-Your Majesty, this is foolish, the Imperial army has powerful mages, and they will use their magic to destroy your soldiers! –
-Watch your tongue girl, you are speaking to the true High King. We will fight like our ancients; we don’t need your sorcery to win this battle! –
-Silence both of you! –
Ulfric raised his voice above us, ending the argument. The king sat down on a chair next to the map of the province. The messenger arrived a few hours earlier; he returned the axe Ulfric sent him with, that meant Balgruuf wanted war.
We were at the map room, a dimly lit place, with a table in the center surrounded by a few unused chairs. In the room with me were two people, the king, Ulfric himself, and his newest advisor, the red woman, Katherine. This woman had arrived in the city a few months ago, at first Ulfric had no business with her, or her associates, but after she started to get involved in the city’s affairs she gradually started to earn his trust.
At first she started doing small jobs for the king, she solved some murders, cleared out a few bandit camps and even helped the people of the hold. She had arrived alone in the city, at first, but after the jarl granted her the title of thane, and when she purchased a property in the city a boat arrived with a group of soldiers.
The soldiers wore black armor; all of them donned hoods hiding their faces. Their uniform was a black leather trench coat, with plated gauntlets, and boots, made of fine ebony metal. Their weapons were of fine ebony quality, with an elegant design.
They arrived in an enormous ship, and when I saw that I went to investigate, along with the city guard. The soldiers stayed on their boat, and made no attempt to attack or flee, they just stayed put, like they were waiting for someone. I approached the ship with caution, backed up by some of the jarl’s finest men. Before confronting them I quietly told one of the soldiers to go and get the King.
When I got close a ramp was lowered and two men came out. The one in front was hunched; he wore an old tattered cloak, and donned a hood covering his face. He held a staff in his hands, a strange design that I had never seen before, his eyes were covered in a piece of cloth and he carried a small leather bag at his side. He moved towards me slowly with the help of the other man, a Nord, tall, brown hair combed backwards with a slight bang falling down his face, a small stubble of hair below his lower lip and deep, penetrating yellow eyes.
The old man carefully took his time while going down the ramp, before any of his steps he touched the ground ahead of him with his unusual staff, making sure he would not trip. Once he was close to me the tall Nord stopped him, and the blind man held out his hand, expecting me to take it. I cautiously held out my own hand and shook his; once I did that he began to talk.
-With who do I have the pleasure of speaking to? – Asked the old man in a soft voice, because of his condition he did not let go of my hand, not wanting to be disrespectful to an old blind man I held his while we spoke.
-I have the honor of being Galmar Stone-Fist, proud servant of High King Ulfric Stormcloak. I gave you my name traveler, how about you give me yours? –
He chuckled slightly with satisfaction, and then he spoke.
-My name is not important; I am but a simple, humble priest of the gods. My friend here is the one you want to talk to, I am just an advisor… - said the blind priest while the tall Nord came forth.
-My name is Edward serah Galmar, and we are here to speak with someone in your city, I believe she arrived a few months ago; her name is Katherine, do you know of her? – He said with a slight hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth, I cringed at the mention of the name and abruptly pulled my hand away from the blind man’s grip, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
He fell to his knees on a small puddle of freezing cold water. I felt sorry for him and helped him up; he expressed no anger and looked happy that I helped him up after he fell.
Edward chuckled at the scene, but still helped the blind man up.
-I take this as a sign, that you know her? – He said with an annoying smile on his face.
I was nervous, the guards around me were some of finest warriors Eastmarch had to offer, but admittedly we were ill equipped. We had simple vestments; my guards were wearing worn leather, and chainmail that had been handed down from their father’s father. Some had helmets, a simple iron worm cap, or even just a hide hat. Their weapons were not on top condition, we had a good blacksmith, but even he could not work miracles. Our swords and axes were made of shit quality iron, any metal that we could forage, even rusted, was melted and made into weapons. I wore a tribal armor, adorned with various claws and teeth from animals I had hunted in the past. I counted thick cave bear pelt to defend me, many warriors are not aware of this, but a bear pelt is just as good as iron chainmail to block the slash of a blade. I was also equipped with my father’s iron battle-axe, a reliable weapon, but looking at those mysterious warriors I knew we could not best them.
