Chapter 1
The colors of summer sunsets always had a special place in my heart. Beneath those skies I shared my first kiss, wielded my first blade, and had many wonderful conversations with my father after working our small farmland. Now, those skies hold a different meaning to me.
"I had just turned seventeen in the summer of 4E 199, and was considered a grown man. However, between my father's health and saving coin, I had not managed to begin building a place of my own. My share of profit from the harvest each year had not brought me close to that goal.
I never asked for any of this. If spilling my heart out to anyone about my terrible circumstances would mean anything to the headsman, I surely would have done it by now.
The last two years have not been easy on me, and I thought that staying at my cousin's home in Morrowind would provide some sense of peace, but within that time there I realized that running away would help nothing.
I lost everything that summer. My family, my home, and any hope I had of living an average life." Sighing heavily, I attempted to brush my hair away from my face, but my bound hands would only allow minimal movement.
I had not been able to sleep since the Imperial soldiers captured me, thinking I was one of the rebels they found nearby. As one of half Dunmer heritage, it should have been obvious that I had not sided with the Stormcloaks. A petty thief had also been caught up in all of this, but I could not defend a criminal. Luckily, the guard assigned to watch us was friendly enough. I believe he introduced himself as Hadvar.
"I am sorry that I cannot help you. After all of this fighting, I have grown tired of the death and sorrow. If circumstances had been different, we could have shared our tales in a happier light." The kind soldier turned his head as the door opened behind him, revealing another man in Imperial armor who simply nodded. Hadvar stood and drew a set of keys from a pouch on his belt.
"It is time, I am afraid. The divines will understand, Jericho, and I hope to meet you again in Sovngarde someday." Unlocking the iron cage that I and four other men sat inside, he and the new soldier began ushering us outside.
We had all arrived here in Helgen the night before by carriage, and had been allowed some rest before our deaths. As if that means much of anything when you have an appointment with the executioner's block.
We were lined up before the keep, waiting to be called. The thief soon began screaming and tried to escape. The archers' arrows found their marks in his back within moments. Now, it was only the rebels and myself, but that offered no comfort.
My father had always been loyal to the Empire, and I know that seeing his son executed alongside these men would be more disappointment than he could bear. He was lucky to be at peace already, then.
I gave my name to the man carrying the scroll and quill, accepting his apologies as he wrote it. The man to my left was named Ralof, and the one by him was none other than Ulfric Stormcloak himself. In that moment, I felt no anger towards the soldiers. They couldn't take a chance in letting me go. This was a perfect opportunity to end the war, and they were right to take it.
The Stormcloak on my right was the first to the block.
Once he was pushed to his knees, head resting in the hollow of the block, he grinned at Hadvar and growled, "My ancestors are smiling at me, imperial... ...can you say the same?"
The headsmen, blissfully, brought down his axe before the man could utter any more disrespects. It was my turn next.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and knelt down. The executioner shifted his stance and raised the axe. My eyes closed, and I could see in my mind the smiling faces of my family. I found comfort in knowing I would be seeing them soon.
"Wait. Did you hear something?" A soldier whispered somewhere close to me.
"It was nothing! Carry on!" The woman who had been standing to the side the whole time finally spoke up, sounding more than irritated at the slight delay. But before the axe could fall, I felt the ground shake violently which threw me to the ground, knocking me unconscious. The last thing I remember was a piercing cry that dulled my senses in the moments before it all went black.
It couldn't have been long afterward that Hadvar was shaking me awake. My eyes blinked open, struggling to focus in on my surroundings. "Good! You're still alive. You must come with me. We're under attack!"
Pulling me to my feet, I was half dragged through Helgen, which was reduced to burning rubble by now. What could have done this? No magic I knew of was this destructive.
It was then that an enormous shadow passed overhead. Looking up at what it was, I saw a creature spoken of only in myths and legends. The thing that had destroyed Helgen was a dragon.
Black scales glinting off of the sun above and flames below, he was both beautiful and terrifying. I was frozen in place out of sheer awe, but that lasted only until Hadvar pulled me against a wall. We had only narrowly escaped a torrent of flame that occupied the space we had stood in moments before.
The goal was to make it into the keep, and that was simple enough, but as we entered, I saw Ulfric and his man pass through the wreckage that once was the city gate.
The blessing of capturing him was now lost, but surviving the next few minutes became the priority. The soldiers could worry about Ulfric later. The city was gone, reduced to ash and towering flame within minutes, and I know not the fate of the poor guards who stayed behind to save the people and their homes.
Once inside the keep, we stopped for breath and Hadvar cut my bindings. We could hear some Stormcloaks speaking in the room next to us. No doubt they were let loose from the other cages when the dragon demolished the jailhouse.
I was handed some crude armor and a sword before we tried venturing further inside.
Hadvar whispered in my ear so the others could not hear us from the doorway, "Perhaps they will be reasonable. If we end up having to fight the dragon on the other side, a few more blades would be helpful, no matter which side they come from."
Nodding my agreement, we stepped out of the shadow. Sadly, this hope of them putting survival first did not happen. We fought, and killed, three men before we entered the torture chamber, where we witnessed the man in charge of it be run through. Another two men fell.
Mentioning a cave system that opened outside of Helgen, Hadvar led me through it. The bear who resided within proved difficult to kill, but only minutes afterward, we saw the sun again peeking from the mouth of the cave.
"My uncle is the blacksmith in Riverwood. He will give us a place to rest for the night. After that, I must make my way to Solitude and report what happened." Wiping his brow, Hadvar and I began the walk to the neighboring town.
"Thank you very much. You have shown me much kindness. Tomorrow, I will resume my own journey. It's time to go back home."
Saying the word sent a sharp pain through my heart. What would I find there? Is anything left?
My parents' farmhouse was not far from Riverwood. We used to bring our crops there and to Falkreath to trade and sell. The shopkeepers probably would not recognize me if I met them again.
It was dusk when we arrived in Riverwood, but the blacksmith, Alvor, was still awake. He and Hadvar spoke at length of the tragedy that befell the town, and it seems that the people here knew something had happened, for they saw thick smoke rising over the hill.
He did not believe us at first when we claimed that a dragon was responsible, but no one has seen such a creature in many many years. Our descriptions of it were surprisingly accurate, he said.
Alvor told me that I should ride in the morning for Dragonsreach, the keep in the nearby hold of Whiterun, to warn the people there. Even though I long to put my parents and sister to rest, I cannot be of help to them now. I can help those who still draw breath.
I decided I would stop by my old house and then travel on to Whiterun. There are things I hope to recover from there, if bandits hadn't torn the ruins apart.
The bed offered to me was downstairs in front of the fireplace. The warmth was quite an improvement from my the bedroll I used on the road and the iron cage from the night before.
At dawn, I'd be leaving. The strength it would take to go through with it was immeasurable, but my loved ones would have the peace I could not.