Remnants of Skyrim
Ch 1: Helgen
Jaune Arc awoke to the sound of horseshoes on stone. His body itched and his blurry vision soon cleared to see the bottom of a wooden carriage. He gazed up to see a soldier in brown and red leather armor sitting in the driver seat and a rocky, snowy forest surrounding the path the carriage was on; a second carriage farther ahead.
"Hey, you! You're finally awake!" A strong, Nordic male voice said, and Jaune turned to see a soldier with blue and leather armor over chainmail with fur pants and boots, and leather wristbands under rope. To Jaune's horror, the young Arc realized his weapon and outfit was gone; replaced by rags over his body and feet and ropes tied around his wrists. The man had blue eyes and long, blonde hair with braids framing his face. "You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."
Said thief was also in rags, covered in dirt with his brown hair slicked back. "Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along! Empire was nice and lazy!" The thief shouted, "If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell by now!" The thief looked Jaune in his eyes. "You there, you and me-we shouldn't be here! It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."
Jaune tuned them out as he just stared where the carriage was going, a sense of dread forming in his stomach. The god that healed him in return for his help mentioned a war that split this land. This Empire and these Stormcloaks must be the two factions.
A small town with stone and wood buildings and roofs formed of wood and grasses came into town with imposing stone walls and wooden gates. Soon, the carriages went into the town, Jaune noticing a father usher his son inside.
"This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here." Jaune heard the Stormcloak soldier say, "I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with Juniper berries mixed in."
'Helgen' Jaune thought to himself. 'I'm in that land the dragon god mentioned. There are no such towns by that name in Hyrule, or the four former kingdoms.' Jaune was broken from his thoughts as the carriage came to an abrupt halt and all of the people in binds jumped out, one man with dirty blond hair slicked back glaring at every soldier in brown and silver armor as he wore fancy clothes with bear furs; both his hands bound and a gag in his mouth for some reason.
A woman in imposing silver and red steel armor with a roman-like metal crest on her helmet said sternly "Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time." A man nearly her height was next to her, in light brown and red leather armor without a helmet and a quill and book in his hand. His brown hair was parted and slicked back.
"Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm." He read off, and the man in the fancy clothes and gag walked off.
"It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric." The Stormcloak soldier next to him said.
"Ralof of Riverwood." With that, the solder next to him walked towards a tower.
"Lokir of Rorikstead." With this name, the thief's eyes widened.
"NO! I'M NOT A REBEL! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" He shouted, before starting to run.
"ARCHERS!" The woman captain shouted, and a rain of arrows skewered Lokir's body as he collapsed lifeless to the ground, blood pooling under him. "Anyone ELSE feel like running?"
At this, the man with the list looked up and gazed in confusion at Jaune. "Wait. You there. Step forward." He said, and Jaune walked up to him. "Who...who are you, Imperial?"
'Akatosh made me look like the race known as Imperials' "Jaune thought, as he said "Jaune Arc, sir. Was just wandering, think I had a bit too much to drink." That should hopefully explain the disorientation. His blond hair was shoulder length and part of the back was pulled into a small wolf-tail.
The list man looked up and down to his book and Jaune repeatedly. "Captain. What do we do? He's not on the list. I think we should release him under supervision."
"Forget the list. He goes to the block." The woman captain said sternly.
"By your orders, Captain." He nearly spat, keeping his tone even. "I'm sorry, I'll make sure your remains are returned to Cyrodiil."
Jaune just slumped his head and walked to the gathering of prisoners. 'It's obvious he wanted to help...poor man is bound by orders.'
Ulfric was being stared down by a man with gray hair in a short cut in gold and red armor when Jaune got in line. "Ulfric Stormcloak." The man began in a stern tone. Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like the Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne!" At those words Jaune's eyes widened.
Ulfric Stormcloak had murdered Skyrim's king in order to take his place?! He tuned out the following words as he got lost in his thoughts. 'I am supposed to be the champion of a god, but here I am set to die by people I don't even know. Pyrrha. Yang. Mipha. Ruby...I'm sorry.' Somewhere, he heard some echo of a loud roar.
He saw a auburn haired Stormcloak taunting the soldiers...until the headsman swung his axe and severed his head from his body and kicked to body away from the block.
"Next, the renegade from Cyrodiil!" The woman captain yelled, as another roar filled the air. "I said. Next. Prisoner.!" She growled, ignoring the roar.
"I'm sorry. Nice and easy." The man who held the list said as Jaune just walked up and laid himself down to gaze at his executioner. The headsman lifted the menacing axe into the air...
And then a large dragon whose body structure matched Akatosh's flew down from a mountain. Jagged wings and scales black as night. Blood red eyes gazing with hatred and fury as it landed on the tower and the impact knocked the headsman onto his stomach and he dropped said axe.
"DRAGON!" A woman shouted as every soldier drew their weapons. Said dragon roared to the sky and the sky was filled with swirling storm clouds as small meteors fell from the sky. The impact of one killed the headsman and threw Jaune off the block.
"HEY YOU! GET UP!" Jaune heard Ralof say as he blinked and refocused his vision. "Come on! The gods won't give us another chance! Follow me!" With that, Ralof ran into a tower with other Stormcloak soldiers unbinding each other with Jaune following him. Jaune held his hands out to be unbound, only to have his hands pushed away by a different Stormcloak as Ulfric shouted they had to move.
One stormcloak near the top of the tower was working on clearing away rubble. As Jaune nearly reached him, stones went flying inwards as the head of the dragon smashed into the tower, tearing a hole in it. It inhaled and Jaune heard it yell YOL TOOR SHUL before a white hot stream of fire emerged from it's mouth and incinerated the soldier and partially melted the stones.
