Disclaimer: I do not own Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, any of the characters or stories. They belong to Bethesda Studios.

Authors Note: This story doesn't follow strict cannon and it will deal with dark topics such as rape. If you're not comfortable reading it please don't continue.

Chapter 1: The Road to Helgen is Paved with Good Intentions

Iylah's head throbbed as she slowly started to come back to herself, as she did the events of how she came to be in the prisoner cart with the Stormcloak rebels came with it. Before the events of the last few days, the war and all of its politics had never effected her. She was young, too young to remember a time before the Aldmeri Dominion had changed the live if the people of Skyrim. She was barely nineteen and the Thalmor's tight reign was all she knew. But all the same, those raids on Talos' temples took place in other parts of the world. Iylah and her family's farm was safe and protected from the civil war and the Thalmor raids. Sure some of the boys and girls she'd grown up with had gone off to fight for the Stormcloaks or the Imperials. Even her older brother Ragnar planned to join the Imperial army once the harvest was done. Still it seemed that none of that had been real to her. Not until the war had been brought to the farm.

-flashback-

That day started like any other had, Iylah's father and brother woke up before dawn and went out to start the harvest. That year was a blessing. Their crops had thrived as had their live stock. The Ashburn farm had always been a wealthy farm this year they would double their earnings. It would be enough that Iylah's father would be able to hire more men and her brother would be able to appease his Nord blood and go to battle. What was more, Ilah was of age to find a husband.

Climbing from the bed, Iylah smoothed the furs on her bed knowing her mother would send her back up if they weren't made up. She slipped her nightgown over her head and folded it neatly at the foot. She dressed in a fresh chemise and put on her rough spun bark blue dressed that was girdled and clinched at the waist. He long hair was always a tangle of waves and fell around her shoulders to the middle of her back. She pulled the sides away from her face in a series of braids that she weaved together at the back of her head. After she slipped her feet into her warm kid skinned shoes she went to the window to watch the sunrise.

"Iylah...lass do you plan to join us before the noon meal?" She heard the disembodied voice of her mother call up the stairs.

"Coming mama." She called going out of her bed room and leaving her dagger behind.

Iylah's mother was standing at a table the front of her apron white with flour as she kneed a ball of dough for the days bread her little sister Arie beside of her helping. "Here I thought you'd sleep the day away. Arie doesn't give me half the trouble that you do, and her nine years younger than you."

Iylah smiled and tied her apron around her narrow waist, "Of course she doesn't but I can see the mischief hiding in those pretty brown eyes. She hasn't had a chance to discover mischief is all. Isn't that right Arie?"

"I know mischief." Arie laughed. "Last week when we went to market I pushed Jesper into the creek."

Iylah laughed as she thought of the merchant's boy coming back from a walk with her sister soaked head to toe. "I was wondering what happened to the lad."

"Don't encourage her." Their mother scolded. "At this rate she'll scare all the boys away and never marry. She'll be like you, Ilyah."

"I could have been married twice over if father would allow me to adorn the Amulet of Mara." Iylah said.

"Besides, Ilyah is too pretty for the country boys around here. She's going to marry someone handsome and noble like Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak. " Arie said.

Both Ilyah and her mother tried to keep their smiles to themselves. Arie was at the age where the boys she knew were annoying but men especially the ones that were famous and could be perceived as romantic. "I'm sure that he would love that his brother-in-law supported the Empire." Iylah said. "Besides I hear he's terribly arrogant he wouldn't see a farmer's daughter as his equal."

"And he would take Iylah away from us." Their mother supplied.

"That doesn't matter in the stories." Arie protested.

"Those are just stories." Iylah said kissing the top of her sisters head. "They are not real."

"They could be, and Ulfric is going to marry Iylah." The little girl protested.

"Well that's all right and good but right now we need the Lady Iylah to go out and collect eggs and tend the cows." Their mother said looping a basket over Iylah's arm. "Now mind that you don't get your head stick in the clouds and get distracted."

Iylah smiled at her mother, "I'll try my best." She said before going out the door into the yard.

Iylah loved the outdoors she loved the way the warm sun felt shinning on her face. She looked up at the blue sky before going to the chicken yard. They were much easier to deal with then the cows who hadn't been milked since the day before. She knelt down and carefully pulled the eggs from the nests. Once she was done she wiped her hands on her apron and stood up. She turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the Imperial solider standing there watching her. "C-can I help you?" She asked her voice trembling a little.

A small grin formed on his lips his eyes trailing seductively over her body. "Well aren't you a pretty thing?" He said. "Is your husband home?"

"I'm not-this is my father's home." She said.

The solider took a step towards her and she took one back. She didn't like what she saw in his eyes. There was something sinister below the surface. She had been to Riften enough to know the evil that men do. "He working the fields?" He asked.

Iylah nodded clutching the folds of her dress where her dagger should have hung. Not finding it she looked towards the house wondering if she could make it before he caught her. "They'll be back any moment." She said hoping to scare him away.

"Now girly, why do you have to go and be like that? You and I we could have a good time." He said.

"I-I don't think so." She took a step backwards and her body came into contact with the side of the chicken coop.

"Pretty thing like you, I bet you're unspoiled." He ignored her protests and came closer and pinned her to the building causing her to drop her basket of eggs. She could hear them bust under the weight of his boots. "You smell real nice too. Those camp followers don't take care of themselves they smell like a band of Falmer. You though...you smell like lavender and mountain flowers." He buried his face in her hair and breathed in. His hands roamed her rough spun dress.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to fight him off. She couldn't help but think about her iron dagger that lay on he dresser. With threats like bandits and wild animals, giants and trolls she knew better than to leave it behind. Just as she tried to scream for help his mouth brutally clamped down on her own and his rough hands found her breasts squeezing them bruisingly. She did the only thing that she could think to do, she but down as hard as she could on his mouth the taste of his blood almost caused her to vomit.

