A Tale of the Misplaced Guard

by CyclicStoryWriter

Ulfgar's day on the Town

Ulfgar's day on the Town

Ulfgar pulled himself from his sleep before his mind could judge him for any more of his past. Pulling himself up from the pile of hay drove away the images from his head. He stopped himself before reaching his things when he notice someone else in the barn. Without any thought he rolled off the loft and pulled himself to the shadows. After a few seconds he heard a slow clapping coming from a lone silhouette in the empty barn.

"Very clever. I guess you’re the one that Sithis brought over?" A soothing feminine voice commented.

"You know of Sithis?" Was all that Ulfgar could reply with.

"Oh yes I do, and no matter what he says he is the cutest little thing you can ever see. Just him trying to be this big lord of death and nothingness." the voice replied to him.

"How can you say that? Do you know how much..." Ulfgar began before he was cut off.

"Power he has? Yes I do know, who do you think let him gain a hold in his realm? You might see his power as ‘earth shattering’, but to the other gods, he is like a child trying too hard to show that he is not a child. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the new gods. They just remind me of when I was that young." The silhouette finished as she walked closer to him.

"New god, hasn’t Sithis been around since time began?" Ulfgar inquired as the new entity seemed to be relatively 'friendly'.

"Time is not just some simple thing that just has a beginning and an end. It is like a rope that is intertwined to itself. It will keep on going but you will be no closer to the beginning or the end. The rope will keep on continuing until something stronger than itself snaps it apart." The silhouette explained as a low light began filtering through the eastern windows of the barn.

"So if Sithis is a ‘new’ god, who are you?"

"I'm glad you asked Ulfgar. I come with many names since I am a god, but you can just call me Morrigan. If you must refer to me, call me by 'the voice'. As for how long I have been here, take how long you think Sithis has been around and multiply that by 13." She answered as the light began showing her form

She stood about as tall as himself, and made herself look as if she were a goddess of war. She had a unique set of armor that he had never seen before in his life. It was a dark green similar to that of a leaf of an aged tree. The armor was a mix between heavy and light armor. Heavy metal guarded joints at the shoulders, elbows, and knees. Other than that a strange leather and metal strip design guarded everything else. She had brown hair that was cut above the shoulders. A smile was on her face before it quickly switched to a frown of annoyance.

“And here I thought Sithis had matured somewhat since our last encounter. Branding someone is not something that is smiled upon!” Morrigan scolded as she walked up towards Ulfgar.

Ulfgar stood where he was, carefully watching Morrigan, as she walked up to him. When she got close enough she placed her hand over the black sign of the Dark Brotherhood and began mumbling some words. The light around them seemed to bend and flow around her out-stretched hand. The light then washed over his shoulder to the point where he had to look away, or else be blinded by the intensity. Seconds passed before the light died down and Ulfgar could look back at his shoulder. Morrigan and the Black Hand were gone. He stared in disbelief at what had happened.

Even though she was not physically there, he heard her voice softly floating through his head "If Sithis is this protective of you then there must be something special about you. So I'll be keeping an eye on you..."

Only a few moments passed before the door to the barn was opened and a familiar silhouette appeared in the doorway.

"Good Morning, Mister Ulfgar! Applejack wanted me to come and grab you for breakfast. What are ya doing over there in the back?" Applebloom shouted as she walked through the open door.

"Just indulging in some old habits of mine. I usually don't have people like you and your family coming in to call me over for breakfast." Ulfgar answered quickly.

"Okay then, maybe you should get something on. I don't think Applejack or Granny Smith would appreciate that very much." Applebloom replied as she stepped out to the middle of the barn.

"Will do, you seem awfully excited this morning." Ulfgar commented as he moved up towards the ladder.

"Why wouldn't ah be!? Today is the big Apple-bucking Competition! Too bad tomorrow I have to head back to school..." She exclaimed before growing quieter at the last part.

"You go to a school?" Ulfgar couldn't help but ask as he reached the top of the ladder.

