v.1 beta: Andy1997
(Eastmarch Imperial Camp)
"…an Argonian?"
Sitting around the fire, silence enveloped the Imperial Legionnaires when the subject of the Dovahkiin – Dragonborn – was broached. That the legendary Dragonborn of Nord legend was – of all people – an Argonian, the lizardfolk from Black Marsh, that had attempted to cross the border into Skyrim, and was caught in a certain Imperial ambush that managed to capture the usurper Ulfric Stormcloak himself.
"You're telling me that the so-called Nord hero of legend, the blessed of Akatosh is one of the damned lizardfolk-?"
"Keep your voice down, fool," another hushed his compatriot. "We don't mention him ever, remember?"
"The Dragonborn isn't strictly Nordic. The Septim dynasty were all of dragonblood-"
"But that raises even more questions. How could an Argonian share blood with all of our previous emperors?"
"Does it really matter? The Dragonborn is on our side, and he just happens to be the newest legate underneath General Tullius. We'll be needing him and his 'Thu'um' if we are going to win this fight."
"Stand to attention!"
The legionnaires instinctively all stood to attention upon hearing that authoritative voice. And nearly all of then inwardly groaned when they saw that it was Captain Clodia herself – the officer that had Ulfric, lost and then fled when a dragon burnt down Helghan and nearly everyone in it. Whatever can be said about the Imperial-born career officer of the Legion wasn't anything flattering: A single-minded brownnoser who wasn't above sending innocents to the chopping block if it meant sucking up to the highest-ranking officer in the room.
And now, it looked like she was about do the same to their newest legate.
"The new legate – elevated personally by General Tullius himself - will be arriving here any moment now to personally discuss the upcoming assault on Fort Amol with Legate Rikke," Clodia declared. "And he is on his way here to finally aid us in taking the fort, bringing us one step closer toward finally overthrowing the usurper Ulfric and ridding this land of all Stormcloaks."
"Is it true that he's the Dragonborn?"
Clodia scoffed, "I do not believe in Nord myths and superstitions, legionnaire. Much less someone who can 'shout' a man to death." She failed to notice some of the men shivered at the mention of 'shout.' Obviously, she never saw High King Torygg's remains after Ulfric was finished with him, having shouted him to death. "Now, dispense with the idle chatter and stand to attention, legionnaires."
The men under her did as commanded, in time to hear the sound of a horse's whinny and the trotting of hooves approach the camp from the east. She turned to greet the new Imperial legate personally elevated by General Tullius.
"Welcome to Eastmarch, Legate…Blade-Tail?"
Clodia's tone of voice became perplexed when she remembered the new legate's name…
"Forget the list. He goes to the block."
…and Clodia held her breath when she recognized the Argonian in heavy Imperial armor on the horse, calmly trotting toward the center of the camp. Two other Imperial soldiers approached, saluting him before reaching for the reins of the Argonian legate's horse, and allowing him to dismount.
"That's the new legate?" one of the legionnaires blurted out. "A damned lizard?"
"Hush, you fool," another smacked him upside the head. "He's the new legate, remember?"
"The one that nearly got his head chopped off back at Helghan? Wasn't the captain in charge of the executions over there? Hadvar said so."
"I heard he's also Dragonborn."
"What? That Argonian with the Shouts?! He's the Dragonborn?"
"I told you. Heard from a friend in Whiterun…"
Their voices were drowned out from the white noise in the Imperial Captain's head as she struggled to process that fact that the strong-bodied Argonian in the rags that she nearly sent to the block back in Helghan was here, and a high-ranking officer underneath General Tullius himself. The Argonian noticed Clodia looking at him in disbelief and turned his head toward her. His eyes briefly widened as he seemingly recognized her too.
"Captain?" the legionnaire Clodia had been dressing down was disturbed to see how unresponsive she had suddenly become. "Ma'am?"
"…."
"Next, the lizard!"
Clodia swallowed as she and the Argonian held that gaze, the Legate's narrowed eyes filling with contempt for her with each passing second. The Dragonborn broke the gaze before dismounting from his horse and approaches Legate Rikke's command tent.
"…."
"Uh…captain? Do you know the Dragonborn, ma'am?"
The air didn't become any colder, but for Captain Clodia it sure as Oblivion felt like it had. She had an inkling that the rest of her tour in this frostbitten wasteland was going to be even more unpleasant than it already was.
A/N: Seriously, why was this not a scene in the game? It would have been hilarious if you had joined the Imperial Legion after following Hadvar in Helghan and you get to meet that Imperial Captain again…and you outrank her.
Things are ok with me at the moment and I'm easing back into fan fiction as a hobby, this sketch felt therapeutic to write. When I announced I was putting Remnant Inferis: DOOM on hiatus a month ago, at the time I felt like I was in a bad place, compounded by the fact that something was wrong with , the website itself. I had stopped receiving email alerts over received Private Messages, Reviews, Favorites etc. and I always enjoyed responding to those and thanking people for their encouragement, and that frustrated me to the point I almost felt like giving up writing entirely.
Though, now I've started receiving emails again. Apparently, the site was on a Microsoft blacklist for a time and this had been a problem for everyone as well.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this short skit and hopefully my next chapter of Remnant Inferis: DOOM will be up soon as well. And then, maybe I can finally come up with an idea for a new fic.
Shoutout to my new beta Andy1997. Thanks a lot, friend. ;-)