Act I: Chapter 8

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On to the chapter! Authors note at the bottom!

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It was odd walking through what one could reasonably call 'my city', as far as the legion was concerned at least.

When I walked passed, my men stood a little straighter and their eyes focused on the task at hand. They did not lounge around their stationed areas, they stood straight unless on a break. Their armor gleamed under the harsh sun, freshly polished.

But more importantly, they stood with confidence. They stood as if they knew how to hold the weapon on their side, even if most only had a basic understanding. That was more than enough to do their job properly.

I smiled to myself as pride rushed through my frame. 'This is what the legion is supposed to be about, this is what it is supposed to represent. Order, justice, safety.' I thought to myself.

This did not mean that I had cleaned up the city and brought in a new wave of peace, not at all in fact. The men that didn't adapt to the new change in leadership, found themselves working graveyard shifts or spread throughout the less important districts in the city, the ones where crime was low.

But in the market district, where I currently walked, the men were solid, as were the men that would relieve them for the other hours of the day. I wasn't back at the barracks, but I knew that there was men training and marching, just as I commanded, for the upcoming raid on the Forsworn.

As it turns out, corruption ran deeper than just the ex-captain. Apparently, it was an easy thing to get out of a crime, if you were willing to pay off the guards who caught you. I was currently thinking on ways to cut out the corruption, but everything I thought of was only short term. But I honestly had more pressing things to do, and that was prepare for a battle.

"Sir!"

I turned to the voice to see a random guard, in full uniform. I couldn't make out his features through his helmet, but I could hear his ragged breathing, telling me that he had been running.

"Yes?" I asked the guard.

"The Jarl requests your presence." The guard managed to get out.

"Did he say why?" I asked as I started walking that direction.

"Reports from Druadach are back."

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Understone Keep seamed to gleam more and more everyday.

At least it did to me. Maybe it was another pride thing? The fact that it's protection rested on my shoulders was stressful, and also rewarding. It didn't take me long to reach the Jarl's office, now the war room. The same room I had seen the Silver-Blood family get knocked down a few pegs in.

"Hadvar! We have news!" Igmund's voice called out as he recognized me.

I nodded to him just as the rest of the room turned my direction. There were a couple of unfamiliar faces, but the patches on the side of their armour told me everything I needed to know.

I walked up to where they were standing in a circle. In the middle of all of them laid a map with certain points of interest marked on it. It was a map of Druadach Redoubt. I stood to attention in front of the newcomers fairly quickly.

"At ease, soldier." A gruff voice came from the man with the private rank on his shoulder. "This is still your city, for now. I'm just here to make sure you don't fuck it up."

I didn't let my surprise at his informal address show. I actually expected Tullius to send someone to replace me, but apparently I just got a babysitter.

'I'm fine with it. Let him see how competent I am, or am not.' I thought to myself about the situation. 'Just another opportunity.'

"Thank you, Sir!" I croaked out.

"Private Loren." The man introduced himself with a hand out.

I grasped his hand. "Praefect Hadvar." I told the man.

"Bah!" Jarl Igmund spat out. "Thane Hadvar, nothing less!" The Jarl corrected me with a grin.

"I'm still in the legion, my Jarl." I told the man with a sideways glance. "And last I checked, I was still Praefect."

"Ha!" The newly introduced Private Loren laughed. If I didn't know he was a nord by the black braided beard on his face, or his stature, his bark of laughter would have told me so. "A humble one isn't he, and acts like a proper soldier despite it all."

"He is of the impression that the legion needs some work, and I think he means to set a good example of what to follow." Jarl Igmund added on to the Private's words while also throwing my motivation out there.

I glared at the Jarl but didn't say anything. I didn't particularly want the man who was high enough rank to answer only to General Tullius to know everything about me, but I kept my mouth shut.

Private was a weird rank in the Legion. First and foremost, it meant that even though his outward appearance wouldn't show it, he was a smart man. Second, it showed a certain amount of martial prowess. Third, he knew how to play the political game. I was already assuming that he was one of the people closest to General Tullius in all of Skyrim. The fact that he was a Nord meant that he knew our traditions, and could advise the General accurately. His playful banter with Jarl Igmund showed that the Jarl approved of the man, and that meant he was a proper nord.

'He's here on business. Don't forget that, Hadvar.' I told myself.

"That means he has a good head on his shoulders then." Loren said in response to my criticism. "And he knows how to lead men." Loren's tone turned a little contemplative and he eyed me, appraising me.

"Lead by example." I commented, telling him how I liked to do things.

"Exactly." Loren said.

Jarl Igmund watched our little exchange with a smile on his face before clapping his hands and getting everyone attention. Calcelmo caught my eye and nodded approvingly before giving his attention to the Jarl.

