"Mind telling me what in Talos' name you're doing in my room, let alone my bed?"

Lisara cringed away from the harsh tone of Vilkas' voice. Granted, the burly warrior hadn't exactly been overly friendly earlier, but there was true venom in his words now.

A light sheen of sweat broke out on her palms, and the chill in the air drifted across them as her heart pounded erratically in her chest. So hard, in fact, that she was sure it would break through her rib cage at any moment. Vilkas had her left hand pinned underneath his right, suspended above her head. He'd grabbed her right hand before he'd rolled over and now held it tightly in his grasp out to the side, her dagger poised in the air with the tip pointing away from his face.

In direct contrast to the panic she was feeling on the inside, her face was schooled into a neutral expression; her gaze on his unwavering one and her mouth slack. She could only hope that Vilkas didn't notice her inner turmoil for fear of him taking advantage of the situation.

Instead, a sly smile spread across her face and she responded, "Would you believe me if...I said I'd gotten lost and mistakenly thought your bed was mine?"

He sneered at her attempt at humor and spat, "If it hadn't been for your knife at my throat and that I distinctly remember locking my door, then perhaps. Try again, before I lose my patience."

A beat passed before an idea for a rather desperate way to escape hit her and she dropped the dagger in her hand, causing Vilkas to glance to the side.

In the split second that his attention was focused elsewhere, she channeled Paralysis in her now-empty hand and aimed the spell for his face. It hit him full force and she could feel his muscles begin to stiffen, his joints locking up. Before he could fall on her and pin her to the bed—Gods knew she wouldn't be able to push his body off of her; the man probably weighed over two stone—she rolled over, using her momentum to push him backwards onto the bed instead.

Her Night Eye spell was still active and she could see his eyes darting back and forth as he panicked, unable to see her in the darkness. She leaned down and grazed her mouth along the outer edge of his ear, whispering, "See you next time, Vilkas," before she leapt off the bed and stooped to pick up her dagger before sprinting over to the door.

Since Vilkas was currently incapacitated, she didn't have to worry about him getting up anytime soon and warning anyone. Slowly, she pulled open the door, trying to avoid alerting his fellow Companions, and stepped out into the hall. After grabbing her pack from where she'd left it across the way, she glanced in both directions before hurrying over to the staircase that led upstairs to the main area.

The grand fire that had been roaring in the hearth earlier had already been extinguished for the night, leaving only the waxen glow of the moon to illuminate her path. Night Eye was beginning to fade, lessening her ability to find her way, and she wanted to make it outside before it dissipated completely. She had used up most of her magicka on those two spells and she didn't particularly want to end up running into a chair.

As her fingers wrapped around the iron handle of the mead hall's front door, a low, silken voice called out to her from the shadows. "Is that our new recruit? Where are you off to this late at night?"

Lisara nearly jumped straight out of her skin and so as not to rouse suspicion, she turned at what she hoped was a normal pace before answering, "I forgot that I left my horse at the stables outside of the city. I was just going to let them know that I was staying here now, so I wouldn't be charged an exorbitant amount. Not carrying too many septims after all. You know how it goes."

The individual stepped into a ray of light and Lisara saw that it was the Dunmer she'd seen earlier on her way to Kodlak's room. He smiled, his red eyes reflecting the pale rays as he said, "Ah, yes. I completely understand. I am Athis, by the way. I didn't introduce myself earlier."

Her grasp on the door handle tightened as Lisara tried to refrain from bolting out into the night. "A pleasure, Athis. I'm sorry, but I want to hurry out to the stables. I'm sure we'll speak tomorrow, yes?"

"Oh, of course! Sorry to hold you up! Hopefully he doesn't charge you too much!" Athis replied, before waving and trotting over to the stairs.

As soon as his head had disappeared behind the banister, she shoved the heavy doors open and hopped down the stone steps two at a time, before sprinting through the Wind District, back towards the city's front gates. She ran down past the marketplace and heard a commotion from behind her, glancing over her shoulder to see that Jorrvaskr's windows were now lit from within.

Gods damn it all! Has he recovered already?! I forget how resilient Nords are!

