"Next prisoner, to the block." a voice chided as I was shoved forward, my head thudding violently on the cold stone block. The executioner raised his bloodied axe triumphantly above his head, unwilling to show mercy to the misunderstood prisoners. The wind whistled eerily through the vast mountain ranges. At that moment, time seemed to stand still. Skyrim is a beautiful and harsh mistress, but her people cling to such a petty notion of honor. If it weren't for the civil war raging on between the Empire and Stormcloaks, I wouldn't be here, laying my head on this chopping block. A roar echoed through the small town, but I took no notice of it. I just gazed on at the blue skies, wanting my last sight to be something beautiful. Something that reminded me of home.
The burly man hovering over me adjusted his hand position, ready to swing the axe that would swiftly put me out of my misery. The same ominous roar rang through the mountains, quickly followed by a crash.
"What in Oblivion is that?" General Tullius shouted, pointing to the top of one of the many imperial towers surrounding us. Many fearful shouts erupted from prisoners and soldiers, the latter trying to remain calm. They were all screaming the same thing, over and over again. Dragon. Everyone was fleeing in all different directions, trying to escape the force spewing out of the beast's mouth. I stumbled to my feet as best as I could with bound hands. My vision was blurred, but I could hear a voice calling for me.
"Hey, come on! We many not have another chance." My vision cleared and I saw a bearded Nord standing in front of me, beckoning to me. The same Nord who had rode in front of me on the way here. I followed him, not wanting to take my chances with the dragon. He led me into a tower, where a handful of people were trying to tend to the injuries of a few prisoners. They were discussing plans to escape, but my ears were ringing and I couldn't hear a word they said. The Nord walked up to me and looked at the top of the tower.
"C'mon. We have to find a way out." He said as he guided me up the stairs. The wall ahead of us rumbled and broke open, the dragon's head poking through forcefully and spitting fire. The dragon flew away and the other prisoner faced me.
"See that inn? You have to jump down. It's your only way out. I'll meet you at the keep." He patted me on the back and ran back down the stairs to talk to Ulfric and the other people gathered around. I heeded his instructions and jumped down, landing painfully on the brittle wooden floor. I swiftly hopped through a hole leading to the outside, fearing the dragon might return to torch me alive. An Imperial soldier was yelling at a young boy, trying to keep him safe from the murderer that had just landed on the ground near us. The beast merely scorched a house and took off into the sky, not showing much interest in the few cowering people in the area. Various soldiers were shouting, trying to defeat the ancient legend that had intruded the small town of Helgen. I kept running, not looking back. I made my way to the keep and ran into the nearest entrance, determined not to face the wrath of the dragon or the Imperials.
