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We had been marching for a long time. The air had a smell of early morning; it wasn’t too cold, but it was humid and not pleasant, with that thin mist that enveloped the surroundings.The border was now far away and we’re still crossing the pine forest that covered the mountains, with the sun’s rays barely illuminating us, filtering through the thick branches of the trees. Apart from the coachman, there were three other people and myself in the horse-drawn cart, all prisoners of the Imperial guards. The night had passed slowly in the cart in the biting cold; when I opened my eyes I was greeted by a strong nausea. One of the wheels must have hit some rocks that jutted out into the middle of the road, making us all jump, and I raised my head to look at the other prisoners: they had been arrested on charges of being rebels, just as I was crossing the border. I had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s why the Imperials must have thought I was with them. My hands had become alarmingly stiff, with a paler color and purple hues to the fingers; I brought them to my mouth and began to warm them as best I could to restore some sensitivity. I also felt a great need to get up and stretch my legs... Only a few hours ago I had still been in Cyrodiil, while now I found myself with my hands tied, sitting on an old uncomfortable and creaking cart headed towards a city completely unknown to me in a completely unknown place, where the Imperials would surely put me on trial.I had intended to come to Skyrim in search of a little fortune: I was born and raised in Cyrodiil, the Imperial Province and the cosmopolitan heart of the Empire, where the ancient Nibean generations of my family, on my mother’s side, had always lived there. Since I was a child I had dreamed of becoming an adventurer, because of the Nord tales that my father always told me before falling asleep; driven by the passion that those stories had instilled in me, I had separated from my home to go in search of new horizons to explore. I wanted to meet new people, discover new places and new cultures, but the war had deceived me. It has always been difficult to have a period of peace in Tamriel. The ambush had occurred at dusk, along the main road a few paces beyond the border, as I was heading north in search of a safe place to camp for the night. The Imperials had taken everything from me, not that I had much, I had left home a little over a week before and had stopped for a couple of days in Bruma, so I had preferred to travel light at least until I could find more solid accommodation in Skyrim. But my clothes, my horse, and what little coin I had brought with me were gone, replaced by a filthy, smelly robe with foot bandages. Skyrim was a northern region, and the harshest on the continent, and those rags would do nothing to protect me from the cold. For the night they had given us blankets more like the same rags I was wearing, but despite the freezing damp and the uncomfortable position I had incredibly managed to sleep for a few hours – although often it was more of a drowsiness.I sat there in silence, observing the landscape that surrounded me. By now I was starting to get tired of seeing the same nature repeating itself, of perceiving the same monotony, the same tense silence that surrounded us, the same wild game that we encountered every now and then, the same scent of pine sap in the trees... but I also knew that they would most likely be the last beautiful things my eyes would see.One of the prisoners, the one sitting in front of me, a Nord with dirty and messy curls of a bright blond that fell on his shoulders, wrapped in a uniform of chainmail and fur with a blue cloak arranged around his neck, raised his head towards me, looked at me for a few moments, smiled and spoke to me. « Hey, you look a little lost. You’re not from around here, are you? » His tone was young, but his unkempt beard, the dirt on his face that highlighted his hard features, and the few scars that covered him made him look several years older.Even though I was deep in my thoughts, enraptured by the lush beauty of that place so humid and inhospitable almost as the swamps of the Black Forest, the calm sound of his voice called me back, so I tore my gaze from the trees to fix it on the blue one of the Nord. « Did someone say “Talos bless you” to one of those damn elves? »The man looked at me again and let out a short laugh. « You were coming from the border, so you just arrived in Skyrim, right? » he added, without abandoning his light smile. « Indeed. And I have to say it wasn’t quite the warm welcome I expected... »He nodded, then lowered his head and sighed. « I’m sorry you found yourself in this situation. Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there. » He nodded at the prisoner sitting next to him, a brown-haired man, skinny and malnourished looking, dressed in rags like me. I could see it under the blanket he was pulling tighter around himself as best he could to protect himself from the cold, and there wasn’t even a breath of wind blowing. The last prisoner with us, the Nord who was sitting to my right, had a much more portly and robust build that made me feel like a child in comparison, with a face with strong, mature features stiffened by the cold and framed by a mane of frizzy hair, a color somewhere between light brown and ash blonde, adorned with a few braids. His eyes were glassy, narrowed to slits by the obvious irritation that was evident. He was dressed in a noble robe with a large bearskin cloak.I couldn’t tell how old he was, but he looked like he was in his early forties. In addition to his hands being tied, he was also gagged, although I didn’t understand why at the time. He was completely impassive, his gaze full of hatred and anger. I couldn’t help but stare at him more curiously: as soon as he realized it and our eyes met, I felt as if my soul had been pierced by a sharp