As she neared the colossal tree that she'd admired earlier, she hastily cast Invisibility, using what little magicka she'd regained as she pushed herself to run faster. Her thighs burned in protest and she skidded to an abrupt halt in front of a seemingly abandoned house, just before the gates. With the alarm likely raised by now, there was no way she'd make it past the guards without them detaining her until her innocence could be proven. Considering the Companions had likely put two and two together already, having one of them come down to the gate to do the deed would not benefit her at all.

Frantically, she glanced around for a place to hide. She couldn't jump into the stream that cut across the district—it was far too shallow and she'd just end up with soggy robes. The markets were closed this late and she didn't want to break into an occupied home; it wasn't worth the effort if she'd likely be heard anyway, especially if the owners were still awake.

As her gaze flitted past the abandoned house that stood right beside her, she jerked her head back with a gasp. The door and windows had been boarded up, which indicated that the chances of someone owning it or looking for her there were slim to none. She crouched near the abode, torn between attempting to sneak past the guards or taking the easy way out and hiding out in the house until morning. When the sound of shouting and hastened footsteps neared, a spike of panic shot through her and she sprinted over to the window on the side of the home.

The decision had apparently been made for her.

She tried to pry the window open but it was either locked or the weathering of time had expanded the wood, rendering it incapable of being opened—whatever the case, it didn't budge. Swearing under her breath, she debated breaking open the pane so that she could unlatch it from the inside, but what if it wasn't actually locked? There's no way she'd be able to reach in and pull it up and she had no way of masking the sound.

With another panicked glance over her shoulder, she hurried to the back side of the house hoping there would be an additional door but of course, per her luck, there were two other windows.

Sithis, do you want this contract fulfilled or not?! Help me out!

Muttering under her breath about how it couldn't hurt to try opening one of these windows, Lisara walked up the one on the right and shrugged before placing her fingers under the lip and pulling upwards. She hadn't expected it to work but apparently, Sithis had heard her plea because the window slid open.

Thank you Dread-Father! I swear I will never doubt you again! Lisara thought as she climbed over the windowsill, an elated grin on her face.

She shut the window behind her as quickly as possible without slamming it, before turning to face the interior of the home. As she'd suspected, it was pitch black inside so she cast Night Eye once more and impatiently waited for her eyes to adjust.

The home was filthy. It was definitely abandoned and from the looks of it, had been for quite some time. Wasn't there anyone in charge of keeping it up to snuff, though? Then again, that was coming from an assassin who lived in an underground cavern. She wasn't really one to talk.

She snuck across the empty room, her footsteps silent on the dilapidated floorboards, and crouched underneath the window at the front of the house, peeking up and over the sill. The window had wooden details criss-crossing over the pane and it was frosted, so all she could see were dark, blurry shapes rushing by; it was impossible to identify any of them.

All she could do now was wait until they stopped searching for her within the city.

With gentle steps, she turned away from the window and climbed the rickety stairs to the second level, figuring there'd be a bedroom of sorts at the top. The first room she wandered into was empty and rather small with no furniture, so she crept back out of that one and across the hall to the only other room upstairs.

Thank the Nine.

A single piece of furniture resided in the second room: a bed. The posts were dusted with cobwebs and the frame looked like it would collapse under a heavier person but luckily, Lisara was petite.

Brushing her hand across the moth-eaten blanket and coughing at the dust that had been kicked up, she then gingerly laid down atop the comforter and sighed as her eyes slid shut.

Her slumber was thankfully too short to be plagued with her usual unpleasant dreams. However blissful it might've been though, it was cut short by broad, insistent hands shaking her awake. When she jerked her eyes open, Vilkas' large form loomed over her, his pale eyes narrowed and his lip curled up in a sneer.

"There you are! I knew you couldn't have gotten far, what with your horse still at the stables. Get up!" he shouted at her.

"Take your hands off of me and maybe I could!" she yelled back as she tried to swat his hands away, her voice hoarse due to her rather unorthodox awakening.

"Like I'm going to let you have free use of your hands. I've seen a little too personally how that ends. Quickly now, on your feet!" he demanded, wrapping his arms around her slender biceps and tugging forcefully.