"Now, our spies are back, and they bring information. The Forsworn are in the exact location our Thane said they would be." Jarl Igmund said with a gesture towards me. I didn't do anything to show that I noticed the gesture. "And it seems like they know we're coming, or at the very least, they don't care."

I frowned, wondering where this was going. What do you mean they don't care?

"We even got a rough estimate of their numbers." The Jarl revealed. "Roughly seven thousand people call Druadach Redoubt home, not including the cave system."

'Fuck, we'll be heavily outnumbered.' I thought as I heard the number. I didn't let it show on my face, instead I kept a neutral but confident look. 'The mountain will be used to our advantage.'

"We have obtained a rough map of the trails that lead into their hidden valley, you see it before you." The Jarl said as he pointed at the map on the table in front of everyone.

"What is our attacking force?" Loren asked as the Jarl paused for a moment.

Jarl Igmund nodded to me to answer, so I obliged. "Two-thousand legionnaires, and roughly seventeen hundred citizens of Markarth." I answered, before adding. "Jarl Igmund has ordered and paid for his citizens to be armed, while the Legion has funded our own, as the agreement with the Jarl's father specified."

Loren nodded at me. "And these citizens have been trained?"

"All of them have been introduced to the marching of the Imperial Legion, but few have attended daily training after that." I answered quickly.

Calcelmo decided to let his presence be known then, and cut in. "So we have two-thousand, barely trained men and seventeen hundred people who will run around and get in our way?"

'Exactly.' I thought to myself, but did not let my agreement show.

Loren did not have such reservations, apparently. "Precisely." He said.

"My people are there for the morale of the city. I will not hide behind the Legion and let them win my battles. That would do nothing but encourage the Stormcloak support within the city. We need to give them this." Jarl Igmund said, once again showing his competency as Jarl. I had agreed to it, for the exact same reason, Markarth as whole needed to support the Legion fully.

I decided to let everyone in on the battle plan that I had concocted standing there and staring at the map while the conversation went on. "There are five main roads that lead into the city. They wind up the side of the mountain. These three…" I said as I pointed them out. One approached from the east, one from the west, and one led to the heart of the city. "...are the only ones capable of holding an army on them."

I was about to bark out a plan, before I thought better of it and looked towards the Jarl. "Do you have a plan of attack yet?" I asked.

Igmund was smiling wide, watching me work. He shook his head negative and gestured for me to continue.

"There are no walls to this city." I said gesturing to the map. "That means there is no siege. We march, they fall." I said simply. "Jarl Igmund will lead his men up the center road, to the heart of the city. I will leave it up to him to determine how to best accomplish this. Private Loren and I will split the legion in half and secure the eastern and western roads."

I looked to Loren questioning, before he nodded that he was willing. "Jarl Igmund, I ask that you attack first and draw their main force in the center." I told them while moving a piece of wood on the board to the proper place on the map. "While you are fighting, we will move into the heart of the city, on both sides…" Once again I took two pieces of wood and followed both paths to the heart of the city. "...then we will trap their main force, and attack on both sides." I left one piece at the heart of the city and the other, I slid down to meet Jarl Igmunds piece.

The steward of the city, a man who rarely spoke up but was always beside the Jarl's side, added his two cents in. "Why should we take on the biggest risk? We have the least amount of soldiers, and the Jarl will be in danger!"

"I have seen war before…"

I cut the Jarl off. No doubt he was going to say that he was entirely capable of staying alive in a war. But I had an explanation.

"First of all, when I split my men, it will be one thousand on each path." I said as if he was incapable of common math. "That means the Jarl will have the largest force at seventeen hundred." I said condescendingly.

"Second, this will further the thought that it was the Jarl, not the legion, who conquered the Forsworn. 'The Jarl led his men directly into the heart of the city and fought against the Forsworn's best warriors.' No one will care if it was truly the legion who captured the city after that." I answered finally.

The steward's face burned red in embarrassment, and the room went silent as they went over my plan. Every single person around the table looked at the mountain and pondered my simple plan. It was not complicated, but it did not need to be. If the Forsworn were anything like the games, then they fought with even less tactics than normal nords. And we have better equipment.

"Hahahaha!" The Jarl roared. It startled me, but I didn't let it show. Loren smiled beside me at the Jarl's antics. "I love it!"

I smiled at the approval from the Jarl, and looked towards my superior officer to see what he thought about it. He had one hand running through his beard and the other on the table. He was obviously looking for faults in the plan. Eventually he looked up and smiled.

"It's as good of a plan as any."

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"You have done a good job here, soldier."

I stopped to look behind me, to see who spoke. It was Private Loren. I was currently walking back to the barracks to get some much needed rest after spending all day in the war room. Apparently the Private had more to speak to me about.

We had just gotten done going over the battle plans and finalizing everything. Nothing had really changed, we were just trying to figure out dates and supply chain problems.

