This is my first Elder scrolls fanfiction. All up it's my second fic. The only elder scrolls game I have played is Skyrim. And I'm completely hooked and addicted! This isn't the usual no memory, journey for answers, who am I junk. Boring! Hell no! I would never write something like that unless it was turned on it's head, upside down, shaken around, hammer and run over with a steam roller! For starters Echo is more or less happy with her life now.
And do I really need to say I don't own any of skyrim or anything in this story? 'Cause I think we all know I don't.
The cart rocked along the dusty road. Another cart bumped along behind it. Five prisoners sat in the back of the cart. One wearing blue armour and had the look of a soldier. He had blond hair. Another wore expensive looking clothes. He had an arrogant air to him and was gagged. The last three wore rags and seemed nothing more than commoners. One commoner was asleep. She sat between the rich man and another commoner. The prisoner on her side closest to the driver was an argonian. The sleeper stirred. She tried to rub her eyes but found her hands were bound.
"You're finally awake!" The soldier said.
The girl groaned and tried to slip her hands out. She failed. The ropes were strong and the knots well tied. She glared at them.
"You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." The soldier asked, pointing to the other commoner.
The man glared at the soldier.
"Damn you Stormcloaks! Skyrim was fine until you showed up! Empire was nice and lazy!" He complained angrily.
The thief looked at the girl for a moment.
"You and me! We don't belong here!" He said.
"We're all brothers and sisters in bonds now." The soldier said.
The girl looked at her's with seething hatred. The soldier and the thief watched her.
"How old are you anyway? You can't be much more than a girl. How did you get caught up in this if you're so young anyway?" The soldier asked.
The girl shrugged.
"Dunno. Seven last I checked."
"Shut up back there!" Shouted the soldier driving the cart with annoyance.
The thief watched the gagged man.
"What's wrong with him?" He asked.
"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak! The true high king!" The Stormcloak soldier snapped.
"Ulfric? Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion! If they captured you..." The look changed from worry to fear, "Oh gods! Where are they taking us!"
"I don't know, but sovengard awaits." The soldier said quietly.
"No! This isn't happening! This can't be happening!"
The third commoner who had been silent so far laughed darkly.
"Afraid so my friend. Afraid so. You were caught stealing and now you will be punished with the rest of us criminals, just like we deserve." The argonian muttered.
"What were you thrown in for?" Asked the soldier.
"Skooma trade. I can guess why the thief is here. Horse thief by the look of it. What about you, girl?" The lizard asked.
The girl's eyes seemed to become unfocused and change colour for a moment. It passed and she smiled grimly. Those eyes showed knowledge and experience of one well beyond her age. She shook her head.
"Dunno. Got knocked out." She said.
"Stealing and murder. They found her lurking in the trees near the ambush. Near a dead imperial soldier. They said she had stolen goods on her." The soldier told the others.
"That soldier was dead when I found him. I was taking money from his body. It ain't like he can use it!" She hissed.
The argonian chuckled again.
"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?" The soldier asked grimly.
"Why do you care?" The thief growled.
"A nord's last thoughts should be of home."
"Rorikstead. I'm-I'm from Rorikstead." The thief stammered.
The cart rounded a bend in the road and a walled town came into view. The walls were crawling with guards. The guards shouted to each other. The thief began murmuring prayers to the gods. The girl looked around curiously. She'd never been hear before. The other three prisoners just starred grimly ahead. The soldier began to say something about general Tulious and the Thalmor.
"This is Helgen. I used to sweet on girl from around here. Wonder if she's still here? It's funny. When I was a boy, imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe." The soldier said longingly.
The girl continued to look around. A boy about her age asked his father about the prisoners.
"I don't know son. Go inside." The boy argued for a moment but obeyed.
"Why are we stopping?" Asked the thief with fear.
"Why do you think? End of the line. Lets go. We shouldn't keep the guards waiting for us now, should we?" The soldier said with grim humour.
The argonian hissed in agreement. The guards pushed the prisoners roughly as they stepped from the guard. The girl hesitated for a second. A guard tried to pull her down but she nimbly avoided him and jumped lightly to the ground. The guard gave her a rough shove. The girl stepped into line with the rest. The thief kept trying to tell the imperial guards he wasn't a rebel. The argonian shook his head.
"Yellow belly." He hissed.
"Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time!" Shouted an intimidating female captain.
The men obviously respected her orders.
"Empire loves there damn lists!" The Stormcloak soldier sighed.
The guards glared at him as some of his comrades laughed quietly.
"Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm." Called a guard.
Ulfric growled and walked towards another group of guards.
"Ralof of Riverwood."
The blond soldier followed Ulfric.
"Lokir of Rorikstead." He called.
The horse thief stepped forward.
"No! I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" He said and ran past the guards.
"Halt!" Yelled the captain.
"You're not gonna kill me!" The thief shouted back.
The argonian shook his head.
