My Older Siblings Cannot be the Dragonborn (Skyrim SI)

[shadenight123]

Chapter Ten - Bleak Falls Barrow - 18th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Umbra

I was shaken awake after what felt like mere seconds since I had last fallen asleep, but the light outside had turned into night, clearly suggesting Berry had let me sleep for a couple of hours at least. My legs were definitely feeling the passage of time, even as I slowly crawled back on my feet. The night wasn't as pitch-black as I had expected, the moon tall in the sky and the stars doing a fair job as night lamps.

The wind was a cold breeze during the day, but at night it became a sort of inescapable reality. It was like swallowing countless liters of toothpaste, slamming then a mixture of orange juice and strong mint-flavored chewing-gums together inside one's sinuses. Freezing cold, and yet utterly capable of shattering any and all blockage to one's lungs. A day breathing in Skyrim's mountain air would be enough to render even the most smog-polluted lung freshly clean.

Upon a thin bridge that threatened to fall at a moment's notice, I advanced with my shield raised while the Draugr that would normally guard said important choke-point was absent. The corridor dug in the hard rock at the end of the bridge lead through a set of tunnels with soft soil, and a distinct lack of lights or warmth. I shuddered as my breathing left tiny clouds of white haze, my eyes straining to see in the dark for figures lurking ready to strike, and finding none.

"Are we there yet?" Berry asked, and I chuckled at that particular question.

"We're nearly there," I answered. "The resting place of their leader isn't far," I took a small breath. "Hopefully, he's still asleep." As if on cue, my sentence finished just as I saw the first glimmers of light behind a corner, which in turn however dashed my hopes of a swift departure from this crypt. There were Draugr protecting the main doors, past the carefully cleaned hallway and the antechamber devoid of signs of life, there were two Draugrs wielding greatswords standing guard at the two sides of the door, while a third patrolled back and forth between them and the other side of the room, holding on to an iron shield and an old sword.

Three enemies were three enemies too many for my tastes. On the plus side, the antechamber had three entrances, three archways that could be used as a way to pass by them. This, of course, had worth only as far as the fact that the door was unlocked. If it wasn't, then we'd just have to bite the bullet and face off three armored foes.

"What now?" Berry whispered behind the archway's column. I swallowed as I looked at the columns and the patrolling Draugr.

"We move along the sides. I take the right, you the left," I whispered, "We each knock one out, and then we take care of the third one." Berry glared at me, and then slowly unsheathed her carving dagger. I winced. "Aim for the neck," I suggested most helpfully.

"Better idea," Berry muttered, nocking an arrow on her bowstring and aiming it straight ahead at the patrolling Draugr. "Hit to the head will kill them, won't it?"

"They're wearing helmets!" I hissed, but the arrow was let loose before I could stop her. The arrow sailed with a satisfying swish, and hit straight the base of the neck of the Draugr warrior that was patrolling. The impact made the Draugr stop, and turn as the other two moved as a single entity away from the walls of the door. I groaned as I hoisted my shield.

"Volaan! Jaaril un drog!" the shield-bearing Draugr growled, slamming his sword's pommel against his shield, the act clearly a show of force. I slammed my mace against my shield, taking a couple of steps forward as he did the same. "Rok los dii, sent voth vorey!" An arrow slammed into the throat of a nearing greatsword-wielding Draugr, who sortied no effect, if not angering the undead who swiftly pried the arrow loose. "Sovngarde Saraan!" the shield-bearing one snarled in my direction.

"Sovngarde Saraan," I replied, the Draugr in question howling as it charged forward, his shield moving to slam against mine while I hastily jumped to the side, only to be met with the thrust of his blade, my own shield surviving the impact as the blade glanced off. My mace came swiftly down, only for his shield to block the attack and force the mace to bounce off, making me grit my teeth as I recovered the momentum and held on to it. He swung his shield again, aiming to lock with mine as he thrust his sword in the direction of my face, only for me to duck beneath the thrust and swipe at his feet.

He rushed back, and then narrowed his glowing eyes.

"Sovngarde saraan," I said once more. Was it a taunt? Was it an insult? Sovngarde was pretty obvious, but saraan? What did it even mean? I didn't remember. Hell, I didn't even know that the draugr could speak such articulated sentences, but if I could lock them in an one-on-one battle, then...

I had forgotten about Berry, but I was sure she could handle herself. She looked like the type of woman who wouldn't die even when killed. At least, she gave me that impression. I had to survive on my own until then, she was definitely not going to die because of two Draugrs armed with greatswords.

My enemy seemed to take my words as a challenge, because he charged the next second screaming. His swing came down with strength, my own body staggering backwards as my arm stopped responding, but I shrieked as I swung my own mace straight at him, letting the full impact of the blow cave in the center of his shield, making it dent and abruptly break as nasty cracks spread over it.

He hacked at my exposed shoulder, only for the leather to hold fast and dull the blow. My own mace came swinging down again, shattering his shield arm by the shoulder, the bone breaking together with the skin and the muscle. One armed, but uncaring and undefeated, the Draugr pushed his remaining arm back for a thrust, and as I brought my shield up to protect my face, he sliced at my leg, making me scream as I fell down on one knee, instinctively letting go of my mace, my thigh burning as the enemy broke his blade free, fresh blood splattering and copiously falling on the ground.

"Sovngarde vis saraan!" the Draugr yelled, and I screamed as I pushed forward on my hurt leg, my face burying into the exposed midriff of the undead. I grabbed hold of his legs, and then screamed as I pulled them from beneath him, making him lose his balance and fall down on the ground with a sick thud, his head hitting the ground. I pushed myself over him, and with a sickening slamming of my shield, tore off the upper part of his skull.

My leg was warm due to the blood that came out of it like a sort of gushing fountain. It wasn't on the level of something out of a splatter movie, but there was a nasty wound on my thigh, and it didn't look like it was going to leave me anytime soon. Yet, pain hadn't settled on my body. I wasn't done, this wasn't over. My hand moved to hesitantly grab back on to my mace's handle, and then I took a deep breath as I hoisted my shield in front of me and used it to get back up, putting most of my weight on my undamaged limb.

No noises came from the hallway where Berry had dashed, the other two Draugr pursuing her. I took a deep breath, and then went wobbling in that direction, only for her to come running back in with her breath short. "Got them behind me!" she yelled, looking down at the defeated Draugr and grabbing his sword. "Move it!" she barked next, her hands impacting on the door at the other end of the room and pushing it open, "Come on in, quick!"

My wobbling pace was the stuff of legends. Honestly, on that singular instant in time, I channeled the one-legged Usain Bolt of legends as my body screamed at me to stop and just die already. It would have made for a more peaceful way to end this.

Seriously, I was half-tempted to make a comparison between a greatsword to the chest and the things that the future had in store for me. I should have taken the greatsword, because it struck me as the most humane ways of dying in this world, but I didn't, and so I pushed through the door seconds before Berry closed it, slamming into the twin handles the old Nord sword to hold them close, even as the thumping of two Draugr came soon after, quite incensed and angered at the loss of their prey.

The door held.

It held also because both Berry and I planted out backs against it. Eventually, the two Draugrs stopped pushing, and seemed to surrender to the inevitable that the door wouldn't open, no matter how much they tried. After a few minutes of blessed silence, they seemingly walked back to their spots at the side of the door, forgoing any further attempt to pry open the door.

Berry's breathing remained short and quiet until she crawled on all fours to the other side of the large, circular room in which we had just ended, a large brazier lit in the center of it. I could hear the tell-tale sound of swinging axes beyond the room's other doorway, and as she apparently went to have a look, she grimly nodded to herself and returned, gesturing at me to join her by the side of the fire, rather than keep my back stuck to the door.

I did so very, very slowly, leaving behind a trail of blood. I was honestly glad when Berry pushed the pure spirit potion in my hands. "Take a sip before you bleed to death," she grumbled, and as I did so, the stinging pain in my thigh seemed to suddenly lessen. I exhaled, handing the potion back to her, who looked at it with a shake of disgust. "Only a sip left," she muttered. "Do you know how many septims went into creating this thing? You'll have to pay all of them back to me. At the very least, it had a cost of five hundred septims."

I balked at the made-up price, but nodded without saying a word. The blood had already coagulated on my thigh, and it felt as if I had simply suffered from a minor thing. "Only the prettiest mountain flowers and the strongest of wheat went into that, right?" I remarked after a couple of seconds, receiving a nod of pride from Berry.

"It's my mother's recipe," Berry said. "She used to prepare it in summer, when the flowers bloomed wide and the wheat was golden and smelled of dirt. She used to go to the market to buy the alcohol," she clutched her knees with her arms, "She wasn't even my real mother, but she loved me all the same."

I silently gazed at the crackling brazier. "You know what would be funny?" I said, "If by some chance, I misunderstood something and my siblings aren't neck-deep in Draugr shit like we are, and are instead coming over to save us."

Berry snorted. "Wait. You aren't even sure they went this far?" her eyes widened as she looked at me, while I simply looked back at her with a chuckle on my lips. It was more of a nervous chuckling though.

"What can I say," I exhaled, "It's something Dragnor would do, test himself against a Nordic ruin...so...they asked around the village about it and paid the room for a whole day, what was I supposed to think?"

"Perhaps that they went hunting for game?" Berry snapped back.

"Nonsense," I waved a hand to dismiss the suggestion. "If I had thought that, I would never have met you and Tiber Septim's warning to buy a stronger helmet would have been meaningless."

"Tiber...Septim?" Berry's brows scrunched up, before she suddenly blinked as she realized something. "You...all this time, you've been yelling the Emperor protects while...talking about him?"

"Duh," I snorted. "Talos sounds so impersonal. He's Tiber Septim, the first Emperor. He deserves to be called by what is truly important first, and what was tackled on later. I challenge any Thalmor to claim I can't do that."

Berry's hands went to cover her face. "I followed a madman inside a draugr-infested ruin hunting after ghosts."

"You did it to find out about the fate of your bandit friends," I pointed out. "I accompanied you because clearly, the Emperor made us meet for a reason."

"What reason could there be!?" Berry snapped angrily, glaring at me. "You can't even fight, and I'm useless with only my bow and my few remaining arrows!" she showed her quiver while she was at it, where seven or eight arrows remained in all.

I smiled, and inclined my head behind me. "There's a sword there, waiting to be taken," I pointed at the door and the old sword that kept it locked. "I ain't hearing any rattling."

"All right," Berry took a deep breath. "Let's say I get the sword, then we both crawl past the corridor with swinging deadly axes. What next?"

"We reach for the room where the lord of this place rests, we get rich off his treasures, and then we leave through the hidden passage," I pointed out quite calmly. "It's not difficult."

"How can you be so calm?" Berry hissed, "Are all Imperials as mad as you?"

I rolled my eyes, and placed a hand over my chest. "If there's one thing I've learned from my education, is that the Gods put trials upon the path of men to test them. Yet, the Gods would never test someone who hasn't a chance at passing said trial because, otherwise, what reason would there be to test them in the first place? This is a test, and the Gods are watching. So, if you want, we can pray to Stendarr for a strong shield-arm, to Kynareth for her strong winds to guide us, to Talos for aid in war and to Akatosh to look over us with his mighty wings and his fiery breath. So, Berry, time to stand up and become the hero this world needs."

"I don't understand your holier than thou attitude," Berry muttered, "Even if what you say is true, shouldn't you be angry at being thrown in this place? Why would you pray to someone who hurts you?"

I smiled. "Because the character of man can only be revealed by the forge of pain. I mean, you tried to kill me, and yet here we are as friends. Isn't that the same principle?"

"So you befriend anything that tries to kill you?" Berry asked, "You're not doing a great job with the Draugr."

I huffed, and shook my head. "That's just because they don't speak my language. Give me a dictionary, a couple of hours and something to eat and drink and I'm sure we'll be best friends forever by the end of the night."

Berry stood up, and then crept towards the closed door. I swallowed and stood back up, moving to the swinging deadly axes and pushing my body down, as in front of me the main chambers of the Draugr seemed empty of foes. I knew they simply waited in their tombs for the right moment to awaken, but it was time we moved on. This dungeon crawling had lasted long enough for my taste.

It was time to put an end to this.

By the time I reached the end of the corridor and swung down the chain to stop the axes from swinging, Berry took the cue to free the sword and rush forward, clearing the hallway just as the noise alerted the two Draugr, who opened the door and began to pursue. I pulled the chain down, and the swinging axes did their job, mincing the duo who cried out sharply.

Berry's footsteps however hadn't been light, and as she came to a halt nearly in the middle of the room, the tombs nearby began to creak and threateningly break open. There weren't just two tombs though, but more like a dozen or so, some of which neatly lined against the walls. I rushed forward, "Follow me!" I yelled, climbing the stairs as Berry ran behind me. She could have easily rushed ahead, but she didn't know where to go, differently from I that knew the path. There were a lot of galleries, and quite a few doors that hadn't been there before, but I wasn't there to explore, or to empty the Barrows of everything not nailed down on the floor.

I could do that at a later date, perhaps on the day of Never of the month of Not A Chance of the year of Not Even if Hell Freezes Over. We rushed through the bridge, my mace swinging to the side to send an incoming Draugr tumbling down before it could even swing his ax back at me, because we really weren't going to waste time. We had places to be and things to do, and I sincerely hoped that the door of the Hall of Memories had been left open, because if it hadn't, then someone was going to die a really horrible death.

That someone being us, of course.

Berry passed me and then turned sharply around, letting loose an arrow that whizzed in the air and hit something behind me. There was the sordid clack of ceramic breaking, soon followed by the sound of a fire roaring into existence. I spun around in turn, the Draugr burning behind us atop the bridge as my shield somehow ended up bouncing off four arrows aimed at my back, all four cracking into pieces as my shield swung to intercept them.

"Nice shot!" I yelled as I began to run once more, Berry hot on my heels. The snarling and the growling behind us grew like a tide, but I slammed into a pair of wooden doors soon enough, and they burst open into a wide and elongated room filled with etchings on the stone walls. I swiftly closed the doors behind us, and as Berry acted quickly, a pair of thick iron candle-holders ended up blocking the door.

