Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Bethesda Studios and I own nothing except for the OC and plot. This is a nonprofit work.

Oh my, am I actually keeping my promise and posting within a week of the last chapter?! It must be short…wrong! Though it would have more content if I had more feedback. =(

I would love to thank VindictiveDunc for his comment! I had intended to go searching for the other dragonpriest mask, so I am glad others seem to think that is a good direction as well. I would also like to thank you for pointing out Konahriik's accoutrements mod. I have not played modded Skyrim in quite some time ((mostly because I use my Xbox so I can write and play at the same time)). I will defiantly check it out and play around with it to see if we can through it in ((but based on your description I do like the idea and will probably use some pieces from it)).

I am assuming by your guys silence on reviews, follows and favorites that most didn't like that last chapter. Trust me there is a reason it ended so…oddly. I can hear the screams now- WHY WOULD HE AGREE SO EASILY!? THIS SEEMS ILLOGICAL! YOU HAVE NO CREATIVITY WOMAN DIE WRITER!- and I am sure more. Trust in me please, I am about to explain it in the chapter below and begin their adventure!

Without further distraction here is the chapter….


Was he…special in the mind?

Vokun had never expected her jumbled butchering of his native language to be understood, let alone heed such a result. Vokun had truly be stalling, giving her old body time to recharge her magicka. He was not a mage like her, he relied on his brute strength and armor to keep him going. As long as she could avoid his blade long enough it was possible to beat him but only if she had the juice to pump out. While she would never admit it, the battle with the dead mage had been a drain upon her. This form was…weak.

The man though seemed to believe she was genuine, that she would become his ally merely because of the conversation. The man would be a horrible general, let alone king. He had no mind for war, and would find himself being betrayed by all. The word of a man…..meant nothing back so many years ago when they were being purged. It was your strength that kept you going. Your loyalty was bought by the highest bidder, one who could promise strength, protection and power. It was part of the reason Alduin had such loyal servants within the Dov and Mer.

While the thought of going against her master filled her with dread, to the point that her stomach, what was left of it, seemed to be doing flips. Being nice and helpful to the man was even a worst thought in her mind and for a moment Vokun closed her eyes trying to push back the waves of nausea she felt.

If she wanted to Vokun could try to kill the man now. Or…..she could outwit him. The man seemed dim, but strong. His knowledge of the current world could be useful to her. He could even be dumb enough to actually help restore her body if she played her cards right. The idea of using the man for her own purposes made the situation better. Vokun was used to doing what she didn't want to in order to achieve a goal in the end. This was no different and with the reward of a new body her dragon master would find her far more useful than her fallen brethren…..she could rule the whole of _ under Alduin. Vokun's mind was set, there was no greater reward then the approval of her dragon god.

"Bek."-"Okay."


Lygleif placed his blade back on its sheath on his back. The adrenaline fueled rage he had experienced was gone now, leaving a tired and sore dragonborn. The creature muttered a word in the dov tongue which he assumed meant it agreed with him. In his mind it had already agreed with him when it asked for his assistance. There was no reason to confirm again. Though maybe the beast just needed to confirm the idea for itself. Lygleif didn't know much about the priest but he could assume that going against your master was not a good thing. With them both on the same page their next steps where to find a way out of the ruins now, which he was sure that the priest would be more than able to comply with.

The dragonborn turned to leave the room and retrieve Lydia from her hiding spot, his eyes briefly catching the vision of the slumped form of the mage Anska. He felt the fresh surge of guilt that he had allowed the girl to die. Ever since he awoke in Helegen, with no memory or knowledge of the world around him, he had been a hero of sorts. He was asked to protect the weak and save them from the dragon menace. Lygleif didn't even mind the unwanted attention, at times it made him…feel good. He had begun to enjoy the fame, the experiences of a hero. But Anska, she would haunt him. A reminder of what will happen when he fails, of when he is to weak. If not for himself, if not for the world, for the people like Anska who relied on his help he would have to become stronger.

The dragonborn forced himself to look away and exit the room quickly, staring at the woman would only force him to beat himself up more about the situation. Lydia would not like that he had allowed the mage to die, and in such a terrifying way but….she would probably use it as proof that the priest was indeed a strong ally. Maybe the woman would agree with his decision to ally with the priest more than he did?

