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“Though the various histories now characterize the Dragonborn as a warrior of great renown with a certain Nordic strength, the truth was far more complicated. He cared far more for letters than he did for swords and any who met him when he first came to Skyrim would not recognize him as the hero who slayed Alduin.”
- From The Travels of the Dragonborn by Imperial Battlemage Serana of Volkihar
Tirdas, 16th of Heartfire, 4E 201
Remus Vicinius followed the Solitude guardswoman closely as she led him to his “private” audience with the Jarl. The guardswoman, Jordis, had found him in the Bards College only a little bit ago as he was taking inventory after the Burning of King Olaf Festival. He was a bit surprised to be summoned so but he could not say that he was upset; when he had last visited the Blue Palace, Viarmo had pretty much taken the attention of the visit. Indeed, Remus had simply been a well-dressed clerk at that point. Now, he was a bard of the College and word was beginning to circulate throughout the capital that it was he who had mostly done the work to bring back the Festival.
At this time of day, the halls of the Blue Palace seemed relatively deserted and the only noise to Remus’ ears was that of the pair’s boots ringing out on the floor. Indeed, he had found it a bit strange that the only people he had seen so far were a handful of servants who were busy cleaning the front of the palace. With not much else to do, Remus studied his escort as he followed.
The guardswoman, Jordis she said her name was, seemed to be quite soft-spoken and was relatively young; Remus estimated her to be around the same age as himself and he was only one and twenty. Despite her rather unimposing demeanor, Jordis seemed every bit the warrior and the shapes of her muscles were visible even below her maille.
When the guardswoman caught him staring, he quickly averted his gaze, studying the very interesting walls to the side. After a bit of walking, they finally came to a rather grand staircase and began their ascent. Cresting the final steps, Remus found himself within the court of the Blue Palace.
Much as he expected, this audience was not exactly private and there were around a dozen people gathered, not including guards. Among them were the two thanes he had heard of, alongside the court mage. Even from where he stood, Remus found something unsettling about the Breton. With the court but not part of it was a mature woman wearing the ornate armor of an Imperial Legate. Strange enough, the woman appeared to be a Nord rather than an Imperial. Sure, Remus knew that many people throughout Tamriel were a part of the Legion but growing up in Colovia had given him certain biases.
In the center of it all was Jarl Elisif the Fair of Solitude and former Queen Consort of Skyrim. Even though he had previously met her, Remus still was surprised by her young age. Based on what he had read, she was younger than him. By all accounts, the former High King was not much more than a boy himself and Remus felt a pang of pity at the thought of people who were probably much like him being thrust into the midst of a Civil War and being expected to act as wise monarchs.
The thoughts that were going through Remus’ head were interrupted when Jordis instructed him to kneel after taking a half-dozen more steps. Quickly nodding his assent, Remus moved forward and went to one knee, waiting for the Jarl of Solitude to speak.
“Remus Vicinius, the bard who is responsible for reinstating a great Solitude tradition, it pleases me greatly that you have answered my summons. Please rise.”
At the Jarl’s words, Remus rose and looked at her, studying her a bit up close before averting his eyes again. How imprudent of him. Elisif only laughed.
“Oh please, a hero of Solitude such as yourself doesn’t need to be humble in my presence. It is I that should be humbled by your deeds.”
Sure, he had heard that Elisif cared greatly about the common folk, but he did not expect her to be so...friendly. Remus himself came from a wealthy Colovian family and his father was of the nobility, so it stuck out that she seemed much arrogant than many of his peers, or even himself. The other members of the court seemed to be exasperated by her demeanor, however, and the thought would have made him frown had he not been in such a public venue.
In regard to her words, Remus was unfortunately at a loss as to what to say.
“Thank you, my lady.”
Elisif smiled broadly and waved her hand dismissively before standing up from her throne, though she did not move forward.
“Well then, Remus, let us get down to why I have summoned you. Your finding King Olaf’s Verse and contribution to the Festival was gained my attention and I personally think it would be a shame if a man like you was stuck as old Viarmo’s clerk. Since the death of my husband, there has not been much in the way of joy within the Blue Palace, and I seek to remedy that. I offer you the chance to be my personal bard, the Court Bard of Solitude, if you will.”
