A minor change: the location at the very top. Similar to a change in the Agency stories.
Chapter one: Fallen
Palace of the Kings, Windhelm
"What do you mean, 'Dawnstar has fallen'?" Jarl Ulfric asked. He was currently sitting on his throne as usual, giving the people before him a confused look.
Said people consisted of two mine owners – Leigelf and Beitild – and Jarl Skald the Elder. The trio looked as if they had been in the middle of a fight, with cuts and bruises on their bodies and tears in their clothing. The fight would likely have been with a ghost, as their facial expressions suggested that they at least had seen one.
Skald spoke up. "We were attacked," he said. "I think the three of us are the only survivors."
"Who attacked you?" Ulfric asked. "The Imperial Legion?"
"No," Skald replied. "This was…" he trailed off. Ulfric's eyes narrowed.
"Was what?" he impatiently asked. Skald swallowed, which was very unusual for the grumpy, somewhat assertive man.
"This was… different," he said. "This was one man. And he wasn't with the Legion."
"One man?" Ulfric incredulously repeated. "You're saying that your guards couldn't stop one man from turning Dawnstar into a ghost town."
"The guards were killed during the battle," Skald explained. "They fought our enemy in numbers but somehow lost. The intruder was very skilled in combat and magic."
"Could you see his face?" Ulfric asked. Skald shook his head
"He had a helmet that covered his entire head," he said. "We do know that his armor was made of what seemed to be a black-colored metal. His sword was of the same material."
"Was it ebony?"
"No. This was much stronger and probably lighter. No weapon the guards used could even scratch it, and it didn't seem to slow the attacker down."
"So we're dealing with an expert swordsman and magic user with indestructible armor," Ulfric summarized. "You sure you haven't been drinking?"
Skald's facial expression turned into a glare. Before he could retort, however, Beitild spoke up.
"My Jarl, with all due respect…" she said in an unusually humble voice. "There's one person we know of who can do this."
Ulfric's eyes narrowed once more and he leaned back in his chair. He obviously didn't like where the mine owner was going with her explanation. "And who might that be?" he asked.
Beitild swallowed. "About a year ago, someone appeared who claimed to be Dragonborn. They say he saved this world from its end, and that he disagreed with the Civil War here."
Ulfric nodded. "Yes. Vonkur is indeed a very powerful warrior and mage. But he would never betray us like that."
"My Jarl, with all due respect, I think he would. If it meant that the Empire and the Stormcloaks would work together to fight a mutual enemy…"
"I understand your suspicions, but I know that the Dragonborn is not a hypocrite. He doesn't go around slaughtering innocents, even if it meant ending this war" Ulfric interrupted.
"If you don't mind me saying, my Jarl," Leigelf said. "I think Beitild may have a point-"
Ulfric gave him a warning glare, shutting him up.
"We'll see what we can do to investigate this phenomenon." Ulfric said. He then looked at Jorleif, his steward. "Jorleif. Give these people some food and a place to sleep."
"Yes, my Jarl," Jorleif said.