Eriah Quintence groaned softly as consciousness came back to her. There was a dull throb on the back of her head. Her brown eyes struggled to open and when they did, she saw that she was in a wagon with her hands bound. It was being driven by an Imperial soldier and there was a second wagon in front of them. They were being escorted by more soldiers. Her traveling apparel was also gone, replaced with ragged clothing. She shared her wagon with three men. One was in rather fine apparel, hinting at a high rank. She noted with interest that, unlike the rest of them, he was gagged. The one in front of her wore what she recognized as the armor of the Stormcloak army. The last was in ragged clothes like she was. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she tried to remember how she ended up here. It didn't take long for her memory to return. "That's right. I walked into some sort of ambush. Perfect. Guess the civil war was a bigger deal than Cyrodiil made it out to be." she thought. That's when one of her companions saw she was awake. "Hey you. Finally awake. You tried to cross the border, right?" asked the blond Nord in front of her.
Eriah just nodded, still trying to piece together what exactly happened. Things had happened so quickly, she was on the ground unconscious before she had time to draw her own sword. "You walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there." the man said, jerking his head at the other man in rags. The Nord glared. "Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. The Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I would've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." he all but growled at the Stormcloak soldier. He turned his attention to Eriah. "You there. You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants." he said. She had nothing to say to the horse thief. He was stupid enough to have actually tried to pinch a horse. She was merely returning to Skyrim after living in Cyrodiil since childhood. Her father was a jeweler and moved the family to Cyrodiil after she had been born. She decided to return to Skyrim because she wanted to know what her homeland was like. She was captured on account of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She didn't even know where they were going or what hold they were in.
"We are all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." the Stormcloak said. "Shut up back there." an Imperial soldier snapped. Eriah just rolled her eyes. That was the other reason she left Cyrodiil. The Imperial Legion talked a big game but they were in denial of the Empire's true standing in Tamriel anymore. The Aldmeri Dominion was in control now. The thief then looked to the gagged man. Eriah also looked over and studied him. Like many Nords, he had a powerful build. His hair was also blond like his compatriot. She wondered who he was. He was dressed pretty fancy for the wild but that came second to the fact that he had a bearish air about him. The man sensed her studying him and his eyes shifted to meet hers. Eriah felt her breath catch slightly. This man had power. Even thought he couldn't say anything, he still demanded respect. However, something deep within Eriah felt as if she had found a rival. No, not a rival. More like...a challenger. That confused her. The man broke eye contact as the thief spoke next. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, taking note of the gag.
"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King!" the Stormcloak snapped. Eriah raised her eyebrows as she looked at the man next to her. No wonder he radiated power. That still didn't explain why she perceived him as a challenger. That aside, she knew his name because it was being thrown around in Cyrodiil a ton, ever since news of the rebellion reached the capital. Now that she had a face to put to it, Eriah found herself rather impressed. The horse thief seemed as surprised as she did. "Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you...Oh gods, where are they taking us?" he wondered. Eriah could sense his fear, another surprise. He wasn't hiding it but he was clearly panicking on the inside far more than he was showing. How did she know these things? "I don't know where we're going but Sovngarde awaits." the Stormcloak soldier said, resigned.
"No. This can't be happening. This isn't happening." the thief said. His fear was more pronounced but Eriah felt it rolling off him in waves. Why was this affecting her alone? Her head started to pound and she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You okay, lass?" the Stormcloak asked, taking notice. Ulfric looked over at her as well. "I...don't know. My head is killing me and it's not just from the bump on the head I got, courtesy of the Empire." she all but hissed. Her eyes met the man next to her. His eyes were expressing concern as well as, oddly enough, caution. For what reason, she couldn't guess at. She was a nobody, compared to the valuable prisoners in the wagons with her. Still, his concern was touching. She was a stranger and he was the Jarl of Windhelm, a city in Eastmarch Hold in Skyrim's eastern territory. He was leagues above her and yet, he seemed to be more in touch with the common people than she assumed. It probably had to do with the fact that he led soldiers in the Great War thirty years ago. He would know how to interact with those beneath him. His reputation was well known, even to her. Fortunately, the pounding subsided and the thief's fear no longer seemed to be steamrolling her senses. "Odd." she mused before looking ahead. The caravan was approaching a walled village. "Where are we?" she wondered.
"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?" the Stormcloak asked the other man, after he saw that Eriah's discomfort was over. "Why do you care?" the thief asked. "A Nord's last thoughts should be of home." the soldier replied. After a second's hesitation, the thief gave Rorikstead as his home village. The blond Nord then went to asked Eriah but they had reached the gates of the village and he fell silent as the driver called out to General Tullius, saying the headsman was waiting. Realizing she was heading for the chopping block, Eriah felt her breath leave as her own fear took hold. Her tongue felt like lead. She looked down at her feet and let the world fall away as her mind raced to make sense of her predicament. She heard only snatches of the Stormcloak's words. The words "Thalmor" and "Helgen" registered and her mind filled in the rest. Helgen, she knew, was a small village in Falkreath Hold so she was finally able to remember where she had been when she walked into that ambush. The Thalmor were agents of the Dominion and it seemed they were behind it. Damn elves indeed.
