First of SO TERRIBLY SORRY about the delay, but my co-writer is having some issues with her MS word program, and my health acted up yet again, keeping me from writing! Thank you all for being so patient with us! Cookies, chocolate and cake for you all!
We'd like to especially thank eboncat (for catching up with the whole fic! That's AWESOME!), MB18932 (we love it that that line made you laugh, and we found ourselves laughing the same way as you did!), Knight of Holy Light (all your feedback is always so wonderful to read – we really appreciate it!), Ravenwiccn (Love your review, we're also happy Anders ignored the mirror and Justice! LOL!). To all who have put this fic on your list of favorites and are now following, our eternal gratitude!
And finally, ALL OF YOU: Please have a very happy and safe New Year! Hopefully the next one will be fantastic and since they will be releasing Dragon Age Inquisition, we're betting it will! Haha! :D
Our disclaimer as always: Bethesda and Bioware own!
Chapter 37
"This fight is the Dragonborn's. You will pass only if I deem her worthy."
Anders eyed Tsun warily as Alessia stepped back and unsheathed her daggers. The bare-chested specter stood at least two heads taller than her, his giant axe alone as long as Alessia was tall. "Are...are you sure about this, love?"
Alessia nodded, her ice blue gaze never leaving her opponent. "I've come this far and Alduin's death is so close I can taste it...I won't let this hairy brute stand in my way." Her eyes softened as she looked at Anders. "If I fall, Nirn will fall. You can't stop it...but, you have found a way home to defend your people."
Anders shook his head and moved to the side, shoving down the need to have healing spells ready. Judging from the ghost's words, even that little bit of help would get them barred from Sovngarde.
Tsun laughed and charged Alessia, swinging his axe. She rolled under it and popped back up, sweeping a leg out to try to knock the Nord off his feet, but he didn't budge. He turned, swinging his great axe again. Alessia slid under the weapon and between his legs, coming up behind him. She kicked again, putting as much force as she could behind it and connected with a sickening crunch to the side of his knee, causing him to kneel in pain. Even when he knelt, the ghost was a giant, his head level with hers. She swung with all her might, hitting him in the temple with the pommel of her dagger. He fell, and she immediately jumped onto him to straddle his chest, her daggers crossed at his throat.
"Yield!" Alessia said triumphantly, the smile on her face faltering as Tsun bellowed with laughter.
"You think the warriors of Sovngarde are awarded for making their enemies yield easily on the field of battle, halfling?" Tsun snaked an arm between them and threw her off, Alessia tumbling to a stop a few feet away near a very pale faced Anders. "Show me what you can do with those daggers! Show me the Nord blood in your veins!"
Before, Alessia had not wanted to harm Tsun, someone who in life had been one of the greatest warriors of Skyrim and shield-thane to Shor himself. She hadn't wanted to harm a ghost? The thought made her laugh as she stood in a ready stance. Wait until Brynjolf hears that I stabbed Tsun to death...again.
The only way someone as small as she could best someone as huge as Tsun was to use his size against him as she had before, so she waited for him to charge again. However, he had figured out her tactic and merely held his ground and grinned at her. His smug grin made her angry. Very, very angry – and though she knew it was irrational, she wanted to smear his smile into the dirt at his feet. She ran forward, strafing to the right as he swung his giant blade. She immediately jumped away from the range of his weapon and stabbed him in the gut before rolling away.
Tsun turned as quickly as his bulk would let him, but Alessia's tiny form was already next to him again, stabbing and rolling, stabbing and rolling. Now gushing pale blue spectral blood dripped from his torso, leg and axe arm. He spun around, trying to find her but she was gone. He twisted his body slightly, searching vainly and his gaze fell on Anders, who wore a small smile.
Alessia, still invisible from the potion she had drunk, crept up behind Tsun. A boulder sat to her right, directly behind him. She climbed it quickly and leaped off the boulder onto Tsun's back. Hooking one arm around his massive neck for leverage, she leaned forward and stabbed him repeatedly in the chest until he fell.
