Red and Naomi for a choice of better words were froze. The mountains around Winterhold were covered in snow and wind was howling. Pulling his wool blanket closer to him in order to keep warm was the only thing he could do about it. He hated the cold and snow that covered almost all of the northern parts of Skyrim, and if he had any choice in the matter he wouldn't have come here at all.
But the good part was that they were only two days out of Winterhold. They had taken the long way around Windhelm in order to not get the local Stormcloaks on them.
"Hey Red there's a tower up ahead let's see if we can stay there and get warm." yelled Naomi over the wind. Finally a place they could stay and get warm.
"We don't know if the Stormcloaks are there or not if they are we have to push on." he replied to her before pulling out a spyglass from his pack. It was an ingenious invention something made by the sailors for seeing long distances.
He looked at the tower to see if there was any life there or not, and seeing none he then looked at the tower itself. There was a flag blowing in the wind, red and white as far as he could tell. There was a graveyard out front that probably held the bodies of the past inhabitance. He knew this place, the only place military won't go. Refugees Rest, it was said to house ghost of the dead in the graveyard.
"We should move on and find a better place to hold up." yelled Red. Naomi looked at him like he had lost his mind, there they were in front of a perfectly good place, and the man said to move on?
"Have you lost your ever loving mind or is there a reason you are saying mover on?" she saw his eyes close and his head lower. She knew there was a reason, and she didn't like the way he was acting.
"This place is a place no man alive would stay at. The souls of the grave yard walk the tower looking for something, or someone." he told her. She was scared out of her mind ghost here; she thought that they were fairy tales. Red just started laughing at this, he needed to have someone to pick on since Naruto was not here, and who better than a person who has been in Skyrim less than a week?
"You big meanie I should kill you for that!" he just laughed more "Why did you say that when there are no such things as ghosts?!" the reaction was immediate Red stopped and looked ahead at the tower.
"You don't know how wrong you are, Nirn is full of nirnbound spirits that can't pass over, sad really, but its life here." he replied urging on his horse to move on. Naomi looked at him dumbfounded before making her horse do the same.
The tower was old, and that was by Skyrim standards. The wooden doors on the front were part way open just enough for someone to get in to, but enough to keep the wind and cold out. Red swinging down from his settle looked inside. There was a fire place in the center of the room with a pot over it, but no fire to warm their bones. Naomi demounted and followed him to behind the tower to a set of old stables. They tied the horses there and walked in the tower.
"Naomi look in my pack for a slab of deer meat, some potatoes, carrots, salt and garlic and set them beside the fireplace while get the fire going." upon saying this Red walked over and picked up some firewood stacked over in the side of the room. They set to work making a fire and cooking some deer stew.
After they had gotten themselves warm and their bedrolls out they sat there staring at the fire. The sound of the wind and the crackle of the fire were all that could be heard. Red was peacefully reading a book The Battle of Sancre Tor as a way to pass the time. Naomi on the other hand was carelessly tossing a kunai in the air being bored out of her mind.
"Hey Red when do you think that we will make it to where ever we are going?" she asked just as a way to pass the time he thought on it for a time before answering.
"Well if everything goes well and there are no troubles along the way then we should be there the day after tomorrow about lunch." he then closed his book and set it to the side "but that is only if it goes well."
"When do you think that we are going to be able to go back to the Shinobi world?"
"Like I was saying chances are that when we go to there that moat of the time is going to be spent training instead of having fun, but to answer the question whenever we find the Elder Scroll. But for now we need to get some sleep and get ready for tomorrow."
"Yeah well good night."
"I'm going to be up a while keeping the fire going and keeping an eye on everything you have a good night sleep Naomi."
She just mumbled something incoherent before passing over into the dream world. Red sighed and pulled out a pipe form his pack and lit it before picking up his book again and reading some more. His mind flashing to Naruto and Lucia and what they were doing.
(Naruto and Lucia)
In darkness around the front gates of Riverwood, a lone figure dressed in dark green peaked around a tree about thirty yards from the gate. Up ahead were a group of men dressed in goldish colored armor stood at the gates. 'Damn it I knew I should have killed the group of Thalmor at the Barrows, they must have ridden all night and day to get back to their base.' looking over the scene once more he fell back into the shadows of the night.
