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scribeofskyrim · 7 months ago

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Tirdas, 17th of Last Seed, 4E 201

My name is Bronwen Legiano. I’ve never kept a journal before, but after what happened to me today I feel like I need to. I swear I’m not mad. This is exactly what happened and I know it sounds like a fairy tale but it’s all true.

I’ll be honest; I’m from the Imperial City. I admit I was running from the law, but I swear I acted in defense of my friend, Drusilla. The man I was sweet-talking caught her trying to pick his pocket, and immediately put a knife to her throat. He wasn’t the only one with a dagger up his sleeve, but I didn’t kill him. I hurt him, but there was only a little bit of blood on my blade and he was feeling plenty fine enough to follow us for a bit until he was able to get the attention of the Watch.

We laid low at the docks until we could bribe our way onto some boats. Then we split our stash and parted ways. She went south, I went north, and I thought Skyrim would be far enough away that I wouldn’t have to worry about any more Imperial guards, but I was so wrong. Late last night I was captured by the Imperial Army while I tried to cross the border.

There were soldiers everywhere! I’d heard there was some “civil unrest” in Skyrim, but that it wasn’t that serious. “Nothing to worry about,” the heralds said, “Just some upstart peasants.”

Bullshit. There’s a whole damn WAR going on up here and hardly anyone knows about it. They accused me of being a spy for the Stormcloaks and when I couldn’t give them any information – Kind of hard to do that when I literally had no idea what a Stormcloak was at the time – They tossed me on a wagon with a bunch of other prisoners. I was so exhausted from running and being interrogated all night that I fell asleep as soon as the wagon started moving.

When I woke up, another prisoner, Ralof, filled me in. We weren’t far from a place called Helgen. He’s a Stormcloak, a rebel fighting to free Skyrim from the Empire. I don’t know if that’s a smart idea – I don’t like the Emperor any more than the next cutpurse – but I do know that he’s pretty good at keeping the coins flowing.

Bah - That’s a Skyrim problem. I’m just a girl looking to fill my bag with enough Septims to do as I like. It’s got nothing to do with me!

Anyway, Ulfric Stormcloak, apparently the true king of Skyrim (?) was also there, bound as we were, but he was wearing a gag, which was strange. He must be one hell of an orator, if they had to keep him gagged like that! Or maybe he’s got an Imperial back in his bloodline? I know I can calm angry people and animals when need be. Maybe that talent sticks for a few generations?

Who knows? There was another man in the cart, too, named Lokir. He was a horse thief from some place called Rorikstead.

We didn’t have time to talk more; we got to the gates of Helgen, It looked more like a fort than a town to me. There were a few children running around, but not much in the way of houses. Mostly there were some tall towers and a keep.

The place was swarming with soldiers, and lots of prisoners. There was also a chopping block and a hooded man with a huge axe standing next to it. Lokir started to panic and was babbling prayers. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but I figured my fake sob story of escaping a terrible husband would work on General Tullius, the man running the fort. (Ralof named him earlier)

We got off the wagon, and Lokir’s nerves got the best of him. He tried to bolt, but the soldiers filled him full of arrows before he got very far. Ralof, on the other hand, was as cool as the wind. He hardly seemed bothered!

I thought I was free when the soldier keeping track of us mentioned to his superior that my name wasn’t on the list. I was even starting to feel a bit smug about it until that skeever-faced hag of a captain or lieutenant or whatever she was said to line me up anyway! (I took care of her later.)

They had a priest say prayers for us, but one of the rebels was defiant to the last and stepped forward, saying he hadn’t got all day and to get on with it. He put his head on the block and was mocking the headsman even as the axe came down. I didn’t catch what he said, because I heard a strange roaring sound in the distance. Ralof seemed proud of his comrade, though.

They called me up next, and Ralof apologized that I’d gotten mixed up in this. I set my head on the block and heard the roaring again, along with a rushing sound like wind, but it was closer, and I looked up…

I swear by all the Divines that I’m telling the truth. Everyone else saw it, too.

A DRAGON!

I saw it fly, then circle back to land on the tower, right above where we were all gathered. It roared again, but it didn’t sound like an animal’s roar.

Again, I swear I am not mad. I’m tired from… EVERYTHING but I have all my wits.

The dragon spoke. I couldn’t understand it, but it sure as hell sounded like words to me. And once it was done, the sky went dark and the clouds swirled over it and Ralof was shouting for me to get up and run.

I followed him into a tower. There were some other Stormcloaks hiding in there, too. We ran up the steps, and had to jump onto the roof of the burning house next door. It took me a few tries – I was still tied up and thatch is slippery – but I eventually got it and managed to find my way to Ralof again.

We got into the keep and got me untied. One of his men was there, dead. He told me to take what I could and handed me an axe. I’d never worn armor before or swung an axe, but I’m glad he took a second to show me because then a bunch of soldiers burst in, including that wench from earlier! I’d never killed anyone before – Hell, I’m a city girl, I’ve only had to kill my own food a handful of times – but sinking that axe into her face was more than a little satisfying.

I took all her stuff, including the key we needed, and we set off through the lower levels. We found more soldiers along the way, but also more Stormcloaks! We even raided the stores, and found a torture chamber.

