Chapter Three
Hrodun was expecting the Redguard to look surprised, or angry, or just plain solemn, but Hrodun wasn't expecting laughter.
"Oh, oh that's funny." The Redguard managed through all the laughter. "I think I'd know if I was gone three hundred years. Now could you please direct me to Whiterun."
"I'm being serious. The current year is 4E 504. You disappeared in 4E 202." Hrodun said slowly, hoping to not get laughed at again. It really made him mad. Fortunately, this dense Redguard, no, the dense Dragonborn, was starting to get it.
"So, I've been gone for three hundred years, and just when did the Akaviri invade?" The Dragonborn asked. Hrodun thought back to his childhood.
"The First Invasion happened when I was ten, so it was thirty years ago. Falkreath was destroyed, and Riften cut off all ties with everyone. I think they wanted to get ignored, and so far it's worked."
"So, who leads Riften now?" The Dragonborn asked.
"Oh, it's not Riften now." Hrodun laughed at the thought. "It's now Black-Briar City."
"WHAT?" The Dragonborn shouted. Not Shouted, but shouted. Sisa stuck her head out the window, looking at Hrodun with worry. Hrodun waved her off and turned back to the Dragonborn.
"The city is currently led by Morgan Black-Briar, a young woman who cares more about the next person to share her bed than her own city." Hrodun explained.
"Alright, so when did the Second Invasion happen?" The Dragonborn asked.
"Ten years after the first. We're currently in the middle of the Third Invasion, which started in High Rock. We've managed to keep them out of Skyrim, but the Bretons didn't hold up." Hrodun said solemnly, thinking of his friend Marcus who had died in a battle in High Rock.
"Um . . . um . . . What about the Companions?" The Dragonborn asked quickly.
"They were exposed as werewolves about a hundred and twenty years ago, and have been on the run ever since. I don't know if they still exist."
"The Thieves Guild?"
"Working for Morgan Black-Briar as her personal espionage unit."
"The Legion?"
"Pulled back to Cyrodil."
"The Dawnguard?"
"I don't know what that is."
"The Blades?"
"Had themselves a civil war, and all died."
"The College of Winterhold?" This question gave Hrodun a quick fit of laughter.
"Two madmen who like to throw lightning bolts at passing travellers." He explained to the confused Redguard. The Dragonborn went back to thinking, but his face stayed downcast.
"If none of my allies are still existing, what about my enemies? The Thalmor?"
"Working with the Akaviri. In exchange for leaving the Summerset Isles alone, and because the Akavir promised to crush Skyrim." Hrodun explained.
"The Dark Brotherhood? I know I killed them off, but they always seem to survive." The Dragonborn muttered angrily.
"Same with the Thalmor, working with the Akaviri as their personal assassins. Their reasons are because they were almost destroyed in Skyrim, Skyrim should feel the same pain."
"Great" Was all the Dragonborn said." Then Sisa stuck her head back out the window.
"Boys! Dinner!" She called before zipping back in. At the mention of food the Redguard's stomach rumbled.
"Gods, I'm hungry." He said happily, but before he could go Hrodun grabbed his shoulder.
"First, tell me your name." He demanded.
"Uh, it's Areus. Why do you ask?" The Dragonborn asked back.
"I think I would want to know the name of my ancestor." Hrodun said before smiling and heading towards the house, leaving a slack-jawed Dragonborn behind him."
"WHAT?" Areus yelled for the second time today. But the big Nord was already gone. Hrodun was his name, Areus remembered just at that moment. Rushing after Hrodun, Areus accidentally slammed into the door just as it closed. This caused him to fall over and slam onto the hard floor. Areus rolled over and glared at Hrodun, who appeared to be having a hard time holding in his laughter. The mother however, looked shocked, as did the daughter. The creepy little boy simply stared.
"What do you mean, ancestor?" Areus demanded angrily. Then the mother looked up at the Nord and also demanded "Ancestor?".
"Not now Sisa. Just, let me handle this." Hrodun asked quietly. Huh. I guess Nords can be quiet. Areus thought. Hrodun motioned to the young girl, his daughter, Areus remembered. Then the mother, Sisa, took the creepy little boy out of the room. By this time Areus had already picked himself up.
"An explanation, please." Areus said. The girl also looked at Hrodun expectantly.
