"You can't be serious?"

The woman in the Imperial Armor growls and puts a hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Step forward, Rebel."

The man with the clipboard next to her seems reluctant, and after a moment of looking through various pieces of parchment, frowns up at me with eyes of pity and a hint of confusion.

"You there... Who are you?"

"If you're blind-as-a-bat colleague would drink Cat-Eye, she could tell that a Redguard wouldn't fight a Nord's battles, least of all Redguard women of royal blood. My name is Serati No-Shira of Hammerfell."

The man in front of me checks the list, flipping through from front to back multiple times.

"Oh dear, it seems her name isn't on the list, Captain. What shall we do with her?"

The man's voice dripped with empathy. The captain's jade-green eyes looked me up and down, and the woman had an almost predatory grin on her face.

"Forget the list. She goes to the block."

The man frowns, and I growl low enough as to not provoke the woman further. I step up to Ralof, who has a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"So tell me, Mrs. No-Shira."

"I am not married," I correct.

The corner of his mouth bends upwards.

"So tell me, Miss No-Shira. What's a beautiful Redguard woman such as yourself doing in the great Province of Skyrim?"

"I was trying to get to Whiterun. That is, until you and your Imperial... friends appeared, and put me in bindings."

Ralof grinned.

"Why, yes, they tend to do that to people suspected of being Stormcloaks."

I growl lightly, sending the Nord a side-glance.

"I am not a Stormcloak, and I never will be, either. I'm just trying to get to Whiterun. If you hadn't trampled me in the middle of the street, I would already be there!"

The blonde man flinches away at my harsh tone.

"By the Gods Woman, I already apologized! If I wanted your head I would have taken it myself!"

I scoff, look him up and down, and turn away.

"I'd like to see you try, Nord."

He lets out an audible sigh, and at that moment a roar unlike anything i'd ever heard tore through the air and made the majority of the men around me stumble.

"What in Oblivion was that!?"

By Divad... It was a Dragon!

Everyone present stopped looking at the giant, ebony beast gliding through the air, to regard the Redguard woman whooping for joy at the sight of it.

"Here, let me get these bindings off you."

Ralof slices trough the thick rope and hands me a sword. The one from the dead Stormcloak on the ground. I take the handle, testing the weight in my hand.

I nod. These rebels could make semi-acceptable weapons.

"Stormcloak, listen to me. I had some very important things on my person when I was taken into custody. Do you have any clue where to find our things?"

The young Nordic man smiles over his shoulder as he fiddles with the lock on the metal door.

"Where do you think we're going, lass? By the Nine, that dress of your's certainly would've distracted many-a men. I'd kill a thousand Imperials just to see you in it once more."

I begin rummaging around the circular room, looking for anything of use, "As if you wouldn't do so regardless?"

The Nord let's out a booming chuckle, and I can't help but grin.

"Come, let's-"

The gate behind us slams open.

There, the Captain stands, green eyes shining with a fierceness seemingly unmatched.

"Redguard."

I stare her down unflinchingly.

"Imperial."

She rests her hand on her hilt, "What's stopping me from cutting you down where you stand?"

I point the blade at her throat.

"I know what will be stopping you if you try."

The woman smirks, "Fair point, Redguard. On the contrary, I have something i'd like to ask of you."

Ralof grunts from behind me, two axes in each hand.

"Why are we talking? She deserves death."

My eyes never leave the Captain's.

"In Redguard tradition, an opponent that strikes up a conversation, not out of fear but out of curiosity, deserves one."

Ralof swings his axes a few times, seemingly testing their weight.

"This isn't Hammerfell, and we aren't Redguards."

I look over my shoulder at Ralof.

"Ralof, let the woman speak. Lower your weapons."

The Nord growls at me, his eyes never leaving her. He reluctantly abides my request.

I turn back to the woman only to watch her drop her helmet to the floor. It impacts the stone with a loud clank. She pulls a hair-band, letting hair like fire fall to her shoulder-blades.

Under the helmet she is flawless; like the sands of my homeland. Freckles dot her pale skin, and her cherry-red lips are full, even though she has them set in a thin line.

