Chapter 34 - Dragon Rising 6: Return of the Dovahkiin

As the white light that had engulfed me slowly faded away, and the feeling of falling gave way to something solid underneath me, I slowly picked myself up, before blinking rapidly and shaking my head, still slightly disoriented and blinded by the experience. My vision and head cleared with my actions, and my surroundings finally came into view, allowing me to take in my first view of Sovngarde.

My initial thought, as I looked up from the mist-filled valley below me and at the purple skies above me, was how much this reminded me of the Soul Cairn, that dead world in Oblivion I'd visited far too often for my liking (which is to say, more than zero), but as I looked closer, and took in the world around me with my senses, the superficial similarities quickly faded away. The sky were lighter in hue, less ominous and unnatural and more otherworldly and comforting, and I found myself admiring the multi-hued lights as they danced across the horizon, surprised by how much it reminded me of the night sky of Skyrim. There were trees in the valley below, barely visible through the thick mists, but these weren't the bare and bald trees that had dotted the landscape of the Soul Cairn; these looked old and ancient, like they'd been around for millennia, but they were still clearly alive. Grass and flowers sprang up from the earth, instead of a weird husk-like fungus. Where I'd had to fight to breathe in the stale thin air of the Soul Cairn, the taste of lightning in my mouth with each gulp, here each breath came naturally and easily, and the heady fragrance of the forest filled my nose. While the Soul Cairn had a massive crumbling walled fortification at the far end of it's path, here instead a great stone longhouse towered over even the mist, dominating the landscape. Even the stone stairwell underfoot felt more welcoming than foreboding, more worn than cracked as I slowly made my way down it.

But the sounds, however... I'd been led to believe, by both books like "A Dream of Sovngarde" and by the Nords I'd interacted with and known, that this was meant to be paradise for Nords, with feasting, drinking, fighting, and the occasional fucking aplenty. But this realm was quiet, far too quiet for what I'd expected from the glorious dead, and I strained my ears, trying to pick up on any noise through the fog. I hadn't forgotten I was in Alduin's realm now, hunting the World-Eater; the last thing I wanted was to noisily and carelessly descend into the forest and wind up as Alduin's next meal. Fortunately, I didn't hear any large footfalls or movements below, any of the roaring or odd language I'd learnt to associate with dragons, but I did manage to make out something unsettling.

Instead of merriment, or even continued silence, I heard panicked voices, and even some wailing and sobbing, frustration and despair evident in their tone. It was at least better than the silence of those broken shadows of souls I'd known in the Soul Cairn, but not by much, and as I slowly continued along the path towards the mist-filled valley down below, I found myself wondering just what had happened here, whether this was natural, or if it was something Alduin had done. "A Dream of Sovngarde" too had mentioned mist, but the mist had cleared towards the end, and I doubted that it would have ended the feast of the dead Nords and caused such frustrations had it been normal for this place. Soon, I found myself but a step away from the mist-filled valley, and I found myself wondering just what the thick mists would do to me. I still decided to brave it, though; if I needed to, I could always try to clear the mists away with the Clear Skies Shout, or try to simply Whirlwind Sprint through.

The mists felt cold, and reminded me even more of the Soul Cairn than I would have thought, but that wasn't all; I could have almost sworn I felt it trying to entangle and ensnare me, like a spider with a web. For some reason, though, it couldn't gain purchase on my flesh, and as I forced myself to continue stepping forward warily, it's hold on me broke. My bones still felt chilled, but this at least wasn't trying to rip my soul out of my body, as far as I could tell, and it wasn't nearly as bad as the frozen lake had been, and I continued on, eyes and ears kept open. A light footstep fell somewhere in front of me, and I halted and knelt, before watching as, oddly enough, a Stormcloak came running through the mist, before he saw me, and approached with a desperate warning: "Turn back, traveler! Terror waits within this mist! Many have braved the shadowed vale but vain is all courage against the peril that guards the way."

"What's this mist?" I asked once he stopped for breath, noting the fearful look in his eyes and knowing that I had to keep us centred lest he break or start rambling about something else, and he replied: "I do not know - but none have passed through. Alduin, her hunger insatiable, hunts the lost souls snared within this shadowed valley. Can you lead the way to where Shor's hall waits, beckoning us on to welcome long sought?"

It didn't take me much effort to at least guess that the hall he was referring to was the longhouse I'd seen upon entering this realm, and I tried to reassure the man by telling him that it was at the far end of the valley, to which he replied with a note of reverence, in his usual odd method of speaking: "I saw it fair when first I trod this long sought path. The pain and fear vanished, dreamlike, and a vision beckoned to - Shor's hall, shimmering across the clouded vale. But quenched was hope by the shrouding mist; darkened is my mind. I've lost the way and wander blindly. Hurry! Before Alduin your soul devours bring word to Shor's hall of our hard fate!"

All I could do was nod at his words; he ran off in the direction I had pointed, and within seconds was lost to the mist before I could ask him to accompany me. He did have a good point, though; I saw little need to single-handedly face the World-Eater once more, not when there was a hall full of the spirits of Nord heroes whose help I could request. It wasn't like it'd be hard to persuade them, either; chances were I'd probably be able to get them to pay me for the privilege of facing Alduin in my stead, to be honest.

