Hadvar turned to me, "See if you can find some weapons and armor." He said and gestured to the room around us. I looked at the various iron swords and Imperial armor pieces and grimaced.

"No thanks, I think I'll keep the rags. My dagger is more than enough to get me through this." I replied. He shrugged, "Suit yourself." He said, before puling the chain next to the gate and walking through it, "Come on, this way."

We turned right at the end of the hallway and made it to another closed gate, Hadvar pulled the chain and we walked into a circular room, inside two Stormcloak soldiers were talking to each other.

Hadvar tried to talk to them but they attacked us on sight, the only man of the two wielded a large iron Warhammer. He tried to swing it at me, but I ducked, unsheathing my dagger I thrust it into his gut at blinding speed, when his blood ran down my blade and hand the invigoration I felt was next to none.

The woman yelled in rage and instantly tried to swing her mace at me, shocking me out of my stupor. I sidestepped and Hadvar thrust his sword at her, though she blocked it with her shield. She tried for an underhanded swing this time but Hadvar blocked it with his sword, allowing me to get in close and thrust my gut into her chest, allowing me to feel invigorated once more.

Once they were both dead, Hadvar turned to me, "What was that?"

My brow creased, "What was what?"

He pointed his sword at me, "You smiled when you killed them. Why?"

I sighed, "Is that it?"

At his glare I held my hands up, "Calm down. It's the enchantment." I said and showed him my blade.

"Enchantment?"

I nodded, "Yes, my dagger is enchanted. It absorbs health and stamina from my opponent and transfers into me every time I get a hit."

He frowned, "Where did you get something like that?"

I grimaced, "I enchanted it myself. Back home, everyone was expected to master at least one branch of magic. I picked enchantments."

"Where's home?"

"Home is Skyrim now."

He nodded, his face contorted in sympathy, "Let me see if I can get this door open." He said, turning to the next gate. He opened it rather quickly, leading us to the left where we walked down a wide, spiral staircase that ended in a long hallway. At the end, three Stormcloak soldiers were standing, weapon in hand. When they saw us, they yelled out and charged.

Seeing this, Hadvar and I unsheathed our weapons and got ready, but a roar from outside stopped us and the hallway collapsed in on itself, cutting us off from the soldiers. I opened the door to my left that had conveniently not been blocked off by the rubble. "Damn, that dragon doesn't give up easy." Hadvar said as we entered what appeared to be a storage room. Inside there were more Stormcloak soldiers talking.

"What are you doing? We need to get out of Helgen. Now!" The first one, a man with long brown hair and wielding an iron greatsword, said to the other man, who wielded an iron Warhammer and was rummaging through some barrels. "These Imperials have potions in here. We're going to need them."

They both turned when they heard us open the door and walk in, and instantly unsheathed their weapons, charging at us with a mighty yell. The first one went after me, he swung his sword in a wide arc, and I had no choice but to block it with my dagger, sending vibrations up my arm.

We looked eyes and he sneered, bringing back his sword in preparation for another swing. Before he was able to cock it back fully, I launched my foot into his knee, causing a loud crack to echo throughout the room.

He fell onto his backside with a scream, and I quickly silenced him with a thrust into the soft flesh of his neck. He died with a low gurgle.

I then looked up to where Hadvar had engaged the other soldier. The Stormcloak had launched an overhead swing at him which he blocked with his shield, but the strength behind the blow had disoriented him and sent him to his knees. His opponent was preparing to finish him off when he suddenly fell back, a dagger buried into his eye socket.

I lowered my outstretched hand and rushed to help Hadvar to his feet. He coughed, "This is an old storeroom. See if you can find those potions these poor bastards were talking about. Might come in handy." He said, getting up to his feet fully.

After retrieving my dagger and searching the whole room, I turned to where Hadvar was waiting by the other door, "I got five minor healing potions, two minor magicka potions, and a minor stamina potion." I told him.

He nodded and turned to the door, opening it, "This way."

I followed him down the corridor where we eventually found another room, with sounds of combat emanating from inside, "The torture room… Gods, I wish we didn't need these…" Hadvar sighed, before rushing in.

