Chapter 10 ~The Silver Queen~

19th of Morning Star
12:20 am
Solitude
Owain

"So, you guys are telling me you remember nothing of that party?" I asked my three companions. Well, Xenos wasn't there… but I was also drunk off my tail-feathers, and I didn't recognize that lovely lass's attire…

"If by 'party', you don't mean meeting up with Sheogorath, then no." Sortiara said. "Although I do feel a little sore…"

"You're just feeling a little sick, from the mad god's magic." Xenos offered as an explanation. We took that as an acceptable excuse and walked towards the Blue Palace. I looked up in a strange combination of awe and fear- they don't know I was kicked out of the Stormwings just yet, so they are still my enemies.

"Halt!" A guard said. He walked up to us, a sharp-looking spear grasped in his left hand. "Only those with official business may approach the Blue Palace."

Dyce simply handed him the note from before. "Jarl Balgruf sent us to speak with Queen Erika on his behalf."

The guard looked over the note. Well, I thought he did- it's hard to tell with the large helmet that they wear. "Very well. You may enter and approach the Queen of Skyrim."

"Thank you." Dyce said, oddly nice for him. He took the note back and we entered. The Palace was the opposite of Ulfric's one. Every inch of it was scrubbed clean, with no trace of the wear of adventurers or soldiers. It was so clean it almost made me retch.

We journeyed up a flight of stairs, to the Queen's throne room. It was rather large, and attendants lined the walls. The Queen herself sat upon the throne. Her nickname Ulfric had for her, 'The Silver Queen,' was not far off. Indeed, with her age her hair had turned into a brilliant silver color, almost as if the metal were affixed to her head.

She stared at us with cold, turquoise eyes. She had not seen happiness for many moons, it seems. Queen Erika wore robes of light blue, and the circlet on her head was silver, encrusted with sapphires. "Who are you to enter my court?" She said. Her tone was calm, but not gentle- there was no subtlety in her venom.

I stepped forward. "My name is Owain, your highness," I said, bowing. "And we are here to deliver a request from Jarl Balgruf."

She stood up, looking directly at me. "Your armor… you are Stormwing, are you not?" Her guards tensed, hands on their weapons.

"I was recently discharged for refusing to follow an order to murder an innocent." I said. "I had enough of the Stormwings. I'm no longer one of them."

The air was full of tension. If you had one, you'd probably be able to cut it with a knife. "Well, it is a shame to leave company so nice…" Xenos started, "But I must say farewell, Sortiara, Owain, and Dyce!" He ran the opposite direction, and out the front doors.

~Dyce~

Damn you to every plane of Oblivion, Xenos. For the second time in about as many weeks, I had every weapon in the immediate vicinity aimed at my face. All because you had to go and say my name. Damn you, Xenos.

"Dyce? Of Rorikstead?" Queen Erika asked. She stood up from her throne, surprisingly fast for a woman her age. Walking over to me, she continued to speak. "You are the one who destroyed Dawnstar, and the people within, and you have the audacity to walk into my castle?"

"Well, he does have the stones of a dragon…" Owain muttered, earning a slap from Sortiara. "What? He is the Dragonborn…"

Ignoring my companions, I knelt down in front of the Queen. "Lady Erika, I can assure you that I was not the one to destroy Dawnstar. Surely you haven't heard of the recent events at Whiterun?" I asked. It was taking every ounce of humility I had to do this. When I received no answer, I continued. "A dragon attacked the city, your highness. The same one who destroyed Dawnstar."

"I find this hard to believe, Dyce the Murderer. You expect me to just accept that story?" She motioned for a guard to step forward, and I felt a blade touch the back of my neck. "Your pitiful life will end here."

"MY LADY! STOP!" A voice shouted from the entryway. It was a man I'd hoped to not see again. General Tidus was panting, hunched over to catch his breath.

"General, I thought your orders were to dispose of this man," Erika said, gesturing towards myself. "It seems you had failed in your mission."

"I was going to kill them, your highness, but something changed my mind." He continued, grabbing the hand of the guard above me and removing the sword. "This man is no criminal. He and his companions had saved me from an attack by the infamous Thieves Guild. He also single-handedly destroyed an entire Draugr horde that was after our blood."

"These may be actions of heroics, General, but they do not prove the man's innocence. Stand aside, and let the execution continue." Erika said, cold malice emanating from her. I saw her glance at a painting on the wall nearby. It looked to be a young man, with bright auburn hair that was flowing in the wind. The girl with him in the portrait had long turquoise hair. Her facial features reminded me of- The Queen!

