Hadvar I
Word of what happened in Solitude spread like wild fire. Not long after the Emperor was killed by Dark Brotherhood assassins the High King was killed by Ulfric Stormcloak. These were dark times indeed. People began to talk about the Oblivion Crises. It was a harsh new age. No emperor yet sat on the throne in Cyrodiil. Word was that Tullius was staying in Helgen to command the Imperial forces in Skyrim until Ulfric was killed. The other rumor was the Breton kings had declared for Tullius's brother.
Not long after Riverwood heard the news our small little village town was a buzz of activity. The saw mill was running almost all day. They had hired on the wood elf hunter Faendal and the bard Sven. Ralof, Gerdur, and Hod were working themselves to exhaustion. The price of timber skyrocketed. People would need the wood for defenses, arrows, bows, ships, and to rebuild damaged structures. My uncle, Alvor, was also staying busy. His smithy stayed hot near round the clock as well. If I was not out in the woods hunting I was working with my uncle. If I was at the tanning skin, he would use the bellows, so on and so forth for all of the equipment. His daughter Dorthe was even getting experience with lighter work.
Ralof and I had all but quit speaking. After our fight we had spoken little to each other but had tried to be nice. We had grown up together. When his parents died his sister and he had stayed with Unlce Alvor until they got older and Gerdur married Hod. We were best friends. Both orphans living with family instead of that hellhole they call an orphanage in the Rift. All that changed when Imperial recruiters began walking through the Holds. Falkreath's Jarl had been replaced with his more Imperial sympathetic nephew and the Legate often came through seeking out recruits.
After a few weeks of seeing Legate Skulnar popping into town, I finally got up the nerve to talk to Unlce Alvor about joining up. He didn't whole heartidly agree with me serving but thought it would be better than running off to Windhelm. We personally worshipped Talos, we hated the Thalmor. I just thought we needed the Empire or we would all die.
After the paper work was finaly I gave my Uncle all of my personal items and set out with the Legate to an Imperial camp for basic training. We were given basic light leather armor and an iron gladius. We were informed that in the Legion all auxiliaries get this basic equipment. With each promotion you can choose between new armor and new weaponry. Most went with the armor. Iron kills just like ebony. Ebony turns more damage than iron any day.
One rush I will never forget was saying the Oath in front of all my recruitment class. The future Emperor was in attendance and we all saluted him as he walked past us.
"Upon my honor I do swear undying loyalty to the Emperor,
...and unwavering obedience to the officers of his great Empire.
May those above judge me, and those below take me, if I fail in my duty.
Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire!"
After being promoted out of the Auxiliary Corps, I became a forester. We were the scouts of the Legion and rarely operated this far North, but with growing concerns of rebellion we were sent out more and more through Falkreath, Whiterun, and the Rift. I served there for a short time before being recalled to Helgen. General Tullius had called for a new administrator and my commanding officers and Legate Skulnar had recommended me for the job. Tullius was the military governor of Skyrim, the Legates all served under him with Legate Skulnar being the one whom I served under. Then came a captain then I was serving under her.
I trained, led, and fed a cohort of men out of Helgen. We would be prepared for anything the bastards threw at us.
That is until the day Helgen burned to the ground. After a skirmish in the woods of the Rift Ulfric had been captured near Darkwater Crossing, It had been barely six months since the duel had happened. No one knows if it was by luck or Ulfric's own doing that a dragon of legend escaped from the Imperial executioners at Helgen.
It certainly didn't seem to hurt Ulfric either way. Helgen was the Imperial presence in Skyrim. Everyone would now be relocating to Castle Dour in Solitude. The peasants were well past superstitious and believed the dragon was Lord Akatosh saving Ulfric. Many more clocked to his banner.
However it did do my heart well to go home for a few days. I saw how much Dorthe was growing into a young woman, I saw how much money Uncle Alvor had made off the little war, and I saw how my aunt was a paranoid, frigid bitch.
I told many stories from my short time as a forester. I also talked to Alvar about leading men and running a post and how much I was not ready for that work load.
I also told Alvor about seeing Ralof with the Stormcloaks and asked after that. My former friend had left to serve shortly after I did. When I saw him at Helgen I wanted to try to help but could tell he was a changed man. No longer the man I thought him to be I was happy at least to hear he had survived Helgen and would return to Windhelm after he recovered.
War had come. Like with our friendship war would tear people and families apart.