blade, like a piece of ice pierced by the burning heat of the metal. It was very easy to be fascinated by him, and I wondered what those sharp eyes towards me wanted to mean. « Damn you Stormcloaks », the prisoner dressed in rags muttered in response to the soldier, breaking the brief and surreal magic that had established between me and that imposing Nord. « 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 been halfway to Hammerfell... » Then he turned to me: “You there. You and me… we shouldn’t be here. It’s these Stormcloaks the Empire wants! »“And you, who wanted to steal my horse?” I thought irritably. « Stormcloaks? » I asked, confused. « We’re all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief », the soldier sitting in front of me growled, staring ahead at the road we’re traveling.I frowned in annoyance and looked at him. « I’m an Imperial from Cyrodiil, I’m no one’s sister here. Especially, after I was arrested because of you », I replied.I didn’t know much about the events that were unfolding in Skyrim at the time, only that there was a new war going on, but I didn’t know who or what it was specifically about. My journey had kept me away from the news coming from the rest of the Empire; even back in Bruma I hadn’t paid attention, busy as I was planning my march to the nearest village once I’d crossed the border. « Shut up back there! » we suddenly heard exclaim.Silence hung for a few moments. Then, ignoring what the guard driving the cart had ordered, the ragged prisoner spoke again and turned his attention to the gagged Nord. « And what’s wrong with him, huh? »I too was curious to know who he was and what he was doing here.The imposing man turned to regard me for a moment, then gave a pointed look to the prisoner who had dared to address him in such a brazen manner. « Watch your tongue », the soldier retorted. « You’re speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King! » he continued, enunciating his words almost threateningly.The prisoner was speechless at the revelation, and was forced to lower his gaze. « 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? »I began to feel a little more uneasy. The fact that I had been arrested with a group of rebels believing I was in league with them wouldn’t have allowed me to escape prison so easily, not even by explaining that I was actually innocent and that it had been a misunderstanding: I had no proof, and my family was miles and miles away. And if Ulfric, the leader of the rebellion, had also been captured, the sentence for us would hardly have been limited to simple life imprisonment. The accusation of high treason against the Empire and the Emperor contemplated a very different fate. « I don’t know where we’re going », replied the soldier, returning to look ahead. « But Sovngarde awaits. »The walls of the fortress we’re headed for were now visible through the white trees. We’re going down a long slope, and I feared the cart would tip over because of how steep it was. « No, this can’t be happening. This isn’t happening... », the prisoner in rags trembled. I could see him put his hands to his mouth and almost start to bite his nails because his teeth were chattering.A few moments of unbearably oppressive silence followed; we all turned to look ahead and words were replaced by tension. I could hear the sound of the horses hooves pounding on the hard stones of the road, the bumps of the wheels against the rocks that made the whole cart sway and I was almost jumping off the seat several times, the soft and desperate whimpers of the brigand followed by the sarcastic shouts of the Nord soldier, the silent reproaches of Ulfric. Stunning or pushing the guard who was driving the cart and then fleeing would have been a matter of a few quick moments, but it wouldn’t have been easy to do so with the escort of legionaries accompanying us. And I had no desire to further aggravate my situation. « Hey, shut up a bit and calm down, horse thief. Tell us, what village are you from? » the blond finally said with an almost amused expression. He seemed in a good mood to talk, as if the situation and the fate that awaited us did not concern him, and perhaps it was for the best; if his hands had not been tied, he would surely have put an arm around his shoulders as well.The man rubbed his face with the edge of the blanket and sniffed, before turning a dejected look on him. « Why do you care? » « A Nord’s last thoughts should be of home and loved ones » « Rorikstead. I’m… I’m from Rorikstead », he replied, slow and feeble, after a moment’s hesitation.I looked away and sadly pointed toward the pine forest. My home, a modest farm embraced by the green hills and caressed by the Nibenay gentle winds, my family... my mother, my father, my brothers and sisters, I would probably never see again. I would never see the warm faces of any of them again, at least not until they would, perhaps, one day join me in Sovngarde. I was an Imperial, but my faith and my heart also turned to that legendary and wonderful otherworldly place that I had heard so much about in the stories my father had always told me.We had reached the walled city. The heavy wooden doors of the gate swung open for us to enter. « General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting! » announced a guard from his post. « Good. Let’s get this over with! »The cart slowly advanced inside the walls, still marching along the road that wound between the houses. The locals were gathered on the edges, leaning out of their porches or standing in the doorways of their homes, watching with curiosity but also with anguish. A little ahead of us were two more wagons filled with prisoners, ready to be thrown into the dungeons or sent to the headsman’s log. Each one was more terrified than the other, although they didn’t panic and faced the situation bravely: most of them were Stormcloaks, noting their uniforms of silver chainmail with long blue cloaks. I wasn’t at all sure that I’d be