"You see, Redguard, I am not who you think I am. These Imperial fools are actually quite easy to trick, if you put your mind to it."

Ralof crosses his arms, his axes at his waist.

"Get to the point, Imperial scum."

The woman grins, "The point is, I'm not Imperial scum. I am an assassin, and my target was the General. Yet, a Dragon, Harbinger of the End Times, happens to appear not only on the day of the General's Death, but also at the same time a Redguard with royal blood appears in our land? That is quite the coincidence, I think."

I raise an eyebrow, "So, what? You wish to tag along with us until the world ends?"

A gleam enters her eye that I recognized. Eyes of a hunter sizing up her prey.

"Whether you are important to this prophecy or not, and whether you want me to or not, i'm tagging along. You are a very interesting subject I plan to study."

I glance back at Ralof, who only offers me a shit-eating grin. I roll my eyes.

"Alright, fine. Lose the disguise, though, before I decide to run you through just for wearing Imperial armor."

The woman giggles and seems to almost melt out of the armor, which in turn clatters to the floor.

I ignore the heat going to my face.

"Oh, she's naked."

I turn over in the horribly-uncomfortable bed I lay in. To hell with straw, I miss the sand.

I pull a piece out of my hair and growl before rising from the bed. I should be leaving anyways.

After leaving a thank you note and gearing up, I silently make my way outside. Ralof's family sleeps soundly, my footfalls making little more than creaks in the floorboards.

I look up at the sky. The beautiful, star-filled sky that I know will never leave my side.

I sigh.

"I suppose I was louder than I thought?"

The tall Nord woman snorts.

"Don't downplay yourself, Redguard. Had I not already been awake you would have been left to gaze at the stars in solitude. And I don't mean the city."

I look her up and down. She's no longer wearing Imperial captain armor. Skin-tight leather is apparently the favored garb for assassin's.

"Well I was hoping you'd hear me anyways. Come."

She smirks mischievously. "Shouldn't you get to know me better before you make me come?"

I roll my eyes and begin the relatively short trek to Whiterun.

A few minutes pass before she speaks up.

"Since I already know your name, I suppose it's only right I tell you mine."

I raise an eyebrow, keeping my eyes trained to the cobblestone path in front of me.

"Will this be your real name or just a persona? Assassin's are never supposed to reveal their true identity, correct?"

She chuckles softly, "I suppose you're right. For now you may call me Aiko."

I raise my eye brow once again.

"Not a very Nordic name, is it."

She shrugs, "Fake identity, remember?"

I chuckle, "Fair enough."

I'm forced to dodge an arrow that whizzes past my head. I launch a fireball into the trees, in the general direction of the attacker.

"Damned bandits!" Aiko draws two short daggers and shimmers out of existence.

I don't ponder this too long, as i'm forced to dodge more arrows coming from multiple directions at once. Each fluid motion I make to dodge the cheaply made arrows is another fireball launched into the darkness of the trees. I'll have to put the fire out afterwards, but that's in the back of my mind.

Three knives speed towards me in a perfect vertical line. A Ward is up in front of me before I register what's happened. I smirk at the curse that filters through the trees. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream of agony rips through the night, distinctly male, and I grin. That assassin is good.

I rapidly dash into the trees, small blades falling out of my sleeves. Once in the brush, the burning trees easily illuminate the first two bandits in my way. Shabby fur clothing, poorly crafted weapons.

Not surprising.

The closest one looses an arrow, and in the same movement I duck underneath it and toss a dagger at her throat. The blade strikes true, right in her windpipe.

The next one, the skinniest Argonian I had ever laid eyes on, realizes arrows are useless and drops his wooden bow before drawing a poorly-crafted sword and charging.

I effortlessly dodge his sloppy, telegraphed swings, idly noticing another scream to my left, before stepping into his guard as he overextends by a mile. I smile at him as I slide my remaining dagger between his rib cage. The look of surprise and horror never leave his scaly face as he falls to the ground.

The last bandit alive is not wearing fur scraps.

