Nero paced around the village, every now and again stealing a look at the bound elf on his knees. This was Zarys' child. Nero wondered if his plan would work. If he could get Zarys to surrender here. He didn't like this fashion, but his own child was in danger as well.
The others were waiting patiently too, except for Serana who was pacing and looking up at the sky every now and again. She was probably feeling the same as Nero. They both wanted to get back to Julia as soon as possible, and have this whole thing over and done with.
Serana stopped and looked up at the sky yet again and sighed when she saw nothing.
"You sure he's gonna come?" asked Vilkas who's hands were rested on the hilt of Dawnbreaker.
"If this Zarys is anything like he's been described, then he won't cower away when he hears me cal his name. He'll come," said Nero.
"He could be at Whiterun right now," said Serana.
"He could be, but all the same, he's coming to us."
They continued to wait and Serana continued to pace. She thought of Julia.
"Julia. I hope you're safe."
~ Whiterun ~
Lydia and the other Housecarls watched the doors to Dragonsreach carefully as Odahviing stood on the porch, looking out. Between them, Julia sat patiently, waiting.
On the planes outside the city before the shield, Hadvar and the legionnaires were fighting with the draugr that were pouring in through the shield, but it was getting increasingly difficult as they were tearing through the shield more and more and the numbers of draugr was increasing. Mist was also crawling through the tears and was beginning to cover the planes.
An arrow hit Hadvar's horse in the head and he was thrown from the saddle. He tumbled along the floor before coming to a halt and was about to be stabbed by a draugr before he shoved his sword through the dead man's gullet and watching it fall to the ground.
He barely saw the other draugr behind him though and turned to defend from the incoming blade but he wasn't fast enough. Suddenly however, the head of the draugr was caved in by a hammer with the imperial dragon upon it.
The big bear of a nord held his hand out, "come on!"
Hadvar took it anf got up.
"Nice hammer you got there," said Hadvar.
"Nice sword," said Gunmar, "I'm actually not as big a fan as I thought I'd be. Trade?"
Hadvar smiled and ofered his sword, "here, you have the little one."
Gunmar handed him the Champion's Cudgel and took the iron sword.
Hadvar liked the weight of it, "hmm."
He turned and smashed a draugr in the chest, caving in its ribcage.
Hadvar smiled and turned back to Gunmar, "I like this thing."
They looked around, and Hadvar saw that their numbers were waning whilst the draugr were continuously pouring in.
"Too many are coming through," said Gunmar.
Hadvar nodded, and made the call.
"RETREAT!" he ordered, "FALL BACK!"
Those that could hear him began to fall back towards the gate of Whiterun and away from the increasing horde of Draugr.
Balgruuf saw the retreat and ordered, "Archers! Mages! Take down as many Draugr as you can!"
Archers and Mages on the walls shot at the draugr that pursued the legionnaires, hitting them with arrows, lightning bolts, fireballs and ice spikes, killing draugr here and there.
The legionnaires got to the drawbridge and it was raised just in time before the masses of draugr got to them. The men inside panted just as the draugr outside began smashing and bashing the drawbridge.
The cracks in the shield had become as wide as doors and the draugr were beginning to pour in all around the city.
Dragons took off from within the city and flew towards the shield where they began wreathing the perimeter in frost and flames, killing may of the draugr. Some still made their way trhough unscathed however and when they got to the walls they began climbing.
Balgruuf looked up to see the shield above them was beginning to wane too from the fire and claws of the dragons outside.
"They'll be in before long," he said absently.
At the drawbridge, Draugr were attempting to climg up as arrows, magic and swings of swords cut them down.
Irileth turned back and saw the draugr beginning to climg the walls of the city.
"My lord!" cried Irileth, "they are infiltrating the city!"
Balgruuf turned to see the draugr clambering over the stone walls.
"Captain Hadvar!"
Hadvar came up to the gate and Balgruuf grabbed his shoulder, "you have the gate! Keep them out of the city!"
Hadvar nodded and Balgruuf went down the stairs with Irileth behind him and entered the city.
Inside were Whiterun gjuards on the walls and posted across the city.
Balgruuf spoke loudly, "Men of Whiterun! The dead are invading our city! Do your duty! Kill all the draugr invaders!"
