Political Drama (3) (4) : The Sassy Jon

This is a double chapter for the votes of 5K and 8K last week.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 1:-

People fight for four reasons. For faith, for resources, for family and for honor.

To fight for faith is to have an idealism you want to spread or protect. To make a world of peace, to end the tyranny of the strong over the weak, to spread justice and to create hope for the future.

To fight for resources is not something Nords are strange to. We live in a harsh world where everything is limited. People need what makes their lives better and other people may have what they need so they wage wars and may the best man win.

To fight for family is the most noble of causes. There is no need to explain here, it is the highest calling of them all dare I say more than faith. Man without family is but a lone broken beast whose back is to the wind ever exposed. Without family, there is nothing in the world.

And to fight for honor is to find the poetic meaning of fighting, it is to know how to fight the good fight and make the right call. None will ever understand this sort of fighting unless those who know what honor is. In truth, Honor wraps up every reason there is to fight and every reason there is not to fight. Something only understood by those who are true warriors.

Now, we face a tyranny of an oppressor whose aim is to cause discord and which is nothing but for its own advantage and every Nord soul we take is a man who could stick a spear in the hearts of those enemies.

We are the many, they are the few.

They fear us.

This is how I see things.

It doesn't mean I look down on your cause or make little of it. I simply fight for something else completely different.

What side would I be on?

Skyrim, the Nords, Winterhold.

Am I worried about the Thalmor?

No, you saw me kill them like weed and cover the land with their blood.

What about the ones who assaulted my home and harmed my family?

I don't forgive or forget. But I know how to defeat and oppress them how I see fit.

Am I afraid of retribution?

No. I don't fear retribution or bloodshed and I'd kill half of Tamriel if they want to touch a single hair on my cat let alone my family.

I'd bear any sin in the world to prove that and I fear nothing for I am the Sinnerman.

But I don't like pointless killing.

Those High Elves I killed were too many… think of it, if every one of those High Elves is a father and a son, how many families did I ruin just in five minutes?

Of course, I have no sympathy for Altmer enemies but Nords are a different story. They are my kinsmen, blood of my blood, sons and daughters of Skyrim who were born under the skies of Kyne and the bones of Shor.

What about Talos?

He is the Dragonborn God, it would take more than some lowlife elves to diminish him from divinity.

All in all, there is no reason for me to fight. Your reason is to submit the so-called legacy of Nords and everything they fought for. I don't know about that but best of luck, you are facing the Empire.

The very same Empire that already fell apart and faced the Aldmeri Dominion in its full power and radiance and in the end, it managed to reach a stalemate despite the odds.

You sure you want to put Nords in front of that?

Do as you wish, I won't stop you but don't come for my doorstep asking for my aid in this pointless bloodshed.

"... that answers your question, Jarl Ulfric. I am no warlord. I am a family man. I fight for my family."

***

"The air around you two got really intense for a second." Alina said sneaking beside Jon.

"Yeah, thank you for bailing out like that."

"Oh, your mood is quite the foul one. Also, Ulfric looks like me when I read all the 36 Lessons of Vivec in one go."

"You did such a thing?"

"Yeah, I wanted to impress Master but I found out that she sleeps whenever she hears them."

"Yep, those are her poison."

Jon took an empty seat with a tired mood.

"Hooman, do you need some fluff?"

Out of Jon's shadow, Nefertiti jumped out and sat on his lap.

"Right in time, girl."

Jon cuddled with Nefertiti right in the middle of the great hall and she kept silent waving her tail.

The rumors of Thane Jonhild's weakness to cats seemed to be true after all.

After a couple of minutes, one of the Imperial Mages stepped towards Jon and spoke.

"Thane Jonhild, may I…"

"You smell like hidden motives. Get away from me."

Jon's reply was swift and the man froze for a second before going back where he came from.

"... So you managed to regain your sass!" Alina shook her head wryly.

"Yes, I am good now. Thank you, Nefertiti."

