Fire. There was fire everywhere. Everywhere you would turn, something was burning. Houses, shops, taverns, even people... She could never get the memory out of her head. The screams, the foul scent of scorching flesh, the helpless cries for help... So many people had died that day.

On that fateful day, Joanna was tending to little Njall while their parent had gone to attend the executions. Then, there came a loud booming sound that shook the whole village. Joanna ordered Njall to get away from the windows but he ignored her instructions. That is when a torrent of flames came crashing down through the windows, hurling poor Njall to the other side of the room. Joanna had just enough time to take cover behind the kitchen table before the blast hit her. Once the fire had dissipated, she called out to her younger brother but received no answer. Smoke filled the air now and Joanna's breathing was becoming difficult. Covering her mouth with one hand, she scurried around the house trying to find her brother. She gasped in horror when she found Njall's body completely burned to a crisp in the family room. Although she desperately wanted to stay beside her brother's body, the house had been compromised by the fires and the roof was caving in on her.

Quickly, she made her way to the door, hot, regretful tears streaming down her cheeks. She could not weep lest she would breathe in the thick smoke from the fire that now ravaged her home. The front door was now obstructed by debris but Joanna managed to break it down just before the walls collapsed behind her. She breathed in deeply only to have her nostrils violently assaulted by the stench of burning corpses. She could feel her stomach churn, but she resisted the urge to regorge. Her brother had perished and she needed to find her parents urgently. It was then at that moment that she heard it: a thundering roar that seemed to rain down from the sky itself. Her terrified eyes gazed up upon a creature she had not expected to see in a million years: a titanic onyx colored dragon. It was a terrifying beast with wings that stretched across the sky like two sinister black sails in the wind. Its scales where black as midnight and its eyes burned as red as the flames that emerged from its dreadful jaws. Joanna stared at the beast in horror as her heart filled with dread. How could such a legendary beast exist and how could it wreak such havoc on a single village? She could not keep her bewildered eyes off of the fearsome creature, who now stared back at her with eyes red with fury.

The young Nord could feel the air enter the beast's lungs as it prepared for another fiery attack. She knew she had to move, but her legs would not obey. She braced herself for the end, regretting not saying farewell to her family before she joined her ancestors in Sovngarde. Then, as the air became more and more sulphurous, someone jerked her arm and pulled her away from the flames. Joanna gazed up at her savior in confusion, wondering who had saved her from the fiery breath of the dragon.

"What in Oblivion do you think you're doing?!" Her father spoke to her. "Where's Njall?"

She could not find the words nor the strength to tell him. She looked back at the house with tears welling up in her emerald eyes. Her father followed her gaze and saw the destruction that had eradicated their home. Joanna tried to hold back her tears as she remembered the inferno that had taken her little brother's life. Her father pulled her towards him in a warm but brief embrace.

"It's not your fault Jo... Come, we need to find your mother," he said to his daughter.

She quickly dried her tears and followed her father through the obliterated streets of Helgen until they reached the keep where Joanna's mother was waiting. Once they had reached the keep's main entrance, Joanna opened the door and gestured her parents to go inside.

"Mother! Father! Get inside!" she ordered them.

But they stood still, gazing into each other's eyes. After a brief moment, they turned towards their daughter with mournful expressions.

"No, you must go on alone," her mother spoke.

"What!? This is ridiculous! Get inside now!" Joanna rejected.

"Your mother's right, Jo. We'll stay behind and barricade the door so you may have a chance to survive," her father explained.

"NO! NO I REFUSE! I'm not leaving without you! I've already lost Njall! I can't lose you too!"

She sobbed and cried as her parents took her in their arms one final time, hot tears streaming down their faces as well.

"That wasn't your fault sweetheart..." her mother said to her softly. "But you must be strong now. Go... and just remember that we both love you so much and that will never change no matter what."

They held each other until they had no more time to spare. The dragon had finally gotten down from the keep's tower and was now skulking around on the ground. Joanna's parents slowly let go of her and smiled at their beautiful daughter.

"Make us proud, girl," her father said before shoving Joanna into the keep, barring the door behind her and leaving the rest of Helgen to suffer the dragon's wrath.

Joanna awoke in cold sweat, her breath heavy and hoarse. The sheets from her bed were damp as well as her night clothes. Always the same nightmare... she thought, even though it was more of a bad memory than a nightmare. She sighed deeply, rubbing her tired eyes with her knuckles. Above, she could hear quiet footsteps coming towards the stairs leading to Alvor's cellar, where she had been sleeping for the past months. After a brief moment, Dorthe appeared at the top of the staircase and was coming down the stairs with a candle and a plate full of cheese. She was also desperately trying to hold a bottle of spiced wine under her arm as she made her way towards Joanna's bed.