Lygleif was glad to notice the priest had not followed him out of the chamber and into the hall. It would make it easier if he could ease the woman into the thought. Lygleif walked roughly twenty feet down the twisting halls and stairs to where he had left Lydia, and even though he had placed her he couldn't seem to see her yet. He was ready to call out her name, maybe the stubborn woman had moved during their fight. But as Lygleif rounded the corner to where she was actually hidden, an arrow flew past his head, the fletching's barely caressing his cheek as it zoomed by and into the rock wall behind him. Had the dragonborn been only inches to the left he would have taken an arrow to the face.

"Talos woman it's me. I thought you would be excited to get out of this place not trying to stay forever."

"Lygleif…my thane your alive? I'm surprised, I thought that clumsy mage Anska would have killed you."

"You have little faith in my abilities Lydia, I am the only thing between this world and its utter destruction."

Lygleif moved forward with his hand extended to his companion. The woman, with a massive grin, toke the bow and placed it back over her head and on her shoulder. Once secured she reached forward and pulled against him to bring herself back up into a standing position. Lygleif helped get her ready to walk, his arm across her shoulders, while the other grabbed her arm over his shoulders to offer leverage. Together they slowly began to make their way back to the chamber with Lydia hobbling along next to him in good spirits,

"I know you are my thane that very thought keeps me up late at night."

"Thanks. Lydia I can always rely on you to keep my spirits up."

"Naturally my thane. Now where is Anska, that lazy mage could be of assistance for once."

"Oh let her be, besides if she was here you wouldn't be able to lean all over me."

"In your dreams dragonborn."

"Yeah yeah…but Lydia…..do you not trust me?"

A snort left his companion, more than likely followed by an eye roll. The two of them had slowed down their walk, to deal with the few steps in their way. He had tried to wrap his arms around the woman and merely lift her up, but the woman slapped his shoulder. Even in this weakened state Lydia refused to appear weak, one of the many qualities that made Lygleif keep the woman around instead of a new companion. His housecarl didn't seemed to think his question needed a real answer because she never gave one. Once past the stairs they picked up their pace once more, only feet away from the final curve that would reveal the inside of Vokun's Chamber.

As they rounded the corner Lydia's grip on his shoulder became like iron, the woman's fingers digging into his unarmored neck. In the middle of the room Vokun stood, or rather floated, in all of its glory. Black and purple tattered clothing was soaked with blood from Anska. That blank mask hiding the expression of the creature and making it look even creepier than before.

"It's….still alive? Lygleif why is it still alive, have you lost your mind."

"You need to trust me now, Vokun….want's to help me defeat Alduin."

"You can't truly believe that Lygleif! I mean it…he's… Alduin's puppet."

The dragonpriest finally decided to move, a snorting sound muffled by the mask left it. The creature floated closer, its graceful movements beautiful and yet haunting. Lygleif didn't allow himself to express how disturbing he found the creature, after all he required its assistance in the upcoming battle. The priest stopped just out of reach of Lydia and Lygleif, he imagined under that mask a twisted smile of broken teeth.

"Puppet... Zu'u mu'ul."-"Puppet… I ruled."

"Ummm yeah. Look Lydia Vokun is strong, he can be useful in defeating Alduin. You need to just trust me on this one."

Lygleif looked to Lydia to see the woman's teeth clenched. Her gaze was focused on a spot in the floor and her body was tense. It was obvious she did not agree with him at all. But….thankfully the woman was doing exactly what he had asked. Lygleif personally had mixed feelings about this reaction. He doubted Lydia would be talking to him very much in the next few weeks while she healed, great.

"Look let's just get out of here now. I'm sure we….well some of us are tired. Vokun can you point the way?"


Maybe she had misunderstood his devilish tongue. Had the man merely surrendered to her and pleaded for his own life? Vokun was not sure what to think as the nord turned his back on her and began his way out of the room towards the way he had come. Maybe he was just dumb and didn't realize the exit was right behind her. Either way he walked off without a word leaving the dragonpriest alone.