"You welcome, Hooman."

Nefertiti took her place on Jon's lap and didn't pudge while the latter was actually enjoying being chosen by her meowjesty.

"Jon, may I have a word." A voice called for him.

"Hey, Vittoria."

"Alina, may I borrow him for…"

"No."

"... Okay."

Vittoria felt awkward by Alina's hostile reply so she sat on Jon's other side.

"So… we really didn't get the chance to speak ever since you came but… do you prefer Jon or Jonhild?" Vittoria started to talk nicely.

"Both are fine but I'm used to Jon."

"Fine. Well… I was really worried about you the last few months so I was thinking of having a drink together and…"

"How is your fiance, Vittoria?" Alina interrupted.

"Who? Oh, you mean… Asgeir? He's fine… I guess."

Alina looked at Vittoria with annoyed eyes as the latter acted shamelessly around Jon, Alina's fiance.

"Okay, tone it down. What is the deal, Vittoria? Anything social let's leave it for the night, I am kicking a party at home."

"If that's the case then fine by me. After saying I missed you and all that, there is this thing I wanted you to take note of."

"The Imperials?"

"Indeed. These people are associated from the Imperial Palace but not officially Court Wizards. They are from the Synod."

"Okay."

"Just remember, they are annoying as Oblivion. Unlike the College in Skyrim, the Synod are very involved in politics and would do anything to curry favor to His Imperial Majesty."

"Meaning?"

"They are after you. After discovering you are the child that the Thalmor were after many years ago, the Imperial Palace had some secret meeting and the High Council invited the Cult of the Ancestor Moth for testimony. The Moth Priests decided not to interfere with you as it is their interference the first time was what caused trouble to you. Some Councilors wanted to send Penitus Oculatus agents to search for you and recover you to the Imperial City but the agency reported your full state in front of the Elder Council as you are a capable warrior and a strong mage which may need interference from the Imperial Arch Wizards to invite you in."

"Seriously?"

"That is the case. The Cult of the Ancestor Moth is going to send some priests to invite you peacefully and offer you protection in the Imperial City, the Penitus Oculatus are also going to contact you and lastly, the Synod are surely here to make a move."

"This is fucked up."

"I know your say in this but as far as we can tell, none of them were aware you can turn into a Divine being. Now they are going to proceed with extreme caution."

Jon turned silent and closed his eyes. Even Alina, who didn't like Vittoria very much, couldn't help but feel grateful for her constant help.

Jon opened his eyes and nodded.

"Thank you, Vittoria. I owe you a lot now."

"Come on, that's what friends are for. Just remember, if you wish to go along with the Imperials, you must know that the politics of Skyrim and the politics in the Empire are completely two different things. The Synod, the Cult of the Ancestor Moth and the Penitus Oculatus are just three factions coveting more power and you are a major asset for any force in the Empire."

"That ain't going to happen. I have my own plans."

"You will reject the Empire's summon?"

"With a splendid twist."

"What if the Emperor himself sent you an invitation?"

"You see, Vittoria. Those people from the Empire has only one advantage over me. You know what that is?"

"What is it?"

"They can all kiss my ass, I can't."

""PFFFT!""

Alina and Vittoria lost it at the same time causing Nefertiti to wake up from her nap and switch to the Shadow Realm for some quietness.

"Ah! My sides hurt." Vittoria said as she calmed down and cleared her eyes.

"I am aware of the Penitus Oculatus and the Cult of the Ancestor Moth but what should I expect from those Synod guys?" Jon asked.

"Ehem… they hold a large and very significant amount of influence in the Empire. They are genuine haters for Necromancy and the Conjuration School in general which are basically what you are famed for. The Synod also are known infamously as scavengers and hoarders of magical artifacts from all across Tamriel, you can pretty much guess their interest in your collection."

"Fuck, they are robbers in the end."

"That's what the nobles call them in the Empire."

