A/N: I want to thank everyone for all your wonderful reviews about Irina and her character and journey through this story. They were so encouraging to me, and it inspires me to keep writing as I have been. Thank you, thank you so much!

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Chapter Twenty-six

Fighting the Beast

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Irina was vaguely aware of Brynjolf calling her name, but she couldn't tell from which direction his voice was coming. She sat up, noticing immediately a stinging pain in both her hands and one of her knees.

The dragon roared again and Irina frantically searched the sky, but could see no sign of it. The thumping of the huge wings told her it was very close, however. She looked around for her horse, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Lass, are you all right?" Brynjolf demanded, his dancing horse suddenly only steps away.

Irina looked up at him and nodded, then glanced around again for her own mount. "My horse…" she mumbled.

"He's half way to Riften by now," Brynjolf said. He held his hand down to her. "Get up here, we need to find cover, now!"

Just as she took his hand, the dragon flew overhead, its roar reverberating in Irina's chest. She heard the sound of a woman screaming as Brynjolf hauled her onto the back of his horse behind him, and then she realized the screams were coming from her own throat. The horse needed no encouragement from its rider, and as soon as Brynjolf loosened the reins it took off at a full gallup.

Irina clung to Brynjolf for dear life, pressing her face into his back. The sound of the dragon's wings came close again and Irina looked up to see the beast keeping pace with them in the air, its yellow eyes focused intently on them.

"It's seen us!" Irina shouted.

Brynjolf turned the horse off the road and into the trees, heading for the rocky hills close by. Hopefully they could find some cover there.

The dragon breathed frost down at them, and both the horse and Irina squealed as the icy blast hit them from behind. Irina hunched her shoulders and put her arm up to hide her face, feeling her exposed skin go numb for a moment. Brynjolf turned the horse from side to side, attempting to evade any further blasts of ice.

A minute later they reached the base of the hills, which were steep and rocky. Too steep for the horse to navigate safely. Brynjolf scanned the hillside and then pointed.

"That looks like a cave up there. That's probably our best bet at this point."

Irina wholeheartedly agreed and they dismounted the horse, which ran off as soon as it was no longer under a rider's control. The two thieves, however, didn't care about the horse right then, as the dragon landed a short distance away and began crawling toward to them at a ridiculously fast pace.

"Get up the hill!" Brynjolf shouted. He stayed behind Irina as she scrambled up the rocky slope. Every now and then she felt his hand on her back, encouraging her onward.

The hill was no trouble for the dragon, and it followed them easily, breathing another blast of ice at them just as they ducked into the shallow cave. The entrance was narrow, wide enough for only one of them to pass through at a time. It widened slightly as they moved farther in, but it remained cramped and somewhat shallow, barely a cave at all.

It was too late to find a better hiding place, however, as the dragon clawed at the entrance, its roar causing rocks to shake loose from the ceiling. Irina and Brynjolf pressed themselves against oposite sides of the cave, shutting their eyes tight as the dragon breathed another blast of ice directly into it. Irina threw her arms up to protect her face, crying out in pain as the ice stung her skin and chilled her all the way through. The dragon tried to reach its head in to grab them, but thankfully the cave entrance was just a little too narrow. After a moment of frustration it flew away. They could hear it roaring somewhere outside, probably circling the area, waiting for them to emerge.

Irina felt something grip her shoulders and she screamed, thrashing her arms out to defend herself against whatever it was.

"Lass! Lass, it's me!" Brynjolf shouted.

Irina opened her eyes and saw his concerned face in front of hers, his hands reaching for her, but hesitant to touch her again. It wasn't until that moment that Irina realized the dragon was actually gone. She threw her arms around Brynjolf's neck, silently thanking all the gods in turn that he was there with her.

"Are you all right, lass?" he asked, his breath hot on her chilled skin.

All Irina could manage in reply was a nod of her head. She was sure she had some sort of injury, as her knee was throbbing and her skin burned. But she was alive, and that was all that mattered right then.

"We can't stay here, this isn't shelter enough," he informed her.

She only nodded again, too numb to speak.

Then the ground shuddered as the dragon landed very close by.

"Get back!" Brynjolf ordered, shoving Irina against the wall of the cave and pressing his body against hers, shielding her from the icy blast that hit them only seconds later. Irina heard Brynjolf grunt in pain, but he put his arms over her head, pressing her down, trying to cover all of her.

