The Tale of The Dragonborn is known by all. A great hero who saves his world.
But what about the character who saves him?
This tale isn't about the Dragonborn; this tale is about the woman who saved the savior.
Present Day, United States, Los Angeles
She was unconscious. Her ankle was chained to a wall while her hands were handcuffed to one another. Her captors stared at the immobile girl. "What does he want with her?" one of the men questioned, glancing at his fellow predators with their black ski masks concealing their identity. Counting him, there was four in the group. He was the one with average build; the one who actually lured the girl to the van. The guy to his right was short and stocky; he was the driver. The guy next to the driver was tall and lean; basically, the one who had to chase the girl down before she could escape. Finally, the man behind him was a massive mountain. He was the one who kept her sedated and under control. He was also, technically, the leader of the group.
But it wasn't the leader who answered his question; it was the runner who had the sick smile on his face. "The man has been working on this time travelling gambit. Send pests away. A way to eliminate his enemies," he answered, glancing down at his watch.
The average man gulped and studied the broken girl. She was tall and lean but, when he talked to her, she didn't seem like a threat. Why was the man concerned with a girl who had nothing? "How is she an enemy?" the lure asked.
The lean man snorted. "Big man killed her family. This girl has been trying to nab his ass to the wall," he answered before the big guy cleared his throat. The lean man's cruel smile morphed into a sheepish one. "Sorry, Monster," he murmured before glancing at the average guy. "You'll find out more rookie as we do this more often."
A cell phone rang, ending any chance of conversation. Monster answered it and spoke in hushed tones. As quickly as the phone rang, the conversation was done. He tucked the phone back into his pocket. "Alright, Slim. Grab the girl. Boss wants us downstairs," he informed as he tossed the keys to the lean leerer. The man caught them with a smirk. As he freed the girl from the wall and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the rookie noticed the skin around her eyes twitch as if she were starting to come around. The trip out of the musky room and down the metal steps was quiet. The girl didn't twitch and the men were all feeling something different about the situation. Disgust. Fear. Excitement. Ready.
Monster opened the wet door that led to the chamber where the boss was waiting. A metal portal sat in the center. The boss was typing something into a computer and a hum started. Slim tossed the girl to the floor in front of the portal. Glancing over his glasses, the boss looked up at his employee with a blank face. "Why isn't she awake?" his cold voice demanded.
Slim gestured towards Monster. "The dosage he gave her should be wearing off soon," he informed. As the portal warmed up, they all watched the girl as her body began to twitch and grimace. Her eyelids slowly opened, blonde eyelashes revealing confused blue eyes. She tried to push herself up to a sitting position but the boss grabbed her chin so she was forced to stare into his hard face.
"Hello Willow Williams. I fear this isn't how I wanted this to end but I'm afraid you've left me no choice," he informed as comprehension began to fill her eyes. She jerked her face away from him and fell back. Coughing, she looked up in order to find the rookie. Her gaze pierced him with accusation. "Don't look at him for help. He's one of my henchmen," the boss stated coolly as he, once again, snagged her attention. "I killed your parents due to the debt they owed me. Your brother got in the way. Now, I don't need more blood on my hands so I'm just going to send you away so someone else can have your blood on your hands. Understood?" he briefly explained as he looked back to the computer to press a button. The portal burst to life with colors flashing and swirling.
She tried to get up to escape but Slim caught her and shoved her closer to the flashing colors. He forced her to her feet. Unfortunately, because of where she was stationed, she was unable to see the commotion going on behind her. There was a gun shot, a cry of pain, a curse, and shuffling. Slim looked over his shoulder but didn't hesitate to shove her towards the colors. Unable to fight the momentum, she went forward and cried out for help. More bullets sounded but she was already falling. Twisting around, she saw Monster look through the portal with regret as police flooded the building. He couldn't save her. The portals lights flickered as the machine broke down.
She was gone.
4E 201, Skyrim, Falkreath Hold
She couldn't focus on anything. Everything was flashing around her. Was this all just a dream? Why was this happening to her? The lights were starting to get brighter, so bright that she actually had to shut her eyes. Suddenly, she heard, felt, smelt, saw, even tasted, nothing. Then everything flooded through her body. The sound of leaves rustling and birds singing. The feelings of soft grass beneath her and pain vibrating throughout her body. There was the smell of crisp, fresh air free of pollution or musk of an empty room. She dared to open her eyes and saw towering trees and sun peeking through the leaves. And taste? She tasted blood. Pushing herself up, she grew dizzy and retched. Blood and bile fell away from her mouth, leaving her empty and aching. Wiping her mouth on her long sleeve, she looked around, trying to understand the world she was in.
