Saya looked up as the door to the house opened. Alendi, her Redguard guardian, stumbled in, bearing multiple cuts and bruises.
"Alendi!" Saya rushed over as the aging woman fell to her knees, exhausted. "What happened?"
"Lost the road," She coughed, "got attacked by bandits. They took what gold I had managed to be paid on this assignment." She paused a moment before coughing again. "Give me a bottle of Skooma, dear."
Saya shook her head. "Not yet, I'll run to Grave Concoctions, get some potions." Saya raced out into the street. Several soldiers clad in blue were walking into the city, many of them bearing axes. A large and imposing Nord emerged from their numbers.
"This city belongs to the Stormcloaks now! If there be any among you who would fight for Skyrim and her people, come forth!" The large man bellowed. His voice carried the weight of authority and a strange energy. Saya shrugged it off and continued to the Alchemist's shop.
Saya stopped as an Imperial led some of the city guard into the thorough fare. "I had guessed you would turn up here, Ulfric. You still have to answer for your crimes. You preach freedom and liberation, and practice murder and sedition! What say you?"
"Well, if it isn't General Tullius. Sons and Daughters of Skyrim, show this Imperial filth how far we're willing to go for Skyrim's liberation." Ulfric turned and walked behind those behind him. Those who called themselves Stormcloaks unsheathed their weapons and attacked the Imperial and his contingent of guards. Panic erupted in the streets and many noncombatants fled to their homes or out of the city entirely. Saya raced back to the house she and Alendi lived in. Smoke rose from the windows and she could see flames through the doorway. A Stormcloak soldier tumbled down the stairs with a slit throat.
"Alendi!" Saya ran inside and up the stairs to see one of three remaining Stormcloaks run the poor old woman through with a sword. The soldiers then turned on her. She backed away down the stairs and toward the door. An imperial arrow shot passed her and struck the leader of the trio in the shoulder, dropping him. The other two raced down the stairs toward the Imperial. One of their shields met Saya's head and she lost consciousness.
The clattering of hooves and cart wheels eased Saya awake. She and three others were on the road heading north. Two of the three were Stormcloaks, still in their cuirasses, but without their weapons. One was gagged and had his face turned toward the carts behind theirs. The other was in rags.
"Ah, you're finally awake. You got caught up in this, just as we did." He turned his head to face the front of the cart when they entered a village. "Hmm, Helgen. I wonder if Margi still makes that delicious mead." He turned to the man in rags. "You, what's your name?"
"Lokir." He paused a second. "Where are we going? I'm not a rebel! All I did was steal a horse! I'm not a rebel!" Panic set in, heavy on his voice.
"It matters not, to the chopping block for all of us. Stormcloak, citizen, Imperial. Where are you from, horse thief?"
"What does it matter?"
"A dead man's last thoughts should be of home."
"Rorikstead. I'm from Rorikstead." He addressed the gagged man, "What about him? What'd he do? Get a maid drunk and-"
"Watch your tongue, horse thief. You are speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, true High King of Skyrim!" The cart stopped.
"Off the carts! The lot of you!" An Imperial Captain demanded. The prisoners assembled near the chopping block. The Captain brandished a piece of parchment and called off names. "Lokir of Rorikstead."
"No! I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" Lokir ran down the street and was quickly cut down with an arrow.
"Anyone else want to try running? On with the execution! Grenjar!" The man known as Grenjar stepped up to the block as a priestess began the rites.
"Blessings of the Eight Divines be upon those-"
"For the love of Talos, shut up and get on with it." Grenjar interrupted the rites.
"As you wish." Grenjar knelt in front of the block and rested his head on it. Saya couldn't help but revel in the justice being wrought upon the Stormcloaks this day as the axe was brought down. The executioner kicked the body aside as Grenjar's head rolled. A loud, rumbling bellow echoed in the distance, startling everyone, prisoner and Imperial alike.
"What was that?" An Imperial standing near the Captain asked.
"It doesn't matter, continue with this, we don't have all day." The bellow sounded again, seemingly closer. The Captain pointed to Saya. "You, up to the block."
The Imperial near the Captain spoke. "She's not on the list, Ma'am."
"She was captured along with the rebels, she goes to the block." Saya stepped forward and knelt in front of the block and braced for the swing of the headsman's axe to send her to Sovngarde. Another bellow sounded, this time right over head. Saya watched as the winged creature landed on the village's central tower. The headsman lost his balance with the landing. The creature spoke and its voice carried flames in its wake. Saya felt a similar energy akin to that which she felt upon Ulfric's announcement to Falkreath. Several shouts of panic and orders to run or attack the beast sounded as it let out another stream of fire.