When she said this, a number of courtiers seemed a bit surprised. Had they not known what her intention for this audience was? Remus’ suspicions were confirmed when her steward, Falk Firebeard raised his concerns about the whole situation.
“Lady Elisif, it could be dangerous to allow this man within the court. From what my sources tell me, he has barely been in this city a month and he has only appeared after Ulfric Stormcloak’s escape...”
“He’s from Cyrodiil. I highly doubt that he’s working with Ulfric, Steward.”
The one to interrupt Falk was the Legate, who Remus found was carefully scrutinizing him. Luckily, she had not been at the whole Helgen debacle. That would do him no favors. One of the thanes, a man, also spoke up, appearing to have quite the unconcerned attitude.
“I highly doubt anyone is actively seeking to assassinate the Jarl, least of all this bard.”
Falk Firebeard frowned but he did not press his point any further. Elisif appeared to ignore the barbs traded by her courtiers and she focused her attention back on Remus.
“I think it is settled, then. Will you accept my offer?”
Nodding his head, Remus gave a small bow. Even if the pay turned out to be not much better than working as a clerk for the College, he would much prefer to live in the Blue Palace rather than sleeping in a basement. Additionally, he felt it befitted his status much more; he did have some noble blood, after all.
“I shall my lady. Thank you for your patronage.”
Smiling again, Elisif clapped her hands and sat back down.
“Excellent. You start in an hour.”
Loredas, 20th of Heartfire, 4E 201
Strumming his lute, Remus listened as Elisif and her thanes conversed over dinner. Besides Elisif, and her two thanes, Bryling and Erikur, Bolgeir Bearclaw and Remus himself were the only others present within the dining room.
As might be expected, the topic of discussion was of the war and its effects on Solitude. Based on what he was hearing, it seemed like the war was going poorly for the Imperial side. Apparently, most of the soldiers Imperial forces were in truth men-at-arms and levies of Solitude. Additionally, many of the Legionaries currently fighting the Stormcloaks were local Nord recruits. Many of the career members of the Legion were soldiers like General Tullius; officers sent with a handful of veterans to begin recruiting and organizing loyalists within Skyrim.
From what he gathered, it seemed to Remus that the emperor was sending as few soldiers as possible to deal with the Stormcloaks in favor of having more troops to post on the borders with the Aldmeri Dominion. Whilst this was probably prudent, it did not do much to help the war in Skyrim.
Bryling seemed an alright sort; the typical honorable Nord warrior, whilst Remus found Erikur to have a rather ill-favored air about him; something in his demeanor was off. In any case, as Court Bard, his place was not to take part in the politics of the court, though this did not prevent him from taking sides.
After the talk of the war reached a lull, Elisif turned her attention to Remus, speaking louder than she had been during her discussions with her Thanes.
“Remus, why don’t you regale us with a tale. One from Cyrodiil, preferably.”
Having spent some time in the Blue Palace, Remus had come to find out that Elisif was not a native of Skyrim. Though a Nord, her family was one of nobility sworn to the Count of Bruma and she had met High King Torygg during one of his many visits to Cyrodiil. Like Remus, she was a foreigner despite having blood-ties to Skyrim. His own background as a Cyro-Nord was not yet known, as far as he was aware of, though he suspected that Falk Firebeard was looking into his past. Besides the whole Helgen incident, Remus had nothing to hide and was not that perturbed at the idea. Surely there was no record of his presence save eyewitness accounts of a few Imperial soldiers, most of whom had died in the dragon attack.
Realizing that he had not yet answered Elisif, Remus cleared his throat and responded to her.
“Of course, my lady. Let me tell a true account of Prince Attrebus Mede and his great victories before his ascension to the throne.”
He figured that it would be a good idea to tell a story which might go to illustrate the Empire’s strength at arms; he hoped it would serve as a much-needed boost of morale for the Jarl. Truthfully, he found most of Attrebus’ deeds to be far-fetched and prefered the more historical account of the Fifth Legion’s Last Stand, but he decided that it would be too somber of a tale considering current events.