We encountered two Stormcloak soldiers doing battle with two Imperials, Hadvar was the first to rush in, obviously trying to help the Imperials. I did nothing and only watched the battle. With his help, the Imperials were able to slay their opponents pretty easily.

The one with the hood was the first to speak, 'Torturer…' I thought to myself. "You fellows happened along just in time. These boys seemed a bit upset at how I've been entertaining their comrades." I snorted and Hadvar let out a frustrated sigh, "Don't you even know what's going on? A dragon is attacking Helgen!"

"A dragon? Please. Don't make up nonsense. Although, come to think of it, I did hear some odd noises coming from over there." The torturer said, pointing to the hallway leading out of the torture chamber.

"Come with us. We need to get out of here." Hadvar said.

The torturer sneered, "You have no authority over me, boy."

"Didn't you hear me? I said the Keep is under attack!" Hadvar yelled.

The other man, the torturer's assistant presumably a tan, buff man with long hair and the top of his head completely bald, spoke up next, "Forget the old man. I'll come with you."

Hadvar nodded, then noticed the cells, "Hold on. Looks like there's something in this cage." He said, running over to it. The only one with anything inside, there was a man wearing robes, some coins, potions, and a book.

"Don't bother with that. Lost the key ages ago. Poor fellow screamed for weeks." The torturer said with a sadistic smile on his face. Hadvar turned to me and handed me some lockpicks, "See if you can get it open with some picks. We'll need everything we can get."

I nodded, "Good thing I have experience picking locks, or else we'd have never been able to open this thing." I said under my breath, as I kneeled down, face-to-face with the lock of the cage. Not a moment later a soft click echoed in the chamber and the iron door creaked open. "Grab what you can and let's go." Hadvar said, already walking down the next hallway.

I picked up the gold coins and the potions before taking the robes right off the back of the body, reading the spell book in the process which destroyed it, allowing me to learn the spell sparks.

I quickly took off the rags I had on and put the robes and hood on. When I turned to walk out of the cage, the torturer was standing in front of the door staring at me. The smile he had unsettled me to my core and filled me with unbridled fury at the same time.

I unsheathed my dagger and thrust it into his stomach before he could react, his eyes were wide and horrified as I pulled it out of him. His hands went to the injury and he crumpled to the floor with a wheeze. I stepped over his body and went to follow Hadvar and the torturer's assistant with naught but a glance at the dying man I left behind.

The hallway was lined with cells on both sides and lead to a room filled with small cages hanging from the ceiling, most of them had skeletons and dead bodies inside. Ignoring these, we trudged on, in the room there was a hole in the wall at the end that opened to a rather large tunnel. We followed the cave system until we reached a large cavern filled with Stormcloak soldiers.

The first woman wielding an iron greatsword went down fast, a blow to the back of the head from the butt of my dagger. The next two soldiers also went down fast, losing one-on-one duels with my companions. After killing those three, there were only two left, but they were both archers and we had no cover where we were standing. The first arrow was going straight towards my chest and I barely dodged it, but it hit the torturer's assistant standing behind me. I quickly ran across the bridge and rushed the archers as fast as I could. In their panic they fumbled with their arrows. I reached the first archer relatively quickly.

He attempted to unsheathe his sword, but I bashed his chest with my shoulder, knocking him to the ground. I left him there and rushed the other archer who already had his sword in hand, he lifted his arm to strike me but went down instead, an arrow buried in his neck. I turned and saw Hadvar standing over the corpse of the other archer with a long bow in his hands. "All right, let's see if we can find a way out." He said and continued through to the next hallway.

I watched his retreating form for a second, before bending down and taking a bow and the arrows from the dead archers and standing to follow him through the next path. In the middle of the tunnel there was a wooden bridge standing vertically and a large iron lever. Pulling the lever cause the bridge to drop.

