The wolf and the lioness - A Dragon Soul (Patreon)

Jon Snow, Helgen, Skyrim

"The legionnaires are making a show about the execution" said Ciri as she shook her head, watching as the cart carrying Ulfric entered the village, all around, all the inhabitants of Helgen looked at the convoy murmuring among themselves

"Now that Ulfric will be executed, will you return to Daggerfall?" asked Elewen, escorted by her soldiers, while they waited for the arrival of General Tulius

Jon shook his head and spoke

"Not immediately, Elisif needs help to stabilize the region, there are reports of strange activity in the north of the province, plus I want to visit the Winterhold college before I return, maybe in about six months we will start our return," Jon said, to Elisif's obvious pleasure

The beautiful Altmer said calmly

"I have to return to the embassy dear, I will make the competent preparations to celebrate the victory properly, I expect the attendance of both, I am anxious to see Arwena's performance carefully," said Elewen, looking at her niece with amusement, watching as the young sorceress shuddered at the hint of what awaited her

Ciri next to her just rolled her eyes and said

"I will return to Whiterun to organize our soldiers and prepare the return to Solitude, Jarl Balgruff was so kind as to lend us a tower on the outskirts of the city, I will take care of moving the weapons and armor confiscated from the outskirts of Ulfric" said Ciri, approaching Jon and giving him a kiss, an act that Jon responded by taking his lioness's waist in a possessive way

"My cunt will wait wet and ready for you to fuck her dear, don't make her wait," said the mischievous lioness, before mounting her horse and leaving Helgen accompanied by Elewen and their respective escorts

Jon only shook his head, as Tulius walked towards him, escorted by two legionaries, watching as Ulfric's wagon arrived at the town's fortified tower

“All set?” Jon asked while looking at the sky, his instinct was alert and he had a bad feeling, but he could not understand what was happening

The Winter Lord shook his head quickly, concentrating on Tulius 

"General," he said simply, nodding his head in respect, an act that Tulius replied

"Everything is ready, the executioner has the axe sharp and the block ready, a cleric is ready for the last rites."

Jon just snorted, these men wouldn't care about such an action

However, the conversation with Tulius was interrupted by the screams of one of the prisoners in the wagon

"NO, I'M NOT A STORMCLOACK, I'M NOT A REBEL," said an obviously terrified man, while a harpy-faced Imperial captain ordered all the prisoners to get off the wagon, including Ulfric

The villagers muttered and pointed at the infamous Jarl, mockery more than evident in their eyes, Ulfric Stormcloak was considered a powerful warrior and skilled commander, and here he was, being captured and humiliated by a young sorcerer, in the second royal fight of the civil war

"With the execution of Skald and Ulfric, Korir of Winterhold and Leila of Riften will be forced to bend the knee, concessions and sanctions would be ideal," said Tulius, making Jon nod, focusing his gaze on that strange Nord, who seemed as confused and resigned as the now dead prisoner, who preferred to run and try to escape, Before facing the axe's edge

 Frowning, Jon approached a young legionnaire, who seemed to be arguing with a captain who, in Jon's opinion, seemed to have a stick stuck in her ass

"But captain, he is not on the list," said the young man, pointing to the paper in his hand, dismayed by his indifference to the execution of an innocent man

"I'm not interested, put it with the others" when he heard her voice, Jon realized that it was the same bitch that regularly questioned Arwena's presence at meetings

"But I am" Jon interjected, walking towards where the prisoners were, the stranger looked at him with something close to relief, while the Stormcloaks began to murmur, there was annoyance, even hatred

But also respect

If there was one thing the Norse respected, it was martial prowess, and Jon had proven himself to be a master with the sword

Ulfric, for his part, looked at him with a frown, not that he could say anything, considering that he was gagged to avoid trouble

The captain frowned and said

"He is a prisoner, we found him near where we captured the traitor, he must be a Stormcloak," said the imperial with certainty

Jon looked at her like she was just stupid and said

"Yes, a rebel dressed as a merchant, I'm sure he wears that elegant robe to mislead us, free this innocent man, now," Jon ordered, making it clear that he was not playing

The woman frowned and seemed ready to speak, at least until Jon's fingers began to light up with a white glow and an icy aura emerged in place, generating a layer of permafrost around

"I won't order it again," Jon said, staring at the stubborn woman

The captain looked away in submission and ordered the release of the man, who looked at Jon with full gratitude and simply said

