Chapter Text
Maya opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a man. A fellow Nord, by the looks of it. His blond hair came down in dirtied strands that framed a strong-featured face. His eyes were downcast, and his hands were bound together. He was wearing the armor of a Stormcloak soldier.
Maya looked around. She noticed that her hands, too, were bound. She was riding in the back of a carriage led by a horse and driven by an Imperial, if his armor was any indication. More carriages were being pulled ahead of and behind the carriage she was riding in. She turned her head and was shocked at what she saw next. The other person beside her was none other than Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, the rebel leader of the Stormcloaks and usurper of the throne. He had a gag stuck in his mouth, and his hands were bound as well. In front of Ulfric was another passenger. This one didn’t look like a Stormcloak, for his clothes were tattered and dirty, and his face was filthy. His dark brown hair and beard were riddled with dirt, and he was looking off in the distance with a faraway look in his eyes.
“Hey, you. You’re finally awake.”
Maya turned her head back to the other Nord in the carriage. He was now looking directly at her. Now that she got a better look at him, she noticed that the man was unshaven, and his eyes were red and tired. How much had she missed while she slept?
“You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there,” the man said, looking over at someone else in the carriage.
Maya turned her head to see that he was talking about the man in rags.
The man in rags turned to the Stormcloak soldier and said, “Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn’t been looking for you, I could’ve stolen that horse and be halfway to Hammerfell.”
The man in rags turned to Maya and said, “You there. You and me - we shouldn’t be here. It’s these Stormcloaks the Empire wants.
“Don’t lump me in with your thieving ass,” Maya said.
“We’re all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief,” the Nord replied.
“Shut up back there!” The Imperial driver yelled.
The thief turned to Ulfric and said, “And what’s wrong with him, huh?”
“Watch your tongue. You’re speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King.” The Nord said.
“Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You’re the leader of the rebellion. But if they’ve captured you… Oh gods, where are they taking us?”
“To the chopping block, most likely,” Maya spat, pissed that she had somehow ended up in this situation.
“I don’t know where we’re going, but Sovngarde awaits,” the Stormcloak soldier replied, seemingly resigned to his imminent death.
Maya looked over at the soldier and shook her head. She had no plans to head to Sovngarde today, not if she could help it.
“No, this can’t be happening. This isn’t happening,” the man in rags said, looking around with panic in his eyes.
“Hey, what village are you from horse thief?” The soldier asked.
“Why do you care?” The man in rags spat.
“A Nord’s last thoughts should be of home.”
“Rorikstead. I’m…I’m from Rorikstead,” the man said slowly, as if deep in thought.
“General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!” An Imperial soldier called out.
“So they do intend to behead us,” Maya said, looking around at the other Nords in the carriage.
“Good. Let’s get this over with,” Tullius replied.
“Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me,” the man in rags said, eyes wide with fear.
Maya didn’t have the heart to tell the man that it was far too late for the Divines to help any of them. Not unless they somehow miraculously escaped, which wasn’t looking very likely. As they continued to ride, they passé beneath the gates of some kind of town. It wasn’t one that Maya was familiar with, though she recognized the houses’ construction types as being those used by Nords for their homes.
“Look at him,” the Nord soldier said, derision obvious in his voice. “General Tullius the Military Governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with them. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this.”
Maya peered behind the Stormcloak soldier to see who he was talking about. A man wearing gilded Imperial armor was astride a horse, speaking to three Thalmor agents who were also riding horses.
“This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vinod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in,” the soldier said. “Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe.”
“Me too, soldier. Me too,” Maya said, trying to think of a way to get out of this situation, and not finding any clear solution. She was well and truly caught this time.
“Who are they Daddy? Where are they going?” Maya heard a young child say nearby.
Maya turned to look behind her and saw a young boy sitting on a front porch of a house. A man, presumably his father, stood beside him.
The man beside the child looked down at him and said, “You need to go inside, little cub.”