"Alright." Hrodun sighed. "Your daughter, Lucia, is my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother. Over time, the line became all Nordic. I have a bit of Imperial in me, I don't know about Redguard though." Hrodun said, speaking of Areus's own species. This was hitting Areus hard. he remembered the woman whom he had loved in his twenties. Her name was Luna Tharn, and he had loved her dearly. Lucia had been born after they had been married for two years. Unfortunately for both Areus and Lucia, Luna had found a large Nord whom she quite literally ran off with, leaving a poor Areus, whose only expertise was farming, with a baby girl to care for. That had started Areus's career as a sellsword, because farming couldn't cut it. This had led to him being hired by the Stormcloaks, which in turn led to Helgen.
"Who did Lucia marry? If I get back, I want to make sure I can kick their ass if they mistreat her." Areus said angrily. Hrodun laughed at that, and muttered something about 'Rexus too.'
"Lucia married Lars Battle-Born. That started the Nord heritage." Hrodun explained.
"Lars? Please tell me he grew some backbone when he got older." Areus groaned.
"Don't worry. Lars is remembered as a great warrior, who single handedly destroyed a massive bandit group plaguing Whiterun." Hrodun said. This left Areus stunned. Lars Battle-Born, always being picked on by Braith, destroyed a bandit group by himself! It was almost too much to believe.
"Good on Lars. Now, can you tell me where the seat of power in Skyrim is?" Areus asked, knowing he would need to figure out what had happened to him.
"Solitude." Hrodun said. Of course. Solitude. Areus thought.
"Wait. Dad." Vala said, not really expecting her to be heard. However, Hrodun had always been perceptive, and he had actually heard her.
"What is it darling?" He asked, kneeling so that they were eye to eye. That was how short Vala was compared to her father.
"So, what you two are saying is that this guy, whom we found in the forest, is Areus, the Harbinger of the Companions, Saviour of Skyrim and Solstheim, Arch-Mage of the Mages College and Master of the Thieves Guild? You believe this without proof?" As Vala spoke, her father's gaze turned from, well, fatherly to suspicious.
"She's right." Hrodun said suddenly, standing tall and turning to the Redguard. "What proof do you have that you are actually the Dragonborn?" This question finally made the Redguard smile, and he sucked in a deep breath.
"FUS!" The Redguard shouted, and a wave of blue energy flew out of his mouth and struck Hrodun, knocking him back. Stunned, Vala stared at the Redguard, an apology forming in her mouth.
"Hi. My name's Areus, and I'm the Dragonborn." The Redguard, Areus, said smugly. Then he uttered a quiet swear. "Gods, it sounds so weird when I say it out loud." This brought a smile to Vala's lips, and she stifled a giggle. Then another thought came to Vala, and she had to cover up another laugh.
"You know, if you want to eat dinner you should take your armour off. Mother will freak if you sit down with it on." Vala advised. Areus looked down at his intimidating red and black armour, before grinning and rushing into another room. Soon enough, he was back out in a belted tunic and a nice pair of boots. Her mother had made her best dish, seared slaughterfish with a honey-nut treat on the side. Her father passed around milk for Sven and Vala, while he and Sisa had their own mead. Hrodun was about to offer one to Areus, but Areus had already pulled his own bottle out of the satchel that was always on him.
"Honningbrew mead. From my time." he explained. Hrodun wasn't offended, and the meal began. However, Vala didn't immediately eat. She simply watched the Redguard devour everything in front of him. Her mother as well was surprised at Areus's appetite. It was only after every last crumb had been eaten that Areus noticed that everyone was staring.
"Sorry, going through a time portal makes me hungry." He explained sheepishly. Then he saw the stunned looks.
"I just figured it out." Areus explained further. "It's the same thing that happened to Alduin. The Tongues used an Elder Scroll to banish Alduin, but it only sent him ahead in time. That's what Tosh Raka did to me. Only I came out in three hundred years, not a thousand." Areus laughed at his own joke, but Vala thought his theory actually made sense. It was then that she realized Sven was gone.
"Sven? Where'd you go?" She nearly screeched. Her mother and father both began looking, but Areus simply sniffed the air.
"What are you doing?" Vala asked, starting to panic.
"I might have given up the Beast Blood, but I still have the senses of a werewolf." Areus explained. There had been a lot of explaining today, Vala thought dimly as she watched the Redguard follow a trail, his axe out. Vala didn't remember him having it when he came out for dinner, but so be it.
"That's . . . odd." Areus mumbled.
"What is it?" Hrodun asked.
"I was following the scent of young Nord, but right here it becomes the smell of ice and snow, and rags."
