The weather is much warmer in southern Skyrim then it is in my hometown of Winterhold, you can see the grass, the trees, the wildlife, there is only snow and mountains where I live. My name is Enrich, Enrich Light-Hand is what my old friends used to call me because of my training in the art of Restoration at the college in my hometown of Winterhold, which is unusual for a Nord like myself but I seem to be one of the few exceptions. I look like the average, everyday Nord though, long brown hair and a scraggly looking beard, your average Nord soldier. I'm heading south towards Cyrodiil hoping to escape the Civil War here in my homeland of Skyrim; the High King had recently been killed by a Jarl by the Name of Ulfric Stormcloak who leads a rebellion that was formed to overthrow the Imperial and elven presence in Skyrim to reclaim our traditions. I had recently passed through the town of Helgen so I knew that Cyrodiil was fast approaching and I would soon be free from this war to start a new life. I knew what was going on in Cyrodiil but no one knows me down there so it will be easier for me to start fresh. My horse was well rested after our pit stop in Helgen so we were doing a quick trot when I heard the sound of beating hooves creeping up on me, my hand was on my blade as I looked back, a fellow Nord on a horse quickly passed me and disappeared into the trees ahead of me. I thought of it as nothing and continued behind him, the border must be close now and he must be headed the same way, I thought to myself. As I entered the tree line I heard the familiar sound of steel striking against steel with the grunts of men and women fighting. I hid within the trees near the edge to get a better look at the battle, by the time I crept to the edge the battle was over, it looked like some Imperials had captured a group of Stormcloaks trying to cross the border to safety. Suddenly I heard a noise from behind me and quickly leapt off my horse and drew my blade.
"Surrender, Stormcloak!" An Imperial Soldier yelled at me.
"You are mistaken, Imperial, I am no Stormcloak." I calmly replied sword still in hand.
"Don't make me laugh, Nord, why else would you be hear?" The Imperial remarked.
"I was heading down to Cryodi…!" I couldn't even finish my sentence before the darkness overtook me.
I awoke what seemed like hours later to the sounds of hooves slowly trotting down the road and voices' talking with each other, my body was softly bumping up and down and I knew I was in a carriage. An Imperial must have snuck up on me when I was trying to explain to the first one I wasn't a Stormcloak, sneaky bastard. I slowly opened my eyes, everything was blurry but I could make out I was in a carriage with a few other people, my hands were bound and I could barely move, my eyes were finally wide open and I saw an Imperial was steering the carriage.
"I see you're finally awake." The Nord across from me said.
"Who are you? What happened?" I asked him.
"I am Ralof of Riverwood, it seems you were mistaken as a Stormcloak like us and taken prisoner." Ralof explained to me.
"Blasphemy! This is ridiculous!" A Nord to the right of me shouted," we aren't supposed to be here! We are not Stormcloaks!"
"Don't mind him; he's just a common horse thief that got caught up in the battle, what's your name?" Ralof asked me.
"My name is Enrich, how did we get captured?" I asked.
"It's all their faults! Especially this man here kills the High King and thinks he's a god!" The horse thief exclaimed, moving his head towards a man who had his hands bound and mouth covered by a rag tied around his head.
"Don't you talk to Ulfric Stormcloak like that! He is the true High King and hero of our people!" Ralof shouted back at the thief.
"Quiet down back there!" The Imperial up front yelled.
"We were ambushed by the border to Cyrodiil, we thought we had a clear shot there but apparently we were wrong, you and the thief were just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Ralof told me.
"I see, do you know where we're headed?" I asked Ralof.
"It seems we are headed towards Helgen." Ralof said looking on ahead towards the town.
We were silent as we entered the town, the people who lived there were outside watching us enter the city, and many Imperials were walking around, too.
"Tell the headsman that Ulfric and his men are here for him!" The Imperial up front shouted to groups of Imperials that were standing around.
"A headsman! I can't die here today! I'm not a Stormcloak!" The thief tried yelling at the Imperials who ignored him.
A headsman, that's no good I thought to myself. All I wanted to do was escape to a new land and start over again, instead it seems death is my fate, and so be it. The carriage came to a stop near the town center and an Imperial ordered us out.
"When I call your name step forward." A Nord in Imperial armor told us.
"Damn Imperials and their lists." Ralof whispered to me.
"Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." The imperial said, Ulfric stepped forward then walked towards the headsman.
