Hey! Nightblade here! This is my first fanfiction ever, and I hope you like it.

Also, Skyrim belongs to Bethesda Softworks, not me, and I only own Khazura.

Chapter 1: Unfortunate Predicaments

A slight rocking awoke a young girl. She was in the back of a wagon and wasn't supposed to be there.

" Hey, you! You're finally awake." said a strange man.

The girl looked around at the other people in the moving wagon. A soldier from the Stormcloak rebellion, a well-dressed man who was gagged, and another man in rags, covered in filth. All were bound in leather strips tied tightly, and well knotted.

" You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there." The soldier asked, while motioning towards the man next to him.

" Damn you, Stormcloaks! Skyrim was fine until you came along! Empire was nice and lazy! If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and be halfway to Hammerfell." He growled towards the soldier.

He looked at the girl and muttered, " You there. You and me- we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." The soldier said.

An irritated Imperial that was driving the cart yapped to shut up, but none of the prisoners paid him any mind. They were all probably being sent to their deaths so it didn't matter anyways. The thief then noticed that the well-dressed man hadn't said a word, or grunted, since he had a gag in his mouth.

"What's wrong with him, huh?" He snickered.

"Watch you're tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." The soldier snapped.

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured you!" the thief's face then twisted into terror. " Oh gods, where are they taking us?"

The girl rolled her eyes, obviously already knowing they were heading towards intended doom.

"I don't know, but Sovengarde awaits."

"No! This can't be happening. This isn't happening." The thief cried out.

"Well, it is so you better get used to it. Not that it will matter soon, though." The girl muttered.

"What's you're name, girl? Mine is Ralof." The soldier rumbled.

"None of your concern. I was only crossing the border from Cyrodiil to go get a better life. So much for that, and they thought I was a murderer, one from the Imperial City. Yes, a thirteen year old being a murderer." She said bitterly.

Turning to the thief, Ralof asked, " What village are you from, horse thief?"

"Rorikstead. I'm… I'm from Rorikstead."

As they grew closer, they heard an Imperial soldier shout to the General of the Legion, and they heard something along the lines of, "Good. Let's get this over with."

The girl then saw the Thalmor, and she hissed. Bloody elves, trying to control everything. She thought. At least I won't see those foul creatures again.

"Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me!" The thief pleaded.

"This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in." Ralof sighed.

The cart then began to slow, and the girl heard a young boy, about seven, say, "Who are they, daddy?"

"Go inside, little cub."

"But I want to watch the soldiers!" he whined.

You don't want to watch this, the girl thought. It's a beheading, by the looks of it.

"Go inside."

"Why are we stopping?" the thief asked.

"Why do you think? End of the line. Let's go. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us."

"No! Wait, we're not rebels!" the thief said.

"Face your death with some courage, thief." Ralof stated.

"You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!"

They all stepped off of the wagons, and stood stoically waiting for their names to be called.

"Damn Imperials, and their lists." Ralof sighed.

The soldiers began calling out names and sending Stormcloaks towards the chopping block. After most of the names had been called, the thief stepped forward.

"Lokir, of Rorikstead."

"No! You can't do this! You're not gonna kill me!" Lokir wailed.

"Halt!" An Imperial officer screamed. "Archers!"

Lokir was easily shot down, and his death quelled the others' wants to run away.

"Anyone else feel like running?" The woman snickered.

"You there, in the shadows. Step forward."

The girl quietly padded forward and stood in front of the Imperial calling out names.

"You're barely even a woman! No, wait. You aren't even a woman! Who are you?" The surprised man asked.

"Khazura. And I am thirteen! Leave me alone…" she snapped.

"You with the caravans, cat? Your kind always seem to find trouble…" He turned to his superior.

"Captain, what do we do? She's not on the list." The man asked.

"Forget the list. She goes to the block." The captain sneered.

"I'm sorry. Your remains will be returned to Elsweyr. Follow the Captain, girl." He said, somberly.

Khazura slowly turned and was lead to her spot next to the others waiting for death. General Tullius, the Governor of the Imperial Legion, began saying something about Ulfric Stormcloak plunging Skyrim into chaos, and other nonsense.

An unworldly roar shook the earth and prisoners and soldiers all stared at the sky. Khazura flattened her ears, and dug her nails into her palms to help bear the awful noise.

The soldier who was calling off names asked, "What, was that?"

"It was nothing. Carry on." The General said.

"Yes General Tullius! Give them their last rites." The woman ordered a priestess.

"As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and earth of Nirn, our belove-" she started.

"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!" a Stormcloak snarled as he stalked towards the block.

"As you wish." The priestess grumbled, irritated at this upstart.

"Come on! I haven't got all morning!" the soldier grated.

Khazura growled a curse about foolish Nords and their religious ways, and stared as the man allowed the Captain to harshly put him to the ground. He was stupid.

"My ancestors are smiling at me Imperials. Can you say the same?" the soldier sneered.

With that, Khazura watched as the headsman's axe came down and cut the man's head off with a thud. Blood shot everywhere, on the blade, block, and ground. She gulped and looked away; for that was the fate she would share with every other prisoner there.

"You Imperial bastards!" a soldier shouted.

"Death to the Stormcloaks!" said a civilian onlooker.

"As fearless in death as he was in life." Ralof murmured.

"Next, the cat!" the Captain ordered.

"Oh, are you not aware that my race is called Khajiit?" Khazura called.

Suddenly, the obscene roar came again.

"There it is again! Did you hear that?" the soldier said.

