Disclaimer: I do not own or make any claim to the Elder Scroll's universe, Skyrim or otherwise, or the characters contained in this story, all of which are owned by Bethesda. This is simply my interpretation of some events within the game universe.

[AN: Hello all, and welcome to my story.

This is going to be yet another variation on the in-game events with my own background for my own Dragonborn. However, it will be told exclusively from the point of view of characters he interacts with, all written in hindsight.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first chapter./AN]

I didn't know what to think when some of those damned elves stopped our convoy near the border. At first, I assumed they wanted to take Ulfric in for questioning, a fate surely worse than the execution the Imperials had planned for us, but then they tossed a bound and unconscious Wood Elf in front of me and fell in behind our Imperial guards.

It was a rare day you saw the Thalmor follow the Empire's lead in anything, but little did I know that it would be the smallest of the many strange occurrences that I would experience that day.

The elf had been stripped of all his possessions, leaving him with only an undergarment as protection against the vicious cold of Skyrim's mountains. What was left was a shivering mass of bone and sinew that looked smaller than most Nord children. It was hard to see what had interested the Thalmor in him in the first place, as he seemed quite harmless.

That impression, however, didn't last long after he woke up.

He awoke as we were beginning to approach Helgen, you remember how much time we spent there, visiting for trade and work when we were young? Well now it seemed that the Divines had decreed I was destined to end my life there as well. A violent coughing fit coming from near my feet alerted me to his awakening, and my impression of a weak, pitiful elf was shattered.

Orange-red eyes blazed back at mine beneath long, dark matted hair as he pushed himself off the ground and onto the bench of the tray, even though his arms and feet were both bound. A Blacksmith's arms and shoulders sat atop a body littered with scars, some old and some so fresh they still leaked blood. It was a collection any Nord would be proud of, and it was crowned by a long gash that ran down the left side of his jaw, old and deep, it's stark whiteness showing up clearly against his ashen skin. Old flecks of crimson war paint decorated the left-hand side of his face as well, making his baleful eyes stand out all the more.

Somehow, despite being clothed in nothing more than a loincloth, this elf appeared dangerous.

A quick glance towards Jaarl Ulfric confirmed he had the same impression. Still, a strange elf was hardly out first concern at the moment, as the cart rumbled to a stop in the town square, where the Headsman was waiting.

I had to watch three of my Battle-Siblings murdered in front of me, before an unearthly sound rolled over the snow covered peaks. Now you know we have lived in the shadow of The Throat of the World for our entire lives, so believe me when I say I had never heard a sound like it in all my years. Apparently, neither had any of Helgen's townsfolk either, as they seemed just as confused as I did. The sound must have spooked the elves though, because suddenly Elenwen herself, the Thalmor ambassador to Skyrim, is whispering in Tulius' ear and instead of another fellow Stormcloak being called to their end, the Wood Elf, Kiern, is brought to the block, forced to kneel in the still-warm blood of my friends.

Despite his bound limbs and pitiful appearance, the Thalmor present still took an unconscious step back as he stalked towards the block, and I again felt that strange trill of fear settle in my gut.

That sound came again, louder this time, and I knew it was no mere sound. It was a roar, a roar of a powerful creature, far greater than any troll or Giant. There was power and evil in that sound, the likes of which I hope I never encounter again, especially now that I know what caused it.

The proximity of the sound had set the Imperials on alert as well and I could see the archers on the nearby battlements looking wildly about; even the horses were panicking.

And then I saw it, a flash of black steel amongst the white clouds. And I wasn't the only one, gasps and cries escaped the lips of all who saw it. We watched in muted terror as the dark shape descended swiftly on the town, a single seep of its great wings allowing it to land on a nearby tower, the force of the landing or wing beat, I'm not sure, knocked everyone off their feet.

There was no time to admire the terrible creature, however, as with only a shout fire began to rain from the sky, striking the ground all around me, destroying all it touched.

I'm not sure what made me do it, maybe the fact that anyone those damned Thalmor fear had to be a useful ally, but as I staggered to my feet, I heaved the still-bound elf with me and into the nearest stone building.

Everything after that is something of a blur. It's all so fresh, I haven't had time to understand it yet; I'm still half hoping that this was all some strange and terrible dream.

Somehow, we escaped the dragon fire and Imperials, and so we stumbled out of a cave part way down the mountain, half frozen and coated in ash and blood, much like you found us when we arrived in Riverwood.

After that, well, you know everything that happened since we arrived, Gerdur; you saw him, Kiern, with your own eyes. He seems an honourable sort, I wouldn't be surprised to see him return in the next day with a contingent of Whiterun guards in tow and the Jaarl's blessing!

[AN: And there you have it. I've included a number of hints to Kiern's background and nature, and I will continue to tease them out over following chapters. If you want to take any guesses, feel free. The name wasn't picked randomly, either...

Anyway, the number of chapters I do will largely depend on how interesting you find this story, I've got a few planned, and I have a number more potential ones, but I have other stories to write and there's no point in filling up chapters with minor characters if no one actually wants to read it.

As such, feedback would be fantastic, particularly anything you think I could do better.

Thanks for reading! /AN]