Those bastards. You didn’t have to be a scholar to figure out how those tools were used. Disgusting.

We fought our way out, and even though we got separated from the others by a cave-in, I’m pretty sure they got out just fine. It was mayhem up top, and we took care of all the soldiers inside. I’m no tactical genius, but there were plenty of places for the others to hide out and shoot anyone who came after them. That’s if anyone was fool enough to hang around!

Anyway, I followed Ralof out of the keep, but right before we left we fought a whole nest of these horrible giant spiders called Frostbite Spiders! UGH. I set them on fire, which surprised Ralof. I heard before that Nords don’t trust magic, and that seems to hold true. He nearly walked into the fire several times! At least he’s just as creeped out by them as I am. Didn’t stop me from gathering some venom and spider eggs, though. I’ve always been a bit of an alchemy nut. The others used to tease me for it. Comes in handy, though!

When we got out, he suggested that I join the Stormcloaks.

I told him I’d think about it.

So we made our way here, to Riverwood. We passed three strange standing stones on the way. I could sense magic, OLD magic, and Ralof said that they could change my star sign!

Well, not my actual birthday obviously, but the special skills I get from it. I tried the one with the carving of the Thief – couldn’t hurt – and there were some sparkly lights, but that’s it. I don’t feel any different, but who knows? Maybe it’ll work, or maybe it’s just a pretty light show. Either way, it was interesting. He said the others were around, so I can always change it back to the Lovers if I want.

We also ran into some wolves – It gets dark quick here in Skyrim; early, too – after sunset, but those were easy enough to take care of. I made sure to take as much stuff as I could, too. I’ll need to find a place to sell it all tomorrow.

Ralof pointed out some creepy-looking ruins on the mountain overlooking the town. Bleak Falls Barrow, he said, and it’s where we both saw the dragon flying off towards. We didn’t see it land, but still – Knowing that it’s Out There and that it went That Way is bad enough.

When we got here, we found Ralof’s sister, Gerdur. She called her husband, Hod, over so Ralof could tell them what happened but their son, Frodnar, ran up. He was eager to hear war stories and it’s clear he looks up to his uncle. Gerdur got him to give us some privacy by sending him on a little mission – Watch the road to Helgen to make sure no one comes looking for us.

She’s a shrewd one, I can tell.

Ralof told them how he and his detail were with Ulfric on their way to Darkwater Crossing (no idea where that is) when they were ambushed. He’s convinced the army knew they were coming. It was too perfect. I’m inclined to agree. Everyone knows that the Emperor has spies all over Cyrodiil – Why not here? He then told them about Helgen, and how I came to tag along.

Gerdur’s glad we’re safe, but she’s rightly concerned about the dragon. She gave me a key to her house, and said that I was welcome to stay here as long as I like, and to take what supplies I need. She even gave me this journal and a little writing kit. Ralof scoffed at the idea of a journal, but the boy was excited and made me promise to let him read it sometime in the future.

All Gerdur asked in return was for me to go to Whiterun and ask the Jarl for help protecting the town from the dragon. Riverwood is named for her mill, and while she doesn’t say so, I have the feeling that she’s in change around here.

And there we have it. I woke up late, almost got my head chopped off, almost got set on fire by a dragon, almost got eaten by a dragon, killed a bunch of soldiers, committed treason (probably?), stole a lot of stuff, fought giant spiders, escaped prison, got magicked by rocks, fought wolves, and drank two bottles of wine in a stranger’s house as I write this.

I know - I just admitted to MANY crimes that I ABSOLUTELY committed, but if you’re reading this, I’m probably dead, in prison (again – HA!) or I trust you enough to know that you won’t rat me out.

I’ll write more tomorrow, assuming I don’t get arrested for just existing. --- Next

#skyrim #writing #fiction #journal #rpg #the elder scrolls #tesblr #helgen #elder scrolls #riverwood #fanfic #fanfiction #bronwens journal #the elder scrolls skyrim

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elder-dragon-reposes · 1 year ago

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Kynadora- The Wheel Turns Chapter 2

Chapter Summary: Follow Julia and co as they continue their escape from Helgen's destruction.

Author's Note: I want to thank my beta readers again, and I hope everyone enjoys my take on Helgen Keep.

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The closing of the door doesn’t help quell the adrenaline running through her. There’s still too much to do. The keep may hold up better than the other buildings in Helgen, but if the legends were true, then there’s no telling what damage a dragon might cause if this attack went on any longer. They needed to keep moving. And fast. There had to be another exit. Julia didn’t know of any keep that didn’t have a hidden exit. Not necessarily designed for escaping dragons, but in the case of an attack. Helgen couldn’t be any different.

Okay. First steps. Let go of Ralof. Why she’s still holding onto his shoulder, Kyne would only know. Put down Haming. See if anyone needs healing. Heal them. Then, keep moving. After that? Julia had no idea. But they had to survive Helgen.

Her hand drops from Ralof’s shoulder and her attention turns entirely to Haming. His head was still tucked into her shoulder, and his fingers must be aching from the grip he had on her. His breathing had gotten better since she tried to put him down outside. She felt bad letting him down, but there was no way she could check him for injuries with him curled into her the way he was.

