His vision was blurred when he first opened his eyes. He could hardly make out the figures before him. Two of them, at least two other men. Slowly, it began to dawn on him just where he was. In the back of a carriage, bound for a destination yet unknown. He turned his head to look behind their wagon, noting two others in his.
What had happened? He couldn't quite remember. Everything was still a blur as the horse-drawn wagons moved on.
"Hey, you. You're finally awake?" the words cut into his thoughts, causing him to gasp before giving a small nod, "you were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there."
He turned his head to the second man he'd noted in the cart.
"Damn you, Stormcloaks." the thief growled through gritted teeth, "Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and be halfway to Hammerfell."
He could feel a frown beginning to tug at his lips as he listened to the horse thief, and let out a slight gasp as the thief turned attention to him.
"You there. You and me - we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants." the thief said, shooting another glare at the Nord sitting across from him.
He began to tune the two out as he scanned their surroundings. Behind them was another carriage, also filled with prisoners. Among them was a woman. She looked rather frightened as she tugged at the bindings around her wrists with her teeth. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
He, too, began to tug at his own bindings. They were beginning to dig into his skin and sting. He let out a little groan-every tiny movement sent the fibers of the rope deeper into his skin. After what seemed like hours, their carriages pulled into a small town.
"This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. " the blonde Nord began as he looked about their surroundings, obviously reminiscing, "I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with the juniper berries mixed in?"
"General Tullius, sir. The headsman is waiting." a soldier called out as the carriage pulled in. General Tullius replied with an urging for the carriages to hurry.
"Look at him. General Tullius the Military Governor," the blonde sneered quieting, a scowl upon his face, "and it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this."
He couldn't help but frown at the Nord's words. Not all elves were like the Thalmor. He shook his head and pushed the thought to the back of his mind as they were ordered to climb out of the carriages.
Once he saw what lay before them-a chopping block, and the executioner with axe in hand, his heart dropped. They were going to be executed. All of them. He began to struggle with his bindings again, only to have his attention drawn to the horse thief when he was called.
"Lokir of Rorikstead!"
"No! I'm not a rebel, you can't do this!" the thief cried out before beginning to run. He was shot down within seconds. It was an awful scene, but it let the prisoners know there was no escape.
A Stormcloak rebel was next, and his head was promptly taken by the axe. The Imperial captain, the one calling for the executions, stopped after calling out Ralof of Riverwood. She looked to the man, a scowl appearing on her face.
The man standing at the captain's side was frowning as well. "What's your name?" he asked. He seemed rather hesitant, glancing over at the captain every few seconds.
"I am Gupta of Valenwood." he replied quietly, his gaze level and stern. He wasn't going to let himself be intimidated, even in this dire situation.
"Not many wood elves would choose to come alone to Skyrim." he noted, before turning to the captain, "he's not on the list. What should we do?"
"Forget the list!" the captain spat in response, "he goes to the block, Hadvar!"
With that, Gupta was forced foreward. The High Elf he had noticed in the carriage behind his began to protest, but was struck by one of the soldiers. "You keep quiet, you traitor," he growled at her as Gupta was forced to his knees at the block.
As the axe was raised above Gupta, a mighty roar filled the air. The guards all looked skyward, their attention drawn away from the Wood Elf at the block. All he could do was gasp when a dragon came crashing down atop the tower, letting out a fiery breath.
He was nearly knocked unconscious by the blast, his world blurred before his eyes and darkened. When he regained his bearings, he heard a familiar voice, Ralof, urging him to his feet. At Ralof's side was the Altmer girl, the side of her face brusied slightly from the soldier's strike.
The three rushed to the nearest tower as chunks of burning rock and fireballs rained down around them. The ropes at Gupta's wrists were beginning to dig into his flesh again; he could hardly stand it. He wanted them off as soon as possible.
Once they had reached the tower, it became clear that the Altmer girl wasn't used to such strenuous activity. She was already out of breath, panting heavily as she leaned against Gupta without even realizing it.
Ralof was speaking with someone. Someone that Gupta recognized as the Jarl of Windhelm, Ulfric Stormcloak. The pair were discussing what they had all just witnessed, Ralof expressing his disbelief as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. The final words Ulfric Stormcloak spoke sent a chill down Gupta's spine: "Legends don;t burn down villages."
