Vara stared out of the stained glass window, her eyes not truly seeing the snow falling outside. The stone floor was cold, and her knees ached from kneeling in the same position for so long, but she didn't move. Her mind was running, and the memories and thoughts that passed through it were far from this snowy mountain.

She had returned to High Hrothgar about a week ago, Elder Scroll slung across her shoulders and bleeding from ten different wounds. She had spent over a day in the depths of the Dwemer ruin that Septimus had sent her to, trying not to get killed by any automatons as she searched for the entrance to Blackreach. The machines were resistant to her magic, which meant that she had been forced to pour more of her energy into each spell, and doing so over and over again had left her exhausted when she had finally found the way down to Blackreach.

Once she had stepped out of the lift, it had felt as if she was in a different world. Blackreach, it turned out, was a massive cavern, deep in the earth. Vara's breath had been instantly taken away by the beauty of the glimmering ceiling. It had taken her a few hours to find the lift she was looking for, and in that time, she had done her best to sear the beauty of the place into her mind. Eventually, however, she had left and obtained the scroll, just as Septimus had said. Then she had made her way back to High Hrothgar, helping a few people who seemed to need it along the way.

Once she had told Paarthurnax that she had the scroll, the old dragon had nodded slowly. She had been ready to use it then, but he had disagreed and warned her that the instant she used the scroll, Alduin's attention would be drawn to her, and she would have to face him. The aged dragon had told her to rest, to train, and to make sure she was certain she wanted to risk everything before she read the scroll, and so she had spent the last week doing just that.

Her body was ready. She had been a hunter, an agile and deft creature, her entire life, her time in Windhelm had made her into a soldier and a spy, and in these few months she had been Dragonborn, she had learned the best ways to kill a dragon using her magic. She knew Alduin would not be like the other dragons that she had faced, but she was as physically ready for the fight as she would ever be.

Mentally was a different story.

Fighting Alduin terrified her, but not because she could die. She knew that, and ever since she had been named as Dragonborn, she had considered her life forfeit. She had read enough of the ancient stories to know that the heroes rarely made it out alive or in one piece, and she was resigned to that. No, what left her frozen in fear was the knowledge that if she failed, all of Skyrim would fall to Alduin. Her home would be razed to the ground, and anyone who survived the carnage would be forced into slavery under the dragons. A new Dragon Age would dawn, and it would be her fault.

The picture of Ulfric desperately fighting a dragon in front of the gates of Windhelm rose, unbidden, in her mind. He Shouted again and again, fought and ducked and whirled, his blade a mere extension of his arm, and slew the dragon. But as he stood, his breath coming in ragged gasps, another dragon took its place, and Vara knew with certainty that this time, it would be Ulfric who fell.

That was what terrified her. If she failed, Skyrim was doomed. The country was already divided in this war, and if there was no one to stop them, the dragons would take over. Yes, there would be some like Ulfric who would try to resist, but they would eventually fall, and Alduin would reign.

She had written letters that the Greybeards had promised to deliver to the Jarls of every hold in Skyrim in the event that she should fail. They explained that she had failed in her mission and that the Dragons would come for them now. The letters urged the Jarls to send their people into hiding underground, somewhere where the Dragons couldn't reach them. But Vara knew that eventually, they would die.

At that thought, Vara's eyes flashed, anger and determination surging through her. She could not let that happen, not to her home, not to the people she loved! She would face Alduin, and she would come out victorious. She had no other option.

Vara stood, a brief spark of healing magic soothing the aching in her legs. The early morning sun streamed through the stained glass window, coloring the grey stone brilliant colors. It was time to read the scroll and face Alduin.

She walked to her room, where a new set of armor lay spread out over her bed. She had stopped by Whiterun on the way back and commissioned Eorlund Grey-Mane to make it. The old smith had raised an eyebrow at the materials she had brought with her, but he had agreed. The armor had arrived at the steps of High Hrothgar yesterday, delivered by a stalwart courier. In the dim light that had settled on the room, the dragon scales gleamed.

