The Edge of Madness
Chapter 2: Face Off
In the end Aldanon didn't bother loading himself down with arms and armor. Nearly everything stored in the Treasury was too awkward or inconvenient to be useful, things Sheogorath commonly foisted off on fools searching for his favor in the past, or designed for the use of beings not entirely...human.
Most of his old equipment was either gone or useless as well. He'd had to give up several of the Daedric artifacts he'd collected during his adventures upon assuming his role as Sheogorath and the enchantments on his old armor, the finest Ebony forged armor in the empire at the time, had succumbed long ago to the chaotic energy that permeated the Isles. The actual armor itself was beyond salvaging, ravaged and torn apart by vermin.
Hey, there were some pretty big vermin on the Shivering Isles!
Still, not all of his old gear was gone. Umbra, the identity-draining, soul-stealing sword that he'd refused to give to Clavicus Vile all those years ago continued to stand the test of time. Aldanon had felt the insistent tug on his mind the moment he touched the hilt but had brushed it off.
It was an insidious blade, preying upon the world weary and war ravaged, but his will was more than strong enough to overcome it's persistent siren call; that incessant whisper in his ear that asked "Wouldn't it be so much easier? To just give in and let all your worries and pain fade away?"
Back when Aldanon was mortal it was one of many hurdles he had to overcome but now, with the power of a god driving him, it was little more than an annoying fly. One easily swatted aside in favor of greater concerns.
The familiar weight of the Skeleton Key rested securely in a pouch attached to Aldanon's belt. He'd learned an interesting fact from Nocturnal herself when he'd tried to return it after his ascension. The Key he carried was only one of many floating freely around the provinces of Tamriel, all copies of a much more powerful artifact hidden somewhere in the world though understandably she refused to say where.
He sent a silent word of thanks to Nocturnal now as he made is way down the mountains toward Helgen. Aldanon may have been able to kill a man in more than a dozen different ways, on an off day, but he had been almost completely incompetent when it came to the art of lockpicking and the Key had been one of his most jealously guarded prizes.
The last relic of his past that he still carried was the amulet that marked him as a Knight of the Thorn, the now extinct 'Order' that had based itself out of Cheydinhal. Aldanon had made a short stop at the city on the off chance he'd find his pompous friend, being one of the long lived Dunmer, only to discover that he, his knights and his father had died during the war in a valiant, if doomed, diversionary attack on the Aldmeri forces when the Emperor abandoned the Imperial City.
Like his armor the enchantments woven into the amulet had long been undone but it still served as a fond reminder of another friend lost and better times.
Aldanon skirted around the Imperial City despite his desire to see the statue of the Imperial Dragon in the Temple of the One and pay his respects to Martin. Even from across Lake Rumare he could see, and even hear, the final reconstruction efforts underway and didn't feel like seeing the battle scarred remains of his old home just yet.
Not when he had more important things to do than scare up old ghosts.
He'd made another short stop in Bruma to kit himself out in clothing better suited to the cold weather of the northern lands. Though he could probably jump naked into a glacier and remain unaffected, being a Daedric Prince certainly had it's benefits, Aldanon found himself easily falling back into old habits. Chiefly the ones he'd picked up as a Murderer for the Dark Brotherhood where standing out was a sure way to alert the target.
So blending in was the name of the game and Aldanon spared no expense in the endeavor, his own considerable wealth still intact if a little out of date. Not that that really mattered he'd discovered during his adventuring days, raiding ancient Ayleid ruins and walking out with perfectly usable gold that was sometimes hundreds, if not thousands, of years old if he'd have to guess.
There was little traffic to be found on the road north though it was obviously recently traveled, the ground trampled by many armored feet and with several large areas cleared for good-sized camps. Imperial Legion troops Aldanon guessed if the rumors of civil war in the north were true.
