The character Elwyn is based off yui0820's Elwyn standalone follower which can be found at http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/59056/Elwyn. The picture included in her description was borrowed from his mod page.
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All stories have heros, but not all heros have stories. Some are forgotten, washed away by the streams of time. I wish to tell you a story. A story of two heros whom history has forgotten. Heros whom the names General Tulius and Pa'arthanax have outshined, despite the fact that they themselves did more to end the war and negotiate peace between the dragons and the other denizens of Tamriel. Unsurprisingly their story starts on the road to helgen.
"Hey you. Yeah you Imperial. You awake yet?"A voice asks seemingly irritated. A foot connects with my leg causing a bolt of pain to course through my head.
"Ngh, where am I?" I groan and pop my neck as I cast my thoughts back to see what I recall. I crossed the border into Skyrim with Elwyn, but we argued over where we were exactly and where to go next. Elwyn wanted to disappear into Riften but I have heard stories of the College up in Winterhold. Its suppose to be a neutral location in Skyrim and seemed the least likely to turn us away. As we continued our arguement and traveled deeper into the mountains in the south of Skyrim, the road we were traveling on collapsed underneath us sending us plunging into a valley. Spread out below us were soldiers in blue fighting against an Imperial Legion. I grabbed hold of Elwyn and shielded her from the fall by manuvering my self underneath her. My last recollection is of me slamming into the ground and Imperial soldiers rushing to us.
"What your bastard friends didn't tell you anything?" I look up at the speaker, and find an angry grey eyed Stormcloak staring back at me. "What were you doing on that mountain, fleeing like the coward you truly are?"
"If you already know the answer why are you bothering to ask?" I reply wearily. "No, I wasn't fleeing, I didn't even know you guys were fighting until I fell."
"So, what you were just crossing the border? Like us and that Horse Thief?" He asks sounding incredlous.
"Damn you Stormcloaks." The nord he gestured to says angrily. "Skyrim was fine until you came along, the Empire was nice and lazy. You and me, we shouldn't be here, and niether should your Half-Elf girlfriend. Its these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."
Elwyn! I forgot about her! I look around frantically automatically assuming the worst. After a few moments of panicked searching I spot her in the car t in front of mine. The first thing I notice is that her delicate light brown eyes are watching me full of concern. Her wavy brown hair sits gently on her shoulders. The white snow berries that normally decorate her hair are missing causing me to suspect a struggle. She wears ashort dress made of a dark green fabric with grey streaks on her sides. I give her a reassuring smile to show that I'm complete fine, she gives me a sad smile in return before turning to listen to the rebel beside her.
I return my attention to the people in my cart in time to her. "We're all brothers and sisters in bind now thief."
"Mngh," The person next to me grunts through his gag causing the horse thief to jump.
"Whats his problem?" He asks me. I shrug in response, and do my best to look mildly interested. "Hey, whats with you? Why the gag?
"Hold your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak. The True High King!" The Stormcloak snaps.
"Ulfirc the jarl of Windhelm?" He asks in surprise, and not a small amount of fear. "But your the leader of the rebellion. If they've got you- oh, gods where are they taking us?!" Hearing this causes me to gain interest and I take a good look at Ulfric. His blonde hair is dirty from the fighting, and hanging from his shoulders is a dirty stormblue fur cloak. His eyes are a startling forget me not blue and beneath the cloak he wears a chainmail curiass.
"I don't know where we're going, but Sovengarde awaits." The rebel replies sadly.
"Great, just what we need. More people trying to kill us." I mutter.
"Shut up back there!" The driver orders, glowering angrily at us. We rid in relative silence for a few hours, each caught up in their own problems. At about midday, the stone walls surronding a village drawing closer.
"Gods, no!" The horse thief cries, dropping his head into his hands.
"What village are you from, Horse Thief?" The Stormcloak asks compassionately.
"What do you care?" The thief snaps, his voice muffled.
"A Nord's Last Thoughts, should be of home." The rebel responds dispondantly.
"Ror- Rorikstead. I'm from Rorikstead." He answers, lifting his head.
"And you, Imperial. What village do you call home?" He asks, actually seeming to care.
"I'm actually from the Imperial City." I tell him, remembering the courts with some fondness and no small degree of sadness.
