Disclaim:I do not own Skyrim or any of its characters. I only own Elliora Silvereye!
A few words for my fanfic: My story will be about a nord girl trained by the best masters in Hammerfell at swordmanship(meaning warrior class). The scales of engagement will be grand. I am talking about battles with hundreds of thousands of soldiers (after all - SKYRIM- the begining of the Empire and the largest country of them all). Towns and cities will be on a grand scale also(with hundreds of thousands villagers living in them.). Also the atmosphere in the story will not be "sunshine and rainbows". And my creation will be on the Stormcloak's side!
PS:This is my first try at typing fiction, so i hope you enjoy it!
Chapter one:Escape from Helgen!
The wagon shook violently! Elliora heard whispering voices all around her and started to wonder what had happened and why were her hands bound in tight ropes.
The wagon shook again and she opened her eyes to take a look around her. She found out that she wasn't alone in her not so cozy "carriage". An Imperial soldier was driving the wagon and behind him next to her were seated other two prisoners .
"Wait! Prisoners? What in the name of Talos is going on here?"-she thought.
She shook her head and took a look at her surroundings. They were going down a mountain road in the middle of what it seemed like a prison convoy. After a better look out she noticed the convoy had just a little too many escorting soldiers along with it, they were nearing around a thousand bodies!
"Huh, they must be escorting some very dangerous prisoners!"-she murmured to herself! A prisoner on her left side saw that she had awakened and turned to her. Only then did she notice that he was in a standard nordish military leather armor, the only curious thing was that every part of it was blue. She looked around again and her eyes narrowed a little. Almost every prisoner in the convoy had the same armor as the guy next to her!
"Wait!"-she thought. "These are prisoners of war!"
-amazement dawned to her.
"Talos damn me, what have i gotten myself in to!". The soldier on her right looked at her and said:
-"Hey you! You were trying to cross the border right ? You walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there"-he pointed with his head at a nord male who had the look of a beggar. The thief in question looked at the soldier with bloodshot eyes:
-"Damn Stormcloaks and your damned rebellion, Empire was nice and lazy untill you came along, if it weren't for them i could have stolen a horse and i would be half the way to Hammerfell by now!"-he looked at Elliora: -"You and me shouldn't be here,
its those damn Stormcloaks the Jarl wants!". The soldier just shook his head:
-"We are all brothers and sisters in bounds now thief!".
Elliora took a look at the sky. It was clouded with hints of future snowing,and then there was the bone chilling wind! There was a long run on he road and Elliora caught a glimpse of the head of the convoy. She saw the uniforms of a few Imperial Officers and a gray-haired man in a general's uniform. The thief was looking at a man on the right of Elliora and he had a puzzled look on his face. She didn't ask him what was so curious because she was little interested in the man herself. He was middle aged,
around his middle fourties, he was broad and sturdy as most of the nord male population but unlike the other prisoners he wasn't wearing any armor, he was wearing an expensive and warm looking coat, in other words he looked like a man whose place wasn't here.
"Maybe he is in the same position as me"-she thought.
Elliora was a nord at birth, but her parents were mercenaries and they had left Skyrim an year after she was born to make their way to hammerfell to sell their talents in swordsmanship. She was around 190cm tall with long dark blonde hair, her figure was mostly considered as attractive by most standarts and she didn't lack attention wherever she went. The most interesting and unusual part of her were her eyes. She had silver eyes, a thing everyone from childhood thought as strange and unusual because no one had ever seen such eyes and both her parents had blue eyes! She had trained in the martial arts of the swords all her life at the very best sword masters in hammerfell and she was proud of herself that she had beaten them all at one or another time of her training. For some strange reason her memory of the events that had her captured were fuzzy, like in a fog. After a while the thief looked at the richly clothed man whose mouth was bandaged and asked out loud:
-"What's his problem? Why have they wrapped him like an animal?" The soldier snarled threateningly:
-"Watch your tongue thief, that is Ulfric Stormcloak you are speaking to!The true High King of Skyrim!"-he said with burning flames in his eyes.
