Chapter 7: Winter's Chill
Winter had placed its icy grip on Tamriel's heartland, and the Aldmeri Dominion's advance had been forced to a stop much to Emperor Titus Mede II's relief. Winter's in Cyrodiil weren't particularly harsh, with only the northern parts of the province seeing snowfall. However, the temperature did drop and the southern parts saw a lot of cold rainstorms. Right now, that rain was keeping all of the forces at play in the war from doing anything.
Emperor Titus Mede II had been spending his days going over reports and working on strategy with his generals. Day after day, reports came in detailing just how far the Aldmeri Dominion's armies had gone into Cyrodiil and Hammerfell. First it had been the decimation of the First Legion at the border between Cyrodiil and Valenwood. Then it had been the fall of Leyawiin and Rihad, quickly followed by the destruction of Taneth. Now, Gilane had been occupied by the Dominion for the winter and Bravil was under siege. A siege, that the Emperor was currently listening to his generals debate on whether or not to break.
"We don't have the manpower to help Bravil! If we try to fight the Aldmeri Dominion there, we'll only lose more legionnaires and lose Bravil anyways. Best to keep the Second and Third Legion garrisoned here, and wait until the spring for reinforcements from Skyrim."
"We have to help Bravil. If we don't, then we leave the Niben defenseless. The Aldmeri fleet will sail up the river and drop an invasion force on our doorstep and we won't be able to hold the Imperial City against them."
"We should help Bravil, but not right now. Let's wait until the spring when our reinforcements come, and then strike south. The Dominion army won't be able to make any moves during the winter, and Countess Catius can bide us time to attack."
One opinion after another came to the Emperor from his generals. All of them firmly believed their opinion was the right one, and that following any other opinion would spell disaster for the Empire. Titus could only pray that he made the right decision. He knew how important Bravil was, and he had once courted the Countess. If he made the wrong decision, he lost both.
"Alright. I've made my decision. We'll bide our time, and hope that we can get to Bravil in the spring. In the mean-time, make sure our fleet is in peak condition. If we do lose Bravil, they'll be our last line of defense for keeping control of Rumare." With Titus' orders given, the generals and their assistants scrambled to see his will done. Now, Titus just had to wait and see if he had made the right decision.
The sun was a fiery sphere on the horizon when General Decianus and the remnants of the Tenth Legion saw the walls of Skaven rising out of the sand of the Alik'r. The last month had been quiet, as the survivors recovered in the care of the Alik'r tribe that had found them. Once the legionnaires had regained their strength, General Decianus had ordered them north once more. They had been marching for a few days, and had finally found their way to Skaven. From there, Decianus could request reinforcements from the Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Legions in High Rock.
It took another two hours, but eventually Decianus and his men arrived in Skaven. It was a small city, with most of the region it controlled being dedicated to farming. The walls were high though, and the people were hardy. It was as good a place as any for Decianus and his men to fortify while they waited for reinforcements. The people of Skaven were more than happy to have the extra defense of an Imperial Legion as they heard the stories coming from the south. They readily offered supplies and sanctuary to the legionnaires. Decianus was granted quarters in the local ruler's manse.
Decianus had just finished a letter to General Carius, the leader of the the Legions in High Rock and was currently on his way to where the legionnaires were garrisoned. He would find one of the Imperial Couriers there and send them north to carry the letter. Once he arrived at the garrison, Decianus was greeted with the sight of a Breton dressed in redguard clothing asking the legionnaires where they could find the general. Decianus walked up to him and spoke.
"You can find him here." General Decianus said, tapping the Breton on the shoulder. "What do you want?"
The man whirled around and his eyes widened in surprise. He quickly recovered and kneeled in front of General Decianus. "Sir, I was tasked by my lord to find you and deliver a message."
General Decianus gestured for the Breton to rise. "What is your name and who do you serve?"
"My name is Theodane, and I serve the Forebear leader, King Falten."
General Decianus raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what does King Falten want with me?"
"Sir, King Falten calls for your aid. The Forebears can't fight the Aldmeri Dominion alone. My lord is searching for any and all allies to help defeat the elven menace." Theodane paused for a moment before adding, "Including the Crowns."
General Decianus barely kept his jaw from hitting the floor. The Forebears and Crowns had fought each other for hundreds of years. He couldn't remember any time when the two factions had actually worked together. But, if Falten was willing to offer an olive branch to them, then the situation must be extremely grim, and it would take a united army to defeat the Dominion. "Okay. Falten`s got my support. What does he need done?"
Delphine was offering wine to Lord Naarifin and regretting not having poisoned it. The Altmer leader was having dinner with Countess Catius at her castle in Bravil. They were making polite conversation while dancing around the fact that Lord Naarifin had a sword held to the city's throat. It was a part of Imperial culture that had always frustrated Delphine. Imperial nobles never talked straight, and they always had ulterior motives. The Thalmor were no better, and just by watching Delphine could see that Lord Naarifin was talented at politics. Delphine was forced to leave the room though as the Countess called for privacy while she discussed the potential terms of the Aldmeri annexation of Bravil.
Delphine walked into the castle kitchen and then found a side room to change out of her servant outfit back into the guard outfit she had been wearing. Part of being a Blade agent was learning how to hide anywhere, including in the middle of a crowd. Delphine was very good at hiding in plain sight, and she knew it. That helped her retain the calm demeanor necessary to pull off the disguises she wore. It was what let her hide in the middle of the enemy's camp, and operate without getting caught.
Delphine had spent the past two weeks sneaking into the Aldmeri army's camp and sabotaging their supplies. She had poisoned their water, ruined their food, and made couriers delivering orders disappear. While her efforts had definitely been effective, they had also only been of mild annoyance to the army. The sabotage had slowed the army's devastating invasion down, but it wasn't going to stop them. So, Delphine had to step up her efforts.
Delphine walked into an abandoned shack in Bravil. It was a small, wooden hovel that looked like a strong wind would knock it over. But it had stayed standing for quite some time. Now, it was the secret base for Delphine's operations. Inside, there was only a bed and a small desk. But on that desk, were the forged letters, schematics, and plans, Delphine needed to temporarily hamstring the Aldmeri Dominion's advance. So she sat down and got to work.
A/N: And so, the first year of the Great War has come to an end. There are other things happening at this point as well, but we'll see more about that in later chapters. Anyways, I just wanted to let you guys know, I am going to begin releasing updates once every other week. I am returning to school so I will be busier and have less time to write. Also, I am beginning work on another story, and my time will be split between the two. But, this story will always take priority, so don't worry. I appreciate everybody who has read this story so far, and I try to make sure every new chapter is a good read for those of you who have been following along week-to-week.
As always, please leave a review letting me know what you think, and if you want to keep up-to-date, please give this story a follow :)