//------------------------------// // 3: Helgen // Story: Sonata's Crazy and Wacky Adventure in Skyrim // by Sonata Blaze //------------------------------// When the caravan carrying prisoners came into the fortress Kree took Sonata by the hand and escorted her to the top of a walkway, so they could watch what was going to happen. The other soldiers formed rank as the caravan came in, while the fortress door opened and Captain Pelena walked out in her full captain attire. Many of the soldiers saluted the Captain as she walked out, but then she saluted the person that was leading the caravan into the fortress, someone that Sonata assumed had to be someone of importance. Those that didn't salute the Captain saluted whoever the person was, who nodded to them and waved his hand at several of them as the prisoners neared the prison section of the fortress. As the person came to a stop near the prison entrance he looked up at where Kree and Sonata were standing, to which he nodded to them before dismounting his horse and pulling out a list to begin explaining things to the Captain. "General Tullius himself," Kree commented, watching the man enter the main building with the Captain not far behind him, "I never thought that I would see the day that the Legion's Military Governor came to our little fortress. It makes me wonder who those prisoners are, as they required the General to escort them here himself. Especially the one with the hood covering his face, there's something different about that one... something that makes them different from the other prisoners." "I'm assuming that this General Tullius is someone important," Sonata said, taking note of the wonder in Kree's voice, though she had no idea who the man actually was or what he had done to earn his position. "He's Skyrim's best hope for ending the war with the Stormcloaks," Kree replied, moving her hand to her chin for a second, though the change in tone told Sonata that she had just gotten an idea in her head, "though if I'm right about whoever that hooded figure is we might be seeing a faster end to the war. However, the General is a serious man and would not be here unless something major was about to happen... something that would require an entire fortress to oversee." Sonata had never seen Kree so serious about anything, granted she had only met the argonian yesterday, but she knew that if Kree was this sure about something then she had best follow her lead. She had also noticed something odd about the hooded figure, but what she had seen was that the man was dressed differently than the people he had been brought in with. She and Kree silently watched as the prisoners were escorted into the prison, where they would wait for whatever sentence that the General was going to deliver to them. The moment the caravan was returned to the walls, and the guards went back to their duties, the duo returned to the courtyard and picked up where they left off. Three hours passed before either the Captain or the General emerged from the main keep, though Sonata spent those three hours learning a variety of movements she could use with the wooden sword. These techniques would allow her to eventually use the iron and steel swords that many of the Imperial soldiers carried with them, to which she might need her own weapon forged. Sonata was glad that she was slowly improving through her first day of training, but she still didn't like the idea of carrying an actual weapon around with her. She could also tell that Kree was going easy on her when they practiced, allowing her to get a feel for the wooden version of the weapon before she graduated to the heavier ones. When the Captain and General walked out of the main keep everyone, including Kree and Sonata, stopped what they were doing and saluted the pair. "At ease soldiers," the Captain called out, allowing everyone to stop saluting them, "carry on with what you were doing. Sonata, the General would like a word with you." Sonata gulped as she handed Kree her wooden sword, before she walked over to the pair of Imperial commanders, who took her into the main keep and stopped inside the Captain's Quarters. She had to wonder if she had done something wrong in her brief time in this world, which she didn't think she did seeing how she had been in Fort Neugrad the entire time. The Captain moved to her bed, but stood beside it while the General moved to the table, where he beckoned for Sonata to join him and she immediately walked up to him. "Captain Pelena tells me that Kree saw something special inside you," General Tullius said, glancing at Sonata and looking over her for a moment, "The last time Kree spotted something inside someone that person ended up being a great soldier in the Legion, until the Stormcloak traitors outnumbered him and cut him down." "Brandr Ironhand?!" Sonata gasped, as that was quite literary the only other name that she actually knew at the moment. "What, no," General Tullius countered, looking into her eyes for a moment, "I was referring to someone else. Brandr Ironhand is still alive and well. I'd hate to have to tell his family that he was slain in battle, but he's still alive and taking the fight to the Stormcloaks. My point is that when Kree notices something inside someone they either turn out to be of benefit to the Legion, or they become a defender to Skyrim. She saw something inside you, but whatever that is I have no idea, though I have a vague idea of what to expect from someone like you thanks to Kree. Can you tell me about yourself?" "Well, my name is Sonata Dusk," Sonata replied, somewhat ashamed of cutting the General off by exclaiming the wrong name like that, "I originally hail from the world of Equus, in the land of Equestria, but then my sisters and I were banished to the world called Earth, where we spent many years hiding. Then magic came to our new home, which was around the time when Adagio decided that we'd, um, get our hands on some of it to boost our powers. Long story short we ended up shattering our pendants, and our powers, and we were forced to hide once again, but in the end I ended up losing my sisters. I spent roughly two weeks alone, searching for my sisters before I eventually gave up and returned to the place where everything had ended, fully intending to start a new life. I entered the portal that was supposed to take me home, to Equus, but then something happened and I ended up here, somewhere up the road from this