Ties To A Redguard
Chapter 2: Cold Executions
Rayyri's head was fuzzy as she began to come to. She could hear the clopping of hooves on the hard ground and the squeaking of wood under her. The young woman opened her eyes and came face to face with the bright blue sky above. A swarm of birds flew across into directions unknown. Rayyri tried to move her arms to cover her eyes, but she couldn't separate them. Her hands were tied. Her current position didn't help them from being any less cramped. Rayyri groaned as she tried to pull herself up to sit up straight. She felt her head throb painfully and leaned over glancing at her torn pants. Blood stains seeped into the soft fabric down her legs and even on her shirt. The wind blew through her dreadlocks, giving her proof that her head wrap was long gone. Rayyri sighed and could feel tears sting the corners of her eyes. Before she could let herself get caught up in her emotions, a voice spoke to her.
"Hey, you. You're finally awake." Rayyri glanced up across from her seat and saw a man dressed in ragged, dirty blue and brown armor with his hands tied in front of him. He looked tired and broken and his blonde hair seemed as if it hadn't been washed in months. "I saw you. You were the one trying to cross the border. Hammerfell, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as the rest of us, and that thief over there." Rayyri glanced over to where the man was looking and saw another, more lanky man sitting next to the blonde. He had stringy brown hair that bounced with every movement of the large wooden cart that held them. He frowned at the blonde and scoffed.
"Damn you. Damn all of you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was just 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," he turned to stare at Rayyri with squinted eyes. "You there. You and me- we shouldn't be here right now. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants." Rayyri frowned. What was this man talking about? What was a Stormcloak? She remembered what her parents told her about the rebellion happening in Skyrim, but they didn't tell her and Raazelhen all that was happening. The blonde huffed and glanced down at his bindes solemnly.
"We are all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." Suddenly, a loud voice spat back at them from the front seat of the cart.
"Shut up back there!" The cart became silent once more. The blonde glanced up at Rayyri to meet her eyes. He gave her a small, reassuring smile. His blue-grey eyes held unadulterated kindness. Rayyri could tell that he had a good heart. He seemed as if he tried to do the right thing in all of his years. Rayyri took a better look at his face and came to the conclusion that this man wasn't as old as he let on. He appeared to be closer to her age than the others in the cart. A young man, but mature beyond his years.
"So, what's your story. You got a name?" the blonde man asked in a soft tone. Rayyri nodded and opened her mouth after clearing her scratchy throat.
"I-I'm Rayyri. I come from Sentinel." The blonde man's eyes lit up.
"Ah, the great capital of that fine land. You must be of wealthy blood." Rayyri's eyes watered suddenly, thinking back to her family. She could still smell the burnt flesh of her parents and could still feel the fear of watching her brother getting tied up, telling her to run as fast as she could away from their home. The home she knew all her life. The man stared at her distressed face and cleared his throat. "I-it's alright, you don't have to tell me if you're not up for it." Rayyri nodded and sniffed, blinking away the tears from her blue eyes. She decided to turn the subject onto him.
"What's your name? I'd like to know the people I will be sharing this ride with," she said glancing at the other two men in the cart by the blonde.
"Ralof," he answered. Before he could say anymore, the brown-haired man turned his head towards the gagged man sitting next to her on the far end of the cart and scoffed.
"What's wrong with him?" he asked. Ralof growled and whipped his head to face the lanky man.
"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." The brunette gulped and looked back to Ralof before staring in astonishment at the finely clothed man.
"Ulfric? Jarl of Windhelm? Y-you're the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you… oh gods, w-where are they taking us?" Ralof glanced up ahead and sighed deeply.
"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits," he glanced at Rayyri, "and for you, The Far Shores." The man next to him began to struggle against his binds, sheer panic was set in his wide, dark eyes. He looked around the cart to see if there was any means of escape without anyone noticing. To his dissatisfaction, there was none.
"No, this can't be happening. This isn't happening!" Ralof glanced over to him calmly.
"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?" The lanky man stopped his struggling and looked down at the blonde, scrunching up his face.
"Why do you care?" he asked. Ralof smiled slightly before giving his reason.
"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home." The man sighed and seemed to take Ralof's words into consideration.
"R-Rorikstead. I'm… I'm from Rorikstead." Rayyri glanced out ahead of them as saw that they were coming to what looked like a small village.
The cart crossed under a large arch and moved around the village roads. She glanced over at Ralof who cursed when he saw two figures sitting on top of their horses, chatting amongst themselves. One looked to be part of the Thalmor. Rayyri sneered. If it wasn't for the Thalmor, she wouldn't be where she was and her family would be just fine. Rayyri glanced behind her and saw a small Nord boy looking at them in wonder. His father opened the house door and scolded at him to get inside. The boy groaned and obeyed his father, giving one last glance back at the wagon. Rayyri sighed. She hoped by some great miracle sent by the gods, that she would live to see another day. But on one hand, if she died today, she would be reunited with her parents in The Far Shores for eternity. No pain, not worry, just blissful happiness for the rest of her afterlife. But Raazelhen is still out there! I have to stay alive to find him! Rayyri suddenly remembered that her brother was still alive. At least, she hoped so. If there was still a chance, then she needed to find him.
The wagon pulled up to a stone wall and stopped completely. The soldier who drove hopped down from his seat and met up with some of the others clad in the same red and brown leather armor he was. The man from Rorikstead began to shake violently, his eyes darted around the small village.
"W-why are they stopping?" Ralof sighed and glanced at the trembling man beside him.
"What do you think? End of the line. Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us." The trembling man started to lose it, shaking even more violently from the thought of facing death itself.
"No! Wait! We're not rebels!" Ralof stood up along with the man and rolled his eyes.
