Romi's heart slammed against her chest, the blood drained from her face and her stomach twisted into something nasty as scaled lips pulled back in a peril grin and beady glowing red eyes glared down at her from their perch on the tower. She couldn't believe it. She was looking at a dragon. A freaking dragon.

Her eyes were pinned on the creature. It was a sight to behold even though it struck such a powerful fear within her that left her rooted to the spot. Unable to take her eyes off the beast, she watched in horror as the creature opened it's mawl, drawing in a deep inhale. She wanted to move, but it's gaze held her in place, trapping her like a deer in the headlights. All she could do was brace herself and wait for its scorching flames to end her life in a fiery death.

However, instead of flames, a deafening crackling roar erupted from the beast, shaking the earth and rattling her brain. It trembled through her, the power from its bellow moving through her blood like a deep familiar hum. Head throbbing, Romi peered up at the heavens witnessing as the once blue sky quickly darkened with unnatural swirling gray clouds, the wind picking up speed before massive flaming rocks start to rain down, like it was the seventh plague of Egypt. 

The world erupted into chaos. People screamed and ran for cover from crashing meteors while the General shouted to his army of soldiers. Romi still lied there, head pressed to the bloodied chopping block gripped by sheer terror. Her gaze was drawn to the dragon like moth to a flame, and she stared at the massive predator through her lashes.

The beast observed, head cocked while watching everyone run about frantic before slinking its attention back to her, its flammeous eyes seemed to leer straight into her soul. It inhaled once more and then aimed another ground shaking bellow in her direction, it's breath using actual physical force to knock her over and leaving a ringing in her ears. Then with a rumble in its throat and a thunderous snap of it's wings, it took to the sky. It’s massive size and wingspan briefly eclipsing the sun as it flew. 

Romi lied stunned on her belly, her mind blurred from vertigo before using her knees and limited movement from her hands to slowly pull herself up and back onto her calves. Her heart thudded from adrenaline and her breathing was erratic as if she had been running for miles. Hearing yet another terrifying roar of the beast, she snapped her head up towards the sky and followed the black dragon’s movements as it circled above. It's underbelly and patagium glowing red like burning coal in a fireplace while setting everything in its path up in flames.

Every muscle in her body screamed at her to get her up and run, but she remained seated on the ground, frozen. It all seemed so surreal and she felt completely disconnected to everything around her, like she were watching a movie of the events rather than actually being present. She wanted to be suddenly small and to crawl into someone’s lap.

A voice called to her, it was slightly drowned out and muffled by the chaos and the ringing in her ears. "Romi!" It was closer and she felt kicked up dirt and pebbles hit her lower back as well as the air shift as someone came to stand beside her. She looked up, meeting Jackson's panicked brown eyes. "Come on, get up! We gotta go!" He said, gripping her elbow with bound hands and pulling her to her feet and out of her daze. He hooked their arms and drew her in close, shoulders pressed together while he searched for a place to take cover.

Then, Thor appeared in front them, shouting and signaling them with his hand before he bolted towards another tower. In all the screaming and wailing, it took them a moment to grasp that he wanted them to follow him. He was trying to lead them to safety.

Jackson lead them to pursue. They dodged flaming debris that decimated the land, only to scuttle to the left, tripping over one another when a grapefruit sized meteorite slammed into the ground beside them, barely missing taking out Jackson’s whole right side. They paused to gap at the rock before another zoomed past them making them realize that they were still in danger and would die if they didn't move. “Go, go, go!” Jackson pleaded incessantly, nudging her forward.  

With knees bent and heads kept down from the billowing smoke in the air, they made a beeline towards the direction of the stone tower where Thor was waving and hollering at them from, tumbling through the threshold just as the dragon rumbled. 

Once their knees hit the stone floor, the door was slammed behind them. Romi could hear something being pressed against the door, barring it. Looking over her left shoulder, she saw Thor and the now ungagged and unbound Bear man talking amongst themselves. The Bear man’s voice echoed, sounding like rolling thunder. The power of it resounded with authority as his eyes scanned around the room with a hawk like intensity. It was at that moment she realized he had to be some sort of leader or Commander. 

When Bear man cut his eyes in their direction, Romi felt her spine stiffen as he looked between her and Jackson, his gaze narrowing when he lingered on the latter, seemingly considering him. She immediately looked away, not wanting to make eye contact and offend him. Instead, she turned her attention to her surroundings and to the wounded, who lied heaving on the ground. The metallic smell of blood coated the air as strongly as fire and smoke.

