Dragonborn: Ch I

Chapter One: Helgen

It was the 26th of Last Seed, and all she could remember was waking up on that damned Imperial carriage.

She awoke to the sound of hooves clicking off of the hard cobblestone road. The air was cold,
Mackenzie would never forget the first time she recalled feeling the infamous Skyrim air.

As she opened her eyes, she made eye contact with the blonde Nord sitting across from her.
"Hey you, you're finally awake, you were trying to cross the border right?" His voice was deep, yet somehow comforting. "You walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there." Mackenzie looked over to see a man with dirty brown hair, he was dressed in rags. It looked as though he'd been through a lot.

"Damn you Stormcloaks, Skyrim was fine until you came along." The thief broke his silence.
"The Empire was nice and lazy, if they hadn't been looking for you I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." His dark, brown eyes turned to her. "You there, You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants." Mackenzie grew confused, she had no memory. She had no recollection of what a "Stormcloak" was.

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief" The blonde Nord interrupted. The carriage driver shushed them.

"What's wrong with him, huh?" The horse thief questioned about the mysterious bound man.
He was sitting beside Mackenzie, his mouth covered with a dirty rag.

"Watch your tongue, you're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak. The true High King." The Nord said as if he was insulted.

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. If they've captured you..Oh Gods, where are they taking us?"

The words of the horse thief frightened Mackenzie. She tried to think of what happened before she woke up. All she could come up with was crossing the border from Cyrodil.

"I don't know where we're going but Sovngarde awaits." The blonde Nord spoke again. "No, this can't be happening. This isn't happening!" The look on the horse thief's face was troubling.

"Aye, what village are you from, Horse thief?" "Why do you care?" The horse thief replied.
"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

Mackenzie thought of her home, where was her home?

"Rorikstead, I.. I'm from Rorikstead." The thief stuttered. Mackenzie heard a soldier call out "General Tullius sir, the headsman is waiting.

The last sliver of hope she had left quickly faded when the horse thief began shouting the names of the Divines.

"Look at him, General Tullius the Military Governor and it looks like the Thalmor are with him.
Damn Elves, I bet they've had something to do with this." Mackenzie longed to know the blonde Nord's name, he seemed like a warrior.

He shot her a look of comfort, he could sense her fear. "This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in." Juniper berry mead sounded good to Mackenzie.

"Funny..when I was a boy Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe." The Nord whispered.

Mackenzie begain to wonder what the Stormcloaks have done or what was so wrong with the Empire.
A man telling his child to go inside broke her thought.

"Why are we stopping?" The horse theif asked nervously.

"Why do you think? End of the line." The mystery Nord uttered.

Ulfric hadn't tried to say anything during the ride. The way he kept to himself concerned Mackenzie, was it that he had nothing to say?

"Let's go, shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us." the blonde Nord said nervously.

The horse thief screamed for pity, claiming they were't rebels.

"Face your death with some courage, thief." Mackenzie's fellow Nord captive shouted. He took the words right out of her mouth. Whatever she did to end up on that carriage was her own fault and she was ready to take her punishment.

The thief tried to reason with the blonde Nord, telling him he must explain that they were not with them. Was she with them? Mackenzie wasn't dressed in a Stormcloak Cuirass, nor was she an Imperial.

The Imperial Captain ordered the captives to step towards the block once their name was called.

"Empire loves their damn lists." The Nord said as he jumped off of the carriage beside her.

A solider standing next to the Captain called out, "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm."

"It has been an honor Jarl Ulfric." The mystery Nord shouted.

"Ralof of Riverwood." The blonde Nord left her side. Ralof, Mackenzie will remember that name for the rest of her life.

"Lokir of Rorikstead" The horse thief tried to explain himself one last time as he ran from the rest of them. The Captain called to the Archers, they murdered Lokir.

The soldier called out to Mackenzie next. "Wait you there, step forward. Who are you?"

She finally had a chance to talk. "Mackenzie, sir." She choked on her name.

"You were trying to cross the border, you're a Nord. Which city are you from?" Mackenzie tried to explain to him that she had no memory and I only remembered crossing into Skyrim.

