Middas 17 Last Seed 201 4E 12:00 PM
I fluttered awake to find myself in a wagon with three other men, all Nords. One man, who looked like he was in his fifties, was gagged and his hands were bound behind his back, while the rest of us had our hands bound before us. I could tell he wasn't a commoner; there was a sense of dignity about him despite being gagged and bound.
"You're awake," the blonde Nord to my left commented dryly. He looked like he was in his late twenties despite his cynical expression. "My name is Ralof. Not that it matters since we're all going to die soon."
"Where are we?" I asked groggily. My head ached from where a soldier had clubbed me from behind. Ahead I could make out a small village with the Imperial banners flapping in the wind. Behind us was another wagon with more prisoners.
"Helgen," Ralof explained calmly. "It's a small village in the hold of Falkreath near the Cyrodiil border. The Imperials caught us two days ago in an ambush. I thought they were going to take us to the Imperial City for trial, but it appears that General Tullius and Ambassador Elenwen have different plans." Ralof noted my confused expression and laughed. "You have no idea who you're traveling with, do you, girl? I'm just a soldier, but that man over there," Ralof nodded to the gagged man, "that is Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, the Bear of Eastmarch. He leads the free people of Skyrim. "
"And him?" I pointed to the raggedly dressed fourth member of our wagon. "Is that man part of your cause? I really hope not, because he tried to steal a horse from me.
Ralof chuckled. "No, I hadn't met him before today. He introduced himself as Lokir while you were unconscious."
"You're the reason I'm here," I hissed at the thief. "If you hadn't stolen my horse, I wouldn't have had to chase you."
"We're not part of their trouble," Lokir insisted. He looked frightened enough to soil himself. "They'll let us go. They have to."
I had been traveling the Pale Pass and had managed to stay away from any trouble since leaving Bravil two weeks earlier. I had stopped for lunch and was gathering water from a creek when I had heard my horse scream. I had run back to my small camp to see a man trying to mount my horse. "What in the Void do you think you're doing?" I had shouted.
"Oh, shit!" the man had yelled. Instead of trying to ride my mount away, he had elected to grab the reins and run deeper into the woods.
I had pursued and almost caught him when we hit a ledge. I had tripped into him and we had tumbled over the side. I vaguely remember seeing my poor horse's wide eyes as she fell to her doom. Lokir and I had rolled down the cliff and landed near some legionnaires. One young, eager overachiever had clubbed me unconscious before I could explain what had happened.
Ralof and Lokir started to argue about the validity of the rebellion, but I tuned them out as I looked at Ulfric. He had an aura of charisma I had not seen in many people. He was riding to his death and he sat like a king on his throne. The world didn't touch Ulfric Stormcloak with its problems. Instead, Ulfric Stormcloak commanded the world.
I lost my breath when Ulfric turned towards me. His gray eyes were as cold as steel and just as unrelenting. A small nod acknowledged my presence before he turned back to whatever thoughts he had been contemplating moments before.
"Why is he gagged?" I asked Ralof gesturing to Ulfric.
"Jarl Ulfric is a master of the thu'um, the dragon language. He can create power with his very voice and used it to duel High King Torygg to death. The Imperials fear his power and have bound his tongue as well as his hands for both are equally powerful." I was curious as to why Ulfric had dueled Torygg, but there was no time to ask. "End of the line," Ralof said dryly as the wagon pulled to a stop. As we stepped out of the wagon, he turned to Ulfric, "It was an honor to serve with you, my jarl."
Names were called from a list until all the prisoners were named but me. "She's not on the list," a young Imperial soldier of Nord descent said, pointing at me. He looked about Ralof's age.
"I don't care, Hadvar. It must be a clerical error," the captain of the guard snapped. She looked like a typical overworked superior who had enough authority to get unpleasant tasks done with not enough resources to do it well. "She goes with the rest of them. We can sort it out later."
"Hey!" I shouted. "That's total bullshit. You can't kill me for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I'm not with them either!" Lokir screamed, his eyes rolling around madly. "I…I gotta get out of here." The man made a run for it, but he didn't get a dozen paces before the Imperials peppered him with arrows.
"Anyone else feel like running?" the captain of the guard asked sarcastically. When no one replied, she added, "I didn't think so."
"I'm sorry," the young man said. His eyes flickered away in shame. A soldier was taught to obey orders; to respect the chain of command at all times. It didn't mean he had to have pride in it. "I'll make sure your remains go back to Cyrodiil."
"I cannot tell you how comforting that is," I grumbled.
