Chapter 26
Each book brought him closer to Miraak; each word he learnt readied him. And each dream he had of the man he learnt more of him. So many didn't know the truth of what happened, some of the dov did, but not all. Was Miraak innocent? Or was he another pawn trying to break away? The larger question: was it the right the thing he did? Alduin had changed when Miraak had decided to break away. Alduin had been giving out orders that were cruel, and Miraak hadn't agreed with them.
Dovahkiin sighed, unsure of taking Miraak as his slave, but it was the best option. If he didn't, most of the dragons would want him killed. Dovahkiin may not die because of his link to Vorstag, but that wasn't a certainty.
He stared at the book Waking Dreams, readying himself for another fight. This time he wasn't sure he wanted to do this fight. With Alduin there had been no conflicting emotions.
It had been a week since he sent Vorstag off, and he could still feel the human's anger towards him. He knew Vorstag was receiving the updates of what was happening in Skyrim, right now he had more important things to take care of. He just wondered if Vorstag would give him the information when they met again.
He didn't know what to do with him. Things weren't going as he planned. If he was honest he hadn't really planned anything. His main thought was to protect him and let things play out. He hadn't expected Vorstag to counter all his decisions. He should have allowed the dragons to find out and let things happen instead of saving him. If he had followed through on that plan Vorstag would be dead and he would have an easier time with being thur to the dragons.
On the other hand, if Vorstag had died (and he hated admitting it) but he would miss the human. He didn't know what his feelings towards the human were, but he knew he cared for him; maybe too much. And yet, it would never work out, Vorstag couldn't fulfill his needs, his desires.
Once he was finished with enslaving Miraak he will have to decide what to do with Vorstag, until then he would leave it.
~ooooooooooooooooo~
Dovahkiin stood in front of Miraak, waiting. Miraak looked shocked that he was there. "So you have finally come. Have you finally figured out what happened?" Miraak asked.
"You mean when you forced a sharing of souls?" Dovahkiin asked with a sneer.
"So you do know. Then what do you plan on doing last Dovahkiin?" Miraak asked, cocking his head inquisitively.
"There is only one thing I can do. Take you as my slave," Dovahkiin answered calmly.
"Is that what you really want? Me as your slave? The dragons tried that…" Miraak snapped, glaring at the last dragonborn coldly.
"You know that is the only solution Miraak," Dovahkiin bit out.
"Or, I can take you as my slave," Miraak murmured, his voice showing his intentions before he shot the first magical blast between them.
"Then so be it." Dovahkiin stated as he rolled out of the way of the frost spell. He watched his opponent closely, looking for signs of weakness. As far as he could see there was none, this man was adept at magic and powerful.
Dovahkiin hissed as a fire blast nearly hit him, his arm was singed, part of his hair was burnt. He glanced up towards Miraak when he heard the man groan. His eyes widened when he saw that Miraak's arm was singed and part of his mast was blackened. "It seems, trying to kill me you are injuring yourself also," Dovahkiin murmured with a smirk.
"And yet it was never like this with your mortal, I wonder why that is," Miraak questioned slyly.
"You know the answer joor," Dovahkiin spat belligerently.
"I am no more of a mortal than you are," Miraak reminded him.
"That is where you are wrong. I took Alduin's soul, not you," Dovahkiin gloated, enjoying the hissing of displeasure that Miraak made.
"The only soul I couldn't take from you," Miraak stated with certainty.
"You've tried many times, and have not succeeded. You think you are more powerful than me, and yet I rule the dov, something you weren't able to do. Remember that," Dovahkiin bit out. "You were defeated by another; that is weakness in itself."
"Do not preach to me. I have lived for thousands of years. I know my mistakes," Miraak yelled.
"Do you? Then why fight me? I give you what you want, freedom from this place." Dovahkiin commented.
"As a slave!" Miraak shouted.
"It is the only way you can be free of this place and you know it. The dov would kill you in moments," Dovahkiin reminded him.
"I do not deserve to be a slave. I did what I had to do," Miraak snarled.
"True. But do you really think the dragons care? Most of the dragons that follow me had been followers of Alduin, they won't care what Alduin's orders were. All they will care about is you didn't follow that order," Dovahkiin told him quietly.
