"GRRRRR! Victory or Sovngarde!" I held my breath and threw a triple-slash even though it made my arm and body hurt like oblivion. As I felt the Frost Troll's blood spill over my blade and spotted my cloth with the stench of it, I let out a satisfying grunt.

I used the last of my remaining strength to swing my blade across my body, using the momentum to cleave it clean through the head of the beast and sent it flying in two pieces backwards.

I sat down on the ground and dug my weapons deep in the snow-covered grass, a bit frozen solid, but still able to hold it down well. I felt the last of my strength leaving my body, and the paralyzing exertion slowly grapple onto every fiber of my arms.

"Did you have to be so dramatic?" The snarky voice came from behind me, Paige is standing right beside me in the snow, haven't broke a sweat, or moved much even. She is wearing a beige colored robe with rubies embraided along the neckline. Once again, it is so thin like this woman can't feel cold.

I disgruntled snapped her a sharp look, "Shor's bones, it's a snow troll, and no thanks to you. Aren't you supposed to be like a mage or something?"

This whole trekking up the mountains has felt like it's been years. Not that there are actually 'Seven Thousand Steps' on High Hrothgar, like its name impied, there's only a bit over seven hundred stairs still stands the weathering of the ages. But the fact that I have go on this journey and to do this climb with this wicked witch makes every second felt like a torture.

After this mage interrupted us the other night, she had taken upon herself to follow me all the way here. Taken an interest to Dragonborns and Thu'ums she says and won't take no for an answer, and believe me I have given subtle hints like "I do not want you to follow me anymore" and "please for the love of Talos, leave me alone." No use, every attempt I had to leave her behind has failed frustratingly. Eventually all the way from Whiterun to the town Ivarstead, and now half way up High Hrothgar, I have this annoying shadow who is doing next to nothing to contribute and somehow always in my way.

Ignoring my stares, Paige carefully picked up some berries from a nearby tree with the sleeves of her robe and slowly puts one in her mouth, "I was observing you, aren't you supposed to be the dragonborn or something? Surely a frost troll wouldn't pose too much of a challenge."

I raised a fist but winced at the pain from even just doing that I closed my eyes and felt my patience running thin. If I can still move another inch of my muscles, I would have definitely pulled her perfect blonde hair and shoved her face into the snowed ground. Instead, I took out some messy rags to try to tie off the bleeding. I used my teeth to rip the piece to be a decent size tourniquet.

"Ew, That, is not very sanitary." Paige slowly walked up with her look of disparagement and held a hand over my wounds on my shoulder.

I instinctively lowered my shoulder and tried to avoid her touch but she slapped my back with what has felt like a tinkle from a bug, "Hold, still."

I wanted to question what she is up to but next moment I could see a warm light forming under her palm and touched my wound. I flinched a little at first, but I didn't feel any pain except a bit tingling sensation at where it is and quite a bit of itchy. I tried to scratch it but I couldn't even find where the wound was, it seems like the it has healed almost instantly, without scab or scar. Pity, scars are a warrior's medal of honor.

"What sorcery is this then, witch?" I am surprised, it worked much faster than all the other healers I had been to. It felt different.

"Stay still for another second, will you?" Her voice was both calm and irrefutably stern. And I felt a much larger warm light engulfed my whole body. Every wound, every strain muscle was healed in an instant, even the exhaustion from the long journey has been cleared.

"Hmph" it felt so nice and refreshing all of a second, just like the fresh morning after a good night's sleep.

"If you are done resting, let's keep going then." While I was still getting up to my feet, she has already stated climbing those stairs, slow and steady.

I quickly kicked the ground up and followed. My face is a little red, and I can feel my throat trying to make some obscure sounds of "Thank you" but alas I was too stubborn to do so just yet. I have to admit, she is good for something, I guess.

"So how long have you been the Dragonborn?" Thankfully, There seem to be other things on her mind for her to notice my subtle embarrassment, or she simply does not trouble herself with this kind of social affairs.

"A few weeks? Months? Or my whole life? Who knows." I don't honestly know how to answer that question, I am still full of questions that hopefully this trip can provide some clarity to, "What about you, how did you become a mage?"

"Hmmm, interesting, so you didn't have to do anything to earn it, it just kind of 'happened' to you." She paused her steps and zoned out in her thoughts for a bit, upon looking at her close up, I can sort of see that when the cold winds brush towards her, they seem to the blocked by something invisible and then barely moved her hair an inch, a bit of a wasted effort in my view, I don't understand why she spends so much time on her appearances when there's literally only snow trolls and ice wolves. "Can you tell me exactly what had happened when you absorbed the dragon's soul?"