Vara pulled on the armor, carefully and slowly tightening and securing it. The armor was only a little heavier than her leathers, yet she knew from experience that the scales were a thousand times stronger. Hopefully, it would protect her against Alduin's attacks. If she had had time, she would have sent the armor to the College of Winterhold to be enchanted, but that would have taken weeks. She was drawn from her thoughts by the appearance of Master Bori, who gestured solemnly for her to follow him. She did so, putting on her helmet as she walked.

Eventually, they reached the courtyard where the Greybeards all stood the way they had when they had gifted her their knowledge of the Clear Skies shout. They had been angry with her then for associating with the Blades and for demanding to speak with Paarthurnax. Now, however, they all wore a grim and even worried expression that didn't exactly give Vara the confidence boost she needed.

"Dragonborn," Arngeir spoke, his voice rumbling ever so slightly with the Thu'um. "You are about to face the destiny that the Gods laid out for you long before you were born. You have learned the Way, and you will triumph over the FIrstborn of Akatosh and his tyranny, should the Gods decree it."

Vara nodded, accepting the Greybeard's words for the farewell that they were. "Thank you for guiding me," she told the men. "I came to you lost and confused, and you showed me who I was and how I could manage my power." The Greybeards nodded, and Arngeir moved to the side, allowing Vara to walk past him, as she did so the man whispered, "Talos guide you, Varaduilwe Oaken-Song."

. . .

Ulfric looked out over his city. It was early in the morning, and the light of the sun had just begun to peak over the horizon. Ulfric hadn't been able to sleep, which had become a common occurrence ever since Vara had sent him the latest letter, and he had decided to climb to the roof of the Palace to watch the sunrise. The air was cool and crisp and the sun lit up the grey stone, turning it blood red. It should have been a peaceful scene, and yet, Ulfric could feel something on the air and in the wind. Something was wrong.

. . .

Vara stood at the Throat of the World, wind whirling around her, causing snow to stick to her armor. She clutched the Elder Scroll tightly in her gauntleted hands, feeling the power radiating from it. She locked eyes with Paarthurnax, and the great dragon nodded. Vara took a deep breath and then pulled open the scroll. Her vision immediately came alive with colors and words that seemed to float off of the scroll, and the more she read, the more vivid the pictures became. The words seemed to pour from the page faster and faster until her eyes could hardly keep up with the glowing letters. And then, they were gone. Slowly, Vara looked up from the scroll, and instead of seeing Paarthurnax perched on the word wall in front of her, she saw three human figures.

She couldn't make out much through the snow, and the scene before her seemed to be tinged orange and gold, likely an after effect from the scroll. She tried to move forward so that she could hear the words that the people were saying to each other, but she couldn't move. Instead, she strained her ears and watched history unfold before her.

The people, who Vara knew must be the ancient Tongues that Paarthurnax had taught during the Dragon Age when he had betrayed Alduin, were gathered together. One, a woman wielding a giant weapon, broke away from the group when a dragon landed near them. It was dead in less than thirty seconds. The Tongues seemed to be arguing about something, but then one of the Tongues, Felldir the Old, pulled out the Elder Scroll, the same one that Vara had used moments before. The other two yelled something at him, but Felldir seemed resolute. Before they could do anything more, the ground below them shook, and a great ebony dragon landed in front of the group. Alduin.

Vara watched as the Tongues fought the dragon, their blades glancing off of his scales, only doing any real damage every once in a while. Then, the great beast pushed off from the mountainside and took to the air, far from the reach of their weapons. However, he was not out of the reach of their Voices. All at once, the Tongues Shouted, "Joor zah frul!" The Shout hit Alduin head on, and the dragon careened wildly in the air before crashing into the mountainside. He let out a roar of pain and spoke to the three Tongues, but Vara barely heard it, her focus solely on the three words of power that now resonated within her.