able to escape, but in the meantime I observed my surroundings with anxiety and interest. Skyrim was a very different place from Cyrodiil, both in climate and architecture. Even Bruma was not so biting in comparison, and we’re only in the southern regions of the province. I paid attention to the situation and the environment; once again, trying to escape would have been useless, seeing how the place was crowded with armed legionaries guarding the city, the walls and the entrances – no wonder, knowing that the Jarl of Windhelm was there. “Until recently, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe,” I thought to myself. « Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me! » I heard the prisoner dressed in rags whine, as soon as we saw the legionaries lined up with long spears and bows in hand, ready for any eventuality. « Look at him. General Tullius, the Military Governor. And it looks the Thalmor are with him... », the blond commented angrily, pointing with his gaze to a point quite far away towards the houses we were passing and that caught my attention. « Damn elves. I bet they have something to do with this. »I saw the Imperial General standing, just dismounted from his horse, escorted by a tiny troop and in the company of a small group of tall men and women with shiny golden skin, clear and elegant eyes markedly almond-shaped, noble features although slightly angular, straight and protruding noses with a rather tapered tip. The elven authority with which the General was entertained sat gracefully on a white stallion, wrapped in a long black uniform adorned with gold and precious gemstone trim and buckles, marking her very high position in the Aldmer hierarchy present in Skyrim. Which didn’t surprise me, I knew very well that the Altmer exercised a rather particular and influential power over the Empire, even more than the Emperor himself. The cart passed them and soon they’re out of my field of vision. « This is Helgen », the Nord soldier suddenly said, interrupting my thoughts. « I used to be sweet a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in », he showed a vaguely sad tone, immersed in memories, while a smile crossed his face furrowed by thick pale hair. « A story ended badly? » I deduced. He shrugged briefly and kept his gaze elsewhere.I noticed a little boy sitting on the porch of his house. « Who are they, daddy? Where are they going? » « You need to go inside, little cub », his father said next to him, grabbing his hand to get him up. « Why? I want to watch the soldiers » « Inside the house. Now » « Yes, papa... », the boy snorted in disappointment, then I saw him disappear over the threshold. « Let’s get the prisoners off the cart. Come on! » « W-why are we stopping? »End of the line. The cart stopped in front of a high wall just below the walls, in a large space, with the common houses and the inn that remained a little further back, while at the end, beyond the arch next to us that was nothing more than a small bridge that connected one part to the other of the walkway of the Imperial fort’s walls, there’s the tower with the gallows waiting for us. « Why do you think? End of the line… », replied the Nord soldier. « Let’s go. Shouldn’t keep the Gods waiting for us. »The guards ordered us to get off, making us stand in orderly rows in front of the carts. « No! Wait! We’re not rebels! This is a mistake! » shouted the prisoner dressed in rags. « Face your death with some courage, thief », the blond scolded him once again. « You’ve got to tell them! We weren’t with you! »It was at that moment that panic invaded me, squeezing me in its grip, forcefully making the apparent calm that I had maintained until then fade away... they would never listen to us.Without being seen, I crossed my fingers and hid them under the edge of the crumpled robe and began to pray, whispering as faintly as I could: « Azura… Kynareth… Akatosh… Stendarr… Kynareth… Meridia… Akatosh… Talos… help us! » my voice was barely audible to a careful ear.I prayed, I invoked in a low voice... I fervently wished that somehow the deities could listen to me, that they would hear my prayer. « Stendarr, God of Mercy and Justice, I shouldn’t even be here; Kynareth, Goddess of Sky and Air… Akatosh, God of Time… Mara, Goddess of Love and Compassion… Arkay, God protector of Humanity. My time has not yet come, I have never stopped believing. Please, help me! »An Imperial woman in an officer’s uniform advanced towards us, escorted by two other legionaries; « Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time. »A soldier next to her, clearly of low rank judging by his simple uniform and his young, almost recruit-like appearance, unrolled a long sheet of parchment and began reading the names of the prisoners, then with a piece of charcoal marked off those who were eliminated and sent to the gallows. « Oh, Empire loves their damn lists », I heard the Nord soldier, still next to me, mutter.“I’m not on that list. Maybe… there’s hope.”The ranks of prisoners were thinning with each passing moment, when it was the turn of those present on my cart: « Ulfric Stormcloak. Jarl of Windhelm! »Ulfric, with his back turned to me, began to walk away, advancing with his head held high, proud and dignified, towards the tower and stopping in front of the block, where the executioner was waiting with his polished and sharpened axe clutched in his hand. The Jarl seemed to hold no fear in his eyes... those clear, blue eyes so expressive. I bowed my head slowly, and silently hoped to find his soul in Sovngarde. « It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric! » the blond shouted proudly. « Ralof of Riverwood! » And he too left us, and his name was crossed off the list. « Lokir of Rorikstead! » he now addressed the thief. « No, I am not a rebel! You can’t do this! » In panic, and without even considering the escort of soldiers that surrounded us, he rushed along the road we had just traveled, towards the longed-for exit