Ralof then turned to the pair of elves and ordered them to head up the stairs, the girl kept panting with every step. When they had made it half-way up the flight of stairs, the wall exploded. The dragon burst through the wall, killing a Stormcloak soldier that had been resting on the second floor.
The dragon let loose a mighty breath of fire into the tower before taking flight once again. Gupta lept back, nearly loosing his balance. He would have fallen if the girl hadn't grabbed him. Once he was righted, he gave her a nod of thanks as the two were urged to leap down to the burning inn below.
The Wood Elf went first, rolling when he landed as to avoid injury. The girl followed, staggering and stumbling when she landed. She lost her balance, falling onto Gupta, causing him to let out a grunt.
"We have no time to waste. We must get going." he said to her as he jumped down to the ground floor through a hole that had been created by the dragon. She followed after him, staggering yet again but managing to stay upright this time.
When they were both on the ground, he took off, leading her through the door and out of the remains of the inn. Outside the inn was a group of men. One of whom was the man that had been at the Imperial captain's side.
He was kneeling by a boy and his injured father, trying to coax the boy away and out of harm's way. He was successful just in time, as the dragon swooped down, sending a shower of flames down over the man's body.
It was an awful sight, almost enough to make Gupta's stomach churn. But he held his composure, and helped the girl keep hers as well. When Hadvar noticed Gupta and his companion, he shouted at them.
"Still alive, prisoners? Stay close to me if you want to stay that way!" he instructed before beginning to run. Gupta followed close behind, followed by the high elf right behind him. As they passed by a half-destroyed building, the dragon landed on the ledge above their heads. It's wicked claws struck the earth right in front of the Wood elf's feet.
It didn't notice them, but Gupta found himself holding his breath in fear. His heart was pounding so hard, he feared it might burst from his chest. After the dragon had taken flight again, the three made their way to a small area free of debris, where a group of soldiers were trying their best to defend the town and townspeople.
They continued to run, Gupta's stomach still unsettled by all he had seen. But he let out a gasp when they ran into Ralof once again.
"Ralof, you damn traitor! Out of my way!" Hadvar commanded.
"We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time." the Stormcloak replied.
"Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"
With that, both men ran to two doors of the keep. Gupta took a deep breath before running after Ralof. The girl followed his every step, her expression distraught as the dragon let out another mighty roar overhead.
Once they were inside the keep, Ralof cut the ropes binding the pair's wrists. Gupta let out a shaky breath as the air hit the wounds caused by the fibers. "Hn... thank you, Ralof." he managed quietly. The girl did the same, bowing her head in thanks.
There was a dead soldier in the first room of the keep-a former ally of Ralof's. As Gupta was freed, he was instructed to take the dead man's gear for himself. Fur boots, a cuirass, and an iron war axe. He gave it a few swings. He didn't like how it felt in his hands, but it was what he had at the moment.
As they approached the gate to the hallway, Ralof ordered them to take cover. Some Imperial soldiers were coming. A short but bloody battle ensued when they entered the room. The girl hung back, her eyes wide with terror as Ralof and Gupta killed the two Imperials.
Gupta took the sword and dagger from one of the Imperials' bodies, liking the feel of the short blade in his hand rather than the heavy axe. He gave the dagger a few swings, despite being injured himself. He watched Ralof search the other body and get the key to the keep.
They progressed down into the maze-like tunnels, stopping only to look for supplies. Gupta and the girl found a few potions each, tucking them away into their bags before the trio continued.
As they walked down a corridor, they stopped. Ralof was staring in horror and disgust. "Troll's blood! It's a toture room." he exclaimed quietly, before taking off into the room. A pair of Stormcloaks were fighting with their torturers, one had nearly been killed before Ralof took out his assailant.
Gupta defeated the other torturer, his heart pounding from the adrenaline. When the torturers were dead, and the Stormcloaks freed, Ralof instructed the pair of elves to search the room. He handed some lock picks to each of them, telling them to check the prisoner cells that were still locked.
Gupta nodded, beginning to pick the lock as quickly as he could. In no time at all, the door swung open and he stepped inside. There was a dead mage, beside his body was a small sack of gold. The bosmer picked it up and pocketed it. He also grabbed the spell book that lay beside the deceased mage's body.
He collected what he could, before finding a strange book on the table that stood by the central support beam of the room. 'The Book of the Dragonborn' was the title. He picked it up, tucking it into his bag. He had heard the word before, but wasn't quite sure what it meant.
