The Hollows/The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Gods Be Damned

Prologue

Ivy walked up the front walk of her home. Any other night, her hips would have been sashaying in her high heeled stiletto boots. Tonight, though, she was limping home, not feeling sexy at all in her leather pants and tank top, especially after getting sick all over it. She didn't want to be here, but she was forced to walk for the door, whether she wanted to or not.

She stumbled on the first step, falling along the length of the steps as Piscary let his control of her slip. Tears leaked down her cheek, not from the pain of falling, but for what she was sent here to do. Piscary, her master vampire, the man whom she had looked to since before she started school, had just sealed her fate. She was dying of blood loss, and no doctor in the city would see her. Piscary would make sure of it.

No, she was sent here to die in the arms of her friend, Rachel Morgan. Piscary knew Rachel had developed feelings for Ivy over the few months they had lived together. Knew it was because of Rachel that Ivy had stopped being a 'proper vampire.' So he had devised a cruel way for Rachel to die at Ivy's hand. Ivy would die in Rachel's arms, in such a way that ensured she would rise again moments later as an undead vampire, and then in her hunger fueled state, would either dominate Rachel into submission, or rip Rachel's throat out.

Ivy heard the door to the church open, and her heart sank as she half hoped Rachel would have already been asleep so she wouldn't have heard Kisten dropping her off. Rachel helped Ivy to her feet, using her smaller frame to bolster Ivy's flagging strength. Ivy knew her time was coming, could feel her heart already skipping a beat at every second pump. Ivy opened her mouth to warn Rachel, but Piscary's influence on her kept her from forming words.

Inside the church, Ivy's failing strength finally caused her to fall, even as they were almost to the bathroom so she could wash the sick off her. She could feel it now, that she wasn't on holy ground. Her time was close. Rachel held her, her body heat doing nothing to warm her cooling skin. Ivy forced her body to lift her head, even as it took the last of her strength. With that one last act, her head lolled onto Rachel's shoulder, never to move under its own power while her heart still beat.

She could see Rachel's tears, her face as it scrunched up as she realized her friend was dying. Ivy wanted to comfort her, but Piscary still controlled her mind. She wouldn't be allowed to do anything until it was too late.

"Ivy, I'm sorry," Rachel whispered, as she held her close, her sobs as she cried for her dying friend wracking Ivy with every heave of her chest. Ivy felt one last tear slip down her cheek, as the world started to turn to black. It was time she knew. As a living vampire, she was cursed to turn into an undead when she died, just as soon as the vampire virus fixed the damage that caused her death. The only problem was, she was dying of a lack of blood, which the virus had one easy way to fix; to wake her back up so she could feed. It was a simple plan, and Ivy cursed every god and goddess for allowing vampires to exist at all. She couldn't stop what was to come, and prayed that if there was any way at all, she wouldn't come back and harm her best friend. She'd do anything.

But as that became the last thought in her mind, her body gave a sudden and violent heave. Rachel knew what that heave meant, as she had watched her father die in a grimy hospital room when she was barely in her teens. She hadn't been able to save him, even as he fought to stay alive. She could barely see as she pulled the phone from her pants pocket, and dialed the number Ivy had given her. She was supposed to call it if Ivy ever died so she could be taken to the morgue where they'd help her transition over. In five minutes, guaranteed, she would be taken away in a sunlight proof body bag. Until then, Rachel held her dead friend, and cried for her soul, wherever it had been sent.

Chapter 01

Time for an execution

Ivy awoke to find she was cold, which didn't surprise her, and that she was sore, which did. She opened her eyes to find a well built man with blond hair staring down at his hands. She started to upright herself, to find her arms were tied with some sort of rough rope. She was still weak, but she could feel her strength return. She looked up, and could see the sun shining bright through the overhead canopy, and at that she smiled.

She wasn't an undead. She couldn't be in the sunlight like this if she were undead. She was still alive, but she had no idea where she was. She looked down at the guy across from her. He was well built, no fat on him that she could see, and was wearing chain mail and leather armor. The man on her right was dressed in animal skins, bear she thought, and had a gag tied over his mouth while the guy in the other back corner was wearing ragged looking clothing that seemed to be made of wool. Made sense as she could feel the cold wind blow.

She looked down at her body, just as the guy across from her finally noticed she was up and moving. If she didn't know any better, she was in a cartload of criminals being taken to jail. She also noticed she was dressed in the clothes she had died in, though there was none of the sick on them.

"Hey, you're awake," the blonde guy said across from her.

