Ruling

[A/N]: Bit of a filler chapter honestly so don't get your hopes up too much. The last chapter was one of my favorites to write and then this one just was not on the same level for me. Just wanted to warn you all.

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It had taken longer for him to calm down than he wanted to admit. The loss of Thaena and Assur hit him significantly harder than he thought it should have. Something about losing a wife and child resonated with his soul for some inexplicable reason. He was better now, but his desire for revenge burned just as strongly. Burning and impulsive anger would get him nowhere though.

The raiders were organized enough to attack the capital of Skyrim during the day and get away with it. The fact they were able to sneak in enough people during the Moot to make an assault was quite impressive. Getting into the capital would not have been the hard part though. They could have just slowly made their way into the city without much of a problem since most people had some kind of weapon and being armored was not uncommon, especially with a war going on. Their ability to get near the capital and escape were another matter entirely. He had no idea how they would have pulled something like that off with all the soldiers and mages which were stationed there.

Their timing was also too good to be a coincidence. Somehow, they knew beforehand what was going to happen and timed their attack perfectly with Ulfric's rebellion and the chaos which resulted from it. That only left two conclusions. The pirates had prior contact with Ulfric and coordinated the assault for maximum damage, or they had gotten the knowledge from one of the original Skilled. There was a small chance it could be a combination of the two as well. If there was a Skilled with them, it would make everything more complicated due to the benefits a Skilled could have on such a group.

The guards were interviewed corroborated what had happened at the capital from their perspective. It was fairly similar to Korir's account. It also led Rictus to believe the Skilled responsible was either one handed or light armor based on the visual accounts of the attackers. This may not be the case, but those were the most likely options in his mind. He still needed some time to really think about what the next steps involving them would entail. Information was what was needed at this point which just so happened to be a specialty of his people.

Unfortunately, before he could really get started, a couple guards tentatively approached him with a pleading/questioning look.

"Forgive us, Thane Rictus. There are some other matters we wished to discuss with you."

"What is it?" He asked with an appraising look as he tried to think what they would ask of him.

"Ah…well you are the last living Thane of Winterhold, and the Jarl is indisposed at the moment. There are some matters of the Hold which need attention, and you are the only remaining one with the actual authority to get it done."

Rictus looked at the guards with a bit of surprise. He had not expected them to ask for his help in running the hold. Wasn't the position of Thane just a way to skip out on bounties? The game did not mention anything like this before, although it did make sense there would be more to it than just an empty title.

"Alright. Let's see what needs to be done then. I am a busy man."

The guards ignored his sighs as they began explaining what needed to happen and the overall situation to him.

Rictus was basically the only remaining political leader for the hold. There were a couple of higher citizens which acted as spokespersons, but that was about it. The lousy exvuse of a steward which normally served the Jarl was no where to be found either. The lack of money in the strongbox was a good indicator of what had happened. The steward better be long gone by this point. With no one else to turn to, the guards were looking to him for commands.

He didn't particularly want to oversee the hold since he had more important things going on, like hunting down the pirates. Everyone else seemed more than happy he was there to take over responsibility while the Jarl was grieving. The guards and other prominent members of the town were more than willing leaving him with the responsibility instead of stepping up themselves which was quite disgraceful and showed a lack of ambition.

Although, it did seem the citizens and guards held him in high esteem based off his prior actions. They all knew he was a large part of the reason the town was able fight off the magical anomalies as well being responsible for the better relations with the mages. It was no secret he was the driving force behind many of the improvements happening in the city. Rumors had apparently abounded in his absence, and they were good rumors and stories for once. Maybe no one else stepped up since they believed him their best option. Crazier things had happened.

He had started as just a normal guy and having a modest home in Whiterun, to now sitting on the Jarl's throne in Winterhold with people waiting for his orders and a group of dedicated mercenaries willing to die for him in a world based off a video game. While he knew he was not technically the Jarl, it sure made the story sound better. He would have to do his best not to let it go to his head and stay at least a little grounded. Arrogance leads to mistakes and oversight.

Unfortunately, the duties of a Jarl were not very exciting. It was mostly paperwork and review of finances. Despite not liking paperwork, Rictus did it efficiently. It took a good portion of the day to review everything and send out updates to those who needed it. Thankfully, there were only a few disputes he had to try and resolve. Why people cared so much what color and sized banner were located outside a shop was beyond his understanding.

The sun was an hour from setting as he was finally able to take a breath from the whirlwind of a day. There was no time to rest though. He needed to update Ken on recent developments and get started working on what really mattered to him. A quick teleport took him back to white river watch as he left instructions with his guards to cover for him.

