"Rhiannon..." Nameless squinted at the parchment then looked at me. Well...looked down at me. "You from Daggerfall, Breton? Fleeing from some court intrigue?"

I didn't feel that they needed a long history lesson about me, so I simply shrugged.

"Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list?"

"Forget the list, she goes to the block."

"By your orders, Captain. I'm sorry, we'll make sure your remains are returned to High Rock. Follow the Captain, prisoner."

Before I could protest, I felt a foot fly out of nowhere and kick me forward. I had no choice but to stumble after the Captain, whose strut made me want to reach out and throttle her. However, with the impending sight of the headsman's axe, I decided against it.

"Ulfric Stormcloak." It was Mr Shiny now. He seemed to have been waiting for me to begin his speech. Arrogant, attention-seeking bastard. "Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like the voice to murder his King and usurp his throne."

Ulfric gave a muffled grunt, though he didn't really look capable of anything else.

"You started this war!" Shiny raised a finger and pointed it accusingly at Ulfric. He looked rather stupid, to be honest. "Plunged Skyrim into chaos! And now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace!"

A roar reverberated through the mountains. Every head snapped up, staring around wildly for the source. "What was that?" Nameless asked, a quiver of fear in his voice.

Sheogorath turned to Alduin, a look of bemusement on her face. "What was that?"

"Oh - my stomach, sorry!" Alduin looked sheepish. "I thought there actually was going to be some cheese at your festival."

"It was nothing. Carry on." Shiny gestured with a bored expression to the chopping block.

"Yes, General Tullius!" Way to stick your nose even further up his arse, I thought venomously. "Give them their last rights."

"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our belo-"

"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!" I suddenly realised that almost everyone around me was dressed in strange blue attire. One of these people was who interrupted the priestess (who, I noticed with a smirk, looked highly disgruntled)

"As you wish." She hissed.

The brazen man walked forward, lowering his head onto the block. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials, can you say the same?"

I heard the swipe of the axe as it danced through the air, averting my gaze just before I heard the sickening thud. Bile rose in my throat as I looked back and saw the man's body slump to the ground, headless.

Yells tore the air "You Imperial bastards!" "Justice!" "Death to the Stormcloaks!"...though they all merged into one so it sounded rather like "You Imperial Justice the Stormcloaks!"

"As fearless in death as he was in life." Ralof murmured, his voice heavy.

"Next, the Breton!" Shiny Captain pointed straight at me. I spun around, hoping there would be someone else there. But every face was turned towards me.

"Crap." I squeaked.

"Alduin, control your stomach!"

"I'm sorry, I'm hungry!"

"There it is again! Did you hear that?" Nameless seemed to be taking over Crappy's job.

"I said, next prisoner." Shiny bared her teeth.

Nameless turned to me. The look of pity on his face didn't really make me feel better. "To the block, Rhiannon, nice and easy."

Taking a deep breath, I walked the last few steps of my life. The block rose up before me, still beautifully spattered with the last guy's blood, and I found my eyes unable to shut as I watched the axe impale the sky, ready to swing...

"Alduin, what on Oblivion are you doing?"

He jumped from the mountainside they were stood on, seeming to soar across the sky before landing right in the middle of Helgen. Sheogorath went to follow him, but recoiled as she saw the huge gap between her and the ground. What on Nirn was wrong with him?

"WHAT IN OBLIVION IS THAT?"

It was obsidian black, like the darkest night, and crashed onto the roof of the keep. It unfurled its great, spiked wings and fixed its eyes...on me.

"DRAGON!" The scream came from all around me.

The dragon opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar, the force knocking me back. I hit the ground, hard, and the last thing I saw was the sky consumed by fire as boulders rained down. The cracking of bones rent the air, screams of pain and terror filling my ears. Before all went still...