Why hello! I have actually had this written for a while, but have been so busy with writer's block, school, life, and everything else that goes with it. Anyways, hope you enjoy this one! Kinda funny, kinda cute, kinda dramatic. Remember to read, enjoy, review and follow!

Chapter 38: To Reach Blackreach

Blackreach was deep, dark, and dreary. Not to mention smelled like mildew, hot standing water and fungus spores. The dwarven ruins had not been too much fun either, Toothless constantly firing plasma blasts into humanoid metallic robots with the tricky paths and riddled doors. Hiccup was only making the best of it, ignoring a few cuts and bruises and a broken heart. He simply followed the paths from the entrance, and, by a twist of fate found the elevator down to the dismal place.

"OK, Toothless, what about this," Hiccup said, a smirk on his face. He drew his sword, pressing the handle button and igniting the flame. He narrowed his eyes threateningly and cleared his throat. Toothless simply rolled his eyes with a groan. Hiccup only crept along with a comical sway in his hips and swinging flame blade.

"Who's rapping? Dovahkiin! Dragons?I'm not over keen. I'll dice 'em like a knife slicing right through an aubergine. My dragon show flow is sweeter than a soda stream. You won't believe your eyes, I'm like an overdose of dopamine!A broadsword in one hand. And a magic spell in the other. I'm the last of the Dragonborn. There's no other my brother, so run for cover!"

Toothless narrowed his eyes at him, hearing him rap miserably for what had to be the ninth time, spilling forth mostly lies. Hiccup marched forward with his head held high, ignoring his friend. He smiled back at his dragon regardless.

"I pray to the Lords!You'll all get a taste of the blade of my sword-I'm taking on hordes of enemies. I face them with hordes of weaponry!I'm a celebrity-Honestly!" Hiccup shrugged his arms and kicked up the dirt with his metal foot. "You're a wannabe, I'm a prodigy!The suggestion that you're better than me at being a warrior?Ha!Comedy…um."

He paused, glancing up at the stalactite ceiling and thinking. "It's a gift to me
I don't just spit flames lyrically, but literally. And the Elder Scrolls are scripts in which I've written your obituary!I am the Dragonborn!I'm Dovahkiin- Known globally-You're nobody at all! BOOM!"

He glanced back at Toothless, nodding his head smugly. "That was pretty good, huh bud?"

But suddenly a choking sound filled Hiccup's ears, and a disgusting goblin-type creature he hadn't even seen fell over the side of a ruined building and onto the glowing stone path in front of him, arrow protruding from his chest. Hiccup shuttered, whipping his blade up in front of him. Toothless recoiled.

"A pretty good way to get killed," a silky and overly familiar voice serenaded in the darkness.

Hiccup turned around, and a warm sensation he didn't know whether he enjoyed or not was bubbling up inside of him. He cleared his throat and stood up straighter. "Cora," he managed, shielding his sword and placing it back against his calf. "Thank you. For that." He pointed back awkwardly.

She strode forward out of the darkness and into the green glow of the mushrooms. She lowered her hood, red eyes reflecting glints of light and deep with darkness and fury. Her hips swayed in her flight suit. She stared at Hiccup.

"Falmer are fallen Snow Elves," she explained. "They are blind, but make up for it with excellent hearing."

"You followed me…" Hiccup mused.

Cora ignored his comment. "You have to be vigilant. You didn't even see him and he had an arrow pointed at your head."

She strode past him and further down the path, bow in hand.

"Cora, why did you follow me?" Hiccup questioned.

She sighed, turning around. "Because you're the Dragonborn. And you obviously could use the help, I just figured-"

"Cora…" Hiccup cooed gently. "Why did you follow me?"

She swallowed hard. "I couldn't leave you, Hiccup."

He took a step closer to her. "And why is that?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know why, Hiccup."

"But I want to hear you say it," he looked down. "No…no, I need to hear you say it."

She parted her lips and simply stared at him. "Because I love you."

"And you would never hurt me?"

"And I would never hurt you, Hiccup."

He took another step. "Then why did you shoot Cicero? With it meant for me? Why did Chimera say your soul was blacker than night?"

