We walked into the Keep and I tried not to gag as the wretched smell of damp and blood filled my nose. Outside I could hear the roar of the dragon and I hoped this Keep didn't come tumbling down on top of us. I tried to loosen the binds around my wrist but it only made the rope tear into my skin even more. Hadvar at me and noticed the bounds.

'Let me cut those for you,' he said taking my hands and pulling out a dagger. I looked down at my wrists and became aware of how heavy I was breathing. I tried to even it out as he cut the rope free and I could feel my fingers again.

'What did you say you're name was?' he asked.

'Luna,' I said blandly, even though I had never even gotten around to stating my name.

'What an unfortunate time to meet you,' he said with a sad smile. Besides the fact he was a member of the army that tried to have me killed for no reason whatsoever, he wasn't all that bad. We stood in the barracks room and I could see chests and uncomfortable beds around the room. How could anyone sleep in this?

'Have a look around, there should be some gear you can use,' he said. I nodded and opened the nearest chest to me and found a sword that looked far too heavy for me to carry. I saw some boots and the Imperial uniform. I slipped on the boots over my foot wrappings and heaved the armour over my head and fixed it onto my torso. The armour was heavy and weighing my small frame down. The only thing I was used to lifting was baskets with vegetables and an odd rabbit from the woods. I stood up and saw how large the uniform was on me and swallowed hard. I could feel the pressure on my leg wound and I winced in pain.

'You'd better take that sword too,' he said and pulled down a lever and opened the gate to the next room. I took up the sword and held it with both of my hands and tried to mimic the way he held the sword. I knew how to handle a bow and arrow, but a blade was new.

We walked through the gateway and I half expected the dragon to appear out of nowhere but thankfully nothing happened and we stood facing another closed gate. Hadvar looked at me and pulled the chain and stepped forward into the circular room. I followed and then took a blow to the head as someone's elbow bashed against me.

'Freedom or Sovngarde!' someone yelled. I stumbled back and felt my head spin as two Stormcloak soldiers charged at us. One came right for me with her sword above her head, ready to lash it down on to me. I raised my sword in defence and as her force pushed it down it just missed my head. I swung back at her, stumbling as I did so. And then Hadvars sword pierced through her stomach and went right through her body and out the other side. She gasped and blood began pouring from her mouth. I stood looking at her, horrified, as the sword retracted and she fell to the floor.

'Let me see if I can unlock that door,' Hadvar said, sheathing his weapon and walking towards an iron gate. I stood staring at the body in front of me, panting harder than before. I only looked up when I heard the gate creak open and I quickly followed him through.

'You killed them,' I panted.

'Better them than us,' he told me sternly. I followed down the staircase and as we turned to the next hallway I heard that tormenting sound of the dragons roar and boulders fell down before our eyes, blocking our path. Hadvar pulled me back from being hit and for a second I couldn't hear any noise.

'Now where do we go?' I choked.

'Through this door, quickly,' he said rushing over to a wooden door and ushering me through. I walked into the room and froze as two more Stormcloak soldiers stood staring at me. They dropped the things in their hands, they must have been searching for supplies, and then they charged at me.

I lifted my hand to defend myself and I felt a blast of heat emerge from my palm and as I looked up at the soldiers, both of them were set alight and screamed in agony from the fire before falling to the ground and the flames began to die down. I lowered my hand and looked back at Hadvar in a panic, but he didn't look worried at all.

'Why didn't you say you were a mage?' he said, shaking his head at me and walking past.

'But I-' I gaped. A mage? I'd never used magic in my life.

'Look for some potions or something we can use in those barrels,' he ordered. I hurried past the dead bodies and saw a red bottle on one of the shelves. I picked it up and saw it was a healing potion. I picked up a satchel off the shelf and put it over my head and put the potion into it. Opening one of the barrels I saw two more of the same vials and added them to the pouch carefully to make sure they didn't smash together.

'This way,' Hadvar said and led me through yet another door. We hurried down the staircase and I wondered how far down this Keep went. As we stopped at the bottom of the staircase Hadvar sighed.

'The torture room, I wish we didn't need-'

'Is that the best you can do to us?!' yelled a soldier. I could hear blades clashing and people yelling and blasts of lightning. Before me lay a room full of cells with blood on the floors and a sticky smell of blood, sweat and damp. I could see red uniforms and blue uniforms. Hadvar rushed in to help and within seconds the blue uniforms lay lifeless on the floor.