Joor, zah, frul. Mortal, finite, temporary. A Shout created to force immortal beings feel the pain of mortality, a pain that was a constant companion to these Tongues and all the other mortals that the dragons had enslaved. It was a powerful, angry Shout, and Vara could feel it writhing inside of herself. It was like Arngeir had said, the Shout had to be a part of her in order for her to use it. He had warned her that it was a cruel Shout, that it would be a burden to carry, and yet, that wasn't what Vara felt. It was dark, yes, but it was nothing new to her, nor anyone else who had lived on the face of Tamriel and experienced the loss that came with loving and with life. It was a Shout the gave power to grief and pain, a Shout that an immortal dragon would be unable to fathom.

The fight in front of her caught Vara's attention once more as the woman who had been fighting so fiercely was caught in Alduin's claws. With a flick, Alduin sent her flying into the mountainside, and Vara knew with a certainty that the impact had killed her. The younger Tongue let out an angry bellow and charged Alduin, yelling something to Felldir as he did so. The elder Tongue hastily dropped his weapon and pulled out the Elder Scroll and began to speak, even as the other man was engulfed by the flames of Alduin's breath. Felldir yelled the final words of the incantation, and Alduin let out a roar the shook Vara to her core. Then, the vision ended.

Vara collapsed into the snow, disoriented by everything she had seen. Dimly, she heard Paarthurnax call her. "Dragonborn! Alduin comes! Use Dragonrend, if you know it!" Those words got Vara moving, and in an instant, she was on her feet again, her magicka coalescing into spikes of ice in her hands. Her sparks, she had learned, ran harmlessly along dragon scales, whereas these icicles could lodge into between the scales and into the dragon's skin. It was a tactic she had used several times before, and she was praying that it would work on Alduin.

She scanned the sky, her eyes searching for the ebony dragon. An instant later, a dark figure passed over the sun, and a bellowing voice shook the earth. "Bahloki nahkip sillesejoor," Alduin roared, the dragon tongue quivering with the strength of his Thu'um. "My belly is full of the souls of your fellow mortals, Dovahkiin. Die now and await your fate in Sovngarde!"

At that moment, Paarthurnax took to the air, flying straight toward his brother. They clashed in the sky, claws ripping at one another, grey and black scales torn as each one made contact with the other. "You are too late, Alduin!" he declared, his voice confident. "Dovahkiin! Use Dragonrend, if you know it!"

Vara gathered her Voice, focusing on the Shout she had just witnessed the Tongues of old use. It was a Shout of grief and anger and pain, and right now, she felt all three as keenly as they had. She would not allow this monster to destroy her home! As soon as Paarthurnax was out of the way, Vara let the words of power rip from her throat and into the air, "Joor zah frul!" The Shout crashed into Alduin, forcing him to land on the mountain.

"Impossible!" he roared, anger and surprise coloring his voice. "That Shout died with the Tongues!" He turned to face Vara, snarling. "It is no matter. I am the Firstborn of Akatosh! I cannot be defeated by mortal means!"

Vara said nothing. Instead, she raised her hands and fired several ice spikes into Alduin's hide in rapid succession. Only a few managed to lodge themselves between his scales, but it was enough to cause the dragon to roar in pain. He Shouted, and Vara rolled out of the way, expecting an attack. Instead, however, the sky grew suddenly dark and then, without warning, meteors began to fall, crashing into the mountainside around her. She jumped to her feet and out of the way just before a meteor fell where she had been.

Alduin took advantage of her distraction and swiped a giant claw at her. She jumped back, but the tip of one claw scraped across her chest. The armor she wore protected her, but she knew she would only be able to take so many hits before even the dragon scales she wore were reduced to mere ribbons.

As soon as she was able, she Shouted, and her voice cleared the sky of the meteors. Alduin said something to her, but Vara ignored the words, focusing instead on the magic she held in her hands. Once the large dragon turned his attention to Paarthurnax, Vara shot the ice into Alduin's side, and this time, the icicles found their mark, causing Alduin to cry out in pain. He was about to push off from the mountain, but Vara Shouted again, grounding him.

