Marius, Rebec and Baldur
Evergreen Grove Camp
Two days after the battle of Pale Pass

"So was this before or after you slept with the Innkeepers daughter, Wulf?" Asked a curios Marius, whom was getting kinda confused with the story.

A woman's voice could be heard talking to the Stormcloak guards just outside the captive general's tent. It was obviously a friendly chat, with some laughter, possibly flirting. A moment later Rebec's head appeared in the tent. She was in her leathers, with an ebony dagger strapped to her thigh, and an ebony axe at her hip. Glancing at the two escorts, she jerked her head. "Outside. I want to speak to the prisoner alone."


The two grimm ones saluted, before getting out of there chairs, and heading out of the tent. Marius continued to sit on his bed, arms crossed, with a neutral expression.

"Hmmm, High-Admiral Rebec? You need something?"

Hands on her hips, Rebec studied Marius. "You look very comfortable, considering you're surrounded by thousands of soldiers who want you dead. On both sides of the line, if we include your Thalmor friends."


The general changed his neutral expression, to a grimm one,

"It's because I don't fear death..."

The general's expression changed again, this time to a mocking smile,

"And i've made some new friends, as you just saw, it's not like i'm lonely..."

"Don't mistake hospitality for friendship, traitor. No one here forgets what you are. Right now the only friend you have in this camp is General Red-Snow, and he's not too fond of you, either. I did make sure to remind him of what Tullius was going to do to him and Ulfric when they were in your position."


Marius continued to use his mocking smile, he stretched his arms out,

"What would Baldur have done then if he captured Tullius? Would he use a mage to make illusions of innocents and pretend he was going to [censored] them? Or maybe...he would do what Ulfirc was planning to do with Tullius before he disappeared, lop of his head? So it's justified if you stormcloaks are the ones who do it, but you consider it a crime if we do it?"

Smiling a little, Rebec moved around the table and came closer, so that she stood over Marius. Her tone almost friendly, she asked, "Which would you prefer? I could arrange either, or something more creative. You know what your emperor did to the Thalmor who took the Imperial City. Now you've led a Thalmor army here to take Skyrim, and we could easily find somewhere high to hang you from." The admiral paused. "Or should I ask Samuel what to do with you?"

Marius's face turned to a neutral expression, before speaking in a cool and professional tone,

"This "army" your refer to is less then 200 soldiers...they would have sent more, but I refused to accommodate them."

Unexpectedly, after hearing that bit about Samuel, Marius's face twisted into a smile,

"Ah, so the mighty "High-Admiral" of the glorious Stormcloak Navy, nothing but a puppet to the lowest life-form on nirn..."

"Now I'm supposed to be impressed by how you stood up to the big bad Dominion. Too late, traitor. Lorgar gave me a close-up view of how that works. So tell me. What is this between you and Samuel? I'm genuinely curious. He obviously hates you. Hates you passionately, I would say- if he has feelings at all."


"Dont talk to me about what Lorgar did, you obviously don't know the full extent of what he did for you, your stay at Camp Rommulas would have been a great deal more... difficult if he wasn't sticking his neck out for you."

He switched back to the topic of Samuel,

"Samuel most likely hates me for actually standing up against him, you see i left a few marks on his face last time we meet. I also basically told him to "go **** himself" along with "In the end i'm going to be the one to gut you."

Rebec smirked, but it was a bitter one. "So dramatic, this little spat you've got going." She flipped up the latch of her dagger sheath and palmed the blade in one motion. "Unfortunately for you, your spat cost us a lot of good men. I need Samuel, but you're worth nothing to me, or to anyone. We can't even bargain with you." Spinning the dagger once, she reached out and brushed the tip along Marius' cheek. "Maybe I ought to give you some marks to match Samuel's. It might look manly. Not that you're ever going to be getting that sort of hospitality here." Come on, you bastard. Try to take the dagger from me. All I need is an excuse.

Marius, didn't even make a move, he simply and calmly starred at the nord, before responding in a voice devoid of emotions,

"Do it then, I've faced things you cant ever imagine, I've seen horrors that caused lesser men to loose them selves in despair, i'm not afraid of you, nor am I afraid of Samuel. As I said, I don't fear death..."

"Do you want to die?" Her tone is curious again. The dagger point draws a small line of blood on Marius' cheek, then she holds the weapon out, point towards him. It is still easily within reach, but also could be turned and plunged into his chest. "I'd want to, if I were as pitiful as you."


"You think i'm the one who is pitiful? What did Samuel give you?!" Marius, even with the dagger so near him, smiled

"Let me guess, he gave you info on a lost loved one?"

Rebec spun the dagger again and slipped it back into its sheath. She was disappointed, but careful not to show it. There was still time yet- she hoped. "I have to admire Samuel's art, luring you here and then turning the tables on you. What I don't understand is you. Why did you come here? Did you honestly think it was going to turn out like he told you it would? Stormcloak and imperial, holding hands against the Thalmor. Warms the heart."

"I came here because the one true thing I love, my glorious empire, is being destroyed from the inside by corrupt politicians who treat soldiers like pawns, and only care for there own physical gain. I came here so I could fight against them without being held by the chains of command and loyalty. You stormcloaks can rot in the deadlands for all I care, but the Thalmor and that pretender...that pig Moirtre, deserve to be in Cold-Harbor."

"And what did you hope to accomplish alone? If things are as bad as you say, then surely there are others. But you all just keep flailing around in whatever direction the Dominion points you. Even you needed Samuel to point out the obvious. Do any of you ever think for yourselves?"

"You don't know what it's like, Admiral. The entire High command staff has been compromised by Thalmor supporters, any General who raises protest is "Retired" from there command. It goes deeper, the high council itself is filled with Dominion puppets, from High General Titus to High counciler Octabe. Frankly, I couldn't do anything about it, at risk of "retirement". "

Rebec's brow knit at the first really troubling thing she had heard in this conversation. Turning and pacing away slowly, she answered, "I knew it, if no one else did. It's as plain as the sunrise- if the sun ever shone in this hold." There is a pause before she goes on. "When I wake up in a cold sweat, it's not an imperial galley that was the last thing I saw in my dreams. It's the Dominion fleet I know must be coming after them." The admiral turned again to look at Marius. "And you're saying there is nothing any of us can do to stop it? They're just going to let it go on like this, and destroy Skyrim as part of the bargain. Why can't you do to Motierre what he did to Mede?"


Marius laughed,

"Do we have the entire Elder council supporting us? No, Amaund does. He also has the Aldmeri Dominion backing him, as well as a entire legion utterly loyal to him. Mede had none of those things...."

"So you're giving lie to everything you said to me earlier, about how you resisted taking more Thalmor troops. Your legions are acting on behalf of the Dominion directly. Every one of you is a Dominion soldier. Thank you for confirming what I already knew. I won't feel a thing killing every last one of you." The admiral was very sober now. Marius, at least, would have to live long enough to give this report to Ulfric. That meant that she would likely lose her command.


Marius Smirked,

"I didn't lie, I told the dominion that I didn't want too many of there troops to be put into danger from you Stormcloaks, pandering to there Ego is always an effective way." Marius smirk became a full smile with a completely friendly face

"Maybe I should tell Ulfric what you offered Lorgar in camp Rommulas...Admiral"

Rebec laughed. "Go ahead, but you'll bore him. He's heard that story already. He more enjoyed the part about how we dismantled Camp Rommulas from the inside and out." Tilting her head, she said, "So what's next for you, general-as-was? How are you going to carry out this little gutting scheme you've got planned for Samuel?"

"Do you think i'm an idiot, actually...you probably do..anyway, what's stopping you from telling Samuel what i've got planned for him?"

"I just wondered how you see this thing going. I want to make sure to lay it out for General Red-Snow so he gets no notions that you're here to help us. You're so consumed with your petty vengeance that you aren't thinking of your beloved empire anymore, since by the sounds of things Skyrim is your only hope for turning things around there."

Marius, once again laughed,

"Petty vengeance...this isn't about vengeance, this is justice. Do you even know what kind of man Samuel is? Do you even know what he's done? And continue to think that way Admiral, I love the empire, and would do anything for it, defecting to the stormcloak's, is my way of helping it from itself."

"Samuel is a useful man, that's all that matters to me. Your uses are very few." Not few enough. The conversation had convinced her that Marius still did have some use, if only for his information, and possibly to lure the Thalmor to try to claim him. Baldur was right, damn him. What that meant for her, Rebec didn't want to consider. Vexed and more troubled than when she came in, the admiral turned to leave, saying over her shoulder, "You haven't defected, Marius. If you ever think we're going to fight next to you, put that out of your mind now. Not until your fellow imperials realize the truth and turn on your masters."


"I see you two are getting acquainted."

Baldur was watching Rebec to see what she would do, and when he saw her walk towards Marius's location, he followed her. When he approached, he ordered the men to keep quiet while he eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Baldur." Rebec's expression was somewhat guilty, but she wasn't surprised to see him. She had been more surprised that he hadn't already warned the guards not to let her in, hence her buttering them up before trying to enter. "Yes, Marius is a better conversationalist than Lorgar was. Of course we don't have Thalmor here trying to butt in every five minutes. Yet." She gave him a pointed look that said we need to talk.


Baldur could hear from inside the tent,

"Your High admiral is a good person to talk to, I feel VERY safe knowing that she's in the camp..."


"I heard the conversation outside, Reb. We'll talk about it in a few minutes. For now, I need a word with the General alone."

Baldur put on a stern face to let her know he wasn't going to leave it up for debate.

The admiral pursed her lips, her eyes turning flinty to match Baldur's. "Of course, General," she answered coldly. "His whining about Samuel was getting tiresome anyway." With a baleful glance back at Marius and another at Baldur for good measure, Rebec ducked back out of the tent. She withdrew to a quiet area nearby, and paced, waiting for Baldur to emerge again.


Marius glanced at Baldur, who was now entering his tent, he nodded,

"So general, why do I owe the pleasure?"


Baldur sighed before he initiated in the conversation, and then he proceeded with haste.

"Let's cut to the chase. I don't like you, you don't like me. We don't need to like eachother to get along. Bottom line is if Skyrim is lost, your Empire is next. I've done some bad things, and you've done some bad things. But if we don't want Thalmor destroying our homes, [censored] our women, and enslaving man kind again, we need to quit acting like enemies. You were right, what I did to Lorgar and what I did to your soldiers was wrong. I apologize for killing them the way I did. I don't apologize for killing them, and I don't apologize for Lorgar. But I recognize the gravity of my actions. Now that that is out of the way, can I count on your help? I have my doubts about trusting you, and you'll likely have to prove to me that you're truly with us, but I'm willing to give you a chance. I've done the same for others before."


Marius took a few seconds to take in those words, before responding to the general.

"You can...but I expect you to trust me in turn, make no mistake, I would do anything to prevent the empire from falling, including helping you stormcloaks...Anyway's, I recommend you to restrain your Admiral in her attempts to kill me, you do know she's just being used as a puppet?"


Baldur took a seat on the foot of the General's bed, sighed, and closed his eyes before speaking.

"She's in a bit of trouble caused by Mr. Moon Balls. He has dirt on her, and the only way to keep him quiet is to either kill you or pay him 5000 septims. I don't have the time to explain to Ulfric why I need the gold, and I'm not going to kill you. If I don't do as he says, Rebec's ability to command the men will be shot, and she may face some charges, but I suspect her recent activities in the Sea of Ghosts will exonerate her. But I can't take the risk. So the first thing I need to ask of you is, can you promise me that you will not go after Samuel? If you give me that promise..."

Baldur leaned forward and whispered in his ear so it was impossible for anyone but the General to hear Baldur's words.

"You have my word. I will help you find him, then you can do to him what you wish. I can't risk having a man like him around knowing things about Skyrim that he shouldn't. Is that a deal?"

Marius, smirked, before saying out loud,

"Fine...I give you my word..." He leaned in to Baldur's ear, and whispered,

"We have a deal Baldur..."


Balder stood up off of the bed and held out his hand for the General to shake.

"Then it's time you become one of us. If you are ready, we will begin the ceremony in front of he men. You break this oath, and you will only prove to me and everyone that we were right about you and the Imperials. If we are ever going to stop the Thalmor, we need to start trusting one another. Starting now. Will you take the oath and become a brother to Skyrim?"


Marius, nodded, his face filled with determination, took Baldur's hand and shook it firmly.

"Then let's do it then."


Baldur walked out of the tent with General Marius in tow, and as he did, the soldiers that were his escorts moved to follow him. Baldur put his hand over one of their chests to stop them walking past him.

"Wait. You're no longer his escorts. Go and get me some dye and a bucket. Have General Marius give you his uniform and bring it to me. Tell him I'll meet him over by the pond in a few hours."

As the men looked at him with puzzled looks, they said yes sir, and ran off to follow his orders. Baldur walked over to Rebec who was waiting for him to walk out.

"Well, I took care of it. You have nothing to worry about."

Rebec looked up as the men came out of the tent, and her expression goes from confusion to utter disbelief as Marius apparently is walking out no longer a prisoner. Lowering her voice to keep anyone from overhearing, she said, "What do you mean you took care of it? What's going on? Maybe I'm addled from being on land too long, but this doesn't look like an execution."


Baldur swallowed hard before he gave Rebec an answer. He knew she wouldn't like it. Neither would Boldir more than likely.

"Well, because the Thalmor will eventually come here in force, we need allies. Hammerfell and Skyrim alone aren't enough, so the only thing we can do to assure our survival is to convince the Empire to side against the Thalmor. That's not going to happen from the Emperor's side or the Elder Council's side, but the Legion...the Legion we have a chance to persuade. When they see Marius fighting along side us not as a traitor to Cyrodiil but as a liberator of Cyrodiil from the corruption of her government...other Legion Generals may follow his example. It could lead to an uprising, and even a new Emperor. One that will accept our independence, and accept us as allies against the Thalmor."

Rebec's mouth fell open. "You want to... I'm sorry, I must have mud in my ears. You want to make him one of us?" She searched Baldur's face, hoping there was a punchline here somewhere. "Tell me that you're doing this as some cunning plan to lure him into false sense of security so that I can come along and stick an axe in the back of his head. I've got one, you know. An axe. Right here. It's got that miserable imperial traitor's name etched right on it. I could have put it in his head while I was in that tent, but I didn't, because I trusted you."


Baldur truly believed what he just did was the right move. There was no shame in his heart, so he looked Rebec directly in the eyes and confidently spoke.

"Then keep trusting me, Reb. This is the right move. If we want the Empire on our side, we need to start giving out trust. Here's where we can start. It's either that, or be completely wiped out. When it was just the Thalmor by themselves, we never had much to worry about considering our location. But those corrupt politicians are completely wrapped around their finger, and now it's Alinor, Elsweyr, Cyrodiil and possibly Valenwood versus Skyrim and Hammerfell. We need the Legion on our side. Besides, the General promised not to go after Samuel, so you won't be in danger of being exposed."

She was still fuming, but for Baldur's sake tried to clear the red haze from her eyes and think it through logically. "You put a lot of stake on this man's word. It was Samuel who got him here in the first place, otherwise he would have been up there at the Pass trying to break our wall. Now he turns on his own brothers, and slinks here all alone, when he could be over there doing some actual good for us. Do you think they're all just going to drop their fancy swords and go home because one man turns traitor? This is foolish, Baldur. You're going to sow dissent in our own ranks and accomplish nothing from it. As for Samuel, I'm sure he'll just take our word that Marius has turned into Mother bleeding Mara. The man was just bragging about how he was going to gut him."

"Marius isn't very different from myself. He'll do anything to save his home. He'll prove himself to be with us, and when that happens, our men will see I made the right call. You will too. Their men will see him with us, and their loyalties will be shaken. They'll have the Thalmor saying one thing about him, and their minds saying another. It won't be dissent in our ranks. It will be in theirs. You're right though. It did take Samuel's blackmail to get him here, but sometimes it takes a boot to your ass to get you on the right track. You know that better than anyone."

"Don't you compare me to him." Rebec turned away so that she wouldn't have to look at him anymore. There was truth to what he said, but she couldn't face it. Pacing, she said, "Once Falkreath is secure I'll go back to Solitude and resign my command. Or I can write to Ulfric from here, that may be better. Sigrid is too cautious, slow to attack, but otherwise she'll make a good admiral. I'll go into her crew, that way hopefully the men will accept it, and after Samuel does whatever he's going to do we'll just have to see..." Her mind raced ahead, trying to find some sense of where she was again. It had seemed much clearer the night before.


Baldur could see that he hurt her, and that made him feel low, but it was the truth.

"Rebec, you don't need to do that! And that's not what I meant...Just, please. Just give me a chance to show you. You know we can't win this by ourselves! I won't be the man to lose Skyrim to the elves for the first time in over four eras! I can't let my father's death by my hand be for nothing. Just please, let me handle this. Please. Allow me to give him the chance to prove himself. Like I did for you."

"I am trying to help you," she said, her voice breaking a little. "If this is what you're determined to do, then I have to try to get out of this mess with Samuel myself. I could just wait for the right moment and kill Marius myself, but you would know and I can't live with that, either. So I have to try to break the hold Samuel has over us." She glanced back. "Don't worry. I won't leave yet and I won't show the men what I really think of that worm. Gods, I hope you're right, Baldur. He could be feeding our numbers and defenses to the other side and he'll just call it love for his damn bloody precious glorious empire. If I find out he's a spy or if he so much as makes a move towards you, all bets are off."

"Rebec, I hate to do this, I really do, but I am ordering you to leave Samuel to me. I'm going to make sure that you are completely left out of any dealings with him. Next time those contacts of his come here, let me know, so that I can make a deal with him. I'm the commanding officer here. If anyone is to take fallout for this decision it should be me. You're an independent individual, and I get that. But let. Me. Handle this! You are a Stormcloak! We don't take burdens on ourselves. That is what your brothers and sisters are here for! Don't worry about Samuel. He's a reasonable man. He'll agree to my deal."


"I know you want that to be the case, Baldur, but it isn't. You of all people should know that when you give an order, the consequences fall on many others but yourself. As for my command, that's my decision to make. But for your sake I'll wait on it, for now. I said that I'd not only support this madness, I'd help you do it. You can't order me to like it."

Rebec walked off then, at a fast clip back towards the center of camp, brushing past him as she went. She decided to do some weapons practice and take out her frustrations on a dummy. On the way she passed Suri, bent over an alchemy lab. "Auntie, where are you..."

"Don't call me auntie, gods damn it! It makes me sound a hundred years old." The admiral stalked onward, leaving Suri behind with raised eyebrow.


****

Three hours after Baldur's fight with Rebec, Baldur had finished the final touches on Marius's uniform. It was the same General uniform that Tullius wore, but Baldur had dyed it Stormcloak blue. He also took one of his spare General capes that he had, and applied a darker blue color to it to go along with it. When he was finished, he gathered the uniform and the armor and took it to see what Marius thought of it. He was still thinking of Rebec and wondered if she would still come to stay with him that night or not. He didn't think it was very likely, so he brushed the idea out of his head before he approached Marius.

"Well, what do you think, Marius? I thought it was fitting that you keep the same uniform. Now you will have both the Empire and Skyrim's insignia on you when you go into battle. One on your chest and one on the cape."

"Not bad Baldur, it certainly looks impressive. Nothing like bearing the symbol of the dragon and the bear at the same time to strike fear into the dominion."

"I'm glad you approve. Listen...I'm risking a lot both militarily and personally by trusting you. Please...don't make me regret it."

"You wont ..."


Baldur sounded his war horn to gather all the men before him and the general at the pond near the camp. He was very nervous and wondered what his men would say when they saw him in the new colors. As the men gathered, he pretty much got what he expected.

"What the hell."

"Is he doing what I think he's doing? Has Baldur gone mad?"

"No way, this is some kind of trick. Another one of his pranks, you watch."

Baldur waited for them to stop their murmuring before he started the ceremony.

"General Marius Imperius, are you ready to take the oath?"


Marius, who looked quite calm despite all the murmurs emerging among the assembled Stormcloaks, spoke

"I am, General Baldur Red-Snow"

In the background, Rebec stood, arms crossed and her hair damp with sweat from beating practice dummies senseless. Her expression was stony, but she silenced a few of the dissenters nearby who happen to catch her glaring at them. Many of the Stormcloaks were simply confused, unsure of what they were seeing.

Baldur was about to continue when one of the female stormcloak soldiers came out of the crowd and stood before him.

"I'm sorry sir, but we can't let this continue. This man is not a true son of Skyrim! We went along with you when you let more Dunmer into the forces. That was a good decision. We went along with you when you were brutalizing enemy soldiers to the point of being inhumane! If those were Thalmor soldiers, I'd have joined in, but they weren't! We even went along with you and kept quiet when you [censored] a female captive to get the information of the enemy camp! That was too far, sir. Other men were court marshaled for that very reason, and although we got the info we needed, that is not something that we do, especially not our General! Now, now you want to accept this cur into our ranks? This is too far!"

Baldur was about to speak up, but the men and women's voices started to grow to loud for him to be heard.

"Yea, Galmar wouldn't have done this!"

Rebec wavered, wanting to let this go on, and unsure that even her voice would turn anyone's opinion anyway. They would say later that she was just after the general's mead spigot, and after all she used to work for the Thalmor. All Samuel would have to do was whisper in one ear to discredit them all. She also desperately wanted to save Baldur from his reckless gamble by virtue of popular will.

But, she couldn't, and never did have any sense.