'You fellows happened along at just the right time. These boys seemed a bit upset at how I've been entertaining their comrades,' said one of the Imperials. I felt my stomach lurch as I realised he was torturing people and seemed so perfectly pleasant about it.

'Don't you even know what's going on? A dragon is attacking Helgen!' Hadvar yelled, storming up to the torturer. The man laughed in Hadvars face.

'A dragon! Please! Don't make up such nonsense,' he laughed. The man walked away from Hadvar and stopped in his tracks and put his hand up to hold his chin as he pondered on a thought for a moment.

'Although, come to think of it I did hear some odd noises coming from over there,' he said. His sickly polite voice made my stomach churn.

'Come with us, we need to get out of here,' Hadvar said.

'You have no authority over me, boy!' the torturer spat back.

'Did you not hear me? I said the Keep was under attack!' Hadvar yelled.

'Forget the old man, I'll come with you,' said the other man. I assumed he was the torturers bodyguard or his assistant.

'Oh sure, why not just take all my things,' the torturer said sarcastically.

'Grab what you can and let's go,' said Hadvar, taking him up on that offer. I didn't take anything. I wanted to leave the room because the smell of death was making me uneasy. We moved down through a narrow hallway and I tried not to look at the prison cells that lined the walls we were walking through. My leg was getting harder to walk on by the minute but I had to keep moving. We hurried through another prison room like the one upstairs and I let out a small yelp as I saw a skeleton in a cage hanging from the ceiling.

'You're not much of a soldier, are you?' scoffed the assistant. I looked away and hurried after Hadvar. I found myself threading on new terrain and noticed the Keep was ending and this was the entrance of a natural cave. The small hill going down wasn't dangerous but the gravel under my feet moved and made me nervous.

'Where in Oblivion are we supposed to go?' the assistant asked with a powerful voice. I heard some footsteps running toward us and I knew they had heard us. I lifted my sword Hadvar did the same.

'Imperial dogs!' yelled a Stormcloak that came running at us. Hadvar easily knocked him to the ground and pierced his chest with his sword. And then we ran out. Hadvar and the assistant spread out as attackers came from every direction.

I dropped my sword in fear as one came running at me, splashing through what looked like an oil spill on the ground. I held up my hands in a weak defence and suddenly I heard a whoosh of flames as the oil and the soldier lit up in hot flames.

'Quickly! This way!' Hadvar yelled as he ran past me and I ran with him. All the walls looked the same and I felt like we were running in a never-ending maze. He came to an abrupt stop and I skidded to a halt. He yanked down a lever and the drawbridge once blocking our path was now our way forward. We ran across and we found ourselves deeper in the cave. We slowed down and he led me up a river that was flowing through. I was light on my feet, trying not to step on slippery rocks. I was used to climbing through forests and streams, but I wasn't used to running through caves to escape a dragon attack with a damaged leg.

We came to an opening and I grabbed Hadvars arm and pulled him down. I put my finger over my lips, indicating to be quiet. He looked at me strangely and I pointed towards a bear lying in the opening. After making it this far the last thing I wanted was to be attacked by a bear. Once he saw what I was pointing at he nodded and we snuck around, silently moving through the cave. We stayed crouching until we were out of earshot of the bear and then I felt my heart beat fast in my chest. I saw the sunlight peeking through the opening of the cave and I sighed with relief and ran through the opening.

I felt the sunlight hit my face and I inhaled the fresh smell of nature and rid myself of the scent of the blood of the people we had slaughtered. That piercing roar of the dragon filled my ears and echoed in the air. I looked up and I saw those horrid wings swoop down.

'Wait! Get down!' Hadvar hissed, grabbing my arm and yanking me down behind a rock. I hissed in pain as my leg began to sting again. His roar faded in the distance and his shadow was out of sight. We paused for a moment before Hadvar stood up and helped me to my feet.

'Looks like he's gone for good this time, but I don't think we should stick around to see of the beast comes back,' he chuckled.

'Where will we go?' I choked.

'We can go to Riverwood, it's the closest town from here. My uncle is the blacksmith there, I'm sure he can help you out,' Hadvar said, 'You should head over to Solitude join the Imperial Legion, we could really use some new recruits.'