Alessia stood next to the spectral form, panting, daggers ready. Tsun shuddered, coughing, then began to stand up. Alessia crouched, ready to spring on the giant ghost again, but then realized he wasn't coughing, but laughing.
"All right, Dragonborn. I yield," he began as he stood to his full height. He looked down at the ghostly blood seeping from his mangled chest as it began to close, healing itself, and shook his head. "That part never gets easier. You'd think it would as I have been dead for over a millennia, but..." He shrugged. "You may both enter Sovngarde."
...
Anders stood in a state of mild shock at the entrance to the vast hall. Great long tables stood before him, laden with every conceivable dish in all of Nirn, and quite probably Thedas. His stomach rumbled noisily and beside him, Alessia chuckled.
His eyes darted around the area, taking in the many figures that walked around. There was loud singing and laughter. Lots of laughter, as a matter of fact. Even though they both knew all these people weren't alive, the whole structure was full of life itself.
A very big blond Nord with a long beard approached them. "Hail, Dragonborn," he boomed. "I am Ysgramor and welcome you to the Hall of Valor. Our door has stood empty since Alduin first set his soul-snare here."
Alessia smiled at the first Harbinger of the Companions. "I am here to fight and kill Alduin."
"Our three heroes of old are waiting for you. Gormlaith the fearless, glad-hearted in battle; Hakon the valiant, the heavy-handed warrior; Felldir the Old, far-seeing and grim – all await you," he half-turned, waving his arm to the far end of the room across one of the long tables where Alessia could see three warriors standing, seemingly looking straight at her with smiles on their faces.
Anders smiled at Ysgramor as they passed, walking towards the three heroes. He was feeling slightly weak now as the aroma of the food drifted over to where he walked.
"I swear, Anders, you're making a lot of noise smacking your lips like that!" Alessia laughed. "Grab something to eat if you want, I don't think they'll mind."
Anders chuckled and approached the table, picking out a loaf of bread and some deliciously prepared meat as he was greeted by a man dressed in long robes. "Greetings! Eat, drink!" the man cried out to the blond mage.
Anders grinned, but did not sit at the table. Instead, he continued walking behind Alessia, now happily munching pieces of bread and meat at intervals.
By the time they reached the three heroes, Anders was done eating and smiled at them as Alessia greeted them.
"At long last! 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 he lurks," Gormlaith called out to Alessia.
Alessia grinned at Gormlaith, feeling pretty much the same as she. While she knew this last battle with Alduin could very well kill her, she was looking forward to it.
"Alduin the worm holds the souls. His mist is more than a snare – its shadowy gloom his shield and cloak," Hakon One-Eye commented, a frown on his face.
"The World-Eater fears your Thu'um," Felldir the Old nodded at Alessia. "Victory must and will be ours."
"Felldir speaks wisdom – the World-Eater is a coward, but he fears you above all, Dragonborn," Hakon smiled. "Let us strike him now and watch him quake with fear."
"Hold, comrades! Let us counsel take before the battle is blindly joined!" Felldir called out. Gormlaith turned to glance at him and sheathed her sword at his words. Hakon did the same.
"What is his weakness? Would Dragonrend be the only thing we could use to bring him down?" Alessia asked curiously.
Hakon shook his head. "We must drive away his mist, shouting together, and then unsheathe our blades in desperate battle with our black-winged foe."
"Clear skies should help us then," Alessia mused, giving them all a twinkling glance in turn.
"With four Voices joined, our valor combined, we can blast the mist and bring him to battle," Felldir agreed.
"And use Dragonrend on him to make him land right after the Clear Skies shout," Alessia nodded. "Alduin will be vulnerable then."
"Let us be off, then, and on this day join our voices to cease the snare and kill the worm!" Gormlaith cried, unsheathing her blade once again and brandishing it. This time her comrades did the same, turning their gazes on Alessia, as if waiting for her signal.
