Dovahkiin Fahliil (Elven Dragonborn)
Part 1
Chapter 9: Unwanted Family Reunion
Synopsis:
Lina is an Altmer Warrior Mage and a traitor in the eyes of the Thalmor. After evading them for three years, she is finally caught and sent to Helgen to be executed, but her death sentence is interrupted by the return of the dragons, and more specifically, the World Eater himself. Lina escapes Helgen alive, only be dragged into new dangers and to discover a great secret: She is Dovahkiin and the only one with the power to stop Alduin from causing Nirn's destruction.
Her journey takes place over the course of several years, consisting of a battle against Alduin, Lina's reluctant decision to fight in the Civil War, and learning about a strange connection between her and the World Eater allowing them to see each other in dreams, while at the same time, trying to master her newly discovered powers.
The fanfiction itself is divided into four parts:
Part 1:
Lina travels throughout Skyrim searching for Words of Power and ways to get stronger while learning what it means to be Dovahkiin and prepare for the inevitable battle with Alduin. But at the same time, she starts experiencing reoccurring dreams about the World Eater after the events of Helgen. Then to make things worse, there is increasing turmoil in the Guilds Lina is a member of: the College of Winterhold and the Companions.
Part 1 is heavily based on the Main Quest and the Guild Quests.
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Disclaimer:
I do not own the Elder Scrolls franchise, Skyrim, or any of its characters. The only characters I own are Lina and Nalcarum.
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A/N: I have to admit, this chapter did not come out as good as I was hoping it would, but I introduced a new oc who will be serving as a reoccurring antagonist at the suggestion of Aroswing on Deviantart, who thought I should include more ocs than just Lina.
Like before, all dialogue written in italics is meant to be Lina or other characters speaking Elvish. And constructive criticism is still appreciated.
"We have to turn around," I insisted.
"Why?" Lydia asked, clearly oblivious to the problem.
"Because the village is crawling with Thalmor!" I cried.
"And why should that concern you?" Lydia asked, "You're an Altmer—practically one of them. If you cover your amulet, the Thalmor will almost certainly look at you with some degree of respect."
"No they won't," I said and pulled Lydia far from the main road to make sure as few people as possible overheard what I would say next, "I'm an enemy of the Aldmeri Dominion."
Lydia's eyes widened slightly before her face hardened into a cold stare. "Explain yourself," she commanded.
I sighed, knowing that I didn't have a choice, and told Lydia everything about my crimes against the Thalmor and the three years I spent evading them. Like the Companions, Lydia could not believe I was reckless enough to do things like try to burn down the Thalmor Embassy, but unlike them, Lydia did not show any signs of amusement. She instead remained stoic until I was done speaking. And then her mask fell.
"I cannot believe Jarl Balgruuf would send me to accompany a wanted criminal!" she cried, doing nothing to conceal her fury.
"He did not know and I had no desire to tell him!" I shouted.
"Because by law, you should be turned over to the Thalmor and put to death!" Lydia shouted.
"So I suppose you plan to have me arrested," I said, reaching for my sword.
"Don't be a fool," Lydia said, "The law might say you should be turned in, but if you are truly Dragonborn—and after seeing you Shout, I have a reason to believe you are—you need to be brought to High Hrothgar. Besides, I have been ordered to keep you safe, not get you executed."
I gave Lydia a look that must have betrayed my confusion at her reaction. After all, I expected her to react as a guard would (or anyone that was not one of the Companions or a College Apprentice). That is, immediately put me in chains and hand me over to the Thalmor. Or at the very least try to and start a bloody swordfight because I refused to surrender without a fight.
"Surprised?" Lydia asked.
"Well…yes," I said.
"I have no love of the Thalmor," Lydia said, "Or any intentions of aiding them."
"But you just said—"
"What was required by law," Lydia finished, "Not whether I plan to obey."
"Then will you turn around with me?" I asked.
"I never said that," Lydia said, "We still need directions, which is why you initially suggested coming to Ivarstead."
"But what about the Thalmor?" I asked, "If we're caught you will be arrested and likely put to death as well."
"Then that is a risk I will take," Lydia said, "I have my orders and I intend to obey."
Somehow I doubted I would be able to convince her to turn around or leave me to my own devices with the Thalmor, even though the last thing I wanted was to have another person's death on my hands from the Thalmor catching us. But apparently, Lydia was not concerned about her possible death—or at the very least, she was good at covering any fear she might have felt.
She was brave, I had to give her that.
"So be it," I said as I put on my hood, which I pulled on until my tattoo was covered, and hid my Amulet of Talos under my armor, "But you will have to do the talking."
"Very well," Lydia said, "Just directions to High Hrothgar, correct?"