They bent after the first push, but we had long since cleared the middle of the room, headed for the passage beyond since, true to my thoughts, the Golden Claw had indeed been used to open the path forward.

The last ramp of stairs before the final confrontation, the last place where my siblings could be. If they weren't here...then I had really done all of this simply because Tiber Septim wanted something out of my presence here. The massive cavern spread in front of us wide enough to house an army, if one such thing could be possible. It held waterfalls, columns of stone, a big wall that was visible even from the back of the cave, and bats.

There were a lot of bats.

"We're nearly done," I breathed out in relief, trudging my way into the vast emptiness of the cave. Dead Draugr bodies littered the floor the moment I neared enough to see into the river below the small rocky bridge. They didn't rise, but simply floated as if completely dead. My eyes squinted as I took in the tomb of the Overlord, still asleep. Or was it just waiting for the Dragonborn to near to allow it to activate?

"It's beautiful," Berry whispered from behind me. "Creepy, but beautiful," she amended.

While we both stepped up towards the wall, I felt the saliva on my tongue dry up. Something was meant to happen now, wasn't it? For what other reason would Tiber Septim send me on this mission? If not because the bandit was the Dragonborn, then why? I definitely wasn't the Dragonborn, to me the chicken scratches on the wall were just that, chicken scratches. Berry simply looked at those marks without much of a show. Was she currently experiencing some form of revelation, was she not, I couldn't know.

Nothing seemed to have changed.

The main tomb that stood in front of the Word Wall remained closed.

The shelf near it wasn't a shelf, but an altar upon which Soul Gems had been sacrificed, and standing between them, the golden claw rested. I stared at the claw, and then at the coffin's top, which didn't seem to move. I looked back at the Word Wall, and then lifted my gaze up to the giant hole in the cavern's ceiling.

"Could you explain this?" I whispered at the hole, pointing at the Word Wall. "It's not working."

"What isn't?" Berry asked, turning to look at me.

"The Word Wall," I said, "It should work if the Dragonborn approaches, but it isn't working," I passed a hand through my hair. "Guess I'm not the Dragonborn."

"Then I guess I'm not the Dragonborn either," Berry said with an amused voice, "Your siblings aren't here," she said next.

"Guess so," I acquiesced. "They never stepped inside in the first place, I think."

"Or maybe they did and are in one of the many other rooms that we didn't enter because we were busy running away from the Draugr," Berry pointed out, shaking her head as she neared. "For what my counsel is worth it, I suggest you drop this and leave with me. You owe me for the potion, and it's not like you'll find anything else in here but dead people."

I grimaced, "I suppose I might have misunderstood, and they're currently growing sick with worry back at the village?"

Berry clapped my shoulder with her hand and smiled, "That's the spirit. Let's bring that claw back to its owner. Arvel was the one who stole it, so if we return it I'm sure we can get some nice septims out of it. Tell you what, if it's one hundred septims, I'll give you ten."

Fantozzi with his How humane you are came to mind, but I didn't say anything, and simply gave her a nod of my head.

"For a force of unrelenting rage and darkness though, he's pretty chill about this," Berry said as she moved to grab the golden claw, and in so doing, a new form of cold, frozen ice spread into my heart.

"What did you just say?" I mouthed out.

"It's written on the wall," Berry replied, the golden claw in her hand. "Here lies the guardian keeper of dragonstone, and a force of unending rage and darkness." She pointed at the wall, and as soon as she did that, the top of the tomb shattered as a hand broke right through it. Ancient metal gleamed in the pale moonlight as a form broke free even as Berry ran away from it, clutching on to the golden claw with quite the strength.

I felt dread rise, as if I recalled correctly the Draugr's various levels, the more armor one had, the stronger one was.

We were screwed.

The Draugr that emerged was, after all, fully armored.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Eleven - Bleak Falls Barrow - 18th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Umbra

My body froze. My body froze as the Draugr emerged in its armor, a long pair of horns upon its helmet. Not only was the armor complete, but the large battleaxe in his hands was made of a dark material and shone with flickers of fire and ash. It was an ebony weapon. It was an enchanted ebony weapon.

The Draugr in front of us wasn't a simple Draugr Overlord. It was the highest possible level of Draugr Overlord. This guy could shout, use magic, kill and do funny things with out innards that weren't really funny, and he stood in front of us with anger clearly showing upon its face.

"Volaan, hi lost bo gut," it spoke throatily, its voice a low rumbling sound like an avalanche ready to be unleashed. "Gut ganog," it growled next.

An amulet clinked against its chest, the symbol of Akatosh resting upon it.

"Akatosh!" I exclaimed, thumping my chest. "Akatosh Sovngarde!" I had no idea what I was saying, but it was enough to give the Draugr pause.

"Akatosh lost laan hi wah drun zey wah Sovngarde?" the Draugr snorted, "Hi riig do sahlom." That last part felt like an insult. "Alduin bormah fund ni fid hi!" it unsheathed its giant ax, "Gevahzen zey folaas, uv vos nil piraan hin sil!"

I emitted a very manly scream as I watched the mass of atrophied muscles, armor and ebony weapon rush forward with deadly precision, swinging his battleaxe with a mighty roar of rage that had me glad I had already soaked my pants earlier, because I couldn't make a repeat performance of the act. The swinging came with the strength of a hurricane, even as I jumped back to avoid it. The Draugr seemed to have expected that, because he shifted his grip on his weapon and then proceeded to thrust forward the sharp spear-like tip. It hit my shield, the strength enough to send me flying literally against the Word Wall, my back impacting it as I felt the air in my lungs violently depart.

"U-Up the stairs!" I croaked out towards Berry, who stood with wide eyes. "The chain! Pull it and run!" I snapped at her. The Death Overlord turned towards her, but I pushed myself back from the wall, thumping my shield with my mace. "Your beef is with me, Draugr!" I snarled, catching the creature's attention once more. "Rage and darkness unending!? Bring it on then!"

I rushed forward, mace at the ready as I kept my eyes on the battleaxe. I just needed to clear the swing and then smash his face. It wouldn't be difficult if the Nine Divines watched over me. Though I had the feeling they were actually holding a betting pool on who would win this one-on-one fight with incredibly bad odds on me. I supposed Talos would be winning the betting pool if I actually pushed through, wouldn't he?

That was, of course, only if he actually did bet on me winning this.

I didn't have high hopes for that miracle happening either, because the Draugr actually didn't even bother dodging. My mace impacted against his breastplate, and as it dinged with a resounding crystal clear sound, the Death Lord snorted with amusement, a dark laugh escaping its mummified lips.

"Sahlo," it hissed, and then I felt it in the air. The wind gathered, the hair rose on the back of my neck, the powerful thrumming sensation came from the Draugr's throat, and within mere seconds, I closed my eyes shut and huddled behind my shield, or at least tried. "Fus Ro Dah!" the shout wasn't simply deafening. It was the strength of a mountain turned into a push. It was potential energy transformed into kinetic energy at a ratio that exceeded the laws of physics. It was like witnessing the impossible, and yet the world answered by allowing it.

I was pushed back. I was pushed back with such strength that if a freight train hit me, perhaps it would have hurt less. I felt my back and my bones all crack at the same time as I hit the wall again, my head slamming against the hard rock as darkness enveloped my vision. This wasn't how it was supposed to end.

On the plus side, I wasn't seeing Berry any longer in the room. She must have taken my counsel and ran away. I see now that this was my part in the play. I was never supposed to go further than this, then. A sarcastic and bitter chuckle left my lips as I felt my body twitch in pain. There really wasn't a way out of this situation, was there?

The Death Lord was nearing, holding on to his battleaxe with one hand, letting the blade drag across the floor. It emitted a sharp shriek as it did so, ashes and smoke lifting from the blade. Didn't they teach him that was no way of treating a blade?

"Ahkrin naalein fosoth nid," the Draugr hissed as he lifted his battleaxe.

In that moment, an arrow slammed into his throat.

He blinked, turning his blue burning eyes to the source of the attack, and there up on the stairs was Berry, clutching on to her bow and with yet another arrow ready on her string. "He owes me money!" Berry snapped, "So leave him alone!"

Berry, that sounded so Tsundere you have no idea just how Tsundere it sounded. I would comment on it, and explain to you what Tsundere means, but I currently can barely see what's in front of me, and I can't even move my limbs. I think that if I were to move my limbs, I'd probably end up dying anyway, since I vaguely remember that you shouldn't move people with broken bones, or broken spines especially.

"Fus," the Draugr spoke, and the force carried itself across the air to strike at Berry's frame, but she hastily hopped down a few stairs, letting loose another arrow which impacted, and shattered, against the Draugr's bicep. The thing's skin wasn't mummified, but hardened like leather. He was a singular block of strong armor, strong leather and hatred unending. I exhaled in disbelief at the foe in front of us.

A third arrow impacted against his battleaxe's flat side, the Draugr bringing it up to cover his face. "Motag bo," it snapped curtly, starting to walk towards her. She was going to finish her arrows shortly, and when that happened, she'd eventually tire of running away from the Draugr, while he wouldn't tire at all. The end of this battle was already obvious. Unless a miracle happened, a miracle of some sorts like the sudden arrival of my siblings, then it would be over. Even then, against such a foe I doubted that Rae or Dragnor would stand a chance.

Whoever skewed the monster-level selector, fuck you.

"Talos," I croaked out. "Tiber Septim, Hjalti...and whatever name you wish to be called," I murmured, "In my time of need...help me help you."

Nothing happened.

Fine, be that way. Just be thankful it's not my style to ask help from devils, demons or Sheogorath, because we both know they'd answer. Especially Sheogorath, I'm sure he'd love to answer me just so he can fling his Wabbajack around and make cheese out of oyster milk. No, don't ask me how that thought came into my head right now, Talos, I'm just rambling about trying to keep myself awake from the cold, dark grip of the void in which I'm going.

Something liquid fell down my throat, burning it as vision returned to my eyes. The empty bottle of pure spirit was in Berry's hands, and as she emptied and then threw it behind her, I realized the Death Overlord hadn't stopped pursuing her. She had simply ran around him, and her breathing was short and ragged. Her hand grabbed hold of my arm, and as she pulled me up, I could hear the Overlord roar and charge forward.

I pushed her behind me as I brought up the shield, the battleaxe swinging down with such brutality that it could have easily ripped my arm off, had I not used both of my hands to hold the shield up. I screamed as I smelled the metal and the wood start to burn, the shield igniting in flames as the Draugr's cerulean eyes brightly shone with triumph. Behind me, I could feel Berry's hands hold on to my back and push in turn, my voice a hoarse scream as I slammed the battleaxe aside, before thrusting the side of the shield against the Draugr's chest armor.

The undead's hand grabbed hold of my neck and with ease lifted me up, my breathing coming less before he threw me to the side like a doll, my back hitting the floor as I rolled away.

"Vogahriin los seiknu," it spoke, lifting its battleaxe for the final strike against Berry, the girl's sword in her hand, but it wouldn't withstand the blow. My shield was practically a broken mess already, but it was good enough for yet another strike.

"Paarthurnax!" I bellowed. "Paarthurnax!" my scream caught the Draugr's attention, and he turned, for the first time truly angered.

"Vax? Druv dreh hi tinvaak ok faan?" it snarled, anger boiling out of his throat. "Hi los aar do ok? Ruz Zu'u fen ni wahl daar nel fah med do hi!" it growled as it pounced towards me, the battleaxe coming down upon my shield as I screamed out in pain, the arm definitely broken, the shield shattering in half. The Draugr then pulled the weapon back up, and swung it down with the flat of the blade, making me spew out whatever it was that I had eaten in the hours prior. There was nothing but sadism and cruelty in the creature's eyes, even as I felt life seep away from my body once more.

Berry yelled as she charged, her blade coming close to hitting the Draugr's throat only for the Overlord to slap it away, and then proceed to grip at her throat, slamming her on the ground too by my side.

"Zu'u fen kuz dii tiid voth ney do hi," it hissed out, eyes ablaze.

"The Nine say..." I croaked out, catching the Draugr's attention. "Above all else...be good to one...another."

The Draugr roared and lifted with one arm his battleaxe, only for a stream of fire to engulf him whole. The fire then began to spiral downwards like a snake, burning through the leather flesh as the undead turned to face its new assailants.

"Took...your time..." I whispered, only for a pair of strong arms to drag Berry and I away from the Draugr.

"You are lucky," a growling voice that didn't belong to Dragnor spoke. "Ralvas was bored."

The green-skinned face of an orc swam in my vision for a brief instant.

"You made at the very least five mistakes in waking up from your eternal slumber," a male voice I did not recognize spoke curtly. "The first was opening your eyes. The second was grabbing your weapon. The third was taking your weapon against my younger brother. The fourth was actually hurting my younger brother. And the fifth? The fifth was that you did not take care of fire-proofing yourself."

The Draugr Overlord howled as it rushed forward, "Sharrum!" the Dunmer yelled, "We had a plan!"

The newly named Sharrum rushed off, his entire being making the ground tremble with the strength of his footsteps. The last thing I saw was the armor, a set of banded steel and thick fur, a lofty warhammer being brought to bare.

The sound of steel against steel met my ears with the resounding clangor that it brought forth, and soon the noises of battle kept rising up.

I closed my eyes and stood as still as possible. The less I moved, the better.

The noise of battle abruptly ceased as a heavy weight slammed against something hard, and as my eyes opened, I watched the upper half of the Draugr Overlord fall on the ground, its eyes burning their last as its entire body was consumed in white flames, leaving nothing behind but cinders and ashes.

"Little brother," Sharrum was the first to come back in my vision, "Are Dragnor and Rae somewhere in here?"

"No," I coughed out, swallowing as I watched the Dunmer's face come into view too. He had dark crimson eyes and a long black beard. His expression was thoughtful, and as he looked from me to Berry, he inclined his head to the side.