More of them started to appear from the boat, the guards around me were getting nervous, and one even drew his sword. He stepped forward and pointed that pathetic piece of iron to the tall Nord in front of us, the one that called himself Edward. He was a young lad, just out of his diapers and already one of the finest swordsmen of Eastmarch. He held it to Edward’s throat, and muttered a nervous threat, his stance was good, his feet gave him a nice balance, and he held his shield in such a way as to defend his vitals from an unexpected attack.
In the sight of the action the soldiers on black armor put their hands on top of their swords, they were long swords, one handed weapons that left your off hand free for a shield, a dagger, or even worse, magic. Their presence was unnerving, and as soon as the young soldier threatening Edward spoke, our archers clumsily drew their arrows and knocked them in the direction of the black soldiers. I could hear them breathing, their hearts accelerating, the bowstrings squeaking, those were the deafening sounds heard before a bloodbath.
The deathly noise was broken when a woman walked into the middle of the scene, it was her, Katherine.
-OH! My babies! What a surprise! – She said with an overly exited tone
-I wouldn’t say that, since you did instruct us to show up here after a few months, I expected a warmer welcome – Said Edward
-Then you are responsible for this, this Invasion?! Die you witch! – Said the young soldier, now removing his sword from Edwards throat and slashing it violently towards the red woman.
His position, was flawless, his grip, exemplar, his footwork, better than what most soldiers ever hope to achieve, even with years of training. His target though…
Katherine grabbed his wrist before he could finish his slash, and more akin to a dance move than to a fighting style, she swiped her heel against his legs, making him fall face first on the floor. After she knocked him to the floor she proceeded to ignore the fallen soldier and give Edward a big warm hug.
-It’s so good that you came! I was worried sick! Did the boat need any repairs or something? Got married? Bought a house? – She asked playfully
After she finished teasing her associate she turned towards the archers, they still had their arrows knocked on their bows, but were utterly paralyzed with anxiety. She gave them a puppy dog look asked them to please lower their weapons, that none of the soldiers meant them any harm. Understandably the archers were concerned, we did not expect an invasion by sea. Our navy was lacking, against an Imperial fleet we would be crushed in an instance. To defend our sea we counted on the long lasting winter, it had frozen the waters to the northwest and the eastern exit to the ocean.
The archers finely calmed down and lowered their bows; I was still on edge though, as this was the best time for them to attack.
It was at this time that Ulfric arrived, Katherine smirked and walked slowly in his direction, the king seamed confused, but he listened to her before jumping to any conclusions.
