Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim! Bathesda does!
Beta'd By: No one yet..
Author Note: Hey guys here is something new it is basically an outlet for all my frustrations with Skyrim Mods. And someo f you will know what they are and maybe you have had some annoying occurences too. Anyway Please Enjoy!
Spoiler Warning This whole chapter is full of spoilers. If you have played the game you can see where I changed the dialog to suit my needs. But I did not add much, maybe one line and some description. Plus LOOOOOONG chapter. Lol jkjk. Not that long but still longer that most of my prologues. The next chappie is your choice: Ralof? Or Hadvar? Please do note that if I receive no votes than I will choose my default for this one. Next chapter is predictably, the race through the castle and finally ending at Riverwood before going to our next destination muahahahahahahaha! And a possible surprise!
Skyrim: A Cautionary Tale!
Prisoner
I awoke to the sound of birds in unfamiliar surroundings. The back of my head ached so I grabbed it but my hand came away wet with blood. What had happened to me? Did someone try to kill me? I wasn't sure and every time I attempted to remember my head would hurt more. So instead I tried to remember my name at least and that's when I heard carts. I rushed out to the road startling the horse pulling it. They were dressed strangely not anything like my home, I knew that much. Where was I from?
~''~
I looked around at my fellows in bindings. I couldn't believe my luck, not only did I not know my name or my homeland, I was a prisoner of the empire now along with these others. And did they seriously have to knock me out?
"Hey you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right?" the blond male in a blue uniform asked me. "Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." I attempted to recall but all I remembered was coming up to their cart and being hit from behind. Was I trying to cross the border? Where was the border? I couldn't remember and it just made my head hurt even more trying to recall. I brought my bound hands up to find linen wraps around my head. Someone must have patched up my wound after I was knocked out.
"Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along." The thief said suddenly. "Empire was nice and lazy, If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell. You there..." I looked over to see the thief looking at me. "You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the empire wants."
"We're all brother's and sisters in binds now, thief." The blond male replied. I looked back to the blond male. There were four of us in the cart, the male that was bound and gagged, the thief and the blond Stormcloak.
"Shut up back there!" the male in the front of the cart yelled. I looked down expecting them to heed the warning, I was the different one with my dark almost black skin. I was dunmer but that was all I knew maybe my memory was coming back? I still couldn't recall my name, who had left me for dead out there near the border and why?
"And what's wrong with him, huh?" The thief asked. I directed my attention to the gagged individual, he was wearing fancy clothes so he must have been someone of high standing. Was he being persecuted because he wasn't an imperial?
"Watch your tongue. You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King," The blond male responded. Pain hit me as I started to recall something, a voice?
~''~
"We head to Skyrim in the morning, my friend," The voice sounded far away. "Home of the Nords."
"What's so interesting there?" I could hear myself ask.
"I huge bounty, we will be set for life, my friend," the voice responded.
~''~
I grimaced as I came back to the conversation, what was that just now?
"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion," the thief said panicked now. "But if they've captured you… Oh gods, where are they taking us?"
"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits," the stormcloak replied.
"No this can't be happening. This isn't happening," the thief replied, denying the truth.
"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?" the stormcloak asked.
"Why do you care?" the thief replied, with a question of his own.
"A nord's last thoughts should be of home," the stormcloak responded. I thought to my homeland, I could almost remember what it looked like. The scraggly trees and towering fungus, then what I remembered best, the silt striders and the netch.
"Rorikstead. I'm… I'm from Rorikstead." the thief stammered. We were passing through a gate in a walled village that I didn't recognize. Not that it mattered, we would be meeting our makers soon.
"General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!" an imperial said from somewhere.
"Good let's get this over with," a gray-haired male, riding a horse exclaimed. He was surrounded by Thalmer. I assumed he was the General, as he answered the soldier, and his attire was different from the regular uniforms worn by the other imperials.
"Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh, Divines, please help me," the thief begged.
"Look at him, General Tullius, the military governor." The stormcloak spat. "And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to with this." I tried not to take offense, after all he was more mad at the Thalmor than any other elven race. At least that is what I hoped. "This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here." he paused a smile on his face. "I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with Juniper Berries mixed in. Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers made me fell so safe." I frowned as I looked around the village and spotted a house ahead with a small boy siting in the railing watching us.
"Who are they daddy? Where are they going?" the boy asked.
"You need to get inside, little cub," the father answered.
"Why? I want to watch the soldiers."
"Inside the house. Now," the father insisted.
"Yes, papa," the boy replied and disappeared inside. The cart was coming up to a wall beside the cart that had been ahead of ours.
"Whoa!" the imperial said pulling back on the reins. An important woman was shouting orders before she turned to the carts.
"Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it!" she shouted.
"Why are we stopping?" the thief asked.