The caravan came to a halt and Eriah felt her heart rate spike. Ulfric was the first off the wagon, followed by the thief. Eriah moved like a wraith, following him off the wagon, with the Stormcloak bringing up the rear. She came a halt besides Ulfric who reached over and gave her arm a gentle, encouraging squeeze. That broke her out of her stupor and she locked eyes with him. He have her a stiff nod before turning his attention to the soldiers in front of him. With that one action, Eriah felt her courage bolster and she held her head a bit higher. A Nord Legionnaire got a quill ready, his captain next to him. "Empire loves their damn lists." she heard the Stormcloak curse beside her. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." the Legionnaire said. The bear of a man walked forward, likely sending the young man a look of disappointment. After all, they were both Nords. "It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric." the blond Nord beside her said. "Ralof of Riverwood." the Legionnaire then called.
"So that's his name." Eriah thought as her companion left her side. She saw the look of hostility on Ralof's face as he walked by the man. That sort of look only came from those who knew each other well enough to hate each other. At the very least, if they had a past together, then they disliked each other. "Lokir of Rorikstead." the man said, revealing to her the horse thief's name. "No! I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" Lokir protested. Like a damn fool, he tried to run away. Naturally, he didn't get far. An archer got him in the back. Lokir's exercise in futility told Eriah she was likely not going to be spared. All that mattered to these people was the fact she was caught with the Stormcloaks by mere coincidence. Her death was all but assured. "Ma...Pa...I'm so sorry." she thought, looking down. Her relationship with her parents was good and they encouraged her to travel to Skyrim and get in touch with her Nord roots. She could only pray to Talos that the Legion would send her body to them.
The man with the list then turned his attention to her. "Wait. You, there. Step forward." he said. Eriah looked at him and did as she was told. She could feel the other prisoners' eyes on her. "Who are you?" the soldier asked. "Eriah Quintence." she replied. He wrote it down. "You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim, kinsman." he said before turning to the officer next to him. "Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list." he said. "Forget the list. She goes to the block." she replied. Just as Eriah figured. She wasn't getting out of this. "By your orders, Captain." the soldier said. He turned a look of genuine pity on Eriah. "I'm sorry. At least you'll die here in your homeland." he said. His genuine look of sadness for her fate made Eriah rethink that perhaps not all Imperial soldiers were heartless. He seemed like a good man and her name not being on his list was probably cause enough for him to set her loose. As it were, it didn't matter. "Follow the captain, prisoner." the man then said. Eriah did just that and joined the small group of Stormcloaks waiting for execution. Her eyes locked with Ulfric's a fourth time and his eyes told her he was sorry she would share in his fate. For some reason, he gave her courage and she gave him a small, resigned smile.
The Jarl was then approached by General Tullius who looked the taller man straight in the eye. "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." the older man said. Eriah looked at the Jarl, confused. She heard rumors that Ulfric had challenged High King Torygg to a duel in the old way and that he had somehow murdered him by shouting him to pieces. That seemed pretty fantastical, even for the Empire who loved their propaganda. How does a man kill by shouting? On some bizarre level, it explained why the Jarl alone was gagged. Ulfric grunted through the cloth, clearly displeased with the accusation. "You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace." Tullius continued. When he was finished, Eriah heard a distant roar. She clearly wasn't hearing things. Ulfric and several others reacted to it. What manner of beast made a sound like that?
"What was that?" asked a soldier nearby. "It's nothing. Carry on." the general said. "Yes, General Tullius!" the Legion Captain said, ready to carry out her orders. She turned to the priestess who was also present. "Give them their last rites." she said. The priestess did as bade and started to pray for their souls to be commended by the Eight Divines. That didn't sit well with a red-headed Stormcloak. "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." he snapped, boldly walking forward to stand before the block. "Never knew a man to go to his death with impatience." Eriah mused. The man was pushed to his knees, his head going to the block. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" he asked as the headsman hefted his ax into the air. The Stormcloak's head was cleaved from his shoulders and Ralof said a small eulogy. The captain pushed the body aside and looked straight at Eriah. "Next, the Nord in the rags!" she commanded. Another roar echoed through the air and it sounded closer this time. "There it is again. Did you hear that?" the Imperial soldier from before asked. The Captain gave him a sharp look. "I said, next prisoner." she snapped.
The man looked at Eriah, an apology in his expression. "To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy." he directed. Eriah's legs felt like rubber as fear started building again. She walked forward, still feeling the eyes of the Jarl and the Stormcloaks on her. While the strange roars caused concern to nearly overtake her fear of death, Eriah decided that it no longer mattered and she should prepare herself for the afterlife. Would she be welcomed in Sovngarde where Shor's Hall was said to stand tall before a whale bone bridge? She was a simple jeweler's daughter, trained in the ways of the sword by her mother. Shor's Hall was where the heroes of old gathered in the Nordic afterlife. What right had she to mingle with them? "Talos...watch over my family. Akatosh preserve them." she prayed silently as she was pushed to her knees and her head met the block, sticky with blood. She let her eyes drift to the headsman and watched as he prepared to take her head. That's when she saw it.