Alessia quickly unsheathed her daggers and twirled them around, a grin now fixed on her face as she briefly glanced up at Anders, who was smiling. She turned back to the three heroes and nodded, her next words making them cheer.
"Down with Alduin! After this day, the World-Eater will be no more!"
…
Anders kept his eyes on Alessia's petite figure as she raced ahead with the three heroes, crossing the whale bridge nimbly and quickly. They passed Tsun, who actually had a smile on his face and was cheering them on. "The eyes of Shor are upon you this day. Defeat Alduin, and destroy his soul-snare," the giant shouted.
Reaching the mist that crawled around the bottom of the hill; they all readied themselves and shouted at the same time – relying on their combined voices to bring down the mist created by Alduin.
"LOK – VAH – KOOR!"
For a few moments, nothing happened. Then the mist suddenly swirled and inched away, revealing the path ahead and the green valley and dark mountains and hills – the starry night sky so beautiful that Alessia felt her breath catch in awe.
Then Alduin's roar was heard in the distance and his terrible shout filled the night. "Ven Mul Riik!"
The mist filled the valley and the cries of the wandering souls that were nearby reached their ears. Alessia saw Gormlaith tighten her grasp on her battle-axe and she turned her head sideways to gaze on her companions – Alessia included.
"Again!" she yelled.
They all shouted again – their words resonating all around as the mist dissipated a second time. Anders thought that maybe this time they had managed to do it – clear the skies, luring Alduin to their location to fight him, but after a few minutes Alduin's angry shout was heard a second time and the mist poured back into the valley, covering everything once again.
"Does his strength have no end? Is our struggle in vain?" Hakon cried.
"We can shatter his power if we shout together!" Felldir yelled at his comrades.
"Stand fast! His strength is failing! Once more, and his might will be broken!" Gormlaith yelled.
The four of them yelled louder this time around, the three words of the 'Clear Skies' shout reverberating with a strength and force Anders did not believe possible because the ground itself shook from the force of their voices.
This time Alduin's roar was heard too close as the black dragon flew overhead, taunting them.
Alessia grinned. This was what she was waiting for. When the mighty dragon dipped low, she shouted the Dragonrend shout at it, and the dragon roared out in pain as it was forced to land on the ground a few feet away from them. Anders quickly focused and his arcane shield came up, protecting not only Alessia, but the three heroes and himself as well.
Alduin faced them with a malevolent glint in his eyes. "Fools!" he roared. "I am immortal! I cannot die! Zu'u unslaad, zu'u nis oblaan!"
The next roar was a shout, and Alessia had heard it before. She quickly ran forward to Alduin's side, meaning to vanish into the night in order to flank him – but called out a warning to her companions. "It's his storm shout! Be careful with the fireballs that will fall from the sky!"
…
The battle was brutal, but it wasn't as bad as Anders thought it would be. For one thing, the Dragonrend shout kept Alduin on the ground and in a weakened state. And there were three other heroes that were fighting him as well, so he had a chance to weaken the great dragon even more than he thought possible, as the warriors kept the great black dragon occupied at a closer range. He didn't know what it was about Sovngarde, but his mana was constantly replenishing and his spells were a lot stronger. Smiling, he sent out the most powerful ice spells he had ever weaved as the magic that pulsated in him burst forth tenfold. Alduin was frozen several times over – enough to weaken him even more.
While Alessia swiped and slashed at the dragon from the shadows, her warrior companions, Hakon and Gormlaith dug their weapons into his scaly underbelly over and over, and silvery blood burst from the great beast's wounds. It used its fire-breath shout on them, but they would dodge the flames and Felldir flung ice spells at the creature himself, as he stood next to Anders – helping out as much as he could.
At last, Alessia felt the creature's life force ebbing away. She wasn't surprised that she did, she was more surprised that he – the mighty Alduin – wasn't lasting as long as she thought he would. With a predatory smile on her face, she leapt onto the great lizard's back and her daggers swiped underneath its scaly neck, slashing it open.