"You lot shut your pieholes!" she shouted, stepping forward. "I don't like this anymore than you do. The Grim Ones can vouch that I went in to General Marius' tent today, and I gave the man every opportunity to take my weapon and try to escape. He didn't do that, and he convinced me that there are more important things going on here than even just the battle for this hold. General Red-Snow is thinking about all of Tamriel now. There's nothing that Marius can do with hundreds of us watching his back. But if he can bring more legion over and turn them on those Thalmor, we may not have see any more of your families' farms burning. I don't know about you, but I would risk a lot for that."

Her eyes moved around, meeting the gazes especially of the female soldiers she could see. "As for what you've heard about Falkreath prison, there was no [censored] and no murder. You know the mage called Witchie. He conjured a phantom, that's all. A trick. It was a desperate move, but nobody had to die and we got the location of their camp. But the Thalmor in that camp actually did torture me! Remember whose side we're all on and who our real enemy is. General Red-Snow would bleed for you, and he does. If this man Marius will bleed to kill Thalmor, too, then let his skills and experience be put to good use. If it goes bad, then you can hold the general responsible. And you can hold me responsible, too." She fell silent, glanced once at Baldur, then stepped back among the ranks. They parted for her, murmuring, still uneasy.


Baldur was speechless. He was waiting for her to say I told you so, not for her to stand up and actually defend Marius.

Perhaps I won't be sleeping alone after all tonight. Perhaps.

"I can't deny the fact that I brutally killed those men. I lost control of myself after the death of Reval. By now most of you have heard about the circumstances behind his death. But that is no excuse. The next time I act so cruelly to my enemy, I'll make sure it's Thalmor. You have my word. As for the [censored] accusations, as unlikely as it may sound, what the Admiral said is true. I'd ask Marius to confirm it since the man who I did all this to told him, but I know how that would look. You can also ask Witchie himself, and ask him to demonstrate if you wish.

At any rate, lets get back to the issue at hand. Marius has sworn that he will aid us. You may not trust him, and I don't blame you. But please, trust me. You know by now that I do not make brash decisions unless I am damn sure that it is worth it! This is worth it. The Thalmor are taking over Cyrodiil from the inside, starting from the Emperor and spreading through the Elder Council. General Marius was brought to us through blackmail, but he now knows that it was necessary to save Cyrodiil from the Thalmor. And make no mistake about it, that is our goal. If we don't get the Legion on our side, the Thalmor will walk into Skyrim and we will be the first generation of Nords to lose our lands for the first time in over four eras. Is that what you want?"

The soldiers started to murmur, unsure of how to answer.

"I SAID IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!?"

The soldiers this time all answered at the same time resoundingly.

"No sir!"

Baldur continued with his speech.

"Then give this man a chance to show us that he is one of us. The Legion is not to blame for this, the Thalmor are! We need to show the Legion that we are willing to work with them, and accepting Marius in our ranks is the first step! If we can't put aside our differences with this one man, we will NEVER be able to do it with the whole Legion, and at that moment we are all doomed. Skyrim will fall, then Hammerfell, then Cyrodiil from the inside, and we will all be slaves to the High Elves. Marius, tell these men and women what is going on in Cyrodiil to the Generals."


Marius nodded to Baldur, before going to the front and addressing the assembled soldiers,

"Want to know what's happening in Cyrdoili? The High Command of the mighty imperial legion is corrupted from the inside, ANY soldier, General to NCO, who is caught raising protest against the Dominion is reported and, in officers case, stripped of there title, rank, and forced to retire. ANY soldier, regardless of rank or status, is given over to the dominion if caught in the act of "treason", publicly tortured and executed by the Dominion, and it's puppets the imperial inquisition. If a General is caught plotting against the dominion, there given the same treatment, as well as there entire family, both children and women. The Elder council is filled with vipers and snakes who bend there knees to the dominions ever whim, with the sole motive of power and wealth for one's self. The emperor himself, and his high council, are in the dominions pocket!!!"


"You see? The once proud and strong Imperial Legion is being held hostage by their own government! The Legion are not our enemies. We just have to show them there's a way out. Now, If there are no further objections, Marius. Kneel down on one leg and bow your head, then repeat after me.

Baldur waited for Marius to kneel before the crowd and bow his head.

"I do swear my blood and honor to the service of Ulfric Stormcloak."


To the shock of the crowd, Marius knelt before the crowd, and bowed his head,

"I swear my blood and Honor to the service of Ulfric Stormcloak."


So far so good.

Baldur continued. "Jarl of Windhelm and true High King of Skyrim."


Marius continued,

"Jarl of Windhelm and True High King of Skyrim."

"As Talos is my witness, may this oath bind me to death and beyond...even to my lord as to my fellow brothers and sisters in arms," said Baldur.


Marius, contained with the oath,

"As Talos is my witness, may the oath bind me to death and beyond...even to my lord as to my fellow brothers and sisters in arms."

"All hail the Stormcloaks, the true sons and daughters of Skyrim!"


Marius starred at the assembled army, before saying,

"All Hail the stormcloaks, the true sons and daughters of Skyrim!!!"

"Rise, Specialist Marius. You are now one of us. Fight with us bravely and honorably, and we will help free your men from the shackles of the Thalmor. They will not agree with us at first, but they will. Until then we must slay our brethren in defense until we can convince them to rebel against their pathetic Emperor, and replace him with someone worthy of the title. And this will come to pass with your help. Now, everyone. Dismissed!"

The Grim Ones' faces were grave, but they would follow Baldur into Oblivion itself. The regulars were having a harder time. One soldier leaned in towards Rebec and asked, "Admiral, do you really believe this horker [censored]?"

The admiral thought of that image of Dominion ships she had seen many times in her mind's eye, which had become a nightmare. There was no other logical reason why the empire would throw its entire navy at Skyrim when Ulfric had consolidated so much power. It all fit- it was the only thing that fit. "Yes," she replied. "I do."

Despite wanting to go to sleep, his former escorts now brothers-in arms, Wulf and his brother Nox, wanted to get some mead with him to celebrate Marius's "enlightenment", Marius merley smirked , before saying,

"I suppose one glass of wine would be okay, let's go boy's...''

Witch-king (aka Witchie)
Forest around the imperial camp
Afternoon

The forest was quiet, nothing was to be heard, not even the wind. Everything was still. The air was cool with a mist hanging in it, clouding view for afar, Witchie's work. He was standing among the trees without moving, just waiting. With horse standing a few feet away. Suddenly a sound of a branch breaking echoed through the forest, it came from the left. Witchie ran with muffled steps in the direction of the sound. Soon loud footsteps and the clinking of steel was heard and he slowed down to listen more carefully.

"Such lovely scenery, and I saw some cute bunnies over there" said a female voice, who was most likely the princess.

“Yes Princess, these woods are very beautiful…” Said a bored male voice, which Witchie identified to be Lorgar's

Now moving closer to his prey, while camouflaging his presence with magic. He peaked around a tree and spotted the group a few yards away, barely visible in the mist. Lorgar was leaning against a tree, the princess was looking the other way, presumably at those bunnies. There was two guards in heavy white armor standing a bit further away from her, both of them looking a bit bored. While moving closer from behind in the cover of the mist he could hear one of the guards cursing it. No on had noticed him yet when he reached them and was standing right next to Lorgar, right outside his field of view.
The time was right. With his left hand, enhanced with a powerful sedating spell, he punched Lorgar in the side of his head, sending even such a strong man to the land of dreams. But one the guards saw this and was now fumbling to reach his weapon. Before the other guard noticed any of this, Witchie summoned two wrathmen, dark skeletons heavily armed and armored, that was quickly upon them. The guard that saw him punch Lorgar managed to get his sword out just in time to parry an incoming blow, but the other one wasn't so lucky. That guard had just grasped the hilt of his sword when the cursed skeleton's big axe buried itself deep into his shoulder. The guard tried to scream but Witchie silenced him with a spell, the armored skeleton then pulled out the axe and finished him by decapitating him. The other guard had managed to trade a few blows with his opponent before he was in struck in the leg from behind by the other armored skeleton. He fell down on his knees, his head was then pulled back by the wrathman behind him, exposing his throat. The wrathman then swung it's axe, opening up the throat so crimson flowed down unto his white armor. Witchie then looked around, the princess was gone.

"Lorgar?! Lorgar can you hear me?" the princess yelled in a frightened voice from somewhere deep inside the forest.

The princess must have walked off before he had even made his first move, Witchie cursed himself for forgetting to keep track of her. Luckily the voice gave him directions, he dismissed the wrathmen and ran off to where he had heard the voice call out. It wasn't long before he spotted her in the distance, barely visible, walking aimlessly. He approached her from behind with silent steps, the princess didn't know where she was going but she never turned around so he came into her view. Then when he was standing right behind her, he put his hand on her shoulder, locking her in place.
She quickly turned around, as she felt something very cold touch her left shoulder, she couldn't move anything but her head. He was clad in dark robes, and steel plate gauntlets. The princess noticed something...she couldn't put her finger on it, but it felt or looked familiar some how. She was still terrified, and she said in a fearful voice,

"What...what do you want...we're is Lorgar and my escort?."

Witchie said nothing but instead started to channel a calming spell into her. When the princess fearful expression disappeared from her face and was instead replaced with an expression of serenity, Witchie cast the spell, teleporting them far away to his sanctum in the north. The room they entered was shaped like a massive dome. With edged pillars stretching up along the walls, becoming thinner the higher they went before meeting a large, deep dark blue crystal that sat in the center of the roof. Inside the crystal would swirling, like blue fire, be seen. Along the walls between the pillars hanged banners, all black with a red symbol looking like three spikes in the shape of the head of a trident, with the middle spike being the tallest. In the other end of the room was a throne resting on an elevated platform. And at the back of the throne was a large statue of a dragon standing with it's wings stretched out to the sides and it's maw roaring down at whoever would dare to stand in front of the throne. The room had four hallways leading out of it, one for every cardinal direction. But the southern hallway was hidden behind the large throne. The room was lit up partly by the crystal in the roof but also by braziers with blue fire, standing by the pillars at the edges of the room.

The princess, who now appeared to be out of the calm spells face lit in absolute terror and fear, "Where am I...Where am I...."

"A place untouched by time." Witchie let go of her shoulder and walked around her so he was standing right in front of her and looked her into the eyes, that was filled with fear.

"What...what do you want with me?"

"I have an offer... You die and I consume your soul... Or you agree to bind your will to mine."

Her face filled with shock, before sheepishly asking the hooded man, "Can you...clarify?"

"Either your will or your life is forfeit." Witchie drew his sword and put the point up against her throat. "What is your choice?"

She swallowed deeply, before telling the hooded man in a clear and cohesive voice, "My will..."

Witchie sheathed his sword and walked towards a hallway on the thrones left side.

"Follow me."

The princess was reluctant at first but when three of sanctum's guardians appeared behind her, they looked like ice wraiths but was longer and thinner like snakes, and giving up a dark and cold wheezing, she started to walk. The hallway at least ten feet broad and seventeen feet tall and was lit up by blue flames that simply hanged in the air along the walls. Soon the hallway split in a fourway crossing and Witchie turned right. They entered a rather large room, but it was still much smaller than the throne room. In the middle of room was a long altar with it's broadside facing them. And around the altar a large circle of runes, the runes varied in sizes from up to three feet to a couple of inches and shaped different patterns inside the circle. Some small runes was even shaped in the pattern so they made up a bigger rune. There was a brazier in every one of the four corners of the room.
Witchie walked up to the altar and gestured to it with his left hand.

"Lie down here."

The princess complied with the command, and stiffly lied down on the dark altar, she asked him, "Will it hurt?"

"Not if you resist. Relax."

She inhaled a large amount of air, before nodding, and relaxing her body. Witchie then raised his hands to the sides so they where almost as high up as his shoulders. Inside the half-open hands were flames of black darkness taking shape and slowly grew till they filled up the entire inside of the hands. The runes on the floor started to glow in a dark purple color, first faintly but the glow grew in strength with the darkness in the hands. The princess's gaze turned black. it went on for an hour or two before the runes glow turn into tentacles that lashed up into the air and then turned down into the woman's body. Her body shook a bit from the impact but didn't give any indication of pain. The glow went in waves along the tentacles, flowing into her body. Time went by, but with no sun it was almost impossible to keep track of the time. In the end the runes glow started to fade and streams in the air lost its' roots on the ground before disappearing into her body.
When everything hade faded away and the woman's gaze turned back to normal, Witchie left the chamber while she was still recovering. He turned left and walked back to the throne room, then down to the right behind the throne and into the hidden hallway. He soon found himself to be in a very familiar room. Near the entrance of the room was a sarcophagus in solid stone and with it's large stone cover leaning against it's side. And in the far end of the hall was a large stone circle, decorated with runes and cracks.

Legate Gracchus Ceno
Fort Pale Pass
Afternoon

Gracchus had risen early, and decided to oversee the fortification of the Pale Pass. His men had been ordered to begin chopping down trees to make rough wooden walls that his archers could stand on. The Thalmor troops had taken care of the boulders that had fallen on the pass, leaving his men to construct the defenses. Their progress had been fairly quick, and the beginnings of the palisades were already up. He left the men to their work, and also have them orders to be on the lookout for any Stormcloaks. He left several dozen men to guard, and then headed back towards the camp.

Gracchus dropped of his steed at the stables, and walked across the camp at a brisk pace. He arrived at the headquarters, where he told the nearest guard,

"Go find the other Legates, and tell them that I need to see them immediately."

The guard replied, "Yes sir!" and then headed off to find the legates

We'll have to take Falkreath, and it's food before we do anything. And to take Falkreath, we'll need to take the fight to the Stormcloaks, and to take the fight to them, we'll have to meet them on their terms, which probably means guerrilla warfare. And the gods know that they are experts at that. I'll have to get a little creative if I want to take Falkreath before to long. And if we don't get those reinforcements, it'll just be that much tougher, thought Gracchus.

After about five minutes, the other legates arrives. They gathered around the table, and Gracchus spilled out his plan.

"We are going to wage guerrilla war against the Stormcloaks. I want you to gather your ten of your soldiers, the ones who you think will be best suited for this, and send them to harass the Stormcloak caravans and troops. I do not want any major engagements, just skirmishes. Also, tell them to periodically report back, such as when they suffer any casualties. Now, go tell your men and order them to sneak out under the cover of darkness tonight. You are dismissed."

With that, the other legates left, leaving Gracchus only to his thoughts. I do hope this works. Now I need to fid Specialist Eduard and commence the second phase of this plan.

Rebec and Baldur
Evergreen Glade camp
evening, after Marius' ceremony


Rebec watched the old Altmer move along the rows of wrapped bodies, performing the rites of Arkay. Many had been buried already, and there were pyres for the Dunmer, adding to Falkreath’s already large number of dead. These were the last. As the elf came closer, Rebec noticed that there were tears streaming down his face. How odd, she thought. The priests of Arkay were usually stoic, even morbid, types.

She didn’t interrupt, but when he had reached the last shrouded body and turned, he saw her watching him. “Yes, child? Would you like the blessing of Arkay?”

“I was more wondering if you needed anything, uh...”

“Runil. My name is Runil. That is kind of you, but no. It’s only that I thought I had seen such a thing for the last time. Bodies, twisted by mage fire, so many young lives cut down.”

“You saw fighting like this before? The Great War?” At his nod, she ventured, tone darkening, “You were Thalmor.”

“I served my country and my people, and did many terrible things in their name. Yes. The citizens of Falkreath have been merciful to accept me into their midst.”

Rebec thought of Marius, and of the elf’s tears, and calmed her thoughts a little. “There are a lot of Thalmor, just over that ridge.”

A look of fear passed over the man’s face. “Yes, I know. If they find me here, I'm afraid that there will be no mercy for me among them.”

“We’ll do what we can to see that won’t happen. You can retreat with us, if it comes to that. We’ll need a priest of Arkay again before this all is done.”

“Thank you, but I serve the people of Falkreath. I will stay with them if I can.”

“Suit yourself.” Rebec watched him another moment. “You’re a mage, then. Tell me, what do you know about skin magics?”

Runil looked startled. “Where did you hear about those?”

“My pa knew a lot of old stories. About the old gods of the Nords, how they battled the gods of the elves, but the elves used skin magics to try to trick the Nords into following the wrong orders, or believing spies were actually friends. Can you do something like that?” Rebec was thinking of Witchie, wondering where on Nirn he had learned to do what he’d done in Falkreath prison. It had to be from the elves.

The priest’s eyes fell. “Child, I have enough trouble living in the one skin that the gods gave me.”

The admiral was unsatisfied with this reply, but the old Altmer looked so tired and sad that she couldn’t press it. “Alright, Runil. Thank you. And thank you for what you did for our men.”

“Arkay’s work,” he answered softly, and turned to go.

Rebec helped with the last of the burials, then washed and ate dinner with some of the regulars. They were all talking about Marius. There were arguments, but these quieted when Rebec got near, and started up again after she left. It would go on like that, she knew, until the imperial proved himself.

She saw Baldur once across the camp, and later saw him go into his tent. He would be wrestling with his decision. She was still furious, but it wasn’t fair to leave him alone with it.

Entering the tent, Rebec glanced at Baldur stretched out on the bed, and said nothing. She was also silent as she changed into her nightclothes. She had decided to wear clean woolens at night, so that she could quickly put her armor straight on if the imperials attacked the camp.

Only when she sat on the edge of the bed did she finally speak. “Last night when I asked you to execute Marius, it was all ‘ohhh I need to ask Uuuulfric, I couldn’t pooossibly do that.’ Today you’re recruiting Marius into the Stormcloaks, apparently by virtue of his rugged good looks alone.” She swung her legs up in the bed and stretched out, her back still to him. As she lay simmering, it occurred to Rebec that she and Toki had argued so rarely because she could just get on her ship and go away.


Baldur merely chuckled at the response and tried changing the subject.

"I see you found your way back here. I'm surprised. Thought I'd be spending the night alone. So you think he's good looking? That's a start I suppose."

Rebec glanced over her shoulder to see if he was serious, snorted, and flopped back down. "Now you're jealous, I suppose. Just go to sleep." A moment later, "Unless... No, just go to sleep." There was angry six, then there was too angry even for six.


Baldur braced himself for what he imagined would be a long night. But he imagined he'd enjoy it more than sleeping alone.

"Speak your mind, Admiral."

"We've done enough talking, Baldur," she answered wearily. Reaching back, Rebec took his hand and tugged at it until his arm came around her, then settled back down to sleep. "It's done. Now we just have to hope to the gods that it doesn't come back on us."

Baldur thought it appropriate to finally say what he was really thinking all this time.

"I appreciate what you did back there. For better or worse...I want you to know...that..I..."

Rebec tensed. "You're welcome. You spoke up for me with Ulfric and you didn't have to. Maybe..." Gods, she hated being wrong. It was worse than paying taxes. "Maybe I even started to believe what I said. A little. Don't you dare gloat. Are you gloating?" She turned to look.

Baldur tried fighting back a smile, but ultimately failed.

"I'll save the gloating for when he proves himself first. And after I get Samuel off your back. And thank you wasn't the words I was searching for. I think you know what I wanted to say, Reb."

"Yes, I know." There was a pause, then Rebec rested her head back on the pillow. She was there; that was the only answer she could give.


"Reb, I..uhoah.."

Uh oh...I think that cheese I had earlier is starting to fight me. Oh no, not now!

The admiral stirred a little, but then closed her eyes, apparently unaware of his distress.


Get it together Baldur, get it together!

"What I was trying to say w, unh. I mean that w-what I ooh."

Baldur inevitably failed to hold back the forces of the digested cheese, and as he made a pass, Baldur prayed to all nine divines that Rebec would somehow not notice.

Her eyes flew open. "Shor's bones, are you bleeding back there? I think you ruptured something."

Baldur stayed silent, afraid to say anything and too embarrassed to move. Baldur never stayed in the same bed with a woman overnight before, even after intimacy. Not being able to pass whenever he wanted was completely new and alien territory for him. Baldur decided to close his eyes and pretend he fell to sleep since that was all that he could do in the situation.

Rebec was soon fast asleep. She had slept in bilge water before. There wasn't enough cheese in Tamriel to really alarm her.


Thank the divines...

Baldur too fell fast to sleep after Rebec had faded out of consciousness. That night for the first time in a long time, he had a dreamless rest.

****

Around 3 a.m. in the morning a soldier called out to Baldur in the middle of his rest. Baldur woke up and managed to get out of bed without disturbing Rebec, and he then stepped outside to see what the matter was.

"Sir, it's a letter for you from Boldir."

Thank you soldier. Go get some rest.

Let's see what this is about.


Baldur,
The men and I have settled into Skybound Watch. We decided to wait an extra night before our first raid to give the Imperials some time to calm down a bit. Jodun and I are going to be handling tonight's raid alone. This is because it won't be a typical assault. We're going to close the southern pass and cut off their supply line and their reinforcements. I'll explain the details later. What I need from you is a distraction. If you can spare them, fifty Hammerfell men should be enough. All I need is for you to have them harass the Imperials at the edge of the pass long enough for us to slip by. There's no need for us to meet them. Just have the men begin their attack at midnight.

Boldir


Good! I was wondering how we'd go about that. I was going to get Witchie to do it, but I forgot to ask before he left. Boldir apparently found a way without him though, it seems.

"Soldier! Come back. Sorry, but I need you to take care of the request in this order. Let them know you have my authority to round them up. Can you handle this?"

"Yes sir, General Red-Snow, sir."

"Thank you soldier. I'll be here if you need me."

With that taken care of Baldur went back to bed and fell asleep.

