ELDER SCROLLS V: ORIGINS SERIES

Volume I: THE FIRST STRIKE

*This Volume takes place 30 years before the events in Skyrim

Chapter I: SHADOWS IN THE DARK

16:45, Sundas, 27, Morning Star, 4E 170; Just south of Dragonstar, Hammerfall

She slapped cold water on her face, letting the stream's soothing properties keep her awake. She felt refreshed as the water soaked through her red-headed scalp. Her helmet, a top-of-the-line Redguard Steelskin Protector, lay on the bank beside her. She soothed her mind by listening to the stream's calm musics, such as that as peace would feel.

But in her mind, she knew she was not a peace. Indeed, none of Hammerfall was at peace. Redguard patrols increased to their absolute limit, even with the marial law in effect, and still they kept coming.

The Shadows.

The Shadows in the dark.

That is what the people of Hammerfall called them, for they were nothing more than shadows.

Shadows in the dark.

Dusk had nearly fallen, and the Sun was blocked mostly by the trees and their canopies. She looked overhead, and saw the purplish-orange sky above her. Through the clouds, she could just make out the constellations of Akatosh and Dibella. She was no devout believer in the stars, but she wished she were so, because this combination of those constellations meant that 'love' was on its way. How she wished she would find love.

Alas, the only person she knew to be seeing was her patrol partner, Alain. And he was not a romantic nor attractive, plus Alain was married, at least until Alain's wife was killed by Shadows over 2 months ago. She did not want to cause him pain by going so quickly into a relationship, even one looked down upon in the Redguard United Militias.

Speaking of- "Alain!" she called out to him, standing up, picking up her helmet in the process. She held it in her hand as she walked away from the stream and towards the encampment they had set up as a checkpoint for their patrol.

No response. She noticed something odd whilst approaching the camp. The fire. It had been extinguished. Only smoke and ash remained. A voice in her head whispered Something is very wrong here. She tucked her long, red hair into her helmet as she put it on, not wanting to take any chances. She drew her sword and left her sheild slightly below her nose, to protect the vulnerable part of her armor, the space between her helmet and the rest of her armor.

She couldn't get a good posture going, as the ground was riddled in roots, small rises and dips in the soil where there could've been a scuffle. She saw a couple arrows in a tree she passed, and studied them for three seconds. Realization set in, these Arrows are Elven! she spoke almost outloud. She assumed then that maybe they were just a remainder of a hunting trip that the shooter of the arrows didn't pick up after. There were minor penalties for leaving arrows about during a hunting trip.

Then another thought hit her, these Elven arrows are still fresh. And why would Elves use perfectly good arrows for hunting instead of the common iron ones? The thought circled in her head as she neared the dead fire. Maybe Alain is playing a joke on me. If he is, he's going to wish he'd never met me. She smiled at the thought of seeing Alain cringe at swordpoint, if only to have revenge for scaring her like this.

She got to the camp, and saw that the fire was extinguished recently almost as recently as those arrows I saw. She felt a bad sensation in the pit of her stomach, and knew it was her spirit's way of telling her danger was near. She took up a defensive posture. This was the perfect place for an ambush.

She held up her shield, continually going in fast circles, not knowing where the first shot would come. Night had fallen, and everything was silent. She heard no birds, no bugs, and no people. No Alain. Just her breathing. Shadows danced on the ground, the surrounding trees reacting to whatever light remained in the atmosphere to cause such light, thank the divines!

She was not a very religious Redguard, but tonight she felt it was time to start. She prayed to The Nine, especially to Akatosh, hoping that she could be saved from whatever was to come.

She did not feel her prayers were heard. Whether that meant she didn't pray hard enough or if there weren't any gods, she didn't care. All she knew was that she was in danger and had to face this danger.

"Alain!" she risked calling out again, somewhat knowing the answer.

She got it. Silence. Utter silence. Even the wind had gone. Everything had gone dead. She heard her own heartbeats in her head, any skin exposed to the air was freezing to the wintry air. She saw her breath escape her own body as she exhaled, increasing the feeling of being alive, yet so near to possible death.

Then, she took an arrow to the knee.

She collapsed in shock and pain, she had neglected to cover that area of her body. There was a slight weak spot in the knee caps of Redguard armor, and this attacker knew where it was. She looked at it. The arrow was elven, and she realized that Alain was probably dead. She realized she was defenseless, possibly surrounded by those traitorous elves.

She looked into the forest ahead of her, and saw an elve, aiming an arrow at her head. She also saw Alain on the elve's side, an arrow in the head, dried blood mottled on the face. The Redguard woman silently apologized to Alain, then yelled at the elve in front of her, "Do your worst!"

All around her, arrows entered the weak spots of her armor, and she died within seconds. As she died, realization took her that the Shadows that all of Hammerfall was fearful of, were these elves. The Aldmer are invading Hammerfall!

She took her death with courage and regret. She knew this was only the beginning.

This is the beginnig of an already planned-out series of stories that I beleive could be the basis of a sort of Prologue to the Skyrim game. This is my first story uploaded to , please R&R. Thank you! (to the Arrow in the Knee line: that is reference to the joke going around about that same line in Skyrim)

For more info visit: .net/myforums/Zreen/3530349/