Hello! New chapter's here, and with it, the end of the first arc. Fair warning: kleenex may be needed near the end...
Interlude: Balgruuf
Music tracks: Lindblum Castle, Final Fantasy IX – Cereza, Bayonetta – Time, Inception
§ § §
"So, you managed to kill the dragon."
"Yes, my jarl. And aside from two men who tried to flee the tower before we came, we sustained no casualty, though one of our men is in the temple in Kynareth. His arm and side were caught in the dragon's breath."
Balgruuf nodded. That the fight had gone so well was nothing short of a miracle.
"I am very happy that all of you got back alive. Furthermore, you managed to kill that dragon. I couldn't be more proud of you."
Lydia beamed, and even Irileth smiled with pride. The jarl's face was radiant. Finally, he looked around.
"Where is Harry, by the way? I think I saw him go upstairs…"
Irileth sighed.
"This boy may miss his memories, but that didn't stop him from being an amazing help. He kept us going with his magic and, when the guard was caught in the fire, he all but exhausted himself to heal him. I had to drag him away before he collapsed."
"He told us to handle the report and went straight to bed." Lydia supplied. "I am impressed. He looks frail, but not only did he prove a valuable help at the barrow, he also supported us to the best of his skills during the fight against the dragon, and he and Irileth both gave it the final blow by thrusting their sword through its eyes."
Balgruuf nodded, impressed. The young teenager was more resilient than he looked. And he had even killed the dragon with Irileth. Then he noticed Lydia seemed uneasy.
"Lydia, what's going on?"
Lydia looked away.
"Actually… Something happened as the dragon died. It said something: 'Dovahkiin, niid', and then Harry absorbed its soul."
Hrongar recoiled in shock. Even Balgruuf couldn't believe his ears.
"He did what!?"
"I think Harry absorbed the dragon's soul." Lydia repeated. "Then, there's the fact the dragon called Harry Dovahkiin, and the Greybeards' call when we reached Whiterun."
The room was dead silent. Irileth looked at everyone, then at Proventus, who seemed as puzzled as she was.
"And?" She finally asked. "What's the matter?"
Balgruuf looked at his housecarl in disbelief before sighing.
"Right, you're not a Nord. You don't know the legend of the Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn."
Hrongar explained.
"The Dragonborn is a legendary warrior who has the power to absorb a dragon's soul and rob him of his strength. They are mighty warriors and heroes said to have the body of a mortal and the soul of a dragon. Talos of Atmora was considered one, before he became Tiber Septim."
Balgruuf frowned.
"Due to having the soul of a dragon, the Dragonborn is said to have the innate ability to use the Thu'um, the old Nordic Art of the Voice. The same art Ulfric Stormcloak used to kill High King Torygg, may I say…"
There was disgust in his voice. Lydia shook her head.
"Harry didn't demonstrate such power. At the same time, he was too busy saving that guard, and all he had in mind after that was going to sleep. Aside from the dragon's words and the Greybeards' call, we have no proof Harry is the Dragonborn."
But the fact was here. Harry had absorbed the dragon's soul and the dragon had straight out called him Dovahkiin. Balgruuf dismissed his court and went upstairs. Harry was indeed in his room, collapsed on his mattress and blissfully unconscious. He was also still clad in his leather armor. His white owl friend was watching him from the bed post. She turned to him when he entered and tilted her head.
Hedwig, her name was. He wondered where the boy had found such an unusual companion. He rubbed the owl's head. She let him. Then came the delicate task of undressing the boy. That part wasn't really a problem. He had done it several times in the past with Frothar, when his son came back from the barracks exhausted from training with the guards.
'I should buy him a dagger.' Balgruuf thought. 'For now, he's using his fists, but he's gotten old enough to use an actual weapon.'
Once Harry was in his underwear, he dressed him with a set of blue tissue clothes. He frowned deeply when he saw how scrawny the child was. Harry wasn't skeletal, but it was clear he was underfed and underweight.
"And you still went through a barrow and killed a dragon. Your endurance is incredible. Give yourself a few years and you'll make an impressive warrior… or battlemage given your magical abilities. All you need is some training."