A roar rang out in the mist around me, followed by a scream of terror, and I instinctively ducked. Fortunately, just as the mist blocked my sight of Alduin, so too did it block her ability to see me. Quietly, just to be sure, I cast a Clairvoyance spell, hoping it'd still work in this realm, and to my pleasant surprise a blue light shot out of the bottom of my palm, beckoning me in the rough direction I'd expected. It deviated to the left by a few degrees, though, but it was better than I'd any reason to expect; in the mist it was very easy to get lost, and I quietly followed the blue light through the fog for a few minutes, before I finally found myself outside the mist, facing a stone staircase, the great longhouse visible beyond it, but that wasn't what immediately drew my attention. Instead, I found myself noticing more the gigantic skeleton that served as a bridge over a giant chasm of water between the longhouse and the stone path, as well as the massive bare-chested man guarding it, watching me grimly with folded arms as I walked forward along the stone steps.

"What brings you, wayfarer grim, to wander here, in Sovngarde, souls-end, Shor's gift to honored dead?" The man challenged as I reached some arbitrary threshold, and I carefully considered the size of his hand as he held it up, halting me, as the massive battleaxe holstered against his back, before deciding diplomacy was overrated, and I could see a hint of approval in his eye as I refused to cow away from his gaze, and instead asked in turn: "Who are you, to ask that?"

"I am Tsun, shield-thane to Shor." The man named Tsun explained, a hint of pride in his voice, and I found myself with a lot more questions from his one answer. After all, both he and Shor were supposed to be dead, having died at the hands of angry aedra back when the world had been made, but before I could raise my questions he boisterously elaborated, seemingly uncaring of the circumstances we were in: "The Whalebone Bridge he bade me guard and winnow all those souls whose heroic end sent them here, to Shor's lofty hall where welcome, well earned, awaits those I judge fit to join that fellowship of honor. And now it is your turn."

Sighing, I shook my head, simply deciding to drop the matter as the Divines being ineffable, inexplicable, and too above such mundane affairs like being dead (or perhaps Sovngarde was as much the afterlife for the dead Divines as it was the dead Nords), and injected bravado in my voice as I responded: "I pursue Alduin, the World Eater, and I was told that I might find aid within Shor's Hall."

"A fateful errand." Tsun conceded, peering even closer at me as he processed my words, before adding: "No few have chafed to face the Worm since first he set his soul-snare here at Sovngarde's threshold. But Shor restrained our wrathful onslaught - perhaps, deep counselled, your doom he foresaw."

"His counsel is heeded, but I haven't come this far to turn back now." I said defiantly, although I didn't like the way he talked about my doom possibly being foretold. Tsun stood his ground, though, and continued his interrogation: "No shade are you, as usually here passes, but living, you dare the land of the dead. By what right do you request entry?"

That question stumped me, and for a second I had no idea how to actually respond, but then I recalled what Kynareth had called me once and, in a formal tone, words I'd never even considered I'd ever actually say came out of my mouth, prompted by an unknown instinct: "By right of birth and destiny. I am Dragonborn, the Last Dragonborn."

Tsun's reaction was priceless, and although he didn't sputter or have his jaw drop, his eyes still widened enough to please me, and there was enough of a silent pause to be satisfying, before he regained his composure, and happily boomed: "Ah! It's been too long since last I faced a doom-driven hero of the dragon blood. Living or dead, however, by decree of Shor, none may pass this perilous bridge 'till I judge them worthy by the warrior's test."

No sooner had the words left his mouth that his battleaxe was in-hand, drawn from it's holster and swinging down at me in one practiced, fluid motion, and I had just enough time to sigh and consider just how typical this all was before I parried the blow away with my own blade, and responded in kind.

-HALL OF VALOR, SOVNGARDE, 10 MINUTES LATER-

"At long last!" The female warrior Tongue I'd last seen getting tossed around like a doll by Alduin cheered as I approached the trio Ysgramor had pointed me towards, before I had any time to introduce myself, and the Tongue (whose name Ysgramor had mentioned to be Gormlaith) continued before I could interject: "Alduin's doom is now ours to seal - just speak the word and with high hearts we'll hasten forth to smite the worm wherever she lurks."

Clearly, death had in no way tempered her impatience, although this did at least simplify the "get help" part of my plans. Before I could actually speak any words, however, the Tongue who'd carried the Elder Scroll, Felldir, interrupted: "Hold, comrades - let us counsel take before battle is blindly joined. Alduin's mist is more than a snare - its shadowy gloom is her shield and cloak. But with four voices joined, our valor combined, we can blast the mist and bring her to battle."

"Felldir speaks wisdom," The last Tongue, Hakon, chimed in, and I nodded, until he said the second part of his statement. "The World-Eater, coward, fear you, Dragonborn. We must drive away her mist, Shouting together, and then unsheathe our blades in desperate battle with our black-winged foe."

Yeah, I highly doubted the World-Eater actually feared me, Hakon. If anything, seeing the sheer enjoyment on her face made me think she'd actually be more than happy for a rematch. Then again, though, I didn't know why Alduin had fled after essentially having me right within her grasp, after our duel atop the Throat of the World, but I didn't really give much credence to the widespread rumors that I'd fought her back; for the past few weeks, I'd honestly just chalked it up to something Paarthurnax did. Whatever it was, though, I still remembered how badly I'd been beaten, and now wasn't the time to get arrogant, not this close to our next confrontation.

I didn't bother correcting their misconceptions, however, not wanting to dampen their morale and risk their willingness to aid me in my task, and Gormlaith enthusiastically pushed us on, raising her sword and shouting: "To battle, my friends! The fields will echo with the clamor of war, our wills undaunted."