"By the Nine, you're demanding!" she exclaimed as she scrambled off of the bed, falling to her knees as he pulled her weight before she could extend her legs out from under her.

When Vilkas went to pull her to her feet, Lisara swept her leg out to the side and knocked him to floor. He hit the wooden boards with a resounding thud and grunted as she sped off towards the bedroom door. She hadn't gone more than a step when his fingers wrapped around her ankle and he tugged, pulling her back down to the ground to join him.

The air whooshed out of her lungs when she hit the floor and he yanked her towards him, straddling her waist with his massive thighs. She squirmed beneath him and tried to crawl away, only to have him pin her arms underneath his palms, causing her chin to thump against the flooring. His heavy hand pressed against the side of her head and she winced at the pressure.

"To the Jarl with you," Vilkas spat as he dragged her up and out of the bedroom. He pulled her body in front of him and practically shoved her down the stairs.

"Oh, I'm important enough to warrant a visit to the Jarl now?" Lisara said snidely in response, the side of her nose pulling up in annoyance.

Once they'd reached the first floor, Vilkas grabbed both of her hands and gathered them back behind her body, grasping them tightly within his own enormous palm.

"Murder is an offense in Skyrim," he returned, his tone icy.

"Really? I wasn't aware. Besides, I didn't succeed so technically I haven't murdered you," she rebutted.

"None of your sarcasm, assassin. I want silence from you until we get to Dragonsreach," Vilkas said as he shoved the door open and pushed her out into the harsh sunlight.

Lisara scrunched her eyes closed, the bright rays of light blinding her and sending little stars flying across the inside of her eyelids. Vilkas pushed her again, causing her to stumble, and she opened her eyes before acquiescing to his request and putting one foot in front of the other.

"Do you manhandle all of your women like this?" she mumbled.

"No, just the ones who try to kill me."

She hummed in amusement as they traveled up the stone steps and into the Wind District. Her eyes traveled upwards and upwards...and upwards still until they rested upon the very tip of Dragonsreach's eaves, high above the Wind District.

The lofty wooden beams were tucked into the wispy clouds that drifted through the sky. She'd heard people say that the Cloud District was aptly named because of how high the Reach rose above the other districts. Considering Lisara could see for herself that it was in fact, up in the clouds, she was inclined to agree with popular opinion.

Before one could get to Dragonsreach, they had to climb an abominable amount of steps and she groaned aloud at the thought. Her vocal displeasure prompted Vilkas to push her towards the first step and she rolled her eyes at him, glad that he couldn't see her face.

They'd ascended the first set of steps but once they'd reached the first landing, the sound of clanking armor reached their ears and they both glanced up, looking for the source. A female Dunmer and a pair of armored guards were racing down towards them, their swords drawn and shields at the ready.

Vilkas murmured, "What in the…"

They came to a stop just in front of the pair and the Dunmer glanced up, her eyes moving past Lisara to look at Vilkas; her lips were pressed into a thin line and her red eyes were wild with panic. "Vilkas! Come with us, we could use your help!"

"Irileth, what is going on?" Vilkas pressed.

"I'll explain on the way! Come!" the elf, who was apparently named Irileth, demanded before she and the soldiers brushed past them and continued down the stairs.

Vilkas watched them go, his forehead creased and his mouth gaping open slightly. His eyes met Lisara's and she shrugged before saying, "Sounds important. I imagine the Jarl would have bigger problems on his hands right now than little old me…"

He grunted in response and turned to look in the direction of the soldiers. Irileth looked back up at them once they'd reached the bottom of the steps and waved her hand at Vilkas, beckoning for them to follow.

"Shor's bones, what terrible timing. Fine. We're going to help," Vilkas said forcefully, as he dragged Lisara down the stairs with him.

"You're trusting me to come along and not kill you, in the midst of a chaotic battle?" Lisara asked, her eyebrow raised.

"It's better than trusting you to stay put. I doubt I'd come back to find you waiting, like a good little pet," he replied.

