Rognvald crept past Honningbrew Meadery as quietly as he could. The building showed signs of damage, and the door was crudely propped in the entryway. If he strained his ears, he could hear the growling sounds of the Falmer… and what seemed to be the squeaking noise of skeevers. Odd, he thought, as he moved on. A few Falmer looked out the windows, sniffing the air, and Rognvald froze in his steps; but the wind was blowing towards him, and the Falmer turned away. Rognvald sighed with relief, and continued on.
When he was above the meadery, Rognvald broke into a sprint. He had to get to Riverwood as soon as he could. A few birds tweeted nearby, and a deer ran across his path. Those were all good signs; the Falmer had not yet reached the small mill town.
A guard on top of Riverwoods gate saw the Dragonborn approaching.
"Hail, Dragonborn." He put his hand on his chest in a traditional salute. The Dragonborn nodded.
"Have you seen any Falmer about, guardsman?" The guard chuckled.
"The snow elves? No, Dragonborn." Rognvlad slowed up, realizing they had not heard of the attack yet.
"You haven't… Gods, you're not ready."
"Ready for what?" Rognvald stared up at the guard.
"The Falmer have emerged from underground and are besieging Whiterun."
"Are you drunk?" The guard laughed, until he saw the look on Rognvalds face. "By the Gods, you are not. I will warn the townspeople." Within a few minutes, Rognvald was staring over the small crowd that was the population of Riverwood.
"My friends, I am sorry to return with such bad news; but the Falmer are going to attack. Most likely tonight." The citizens went from snorts of disbelief to muffled screams and gasps of terror as they realized the Dragonborn was serious.
"We're all dead! Drinks for everybody!" Cried the town drunk, Embry.
"Well, looks like it's time to head to Cyrodil," grunted Lucan
"Quiet! All of you! There is no time for drinking or evacuation. The Whiterun guard and the Companions are about to launch an attack on the Falmer surrounding the city, and when they do, they will probably drive a few towards Riverwood. We have very little time to prepare."
"Wait, you mean you are staying? To protect us?" The townsfolk stared straight at Rognvald.
"Yes, I am. I made the promise to you after that dragon attacked that I would protect this village from harm. And I keep my damn promises! Now, are you going to stand with me, or are you going to let me protect your homes by myself?"
The townspeople cheered. Rognvald smiled, and immediately began to make preparations.
Riverwood was a defensive nightmare. The river it was named for provided a means for attack that avoided the walls. And the walls didn't even have gates. The townsfolk were not soldiers (except for the guards), and there were children to protect.
Rognvald, after a brief deliberation with Alvor and Hod, decided on a more defensive plan. Sigurd, Gerder, the children, and Camilla would be at the top of the Riverwood trader, with a woodcutter's axe handy to destroy the stairs if the town fell. Faendal would be stationed on top of the inn with a guard, ready to fire upon any Falmer that approached the town from the direction of Whiterun. The other two guards and the rest of the townsfolk constructed barricades to at least make passing through the gates a hindrance. It was a makeshift defense, but it would have to do.
Almost as soon as the barricade was finished, a crashing sound echoed through the air. Rognvald cursed.
"The attacks beginning; we don't much time now." He glanced at the sun- they just had a few hours left of sunlight.
"We will stand fast, Dragonborn," said Alvor, dressed in the iron armor he had crafted long-ago, hammer in hand.
"Aye," nodded Hod, who was dressed in an old padded-leather cuirass, his war axe at his side.
"I hope so." The defenders of Riverwood scattered around the town, hiding behind barrels and buildings, preparing for the inevitable attack. They waited for what seemed like an eternity, the sound of more impacts reaching them faintly.
Faendal alerted, pointing at something. The guard who was with him looked, nodded, and the two nocked arrows to their bows. The men on the ground adjusted their stance. Rognvald closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.
Lydia was laughing. The two were walking along the road towards Ivarstead, and Rognvald was making jokes to pass the time. She pulled the hair out of her face, and their eyes met. They stopped, and…
*Swish* *Swish*
The sound of arrows being loosed brought Rognvald back from his reverie. A Falmer screeched somewhere in the distance, and then all Oblivion broke loose.
