A/N: There seems to be an abundance of Nordic Dovahkiin wandering about Alagaesia in this section of the website. Figured I'd add some diversity. Enjoy!

A New Kind of Dragon

Ch 1

Trissa Blackfire slowly awoke from a slumber she did not remember falling into. The Dunmer woman blinked groggily as she looked at the darkened forest around her, the small clearing she rested in bathed in silvery moonlight.

Trissa sat up and stretched her stiff muscles, slowly standing as she took in her surroundings in more detail. This was not a forest she recognized, but that was not overly surprising. She hadn't seen every forest in Tamriel, after all.

What the hell was I doing last that would put me this out of it? She thought.

As she mulled over her foggy memory, Trissa looked up at the hole in the canopy to see if she could determine her location via the stars.

However, considering the fact that a moon appeared to be missing, that may have been the least of her problems.

Trissa gazed up at the lone satellite in shock, her mind slowly turning over as it recovered from the shock, and jogging her temporarily lost memory.

Oh, that's right. Trissa thought, eyes still locked on the pure-white sky-orb. I was dying.

...

Trissa laid in her bed in her quarters in her house just outside Solitude, on a cliff overlooking the Northern Sea, surrounded by her friends and family, breath haggard as an Altmer poison ran rampant through her body.

All things considered, she'd had worse days.

The Dunmer woman smiled weakly at the people around her, and marveled that someone like her had managed to draw such a motley group together.

Karliah was, as usual, partially hidden in the shadows of the corner of the room, the nightingales' eyes gleaming with sadness from the darkness nonetheless. At the doorway to the room was Brynjolf, the thief leaning on the sturdy frame as he nursed a tankard of ale.

Serena stood off to one side, the ancient vampire looking a little uncomfortable as she talked quietly with Tolfdir, the old mage taking maximum advantage of the opportunity to talk to such an ancient creature as her.

Probably not used to so many questions. Trissa thought with a quiet chuckle.

Hadvar was there as well, the Imperial soldier still dressed in his armor and he would have looked somewhat out of place if her weren't standing with the Aela and Vilkas, the bonded Companions also sporting full suits of armor still flecked with small spots of blood.

On the other side of the room, Lydia and Farkas stood together at a window, the large man's arm around his wife's waist as they looked out over the ocean. Trissa knew that Lydia blamed herself for her condition; a Housecarl was supposed to protect their charge, and in that she had failed.

Trissa wished she wouldn't place the blame on herself. It's kind of hard to shield your charge from a poisoned arrow when they jump in its path, after all.

I really hope the Emperor appreciates this. Trissa thought as a new spell of coughing wracked her body.

And of course, at her bedside, hand clasped tightly around her own, warm brown eyes damp with unshed tears as he watched her slowly fade away, was her Bosmer husband, Brolmir.

She smiled weakly at the man that had, both literally and figuratively, saved her from death or worse a dozen times as he watched her slowly fade. She squeezed his hand weakly, just to reassure him that she was still here, when a deep thumping noise became audible over the quiet chatter of her friends and companions.

Everyone fell quiet as they listened to the thumping grow louder and louder, before an earth-shaking BOOM sounded outside the house. A few people swayed on their feet, but no-one so much as flinched as the heads of two dragons, one white-scaled and weathered, the other red-scaled and vibrant, appeared through the doors of the balcony connected to the master bedroom.

"Dovahkiin," The red drake rumbled. "I have returned with those you sent for."

Trissa smiled and struggled to sit up despite her husband's protest. She forced her way past her weakness and propped herself against the headboard, nodding in thanks to the red dragon. "Thank you, Odahviing. And thank you for coming, master Paarthurnax."

The ancient white-scaled dragon blinked slowly. "It is only proper for the leaders of dragonkind to be here when the last true Dovahkiin passes back to our father's care." Paarthurnax said. "And I would not leave a friend to face the end alone. Besides, your children should be here for you in this and Odahviing cannot carry three people."