"Face your death with some godsdamned courage, thief." Rayyri stood up and followed close behind Ralof glancing around at the watchful eyes of the guards. She jumped down from the wagon and nearly tripped over her own feet. Her legs were wobbly and weak like a newborn lion. The man from Rorikstead turned to Ralof and lifted his bound hands, clutching onto Ralof's blue armor.
"Y-you've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!" Ralof frowned and shoved the man away from him. One of the Imperials called out to Rayyri and the other men.
"Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time!" Ralof scoffed at the captain with the list in her hand. She handed the list to the redheaded man next to her who pulled out a quill from the thin book and held it at the ready.
"Empire loves their damned lists," Ralof whispered to the Redguard woman. The redheaded man looked up from his list and called out the first name.
"Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm." Whispers and murmurs came from around the small camp when the name of the Jarl was said. Ulfric sighed and moved from the rest of the prisoners. Ralof frowned as he saw his leader walk towards the block with his head held high and his shoulders back.
"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric…"
"Ralof of Riverwood," Ralof gave one final lighthearted smile at Rayyri before heading to the block. "Lokir of Rorikstead." Lokir shook his head violently, screaming at the Imperials.
"No, I'm not a rebel! You can't do this to me!" Without warning, the man took off down the road towards the way they all came. The Imperial captain glared at him and shouted as he ran.
"Halt!" Lokir kept running as fast as he could back up the road.
"You're not going to kill me!" The captain glanced up at the archers and raised her hand.
"Archerors!" Lokir was downed with one arrow straight through his back. He gurgled on the thick, scarlet liquid before landing in a heap of his own blood on the ground. Rayyri winced back once she saw the man fall lifeless to the ground. She wished Ralof was still by her side. The captain asked if anyone else felt like giving what Lokir did a go before staring straight at Rayyri. "Wait, you there. Step forward. Who are you?"
Rayyri moved slowly up to the two Imperials and glanced down at her feet. She huffed and looked back up at them, challenge swimming in her bright eyes. She didn't utter a single word. No one needed to know who she was. Especially the Thalmor. Something told her that the Thalmor loved to gossip about their treacherous takeover stories. She had to be safe, even if they didn't know her by name. The redhead hummed and raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a once over.
"What are you doing here, Redguard? You a sellsword? A sailor from Stros M'kai?" Rayyri suppressed her tongue to bite back at the Nord. Clearly ignorant. Not every Redguard is a sellsword or a sailor. "Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list." The captain scoffed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her armored chest.
"Forget the list! She goes to the block with the rest of them." The redhead sighed and closed up the black book handing it to one of his fellow soldiers. He looked at Rayyri with a sorrowful face.
"By your orders, captain. I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Hammerfell," he motioned his head towards the captain who stomped away towards the block. "Follow the Captain, prisoner." Rayyri stared at him once more before turning towards the block, walking to the others. She stood close to Ralof once she joined the rest of the prisoners. He leaned down slightly and whispered to her.
"It'll all be over soon. You won't even feel it." Rayyri closed her eyes trying to think about anything other than what was about to happen to her.
She heard a man speak to the Jarl of Windhelm, but her mind was home in the warm sands of Sentinel. She could see her parents, alive and well, standing in the kitchen, making her favorite foods together as they chatted and flirted. She saw her brother sharpening his Scimitar, waving to her with his warm smile as she road away on Ra'esi. The beaming light shining off the golden roofs of her beautiful city seemed to calm her skittish nerves. Her vision was all she ever wanted until a loud, roaring noise entered her mind. Her eyes snapped open and glanced around at the others who also wanted to find what that noise was. Ralof glanced up at the sky with a frown.
"What in Oblivion was that?" he asked mostly to himself. Rayyri looked around the white clouds, finding nothing that could've made the noise. The redhead asked the same question before the white-haired man who was speaking to Ulfric brushed him off.
"It was nothing. Carry on." Rayyri couldn't help but to keep her eyes to the sky. Something inside of her prickled with anticipation. She got a feeling that they were being watched. Ralof glanced over to her with a frown.
"You alright, Snow Eyes?" Rayyri ignored the fact that the blonde man gave her a nickname as she continued to stare at the sky.
"I-I don't know. Something's wrong." Ralof wanted to pry her for something more, but was interrupted by the shouting of the captain.
"Next, the Redguard!" Rayyri snapped her eyes towards the captain. She suddenly couldn't feel her feet. Everything in her body ran cold with fear. No, not now. Not before I know my brother is alive! Ralof nudged her with his shoulder.
"The gods are waiting for you," he whispered. "You will be happier on the other side." Rayyri gulped before shuffling her heavy feet towards the block. This was it. She was about to join her parents and her brother didn't even know it. Rayyri kneeled down at the block and laid her head over to the side. The executioner leaned down and moved her long locks behind her head for a cleaner cut. The same cry rang out before them. Rayyri glanced up at the sky, the same feeling of dread washing over her.
"There it is again! Did you hear it?" the redhead asked his captain. She growled and pointed to Rayyri.
"I said, next prisoner! Stop holding us up, Hadvar!" Before anyone could say anything else, another cry roared from the southern peaks. Loud, rhythmic flapping grew closer and closer to the camp.
"Sentries, what do you see?" the captain shouted up to the other soldiers.
"It's in the clouds! By the Nine…" The soldier gasped as a large, black creature swooped down and landed on the tower, frightening everyone around. Rayyri heard one of the other men shout out the creature's name.
"Dragon!" The dragon roared and a swirl of colors thundered upon the sky, ripping apart the clouds and darkening the sun itself. The headsman was knocked dead next to Rayyri as a large rock pelted towards him, knocking him straight on the back of the head. Rayyri was knocked back from the block and rolled onto the ground. Her head spun from the force of the power coming from the dragon. Her ears rang sharply.