Aldanon heaved a heavy sigh. Sometimes he couldn't believe the stupidity of mortals, and he'd been one! The ripples of the last war hadn't even fully settled and they'd turned on each other over the outcome, with the enemy waiting like a wolf patiently stalking a wounded deer.
Somehow he just knew that he was going to get dragged into that mess eventually.
Still, "eyes on the prize" as his old friend Agronak would have said and right now Aldanon's 'prize' was just coming into sight around the bend.
Helgen was about what he expected from an Imperial outpost. High walls and massive gates designed to withstand sieges with a modest town and keep to house and supply the troops stationed there. What he wasn't expecting was for the place to be buzzing with activity, with men running along the walls shouting indistinctly to one another.
Had he just wandered into an impending battle zone? If so then Alduin had certainly chosen the right place and time to announce his return. What better way to say "I'm back!" than by slaughtering two opposing forces mid battle and laying waste to a town? It had a certain evil flair to it and Aldanon wasn't entirely sure he could do better himself.
Perhaps turning the walled outpost into a giant fondue to dip his enemies in?
"Focus, Aldanon," he murmured to himself. "Big dragon of doom now, delicious daydreams of mayhem later."
Odd thoughts aside, when he drew closer to the main gate Aldanon quickly realized that they weren't preparing for a battle. The shouting wasn't nearly desperate enough for it to be that and Aldanon was certain he heard the word "Victory!" several times and something about a General once or twice.
"Hold!" One of the gate guards commanded as Aldanon drew near. "State your name and purpose at Helgen!"
Aldanon held his hands up placatingly. "My name is Aldanon, a traveler recently out of Bruma. I'm making my way north to Winterhold to visit the College there and thought I'd stop here to learn the latest news on the war."
Aldanon was rather pleased with the story he'd concocted on the road here. The College of Winterhold was well known even in his day, if a bit remote, and was one of the places he'd sworn to visit if he ever found himself in Skyrim.
Though he probably hadn't needed to bother with a cover story at all if the dull, suspicious look he was getting from the other guard was any indication. The way he gripped his sword told Aldanon that he found someone traveling for the sake of knowledge to be highly suspect.
Obviously not the sharpest sword in the brigade but thankfully his partner seemed to be specifically chosen to keep him in check.
"Well traveler, you're in luck!" The man proclaimed with a pleased grin and a warning glare, an odd combination to be sure, to his companion. "General Tullius just rode into Helgen with word that they'd captured Ulfric Stormcloak himself up at Darkwater Crossing a couple of days ago. Word is they're carting him and his men here to be shipped south for trial and execution in Cyrodiil."
'Well that's unexpected,' Aldanon thought with a raised eyebrow.
"Truly?" Aldanon asked aloud. "The traitor himself? That's quite a relief."
Any 'relief' Aldanon may have shown was entirely fake however. General Tullius he knew was the overall commander of the Legion's forces here in Skyrim and Ulfric Stormcloak was his counterpart for the Stormcloak rebels and Aldanon's respect for Alduin rose a notch further.
By striking here today, Alduin would be able to effectively cripple the two primary obstacles, though they could hardly be called such, to his plans for Skyrim. By displaying his power here he would instill a sense of fear in the survivors and crush the confidence of the two faction leaders if not kill them outright. With their leaders dead or demoralized both the Legion and Stormcloaks wouldn't be able to mount even a passable defense as the dragons swept across Skyrim.
Aldanon could feel a wicked grin trying to form on his face as he wondered how best he could steal Alduin's thunder but he quashed the urge like a bug, settling for grinning on the inside since he didn't think the skittish Legion soldier with the dull look would take to kindly to that and likely attack him.
And then Aldanon would have to kill him. Probably the garrison too and anyone else silly enough to draw a weapon on him which, sadly, wouldn't leave much for Alduin whenever he got here.
With that in mind Aldanon mustered a much more pleasant smile, even if the thought behind it was anything but.