"Ralof of Riverwood." The Nord read off the list, Ralof stepped forward then went off towards the headsman.
"Lokir of Rorikstead." The Nord said.
"No, I'm not a Stormcloak, you can't do this! I'm not going to die today!" The horse thief Lokir exclaimed, he then proceeded to run past the Imperials toward the city walls.
"Archers!" The Imperial Captain yelled, the archers readied their bows and fired, killing Lokir instantly.
"Anyone else care to run?" The Captain said staring at me; I glared right back at her.
"Wait…..Who…are you?" The Nord with the list asked me.
"Enrich of Winterhold." I said.
"You picked a bad time to be back in Skyrim. He's not on the list, what should we do?" The Nord asked the Captain.
"Send him with the rest of the prisoners." The Captain said, I just stood there staring at her, remembering her face.
"You heard the captain prisoner, follow her to join the others; we'll make sure you have a proper burial." The Nord told me.
I followed the Captain over to the group of prisoners, the townsfolk were yelling in either support or opposition to the Imperials and Stormcloaks there. A prominent looking Imperial was lecturing Ulfric when I arrived and soon after the execution began.
"Let us say a prayer for these men." A priestess starting chanting the words of the Divine.
"Shut up and let's get this over with!" A Stormcloak exclaimed walking up to the headsman.
"Fine then." The Imperial Captain said walking up behind the Stormcloak.
The Captain pushed the Stormcloak down and positioned him for his execution. The Headsman lifted his axe and in one swift motion beheaded the man.
"As brave in death as he was in life." Ralof whispered.
"Next! The Nord in the ragged looking tunic!" The Captain yelled pointing to me.
As I took a step forward the ground shook and a roar was heard in the distance, everyone was looking around confused trying to find out wait had moved the earth itself.
"Never mind the noise, I said next Nord!" The Captain exclaimed to me.
This was when it was all suppose to end, my life here in Skyrim lead up to this, being executed for no other reason than being at the wrong place, at the wrong time. I walked up to the crate and the Imperial Captain got me into position for my death. I looked up at the headsman and saw him start to lift his axe when I saw a black shadow cross the sky and another roar shake the ground.
"What is it!" The Captain shouted.
"It's in the sky…it looks like a dragon!" An Imperial shouted to everyone.
The Headsman axe was ready to end me when suddenly a dragon landed on the tower behind him and let out a roar that knocked him over and blasted me back a few feet. My life should have been over just a moment ago but now I have a dragon to thank for me still being alive, I have to get moving if I want to keep on living though!
"Quick, Enrich! Get up and run for the tower!" I heard Ralof yell to me.
I got up onto my feet, my hands were still bound so I couldn't move to my full ability but I still made it into the tower unscathed. Ralof shut the door behind us and started talking to Ulfric but I had already started heading up the stairs hoping to find a way to remove my bindings. About half way up the stairs there was a Stormcloak moving rubble, I was going to ask if he could cut me free when suddenly the wall blasted open making me back step a few stairs. The dragon put its head through the hole and charred the Nord where he stood, the way up was blocked so I jumped into the building next door. I ran down the stairs and out the door to see a townsperson with the Nord who had the list earlier saving the life of a young boy.
"Still alive prisoner? Follow me if you want to stay that way!" The Nord yelled to me.
I followed him through the rubble the dragon had left behind, there were archers on all the walls trying to shoot down the dragon and men shouting orders.
"Get to the keep Hadvar! We need to stop this beast!" The Prominent Imperial yelled to the Nord I was following.
"Come on prisoner, we're almost to the keep!" Hadvar yelled to me.
We were running towards the keep when the dragon swooped down and picked up an archer and dropped him from a great height. As we approached the keep I saw Ralof running towards, Hadvar took notice of him, too.
"Ralof, you damn traitor, get out of the way!" Hadvar yelled to Ralof.
"We're getting out of here Hadvar and there's nothing you can do!" Ralof shouted back.
"Fine, I hope you rot in Oblivion with your comrades!" Hadvar remarked back to him, "Come on prisoner, we need to get inside of the keep!"
"Enrich, come with me if you want to live!" Ralof shouted to me.
I was caught in the middle of two men fighting for two different causes who had helped me out in some way just moments to ago, not to mention the dragon that was flying above my head attacking the town and the men around me. I knew I had to make a decision and it had to be fast if I wanted to live through this day, but who?