"Hey, Snow Eyes," a voice called out to her over the other men in the camp. "Get up!" Rayyri recognized the voice and lifted her aching head to look at the blonde man. His arms were unbound and he hoisted her up hastily by her elbows. "Come on, the gods won't give us another chance. Stay focused and follow me!" Rayyri nodded and Ralof pulled her along without warning.
Ralof pulled the red-tinted woman towards a tower near the chopping block. The dragon seemed too occupied with the other soldiers to notice them getting away. Ralof shoved her in and closed the door quickly behind him. Rayyri huffed as she glanced around. She noticed that the other prisoners were cowering inside along with Ulfric Stormcloak. He kept calm with his chest out and shoulders back. It was like he was used to highly stressful situations. Maybe a bit too used to it. Ralof gasped backing away from the door slowly. He whipped around to face his Jarl with wide eyes.
"Jarl Ulfric! What is that thing? Could the legend be true?" The Jarl frowned glancing down at the ground, pondering what that dragon could be doing in the small village.
"Legends don't burn down villages. We need to move, now!" He glanced over at Rayyri before glancing back at Ralof. "Take her and get out of here! I'll deal with the rest of the prisoners. Go!" Ralof nodded before grabbing Rayyri's elbow once more.
"Up through the tower. Let's go! This way, Snow Eyes!" Rayyri was too scared to protest as Ralof grabbed her elbow once more and ushered her up the stoney stairs. Rayyri saw a Stormcloak soldier trying to push away the large boulders out of the way. Suddenly, Ralof stopped her and pulled her close to him. "Hang on! Something is coming." He put his hand up on the trembling wall of the tower and looked up at the soldier. "Get out of the-"
"Toor shul!" The great black dragon landed on the opening of the tower and opened it's giant maw. As he said the exotic words, fire burst from the back of its throat, burning the soldier to his death. Rayyri gasped sinking further into Ralof's side. The dragon growled before flying back into the fray with the other soldiers on the ground. Ralof moved up the rest of the stairs and kneeled down by the burnt body of the fallen soldier.
"See you in Sovngarde, brother," he sighed before standing up and looking back at Rayyri. A fire burning in his eyes making the blue outweigh the grey. He walked up to the hole in the wall and glanced down at the damage the dragon caused. Buildings and bodies alike were burnt to a crisp as the black dragon swooped with thundering roars around the small village. Ralof glanced back up to Rayyri, getting her attention.
"See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going!" Rayyri gulped as she saw the large opening in the rooftop of the burning inn. She looked back at Ralof with a worried look.
"W-what about you?" Ralof grabbed her elbow gently and tugged her toward the large hole in the wall. He placed his other hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry about me, Snow Eyes. We'll follow you when we can! Go, go!" Rayyri moved towards and jumped out of the hole in the wall down into the burning inn.
She grunted as she landed on the top floor of the inn. The warmth from the fire pricked at her skin. She felt as if she was home again… No, Rayyri come on! You need to get out of here. Now is not the time to think about home! Rayyri stood up and jumped down the hole in the woodwork onto the ground level of the inn. Rayyri gasped as she saw the black dragon swooped over her head. She could feel her heart beating in her chest before she ran out of the inn looking for any way out. She quickly looked around her and saw the red headed soldier. She took her best chance and ran over to him. She was still bound and had no type of protection. An Imperial soldier is as good as any.
"Haming, you need to get over here now!" The small village boy quickly ran over to Hadvar with the other refugees hiding behind a pile of rubble. "Thataboy. You're doing great! Torolf! Gods… everyone get back!" Rayyri quickly ducked down behind the rubble along with the others as the dragon swooped overhead, blowing a stream of fire along with it. Hadvar growled and glanced over to Rayyri. "Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want it to stay that way," he glanced over to another guard. "Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join the defence." The other man nodded and kept the trembling boy close to him. Rayyri stood up straight and moved near Hadvar.
"Where to?" Rayyri yelled over the growls of the dragon. Hadvar snarled before taking off towards the stone wall of the village.
"Stay close to the wall!" Rayyri followed right behind him towards the wall. Once they reached it, they pressed up against it as the dragon perched right above them. Rayyri tried her hardest not to scream as the large black wings of the beast encircled them.
"Vor toor shul!" Another burst of angry fire burst from the monster's mouth, burning everything in its path. Hadvar stood frozen as he watched some of his comrades burn to death in the wake of the dragon's fire. He shook his head and noticed that it was distracted, giving them enough time to make it to the keep.
"Quickly, follow me!" He took off towards the burning house in front of them and weaved through the broken hallways and smashed boards. Rayyri tried her best to keep up with her hands tied. It was difficult to make sure that she didn't run into any of the burning wood of the house.
Once they made it out, Hadvar and Rayyri finally came up to the main gate. Rayyri glanced around as they stopped and saw soldiers firing arrows away at the beast. Nothing was working. Their efforts were in vain. Suddenly, Rayyri spotted a familiar face charge up to them with an axe in his hand. Hadvar snarled raising up his sword.
"Ralof! You damned traitor, out of my way!" Hadvar shouted. Ralof glanced at Rayyri and motioned with a quick jester of the head to come to him. Rayyri gave one final nod to Hadvar before jogging over to Ralof's side.
"We're escaping, Hadvar! You're not going to stop us this time!" Hadvar shook his head and snickered humorlessly.
"Fine. I hope that beast takes you all to Sovngarde." With that, Hadvar ran into the ongoing battle between the dragon and the rest of the Imperial soldiers. Ralof glanced at Rayyri and placed his hand on her elbow once more.
"Come on, Snow Eyes!" The blonde man pulled Rayyri towards the keep. The roaring of the dragon trembled the ground under their feet as they sprinted towards the door. Ralof burst through with Rayyri before slamming the door behind him. He placed his hands on the door breathing deeply. Rayyri leaned on the stone wall and huffed along with him. Skyrim was nothing she would've expected before.