"The man's claims of dragons are also correct, my lady." Tidus continued. "I saw one attack Whiterun with my own eyes. If it wasn't for this man's bravery, the town would have been leveled. I stand as a witness to testify in this man's defense."

He grabbed my arm, and helped me to my feet. "It's the least I could do; I owe him my life. Twice over."

The Queen stared at us, then frowned. "If you stand with the enemy, then you are no longer a general of the Imperial Army. I hereby remove your rank and the privileges associated with it." She said with a blank face. "There is no proof of this besides word. And I do not believe the words of a murderer and a traitor."

"THAT'S A LOAD OF HORKER SHIT!" a loud roar echoed throughout the room. Owain was standing where it came from, a look of pure anger across his feathery face. "This man has done for the people what you have not! He had saved them, cared for them, made sure there were as little deaths as possible!" He continued his rant, small tears forming in his eyes. "He has done nothing but help those he meets. And what have you done, Queen? You've sat here, in your throne of gold and jewels, crying over the death of your husband- which, might I say, happened two years ago!"

Everyone was shocked at his outburst. "You must either be the greatest warrior alive, or the biggest idiot to talk to me that way." The guards near me tensed up, attention focused on the mad Avon instead of me.

"Lady, I don't claim to be either. I just can't stand it when you nobles think that you don't need to look out for the people, when that's your fucking job!" He drew his mace, left wing flared out- his right was still in a sling. "Now let him go. I don't care what your husband asked of us- I'll tear you to shreds if it means we walk away safely!"

Everyone except myself and Sortiara was surprised. The Queen stuttered. "My husband… asked something of you?" She asked.

I took this chance to calm Owain down by talking. "We met up with his spirit. He's being held captive by Sheogorath, Daedric prince of madness. He asked us to check up on you, and make sure you were safe. Since we also had a request from Jarl Balgruf, we thought we could get two things done at the same time."

"My husband… my dear Toriff…" Erika said, looking over to the painting. "I knew you were still looking after me…" she retreated to her throne, sitting down. She looked directly at me. "I know not why I believe you, Dyce. My husband has been dead for two years… but…" She motioned to her guards. "Fetch me some silver water." She said.

"Silver water?" Owain asked, now calmed down with his weapon sheathed.

Sortiara spoke up. "It's water that's been enchanted to let the spell caster see into the realms of one's mind." She said.

"Nordic, please." He asked the Imperial mage.

"It's magic that lets you read people's minds."

"Ohh, I get it." A guard appeared from a rear hallway, handling a shallow bowl. Inside the bowl I saw a wispy liquid, as if it wasn't completely there.

"Now, Dyce, step forward." She said. I had to comply in this situation, it's that or my death. "I will now look into your mind to see if your claims are true. If they are, then you are a free man. If they are not, then you die."

"Charming. I have nothing to hide, Queen Erika. Do as you please." Unfortunately, the event never happened. A fierce wind shook the castle, and we heard a roar from outside.

"Your highness!" Tidus shouted above the noise. "You wanted proof? You're about to get it!"

That's when I heard the voice. "Dovahkiin, slayer of Sahloknir! You have been found, you and your worthless kind!" Another roar. "You will now face my judgment, that of Kallahmul!"

~Chapter 10.5 Early Frost~

"Your highness, I'd suggest you stand back." I said, drawing my blade. The Bronze sword wasn't in terribly good condition. I'd have to end this fast. Owain drew his mace once more, and Sortiara lit purple flames on one of her hands. "Friends, get back."

Owain chirped. "No way, Dyce. We're Dragonend! We fight together!"

I responded, "I know. But I need to get the dragon away from the city, he's after me! I need you two to stay here and prevent the beast from hurting anyone!"

Sortiara spoke, "Good luck, Dyce." I bolted out of the castle, out into the city streets. The people were in a panic- none of them had seen a dragon before. The beast was hovering above the palace, not realizing I wasn't inside. It punched the side of the building, gouging out an area below the northern tower- the tall structure began to fall.

It flew lower, and a small explosion occurred where it was hovering, but below my line of sight. "Over here, you overgrown lizard!" I shouted, grabbing the beast's attention. Not the best of ideas.

~Sortiara~

I watched Dyce run out of the building. "Owain, stay here and help the guards protect the Queen, I'll go see what I can do!"

"Sweetheart, I can help!" He complained.

"Not with your wing like that. Let me handle this one." I winked at him, and turned around, my hair forming a sheet around me as I summoned my strength for a spell. A short-term speed enhancer. I used its power to dash out of the castle, a purple trail of aura behind me.