She snorted at the visual of her obediently waiting for Vilkas' return. "If you're letting me come with you, I advise letting go of my hands. I can't exactly help if things go south with bound wrists, can I? Plus I doubt you'd be of much use if you had to hang onto to me the entire time."

Vilkas' tight grip relaxed at her statement and he released her hands, staring her down with his striking eyes. She didn't know if it was their remarkable color or his war paint but there was something about his concentrated glare that made her squirm—not many could do that.

"I won't hesitate to strike you down if you do anything suspicious," he threatened.

Lisara rubbed the soreness out of her wrists before nodding in agreement. Vilkas returned the gesture and sped off down the steps after Irileth, who had continued on to the front gate. When she saw that the two of them had decided to join up, she pushed open the door and rushed through it, Vilkas and Lisara right on her heels.

Irileth and her guards hopped onto their steeds and raced off down the path that led out of Whiterun. The only horse left was Shadowmere and Vilkas stared up at the stallion, his hesitance written all over his tense posture. The man's gaze lingered on the horse's beady, crimson eyes and he shuddered before shaking his head vehemently.

"Well get on then, big strong man," Lisara goaded.

Vilkas turned and glared at her, his hands on his hips. "This is your horse? An apt stallion for a dark and twisted individual like yourself."

"Oh please, he's a sweetheart. Don't be a chicken," she teased before placing her foot in the stirrup and pulling herself up into the saddle.

When she leaned down with her hand extended to Vilkas, he crossed his arms over his chest and said, "I don't ride behind someone like some...some milk drinker."

Lisara shrugged and grabbed Shadowmere's reins. "Fine, walk then," she stated as she nudged the horse into a slight trot.

"Wait, wait! I swear to Talos, if this weren't an emergency…" he muttered before gripping the pommel and swinging his leg over the stallion's body, settling in behind Lisara.

When she didn't immediately take off, he commanded, "Go!"

Lisara rolled her eyes again at his assertiveness before she snapped Shadowmere's reins and they were off, dust flying up behind them. In no time at all, they'd caught up to Irileth and her soldiers, who were racing off towards the west.

The heavy sound of multiple hooves pounding against the ground filled the air around them. The dry underbrush of the plains surrounding Whiterun flew past them as they headed in the direction of a stone watchtower just over the next hill.

Lisara maneuvered Shadowmere beside Irileth and Vilkas looked over at the Dunmer. "Irileth! What in Talos' name is happening?!" he shouted, his eyes frantic.

They were traveling so fast, the dark strands of his hair were whipping in the wind behind him and he gripped Lisara's waist tightly as they neared their destination.

"A dragon has been sighted, heading straight for us! We've got to stop it before it lays waste to the city!" Irileth yelled back, her gaze trained on the watchtower.

Lisara's head snapped around and she stared at the elf incredulously. "Did you say a dragon?!"

Irileth nodded and pointed ahead of her. Lisara and Vilkas followed her finger up into the air where off in the far distance, a black speck floated, nearly hidden among the clouds. Vilkas shook his head and tightened his grip around Lisara's waist again.

"Dragons are...they're not real! At least, not anymore," he mumbled in Lisara's ear.

Dragons in Skyrim? Vilkas is right—they're not real. They're in tales of old, the kind that old grandmothers tell their grandsons about the way things used to be, she thought as she gripped the reins tighter in her hands. Irileth has to be mistaken…

In an attempt to disguise her shaking fingers, she glancing over her shoulder at Vilkas and taunted, "Are you scared, Vilkas?"

"Scared? You offend me, woman! I've killed one of everything in Skyrim. This is a welcome challenge, legendary beast or not!" he retorted.

She laughed in disbelief at his enthusiasm and snapped Shadowmere's reins, urging him to move faster.

Once they neared the crumbling stone structure, they halted and quickly clambered off of their mounts. Irileth ran over to the few guards who were already waiting and Lisara and Vilkas trailed after her.

"Men! Be prepared! We know nothing about dragons nor how to defeat them. Stay on your guard!" she bellowed, her eyes watching the speck in the sky.

"Is she serious then?" Lisara whispered, leaning over towards Vilkas.