"Yeah, but I'm one of the few there not to have a cutie mark yet. I mean learning all that stuff is fun but I get picked on by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." Applebloom explained as she played with the ground with one of her feet.

"What was that?" Ulfgar asked, his voice muffled as he began putting on his original guard armor.

"Most of the kids at my school have their cutie marks already but I don't have mine yet." She tried to explain again.

"You're still confusing me, what is a cutie mark?" Ulfgar questioned as before letting out a small sigh at the sight of his dented helmet.

"You don't know what a cutie mark is!? Are you just trying to pull my leg?" Applebloom inquired, seemingly forgetting about her troubles at school.

"Where I come from, we don't have this...cutie mark." He replied as the last two words had trouble leaving his mouth.

When he turned back around he saw that the girl's jaw was almost literally touching the floor. Not only that, but her eyes were as big as a dragon's. Ulfgar had to give off a small chuckle at the sight before a small idea popped into his head. Quickly he began gathering a few things to go along with his helmet. Even though this town seemed very out of place, every town had a blacksmiths shop. From there he could easily have acquire the proper equipment to fix some of his gear. With the few things gathered together, Ulfgar wrapped them up in a blanket that he would keep his things in if he couldn't find an Inn by day's end. He headed down the ladder with this collection of items and rubbed Applebloom's head as he moved towards the house. This snapped her out of her trance and she began jogging to catch up with him.

"So you’re tellin’ me that you don't know when you find your special talent?" Applebloom inquired once she caught up to him.

"You need more than one special talent to make their place in the lands I came from." Ulfgar tried to answer.

"So you’re saying you guys get more than one special talent?" she questioned, more confused with the answer.

"Where I come from, they are more or less just trained skills rather than your special talents. We have to practice and understand the skills we want to use if we want to be successful." Ulfgar explained, trying to get his idea across.

"So you don't have a special talent then?" Applebloom asked, viewing him being talentless as though he were born without an arm.

"Generally that would be a yes. You might find one or two people in the world of the north that seems to be a master at his or her skill. For all I know they might have just been practicing that skill since they were young." Ulfgar replied before looking down at her distraught face.

"Think about it this way, if they still pick on you, just point them my way. I doubt they will want to pick on you when I'm standing in the same corner as you." He continued in hopes of somehow cheering her up.

This was one of the few things that always pulled at him. Ever since he was growing up as a child in Solitude, some of the guards tried to help him along. From taking him in for a few days to teach him the skill with a sword or just to have someplace warm to eat. Since then, Ulfgar wanted to pass down that unwarranted generosity. His comment seemed to brighten her up somewhat as they stepped onto the porch of the farm house. Applebloom sped in front of him as he continued walking at his usual pace. The kitchen was in the usual condition he had always seen it. There was a table of warm food and the family housing him were already in their spots with one chair still empty.

"Good mornin' there sonny. I hope you’re ready for what is happening later today." Granny Smith stated as she gave him a greeting nod.

"You look a little bit tired today, having trouble sleeping?" Applejack asked as he began sitting down in his chair.

"Just the usual. Being trained for action and traveling through the wilds for most of my life has made me into a light sleeper. It's just hard to adjust to not being in constant danger, that's all." Ulfgar stated as he motioned towards the food.

Applejack looked at him for a few seconds longer, trying to see through his blanket of half-truths. This did not last long before she began filling up her plate with the variety of food at the table. Even though the morning meal was good, Ulfgar was thinking of his eventual trip into town that day. He knew that just the way he looked would cause them to push themselves away. A small voice in his head thought this actually might be good, since it would make it easier to make his way to where ever the blacksmith was. Another even smaller thought asked how he would find the blacksmith when the town was easily larger than the towns that dotted the Skyrim tundra.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure a big strong Nord such as yourself can find a blacksmith in no time!" The voice of Morrigan chuckled through his head.

Ulfgar momentarily paused for a second before realizing that the voice did not belong to someone at the table. This urged Ulfgar to finish up the warm meal and continue on his journey. More so to think himself still sane even though voices that were not his own echoed through his head.