It took him a while to find his way back to the base camp they had set up. It only took them an hour to get back down the mountain side, but it would take them longer to get though Riverwood. They could have went around and though Helgen, but he didn't feel like have to see the burnt corpses that were most likely there.
He looked up and saw Lucia sitting by the small fire they had going cooking a fish. He pulled his hood down and allowed his long blond hair to be seen. "What's for dinner I'm starving?" she looked up quickly not knowing that he was there.
"Naruto for the love of Mara please don't scare the hell out of me like that!" she all but yelled. Naruto just chuckled and sat down. He picked up a fish on a stick by the fire and took a bite out of it. "What's the situation around town? Was the sight we saw just a figment of our imagination?"
"No, there are Thalmor placed in town, I was able to figure out their guard patterns but even then it would be next to impossible to get by." he told her before taking another bit of his fish. "I have a plan, but it includes killing and a lot of it."
He saw the look in her eyes almost as if she was takeing in the info she had just been told. "You are by no means just barging right in there and killing them all!" she yelled at the blond. He sighed and closed his eyes.
"I might be headstrong and all, but I'm not dumb that would be suicide even with how fast I heal." He saw the look in her eyes "ok ok I'm somewhat dumb, is anything else new?" he sighed and finished his fish.
"Ok so what's the plan?"
"Here's what we do…"
(front gates of Riverwood)
Two elven guards were standing there peering out into the darkness. They couldn't see more than thirty feet in front of them and even at that distance they could only see shapes of people or animals. They could hear footsteps coming towards them, many in fact. Then they saw the outlines of some people in armor. Quickly they drew their swords and stood ready to fight.
One of the people looked up at the elves with glowing blue eyes followed by the rest of the people, if they could be called that. One by one they all looked at them, there were not twenty standing there, no there were many, many more. The two elves looked on in fear as a hundred or so drauger walked towards them. Walking in to the light they saw the blades that would soon be their demise if they didn't do one thing, run.
As quick as they drew their swords they dropped them and sprinted off back into town, heading towards the Sleeping Giant Inn to warn their commander. As soon as they ran the drauger walked into the gates with a few peeling off and headed to the homes of the people of the town. They kicked the doors in and walked in causing many of the town's folk to arm themselves and face the hoard.
Naruto allowing the transformation to fall ensured the people that this was a ploy to dive the Thalmor out of the town. He turned and walked out the house, and drew his bow before firing a shot at a Thalmor archer standing on the inn steps.
This was the sight that the Thalmor wizard ran out to see. His eyes shot up at the mass amount of drauger in the town, he turned quickly and ordered the people inside to grab weapons and prepare a counterattack on the undead army.
He summoned a sword and stabbed one of the drauger on the porch, only for it to go up in smoke. Naruto saw this and knocked two arrows and quickly released them at elf. They struck true and he saw the elf look down at the arrows before looking at him and falling over.
Naruto watched as his clones finished off the rest of the Thalmor stationed there. He walked up on the porch and knelled down beside the wizard, who was somehow still had some strength left in him. The elf glared up a the hooded man and coughed up blood.
"You know you (Cough) just signed your death warrant." the elf said to Naruto.
"I already had, you wanted a war and now you got one. I swear this on my name as the last Septim in the world."
"Haha (cough) fitting that my killer be the man we (cough) were supposed to kill…" the elf said before letting his last breath.
"I suppose you found something that interest you here miss?" said Naruto as he looked over his shoulder at the lady. She wore leather armor and wielded an Akaviri blade. She was a little taller than him and had dirty blond hair.
"Is what you said true, that you're a Septim?" she saw him get defensive when she said the name "I mean you no harm, my name is Delphine and I'm the last of the Blades."
"If you were a Blade then that just gives me all the more reason to not trust you." he said reaching for his swords "Give me a reason to trust you."
"As a Blade it is my duty to serve the Dragonborn, also known as the Septim Family. You are the ultimate dragon slayer, and it's my job as a Blade to help and protect you."
