It was a tired and irate Berin that trudged into Morthal, Lydia beside him as she switched between almost bouncing with excitement and rage-filled fuming.
Somehow, they'd managed to get mixed up in the plot of a Daedric Prince as soon as they rode into Dawnstar, losing several days of travel assisting a Priest of Mara in ending the Daedric threat and helping the villagers to recover. The only good thing about the diversion was the land deed that was now tucked safely into the bottom of his pack, though he certainly could have done without becoming Thane to another Hold.
When they had finally reached Ustengrav things had only gotten worse. The burial grounds were swarming with necromancers and their undead minions, as well as the Draugr and skeletons that always defended the crypts of Skyrim, leaving them exhausted as they battled for hours through the underground halls. After a restless night of taking turns at watch, they found their problems were only compounding. After wandering around the now unnervingly quiet catacombs for over an hour, Lydia found a hidden door leading even deeper underground and she cursed the ancient Nords for their stupidity.
The remainder of the ruins encompassed a huge underground cavern, a cavern so vast that Berin could only just make out the familiar shape of a Word Wall at the bottom. Sunlight drifted lazily down from crevasses in the ceiling of the cave, allowing the flora to thrive in an otherwise inhospitable environment, and he could hear the faint splashing of a waterfall or spring echoing up from far below them. They spent the day fighting through seemingly endless numbers of skeletal guardians and climbing around thick roots that had broken through the stone surrounding them, slowly but surely making their way down the mazelike walkways that spanned the across the across the cavern like a spider's web.
They wearily set up camp in the curve of the Word Wall when they finally reached the bottom, the sun's light having long disappeared from the cave and leaving the perpetually burning braziers to cast dancing shadows on the walls. Berin leaned against the Wall tiredly and stared at the glowing blue words, letting the understanding rush into him and leave the Word burned into his mind.
After taking the time to refill their water-skins and washing the blood and grime from their armor in the large pool of water, Berin built a fire to cook a weak soup from some apples and a cabbage that he'd scavenged from the mages' supplies, while Lydia bathed in the waterfall to rid herself of the filth she'd accumulated over the past few days. She felt vulnerable standing under the crashing water in nothing but her smallclothes, but cleanliness was a rare commodity that she refused to pass up.
When she returned to the camp, hair dripping and in her one spare set of clothes, Berin was half-asleep and propped up against a tree that had somehow managed to survive this deep underground.
"Come on, Berin." She coaxed him awake with a nudge of her foot. "Your turn. Go wash the stink off so I don't have to smell you anymore. I'll watch the food."
Berin let out a sleepy chuckle as he got to his feet. "Yes, ma'am." He groaned as he stretched, muscles aching after so much use. "Remind me to never listen to the Greybeards again, okay, Lydia? This is more fighting than I've ever done in my life. I can't believe that some people do this by choice. Crawl around in ancient dungeons and ruins while fighting scores of undead, hoping to find some grand treasure."
"Neither can I. I've trained for years waiting to be assigned as someone's housecarl, but I had always assumed that I'd end up like Irileth. A bodyguard to some stationary lord instead of a wandering warrior, so this has certainly be an adventure. I don't regret it though."
"Neither do I, I guess. Not really." He paused for a moment. "I could have done without the dragons though."
Lydia grinned as she settled next to the fire. "Me too."
They were separated the next day.
Berin's jaw clenched at the remembrance of the gates that had slammed shut behind him, cutting him off from Lydia and leaving them both to find their own way out of the tomb. He had felt a thrill of fear watching Lydia heading back the way they had come, calling out something over her shoulder about bringing him back and killing him herself if he was stupid enough to get himself killed, but comforted himself with the fact that Lydia was a capable warrior and could take care of herself. He had slightly less hope for himself, considering how long it had been since he'd been truly alone, as well as how comfortable he'd gotten having Lydia around. The sudden silence was unnerving.
