Chapter 1: Hey You. You're Finally Awake.

A rickety Imperial wagon rattles through a snowy mountain pass, its occupants a motley crew of prisoners. Bound and silent, they trudge towards an uncertain fate. Ralof, a Stormcloak soldier noticed the Nord woman in front of him awake.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and these two over here." 

He gestures towards a nervous figure across the wagon and a tall, broad-shouldered figure who remains stoic, his face unreadable.

Lokir interjected, "Damn you Stormcloaks. 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. Look at us three! We shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants." and out of anxiety has said this to the figure metweem him and Ralof, "And you, musclehead! Look at his size, he could probably rip these bindings himself!" 

He throws a nervous glance at the silent figure, Silver, whose imposing physique draws his attention.

Runa, having enough of his reasoning finally spoke with her sharp tongue, "Urgh... So, it's the Stormcloaks' fault they caught you stealing a horse? Sounds like they did us all a favor." 

Ralof chuckles, "Now, now, relax. We're all in the same boat here. Besides, the Empire makes everyone look bad. Ulfric will set things right."

Runa scoffed, "Right. By starting a stupid war that's gotten innocent people like us killed."

Lokir then looks at the gagged man in front of him, "And what's wrong with him?"

Ralof, out of pure reverence, was angered by such words from Runa and Lokir, "Watch your tongues! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King.

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm?" with Runa adding "More like Jarl of Idiocy." which caused both Ralof and Ulfric to glare at her, "You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you… Oh gods, where are they taking us?"

"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits."

"No, this can't be happening. This isn't happening."

"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?"

"Why do you care?"

"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

"Rorikstead. I'm…I'm from Rorikstead."

An imperial soldier who drove the wagon shouted at them, "Shut up, back there!"

Runa ignored the rest of their conversation until it was time for rollcall.

The biting Skyrim wind whipped around Runa and Silver as they shuffled along the line of captured rebels. Unlike the others, Silver, towering at nearly 198cm with a lean, athletic build, couldn't help but notice Lokir's trembling form. Remembering how harsh world can be, Silver leaned in and whispered, "Don't resist. They'll only make it worse." Lokir, startled, shot him a wary glance but nodded in gratitude.

They were called one by one, starting with Ulfric Stormcloak himself, next Ralof of Riverwood, then goes Lokir who followed Silver's suggestion. When it was finally Silver's turn, things started to get hectic.

"Who are you?" Hadvar, the Imperial Legion Soldier asked as he doesn't recognize them.

Silver replied, "My name is Silver, and not to be brag about it, I am the youngest Master Wizard."

Hadvar was shocked, "You're a Master Wizard at that age? I'm surprised."

However, it was cut short by the Redguard Imperial Captain, "I don't care if he's a Master Wizard. He goes to the block. And he's probably lying about it."

Silver smiled wryly as he walked towards the others, "I've already expected such reaction, but you don't have to be so rude as to call me a liar..."

When it was Runa's turn, the same question was raised, except this time she wasn't listed as she was just trying to cross the border to find out the secret of the heirloom that was left to her by her parents.

"What should we do, captain? She's not on the list."

And the same thing happened to her, being ignored by the fact that she wasn't on the list.

Upon arriving where the other captives are, a man in gold armor is standing face to face with Ulfric Stormcloak. This is none other than General Tullius who gave a piece of his mind to Ulfric, "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. You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace."

Runa made a snarky comment, "Flowery words to say you're being executed for treason."

A roar was heard in the distance.

Everything went on until she was called by the captain, where she cussed at her, "You bitch! You must be jealous of my beauty, huh?" However, that ended up in her being shoved to the chopping block forcefully, which hurt her and made her cuss again.

Another roar was heard in the distance, but this time, it was much closer for one person.

Silver just sighed at her bravery and defiance but was more worried about the roar in the distance.

Just before the they execute Runa, a black dragon appeared and summoned a meteor storm and let out an unrelenting force that struck some Legion and Stormcloak Soldiers along with the Headsman, they instantly died upon taking the full brunt of it along with the falling rocks from the sky.

Luckily for Runa, she wasn't hit by anything. As for Silver, he broke his bindings by force.

Ralof, his voice tight with urgency, roared, "That's it! Now's our chance!" A chaotic scramble ensued as the prisoners pressed against the barricade. The dragon, a monstrous creature unlike anything Silver had ever witnessed, swooped down, unleashing a torrent of fire that decimated the Imperial ranks.

In the ensuing confusion, Ralof led them towards the tower. Upon reaching the tower, Ralof started asking Ulfric why a creature in legends is wreaking havoc, which was answered by Ulfric in the most straightforwardness.

"Legends don't burn down villages." 

With that concluded, they ended up going through the tower. However, there were rubbles in the way. Just as they got near, the wall nearby broke open and the head of the dragon is visible and launched a fire breath, which burned the Stormcloak soldier who was trying to remove the rubbles to crisp, which caused Lokir, who was with them the whole time, gasp in terror.

Reaching the top of the tower, Ralof pointed to a nearby gap in the wall. "There! Jump through to the inn!" Just as Runa was about to leap, Silver's hand stopped her.

When she looked at Silver, he immediately took both Runa and Lokir in his arms with ease. And with that, he launched himself over the gap, landing gracefully on the second floor of the inn. Runa, initially startled, couldn't help but gasp in awe at his display of raw physical prowess. 

Upon exiting the abandoned inn, the chaos reached new heights. After they got out, they saw Hadvar and a child named Haming. Just as Silver was about to save the man lying on the ground, the dragon landed and burned the man named Torolf before he could save him. Torolf's death struck a heavy blow, but amidst the grief, Silver noticed Haming staring numbly at his fallen father and saw hatred growing in his eyes. 

"We should stick together." Silver said gently, placing a calming hand on Haming's shoulder.

As they approached the keep entrance, Ralof emerged, his face grim. A heated argument erupted between him and Hadvar, each advocating for their respective sides. Runa, tired of the bickering, cut through it all.

"Enough!" she boomed, her voice echoing in the tense space. "We're either sitting ducks out here or making a run for it. And if you two don't get moving," she added, a glint in her steely green eyes, "When I get a weapon, I'll make sure your family jewels feel the wrath of my Warhammer."

Ralof and Hadvar, momentarily stunned into silence, exchanged uneasy glances. With a shared grunt of agreement, they entered the keep, the rest following close behind.