A Prisoner in Helgen

"Hey, you. You’re finally awake." A familiar Nordic voice greeted you. "You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial Ambush, same as us and that thief over there…”

You were dazed and disoriented but after a few blinking moments you found youself upon a horse-drawn carriage with your hands bound so tightly together that you could scarcely feel your fingers. Your wits slowly came to you as you realised your predicament. You are a prisoner, sharing an ill-fated imperial carriage with a thief named Lokir of Rorikstead and two rebels, Ralof of Riverwood and the leader of the rebellion himself, Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak.

“Damn you Stormcloaks… Skyrim was fine until you came along!" The theif Lokir complained. "Empire was nice and lazy! If they hadn’t been looking for you, I’d have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell!”

"We're all brothers in binds now, theif." Ralof replied. The other rebel besides you mumbled something in agreement, a gag preventing him from speaking.

"What's wrong with him, huh?" Lokir asked, nodding towards the gagged prisoner as if noticing the man for the first time.

"Watch your tongue." Ralof said sharply. "You’re speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King."

"Ulfric?" A flash of realisation and utter fear spread across the horse theif's face. "The Jarl of Windhelm? You’re the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you... Oh gods, where are they taking us?"

"Helgen." You found yourself saying. You've been on this road a hundred times before. Despite knowing you'll survive what lies ahead, you can't help the morbid fear rising in your guts.

"So he speaks." Ralof gave you a friendly smile. "Yes... Helgen sounds about right. I used to be sweet on a girl from here."

Indeed, the cart slowly made its way down a winding road until the tower walls of the thriving border town of Helgen came into view. The town was larger than you expected, with thrice as many houses and inhabitants than you remembered from a thousand hours of playing the game. Lokir began to pray in desperation as hundreds of spectators came to see the end of the rebellion in person. The sight of so many people made you feel uneasy. Most of them will die within the hour, you thought, knowing the calamitous events that were about to transpire.

You pondered if you should save them or if you even could. You had no idea how powerful your Voice was and wondered if you were strong enough to stop the World-Eater right on the get-go. Besides, everything felt too real. If you are to die here in Skyrim, would you also die in real life?

If Helgen were different from the game, then perhaps Alduin was as well, being more fearsome and powerful than his game counterpart who was only 1.2 times stronger than you. In the lore, Alduin was the destroyer and creator of worlds, capable of going toe-to-toe with Mehrunes Dagon, one of the most powerful daedric gods.

Yet in the game, you could kill Alduin in one hit with Mehrunes Dagger....

Shit! All you wanted was to get your dick wet. Fuck Lydia for real. Have an animalistic romp in the woods with Aela. If you had wanted to play the game then you would have from the safety of your own home.

"Why... why are we stopping?" Lokir's concerned voice broke you away from your thoughts as the cart stopped in the middle of the town square.

"Why do you think? End of the line." Ralof said sorrowfully. "Let’s go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us."

"No! Wait! We're not rebels!" Lokir protested as you were all ushered off the cart and made to line up in front of the Imperial captain.

The Imperial woman was of average height, yet she stood tall with an air of arrogance about her, undoubtedly trying to impress General Tullius, the newly appointed military governor of Skyrim. Besides her, a young but sturdy soldier named Hadvar stepped forward with quill and paper.

"Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time." The soldier said before making eye contact with the gagged prisoner. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm."

The rebel leader mumbled something but he obeyed, moving to the executioner's block with as much dignity and poise that a defeated king can muster.

"Ralof of Riverwood."

Ralof was much less dignified than his liege. He spat on the ground and cursed the Imperials but complied as he followed Ulfric.

"Lokir of Rorikstead."

"No! I'm not a rebel! You can’t do this!" In a mad panic, Lokir ran, heading towards the open gates and seemingly unaware of the Imperial archers upon the battlements. "You’re not going to kill me!"

"Archers!"

With his arms bound and legs cramped from riding in the packed cart all day long, Lokir made for an easy target. One arrow took him in the knee, forcing him to the ground while two others caught him in between his ribs, making him **** on his own blood. The headsman's axe would have made for a quicker ****.

"Anyone else feel like running?" The captain eyed the rest of the prisoners, daring them to do so.

“Wait,” Hadvar interjected, finally noticing that there was one more prisoner than there was names on his list. "You there. Step forward. Who are you?"

Huh... You honestly couldn't think of a name. Talos? Nah, that would put you on the wrong side of both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks. Noobmaster69? No, not original enough. Pat Fenis? Hmm, maybe a little bit too on the nose?

"Just call me John." You finally said.

The soldier nodded slowly as he turned to his superior. "Captain, what should we do? He's not on the list."

The captain took one look at you and scowled. "Forget the list. He goes to the block."

You considered speaking up. Using your Voice to control the minds of your captors into releasing you. But before you could come to a decision, a heavy hand pushed you towards the executioner's block and you decided to let the story play out.

"...a hero does not use a power like the Voice to **** his king and usurp his throne." General Tullius was already in the midst of his speech to an unapologetic Ulfric. "You plunged Skyrim into chaos and now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace."

Rooaarrr!...

"What was that?" A soldier asked, looking up to the sky at the source of the distant demonic screech.

"It's nothing." General Tullius dismissed and addressed the executioner. "Proceed."

Without further ado, the executions began to proceed, as the condemned were lined up to face the executioner's axe. Within minutes, another roar was heard, this time louder and much closer. The townsfolk and the Imperials were becoming more unnerved, knowing that they cannot dismiss the roar as a trick of the wind.

"There it is again. Did you hear that?" Hadvar asked, unable to hide his anxiety.

"I said, next prisoner." The Imperial captain announced loudly, trying to drown out the murmurs and agitation of the gathered audience before pointing a long finger at you. "Next, the Nord in the rags."

However, as soon as Hadvar placed an apologetic but firm hand on you shoulders and urged you towards the block, a dark shadow fell over the town and a loud roar shook the entire foundations of the earth.

RRROOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Alduin had come at last. Just as you feared, he was indeed larger and more formidable than his game counterpart. His scales were all-black and seemed to swallow all light and the burning red embers of his eyes shone with malignant rage.

The black dragon landed upon a nearby tower and opened its maw, unleashing fire and destruction upon the town. Mass panic ensured with General Tullius barking orders and trying to organise an evacuation of the townspeople even admist the chaos. You noticed Ralof and Ulfric running towards the keep whilst Hadvar grabbed a boy at the urging of his mortally wounded father.

<Zu'u lost daal. The Elder Scroll did not defeat me!> Alduin exclaimed triumphantly, stretching its mighty wings and roared at the skies once more, summoning a storm of meteors that rained down upon the helpless town.

It was now or never, you thought. Taking a deep breath, you summoned all of your strength and courage as you approached the fearsome god and you shouted at the top of your voice.

"Gol Hah Dov!"