Chapter #4. The Hellfire of Helgen

General Tullius shouted and the captain barked orders, but nothing could halt the chaos. The surrounding folk cried in terror and even the executioner faltered. Then the beast shouted with a mighty voice and clap of thunder wounded our ears once again. The words made the sky ripple and turn to the color of sundering flame. I had escaped from the fate of the headsman's axe into a blur of hellfire.

The last thing I had heard was General Tullius ordering the guards to get the townsfolk to safety. My lungs were bereft of air - for the power of the beast's voice pushed me back - and my heart beat more rapidly than ever. I lay beside the chopping block, where I once thought I would meet my end. Although, I thought, this place might still be the death of me. Out of the cooking pot and into the fire, it seems. The only sounds I heard were distant echoes and soon a ringing pierced my ears. Then - all at once - the world around me returned and my head finally cleared.

I saw citizens running for their lives and soldiers frantically firing arrows at a great black dragon in the air. Flames rained down from the sky and it was accompanied by horrific screams of innocents. There was a blood-stained piece of rubble in front of me and beside it the executioner lay face-down in a pool of his own blood. Abruptly, I felt a strong hand grab my shoulder and swiftly turn me around. It was Ralof. "Hey, High Elf," he yelled over the insanity, "Come on, the gods won't give us another chance!" Dragging me with him, he then took off running towards the nearby tower. "This way!"

"Right behind you," I said, finally breaking my silence, my voice far raspier than it normally was from lack of use. I followed my new friend as quick as I could muster, soon finding unstable shelter in the stone tower. Looking about, I saw the faces of former prisoners. Mostly Nords and Stormcloaks, with the exception of a shifty Dark Elf with a particularly ill-favored way about him. He must of been of the prisoners, not unlike the horse thief, Lokir. But it was not the time for observations. My gaze turned and fell upon Ulfric and Ralof.

"Jarl Ulfric," Ralof said with a strained voice, "what is that thing? Could the legends be true?"

The Jarl stood, noble and proud. He spoke with an authoritative voice. "Legends don't burn down villages," the Jarl said. "We need to move. Now!"

I merely nodded in response and Ralof yelled, "Up through the tower, let's go!"

Before I even realized it, my feet were patting up the stone steps. The exertion caused me to pant as stamina drained from my weakened body. We soon reached a block in our road. One of the attacks from the dragon had caused a pile of rocks to block the steps. A young soldier was already working at clearing the way. "We just need to get some of these rocks-."

Before I had time to react, the wall of the exploded, shattering the young man in its wake. In the wall's place was the nightmarish face of the dragon. It opened its mouth and shouted the words "Yol Toor Shul!" and the tower was illuminated with the searing light off dragonfire. Instinct took over me and I reared back. I would have fallen to my death down the stone steps had Ralof not been directly in the way. We crashed against the wall.

"Talos guide us!" I cursed as I regained my balance, looking up to see that the dragon had vanished back into the fray. The opening it had left was wreathed with flame and the soldier's death added yet another to the toll. Peering out the hole, I saw a city in shambles. Bodies littered the streets and the buildings burned.

Ralof stood beside me and pointed out, "See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going!" The inn was a skeleton of its former self. Where there once was a thatch roof, only the support beams remained. The fires had quickly seen fit to clear a path for me to jump.

"What about you?" I inquired, turning to face the Nord.

"Go! We'll follow when we can!" He responded, his voice urgent. I nodded a quick farewell to my friend before leaping into the brisk air. I assumed I would never see Ralof of Riverwood again.

My feet met the inn's second floor with a loud thud, causing me to cry out as pain struck my legs. The landing hurt, but the injury was minor at most, so I continued to run. I darted through overturned tables and broken chairs, soon coming to a shattered area of the floor that allowed for passage to the ground. I hopped down and landed with far more of that High Elven grace than my last attempt.