"oh, so we are not doing one question each then?" I gave a shrug, I am feeling a bit more charitable right now since she has healed my wounds, while still kind of salty about her not helping earlier then, "I can't really describe it, except it feels that when the dragon died, I got a piece of its power, and with it, some of its memory too."

"Hmm, I have to see it some time so I can figure it out better, wait, did you ask me something?" it seems that this absent-minded mage is a bit oblivious to things outside of her interest.

"Yeah I asked how did you become a mage."

"Oh…well, back home in Daggerfall, I was very young when the court wizard discovered my affinity to the arcane arts, and by the time I was 18, there isn't anything else he could teach me. My mother was quite proud, my father not so much." Paige said.

Daggerfall? That is a kingdom in the Northwest of Hammerfell, across the iliac bay, merchants and ships come to the City of Sentinel quite a lot when I was a girl, didn't know we were sort of neighbours. "You are from Daggerfall in Highrock? And why wouldn't your father be proud of you? I thought its common for you Bretons to become mages?"

"Yes if you are not my father's daughter, to him, a daughter is a tool, the means for a political union."

"What, are you like – a princess or something?" I raised my eyebrows a little.

"Yes." She replied casually, as if she is talking about someone else entirely.

A few sparks in my mind immediately clicked, "Wait, wait, wait you are Princess Pelagia, daughter of King Jakcieleier, the Sapphire of Glenumbra?"

"I haven't have heard anyone use that nickname in a while." She seemed a bit surprised at how quickly I made the connection while her crystal blue eyes was all that I needed to confirm my theory. She nodded, "I am, but just call me Paige. It was a royal daughter's duty to the kingdom, but that was no life for me, I fought constantly with my father and eventually I left when there is no more words left to say. I sought out the only Mage's institute still standing across the world, Winterhold's College. And the rest is just that."

The more I find out about this mage, the more interested I am of her upbringing. There is something oddly similar yet different about our stories. And never in a millennium I would guess that the pride of High Rock would be half way across the world in Skyrim, her suitors must be going mad.

"I think we are here." I gazed above us, upon the last few foot of the stairs and we can see the silhouette of the monastery just ahead. It is solid, made of stone, and appears to have stood true for generations of time.

The first thing I noticed, was a statue of Talos to our right, and underneath it, another etched tablet. On our way up we have see quite of few of these. And occasionally I have seen pilgrims meditating near them. Collectively they told a story of dragons' shouts and mankind's triumph over the oppression of dragons. Kynaress, the divine, and someone named paarthurnax taught the way of the voice to the children of skyrim. And then the story of legendary Thu'um master, Jurgen Windcaller, the first greybeard. And this one, "Emblem IX – for years all silent, the Greybeards spoke one name; Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to Hrothgar; They blessed and named him Dovahkiin".

As I brushed on the cold stones etched tablet, I wondered about this word again, "Dovahkiin" Dragonborn. Balgruuf had already mentioned that Tiber Septim was a dragonborn emperor and this shows that he was summoned to the greybeards, like they have summoned me.

Paige however took out some parchment and ink, she is making a copy from the stoned etching. I would be more surprised if she hadn't done the same thing to every tablet on the way up, "for research." Is what she has called it. What a strange woman.

She does occasionally stop and write things down on a small book of hers, red leather and silver bound. She is quite secretive about it, every time I tried to take a look, she would not allow it. The Bretons are always like this, smart, secretive and always plotting, we Nords have nothing in common with these folks, they probably got this from their elf's blood.

While she is still trying to carefully press the ink onto the parchment, I carefully put the supplies that the people of Ivarstead has prepared for the Greybreads in the chest. It wasn't a big trouble at all, I am surprised at how little the greybeards need to get by. Only a Satchel full for how many of them? I am not sure, but it sure looks like a big monastery ahead.

After that, I got a second to look over the mountains and beyond the plains of skyrim. It is breathtaking, how beautiful it is. The snow has quieted down a bit while the sun is peeking through the clouds to shone over the snowlands and the city. You see Whiterun, and maybe even a few other towns around it.

It is odd to look at everything being so small, but having the grand view of Skyrim, my ancestrial homeland and her people. I could feel a deep-rooted pride and belonging just as I take in the view. This, is my home. Anyone, anything that tries to take it away from us, will have to ask my blades first.

"I wonder what is the meaning of them summoning you, it says that they have only done so for one other person, dragonborn, Tiber Septim."