fort. All I can do now is find my place in this world, as returning to my home world seems like an impossible dream." General Tullius stared at her for another moment, as if trying to decide something about her, before he sighed and nodded to Captain Pelena, who smiled in return. "I've determined that you couldn't possibly be a threat to the Empire or the Legion," General Tullius said, heading towards the door for a moment, where he stopped and looked back at Sonata, "but before I can even consider offering you a position in the Imperial Legion I need to finish the errand that brought me to this fortress. Tomorrow morning will be a big day for everyone, and I don't want you or Kree to miss any of it. I'll be seeing myself out, Captain." "Yes General Tullius," Captain Pelena replied, watching the General leave her chamber before relaxing just a bit, "See? I told you that if Kree saw something inside you that good things would come your way, which, as the General told you, could either be as a defender to all of Skyrim or as a fine and recognized soldier in the Legion." "What was he talking about anyway?" Sonata asked, curious as to what was so special about the following morning, "What's so special about tomorrow morning?" "I'm not allowed to talk about that with civilians," Pelena told her, before sighing and looking over at her, "I'd like to share it with you, I honestly would, but the General doesn't want many people to know before the event actually happens, just in case there's a Stormcloak spy among the soldiers. Don't worry about it though, you'll know what we're talking about by the end of the morning tomorrow. Now go and join Kree, she'll have some other things to show you before supper and the end of the day." Sonata nodded and headed back outside, where she found Kree still standing beside the stacks of weapons with what appeared to be a steel sword. She guessed that her friend was inspecting the craft of the weapon, making sure that it had been properly made in the forge before being added to the stack of weapons. Kree looked up from the weapon for a moment and spotted her coming, to which she beckoned her over and handed her the wooden sword she had been using. She then proceeded to show Sonata a few more of the various moves that she knew with the weapon, giving her time to make the adjustments to her stance before having her try it out. The longer that Sonata practiced with Kree the more convinced she was that the argonian was a soldier that was off duty because of her arrival, but Kree always laughed whenever she brought it up. Eventually the evening turned towards the night, to which the Captain came out and ordered everyone of the day shift off to supper so the night shift could take over. Kree took the wooden sword from Sonata and then beckoned for her to follow her inside the keep for supper, where they sat between two groups of soldiers, one belonging to Captain Pelena while the other belonged to General Tullius. Sonata noticed that the soldiers spoke of their battles with the Stormcloaks, remarking on either their skill in battle or how quickly they managed to kill one of 'Ulfric's Boys'. Sonata had no idea who this Ulfric was, but decided to file the name away and listen to the conversations, searching for any clues at to who that person was or what might be coming in the morning. Once they were finished with supper Kree took Sonata to the keep's library area, which was usually left alone by the majority of the soldiers, save for the few wizards that accompanied them. Several of the mages turned to them as they entered the library area, nodding to Sonata for a moment before going back to whatever they happened to be studying. When Sonata asked about it Kree told her that they had heard that she could use magic as well and were merely acknowledging her presence when she entered. Most mages, Sonata gathered, liked to be left alone and only appreciated someone that was like them, which she imagined could be awkward in some cases. When they were done with the library they returned to the sleeping quarters, where Kree decided that they had better get some sleep so they could see what was supposed to happen the following day. Sonata, not knowing what else to do at the moment, sighed and followed suit, eventually drifting off to sleep as she wondered what the General had in store for them. ----------------------------------------------- Sonata yawned as the morning dawned on the fort again, stretching her arms as she pulled herself out of bed and looked around for Kree for a few seconds. She found the argonian strapping on the bracers of her own suit of leather armor, before she made sure that she had a weapon on her best. She then turned around and found Sonata staring at her, to which she smiled and beckoned for her to follow her once again, where they joined the soldiers for the morning meal. Some of the soldiers glanced at them for a moment and nodded to Kree, who nodded her head in return as the two of them took their seats and ate breakfast. As Sonata listened to the soldiers tell their rumors about what they were doing, of which there were plenty among those that were assigned to Fort Neugrad, she could tell that no one besides the Captain and the General knew what was going to happen. Once they were finished with breakfast the Captain entered the chamber and the soldiers turned to salute her, to which she nodded at them for a brief moment. "Its time to arm yourselves and prepare for departure," Captain Pelena told them, stopping by Kree and Sonata for a moment, "General Tullius wants us to be leaving Fort Neugrad in ten minutes, so get whatever you need and report to your stations so was can escort his prisoners to Helgen." The soldiers acknowledged her commands and began moving around, gathering their weapons and whatever pieces of armor that they weren't currently wearing. Captain Pelena watched them carry out her order before they walked out into the courtyard, where they would begin mounting up and prepare for departure. Once the three of them were alone the Captain sighed and turned to the two she had kept behind, both of who were awaiting whatever command she had for them. "The General has requested that the two of you ride along side him on the journey to Helgen," the Captain told them, turning for a moment to beckon to the three horses waiting near the caravan, where they found General Tullius already saddled up and was waiting for the soldiers