"Do you… think they'll… find us in here?" Rayyri asked between each breath. Ralof stood up straight and glanced at her. A stoney look creased onto his face. He brought his hand up and rubbed at his slightly sweaty forehead before jogging down the long hallway towards a round room. He stopped once Rayyri was inside the room and closed the gate behind them, making sure it was sturdy enough to hold.
"We should move just in case they do decide to search here," he glanced around the round room and looked at the unmoving bodies that were strewn across the floor. Ralof sighed deeply before walking over to one of the many bodies that shared the same armors as his. "We'll meet again in Sovngarde, brother. Looks like we we're the only ones who made it." He stood up from the body and glanced at Rayyri, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "That thing out there… it was a dragon. No doubt. Just like the children's stories and the legends. The harbingers of the End Times," he sighed deeply. "We better get moving. Come here, let me see if I can finally get those bindings off." Rayyri moved towards him and held out her arms. Ralof grabbed a small knife from the belt of his armor and placed the blade under the bindings. With one swing, the rope dropped from the Redguard's wrists and fell to the ground. Rayyri sighed in solace and rubbed each wrist comfortingly.
"What do we do now? Those Imperials will surely find us if we stay here," Rayyri quipped after relieving her wrists of the building pressure within them. Ralof glanced down at his fallen comrade and nodded towards him.
"Take Gunjar's gear… he won't be needing it anymore. I'll keep watch as you get changed. Make sure you take the mace, too." Ralof stationed himself under the archway glancing down the hall.
Rayyri quickly leaned down and shuffled the armor off of the large man. She tried not to blush like a little girl when she pulled off his tunic, revealing his underpants. Rayyri, he's dead! Why would it matter if he's naked? Once the man's armor was off, Rayyri quickly removed her light shirt and brown pants. She sighed glancing down at the clothing. She wanted to keep them. They reminded her of home. Maybe she could fix them when all of this was over. She glanced around the room to see if there was any sort of knapsack she could use to place them in. To her luck, there was a dirty dark brown one not too far from where she was standing next to one of the fallen Stormcloaks. She walked over and grabbed it. She opened it up and saw that there were two apples along with a half a loaf of bread inside.
Rayyri moved back over to her place and grabbed her old clothing, stuffing them into the sack before closing it up. She grabbed the chain link armor and placed it over her head. She grabbed the leather tunic and put that over her head on top of the cool chains. The tunic stopped right over her knees, almost hiding them completely away. Rayyri then grabbed the boots and slipped them on, making them as tight as she could. She grabbed the leather belt and wrapped it around her to make sure the outfit didn't completely slide off of her smaller figure. The pockets sat close to her body giving her more room to place things if she ever needed them. The last thing was the signature dark blue wrapping. It seemed to be the Stormcloak's color of choice. She glanced at Ralof to see how his was placed around his body and tried to mimic it. She wrapped the top of it around her neck a couple of times before letting it fall on her left side. She glanced down in wonder on how to get it to stay put instead of letting it flap in the wind.
"Ralof?" she called out to the blonde. Ralof glanced back at her. "Can you, um… I can't figure…" Ralof snickered before jogging over in front of her for his assistance.
"You're supposed to put this on before the belt, Snow Eyes." He placed his large hands on Rayyri's belt and unbuckled it. He leaned closer to her to slide it away from her back and set it on the floor. He grabbed the torn blue wrapping and held it on the right side of her waist. "Hold it there." Rayyri brought up a hand and accidentally swept her hand over his gently. She could feel heat rise to her red tinted cheeks. Ralof didn't seem to notice as he reached down and grabbed the belt from off the floor. He wrapped it back around the woman's midsection and tied it up. "Is that too tight?" he asked in a soft voice. Rayyri glanced up into his blue-grey eyes and slowly shook her head. Ralof smiled warmly and made sure the belt wouldn't fall before removing his hands. He stepped back a few paces to look at her. "Humph, Stormcloak looks good on you." For the first time since she arrived in Skyrim, Rayyri gave a genuine smile.
Suddenly, voices could be heard from down the hallway. Ralof whipped his head around and bolted for the gate. He positioned himself behind the wall. And held up a finger to his lips.
"Quickly Snow Eyes, grab what you have and move to the wall!" Rayyri grabbed the knapsack and slung it around her neck across her body. She took the mace from the ground and ran over to the other side of the gate. Ralof's face scrunched up as the voices neared their position.
"Get this gate open." Rayyri recognized the voice belonging to the small Imperial captain.
"Imperial dogs!" Ralof hissed lowly. The soldiers opened the gate. A soon as one of them entered the room, Ralof attacked.
He swung his mace and knocked the Imperial over the head, making the helmet come clean off. The Imperials all roared and began attacking the blonde. Rayyri frowned and quickly sprung into action. She ran up to one of the soldiers and raised up her mace before swinging it hard into the soldier's back. The Imperial grunted and coughed up scarlet blood. Rayyri yelled and swung on his back once more, the blood exiting out of the leather, coating the mace. The Imperial gurgled before dropping to the ground dead with a thud. Ralof cried out as the blade of the other Imperial's sword slashed at his left bicep. Rayyri was about to help him, but the captain turned her eyes on her. The captain roared and charged at the Redguard with ferocity. She brought up her sword and brought it down hard, expecting to hack Rayyri's head. But what she was surprised to see, was a mace blocking her blow. Rayyri's legs were bent in a hard stance. Her eyes were filled with fire and hatred. All of her training came flooding back to her. Every single thing Raazelhen taught her filled her mind.