"I hope you’re ready to pick some more apples before we all get caught up on the festivities." Applejack said to him.

"Actually I was thinking of heading into town, I need to get some of my equipment fixed. Who knew some men's skulls were thick enough to dent a helmet?" Ulfgar replied, adding the last part in as he saw the Applejack was going to counter him.

"That sounds alright, just be sure to get back before sun down." Granny Smith replied, waving him off with a small smile.

With that Ulfgar downed the last of his milk and headed out of the kitchen. As he stepped onto the porch, an idea popped into his head. He went back to the barn and went back up into the loft. Once he had gotten to his pack, Ulfgar began searching through his bag to find some things that he could get rid of. The pile was not much, but it filled an extra sack. With this additional sack of items and his rolled up supplies, he made his way back into the morning sun. Ulfgar took one look at the farm house before heading down the lone dirt road heading through the orchard. As he reached the other side of the orchard, he began looking over the town in hopes of finding what he wanted to find. The town appeared to come straight out of a fairy tale with the bright colors and the friendly townsfolk. The total lack of any type of guards made him uncomfortable as he stood in the shadow of the apple trees. After taking in a deep breath he looked up at the roofs of the houses, more specifically he was looking at the chimneys. Many of the chimneys emitted a soft, white cloud. The only exception being what looked to be a wooden-shingled building far off on the other side of town. This chimney seemed to be spewing smoke into the air that was darker than any other chimney. With a small sigh, he left the security of the trees and trekked back into the town he had left so eagerly a few days before. The townsfolk didn't seem to mind him unless they took a look at what he was wearing. Those who did notice him stared before taking a few cautious steps back. Ulfgar just kept on his way through the streets towards the thick smoke on the horizon of thatch roofed houses. Down the roads he walked until he had reached a large courtyard filled with wooden stands and their vendors. The sight made him relax a bit. If anyone was tolerant of different people, it would be the stall vendors. With the slight feeling of security, he made his way through the markets. The stalls where vastly different from the ones he had seen back in Skyrim. Rather than having a multitude of things to sell at a stand, they contained only a few items. An example being one stand that only sold carrots and carrot products while another stand only sold pears and pear products. Even with the strange selling pattern, it did not seem to stop the vendors. Through the market he went, listening to the surrounding conversations and watching the crowds. Strangely, just walking through this crowd of people, no matter how they seemed to view him, made him feel like he was back in Solitude. His old habits began to kick before he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around Ulfgar came face to face with Rainbow Dash.

"By the gods, what is with you people and sneaking up on me?" Was all that Ulfgar could reply with.

"And a good morning to you too. I was just lounging up there on a cloud and saw you walking through the markets. So I thought I could show you around." Rainbow Dash replied with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

"I guess..." Ulfgar began before his thoughts strayed to a conversation off to his right.

"What do you mean you still expect payment, I don't even know any of you?" The voice of a woman asked in exasperation.

"Well we were the guards for your shipment and they told me that you would have some sort of payment at our arrival here." The silver-tongued man said, trying persuading the woman.

"I told my supplier that I would pay the Caravan Master, not the guards. You didn't even try to hold off the bandits!" She shot back at him.

"We were only lucky enough to get out of there alive. I lost three of my men to those rouges!" The man replied as his temper began to rise.

"So that explains why your standing here now hoping for some bits form me. I told you that I was going to pay the Caravan Master. Your payment comes from the Caravan, not me." The woman stated.

"Where are you going Ulfgar?" Rainbow Dash asked him as he began making his way towards the conversation.

Ulfgar could tell from the few sentences he heard that this was something that needed to be dealt with before it got out of hand. Also from how the man spoke, it was obvious to him that this man was one of the rouges that hit the caravan. Quickly he could spot out a lone woman in a green shirt and dark red hair with a group of three men clad in leather armor. On the men he could tell one of them was already slowly sliding his hand down to some hidden weapon. He quickened his pace towards the argument.

