A/N This story will be following questlines from Skyrim, the first chapter is for the most part just what happened at Helgen, because I suck at starting stories and that seemed a good start. So if you don't want to read that you can skip it, you really don't miss anything.
I've written the first two chapters half a year ago and I only checked spelling/grammar mistakes so if those chapters suck I'm sorry for that. I would like to hear feedback, but if you tell me what you think should be improved I would love to hear how it could be improved too (just '*insert sucky part here* sucks' doesn't really help me any further). If you don't like how I write my story or what I write you're not forced to read it, and if you only review the story to tell that I politely ask you to shut the **** up, thank you.
Enjoy the story (or not).

Mira was born and raised in her family's farm just outside the Imperial city; the place had always made her feel safe. She was raised by a loving mother, a Breton, who used to sing for her, it was also her mother who had found a mage to teach Mira about magic, but that had been later, when Mira was old enough to understand the responsibility that came with the ability to use such a power.

Mira's father was a Nord, he used to work on the land during the days, but when he came home every evening he told the greatest stories of heroes, warriors and the Nord divines. He also told Mira about Skyrim, his homeland. It was because of him that Mira got interested in learning about weapons and combat and although her mother thought girls should not know how to handle weapons her father had taught her the basics. He had made sure to teach Mira enough to be sure she could defend herself, but not enough to make her stand a chance against a trained warrior.

As a child Mira enjoyed her life at the farm and she spend the time dreaming of hunting for long lost, legendary treasures and fighting in battles so important that people would write songs about it. But as time passed Mira learned what was expected from her and although she did not like it, she knew that there was no way of escaping it. In time the child grew up to be a beautiful young woman, but beauty was not the only thing she was gifted with; Mira was as smart and strong as she was beautiful and by the time she was fifteen her parents were no longer the only people who were aware of that. Maybe the fact that she had started studying magic at that age was the reason that things happened like they happened, or perhaps it was destiny, but Mira would not yet understand that for a long time.

The beauty that her parents had always considered a blessing turned out to be a curse to Mira when one of the nobleman from the Imperial City asked to marry her. No matter how much Mira and her parents hated it, they knew they could not refuse without being sent away. But while her parents were getting ready to celebrate a marriage, Mira had plans of her own. As young as she was Mira still fully understood that there would no longer be a chance to see Skyrim or learn about magic once she was married and those were exactly the things that she wanted to do. She knew that she was not ready to settle down and lead a calm life with a family and children of her own yet, because even though she now understood what was expected of her she still longed for freedom and adventure.

Mira left the family's farm in the middle of the night exactly two weeks before her sixteenth birthday and the day of the marriage; she took nothing but the clothes she was wearing, some bread, cheese and 50 septims. She had no way to defend herself, or survive in general, but the spells she had learned before she left; flames and healing.

On the second day of her journey a horse crossed Mira's path. There was no owner with the animal, so Mira figured the owner was probably lost or dead. She took the animal with her for the rest of her journey to Skyrim.

While she traveled north she noticed how it started to get colder to a point where her clothes barely warmed her enough to keep her comfortable. It was then that Mira was happy that her father was a Nord, because she started to realize that his resistance to cold was in her blood too. She also had his blue eyes, but her dark hair came from her mother and her length was closer the length of a Breton than a Nord, although she was slightly taller than her mother.

The time that passed between the moment that she left her home and the point that she reached the other side of the mountains was just a little more than seven days. It surprised Mira that she had managed to travel so fast and she was happy about the fact that the Imperials could not take her away from her, but that was only until she realized that she had no idea where she should go next. At the moment she realized that she became aware of voices ahead. She followed the sound of the voices and that was the last thing she remembered…

The sound of horses was the first thing Mira became aware of. A carriage, she thought, but why? She opened her eyes to see a man in Imperial armor in the front of the carriage. When she tried to sit up Mira realized that her hands were bound together and she muttered a curse. Why was she here, in a carriage from the Imperials, with her hands bound? Surely that wasn't how they brought back girls who ran away from home… right? Mira looked at the other people in the carriage; three male Nords, all of them had bound hands and one man was gagged. Why was she here with those people? Who were those people anyway?