She jiggles her shoulder a bit to get his attention and her heart shatters at his face. The only places not covered in the soot of his burning hometown were where tears cut tracks downwards. He was too young for all this. But he was alive. “I need to let you down, little one.” His grip on her tightens. “I’m not going to leave you, I just need to make sure everyone’s alright. I’m a healer. And then you can hold my hand. Is that alright?”

A moment. He nods. She lets him down as gently as she can and watches for any major injuries he may have. She can’t see anything except for a small cut on his left hand. She heals it quickly and turns her attention to the adults in the room. Gunnar had been favoring one foot this entire time, and she hadn’t gotten a good look at either Ralof or Hadvar before ushering them both into the building.

Gunnar first. Then to deal with the two soldiers before they jump at each other and scare Haming more. “Alright, Gunnar. Let me take a look at that leg before we go any further. Do you want to sit on one of the beds? Get the weight off it while I address the wound?” He acquiesces, sitting down on the bed and putting the injured leg on the footlocker in front of it.

“It’s not too bad, miss, there are other things to worry about.” Julia watches Ralof and Hadvar from the corner of her eyes. While they’d first gone to opposite sides of the room, they were slowly making their way over to each other. Damn.

It’s a deep wound. Even with the use of a spell, it’ll scar harshly. The fact that Gunnar had been walking around as well as he had on it was a miracle, and Julia couldn’t imagine him getting far with Haming had they split up. “I’d really rather we all move forward the best we can if it’s all the same to you.” He laughs, and Julia finishes mending his skin together under skilled hands.

On to the next problem then. Or well, maybe she could intervene before it became a problem.

She meets them in the middle of the room just as they come together. A hand on each of their shoulders, and she hopes that she’s calmed enough to keep them from trying to continue the Civil War in this room. “Are you both alright? Any injuries I can help with?” It’s enough of a distraction.

Ralof’s brows furl. “No. No, Julia, I’m okay.” Hadvar nods. His eyes haven’t left Ralof’s.

Julia’s voice gets quieter, hopefully enough that Haming won’t hear her. “There is a boy here who has lost his home. His family. To a dragon, of all things! He’s scared and you two going at each other won’t help that. Let’s get him to safety before you two try to kill each other.” She breathes out softly. “If that’s alright with the both of you? We need to spread word of the dragon.”

Ralof nods first, but Hadvar’s returning one doesn’t come too much later. It’s a start. “Alright then. Let’s try and get a move on. Get to safety as fast as possible.” Julia turns, facing the door they’d all entered through. Her left-hand goes to the chain around her neck, and her heart drops. It’s not there. No. Someone must have removed them from her neck while she was unconscious. Or they fell off somewhere out there.

Her breathing quickens once more, but she’s pulled out of the wheres and whys by Hadvar. “Haming!” She whips her head to them, her heart stopping for a moment before breaking again. A sword. The boy’s going for a sword. It’s longer than his arm. She can mourn her lost connection later.

She hurries to him and gets to his level, looking him in the eyes. He looks resolute in his features, but his eyes show just how scared he is. “Hey now, why do you need this?”

“So I can help.” Julia nods. She knows what it’s like to want to help.

“You don’t need to help with this. Hadvar, Ralof, Gunnar, and I will keep us safe. Keep you safe.” He seems to want to speak up, but after a long moment, he finally relents. His hands don’t relax around the handle of the blade though. “I do need help with something though,” Julia says.” Do you think you can help me?”

“Yes! I can help!” Julia wipes away some of the soot from his face, her gloves are rough but she hopes it is comforting.

“I need someone to help me by looking for supplies for us. Like potions and food. Do you think you can do that?” Haming nods, and his grip relaxes. Julia slips the sword out of his hands and returns it to its place on the weapons rack. His hand loops into hers and she rubs the back of it, returning to her standing height. Onwards they go.

Ralof whispers in her ear as they go through the door that will lead them further into the keep. “That was rather impressive, I thought we would fight the boy on it more.” Julia nods and lets go of the breath she’d been holding. Hadvar nods at her as well. If she can keep them focused on the boy, she can keep them away from the war, for now.

A short hallway and a door reveal another problem as well as more bodies. These aren’t from the dragon though. Unless he shrunk. Could dragons shrink? Julia couldn’t remember any of her father’s stories involving that. But no. These bodies were likely left due to the ongoing conflict that didn’t involve the massive beast flying through Helgen’s skies.

She’d check them for life, but the blood surrounding all of them gave her pause. And the stillness of them. She tucks Haming’s hand into Gunnar’s and takes a deep breath. If they were alive she had to help them. One by one, she checks for breathing and a pulse, Gunnar and Haming were never too far from her as she did. But no luck. All dead.

The presence of the bodies did add another worry to her list of many. What would happen if they ran into other survivors? Would the scene they had just come across repeat? If they ran into Stormcloaks would they try to kill Hadvar? Would any Imperials demand her and Ralof’s deaths? Would Ralof and Hadvar be seen as traitors for simply being in the same group? Killed by their own brothers and sisters in arms? Haming could be hurt in any ensuing conflict.

