This was originally made as a short, casual piece to accompany a follower mod - I consider the second chapter to be the true starting point of the story. Do pardon the immaturity of the first chapter! I intend to refurbish it in time to fit with the tone of the rest of the story. Of course, I do not own Skyrim or the Elder Scroll Series, that is the right of Bethesda Studios. Not to say I'm anything but very damn happy they came up with the wonderful games that comprise the ESS, of course!

LOST VALKYGG, NEAR LABYRINTHIAN

"…wake up..."

Where am I? Is this Sovngarde? the Dragonborn thought groggily. Within an instant that notion was thrown into serious doubt as sensation flooded back into his body with a vengeance. He could feel the dull burn of a dozen splinters in his limbs. Attempting to move his back sent a sharp jolt of pain up his spine. Something had slammed onto his head and back with the force of a moving carriage, it seemed. He appeared to be sprawled on the ground.

"...Wake up!"

A female voice, he thought, mellow and mildly hypnotizing. Someone was gently but irresistibly shaking his shoulder. He felt something moist nudging lightly against his lips. Instinctively, he opened his mouth, only to choke on a sudden gush of liquid, spitting out half of its contents. A warm sensation flushed into his veins, invigorating him. The pain abated considerably.

With some effort, he managed to pry his eyes open. Brightness permeated his sight, blinding him momentarily. He squinted again. The glare transformed into little orbs of light, floating around his vision as he tried to perceive his surroundings. As they gradually faded away, he was able to make out the form of a petite girl with jade eyes and copper hair kneeling beside him, staring at him with an expression of concern. Her face brightened into a warm smile as he gingerly propped himself up on an elbow.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed happily. "Ysmir's beard, I thought you were going to stay out cold for a long while... Here, finish up that potion. We need to get moving as soon as you are able to stand."

"W-where am I? This isn't Sovngarde is it? Surely the walls were supposed to look nicer? There wasn't meant to be this much pain, either. Where are the other nine lasses that I am entitled to in Shor's halls?"

"Well I'm glad to hear that I'm placed in such high regard," the girl replied sarcastically, chuckling. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you've only got me in this sorry excuse of a Nordic ruin. Unless you count the Draugr amongst your heavenly wenches, of course. Though I'd daresay a fair number of people would be as disappointed as you are that you didn't get a quick passage into Shor's Halls.

We're in Lost Valkgg, on the perimeter of Labyrinthian in Hjaalmarch." She pointed upwards. "See that shaft? Nasty piece of business to fall down from the top, isn't it? You would almost certainly have been a goner if there hadn't been those wooden beams in the middle of the shaft to break your fall... The mighty Dragonborn, sent flying down a hole after losing an Ancient Nordic linguistic contest with a Draugr lord – that has the makings of a great story, doesn't it?" she giggled, a little breathlessly.

"How do you know who I-"

"…who you are? Besides the fact that I could hear your little er… dispute with the Draugr about a quarter of a league away - underground? By the Nine, of all the questions on Nirn you could have asked me, you chose this? I mean, how could I possibly have heard of the prophetic Last Dragonborn; the Savior of Whiterun, Harbinger of the Companions, Scourge of the Forsworn, Legate of the Empire and Thane of the Reach?" She smirked. "I've got to admit though, you look a lot better than what I am led to believe... And younger, too. The way people in town have been talking about your deeds… I thought you were 40!"

"All right, all right," the Dragonborn raised his hands in exasperation. She didn't lack in enthusiasm, that's for sure. "You've made your point. But why are you here?"

"To warn you about an agent being sent to dispatch you. Apparently someone in the College wants you dead. Now that wouldn't have been a Thalmor, would it?" She paused. "Oh, and also to uh... come along with you if you are going to enter Labyrinthian."

"Laby-what? Who told you that I was…" His head was still ringing. It made him irritable. "Look hun, I appreciate the help you have given me. I really do. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I can do just fine…" he checked himself mid-way. For one thing he probably would have been in a far worse state without her help. He had always preferred being the lone wolf, but he didn't want to look like an ungrateful bastard either.

The girl sighed. "Look, I know that killing dragons happens to be your favorite pastime, but even for you Labyrinthian would be exceptionally… dangerous. I've been scouting around the ruins for a while now, and there's definitely something inside that sounds as big as a dragon, but moves about with a very strange gait... But there's also a voice deep within… feels like it's trying to consume my soul each time I hear it. It scares me. There's an ancient and powerful magic deep beneath the ruins, Dovahkiin... And I think you're going to need some help to deal with it."

Suddenly, a series of cracking noises could be heard in the distance. The Draugr must have felt their presence and were getting restless inside their sarcophagi. His experience with fighting the undead had honed his hearing to the point where he could distinguish that several of them were Draugr lords. He had someone with him now, but the odds still didn't seem very much in his favor

Apparently the girl thought so, too. "We have to go," she urged. "Can you get up by yourself?"

"Aye..." he shuffled to his feet grouchily. Potion or not, his head was still sore. His copper-haired companion followed suit. No sooner had she picked herself up off the floor than she promptly collapsed back onto terra firma, clutching at her stomach. Something seemed to have gored its way into her abdomen. It looked awfully painful. He was surprised he did not notice it before.