The blast lasted only seconds, but the freezing pain lingered as the dragon took to the air again. Brynjolf didn't move, his breathing heavy and labored against Irina's neck.

"Brynjolf, are you all right?" she asked, feeling her gut knot with worry.

"Gods," he murmured, his voice strained. "We won't survive much longer like this. We need to kill that thing, lass."

As much as Irina hated to admit it, she knew he was right. But the thought of facing that dragon head on chilled her more deeply than its frosty breath.

Brynjolf finally pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Use your bow, lass. When it comes back, aim for its eyes. I know you can do it."

Irina numbly took her bow off her back, gripping it tightly in her fist. She drew an arrow from her quiver and then fit it to the string. Just as she did that they felt the dragon land again outside the cave.

"Shoot it first, lass," Brynjolf said as he backed out of her way. "Before it has a chance to breath on us again."

Irina raised the bow toward the mouth of the cave and waited. Only moments later the dragon's head appeared, mouth open in an ear-splitting roar. Irina released the arrow, forgetting to aim for the eye. She couldn't tell where the arrow hit, but it must not have missed, as the dragon reacted, pulling its head back with a grunt. Irina quickly knocked another arrow and released it. This time the dragon pulled all the way back and then flew away. They could still hear it circling, however. It would not give up so easily.

"Good work, lass," Brynjolf encouraged. "Keep it up."

Irina knocked another arrow and waited, focused intently on the jagged opening before her. The wait stretched into two minutes, then five. Irina finally relaxed her arm, letting the tension out of the bowstring. She could still hear the dragon roaring outside, still circling, but for some reason it wasn't landing again. She felt Brynjolf move up beside her shoulder.

"It's probably afraid of sticking its head in this hole again," he said. "We're going to have to face it in the open."

Irina turned to face him, deep creases in her brow. "Are you sure? Can't we just stay here until it leaves?"

"What if it doesn't leave, lass? No, we need to kill it. You helped kill that dragon in Whiterun, I know you can do it again."

"But I didn't kill the Whiterun dragon," Irina protested.

"But you did face it," Brynjolf encouraged. "You didn't run away. I know you can do that again, lass. And I'm here for you. I've got your back."

Irina's chin trembled upon hearing those words. She believed him, and she trusted him. She just wished he had a bow, too.

Brynjolf gripped her arm lightly and looked into her eyes. "Are you ready, lass?"

Irina nodded, and then followed Brynjolf from the cave, keeping a sharp eye out for the dragon. It flew overhead as soon as they reached the bottom of the hill.

"Shoot it, lass! Shoot it as often as you can!"

Irina knocked an arrow and aimed her bow at the sky, tracking with the dragon. She let the arrow fly and quickly drew another one, but by then the beast was out of range. It banked to the left, circling around to come at them again. A pillar of ice shot from its mouth as it gained on them, and Irina had to run to the side to avoid the blast.

The dragon went after Brynjolf next, and Irina used the opportunity to fire a few more arrows. She could tell when they hit their mark, for the dragon would react by grunting and jerking in the air. It landed again, breathing frost in Brynjolf's direction. Irina worried for him, but tried to keep her focus, tried to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground as she shot arrows again and again. She could vaguely see Brynjolf running through the trees, the hulking dragon having difficulty following through the closely clustered trunks.

After a moment it lost interest in Brynjolf, and turned its head to see where the arrows were coming from. It spotted Irina and turned around, crawling in her direction. The thing was so huge and so fast! Irina began backing up quickly, forgetting to shoot her bow as terror seized her once again.

"Shoot it!" she heard Brynjolf shout.

Then she spotted him running up behind the dragon, coming in close along its right side, a dagger in each hand. Was he going to try to fight it? She wanted to shout at him to get back, to not be foolish, but her throat was so clenched in fear that no sound would come from it.

"Shoot the damn dragon!" he shouted again.

But the dragon was too close. Irina finally turned around and ran as fast as she could toward a clump of trees. Behind her the dragon roared, then growled more softly. She glanced over her shoulder and saw it was no longer chasing her, intent on something else close to it.

Irina reached the trees and, taking cover behind one, knocked another arrow. As she aimed, she noticed Brynjolf attempting to keep himself near the dragon's hip as it continuously turned, trying to keep him in sight. As often as he could, Brynjolf slashed a dagger at the beast, angering it more than injuring it, but keeping it distracted enough so Irina could do her work.

