Unbound
I've been captured by the Empire and been sentenced to death alongside Stormcloak rebels. We were being taken to Helgen, but before I could be executed Alduin appeared and attacked the town. I need to find a way out of the town.
I woke up being bounced around on the carriage, and another was ahead. My hands were bound in front of me, and I was dressed in a tunic and leggings, both dirty brown, my feet were wrapped in cloth to protect them.
"Hey you, you're finally awake." A young nord was seated next to me, dressed in quilted cuirass with a strip of blue cloth wrapped around his shoulder and torso and fur boots, like me his hands are bound.
"You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, the same as us, and that thief over there."
He nodded to his right and I looked at another young nord, who, like me was dressed in a tunic and leggings, as far as I could see we were the only two who were dressed like that.
"Damn you Stormcloaks." The Nord spat, "Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell. You there..." The Nord focused on me, "You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."
The Stormcloak rebel just sighed, "We're all brothers and sisters in binds now thief."
The soldier driving the carriage snapped, "Shut up back there!"
I took the chance to look around, we were bouncing along a road through a snowy mountain pass. Despite the circumstances it was a beautiful day, though the thief decided to speak again. The man next to me was dressed in fine robes, and unlike us he was gagged as well as bound.
"And what's wrong with him, huh?" The thief asked.
"Watch your tongue." The rebel snapped. "You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King."
"Ulfric?" The thief asked as Ulfric glared at him, "The Jarl of Windelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you...Oh gods, where are they taking us?" The man asked in fear.
"I don't know where we are going, but Sovngarde awaits." The rebel answered. I felt a quake of fear in my stomach and I raised my hands to my short blonde hair and gripped it.
"No, this can't be happening. This can't be happening." The thief whimpered. I was about to snap at him that clearly it was when the rebel spoke gently to him.
"Hey what village are you from, horse thief?" He asked.
"Why do you care?" The thief asked bitterly.
"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."
"Rorikstead. I'm...I'm from Rorikstead." The thief answered.
Home, I tried to think of it, the old trade ship but all I could think of in my mind was the mage-fire and the burning sails.
"General Tullius, sir the headsman is waiting!" The soldier in front called out.
"Good, let's get this over with." A voice called.
We looked over, the carriages had entered a walled town, the gates had swung open to let us in. A old Imperial general was sitting on his horse talking to a group of Altmer in dark robes.
"Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me." The thief prayed loudly.
"Look at him, General Tullius, the Military Governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him." The rebel said to me angrily, "Damn elves bet they had something to do with this."
But the anger fell out of him as he looked around at where we are.
"This is Helgen." He told me, his voice sad, wistful. "I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in. Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."
People had started to gather around as our carriages were pulled along a main street. I spotted a young boy on a porch to a wooden thatched house.
"Who are they daddy? Where are they going?" He asked curiously.
"You need to go inside, little cub." His father answered. A Nord in hide and leather armour.
"Why?" The boy protested. "I want to watch the soldiers."
"Inside the house. Now." The father said sternly.
"Yes, papa." The boy said meekly as he got off the porch.
The carriages thudded next to a stone tower.
"Get those prisoners out of the carts. Move it!" A captain ordered.
"Why are we stopping?" The thief asked fearfully.
"Why do you think." The rebel said sarcastically, "End of the line." He turned to me.
"Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us."
"No! Wait! We're not rebels!" The thief protested indicating me as well. But I could see that the soldiers were paying him no mind as the two of us jumped down from the carriage.
"Face your death with some courage, thief." The rebel said dismissively as he join me on the ground.
The thief rounded on him, "You've got to tell them! We weren't with you!" This is a mistake!"
The captain called out, "Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time!"
"The empire loves their damn lists." The rebel snorted.
Another Nord spoke up reading from a scroll. "Ulfric Stormcloak Jarl of Windhelm."
"It has been an honour Jarl Ulfric." The rebel said as his leader moved away. At the second carriage I could see the same thing happening. Rebels moving as their names were called out.
"Ralof of Riverwood." And the rebel who spoke to me moved off. "Lokir of Rorikstead."
"No, I'm not a rebel. You can't do this!" Lokir the thief yelled, and runs.
"Halt!" The captain called out, but Lokir was getting further away, and had now reached the inn.