The dragon was hovering above the castle, and sliced into it with his claws. The northern tower fell, and I heard a scream emanating from it. Looking up, I saw a young girl, a few years younger than myself, falling through the air. She wore a dark pink cloak, and her head was mostly covered by its hood. What little hair I could see was a light blond.

"I got you!" I shouted, grabbing her with a telekinesis spell. My violet aura ensnared her, and I pulled her to safety from the rubble. I crouched low, avoiding the rocks, and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes…" she shakily said. Her voice was weak, or shy in nature- I couldn't tell which at the time.

"What's your name? I'm Sortiara."

"C-Celina…" She said, passing out. Poor girl. I called out for help, and some guards arrived in no time. Taking her away, the dragon lowered itself to me.

"You smell of the Dovahkiin. You must travel with him. Tell me where he is, wench!" It shouted.

"Take this!" I said. I summoned an ice bolt in my hand. Dragons breathe fire, so ice would be effective against them. Not this one, though. The bolt merely bounced off its armored, grayish-white scales. It reared back, gathering power in its jaws.

"Fo Krah Diin!" He shouted. I saw him launch the energy at me. It hit the ground at my feet, and the explosion knocked my skyward. My robes caught the jagged edge of the flagpoles on the castle, and I hung there. Below me, I saw a massive impact of ice.

"Over here, you overgrown lizard!" I heard. The dragon did too, and flew away. I suddenly became very aware of my right leg- it was hit by the attack, and it was encased in ice. However, I lacked the energy to move- I simply passed out, hanging from the side of the castle.

~Dyce~

"SHIT!" I screamed, running away from the dragon. It launched ice ball after ice ball at me, the attacks hitting buildings. The ice went in one side, and when it came out the other, it held the frozen forms of those it killed.

"You run like a coward, Dovahkiin! A disgrace to your name!" The dragon shouted. Bigger mistake. I turned completely around, and dug in my head for knowledge.

After absorbing Sahloknir's soul, I found I had learned more of those words, the ones that gave me power. Three of them fit together, the same shout he used in the battle against myself- I assumed them to be fire breath. One, though, was on its own. It's better than nothing.

"Wuld!" My shout emanated around me, forming a cone of energy. In no time at all, that energy launched me skyward, in the direction I was facing. I soared up towards the dragon, sinking my blade in its left paw.

"Get off me, Dovahkiin!" The dragon shouted. After listening to its voice, I figured that this was a female- though that might just be my dragon's blood acting up.

"I have a name, scaled bitch!" I shouted, flipping up onto her back. "It's Dyce Dragonborn!" I sunk the blade into her back, greeted by a roar of pain. A smile formed on my face as the familiar Schlik sound of my sword coming out of flesh reached my ears. I stabbed the blade back in, and pulled it out once more.

She rolled in mid-air, causing my next strike to pierce a wing. It tore a large hole in it as I fell, and the sword hit the stronger bone that encased the membrane of the wing. It snapped in two.

I fell faster, no longer attached to the dragon. "OH FU-" I started to shout, until I hit the ice made by the dragon from her earlier rampage. It acted as a cushion, surprisingly, as I slid down its mirrored surface and out onto the road. The broken parts of my blade fell near me, one a distance away, but the other dangerously close to me, sinking into the ground near my loins.

Kallahmul did not land as gracefully. She crashed into a building, and skidded through it. An Imperial man was seen inside the wreckage, and drew a blade. "This is my home, fiend! Solitude is the one place I try to keep my nose clean!"

He lurched forward in a bizarre mix of courage and stupidity. The dragon batted him aside with one paw, the nord becoming little more than a stain on Solitude's wall. "Foolish mortal."

The sword he was using clattered towards me. It was a double-edged blade of Nordic make, and I grasped its hilt with my hand. It was heavier than I like my weapons to be, but something was better than nothing. Behind me, I saw the Queen running from her castle. It's idiots like her who run into danger. I'll not say that to her face, though.

"Die, Kallahmul!" I shouted, using the 'wuld' shout to burst forward. The heavy blade easily sunk into her skull, cutting through flesh, bone, and brain. She shook once, then stopped moving.

"Did you just…" Erika said as she finally caught up, Owain and twenty-five soldiers around her. I swiped the blade through the air to rid it of blood, and sheathed it at my waist. The corpse of the dragon glowed gold, and another soul was ripped from its body and absorbed by myself.

"I trust that's all the proof you need?"

~End of Chapter~