I awoke on the shores of the island that Castle Volkihar was situated on. I looked over the bridge and was tempted to go back in, but my better judgment took hold of me and I walked slowly, as I was sore, to the rowboat moored to the dock. I untied the mooring rope from the dock and got into the boat. I quickly downed a stamina potion to help me not be so sluggish and started rowing. I reached the Icewater Jetty by night fall and I grabbed my pack and looked for a place to set up camp, preferably away from the Thalmor at Northwatch Keep. I couldn't stand the Thalmor at all, self-righteous supremacist pricks. They were worse than the Stormcloaks. I found a small rocky overhang a bit south-east of Northwatch Keep and Icewater Jetty. I sat my pack down and gathered some dead wood that was nearby. Once I got a fire going I rolled out my bedroll and heated up some beef to eat.
After eating ravenously as I was quite hungry, I laid down on my bedroll as a storm raged outside the overhang. The pattering of the rain made it quite easy for me to fall asleep.
I looked around at the ruins of my home, Lakeview Manor, on the shores of Lake Ilinalta. The ruins were smoking, the fire had died down but it was still going strong enough that I was almost choking on the smoke. Dead bodies were laying around, several vampires, their thralls, and death hounds included. My steward Faendal was also dead. I looked over at my housecarl, Rayya.
"Rayya, get over to Falkreath. Stay back in the Jarls Longhouse until I come get you to come back here." I said and she nodded and started off down the main road towards Falkreath. I went to work and pulled the bodies of the vampires, their thralls, and the death hounds into a pile after looting them of any gold. "YOL" I shouted and the bodies caught fire like dry kindling. As the corpses burned, I grabbed a shovel from the garden area and started to dig a grave for Faendal. Once the grave was dug to a reasonable depth I made him a crude casket and set him in it. I lowered the casket into the ground and found a decent sized smooth stone from the river. After carving a small epitaph into the stone and setting it at the grave, I picked up my pack.
I had heard some guards down in Falkreath talking about the Dawnguard. I decided to go there and join up. I sighed and saddled my horse. "Fort Dawnguard, here I come" I muttered, my breath clouding the air in front of me in the frigid winter air. I rode off to the east to go and find the Dawnguard to join up.
I woke up in the morning to find that the storm had let up and while the sky was still overcast, it was no longer storming and I yawned as I got up. Hopefully I get to Solitude by the end of the day. I started out and stopped as I was nearing the Thalmor embassy when I heard the all too familiar roar of a dragon above me. I drew my sword and tilted my head where the dragon was hovering above me.
"JOOR ZAH FRUL!" I shouted and my thu'um struck the dragon full-force causing a bluish-white aura to appear around the dragon. The dragon roared out in pain and flew up the road a bit before landing. I ran after it and found it terrorizing a mercenary. I laughed as the mercenary, a mage by the looks of him, threw up a ward to block the blasted dragon fire. I ran at the dragon and slashed its wings, at the tender tendons at the joint and it roared out in pain. I sheathed my sword as it tried to take off and pulled out my crossbow and nocked a bolt to it. I aimed and fired and hit the same joint I had slashed with my sword. Roaring out in pain again, it flew east a bit before crashing. I ran, the mercenary looking shocked, towards the where the dragon crashed. I pulled my sword out again and walked towards it slowly.
"YOL TOOR" the dragon shouted at me, I stepped out of the way quickly. My cloak got singed but I shrugged it off as I approached the wounded dragon. I gripped my sword to the point that my knuckles were white and as it went to bite me, I stabbed upward the ebony sinking into its flesh easily as a hot knife through butter. I pulled my sword out quickly as the dragon's mouth slammed shut and it went limp. I walked out away and down the path as I felt the soul of the deceased dragon go into me. By the time I reached Solitude it was nearing night and the guards were preparing to close the gates until morning. One of them spotted me coming and made sure the gates were still open so I could go through. I thanked the guard and tossed him a small coin pouch and I went to the Winking Skeever, Solitudes most well-known inn, but definitely not the only inn as down alley-ways and in seedy side streets were other less known and rougher inns.
I sat at the bar of the inn and sighed. By the Nine, it was a rough day and night. I looked at Corpulus Vinius, the Imperial owner of the inn.
"Hello, Corpulus." I said grinning a bit, remembering the story behind the name of the inn.
"Hello, Vladimir. What can I get you?" he asked
I thought about it for a moment and ordered some beef stew, some ale, and a room for the night. I turned over the required number of septims and waited as the food came. The local bard, a woman named Lisette began to sing The Dragonborn Comes. I listened as she sang and drank my ale.
Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart.
I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes.
With a voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art,
Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes.
It's an end to the evil, of all Skyrim's foes.
Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes.
For the darkness has passed and the legend yet grows,
You'll know, you'll know the Dragonborn comes.
The song generally gave me a headache after a while but to hear it tonight was rather refreshing. It showed that some people haven't forgotten what I did for them. Corpulus tapped me on the shoulder and put a bowl of beef stew on the counter, I turned around and ate it greedily. I bid him goodnight and went up to the room I rented out. I closed and locked the door and put my pack down, I took off my tunic and yawned before falling onto the bed and closing my eyes.
