How I fell in love with Lydia

  - Reporting for duty – said Obi-Wan Magol, Prefect of the Imperial Legion.
  - Good work with that shipment – answered Legate Rikke – I’ll send some men with a wagon to collect the prize. We can use the weapons here, and I’ll pass on the coin to Solitude.
  - Thank you, ma’am. What are my new orders?
  - Your objective is Fort Greenwall. Meet the soldiers preparing for the attack. Then join them with wiping out the rebels. Once you prevail, we will garrison the fort. Well, soldier? Are you up to the task?
  - The fort is as good as ours.
  - I knew I could count on you, soldier.
  Obi-Wan nodded and left the tent.
  - Come on, Lydia! – he called – We’re going to Fort Greenwall.
  - I am your sword and your shield – housecarl replied.

  It was late afternoon and the sky began to darken slowly. A group of soldiers was sneaking through the autumn forest of the Rift. They were mostly wearing brown-red light Imperial armors, with the exception of an Imperial, who seemed to lead them, and a Nord woman, who were both wearing steel armors.
  When they got close enough to the fort, they stopped. They were waiting for the couple of minutes, watching their target. They could see several Stormcloaks patrolling the walls. Obi-Wan, who was the leading Imperial, prepared his bow and aimed at one of the rebels. He released the arrow, which hit right in the victim’s knee.
  - Damn it! – he whispered.
  The guard staggered but it didn’t prevent him from raising the alarm. There was nothing more to wait for. The Imperial soldiers didn’t hide anymore and all began the attack. Most of them ran to the courtyard initiating a melee fight, while others relied on their bows, shooting the sentries.
  Obi-Wan needed a while to change his bow for a sword, made of the finest Skyforge steel. He could use ranged attacks from hiding, but when a battle begins, he never can aim at the moving targets quickly enough. He approached the fort, wielding the Skyforge sword in one hand, and a steel mace in the other. His men seemed to have no problems in the courtyard, so he climbed up the stairs, slashing a Stormcloak soldier when he reached the top. He turned back and after a short fight defeated the next one. Then he saw his housecarl, Lydia, surrounded by three rebels, desperately trying to defend herself. He sprinted that way, instantly killing one of them with a single, strong blow near the neck. The other two have already knocked Lydia down and now they were ready to face the furious Imperial. He was swinging his weapons so fast, that they could barely defend and when he slain one of them and turned to finish the second one, Lydia suddenly got up… and Obi-Wan hit her instead. His mace hit her head so strong, that she had no chance to survive.
  - Lydia! – he shouted, not sure if he’s more angry with himself or with her.

  RELOAD

  Obi-Wan climbed up the stairs, slashing a Stormcloak soldier when he reached the top. He turned back and after a short fight defeated the next one. He took a look around and saw Lydia struggling with two rebels, and few more legionaries also fighting nearby. He got to the high wooden platform with three Stormcloak archers on it and ran upstairs. He slain the first one before he even managed to leave the bow and switch to sword. Then he began a duel with the second one, while the last one was still shooting down at the fort. After a while Obi-Wan’s sword was deep in his opponent’s stomach. The Nord fell down, but the last archer was already ready to shoot. The arrow stack right in Imperial’s chest. He staggered and desperately swung his sword, but with no actual effect. Suddenly an arrow hit Stormcloak’s head from his left and he fell out of the platform. Obi-Wan stood up and tried healing himself with Restoration magic. He walked down the stairs and was ready to fight. He spotted Lydia having problems with more enemies so he ran through the middle of fort’s roof to help her. He wasn’t fully healed, however, and another arrow hit his chest. He was almost dead and while he was preparing to cast another healing spell, one of the soldiers, who has just knocked Lydia down, bashed him and he lied dead.

  RELOAD

  Obi-Wan climbed up the stairs, slashing a Stormcloak soldier when he reached the top. He turned back and after a short fight defeated the next one. He glanced over, but couldn’t see Lydia anywhere. He ran towards a short stone tower and made a detour around it. Behind it he spotted a group of Stormcloaks, but the pass between the tower and the edge of fort’s wall was narrow enough so he could fight them without being actually outnumbered. He approached, standing against two soldiers who had him in range of melee attack. He finished the first one quickly with a strong hit of the mace, while blocking attacks of the other with his sword. Suddenly Lydia squeezed between them, receiving a solid blow in her breasts. She staggered and the Stormcloak hit her again. At the same moment the other opponent bashed Obi-Wan with a shield causing him to stumble and eventually falling down out of the fort. When he hit the ground he could feel many of his ribs breaking, but a while later he felt a strong pain in his head and he lost his consciousness.

  RELOAD

  Obi-Wan climbed up the stairs, slashing a Stormcloak soldier when he reached the top. He turned back and after a short fight defeated the next one. He could see Lydia surrounded by two Stormcloak soldiers, near the edge of the wall. He pulled out his bow and shot one of them, causing him to fall down. Now he sprinted to the short tower in the middle and hid by it. He was waiting for more of his troops to join the fight on this level, occasionally shooting some arrows at the Stormcloaks. The battle was tough an he didn’t want to risk until the forces would be matched. Finally he left his position and started slashing the Stormcloaks together with his soldiers. Then he climbed up the wooden platform, with two archers behind him and killed the last defenders up there. The battle was finished. Obi-Wan was really tired and felt like he had fought it multiple times, not only once. He even didn’t realize when it had got dark.
  All the soldiers gathered and he gave the orders to secure the fort. After that, he saw Lydia, walking slowly towards him. She was keeping her hand on the stomach, covering the wounds and trying to relieve the pain, but this didn’t prevent her from smiling.
  - Lydia, are you all right? – asked Obi-Wan concerned.
  - It’s nothing, I’ll be fine, my Thane – she answered, keeping the smile on her face.
  Her Thane returned the smile, but said anyway:
  - Good, but let me see that, ok?
  - As you wish, my Thane.
  Obi-Wan grabbed and pulled the leather parts of her armor near the stomach and prepared to cast a healing spell.
  - A healing spell? Are you a priest?
  - You know, I’m not…
  - Here you go – he said when he finished - and stop calling me ‘my Thane’, I feel awkward.
  - Thank you, my… – she replied and hesitated.
  - Just call me by name. Yeah, I know it’s strange and sounds like Argonian one, but it’s not my fault. Ask my parents about that. Or call me just Obi.
  - But that would sound so disrespectful…
  - All right, you can call me however you want, my housecarl – responded Obi-Wan smiling – And now let’s go. We need to go to Riften and take a carriage to Solitude to report to general Tullius.