"Well if that's the case I think I'll stick around then, catch a glimpse of the big, bad traitor with my very own eyes," Aldanon said, still smiling.
"Alright then," the first guard replied genially. "You'll probably want to head to the Hollybush Inn then, it's the big building on your left at the edge of the main courtyard. Vilod's got a pretty good selection being this close to the border."
"Thank you kindly," Aldanon said with a nod.
He strode past the guard and his dim companion as Helgen's gates opened to admit him. Aldanon took stock of the area as he moved through it, committing it to memory for the inevitable confrontation. To his immediate right sat the keep itself, a squat stone structure consisting of a barracks and guard tower. On his left was a single story wooden house with a thatched roof, a death trap just waiting to be set on fire by a malicious god.
Not that he had the time.
The other set of gates guarding the road to the east were next, closed and guarded just like the other. There wasn't really anything else that stood out, a few more houses in the same style as the first and three more towers, one half collapsed and another looming above the rest.
The Hollybush lay in the shadow of the tallest tower and was rather busy, unsurprising really considering they believed the war was pretty much over. Aldanon could hear the loud toasts and even louder cheering before he'd even set foot on the porch and the noise crashed down upon him as soon as he opened the door to step inside.
The inside was packed and nearly every seat was filled by soldiers and the few civilians Helgen hosted. Aldanon wrinkled his nose briefly at the smell, apparently bathing wasn't high on these people's list of priorities, and wove his way through the crowd toward the innkeeper.
"What can I getcha?" The man, Vilod if Aldanon remembered rightly, asked as he settled up against the bar.
"Four ale. One for here, three for the road to Winterhold," Aldanon replied.
"Aye, that'll be twelve septims," Vilod said, opening one bottle and sliding the rest over once Aldanon counted out the gold.
"Going to Winterhold you say?" Vilod asked as Aldanon stowed the extra away and took a swig. "That's deep in Stormcloak territory, friend. You're lucky though, with Ulfric captured and soon to be dealt with I doubt they'll hold together much longer."
"So it's true then?" Aldanon asked as he set his bottle down. "That they've captured Ulfric Stormcloak and are bringing him here?"
"Sure is," a soldier said as he stepped up next to Aldanon. "I was with one of the units that ambushed the bastard and his men up at the Crossing then rode on ahead with the General once he was secured."
"Kinda surprising that the General would leave Ulfric unattended like that even if you're bringing him through Imperial held territory," Aldanon said leadingly.
The talkative soldier took the bait almost eagerly. "Ulfric's well guarded, the General left the bulk of our force guarding him while he rode ahead with a token force. I doubt the Stormcloaks could mount a rescue so quickly even if they knew we had him."
It was almost laughably easy to keep the soldier, who Aldanon learned was named Markus, talking by plying him with Vilod's special brand of mead. It wasn't enough to get him drunk, which would have been suspicious with all the questions Aldanon was asking, but it and a friendly disposition were enough to keep the veteran soldier's tongue wagging revealing a couple interesting things.
Like the fact that the Thalmor's so called 'Ambassador' to Skyrim, a woman named Elenwen, had been waiting for the General when they arrived and the pair had been holed up in the keep since.
'I'm going to have words with Akatosh at some point,' Aldanon thought as Markus began regaling him with the story of the ambush. 'This entire situation stinks of contrivance so badly I don't doubt Dagon can smell it in that brimstone filled pothole he calls home.'
Still the company was okay, Markus being a fairly good story teller with some interesting tales to tell, and Vilod's special mead, seasoned with juniper berries of all things, was pleasant enough that before Aldanon had really noticed nearly an hour had passed. He was beginning to get a little antsy from the anticipation of his coming confrontation but it was easy enough to disguise thanks to the fervor around him.
He had to almost forcibly restrain himself from stretching out his divine senses to feel out Alduin, which would only alert the draconic demigod to Aldanon's presence here and ruin the surprise for all involved.
