The Jarl's Secret
Fandom: Elder Scrolls Series (Skyrim with DLCs included)
Rating: T
Author: Ahsoka'sBestFriend
Kolfinna woke in a cart. Her last memory before waking was something hitting her on the back of the head as she scrambled towards the Skyrim border. Her hands were bound with an extremely rough rope.
"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there," a man said.
He wore a blue sash which wrapped over quilted armor, and she could see a layer of chainmail underneath that. His hands were tied, same as her. Another male voice broke in.
"Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell."
Turning to her, the thief spoke again.
"You there… you and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."
"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief," the first man said.
"Shut up back there," a third voice broke in, this time coming from the man driving the carriage.
"And what's wrong with him, huh?"
"Watch your tongue. You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King," the armored man said.
"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? But if they've captured you…Oh gods, where are they taking us?"
"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits."
"No, this can't be happening. This isn't happening."
"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?"
"Why do you care?"
"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."
"Rorikstead. I'm…I'm from Rorikstead."
"General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!"
"Good. Let's get this over with."
"Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh, Divines, please help me."
"Look at him. General Tullius, the Military Governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this. This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in. Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."
"Whoa!"
"Get these prisoners out of the carts! Move it!"
"Why are we stopping?"
"What do you think? End of the line. Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us."
"No! Wait! We're not rebels!"
"Face your death with some courage, thief."
"You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!"
The heavily armored Imperial officer spoke.
"Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time."
"Empire loves their damn lists."
"Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm."
"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric."
"Ralof of Riverwood. Lokir of Rorikstead."
Lokir panicked.
"No, I'm not a rebel. You can't do this!"
He sprinted past the Imperials.
"Halt!"
"You're not going to kill me!"
"Archers!"
The bows twanged, and the thief dropped to the ground.
"Anyone else feel like running?"
"Wait. You there. Step forward. Who are you?"
"Kolfinna of Kynesgrove."
"You picked a bad time to come home, kinswoman. Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list."
"Forget the list. She goes to the block."
"By your orders. Follow the captain, Prisoner."
Tullius spoke again.
"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 the throne."
The gagged man grunted.
"You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace."
A very loud noise rang out through the town.
"What was that?"
"It's nothing. Carry on."
"Yes, General Tullius. Give them their last rites."
A priestess stepped up, and raised her arms to begin speaking.
"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our beloved…"
"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with."
"As you wish."
"Come on. I haven't got all morning. My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?"
The headsman swung, severing his head.
"You Imperial bastards!"
"Justice!"
"Death to the Stormcloaks!"
"As fearless in death as he was in life," Ralof said.
"Next, the Nord in the rags!"
She was shoved down onto the bloody wooden block, staring at the severed head of the Stormcloak soldier. But before the headsman could decapitate her, fire and meteors rang down into the town, and the noise rang out again.
"There it is again. Did you hear that?"
"I said, next prisoner!"
"To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy."
The noise rang out again a third time, and there was a crash. She glanced up, and saw a large form crouched on a tower.
"What in Oblivion is that?"
"Sentries! What do you see?"
"Dragon!"
Meteors rained down again.
"Hunh!"
"Don't just stand there! Kill that thing! Guards, get the townspeople to safety!"
"Hey, Nord. Get up! Come on! The gods won't give us another chance," Ralof shouted at her, extending his hand to help her up.
She made her way to a nearby tower, dodging fire and meteors. Ralof and Ulfric stood there already. They ran inside.
"Jarl Ulfric! What is that thing? Could the legends be true?"
"Legends don't burn down villages. We need to move. Now!"
"Up through the tower! Let's go!"
"They're hurt, but they'll live. Another second out there with the dragon and they'd both be dead…"
"Let's go! With me, up the tower!"
"We just need to move some of these rocks to clear the way!"
The dragon's head smashed through the wall just as she scrambled up.
"Yol Toor Shuul!"
The fireball slew a soldier.
"See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going! Go! We'll follow when we can!"
"Haming! You need to get over here! Now! Torolf!"
Torolf died in a ball of flame.
"Gods…everyone get back!"
"Yol Toor Shuul!"
"Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find Tullius and join their defense."
"Gods guide you, Hadvar."
"Stay close to the wall!"
The dragon landed on the wall above them.
"Yol Toor Shuul!"
"Quickly, follow me!"
"Hadvar! Into the keep, soldier, we're leaving."
Hadvar spoke to her again.
"It's you and me, prisoner. Stay close! Ralof! You damned traitor. Out of my way!"
"We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time."
"Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde."
"You! Come on, into the keep! Through here. Let's go!"
As they approached, the dragon roared again.
"Hin sil fen nahkip bahloki!"
They charged into the keep. There was a dead Stormcloak soldier laying on the floor. Ralof sliced her bounds.
"Take his gear. He won't need it."
Grimacing, she stripped the man of his light armor and pulled the iron war axe from his fingers. She quickly put on the armor, Ralof turning away to examine the keep doors.
"This one's locked. The other can't be opened from this side."
"It's the Stormcloak prisoners!"
The soldier and the officer drew their swords and opened the gate. Ralof and Kolfinna easily dispatched the Imperials and retrieved the key to the other gate from the body of the officer. They stepped through the previously locked gate and into another room, which turned out to be a storeroom. There were two more Imperial soldiers gathering supplies. With a massive wave of fire, Kolfinna dispatched them. She searched the room, collecting potions of several types as well as ingredients. They advanced through the keep. She heard the sound of battle coming from ahead of them. They found a torturer and his assistant fighting against two more Stormcloak soldiers. As they arrived the torturer and his assistant were already dying. Ralof handed her a bundle of lockpicks.
"You should open that cell over there. That dead mage might have something of use."
She walked up to the gate and easily picked the gate. She rifled through the pockets of the dead man, finding Septims and a potion in his robes. He was sitting on a book, which she realized was a spell tome. She stuffed the book in the knapsack she had taken from a nearby table, which had contained several lockpicks and more gold. They proceeded to the armory, and Kolfinna collected more gold from a table. They left the armory and proceeded down a long hallway, which was filled with cells. Eventually they found a cave.
"Imperials," Ralof warned her.
She spotted a pool of oil.
"Stay back," she told the Stormcloak.
She released a stream of flames that ignited the oil slick and slew the soldiers.
"We'll stay back here. Wait for Jarl Ulfric," a soldier said.
They crossed a drawbridge, and there was a roar. A section of cave collapsed, and they continued. Several spiders dropped from the ceiling. Kolfinna dispatched one with a quick blow from her stolen axe, and burned the second to death with a spell. The two remaining small spiders fell quickly but then two more, larger ones dropped as well. They charged the spiders, and their weapons flashed, dispatching the spiders easily. They exited into the next passage. When they arrived at a cart a short distance in, Ralof shook his head.
"Stop here. There's a bear just ahead. We can either sneak by or kill it. Here's a bow if you want to kill her."
Kolfinna took the bow and slid the quiver of iron arrows over her shoulder. She nocked an arrow to her string and drew back, aiming at the bear's head. She fired, and the arrow struck the bear in the head. She approached the dead bear and pulled out the arrow. They climbed out of the cave. The dragon flew overhead just as Ralof took cover behind a rock.
"You should see my sister, Gerdur, in Riverwood."
"Can I travel with you? Or do you think we should split up?"
"Two of us traveling together will be easier to identify as the escaped prisoners from Helgen than one traveling alone. And you might want to ditch that armor."