from that nightmare. « You’re not going to kill me! » « Halt! ARCHERS! » the Captain ordered.The legionaries positioned their longbows and each shot an arrow that stuck like a porcupine quill in the back of poor Lokir, who collapsed to the ground with a heart-rending scream as blood began to pour from his back, finding himself with his face turned toward the cold paving of the street.I was left alone. « Anyone else feel like running? » the Captain growled in an altered and clearly annoyed tone, turning back to us with her hands resting on her armored waist.Name after name, all the prisoners gradually found themselves facing the gallows or sent to the dungeons, awaiting their end with impatience, courage and terror. « Well, let’s close this story once and for all », the Captain finally concluded, placing a hand on the pommel of her sheathed sword as she prepared to take the first steps towards the tower. « Wait, Captain », the legionary next to her immediately exclaimed and stopped her with her step in mid-air, the parchment still unrolled in his hand and then pointing at me with his gaze. My heart accelerated the rhythm of its beat: he had noticed that I was not on the list. « You there. Step forward… Who are you? What’s your name? » I said my name. I said I was from the County Cheydinhal, hoping they would take pity on me and recognize that I had nothing to do with the war, that I was little more than a little girl, far from home and the victim of a terrible misunderstanding. And as I spoke, I felt Ulfric’s gaze turn toward me.He knew the names of all those who had been called before; subjects, friends, and soldiers who had fought alongside him for the freedom of their homeland, but mine was completely new to him. My hands were shaking, my face was pale as the death that awaited me, my heart was pounding in my chest, but I held my head high and my voice as steady as I could.Ulfric had proven his courage without resistance, neither to the Thalmor nor to the Imperials, but I didn’t want to waste the precious last moments I had left without casting all my regrets on people who didn’t care about their people. But I decided to hold back. « You picked a bad time to come to Skyrim. Didn’t know about the war going on? How come you’re so far from your homeland? » Despite the loud tone with which he spoke, there was no trace of hostility in the young man’s eyes. « I thought Skyrim could be a good place to build a future for myself. Maybe I haven’t been a very good citizen of the Empire, since this fortune I hoped to find didn’t welcome me, but I don’t think I’ve done anything so bad as to deserve even... this. »Long moments of tension and reflection followed. The man went over the names he had just read on the parchment over and over again, his expression increasingly perplexed, then looked at the officer. « Captain. What should we do? She’s not on the list », he considered worriedly. « Forget the list. She goes to the block », but she answered him with clear disinterest. « But, ma’am, how can we... » « I don’t care if she’s not on the list. I said, she ends up on the block. Like the others » « Understood. By your orders… I’m sorry, and what’s more, you’ll not even have the chance to die in your homeland. We’ll make sure your remains are returned to your loved ones, in Cyrodiil. Now follow the Captain, prisoner. And no jokes », the soldier said finally, looking at me sadly, perhaps because he had perfectly understood my situation and could do nothing else to exonerate me. The woman moved and I slowly followed her with lowered eyes, towards the small mass of prisoners waiting in front of the block. I moved my feet with difficulty one in front of the other because my legs were shaking so much, a lump in my throat terribly painful to untangle and unable to realize that the Empire had condemned me without much investigation.When everyone was settled, General Tullius approached Ulfric, stopped in front of him and looked him up and down, despite being at least twenty centimeters shorter than the Nord, and then said with anger and contempt, without being intimidated by his disarming size: « 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. »The Nord tried to reply, muttering under his breath, but he couldn’t open his mouth because of the blindfold that held it, but I could clearly hear him trying to spit venom against the injustice he was about to receive.If only looks could kill... The way the Jarl of Windhelm glared at the old man was terrifying, unloading all his unspeakable hatred on him. « You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace!” Tullius continued, not paying attention. But before the General could add any more harsh words, a strange noise rang out in the air.A sort of groan, a roar, or a distant cry. Everyone looked up at the partly cloudy sky; it was a sound unfamiliar to any animal, creature, or entity I had ever known. « What was that? » someone asked, somewhere near us. I recognized the voice as the Imperial legionary who had been scanning the list of prisoners. « It’s nothing. Carry on » « Yes, General Tullius. Give them their last rites », the Captain replied, making way for a priestess in a long, rope-colored robe, her hood pulled down to hide part of her face.She stood before us, raised her arms, and began to recite a prayer. « As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our beloved… » « For the love of Talos, shut up and let’s get this over with! »A Stormcloak interrupted her abruptly and began to advance toward the stump. He was typically blond like most Nords, but more importantly, he was young… far too young. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-three. My heart was pounding in my ears. « As you wish », she agreed, stepping aside.The soldier purposely bumped the Military Governor with his shoulder as he passed by; I could barely swear it, but I thought I saw the boy hold back a derisive laugh. « Come on, I haven’t got all morning! » he growled impatiently. Was he in a hurry to get to Sovngarde?The officer, the Imperial woman, forced him to his knees and pushed him down onto the block with her foot. « My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same? » I was amazed at how incredibly calm his voice was, devoid of any worry, fear or hesitation. The headsman raised his long axe to the sky and with a single violent blow, accompanied by a gesture of fatigue due to the weight of the weapon, decapitated the Nord.His head rolled down, landing in a bucket at the foot of the block, while blood began to flow in streams from his open neck. Was this really the end for me? « As fearless in death as he was in life », Ralof commented in a low voice, but in the brief silence that fell on the square he could be heard clearly.He was standing right next to me: he must have noticed my shocked expression, because he turned toward me, gave me a light shoulder and winked.Immediately, shouts of protest arose from the crowd of prisoners, opposed by the inhabitants of Helgen who were loyal to the Empire: « You Imperial bastards! » « Justice! » « Death to the Stormcloaks! » « Silence! » the Captain snapped, and almost immediately a deep, gloomy silence fell. « Next, the Imperial girl! »Again the air was filled with the same strange sound as before, much closer, more powerful and terrible; even the birds had stopped singing, followed by the new alarmed whispers of the people present as it finished echoing through the mountains. “What kind of force of nature can generate a sound like that?”, I wondered. « Again! Did you hear that? » « I said, next prisoner! » the woman growled.The young Imperial looked at me and indicated that I should go. « To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy. »The moment had come, there was nothing I could do anymore. After a few moments of hesitation, counting and savoring my last moments, as I took the first step I feared that my legs would not support me. My strength failed me, my eyes burned and my vision was blurred, from anger, from anguish, from desperation... then, somehow I realized that Ulfric’s glassy eyes were once again fixed on me, and he probably didn’t lose sight of me for the entire scene that followed.I advanced slowly in the shadow of the tower. The corpse of the previous condemned man was slid to the side of the block, I stumbled on his leg, then the woman forced me to kneel as she had already done with that unfortunate boy, placing her dirty boot on my back to push me forward. With a thud I hit my head on the blood-soaked stone, and my vision blurred even more.It was the moment. Everything would end there, the moment the axe would cut my skin, my muscles, my bones. Everything was ending before it even began. I had often heard that at the point of death, life flashes before your eyes; I didn’t know whether to believe it, but in that moment I heard and saw absolutely nothing. I had only been twenty a few weeks, and had lived on my parents’ farm all my life. My desire had been to explore the continent, when instead I was to rest in Aetherius without ever having had a chance to truly begin. The woman pushed back my hair to expose my neck, the headsman prepared to raise his grim ebony axe a second time, looking at me through the torn slits of his grim hood identical to death. And yet…***As if by a miracle sent from Heaven, something completely unexpected happened that saved me from that damned situation.From behind his black figure I saw another dark shape appear, flying and roaring. « Sentinels! What do you see? » exclaimed the Captain. « It’s in the clouds!... » the frightened answer came after a few moments of confusion.The headsman, unable to lift his fearsome weapon, was captivated by the vision of what was clinging with a roar to the edge of the top of the tower, clinging with the hooked claws of its long webbed arms to the stones. « What in Oblivion is that?! » I heard General Tullius exclaim, incredulous and impressed, somewhere behind me. « Gods! A dragon! » someone shouted in terror. « But how...? »The creature stared at us for a moment: it was enormous, covered in scales and black spikes like coal, its head was topped by two magnificent curved horns, long and sharp, its great sharp claws would have intimidated even the most ferocious beast in all of Tamriel, and from its nostrils its hot breath generated clouds as it touched the cold air.It growled something, as if in a kind of tongue; it inhaled, and from its jaws came out an immense shock wave that sounded like a deafening thunder and the sky suddenly went dark. The clouds began to swirl wildly and a meteor storm began to spread over the city like a fiery rain. Everyone present retreated abruptly as the ethereal wave hit them, then everyone drew their bows or swords. « Don’t just stand there! Kill that thing! » Tullius shouted, though with a clear hint of uncertainty.That incredible and mysterious force also hit me in its trajectory, making me dizzy and dizzy, when I barely found the strength to lift my torso a little. The dragon let out a second powerful roar, detached itself from the tower, spreading its large forelimbs that were its wings, and disappeared into the blanket of smoke that had obscured the sun. The meteor storm that the creature had unleashed had already dissolved. A few moments were enough, and the city was reduced to rubble and scattered fires. The Imperials occupied themselves with chasing and aiming at the dragon, so that I, as soon as the confusion began to clear and the images returned to being a little clearer, was able to find the opportunity to stand up. « Come on, get up and go! The Gods won’t give us another chance! » a familiar voice urged me.I saw Ralof’s still slightly confused face beside me, Ulfric was over his shoulder with a few other companions and was running to take refuge in the tower on the opposite side of the square. « This way! »He helped me stand up, holding me by my arms. I staggered for a