"Hey you," the man who was sitting on the other side of the carriage said. "You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us… and that thief over there," he added looking at the dark haired man that was sitting next to him.

"Damn you, Stormcloaks," the thief said. "Skyrim was fine until you came along; the Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you I'd stolen that horse and I had been halfway to Hammerfell by now," he turned to Mira. "You there, you and me, we're not supposed to be here. It's the Stormcloaks the Empire wants."

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief," the other Nord said hatefully.

"Shut up back there," the Imperial soldier yelled.

"What's wrong with him, huh?" the thief asked, looking at the gagged man.

"Watch your tongue, you're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak; the true High King."

"Ulfric, the jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you… oh gods, where are they taking us?" Mira heard the fear in the man's voice, but somehow she wasn't scared. Perhaps it was because she did not yet fully understand, or rather believe, that she really was in danger, or maybe it was because she knew that if she was really going to die she would die knowing that she had seen more of Tamriel than only the Imperial City.

"I don't know where they're taking us, but Sovengarde awaits," the Nord said.

Sovengarde… Mira had heard stories from her father when she was younger. Those stories had made death seem like a beautiful, honorable thing and something to look forward to rather than something to fear. Mira had always hoped to see the place, but she knew that if it existed at all there was no way for her to go there, because it was where warriors went when they died and she was not a warrior.

"For you, perhaps," Mira said. She sighed. "But I am neither a warrior, nor a hero. Well, at least I'll die in my father's homeland that I too have always called my home, even though I see it for the first time now."

To Mira's surprise the Nord laughed. "A true Nord, from what I hear. Shame that we met like this, I would have liked you."

Mira smirked. "Isn't dying together way more… interesting."

The Nord nodded, before turning to the man next to him. "Where are you from, thief?"

"Why would you care?"

"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

"Rorikstead," the thief said. "I'm from Rorikstead."

At that moment the carriage entered a village and Mira heard the Nord say something about Helgen. "Is this Helgen?" Mira asked.

The Nord nodded. "End of the ride," he said when the carriage stopped.

"No, this is a mistake," the thief said. "You have to tell them we weren't with you."

The Imperial soldiers started calling out the names of people that had to step forward. "Ulfric Stormcloak, jarl of Windhelm… Ralof of Riverwood," the Nord Mira had been talking to in the carriage stepped forward. Mira waited until the Imperial soldiers were finished calling out all the names before she was finally told to come forward.

"Wait, you there, step forward," the man who had been calling out names said.

Mira stepped forward like she was told to and while Mira did so she lifted her head and looked the soldier dead in the eye.

She was pleased to see his expression shift to surprise and then to something that could have been respect. "Who are you?"

"I am Mira. Until recently I called my family's farm just outside the Imperial city my home. My father was a Nord and my mother was a Breton, but I identify myself as a Nord, thus the reason that I came to Skyrim."

The soldier sighed. "You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim then. Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list."

The woman that stood next to the man looked at the soldier in disapproval. "Forget the list, she goes to the block."

"By your orders, captain," the soldier turned to Mira. "I'm sorry, at least you'll die here; in your homeland."

Mira simply nodded when she was told to follow the captain and she did so with her head still high; like she wasn't scared. When she looked at the crowd she realized that one of the people who had been in the carriage with her, his name was Ulfric Stormcloak if she remembered it right, was looking at her. She stared back at him until the captain called for everyone's attention.

From somewhere far away a roar was heard, but the Imperial soldiers shrugged it off and the first person was called to the block. Mira flinched when the axe separated the man's head from his body, but that was the only sign that showed how she felt about the situation. Then they called her forward, to the block and at the same moment another roar tore through the sky.