I shared an amused smile with the other two as the hot-blooded Tongue charged out, before the rest of the ancient Nord heroes and I ran after her, leaving the safety of the Hall of Valor and crossing the Whalebone Bridge back to the rest of Sovngarde ("The eyes of Shor are upon you this day. Defeat Alduin, and destroy her soul-snare." Tsun wished us as we passed by him, while nodding amicably and nursing his bruised jaw, the proof of my success in his his warrior's test), before the four of us stood at the base of the stone steps, and looked out towards the mist-filled vale in front of us.

"We cannot fight the foe in this mist!" Felldir exclaimed, reiterating a statement so obvious I didn't actually know why he bothered repeating it. Gormlaith, as eager as battle as always, repeated what they'd already previously agreed on: "Clear Skies - combine our Shouts!"

The three of them visibly sucked in a large amount of air, inflating their lungs and their chests, and I in turn took a deep breath before we simultaneously Shouted: "LOK VAH KOOR!"

The mists cleared from the valley at our combined Voices, and although we saw no black World-Eater, we saw dozens of souls within the vale as they ceased their aimless wandering within, hope returning to their weary eyes now that they could see the path out of the mists. They seemed to realize salvation was now within their grasp, and they legged it towards us as fast as they could, but an all-too-familiar voice boomed out, tinged with femininity and anger: "Not yet! Not until I find him! VEN MUL RIIK!"

The mists once more flooded the valley, engulfing most of the souls and undoing all of our previous efforts, and the sounds of denied anguish filled our ears. I hadn't honestly been surprised that it hadn't worked the first time, but the wails from the vale filled me with grim determination. Some of those may have been men in the army, fighting for me, but no matter who they were I didn't think anyone deserved a fate of hopelessness, consigned to an eternity trapped within a lost realm, plaything to the will of a less-than-benevolent higher power. It reminded me, surprisingly, of Mira, but I tried to tell myself that, even if it hadn't, I'd still accepted it as my mission (for now) to stop Alduin from threatening the world and the souls of all within, living or dead. It rang hollow, even to me, but I wanted to believe I'd have wanted to save them no matter what, even if I didn't actually want to be involved in all of this.

"Again!" Gormlaith shouted, determination in her voice, and as the three once again took in deep breaths Felldir reassured us: "We can shatter her power if we Shout together!"

The four of us once again used our Voices, and the Shout of "LOK VAH KOOR!" once again rang throughout the valley. Once again, the valley cleared, and once again, that same voice rang out, irritation creeping into it this time: "VEN MUL RIIK!"

"Does her strength have no end? Is our struggle in vain?" Hakon gasped, despair creeping into his voice as the mist swept back into the valley, and I found myself wondering just how weak-willed they were, that just these few set-backs had him already thinking this effort futile. It wasn't just him, though; all the three Tongues looked like they'd exerted themselves, just from this little bit of Shouting. For the first time I found myself wondering just how hard it actually was for people to usually Shout; the only others I'd usually seen Shouting were the draugr who'd originally been the strongest members of the Dragon Cult, another Dragonborn, the dragons themselves, and the Greybeards, who'd spent decades learning to even Shout a single Word. It didn't matter, though, not now; I still had more than enough within me to continue Shouting, even if the ancient Nord heroes didn't, and I'd keep it up even if they wouldn't. I stepped forward, my resolve unshaken, and Gormlaith rallied behind me, as hot-blooded and stubborn as ever, and panted: "Stand fast! Her strength is failing! Once more, and her might will be broken!"

I let the three Tongues take in another deep breath, and pretended not to notice how they exerted themselves, just to do it. This time, when they were ready, I led the Shout, and once more the Clear Skies Shout rang through the valley, clearing the fog. This time, however, there was no familiar Voice summoning the mist once more, but instead a roar of frustrated anger, promising vengeance on those who'd dared to defy her owner, and just like at Helgen black wings unfurled as the ancient shadow unbound descended from the mountains around the vale towards us.

There was a slight complication, however, and I eyed the dozens of souls who fled the valley, finally free of the snare that had held them for a time too long, as they ran for the safety of Shor's hall. For a brief moment I considered enlisting their aid, but I quickly dismissed the idea. As romantic as the idea of the souls of the glorious dead taking revenge on their predator may have been, these souls were scared, weary from the imprisonment within the valley, and moreover I doubted any of them would have stood a chance of even slowing down Alduin, or done anything more than get in my way. After all, if they could, chances were they wouldn't have actually died.

Instead, I found myself shouting at the Tongues to hold Alduin off temporarily, buy me some time, and as the three nodded and charged out into the clear valley ("The endless wait gives way to battle! Alduin's doom, her death or ours!" Gormlaith cried out, as she passed by me), I called out to the souls, and tried to guide them to Tsun. The giant of a man (although that could be normal-sized for a dead aedra, for all I knew) couldn't agree to let them cross the Whalebone Bridge, and enter the safety of the stone longhouse, nor would he leave the bridge unguarded, and be found derelict in his duty to Shor while trying to aid us, but he at least agreed to protect the souls of the dead as long as they stayed near to him.

A loud crack made me quickly lack back, though, and I turned my head just in time to see the three Tongues sail through the air before slamming into the steps below Tsun. Ahead, the black dragon looked at the small crater she'd created, and merely said: "Zu'u Alduin, zok sahrot do naan ko. Zu'u lost kriaan hi ont, nu hin sille fen nahkip suleyki."

"Use Dragonrend, brothers! Keep her in swords-reach!" Gormlaith weakly called out, and the three sucked in a deep breath once more, the effort required this time being visibly far greater than previously, and just as Alduin once more called upon that oh-so-familiar-and-damnable meteor storm, the Shout made with the express purpose of defeating Alduin once again hit her.

