"Do you now see how awful the Stormcloaks truly are? They murdered your whole family to achieve their selfish desires" said Tulius, seemingly disgusted by the soldier's statement. I stood in silence, staring at the ground. This man...this horrible man...had killed them because of an even worse man...Ulfric Stormcloak. I looked up.
"General. I still do not approve of the war, nor do I think I would be of much help. However, I see now what these monsters will do to gain power. If you will let me, I will join the Legion and fight for the Empire" I said, determined. I don't care what I had to do...as long as these Stormcloaks were stopped.
"I am glad to hear that. Now come with me. Normally, you'd have to go through a test to see whether or not you're Legion material but I think in this case I can make an exception" he said, going back up the stairs. I followed him, shooting a nasty look at the Stormcloak as I passed.
"Is it required I wear Imperial armor?" I asked. There was so much better armor that I could use and I hoped I wasn't restricted to that.
"Yes. You are part of the Imperial Legion and as such must wear the armor. Is that a problem?"
"No, sir. Just asking. However, I do not wish to use an Imperial sword. As I'm sure you know, I have an Ebony Sword that will likely work much better"
"I see. Fine, use your own sword. However, you need an Imperial Shield"
I shook my head. "No. I don't really need one" I said.
"Come now, boy. You need to have a shield" protested Tulius. "I cannot allow you into battle one"
"Sir, I really...As you wish" I sighed.
"Good. I think Bits and Pieces somehow managed to acquire a shield. Go check with them. When you're done, return here and wait for me with Legate Rikke in the war room if I am not back yet" he said. I left Castle Dour and went to Bits and Pieces.
"Welcome to Bits and Pieces, dear" said Sayma, the Redguard woman who runs the store. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yes, I need an Imperial Shield. Do you have one?" I asked. She disappeared into a back room for a moment then came back holding one.
"Yes, the only one. We got ahold of this recently in fact. Wait...you're the boy whose house burnt down, correct?" she said, setting the shield down. I nodded sadly. She smiled and pressed it into my hands.
"Here, take it. It's free. I suppose this is the least I can do after all you've dealt with today. May I ask why you want it?" she said, her eyes filled with kindness and concern.
"I plan to fight in the Imperial Army against those awful Stormcloaks. They were the ones who burnt my house down" I said. "Thank you for the shield. When the war is over, I will pay you back" I left the shop before she could say anything else. I didn't want to go back to Castle Dour but I had no choice. Ulfric dragged me into this war and I intended to drag him out of this life. I hated to kill...but I could easily make an exception.
I sat down in a chair in the war room beside the fierce looking woman he had seen arguing with Tulius. She did not look like someone to cross or disagree with. She ignored me and I did the same with her until the general returned, carrying a set of light Imperial Armor.
"Here. This should fit you, soldier. I see you got a shield. Good, I am sending you out with Legate Rikke here to your first assignment" he said, handing me the armor. I put it on and examined it. It fit perfectly, though I had hoped I wouldn't grow much until the war was over. The helmet was not exactly comfortable but it would not be smart to fight without one so I just had to deal with it. I strapped my sword to the side of the armor and held my shield in my left hand. "Go to Korvanjund, northeast of Whiterun, and retrieve the Jagged Crown. Return to me once you have it but be warned. Ulfric wants the Crown as well. He will most likely have sent troops there to take it from you. Outside the city you will see your transportation"
Legate Rikke led me out of the city to the gates. Normally, I would have tried to make conversation or something but I didn't really think talking to her would be a smart idea, even if she was on my side. I was probably overreacting but hey, she was a bit scary. Her face was always expressionless, but she seemed extremely tough and never said a word to me.
When we left the city, I saw that the transportation included several carriages. I longed to say "Seriously? A carriage?" but I held back my comment, my slight fear of Legate Rikke preventing me from saying anything. I climbed in back with some other recruits and the horses began to move. In the carriage with me was a middle aged Nord man, an Argonian female who looked to be in her twenties and a Breton boy about my age.
"Good, I'm not the only kid here. I was worried that I'd be surrounded by adults this whole time" said the Breton, holding out his hand as the carriage began moving. "I'm Darvak, by the way. Who are you?"
I shook his hand. "My name is Leif. I've never seen you in Solitude before. Where do you live?"
He laughed, jumping slightly as a carriage wheel hit a rock. "I just moved here, actually. My parents forced me to join the army because they didn't want me around. I was going to join anyway. What about you? Did your parents force you to join as well?"
I shifted my gaze away. "...my parents are dead. Didn't you see that fire earlier? That was my house...my parents...and...my brother...were all killed..." I mumbled, trying not to cry. Even the slightest thought of my parents being dead brought me to tears. I couldn't even bear to think of Kesh being dead. He was more than my brother. He was my best friend, someone I couldn't live without...
"I'm so sorry to hear that...I shouldn't have brought it up, that was stupid of me..." he said apologetically, sincerely meaning it. I smiled.
"No...it's fine, you didn't know...do you have any brothers or anything?" I questioned, trying to change the subject.
"No. I have two sisters. The only one who cares about me is the younger one. She's only six years old and is the most adorable thing ever. She told me to make sure I came home safely so we could play together again soon. What about your brother? I understand if you don't want to talk about it" he said.
After a moment, I sighed. "My brother was actually my adopted brother. He was a Khajiit who was the nicest person I've ever met. I loved him. He was like a real brother to me but so much more than that...he was my best friend in the world"
Darvak nodded and looked away, watching the many animals we passed. I did the same, trying to get my thoughts away from my past. True, I felt awful and wanted to cry but I knew that focusing on the past would only make things worse. Such things were not meant to be forgotten but to keep going with my life, I had to move on. If only it were that easy...