Mira kneeled down in front of the block, trying to ignore the smell of fresh blood and the head in the box in front of her. She was suddenly glad that she had run out of food a day ago, now she could at least keep up the act of confidence. At the moment that the axe was lifted the ground beneath them shook and a huge black beast landed on top of the tower. The beast opened its mouth and an invisible force hit the men standing closest to the tower. The dragon opened its mouth again and this time the force hit Mira, but although the world around her got blurry and the force knocked her to her knees she didn't pass out like the other people who had been hit by whatever it was that the dragon used. Mira blinked in an attempt to make her vision go back to normal, but it didn't work.

"Come on, the guards won't give us another chance," someone yelled at her. When she lifted her head Mira recognized the Nord, the guards had called him Ralof, who had been in the carriage with her. He held his hand out to Mira, who got up and made her way to him, gladly accepting his offer to take her away from the now burning village. When Mira took Ralof's hand he guided her to the entrance of one of the towers of the city.

"Wait," Mira said once they were inside. "I need a moment to fix whatever that thing did to my vision." She concentrated on the healing spell that she had learned and once she felt the familiar warmth and strength of it flow through her body she pressed her hands against her closed eyes. She slowly moved her hands to her forehead and then to the side of her head before she finally quit casting the healing spell and opened her eyes. To her surprise there were other people in the tower; they were wearing the same armor as Ralof and all people in the tower but one appeared to be wounded. The only person who seemed to be perfectly fine was the man who had been called Ulfric Stormcloak.

"Jarl Ulfric," Ralof said. "Could the legends be true?"

"Legends don't burn down villages," Ulfric answered. The sound of his voice somehow made Mira feel very uncomfortable and yet there was nothing strange about it, or maybe it was not his voice, but simply his very being. He seemed to radiate a power that Mira had never felt before, not even around the powerful mage that had taught her about magic during the two months before she ran away.

Mira kneeled down next to one of the wounded soldiers and started trying to focus the healing spell on the soldier instead of on herself, but she lost her concentration when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When Mira looked up Ulfric slowly shook his head before removing his hand from Mira's shoulder.

"I can help them," Mira said. "Let me help them."

"You will need that for yourself if you ever want to get out of here alive, girl," Ulfric answered, but although he said it like it was the only right thing to do Mira saw sadness in his eyes and she realized that he hated leaving those people helpless as much as she did.

Ralof ran toward the stairs, where he looked back at Mira. "Follow me; we're getting out of here."

Mira ran after Ralof until they found a place where part of the tower's stone wall was missing, most likely because the dragon had destroyed it.

"See that inn over there? Jump through the roof and keep going. We'll follow when we can."

Mira gasped. "I'm supposed to jump… from here?"

"Yes, unless you want to die, of course," Ralof said simply.

Mira could not seem to get rid of the thought that jumping would kill her too, but she realized that Ralof was right, so she jumped. The landing hurt, but it had not killed Mira and she could walk, so she figured she was all right for the moment. Mira walked down the stairs and out of the inn, only to find out that the city was in a worse state than she had thought it would be, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment.

The man who had been checking the names of the prisoners was talking to a boy. "You're doing great, come over here now," the man ordered one of his soldiers to get the boy to safety and then he turned to Mira. "Still alive, prisoner? Stay close to me if you want to stay that way."

Realizing that she didn't have much of a choice Mira followed the man through the burning city. She was getting ready to run to the next building when she got pulled back and pressed against a stone wall.

"Stay close to the wall," the soldier said just moments before the dragon landed on the wall next to them.

From where they were standing Mira could finally see how big the thing really was. "By the nine…" she whispered while she studied the way the dragon sat on the wall, using his wings to support his upper body while he breathed fire across the city. It was in this very moment that Mira realized that she adored the animal's beauty just as much as she feared its power and she didn't just adore the dragon; she wanted to be it.

"Come on, we have to keep moving."