Ultimately, Elisif seemed to appreciate the tale whilst Erikur seemed unimpressed. As he wrapped up his stroy, Elisif gave polite applause and requested that he play more music on his lute. Remus was happy to oblige.
After dinner, Elisif requested that Remus accompany her on the routine walks she took along the Blue Palace’s balconies. Lute in hand, he continued to play as she silently walked. Unlike Falk, Bolgeir did not object to Remus’ presence around the palace, finding him quite harmless as long as he was around. Indeed, Remus doubted that he would be able to wound the housecarl in his sleep, not like he would of course. Remus had little combat training and experience and what little he had was thoroughly unpleasant; how he was able to drag himself through Dead Man’s Respite, he did not know. It was probably due to the mercenary he hired to keep him alive.
Coming to a halt, the young Jarl moved over to the railing and observed what of Haafingar could be seen in the light of dusk. Solitude’s natural landscape gave quite the view over the region and one with sharp eyes might even make out Morthal on a clear day. Remus continued to play on his lute until Elisif turned and spoke directly to him.
“I am glad my advisors have finally allowed some new faces into the palace. It was tiring interacting mostly with the ‘approved’ members of the court. They all seem to have ulterior motives.”
This was a subject that Remus did feel qualified to comment on and he simply bowed his head to his new liege.
“I seek only to serve, my lady.”
While this was not necessarily true, it was not like Remus could come out and say that he wished he could play a bigger role and preferably be well-rewarded for his efforts. Besides, he admired Elisif for her commitment to just rule.
“Your loyalty is appreciated, Remus. You may go now. I look forward to your music wit on the morrow.”
With a bow, Remus made his exit, a bit happy to have the rest of the night off.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Whilst most owe the Dragonborn’s success in politics to his status as a demi-god of sorts; naturally superior to the average man, the truth was that he generally likeable and could be funny at times. Those who knew him know that his ability at bringing people together is what allowed him to become such a formidable foe in the matters of intrigue and politics. Subtle by no means, he could turn an enemy into a friend.”- From The Reunification of Skyrim, by General Rikke
Middas, 1st of Frostfall, 4E 201
The days turned to weeks and soon Remus had been in Solitude, and Skyrim for that matter, longer than a month. He had taken to his new duties as the Court Bard bard well and was something of a favorite of Jarl Elisif. It was not too hard, owing to how many of those who frequented the Blue Palace were snakes, and Remus was well-rewarded for his service. Making five hundred septims a week, the young Imperial was able to afford a life of relative luxury and it was enough for others to view him as more of a courtier and less of a servant. Indeed, the servants were already beginning to treat him as they did any of the other members of the Blue Palace’s court. Luckily, Falk Firebeard also seemed to...warm up to him? No, that wasn’t the right word, but he was certainly less skeptical of Remus.
Out of everyone in the capital, Remus got along best with Taarie, owing to their previous collaboration together and she was one of the few people outside of the palace proper who was a bit more influential than the average inner-city commoner. Within the palace, Remus found the guardswoman, Jordis, to be the one he usually enjoyed interacting with out of the rest of her comrades and the housecarls. Called the “Sword-Maiden,” owing to her young age, she had gained her position as one of the Jarl’s own bodyguard due to her loyalty and combat prowess. She had a rather romantic view of being a warrior and Remus’ various tales about heroes, both new and old, made it relatively easy to form a friendship of sorts between the two.
Luckily, he was on rather good terms with much of the court owing to his wit and learning, but he was seen as something of a milk-drinker by many of the more hardened Nords as well as the Imperial Legate Rikke. He wasn’t too bothered by their opinions; he was indeed no great warrior, though he did long to become heroic warrior-bard like one would hear in the legends. Sadly, he much preferred the luxuries of his status to long days in the training yard.
Standing off to the side in the court of the Blue Palace, Remus listened as Elisif proposed that the Imperial garrison of Solitude turn out for a parade, marching from the Blue Palace to Castle Dour. As might be expected, the usual subjects disagreed vehemently with Elisif’s suggestion, and the Jarl seemed quite dejected by her plans falling through.
“Tis an understandable worry, my lady. Imagine how ridiculous Bolgeir or the good Legate would look in full livery.”