“Why? I want to watch the soldiers?”
“Inside the house. Now.”
“Yes, papa,” the child said, his voice sad. The boy got up and went inside the house, though he did so as slowly as he possibly could, and kept glancing back at the soldiers.
Yes. Spare the child from seeing your beloved Imperials behead people, Maya thought to herself.
“Get these prisoners out of the carts. Move it!” An Imperial Captain called out, who was a woman dressed in heavy armor with a sword at her side.
“Why are we stopping?” The thief asked.
Maya looked over at the thief and glared at him. He truly couldn’t be this stupid, could he?
“Why do you think? End of the line,” the Stormcloak soldier said.
As the carriage pulled to a stop, the Stormcloak soldier looked at Maya and said, “Let’s go. Shouldn’t keep the gods waiting for us.”
Maya had nothing to say to that. She stood up and followed the thief as he stepped down and out of the carriage.
“No! Wait! We’re not rebels!” The thief called out uselessly.
Maya wanted to knock the man on the side of the head and say, “Speak for yourself.” But she held her tongue. Better to not out herself as a Stormcloak sympathizer.
“Face your death with some courage, thief,” the Stormcloak soldier said behind Maya.
“Or at least shut the fuck up,” Maya said, restraining herself from kicking the man off the carriage.
“Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time,” the Imperial Captain announced.
Maya looked to the side and noticed another line of Stormcloak soldiers lined up and ready to move.
The Stormcloak soldier that had ridden in the carriage with her stepped beside Maya and said, “Empire loves their damn lists.”
“Yes, they very much do,” Maya murmured, watching what was going on in front of her. The Imperial Captain and an Imperial soldier were standing at the head of the line Maya was in, ready to call out names.
“Ulfric STormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm,” the Imperial soldier said.
As Ulfric wordlessly moved to stand in front of the chopping block, the Stormcloak soldier beside Maya called out, “It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric!”
“Ralof of Riverwood,” the Imperial said next.
The Stormcloak soldier beside Maya—who was apparently called Ralof— moved to stand beside his Stormcloak brethren.
“Lokir of Rorikstead.”
The thief in rags stepped forward and said, “”No, I’m not a rebel. You can’t do this!”
The thief abruptly ran off past the captain and back down the road.
The Captain yelled, “Halt!”
“You’re not gonna kill me!” Lokir yelled behind him.
“Archers!” The Imperial Captain yelled her order.
Several Imperial archers raised their bows and fired arrows right into Lokir’s back. The man fell with a shout, and his now lifeless body crumpled to the ground, blood already beginning to pool under his body.
“Anyone else feel like running?” The Imperial Captain said to the remaining prisoners.
“Wait. You there. Step forward,” the Imperial soldier said, directing his attention upon Maya now.
Maya stepped forward and listened as the man asked, “Who are you?”
“Maya Stormborne, of Falkreath,” Maya said, looking the Imperial soldier dead in the eyes and daring him to say something snide.
“You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim, kinsman,” the Imperial soldier said, writing her name down in his little ledger. “Captain, what should we do? She’s not on the list.”
“Forget the list. She goes to the block,” the Captain announced.
Maya was stunned speechless. She had done nothing but cross the border at an inopportune time, and she was being sentenced to death for it?
“By your orders, Captain. I’m sorry. At least you’ll die here, in your homeland. Follow the Captain, prisoner.”
Maya glared at the Imperial soldier before she followed the Captain. She stopped beside the Stormcloak soldiers and watched as the Captain moved to stand behind General Tullius, who had dismounted and was speaking directly to Ulfric Stormcloak. There were several Imperial soldiers also behind Tullius, as well as the headsman with his bloodied axe, and a priestess.
“Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn’t use a power like the Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne. You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace,” General Tullius said.
When Tullius stopped speaking, a strange sound echoed from somewhere over the mountains. It sounded almost like a roar, though nothing Maya had ever heard roared like that.