"Alrighty, they may be used for the smooth politics in the Empire but we play the rough politics in Skyrim. Looks like I need an extra dose of sass." Jon opened a mead bottle and directly drank from it.

"Just to let you know, these Synod will try to pressure the High King by threats like lowering the food exports of the Empire to Skyrim in case he doesn't cooperate with their agendas sometimes. They are mostly empty threats as I am the one in control over those matters but they surely have a connection with people higher than me in rank back at Cyrodiil. The High King may not try to suppress them as he is always worried about importing food from the Empire."

"I see, I'll keep that in mind."

"I'll leave you to your preparations then. Alina, can you introduce me to Patriarch Tormund Firemane? I really have some business proposition I want to discuss with him."

Alina looked at Jon who nodded to her so she took Vittoria and joined another group of people.

Jon kept sipping some mead and looked around to see Viarmo on a corner waving for him. Jon was about to stand up and go to Viarmo but someone blocked his way.

"What do you want, Elenwen?"

Without replying, she sat where Vittoria sat beside Jon.

"You seem really comfortable around the place, Jon Dare."

"It is my home. I do whatever the fuck I want to do."

Jon and Elenwen thinned their presences to talk to each other without many people noticing.

"Jon Dare, huh! That name is quite provoking on its own. How did it come to be?"

"Jon is short for Jonhild and I don't stand being dared so I am called Dare for no one to ever dare me. Still, the world is full of idiots."

"People must hate you a lot by then."

"Not really, you know Nords are the complete opposite of you Altmer even though we are both racists and have a stick up our asses. Speaking of hating me, the person who hated me the most was my boss from my past life. I used to shorten his name to 'Dick' especially since his name is 'Steve'."

"I knew it, you are a breath of fresh air."

"Thank you."

"It was sarcasm."

"Then you need to work on it. Sarcasm is an art, especially when you are up against someone who would spend half the game spamming the other team… stupid bitch."

"Insolent Nord!"

"Is that how you High Elves insult people while keeping high and mighty?"

"We are not some northern savages like someone else."

"Oh! Using the 'S' word. Fine, let me stay classy and keep silent. After all, if my mouth doesn't say it, my face definitely will."

"And that is?"

"Goest and fucketh thyself! Classy, right?"

Elenwen couldn't even vent any negative emotion on Jon. She just kept glaring at him with no ability to do anything whatsoever.

"I am a total sassy bitch after I start drinking… and also without drinking so deal with it."

Elenwen gave up on trash-talking Jon and changed the subject.

"That thing you said the other day… 'The Game has not started, your time has not come.' What do you mean by that?" She asked.

Jon sank in his chair and smugly smiled.

"Well, you still have a destiny to fulfill, Ambassador. I don't tell this to a lot of people but at least I own you this much. If by anyhow you manage to stay in Skyrim as the Ambassador till the second half of 4E 201, you will see pretty interesting things."

"How exactly…"

"Advantages of divinity. Oh! It seems the King is back."