-Katherine, what is the meaning of this? I’m sure you have a perfectly good reason to storm into my city with a small invasion force… - Said Ulfric
-My reasons are noble king, when I first came to this city I saw your struggles, the struggles of your people. You fight a war for freedom, but without the proper support and preparation you are doomed to eventually fail. This “invasion force” is just that, but it won’t be invading Windhelm. When I first came to you I did not fully speak of my past, you see, I am no mere traveler seeking work and housing. I am a noble, of High Rock, my family is quite rich, and has a very large personal army, one that I have inherited with the death of my father, Arkay bless his soul. My king, I offer the financial and military aid that your cause desperately needs, I will empty my coffers, send my whole fleet, outfit every man or woman that wants to fight for your noble dream. Please sire, accept my help – She finished her speech while taking a bow, waiting for Ulfric to respond
-And this ship? The soldiers inside? – I asked, not wanting to wait for Ulfric’s response
-The ship is a gift, along with the gold and metal it carries. The soldiers, my personal guard, these men and women are gifted fighters, trained in the arts of sword and sorcery, I trained them myself, each one of them is trained to take multiple fighters on their own, I wager they could defeat an entire squad of Penitus Oculatus soldiers – she said with a proud smile
-What of the old? He does not fit the profile, what is he doing with the rest of your soldiers? – I inquired, this is too damm suspicious
-He is my most trusted advisor; he was the commander of my father’s army when I was a small child. When he lost his sight on a battle he became a priest, but still remained as my father’s most trusted councilor, and today, he is mine – she answered while giving the blind man a warm hug. The man touched her face and smiled
-You grew up so much, what a beautiful woman you must be – he said while she blushed
At this time I noticed the black soldiers carrying a few chests from the ship, they brought it to land and then opened them in front of the king. It was truly a magnificent sight, the first chests were filled to the brim with treasures; gold, jewels, silver, you name it. And the following, even more so, fine bars of steel, ready to be forged into weapons and armor for our troops. I hate to admit it, but at that point I wanted Ulfric to accept her deal.
The king looked dumbfounded, he was extremely surprised. But when he began to open his mouth Katherine spoke for him.
-This is but the first of many my king, I admit I don’t have as many soldiers as you have in your army, but I do have the funds and resources to outfit both of our forces. Before you say anything, take some time, consider my offer. We both know that, and please be aware that I mean you no disrespect, but your army is not well equipped to fight the Imperials, you have no quality weapons or armor, no money to fund the campaign or food to keep your cities fed in the coming winter. I will provide the financial aid you need, along with highly trained soldiers, available for any tasks you need – she said with a smile, then turned her back and entered the ship, along with the other soldiers, and their gold.
I quickly made my way to join the king, he quietly beckoned me to come with him and so we followed the pathway out of the docks and back to the castle. Once we arrived Ulfric called his steward and we sat down at the map room to discuss the present situation.
-I imagine you both know why I called you here, Katherine; the woman that came into the city a few months ago has offered us quite a big sum. To be fair, what reasons have we to doubt her? She has more proven herself to be of trust. She came into the city and helped us with some bandit problems; she also helped us solve the Windhelm butcher case, and earned the title of thane for all of her honorable deeds. Now she wants to help with our cause and what do we have to say against it? I can think of no reason to distrust her, she is a true daughter of Skyrim and wants to help the cause – Said Ulfric, collapsing on his chair with a tired expression
-Then why do you have that tired expression on your face? – I asked, showing my distrust.
-That’s it, I can think of no reason… She has given us no reason whatsoever to distrust her. She came here, helped the city, cleared out bandits, helped some of our businesses with hefty investments and even applied to serve under the Stormcloak banner. You supervised her test yourself and then informed me she passed every single test with excellence, you even said she is the best fighter you ever saw. This just seems too damm good to be true – Said the king with a thoughtful expression.
-I feel conflicted by this, by accepting aid from the outside would not be something that our ancestors would do – I said, coming closer to the table and pouring myself a bottle of mead.
-Jorleif, how are our finances, our inventory, how much good would this gold be to our cause? – The king asked his steward.
-We have nearly 350 men and women fighting under our banner, yet most of them are peasants who never participated of a shield wall. Even more than that wear rags, swing lumberjack axes and have fewer wordily possessions than some of the argonians living in the Grey Quarter. We have three boats, two of them are trading ships and the other technically belongs to the east empire trading company. We have no siege weapons, barely enough food to get us through the winter and we still need to scavenge any pieces of metal we can find to create low quality, brittle iron for our weapons and armor – He said, finishing our long list of problems, problems that we could fix with all that gold.
-I’ll admit it, we need the gold, we could hire mercenary companies to train our soldiers, buy, or even use the metal she is offering. Even her troops and ships would give us the resources to invade Solitude by sea, something the Empire would never expect! – Ulfric spoke, with a spark of greed in his eyes, one that only I saw, and even that was only for a second – It’s decided then, we should accept her offer –
I felt myself returning to the moment, Ulfric had just asked me a question. Katherine sighed when she caught me looking at her; I had not noticed I was staring, so I averted my gaze and asked him to repeat the question.