Falkreath
Baldur, Rebec, Alef, Samuel, Valindil,
Two days after Marius’ ceremony

Baldur was sitting in his war room tent looking over a map that had locations of his guerilla warfare teams deployed. He was in civilian clothing, having not yet put on his armor. It was a simple green shirt with tan wool pants. Farmer's clothes. He was worrying about Boldir and his plan, wondering if they could really pull it off. Baldur gave a sigh, as he started to plan his next move after a few more days of guerilla warfare, when a soldier came in the tent.

"Hello, General Red-Snow. I have a message for you. Some courier came by here and told me to give you this."

Baldur signaled the soldier away.

I bet I know who this is from.

The note read:

Baldur,

We need to talk about Marius. Meet me at Glenmoril Coven. Come alone.

Alef


Yup, just like I thought.

Baldur stepped out of the tent and went to tell Rebec he'd be gone for a while.

**
"Are you sure this will work?" Bahgras looked at the young Dunmer right in front of her, who simply nodded in response without saying a word. Around them they could hear many feet move about, but no one were to be seen
**
Rebec was also reading reports, sitting in the half-tent she used for such things, and smirking as she read. A courier from Solitude had come in with letters from the Vice Admiral. The prisoners taken off imperial ships, Sigrid reported, were half starving and raving about things in the water and specters in the air. The Sea of Ghosts had gotten its reputation for a very good reason. Her own ship was named for such a specter which had followed her for a time, wailing. Rebec almost had to feel sorry for those imperial sailors, so far from home and friendly ports, freezing and harassed constantly by Stormcloak ships, with only the ghosts for company.
"Reb, can I have a word with you?"
Looking up from her letter, Rebec's smirk faded. "Something up? Are the imperials moving?"

Baldur raised his hand to let her to know to settle her nerves.

"No, no. Nothing like that. It seems your contacts finally reached out to me."

Baldur took the note from his pocket, and gave it to Rebec for her to read.

The admiral took the note and read it over. "That didn't take long. You're not going alone, I hope. I'll follow at a distance."
"No, you stay here. Don't worry, I'm no fool. I'll take 10 Redguards with me and have them follow in the shadows. Samuel's contact will probably just want to make some new deal, threaten me, blah blah blah, then I'll be back here before you know it. I should be back in time for dinner. But on the odd chance that I don't for whatever reason get back in time, you're to act as commanding officer until I get back. Keep the guerilla warfare going, and if the enemy forces them back, retreat to Falkreath. The new walls I had built could hold back any force for a long time. But like I said, I'll be back before you can say Nerevarine."
"Ner..what? Never mind. Baldur..." Rebec stood up from her chair and came a step closer. She met his eyes and then her mind blanked. Her thoughts went to what he had almost said the night before, and about how he was doing all of this for her. "Thank you," she said finally. "Be careful." It was lame and inadequate, but all she could manage.
Baldur gave Rebec a hug with his left arm, then a reassuring kiss on the forehead.

"I will."

After that, Baldur walked back to his tent, and prepared for the trek to the cave.
**
Rebec watched after him until Baldur disappeared into the activity of the camp, then sat down and tried to put her mind back on the naval war. What Marius had told them about how things stood in the Imperial City had made some things clear to her. She picked up a quill to reply to the Vice Admiral:

Henceforth and unless countermanded by High King Ulfric, I order you to cease all ramming and boarding operations of imperial ships. There are to be no hostile engagements by any captain if they can be avoided. Evasive and merchant escort operations only. You are free to board any ship believed to hold Thalmor operatives and take captives, but preserve vessels intact whenever possible.

The admiral sat staring at the letter for a long time, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Her mind riffled over the conversation with Marius. "Do you even know what kind of man Samuel is? Do you even know what he's done?" Rebec sat a moment longer, then her head came up, and a little rake of fear went over her spine. She drove it out, however, and set about finding the return courier.
**
Baldur was very impressed by the skill of his Redguard allies. He had to whistle out numerous times to make sure that they were even still following him. The forest was relatively quiet, which suited Baldur just fine. Every now and then he'd hear a deer rustling through the trees, or birds chirping. But nothing more, not even the snaps of twigs from his redguard companions. As Baldur progressed further, he eventually came across a dirt road leading up a hill, which would take him to the cave where Samuel's contacts would be waiting. As Baldur continued down the path, he saw strangers off in the distance wearing mage robes. Further inspection showed that they were Vigilants of Stendarr. Baldur walked around them on the path, not wishing to be preached at about Stendarr's mercy by the Vigilants as they were all known to do. As Baldur passed them, one of them called out to him.

"Hey, you! Come here!"

"I have no time. I have business to attend to."

After Baldur said this, he heard arrows shooting, which sent him diving to the ground. When he looked back, all the Vigilants were dead with arrows sticking out of their necks. Just when Baldur was about to lose his temper, he looked to the left of the path and saw a pile of leaves with a hand sticking out of it. When he went to inspect it, he saw what appeared to be a family of 5 dead from under the leaves, freshly killed. As he inspected the bodies, he saw that their necks had all been gnawed on like a piece of rib meat.

"Ugh, Volkihar Vampires. Good job!"

The men gave him a whistle acknowledging they heard him, then Baldur moved on. Another hour later, Baldur finally reached the cave. It had two goat heads spiked next to the entrance as well as nets with taproot hanging from some trees nearby, and of course, some deer heads as well.

Of all the places, they had to meet here? Well, I heard the companions cleared this place of witches already, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about...Besides, not all Hagravens are out looking for courtship.

Baldur stepped within the cave, and proceeded through into the darkness. As he was looking around, he didn't notice his men following him into the darkness, until one tapped him on his shoulder.

[censored], these guys are good.

**

After reaching the main room of the cave, Baldur would see a lone figure. It was a Dunmer woman of small stature, dressed in dark leather and holding a torch. She looked right at him and waved for him to come closer.

Baldur approached the woman in a hurry, wishing to get this over with.

"Ok, skip the part where you threaten to help the Imperials and get to the part where you tell me the real intentions of Samuel. I'm sure he knew I wouldn't kill Marius. I convinced him not to attempt to go after Moon Balls, however, so it's not an issue."

"Do you honestly think I will accept such a silly notion? Marius will not end his hunt for me, only take a temporary break at best," the Dunmer spoke, but there was no voice that would fit such a creature. Instead it was a very familiar one, except it was not arrogant and mocking, and not sad. It was as cold as the Sea of Ghosts in winter.

The woman before him changed in the blink of an eye and none other than Samuel stood there, torch in hand. A small disturbance in the air before him went almost unnoticed by Baldur.

"So, General Red-Snow," he continued in the same cold voice, more unnerving than many a battlecry heard across the battlefields of Skyrim. "Convince me."

Baldur was taken aback at the sudden appearence of Samuel before him, but he tried not to show it, which in the low light of the cave was easier to pull off than normal.

"It's simple. I convinced him that in the long run, what you did to get him with me was necessary. He's fully committed to our cause. He even took the oath, and became one of us. He knows that if we're ever going to free Cyrodiil from the Thalmor, the Legion needs to fight with us against them. To do that, they'll have to rebel and overthrow the Imperial government. We'll never convince the Emperor or the Elder Council to side with us, but the Legion can be persuaded, once they know a second option exists. Marius will be an example. If he stayed, the Thalmor would continue it's course, and continue to infect the Empire. This is the first step in the right direction. Marius's reputation has a lot of weight within the Legion."

Baldur had been practicing that speech on his way here. After explaining it to Rebec, Marius, and the camp, he had plenty of practice.

"An impressive speech. And clearly practiced, so you should be complimented for it. Yet, it did nothing to convince me," Samuel turned around. Didn't he even care to look at Baldur as he made his case? The slight disturbance in the air came into view for a split second in the light of the torch again.

"Why would Marius stop hunting me? Because he is helping you? That won't last forever. I don't care about your little war, I have ways to stay out of them when I need to. I care about the old fool you now call a brother. If you had come here when Marius was still a prisoner, I would have taken your word that there was no loose end on your part, but alas that is not what I hear. What I hear is that he is now a Stormcloak. What would you do in my shoes? When the ones holding someone who wants me dead captive makes them join their cause? Ignore it? Ignore a loose end that can, and will try to, come back to haunt me later?"

"I think you missed the part where I said he understands why you did it. He's likely thankful you did. You can ask him yourself if you want to back at the camp. Either way, I don't have time for this, as I have a war to run. I only came here to see if you wanted me to do a favor for you that I can actually fulfill, seeing as I'm still thankful for your gift. Seemed to me like that's what you wanted in the first place, seeing how a General with Ulfric's ear is more valuable than a dead one. Surely you knew I wouldn't kill Marius, yes?"

"I knew you were prone not too, but I had hoped your affections for the Admiral would be enough to sway you. But the answer you are looking for is that; true, I am not surprised in the least."

The Colovian turned back to him, with a strangely satisfied expression. It was so unlike the arrogant satisfaction he had seen in the camp. "I want to ask you something, General. Who do you think I am? What do you know about me?"

"Obviously nothing beyond you have a tenancy to be a snobby dike and a know it all. But I see you can turn that on and off. It's a facade you put on so that people you do dealings with get the impression that you're intelligent, and that you know things that they don't. I'd imagine it's a useful intimidation tactic for others who deal in information such as yourself. Lucky for me, I'm not one of them. Now...do you have something to ask of me within the moral boundaries of my abilities?"

"No, I ask because I am curious and because you are one of the few people recently who have seen more than one side of this act- and you are right, it is an act for the most part- I put on. Samuel, Moon-Balls, Flin Caven, Maurice... names can be so misleading, don't you agree?"

Something changed in his tone. Anger. Calm, controlled and undeniably cold anger. "Do you really think I would do something as foolish as to give you my real name? I suspected you weren't to be trusted and your actions towards Marius suggest that I was right. What are you planning?"

"I'm planning on winning this war. You gave me the key to that. You remember the last time I saw you? That letter you left me? Marius is the key to the vengeance of your brother. Isn't that what you want? Why would you want him dead after all this? Fear of Marius? I already told you he understands why you gave him to us. Is there another reason why he would want you dead that I should know about?"

"Didn't you catch what I just said? Samuel Caven never died in the Great War, because there never were a Samuel Caven. It was a ploy, a joke, a game played for my own amusemant. A similar ploy to that I once played on Marius and I think he is just starting to realize it. Have you ever loved someone who turned out to only fake it, then leave you broken and used? Ask Marius, it is a horrible feeling."

Something that sounded like a step came from the shadows at Baldur's side, but he was quickly distracted by Samuel who continued to talk.

"You mentioned having the ear of the High King and all the standard resume talk. What is it that you offer me for sparing Marius' life? You obviously need him, so tell me. Convince me to take his death of my agenda."

Baldur pondered what he could offer the man that would actually interest him, but had a hard time thinking of something, anything.

"The only thing I can really come up with is coin. I can get you the five thousand gold coins you wanted. I can't do it now, because I'm in a war, but once it is over, and Marius proves his worth, I should have no problem convincing Ulfric the gold is worth keeping assassins off of Marius's back. That is what you had planned, correct? Besides that, all I can promise you is information that doesn't put Skyrim in harm's way. Nothing that would betray Ulfric. That or any other favor I can grant you with his influence, such as a free pass if you or your men get into any trouble here. One time only."

"Coin? Do you really think coin is what I want? No, the five thousand is my offer for him dead, not the price for me to not want him dead. I am disappointed, I had expected you to be able to do better than this. Well, it is time for this meeting to come to an end. Gentlemen from Hammerfell, it is time to step into the light."

When Samuel said the last sentence, the bodies of the Redguards Baldur had brought fell into the light before him, dead. Before he could react to it, a steel clad fist collided with hi face and threw him of balance. Someone took a hold of his arms and applied pressure behind his knees, forcing him down on them. A pair of cold hands found themselves wrapped around his neck from behind. In a matter of seconds, Baldur had lost all opportunity to fight back, and were held in place by people that were almost invisible.

"I am sorry, Baldur, I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but I cannot leave this loose end without tying it up. Put the ring on his finger," Baldur's body started to turn stiff.

"Paralyze, an interesting effect," Samuel continued. "Now, Valindiil, you have your gift."

Valindil stepped out of the shadows with a grin on his face. “Nice work, Samuel. You have proven your worth to me. I’m sure we can do business again sometime in the near future, no?”

Valindil was right above Baldur now, and he scoffed at him. “You poor man. You see, if you hadn’t defied the Empire and the Dominion, you wouldn’t be in this situation. I’d rather quit worshiping a false god than to have my life taken away.”

"I wouldn't take that tone, Thalmor," Samuel shot back at him. "I didn't do this to 'prove' myself to anyone. You are just a convenient way to tie up this lose end. For business, we might. We'll just have to see in the future."

"Hmph, I was just trying to be friendly." Valindil replied, with a fake tone of hurt. "Very well, if you say so."

Hmm, I like this guy. Valindil thought. The Thalmor needs these kinds of people as contacts.

He kicked Baldur in the stomach and asked, "What next, then?"

"And Thalmor 'friendliness' has a bad habit of requiring kissing them where the sun doesn't shine. I don't do that. And now? Now I am my men leave, pin this whole thing on you elves and disappear. For good. The persona of 'Samuel' will not be seen again, except through contacts that will maintain the illusion that I am still around."

"I intend to do no kissing with you, if that's what you mean. Very well, leave then. How will we be able to contact one another in the future?" He asked.

Samuel cracked a smile. "Contact me? You won't, simple as that. When I want to make a deal, or I get wind of a rumor that you want to make a deal I consider worth my time, I'll find you. If people could simply contact me, I'd be dead many years ago."

"Men, take the bodies of the Reguards and make sure they are not found."

With that he turned around and walked towards the exit. The sound of the partially invisible group of men he had brought with him followed suit, carrying bodies who appeared to almost be floating in the air. Before long, the elves were alone with general.

**

"We'll see about that." Valindil said to himself.

He crouched and looked at Baldur. He was disgusted with him, as he had a deep hatred for all Nords. He couldn't explain why, but he could never forgive the Nords for what they did to the Snow Elves. He knew he was Altmer, but he couldn't help but feel somehow tied to the Snow Elves. He kicked the Nord once more and cast a levitating spell.

"Let's go." He said, and he and the other Elves left for the fort.

**

Alef moved through the city of Falkreath, looking for the Admiral of the Stormcloak forces. After some searching, she saw a small crowd of people gathered around just the person she was looking for.

"Rebec," she yelled at her, to get her attention. "We need to talk. It is about the General."

The admiral was looking for an excuse to get away from Falkreath's very worried citizens, having had her ear bent by them for two hours. "Thank you we'll see to your concerns," she called, extracting herself from their midst.

As she gets to Alef, Rebec's mind turned to other worries. "Where is the general? I thought he was meeting with you? Look, Alef, Samuel has to know that I tried. Marius can't do anything now, we'll be watching him like a hawk. If Samuel wants to expose me, he should go ahead and do it. I warned you that Baldur was stubborn, but I won't cross him, even if it means I lose my command."

"What are you talking about?" Alef looked confused. "I am here to ask you where the General is. I couldn't find him in your camp and he never showed up at the meeting location."

"He went to meet you hours ago." Rebec flips through possibilities and discards them. If Baldur had changed his mind, he would have come back to tell her. The camp had been quiet, so there was nothing to pull him away. Maybe it was too quiet. The admiral had started to think that already. "Did you see any imperials in the area? Thalmor?" Baldur only had ten guards with him. If they captured him...

"No Imperials, but I thought I saw an Altmer in the forest. But with the Priest of Arkay I didn't think much of it. Just another hunter, I thought, but now?" Alef looked more than a little discomforted. "This isn't good. If the Thalmor knew, they could have infiltrated Samuel's network..."

Rebec's anxiety rapidly turned to anger. "I thought you people were supposed to be all knowing. Gods damn it, why did you pick such a remote location anyway?! You have no trouble finding me wherever I'm at." An idea pricks at the back of the admiral's mind, leading on from what Marius had said about Samuel. Why such a remote location indeed? Taking a step back, Rebec pointed a finger at the Dunmer. "Alef, if this is some kind of trick... if you laid a trap for him..."

"I'm sorry I don't know everything, but I am not Samuel! I am just trying to do my best here, but I don't have the memory or eye for detail he has," Alef appeared to be on the brink of breaking into tears; her voice cracked and her hand had started to shake, and in her eyes one could see the water start to emerge. "I am just trying to do my job."

Unimpressed, Rebec said, "You still haven't explained why you chose that cave. Samuel strutted around our camp like he owned it. If anything happens to the general, I'm holding you and Samuel personally responsible. I wasn't able to fulfill his little favor, but we could still be useful to your organization and you to us. Remind Samuel of that, please. Now excuse me, I have to go try to keep this war from being lost because of your stupid games."

"You are smarter than you look," the orcish voice from her first meeting with Alef came from an alley. Bahgras came out and laid a hand on Rebec's shoulder. "But still wrong. Alef here have no idea what is going on. Samuel altered the location of the meeting after she had written the note to Baldur. The 'remote location' Alef waited at is a clearing an hours walk into Falkreath forest. Hardly a place for an ambush."

Spinning away from the hand on her shoulder, Rebec glared at Baghras. "Take a walk up that mountain and look towards Pale Pass. This entire hold is ripe for an ambush. I want to know where Baldur is, or this meeting is over." She had started to shake, but fought to keep it under control. Now more than ever she needed a clear head.

"As far as I know he was captured by the Thalmor," Bahgras said, ignoring her glare and hostile tone. "Whether or not Samuel was involved, I wish I knew. My latest orders suggest otherwise, but one never knows with that man. Here."

She held out a note. It read:

Bahgras,

Find Alef and inform her that I have taken personal control over the meeting with Baldur. Keep an eye out for Thalmor activity, I have reason to suspect they are hunting me to find the location of General Marius.

S

The bottom dropped in Rebec's stomach. Grabbing the letter out of Baghras' hands, she read it quickly, then threw it back as she turned to run. The admiral called back, "Find him! I'll do anything you ask."

**

Rebec was halfway back to the Stormcloak camp before she realized that if Samuel really were being chased by Thalmor, his employees wouldn't be wasting time talking to her. It didn't matter. The result was the same. Within the half hour, there were Stormcloak patrols sweeping the forest towards Glenmoril. Meanwhile Rebec was searching for Witchie, who also was nowhere to be found.

Rebec, in her worrying didn't notice a caped blue figure approaching her, it was Marius, he spoke in a thick professorial tone

"Ma'em what the hell is happening?"

Rebec looked up from the letter she was hastily writing to Boldir. A messenger stood nearby waiting to take it. "You. I don't have time for you. Get back to your tent and don't make trouble." The admiral started writing again and then stopped. She didn't have a Khajiit's whisker of trust for Marius, but he did know Samuel.

"Marius! Wait." Stepping closer, she asked, "Does Samuel have Thalmor contacts? Does he do business with them, too?"

Marius stared at the admiral with a confused look,

"Samuel? Thalmor? He might...that son of a [censored] doesn't care who he deals with as long as he gets results, so yes, its more then Likely he does."

"So you don't know." Rebec closed her eyes a moment, trying to think. She had to go from the assumption that the Thalmor now had Baldur, no matter how they got him. It was long past when he had told her to expect him back. If they did have him, the imperials would likely want to take advantage of the chaos and try to attack the camp.

Opening her eyes, she regarded Marius suspiciously. "So was this entire thing a setup? Did you and Samuel play out this entire drama for our benefit? And we danced to every part of your tune. I should have known he was a spy all along.

Marius's narrowed his eyes at the Admiral,

"I have nothing to do with Badlur's disappearance ma'em, the only person to blame is Samuel. I tried to warn you Admiral, this is the price of dealing with that man."

"Yet you say that you dealt with him to get here. Well, Marius. Baldur wanted me to give you a chance, so here it is. Samuel is nearby, and so is Baldur. They can't have gotten too far. I'll assign some Grim Ones to you to make sure you don't just run to the imperial camp and tell them what is going on here. Find Baldur, or find Samuel and get him to tell you where Baldur is, and you can prove your worth to us."

He saluted the Admiral,

"Right away ma'em..."

**

"Rorek, do we still have contact with Honmund on Solstheim?" Samuel and his companions were near the border to the Reach, on their way to the Pale.

"The Reaver, sir? Yes, he has been working with us for a long time."

"Good. I want a meeting with him, he has a special task to perform."

His companion looked a bit confused. "Why would you want him? You are not going to stay on Solstheim, are you?"

"Of course not. Too close to Skyrim. With the loose ends I had to cut here, there will be some time before I can get to work on this."

Princesss Dales Moitre, The sanctum of the Witch King, Night

Dales Moitre, the imperial princess, was currently lying on a dark altar, in some sort of secret lair, surrounded by "Snake things" , being hosted by a creepy man who's face is cloaked in shadow, and just had some sort of dark ritual performed on her....she was utterly terrified,

I don't feel so good...

Indeed, she felt...sick in the stomach for some reason, and she felt odd...She decided to stand up, and stretch out, which she did. The room she was in felt...bad...unclean. She decided to go for a little stroll. She left the dark room and went to the dark halls, occasionally glancing at the weird "snake things", she kept going until she was at a cross roads, she decided to take the south hall.

The room it lead to a rather large room, not as large as the previous one she had been in. Along the walls was weapon racks filled with swords in a dark metal, not dark enough to be ebony, more like a metal of steel mixed with ebony. Above the swords hanged daggers in their own weapon racks, the daggers looked to be of the same metal as the swords. But in the middle of the room were similar weapon racks, with eight stahlrim swords with middle one missing and nine daggers hanging above the swords and the empty spot. The daggers were the same as the other ones except the one hanging over the empty spot. Its blade were slightly broader and it's cross-guard's ends were slightly bent down towards the hilt.