"How many prisoners have tried that before, I wonder?" The lizard muttered.
"Archers! Anyone else feel like running?" The captain said to the remaining prisoners as the thief was shot down.
No one moved.
"Shadow-Killer of Windhelm." The soldier called.
The argonian walked towards the block. The soldier was about to call out another name when he stopped.
"Wait. You there! The short one, hiding at the back. Step forward." He beckoned to the girl.
She stepped forward. His eyes widened suddenly.
"By the eight! You're little more than a girl- Someone check the khajiit's bonds! They look loose!" He shouted.
Two guards rushed forward. One grabbed the girl's arms while the other undid what was left of the knots. The guards watched her suspiciously.
"Did you untie your bonds?" Asked the captain suspiciously.
The little khajiit's eyes were wide with fear. She shook her head. The guards seemed satisfied. It wouldn't matter how good she was at escaping her bonds in a moment any way.
"What's your name?" Asked the soldier.
The girl's eyes became unfocused again. They flashed green. Someone screamed as flames roared around her.
"Echo." The girl said clearly.
The guard and captain looked annoyed.
"Enough of your games girl! What's your name?" The captain ordered.
"Echo. My name is Echo." She said again.
The guard nodded and wrote something on the paper.
"You with the caravans, cat? Your kind always seem to find trouble." He turned to the captain.
"Captain, what do we do? She's not on the list." He asked.
"Forget the list. She goes to the block." The captain ordered.
"I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains get back to Elsweyr. Follow the captain prisoner." He told the girl.
The girl followed the armoured woman to the other prisoners. She stood in a gap between Shadow-Killer and Ralof. General Tullius stood in front of the jarl of Windhelm.
"Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use a power like the voice to murder his king and usurp his throne." Ulfric growled at this but Tulious continued, "You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos! And now the empire is going to put you down and restore the peace!" Tullious said as if he was giving a speech before a battle.
A corse throaty shriek echoed across the mountains. Soldiers and prisoners alike flinched. The young khajiit, Echo, moved to cover her sensitive ears but remember her hands were bound tight.
"What was that?" Asked a soldier fearfully.
"It's nothing. Cary on." Tullious ordered.
"Yes, general Tullious! Give them their last rites." The captain ordered a priestess.
A robed woman stepped forward and raised her arms.
"As we comend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the eight divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our belove-"
"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!" Growled a Stormcloak prisoner as he walked towards the block.
"As you wish." Said the priestess, visibly annoyed at the interuption.
"Come on! I haven't got all morning!" The soldier taunted.
Shadow-Killer hissed with quiet amusement.
"Indeed you do not." He muttered to himself.
Echo heard and snickered. The prisoner stood in front of the block. The captain pushed him roughly to his knees.
"My ancestors are smiling at me, imperials. Can you say the same?" The soldier taunted.
The executioner brought his axe up. It swung down and the soldiers head came clean off. The captain pushed the body roughly aside with her foot.
"You imperial bastards!" Shouted another soldier.
"Death to the Stormcloaks!" Yelled a guard.
"As fearless in death as he was in life." Ralof said sorrowfully.
The captain turned back to the prisoners.
"Next, the khajiit!" Yelled the captain as the strange shrieking came again.
The girl flinched at the sound and stepped forward. If looks could kill, every imperial soldier and Thalmor agent she laid eyes on would have died that day. The captain flinched as she saw the girl's eyes close up. Instead of a their normal light blue they were a blue both light and dark at the same time. The blue itself was dark but a light shone deep within them. They flashed back to their normal colour.
"There it is again. Did you hear that?" A soldier asked. The fear in his voice was unmistakable.
The captain was beginning to get mildly annoyed.
"I said next prisoner!" She ordered.
The girl glared again.
"To the block prisoner. Nice and easy." The soldier said calmly as if he was speaking to a frightened stray dog.
He held his hands out as if to show he meant no harm. I'm about to die so why not have a little fun? Echo thought. She snapped at his fingers, baring her small, razor sharp needle-like teeth. The khajiit's eyes narrowed as she walked forward, a small grin playing across her features. Her tail flicked from side to side. The girl hesitated for a moment before kneeling to give the captain one last stare. Her eyes stayed the same pale colour but the effect was still the same. The roar came again just as the executioner brought his axe up. Moments later a dark shape flew over the mountains.
"What in Oblivion is that?" Shouted general Tullius.
The shape circled once and dived. The ground shook as it landed throwing the executioner off balance.
"Dragon!" Came the yells form soldier and prisoner alike.
The dragon yelled something and a wave of air sent everyone flying back as clouds gathered in the sky to form a swirling mass. The girl saw her chance and tried to roll away. The dragon yelled again. The force slammed her into the ground as she tried to stand. She lay there oblivious to the shouts and screams around her.
First chapter done. This third person POV is a relatively new thing for me. So is the more formal style. I prefer direct and to the point. Until next time: Arrow out!