"You are both hurt. You came this far for a reason, what was the reason?" he asked, his voice clipped and to the point, his right hand stroking his beard.

"The wall," I muttered, "The dragonborn...Alduin."

Ralvas' eyebrows crunched up in thought, and then he exhaled. "So it's all Dragnor's fault," he concluded. "He told you some silly Nord legend and had you explore this place as a test of courage. Willow will take care of him. Who's the young Nord girl? A local?"

"Little brother made another friend," Sharrum said with a huff, perusing the large bag strung over his shoulder. "As long as this one isn't a cultist like the last one, your older brother approves. She looks tough and with nice wide hips." He grinned as he pulled out a flask, "Drink this to stand back up," he added as he uncorked it with his teeth, before thrusting it straight into my mouth.

I half-choked, but ended up standing back up in a matter of seconds even as I felt my stomach churn and twist, my insides realigning themselves as the magic did its work.

Ralvas' lips thinned as he bent to take a better look at Berry's form. "She doesn't have any markings on her skin," he continued. "Might be hiding them."

"She's a friend," I said as soon as I managed to catch my breath. "Is she hurt?"

"She is not," Ralvas said, "She is merely feigning her unconsciousness."

Berry's eyes snapped open as she hastily pushed herself back up, huffing. "Well, what was I supposed to do?" she asked, "After that orc's comment on my hips..." she warily looked at Sharrum, "That was uncalled for!"

"Feisty one, uh, like always," Sharrum grumbled. "Brother," he turned towards Ralvas, "Best we leave now and head for the nearby village. If Rae realizes our little brother isn't there because of Dragnor..."

"She might burn his hair off like that one time in the brothel of Anvil," Ralvas replied dutifully, his eyes gleaming like tiny flawless rubies. "Perhaps we can take a look at those interesting writings," he continued smoothly, walking towards the Word Wall in question. "I am sure that by tomorrow morning, Dragnor's head will be a pleasant beacon of light capable of guiding us back home safely."

"Are these your siblings?" Berry asked instead, looking at me in disbelief. "They're a Dark elf and an Orc!"

I smiled awkwardly. "My family is...quite big and varied."

"Let's just get out of here," Berry grumbled, "Up the stairs and pull the chain, right?" she continued, gesturing at the stone stairway that led up to a seemingly unassuming block of stone, if not for a chain that hung by its side.

"Well yes," I said, "but now that the threat is gone..." I continued, "Wouldn't you like some of the treasure too?"

Berry's eyes shone at the mention of the word treasure. "You did mention treasures, didn't you? Very well," she grinned. "Let's get rich."

We didn't get rich.

We walked out of there with a stone slab the size of a small table, two hundred and something gold coins and a plethora of old, broken weapons that turned to mush and dust the moment they were gripped.

Sharrum held on to the ebony battleaxe, and Berry didn't even dare say anything about it. Honestly, with the way the orc was hugging the thing, I was pretty sure he'd start calling it his beloved soon enough.

The greatest enemy of the dungeon, however, revealed itself at the very end.

I had to climb down the side of a mountain.

The snow-covered, ice-filled side of a mountain.

Needless to say it did not end well.

It did not end well at all.

 

[shadenight123]

Interlude - Whiterun - 17th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Ralvas

Willow was taught like a bowstring ready to let loose a hail of arrows. It was clear by the way she would somehow stand up and walk back and forth, checking over the shoulders of Sharrum, or of Ocheeva. Both were the most uncomfortable of the siblings in the inn, and thus her sure walk had the undoubted effect of calming them.

The rest of the inn's patrons had learned to give her a wide berth, even the bard who was incessantly singing his songs had learned not to try his hand when he had woken up one morning with three of his fingers dislocated. He hadn't felt a thing, but Willow's alchemy skills weren't just for show. She could dull the pain, break a bone, and then eagerly wait the morning to hear the screams of pain of those who'd wake up with a newly busted kneecap, or an arrow stuck in their sides.

Usually it took the combined might of Umbra and Tsavi to hold her back, and since the first was missing, the latter was trying her best busying herself with a book. It was harder than it seemed, since she had the unnatural reflex of letting loose her claws whenever she was stressed, and the poor book had already been ripped in more than one spot.

Ralvas knew deep down that there was nothing to worry about. Dragnor was a braggart, a drunken brawling fool most of the time, but also the oldest brother, and he had spent years fighting in the Arena. If was still alive, then nothing short of a mountain avalanche would kill him, and he'd probably stand back up to kill the mountain in turn. Rae was the voice of reason, and with those two, Umbra had nothing to fear.

Unless Dragnor threw Umbra to do something definitely unsafe, because while he was most definitely the youngest, and had a good tongue in his mouth, it didn't mean he also wasn't impulsive just like some of his older brothers.

"I'm bored," Ralvas said as he calmly sipped his mug of mead. "I heard the court mage is looking for some adventurers to recover something from a tomb."

Willow's eyes snapped away from Ocheeva's scale-covered head ridges, much to the Argonian's relief, and settled on him, much to his dismay.

"How far?" Willow asked.

"One day and half by foot if we travel light," Ralvas said. "We'd be back before the others arrive."

"Hirume and Mansel aren't here yet," Willow said, "Someone has to wait for them."

"I'm going," Sharrum said, "Before I rust in my armor, I need to oil it in the blood of my enemies."

"Poignant," Ocheeva said with a short chuckle, "One of Umbra's verses?"

Sharrum nodded, "Does it make me look...knowledgeable?"

Tsavi closed her book and sighed, "I want to stretch my legs too," she mumbled.

"More like meddle with those vagabonds by the gates," Willow said with a click of her tongue against her teeth. "I'm not letting any of you out of my sight until Hirume and Mansel get here," she continued flatly. "Sharrum, Ralvas, come back in three days or I will ensure you spend five nights straight without dinner."

Ralvas nodded, "Of course big sister, of course."

Sharrum grumbled, but stood up with a nod, "We'll be back."

"Also, Ralvas, you're the older one. Anything happens to Sharrum, you're the one I will deem responsible," Willow said as a final parting word, and Ralvas in turn stiffly walked out, barely nodding at the words in turn.

"Sharrum," Ralvas said. "This won't be like that time in Bravil, will it?"

"I promise not to stick my hammer inside a daedra statue," Sharrum answered most seriously. "But it was Umbra's idea."

Ralvas said nothing.

Some things were best left forgotten, after all.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Twelve - Riverwood - 19th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Umbra

I did not expect the hug. I did expect a slap of sorts, some form of swift enactment of justice for having done something stupid, or a highly vindictive type of vengeance of the sour-mood variety, but I did not expect simply a hug and nothing more. Rae's robes smelled of berries and mountain plants, while Dragnor's hand clasped with a grip that wasn't like a steel vice, but more of a comforting warm presence, upon my shoulder as if to show how proud he was.

It was strange.

We had stepped back inside the inn of the Sleeping Giant of Riverwood just minutes before Dragnor and Rae intended on leaving to come looking for me, though they clearly weren't worried. They were outright planning an assault on the Barrows by the looks of their equipment.

"You decided to leave him unattended," Ralvas said dryly, glancing from Rae to Dragnor and then back towards Rae. "Willow will be informed of this," he added with a small smirk.

"That's...Ralvas," Dragnor said while swallowing, "You can't do this. I'm your big brother!" Dragnor cried out. "Have mercy!"

Ralvas' smile was a thin thing of vindictive pleasure. "Hardships will only make you stronger, Dragnor," he mused. "Pain will be a good teacher for the likes of you on what not to do when you are tasked with the protection of your younger siblings. Why is it that such things never happen when I am in charge?"

"Because you're a boring person," Dragnor replied with a huff, "And boring people never do fun things, and they usually get to live to an old age while being all wrinkly and wizened. You just need to paint your beard white and then you'll be the perfect painting of the wise wizard saying, young ones, don't you run along me hallways they've been polished my the spittle of my prattling!" as he said that and moved his arms wide while gesticulating, Sharrum broke into a chuckle.

"And who do we have here?" Rae said, abruptly changing the conversation as she gave a coy smile, staring straight at the caught-in-the-headlights deer of the situation. Sharrum was behind her, so even if she wanted to, Berry had no means to escape.

Rae's fingers worked on the tough bandit's shoulders, gripping her in a concerned form of hold that could not be broken, no matter the strength exerted. At least, that was my modest mental opinion, and I was going to keep it like that. "You're kind of young for being out so late. Are you the daughter of someone in the village? Were you out and about with my brother?" Berry opened her mouth to say something, perhaps a snapping and curt remark on how Rae shouldn't be coddling her. It didn't work. "Thank you for keeping him safe out here," Rae continued, grinning. "Come on, let's get something to eat and you can tell us all about your adventures with my brother! I'm sure you must be famished."

"I should have mentioned we found them facing off a Draugr," Ralvas said offhandedly, Rae's smile suddenly dropping a few inches in heat as she turned her head towards me. "In the middle of the Bleak Falls Barrows back up in the mountains," he added as if he was discussing the weather, taking a seat at a long table near the fire, turning his back to it so that he could warm his hands. His ruby eyes gleamed with the sort of coquettish revenge only someone who truly understands what revenge feels like could ever pick up. "Willow will enjoy being told that our youngest sibling risked his life, and nearly died, trying to valiantly find out where his two older siblings had gone. I suppose I will be the one getting elder siblings rights for the next months, oh yes I will."

"Elder sibling rights?" I blinked as I asked that, not receiving any reply from Rae or Dragnor as Sharrum simply took a seat on the opposite side of the table and thumped the spot by his side.

"Sit here, brother, and regale me with your tales of wild adventuring!" he exclaimed, a hand raised in what could only be described as the best Shakespearian tone ever born out of the deep voice of an orc. "I, Sharrum, bold and brave orsimer wish to listen to it."

I took the offered seat by the bench mostly because I was too shocked by the suddenness of it all. Rae guided Berry to sit down by her side, leaving Dragnor to glare daggers at Ralvas, both of them sitting one next to the other on the same side.

"What are the elder sibling rights?" I asked once more, looking at Ralvas who furrowed his brows.

"What are the..." Ralvas mumbled, "Are you feeling all right? Were you poisoned while in the crypts?" he sharply turned towards Rae. "Do you have the ingredients required to brew something to purge his body?"

"Ah, no!" Rae said quickly, shaking her head. "Umbra was hit in the back of the head when we were ambushed by the Imperial army in Darkwater Crossing," she grinned shyly, looking at Berry, "We're not bad people."

Berry, most calmly, nodded hastily in turn. "Me neither," she said quickly.

"Good!" Rae said with a smile.

"Good!" Berry replied with a smile and a nod.

"Great!" Rae nervously giggled. "If you were a cultist, I'd be telling you to run before Willow catches a sniff of you, because the last cultist ended up...badly."

"Do I really have a bad habit of picking up cultists?" I asked, already dreading the answer.

"Brother," Dragnor said, a hand on his forehead, "It pains me to say this as the oldest, wisest, best brother you ever had, but I must admit that when I go out hunting for women, and you follow me, then the entire hall empties of fish! Why do they not love my well-toned muscles, and prefer your suave tongue? Why!?" melodramatically speaking, Dragnor stood up and began to walk away towards the door.

A sudden blotch of ice formed a sharp spike an inch away from Dragnor's foot as Ralvas' right hand covered in icy crystals, the Dunmer's eyes now literally glowing with fiery rage. "So you were ambushed," Ralvas said, "And then what happened?" he asked next, gesturing at Dragnor to sit back down. Dragnor did so, but he actually scuttled a bit away from Ralvas within seconds.

"No magic in my inn," the innkeeper spoke, arriving from his spot behind the counter. "Will you be eating or drinking?"

"Eating and drinking, everything, twice," I said quite quickly.

"What he said," Berry added.

"No more troubles," the innkeeper said looking at Ralvas, who in turn sighed and nodded.

As the innkeeper left after receiving confirmation that everyone wanted something to eat and drink, Ralvas turned to look at Rae, silently making it clear he wanted her to continue. She did. By the time she was done narrating the escape from Helgen, even Berry was raptly listening on.

"Willow will skin you alive," Ralvas said. "She will then pour salt over your flayed skin and stitch it back up with nettles. You know she will once she finds out, don't you?"

"I'm enlisting in the legion after dropping Umbra off," Dragnor said quickly. "If I manage to run faster than she can track, I should be safe."

Sharrum turned to look at me, and though my insides and my innards gave me the gut feeling that it would happen, I didn't really think it would happen. I was too naive, of course. It happened.

An Orc's head is way tougher than a Nord's head.

As I slumped back on the bench, groaning and clutching my forehead, Sharrum asked with quite the care in his voice, "Are you all right now, brother? Does thou remember the times we spent basking under the moonlight reciting verses and poems meant to enrich our souls pained by the cruel twists of fate?"

"No," I gurgled out, massaging my throbbing forehead. "Why do people keep hitting my head? Or slamming me against walls, or bashing my head in..."

"That explains why you keep spouting warbled nonsense," Berry said, her teeth having already finished the mountain goat leg that the innkeeper had served her. "So Helgen was destroyed? Might be something valuable there if looters haven't reached it first."

"I prefer the term scavengers," Dragnor said.

I stared at Dragnor, and then at Rae. "You went back there," I said, receiving an uneasy sharing of glances between Rae and Dragnor who all but confirmed it.

"We needed the money to buy a horse," Dragnor said, "To pull the carriage on which to put our stuff," he grinned. "But we were lucky, because we managed to get ourselves a horse with a saddle and all from near the fort. Must have belonged to a man of the guard. It had the Empire's symbols and everything."

"The ways of the Emperor work mysteriously," I acquiesced, wincing slightly from the small thrumming pain by the side of my head. "So I guess the plan's to leave tomorrow? I have to pay back Berry for the potions she spent keeping my hide alive."

"Of course," Rae said with a grin, "It wouldn't do to let a debt stand."

