A.N: Hey everyone! I'm so excited now, since we're soclose to the end of part 2! Also I would like to thank you all for your reviews, we've reached 50, meaning it's bonus chapter time soon! I'm currently working out the ins and outs but I shall write it soon!

Now, ON WITH THE STORY!

PS. There'll be some changes of P.O.V this chapter so if you see a character's name in bold and underlined that's a notice that they are the speaker until it changes again.

10. Preparation

We stayed in Riverwood for a few more days, but it wasn't long enough and we soon ended up departing back to Windhelm. It was great to spend time with Ralof when he wasn't in soldier's gear and ready to rush off on a mission at a moment's notice. I had Alvor forge him an Orcish axe and dwarven bow, as well as some scaled armour because, frankly, a bikini would give more protection than stormcloak armour. Arravus treated Hadvar to similar gear. I was glad she had moved on, I just hoped she wasn't invested so strongly for a rebound or to make Laeon jealous. But, saying that, Arravus was nothing like Laeon and the idea of her using someone like Hadvar was asinine so I wasn't too worried. We set off four days before the end of our leave and went into enough caves and ruins that I had reached my target of ten extra shouts. We arrived in Windhelm at noon on the last day of our leave. We walked in to Ulfric pacing angrily in front of his throne, Galmar standing and saying something quietly to him.

"It's no good, Galmar! A newborn baby has more skill than that lot!" He raged.
"Are we that desperate for new troops?" Jenassa snickered.
"Can it grey-skin." Ulfric snapped. "Half of our troops are brain dead, and that's the soldiers! They call themselves warriors because all they know how to do is swing a sickle at crops. Any archers take decades to aim and our healers can't even heal a nick on my arm with their magic, never mind a death wound! The gods-forsaken mages can barely heat water and the so-called 'stealth-fighters' couldn't creep up on a deaf-blind beggar! Don't even get me started on the unbloodeds! If we storm Solitude like this, the Imperials will take one look at us and laugh in our faces!"
"And you're just realising this?" I muttered.
"What do you mean?" Ulfric growled.
"Well, with all due respect, you may run Eastmarch with ease but you aren't that good at running an army. You never seem to give your new troops any training, your aversion to magic makes mages wary to join and your blatant racism limits you almost excuslively to human troops!" I explained, completely disrespectfully. "As for your strategy, it isn't much to envy. Running about hacking people to pieces is alright when you're storming somewhere with a few Imperial soldiers and the town guard, but we're attacking the base of Imperial operations; they don't call it the Legion because they have three soldiers in total. You need actual war tactics if you want a chance of winning."
"You're walking a very dangerous path here, High." Ralof warned.
"Ulfric's a big boy." I said. "He can handle a bit of criticism when the stakes are this high."
"Well, it seems you've casually redefined the phrase 'a bit'," Ulfric grumbled. "But what makes you think you can command an army better than me and my generals?"
I laughed. "Oh dear, I must have forgotten to mention my vast military education from the Thalmor. I can tell you any formation you can think of, have had experience of commanding troops, and spent an entire term on tactics. I also do cake decorating." I smiled. Torroval stifled a laugh at my final comment.
"So, what would you suggest, commander?" Ulfric challenged, using my rank to remind me that he could demote me any time he liked. Unfazed, I grinned at him.

"Give me the rest of the day and a list of the names of the entire soldier rank."

I spread two sheets on the war table the next day. "These are the rotas and lists for training groups." I announced. Noting all the blank looks I elaborated. "You were saying your soldiers were useless at whatever they do, and as you said, we have a long time before we'll be ready to storm Solitude, so we can use this time to let them learn proper skills and re-evaluate their class choices. I've separated all the soldiers into five groups. These five groups will each have a different training every day, getting Loredas and Sundas off. For example, Group A will have weapons and armour training on Mondas, while Group C will have archery training. There are six classes that they will take: weapons and armour, stealth, archery, magic, basic healing and crafting. Basic healing and crafting will happen on the same day, half of the day consisting of learning vital first aid and medical skills, the other half learning how to smith, enchant and use alchemy.
"At the end of the first section, all soldiers will take an exam and get a result. If they receive 65% or more in a field, they are allowed to choose to join that particular group for further, more extensive training. When this happens, basic healing will start to focus on extensive restoration magic and advanced medical skills, so we actually have qualified healers. However, they will also have a small amount of extra time training in their combat field, like magic or archery. Spellsword training will be available for those who achieve 55% in magic and weapons. We'll discuss strategy later on in the weeks before Solitude." I looked up and smiled. "Well?"

"That's all brilliant and very detailed," Ulfric began. "But who's going to take all this time to train the soldiers?"
"Oh, of course!" I said. "I'll teach magic, Torroval will teach weapons and armour, Jenassa can teach stealth, Arravus can teach archery and Breyor can teach healing. I'm stuck on a crafting instructor, but I'm sure you can find one. Me and Torroval will work together with spellswords for the first week, then leave it to an actual spellsword, again, your responsibility to find."