The soldier's words brought Mira back to reality and she followed him to the next building that offered them cover. The smell of burning flesh had started to fill the city. Burning human flesh, Mira thought. She was starting to feel sick. At that moment she almost literally ran into Ralof. The Nord turned to grab her arm and turned to the soldier that had helped Mira survive since she had jumped from the tower. "We're escaping, Hadvar, and you're not gonna stop us now."

"Fine," the soldier, Hadvar, yelled. "I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovengarde." Hadvar turned to Mira who was now getting dragged along by Ralof. "Stay safe," he said.

"You too," Mira answered before turning around to follow Ralof into the only building that was not on fire… yet.

They found a dead body in the tower, the trail of blood leading from the door to the body indicated that the person had successfully escaped the danger of the city, only to die after all. Ralof kneeled down next to the body. "May we meet again in Sovengarde, brother," he whispered before turning to Mira. "Looks like we are the only ones who made it, just let me get those bindings off you, then we should get moving. Take Gunjar's gear; he won't need it anymore."

Mira started taking the gear of the dead body, disturbed by the fact that she was stealing from a dead person, so instead of focusing too much on what she was doing she thought about the people she had left behind in the tower. "What about that guy, Ulfric, is he also…" Mira couldn't finish the sentence, she had thought about death too much already that day.

"I have not seen him again, but I refuse to believe he's dead," Ralof said. He had started to look for a way out of the room while Mira had started to change her clothes, which left the girl wondering whether he was just being polite or that he really didn't care about looking at her with that intention. Mira hoped for the last option; after all a man's attention was why she had left her home in the first place.

Ralof hit the wooden gate. "There's no way out of here."

At that moment voices in the hall captured the attention of both the Nord and Mira. "Who's that?" Mira whispered.

"Imperials," Ralof hissed. "Get your weapons ready."

Mira took the axe of the dead soldier in her hand, silently praying for at least a little bit of luck during this journey; axes had never been her strongest point, in her opinion they were too heavy, too big and they swung too slow. To make up for the bad weapon she focused her energy on the palm of her left hand to create a flame there.

Once the gate was fully open Mira aimed for the first person, ignoring the person's screams; she had recognized this person as the captain who had ordered her execution, so there was no reason to feel sorry for the woman. When the screams started to fade Mira swung the axe at the captain's neck to end her life. Ralof had already finished the man and he seemed ready to leave.

"Just give me a minute," Mira said. "I think this armor will fit me better than your friend's and- Oh, that's sweet, this should be the key of that door. Why don't you try it out?" She tossed they key at Ralof and started putting the captain's armor on. The woman's armor was much smaller than what Ralof had told Mira to wear and it fit her just right. After picking up the one-handed swords of the captain and the soldier Mira followed Ralof into the next room.

In one of the next rooms Mira picked up a couple of potions and some bread, eggs and salt. They continued their way until they found two Stormcloak soldiers in what looked like the torture room of the village. Mira grabbed a book, potion and a few lockpicks that were lying around.

"See if you can open that cage," Ralof said. "There might be some useful things inside."

Mira walked over to the cage and started messing around with the lock until it made a clicking sound and opened. Mira took the gold, potion and enchanted satchel of the mage's corpse. "It looks like we're ready to leave this place for good now."

Most of the journey through the dungeons that quickly made place for natural caves was very uneventful; it was dark and quiet and there were no encounters with any hostile creatures until they came close to their way out.

Ralof had stopped Mira and pointed out the animal that was asleep in the middle of the cave that had become amazingly wide and high at that place. "Let's sneak past it," he has said. "Unless you are feeling lucky and want to give this a try," and with those words he had handed Mira a bow and a few arrows.

Bows had always been Mira's favorite weapons so instead of sneaking past the animal she had sneaked only as close as she had to go to get a good view on its head. She had readied the arrow, aimed for the animal's forehead and then she had released the arrow. It pierced the animal's skull with ease and Mira realized the animal was dead when it neither looked up nor moved.

"Nice shot," Ralof said.

"Thanks," Mira answered. "We should be close to the way out now; bears never go too deep into caves."