It was silent...a reminder of the lost they had sustained this day. While the draugr normally didn't make too much noise there was still the sound of their feet dragging across the ground. Vokun had waited for the return of the nord, this time with another female of his race. This one seemed to be injured, probably why she had not been part of their battle. The woman was shocked to see her, let alone rude. It called her a puppet…..which she believed meant minion. Had their legend and power really been lost to the ages of time? The male though seemed to take care of it and shushed his impudent slave.

When they were done flapping their gums Vokun turned and collected her staff before going to the back of the room and up the stairs. The man and his woman followed behind slowly, to slowly for her taste. The weak did not deserve help if they could not take care of themselves. Vokun was already down the stairs and by the word wall when they entered her treasure room. Instantly a gasping sound left their joined mouths and one of them muttered something quietly.

Vokun would have just continued through and to the exit but an idea struck her. What if they were planning on stealing that which was hers? After all the damn mage seemed to have her sights set on nothing but the pathetic scroll. Greed toke over and Vokun paused by the exit of the room, her arms crossed over her chest challenging. She was going to watch them like a hawk as they made it across the room to her.

For some reason, the male stopped and leaned Lydia against a lit stone basin in the center of the room. He moved slowly closer to the wall covered in the language in the dov. For a brief moment Vokun thought she could hear voices…..chanting something out. The words on the wall began to glow and Lygleif grew deadly still. Ancient magicka laced within the wall itself erupted forth and into the dragonborn form. No. Vokun must be truly tired from her battle against the invaders. She had passed by that very word wall hundreds of time, she had even remembered the words engraved upon the wall.

'Ahrk ond drey sahrot 'And lo did mighty
Heimverlund meyz nol hevno -Heimverlund come from the brutal
brom med strun do uznahgaar -north, like a storm of unbridled
nahkriin nol Sovngrade nimaar.' -vengeance from Sovngarde itself.'

Vokun had not been the one who got a choice in the word wall's saying. She was just glad that her wall had something to do with the dov rather than the humans. Heimverlund was a dragon to be more exact the patron of smiting, smelting ores and forging weapons. Though he died long ago, like the other dov, he had been very useful to Alduin and the dovs death had come with bitterness. To remember the dragon three word walls had been created and placed in the tender care of Vokun, Rahgot and Nahkriin.

Finally the Nord stepped away from the wall without a word. Even they did not exchange words with what he had just done. Instead they continued towards Vokun and followed her out of her tomb and to the icy air of the dawning sun.


It had been three days since the dragonpriest had aligned itself with Lygleif. In those three days they had accomplished….nothing. The group had exited the ruins to find the day was already beginning to end, a surprise to the dragonborn. He had expected it to be mid noon maybe a hair after but never night time. Within the ruins there was rarely any light, and time seemed to pass by oddly within.

There where little choice of where to go, they could try to make it to an abandoned shack he had found a month ago. It was only south west of their current location, but for some reason the old building was always locked up tight….as if someone was still using it. Any city was out of the question, the guard would just attack their undead acquaintance without a second thought. Finally with Lydia in her current condition, there was only one place she would accept, his home.

It made sense, yet in his gut….he felt odd. It must be due to the creature's ability with magicka, his house after all was a combination of wood, clay, stone and straw. A flammable combination if the Vokun tried anything aggressive. Lygleif had to trust his new associate though, after all the beast must be tired from their fight as well.

It had taken them thirty or so minutes to make it to the house, mostly because Lydia refused an assistance from Vokun who didn't offer any to begin with. So they slowly limped to the coast and followed it to the fish hatchery and his home. Valdimar had been outside waiting for him and gladly toke Lydia from him and into the house to tend to.

It toke him some time to convince the priest the house was safe, mostly because the language barrier that seemed to be present. Once inside the house Lygleif escorted it to his basement, figuring somewhere dark and underground would feel more comfortable to the priest. While the creature never spoke a word he could feel an icy glare upon him as it climbed down the ladder and into its spot.