But other survivors would mean that others made it out of the dragon’s ire. And more survivors would always be the better option. Even if it leads to an awkward situation. Julia believes they could figure it out. Especially with a child there. She couldn’t imagine either side willingly wanting to harm a child who’d just lost everything. The Thalmor might be a little different, but she was pretty sure that she’d seen them leave before the execution ever began. In any way, they’d have to go through her first.

Haming grips her hand tighter when she returns to his side. “I’m sorry. They’re all dead.” Both Hadvar and Ralof look like they want to say something, but no words come out.

“Come on, then. We need to keep going.”

And so onwards they go. A hallway blocked by debris pushes them into a storeroom that houses supplies and more bodies. The bodies barely seem to register to Haming before he’s off grabbing potions and food safe for travel off the shelves. Gunnar helps him put them all into a sack as Julia once more checks the bodies for signs of life. Ralof’s face falls even more as she shakes her head at the Stormcloaks that litter the floor while Hadvar’s expression remains unreadable. Mourning will have to come another day for them both. The collapsed ceiling proves they’re on borrowed time before everything comes down around them.

Julia manages to convince them all to drink from one of the waterskins Haming found and then they’re on their way once more, deeper and deeper into the keep. “I’ll admit, I’m not sure where we’re going. I’ve never spent much time here.” Hadvar’s words show he agrees though. There has to be something. Some way out for their small group. It’s just a matter of finding it.

More stairs. Down down down into the lower levels of the keep. Hopefully closer to their destination of out, of away. Haming’s hold has loosened on her, but she still rubs soothing circles into the back of his hand.

They smell the torturer’s chambers before they turn down the last flight of stairs into the room.

She’d expected a prison. Expected cells. But for the torturer to have been first and not tucked away from any visitors? It felt wrong. And when they finally enter and see the bodies strewn about, Julia is no longer surprised. The smell, though. Even as a healer, she’d never smelt anything quite like it. She hopes that she never will again.

She checks the bodies each but pushes Gunnar to take Haming from the room as fast as he can. They’ll meet them there soon. But she has to check. There’s no hope for the man locked in the cage. He’d been there too long and seemed to have died as a result of his interaction with the torturer here. Not a good way to go. Hadvar looks uncomfortable and remains close to the exit that Haming and Gunnar had gone through. But he doesn’t leave.

It’s only after she’s checked the final body for signs of life that she sees it in the corner. Her pack. She rushes to it, checking the pockets. It’s in the last pocket that she finds it. A silver chain. Two rings. A pendant. An amulet. She hasn’t lost them. Both the chain and the worn leather go over her neck before she can even think to do it. She feels the stress roll off her in a way and blinks away tears. She wouldn’t have forgiven herself if she lost them, lost the connection. But it’s here. Safe.

“Julia? Are you alright?” Ralof’s voice brings her back.

“Yes! Yes. Sorry, I found my pack. They must’ve brought it here when we arrived.” Ralof nods and she returns to standing. Her eyes trace around the room once more in case of any supplies. She doubted it, but there might be something here. Her eyes land on a table. A plain book with the insignia of the Empire embedded into the leather cover. It felt important in a way. She shoves it into her pack before slinging it over her shoulder and following Ralof out. A room she never wanted to return to behind them. Her sword returns to her belt.

Haming returns to her side as soon as the three of them catch up to the boy and Gunnar. His hand slips into hers, but he’s curling into her once more. It makes walking a little more difficult going forward, but she’s not going to push him away. Not after everything. She just hopes the worst is behind them.

“Are you okay?” Haming’s small voice pulls Julia’s attention from the path in front of them and onto him fully once more.

“As okay as I can be. Are you okay? We can stop and rest if you want to. This has been a lot.” They really couldn’t, but if the boy needed rest, he would get rest. She could probably carry him again if need be. But her muscles still ached from earlier. She’d do it to keep him safe though.

His face remains emotionless. “No. I’m, I’m okay. Okay as I can be.” Julia ruffles his hair.

“Alright then. You just let me know if that changes, okay?” She catches Ralof staring, a look she isn’t quite sure how to describe passes over his face before he shakes it off.

Their little group continues, moving further into the keep. Eventually, the stone walls of the building give way to the rough stone of a cave. For a moment, Julia hopes to hear voices then curses her optimism as they see the large cavern.

Blood everywhere. She won't need to check any of these bodies for life. While the cold room meant that decay had yet to set into the corpses and the smell of rot had yet to seep into the walls, the scene was horrific enough. Bodies, mutilated beyond true recognition. They were strewn around the room, some headless with others carved completely open with their vital organs strung out on the floor like party streamers next to them. But it's the select few missing both heads and organs that are the worst. They no longer resemble anything mortal, anything that once was alive. And the blood. Its scent was everywhere, stinging Julia's nose and sending her stomach rolling. She is all at once revolted and heartbroken by the scene in front of her.

Her empty hand goes to cover Haming’s eyes. His own covers her hand on his face and he’s shaking again.

“By the Gods.”

“This . . . this couldn’t have been either side.” No. No, it couldn’t have. Corpses dressed in the uniforms of both sides have been desecrated. Or killed mercilessly. Gunnar shakes his head at it all. Hadvar’s hand goes to his sword, and Ralof readies his axe.