"What made you leave your cushy life being waited on hand and foot?" The thief asks.
"I got tired of all the intrigue and betrayal. There was no one that could be trusted, and everyone sought to use you for their own gain." My thoughts turn to Adalicia and Nimerck, and I find myself wondering what they're doing now. "And then someone came and gave me a way out."
"The Half-Elf." The rebel states.
"Yes." I respond as we pass throught the village gates.
"There he is." The rebel spits. "General Tulius, the military governer. Am I to guess that you've met before?"
"Momentarily. He likely doesn't even remember me. He's certainly not going to spare me, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation." I reply, crushing my own hope. Even if he did, I think to myself, he wouldn't think to spare Elwyn. I watch Tulius as we pass noting disinterestedly his grey hair and Imperial General's curiass. Talking to him are three Thalmor in hooded robes flanked by half a dozen Thalmor in their Elven armour. One of the hooded Elves meets my eyes and gives me a predatory smile.
"Wait, this is Helgen... I use to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if Vilod still makes that mead with juniper berries mixed in..." the rebel mutters uncertainly. "It's funny, but... Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."
The cart pass through another gate, and loops around a tower at the center of the village. We pass a father and his son on their porch, but the child retreats back into the house at his father's command. We finally stop at the northern wall as the other carts unload.
"Wait, why are we stopping?" THe Horse Thief asks terrified, sounding slightly pleading.
"Why do you think?" The rebel asks tiredly. "End of the line."
"N-no!" The thief cries. Pleading with the Imperials, badly shaking my own resolve. "You can't do this! We're not rebels!" He gestures at me and Elwyn. I glance at Elwyn, but find myself looking back at her. She's crying, and this more than anything makes me realize our plight. Elwyn never cries.
"Face your death with some courage thief." I snap angrily, at the same time as the rebel. He glances at me and surprise and notices Elwyn, he nods understandingly and drops out of the cart.
"Stand in line and wait for your name to be called." A brown haired soldier calls.
"Empire loves their damned lists." The rebel says. Ulfirc and the blonde rebel whose name is Ralof are called forward and move off to the block, resignedly. The Horse Thief is called forward, his name being Lokir, however he panics and tries to run from death. Needless to say that it didn't work out well for him. Finally, my name is called.
"Valierus Inovin, of the Imperial City."He glances back at the list in surprise and looks back up at me.When he speaks his voice is cold. "What are you doing so far from the Imperial city?"
"We had a disagreement over lifestyle choices, and I left the capitol about a year ago because of it." I Turn on my heel and march to the block with my head held high.
As Tullius starts to address Ulfric a musical voice reminds me again of what I'm about to lose. "I'm sorry." I turn knowing before I look what I'll see. Elwyn stands next to me her head tilted up slightly to meet my eyes, tears still run down her face unchecked. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten you involved that day."
"This isn't your fault." I tell her. "The fault lies with the Thalmor, and the Stormcloaks for getting us caught up in their war.
She shakes her head sadly, her brown hair stirring gently with the breeze. "If you hadn't had to help me that day you'd still be in Crryodil." She buries her head in my chest, and I do my best to rub her back reassuringly despite my tied hands.
"If you hadn't needed my help I'd still be stuck playing politicks with Adalicia and the rest." I keep my voice low. "I promise, we'll make it out of this alive."
"You shouldn't make a girl a promise you can't keep."She murmurs.
"Choose your own Dez," I tell her. Its an oath, and a belief we both share. I once asked her what Dez meant, in response she laughed and said that I asked what was fate.
"Choose your own Dez." She replies.
"Aw, how sweet." A silky voice says from beside us. I turn and see a the smiling Thalmor from before watching us. I can see the satisfaction in his eyes. Elwyn stiffens slightly but doesn't move away."You two have been a thorn in our side for over a year now. THey told me I would never -"
A loud bestial roar tears throught the afternoon sky and the towns people cower in fear of the noise some of them even throwing themselves to the ground. The Imperial Archer nock their bows and search the skies for the source of the noise. "What was that?" Someone asks after a pause.
"It was nothing, carry on." General Tullius replies, seemingly confident in his statement.
"Give them their last rites." A Captain orders.
"As we commend your souls to aethrius, blessings of the Eight Divines be upon you-" The priestess near the chopping block starts to recite, what I believe is a Nordic prayer.
