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If I fast-travel across Skyrim an occasional dragon may attack, and this is starting to occur in settlements, too. Last one happened in Riverwood, and both Alvor (the blacksmith) and Faendal (my former follower) died under the flames of an ancient dragon.

Is there any real risk? Should I load a previous save when something like this happens?
I don't want to miss any (important) quest.

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Any NPC that is not marked as "Essential" can be killed during these attacks. "Essential" NPCs are usually ones that are required to progress quest lines, although some can be killed after. A full list, including whether or not they become killable eventually, is Here.

Note that there are some followers that cannot die, making them incredibly useful. Notably Serana from the Dawnguard DLC and the Dark Brotherhood Initiates that you can get after completing their questline.

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    Strictly speaking, NPCs may also be marked "protected," which is basically "essential unless the player does it." This includes the player's spouse, current follower, and a couple of other roles. These NPCs cannot be killed by a random dragon, but the player can still kill them accidentally while fighting said dragon, so some care needs to be taken with them.
    – Kevin
    Commented Jan 4 at 17:13
  • Not only dragons attack settlements. Dawnstar in particular has a problem with ice trolls strolling in to town for a hot tea rather than hanging around their spawn area. I've had Frida the alchemist taken out several times by trolls.
    – Jon Custer
    Commented Jan 5 at 14:27
  • @Kevin That just means enemies wont target them directly correct? So area spells/attacks aimed at the PC are still able to kill them right? I swear I've had Lydia killed by Dragons breaths or shouts aimed at me several times.
    – Ravi Kothari
    Commented Jan 8 at 16:20
  • @RaviKothari: As of the latest patch, it is not possible for a protected NPC to die by any means, unless it is directly inflicted by the player. However, earlier patches of the game worked as you describe.
    – Kevin
    Commented Jan 9 at 5:17

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