We crossed it just in time, when we reached the other side, a loud roar was heard and the tunnel containing the bridge collapsed, destroying the bridge, Hadvar sighed in frustration, "Damn it, no going back that way. I guess we're lucky that didn't come down on top of us. We'd better push on, I'm sure the others will find another way out."

I nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

We continued to follow the cave, going though multiple twists and turns before entering a circular cavern covered in spider webs and eggs alike. Hearing multiple growls above me, I threw myself back, narrowly dodging the spray of poison of one of the spiders, a few others also dropped from the ceiling and charged at us. Hadvar let out a rather loud battle cry and charged them, impaling and dismembering a few of them with his sword. I stepped up to help him and quickly dispatched the rest.

After they were all dead, Hadvar turned to me, "What's next giant snakes?"

I laughed, "I hope not." We regained our bearings and kept following the cave system. After dispatching the bear in the next cavern from a distance with a well-placed arrow, we skinned the bear and finally made our way out of the cave system.

Directly outside, we had to hide for a few minutes in the bushes while waiting for Alduin to finish circling above us and fly away. When he finally left, Hadvar turned to me, "Closest town from here is Riverwood. My uncle's the blacksmith there. I'm sure he'd help you out. Though it's probably best if we split up. Good luck. I wouldn't have made it without your help today." He said and ran down the dirt road without letting me get a single word in edgewise.

I sighed in frustration and followed his trail down the winding path. The surrounding area was still picturesque, despite it being dark. The trees and mountains were illuminated by the moon and the bright night sky. Millions of starts could be seen. Eventually, the dirt road led to a stone one, with a wooden sign pointing in the different directions the road took. One pointed to Helgen, one to Falkreath, and one to Riverwood.

Following the path to Riverwood led me in continuous turns down the mountain. When I was almost far enough down to touch the river, there was a small dirt path leading a couple meters up the mountain into what seemed to be a mine. In front of the door of the mine stood a tall orc man wearing fur armor. Upon seeing me, he unsheathed his steel sword and said, "You're mine!" Before charging at me. I unsheathed my dagger and prepared to take on everyone in that mine, for better or for worse, I needed better armor than some enchanted robes that won't serve me well at all.

Exiting the mine not thirty minutes later wearing a new set of fur armor, boots, and bracers. As well as a plethora of jewelry and more gold than I expected, I kept following the road until reaching a bank in the river. I stripped out of my armor and dropped my dagger and bow, leaving them on the shore. I then took off my undergarments and stepped into the river.

The coldness of the water made me shiver so I endeavored to wash myself as fast as possible. I left the water not five minutes later and redressed myself quickly. I was about to keep down the road when I saw a glimpse of my reflection in the water, illuminated by the moonlight. My blue eyes almost glowing in contrast to my pale skin, with a healthy spattering of freckles. My light blonde hair was shifting in the wind, as I hadn't tied it back into its usual style yet. I gathered all of my blonde locks and drew them back into a low ponytail, reaching to about mid back, besides the sides of my head, which are shaved to a buzz, the top and back have all been combed neatly.

On my face were two identical crescent-shaped tattoos, spanning from my cheekbones to my sideburns to my jawline, depicting dragons mid-flight. When I finished checking myself over, I kept walking down the road.

I reached Riverwood less than an hour later in the dead of night. Despite the hour, there were still a few villagers milling about. Walking through the gates I was immediately confronted by a man with long blonde hair and blue eyes, "Hello, my name is Sven. What brings you to Riverwood traveler?" He asked.

"I saw a dragon in Helgen, and this is the nearest town. Thought I'd come to warn you and the villagers living here." I said. 'Ignoring the fact that I have nowhere else to go.'

He was stunned, "Truly? So, my mother isn't crazy after all. You'd best tell the Jarl in Whiterun. He needs to know about this." He said, and turned to escort an old woman, presumably his mother, into a house.

"Wait! Where's the inn?" I asked him. He turned to me and pointed down the street, "It's the last building to the right. You can't miss it." He said, and walked into the house, closing the door behind him.

I walked down the street and entered the inn. The first person I talked to was a blonde-haired blue-eyed woman who was arguing with the man behind the counter. I rented a room for the night and immediately went to bed. I was asleep as soon as my laid down on the furs.

