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The Second War	By : xjoedirtx Category: +A through F > Elder Scrolls - Skyrim Views: 5026 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, nor do I own the characters. I did not make any money from this writing.

Chapter List
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When Hadvar and his escorts left for the castle, Brellin rushed inside. When he got upstairs, he alerted the two women in his bed to the situation. Both his wife and his housecarl smiled, and expressed their joy.
            “I’ll have to be leaving to the castle immediately,” he said to them.
            “That’s fine, my love,” replied Aela. She turned to Lydia. “We can keep each other company until the morning.”
            “Mmhmm,” agreed Lydia. “What time will the execution be, my thane?”
            “It’s set for half past eleven, when everyone is out and about. The guards will be alerting the citizens, though, to make sure everyone is there.”
            “We will be,” said Aela. “Hurry to the castle, Brellin.”
            He nodded, and proceeded to the auxiliary room upstairs to armor himself. While most Legates in the legion wore heavy armor, Brellin was the exception. Before he rose to the position, he was a scout and ranger in the lower ranks, always sticking to the shadows and picking off enemies from a distance. His gear was a combination of standard issue Legion boots and gauntlets that he had enhanced with portions of steel scales for extra protection. His armor of choice was a medium-level Legion cuirass that he had reinforced with patches of scales made from moonstone ingots. They protected his upper back, shoulders, and were infused into the edges of the leather at all of the edges of the cuirass. It was light enough to be incredibly silent while moving and stalking, but had enough reinforcement to provide cover from nearly all bladed weapons. His Legion helmet had the same enhancements made, with moonstone lining the edges and inside of the leather helm.
            What made Brellin’s armor unique, however, was the enchantment he had placed on it. When he had his armor on, it made a psychic link with his mind. It could change its color to match whatever his surroundings were, making him invisible to all but the most visually skilled rangers and scouts. His Elven bow was one that he had forged on his own from moonstone and quicksilver. It was as light as a wooden bow, but had the draw strength of a great orcish war bow. He used only daedric arrows, and had twin daedric daggers cross-strapped under his quiver on his back. After arming himself, he took up the face paint and painted the design of his family’s crest on his face: a bow across his eyes, curving out around his cheekbones, then back in, and an arrow up the bridge of his nose, coming to a point just above the bow.
            When all of his weaponry and armor was set, he returned to the bedroom, where Lydia was still playing with the mixture she had made on Aela’s drenched, naked body.
            “I’m taking my leave,” he said to them as they looked towards him. He strode to the bedside and kissed Aela passionately, then Lydia.
            “I love you,” they all said at the same time. Brellin thought there would be a fight between the two, but instead they laughed and returned to their fun. He smiled, turned, and exited, proceeding to Dragonsreach.
            Inside the castle, at the end of the great hall before Jarl Balgruuf’s throne, knelt Elenwen, the Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim. Balgruuf sat in his throne, his steward Preventus Avenicci to his right, and his housecarl Irileth to his left. Just below the dais on which the throne sat, to the left were General Tullius and Legate Rikke, as well as four Legionnaires. To the right were Hadvar and four more Legionnaires. As Brellin made his way up the hall, the Jarl stood up.
            “My thane,” he proclaimed in his thick accent, “it appears you have indeed received my message. I believe you know Ambassador Elenwen. The former leader of the Thalmor in Skyrim.”
            When Brellin finally reached the dais and stood beside the Jarl, he looked into the eyes of the Altmer woman. She met his gaze, hers filled with hate and rage.
            “You foolish Nords don’t understand what we are doing,” she said before Brellin could speak. “We are trying to teach you the error of your ways! We are trying to show you that Tiber Septim the man is that and that alone: a man. Not a god.”
            “Silence, wench!” shouted Balgruuf. “While I did not agree with the methods of Ulfric Stormcloak, he was correct about Talos being the creator of Skyrim. For without him, and his leadership, we would be nothing. Your people and your beliefs had us denying this for too long. Your time is at an end, Elenwen. And before the people of Whiterun, and the Jarls of Skyrim, we will declare war against the Aldmeri Dominion, and drive you damned elves back to your islands.”
            As he finished speaking, the doors of Dragonsreach opened, and in walked the Jarls of the other holds, including the newly crowned High Queen Elisif of Solitude. They stood at the back of the room, behind Elenwen.
            Elisif approached Balgruuf, and he bowed before her, along with the rest of those gathered in the great hall.
            “My queen,” he greeted her. “We are honored to welcome you to Dragonsreach for this historic occasion.”
            Queen Elisif signaled for Balgruuf to stand, and the rest followed. “I thank you for your hospitality, Jarl Balgruuf.” She turned to face Elenwen. “You should know, elf, that this same event is taking place throughout the Empire. Your colleagues and contemporaries are being slain and their bodies delivered to your homeland. You will be the last. Once we are done with you, the Empire will drive your kind out of its lands for good.”
