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Balgruuf

And sure enough, Irileth was true to her word and arrived the following morning.

The prisoner had been sent down into the depths of my dungeons alongside his companion. I met my housecarl in the Main Hall. I stood up, seeing her and her fellow housecarls approach. They saluted me as was custom and I gave them a nod of assent. I admit that I had expected them to be gone and chase after the fucker for a month or two. The fact that the zealot...wanted to be found made me suspicious. 

"Welcome home, Housecarl. How was your quest?" I asked Irileth as I stepped down from my throne. 

"Chaotic. The zealot started a riot in Solitude that the City Guard had to deal with. Bones were broken and arrests made but no one died, thankfully," Irileth reported. I breathed a sigh of relief. Riots were wild affairs and casualties were a guarantee. It was a stroke of luck that no one actually perished from this. 

"Fortunate indeed. Now, housecarl, what did you find from our erstwhile guest?" Cecilia spoke up from her seat. Despite being heavily pregnant, Cecilia did not miss a single session at court and heavily involved herself in the business of ruling. Men tended not to argue with a pregnant woman, let alone a woman who was their Queen, Cecilia reasoned. 

"He did not talk, my queen. Once we had captured him and thrown him into Solitude's jails, he did not speak a word. We did confiscate items of interest," Irileth nodded to Cassius who took out a series of papers from a satchel he wore. Irileth turned briefly to Cassius and whispered something to him. 

The Imperial took a step forward as Mira clapped excitedly for him and Gotz...crossed his arms in disinterest. "My lords and ladies of the court, I have here papers written in the hand of the zealot. It is evidence enough of his guilt as it details his notes." 

"Present it to the Steward," I said. Cassius nodded as he went over to my Father. He offered the papers to him and father accepted, setting it aside. 

Amaund Motierre who had been quietly standing in the sidelines finally spoke up. "With the matter of the zealot now solved with him being now in your custody, High King,  what do you intend to do now?" 

"I say immediate execution. His preaching has caused instability in the realm. Questions that have been answered and old wounds have been reopened by his inconsiderate preaching," Cecilia suggested immediately. 

"As much as I concur with the High Queen, I must advise a different approach," Father suddenly spoke up. "If we execute the preacher, while it is within our rights to do so, that will only mean that the head of his movement dies and our leads into his followers will be gone. Furthermore, he is the head of a religious movement, Lords and Ladies of the Court. To execute him would make a martyr out of the devout of our country." 

I sat back down on my throne. "While I am of the mind that ridding Skyrim of those who would disturb the peace of my rule, my Steward is correct that there is yet more to be gained from keeping the zealot alive. His is a movement of ideas and belief. As long as there are those who yet hold to the ideal, it will never die. Hence, he shall stay a prisoner until we have gleamed all that is useful from him. So I have decreed." 

At that, a low murmur echoed around the throne room. I nodded to my father who then spoke aloud. "This morning's session of court shall be halted for a recess. Courtiers, Petitioners and Thanes may return once the High King deems it so." 

There came a shuffling of feet as the guards then shooed out the usual court hangarounds. As they left, I turned to Irileth who seemed like she had something else on her mind. I bid her to come close and she did. Kneeling next to me, she whispered. 

"Balgruuf. The Thalmor have been kidnapping people from their homes," 

My eyes widened as rage bubbled in my body. "They what!?" 

Cecilia, father, and Amaund turned to me, alarm in their faces as they heard my cry. Irileth nodded gravelly. "The reason why there was rioting in Solitude was because people had their relatives taken away in the night. While there have been no concrete proof it was the Thalmor's doing, it was them." 

"Who did they take?" I asked carefully, my voice a low growl. 

"Peasants mostly and a few freedmen from the city," Irileth revealed. 

I took in a deep breath. "I did not allow them to run around and take my people, Imperial Citizens as well, from their homes!" 

Amaund took a step forward. "Trouble, High King?" 

The glare I sent his way would have killed a man. "The Thalmor, my lord. They have abducted my people, citizens of the Empire, from their homes! I did not allow them to do such a thing!" I stood up from throne, anger coursing through me, my voice a roar in the throneroom. "I will have their damn heads!" 

Mira smiled wickedly, licking her lips at the idea of assaulting the Embassy. Gotz looked up, interest in his eyes. Cassius looked grim. "Command it, High King, and we shall storm the Thalmor embassy with you," Irileth added. 

"Balgruuf!" Father's voice was like a thunder clap. "Calm yourself!" 

I hissed, turning to my father. "They took our people, father! What sort of King will I be if I let that slide?" 

"Yes...yes they did. I am just as angry as you but if you plan to storm their compound, it will be an act of war!" He took a breath. "If I still had legs, son, I would be there storming the gates with you. But if you do this, you will drag the Empire with you into war. You yourself have kept on telling us time and time again that the Empire is not ready for war. There are still means we can use to return our people to us without war." 

I kept on glaring at my Steward and father. I took a breath, urging myself to calm down. "Speak." 

"Now, if we actually pressure the Thalmor to return our people to us, they will obviously deny that they are holding anyone. Force, that we can't do since it will be too overt," Father said. 

"You mean to suggest we use guile?" Cecilia surmised. My steward nodded. 

"Indeed. Use guile to rescue our people. We do that, we get our people back and the Thalmor cannot throw accusations at us since they would be forced to admit that they kidnapped people before you even allowed their Justiciars to roam, not that you are going to approve of that anyway," Father said. 

