The Second Great War - An Elder Scrolls Fanfiction

Chapter 9: Tamriel

Cyrodiil's northern reaches were abandoned entirely by the Aldmeri Dominion.

The citizens of Bruma, Chorrol, and Cheydinhal, who had been treated with nothing but sheer contempt and brutality by their occupiers, explained that, for whatever reason, after the Vision, the Dominion soldiers were hastily recalled to the Imperial City.

Some heeded this call, going against their own personal judgement when most others fled elsewhere; abandoning their allegiance to the Dominion altogether.

And now...

The Stormcloak catapults once used to blitz the legions of the Empire, now did so to the White-Gold City; the Imperial City. Many Nords of Ulfric sought this day, ever since the first days of Skyrim's Civil War; to see the Capital of their foe in flames.

Only, none believed it would be done like this - in allyship with their sworn enemy now friend - the Imperial Legion; commanded by Legate Rikke, who brought her legion with her - amongst them also were Redguard swordsmen - refugees of Hammerfell, and Breton battlemages - now that the strife in their land had eased.

Also with this lioness of the Legion came Orcs and, perhaps most peculiarly, Foresworn of the Reach, atop mighty mammoths. The all-to-well-known silver tongue of the Imperials certainly shone brightly here.

And there were remnants of the Empire that joined Rikke; Legionnaires and Forsters; those who had fled into the wild and acted as a thorn in the Dominion side within Cyrodiil after it had fallen.

Galmar was here also, bringing with him his Nords; Stormcloaks and not; many of whom had hated one another during the Civil War - but no more. The Companions were also amongst them.

And lo, there were Dunmer refugees now warriors and sorcerers from Morrowind and, most spectacularly, the great dragon Odahviing: Who had swept down from the Throat of the World to sing his song of loyalty to Galmar in Dragonsreach Keep until this battle's end; such was the terror of the Vision that it would bring to command even these mighty beasts.

Half of all the last free folk of Tamriel were at Galmar's back. He only hoped the second half was soon on the way...

The dragon roared like thunder above the clouds and strafed the City in flame - for within it was the promised enemy: a host of Dominion soldiers - atop their bannisters and battlements as Cadere Kaiser had been with his legionnaires before he fell.

By some strange Magicka, the bridge leading up to the City's main gate had been rebuilt.

Galmar paced before all the races of Tamriel bound in brotherhood. He spoke as if he had the Thu'um himself:
"Remember the West Weald, lads! Remember the Pale Pass! Remember Hammerfell! Vvardenfell! The Iliac Bay! High Rock and The Adamantine Tower! And all our soldiers and sailors that lay dead there; our lovers, brothers, sisters, mothers, friends, and fathers! Remember what they sacrificed so that we could stand here today! Make them proud! Make them happy that it's us - their sons and daughters, that shall bring this nest of snakes called the Aldmeri Dominion to heel and drive them out - AND DESTROY THEM, ONCE AND FOR ALL! BY YSMIR, TAMRIEL-WILL-HAVE-ITS-RIGHTFUL-VICTOR-UPON-THIS-DAY!"

The siege raged but Galmar's nor Rikke's forces could not quite manage to overcome the walls of the great City.

Orcs and the Companions rushed across the bridge like lightning, supported by Dunmer and Breton Magicka, and archer support from the Nords, Redguards, and Reachmen, but their huge battering ram shattered after a single tap on the gate.

Boiling oil poured down onto them; the Companions managed to withdraw from it but nought could be said for several Orcs.

Galmar and Rikke withdrew to their camp not far from Weye, attempting to find another way. They could not. The Imperial City could not even be infiltrated as the Dominion had collapsed its depths in desperation.