A/N: This takes place a few months after the last chapter.

Edric II

It had been an ordinary routine mission. Take a fort from a group of bandits and set up a supply drop. Leave men behind to garrison said fort, if things went south for the rebellion then we would need all of the hiding places we could find.

We were on the northern end of the Rift, barely out of Eastmarch when the Imperials ambushed us. Their cavalry rode down several men before we knew what had even hit us. Their lances kept our swords away from the horses.

"Men, form a shield wall. Shields in front, archers in back, swords in the middle." I shouted. I had no real experience against the Legion. I had only commanded men against the bandits that plagued Eastern Skyrim. They normally turned with their tale between their legs.

The men responded as well as I could have hoped for and began shooting at the horsemen. That's when the infantry stormed through the thickets of the Rift near our left flank. My twenty or so men were outnumbered. They had as many horsemen as we had total.

"Edric Stormblade, son of Ulfric we knew we would find you here!" A legionnaire rode close to our remaining wall. All of his men had stopped attacking. He wore the armor of the legion but his helmet had a mohawk attached to it. He was some kind of leader, obviously.

I nodded at one of my archers, who readied his bow behind a shield. He was completely unseen. "Who would you be?" I called out to the man.

"I am Tribune Seneca of the Imperial Legion." The man laughed. "Why does it matter to you? Surrender, and your men will suffer quick deaths."

"Sir, I asked so I would know whose name to put on a tombstone." I whistled a loud high pitched whistle. My men broke their ranks then, the arrows from the archers all met their targets. One by one I watched the Legionnaires fall from arrows. Then the Nordic barbarians I had with me hit their line. Axes were swinging into the Imperials limbs. Blood everywhere. The battle cry of my men sent the weaker willed Imperials running. Easier for the archers to hit them in the back that way.

The Tribune began to panic. His horse came up on its hind legs. The other cavalrymen were going down around him. He was looking to each side freaking out when I tackled him off of his horse. The ground hit us hard when we landed. I was atop the man, axe against his throat.

"B…B…B…But the plan was perfect. We were to ambush you here and get your father at Darkwater Crossing, everything was supposed to be perfect…." His eyes were wide as he realized his men were being slaughtered. He may have had better numbers but his men were not equipped to fight the true sons and daughter of Skyrim. I don't know that a single Nord was in the man's unit.

My axe cut off his next words and I mounted his horse. Directing several men to follow me I appointed my lieutenant to lead the remaining men to the bandit's keep while the horsemen and I ran down the remaining Legionnaires.

"Try to take some of these men alive," I gave the order. "We may need to hear of their plans if they did get Father at Darkwater Crossing."

We rode through the woods of Riften like Mehrunes Dagon had come back and was on our tail.

My men used the lances and spears the Imperials had used against us to take out the knees of the running soldiers. Any we could not capture they cut them down.

Learning that a larger ambush, led by Tullius himself, was waiting for my father right outside of Darkwater Crossing I knew I had to act. It was a several hour, hard ride from here to the mining town. I sent one of my soldiers to ride to my other men and alert them to the situation. Damn the bandit keep, we could clear it out later. I sent orders for them to return to Windhelm and alert Galmar of what was going on. The rest of us rode hard for the ambush sight. Maybe we could beat the Imperials or rescue Father if he was captured. I needed to do something.

My remaining men and I rode into town around four hours after we had left our skirmish in the woods. The people of the town looked like nothing had occurred. I rode up next to an Argonian.

"Sir, would you know anything about an Imperial ambush that happened nearby?"

"I haven't heard anything." The lizard rasped. He continued to chop firewood.

I took out a money pouch from the saddle of the Imperial's horse. I threw it at the feet of the Argonian.

"Oh that ambush. Yes, Ulfric Stormcloak was loaded on a wagon by Imperials to be taken to Helgen."

"How many others?" I asked the Argonian.

"I don't know, but I can take you to the ambush sight for more gold." A toothy grin came from the Argonian. I rolled my eyes and tossed my own gold pouch to the scaly rogue.

We rode for around thirty minutes at a slow pace. The Argonian was on foot leading us to the ambush sight. When we got there we found Stormcloak soldiers dead and thrown aside off the road. The Imperials had not even bothered to bury our dead. I ordered my men to prepare a pyre for any Nord, Stormcloak or Imperial, we found. I continued to search for a sign of my father's whereabouts.

As the bodies were burning I found it. The signs of wagon tracks. They were fresh not just any wagon tracks but something that had been through here since the ambush. I called for my men to go with me to follow the tracks of the wagon.

I did not know the destruction we would find at the end of these tracks.