Disclaimer: I wish I owned Danny Phantom! Desiree: -turns me into Butch Hartman- AHHHHHHHHH! CHANGE ME BACK CHANGE ME BACK! -is changed back-
Let me know in a review if Danny should have a companion from the Skyrim world, and if so, who and why. Any Skyrim companion you can have in-game, and I'll consider giving him up to a maximum of three companions. Anybody from Meeko to Mjoll.
Also, I'm pretty sure I don't want to include Dani in this fanfiction. If people really want her, I'll consider her another companion or this story WILL end up into a one chapter is about Dani, and then the next is about Danny. Let me know how you feel.
Danny walked along the worn stone path. He often looked around him, in awe of the beauty of this place. At least Vlad's schemes landed him in a place with a wicked view for once instead of the creepy, cold darkness of the Ghost Zone.
The path had a river on his right and endless trees to the left before it finally let a vast landscape painted with mountains in the distance, roaming green that went on forever with the river cutting through it and an old city sitting in the middle, basking in the enchanting Skyrim land.
A few farmhouses were sitting on either side of the path as he walked down. A few people gave a second glance at him, probably because of his youth combined with his hair color. Danny continued his way up to the city gates. Two guards were standing in front of the gates, and as he approached, one walked up to him.
"Halt. City gates are closed to visitors with the dragons about," he informed Danny. Danny froze up.
"But I need to talk to the Jarl-guy!" Danny protested. "This guy, Hadvar, his uncle told me that I need to go tell the Jarl that Riverwood needs more troops."
"Really? Very well then," the guard responded. He turned and called to his fellow guard. "Let him in the gate!"
"Uh, where is the Jarl?" Danny asked in a slightly hushed tone.
"He's in Dragonsreach. Just go straight until you see the inn, then make a left and up the stairs to the tall tower-like building," the guard directed.
"Thanks," he said before walking up towards the gate. The guard opened it for him, and he slipped inside, the gate closing behind him.
There was a woman and two men talking. One of the men sat on a throne, slouched and listening to the man talk. The man standing was in nice robes and balding with a small mustache, blabbing away a mile a minute.
"My lord. Please. You have to listen," the man standing was speaking. "I only counsel caution. We cannot afford to act rashly in times like these. If the news from Helgen is true... well, there's no telling what it means."
"What will you have me do then?" the man on the throne, whom Danny began to assume was the Jarl. He noticed the crown on his head and the finer fur robes he was wearing. "Nothing!?"
The woman had taken noticed of him. She quickly withdrew her sword and approached her, narrowing her red eyes as she examined him from head to foot.
"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded to know. "Jarl Balgruuf isn't accepting visitors."
"I have news," Danny replied. He gave a slight frown as he began to try to pronounce the town he was in correctly. "Bout Helgen."
The woman stood up straight and sheathed her sword.
"Well, that explains why the guards let you in," she murmured. She stepped aside and motioned for him to go up, which he did. She followed. "My lord, this boy was at Helgen."
The Jarl looked up at him hopefully, sitting up a little straighter.
"So," he started, his hand on his chin as he examined Danny's thin frame. "You were at Helgen. You saw this dragon with your own eyes?"
"Yes. These soldiers, Imperials I think, were trying to execute Vlad and the Whitecloaks, but the dragon attacked," Danny began. "Everybody went into chaos, and pretty much everybody ran. I don't know how many died."
The Jarl sighed, putting his head over his eyes.
"I should have guessed Vlad would be mixed up in this," he said softly before forming a thoughtful expression. He turned to the man standing and addressed him. "What do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"
"My lord," the woman interrupted hesitantly. "We should sent troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger, if that dragon is lurking in the mountains…"
"But my Jarl! The Jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation!" Proventus almost squeaked. "He'll assume we're preparing to join Vlad's side and attack him."
"Proventus, it's crucial we-" the woman began to protest.
"Enough!" Balgruuf roared, interrupted them both. "Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood immediately."
The woman, Irileth, smirked at Proventus and bowed respectively before leaving.
"We should not…," Proventus began before trailing off at Balgruuf's Look.
"I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" he said firmly. Proventus bit his lip and nodded. The Jarl had his mind made up and no man nor mer could sway him.
"If you'll excuse me," he said quietly. "I'll return to my duties."
"That would b best," Balguuf agreed in an equally hushed tone before turning to Danny. "Well done. Thank you for coming to me and informing me of the troubles within my hold."
"Not a problem," Danny answered, giving a smile. "Do you need anything else?" Balgruuf looked a bit skeptical. Danny bit his lip and added, "I've fought dragons before. Back home, I defeated them."
Balgruuf's eyes sparkled with interest.
"You've dealt with dragons before," he asked in complete awe, leaning forward in his throne. Danny nodded. "Well, in that case, I do believe I could use somebody like you. What is your name, boy?"
