Helgen

• Posted by Witschas December 11, 2012 - 916 views

  I remember being put on a carriage alongside two Nords. One of them had his mouth covered by a tightly bound cloth. I could sense that this man was powerful. His eyes strong and brave and his posture calm and noble. I had no idea at the time that this man was actually Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the rebellion against the Imperial government.  This man should eventually turn out to be an unlikely friend.

  The other man was a fair-haired giant called Ralof. He kept speaking of how justice would once more be bestowed upon Skyrim when the Stormcloaks would bring back the rule of the land to the Nords. His endless stream of words were somewhat calming, and I dozed off. When I woke up again we had arrived at Helgen. The place where I was supposed to end my days. As the carriage was brought through the city, Ralof looked around with pride, seeming confident that death was an acceptable destiny. He was a true son of Skyrim in his own eyes. To me however, death seemed a bit too soon.

  We were brought to a halt, and one by one we were tossed off the wagon. I landed face down in the mud, as a terrifying roar tore the air. Being shackled with my hands on my back I had trouble getting up to see what had made this horrifying sound. A guard pulled me up, and I caught a glimpse of a shadow disappearing behind a mountain top.

  'What by the eight was that?', a nervous looking clerk muttered to a captain standing by him. She looked at him with no patience to spare, as she hissed; 'Quiet! We have a very important execution today, and I don't want some wild animal delaying us! Start taking their names'. And so he did. One by one he called the prisoners forward, until he got to the latest arrival; 'Ralof, step forward... just two left now.. erh... Rikke.. I don't have names for these two..'.

  The captain stepped forward grapping Ulfric by the shoulder, and pulled him aside.. or rather.. she tried. He stood fast as was he made of rock and marble. He didn't even bother to look at her. 'This one is our special guest. No need to tempt secret followers to rescue him. He can face execution incognito.. The other one is just a low-life thug.. a simple murderer.. what is your name, Imperial?'

  I had no idea what to answer. I had never really had a name. I opened my mouth slowly, wanting to explain, but instead a loud cry slipped from my lips, as I caught sight of the dragon...