Up to now, I have kept pretty much on canon as far as the quests go, but I have altered the main quest chain slightly just so the story doesn't get too large, or boring.

-o0o-

Farkas was not happy. He didn't particularly enjoy heights, and the path was extremely narrow. Slowly and carefully, they made their way up higher and higher. The wind whipped up the snow about them, until they could barely see where they were going. Lyara used one of the shouts the Greybeards had taught her, and it cleared the skies. Finally, at the top, they seem to leave the wind behind, and the air was still and calm. Lyara looked around trying to spot a dwelling of some kind that the leader of the Greybeards could be hiding in.

"Get ready for a fight!" Farkas yelled.

Lyara immediately had her bow in her hand, and an arrow nocked, then looked in the direction of Farkas's gaze. At the pinnacle of the mountain, upon a large stone outcrop, was a dragon. It was covered in pale grey scales, and was much larger than the one she had fought in Whiterun. It stared at her with its large red reptilian eyes before jumping down and landing several feet away from them.

"Drem Yor Lok. Greetings, I am Paarthurnax."

Lyara froze, wondering why the dragon was not attacking. Is this who the Greybeards sent me to see? She recalled Esbern saying that some of the dragons that had fought with Alduin all those years ago had betrayed him, and sided with the humans, teaching the the Thu'um. Was this such a creature?

She slowly lowered her bow as the dragon was not making any hostile gestures, and she didn't want to antagonize it. Erring on the side of caution, they kept their distance. Farkas seemed reluctant to lower his sword, but he held back, following her lead. She was pleased to see that he was poised and ready to charge at a moment's notice.

"Who are you? What brings you to my mountain?" The ancient dragon spoke to them, his voice slow and deliberate. Lyara was amazed that he could even speak.

"Are you the master of the Greybeards?" Lyara asked in return.

"They see me as master, as old and wise and it is true, I am old. Tell me? Why do you intrude on my meditation?"

"I wish to learn the Dragonrend Word of Power. Are you able to teach me?"

"Patience. There are formalities that must be observed at the first meeting of two of the Dov. The elder speaks first."

The dragon stretched up his neck to its full height.

"Hear my Thu'um. Feel it in your bones, and match it if you are Dovakiin."

The great beast turned towards the rocky outcrop.

"YOL TOOR SHUL," it bellowed, and a great jet of flame shot from its mouth. So hot was this flame that it quickly melted the snow, and caused the rock to smolder. As the rock glowed, it became clear there were words inscribed in Dragon tongue on the wall. Something deep in Lyara reacted to those words, and their knowledge was transferred into her. Instinctively, she knew she could repeat what the dragon had just done.

She placed a hand on Farkas's chest, signaling for him to stay back, before walking closer to the dragon. Paarthurnax looked at her with eyes as big as her head. Razor sharp teeth protruded from a jaw that could have easily bitten her in half.

"Now, show me what you can do. Greet me not as a mortal, but as a Dovah!" Paarthurnax ordered.

She turned to face the dragon, and let out her own cry.

"YOL TOOR SHUL!"

A jet of flame, not quite as impressive as that of Paarthurnax, came forth.

"Aaahhh yes... The Dragon blood runs strong in you. It is long since I had the pleasure of speech with one of my own kind."

Lyara figured he must be referring to her Dragon soul.

"So, you have made your way here, to me. No easy task for a poor … mortal," he finished with a sinister chuckle. "Even for one of the Dovah Sos. Dragon blood. You would not come all this way for tinvaak with an old dovah. You seek your weapon against Alduin."

"Yes. I wish to learn Dragonrend."

"First, a question. Why do you wish to defeat Alduin?"

Lyara thought this an odd question.

"I want to prevent Alduin from destroying the world."

"Some would say that all things must end, so that the next can come to pass. Perhaps this world is the egg of the next. Would you stop the next world from being born."

Lyara was starting to grow impatient with all this philosophy.

"I like this world, and I don't want it destroyed. The next world can take care of itself."

The dragon seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"Maybe you only serve to balance those that work towards the world's destruction. But, you have indulged my weakness for speech long enough, and so now, I will answer your question. I live here, at the peak of the Monahven, the Throat of the World, because this is the very spot that Alduin was defeated by ancient tongues. Perhaps none but me remember how he was defeated."

"Did the Dragonrend shout not defeat him?" Asked Lyara.

"Yes, and no. Alduin was not truly defeated. If he was, you would not be here now seeking a way to defeat him."

Lyara saw the lips of the dragon move and twitch, in what she could only imagine was the approximation of a smile.

"The Nords of those days used the Dragonrend shout to cripple Alduin, but this was not enough. It was Kel – the Elder Scroll. They used it to cast him adrift the on the currents of time."

"Are you saying the ancient Nords sent him forward in time?" Questioned Lyara.

"Not intentionally. Some hoped he would be gone forever. Forever lost. I knew better. Time flows ever onward. One day, he would resurface, which is why I have lived here these thousands of mortal years. I knew where he would emerge, just not when."

Lyara couldn't help but think how this old dragon reminded her of Esbern.

"How did the Elder Scroll accomplish this?"

"The Elder Scrolls are an artifact from outside time. It does not exist, but has always existed. They are fragments of creation and are often used by your kind for prophecy. The prophecy of your arrival comes from an Elder Scroll."

"I do not mean to be discourteous, but how does this help me?" Lyara asked.

"Time was shattered here because of what the ancient Nords did to Alduin. As a Dovah, you should be able to cast yourself back to the other end of the Time-wound, and learn Dragonrend from those who created it."

Lyara's head was swimming from all the information. If she understood Paarthurnax correctly, he was suggesting she travel back in time and learn the Dragonrend shout from its original creators.

Paarthurnax made his way to the wall, and with one almighty claw, pulled a section of it down. Inside was a small hollow. He turned his head towards Lyara, and she moved forward to look inside. Amongst the rubble, was a small scroll. She picked it up and looked at the dragon for further instruction.

"Read the scroll at the Time-wound, Dovahkiin."

She unrolled the scroll, but looked over at Farkas before looking at the script. He had finally lowered his sword, but he still looked alert and on edge. He nodded to her, to let her know that whatever she had to do, she should do it. Not knowing what was going to happen next, she sent him a look that she hoped signified how much she loved him. She then bent her head to look at the text.