The jape earned him a few chuckles as well as daggers being stared in his direction. The whole thing was quickly forgotten by the next order of business, an Imperial farmer from Dragon Bridge. Quieting down, the court allowed the man to relay his tale to Elisif and, most importantly, Falk Firebeard. Apparently, there were strange happenings centered around a nearby cave, ominously named Wolfskull Cave. Strange magic and energy were emanating from that location and the farmer seemed to believe that something threatening was going on there.
Elisif was of the opinion that troops should be sent to scour the cave, but her councilors convinced her that it would not be prudent, seeing as how the troops would be better used elsewhere. Ultimately, it was decided that additional men-at-arms would be posted as guards for Dragon Bridge and the matter was closed, everyone apparently content to see the matter shelved. Remus did not agree, however. From what he had seen in Dead Men’s Respite, there were indeed great dangers which lurked under the surface of Skyrim. If any of them decided to rear their ugly heads...
It was a thought that still swirled through Remus’ mind as he took his lunch in a side room of the Blue Palace. Sitting with him at a small table was Jordis, who was talking about some battle or another that had happened recently.
“...six hundred dead. A thousand wounded. Most were levies of Hjaalmarch. We should be out there, making a difference. Instead, we’re here. Sitting idly by while more honorable warriors fight against the usurpers.
Remus, are you listening? We lost almost two thousand troops. I know you’re not a warrior but even still.”
Still distracted, Remus responded to Jordis, shrugging his shoulders.
“Quite terrible, but Falk and the others insist that the might of Haafingar, as well as the scant legion forces, remain here to protect the Jarl. And their business interests, of course.”
Frowning a bit, Jordis continued on.
“I know you’re no coward Remus. You should at the very least think about taking up some sword training. I bet you’d do far better on the field than Erikur.”
Rubbing his chin, Remus thought on what she said. He couldn’t avoid conflict forever, especially with the dragons about and the Stormcloaks winning the war presently. Mainly, he thought about Wolfskull Cave and how no one else but he and Elisif seemed to pay it any mind.
“Do you think that farmer was just being hysterical, Jordis? He wasn’t the average superstitious Nord like you’d expect to see.”
This time, it was Jordis’ turn to shrug, and she took a sip from her tankard before responding.
“Maybe, maybe not. In any case, I don’t think sending an entire legion would be the best idea. Imagine if it was a Stormcloak trap.”
Later...
Having been dismissed by Elisif early, Remus decided he would turn in early for once and headed for his quarters. Though nothing fancy compared to the rest of the Blue Palace, it was certainly one of the nicest lodgings he could ask for in Solitude. Or the whole of Skyrim for that matter. As he made the familiar way back to his room, Remus heard whispering down the hall. Intrigued, he tried to walk a bit softer, intending to catch as much of the conversation as possible. He was curious like that.
As he got closer, he heard that one of the voices was that of Erikur. All he heard, however, was the thane reassuring whoever he was talking to that he had something under control before the conversation ended. Strange. With nothing more to snoop on, Remus quickly went back to his former course, heading to his room.
Entering his chambers, Remus set his lute down and began getting ready to go to sleep. When he finally closed his eyes, he dreamt of dragons.
Loredas, 4th of Frostfall, 4E 201
Whiterun. She was finally here. Sigrid Iron-Mantle grinned as she moved through the bustling streets of Whiterun; she would have been here sooner if her father had not made her stay for an extra few months, waiting on a brother that Sigrid was unsure even existed. Not only did some long lost brother seem farfetched, but him being an Imperial was even more laughable, especially considering they were supposed to have the same mother. Sigrid knew for a fact that she was not related to any Imperial milk-drinker and her suspicions were confirmed when the date her brother was supposed to arrive had passed by without any fanfare. Her father had been quite disappointed, and Sigrid hoped it would not affect his condition. Usually a strong man, Sigunn Iron-Mantle had come down with a fever recently and had been bed-ridden for a bit. Unused to being in such poor health, he was understandably spooked.
Though she hated to admit it, Sigrid was more annoyed than anything about her father’s illness and her brother’s absence. She was dead set on joining the Companions and did not necessarily want the responsibility of maintaining the Lakeview Estate and the thanedom which was attached. Luckily, her father had relented and allowed her to travel to Whiterun, brother none withstanding. It was not like she’d be stuck in this city forever; she knew for a fact once she proved herself, she’d be able to traverse Skyrim at her leisure. After a few good contracts, the family’s debt would be well on its way of being paid off.