A large man, even by Nord standards, is covered head to toe in finely crafted steel. His weapon of choice, a large broadsword, is held in a proper stance, and the burning eyes of icy-blue fire that shine behind his helmet tell me the battles this man has faced.

I'm honestly surprised how a warrior of this caliber was forced to lead such filth.

"You have seen battle, Nord. Unlike the worthless vermin before you. Tell me; why are you leading such a pitiful group as this? Your place is the battlefield, I can tell. Not leading worthless scum that must kill whoever they come across just to survive."

Misty breath coming out from a snort is his only response.

I shrug, "Have it your way, then."

I turn and begin walking away. As I suspected this enraged the man, who had never faced an opponent who'd dare ignore his strength.

Even as he began to raise his large blade above his head, I continued to walk, unafraid.

As soon as his arms were cocked back, a thin line appeared across his adam's apple.

The confusion from his eyes faded to nothingness and he dropped the sword, his disembodied head following suit not long after.

Aiko then appeared in front of him, a sadistic grin on her pale face.

"Well done, Foreigner! Well done! I haven't had fun like that in a long time... Being in that disguise was so ridiculously boring!"

I smirk, retrieving my two blades from the fallen bandits.

"I think we'll get along just fine, assassin."

You must be kidding.

"Princess Serati!? Why in the Gods' names are you here!?"

The two red-guard men, members of the Alik'r, stand in front of Aiko and I with shock on their faces.

I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Ah, Phinlas. Wayet. What a... pleasure."

"Princess, when did you...?"

I roll my eyes, "Long story. Your presence here is of more importance than mine. Why are you in Whiterun?"

Wayet, the shorter of the two, replies.

"Iman. She's escaped. And she's here, in Whiterun."

I let out an uncharacteristic growl. That traitorous whore has caused me many a problem.

No longer.

"I'll find her. You two stay here, in case she decides to cut her losses and run."

The two Alik'r nod, and I begin walking.

Aiko's confusion is evident in her voice.

"What's all this about, Serati? Princess? Redguard bounty hunters? Just who are you, exactly?"

I frown, "Now is not the time, assassin. Once you reveal your true identity to me, maybe I shall do the same."

I can feel the woman's uncertainty. Eventually, she nods.

"Saadia, take this to the corner table, will you dear?"

The Redguard woman nods enthusiastically, grabs the two mugs of ale, and rushes over to the table. Two Nord men sit, telling tales and laughing.

As she is making her way to the back room to continue sweeping, the front door of the tavern slams open.

She turns, getting ready to reprimand the ill-mannered pile of beetle dung, before an all-too-familiar glare of red-hot anger makes her drop the broom in her hands.

Aiko's POV

"Take one more step and you are dead where you stand, traitor."

The woman's mouth was agape with shock, and her eyes were filled with absolute fear.

Serati's anger seemed to physically increase the temperature of the room, and I almost felt pity for the woman.

Almost.

Quick as lightning, she bolted into a back room. I looked to Serati, but she held a hand up before I could say a word.

"Ask questions later, Assassin. The less you talk, the more i'll pay you for that woman's head."

I grin.

"... In gold or sexual favors?"

I couldn't help but laugh as the woman's anger shifted to annoyance.

"Assassin..."

In the blink of an eye I leaped over the large fire in the middle of the room and reached the entrance to the kitchen area. I caught the backside of the woman rushing outside a side door. I followed with all haste.

As I busted through the wood, practically breaking it off the hinges, I noticed a fireball flying straight at my face. My eyes widened as I ducked, letting the ball of flame fly past me and back into the tavern. I didn't stop to look at what it hit.

This Redguard is fast, i'll give her that. But not fast enough.

I launched a dagger at her back, but she had good enough reflexes to duck. Although it was less of a duck, and more of a somersault that allowed her to fling another fireball back at me and keep running.

I growled in annoyance while sliding underneath the spell. What's with these desert women and fireballs!?

As I continued the chase, I realized she was heading into the market. No more knives, then.

Out of a dead sprint, she leaped through the front of a stall, missing the woman behind it by inches, landed perfectly, and was bounding up the steps right after.

Okay, so maybe she's more agile than I expected. So what?