Julia gags and lifts Haming once more, tucking his head into her shoulder. “Don’t look until I say it’s okay.” Haming nods. She won’t let him see more of this. She doesn’t want to see more of this, but carrying him will be safer for the both of them.

They move through the room, and the two soldiers take point. Everyone’s eyes search corners for whoever, whatever, did this, but find nothing. It’s as they move through that Julia sees where the heads have been put. For most of them at least, the number still isn’t enough for the amount of bodies left behind. The ones left behind had been laid in a line near the exit of the large room.

They come to a drawbridge that had been pulled down, blood shining on the lever that controls the mechanism, and cross further into the cave. The blood trail is no more, and once they move down the steps into the cave, Julia feels comfortable enough to let Haming down. She wants to be able to at least throw a spell if they come across their fellow survivor. And she hopes that there are survivors beyond them. And that they’d kept moving instead of staying behind to prey on more stragglers.

Haming’s face is pale, so she makes him drink more water as they walk. She knows why he looks paler, she probably looked the same. But she wants him healthy as possible. Color soon returns to his face as they walk. No one seems to be able to find something to say, though Gunnar opens his mouth at one point to try and that means more to her than anything.

As they move through the cave, signs of more potential survivors show themselves. No more blood trails, for which she is thankful. Hadvar stops at a letter left behind with the Imperial seal. He reads it but does not share its contents. Understandable. And good. Others have seen the horrors, and others made it out. The more souls that make it out, the better.

They can tell that whoever handled the spiders was the same person who’d made themselves known in the cave. Haming and her walk faster through that room.

The dead bear is really what gives Julia hope that others made it out. Beyond the stranger at least. While it’s dead, it doesn’t seem to have been brought down maliciously. And its guts haven’t been ripped out. It’s a good sign. Which feels worse in a way.

“Good thing we didn’t have to sneak past that. I don’t know if we’d have been able to stay quiet enough.” Ah. Ralof is the one to finally break the silence. Good.

Hadvar scoffs. “We could’ve handled it.”

“Yes, but would you have wanted to after all this?”

“Good point.” Hadvar’s face seems lighter now. Ralof’s too.

“And hey! It means that others got out. Just, in front of us,” Haming pipes up.

“Also a good point. Well done, Haming.” She ruffles his hair again, and the boy relaxes. Good.

The exit to the cave comes quickly after that, the dead bear seeming to give everyone the push to keep going at a faster pace. The light is nearly blinding as they exit through, but the Skyrim air feels refreshing. And then the sound comes again. And the dragon flies over.

Julia pulls Haming down and covers his body with her own, pushing them as close to the ground as she can. Ralof and Hadvar both ready their stances for a fight and Gunnar joins her shielding Haming. She throws up a ward, hoping that it’d be enough to protect them from any fire that may rain from above.

“Wait!” Ralof’s voice pulls her attention back to the sky and she sees what he does. “There he goes.”

Hadvar breathes out a sigh of relief. “Looks like he’s gone for good this time.” Julia drops her ward and lets Haming up. He clutches at her, fear clear on his soot-stained face but they disappear as the dragon shrinks across the sky. She sends a silent prayer for those who resided wherever it went next. “But I don’t think we should stick around to see if he comes back.”

Julia nods, “Alright, where’s best to head from here?”

“Well, I know where the boy’s grandfather lives and can get him there safely,” Gunnar says, trying to catch his breath.

“We should probably split up here. Safer that way. And I know Froki. He lives in the opposite direction than I was planning on.” Hadvar wouldn’t look at her.

Ralof nods and meets Julia’s eyes. “My sister Gerdur runs the mill in Riverwood. She’d help us out. I’m assuming that Hadvar will want to head that way too. His uncle is the blacksmith.”

“That was my plan.”

Her eyes turn to Haming. He needs to be safe, and she needs to let more people know what happened to Helgen. He looks up at her, and she sees the realization in his eyes too. She doesn’t want to leave him, but she doesn’t know where to take him like Gunnar does. She doesn’t know Skyrim well enough. And what would happen when she found his grandfather? It’s not like he would let her stay, so they would need to say goodbye eventually. Here might be the best time. She’d do her best to help others with the dragons, and he’d be safe.

Julia brings herself down to look Haming in the eyes on his level. “I need to go with Hadvar and Ralof.” Haming nods. “And Gunnar is going to take you to your grandfather.” He nods again, but tears prick at his eyes. They threaten to fall from hers as well. “They’ll make sure you’re safe though, okay? And I will do my best to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, Haming. I promise.”

He nods. And his voice gets quiet again. “Will you write to me?”

Julia’s heart shatters. “Yes! Yes. Once you get to your grandfather's, and if he’s okay with it, you can write me anytime and I’ll respond. Okay?” It was more than she’d ever gotten from the village she’d left when she was his age. “Just, use my middle name instead. That’ll be safer. Can you remember to do that? To write to Kynadora Lastblood?”

“I can do that!”

“Alright. Then I will write back as soon as I receive your letter. You go be safe now, okay?”

“You too, Julia.” She nods. She can’t promise that though. At least not now.

