Hey Everyone, I know I haven't posted for a while but I have been finishing off my study for the year, which is now done and to celebrate I am going to give you two chapters today, so enjoy! Please review
As John and Julie approached Windhelm stables, Julie's stomach began to growl again, "Papa, I'm hungry. How much longer until we get there?" Julie asked. John sighed, they ran out of food at breakfast this morning and as Edwin hadn't returned, he was scared to enter another town to find some more food until they got to Windhelm. "Not far. Once we reach the stables we just have to find your uncle." Julie nodded, sure enough it wasn't long until they reached the stable, as they got closer they saw two people in a uniform talking to someone outside the stable. Julie's face lit up as she recognised one of the people in uniform, "Uncle William!" She yelled as she waved her hand at them.
The group turned to see who was calling out to one of the generals, "Julie, John, what are you doing here?" William asked as he came over to where they had stopped the horses, he helped Julie down from Swift; when he noticed Shadow was with them, but with no rider, he asked "And where is Edwin?"
"Edwin went into Darkwater Crossing this morning to collect some more food as we ran out this morning at breakfast, we have not seen or heard from her since." John told William as he jumped down from Danny after handing Shadows reins to John (Goldie and Fred were still tied to Shadow's saddle).
John looked over at William, who was current exchanging a look with the man standing near him. "What's wrong?"
William sighed, "We just got word from Darkwater… Ulfric and his men were attacked just outside Darkwater Crossing." William shook his head and turned to the men he was talking to before they arrived, "Galmar, we should move this back to the Palace of the Kings, once the horses are settled. Ulundil, I will fix the fee up for the new horses later if that's alright. I will put them in the paddock Sapphire, as they all know each other." Working together the Shadow-Oak brothers quickly unsaddled the horses before letting them go in Sapphire's paddock and picking their gear up (except the saddles which where currently in the tack room with Sapphire's gear) they headed into the city.
As they walked into Windhelm, they noticed a group having an argument not just inside the gate near the central building. "Galmar, your brother is at it again." William said, as they saw what was happening. Sure enough there was two Nords facing off to a Dunmer women, one who was Galmar's brother Rolff.
"You come here where you're not wanted, you eat our food, you pollute our city with your stink, and you refuse to help the Stormcloaks." Rolff said to the women.
"But we haven't taken a side because it's not our fight." The women said back.
"Hey, maybe the reason these grey-skins don't help in the war is because they're Imperial spies!" the other man said
"Imperial spies? You can't be serious!"
"Maybe we'll pay you a visit tonight, little spy. We got ways of finding out what you really are." Rolff said again in a threatening way.
John heard enough, people being rude to another is something he couldn't stand especially seeing Julie was half Dunmer (his late wife was a full-blooded Dunmer) and she has been bullied for being a half-breed in the past. John sat the gear he was carrying down next to William, Galmar looked confused, "What are you doing John?"
John walked towards the group they had been watching while William put his hand on Galmar's shoulder, "Wait Galmar. Let John handle this as it might sink in coming from someone who was once married to a Dunmer." Sure enough John walked up to the group, "That's enough! Just because someone is a different race than you does not mean that you should pick on them." The two Nords and the Dunmer turned towards this new person, "Oh yea! Call yourself a Nord for sticking up for these kinds of scum! I bet you couldn't take me in a fight. Tell you what beat me and I will leave them alone for now."
John just smiled, it was nearly too easy "Deal." So they fought, although it didn't last long as John beat him in two seconds flat.
"Go Papa" Julie yelled as John finished the fight.
The Dunmer women decided to walk back with John, "Thank you, you have been a great help to me. My name is Suvaris Atheron." "Suvaris said to John as she helped him pick his gear up from where he sat it. She joined them as they walked towards the Palace of the Kings, "I am John Shadow-Oak; this is my daughter Julie Shadow-Oak. We have just moved here to be closer to my brother, William." John said as he nodded towards his daughter nd brother as he said their names.
Suvaris, of course, knew William as he had been trying to get the guards to look after all the people in the city equally. As they approached the Palace of the Kings, Suvaris said to John, "I will part from you now, but if you ever need anything or if Julie would like to spend some time with someone who can talk to her about Dunmer stuff I am happy to help."
With that Suvaris parted ways with the group as they walked into the Palace of the Kings.