"Danny Phantom," he replied.
"Danny Phantom," Balgruuf repeated as he began to stroll across his throne room. Danny walked beside him as Balgruff lead them to a smaller room. "Thank you again, Daniel Phantom. Come with me. I'll introduce you to Farengar, my court wizard. He can be a bit difficult. You know how mages can be. He can fill you in on the details of your next task."
Farengar was the clichéd wizard appearance, with the huge blue cloak that swallowed his thin frame. Danny couldn't see his face, but he heard the scowl when they walked in. The wizard had an alchemy and enchanting table along with a huge table, covered in open books and complicated charts and a huge map of the entire land of Skyrim hung. There were a few locations marked on it with pins and ink. He was standing behind the table, examining an open book and comparing it to a chart.
"My Jarl, I mean no disrespect, but I am quite busy with my task at hand," he immediately spoke before he could be addressed, not even bothering to look up from some charts and books.
"Farengar, this is Danny Phantom. He's fought dragons before in his homeland," Jarl Balgruuf told him. Farengar looked up at Danny and Balgruuf in amazement.
"Where do you hail?" he questioned, moving from around the table to stand in front of him.
"Amity Park," Danny replied.
"Amity Park?" Farengar repeated. Danny could now see hints of his face, his expression puzzled. "I've never heard of such a place."
"It's…next…to…uh…," Danny stammered. "The…Imperial…City?"
"That explains much," Farengar replied, smiling. "I've been to Cyrodiil much, but mainly traveled to the Imperial City. Always on court mage business. And you look Imperial too."
Danny sighed slightly in relief.
"Enough questions about his heritage," Balgruuf gently reminded. "Fill him in on your research with the dragons."
"Of course, my Jarl," Farengar responded, waving as if to wave away his previous conversation as he walked around the table again and looking at a chart. "Well, Danny, I've been looking into the research on dragons. I need you to go fetch me a tablet."
"A tablet?" Danny repeated. An image of a modern-day iPad crossed his mind.
"Yes, a stone tablet," Farengar specified. He opened a book and flipped through it before putting it down. "It should have text that looks similar to this, and it's in the shape of…" Farengar dipped an ink and made the shape of what the tablet should look like. "this. Now my sources tell me that it's in Bleak Falls Barrow." Farengar went over to the giant map on the wall and pointed it out to Danny. "It's right here. Now off with you, I need that tablet as soon as possible."
"I will be back as soon as I get it," Danny promised. Farengar nodded in approval and Danny began to walk out.
"Danny Phantom!" Balgruuf called. Danny turned, and Balgruuf motioned for him to come towards him. Danny walked towards him, a bit hesitantly. "You have no proper armor, boy."
Danny glanced down. He still had on the armor Hadvar had told him he could take from the chest. It was already pretty worn when he put it on, and Danny had just noticed how close the strap were to snapping.
"I guess not," Danny agreed.
"And your sword…I'm surprised it's not in pieces," the Jarl commented. Danny glanced down at the sword. It didn't have any sheath, so he had resorted to just tucking it into the belt. "Proventus!"
"Yes, my Jarl," Proventus said, stepping forward.
"Take a short letter," Balgruuf said. Proventus scrambled to prepare himself for a note, setting out parchment and dipping a quill in some ink. "Write to your daughter, tell her to fit our young friend here in some proper, sturdy armor and give him a weapon word swinging. Inform her to put it on my personal tab."
"My Jarl!" Proventus exclaimed. He stood and rushed to Balgruuf's side. He whispered to him, but Danny could still hear. "Are you sure it's wise to do this for a young boy we know nothing about? What if he just takes his leave or dies? As your advisor and steward, I beg you to really think about this."
"This boy has came to us and told us of a problem so that we can ensure the safety of an entire town," Balgruuf replied in an equally hushed tone. "He's fought dragons before, he's willing to help Farengar, and…you can just tell that this boy has a good heart. I have faith in him."
"Of course, my Jarl," Proventus breathed heavily. "Apologies, my Jarl."
"Not at all," Balgruuf replied, waving a hand. "Write it up, give my seal and hand it to Danny."
Proventus nodded and scrawled out a letter. When it was done, he lightly fanned it in hopes of quickly drying the ink before folding it and sealing with it the Jarl's seal. He then stood and handed it to Danny.
"Give this to Adrianne Avenicci," Balgruuf instructed. "She's the owner of Warmaiden's. She will give you everything you need."
"Uh…do you have a map I can use?" Danny requested. Balgruuf nodded, looking over at Proventus as he began to search the drawers for a spare one. He handed two folded pieces of papers to Danny. "Thank you."