Romi noticed more people dressed in the same blue and brown gear as Thor, all keeping away from the door, like they were afraid the dragon would break it down at any moment. Their hands were untied, dirt and sweat stained their face and fear filled their eyes. Much like she and Jackson, all of them were shaken. One of them, a blond woman, retched beside the stairs. A few others were assisting wounded and burned comrades, their hands sliding along bloodied flesh as if that was going to miraculously heal the wounds.

She then focused her attention on Jackson, whom sat on his bottom with his knees drawn to his heaving chest and bound hands resting haphazardly between them. His eyes were wild and waxed over, the color had drained from his face and his hands trembled in an irregular rhythm. She lazily extended an arm out to grab his attention, her fingertips skimming his shoulder unintentionally making him flinch. "Sorry. You okay?"

Jackson turned to her, blinked and then scrunched his nose and forehead. "I should be the one asking you that considering you’re the one who almost got your head chopped off. But to answer your question, no. I just...I mean..." He swallowed, his throat dipping hard. "What in the ‘Games of Thrones’ is this? Where the hell did they get a damn dragon?" 

Despite knowing the questions were rhetorical, she still shrugged and shook her head. She couldn't begin to tell him. This stuff only happened in movies.

An ear-splitting roar rent the air, making the two outworlders jump and causing the tower tremble. Many people lifted arms to try to cover their ears, though it didn't do much good. Hands still bound, Romi could only press her ear to her shoulder, wincing and gritting her teeth together so hard, she was sure she’d fracture them all. 

Behind her, a much more human stentorian sound rang out, drawing everyone’s attention. It was the Bear-like Chieftain. He marched passed them with Thor not to far behind him and stood in the center of the room and began speaking to those around him, his voice a low rumble of calm and firm despite everything around them. The leader held forth, pointing and giving his people orders, and she could tell the language he used was completely different from the one previously. It was harsher with a cadence that was much more familiar yet she couldn’t place a finger on it. The world around them much too loud for her to capture any of the words. With an astute gazed at each one of his fellow combatants and an affirmative nod, the people scattered with an efficiency that Romi had never seen. 

He then swept his eyes in her and Jackson’s direction, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. It was like a cougar that spotted a feeble deer, and she did not like it one bit. Bear man then turned to Thor and spoke low, who then bowed his head readily before pulling a dagger from his hip and stalking towards them. 

Romi saw Lokil’s death flash in her mind and panic began to quickly set in. She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut when Thor knelt before her and took hold of her hands in a vice grip, a stammering plea tumbled from her lips. It wasn’t until she felt tension on the rope did she open her eyes and see the dagger slice through the last thread. 

While Thor moved towards Jackson to cut his restraints, Romi rubbed gently at her red and angry wrists, reveling in the relief of having those binds off. Though, it were short lived when a red haired man materialized alongside her and began to prise her and Jackson onto their feet and nudging them towards the stairs Thor was heading up. Unable to ask or even dissent, she shadowed behind silently wondering how going higher would get them out of here. It seemed like such a dumb idea, especially with that dragon outside. 

As the group scaled the stone steps, the wall imploded, sending one soldier ahead of them falling over the stair's edge and down to the ground below as a large atrous snout appeared in the crave. She yelped when Thor shoved them against the stone wall just as fire erupted from the dragon's mouth in a great throaty bellow, bathing the inside of the structure. She could feel her skin prickle and the plastic rim of her glasses warm up from the intense heat before a burst of wind gushed into the tower from its wings, as it flew off. 

Tentatively, Thor peered out the hole the dragon had made. Seeing that it was clear and the beast was nowhere nearby, he motioned for them forward. Once they reached him, he pointed out the crevice, rambling. Her brain tried to grab the words and translate them only for them to fall through. She must have had a vacant look on her face because Thor later began to pantomime. Romi watched his hand movements and balked when he imitated his fingers jumping off the side of his palm. She stared at Thor and he looked back, dipping his head firmly.

He wanted them to jump.

It was Jackson who moved towards the edge out of curiosity and leaned over, jerking back with a troubled look. He eyeballed Thor as if he were crazy. “You can’t be serious.” Jackson then moved his focus to her, “He can’t be serious.” Despite her better judgement, Romi too moved to the edge and peered down.

