Allegiance

"Lost funt. You are too late, Alduin!" Paarthurnax shouted, soaring towards his brother.

"Up! UP!" Aleius sprinted through a hail of flaming rock falling from the sky, yanking Martin to his feet and throwing lightning at the darker of the two dragons.

"Use Dragonrend if you know it!" Paarthurnax called.

"Did you learn—"

"I got it!" Martin tracked the two dragons, trying to differentiate them from each other in the low light. "JOOR ZAH FRUL!"

His Shout hit Alduin dead-on as Paarthurnax turned around, causing the World-Eater to shriek out a blast of ice. Alduin came skidding to the ground, magic pinning him to the snow.

"You may have picked up the weapons of my ancient foes, but you are not their equal!" Alduin roared, snapping his jaws and releasing a stream of flames. "Join me or perish with your mortal friends!"

"YOL TOOR SHUL!" Martin roared in kind, diving out of the way as Aleius sent a bolt of lightning shooting past. It clipped against Alduin's wing as he took off again. Paarthurnax chased him down, screaming fire at his brother. Martin drew and fired as fast as he could, unwilling to Shout down Paarthurnax by mistake.

"Arrogant mortal! I have feasted on many greater than you!"

"Get him down here!" Aleius barked, slamming a complex pattern of runes down on the snow and conjuring up another atronach to hurl spears of ice at the dragon. Paarthurnax landed with a crash on his wall, loosing a jet of fire from his mouth as Alduin soared past.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!"

Alduin came crashing down again, the snow exploding beneath him. Martin skidded down the path to avoid the blast, Aleius stumbled to shelter behind Paarthurnax's extended wing as snow and rock flew everywhere. Fire poured from Alduin's mouth while Martin shot again, willing every arrow to drive the dragon deeper into the snow.

"Meyz muhl, Dovahkiin. You have grown strong," Alduin said, clawing at the ground and blowing Martin back with a beat of his wings. "But I am Al-Du-In, firstborn of Akatosh. I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else!"

Martin threw a bolt of lightning, trying to pin the dragon back down. Alduin fought to fly again, knocking loose pieces of the Throat of the World as he took off. "You cannot prevail against me! I will outlast you, mortal!"

As quickly as the battle had begun, it ended. Alduin was gone, faster than Martin could catch his breath. He stood helplessly atop the mountain, watching the World-Eater sail away and wishing he had wings of his own to follow on.

Aleius shoved himself to his feet and brushed dirt and snow from his robes, also watching Alduin's path to the east. The Archmage shook his head, beginning to laugh.

"What?" Martin demanded, rounding on him.

"You! You are the smallest dragon," Aleius said. "You, standing on the Throat of the World, Shouting fire and power at the World-Eater himself, you..." Aleius broke off, still laughing and out of breath.

Martin shrugged, defused. "I just use what I have."

"Indeed. And I will do what it takes to see this to the end with you," Aleius said. "Whatever that may mean. You have impressed me, and that is not easy to—!" Aleius coughed and knelt down in the snow, panting.

"Are you—"

"Fine," Aleius said, pulling a potion out of his bag and downing it in a single gulp. "Fine. What now?"

"Lot krongrah. You truly have the voice of a Dovah," Paarthurnax said, peering down at them from his wall. "Alduin's allies will think twice after this victory."

"What victory?" Martin asked, scanning the horizon again. Alduin was nowhere in sight. "We've driven him off."

"That's no good. We need him dead," Aleius grumbled, sitting stiffly down on the ground.

"Ni liivrah hin moro. True," Paarthunax said. "This is not the final krongrah, victory."

Martin sat down as well, wondering if there was any end in sight to this battle.

"But not even the heroes of old were able to defeat Alduin in open battle. This should shake the loyalty of the Dov who serve him," Paarthurnax said.

"We cannot stop here. I need to find out where he went," Martin said.