-"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? The leader of the rebellion?"-the thief almost choked.
"A rebelion? That's interesting!"-Elliora thought. -"Wait...if they've captured you ... oh gods ... where are they taking us ?"-panic started to rise in the wretched man. The soldier bowed his head and sayed calmly:
-"I don't know where they are taking us, but Sovngarde await us!"
-"No...no,this isn't happening!"-said desperately the thief.
The caravan continued on the bumpy road for what Elliora estimated to be around 10 more hours furthering away from the high peaks. When she came to herself it was early morning, now the sun was far past its middle threatening to set down after a few more hours. In the near distance she spotted white town walls.
"It seems we are nearing our destination"-Elliora thought-"I wonder what Talos has prepared for my return to the homeland".
She decided not to give it much thought, as an old saying told -"What was destined to happen will happen no matter what you try to do". The soldier looked at the thief again and asked him:
-"What village are you from thief ?"the thief turned his head towards him:
-"What do you care?"-he said angrily. The soldier just shook his shoulders and spoke:
-"A nord's last thoughts must be about home." The thief answered weakly:
-"Roorickstead, I..I'm from Roorickstead."
They were passing through the gates now and Elliora saw the man in the general's uniform talking with - from all things - a group of Thalmer. Elliora narrowed her eyes. She hated the damned elves even more than the twice-damned Emperor who had surrendered to the Dominion and accepted the expulsion of Talos from the empire.
All of a sudden the Thief started to pray to all the known gods for help. She smirked "Gods don't help people, they want people to help themselves"-she thought but didn't say it out loud. The Stormcloak opened his mouth:
-"General Tullius, the Military governor of Skyrim, and looks like the Thalmore are with him, damn elves.. i bet they had something to do with this!"-he said with poisonous venom. He sighed:-"This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl here."-he said after scanning with his eyes the town.
The carts continued their way for the center of the town. After a good five minutes they were finally at their destination. The soldiers started to unload the prisoners on to the street and made them form lines. Elliora got up and jumped, landing with a soft thump on the ground. The Stormcloak looked at her quizzingly and she jerked her shoulders:
-"If its dying time, at least i can have some fun pretending i'ma two year old!"-she joked smiling. The soldier returned her smile and shook his head. An imperial soldier positioned himself at the front of their line and pulled out a big scroll.
-"Empire loves their damned lists"-the stormcloak spoke.
The imperial started calling out names and the line started to shorten of a sudden the thief made a run for it shouting:
-"I'm not an rebel, you wont catch me!"
-"Archers!"-one of the officers shouted and after few seconds the runner was laying on the ground with 5 arrows in his back. -"Anyone else feels like running?"-the officer asked.
The man with the list continued:
-"Ulfric Sotrmcloak Jarl of Windhelm."- he called and the richly dressed man stepped forward.
-"It's been an honour, my King!"- spoke the sotrmloack.
-"Ralof of Riverwood!" came the next name and the soldier passed by Elliora slowly. The people of the town were gathering around the small army and the prisoners. -"Impirial Bastards!" came a shout from somewhere. After a while she was the only one left in her line. The imperial soldier startled when he saw the woman in front of him - if he coud call her that becouse she looked too young- she looked to be around 22-24 - wore expensivly looking leather boots with steel threads, tight leather pants with lots of strange straps on them "Maybe they are for daggers and other weapons"-he tought, also she had a blackshirt and what it seemed to be a winter coat big enough to hide every weapon expet two-handed swords and axes, if she closed the cloak around her.
On her hands he observed that she was wearing black leather, finger-cut gloves from some strange material that looked like it was her second skin. Elliora looked at him waiting patiently - not that she was going anywhere with a thousand soldiers around her. The imperial was checking his list again and his eyes narrowed:
-"Who... are you!"
-"Elliora "Silvereye""-Elliora answered proudly. The soldier gave her a nod:
-"You chose a bad time to come to the homeland kinsman! Captain what shoud we do, she isn't on the list?"he turned to the imperial woman at his right side. She gave Elliora a sigle glimpse and turned to the soldier:
-"Forget the list, she goes to the block!"