The princess starred at the Icey material, along with the dark-steel, her eyes we're filled with admiration for the dark beauty,

"So pretty..."

She moved closer to inspect the dark daggers.

She wanted to touch them, but somthing in her gut told her not to. Instead, she merely went in close to inspect them down to every detail. Despite almost no experience with weapons of any kind, she knew they we're very-well crafted, not the cheap stuff issued to the imperial legion, but the real deal.

The princess, despite being intrigued by the dark weaponry, decided to head back to the crossroads, and this time she took the east hall-way.

The princess entered the room, which was quite...empty. Anti-climatically empty. The princess expected to see at least something darkly horrible...infact the only thing in the room was a small golden statue.

The room was as large as the weapons' room but this had chests and tables, that seemed to be meant for display, along the walls. But the chests were open and all them appeared empty. There was nothing in the room except a small table in the middle with a golden statue on it. Upon closer inspection of the statue she could see that it was statue of a woman and it was so perfectly shaped, down to every detail one could almost think it was a real person. She was beautiful with long hair and a soft smile.

The woman wore a dress that was in a style she had never seen before but it had some details similar with nordic fashion. The dress appeared to be royal and fit for a queen.

"Don't touch."

The princess instinctively backed away a good deal before turning around to see the hooded man once again.

He walked up to her and crossed his arms.

"Ummmmmmm...." she stuttered out, along with

"Who is the woman in the statue?”

"That's not important. But I will say that her death was the final reason for why I became who I am."

The princess started looking down to her feet,

"What now..."

"Have you been able to figure anything out? Like who I am or rather who I was. And what this place is."

She looked confused for a second, before replying,

"No..."

"I had hoped you would be smart enough to figure something out from all the details. Come, I'll give you a brief history lesson so can get perspective on all of this." The hooded man started to walk out the room at a slow pace.

The princess walked behind the hooded man, eager to find out what the hell was going on.

"Before the snow elves made Skyrim their kingdom, nords lived here. But the land was split into many kingdoms and all these kings bickered among themselves. During that time the elves that lived in today's Cyrodiil was slowly expanding into Skyrim from the south. At first they only settled peacefully in little villages along the nords in the forests of Falkreath. But that soon changed and they became more aggressive, sending raiding parties against the nords villages. They later became more daring and sent their raiding parties further north while building new villages where the nords once lived before they drove them away.

I was part of a coven back then, but soon took it over after I got into a disagreement with the three leaders. After that I gathered people with the rallying cry that the elves needed to be driven out of Skyrim. It wasn't soon before I had my own little army that I used to thwart the elves raids and raid their villages. That went on for two decades before the conflict started to escalate, slowly at first. The kings of Skyrim was too busy to bicker among themselves and blaming each other to actually do anything about the elves advance. So I killed them and conquered their lands, uniting Skyrim under my rule. It was soon after my conquest the elves started to increase their hostility and organized skirmishes broke out across the southern border. There was moments of relative peace but it never lasted long before the fighting continued. It went on for 200 years before the conflict stepped up again. Now the elves got more desperate in expanding into Skyrim and their kingdom declared full-scale war on my kingdom. I crushed their first army and then 100 years later I crushed their second attempt. The conflict then continued for a decade but it was only because I sent raiding parties to their villages now, to make sure they knew what they would face if they tried to expand into my land again.

My elite troops were called Wraiths. They were the best fighters in the land and equally as good mages. To become a Wraith one had prove their loyalty and skill in both sword and magic. Once someone had proven their worth they would undergo the initiation, increasing their physical and magical capabilities, as well as binding their will so they couldn't try to rebel. Almost all of them were so loyal they never knew they were bound, only a few ever figured it out.
You are the first to have undergone the initiation without proving your worth and your incompetence is an insult towards my old elite. But you are probably wondering why I forced you to undergo the initiation.
Back then after I had ruled Skyrim for 700 years I decided it was my time leave. I appointed an heir and had my sanctum sealed and hidden. I put myself in a dreamless sleep. How long I slept only the gods know. The oblivion crisis caused a form a rupture to that sleep and I awoke soon after the crisis had ended, weakened. Now almost two hundred years after my awakening I find elves seeking to undo my work, forcing themselves into the very land I had once driven them out of." The hooded man stopped, they had now arrived in the weapons' room. He walked up to the weapon racks by the walls and took down a dagger. He walked then walked up to her, holding the dagger by the blade while reaching it out to her.
"You will aid me in driving them out."

"Driving them out? By why, daddy tells me the dominion are here to help us?"

"You really think so?"

"That's what my dad told me..."

"I remember when your people were slaves to the elves. Your father is a fool that is turning things back to that time."

"My....father a fool? He say's by helping the elves, we're helping us humans...he say's Mede wanted to plunge us into another blood thirsty war...my father say's he was the fool..."

"What do you really think of the elves? And I don't want to hear what your father told you."

"They-" she paused for a second un-sure if she should talk or not, she had an afraid look.

"They look at you like if you're worth less than them. They squirm for having to answer to someone they believe to be beneath them. Am I right?"

She looked down to her feet once again, before replying,

"That's true...they always give me weird looks like i'm a bug..."

"And they will enslave or kill you when they no longer find any more need of you."

"Why...why would they do that?"

"Because they think humans are vermin."

"So your saying they want to kill all of us?"

"Kill, enslave, torture. Whatever they feel for. Do you want wear a slave collar while being forced into the bedchamber of some arrogant elf? Or chained to wall deep down in a dungeon while being tortured to death? That is just examples of what the elves did to your people and they'll do it again and more if given the chance."

She looked at the hooded man, once again confused,

"But then why would my father want to help them?"

"Because he's a blind fool. I've seen his kind before. They believe the elves will the elves will ally with them and 'help' them. They just draw the short end of the stick."

"So by doing what my father asked of me...i've been helping them?!" she asked, with a horrified look.

“You're quickening your own demise."

She looked really frightened now,
"Is there any way we can stop them?"

"Taking up your new dagger would be a start."

She gulped for a second, and starred at the dark weapon, before nodding and taking the blade from the hooded figure.

"This dagger may not look like much, but it’s enchanted to drain both the life force and magicka of whoever you stab with it. And it will recharge itself when you deal a killing blow with it. But this is just the start. You're a Wraith now and I'm going to make sure you uphold the elites honor."

She nodded, before kneeling, and putting on the best tough voice she could,

"I am yours to command my....ummmm, what do you want me to address you as?"

"Sir will do, I'm not the king I once was. Now tell me, you studied with the Synod, right?"

She eagerly nodded her head,

"I did sir, for...ten years."

"Who was your teacher?"

"Master Dalton, a female breton." Witchie could see she had a slight blush, Witchie payed no heed.

"When you get back to camp I want you to act like if none of this ever happened. Then you are to send a request to the Synod; asking for Dalton to come and teach you again."

She looked confused for a second before nodding,

"Alright sir."

The hooded man put his hand on her shoulder and before she knew it she was back in the forest. But it was dark now.
"I chose you because of your position. Now head back to camp and make up an excuse for being gone for so long."

She nodded, but before heading back she heard heavy breathing, it was...Lorgar he was still alive. She instantly rushed to his downed body,

"Sir, this soldier is still alive"

"Then bring him back to camp then, he'll help with the excuse. But now I must leave, I have to see if the Synod still remembers me." A black horse came running up and hooded man mounted it at full speed. And they were soon gone.

Legate Gracchus Ceno, Specialist Eduard, Prefect Lorgar
Fort Pale Pass
Afternoon, after the Princess' return


Gracchus grabbed the attention of a guard, whom he told,

"Go find Specialist Eduard and Prefect Lorgar. I have a special task in mind, and I think those two are perfect for the job."

The guard replied, "Yes sir," before going off to find the men.

Several minutes passed, and the guard returned, with both the men.

Lorgar stood at attention and saluted the officer,

"Sir..."

Eduard nodded to the Legate, signaling that he was paying attention.

Gracchus turned to them and said,

"At ease. You are both excellent at remaining hidden, which is why I contacted you. To take on the Stormcloaks, we'll need to enage in guerrilla tactics until we can take Falkreath. To provide a distraction for General Red-Snow, I would have you two infiltrate Falkreath and assassinate the Jarl."

Gracchus let his words sink in, and awaited his soldiers reply.

Eduard looked slightly puzzled for a split second, and then replied "The Jarl? Yeah, I'd call that a distraction. That's quite the assassination. What do we know about the Jarl?"

Lorgar wore his dark cloak, so Graccus gaze could not pierce it, but he thought he could see...a smile on the prefects face...

"Sounds simple enough sir..."

"It may not be as simple as we'd like. He resides in his longhouse, and is extremely paranoid. Their defenses have received an upgrade, as the Stormcloaks have constructed a wall in our six month absence. There are several dozen guards that I know of. It may do you good to recon a little before you go in there," Gracchus told Eduard and Lorgar.

Eduard almost looked a little insulted. "Yes, of course. Recon is a necessary tool for an assassin. You can't expect to be prepared, if you don't prepare."

Gracchus replied to the men,

"Are you two willing to do it? If so, I'd have you leave as soon as possible. I want this done quickly, so we can move to take Falkreath before we begin running low on supplies."

Lorgar nodded his head,

"Sir I'm ready to leave right now, I just need to get a few things from my tent."

Eduard nodded. "Yes, we'll get to it right away. However, quickly is a matter of opinion. I gotta ask, what's the timeframe your looking at sir?"

"Good. I would prefer the assassination be done by the end of the week. I already have had the Legates pick men for the guerrilla groups, and they should be ready to move out by tomorrow morning. If you don't have any more questions, you are free to leave," Gracchus told the two soon-to-be assassins.

Lorgar saluted his officer and nodded to his partner, before heading out of the war room.

Eduard nodded and headed out of the room. He knew this would probably interfere with his own plans, but he would find a way.

After the two men left, Gracchus began the process of organizing his men to engage the Stormcloaks in guerrilla warfare, in hopes of driving them back, so they could take Falkreath.

Within an hour, the preparations had been made, and Gracchus watched as the guerrilla groups headed off to fight the Stormcloaks.

Boldir and Jodun
Pale Pass
Midnight

Boldir peered above the fallen rock he and Jodun had been crouched behind for the past half hour. They'd managed to slip by the first few sentries outside the pass with ease. They were now hiding right at the eastern fringe of the Imperial camp in the pass. Boldir heard a scream come from the forest and could just make out the shapes of what must've been the men Baldur sent to create a distraction. They were killing the sentinels. He could see confused Imperials hastily crawling out of their tents. Undoubtedly because they thought they were under attack. He nudged Jodun.

"They're here. We'll move on my cue."

"No offense, Captain. But I think it'd be wise if you follow my lead. See ahead? They've fortified the pass. It will take some creativity to get past them."

"You think I didn't expect that? They're obviously further north now than they were the first time I snuck in here, but the route I took then is still an option. When Baldur's men have drawn enough attention, we'll make a break for that rock over there. See it? About another twenty feet further, at the ridge, there's a spot that's been shaped perfectly for climbing. Probably intentionally. It can get us up on the slope where the archers were during the battle. From there we can sneak a good way through the pass from above, bypassing a lot of the more recent fortifications."

Boldir looked to the north. A small skirmish had broken out. He could now see that Baldur'd sent some Grim Ones.

"I used this method to get within sight of the fort. But that's as far as it goes. We just need to wait for the soldiers to get riled up enough so we can make the climb unnoticed."

"We'll never get that far. See those archers? They'll see us if we try that. There's too many men up there accustomed to seeing far away and in the dark. Some may even be using night eye spells."

"That's why I chose midnight. Those aren't Dominion. They're just tired Imperials who're pissed that their shift won't end at midnight thanks to the attack. Besides, they're focused on the battle and we're not dressed as Stormcloaks. Hell, unless they have night eye, we could probably make it now. But I'll hear you out. What do you have in mind?"

"It's a little risky, so before I tell it to you, lets test them out and see if you're right. I think the leader there would be more strict after the last attack, so lets find out. Be right back."

Jodun left Boldir to himself and temporarily ran off. After about ten minutes, he arrived back with a wild rabbit in his hands.

Boldir saw Jodun reappear shortly before he made it back to the rock. Jodun had been gone long enough for the Imperials to regroup and many more men had arrived to fortify the area.

"Your plan better work. You costed us an important window. I don't think we'll be able to make it to the ledge anymo-" Boldir paused. "Is that a rabbit?"

"Yes, it's a rabbit. Watch."

Jodun pushed the rabbit forward into the middle of the path, and used his telekinesis to persuade it to walk forward towards the ridge. At first, the rabbit seemed like it would make it.

"Hmm, looks like you may have been rig-, wait."

"Sir, movement over there. Nevermind, it's just a rabbit."

Jodun turned his attention back to Boldir with a worried look.

"I was hoping you'd be right. This will require a little risk."

Boldir sighed.

"Perhaps if we'd moved ten minutes ago when I suggested, it would've worked. You know, when they were half this number, tired, and distracted? No matter though. What's your plan?"

"Hahaha, you Nords. Always so quick to act. If you were wrong, this whole plan would be squashed. Here, take off your clothes and put it in your pack. Then leave your pack up in that tree. I'll be back."

Jodun took off again once more, and after about another 20 minutes, Jodun returned with two imperials unconscious slumped over his shoulders. Jodun dumped them next to Boldir, and tossed a uniform to Boldir.

"I killed two men from the shadows and took these from them. We'll bring these two injured men.."

Jodun took out one of his ebony scimitars and stabbed both of them in their guts and made them gush blood. They weren't dead, but their wounds bled enough so no one would question their condition,

"And walk right in to get them healed. Then we slip past the fort, and continue down the pass unhindered. No one will have us report to anyone with these men in the condition that they currently are in. So, what do you think? It seems risky because it involves direct contact, but they won't see us with these helmets on, and it has a high success rate."

This wasn't Boldir's first stealth mission. He knew a lot of the factors involved in remaining undetected. Especially for a large and conspicuous person like himself. He was certain that his plan would've worked. But that window had been a short one. One that they'd missed. It was no problem, for Jodun's plan was less risky anyway.

"I like it. The wounded soldiers is a nice touch."

Boldir strapped on the Imperial Legion armor. This wasn't the same variant that he'd worn when he was in Skyrim's Legion. It was the heavier and more protective Cyrodil style.

"Bit of a tight squeeze. Sure ya couldn't have found a bigger victim?" Boldir said jokingly.

Indeed, the armor was obviously meant for a man a much smaller than himself, and the armor was extremely poky and uncomfortable. Boldir put on the helmet last. Thankfully, the man must've had a disproportionately large head, for the helmet fit fine.

"Hopefully nobody will notice in the darkness. Let's go."

Jodun and Boldir approached the fort with the bleeding men, and the plan was working smoothly. The soldiers asked no questions as they ran past the defenses, and around the fort. The man on Jodun's shoulder began to stir, and when he was sure no one was looking, he elbowed him back into the lands of unconsciousness. When they approached the darkness of the other side of the fort, they dumped the injured men in some bushes and continued further down the path.

"They'll bleed out soon. No need to worry about them. Now, where are we going from here, Boldir?"

Boldir pointed at a high mountain peak further south down the pass.

"That's the spot. The guards should be thinner as we get further south. After all, what's to defend from down here? What sentries they do have posted will be easy enough to deal with."

Boldir and Jodun kept walking. They came across what seemed to be the southernmost fortification. At least as far as Boldir could see. There was just one bored-looking sentry standing guard. Boldir motioned for Jodun to stay back in the shadows as he approached the guard.

"I'm here to relieve you."

Boldir couldn't see the guard's face in the darkness, but he was obviously skeptical.
"Surely, it's not four already?."

"This is... It's a punishment. I've gotta take this shift for the rest of the week."

"You too? Man, sorry to hear it. But I can't say I'm upset. It was a ****ty post. I'm off to bed now. Perhaps you won't hate the post as much as I did. Some actually people like this gods forsaken shift."

As the man headed off, Boldir beckoned for Jodun to fall in. The mountain they'd have to climb was just ahead. They'd be able to travel the rest of the distance from here unhindered, or at least Boldir hoped. It wouldn't make much sense to post lots of men down here with the war to the north.

"Time to move. Stick to the shadows along the eastern ridge all the way to the mountain. I don't think there are any more men this far south, but you can't be too careful."

As they made their way to the ridge, Jodun spoke up.
"Sorry back there when we were planning on how to get in. You're right, your plan would have worked. I'm just not used to taking orders, and I wanted to stretch my legs so to speak. I'm just too polite to say it straight forwardly, so I had to make up a reason to do it my way." Jodun admitted.

"Don't worry about it. You got us through without incident. That's all that matters."

The mountain they were to climb seemed much taller as they approached it. Boldir looked up the side. This would easily take a couple hours.

"Now for the fun part."

The climb up the mountain was just as Jodun feared...cold...windy...scary...and very very high. Boldir was making his way up at a steady pace, while Jodun struggled to take even baby steps up. Jodun was uncharacteristically swearing under his breath as he struggled not to look down.

"You damn nords and this damn cold weather...stupid cold...stupid wind...stupid mountain! Are we almost there yet Boldir?"

Boldir stopped climbing and looked down at Jodun, who was several feet below.

"Looks like we're a little past halfway."

Boldir reached up and grabbed ahold of a narrow crevice, about a foot wide and maybe two yards long, and pulled himself up. He stood with his back pressed against the mountain. This would be a good spot to take a breather. He put his fingers into a crack and grabbed into it to hold himself steady as he crouched down and extended a hand to Jodun.

"We can rest here for a minute if you want."

Jodun was relieved to be able to finally take a rest, so he tried hurrying up to get to Boldir. In his haste, his foot slipped, and he was dangling from his arms just out of Boldir's reach.

"Shiiit!"

Jodun having no other choice pulled out one of his scimitars, and stabbed it into the mountainside above himself, then used his telekinesis to force it in further. Then he grabbed the hilt and used it to pull himself up, and he pulled out his other scimitar and did the same thing. Jodun called out to Boldir with the voice of a terrified boy.

"Pull me up, damnit!"

Boldir had to lean down a little further than he was comfortable doing. He stretched his hand down as far as he could. Jodun's hand was still just out of reach.

"Damnit! Hold on!"
Like you have a choice.

Boldir laid down on his stomach, his body spanned the entire length of the crevice and then some, with his feet hanging off. He reached up and grabbed the crack again with his right hand and leaned his left side over the edge. He extending his left hand and grabbed Jodun by the forearm.

"Gotcha!"

Boldir pulled Jodun up. As he did, he used his right hand to pull himself up onto one knee and make room for Jodun, who looked visibly shaken. Boldir turned and sat with his back against the mountainside and his feet dangling off the edge.

"If that break wasn't warranted before, it is now."

Jodun after a couple of minutes regained his composure, and used his telekinesis spell to pull his swords back out of the mountain from below the ridge. They finally gave, and caused rock and ice to be pulled out and fall below. Jodun grabbed his weapons and sheathed them once more

"Thank you, Boldir. Perhaps we could leave the uh, screaming part of this story out if we live to tell it? And the swearing. We should leave that out too. My men think my composure is unbreakable...I didn't know I was afraid of heights until now..."

Boldir grinned.
"You must be delusional Commander. I heard no screaming or swearing."

"Hehehahahaha! Heh, You nords...I almost died and you're making jokes. Crazy sonsa *******. You're alright, Boldir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my normal disposition of politeness. Just in case I get too used to this. Keeping our composure and limiting our speech to civility helps keep us calm and disciplined. You need both to master our form of swordsmanship. Calm, discipline, and focus. All of which can be lost at any time if you don't practice self control at all times."

At first, Boldir thought Jodun was joking. After working with Baldur so long, he was surprised by this Redguard's strict way of life.

"By Shor, and to think people see me as strict! Skyrim may just do you some good Commander."

"Right now, what will do me good is blowing this pass and getting back on flat ground. So I say lets get this done, if that is of course alright with you, Captain."

"You're right, break time's over. We've still got a good distance to cover."

Boldir carefully stood back up and turned. He felt for a good crevice and grabbed ahold. He pulled himself up and resumed his climb. He looked back down at Jodun.

"Try not to fall."

"No promises, Captain."

***
Boldir and Jodun carefully made their way up the mountain without another incident. The climb took every bit of an hour. Boldir reached a good flat spot near the peak and pulled Jodun up behind him. Boldir looked down at the fort and the camp far below. If they hurried, they could be out of the pass by dawn. He unslung the bag he'd been carrying and brought set it down several feet from the ledge.

"This spot will do. So how do we set this stuff off safely?"

"It's simple."

Jodun took the bags and placed two fire runes on them.

"I'm no wizard, but my brother was. He taught me this spell, which helped me set this powder off safely from a distance in the past. All I need to do is place this rune on the bags like so, and then we walk away to a safe distance, and I set them off by releasing the seals. Normally this is a very powerful spell, but since I'm not proficient in destruction magic, all I can manage is puffs of fire. Now we'll leave, and I'll set them off when we're far enough away."

"Sounds good. Now let's get away from those bags. I'm not saying I don't trust your abilities, but I'll feel a lot safer when we're not anywhere near the spot we just prepared to blow up. Don't get hasty going back down. People say it's easier. Most of those people either have never climbed a mountain or are dead. Now let's get going. "

The two began their descent. They moved down a little more slowly than they moved up. They had to feel for climbing spots with their feet rather than their hands, which was a much more difficult task. About two hours of climbing with only one stop later, they reached the bottom.