To my left, I saw a gray haired Imperial with the insignia of a general approaching Ulfric. A tall Altmer woman with a stereotypical scowl stood behind him as she surveyed the prisoners. They must be General Tullius and Elenwen that Ralof mentioned earlier.
"Ulfric Stormcloak," General Tullius sneered, "some may call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use the power of the Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne." Ulfric merely grunted disdainfully through his gag. "You started this war and threw Skyrim into chaos, but the Empire will restore the peace! Captain, I leave the prisoners to you." Tullius turned and escorted the Altmer woman away. Apparently beheading was too common for her tastes.
"Priestess, give the prisoners their last rights!" the captain called.
A priestess of Arkay stepped forward to give last blessings before the prisoners were beheaded, the favored method of execution of Imperials. We Imperials love a good beheading. It had all the showmanship of a hanging with the added spray of blood.
"I haven't got all day, dammit," a rebel said disdainfully when the priestess mentioned the eight divines. The priestess walked away sniffing at the interruption. I doubted that the man would be mentioned in her prayers for the lost tonight. He proudly stepped forward to the chopping block. "My ancestors smile upon me, Imperial. Can you say the same for yours?"
The axe came down and the man's soul went to Sovngarde. The legate kicked the body over. "Next!"
"Any last words?" Hadvar asked gesturing for me to go next.
"Yes," I said stepping forward. "Fuck you guys." I ran towards Ulfric instead of stepping up to the block. I managed to grab his gag and pull it down. I was grateful those idiots had left the rest of us bound with our hands before us instead of behind like they had done with Ulfric. "You better use that damn Shout if you want to live."
Ulfric grinned at me, and I found myself laughing back. He had a wolfish nature to him and was handsome for an oversized Nord. "FUS RO DAH," he Shouted, creating a sound of rumbling thunder and a force that knocked several Imperial soldiers over.
I felt the world shake and heard a roar. "Gods, is that what your Shout does?" I asked.
"That wasn't me," Ulfric said looking to the sky. He had a pleasant deep voice. "It's a dragon!" I looked up and saw a huge black beast landing on the tower we were standing by.
"Zu'u Alduin, zok sahrot do naan ko Lein!" the monster roared. I had no idea what it was saying, but I could tell that those were supposed to words and not just random animal sounds. A shudder ran down my back when I realized that dragons were intelligent enough to speak and that they had their own language. It breathed in and released a blast of fire onto some legionnaires turning them to ash. "VOL!"
"Lovely country you have here," I said sarcastically as Ulfric, Ralof and I ran into the relative safety of a tower. All around us people were screaming in panic. Soldiers scurried to grab bows and arrows for aerial combat while the common citizens ran for cover.
"You should see us during the winter holidays," Ulfric shot back.
Inside the tower were two more Stormcloaks, a man and woman who had been in the other wagon. The woman had managed to grab a dagger and was cutting the man's hands free of his bonds. Ulfric and Ralof were next in being unbound.
"I thought dragons were only legends," Ralof said, his voice dazed. He glanced outside to the chaos as the black beast burned down a house.
"Legends don't burn down villages," Ulfric said simply also watching.
I stepped forward and presented my hands expecting the same treatment as the rest. Imagine my surprise when the woman hesitated and looked at Ulfric for askance.
"My lord?" she said.
"What the hell?" I growled as I shook my bound hands. "Just cut me free."
"Hm, no, I don't think so," Ulfric said as he placed a meaty paw on my shoulder. I looked up at him in frustration. "You're an Imperial, girl, so we cannot afford to trust you."
"I helped you!" I said flushing in anger. "Do you think someone attached to the Imperial army would have done that?"
"No, and you do have my gratitude," Ulfric smiled, which normally would have been extremely sexy if he wasn't being such a prick, "but not being our enemy does not make you our friend. We will take you with us and find out what connections you have. Hopefully, you'll have someone who cares enough to take you back for a reasonable fee. That's what you Imperials do, right? Worry only about the highest bidder?"
"How dare you!" I spat angrily. I tried to scratch at the larger man's face, but Ulfric merely pinned my arms down and spun me so I was facing a spiraling staircase. I could feel the ground shuddering from the carnage outside.
"Let's head upwards. Maybe we'll be able to get a better view of what is happening," Ulfric commanded.
The male Stormcloak ran ahead, only to meet his doom. The window he was passing shattered inward and the huge, triangular head of the dragon thrust into the tower. "YOL!" It—no, he, the creature was definitely male—Shouted. Fire burst from his mouth and incinerated the nameless soldier.