Berry actually did not speak at first, at a seeming loss for words. "I already took my part from the treasure in the cavern," she said in the end, "There's...we're even." She swallowed the mug of mead in front of her, "Really, we're even."

"Treasure in the cavern?" Dragnor asked, eyes glinting. "Oh you rascal! You went treasure and lady-hunting at the same time!"

Sharrum snorted. "If we had not been there, they would have both died."

Berry finished her mead, exhaling loudly. "That's the way of Skyrim. You either chew your meal or you end up being chewed," she grinned. "It's all right, because Sovngarde awaits the strong and valorous."

I hummed and said nothing as I grabbed what remained of my roasted goat leg and bit down on the few pieces of meat that still were attached to it. Behind me, I could hear the shuffling of feet as Delphine began to work on polishing a table that had been left dirty by some random drunken Nords, "You should come with us to Whiterun," I said, "The destruction of Helgen is one thing, the awakening of the Draugr another, but I am sure that you being the Dragonborn also holds meaning."

"You decided that because I could read those words on the wall while you couldn't? You did hit your head hard, perhaps it's that? Made you incapable of reading," Berry replied flatly.

"What I'm saying is that you should never discount how powerful fate is," I said in turn. "Amuse me anyway, or do you intend to stay in Riverwood? At the very least travelling in company until Whiterun is a better option than going alone, don't you think?"

"If you are speaking about the words written in ancient Nord on the Word Wall," Ralvas spoke, "I was capable of reading them too. Mostly because it was ancient Nord, and since Dragnor refused to learn it himself, I did it in his stead to read books about Skyrim mostly lost to the ages." He inclined his head to the side. "Perhaps you merely underestimated the depths of your friend's culture, Umbra. You should never judge a book by its cover. Although young looking, she must have spent a considerable amount of time behind books to learn the intricacies of the ancient Nordic tongue."

Berry looked at Ralvas as if he had just grown a second head.

"No, I don't think she did," I said in turn.

Ralvas, most scientifically, brought out the large Dragonstone that he and Sharrum had been dragging until then and turned it around. "What does this passage say?" he asked, pointing at the words written behind the Dragonstone itself. To me, it looked like chicken scratching.

To Berry, who swallowed, words came out from her mouth that made an awful lot of sense.

"Here lie our fallen lords, until the power of Alduin revives."

I blinked as I heard the words.

Wait.

Did it...

Did it say lords as in plural?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Thirteen - Riverwood - 20th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Umbra

A good night of sleep was everything that I dreamed of, and much more. It was also hell, because I had to share the large bed with Dragnor. He farted. He farted in his sleep as if someone had put a pressure boiler in his stomach and inserted the option up yourself in noise, smell and disgust. I reckoned that perhaps if I found a plug and had the courage to plug the gas leak up, then perhaps it would all cease.

But it didn't, and I had no intentions of looking at another man's ass long enough to plug it. I shuddered and did my best to scuttle as near to the bed's other side as possible. I could have slept with Ralvas, or Sharrum. I was sure they weren't this disgusting. Was this my punishment? Oh Tiber Septim, why won't you just kill me rather than force me to smell in this mixture of rank and sweat? Where are the glorious showers, or even the baths? I'll take a large basin filled with hot water too!

If that's not possible, then at least have mercy on my poor self!

I crawled out of bed, deciding that the excuse of finding a latrine, or more probably a hole in which to excuse myself, would be the better option.

Surprisingly, there was a latrine behind the pub. It was also a night where my skin turned blue from sheer contact with the wind, a night filled with stars and the moon big and wide in the sky. It was breathtaking.

"You know Tiber," I muttered, "There's this guy back in old Hrodan who's still waiting for your sword," I whispered out through chattering teeth, before deciding against my own judgment that the better part of godliness was cleanliness, and heading to the river to wash my hands. "And if the Dragonborn doesn't sleep in your old room, he doesn't even appear. It's like...he's just a footnote of it all. What Dragonborn ever slept there? Why sleep when you can just hack and slash your way through by chugging potions?" I mumbled even as I stopped by the river's shores, taking a deep breath and plunging my hands into the cold grips of icy water.

I rubbed them raw for a bit, before pulling them out, wiping them on my clothes.

"And that's not the only story, is it? There are a lot of sad stories. How about we fix a few, between you and I? I mean, I can withstand pain. No matter how badly it will hurt, as long as we get to find a path that has the least amount of deaths..." I mumbled, gazing at my reflection in the water. "Having faith is something, knowing for sure another," I added.

The reflection did nothing, but then again, I hadn't expected her to. I glanced up at the stars, expecting the constellations to shine brighter than the rest, only to exhale as I didn't notice anything different in them. They were stars, but that was it.

I stepped back inside the inn just in time to watch a half-asleep Berry prepare herself to leave.

I gazed at her, and she looked back at me with her eyes wide, as if not expecting to be caught leaving in the middle of the night. I wouldn't have thought about her doing it, but the Gods apparently had, why else fill my bladder? Seriously though Tiber, we need to come up with better signals. Can't you just send me a messenger?

"It doesn't matter where you go, or how you go," I whispered quite calmly with an awkward smile, "The Gods will always make us meet until you accept your destiny."

"Fuck that," Berry hissed, now wide awake as she hoisted her sack a bit better on her shoulder. "I'm not some tool of the Gods."

"Me neither," I shrugged, "But the difference lies in whenever one comes to relish the role he is cast upon, or fights against it until his dying breath. In the end though, fate cannot be overcome. But if you enjoy the rising tide, if you ride along the wave, then you can witness the greatest of things, and take pleasure out of it." I grinned as I gestured at the nearby bench, the silence of the inn deafening as no one actually bothered with stealing the simple wooden plates and crude iron cutlery in the middle of the night. I sat down, and plopped my chin on my open palm. "Come on now, young one. Lay your doubts bare, tell me your fears, and let me assuage them."

"Assuage?" Berry mumbled, "What does it even mean?" she plopped her sack by the side of the bench and sat down, huffing.

"It means either to make an unpleasant feeling less intense, or to satisfy one's desires," I replied. "So...what's up?"

"The ceiling," Berry replied with a crude grimace of her face, "That and then the sky, and the stars, and the moon," she said.

"Yes, not in that sense," I muttered, "What's on your mind?"

Berry looked straight at the fire, still crackling in the pit in front of us, and then exhaled loudly. "I can't be the Dragonborn just because I know how to read an old piece of stone."

"You're right. You aren't the Dragonborn just because of that," I said, "there is more to it, and it's even scarier than simply reading from an old stone, but you braved a tomb filled with forgotten monstrosities, isn't that a show of courage too?"

"Yes, but not like this," Berry said. "It was a question of...of choosing which way I'd die. I thought that between dying alone or with someone else, the latter seemed less grim."

"Death is always grim, but it's the cycle of life and death, and Arkay watches over it," I acquiesced. "And even now, you can pick whether you wish to die alone, out there in the wilds after a life of banditry, or become something more, and perhaps yes, still die, but in company." I smiled. "Who wouldn't want to die with someone like me by their side, I wonder?" I patted my chest.

"Pretty much everyone I knew," Berry said with a dry chuckle. "Let's say I am the Dragonborn," she began, "What am I supposed to do? Go bring peace to Skyrim?"

"Nah," I said, "You just have to stop Alduin, the World-Eater, from devouring the world and bringing the dragons back to life."

Berry stared at me as if expecting the punch-line to come. When it didn't, she stiffly stood up after grabbing her sack. "I'm leaving."

"It doesn't matter," I replied, not even bothering to stand. "You'll be back," I smiled. "May the Nine protect you, and should we never meet again, then know that the place of my death shall be in Whiterun, where a Dragon will first attack."

"It's not funny," Berry hissed out, "Not funny at all."

"Life seldom is," I said as I nodded, "that's why you've got to make it funny by yourself."

She took a couple of steps towards the door of the inn, "I'm not seeing the Gods stopping me from leaving," she said as she placed a hand on the inn's door. "See you around, crybaby."

"Sooner than you might think, Dragonborn," I replied, watching her leave and close the door behind her. I waited a few heartbeats, and then the sound of thunder echoed up in the air. I glanced out of the nearby window at the gathering clouds, and then at the sudden downpour which seemed to come down pretty strongly as the inn's door rattled open a second later. Berry gasped, her armor made of fur and leather utterly soaked.

I smiled.

"You could have braved the storm," I said gingerly.

Berry slumped down by my side, and then proceeded to shake the water out of her fur as if she were a wet dog, forcing me to wince and shudder at how cold the water in question was. "This is typical," Berry said in a hiss, "When it stops, I'll leave."

"You don't really want to leave, do you?" I whispered, "You're just scared of not being good enough."

"I don't care if I die fighting," Berry snapped angrily. "I am ready to kill, even now you're simply testing my patience and good heart," she growled. "Fear isn't something we Nord feel."

"If you say so," I hummed, "Then why are you running away from your destiny?"

"I am not running away. I am refusing, willfully, to become something I'm not. You become the Dragonborn in my place. With how you've been spouting your love for the Nine, I think they should just pick you and let me be," Berry said.

I glanced at the fire, "I'll be your shield for as long as you ask, my friend."

"We are not friends," Berry said with a half-choked hiss, averting her gaze, "Acquaintances, maybe, but friends? Don't oversell yourself, you crybaby pants-wetting Imperial." Silence fell for a few seconds, as a log in the fire pit cracked in half. "I'd best go back to sleep," she mumbled. "But this doesn't mean you managed to convince me to do anything. I'm just not going to leave while a storm is running amok over our heads."

I grinned and nodded, "See you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," she said as she stood up, headed for her room.

I turned to look at the window, where the rain incessantly hit against it.

"She's Tsundere, isn't she?"

The rain, most aptly, chose not to reply.

I had no choice but to return to my own private form of hell, but this time, surprisingly, Dragnor's rank and smell had disappeared.

Truly, the Gods worked in mysterious ways.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fourteen - Riverwood - 20th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Umbra

The carriage could easily hold all five of us, but since someone had to stay near the horse to steer it, and the general consensus was to not overwork the poor animal, most of us decided to walk next to it. We left behind Riverwood at a decent pace, Ralvas sitting placidly on the back of the carriage with a book open in his hands. He flipped through the pages of it, his mind lost. I took that as the cue to not disturb him, and instead turned towards Dragnor who was by the side of the large and solidly-built horse that had a dark brown fur, and pleasant hazel eyes.

"So, what are Elder Sibling rights?" I asked.

"It's the right to decide who gets to boss the younger siblings around," Rae answered in Dragnor's place. "Willow is the eldest sister, but when she isn't there she normally lets Ralvas, Hirume, Dragnor or me decide on what's best for the rest." She smiled. "And the younger siblings have to do everything the older sibling says, because otherwise, they'll get their punishment," she sing-sang the last part, twiddling her fingers, "Ocheeva, Sharrum, Tsavi, Mansel and you are the youngest."

"Ten siblings?" Berry asked, having kept count, her eyes wide. "That's one big family."

"Yes it is," Rae said with a bright smile. "And we stick together, no matter what."

"We never expanded on the argument," I said suddenly, "But why exactly are we all in Skyrim? Didn't we have a life in Cyrodiil?"

At my query, Dragnor thumped his chest with his free hand, "Ah, my idea!" he grinned, "I wished to discover my roots as a Nord, and perhaps find a local witch to discover my ancestry. Even if my ancestors were poultry thieves, it would still be better than not knowing."

"That is part of it," Rae acquiesced. "Willow had her reasons for coming here too, which I'm not really at liberty to say. I wouldn't want your meeting with her to be...tinted by preconceptions, which are..."

"Willow kills people for a living," Ralvas said from the back of the carriage. "She's a mercenary."

"Ralvas!" Rae hotly said. "You're one too!" she quickly turned towards me, "Think of it as a family business. Willow had to make a lot of tough choices to keep our family together. It might not be the easiest or nicest of jobs, but it paid for a roof on our heads and the clothes on our backs."

I furrowed my brows, "All right?" I hazarded. "I'm not really seeing a problem in that."

"Good," Rae said with a heartfelt sigh, "That's good to know."

"That's because he's unable to connect the dots, not having a complete overview of the situation," Ralvas quipped dryly, having in the meantime closed his book. "I think it is for the best to prepare him to the hardships to come by being brutally honest, rather than wait for him to find out the truth by himself and then have him sulk for months. You do recall what happened with that priestess of Dibella, don't you?"

I inwardly felt the beginning of yet another tale from Umbra's background coming right up, and I dreaded it. I had no idea why, but I still dreaded it.

"Ralvas, not another word!" Rae snapped curtly.

"Uh, was that the pretty lady of grain-blond hair and suave strawberry lips that captivated brother's heart so much he ended up doing those very gaudy and silly things in the marketplace?" Sharrum remarked, my cheeks heating even without me remembering just what I did.

"Yes, that one. And then it turned out she taught eroticism to everyone who asked. His poor broken heart couldn't take it, and he spent months locked in his room swearing revenge on love and everything nice. You do remember we had to break down his door in order to get him to eat after the first four days had gone by, right?" Ralvas spoke, "And how he lamented his fate, and how we literally had to slap the melodrama out of him, and..."

"Woah," Berry said even as I hid my face with my hands. Seriously, this Umbra guy seemed like the type of person who needed to calm himself a great deal. "That's...interesting," she smirked. "Any other embarrassing moments from his childhood?" as she asked that with a devious smile, Ralvas' eyes gleamed.

"There was that time he wanted to keep a giant skeever as a pet and we had to settle for letting him keep a slaughterfish in a tank. He called it mister Bubbles and wished to take baths with him. It ended up poorly for the fish when Willow finally conceded and allowed it," Ralvas smiled, "The fish didn't last two seconds after biting on to poor Umbra's butt, and the screams were..."

"Enough," I groaned, "Just...enough," I shook my head. "I don't remember any of it, but I am already dreading remembering it to begin with! Thank the Nine for this amnesia of mine!"

"A true man is made up of both good and bad events, Umbra," Ralvas spoke firmly. "It is through hardships, pain and suffering that we may achieve our true great selves. Only the weak seek out nothing but bliss." He snorted.

