Skyrim Fanfiction:
Of Black Wings in the Cold
Chapter 1
My sight slowly returned as my eyes opened groggily. Looking around, I took in my surroundings in my current situation. A man with a cloth bound around his mouth sat across from me on my left, while two others were on my right, and we were apparently riding in a carriage driven by Imperial soldiers. Why did I get in this predicament? The last thing I remember was that I was journeying to Skyrim from my home the Imperial City, when all of a sudden people on the border between the two provinces became ambushed. Loud screaming of "Stormcloak scum!" was heard before I was knocked unconscious. Unfortunately the Imperial soldiers must have mistaken me for one of the enemy and took me as well. This was more than what I expected out of a simple trip to my neighboring province.
Our carriage began to enter a little village, surrounded by a sturdy wall to keep out invaders. As we rounded the corner of a tower, I spotted a chopping block with soldiers posted around the vicinity.
Oh divines, help me! I don't want to die for something I wasn't involved in! I mentally pleaded to above, but felt no better in doing so. I only wanted to visit the dragon burial mounds I heard so much about in various tomes and books I read over the years. Dragons always fascinated me, especially their dominative appearance and their ancient legends. The trip was supposed to be a gift to myself on my twenty first birthday, but obviously it had to be postponed for the moment.
My head jolted to the side, to my dislike, as our ride came to an abrupt halt. The prisoners were forcefully led from the carriage over to a soldier holding a list, most likely to check off the names of people they believed they captured. I was so focused on absorbing in where I was that I was caught by surprise when the man called me forward.
"You there, come forward." He formally stated, "What is your name?"
"Liana," I replied with a hint of attitude.
His face changed demeanor as came closer and he inspected my appearance with a look of admiration. Back home I was known by the city folk to be very attractive lady, and I couldn't blame them. With flowing auburn hair down to my shoulders and an innocent face with soft features, it was rare that a guy wouldn't try to court me. Unfortunately for them I was so engrossed in my fascination of Skyrim's dragons that I barely paid the opposite sex any attention, and instead spent my time learning in libraries or spending time with friends. The man cleared his throat before looking over to a female Imperial officer who stood next him.
"She's not on the list," he told her with a confused expression. This woman apparently didn't like me for some reason as she gave me a deathly glare before replying, "Forget the list, she goes to the block!"
What in Oblivion was this woman's problem? Was she jealous of my looks or something, because last time I remember I never did anything wrong! My surprise must have been plastered on my face because she barked "Move prisoner!" and shoved me towards the execution block. A forceful boot pushed me onto the block from my back, my head positioned for chopping. Akatosh, please get me out of this situation, I don't deserve this! I sent a mental prayer to the heavens above, hoping for a miracle. A priest was present and said her blessings for me before my death. In the distance a roar permeated the sky, causing a few soldiers to express worry about the noise.
"What was that?" some questioned, but their Imperial officer overheard them and said it was simply nothing. The sound seemed to draw closer as everyone heard it again, but the executioner seemed not to be deterred and lifted his axe in preparation. My eyes squinted closed as I feared the worst when a large thud was audible close by and a roar pierced the air.
"Dragon!" someone shrieked, piquing my curiosity. Doubtful eyes slowly opened as I took in what sat proudly on the village's watchtower. A living, breathing dragon was perched there, head pointed to the sky as it let loose some kind of magic from its maw, summoning a storm of raining fireballs. Its coloration was a deep onyx with magnificent horns, the appearance of rippling muscles under its scaly hide, and blood red eyes that seemed to penetrate one's being. I quickly got to my feet due to the fact that the executioner seemed to have run off from the sight of the black dragon, and sprinted in the direction of a house close by. Luckily I seemed not to be noticed and safely reached the building, slamming the door shut behind me and panting in panic.
Oh my goodness, a dragon, a REAL dragon! I freaked out on the inside. This was so surreal, I always wanted to witness a living dragon, but I knew from history books that they were all killed long ago by the Akaviri, or so Tamriel thought. This one arriving here proved otherwise. Screams and yells were heard outside, along with guttural shouts of what sounded like Yor Toor Shul! and the smell of smoke following after. My excitement died down as the initial panic seemed to vanish and an eerie silence settled on the village. Slowly I reached for the door and pushed open to have a potent stench assail my nose, almost like roasted meat. That's when I noticed a charred body nearby the door, barely identifiable as a person. Before I could react a shadow fell over me and the dragon from before stood only feet away with a cold glare from its red eyes.
"Dovahkiin," it seemed to address me in a masculine tone, with his head bent to observe me at eye level. I shuddered from the close proximity to such a creature, the dragon's deadly fangs bared from his mouth. Strangely I didn't feel afraid, actually I felt more compelled to reach out and touch the face of the very thing I dreamed of seeing rather than run. My cheeks blushed as I pondered about how soothingly hot his breath felt on my skin.
"I am Alduin, the World Eater. Fate has brought you here as you are born with dragon blood, Dovahkiin." The male-voiced dragon, now known to be Alduin, gruffly spoke to me. With some hesitation, I stuttered in response, "M-my name is Liana, and what do you mean I have dragon blood, t-that is just…preposterous!" Expecting an answer, I stood there with crossed arms, but instead Alduin began to flex his wings outward in anticipation for flight.
"Wait a moment-" I began to say before he cut me off, growling, "Even though you do not realize it yet, you are a potential threat Dovahkiin. I have decided to spare you though, for now. Savor that the lord of the dovah took pity on you. Until we meet again, mortal." With that being said he ascended above the village with multiple beats of his muscular forearms and flew northbound towards the mountains. A few seconds passed as I snapped out of my trance and stopped staring in the direction he disappeared at in the distance. This turn of events piqued my interests into learning exactly who this Alduin is and what he meant by me having dragon blood. He only lingered for a minute to speak with me and already my mind was wondering off to ponder how rough his scales would feel under my gentle fingers, how sharp his claws and horns would be, the texture of his mouth…
"What on Nirn am I thinking?" I questioned myself, "This is a dangerous creature, and I should treat it with caution, no matter how fascinating he may be…" With this decision, I wandered out of the village I was currently located in search of a nearby town, inn, or any place to stay at. The predicament of where to live while visiting Skyrim never arose in my mind until I finally realized I was on my own after the dragon attack. All of the citizens who used to inhabit this town were either burned to a crisp or fled during the initial chaos, so I was left alone.
A strange longing that the dragon that just decimated the town would have taken me with him so I wouldn't feel abandoned tugged at the back of my mind, as crazy as it sounded. Such thoughts didn't change the situation at hand, so I ignored it and headed out into the wilderness that is known as Skyrim.