"Yeah well I don't need it, if I do then you know where to find you." Naruto said as he slowly moved his hand away from his swords. He heard something moving in behind him and turned around to see two of his clones carrying an elven man with bound hands.
"Boss we found him trying to escape the town, what should we do with him?" Naruto thought for a moment on what he should do, on one hand he could let him go and allow him to live for a while to carry a message to his superiors, or he could just kill him and be done with it.
Decisions decisions.
"Listen here elf, I want to leave and tell those above you that Naruto Uzimaki Namikaze Septim has declared war on you and you Aldmeri dominion," he leaned in and whispered into his ear "and I'm coming for you heads." He turned and walked away and let the clones cut his bindings.
(Later)
"Lucia." This got the young girls attention "it's done the Thalmor are out of the town, so I think that we are going to stay the night here and head to Whiterun in the morning." he walked over and gave the girl a hug who quickly returned it "See I wasn't going to be reckless."
"That's a first for you, I mean you're a Companion and it seems to me that being headstrong runs in the group." she smiled and looked into his sea blue eyes "I think the Nine you weren't hurt."
"Yeah," he stared off into space for a moment "Lucia, um what would you think if we were going to go to war, you, me, the Companions, What would you think of that?"
He saw her features go from a face of happiness to a mass amount of fear and worry. He knew he shouldn't have brought the subject up with her. Now he had to tell her that he was going to war and that the Thalmor have pulled his last straw of his patience.
"We should go to war with the Thalmor." This was not the answer he was expecting. He was expecting something along the lines of hell no or something. "They are a threat to our ways of life, our friends, and families. I think that I speak for every person in the empire when I say this."
Naruto was at a loss of words for what she said. Here he had planned to argue with her and had already gotten an idea of how to sway her to agree, but now he didn't have to.
"Let's get some sleep, if today was anything to go by then Whiterun must be full of elves." she agreed and though it was a little past midnight she really wanted to some sleep "we'll leave a little past sunrise." he smiled at her before hugging her "I want you to stay out of the fighting when it starts, ok?"
"No promises, knowing you you'll need me." she waked over and got into her bedroll "Goodnight Naruto."
"Goodnight Lucia." he said before getting into his bedroll and going to sleep.
(Red and Naomi)
Morning came fast for the duo, Red had stayed up all night and explored the tower to see what it looked like. He saw that the tower was once a small stronghold for someone. Thankfully he also found out that the tower had a library and more books for him to read. Afterwards he started some breakfast for them both on the fire that he had going.
This was what Naomi woke up to, the smell of pinethrush eggs and horker bacon, even though she didn't know that. "Morning Red." she said still in a daze after waking up "What you cooking?"
"Oh just a small breakfast for us to eat before we hit the road." he replied. They had a ways to go before they would reach their destination. it was going to take a while to reach it. He reached over and got a piece of bread and cut it in half before putting the eggs and bacon on it and handing it to her. "If we ride hard we should reach the Hold by the end of the day, but that's only if nothing happens."
She nodded and took a bit of her breakfast. She thought about all that had happened in the time she had been here. So much had happened, she found out the great Kyūbi wasn't as coldhearted as everyone said, that the 'Kyūbi brat' as her commander has said was actually a kind person that cares dearly about people, also that she still had so much to learn about the ways of the world.
She had so much to learn about the world and so little time to do it in, language, geography, customs, and so much more. She didn't know where to start. "Red what's it like here?"
Red was getting packed for them to leave when she asked the question. "Hmm. Its ok most of the time, but winter is colder then anywhere in the Elemental Nations. The people are nice so long as you don't piss them off or an elf."
"You mean those people you killed at the town?"
"Its not a town, it's a Hold capital, and yes. They were Thalmor and have been stirring up trouble for a while now. Personally they need to die and with Septim back in the world they stand no chance for winning."
"A Septim? Who's that? "
"Naruto, as you know is an Uzimaki, but that's not all he is, he is a Namikaze and a Septim. The later of the three is the heir to the throne for the empire. So if you were to have killed him and the people found out, then the world would have been after your asses till the end of time."
Her eyes grew large; they had almost signed their death warrants when they attacked Naruto. That would be bad, nations coming after you for the death a man who held more power than a Kage.