"I was not going to slaughter all of my followers on Alduins whim. I was not going to slaughter children because Alduin had decreed them too young to learn magic," Miraak stated coldly. "Then that book was placed where I would find it. Power at my fingertips, enough power to protect and defeat Alduin… or so I thought…"
"What do you mean?"
"Alduin had already spoken with one of the weaker priest, offering him more power and higher standing to get rid of me. The fight last days, each of us weakening the longer the fight lasted. Then my new master stepped in took me here, where I have been for the past thousands of years," Miraak told him quietly. He thought back to that time, the time when Alduin changed quite drastically. He remembered the screams of his followers that had died by dragon fires. He remembered the cries of women when their children were taken from them. He remembered the order that had changed everything. One order had opened his eyes. 'Kill the children, they are useless to us this young and they know too much of our ways.' The other dragon priests that had resided here had followed the order, but he hadn't. He had turned to the book for power. A book he had ignored for so long and had finally gave into.
Now here he stood fighting with the one man that could give him the freedom he so wished for. He wanted his place back, he wanted to rule once more, but he knew that wouldn't be happening. And yet, he would be this man's slave, the question, was he any different than Alduin? He had taken the dragon's soul.
Taking a risk he dropped his staff and sword and met the last dovahkiin's eyes squarely. He would go with him, but now they would have to face his master.
Miraak listened to the oily voice of his master and it grated on his nerves. He listened to Dovahkiin argue and wondered if the both of us would be trapped here.
"Miraak needs to be taught his lesson and setting him free is not the option," Hema mora stated.
"Then strip him of everything you gave him. Strip him of all his powers," Dovahkiin bit out.
"Hmm, that has merit. A once powerful being living among mortals now as weak as them," the black oily tentacles purred.
"Don't forget he will still be a slave for me," Dovahkiin added in with a smirk.
"On one condition, when you die the both of you come back here," Mora stated.
"Done!" Dovahkiin said firmly.
~ooooooooooooooooo~
Dovahkiin was the first to rise to his feet after being shoved from the book. He glanced at the man beside him, dressed in rags, no longer wearing his mask or the robe that stated he was a high ranking dragon priest. He wondered what all the deadra god had taken from Miraak. Dovahkiin searched in his sack for a health potion, something to take the ache away. He didn't bother using his magic for something so minor.
His eyes widened when he saw Miraak equipment in his pack, his sword and staff along with his outfit.
He glanced at the man that was now stirring. He wasn't surprised that Miraak was a nord, with long black hair, a light dusting of a beard and mustache that covered his chin and just above his lip. He wore quite a few scars on his face, on from his right eye to the bottom of his right cheek, another across his left cheek just ending at his nose and the last scar was in the center of his forehead and ended partway down his nose. The last two weren't that noticeable but the one from his eye was very noticeable.
Dovahkiin watched as his eyes fluttered open, vibrant green eyes stared back at him. "It seems he kept his word," Miraak muttered as he slowly sat up.
"What did he leave you with?" Dovahkiin asked.
Miraak opened his mouth to shout and then snapped it closed. He looked alarmed "He took all my knowledge of the thu'um. I am weak…." Miraak spat.
"With time as you change your ways I may teach you to shout once more," Dovahkiin offered.
"It should be I teaching you, but now I am your slave. The irony of it isn't lost," Miraak snarled.
"It matters not what you think at the moment. Right now I am going to call a dragon and you are going to stay quiet," Dovahkiin commanded.
"Sihloknir," he shouted his voice thundering through the air. He smirked as Miraak glared at him. They didn't have long to wait before the dragon showed himself with another on his back. He would bet that Vorstag had already talked to the dragon into going for a search.
They landed not far away, he could still feel Vorstag's anger towards him, but ignored it. "I see he is no long under his old master's rule," Sahloknir stated.
"Niid, Mora gave him to me," Dovahkiin answered and glanced at Vorstag.
"Don't worry the dragons have been explaining a lot to me the past week," Vorstag answered quietly.
