Beware, Beware the Dragonborn Comes

Summary: "Mother always told me that father was special. She called him Dragonborn. Soul of a dragon, body of a human… It's a shame I don't remember him but mother says I'm like him in more ways than just my appearance."

Solitude Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I walked into the tower behind Ralof and watched him talk to the man from the carriage. I couldn't remember his name, I could barely remember anything. All I knew was that a dragon was attacking and everything was on fire.

"Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?"

Ralof was panicked, I was panicked. I glanced at the two injured soldiers and the one that attended to them. This was too surreal. It had to be a dream… A nightmare. High Rock would be better than this, anywhere would be better than here.

Ulfric replied to him calmly. "Legends don't burn down villages."

Then we heard the dragon roar again from outside, mixed with the sounds of the burning buildings and the arrows being deployed from the archers, it brought me to the reality that I wasn't dreaming.

"We need to move, now!"

Ralof grabbed my arm and pulled me to the stairs. "Up through the tower, let's go."

I ran behind him up the winding steps when the dragon burst through the wall, breathing fire at the soldier. I felt Ralof's arms around my head as he protected me. I glanced at the fire and felt my heart begin to race, was I going to even make it out of here alive? When he let me go, I looked out of the gaping hole in the wall. The dragon was flying around the tower.

"See that inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going."

"What? I can't…" I looked at how far the inn floor was from me.

"Listen to me, you can do it." He nodded a little and looked towards Ulfric. "We'll go through when we can."

I fell onto the floor and winced on impact. I sat up and looked at the beds, the cabinets and the items around me. I glanced at the tower and noticed that Ralof was gone. I had to move like he said. We'd meet up once again.

I jumped from the upstairs to the bottom and went outside to see the Imperials planning to make a run for it.

"Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way." He turned to the man and the boy behind us. "Gunmer, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join the defence."

"Gods guide you Hadvar." Gunmer responded, glancing at me. As Hadvar started to run, I followed staying close by him.

"Stay close to the wall!" he shouted as we approached the side of the tower. I did as I was instructed and pressed my back against the wall. A moment later the dragon landed near us. I crouched down to remain as undetected as possible and watched Hadvar. When it left he began to run on. "Quickly, follow me."

We ran past the fire mages and archers that were trying to take down the dragon. My eyes were drawn to the fire balls that the mages were able to blast into the sky. When I turned back, Ralof and Hadvar were face to face.

"Ralof you damned traitor! Out of my way!" Hadvar drew his sword as he ran towards him.

"We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time."

"Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovengarde." Hadvar shouted.

"You, come on. To the keep." Ralof looked at me and ran towards the door.

I looked towards Hadvar and made my choice. Ralof had cared for me so far; I had to go with him.

We ran into the keep and closed the door. I tried to catch my breath but the Stormcloak, Ralof wanted us to keep going. When I opened my eyes I saw him crouched in front of a man wearing the same cuirass as him. I walked over to him slowly and looked down to see the pale body lying there.

"We'll meet in Sovengarde friend." He stood up and looked at me, the hurt was clear on his face, but I could say anything. "Looks like we're the only ones who made it. "That thing was a dragon. No doubt." He turned away slightly and said quietly. "Just like the children's stories and the legends."

"Dragons...?" I whispered, turning my back on him. Everything about my father came flooding back; the tales that he told about fighting the beasts on his travels and the bones of the dragon's that he wore in armour.

"We better get moving." I saw his shadow standing over me. "Come here; let me get those bindings off." I turned to him and held out my arms, staying silent. I watched him pull them to pieces. "There you go." He watched me as I grabbed my wrists, they ached, and I couldn't bare it.

I looked down at the body and sighed a little. "What are we going to do with him?"

"You should take his gear. He's not going to need it anymore."

I looked at the body again, but this time in disgust. Wearing a dead man's armour seemed disrespectful to me… But I guess it was for my own safety. I stripped him of his armour and put it on me and felt some heat coming from it. He wasn't dead long.