Just as she reached the top of the steps, a massive fireball exploded in front of her, knocking her all the way back down into the market.

The woman collided with the ground, hard, and actually bounced, before rolling to a stop in a motionless heap. Burns covered the front of her body, and a large gaping wound on her side was steadily oozing blood.

I looked up and saw Serati at the top of the steps, with a fireball in her hand that matched the fire in her eyes.

It was... unnaturally attractive.

Serati slowly marched down the steps, and I fell in line next to her as she passed me.

"I'm done playing games, Iman. Your treachery has gone on long enough. I should have put you on a leash and made you a Pit Scrubber while I had the chance. Now, I get the luxury of watching the life drain from your eyes. Slowly."

I didn't particularly want to know what a Pit Scrubber was, so I stayed quiet.

The woman on the ground groaned, and shakily propped herself up on one elbow.

"You're... Nothing more than... A Royal breeding cow... You got off easy... Your father..." She coughed up a large amount of blood, "Only Exiled you because... He didn't want to deal with killing you himself..."

Serati's face remained neutral, but her very presence seemed to grow colder.

"Shame. I lied about it being slow."

Iman looked up into Serati's eyes, only for her entire face to be engulfed in a fireball.

Once the smoke cleared, everything above the woman's stomach was burned away, leaving only a charred skeleton. Dry, roasted intestines leaked out of what was left of her abdomen.

"Fitting end for a Traitor," Serati spat on the corpse, before spinning on her heel and ascending the steps. I numbly followed.

Serati's POV

"I've shown you the seal! Let us in!"

I could feel the guard's grin under his helmet.

"You did quite a lot of damage to the market, and you left a charred corpse that we had to clean up. You think i'm gonna let you in without a little bit of compensation? And here I thought Redguards were honorable warriors!"

I have the man's arm behind his back and his own sword against his throat before he can react.

"You're lucky it wasn't your corpse down there. The only reason I didn't burn this place to the ground trying to kill that woman is because I have business with your Jarl. And he wouldn't be very open to discussion if I had slain a few innocent bystanders. You, however, look like nothing more than armed bullies. So, tell me. How much should you be compensated?"

The other guard has drawn his weapon, and has yet to notice Aiko's blade poised to sever his spinal column. He is shaky on his feet anyways; probably a new recruit stationed on palace duty for the first time.

The Guard i'm holding growls lowly, "Damn you woman! Open the door, Ysmir!"

The rookie is hesitant for a moment, but he eventually caves. I release the guard with a shove and throw his blade to the ground, walking inside without a second glance. Aiko is right behind me.

The inside of the palace is mostly wooden, but well furnished. Multiple hand-maidens tidy the place as Aiko and I climb the stone steps.

As soon as my foot touches the top step, a sword is held against my throat.

"That's far enough."

I raise my hand to calm Aiko as she draws her blade.

"Just take this, for god's sake."

The dark elf doesn't reply, but takes the scroll and skims through it. She almost drops the document in her shock.

"M-Madam No-Shira! Please, forgive our hostility! We... We had no idea..."

I roll my eyes.

"It's quite alright. It seems no one in this country does."

The man sitting on his thrown doesn't look a day over 40, with long blonde hair and a thick goatee that goes down to his chest. Fine animal fur is draped around his shoulders, and the steel sword at his hip is far from ornamental.

A large golden headband with a ruby gem in the center rests on the man's head, and while he sits in the throne with a minor slouch, the air around him nevertheless demands respect.

"Well. Serati No-Shira in the flesh. What an honor to have one of the last legendary Sword Singers in my presence. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I scoff, "It's been a long time, Balgruuf. I need your help, and you need mine. A dragon has attacked Helgen."

The man's brow furrows.

"So the rumors are true. I am sorry for doubting you, Irileth."

The dunmer simply nods.

"Tell me, Avenicci, should we trust the strength of our walls against a dragon?"

The pompous-looking man blisters, but Irileth beats him to the punch.

"We should send a detachment to Riverwood at once, my lord. It is in the most immediate danger, and if a Dragon hides in those woods..."