"Embarrassing memories are not pain! They're just...embarrassing!" I shot back.

"Embarrassment is a form of weakness, so cull it," Ralvas continued. "Shatter it. Break it. Burn it away. Weakness exists only as long as you allow it to exist."

"You're the big brother I turn to whenever I want to ruin a party, right?" I asked, only for Ralvas' eyes to gleam. "I actually did turn to you to ruin a party, didn't I?"

"We were lucky no one in Bravil saw us, but to this day, I think that was the best moment of our lives. They had to rebuild more than a quarter of the city, but it was primarily their fault for building most of it out of wood," Ralvas said, the smile on his lips a clear sign that he was fondly remembering a beautiful moment of the past.

"Don't tell him that stuff," Rae said angrily, huffing, "Tell him about the good times. The ones that you can be proud of, like when you taught him how to read and write! Or when for his seventh birthday you gave him his own personal staff to conjure flowers!"

"It was supposed to be lightning," Ralvas said, "But Willow found out before I could get the right enchantment in," he lowered his head. "The wasted potential..."

I looked sadly at Ralvas. "A staff that conjure lightning sounds cool, big brother," I said, "Maybe you can make me another?"

"No!" Rae said hastily, "No lightning for you!" she quickly lifted her index finger, pointing it in Ralvas' direction. "You two are prohibited from using Destruction magic without Willow's approval! You know that!"

"Well," I said, "Not like I can. I don't remember how," I continued.

"That would explain why he hasn't been setting stuff on fire as much as he did before," Dragnor said from the side, "I was starting to wonder why though."

"Wait, you're telling me that other than having a loud mouth and being utterly unable to fight using a shield, he can use magic too?" Berry asked, only for Sharrum to laugh loudly.

"Brother is a jack of all trades, and a master of none," the orsimer smiled, "Though it pains my breast to admit that never will his boot touch the blood-soaked soil of the arena, and never has his blade been thrust into the heart of a human foe, he has more often than not proclaimed his desire to learn of all crafts and ways. Though his skill is mainly his tongue, and many a wench claim it is a true work of..."

"Sharrum!" Rae's roar was accompanied with a thunderclap noise, which made the orsimer's smile widen to the point where his tusks were clearly visible.

"Sister dear, brother's silver tongue is undoubtedly the best in making compliments, whatever else were you thinking?" the orc asked innocently enough, only for Rae's eyes to narrow.

"I do remember the statue and the hammer thing, Sharrum," Rae said threateningly. "You do not want me to bring it up."

Sharrum's green skin turned slightly pale, "Come on now, big sister, sweet sister, merciful sister, I was merely jesting. There is no need to be so pettily vindictive."

Rae's eyebrows rose delicately, in the same way a noblewoman would if told that a servant was about to be executed, and not caring the slightest about it. She then smiled, a warm smile of a shark drinking in the blood of the sea, and finally nodded. Sharrum exhaled, the tension leaving his frame.

The road to Whiterun was a long and snaking thing that wasn't hard to follow, but longer than what the game had shown. Apparently, it would take at least a day and half to reach the city, but the entire trek would be done for the most part beneath the canopy of trees, trudging alongside a stream filled with water and jumping salmons, witnessing the beauty of nature in the form of a pack of feral wolves snarling at us from the side of the road and the fury of a well placed tongue of fire that scorched the face of the pack leader, making the rest scramble away.

"The wildlife's quite desperate around these parts," Ralvas said. "We killed half a dozen of wolves just getting to Whiterun, and there are more already trying to hound us."

"Feral beasts cannot make our hearts waver, for their fangs are bared just like their emotions. Truly, the greatest wavering of hearts may come only from the veiling of one's desires, ah, such hardship that encounters he who seeks to fight his fellow, for intelligence begets deceit, and deceit is the harshest of foes to defy," Sharrum spoke, before turning towards me. "Was that great or what, Umbra?"

"I...I think so," I replied. "Waver our hearts do not, for feral the foe he may be, but still pure of heart and candid in battle. Troublesome is the foe of cunning and wits, for in lies and deceits he proves his strength."

"Well, his brain is still there. His tongue works well too?" Ralvas asked next.

"We avoided the chopping block because of him," Dragnor said. "Didn't know he was friends with a member of the Penitus Oculatus though. Maybe he met him at a bar with Mansel?"

"Oh? So his amnesia is localized? Interesting," Ralvas said, rubbing his beard. "With time, it should pass. He'll grow stronger from it," he added. "Also, there is the matter of knowledge you should not possess, and yet do. I did not know you for a connoisseur in ancient Nordic myths and legends, and this praying to the Nine...it's new. While your silly love for the glories of the Empire of the past aren't, your devotion...was non-existent. No, to be more precise, rather than spouting your love, you enjoyed hating on them."

I raised both eyebrows, "I did?"

Rae uncomfortably looked away, "I think that it's a bit of a pleasant change that he isn't offending the gods any longer."

"Nonsense," Ralvas said, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Without the Gods cursing him with misfortune and bad luck, without his hatred of the divine to strengthen his resolve and without the pain of knowing he was alone against the world, then how can we expect him to grow back into the brother we know?"

"I could hit him again on the head," Sharrum said. "Unless...do you still enjoy peeking and groping half-naked women in the sauna?" Sharrum asked quite politely, looking at me as if expecting the answer to be yes, which only made me feel further shame for the background of this Umbra guy.

"Like...any other male might?" I hazarded the most neutral reply I could, only to be on the receiving end of Berry's hands shoving me to the side.

"You're also a pervert!" Berry snapped, "Is there any good, redeeming quality in your past or are you just a bundle of negative traits?"

"He once tried, and failed, to beat up a group of fighters who were waiting for me outside the arena because I had eclipsed them," Dragnor said, "Also there was that time he took three blades in the guts trying to protect Ocheeva from a bunch of bastards, or that time when he managed to sweet-talk an old coot into taking Rae as an apprentice even though she stank of sewer. There's one thing I've learned as his older brother which to this day makes me proud of him. If he latches on, he won't let go until he dies, which is quite problematic because if he gets hurt, then Willow hurts us, and I don't want Willow to hurt me."

Rae grinned, "He's also a good hairdresser."

I blinked at that last part. "I am?"

"And a great singer," Sharrum said.

"No!" Ralvas, Rae and Dragnor all roared that at the same time. The orsimer groaned, hanging his head low while I simply winced from the level of denial that I was receiving. I couldn't be that bad now, could I?

"Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart..." my next words were taken away by a blast of lightning which exploded a tree trunk nearby, sending wooden shrapnel everywhere as the lightning sizzled still in Rae's hands, the Breton's eyes twitching.

"No. Singing." Her words were law, I decided.

Still, it was truly unfortunate.

Everyone was a critic no matter the world I ended up in.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifteen - Wilderness - 20th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Umbra

The night forced us to rest by the other side of the cobblestone road, a small campfire set with rocks, dry leafs and wooden sticks was propped up to fend off the darkness. I took deep breaths as I glanced at the crackling flames.

My eyes unfocused as I held my chin plopped on my open palm, the others sitting around the campfire without much to do but clean their weapons, or check their armors, or otherwise simply wait for Rae to be done cooking dinner.

"A finely crafted weapon, finer I have never seen," Sharrum spoke as he affectionately patted the ebony battleaxe. "The thin thread of existence will be cut with ease with but a simple swing of this fine blade!"

The flames crackled as they heated the large bowl on which soup was being cooked. Some random vegetables, a few bits and pieces of bear jerky and an assortment of potatoes had been thrown to make dinner, and while I had no doubt that it would be edible, it was the condiment that I reckoned would be sorely lacking. Even in Skyrim the game finding salt was harder than finding dozens of potatoes in bags.

Perhaps some people liked cooking without salt, Bethesda!

"If you chop the potatoes before throwing them in it makes it easier for them to cook," Rae said, while Berry simply listened with a half-bored look, the other half of her face clearly hinting that she wanted nothing to do with the art of cooking, but she dared not move from the spot she had scuttled on, because she had a feeling that Rae would pursue her all the same.

I turned to look at Ralvas, who wasn't reading a book but staring into the flames in his open palm. "How do you do that?" I asked, catching his attention.

"You must channel the essence of Magicka into your body from the environment around you, and then you must burn it to unleash your will upon this world," Ralvas replied. "Concentrate and close your eyes," he said next, and as I did so, I heard him scuttle closer until his fingers rested on the side of my face, "Now I want you to feel the world around you. If possible, try to feel the sky and the stars."

I did so, or at least, I reckoned I tried doing so. I felt nothing but a pitch-black nothingness all around me, and even then, it meant absolutely nothing.

"Nothing?" Ralvas muttered, "Nothing at all?" I could feel him furrow his brows, or at least, I imagined him furrowing his brows. "Something must be stunting your magicka," he concluded. "What happened while he was knocked unconscious? Did any of you lose sight of him?"

"What? No!" Rae shot out, "Or...so I'd like to say but that night was a blur...I mean, Dragnor?"

"I left the inn to feel the wind," Dragnor spoke, "and Umbra followed me. We saw movement in the undergrowth and I reckoned they were bandits, so I rushed towards them. I realized they were Imperial scouts only later, and by then even after I dropped the weapon they had already knocked Umbra out from behind. I think they dragged him away to the carriage we later found him in, but if they did anything to him in the meantime, why...those accursed bastards!" anger seethed out from Dragnor's teeth. "I'll enlist in the Stormcloaks then!"

"I don't think they would have had the time to do something like this," Ralvas said, quite calmly plopping his left hand atop my head, affectionately rubbing it right and left with slow, methodical precision which kind of contrasted with the gesture meant for affection. "Perhaps we could visit the College of Winterhold at a later date and have them check you up if it doesn't go away."

"So I can't set the world on fire, uh," I mumbled opening my eyes, watching the smirk on Ralvas' face widening.

"I didn't say that," Ralvas remarked, "I'll make you a nice staff," he continued. "We'll keep it between ourselves. A man needs to have a staff of flames to defend himself from big bad enemies lurking in the night, and then a staff of lightning to zap asses, and a staff of cold to freeze hot tempers, and then a few parchments, and we can get a couple of enchanted rings to..."

"Ralvas," Rae said with a firm tone, "Dinner's ready. Stop daydreaming about burning the world with Umbra. You know Willow doesn't like it when you do that."

"Well, she isn't here to tell me I can't do it," Ralvas replied. "And all I need is a good enough stick, some private time to myself and a couple of soul gems. I'm sure I can find everything I need around these parts."

I blinked as I stood up, heading off to rummage through my backpack before pulling out a soul gem. "Would this be enough?"

"Oh, Umbra...I knew it that your destiny would be to burn everything to ashes the moment you asked me to teach you Destruction magic," Ralvas' smile would have threatened to split in half his face, had it not been accompanied by a curt knuckle sandwich on the back of the head by Rae.

"No," Rae hissed. "Listen Umbra, no matter how many fun or cool gifts your older brother Ralvas hands you do not fall for his words on burning the world to ashes. You never did want that, understand?"

"Of course I don't want that," I replied quite calmly, even as I handed the soul gem over, "But I do think it would be good to have something to light stuff on fire, especially Draugr."

"Umbra," Rae said with a sigh, her shoulders slumped as she poured a generous dose of stew into a bowl, before handing it over to Berry. "You wanted to set up a nice, comfy shop in Solitude. Why are you even bothering with this? I understand Dragnor must have fascinated you with his Nord legends, but..."

I swallowed, "That's because I saw the dragon," I said as I sat back down, glancing at the flames. "The roar in the middle of the square, that you and Dragnor couldn't find out what it was about...I did see it, over the mountain ridge," I looked slightly away from the flames, "And it was a dragon. It was a dragon with black scales and gleaming, red eyes."

"What? Why are you telling something like this only now!?" Rae yelled, forgetting about the stew, "That's...Umbra, you've never been a liar, not to family at least so...are you sure?" she asked, "Are you sure it was a dragon you saw and it wasn't just your imagination?"

"Well," I swallowed, "I had to say something convincing to keep you from getting scared, so rather than a dragon, an army of Stormcloaks sounded better."

"Uhm..." Ralvas hummed thoughtfully, "He does still have his penchant for fostering trouble upon himself even when there are others more willing to take the weight. Understandably, the nature of his character hasn't changed," he tapped his chin, before rubbing his beard.

"Am I the only one who finds it strange that he remembers stuff like the ancient legends of the Nord and not things like his family members?" Berry asked abruptly, having taken a long sip of the soup in her hands.

"It is strange," Ralvas admitted. "Stunted Magicka regeneration, memory loss that is localized and definitely not physical in nature..." he grimaced, "I do have a theory, but it's best I keep it to myself."

I scrunched my eyebrows up as I looked at Ralvas, who simply sighed. "Ralvas?" Rae asked.

"I'll tell you later. If it's what I think it is, it's best we don't get him too much involved," Ralvas spoke and then turned his eyes to the soup still on the fire, "but do get the soup going before it burns in the cauldron, sister. I don't want to spend the night hungry."

Rae balked and turned to look at the bubbling soup, which was clearly fuming angrily. She yelped as Sharrum rushed to grab the pot and pull it out of the fire. "If something troubles my siblings, then my blade shall forever me at their service," Sharrum spoke crisply, "Though I know nothing of the ancient clever craft, if there are skulls to crack, then crack them I shall for family." He then raised the pot up in the air, "That is my most solemn pledge that I carve upon my skin with hot scorching iron! Let the burns signal the truth of my conviction, let..."

"Put the pot down before I shove this spoon up your unmentionables!" Rae snapped angrily, much to Sharrum's laughter. He did bring the pot back down, only for Rae to sigh and hand the bowls yet to fill to Dragnor, "Now let me look at your hands, you big green moron," she continued with a shake of her head.

"Tis but a scratch!" Sharrum said delightfully, showing off the angry welts formed on the palm of his hands to Rae. "There is naught to worry about."

