What if She Couldn't (Ralof x Reader)

Chapter 4: A Thrilling Rescue

The bandits pulled out their bows, yelling commands to their forces.

"Oh skeever," I cursed.

"You just took down three dragons!" Ralof reminded, "It's just bandits!"

"Yeah, but there are a lot of them. Like, 100. And there's no 'Bandit-rend" shout."

"No time to talk!" Barbas yelped, dodging arrows left and right, "A little help?"

I stood, dumbfounded. The bandits were holed up in some burnt remains of a... hold? A fort? I honestly had no idea. But the layout looked familiar...

"Woah, watch out!" Ralof shoved me out of the way as an arrow landed right where I was standing. "Save the flashbacks for later!" Flashbacks? So I have been here before...

"Sorry, got it!" I said, summoning ice spikes.

I flung an ice spike at the nearest bandit, and it impaled him with ease. I forgot how easy it was to kill these bandits. But even though they were kinda weak, their numbers made them tough.

A bandit marauder yelled a war cry and charged at me. I barely had time to block with my sword before his war axe slammed into it. I staggered a little, but countered with a frostbite spell. Weapons and magic working in perfect unity, an ebony sword and a destruction spell. He dropped to the ground, and I went to dig through his pockets for change. A bad habit.

But as I leaned down he wasn't a dead bandit anymore, he was a dead child. I yelped and jumped back, horrified. All around me the bandits changed from their normal fur-covered selves to screaming citizens and sobbing children. I started to breathe rapidly, clutching my sword tightly.

I remember this place.

Helgen.

Another flashback!

I fell to the ground, grasping my sword as if it were my only hold onto reality. I remembered the faces of the innocent bystanders who had died in this attack. A small part of me struggled against my inability to do anything.

"no, not again!"

But that small voice was hidden under the dozens of citizens' pleas for mercy.

I groaned, writhing on the floor in pain. Ralof's face joined the citizens', and he shook me.

"(Y/N), don't faint again! Listen to my voice! Please don't go!" he pleaded.

"I can't..." I mumbled over the screams.

Ralof looked around desperately for help. His eyes landed on our new dog friend.

"Barbas, stay with her! I'll lead the bandits away!"

Barbas obediently slunk to my side and licked my face kindly. Eww.

"I'm sorry," I told nobody in particular. My muscles were paralyzed.

"You know what I do when I get scared?" Barbas said to me, his head hovering a few inches above mine.

"What?"

"I pray to the daedric princes for help. Surely you must have helped some of them in your adventures, I can smell their scent on you. Maybe they can help you!"

His words had truth to them, I had helped many daedric princes in my travels as the Dragonborn.

"Please... help us..." I managed, "You guys owe me one."

Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. Apparently the daedra had more important things to do than save the hero of legend and her friends from a horde of bandits.