Chapter Fourteen
Dominion and Necromyan forces were on the run. Skyrim was secure. Hammerfell had pushed the Necromyans out, the listening post in Morrowind was destroyed, Imperial forces in Black Marsh and High Rock had crushed the last of the enemy forces in those provinces, and Stormcloak Special Forces dropped into the province of Elsweyr in the dead of night had liberated the Khajiit homeland in a day. The remaining Dominion and Necromyan forces outside of Summerset Isle drew back to Valenwood, the enemy's last bastion of defense before the Aldmeri homeland.
While the Empire and Stormcloak forces gathered their strength for the assault on Valenwood, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen were given two weeks of shore leave, which they happily took. With no enemy presence in the secured provinces, Elenwen brought her family to Whiterun, where they bought a house adjacent to Faasnu and Kabier's home. Afterward, Elenwen and her lover, Faelian, married.
Faasnu and Kabier's relationship continued to grow. Kabier even had a chance to see Faasnu's dragon form, one night while they were stargazing. Even though they came from two different races, they felt they were a perfect match.
One night, a night before the march to Valenwood, Faasnu popped the question. He and Kabier lay in bed, cradled in each other's arms, when he asked,
"Sweetheart... do you have plans for when this war ends?"
"I'm not leaving your side, that's for sure," she answered. "Why?"
"I was just thinking, earlier this week... we've been together for some time, now," Faasnu explained. "We've fought through hell, and I was wondering..." He reached into his nightstand, retrieving a small ring, and continued, "... If you'd marry me when this war ended." His faced flushed red and his hands shook. Kabier just chuckled and kissed him.
"Baby... of course I'd marry you. You said it yourself – we've fought through hell together. Were it not for you, I'd still be a Thalmor prisoner... or worse. I love you with all my heart, and I would gladly marry you when this war ends. We deserve this much."
"Do we?" Faasnu asked. "I confess, I feel like... I'm rushing this. Marriage is big, right?"
"Of course it is," Kabier whispered. "But there's no one I'd rather marry than you... hell, we've only been together a matter of weeks or months, and already, I find myself willing to bear your children."
Faasnu chortled. "Ho-ho," he told her, "Now you're getting ahead of yourself."
"Shut up, so are you," Kabier chuckled with a smile.
When she finished her last statement, she embraced Faasnu for a deep, passionate kiss...
The morning came faster than Faasnu and Kabier thought it would. Still, they rose from bed, dressed, armored up, and armed themselves with new weapons – an MP340A3 for Faasnu, and an AK50M7 for Kabier. Elenwen, too, nabbed a different weapon – an RX Hybrid H6M1. Armored head to toe and armed to the teeth, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen boarded a transport, and headed to the Imperial city in Cyrodiil to meet with the heads of the allied forces.
The trip took no more than two hours. Paarthurnax and Odahviing flew escort, armored in powered dragon battle-armor. The transport touched down in the Imperial City Palace district, and Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen got off to head into the Palace.
"Think the Thalmor are in for a surprise?" Kabier asked.
"Considering what's happened in recent months, I think they're in for a verybig surprise," Elenwen admitted.
"No arguments here," Faasnu agreed. They stepped into the palace, and were immediately greeted by Tullius and Ulfric.
"Good, you're here – now we can get this meeting underway," Tullius said.
"The meeting hasn't started?" Faasnu asked.
"No – we've been waiting on you," Tullius said.
"From his tone, I suspect General Indari has a special task for you," Ulfric added. "Let's not keep him waiting."
Ulfric, Tullius, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen entered the main chamber, where Emperor Meade and General Indari were already present.
"Captain Faasnu," Indari greeted, "You make good time. I trust you've had a good rest?"
"Yes, sir," Faasnu answered.
"Well, good," Indari said. "Let's get to the business at hand, shall we?"
"You did remarkably well in taking out that listening post in Morrowind," Meade said. "Now, our plans for the invasion of Valenwood are in no danger of being discovered."
"I imagine Valenwood already knows we're coming," Rikke commented.
"That they do," Indari said, "But they know neither when nor how. Thus, we have the initial advantage." Indari hit a button, and a recently-installed holographic projection unit projected a holographic map of Valenwood over the massive circular table where everyone sat. "Alright," Indari continued, "According to reports from resistance spies in Valenwood, the enemy has an airstrip set up near the city of Arenthia; moreover, Arenthia is a major trading port and it sits near the Valenwood-Cyrodiil border. Therefore, it will be our first target. The Dominion and the Necromyans know this – spies reported a major shift in troops toward Arenthia."
"Where do my team and I come in?" Faasnu asked.
"You and your team will be working with the Stormcloak Special Forces," Indari answered. "You'll be dropped behind enemy lines to sabotage anything of strategic importance in preparation for the Imperial Army's strike. DMC troops will also accompany the strike. You and your team, specifically, will be dropped near that airstrip; your orders are to sabotage any and all aircraft at that strip, destroy the fuel dump, and make your way to the city to sabotage the armory, ammo caches, and lines of communication. Is that understood, Captain?"
"Yes, sir," Faasnu answered.
"Good. The next objective, obviously, will be to liberate Arenthia; we need to push the Dominion and Necromyan forces out of the city. Once that is done, it will be our staging grounds for the liberation of Valenwood," Indari continued. "From there, you will aid the Imperial and Stormcloak forces in taking Silvenar and then the capital of Valenwood, Falinesti."
"What about the other cities in Valenwood?" Kabier asked.
"The DMC will be hitting those cities," Indari responded. "Once we have Valenwood secure, I imagine we'll have to dig in to defend against a counterattack."
"And if the Thalmor and their Necromyan allies are in no condition to launch such a counterattack?" Ulfric tactfully queried.
"Then our job taking Summerset Isle is that much easier," Meade answered. "One way or the other, we will exact justice for the atrocities committed by the Thalmor during the last war."
"I'll need all of you on the front lines when we assault Summerset Isle," Indari added. "So rest up. Once Valenwood is secured, you'll all be heading for the front lines."
"As you command, General Indari," Rikke droned.
Indari looked to Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen. "Your task will not be an easy one," he told them. "Infiltrate enemy lines, sabotage their air power, disrupt their defensive capability, and do anything and everything you can to aid in the capture of Arenthia, Silvenar and Falinesti. I suspect Falinesti will be the most difficult nut to crack, so you'll be getting a field resupply and DMC assistance once you take Silvenar. Any questions?"
Faasnu looked to Kabier and Elenwen, both of whom nodded to him. They were ready. "No questions, sir," Faasnu said.
"Very well," Indari stated. "Your transport leaves at 0230 hours tomorrow. Good luck out there, Captain. I hope to see you in Valenwood soon. Dismissed."
Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen simultaneously rose from their seats, saluted General Indari, and left. Once they were clear of the Imperial Palace, Faasnu spoke up.
"I'd advise we hit a supply cache to get ammunition and other supplies; we may not get a chance to once we're in Valenwood," he said.
"I concur," Elenwen agreed. "We'll be in Valenwood for some time."
"So let's hit a cache and get rested up," Kabier chimed. "We're gonna have an early morning."
With that said, the team headed to a supply station, got a full combat load of supplies, and checked into a tavern for the night. Like Kabier said – it was going to be an early morning.