Did Alduin come to Helgen looking for you?

[DarkBeckyhood]

So I recently completed the main quest on one of my characters again, which is something I haven't actually done all that often, and I got to thinking about how ironic it was that Alduin saved you from death when you were the only person who could kill him. And I know, destiny and prophecy and all that, but still, what a huge coincidence that Alduin showed up at just the right place just in time to save your neck - literally.

But then I thought, what if it wasn't that big of a coincidence? Helgen isn't too far away from the Throat of the World, after all - in fact, it's the closest settlement other than Ivarstead, just at the end of a mountain pass that cuts between it and some other mountains - and Alduin must have emerged from the Time Wound only a short time earlier, otherwise the Dragon Crisis would have been in full swing by the time Skyrim starts.

What if he sensed another dragon soul (more specifically, your soul), and came looking for you? But if you think about it:

• Paathurnax was up there waiting for him to reappear, as we know. So Alduin, who had just been attacked by three ancient Nord Voice heroes, Dragonrend'ed to hell, then sent hurtling thousands of years forward in time (and we know how sensitive dragons are to time), was then likely forced into a fight with his well-rested top lieutenant immediately afterwards. He was probably in no shape for a fight. But wait! Was that... help he could sense nearby?
  
• Dragons can sense each other, we know that. And we know the Dragonborn has the soul of a dragon. To a disorientated Dovah, suddenly thrust into a fight for his (sorta-)life, sensing a Dragonborn soul may well have seemed like sensing another dragon.
• So he called for help. We heard Alduin's roars long before he arrived. We've seen how fast dragons can move across Skyrim, and it's faster than that. So Alduin, unable to get a response from the other dragon he could sense nearby, broke off his unwanted conflict with Paarthurnax and fled the Throat of the World, plunging down towards Helgen in search of the unresponsive dragon who hadn't rushed to his aid. Imagine his surprise when he flew by and saw no dragon at all, only filthy Joore milling around where there should be a Dovah!
  
• So he went down for a closer look. When he landed, he landed right in front of you. And he looked right at you. At that moment, he must have realised precisely what you were. You were a man/mer/beast, but you felt like a dragon to him. But you were surrounded by the Imperial Legion, and then all hell broke loose before he could do anything about it.
  
• His attack on Helgen may have interfered with your execution, but Alduin obviously wasn't content to let you get away, at least not at first. Let's think about his actions during Helgen:
  • No sooner were you climbing up that very first tower after escaping the headsman's block than was Alduin smashing his way into that very same tower to send flames inside (ironically, again, helping you to escape in the process).
    
  • As soon as you escaped that tower and jumped across to the inn, he landed by the same inn, but others got in his way and once more he was forced to take flight.
    
  • He landed on the wall right by where you were taking a detour immediately afterwards, but by then he was being attacked by Imperial Battlemages and archers, so was too distracted to deal with you.
  • As you headed for the keep, you could see him swooping overhead, trying to get down to you, but he was being attacked by innumerable archers, and couldn't get in close enough to attack you without taking them out first. We saw him grab one and fling him away.
    
  • But, if you take your time getting inside the keep, Alduin finally gets to attack you specifically, targeting you - a bound and helpless prisoner, in a city full of battlemages and soldiers - and he does so with deadly force.
  • Assuming you do make it into the keep, Alduin is left to deal with a huge garrison of the Imperial Legion, and presumably some Thalmor as well, not to mention the town's own guard. And even then, as attested to by the collapse of a ceiling just ahead of you as you make your way through the keep, he's still trying to get at you! When he realises that he can't, he tries to wait you out, but given that to him it was only a few moments ago that he'd faced three ancient Nord heroes, been Dragonrend'ed, sent hurtling through time, and forced to fight his old ally Paarthurnax, he has no choice but to flee and rebuild his strength. That's when you emerge in time to see him soaring away, in the same direction as the next dragon attack we witness incidentally.
• The rest, as we know, is history. But in seeking you out and accidentally liberating you, he inadvertently sealed his own fate.

So what do you think? Sorry, I tend to overthink these things, but I find it all really interesting.

 

[TheAdventurer!]

I've never really given it much thought until now, but I think your theory makes a lot of since. I like it.