"Look, I'm sorry that your shipment did not come in, but my men and I are going to stay here until we get our payment!" the man in the middle of the group explained in a harsh whisper.

"I barely had enough money to pay the Caravan Master, let alone the amount you’re asking me for!" The woman countered as she crossed her arms.

"Well you know how things go, but we are still going to get our money." The man replied, seeming to regain his cool once again.

At this point one of the men began moving in towards the stall vendor.

"Seriously Ulfgar, what are you doing?" Rainbow Dash tried to ask again.

"Do you have a blacksmith in town?" Ulfgar asked as he closed the distance between him and the situation.

"Yeah but no one ever..." She began answering.

"Take these things down there for me please, something else has come up." Ulfgar explained as he began handing over the roll and the bag.

"Hey, what are you... Geez, what are you carrying? Bricks?" Rainbow Dash replied as she was surprised at how heavy the load was.

As Ulfgar gave her the blanket roll, he quickly pulled out his shield from the edge. He slide on his Solitude shield as he made the last few steps to the men.

"What is going on here?" Ulfgar ordered as he easily slipped back into his stone cold guard routine.

"Just a payment problem. It’s no concern of yours." The man replied taking no heed to look at Ulfgar.

"Just a payment problem doesn't include three men with armor and a hidden blade. Now tell me what is happening or else I will force you to tell." Ulfgar replied with more drive in the second part.

"And what do you think gives you the right for such action? We are just some guards from a caravan raid." The silver-tongued leader replied with venom in his voice. "Now if you could kindly leave us, my men and I have some business with Miss Roseluck here."

Rage grew within Ulfgar as the man still did not acknowledge him. His men on the other hand gave each other quick glances as their leader went unknowingly of the armored man behind him. Within mere seconds, that changed as Ulfgar took action. With his right hand, Ulfgar grabbed the leader by his hair and slammed down on the back of the leader’s knee with his foot. Now the man was staring up at Ulfgar in shock. The man's pain soon shot through his body as he was held down.

"Gahh, who are you to think you can just do this with no repercussions?!" The man shouted in pain and anger.

"I am a guard and I can clearly see that this is a failed attempt at getting more money that from the caravan you mentioned."

"You can't be a guard, you don't light up the area around you with golden armor!" The man shot at Ulfgar with fury.

"Your right, I prefer durability than looks." Ulfgar replied without showing any emotion.

"Then what are you going to do? You can't just turn me in without turning yourself in as well. Impersonating a guard is not taken lightly." The man replied as a smile began spreading across his face.

"That is where you’re wrong. I am a guard from far into the North where we don't deal with your ilk. We either toss you into a cell where you don't see the light of day again or just place your head on the executioners block." Ulfgar replied as he leaned in close to the man's face.

"Let’s settle this then! Just you, me and my MEN!" The man replied before his hands started to glow red.

Ulfgar wasted no time and slammed the side of his shield straight into the man's forehead. Adrenaline began pumping through his body as he moved up against the leaders’ henchmen. With his now free right hand, Ulfgar lifted first henchman by the throat and tossed him violently onto the ground. The last henchman was already on him with knife in hand. Ulfgar blocked the attack with his shield and ducked under the man's outstretched arm. While the man was trying to figure out what was happening, Ulfgar kicked the back of the man's knee and grabbed onto the man's knife-wielding arm. Placing his other foot on the man's back, Ulfgar pulled back on the arm that was in his grasp until he heard a sharp pop. With that Ulfgar released the man's arm before pushing down hard with his foot sending the last man's skull crashing into the hard dirt. He waited a few seconds to make sure the man was still breathing before turning his attention away from the small skirmish and to the lady that the men were trying to rob.

"Are you alright ma'am?" He asked simply in a plain voice.

"Yes... Yes I am, I don't know what would happen if you would haven't stepped in. My name is Roseluck by the way." The woman replied as the shock began subsiding.

"Always glad to uphold the law. Nothing good ever comes from men like these."

