Kulaan
"Do you think mother and father will be home soon?" an eleven-year-old Kulaan asked his twin brother.
"I don't know Kulaan," his older twin Miraak answer, "Maybe they will, maybe they won't, be they will be back, they always are."
"Kulaan, KULAAN!"
The shouting woke him from his dream. Groggily, Kulaan opened his eyes to find his brother staring at him, concern in his ice-blue eyes. Still trapped in the world of his dream, it took Kulaan a moment to remember what had happened, and where he was.
Then it all came back, it had been seven years since the day in his dream. Four since he had discovered the rotting corpses of him parents on one of his hunting trips. Deciding that they could no longer live in the house, Miraak and Kulaan had decided to sneak past the border into Skyrim and try to find a life there. Passing the border though, there had been pain, and fire, and…
"What happened?" Kulaan finally asked, his voice hoarse. He looked around to see he was on a cart across from Miraak. There were two others, a blonde man sitting next to Miraak, and a dark-haired man with nobility-class clothing sitting next to Kulaan. This man's mouth was bound by cloth. All of their hands were bound.
"You and your brother were attacked," The man so Miraak's left said, "You were trying to sneak past the border, but you got caught in an ambush, along with the rest of us."
"Rest of us?"
"They are members of the Stormcloak rebellion," Miraak said, not bothering to hide his anger, "Which," Miraak motioned with his head, "is lead by Ulfric Stormcloak."
"The leader," Kulaan thought, dread beginning to fill inside him, there was only one place for traitors, "Then where are they taking us?"
"Helgen," The blonde said, looking to his right, where the outline of a town was appearing in the distance, "I used to play here as a boy, I loved this town. Ironic that it all ends here."
"What is you name?" Kulaan asked the man.
"Ralof," he grunted, "No need to tell me your name, your brother here was yelling it for all of Skyrim to hear when you were unconscious, nasty trick of those damned elves, isn't it?"
"Ralof," Kulaan said slowly and calmly, "Before they…when we get to Helgen, you have to tell them that Miraak and I aren't involved with you, please, he and I have nothing to do with whatever rebellion you are waging, we shouldn't be put to death for something we didn't do."
Ralof actually laughed, "You think it matters to them what I say boy? In the cart behind us there is a horse-thief named Lokir. Theft earns nothing but a bounty equal to twice what you stole, yet he's here too. The Imperials don't care what you did, you get caught in one of their ambushes, you die, innocent or guilty."
"But-"
"Don't bother Kulaan, I already tried," Miraak said.
-We're going to get out of this somehow-
Miraak's voice spoke in his mind
-How?-
Kulaan thought desperately, he did not want to die, and he did not want to watch Miraak die.
-I don't know, but somehow we will get out of this. I promise you, my brother-
Kulaan nodded, and then looked around, needed something to distract him.
"What started it? This Stormcloak Rebellion?" Kulaan asked Ralof.
Ralof's eyes widened, "You don't know?"
"Miraak and I lived a pretty quite life."
"You shouldn't of left it. Have you ever heard of the White-Gold Concordat?"
"The deal struck between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion?"
"Yes, that thrice damned thing. The Empire was forced to sign it, or risk annihilation. But, one of the things on that thing declared that Talos was a man, not a god, and that worshiping him was heretical."
"That must have gone over well."
"Like an enraged Orc in a fragile goods store. Only, it wasn't so bad to start off with. True, Talos is the chief deity in the eyes of the sons and daughters of Skyrim, and so many people were extremely angry that the Empire made this decision on behalf of everyone, but Empire was of like-mind to us. They were very lazy with enforcing that rule. Some cities even had shrines to Talos in the open area. But, then the Aldmeri Dominion started sending their little Thalmor 'Justiciars' and they screwed everything up. They started hunting down anyone associated with Talos-worship. And the Empire, and our own High King Torygg said, and did nothing to stop this from happening! Jarl Ulfric believed this was wrong, and that it was better to die for one's faith then live being forced not to be able to practice it. The White-Gold Concordat was struck between the Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire, but it had no control over provinces that were no longer part of the empire. So Jarl Ulfric sought to become High King so that he could lead Skyrim in becoming an independent state, he and High King Torygg faced off in single combat, according to the ancient Nord ways, and Ulfric won. However, the Empire called this treason, and declared war on Ulfric. So began the civil war."
"Did you consider talking to Torygg first?" Kulaan asked, he could understand fighting and killing for what you believed, but, "If you could have convinced High King Torygg to agree to seceding, there wouldn't be a war."
Ralof barked out a hollow laugh.
"If only it were that easy, but no. Torygg was on the Empire's payroll, there was no way he'd willing leave their side."
"Shut-up back there!" The soldier driving the cart shouted.
Kulaan looked and saw that they were approaching the gates of Helgen.
"End of the line," Ralof said, no emotion in his voice.
Kulaan looked to Miraak, panic in his eyes.
-We'll get out of this; this isn't the first time we've been in a tight spot-
-This is the first time we've been put on Death Row in a town full of Imperial Soldiers-
The gates opened, and the carts moved to the execution block.
One by one, the guards had people line up. A man named Lokir, the horse thief Ralof had mentioned, tried to make a run for it, but archers downed him before he could go twenty paces.
"Wait," The guard said, looking at the twins, "Who are you two?"
"My name is Miraak, and this is my brother Kulaan. There has been a mistake, he and I aren't rebels, we aren't involved with this. Please, let us go."
The guard looked uncertain, and turned to the captain for answers.
"Forget the list, they go to the block."
Kulaan felt cold, as he saw the guards going to grab Miraak, he felt a fury rise in him. He walked up to one of the guards, and put his arms around the neck of the guard, using his binds to choke the guard.
Immediately, others scrambled to drag him off of the guard, who was choking.
"We did nothing, and yet you condemn us to death, is this the great and moral Empire you all fight for!?"
There was grunting assents form the Stormcloak soldiers.
"Enough!" A man said while walking towards them.
This man wore fancy-looking armour, and was flanked by a female warrior, Nord from the look of her, and female Altmer.
"Who are you?" He asked Kulaan.
"Another nameless innocent you're condemning to death."
Than man smiled, but it was not with joy, but sorrow, here was a man who had had the weight of the world on his shoulders for far too long.
"Well unknown warrior, any last request?"
Kulaan thought for a moment, then turned to his twin, silently conveying sorrow and begging for forgiveness.
"Don't make me watch my brother die."
"Very well, put in in front of his twin."
Miraak shot Kulaan a look of rage, but Kulaan refused to meet his gaze, he knew he was a coward; he didn't need his brother confirming it.
"Let's begin, priestess!"
As the priestess began the burial chant, Kulaan felt a strange sense of peace come over him; it was about to be over.
However, when she mention the Eight Divines, one of the Stormcloaks invoked the name of Talos, and essentially told her to stuff it; Kulaan admired his courage.
A great roar filled the air, startling many.
"Ignore it," The captain said as the soldier put his head on the executioner's block, and Kulaan refused to look away as the man walked away.
"Next, the 'nameless warrior',"
Kulaan prepared to move forward, when a second roar filled the skies. Kulaan felt a strange sense of foreboding from it, he felt as if something awful was going to happen.
"Now!" The captain said.
Kulaan glanced at his brother
-Goodbye, I love you-
Miraak nodded, tears in his eyes.
Kulaan walked up to the block and put his head on it, preparing for the end.
A great black beast landed on one of the towers, and then let forth a shout that shook the ground, and loosened the heaven's rage upon the land.