The Old Champion - Chapter 1

• Posted by Will January 21, 2014 - 478 views

  The Journey from his farm home in Orsinium to Markarth took three times what it was supposed to. A series of several storms in High Rock removed the adventuring Orc, Gorhak, from his route and sent him, without his knowledge, toward the Redguard nation of Hammerfell. The final storm Gorhak encountered was a sandstorm at the north border of Hammerfell that forced him south, further into the unpopulated desert. He wandered the arid landscape for three full days before seeing the lanterns of the city Elinhir on the horizon. He stumbled into the city weak, thirsty, and in dire need of any help available. He was not welcomed with open arms by the Redguard city, but they did offer him food and a cot in the basement of the inn. He stayed there for almost a week and recovered from his desert trek. With a new horse, fresh confidence, and directions to Falkreath he set out. It was late morning when he crossed from Hammerfell into Skyrim. The surroundings changed from quite dry to lush forest rather abruptly as he approached the Skyrim border. His senses grew dull as he proceeded through the forest toward Falkreath. He did not hear the footsteps behind him, nor did he hear a twig snap under the heavy, untrained foot of his stalker. The first moment of realization that something was not right was a pair of strong, dirty Nord hands on his calf and boot. The dark haired Nord pulled Gorhak off the horse and held a chipped steel dagger to his throat. Without a word the Nord pulled his knife away from Gorhak and jumped onto the confused horse. The Nord yelled and the horse began to move, but it did not move fast enough to evade the iron arrow that pierced it's exposed side. On the hill across the road stood a Stormcloak scout who had mistaken the Nord for an Imperial soldier and accidentally fired at the horse out of reflex and adrenaline. The horse kicked, and the Nord flew from its back. The Stormcloak slid down the rocky hill and knelt down beside the dark haired nord, who had injured his wrist falling from the horse. 

  "Ralof! Come here!" The scout yelled.

  There was no reply to the Stormcloak, but in a few moments over a dozen stormcloaks walked down the hill. 

  "I've injured him accidentally," The Stormcloak scout explained, "would one of you take him to Falkreath for some rest?"

  "We can't," a second Stomcloak replied, "We have to finish our patrol."

  The second Stormcloak appeared to be an officer. he wore fur armor rather than the blue cuirass of his colleagues. Gorhak was. thankful that they did not notice him lying in the bush where the Nord had left him, but he thanked the divines a moment too soon. 

  "What was that?" A Stormcloak soldier asked in a hushed tone.

  "Imperials," the man known as Ralof replied, "Too many."

  As they hurried to clear any evidence of their whereabouts, Two soldiers who were searching for a hiding spot found the Orc and pinned him down. Gorhak tried to push them off but the two burly Nords held him in place. Their tussle, however, was deemed less important then the nearing Imperial squadron. The Stormcloaks tried desperately to hide themselves but it was not done fast enough. The Imperial Officer gave the order to attack. Everybody, even Gorhak and the Nord, surrendered to the threatening Imperial Legion. They were bound and put on prison carts that would haul them to the small Imperial Borough of Helgen. Upon arrival in Helgen, they were forced off the carts and their names were read one by one as they were called to surround the chopping block. 

  "Ralof of Riverwood," The Imperial Soldier read and Ralof took his place around the block, "Lokir of Rorikstead."

  Lokir was the man who tried to steal Gorhak's trusty mount who was now lying in Falkreath's forests bleeding out. Rather than submitting to Imperial power an offering his neck to the headsman, Lokir begged for his life. When the Imperials refused to amend their decision to kill him he took of running up the path away from the headsman's block. The Imperial officer ordered him to be shot, and the flawlessly trained archers found their mark. He lay bleeding with an arrow through both his windpipe and kidney. 

  "Who are you Orc? You're not on the list," The Soldier reading the names asked Gorhak. 

  "Gorhak. Gorhak's my name."

  The Orc was sent to the block to die among criminals and rebels. 

  * * *

  Gorhak was forced onto the block and the headsman stared menacingly at his next victim. Gorhak could hear the load roar that he was sure was only audible by him, as he assumed it was happening within his own head. He closed his eyes as the long axe came to the apex of the headsman's motion. He waited. And waited. It felt like minutes, even hours, before he heard the next sound, and that sound was not the swinging of the executioner's weapon. It was the roar again. But this time it hurt his ears. It seemed so close, but Gorhak knew it was only in his head. He waited. He felt vibrations from the stone road beneath his knees. He opened one eye and met his most unexpected savior. A black dragon. The headsman fell and his axe skittered to a halt toward about ten feet away from his seemingly lifeless body. Acting with sharp instinct, Gorhak stood and sprinted with Ralof into a tower where Stormcloaks had taken shelter from the beast. There were many wounded and many dead. The Orc ran up the spiral staircase of the tower and reached the second floor just as the rampaging dragon broke his head through the stone wall of the structure. Rubble piled and blocked the way to the roof so Gorhak's only option was to leap from the second story of the watchtower and land on the top floor of the inn below. Gorhak sprinded out of the burning building and met up with the Imperial who was reading the list of prisoners. His name was Hadvar. Hadvar and Gorhak hid from the dragon's blazing breath and then advanced toward the keep. Using the town wall as cover, Hadvar guided the Orc toward the entrance to the keep. Before reaching the doors, Ralof cut them off and asked for the Orc to go with him rather than his adversary, Hadvar. Gorhak, knowing who was the better warrior, followed Hadvar into the keep.