"Now tell me what has been happening." John said to William as they sat down for a meal with Julie and Galmar. "Well, Jarl Ulfric got a message from Jarl Laila Law-Giver of The Rift asking him to come and discuss some information she had received that would help the war effort. As she isn't able to travel at the moment Jarl Ulfric decided to go himself to meet with her. He left Galmar hear in charge of the town. Jarl Ulfric and his escort passed through Darkwater Crossing on their way to the rift as Jarl Ulfric had to check something within the town. They were leaving Darkwater, when they were ambushed by Imperials. Unfortunately, we don't know any more than that and it is too late in the day to do anything about it now." William explained before asking, "Now why are you here? Last I heard you were still in Bruma."
John told them about the reason why they left Cyrodiil to come to Skyrim; he also explained what happened when we got to Darkwater Crossing. "…I had to let her go, you know how stubborn she can be. When she didn't return after an hour we came straight here." John said. William just shook his head, he knew exactly what John was talking about at the same time he knew why Edwin had done what she had done.
They sat and ate until it started getting late and Julie began to yawn. "Come on let's get you settled in at Candlehearth Hall for the night." William said as he began to stand, unfortunately William currently lived in the barracks so didn't have a house where they could stay. John and Julie followed William down to the Inn.
The next day, William and Galmar were in the war room discussing tactics to handle the situation as they hadn't heard anything more since the message yesterday; John and Julie were currently talking to Jorleif about Windhelm and the situation with the Dunmer. Suddenly the door to the war room open and a messenger for the guard ran into the room, "General Stone-Fist, General Shadow-Oak; Jarl Ulfric has returned." The messenger said to the generals. With that the two Nords walked out of the war room to the main hall just as Ulfric walked into the room. "Uncle Ulfric!" Julie yelled as she ran up to the Jarl, she had been given permission to call him that five years previously when after escaping the Thalmor he had stayed with the family in Bruma before returning to Skyrim with William through a secret passageway in Cloud Ruler Temple (It was one that could only be used by foot and it exited near Markarth, which is why John and Edwin elected not to use it). "Julie, it is good to see you again. I was worried when I saw Edwin and there was no sign of you or your father, as I know Edwin promised me when she came to Skyrim, she would bring you with her." Jarl Ulfric said as he hugged Julie, his actions stopped anyone in the room getting upset at her calling him that (other than Galmar, William, and John as they knew she had permission).
Ulfric released Julie and began to walk over to Galmar, William, and John. "I need to talk to you about what has happened." Ulfric said as he motioned towards the war room, "Jorleif, could you ask either Wuunferth or Sifnar to watch Julie as I think you need to hear this as well." Jorleif bowed to Ulfric and took Julie with him to the kitchen to talk to Sifnar first. Ulfric, Galmar, William, and John walked to the war room to wait for him.
When Jorleif entered the war room Ulfric started to explain what had happened. "We were fighting the Imperials after they ambushed us at Darkwater Crossing. The battle was going well, until the Imperials began to threaten the townsfolk and a woman who just walked into the town. I immediately told my men to surrender as I wasn't going to allow them to use innocents."
"Cowards!" Galmar said in disgust William and John agreed.
"That is definitely the word for it… to make matters worse, they decided that the women who walked into town and a horse-thief they had captured should be thrown into the carts with us." Ulfric shook his head, "The women was Edwin, but I didn't know until they put her, unconscious, in the cart next to me. They then took us to Helgan, where they had a headsman waiting for us. My men, and Edwin were ready to go to Sovngarde… they even had Edwin on the chopping block, when suddenly a dragon attack the town. I know it sounds bizarre but I swear I didn't imagine it, in the confusion we escaped." Ulfric looked at the men in the room with him and took note of the looks on their face, he then continued, "Edwin got separated from us, one of the men with me was Ralof, as he knows the area well, I sent him after her to keep her safe."
William nodded his head at this, "Thank you, she is after all our sister and family head."
After that John left to walk around Windhelm with Julie, Jorleif went back to perform his duties. Ulfric, Galmar, and William stayed to discuss what they should do about the situation with Darkwater.
After lunch Ulfric was sitting on his throne talking to Jorleif about Eastmarch Hold, Galmar and William were in the war room, while John and Julie were sitting at the table in the hall. Ulfric felt something shift in the world, he frowned as it was a feeling he sometimes get through the Way of the Voice, 'I wonder what that feeling was, it felt like the Thu'um shifted slightly, which is a strange feeling' Ulfric thought to himself. The room started to shake as the voice of the Greybeards reverberated all around Skyrim "DOV-AH-KIIN" straight away Ulfric was out of his throne with a look of revere on his face 'praise the Divines! A Dovahkiin has been found!'
"Jarl Ulfric, do you know what just happened?" Jorleif asked, Ulfric glance around the room; he noticed those who in the room were all looking at him.
"That sound was the Greybeards. A Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn in the tongue of man, has been found and called to High Hrothgar for training." Ulfric said.