It did not take long to explain the gist of what had happened to Ken. There had been rumors of an attack in Solitude, but Rictus had previously dismissed them as just that, rumors. He had thought Ulfric escaping was the reason, but he had been wrong. Seems he had let his future knowledge blind him a bit. Something he would have to make sure did not happen again.

Two groups of the Restored were prepared for action. The first group would accompany him in Winterhold. He needed more of his people to be there to help watch over the town. They would act as additional guards and start spreading his information network. Winterhold was not a large town, so it should not be too difficult, especially with him being in charge. They would also give some additional insight on what people thought of the mages as well as tracking what the mages were doing. There was not doubt Morrigan was using her mages to keep tabs on the town.

The second group would be smaller, only two people. They would be some of the best information gatherers in the organization. These two would be sent to Solitude to find out more about everything which has happened. While they would go ahead and start laying the foundations for the Restored, their main objective was to find out who was responsible for the attack and where to find them. They would be given a very large budget and have total control on how they went about it.

It was unfortunate Ken was still needed here otherwise; he would be perfect for the job in Solitude. He was just too busy processing new recruits, who continually streamed in, and managing the day-to-day operations. Still, there were some very capable people working for them which could accomplish this task.

The trapping of a woman and child's soul into a black soul gem was more than motivation for any honorable person to take offense. Combine that with the desire of their leader, and Ken knew the members of the Restored would accomplish this task with gusto.

The first group would leave the next day for Winterhold. He would have to make a very quick trip towards Solitude before he could drop off the other group. Flying all the way to the city was not a good idea. His two agents would be dropped off a distance away and make their own way into the city. The legion was based out of Solitude, and the Empire did not take kindly to flying mages, so Rictus did not want to risk getting seen. A bounty on his head was the last thing he needed right now.

Leaving the rest of the planning to Ken, Rictus quickly teleported back to Winterhold. Once there, he found his way back to the main area of the longhouse and slumped down on the throne. The normal Winterhold guardsmen were not there as they were busy patrolling the city or standing guard outside. They were giving their Jarl and their Thane some space and keeping the disturbances to a minimum.

Roluth was ever so faithfully standing guard while Hawk was preparing an elk he had hunted for their dinner. No sign of Korir stirring, but Rictus did not expect him to wake till the next day. The man deserved some rest.

Hawk had just delivered the food when they were surprised when someone opened the door.

"Well, this is a welcome surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Faralda let a little smile grace her lips at his polite answer. Then her eyes turned serious as the mirth left her face.

"How bad is he?"

A sigh escaped his mouth as he looked at one of the few members of the College he had gotten to know. He motioned for her to come join him at the table as he poured her a glass of wine.

"It's not great. I am sure there are plenty of rumors already about what happened. He lost Thaena and Assur in the attack. The killer had black soul gems."

Her eyes widened at the implications. She had heard they had died as that was the rumor going around. The part about black soul gems was new. Her eyes watered as she thought of the poor woman and child's fate. She had been growing closer to Assur as he had constantly barraged her with questions about how to better his spells to be like Rictus whenever she was in town. His willingness to learn and attentiveness at her answers were quite enduring.

"They didn't deserve a fate so foul. To lose your wife and child is already painful enough without taking into account the loss of their souls. Such a thing would break anyone."

Rictus could only nod in agreement. He truly did want Korir to recover as soon as possible. Despite the short time knowing each other, Korir was a friend. He also had not been prepared for the responsibilities seemingly dumped on him by his friend's absense. It was a fun thought to oversee Winterhold, but it was not really his cup of tea. He would have preferred doing more from the background and gently guiding the town in a better direction.

They continued speaking till late in the night. There had been a lot going on for both of them recently. Faralda was very surprised hearing about the rapid growth of his faction as well as the return of the dragons. She didn't say anything, but Rictus could see her interest in joining his group.

She had apparently been busy traveling throughout the hold and brining rebellious mages in line. Her abilities with destruction magic made her into a formidable enforcer, and the archmage was taking advantage of it by bring the magical dissidents of Winterhold in line. The constant traveling and fighting were beginning to wear on the elf though. She confided in Rictus about this not being what she wanted. A life of fighting was not for her. The college was supposed to be a place of escaping the normal life of mages talented in destruction. It was a place of learning and research, not an army.

From what was being said, it seemed there was some militarization going on in the college. Not enough to really be noticeable, but the foundations were being laid. The unification of the mages in the hold as well as getting rid of any rogue necromancers or witches was a way to solidify one's powerbase. The focus on more practical applications of destruction magic and warding. It all took away from the normal scholarly pursuits of the mages. Morrigan had been busy it seemed. He still did not know her real intentions, but he would be dumb to not be wary of the woman.