Thankfully his impatience, a flaw that not even godhood could cure him of, wasn't given the time to get the better of him as the front door flew open and a breathless soldier burst in with a shout of "They're here!"
What he said next though came as a surprise. "The General's called for the headsman!"
'Something's definitely rotten in the walls of Helgen,' Aldanon thought as he absently swiped a couple of apples and followed all the other patrons outside.
The soldiers spread out to join their fellows scattered about the nearby courtyard and armed themselves, mostly with bows with arrows nocked but not drawn. A smaller cadre formed ranks around the executioner and priestess of Arkay that stood at the base of the shortest tower with swords and shields ready.
The sound of hooves clacking against the cobbled road and the creaking of wood heralded the appearance of three carts filled close to bursting with blue clad prisoners though the last held two dirty brown splotches amidst the blue that stuck out like sore thumbs.
As the non-soldier population of Helgen clustered on the inn's porch and at another house across the courtyard Aldanon settled for leaning casually against the tallest tower affording him an unobstructed view of most of Helgen, minus the gates, and bit into one of his apples as the carts came to a stop.
Not only was the view good but he was just close enough to hear the names of the prisoners as they stepped off their cart, chuckling quietly at the muttered "Damned Imperials and their lists," that managed to reach his ears.
For the most part he found them uninteresting and simple, if patriotic, soldiers obviously secure in their cause and unafraid to die. Zealots then, both the best and worst kind of soldier depending on which side of their blade you were on but considering their cause Aldanon couldn't fault them.
He may not get along with Talos who prized honor while Aldanon was a bit more flexible in his morals but being an ascended mortal allowed Aldanon to understand him and his position amongst his fellows like no one else...and just how badly it hurt him to have his children, the very Empire that he founded, turn their backs on him.
The face and voice of Talos' greatest believers, Ulfric Stormcloak, was a rather impressive figure even bound and gagged as he was. Aldanon could feel the power the man wielded thrumming against his senses and when he focused he could almost make out words in a language he wasn't familiar with and yet felt that he should be.
That then would be the power of the 'Thu'um' that Mora spoke of. Aldanon had visited his fellow Prince in an effort to get at least some information since the Divines were being annoyingly tight lipped about the whole affair.
Sadly not even the Prince of Knowledge could tell him much, blaming possible interference from Akatosh himself to account for his lack of results, but what he did have hinted at greater powers than Aldanon had expected.
To think that mere words, regardless of the tongue, would have the power to heal, destroy and so much more!
There was a moment of comedy as one of the two ragged prisoners, a man called "Lokir of Rorikstead", made a spirited, if futile, attempt at escaping the chopping block. For a moment Aldanon entertained the idea of helping him but then shrugged unconcernedly as the man ran past only to be feathered by arrows. If he'd held onto whatever courage he might have had just a little longer then he'd likely have survived.
Or become a dragon snack. One of the two.
Aldanon did a double take when the last person, a young woman barely twenty years old, hopped of the cart and he couldn't help the honest surprise that overtook him as he examined her with both his eyes and other senses.
She was Blessed by a Divine, just as he was. By Dibella he guessed considering how stunning she looked even dressed in dirty rags, with more dirt smeared all over her face and in her fiery red hair and the fresh pink scar in the shape of a 'T' marring her cheek.
The Blessed were similar to the Champions that Daedric Princes chose to do their dirty work in the mortal plane, and as he could attest the two roles sometimes overlapped, except they carried their patron's blessing from birth and were "destined" to excel in some particular fashion or role.
Like saving the world for instance. Twice even.
Those Blessed by Dibella had strong, persuasive personalities and the good looks to back them up. Legends surrounding them claimed that they could quite literally talk the clothes right off someone's back and that it took a truly disfiguring injury to detract from the physical attraction they exerted on members of the opposite sex.
Her scar obviously wasn't disfiguring enough to judge from the rather stunned and blank way the man with "The List" asked for her name and Aldanon paused in mid bite to hear her answer.