Below was a damaged burning house. Part of it’s roof caved in revealing the wooden floor, and furniture. But that’s not what unsettled her, it was the distance. It looked impossibly far away. Did he really expect them to make that jump? She shook her head in protest. Not today Satan. “Oh no. No! We can't jumped that! That's way too far down and away!” They would break their necks. Whether Thor understood her or not, she didn’t care. She wasn’t all to keen of heights and definitely had a fear of falling. 

Thor huffed and said something in what Romi knew was a flippant timbre before gesturing anxiously towards the large puncture. It was obvious the man wasn't going to let up and with the way up blocked by stone debris and the way down barricaded. This seemed like their only option. 

The tower shook once more, this time dirt and a few large stones came falling from above signify the building didn’t have much hold left.

Romi and Jackson exchanged looks of resignation. "I’ll go first." Jackson said. He glanced back down at the burning building, gauging the distance. He backed up a couple of feet and Romi saw his chest rise and fall heavily from the deep breath he took before he dashed towards the opening.

Romi watched,  slightly ajar as her companion leaped out into the intervening space. She craned forward just in time to see him land inside the inn, his knees bending as he flawlessly transitioned into a roll. Her stomach gave and she felt faint.

Beside her, Thor spoke and she circled her head to him. His deep blue eyes flittering with impatience as he tilted his head towards the opening. There was no trouble translating that: Her turn.

Her palms were slick with sweat and her heart seemed to well up inside of her with so much fear and uncertainty. Taking one final glance and sending out a silent prayer, Romi took a few steps back, in a breath, ran, and then leapt. 

It all happened so fast. One minute she was weightless, free-falling through the air, her insides seemingly floating as wind rushed passed her from all sides. The next she landed, barely missing one of the thatch beams. A sharp tingling pain stabbed through her ankle and legs sending her tumbling to her hands and knees as she had failed to tuck and roll. Though, she didn't have time to dwell on the fact as Jackson was there hoisting her up. Flames burned heating up the room, the smell of burning wood, and hay drafted the room overpowering that of burning flesh. 

Smoke billowed in the small confide, the two coughed as smoke vapors filled their lungs and burned their eyes. "You think they'll make it?" Jackson questioned inbetween a fitful cough. He screwed up his eyes, peering through the smoke and up towards the hole. "Where'd he go?" 

Romi mirrored his gaze to the now vacant hole in the tower and she felt irritated and slighted at Thor’s disappearance. “Are you freaking kidding me?” Did he really just leave them? Why tell them to jump if he wasn’t going to follow? She understood the he wasn’t obligated to get them to safety, but a little bit of further guidance would have sufficed. Maybe that’s what he and the intimidating man were talking about. Jesus Christ, what were they to do now? Do they wait and see if he was coming back? As if answering her question, the air above them shook, the wood creaking in the threat of coming down on top of their heads. "I don't think we should wait." She coughed, glancing around for an exit. 

“Right. Okay.” Jackson surveyed their surroundings, eyes still squinted from the smoke and sweat running along his forehead looking for a way out. Spotting a gap in the floor, he lead her through the burned inn, dodging flames and burning debris to the area and jumped down.

At the open doorway the full enormity of the situation met their eyes. What had once been a quiet, village with stone towers and wooden buildings surrounded by a wooden palisade was now a scene from hell. Meteors continued to rain down upon the village. Not one residence or business remained intact, and the towers themselves were as battered as if an army had been catapulting them for weeks. Fire and smoke was everywhere, scorching their skin and stinging their eyes, making them cough and choke from the smell of charred wood and flesh. Bodies littered the grounds, people were shouting and running.

Directions blurred as she and Jackson stood there looking around. Beads of sweat rolled down their faces and their hearts were racing as their eyes flickered from person to person watching them scream and run past. They too trying to find sanctuary. 

Just ahead, Romi noticed a soldier and even in all the panic, she could hear his drowned shouting, calling out towards a crying child who clung to an injured man, lying on the road. Obviously, a father whom was dying and a son reluctant to leave his side. She observed the father prodding his son in their direction and her stomach drop in knowing the father was not going to make it. The boy's face trembled, tears streaking down his face as he reluctantly rushed over to the guard’s side. 

Suddenly the haunting sound of large wings flapping against the air and a giant shadow casted over them. Looking up, the two watched in horror as the dragon landed on the dirt road, just beyond a burning house and the wounded man.

