I Promise
This is a story of what could have happened if my friend's Skyrim character, the Dragonborn, ever met my Skyrim character. Enjoy! (Oh, and a quick note: Levenil is pronounced lehv-ehn-EEL)
I, in no way, shape or form, own Skyrim or any other Elder Scrolls game. But you probably already knew that, right?
Levenil watched as the silhouette of the dragon and his rider faded away on the horizon. Her amber eyes glazed over as the thoughts buzzing in her head multiplied, the 'what ifs' and 'if onlys' swarming her brain with a vengeance. She roughly shook her head to silence them.
It was going to be all right.
It had to be.
She continued to stand on the lonely balcony of Dragonsreach until the sun had vanished behind the thick, velvety blanket of night. She fixed her gaze upon the stars that gleamed above her and the aurora borealis that shimmered and danced to a secret harmony unbeknownst to its audience. The sight before Levenil entranced her and she did something that she had not done any time in her recent memory; she prayed.
She prayed to anyone who was listening, asking them to watch over her friend, to grant her the strength of both body and mind so that she may be successful in her mission. But most of all she prayed for them to bring the Dragonborn to back to her, back from Sovengarde; a place where only spirits had ever walked. A place where Levenil could not follow.
"Please…"
She thought of the Dragonborn, the girl that she had travelled with for the past several months, the girl that she had promised to protect. The two of them had formed an unlikely friendship after their chance meeting in Dawnstar that seemed like a lifetime ago.
"Whoah! I didn't see you there."
Levenil simply glared at the cheery blonde and crouched to gather her belongings that spilled from her satchel into the snow; the satchel that this Imperial icebrain had so carelessly knocked from her hands.
"Hey! You're a wood elf, aren't you? I haven't seen one of you since I arrived in Skyrim. It's mostly just Nords here; it's not like back home in Cyrodiil."
"Hn." Without sparing the blonde a glance, the elf stood and began walking down the street, her pace brisk.
"So do you live around here?"
The girl was following her. Apparently she didn't get the hint.
"What's your name? I'm Alexandra. Alexandra the Blundering."
Oh, joy. She had really hit the jackpot with this one. Sensing that she would not be rid of the blonde anytime soon, Levenil made for the Windpeak Inn. She couldn't possibly head back to the Sanctuary with her new shadow in tow.
Upon entering the inn she immediately made for her usual darkened table, pausing only briefly to order from the bar. She lowered her hood and discarded the heavy cloak that protected her small frame from Skyrim's bitter cold before sinking into her chair with a huff. Looking towards the bar, she saw the girl that called herself Alexandra chatting away merrily with the woman behind the bar before turning to look back at the elf and moving to join her at the table. Levenil was vaguely surprised that the smile directed at her didn't crack the blonde's face in two.
"I only just arrived in Skyrim a couple of weeks ago. Got caught up in an ambush. The Imperial Legion thought that I was a rebel. Ha! Strange, right? Anyways, there wasn't anything that I could do and my head was on the chopping block. Literally! And when the headsman raised his axe, I thought that it was all over. But then guess what happened? You'll never guess! A DRAGON swoops down from the sky and sets the village aflame. A DRAGON. At first I thought that it was my lucky day, but when I discovered that it was trying to kill me too, I ran like my life depended on it! Which it did. And THEN I-"
Levenil was spared when her apple cabbage stew arrived and she set to focus solely on eating it, attempting to block out the Imperial's never ending prattle. It lasted only as long as her stew did. When her spoon knocked on the bottom of her empty bowl, she was unable to ignore the chatter any longer.
"And then I said to her, do you know what I said? I said-"
"Do you EVER stop talking?"
Blue eyes widened in surprise at the elf's sudden interjection. And then Alexandra's face broke into a cheeky grin.
"Not really, no."
Levenil smiled slightly as she recalled the rocky beginning of one of her most treasured friendships. She pushed herself away from the balcony railing and gazed out at the horizon one last time before vaulting herself over the railing to the rooftops below. She dropped to the empty streets and made her way through the shadows, completely silent. She arrived outside the door of Breezehome, the house granted to Alexandra when she was bestowed the title Thane of Whiterun.
