215 4E 13th of Sun's Dusk
Windhelm
"I do not like it here." A familiar voice from behind me called.
"So you have said to a thousand times old friend, but this is the closest port that the Dev Aveza can dock and get supplies for my voyage." My response made my friend's ears go close to his head as he slowed to a halt.
When I stopped hearing the sound of crunching snow behind me I turned to look at him. My old friend Inigo, an electric blue Khajiit raised by former brotherhood assassins, and one of the kindest souls I had ever met. And although our friendship was founded on a misunderstanding I cannot imagine my life today without him.
When his ears went flush against his head it was one of his many tells he was deep in thought.
"The closest port to Solitude is Solitude my friend. I do not see why we could not have just let off from there." I gave him a look which I'm sure had half the effect on him.
"I'm going to Atmora to investigate its culture as well as to explore the continent itself. The closer I am to the Sea of Ghosts the better. And what's this 'we' business? I've made it clear to both you and Auryen that I'm going by myself to minimize potential casualties."
"I still think it's a bad idea. I should at least come with you! Minimum your housecarls and companions as wel-"
I cut him off holding up my hand. I take off my helmet, my once brown hair slowly turning gray waved in the cold sea breeze, my beard thick to keep out the cold graced my face the same age creeping in.
"Inigo… I know you worry but i'm old now. My best days behind me my children roam the world as we once did and Mjoll waits for me in Sovngarde." I smile at him "The least I can do is go on a grand expedition before I die like the great Nerevarine before me." I place my Ebon steel helmet back on my head as I feel the magic reinforcement enchantment take hold of me once more. Placing my hand on his shoulder I smile at him though I doubt he could see it with the chainmail veil over my mouth and I continued collecting supplies.
The last decade and a half had been like that of a river flowing through a mountain. Slowly the ground beneath has fallen against the near constant flow of water and we were on the precipice of a canyon now. And that canyon was the second great war.
With the defeat of the Stormcloak rebels and the exile of their leader Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak things had progressed slowly in the favor of the Empire. With my assistance we were able to educate the populace of Skyrim (subtilty mind you) of the true crimes of the Thalmor and how the Empire was doing everything it could to prepare for an offensive unifying Skyrim and her people under the Imperial flag once more.
With the defeat of Miraak at my hands it also brought forward the Dunmer of Morrowind who in obligation began to work more closely with the Empire against the Thalmor as well.
Even now the Khajiit of Elswayr were in the midst of their own bloody Civil War against the Thalmor no longer standing by and allowing themselves to be subjugated any longer.
And then there's me. Ymir of Skyrim a no name orphan of Bruma who spent my youth fighting in the great war. And now here I am almost sixty and the most respected man on Tamriel. Skyrim's defender, Subjugator of Dragons, Thane of the Holds, Harbinger of the Companions, The World Eater's Bane, Sol Invictus of the legions and The Last Dragonborn. Quite a list of names huh?
Truly it was exhausting by the time I had even earned those titles I was already forty four. Now at fifty eight I had three children, a grandson and enough gold to build a new hold and have plenty left over. I was old, my beloved Mjoll made the great journey ahead of me almost five years ago and I miss her still. I can only hope our shield siblings who we have lost along the way greeted her with open arms.
"My friend, are you there?" Inigo called knocking me out of my stupor.
"Yes Inigo? What is it?"
"The Dev Aveza is ready to fly and it stocked on food for over a year."
Looking to the ship it was truly one of a kind. A gift from a Khajiit I had saved from assassination years ago when he was delivering an artifact to the museum of Solitude. A massive airship built to hold a crew of roughly twenty but only needing one to pilot it. Truly a marvel of magical engineering.
I turn to look at my friend one more time. For a time our eyes meet before he pulls me into a hug. After he released me he hung his head barely hiding his sorrow.
"Take care of my girls will you old friend?" I ask him. His only response is to nod his head one I place my hand on his shoulder and without another word.
"Make sure you don't get lost your hear? I don't want to end our book with you getting lost at sea!"
I let out a loud bark of laughter as I went to the wheel.
"All I have to do is head north! How hard can it be?"
A week later…
"All I have to do is head north,' I said. It'll be easy, I said. I thought I grew out of this sort of foolishness."