to finish up, "Hadvar and I will be bringing up the rear with some of the soldiers, but we shouldn't be expecting trouble on the one to two hour trip to Helgen. Once this business is over with we'll see about finding a place for you Sonata." Sonata nodded and followed Kree to the horses, to which the argonian helped her onto the horse closest to General Tullius before climbing onto the last one herself. Sonata had to admit it, but she had never ridden a horse in her entire life and was thankful that the Imperial horses were so well trained. General Tullius smiled at her, whether or not it was because of how she had taken to sitting in the saddle she didn't know, before glancing back at the caravan. Sonata turned around in her saddle to watch as Captain Pelena and another man, who she assumed was Hadvar, escort the prisoners out of the prison and had them climb onto the caravan. It was then that Sonata noticed that the hooded man was no longer hooded, revealing a fierce looking man that clearly had the air of authority surrounding him. Once the prisoners were all accounted for, and the soldiers were mounted as well, the General gave the command and the caravan began to move out of Fort Neugrad, turning to the right and heading down the road. During the short travel Sonata decided to ask Kree who the man behind them was, but both she and General Tullius told her that she would understand the moment they got to Helgen. She sighed and watched the scenery pass by them, wondering what the bound man and his men could have done to deserve whatever fate they were heading towards. Then, not an hour later, a walled town came into view, to which the General sighed and explained that he was going to have to leave them for a few minutes to deal with someone. That someone, Sonata soon discovered, was a female elf that was clearly important, as she was followed by what appeared to be a group of ten soldiers, all of which spread out as the caravan entered the town. The townspeople watched them go by as they rounded the corner and stopped in between two towers, to which Kree dismounted and helped Sonata off her horse. As the Imperials set up for whatever they were about to do Kree led Sonata up onto one of the walkways, so they could get a good view of what was to come without being near it. "So who is that man?" Sonata asked, watching the prisoners climb off the wagons and move towards one tower when Hadvar called their names, while she briefly pointed at the man she had seen. "Ulfric Stormcloak, the Leader of the Rebellion and Jarl of Windhelm," Kree spat, which immediately told Sonata that she didn't like the man, "He murdered the High King not too long ago and split Skyrim in half, with one half of the Jarl pledging allegiance to his cause while the other half openly oppose him. Only Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun, which resides in the middle of Skyrim, has yet to choose a side, but it doesn't seem like that's going to matter anymore. It seems that the war might be coming to an end today... with an execution!" Sonata was somewhat surprised that they were just going to execute the entirety of the prisoners they had caught, in front of the townspeople no less, but she knew this world was different and hoped that she could stomach what was to come. "Ulfric Stormcloak." General Tullius said, allowing his voice to carry for a moment, so that everyone around them could hear him, "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." The man, bound and gagged, growled at the man and glared daggers at him, but all that did was for nothing as the General carried on not a moment later. "You started this war," General Tullius continued, causing some of the townspeople to boo at the bound man, which told Sonata that the man wasn't much liked in this area of Skyrim, "plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace. Read them their last rites." A priestess appeared near the headsman and raised her arms as she began to recite whatever ancient verse they used at a time like this, but then one of the Stormcloaks told her to shut up and approached the block, where his head was taken rather quickly. Sonata felt sick to her stomach and felt the need to barf, but steeled herself and told herself that if Kree was brave enough to watch then so could she. As the Captain called forth the next prisoner, another Stormcloak, Sonata heard a roar vibrate through the air, to which everyone looked around in confusion for a moment before General Tullius got them started again. As the headsman prepared to take the next person's head Sonata looked at the sky above the tower near them as her eyes widened as a massive black creature descended upon the town. She had heard the tales of such creatures during her time in Equus and had read about them on Earth, but it was quite another thing to see a dragon tear open the sky, rain flaming boulders upon the people, and shout with such force that everyone had to struggle to keep their footing before they fell over. The archers came out and trained their arrows on the massive black dragon, whose red eyes glared at everyone before he opened his mouth and launched a fireball at the side of the tower across from Sonata and Kree, blasting a hole into the side of the structure. She stood there, shocked for a moment as the chaos unfolded all around her, before Kree started shaking her shoulders and snapped her back to reality. "Captain Pelena is calling for everyone to enter the fort!" Kree nearly shouted into her ear, pointing at the structure that Hadvar was heading to, though Sonata also noticed that General Tullius, Ulfric Stormcloak, and whoever that elf was were already gone. As the two of them followed Hadvar into the keep Sonata couldn't help but wonder what they could do to stop a dragon, when the archers and mages didn't seem to do any damage to it. She knew that there was something that she was missing, but at the moment she didn't have the time to think about it as she was sure that they would have to fight their way through the fort, as she had seen some Stormcloaks enter the other door as well. She wasn't looking forward to actually having to kill someone with her own two hands, but she decided that she could cross that bridge when and if it ever came to that. She knew that she would follow Kree for the moment, as she had absolutely no idea what was going on and was sure that she would be hopelessly lost without her only friend.