This time, however, instead of slamming into the ground, she managed to land with some grace, and she didn't look disoriented in the least as she simply crawled towards them, and their eyes visibly widened in surprise. There wasn't much fear, though; these were the ancient Nord heroes, after all, but I'd wager a thousand septims a chill at least went down their spines, as she laughed: "Pahlok joorre! Hin kah fen kos bonaar. The same trick will not work on me twice, and there is no Kel to save you this time."

Slowly I got up, and prepared to act in a move I'd have once never even considered barring a sudden rush of temporary insanity. This wasn't like the Western Watchtower, where I'd struck the dragon bearing down on the guard because I could get a cheap shot in; I knew Alduin well enough to know she'd probably just laugh it off. This wasn't like the Throat of the World, either, where I'd had Paarthurnax helping me, and only faced Alduin because I'd been cornered and had no choice. This was a conscious decision to carry out an insane, suicidal act... which was in line with how I'd been acting since then. The me of the past would have called me insane, but that wasn't the same me that had save Mira from Herma-Mora, that had willingly decided to mount Odahviing and fly for Skuldafn. I'd already admitted, ultimately, that I'd embraced my destiny and change, though, and as I took in a deep breath and reared my fist back slightly, I forced myself to finally, fully, come to terms with the fact that I was no longer the same Marius I'd once been almost five months ago, back as I'd entered Skyrim.

For the time being, for the battle ahead of me, I let go of the nostalgia, the hopes of a simple life, the thoughts that this was insane and I'd have never done this before, and instead chose to accept that, at least for now, this was who I'd needed to become, in order to have a chance to prevail. And I looked at the black dragon ahead of me, the one that had forced it all upon me with her return, I embraced the part of me that had overcome the fears I'd gotten about her from Helgen, the part of me that had already once duelled with her.

For the time being, for the first time, I willingly hearkened to the title of Stormcrown, of Ysmir, the Dragon of the North, and with a quick Whirlwind Sprint I closed the distance between us in an instant and threw a punch at her as I flew into her head, knocking her back, before throwing my Voice out at her face point-blank, once again Shouting: "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

I had the satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen in surprise, although there was some other inscrutable expression in there I couldn't recognize, before the wave of fire slammed into her, staggering her. Before she could recover, I kicked off of her head, removing myself from my precarious position, and spared a quick glance at my gauntlet as I landed. Despite having thrown more power into that punch than I had at the Throat of the World, this gauntlet hadn't even dented despite the abuse I'd just put it through, and had successfully protected my fist from the impact, not like the steel-plated glove I'd been wearing back then. I then looked back up at her, as the smoke cleared, and to my complete and utter lack of surprise it hadn't done more than graze the World-Eater. It did, however, draw her attention away from the three Tongues, and by the Divines I swear I saw her eyes light up in joy, as she glared back at me, before conveying a dozen conflicting emotions with a simple word: "You."

"Remember me?" I shouted back at her, as her maw curled back into a predatory grin, and as her whole body turned towards me I looked back at the three Tongues, confirming that they were both still alive and in no condition to aid me. It looked like this would be the same one-on-one duel as before, and with her attention fully on me I Whirlwind Sprinted into the valley, intent on drawing her away from the rest.

As expected she pursued me, seemingly intent on duelling me once more, and once I'd reached a clearing in the valley I turned around, facing her approaching form once more, before trying to decide my next course of action. This was an Alduin resistant to Dragonrend now, after all, as well as having glutted herself on the souls of the dead. Moreover, I'd used most of my old tricks in our previous fight, and I didn't feel much like taking the risk of seeing if she'd learned from our previous encounter.

Her next course of action, however, wasn't something I'd predicted or expected, and she addressed me: "You're finally here... I've been waiting for quite a while... my Dovahkiin."

By Akatosh, I swore I heard earnest relief within her voice, and I quickly weighed my options. Alduin could have been talking to keep me distracted, and catch me off-guard, but I didn't think that was something the World-Eater would do; it just wasn't her style. She'd taunt and try to demoralize, sure, but talking to get me to drop my guard? On the other hand, I could simply entertain this farce, stall for time until I could think of a better course of action, and thus I decided to ask: "You... you expected me to come to Sovngarde?"

"Of course." Alduin said, like it should have been obvious, as she closed in on me, and I took a few steps back in response, maintaining my caution. "As a valiant warrior who died in battle, it is only natural that you would then come to this realm."

"Wait... so, all this time..." I said, as I tried to wrap my head around her words. At least now it made sense, the why of her flight to Sovngarde. I decided to just confirm it, though: "You thought I was dead, and decided to wait for me here, to finish the job?"

"I saw your body, after the fall from the top of Monahven. It was still and lifeless." Alduin said, concern of all things slipping into her tone, and I decided to clear up this misunderstanding; it did me no favors, her being under this misconception, and while we were being civil I may as well concede this much to the greatest foe I'd ever faced: "About that... I'm not actually dead. I used the Become Ethereal Shout just before we landed and survived the fall, albeit grievously wounded. I came here from your portal in Skuldafn."

The shock registering on her face, and the stunned silence that followed, was somehow much less satisfying than I'd have once thought it to be, and it was almost a weird relief when Alduin finally answered: "I am pleased at your continued existence then, Dovahkiin, although less so at your intrusion into my fane. Your bravery must still be commended, though; even at the height of the slaves' rebellion, none dared to attack Skuldafn. Persistent and tenacious. A fine slave you would have made."