After moving forward a ways, Boldir and Jodun heard some voices hid behind a large rock. Boldir could see three new sentries had taken up the spot he'd originally tricked the first into leaving. They must've realized that the first man had been tricked.

"We won't get past those three. The first guy would've told them everything and they'll be expecting us. I bet one has a horn ready at a moment's notice."

"Boldir...look ahead. This is not good, at all."

Jodun pointed in the opposite direction of the pass that led over to Cyrodiil. In the distance the two could see a massive amount of dust being kicked up. It was a tell tale sign of enemy forces approaching.

"We need to hurry. If we blow the mountainside now, we may be able to catch some of those soldiers in the avalanche. But it won't get all. They're approaching too quickly."

Boldir couldn't believe the awful timing.

"Okay, the explosion will distract the guards, and we can lose them amidst the many in the camp. Do it."

Jodun stretched his hands out before him, and let his palms face forward. After a few seconds, fire gathered in the palms of his hands, and Jodun closed his fists around them and pulled his arms back. He then shot his arms forward as if he was casting a fireball, and the fire in his hands dissipated. At first, nothing happened, and Jodun wondered if he failed at releasing the wards, but then a loud explosion from above went off from the direction of the bags. A few seconds later, the ground started shaking violently as if all of Nirn would explode. Jodun lost his balance and almost fell, but he regained his balance, and looked on in bewilderment as he watched the mountain shed it's great wedding gown upon the ground below it.

Boldir held onto the rock they'd been behind for support. He watched in awe as the destructive mass of snow and rock toppled down into the pass. He could swear he heard some screams coming from the mass of snow and rock.
I guess we took out a few reinforcements in the process. Not bad. Would've been even nicer if we'd been five minutes earlier.

Boldir and Jodun turned away and sprinted back north through the pass, ignoring the screaming guards. As they ran, they could hear the three sentries hollering at them, but they ran on past. Boldir heard the whistle of a single arrow fly well over his head. As they ran, more and more troops passed by them heading south, curious as to what could have possible just happened to create such a loud sound. He knew that there was no hope that the guards could ever find them in this mass.

They slowed down after they'd passed the fort and the main portion of the camp. They retrieved their gear in the bags they'd hidden and turned the bend near the edge of the pass. There were lots of archers posted to block the exit. Probably thanks to the assaults from earlier.

"Got any ideas Jodun?"

Jodun ran forward towards the archers and yelled at them as Boldir asked the question.

"What are you all waiting for?? We need help! Some of the reinforcements are injured, and we'll need every man to assist, hurry! Two of you keep up there to warn us in case of any intruders, we'll go and get more men from out of the pass to help!"

"Who in the hell are you to boss us-"

"It's a damn emergency! Move your asses, or the Legate will have your hide! Did you not hear all that? It's an avalanche!"

After Jodun's little act, the men did as he said and ran off in the direction of the avalanche, leaving Boldir and Jodun to continue.

"After you, Captain."

Boldir grinned. "You're good."

Boldir lead the way out of the pass and back into the woods of Falkreath.

"Not bad for the first raid eh?"

Osgumund, Valindil, and Baldur
Fort Pale Pass Interrogation Chambers
night

Valindil wasted no time at all making his way back to the fort, and he made his way straight to the Interrogation Chambers, while some of the other Elves told Osgumund what had happened. Osgumund was quite impressed with his friend.

“Valindil, I can help you interrogate the General, but I must go to the Inquisitor’s Manor at once. As you know, the Princess has been missing for days now. I couldn’t care less what happens to her, honestly. I am going to take this chance and claim the title of High-Inquisitor for myself!”

“Well, that’s very ambitious of you, Osgumund. I, on the other hand, have my work cut out for me as well. I have to get any and all information from this general, but I also have some plans to make with Gracchus.”

“Very well, let’s go. I plan on leaving in the morning.” Osgumund said, and he followed Valindil to where Baldur was being kept.

The amount of anger Baldur felt when he was paralyzed was unbearable for him. He wanted to at least let Samuel know what he thought of him before the elves took him away, but the paralysis spell would not even allow him to do that. By the time he finally got to this prison, he had already mentally calmed down. He knew he'd need the strength to last as long as he possibly could. Ulfric had told him the stories of what the Thalmor did to their prisoners. Baldur for the first time in his life was truly afraid. Not for himself, but for what he may say inevitably in the custody of the elves. He was now gagged, stripped of his armor and clothes, and hanging from his arms shackled in the middle of a torture room. Baldur waited in silence, his mind calm. Ready for whatever may come, and ready to do what he must to not give in.


Osgumund and Valindil were sitting behind a desk that was filled with papers. There were a few guards in the room near the door to prevent the prisoner from escaping, or to intervene when things went bad. There waere also a few scribes in the background who wereto write everything that was said.

"Mr. General, I'm not here to harm you. I just want informaiton. You have, no doubt, heard the stories of the infamous Thalmor interrogator, Rulindil. Well, I am not like him. My rules here are simple: answer the questions, and you will be allowed to be with the other prisoners; have some company. You don't answer our questions, you go into solitary confinement. You go so far as to insult, try to escape, or you talk back to us, and I'm afraid I will have to turn you over to Valindil here. Do we have an understanding?" Osgumund said. He wrote something on a piece of paper in front of him.


Baldur wanted to be defiant, but Ulfric warned him against it in their hypothetical discussion of if he were ever captured. He told him to comply as long as he could without answering sensitive questions. If he let his nord blood get the best of him, the situation would quickly escalate, and the physical coercion would begin. Then...it was only a matter of time.

"I understand." said Baldur, forcing himself to keep the venom out of his voice.

"Good," Osgumund said calmly. There was a moment of silence, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the scribes' pens. After a while, Osgumund continued, "so tell me, general, how many men would you say the Stormcloak army here in Falkreath cnosists of?"


Baldur wasn't sure how he should reply at first. He knew if he lied, the elf would know, and he knew he couldn't tell the truth.

"I don't know. We have men and women. We don't keep a tally of just men and women separately. Be more specific."


If Osgumund was even slightly annoyed, he did a good job of hiding it. He was used to interrogating people and was very familiar with prisoners avoiding questions.

"How many individual persons are under your leadership? This includes man, woman, Mer, beast, et cetera."

"Why do you dislike Talos so much?"

"Do not avoid questions, general. We have already been over the rules. Now please, answer my question." Osgumund said.

"I answered your first question. The least you can do is answer mine in good faith."

"That's not how it works. You answer our questions under our terms. Now, how many individuals are under your command? Men, women, Mer, or beasts."

"We have no beasts or beast races in our forces that I am aware of."

"Whatever, that's not important. Moving on: tell me about the recent movements of your army."

"Recently we moved some men to Falkreath hold and we attacked Pale Pass."

Osgumund wrote something down and proceeded. "Where is your current camp located?"

"In Skyrim."

He sighed. "Can you give a more precise location? Where in Falkreath Hold is it locate?"

"Tell you what, can you level with me? You and I both know that I'd rather not betray my men. And you and I both know I'm not getting out of here, and I'll likely talk eventually, so I want to make this easy on myself. You guess some locations in the hold, and I'll tell you if you're hot or cold. Deal? It's the only way I'll be able to answer your question, sir. My nord pride will only allow me to answer your question if I display at least some minor resistance."

"Near the mill? Half-Moon Hill I believe it is called? Somewhere near the city of Falkreath?"

"Cold."

"Somewhere in Eastern Falkreath?"

"Still cold."

"Western Falkreath?"


Baldur gave a bored sigh before he spoke.

"Cold! You're not very good at this."

"Is it in the south? Southern Falkreath?"

"I thought you'd have gotten it by now. It's cold everywhere in Skyrim."

"General, I am done playing games with you. I will ask you one last time: where in Skyrim is your camp?"


"We don't have a camp. We're based in fort Neugrad. I thought that would have been obvious."

Baldur made sure he held back his smile. If he bought his lie, the Thalmor would walk right into the bandits that he had occupy the fort.

"Thank you for cooperating. We were, in fact, aware of your presence at Fort Neugrad." There was a silence again for a few moments while Osgumund and the scribes were writing.

"How many people in your army openly worship Talos? A few? All of them? More importantly, do you worship Talos?"

Good, a question I can answer truthfully.

"Do you really have to ask? Likely EVERY nord in my army worships Talos. And I'm sure you found my amulet of Talos in my pack, right? As for Dunmer, they don't really care a great deal about Talos. Their religion is based around what they call the Tribunal. I'm sure you know that already."


There was another pause.

"Where is you camp, really." Osgumund asked again, obviously not satisfied with the generals' previous answer.


[censored]. He's sharper than I thought.

"I already told you I don't have a camp. Why would I need a camp when we have a perfectly good fort that I can use?"


"I am only going to ask one more time. If you fail to answer, I will be forced to hand you over to Valindil. My contacts tell me that you are no longer based in Neugrad or Helgen, so you cannot get away with those answers."

Valindil now had a twisted smile on his face at the thought of taking over the interrogation.


Well, that didn't go well. I need to prepare my mind.

Baldur shut his eyes closed, and allowed his mind to wander, making sure not to think on thoughts that would make his situation more painful. He let his mind drift back to Sovngarde, and to the smells of roasted ox heads, and other meats. The warm light of the Hall of Valor, beckoning him to cross the treacherous bridge of whale bones. This is the memory Baldur would focus on to steel himself as well as he could. But no man can truly prepare himself for the methods of the accursed Thalmor. Or at least that's what Ulfric told Baldur.


Valindil, who had until now been quiet, said, "maybe this will help?"

He took out a small bundle that had what looked to be wedges of iron in them. "These are used to wedge into the skin, under the fingernails. If you continue to resist, I will be forced to use them." He now had a large smile on his face.

He tossed the wedges into the hot embers of the fire. He would heat them up before he used them. "Your choice. You can keep up with your stubbornness, or you can give us the information we want the hard way. It would be a great shame if you could no longer weild your precious Nord weapons." He said, in a twisted tone.


"Do that, and I'll be forced to bite my tongue off. Your move."

Baldur began to sweat profusely. The thought of the pain was something his face could hide, but not his body.

"Besides. I'm not getting out of here. What good is wielding a weapon in here?"


"Do that and I'll be forced to give you the slowest death posssible!" Valindil said. Osgumund, starting to sweat now, glanced nervously towards the rack that was nearby. Oh gods no. I can't witness another torture. Please Auri-El, give me an excuse to leave. Please!

"Besides," Valindil continued, "well, Braignir?"

A Bosmer stepped forward.

"Braignir has been trained in blood magic. The magic that allows you to control a person's limbs. Braignir, please demonstrate."

"With pleasure, sir." Another soldier brought a prisoner over and sat him in a chair direclty in front of Baldur. The prisoner's feet were tied in front of him, while his hands were left untouched. Braignir approahced the man and worked his magic. At first, the man's face twisted horribly. He tried to let out a cry of pain but he found it impossible to do so. He was forced to choke back his cry of pain. A tear appeared under his eye.

The man became extremely stiff, and his hands reached down to his feet. He tried to resist, but the pain that came when he resisted was too much to bear. Braignir then forced him to untie his own feet. When he forced the man to stand up, he switched spells and with some dark power, quickly forced the man into the wall. He kept forcing him into the hard stone wall with his magic. After what seemed like a long time, Braignir let the spell go. The man fell to the ground in an instant, and he let out a loud, blood-curdling shriek of pain. The tears were streaming now.

Valindil was smiling. "You see, scum? We can easily prevent you from biting your tongue off. Just do what we say, and you don't need to end up like this poor fellow here. Take him away!"

Several soldiers came and picked the man up off the floor. One of them hit the man on the head with the handle of his mace to shut the man up.


Baldur grew sick at the cruelty that was just put on display in front of him. He heard stories...but seeing them was like falling into Quagmire and witnessing the nightmares firsthand. The man that was just brutalized urinated himself, and it's strong thick stench, the kind that could only come from a combination of dehydration and fear, flooded the Baldur's nostrils, along with the stench of sweat from himself.

"Nice scare tactics there, but I'm a General, not some random prisoner. Your betters would have you gutted if you did any damage that could cause psychological harm. You need my information. It would be different if you were just converting me, but that isn't the case. If you're going to torture me, it's not going to be to that extent. But if I'm wrong, then show me. I look forward to watching you get gutted by your own kind."


Valindil laughed out loud. "We are an inquisition! This is war! You're right, I would maybe get a slap on the wrist, but I'm sure no one would object. Right Osgumund?"

"Um, right." He replied.

"Don't think we would treat you any differently just because you're a general." Valindil continued. "All the same, you are a Talos worshiper, and you are a human; your life is disposable. You want us to treat you like we would treat one of our own, then renounce Talos. Right now. Otherwise, it's these." He waved the wedges. "Your choice. You have five minutes to think. We'll be waiting."

"I have to go outside, Valindil." Osgumund said. His face was bright red and he was sweating like crazy now. He left the room.


Looks like I have a choice. Pretend to renounce Talos, and basically do exactly what I criticized the Imperial supporters for doing, but save myself some much needed precious time, or do the stupid thing and refuse. I wonder what Ulfric did. What would Boldir do? I'll likely never see him again, not until he dies and joins me in the afterlife. I'll never taste a cool mug of mead...feel the fresh crisp air of my home upon my face...And...I'll never see...

Shuttup you moron, stop thinking that way!

Baldur bit down on his lip until he could taste blood in his mouth, to calm himself. Then he went back to his thoughts of Sovngarde, and left his previous thoughts in the back of his mind.

You filthy milkdrinker. Steel yourself. Besides, all of those things will be awaiting me in Sovngarde. Including Boldir and Rebec. One day.

"The clock is ticking." Valindil said.

Baldur had not yet reached a decision. Ulfric never told him what to do when this part of the interrogation came. Baldur decided to wait until the last minute. He would know what to do then. He decided to stay silent until then.

"Time's up. What will it be? The easy way or the hard way? All you have to do is give up Talos and your information."

"What if I just told you the information instead?"


"If you went along with us, we would keep you here for a while, then we would send you to some remote location like Elsewyr or Valenwood. You would still be a prisoner of war, but you would be treated fairly and have living quarters that suit a general. After the war is won by the Imperials, you would be released, free to go wherever you want. You would, of course, be watched."

"However, if you Nords win the war, you will remain in custody indefinitely."


"Fine, I'll give you the information if it means I won't have to renounce Talos just yet. The camp...is..."

Baldur gave it a few pauses to make it sound authentic.

"The...camp is...in riften hold, just at the border to Falkreath hold. It's North East of Fort Neugrad where the Imperial Camp used to be."

It always helps the lie when it has pieces of the truth, which is why he picked another Imperial camp as his fake location.

"I swear to you it's there."

"I don't believe you. Tell me the truth. NOW! There's no way it is in The Rift, so you have one more chance to tell me the truth." Valindil said with force and annoyance.

"That is the truth! Think about it, its not a place you'd expect it to be right? That's exactly why I picked that location! It's not that far away from Falkreath anyway."

"You honestly want me to believe you sent a whole army through the mountains to get here? Yeah right. Bring out the stocks!"

The room was in a hurry now. Elves ran this way and that. A table and chairs were brought forth, while Baldur was untied and re-tied to the chair. Valindil sat across from him and readied the wedges, while Braignir stood at the ready to make sure Baldur didn't try anything. His hands were locked to the stocks that sat on the table.

I'm a terrible liar.

We drink to our youth, to days come and gone, for the age of oppression is now nearly done.

We'll drive out the Thalmor from this land that we own. With our blo-

"uaaaAAAAAAAAAAAh!"

"UhahauuahaaAAAaaagghh!!!!!!!"

The wails of anguish that his body let out didn't even sound like his voice to him. The smell of burnt flesh from his right pinky finger under his nail lingered and mixed with the urine from earlier, and made Baldur lose his stomach contents, which fell from the side of his cheeks on the table along with his tears. Baldur thrashed around uncontrollably, which caused the iron stocks to cut into his wrist and ankles. After a few minutes of this, Baldur passed out from the otherworldly pain that he was just put through.

After the general passed out, Valindil could hear noise coming from outside. "What is that? Tell me now!!!"

"Sir, I think we are under attack!" One of the guards said.

"Dammit! You five!" Valindil pointed to four soldiers. "Take the general to his cell, I want him to have Cell #44. You too, Braignir. Guard him with your life!"

Cell number 44 was also known as the" hidden cell", as it was in a hidden hallway under a trapdoor, that was covered by a loose stone. It was for the prisoners who needed to be guarded and watched 24/7, and Valindil knew that if the Stormcloaks were indeed trying to take the fort again, he would make his last stand trying to protect the general.

He then ran off with the rest of the soldiers to see what was going on.

Boldir and Jodun
Skybound Watch
Dawn

Boldir threw off the Imperial armor and fell onto his cot as soon as he and Jodun arrived back Skybound. He would've been content to stay there until morning, had he not been interrupted by a Stormcloak courier not a minute later.

"Sir, I've got a message for you from the Admiral. She says that it's urgent."

Boldir sighed as he sat up. "Bring it here then."

The man handed him the letter and watched as Boldir opened it and read over the contents. His face grew dark immediately at the first line.


Boldir,
I think the Thalmor have captured Baldur. He went to meet Moon Balls' associate at Glenmoril Coven, along with 10 redguard. None have reported in. Moon Balls may have played us. I've got command of the camp but when the imperials realize they have our general, they could attack. I want to send Witchie to scout their camp but can't find him either. Finish whatever you're doing and get back here if you can.
R.

"What the ****?!" Boldir stood up and immediately began putting on his armor. The courier looked nervous.

"Do you want me to bring her a reply sir?"

"No. I want you to go back to camp and tell her I'll be there right after you. Go!"

The man quickly ran out of the room. Boldir walked through the tunnel to find Jodun, who was sitting up in his own cot.

"Jodun, I'm leaving. I need you to take over here. You're now in charge of my half of the forces as well as your own. I'm sure you can handle it."


Jodun didn't bother trying to hide his confusion.

"What is it now? Was the camp attacked?"

"No, the camp wasn't attacked. Baldur's gone missing. Rebec thinks it was Thalmor. I'm sorry, I don't have time to give details Jodun. I have to go now."

Before Jodun had time to respond, Boldir hurried out of the tunnel and up into the abandoned south tower. He set off for the Stormcloak camp at a dead sprint.

***

Rebec spent the night through and the next morning listening to the patrols report in and sending more teams out. She made the rounds of all the sentry posts and Falkreath town's defenses as well. The reports were always the same: Nothing and nothing. There was no sign of imperial attack, but no sign of Baldur, either.

As the morning wore on with no change, she withdrew to an old dragon burial mound near the Stormcloak camp. The men avoided it, and it was the only place she could think of where she could get a moment's peace. A pair of Grim Ones had started tailing her, acting as her bodyguards, and they refused her order to go do something more useful. It was their way of showing regret for not having done the same for Baldur, so she let them be. They remained a short distance away as Rebec went to the rim of the dragon pit and lit a cigarette.


After Boldir arrived at the camp, he went to the nearest man he saw. It was a Necro Nord. "Have you seen the Admiral?"

"I think she's still up at that Dragon buri-"

He never finished, as Boldir had already bounded back into the woods. He spotted two Necro Nords near wherehe knew the clearing that housed the mound was located. "Is Rebec up here?" They nodded and pointed to the mound.

Boldir slowed down as he approached Rebec. Who was on top of the mound holding a cigarette. He stopped to take a breath. He'd just ran several miles in full armor and hadn't even realized how exhausted he was until now. He walked over beside Rebec and sat at the edge of the mound. He couldn't find the words he wanted to say. Mostly because he was exhausted. Boldir put his hands behind his head to help open up his lungs a bit.

"Rebec... *huff* What *huff* What happened?"

Rebec had seen the big Nord charging up the hill towards her, and a weight went off her shoulders at the sight. "By Ysmir, Boldir, am I glad to see you. Thank you for coming so quickly. There's no news, I'm afraid. They could be taking him anywhere in Skyrim, or to Cyrodiil, gods forbid. It's as I wrote you, he went to meet Samuel and never came back. Samuel's employees tried to tell me that the Thalmor were after Samuel, too, but I think it was a trick. It doesn't add up."

"He's not in *huff* Cyrodil. Made- *huff* made good sure of that last night. Has anyone searched *huff* Glenmoril yet?"

"Yes. There were some footprints and fresh blood, but no bodies. The blood is probably from his guards. I don't think the Thalmor would kill him. They'd want him alive." The hand lifting the cigarette to Rebec's mouth shook. Softly she said, "I did this. He went there for me."



"Damnit!" Boldir's mind was racing. If Baldur'd been captured last night, he couldn't be far. The only logical place for him to be in is Pale Pass. A group of Thalmor capable of taking out an entire escort wouldn't be safe for long anywhere else in Skyrim.

"It doesn't matter why he went there Rebec. All that matters is where he is now." He paused for a moment. "He has to be in Pale Pass."
Boldir stood up. "I'm going after him."

"You think I haven't wanted to do the same thing since the moment I realized what must have happened? Go charging up Pale Pass and then they'll have you, too!" Her tone had turned angry, but it was just fear and helplessness talking.

Calming herself, the admiral went on, "Witchie is the only one who can get in and out of there unseen, and Kyne only knows where he is. I've thought of..." She stopped, half ashamed of the idea. "Of offering them Marius. He's the only prisoner we've got who's valuable enough to trade for Baldur."