"Thank you, stranger, I had started my way from Imperial City to fulfill the will of my parents, when the fight caught me off guard, my horse fled and my things were lost in the fervor of the battle

Jon nodded, as he walked toward the execution site, curiosity in his voice

"I understand, what object was it about? If we find it I'll make sure it’s returned," Jon promised

The man looked at the Winter Lord gratefully, as he replied

"It is a gold ring, enchanted, it was my uncle Tolfir's inheritance, he is in Winterhold, it was my deceased parents' wish that it should be given to him," he said with determination

Jon nodded, grabbing a mental note to ask about the ring in question, at the same time as the monk began to give his sermon on the divine eight

Jon watched with amusement as one of the soldiers simply stepped forward, the annoyance and fury more than evident in his voice

"For Talos' sake, shut up and do it once and for all," the man snapped, placing his head on the block

The monk, evidently offended, simply said

"As you wish," at the same time that the executioner approached and, with a single slash, cut off the soldier's head, without regard or theater, a simple task that had to be done

The rest of the soldiers reacted as expected, cursing the empire or praying to Talos for their comrade's weapon

The stranger next to him simply said

"They are doing it wrong, if they really want to respect their religion, he must die with an axe in his hand, so that he can enter Sovengarde."

Jon looked at him curiously and was about to ask more about the subject, when suddenly, a distant roar hit the village, everyone around him seemed to ignore it, focused on the image of Ulfric kneeling and ready to be executed

But Jon's instincts were fully activated, he was in danger, he could feel it, a danger never seen before

And just as the executioner raised his weapon...

It began

From the sky, a huge being, with black scales and red eyes full of malice

A fucking dragon, something that was technically impossible, considering that, according to the guild's texts, they had been extinct for more than three eras

However, that was not the most surprising thing, the imposing being landed on top of Helgen's central tower and opened its jaws, Jon expected a terrifying roar from the beast

However, he got only one word

A Thu'um

"STRUM!" shouted the imposing beast, before rising again into the air

Jon watched in terror as the clear sky darkened in seconds and huge fireballs began to lash the entire town

"EVERYONE OUT! LET EVERYONE LEAVE THE VILLAGE!” Jon shouted, while Tulius tried to order his terrified soldiers

An instant later, the terrifying beast returned, flying quite close to the village and screaming again

“Yol Toor Shull”

And hell broke loose on earth

The flames were relentless, the dragon's fiery breath posed a terrible threat, legionnaires, civilians or prisoners, the fiery caress made no distinction

In the chaos, Jon saw the prisoner, Ulfric, escaping with a handful of his men, and getting lost in the fiery streets of Helgen

“What the hell is that?” said the stranger, who looked at the dragon with absolute terror

Even though Jon couldn't blame him

"Stay behind me," Jon ordered, at the same time as he saw that the dragon was preparing to attack again

"Eat this, you cunt" muttered the Winter Lord, at the same time that his hands began to glow with red lightning, and just as the dragon opened its jaws again, Jon release his spell

A dry roar, a look of fury and a thunderous rumble, was the only warning the beast had, before being buffeted by Jon's lightning storm and falling into the fiery streets, it was evident that Jon's attack had done damage

The legionnaires screamed with excitement, their morale high, as they watched the Winter Lord take down the relentless beast, but Jon knew they weren't out of the wood

 "Retreat to Whiterun, escort the civilians off the walls, NOW!" Jon ordered, preparing another spell, seeing how the black silhouette sat up again

The civilians began to escape, as Jon and the battle mages diverted attention from the beast

“Go away!” Jon said to the stranger, who had taken a bow, preparing to fight

"I won't leave you; I owe you my life," said the man, as he prepared an arrow, a useless gesture, but one that spoke of the courage that the man

The dragon, now evidently enraged, unleashed its fury on the city, but Jon was able to notice something

It wasn't the fury of a beast, these attacks were with malice, with total intent, designed to cause as much damage as possible

"We must retreat my Jarl," said a sorceress, watching in terror as the beast alighted on the central tower, looking at them with evident defiance on its face

Jon stared back with fury and hatred, before giving the order

"We can't save any more people, let's go, to the catacombs," Jon ordered, while the small battalion of mages obeyed instantly, eager to reach a safe place

However, the Winter Lord looked directly at the beast, who was staring back in amusement, all this destruction, this chaos, this death, had been a simple game for this putrid being

And at that moment, Jon swore he'd take that beast down and skin it alive, making a fucking cloak out of its filthy skin

"Come on," said the stranger, pulling Jon into the building, anxious for the safety of the fort

Jon obeyed, at the moment he couldn't do anything, but that would change

Soon

Hadvar of Riverwood, bellow Helgen, Skyrim

For a moment he imagined the worst, seeing the doors of the fort open, but he was reassured when he saw that they were the battle mages and Jarl Jon himself

A huge weight was lifted from his shoulders, with the Winter Lord present, his survival was guaranteed

With a firm step, the powerful magician looked at him and said

“Are you okay?”