That unexpected mental image almost made me blanch, but I stopped myself from flinching just in time, and instead settled for glaring at her, and in a more even tone than I'd ever had facing her, declared: "You know me. You know I would never be your slave."

The predatory grin grew even wider, although I couldn't see any hint of mockery within it, and in a tone that contained affection of all things she answered: "Of course. As expected of my Dovahkiin. Too strong and proud to ever submit without a fight."

"What about you? Any chance you'd agree to just leave Skyrim be?" I asked, changing the uncomfortable subject. It was a long shot, but I lost absolutely nothing by asking, and if she did say yes I knew she'd be true to her word. Naturally, though, she merely shook her head, looking almost insulted by the notion, and I gave a conciliatory shrug as she said: "I am Alduin, Firstborn of Akatosh. You cannot prevail against me, and I will not submit while victorious."

"So be it, then. If you will not agree to stop, then I will stop you." I declared, drawing my blade, and Alduin merely laughed merrily, before in turn announcing: "Face me, then, Dovahkiin! Your pride will be humbled!"

There was no fear or hesitation in my next action, merely resignation to the task, with a hint of relish that I would've never admitted to anyone else, but instead something I'd blame on my dragon soul getting fired up for. As soon as she made her statement, I immediately Whirlwind Sprinted up to her, before slashing sideways across her massive chest with my blade. Without the effects of Dragonrend her hide was even tougher, but just like how I wasn't the same Marius as I'd been back then, this wasn't the ebony or Akaviri blade I'd had back then, and the dragonbone sword went through it with little problem. It wasn't a deep wound, though; her bulk was too large for that, and I'd only been testing the waters by repeating this move, and hadn't committed fully to the offensive. Alduin had expected it, too, and I skidded backwards in a very familiar fashion as her head came down upon me, far stronger than her tail had been back then, and the edge of my sword clashed against her sharp teeth.

I quickly withdrew one of my crossbows, once the distance had been created, and fired at the World-Eater once more, but she knew this trick too, and a quick Word of the Unrelenting Force Shout knocked the bolt of it's flight path, flinging it harmlessly to the side. Alduin wasn't done yet, however, and this time I let loose an Unrelenting Force Shout, nullifying the wave of fire that shot out of her mouth towards me, before raising my sword and blocking her tail as it swung towards me, the impact still forcing me back.

This wasn't a good situation in the slightest, and although I hadn't sustained any injuries yet she was still just overpowering me. Our old method of nullifying her power wasn't working anymore, she knew most of my tricks, and most importantly she wasn't underestimating me. Meanwhile, meteors continued to rain down around us, and a stray meteor impacted harmlessly against my back, the force easily soaked by my new dragonplate cuirass, and I could see her eyeing my new material. Did she realize what it was made of? I didn't know, and I couldn't tell much based on her lack of emotional response to it. Instead, a full Unrelenting Force suddenly slammed me into another meteor, and the combined force made me lose my footing, before she began to beat her powerful wings, no longer too disoriented to fly, and in a move I'd never expected she suddenly swooped at me, low-flying, her talons raised open like a bird of prey.

This wasn't something I'd anticipated, and I could see her trajectory would take her right on top of me. If I simply rolled out of the way, she'd still land right on top of me, but if I didn't she'd grab and pin me to the ground. Even in the best case scenario, requiring me to use an Unrelenting Force Shout to blunt her advance while timing my sword's upwards swing just right to deflect her force and bulk away from me, it was more than likely that she'd be able to use it as an opportunity to grab my sword with her talons, removing one of my main weapons and means of defending myself. Instead of allowing this, I decided to use my trump card, which I'd originally been saving for when the battle was either going poorly for me, and I needed something to swing the situation back in my favor, or less likely if the battle was going well, and I needed something to land the decisive blow. I hadn't wanted to use it this early, since it didn't last very long, but needs must, when the World-Eater's literally diving at you.

I sucked in a deep breath, planted my feet, and braced myself before Shouting: "MUL QAH DIIV!"

I could see Alduin's eyes widen in shock, not that it mattered to me, as for the first time since that battle with Miraak, I felt fully awake, alive, like the past few weeks had been spent in a waking daze. Strength coursed through every fibre of my being, power welling up from some spring within me I typically never even acknowledged, let alone tapped into. An iridescent multi-hued layer shimmered into existence around me, it's contours matching the armor that had been designed after it. Incorporeal and insubstantial as the ethereal dragonhide may have initially seemed, I knew well from experience that it was far more solid and strong than even ebony. With a roar I used my back and flung my arms forward, the ethereal dragonhide pauldrons and couters not hindering my movement in the least, and caught her talons as they closed in on me.

The ground around us, already abused by the constant rain of meteors, cracked at my interception of the World-Eater, her entire momentum and inertia killed in a single move and released in a wave of sonic energy that flattened the grass around us. I wasn't done yet, however, and I heard her cry of surprise as I forcibly took a step forward against her, pushing her back mid-air, before I threw her into the ground back first, creating a small crater. There would be no time for defense, not now that I was on a time limit, and I committed myself fully to the offensive, Whirlwind Sprinting towards her before punching her further into the ground, widening the crater even more.

Of course, this was still Alduin, the Firstborn of Akatosh, Strongest of the dragons, and she refused to take it lying down, literally. She rolled over, in a move swifter than I'd known her to use, before swinging her tail at me, knocking me through a nearby tree, felling it.