Ulfric looked to Galmar. "Well, Lun-Gra is a decent spellsword, and a commander..." He started.
"And T'Karza trained with Eorlund Grey-mane..." Galmar continued.
"Alright, when does training begin?" Ulfric said.
"Next Mondas, that'll give us a few days to buy supplies and plan. Tell T'Karza to get ready as soon as possible, you can wait a bit before telling Lun-Gra, but make sure she's ready."
"Alright. Dismissed." Ulfric said. I followed him out quickly before anyone could protest about being appointed as a trainer.

I ran to Wuunferth's room and handed him a list and coin purse. "Can you create a load of the listed tomes by Mondas for me?" I asked.
"Of course!" He said, eyeing the massive bag of gold. "How many are we talking about?"
"Oh, just about a hundred and fifty of each." I said quietly.
"What?!" He gasped incredulously.
"The money's all there, and I can show you the technique to mass produce them with only a fifth of the blank tomes needed. I just thought you would already know."
"Of course I do, girl!" He snapped, snatching the purse off of me. "Leave me to it." I smiled sweetly and walked off to plan my training.

The tomes arrived on Sundas and I quickly borrowed anyone I could find to put a copy of each into the boxes I had bought the previous day "The look on that carpenter's face was hilarious) and stack them up in the room I would use for training. I was ready for this.

A group of thirty entered the room and faced me as I stood with the massive stack of boxes next to me. I waited until they'd settled down to begin. Laeon was supposed to observe the session, being a general, but I guessed he was still afraid of me, so I would have to either drag him here or find another mage.

"The path of the mage is hard. It takes time to perfect and master the schools of magic. On the bright side, it's also rewarding, and we aren't looking to turn you into master wizards. This session will focus on the basics of the school of Destruction. Next week we will study Conjuration, then Alteration, then Illusion. Restoration will be addressed in basic healing. We have four ten-hour sessions, with two half-hour breaks each session before you take your exam. Any questions?" I asked.
"Why do we have to learn this hocus pocus shite from an elf of all races?" A woman yelled out.
I laughed a sarcastic laugh. "Listen, dear, you'll have learned from an Altmer, a Dunmer, A Khajiit, and a Bosmer before the week's done. And unless you want me to demote you - which I can as a commander - I would keep your trap shut before I accidentally aim a fireball at it. And as for the 'hocus pocus shite', last time I checked it's impossible to melt solid steel with a mace. Shall we begin?" The woman nodded grumpily and I turned back to the main group. "Now, spells rely on magicka. The more magicka you have, the more spells you can do. Certain spells will cost more than others and more powerful spells will obviously drain you more. In a way, magicka is a lot like stamina. Right then,you'll see the boxes next to me. You're all going to take one and find a load of spell tomes inside. You are then going to open the book and stare at the page you opened it on. It doesn't matter what page you read because they're all the same. After a few seconds the tome will be absorbed and you'll find you can cast said spell. Chop chop!"

It took them about half an hour to read all the tomes. I then conjured a familiar. "Destruction is basically combat magic. There are three branches of spell in this school: fire, ice and shock. Fire is the least expensive in terms of magicka, shock is most expensive. Ice spells will drain stamina, while shock will drain magic. Fire spells can help you burn opponents and burning is obviously quite painful. You can either devote your time to one element, or use them all. I prefer to use fire magic, but at the same time I also use ice and shock spells. Flames, frostbite and sparks are your novice spells, they stream from your hands and have a smaller range. You can use them up-close and are low on magicka costs. I want you to practice these until our break, then we will progress onto apprentice spells. I also expect you to practice these outside of class. Now find a spot on the wall and start casting. I also want to know by the end of our training what branch or branches of Destruction you want to devote yourself to because that will affect your exam.

Torroval

"Shut up!" I yelled. "Now. We have five topics to cover in four weeks and we won't get anywhere if you don't stop blethering! I trust you all know how to swing a weapon of some sort, so I don't need to make a speech about spirit or courage or whatever else. This week we are focusing on armour choices and the sword-and-shield technique. We also have to cover dual-wielding, two-handed weapons and fighting with one free hand. We'll begin with armour. You have two options when it comes to armour - light and heavy. Light armour is quieter and allows for more mobility and speed, but heavy armour will protect you more. There isn't much else to it. You can choose one or have a mix of both. Just decide before your exam and let me know along with your weapon and fighting style of choice. I'll let you test each type of armour today if you need help deciding. What we're focusing on today is using a sword and a shield. Your shield can protect you from a death blow and it can bash opponents too. With correct timing, you can avoid damage with a shield and immediately strike back with a weapon blow. Now grab a wooden weapon, a shield, some body armour and a partner and we'll get started."

Lastoll entered as the group went to the supply barrels and my heart rate quickened. I was always self-conscious when being watched and didn't like the idea of my new friend judging me. I avoided his eyes and went to correct a man's stance.