Around them, draugr began to climb over the walls and into the city.
The Whiterun guards within all drew their swords along with Tobias who drew his skyforge steel wolf-sword and watched the walls around. Asmund and the other Winterhold mages looked around, summoning magic to their hands. Irileth drew her sword and beside her Balgruuf drew his own sword.
Slowly the draugr came out around the houses of the city and laid their cold blue eyes on them. Then they drew their black swords and began running at the group. Balgruuf raised his sword.
"With me men! Now! With me!" cried Balgruuf as he charged at the dead.
The Whiterun protectors battle cried as they followed their Jarl and charged at the incoming horde of dead who charged at them and with mighty clangs they all collided.
Balgruuf cut down one, then another, and another. Irileth stayed with him and sliced draugr limb from limb.
Dragons within the city wreathed the dead in ice and fire.
Tobias deflected a swing from a restless draugr and shoved his blade through the dead man's head as Asmund threw fireballs here and there at the draugr, setting them ablaze.
As the fighting continued, Balgruuf saw several draugr movning up the hill, towards Dragonsreach.
Balgruuf cried "we must get to the palace! Stop them from getting to the Dragonborn's daughter!"
Tobias heard and grabbed Asmund, "come on! Let's go!"
Asmund nodded, and the pair of them began dashing up the hill to kill the running draugr.
Up at Dragonsreach, Archers were shooting Draugr from afar that were clambering up the walls to the palace, but slowly they were making their way up.
Guards on the steps saw draugr coming up from within the city and shot down what they could.
Tobias stabbed a draugr in the back and Asmund shot one with an ice spike as the boys continued to make their way up the hill.
On the great porch, Odahviing looked over and down to see draugr attempting to climb up.
He opened his jaws and blew flames down at them, settig them alight and making them fall from the walls.
At the bottom of the hill, Hadvar dealt with the draugr at the drawbridge, commanding barages of arrows and magic and smashing in draugr heads when they got too high. The shield was slowly breaking though and more and more were pouring in. The cracks were getting big enough that even a dragon crawled under. There was a rider upon the dragon but he got off just before the dragon took to the sky.
"Oh shit!" cried Hadvar who saw the dragon come at him, about to shout at the drawbridge.
One of Nero's dragons crashed into the invader however and the pair became engaged in a fight in the air.
Hadvar looked back down however; the rider was slowly walking up towards the drawbridge.
It was an orc with a large golden axe on his shoulder who approached the drawbridge slowly. The draugr began to part away from him as he approached.
Hadvar watched as he stopped just before the drawbridge, breathed in and,
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN-"
"FUS RO DAH!"
The orc's Thu'um blasted the drawbridge away, smashing wood and iron to pieces and making a large entrance for the draugr that began pouring in.
Hadvar got back to his feet, "men! Fall back, get behind the gate!"
The remaining legionnaires got to the gate and fell in behind it, several others killing the approaching draugr that were coming up.
Hadvar grabbed Champion's Cudgel and jumped down in front of the gate.
"Shut the gate!" commanded Hadvar.
A guard inside saw Hadvar and several others remained, "but Captain, you'll neve-"
"NOW!" cried Hadvar.
The soldiers inside closed the gate, leaving Hadvar and several other legionnaires who had decided to stay behind to kill the coming draugr. With Champion's Cudgel, Hadvar smashed one and then another.
Then he saw the orc approach, smiling and slowly and holding his axe on his shoulder.
Hadvar raised Champion's Cudgel with both hands just as the orc raised his golden axe in both of his.
"Not gonna let you do that again," said Hadvar, "come on big guy."
The orc smiled, raised his axe, battle cried, and came at Hadvar who dodged it and swung the hammer back at the orc.
In the sy above, the shield was tearing apart, and dragons were flying through and diving towards the city. Nero's dragons began to take off from the city and engage the invading dragons in the air, filling the sky with roars and shouts of ice and fire.
Odahviing saw several dragons come through the barrier on his side, and were coming towards Dragonsreach. Upon two of those dragons were riders. Odahviing blasted fire at the, but they avoided it, flying up and over the palace.
One of the riders, Proxa, leapt off her dragon and landed on the roof of Dragonsreach.