The impact may have been merely mildly concerning through my unenhanced dragonplate armor, but with my Dragon Aspect protecting me it didn't even faze me, and as Alduin dove back at me, determined to press her advantage, I picked up the fallen log, quickly using whatever was at hand. It was large and bulky, and I found myself momentarily struggling to fully lift it, but twisting my back provided enough extra momentum to do the trick, and the tree slammed into Alduin mid-flight, splintering the log and dazing her slightly. With that, it was once again my turn to press the advantage, and I kicked off of the ground, flinging myself at her, and punched her in the snout.

She was now getting frustrated, though, and as I landed on her head she head-butted me into the ground, before twisting around and slamming her tail at full force, leaving me prone in a crater. I coughed up blood at this, the impact being enough to wound me, but I wasn't nearly out of the fight, and I caught her tail as it lowered a second time, before using the earth below me as a support to kick upwards, buying me space to get back up. The tail flew back at me once more, this time from the side, and I caught it once again, before using it to throw her upwards and off of me.

This had apparently been what she'd wanted, though, and she flew upwards using the momentum I'd provided for her, before a stream of fire engulfed me from above, burning me and, more importantly, blocking my vision. I could only hear a vague sound above me, before she dove into me like a ballista bolt, slamming me back into the ground.

It was my turn to be disoriented now, and before I was able to recover and get up, a talon with the full weight and strength of Alduin pressed down upon me, and this time I wasn't able to overcome it, merely evenly match it in my resistance. Dragon Aspect boosted my strength, but this was the strongest dragon; the most it could accomplish was putting me and her on an even playing field, strength-wise. I was capable of feats of strength I'd never even imagined, sure, but I wouldn't triumph in this battle by brute force alone. My mind racing, I decided to cease fully struggling, instead showing only token resistance while I healed myself, and waited for an opportunity to throw her off.

Alduin's bloodied head snaked down towards me as she stood atop me, like an eagle with a mouse, but instead of finishing me off, she instead looked down at me, breathing heavily but seeming happy with the situation. Her snout pressed against me, and I could feel her breath, and her tongue ran across me, before she reared up in confusion, and asked: "Your scent... But how?"

"The Dragon Aspect Shout?" I asked, and wondered if this was a trick question before deciding against it. As far as I could tell, this was something Herma-Mora had created, and bestowed upon Mira as a boon. After all, I couldn't think of a reason why the dragons would ever create such a Shout; what use would dragons have for manifesting their dragon souls? Declining to explain it's effects (they spoke for themselves, after all, and I'm sure Alduin could more than guess at it by now), I instead told a less-related half-truth, and answered: "I learnt it on Solstheim, from Miraak's Temple."

Alduin's strong response was instantaneous, and I grunted as the force bearing down on me increased even more, and the World-Eater spat, venom dripping with each syllable: "The First Dovahkiin?! That Arch-Traitor?! Treacherous slave of ours! My teeth to his neck!"

"You deserved it for your cruel tyranny, oh Alduin thuri." A voice rang out above us mockingly, familiar even though I'd heard it only once like this, and even though it had been peaceful at that time. The mocking arrogance was an adequate indicator of it's owner, but we both turned in surprise to it's source, standing on a rock near us. The figure's bottom half was obviously a woman, as was her chest, obvious as it was despite being covered as it was by her familiar orange-brown robes, but everything above the chest, from her shoulders to her forearms, were hidden under a thick layer of dragonhide, so similar to mine, yet so different. Whereas mine was ethereal and iridescent, her natural armor was substantial, and vibrantly pulsed gold, red, and blue. That wasn't what caught my breath, though; even though I'd seen her face once before, it had been unnaturally pale, and her eyes pure black, thanks to her extended imprisonment within Apocrypha. But now, free from those blemishes, her feminine features were truly breath-taking, and as she swept her long black hair out of her face, her black eyes met my green ones, and I found myself smiling despite being pinned by Alduin as I called out: "Mira!"

"Dragonborn. I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Mira nodded to me, ignoring Alduin's growls, before continuing: "You're disappointing me right now, Dragonborn. This, from the man that defeated me?"

I ignored her mocking tone for now, too relieved to see a friendly face. Of course, there was always the chance that she'd try to kill me once more, but somehow I doubted that, and instead eyed her carefully. Her right foot moved back slightly, her weight shifted on it, and I saw my chance to break free coming. Mira kicked off of the rock she'd been perched on, cracking it, and as Alduin moved in response to meet this new threat, her weight upon me shifted, and I Shouted an Unrelenting Force at her head, knocking it into Mira's foot, before I lifted the dragon's talon off of me, pulled it in towards me, and punched Alduin's underbelly, knocking her away.

"Tsun said he hadn't seen a Dragonborn for a long time." I said accusingly, as Mira landed next to me, and she shrugged, before rhetorically replying: "Did you think I'd isolate myself to the Hall of Valor, when there's an entirely new world to explore in Sovngarde?"

"Of course not. I thought you'd already been eaten by Alduin by now." I answered back, and she laughed melodiously in response, and I smirked despite myself for a moment, before remembering exactly where we were, and what we were doing here. Mira saw the change in my face and sighed, before preempting my question: "I rejected the Tongues once, when they asked for aid in defeating Alduin before. But you are not those weak mortals, relying on the Kel because they couldn't finish the job themselves, and I owe you a debt for freeing me from Apocrypha. You may surpass me in strength both physical and the Thu'um, but in one area you have yet to even grasp at my feet. Now watch and learn, Dragonborn."

