Skyrim Chronicles - Part Three - The Block

 Chapter Three - The Block

There are moments in life that seem too overwhelming to comprehend, particularly as they are happening. When I walked to the chopping block, my chest pounding and my eyes unblinking, I realized just how much that statement could be understated. I heard the crunch of snow underfoot, now pondering the weight that it would be the last time that I would hear such a simple sound. My head was still spinning, I did not even hear the captain yell again or somber words of Hadvar saying: “To the block, Prisoner. Nice and easy.”

I walked to the block slowly, my legs felt numb. Turning my head, my eyes fell upon the man who would soon end my life. A big and burly brute -- even for a Nord -- his head was concealed behind a dirty black hood. He had arms like trunks of cedar and stood grim and quiet as a shadow. In his hands he held a rusty axe, coated in dripping blood. 

I looked up into the misty morning sky and a question lingered at the edge of my mind. Who would miss me? I had no family to speak of, no parents of note or wife to weep for my passing. What legacy will I leave this world? A runaway Thalmor with a knack for worshiping Talos? How will I be remembered? Will I even be remembered? Questions, I reckoned, to ask the gods in a few moments. But the bitter taste of a life I deemed pointless lingered in my mind. 

It did not stay long. Feeling the metal boot of the imperial captain, my knees hit the ground. The cold liquid of snow seeped through the fabric and chilled my legs. My hair was grabbed taught and my head was forced into the nook. I did not move even after the captain released her grip. The end of the line. 

My yellow eyes looked blankly upon my killer as he lifted his rusty axe. I gave a silent prayer to Talos, asking him for the courage to face this death of mine.

Suddenly, the sound returned; this time it overwhelmed the area with its sheer power. It was no longer a distant thunder, now it was a booming roar. The townspeople and soldiers alike covered their ears in a vain attempt to shield the noise. A black blur darted through blue sky as a beast landed upon the nearby tower. Its great wings enveloped the roof and the monster stared at us with red eyes filled with fury. In the chaos, a voice in the crowd screamed: “Dragon!”