Arravus

The group stood shivering as I led them into the courtyard where five flagpoles, ten targets, a crate of arrow-filled quivers and a box of bows stood. I could tell some of them were already judging me by my young age and small stature so I decided to begin quickly.
"So, being an archer isn't just about shooting a bow, its also about finding the right spot to shoot from so you have a clear shot. It's about knowing where to shoot for and how far your arrow needs to go. It's about understanding how fast your arrow will drop and correcting that by aiming higher. There aren't any choices to make about archery - you either shoot your bow or you don't have one. Today I want to see how you all shoot and show you how to find a good spot to aim. We'll move onto moving targets later." My observer, a redguard call Jonan, chose to make an appearance at that point. He was quite cute and wore Alik'r clothes. I looked at him briefly and then told the group to separate into threes to practice with the targets. I was pretty pleased that I didn't need to go on for ages, it would give me more time to find somewhere to sit where I was least likely to get accidentally shot.

Jenassa

I laughed as a woman stumbled as my group went into the streets of Windhelm, Blade tagging along behind. "Stay with me now, children!" I goaded. "Don't want you get lost!" They stood in a semi-circle in front of me. "Now, you hear all about the great warriors who led troops to victory, or the wise mages who toppled governments with their spells. But when did you last hear about the brave spy, or the valiant assassin? Right, you didn't. Let me tell you, without stealth-fighters, half the great battles would have been lost by the brave knight. Who do you think stole enemy plans and made it out alive? Who poisoned tyrant kings during banquets? Who stole the king's treasures and shut off his supplies money? Stealth-fighters. We jump out of the shadows and give the enemy a much needed shock. It isn't for glory-seekers, its for the men and women who want to win and live to brag about it. Light armour is more or less a given expectation and I would advise using daggers, or at least one handed weapons instead of great warhammers and battleaxes. The rule is, if it gets you caught or slows you down, don't take it. Now, I want you all to hide somewhere where I won't find you. No groups, and don't blow your cover."

"You want us to play hide and seek?" The clumsy woman from before asked.
"Yes." I replied.
"What's after? Catch?"
"Not unless you fancy catching a throwing knife. But we can play duck duck goose during the break if you want. I'm counting to ten, scoot." I closed my eyes and began counting on my fingers as they scurried off.
"Only ten seconds?" Blade said. "A bit harsh for the first activity."
"They'll have less time in a real battle." I replied, reaching ten on my fingers. We walked to the inn where I could guarantee at least three people would be.
"What do you have planned?" Blade asked me.
"I thought you were supposed to have read my plans." I tutted. "After this there's throwing knife practice and a talk about how to shoot a bow without alerting the east of Tamriel. Then we'll progress to practicing stealth attacks with wooden weapons. Then I'll teach the how to steal - plans of course - and the fundamentals of poison."
"Sounds fun." Blade replied, grinning.

There were five in the inn.

Breyor

I sat down in front of the dummy, facing my group. "Well, if you want to be a healer then you need to be a fast thinking, you need to want to help others, and you need to be unafraid of blood, guts and all the other messes from wounds. Without us healers, our army will crash and burn. I'm going to teach you all how to dress and bandage a wound so whoever you're treating doesn't lose their sword arm. I'll also be teaching you how to get someone's heart pumping again. We'll also learn about Restoration magic and its uses, an essential part of healing. If you choose advanced healing then I'll teach you about how to make healing potions and use ingredients you find in the wild for medicinal purposes, but you will also need at least 40% in weapons, archery, stealth or magic and have a knowledge of how to defend yourself. And, as a warning, as a healer I have a tendency to be kind and helpful, but don't waste my time or try to use me. Now, let's get started.

I went through the spiel of treating a gash in a soldier's arm, completely focused. I hadn't even realised that my observer had entered. I let the group line up to do as I did while my observer began interrogating me.

T'Karza

T'Karza was not happy to be roped into such things as training. The group was taught about smithing, then alchemy, then enchanting, then T'Karza taught them to cook and sew.

T'Karza does not narrate.

Highborn

The training was strenuous, but it went by quickly. I'd never been so exhausted in my life and I still needed to plan spellsword introductions with Torroval and make up lists for the tomes I needed. I half wondered if it was worth the effort. The exam came and the entire soldier unit seemed to be buzzing. The magic test was a test a trial to see execution of spells. The weapon test was sparring, archery was a target shoot with a moving target and an assessment of the archer's chosen vantage point. Stealth was a test to find and land a hit on Jenassa with a wooden weapon without being detected, crafting was an assessment of a forged item, a potion and an enchantment and healing was a 'surprise test' where the soldier had to diagnose a problem and treat it. We quickly graded them based on observations during training and the exam. We were then given a week off to recover while the soldiers picked their further training group. Ralof approached me during lunchtime one day at lunch and handed me some paper. I looked at it and gasped.

45 people had chosen to further their training with me.

Nearly a third.

It was definitely worth it.

A.N: Wow, I am exhausted. Please review some more, I'll have the bonus chapter soon, see ya!