His Voice
His voice haunted her.
The Last Dragonborn could not get it out of her head. From the moment she foolishly touched the Tree Stone in Miraak's temple, his voice began to play inside her mind.
The chant was carved inside of her. Over and over and over again it repeated. It was maddening.
When the chant was spoken by those under Miraak's control, the Dragonborn had been unsettled. The verses gave some insight into what the First Dragonborn was planning. He wanted Solstheim as his. He wanted everyone on this island to remember and serve him.
After spending hours in Miraak's temple, cleansing it of his followers by killing those that fought and allowing the rest to flee, the atmosphere of the place began to take its toll of the exhausted woman. She could almost hear the chant, though no one was around to speak the verses aloud.
As she left the temple with Frea, the Dragonborn could not resist going back to the All-Maker-Stone. She felt as if something was calling to her. On impulse, she touched the Tree stone.
Instantly, she felt her world go black even though she had not closed her eyes. She realized she could not move. A feeling of helplessness overtook her as she tried to struggle free of whatever magic took hold of her.
But she could not. Something was taking over her thoughts. It was then the Dragonborn heard his voice. It felt as if Miraak was here and speaking directly to her.
Here in my temple
Is this what the men and women working on his temple heard that kept them under his influence? His voice was hypnotic. She understood now how the people of Solstheim had fallen under his control. This was powerful magic.
Here in my shrine
She shuddered as his magic and his voice overpowered her own thoughts.
That you have forgotten
The Dragonborn could feel her body moving but she was not the one in control. It felt as if she were sleepwalking, her body distant from her. Slowly, even that began to fade.
Here do you toil
The woman could no longer feel her body, the heavy armor she wore or the sword she carried in her hand. She did not know what her body was doing. All she could hear and feel was his voice.
That you might remember
A part of her did not want to fight it. A part of her wanted to give in to whatever magic this was. She was tired. Everyone wanted something from her. From the moment she stepped into Skyrim, someone needed her help or someone wanted to kill her. She had spent almost two years fighting, helping and saving. She wanted to rest. It felt like such a good idea to just give up control.
Here you reclaim
A larger part of her did not want to give up. Her mind and body overcame the part that wanted to surrender and the Dragonborn began to fight once more.
What faithless minds have stolen
She struggled, trying to force her body to become hers again. She succeeded. With every bit of willpower she had in her, the Dragonborn broke free of Miraak's spell and opened her eyes. She dropped the hammer she held in her hand, not quite knowing from where she had picked it up.
Quickly she fled the temple. It was not often she ran but she felt an urgent need to this time. A final whisper of Miraak's voice was heard right before she stepped off of the grounds of the temple.
Gol Hah Dov
The Dragonborn knew it was a Shout but she could not recall the words spoken afterwards. The Shout caused her body to stumble and fall as the need to flee fought with a new need to go back. She fell, her armor protecting her from the rocky ground. She resisted the urge to step back onto the stonework. One step after another, the Last Dragonborn put enough distance between herself and the temple that the effect of the Shout dissipated.
But the strange, oppressive feeling she had felt when inside Miraak's temple did not leave her. It was not as strong but it was there.
Frightened of what happened, the Dragonborn returned to Raven Rock, hoping she could find someone who she could speak with. It took her two days to return.
That night, she was too busy to sleep. She researched what she could but could find almost nothing of Miraak in any book. Every person she spoke to said variations of the same thing. They knew his name but could not recall where. Many refused to say anything after being questioned.
The Dragonborn wanted to know more about her foe but there was precious little information.
The woman then spent the day making preparations to travel to the village of the Skaal. She had to keep most of the equipment she brought with her in storage in Raven Rock. The Dragonborn switched out her weapons and armor for ones more suitable and mixed up a batch of powerful potions. She would be in need of those, she knew.
That night, something horrifying happened after the Dragonborn lay in bed to sleep. She could hear the chant again. At first it was low but as she slept, Miraak's voice grew louder.
The woman woke with a start in the morning, gasping for breath. Her sheets were drenched in sweat and she felt the urge to fight. Rising from her bed, the Dragonborn growled in anger and furiously began readying herself. She would defeat that man, if Miraak could be called one anymore.
After that night, the chant became a part of her. She could hear Miraak's voice almost every second of her existence on the island. Day or night, Miraak's voice was a constant presence.