"You picked a bad time to come home to Skyrim, Kinsman. I'm sorry at least you'll die here in your homeland."

The Captain led her to the rest of the rebels, right next to Ralof.

General Tullius stood infront of Ulfric. "Ulfric Stormcloak, some here in Helgen would call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use his power to murder his King and reserve his throne. You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos. Now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace."

To this day Mackenzie still wonders if he still would've said it if Ulfric's hands were not bound and if his mouth wasn't covered.

An unusual noise came from the clouds, it startled everyone. Tullius ordered the Imperials to carry on. An impatient rebel interrupted the Priestess and proceeded toward the block.

"My ancestors are smiling at me Imperials, can you say the same?" The rebel asked as the Headsman raised his axe. The rebels head rolled off of the block, Mackenzie didn't shudder. She was used to this by now.

Stormcloaks cursed at the Imperials. "As fearless in death as he was in life." Ralof said honorably.

The Captain called for the next prisoner as the noise was heard again. She was calling to Mackenzie. "I said next prisoner."

Mackenzie slowly made her way up to the Captain as she knelt down she prayed to the Divines. She stuck her knee in Mackenzie's back and shoved her down. Mackenzie looked up to see something she'll will never forget.

"What in Oblivion is that?!" A guard called. A black dragon, dragons were believed to be long dead.

Everyone had now seen the dragon. It landed on the keep and began to cause chaos.

Ralof called to Mackenzie "Come on, the gods won't give us another chance! This way to the keep!"

She ran as fast as she could but those few yards felt like miles. They made it into the keep and Ulfric spoke for the first time.

"Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?"

"Legends don't burn down villages" Ulfric replied to Ralof.

"We need to move now! Up through the tower, let's go!" As they were climbing the steps the dragon burst through the tower wall. It's breath was fiery.

"See the inn on the other side?" Ralof motioned his hand towards the hole in the wall. "Jump through the ro of and keep going!

Go, we'll follow when we can!"

Mackenzie didn't want to leave him, but she had to. She jumped as far as she could barely making it to the inn. Mackenzie ran up to the soldier who was calling the names of the prisoners. She thought maybe he could help her find Ralof.

"Everyone get back! Still alive Prisoner? Stay close to me if you want to stay that way."

She hid behind him barely making it out of the way of the fire. He told the old man that he needed to find General Tullius and his defense.

"Gods guide you, Hadvar." The old man said as he clutched the young boy close to him.

The young soldiers name was Hadvar, he refused to help Mackenzie find Ralof when she asked.

"Stay close to the wall!" The dragon landed right on top of the wall. It couldn't see them behind its huge wings. It blew some fire and took to the sky again. Hadvar decided they would take this opportunity to make a run for it.

"Quickly, follow me." The bodies of dead Imperial soldiers scattered the ground.

"Hadvar! Into the keep soldier we're leaving!" A soldier called out to Hadvar. We caught up with Ralof, Hadvar spoke to him briefly.

"Ralof you damn traitor, out of my way!" They clearly knew each other.

"We're escaping Hadvar, you're not stopping us this time!" Ralof spoke back.

"Fine I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" The tension grew between Ralof and Hadvar.

"You come on, with me!" Ralof shouted to Mackenzie. She tried to run towards him but Hadvar stopped her.

"You'll be safer with me I promise." Hadvar released her arm as they made it into the keep.

"Looks like we're the only ones that made it. Was that really a dragon, bringers of the End Times?"
Hadvar said as he looked around the room.

"I'm not sure, I thought they were only legends." Mackenzie said trying to get her binds off, they were beginning to cut her wrists.

"We should keep moving. Come here, let me see if I can get those bindings off."

Hadvar removed the binds from her wrists and gently ran his thumb over the wound."I'm truly sorry. Mackenzie, was it?" His voice was tender unlike the Hadvar she had just witnessed.

"Yes. It's not your fault, at least I don't think it is." She looked at Hadvar and he smiled.

"Take a look around, there should be plenty of gear to choose from. I'm going to see if I can find something for these burns."