"Let me be the judge of that," Rae grumbled, gentle healing light leaving the palm of her hands as she proceeded to make the marks disappear, if not completely. "There. Now sit down and get something to eat."

"Yes big sister," Sharrum said, sitting back down before turning towards me with a smile, "Did you see that? Was it good enough to assuage your worries?"

"It...was?" I hazarded, before blinking. "You did that to calm me down?"

"Of course I did," Sharrum snorted. "Isn't that what older siblings are there for?"

"I still do want to know what the theory is behind why I don't remember certain things, and have stunted Magicka," I said dryly, glancing at Ralvas who simply shrugged.

"Your efforts to find out will merely fuel my strength as I will grow stronger by denying you," Ralvas said flatly. "So come forth, young one. I, Ralvas, will gladly oblige you with my silence."

Berry chuckled. "Madness does run in the family then."

"It does, no matter how much I try to change it," Rae said with a heartfelt sigh and a small smile on her face.

The next morning, Whiterun finally came into view. Tall walls surrounded the massive city, which looked not just bigger, but also...more alive. Chimneys were lit with smoke, and the fields that surrounded it stretched as far as the eye could see. The massive plains were dotted with verdant trees, at least where they hadn't been felled already and replaced with more roads, or fields. The panorama of gold that literally glowed beneath the rays of the sun was a breath-taking view.

"Whiterun, the heart of Skyrim," Dragnor spoke with a dreamy-like voice. "This is where the fortress of Dragonsreach stands, where even a mighty dragon was felled."

I glanced past him and at the road ahead, before moving my gaze further, to where the road met the vast fields and plantations, and in one of them a blurry figure seemed keen on smashing ants. Only, the figure wasn't a human and the ants weren't ants. There actually was a giant fight, but it was...different. Large arrows were planted deep into the creature's hide, there were strings that gleamed, no...chains, and the ants circling it were dancing and slashing across his thighs, trying to bring it down while avoiding the large club that shattered the ground with each one of its swings.

Before I could even think properly, Dragnor had already brought the horse away from the cart and had climbed on it, rushing forward with a sword in hand. "I'm coming!" he bellowed. "I'm cooommiiiingg!"

I stared at the scene, and as I pinched the bridge of my nose, I watched Rae simply put a hand to cover her face, while Ralvas exhaled loudly.

Sharrum slumped his shoulders and moved to grab hold of one of the carriage's wooden guards meant for the horse's flank. I swallowed and did the same for the other side, Berry actually coming to my aid while Rae and Ralvas watched the proceedings with a resigned air.

"We're adding this to the list of things to tell Willow," I said with a huff as I pulled the carriage along Sharrum.

"Indeed, my brother," Sharrum replied. "That was part of the plan. Hell hath no fury like a sibling scorned."

"It's supposed to be woman," I pointed out.

Sharrum chuckled. "Indeed it is, brother. Indeed it is."

"I can let you two oafs pull the cart alone if you prefer," Berry said from behind me.

"Please don't," I said earnestly, even as I felt the weight increase as we grew closer to the city itself, "It's heavy enough as it is...wait, Ralvas! Did you climb back up?"

"Yes?" Ralvas said, his voice coming from right behind us. "This enhanced adversity shall increase your power and strength while lowering mine. Am I not a great brother, that I willing sacrifice my own training to enhance yours?"

I swallowed my retort. "So, a lazy Dunmer, a perverted orc, a rocks-for-brains Nord and a petulant Breton," Berry said as if making normal, everyday conversation. "How am I not surprised that you came out like this?"

"Well, apparently you should be surprised I actually came out somewhat fine," I replied with an awkward grin, even as the giant fell down with a scream of pain, someone's mighty ax lopping off the creature's right leg in its entirety, severing the bone just as easily as it would sever butter. Blood soaked the ground as the final blow to the head brought the fight to an end.

Dragnor was covered in blood by the time we managed to pull the cart near him, the horse beneath him panting harshly for air even as blood matted its fur too. Dragnor dismounted with a swift and practiced motion, and laughed heartily as a certain well-known woman neared with auburn hair and green markings on her face.

"You handle yourself well," Aela spoke, apparently uncaring of the generous side-boob she was showing to the likes of Sharrum, who seemed truly intent on staring at that rather than at her face. "You would make for a decent shield-brother among us Companions."

"I'm more of an ax fighter myself," Dragnor replied. "Only cowards hide behind shields."

"Ahem," I coughed, "thank you for insulting the entirety of the vigilants of Stendarr, brother, and every worthy soldier of the Imperial legion who knows how to form a shield-wall. Let it be known that you will block arrows with your teeth henceforth, isn't that right, Sharrum?"

"Of course, Dragnor's teeth need not block arrows when his hard head can make them bounce off," Sharrum replied, grinning alongside me.

Aela glanced from me to Sharrum, and then back to Dragnor. The question was easily seen in the back of her head. It didn't take a mind-reader to find out what she would have wanted to ask, but then thought better of, or perhaps decided she didn't really care about an answer either way.

"Harbinger Kodlak Whitemane is the one you want to talk to if you wish to join us," Aela continued. "He's within Whiterun. If you wish, you can join us."

"Maybe later," Dragnor replied. "First, I have to see the rest of my siblings safely inside."

"Oh gosh, the cobblestone path is going to be such a dangerous foe, Sharrum," I quipped.

"Indeed brother, the gates look so fierce with their pointy teeth!" Sharrum replied.

"The walls, how threatening they are!" Berry added, making a mock-aghast sound.

"Please cut it off," Dragnor hissed.

I chuckled, and so too did Sharrum and Berry, while Rae simply made a lady-like giggle.

Aela shrugged, and then rushed back to the rest of the companions that had joined her in the fight.

"Umbra?" Dragnor said, turning to look at me. "Please write me a few hundred different verses I can say to make that woman mine."

"Not even if you pay me a thousand Septims," I replied.

"Those heavenly mounds of her looked quite divine upon her frame," Sharrum said with a heartfelt sigh.

"Oi! I saw her first!" Dragnor yelled, "I get to try my Nord charms on her!"

"Be my guest," I snorted. "She's all yours to contend with Sharrum."

"Oh no you don't," Dragnor hissed, grabbing hold of my shoulder, "Last time that happened, you ended up sneaking behind both of our backs and having her fall in love with the stable-boy!"

I blinked. "I claim amnesia and ignorance!" I yelled, wildly flailing my arms as I was lifted in the air by Dragnor's firm grip on the scruff of my neck.

"That won't save you from my wrath if you do something like that again, Umbra!" Dragnor's yell soon came less as a sudden chill made him freeze. His fingers tensed, and as I broke free and landed on my feet, I saw him fall to the side like a sort of marble statue, an arrow firmly planted into his left buttock.

"Oh," Rae said. "Willow was out hunting, I guess."

"Left or right buttock?" Ralvas asked from the back of the carriage.

"Left," Rae said nonchalantly.

"Mansel owes me fifty Septims," Ralvas said with a vindictive and smug tone.

I, in the meantime, swallowed.

What kind of person shoots an arrow further than what the human eye can see!?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Sixteen - Whiterun - 21th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Umbra

It was after Sharrum dragged Dragnor's unresponsive corpse onto the back of the carriage and removed the arrow that Willow appeared. She was exactly as Dragnor had described her, if for the fact he had forgotten a very important detail. Her face seemed truly keen on murdering someone always. It was perhaps the way her brows were set, or her jawline, or the markings on her face and arms, but for whatever reason the moment she appeared I feared for my life.

Perhaps it had to do with her appearing out of the bushes from the side, in an utterly different direction from the one the arrow had come from.

She also wasn't making any noise while walking on the cobblestone, not even the tiniest of bits of gravel moved or crunched under the sole of her boots. Her eyes didn't glance. Her golden eyes preyed upon those in front of her. Her hazel hair was all pulled behind her head in a short man-bun of sorts. If she let them loose, they wouldn't even reach her shoulders by how short they were.

She didn't even say hello. She simply walked her way towards Sharrum, who was closer, and gave one look at the weapon on his back, her lips thinning as Sharrum said absolutely nothing. The big orsimer simply shrank on himself, while I realized that Ralvas had already vacated the back of the carriage and was standing with a proud and smug smile behind Rae, the Breton taking deep breaths as Willow's eyes then moved towards her.

"Big sister," Rae said with a meek-sounding voice, "It's good to see you again."

Willow raised an eyebrow, and then looked at Berry before immediately scoffing and turning towards me with another eyebrow raised. There was some sort of implicit message behind her facial gestures, I was sure of it, but I couldn't grasp it.

"Hello there," I said awkwardly. "Maybe we should let Dragnor explain this?"

Willow's eyes narrowed.

She quite calmly walked towards the back of the carriage, where Dragnor was still laying without moving an inch, and for the first time spoke. "Dragnor, the paralysis wore off five seconds ago," she said with a snap in her tone. "Now why is Umbra looking at me as if he doesn't know me? Explain."

"U-Umbra!" Dragnor yelled, rushing off the front of the carriage and jumping down the sides of it, "Tell your adorable big sister Willow that you're just playing a prank!" he pleaded, cupping both hands in a sort of prayer and kneeling in front of me, tears streaking down his eyes. "She'll skin me alive! Do it! Say it!"

"Dragnor," Rae said awkwardly, "I don't think that's going to work."

"You see elder sister," Ralvas said with mirth barely held back in his voice, "It appears that due to the great wisdom of Dragnor here, our beloved youngest and sister Rae both risked their heads on the chopping block," he looked at his nails as he said that, Willow's golden eyes narrowing further and further as Dragnor shakily stood up, swiftly bringing me in front of him as a shield.

"It was just a misunderstanding, and Umbra cleared it!" Dragnor exclaimed, "No harm no foul!"

Willow took a step forward, and by consequence, Dragnor took one backwards dragging me with him.

"Dragnor, it's unmanly to hide behind your younger sibling," Sharrum piped in from the side, now safely behind Rae and Ralvas. Berry was watching the scene with an amused expression, grinning all the while.

"Also, due to his desire to leave early, Umbra was hit in the back of the head and lost his memories of all of us," Ralvas continued. "He doesn't remember any of his siblings."

Willow stopped, "Not one of us?" she asked with her eyes abruptly wide, turning her gaze from Dragnor's terrified face to my puzzled one. The surprise on Willow's face lasted briefly, only to be replaced by hot rage as if before her face looked set in a permanent scowl, it was now set in a permanent hatred for all of mankind. "Dragnor," she hissed, "I told you one thing and one thing alone when you pleaded to head to Skyrim through land rather than through sea. It was one thing." She began to walk forward at a sure pace, Dragnor's backtracking coming to an abrupt halt as he missed the ground below his feet and stumbled into a ditch, nearly dragging me down with him if not for Willow's swiftness in grabbing my wrist and pulling me straight into a tight hug of hers, one of her hands clutching the back of my head as if I were some sort of child to be protected.

Dragnor's arms flailed for a bit trying to regain his balance, but gravity would not be denied by an armored Nord, and so he fell down with a thud, the lower part of his armor dirtying with the mud gathered in the ditch.

Willow's fingers seemed keen on massaging my scalp, having passed through the leather helmet. "There are dents on the helmet," Willow muttered, her fingers then starting to roam my armor, "And some of the leather is split or broken," her hands clutched on to my shoulders as she looked straight at me in the eyes. "What happened? And why are you wearing Imperial armor?"

"Escaping Helgen we had to fight our way out, Umbra was really brave and took up arms too," Rae said.

"Dragnor isn't the only one to blame for the poor condition of our beloved younger sibling though," Ralvis spoke, even as Rae's foot stomped down harshly on the Dunmer's own. Yet the ruby-eyed man would not be denied his triumph, apparently, because he kept on speaking without a hint of pain. "We found him and his new friend," he gestured at Berry, "Locked deep in a fight that was proving to be quite deadly for them in the depths of a forgotten Nord temple against a powerful Draugr foe, after having battled their way through most of the temple because his two elder siblings, tasked with keeping an eye on him, most valiantly decided not to keep watch on him."

The smug smile on Ralvas' face was accompanied by Rae taking half a step back, perhaps due to some sort of hidden glare from Willow which I couldn't see, since the Bosmer's arms were doing their best to nearly suffocate me in her tightening hug.

"Can't...breathe..." I never thought such a thing could happen, but I was really starting to lack oxygen, flailing my arms in an effort to break free from the hold.

"We will speak about the appropriate punishment later," Willow said firmly, "Because there will be punishment." She made me spin around, before starting to push me forward, "Now let's go back to the others. They'll need to be told."

"I can walk by myself!" I exclaimed, only for Willow to snort quite loudly and push me further ahead.

"Denied," she said, her fingers tightly holding on to my shoulders. "Now walk faster."

"I am not a child," I muttered as I still kept walking, "It's not like I'd go anywhere else, you know?"

Willow didn't answer, but simply kept pushing me forth up the steep hill to the large set of wooden gates that were wide open. It was a nice spectacle, because not only was it jarring to witness the gates wide open and the city beyond it still bustling with life, but the size of it all was...the walls were tall. They weren't just twice or thrice the size of the player character, but really tall. One would need siege towers to break through them, for example.

The amount of people that were trudging about the city was also immense. Rather than Riverwood, who still had a couple of dozens of people more, Whiterun clearly had hundreds, if not thousands, of people in it just walking around. It was a chaotic mess, and this was only the Plains District, the lowest tier.

"You might get lost, so give me your hand," Willow said, and before I could as much as say no, she had already gripped it and had begun pulling me along. Around her, people made way mostly because they were either terrified by her gaze, or shoved aside by the swift moving of her hand. It didn't matter if those in front of her were burly Nords or lithe Khajiiti, if they were in the way, she'd shove and push them aside with a glare that made them yelp and cower.

"What about Dragnor and the others?" I asked, looking back only to realize that indeed, they had remained behind due to the great amount of traffic coming and going from the main road, "We shouldn't leave them behind."