When he had finished, he followed Ralof down the next hallway. The girl was waiting at Ralof's side for Gupta to catch up. "You take so long to keep up, Bosmer. It's like you aren't even concerned that there is a dragon out there." she mumbled quietly.
He frowned, but brushed off her comment with a shake of his head. Down either side of the corridor they were travelling through were cells. Some held skeletons, some were empty. Gupta unlocked the ones containing the bodies, checking each for any supplies they might hold.
The pair of elves followed Ralof until they came upon an opening in the cavern they had travelled into. Imperial soldiers were discussing their own plan of action as Ralof charged in. Another battle, and more injuries to the wood elf. The high elf hung back again, her hands glowing as she charged up to unleash a blast of fire.
When the soldiers had been killed, Ralof urged them to hurry on. Gupta pasued only to take a bow and quiver from one of the bodies before they rushed through the nearest opening.
They made their way through the next tunnel, a wooden bridge was standing on end, blocking their path. It was easily remedied, being lowered by a lever. When they were all over the bridge, there was a crash behind them. Rocks had been dislodged by the dragon's rampage on the surface, crushing their bridge.
"Looks like we aren't going back that way." Ralof observed, shaking his head as they continued onward. There was a small stream running through the cave they had ended up in, and light was seeping through the ceiling.
They followed the tunnel to a fork, a sack of gold sat on a small rock shelf by a lantern. Gupta pocketed it before they turned to the tunnel on the right. The left was a dead end.
Their pace slowed when the girl noticed large spider webs and grabbed onto Gupta's arm. She was beginning to shake the slightest bit, a large frown upon her face. "Spiders... those webs mean that there are spiders in here. Big ones, from the looks of it." she mumbled, seemingly to herself.
They pushed on into the main chamber, a pair of spiders dropping down from the ceiling. The girl let out a shriek, and then a burst of fire from her palm, roasting one of the wicked creatures. Gupta stared at her in awe for a moment before drawing the dagger he'd snatched and attacking one of the other spiders. Ralof finished off the last.
The girl urged Gupta to hurry as he checked the spiders' bodies and collected what poison he could for future use. He stored them in his bag before the group continued onward.
Another clearing. Ralof held out a hand to stop them, crouching down as he stared ahead. "Hold up. There's a bear up ahead. See her?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at the two. Gupta and the Altmer both nodded as they stared at the beast.
"I'd rather not tangle with her right now. We might be able to sneak by. Just take it nice and slow, and watch where you step." he advised. Gupta nodded, crouching down as he slowly began to creep forward.
They crept past the bear. The beast didn't stir at all as they passed by. The Altmer stayed close by Gupta's side as they got to safety. "That was close... How can you two stand living this sort of life?" she grumbled quietly, a frown set upon her face once again.
After continuing down the pathway past the bear, an exit came into view. They rushed out into the light, Gupta shielding his eyes from it when they emerged. "It's so bright." he mumbled to himself quietly.
"Wait!" Ralof cried out, holding out an arm to stop the pair as he knelt down by some boulders for cover. He kept his eyes on the sky, narrowed as he watched. A distant roar faded away into silence, and the Nord got to his feet. "Looks like he's gone for good this time. But I don't think we should stick around to see if he comes back."
All three continued down the path that the cavern had opened up to, Ralof walking ahead of the two elves. "My sister, Gerdur, runs the mill up ahead in Riverwood. I'm sure she would help you two out. It's probably best if we split up, though. Good luck, I couldn't have made it without you."
As the trio travelled down the pathway, Gupta tuned in and out of the conversation. Something about the Stormcloaks, that's all he really paid attention to. He just wanted to be clear of danger. The girl stayed right by his side, though she was no longer holding onto her.
"By the way..." Gupta began after a short while, "Altmer, what's your name? I don't want to go around calling you 'You' or 'Girl' or 'Altmer' for the rest of the time you're with me."
She looked over at him, her brow quirked ever so slightly. "I'm Arielle Sea-Song, of Summerset Isle." she replied, her golden eyes almost seemed to flash as she stared him down.
He nodded and looked away as they continued to walk. Before either of them knew what was going on, the trio had happened upon a group of standing stones. Each was intricately carved with an insignia: one of a thief, one of a mage, and one of a warrior.