The Imperial captain didn't expect to see the prisoner with such a ferocity that she didn't see when the Redguard came off of the cart. This was not the same woman. Rayyri growled and pushed the captain away with one heave. The captain stumbled backwards. She quickly recovered and looked up, but it was too late. The Redguard woman made absolutely no sound as she charged towards the captain with the mace out in front of her. Rayyri lifted the mace and slashed the captain across the face. The captain's helmet bounced off her head while blood gushed from the side of her face. The captain held her wound with a shaky hand. Before she knew it, Rayyri was feet above her. The Redguard's eyes seemed to glow like a spark destruction spell from a well-trained mage. She suddenly began to spin quickly in the air. She was nothing but a whirlwind of blade. Rayyri spun quickly towards the stunned captain before the blades of the mace cracked on her right temple, into the woman's skull, smashing it to bits. Amongst Rayyri's spinning, the captain was flung from her place towards the stone wall. She hit the wall with a sickly smack before peeling off and collapsing to the floor. Rayyri landed on the floor gracefully, eyes closed, and arm stretched out towards the wall where the blood stain from the captain was.
Rayyri finally opened her eyes after a long, silent moment and stood up. She sighed and placed the bloodied mace in her belt before glancing up at Ralof. The blonde stared at her with amazement swimming in his eyes. Rayyri smirked slightly and walked up to him. She glanced down at his arm and saw that it was still bleeding. She glanced down on the ground at saw a dead Imperial laying on the ground. She leaned down and tore some of the red cloth off of the uniform. She stood back up and gently grabbed Ralof's arm. She wrapped the cloth carefully around the open wound and made sure it was tight enough.
"We need to clean it, just in case." Ralof was still staring. Rayyri looked him in the eyes and snickered a bit. "Come on, Ralof. Maybe one of these Imperials had a key." Ralof blinked before nodding slowly.
"Y-yeah, I'll check here. You check over there." Ralof gave her one final astonished look before leaning down to search for the key to the closed gate. Ralof sighed. He'd never seen anyone fight like Rayyri did. Even the most powerful of Stormcloaks didn't have the same ferocity that Rayyri carried in her ability to handle a weapon. When they got out of this… predicament, Ralof made a promise to himself to help the Redguard any way he could. There was something truly special about that one.
Ralof squinted his eyes as he lead the Redguard woman from the dark cave. Sudden flapping sounded from above them and the blonde grabbed Rayyri's wrist, pulling her down behind a boulder.
"Wait!" The great black dragon gave a mighty roar before flying off into the distance. "There he goes. Looks like he's gone for good this time. No way to know if anyone else made it out alive. But this place is going to be swarming with Imperials soon enough." Ralof stood up from behind the boulder and placed his hands on his hips. "We'd better clear out of here. My place is back in Riverwood, where my sister lives. She'll be willing to help you out, I'm sure." Ralof began to move down the path towards the village. "Come on, it's this way." Ralof took off into a jog down the hill. Rayyri sighed and followed close after him.
Even after their close calls with death, there was something peaceful and serene about the tall trees and sweet smelling flowers and herbs around the two. Rayyri had never been to Skyrim, but she remembered her father telling her about his many adventures across the borders of Hammerfell to the rest of Tamriel. Skyrim was a hearty place with people to match. The Nords were tough and cold along with the land they lived in. They had fierce pride in themselves and were built for war. Rayyri could remember sitting in her father's lap as he pulled out book after book regarding what he learned from the snowy land. Log after log of it's people, plant life, animal life, and culture as a whole filled the young girl's mind as she listened for hours at her father's soothing voice explain to her what he saw and experienced. As she got older, he finally told her about the rebellion. Unfortunately for her, she had no idea what was going on completely. Even Stormcloaks was a new concept for her to completely understand. Hopefully Ralof would be open enough to sit her down and explain to her, in detail, about the supposed civil war that was upon them.
As the two ran towards Ralof's home village, he spoke to her about all of the different things in Skyrim that he thought would be most interesting to discuss. He pointed out Bleak Falls Barrow, the ruin that sat atop the mountain that was across from his sister's place of residence. He voiced his opinion about how he didn't understand why his sister would want to live in the very shadow of that place. The two passed some very unhappy wolves and quickly took care of them before proceeding down the road. Rayyri suddenly saw three tall, oddly shaped stones that sat on a small cliff above the rushing waves of the fast moving river down below. Rayyri walked carefully towards them and stood in the middle of them.
The one in front of her had a etching of a mage holding up its staff on it. The one on her right had the etchings of a fierce warrior ready for battle. The last one on her left had the etchings of a thief with a pouch of some sort of valuables in it and cape covering it's face. Ralof walked up towards her and smiled at the stones.
"What are these? I've never seen anything like them before. Well, not outside of pictures in books." Ralof walked up to the stones and smiled fondly at them, placing his hand gently on the one with the warrior.
"These are the Guardian Stones, three of the thirteen ancient stones that dot Skyrim's landscape. All you need to do is place your hand on one of the etchings and the gods will send you great gifts." He stood back, motioning to the stones. "Go ahead, see for yourself." Rayyri glanced at each stone carefully. The only stone that really seemed to draw her was the one with the warrior on it. Redguards were the most naturally talented warriors in all of Tamriel. If the gods were said to grant gifts to those who use the stones, then Rayyri felt that she should pick the warrior stone.
She walked up to the stone and hesitantly placed her hand on the etchings of the warrior. She gasped as heat began to rise from her feet all the way up to the crown of her skull. The etching began to glow brightly and small tinkling sounds came from the top of the stone. A small ball of bluish-white light swirled into existence before a large bright beam of the light rose from the top of the stone into the clouds, towards the gods themselves. The light dimmed down after a moment and the heat left Rayyri quickly. She gasped and lowered her hand, glancing back up at the stone.
"Woah…" Ralof chuckled and nodded in approval.
"Warrior, good! Those stars will guide you to honor and glory. Any Redguard would be proud. Come now, Snow eyes. Riverwood isn't far now." Rayyri stepped away from the stones and walked back to Ralof's side. Ralof smiled down at her before walking calmly down the road.
"Why do you call me that?" Rayyri asked after a moment of silence.
"Call you what?" Ralof asked back.