The next morning, I walked out of the inn and towards the blacksmith's house. Knocking on the door, I was relatively surprised that the person who answered it was a bleary looking Hadvar. His eyes widened when he saw me, ushering me inside he said, "Come inside to talk."

When I walked inside there was a rather tall man with a beard sitting at the table, "What's going on Hadvar, and who's this? You said you would explain today."

"She's a friend. Saved my life in fact. I'll explain everything now." He said, taking a seat at the table and motioning me to join him. I sat down and the man began speaking, "Very well. Come and sit, my name is Alvor, Sigrid will be here with food soon so you might as well make yourself at home. Now tell me all about it. Sigrid! We have company!" He called out to his wife.

A woman climbed up the stairs and looked directly at me, "Welcome, welcome! My name is Sigrid. Make yourself comfortable the food is almost ready."

I let out a small smile, "Nice to meet you, my name is Brit."

Alvor then cleared his throat, "Now then boy, what's the big mystery? Why did you stumble in here last night looking like you lost an argument with a cave bear?" He asked.

Hadvar sighed, "I don't know where to start. You know I was assigned to General Tulius' guard. We were stopped in Helgen, when we were attacked… By a dragon."

Alvor had an incredulous expression on his face, "A dragon? That's… Ridiculous. You aren't drunk, are you boy?" Sigrid scolded him, "Husband. Let him tell his story."

"Not much more to tell. This dragon flew over and wrecked the whole place. Mass confusion. I don't know if anyone else got out alive. I doubt I'd have made it out myself if not for Brit here. I need to get back to Solitude and let them know what's happened. I thought you could help us out. Food, supplies, a place to stay."

Alvor nodded, "Of course! Any friend of Hadvar's is a friend of mine. I'm glad to help however I can, but I need your help. We need your help Brit." He said, turning to me. "With Hadvar going to Solitude now... The Jarl needs to know if there's a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenseless… We need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to send whatever soldiers he can. If you do that for me, I'll be in your debt."

I nodded, "Whiterun is a major city so I'll need to go there either way. Sure, I'll tell the Jarl."

After we finished eating, Sigrid packed up some extra food in a bag and gave it to me, "For the road." She said. After thanking her profusely, I walked over to Alvor, who had already gone outside to work on his forge, "How do I get to Whiterun from here?" I asked him.

He chuckled slightly, "Cross the river and then head north. You'll see it just past the falls. When you get to Whiterun, just keep going up. When you get to the top of the hill, you're at Dragonsreach, the Jarl's palace."

Before leaving Riverwood, I stopped by the Riverwood Trader in order to sell some of the stuff I got from the mine, as well as the enchanted robes I found at the Keep. Those items earned me around five hundred gold, bringing my total count to about nine hundred, give or take a few septims. After counting my money, I left the gate opposite the one I entered, and thus began my journey to Whiterun.

When I say journey, I should really mean the walk to Whiterun took only an hour and my only encounters were two wolves that I handled easily and a group of Imperial soldiers escorting a prisoner, but they left me alone for the most part.

The only interesting encounter was when I saw a group of people fighting a giant of all things in the fields outside the city. Figuring I could be of use, I grabbed my bow and let an arrow fly, hitting it right between the eyes and scoring the killing blow. As I walked past, a woman from the group stopped me and invited me to join the Companions in Whiterun. I had heard of them but didn't fancy myself a warrior, so I promised nothing.

Finally making it to the large gates of Whiterun, I was stopped by a guard. "Halt. City's hold with the dragons about. Official business only."

"Riverwood calls for the Jarl's aid." I told him.

"Riverwood's in danger too? You'd better go in. You'll find the Jarl in Dragonsreach, at the top of the hill." He said, letting me in the gate. I reached Dragonsreach not ten minutes later in order to speak to the Jarl. When I approached him, I was confronted by a dunmer woman wearing leather armor and wielding an iron sword, "What's the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors."