He had squared his shoulders against the loneliness that hovered around the edges of his mind and ventured deeper into the crypt. By the time two hours had passed, Berin was stomping through the remaining rooms cursing every builder who had anything to do with creating these catacombs. Between giant spiders, stone puzzles, and entire floors covered with flame traps, he was more than ready to be rid of this place. Finally, he entered what seemed to be the main burial chamber. It seemed too plain at first to be the crypt of Jergen Windcaller, but Berin could see the ornate sepulcher at the other end of the stone walkway just as the Greybeards described. Axe raised defensively, just in case, he took a step onto the walkway, keeping a wary eye on the ceiling for more spiders.
A few steps later and a low rumbling sound began, growing steadily as Berin frantically turned in circles trying to find the source. Suddenly, the pools of water surrounding the walkway began to bubble and splash as four huge, curved pillars began to rise up out of the waters surrounding the stone bridge. When everything was finally still, Berin slipped his axe back into his belt and hurried to the stone sarcophagus.
The face of the coffin was carved with the effigy of a long tailed dragon with wings outstretched, the corners tapered up into crudely carved dragon heads, and on top was a carving of a hand, poised as if it was thrust through the lid of the coffin to hold something aloft. And in the hand, instead of the Horn the Greybeards sent him to retrieve… was a note.
A note! Berin growled to himself, roughly pushing open the inn's door. We risked our lives, wasted precious time away from both our families and our mission, and for WHAT?! A NOTE! Whoever did this is going to answer for this. He glanced at Lydia, who was fuming again, as she had been since he showed her the letter. If Lydia doesn't get to them first.
He swept into the inn like a storm, Lydia stomping in angrily behind him and slamming the door. A stern warning came from the woman behind the bar and Lydia turned around with an apology on her lips, but was quickly cut off by a large, dark haired man who had turned around in his seat at the bar at the commotion.
"Lydia?!" He cried out in surprise, jumping up from his seat fast enough to send both it and his mug flying. He paid them no mind as he rushed forward.
Lydia surged forward to meet him, a wide smile blooming on her face, and jumped into his arms. "Benor!"
Berin watched with a small smile, his anger forgotten for the moment, as Lydia was spun around and kissed happily by her "laddy-buck," as she'd called him while regaling Berin with tales of their odd courtship. He left them to their reunion and made his way over to the bar, where the innkeeper was watching them in amusement.
"So, that's the famous Lydia, is it?" She asked with a smirk.
"That she is." Berin replied, chuckling as he set his packs down by the bar. "I take it he talks about her a lot?"
"Only every second of everyday! I've even heard from the guards he bunks with that he talks in his sleep!" She leaned forward, as if telling a secret. "It's worse when he drinks. He sings and recites poetry when he's too deep in his cups." She shook her head in exasperation. "To tell the truth, I half-thought that he was making her up, seeing as she's never come in person. Anyway, I'm Jonna, the owner of this inn. What can I do for you?"
"Just two beds for the night, as well as supper. We need to get back on the road as soon as possible."
Jonna's face fell. "So soon? Oh dear, I don't think Benor will take that well. He gets to see her so rarely..."
A tired smirk grew on Berin's face. "He'll take it better than you think."
As if on cue, a shouted "WHAT?!" had them both turning around in a rush, Berin with an almost smug grin on his face. A stunned and speechless Benor was being pulled by the hand over to the bar by a grinning Lydia. She hauled him up in front of Berin and wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Berin, this is my betrothed, Benor. Benor, this is my friend and Thane, Berin."
Berin grinned and stuck his hand out to shake, but Benor simply stared at it, dumbstruck, before looking back at Lydia. He swallowed back a tide of emotion at how Benor looked at Lydia, as if she was the entire universe gifted to him by the Divines themselves. He pushed back the dull grief of his lost love, almost afraid of how easy it was getting, and smirked at his friend.
"Lydia, I think you've broken him."
She simply scoffed and shook her arm a bit, jostling Benor enough to snap him out of his daze.
"Is it true, lass?" Benor asked, sounding hopeful and afraid at the same time. "Is the wait truly over?"
Lydia's eyes softened at his tone, and she pulled him even closer to her side. "Thanks to Berin… yes, almost."