"Snow Eyes." Ralof smiled heartly, chuckling slightly.
"You have very unusual eyes for a Redguard. They remind me of the aurora that happens near the colder parts of Skyrim. Sitting out on a snowy night in the mountains of Skyrim with a blue aurora over your head is one of the most peaceful things I've done. It helps me think. The way the color reflects off of the snow is basically the color of your eyes. So, Snow Eyes. Beautiful in every way." Rayyri smiled, feeling flushed from his complement. By the Nine, he's a smooth tongue, no doubt. Ralof glanced up ahead and smiled brightly. "Look we're here!" Rayyri glanced up and saw the large arch that was the entrance to the small village of Riverwood. Ralof took off running into town and Rayyri jogged on to catch up.
The town was quaint and simple but had a certain charm to it. The river rushed into the middle of the sleepy village giving it it's name. Children along with scruffy dogs ran and giggled around town playing in the afternoon light together. Guards clad in bright yellow and brown leather armor trucked around the small town with shields in hand and swords at their side. Ralof ceased his running and grabbed Rayyri's elbow. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Remember Snow Eyes, this isn't Stormcloak territory. If we're ahead of the news from Helgen, we should be fine as long as we don't do anything stupid. If we run into any Imperials just let me do the talking. It's the least I can do." Rayyri nodded in understanding and Ralof removed his grip on her. He lead the way across the river towards a lumber mill near the other side of the river. They came up to the large mill and Ralof glanced over to see a tall, blonde woman with the same blue-grey eyes. "Gerdur!" he sighed happily. The blonde woman glanced over from the large logs and smiled. She closed the small log book in her hands and set them on a tree trunk next to her. She picked up her faded green dress in her gloves hands and ran over to Ralof.
"Brother! Mara's mercy, it's good to see you!" She opened up her arms and wrapped them around her brother with a grin on her face. Rayyri tried her hardest not to feel pang of jealousy. You can't think about him. Not now. You need to get back on your feet. Find a good start on your quest to find him. Gerdur pulled back from her brother and frowned. "But is it safe for you to be here? We heard that Ulfric had been captured…" Ralof sighed and placed a hand on his sister's dirty cheek.
"Gerdur, I'm fine. At least now I am." The blonde woman pulled back from her brother and grabbed his arms checking him over like an overbearing mother.
"Are you sure? You're not hurt at all? What's this?" She placed a gentle hand on the red cloth that wrapped up the cut he got back in Helgen. Ralof moved her hand away with a roll of his eyes.
"It's nothing, Gerdur, really." Gerdur placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side.
"If it was truly nothing brother, then there would be nothing there. Come on, let me see." Ralof sighed and reached for the bindings. He carefully peeled it off to reveal the deep bloody cut on his bicep. Gerdur gasped and reached for his arm for a better look.
"By Ysgramor! How did this happen? Hod! Hod, come here a minute!" Ralof placed his head in his other hand and huffed.
"No, Gerdur don't…"
"Oh hush! Hod!" Another blonde man appeared out the back door of the house in front of the mill and began to walk towards them.
"What is it, woman? Sven drunk on the job again?" he asked with a playful smirk. Gerdur rolled her eyes before shaking her head.
"No, can you go in and get me a bowl of clean water and a rag, please?" Hod nodded. He was about to go inside but glanced at the man his wife was with. His face lit up.
"Ralof! What are you doing here?" Gerdur growled and pointed back to the house.
"Hod! Water. Now!" Hod held up his hands backing away.
"Alright, alright, by the gods, woman." The burly blonde entered the house to fetch what his wife needed. Gerdur shook her head before glancing up at Rayyri. She blinked and placed a hand on her forehead.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, where are my manners? Ralof, who's this? One of your comrades?" Ralof looked over to Rayyri and smiled warmly.
"Not a comrade yet, but a friend. Her name is Rayyri. I owe her my life, in fact. Is there somewhere all of us can talk? There's no telling when the news from Helgen will reach the Imperials…" Gerdur frowned.
"Helgen? H-has something happened…? You're right. Follow me." Gerdur lead the two away from the mill towards the edge of the river. Ralof plopped down on a tree trunk and leaned over with his elbows on his knees. Rayyri sat on a rock nearby and hunched over placing her head on her knuckles. Hod came back out of the house and walked over to his wife and handed the full bowl and rag to her. She thanked him before kneeling down to her brother. Suddenly, a little Nord boy with a scruffy dog following close behind ran over to the other adults.
"Uncle Ralof! the boy squeaked. "Can I see your axe? How many Imperials have you killed? How cold is it in Windhelm? Do your fingers and toes really freeze if you're up there too long? Do you really know Ulfric Stormcloak?" Gerdur placed the bloody rag back in the bowl and grabbed the boy's shoulder gently.
"Hush, Frodnar. This is no time for your questions. Go and watch the south road. Come and find us if you see any Imperial soldiers coming." The young boy huffed and slumped his shoulders.
"Aw mama, I want to stay and talk with Uncle Ralof!" Ralof chuckled and patted the boy on his shoulder.
"Look at you, almost a grown man! Won't be long before you'll be joining the fight yourself." The young Nord smiled brightly down at his sitting uncle and puffed out his chest prominently.
"That's right! Don't worry, Uncle Ralof, I won't those soldiers sneak up on you." Frodnar turned and marched with his chest still poked out towards the south side of the town with his dog right behind him. Ralof chuckled as he watched his nephew walk confidently away.
"Now, Ralof, what's going on? You two look pretty done in." Hod said glancing at his brother-in-law then at the tired Redguard. Gerdur folded the cloth neatly and fastened it around Ralof's clean wound. She picked up the bowl and stood up holding it close to her stomach. Ralof sighed and rubbed his face before reiterating what transpired back in Helgen.