"Alvor sent me. Riverwood is in danger and needs help from the Jarl." I replied.

"As housecarl, my job is to deal with all the threats to Whiterun and its people. So, explain yourself."

"A dragon has destroyed Helgen and made its way to the mountains."

"The Jarl will want to speak to you personally." She said, motioning for me to pass. I approached him and he spoke first, "What's this about Riverwood being in danger?"

"A dragon destroyed Helgen. Alvor's afraid Riverwood is next." I told him.

He hummed, "Alvor? The smith, isn't he? Reliable, solid fellow. Not prone to flights of fancy, and you're sure Helgen was destroyed by… A dragon? This wasn't some Stormcloak raid gone wrong?"

I shook my head, "No my Jarl, I was there. Helgen was burned to the ground by one of those overgrown, fire-breathing lizards." I replied. 'Probably shouldn't tell him that the dragon in question is Alduin.' I thought to myself.

"By Ysmir, Irileth was right!" He turned to the man standing next to him, "What do you say now Proventus? Should we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"

Irileth stepped forward, "My Lord, we should send troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger, if that dragon is lurking in the mountains-"

"The Jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation! He'll assume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him." Proventus interrupted.

"Enough! I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people! Irileth, send a detachment to Riverwood at once."

"Yes, my Jarl."

Proventus sighed, "If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my duties."

The Jarl nodded, "That would be best." He turned back to me, "Well done. You sought me out, on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a service and I won't forget it. Here, take this as a small token of my esteem." He motioned towards a servant who ran off and came back with some studded armor and handed it to me. "Thank you. Is there anything else I could do for you?" 'Please say no.' I thought to myself.

He hummed, "There is another thing you could do for me. Suitable for someone of your particular talents, perhaps." 'Fuck.'

He stood, "Come, let's go find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into a matter related to these dragons and… Rumors of dragons." He began walking towards my right. Where there was a large entryway.

Walking through it, we stood in front of who I assume is Farengar, a short man wearing blue robes and with the biggest sideburns I've ever seen, "Farengar." 'Well, that answers that question.'

"I think I've found someone who can help you with your dragon project. Go ahead and fill her in with all the details." The Jarl said.

The mage nodded and turned to me, "So the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me? Oh yes, he must be referring to my research into the dragons. Yes, I could use someone to fetch something for me." I mumbled, "Great." Under my breath.

Whether he heard me or not I don't know because he continued speaking as if I never had, "Well, when I say fetch, I really mean delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not be there."

I frowned and narrowed my eyes thoughtfully, "What does this have to do with dragons?"

"Ah, no mere brute mercenary, but a thinker – perhaps even a scholar? You see, when the stories of dragons began to circulate, many dismissed them as mere fantasies, rumors. Impossibilities. One sure mark of a fool is to dismiss anything that falls outside his experience as being impossible, but I began to search for information about dragons – where had they gone all those years ago? Where were they coming from?"

I nodded, "Uh, sure. So, what do you need me to do then?"

He cleared his throat, "I, uh, learned of a certain stone tablet said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow – a 'Dragonstone', said to contain a map of dragon burial sites."

'He want's me to find Skyrim's Dragonstone?! I haven't seen one of those since Hammerfell…'

Ignorant of my thoughts Farengar continued, "Go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find this tablet – no doubt interred in the main chamber – and bring it to me. Simplicity itself."

I nodded dumbly, "Anything you can tell me about Bleak Falls Barrow?"

"An old tomb, built by the ancient Nords, perhaps dating back to the Dragon War itself." My eyes narrowed, 'Just as I thought. A remnant of the Dragon Cult.'

"Ah, maybe you just want to know how to get there. It's near Riverwood, a miserable little village a few miles south of here. I'm sure some of the locals can point you in the right direction once you get there."

I cleared my throat and gave him a pointed look, "How do you know the Dragonstone is in Bleak Falls Barrow?"

"Well, must preserve some professional secrets, mustn't we? I have my sources… Reliable sources."