"Risi Soul-Fang."
Sadly that magnetism was useless in the face of the man's Captain, a rather strident woman whose voice made Aldanon want to pry her tongue out with some rusty calipers, who brusquely ordered Risi to the block with the rest of them despite the protestations of her underling. Risi didn't say another word but the look she gave the Captain could have melted steel.
'Don't worry, my dear Risi, she'll get her due,' Aldanon swore as he discarded his apple core with a frown.
"Ulfric Stormcloak," General Tullius began. "Some here in Helgen call you a hero-"
Aldanon tuned out the man's speech as he continued blathering on, the words lacking any kind of life or inspiration. The General's military accomplishments during the last war must have been exceptional for Aldanon doubted his star rose so high due to his rousing leadership abilities.
Something seemed off about his words though and this sudden decision to execute Ulfric here and now, without trial, was wrong no matter how you looked at it. Focusing in on the man, Aldanon could feel the discontent nearly rolling off the General in waves which brought another frown to his face. This situation grew more and more rotten by the moment.
He let his eye's wander away from the spectacle before him and found them settling upon the golden-skinned countenance of an Altmer woman astride a horse watching the proceedings from the shadow of the archway separating the courtyard from the keep. The moment Aldanon focused on her his senses were overwhelmed by an intense feeling of satisfaction.
'Elenwen I presume?' Aldanon mused quietly. 'This is your doing then...but why? What do the Thalmor gain by forcing Ulfric's execution?'
"-ut you down and restore the peace," General Tullius was saying as Aldanon shifted his attention back to the matter at hand.
Just in time it seemed as a loud roar echoed through the mountain air followed by a moment of absolute silence as the soldiers, villagers and prisoners looked around in confusion. Aldanon however smiled, though he hid it by taking a quick bite out of his second apple.
'The guest of honor approaches,' Aldanon thought as one of the soldiers asked what that noise was.
"It's nothing," General Tullius responded in a clipped tone. "Carry on."
"Yes, General Tullius," The Captain from earlier replied. "Give them their last rites."
The Priestess of Arkay complied, beginning the rites that any devout worshiper of the Divines knew by heart but Aldanon scoffed aloud when she proclaimed "-blessings of the Eight Divines-" and his disgust was obviously shared by the Stormcloaks as one moved forward without prompting.
"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!" He snapped.
"As you wish," the Priestess replied testily.
"Come on, I haven't got all morning," he continued, provoking them even as he was forced down on the block.
"My ancestors are smiling on me, Imperials. Can you say the same?"
'No they can't,' Aldanon thought with disgust.
With a swish and a meaty thunk the executioner's ax did it's grisly work and the heckler died with a smirk on his face. The crowd made it's opinions known, shouting insults and propaganda worthy slogans back and forth until the Captain spoke up again.
"Next, the Nord in the rags!"
Aldanon's eyes narrowed dangerously at that as another roar echoed off the surrounding mountains, drawing everyone's attention again.
"There it is again," someone muttered. "Did you hear that?"
The Captain however was not to be deterred. "I said next prisoner!"
Aldanon quickly scanned the sky and, seeing no sign of Alduin, discarded his half eaten apple and summoned up the magicka for a bolt of lightning as Risi stepped forward with her head held proudly. Aldanon held the spell back though, crackling quietly at his fingertips, determined to wait until the very last moment lest he give himself away.
As they forced her down to the block Aldanon stilled as the familiar cold, calculating calmness settled over him as he prepared himself for battle. He raised his hand, index finger glowing with power, and aimed directly between the executioners eyes as he raised his ax to swing.
It was then that Alduin finally appeared, wheeling around a cliff in the distance with another roar.
"What in Oblivion is that?" General Tullius shouted in alarm, bringing the proceedings to a halt.