"I can't remember the last time I slept… Where to start? Well the news you heard about Ulfric is true. The Imperials ambushed us outside Darkwater Crossing. Like they knew exactly where we'd be… that was two days ago. We stopped in Helgen this morning, that's where me and Rayyri met on the wagon. I thought it was all over for us. Had us line up to the headsman's block. They were eager to start chopping." Gerdur growled clutching the bowl tighter in her gloved hands.
"The cowards!" she hissed. Ralof continued.
"They wouldn't dare give Ulfric a fair trial. Treason, for fighting for your own people! All of Skyrim would've seen the truth then. But then, out of nowhere… a dragon attacked!" Gerdur and Hod glanced at each other with disbelieving looks. Gerdur looked back at her brother and placed a careful hand on his shoulder.
"You don't mean a real, live…" Ralof shook his head staring at the ground in front of him. His eyebrows lifted along with his sister's.
"Huh, I could hardly believe it myself, and I was there! As strange as it sounds, we'd be dead if it were not for that dragon. In all of the confusion and panic, we managed to slip away. And I mean it when I say I owe Rayyri my life. A fighter, this one is." Rayyri smiled slightly moving her eyes to the ground, flushing deeply. Ralof smiled at her with his bright blue-grey eyes flashing in admiration. He still couldn't believe what she could do back at Helgen. Suddenly, his smile dropped and he sighed deeply. He shook his head hard before looking up at his sister. "Are we really the first ones to make it to Riverwood?" Gerdur nodded.
"Nobody else has come up the south road today, as far as I know." Ralof nodded looking back over to Rayyri.
"Good. Maybe we can hold up here for a while. I hate to put your family in danger Gerdur, but-"
"Nonsense. You and your friend are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. Let me worry about the Imperials. Any friend of Ralof's is a friend of mine." She moved from her brother to the Redguard woman. She opened up the pouch on her waist and pulled out a small, bronze key. She lifted it up to Rayyri with a smile. "Here's a key to the house. Stay as long as you'd like." Rayyri glanced up at the woman before looking at the key. She shook her head in incredulity.
"Wha…? A-are you sure? For all you know, I could be some sort of assassin." Gerdur giggled lightly.
"I'm sure if you were an assassin, you'd be a pretty moral one considering you saved my brother from getting killed by Imperials. Go on, take it. You can come by whenever you want. At least until you find a place for your own." Rayyri stared at the key before moving her hand towards it. She gently grabbed it and took it into her hand.
"Thank you," she said quietly, her mind was fuzzy from all of the hospitality she was being shown. Her impression of Skyrim got better and better with each passing moment. Gerdur smiled down at her, closing her pouch.
"You're welcome. If you need anything just let me know. But there is something you can do to pay me back. The Jarl needs to know if there is a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenceless… We need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to send whatever soldiers he can. If you do this for me, I'll be forever in your debt." Rayyri nodded and stood up from the rock she sat on.
"Okay, I'll go. Which way is it?" Gerdur gasped slightly in surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry! By Ysgramor, I am really frazzled today. Come on, I'll get you a map from inside."
Gerdur began to walk towards the house. Rayyri shuffled along in her too big boots with Ralof and Hod chatting happily behind her. Gerdur opened the back door and held it open for Rayyri. The Redguard stepped in and looked around the moderately sized house with a smile. It was definitely different from Redguard architecture, but there was a warmth about it which contrasted well with the cold outside of Skyrim. Gerdur smiled at the joyful face Rayyri was making and giggled with a folded up piece of large paper in her hand. Rayyri glanced at the tall woman and saw the paper in her hands. She took it and opened it up to reveal a full map of Skyrim. It was incredible! I showed every single major citie and even the smaller towns and villages. She had no idea there was so much to explore and discover in Skyrim.
"Thank you, Gerdur. I really appreciate it." Gerdur held up a finger and moved to a small table with a large pouch on it.
"Don't thank me before I give you this. It's a pouch full of septims. I know they'll help you in the long run. Maybe you'll find a way to make your own." She handed the pouch to Rayyri with a smile. Rayyri shook her head and backed up slightly.
"Oh no, Gerdur. That's… that's too much. The key to your house is too much as is. I don't need your money, too." Gerdur rolled her eyes playful, wishing that the Redguard wouldn't be so stubborn and just take what she was offering her. She wasn't about to let this former prisoner go off into the harsh world of her province.
"Oh hush now, just take it. I don't want you to go off into the city without any money. It'll get you a room in Whiterun if you need it." Rayyri bit her bottom lip before grabbing the pouch. Her heart was swelling. It was so overwhelming! No one outside of her family has ever been this nice to her. Maybe wasn't so bad after all.
"You don't know how thankful I am, Gerdur. Really, thank you so much. For everything." Gerdur smiled warmly.
"Trust me, it's the least I could do for saving my brother. He's… he's all I got, family wise, that is. If I lost him… Oh, I shouldn't think about that. I'm just glad he's safe." Rayyri nodded.
"I completely understand, Gerdur. I-I have a brother, too and he's the most important person in my life right now." Gerdur smiled.
"Aw, where is he now?" Rayyri sighed deeply.
"I don't know. The Thalmor… they invaded Sentinel and they… they killed my parents before taking my brother… I've been on the run ever since. That's how I ended up in the hands of the Imperials. I crossed the border from Hammerfell…" Telling another person her story was something she never expected to do. Not so soon, at least. Even though she left some of the more gruesome details out. Gerdur's smiled dropped and a look of sorrow fell on her face.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. That's awful! Do you have any idea of where he is now?" Rayyri shook her head.
"Not a clue. But I have a feeling he's alive. He just has to be. I need to find him. I have no idea on where to start, but I'm betting that this map can help me." Gerdur smiled slightly.
"Yes, it has all of the major cities on it. Start with those and work your way down, I guess." An awkward silence soon befell them before the front door opened to reveal a laughing Hod and Ralof. Hod glanced up at them both and stopped mid-step.