"Talos if I survive this day i swear i will paint my clothes in this womans blood!"-Elliora sweared to herself, her blood boiling with rage."So this is what imperial justice has come to? Hey look, it's a stranger in a strange land, she is not on the god damn list but what the hell, lets kill her too!"-Elliora looked again around trying to find a weakness in the circle of soldiers. She glared at the captain. She was just looking at her again and made a step back unconsciously after seeing the silver flames in the prisoner's eyes. Then she hurried forward where the executions were about to start. Someone pushed her and Elliora made her way slowly after the officer lady. The beheading blocks were positioned infrond of a tall guard tower. A priestess began chanting some prayer but was interupted by the unlucky stormcloack that had won the first beheading:
-"Get on with it, i dont have all evening!"
-"So be it."-the priestess answered.
-"As brave at the end as he was in life!
See you in Sovngarde my brave friend!"-Ralof said aloud. The officer that had played at jury, judge and executioner held the stormcloak down and the axe of the executioner fell with one swift swing, a muffled thud was all that was heard when the prisoners head fell in the basket in front of the block.
-"Next is the prisoner with the black cloak!"-the woman shouted. All of a sudden there was a strange noise far in the mountains. Elliora felt her blood freeze cold and and she tensed trying to hear something more. After she didn't hear anything else she continued on her way to the beheading block. The imperial officer was just about to push her down when she heard the roar again, this time sounding very close.
-"Did you hear that ? What the hell makes such a sound?"-the soldiers started turning their heads towards the mountain and the town walls.
-"It's just the wind, continue with the executions!"-ordered the general. Someone pushed her down and held her steady on the block... and then she saw the most horrifying creature she could imagine. A gigantic flying behemoth made its way trough the sky and landed on the watch tower.
-"What the hell is that ?"-someone shouted. -"I don't believe it, its a dragon!" The gigantic creature looked at her and then at the rest of the soldiers and townsfolk, all of a sudden shouting something on a strange language and then all hell broke loose. The sky darkened and a hole in it appeared sprouting countless fireballs at the townsfolk, soldiers and the entire town as a whole.
-"Everyone, evacuate and defend the people!"-Elliora heard the general shouting.
"Soo, even in front of a creature supposed to be dead from thousand of years the general had kept his cool and didn't let his soldiers run like rabbits." she thought "It seems the Empire still has at least one competent military leader."- she thought grimly. All of a sudden Ralof was in front of her shouting:
-"Come with me, we won't have a better chance to escape!"-he pointed at a near tower down to the east side of the town and started running. Without further delay she fell right next to him in a fast sprint. As they made their way trough the mass panic that was the town, she turned her head at the sky and looked at the dragon again. He was big, not just big-he was huge, she had seen mammoths before and thought that they were amazingly big creatures, that was until this day, the giant lizard-like creature had a long tail over 13 meters(that's a four story building for those that can't picture it), his wings were clouding the entire town square, his front and back legs had huge sharp nails that coud probably cut a human in half like a hot knife passing trough butter, and there was the head big enough to crush a whole human body with ease using lots and lots of big and sword-like teeth. The scariest thig of all were his eyes, eyes that had incredible intelligence behind them and something that looked to her too much as hatred and anger. She had seen them when the creature had looked at her and thought that maybe he would kill her with just his mind. Elliora was a competent warrior, she was an expert in many hand-to-hand combat skills and most of the worldly known sword masteries, including some that were taught only by the most renown Hammarfell masters. She was born with exceptional physical endurance and highly sharpened senses that made her masters often wondered if she was even human. But at the sight of that monster she thought of herself as an ant, an insignificant little bug that probably would sting the great behemoth a few times before it turned her to crisp with his great magic or trample her over.
Finally she and Ralof made it in to the tower and she was surprised to see a few more sotrmcloaks inside along with Ulfric himself. After they closed the door Ralof looked at his king and asked:
-"It's really a dragon, could the legends of old really be true?Are the end times really upon us?"
