Prologue

'Shadow In The Sky'

Riverwood was a modest hamlet surrounded by the overgrown beauty of the forest. To most travelers, Riverwood is simply a place to stay should their journeys take them to Falkreath or other holds to the west.

To those who live here, things were relatively uneventful. The exception being every other night when Embry becomes so inebriated to the point he decides to take a swim in the nearby river. It's nothing if not a reason to have a good laugh for the day.

The only real dangers to this town were simply the elements and the occasional wildlife that stumbled in every now and again. It's one of the reasons why there were no guards posted here. Too uneventful for those seeking excitement and a good fight or for those who were active duty in the current war.

Rhiannon Wind-Born however, grew to love this little town. She stumbled into town after a run-in with a troll nearly turned fatal. She was taken in by the small town as she recovered from her wounds. Since then, she's led a quiet life while she stays at the local inn, granted she had to work under Orgnar and Delphine to earn her stay.

Standing on the front foundations of the Sleeping Giant Inn, she stretched her arms above her head. Her gaze rose to the barrow that loomed over the town. It was an impressive, albeit intimidating sight, but one she couldn't help but marvel at.

Leaving the inn, she headed for the gate leading out towards Falkreath. A low hanging fog filled the town as the early morning sun slowly began to rise above the barrow and mountain peaks. She smiled at the sound of metal clashing against anvil as she passed the blacksmith.

"Good morning Alvor." she greeted with a bright smile.

Alvor turned to face her and a smile of his own formed as he wiped sweat from his brow.

"You're up rather early, lass. Did Delphine finally give you some more work?"

Rhiannon shrugged. "Of sorts….just going out hunting for some venison. The inn is running low and Orgnar suggested I go. Gonna see how well I've been taking in Faendal's lessons." she beamed, pointing to the bow strapped to her back.

"Well, it's better than nothing. I'm sure you'll do just fine with that bow. If you're up for it later, I could use a hand at the forge today. Got a shipment of weapons that need to be delivered up to Helgen in the next few days. I'm falling behind a bit."

"I would be honored. I should be back before the sun is at it's highest. Though I can't guarantee I'll be too much help. Weapon crafting is not something I'm too familiar with."

Alvor laughed. "Modest as ever, I see. Maybe I should get Dorthe to give you a few pointers? She's been a very curious sort lately and is learning fast."

"Maybe I will." she replied with confidence. Her hands on her hips. "She'll be taking over your business by the time she's come of age. You ought to start preparing yourself now." Rhiannon teased.

"Hush you! I'll be old and gray before I give this forge up!" He waves his hand toward the entrance out of town. "Go get your hunting done before the wolves beat you to it. We both know what happens when Delphine isn't happy."

Rhiannon nods. "Alright, alright."

"Careful, lass! Heard musings of bandit activity on the roads lately!"

Rhiannon kept her back to him and just lifted her hand up to wave as she left Riverwood.

The air was cool, but only enough to see ones breath. The sounds of the river rapids filled Rhiannon's ears, something she had come to love while being here. Smells of fresh earth, mountain flowers and thistle filled her nose as she walked along the bank of the river to fill her water skin.

The snapping of twigs and underbrush made Rhiannon jump slightly, almost dropping her water skin into the river. She quickly put the water skin back onto her knapsack and pulled out her bow.

The sound came again and from the brush came two wolves running straight out of the forest. As she pulled back an arrow, the wolves ran past her, much to her surprise. They ran across the river and into the forest on the other side.

'They completely ignored me. How strange.'

Saying a small prayer in thanks to Kynareth, Rhiannon continued up the road.

As she found herself near the ancient standing stones, Rhiannon soon began to feel uneasy. The forest had grown eerily quiet and she had yet to encounter any wildlife aside from the wolves earlier. Even the wind seemed to be at pause. Fearing that she would have to traverse into the forests of Falkreath, she decided instead to head for Helgen.

Yes, Helgen was more of a fort for Imperial forces, but perhaps she could get a good trade of meats in exchange for something else. It was a long-shot, she knew, especially with supply shortages all over Skyrim due to the war.

As she ascended the road towards Helgen, she was taken by surprise when her nose suddenly burned with the smell of smoke and ash. Just above the treeline, she noticed pillows of dark black smoke rising into the sky.

At first she didn't think too much about it, but then Rhiannon remembered Alvor mentioning sightings of bandits in the area. Were they really that bold as to attack an Imperial fortress? Part of her doubted that, but also knew better than to second-guess her own judgement.

The thought of people being hurt or even killed worried her and panic began to build in her chest. She didn't know if she would be helpful at all, but she didn't want to stand by and do nothing.

She ran up the road towards Helgen's gates, but before she could even approach a loud and deafening roar filled her ears as a large creature flew over the fortress' walls.

Rhiannon's eyes grew wide at the sheer size of it, her face turning an ashen color and her legs locking up in fear. Her heartbeat pounded into her ears and her breath grew short and erratic.

The creature was black as night and had eyes as red as blood. For a moment she swore that it looked directly at her before it flew in the direction of Whiterun. It ascended over and barrow and disappeared into the horizon.

Rhiannon stood there, completely frozen with fear. Her gaze never leaving the direction in which the creature flew. Never in her thirty-two winters had she seen anything the likes of that creature just now. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to stop shaking.

The sounds of approaching footsteps startled her and she drew a tiny dagger from her waist, knowing full well that a bow would do her no good while her hands continued to shake.

Limping out from a side path off the main road came an Imperial soldier. He held his side with one hand and held up the other feebly in her direction.

"Wait…please….I mean you no harm." he wheezed out. He stumbled and fell to one knee, wincing at the wound on his side.

Rhiannon, not a stranger to seeing imperial soldiers coming and going through Riverwood, quickly reached into her pack and held out a healing potion.

The soldier looked at her gratefully and downed it in one go. A fit of coughs followed.

"Have you come from Helgen? What in the nine divines happened? Did you fight that creature?" she asked.

The soldier chuckled. "Gods above, I'm glad I didn't." he swallowed harshly, catching his breath. "Otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you right now. I fear that the others didn't make it though. I will pray that me and that Bosmer woman weren't the only ones who made it out of there."

"It seems the divines were watching over you and that Bosmer woman. Is she not with you?" Rhiannon asked.

The soldier shook his head. "Probably thought I'd try to turn her over to the legion again. It was clear that she wasn't meant to be on that prisoner cart. I'm glad she made it out of there, but she suffered a poisonous wound while we were escaping. Divines watch over her." he looked up at her weakly. "Forgive me, I have not thanked you properly. I'm Hadvar, of the Imperial Legion. What do I call you, hunter?"

"Rhiannon. Rhiannon Wind-Born."

He nodded. "Well, Rhiannon….it seems I owe you my life."

Authors Note: Hello all! I hope you enjoyed this little peek at what I hope will be an enjoyable story. I will first off mention that my writing skills are very average and vocabulary is very basic. So if you were hoping for a super descriptive story, you may not find it here. That doesn't mean I won't try my best though. I have tried writing a Skyrim story before, but it felt a little too by-the-game, if that makes sense? I want to try and switch things up this time around. I'm not super active, so new chapters may come out super slow, but I'm hoping to release a new chapter every week. Let me know if you want me to continue this or not. I would love some feedback.)