"Talos."

"What? Right, Talos. curious, well go on then, let's find out what these Greybeards know" She has picked up a pace, it appears that solving this little mystery is providing her a jolt of energy. I shook my head and did just the same, I owe myself some answers as well.

….

These steel doors open easier than I thought they would, whoever's taking care of this place sure made sure to keep all the hinges oiled and well maintained. These religious types are nothing if not persistent and meticulous.

As I walked in, a bearded old man saw me and gathered the others, eventually all four of them greeted me in the hall near the entrance. They stood there and surrounded both of us with their gaze, unlike the usual clouded eyes you see with aging, their eyes are both sharp and wise.

Paige was not one to wait, she immediately leaned in, "So, you are the greybeards? We have some questions about the Dragonborns and the Thu'ums."

To our surprise, they seem to not have heard her. Even when she repeated her question for a second time, they still kept looking back and forth from me to her, I am unsure what they are looking for.

"Do you know have to talk?" Paige is getting a little annoyed at their reaction or lack thereof.

"So... a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age." One of them walked up to me directly while bumped Paige's shoulder and shoved her one step away. He slightly bowed and opened his mouth, "Welcome, Dovahkiin."

"I am answering your summons, Master." I bowed back without hesitation, their wisdom just like their age deserve of our respect, especially since they might have some answers for me.

"We will see if you truly have the gift. Show us, Dragonborn. Let us taste of your Voice." When he said that, the others, who were still silent of course, all looked up at me and I can tell they are eager to see, or hear, my response.

"Right here? Are you sure?" I frowned at the frail old men in front of me, are they going to stay in one piece after that I wonder.

The only talkative Greybeard smiled, as if he read my mind "Do not be afraid, your shout will not harm us." There is a certain confidence and reassurance there that I immediately trusts.

I nodded, this is different than what the Draugr's has been requesting from me, but I am just as glad that I don't have to cut my hand again.

"Fus-Ro-Dah!" With the sound leaving my throat, and forming a wall of force field that puts some of these old men down on their knees, a few stumpled back a few steps but none seem to be blown away. Except…

"Would a little warning kill you?" Paige, was just maybe not so accidentally was also included on the path of the shout, and she was swept off of her feet and landed on her little butt. It must have taken her by complete surprise. "How did you do it? And why won't any of you answer my question? I am interested in learning about the Thu'um and the magic of the Dragons. Or if you have any books or scrolls here?"

I grinned as I can tell that none of the Greybeards is reacting to her question, in fact, pretty much everyone is treating Paige like the very thin air at top of this mountain. I reached up to touch my throat. I can tell that the straining is a bit better than the last time I did it, but still not able to do it completely with ease.

The Greybeards looked quite pleased, the first one bowed again, "Dovahkiin, it is you, welcome to High Hrothgar, I am Master Arngeir, and I speak for the greybeards."

"I want to find out what it means to be Dragonborn, Others have been calling me it, and there apparently are prophecies I have to fulfill." I asked, straight to the point.

"Splendid, we are here to guide you in that pursuit, just as the Greybeards have sought to guide those of the Dragon Blood that came before you." Arngeir smiled, while casually took a side step away from Paige, who is now standing directly in front of him and reaching for his shoulder.

"EXCUSE ME! I AM TALKING TO YOU" Paige had her hand on her hips, I don't think this Princess is used to people ignoring her, a bit childish in my likings. Perhaps, but I kind of like this livelier side of hers, seeing her Daggerfall manners while she slowly talks to Jarl Balgruuf, Proventus and Farengar have made me want to knock myself unconscious until its all over.

I grinned a little more, and decided to go along with the this further, "Like Tiber Septim, you have called on him too, has there been other Dragonborns in our time."

"Yes indeed, Tiber Septim was guided by us and he had a different purpose to fulfill in the loom of destiny. Whether you are the only Dragonborn of this age... Time is a fickle thing, who is to say that there won't be other forces outside of our time to play a role?" There is something weird about him not answering that question directly with a yes or no, and his eyes tell me that there are things left to be said.

"What is my destiny then?" I am anxious to hear what he has to say, and I had travelled to find the answer to this question.

"This is for you to discover, we can help show you the way, but not the destination."

"I am ready to learn." I humbly lowered my head as his words resonated once again with what Jarl Balgruuf has said earlier, this is my story, my great adventure and I will do so in my own time and pace, no prophecy or gods can choose that for me. I, write the story of Alvanna Windshear, the daughter of Skyrim and Hammerfell, the last dragonborn.