After walking for what she felt was quite a while, Sigrid finally entered the Wind District of the city and saw the great hall of Jorrvaskr. Said hall was constructed from one of the ships that Ysgramor himself sailed on and she could not help but grin in approval when she saw not only a statue of Talos nearby, but a priest spreading the word of the Ninth Divine. Walking over the the preacher, Sigrid tossed him a handful of septims before walking up the doors which led into the hall.
There was no one to bar her entry and soon enough, she was standing in the dark, smoky longhouse where many of the greatest Nord warriors had lived, trained, and fucked. She was not disappointed as the first thing she saw in the haze was a fist fight between two people she figured were members of the Companions. As might be expected, the Nord was giving the Dark Elf a good thrashing and Sigrid moved closer so that she might enjoy the show.
The fight only lasted a few more moments with the Nord woman prevailing. With the Dunmer of the floor, the crowd dispersed no dobut most going back to whatever training and duties they were doing before. After asking around a bit, Sigrid learned that if she wanted to join the Companions, she would need to talk to Kodlak Whitemane, the Harbinger. Quite eager to finally do so, she made her way to the back of the hall to enter the underground portion where the Harbinger made his abode. When she reached the stairs, Sigrid saw the legendary fragments of Ysgramor’s axe, Wuuthrad. The thought of joining such a vaunted group of warriors gave her chills. Honor and glory surely awaited her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Remus Vicinius? I’m surprised he didn’t keel over and die during training. Was never the best fighter, that one.”- Aldis White-Beard, former Captain of the Solitude City Guard
Sundas, 5th of Frostfall, 4E 201
The Blue Palace was in an uproar and the court was jam-packed with even more people than usual. Among them was General Tullius and a host of his officers, various knights and commanders of Solitude, a few officials from allied Holds, Thalmor representatives, and many of the influential citizens of Solitude’s inner city. As a member of the court, Remus was there, but he was not in his usual place. Instead, he stood with Jordis and a handful of the other men-at-arms of Solitude. His talents weren’t needed at present, and he couldn’t help but agree due to the gravity of the situation.
Two days ago, an Imperial aligned army consisting of troops from Haafingar, Hjaalmarch, and the Reach, alongside some of Tullius’ own men had been crushed by a Stormcloak aligned army under the command of Jarl Skald on the border between Hjaalmarch and Dawnstar. Despite a large Legion detachment, most of the soldiers had been conscripts and levies and were no match against the Dawnstar forces; ironically, many of them were Legion veterans.
“Jarl Balgruuf is to blame for this disaster. If he swore his allegiance to Lady Elisif and the Empire like a true Nord, our army would not had to have taken such a roundabout way.”
The man offering this condemnation was Captain Aldis, who was in charge of Solitude’s garrison, and by extension, the forces of Haafingar in general. He had been at the battle and must have seen fighting, owing to his bandaged head and slung arm.
“Captain, how many did so say we lost again?”
Captain Aldis turned to face General Tullius, answering his question with a grimace.
“Truth be told, the exact losses are unknown. All we know are the survivors who have been able to make it back to Imperial territory. Out of the twenty-five hundred from Hjaalmarch, only twelve hundred or so have made it back to the camp at Morthal. Eight hundred or so of our forces from Solitude are accounted for out of the fifteen hundred we sent. Out of the five hundred from Markarth, only fifty are unaccounted for.”
At the last bit, there was a wave of indignation throughout the gathered crowd. Markarth was ostensibly Imperial-aligned but both the Jarl and the powerful Silver-Blood clan had ties with the Stormcloaks. If anything, this casualty report solidified the opinion many within the Imperial camp had of the Reach being less than loyal.
“And what of my men? I have not heard from Captain Metilius.”
“Captain Metilius was wounded but some men were able to carry him back. Based on the reports, his cohort lost around a hundred and fifty legionnaires.”
It was a relatively large number of legion veterans to lose, but it was nowhere near the fifty-percent casualties the forces from Hjaalmarch and Haafingar took.
