Ash, not snow, fell on Riften as the moon took its position in the sky. It shined bright and full as Riften burned to the ground, its conqueror now flying circles around it, raining down more dragonfire every time it opened it mouth. Sudeiros sat leaned up aganst a stone slab in the area that was once Riftens marketplace, his hands clasped tightly around his head, trying to push back the anger that swelled up inside of him. He hated that Dragon, he hated it. And he wanted it to die.
Gruickshak had by now climbed the city wall and up onto the roof of one of the few builldings still standing. He saw guards shielding citizens underneath broken carriages, in alley ways or underneath rubble. Any citizens who made it to the canal before the Dragon did had fled into the Ratway, now somewhat safe underground. Brekyeir glowed bright in his hand, and he heard the voices return. "Return my bones to me orc and I will spare you." he shook his head, trying to be rid of the voice, but it returned, bellowing with laughter. He hid behind a chimney and watched the winged demon circle the city. "Where are you Gruickshak?" he heard the voice whisper. "Nowhere is safe..." Burning with anger, Gruickshak stood up from behind the chimney and raised the axe in the air, shouting out a roar of challenge to the Dragon. Gruickshak had never lost a one on one challenge before, and he wasn't about too. The Dragons head swiveled around to look at him, and the monster turned around in the air and began flying towards Gruickshak. It landed on the building across from him, crumbling the stone house under it. The half of its face that still had skin grinned, showing off its jagged teeth. "You made the right decision Gruickshak." it growled. Its bones began to glow even brighter than before, blinding Gruickshak. He held on to the axe tightly, but he felt it slipping from his grasp. He looked up to see parts of the axe dematerialising, little glowing blue wisps floating towards the Dragon who absorbed it, its long lost bones returning to its body. Gruickshak tried to pull away, but he felt his feet begin to slide across the shingled roof, tearing up the clay shingles as he did. "No!" he shouted. "You're not having it!" as if on cue, the roof below him gave way, and he fell through, crashing through the top floor and landing flat on his back on the concrete floor beneath him. Blood oozed out of his head, and before everything went black, he saw the Dragon snake its massive head through the hole in the ceiling.
The Dragons head now hovered above Gruickshaks body, its eyes flicking about the room. The orc had taken the axe when it fell through the ceiling, but where had the axe gone? Drakudiirs sadistic glee was beginning to develop into frustration. He had come so close, now where had the axe gone?
Sudeiros looked down at the glowing axe that now lay in his hands. He hid behind the charred counter of the tavern Gruickshak had just crashed into, and that the Dragon was now searching. Sudeiros had seen Gruickshak face the Dragon and almost lose the axe, so Sud got into the tavern and pulled the ceiling down from underneath him, giving him enough time to grab the axe as he fell. He hoped that Gruickshak would forgive him eventually. "NOOO!" The Dragon bellowed. "WHERE IS IT?" Sudeiros prepared himself as the axe began to get in his head. It whispered to him, the names of his children, the names of everyone he had ever lost. Sudeiros payed no attention to these voices. He was now working off his anger towards the Dragon, his pure, unclouded hate. Only a monster sent straight from the hells could take such enjoyment out of burning a city, innocent people, to the ground. Sudeiros let out a fearsome battle roar as he ran out from behind the counter, the axe that once weighed him down now weightless. He swung the axe behind him as he ran underneath the Dragons head, who now opened his mouth, ready to burn the fool who stole his bone from him. Now Sudeiros and the Dragon were thinking the same thing: "Die, DIE, DIE!" Sudeiros stood over Gruickshaks motionless body as he let all his anger loose and swung the bone axe towards the Dragons head, letting it go, launching it straight between the beasts eyes. Brekyeir sunk into Drakudiirs skull, bone splitting bone, digging in for the Dragons sick, twisted brain. Drakudiir screamed in pain and ripped his head out of the building, sending cobble and wood raining down from the sky. The Dragon let loose one last bolt of fire and it fell onto its back, desperately trying to fly into the air. It crashed down into the docks, crushing the little boats that bobbed in the water, and the Dragon toppled backwards into the lake, splashing water around it, dousing some of the nearby fires. The water began to turn a dark green as the Dragons blood leaked into it, and the mighty beast who had just moments before flew over the city burning everything beneath it, now lay still in the lake, never to move again. Smoke still billowed from the city, and the fires still raged, but the citizens and guards of Riften now emerged from their hiding places, anxious to see if the Dragon really was dead. And it was. Very dead.
When Gruickshak came to, he was lying on his back on the tavern floor, his axe, Brekyeir, laid on his chest. It was oddly moist, but he didn't pay any attention to that. The Khajiit sat on the counter across from him, tapping his tail on the wood.
"Wakey-wakey." Sudeiros said.
"The Dragon..." Gruickshak asked as he rose to his feet. "Where is it?"
"Dead." Sudeiros said, grinning. "You killed it."
Gruickshak stood up straight, grinning and brushing the dirt and ash off his clothes. "Really?" he asked. "Oh yeah, of course I did. I remember that. Then I took a nap."
Sudeiros smiled, put his arm around the orc and guided him out of the crumbling tavern. The smell of smoke and burning flesh was wafting throughout the city. It would be hard to rebuild this, but they could do it. The keep was still standing and people would be able to rest in there until they had their homes back. The next few years would be tough on the people of Riften, but Sudeiros knew they could pull together.
All of a sudden, a horn blew in the distance. The guards rushed up the rubble walls, armed with the little equipment that survived the attack. Gruickshak and Sudeiros ran to the gates and saw an army, about four hundred strong, dressed in the red Imperial armour. At their head, a man on a white horse began to speak.
"People of Riften!" he shouted. "You have just been attacked by a Dragon! Your city is destroyed, and your army is weakened! I am Captain Dericus, and if you do not surrender, we will attack!"
"Shove it up yer arse!" came a shout from the city walls. An old man stood there, his scrawny arm holding up a short iron sword. "We just KILLED a Dragon! We're not afraid of you!" The guards on the wall raised their weapons, cheering on the old man. Captain Dericus turned his horse around and trotted through his ranks, ordering his archers to prepare to fire. Men and women rushed to the city gates, armed with everything from swords and axes to big sticks. As one, they all cheered "Free Skyrim! Free Skyrim!" The captain of the guard walked out of the gates, drew his axe and pointed towards the Imperials. "FOR SKYRIM! FOR RIFTEN!"The people of Riften charged, shouting and cursing, yelling battle cries and waving their weapons.
Sudeiros lowered and shook his head. "Nords..." he said.