"If he was smart," I thought, "he would duck inside the building, or behind it." But he wasn't.
"You're not going to kill me!" Lokir called out, but he was wrong.
"Archers!" The captain called out, and they quickly snapped to attention and took aim. I looked away as they took aim. I heard Lokir cry out in pain.
"Does anyone else feel like running!" The captain, and now that I could see her I realised she was a young Redguard.
"Wait." The Nord imperial soldier called out, he was looking at me. "You there step forward."
As I did so, I could feel him scrutinise me, "who are you?"
"Luna." I answered. The nord soldier glanced down at his list.
"You from Daggerfall, Breton? Fleeing from some court intrigue?" I glared as he made assumption of my past. "Captain what should we do? She's not on the list."
"Forget the list. She goes to the block." The captain said dismissively. I started to feel all the hope of life draining out of me.
"By your orders captain." The soldier said sadly before looking me in the eye. "I'm sorry, I'll make sure your remains are returned to High Rock."
"I have no family there." I said, and walked to the block.
General Tullius was standing in front of Ulfric. "Ulfric Stormcloak, some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use a power like the Voice to murder his High King and usurp the throne." Ulfric grunted angrily in response.
"You started this war!" Tullius said, "But now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace."
Suddenly a roar echoed throughout the valley. The soldiers and prisoners all looked around.
"What was that?" The soldier who read out my group's list asked.
"It's nothing." Tullius said, then turned to his captain, "Carry on."
"Yes, General Tullius." She said, then turned to a Priestess of Arkay. "Give them their last rites."
"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you." The Priestess intoned, "for you are the salt and earth of Nirn."
"For the love of Talos, shut up and get this over with!" A Stormcloak rebel snapped as he marched forwards.
"As you wish." The priestess said coldly as she lowered her hands.
"Come on, I haven't got all morning." The captain forced the rebel to his knees and, placing her foot on his back, forced him to bend over the execution block.
"My ancestors are smiling at me Imperials! Can you say the same!" The headsman stepped forwards and swung his axe.
"You Imperial bastards!" A Stormcloak rebel screamed. I stared at the body as the captain kicked his body over, I heard the townspeople scream, "Justice! Death to the Stormcloaks!" Next to me Ralof muttered, "as fearless in death as he was in life."
"Next! The Breton!" The captain ordered, and another roar echoed through the valley.
"There it is again." The soldier with the list said, "did you hear that."
But the captain just snapped, "I said next prisoner!"
"The soldier looked at me, "to the block prisoner, nice and easy."
My body moved of its own accord, walking towards the block. I felt the captain force me to my knees. I stared at the head in the basket as the captain placed her foot on my back, forcing me to bend over.
Mama, Papa, I thought, I'll see you soon. I watched as the headsman raised his axe, about to bring it down on my neck.
A roar echoed through the valley again, but this time mixed with a screams as something swooped out of the sky, and a dragon, black as midnight, swooped out of the sky and landed on the tower.
"Dragon!" Someone called out, and the dragon roared, sending a shockwave that sent the headsman stumbling and the sky started to swirl, and rocks started to fall from the sky.
I stumbled to my knees, the world hazy.
"Hey, Breton!" Ralof called out as Tullius ordered the guards to save the townspeople, "Get up, the gods won't give us another chance."
I got up, my hands still bound, and ran towards a tower with Ralof. Inside was Ulfric Stormcloak, along with three of his rebels, two were seriously wounded, and the third was bandaging their burns, and cuts.
Me, Ralof and Ulfric, stood by the windows, watching as rocks and fire fell, hitting nearby buildings.
"Jarl Ulfric what is that thing?" Ralof asked Ulfric, "could the legends be true?"
"Legends don't burn down villages." Ulfric said, his voice was deep and resonant. The tower began to shake, "We need to move now!"
"Up through the tower!" Ralof ordered us, and led the way up, Ulfric and I waited a minute with the Stormcloak tending the wounded.
"They're badly hurt, but they'll live," He told us, as he and Ulfric lifted them to their feet, and followed me up the tower. Another soldier was at the next level, the ceiling had partially collapsed, blocking the stairs.
"We just need to move these rocks to clear the way," He said as he saw us. But then suddenly the dragon had rammed into the tower, and his head burst into the tower.
