Serana POV:
My lover steps inside, and I quickly follow her. Delphine and Esbern trail behind me, and I feel the hatred for them burning in my gut. One of them touched my love's ass. And, I'm pretty sure I know who. I haven't forgotten how Delphine was eye-fucking my lover back in Dragonsreach. That old bitch probably thought she could grab the Khajiit's ass without reparations, but she couldn't be more wrong. I swear I'll do something to get even with her. Draining her of her precious lifeblood is a good start. But I'll have to put off on that. At least until we're done with this stupid quest. My love has disappeared up the dark hallway, but Esbern and Delphine are trailing behind me.
I turn and hiss at them to hurry up, then rush up the hallway to catch up with my love. I find her standing in front of a gigantic stone wall, carvings of ancient battles dancing before her. I walk up and ask, "What's this?". She shrugs. Esbern suddenly appears beside us and says, "When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world. When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped. When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles. When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls. When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding. The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.".
Delphine appears on the other side of us and whispers, "The prophecy.". I sigh and snarl, "What does all of this mean?". It's my lover who answers me. "When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world. Jagar Tharn used a staff to imprison the emperor in oblivion, then broke the staff up into eight pieces and hid them around Tamriel. When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped. Numidium walking upon the earth, changing the path before him. When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles. The Nerevarine killing the Dunmer Tribunal, and the Red Mountain erupting. When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls. The Oblivion Crisis, and all the grief it entailed.".
"When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding. The murder of King Torygg, and the civil war that followed.". Delphine finishes for her, "The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.". She looks at my lover, "You.". The Khajiit nods and agrees, "Me.". Esbern sighs and steps forward. "Both of you missed the most important part.". He walks over to the left segment of the wall. "Dragons were ravaging the land, waging war against the races of Men and driving them before the might of their Voice. The humans could not stand against such a force. Some among them would come to worship the Dragons, but all feared them. And here we have a sculpture of Alduin, the World-Eater in all his horrible glory.".
He goes to the middle segment, "The goddess Kyne took pity on the broken hearts of Men, and intervened by granting mortals the ability to speak as Dragons do. This large section of the Wall portrays Alduin's initial downfall to the courage and tenacity of the champions of Men; the three ancient Nord heroes who were the first and mightiest of the Tongues: Felldir the Old, Hakon One-Eye, and Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, who used the combined power of the Thu'um and the Elder Scrolls to shout Alduin from the sky and defeat him on the ground.". Delphine practically snarls, "Thu'um?! A shout?! Defeat on the ground?! Where the oblivion are you getting this?!".
Esbern shushes her and demands, "Be quiet, I'm about to say the last part!". He points at a carving in the lower section of the middle area, "The prophecy that is related through Alduin's Wall is dire, but it is not without hope. For one individual, gifted by Akatosh with the same incredible powers held by the Dragons themselves, has been foretold to become Alduin's Doom and the Savior of Men.". He points at the far right area and says, "That's the top of a mountain. Hmm. Odd.". For once I'm able to take all of the carvings in, but they all look the same to me. Battles, dragons, and dead people. However, one stands out. The carving of the Dragonborn. I go up to it, Esbern's torchlight flickering off the stone.
My lover follows me, and we both pause to take in the figure. A Khajiit with a flowing tail stands before the dragon's fiery breath, her shield raised in defiance. A sword trails behind her, and her face is twisted in rage. I see a clawed hand come out, gently tracing the outline of herself. I hear that damned Breton ask, "It's terrifying, isn't it?". I plan on snarling a response, but manage to hold my tongue. I want to see what my lover says. And, she doesn't disappoint me. "It's more terrifying than you'll ever know.". I look over and see Delphine nod as she continues, "These carvings were made before modern language. Oblivion, they were made before the Khajiit were socially considered people!".
"Your birth was predicted eras before your mother and father even met, and by men who had no idea who you even were.". My lover keeps tracing herself as she agrees, "It's hard to believe. This carving is older than me.". She stops tracing and whimpers, "What if I don't want to be the Dragonborn?". I realize the question is open to everyone and decide to answer, but that same damned Breton beats me again. "It's far too late for that. You were marked the second you came out from your mother's womb. It's not fair, but it's destiny. Now, onto more important matters. You know of a shout that could beat Alduin?".