Alduin raced towards us from where I'd thrown her, and as her maw opened a massive stream of fire launched itself towards us. Mira stood undaunted, however, and merely Shouted: "VEN GAAR NOS!"

A massive cyclone flew from her mouth into the incoming flames, and merely sucked them up as it continued unabated along it's path towards the World-Eater, and I watched as the whirling firestorm slammed into her. Mira finished her statement casually: "Your knowledge of the Thu'um, and of all the different Thu'um, is lacking greatly."

"Weren't you a Dragon Priest for the Dragon Cult?" I half-complained, as Alduin slammed into the ground in front of us, and Mira continued on, ignoring me: "Here's the Thu'um Vahlok used to give his weapons the edge in piercing me. MID VUR SHAAN!"

My gauntlets and holstered swords suddenly felt lighter, and as Mira Whirlwind Sprinted towards Alduin, and swiped at the dragon, she explained: "The Thu'um enchants your weapons, making them feel lighter, and thus be swung faster. I have a lot more to teach you, but none would be appropriate for this battle."

Smiling beneath my helmet, I too Whirlwind Sprinted into Alduin just as her tail smacked Mira away, and Alduin howled in pain and agony as my fists quickly and continuously buried themselves deep into the base of Alduin's wing, their speed enhanced by Mira's Thu'um. There would be no escape for her; something told me my time with Dragon Aspect was running out, and I needed to end this now. Gripping hold of one of the spikes on her back, I swung my body forward, and kicked Alduin's wing, crippling the wing, before Alduin quickly rolled on the ground, slamming me into the ground.

Recovering quickly, I saw her head snake over me, before she lunged down upon me, intending to bite at me. In desperation, I head-butted her snout, and the two of us locked heads, neither refusing to give even an inch. This situation didn't favor me, however, not with my time running out. I saw Alduin's mouth move, possibly intending to Shout a Fire Breath at me, and felt her hot breath on me, but evenly-matched as we were I couldn't budge her head away from mine, nor do anything to stop her.

Just then, Mira Whirlwind Sprinted back at Alduin, leaping from the rock she'd been smacked into, and her claws dug deep into Alduin's other wing, the pain distracting the World-Eater for just a second. It was enough, and I pushed Alduin's head back, before using a full Unrelenting Force Shout to keep it further away. Before Alduin recovered, I jumped up and charged her, grabbing her nostrils for purchase, and using my momentum to leap atop of her crest. Alduin reared up wildly and tried to snap at me, trying to dislodge me, but I maintained my balance, dropping low to keep myself stable. Raising my right fist up as high as I could from my crouching position, I punched Alduin in the unprotected left eye once, twice, thrice, smashing her head into the ground with each blow, before jumping off as she staggered, and kicking her in the wounded eye mid-flight.

The shimmering layer of armor around me faded away as I landed, and I felt my strength leave my body, causing me to drop to my knees. I looked back at Alduin; by the looks of it, we were both down, that my final blows had done the trick, but also exhausted me in the process. At least I wasn't grievously wounded this time, that was a bonus. Alduin was still alive, though, and as Mira leapt down from Alduin and next to me, the World-Eater slowly got back up one more time, before she collapsed, unable to continue but unwilling to give up. She stared at me through her one good eye and I stared back, finding myself surprisingly wishing I hadn't actually needed to do any of this, to mortally wound the World-Eater. Despite Helgen, despite having almost killed me on the Throat of the World... I still couldn't find it within me to hate Alduin for any of it. But, in the end, I'd had to do it, for Skyrim, and for all those in Tamriel who mattered to me.

Before any of us could do anything, though, there was suddenly a loud thunderclap, and Alduin screamed in pain, as we saw the familiar glow of light get pulled upwards, away from her body and towards the swirling vortex above us. Glowing cracks formed throughout her body, and chunks began falling off, as Alduin defiantly roared: "Zu'u unslaad! Zu'u nis oblaan!"

A very familiar voice rang out from the vortex in response: "Yes, Alduin, you are immortal. You will not die. But Akatosh, Mara, and I will have words with you; there is a lot you have to answer for, from your actions all those centuries ago to your more recent ones. Now begone from Sovngarde, and trouble my Dragonborn no further!"

Alduin roared out one last time, as she tried to huddle together, keeping the pieces of herself as close to each other as possible, before her black hide blew apart in a blaze of golden light, leaving behind a jet-black draconic form, still shaking and struggling. I could only find it in myself to whisper Kyne's name in surprise, not having expected to hear from my Divine aunt in a long time, as Mira and I continued to watch divine retribution strike Alduin. The jet-black draconic form that I assumed was Alduin's soul reared up on it's hind legs once more, as more and more of the black fell off, replaced by a bright golden light, before it suddenly lost it's form in a massive explosion of golden light and orange fires that sent me and Mira flying back, and Alduin's soul was sucked into the vortex above.

It was over.

Alduin, the World-Eater, the Firstborn of Akatosh, had finally been vanquished.

Author's Note: And we're finally done with the main story line. Whether this is the end of the story proper, and if I should wrap it up with a few quick epilogue chapters, or if I should continue into a possible Act 6 as a more definitive wrap-up of Marius' story, is still something I haven't planned for yet; I'd much rather gauge reader reaction, as well as see whether I get burnt out or overworked in the next few months, before I commit. Of course, for the few dedicated people who've stuck around with what started as a light-hearted story about an unlucky guy and uncontrollably spiralled into whatever it is now, all I can say is thank you, for being on this journey.