"A little sore, but I'll live," Ivy replied. She started to take stock of her surroundings. She was in a rustic old wagon being pulled a single horse. The driver wore a leather armor set that was mirrored on the guards around the wagon. In front of the horses was another wagon, it was also loaded down with people in similar attire to the guy across from her. So, this was some kind of dispute between two people?

"Got caught in that Imperial ambush same as us? And that thief over there."

"Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I'd have stolen that horse and been half way to Hammerfell," he said to the blond guy. He then turned to Ivy, "You there, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Imperials want."

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief."

"Shut up back there," the driver said, not paying them much attention

"What's up with him," Ivy said, motioning with her head to the gagged man beside her.

"That's Ulfric Stormcloak, the true high king," the blonde guy said.

"What's your name then," Ivy said, noticing the man in the ragged clothes was in shock.

"I'm Ralof of Riverwood," he said.

"I'm Ivy Tamwood," she said, extending her hand in greeting. 'No reason not to play nice.'

"Ulfric? Jarl of Windhelm, you're the leader of the Rebellion?" the thief said, shock making his voice high. "But if they captured you? Oh gods, where are they taking us?"

Ralof shook his head. "I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits.

"No, this can't be happening."

"Hey, what village you from, horse thief?" Ralof asked.

Ivy watched the exchange, trying to figure out what was going on. It didn't take much to figure out with certainty that if Ulfric were the leader of the rebellion, they'd be taking him somewhere to either incarcerate him, or execute him. Considering the type of location, they'd likely go with execution, which just left her wondering that with her drastically different clothing, would they think she was with them.

She was just about to ask when they gates to a small town came in sight ahead of them. The wagons proceeded inside, and she one of the guys mounted an a horse stop and talk with three other people on horseback. It was worth noting because the three mounted on horseback were dark gray cloaks that hid everything but their faces. The one person in Imperial style armor also had a different style than the others, meaning he was important somehow.

"General Tullius," Ralof said, noticing her stare. "And it looks like the Thalmor are with him."

"Great," Ivy said sarcastically, as she looked at the street they were passing through. Children played by the buildings, stopping when they noticed the wagons passing. Ivy watched, sad that such a sad sight would have to happen in front of the innocent. One of the fathers came out and ordered his children back inside, though the child didn't want to go. Eventually he did, and that cleaned the children off the street. 'At least they wouldn't have to see men get killed.'

The wagons reached a large wall that blocked the road, and that's where they stopped. Ivy noticed that this was a dead end in more ways than one, as she spotted the large wooden block with a small notch big enough for a man's neck to fit into, and all the chips that had been made into the top of it. 'Looks like execution after all.'

Everyone started to get off the wagons, and Ivy waited at the back of the pack, dropping off the wagon when it was her turn to land on her toes before settling flat in her high heeled boots. The Imperial guard at the front started to call off names, and they were taken over to stand next to the block. When it was Ivy's turn, the guard looked at her, then at his list. He then looked at her again, taking in her completely different attire, then asked, "Who are you?"

"Ivy Tamwood, of Cincinnati. Do you mind telling me why I'm being detained with the Stormcloaks?"

"You were rounded up with the rest of the prisoners," the lady in heavy armor behind him said. "I don't know who stopped you, but you're either a Stormcloak, or a sympathizer."

"I'm neither. I'm new here from Cincinnati, Ohio. Do I even look the slightest bit like the rest of your prisoners?"

"Then how do you explain how you got caught in the roundup at the ambush sight?"

"I don't know. I was dying in my friend's arms," Ivy said, sad that she might never see Rachel again.

"If that's true, where's your friend? Or are they among the prisoners?"

Ivy stood tall, ready to try her strength to break free of the rope binding her arms. "I don't know where she's at. I just don't want her hurt on my behalf."

"Likely story," she said, before turning back to the man with the list. "She goes to the block. We'll end this rebellion once and for all."

"As you command," he said, rolling the list up. "To the block prisoner, nice and easy."

Ivy was in shock, but allowed herself to be pushed over where General Tullius was addressing Ulfric. Ivy hadn't caught any of it, too immersed in her fight with the woman in the heavy iron armor. A woman in brown robes stepped forward, and raised her arms.

"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the eight divines upon you," she started when a man on her right started forward.

"For the love of Talos, let's get this over with," he said, and Ivy watched as the man hit his knees and laid his head on the block. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?"

Ivy watched as the executioner, a large man in black armor and hood, raised his axe over the man and then brought it down with a sickening crunch. Ralof muttered a quick eulogy for his friend and then the man's body was kicked to the side.