-"Legends don't burn down villages and slaughter their people."-Ulfric said. Elliora heard another roar outside and shivered. -"We need to move!"someone shouted.
-"Come, lets us go up the tower!"-Ralof hurried them. She made her way up the stairs with him. They reached the second floor, where a few more rebels had gathered, and they made their way towards them when all of a sudden the wall on her right side blew up and the dragon released - what she thought was his breath attack - and burned the stormcloaks. She cursed! Ralof yelled behind her:
-"Jump trough the tower in to the house and try making your way to the barracks, I will try to meet you there!"-and he ran down the stairs. Elliora cursed again and jumped trough the massive hole in the tower towards the burning building.
-"Gods be damned for my luck! From a collapsing tower into a damned inferno. My luck just keeps getting better and better!"-she shouted and ran towards the closed door smashing it with her body and then rolling to the ground on the street. She jumped at her feet fast and dusted herself off.
To her surprise in-front of her popped out the imperial soldier who had called the Jarl and Ralofs names. He looked at her and his yes widened in surprise, then he beckoned her:
-"Come with me if you want to stay alive, we shall make our way through the northern side of the town and pass the gate leading the way to the barracks!" Elliora nodded and started after him. "I wish i had a bow so i could at-least pay my respects to this damned oversized lizzard before I escape!"-she thought. After a good ten minutes running trough screaming people and burning buildings they came across a narrowed alley between the town wall and one big structure.
-"Stay close to the wall!"-the imperial soldier shouted and went on. She went after him and moved leaning with her back against the wall. All of a sudden the ground shook, atop of them appeared the long neck of the dragon alongside with the edges of his giant wings.
-"YOL TOOR SHUUL!"-the strange words shook the ground and a blazing inferno erupted from his jaw. Elliora felt really strange after hearing those words, almost as if she had understood them, which was really odd and wierd, somehow hearing them she felt like she had experienced a deja^vu. The beast then spread his wings and flew in to the sky again. Elliora cursed herself "Maybe i should stop insulting the dragon in my head!"she thought to herself.
They passed the gate leading towards the keep and the barracks. Just as they were about to enter the keep Ralof dashed in-front of them shouting:
-"Hadvar damn traitor!" It seemed they both knew each other. -"Get out of our way!You'll not stop us this time!"
-"Fine, i hope this dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"-Hadvar shouted back and ran towards the western door of the keep. Ralof turned towards me:
-"You!Come on! In to the keep!"-and he ran towards the eastern side of the keep. Elliora followed him without a second thought."With a little more luck maybe we could yet get out of this alive, and i would get a chance to pay in kind to the Empire for these past few days!"-she thought with a sneer. They entered the keep and Ralof closed the door behind them blocking it with a big piece of wood. He took a look at the young nord girl:
-"Come let me unbind your hands. Can you wield a weapon?". Elliora looked at him with a grin and answered:
-"Give me a sword and you'll see!" Ralof raised and eyebrow.
He took a look around and frowned:
-"Only weapons i see here are axes and maces, guess we'll have to ask an imperial if he would be so kind to hand over a sword or two?"-he joked.
-"Very funny!If we encounter one of the shinies i would most certanly do that!"-she spat back at him. Then strode towards him and pulled her hands up so he could cut the rope with his axe. When the ropes were down she rubbed her wrists and made a few stretchings. -"Aaaahh! It's good to be able to feel your fingers!"-she exclaimed.
Ralof made a fast sweep of the room they were in, looking for something that could be useful, and then took a peek at her:
-"We need to make our way towards the dungeons.
There is a tunnel leading trough the mountain and towards Riverwood!"
-"The gate is locked!"-Elliora pointed out after she checked the steel door leading to the dungeons.
-"Is there another..."-she started asking but then she heard voices from the corridor leading down the keep. They both rushed towards the walls on both sides of the door and crouched.
-"Come on!Lets go out and help the general!"-a female voice came from the corridor. "Well, well, well!"-Elliora smiled inwardly recognizing the female voice. "It seems Talos granted me my payback to the judge after all!". She waited in anticipation for the soldiers to enter the room. She heard the door click and the sound of heavy boots entering the room, and then...she moved.