"Absolutely not! The Jarl of Falkreath will take that as a sign of aggression, and he'll-"

"Enough!"

Balgruuf's voice is just as commanding as I remember it. Both of them immediately go silent.

"I will not sit idly by while a Dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people! To hell with this war, the Dragons have returned."

Balgruuf turns to me, and there's something behind the fire in his eyes. Something familiar.

"Serati. I thank you immensely for this warning. You very well could have saved the town of Riverwood, even the entire Hold. If there's anything I can do to return the favor,"

I grin like a Daedra ready to take a soul.

"Well, Dear Balgruuf, I didn't come all this way just to return home. In fact, I need a place to live. And I'm not very good at building houses in the wild."

Balgruuf looks confused at this.

"I've been exiled, Bal. I'm sure there will be time to share the details later, but, while i'm still considered a member of my House... I can never return to Hammerfell again."

Aiko's mouth is agape like a fish. Balgruuf's is close.

"I... Serati, I truly am sorry."

I nod, refusing to become overwhelmed.

"I have a brand new home that just finished construction a few days ago. Avenicci, cancel the reservation for those Skooma addicts. We have a new resident for Breezehome."

The balding man nods and gracefully descends the stairs to his ledgers. The coins on the table remind me of how empty my own pockets are at the moment.

"You are a guest in my Hold, Serati. Hopefully now you can make this hold your home. The house and any furnishings are a gift."

I nod, and hug the man tightly. When we break off, he has a sly grin I recognize.

"Which means you owe me a favor. And it just so happens to relate to our dragon problem. Come, meet my Court Wizard. And bring your friend."

Aiko pulls a bandit's sword out of his own chest, splattering blood over the map Farengar gave us.

"Awe, you messed up the map! Oh well, I guess we'll just have to explore the whole place,"

We both chuckle as I toss the map of the Keep off the side of the mountain. After a short trek up more stairs and past ancient burial artifacts, we come to a large iron door with intricate designs carved into the surface.

Aiko is slightly amazed, while i'm indifferent to Nordic history. I'm more concerned with how it opens.

Turns out, you push. The doors open with seemingly little effort.

"Shouldn't these doors be heavier? Or be, I don't know, frozen shut or something?"

That's when an arrow flies right past her head, forcing the woman to yelp and dive for cover. I laugh and slice the next arrow out of the air.

A group of more gruff looking looters were enjoying a nice rest by a large fire with a Skeever roast. They all dress in shabby, dirty hide armor that looks like it's about to fall off their bodies. Two bandits have bows that look to be in better condition than all of their attire combined.

The rest charge at us with Iron or Steel weapons. As expected, they interrupt the archer's attacks by charging directly at us. One of the men fling the bow down to the ground in anger and charge us with an iron mace.

While Aiko deals with a rather large orc with dual axes, I'm facing much smaller opponents. A fellow Redguard and a skinny Nord. They both look malnourished.

The Nord sends a sloppy swing of an axe and I take a large step back. The Redguard waits, however.

The Nord's blood splatters across the floor and coats the other one's feet. She snarls and approaches.

"I hate to see my kin reduced to the status of common bandit. Tell me sister, what brings you here?"

The woman spits at my feet, "The Royal Family abandoned mine. For that, I would gladly disown my heritage."

The woman's statement strikes a chord in my heart.

"That is a shame, sister."

She stabs forward with her blade, hoping to pierce my abdomen. I'm faster, however, and I hit the palm of her hand with the flat of my dagger, knocking her grip loose. I capitalize on the disarm and pierce her side with my second knife.

She groans and throws an awkward haymaker, which I dodge.

"Such a fighter. I hope you come to your senses in your final moments, sister. For your soul's sake."

I throw her to the ground and leave her. Aiko has made quick work of the orc as well, and I quickly put an end to the Archer with a fireball.

"Well, then. I sense emotional turmoil."

I scoff.

Aiko sends me a sympathetic frown and we continue down the tunnel. A generous amount of this place had been caved in, from weathering I'd guess.

After a few twists and a short flight of stairs, we come to a tall antechamber. A lone man stands in the center of the room, his head cocked and his hands on his hips. He shrugs his shoulders and pulls the large lever in front of him.