It stared in their direction, it's flaming eyes seemingly glaring at them as it drew in a breath. “Oh, hell!” Jackson cried out, pulling Romi behind a charred wall where an elderly man was crouched. The soldier yelled out, heaving the child into his arms and rushed to take refuge behind the building as well, just as the black beast released another blast of flames from its mouth. Then, it took to the skies once more, leaving nothing, but blackened destruction.

At the sight of the charred remains and the acrid odor of burning flesh assaulting her nostrils, Romi felt her stomach contract violently, the action sending her toppling over her knees as bitter bile forced its way out .

in a breath and wiping , acidic residue forming a shiny patch on her jacket sleeve, she looked up at the sound of a voice, just in time to see the guard regarding them with a surprised look of relief and pride washing over the legionare's face. Romi recognized him as the auburn haired one from before. 

The soldier chatted at them, voice loud trying to speak over the chaos. He turned to the older gentleman carefully handing over the child to him and stated something to him, to which the elder’s heavily wrinkled features tightened in determination as he mumbled a response while trying to comfort the sobbing child. The soldier nodded his head severely then tossed a quick glance in their direction and gestured them to go along with him.

Whether it was a good idea or not, the two didn’t think on it and instead went with him. Surviving was currently at the top of their to-do list, and staying by the man with combat experience would be better than them running aimlessly about a destroyed town.

They trailed behind him, ducking and dodging around blackened corpses of villagers and soldiers alike. Above them, the Dragon circled. Romi could hear him whooshing around and occasional roaring or throwing fire. She even swore she could hear it talking. Taunting them from the skies in its own sort of foreign language as everyone scattered like wildebeest running from a pride of lions.

The three had just rounded a corner when the legionnaire threw out an arm protectively and backed them into the stone wall behind them just as the black beast landed on the roof above their heads, damn near decimating the stone while blasting more flames before pushing off the roof and taking to the sky once more. 

The soldier held them there for a short while, checking to be sure the coast was clear before setting off once more through the decimated ruins of a house. 

They continued their quick journey through the burning village, reflexively dodging broken wooden beams and jumping over more dead bodies than she could count. Romi scanned the sky, keeping the dragon in her line of vision. All around, she could hear the sounds of screaming, dying people. 

And it was all. So. Real. 

Romi felt light-headed and a few black spots covered her vision. She blinked them back as she dispelled the idea of being sick once more.

Stumbling out of the home, the three found themselves standing on the main roadway in Helgen where a row archers stood firing arrows up at the flying beast. All around arrows cut through the sky, some hitting massive wings others bouncing of hide. At one point she thought she saw soldiers shooting fire balls and electricity from their palms. Though with how fast everything was happening, she didn’t have time to look back to see as the guard had pulled them behind a newly formed outcropping as the beast winged like a scythe over their heads. 

With a quick glance at the sky, Romi was stunned to descry the dragon swoop low, and snatch a random guard in his claws only to drop him, his body falling to the ground in a sickening splat just a few feet away.

She clamped her hands down on to stop herself from screaming her head off, instead letting out a muffled screech. Jackson retching beside her sounded distant as all her focus was upon the crushed body and it’s entrails scattered about the grounds. Never had she seen a body shatter like that. Sure, there was television, but it never got it right. There was a stark contrast between seeing a fallen body on a screen and seeing one in real-life. Reality was far more frightening and tramatic. It's something you wish you could forget, but knew you never could. 

There was an emphatic grasp on her bicep and she jerked with a start, pulling out of the grip and whipping her head around to glare at the soldier. He yelled at her, pointing towards an archway straight ahead. She dipped her head numbly and followed after the Legate and Jackson, whom looked ready to faint. 

The three continued on, passing under the archway and Romi felt a small wave of relief when she saw what was probably the only intact gatehouse several yards away.  

They had just made it into a wider street and passed under an archway when the guard skidded to a halt. Romi wondered why they were stopping when she noticed standing before them was Thor. Despite how he left them, she was glad to see him alive.

The legionnaire stepped in front of them, his hand on his sword, ready to draw it, if need be. He yelled, his voice rough from anger and debris. Thor looked at the other man cooly, his features solemn as he replied back. 

Whatever was said caused the legionnaire to growl back in frustration before the two men ran their separate ways. Dashing forward, the guard called back to them with a wave of his hand. Letting her feet do the thinking for her, Romi spared one last glimpse at Thor as he sprinted away, wishing him well and hoping he’d stay safe as she followed the guard and Jackson towards the wooden doors of the cylindrical stone fortress.