"I expect you to return soon," he lightly warned Danny. The halfa nodded. Proventus was motioning lightly at him, and Danny suddenly bowed lightly in respect before walking towards the doors.
"Wait, the Imperial City is a real place? And a race?" he asked himself, pausing before he opened the door and left.
Danny glanced out at city and took a deep breath of the surprisingly very fresh air. He began to walk down the steps, passing a guard and looked around. Where was Warmaiden's? There were a few people walking about, some people shouting from their stalls about their merchandise and children laughing.
He walked slowly around the town, reading the signs until he came across a woman standing over a forge. Warmaiden's.
"Uh…hello?" Danny spoke aloud. The woman was sweating as she pulled a piece of metal from the heat, dipping it into the pool of dirty water before beginning to pound on it.
"We have plenty of weapons in the store," she told him, giving a small, friendly smile as she continued to pound and beat the metal into a specific form.
"I was told to give you this," he said, handing her the sealed letter. She took her gloves off, wiped some soot and sweat off with her apron and accepted it. Adrianne read it before closing it and putting it into her apron pouch.
"Alright then," she said, clasping her hands together as she glanced up and down his form. "Let's start with some armor. Come inside, let's see if we have anything that will fit you before we get customizing."
Danny followed her inside. The inside of the shop was lined with armor and weapons, and a man behind the counter. He was tall with a thick beard and flowing hair and in armor with a war axe sitting in front of him.
"Ulfberth, can you see if we have any armor for this boy?" Adrianne requested. "It'll be on the Jarl's tab, and there are orders to give the best we have."
"What race are you?" Ulfberth asked. Seeing Danny's wide-eyed expression, he quickly added, "We don't discriminate. It's just that some armor fits some races better than others, and it's also helpful for finding your size."
"I'm…Imperial?" Danny half-guessed. Ulfberth nodded, looking completely understanding. He went into a backroom and came out with some iron armor.
"I need to get back to the forge," Adrianne told Danny. "Ulfberth will help you with whatever you need.
"Come stand here, and I'll help fit you," he instructed as Adrianne disappeared outside.
Danny stepped forward. He began to take off his armor with Ulfberth's help. When the last piece fell to the floor, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before Ulfberth began to strap an iron breastplate onto his chest.
"It feels a bit loose," Danny commented, unsure. Ulfberth chuckled deeply.
"Never had armor before, huh, boy?" he guessed. Danny gave a sheepish grin. "First rule of armor; it always needs to be loose enough that you can move, but not so loose that it simply falls off. You can adjust or have most armor modified to fit through the straps, so you normally need to worry length-wise if armor fits. Second rule, don't wear more armor than what you can comfortably carry. It can get heavy. I'm surprised some people can wear heavy armor."
"What kind of armor am I wearing?" Danny questioned as he began to put on the thick leather pants.
"You have iron armor on," Ulfberth explained. "It's quite light compared to most other solid armor. Rule of thumb is the better the armor, the heavier it is. You don't look like you weigh much, let alone carry much, so I think this the best you can do now, but come back in a few months I'll help you fit into some steel."
Danny smiled lightly as Ulfberth handed him the iron boots, which he easily slipped on and strapped tightly. Ulfberth then showed him how to put on the iron gauntlets before handing him a helmet, which Danny shook his head to.
"I'm not much of a helmet guy," he explained.
"Are you sure?" Ulfberth questioned, still offering it to him. Danny nodded, and Ulfberth shrugged his shoulders before putting it on the counter. "What kind of weapons man are you?"
"One handed," Danny replied confidently. Ulfberth glanced through his weapons before handing him a small dagger and a sword, both hidden away in a sheath that went around his waist.
"Steel," he told Danny.
"I don't think I need this," Danny said, holding up the dagger.
"Another rule of thumb is that you always carry a dagger for a back-up," Ulfberth insisted. Danny nodded understandingly, and he tucked it away in his gauntlet. He strapped the sword around his waist until it comfortably sat on his left side. Ulfberth took a step back to fully examine Danny in his armor. "There you go. You're ready to go slay some drauger!"
Danny smiled. He wanted to ask what a drauger was, but he decided to stay silent and not make himself look even more like an outcast.
"What's my bill total?" he wondered.
"Don't worry," Ulfberth assured him. "The Jarl said to put it on his own personal tab."
"I wouldn't feel right letting somebody else pay for it," Danny insisted. "I want to pay him back when I get the chance."
"A man who insists on paying back his debts," Ulfberth smiled. "That's a man with real honor."
Danny grinned back. Ulfberth went to the store's ledger and began to mark up the sales. He murmured to himself as he began to tall up the cost of Danny's armor.
"238 coin," he responded.
"238 coin," Danny repeated, committing it to memory.
"Stay safe out there," Ulfberth warned.
"I will," Danny replied, stepping out the door. "Goodbye! And thanks!"