He let out a shout and picked her up again, spinning her around again as they both laughed happily. Finally, he put her down and turned to Berin, reaching out to grasp his forearm tightly.
"Thank you, lad, truly. She's told me a bit about what you've offered her, us. This is the chance that we've been waiting for."
Berin shrugged off his thanks with a smile. "No thanks needed. I'm glad to help, and it would be good for me as well. Why don't we sit down and talk about it in more detail?"
The three of them walked out of Morthal the next morning, leading laden horses behind them. Benor had been beyond ready to leave with them, ecstatic to finally be able to build a home for Lydia, and had been quick to pack his few belongings. Rorikstead was an easy walk, merely half a day, and Lydia spent the time stuck between laughing and groaning as the men quickly bonded. They were only about half a league from the small town when they heard it.
The heavy beating of huge wings.
They all looked at each other with dread. Though neither Lydia nor Benor had ever seen a dragon, even they could recognize the sound.
"Well shit…" Berin cursed, handing the reins of his horse to Lydia. "Both of you, ride ahead to Rorikstead. Now. Get help from the guards there, and I'll keep him busy here. When you come back leave the horses! They'll only get in the way or killed."
"Berin! Are you insane?!" Lydia shouted at him, looking ready to throw a punch. "There is no damn way that I'm leaving you here alone!"
"I know what I'm doing, Lydia! I have a better chance at taking him alone than anyone else because of this thrice-damned power! Just go get help, and a lot of bows! You know the plan to fight a dragon, you can tell the soldiers, and Benor has never fought one before. I'm the only one that can stop it here to keep it from burning down the town!"
"Berin, you need to think about this. Lydia's right, you can't take this on alone." Benor spoke quietly, placing a steadying hand on Lydia's shaking shoulder.
"And I'm not going to! I'm only buying time for you to go get help from town. Now both of you, get on those horses and get out of here! The longer you wait, the closer it gets, and the longer I'll be by myself!" Lydia still shook her head, eyes shining through her glare, and remained rooted to the ground. Berin knew that he'd regret this later. "Lydia, that is an order!"
She stiffened at the words, her glare becoming deadly. Without a word, she turned around and mounted his horse. "As you wish, my Thane." She kicked the horse into a gallop and rode off without a backward glance.
"Lydia! I'm-" Berin sighed as she rode quickly out of hearing. "Shit." He turned to Benor, who was already mounted up. "Tell her I'm sorry and that I'll be okay."
"Tell her yourself when we get back, Berin. Just be ready for a fight. Be careful, lad."
Urging his horse into a gallop, Benor quickly rode to catch up with her. Berin groaned miserably as he pulled his bow from his back and took up a defensive stance, eyes scanning the sky warily. The sound was still far off, growing steadily closer, but Berin could remember how quickly Sahloknir had appeared from behind the mountain.
The ground began to shake with the force of the wing beats. Berin closed his eyes and concentrated on the memories that Sahloknir had given him, everything that the Greybeards had taught him, hoping that the weeks of practice would pay off. Gods, I hope this works. Lydia is going to kill me. With a deep breath, Berin Shouted a challenge to the sky.
"BO, DOVAH! GRIND ZU'U LUFT WAH LUFT!" (Come, dragon! Meet me face to face!)
The wing beats seemed to stutter for a moment before coming even faster toward him. Moments later, the beast appeared from over the hills to the east and, roaring indignantly, began to circle Berin.
"WO LOS HI WAH BEL ZU'U, LIR?!" (Who are you to summon me, worm?!)
"ZU'U LOS DOVAHKIIN, DOVAH, AHRK AAN VAHLOK DO DAAR GOLT. LOS HI AAN FAHDON UV AAN HOKORON WAH KEIZAAL?" (I am Dragonborn, Dragon, and a protector of this land. Are you an ally or an enemy to Skyrim?)
"DOVAHKIIN?! DAAR LOS DII GOLT AHRK NII FENT MINDOK DII YOLOS. PAH JOOR FENT QIILAAM US ZU'U UV DIR!" (Dragonborn?! I will burn you for your arrogance! This is my land and it shall know my flames. All mortals shall bow to me or die!)