As the lone woman travelled to the Skaal Village, she slept once out in the wilderness. She did not wake there.
She awoke, standing and with the sun shining down on her. She was confused. Where was she? She blinked her eyes repeatedly, until she could clearly see the stones of Miraak's temple in front of her. The Dragonborn was tired and her arms ached. Her throat felt dry as well, as if she had been speaking for a long time.
Far from yourself
I grow ever nearer to you
Cheater. The Dragonborn tried to broadcast the thought. If Miraak was somehow able to listen to her thoughts, she hoped he got it.
Almost every time she slept, the warrior would find herself back in the temple. Every day that went on, the Dragonborn felt herself grow more tired. She needed to defeat this man soon. Before she died of exhaustion.
Along with his voice, anger was an almost constant companion of the Dragonborn. She thought of the many ways she would make Miraak pay for this torture.
The Dragonborn felt some pity for Miraak. When she learned that he had been trapped inside Apocrypha for thousands of years as a Daedric Prince's slave, she could understand his desperation to free himself. If only he was not so obsessed with enslaving the population of Solstheim and making everyone worship him. The Dragonborn doubted he would be satisfied with just Solstheim. He would want more. Miraak was a threat that needed to be stopped.
If only this was not so, the warrior thought sadly. She would have been overjoyed to have a companion that was a Dragonborn like her. Only he could understand what she was going through. And just what could she learn from someone like him? He had been the first of their kind!
What a pity.
Your eyes once were blinded
Now through me do you see
The Dragonborn decided to hire a sellsword for a week, wanting some help as she traveled from All-Maker-Stone to All-Maker-Stone, cleansing them of Miraak's influence.
She had been lethargically traveling back to the Skaal when she closed her eyes for just a moment. When she opened them, she turned to find what she now knew as a Seeker behind her.
Your hands once were idle
Now through them do I speak
Alarmed, the raised her sword and charged. In the last possible moment, her body was stopped by some unseen force. Miraak.
The Seeker vanished to be replaced by her hired help. He stared blankly at her, unseeing. Horrified at what she had almost done, the Dragonborn dropped her sword.
Not realizing what had just happened, the sellsword asked her what was wrong.
Nothing, she had said as she picked up her sword once more. He was surprised when the Dragonborn paid them double for his services and sent him on his way.
When she had collected all the books, when she had learned all the shouts, when she had freed almost every Stone except for the once in the center of Miraak's temple did the Dragonborn finally feel ready to face Miraak.
With the third and final word learned, the Dragonborn froze in shock. She could no longer hear Miraak's chant.
His voice had been constantly in her head for the past few months. The Dragonborn felt hope bubble up within her at this new development. She was finally free of his influence.
One more the Dragonborn visited the temple. By now it was almost finished. The Dragonborn could not deny how beautiful it was, in an eerie, macabre way. She felt close to the temple as her hands had worked on it as well. She was almost a little sad that she would have to destroy it.
Clad in her best armor, carrying her most powerful weapons, the dragonborn stood before the Tree Stone and pulled out a Black Book book from her pack.
Unease and nervousness began to creep upon the Dragonborn but she did not allow herself to hesitate. She opened the book and began to read. She did not notice the the man and woman approaching as her soul entered the world of Apocrypha.
There was no battle.
As the Dragonborn raised her sword to begin the battle, Miraak did not move. He exuded a level of confidence that set off warning bells in the woman's mind.
Before she could even take a step, the warrior had already dropped her sword.
The chant was back. She could do nothing as his voice once again spoke in her mind. It was worse this time, his voice was loud. Painful. It was much stronger in this realm where he was at full power. The Dragonborn fell to her knees and stayed there, lost inside her mind.
Miraak did not say a word as he approached the unseeing warrior and quickly plunged the blade into her chest. In moments it was done. He heard an inhuman cry of rage that echoed across the sky but Miraak only smiled. He felt the power of the dragon souls flowing into him. So much power...
Seconds later Miraak took in his first breath of Solstheim air from the center of his temple. He could see two of his cultists beside the fallen body of the Last Dragonborn.
Behind his mask, Miraak smiled. He was finally free.
Free to rule what was rightfully his.
And when the world shall listen
And when the World shall see
And when the world remembers
That world will cease to be.
Finally got around to playing the Skyim DLC and felt like writing this. :)