"Come on we need to go." he said picking up the pack and walking out. Naomi slowly did the same and walked out as well.
(Naruto and Lucia)
They had gotten to White run in a matter of hours after waking up. From what they could see the Thalmor had the place on lock down in hopes of him coming there. There had to be more than five hundred elves there, all ready for the last Septim to appear.
It didn't matter how strongly they barricaded the gates or how many places they watched he would still get in. he knew a way in that they would never find, the Underforge. True he had never been in there or anything, but he knew the way in and where the exit was.
"What are we going to do? They have the place on lock down." whispered Lucia.
"We are going in, but not the front way. I'm going in the though the Underforge and meet up with the Companions, then were going out the front."
"What about me?"
"You are going to wait here till we come out and if possible cover us from a safe distance. I don't want you getting hurt."
"Naruto you know that even if that does work the chances of you getting out the of the Hold is slim to none."
"I know, but I can't leave mom and all of them in there with the Thalmor." he reached over and pulled her to him before kissing her "I'll see you after the battle, love you."
"You better come out of there alive or I'm going to kill you when we get to Sovngarde."
He just flashed her one of his grins and runs off. Lucia went back to looking at the front gate to see how many there were standing there.
Naruto reached the under part of the tower where the entrance to the Underforge, but there were a pair of Thalmor standing there resting from the looks of it. He drew his swords and walked out into the open for them to see him. The effects were immediate as they saw him and drew their own weapons.
Naruto ran at them and ducked under a sword swing that he could feel the wind off of. The said elf soon felt a sharp pain in his side as Naruto's sword pierced his side, the other elf swung his sword at Naruto who pulled sideways on his sword and caused the other elf to finish off his partner by taking off his head instead of Naruto's.
He quickly let go of the sword and the elf's side, and quickly moved to intercept the elf before he could swing the blade again. Naruto round house kicked the elves head making him stumbled back against a wall, before he could recover Naruto was on him once more already bringing the blade of the sword down for the killing blow. He missed his head but had hit his shoulder causing a deep gash, and a loud cry from the dying elf. He quickly pulled the sword out of his shoulder and on a reverse cut lobbing the elves head off.
You were sure the enemy above was aware of its present by now, and worked quickly to get out of there before they could reach him. I grabbed his swords before sheathing them and running into the darkness of the Underforge passage.
By the time the Thalmor had gotten there all we found was bloodied mangled bodies, and the last Septim was long gone. Naruto ran through the dark passage of the Underforge hoping to find the Companions in the forge or at least at the mead hall so he could organize a retaliation against the Thalmor. To his luck the companions, or at least the Circle, our meeting of the Underforge to talk about the current state of affairs.
"Mom," said Naruto breathlessly "I was hoping you would be down here."
The Circle all looked to see the green clad young man standing there covered in blood and sweat. "Naruto what are you doing here?" asked Kodlak "but more importantly how did you know of this place?"
"That's simple, mom once told me that if I was in trouble and needed to get the Whiterun but couldn't, there was a way in the old watchtower. Both already knew about the Underforge from Skjor talking about It." he replied to the old man.
Kodlak and closed his eyes and nodded for opening them and giving a stern glare to Aela, and gave her usual act of defiance against the man.
"Look I don't have time to stand around and watch everybody glare at each other. The plan starting a war with the Thalmor and I need every bit of help I can get with it." Naruto said seriously.
"You know you have my help son." said Aela.
" I've been meaning to hand it to these elves for years." Skjor said with a grin.
"You have my brains," said Vilkas.
"then you have my strength as well" said Farkas.
"Though I do not agree with what you're doing, I understand that it is out of necessity that you do this. For that alone I will help you." said Kodlak.
"Good then we have some work to do." they all grinned, well all except Kodlak who looked indifferent, at the blonds words.
Hey ya'll sorry about being so late with the update. A lot of stuff going on here lately that forced me to take an unintended break from writing.
Any way as you can see things are going to get crazy in Whiterun and Thalmor have pissed off the wrong Septim.
So anyway, I will see you all in march and this is just to let you know I'm not dead yet.
Please review…
"What's right is what's left if you do everything else wrong." Robin Williams