Fighting Fate

3-Escape

“Fus ro dah!” The dragon shouts. The headsman kneels over and I’m thrown across the yard. 

“Don’t just stand there! Kill that thing! Guards, get the townspeople to safety!” Tullius hollered at his men. Ralof runs to me as some prisoners start to fight the soldiers. “Hey, Imperial! Get up! Come on, the gods won’t give us another chance!” 

I start running as the dragon is either scorching people alive or straight up tearing them in half. We get to the tower where the other Stormcloaks are hiding. Some are hurt and the others are trying to help the injured. Some looked at me funny and others simply nodded in my direction. Ralof was cutting Ulfric free and he removed the rag. 

“Jarl Ulfric! What is that thing? Could the legends be true?” Ralof asked him. 

“Legends don’t burn down villages. We need to move. Now!” Ulfric shouted at his men. “Up through the tower, let’s go!” 

We start to run up the tower. The ground rumbles and shakes for a minute. 

“Come with me, Severine! With me, up the tower!” Ralof says. As we’re running up the stairs, the dragon bashes through the wall, killing the Stormcloak in front of us. It stares at me and leaves. I hear the dragon shouting again. 

“See the inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going! Go! We’ll follow when we can!” I sighed and took a deep breath. I jumped onto the floor, feeling a sharp pain in my feet. I hope I didn’t break something. I run into the street. We both watch as the dragon roasts a man alive. 

“You’re still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way.” He spoke. I wasn’t sure where Ralof went and honestly, I don’t think I feel comfortable around the rebels who hate non-Nords. “Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join their defense.” 

“Gods guide you, Hadvar.” The man told him. 

“Stay close to the wall.” Hadvar ordered me. The dragon burns more people. “It’s you and me, prisoner. Stay close.” 

“You know I have a name, right?” I asked him as we were running. 

“It started with a S, right?” 

“Yeah, it’s Severine.” I sighed.

 We enter the keep. Ralof is alone. 

“Ralof, you damned traitor, out of my way!” Hadvar hollered at him. 

“We’re escaping, Hadvar. You’re not stopping this time.” Ralof looked at me. Hadvar grabs a dagger and looks at me. 

“Quick, I can cut you loose.” I hand him my bound hands and he cuts me free. We start running down the hall. “Look for anything that might be helpful to you.” He speaks. 

I could use a lot of things, food, better clothing than my nightgown and my underclothes, and some shoes. I find a sword, Imperial armor and light boots as well as a key. I opened the next door and we run to that hallway. Unfortunately the ceiling in the area in front of us gives away and we have to go another way. We end up fighting two Stormcloaks. I’m out of my element here, managed to block a few blows and cut the man’s head off but not without my fingers aching and earning myself a cut across my forehead. I find some potions, bread, and a healing potion which I take down in a heartbeat. We reach the torture chamber where Stormcloaks were fighting the torturers. I say nothing and simply take stuff as I run. We continue down the hall. 

“Not too bad for a civilian.” Hadvar spoke. I chuckle to myself. We reach a cave where I take stuff off a skeleton and eventually reach a cave full of spiders. We fight them and I almost get poisoned twice. We continued past another way. 

“I don’t know why you saved me, or at least I hope that is your intent, but thank you.” I tell him. 

“No problem, Severine.” Hadvar stops in his tracks. There’s a cave bear sleeping a few feet from us. He hands me the bow and quiver of arrows on his back. We sneak past it as I’m praying to Kyraneth and Mara to not let us get turned into lunch for the bear. We manage it and finally reach the exit to a beautiful forest. 

“My uncle and his family stay in Riverwood. I need to get to them before I can join the Imperial Legion.” Hadvar spoke. “You may come with me if you like.” 

I nodded. I had nowhere else to go. We continued. 

“You know, the Empire could use more people like you.” Hadvar says. 

“I just want to find my family.” I sighed. “We were separated at the border. That’s why I ended up there.” Hadvar just nods. I hope Riverwood is nearby.