Immediately, hundreds of arrows pierce him from all angles, and only then do I notice the rows upon rows of holes dotting the walls.

The man is dead before he hits the ground.

Aiko laughs out loud, "So don't pull the lever."

I raise an eyebrow when I notice the closed gate in front of us.

"Looks like a puzzle," Aiko is observing the three animal symbols on the ceiling. A large chunk of the ceiling, presumably where the middle animal was, has fallen to the floor.

After shifting a few rocks, a snake symbol can be made out. Looking around the room, I quickly see the three rotating obelisks to our left. The have three different animal symbols.

I motion for Aiko to be cautious as she approaches one. I can see her prepping a spell in one of her hands as she moves to turn one of the pillars. We both breathe a sigh of relief as it turns with no further surprises.

After solving the relatively simple puzzle, I confidently flip the lever and the gate opens. Aiko gestures towards the opening with a shit-eating grin.

"Redguards first."

I grin and continue until we reach a set of spiral stairs. They are old and rickety, but we reach the bottom safely.

And that's when we notice the smell.

At the foot of the stairs, there's a very rotted corpse being devoured by a trio of Skeevers. I shiver and blast them into oblivion with a well placed fireball.

I much rather prefer the smell of burning flesh to rotting flesh, I decide.

A couple meters down the hallway, thick spiderwebs begin to clot the pathway. Aiko immediately steps behind me.

"I am not your meat shield, assassin. Are you afraid of spiders or something?"

The girl seems to realize her behavior, and straightens quickly.

"Me? Scared? As if!"

She screams at the top of her lungs when the sounds of many feet skitter just beyond the webbing. I give a hearty laugh and ignite the web. When it clears, we enter a large chamber completely covered in the stuff from floor to ceiling. Huge eggsacs crowd the corners of the room. None of them look occupied.

"Gods, I hate spiders..."

"H-Hey! You two! Help me!"

We both turn to see a dunmer that's been wrapped up in a cocoon. Only his face is exposed.

"Cut me down before that fucking... Monster comes back!"

As Aiko takes a step forward, I notice the shadow that comes over us. I look up to see the largest Frostbite Spider I'd ever seen in my life. Not even the giant scorpions of my homeland grew this big! It dropped to the floor just a few paces in front of us, hissing it's challenge.

Aiko turns and runs, faster than i'd ever seen a Nord move. And the spider chases after her.

Right towards me.

It's large, but it moves unnaturally fast. The sounds of it's feet clicking against the floor give me chills to this day.

I unleash a fireball into it's face, searing a few of it's eyes shut. The creature screams, and whacks me in the side with one of it's long legs. Thankfully I'm fast enough to brace, so that when I slam into the wall, I instantly register a few ribs dislocate as opposed to shattering entirely.

The spider is upon me before I realize it. As it's fangs rear up to bite, I realize those damn things are big enough to kill me without the venom.

And oh, is Frostbite venom potent.

At the peak of it's extension, the Assassin shimmers into existence and shoves a huge sword into it's gut. The creature recoils further and tips over onto it's back.

I breathe a sigh of relief and spit blood onto the floor as Aiko helps me up. As we pass the creature, I make sure to burn it's face off for good measure.

"Oh thank god! Thank thing would have killed me! Cmon, cut me the hell down!"

I wince as I slice the webbing off the man. He falls to his knees, breathing heavily.

"Gods, I never should have come here..."

As I start a spell to mend my ribcage, the man stands suddenly and throws webbing into Aiko's eyes. As the assassin screams, the dunmer turns and runs.

I sigh, and put a fireball into his back before he gets too far. He slams into the wall in front of him and falls to the floor missing a chest cavity.

Aiko growls as she slams the webbing onto the ground.

"The Divine's biggest mistake was creating these god damn creatures."

I laugh once again, before recoiling in pain at my ribs. Which causes her to laugh back.

We continue on. The man has what looks to be a claw of gold spilling from his pockets.

Hm. Could be important.

"Hm, that could be important."

I look at her with narrow eyes.

"What!? It could be!"