He made sure Faralda knew she was always welcome to join him if she wanted a change. The Jarl could also always use an official court mage as well which would keep her from being an enforcer for the College. The thoughtful expression on her face was promising. She was not quite ready to leave the College just yet, but he could see she was considering his offer.

The next couple of days passed by in a blur.

Korir was finally up and about, but he was mostly despondent. He seemed to open up more only when Rictus or Faralda was around him. The grief would most likely follow him for the rest of his life, but there was at least hope he would get back on his feet again.

Sadly, this meant most the mundane duties of the Jarl fell on Rictus. Thankfully, Winterhold was not very populous or else there would have been a lot more work. The people seemed to understand the heartbreak of their Jarl and kept themselves in line. It helped the guards were on high alert and constantly patrolling to keep any troubles at bay. They were dedicated to their Jarl, that's for sure.

The introduction of the Restored to Winterhold went off without a hitch. It also proved a theory Rictus had been having about powering the teleportation runes. Turns out, soul gems could be used to power the teleportation. The downside was it was very costly. The improvised way Rictus incorporated the soul gem most likely did not help with power efficiency. More work and research were required to alter the runes in a way that soul gems could act as the main catalyst instead of his mana. It was still good to know such a method was possible.

The importance of soul gems increased again it seemed. The soul gem farms in Winterhold were already being implemented by the Restored.

There was now a total of 16 Restored in Winterhold including Rictus and his 2 original guards. They served in many different capacities: guards, messengers, butlers, cooks, and informants. Having them here reduced the pressure off Rictus since he had them acting almost as stewards for him.

A few of the mages also joined them. Reysera and two other mages had convinced Ken and Rictus they should be allowed to join them, which made sense. They would act as magical support. Having a couple of the more powerful mages as back up would be useful this close to the College in case things ever got a little dicey. The Restored mages would also be able to more easily integrate themselves with the College mages and get information from them than a nonmage.

Reysera also claimed being closer to Rictus would allow her to ask additional questions about the teleporting messages. She also had a contact in the mage's college as well as another friend near Winterhold she wanted to reach out towards. The mage in college would most likely not leave, but there was a chance the other one would be willing to join their cause.

The two infiltrators had also been sent on their way to start their information gathering quest. They were dropped a few hours outside of Solitude and would have to make their own way there. Rictus had gotten lucky he had set up a teleport location after the mission with Anska and the Companions since that location was not too far from the city. He was able to discreetly fly closer to the city and set up a hidden location in the marshes without wasting too much time. There were plans to wait a few days before trying to get back in contact with them, so they had time to properly gather information.

Rictus was pacing back and forth in front of the throne when one of his subordinates entered carrying a decent sized box. A raised eyebrow conveyed what he wanted to ask as the man answered him.

"Your order from the archmage."

A smile blossomed on his face as he thanked the man while pulling the box towards himself. He felt like a kid at Christmas as he began opening the box. His new enchanted outfit was folded neatly inside. The smokey grey pants really complemented the deep green shirt. The black jacket covered in discrete dark green runes only added to overall majestic feel of the outfit.

The silky texture and cleanliness made the outfit look more like something found in court than on a simple mage. Although thinking about it, could he really call himself a simple mage anymore as he is basically in charge of Winterhold and his Restored?

Before he donned his new outfit, he carefully scanned the robe while trying to discern any hidden magical effects. He liked Morrigan and had a decent working relationship with her, but he didn't fully trust her. After scanning and investigating, he did find a small piece of metal sewn in the clothing which did not belong. Had his magical senses been so finely tuned, especially with metal objects, he could have missed it.

He could tell it did not have anything truly harmful enchanted to it. The object gave off the feeling of a compass for some reason. Investigating it further, the metal acted as a small tracking beacon or proximity alarm. Seems Morrigan did not like the way he so easily entered her office and was making some insurance policies. He didn't think there was any malicious designs for such an action. Still, it further proved that they were not friends and only working together for their mutual benefit.

A quick trip outside, led to one of the Jarl's hunting dogs having a fancy new collar.

Further investigation on his new outfit did not reveal anything else besides what he had wanted. He then wasted no time in donning his new outfit. He immediately felt a difference. His casting was faster and while requiring less mana and effort. The outfit also aided in his mana regeneration by attracting more of the ambient mana in the air towards him. Two simple effects, but they were both extremely powerful. The magnitude of difference between this outfit and the other was significant. It just went to show how powerful an enchanter could become.

He could hardly wait to work some of his more powerful spells to see the difference his new outfit would make.