"You bitch!" He growled and back handed her with his armor increased hand tearing into her delicate skin. Iylah fell to the ground from the force of his blow. She struggled to get away but he was on her. He ripped spend the front of her dress and he chemise down to her waist. After bearing her breasts pinned her hands above her head with one hand and fought to jerk her skirt up with the other. "You'll pay for that." He spat at her.

"Please dont...no!" She screamed writhing under him trying to get away.

"I think I do as I please!" He sneered jamming two fingers into her tight core. Iylah gasped and jerked from the burning pain. An evil grin passed his lips as something hot and sticky coated his fingers. "A virgin...but not for much longer." He assured her as he pulled back and fought to free himself of his armour.

Iylah took this opportunity, she felt above her head and hoped to find something to use as a weapon. Her and wrapped around a rock and she grabbed it and while his head was turned she slammed it as hard as she could into his temple stunning him. She shoved his body off of her and knew that she should run. Still leaning over him she slammed the rock against his skull again and again. When she finally made herself stop her arm ached and there was no doubt in her mind that he was dead.

Her legs were shaking as she pushed herself from the ground and turned around to go back to the house. She was surprised to see the army of Imperial soldiers that were there. With everything that was happening she hasn't heard them arrive. "Help please." She sobbed the rock falling from her blood coated hand and she clutched the front of her dress closed.

The commander nodded to two of his means he urged his horse forward. The men fell into step on their horses at his flanks. He didn't say any anything as he took everything in. His eyes lingered on the dead solider and then he looked at Iylah. "My man is dead." He said.

She swallowed hard. "He-he is." She stammered.

"At your hand." He said.

"Sir, I think it's clear what happened here." One of the soliders said.

"What is your name girl?" He barked ignoring the other man.

"Iylah...Iylah Ashborn." She managed to say.

The man looked deep in thought. "Ashborn...Ashborn."he looked back to the other man. "Didn't we get intelligence about the Ashborn's Stormcloak allegencies?"

The man nodded. "I believe so."

Iylah gasped, "that's a lie my brother is to join the Imperial Legion!"

The commander held his hand up silencing her. "Yet my man is dead at your own hand."

"He tried to violate me!" She yelled.

"Take her into custody." He said.

"Sir?" The first man protested.

"Take her into custody. She's to go to General Tulius with the rest of the criminals. Hunt the rest of the family down kill them Raidrbe house and outbuildings for anything we might use. When your done burn it down."

Iylah felt her knees give way, "No...no" she screamed.

Before she could fight back two arms wrapped around her. "Its best if you go quiet lass." Said the solider who had been against her arrest said into her ear. It wasn't his words that caused her to stop fighting. It was when her mother and baby sister were dragging from the house and put to the sword. Arie had died screaming for Iylah to save her.

-end flashback-

What happens after that was a blur, some how Iylah had been changed from her ripped clothes into beggars rags and she'd been riding in a catatonic state for who knows how long. What had happened seemed like it took place years ago not days.

"We were wondering if you would come around." One of the prisoners said.

She looked up to see a handsome Nord man. His face had a days worth of growth and his blond hair hung to his shoulders. He had the proud build of a warrior and the Stormcloak armor to prove it. "Where are we?" She asked her voice like gravel from lack of use.

"The Road to Helgen."He said, "I once loved a girl from Helgen. Anyway I'm Ralof."

She nodded her head, "Iylah."

"Some were saying you killed Ivar the Bloody." He said.

"I-was that his name?" She asked.

Ralof nodded, "those of us who dealt person with him thank you."

Iylah nodded, she didn't want to think about that day. She didn't want t to think about Ivar and how he earned his title. If she did she would cry and it would do her no good appear weak, not right now. Not ever again. "What...why are you here?" She asked needing to think about anything than what may happen in Helgen.

"Fighting to free Skyrim from Imperial tyranny." Ralof said then nodded to a man who wasn't just bound but also gagged. "That's Ulfric Stormcloak, true High-King of Skyrim."

Iylah was taken aback as she looked at the man sitting beside of her. She had known by the fine apparel he wore that he'd been someone of importance. She never would have guessed it was the Jarl of Eastmarch. Well, Arie was right he was handsome. She would have been pleased to know that. Much like the man in front of her he had an impressive build like he was meant for armor not finary. Even now that them Empire had seemingly defeated him, he had an air of pride they hadn't broken this man. They didn't hold that power. "Truly?" She asked looking back to Ralof in surprise.

He nodded, "Aye they gagged him thinking to keep him from using the Voice against them."

Iylah had heard that was how he'd killed the former High-King but so many stories were so inflated by the time they learned about them, it was hard to cipher fact from fiction.

A man on the other side of Ralof cleared his throat, "we're not all war criminals." A weasel of a man said.

"I'm not sure that's a good thing horse thief." Ralof said. "I think I'd rather loose my head for a just cause than been tortured and disfigured over a horse."

Iylah was sure that neither sounded great but kept her opinion to herself. She leaned back and listened to the men bicker and closed her eyes. They would be in Helgen before long and she would learn what her fate could be.

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Authors Note: hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Remember love equals continuation of the story. It won't follow strict cannon and while I have some ideas in my head I'm still not exactly sure where this is going.