"How do you propose we do that?" Aleius asked, sounding as bitter as Martin felt.

"One of his allies could tell us," Paarthurnax suggested. "Motmahus... but it will not be so easy to convince one of them to betray him."

The three of them fell silent, thinking. Where would one keep a live dragon? Presumably, one that did not want to be kept?

"Perhaps the palace in Whiterun."

Aleius looked up. "Dragonsreach?"

"Yes. It was built to house a captive Dovah. A fine place to trap one of Alduin's allies."

"I can't see Jarl Balgruuf acceding to this," Martin said. "Even if it does work."

"Yes. But your su'um is strong. I do not doubt that you can convince him of the need."

This, somehow, made him feel no better.

Arngeir was waiting for them at the base of the path. The other Greybeards were gathered around as well. All of them looked intensely concerned.

"Alduin?" Arngeir guessed. "We heard the Dragonrend Shout from here. You defeated him?"

"Not exactly," said Martin. "He escaped."

Arngeir's shoulders drooped a little. "I feared as much. I thought it was him we saw flying east after your battle."

Martin and Aleius followed the Greybeards inside to High Hrothgar, out of the cold.

"Do you have a plan?" Arngeir asked.

"I'm going to try to capture a dragon," Martin said. "If Jarl Balgruuf will help, we can use the castle in Whiterun."

"Ah! Dragonsreach! There are many difficulties, but I cannot think of a better plan," Arngeir agreed. "Although I think the Jarl will not be so easily swayed."

"I fear as much," Martin agreed. "Agreeing to house a dragon, even temporarily, is not something I see anyone agreeing to, Jarl or otherwise."

"Remember, the Way of the Voice trains you for more than battle," Arngeir reminded him. He stood with Martin and Aleius in the main hall, ruminating on their options before they left. "We believe battle to be the least of its uses."

"But battle I must. Where has Alduin gone?" asked Martin. "Is there any way to know without catching a dragon?"

"The old tales say that he can travel into Sovngarde and devour the souls of the dead."

"That's hardly helpful," Aleius said dismissively. "If Alduin has gone to Sovngarde, we may as well call the battle lost."

"We cannot give up," Martin said. "If he can get to Sovngarde, so can we."

"But there is no guarantee he has even gone there," Aleius countered. "Or that we'll find out how to follow."

"You must find out how he does this, before he regains his strength and returns." Arngeir crossed his arms, frowning deeply. "If there was any way to know for certain, I would tell you, Dragonborn."

"We know the old tales to hold a shred of truth," Martin pointed out. "There may be something there."

They fell silent for a moment, Martin weighing his options. Get to Sovngarde, or catch a dragon? At what point did the pressure ease? Would it ever?

"Come on. We have a long way to go." Aleius led the way out, staring dismally down at the seven thousand steps down to Ivarstead. "If we hurry down this blasted mountain, we can make Whiterun before sundown."

"I want to go speak with Esbern," Martin decided, catching up to him. "If anyone will know where Alduin is heading, it is him."

"All right. Where are they?" Aleius asked. "Markarth, you said?"

"Near there."

Aleius grumbled angrily as they started down the steps. "Ivarstead should invest in a carriage, you and I could keep it in business indefinitely."

"Failing that, though."

"We can stay the night in Ivarstead and catch a carriage out of Riften," Aleius said.

Martin shook his head. "We can rest on the carriage," he corrected. "We must press on."

Aleius glared at him. "Martin—"

"I will rest when I'm dead!" Martin snapped, pushing forward on the path and feeling as though that might not be true either.

Sky Haven Temple somehow felt emptier than before. Martin and Aleius wandered through the whole temple, finding it deserted. It looked as though Delphine and Desmond had been practicing with the bow, and that Esbern was still looking over Alduin's Wall. Tables of weapons or of books and papers sat to the sides of the relief, lit by bowls of burnt-down coals.

"What is this?" Aleius looked over the wall, curious.