"I could hear you groaning from upstairs," she said to her, setting the plate and bottle on Joanna's nightstand.

"Sorry," Joanna apologised sleepily. "I didn't mean to wake you..."

"Yeah, I know. Want some?"

Dorthe handed her the plate of cheese.

"Thank you..."

Joanna ate a piece of Eidar cheese. It was her favorite kind of cheese. Then, she looked at the bottle of spiced wine.

"You know you're not supposed to drink this stuff, right?" Joanna said to Dorthe.

"My parents are sleeping and besides, it's mainly for you, because I know you like it so much," the young girl answered.

"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?"

"Um you got drunk on the stuff last week, remember? My cousin had to drag you into the house!"

"Point taken..."

Joanna uncorked the bottle and started drinking directly from it, savouring the spiced concoction. She sighed in relief as the fruity yet spicy liquid slid down her throat. She handed the bottle back to Dorthe, who took a small sip before her face twisted into an expression of disgust.

Joanna started to laugh. "If you're going to waste it, give it to me."

"I have to get used to the taste at some point if I want to enjoy alcohol later on," Dorthe explained to her.

The two girls ate and drank for a moment without speaking a word to each other. In between two bites of cheese, Joanna looked down at Dorthe who was still trying to drink the spiced wine without making a face each time she swallowed a sip.

"How's your cousin?" she asked.

"Don't know, we haven't heard from him in a while," the young girl answered.

"Oh, I see..."

During the fight at Helgen, Joanna had met Hadvar, a young Imperial soldier who helped her escape from Helgen and invited her back to his uncle's home in Riverwood. She then spent the last months living in Alvor's basement and earning her keep as his assistant at the forge. During her stay at Alvor's house, Joanna had gotten close to his daughter, Dorthe, and they regularly shared a midnight snack when Joanna had trouble sleeping.

Joanna had also gotten quite close to Dorthe's cousin, Hadvar. After taking care of Joanna's wounds, they returned to Helgen in search of her father's greatsword. The sword was her father's greatest possession and had been given to him by Eorlund Gray-Mane himself. Unfortunately, the blade had been broken during Helgen's last moments and there was nothing Hadvar's uncle could do to fix it. Still, Joanna kept the broken greatsword on her person at all times when she was out and about. Some would point and laugh at her foolishness, but she carried the broken sword as a reminder of what had happened in Helgen.

Although they became close friends, Hadvar had to return to Solitude to deal with the rebellion and the dragon threat that was becoming increasingly more dangerous. Joanna was sad to see her friend leave and Hadvar felt the same. Some would say that he considered Joanna to be more than a friend and that his feelings for her extended beyond friendship. The young woman was, unfortunately for him, completely oblivious to his true feelings towards her.

Even though he had departed from Riverwood, Alvor had agreed that Joanna could stay until she could make a living for herself and after a few months, that day had finally come. Dorthe knew it and even though she tried to conceal her sadness, Joanna could always see how she truly felt inside.

"You're going to leave us, aren't you?" Dorthe finally said after a long moment of silence.

Joanna stared at Dorthe with a half-smile.

"Your mother and father wouldn't want me living with you indefinitely, especially your mother," Joanna laughed.

"No, but that doesn't mean you have to leave Riverwood," she said to her, her face concealed by long locks of brown hair.

Joanna could hear her voice trembling as she fought to keep her tears at bay. She placed the spiced wine on the table next to her bed and invited Dorthe to sit in front of her with her legs crossed. They then exchanged a long sisterly embrace as Dorthe's tears came flowing down her cheeks.

"I'm not going to be gone forever. I will return, don't you worry about it."

Dorthe nodded as she sunk her head further into Joanna fiery locks. The two girls shared Joanna's bed throughout the rest of the night and when Sigrid came to get some things from the cellar, she found them lying side-by-side in a heart-warming embrace. Dorthe's mother looked at the pair with a smile as Joanna started to slowly wake up.

"Sleep well?" Sigrid asked her.

"Better than most nights," Joanna answered as she shifted in her bed slowly.

Dorthe was also waking up after hearing her mother speaking to Joanna.

"Is it morning already?" she complained.

"Yes, and it's Joanna's last day with us," Sigrid said.

Although she had not been the keenest on having Joanna living at their house, Sigrid seemed sad to see her leave after having her for a few months. She was mostly sad for her daughter, Dorthe, who was going to lose a valuable friend after she had gone.

