Against the Sun

Prologue

Author's Note: So before this story begins, I'm going to say right now that I did not finish the Dragonborn DLC, so I'm probably missing out on a lot of material to work with. Second, the Dragonborn that I created is a Redguard, just to clarify for those who don't know what race lives in Hammerfell. This is pretty much what I consider my first fanfiction so I hope you all enjoy it!

I had always seen the life in front of me through a small lens, blinding me from what reality bestowed in front of my own eyes. I used to be careless of my actions, not thinking twice about how it would affect me or the people around me. Childhood was definitely the worst time of my life, seeing women turned into concubines and common people being slaughtered in the streets. Eventually, the lifestyle of robbing people blind became my profession for years. Nothing was safe from my hands, not food, jewelry, nor gold. Especially gold. My own family shunned me for what I was, leaving to my own when the time came. During my time, I got involved in a group thieves who trained me and treated me as one of their own, a feeling I didn't have for what seemed like eons. My greed took over, however, leaving me torn for betraying my fellow kinsman. I was left with nothing else, so I fled and never looked back. That is how my story started.

I sought a new life away from my home, Hammerfell, in what I had thought to be the most prosperous land in all of Tamriel, Skyrim. There was no way of knowing where I would be led to, but I did not care. One dull night, I stole a horse from a nearby barn and fled north into what I believed was Riften. I also pilfered much needed gold coin from some poor traders I encountered along the way; housing is not always cheap in Skyrim. I traveled around the countryside for some time before I came across an Imperial camp lodged near the mountains. It was at that time that I spared no time in picking out their goods when they were all asleep. I sifted through each and every chest, still not so worried about any noise I was making. I got lucky and found a small bag of assorted flawless jewels, probably in the same interest as my own of selling them. Unfortunately, one of the soldiers heard my excitement and called to his allies for my immediate arrest, and if necessary, execution. They chased me down for a good while, but even with being forced to leave my steed behind, I evaded them.

Of course, I found that I was also lost in an area of the mountains that was foreign to my knowledge. After what felt like an entire day of doing nothing but trudging through the snow, exhaustion washed over me like rainfall. During my hazy search for refuge, I was greeted with what looked like an abandoned watch tower. As I entered, my eyes were treated with the sight of dust and ashes at a nearby wall. I could not read any of its writings, the reason being that it was in Dovah, a language that I had only heard of in myths and legends told to me as a child. I was not able to ponder for long, and there stood the same soldiers who finally caught up to me. They carried me out in a carriage along with a few Stormcloak soldiers, Nords who I personally thought were fighting a hopeless cause. It was around that first night in custody that they would overlook my crime of stealing goods if I handed over all that I took. I did hand them over, with some reluctance; they said I would not be able to leave as there was the greater charge of crossing into Skyrim, or more importantly Imperial territory, illegally. A crime of that degree was punishable by death and that is what I was left to swallow.

Then the time finally came to be executed at Helgen, my supposed final resting place. I was comforted by the rebels in the hopes that I would find myself in Sovngarde. With my head at the chopping block, I looked to the sky and held my breath. I awaited death's call, but I couldn't muster up the strength to answer back. It was then that I saw him. Not death, but something much worse. Alduin, the World Eater.

Ironic, that I have the harbinger of all that is evil and chaotic in this plane to thank for allowing my life to continue. No, not continue, but to truly begin anew. This was my second chance and I took it with gratitude.