My eyebrow twitched, "So I have to go back to Riverwood huh?" I mumbled under my breath. Sighing in frustration, I turned to leave, "Thanks for the heads up." I said and waved over my shoulder as I walked away.

"Wait!" I turned back to face him with a raised eyebrow, "Yes? What is it?"

He pointed at my hip, "Is that a Dragon Priest Dagger?"

I nodded, my eyes narrowed, "Why do you want to know?"

His face lit up, "Oh wow! A genuine Dragon Priest Dagger! Please. Let me inspect it, I'll be sure to keep it-"

"No!" I took notice of his flabbergasted expression, as well as the servants nearby who all turned to stare and cleared my now dry throat, swallowing thickly, "I mean, no, you can not touch it. It's… It's a family heirloom." He nodded reluctantly and I turned to leave, not only Dragonsreach, but Whiterun as a whole.

Making my way to Riverwood, there were no incidents this time. When I arrived, I immediately approached Alvor who was working at his forge. He was initially shocked to see me again not three hours after leaving, "What are you doing back here Lass? I thought you were going to go talk to the Jarl up in Whiterun."

I nodded, "I did, and he is going to send a detachment of guards here as soon as possible. That's not what I'm here for though."

"Aye, what can I help you with then?"

I sighed and rubbed my forehead with my right hand, "The Jarl has requested my aid. He wants me to retrieve something for him in Bleak Falls Barrow. The court-wizard told me roughly where it is but recommended I ask the villagers here for more accurate directions so, here I am."

"Bleak Falls Barrow huh? Its those ruins right up there." He said, and pointed to the north of our location where, on top of the mountain there was a large stone structure.

"Ah, I see. Thank you for your help. I'd better get going."

"Good luck Lass. Safe travels."

The journey to Bleak Falls Barrow wasn't so much a journey but more like a short walk. There was a path carved into the mountain leading right towards it. My only trouble was getting past the three bandits outside, but I managed to take them all out with a few well-placed arrows before they even noticed I was there. I did however trade my long bow for the hunting bow that one of the bandits had before making my way inside.

After fighting my way through more bandits and some skeevers, conquering a rather easy ancient Nordic puzzle, and collected more gold and potions than I've ever seen lying in any one place, I made it to a room filled with spider webs, and eggs. At the end of the chamber, a dunmer male was held up in the air with thick webs, screaming for help. As I approached him, a large shadow fell over me. Looking up I was met with the underbelly of the biggest spider I've ever seen.

I quickly dodge to the side, landing in a roll but before I managed to straighten myself it shot a wad of poison at me. In my haste to avoid it, I stumbled and fell on my backside, the poison flying harmlessly over my head.

I scrambled to my feet and pulled out my bow, but the spider kept rushing me, forcing me to continuously dodge its advances. In my desperation to get an arrow in my bow I dropped a few but eventually managed to get an arrow half-cocked.

Unfortunately, it happened to be at the moment the spider was about to pounce on me, it jumped at the same time as I shot the unsteady arrow and rolled to the side once more. I got up on shaky legs and watched the twitching spider, I had somehow hit it in the eye. Pulling out my dagger, I cautiously approached it, seeing that it hadn't tried to attack me apart from its thrashing, I buried my dagger to the hilt right in the crown of its head, causing it to fall limp.

Putting my bow on my back and retrieving my dagger, I approached the dunmer, taking deep breaths in the process.

"Help me! Help!" He yelled.

"Fine, just shut up." I proceeded to use my dagger to cut him down, once he was free, he turned and ran away immediately. "Hey, wait!" I sighed in frustration and ran a hand through my hair.

"You fool! Why should I share the treasure with anyone!"

"Fuck. That better not be the damn Dragonstone." I cursed and ran after him.

I looked down at his dead body after killing all the draugr in the room and sighed, mumbling, "Fucking idiot." Under my breath, I looked through his things. The first thing of value I had found was his journal. After reading what it said inside, I rushed to search the rest of his things until I found it. A carved dragon claw made from solid gold. Gasping out loud I thought, 'This was a store decoration? It's a priceless artifact of the dragon cult. Dating back to when the dragons still ruled over Tamriel. I'm sorry Lucan but this is too priceless to be kept by someone like you.'