The boy said nothing as the jarl moved him under the blankets. He was really exhausted. As he brushed his hairs, Balgruuf noticed the strange lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. The man frowned. The scar was neat and cleanly traced, and obviously not coming from branding iron. Clearly, it wasn't natural. He saw the boy's unusual Akatosh Amulet and tried to touch it…
Lightning like a static shock struck his fingers and made him back off. The amulet was magical, but its magic was unlike any other as the shock had made clear only Harry could touch it and wear it. Balgruuf looked at the sky outside.
'Another mystery. This boy is shrouded in them like thieves are shrouded in shadows. Come out of nowhere with no clue about his past, but truly skilled and resourceful enough to make it through all these trials… and, speaking of thieves, I swear this boy has the thieves' luck. To survive all these trials with nary a scratch…'
Aloud, he spoke.
"Akatosh, Lord of Time, why hath thee sent this boy upon us? And why can't I help but treat him as if he was one of my children?"
In the Aetherius, Akatosh smiled. Balgruuf's fatherly instinct was purely his own, but it pleased Mara. The goddess of Love wouldn't forget to reward the jarl for his kindness. As for Thieves' Luck, the jarl had no idea how true he was. But he couldn't know the truth.
Not yet.
§ § §
Harry awoke around noon. Everyone who had fought against the dragon had allowed themselves some laziness and slept beyond their usual hour – even Irileth – but Harry was the last one to wake up. And Balgruuf didn't blame him. Actually, he was surprised the boy didn't sleep the whole day.
As he reached his room, he put a hand on the handle…
"FUS!"
*WRACK*
"…Oops."
The jarl froze. Slowly, he opened the door to see the boy timidly watching the mess that had become the end of the room. Harry, still sitting in his bed and his glasses on his face, sheepishly turned to him.
"What happened?"
Harry hesitated, then looked at the end of the room.
"FUS!"
A wave of blue energy burst from his mouth and wrecked the end of the room even more.
"That happened." The boy said with a strained voice.
Balgruuf couldn't believe his eyes. It was a Thu'um. The boy had used a Shout. Harry climbed out of bed and began putting some order to the mess, wincing as he saw a chair had broken a leg.
"Sorry about that. I just…"
"You don't have to apologize." Balgruuf reassured him with a very quiet voice. "I'll have maids handle the mess. Go get something to eat, a bath will await you once you're done."
Harry's eyes lit up at the mention of the bath. Still in his pajama, the boy hurried downstairs. Balgruuf sighed, called the maids and went to his office. He had a letter to write. Irileth came to his side.
"What was that noise?" The housecarl asked.
"That." Balgruuf looked away. "Was the confirmation of Lydia's suspicions. Harry is the Dragonborn. The noise you heard was him trying his new power, most likely out of curiosity or acting on instinct."
"What will you do with the Greybeards?"
Balgruuf took some paper, a feather and some ink.
"I won't send him. The road from here to High Hrothgar is long and dangerous and, for all his resilience, even with an escort, it is still way too risky to my taste. Harry's life found itself on the line too often these past days, especially for a thirteen-year old boy with no hair on his face. He needs respite. And peace."
The jarl began to write. Irileth crossed her arms.
"The Greybeards won't be very happy to hear you're denying them the Dragonborn."
"This isn't what I'm doing." Balgruuf corrected. "I want Harry to go to High Hrothgar, but the Greybeards will have to either come or send someone who I'm sure will protect his life during the journey. I am being careful, not stupid."
Irileth nodded and smiled.
"The boy has grown on you."
"No child should suffer the hardships he faced."
He began writing.
Meanwhile, Harry had finished savoring his late breakfast and had returned to his room to see a bucket of steaming water. The teen smiled and hummed as he stepped in. He had almost forgotten how good warm water felt. And there was no bath at Privet Drive. As for Hogwarts, the students had showers but no bath. He took the vial of amber-flavored soap and scrubbed his hair and skin. Hedwig watched him silently.