Jon stood up from his place and walked back to his seat as the meeting was about to intensify again."

~~~~~

Part 2:-

"Now that everyone has taken a rest, we continue the meeting." Torygg spoke then looked to the side, "The point we want to raise the most is our concern about the military force regarding the [Dare Corps] mercenary group owned by the [Dare Dragon Company]. As far as the laws allow, the entity of a mercenary group can't raise its number of recruits over 1000 men. By a rough count on the battlefield yesterday, the ones known as the Dare Troopers have numbered around 3000 to 4000 men. Thane Jonhild, those people are your men so you must know the consequences of over recruiting, right?"

The High King talked right to Jon.

"Yes, Your Grace. I have prepared all the necessary papers regarding the [Dare Corps] right here." Jon said and took out some papers out of thin air.

Falk Firebeard walked towards Jon and took the documents.

"I'll never get tired of you taking things out of thin air." Falk said in a low tone.

"You're welcome."

Falk started going through the documents and took him quite a while to go through all the data that Jon stock on.

"Your Grace." Legate Sulla of Fort Kastav stood up.

"Go ahead, Legate."

"It has come to our attention that the so-called [Dare Corps] of the DDC have some suspicious activity around the region and we have compiled a file regarding those activities and their locations. Here it is."

Falk walked from his place and took the other file.

"What sort of activities may I ask?" Torygg asked.

"The [Dare Corps] has indeed increased their numbers up to 5000 men as far as our Fort scouts could count and they have made various military camps and secret fortifications around the Hold. Sometimes they are moving actively under daylight and completely and utterly ignore our commands to not trespass in strategic areas like the Mountain ranges in the south and the northern beaches where the Dwarven Ruins are located. So much so, we were banned by the Thanes and the Jarl from doing our duty and patrolling those areas."

Legate Sulla seemed to be carrying a lot in his heart against Winterhold.

"Is that right? 5000 men is a strong push, Thane Jonhild. Even you should know that."

"My report covers everything, Your Grace."

"Humph! And what about the War Mammoths? You have secretly trained and openly used unregistered war units on the lands of the Empire. By the military law, you should answer for that." Legate Sulla kept pushing Jon further.

"The Mammoths are not a [Dare Corps] units. They were rented."

"Rented?" Some people were taken aback.

"Yep."

"How so?" High King Torygg asked.

"As far as everyone knows, mammoths are only herded by Giants and they mean a great deal to them. A giant and a mammoth live together as one with an ancient magical bond that can't simply be explained by today's magic. Those of the giant blood known as the Titanborns which are the current day Firemanes also have the same bonds with other creatures based on the Ancient Nordic Pantheon of Totem Guardian Beasts and you I am famously known to have such a bond with my cat partner, Nefertiti. The thing with us is that when a Titanborn or a Giant dies, their partners are known as the 'Orphaned Beasts' left to wander lonely among the herd till their death. We approached the giants that migrated lately to Winterhold and offered them peace and a plot of land to settle and herd their mammoths but in return, the Orphaned Mammoths would aid us as battle beasts in our time of need."

"Fascinating! Can that be done with every Giant tribe?" Torygg asked.

"As long as you have someone who can converse with them and some Firemanes to command the beasts."

"Hahaha! I better not get my hopes up then." Torygg laughed it off. "So in the end, you hired the Giant tribe as mercenaries."

"Exactly "

"I see. So, Falk. What do the documents state?" Torygg asked.

"The same things, Your Grace. Here… both documents imply that the [Dare Corps] are using more than what is allowed to train units." Falk said.

"Huh?"

Did that mean that Jon Dare is admitting recruiting 5,000 men to his corps?

"What is the meaning of this?" Torygg asked.

"Aha! I see… quite smart!" Falk held Jon's report and made a wide smile.

"In the end, both documents state the same numbers but Thane Jonhild explained his actions and it is pretty much according to the law."

"Humph! That's not possible. Recruiting that number is…" Legate Sulla was snorted in disdain but got interrupted.

"No one was recruited." Falk said, "Those were the Local Militia's regular trainees. It seems Winterhold has an excessive number of citizens so they keep most of the men busy by training them for any possible defense situation and also have constructed many checkpoints rather than military camps as the report of Legate Sulla stated."

"What? How can that be even lawful?"

"When there is no law to state that any action is unlawful, then it is lawful. There is no law that states that training local militia is unlawful especially to keep thugs and ruffians from gathering in towns. Also, there is no law that states how many checkpoints a road can have." Falk said.

