Trapped Rat

Ulfric Stormcloak and his army continued to retreat from the Imperial Legion passing the villages previously ruined by the Mudcrab King, Dragon Bridge and then continues down the Southern Path. They could've headed to Dawnstar but Ulfric was wary of Skald the Elder, the man hadn't come to Solitude for the Jarl meet, neither had he had any contact with him for many weeks.

While Dawnstar was technically allied with the Stormcloaks, that could change relatively quickly, especially given Jarl Skald's age... Someone with Imperial tendencies could have taken over his position, and if that were the case he and his men would be in serious trouble.

Dawnstar probably couldn't defeat Ulfric's army, but they could most certainly delay them enough for the Imperials to catch up. Not to mention how difficult it would be to handle a two-pronged ambush.

That's not even mentioning Morthal that was between him and Dawnstar. Igrod's dislike of him and his Stormcloaks was well known, and her men were probably well suited to combat in those damp swamps, so it'd likely result in a sort of guerrilla war with Morthal's men... Not something he could allow since that'd definitely cause the Imperials to catch up.

Thus, he'd chosen to stick to his original plan and go past Whiterun. It was neutral territory so he had little to worry about, not to mention the lack of Imperial territories and strongholds in the area.

Unfortunately, things almost never went to plan, because once they were nearing Whiterun, a few of his scouts had hastily returned to the army with grave news... Balgruuf and Whiterun had allied with Solitude's new Jarl, Lady Elisif.

They'd warned the scout that any Stormcloak entering their territory would be met with force, which was a significant threat considering that Whiterun was the second most prosperous city behind Solitude due to its wealth and optimal location... While they'd taken some damage during the Blood Moon, that didn't mean they'd been defanged.

Ulfrics forces had also taken damage, not to mention he only had a limited force with him... He couldn't exactly bring his entire army to Solitude, as they'd almost instantly be spotted. This left him in quick the spot however.

"Damn that Balgruuf! Choosing sides at a moment like this!? He must have sent a Raven or something to alert his Hold so quickly!" Galmar grouses.

Dengeir nods, "Aye! I should stuck that traitorous boy when I had the chance!"

Ulfric shakes his head, "No, I doubt Balgruuf did this willingly. He chose to stay neutral even under Torygg's rule, he wouldn't willingly change his mind now that the High King was dead... I smell schemes afoot..."

"Well, what do we do now? We can't fight Whiterun in our current state, they'd wipe us out and deliver our heads to that cunt Elisif!" Galmar says.

"Change path and head to Falkreath, I can shield your men there until you're ready to move on. Helgen is in Imperial hands but we can change that quite easily! We'll take it over and you can move through the passage to Windhelm!" Dengeir offers and Ulfric nods in agreement.

"How did they manage to gain control of Helgen again? Isn't that right at your doorstep?" Galmar questions.

Dengeir scowls, "Bastards always laid claim to it, but when I was off dealing with the Forsworn at Cracked Tusk Keep they went in with full force and took ownership of it... I don't even see a lick of any taxes there... Part of the reason I jump into the Stormcloak camp. If they think they can make Falkreath a puppet of Bruma they've got another thing coming!"

"... Well, It's either that or taking a detour all the way to Dawnstar, which we haven't yet heard back from..." Ulfric mutters, deciding to listen to Dengeir's idea.

The army of Stormcloaks begins moving towards Falkreath, quickly making it to the Hold and settling down to lick their wounds. They were pretty confident in the Imperials not following them there, so they felt semi-confident in resting.

Unfortunately for them, their rest wouldn't last all the long.

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A couple days after the Stormcloaks took refuge in Falkreath, General Tullius was leading a large Imperial force through the Southern Crossing of Skyrim that was located directly South of Helgen. He'd had his forces stationed near the border when he'd gotten news of Torygg inviting the other Jarls to Solitude.

He was a biased man, but it seemed that his bias against Ulfric had proven correct. As he'd received a word of Ulfric fleeing Solitude and headed to Falkreath. It was there that Tullius and the other Legion forces in Skyrim would capture that traitor.

Ulfric Stormclaok was now a rat trapped in a barrel... He couldn't leave Falkreath as the forces from Solitude had blocked off any passage that way, Helgen would be impossible for him to breach with the forces he currently had on hand, along with the reinforcements Tullius was providing to it.

Whiterun was not a possibility, especially after Balgruuf's sudden change in attitude... Though, Tullius heavily suspects nefarious means had been used there... Nonetheless, that could be discussed once Ulfric was dead or in chains.

"Rikke, any thoughts?" he inquires, curious at what his Nord Legate would think on the current situation.

She gives a shrug of her shoulders, "What should I say? That I mourn the young High King? Or that I despise Ulfric for splitting my home in two? Let's just capture him and get this over with."

Tullius shakes his head, "No, I want to know your thoughts on what we might have to do. War is not pleasant, and you know what awaits us."

...

"Any obstacle to us capturing Ulfric must be removed, I know that. I just hope that the people will see what must be done, and who is just in this disaster." Rikke mutters, knowing full well that most of Falkreath heavily supported the rebels. No Nord would sit back and watch as what they saw outsiders came in and started throwing their weight around.