"What did you learn?" Dovahkiin asked ignoring Miraak's curious look.
"That a lot of what I did had harmed your standing with the dragons, not all of them. The ones I saved hold me in high regard, but also made me look weak," Vorstag answered.
"Made you look weak?" Dovahkiin questioned, he knew the answer, but he wondered if Vorstag actually understood.
"Yes, they said the way I went about saving them made me look weak and you also. By arguing with you, I showed you as weak and having to argue with you made me look weak," Vorstag explained.
"And yet thuri, he makes you stronger than Alduin ever was. Many of the dov fear you, and respect you because of this joor," Sahloknir said calmly.
"We shall see," Dovahkiin murmured. "Now we can head to Skyrim, and be done with this place."
"Dovahkiin, you should place a dov as overseer of this island," Sahloknir murmured.
"If this was the old ways I would agree, but with the standing of the dov now, it is not necessary, no mortals here follow the dov." Dovahkiin stated. "As for other dov trying to take over this place, I highly doubt that will happen."
"Why do you say that thuri?" Sahloknir asked curiously.
"It common knowledge that Alduin is dead, it is also common knowledge that a Dovahkiin now leads the dragons, until dragons regain their dominance there will be no fights for superiority. The mortals kill you on sight as it is, until that is rectified it would be stupid for a dragon to take a parcel of land forcefully," Dovahkiin explained with a shrug.
"Since you are Thane of Markarth and Whiterun, you could petition the Jarl to call a meeting of all Jarls. See if you can come to a truce of some type between dragon and men," Vorstag commented uncertainly.
"Maybe this joor of yours isn't so much of an idiot as I thought," Miraak murmured, giving Vorstag a sneering smirk.
Dovahkiin glared at Miraak until his shoulder's hunched and the sneering smirk left his face. He wondered what on his face had made him back down, he didn't think this man would back down to much. Dovahkiin shook his head and sighed. "Fine, you'll be going to the Jarl's and speaking on my behalf. I want the meeting in Whiterun," Dovahkiin ordered.
"Having me speak on your behalf might work with the dragons, but not with the Jarls. They would expect you there," Vorstag told him hesitantly.
"Then we will need to figure something out. Me going there to speak with the Jarl isn't prudent," Dovahkiin muttered with a scowl.
"No its not, not unless you wish to start another war, and with the war going on right now Skyrim won't survive," Vorstag warned him.
"I am not starting a war with the people of Skyrim, they would rise up and many more would die. It would be worse than the old dragon war," Dovahkiin told them. "Enough for now, we can do more planning later. Right now, we need to head to Skyrim."
"I cannot carry all three of you to Skyrim, two, but no more," Sahloknir warned.
"Krosulhah!" Dovahkiin shouted. "You will take Vorstag while I ride with Miraak." He ordered calmly as the other dragon circled above them.
"I still stand with my old thought," Vorstag muttered.
"What thought is that Sil se Dovahkiin?" Krosulhah asked.
"Bind Miraak's hands, or something of that nature until we can trust him," Vorstag bit out glaring at the older dragonborn.
"We could use the collars that we once used on our slaves when we didn't trust them," Sahloknir murmured thoughtfully.
"What collars?" Dovahkiin asked, looking at Miraak curiously. His eyes were latched onto his neck where a collar would lay.
"Our dragon priest would be responsible to these collared slaves. Those slaves that didn't except the dominion of the dov wore them," Krosulhah explained.
"Is there any of these collar in existence anymore?" Vorstag asked.
"Yes, though I am not sure where they would be," Sahloknir answered.
"Bromjunarr. That would be a good place to start, it was the capital after the fall of Saarthal," Krosulhah said thoughtfully.
"Where is this city?" Dovahkiin asked.
"It is in the mountains, between the grasslands and where there is snow falls, it's where the dragon priest got together for important meetings before Alduin changed," Miraak stated quietly.
"Do you remember how to get there?" Dovahkiin asked.
"Yes, though the land has changed much, even here it has changed," Miraak said, looking around sadly.
"When we get to Skyrim we'll find Bromjunarr and retrieve a collar, until then you are not leaving my sight," Dovahkiin bit out.