I nodded. "And one more thing: If anyone asks who I am, tell them that I am a mercenary who came here from Cyrodiil and that you don't know my name."
"Alright," Lydia said.
And with that, we finally walked into the village.
Unsurprisingly, we were stopped by one of the Thalmor Justiciars before we even reached the tavern.
He immediately drew his sword and pointed it at us. "State your business."
"We are travellers looking for the fastest route to High Hrothgar," Lydia said.
"And why would either of you be interested in the old Nords' monastery?" the Thalmor asked.
"I was sent here by my Jarl to deliver an urgent message regarding the dragons' return to the Greybeards," Lydia lied, "He feared that a courier might get intercepted before he could reach the mountain."
The Thalmor looked like he was trying to determine if Lydia was telling the truth or not when his gaze shifted to me.
"And what about her?" he asked, "I don't see any reason for a member of my own kind to go with you."
"She's a mercenary that my Jarl hired to accompany me," Lydia said, "And good thing he did. We ran into some bandits a few days ago and I would not have been able to fight them off alone."
The Thalmor continued to look at us suspiciously, but he did lower his sword and allowed us to walk past him. Although he did whisper to me, "You do know mercenary work is hardly suitable for our kind, right?"
I had to bite my lip to stop myself from retorting and only gave him a weak nod before following Lydia into the tavern.
Like the rest of the village, the tavern was crowded with Thalmor, so I immediately went to an empty table near the back of the room while Lydia approached the bartender with the intention of asking for directions (and likely fresh food and water). While I waited for her, I started pulling on my hood to try to make it cover more of my head in some attempt to make sure I went unnoticed. Fortunately, no one paid any attention to me. The Thalmor were currently ignorant of my identity while the Nordic villagers seemed uninterested in a lone Altmer.
...
Lydia returned to the table perhaps a couple minutes later, carrying a tray with tankards filled with water and bowls of potato soup. She sat across from me and offered me one of the bowls, which I gratefully accepted. While I ate, I decided to ask Lydia if she had gotten directions to High Hrothgar.
"Did the bartender have the information we need?" I asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Aye," Lydia said, "There is actually a path leading from this village to High Hrothgar, which the bartender referred to as the 7,000 Steps. Apparently, we are not the first people to come here with the intention of travelling to the monastery."
"Then we should leave at once," I said.
"No. Tomorrow," Lydia insisted, "It's already after sundown and the bartender said there might be bears or frost trolls on the mountain, which I would rather face during the day."
"But we cannot stay here," I argued, "The Thalmor—"
"Still do not know you are here," Lydia finished, "I will get us a room for the night and we will leave early tomorrow morning before the Thalmor find out who we are."
I wanted to protest, but Lydia quickly got up and walked back to the bartender to ask about available rooms. I quickly stood and followed Lydia with the intention of stopping her, but a Thalmor woman chose that exact moment to step out of her room and into the dining area, blocking my path.
And then to make things worse, she looked directly at me and our eyes locked. She had taken off her hood, so I could see that her hair was black like mine, though it was better kept. But her eyes were a vibrant blue-green instead of bright orange, which was my eye color, and she didn't have any visible tattoos or scars. And I knew who she was. Her name was Nalcarum and she joined the Thalmor the same year I was branded as a traitor.
And to my misfortune, she knew who I was as well.
"There aren't too many Altmer with black hair," Nalcarum stated in Elvish as she took a step closer to me. Then, before I could react, she grabbed my hood and pulled it off, "Such an obvious giveaway, Lina."
There were two other Thalmor Justiciars in hearing range (likely members of Nalcarum's patrol) and both of them immediately turned in our direction when they heard my name, drawing their swords and conjuring lightning in the process. I reached for my own sword, but Nalcarum grabbed my wrist.
"Don't do anything you'll regret," she warned.
"Like letting you live?" I asked.
"Lina, is that any way to talk to a family member?" Nalcarum asked.
"It is when you came here for the bounty on my head!" I cried, "Especially in the robes of a Thalmor!"
Nalcarum's eyes widened, but she must have known my words were sincere and not just the result of built-up anger. It's true that Nalcarum and I are related (cousins actually) and we actually got along rather well when we were children, though Nalcarum was three years older than me. But about a year before I left the Summerset Isles, we started to grow apart. Our beliefs and ambitions were becoming too different; I wanted to see more of Tamriel and get away from the High Elven society while Nalcarum felt that her loyalties were with the Aldmeri Dominion.
I never expected her to join the Thalmor though—until I saw her wearing their robes three years ago after I was already branded as a traitor. I still remember feeling the sting of betrayal when I saw her—a blood relative—dressed as the thing I hated the most.