"I hope not. Look, it's getting bigger," Vilkas replied, pointing up into the sky again.

He was right. The dark speck that had seemed so small when they were racing towards the tower was indeed bigger now, its size seeming to increase with every passing second. After a minute had passed, it looked to be about as big as a large eagle and Lisara was able to see its wings flapping in the wind.

"Are you sure it's not just a bird, Irileth?" Lisara called out in jest.

Irileth turned and glared at Lisara, her crimson eyes narrowed in distaste. "I don't think a mere bird can wipe out Helgen. I suppose that makes you an expert on identifying dragons then, does it?"

"Touchy," Lisara mumbled under her breath.

"Lisara, I don't...I don't think that's a…" Vilkas trailed off, his normally tan skin fading into a sickly pale shade.

"What has you so worried?" Lisara said before turning back towards the speck.

Only it was no longer a speck. It was far larger than any bird she'd ever seen and she took an instinctive step back as the shape grew even more massive in size with every passing second as it neared.

"What in-" she began to say, only to be interrupted by an earth-shaking, ear-shattering roar. She clapped her hands over her ears and immediately crouched low to the ground, while Vilkas' hand shot up to grip the handle of his sword.

Irileth drew her weapon, prompting the guards around them to do the same. As she ran to take cover underneath a large, outcropping of rock, she shouted, "DRAGON!"

The guards scrambled for cover of their own and Lisara and Vilkas rushed up the broken stone ramp and into the crumbling tower. With another deafening bellow from the dragon, the ground rumbled beneath their feet and Lisara stumbled, catching herself on Vilkas' arm. He pulled her up by her elbow and pointed at the stairs that led upwards.

"There! Perhaps we can get a good vantage point at the top!" he shouted, his eyes wide.

She nodded and they raced up the steps, Lisara right on Vilkas' heels. Out of nowhere, the tower exploded inwards, stone chunks raining down upon them. A piece nicked Lisara on the cheek and she brushed it aside, feeling moisture on her fingertips. Vilkas faltered and pushed her a couple of steps backwards as the dragon's snout pushed into the tower, through the hole it had just created.

The air thickened and a blistering heat wave rolled through the gaping hole before Vilkas shouted, "GET DOWN!"

A torrent of molten fire came shooting out of the dragon's mouth, the blast so hot that Lisara could feel the hairs on her forearm burning off. When the dragon pulled its snout out of the opening and backed away from the tower, Vilkas turned and shoved Lisara away from him.

"Move! Move! Back down to the ground!" he yelled, gesturing frantically at the wooden door that led back out onto the plains.

She jumped past the remaining four stairs and bolted to the door, yanking it open so hard that it pounded against the stone wall behind it. The duo sped down the ramp, their mouths agape when they saw that the guards had already engaged the dragon, their bows drawn and their arrows flying through the air.

Lisara's chest heaved up and down as she fought to catch her breath. She craned her neck upwards, her gaze following the dragon as it circled through the air. Vilkas reached over his shoulder and drew his broadsword with a grim expression on his face, his normally full lips tightened into a thin line.

"Never would have thought I'd live to see a dragon," he mumbled.

She leaned over and nudged him in the arm as she spoke. "Consider yourself lucky, eh? How many people get to say they killed a dragon?"

"That all depends on whether we live to tell the tale," Vilkas stated, raising his sword over his head before pointing the tip at the dragon, who was descending quickly.

"FOR YSGRAMOR!" he bellowed as he rushed into the fray.

Lisara watched him go and drew her daggers, pressing the cold steel against her lips. Dread Father watch over me, Night Mother guide my blade, she prayed before sprinting after him, an intense shout escaping from her mouth.

The enormous scaled creature landed in front of Vilkas, its considerable weight sending tremors radiating through the ground below their boots. Vilkas stumbled at the movement but quickly regained his balance and slashed at the dragon's legs, causing the beast to roar in pain. It clawed at him but he jumped backwards and parried with an agile strike to the dragon's snout.