"If they kidnapped no one then we rescue no one. It will be as if it was an act of the Divine," Cecilia added before trailing off. "Now, we only need someone talented in the shadows and guile," 

Heads turned to Irileth who quickly bowed. "If this is the High King's command, I will see it done." 

"it is. Rescue our people, Irileth," I said. 

"They shall find themselves rescued, High King. I swear it," Irileth vowed, red eyes glinting with promise. I nod. 

"How soon can you make this done?" I ask. 

"I will have my methods ready. Once I have formulated a plan, I shall enact it," declared Irileth. 

"Inform me when you are ready," I said, sitting back down on my throne. I take in a breath, trying to focus. "Now, we return back to that troublesome preacher now in my cell." 

"Religion is often troublesome, High King, when its devotees act out on their faith. Useful for priests, not so much for rulers," remarked Amaund, crossing his arms. 

I give him a glance. I had honestly thought that my measures were more than enough to prevent religious unrest. In the game, many Nords were more than happy to worship in private. Fucking hell, even the nobility worshipped in private. And unlike in the game, I had overtly supported means for people to have public worship masked as veneration for old Emperor Tiber Septim. Why the fuck had I went ahead converting old Talos shrines into museums, tourist sites, and monuments to preserve history? 

Then again...people of faith acted on their belief. 

"Bring him up. I wish to speak to him," I said.

"Speaking with the zealot? What would people think?" Cecilia asked, her tone not entirely serious. 

"Consider this a informal settling of the matter," I said, looking to the side as a pair of guards dragged a figure in chains. His treatment wasn't exactly gentle and he was thrown onto the floor, landing with a thump. He shakily stood up to his feet as I spoke again. 

"You stand in the presence of the High King," I said, my voice regal, bouncing off the walls in authoritative flair. "I ask you, why have you inspired tension and anxiety in the realm?" 

The preacher cleared his throat, to give himself a clearer voice. "I see no High King. Only a man who drapes himself in tradition to justify his rule, while forgetting those that gave much for him to rule," 

The guards bristled. My housecarls bristled. My face was the image of royal displeasure. The accompanying guards smacked the preacher, causing him to fall to his knees. "I have found the Jagged Crown, the Jarls voted me. No matter how you look at it, I am the High King. But we are not here to discuss that. We are here to talk about your disturbing the peace," 

The preacher sucked in a breath as he shakily stood up. "Unlike you and your coward Jarls, I and my followers are those who have the stones to be true to our faith, to our traditions. We haven't forgotten those the came before us. We have not forgotten Talos." 

"And do you think every single Nord has forgotten Talos? Why have you agitated for it publicly, risking the wrath of the Thalmor, and ruining the private sanctity of those Nords worshipping privately?" I asked, pointing out the fact that there are Nords who worship Talos still albeit quietly. That included myself and many of our society. 

"Why? Why should we be like skeevers in the dark, in our own country no less?" The preacher asked, pointing out that uncomfortable fact. "Are we a great Empire with sovereign nations or are we beholden to the black-and-gold robed elves of the Summerset Isles?" 

"I do not know if you have been paying attention," Amaund interjected after a while of silence. "But we had fought a Great War, and it was thanks to the White-Gold Concordat that allowed to purchase us peace with those black-and-gold robed Elves who had sought the Empire's destruction." 

"Do not speak to me as if I was a foolish mewling pup!" The preacher growled. "I know! I was there! I had fought in the Legions under Jonna to save the Empire!" 

"You had served?" I asked, leaning in. 

"Yes. Served, fought, sacrificed. Brothers and sisters. And what was our reward? What did the Empire offer those that gave much for it to be saved?" The preacher, ex-legionnaire asked, his voice shaking in rage. "The worship of Talos, taken. Our dignity, sold. And instead of rising up against the Emperor for his betrayal of Skyrim, the Jarls did nothing and you drape yourself in honors and glories of High Kingship of our country. You are false!" 

I glared down at the man. This little fucking tosspot. Did he seriously think I was happy to let the Thalmor fuck around with the Empire, with humanity? It rankled to take this rant when plans were in motion. My fields made more grain than before, my fabricae made finer and better weapons. My means of war was becoming more and more apparent. 

But I held my tongue. 

Such plans were only for the need to know, not for some random preacher from the street. 

"Your preaching has disrupted the peace of the realm. You will offer to my men information of your movement and who backs you. Return to your homes in peace," I said, my eyes blazed in fury at the preacher. 

"I will not recant. I will not be silenced," the preacher growled at me. 

"Then you will rot in my prison, taken away from your followers who will either be arrested or vanish in the winds. Your preaching has attracted the attention of the Thalmor and risk plans you cannot even comprehend. Rot in my cell, and be forgotten," I said with finality. I turned to the guards and nodded. "Take him away,"

And with that, the guards pulled him up. He sent me one final glare as he vanished. I turned to my Steward. "Extract everything you can from him. I want to know where they meet, who he had met. I even want to know where he shits,"

Father nodded. "Very well, my lord."

I turned to Irileth. "Do not return to Whiterun until our people are freed. Do not leave anything behind. Make it as if the Divines themselves came and spirited our people away" 

Irileth nodded. ''As you command, High King."

I stand up. "We have been waiting to react. No more."

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A/N: Mmm, updoots.

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