Pyrophobia
"Next, the half-breed."
I remembered that this morning, I'd just said my farewells to Grandmother Jasha as I went to bathe in the slow-moving river to the south of our village. As I was pushed to the chopping block, I recalled wading into the water, the underwater ground cold and rough, much like the ground underneath my knees when I'm shoved down to worship the block of wood that will soon have my blood spilt on it.
I remembered beginning my walk back home when I saw a thick Elk running near the border—far too near for another hunter to chase it, especially with the civil dispute in Skyrim, but close enough for someone as poor and desperate as myself. I hadn't eaten in three days, and my elderly neighbor (Grandmother Jasha) was also running low on rations. I picked up my bow and Elven dagger, intent on killing the Elk and bringing my bounty back home for the village to share.
I never got that far.
As I hear the axe being swung back, I remember seeing the ambush of Imperials as they took down a large group of Stormcloaks—and one man claiming to merely stealing a horse, not being involved with the other lot—and attempted to escape. However, before I could run far enough out of range, I was hit with the hilt of a soldier's sword in the back of the skull. Hours later, I awoke on the carriage-ride to my execution, having been mistaken for a Stormcloak and taken into custody.
As I knelt at my final resting place, I prayed to the Divines for mercy. Under my breath, I even hoped that Talos gave me a blessing, perhaps that I won't die here after all. That I might be able to return to Grandmother Jasha and little Citin and Lotus and help feed them like the rest of the village.
But the axe was dropping, I could hear the birds silence their singing and the air being cut open.
Then, there is incredible pain. Indescribable, burning pain that made me wretch. I had been starving for so long, nothing came up, but the burning continues until I feel myself hauled up. My skin is still on fire, and I whimpered in a way that I will later refuse happened. I was half-led, half-carried away from the block and stumbled with my guide until I was shoved to a hard floor and felt the vibrations from a door slamming.
My left ear was ringing loudly while I heard nothing in the right for a long time. I realized, with dread in my stomach, that the flames had hit me on my left side, and my eyes had been wide open. The fire had had more than enough power to envelope the rest of my body, burning my entire face and neck, and singeing my clothes so badly I could feel the splintering wood through the little remnants.
I felt someone kick me in the side and groaned. I was rolled onto my back and someone repeatedly prodded my face until hot tears that felt as if they were boiling within my flesh started running down my mangled cheeks. No one touched me for a few minutes until the building shook and I was hefted to my feet once more.
"C…Pen…Eyes?" My left ear had stopped ringing as much and I began hearing snippets of the voices around me.
"W-What?" I asked, my voice rough with the ash caught in my throat.
"I asked if you could open your eyes," The voice was gentle, and I recognized it as the blonde Nord from the carriage. He'd been in front of me in line before we lined up to the block. What was his name? Radcliff? Ramon?
"…Ralof?" I muttered, looking blindly towards where I thought the voice had come from. I heard a slight chuckle as he propped me up against a cold, concrete wall.
"Yes. I'm Ralof. Can you open your eyes?"
I tried. My right eye opened with little encouragement, but when I attempted to open my left, the pain was so intense that I collapsed. Pus and blood poured from the wound that had once been my eye, and Ralof waited patiently until it had slowed to a trickle before leading me up the staircase. There, another Stormcloak was already clearing the rubble that had fallen with the first attack on the building.
"We need to clear this away before—"
Another burst of fire and I fell backwards, screaming and trying to conceal myself as I curled up against the wall. The fire didn't touch me, but I felt the impossible heat as it crumbled the wall and crushed the other Stormcloak. Ralof was right beside me once the flames had receded. There was a horrible screech from outside the walls as whatever had made the fire crashed to the ground. Had it been killed? Or was it just so large that when it landed, it felt as if the earth itself was shaking?
"Come on," Ralof said, helping me to my feet. He led me to the hole in the tower that the fire had made, making a clear view of the inn next to it with a hole in the roof. "You need to jump. I'll see if there are any other survivors and follow, but you're on your own for now. Can you handle that?"
Without thinking, I nodded. Ralof patted my back and waited for me to carry out the order. I breathed in, feeling the cold air burn my charred lungs and scorch my throat. Ignoring the pain, I steeled myself and jumped, falling through the air and landing hard on the floor of the inn, breaking through the brittle wood and hitting the main floor. I groaned in pain but stood as best I could. There had been some filling from a bed on the upper level where I'd fallen before I'd broke through the floor, but it hadn't provided much cushion. I stumbled from the building and leaned against the door frame before moving out into the open. There, I saw a large dragon with its head down like a playful dog.
…Dragon?
My mind went blank as I relived the horrific burning at my execution. I felt my arm pulled and snapped back from my thoughts, finding myself being towed by an Imperial soldier. I was too dazed to refuse the help of my executors, but soon found the strength to pull away when the dragon had taken flight. Despite his objections and pleads to follow him, I made my own way out of the area.
"Half-breed!" Ralof called as I neared the Helgen Keep. I turned to him, ready to follow, when the Imperial grabbed my arm, urging me to go with him.
Ralof and the soldier argued back and forth with each other as I went into a dazed state again. My burns were returning to their unbearable state of pain and I was going blind in my right eye again, while a fresh wave of blood started in my left. I pulled away from the Imperial and stumbled towards the Keep.
I collapsed before I even made it to the steps.