He smiles for the first time since she’s lifted him, and something in her stitches itself back together. They all walk together to the road and separate at the junction, Julia watches Haming and Gunnar walk away until they crest a hill, disappearing from her sight.

As they turn towards their path, Julia’s eyes catch on a signpost, pointing them towards Riverwood. A hawk sits on it. Likely looking for little prey to catch and eat. She feels bad for disturbing the poor thing when they draw closer and it takes off somewhere else.

Hadvar taps her shoulder, “It’ll be around two days before we arrive in Riverwood. Shouldn’t be too bad of a walk though.”

“Alright. Let’s get going then.” Julia’s voice is sure, far more than she feels.

They travel silently down the road for a bit before Ralof points to the mountains across from them. “See that ruin up there? Bleak Falls Barrow.” He sighs, as if remembering a different time, before continuing, “I never understood how my sister could stand living in the shadow of that place. I guess you get used to it.”

“When I was a boy, that place always used to give me nightmares. Draugr creeping down the mountain to climb through my window at night, that kind of thing.” Hadvar’s face scrunches. “I admit, I still don’t much like the look of it.”

Julia laughs, “Well, there’s something you two can agree on, then! That and our need to get to Riverwood.”

Ralof looks to Hadvar. “I suppose.” Hadvar nods.

Right. That was awkward. Think. “There were a few Ayleid ruins near Skingrad. Once, my uncle took me to Kvatch and we had to pass by a massive one. I was afraid that necromancers or zombies would come and attack the carriage. Later, some researchers passed through on their way to study the ruin and I talked to one about it. Never understood it.”

“What happened to them?”

“They were killed. Necromancers.”

Ralof tilts his head back and forth. “Well. Little you wasn’t too far off, then, were you?”

“I suppose not. It was an unfortunate incident, though. Didn’t take too long for the ruins to be cleared out after that.”

“Soldiers?”

Julia shook her head. “No. A mercenary hired by one of the families. A few of the guards went with them though.”

The other two leave that hanging in the air, and the trio continues down the path. The stone is solid beneath her feet, and the need to get to Riverwood pushes any tiredness away from completely taking over her limbs.

It’s Hadvar who stops them next at the foot of a platform with three stone pillars on it. “These are the Guardian Stones,” he explains to Julia, “three of the thirteen ancient standing stones that dot Skyrim’s landscape. Go ahead, see for yourself.”

Julia walks up to the platform and looks at each of them. Thief. Mage. Warrior. Were the thirteen stones all the birth signs? If they were, she didn’t see hers here. So what might help the most going forward? While Baura had ensured that Julia could sneak around, it was never what she was best at. She could see how a blessing that might help with her sword work would help, but ultimately she walked up to the mage stone. She was a healer. Anything that could help her with her alchemy or restoration would be appreciated. She approached it and rested her hand gently on the front of the stone. She was entranced as the lights danced around and shot off into the sky. She didn’t feel any different, but blessings like this often appeared in the most unlikely of ways.

“Mage, eh? Well, to each their own. It’s not for me to judge.” Julia turns back to Hadvar as the words leave his mouth.

“She’s a healer, Hadvar. Mage makes sense. Come on, Julia. We should keep going.” Julia laughs and follows after the two of them, shaking her head.

Conversation flows easily between the three after that. Which is nice, she couldn’t imagine this journey with Helgen looming over them without a slight reprieve. They jump through topics ranging from more about Skingrad and Riverwood to healing to Helgen itself.

When night falls, the three of them all shove themselves into Julia’s tent. None of them sleep much, but the few hours they manage help to push them through the next day and into the next night. The next day manages to remain much the same as the day before. They sleep again, and Hadvar tells her that they should reach Riverwood around nightfall.

It isn’t until they get closer to Riverwood that anything major changes. Ralof sees a figure approaching them before either Julia or Hadvar does. Once she sees them though, it’s clear what they are. Bandit. Strange that it’s only one, but they are near a forest. Any number of them could pop out at them. They let him approach and he smiles once he gets close enough.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A Stormcloak, an Imperial soldier, and a . . .” He looked directly at her and furrowed his brows. “I’m sorry, what are you?” He shakes himself out of his confusion and settles his features. “Doesn’t matter. You have money. Rob ‘em, boys!”

Julia sends a shock spell to his chest that down him before either Hadvar or Ralof have their weapons drawn and before the rest of the bandits descend from their right. She pulls her own sword, and between the three of them, the rest of the group is finished off quickly.

She raises a hand to heal a blow to Ralof’s upper arm. “Is this a big problem around here?”

Hadvar tilts his head back and forth. “Sometimes? It’s gotten worse since the beginning of the war.”

“Right now the Jarl’s men have more problems than bandits on the road.” Ralof rolls his shoulder when she’s done. “Jarl Balgruuf hasn’t publicly declared for either side.”

“It’ll be worse in a bit, you know. With the dragon.” Dragons? Was it possible that more would follow the one in Helgen?

“Yeah. Let’s hope it doesn’t get too bad.”