“What was that?” The Imperial soldier bearing the list asked.
“It’s nothing. Carry on,” Tullius ordered.
“Yes, general Tullius,” the Captain said, shortly before turning to a priest woman and saying, “Give them their last rites.”
The Priestess of Arkay came forward and raised her hands, and began to speak.
“As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you—“ she began, only to be cut off by one of the Stormcloak soldiers.
“For the love of Talos, shut up and let’s get this over with,” a red-headed Nord spat, storming up to the chopping block with intention.
“As you wish,” the Priestess of Arkay said, lowering her hands and stepping back.
The man stood in front of the chopping block and spat, “Come on, I haven’t got all morning.”
The Captain put her hand against the man’s back and pressed. The soldier knelt down and the Captain put her foot on the soldier’s back, forcing him to lower his head onto the chopping block.
“My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?” the Stormcloak soldier asked.
The headsman raised his greataxe over his head and swung down hard. The man’s head came off cleanly, blood spurting from both the body and the head.
“You Imperial bastards!” a Stormcloak woman shouted in rage.
“Justice!” one of the onlooking villagers yelled back.
“Death to the Stormcloaks!” a woman yelled.
“As fearless in death as he was in life,” Ralof said.
Ulfric said nothing, but his shoulders sagged and his expression grew dark.
“Next, the Nord in the rags!” the Captain yelled, pointing at Maya.
Maya didn’t move an ich, but something out there did. Another roar sounded from over the mountains, and everyone looked around for the source of the sound.
“There it is again. Did you hear that?” the Imperial soldier with the list asked.
“I said, next prisoner!” the Captain repeated.
“To the block, prisoner. Nic and easy,” the soldier with the list said.
Maya slowly walked to the chopping block. For a minute, she thought about running, but she had no intention of dying like a coward. She felt the Captain’s hand touch her back and press down, and soon the Captain’s foot was also pressing on her back. Maya’s head rocked back and forth a bit as she was forcibly shoved down upon the block. SHe turned her head towards the headman, giving him a show of her sharp teeth. The headsman looked down at Maya, and prepared to raise his greataxe.
“What in Oblivion is that?” General Tullius yelled.
Maya looked up in the sky and saw a massive winged creature fly over the mountains.It roared loudly and flew towards where Maya and the rest of the people were.
“Sentries! What do you see?” the Captain yelled.
“It’s in the clouds!” an Imperial soldier yelled.
“No it’s not!” Maya shouted, watching the creature descend onto a nearby tower.
That was a dragon. Maya couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Dragon!” one of the Stormcloak soldiers yelled.
The dragon landed on the tower, the force of the wind it kicked up knocking the headsman to the ground. Maya heard the ring of steel as a number of soldiers drew their swords. Maya found herself glued to where she was laying, and completely speechless.
The dragon Shouted. Storm clouds gathered swiftly overhead, and meteors began to rain down from the skies.
“Don’t just stand there! Kill that thing!” General Tullius ordered. “Guards, get the townspeople to safety!”
Maya was knocked off of the chopping block. She fell to her hands and knees on the soil.
“Key, kinsman. Get up! Come on, the gods won’t give us another chance!” she heard Ralof say near her. “This way!”
Maya got to her feet and followed after Ralof as he headed for another tower. A number of Imperial soldiers were on the ground, wounded and dead or dying. Maya dodged to the side as a meteor landed right where she had been about to step. Maya ran inside the tower and Ralof shut the door behind her. Ulfric Stormcloak and several other STormcloak soldiers were also taking shelter inside the tower. One of the soldiers was on the ground, bleeding heavily, and another soldier was tending to them.
“Jarl Ulfric! What is that thing? Could the legends be true?” Ralof asked.
“Legends don’t burn down villages,” Ulfric said gravely. We need to move. Now!”
“Up through the tower, let’s go!” Ralof yelled.