-Were you paying any attention? – He said with a slightly disapproving look on his face.
-Sorry my king, I was lost in thought, reviewing the past few days on my head. –
-I was asking your advice on our current situation, Balgruuf sent his axe back, I need to know friend, are we ready for war? – He asked me, a direct question now, and I didn’t feel ready to answer him.
-Our troops are ready, they are fully trained, the mercenaries did their job. The smiths have been working non-stop, but managed to finish outfitting our soldiers. The carpenters and engineers we hired have managed to create the siege weapons we needed, and because of the troops from the Rift we now have a big invasion force without having to sacrifice any of our stationary troops – I listed, trying to keep my head high while I recited that, but inevitably my voice wavered in that last sentence
-What is wrong friend? I value your opinion, you don’t need to hide anything from me because it would displease me, please, speak up – Said the king, beckoning me to share my troubles.
-I… Sire, I don’t think you should bring the red woman or her troops with you; she already funded the whole campaign, trained and outfitted our troops with her mercenaries and money. This victory should be yours, I beg of you sire, don’t take her with you; the men will attribute your victory to her sorcery. We should win this battle like our ancients did – I beckoned him
Katherine looked slightly disappointed with my statement, so she spoke up, revealing her worries.
-My king, I worry for you, the Imperials have battle mages that can be extremely dangerous for those without magical prowess, or those who are not used to fighting them – She said, her voice revealed concern, but also a hint of authority, as if it was imperative for her to come.
-HA, the Imperials will not get the chance; I will use my voice to repel their spells! The arcane magic they weave is no match to my Thu’um – Said the king, a distinctive tone of arrogance in his voice, no doubt born from the time in which he single handedly defeated the forsworn briar heart and hagraven matron that led the forsworn troops who took Markarth on that fateful day.
-I know of your feats my king, and I would never even think about diminishing them but, those were savages, what you will face in Whiterun, is the Grey Wolf, captain Lucius Capran himself. My scouts reported seeing his subordinates in the city, and that is not all, there have been rumors, rumors that the Dragonborn has appeared in Whiterun, and she has declared that she will protect the city against any threat. I can’t help but think that in her eyes we would appear to be such a threat – Said the red woman, a growing concern in her voice.
I decided it was time to speak up against that, voicing my concerns for his image.
-Would you hide behind her then? What will the men say? Would you, you of all people, let someone take from you the glory you deserve? – I beckoned him, the aggression, palpable in my voice.
The king lowered his head, he knew that what I said was true, this woman was already behind most of the victories we had, her and her black soldiers.
-You are right Galmar, maybe you should sit this one out Katherine – Said Ulfric, I watched her reaction, but there was no rage, just disappointment, yet with a slight hint of frustration.
-Your word is law my king; I will remain here like you wish, but I must ask something of you, please listen to me. I would have no worries if you were up against regulars, but the Grey Wolf’s soldiers are just as dangerous as my own troops, if not more. Take some of them with you, I swear they will not get in the way, as far as I’m concerned they will have specific orders to only protect you, to act from the shadows as your guardians, and to guarantee that you live through this. Please, allow me this peace of mind, if you die, I don’t… I don’t know what I would do… - She pleaded, her eyes filling up with tears on that last thought.
An awkward silence filled the room as she brought her hands to her eyes and nose to stop herself from crying.
-I will allow that, I see no harm in having a little extra protection, if it makes you feel better – Said the king with a kind smile.
-Oh, thank you – she said as she wiped some of the tears from her face – You make me feel so much better –
This still displeased me; I will have to be even more vigilant in the coming battle.
-It is decided then, tomorrow we march, to Whiterun…
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