The Wood Elf clenched her jaw. "I don't know," she lied.

Hiccup scoffed. "She told me everything, you don't need to lie to me."

"Well then because I'm a mess, Hiccup, I'm a murderer. And because Astrid would rather jeopardize the world and kill the Dragonborn than let you live your life and save the world." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Rather than see you be with me, apparently."

Hiccup glanced down. "The Astrid you met was not the Astrid I knew, Cora. I would never see that Astrid again. I've moved on."

"Well she doesn't seem to feel the same way you do. She hasn't exactly let go."

"Then we help you purge this; we help you rid Sidness from your body."

Cora chuckled darkly. "It's Sithis, the un-deadra of death."

Hiccup took Cora's hands, her olive ones cool in his. "You know, he really can't be that bad."

Cora rolled her eyes. "He's the pagan god for a band of assassins."

"Regardless," Hiccup said, "I can't just not have faith that we can purge him from the woman I love."

Cora looked up into his eyes, full of sincerity and adoration. She sighed again, tightening her grip on his hands. "That's just it. Astrid and Chimera both said I had to fall in love with someone powerful, and that's you."

He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just not powerful enough."

"What? Hiccup, you're the Dragonborn of legends, they come no more powerful than you."

"There's far better than me, Cora."

She pressed her lips together before nodding to his leg, deciding to act on her burning curiosity. "And how'd you lose the leg, Hiccup? Blacksmithing accident?"

Hiccup paled before blushing brightly, pressing his metal foot into the ground, hands twitchy in her grasp and eyes downward. "Dragon incident," he mumbled, "I don't really like talking about it."

"I bet it was saving a bunch of people," she speculated, pulling his chin back up to meet her eyes. "I bet it was while doing the right thing for the ones you loved, regardless of the consequences."

Hiccup cleared his throat, attempting to avert his eyes. "I guess you do know me."

She smiled. "Figured."

"I'm just sorry…as far as everything that has happened."

She ran her hand up his face, cupping his cheek and shaking her head. She met his eyes. "No, Hiccup. We'll figure this out. I'll stand by you and everything will be just fine. We can go home to Whiterun, or to Berk, or wherever. And I'll follow."

Hiccup looked away, the dark veins on her neck and seeping into her cheeks too much for him. "But Sithis…your dad…"

"Together, we can figure this out," she cooed.

Without a second thought she pulled him into a tight hug, pressing her body flush against his and throwing his awkward gangly arms around her shoulders. She snuggled into his neck. She heard him sigh.

"What about Chimera and Cicero? Is he alright at least?"

She closed her eyes. "So she didn't tell you everything. He's fine, I healed him using Sithis' powers, long story. But I don't expect to see them down here. When I looked back, they were heading off in the opposite direction."

Hiccup's hands tightened against her. "They were using us."

Cora shrugged. "Probably. But they're murders, what do you expect?"

"Chimera would always tell me to look after me was their mission…but it was really just keep me alive and distracted until Astrid made a play for my life. Those two never truly cared at all, and I'm a fool to ever think they did."

"You always give people the benefit of the doubt, Hiccup, and that's an amazing thing you don't find around here anymore."

"Yeah, but it could get me killed."

Cora shrugged, still holding him close. "I never said it was smart."

They pulled away and held each other's hands. Hiccup shook his head. "Chimera, Cicero, Astrid, Delphine…" he trailed off and looked up. "The only one that hasn't completely and utterly betrayed me is you, Cora."

She tilted her head with a flirtatious smile, narrowing her eyes. "I'm so glad the best title I can get is 'The One Who Hasn't Betrayed Hiccup'," she mocked sarcastically in air quotation marks with her fingers. "Even though I did try to kill you."

Hiccup chuckled despite himself. "Well, for now that's going to be what you have to live with."

She raised her eyebrows. "What the heck, I just saved your life. That makes up for it." she said, gesturing to the dead Falmer in frustration.

"Yes, but I saved yours last, so," Hiccup trailed off, turning on his leg and walking proudly down the path.

"Oh, so now it's a competition?" Cora sputtered, walking after him alongside Toothless.

"When hasn't it been?"