'I think I'll just focus on getting cleaned up to be honest,' I said as politely as I could. I had no intentions of joining the Imperials. Not after they tried to kill me and because I saw their torture chamber.

We walked down the pathway that was lined with grass and clay with some plants pushing their way in to the pathway. The greenery made me feel like I was at home. I loved the woods and I loved the freedom of it. As we walked down we came to a cobblestone path that led down the hill to Riverwood. As we stood at the peak of the hill Hadvar stopped and pointed to the left.

'See that ruin up there?'

'Yes?'

'Bleak Falls Barrow. When I was a boy that place always used to give me nightmares,' he said. He continued down the hill. 'Draugr creeping down the mountain to climb in my window at night, that kind of thing. I admit, I still don't much like the look of it.' I didn't say anything as we continued down a bend and I saw three stones standing in an arc at the end of the bend.

'These are the Guardian Stones. Three of the thirteen ancient standing stones that dot Skyrim's landscape,' he explained, 'Go ahead, see for yourself.'

'I'd rather not,' I said quickly. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

'Suit yourself,' he said and turned to walk. I walked behind him as we continued down the pathway. The river beside us made me uneasy, what if he decided he didn't want me following him anymore and pushed me in?

Nonsense, if he was going to kill me he would have done so at Helgen.

I jumped at the sound that came from the woods on our right. I knew that sound and usually when I heard it I climbed a tree, but I was with a soldier right now and I couldn't climb up a tree and climb away like I used to when I was at home. Hadvar pulled out his sword and as the wolf jumped down before us he sliced its head off with a clean swipe. Two more jumped down and Hadvar threw me a dagger but I didn't catch it. As I stumbled to pick it up one of the wolves jumped on me and I dived to the ground, despite the searing pain in my leg. I grabbed the dagger and as the wolf landed on me I pushed it up into its stomach and stabbed the beast and pulled the dagger up to its chin as if I were gutting the thing. Its blood spilled on me and I heaved it off with all my might and scrambled to my feet.

'Are you okay?' he asked.

'Peachy,' I replied panting.

'We're almost to Riverwood now, don't worry.'

We continued down the cobblestones and I stayed as close to him as I possibly could. Within a few minutes I could see the village and I began to pick up the pace and Hadvar did the same. I was never happier to see people acting so normal in all my life. I saw a woman sweeping outside of her house and a young boy running through the village.

'Where did you say your uncle would be?' I asked.

'He's right over here,' Hadvar replied. He showed me to the first building beside the river and he greeted his uncle.

'Uncle Alvor, hello!' he said with glee as he walked up to his uncle. The blacksmith was a huge man with blonde hair. He looked as if he could crush my head in his fist.

'Hadvar? What are you doing here? Are you on leave- What happened to you boy?!' he gasped as he saw the cuts on Hadvar and the dirt and blood smeared across his face. 'Are you in some kind of trouble?'

'Uncle, please, keep your voice down. I am fine, but we should go inside, we must talk,' Hadvar said very seriously.

'What's going on? Who is this with you?'

'She's a friend, she's helped me in fact. I'll explain everything inside.'

'Okay, okay, come inside then. I'll have Sigrid fetch you something to eat and you can tell me what happened,' he said, beckoning us into his home. It was warm and cosy in Alvor's house. The table was filled with delicious home cooked meals and the fire was lit, giving a magnificent glow. A little girl stood by the single bed and stared at us as we entered.

'Sigrid! We have company!' Alvor called, his large voice echoing in the small house. I stood beside Hadvar and nervously put my weight on the leg that was not injured. Footsteps came from the basement and a woman emerged from the staircase.

'Hadvar!' she exclaimed when she saw him, 'We've been so worried about you! Sit down! I'll get you something to eat! You must be hungry!' He hugged her nephew and kissed him on the cheek.

'Thank you Sigrid,' he said politely.

'And who is this? Have you come to tell us you're to be married?' she said with a teasing smile. My cheeks flushed red.

'No, no. Luna is a friend,' he laughed.

'I'll cook you two something to eat,' she said.

'Now then boy, sit down and explain this big mystery to me. What are you doing wandering around looking like you've just lost an argument with a cave bear?' Hadvar took a seat at the table and I did the same.

