A Question of Fate Options

[ThatSkyrimGuy]

Brief Intro By The Author

A Question of Fate would be the title of my piece.

I have been back and forth about trying to start and post a fan fic piece. The idea has always intrigued me, but I never considered myself to be a writer, let alone a good writer. I have read a sampling of some of the works that are posted on this site, and quite frankly, it is intimidating. The material is amazing. I must say say that despite the intimidation, it is also inspiring. So I am willing to throw caution to the wind and go for it. There are a few provisos. I work for a living. Often times, the hours I work are long. There may be periods of dormancy in this thread. I will apologize in advance for that. Life outside the internet does have it's restrictions. Also, I am sure that there is an unspoken etiquette that states, "You read mine and comment, and I shall do the same". This is also where I could run into trouble, for the same reasons that there may be dormant periods in this thread. There are stories on this site that I could never hope to read all the way through, with triple digit page counts, while I try to keep posting my own story and work through everyday life. So, with all that being said, I will wait to start posting chapters until I get a sense of what the audience demands. Please let me know if I should start posting a fan fic piece, based on what you have just read.

Thanks.

EDIT - This was originally posted in "General Discussion"

This post has been edited by ThatSkyrimGuy: May 4 2013, 04:41 AM

[ThatSkyrimGuy]

Thanks to Acadian, mALX, McBadgere, and SubRosa for your very kind comments. I'm going to post one more because I'll be gone for a bit. Might be able to post again on Sunday or Monday. I hope you enjoy this tidbit and your weekend...

Chapter 2 – Burning Chaos

17th Last Seed, 4E201 - Continued

I lay on my back, looking up at a circular chandelier about 30 or so feet above me. It was swaying slightly from the tremors of the dragon attack. Occasional small clouds of mortar dust were descending around the candles. Time seemed to stretch out momentarily. The chaos around me was muffled. It was sensory overload. There was too much happening too fast. The fog of war, some called it. But this was no war.

Could that really have been a dragon? Of course it was. What else could it be?

These thoughts and the slowing of time actually occurred in mere seconds. I stood up to see Ralof and Ulfric standing near the door. As if to echo my own thoughts, Ralof said, “Jarl Ulfric, what was that thing? Could the legends be true?”

“Legends don’t burn down villages”

At that moment, I realized that Ulfric was no longer gagged. His voice did not sound like a murder weapon, as Tullius had accused. It sounded like the voice of a leader. It fit his appearance, standing tall and sure, with no evidence of fear. The sounds of mayhem continued just outside the door. The sounds of the damage it had caused were right here in the room. I heard a moan and looked to the source. What my eyes found made me cringe. A Stormcloak soldier was kneeling over another, an injured woman in a singed Stormcloak cuirass. She had a gruesomely shattered forearm and severe burns on both of her legs. She was convulsing and obviously in shock, a trickle of blood coming from the corner of her mouth. The kneeling soldier looked up and said, “We need to move, now!”

He tried to lift the woman, but most of the flesh on her legs slid away from the bone. She howled in agony, and then went limp. The soldier laid her back down and said a short prayer. As he stood, Ralof grabbed my arm and said, “Quickly, up the stairs!”

“Do you think you could cut - ”

“Move!” he shouted and gave me a shove.

The stone stairway was built into to the curved outside wall of the tower. There was already another Stormcloak at the first landing when Ralof and I started up. Suddenly, the wall burst inward, followed by the fanged face of the dragon! A roaring gout of flame issued from the beast, immediately incinerating the Stormcloak and blasting all the flesh away from his bones. He didn’t even have time to scream. His charred skeleton shattered against the steps. I closed my eyes and shuddered, swallowing back a little bile as I did so. I have seen horrible deaths before, but this was a nightmare that defied imagination. The dragon had retreated and flown off over the village when Ralof gave me a shove and urged me onward.

When we reached the hole in the wall, Ralof turned to me and said, “See that inn on the other side? Jump through the roof and keep going.”

I looked out the hole, first at the distance, and then at the deadly fall if I missed. This was not going to be easy with my wrists still bound together. A roar and the beating of dragon wings spurred me as convincingly as Ralof.

“Go!” he said, “We’ll follow when we can.”

I took a step backward, then sprinted toward the hole and jumped. Once again, time seemed to slow to a crawl. I caught what were only mere glimpses of the damage and death, but they seemed to be detailed panoramas. There were burnt bodies and buildings all around. Soldiers, both Imperial and Stormcloak, were firing arrows at their newly found common enemy. Some priests were using Magicka, hurling balls of flame and bolts of lightning into the air. The remaining living were running to escape or running to the defense. The opening in the inn roof moved toward me in slow motion. The room was strewn with broken furniture. I could barely put out my imprisoned arms to break my fall or maintain any type of balance. I landed on the edge of a toppled bookshelf and crashed to the floor full on my shoulder. Blinding pain shot through my right arm.

Grimacing and cursing through clenched teeth, I examined my landing area. Ahead of me was a hole in the floor that would allow me access to the ground level. I made for it and jumped down easily, sparing my shoulder any further injury. I had landed directly in front of a doorway leading out of the inn. The shadow of the dragon passed by and I could see it as I stepped out into the yard. The beast was huge. It circled and landed on the other side of a nearby burning house, causing the ground to shudder as it did so. Suddenly I froze with horror. There was a child not ten yards from it! An Imperial soldier was calling to him.

“Haming, you need to get over here now! That a boy. You’re doing great.” he said as the child ran toward him. The boy’s face was a study in terror. His eyes were as big as saucers, his mouth agape in a voiceless scream. He reached the soldier who grabbed his arm and dragged him toward a third man in the yard, while the dragon belched flame and narrowly missed its intended victims. The close call with instant death was evidenced by the singed hair and smoldering shirt on the boy.

I dove and rolled for the same pile of debris that the other three were hiding behind, my injured arm vigorously protesting. The soldier was checking the boy for burns and became satisfied that there was nothing serious. He ruffled Haming’s hair, then gave the child a smile and a wink, saying, “Don’t worry son. It will grow back.”

The soldier looked at me momentarily and I suddenly realized that this was the quill-pushing bureaucrat. He turned out to be not such a milk drinker after all. I did not let my eye stray far from his unsheathed sword.

“You’re still alive prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way!” he said. Then he turned to the other man and said, “Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join the defense.”

“Da, don’t go!” Haming yelled and lurched toward the soldier. Gunnar restrained him.

“Son,” he said with a firm voice, “I’ll be back, but I have a job to do.”

“Gods guide you, Hadvar.” Gunnar said as Hadvar turned back toward me.

“Okay prisoner, with me.” he said.

“Why?” I replied, “So you can get me to the next available headsman?”

“I will see justice done. Would you rather burn to death in agony, or die quick under the blade? I’ll not kill you myself, for that is not my place unless you make a move against me. The choice is yours.”

The man made a good point, so I followed.

EDIT : Nits picked. Thanks Acadian and SubRosa.

This post has been edited by ThatSkyrimGuy: May 18 2013, 12:18 AM