Flying around the nearby mountains was a gigantic, winged black beast flying straight for them. "By the Nine." her mind gasped, fear stilling her tongue. Something deep down reacted to the beast's presence but it was overruled by her terror. "What in Oblivion is that!?" someone shouted. "Sentries, what do you see?" the captain asked. Her question was made pointless as the beast landed on the tower behind her, causing those who were standing to stumble as the landing shook the very ground. His red eyes zeroed in on Eriah. "Dragon!" she heard a woman yell. Eriah herself couldn't even breathe as the dragon pinned her with his gaze. He opened his mouth and a shock wave from his jaws sent the headsman stumbling to the ground. It sounded like thunder. Eriah felt as if her body had been hit hard by solid force. Suddenly, her mind flashed back to when she was a child reading about dragons and their Voices, how they used Words of Power to do battle. As her tutor put it, a battle between dragons was a deadly verbal debate. In ancient times, dragons ruled Tamriel and Shouted down Man who tried to prove their Voice was also strong.
A small part of her realized the legends were all true and the force she felt when the dragon opened his jaws was a Shout. The sky above turned cloudy and fiery rocks started falling from the sky. The Imperial soldier who took her name got in front of her, his sword drawn. He meant to protect her from the beast. The dragon Shouted again and Eriah nearly blacked out from the sheer force. All hell broke loose. Eriah scrambled to her feet, her brown eyes on the black dragon as he took flight and starting raining death from above. She heard Ralof shouting for her and she focused on his voice. He called her from a tower on the opposite side of the one the block was in front of. Eriah tripped and nearly fell but Ralof grabbed her arm and all but threw her into the tower, slamming the door closed as he followed her in. Ulfric was there as well, free of his bindings and gag. Several other Stormcloaks, a couple wounded, were also there. "Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?" Ralof then asked his commander. "Legends don't burn down villages." Ulfric replied solemnly.
Eriah tried to block out the sounds of death and dragon fire but with her wrists still bound, she couldn't manage it. She couldn't stop pacing, not even when someone said they needed to move. Ulfric firmly gripped her upper arm as she paced past him and he pushed her in Ralof's direction. "Get her out of here. This one is here by no fault but ours. Do what you can to get her out of Helgen. I will stay here and care for the wounded." he ordered. Ralof went to protest but thought better of it. "Let's go, lass. Up the stairs." he said, pushing her ahead. Eriah reined in her chaotic thoughts and knew she had to trust that he would get her out of this mess. They reached the midpoint of the tower when a hole was punched into the wall. The black dragon was outside and Ralof managed to catch Eriah around the waist before she ran into the stream of fire he issued from his jaws, shielding her with his body. After the dragon flew off to continue his attack, Ralof moved to the collapsed wall and looked out. "See that inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going." he ordered.
The young woman looked at him as if he were joking. "Are you insane!?" she protested. "Do as I say, lass! I'm going to go back and help Jarl Ulfric! I will find you later!" Ralof shot back. Eriah knew better than to continue arguing. Ralof clearly wanted to rejoin his commander and there was no time for him to cut her loose. Taking a deep breath, Eriah backed up a few steps and ran. She leaped out of the tower into the damaged inn. She fell into a roll, just as her mother taught her, and got to her feet. She made her way down to the ground and out onto the street. The black dragon was still causing mayhem, Shouting and roaring at those fighting him. The Imperial soldier from before called her over. As she joined him, the dragon landed a few yards away, forcing them and a couple others to get out of the way of his fire. "Still alive, prisoner? Stay close to me if you want to stay that way." he said. Eriah kept an eye on things while the soldier told an old man to get a boy to safety while he went to rejoin Tullius in defending Helgen. "Gods guide you, Hadvar." the old man said, revealing the soldier's name to Eriah at last.
Hadvar led the way after the dragon took off, the young woman on his heels. She noticed that the dragon seemed to have it in for her personally. It was an odd notion. According to legend, dragons were all about destruction and domination. Mortals were ants to them. They killed whom they chose with no regard for anything unless the mortal slighted them. She had never seen a dragon, much less this one, in her life so she had no idea why he seemed to be after her. Hadvar seemed to leading her to the keep. It was on the way that they encountered Ralof. "Ralof, you damned traitor! Out of my way!" Hadvar snarled at him, Eriah coming to a pause near them. "We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time!" Ralof snapped back. "Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" Hadvar cursed them before running off. Ralof ran up to Eriah who decided, since Hadvar seemed to have forgotten about her, to stick with her savior. "This way, lass!" he said, leading the way into the keep. Eriah followed him and he slammed the door shut.