"They'll catch up," Willow said flatly. "Ralvas is with them, and he is the only voice of reason among your older siblings that I can trust for the time being," she added with a scowl. "Don't they even think before acting? Dragnor I should have known would do something foolish, and you, always pulling him out of the fire. Let him roast for a bit first, won't you?"

"But I do like Dragnor with a head on his shoulders, sister," I replied.

Willow turned to look at me, and then exhaled. "Best sister Willow," she said, her face betraying no emotions. "That is how you usually call me, Umbra."

"Best sister Willow?" I replied quite perplexed, even as Willow nodded firmly at that, sharply resuming her trekking. "Why do I call you best sister?"

"Because I am your best sister," Willow replied. "Whenever you go out with one of the others, something always happens and I am the one that solves the problems the rest of your siblings cause." She finally came to a halt by the side of a large wooden door, the wooden sign outside marking it as an inn of sorts, but without a name written on the sign it was difficult to know which one it was.

The moment she opened the door, my eyes tried to track on to the strangest fishes outside the barrels I could find. It wasn't difficult, because why would an Altmer, a Redguard, an Argonian and a Khajiit sit together at a table large enough for ten, if not because they were waiting on the others, namely us? The Altmer was wearing normal, wizard-like robes of a soft beige color, which contrasted nicely with the golden glow of her skin. The Redguard had a red turban on his head, and his dark skin was blotched with tribal-like yellow markings. The Argonian had ridges atop the head, and her tail was bent as much as possible to the side to prevent it from bothering the other customers.

The Khajiit looked like a bundle of fur, if with big whiskers and large ears that were flopped against the skull in an effort to keep the noises around her dull. She was trying quite comically to read a book, and failing at that when yet another page ripped itself off on her paws.

"As always, eldest sister Willow does her best to embarrass my poor brother Umbra," the redguard spoke with a smirk.

"Is something wrong?" the Altmer asked, her eyes having the sort of worrywart look that made it clear she was both uncomfortable and at the same time surprised from seeing us both and not the rest of the group.

"The others will come soon enough," Willow said dryly, before pulling a chair back and literally pushing me to sit on it, before acting like a sort of hawk and perching her arms slightly behind the top of my head. I swallowed nervously and tried to make a smile, which came out awkward without a doubt.

"Hello there," I said nervously, raising a hand in a sort of tiny wave. "Best sister Willow? Shouldn't you sit down too?" I added, glancing back at her because she wasn't moving from behind my chair.

She did not move.

The effect of my words, though, was immediate.

"Ah, so something is wrong," the Redguard said, his dark eyes glancing from me to Willow, who said nothing. "Normally, rather than that meek greeting brother would have already proceeded to hug half of us and kiss the other half on the cheek," he shook his head. "Is it Dragnor's fault?"

"It is," Willow said sharply.

"That's not fair," the Altmer spoke, her voice a bare whisper as she looked affronted towards Willow. "Why is he calling you best sister?"

"Because I am, objectively, the best," Willow replied quite calmly.

"You don't even have any hair to style properly!" the Altmer hissed back, her hands clenched and her eyes narrow. She did have long hair which reached past her shoulders, and it gleamed like silver too.

"The length of one's hair is meaningless," Willow said curtly.

"Brother's eyes look lost," the Argonian spoke, her crocodile-like face staring at me, "and nervous."

"Uh-uh," the Khajiit said, closing her book with a grimace and flapping her ears back up. "Brother, if you want, you can play with Tsavi's fluffy tail to calm down," as she said that and twitched her tail in her paws, I exhaled and scratched the side of my cheek.

"I'm sorry," I said, "But the truth is..."

Dragnor stepped inside the inn a couple of minutes later, laughing boisterously and trying to shake off the fear that clung to his body. It didn't work because his knees were still shaking something quite fierce. Sharrum nonchalantly plopped down by Mansel's side, the Redguard as he presented himself, while Rae squirmed uncomfortably as she took her seat by Hirume's side. Ralvas sat between Tsavi and Ocheeva, and Berry actually took a seat next to me.

Rather than ponder on Berry's presence, though, everyone's eyes were on Dragnor.

Those were truly not kind eyes.

"I am sorry big brother Dragnor," I said nonchalantly, "but your words didn't work."

Dragnor whistled and turned as if to leave, only for a sudden blast of cold ice to grip his midriff and hold him tightly on the chair. Ralvas and Hirume both looked at one another, and then shrugged as they waved away the ice from their palms.

"Now that our family is finally reunited, we must think about what to do next," Willow said, not moving from behind my chair. "It seems clear I can't leave the younger siblings in the hands of either Dragnor or Rae, which leaves Ralvas and Hirume. As it stands, Hirume is here because she has work to do," she spoke crisply, "So she can't keep an eye on Umbra. I'll take care of..."

"Uhm...should now be the right moment to mention I've kind of got plans anyway?" I hazarded.

Willow's eyes stiffly turned to look down at me as if I had just killed her favorite cat.

...

Stendarr, have mercy!

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Seventeen - Whiterun - 21th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Umbra

The innkeeper brought mead for everyone, and hot piping stew. Willow finally relented from hawking behind me and took a seat, only to keep her eyes firmly fixed on Berry. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, and chewed down harshly on the meat within her bowl, preferring to eat in silence and speak later rather than interrupt in the middle of the meal. Everyone else, most aptly, did the same.

"Your older sister is as funny as a hungry troll," Berry whispered, only for my eyes to glance up to where Tsvati's ears were twitching, the Khajiit's eyes firmly concentrated on the stew in front of her.

"I'm sure she has her reasons," I whispered back.

"Is she another of your friends who happens to be a girl, brother?" Ocheeva asked, her eyelids flicking open and close like those of an alligator quite sharply. "Or one of your girlfriends that happens to be a friend?" she inclined her scaly head to the side, a small smirk on her face. "Loss of memory or not, brother's charm never stops, does it?"

"We're just acquaintances," Berry said curtly, snapping in half the bread in her hands.

"She's not a cultist, is she?" Hirume asked to Rae loud enough that even I could pick it up.

"I don't think so," Rae said. "She's so young too."

"You do remember that time, don't you?" Hirume hissed, "She might be disguising herself."

Rae giggled, shaking her head. "I don't think so. I really don't."

"Brother doesn't remember anything of the past? Not even the many times he played with Tsavi?" Tsavi asked, the Khajiit's ears flopping down as her eyes took on a sad gaze. Her whiskers were trembling too. If only she'd widen her eyes and grab a hat, she'd make the perfect booted cat, and just as I finished thinking that, her eyes did widen and a tiny wrangled meowing came out of her throat.

"Gah," I gasped, blinking, "That's...I'm so sorry, really. I wish I'd remember, but I'm sure we can make it up somehow," I said hastily, "Maybe we can...I don't know, talk about the past later?" I cringed as Tsavi seemed keen on sniffing, and when a giant cat sniffles, the sound is...well, different, to put it bluntly. "Please don't cry."

Ocheeva sighed, and shook her scaly head. "It is not the end of the world, Tsavi. It will be solved soon enough, have faith in Ralvas."

"Oi, why don't you tell her to have faith in her older brother Dragnor, uh?" Dragnor remarked, only to shrivel once Willow coughed once in her closed fist. "I said nothing," Dragnor whispered. "I said absolutely nothing."

Willow nodded stiffly, "Good. Now, where is this insane decision of following a random girl around Skyrim stemming from, Umbra?" Willow asked, both of her hands on the table, her eyes firmly poised on Berry. "He's not under any spells is he?"

"He's not," Ralvas replied, "While he slept I did a thorough check-up." I bristled as I turned to look at Ralvas, who simply shrugged in turn. "Never tell the mind-controlled individual he might be mind-controlled, otherwise they might just be mind-controlled by someone who understands how being discovered is horrible and might have inserted a self-suicide component into the weave of the spell." His eyes gleamed. "Magic is wondrous and terrifying, Umbra. Once we start our lessons again, I'll make sure to teach you thoroughly what I mean."

"Berry is the Dragonborn," I said flatly. "She can read the ancient Nordic tongue without fault, and the Gods clearly wish for us to continue in our path together..."

"You must have been hit quite harshly to the head," Willow snapped curtly, "Because last I remembered, the only thing you had to say to the Gods were curses, most of which were so horrible even I balked at your courage in pronouncing them."

"Umbra..." Hirume said gently, the Altmer smiling just a tiny bit, "perhaps you are simply suffering the after-effects of the amnesia, and the blow to the head...and...and maybe you were simply lead to believe it was your calling to do this, but it isn't. Having a crush on a young lady isn't a bad thing, but claiming she is the Dragonborn and going out hunting dragons with her? That's...a bit too far-fetched. Especially because we're family, Umbra...you must be careful what you say and to who you say it, if someone else overheard you...it would be bad."

"But a dragon did attack Helgen," I snapped curtly back, making Hirume wince as if I had slapped her, her body shrinking away from the table. "Whether you like it or not, I will not stand idly by."

The silver-haired Altmer began to sniffle, an embroidered handkerchief finding its way into her hands. "Little Umbra grew to be so rude and uncaring," Hirume mumbled with a whine, "When he was little he wouldn't stop being so kind and gentle, and now he even talks back to his older sisters, goes head-on into danger following random strangers...Dragnor! This is all your fault!"

Dragnor winced, "Come on Hirume, I can't be responsible for everything!"

Hirume's eyes widened as tears began to form, "A-Are you talking back to me too!?"

"N-No!" Dragnor yelled, only to then bring his hand to cover his face after the neck-slicing gesture from Willow, "I mean y-yes, I mean! I'm not talking back to you, ever! Yes, sister, you are absolutely right whatever it is!" he cringed as Hirume finished wiping her tears.

"I'm sorry, it's just I'm so emotional in this period..." Hirume said with a small motherly smile. "I've had quite the worry something would go wrong, and now that I'm told all of this...I'm so worried," she continued, shaking her head. "Please, little brother, reconsider."

Berry finished polishing her plate, and curtly stood up. "Since this seems to concern family matters, I'll take my leave. Bye." She then made to leave, only for me to stand up in turn. "What are you even following me for? Just stay with your family," Berry hissed, stomping down on my foot. "I can take care of myself even alone," and with that said, she hurried out of the inn.

I made to follow, only for a hand to grab hold of my wrist. Mansel's grip was quite firm, "Family sticks together is your motto, brother. Do not think I take pleasure in stopping you, but I cannot allow the you of the present to go and die in name of the you of the past," he exhaled, "Just sit back down and let us speak of this like civilized people. The lady has the appearance of someone who survived alone for quite sometime. She won't die of loneliness like a rabbit, and she won't die because of the streets of Whiterun."

I gritted my teeth as I looked at the inn's doors. I slowly sat back down, and as Mansel let go of my wrist, he grinned. "Now, it appears that you are quite smitten with the girl, though I did not think you the type to go for someone so young, but perhaps it was a much needed change of air?"

I glanced at Mansel, and then back at the empty plate in front of me. "The simmering sour look of bubbling anger inside of Umbra hasn't changed either," Ralvas remarked. "It is refreshing to see many physical and mental cues in him. Where the mind fails the body remembers I suppose," the Dunmer rubbed his beard, as if lost in thoughts, "I suggest you let him go. We all know very well that only by chaining him to the ankles of one of us we will keep him away from his desires. And that's only if it's not important enough for him to cut his ankle off."

"I'll have the blacksmith fashion some shackles," Willow said. "That should hold him back."

"Just let him go, eldest sister," Mansel spoke. "If the Gods," Mansel made air-quotes, "Really want him to go, then you won't be able to stop him. And if it's just a delusion, then he'll simply be hunting shadows, after all, it's not like dragons actually exist or..."

Screams suddenly reached an all new pitch from the streets. Howls of terror soon joined them as people barged into the inn looking for safety, "A dragon!" one of them shrieked, "A dragon in the sky!"

I rushed for the door shield in hand to carve a path through the veritable crowd that was trying to do the exact opposite, and in the end pushed my way to the nearest window. I swiftly snapped it open, starting to vault over it. "Umbra! Get back here right now!" Dragnor yelled, trying to make his way through the crowd that was instead pushing him back. Somehow, I had managed to get past the people without delay, while the rest of my siblings were instead being delayed.

Truly, only Talos, god of men and cities, could do such a feat.

"I have to go," I yelled, "The Emperor protects!" and with that final parting scream on my side, I vaulted out of the window, and through the wide roads of Whiterun.

I had no plan. I had no idea where Berry had gone. I had nothing but the sheer knowledge that if there was no Dragonborn, then it was meaningless to even try to fight the dragons, because they wouldn't die. Well, they wouldn't stay dead for long.

It was as a terrifying roar chilled my bones that I realized that the mighty beast known as Dragon hadn't gone off its way to attack the lonely tower of the Western Watchtower. Why would it? Whiterun was a bigger target, and Dragons had nothing to fear, especially not from mortal men. The massive orange-scaled flying lizard wasn't simply powerful, because powerful meant it could be compared to another source of strength.

It was something...something else. Skyrim's panorama was breath-taking in its splendor, but the splendor of the Dragon was something else. It was the immutability of time, the might that had no end. It was like witnessing the Sun and demanding it to cease shining. It was impossible. Black splotches covered most of its tail and talons, but the wisdom and strength of its eyes gleamed straight out from its soul.

It was beyond understanding, and yet if it couldn't be understood, then it couldn't be fought.

It flew in circles around Whiterun's walls, unleashing heavy cones of fire and flames that burned down the rooftops, incinerating everything on its path. "Nahkriin fah Numinex!" the dragon's roar echoed into my very eardrums, making me hiss as I clutched the side of my head. That thing wasn't going to land anytime soon, and if I caught the gist of the word Numinex, then it was the name of the ancient dragon kept captive into the Jarl's fortress of Dragonsreach.

"Think, think, think," I groaned as I saw my vision swim, until it came to a halt upon the rushing of water. Where there is fire, there must be water. No, it's more like, if your enemy uses fire, at least be doused in water.