Arrows immediately began to fly through the air. Faendal and the guard returned fire, but where quickly forced to reposition by a storm of poisoned arrows. The sound of the Falmer talking and screeching came progressively closer. The wood elf and the guard retreated to the rear of the town, and readied their bows, aiming at the barricade.
The Falmer began to climb over the makeshift barrier, growling with exertion. Two fell with arrows in their chests. A Falmer with a bow fired over the barricade, hitting Faendal in the thigh. He collapsed to the ground, writhing as the poison spread through his body. The guard threw down his bow and drew his sword, as the other defenders of Riverwood stood up and charged.
Rognvald dodged the wild swing of an axe, and brought his hammer crashing down on the head of the Falmer who had engaged him. He turned as a blade bounced off his armor, and broke the knee of another. He raised his hammer high and turned the fallen Falmer's head to pulp. He looked for more targets, but the Falmer were crawling back over the barricade.
"They'll be back," he muttered, and he turned to rally the defense.
Faendal was doing poorly from the poison, and Embry was dead, a Falmer sword in his chest. The rest of the defenders had little more than a few scratches and scrapes. They were gathered around the fallen drunk, looking sheepish and sad.
"Move the body; we can mourn him later. We need to prepare for the second wave." Rognvald knew that sounded heartless, but they needed to do what needed to be done. They stared at him for a second before his words registered, and Embry was dragged inside the Sleeping Giant. Faendal was carried to the second floor of the Riverwood Trader, where his wound was immediately seen to.
With their main archer gone, Rognvald decided to reposition the garrison around the gate, ready to bushwhack the Falmer as they vaulted the barrier. Lucan was sent to watch the river, with instructions to signal them if the Falmer tried to attack from that direction. It was getting darker, and rainclouds began to appear in the sky.
"Damn," whispered Rognvald. "Damn, damn, damn!" The Falmer could probably feel the warmth of the sun dissipate, and were waiting for the defenders vision to be obscured. A light drizzle began to fall, and the wind began to blow hard and cold.
They waited for what seemed like hours. Then, a strangled scream came from the river. The defenders looked to see Lucan be impaled by an ice-spike sent by a Falmer emerging from the river.
"Mage!" bellowed Rognvald, as the sound of the Falmer came from all directions.
"I'll deal with him; protect the gates!" Rognvald rushed towards the mage, who readied another spike.
"WULD!" Rognvald shot forward, swinging his hammer as he did. The Falmer mage was taken aback at this sound, and was beaten to the ground. Rognvald turned to see how the gate defenders were doing.
They were hard pressed. Orgnar had fallen, and a guard was on his knees, his shield buckling under a Falmer's frenzied assault. The rest of the defenders were being pushed back, giving ground as they swung their weapons.
"WULD!" The Dragonborn rushed into the middle of the fray, braining a Falmer who had turned to face him. He fought like a madman; but it was not enough. There were too many Falmer climbing over the barricade. The guard on his knees fell; Hod stumbled as a sword stabbed his side. All seemed lost…
"Get back!" Shouted Rognvald, "Get behind me!" The remaining defenders did so. Rognvald looked, and saw Orgnar struggling weakly to stand up, obviously not viewed as a threat by the Falmer.
The Dragonborn made a decision.
"YOL TOOR SHUL!" A large spout of flame erupted from Rognvald's mouth, engulfing the Falmer, the guards body, Orgnar, and the barricade in flames. Screams erupted, and the Falmer will to attack… collapsed. They fled in apparent terror from the shout, and were finished off by the defenders still standing.
But Rognvald simply stood, staring at the ground. Orgnar was still alive when he had used the shout… he had killed a fellow defender… but it was for the greater good… wasn't it? He shook the thought away. He had saved Riverwood… or what would be left of it…
The Falmer did not attempt another attack that night, and when morning came, Rognvald collapsed in a bed in the Sleeping Giant, and slept. Gerder thought she heard him crying to himself before he drifted off to sleep, but disregarded that thought. The Dragonborn was more than a mere mortal; the deaths the previous night shouldn't affect him at all…
Right?