"Alduin's Wall. All the knowledge of the ancients," Martin said.

"This is intriguing. Do you mind if I...?" Aleius trailed off, showing signs of wanting to stay and look over the wall.

"Sure." Martin left Aleius to the wall, continuing his search for the others. Cracking open a door, he heard voices.

Esbern was sitting at the edge of the rock face, staring out into the mountains. Delphine was standing off to the side, sword at her hip and still in armor. She was instructing Desmond, who was still working with his crossbow. He had improved: his aim was truer if the target at the edge of the courtyard was to be believed.

Esbern got up as soon as he saw Martin, getting Delphine's and Desmond's attention. "What's happened? Did you find a way to learn Dragonrend?" he asked as Martin stepped down into the courtyard.

"Yes," he said. "I defeated Alduin, but he escaped."

"Escaped? Wasn't that the point of Dragonrend, was to keep him down so you could kill him?" Delphine asked.

Ignoring this, Martin went on. "I need to know where he went. Arngeir thinks he's gone to Sovngarde."

"He may have," Esbern agreed. "Alduin may have returned to Sovngarde to feed on the souls of the dead. If you don't find him soon, he will return stronger than ever."

Desmond hung his crossbow over his shoulder, frowning. "How is anyone supposed to get to him in Sovngarde?"

"We have a plan," Martin said, avoiding the question proper. "We need to trap a dragon in Dragonsreach, in Whiterun. We can force it to help us and tell us Alduin's plans."

"You're gonna stick a dragon in Balgruuf's palace and ask it questions?" Desmond asked, incredulous. "How are you gonna—"

"Yes, the old story of King Olaf's pet dragon, ingenious!" Esbern said, beaming.

"Dragonsreach was built to house a dragon once, surely it can do it again," Martin explained, if nothing else to convince himself of the plan's potential. "Not for long, but just long enough."

"It might be difficult to persuade the Jarl, no matter how long you intend to have a dragon in his home," Delphine pointed out.

"So I've heard."

"I'm sure you'll manage it. If you can defeat the World-Eater, surely sweet-talking the Jarl of Whiterun will be easy," Esbern said.

"I hope so." Martin stood up a bit straighter, trying to project confidence. "We can do this, but if we are to trap a dragon, I will need all the help I can get," he said. "Will you come with me?"

"Yeah," Desmond said at once. "Lemme grab—"

Delphine grabbed Desmond's arm, shaking her head. Esbern shifted his weight between his feet, looking uneasy as Desmond yanked his arm away.

"What's the matter?" Martin asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"I'm afraid there's a further problem, a serious one," Esbern said carefully. "I've discovered who the leader of the Greybeards really is."

"Paarthurnax," Martin said, nodding. "I know him, we've spoken."

"All well and good," Esbern continued. "But did you know that he was Alduin's chief lieutenant in ancient times? Responsible for all manner of atrocities?"

Martin considered his answer. "Well... yes, dragons were terrible during the Dragon War, but Paarthurnax was the one who taught Shouts to men. Without him, we would not be where we are."

"It's true his crimes are long in the past," Esbern went on doggedly, "but justice does not count for the passage of years. Justice demands that he die for his crimes."

Silence. Martin looked between the three of them. "But Paarthurnax—"

"Until he is dead, I'm afraid my oath as a Blade will prevent me from offering you aid and comfort."

Martin stood still, trying to process this in the uncomfortable silence that followed. "You want me to kill Paarthurnax."

Delphine stared him down, face set. "My oath binds me, too. Justice can be harsh, but it is still justice. Paarthurnax deserves to die."

"Why? He—"

"Yes, he turned traitor and helped to overthrow the dragon cult," Delphine said, as impatient and curt as ever. "But that makes him worse, not better. Justice demands he pay with his life, and until Paarthurnax is dead, you aren't welcome here."