Aldanon lowered his hand as the massive black-scaled dragon swooped down and perched on the tower above like a slice of midnight come to life, surveying them with angrily glowing red eyes and in turn every eye in Helgen was fixed on the great wyrm in shock and awe, frozen in place by the sheer malevolence of Alduin's presence.
They held that tableau for several moments before the calm was broken by Alduin as he unleashed a mighty roar. The sky darkened to an dull orange color that reminded Aldanon rather annoyingly of Dagon's realm and the clouds began swirling angrily. Seconds later massive flaming chunks of rock began raining down from the sky and Aldanon realized with a bit of shock just what he'd just witnessed.
That roar had been a Thu'um! Rather than words like Mora told him a Thu'um required though, Alduin had simply channeled all his rage and power into it's purest form of expression and unleashed it into this.
Aldanon dodged right as the tree across from him was struck, bursting into flame and collapsing directly towards him. He lost sight of Risi momentarily as he split his attention between the crumbling courtyard and Alduin but caught a glimpse of her seconds later following the last of the Stormcloak prisoners into the tallest tower.
'Good, she'll be safe enough for now.' Aldanon thought as he scanned the sky for his foe. 'Now where did Alduin get too?'
The thud of something massive striking stone above and behind him brought Aldanon whirling around just in time to see Alduin, clutching at the side of the tower like a massive bat, headbutt a hole through the side of it.
"YOL-" He inhaled mightily. "TOOR SHUL!"
A blast of fire erupted from his mouth and filled the inside of the tower with burning fury. Aldanon could just barely hear an agonized scream over the roar of the flames and the continuous thudding of fiery boulders around him.
'What's he doing? The only people in there are-' Aldanon broke off mid thought when he realized what Alduin was after. 'Risi!'
It stood to reason that if Aldanon could sense Dibella's Blessing on her then Alduin, a minor god in his own right, could as well which painted a rather tempting target on her back. It probably didn't help that Ulfric was there as well, his use of the Thu'um probably greatly incensing the First-Born of Akatosh.
Aldanon raised both his hands, crackling with eldritch energy, and unleashed a powerful thunderbolt that crashed against Alduin's flank. While the attack itself did little damage, more like none, the force behind it was nearly enough to dislodge Alduin and with a roar he sprang away from the tower and skimmed the nearby cliff, crimson eyes searching for the one who dared attack him.
Aldanon however had cast an invisibility spell almost as soon as the lightning left his fingertips and hugged the wall of the smallest tower behind him. He certainly wasn't afraid of Alduin despite the drake's obvious power and current invulnerability, he really wasn't all that impressive compared to the likes of Mehrunes Dagon or Jyggalag, but he was more concerned right now with Risi's and Ulfric's, admittedly to a lesser extent, well-being.
So while Alduin gave up searching and swooped off in favor of easier targets Aldanon focused on the tower once again...and breathed a sigh of relief when a red headed figure leaped out of it and into remains of the Hollybush.
She wasn't safe yet however and wouldn't be safe until he could chase Alduin away so, with that thought in mind, he peeled away from the wall and hopped over the fallen tree and back into the courtyard.
Once there he spun once around on his heel, scanning the sky once again for Alduin. Aldanon spotted the great dragon just as he landed...on the road on the other side of the Oblivion damned wall.
"YOL TOOR SHUL!"
He flinched as the fires bathed the area but held his ground as Alduin took flight once again, twisting and turning masterfully through the air to avoid the arrows and fireballs of the Imperial troops on the ground. It was an impressive display, if unnecessary considering they couldn't hurt him anyway, but it kept Aldanon from getting a good shot in.
'Have to wait for him to land again,' Aldanon thought. 'Hopefully where I can hit him this time.'
So he waited and watched as Alduin flew around wreaking havoc and destruction on the town and it's garrison. So focused on the dragon was he that Aldanon was caught completely off guard when someone grabbed him by the shoulder and forcibly turned him around.
