It was like a nightmare, fire and destruction, death and smoke. The day the dragons were no longer legend, the day hundreds lost their lives. The day the world turned upside down.
I still remember it clearly, before it had been a clear day with few clouds in sight, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping amongst the trees. But that was not what I was thinking of. I was thinking of the rumbling of the wheels as the cart rolled along the cobbled road. The rope bound around my wrists, bruising them. Before that I had just crossed from High rock into Skyrim and then I heard a rustling in the trees, next thing I know I'm there tied up and surrounded by people I've never seen in my life. Lokir, Ralof and Ulfric are their names, Ralof was the one who first talked to me “Hey you, you're finally awake.” He said as I looked around. Lokir, the horse thief, who instead of suffering the headsman's axe, chose to run, and well...he got himself killed. Next it was my turn, I dug my heels in as I was pushed to the block, a foot on my back, unable to move, the headsman raises, and that's when I saw it…”DRAGON!!!!” Someone shouted and the ground shook, the sky erupted with fireballs and thunder, black wings eclipsed the sun as they flew, and men trembled under the sight. The headsman fell and someone says to me “Still alive? Come on let's go.” I scrambled to my feet and ran for cover, following Ralof and watching the dragon wreak terror on the town. “Quickly up the tower!” I get to the top of the stairs and then stop as Alduin breaks the wall and sends a stream of fire, burning the soldier stationed there, honestly I'm a destruction Mage and have experience with, ummm...burning things? But I had never expected That. The charred body, my body pressed against the stone, out of sight, out of mind, you know what they say. “You need to jump from the tower into the second floor of that house!” Ralof shouts. I look out of the hole in the wall onto the desolated second floor of what used to be an inn I'd guessed. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, then take a step back and get a running start, I run-
-and I jump.
Flying through the air and land lightly rolling to my feet, I guess those years of Physical Therapy and Gymnastics paid off. I climb down to the first floor and put back to the town. “Still alive prisoner?” Hadvar, the guy from the beginning. He yells to a boy standing in the street, the dragon lands and continues to wreak havoc. The boy ran to his grandfather, Hadvar told him to keep him safe and tells me to follow him. “Stay close to the wall.” We brace against it as Alduin lands atop it and let's out a horrendous roar. We made our way through the rubble, it felt like doing a dance, twirling and nimble steps among the burning ashes. We get to the door to the keep. Ralof runs up “You won't stop us this time Hadvar. Not this time.” We run into the keep and slam the door. Ralof walks over to a dead body of a stormcloak soldier. “He was a good man. Come here I'll cut your bonds.” I look at him and then cautiously walk over, Ralof takes a dagger and slices clean through the rope that had tied my hands together. I shake them around to get the feeling back and then look and see if that body had anything of use, let's see an axe, some boots and a few pieces of gold. We hear noises, guards. We take cover by a gate and then when it opens we spring from the shadows and attack the imperial guards, including that one Captain who's idea it was to nearly execute me. I cast fireball and then drive the axe in between her neck and shoulder before she can stab me, the captain of the guard let's out a choked gurgling sound, coughs and sputters blood, and as I withdraw the axe falls to the ground, dead. Ralof and I search for anything of value, finding the key that unlocks the door on the other side of the room. We rush down the stairs and at the bottom the ground shakes again, Portions of the keep crumble and fall on top of two soldiers who were patrolling the lower floor. We kick the door open and draw our weapons, and I charge a spell in one hand. A sentry and another guard captain who are attempting to flee...cowards, but I understand why they'd rather be charged with mutiny or treason and abandoning their comrades than to die screaming in the inferno brought by that hell beast. So we give them a quick death. Ralof points to the barrels “there's some potions in there.” I quickly take them and grab some extra food laying around. We make our way further into the keep, now to the torture chambers, ugh this place is terrible, I take a lock pick and unlock one of the cages with a Mage slumped in it, I check his pulse. Poor sods dead, might as well take his robes, they're enchanted. I slip them over my shoddy excuse for ‘clothes’ it's really more like rags. I pull up the hood and then get ready to leave, but something catches my eye, a book with leather binding black as night and a silver symbol of a dragon in the middle of it the book of the Dragonborn it reads. I slip it among my robes before Ralof notices and follow him. We get to a part of the keep with a small stream running through it, there are a few other stormcloak prisoners fighting their Imperial captors who struggle to hold down the fort. An arrow flies by my head, rude. I run and doge another incoming arrow by spinning and stepping from bridge to bridge, kicking the drawn sword out of his hand and sending a stream of cold at him, effectively freezing him solid, he falls over with a crash and shatters. Ralof pulls the lever and lowers the bridge. The two of us cross it just as a boulder falls through the opening and crushes it. Well that's not good. But still we continue, if we’re to live we must. Next we come to a cavern filled with Frostbite spiders, terrible beasts with a deadly venom, but not too hard to kill if you stay out of range. I bottle a few samples of the venom for poison, never know when you'll need it. Ralof finds a path leading further down and comes out to a large cavern with a river running through it, Ralof signals me to stop “there's a bear up ahead. Here's a bow see if you can kill it, or we can try to sneak by it.” He whispers. Challenge accepted. I draw the bow and take aim, then release the bowstring and the arrow goes shooting through the air and then hits home with a thud. The bear let's out a roar and collapses. Ralofs expression goes blank “well then, okay.” We continue on the path, I can see the exit. We run out into the bright light and out onto a dirt path. Ralof grabs my sleeve and pulls me down behind a rock “wait. Look.” The dragon flies by and let's out one more harsh scream before flying away towards the barrow in the distance.
It was like a nightmare. The day the dragons returned. The day hell was unleashed. The day the world turned upside down. And I still remember it as clearly as if it happened yesterday.
I've been destroying your feelings since 2015 and I have very little regret.
Until next time,
Max
For some reason, this one did not get to me.
ReplyDeleteHow so? I guess it might get to me a bit more because I've gone through the quest and know what it looks like in game.
DeleteHere's a snippet from my next Fic,
We have no hope left. We have come to the realization, our lives are forfit, the end is near. But still we search for an answer.