Ralof blinked in total astonishment at the sight that played in-front of him. The stranger moved like lightning , intercepting the female officer with a fast, and as it seemed very strong, straight right in her left temple sending the other woman flying towards the wall with her helmet bended inwards and blood leaking on her cheek. After she was done with the officer she lunged herself towards the closest soldier who unexpectedly had unsheeted his sword fast enough. Sadly it didn't do him any good. The young nord girl grabbed his hand, twisting it to the right and stabbing him with his own weapon in the chest. After the kill was certain she pulled the sword and jumped towards the last two surviving soldiers. It seemed they were too shaken and stunned at the sight that had played in-front of them the first couple of seconds, but then they drew their swords and focused at her.
That was a deadly made his way from the back towards the one closest to him. In the meanwhile the soldiers started exchanging blows with the girl. She parried a few complicated side swings from the older soldier, it seemed he had experience in fighting, then she pulled her head back dodging a swing at her throat from the younger one. She lunged forward and pierced him in the left thigh. He let out a grown and pulled back a little, then all of a sudden his eyes went white and he fell down revealing Ralof who was pulling his axe out of his neck. She nodded and concentrated on the last imperial, who had begun to sweat after seeing that the deadly woman wasn't alone and that his friend in arms was dead on the ground. He decided to try overpowering the female with his mass and charged at her swinging his sword in a vertical hit. But Elliora wasn't an ordinary fighter, she had learned to read the body language of her opponents and she understood his intention. When he charged she braced herself and met his swing head on with her blade. There was a loud sound and sparkles of steel meeting steel followed by a heavy "thud". The soldier hadn't expected the woman would meet his swing head on and was caught off-guard by the sheer strength she had. With a loud cry she pushed hard sending him rolling on the ground. In a flash she was standing over him and pierced his throat.
-"You've got some skill there."-Ralof said -"Ok, lets find the keys and head down towards the tunnels."
-"Right. Thanks for the help by the way!" She searched the officer's body, took the keys and they headed down the stairs for the around ten minutes walking past prison cells and guard quarters Ralof turned his head towards Elliora:
-"We didn't introduce ourselves properly. My name is Ralof of Riverwood, i am one of King Ulfric's high guards. What is your name kinsman?"
-"I go by the name Elliora Silvereye,"-Elliora answered.
-"That's a strange name for a nord. And you dont seem to be from around here judging by your clothes."
-"I am born here in Skyrim, but my parents moved to Hammerfell when i was just a toddler. They were mercenaries and very capable ones at that. They didn't want a regular name that could be met almost in all of Skyrim for their daughter. So i grew up going all around Tamriel, but most of my life went in Hammerfell where i studied the arts of the sword."-she spoke. Her companion nodded and they continued cautiously in the corridor. The keep suddenly shook, and another roar was heard.
-"This beast doesn't give up easily."-Ralof pointed out. They stopped in-front of a door and heard clanging sounds from the other side. They exchanged looks and rushed inside with their weapons drawn. Inside they found four stormcloaks engaged in battle with 7 imperial soldiers. They joined the fight instantly. Elliora made her way to the nearest group of fighters and swung her sword at the neck of the imperial female in-front of her. With her aim coming true, the woman fell gurgling and choking with her own blood on the ground. One of the soldiers turned towards her and swung his claymore at her. She jumped over, landing behind him piercing his hearth trough the steel armor. Suddenly she ducked avoiding one really big mace. It seemed one of the imperials had taken his opponent down and tried to surprise her from behind. She rotated to the left avoiding another hit and stabbed her opponent beneath his left elbow. His grip loosened and she kicked with her left leg the mace out of his hand. He looked at her with wide opened eyes unbelieving that this young woman in-front of him was so fast and precise with her sword. Elliora made a fast dive and ran her blade trough his ribs. After her opponent fell she scanned the room noticing that two more imperials were dead killed by the stormcloak next to her, she looked at where her companion ran to and saw Ralof and one of the remaining stormcloaks killing the remaining three legionnaires. Elliora, Ralof and the surviving two stormcloaks gathered at the other end of the room and Ralof asked:
-"What happened outside? Did his majesty escape with the rest, or are we the only one's remaining?"
