He never desired much more than a soldier's life and the local barmaid. His most recent purchase plunges him into a world of trouble. What used to be a predictable existence now consists of infiltrating skooma dens, getting involved in land claims, and defending the land from dragons.

A/N;

Welcome folks, hopefully you're in for the long haul with me. My goal for this story is to give you breadcrumbs to piece together information long before I reveal it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Let me know what you think, what you want to see, etc. I may not always respond personally, but I am reading what you write and taking it into consideration!

Enjoy.

"If I never had to spend another day in this damn town, I would let Mehrunes Dagon take me now." A stout Imperial grumbled over a tankard of ale. It was not the first of the evening.

His companion snorted into his own brew and licked foam from his lips. "You say that now, Geldus, but when Dagon appears to claim his prize I suspect you will turn tail and flee." As if to punctuate his sentence, the man thumped his tankard back onto the table. One hand wiped any remaining liquid from his beard before slapping his friend on the back. "Another, Geldus?"

The Imperial nodded and watched as the massive Nord crossed the length of the inn in great strides. Geldus held the man in high regard; after all, one could not serve in the war with and then live next to someone they did not respect. He had requested his friend join the Penitus Oculatus because of his honorable nature. It was good to have a friend around in such a small town, even if that friend was suspected of being a giant.

The stout, somewhat intoxicated man recalled the first time meeting his friend.

"Geldus, this is Hidar. He's your trouble now." The officer had said before waving a hand towards the giant next to him and fleeing moments later.

In order to see the face of the man he now commanded, Geldus had to tip his head back until he could no longer do so. The face that looked down on him seemed to be Nord through and through, no hint of giant blood. That came as a surprise. The blue eyes that regarded him made Geldus uncomfortable. They seemed to glow in an otherwise unremarkable Nord face. He was not all Nord, Geldus was willing to bet his life on that.

Hidar seemed aware of his gaze and adverted it once the shorter man seemed uneasy. Geldus was grateful for that; he was not done appraising his new soldier. Though there were faint scars on his nose, cheeks, and arms, it was not necessarily a sign of a battle hardened man. Indeed, Geldus recalled his biggest scar was from an unruly goat in his childhood.

"What do you wield?"

"Hammer if you have one, axe if you don't."

Geldus gestured towards the scars that crossed the other man's face. Half were obscured by light colored scruff."Them?"

"Stormcloaks thought they could get the best of me. Tried to steal my horse."

"And?"

"I said tried."

It had seemed like an eternity ago they had met. Together, they had fought their way through some of the bloodiest battles. For what? Guard duty of a tiny town with a bridge. Geldus sighed and shook the longing for days past from his mind. Dragon Bridge offered safety, there were no surprises here. It took Geldus a moment to remember why he had sought out this station. His sister relied on his wages to rear his daughter in Rorikstead.

Once the Nord was at the bar, Geldus realized his stomach was near empty. "Hidar, food!" Sometimes it was good to be a higher rank.

Hidar rolled his eyes and looked back to the innkeeper, Faida. He normally preferred to deal with Julienne as she was the only woman in town not attached to a man. A soldier he was, but a man he was more. Unfortunately, it seemed every other man in town had the same idea and had as much brazen forwardness that Hidar had previously thought unique to himself. Julienne usually hid when the soldiers came in, busying herself with cleaning that was always too urgent to break away from.

Hidar glanced around the tavern briefly, hoping to spot the young woman. It seemed fortune was not on his side. He wasn't surprised; it rarely was when it came to matters of the flesh. Faida cleared her throat then.

"She isn't fond of you soldiers; perhaps you should take a break from harassing her for a day."

Hidar looked at the innkeeper, incredulous. "I am not harassing her, the others do that."

Faida chuckled as she put the two full tankards on the counter and motioned for him to return to Geldus. "You are all the same, brawns and little brains. Julienne is to be wooed, not ogled. Now go, your food will be ready shortly." With that, she turned away from the Nord and busied herself with straightening things on her counter. There was only so much wisdom she could impart on the soldiers before they were rotated out.

Hidar sulked back to Geldus, ducking out of the way of a low beam after scraping his scalp on another. His height was notable even for a Nord and often caused problems. "When will they build rooms tall enough for a true Nord?"

"A true Nord? Your mother slept with a troll, Hidar. You got her looks and your father's height. Ain't nothing to complain about, Stormcloaks get a look at you in full armor and flee. I'm sure Hidar half-troll is famous all the way to Riften." Geldus roared with laughter at his own joke.

At the mention of his parents, Hidar's eyes rolled. He could not convince his friend that he was born to two Nords. He had become unable to shake the name "half-troll" for years, but it seemed to grow on him more every day. It was true that he towered over men in battle, and in his armor he appeared more than a man. The thought made him grin.

It was well into the night when the two men left the Four Shields Tavern, the roar of the swollen river echoed through the darkness. The snowmelt and storms had turned the normally swift river into a raging beast. Every man, woman, and child that passed through Dragon Bridge was warned of its danger. And while it lay at the bottom of the cliff, like a serpent ready to strike, it also soothed many of the inhabitants. Hidar was among those who preferred the roaring waters to silence.

Geldus retreated to the Outpost for the night, leaving Hidar alone in the center of town. It was well known the Nord rarely slept in the night, preferring to keep watch over the few inhabitants of the village. The legion soldiers enjoyed his watch as well, as it meant they were able to sleep. It was rumored that the Nord never slept, but Hidar had to scoff at those who believed it. His rest came in the hours just before dawn, when the soldiers roused themselves for the day. Old habits died hard and his ability to stay awake through the night had earned him many first watches.

As the night drew on, Hidar took the time to inspect his steel warhammer for damage. A fleck or two of rust now could spell disaster later down the road. He was pleased to see there were no defects in his weapon. It felt good to get the weight off his back and so he sat on the steps to the inn, leaned his body against the wall, and studied the night sky. It was the first clear night in almost two weeks and the stars seemed to shine brighter than they had in the past. Perhaps they had missed seeing Nirn as much as Hidar had missed seeing them. His eye caught a quick streak through the heavens and he immediately made his wish.

"No more lonely nights."