I burst through the blaze of the inn, out onto the street. There were a few figures in the midst of the area. An elder, a boy, a wounded man, and a soldier that looked familiar. Hadvar, I realized, the Imperial scribe. In the center of the clearing, the boy stood beside the wounded man. I reckognized them as a foreboding feeling fell over me. The father and son from the village.

The boy held onto his father's hand. The man lay drenched in his own blood. "Haming! You need to get over here! Now!" Hadvar yelled. The kid turned and hesitantly went towards the Imperial. There were tears falling from the child's eyes. "That a boy. You're doing great."

Suddenly, the earth shook as the dragon landed before the dying father. Hadvar had the boy hooked in his arm and pulled him away. All eyes turned to the dreaded monster and Hadvar called out to the boy's father: "Torolf!"

The dragon shouted the same words that it had in the tower: "Yol Toor Shul!" Then the man burst into flames, turning to black charcoal within seconds. I stood, dumbfounded as a man became ashes. It was not like I was a stranger to combat or even cruelty, for that matter. But the sight of a father's life ripped away in front of his son chilled me to the bone. The beast took back off into the sky, its wings forming gusts of wind.

Hadvar left the sobbing child with one of the townsfolk; the older man. I stood there silently until Hadvar made eye contact. "You still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way," he said to me. He then turned to the old man. "Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join the defense."

"Gods guide you, Hadvar." The man replied in a gruff but weakened voice. Hadvar began sprinting through the town and I followed suit.

We darted down paths and along Helgen's stone wall. "Stay close to the wall!" Hadvar yelled as the world shook again. I was growing accustomed to this beast's attacks. But when the beast landed directly above us, my breath halted in my lungs. I knew the creature was big, but standing directly under its wings was a different story. I prayed again that it would leave and it did. But not before saying that damned phrase again and burning an Imperial archer to a crisp. Directly after the dragon flew away, Hadvar said: "Quickly, follow me!"

We ran through the dragon's most recent carnage, soon arriving at the clearing where a troop of soldiers was mounting a defence against the winged, fire-speaking monster. Archers fired arrows and battle-mages responded to the dragon with flames of their own, but none would even scratch it. It was as an army of flies against a stallion. I heard the words of Tullius, ordering his troops into the retreat and I followed Hadvar.

"It's you and me, prisoner. Stay close!" He called to me, running towards the keep. The soldiers kept fighting and more kept dying.

As we neared the keep, a familiar frame jogged amidst the chaos. He wore the leather armor and blue sash of a Stormcloak and his head was adorned with yellow hair. "Ralof! You damned traitor. Out of my way!" Hadvar yelled angrily, holding his sword high.

"We're escaping, Hadvar," Ralof stated in a calm voice, "You're not stopping us this time."

Hadvar fumed with anger and I saw his grip tighten on his weapon, but rather than attack the man he knew, he simply cried: "Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde."

I could see that there was a history between the two men, clearly. But now was not the time to learn it. Hadvar took off running again, no doubt expecting me to follow. "You! Come on, into the keep!" Ralof yelled.

"With me, prisoner. Let's go!" Hadvar called back.

I stopped in my tracks, watching the two enemies I somewhat knew to be my friends. On one hand, I could travel with Hadvar who was a kind soul who served those who would have my head. On the other, I could travel with the Stormcloaks. Their future was uncertain, but not long ago they knew me as a brother in binds. I went with Ralof, whispering "Goodbye, friend," under my breath towards the humble Imperial scribe. I did not know what lie ahead in the keep, but I knew it would be better than the hellfire of Helgen.

Dear Reader,

Wow, chapter #4. already! I hope you are enjoying my retelling of the prologue of Skyrim. The next coming chapter will most likely be the longest but also the last of those that take place in the prologue itself. Here is a preview, I'm calling it "Soldiers, Spiders, and Bears" OH MY. So that's fun. Thanks again for sticking with me, I hope you're having fun thus far. If you feel up for it, please leave a review! Thanks again!

~Kovecs

P.S. I'm really not used to writing in first person. So this is an adventure.