Hadvar nodded

"Aye, my Jarl, for a second I thought the worst, I'm hearing signs of fighting in the fort, so I guess the rebel dogs are doing havoc," Hadvar said

The young warrior watched as the Jarl frowned and said

"Then let's go, we'll gather as many legionnaires left alive and we'll meet Lady Ciri in Whiterun to return to Haafingar, priorities have changed and we must adapt" and without waiting for an answer, the Jarl walked inside the fort

With the battle mages, a survivor and Hadvar behind

The next few minutes, Hadvar witnessed the Winter Lord's incredible martial skill, one move, one cut, one death, the Stormcloaks dropping like fucking flies

But then... Hadvar saw him, Skald, the former Jarl of Dawnstar, hiding like a coward, with a javelin in his hand, ready to attack his Jarl from behind

“WATCH OUT!” Hadvar shouted as he watched in terror as the javelin flew from the old man's hand to the Jarl's back, guaranteeing certain death

However, the gods apparently had other plans

The stranger, the prisoner whom the Jarl freed, thrust the Winter Lord's body, receiving the attack in the chest and sending him to the ground with a gasp

Quickly, the Jarl looked in terror at the state of the man who saved his life, before turning his gaze on the treacherous old man

The Winter Lord's hand shone with magical power, at the same time that a fucking pack of spectral wolves appeared and the Winter Lord, with obvious contempt and hatred, commanded

"Kill everyone, bring me the old man" before focusing on the dying man

As the wolves destroyed the rebels and followed Skald in a pathetic attempt to escape, the Jarl focused entirely on the man's last moments, who was drowning in his own blood, his hand glowing with a golden light, healing magic, but it was evident that it was not having the desired effect

The Jarl took the man's hand in silence, thousands of feelings passed through his eyes, until inhaling forcefully, he ordered

"BRING ME AN AXE, THIS NORD DESERVES TO GO TO SOVENGARDE, NOW!" roared like a dragon, while the remaining legionnaires hurried to obey

The Jarl placed the weapon in the stranger's hand at the same time as he drew his own dagger, placing it on the man's chest, it would be a quick and painless death

"May the halls of Sovengarde welcome you with open arms, reunite with your ancestors and fuck, drink and fight until the end of time," said the Jarl, before inserting the dagger into the man's chest

A gasp of discomfort and the inert body lost all strength, the soul left the body and the atmosphere became gloomy

However...

The man's body began to be consumed by white flames, magic never seen before, at the same time that a kind of wind and magic threads began to fly from his body towards the body of the Jarl, who opened his eyes in surprise and let out a gasp, feeling such incredible power inside him

Hadvar watched as the man's body was rendered utterly lifeless, a collection of bones, as the strange power entered the Winter Lord's body

The magical moment lasted for an instant, and moments later, the Winter Lord was back, staring at his hands with obvious curiosity

Hadvar was going to inquire about the strange occurrence, but at that very moment, the spectral hounds returned, dragging Skald's bruised body

Hadvar watched in amazement as the Winter Lord simply walked to within a few steps of the old man and said a single word

“YOL”

Hearing it, the entire fort trembled for an instant, the contained power was simply terrifying and as a result, a flame of fiery fire came out from the Jarl's mouth, charring Skald on the spot

That was a Thu'um, the Winter Lord had used a Thu'um, Hadvar was not stupid and knew his legends very well, he knew very well what it was all about

"Dragonborn" he whispered quietly, but enough for the rest of the legionnaires to hear him, in an instant, the emotion had taken over everyone

A Dragonborn, the Winter Lord is the Dragonborn!

For his part, the Jarl simply watched as Skald's body charred, until he simply ordered

“Whiterun, let's go”

And they all obeyed, following the Winter Lord in silence and obedience, none of them suspected how much things would change in Skyrim from now on