"I said, next prisoner!"

"To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy." The soldier muttered, as if to calm her.

Khazura blanched, and slowly walked to her death. Her eyes dilated in fear, and she hissed as she saw the blood caked in the earth.

"You afraid, cat?" the Captain laughed.

She pushed Khazura onto the ground, and Khazura closed her eyes. She opened them and silently screamed as the axe came down. But it never came.

"What in Oblivion is that?" screamed General Tullius.

A dark, ominous, black shape flew closer to the town of Helgen.

"Dragon!" the guards shrieked.

The dragon landed on the tower above Khazura, and roared a fiery storm into place. Dazed, Khazura wobbled and slowly rose to her feet. She ran for cover as rubble erupted around her. She didn't wait to run up the stairs of the tower, and the dragon burst into the wall breathing the horrible acrid fire everywhere. She was only alive because she was slammed to the side since Ralof saved her.

"Thanks." She said shakily.

"No problem." He said.

She jumped out of the hole in the wall, and landed in fire. She coughed as smoke filled her lungs, and she clawed her way onto normal ground. Khazura soon jumped again, to find herself surrounded by other people. One of the Imperial soldiers, who had apologized to her, was there. She spat and ran past him, not paying any attention to where she was going.

"Yol… Toor… Shul!" the black dragon Shouted. " Zu'u Alduin! Feyn se joore! Dir, ahrk daal wah Sovengarde!

She ran under the dragon and screamed for life, cursing the gods for giving her a worse end than before. The Dragon spun and she leaped away from it, but he was too quick, and landed a bite on her foot. Khazura screamed and thought her foot was gone. But the dragon was gone, not her foot. She scrambled up and launched into a sprint for the keep. She didn't stop, or look back until she found herself with Ralof safe inside.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Panting, she steadied herself against the wall. She gasped, and gazed at her bleeding foot. It had been scratched, but not bitten off, or punctured.

"Yes. I think so. Oh, gods, I don't know!" she squawked.

"Here, take this armor. Poor Gunjar won't be needing it anymore." Ralof said, while handing her some Stormcloak gear.

"Gods. Is there a potion around here?" Khazura asked.

"Here, I found one on Gunjar. Hope your foot is okay. Taking a dragon on like that was reckless, you know."

"I know!" she snapped. " And I wasn't taking it on. I was running away!"

"Sorry."

"Humph." Khazura muttered.

"We need to get out of here." Ralof announced.

He walked over to a gate and said that it was locked. No chance at finding a key either.

"What about that other gate?" he called.

Khazura walked over to it, and said, "It can only be opened from the other side. I guess we're gonna die here. How fun."

Her ears perked up, and she hissed. She bared her claws and crouched, wincing when she put weight on her bad foot.

"There are Imperials coming. Gods, their armor is loud." Khazura spat.

"Get down!" Ralof whispered.

"I am!" she mouthed.

As they crouched, the Imperials ran closer. They approached the gate and opened it, unaware of the danger lurking behind. They ran in, and were attacked, and were no match since they had no time to draw their weapons. Khazura slashed and scratched at the Captain and sent her to her grave. She noticed a key on the dead Captain's belt and she snatched it up and put it in a pouch in her armor.

"Maybe one of these Imperials have a key." Ralof said.

"Already one step ahead of you!" Khazura grinned, flashing the key at Ralof.

"Well done, little girl."

"Hey! I just saved your life!" She growled, eyes flashing.

"I'm joking! Gods…" Ralof sputtered.

They continued on, and they found a storeroom, and quickly dispatched the Imperials in there. Khazura stocked up on potions, and also food, so they kept moving on. They came to a torture room, and Khazura growled at the main torturer.

"Die, scum!" the torturer shrieked.

She clawed at his eyes, but he had the advantage of a dagger, and slashed a long cut alongside her arm. Khazura grabbed him by the neck, and thwacked his head on the wall. He moved no more. She sat up, noticed that there were other soldiers in the room, and she helped one of them kill the torturer's assistant.

"Good riddance." She muttered, and spat on his corpse.

"Hey! Was Jarl Ulfric through here?" Ralof asked the remaining soldiers.

"No. I thought he was with others."

"Khazura, there is something in this cage! See if you can get the gold from it." Ralof said, handing her some lockpicks.

She smiled, and went over to the cage, and opened it in no time. She pulled out the Septims, and also the magicka potion. The tome she read in a rush, for it might come in handy.

"I'm ready!" she said.

They trekked on, and found themselves surrounded by Imperials. Khazura flattened her ears and went over to a couple of soldiers by an oil spill. She caught their attention and made them slip in the oil, since they ran out to her onto the oil, and she threw a nearby torch, creating a blaze.

"Smart thinking, girl." Said Ralof.

The pair crossed the bridge and waded into the trickling stream. They followed it and branched off into a spider lair.

"Quiet! There are terrible spiders here…" Khazura whispered.

She shot them with her newly acquired bow, from a dead soldier, and they twitched and wiggled in their death.

"Ugh. I hate spiders!" she said, turning up her nose.

They crept past, and she bottled some poison, thinking it would be useful for later. Slowly, she inched towards into a new cavern. She slinked towards a cart full of mead, and she grabbed a coin purse for later use. Khazura noticed a bear and drew her bow. A hard battle won, had the young Khajiit sweating and grimacing from her new wounds. Fresh air caught her nose and she sprinted into the daylight-filled crevice and into the open.

So! How'd I do? Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading anyways. Also R&R if you loved it, hated it, or were just okay with it.