"You have shown that you are the Dragonborn, and you have the inborn gift. It is remarkable that without training you had already mastered all three words for the Thu'um of 'Unrelenting force.' Force, Balance and Push, while there are those of us who has spent years mastering it. Learning the Words of Power is only the first step... you must unlock its meaning through constant practice in order to use it in a Shout. Well, that is how the rest of us learn Shouts. As Dragonborn, you can absorb a slain dragon's life force and knowledge directly. Now We want to see how well you use your shouts. Prepare to strike the targets as they appear individually…In the Name of Kynareth, what do you think you are doing?"

With no one answering her questions, Paige has elected to check out the walls on her own behave, and she seem to have taken an interest in one of these stoned walls and started her trick with the parchment and ink paper. When Arngeir finally called her out she had just poured ink on the stoned surfaces and prepared to do her trick with the parchment.

"Oh, so you CAN hear me then?" Paige rolled her doe-y eyes, a gesture wasted because Arngeir didn't even look at her and just ran over and tried to clean the stoned wall with his robe's sleeve. And Paige, this time ignoring him, and just reapplied more ink to the wall and mounted her parchment to get a good copy of the marks on there.

"We heard you, but we greybeards don't like to talk to outsiders, most of us have taken the oath of silence and the only exception of our oath is the Dragonborns… I am warning you, outsider, these stones are very important relics and you are going to destroy it." Arngeir is quite angry, and I can tell his long beards are trembling with such. To anger a man who has devoted himself to a life of peace, is a special talent.

"Oh would you relax, it's a special ink enchanted that come with it a layer of warding and won't adhere to the actual surface directly, I use it for all my imprinting and copying. I have been down to my share of dwarven and draconic ruins and this is not the first time I handled relics you know." Paige had already completed transferring the ink marks onto her parchment. Just like she said, no ink was left on the stoned wall itself. Arngeir stepped up and squinted carefully at the wall inspecting for damage, almost like an inn keep at the end of your stay, thorough to a fault.

"HET ONT KRiiST FiiK DO AMUSAN… Hmmm what are these words mean, they appear to be Draconic, the limited notes I could find only contain some of their pronunciation and not meanings." Paige started reading off her parchment, ignoring what's around her, almost like a trance.

I walked up to beside her and saw what's on her parchment. "(I) Here once stood (the) Mirror of Amusan, doorway to nightmares and portal of dreams. (II) Noble Nords, remember these words of the Hoar Father: Deceive not your wife, for she is (the) oak in your shield, (and the) steel in your sword. (III) (This) stone commemorates (the) deeds of Siglif the Unseen, who served great Skyrim not as (a) warrior in dawn, but as (a) phantom in twilight…"

"Oh, you can read Draconic?" Paige raised her eyebrow in complete surprise, "I never seen any books on it, how did you ever learn that?"

"I never learned it, I just…understand it, like it's part of what's in me, I can't quite describe it, but I didn't have to think about to translate these, just when I see it, I understand it."

"Like your mother tongue then."

"Exactly." I nodded and turned to Arngeir, "Sorry for my companion… She is… not great with people, Sharp with books, and not much else, you know how these Breton mages are."

Despite Paige's protest and her mumbling "racist nords", we walked back to where we were before Paige interrupted everyone, and one of the other grey beards moved forward, "Fiik- Lo-Sah!" and a phantom appeared in front of me. I knew exactly what to do right away, "Fus-Ro-Dah" The phantom disappears at the controlled force, Paige is intrigued and started to scan her parchment, and her eyes light up after a while the Greybeards repeated this process twice more.

"Fiik-Lo-Sah, ha I see these words here, one in every couple of sentences but its exactly as the wall carved." Paige was so exactly that she skipped a little.

Arngeir, now finally seem to notice Paige truly, "Yes... that's the three words for the shout 'Phantom Form. And the carving, sentences are a copy of the ancient word wall the greybeards has gathered through the years, it is where we greybeards learn and practices the way of the voice along with the teachings of Paarthurnax, our leader." He still appears to be somewhat dry and reluctant for Paige's presence, I think they are just not used to having to talk to outsiders, I would be too, all these years in isolation, I would have forgotten how to speak entirely.

"And all those centuries, none of you thought making a book available for all is a quicker way to teach people?" Paige shook her head in a grave disappointment, seems she can't quite fathom it.