"Dovahkiin, hin kah fen kos bonaar!" Alduin cried out as it opened its great maw and convulsed. Alessia slid off his back and tumbled back to the ground, immediately spinning around and facing it, still grinning.
Anders's breath caught in his throat. He had never seen Alessia look so beautiful before. There was a surreal golden glow on her face – and it was coming from within her. At the same time, Alduin burst into flames and disintegrated – his roar dying down until nothing but ashes remained. A strong breeze blew the ashes away, and the three heroes of Sovengarde cheered. Night was receding and the sun came up, heralding a new day – free from the tyranny of the World-Eater.
"All hail the Dragonborn! Hail her with great praise!" The three heroes' voices filled the air, and the wandering souls from the valley – now free from Alduin's snare – walked up the path and joined their voices to the heroes' – cheering at Alessia joyously and clapping their hands.
But Alessia, who was blushing, did not care. She turned her head, her eyes seeking out Anders's, which were shining softly with a love that was so great; she could actually feel it reaching out to her. Without thinking twice, she walked into his waiting arms, and his loving embrace felt like a balm that covered and soothed her soul.
It was over, and her love was holding her close. They had battled the World-Eater and they were both alive.
And that meant more to her than all the cheering in the world.
…
Alessia reluctantly disentangled herself from Anders's arms and walked over to the heroes with a big grin on her face. She said goodbye, as did Anders, and they both turned around, walking towards Tsun, with Anders following close behind.
"They will sing of this battle in Shor's hall forever," the giant smiled. "But your fate lies elsewhere. Tell me if you are ready to return to Nirn."
Alessia and Anders's eyes met, and she smiled, turning back to Tsun. "We're both ready to return to Tamriel."
"Return now to Nirn, with this rich boon from Shor, my lord: a shout to bring a hero from Sovngarde in your hour of need."
Alessia felt the shout fill her and understood its power and meaning almost instantaneously. She smiled at the giant gratefully and he nodded, his eyes shining with admiration.
"When you have completed your count of days, I may welcome you again, with glad friendship, and bid you join the blessed feasting," Tsun added, his eyes glancing over at Anders quickly, and then back to Alessia. He nodded once and when he next opened his mouth, a powerful shout burst from his very essence, making Alessia and Anders kneel over as the ground shook.
"NAHL…DAAL…VUS!"
…
They were suddenly on the Throat of the World and were surprised to see many dragons perched around the mountainside as well as near Paarthurnax, who was gazing at both Alessia and Anders intensely.
"Alduin mahlaan," all the dragons called out. One of them, directly in front of Alessia and Anders spoke.
"Shrot thur qahnaraan," it cried as it flew up to the sky.
The rest of the dragons called out, as if in reply: "Alduin mahlaan."
Another dragon spoke.
"Dovahkiin los ok dovahkriid!"
And all the dragons cried out once again. "Alduin mahlaan!"
A third dragon shouted out, above the litany of the rest of the dragons as it, too, took to the skies.
"Thu'umii los nahlot!"
The rest of the dragons now shouted from the skies, as all were flying overhead in circles now.
"Alduin mahlaan!"
The only dragon left on the ground spoke out, and then joined his brothers as it beat its wings, taking flight. "Mu los vomir!"
A great sadness overcame Alessia, and she could not understand why. Anders sensed this and moved closer to her, taking her hand. Paarthurnax gazed up at all the flying dragons, then bent his neck around to look at Alessia and Anders once again.
Alessia took a few steps until she was standing directly in front of Paarthurnax. The great old dragon did not speak at first, the sadness in his eyes even greater than Alessia's. Behind her, Anders pressed against her, his arms comforting her as they slid around her.
"So it is done," the great dragon finally spoke. "Alduin dilon. The Eldest is no more, he who came before all others, and has always been."
"You're very sad," Alessia said softly. "And I understand why somehow."