Berin glared at the dragon as it turned to hover in front of him, maw open and flames building in the back of its throat.
"So be it."
With a roar the flames were released. Berin darted quickly to the side, pulling an arrow back and letting it fly blindly, before dashing underneath the dragon. He could feel the intense heat of the flames as the dragon followed his movements sluggishly, allowing him to stay just ahead of the fire. Another arrow was released, this one hitting just below the dragon's eye and causing its head to jerk away. With a bellow the dragon swatted at Berin with its tail, catching him in the side and sending him flying for several feet.
The impact with the ground knocked the air from his chest, and he coughed as he rolled through the dust, scrabbling desperately to his feet and ignoring the dull ache in his side. By some miracle he hadn't let go of his bow during his flight, and it hadn't broken during his tumbling. He picked up the few arrows that had fallen from his quiver and put one to the string, watching carefully as the dragon began to circle in the air again.
Berin looked around for cover, but the dragon had found him in the open tundra with not a tree or stone outcropping to be seen. When the beast dove down and rained fire from above, all Berin could do was dance away and avoid the flames as well as he could. Already there were brush fires everywhere, filling the air with smoke and heat, leaving him little room to maneuver. He could feel and smell as his hair singed at the too near blasts of flames he continued to dodge as the minutes ticked by.
The dragon finally seemed to tire of playing with him, hovering above him and surrounding him in a circle of flames, leaving him nowhere to run. Panting, heart pounding, muscles aching, skin burning, Berin stared defiantly up at the dragon and drew breath for his last resort. He waited until just before the flames left the dragon's maw and released his Thu'um, hoping against hope that it would work.
"FUS RO!"
A wave of pure force erupted from his throat, leaving his throat and lips tingling, and flew through the air, slamming into the dragon's head and snapping it to the side. While it was disoriented, Berin put arrow after arrow into the joints of its wings, its face, anywhere he thought would help. Shaking its head with a growl, the dragon took back to the air and began circling once more. It eyed the annoying mortal that dared to use a power that was above him. It would end this now.
With heavy flaps of its mighty wings, the dragon flew high into the sky and paused for just a moment, before turning its head to the ground in a steep, swift nose dive. It blew a powerful stream of fire at the mortal and watched as he tried to once again run underneath its dive, exactly as it had planned.
Berin saw the claws too late, the fire blinding him to everything else. While the dragon's head blew a steady stream of fire at him, it had reached out with its hind legs to grab at him. Time seemed to slow as the spear-like claws drew ever nearer to his frozen body. It was pure instinct that saved him.
"WULD!"
With dizzying speed, his body was thrust forward just in time to avoid the worst of the hit, just enough to avoid death, yet pain erupted in his shoulder as a claw grazed his shoulder, ripping through his leather armor and skin like parchment. He could only scream in pain as his body was thrown end over end as the forward push was disrupted by the dragon's paw.
He slammed into the earth with a scream, rolling painfully until he was stopped abruptly as his head made a cracking impact with a large rock. Dazed, in pain, and blood gushing freely from his shoulder, Berin stared sightlessly at the blue sky above him. Dimly, he wondered if Lydia was on her way back yet. He could feel blood dripping down his face from the fresh gash on his head.
He let his mind wander for just a moment, just one. Let it go to Lydia and Benor and how happy they are to build a life together. Let it go back to Alvor and Sigrid, imagining them sitting together at the fire, watching as Dorthe and Lucia played in the corner. Let it go to Hadvar, probably sitting in a barracks somewhere, sharpening his sword and getting ready for the next battle.
The ground shook around him as the dragon landed.
A/N: Believe it or not guys, I've been fighting with this chapter for the last three months. I didn't like anything about, and ended up scrapping, the first draft and then fought with the second draft forever. I spent most of the time hating everything about my writing, then I just kind of smacked myself around a bit and forced myself to sit down and just WRITE. Then the chapter got so long, and I didn't know how to finish it, so I kind of cut it in half. At least the next chapter is mostly written! Hope you guys hate it less than I do!
