Alduin Shouted down at them, sending fire from his mouth.
"Yool Tor Shul!" He Shouted. Esil watched in horror as she tried to avoid the flames.
"Use Dragonrend, it's the only way!"
"Joor Zah Frul!" Esil Shouted without thinking, and Alduin staggered. His wings failed and he landed hard on the ground. Immediately Esil shot at him, hitting his eyes and snout. With a roar of rage and pain Alduin Shouted more fire at her. He fought off Dragonrend and leapt into the air again. Esil shot at him once more, and then Shouted him down from the skies.
Over and over they did the same thing, Shout down the dragon, attack him, and then watch as he got back up again. Finally Esil shot him in the chest and he rose up on his back legs, his head twisting backward to stare at the sky, and with a final roar he collapsed and did not move.
"Is it over? Is he dead?" Esil asked quietly, breathing hard.
"Yes. Thank you, Dragonborn. You have done Skyrim a great service." The woman told her. She nodded, and looked down the path.
"Are you ready to return?" The bridge guardian asked.
"No, there's something I need to do first." Esil told him and ran down the path. There was Torygg, looking confused and slightly relieved.
"High King, would you follow me?" She asked quietly.
"You killed that beast, yes?" Torygg asked. She nodded. "Lead on, hero." Esil led him to Shor's Hall, and there left him to journey on. She walked over to the bridge guardian and nodded.
"As a parting gift, I will teach you a Shout that will allow you to summon one of the three Tongues, if ever you need it." He told her. Esil felt knowledge being pushed into her brain, and a glowing Shout plastered itself over her eyes for a moment.
"Thank you." She said.
"Nahl Dal Vus!"
—
Esil was sitting on her ass on a rock at the Throat of the World. She looked up as the blurred forms dragons circled the mountain, and Paarthurnax spoke to them in their language, finally turning back to her.
"Welcome back, Dovahkiin." He said.
"Hi. Alduin is dead."
"I know. I will mourn, for he was my brother, but I know why you had to kill him."
"I just want to sleep." Esil said.
"I understand. Know that with Alduin dead, I will try to control the dragons, and keep them in line. And if they will not hear my voice, they will know my Thu'um!" Paarthurnax took off once more, circling high above the mountain, and disappearing into the clouds. Esil sighed and flopped backward onto her rock.
"Do not sleep here, Dovahkiin." Esil opened her eyes and saw Odahviing.
"I know. It's tempting, though."
"I understand. But you must keep moving. Soon you may rest." Esil nodded and stood up, clutching her bow.
—
She walked into the Bee and Barb around midnight three days later, drenched to the bone from the raging storm outside. Esil had slept for about six hours total, and she was ready to sleep for a day. She climbed the stairs and entered Marcurio's room silently, dropping her quiver and arrows on the chest. She saw his sleeping form and simply curled up next to it, pushing him against the wall.
Marcurio woke up to another body next to him. He almost attacked it, but quickly calmed down as he recognised the purple skin and wild, short black hair of Esil.
"Idiot." He muttered. He didn't want to get up just yet, so he laid there, using Telekinesis to pull a book over to him.
When Esil woke up she squeaked and rolled off the bed.
"This was built for one, Esil." She looked up from the floor and saw Marcurio reading.
"I was tired. Am tired. Need to sleep." Esil laid back down on the floor and closed her eyes.
"Get up, Esil. You have a deal to make good on."
"Can it wait? I just beat a fucking apocalypse. I almost died. Multiple times." Esil began crawling under the bed.
"No. Up, you'll feel better once you're moving." Marcurio told her.
—
"What did Sovngarde look like?" Marcurio asked Esil as they walked toward the Temple of Mara. It was still raining, and lightning lit up the sky in three second bursts.
"Cold and foggy. But then sunny and warm."
"That's specific."
"Well excuse me, I can't actually describe it!"
"You had said that you could see."
"There were statues. The sky was fucked up. The Hall was huge and pretty. Alduin was a piece of shit and hard to kill. There was a bridge guardian and the bridge was made of something's spine." Esil told him.
"Fine, I'll just see it when I'm dead." Marcurio said. Esil nodded.
"Okay." They entered the Temple.