            “Fools!” shouted Elenwen. “You can kill me now, but you will fail in your war. You forget that you lost your ally in Hammerfell when you abandoned them at the end of the last war. They will not come to your aid, and this time the Dominion will not settle for agreed peace. They will not stop until every last human is dead, and all elves who oppose them are slaughtered.” She turned to Brellin, making direct eye contact with him. “You have betrayed your kind by siding with the Empire, Bosmer. Will you be able to live with yourself for this?”
            Brellin smiled, and in the blink of an eye drew both of his blades, placing them in an X-shape at Elenwen’s throat. The Legionnaires by Hadvar made a move to stop him, but Hadvar held them back. “That depends. Were your kind able to live with killing my parents and leaving me to be an orphan?” The Legionnaires relaxed and stepped back. “Were your kind able to live with forcing a child to fend for himself, not knowing when he would eat next, or where he would sleep next?”
            Elenwen smiled. “You Bosmer and your sentimentalism. I’ve always found it humorous.”
            Brellin withdrew his blades and sheathed them. “You don’t deserve a private death. You will die in the morning, in front of the people of Skyrim.”
            Queen Elisif nodded. “Agreed. In the morning, we shall announce the declaration of war on the Aldmeri Dominion.”
            Balgruuf motioned for the Legionnaires to take Elenwen to the dungeon. The Queen, the Jarls, General Tullius, Legate Rikke, Praefect Hadvar, and Brellin proceeded to the guest quarters to get a few hours of rest before the scheduled execution time.
            Brellin couldn’t sleep, so he made his way to the Great Porch to take in the view of Whiterun Hold from its height. Up above, the two moons Masser and Secunda were beginning to lower themselves in the sky. It was getting close to sunrise. He heard a noise behind him, and turned to see Hadvar approaching the balcony.
            “Can’t sleep either, eh?” he asked as he folded his arms on the balcony.
            “Yeah,” replied Brellin. “It’s funny. Just a few days ago we were bowing for the Thalmor. Now we’re going to war with them. I’m not scared, but at the same time I wonder to myself if they’re not so different from us.” He smiled and chuckled. “Aside from the fact that they hate us, of course.”
            Hadvar laughed just a bit louder, but kept his laughter as low as he could. “You know, Brellin, maybe they are and maybe they aren’t. What I know is that you and I aren’t so different from each other.”
            Brellin raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “What do you mean by that, Hadvar?”
            “That story you told,” Hadvar replied, his voice sobered and a bit more reserved. “What you said about your parents. The Thalmor murdered my parents as well. I wasn’t home at the time; I was staying with my uncle in Riverwood. When I returned home, I found a notice at the gate saying they had been convicted of Talos worship, and were being taken to Northwatch Keep for their execution. The house was burned, and our livestock slaughtered and left to rot in the sun.” He stared out, up at the moons. “I went inside, hoping to recover something, anything of theirs. I came out with burns along my legs, and my father’s sword from his time in the Legion. At the time I didn’t hate the Thalmor. I didn’t know who they were. All I knew was that now I was to live with my aunt and uncle. And that I had to join the Legion to honor my father. I see now that I will take his revenge.” He turned to face Brellin. “We will take their revenge.”
            Brellin nodded. “We will, my friend. We will.”
            “So, what happened to your parents?” he asked.
            Before Brellin could answer, there was a massive explosion on the other side of Dragonsreach. Assault horns began to blare throughout the castle, and the troops there began rushing to the base. Brellin and Hadvar followed them to the main hall, where Balgruuf and Elisif were waiting.
            “What happened?” asked Brellin.
            “The castle has been attacked!” replied Balgruuf in a shout. “Thalmor agents have broken out Elenwen, and they’ve escaped through a hidden passageway. Some of my men are in there giving chase as we speak.”
            “Which way do the tunnels lead?” asked Hadvar.
            “As far as we can tell, they lead to the west,” replied Elisif.
            Brellin suddenly had an idea. “I think I might know where they let out,” he said. The Jarl and the Queen looked at him in surprise. “There is a small alcove just to the west of the city. I ran into a few mages there about a month ago. They had supplies and weapons stocked up, enough for a few days. I took them out, but when I was leaving I noticed a group of elves moving in on the area. I figured they were just travelers, but they might have been there to dig the tunnels.”
            Balgruuf had an expression of disbelief on his face. “But at the time Elenwen was free. How would they have known?”
            “Because Elenwen has the gift of foresight.”
            The three men turned to face Queen Elisif, who had spoken. “In one of her meetings with me, she told me that she foresaw the fall of the Stormcloaks. I thought she was mad, but then it happened.”
            “So then are you saying she can see everything we are planning?” asked Balgruuf.
            “No,” replied Elisif. “She only sees brief images, not the specifics behind them. She must have seen her capture and imprisonment, and ordered the tunnels dug.”