The other rider, Covu, leapt from his dragon and landed on the roof of Jorrvaskr. Nearby, Tobias and Asmund were killing draugr but Asmund saw him.
"There! It's one of the dragon order!"
Tobias turned and saw the elf with his golden glaive who jumped off the mead hall and landed next to the Gildergreen. As he slowly stood up, he looked at the stairs.
"Move, boys," he snarled.
Tobias raised his sword and Asmund raised both his hands with fire.
"Make us," said Tobias.
Covu smiled and slowly approached, the draugr around him moving away so he could fight.
"HYAGH!" cried Tobias as he went to attack but Covu blocked his swings and strikes before kicking Tobias into the tree.
Asmund threw firebolts at the elf who blocked them with his glaive in several spins that he turned into a strike towards Tobias' head. Tobias rolled out of the way just in time as the glaive struck the foot of the tree.
Covu yanked it out and continued on Tobias as the other draugr advanced towards Asmund.
"Oh boy," said Asmund who now had to focus on killing the approaching draugr instead of helping Tobias.
In Dragonsreach, Proxa crashed through the ceiling and landed in the pit of the throne room.
The guards positioned there were shocked but drew their swords.
She slowly straightened up, looked around, and smiled.
Lydia heard the fighting outside the doors, and the screams of dying men. She frowned and raised her sword, ready. The screams eventually died and there was silence.
Proxa finished the last one, "pathetic," she snarled before slowly making her way up the stairs towards the porch.
She went to the doors, beyond which there was silence, and she smiled.
She raised her daggers and was about to kick in the door when suddenly the dors smashed open and Lydia came screaming and charged her with a shield, bashing her back and trhough the wooden wall behind. The pair of them went through and fell down to the main hall of the palace.
Proxa got back to her feet along with Lydia who saw the blood and bodies that decorated the thone room.
Proxa, who's hands were covered in blood, smiled.
"You see your comrades? At least they had each other in their last moments. Unlike you, who will die alone."
"She's not alone," said Jordis who jumped from the balcony to the right of Proxa and Rayya who jumped to her left.
Proxa looked around at the three Housecarls and snarled before she raised her daggers and went at Lydia first.
Tobias blocked another attack from Covu but the force was so great that he was thrown backwards, into the Temple of Kynareth.
Covu approached slowly, ready to kill this boy.
Tobias struggled to reach for his sword but just as he was about to grab it, Covu stood on his wrist and moved him onto his back to watch him die.
"I thought the Companions were formidable opponents," said Covu as he raised his glaive, "but you're nothing but weaklings."
Suddenly, a large wolf crashed into Covu and knocked him aside.
Tobias recognised Sinding who kept up the attack on the elf, but Covu was fast, and sliced Sinding's stomach, releasing a pool of blood onto the floor.
Sinding fell back and slowly transformed back into himself.
"Ha!" cried Covu, "even when you are beasts, you nords are pathetic!"
Sinding backed up, holding the gash across his stomach, as Covu approached with his glaive.
Tobias tried to get to him, and saw the pool of blood. Then a crazy idea popped into his mind.
Tobias got to the blood and began drinking it.
Sinding was against a stone slab and Covu was about to strike him down, when suddenly, a great white wolf crashed into Covu and shoved its claws into the elf's chest.
Covu screamed as the white wolf continued to slice and tear him apart. Covu looked up and saw the red eyes of the wolf upon him. Red eyes of fury. The wolf grabbed Covu and sliced across his face once more, killing the elf instantly.
Sinding looked up at the white wolf and then at the pool of his blood on the floor.
The wolf slowly walked over to him.
"Tobias?" said Sinding.
The wolf knealt down next to Sinding who held his injuries. Sinding looked down at himself and then up at Tobias.
"I'm sorry Tobias. But I'm glad I met my end protecting a child today. Thank you Tobias," said Sinding, "thank you."
Slowly, the nord died, leaving Tobias first with sorrow, and then with rage. The white wolf crashed out of the temple, and began killing every last draugr it saw.
In Dragonsreach, the Housecarls were still fighting with Proxa who was defending herself well from them. Eventually she kicked Lydia back into the throne, smashing it. She then grabbed Raya and threw her into Jordis, making the two tumble away.