When it swung its snout to the side in an attempt to knock Vilkas over, he ducked and rolled away from it, allowing Irileth to shoot an arrow into the creature's eye. The dragon reared back and screeched, its wings spreading wide before it took off into the air again.

"We need to get it back down onto the ground!" Lisara shouted over the thunderous sound of wings flapping.

"Agreed! Can you shoot a bow?" Irileth yelled.

Lisara nodded and Irileth handed her bow and quiver over, pulling her own longsword from its scabbard at her waist. The Dunmer pointed at the ramp they'd come from earlier and instructed, "See if you can irritate it enough with arrows to get it to land again!"

Lisara about-faced and hurried back over to the ramp, climbing it hastily and nocking an arrow as she turned and searched the skies for the dragon. She spotted it off in the distance as it circled back around, getting ready to swoop down on them. As it neared, she could see that it had its mouth wide open, the orange glow of an impending stream of fire growing deep in its throat.

"TAKE COVER! It's about to release fire!" she cried out, lifting the bow and taking aim.

Once the beast was within range, she let loose a rapid succession of arrows, each one hitting their mark and burying themselves in the dragon's hide. Thanks to her warning, most of the guards had hidden underneath the outcropping of rock, Vilkas and Irileth among them.

When fire rained down upon the field, none of them were hit and the dragon lifted off again, trying to gain its height advantage back. All of the archers opened fire and the creature's shrill cry of pain resounded through the air as it fell back to the ground with a massive shockwave.

The soldiers rushed forward and struck the dragon, their sharpened blades leaving crimson trails behind on the beast's vulnerable underbelly. It tried to stand on its feet to take off again but Vilkas slashed at the membrane of its wing, causing it to buckle and sway sideways. Irileth mirrored his tactic and chopped at the bone of its other wing, rendering it flightless and giving the men on the ground the upper hand.

Lisara dropped Irileth's bow and leapt off the ramp, racing forward with her daggers drawn. Using her momentum, she dropped to the ground as she neared the dragon and slid underneath its elongated neck, carving deep grooves into its flesh. She emerged on the other side and rolled to her feet, sheathing one of her daggers and channeling Frostbite, releasing the spell once it reached the height of concentration.

Snowflakes and a biting gust of wind shot forth from her palm and struck the dragon right in the face, causing it to turn away and howl in distress. Now that it was distracted, she turned to Vilkas and shouted, "Now Vilkas! Take it down!"

He nodded and grabbed onto one of the dragon's horns, swinging himself up and onto its spiky head. With a mighty cry, he lifted his broadsword above his head and brought it plunging down into the dragon's skull. The beast's gigantic head thudded to the ground below, its eyes empty and unfocused as it faded into the Void.

Vilkas hopped down from atop the dragon, sheathing his weapon and making his way over to Lisara, who had straightened and now stood with her warm eyes fixated on the dragon's corpse.

With disbelief written all over her face, she shook her head and mumbled, "I still can't believe it was real."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Now I really can say I killed one of everything in Skyrim," he jested.

Lisara rolled her eyes at his nonchalant attitude, wondering how he could retain a sense of humor even now, especially after what had happened between them earlier that day and what they'd just gone through together.

She opened her mouth to say exactly that to him when the dragon began to glow from the inside out, its scales seeming to melt off its body and disappearing into the air. As it slowly began to dissolve, a loud boom echoed around them and luminous streaks of gold shot out from the dragon, heading straight for Vilkas and Lisara.

Her eyes widened with fright and she quickly reached out, placing her hands against Vilkas' chest and shoving him aside as hard as she could.

"Look out!"

A/N: Hehehe, don't kill me for the cliffhanger! Besides, it's not like you guys don't know what's coming, right?

Many thanks to Order and Chaos, StarryNight101, lissa regan 6, RavenclawHunterfromGallifrey22, Writer of Worlds, Kage Vermiculus, interceptor1997, and mia78 for the reviews! Wow that was a long list. I can't even begin to tell you guys how much I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to leave a note! Also, I am forever grateful to those of you who favorited and followed this story. It means so much to me that you care enough to continue reading!

As always, thanks to Nightlain and StarryNight101 for beta-reading! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!