“Luckily, most of the lost soldiers were levies and most of the equipment they were carrying would not go to arm the Stormcloaks better than usual. Gambesons, spears, wooden shields, the occasional helmet...”
Rubbing his chin, General Tullius walked over to a temporary war map which had been set up in the middle of the hall.
“How many soldiers could Whiterun raise within a fortnight?”
Stepping beside him, Legate Rikke moved to answer, apparently quite familiar with the military situation in Skyrim.
“Fifteen hundred from Riverwood and the surrounding area. Twenty-five hundred from Rorikstead and the western reaches of Whiterun Hold. Three thousand could be raised from the city and its surrounding farmlands. A couple thousand more could be scraped together from the villages and farmsteads throughout the Hold, but it would take a while to gather them all. To answer your question, Jarl Balgruuf could raise seven thousand levies and militia alongside the five hundred men-at-arms he maintains as a standing force in the given timeframe.”
This was all theoretical and even if Balgruuf did decide to join the Empire, who knows how many troops he would raise out of his total forces. Remus sure didn’t. However, he at least had an idea of what Solitude’s overall strength was. It was well known within the city that Solitude could raise five thousand men just from within the walled districts, with an additional forty-five hundred from the outer districts of the city. However, the only forces that Haafingar had raised as of yet were five hundred from the inner city and a thousand from the outer. Remus was no grand strategist and he tried to follow along as the commanders argued and discussed various courses of action. Ultimately, one thing could be decided on: the Empire would lose if only two holds provided any meaningful support. Whilst the holds that supported Ulfric tended to be lower in population, their rulers and people were more fervent in support.
Amidst the rather chaotic discussion that was going on, it was eventually decided that the Imperial forces would not undertake any more forays into Stormcloak territory unless they were able to gain a significant advantage in numbers. With the council dying down, Elisif herself spoke. Throughout it all, she had seemed rather distressed, but now it seemed that her resolve had strengthened a bit.
“We cannot seek to control all of Skyrim when we do not even have full control over our own holds. Haafinger must be tamed, and I ask the good people of Solitude to answer the call. I want a hundred volunteers, all from the Avenues District, to be at the forefront.”
As soon as she made her announcement, volunteers were already stepping forward. Remus thought back on his conversation with Jordis and whether he himself would take part in the fight against the Stormcloaks. He was not a trained warrior, but he would obviously get training at Castle Dour if he volunteered. Additionally, he doubted that this company made up of affluent residents of the inner city of Solitude would be sent to where the fighting was thickest. He was quite sure that they would be used to garrison the walls of Solitude whilst the men-at-arms who were currently used as guards would be sent out to battle.
Stepping forward, Remus made his decision known, joining a few of the others who were answering Elisif’s call. The Jarl looked over at him, seemingly pleased, and that let Remus know that his decision had been the right one. In his short time at court, Remus had begun to admire the young Jarl due to her strength and resolve despite wronged by Ulfric and being used as a pawn by her own side. Additionally, she was neither haughty nor cruel and the few conversations he had with her were rather pleasant.
After another hour or so, the meeting which the court had been called for adjourned and most went their separate ways. As Elisif was retiring early today, Remus took the time he had to find Jordis. If he could learn any tips or tricks when it came to fighting, he was sure he would be able to do so from her. Searching through the hallways, Remus caught her as she was walking to her quarters.
“Looks like you thought about what I said, huh Remus? I’m glad to see at least one person in the court has some integrity and honor.”
Smiling a bit, Remus walked up to her and set his hand on her shoulder, leaning in a bit.
“Jordis, I’m going to need a bit of help if this is going to go over well. Even if we never get sent out, I bet I’ll be thrashed on the training grounds. I’m not much of a warrior, as you know.”
The guardswoman laughed and shoved him off to the side as they continued to make their way down the halls.
“I’d love to Remus, but your first day of training is already set. Captain Aldis wants the volunteers reporting in at Castle Dour tomorrow. Shocked huh? At least I was able to tell you before you’d be dragged out of your bed tomorrow.”
That was quite the prospect, now, wasn’t it?