Finally, Proxa put her foot on Lydia to deliver a killing blow. She shoved her dagger down but Lydia blocked it with an iron dager. The two struggled against each other but Proxa's golden blade slowly inched closer and closer to Lydia's neck.
Proxa smiled, then suddenly, an ice spike impaled her chest from behind. She gasped, looked down at it, before dying and slumping on top of Lydia who pushed her off and saw Asmund standing in the doorway to the palace with his hand raised.
Lydia smiled, "not bad kid."
At the foot of the city, just outside the walls, Hadvar and Krull were still engaged in their fight, but Krull's superior strength was giving him the advantage. He smashed his axe down heavy and Hadvar blocked it. They struggled against each other for a moment, Krull's orange eyes squinting and his teeth bare in their battle of brute force.
Suddenly, Krull pulled bakwards and flung Champion's Cudgel out of Hadvar's hands.
Hadvar backed up against the gate just as Krull breathed in again and,
"FUS RO DAH"
The Thu'um blasted Hdvar and the gates to the city away, and Hadvar tumled along the floor, next to the blacksmith. His ears rag and his vision was blurry but he saw the orc approaching well enough.
He quickly got to his feet and went to grab a sword from the rack but Krull smashed the rack with his axe. Hadvar saw a chain and grabbed that instead; something was better than nothing.
Hadvar held the chain at the ready between his hands.
Krull swung at him and Hadvar caught the axe in the chain and punched Kull in the face.
The orc went for another swing and Hadvar did the same, striking him twice.
Krull, angry, did it a third time, but this time threw the axe to the ground along with the chain and began punching Hadvar. He grabbed Hadvar's throat and punched him once, twice, thrice in the belly. Krull then grabbed his head and smashed it against the anvil before flinging Hadvar down to the little ditch beside the city wall.
Krull grabbed the workbench and flung it aside, sending the tools everywhere.
Hadvar was losing badly and tried to get to his feet but Krull kicked him down into the grass, turned him over, and with both hands began strangling him,, sneering as he did so.
Hadvar struggled against it, but he couldn't beat the orc's strength. His mouth had filled with blood and he was finding it hard to breath. He was losing consciousness. Soon he'd be dead.
Hadvar spat out the blood in his mouth into Krull's face, making the orc loosen his grip on Hadvar's neck to wipe his face. Quickly, Hadvar reached for anything. He grabbed the handle of something and wacked Krull's side with it, making the orc grunt and release Hadvar. Hadvar realised it was a hammer, and now was his chance! Hadvar swung the hammer down on the orc's head, impaling him and killing him instantly. Slowly, the orc slid off of Hadvar and rolled down to the bottom of the ditch.
Hadvar stayed on the grass for a moment, panting, before getting back to his feet. He went out to grab his hammer and realised that the shield had all but dissipated. He grabbed the hammer and stood at the entrance to the city, waiting for any more to come.
Tobias continued to rampage across the city killing draugr here and there, even past Balgruuf and Irileth who were still fighting side by side.
"I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up, my Jarl," said Irileth.
"As long as it takes, Irileth. Not getting sleepy on me are you?" said Balgruuf with a smile.
Balgruuf saw what she meant though; the draugr were not relenting and the dragons fighting above was blowing fire and ice down at the city as well as the dragons that fell.
Balgruuf saw another group of draugr surround them, and he and Irileth stood back to back.
Suddenly however, a horn blew. An imperial horn.
Balgruuf and Irileth heard it and looked to the sky.
Hadvar heard it and looked to the planes.
Lydia and the others heard it and went to the doors of the palace.
In the distance, coming to Whiterun from the north west, could be seen plane as day.
The imperial dragon on banners here and there across the host of imperial soldiers and at their head, General Tullius.
The horde of draugr on the planes turned to face them.
Tullius marched his army to the plains, and saw the horde. Then he unsheathed his sword and raised it.
"FOR THE EMPIRE!" he cried and charged, and the host of legionnaires followed him.
Lydia smiled as she watched the Empire ride across the plains towards the host of draugr with anger and fury and honor.
On the plains outside the city, the Empire charged at the dead, and they all crashed together.
Author's Notes
I listened to both Skyrim music and music from Avengers Infinity War for this! Damn it was good! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next one should be sooner rather than later!