I rushed along the unfamiliar streets, my only hope that the dragon wouldn't bother with me until I found out where the hell Berry had gone. She was the Dragonborn. She was supposed to win this. Well, perhaps if she had been supposed to win this, then I wouldn't be necessary, but if the Gods demanded us to be together, then perhaps it was because we'd both be able to win this if we were together?

"Just throw me a sign!" I screamed hoarsely as I ended up emerging out of a side-street and straight into a robes-wearing priest, who seemed to be clutching on to a holy symbol in his hands while praying fervently. "I'll take him!" I yelled up in the sky, shaking the priest out of his reverie. "Where is Talos!?" I yelled at him, "His statue! Where is it!?"

The priest's eyes widened, and then he pointed with a shaky arm to his right. "The Emperor protects, priest!" I roughly gave him a pat on the shoulder and then rushed in the direction shown.

"W-Wait!" the priest yelled, "The dragon's-"

I had already taken the side-street shown, emerging out of it not a second later to come to a halt in the center of the large plaza where the Gildergreen rested. The tall, towering tree was...bigger. Everything in this world was bigger, but the Gildergreen itself was so big, it didn't just double, but easily triple the height of the nearby houses. Its dead branches hung in the air, but none of them were lit. Around it, the gazebo-like structure of white wood stood too, but bits and pieces of it were burning.

I barely realized that there were people finding safety by hugging the tree, as if it could extend its branches to shield them from the dragon. Some of the wiser ones had thrown themselves into the pools of water by the slippery steps that lead up into the fortress, which had its roof ablaze, and yet the flames weren't spreading, even though not for lack of trying by the part of the dragon.

Whatever had been put into building Dragonsreach, it had clearly been put there with the express purpose of capturing a dragon, and thus...thus it was no wonder it wasn't burning. By Talos' statue, people screamed and cried, some trying to sneak their children in-between the legs of the statue, and while the doors of Jorrvaskr had been opened, the Companions themselves were pelting with arrows the dragon and failing due to the height difference.

Unless someone brought the dragon down, there was no way it could be hit, and the dragon had no intention of coming down, at least not until it would feel sufficiently victorious to come and gloat at the weakness of men.

"Why isn't Dragonrend something anyone can do," I hissed, passing a hand through my hair as I heard the crying all around me rise and lower. The men were valiant, but even they were nothing short than powerless against something they couldn't fight. If only it would land, then a fight would happen. But if it didn't land, there was nothing left to be done but to cry bitter tears of frustration.

"Just land already, Mirmulnir!" I roared, "You cowardly worm! You wingless snake!" I bellowed as loud as my throat could carry my voice, "Do you hear me, Mirmulnir!? Thrice I name you coward! Thrice I call you worm! Come on down and fight, you pathetic excuse of a Dovah!"

It was in that moment that sound ceased.

Mirmulnir flapped its wings once, halting its dash, and then turned its eyes around. It was like the son who imagines his mother is calling him, perhaps wondering if he had heard correctly or not.

In the silence broken only by the crackling of flames, I realized everyone was staring at me.

I glanced towards the companions and made a curt hand gesture to just come over, and in the meantime, roared again to the skies, "Mirmulnir!" I bellowed, "Mirmulnir! That is your name, you wingless smoke-filled pot! Isn't that right, Mirmulnir!? You're such a sorrowful excuse of a worm you need to hunt down mortal men!? Shame on you! You coward! You simpering worm! You snake lacking wits! Mirmulnir, come down and fucking fight like a Dovah, or die like a snake!"

Time seemed to slow down as the dragon's glowing eyes turned downwards, straight towards me, as if he had heard the wind and realized it was I who was calling him. He looked at me, and I stared back up at him. "I'm going to need a stronger helmet," I whispered harshly. "Give me a stronger helmet please," I whimpered with a half-croaked sound. "Kynareth," I said as I watched the dragon start to descend, flapping its wings as if to gain speed, "Kynareth please, if you exist, give me a sign. Anything right now would be appropriate. Anything." The dragon kept nearing, and as it did, my heart didn't simply drum, but nearly exploded from how fast it was beating. I wasn't just shaking. I was shaking so hard, it was probably beyond what mortals could see. "Kynareth!"

The Dragon's wings snapped open wide, and as he came to land right upon the stairs made of stone, he stood massively in front of me. The mere flapping of its wings shattered the wooden gazebo-like structure. The mere twitch of its tail cracked the wall behind it, and as the people in the pools of water screamed, he exhaled and snuffed their lives out with but the heat generated by its breath.

My heart fixed itself into my throat as I stared at the massive beast.

"You are brave," it snarled as its glowing eyes stared at me. Its teeth were as big as arms. The air itself overheated with each of his words. Behind me, I could feel the people that were hugging the tree run away from it, leaving only myself in front of it, myself and no-one else. "Foolish, but brave."

"I...I've been told that," I said.

"Fus," with but a word, I actually experimented a new form of pain. This one involved my back merging with the tree behind me as I slammed into it faster than I could even think of. "I gave you not permission to speak, mortal," Mirmulnir snarled, smoke leaving its snout as it slowly brought one of its claws down on the ground, melting the cobblestone as it neared.

"For Sovngarde!" the screams and the roars of the Companions gave me hope, because the Werewolves would deal with him, or at least soften him up enough for a final killing blow from Berry, or perhaps she just had to be present. I hoped for the latter.

"Faas Ru Maar," Mirmulnir spoke, and in his voice was mirth and laughter as the Companions, the strongest warriors that Skyrim had to offer, turned tail and ran, their honor besmirched forever from such an act. This was the sort of thing that should have been impossible. This was the sort of thing that should have been undoubtedly impossible. "For countless centuries I have waited for this day," Mirmulnir snarled, "Fear Alduin, mortals, fear us, for we have returned," Mirmulnir snarled to the four corners of Whiterun by merely lifting his neck before lowering it once more, drawing nearer still, his eyes gleaming as they fixed on me. "My name, you mortal...how did you gleam it from my appearance? Much has changed, but you know my name. Tinvaak!" he howled, and the wood around me creaked from the strain.

"Your name..." I muttered as I felt the wood around me shift and break, sap oozing out to fill my nose with the smell of the forest, "I know...because..." I lowered my voice as the dragon's massive snout came closer still, holding its breath as if afraid he'd burn me before he would find out the truth. "The Emperor protects," and as I said that, I thrust the top side of my mace straight into the teeth of the dragon in question.

The mace melted.

The mace melted against the dragon's teeth.

"That's unfair," I managed to whine out before Mirmulnir's eyes narrowed to the point where I knew that it was over.

So this was how I died, by battling the first dragon, the one meant to be the frigging tutorial on how to battle dragons.

As I stared at the gleaming, angry eyes of Mirmulnir seconds before closing my own in the face of the incoming death, a wild Berry appeared.

As her name suggested, she fell down from the tree branches with a bellowing scream of "Sovngardeeeee!" and a downward thrust of a sword. She had a sword. Berry had come back, had come down from the tree branches of Gildergreen, and had stabbed the overgrown lizard right in the back. The Dragon's eyes widened from pain as it howled, turning around sharply as its wing impacted against the large tree, shattering the bark as I hastily broke into a roll away from it. My bones were wondering if perhaps I was in need of assistance, but truth be told, I was simply glad that the professional was here to deal with it in my place.

Come on Berry, you're a fifteen year old Nord girl armed with a sword and a hunting bow against an Elder or Ancient Dragon that isn't a moronically scripted AI.

You can do this, kid.

Believe in yourself, because right now, I'm sure as hell not believing in our odds!

 

[shadenight123]

Interlude - Whiterun - 21th of Last Seed 4E 201 - Berry

She had been to Whiterun before. It was a foggy memory, of a time before the war. It had been a day in which the walls of the Imperial Army made her feel safe, as safe as one could be in Skyrim. The wildlife was wild, but not frenzied or fierce. Bears were majestic, and not bloodthirsty man-eaters. She remembered her family getting on a cart of a family friend and covering the distance at a nice pace, just a few weeks to get to it, and it had been a wonderful experience.

A few weeks away from toiling the ground, from the cows and the horses, and away from the cries of the seagulls and the salt of the sea. She had gone with her mother, her father had stayed behind to keep an eye on the farm anyway. Not that she understood things like thieves or stealing. She was just a kid.

The walls had been so big, she had barely managed to stand still long enough for the cart to stop, and then she had rushed towards them, towards the cold rocks covered in ice and had touched them.

It had taken a few minutes to get her hand unstuck.

She remembered and she chuckled, shaking her head. It had been years, but Whiterun made her remember. She wished she hadn't. Perhaps if she got hit in the head like Umbra, she might come out better. Well, if the risk was of becoming like Umbra, then perhaps she would rather not get hit in the head at all. How could he just not care about his family like that? Did he not realize the looks of worry they sent his way?

The moment he had stood up to follow her, a stranger he had met just a few days prior...the looks on the rest of his family had been of disbelief, of hurt, of...it had been the kind of looks that made her hurt twice over, because she wondered if her family would have felt that way, if she had done that, if she had ever done that before...would they feel like that? Had they ever felt like that? Had she been a spoiled child? Had they died thinking her a brat, or did they love her just as tenderly as Umbra's family seemed to love their younger sibling?

She didn't know.

Thinking about it hurt in more than one way. She was the extra, and while she had enjoyed her trip to Whiterun, it would be enough. She'd leave through the gates, quietly and without a word. She could find another camp of bandits, work her way into the ranks with the new steel sword she had bought from a nice blacksmith lady. She would make it big, rob a few rich merchants, use the Civil War to her advantage, and then she would leave the group and buy a plot of land near Windhelm.

She had it all planned out. Umbra would soon forget her, perhaps another blow to the head might take care of that, and he'd never look for her again. He was a strange and pushy guy, but that was it. This was it. Her eyes looked up at the open gates of Whiterun, and she took a last breath, readying herself to leave.

In that moment, the gates came crushing to a close right in front of her.

"Dragon!" the guards roared from the top of the walls, making the crowd all around her stop just as easily as her heart too did stop.

No.

"What!? Are you-" a man yelled back, only for the guards near the first to scream even louder as they began to rush along the walls.

"Dragon! Dragon! A Dragon is coming! Run! Hide! Get the bows and the arrows! Alert the Jarl! Run!" and then the roar arrived.

The roar made her heart shudder.

It was a roar of pure, unbridled fury. It was the kind of roar that made her clutch her chest and cry out, but her cry was hidden by the chorus of screams as the shadow of the dragon flew over her head, and that of the others.

The screaming began.

Umbra had been right.

The Dragons were real.

Umbra had said the Gods wouldn't let us part.

Had Akatosh called down a dragon of his? No, the dragon's maw opened to unleash fire, and any of Akatosh's avatars would never do that. Not that she knew what the avatar of a God would do, but she was pretty sure that Akatosh was one of the good guys, and not of the bad ones.

She didn't know what to do.

Umbra might know.

That treacherous part inside her head that told her to just turn back and rush for the man who had decided of his own accord that she was the Dragonborn was squashed ruthlessly. She wasn't going to fight a Dragon. She was no Dragonborn of legends, and she had no intention of bringing her sword to a fight like that. She couldn't even reach high in the air to strike at it. She wasn't scared, but she had to be realistic. There was no fathomable way for the likes of her to defeat the likes of such a big Dragon.

She could try, and she could die, and she would reach Sovngarde, but she did not think it would be worth it.

Anyway, for all of her bad luck, and all of the coincidences that had happened, she was pretty sure this would be over soon enough. Maybe the city had some defenses it could use, magic would work, wouldn't it?

But for it to work, the Dragon had to stay still and not simply avoid the blasts of fire and ice, the javelins of electricity that it easily dodged fizzled, even as it flew out of range of most spells. The Dragon knew its enemies.

It knew them, and Berry knew that it was toying with its prey.

They were its prey, and she gritted her teeth, clenching her fists.

She would find a place to hide and stay there, safely in wait for the dragon to leave. It wasn't going to hurt her. It wasn't. She would hide in a cellar and wait. She would stick her body inside a barrel and wait for the bad sounds to pass, for it to be over, and she would keep her mouth shut even as she heard the whimpers of her mother's dying cries...

She screamed as she rushed along the main road, bitter tears in the corner of her eyes. She was going to her death, but she would go all the same, because she knew, she just knew, that there was no other available option for the likes of her.

"Mirmulnir! Dovah!" the voice broke through the air, the wind itself bringing it to her ears, and as it did, the Dragon ceased its attack. It looked around, seeking the source of the sound, but Berry knew the voice. She'd recognize it. What was that foolish man even doing? She was fifteen, but even she was smarter than that. Even she knew better than to pick a fight with a Dragon, of all things.

And yet there he was.

Alone in the middle of the square where the Gildergreen rested with its dead branches, and holding on to his shield and mace as if those pathetic things could as much as hurt a scale of the massive beast. Yet there he stood, uncaring about the death about to come to him.

What was he thinking!? Was he mad? He had to be mad. There was no other explanation.

Only someone mad would face a Dragon head-on like that, and insulting the beast too? It was beyond having a death wish. No, she was going to wash her hands clean of it.

"Kynareth," she heard him whisper as the Dragon began to descend. "Kynareth."

If she left, she would be out-Norded by an Imperial pant-pisser.

She decided her best bet was to climb the tree and hit the dragon from up above. It was truly the best plan she could come up with, and by the time she reached the summit, she saw the dragon's neck right beneath her, the creature's snout inches away from the mad moron.

"Why am I doing this?" she whispered to herself, clutching on to her steel sword. "Why am I doing this?" she looked up at the sky, and then to the right and to the left, as if expecting some form of sign, something to tell her why she was doing something so stupid.

And then the answer came as she saw beyond the rise from the Plains districts to the square of the large tree the rushing forms of Umbra's siblings. She wanted to be welcomed into the madness that was Umbra's family, because that was what she had missed for so long.

A family.

"The Emperor Protects!"

Also, she was not going to let a cowardly Imperial out-courage her.

"SOVNGARDEEEEEE!"