I awoke to the sound of horses slowly trotting along a stone path. I was pretty dizzy and my vision was blurred, on top of that I had a severe headache and couldnt think properly. A voice of man made me slowly rise my head, and I began to survey my surroundings as my eyes adjusted to the light and begin to become clearer. "You're awake, finally, how are you son?" I didnt reply and just kept scanning the area. My head still pounded with pain, I went to go feel it when I realised something wasn't quite right. My hands were tied together! I did what anyone would in the situation and tried seperating my heads pushing them away as hard as I could, obviously it didnt work, so I just gave up and relaxed. The man started to speak again, "You walked into one of Fink's ambushes. One of his men hit you on the head with the butt of his gun before you knew what was going down." His gaze now lowered and his tone dropped. "Many loyal men and woman died today, fucking bastards!" Another different voice arose to the right of me, I turned my head quickly, but not to quickly to make my head hurt even more than it already was. The voice (clearly male) said in an angry tone "I ran into that ambush as well! I wouldve been in Hammerfell by now if it wasn't for you and him over there" He said will pointing to the man sitting next to me with his head. Unlike us three though, he was gagged, and couldnt talk, I didnt know why, maybe he was just a gobby character and Fink's men wanted him to be quiet, but that was not so. Ralof's expression changed from calm, to oblivious "Watch who you're speaking to!!! That there is Ulfric Populi!!! The true prophet of Columbia!!!" The thief's jaw dropped and his face just went pale, he was now silent and didnt speak for the rest of the journey. But thats not what shocked him the most. Because suddenly a high pitched voice came from in front of the cart we were sat in. It was a girl's. She sounded about 6 or 7 but what made it even creepier. Is that she had yellow eyes and held hands with this 10ft metallic giant which had a drill as one of its arms. "Fuckin' big daddies, they're a piss take to kill." Ralof let out with sigh of depression. He dropped his head and nobody spoke till we reached our final destination.
As we entered as town, Ralof and Ulfric sat up, Ralof said "Helgen, I used to date a girl from here, I used to feel safe with Fink's protection, things change huh?" I didnt reply to him because I didnt know if it was a rhetorical question or if he was speaking to him self. However as soon as we entered the town something caught my eye. I couldnt stop looking at it. Yes, thats right. It. It may have had a human body shape. But this was no human. No way on earth that that thing, was human. It was so skinny, anorexic would make him twice his size. He had long legs and arms. But what was worse of all. He had no face. I assumed it was a he cause it wore a suit. However despite it having no face, its stare still made me uncomfortable and no matter what I would do it would just stare, and not move. The stare made my head hurt even more than it already did but I couldnt cope, I just...kept looking. I didnt see the others reactions or if they were staring, but I know, none of them said anything.
We stopped and we all got of the wagon, one by one, I however still stared at.....well, it. As I stepped down of the wagon I took my gaze of the thing for 2 seconds, but as soon as I looked back up. It was gone, I scanned the area, I only saw Fink's men and some civilians coming to watch what was going on. I then began to think that maybe it was my imagination because obviously nothing couldve been that horrifying and actually be alive, and on top of that the people around him, not be affected at all! I pushed the thought aside for a moment and walked up to were I was told to go, I stood in between Ulfric and Ralof and waited for what was to come, we were going to be executed it seemed, I didnt want to run, or it was more like I couldnt. I thought that at least this would take my headache away. I smiled to myself. One of Fink's men, (it would seem he was in charge) saw me smiling and sent me straight to the podium. I was pushed down to the floor and I placed my head on the block. The executioner walked up, he was a big beefy guy, looked like he lifted horses to warm up. He had a big axe slung over his shoulder with stained blood all around the edge of the blade. Ralof shouted "So long friend, it was nice knowing you for the short time I did!" I turned to him, head still on the podium, and I nodded and smiled to him. I then turned back to the executioner and closed my eyes, ready to receive my fate. I opened them again for some reason, to this day, that I still cannot explain, and there was a note, on a piece of paper, that was on the wall behind the executioner. It said.
"You dont get to die yet..... Dovahkiin"
I opened my eyes and wondered what it meant. What it meant for me? Was I the only one who could see it? Who put it there? All these questions raised but something interrupted me from thinking of more. A voice from a high position, I assumed a watch tower shouted "Incoming!!! Its a big bird! Coming in from the north side!" Finks men all started to go crazy and start losing their minds, I heard one shout "What in the name of Talos is that" and another one below "Fuck this, im out of here" As he ran out of the camp. One of the men in charge pulled out a knife and threw it directly at the running man's head. He collapsed instantly and the men who threw the knife shouted "Anyone else feel like running!" No one replied "Yeah, I didnt think so, we stand and fight this thing!" As soon as he finished this, big metal bird, landed a few feet in front of me. It let out a roar that even a dinosaur would run from. Then all of Fink's men roared and attacked. Over all this shouting I heard Ralof shout at me, he didnt know my name so he just shouted mutelink and I knew he was talking to me, he waved his hand to go over to him as Ralof, Ulfric and the theif along with some other Vox Populi that had arrived before us, entered a building. I got up and ran, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and my head could take. I ran until I came to a complete stop a few meters outside the building that Ralof was holding the door open for me ready to slam it shut as soon as I entered. I stopped turned my head and saw something that would haunt me continuously for the rest of my life. It was....the thing again, it was really, he gave looked at me and tilted its head to show it was trying to give a smile even though it still had that blank face of nothingness. We stared at each other for a few seconds until Ralof snapped me out of it by shouting "Oii what the fuck are you doing get in here now you idiot, you trying to get killed!!!" I ran towards Ralof and nodded to him to say thank you as I entered the building we had taken refuge in. This building turned out to be the barracks, so we armed our selves to the teeth. Carrying weapons of all sorts from bows, to daggers to war axes, I preferred a doubled handed war axe, one like the executioner had, so I picked up the biggest meanest mother fucker that was there. I got a glimpse of what was going on outside, buildings were collapsing and being were getting slaughtered. Ralof saw this too and said quietly "Looks like we aint going back that way, we need to get back to base and regroup." Ulfric spoke for the first time in a voice that only a leader like him could have "Lets go, theres nothing more we can do here, Helgen....is lost." We all walked of out the back of the barracks and snuck out of the building into the woods. We never saw any of the people who fought the metal bird again.