"This is the Thalmor we're talking about. They don't give a [censored] about Marius. Especially if they see him as a criminal now. Baldur though, he's another story. He knows more than anyone save Ulfric himself. Hell, he knows more when it comes to Falkreath."

Boldir could feel water forming in his eyes. He quickly turned away and blinked to get rid of it.
"This is my brother Rebec. I'm not going to sit here and wait while the Thalmor are doing gods know what to him! I can get into Pale Pass. Talos knows I've done it enough times this week."


Rebec pinched out her cigarette, and turned to face him. Her eyes were bruised from lack of sleep and from breaking down at least once when she found a quiet spot and a tree to hide behind. "Boldir, you know as well as I do that in the next few days- even as strong as Baldur is- they'll have everything they can get out of him and he'll be of no more use to them. Marius is more valuable than you think. He knows a lot of secrets about their inner workings."

Her voice turned pleading. "Please, Boldir. I need you here, and I need you to hold together. I believe an attack is imminent. We may not even have time to get an offer to them. I'm not a general, I've never commanded on land before this. The men don't really trust me, not deep down. I'm not one of you."

"Please don't do this to me Rebec. Don't try to guilt me into staying. If you need help, ask Jodun. But don't you try to make me feel like these people suddenly out of the blue need me. They don't and you don't. I'm not some great leader like Ulfric or Baldur, I'm just the ****in' guy that does the [censored] no one else has time for! But right now, I know what needs to be done, even if you and everyone else in this damn hold don't. What needs to be done right now is find Baldur, and that's what I'm going to do."

Rebec's eyes flashed with genuine anger. "Yes, you might find him. When you're in the cell right next to him. This isn't about guilt, or about your friendship with Baldur. Do you think I don't care about him? It's about your ******* responsibility! That is to your men and you know it. It's what Baldur would tell you, and it's what I'm telling you. Now pull yourself together and supervise the removal of our forces to Falkreath, while we still have some forces left. I'm going to go have Marius arrested and send truce messengers out to offer the trade."

"You know that won't work Rebec! They won't trade Baldur for Marius. Especially not before they've gotten what they need from him. And I trust he is strong enough to hold out for at least a damn day. We aren't going to let him stay in there that long. My responsibility is to Skyrim. If those Elves get break him, that'll be worse for Skyrim than my absence. Rebec please, use Jodun. I can't leave him in there without at least trying."


She snorted and shook her head. "The gods gave the elves pointy ears and the Nords pinheads. Boldir, think this through. You're going to go into Pale Pass alone, and sneak into the Thalmor prison alone, when you don't even know where it is- and then what? You don't exactly blend in! Jodun is an outsider, too. Our men are still nursing their wounds from the battle and now they're spooked about Baldur being missing. They know there's another battle coming. What am I going to tell them when they ask where you are?"

Rebec stopped, pondering. "If this is going to work at all, we'd have to attack the imperials in force as a distraction. More men will die, but another battle was coming anyway." Her face paled and she turned away, then had to crouch down to keep from fainting and pitching into the dragon pit. Head in her hands, she said, "I can't do this. I can't make a decision now. Not without at least an hour of sleep. Every time I try, I see him."

Boldir knew Rebec was right. He knew his judgement was being clouded by his love for Baldur. He knew that he wouldn't likely come back and he knew the consequences of leaving Rebec to do this alone. He still didn't think that he was as important as she seemed to, but he knew that she needed him there. But the image of his brother being tortured by the Thalmor would not leave his mind.
I guess that's where she and I differ. She can push those images aside when others need her to.

"Take an hour to rest on it if you need Rebec. You could use it."

I'm sorry.

Honmund
Solstheim, Bloodskaal Burrow
3 days after Marius joining the Stormcloaks

He chuckled, much to the surprise of the small group of men who visited him. Honmund has just been told that he was under arrest on the authority of House Redoran by some of these pretentious 'Redoran Guard'. The same Guard who had failed to do anything about him and his group getting their hands on some large shipments of ebony from Raven Rock Mine. The same Guard who now had sent a small group of men to put him under arrest. Four people to take him out. At the heart of his stronghold. Morons.

"Arrested, am I?" Honmund replied and continued to polish the head of his axe, standing with his back turned to the visitors. He could hear his own men assembling on the other side of the entrance. "Well, that is inconvenient. No money to be made from the Bulwark cells."

"There will be no cell for you; you will be sent to the mainland to stand trial," the leader of the Redoran Guard group took a step forward, with his blade drawn. "Now, come with us or face summary execution right here."

"Hmm, that is hardly a fair choice to give me. I mean, I am at the losing end, regardless of what I chose," he shifted his grip on the axe ever so slightly. It wouldn't be noticed, but allow him to get in a surprise attack. In a moments time, the Redoran Guard would see their leader without a head, followed by their own quick deaths.

"You're a criminal scum. You'll get what you deserve."

"Yes, I suppose I will. But not today, I fear. Today I add some helmets to my collection."

Before anyone could move, Honmund, and his axe, had swung around to face them. The bonemold helmet gave in to the force behind the edge and blood quickly started to tickle out. By the time the other Redoran Guards had gotten to react, Honmunds Bloodaxe had found the chest of one of the other ones. The two remaining ones unwillingly took several steps away from him in fear. When faced with someone who effortlessly cleaved through their armor, even the bravest fighter would get second thoughts.

"So," Honmund said and followed each of their steps, to remain at the same distance. "Are you going to return to Captain Veleth and tell him that the Redoran Guard doesn't have the advantage of skill and equipmet, or do I have to send your torn armor to him to show it doesn't stand up to my trusty Bloodaxe?"

"Come on," one of them whispered, half loud, to the other one. "Live to fight another day sound better than dying right here. The Captain will need all the men he can get if he is to take this guy down. Two extra soldiers can make a difference when the time comes."

"Fine," the other one said, to Honmund. "We'll leave, but this isn't over."

"Of course not, I am still alive and I am still making money of your ebony."

The visitors ran out of the door as fast as they could, followed by mocking calls from Honmunds own men.

"So, you had your fun?" a woman of nordic blood came into the room.

"Yes, I did. These Redoran Guard think themselves great warriors, yet they are surprisingly easy to kill and intimidate. I had hoped Captain Veleth himself would have showed up. He is supposed to be a very skilled an experienced warrior. Then again, if he trained these people..."

"Yes, I am sure you'd leave him in a pool of his own blood, but we have something we need to take care of: One of the other bands have started to break in on your territory. Led by a Dunmer battlemage, form what I hear."

A wide grin spread across Honmunds face. "Then get my usual group together. We are going on a hunt."

Legate Gracchus Ceno, Colonel Valindil
Fort Pale Pass
Morning

The explosion from last night, and the mayhem caused from its ensuing avalanche resulted in Gracchus to not receive any sleep whatsoever. He had spent most of the night yelling at sentries, visiting the medical ward, and trying to figure out how they did it. Eventually, he gave up, instead just bumping up the number of sentries, hoping that would solve the issue.

On his way back to the Fort, Gracchus ran into the Thalmor, Valindil.

"How goes the Talos hunting," asked Gracchus.

"Talos hunting? Quite well, actually. Why do you ask?"

"Hahaha you Thalmor are always looking for your next victim. No reason, actually, just making small talk. I heard that Osgumund left last night, to the Imperial City I believe. So that means you must be in charge now. Good, if you'll follow me to the war room, I have some plans I'd like to run by you," said Gracchus, trying to get off the topic of Talos worshippers.

"Yes, I believe he did leave. He never said goodbye though, I wonder if there was a note..." Valindil followed Gracchus.

Gracchus and Valindil walked along the dusty corridors of the old Akavari fort, until they arrived at the war room. The table occupying the center was covered with maps, and Gracchus pulled out the largest one, containing the entirety of the Falkreath hold.

"Well Valindil, now that the pass is blocked off, it is imperative that we take Falkreath, and its food stores. To do that, we will also need to take out Helgen and Fort Neugrad, which have been given over to bandits, so as to harass us without the Stormcloaks wasting men," Gracchus motioned to both places on the map while he talked, before continuing.

"My plan, which is already in place, is to push the Stormcloaks back using guerrilla fighters, until they are forced to withdraw to Falkreath. Then, you and your Thalmor troops are to be sent to take out Helgen and Fort Neugrad, while my men besiege Falkreath. If I may ask, how many men do you have at your disposal, now that those reinforcements arrived?" Gracchus asked the Altmer.

Valindil nodded, showing he understood. "I now have 2,550 men under my command. Here's a question I have though: once I take the forts, am I to stay there, or should I come join the siege?"

"Good. That many men should be plenty to take out those bandits. In regards to whether you should stay or join the siege, that is really what I wanted to talk to you about. I think it would be best if you stayed and garrisoned both places, until we finish the siege, then we'll need have those places to fall back to when we try and take Whiterun. What do you think?" Gracchus asked Valindil.

"Are you absolutely sure that you won't need my help? I mean, even though most of my men are archers and warriors, they still know more about magic than the novice mage."

"The siege will take some time, so if we need reinforcements or help, we can always send for you. But holding onto both places is imperative for the next part of our advance, so keeping control of them is your primary duty," Gracchus told Valindil.

"I understand. I will leave tomorrow morning; we must prepare for the journey."

"That won't be necessary. I have my guerrilla fighters set to return within the week, hopefully with news on the troop movements. If they have moved into Falkreath already, then we will move forward with the attack. If not, then we will wait until their troops are depleted enough that they have to move into Falkreath. Their General, Red-Snow I believe, is a bright one, and he won't move his troops until he thinks it is absolutely necessary. If you don't have any questions, you can start on the preparations, but I don't want you leaving until we are sure they have moved into Falkreath," said the Legate.

"Well if we have a week, why not have some fun with the enemy? The power of our battlemages combined could certainly muster up a large storm, large enough to pester the enemy's movements, no? What do you say? And, did you not know? We have had their general since last night." Said Valindil.

"What? He is here? When did this happen?" Gracchus asked, almost exasperated.

"Yes, he just arrived yesterday night. I'm afraid there is little chance you can see him though, because he is a Thalmor prisoner and all."

"Aw, well, yes, I understand. This changes things quite a bit, though. If they are without him, than they may have already moved into Falkreath. Has he given you any useful information, that I might be privy to?" asked Gracchus.

"Not yet, but I am certain he will break sooner or later. We have taken great care that he not be tortured or hurt in any way at all, but he will still break under pressure eventually."

"Good. Now that this has happened, we may be moving sooner than expected. I'm going to send a sentry to the meeting place I set for the guerrillas, and see if they have any news of troop movements. If the Stormcloaks have moved, then we will need to be ready to lay siege. Prepare your troops to move within the week. You are free to leave," Gracchus told the Thalmor.

Valindil nodded at the legate and left the room to tell his men their new orders.

********

Valindil then received a message from one of the officers that had arrived with the reinforcements. "For you, colonel sir!" He said. Valindil was confused, as he was not a colonel, or was he?

Valindil,

I hereby promote you from your former position of Lieutenent-Colonel to that of a Colonel. I trust you to lead 2,000 of the finest Dominion soldiers into battle. I have heard great things about you, and I wish to keep hearing them for a long time to come. You have served your country well, and this is the least I can do.

-Yakov, King of Alinor

********
After Valindil had left, Gracchus began writing a letter to his guerrilla fighters.

We have reports that General Baldur Red-Snow has been captured. I believe his troops may have moved into Falkreath because of this. I have delivered this note to a sentry, who is to meet you at the place I have specified. If you have confirmation of this, return with the sentry. If not, continue with the plan.

-GQC

Gracchus finished the letter, then gave it to a guard, whom he told, "I want you to take this to the clearing, marked here on your map. Wait until six o'clock, when the fighters shall be returning. Once they do, deliver this message and await their reply."

With that, the sentry left, and would hopefully return with good news.

Legate Gracchus Ceno
Fort Pale Pass
Afternoon, Late Evening


After having sent the letter with a sentry, Gracchus walked towards the back of the camp, where he had his smartest engineers working on a special project for the siege he had anticipated earlier in the week.

Gracchus walked to the little clearing, where there were several large trees they had felled and .5 inch diameter rope made from the horses hair waiting to be twisted into skein for the spring. Several of the trees had already been cut, and one onager was only missing its leather sling, used to hold the boulders that would be fired.

He walked up to the nearest engineer, a young Imperial named Valvius, who, even though he was only in his early twenties, was the brightest engineer they had. It had been with him that Gracchus had first discussed plans for the onagers, and they had been working on the first model, which they were putting the finishing touches on now.

"Engineer Valvius, how comes your project?" Gracchus asked the young man.

"Sir, I didn't see you arrive. Yes, we are actually about to test it out now. It is only the primary model, so it may or may not work," said the engineer.

The other soldiers rolled a large boulder, and it fit right on the sling. Valvius pulled the lever, and the rock flew through the air, knocking down an old pine tree over 200 yards away.

"Excellent, excellent work Valvius. How long did it take? To make it, that is," Gracchus inquired.

"Well, about a two weeks, but there was some expirementation that had to happen, so I think we could make at least one a week. But we will need to have some more iron to melt down, and more horse hair for the rope," Valvius said.

"Done. I want as many as you can make, as quickly as you can make them. Also, make sure they are fitted with wooden walls here, here, here, and here," Gracchus told Valvius, motioning to either side of front, and either side of the top.

"I want the four man team to be protected from enemy arrow fire. Also, start picking out men to operate then, and have then train on the first one. I want them ready soon, so you must work quickly," Gracchus said.

"Yes sir, we'll get to work right away sir," Valvius saluted, and then hurried back to work.

Gracchus headed back toward the main keep, where he noticed a strange man walking with the princess towards the woods.

Probably that from the Synod I heard was coming. I guess being a princess has its perks, thought Gracchus.

He arrived back at his quarters, where he decided he'd catch up on his sleep. He had no dreams, just a fitful, uninterrupted sleep. When he awoke, it was later in the evening, and the sentry he had sent had returned with a letter of his own. It read,

We have received your letter, and while the main force has not put it's HQ in Falkreath, the advance force is fully interred in the town. We have thus continued the guerrilla war, and hope to push back the Stormcloaks. Also, the Cloaks have stone walls around the Falkreath perimeter, very tall and thick. I hope those onagers are coming along.

The letter was unsigned, as they had been instructed to do so as to keep the identity of the troops hidden should a letter be intercepted. But he knew it to be of his friend and fellow battlemage Pilus Rato.

They had known each other for around twenty years, when Pilus first joined at the age of 19. Since then, every major assignment Gracchus had had, Pilus had accompanied him. He was there when Gracchus was sent to Solsetheim to hunt down one of their own battlemages, a deserter, and Pilus was there when the Harpy went down in flames.

Well, it seems we won't be moving as soon I had hoped. No matter, it will give Valvius time to finish up the onagers. They will be crucial if we are to take Falkreath. And I hope Pilus can continue with the guerrilla fight. We need the Stormcloaks to fall back. thought Gracchus.

Quaestor Pilus Rato
Falkreath Hold, Forest
Morning.


The sentry had left the previous afternoon, with Pilus' reports about the Stormcloak troop movements. They were camping in a small clearing, just him and his nine other men. Going around, he quietly woke each of them up. Pilus had been on guard duty for night, and today they were planning on waiting by the eastern road out of Falkreath to raid any supply wagons that passed by.

One of the men, an archer called Gregory, asked,

"What's for breakfast?"

"Same thing as yesterday, and the same thing that we're gonna have tomorrow," Pilus said.

"Eh, and what's that? A big roasted chicken? Hehe."

"Shut your trap, and eat your beef, before I eat it!"

Plius tossed the strip of beef at Gregory, who was still wrapped up in his bedroll. The strip hit him right in the face, before dropping into the grass.

"Hey, what's the deal!"

"That's what you get you big baby. Now get up, we have to raid some supply wagons today," Pilus said.

It took about ten minutes for all the men to get ready, and within an hour they had set up the ambush on a small road, in between Helgen and Falkreath, one of the roads the Stormcloaks had taken to using to try and keep the Imperials guessing as to where the supplies would come from.

The plan was already in place. They had rolled several large rocks onto the path, forcing any wagons to have to stop and clear the path before moving on. It was another forty-five minutes before they saw any activity, just a farmer and his family headed towards Helgen, and then probably Whiterun hold.

It took around two hours for the supply caravan to show up, an old farm wagon converted to carry supplies. It looked to be filled with a mix of food and weapons. It came to a stop and a lone Stormcloak jumped out of the wagon to clear the road.

Pilus gave the signal, a small croak noise akin to a crow or raven, and the first arrow hit the horse in the throat, easily silencing it. Pilus' own lighting bolt instantly immobilized the Cloak who had gotten out to clear the path, and the final two guards were set upon by the remaining men. It was a little after three minutes after the signal had been given when the final man fell. The injuries sustained by the Imperials were superficial, unlike those of the Stormcloaks.

Pilus climbed into the wagon, and began searching through the bags and chests. Turning to his men, he said,

"Grab the food we can carry, and any weapons you want. Don't weigh yourselves down. Take the rest of the weapons and throw them into the forest, and bury'em under leaves so they don't find them."

They were just about to leave when Pilus heard the signature "clop clop" of the horses hooves. Pilus gave the croak noise, and his men melted into forest on either side of the road. Two mounted Stormcloaks rode up, from the direction of Falkreath. One of then dismounted, and place his hand on the neck of his fallen comrade, feeling for a pulse.

"Eh, their still warm. Those buggers can't be far."

"Well, what do you want to do? Ride back for help, or look for them?"

"I don't know. If they took out all three of the men, there must be a good lot of them. Lets just ride back for help, then we'll go get those milk drinkers."

They remounted and rode off. As soon as Pilus thought it was safe, he gave the signal and his men crossed the road, joining the rest of them on the southern side. Before they left, Pilus left a fire rune, hoping to catch the two Stormcloaks when they returned.

It was a good ten minutes later when he heard the "whoosh" of the fire, and the frantic neighing of horses. By the time they reached their new camp, he could see the smoke rising from the north.

A slight smile crossed his face, and he began unpacking his bedroll, before catching up on the sleep he missed from last night.

Witch-king (aka Witchie & alias Skjari)
11th of Second Seed, Noon

Witchie had been lucky, a few of the Synod's members still remembered him somewhat. He had his membership reinstated and soon after that he found Dalton and silently killed her and disposed of the corpse by turning it to dust. After that he carefully planted some evidence that suggested she had gone to study the Hist in Black Marsh. He had been efficient and was done with all of that within half a day and the princess request had come in soon after. When they didn't really know what to do with Dalton had disappearance, Witchie volunteered to be her new teacher. As they didn't want to be bothered by this for long they quickly accepted his offer.
He had set out in the evening the same day and arrived at the Pale Pass later that night only to find it being filled with snow, must have been an avalanche. So Witchie headed east and traveled through The Rift and across the mountains and forests at full speed, without stopping. When he finally arrived at the imperial camp he told a soldier to tell the princess that her new teacher had arrived and then proceeded to put his gauntlets into the horse's satchel and pulled down the hood, he needed to fit in.

The princess was currently snuggling up with her "living teddy bear", her maid Charlie. The princess was enjoying herself, until of course she heard knocking on her door.

"Who is it?"

"Your highness, Tribune Brutus, you new teacher is here."

"OHHH, i'll be done is a minute" She quickly got dressed in her frilly pink outfit, kissed Charlie on her cheeck, and headed out to meet her new teacher.

Witchie only had to wait five minutes before the princess came. To make sure she didn't give anything away he decided it was best if he spoke first.

"Your highness, I'm Skjari. Dalton appeared to have left to study The Hist in Black Marsh, so I was chosen instead to oversee your magical training."

So many thoughts we're running threw the princess's mind right now, familiarity, confusion, and weirdness. She knew who this was, but decided not to expose him.

"Princess Dales Moitre, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I suggest we start with the training immediately. Do you know an appropriate place where we can train, undisturbed?"

She nodded at him, "There's a clearing in the woods..."

"Let's go there then. Shall we?" Witchie stretched out his hand to his side, gesturing for her to lead him there.

It was fifteen minute walk, but when they finally reached the glade, the princess turned around, "Sir, your going to be my teacher?"

"Wait a second." Witchie then proceeded to cast a spell at them both. "Now no one except you and me will be able to hear us. And yes, I'm going to your new teacher. I'm here to make sure you actually become a capable fighter and to make sure you don't fail. And I also want you to from now on to call me Skjari. It would raise suspicion if call me sir. Any questions before we begin?"

"What school's will you be teaching me? I'm partially Adept at Illusion and Alteration."

"I'm going to start with some Destruction magic. But first, show me what you already can do."

She nodded, before taking in a deep breath, and casting "Iron-flesh". She then proceeded to cast a fury spell on a tree along with "calm" and used detect life.

"At least you aren't a complete novice with magic. I'm now going to teach you some simple elemental Destruction spells. Let's start with some frost magic, so when we move on to fire you will be able to put it out if you mess up. And I want you to tell me everything you know about the Empire, the Thalmor, the camp, everything."

She looked puzzled, before responding, "That's a very lengthy amount of very lengthy subjects, what do you exactly want to know?"

"Lets start with your father and his relation with the Thalmor. After that I will teach you how to shoot a simple beam of frost."

"Well, my father has very good working relationship to the Grand-Overseer Tyian, and he's usually seen advising him on all matters. My dad has free-trade with them, and our borders with the dominion are lightly guarded. Currently, last time I was there, my father was trying to get a bill passed which would a certain number of Dominion troops Garrison the imperial city along with the imperial watch."