-"When the dragon appeared we all ran wherever we could. I believe i saw him with around twenty of our brethren heading for the north gate of the town."-a stormcloak woman answered him.
-"Good. Lets go. There is an old tunnel at the end of the dungeons that leads trough the mountain and to the road for Riverwood. We could find shelter there."-the stormcloaks nodded and the group started its way towards the said tunnel. After a while they entered in to a massive area that looked like a cave. Elliora saw a large door on on the other side of them that was wide opened and inside it she saw a cave tunnel. There were a few more legionnaires blocking their way.
-"I will take the two on the right, you and your friends take the three on the left!"-she shouted because there was another small earthquake and a loud bang in the cave. She rushed at the soldiers, not paying attention anymore to the others. She jumped between them parrying the sword of her foe on her left side kicking at the same time the soldier on her right in the stomach sending him rolling in the dirt, after that she swung her weapon at the throat of the soldier who was still standing. He dropped quickly, and she turned her attention to the imperial who had already gotten up backing away slowly. She kneeled and pulled out a dagger from the man she had just killed and made her way towards the backing soldier. He attacked with a flurry of simultaneous attacks, but her superior training allowed her to block them with ease. Elliora countered with her own flurry and the man started to panic. His attacks couldn't even hit her coat, but she had already made a few light cuts on his body and arms. Suddenly she lunged herself at him closing the gap between them, pushed his sword with her own to the right, swirled her body on the left and nailed her dagger under his jaw. He dropped dead instantly. Pulling her new dagger out of him Elliora turned her attention to the other survivors. There was only one stormcloak left alive except Ralof now. She nodded to them and they made their way forward. Just as Elliora and Ralof had made their way past the door the earth shook violently and the ceiling caved in behind them burying alive the last stormcloak. Ralof cursed with a shout. At the end of the small corridor there was a lever and a wooden drawbridge. After they crossed the bridge they found themselves in a tunnel.
-"Finally! It should take us around 2 days until we reach the exit."-Ralof told her.
-"Allright, let's not waste anymore time then."-she answered.
Elliora picked some wood from around her, pulled down her cloak and started slicing it apart. After she finished with the ripping she started making torches. When they were ready both she and Ralof lighted one torch each and started their journey in to the dark tunnel. After a couple of hours Elliora opened her mouth:
-"I suggest we find a place without so much moisture and rest or get some sleep. It must be nighttime outside by now. I believe its been around two or three hours since we entered this gods forsaken cave."
-"If my memory serves me right the next section of the tunnel has a few holes and it's not so suffocating."-Ralof told her.
After a while they entered a small cave and Elliora felt a small breeze.
-"I suggest that we sleep on shifts, noone knows what creatures may be dwelling in here."-Ralof suggested.
-"You've got a point. Alright, i take first watches, you take seconds." Ralof shrugged and layed down near the cave wall. When they were properly rested they continued forward. They traveled the rest of the way without unexpected surprises, and soon after around two days crawling, slipping and often trippings Elliora felt a strong wind running trough the narrowed tunnel. Not long after she saw a light and rushed towards it. They were standing on hilltop just below the mountain. In the distance below she saw a big river, and beyond it a large mountain chain. It was around noon she noticed. Ralof and Elliora started their way down the hill walking towards the road ahead. All of a sudden a big shadow swept over them, and they both ran towards the trees. Elliora scanned the skies and saw the giant dragon that had attacked Helgen.
-"It seems he didn't notice us. I wonder what is it doing still here after tree days?"-she murmured to herself. The dragon made a fast sweep over the area and flew over the mountains to the north.
-"I have no idea if we are the only ones that survived, but we better move quick, this place will be swarming with imperials after news of what happened reach the near garrisons." Elliora nodded and they continued forward for the main road.