"Dovahkiin, you call yourself?" he sneered, swiping his claw toward her. "Arrogant mortal." Vara dashed to the side and fired several ice spikes into the joint where Alduin's wing met his body. She didn't respond to his taunts, saving her voice for when she needed to Shout, but inwardly, she couldn't help but laugh, the adrenaline from the fight making some of her mental barriers fall away. Alduin claimed she called herself the Dovahkiin, but it was the Gods who had done that, and he would feel their wrath.

The fight dragged on, and Vara felt her movements begin to slow. Quickly, she switched spells and healed herself ever-so-slightly, restoring some vigor to her body. She was bleeding in several places where Alduin's claws had found the weakest points in her armor, and part of her arm was burned from a blast of fire that she hadn't quite been able to dodge. She couldn't spend any more time or magicka on healing, however, so she switched back to her ice spikes, sending a few more into Alduin's hide while Paarthurnax slashed at his snout.

Once again, the dragon tried to take off, but Vara Shouted and forced him to stay on the ground. Thankfully, Alduin seemed to be weakening, and Vara was able to get in closer. After shooting several more icicles into his wings, Vara switched tactics. Alduin aimed a claw at her, and she slid under the attack, allowing the ice in her hands to disappear as she did so. When she stood up again, she held lightning between her hands.

Now that she was able to get closer to Alduin, she could utilize her staff as more of a spear, stabbing between the scales as quickly as she could before jumping out of the way of wither Alduin's tail or his claws. The dragon roared in pain and turned to face her, Vara barely rolling out of the way of his fire breath as he did so. Thankfully, Paarthurnax landed between the two of them before Alduin could attack her, and Vara jumped up and ran around Paarthurnax, beginning her barrage of attacks again.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Vara drove her staff deep between two of the scales on Alduin's hide, and the dragon bellowed, causing the mountainside to shake and throwing Vara to her feet. She scrambled to get up, but as she did so, Alduin's spoke, "Meyz mul, Dovahkiin. You have become strong.," he rumbled, laughter mixing with the pain in his voice. "But I am Al-du-in, Firstborn of Akatosh! Mulaagi zok lot! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else! You cannot prevail against me. I will outlast you mortal!" He pushed off of the mountain and took to the air. Vara tried to use Dragonrend to force him to land once more, but he dodged the Shout and was gone in an instant.

Vara collapsed in the snow, her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe. She had been so close, and now Alduin was gone! She pounded the ground beneath her angrily, ignoring the bolt of pain that went through her injured arm as she did so. She could have ended him here!

"Dragonborn," Paarthurnax called. Reluctantly, Vara stood from the snow, and the aged dragon landed in front of her. His snout was bloodied and his wings seemed more tattered than they had been before, but he looked like he would be okay. "You defeated Alduin and proven your might. Faas hi. Alduin fears you now."

Exhaustion washed over Vara, and all of a sudden, she felt as if she barely had the strength to stand. "But he got away, Paarthurnax," she argued wearily. "This needs to end, and I don't know how to find him again."

The ancient dragon nodded slowly. "I do not know where he is," he admitted slowly, "but one of his lieutenants might. If you can trap one, you can force him to tell you where to find Alduin."

"Trap a dragon? How?" Vara asked, the idea seeming incredulous. She had a hard enough time simply fighting them, trapping a dragon would be much harder.

"Ahrolsedovah, Whiterun as you call it," he rumbled in response. "The keep there was made to capture the dragon Numinex, and it could do so again."

Vara nodded wearily, her strength beginning to give out. "Very well, I will speak to Jarl Balgruuf."

Paarthurnax's features softened, or at least, they softened as much as a dragon's features could. "Rest Dovahkiin. You will do no one any good if you collapse." Vara smiled ever so slightly and nodded before turning away from the ancient dragon and slowly beginning to make her way back down the mountain.

. . .

A/N Du du duuuu! Vara and Ulfric's reunion draws ever closer! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!