"Next, the woman sympathizer," the captain ordered, pointing her sword right at Ivy.

"I'm not with them," Ivy shouted.

"I said, next prisoner," the woman said then nodded to two other soldiers behind Ivy. One of them was the man who had been reading the list, and he and the other grabbed her by the elbows and started to force her forward to the block. She tried to resist, but the two burly men were able to force her up to the block. Then, with her arms held down at her waist, they forced her over the block, her neck small in the notch to keep her secure. The female soldier placed her boot right in the middle of her back, holding her down, and she saw the executioner raise the axe.

Then it landed on top of the tower behind the executioner. A large, black dragon that was bigger than a house, had landed there. Everyone, including the executioner had turned to face the monster, then it opened its maw, and a pulse of power knocked everyone off their feet. Ivy rolled free of the executioner's block, using the adrenaline to rip through the ropes binding her.

Rolling to her feet, she saw the dragon lift its head and shout to the sky, causing meteors to fall from the sky, then launch itself back into the air, as soldiers, prisoners and townspeople all ran in varying directions. Ivy watched as soldiers killed fleeing prisoners as they ran past, as guards along the walls and in the battlements began to fire arrows at the flying monster.

"Hey, Ivy," Ralof called to her. "Come on! The gods won't give us another chance."

Ivy then ran over to Ralof, and he led her inside a tower. Once inside, another of the Stormcloak soldiers shut the door behind them. Ivy could see that there were maybe three other soldiers here beside Ulfric, who began speaking when asked about the dragon.

"Legends don't burn down villages," he said, as a sudden boom shook the tower. Ivy looked up in time to see a large section of wall bow in. As she watched, another boom shook the tower, and the bowed in section fell free of the wall around it. Several pieces fell at the door, blocking it. The dragon then stuck his head in, and let loose a jet of flame that poured down the wall. Ivy ran up the stairs that jutted out from the wall to get away from the fire.

When the dragon left off with the fire, Ivy crept cautiously to the hole. She planned to jump down and get out, but there was a thatched roof right next to the tower. She jumped over to the roof, which couldn't support her slight weight, and she fell through. Landing with a cat's skill on her feet, she noticed she was in the loft of a cabin built with logs. The other end was half destroyed, and she ran to it and jumped down. A dead guard sat slumped against the hut. Ivy swiped his belt and sword, figuring she'd need it later.

"Haming, get over here!" A soldier near her shouted, just as the dragon landed right in front of a little boy. The dragon opened its maw, ready to release another gout of flame, and every soldier ducked behind cover leaving the boy to die. Ivy sprinted past the cowering men, tackling the boy and rolling under the dragons head just as it released its deadly flame. Ivy held the boy close, then watched as the dragon ended its flame and took flight.

She eyed the guards, who stood slack jawed at the sight of her protecting the boy, and she rolled to her feet, eyed her surroundings, then took off down an alleyway. She came out out near the gate, then took off across the clearing. Pure adrenaline kept her moving as soldiers shouted orders to duck as the dragon roared overhead. With nowhere else to go, Ivy jumped when she was close enough, and using the point of her heeled boots, ran up the wall and jumped over it.

Free of the town, Ivy kept up her sprint and headed straight for the trees. She sprinted now mostly because it kept her on her toes and off her heels, but also because in the open she was an easy target for the dragon. Once in the trees, she ran for a minute more before stopping to catch her breath.

She didn't like having to come up with a plan on the fly, as that was Rachel's preferred way. One of Rachel's last runs involved a lot of running, after stealing the wrong fish from a high ranking alpha Were. She'd taken the fish and ran, and with no backup, had nearly gotten herself shot and caught. Only luck and the fact she jumped off the roof of a building and survived had kept her from being caught. After that, the Weres tracked her down and only the fact the a federal agent had picked her up kept her safe then.

Ivy shook her head, wondering if Rachel would survive on her own. Without Ivy being there to protect her, Rachel's unclaimed vampire bite left her susceptible to being easily influenced. Only Ivy's unofficial claim made the living and the undead leave her alone, or risk dying twice by either her hand, or by Piscary's. The witch didn't realize how vulnerable she was.

She started to move through the forest, figuring she was moving north. There was nothing left to do, she felt. She didn't know where she was, where the town was, who was in charge, or what the laws even were. Also, what was the local vampire population doing? Were they even the same here?

It didn't matter, she figured. She'd learn soon what was going on in this world. She kept moving north, being careful not to break her heels on the rough terrain. It took the better part of an hour for her to come out on a road, and she followed it north.