Chapter 10

Day 28?

"Sir? We're closing soon." I opened my eyes to see a bright red and yellow tiled wall before me. I was laying on a table, a half finished sandwich in my hand. I brought my head up to take in my surroundings. I was in a mcdonalds? How was that possible? Could it really have just been a dream? I reached into my pocket and took out my cell.

"Nine-twenty?" I asked out loud to no one in particular. How had I fallen asleep? My face felt hot when I looked down at the table and saw a rather large puddle of drool. How long had I been sleeping and what had I been dreaming about? I wiped my face and trashed the rest of the meal that had now gone very cold.

I had to get back to my apartment, I had work early in the morning! I wondered if I should look through my phone to see if anyone tried to call me. I had been trying to sell my father's car as I wanted nothing to do with it. He had passed on and I couldn't bring myself to be behind the wheel of his favorite car. I decided against checking my messages and just turned to head out the door, I needed to get home and just fall back asleep. Why was I so tired? I had just slept most of the afternoon right? I groaned as I made my way out of the building and into the heavy falling snow. Wait, but that couldn't be right, wasn't It Spring?

I woke to the sound of squeaking metal. Someone was opening an iron door in front of me but my eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness of the room to make out who it was. My arms felt heavy and my legs numb as I tried to take in the situation. I was chained to a cold stone floor and surrounded my stone walls. I must have been in some kind of tower dungeon? How had I gotten here? What happened? I tried to remember but I only succeeded in making my head hurt worse than it already did.

"I see you're with us again. Good." I recognized the voice from the game, Ulfric Stormcloak! I couldn't bring myself to speak. I couldn't remember how I had ended up here. I could only recall running from a group of mercenaries that had come from the imperial camp. "Times are hard as you can imagine. I can't take risks even from a man who looks like a priest. My men said they trailed some soldiers from the empire and saw that they had been following after you. Tell me why." My eyes had finally adjusted and I could see the man just standing a little ways away from me, two guards just outside the iron bar door.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you my story." I managed to get out. I didn't know what I was to say. This situation seemed hopeless. I was chained and now the leader of the stormcloak rebellion was in front of me. What had I expected to happen? Just walk in and ask for protection from the empire?

"A lot has happened to Skyrim in the past year. Try me." He said with a half-smile. Was he amused by my situation?

"I'm guessing you took my satchel?" He nodded. "My journal is in there. I've kept a record of my time in Skyrim."

"So you want me to read it? I've got an army to lead and a land that needs to be taken back. You think I have time to read your little story?" I had never chosen to side with the stormcloaks in the game so I didn't have an idea of how Ulfric really was. Technically during the war you never see how the leaders really are. Just glimpses.

"It has information about the Thalmor!" I shouted as he turned to leave. He spun on me more quickly than I could have imagined, a knife pressed to my throat.

"What do you know of the Thalmor?! Are you a spy?!" He shouted .His face contorted in rage and eyes shone with rage. It took a few minutes for me to convince him I wasn't a spy as it was hard from me to explain anything with the way his knife was cutting into my neck.

"J-just read my journal. I believe they are doing something to the empire's soldiers." I was able to get out as he removed the blade from my neck.

"I will read it. But if there is any reason to believe that you may be a spy then I will come back and remove your head myself!" He growled as he left and slammed the door shut.

I don't know how much time had passed. They brought me food and drink periodically and I was able to drift in and out of sleep. It felt like a few days had passed before Ulfric Stormcloak returned to the cell.

"Your story is interesting. I don't believe more than half of it but the accounts of your time in their camp and their possible plans gives me an idea of what could be happening." He said with a slight smile as he knelt beside me. "I don't think you would have told me about the journal if you where a spy." He unlocked the metal around my wrists then helped me stand. "I do not really trust you. Your writings seem like that of a mad-man and I cannot have you loose in Skyrim. You will stay at the candlehearth hall where one of my soldiers will keep an eye on you. I will call on you again in time." Without another word he dropped my satchel before me and walked out of the room. Ulfric Stormcloack scared me more than I thought he would. He had helped me up but was quick to drop my things on the ground. Maybe I read more into it than I should have but I personally believed that this man was even more insane than I was. I would need to tread carefully while in this city, but I was thankful that I was alive.