moment, then together we hurried to join the others without thinking twice to get out of that hell. « By the Nine! » he exclaimed, as soon as we’re safely inside the tower. I saw that they had already freed themselves from the ropes that bound their wrists and the Jarl could speak again. « That… it really was a dragon! Could the legends be true? » « Legends don’t burn down villages », Ulfric considered, rubbing his wrists marked by the ropes, then he noticed that I was still hindered. « Ralof, let see if there’s a dagger or something else here somewhere to free this girl. »But after a few moments of searching, Ralof shook his head in defeat. « Sorry, I can’t find anything that could be of use to us, here… », he murmured, but immediately reassured me with a good-natured smile. « Well, don’t worry. Stay with us and we’ll find a solution to everything » « We need to move, now! » Ulfric hurried. « Up through the tower, let’s go! » Ralof urged, then began to run up the stairs. « This way! Let’s go! »We all headed together toward the top of the tower, even though it wasn’t easy to run up with our hands tied without the risk of tripping or falling. But when we’re just over halfway up the stairs, a section of the wall suddenly exploded, rocks flying to the ground, crushing two of our companions, and I found myself facing the dragon’s huge, snorting snout, so big that not even an entire cart could contain it. Because of my wrists being tied, which didn’t allow me to maintain my balance or to hold on to anything, I was clumsy and almost fell into the void that opened up beyond the edge of the stairs, but luckily I crouched down in time to regain stability. The beast looked at me with infinite cruelty and an aura of almost divine supremacy. Its terrifying red eyes shone like rubies and its scales were hard and shiny as if they were shield plates, and from its gnashing mouth, as well as from its nostrils, came out ribbons of thick smoke mixed with burning sparks.It was an infernal animal, yet majestic, proud and elegant. I don’t know if it was just my impression, but I saw the dragon show its teeth even more in a sort of grin. « Hin sil fen nahkip bahloki, Dovahkiin! Zu’u lost daal! » it growled.Was it speaking?Then it inhaled and hurled a jet of fire at me that I managed to dodge just in time and take cover behind a pillar, then closed its jaws and took flight again. The tower shook as the dragon moved and I feared that it would collapse at any moment. « Are you okay, my Jarl? » Ralof said, helping Ulfric to his feet.We found ourselves in the middle of a pile of rubble and still burning ash, on the edge of the steps, with the constant risk of falling to the bottom of the tower. « I’m fine, but now let’s not waste any more time. Come on! Before the dragon razes down the tower! »I didn’t waste another second and I hurried to reach the two Nords who had run to look out at the hole in the wall opened by the dragon, avoiding and climbing over the boulders that blocked the passage. « See the inn on the other side? » the Jarl whispered to me. « That’s our way out. You and Ralof go ahead. Once you’ve passed through the adjacent houses you’ll be right in front of the main building. Take refuge in there and escape the underground, safer from the threat of the dragon. Is everything clear? Go ahead, quickly. »As I looked more closely at the disastrous panorama that opened before our eyes, at first I thought I hadn’t understood well. « How we do it? » I asked. « Jump », Ulfric replied, as if it were the most normal thing we could do.I frowned at him. “This is crazy.” « There’s no more time to hesitate, go! » he repeated in order, noticing my perplexity and pushing me slightly forward to spur me on. « We’ll follow when we can. Talos protect you. »Ralof grabbed me firmly by the arm and dragged me and him down from the tower, landing on the straw that remained of the inn’s roof, after which we tried to make our way through the chaos that still raged among the smoking and burning ruins of the shops and homes, among the burned bodies that lay on the floors and in the streets.From a quiet and peaceful town, Helgen had quickly transformed into a hubbub, a concentration of screams, shouts and arrows that flew everywhere, with an air that smelled of smoke, ash, burnt wood... and sometimes cooked meat. I saw the Imperial soldiers dying one after the other in the fire and in the creature’s jaws. « What are you doing? Move off the road! » « Haming, come here! » I noticed the child who had initially sat on the threshold of his house, now destroyed, trying to save himself together with a group of Imperial guards. « That a boy. You’re doing great... » « By the Gods... Everyone stay back! » shouted someone who was with them. « Haming, you need to get over here. Now!... Give me your hand, I’ll get you out of here... » « Nivahriin joorre! » roared the dragon, flying above us, and almost immediately after a new fiery blaze hit the ramparts of the fortress, spreading also along the wall below where the small group was trying to take shelter. I soon lost sight of them, and with deep bitterness I supposed that the fate of the child would eventually be revealed identical to that of all the other inhabitants and legionnaires of Helgen. General Tullius and the elves, on the contrary, seemed to have disappeared.The arrows that the soldiers shot at the beast seemed like tree twigs in comparison, shattering against its thick scale armor. What would they have to do, to kill that monster? « Ralof! You damned traitor, out of my way! » exclaimed a legionary, the same one who was most familiar to me and who had shown compassion for my condemnation.The Nord glared at him: they must have known each other for years, because the tone and the glances the two exchanged were typical of those who had once been on good terms. « We’re escaping, Hadvar. You’re not stopping us this time », Ralof retorted. « Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde! »At