Summary:Rikke is attacked by mysterious black riders and is taken captive by the leader, the warlord of warlords, Rhaego the Scourge of Skyrim. But Rhaego has plans for the legate, plans involving her becoming his. Rikke/OC Rated T-M
"Rhaego is a dangerous man." Aldis informed the Legate as she adjusted the stirrups of her giant black warhorse.
"I am aware, but with the war going on, I'm anxious to get out of that damn castle. Tullius won't mind, he'll be busy trying to undermine Elisif's authority." She mounted and settled herself into the saddle. "Besides, Rhaego is nothing more than a bandit."
"They call him the Scourge. He is no ordinary bandit. Please, Rikke, if you will not send other infantry to do this, then proceed with caution. The Legion cannot afford to lose its greatest Legate and commander."
Rikke nodded and signaled to her party of soldiers to follow her as she lead the way up the road. As she rode, Rikke replayed the legends she'd heard of the man called Rhaego. People called him a Scourge with an army of Outlaws at his beck and call. He was said to be ruthless, efficient, precise and cunning. During the last week, his men had attacked a caravan and a group of cargo ships that were not only essential to the war effort, but to the city of Solitude itself. The entire hold suffered from the loss and replacements for the lost cargo had been sent out, but only two thirds had made it to the harbor. Rhaego was most likely the cause of the attacks and an entire platoon had been dispatched to dispose of him, but none had returned. And so, Rikke decided to finish the job herself. After all, she was Skyrim's greatest legate, her authority and skill matched and exceeded only by the General himself.
"Halt." She commanded, raising her fist. The last known forest that Rhaego had claimed for himself. She had just given the signal when the air began to sing with the sound of bow strings. A third of her men fell with the first barrage and she quickly ordered the rest into a defensive position, but it was not to be...
Rikke slowly opened her eyes. Her head throbbed beyond comprehension and her vision was blurry. She took shaking breaths through her nose, tasting the foulness of the cloth that had been stuffed in her mouth. Her armor was dented in many places and pierced her ribs making breathing painful. As she slowly returned to the world of the living, Rikke nearly cried at the aching of her body and the icy cold was surrounding her.
Memories of what happened began to play in her mind. She had been leading the soldiers assigned to her command to track down Rhaego. Then came the Black Riders. They came out of nowhere, swooping down on them faster than the legionnaires could respond. The men had been slaughtered, the woman bound and gagged and slung over the backs of the stolen horses. Rikke had found hard, valiantly, but the numbers were too much, even for her. SHe had been overwhelmed and beaten into submission. Strangely, they only hit her armor, purposefully denting it until the one thing that was meant to protect her, became her prison. She was too weak to struggle, to do anything besides lay there and freeze.
"Legate Rikke. Well, it ain't the great warrior herself." A cocky male voice came from behind her. She was grabbed roughly by two pairs of hands and forced to her feet. Her eyes fell upon a Breton man with shaggy hair and clear blue eyes. He was shirtless and wore a pair of pants and long boots where a pair of knives could be seen protruding from the tops. "Remember me, Love?" One of the hands tore the rag out of her mouth and she slowly worked the pain out of her jaw. "It's me, Raililf."
Rikke nodded. "I personally threw your ass in prison a few weeks ago. Have fun?" She smirked.
Raililf struck her in the throat and left her coughing and gasping. He lowered his face next to hers. "You're in my house now bitch. Don't fucking cross me."
"Fuck yourself." Rikke growled.
Raililf's hand rose to strike her again, but it was caught by another, this one pitch black and scaly. "Rhaego ordered no one to touch the Legate." An argonian came into full view. He wore simple fur armor that left his black chiseled torso bare as well and had two large horns on his head.
"This bitch threw me in jail." Raililf snarled.
"You will be in a much worse place if you ever defy the Scourge's orders again. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Jee-ei." Raililf whimpered in pain, only for the Argonian to run and slam his tail into the man's chest and send him flying backwards. He growled at the two holding Rikke and caught her as they dropped her to run for their lives.
"Apologies Legate." Jee-ei said as he hoisted her to her feet. "Rhaego has demanded your presence."
She found it strange that this bandit who was allied to the men who'd beaten her and taken her prisoner was apologizing to her for something so seemingly miniscule as a blow to the throat. She was lead on shaky legs down a long corridor lit with torches.
"Where are we?"
"The forest of Rhaego, in Falkreath Hold."
"Falkreath?! How long have I been-"
"12 days, you must be hungry and weak. Rhaego will see you properly outfitted and fed."
"Outfitted? How long do you expect to keep me here before the entire Imperial Legion comes crashing down on your heads?" She demanded as they passed what looked to be the main hall. There were many men laughing and drinking with women dancing provocatively around them. Rikke was shocked to see some of her own soldiers among them. "What the hell? Why are they-"
"They chose to follow the great Scourge." Jee-ei answered. She was still trying to process how easily the loyalties of her soldiers could change when the argonian stopped and lead down into the baths.
"Will you need help stripping out of your armor?" He didn't wait for a reply as he unbound her and signaled to two women, these she didn't recognize, and departed to wait at the door.
The woman skillfully undid the straps of her armor and slowly removed them, revealing the bruises and cuts of the older woman's body. Rikke was not a spring chicken anymore, but her constant training kept her in good shape. She had never felt self conscious of her body either but at the moment, she just wanted this to be over with. She hissed in pain when the hot water hit any of her injuries and completely submerged herself in the water. It was deeper than expected but after a quick search, she could find no way to escape from where the water flowed into the baths. She resumed her bath. Once she was finished, the women helped her dress in a tight bodice made of fur, made to accentuate her tone stomach and breasts. Then a long piece of fur was tied around her waist, leaving one of her legs completely bare to the was made to sit while the women brushed her hair and refused to allow her to plait it back.
Jee-ei returned and lead her out of the baths and further into Rhaego's camp. She briefly thought about trying to fight her way out, but quickly dismissed the idea knowing that even if she somehow got away from the Argonian, the place was crawling with over bandits and there was no way she would get out barehanded. This also made her notice that none of the men she'd seen carried any weapons. She was pondering this when Jee-ei stopped in front of a large pair of doors. A mean looking Khajiit and a massive Orc with a black handprint across his face were stationed outside, but they moved to let the pair pass.
"Legate Rikke of the Imperial Legion," Jee-ei said. "Meet the Scourge of your province, Rhaego the Cold King."