I picked it up and put it in my pouch, dead set on reaching the main chamber as soon as possible.

Sneaking past all of the draugr and ensuring they never woke up by either a quick arrow to the head or stab to the throat with my dagger was relatively easy. I had snuck my way through even worse situations and my own skill has yet to fail me. Those that were awake were also killed in the same manner, but there were few that were ended by oil and a lantern or just walking into one of the traps they themselves had probably set up in the ruins.

I did, however, swap out my hunting bow with a bow wielded by one of the draugr. Even through its age, the ancient nord bow was much sturdier and handled much better.

Eventually I reached a long, wide hallway. The walls were covered in intricate stone carvings on both sides, and at the end was the puzzle that required the claw to get through. It was easy to look at the carvings on the claw and move the pieces to where they went. I then put the claw into the required slot and the door slid open slowly, revealing a tall staircase. Putting the claw back into my pouch, I continued.

I walked up with a healthy amount of suspicion, not knowing what would be thrown at me next and was pleasantly surprised when the stairs led to a large cavern, complete with a river and a swarm of bats. At the end there was a tall structure with many words carved into its surface. "Dragontongue." I muttered to myself.

Suddenly I heard a loud chanting, beckoning me closer to the wall. As I approached the chanting got louder and one of the words seemed to glow. As I finally touched the wall with my palm, my vision dimmed, and the chanting stopped. The glow seemingly being absorbed into my body.

When it was finally over, I took a deep breath and whispered, "Fus." In my trance I hadn't noticed the coffin behind me open up until the draugr overlord that was inside was already swinging his axe at me.

Dropping to a roll in a panic, I barely dodged his swing, the glancing blow causing me to feel chills throughout my body. 'Enchanted. Fuck.'

I quickly unsheathed my dagger and using my superior speed, thrust it into the draugr's unprotected neck. However, something happened, the draugr yelled, "Fus-Ro-Dah!" An unseen force pushed tried to push me back, but it only staggered me. That momentary lapse gave the draugr the opportunity to swig at my unprotected head and time seemingly slowed down.

I blocked its axe swing with my forearm, the metal cut into my gauntlet and made a shallow cut in my left arm, bringing my dagger up with my right, I saw it prepare to shout again. Instead of going for another stab, I threw it with a flick of my wrist, causing it to bury itself in the draugr's chin, coming out through its head. Its eyes dimmed and it fell back with a thud.

I retrieved my dagger and quickly reached into my pouch and pulled out a healing potion, the cut on my arm closed fully after I drank it. I then made my way towards its coffin and picked up the heavy Dragonstone, depositing it in my pouch along with the enchanted axe the draugr was wielding.

After taking all the gold and gems that were in the large chest next to the coffin, I walked up the stairs nearby. At the top there was a narrow cave with a handle next to a sunken rock. Pulling the handle, the rock began to move, and a doorway was opened to a new path. Thankfully, this path turned out to be the exit. A large cave opening carved into the south side of the mountain. It was dark but it was still relatively close to Riverwood so instead of making camp I began to walk towards the town, intending to sleep at the inn for the night.

Which I did.

Returning to Whiterun the next morning, I stopped by the blacksmith next to the entrance. It was run by a woman named Adrianne, who gave me fair prices on all of the weapons I decided to keep from my journey into Bleak Falls Barrow, including the enchanted axe I got off the draugr in the main chamber, as well as the piece of armor the Jarl had given me as thanks. After doing that I bought a set of leather armor, boots, and bracers from her, and selling her my fur set in return.

Stopping by Belethor's General Goods on my way to Dragonsreach was both a boon and a waste of time. I had collected many gems and pieces of jewelry in the ruins for the sole purpose of selling them. However, it took me over an hour to haggle a fair price out of the annoying Breton. In total, I only got a few hundred septims from him before leaving to go talk to the court-wizard. I couldn't even buy anything because everything he sold was just ridiculously expensive. Oh well.