that point he ran past us and headed toward the main entrance of the building, disappearing inside along with a few surviving civilians and a few other soldiers. « Tze!... Come on, let’s go », the blond huffed, turning to look at me. He and I finally entered the fortress through a secondary entrance.The room that opened beyond the antechamber was deserted, quite spacious and circular, with a fine carpet positioned in a diamond shape in the middle. The air was heavy and smelled stuffy. But the room was almost empty, with a few benches arranged along the walls adorned with old Imperial banners, which although dusty gave a minimum of color on those half-mold bricks, a table with a chair, ridiculously small compared to the space of the room, and a few cells. After catching his breath, Ralof bent over the lifeless body of a fellow Stormcloak killed in front of the prisons, whispering, after a few moments of silent prayer: « We’ll meet again in Sovngarde, brother. Looks like we’re the only ones who made it... »We’re safe inside the walls, but we could still hear the terrifying muffled roars of the beast coming from outside, as if it had been in there with us, followed by the screams of the people who tried in vain to escape its fury. « We should keep moving, the others will join us as soon as they can. Come here, let me see if I can get those bindings off… » He picked up a dagger from the soldier’s corpse and used it to cut my ropes. « There you go! You might as well take Gunjar’s gear. He won’t be needing it anymore. » He saw me hesitant. « Go ahead, take it without shame. There’s nothing wrong with borrowing a weapon, » he smiled. « Go ahead, take it without shame. There’s nothing wrong with borrowing a weapon », he smiled.I didn’t like to loot the dead, for any reason; but then I couldn’t afford to wander around the fortress without any possibility of defense either. My mother had always been a skilled sorceress, so she had taught me some basic spells to be able to defend myself without weapons; but the very few arcane abilities I had were not always sufficient, powerful enough, or suitable for every situation, and I was even less than a beginner in the field of magic. I was definitely better at using one-handed weapons and even more so with bows, an art my father had wanted to teach me. So I approached the body, slowly bent down, and picked up the axe that was still in its sheath. « How do you do with that? » Ralof asked, standing with his hands on his hips. « I can handle it », I nodded matter-of-factly. « Give that axe a few swings. »I looked at him for a moment, then turned toward the bare center of the room and took up a guard position. The axe was small, plain, and made of iron, quite light compared to other weapons I had wielded, but very unbalanced for my taste.I slashed the air in front of me with clumsy and not very graceful slashes, when I heard a rather satisfied groan from the Nord a few steps behind me. « I think it’s fine. You may need a little training, but you’ll certainly be able to get out of here. Now come, I’m going to seed if I can find some way out of there… No, this one’s locked… Let’s see about that gate. »We headed towards the opposite side of the room. Getting out of the fortress was not easy: the rooms, the dungeons, the grim torture chambers and the adjacent cavern were swarming with Imperials seeking shelter from the chaos of fire and death outside, as well as the wild beasts that resided there such as bears and enormous poisonous spiders. During the fight I tripped on a step and scratched my leg on a sharp stake, but even if the wound was not worrying I decided to resort to the magic of Healing (even though it would have meant consuming energy so precious at that moment), to be able to walk more quickly and not risk it getting infections.We also found some Stormcloaks who had escaped the clutches of the dragon, but we didn’t see Ulfric with them; many of them, exhausted by the captivity and the escape, gave us a strong hand and fell in the clashes against the Imperial guards. When then the calm returned, the survivors, those few that I could count on the fingers of one hand, separated from us and prepared to take care of the wounded and the possible survivors who had remained behind. So, at the end of everything, only me and Ralof remained again. We left the natural cave that extended a few meters away from Helgen. The smoke could be seen rising from behind the partially snow-covered pine forest, when suddenly an ominous roar sounded from that same direction. « Wait! » he whispered, hiding under the branches of the trees.I followed suit when I also heard the sound of a flapping of wings: the dragon had finished its massacre and was moving away towards the northeastern horizon. They could hear it from miles away; soon, the entire province would be aware of its presence.As that shadow disappeared between the peaks and the roars became a distant echo, Ralof breathed a sigh of relief. « There he goes. By Shor, that thing was a dragon! Just like the children stories and the legends. The harbinger of the End Times… », he exclaimed in disbelief, coming out of his refuge among the branches. « I never thought I’d see one in my life, dragons were extinct a long time ago. »“Obviously, that’s not really the case,” I thought to myself. « No way to know if anyone else made it out alive, apart from Ulfric. » « Do you think Ulfric made it out? » I asked him, hopefully. « Sure. It’ll take more than a dragon to stop Ulfric Stormcloak! » he replied proudly. « In the meantime, what’s certain is that this place is going to be swarming with Imperials soon enough. We’d better clear out of here… »He started to walk away, but stopped and looked at me: « Actually, why don’t you come with me? My sister Gerdur runs the mill in Riverwood, it’s a small village nearby, we can get there on foot from here. You’re new to Skyrim, I’m sure she’d help you out », he smiled.I simply nodded, and Ralof began to