"Give that axe a few swings." Ralof handed me his axe and watched me swing it a few times.

"It's lighter than I expected." I remarked, looking down at the iron war axe.

He walked towards a door and looked out through the bars. "I'm going to find a way out of here."

I walked around the cold room, rubbing the tops of my arms to try and heat myself up, but it was no use. I glanced over at Ralof as he tried the door.

"Agh! This one's locked." He glanced behind him and noticed another door. "Let's try this gate." He looked around, trying to take in everything. "Can't open it from this side." But that was when we noticed two Imperials running towards the gate, swords drawn and their helmets on.

I watched as Ralof took on both of them, but I knew I had to help. I could let my uneasiness get him killed. I swung my axe, making contact with their metal armour every time. I watched as one fell, and then the other. I placed my hands on my thighs and tried to regain my stamina. Ralof took the key from one of the guards and placed his hand on my back. "Come on let's get out of here before the dragon breaks the tower down on our heads."

I followed him down the stairs, trying to keep at his pace. I couldn't get lost, not when there could be an Imperial at every corner. I'd be slaughtered, he knew it and I knew it. Ralof let me lead him round a corner to an empty corridor. As I stepped towards the middle of the corridor, the roof came down and in the distance I could hear the fearful roar of the dragon. He pulled me back and took me into a room on the right. I was about to speak when he placed his hand over my mouth and crouched down, nodding to the two Imperial soldiers. He sneaked towards them then began to fight, the swords clinking off one and other. I joined in, helping him to slay our enemies. When it was over he looked at me with a small smile. "See if you can find any potions… We may need them.

After spending hours fighting out of the keep, I was glad to be outside in the safety of the outdoors. A grin appeared on my face when the wind touched my skin. Ralof watched me, letting out a little chuckle. "My sister Gerdur lives in Riverwood, she'd be happy to help us."

"Is Riverwood far from here?"

"Not too far. You can come with me, or you can make your own way there. Either way is fine by me."

I thought for a moment and looked at the road. Who knows what's in the forests or who's on the roads? And what if the dragon comes back? I smiled at him and gave him a nod. "I'll go with you."

"Fine, now we can get to know each other." He nudged me a little and walked down the road with me following behind him like a lost puppy.

"How did your family get the name 'Iron-Heart'? It's definitely not a name you hear every day."

I frowned a little in memory of my childhood and glanced at him as he turned around, waiting to hear my answer. "My father died here in battle and when my mother took care of me, she was heartbroken but didn't show it. She was awarded the name." I nodded and smiled a little. "And then we moved to High Rock."

"Is that where you were coming in from?"

"Well… Yeah. I wanted to come back home, because High Rock was just rough for a Nord. I wanted to be in my homeland. Make some money and provide for my mother in her old age."

"That's very noble of you, I understand your reasons. But what I don't understand is why you were arrested while crossing the border."

I sighed a little and shook my head, looking out to the river we were walking alongside. "I travelled with some Khajiits and helped them sell moon sugar, without my understanding of course."

"Of course, those travellers are as crafty as they are wise."

"When the deal went wrong, I saved the Khajiit who took me in by killing a man. Worst thing is; someone saw me and reported it."

Guilt began to fill my body as I remembered that day, but as soon as it came; it left when I remembered waking up in an abandoned caravan. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes momentarily.

"If I ever see one of those travellers again… I'll kill them."

"From what I gather, they were planning on coming here. But steady your sword; I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"Trust me I don't want to get in trouble either." I looked at the road signs as we walked past. One name stuck in my mind. "Solitude… Where's that?"

"It's like the capital city. But it's filled with Imperials. I used to love it there before the war broke out years and years ago. My father would take me and my sister there for a trip. We'd stay at The Winking Skeever." I saw him smile as he remembered his happy childhood. "I'd recommend it if it wasn't full of scum like those dirty Thalmor and those stinking Legionnaires!" he suddenly became violent.

"The Winking Skeever…" I said quietly trying to reinforce the name into my memory.

The sound of Solitude made me want to stay in Skyrim even more.