Maya turned and ran up the tower stairs. She came across a Stormcloak soldier who was digging through some rubble that had collapsed from the tower’s ceiling.
“We just need to move some of these rocks to clear the way!” the man shouted.
Maya moved to help him, but was knocked over as the dragon burst through the side of the tower, instantly killing the soldier she was going to help. As it reared its head back, preparing to spew flame, Maya ran past the dragon. She spotted a house down below, its ceiling caved in and the second floor on fire. She had no choice but to jump. She leapt into the air and landed hard on her feet. Pain shot through her legs, but adrenaline kept her going. She ran through the house and got to a hole in the flooring. Maya dropped down the hole and ran out back onto the road.
Maya saw several Imperial soldiers, including the one who had been holding the list. The young boy from earlier was standing out in the road.
“Haming, you need to get over here. Now!” the Imperial soldier called out to the boy.
As Maya saw the dragon flying overhead, she decided to make a run for it. She ran towards another set of houses that were also on fire. The dragon landed on the ground next to Maya, nearly knocking her over again.
“What in the EIght Divines is this thing?”
“Its a fucking dragon! Run!” Maya yelled, running past an Imperial archer who was taking aim at the dragon.
“The wounds are deep, Vilod! I can’t stop the blood,” Maya heard an Imperial soldier say to one of the villagers.
Maya stopped herself from saying, “Good riddance.” Moments ago, that man had been calling for her own beheading. Maya ran past all the soldiers and came to two towers. Ralof came running towards Maya, stopping only when he saw the Imperial soldier who had had the list.
“Ralof! You damned traitor. Out of my way!” The Imperial said.
“We’re escaping, Hadvar. You’re not stopping us this time,” Ralof replied.
“Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde,” Hadvar spat.
“You! Come on, into the keep!” Ralof yelled at Maya.
Maya ran off after Ralof as he went to the second tower. Ralof slammed the doors shut behind him. The first thing Maya saw was a dead Stormcloak soldier lying near a table. A large chandelier hung high in the middle of the room, casting a bright light down upon everything. There were two doors in the room, a large wrought iron gate, and a large wooden gate.
Ralof ran towards the Stormcloak soldier, knelt down next to him, and said, “We’ll meet again in Sovngarde, brother.”
He stood up and turned to Maya, saying, “Looks like we’re the only ones who made it. That thing was a dragon. No doubt. Just like the children’s stories and the legends. The harbingers of the End Times. We better get moving. Come here. Let me see if I can get those bindings off.”
Maya walked towards Ralof. He procured a knife and cut her bindings. Heee then looked down at the dead soldiers and said, “There you go. You may as well take Gunjar’s gear. He won’t be needing it anymore.”
“All right, get that armor on and give that axe a few swings. I’m going to see if I can find some way out of here,” Ralof said.
Maya stripped the man of his clothing and put it on. It was loose, but it would do for now. She also grabbed the man’s axe, which had been strapped to his belt. She gave the axe a few experimental swings. It was of a decent weight, and well balanced. She would have preferred to have a great shield, but she supposed she would have to go without one for now.
“This one’s locked. Let’s see about that gate,” he said standing in front of the wrought iron gate.
Ralof moved over to the other gate and said, “Damn. No way to open this from our side.”
“Come on, soldier. Keep moving!” Maya heard the Imperial Captain shout from down the hallway, past the gate.
Ralof said, “It’s the Imperials! Take cover.
Maya crouched down behind the side of the door and waited for the gate to open. If she wanted to surprise the Imperials, she would have to make her move after they lowered the gate. The gate lowered, and Maya ran through the open door and slashed at the first thing she saw: The Imperial Captain. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another Imperial soldier, but she ignored him for now.
Maya managed to land a good hit, and the Captain was knocked backwards from the force of her blow. The other woman drew her sword and slashed at Maya. Maya dodged backwards and swung her axe. She slashed the woman right across the torso, and blood spurted from the wound. Maya swing back far and landed a heavy blow against the woman, knocking her back again. Maya swung her axe one more time, this time aiming for the woman’s neck.
