As I walked towards the Palace of the Kings, a guard stationed at its doors glanced at me before his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Bjorn? What brings you here?"
The Stormcloak guard spoke, a regular at Hollyfrost Farm; he seemed to be a good friend of Torsten.
"Have you finally decided to join the cause?"
The guard tilted his head, laughing, expecting good things to come from my mouth.
"Yes, Torsten himself suggested it."
I answered simply; there was no harm in letting him know.
"Really? I'll have to thank him for the recruit then."
The Stormcloak smiled widely before gesturing for me to enter the Palace of the Kings at once.
"Jarl Ulfric will want to hear this."
"I'm sure he will."
I waved him off as I entered the palace. This was my first time entering it; I never had a reason to before... and if I have to comment on it.
It was incredible, it was nothing like the White Hall back in Dawnstar.
Beyond the beautiful architecture of the palace itself sat Ulfric, his throne's design fitting for a leader of the rebellion such as him.
Even just standing by the door was enough for me to feel his presence, the man who once trained with the greybeards, and a former legion veteran just like me.
It was... overwhelming to say the least.
"J-jarl Ulfric..."
I approached him, catching his eye as he stopped his conversation with Galmar, a person I was well acquainted with before when we both served in the legion.
But soon lost contact when he became Ulfric's right-hand man for the rebellion.
I wasn't even sure if he remembered me.
"What is it you need, citizen?"
"I was told to approach you to join the Stormcloaks."
"Talk with Galmar here; he'll decide if you're fit for the cause."
I nodded at Ulfric's answer, switching my focus onto Galmar, who stood just beside his throne, his arms crossed as he gazed at me, measuring my prowess.
If he remembered me, I should be accepted without any fuss, right?
"You're... Bjorn from the Frost Wolves, right?"
The Frost Wolves, a legion regiment comprised of Nords, where Galmar and I used to be stationed. It was a brief arrangement, but it was enough for the two of us to know each other.
"You still remember me, I see."
"A fellow Nord soldier does not forget his brethren."
"You two seem close."
Ulfric jested on his throne, hearing their small talk.
"Yes, we used to fight together in the past."
Ulfric nodded. "A friend of Galmar is a friend of mine, well, to be frank, a son of Skyrim will always be a friend of mine."
Galmar agreed with Ulfric's answer before looking back at me knowingly.
"It's been years since I last saw you fight; a quick test should be in order."
"Your logic is sound."
"I'm sending you to Serpentstone Island. If you survive, you pass. If you die, well, you weren't going to be much use to me anyway."
I raised a brow at his test. If he was going to send me to Serpentstone Island, it meant he wanted me to kill an Ice Wraith, an odd test considering he knew I was a legion veteran along with him.
"Serpentstone Island? I expected a duel or something of that sort."
"Complaining will get you nowhere, Bjorn."
Galmar laughed, pointing at their strategy room where a map was laid on a stone table.
"We have some spare stormcloak equipment, feel free to take it for your test."
Galmar instructed, not before handing me a potion that helps to resist the cold, a must-have when fighting a creature made of ice in an environment covered in snow.
"Here, consider it a gift from an old shield-brother."
"Thank you, I'll put it to good use."
"We'll see about that, won't we?"
I laugh at his answer, equipping the spare Stormcloak equipment they had: a simple hide armor with the Stormcloak insignia, along with an iron sword and a shield.
It wasn't beautiful, but it was usable, perfect for a Nord.
"May Talos guide you."
Galmar and Ulfric said in unison as I left the Palace of the Kings, and Shor knows I'll need it in the foreseeable future.
*** Serpentstone Island ***
The journey itself was uneventful; the patrolling guards had already handled most of the threats on the way, and now the only thing left was the Ice Wraith.
"Shor guide me..."
I mutter as I hold my shield and sword tight. I have a potion of resist cold and natural resistance to frost. This was a simple job, but in battle, no one could be so sure.
"Come at me, beast!"
I hurriedly drink my potion as I face off against the Ice Wraith, holding my shield up and waiting for it to attack first.
SWISH!
It flew straight towards me, aiming to get a quick bite at my neck.
CLANG!
I bashed its head straight with my shield, using its momentum to fight back against it, the action enough to stagger and disorient it.
"HMPH!"
Grunting, I swung my sword at it, nicking its frosty skin as I heard it hiss at the blow.
And that was enough to convince me to continue with my assault; I needed to use this temporary advantage to its fullest.
SLASH!
SLASH!
My sword struck true as I delivered two clean blows to its head. All I needed was a few more blows, and it was down for the count.
FWOOSH!
It lunged again, its speed terrifying in close range as I felt my skin tremble from the cold it emitted from its skin.
But I was lucky enough to avoid it as I delivered the final blow.
THRUST!
SCREECH!
The Ice Wraith fell, allowing me to loot its remains to gather proof of my victory. It was a clean and decisive victory, one that I had hoped would continue in the future.
"And while I'm here..."
I stared at the Serpent Stone it guarded, deciding that it was as good a time as any to receive its blessings.
I didn't particularly believe in the stories of it granting boons to special warriors, the qualifiers unknown, but it didn't hurt to try.
"Guide me in battles to come..."
I placed a hand on the stone, and strangely enough... It's constellations, came to life?