I scoff, "Get out of my head, assassin."

She grins.

"What am I wearing in your head? Nothing?"

I roll my eyes and pick the thing up, being cautious of my ribcage. I put the claw and the rest of the man's coins in my hip pouch and we push forward.

We eventually reach a decline, with mummified bodies on either side of us. Catacombs.

"Well, dead bodies I can deal with."

An obsidian axe buries itself into the stone next to her head. As I turn to assess the threat, the dry skin and glowing eyes immediately tell me this tomb is full of Draugr.

I curse heavily, and blast the first zombie's head off. The body crumples to the floor. The next Draugr unleashes an unearthly howl, and Aiko and I involuntarily flinch. The assassin suddenly appears behind the second mummy, severing it's head. Still nursing my bruised side, I elect to blow the last Draugr's chest out with a fireball.

"Alright assassin, any stealth you have, put it to use. There'll be more where that came from."

Aiko simply nods, and we continue. As i'm about to take a step, the assassin grabs me by the collar and yanks me back.

I don't protest, as I quickly notice the pressure plate. A large wall of footlong spikes is held against the ceiling.

I curse, "More traps."

Aiko nods and we carefully maneuver around the contraption.

After a brief jaunt through more traps, more Draugr, and an oddly beautiful waterfall, we finally reach what I think to be the main chamber. A long hallway with images covering the walls stretches before us, and at the end is a large door with what appears to be a puzzle lock. The animals are different from the first room, but in the same style.

After a moment, Aiko grabs the claw out of my pocket.

"That dunmer's journal said something about the answer to the riddle being in the palm of your hands. And won'tcha look here!"

The palm of the claw had three circles with the corresponding animals.

I scoff, "Well that wasn't exactly difficult. See if the animals move on the door."

Aiko cautiously walks up to the stone, and finds that putting pressure on the symbols causes the arc to spin to the next animal.

"Alright," I point at the door and read off the correct order. After a few moments, the right animals are exposed and I gently place the three prongs into the hole. The mechanism turns by itself, and the door slowly revolves itself into the floor. I make sure to grab the Claw before it can be damaged.

In front of us lies a large chamber of rock. Empty coffins are strewn about the room, almost as if a tornado had come through.

At the end of the cobblestone path, a bridge leads across a river and to a flight of stairs.

Noticeable from the door of the room, a large circular monument stands tall, shining against the moon light, with numerous unrecognizable symbols covering the stone.

A stylized Dragon head sits at the peak of the grey stone monument.

As we cross the bridge, a faint whispering begins to emanate from the shrine in front of us. The closer we get, the louder the whispers get.

"Please tell me you hear that too."

Aiko nods, her eyes wide. As I step up into the foreground of this ancient monument, three of the symbols begin to shine very brightly. I feel a pull towards them, some unknown force pushing me towards a singular goal.

Learn.

I am desperate to. I lose all sense of reality, any awareness of the world around me. I step closer to the shrine, oblivious to Aiko's warnings.

White and orange tendrils of power flow from the symbols, and immediately they make sense to me.

The first symbol. Force.

The second this knowledge registers, my mind snaps back into focus. Aiko stands off to the side with eyes as wide as shields.

"Serati... What the hell was that?"

I look down at my hands and feel some unknown warmth flowing through me. Except... When I try to call upon this Force, it does not listen. This power must stay dormant for now, I suppose.

Before I can reply to Aiko, the coffin adjacent to the Shrine blows open and Aiko has to dive out of the way of the heavy obsidian lid lest it flatten her. A Draugr unlike the others sits up, and slowly climbs it way out. As soon as it stands at it's full impressive height, I gather a generous amount of mana and shoot a large fireball directly into it's face.

The creature takes a step back, and simply wipes the flames off of his face.

"FUS."

I realize I recognize the word, Force, being literally shouted at me, as a large wave of energy knocks me down the stairs.

I catch myself before I fall too far, and i'm immediately up the stairs in time to see the mummy grab Aiko by the throat and slam her down into his coffin. The Nord gasps like a fish out of water as I leap into the air and attempt a dropkick.