My lover offers a small chuckle before assuring, "If I did, then I would have used it by now. I'm out of ideas, but I know someone who might know what to do.". Delphine sighs and asks, "The Graybeards?". My lover nods and Delphine groans, but gives in. "Then I suppose they're our only hope. Be quick Dragonborn, and know that the strength of the Blades goes with you.". She gives my lover a look I don't like. "And, return to me when you can. Please?". The Khajiit nods and turns to leave. I somehow manage to shove my jealousy down. I follow her as quickly as I can, making sure to keep up with her. As we walk I ask, "Can I come in this time?".
She nods, and now I want to move onto some deeper things. "So, that wall predicted your birth?". She nods and I further inquire, "From what you saw did it predict your death, or anything that went with it?". She shakes her head. "No, but it's still disturbing as oblivion, and I hate it.". I completely understand how the woman feels. I can't even imagine people relying on me like all of Tamriel is relying on her. And, Delphine had a point. People were already praying for her eras before her distant ancestors were even born. A few months ago my lover had free will, and now it seems she's chained to this damned prophecy.
Oblivion, first she was chained to the prophecy my father urged her to find, and now she's chained to this one! It seems my love might never be free of the shackles destiny has put on her unwilling wrist. Just like her ancestors, only the Dunmer masters sometimes allowed their slaves the respite of death. I keep my thoughts silent, marching on.
When we finally reach High Hrothgar a storm is brewing, so we go inside without hesitation. My lover leads me through the twisting hallways and stops in front of an old man. Without waiting the woman demands, "Arngeir. I've been around all of Skyrim, and I wanted to learn the damned shout to beat Alduin!". The man looks up and questions, "How did you know that?". I answer for her, "Delphine.". Instantly the man explodes, chastising my lover and blatantly refusing, "No, you aren't ready.". I sigh and step between the two, picking the old man up by the neck and slamming him against the wall. As he gasps and scrabbles I ask, "Now, are you going to tell us?".
When he nods I drop him. Arngeir looks at my lover and snarls, "You have impeccable taste in women. Now, follow me.". All of us begin walking to the back of the palace, and I notice more Graybeards following us. As we go Arngeir explains, "We don't know the shout directly, but our master does. Go to him at the top of the mountain, and he shall share his wisdom. But be warned, cold winds will try to keep you at bay. We will teach you a shout to counter it, but you still need to be careful.". He opens the door to the outside, following us once we're both past the door. He leads us into the courtyard, and over to a archway that leads into a blizzard.
The Graybeards gather around the arch and Arngeir says, "Here, I'll teach you the shout quickly.". He screams at the ground, a word engraving itself on the stone. My lover walks over to it, intently looking at it as more power pulsates into her. Arngeir and my lover repeat the process twice, then the man announces, "I will teach you what the words mean. This is the last gift.". My lover looks almost impatient as she waits to be taught. The power goes through her again, and finally stops. Arngeir looks like he wants to say something, but he doesn't have the chance. My love turns to the blizzard and screams, "Lok Vah Koor!". The blizzard disappears and screams, "Serana, come on!".
Without a second thought I race after her, leaving the Graybeards behind us. As we go up the mountainside I ask, "What was all that about? This all seems very rushed.". The woman agrees, "That's because I'm rushing it. I'm growing tired Serana. Oh so tired, and I just want a break. But I'm not going to get a break because the entire world depends on me! ME! So, I want to fulfill my destiny. Then, I want to take a nap.". I manage to sneak in, "In a new home.". She nods and replies, "A new home.". My love is forced to use the shout again, and we begin running even quicker than before. The rest of our time is spent in silence, the Khajiit occasionally forced to shout again.
It takes a while, but eventually we reach the top of the mountain. My lover groans and sits down, rubbing her feet. I walk over and pat her on the back, sitting down beside her. I try to think of something to say to her, but the quiet is almost relaxing. I allow it to stay. However, the reprise is short-lived. A roar makes us both freeze, and the shadow of a dragon's wings falls over the area. We look up and see one of the beasts slowly flapping about, but he's coming closer.
We both stand and prepare ourselves for battle, the monster finally landing. Nothing matters any more. Not the fact my lover wants children, not the fact I'm almost certain Delphin squeezed my lover's ass, and not the fact that the Khajiit is chained by destiny. All that matters is the giant lizard standing before us, his gray scales refusing to dance in the sunlight. He lets out a hacking cough that's meant to be a roar, and the battle's begun.