"Just a moment!" Martin snapped, now offended. "You want me to kill Paarthurnax? Had any of you bothered to come with me to fight Alduin, you might have noticed that Paarthurnax was on our side! Would you really refuse me aid over the doubt of my allies?"

"Make your choice, Dragonborn. You're either with us or against us," Delphine said firmly. "Do the right thing."

"Why is it so important to you that he die?" Martin demanded.

"Paarthurnax is a dragon!" she pointed out. "We can't afford to give him a chance to betray us in turn and return to his old master."

Growing angrier by the second, Martin shook his head. "Absolutely not. No, I—WHY would you—!" He shouted incoherently, unable to form words. Fed up, he threw up his hands and turned around to leave.

"Paarthurnax deserves to die," Delphine spat as he started up the steps.

Martin balled his hands into fists, whipping back around on his heel and storming back up to Delphine. "Explain something to me!" he shouted, his voice ringing against the stone of the temple and the mountains surrounding it. "I have been out fighting the dragons, digging up an Elder Scroll, traveling all over the country for the sake of defeating Alduin once and for all! After you have been sitting here by Alduin's Wall for weeks, you ask of me to kill thecreature that's gotten us this far, the most powerful ally I have made? What help have you been to me, that you think you can leverage your aid against his life?"

"Don't you dare act like I haven't helped you!" Delphine yelled at him, Esbern and Desmond backing away from their argument.

"Is that what you call it?" Martin demanded. "You stole the horn of Jurgen Windcaller, dragged me across the country to kill a dragon without sleep, you have RELENTLESSLY put down the Greybeards despite the fact that they have been infinitely more helpful than either you OR Esbern have been!" he ranted.

"Excuse me!" Esbern snapped, offended. "Did Delphine and I not lead you here?"

"And what good did that do me?" Martin shot back. "Sent me back to the Greybeards, where evidently I should have stayed!"

"They would never have taught you Dragonrend if you hadn't known about it!"

"They DIDN'T teach me Dragonrend!" Martin roared. "I had to track down an Elder Scroll, bring it to Paarthurnax, and be sent back in time to learn Dragonrend!"

"You would trust a dragon with an Elder Scroll and you wouldn't trust us?" Delphine looked ready to physically fight him at a moment's notice, glaring threateningly at him. "Dragonborn or not, my trust in you must be misplaced!"

Martin's hands shook at his sides, rage boiling over. "When first we met you dragged me into a cellar, into a secret, locked basement, and you say you cannot trust ME? Hypocrite!"

"Martin!" Esbern snapped.

"And you!" He rounded on Esbern. "You would deny me aid in this time of crisis for a debt thousands of years old? You would rather see me die than to allow Paarthurnax to live?"

"It's not that simple!" Esbern insisted.

"IT IS EXACTLY that simple! What makes you think so highly of yourself, what makes you think your help is so valuable to me that I would SACRIFICE the strongest ally I have to secure your help?"

"But Martin, Paarthurnax is a dragon!" Esbern echoed.

"Yes, and I am a centuries-old ex-worshipper of daedric princes, reincarnated into the body of a master criminal to whom I owe my life!" Martin spat, beyond furious. "Just because we do wrong does not make us evil! Things change! People change!"

"Dragons will always remain the same!" Delphine insisted. "Martin, do the right thing!"

"Justice is a human construct, not a law of the universe," Martin told them, struggling to maintain whatever was left of his composure. "Is it so unbelievable to you that Paarthurnax's fate is unimportant to defeating Alduin?"

"So what happens when Paarthurnax turns on you?" Delphine challenged. "Huh? What happens when Alduin's gone and we're all left to deal with Paarthurnax?"

"Then I will deal with him!" Martin shot at her. "But until such a time as that, I refuse to take a preemptive strike on a valuable ally!"

"You're making a mistake!"

"And it is mine to make!" he raged, turning again to leave the temple for good. "Because far be it from you to leave your safe haven, walk up to the Greybeards, and slay Paarthurnax yourselves!"