"Really? Then how about this? There are many of those so-called checkpoints in the wastelands of the west.

"No, there are roads which may be unrecognized because of the heavy snow but they are marked on the official maps."

"This is ridiculous! Thane Jon Dare has violated many laws in the past and this is not the end of it. Fort Kastav is always low on equipment and provisions ever since Jon Dare came to power." Legate Sulla was not taking no for an answer.

"If only you are not doing those unlicenced excavation operations, you wouldn't have lost all these much provisions, Legate Sulla."

The one who spoke was Legate Fasendil, the Altmer Legionnaire.

"What nonsense are you spouting, Fasendil?" Legate Sulla lashed at Legate Fasendil.

"Your Grace, may I?" Fasendil requested to approach.

Torygg nodded.

Fasendil walked forward and handed a heavily decorated piece of parchment to Torygg who opened it right away and skimmed through it.

He then nodded and handed it over to Jarl Korir.

"This is for you."

Korir looked at what is written and had the same expressions as Torygg, he then walked to a corner and called Jon and Alina to discuss something with for around a few seconds before the three coming to some sort of agreement. Korir then used his ring to stamp on the parchment.

"Steward Falk, please verify the document." Jarl Korir handed the document to Falk.

For Falk Firebeard to personally verify such a document then it means how important it is. He looked at the paper and sighed.

"By the order of His Excellency, the Imperial Ambassador Pavo Attius. It is for Legate Fasendil Fadali of the Imperial Central Unit in Castle Duar to head to Winterhold as a replacement to the current Commander of Fort Kastav, Legate Sulla Trebatius. The Latter is to return to Castle Duar to receive a new assignment. Approved by the Supreme Authority of Winterhold by the Seal of Jarl Korir."

The content of the parchment was shocking on many levels. Legate Sulla just tried to provoke Jon Dare for a few times and was making advances today to have some gains but was completely removed from his place and replaced right away.

This was too calculative.

Those who could guess the situation looked between Jon and Viarmo and understood what already has happened.

Somehow, those two are on the same page and working together. Viarmo going for such a length to help Jon was bluntly clear as he have a few connections here and there and could pull some strings.

Legate Sulla was enraged right away.

"Jon Dare, you bastard! This is your doing."

"My doing? I wish, man. But this is the Legion we're talking about."

"I don't care what you say. You bastard have used connections against me. You think I would keep silent about this?"

Legate Sulla walked aggressively to Jon and wanted to clash with him.

"Legate! Stop this." The people in the room shouted at Sulla to stop but he was already pushing at Jon.

Like lightning, Jon's right moved and held Legate Sulla from his face. Not just that, Jon's brute physical power raised Legate Sulla up in the air with one arm effortlessly displaying his amazing power.

"Seriously, people need to start appreciating the effort I put in to not be a serial killer."

Jon said as he brought the Legate's face closer to him.

"I mean like… Bruh, did you hear about what I did yesterday? I was kicking ass, man. Do you think I would just get myself some temporary divinity and without it I am nothing? Just how pig-headed can you get to start a fight with me? Actually and after yesterday, I am not sure what my abilities are now. I haven't given it a go yet. Do you want to see how far I can toss you? My money is on the side of the hold."

Little by little, the [Aura of the Tyrant] was leaking out of Jon's body.

Its feeling was completely different from before. Right now, Jon could be seen as a red demon by just the naked eyes as his Battle-Spirit showed signs of manifestation and a vague image of a beast was formed behind Jon.

Those who are sensitive to energy could tell Jon's level of power.

This was a shock on a new level to everyone.

During the General Assembly of Jarls more than three months ago. Jon was about the power of an expert mage but now he was as powerful as a master in terms of Battle-Spirit.

The Battle-Spirit had three known stages.

The Basic Stage, the Awakening Stage and the Manifestation Stage.

The Basic stage is when the Aura Masters are merely new at controlling their powers and require them to breathe and shout to stimulate their spirits. The Awakening stage is when the Aura shows hints of mutation like how the Madness Aura became the Tyrant Aura. The Manifestation Stage is when the Aura takes a separate form outside the body as phenomenons such as Dry Storms and Blood Suns, or entities like Spectral Beasts and Humanoid Forms.

Jon cleary was taking the first step in that last stage as a vague monster of tyranny appeared behind him.

Its Aura suppressed the weak and made the strong shiver.

Jon was clearly displaying his power to put the idiots in place. Sometimes extreme solutions save time and effort.