunpa? What are your travels like recently, got any news from the other holds?" Lunpa grinned and put his ring hand to his lips, grinning. "By Talos, I have no want to discuss my tales of danger, for fear of worrying you. But, the news, I fear, is grave. Ulfric's rebellion is getting rough. The two sides are in a constant snarling match it seems. The Bear will rip the Dragon's throat, fly away, the Bear wins, only for the Dragon to swoop back down later. This war is killing Skyrim, and I fear if it isn't stopped, I fear for our nation come the day the Dominion returns with war on their mind." He scratched his head as visions of war filled his eyes and he stopped himself quickly, but his returned to Ysolda and he grinned happily, "But enough about grim and death. Jordir has told me the good news!" He held his hand to Ysolda's stomach, stood up then grasped her in his arms. "It's wonderful sweetness. Our first child! When did you find out?" She gave Jordir a venemous look, obviously wanting to have told Lunpa herself, but she looked to him and said with a tone of pleasure. "Remember when you left over a month and a half ago? Well, not long after, I was feeling ill. With Jordis' help, she took me to the Temple of the Eight. From there, they told me I was not sick, but blessed with a new life inside me!" Lunpa took his leave with Jordir and took Ysolda upstairs to their bedroom
He wanted to lie with his wife, ready for his plush soft bed. There, they curled together as they discussed all the things they'd do for the baby when it was born, how Lunpa would love it, teach it to read, and learn various trades of his. Ysolda dreaming of the motherly things she'd do for it, teaching the baby to talk, walk, and speak. But the dream stopped when Ysolda looked down at Lunpa's hand, wrapped in hers on her chest. Her voice echoing in the darkness. "Lunpa, now that I'm carrying our child, will you stay longer? For me?" His heart broke as he finally felt how much lonesome feelings he'd caused her. "By the Nine! I'll always be with you in spirit Ysolda, my sweet queen. But yes, I actually intended to tell you I was going to give up this life, to settle down, let us raise a child in a good life here." He put his head behind her, inhaling the intoxicating smell once more and said with a sigh, his warm breath on her neck, "I won't go anywhere, I promise. We'll be together even in death. But tomorrow at dawn, when we break our fast, you'll see I will no longer be Lunpa the Honoured. I'll be Lunpa, citizen of Solitude. Husband of the most beautiful gem of...Sol,,,tu..." He tried to utter, but weeks of hard journeying across the Holds had finally caught up, and he finally passed out. Comfort taking him to dreams.
(OOC: I know this post was long, and I apologise, but I felt the more detail, the better. Anyway, I know my grammar was likely not proper punctuation, and I know the story is a bit mundane, but I want him to be a more believable Hero, if people like my story, I'll be more than happy to work to continue writing the story, unwravelling the whys and hows of the story! Thank you for reading so far!)