"Did we, uh, interrupt something?" he asked, taking note of the two women's faces. Gerdur shook her head.
"Oh no, Rayyri was just telling me about...about… about how she can't wait to explore some of Skyrim's ruins! Isn't that right, Rayyri?" The Redguard stared down at the grinning blonde who motioned her head towards the two large men in the doorway. She nodded thankfully to Gerdur and placed a matching grin on her lips.
"Yeah, I've heard so many stories about the hidden treasures that are deep under the ground with the dead of the ancient Nords. My father told me about his adventures and I've wanted to go ever since!" Hod chuckled stepping into the house with Ralof behind him. He closed the door and moved over to the fireplace.
"Well, you won't be disappointed. Just be careful. Some of those ruins are crawling with all sorts of creatures." He placed a few logs into the fireplace before picking up two rocks from the ground next to it. He hit them together a couple of times before flames jumped onto the logs and began to quickly spread, creating a warm golden glow around the house. "How about you stay for dinner, Rayyri? I'm making my special Horker stew." Gerdur giggled and began to set the table for dinner. Rayyri raised an eyebrow.
"Horker stew? I've never had it." Hod stared up at her in disbelief.
"Never had it?! Well, it's about time you did, ma'am!" Ralof chuckled as he poured himself some mead into a cup. He glanced at Rayyri and held up the bottle.
"Want some, Snow Eyes?" Rayyri was about to shake her head, but then noticed how completely and utterly famished she really was.
"Sure… uh, please." she finished. No need to lack manners in someone else's home. Ralof smirked at her added words and grabbed another cup and poured some mead into it. He closed the bottle back up and handed the cup to her. Rayyri thanked him and took a large gulp of the cool drink. It burned the back of her throat, but she didn't care one bit. It was the most refreshing thing she had in awhile. In a matter of moments the drink was emptied from the cup into her stomach. Ralof stared at her as she gulped down the drink. Not only was this woman a killer with any weapon put in her hand, but she also knew how to down a drink when given to her. She was full of pleasant, very pleasant surprises.
"Want some more, Snow Eyes?" Ralof asked with a chuckled. Rayyri smiled and held out her cup. Ralof shook his head and opened up the bottle pour more of the delicious liquid inside. Ralof hoped that she would consider joining the Stormcloaks. Maybe, just maybe, this Redguard woman that was captured unfairly by the Imperials was the key to winning this war.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you, Snow Eyes?" Ralof asked as the woman wrapped the long, dark brown cloak around her body. The woman was finally in some correctly sized clothing that Gerdur lended to her. Of course with their very different body shapes, the blonde woman made a few adjustments before giving them to Rayyri. It consisted of some light brown pants, worn fur boots, fur gauntlets, and a loose fitting white top. She tightened her belt around her waist and made sure she had enough food in her waist pouch. She grabbed her knapsack from the table and slung it around her body, opening up to also make sure she had the map and a small jug of water with her. She closed it up and placed her mace in her belt and grabbed the large hood from the cloak and placed it over her head. She gave a worried Ralof a smiled.
"I'll be fine. I know the way there, I studied the map all night, remember?" Ralof nodded crossing his arms over his loose dark blue shirt. He still didn't like the idea of Rayyri going off alone in the middle of a Province she wasn't familiar with. It unnerved him to no end.
"I still don't like you going off alone. I think I should come with you, Rayyri. Just to be safe." Rayyri rolled her eyes and headed towards the door. Ralof followed quickly after her to the cool early morning air of Riverwood. "Rayyri, I would feel a lot better, you know!" Rayyri stopped in the middle of the road and slowly turned to face the blonde.
"Look, I know you think I need more help, but I'll be okay, I promise. You've seen me fight, you know what I can do!" Ralof scoffed and ran a hand over his pulled back hair.
"I know, but there are creatures out in the wilds of Skyrim that you've never encountered before. You said so yourself at dinner! Just… let me walk you to Whiterun. Please." Rayyri sighed, taking a good look at the distressed look on the tall man's face.
"Ralof, I really do appreciate you wanting to help, but I need to do this by myself. Gerdur really wants me to do this for her and Whiterun isn't even that far from here. It just over the hill." Ralof seemed to twitch in worry, thinking about all of the worse possible happenings that could easily take away the Redguard's life. He was even more worried since he knew that great black dragon was somewhere out there doing Sovngarde knows what. Rayyri noticed his agitation and walked up to him. She placed her hands gently on his broad shoulders and smiled up at him.
"I'll be fine. Plus, you should be more worried about heading back to Windhelm to help with the other Stormcloaks. Remember the others that passed through last night? I'm sure they're wondering if they'll get to see you soon. You should be worried more about your journey back. It's a lot more difficult than mine. I'll be okay, Ralof." Ralof sighed and looked her in her bright snowy blue eyes that he found himself attracted to the more he stared into them.
"Fine. Just, be careful, Snow Eyes." Rayyri placed a hand on his cheek and smiled.
"I'll write to you whenever I can if it makes you feel better," Rayyri glanced up at the sun's position and pulled away. "I should go. Goodbye, Ralof. We'll see each other again." Ralof smiled and nodded. Rayyri waved once more before turning towards the exit and headed down the road towards Whiterun. Ralof prayed for his newfound friend to be safe. But what he didn't know, was that Rayyri was destined by the gods for bigger things then they could both even comprehend.
Hey guys! Sorry this took so forever long as molasses on a hot summer day in a turtle's shell, but I'm here now and I made it extra long for all of you. I hope you all love it! I'm actually really excited for getting into the story more. I hope you all love Rayyri and don't worry Ralof won't be the love interest...OR WILL HE? HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHUH!...sorry. Ahem anyway, Review and stuff! I'll see you in the next chapter guys!
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~TheRedWolf