They continue on again, and as Hadvar predicted, they arrive in Riverwood as night falls. When the gates come into view, Hadvar turns to her and Ralof. “It’s probably best that I leave you here. Too many questions otherwise.” He looks Julia in her eyes as he continues. “Listen, as far as I’m concerned you’ve already earned your pardon, but until we can get that confirmed by General Tullius, it may be best for you to stay out of sight. But, thank you. I don’t know if I’d have made it out without you.” Julia smiles and waves at him, and Hadvar walks to the gates.

Julia turns to Ralof, “It might be best for me to start introducing myself as Kynadora moving forward. Avoid using the name currently associated with an execution and all.”

He laughs. “That’s fair. Just remember, this isn’t Stormcloak territory either. If we’re ahead of the news from Helgen, we should be fine as long as we don’t do anything stupid.” They walk forward to the gates. “If we run into any Imperials beside Hadvar, just let me do the talking, alright?” Julia nods. “And it looks like nobody here knows what happened yet. Come on. Gerdur’s probably working at her lumber mill.”

Ralof knows the path well as he leads them across a small bridge to the mill. She clocks who Gerdur is even before Ralof calls out to her. She holds back a bit, allowing the siblings to reunite. She waves when Gerdur meets her eyes.

“Are you hurt? What’s happened? And who’s this? One of your comrades?”

Ralof laughs. “Not a comrade, but a friend.” Ralof rests his hand on her shoulder and guides her over to his sister. “I owe her my life.” Julia screws up her face at that but doesn’t argue. Arguing over the semantics of who saved who could come later when they were out of the public eye. “Is there somewhere we can talk? There’s no telling when the news from Helgen will reach the Imperials.”

“Helgen? Has something happened?” Gerdur’s demeanor changes immediately from that of a concerned sister to something akin to a commanding officer. “You’re right. Follow me.” Gerdur grabs both of them by the hand and leads them through the mill yard back towards the town. “Hod! Finish up and come home. I need your help with something.”

Julia hears Hod see them and agree to get home quickly but does not see him herself. She does see the very excited boy running up to his uncle. “Uncle Ralof! Can I see your axe? How many Imperials have you killed? Do you truly know Ulfric Stormcloak?” Julia smiles and waves at the boy when he finally registers her as part of the group that Gerdur is leading by hand. “Who’s this?”

“Hush, Frodnar. This is no time for your games. Go and watch the South Road while I get your uncle and his friend settled. Come find us if you see any Imperial soldiers coming.”

“Aw, Mama, I wanna stay and talk with Uncle Ralof!”

“Look at you, almost a grown man! Won’t be very long before you’ll be joining the fight yourself.” Julia hopes that the war is over long before any child can join in. But Ralof’s words are enough to get Frodnar running off to watch the road like his mother asked. Gerdur leads them into a pretty house at the edge of the town, closing the door behind them with a soft thud. She ushers the two of them into chairs by the fire, shoving two tankards of water at them.

“Now Ralof, what’s going on? You two look pretty done in.” An understatement, but yeah.

Ralof sighs, settling into the chair and downing the tankard of water. “Where to start? Well, the news you heard about Ulfric was true. The Imperials ambushed us outside Darkwater Crossing, which is where they must have gotten a bit lost and grabbed our friend here. It was like they knew exactly where we’d be,” he frowns, shaking his head. “That was a few days ago, now.” He takes in a large breath, tracing the rim of the tankard. “We stopped in Helgen a bit later, and I thought it was all over. Had us lined up to the headsman’s block and ready to start chopping.”

Julia sees real fear light in Gerdur’s eyes. She was close to losing her brother. Would Hadvar have been the one to deliver the news? Would anyone have delivered the news? “The cowards.”

“They wouldn’t dare give Ulfric a fair trial. Treason, for fighting for your own people! All of Skyrim would’ve seen the truth then.” It certainly would’ve martyred the Jarl. “But then, out of nowhere, a dragon attacked!”

“You don’t mean a real, live–”

“I can hardly believe it myself, and I was there!” Ralof said. Julia still couldn’t believe it, and she’d been there. On her knees waiting for the axe to fall. “As strange as it sounds, we’d be dead if not for the dragon.” But so many more perished because of it. “In the confusion, we managed to slip away. Are we really the first to make it to Riverwood?”

“Nobody else has come up the South Road today, as far as I know.” Ah, so Hadvar had managed to sneak in without anyone noticing.

Ralof meets Julia’s eyes and nods. “Good. Maybe we can lay up for a while. I hate to put your family in danger, Gerdur, but–”

“Nonsense. You and your friend are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. Let me worry about the Imperials.” Gerdur turns to face Julia. “Any friend of Ralof’s is a friend of mine. Stay as long as you need. If there’s anything else you need, just let me know. How about we get you into the bath while Ralof and I talk and I make some dinner for the both of you?”

That all sounded fantastic. “Yes! Thank you so much for all your help, Gerdur. I promise to be out of your hair quickly.”

“Don’t worry about it, can I ask your name though?”

Right. Ralof hadn’t introduced her. “Julia. But if any guards come asking around, maybe use Kynadora?”

“Of course. Now, let's get some of that soot off of you.”

Gerdur helps her fill up the bath and seems impressed by her use of a flames spell to heat the water faster. Julia scrubs at her skin as much as she can, but she doubts that the ashes of Helgen will ever truly feel gone. It is nice to wash through her hair when she pulls it down from her braided bun. The water is filthy when she rises and dries off. After she drains it, she throws on one of her nightgowns and a dressing gown on top of it. Her armor would need a good cleaning before she felt comfortable enough to pull it back on.