She fired arrow after arrow, many finding their mark in the dragon's neck and head. Finally the beast had had enough and took to the air again, making a wide circle around. Brynjolf joined Irina in the trees, head tilted back to the sky as he kept an eye on the dragon.

"You're doing fine, lass," he encouraged, finally looking at her, gripping her arm briefly. "It's weakening. Next time it lands I'll try to get close enough to cut its wings, to keep it on the ground. Are you doing all right on arrows?"

Irina turned her back to him slightly so he could take a look at her quiver. He counted them quickly.

"Nine left," he informed. "Make them count, lass."

"Brynjolf…" she said, looking up at him, her heart racing, her resolve crumbling.

He gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "You can do this, lass," he insisted. "This is why we're out here. Yes, this was unplanned, but this is your chance to shine. This is your chance to face your fear, to rise above it and conquer it. You aren't doing this alone, lass. I'm with you all the way."

Irina gave him a tiny smile of gratitude, remembering why she had asked him to come with her over anyone else. As simple and short as his little speech was, it helped her to gather her resolve. She squared her shoulders and drew another arrow from her quiver.

"I won't shoot until it's on the ground. It's too easy to miss in the air."

"Whatever you need, lass. Get ready." With that, he left her and ran back out into the clearing, luring the dragon to land again.

It took the bait soon enough, landing nearly on top of the thief. Irina shot the arrow before the dragon had even recovered from its landing. She shot two more, seeing it react by throwing its head up and roaring in pain. She was hitting its tender spots, or so it seemed.

She saw Brynjolf move in close, always staying away from the slapping tail, moving quickly to avoid the snapping jaws and frosty breath. He finally managed to slip underneath the dragon's left wing, slashing his daggers upward, sinking them as deeply as possible into the beast's armpit.

The dragon roared in pain and fury, tried to lift itself into the air but instead crashed to the ground, dust billowing, obscuring Irina's view for a moment. She didn't want to fire an arrow blindly and accidentally hit Brynjolf, so she waited, bowstring taught, eyes straining to find a clear mark.

Finally she had one and she let the arrow fly. In the same moment she saw Brynjolf running for the trees. The dragon floundered on the ground for a moment, completely preoccupied with its wounded wing. Irina moved to her left, trying to get a better angle of the beast's head. She let off a couple more arrows, and one of them finally hit its mark in the dragon's eye.

It roared and thrashed as the shaft of wood penetrated its brain cavity. Attempting to shoot the head again was next to impossible as it flailed about. Irina reached back and touched her arrows, counting them with her fingers. Three left.

She took deep, even breaths, trying to calm her very shaken nerves. This was it. The fight was almost over. She was actually killing a dragon! Yet she found it very difficult to believe even as she moved closer, drawing another arrow, lining the dragon up in her sight.

It sat still now, scaled sides heaving ragged breaths, left wing drooping on the ground, head held low. Irina lined up the arrow with the beast's one good eye and released the string. The dragon roared again, throwing its head up in throes of agony. But they were in fact its death throes, for when the head came back down it crashed into the dirt, its wings spreading out ridged, spasming as the huge body collapsed.

Immediately the beast's soul began to leave its body, rushing at Irina. She knew she was too weak to withstand the onslaught, so she sank to her knees, bracing her hands on the ground as the ancient power filled her. She thought of Brynjolf then, probably watching, probably very surprised. In fact, surprised was probably a mild description of what he must be feeling in that moment. Irina wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. Her secret was out now, there was no more use in denying it. No more sense in hiding. This was a journey of discovery, after all. A journey of facing her fears and her destiny, and it seemed fate would have her face them all.

As the wind and the light dissipated, the dragon's skeleton was all that was left, smoking and hissing softly. Out of the corner of her eye Irina saw a pair of boots stop a short distance away. She looked up at Brynjolf, whose eyes were fixed on her, but his expression was of so many mixed emotions she couldn't tell what he was he was thinking. Confusion, awe, hurt and anger all fought for dominance as the first stars began to show themselves overhead. Irina said nothing, tears unwittingly rimming her eyes as she gazed up at him.

"Lass, I think you've got some explaining to do."

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A/N: I must be on a roll with cliffhangers lately! lol! Sorry once again ;)