"But . . . but . . . that sounds like a Kamal. A snow demon. Why would one be here?" Sisa said, starting to panic at the thought of her son being in the presence of a snow demon.
"Yeah, you're really gonna hate me now." Areus mumbled again.
"Why?" Hrodun asked suspiciously, gripping the Redguard's shoulder.
"There's also a snake's scent, and from what you told me, I can only assume that means the snake men."
"Tsaesci." Hrodun breathed, now sounding very, very afraid to Vala. It was then that a rumbling roar came from over the crest of a hill.
"That's where the scent leads." Areus said, pointing to where the roar came from.
"Come on!" Hrodun shouted, pulling his sword off the wall and rushing to the hill, Areus behind him. Vala and her mother followed as well, but far back. Areus and her father ran over the hill and out sight, and following that, there came the sounds of hissing. By the time Vala and Sisa made it to the top of the hill, her father and Areus were already confronting two Tsaesci. They were even more terrifying than her father had told her. Each ten feet tall, they had retractable fangs as long as Vala's leg. They had dark green scales, and were pretty much giant snakes, if not for the two muscled arms coming from their sides and the almost human voices emanating from the massive maws.
"Human filth. You shall taste excellent." The Tsaesci said in union.
"I'd say the same, but I really don't want to eat giant snake man things." Areus taunted, swinging his axe aggressively. It was then that Vala heard booming laughter. Then Sven walked past the two monsters to stop in front of Hrodun.
"Sven! Get over here!" Hrodun hissed, sounding almost like the two Tsaesci.
"No." Was all Sven said. But then his small body bulged, growing far taller than the snakes. His skin became jagged and appeared to be made of ice. His face was just two glowing eyes on a large spike of ice. Sven . . . was a Kamal.
"Tosh Raka sends his regards, Descendant of Dragonborn, and hopes you like his spell. Now die." The Kamal rumbled before attacking. Thankfully, it didn't get more than two paces before fire billowed from Areus's hands. The Kamal literally melted before her eyes. Vala was in shock, as was her mother. But it was nothing compared to her father. Hrodun fell to his knees as the waters of what used to be his son slid into him.
"No . . ." He mumbled before a Tsaesci zipped forwards, ripping his head clean from the body. Blood flew as if from a fountain, and what was left of Hrodun was gobbled up by the monsters. Areus simply stood there in horror. However, Sisa did not. Screaming curses of all sorts, she rushed at the Tsaesci with the only weapon she had: A kitchen knife. Sisa managed to get close enough, and stabbed the knife into the trunk of one snake. She was promptly torn to bits. The snakes moved faster than Vala's eye could follow. But her eye wasn't following them. Her eyes were locked on what remained of her family, little bits of flesh, water, blood and ice scattered around. Dimly, she heard a loud noise, and saw Areus rushing at the snakes. No. Vala thought. Not him too. The snakes laughed at the human charging at them, until both they and Vala realized that Areus was moving faster than any human, almost as fast as the snakes themselves. One Tsaesci seemed to take this as a personal insult, and rushed at Areus. Areus leapt into the air, bringing his axe down just as the Tsaesci pounced. Both of them fell to the ground, and Vala gasped. Was he dead? But then Areus rose, ripping his axe out of the head of the Tsaesci.
"You're next." He growled at the last monster. However, the Shout that had made him so fast had worn off. The Tsaesci took extreme advantage in this, swiping it's claws across Areus's chest. Areus flew backwards, propelled by the force of the snake's blow.
"That's it, no more Mr. Living Snake." Areus grumbled as he picked himself up. Thankfully, the Tsaesci's claws hadn't been out, so Areus was just bruised. Leaping at the monster, Areus roared a battle cry. Then he flew right into the outstretched mouth of the monster.
"NO!" Vala cried, watching the last survivor die. The Tsaesci heard her however, and slowly slithered towards her.
"Cheer up, human. Sorrow always tastes bad." It hissed at her. But then it gagged, and a large amount of blood flew out of it's mouth.
"NOOO! WHAT ISSSS THISSS?" It screamed, before the white blade of Areus's axe ripped out of it's stomach, and cleared a big enough hole for Areus himself. As the creature fell to the ground, dead, Areus went to grab his axe. Only to realize that all that was left was the blade.
"Damn snakes. My favourite axe!" He growled again, kicking the dead body. But then his head snapped up, and began sniffing madly.
"We need to leave. There are more coming. Idiots, coming from upwind." He explained, grabbing Vala's arm and rushing off with her.