Toothless rolled his eyes with a huff.

000000000000000000000000000000000

The snow was unrelenting, melting against Chimera's body and refreezing on her dark skin. White snowflakes crusted on her eyelashes and blew through her hood. She tried not to shiver, but her teeth chattered against her better judgement. Cicero trailed behind.

"What is your plan when we get back to the sanctuary, my Listener?" he yelled against the bellowing winds.

Chimera squinted. "Take more contracts. The Night Mother has been calling to me. I've been far enough away for long enough. Besides, she wants me to talk to Amaund Motierre. The contract on the emperor is still on."

"But what about Hiccup and Cora?"

"They'll be fine on their own. Astrid will have her shot sooner rather than later."

"Chimera, we need to talk," Cicero said seriously. "Can we stop to rest?"

He gestured in the direction of a small cave just off the main path. With a groan, Chimera followed him out of the wind.

It was grimy inside with the smell of dead rotting bodies, but the assassins didn't mind. It was borderline comforting; reminded them of home. Cicero plopped down and began absentmindedly sharpening his dagger. Chimera breathed hot puffs of air into her hands and rubbed them together, lighting sparks between them with magic.

Cicero took a deep breath. "I think we should go back." He continued sharpening without looking up at Chimera. "Forget the contracts for the time being."

She knitted her eyebrows together and sat cross-legged in front of him. "What do you mean 'go back and forget the contracts'?" she mimed in air quotes. Anger began bubbling in her chest already.

Cicero shrugged. "I just mean we should go back to Blackreach. To help Hiccup and Cora. Their mission is dire, the contracts can wait. Mother will understand."

Chimera rocked back and forth on her bottom. "Ah, you mean so we can continue to help Astrid?" She hopped that's what he had meant.

"Well, not exactly. I think we should help the two of them with their Dragonborn quest."

"Oh, do you?" Chimera almost challenged. "Since when did Sithis give you a heart, Black Hand?"

Cicero looked directly into her piercing red eyes and refused to back down. "Since it was the right thing to do. For them and for all of Nirn."

Chimera rolled her eyes. "Oh, isn't this rich. Someone cares about something more than murder."

"No, that's not what I mean." Cicero leaned back a tad. "Look, I didn't come into this cave looking for a fight, Chimera."

"Yeah? Well you shouldn't have suggested abandoning the Night Mother and your duty to Sithis for a silly game!"

"Your loyalties still lie with Astrid while mine are purely to Sithis." Cicero stood up, towering over her. "I am not one to disrespect leadership, my Listener and I will follow you to the end, but there will not be a world to carry out orders in if Hiccup does not succeed. It will just be the Void, swallowed by dragons."

Chimera stood up too, rising to the tips of her toes to get as into Cicero's face as she could. "Well who said that this Dragon Void is a bad place, Cicero? And Astrid wants him dead, we should give her what she wants. I still respect her and so should you."

"Astrid is dead, Chimera!" he shouted. "She is gone, and you are the new order to the Brotherhood and to this kingdom."

"So what I say should go, no questions asked!"

Cicero's mouth formed into a hard line as he grumbled, running a hand through his red hair and tugging at the roots. "Chimera, do you want all your subjects to die? Your father's subjects to die? Your kingdom to be burnt to crisps? And before you answer, not all of Skyrim's blood need to be on your hands, only who Sithis wants killed. It's not what Astrid would want."

"Don't you dare tell me what she would want," Chimera snarled. "You heard her. She said she'd come for Hiccup."

"Yeah, and it's your judgement call. Give a dead Astrid what she wants from the grave and doom us all, or save the world to murder another day for Sithis. Tough choice."

Chimera shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "Who are you anymore, Cicero?"

"I'm getting used to you too." He exhaled sharply. "I'm just trying to help. Whatever you decide, I will support you as your devout follower. You are forever my Listener and my queen. But I would be a foolish man to not warn my beloved of the consequences to her actions."

Chimera held back tears and inhaled shakily. "Noted. But we have to get back to Dawnstar."

Cicero stared blankly at her before nodding. "Understood," he sighed.

And they set out again into the blistering winds.