After having breakfast with Sigrid, Alvor and Dorthe for the last time, Joanna went downstairs to fetch her things. Once she had emptied her bed, her drawer and her night stand, she stared at her now empty spot in the basement. Although she had trouble sleeping in the damp and cold cellar, she would miss her midnight talks with Dorthe when she would be gone. She would also miss the sound of Alvor's hammering in the morning but mostly, she would miss Alvor and his family. They had been so kind with her these past months and she would be eternally grateful to them for letting her stay so long and for taking care of her.

As she was turning to go up the stairs to the main floor, Alvor was coming down the stairs with what seemed to be a set of armor and son equipment. He gestured Joanna to sit down on the bed where he sat down beside her.

"You remember when I showed you how to forge armor? Well, this is the armor you and I created together. I want you to have it..." he explained to the young woman.

"Oh Alvor I... I couldn't... I mean..." She had lost her words.

"Take it, girl. You were the one who made it after all."

He handed her the armor they had crafted together. It was made of steel and was lined with fox fur to match Joanna's red hair. She placed the pieces of armor on her knees and contemplated each piece for a few seconds. Then, Alvor got up and gestured her to do the same.

"Here, let's see if we got the measurements right."

Joanna placed the pieces on the bed and Alvor picked up the main pieces of steel armor. He then started to place them on Joanna's body, adjusting it accordingly as he went along. Once she was wearing every piece of the armor, Alvor took a step back to contemplate his work.

"Fits you like a glove," he stated with a satisfied grin.

Joanna turned around to see herself in different angles and when she had had enough, she turned towards Alvor with a smile.

"And the color of the fur goes really well with your hair," the blacksmith continued.

"It took so much fur though. I can't even remember how many foxes I had to hunt down to complete every piece," Joanna laughed.

"It's a good thing you're a talented hunter. I dare say you're even better than that Faendal character, but don't tell him I said that..."

They laughed in unison, then an awkward silence settle between them. Alvor finally broke the long silence when he cleared his throat before speaking.

"I'm sorry I couldn't repair your father's sword, Joanna. If you really want it fixed, you should seek out Eorlund Gray-Mane in Whiterun. By the nine, if there's someone who can fix your father's sword it's probably him."

"I'll see what I can do Alvor, but thank you. And don't worry, you've done quite enough for me and I'm very grateful for all you've shown me and for taking me in for all this time," Joanna said to him.

Alvor took the young woman in his arm and held her close against his heart. A few tears came trickling down Joanna's cheeks as she hugged her friend and mentor warmly. When they finally separated, she wiped away the rogue tears and let out an awkward laugh.

"Now now girl, don't you start crying on me. You know how soft I get when I see a young girl cry."

He wiped away one last tear from her gentle face and smiled at her, his eyes filling up with water as he fought against his urge to cry. He turned away when it came to unbearable and started laughing.

"Besides, it's not like you're going away very far. Whiterun is just a horseback ride from Riverwood. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon," he said.

Joanna's smile grew larger. "Yeah, you're right. It's not like I'm going to Markarth or Solitude. I'll come visit you once I'm settled."

She patted Alvor on the back and they both went up the stairs together. Sigrid and Dorthe were waiting for them in the living room.

"You look great, Joanna! I'm sure your parents would be very proud of you," Sigrid said with a smile.

Joanna bobbed her head gratefully and stopped in front of Dorthe to kneel in front of her. This way, they were the same height. Dorthe's eyes were red with sadness and she was desperately trying to steady her breath.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Jo," she cried.

"I'm going to miss you too, Dorthe, but you needn't be sad. I'll return soon once I'm all settled in Whiterun. Who knows, maybe they'll let me join the Companions!" Joanna said to her.

"I really hope they do. They would be crazy not to. You're like, the best hunter I've ever seen!"

The young Nord laughed. "I hope they can see it too."

The two girls embraced, holding each other tightly. Dorthe started crying again and Joanna was desperately trying to hold back her tears. They stayed in each other's arms for a long while before reluctantly separating from one another. Joanna stood up and went for the door, her backpack and broken sword strapped to her back. Before exiting the house, she turned back to gaze upon Alvor's family one last time and waved at them before leaving the place she had once called home.

As she was leaving Riverwood, a few of the townsmen (and townswomen) said their farewells to her, thanking her for the services and deeds she had done for them. They all hoped she would come back soon and they were all going to miss her, as she would miss them in return. Once she had cross Riverwood's frontier, she set out into the wilds and made her way towards the city of Whiterun.