On that day, I had warned Nalcarum that I would not hold back in a fight because of our shared bloodline if she came after me and if necessary, I would kill her. She had taken it as an empty threat at the time, but now she knew better. She knew that to me, anyone who wore Thalmor robes was an enemy that often needed to be killed.
It took Nalcarum a moment to compose herself, but once she did, she immediately grabbed my arm and shoved me into her room, telling the other two Thalmor that she wanted to settle things privately. I could tell that they wanted to protest, especially since I just threatened to kill Nalcarum, but no one stopped her. Not even Lydia, who had come back the instant she realized I had been discovered, but the two other Thalmor Justiciars were restraining her, so I assumed Lydia did want to come after us.
Once we were both in the room, Nalcarum locked the door, probably to keep others from barging in. She must have known that a wooden door would not keep me from escaping if this ended poorly, even if I did have to burn down the tavern.
I did not hesitate to draw my sword and point it at Nalcarum. "Did you think locking me in this room would keep me from making a scene?" I asked.
"Of course not," Nalcarum said, "I know you better than that."
"Then what? Are you planning to arrest me?" I asked.
"You know I don't have a choice," Nalcarum said as she withdrew a set of metal shackles, "After all, it is my duty to arrest traitors and heretics and you are both."
"And you should know that I will not come quietly," I said as I moved into an offensive stance.
"I would expect nothing less from someone like you," Nalcarum said, conjuring a lightning bolt with her free hand.
I did not give her the opportunity to strike first and immediately charged at Nalcarum, swinging my sword. She jumped back and onto the bed, likely trying to get the high ground advantage, before throwing her lightning bolt at me. I jumped to the side and went into a shoulder-roll, causing the lightning bolt to strike and knock over a chair.
Nalcarum tried to throw another lightning bolt at me, but by then I was already standing and was able to move out of the way. I then conjured a firebolt and threw it at her, but Nalcarum blocked with a ward. But then I had an opening to lunge at her, except I swung my sword downwards towards the bed, using enough force to successfully break it (and I must have hit one of the weaker points as well). Nalcarum was thrown off balance and fell backwards, landing ungracefully on her back.
I raised my sword to finish her, but Nalcarum quickly raised one hand and a blast of ice shot forward, striking me. I tried not to cry out as the cold sensation travelled through my body and rendered my limbs immobile. I cursed in Elvish because I always managed to forget that Nalcarum was more than competent with frost spells until it was too late and now that mistake could prove to be fatal.
All I could do was watch as she got up and approached me.
"I'm sorry, but you left me no choice," Nalcarum said as she got closer.
I'm sure I would have thought of something to say if I wasn't enduring the effects of a frost spell, which I desperately hoped would wear off soon. I needed to move—to get out of this room, find Lydia, and get out of here alive. But unfortunately, the icy sensation did not show any signs of fading and Nalcarum was only getting closer with the metal shackles still in her hand. Desperate, I did the only thing I could think of.
I Shouted.
"FUS!"
Like everyone else I had used this new power on, Nalcarum was blown back and then she stared at me, completely astonished.
"What did you just do to me?" she asked.
"I-I S-Shouted…or used a p-power m-meant for…dragons," I said, stammering because of that frost spell and the lingering cold sensation.
Nalcarum gave me a strange look. "And where would an Altmer learn such a thing?"
"N-None of y-your c-concern!" I shouted.
"No need to be hostile, Lina," Nalcarum said, "I'm just curious."
I did not want to tell her anything, but I knew my cousin could be incredibly persistent when she wanted to know something, possibly to the point where she might delay putting me in shackles until she was satisfied. And I was still unable to move until that Oblivion-forsaken frost spell wore off, so I would need to keep her occupied until I could fight again. Telling Nalcarum about everything that happened recently was my best option.
Of course, there were things I left out, such as the wall with the glowing letters and the reoccurring dreams. But I told her about the dragon attack in Helgen, battling Mirmulnir, taking his soul, and convincing the guards that I might be Dragonborn, which led to Jarl Balgruuf sending me to seek answers from the Greybeards.
The entire time, Nalcarum listened with an almost permanent skeptical look. Like me, she had been unfamiliar with the concept of a Dragonborn or the mythology surrounding one, so it hardly surprised me that she would react in such a manner.
"I'm sorry, but can you really expect me to believe any of that?" Nalcarum asked, "I cannot deny that the dragons have returned—lately we have been seeing one or two flying over the mountains—but you as some elite dragonslayer of Nordic legend? I find that unlikely."
"Why would I lie about something like this?" I asked. By now the effects of the frost spell had worn off and I could move again.
"Too avoid arrest?" Nalcarum suggested.