'An army marches on its stomach.' I had thought many, many times during the meeting.

"Thank you, sir." I said simply. I didn't really know what to say to the praise. "I have gotten used to the position. It will be hard to go back to Praefect."

Loren laughed. "Ah yes, that slipped my mind. I was given orders to investigate what happened here with the previous Captain. Margret's recounting of the events cleared it up before I even stepped into the city."

'So she didn't really die.' I thought to myself about the redheaded nord. Loren eyed me, waiting for a reaction. He didn't get one.

"She's already been reassigned, you'll most likely never see her again." Loren said, revealing that Margret really had given him a detailed report of the goings on of the city. "I admit that we had suspected corruption for a long time, but never did we think it was as bad as it was. The Legion owes you a debt that it is prepared to pay …. Legate."

That made me stop in my tracks, and I processed the title. 'That has to be the fastest promotion to Legate in the history of the Legion.' I thought.

"I don't know what to say sir, thank you." I managed to say, while keeping the happiness out of my voice.

"Tullius thinks, and I agree, that nobody below the rank of Legate is capable of commanding an entire military operation. He would have given you private, had he not needed you to respect me." Loren said. "There is also precedent to consider, and jumping to Legate is questionable enough. Igmund left us no choice however."

'I owe Igmund a lot.' I thought. 'Or is our debt even? I gave him seventy percent of the corruption in the city and a way to unite his people against a common enemy on a silver platter.'

That actually made sense. Who in their right mind would let a Praefect lead two thousand men into battle? If I succeed, then they value potential and reward their men properly. If we lose, then they are seen as massively incompetant. That's why Tullius sent Loren, to make sure that we didn't lose.

'I bet he didn't forget to promote me at all. I bet he had the authority to strip me of my commanding position if he found me wanting.' I thought about the situation. My respect level for General Tullius rose a few notches, and it was already fairly high.

'More importantly, how competent is Loren, if Tullius is willing to send him to clean up this whole mess.'

"You won't regret it." I told the man. The Private let his inner nord show and hardened his voice, before leaving me with a warning.

"You'd better hope that I don't."

I watched the Private leave. I wasn't too worried about the warning he had left me, I had been going for broke for a while now. I actually understood their position. I would feel the same if a Jarl had placed an untested Praefect at the head of an entire city guard, made that same Praefect Thane of the city, and commander of an upcoming military campaign. Tullius must have been pissed when he got the news.

"Dramatic, no?" Calcelmo's voice drifted to me at the same pace his footsteps did.

"Hmmm."

"I have something to show you." Calcelmo said.

I turned away from the form of Private Loren and turned to follow the old Wizard to whatever he had in mind for me.

"Is it some mystical weapon that will help in the upcoming war?" I asked, throwing the most ridiculous thing I could think of out there. Unfortunately, I did not have protagonist luck or plot armour, I was a simple nord with a little more knowledge of the world than normal.

"Not even close." Calcelmo shot down quickly. I smirked in response. "Congratulations on the new promotion."

"Thank you, how long have you been listening in?" I asked, not knowing when he would have come across the information.

"It was only a matter of time before they gave it to you." Calcelmo said. "I'm surprised it took them so long."

"I think it's a bit ridiculous." I revealed.

"What makes you say that?" Calcelmo asked curiously.

"I have not been in the Legion for very long, and yet I am already Legate." I said. "Even if it is deserving, I'm surprised."

I try to be humble, but sometimes I just say what is true. I was more competent than almost anyone else in this world to be a leader of men. Mentally, I outstrip most in the entirety of the legion, and my martial prowess is there with the sword and rising with magic. I'd even toyed with the idea of becoming an Imperial Battlemage because of it.

"Sometimes, you are wise beyond your years and display amazing intelligence. Other times, you sound so naive." Calcelmo responded with a tisk. "The previous Captain was the son of a noble in Cyrodiil and was going nowhere. He forced his son into the Legion and bought him the captain position as far away as he could. That boy started as Captain of the city guard of Markarth. You are infinitely more competent, and you are surprised at reaching the rank of Legate after a few months?"

'Ummmm.' I thought. 'Well when you put it like that…'

Was it because of precedents in my old life that I assumed time was important in promotions? The military in my old life was almost completely based on the idea of time put in, as opposed to being merit-based promotions. Not that I was in the military, but I knew people who were and they were very vocal of the fact.

"I knew I hated him for a reason." I said, trying to joke off what Calcelmo revealed. We kept walking for a moment, and descended into silence for a while.

"Have you kept up your studies in magic?" Calcelmo asked.

"Yes." I told him truthfully. "My reserves have grown massively over the past few months."

"Yes I can feel that." Calcelmo said with a look in his eye that he was tired of my meditation exercises. "I meant with the schools of magic."