Good lord, the Tongues were hard to write properly, and to be honest I was actually tempted to just have Marius not even reach the Hall of Valor, and simply fight Alduin before even meeting the Tongues. I usually try to stick as closely to in-game dialogue as I can, but the Tongues just kind of talk over the Dragonborn, and keep repeating their words. From an in-game perspective with the silent protagonist I can understand, but putting it into this story was awkward. And as for why I decided to have them simply be removed from the fight against Alduin, well... firstly, even in the base game, they never actually defeated Alduin. Hell, even with the element of surprise all they could do was flip the board and postpone the match by a few millennia. So why would they do well against Alduin in a rematch, especially an Alduin that, in this story, is on the edge, desperate, glutted up for months on the souls of the glorious dead, and most importantly resistant to Dragonrend? From a writing perspective, though, I still found it easier to get them out of the battle early, so as to maintain the conflict as dragon against Dragonborn.

I originally wanted to have Alduin also speak Dovahzul to Marius, but quickly realized that wouldn't work because I'm not capable enough to convert full English sentences from scratch into Dovahzul. Instead, Alduin speaks Dovahzul to the Tongues to taunt them, and because she knows they understand a bit of it, but where once she would have spoken Dovahzul with a smattering of Tamrielic to Marius in condescension and mockery, after their battle she adopts it when addressing him as a concession to him, a sign of her respect of his prowess and ability. At least, that's the explanation I'm sticking to; it fits decently with her character in this story, and spares me a lot of trouble.

This was also a means to explore Marius's growth; he's gone from troublemaking thief (before the story) to soldier (also before the story) to fortune seeker (when he left for Skyrim to find a new life) to a reluctant soldier, in the battle against Mirmulnir, and then a veteran reluctant soldier, in the war against the Volkihar. Followed by a passive (albeit snarky) warrior, from Kynesgrove to the Thalmor Embassy until the battle at the Throat of the World, before he finally took a more active and leading role in the war against the dragons. Meanwhile, Alduin went from the nightmarish harbinger of Helgen's destruction, to some nigh-invincible dragon that could just be fought off, and now, in Sovngarde, after he's fought Mira and grown for the past few months, she's just one of his two great rivals (the other being Miraak, of course), and a being he can actually respect and understand as much as he knows he has to stop.

Also, I know Miraak mentioned in Chapter 26 that the dragons know Dragon Aspect, but have no reason to teach it to Marius, while here Marius thinks it's something Hermaeus Mora gave to Miraak, and not something to the dragons created. In this case, Marius is wrong, since he has no reason to know the history behind it. All he knows is that it grants one the aspect of a dragon, in his case manifesting a dragon soul, and that Alduin doesn't seem familiar with it; he makes some logical deductions, based simply on what he knows. The truth, as far as I can tell, is that it grants any user the aspect of a dragon, lending non-Dragonborns the strength of one (although presumably not as effective as a Dragonborn user would be with it), and Alduin is simply more confused as to why Marius knows this lost Shout, one of the greatest secrets of the Dragon Cult.

On a side note, I'm sure that, by now, quite a few had guessed that, yes, I wasn't quite done with Mira the Guide; the chapter's title, Return of the Dovahkiin, was meant to refer as much to the First Dovahkiin as the Last. I just hope my readers enjoyed her return, temporary as it was. Actually, to be honest, I wonder how many people noticed all the call-backs to the previous chapters I crammed into this one. Marius' entry to Sovngarde was written while referring to his entry to the Soul Cairn, his description of Mira is modelled after Kynareth's description of him, and Marius' killing blow was basically a word-for-word rewrite of his slaying of Mirmulnir, all the way back in Chapter 6.

Speaking of the fight... the fight scene for this one went completely off the rails, to be honest. To describe the effect I wanted to go for, it would have been less a man fighting a dragon and more two forces of nature clashing, and tried to display that with how, once Marius activates Dragon Aspect, it's less "he blocks a blow" and more "he cracks the ground intercepting her swoop, before slamming her into the ground, creating a crater". Meanwhile, while Marius typically uses punches, kicks, and headbutts, Mira, who is more familiar with the benefits of Dragon Aspect, tends to swipe and claw instead of relying on blunt impacts. I only hope I succeeded.

I know, I know, me killing Alduin despite all the characterisation and teasing that have been in the past 33 chapters or so is a massive dick move, but I can assure you I didn't do it just for drama. I mean, I also killed Mira, after all. And even though my initial plans didn't call for this, with the way the story ended up progressing... it would have been unnatural and out-of-character for Marius to spare Alduin, and for Alduin to submit to Marius, right at that point in time. But, of course, Alduin isn't dead permanently, so I still have that cop-out!

Also, no, I honestly don't have an explanation for how Tsun is still alive, and Shor is mentioned to be alive as well, despite their deaths being integral to the Elder Scroll's creation mythos. I've heard some stories about how Shor is really Hermaeus Mora in disguise (helped by the fact that, where Septimus thought he'd find the Heart of Lorkhan, he instead found the Oghma Infinium), but I'm only stating that theories like that abound, for more interested readers; it's not explicitly canon, and I'd have no idea how to write it into this story, anyway.

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Translations:

Zu'u Alduin, zok sahrot do naan ko. Zu'u lost kriaan hi ont, nu hin sille fen nahkip suleyki. - I (am still) Alduin, most mighty of any in Mundus. I've killed you once, now your souls will feed my power.

Pahlok joorre! Hin kah fen kos bonaar. - Arrogant mortals! Your pride will be humbled.

Zu'u unslaad! Zu'u nis oblaan! - I (am) immortal! I cannot die!