"What in Oblivion are you-"
The speaker, a tall blond Nord clad in Stormcloak blue, stopped mid-sentence to stare cross-eyed at the finger pointed directly between them as it crackled ominously. Slowly Aldanon lowered his hand and the soldier relaxed enough to continue where he left off before he nearly got himself killed.
"What are you doing?" He said. "It's not safe to stand out here in the open like that!"
Aldanon scoffed as he turned back to his task, just in time to see Alduin take off yet again.
"I was trying to blast the damned dragon, you damn blasted idiot," he grumbled. "And you made me miss a perfect shot!"
Though Aldanon couldn't see it, seeing as he was ignoring the man, the soldier was giving him a confused and incredulous look but quickly shook it off in favor of surviving.
"I'm heading for the keep. it's the safest place with that...dragon flying around and if you're smart you'll go there too."
Aldanon blinked bemusedly as the soldier ran past him to the crumbled archway that once led to the keep and began clambering over the rubble.
'How...noble of him,' he thought, oddly touched that the man would take the time to worry about a complete stranger in this Oblivion spawned nightmare.
Still, the man did have a point. Everyone that wasn't actually fighting Alduin was likely making their way to the keep or fleeing into the surrounding wilderness via the gates...all three of which were on the opposite side of Helgen. Which also meant that Alduin was focusing his attention over there while Aldanon stood uselessly in the empty courtyard.
'Why won't Alduin play with me?' Aldanon whined exasperatedly as he followed after the soldier who had just cleared the top of the rubble.
Dashing over to it Aldanon reached the top in two quick bounds though he nearly stumbled right over it and onto his face as Alduin swooped down in a rush of air just above to snatch away a screaming Legionnaire and drop him to his death.
As Aldanon regained his footing his gaze settled on a rather tense confrontation taking place below him between the Noble Stormcloak and the Legionnaire With The List from earlier with Risi standing off to the side with her hands still bound.
"Ralof you damned traitor! Out of my way!" The Legionnaire was shouting.
"We're escaping, Hadvar!" Ralof retorted. "You're not stopping us this time!"
"Fine!" Hadvar spat. "I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"
"Come on, friend! Into the keep!" The Stormcloak shouted to Risi as he ran past her to the keep's lone watchtower.
"With me, prisoner! Let's go!" Hadvar shouted over his shoulder as he made his way to the barracks.
Risi looked back and forth between the two, obviously torn in her decision on who to go with. Personally Aldanon couldn't see why she was hesitating. While it was true that Hadvar had obviously stuck with her from sometime after she jumped into the Hollybush and now he hadn't taken a moment to cut her bindings with the perfectly sharp sword he carried and, worse yet in Aldanon's mind, he still referred to her as 'prisoner' despite knowing her name.
Ralof on the other hand, though also refusing to use Risi's name for some reason, was obviously an honorable sort as Aldanon could attest to and, better yet, seemed to think there was a bond between them as she almost went to her death alongside the Stormcloaks, likely for something that didn't warrant death. Assuming of course she'd done anything other than be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Her moment of indecision nearly cost her her life, for as she dawdled Alduin took that opportunity to crash heavily to the ground not more than twenty feet behind her, the tremors of his landing sending her stumbling to her knees.
"YOL-"
Aldanon leaped from the top of the rubble as Alduin spoke the first word that heralded his fiery breath attack, clearing more than half the distance between them in a single bound with a magical ward already half formed in one hand and lightning gathering in the other.
"TOR-"
To most people's perception Aldanon might have simply appeared in a blur of motion between Risi and Alduin, left hand outstretched to direct the glowing wall of protective energy between them and Alduin with the right held tight against his chest as it began to glow brightly from the amount of power Aldanon was pouring into the spell.
"SHUL!"