He almost re-felt asleep in the bath before a maid entered with his leather armor, all clean and repaired. The teen grinned and dressed himself. He had quickly grown accustomed to the feeling of leather on his skin. Once he was ready, he put his bow on his back and went to the great hall. Balgruuf was sitting on his throne. He rose when Harry passed by him. Along with Proventus and Irileth, Hrongar, Lydia and Farengar were present. For a moment, the boy wondered what was going on.
"Do you… need something from me again?" Harry timidly asked.
"No." The jarl shook his head. "I am here to give you something."
The boy seemed surprised. Puzzlement appeared on his face.
"…You don't have to. Providing me with food and cover was far enough. I mean, it is a castle, right? This is your home. I'm just a stranger who ran an errand and helped you defend your town, nothing big."
Balgruuf, Irileth, Lydia and Hrongar looked at one another in disbelief.
"Killing a dragon is something big." Irileth breathed.
Harry shrugged.
"I mostly played support, just like in the barrow. And you gave the final blow as well, Irileth. We struck at the same time." Harry looked at Balgruuf. "I appreciate your generosity, but I think it's time I take my leave. Give me what you want and then, I'll book a room at the inn, see where I go from there."
The boy seemed sad somehow. Regretful. He looked away.
"After all, this isn't my home… I don't have a home, anywhere."
Only Irileth heard that. This made her wonder about his past.
"It depends what you mean by that."
Harry curtly turned to the jarl, surprise in his emerald eyes. Balgruuf smiled.
"You are too young to be named thane, so I had to find another way to reward you for your actions. You try to dismiss what you did, but Irileth is right. Raiding a barrow and fighting a dragon, even if you weren't in the heat of the fights, are not things that can be dismissed easily. You were here. You lived. You kept us alive." The jarl starred at the teen. "You say you mostly played support. In which state would Lydia be if you hadn't been there to empower her and heal her wounds? How many guards would have died without you to help them? Irileth told me how you exhausted yourself to save a man who'd been caught in the dragon's breath. Your efforts saved his life."
"I only did what you asked me to do."
"No. You did more." Balgruuf crossed his arms. "You had no reason to accept our requests. Your only task was to deliver the warning there was a dragon in the mountains and Riverwood wanted back-up. You didn't refuse when Farengar asked you to go in the barrow. You didn't turn away when I asked you to fight that dragon, even though you had every reason to be scared after the events of Helgen. Confidence deserves its reward. From now on, the doors of Dragonsreach will forever be open to you. There will always be food for you on our table, a bed will always be free for you to rest and you will always find clean clothes and a bath when you need them. This is my reward for the help you provided."
Harry's eyes widened in shock. Softly the boy spoke.
"…For real?"
"Yes."
The boy turned away and scratched the back of his head, flustered. He danced on his feet.
"T-thank you. I wasn't expecting so much, honestly. Just… a pouch of Septims and a thank you, and then 'We don't need you anymore, move along'. I… That…"
"Men are rewarded with money and titles." Balgruuf said kindly. "Amnesiac teenagers are rewarded with a roof on their head and food in their plate."
After a brief moment of silence, Harry bowed his head and said a quick "Thank you!" before rushing outside. Proventus put a hand on his waist.
"This is not the behavior of a boy who learned he just got a new home."
"I agree." Irileth nodded. "This is the behavior of a boy who's used to struggle a lot and never be acknowledged for it."
"He was expecting a sweetroll and got the whole market instead." Hrongar commented. "I'm not surprised he feels uneasy. He must believe you rewarded him too much."
Balgruuf shook his head. The boy was homeless, alone and memory-less. How was a place to stay too much?
Lydia didn't say anything. Harry hadn't closed the door behind him. She saw him stop near the stairs and look at the sky. She went to his side.
§ § §
Harry looked at the sky. He couldn't believe it. All he'd done was help a village and do the jarl two favors. Balgruuf had been right. Looking back at it, he could have refused both times. And yet he hadn't, complying to the jarl's demands simply because he wanted to help and because they needed his help. Out of kindness, one could say.