She returns up the stairs to Ralof finishing off his meal, and her own sitting on the table next to him. “I can do what I did to heat the water faster?” she offers, thinking he’d want a bath now, too.

“That’d be much appreciated, friend.”

After she helps him, she returns to the table and sits with Gerdur as she devours the meal that was set down for her. Apple cabbage stew never tasted this wonderful before. “It’s really good. Thank you for all of your help today, Gerdur.”

“I should be thanking you. It’s a good thing my brother found you in all that chaos.”

“Well, I doubt that I would have gotten out without his help either. I had a pretty bad head wound when we arrived in Helgen, and I doubt that I would’ve been able to move out of the courtyard fast enough without his help.”

“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. I have to ask if you’d be willing to do something for me though.”

“Of course! How can I help you?”

“It’s really for all of us here in Riverwood. The Jarl needs to know that there’s a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenseless,” Gerdur looks over to her sleeping son. “We need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to send whatever soldiers he can. If you’ll do that for me, I’ll be in your debt.”

“Don’t even worry about a debt, Gerdur. I’d be happy to help! I made a promise to try and help with this crisis anyhow, I’ll just consider this to be my first step to fulfilling it.”

Ralof returns to the table as Julia uses the last of her bread to sop up the remnants of the stew, wearing what must be an extra pair of his brother-in-law's sleep clothes, exhaustion clear on his face. They all sit and talk a bit more, Hod asking questions about the dragon and Gerdur asking about Julia’s magic and life as a healer. During a stall in the conversation, a knock comes from the door. Gerdur looks at her and Ralof and motions for them to sit behind the counter in their home as she rises to answer the door. They hear a short back and forth that Julia can’t quite make the words out to before Gerdur allows the figure to enter.

“You two can come out. This is Alvor, our blacksmith. He wanted to speak with Julia and has promised not to make any trouble.” Julia rises from the ground, facing the taller man.

“Hi.”

“Hello. My nephew, Hadvar, mentioned you might be here. And that you might help me out with something?”

“I might be able to, yes. Can I ask what you need?”

“The Jarl needs to know–”

Gerdur interrupts him, “That there’s a dragon on the loose? Alvor, I’ve already asked this of her.”

“You did?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“No, no I should’ve known.” The blacksmith sighs, “I’m sorry to have bothered all of you.”

“It’s alright. Did Hadvar want to tag along? I wasn’t planning on leaving until the morning.”

Alvor’s expression drops from neutral, “I’m sorry, lass. He’s already back on the road to Solitude.”

“Oh,” Ralof beats her to a sound of disappointment.

Alvor seems surprised for a moment, but then not at all. “Well. I’ll let you all back to your evening then. Thank you.” After he leaves, Hod pulls out two extra cots for them and places them near the fire. It’s far more comfortable than the cold floor, and so Julia falls into a restless sleep quicker than normal.

When she wakes, Gerdur already has breakfast on the table. “Hod can do without me for one morning. Even if he has to drag Sven out from wherever he might have slept last night off.”

“I appreciate it. You didn’t need to do this.”

“Like I said, I’m happy to help. Especially since you’re paying this town back tenfold.”

Julia looks to the empty cot next to hers, and Gerdur’s face drops in her periphery. “He already left, didn’t he?”

“He did. I’m sorry, I told him to wait or to even go with you, but he was adamant on returning to Windhelm as fast as he could.”

Disappointing. Julia wouldn’t admit it aloud, but when Gerdur had made her request, she’d hoped that Ralof and Hadvar might join her. Maybe help her to figure out where the dragon had come from. But the war came first apparently. “It’s okay. Expected it a bit.” Or not at all. But it’s fine.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course!” Julia would be an open book for the kind woman–well, she would be as open as she could without mentioning anything that might bring more trouble to them later.

“You’re from Cyrodiil, right?”

Julia furrows her brows. Not a question she expected. “I am. I spent most of my years in Skingrad.”

Gerdur averts her gaze for a moment, looking to the door. “Are you going to fight with them?”

“I am not.” Gerdur nods, and they continue as if the exchange didn’t happen. Julia understands. Helping the enemy, even if they saved your brother, would be upsetting.

After breakfast, Gerdur points her towards the local general store to replenish her supplies but not before packing her enough food for the walk to Whiterun. She also supplies a letter to hand off to the Jarl if it became necessary.

At the store, she agrees to head to Bleak Falls Barrow to reclaim the owner’s stolen claw in return for more direct instructions to Whiterun. She pays for a new map and journal while replenishing her potions supply and exits. As she does, Alvor meets her eyes from across the street. She nods, and he returns the gesture. The woman sweeping the front of the house doesn’t seem happy with the exchange, but the girl sitting on the stoop waves. Julia smiles at her.

It isn’t until she crosses the bridge that the sadness sits in. It feels wrong to be embarking on this quest without Hadvar and Ralof, but they’d made their decision. And so onward she goes.

#julia kynadora lastblood #kynadora #skyrim #helgen #riverwood

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