"Yes, jarl. I trust the three of us can do it on our own, but having more men to help would make it a surer bet, and furthermore we will need someone to hold it lest some new people move in."

"That... is a great ask. I am stretched thin as is, and spreading my forces farther when there are dragons loose..."

"Having a major trade route held by bandits may not be as obviously a problem as dragons but it costs you a constant amount in lives."

"And in money. The economy of the hold cannot be having a great time with traders disincentivised to cross from Eastmarch."

"My lord, while they do have a point, Ulfric will most certainly believe this is hostile action."

"We plan to speak with him, too," Ruby counters. "Eastmarch has just as much interest in holding the Towers as Whiterun does, and Ulfric should send his own men to help. If he doesn't—well, at least he will know that the goal here is not to open hostilities."

   "That is hostility," insists the jarl's steward. "Whiterun holding the fort on our own would be an advantage Ulfric would be loath to let us have, so taking unilateral action to keep the fort is in effect forcing him to either do the same, and be weakened, or refuse, and be weakened. Without mutual agreement, there is no way for us to do this."

"I'm afraid Proventus is right," says the jarl. "I cannot help with that. But if you speak with Ulfric Stormcloak and he is willing to send his own forces, we could come to this agreement. I know I have already asked much of you, but..."

"Sure, I can play courier, it's not much different than what I was planning to do, is it?"

But also: ugh.

"We are in your debt. Shor go with you, Dragonborn."

Oh, he's Dragonborn, now, is he?

Well, that was a dismissal, so they don't have much more to do here.

"So, walk me through the reasoning, here."

"...I guess things did sort of grow in scope since I first came here, didn't they? But..." He shrugs. "The basics are still the same. There's a major fort on a major trade route taken by bandits who are charging five hundred septim for passage—"

"Five hundred septim—"

"Yeah. So it's basically impossible for anyone who isn't themself either rich or a merchant to cross, and even people who are still won't want to. You were extremely correct when you told the jarl people are disincentivised to cross."

"Disincentivised is one thing, but five hundred septim?"

He shrugs. "You see why I'm angry beyond reason at these people."

"I guess."

"And I do want to talk to Ulfric Stormcloak. I want to know the man behind the rebellion, if nothing else. Understand his motivations."

"He will not share his plans very readily. You could be a spy, if nothing else."

"Oh, sure. But I want to know whether the Valtheim Towers were an acceptable cost or if he just didn't think about them at all."

"Huh?"

"Did he go 'starting a civil war will have these consequences for the people of Skyrim under the current circumstances' or did he just go 'I hate the Thalmor and the Empire and want to fight them'? The second one isn't something I'd want in a High King even if I grant that on the object level he's right that Skyrim would be better off separated from the Empire."

"And the alternative would've been... just letting the Thalmor do whatever they wanted?"

"If that's what served the people of Skyrim, yeah."

"The people of Skyrim are being oppressed and murdered by the Dominion and the Empire just rolled over and let the high elves do that."