My attack makes the Draugr barely take a step forward, and I fall on my back harshly.

I curse loudly and kickup to my feet. My daggers flow out of my sleeves and I stab the beast directly in his spine. This gets an actual reaction, as he rears in pain and swiftly backhands me with the flat of his axe.

My head snaps to the left, bringing a sharp ringing to my right ear and sending white-hot fire speeding down the side of my body. I manage to stumble back out of it's attack range as I quickly nurse myself as best I can.

Aiko suddenly launches out of the coffin with a rabid look in her eyes. She leaps to the floor and grabs her sword, before rushing the creature while it's still trying to pull out my dagger. It has the awareness to block the first few strikes, but as it's gravely wounded and Aiko is a much better swordfighter than I took her for, soon the Draugr's head rolls to my feet. Only once we lock eyes does the ghostly blue light fade.

"Fuck Draugr, and fuck these damn ruins. Let's just get back to Whiterun."

I nod, and motion for her to search the corpse. Just as Farengar promised, the Dragonstone is there. It matches the large effigy on the shrine.

"This must be it."

Aiko shrugs and gingerly helps me to my feet, obviously done with dungeon crawling for the day. I am close behind her as we make our way out.

The first thing I notice about this Dragon is that it looks nothing like the one from Helgen. That monster was all black, like obsidian, with spikes covering it's body. This one is a much lighter color, a bluish-grey. It's ear-piercing shout of flame is weaker than the one before, as well.

As the guardsmen around us launch arrows at the beast, Aiko and I quickly ascend the tower. With this high ground it's much easier to hit the beast with fireballs, and only now do I discover Aiko's talent with a bow.

Soon, I recognize a pattern. When the creature flys by once more, I sprint and leap off the tower.

I impact the dragons back harshly, and drive a dagger between it's scales for grip. The dragon wails into the air and quickly begins to descend. Just as the creature slams into the ground, I leap off and easily roll out the impact.

The Dragon is not as wounded as I thought, however. It rears it's ugly maw right in my face, and I see the flames rise out of it's throat.

Just before the flames roast me to the bone, Aiko materializes in front of me and erects a massive barrier ward. The dragon's power is enough to drive the woman to her knees, but she holds back it's might when I actively transfer some of my own mana into her reserves as she is kneeled in front of me.

The moment the assault stops, I leap over Aiko and charge the grey beast. It snaps it's jaws down at me, trying to simply bite me in half. The blood caked on it's teeth tell me it's done it plenty of times before, and recently.

Dodging the dragon's bites prove difficult, but eventually the creature overextends and I slice through the tendons of it's jaw. It's scream of pain almost deafens me, but I manage to scramble onto it's neck.

With one final stroke, I stab my blade downwards into the creature's brain and ride it to the ground as it collapses.

"By the gods!"

I stand there for a few moments, before I realize the flesh of the dragon has begun to burn away as if it was flying too close to the sun. And then I notice that as the skin and muscle melts away, they shift into the same waves of power from the Bleak Falls shrine.

I stand in awe the power and warmth flow into my very core until the creature is no longer more than skin and bones.

That unreachable power that I couldn't call upon before suddenly felt so extensive that if I kept it in any longer it would explode out of me.

Instantly my mind snaps to a singular word in an unknown language.

"FUS!"

The power explodes from my vocal chords, shooting outwards and blowing the dragon bones into a million pieces. I fall to a knee and feel almost... Relieved, to have released that shout.

Only then do I realize what the hell I just did.

"Serati!"

Aiko, Irileth, and the rest of the guardsmen rush up to me with eyes wide.

"Serati, you... I can't believe it."

One of the guardsmen yanks his helmet off and places it against his heart.

Irileth seems torn between respect, and either anger or jealousy. I'm not sure which one. "It seems the rumor is true, Redguard. When the Harbinger of the End Times returns, so too shall the Dragonborn awaken."

Oh shit, is this a Skyrim story?

Yerrrr.

So yeah this is just a lil' side project I fooled around with during writer's block. Depending on the feedback, i'll continue this further. I'm currently working on a second chapter, so let me know how you guys feel!