"Why do you think?" End of the line." The stormcloak replied. "Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us." I stood up and followed the thief in front of me.
"No wait! We're not rebels!" the thief exclaimed.
"Face your death with some courage, thief," the stormcloak said.
"You've got to tell them!" the thief responded holding us up. "We weren't with you! This is a Mistake!" one of the soldiers tugged him out of the cart and I hopped down on my own with the blonde nord behind me.
"Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time," the female replied. She had the standing and authority of an officer and her armor was also different from the other soldiers. I wondered if maybe she was a captain.
"Empire loves their damn lists," the blonde nord replied spitting off to the side.
"Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm," a dark-haired male said solemnly.
"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric!" the male said as Ulfric stepped away toward the block.
"Ralof of Riverwood." I looked over to see the stormcloak step over toward the block. So his name was Ralof then. "Lokir of Rorikstead." The thief looked panicked.
"No, I'm not a rebel. You can't do this," the thief took off at a dead sprint.
"Halt," the captain screamed, drawing her sword.
"You're not going to kill me!"
"Archers," the captain ordered. They took aim and shot the thief down. She turned back to us the remaining prisoners. "Anyone else feel like running?" I stuck my chest out, taking pride in my courage to face down the viper herself.
"Wait. You there. Step Forward. Who are you?" I stepped forward and a dull ache hit me as I suddenly remembered something.
~''~
"Del'var Jericho? That is an odd name, my friend." the voice from before.
"What can I say? The Orphanage wasn't known for giving great last names. So they gave us all the Jericho name, Jericho Orphanage," I heard myself reply. We both shared a laugh at that.
~''~
"Del'var Jericho," I replied holding my head. The male had placed his hand on my shoulder. I wondered how long I had stood there in agony.
"Another refugee? Gods really have abandoned your people, dark elf," the male said stepping back and looking at the list. "Captain what should we do? He isn't on the list."
"Forget the list. He goes to the block," she replied, coldly. The male gave a sad look before shaking his head.
"By your orders, captain. Follow the captain prisoner," he replied. I nodded my head and followed her as I was told. I couldn't believe it, this had to be some alternate reality right? I wanted to deny this whole thing but that was impossible, this was happening and I was really about to die. My life couldn't have gone more wrong, first I lived through some insane attempt on my life, only to die to a headsman in Skyrim.
"Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a Hero," General Tullius was addressing Ulfric and the crowd. "But a hero doesn't use a power like The Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne." I wondered briefly what The Voice was. Was it a Skyrim thing? A nord thing? I had never even heard of it before. Ulfric glared at Tullius and growled through the gag. "You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace." A roar sounded from somewhere but I couldn't pinpoint it. What was that just now? Whatever it was it sounded big, bigger than anything I heard, maybe even bigger than the Silt Striders from my homeland.
"What was that?" the dark haired male asked.
"It's nothing. Carry on," General Tullius replied alleviating the fears of those around me. I was unconvinced, something was out there, and it was big.
"Yes, General Tullius. Give them their last rite's," the captain said. A priestess raised her hands then and began to speak.
"As we commend your souls to aetherius, blessings of the eight divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our beloved..." she spoke devoutly but was unable to finish the rite.
"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with," A stormcloak replied stepping forward.
"As you wish," the priestess replied annoyed.
"Come on, I haven't got all morning." he replied as he pushed down toward the block being readied to have his head severed. "My ancestor's are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" The executioner swung the large axe down and completely severed the head of the stormcloak soldier. I dared not look away, for fear of appearing weak in the eyes of the nords around me. I felt sick, watching such a scene and desperately wished I had not ended up here.
"You Imperial bastards," a stormcloak female shouted from among us.
"Justice!" came a shout from somewhere behind me in the crowd of nords that were watching the executions.
"Death to the stormcloaks!" a female from the crowd as well.
"As fearless in death as he was in life," Ralof mourned beside me. I looked over to him briefly.
"Next the dark elf!" the captain said. A loud roar came again and I looked around alarmed, it was closer this time.
"There it is again. Did you hear that?" The dark haired male replied.
"I said, next prisoner!" the captain ordered.
"To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy." I walked forward and turned toward the block, this was it. I fell to my knees and felt the hard plate boot at my back pushing me into position on the block and I watched the headsman. That when I saw it, a huge black, flying lizard. It swooped through the clouds.
"What in oblivion is that?" General Tullius asked.
"Sentries what do you see?" the captain shouted.
"It's in the clouds!" a soldier shouted.
"Behind you!" I shouted. Too late the dragon crashed down onto the tower as the headsman held his axe above his head. The headsman fumbled backwards and turned just in time for a booming sound to come from the dragon's mouth. I stumbled off the block in agony, I thought for sure I would die as I looked around and saw huge flaming boulders crashing down from the sky.