"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!" A rebel cuts her off angrily, I suspect I know why, and strides proudly towards the block.
"Pitiful nords. Such pride in an inferior people. It was all too easy to learn of their plans through the use of Illusion spells. We didn't even get to torture anyone." His voice betrays his disappointment. "Imagine my surprise when I spotted the two of you on the cliffside." The axe falls, and the rebels head rolls away as Imperial supporters cheer.
"As fearless in death, as he was in life." Ralof says mournfully.
"Next prisoner, the Half-Elf!" My heart skips a beat as Elwyn stiffens and pulls away from me. A roar splits the sky again, seemingly closer than before. The captain ignores and yells, "I said next prisoner!"
Elwyn strides to the block her face betraying nothing, as she kneels at the block. A sacrifical angel. "I arranged it this way you know." The Elf says. "So you can watch her die and no that theres nothing you can do to prevent it, but maybe you should thank me." He gives me a sly look. "This way she doesn't have to witness your death."
"You better hope that I die here," I say as I watch a dark shape soar out from behind the mountain. "Because if I don't I will find you. And only one of us will survive that encounter."
The sentries notice the shape and their fear is obvious in their yells, and screams. I rush towards Elwyn as a Thu'um rips through the air. How I know that I don't know. The executioner is knocked off balance by the shout,and I tackle him, knocking the axe from his hand. We wrestle on the ground but I quickly realize I might have been overeager, as his hands aren't bound giving him an advantge over me. He cries out in pain, and while he's distracted I kick him off of me. He lands on his back, stiffening suddenly before going limp. Elwyn stands beside me with a drawn dagger in her hand, she somehow managed to find her Hunting Bow and a quiver of Steel Arrows, and has slung them over her back.
"Are you alright?" She asks holding her hand out to me.
"Yeah, what happened to him?" I ask gesturing to the Executioner.
"Died on his own axe." She quickly cuts through the ropes binding my hands, before gesturing to wear Ralof is waiting. "We need to move, otherwise that dragon is gonna kill us."
She quickly sheathes, her dagger and starts off towards Ralof. I follow her and we reach the tower in time to hear Ralof asking, "Was that really a dragon from legend, bringers of the end times?" He directs his question towards Ulfric whose removed the gag and seems alot less worried than the situation calls for. "Legends don't burn down villages." Ulfric admonishes.
"We need to keep moving." I tell Elwyn. "Lets climb the tower, it'll give us a better view of the problem." She nods and starts up the stairs. We've almost reached the second floor landing, where a Stormcloak watchs us climb, when the dragon breaks through the wall. It torches the soldier and beneath the crackling of the flames I can vaguely make out words but I don't understand them. When the soldier collapse the dragon adruptly stops and takes to the air. I peek out of the newly created window, and spot a hole in the roof of the neighboring house.
"Lets jump across the gap." I suggest."We can climb down from their, otherwise we won't be able able to get past the rubble. I say pointing to the collapsed tower where the execution block was. She glances at me, her eyes trusting, before launching herself across the gap. She lands with a roll, and I take a moment to appreciate her form before folowing her across the gap. I land in the house and watch her vault over the railing of a broken out window. She lands below somewhere out of sight but I can hear the roar of DragonFire. I quickly follow her to the ground, and reach her in time to see the dragon take to the skies.
"Still alive you two?" The soldier with the list asks. "Well stay close to me if you want to keep it that way." We follow him into a corridor between a wall and a burning house. We exit the corridor near the gate to the keep, and rush through it ignoring the sounds of fighting and the screams. "Ralof! What are you doing?!"
Ralof jumps down from the rubble of a collapsed wall and yells back at the soldier. "We're escaping Hadvar, your not stopping us this time!"
"Fine! I hope the dragon takes you all to sovengarde! With me you two!" The Imperial-Hadvar- yells.
"Come with me you two!" Ralof yells and charges through a one of tw doors into the keep, at the same time as Hadvar runs through another.
"Which one?" I ask Elwyn. She shrugs, her eyes saying, 'I'm with you no matter what.' "Alright, lets go!" And we charge into the keep.
I would like to thank you dear reader for taking the time to read this. As I'm new to writing Fanfics any advice and constructive critism you can give would be appreciated. Thanks again!
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