She managed to cut her head clean off, and it rolled away, blood erupting from where it had been severed. Maya turned to face the other soldier. She caught sight of Ralof spinning around, an axe in both hands, landing a killing blow on the remaining soldier.
Maya turned back to the Imperial woman. She was wearing far higher quality armor than what Gunnar had been wearing, so she opted for a switch. The armor was heavy, but she was more used to wearing heavy armor, being a warrior herself. Maya sheathed the Captain’s dagger at her belt and took her sword in hand. She also found a key in the Captain’s pocket, and she held it up for Ralof to see.
“See if you can unlock that door,” he said, moving back to the other gate.
As Maya unlocked the door, Ralof said excitedly, “That’s it! Come on, let’s get out of here before the dragon brings the whole tower down on our heads.”
“Agreed,” Maya said, running through the gate and heading down a set of stairs.
As she rounded a corner, she caught sight of a number of Imperial soldiers down the hallway. She prepared to draw her sword, but suddenly the tower shook, and rubble came down directly on their heads. Maya headed for the nearest exit: a closed door. As she went through the door, she spotted two more Imperial soldiers milling about inside a storeroom. One was wearing heavy armor, and the other light armor.
Maya drew her sword, pointed it at the man in heavy armor and said, “Ralof, take the second guy. I’ve got this one.”
Maya charged the man in heavy armor. She yelled as she brought her sword down upon the man’s neck. He was knocked down from the force of her blow, and tried to get up. Maya finished him off with a decisive swing of her sword, killing him with her next blow. She turned to see if Ralof had finished the other guy off. The other Imperial was still standing. Maya came up behind him and plunged her sword down his neck, killing that man as well.
“A storeroom. See if you can find any potions. We’ll need them,” Ralof said, running past Maya.
Maya searched through a nearby barrel and found several healing, Magicka, and stamina potions. She pocketed all of them and continued to search the storeroom. She found more potions on some nearby shelves, and a bottle of wine on a nearby table. She also found several herbs being hung out to dry on some hooks, all of which she collected as well. If she came across an Alchemy table, she could make use of the herbs.
“Done? Let’s get moving,” Ralof said as Maya approached him.
He was standing in front of another door, which maya opened and ran through. She turned down a hallway and then made another turn down some stairs. She came into a Torturer's Room, complete with prisoner cages, manacles on the wall, and several more Imperials, presumably the Torturer and his assistant. There were more Stormcloak soldiers here, fighting the Imperials.
Maya joined the fray. She went after the torturer first, who was casting bolts of lighting at one of the Stormcloaks. Maya swung down hard with her sword, trying the same move she had with the previous Imperial. The man dodged out of the way and returned with a bolt of lightning. Maya swung her sword several times in quick succession, knocking the man backwards and interrupting his casting. She knocked the man down completely with her next swing, which also killed him. She turned to face the assistant, who had managed to kill one of the Stormcloaks.
Maya yelled as she charged the other Imperial. Before she could land a blow, the other Stormcloak soldier—a Nord woman with a mace—brought her weapon down upon the man’s head, killing him instantly.
“Nice work,” Maya said, breathless.
“Was Jarl Ulfric with you?” Ralof asked the woman.
Maya listened for the woman’s response as she searched the room. She found a small iron shield. Not as big as Maya usually liked, but it would have to do. She also found a book titled “A Brief History of the Empire Part Two”, which she pocketed. Might make for some interesting reading, Maya thought to herself.
“No, I haven’t seen him since the dragon showed up,” she said solemnly.
“Wait a second. Looks like there’s something in this cage,” Ralof said, gesturing for Maya to draw near.
Maya moved to look in the cage. A man was inside, dead. He was wearing a mage’s clothes and a Magicka potion was lying at his side, along with several gold septims and a spell book.