No familiarity came to her. Where the hell was she?
Willow rolled to her hands and knees and crawled to the nearest tree. Pulling herself up, her legs trembled. Where on Earth was she? Stumbling forward, she felt determination – along with additional vomit – welled up inside of her. She fought the vertigo and stumbled along, searching for something that would save her.
As the handcuffed female stumbled, she caught sight of a small cabin. Moving towards it, she sent a brief prayer to God. Please let this be someone who can help me.
When she came to the front of the cabin, an old woman was sitting in a chair, black robes sagging on her body. What weird attire. The woman looked up at her with curious eyes. "It's so nice to have a visitor. You don't need to worry about little old me, though," she spoke, an accent thick in her throat. Willow simply stared and shook her head. Where was she? Scotland?
"Um… I actually need help. Where am I?" she asked hesitantly, as if she were dreading to hear the answer.
The old woman smiled. "You're in the Falkreath Hold, dear. Just Northwest of Helgen and Southwest of Riverwood. What hold are you from, dearie?"
Willow simply stared. Falkreath? Helgen? Riverwood? Hold? What the hell? "Um… North America?" she questioned.
The woman's gaze turned to confusion. "I'm quite sure I know where that is. I don't look at a map much," she admitted before looking down at Willow's hands. "Why, what contraption is that?" she demanded, her wrinkled hand stretching to the metal links. The woman then jumped away. "Are you a criminal? A werewolf?" she demanded, her eyes, once curious and open, now venomous and threatening.
Willow put her hands up. "No, no. I was a prisoner. These men just snatched me off the road, in my city, and wanted to keep me bound. Please, I need help."
Balls of light formed in her hands. "I won't help a bound person! I bet you were a sneaky thief! You get away now! I'm warning you!" the old woman screamed. Willow backed away from her, but not quick enough. The woman took a stance and was prepared to attack until an arrow sung through the air. The woman fell back into her chair, the balls of light diminishing. Willow gasped as she looked over her shoulder to see who attacked the woman.
A man with sharp features, pale skin, and pale hair made his way towards Willow, his light eyes trained on the fallen witch. As he got closer, Willow noted that his bow was drawn and he had pointed ears. "Wh-who are you?" she demanded.
He glanced at her and studied her disarrayed appearance. "Faendal of Riverwood. Who are you, stranger?" he asked.
Willow gulped and watched his bow. "Willow. Please don't kill me," she pleaded as she struggled to stand.
Without sparing her a glance, he looted the old woman and peeked inside the cabin. "Nasty witch. No gold. Just ingredients," he snorted in disgust before focusing on the tall woman who was trying to inch away. "I'm not going to kill you, girl. What are you anyway? You aren't a sister elf. Clearly not Argonian, Khajiit, or Orc. You don't look Redguard. Your skin is too fair. You must be Breton, Imperial, or Nord," he concluded.
The young woman looked at the… elf. Argonian? Redguard? Nord? Was she in Wonderland, or something? She'd go along with it, though. Nords were Vikings, weren't they? "Nord," she answered.
The man nodded his head as if he knew all along. "I thought so, with that fair hair. You're being rather nice to me, though… I suppose since you're bound you'd be nice to anyone," he concluded as he put his arrow back in the quiver. "Odd bindings. Is that a keyhole, though?" he asked curiously as he turned her wrists up so he could study the cuffs.
"Yes," she answered, a sense of hope filling her.
He grunted as he studied the small holes. "I believe I can pick it," he informed as he pulled out a thin knife and pick. It seemed like forever until the first cuff unsnapped. It seemed like even longer for the second cuff to unsnap. The elf had a proud smile on his face, though. "I still have my skill. I use to be a thief, you know?" he absentmindedly said as he hand the cuffs to her. "Now… what hold are you from?" he asked curiously.
Willow grew uneasy. "I'm actually not from around here… is it possible you could lead me to the closest town?" she asked, hope in her voice.
Faendal looked around uneasily but then his eyes lit up. "On one condition. You talk to Camilla Valerius and convince her that Sven is not fit for her," he bargained.
The task sounded easy enough. She nodded her head. "Agreed."
The triumphant smile on Faendal's face caused Willow to wonder what she had gotten herself into.
X-
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this story. I'm very excited about this and hope it goes the way I picture it.