"If you know about the Great War you would know that this is just an invasion disguised as help. Now this is how you do..." Witchie then proceeded to teach her the basics on how Destruction magic work and how to cast a simple frost spell. She eagerly listened to her teacher explain the basics. She made sure not to get any of the frost on her pink dress, before firing a beam of frost at a tree, "How's that?"

"That's progress at least, now fire the beam at me. Don't worry, I'll ward it off but I want to see how much strength you can put into that spell."

She inhaled a good breath of air, before nodding and firing the beam of frost as strong as she could.
The frost magic was easily blocked. At least the strength of the spell was more than he expected from someone would be able to muster on their first day. Seems like the initiation's improvements had started to kick in, but it would still be months before the growth would be complete.
"Now before we move on to fire, tell me about the camp."

"Well, we have a large amount of imperial legionaries stationed here. We also have gotten a good deal of Almderi troops here recently. The fort is where the officers sleep, as-well as where my living area is. The current CO is Legate Graccus."

"But he's only a Legate. When we get back I want you to get me a room next to yours and I want you to make sure to this Graccus that you also have authority over this Legion. Your General is gone so that leaves an opportunity for you to grab some power. Now on to fire magic..."

She looked at her teacher oddly before saying, "You wont be spying on me in my room will you?"

"No, but I want to keep an eye on whoever goes into your room. Never trust those Thalmor, if they decide that you are no longer useful..." Witchie let the rest of that sentence be spoken with silence.

Her eyes filled with shock, "You mean they might try and kill me?!"

"Don't look so chocked. You'll get used to people wanting to kill you. I trust that you sleep with the dagger I gave you under your pillow."

"Yeah...that might be a little difficult..."

"Whatever you have already stuffed under your pillow, I'm sure there's still room for the dagger."

"But..." She looked away blushing "I usually go to sleep snuggled up with someone, so I cant really put the dagger under my pillow...."

"Does this person sleep under the pillow?" Witchie said with a voice suggesting he was running low on patience.

She kept looking away, instantly bowing her head, "I'm sorrry sir for annoying you, just worried that she might stumble upon the dagger by accident..."

"Then get one of the blacksmiths to make a sheath for it. If and when the time comes, you will find that dagger more useful than you little 'snuggle friend'."

She blushed again, "Yes sir..."

"Now we go on with fire magic.."

Rebec, Marius, Boldir
Evergreen Glade camp
late afternoon

Marius went along the path in silence to the stormcloak camp, he was along side four Grimm ones. They've been scouting the forest for any traces of Badlur for a quite awhile now. They found nothing.


Rebec led the way to Marius' tent. He wasn't there, but they spotted him coming in from a search and intercepted him at the edge of camp. Just as she did so a sentry came running. "Admiral, Captain Iron-Brow- a supply caravan was hit near Helgen. They got most of the weapons and killed a few men. The imperials retreated as soon as they hit."

Glancing at Boldir, Rebec remarked, "Guerrilla strike. They must think we're just off mama's teat, apt to run away if they poke at us." To the sentry she said, "Call all the search teams in. If they haven't found him yet, they're not going to. Please take the word to the Necro Nords' command to prepare everyone else to move in force to Falkreath just after the evening meal."

As Marius reached the edge of camp, a Regular approached him, before snidely saying,

"Milk-Drinker, the Admiral and Captain Iron-Brow are looking for you"

Marius nodded to the rude soldier, before dismissing the Four Grim ones and going to meet the two officers.


Boldir spotted Marius near the edge of camp,
unrestrained and unguarded. Boldir looked back at Rebec.

"I thought you said he was under watch."


"His guards are getting too friendly with him. They saw Baldur do the same. I'll have a word with them."

Approaching the imperial, Rebec skipped formalities and asked, "Did you see any sign of Samuel?"


Marius shook his head, "Sorry ma'em, no signs of Samuel or Baldur."

Rebec was disappointed but unsurprised. "I thought Samuel might take the opportunity to grab you himself if you were out of camp. Had to take the chance. At any rate, introductions. This is Captain Iron-Brow. By now you know we think that the Thalmor have Baldur. I wanted to know your recommendation for how to get him out of there."


He nodded his head towards Boldir,

"Sir, Lorgar told me about you." He turned his head back to the Admiral, with a frown, "Before I give you my answer, I need you to understand the chance of someone getting out of a thalmor prison on there own is extremely slim, even with assistance this will be a very difficult objective."

Boldir grunted. "We know that. If it was gonna be easy, we wouldn't have come to you for help. You lived in the fort. You know its layout. Where would they keep a prisoner of such high value?"

"They keep officers and other high-value POW's in secret hidden cells in the prison area."

"And I presume you know where these cells are?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. That's a start. The hard part is gonna be reaching the cells and getting him out. Which is why we came to you."

The admiral said, "I'll be honest, Marius, I thought about arresting you and offering you to the Thalmor as a trade. But I'd rather have your willing cooperation. Don't think that I trust you yet, because I don't. As for our options, I'm considering launching a full-on attack. We would lose the defensive advantages we have in Falkreath, but would have surprise on our side. Would it be enough to provide a diversion?"


"Sir and ma'em...That fortress is heavily fortified and I don't know the cell -

"My, my Marius not knowing how to breach his own fortress..." said a cold voice,

Marius turned to look. It was a hooded figure. His face was cloaked in shadows. He wore a pitch black cloak, along with a service patch on his right shoulder, which was the Horse of Whiterun.


Rebec drew her axe and stepped back for throwing distance, pointing it at the stranger. "Looks like you lost your Stormcloak badge, scout. You have two seconds to identify or you eat this axe."

Boldir drew his own axe and walked around to the hooded man's left.

"You heard the lady. Talk!"


The figure merely chuckled,

"I'm no Stormcloak Admiral and Captain. I'm merely a soldier...that would find it beneficial to his unit to have General Red-Snow free from Thalmor custody."

Boldir wasn't in the mood to deal with another mystery man.

"Isn't that nice." He said sarcastically. "The last stranger that said he wanted to help got Baldur captured in the first place!"

"Indeed, that's what you get for trusting a man like Samuel."

"I said identify, stranger," Rebec answered. "That means a name. And take off that hood so I can see you. Your two seconds are already up, so don't make me ask again." Her Necro Nord bodyguards stepped up to either side of the stranger, ready to seize him.

The hooded man, merely chuckled,

"I would rather not, in a gesture of good faith I can tell you my unit, I'm part of the "Sons of Whiterun".

At a nod from Rebec the Necro Nords grabbed the man's arms. "That name is known to me, and not as friends. If you're an imperial spy, you're a bad one." Turning to the other imperial she asked, "Is this some kind of trick, Marius? I'm not in the mood for jokes."

"You could of course detain, and make me take off this hood. But of course, every minute you waste with me, the Thalmor are closer and closer to breaking your general."


Marius remained silent for a few seconds before saying,

"Is that you old friend?"


"Fair enough." Boldir motioned for the Necro Nords to pull back the man's hood.


The hood gave away to a man with grey hair, a black eye patch on his right eye, and a smile. Everyone recognized him.

Boldir was surprised and more than a little confused. "General Tullius... Give us one good reason not to execute you now. Actually, just tell us whatever it was that you came here to say, and then we'll decide ourselves."

"Well Captain, I was here to offer my unit as a distraction and give your General Red-Snows cell number."

"How would you know the cell number of a Thalmor captive in what is supposedly a secret cell?"

"Let's just say I caught a little bird and made it sing..."

Rebec replaced her axe and eased, somewhat, but was obviously very skeptical. Crossing her arms, she said, "So you've been in this area for some time, watching us. You saw them capture Baldur? You're no friend of ours, less so than Marius. Why would you help us? I'd think you'd be back in Cyrodiil cackling in your brandy about Ulfric's third being in Thalmor custody."

"I'm neither friend nor foe admiral. By helping you, I'm helping my own Agenda. Do you think me that stupid that I would return to Cyrodiil?, I would end up in a back alley with an elven dagger in my throat. I'm sure our mutual friend, Marius, filled you in on what's happening in Cyrdoiil."

"You were stupid enough to come here. Even if we were to overlook your own crimes, which we haven't, the Sons of Whiterun are not our allies. Several months ago, more a few Stormcloak military positions were ambushed by your men. Give me a reason to trust you."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" Captain, we have a Mutual goal now, cause chaos against the Dominion. I can help you, and I have valuable information on your general. We don't have to trust one another."

Rebec glanced at Boldir. The Necro Nords had the two imperials under guard, so she pulled the captain aside and whispered, "If they are willing to risk their lives for this, I say we let them. I never expected to keep our movements hidden for long, and if Baldur breaks then the Thalmor will have far more on us than these two can give. Let's see if they're willing to do an infiltration with us, or for us. With Marius' help that would have a chance, and we won't have to risk our entire force."

Boldir nodded.
"They seem sincere, and there's little to lose from allowing their forces to die in the place of our own. I agree, we should use them." He said the next part in a whisper. "But when this is over, I want Tullius brought to the camp and I don't want him let out of sight. That man is Ulfric's most wanted, and helping us for mutual benefit does not get him off the hook."

"Agreed. We're desperate, that's obvious." Rebec regarded Boldir uneasily, then turned back to the others. "Release him," she told the Necro Nords. Turning to Marius and Tullius, she said, "Tell me your plan, if you've got one. If we can sneak in with Marius, a diversion would be counterproductive. Are you wiling to go so far as to infiltrate for us?"

Tullius smiled, teeth flashing,

"We would. And I have a plan....but I have a term for me helping you. After me and Marius get Baldur out, you let me walk."

Boldir thought about this for a moment.
Even if he does walk, if he's being honest, the worst case scenario is that we'll still have Baldur back and our troops will be no worse for wear.
"Deal." He said finally. "But only if Baldur makes it back to Falkreath alive and we have you to thank for it."

"Agreed"

He drew a map from his cloak, a map of the area around the fort.

"There's a a large area of dead trees here," he pointed to a area on the map "Me and Marius will slip into her during the night, cloaked. The forest isn't patrolled so we should be good. From there, me and Marius will blend in as legionaries and infiltrate the fort."

"The men will recognize both of you," Rebec pointed out. "I'll leave it to you to figure out how to deal with that. Closed helmets or what have you." I can't believe we're even talking about this, the admiral thought. Then she got an image of Baldur among Thalmor torturers. There would be no Lorgar to intervene even a little. "And what about when you get to the Thalmor prison? They're not going to let even imperials through there, by what we've heard."


Tullius, once again flashed a dark smile,

"Leave that to me and Marius. We're not rookies, we can cut threw them if necessary using stealth."

Rebec stared at the general for a long moment. He had escaped Ulfric's custody, and gotten through their pickets unnoticed. If there was even the slightest chance it could work without risking the entire Falkreath force... She glanced at the captain, then said, "I'll agree to this if Boldir does. You should leave at once. As you said, every minute we wait the danger grows. Gods forgive me if this is another trick." And Baldur forgive me.

"Then we have no time to waste, Marius let's move." He stopped for a second, before saying "Talos guide you". He headed out of the stormcloak camp along with Marius.

Boldir looked at the Admiral, then back at Tullius as he headed off. He didn't take his eyes off as he addressed Rebec. "I already said I'd agree with his plan. But I don't trust him. I'm worried about why he would want Baldur free, but for now, this is much less risky than using our own men. So I'm all for it."

The admiral's expression was bleak. "Tell me this is a hangover dream and I'll swear off mead forever."

Boldir chuckled for the first time since he read of Baldur's disappearance.
"Much less risky than me going alone."

"About that. Boldir, I probably some things to you earlier that I shouldn't have. I don't even remember what I said, but I take it all back anyway." She forced a smile and went on, "I should be off and find out what else happened during my nap. You'd better get some food. The camp will be moving within the hour."


The admiral made her way back to the command tent and began flipping through the reports there. There were some Necro Nords packing up maps and ledgers for the move to Falkreath. As they did so, Rebec noticed a leather case marked with Baldur's name. One of the men told her it was the general's personal file.

Inside were some papers and a black bound book with the Stormcloak bear symbol etched on the front. Rebec flipped it open, saw Baldur's handwriting, and quickly closed it again. It was his personal journal, and it would violate his privacy to read it. Her eyes then fell on a strange purple vellum sheet marked with gold runes. On the back side was legible writing, but it was all wizard talk and made her eyes cross to read it.

Stepping to the doorway of the tent, Rebec spied one of the Dunmer and called him over. He studied both sides of the sheet before taking up a quill and writing out the contents for her on a separate piece of paper.

I have infiltrated the imperial camp. There's not much to tell that you probably haven't scouted already, apart from the Thalmor reinforcement that just arrived is about 2000 to 3000 men strong. They are also building catapults as siege-weapons. They're building them in a small clearing near the camp, it's hard to miss. On the backside of the letter you will also find instructions on how to cast the spell to send messages back using this cloth. Only send messages at dusk after the sun have disappeared on the horizon but before the dark.
W

It must be Witchie's means of communicating with Baldur, she realized. Suddenly Rebec was not so angry that the mage was gone from camp. He had obviously been busy. Dusk had just fallen, which she took to be a sign that the gods weren't entirely against her. Another bit of tomfoolery couldn't top what had already happened that day. Hastily she began penning a reply.

When it was finished, she gave it back to the Dunmer and said with distaste, "Cast your spell or whatever it is you need to do."

When this was done, Rebec shoved the runed sheet back into the case, then paused over Baldur's journal once more before carefully replacing it as well. Tucking the case under her arm, she hurried off to join the march to Falkreath.

Witch-king (aka Witchie alias Skjari)
Imperial camp, the fort
12th of Second Seed, Noon

Witchie was sitting and eating in his new room, which was quite more luxury and comfortable compared to what he had gotten used to. While he was eating he went through what he had learned about the camp and he had sent a message about it to Baldur with the runed cloth. One thing that had gotten his attention was the number of Thalmor that guarded the fort's prison, he was planning on asking the princess look into it. Then he also had to plan out what he could do to slow the imperials down and to kill the Thalmor without raising too much suspicion. Then there was the princess's magic lessons to think of. Suddenly Witchie heard knocking on his door, and heard a female voice,

"Sir? Master Skjari? It's Princess Moitre's maid, Elan."

"Yes?"

"She requests that you join us on her daily walk"

Then I can ask her about he prison.
"I'll come." Witchie said before he ate the last piece of meat and walked out the door. Elan nodded to him, she had brown hair, blue eyes, and had a small build. She was dressed in a fancy maid outfit. She would be considered very attractive for her age. Witchie follower her outside to the princess, who was as always, dressed in her frilly pink dress. The princess smiled and said,

"Glad you could join us Master."

"I had nothing better to do."

Elan coughed awkwardly, before going into position beside the princess and started walking down the trail they we're on. The princess, ignoring Witchie's comment, asked him,

"Are your quarters satisfactory Master?"

"Yes quite, they're actually better than what I'm used to."
Why is the maid still around? I need to ask about he prison without anyone hearing.

They walked for around twenty minutes, before Witchie started to feel extremely bored. In his boredom he started to notice something a bit odd. The princess and her maid where walking side by side, and we're holding hands with each other, in fact the princess had her head leaning on Elan's shoulder.

"I assume this is your 'snuggle friend' that sleeps under your pillow."

The princess leaned in closer to Elan, who was blushing a furious shade of red at Witchie's words, the princess responded with,

"She's my Teddy bear, yes."

"Did you get that sheath so you can have your dagger with you now?"

Elen, turned towards Witchie and then the princess with a worried look on her face,

"You have a dagger milady?!"

The princess lightly put her arm over Elan's neck,

"Dont worry teddy bear, it's just a...precaution..."

"One should always take precautions, especially during war times."

Her worried face, soon twisted into a hysterically worried face.

"You think the Stormcloaks are going to try and kill milady?!"

The princess gently brought Elen closer to her,

"Master didn't mean that, you don't have to worry teddy bear..." she squesed Elen tightly.

"I thought that someone in your position would be more used to people trying to kill you."

"There hasn't been an attempt on miladies life, once". said Elan.

Witchie decided to to try and make a little small talk, "How long have you two been together?"

Elan, once again put on her worried expression, with a cracked filled voice.

"What-do you mean..."

"You're worried about something?"

Elan once again blushed, but before she could say anything, princess Dales merely said in her happy-go-lucky voice ,

"Eight years"

"That's quite a long time for someone at you age."

"It is. People don't usually have such long-term relationships at my age, but I want her to be with me forever, so It doesn't matter." She snuggled her head up against Elan's neck.

"How nice." Witchie couldn't help but to sound indifferent and bored.

The princess smiled, before telling Elan,

"If you dont mind Elan, can you head back to camp? Me and my master here have matters to discuss"

Elan nodded her head,

"Of course Milady"

The princess smiled and kissed her on the cheek, not minding the blushes erupting from the maid's face. She soon thereafter faded from view.

Finally that's over.
"You have something particular you want to discuss?"

She smiled, "I request you don't tell anyone about me and Elan's special "Snuggle Buddy" relationship. And if i'm not mistaken you have something to discuss with me."

"Yes, what do you know about the prison? It's heavily guarded by the Thalmor. Who or what are trying to keep in or maybe out?"

She looked genuinely confused, "The prison is usually guarded by fifteen to twenty Aldmeri soldiers. But I haven't heard anything about a high-profile prisoner..."

"It wouldn't surprise me if they kept secrets from you. I want you to find out if they're up to something."

"Those ******* pointy ear freaks....holding information from me" She said in a anger filled voice.

"Wait a second." Witchie then cast the spell that would keep people from eavesdropping on them. "You said yourself that they look at you like you were a bug."

"Yeah?"

"Don't you see? They just see you as a figurehead."

"A figure head...now that I think about it...all I really did as High Inquisitor was just sign papers, the dominion justicars usually didn't even tell me what they we're about. My daddy told me to obey every order the justicars told me, or else he would..." She looked away, with a grim look on her face.

"I guess he's not the kind type."

"Yes, he's not a kind man. But-" she looked at Witchie "You wont let him hurt me again will you?"

"Why would I? If anything, he would most likely get the short end of the stick if he showed up anywhere near to me."
I remember what I did to his kind in my kingdom. They always ended up begging for death.

"Okay good, I feel safe around you master." She smiled, "We should head back, I'll get the information you require."

"Good. And remember to act, we don't want anyone catching on to us."

Many hours later, late in the night,

Witchie, heard BANG BANG BANG on his door, and heard the princess's shriek,

"Master master open up!!!!"

Witchie instantly teleported outside the door, though he didn't have any clothes on.

"What is it!?"

"Master Master, I got-" She had to breath for a few seconds "The info you seek...the prisoner is General Baldur Blood-snow of the Stormcloak army... " She looked terrified "the officer asked me why I was so interested and I had to use a lame excuse, he kept evading the question until I pulled my rank on him...he and the other soldiers we're giving me dirty looks, "She tried to hide behind him, and tears we're starting to well up in her face "What if they send people after me..."

"Then they'll die. Gives a good excuse for charging some of them for treason as well."

She looked even worse now, "WAIT, what if they get Elan also!!!! NOOOOO that would be horrible...MASTER YOU HAVE TO PROTECT ME AND HER!!!!"

"Calm down. Calm down."
How did I get into this mess?

She started to hyper ventilate and fell down on the floor, "Please I don't wanna die Master....please..."

Witchie crouched down besides her and put his hand on her shoulder and started to channel a powerful calming spell into her. Her body relaxed, her breathing became calm once again, the princess swallowed hard, before saying quite calmly,

'Just don't let them harm me or Elan master...please..."

"Yeah, yeah. I think you need some sleep."
Alduin's fire, I think I should get some as well.

"Can you...watch the door for a little while..."

"Sure, let me just get my clothes and a chair."

She nodded and quickly went into her room, "Thank you master."

Witchie then walked back into his room, put on his clothes before grabbing one the two chairs in the room and pulled out and put it in front of the princess door. He then put down a frost rune around the chair that would impale anyone who got to close on several icy spears and then sat down.

What's next? Me sleeping in her room?

It wasn't long till he fell asleep in the chair himself.

Rebec, Marius, Boldir
Evergreen Glade camp
late afternoon

Marius went along the path in silence to the stormcloak camp, he was along side four Grimm ones. They've been scouting the forest for any traces of Badlur for a quite awhile now. They found nothing.


Rebec led the way to Marius' tent. He wasn't there, but they spotted him coming in from a search and intercepted him at the edge of camp. Just as she did so a sentry came running. "Admiral, Captain Iron-Brow- a supply caravan was hit near Helgen. They got most of the weapons and killed a few men. The imperials retreated as soon as they hit."

Glancing at Boldir, Rebec remarked, "Guerrilla strike. They must think we're just off mama's teat, apt to run away if they poke at us." To the sentry she said, "Call all the search teams in. If they haven't found him yet, they're not going to. Please take the word to the Necro Nords' command to prepare everyone else to move in force to Falkreath just after the evening meal."

As Marius reached the edge of camp, a Regular approached him, before snidely saying,

"Milk-Drinker, the Admiral and Captain Iron-Brow are looking for you"

Marius nodded to the rude soldier, before dismissing the Four Grim ones and going to meet the two officers.


Boldir spotted Marius near the edge of camp,
unrestrained and unguarded. Boldir looked back at Rebec.

"I thought you said he was under watch."


"His guards are getting too friendly with him. They saw Baldur do the same. I'll have a word with them."

Approaching the imperial, Rebec skipped formalities and asked, "Did you see any sign of Samuel?"