"Hey, would you mind helping me out? You might have heard that the caravan with my latest shipment has gone missing. The forest that it has to go through to get here from Dodgeville is not known to be the safest. I need someone like you to help get my shipment back."

"I can help out with that, just when do you need me to head out?" Ulfgar asked, the tingling from the adrenaline rush beginning to wear off.

"Tomorrow would be best, I still have to tend to my stall for the rest of the day. I can help see these men away from town." Roseluck replied with a small smile.

"Well then I will meet you here next morning then! Now if you excuse me I need to be heading off towards the blacksmith." Ulfgar replied, knowing that he was spending too much time there already.

With that Ulfgar made his way back into the crowd to find that Rainbow Dash was still floating where he had left her with his stuff. Ulfgar frown at the sight of the winged woman with her jaw nearly touching the ground.

"I thought I told you to head off towards the blacksmith with these?" He chastised her in a hushed voice to avoid more attention.

"That. Was. Awesome! You were just on top of those guys like it was rehearsed!"

"Just another case of petty thievery in my book." He replied with as he took his items back, adding. "Now how about that tour you mentioned?"

Rainbow Dash quickly shook her head and motioned out towards one of the streets leaving the market courtyard. "Down this road we can hit the town hall and the library before ending up at your spot of interest!"

They both shared a smile as they walked away from the courtyard. Onward they traveled as Ulfgar ignored the looks he received as he walked around with his battered shield on. Their first stop was easy enough to spot; a large circular building straight down the road.

"This here is the town hall. Other than the usual meetings and such, you can find odd jobs and houses for sale here!" Rainbow Dash pointed out as they entered into an open ring around the town hall.

"I wouldn't mind some odd jobs..." Ulfgar said to himself as they walked past.

"So what happened back there?" Rainbow Dash inquired as they began heading down another road.

"You mean back at the market? Just some bandits trying to squeeze out a few more septims from the unlucky victim of a caravan raid. Tomorrow I will be lending my shield to help find her supplies." Ulfgar clarified to her.

She stared at him with a confused look before seeming to remember that he was not from here. "Here we just call our money ‘bits’, but I guess that might take a while for you."

"Not at all, I'll just claim that I come from a land far into the north. Luckily no one will want me to delve into my life story."

"I'm guessing that you’re going to help The Apples set up their Apple-bucking thing later today, since your living with them." Rainbow Dash commented as Ulfgar could see a tree of almost Falkreath standards began peaking from around some of the nearby houses.

"You could say that..." Ulfgar said as they neared the giant tree.

"Okay then. Well, over here we have our library. My friend, Twilight, lives here along with Spike."

"Who's Spike?" Ulfgar questioned as he did not recall any dog from their entrance into Ponyville.

"Spike was the Salamander that joined us when we got back into town. I've heard from Twilight that he’s been asking a lot of questions about you."

"Ha, it wouldn't be the first time I have caught someone's attention." Ulfgar commented as they walked past the tree.

"So what exactly is in those bags you’re carrying?" Rainbow Dash asked as they moved away from the tree and towards the grey smokestack that Ulfgar had been following.

"One is just full of assorted things. I just need to find someone that would want to buy these things from me. All they do for me right now is weigh me down. This one right here though holds some equipment that needs to be repaired." Ulfgar answered.

"Seriously?! You were just talking to probably the best person for that. Roseluck does all sorts of stuff with things she gets from other towns. I bet you 5 bits that she would go crazy to get her hands on what you have in there." Rainbow Dash commented seeming to forget once again this was only his first week in Ponyville.

"I guess I might have to make another stop back there after the blacksmith..." Ulfgar mentioned before he could hear a door shut and the sounds of footsteps nearing them.

Turning around he could see the Salamander named Spike running up to them while Twilight Sparkle was following with a notebook in hand. Ulfgar groaned as he knew what the notebook would probably be used for.

Comments

[1000Fights]

Oh, Twilight. You crazay.

[LupaLupa]

My jimmies...

My jimmies sense something in the force...

Hmm...

[Thunderhoof]

haha this story is awsome cant wait for another chapter