Quote Originally Posted by Calemyr View Post
Controlling the battlefield is a key to fighting a war. Closing the borders would be an early step to keeping the civil war under control.
One thing you forgot- who in the right mind would you go in to viking land in civil war, other than refugees and criminals, nord who wanted to fight for stormcloaks, Or in breton case
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a nobleman escaping from his/her own deadly court.

So they have justification for arresting you in the first place.