Chapter 3 - Unbound
Without provaction or warning the dragon, for what else could it have been, unleashed its terrible wrath upon us. Where moments before the Imperial Legion had felt strong and invincible with their victory over the Stormcloaks now they were proven to be frail creatures to be battered, burned and broken by the tiniest of whims from our attacker.
Had it not been for the kindness of the man called Ralof I might have simply laid there on the ground watching Helgen burn around me.
"Hey Kinsman get up, the Gods won't give us another chance."
Those word pulled me from shock and bleak acceptance. With difficulty I pushed myself up and ran after him towards the one remaining tower. Ran, in truth it was more a stumbling fall with a lot of forward momentum. My vision was blurred, my head pounding with explosions from inside and out. Also my hands were still bound so I could not even balance myself all that effectively.
Still I made it inside the tower before I eventually fell down on to the cold uncaring stones. Right at the feet of Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm. I am quite glad that particular event was never mentioned by the bards. In fact, most of the bardic songs about Helgen are a complete and total fabrication on the artist's part. My favorite is the one where I climbed the tower and used it to jump on the dragon's back. Suitably heroic for a song, but completely impractical if one wants to successfully hunt a dragon.
No instead, I flitted between moments of desperate prayer to mighty Talos, to bouts of dark contemplation of all that I had lost in the past month, to near manic hysteria at thought I was about to be killed by a children's story.
The Stormcloaks had somehow all slipped their bindings, but left me to mine, which was slightly souring. The next few moments were a blur and I honestly remember very little. A jump through a hole in the roof of the nearby inn. Watching a small boy see his dying father incinerated in dragon fire. Two men of honor who should be brothers ready to kill each other under a sky that had become claws, scales and leathery wings.
I saw Helgen's fort before me and I rushed to the closest door. Ralof followed me inside and we found ourselves safe at last from the fiery destruction from outside. Ralof told me, as he cut my bindings, that he saw several of the other Stormcloaks make it into the keep, though he was not sure where Ulfric was. We found the body of another Nord dressed in Stormcloak honor.
It pains me to say that years later as I look back on those defining moments, I don't remember that man's name. You should remember a man's name as you strip him on weapon and armor.
It took me a few minutes to get the armor on, and by the time I buckled the last strap, and felt the heavy weight of the axe in my hand, Imperials were storming down on us.
It was the Captain and another Imperial. Despite the need for cooperation against the beast, they rushed in to attack us. By that time I had finally started to calm down ever and was able to focus on the stirrings of magic within me. As I saw that familiar face of my would be killer, I felt the storm rise in my chest. Flashes of power danced across my bones, while cracks of thunder shook my muscles. And it was the easiest thing I had ever done to raise my hand and direct stream after stream of lightning into her. Bear in mind I had never killed a single person before. For while I had seen death many times as a healer in the Temple, I was never the instrument.
Perhaps I should have been distraught and overwhelmed with emotion in the situation, but as the roar of the dragon thundered past the aged stones of the keep it was not a luxury I had.
Thus Ralof and I made it through the keep we quickly dispatched foes, Imperials, giants spiders and even a bear. Undoubtedly, fair reader you wish for tales of these battles as waves upon waves of enemies feel to the strength and ferocity of my companion and me, but it was simply not the case. Between Ralof's axe and my lighting and sword we simply made quick work of our foes and escaped the keep with our lives. On another note, given all of the vicious creatues in the keep I was quite suprised Helgen had not been destroyed years ago.
Still Ralof and I emerged from a cave entrance outside the walls of Helgen just in time to see the black dragon depart Helgen after its brutal business.
Finally, I was in Skyrim and free. Yet, as I saw that dragon fly past the horizon I realized I would not be going to Solstheim any time soon.