Alexandra sat across from Levenil at that same table in the Windpeak Inn. She had sent a letter to the elf, saying that she had something to tell her, something important. Levenil simply sat quietly and waited for her companion to break her uncharacteristic silence.
"I was made Thane of Whiterun."
"Oh, really? What did you do? Save a poor little khajiit from a tree?"
Alexandra chuckled at this. "Nothing quite that heroic, I'm afraid. I slayed a dragon."
Levenil's amber eyes narrowed. "A dragon? By yourself?"
"You don't have to sound so surprised," said Alexandra feigning hurt. "I've been training with the Companions of Jorrvaskr. I learned how to wield a blade properly, so I'm not haphazardly attacking walls anymore."
"Hm. I suppose 'Alexandra, Thane of Whiterun' has a more threatening ring to it than 'Alexandra the Blundering' ever did. But you didn't come all the way to Dawnstar to tell me just that. What else is there? What else did you come here to tell me? Whatever it is, it's important. Am I right?"
"…When the dragon died, something happened to me. I… I absorbed some kind of… essence from it. They told me that I was something called the Dragonborn."
"Dragonborn? Isn't that an old Nord legend? Something about a mortal being born with the soul of a dragon? You?"
"It seems so unreal… I can hardly believe it myself. It's up to me to stop Alduin the World Eater. To keep this world alive."
"Get some rest."
"Huh? What're you-"
"I'm going home. We leave at sunrise. I'll be back by then," Levenil said as she rose to her feet. "Arguing is out of the question. If you're going to save the world, then you need to be alive long enough to do it. I'm going to ensure that you are. I promise." She made her way to towards the exit, needing to inform her Family back at the Sanctuary of the situation. They would have to make do without her for a while.
"Levenil."
She paused.
"Thank you."
Levenil continued to stare at the door of Breezehome, the key entrusted to her was heavy in her pocket. She turned away. She couldn't possibly go in there. She didn't want to be in her friend's home when she wasn't there. Besides, she would be alone with that housecarl of hers. Levenil could never stand her. Didn't like her attitude. She turned away from the house and made her way towards the Bannered Mare Inn, where she would spend the next several days hoping and waiting for the Dragonborn to return.
"She's back! Alexandra is back!"
"The Dragonborn has returned!"
Levenil stood quickly, the book in her lap falling carelessly to the floor. She walked hurriedly out of the inn and towards the gate of the city. She pushed her way through the crowd of people until she saw her. Alexandra, Dragonborn and Thane of Whiterun was a little worse for wear, but thankfully alive. Their eyes met and Alexandra positively beamed at her. Levenil nodded, a ghost of a smile forming on her lips.
"You're leaving? Just like that?"
"I have fulfilled my promise to you. I have done everything in my power to keep you alive. You have played your part in the legend and saved all of Tamriel. It is over. It is over and it is time that I return home to Dawnstar. I cannot be away from my Family any longer."
"Can't I come with you?"
"No. You are needed here with your city."
"So that's the way it's going to be? You're going to pretend like nothing ever happened?"
"Of course not. Do not misunderstand me. Our paths may divide here, but that does not mean that they will not cross again. Write me at Windpeak Inn. Drop by from time to time. And you never know when my work might bring me to Whiterun."
Alexandra smiled and tilted her head inquisitively. "You know, you never did tell me what you do for a living."
"I simply Listen," she said, giving Alexandra a cryptic smile.
"Wha-"
"A story for another time, perhaps. Farewell, Alexandra. I'm sure that we'll meet again before too long."
Alexandra pulled Levenil into an embrace, crushing the small elf into her breastplate.
"You promise that I'll see you again?"
"I promise."
(A/N): Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I would really appreciate it if you let me know what you thought of it. I really hoped that you enjoyed it, though.
Love,
Echo