“This one's not on the list, Captain. What do we do with her?”
“I'm not?” That was Liriel sounding hopeful. “Oh good, can I go?”
“I don't care,” the captain snapped. “Send her to the block with the rest of them. She pals around with Stormcloaks, she can share their fate.”
“WHAT?” Liriel shouted. “I'm not a bloody Stormcloak, I'm not even a Nord!”
“I'm sorry,” the Legionnaire said, sounding like he meant it, and Liriel sobbed, squirming in the arms of two soldiers as they hauled her forward.
The invocation to the Eight Divines followed, Shevawna ignoring it completely, although the execution of one Stormcloak who apparently also didn't care for the Empire's Eight livened things up a bit. Then the captain called out for the elf to be next.
“No, you can't, please, I didn't do anything!” Liriel cried, stumbling as they forced her forward. Then it happened. Some strange cry echoing off the mountains, and Shevawna felt her spine prickle. That sounded like nothing she'd ever heard, no beast or bird, and it was loud. Something that loud was big and it sounded like it was airborne.
Liriel had looked up, hearing it too, and the strangest thing happened. Something in her seemed to change, some resolve come out of nowhere, and the frightened girl of a few moments before seemed to vanish. Shaking herself down and straightening up, Liriel shrugged off her guards and walked like a queen to the block, glaring dismissively at the captain who'd sent her to her fate.
“Fine, kill me if you want, human. You're just sending me home.”
Shevawna decided there and then that she liked this Liriel. Then, as Liriel was kneeling, head resting on the block, the sound came again, louder this time. Whatever it was was getting closer.
Then as the axe was poised to fall on Liriel's neck, a giant scaly lizard wheeled over the town and loosed the Void on them all.
~~~~~~~~~
Ralof had been first to make a break for it, shouting at his fellows to run, the gods wouldn't give them another chance. The Stormcloaks as one had fled for a nearby tower, and Liriel had staggered to her feet, gasped 'thank Auriel' and fled after them.
“Wait for me!” the young Forsworn prisoner cried, chasing after her. Liriel hadn't got her name, Sheffona, Shevawna, something like that? She seemed more than a little crazy in Liriel's eyes, but on the other hand, she'd not tried to kill her. Unlike the Empire, and really, was that how they treated innocent(ish) Aldmeri citizens round here?
Liriel should have listened to her father. Liriel should have stayed in Alinor, with her parents and brother and sister-in-law and her little sister Ancalime who'd been heartbroken to see her leave. As it was, she'd lost all her money, all her clothes, her weapons, everything. She couldn't even cast because her hands were tied. And now here she was, a fugitive running for her life in a town currently being torn apart by a dragon. A dragon! She hadn't even thought they were real.
When she got home, she was definitely complaining to the Dominion's Foreign Affairs Office about this. Dragons, for Auriel's sake! They'd warned her about humans, men up to no good, pickpockets, gambling and skooma. Not a word about bloody DRAGONS.
If fifty-foot flying fire-breathing lizards didn't merit a warning before leaving the Summerset Isles, Liriel didn't know what did.
But she'd made it into the tower, and while the dragon roared overhead, Liriel stood by awkwardly, watching Nord rebels see to their wounded and get their bonds off.
No one coming to help her get free, and no one coming to help the crazy Forsworn girl in the fur and feathers getup that covered nothing either, although Liriel honestly felt the woman had only herself to blame for that one.
“What was that, Jarl Ulfric?” Ralof was asking. “Was it really a dragon like in the legends?”
Re: Blood (Magic)'s Honour 1.3
“I'm not?” That was Liriel sounding hopeful. “Oh good, can I go?”
“I don't care,” the captain snapped. “Send her to the block with the rest of them. She pals around with Stormcloaks, she can share their fate.”
“WHAT?” Liriel shouted. “I'm not a bloody Stormcloak, I'm not even a Nord!”
“I'm sorry,” the Legionnaire said, sounding like he meant it, and Liriel sobbed, squirming in the arms of two soldiers as they hauled her forward.
The invocation to the Eight Divines followed, Shevawna ignoring it completely, although the execution of one Stormcloak who apparently also didn't care for the Empire's Eight livened things up a bit. Then the captain called out for the elf to be next.
“No, you can't, please, I didn't do anything!” Liriel cried, stumbling as they forced her forward. Then it happened. Some strange cry echoing off the mountains, and Shevawna felt her spine prickle. That sounded like nothing she'd ever heard, no beast or bird, and it was loud. Something that loud was big and it sounded like it was airborne.
Liriel had looked up, hearing it too, and the strangest thing happened. Something in her seemed to change, some resolve come out of nowhere, and the frightened girl of a few moments before seemed to vanish. Shaking herself down and straightening up, Liriel shrugged off her guards and walked like a queen to the block, glaring dismissively at the captain who'd sent her to her fate.
“Fine, kill me if you want, human. You're just sending me home.”
Shevawna decided there and then that she liked this Liriel. Then, as Liriel was kneeling, head resting on the block, the sound came again, louder this time. Whatever it was was getting closer.
Then as the axe was poised to fall on Liriel's neck, a giant scaly lizard wheeled over the town and loosed the Void on them all.
~~~~~~~~~
Ralof had been first to make a break for it, shouting at his fellows to run, the gods wouldn't give them another chance. The Stormcloaks as one had fled for a nearby tower, and Liriel had staggered to her feet, gasped 'thank Auriel' and fled after them.
“Wait for me!” the young Forsworn prisoner cried, chasing after her. Liriel hadn't got her name, Sheffona, Shevawna, something like that? She seemed more than a little crazy in Liriel's eyes, but on the other hand, she'd not tried to kill her. Unlike the Empire, and really, was that how they treated innocent(ish) Aldmeri citizens round here?
Liriel should have listened to her father. Liriel should have stayed in Alinor, with her parents and brother and sister-in-law and her little sister Ancalime who'd been heartbroken to see her leave. As it was, she'd lost all her money, all her clothes, her weapons, everything. She couldn't even cast because her hands were tied. And now here she was, a fugitive running for her life in a town currently being torn apart by a dragon. A dragon! She hadn't even thought they were real.
When she got home, she was definitely complaining to the Dominion's Foreign Affairs Office about this. Dragons, for Auriel's sake! They'd warned her about humans, men up to no good, pickpockets, gambling and skooma. Not a word about bloody DRAGONS.
If fifty-foot flying fire-breathing lizards didn't merit a warning before leaving the Summerset Isles, Liriel didn't know what did.
But she'd made it into the tower, and while the dragon roared overhead, Liriel stood by awkwardly, watching Nord rebels see to their wounded and get their bonds off.
No one coming to help her get free, and no one coming to help the crazy Forsworn girl in the fur and feathers getup that covered nothing either, although Liriel honestly felt the woman had only herself to blame for that one.
“What was that, Jarl Ulfric?” Ralof was asking. “Was it really a dragon like in the legends?”