walk through the vegetation of the hill downhill, and I quickly followed him, although I was a little unsure of what would happen next and whether or not to take his advice. After all, we had escaped death together, and I was a complete stranger in this place, and a guide would certainly have been useful. « Listen, Ralof, can you tell me why were you being executed? » I asked, a few steps later.He turned and glared at me. « Seriously, you don’t know? That was Ulfric Stormcloak himself. I see the people of Cyrodiil have other things to think about » « I haven’t paid much attention to recent events. Sure, I’ve heard of Jarl Ulfric and I know about this war, but I don’t know the exact causes. Does it have anything to do with the abolition of the Cult of Talos? And these rebels? » « It’s very simple. Ulfric is our commander, the leader of the Stormcloaks. He created the Stormcloaks several years ago. The Nords are tired of spending our blood fighting the Empire’s wars, and paying for the Empire’s decadence with our taxes. Ulfric is our rightful High King, and he’s leading us in the fight to free Skyrim from Imperial supremacy, once and for all. We Stormcloaks are the rebels who have joined Ulfric Stormcloak in this fight. » At that point, silence fell between us. The landscape around us was mostly silent, far from any man-made source or settlement, but it was filled with the sounds of nature, from the faint blowing of the wind to the occasional song of birds. Even as we walked, my body was growing colder, calming from the running and fighting and the heat absorbed from the fires of Helgen, so my skin was starting to stiffen. I hugged myself in the rumpled robe I still wore, rubbing my arms for warmth. Ralof noticed, so he unhooked the long blue cloak from his shoulders and draped it over me; it was made of a rough and prickly fabric but pleasantly warm. « You know », he murmured, « you should go to Windhelm with me and join Ulfric in the fight to free Skyrim » « Are you really saying this? » I said, turning around, puzzled but also curious. « Sure. You’ve seen the true face of the Empire here today. How could you still be on they side? »I felt unprepared for such a question and a proposal, but it took only a few moments of reflection to reorder my considerations and formulate a new idea. « Well… in reality, up until now my loyalty has always been limited to obedience and respect for the Empire. But now, I also feel disgusted by the cruelty and injustice it has shown. Until recently, I believed I was safe among the Imperials, that I was part of them as part of my nature, but the Empire also condemned me unjustly and… well, just because I crossed a border, why think I was part of a group of rebels? And then, what the Empire and the Thalmor have done to you… it’s terrible! » « That’s why you should join our cause » « I’ve never cared about politics. You really think I should join up with Ulfric? Me, and Imperial? » « Of course! » Ralof said with a big smile. « It doesn’t matter if you’re a Nord to fight for the freedom of Skyrim. And I’m sure you’ll change your mind about politics soon. Trust me. You’ll feel the war too, very soon, if you decide to stay here. But if we don’t do something, life will be very hard with the Thalmor in power »« And what about the dragon? » « If anyone will know what the coming of the dragon means, it’s Ulfric » « You think Ulfric knows where that dragon came from? » « Well… not exactly. Maybe not. Dragon’s haven’t been seen in Skyrim for an age or more. But wherever that dragon came from, and whatever it wants, Ulfric will get to the bottom of it. You can count on that. Besides, you have your own score to settle with the Empire now. And with that dragon. »I looked down the path we were walking and lowered my head, still undecided. « I’ll have to think about it » « Yeah, sure, I understand. No need to decide now. But I know that after you think about what you saw today, you’ll realize that Skyrim deserves to be free. As we say: fight well, or die well. »I rubbed my nose and wrapped my cloak around me. I decided to change the subject. « Where’s Riverwood? Is it far from here? » « No, it’s along the road. It shouldn’t take long if we hurry. It’s almost sunset, let’s try to get there before dark. There are sinister creatures roaming the streets at night » « Wolves? » « Worse. There are worse things than wolves here in Skyrim… », Ralof muttered darkly, glancing around.The sun was almost on the horizon, showing a more orange color as it prepared to set. We had reached the main road and I noticed that we’re also approaching a river, hearing the rush of a waterfall.Skyrim was a decidedly more suggestive environment than Cyrodiil, with its wonderful views, the typical tundra and snowy expanses, the crystalline rivers with large mirror-like lakes. It was a place where the most dizzying heights reigned supreme, and it was bristling with hills even on the few plains present: it was difficult to find flat areas in Skyrim, but the largest of them dominated almost predominantly the central hold where I was at that moment.Ralof and I were following the road that stretched alongside the edges of the White River, as the Nords had always called it. Past its mighty falls, I glimpsed a majestic stone structure that loomed on the slopes of the snowy mountain, perched on opposite banks of the stream, while the distant rooftops of Riverwood loomed ahead. Ralof told me that these ruins were part of an ancient Nord barrow, and confided that he couldn’t understand how his sister could live in the shadow of such a place. At the end of the journey, as night slowly fell, we finally reached the settlement, having defeated a tiny pack of wolves that had ambushed us along the way with the intention of reducing us to their meal. Ralof smiled and sighed, as if on the verge of tears of happiness, and together we crossed the border under the village’s watchtower. Now I had my freedom to do as I saw fit in Skyrim.