Chapter Two
"You believe the dragon rumor?" Raphelm's heavy sigh of exasperation made me wish I had kept my thoughts to myself. However, I felt the need to warn him that there is real danger. He appears so willing to do anything for my safety, the least I can do is tell him why I felt the rumor is more than just a rumor.
"Do you remember the stories my father used to tell us when we were little? The tales about his grandfather's adventures? He traveled to almost every region, if you recall; all across from Skyrim to Elsweyr. Do you remember what he found?"
"Everything, it seemed. All sorts of creatures and abandon ruins. I don't remember any stories about dragons though," he said after some thought.
"On the contrary," I smiled, "he found a couple dragon skeletons in some ruins in the mountains of Skyrim. That is proof that they once were. Do you remember the story now? I remember it as if my father told me just this morning. I loved sitting right here next to this fireplace and listening to those grand, old tales. Stories of escaping this small village and Cyrodiil all together. Stories about ruins and magic and silt striders and the old ways."
"Oh, yes, that's right. I forgot that your family tend to believe in Talos worship. One ragged adventurer says he found a few old journals and stone carvings about some hero-god and a whole family falls in line with him." I could see the annoyance in his eyes. Raphelm's family were rather religious for a family this far from a temple, making a pilgrimage to Anvil before every harvesting season to pray to the eight Aedra for a bountiful crop. Once, when Raphelm was very young, they even made the pilgrimage to Akatosh's shrine south of Bruma. My father always said that if Talos, the beginning of the Septim Empire, wasn't truly a god then how did the Septims become so blessed in their life and succession, and my great-grandfather believed he found proof of this in the snowy mountains of Skyrim. It was then established in my family that we will worship the nine Aedra, including Talos, rather than just the eight. Since the rise of the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion, as well as the signing of White-Gold Concordat, very few people will do this and even less will speak on the subject publically.
"The old way" is how people in our area have begun to refer to it. Before the out-lawing of Talos, it was a common thing to worship the "Dragon of the North". Talos was accepted as one of the Aedra that made life for people beautiful and full of amazing things like adventure and magic. Dragons, on the other hand, were fault of the gods' opposing force. These opposing creatures, Daedra, found their way onto our plane of existence from the planes of Oblivion. People began to worship the Daedra, and this angered the Aedra. Akatosh, the chief deity, became so enraged that he sent dragons onto the lands to punish beings for their disloyalty. Now, the Aldmeri Dominion are preventing recognition of a soul that Akatosh himself declared worthy of becoming a god, and I have a growing fear that history will repeat itself.
"The true ways," I corrected him. "My great-grandfather found evidence proving Talos's ascent. Father said that there are still many people in the other realms who still worship Talos in private. If I had it my way, that would be where I would be heading." I gave a soft sigh as I recalled the glorious bed-time stories about the tropical southern regions with the Khajiit and Argonians, and the snowy northern regions with the Nords and Dark Elves.
"Perhaps that's just what I'll do. I bet I could cross the border into Black Marsh near the Blackwoods. Or maybe if I go by the waterway in Bravil I can sneak into Elsweyr…" It was only a bluff, but I wanted to make it as believable as possible so I stood up and began packing a bag with vegetables.
"Are you insane?! What you speak of is madness! Elsweyr and Black Marsh are off limits to Tamriel citizens without traveling papers. They haven't allowed someone to cross a border without written permission from a noble in almost two centuries. If they catch you, they will not hesitate in killing you. Not even your looks can get you out of that one." The anger was very apparent in his face. The way he clinched his jaw and let the fierceness shine in his eyes almost made him handsome. It made me want to see how far I could push him.
"I believe, then, it is time for me to find out why they are off limits." I grabbed my new bow and quiver and reached for the doorknob, giving Raphelm a teasing smile as I did. He began to see the joke in my eyes, so instead of yelling he smiled and jumped to block the door. But as he did, a deafening noise filled the air. It was a deep bellow and a high pitched squeal at the same time.
"By the gods! What is that?!" Raphelm shouted.
I couldn't force words to my lips; I could only stand there in complete comprehension of what was happening and the immanent doom that was to follow. I could see Raphem's face ashen as he began to realize what I already knew.
"Emi, you need to take a breath," that was when I realized I hadn't been breathing, "It cannot be a…" Before he could finish another piercing noise forced us to cover our ears. "I think something must have blown up at the mill! I need to go check it out!" He began to reach for the doorknob, but stopped when I grabbed his arm.
"No! You can't go out there! You can get hurt!" I pleaded. This boy who was so desperate to protect me knew what he would open the door to find, but wanted so bad for it not to be true he would do it just to reassure me that it was safe. That is when we started smelling the smoke.
"The mill is on fire! I most go and help, Emi. You stay here and stay safe." Raphelm wriggled his arm out of my grasp and slid out the door, careful to shut it quickly behind him. It didn't matter how quickly the door was shut, though, because I was able to catch a glimpse of what was happening to the village. My eyes met a sheet of smoke so thick that I was unable to see a hint of the house opposite to mine. My ears filled with the screams of my neighbors.
I heard them only a couple at a time and they were mostly only women and children. Then there were more, and were the deep bellows of men under attack. I was frozen where Raphelm left me, my breathing becoming rapid as I panicked. Smoke began seeping through the cracks in my door and windows and started to fill the room. However, it became so thick that I knew it couldn't only be coming from outside. My home was on fire. I already had a bag packed and a weapon in hand. I could walk out now and escape this village. But what will come of Raphelm? Is he safe?
Before I could think about it anymore, I grab the edge of my shirt and wrap it around my hand in order to turn the metal latch. I throw myself through the door onto the smoky road that ran in front of my house. I give myself half a second to get my bearings – and it seemed to be a very long half a second. I cannot see more than three feet in any direction of myself, and when I look up all I can see is the bright fires coming off several rooftops. I duck as I hear another unearthly roar tear through the night. It sounded like it was right on top of me. I start to choke on the thick, poisonous air and tears come to my eyes. I can't decide if the tears were from the smoke or for Raphelm. If he were dead, there would be nothing I can do to stop it. If he were injured, his mother was the best healer in town. If he were alive and safe, I pray to the gods that he stays that way.
I make my decision. I quickly turn myself around and sprint towards the forest, praying to the gods that the smoke clears soon. However, the smoke appears to only get thicker the closer I get. I panic at the thought of the woods being on fire. I could be hurling myself into a fire pit and be unable to get out. I keep my legs moving forward however, deciding that it's my only choice for escape.
I crash into the thick brush at the edge of the woods at the precise moment another screeching bellow shot through the air, relieved as I realized that this one sound a little farther away. I run until the smoke becomes thin, stopping only a little while to inhale the air and clean my lungs before running down a steep hill and then up another one, fighting my way through the brush as I go. I finally slow my pace as I pass the Jode Stone, leaning on one of the cool rocks in the circular formation and glancing at the tall one in the center. The trees begin to become sparser and I begin to stumble blindly from large rock to large rock, with only the light of the two moons and the vague fire light behind me. As I crest another large hill, my smoke-filled lungs finally get the better of me and cause my chest to begin to heave. I look back towards my village to see a pillar of smoke and flame. Off in the distance I can hear the echoing roars of a dragon. My legs, too tired to keep my broken body up, give out and I fall sobbing to my knees under a tree.