The flames lashed out at them, crossing the distance faster than most could blink, and crashed angrily against Aldanon's ward. A lesser ward would likely have broken under the strain and in fact most magic users probably wouldn't have the strength alone to produce a ward strong enough to hold back Alduin's fury. With the amount of power Aldanon was pumping into the spell however the flames were left to hiss, crackle and roar impotently a few feet away, doing little more than raising the temperature uncomfortably.
As the dragon fire continued to pour forth, Aldanon continued his own preparations for a counterattack. The lightning spell forming in his right hand was nearly blinding by now and nearly too strong for him to control properly with just one hand, arcs of energy occasionally escaping to score the ground around him and it took a considerable amount of concentration to keep them from lashing out at Risi.
All this effort to protect her would be somewhat pointless if he electrocuted her.
'Come on!' Aldanon grumbled mentally. 'Don't you need to breath or something?'
Almost like a switch being thrown the flames cut off, leaving a massive swath of scorched earth between him and Alduin. It was hard to tell but Aldanon was certain Alduin's scaly face twisted into a look of utter shock at the sight of his prey standing unscathed and the bright light being aimed at him.
"Run!" Aldanon commanded Risi as he used both hands to stabilize the lightning and pour even more power into it.
Her shock at being alive and at the towering figure, to her at least, that had saved her thankfully wasn't enough to override her common sense. She clambered back to her feet and, without looking back, dashed towards the keep tower and Ralof who looked nearly as shocked as she did.
Satisfied that she was finally out of true harms way Aldanon focused entirely on Alduin. The dragon god still wasn't interested in playing with him however, flapping his great wings once and then twice to lift himself up and take to the air again. Aldanon couldn't help but think that he made a marvelous target though and, adjusting his aim slightly, unleashed the pent up magic attack.
Rather than a bolt of lightning, a beam of almost pure white light with arcs of energy surrounding it lashed out at Alduin striking him dead center in the chest. Aldanon was certain he'd put enough power into that spell to blast a hole clean through one side of the nearby keep and out the other but naturally it was not very effective against the dragon god's protections.
While it didn't actually hurt him the sheer force of the attack flung the great dragon backwards through the air, smashing completely through the stone archway and crashing into the burning death trap house before finally coming to a stop against the wall on the other side.
Aldanon nodded in satisfaction as he admired his handiwork. There was very little else he could do to help the situation, his suspicions about just how little he could do against the dragon god proving all too true as he watched Alduin thrash about more from shock than anything. He would need whatever mysterious power Talos and Martin had hinted at to actually bring the scaly bastard down for good.
'My work here is done.' Aldanon thought smugly. 'Time to call it a day.'
With a wink to Risi as she dragged Ralof through the door and a mocking wave to Alduin, who was finally pulling himself out of the ruin of a house he'd found himself in, Aldanon fed his magicka into the nearby flames and, with appropriately dramatic hand gestures, caused them to rise up and obscure him from view.
When the fire finally died away, Aldanon was long gone.
A/N: There ya go! The airbrushed version of Chapter 2 for your reading enjoyment. Very little actually needed to be changed this time through, couple of misspellings that slipped past me and I changed the ending just a tad. Rereading it left me feeling that it fell kinda flat originally.
To recap: Aldanon did a little traveling, a little reminiscing and has taken the first steps on the path of destiny and affirmed that, although he himself is godlike in power, he can't take Alduin on head-on without the aid of Dragonrend (though he still doesn't even know that's what it's called or how to get it) to strip Alduin of his godly invulnerability.
Also introduced the first of several OC's that Aldanon will encounter as he travels from one end of Skyrim to the other: Risi Soul-Fang, one of the Blessed of Dibella. She'll pop up now and again as she goes through her own trials and tribulations in the harsh northern lands. The concept of her Blessing was something I cobbled together in very short order but it's an idea that I've become rather fond of since and have expanded far beyond it's humble beginnings, being more an attempt to replace Aldanon/the Dragonborn with someone else with a "destiny" in Skyrim and make them stand out in some way.