Marius shook his head, "Sorry ma'em, no signs of Samuel or Baldur."

Rebec was disappointed but unsurprised. "I thought Samuel might take the opportunity to grab you himself if you were out of camp. Had to take the chance. At any rate, introductions. This is Captain Iron-Brow. By now you know we think that the Thalmor have Baldur. I wanted to know your recommendation for how to get him out of there."


He nodded his head towards Boldir,

"Sir, Lorgar told me about you." He turned his head back to the Admiral, with a frown, "Before I give you my answer, I need you to understand the chance of someone getting out of a thalmor prison on there own is extremely slim, even with assistance this will be a very difficult objective."

Boldir grunted. "We know that. If it was gonna be easy, we wouldn't have come to you for help. You lived in the fort. You know its layout. Where would they keep a prisoner of such high value?"

"They keep officers and other high-value POW's in secret hidden cells in the prison area."

"And I presume you know where these cells are?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. That's a start. The hard part is gonna be reaching the cells and getting him out. Which is why we came to you."

The admiral said, "I'll be honest, Marius, I thought about arresting you and offering you to the Thalmor as a trade. But I'd rather have your willing cooperation. Don't think that I trust you yet, because I don't. As for our options, I'm considering launching a full-on attack. We would lose the defensive advantages we have in Falkreath, but would have surprise on our side. Would it be enough to provide a diversion?"


"Sir and ma'em...That fortress is heavily fortified and I don't know the cell -

"My, my Marius not knowing how to breach his own fortress..." said a cold voice,

Marius turned to look. It was a hooded figure. His face was cloaked in shadows. He wore a pitch black cloak, along with a service patch on his right shoulder, which was the Horse of Whiterun.


Rebec drew her axe and stepped back for throwing distance, pointing it at the stranger. "Looks like you lost your Stormcloak badge, scout. You have two seconds to identify or you eat this axe."

Boldir drew his own axe and walked around to the hooded man's left.

"You heard the lady. Talk!"


The figure merely chuckled,

"I'm no Stormcloak Admiral and Captain. I'm merely a soldier...that would find it beneficial to his unit to have General Red-Snow free from Thalmor custody."

Boldir wasn't in the mood to deal with another mystery man.

"Isn't that nice." He said sarcastically. "The last stranger that said he wanted to help got Baldur captured in the first place!"

"Indeed, that's what you get for trusting a man like Samuel."

"I said identify, stranger," Rebec answered. "That means a name. And take off that hood so I can see you. Your two seconds are already up, so don't make me ask again." Her Necro Nord bodyguards stepped up to either side of the stranger, ready to seize him.

The hooded man, merely chuckled,

"I would rather not, in a gesture of good faith I can tell you my unit, I'm part of the "Sons of Whiterun".

At a nod from Rebec the Necro Nords grabbed the man's arms. "That name is known to me, and not as friends. If you're an imperial spy, you're a bad one." Turning to the other imperial she asked, "Is this some kind of trick, Marius? I'm not in the mood for jokes."

"You could of course detain, and make me take off this hood. But of course, every minute you waste with me, the Thalmor are closer and closer to breaking your general."


Marius remained silent for a few seconds before saying,

"Is that you old friend?"


"Fair enough." Boldir motioned for the Necro Nords to pull back the man's hood.


The hood gave away to a man with grey hair, a black eye patch on his right eye, and a smile. Everyone recognized him.

Boldir was surprised and more than a little confused. "General Tullius... Give us one good reason not to execute you now. Actually, just tell us whatever it was that you came here to say, and then we'll decide ourselves."

"Well Captain, I was here to offer my unit as a distraction and give your General Red-Snows cell number."

"How would you know the cell number of a Thalmor captive in what is supposedly a secret cell?"

"Let's just say I caught a little bird and made it sing..."

Rebec replaced her axe and eased, somewhat, but was obviously very skeptical. Crossing her arms, she said, "So you've been in this area for some time, watching us. You saw them capture Baldur? You're no friend of ours, less so than Marius. Why would you help us? I'd think you'd be back in Cyrodiil cackling in your brandy about Ulfric's third being in Thalmor custody."

"I'm neither friend nor foe admiral. By helping you, I'm helping my own Agenda. Do you think me that stupid that I would return to Cyrodiil?, I would end up in a back alley with an elven dagger in my throat. I'm sure our mutual friend, Marius, filled you in on what's happening in Cyrdoiil."

"You were stupid enough to come here. Even if we were to overlook your own crimes, which we haven't, the Sons of Whiterun are not our allies. Several months ago, more a few Stormcloak military positions were ambushed by your men. Give me a reason to trust you."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" Captain, we have a Mutual goal now, cause chaos against the Dominion. I can help you, and I have valuable information on your general. We don't have to trust one another."

Rebec glanced at Boldir. The Necro Nords had the two imperials under guard, so she pulled the captain aside and whispered, "If they are willing to risk their lives for this, I say we let them. I never expected to keep our movements hidden for long, and if Baldur breaks then the Thalmor will have far more on us than these two can give. Let's see if they're willing to do an infiltration with us, or for us. With Marius' help that would have a chance, and we won't have to risk our entire force."

Boldir nodded.
"They seem sincere, and there's little to lose from allowing their forces to die in the place of our own. I agree, we should use them." He said the next part in a whisper. "But when this is over, I want Tullius brought to the camp and I don't want him let out of sight. That man is Ulfric's most wanted, and helping us for mutual benefit does not get him off the hook."

"Agreed. We're desperate, that's obvious." Rebec regarded Boldir uneasily, then turned back to the others. "Release him," she told the Necro Nords. Turning to Marius and Tullius, she said, "Tell me your plan, if you've got one. If we can sneak in with Marius, a diversion would be counterproductive. Are you wiling to go so far as to infiltrate for us?"

Tullius smiled, teeth flashing,

"We would. And I have a plan....but I have a term for me helping you. After me and Marius get Baldur out, you let me walk."

Boldir thought about this for a moment.
Even if he does walk, if he's being honest, the worst case scenario is that we'll still have Baldur back and our troops will be no worse for wear.
"Deal." He said finally. "But only if Baldur makes it back to Falkreath alive and we have you to thank for it."

"Agreed"

He drew a map from his cloak, a map of the area around the fort.

"There's a a large area of dead trees here," he pointed to a area on the map "Me and Marius will slip into her during the night, cloaked. The forest isn't patrolled so we should be good. From there, me and Marius will blend in as legionaries and infiltrate the fort."

"The men will recognize both of you," Rebec pointed out. "I'll leave it to you to figure out how to deal with that. Closed helmets or what have you." I can't believe we're even talking about this, the admiral thought. Then she got an image of Baldur among Thalmor torturers. There would be no Lorgar to intervene even a little. "And what about when you get to the Thalmor prison? They're not going to let even imperials through there, by what we've heard."


Tullius, once again flashed a dark smile,

"Leave that to me and Marius. We're not rookies, we can cut threw them if necessary using stealth."

Rebec stared at the general for a long moment. He had escaped Ulfric's custody, and gotten through their pickets unnoticed. If there was even the slightest chance it could work without risking the entire Falkreath force... She glanced at the captain, then said, "I'll agree to this if Boldir does. You should leave at once. As you said, every minute we wait the danger grows. Gods forgive me if this is another trick." And Baldur forgive me.

"Then we have no time to waste, Marius let's move." He stopped for a second, before saying "Talos guide you". He headed out of the stormcloak camp along with Marius.

Boldir looked at the Admiral, then back at Tullius as he headed off. He didn't take his eyes off as he addressed Rebec. "I already said I'd agree with his plan. But I don't trust him. I'm worried about why he would want Baldur free, but for now, this is much less risky than using our own men. So I'm all for it."

The admiral's expression was bleak. "Tell me this is a hangover dream and I'll swear off mead forever."

Boldir chuckled for the first time since he read of Baldur's disappearance.
"Much less risky than me going alone."

"About that. Boldir, I probably some things to you earlier that I shouldn't have. I don't even remember what I said, but I take it all back anyway." She forced a smile and went on, "I should be off and find out what else happened during my nap. You'd better get some food. The camp will be moving within the hour."


The admiral made her way back to the command tent and began flipping through the reports there. There were some Necro Nords packing up maps and ledgers for the move to Falkreath. As they did so, Rebec noticed a leather case marked with Baldur's name. One of the men told her it was the general's personal file.

Inside were some papers and a black bound book with the Stormcloak bear symbol etched on the front. Rebec flipped it open, saw Baldur's handwriting, and quickly closed it again. It was his personal journal, and it would violate his privacy to read it. Her eyes then fell on a strange purple vellum sheet marked with gold runes. On the back side was legible writing, but it was all wizard talk and made her eyes cross to read it.

Stepping to the doorway of the tent, Rebec spied one of the Dunmer and called him over. He studied both sides of the sheet, then said, "It's a small teleport portal. For notes and the like. Was there anything with it?"

Rebec looked back at the papers from Baldur's case and pulled out the one that she thought might have been with the cloth. It read:

I have infiltrated the imperial camp. There's not much to tell that you probably haven't scouted already, apart from the Thalmor reinforcement that just arrived is about 2000 to 3000 men strong. They are also building catapults as siege-weapons. They're building them in a small clearing near the camp, it's hard to miss. On the backside of the letter you will also find instructions on how to cast the spell to send messages back using this cloth. Only send messages at dusk after the sun have disappeared on the horizon but before the dark.
W

It must be Witchie's means of communicating with Baldur, she realized. Suddenly Rebec was not so angry that the mage was gone from camp. He had obviously been busy. Dusk had just fallen, which she took to be a sign that the gods weren't entirely against her. Another bit of tomfoolery couldn't top what had already happened that day. Hastily she began penning a reply.

When it was finished, she gave it back to the Dunmer and said with distaste, "Cast the spell or whatever it is you need to do to send that letter on." While he did so, she stood back and kissed her whalebone amulet for luck. The Dunmer took a moment to prepare, laid Rebec's letter on top of the runed cloth, and as he cast a spell it suddenly disappeared. But to where. Well, we'll see.

Afterward Rebec shoved the runed sheet back into the case, then paused over Baldur's journal once more before carefully replacing it as well. Tucking the case under her arm, she hurried off to join the march to Falkreath.

Lorgar Grimnaw, Pale Pass Camp

Lorgar headed to his tent. He quickly got out his satchel bag, and starting putting in the tools of the shadows. Two vials of Hammerfell scorpion venom, and a set of four steel throwing knives. He strapped onto his leg two ebony knives, he put on his standard issue Imperial Shortsword, and hung his trusty ebony greatbow on his back along with a quiver of thirty ebony tipped arrows. He...also packed something for the road, he made sure to stuff it at the bottom of his pack, just in case. He also took with him a map of Falkreath hold, which he usually kept on his writing desk.

Got everything I need…Knives…Bow…Poison…Yuri…Yep everything’s in orders, now I need to find Edaurd.

Eduard Laenius- Fort Pale Pass

Well, guess I better start preparing for this assassination, as well as my personal business in Falkreath,Eduard said to himself. What all will I need...

He decided to take some obvious things, like his bow, and a dagger. He decided not to take a poison, instead choosing some ingredients so he could make one if necessary.

Don't want any questions being asked, he figured. Now, for some more things.

He decided that he would take some extra gold, for any unexpected expenses.

Now that I'm prepared, I need to think of how I can get both these assassinations done. In the meantime, I should try and find Lorgar. See if he's ready.

Lorgar and Edaurd, Falkreath

Lorgar sat crouched in a bush , on a slope overlooking the large town of Falkreath. However unlike most day's, no one was out due to the massive rain storm covering the entire hold. He turned to his concealed partner,

"The rain cloaks us...very good timing."

Eduard turned to his partner.

"Could be good. It won't help us once we are inside though," he replied. "Anyways, the place looks pretty well protected, even with this rain. The citizens might be inside, but that means some of the guards could be as well. We'll know more once we get into town. Where do you want to head first?"

He ignored Edaurds words,

"The town is manned by 40 guards on the outside; not counting the large Stormcloak army camped around the town, which numbers in the hundreds if not thousands. The longhouse entrance is guarded by two soldiers at all times, while the area is patrolled by squads of 5."

Eduard sighed at his partner, who obviously was ignoring him.

"Right. That still doesn't tell us much more than we already know, however. We need to plan how we are going about once we enter town."

"Eliminate the Jarl, and anyone who gets in the way."

He sarcastically added,

"Or we can pose as newly weds, rent a "Honeymoon" suite at the inn, and sneak into the Jarl longhose on the prefix of wanting to party...'

Eduard looked at his partner, with a slight frown.

"I was under the impression we wanted to leave alive. Whatever, we'll do it your way this time. Who do we need to eliminate first? Unless you wish to simply just walk in the longhouse and put an arrow in his throat."

"I heard the old man's Huscarl/servant advice's him on political matters and all that. Let's gut her, and during the rainy funeral we cover the man in arrows...or we can do the couples idea, your choice?"

Puzzled by Lorgar's insistence on the odd couple scheme, he gave his partner a confused look.

"You seem to gravitate towards that couple idea. Is there something you need to tell me?" He asked with a laugh. "Anyways, your first plan works. How we going about it. Walk in, walk out?"

"I'm not ***..." Lorgar said defensively

"Neither, we wait till she leaves the longhouse to go back to her house, and we gut her. Knowing that idiot, he'll probably want to have a funeral as soon as possible. Cloaked by the rain we'll kill him during the ceremony with arrow fire.

"It was just a joke," Eduard laughed.

"Anyways, that sounds good. It'll be a while before we can go forward, so in the meantime, I'm going to attend some personal business."

"Go ahead" As Lorgar said that, he took out a book, which he put extra care into not showing Edaurd.

Witchking (aka Witchie alias Skjari)
Imperial camp fort
Early morning

Witchie woke up from his regular nightmares when the sun was about to dawn. He dispelled the rune around his chair and pulled it back into his room. The room was about twice as large as a regular tavern restroom, it had a simple bed to the right when you entered and a small round table with a chair besides it. Witchie put the second chair back besides the table. He then remembered that he hand't checked on the runed cloth last evening, damning himself for forgetting, someone could have looked into his room while he slept. When he looked he found a letter which appeared to untouched and it read:

"Witchie:
We believe the Thalmor have captured Baldur and are holding him at their high-level prison at Pale Pass fort. Priority is to get him out before he breaks. Use all means at your disposal. Imperial generals Marius and Tullius have offered to help us infiltrate due to their anger over Thalmor ops in Cyrodiil. They will be trying to enter the prison within days. Aid them if you can, but watch for divided loyalty esp. when Baldur is free. Secondary objective is to sabotage the catapults. We are installed at Falkreath. I will check your message system every evening. If you are who you say you are, tell me who saved my life at Rommulas.
Admiral Rebec"

Damn I don't know who saved her. Is this a trick question? I don't even remember her being at that bloody camp.

Witchie let it slide for the moment and burned the letter. He then proceeded to put up a trap rune at the inside of his door so if anyone that wasn't him or the princess would try to open, they would find their insides filled with more ice than innards. As he walked out the door he saw two other of the princess maids was walking by, they were dressed the same way as that other maid the princess liked. They were whispering between themselves put they were too far away for Witchie to be able to make out any of the words. They were also looking at him, at point almost to staring and when they got closer they stopped whispering and started to giggle instead. When they were just to pass by one of the maids blinked and smiled at him. Confused on what had just happened, Witchie was just standing there, trying to figure out was all of that was about. Then it it hit him, one of the maids must have seen and most likely overheard the scene last night. And gossip can spread like wildfire. After quickly deciding to have a little talk with the princess he started to ram his fist into her door.

"Yes?" it wasn't the princess, but her maid Elan.

"Dales, we need to talk. Now!"

"Ummm, Master Skjari? Princess Motierre is having breakfast with Legate Trixus, business matters, if you need anything I may be able to help."

"Do you know what happened out here last night?"

"Did something happen? The princess was really clingy last night..."

"You'll hear about it soon enough. Now tell me where she is."

"Private mess hall number 2, it was originally built by the Tsenic for high-ranking officers."

Witchie then left without even saying goodbye and tarted to search for this mess hall. He had explored the fort at the first day he had arrived but he wasn't still entirely familiar with the place. After a couple of minutes and some wrong turns he finally found the right mess hall. He saw the princess sit and eat at some special table that seemed to be reserved for the high ranks. The princess didn't seem to notice him till he was right besides the table.

"May I have a word with you, your highness?"

She looked up in surprise, before smiling,

"Of course Master, if you'll excuse me gentlemen" the other people on the table saluted her, before she left and signaled for Witchie to follow her,

"Is there anything you need master?"

Witchie looked around to make sure no one was near.

"Your little breakdown last night might have been seen by one of your maids."

"Are you sure?! How do you know?"

"I saw two maids whispering and giggling as they walked by me. One of them even blinked and smiled at me. Remember that I was naked when you had your breakdown."

"Maybe they just think your sixy with your mystery and dark robes?"

"With the whispering and giggling, I doubt that."

"Want me to talk to them?"

"What if one of them overheard our whole discussion? What if they know what kind of information you told me. People would start wondering why I would want you to relay such information to me. Do you see where I'm going?"

"I wont kill them if that's what your asking..." She looked coy for a second, "I could...persuade them if that's what you want me to do..."

"I want you to talk to them and find out what they know. If they know too much, you'll have convince them to stay quiet about. And I'm not asking you to kill them."
That would raise too much suspicion. They're also not elves.

She smiled, "It shall be done master..."

"I'll be in my room."

He then walked to the kitchen and grabbed some food before heading back to his room. While he was eating his breakfast he planned out today's magic lessons, it was soon time for the princess to learn about fighting.

Witchie suddenly heard knocking on his door,

"Master? It's me"

He opened the door.

The princess wasn't clad in her normal dress, but a purple night gown. She smiled

"Master, the maids will keep there mouths shut from now on, they only heard the part about you protecting me and Elan."

"Good. Now it's time for some lessons. And I think it's best if you change your clothes. Something that allows for easy running."

"Okay...." The princess went into her room, and it was ten minutes before she stepped out in royal hunting Garb.

"Lets go." He then walked out of the fort to their usual training ground. "Have you practiced the ward I taught you yesterday?"

"Yes Master." She casted the ward with ease.

"Good. But if you're fast enough, you wont need it." A flaming beast with the general shape of a woman appeared floating in the air as he summoned a weaker flame atronach. "I want you to kill it."

Nodding, the princess began to channel her magic, and released a massive frost icicle from her hands. The flame atronach dodged the icicle and shot a flaming bolt towards the princess as it floated away. The princess, to her own surprise, instinctively rolled away from the flaming bolt, before casting another frost icicle. The atronach got hit this time but it just kept floating to the side and shot two more flaming bolts. She side stepped the first bolt, and brought up a ward to block the second. All of here blonde locks we're sprewn across her face, and she looked pissed off. She casted this time two icey spears at the Atronarch. One of the spears missed but the other one hit the atronach's chest, it fell down and subsequently exploded in a shock-wave of fire.

"How did I do master?" asked the tired girl.

"You did well enough." Witchie then looked around to check that no one was near and then double checked with a spell to detect life and then one for death just in case. It was clear. "Now I want you to do something else." He walked behind a tree and conjured up a Thalmor soldier that he dragged out to the princess and pushed him onto his knees. "Kill him."

"No, please don't." the illusion pleaded.

The princess, without any remorse or hesitation, simply asked Witchie, "Can I use my knife?"

"If you wish."

"It shall be done master."

She drew the dark dagger from it's sheaf, before going over to bound Aldmeri soldier, she simply said,

"Your a risk to me and Elan's safety, I cant allow that"

She thrusted the dagger into the soldier's neck. Blood started to flow out of the wound as she pulled out the dagger and the body fell down to the ground.

Now lets see how well she handles under pressure.

"You'll pay for that." another voice said from behind. Two illusions in the shape of Thalmor soldiers stood behind them with their elven swords raised to their necks. She merely turned around, and casted two fury spells and the soldiers.

"Nice try, but we're better than that." the elf now pressed his blade up against her throat. Witchie then sent an ice spike that pierced that elf's throat which was soon covered in blood. At the same the other elf ran his blade through his throat and lots of blood flooded down the blade and his onto his robe while he tried to fake an expression of chock, pain and death.

"MASTER!!!"

The princess, became enraged and jumped onto the elf with all the strength and speed she could muster, and thrusted her dagger into the elf. over and over again. Witchie then chuckled a bit before dispelling all the illusions.

The princess, as she saw all the corpses vanish as well as the blood, looked really confused, until she heard her "dead" master chuckle,

"Master your alive!!!!"

She rushed in and embraced the dark, bearded man.

He patted her a little on the head. "Just wanted to test how you handle under pressure."

"Hmmm, did I do well on that?" asked the still confused princess.

"A bit more focus could be needed. Rage can work good as motivation but don't let it blind you to your surroundings."

She hugged him again, "As you say Master, just glad your not dead."

"Am I really that important?"

She chucked, "Of course silly, your my master and my friend."

I don't need any friends, I don't want any friends. They just end up dying a horrible death.
"Now I think we're getting too cuddly. Self study for the rest of the day."

She sighed, "But Master...I was going to go for a picnic...Do I have to cancel?"

"Free self study then. I got some things I need to take care of."

She squealed happily, "Thank you master!!!! I have to get changed though, Bye!!!" She ran off and was soon out of sight.

Karsh then came flying down and landed on his shoulder and croaked a bit.

"Lets see if I can make you whisper before I investigate the prison."

The raven just croaked again as an answer before Witchie started to cast his experimental spells on the bird.