"Yol Toor Shul!" He roared, and I could make out the words, as he breathed out a jet of flame. The soldier in front of me was dead, burned alive and the rest of us took cover in the stairwell.
The dragon took off, and Ralof walked over to the hole in the wall, and waved me towards it.
"See the inn on the other side," He pointed to an inn below the tower, which had a partially collapsed roof, and the edge was starting to burn. "Jump through the roof and get going."
I walked to the edge and hesitated. "Go! We'll follow when we can!"
I jumped and hit the edge of the roof, I landed awkwardly, skinning my shins as I fell to my knees. Hands still bound I got to my feet, the stairs were gone, so I dropped through another hole to the ground beside the inn.
"Haeming!" An imperial soldier called out, "Get over here!" I realised it was the same soldier who read out the names, and he was calling out to the boy who watched the carriages, he was standing over his father, who was lying in a pool of blood.
"Now, Torolf!" The soldier cried out, but the dragon landed, and breathed fire again, "God, everyone get back!"
Turning around the soldier spotted me, "Still alive, prisoner?" Then he turned away, "Stay close to me if you want to stay that way. He turned to an old warrior, "Gundar take care of the boy, I'm going to join General Tullius and join the defense."
"Gods guide you Hadvar." Gundar said as he scooped up the frightened boy. Hadvar got up and ran through the burning town, me at his heels, he ran close to the wall.
"Stay close to the wall!" He shouted as the dragon landed above us, breathing fire. We crouched just underneath him, unnoticed.
"Let's go!" He shouted as soon as the dragon flew away, swooping over the town. We ran past the dead and dying, Tullius was nearby, sword drawn.
"Hadvar!" He shouted, "Into the keep soldier! We're leaving!"
"It's you and me prisoner!" He shouted to me, "Stay close!" Then Ralof appeared. "Ralof you damn traitor! Out of my way!" He shouted at the Stormcloak.
"We're escaping Hadvar!" Ralof shouted, "You're not stopping us this time!"
I followed Ralof into the keep as I did so I heard the Dragon call out "Hin sil fen nahkip bahloki." Scared I looked up as he swooped over the town. Your soul shall feed my hunger but how could I know that?
We were in a round room, both sides blocked by gates. Near a table was a dead Stormcloak rebel, who evidently had crawled inside just to die of his injuries. Ralof knelt by his body.
"We'll meet again in Sovengarde brother." He said softly, before standing and looking at me, "Come here, so I can get those bindings off." He said pulling a dagger from his belt.
I approached him and he cut my hands free. "You might as well take Gundar's gear." He said, "He won't be needing it any longer."
He moved to examine the doors. I carefully undid the straps of the armor.
"This door is locked," Ralof said, but as he approached the second door, an imperial captain, the same one who passed my sentence, followed by a squad of soldiers, Hadvar among them.
"Stormcloak traitors!" The captain snarled reaching for her sword.
"No!" I shouted at the same time as Hadvar, I concentrated on my Magicka and summoned my familiar, a spectral wolf, who appeared snarling, and bit the captain's sword arm, shaking her, before I snapped my fingers.
"Have you lost your minds!" I snapped, "A dragon has swooped down and is intent on sending us to the grave already! Do you really want to help him out!"
"She's right," Hadvar said, "We can always settle this another day. Besides, she at least shouldn't have been executed, so we can give them a day's head start?"
"All right." The captain relented, "But not a day, they have till we get out of the keep. Both of them." Hadvar glared at the captain, not happy with the deal, me and Ralof glanced at each other. At the very least, we'll have to get make sure that the captain was not with us when we left the keep.
The captain led the way to the gate and unlocked it. As we headed down the stairs, Ralof whispered to me. "When do you want to kill them?"
"Not yet, there could be more Imperials in the fort." I told him quietly. "Who might not be happy with the captain trying to kill us now, or more stormcloaks."
Ralof grunted, suddenly as the captain walked along the corridor, it began to shake, and I pulled Ralof and Hadvar away, as with a roar, the corridor collapsed, crushing the captain underneath.
"Damn, that dragon doesn't give up easy." Ralof said, getting to his feet.
"Thank you." Hadvar said, then looked at his captain. "Yuma shouldn't have ordered your execution. I'm sorry."