"By Shor, are you all right? What happened?"

"Wight. Ice Spike..." she winced. "Bastard got me when I was fighting off the rest."

The Dovahkiin scanned around. No less than half a dozen Draugr bodies were strewn around him. Whoever this girl was, she was one hell of fighter. She must have been defending him while he was unconscious. Her sweet, cheery disposition had belied the fact that she was wounded. Looking back, he realized that her sentences were punctuated by small, pained gasps. She did not just help him, she saved his life while risking her own. But why?

"It looks pretty bad to me. We've got to get that treated right away."

"N-no, it's fine. I tore off some of my cloak to dress the wound underneath."

"No, this won't do - look, you're still bleeding!" he exclaimed. "Do you have a potion you can use for yourself?"

"I uh, I used my last one on you..." she murmured sheepishly.

"W-what?! Hang on, I have one in my- wait..."

He realized that his knapsack was gone. Damn thing must have fallen onto the floor above him when he was Fus-Ro-Dah-ed unceremoniously down the hole. Should have learned the "Heal Other" spell from the Marance woman in the College, he thought ruefully. Quite honestly, he wasn't all too magically inclined himself. In fact, he cheated his way into the College -sneaking in a magika-increasing potion behind Faralda's back just so that he could perform the very basic of spells to pass the application. He had only joined the College because he figured the people there could lead him to stronger artifacts and word walls. And well, maybe save the world again in the process. Yet there wasn't that much of a point mastering a "Heal Other" spell when 90% of the time he was travelling alone. He had given up on taking up followers long ago -they always had a nasty habit of getting in his way or charging into a room full of hostiles when he was trying to be stealthy. That snarky Lydia must have been having a ball of a time having Breezehome all for herself, he mused. Then again she probably deserved the break, considering his… "unrelenting" admonishments of her shortcomings often resulted in her taking a tumble down a mountain. Well, karma's a bitch – thanks to the Draugr he knew precisely what that felt like.

And then there was Ria. Optimistic, kind-hearted Ria. He found her lifeless form near the barricades in the aftermath of the Battle of Fort Greenwall, with an arrow through her heart. It was supposed to have been a straightforward siege until an Ancient Dragon decided to land in the middle of the two armies. Arrows were flying everywhere. He did not see her fall, nor did he know who shot the arrow. In the confusion of battle, it could very well have been his own.

"It's all right. Don't worry about me, it isn't as bad as it looks. I'll make do," the girl assured softly. "We might be able to stumble onto a potion somewhere, too. Here, be a good man, give me a hand." She grimaced as he pulled her to her feet. "So… I heard you're a good shot– you can do us both a favor by covering that door over there. I'll head down the tunnel and see if I can find a way out of this place."

Now that his head had stopped buzzing, he begun to question the girl's motives. She seemed to be on his side, but what was she really doing here? It wasn't simply because she wanted to warn him about the agent. What was her agenda? Did someone send her? Why had she been scouting Labyrinthian? How did she know that he needed to enter it? She could have been looking for something inside, but why did she use her only potion not on herself, but on him? How could she be certain that he even had the key?

"I still don't get it. Why are you helping me?"

"It's a long story, but we have to go. I'll answer the rest of your questions when we get out. All I can say right now is I need you as much as you need me, although you don't know it yet. Do you trust me?" she asked.

"Yes, I can do that. I apologize if I came off a little harsh at first." The Dragonborn bowed. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you for saving my life. You have left me in your debt, and for that I'm at your service, my lady."

She blushed a little at his sincerity; the subtle flush of pink over her lightly freckled cheeks serving only to accentuate her beauty. She really is extraordinarily pretty, he thought.

"Glad to hear it! Let's keep moving," she quipped.

"Here, take my cloak for starters," he offered, tossing her his Imperial Silver. "You look like you're freezing in that robe. Oh, and promise me that you'll let me help you dress that nasty wound once we're out of this Shor-forsaken place, won't you. Wouldn't want my savior to bleed to death before I even learn her name, would I?"

"It's Riza," she replied, giving him a fleeting smile before disappearing down the darkness of the tunnel beneath.

A/N: A short piece following a screenshot and an upcoming custom-voiced follower mod I am doing (you won't find Riza tending to you in Lost Valkygg, but I'm trying to make her first appearance less generic than finding her in Riverwood Tavern). Depending on time I may expand on this story. If you're curious to see what she looks like, you can find the screenshot here on the Nexus mod website : nexusmod-DOT-com/skyrim/Images/442309/?

Of course, any suggestions or critique will be highly appreciated. :)

Oh, and by the way, I have legit DIED from getting Fus-Ro-Dah-ed down the damn shaft in Lost Valkygg before. How I wish Riza had existed for me right then. Amusing on retrospect, but all I could do in that moment was gape at my screen and shove a middle finger at the Draugr Deathlord laughing at me right there. If there was such a thing as verbal football this is pretty much scoring a goal.

Stay tuned in Nexus Mods if you're interested in taking her with you as a follower. She can bake cookies!