The axe falls on the Stormcloak's neck with the sound of snapping bone and metal-on-wood. All of the surrounding birds were silenced. It was deathly quiet. I was starting to have some second thoughts about this even if I knew everything would work out in the end.

A Stormcloak woman to my left cried out, "You Imperial bastards!" Onlookers cried out "Justice" and "Death to the Stormcloaks!" Ralof bowed his head and said to himself, "As fearless in death as he was in life." And yet for one of the few times in my life I was silent.

"Next, the Breton!"

I didn't move, I was still surprised by how different the experience was now that I was living it. Luckily the second cry from Alduin woke me from my daze and reminded me that it would work out fine. It even shook the ground a bit this time, letting me know he was closer. Everyone was looking around for the cause.

Hadvar turned to his commanding officers and said, "Tell me you guys heard that this time."

After a bit, while still looking to the skies, the Captain called out again, "I said, next prisoner!"

Hadvar turned to me, still with a slightly worried look on his face "To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy."

As I walked to the block, my confidence in the situation increased with every step. I could almost swear I heard the sound of giant wings. I stood in position and the captain approached from behind and dropped me to my knees.

I smiled to myself and looked the headsman dead in the eyes

"Breakout in 3!"

The headsman raised his axe. The sound of wings grew closer.

"2!"

Alduin black as night and as big as a mountain flew around the mountain.

"What in Oblivion is that?!" I heard Tullius cry out.

The captain, apparently both blind and deaf said, "Sentries! What do you see?", causing me to smile harder as I was counting down.

"It's in the clouds!" the sentry replies.

"1."

Alduin lands, causing all in the courtyard to fall and me to be thrown slightly from the headsman block. As the headsman is getting up, the dragon shouts, killing him and causing fireballs to rain from the sky. I struggle to get up and Ralof runs over and helps me up. "Hey Breton. Get up! You might be a bit of an ass but you obviously know something, and the gods won't give us another chance!"

Once on my feet, he runs towards a nearby tower and becons, "This way!"

Before I head towards him, I run to the block, grab the headsman's axe, and run to the tower. A fireball from the sky barely misses me and manages to catch a bit of my shirt on fire.

As soon as I get in, the Stormcloaks shut the door behind me. I set up the axe on the floor and remove my bindings and leave it to help others also do so. There is one Stormcloak on the floor inside injured, most likely bleeding out.

As Ulfric is removing his bindings, Ralof asks, visibly flustered, "What is that thing? Could the legends be true?"

With his gag now removed along with his bindings, Ulfric looks to the arrow slit at the burning village outside and shakes his head. "Legends don't burn down villages."

When the last Stormcloak removed their binding and after some observation of Alduin through the arrow slit, Ulfric ordered, "We need to move, NOW!"

Leaving the axe with Ulfric, I start heading up the tower with Ralof behind me and run into a Stormcloak clearing rocks from the tower stairs. He turns to say something and Alduin breaks through the wall, causing Ralof and I to jump backwards to cover. Ralof calls out to the soldier but he is stuck in place by shock. Alduin unleashes a wave of fire that I can feel even from my cover. Alduin eventually flies away and Ralof and I survey the damage.

"Damn that's one burnt human steak, this dragon is a terrible cook," I say jokingly.

"Talos you're sick," Ralof replies, "See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and circle the perimeter of the town until you reach the Keep. We'll follow when we can!"

"Sending the new guy first huh? The expendable one? Just after you've gotten to know each other?" I step back to give myself a running start for the jump, and before he can protest, continue: "That's pretty cold. But I respect that. I'll see you at the Keep" and I jump out of the tower, into the burning inn.