Without another thought of the people inside, the dragon flew off again. Ulfric had been temporarily distracted by the dragon's attack and his grip on me slackened. I threw my head back and managed to hit his lower chin. Ulfric stumbled back, grabbing his face, and cursed.
I spun around and leapt on the giant Nord's chest. "I would love to say it's been a pleasure, Ulfric," I leered, "but honestly, it wasn't." Then, not thinking, I leaned in and brazenly kissed Ulfric fully on the lips. "Maybe a little something to sweeten the memory," I laughed.
Before Ralof or the female Stormcloak could react, I turned and ran to the hole left behind from the dragon's attack. Barely looking, I jumped and tucked into a barrel roll as I fell down half a story to a hollowed out house below. I looked back up and saw the three Stormcloaks gawking at me in disbelief. I flipped a rude gesture before getting up and running towards the house's stairs.
The last thing I heard was Ralof say, "You must admit, my jarl, Imperial or not, she certainly has balls."
"Aye, Ralof, that she does," Ulfric muttered.
Middas 17 Last Seed 201 4E 12:30 PM
"Okay," I muttered to myself once I was back on solid ground and away from my would-be captors. "I'm in a strange country with no one to call friend, my hands are bound, and there's a dragon setting everything on fire. All in all things could be worse." I looked up and saw said dragon soaring high overhead. He released something and as it fell I realized that it was a soldier. The man landed next to me with a sickening splat as his insides burst from the impact.
I stifled a scream as I intuitively jumped back away from the improvised missile. Gods, why hadn't I gone west instead of north?
"Breathe, breathe, breathe," I chanted quietly as I ran towards the sounds of screaming. I couldn't depend on any one being friendly at this point, but at least it was better to run towards a crowd. Surely someone would take pity and finally release me. At least that's what I prayed for.
I stumbled onto Hadvar who was directing an old man and kid to hide. When he saw me, he gestured, "You, prisoner, come with me!"
"Kinda tied up, sir," I replied sarcastically, but I still fell into step with the younger Nord as he ran towards the defense of the town. Probably leftover discipline from my own days as a soldier. No matter how old you get, you never forget the drills, or at least that's what I was always told. "I don't suppose you'll be kind enough to untie me, or are you going to claim I'm still being held for due process?"
"No, I should untie you," Hadvar said as he stopped to pull out his dagger. I was actually a little impressed when he did. I thought surely he would give me the same distrusted treatment as Ulfric and his men. "You'll be better able to defend yourself with your hands free." Before Hadvar could suit words to action, the dragon landed again and drew in a deep breath.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I cried as Hadvar grabbed me and threw me out of the way of the fiery blast. "Is he after me specifically or what?"
Hadvar drew me to my feet as the dragon lashed out with his tail and sent three Imperial soldiers flying off their feet. "No time to untie you now, prisoner," he yelled in my ear. With the chaos, I could just barely hear him. "We have to get inside to safety first."
"It's really not much safer inside than out," I retorted. The two of us ran towards the keep dodging arrows and fire as the Imperial soldiers tried their best to protect the citizens of Helgen. It was a losing battle, but I respected that they did not fall back from a superior foe. I could tell many of the foot soldiers were Nords by birth; maybe that accounted for some of the ferocity of defending their homes.
As Hadvar and I scrambled inside, I could see flashes of blue as the Stormcloaks found their own refuge in a different building. Ulfric looked up and flashed a devilish grin and winked when he saw me. I growled at his arrogance, but couldn't respond as Hadvar drew me into the keep.
"There should be some armor and weapons in the chests," Hadvar said hurriedly as he cut my bonds. "You should pull them on and we'll continue through the catacombs, Prisoner."
"I have a name, you know," I grumbled as I rubbed my wrists. It felt good to be free again, even if there was a murderous dragon rampaging outside.
"I apologize," Hadvar nodded. "What is your name then?"
I paused, suddenly a little embarrassed. I hadn't exactly given my name earlier when we were being processed. I usually changed names when I went to a new region. Forever adopting a new identity for a new life had been my way for the last decade, but I hadn't been prepared for this sudden thrust into such an exciting start in a foreign country.
"Did you forget?" Hadvar quirked as he arched an eyebrow.
"Diana," I said choosing more or less at random. I almost always used an ancient moon goddess's name for my own and I hadn't used that one yet. "Call me Diana."
"Then get armored, Diana," Hadvar said nodding towards the chests. "We're getting out of here."
Middas 17 Last Seed 201 4E 2:00 PM
Hadvar had led me down to the dungeons where the local torturer was hiding with his assistant. The Stormcloaks had passed by moments before us and the old man had only managed to fend them off by locking himself in one of his cages.