Entering Dragonsreach just a couple minutes later, I was greeted with a practically empty hall. Only a few servants and guards were around. I entered Farengar's quarters with a frown on my face that only deepened when I saw who he was talking to. A woman, just a bit shorter than me but wearing identical leather armor and a brown hood.

"You see? The terminology is clearly First Era or even earlier. I'm convinced this is a copy of a much older text. Perhaps dating to just after the Dragon War. If so, I could use this to cross-reference the names with later texts." Farengar said to her.

"Good. I'm glad you're making progress. My employers are anxious to have some tangible answers."

"Oh, have no fear. The Jarl himself has finally taken an interest, so I'm now able to devote most of my time to his research."

"Time is running Farengar, don't forget. This isn't some theoretical question. Dragons have come back."

"yes, yes. Don't worry. Although, the chance to see a living dragon up close would be tremendously valuable…"

It was then that the woman noticed me, "You have a visitor." She said to him. Farengar turned to look at me, "Ah, yes! The Jarl's protégé from Bleak Falls Barrow? You didn't die it seems. Did you find it?"

I pulled the large tablet out of my bag and handed it to him, "Be careful with that. It's a priceless artifact. One of the only ones in existence." I told him.

He waved it off, "Yes, of course! The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow! Seems you are a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends my way."

I sighed, "Well, I got you the Dragonstone. What's next?"

"This is where your work ends and mine begins. The work of the mind, sadly undervalued in Skyrim. My… Associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork. She discovered its location, by means she has so far declined to share with me."

He tuned to her, "So, your information was correct after all, and we have our friend here to thank for recovering it for us."

I locked eyes with her, "You went into Bleak Falls Barrow and got that? Nice work."

My eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Yeah, I guess. How did you know it was there though? Not many people still remember what the dragon cult made, and the Dragonstones were one-of-a-kind artifacts, just like the claw keys. So, how did you know?"

Just as she was about to reply, Irileth ran into the room, "Farengar! Farengar, you need to come at once. A dragon's been sighted nearby." She noticed me and immediately said, "You should come too."

I was shocked she had asked me, but before I could say anything, Farengar began shouting, "A dragon! How exiting! Where was it seen? What was it doing?"

Irileth glared daggers at him, "I'd take this a bit more seriously if I were you. If a dragon decides to attack Whiterun I don't know if we can stop it." She then turned to me, "Let's go."

I followed Irileth and Farengar past the throne in the center of the large room and up a set of stairs. Accompanying us was a haggard looking man wearing Whiterun guard armor. When we reached the top, the Jarl was already waiting for us and immediately confronted the guard, "So, Irileth tells me you came from the Western Watchtower?"

He nodded rapidly, "Yes, my Lord."

Irileth looks at him and gives him a pointed look, "Tell him what you told me. About the dragons."

The guard shifted nervously, "Uh… That's right. We saw it coming from the south. It was fast… Faster than anything I've ever seen."

The Jarl sighed in frustration, "What did it do? Is it attacking the watchtower?"

He shook his head, "No, my Lord. It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life… I thought it would come after me for sure." He shivered.

The Jarl nodded, "Good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it. Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there."

She nodded, "I've already ordered my men to muster near the main gate."

"Good. Don't fail me."

She ran off and it was just the Jarl and I left. "Um, sir? What did you ask me here for?"

"I need your help again my friend. I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon."

My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat, "W-what? I am no warrior. Nor am I a mage. I don't really see how I can help…" I laughed nervously.

"You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone in the city. So-"

"I survived Helgen by running and hiding, I have as much experience with dragons as every other man in your forces." I interrupted.

"All the more reason to go as well. All these brave men and women are going out to fight something none of us have ever even seen before, but you have."

"Fine." I bit out through clenched teeth.

The Jarl smiled, "We'll discuss your reward for retrieving the Dragonstone when you get back. Good luck my friend." He said and turned back to study the map on the table.

I sighed, mumbling, "If I make it back…" Under my breath as I turned to go after Irileth.