He turned to look at Dragonsreach.
"…A home?"
When Voldemort's spell had backfired on him and killed him, no one had rewarded Harry for defeating the mage. Instead, he'd been forced to live for ten years alongside people who hated him and abused him, never telling him of his true nature as a wizard. Then he'd gone with his friends against the Voldemort-possessed Quirrel. Ron had risked his life. Hermione had taken great risks. Even he had been knocked out cold by the mage as a last-ditch gesture and all three of them had faced expulsion. Their reward had been a Thank You and their House winning the cup. Then he'd gone to face a serpent that could kill people by looking at them, nearly lost a friend and his best friend's sister, he had nearly died from the basilisk's poison before he could destroy Riddle's diary… Once again, his reward had only been a thank you. It was a fact: he wasn't used to rewards.
Then he got into another world for a reason he couldn't figure out yet and, only three days after coming, he'd escaped being eaten alive, had explored an old Nordic tomb to retrieve an ancient artifact and killed a dragon. In his mind, nothing as big as defeating the most powerful dark mage in the world three times.
He'd been given a home in return. The one thing he didn't have in his homeworld. The irony was so deliciously funny! So he laughed. He laughed with tears in his eyes. Because, despite the euphoria of having somewhere to live, there was the painful acknowledgement that this was a luxury he didn't possess in the world he was born in. And it made him sad.
Harry fell on his knees, sobbing.
"Why? What did I do to deserve so much?"
Strong arms wrapped around his chest and held him in a hug.
"Harry, you clearly don't know the worth of your actions."
Harry turned to look at Lydia. Nesting his head in her neck, he cried.
And here you have it. I admit, I cried a little as I wrote the last part. Poor Harry is barely acknowledged for anything he does on Earth and people turn on him at the drop of a hat. Then he goes to Tamriel and gets a home by the third day. And not any home: Dragonsreach is a friggin' castle! Any surprise he teared up?
Also, how is it today's my birthday and I'm the one giving away presents?
For the reviews:
- Waberjack: oh, Harry will become stronger. He is the Dragonborn, after all.
- Zenog: at the end of The Shivering Isles, the Hero of Kvatch defeated the Jyggalag-turned Sheogorath and, while Jyggalag was free from the curse, the Hero became the new Madgod. This is why he and Akatosh, actually Martin Septim ascended, are on such good terms. The Sheogorath of Skyrim isn't the original Sheogorath. It's the PC character from Oblivion.
- Dairegh: Harry's young age is indeed particularly important to the story, even though it isn't a plot point. Let's be honest: who, in his right state of mind, would let an unskilled, amnesiac tenager wander around?
- Huntermolder: I may definitely include spells from Oblivion. Waterbreathing and Buoyancy are particularly interesting...
- Umodin: Akatosh's gift to Harry is the soul part that was put in his head to replace Voldemort's, thus making Harry the Dragonborn (an adoptive one). The rest, fast travel, Hedwig's presence etc, are actually tiny blessings from the Time God to help him. After all, he's still a child.
- Vangran: I like being realistic like that. In my book, OP characters whould only serve as mentors for other characters to become OP as well. And, even then, if everyone's a badass in the world... Lydia is actually twenty-two, so no romance between her and Hary. Now, a brother-sister relationship...
- moffles123: Harry will toughen up fairly quickly after the next arc. The "Blood on the Snow" and the Companions will be a great help in that. As for the story, it tends with more realistic, starting with the way people react to Harry being a teenager. And, more often than not, raids will be with a full party (especially the Companions at the beginning).
- Zentari2238: so, original enough for you yet? If not, wait until you read next chapter... DRAGOOOOONNNN! Harry will become a different character at the end of the story, but I can't tell you more because spoilers. As for White Sentient Souls, if he can get used to killing, he can get used to that. And canon Harry is not a dumbass, though I can't really blame you for being mistaken since his other best friend is a friggin' genius. Try comparing the tenth best of the class with the Valedictorian...
- Indecisive Bob: thank you!
Alright. See you soon!