I grumble to myself as I look over the vast expanse of ocean that lay before me. The sea was calm today. A slow steady wave beat against the Dev Aveza hull. I had decided to let it drift for a time while I got my bearings saving fuel as well as getting some fresh fish to save on rations.
From what I could tell from the stars above I had in fact went north the problem was that I had no idea *how* north I was. Still from my rudimentary understanding of where Atmora was I had to guess I was a least a few more weeks away from my goal. I had yet to see the strange things that came from this far north but so far things had been relatively calm.
So sure in my next course I set in the Dev Aveza to sail over night while I slept and I would check my progress in the morning.
Far away in another place several great beings bargain. A mighty golden form with the head of a great dragon clad in robes. A mighty man with a fox headdress next to him covered in old nordic armor a displeased look on his face fidgeting anxiously. Finally there is another pair of figures. One is of nebulous size and gender shifting constantly between seven different forms. And the last is a burning man with a large sword piercing his heart.
"This is wrong Auri-El, even you must see that." The Fox said, looking bitterly to The Dragon.
The Dragon unwavering instead of addressing the man spoke to the living flame.
"Then the deal is struck. In exchange for further defense against the Daedra we shall lend the greatest hero at our disposal to the two of you for the rest of his mortal life where he will travel the land known as Westeros to find and train the Prince that was Promised."
The fiery figure nodded.
"Yes. He will still be capable of his magic. However we cannot promise that our followers will not attempt to brand him a heretic."
The nebulous form took the form of a beautiful young woman for a moment and spoke with a soft angelic tilt.
"We must extend our thanks to our neighbors for assisting us in this matter. We were only able to hold on last time due to the old tree spirits. But now they are so weak that we must look to outside forces."
She bows before fading once more into the mass of light before fading in its entirety. The man of flame looks to the two divines.
"I also must extend my thanks to you. Although I am confident that we would have found the prince eventually the mortals of our realm are more… how to say?"
The Fox spoke.
"Arrogant, self aggrandizing, egotistical fools who care only for their personal advancement in the temporary existence they know and not look towards the existence after the fact where they will spend all eternity?" He spit after that showing how little he cared for their plight.
The man of fire looked at him for a moment.
"I was going to say 'live in the here and now' but yes." The man a fire smiled or the closest thing as such. "But to act as though your people are not the same, surly that shows its own arrogance."
The Fox snarled.
"Maybe among his kind." And he jerked his head over to Auri-El who looked non perturbed by the accusation.
"But my people, my *children* always look to what comes after and always know what they must be to enter my halls."
Again the Man of Fire just smiles.
"As you say Lord Shor."
And without an ember the Man of Fire fades away.
"Must you antagonize them so Lorkhan? They only wish for help and unlike you they were willing to bargain first." The Father of Dragons scolded.
"This is different, my grand design required more power than I alone was capable of. And because of your assistance you are considered gods by your descendants and even my own mold you to their image."
He deflated for a moment.
"Ymir has been everything a Shezarrine should be yet because you sunk your claws into him you will forever hold his fate."
The Fox once more shook his head.
"The Dragon Break this will make will be devastating. We are fortunate that he will be so far into the ocean that he has already been written off as dead."
And with that high over the Northern reaches of the ghost sea Ymir of Bruma "The Old Dragon" both continued his journey to Atmora and was torn away from Nirn the land he had wondered and called home to a strange dangerous land known as Planettos.
And with that we call it here. To the few random folks who wanted a triumphant return of Grave Tenders i'm sorry to say that I have no idea on what to do with it. I'd still like to work on it but I can't think of anything to write when it comes to it. I think a part of it is for my general apathy towards later rwby and it being years since I even watched any of it. So if anyone is interested in taking over the rains or just giving me a hand in writing it I'd appreciate it either way.
On another note yeah one of these! I tried to write a Skyrim novelization that never picked up any traction and I lost interest. But this has been a story I've wanted to do for a while so here it is! Ymir is based off of my current modded character. Mods of Note are Legacy of the Dragonborn, Immersive Armor and Weapons, Dragonbone Ebonsteel Armor, Inigo (who won't be make many appearances unfortunately) and Wintersun (Its a religion mod for roleplaying) and Ordinator. If anyone has any thoughts questions or just want to say hi please do so.