I felt uneasy in the torturer's presence. Torture is commonly seen as a necessary evil because sometimes getting vital information from a single informant saved lives and ended battles before they begin, but that didn't mean it was right. I'm not sure if I could ever order someone to torture another person—which meant I didn't think I could ever do the deed myself. It's something Nords never employ and I can relate to why they think less of us Imperials for it.
Hadvar quickly updated the torturer of what was going on above. The old man nodded briskly. "Fine, fine. I think I'll stay here until things calm down again."
"If you wish," Hadvar said, "but we're going to try to get out of here. Whiterun and Solitude need to be informed that dragons have returned as quickly as possible. Do you know any escape routes?"
"There's an old tunnel that runs with a river," the old man said. "Should take you right out. I'd be careful if I were you though. The Stormcloaks will be looking for that tunnel as well and no doubt those skeevers will be drawn right to it."
Hadvar nodded his thanks and the two of us left quickly. I nervously played with the bow I had confiscated from the weapons rack in the soldier's sleeping room where I had gotten my armor. I have always been an archer and I knew from past experience that shooting a bow in an enclosed area is nothing but trouble. I sighed and put the bow away and drew the sword I had strapped to my side. I am a mediocre swordswoman, but even flailing wildly was better than trying to run backwards in an unknown area while shooting an arrow at a charging foe.
Hadvar and I had almost made it to the secret entrance when we stumbled onto the Stormcloaks again. I didn't recognize any of them, which meant they must have gotten separated from Ulfric and Ralof. Both sides readied weapons and started to charge when I thought of how idiotic this whole situation was.
"Stop right there all of you!" I shouted. I must have put the right amount of authority into my voice because everyone stopped and looked at me in confusion. "Look, there's a huge, black dragon flying around above our heads killing Imperials and Stormcloaks indiscriminately. Do we really have to help him out by killing each other underground too?"
"What do you suggest then, Imperial?" one Stormcloak sneered. I was pretty certain he thought I was just another soldier since I was wearing the Imperial armor. "Are you going to just let us go?"
"Actually, I think that's a great idea," I nodded. I almost laughed at the Stormcloaks' surprise. "It only makes sense. I don't want to get hurt fighting you and make myself more vulnerable to the dragon if it does follow us once we get out of here. Or even get killed. You look pretty capable with that hammer. You have the superior reach and strength. I'm sure my Nord companion here could take you, but that doesn't guarantee my safety, does it?"
"Figures the Imperial is only worried about her own skin," the other Stormcloak sneered. "Faithless cowards, the lot of you. Fine, we'll spare you, but only because we need to find Jarl Ulfric." He nodded to his companion and the two of them ran down a side tunnel away from the river.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from retorting to the Stormcloaks as they departed. Maybe some scathing remark about their leader's inability to kiss, which would be a total lie, but it would definitely rile the warriors' pride. I wasn't proud enough to undo my diplomacy and let them go, smirking the whole time.
"Why did you allow them to insult you like that?" Hadvar grumbled.
"Because I like my hide the way it is," I responded flippantly, "and because being right is sometimes more important than being respected for the wrong thing."
The rest of the route was uneventful. There was a bear sleeping towards the end of the escape route, but we managed to crawl past her without waking her. "It seems almost silly to be running from a bear after dealing with a dragon," Hadvar said quietly once we were out of sight.
"Hide, one piece," I said with a wink making Hadvar laugh.
When we exited the cave, I took a deep breath enjoying the cool autumn air. It felt like we had been symbolically reborn. The sky never looked so blue and the clouds never looked so white. The light breeze felt good on my flushed skin.
"Get down!" Hadvar grabbed me and pulled me behind a bush. Above us, the black dragon spiraled lazily before flying northwards. "I think it is gone."
"He," I said. When Hadvar looked at me blankly, I clarified, "That was a male dragon."
"How do you know?" he asked suspiciously.
I shrugged, "I just do."
"No matter. Solitude and Whiterun still need to know what happened here today."
"I don't know those places," I admitted sheepishly. I hated feeling so ignorant.
"I'll tell you as we head towards Riverwood," Hadvar said kindly. "It's my home village and my uncle lives there. He can give us some supplies." He paused. "I know it's a lot to ask after my captain ordered your execution, but I have a favor to ask. I could travel to Solitude to inform the Imperial army directly while you go to Whiterun to warn Jarl Balgruuf. Would you do that?"
"I guess I am more or less stuck here with the border closed," I sighed. "I might as well make myself useful. Sure, Hadvar, I'll help you out." I stuck my hand out to him which he took and shook heartily.
"Welcome to Skryim."