That had been three days ago though. Valdimar had scolded the dragonborn for Lydia's injuries claiming that when the draugrs sword landed in her leg, the bone had been broken with the force. An injury that sever could have placed Lydia out of commission forever, but the woman insisted she would be fine. They had set her bones back into place and bound the leg up completely to help it set in place. If they were lucky the woman may end up with a limp at the very most form their encounter but only if she waited the six weeks for her leg to heal. This meant there was no way in oblivion he could drag the woman with him around the lands.

He had spent two days contemplating his options, maybe he should help out one of the various guilds around….maybe even return to the thief's guild. It was possible for the dragonborn to find another companion to assist him and the dragonpriest but he had meet very few loyal enough for such a task.

On the third day since the ruins Lygleif had decided to check on their undead associate. He was dressed in simple clothing, a white linen shirt that was frayed at the ends and a pair of green trousers. Neither where particular expensive items and would not be missed if he ended up in a fight below. The dragonborn had entered his armory and chosen a dwarven sword he had been meaning to reinforce. The shorter blade would make it easier in a fight in such a small cramped area as his basement.

Lygleif opened the hatch and entered the dingy room slowly. While he could not see the priest in question by the rotting smell he could tell it was still there. He crept into the next room which was filled mostly by the large burning forge that he used for smiting. To his surprise the dragonpriest was sitting on the ground, a book in its hand, as it used the light of the forge to read the black text. To his knowledge there were no books stored within the basement, yet there laid a small pile of books next to the creature. The blank masked priest looked up to him for a moment, a sigh escaping the mask as the creature turned its gaze back to the book. In this state the creature didn't seem nearly as dangerous as in the ruins. The glow of the forge gave him a chance to truly look upon the creature in detail. Apparently though, the beast did not like his attention and finally placed the book on the ground with the rest.

"Yes?"

"Oh…..um how your injuries….you know wounds?"

"I do not get injured so easily nord."

"You can speak our language better."

"Yes, while you all laid around I have been busy deciphering this blasted tongue of yours."

The priest lifted its hand to the stack of books as if everything had been obvious. Lygleif moved himself, carefully, to the pile of books looking at the various titles. These where books he had found throughout his travel no doubts. The version of Dragon Language: Myth no More had been a book snatched on his only visit to the College of Winterhold. Lygleif knew this particular book was not stored within the basement, which meant the priest had exited the basement at some point….without them noticing.

"Where did you find all of these?"

"Within your house….I grew bored of waiting on your wounds to heal. So weak-"

"You can't just wander my house because you are bored!"

"I am not an animal to be caged nord. I was a ruler of these lands before you and your kind even existed in this world. Besides you are unable to learn the language of the dov so I had to learn your tongue so we could converse."

"Well…you could have asked Vokun."

"Nord you and I are not friends….we are working together and so far all we have done is sit. I leave tomorrow to find my brothers, you can come along and reap the rewards or wait for Alduin to destroy this world."


Morning came and true to its word the creature was moving through the house to leave. Lygleif awoke to the sounds of screams as Valdimar caught Vokun moving freely. He yelled at Vokun to freeze before he rammed it through with his sword. The dragonborn could hear the muffled chuckle leave the mask as the creature ignored his housecarl threat. Already Lygleif was scrambling out of his bed in the west wing of the house and into the mall hall of the house.

"What is going on?"

"My Thane I caught the dragonpriest walk-er…outside of the basement. No doubt it is up to no good."

The dragonpriest turned its blank gaze to Lygleif then, waiting as if expecting something. He couldn't explain why but the stance of the creature made him feel as if he had forgotten something important. His eyebrows furrowed together as he tried to think of what the priest could be waiting on him for. He looked over the priest and its appearance seemed the same, Anska's blood still coating its dark robes. Even the staff placed on its back was still coated in dried blood at the bottom. Then it dawned, his body relaxed as the dragonborn raised his hand to Valdimar to relax.

"Its morning dragonpriest, correct."

"Yes."

"I will be ready in a moment…."

An exasperated sign left the priest, probably in frustration. Yesterday the priest had made it very clear that it was ready to leave his home. Lygleif had not expected it to be at the crack of noon, but maybe it couldn't stand to wait anymore. Did the creature even sleep? If it had spent three days sitting bored, well he could understand its desire to get moving. The dragonborn turned to his room to collect his bag and change his clothing to the rough clothing he wore under his armor to keep the metal from rubbing against his bare skin. When he exited the west wing he crossed the hall to the armor on the east wing to find none other than Valdimar inside.