“It’s locked. See if you can get it open with some picks. We might need that gold once we get out of here,” Ralof said, handing Maya the picks.
Maya knelt down and began to pick the lock. It was an easy pick, and soon the door was swinging open freely. Maya got inside and stripped the man of his gear, his septims, his book, and his potion. She would spend some time later studying the book. Never know when one might need to cast a spell.
Maya left the cage and followed Ralof and the other Stormcloak down a hallway filled with more locked gates and cages. She turned a corner and went down some tails, eventually coming out into a room with yet more cages. These cages held human remains in various stages of decay. Maya quickly searched through the pockets and skeletons of the remains, earning a few septims and some Bone Meal for her trouble.
The room led to a broken down wall, with a gnarly looking tunnel behind where the all had come down. Maya charged through the opening and followed the path. She came out into a large room with numerous Imperial soldiers. The room was half-filled with water, the lower part of it bearing a river. Maya charged one of the soldiers.
“You won’t leave Helgen alive!” One of the soldiers shouted.
“It’s you who won’t be leaving here alive!” Maya snarled, swinging her sword.
The man she charged was a soldier wearing heavy armor. Maya brought up her shield to protect herself, and the soldier’s blade bounced uselessly off the wrought iron. Maya lowered her shields and started swinging wildly. She brought the first man down quickly, then moved on to the man next to him. This one would be easier, for he was wearing light armor. She brought the next man down in two swings, and then she moved on to the archers along the upper part of the room who hadn’t noticed her yet.
Maya charged up a set of stairs and ran right for an archer. He raised his bow to shoot her, but Maya raised her shield, deflecting the arrow. Maya swung at the soldier, who died just as quickly as the others had. She moved on to two more archers, all who fell to Maya’s blade. All of them failed to even scratch her.
“I’ll keep watch in case Ulfric comes through here. Talos guide the both of you,” the Stormcloak woman said.
“Talos guide you as well,” Maya said, leaving the woman’s side to meet up with Ralof.
“Let’s see where this goes,” Ralof said, gesturing to another path that led deeper into a cave.
Maya pulled a lever that she came across and lowered a drawbridge. She and Ralof crossed the bridge. Maya heard sounds of things crashing, and she turned to face the sound. Rubble collapsed the bridge completely, and more rubble fell in the doorway leading to the bridge.
“No going back that way, now,” Ralof said.
“Hopefully, Ulfric and the others will find another way out,” Maya said, trying to reassure the man.
Maya and Ralof followed a river down, then made a turn and walked down a path. They came out into a room full of spiders. Maya readied her sword and brought her shield up. The spiders turned to face their assailant and spat poison at her. None of it got through Maya’s shield, and Maya swung her sword at the first opportunity. Between her and Ralof’s efforts, the spiders died fast.
“I hate those damn things. Too many eyes, you know?” Ralof said, kicking one of the giant spider’s legs.
“I know what you mean,” Maya said, taking the time to search through the spiders’ web sacs and egg sacs.
She found a few more alchemy ingredients in the form of spiders’ eggs and skeever tails. Once she was finished searching, she regrouped with Ralof. Maya and Ralof followed the path further. Ralof came to a stop beside a cart filled with coin purses and mead, all of which Maya pocketed.
“Hold up, there’s a bear just ahead. See her? I’d rather not tangle with her right now. Let’s try to sneak by. Just take it nice and slow, and watch where you step,” Ralof said, pointing to a bear sleeping a few yards ahead.
Maya didn’t really want to face the bear either, so she crouched and crept slowly. She managed to sneak by the bear without waking the beast.
“Whew. That was close,” Ralof said once they got past the bear.
“Yeah,” Maya agreed, following Ralof through the tunnel.As they rounded a corner, Maya caught sight of daylight.
“That looks like the way out! I knew we’d make it!” Ralof said excitedly.
Maya was eager to get outside. She ran for the light.