Hulgar Greatwind and Waylas Hawker stood at the gates of the city.
"Are you ready, Dragonborn?" Waylas asked his comrade.
"Yes friend, I am," was his reply.
"Ulfric!" Waylas called. "We are ready!"
"So be it." Ulfric Stormcloak said simply. "This is it men! It's time to make this city ours! We come to this moment carried by the sacrifices and courage of our fellows. Those who have fallen. And those still bearing their shields to our right. On this day, our enemy will witness the fullness of our determination, the true depth of our anger and the exalted righteousness of our cause. The gods are watching. The spirits of our ancestors are stirring. And the men under suns yet to dawn will be transformed by what we do here today. Fear neither pain, nor darkness.For Sovngarde awaits those who die with weapons in their hands, and courage in their hearts. We now fight our way to Castle Dour to cut the head off the legion itself! And in that moment, the gods will look down and see Skyrim as she was meant to be. Full of Nords who are mighty, powerful, and free! Ready now! Everyone, with me! For the sons and daughters of Skyrim!"
"FOR THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF SKYRIM!" roared the army.
"Follow them!" bellowed Ulfric, pointing to Hulgar and Waylas.
Hulgar was swinging his Daedric great sword, dismembering Imperial Legionnaires left and right. Waylas bashed with his Dragonplate shield and his Dragonbone war axe. The city of Solitude and Skyrim was theirs in less than an hour.
That was five years ago. Now, the Stormcloaks had been absorbed into the Imperial Legion. The Second Great War had started a year to the day after the Siege of Solitude and the Liberation of Skyrim. Crown and Forbear forces had united in Hammerfell, the Free Elsweyr and Valenwood Movements had succeeded in pushing the Aldmeri Dominion out of the two provinces. The Dunmeri resistance and Argonian forces had bound together for the first time since the Ebonheart Pact over two Eras ago.
"Old friend, it is good to see you!" Hulgar said after spotting Waylas across the warship, the Uriel Septim VII.
"Hail, Hulgar! How fares your family?" Waylas inquired.
"My wife is worried about this. She claims that I will be wounded!" Hulgar responded.
"Ah! At least she still cares! And your kids?"
"Fine. Hroar is training as a mage at the College and Lucia is studying to become a bard," Hulgar said to his old friend
"Listen up men!" Ulfric, the new field commander of the Imperial Legion, yelled. "We have arrived on the shores of the Summerset Isle! We are expecting heavy resistance. These witch-elves deserve no mercy, and I expect you to show them none! Understood?"
"Understood, sir!" the Legion troops cried.
"Now then, so begins the Siege of Firsthold!" Ulfric cried as a roar erupted from the crowd.