He burst through the doors into the temple proper, startling Aleius. He had still been studying the Wall, and looked up in alarm as the door slammed.

"Are you—"

"We're leaving."

"What, now?"

"Yes!"

Martin blazed a trail for the exit, seething. That was the end of that, then. There was likely no salvaging this relationship. Hopefully, he was right: anything he needed could be provided by the Greybeards and Paarthurnax. He hoped his faith in the dragon wasn't for nothing.

Aleius ran to catch up. "Martin, what in the world happened?" he asked, concerned.

"I'll explain later," Martin said curtly, unwilling to discuss it in the mood he was in. He shoved the door to the temple open, wanting to put as much distance between him and them as possible.

"Wait!"

"WHAT?" Martin shouted, turning around.

Desmond had run after them, and slowed to a halt when Martin yelled. Martin deflated a bit, watching Desmond cross his arms.

"What, Desmond?" he asked, trying to be calm.

Desmond stayed silent for a moment. "You're not gonna leave me here, are you?" he asked.

Martin exhaled, angry and upset, but mostly tired. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

They sat in silence, the carriage halfway to Whiterun before Martin set down his spellbook and spoke.

"Are you still upset with me?"

Aleius wisely immersed himself further in whatever he was reading. Desmond looked up from his own book.

"Yeah. Kinda."

Silence again. Aleius turned a page.

"Why did you come?" Martin asked.

Desmond flipped his book shut, chewing his tongue. "I don't... really, it's... it's about loyalty," he said finally. "A true Nord values honesty and loyalty above all else."

"So...?"

"So, I'm loyal to you. Not to Delphine, not to Esbern, not to Balgruuf or Ulfric or anyone. You're Dragonborn and I've been loyal to you since Helgen."

Martin cracked a small smile. "Thank you."

"I don't have to like you to be loyal to you, though."

He nodded, smile vanishing. "Fair enough. I am sorry, Desmond."

Desmond shook his head, sighing deeply. "Forget it, all right. Just, just don't lie to me anymore."

"I won't. I promise," Martin said. "Clearly, I am burning through allies fast. I would be a fool to drive you away too."

At this, Desmond laughed. "I never thought I'd see you so angry! I thought Delphine was gonna punch you."

"I almost wish she had," Martin said bitterly.

"What happened?" Aleius asked, peeking up from his book.

"Delphine and Esbern told me I must kill Paarthurnax if I ever want their help," Martin said simply.

Aleius scoffed, marking his place in his book and returning it to his bag. "I hope you told them off but good."

"I did. Oh, how I did," Martin assured him.

They laughed. It was good to see smiles instead of claws at the end of the day. Ice broken, they spoke of their adventures since separating. Aleius talked at length about Blackreach and the Oculory, Martin relayed what he had seen in the Elder Scroll at the Throat of the World and the fight with Alduin, and Desmond told them about staying in Sky Haven Temple.

"Delphine keeps talking about recruiting for the Blades," Desmond scoffed. "I don't know how, though. They never leave the temple."

"Perhaps that's for the best," Martin mused, hoping the two Blades didn't actually take it upon themselves to mount a kill mission against High Hrothgar.

"Glad I didn't join up."

"She asked you?"

"Course she did. Told her no," Desmond said. "Same as always."

Martin looked him over. "The war?" he guessed.

"Yeah." Desmond crossed his arms. "You know, I did consider joining the Stormcloaks. But, it was the same as this."

"How do you mean?" asked Martin uncertainly.

"There were times when I really felt proud of the cause, but then there were others that just made me feel so ashamed for believing in it." Desmond's serious expression did not waver. "That's why I wanted to leave. There's no force out here for real, honest good."

"That's what we are for," Martin said. "That's why I came back. I think."

"So you're real, honest good."

Martin laughed. "I hope so. Let us hope Jarl Balgruuf agrees."