"Don't be a fool," I said, "I can resort to violence for that, which I already have and would have again by now if I was fabricating my story to keep you occupied. Everything I told you is true. I swear it upon Auri-El's name!"
"You still make vows in Auri-El's name I see," Nalcarum stated.
"And you should know how sacred those vows are to me," I said.
"Yes—Unbreakable unless you are slain before they can be fulfilled or nothing but the truth. I haven't forgotten," Nalcarum said, "But I cannot allow you to leave just because you make some vow you believe is sacred."
"Then shall we return to destroying the room?" I asked, conjuring a firebolt.
"You do know there are solutions that don't involve fire, right?"
"Such as surrender?" I asked sarcastically.
"Lina, please—" Nalcarum started.
But I took a step closer and pointed my sword at her neck. "I am not interested in your pleas. I only wish to reach the Greybeards alive and un-captured," I said, "You can either help me or resume fighting. Your choice."
Nalcarum hesitated to speak. I doubt she imagined being put in a position where she was forced to choose between the Aldmeri Dominion and a blood-relative. And to be honest, I never thought there would be a day where I threatened my own cousin with a sword or fire. But here we were and Nalcarum had only seconds to make a decision.
Eventually, she spoke. "Stay here," Nalcarum said, "I will speak to my superiors about this."
Before I could say anything, Nalcarum swiftly walked to the door, unlocked it, and walked out before slamming the door in my face. I reached for the doorknob, only to hear Nalcarum locking it from the other side.
I could burn down the door with minimal effort, which Nalcarum must have known, and immediately conjured fire, but something made me hesitate. I suppose the rational part of my mind warned me to stay here and not cause trouble. If any Thalmor saw smoke, I would be attacked and likely killed. Fighting off a few of them was easy, but a village full of them? The odds were not in my favor. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed Nalcarum to convince the other Thalmor to let me leave the village before I could do anything.
But at the same time, I could not help but want to know what was going on, especially since I was ultimately allowing a Thalmor to determine my fate and I had to figure out if there was a time to resort to burning down the door. So I did the only thing I could think of that didn't involve fire, which was of course, eavesdropping. I pressed my ear against the door and listened for Nalcarum's voice.
It was difficult to detect her voice as there was a fair amount of noise, but I think I heard Nalcarum telling one of the Justiciars the same thing I had told her about Helgen, Mirmulnir, and my apparent status as Dragonborn. And I think I heard her ask to give me and my companion permission to go to High Hrothgar, but it sounded like the other Thalmor was not accepting anything she had said.
"How could you suggest something like this?" the other Thalmor was shouting, "That traitor has been evading us for three years! We cannot release her now that she's finally trapped!"
"But…What if her story is true?" Nalcarum asked.
"Are you defending the traitor?" the other Thalmor asked, "Even if she is your cousin, such a thing will make you guilty of treason as well."
"Of course not!" Nalcarum said quickly, "But we cannot deny that the dragons have returned and if Lina's claims about being 'Dragonborn' are true, we might need her to eliminate the dragons."
They continued arguing for some time and I was starting to consider burning down the door again when I heard the other Thalmor reluctantly agree to allow me to go to the Greybeards, even if it was just because Nalcarum pointed out that the 7,000 Steps were the only real path to High Hrothgar. In other words, the Thalmor knew I would be trapped on the mountain and if I tried to escape, that would be their chance to arrest me (and probably Lydia as well).
Then I heard the sound of someone unlocking the door and instinctively jumped back while drawing my sword. But I found Nalcarum and two other Thalmor Justiciars on the other side when the door opened. Nalcarum was trying to mask her emotions (which she was better at than I was) while her companions looked displeased, certainly because they wanted to see me executed at once rather than waiting.
"We have decided to allow you and that Nord woman you were with to travel to High Hrothgar," one of them said.
"But we will escort you up the first flight of stairs to make sure you don't try to escape," another Thalmor added.
I scowled at that condition. Even if it was just for a short period of time, I had no desire to be escorted anywhere by the Thalmor. But before I could protest, Lydia walked towards me, flanked by three more Thalmor Justiciars. All of them shared a look of irritation that gave me the impression any conversation they might have had in my absence did not end well.
And apparently Lydia already had the same conversation with the Thalmor and because she probably could not understand Elvish, she failed to realize that was what we were discussing and approached me.
"Lina, they said they'll let us go to High Hrothgar if we allow them to escort us part of the way," Lydia said, "I already told them we accepted their terms."
I suppose we really did not have any other option.
"So be it," I said reluctantly to both Lydia and the Thalmor.
Not long after that, we were dragged out of the tavern and brought to the 7,000 Steps. So much for waiting until morning to start our journey to the monastery.