"Be specific." I told him.

"Fine, where are you in restoration?" Calcelmo asked.

"I have a great knowledge in biology and how the body works, so it comes easily. I am only limited by my reserves." I answered.

"Illusion?" Calcelmo asked.

"I just deciphered 'Vision of the Tenth Eye', which I thought was a spell, but is actually just a universal key to unlocking the enchantment placed on master level and above books." I said incredulously. It had taken me a few days to realize that I didn't actually have to achieve a mindset with the magic to unlock the books. I just need to pick the magical lock on the book with my magic. I assumed it was similar for all valuable tomes.

Calcelmo chuckled a bit. "Yes, that is always amusing to watch young magic users discover. It's been a running joke for master magicians for as long as anyone can remember. We find it hilarious."

I rolled my eyes. "Truly a masterful prank that has lasted for millenia probably."

"Alteration?"

That actually reminded me of something I had wanted to ask him. I stopped walking. I raised my hand and willed my magic to the surface before bringing it into the world. A blue, ethereal, shield appeared in front of me, although it was shaped like a dragon's scale.

"I've chosen to base the ward off of dragonscale." I said giving him some context. "But it becomes exponentially harder to make it bigger."

Calcelmo smirked at me as he noticed my struggle. Then I felt him summon his magick. The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by a yellow dome that encompassed me and Calcelmo plus six feet on either side. The coolest thing was that it wasn't one big shield, in fact it looked like he had hundreds of small dwemer gear-like shields interlocked together.

I looked at the yellow shield and could instantly tell that his motivation was different to mine. I wanted spells to slide off of the shield, instead of being halted completely. His version dispersed the force among the entirety of the shield without endangering one zone.

"Amazing." I said as he showed me the proper way to construct a bigger and better shield without actually speaking.

I summoned my own dragonscale based shield again, but smaller. It appeared about a third of the original size, and then I added one more on it while structuring it like a dragon's hide. My magicka shifted, but didn't really strain like it did when I just poured magicka into spells. Then I added another scale, and then another scale, and finally I was covering my body with a dragonscale shield but I was straining myself and my magick severely. Another thought and the shield turned from blue to yellow to green to red. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my face as I let the shield go.

"Very good!" Calcelmo said as he let his own spell fade. "You see, manipulating the way you're using the magicka is more important and efficient than using more of it. Folding it, twisting it, bending it! That is when true mastery comes into play."

I had rarely seen Calcelmo so enthusiastic than when talking about magic and its applications. I frowned, thinking of how hard it was to concentrate enough to even cover my body with the scales.

'How did he get it so big?' I thought about his giant dome of a yellow shield.

"I couldn't get many more scales than that." I said.

"It's impressive you got that far on your first try. You will learn to memorize the mindset needed for certain spells just like you do sword forms, or did you forget that little metaphor you used not so long ago?" Calcelmo said, reminding me of the time I had compared magic and swordplay.

I smiled, knowing that he had gotten me with that one.

"Now, we are almost there." Calcelmo said as he took off down the hall. His steps had increased a little because of our interaction with magic.

I followed him into a room that I realized must have been his quarters, a place I hadn't been to in all the time I had known the man. The significance was not lost on me.

"In my youth, I made it a point to travel the world and find the ruins of the Dwemer." Calcelmo said. "That proved perilous many times, so I had something commissioned. It has been sitting here collecting dust."

I noted the little bit of information of his past that I could get and prepared myself for whatever it was that he was talking about.

"Your new position allows for a customization in your wardrobe, does it not?" Calcelmo asked.

"Yes, Legates are required to note their position but they do not care how." I said, confirming the information.

Calcelmo led me to a golden door, and opened it with a wave of his hand. It moved faster than it should have for its size and weight. The room on the other side of the door was littered with artifacts that would have been more appropriate for Dumbledore's office. I didn't even dare touch some of them.

My gaze was drawn to the center, where an armor mannequin sat. On it was a finely made red set of gambeson armor. There were three clasps above the belt that were styled in the shape of a dragon's head. The belt itself was black, with gold accents etched into it. Below the belt, it split, extended, and flared out in a type of skirt that would protect the thighs but let you run in it comfortably also. On the sleeves, the rank of Legate sat etched proudly.

"Obviously, you are a fair bigger than me so I had it tailored. It took quite a long time, you have no idea how hard it is to add the chainmail inside. In the end, they practically remade the damn thing for me." Calcelmo said.

"That's fucking awesome!"

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A/N: Boom!

We finally got some response to what General Tullius is thinking about what is going on in Markarth. Private Loren don't play no shit son! Private was a rank mentioned in the games but no one actually held the title, so I decided to play with it a little. What do we think?

The raid on the Forsworn is coming and they have a plan. What do we think about it?

Let's talk in the reviews!