A boatman had rowed Skavild through the swamps of Hjaalmarch (where Skavild said folk married their cousins and had eight thumbs) and as a result of his passenger's urgent insistence, agreed that he had never seen him.
All was, in this regard, well, but Skavild felt that something was missing. Ordinarily, Eldaline would plot to dispose of the witness to their whereabouts, and Skavild would have to charitably talk her out of it.
Skavild secretly considered murdering the boatman and then silently persuaded himself not to, but it just wasn't the same.
Some distance away, near the border between Whiterun and Falkreath, not murdering any witnesses to their passing, rode First Emissary Elenwen, Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim, in hot pursuit of General Tullius, who had stolen her rebel leader.
Also Second Archivist Eldaline, author of much of the rebellion's motivational literature and mistress of the Archives of Alinor and of the Bureau of Advanced Communications (Solitude Outpost), publicly heartbroken at the General's pitiless destruction of her twenty-year civil war project, and privately desolate at the departure of her library assistant, Skavild.
In addition, Agent Aralina, hoping that either Wilfred Stormcloak had somehow outwitted the General's trap, or if not, that they would catch the General and make him give Wilfred Stormcloak back to the rebellion, so that he could go on rebelling, and then Aralina could go back to Solitude and continue to work with the Second Archivist, who was kindly paying for her to continue her Escapology course despite Aralina not being very good at it.
A rest of little more than three hours in one of the Thalmor's many hidden outposts had given them the strength to rise before the sun.
They had left the road at several points in Whiterun Hold, as the Jarl was known to make travel as difficult as possible for Thalmor, by whatever means he could, including bureaucracy and the letter of the law. But this had not prevented them hearing the distant clattering and scattered rumours of a large company of Imperial Legionnaires.
The hold was unfamiliar to many of them, and this was entirely due to the hostility of Jarl Balgruuf the Greater.
Only a few of their agents were posted here, in remote and hidden locations.
So the Thalmor had devised other ways of obtaining information from the City of Whiterun.
But that is for later.
Eldaline, as you know, had been charging ahead, and only stopped when confused by a road sign.
"Nelgen?" she said.
"Do you hear that, Ambassador? Second Archivist?" said Aralina.
"Soldiers approaching Helgen by the north road." said the Ambassador.
Then she had to continued chasing the Second Archivist. "Second Archivist Eldaline, wait for us. We will have to stop to speak to the General in any case."
"Ambassador, supposing Wilfred was able to defeat the General or escape the ambush?" Eldaline suggested, with hopeless optimism.
"Then, I would suggest you do not run towards him in joy and relief, as the Jarl of Windhelm still wants your head. And anyway, your hypothesis is a ridiculous fantasy."
Eldaline took the Ambassador's words under advisement.
After their long ride, the Thalmor had once again outlasted the sun, which was beginning to set, but it was a frosty General Tullius who greeted them at the gates of Helgen with some carts. This was personally safer for them than a furious Ulfric Stormcloak, but diplomatically it was a catastrophe, and since they were Thalmor and loved only the Aldmeri Dominion, much worse.
"Excellent work, General!" said Elenwen, pretending not to be out of breath. "Does one of these carts contain the rebel leader?"
General Tullius gestured towards the three carts, filled with captured rebels. "Why, thank you, Ambassador Elenwen. Would you like to watch his head being cut off?"
"His head? General, Wilfr... Ulfric! I mean, Ulfric is my enemy as much as yours. I have not yet questioned him. This is not merely irregular, but violates our treaty, General. I demand that you release him into my custody immediately for interrogation."
"You can keep his left leg. How does that sound, Ambassador?" said the General, in more than usually gleeful spirits, and rode off to join the carts.
"... And if you were to explain the fifty-eighth clause to the General again, Ambassador?" Eldaline was evidently continuing, several minutes later. "It is a very long clause. Flopsy could cause a distraction with her ears and I could render Wilfred invisible while the guards are dazzled."
"Stop!" cried Elenwen.
She hissed, less loudly, "I have tried my best to give purpose to your office in Skyrim, Eldaline, and now it is finished. This worthless escapade of ours has failed. We tried, and did not succeed. Wilfred will be executed, and you and I will go home. Today, our manner of operation in Skyrim has changed. You will accept this."
Elenwen pushed past the Second Archivist and began to stride back to where they had left the horses. A terrible realisation briefly halted her. "I mean, Ulfric!"
"Ambassador Elenwen, let me speak with the General, please, stop!"
"I have information about his reading habits, his art collections, his custom-made fishing equipment, please, give me five minutes!"
"You have until Wilfred's head hits the ground to salvage your stupid project. I am going to Bruma. Follow me immediately, Agent Flopsy. I mean Aralina!" Elenwen snapped. "Gods be damned, I mean Ulfric's head, not Wilfred's."
The Ambassador had not even stayed long enough to see all the carts arrive.
Eldaline watched them pass, hauling her life's work away to be undone by the headsman's axe.
Aside from the headsman, Eldaline was still hopefully counting guards, in case they were few enough in number to destroy or evade.
She counted too many to retain hope, and there, unmistakably, was the back of the head of the leader of the rebellion.
She was partially aware of Aralina's quiet outrage, but devastation consumed her.
The carts had all come to a halt.
The cloaks and the banners of the Imperials snapped noisily in a gathering breeze.
An anxious priestess turned to take in a disturbance.
Ulfric Stormcloak did not give the impression that he cared about it.
Eldaline clattered across the courtyard. "General Tullius! I must speak with you."
Eldaline forgot what she had planned to say only a second before. She was suddenly very aware that she was alone. Agent Flopsy was waiting for her by the inn and the Ambassador was gone. A nearby banner snapped again in the wind. The Imperial uniforms looked very bright to her, even those that bore the filth of recent fighting. Eldaline could not remember why she had come.
There were Nords there, too. There had been Nords long ago at the Battle of the Red Ring, fierce warriors who had destroyed the Aldmeri forces, and Nords among the Legionnaires who seized her in the Imperial Library.
"As you can see, Second Archivist Eldaline, I'm quite busy." said General Tullius. "I suggest you go and stand over there, where you have a better view."
Eldaline could not remember where she was. So she returned to stand Over There.
Agent Aralina privately despaired. Second Archivist Eldaline appeared terribly confused by something.
Eldaline scowled as she put her thoughts back into good order. Of course there were Imperials everywhere, she had sought them out.
There was a new war now. She was hard at work trying to manage it, as she had these last twenty years. She was staring at the walls of an Imperial tower, of her own will. The Legionnaires were holding other prisoners, now. The flapping of a soldier's cloak became louder than ever.
The sounds of the Imperial banners thundered around the walls. Their voices surrounded her, the air seemed close, and Eldaline looked everywhere and saw only the Empire of Men.
And the dragon in the diamond.