"Dragon!" a nord woman shouted over the chaos.
"Don't just stand there! Kill that thing! Guards, get the townspeople to safety!" I stumbled a bit trying to get to my feet, somehow that sound hadn't killed me but I sure wish it had. My vision was blurry and I could barely see as I fumbled.
"Hey dark elf. Get up!" I heard Ralof's voice from somewhere nearby I got to my feet and spotted him not far from me. His bindings had been cut loose. "Come on, the gods won't give us another chance!" Had the gods truly given them another chance? I wasn't so sure, surely there was an explanation to all of this. After all, it's not everyday you see a long dead species like the dragon suddenly appearing like that. Unless it was sent by Akatosh? "This way! Come on!" I stumbled after him toward a tower. "In here!" he said holding the door as I passed by him to get inside before he shut the door firmly. My vision began to clear up and I could see a lot better since getting inside. "Jarl Ulfric! What was that thing? Could the legends be true?"
"Legends don't burn down villages," Ulfric replied. I was caught off guard by his deep, sultry voice. Had I been a nord or any other fair skinned race they might have seen me blushing. "We need to move. Now!"
"Up through the tower, let's go!" Ralof ordered. I looked at the hurt nords still sitting down, the soldier spoke then.
"They're hurt, but they'll live. Another second out there with the dragon, and they'd both be dead..." she waved me off. I nodded before looking to Ralof.
"Let's go! With me, up the tower," Ralof insisted. I wasted no time in following him but as we neared the top the dragon's head burst through the tower showering debris everywhere and killing one of the stormcloak soldiers that had been ahead of us. I crouched down hoping it wouldn't notice me.
"Yol… Toor… Shull!" I heard as I saw fire spewing from the dragon's mouth. Was it speaking? It then flew off without a second glance at the remainder of us. We approached the hole in the wall.
"See that inn on the other side?" Ralof asked. I nodded as I looked at him. "Jump through the roof and keep going!" I was about to say something when he continued. "Go! We'll follow when we can." I pursed my lips and nodded firmly before jumping out ad landing hard inside the inn and rolled. I hissed in pain and got back up jumping down from the second story to the floor and stumbled as the dragon landed some yards ahead of me. Luckily there was some debris between it and I.
"Hamming, you need to get over here. Now! Torolf!" the boy ran to the dark haired Imperial and around to safety the boy's father wasn't so lucky and the soldier had to quickly duck behind the debris as it spewed fire out at us. I wondered what Yol Toor Shull meant and why it caused fire to explode out of the dragon's mouth. "Still alive prisoner?" I frowned but nodded. "keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunnar take care of the boy. I have to find general Tullius and join the defense." I felt my cheeks heating up, but I wasn't sure if I was embarrassed or not, it didn't feel like I was embarrassed.
"Gods guide you, Hadvar," Gunnar replied. I looked at the male before me in surprise but the male took off, so I followed him through the streets and the destroyed building until we were forced close to a wall.
"Stay close to the wall!" Hadvar shouted. And nearly toppled off into it when the dragon crashed down onto the wall, it's clawed wing nearly skewering me to the wall. I gasped unable to help myself, the gods must have been smiling on me for sure. I was getting way too lucky for it to be a coincidence.
"Yol… Toor… Shull," the dragon yelled spewing fire out at the soldiers. I tried to even my breathing as I watched it fly back up into the air. I released the breath I had been holding and stood gasping before Hadvar grabbed me and tugged me along behind him.
"Quickly, follow me!" I nodded and he released me, I followed him closely as we moved through the remains of a building where I stumbled and hit the ground only to be lifted back to my feet by Hadvar. Why did this imperial soldier want to help me? I shook off my suspicions as we neared the General.
"Hadvar! Into the keep, soldier, We're leaving!" General Tullius yelled at us.
"It's you and me, prisoner. Stay close!" I followed him toward the keep only to see Ralof approaching from the other gate. "Ralof, you damned traitor. Outta my way!"
"We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time." Time seemed to slow as I saw the two go to different doors. Should I follow Hadvar? Or should I follow Ralof? They were both responsible for me being alive still... but who should I join?
~''~
*intercept's* I know I am sooo evil! Anyway hope you guys enjoyed this chappie I know it's the beginning of Skyrim and heavy on the spoilers but I love this game so much.. also if you recognize the voice that the main character is familiar with, props. Please leave your guesses in the comments. XD. I will reveal it in future chappies but for now, it can just be speculation. And what was with his memory? Did he truly not remember? Find out next time! Teehee so evil!
By the way, if you want any modded followers mentioned please let me know and maybe I will get some cross dimensioners to show up too. xD. Anything to fulfill my… I mean your fantasies! xD