"Jump to that building! We'll find another way!" Ralof shouted as he followed Ulfric back out the tower and Jaune looked down at the ruins of a building. An inn possibly. Regretting not bringing his paraglider, he jumped down, wincing as he landed hard on the wooden floor, and slid down to the ground floor.
"HAMING! YOU NEED TO GET OVER HERE! NOW!" Jaune saw the soldier who held the list shout to the boy he saw earlier as the young child ran to him. The boy's father tripped as the large dragon landed behind him and said parent was charred as the dragon exhaled a stream of white hot fire onto the man.
"Torolf! Gods! Everyone get back!" The soldier said. "Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way." The solder turned to an older man in iron armor. "Gunnar, take care of the boy! I have to find General Tullius and join their defense!"
"Gods, guide you, Hadvar." Gunnar said, putting an arm around the scared child.
The two jumped down and the newly identified Hadvar shouted "STAY CLOSE TO THE WALL!" as the dragon landed above them. Once again, Jaune heard YOL TOOR SHUL before a stream of fire was blasted at an archer.
"INTO THE KEEP!" The man in gold armor said, staring at Jaune. Jaune gazed back in shock before the man shouted "RUN YOU IDIOT!"
Following Hadvar, Jaune turned to see Ralof exiting a ruined gate with Ulfric before part of the wall collapsed and blocked Hadvar and Jaune's way to said gate (1).
Hadvar opened the door into the stone keep and panted as Jaune ran in after him, shutting the gate. "Looks like we're the only ones that made it so far...was that really a DRAGON?! The bringers of the end times?!" At this, Hadvar shook his head, "Never mind that. We should keep moving. Come, I'll cut those bindings. One of these chests next to the bed should have supplies you can use."
Jaune walked up and held his arms out as Hadvar took an iron knife and sliced through the ropes. Picking up four gold coins, Jaune ran to a chest and happily tore off the itchy rags, putting on the leather boots and armor Hadvar wore, pocketing a key to this keep and placing an iron sword on his hip. Jaune grimaced seeing the irritated skin. Deep within his mind, something clicked, and a golden glow filled his left hand as it spiraled around him and healed the irritated skin, the glow soon replaced by flames within his palm.
'This must be that Magic Akatosh spoke of' Jaune though to himself as he took a few practice swings with the sword. "Let's keep moving. That thing is still out there." Hadvar said, pulling a lever that opened a gate as Jaune cut off the flow of magic and held the sword in a defensive stance before moving through the hallway to another gate.
Never before had Jaune thought he would end up having to kill another living being besides monsters and animals. Even Master Khoga had been done in by his own technique as the other Yiga Clan members would retreat when their auras broke. Hadvar tried reasoning with every Stormcloak soldier they came across, but they charged at them upon seeing Imperial armor and they were forced to take their lives. Jaune grit his teeth as he gathered a pair of fur boots and put on some fur gauntlets and grabbed a spare Stormcloak armor, following Hadvar further into the keep.
Once, the roof nearly collapsed upon the duo before entering a storage room. The room, however, had already been mostly cleared out, holding only a few bowls of salt, healing potions, a stamina potion, and magic potion. Speaking of which, Jaune was really feeling the effects of his lowered Aura and Stamina. It was like he was back to ten "hearts" and one stamina "wheel"!
Entering a torture room, Hadvar gave Jaune some lockpicks to pick up the gold, spell book (sparks), and clothes a dead body had. Jaune knew a bit about lockpicking, once one of his sisters had locked him in his room as a prank. Not only that, but he found an iron shield, few more lockpicks, a book covering the first part of the history of the Empire, and a Book about a "Dragonborn"...whatever that was.
The clothes happened to be enchanted. The cloak made his magic pool recharge faster, the hood increased it. Something told him that if he could learn these enchantments, then these clothes would be useful.
Going through some tight corridors, they saw a hole entering into a cave. Forced to take the lives of more Stormcloaks, Jaune started hating himself. Yes, he knew it was needed. Yes, he knew they were going to kill him...but he still hated it. Jaune was broken from his thoughts as he crossed a small bridge into another cave.
"I can see it in your face. You hate killing." Hadvar said, "It eventually gets easier, enemies will try to kill you, but as long as you understand the value of life you still remain human instead of a raving beast of a bandit or monster." At those words, Jaune gave a small smile and nodded to him. Soon after they crossed the bridge, they heard the dragon roar and rocks came tumbling down on the bridge, shattering it.
Upon entering the next part of the cave, they were ambushed by five, man-sized, venom-spitting spiders. Now THIS was something Jaune was used to killing. Beasts. Upon the last one lying dead, Hadvar spat on one before saying "What's next, giant snakes?" Hadvar stopped Jaune partway through the next corridor as he handed him some iron arrows and a long, simple, wooden bow before pointing at a bear.
Jaune fired three arrows with took down the cave bear, allowing Jaune to gather it's fur and claws. Upon a few more twists and turns, Hadvar let out a sigh of relief as light shone through a small opening just wide enough for a bear and tall enough for a man. "There it is! The way out."
Jaune basked in the sunlight and birds chirping as the air held a slight nip. Hadvar pulled Jaune down and pointed up as the black dragon flew off over a large mountain heading Northeast.
Jaune clenched his fist. That dragon...once he gained enough strength, he would make the dragon pay for all the civilians killed at Helgen.
(1) with the Stormcloaks being biased against all non-Nords, I find it hard to believe one like Ralof would willingly stay behind. for a race that usually joins the enemy faction. However, I DO like Ralof. Thus, I had him escape with Ulfric. Ralof will remain alive.