Not Alone (A Skyrim Fanfiction)

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

     Well, that was quick.  Somehow I had expected Miraak to spend a few more months building up influence and armies or something, rather than immediately start forming camps and attacking Stormcloak caravans.  He was moving pretty fast for such an old guy….

     Ulfric didn’t miss the sudden change in my expression.  “You know this man?”

     “A little better than I would prefer.”  I hesitated, unsure of how to continue.  The whole story wasn’t really important here, and anyway, they didn’t need to know exactly how incredibly powerful Miraak was.  It really wasn’t a good idea to lower morale even further with the news that the soldiers would be fighting dragons as often as men.  “His name is Miraak.  I was on Solstheim for a while a couple weeks back, and he’s from that island.”

     “From Solstheim?  But how did he gain control of Imperial forces?” Galmar asked.

     “I have no idea.  All I really know about him is that he’s… well, he’s Dragonborn.”

     I might as well have started spinning on my head like a children’s toy top.  Such an action would probably have evoked less surprise and shock from the company than my statement did.

     “That’s impossible.”  The man who said it was probably thinking of how I had defeated Alduin practically by myself.

     “No, it is very possible and unfortunately true.”  I snorted.  “Believe me, I wish I was lying or jesting as well.”

     “How, then?  How have we not heard of this Dragonborn before?”  This general I remembered from the war.  Her name was Jalif Dagger-Hand, a name she had earned for being so adept with daggers that they were practically extensions of her hands.  I respected her highly, and I knew she thought well of me.

     “He has been… trapped, on Solstheim for the past three Eras, but he got free a few weeks ago.”  I didn’t say how or why he had gotten free, but I felt sure that someone would ask.

     “Why did he leave Solstheim immediately for Skyrim?” Ulfric questioned.

     I was about to answer, but Galmar said, “Solstheim is a small island.  A man intent upon war would not stay there, and Skyrim is the closest province to the island.”  I silently thanked Nocturnal because my tired mind hadn’t been able to think of something believable to say.

     Everyone fell silent.  Galmar strode back and forth in a straight line with his hands clasped behind his back.  Jalif distractedly scratched at a spot on the table, and Ulfric stared broodingly at the red and blue flags.  “Is this Miraak as strong as you?” 

     “Stronger.  He has had decades to perfect his Shouts, most of which I’ve never heard of,” I admitted.  By the gods, that still burned….

     “Still, he’s only one man,” Jalif pointed out, ever the practical one.  “Surely if we defeat his soldiers he will not be able to stand against us by himself.”

     Maybe not, but they didn’t realize that Miraak could control dragons.  I didn’t know how many dragons Bend Will would allow him to control at once, but I knew at least three, potentially far more.  Even one dragon could be used to devastating effect.  I just grunted noncommittally.

     “Then we will concentrate on that,” Ulfric decided.  “Galmar, where did that messenger say that camp in the Reach was?”

     From then on the conversation was concerned with protecting supply lines, moving encampments to more strategic positions, and fortifying old forts that had languished in the years since the Civil War.  Ulfric and his generals had stood in the same room and had the same planning sessions during the Civil War.