  Obi-Wan left the red tent with a small silver dragon on it, a symbol of the Imperial Legion. He was promoted to the rank of the Tribune after the battle for Fort Greenwall and has just left a meeting with Legate Rikke, regarding the upcoming attack on Fort Kastav, south of Winterhold. His housecarl, Lydia, was waiting for him by the campfire. He squatted next to her and said:
  - We’re going to capture Fort Kastav. We’ve just assigned the details with the Legate.
  - Good, when are we leaving then?
  - But there’s one more thing…
  - Yes, my Thane?
  - I thought… I thought that maybe it would be better if you stayed here, at the camp.
  - What? – marveled Lydia and stood up – Why?
  - Well, the battle is going to be really tough. Probably even worse than the last one. I just want you to be safe. Your wounds after Greenwall haven’t closed up yet.
  - But I am your sword and your shield. I will protect you with my life, remember?
  - Not this time, Lydia. Please, stay here.
  - I am sworn to carry your burdens!
  - And you are also sworn to be obedient. If you don’t want to stay freely, then it’s an order! – replied Obi-Wan, slightly raising his voice at this point. He had hoped he didn’t have to say that.
  - As you wish, my Thane – muttered Lydia politely.
  - Don’t worry, I’ll be back for you.

  It was a sunny morning in Whiterun. The gate opened and a man in steel armor entered the city. Obi-Wan Magol has arrived from Solitude. He’d been promoted by General Tullius to the rank of Legate, the highest possible to get in Skyrim. During the recent weeks the Legion successfully captured Fort Kastav near Winterhold and Fort Amol in Eastmarch. Now it was time for Windhelm, the last mainstay of Ulfric Stormcloak. The Imperials needed to get there as soon as possible and prepare the attack.
  Obi-Wan was going to visit his home on the way. He wanted to take Lydia with him for this final battle. She deserved it, after all the help she’d supported for him.
  - Lydia, I’m back! – he called when entered Breezehome. – Lydia, where are you?
He couldn’t see her anywhere. He went upstairs and checked all the rooms, but she wasn’t there. Lydia used to live in Dragonsreach before, so maybe she’d gone there instead of just waiting alone in Breezehome. He went to Nazeem’s favourite Cloud District, visiting the Bannered Mare on the way, but he didn’t find Lydia at any of these. Nobody also seemed to have seen her.
  And then Obi-Wan realized where she might have been. He reminded himself that he’d told her to wait for him at one of the Imperial camps. The worst thing was that he had no idea at which one…
  - Wait, wait – he thought – I remember her fighting at that fort in the Rift. And after that we returned to the camp to report to Legate Rikke. Allright, the Rift Camp was somewhere near Throat of the World and south of Ivarstead. Oh, and it’s even almost on the way to Windhelm.
  Glad with his answers he returned home to prepare for the further journey.

  The sky was covered with clouds and it was raining. A rider in steel armor approached the clearing, surrounded by the autumn forest. He dismounted his horse and took a look around. There were certainly trails of a camp. He could see the remains of a campfire, places where tents used to stand and some palisades standing around. But there was no camp here. It had disappeared.
  - Hello? – Obi-Wan, who was the rider, called – Is anybody here?
There was no answer.
  - Damn it! The camp is gone, but Lydia should wait for me here. Unless that would mean… That would mean it’s not this camp! By the Eight, of course it’s not! We didn’t visit it after the battle! I reported directly to General Tullius, not to Rikke at the camp!
  Obi-Wan was shocked. He didn’t remember other camps’ locations. And even if he did, for sure he wouldn’t make it there and to Windhelm before the siege! He looked at his map, but there were no Imperial camps marked on it. Even the one he was at seemed to had mysteriously vanished from it.
  - Well, so gone camps also somehow magically disappear from my map when they ‘go’… Clever. What a stupid mage has enchanted my map like this?!
  Yes, a mage! That’s it! Obi-Wan hid his map and put out a spellbook called The Internet, that he always carries with him. He found the proper spell and said:

  player.moveto a2c94

  Everything made black. He could see a soft fog floating around. Suddenly he was blinded by the white light, which a moment later didn’t spangle anymore.
  He found himself in the middle of nowhere. The only thing he could see was snow. Snow everywhere. He looked around and through the countless snowflakes flying everywhere, noticed a pine tree and some rocks, covered with the white down. He made a few steps forward and saw. He saw a tall person standing among the snow. He started running towards her and was sure it was her!
  - Lydia! – he yelled with a happiness in his voice – Lydia!
  He ran into her and hugged her as strong as was his delight.
  - My Thane – she answered, surprised with his behavior and unsure what’s going on.
  - I’m so glad to see you again, Lydia! I promise, I’ll never leave you like this, anymore! – said Obi-Wan, embracing her all the time.
  - I’m glad too, Obi-Wan – she replied warmly.
  - I love you, Lydia – he thought, surprising himself, but he didn’t say that aloud.