Arngeir was going to say something to me, but he turned to her with a serious look, "I allowed you to probe further because you seem to be a friend of the dragonborn, but do not mistake our tolerance for agreement. After the dragons are gone, pretty soon, men learned to abuse the power of the voice just like the tyrants in the sky, with our founder, Jorgen Windcaller, he has sought to keep the way of the voice secret and only used as a method of meditation and pursuit of peace. It is a power too dangerous to behold, had it fallen into the wrong hands…" Yet before he could finish, everyone was startled.

Paige slammed her own thigh loudly and rose up and straightened her back. I have never seen someone with so much energy after a day spent climbing a mountain, and there was fire in her eyes.

"That is PRECISELY what's wrong with your kind of arse-backwards, traditionalist way of thinking. You deny the world of knowledge because what? A few people used it for the wrong purpose? How much magic, how much knowledge and great feats of creation and arcana was lost through the ages because 'if it has fallen into the wrong hands, it would be bad so let's just seal it away in ages away from all?' Think about the world we would live in if everyone bravely shared their knowledge and ideas, and generations of people building upon the existing ideas."

Paige is truly a woman of great passion, as she is spitting out her points, she is waving her arms around and aggressively stared at Arngeir, "We want progressive, ever evolving ideas, not lifetimes spent in trying to figure out what the knowledge our ancestors has tried to 'protect us' from and sealed away without a key and not told anyone before they died. For the sake of atherius, why is the world so full of people who thought they know better? Those dragons and people who have misused their powers are only a minority, they can't stand in face the of changing of tides of time even in their best efforts, so why are we still trying to hold ourselves back? Is it not our duty to teach the world how to properly hone and utilize this power?"

A few greybeards looked enraged, but one or two looked as if they are sincerely pondering about Paige's powerful words. Arngeir, is ready to explode.

I quickly pulled Paige aside before she gets punched in her perfect face by somebody who has swore an oath of non-violence and give a little physical separation between her and the masters of voice and peace. If there is one thing that I admire more about Paige more than her magic, is her ability to make an enemy everywhere she goes.

Arngeir's face was red and blue alternatively, but Paige's words were as true as they were harsh, at least I partially agree. In Hammerfell, too much was lost in time as well, much like the ways of the Sword Singers, the Ansei warriors whom our training was modelled after. The true ways of their songs and the blades of spirits was lost through the ages. I can imagine it is true everywhere.

"…As we were saying, Dragonborn, you have mastered one shout completely, and we are here to teach you a few more." Upon realizing that he is no match in the power of speechcraft with Paige, he decided to go back to the strategy of pretending she doesn't exist to start with. I personally feel for the old man as I had dealt with her all this way up here as well, my strategy has been to swallow my own lack of rebuttal and sit down quietly sharpening my swords. It is quite remarkable how he is able to turn a blind eye to Paige, who has visibly been testing his limits today.

"Can you describe how you fight, and we will be able to find the perfect Thu'ums to teach you." Arngeir tried to keep as calm as possible, yet his voice is still somewhat shakey, I could swear I see a few veins pop up near his temple.

I showed him my Scimitars, "I was trained in Hammerfell, fast, quick and dual wielded dances of blades is what I am used to."

The greybeards looked at one another, sharing some silent exchanges, and Arngeir opened his mouth again, "Excellent, Step forward Dragonborn, Master Einarth is going to show you the shout 'Elemental Fury'"

One of them whispered in the air "Su-Grah-Dun" (Air, Battle, Grace) and the corresponding Dragon words lighted up on the tiles. I stared at it, and the characters seemed to find its way into my head and memory without me even trying to force it in.

Master Einarth bowed to me, and silently I felt a warmth came from him to shower over me, it feels similar but different to the time when the dragon was slain. There were no scenes of a memory that comes with it, except with a deeper understanding of the shout, and only the shout.

"Su-Grah-Dun!" I shouted the words out subconsciously, and immediately felt a gust of wind swept in my limbs, giving it a boost, I drew my swords and started my dance, I could feel the movement was a lot smoother than I ever remembered and so, effortless. The blades sung through the air as they slide them apart, it partially made a melody that has never been heard before. These are my wings in the air as they performed a warring dance of grace.

"Good. You seem to be quite a natural with this gift, others have passed on the story of Tiber Septim, but I don't think even he had learned these as easily as you do." Arngeir seem to be quite impressed, and while worriedly trying to keep an extra eye on Paige, who have moved on to a new wall, "We will now show you how you learn a completely new shout, if you can follow Master Borri to the yard… And praise Kynareth, can you please tell that mage to stop."