"Over here, Prisoner!" The Captain's assistant urged. Saya stood and raced over, still bound. The creature took flight and breathed fire down on anyone unlucky enough to be in its way. Several archers were trying to bring it down, but the arrows simply bounced off of the creature's hide. The Imperial led Saya down the street toward the keep. The creature landed briefly and roasted some unfortunate archers. The Imperial, still several paces ahead of Saya pulled a boy out from under falling and flaming debris and pushed him toward an archer. "Get him to safety!"
"Aye, Sir!" The archer lifted the boy off his feet and made a run for the outside of the village. Saya caught up to the Imperial leading her. He stopped at the keep's entrance.
"Once we're inside, I'll cut you loose."
"Alright, um…" Saya realized she hadn't heard his name.
"Hadvar. I'm with the Legion, stamping out the Stormcloak rebellion. More on that later, for now, we need to get inside where that thing can't easily get to us." Saya nodded and followed Hadvar inside. Once inside, Hadvar cut the rope that held Saya's wrists. "There you go. There's bound to be some equipment you can use in here somewhere, try the chest." He motioned to the chest near the shelving on their left. Saya acted as instructed and swapped out her rags for the armor in the chest. A weapon rack was near it and she grabbed the sword off of it and gave it a few swings. It had a few chips, suggesting it had seen prior use, but that didn't matter. Aside from being a little off balance, having been trained to fight with two weapons by Alendi, the sword was a good fit. She turned to Hadvar.
"Ready." Hadvar nodded and continued down the stairs, seeing as going up would lead into the creature's path. From the sounds of its fire breath, it was still out there. Saya followed him into a torture chamber of sorts with two Stormcloaks attacking the torturers. Saya and Hadvar drew their swords and leapt into the fray. Saya cut down one of the Stormcloaks swiftly in a single blow arcing across their back. The other used his shield to block Hadvar's swing and attacked the torturer with his axe. The torturer fell, bleeding. Hadvar then plunged his blade into the man's shield arm, allowing Saya to finish him.
"I wish we didn't need these. Let's see if there's anything of use, that cell looks like it might hold something of use. Try picking the lock with these." He gave Saya a few lockpicks. She went and attempted to pry the lock open. It clicked open relatively easier than she had expected. In the cell was a corpse of a mage and a book, seeing no use in these, she turned to the shelving near the door Hadvar was waiting by. Several potions were scattered about. She took them all then turned to Hadvar.
"This passage leads into a natural tunnel system that will lead us away and to a safer location near the road." He opened the door and arrow bounced off of his armor. He drew a bow and returned fire. "See that oil? Burn it with something." Another arrow flew passed them. "Anything!" Saya looked for a source of fire, a torch, a lamp, anything. Then she remembered the mage. A small surge of warmth enveloped her left arm and she stepped in front of Hadvar and let loose the fire within, igniting the oil and anyone unlucky enough to have been standing in it. Saya then drew her sword and helped Hadvar cut down the remaining enemies. After following him down some more passages, he stopped and crouched, urging her to do the same. "There's a bear over there, I think we might be able to sneak by. Just in case we can't, take this." He handed her a longbow he pried from the one of the archers they fought earlier.
"Let's sneak by, I don't think I can hit the bear enough times to weaken it enough so we can take it out before it mauls us." She tip-toed through the small cavern and over to another passage, being sure not to get the bear's attention. She then followed this passage out into the open air of Skyrim.
Hadvar took a deep breath. "Thank you, friend. I don't think either of us would have made it out alive if not for the other. There's a village, Riverwood, near here where I have relatives, you can come by anytime you need a place to rest."
"Thank you, Hadvar." He set off down the road and Saya, again, followed. A short while later, a pair of wolves leapt out of the brush and attacked. Hadvar, caught unaware, took a bite to the ankle and was knocked down. "Hadvar!" Saya raced over and slew the wolves. "Here, drink this." She gave him one of the potions she found in the keep. He drank it and relaxed. She helped him up off the ground.
"Thanks again, we're almost there." He looked around. "You see that arch just over the hill right there? That's Bleak Falls Barrow. I don't recommend going in there unprepared."
"Thanks for the heads up. I'll be sure to bring some potions if I do go in there. You said we were almost to Riverwood? How far exactly?"
"Not far. We'll be there by midafternoon." The rest of the road was bare and the remainder of the trek uneventful.