'I don't know where to start. You know I was assigned to General Tullius's guard. We were stopped in Helgen, where we were attacked by a dragon,' he explained grimly.

'A dragon!' his uncle laughed, 'You aren't drunk, are you boy?'

'Hush Alvor! Let him tell his story,' Sigrid said kindly.

'There's not much more to tell. This dragon flew over and just wrecked the place. I don't know if anyone else got out alive, but I have to get back to Solitude to alert them to what's going on. I thought you could help us out. Food, supplies and a place to stay?'

'Of course! Anything you need boy,' Alvor said kindly and then turned to me, 'But we will need your help. The Jarl must be informed if there's a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenceless! We'll need the Jarl in Whiterun to send whatever soldiers he can spare. If you could do that for me, I would be in your debt.'

'I can do that,' I said bravely. 'How do I get to Whiterun from here?'

'Cross the river and head north. You'll see it; it's just past the falls. When you get to Whiterun just keep going up and go up to the top of the hill, that's where the Jarl lives. Dragonsreach. But for now you can stay here and get some rest,' Alvor instructed. He stood up and towered above us. 'I'd better get back to work.'

'Hadvar?' said the little girl, 'Did you really see a dragon? Did it have big teeth?' Her mother hushed her and Hadvar smiled at her.

'I'll tell you later cousin, right now I'm going to eat and get some sleep,' he told her. She smiled with disappointment in her eyes and her smile.

Sigrid placed a plate of cooked beef and baked potatoes in front of me and one for Hadvar too. I looked up at her and thanked her and Hadvar did the same. She smiled at both of us and Hadvar began digging in to his meal and after realizing how hungry I was, I did the same.

After eating, I fell asleep on the chair and woke myself up as I jumped from the fright of a nightmare. I was back in Helgen and I was being tormented by that dragon.

'Did you sleep well?' Sigrid asked as she tended to the fire.

'Yes, thank you,' I said nervously.

'Hadvar is gone to Solitude, he left about an hour ago. If you need to you are welcome to stay another night.'

Another night? Had I slept on this chair for a whole night?

I moved my neck and felt the ache and realized the answer was yes, I had slept there all night.

'No, I think I should head to Whiterun and tell the Jarl. Thank you for you hospitality though,' I said, pulling myself to my feet. But I hissed in pain and quickly sat back down on the chair. My leg was still cut.

Sigrid came over to me and lifted the armour up and pulled the boot off my leg to expose the wound. She gasped in horror. I looked down at the wound and saw the dirt clogged up on the gash and felt the pain run through my leg.

'I'll get Alvor,' she said, hurrying out the door. She was not gone a minute before Alvor came through the door and she hurried down the stairs.

'Why didn't you say something girl? This could be infected,' Alvor said, bending down on his knees to look at the wound. Sigrid returned with a bucket and took the kettle off the fire and poured the water into the bucket. She rung a cloth in the boiling water and handed it to Alvor.

'This is going to hurt,' he warned. I gritted my teeth together and he cleaned the wound with the hot water. It began to bleed again and I hissed and gasped in pain.

After what felt like hours Alvor wrapped the wound in a clean cloth. Sigrid gave me a clean dress to wear and showed me the washbasin so I could clean up before I left.

'I don't think you're a warrior, judging by how you have no sword and you can barely walk in that armour, she said, handing me the wet cloth to wash my face.

'I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,' I said.

'Sometimes that's the best place to be. I wasn't meant to stop in Riverwood when I was moving to Whiterun, but I did and I met Alvor,' she said happily. Lucky for her, she met the love of her life, I on the other hand almost got my head chopped off and then got attacked by a dragon.

'You can keep the dress, it fits you well. I'll give you some food and gold before you go.'

'Oh no, I couldn't possibly take your gold,' I insisted.

'Hush, it's only ten gold, it'll get you a night in the inn in Whiterun. You can ask around for work in the inns. I'm sorry I can't give you more, it's all I have at the minute,' she said.

'Thank you,' I said.

After she filled my pockets with apples and bread and a sweet roll she gave me ten pieces of gold and walked with me until I had to cross the river.

'You can come back here anytime you need, you're more than welcome,' she said.

'Thank you Sigrid,' I said sadly.