            “Then why-“ began Balgruuf, before he was cut off by Hadvar.
            “My Jarl, we don’t have time for discussion!” he exclaimed. “We need to move quickly if we are to catch her before she escapes!”
            Balgruuf nodded. “I agree, Praefect. You and Brellin will go with Irileth to this alcove and see if they truly are exiting there. Hopefully you will beat them there. IRILETH!”
            His housecarl came at the call of her master. Balgruuf gave her the orders to follow Brellin to the alcove, and the three of them set out.
            Outside of the gates, they proceeded to the alcove. However, before they arrived, they saw a group of five horses galloping away, with Elenwen riding the lead horse, accompanied by four Thalmor agents. They were out of arrow range within seconds.
            From the alcove came the Legionnaires that were sent down the tunnels. Brellin, Hadvar, and Irileth notified them of the situation, and they returned to Dragonsreach.
            Before they made it to the castle, they found the citizens of Whiterun gathered at the bottom of the steps of Dragonsreach, with the Jarls, the General, and the High Queen gathered at the top. There was a figure knelt down in front of them with a bag over his head.
            Queen Elisif stood forward to speak.
            “As you may know, early this morning the castle of Dragonsreach was attacked, and a prisoner freed. What you may not know is that those responsible for the attack were the Thalmor!” she removed the hood from the figure before her, revealing an Altmer man. “And the prisoner was none other than the Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim, Elenwen! She was to be executed today, as our declaration of war against the Aldmeri Dominion. However, this pawn of hers will die in her place!”
            The speech was met with great roars of support from the crowd, who had also grown tired of the Thalmor’s influence in their homeland.
            Brellin moved through the crowd, searching for his wife. He found her near the front, clad in her armor, standing next to Lydia, also armored. He announced his arrival to them, and kissed the two women, taking his place between them.
            “For today,” continued the Queen, “we announce to the Dominion that we Nords will are not their puppets! We announce that we Nords will fight for what we believe in! We announce that we Nords stand by the Empire, and will push the Thalmor and their followers out of our great nations!”
            Again, the crowd erupted in cheers.
            “Legate Brellin Blackleaf, Thane of Whiterun, step forward!” she called out. Brellin left the sides of his women and proceeded up the stairs towards the castle. When he reached the top, he looked into the eyes of the Thalmor agent and saw fear.
            “Please,” stammered the Altmer. “Please, my brother, show mercy!”
            Brellin felt no pity for the elf. Whatever distant racial ancestry that had been shared between elves died when he watched his parents die. He drew one of his blades and stood behind the agent. He placed the bladed edge against his throat, using his other hand to grip the agent’s head in place, and swiftly drew the blade, slicing the throat open and spewing blood down the steps. The crowd exploded in chants of “death to the Thalmor!”
            “And with this,” spoke the Queen, “we declare open war on the Thalmor, and the Aldmeri Dominion!”
            As the crowd disbursed, and the Jarls and the Queen left the city, returning to their holds, Brellin proceeded to meet with General Tullius, Hadvar, and Rikke. They gathered around the war table in the upstairs room of Dragonsreach.
            “What will our next move be?” asked Brellin. “How are we to capture Elenwen?”
            “We won’t,” replied General Tullius. “My scouts estimate her to be somewhere near Falkreath, possibly even over the border into Cyrodiil by now. I’ve dispatched riders to inform the Emperor of her escape, and the threat that her information poses to the future of the war.”
            “So what will we do until then?” asked Hadvar.
            “You are to be promoted to Legate,” replied the General, much to Hadvar’s surprise. “I’m placing you in charge of our operations to the south, in Falkreath Hold.”
            “Um, thank you, General,” stammered Hadvar.
            “Thank me later,” replied the General. “Prepare for your trip, you’ll be leaving later tonight.” As Hadvar left the room, Tullius turned to Legate Rikke. “You are being redeployed to The Reach. I need you to root out the Forsworn. If we are to mount a war against the Thalmor, then we can’t have them raiding our supply lines and attacking our troops.”
            “Yes, General,” replied Rikke. “I’ll leave immediately.”
            As she left, Brellin turned to the General. “What are my orders, General Tullius? Where am I being deployed?”
            The General smiled. “You, my boy, aren’t being deployed anywhere in particular.”
            “Excuse me, sir?” asked Brellin, incredulously.
            “To be more specific, you’re being deployed everywhere. Your particular skill set makes you the best choice to lead the Shadow Unit.”
            Brellin raised an eyebrow. “What is that, sir?”
            General Tullius folded his arms behind his back, and turned away from Brellin. “It will be revealed to you in time, Legate. You are to travel to Riften, and report to Brynjolf of the Thieves Guild in the Ratway. There you will meet the rest of the unit, and it will be explained to you.”
            “Understood, sir,” replied Brellin. “I’ll leave as soon as possible.”
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The Second War