"I am not happy, this is true. Zeymahi lost ont du'ul Bormahu. Alduin was once the crown of our father Akatosh's creation," Paarthurnax rumbled. "You did what was necessary. Alduin had flown far from the path of right action in his pahlok – the arrogance of his power."
"I'm sorry," Alessia whispered.
The great dragon seemed to sigh and it shook its scaly head. "I cannot celebrate his fall. Zu'u tiiraaz ahst ok mah. He was my brother once. This world will never be the same."
"I was just fulfilling my destiny as Dragonborn," Alessia said quietly.
"Indeed. You saw more clearly than I – certainly more clearly than Alduin. Rok funta koraav." Paarthurnax shook his head, then sighed again. "Perhaps now you have some insight into the forces that shape the vennesetiid…the currents of Time. Perhaps you begin to see the world as a dovah…"
Alessia nodded, yearning to stretch her hand and caress Paarthurnax's nose.
"But I forget myself. Krosis. So los mid fahdon. Melancholy is an easy trap for a dovah to fall into," Paarthurnax said. "You have won a mighty victory, Dovahkiin. Sahrot krongrah – one that will echo through all the ages of this world for those who have eyes to see. Savor your triumph. This is not the last of what you will write upon the currents of Time."
"Is Alduin really dead though?" Alessia asked. "I felt I didn't absorb his soul when he vanished."
"Perhaps he will return one day – to fulfill his destiny," Paarthurnax replied. "But he is gone now. I feel it inside as I am sure you do, Dovahkiin."
The great dragon looked up to the sky, gazing at his kin as they circled overhead and suddenly flapped its wings. "Goraan! I feel younger than I have in many an age!"
As Paarthurnax flew upwards, it stopped in mid-flight to face Alessia, looking down at her. "Many of the dovahhe are now scattered across Keizaal. Without Alduin's lordship, they may yet bow to the vahzen…rightness of my Thu'um. But willing or no, they will hear it! Fare thee well, Dovahkiin! I will always be here should you find the need to speak!"
Paarthurnax then joined his fellow dovah in flight, roaring into the heavens.
A few moments later, Odahviing landed right next to Alessia who took a couple of steps back as the ground shook.
"Pruzah wundunne wah Wuth Gein. I wish the old one luck in his…quest," Odahviing began, fixing its stare on Alessia. "But I doubt many will wish to exchange Alduin's lordship for the tyranny of Paarthurnax's 'Way of the Voice'."
Alessia smiled. "Tyranny, you call it?" she chuckled.
If a dragon could ever smile, Alessia felt that that was what Odahviing was doing at this very moment. It moved its scaly neck and head up and down several times, its maw shaped into a huge grin. At last it spoke again.
"You have proven your mastery twice over. Thuri, Dovahkiin. I gladly acknowledge the power of your Thu'um. Zu'u Odahviing. Call me when you have need and I will come if I can and assist you in battle."
"I will," Alessia replied with a grin.
"Farewell, Thuri Dovahkiin. Till we meet again."
…
A/N: Here is a translation of the words spoken in dragon language:
When Alduin arrives to fight Alessia and her party:
Zu'u unslaad, zu'u nis oblaan = "I am immortal, I cannot die!"
Before Alduin dies:
"Dovahkiin, hin kah fen kos bonaar." = "Dragonborn, your pride will be humbled."
What the dragons are saying when Alessia and Anders return to the Throat of the World:
All: Alduin mahlaan. = Alduin has fallen.
Dragons: Sahrot thur qahnaraan. = The mighty overlord is vanquished.
All: Alduin mahlaan. = Alduin has fallen.
Dragons: Dovahkiin los ok dovahkriid. = The Dragonborn is his dragonslayer.
All: Alduin mahlaan. = Alduin has fallen.
Dragons: Thu'umii los nahlot. = His shout is silenced.
All: Alduin mahlaan. = Alduin has fallen.
Dragons: Mu los vomir. = We do not follow him.
The words that Paarthurnax says are translated by him as he speaks, so we aren't including them here.