"My thane are you serious about going with the beast alone?"

"I don't really have a choice, Lydia is injured and will require assistance getting around until she is healed. Vokun is right, we can't waste our time right now. Every day I allow Alduin to have he will grow stronger and so will his armies."

"But thane….."

"Enough Valdimar…I understand your hesitation. But I trust the creature will not attack me right now, we can benefit from each other for now and that will be enough to keep me safe for now."

"As you wish, I have polished your Greatsword and fix the dents within your armor while you rested."

"I appreciate it Valdimar. If you could do one more thing, please keep Lydia from trying to follow us. She means well but she will be useless to me if she does not allow her leg to heal properly."

"Of course my thane."

Valdimar exited the room closing the double doors behind him, giving Lygleif a moment to change in peace. The dragonborn pulled his armor off the closest mannequin on the back wall of the room. Each piece fitting snuggly to his body, like a second skin. He had always hatted the feeling when he first puts on his armor. It feels heavy, weighing down his body. After an hour or so the feeling would evaporate and it would feel almost weightless to him. For now he gained his Orcish Greasword of Burning, which had been laying within the case below the mannequin. His hand floated above the eleven dagger but then paused. No….he need something more useful for this long term trip. Instead he walked through the room, examining the display cases and wall mounts for the proper blade. After passing over several powerful weapons the nord plucked a steel dagger of binding. While the blade would not be useful in most fights, it would give him a way to recharge his blade since his undead companion would keep him from visiting many villages and cities. Lygleif exited the armory and collected the last few supplies for their trip including food, soul gems, and potions of health. Once he was ready he went outside to meet the priest and embrace the icy air of the early morning.

The nord finally exited his house geared and ready for the wild around them. The priest couldn't stand the looks of his 'housecarl'. She should have killed the creature for trying to stop her but she needed the nord for now. Killing more of his allies would possibly break there fragile alliance prematurely.

"Follow me nord."

Vokun pulled herself from the sunrise and began to travel to the east of his house. The man didn't question her or even bicker, which was refreshing. It felt more natural, someone following her orders instead of giving her attitude, like back in the days when she ruled. Together they followed the tree line, and onto the freshly snowed grounds. After thirty or so minutes they were encased in nature only, a few elks could be seen to the north grazing on the exposed grass. The scent of fire was beginning to fill the air. If he remembered correctly they were moving closer to the Hjaalmarch Stormcloak camp.

Another few minutes of trudging in silence and the camp was peeking out in the opened area. The camp was down the ridge they were standing on, nestled into the side of the hill. Lygleif was thankful to see that the priest had enough sense to avoid populated areas, or had the creature even known the stormcloaks where here? He would have bothered to ask, but the priest was pushing forward once more following the edge of the crescent shaped ridge.

The old stones poked out from the angle they came in, the priest seemed excited and began to 'run' forward towards the land mark. It must have been part of some ruin because the similar style of architect. They rounded the hill and found the arched stone way against the hill, at its base a metal gate placed in the ground. He shouldn't have been surprised to see the gates pried open, but Vokun seemed to freeze.

"Damn Avi'nk."

Slowly now the priest approached the opening in the ground peering down the hole. Lygleif followed to see the stairs following the edge of the circle about ten feet down. At the bottom there was another metal sarcophagus's, similar to the one he had found Vokun within. The lid of the tomb had been pried off recently though and discarded to the side. There wasn't even the remains of a body inside, it was completely empty. The priest seemed angry by discovery, its old hands curled into fist.

"What, who was inside?"

"It is not a matter of who it is more what. Those two shall be punished severely when I find them….."

"Who?"

"Ugh, silence nord. Just know that our plan has changed…this is going to be much harder now."


Dun dun. I know I posted on time…amazing!

Thanks for reading!

As always please post comments of what you would like to see, what is wrong or just anything in the review section! I would really appreciate reviews based on writing as well. I am going to try and get better so more of you may enjoy reading these chapters.