Morndas, 6th of Frostfall, 4E 201
The sun had not yet risen when Remus and the other hundred or so volunteers reported into Castle Dour. As such, Remus was a bit surprised when he saw just how much activity was going on in Solitude’s military district. With all of the braziers and torches burning, someone might even begin to forget the light was not natural. There were hundreds of people in various liveries going about their business or conduction training. Most were levies and men-at-arms sworn to Jarl Elisif, though there were a good number of legionnaires as well.
Remus headed for a gaggle of people dressed in normal clothes, figuring they were the others of his little group of volunteers. There were around forty already gathered and more were coming in, whether that be in groups or as individuals. Whilst more were still arriving, a number of lower-ranking men-at-arms were handing out gear to the volunteers. The gear in question consisted of halved red and black gambesons with a wolf sigil on the right breast as well as wooden practice swords and staffs.
Twenty or so minutes after putting on the gambeson and taking up his faux spear and sword, Captain Aldis and a few other training officers arrived and began to run the recruits through the basics. They started with bog-standard spear/pike drill which was simple enough. Said portion of training came to a conclusion rather quickly and they began one-on-one combat drills with both staff and sword.
Near midday, their training began to come to a conclusion and soon enough, the volunteers were dismissed. Putting his practice weapons back on the rack, Remus made to leave Castle Dour and head back to his quarters to rest. That was until he heard his name called out, alongside a few others.
“...you ten stay behind. I have additional orders for you.”
Turning around, Remus saw that the one who had called out was Legate Rikke and he wondered why exactly she needed him and the other nine volunteers she had singled out. He hoped his sneaking suspicion as to the reason was wrong.
Falling in alongside the others, the young Imperial focused his attention on the Legate, waiting for her to break whatever news she intended to. When all ten were present, she began.
“The Legion needs more recruits and both General Tullius and Jarl Elisif have agreed to let me select the top tenth of the volunteers for induction as auxiliaries into the Legion. You begin your training in twenty minutes.”
To say that Remus was quite appalled at this turn of events would be an understatement, for he had joined up expecting to maybe patrol the walls from time to time whilst the more experienced warriors were sent out to fight in battle. He could hardly believe how idiotic he had been; volunteering for military service and not expecting to actually fight or train.
After the initial shock had worn off, Remus figured it could always be worse. At least he’d be getting better training and equipment than the Hjaalmarch levies who were currently serving as the front-line troops for the Imperial war effort.
Retrieving his waterskin, Remus took a long swig; he was quite tired from his training so far and he figured that what was to come would be even more difficult. Perhaps it would make any future expeditions into ancient ruins and caves a bit less likely to absolutely fail like the time he had went into Bleak Falls Barrow or had barely crawled out of Dead Men’s Respite.
With the short break coming to a close, Remus made his way back to the training field, ready to take his decision in stride.
Turdas, 9th of Frostfall, 4E 201
As he had expected, the Imperial training had been grueling, however, he did have a bit of respite, being a member of the court and all. He certainly had it better than the average Nord auxiliary who had to sleep in tents outside the walls or within the courtyard of Castle Dour. He had even been able to perform his duties as court bard; he was certainly grateful for his status.
Though it had only been four days of training, Remus was feeling a bit better about his own skills; whether he was actually improving significantly or if it was just a confidence boost alongside picking up a handful of skills was yet to be seen.
Alongside the other nine in his group, Remus had been assigned to an Auxiliary Company which would then be attached to General Tullius’ cohort from Cyrodiil. The other members of said company were scattered throughout Imperial-held Skyrim, either marching to the capitol or undergoing training before they made their way to meet up with the rest of the company.
Just as they were finishing up that day’s training, the trainers gathered them around and informed them that their training would conclude next Morndas and that they would be sent on their first assignment. Remus wasn’t stupid and he couldn’t help but think that a week of training was not exactly on par with the standard legionnaire. Luckily, it would seem like they would be mostly confined to Haafingar, fighting robber lords, Orc or Forsword incursions, or any number of tasks where the main military forces would be wasted. Would that include Wolfskull Cave? The situation surrounding that made Remus uneasy.
Walking back to his quarters at the Blue Palace, Remus wondered what it would actually be like fighting in a real battle.