"That's okay, just try not to kill each other once we're outta here." I said easily as I helped him to his feet.
We met a few stormcloaks, a man with dark hair and blond woman in the storeroom. They probably would have killed Hadvar but Ralof told them of the truce. I found a knapsack and stashed what little food the stormcloaks had left plus a healing potion, a stamina potion and magicka potion in a barrel. As we went further down the stairs I heard the sounds of more blades crashing, along with two guttural cries.
"The torture room, gods." Ralof muttered and Hadvar looked sickened. Inside was another stormcloak, a tall, even for a nord, blonde man with a huge axe. Around him were bodies, two more stormcloaks and two men in hooded imperial armor. The man advanced on Hadvar but I stepped in front of him, holding a flaming hand.
"Back off, until we leave this keep alive we're not killing each other." I said quietly. The man looked at my hands with fear and disgust, but he lowered his axe.
"Bretons and Imperials huh?" The woman said scornfully. I glared at her and she looked away, despite me being small, even for a Breton.
"Hadvar's a Nord Ingrid." Ralof said as he inspected the cages. "Hey there's something in this one, is there a key?"
"Was Jarl Ulfric with you?" Ralof asked the newest Stormcloak. Glaring at me he turned his gaze to Ralof.
"No, haven't seen him since the Dragon showed up."
I found a knapsack with a few lockpicks and opened the door. Inside was a man dressed in a mage's robe with two small blue bottles of magicka potion and a spellbook with some gold coins. Ralof scooped out the coins and I took the spellbook, potions and the man's clothes. Only Hadvar was there to see that.
"Armor's uncomfortable." I said, by way of explanation. It was true, the armor was several sizes too big.
"Stormcloak armor was built for Nords, no-one else." He said and we left chasing after the others, through a line of cells.
Hadvar stopped at the entrance to a cavern I looked around him and saw why. A group of Stormcloaks were arranged around us in loose semicircle, with their weapons drawn.
"Have you all lost your minds?" Hadvar said quietly, "There's a Dragon trying to bring this keep down on our heads!"
"All the more reason to get rid of the enemies of Skyrim!" A woman snapped.
"She isn't our enemy!" Ralof pointed at me as I glared at them all.
"She's a Breton, she'll grow up a damn Mage and get chummy with the elves." Another spat contemptuously. Angered I summoned my familiar and as it snarled and snapped I drew the knife I got from the torture chamber and summoned a Flame to my hand.
"Back off!" I shouted as I shot flames at their feet. They did so and Hadvar ran for the exit, with me at his heels, shooting flames at them all the while to stop them from following.
As soon as we crossed a bridge the Dragon roared and some of the masonry collapsed, shattering it.
"Well there's no going back that way." Hadvar said, "Those guys best hope there's another way out." I was still shaking with anger but followed Hadvar further into the cavern. Here it was clearly not meant to be used as part of the Keep, as it was still essentially a natural cave. We followed the stream downwards and then a tunnel to the left. Cobwebs started to appear in thick clumps.
In another cavern I found out why there was such big clumps of cobwebs. Frostbite spiders, at least as big as a man had made their home there. They lunged at us spitting and biting. Hadvar swung his sword, as I shot flames and stabbed at one who came too close.
"What's next giant snakes?" Hadvar asked as he cleaned his sword.
"I bloody well hope not." I answered as I started filling some empty phials I found in my bag with Frostbite Venom, I also found spider eggs, I knew from past training were poisonous.
Fortunately that was the only cave that the spiders made their home. Unfortunately that was because in the next cave along, a bear had made her home.
"I'd rather not tangle with her right now." Hadvar whispered, "but if you think you can, here. I'll follow your lead." He handed me his bow and a quiver full of arrows. I shook my head and crept quietly along the cave keeping out of sight of the bear. There was another tunnel just ahead and I slipped around towards it, Hadvar on my heels.
The tunnel slopped up and a triangle of bright white light shone through, Hadvar rushed ahead.
"This looks like the way out!" He said happily, "I'd didn't think we'd make it."
We ran out into the cold Skyrim air.
I have escaped both my execution and a dragon attack at Helgen. I now have my freedom to do as I see fit in Skyrim