An Interview with Fultheim

This is my contribution to the Common Folk theme.

A woman enters the Nightgate Inn and I watch her walk to the counter. She says something about being a scholar from Wayrest on her way to Windhelm to meet with Ulfric Stormcloak and wants to stay the night. Pfft, why is a Breton wanting to associate himself with that fool? The scholar pays Hadring, and sits herself down with a flagon of Nordic mead and a plate full of meats. I get up from my seat, and place myself next to her.

FULTHEIM: Why is a Wayrestrian coming to Skyrim to talk with that oaf?

ELISIA: I work for The Star of Wayrest and they have requested I find out his inner thoughts so the citizens of Wayrest may know what is happening in this barbaric land. My name is Elisia Parvant, by the way.

A handshake is shared.

FULTHEIM: I am Fultheim, professional drinker of meads and ales. You want a story that will entertain the people of High Rock more than the rhetoric Ulfric will spew out?

ELISIA: By all means.

I down my tankard of ale in one go, and slam it back down onto the table, which alarms the Breton.

FULTHEIM: You know of the Blades, right? The agents of Cloud Ruler in Cyrodiil, Sky Haven in this land Skyrim, Wind Scour in the deserts of the Alik'r and Storm Talon not far from your city of Wayrest to name just a few of our bastions. Yes, 'our'. I may not look it anymore, Talos knows I haven't for the last few decades but I was once in that order.

I pause to take a breath and stay silent for a minute.

FULTHEIM: I was stationed at Wind Scour before the Great War, and when the Aldmeri Dominion invaded Cyrodiil, I left along with a group of ten to the Imperial Province to keep Cloud Ruler safe. For a time, we were successful at keeping the Thalmor away, but when the City fell to meric hands, things turned from bad to worse. Reports came from Bruma that the Dominion were coming with a force we could not dream of taking on.

They came at the dead of night when we were least alert. I still hear the sound of an Aldmeri war horn ringing through my head. Altmer, Bosmer and Khajiit stormed through what little defence we could sustain, and Cloud Ruler had been breached. When the attack had calmed down, I watched an Altmer come out of the Temple, furious that the tomes he had been seeking had been removed before his arrival. He gathered what was left of our order and barred them inside. Fire rained down from the sky, and the Temple was cast ablaze. I watched as my friends were burnt alive, powerless to help them.

ELISIA: Why were you not captured?

FULTHEIM: Because I was a coward and abandoned the Temple at the first sight of danger. Do you know what that does to a man, knowing he could have saved his friends if he had not been so afraid? It haunts me every second of every day. The mead helps to caste away the memories for a short while, but it isn't enough.

I burst into tears, and collapse to the ground. The Breton attempts to console me, but it will not work. After a few minutes, she leaves me by myself and I open another bottle of mead to soothe my mental wounds.

Hadring clicked his fingers in front of Fultheim's face. " You all right, Fultheim? You're staring at walls again, and I don't like it."

"Sorry Hadring, I must have been lost my own thoughts. Gimme another ale."

"Coming right up."