As the old dragon said this three cloaked and armored shapes lept from the necks of their draconic transport and rushed to their mother's side.

The twins, Glonas and Sellin, were still dressed in the student robes they wore whilst studying with the greybeards (though she could make out the shape of Glonas' leather armor beneath the robes), their hoods lowered as the brother and sister ran to Trissa's side, tears streaming down Sellin's face at the sight of their indomitable, unbreakable mother laid so low; and Glonas was not far behind his sibling in that regard.

Feliris, unlike her younger siblings, was dressed in armor alone, a set of burnished ebony that shone like liquid shadow in the torchlight. Trissa saw her daughter trying to maintain her composure, but the stiffness in her gait and posture indicated the rampant emotions running beneath the thin layer of control she had managed to keep up.

Trissa waved Feliris over, and took her hand, pulling her in closer. Feliris complied, leaning in so Trissa could whisper in her ear.

"So, how goes things with the crown prince? Is the Imperial Line going to be getting a new shot of dragonblood anytime soon?"

Feliris jerked back, a shocked expression on her face as she felt her cheeks warm at her mother's insinuation.

"Mom, really, now? You are literally on your deathbed, this isn't the time for things like that!"

Trissa laughed, but her expression was serious. "This is exactly the time for it, my dear. If I'm going out, I want to know that the people I love will have happier things to look forward to after I'm gone. So I ask again, do you have feelings for Prince Barris?"

Feliris glanced down, then looked back to Trissa and nodded, a tiny movement little more than a twitch.

"Then don't let him get away, like I almost did with your father." Trissa said. Feliris nodded again, this time with a bit more force.

Satisfied, Trissa turned her attention to her younger children, who had barely reached their twentieth years. "And how goes your lessons on the Thum?"

Sellin sniffed, her tears abated for the time being, and said "They go well, mother. I have grasped Fus, Ro, Yol, and Fo, and I am close to understanding Dah and Toor."

"I am a bit behind Sel, mother." Glonas said, his voice wavering some. "But I've managed to get a handle on Laas, Feim, and Wuld."

"Good, at least I won't be the last of the dragon-blood to speak in the Voice. I…" Whatever she was about to say was cut off as the woman began to shake violently, her arms twitching as she shook under the effects of the poison that moved through her veins.

After a few minutes the convulsions stopped, and Trissa's vision cleared. She could feel it, her time was almost up. Time for a few last words…

Serena stepped forward then, her tone a mixture of exasperated and desperate. "Trissa, please, you don't have to just accept this. I can help you, if you'd just stop being so stubborn!"

The dragonborn just shook her head, even that action sapping her strength now. "No, Seiena, I think once was more than enough. Besides, I don't want to risk the poison affecting you too. Then where would we be?" She slumped a bit, tired from talking, but she pushed through to speak again.

"You all know I'm not one for long speeches, so I'll make this brief. Every one of you in this room is important to me; comrades, friends, family, we've been through much together, even stopped the end of the world. So I won't say goodbye to you; I say thank you, for standing at my side against the horrors that we've faced, and for staying with me once the horrors are defeated."

The light began to dim then, and she saw Brolmir and her children lean over her, frightened looks on their faces as their mouths moved, but no sound reached Trissa's ears.

Goodbye, my family. I will see you again at my father's side...Trissa thought, and her eyes gently closed as the last Dragonborn passed from the world of Nirn,

...

Trissa opened her eyes again after what seemed like an age, finding herself surrounded by a brilliant white landscape that she could not really perceive. The only part of this place she could make out was the massive golden dragon that rested before her.

However, unlike almost every other time in her life, this dragon did not trigger the Song, for it was from him that it originated.

Trissa smiled at the being, and in a rare display of respect, fell to one knee before it, bowing her head in reverence before the chief of the Divines.

"Hello, lord Akatosh; I thank you for granting me to walk within your realms." she looked up and grinned happily at the god-that-was-her-father. "It is good to be home."

The great dragon rumbled in acknowledgment of her greeting, before glowing brightly from within, forcing Trissa to avert her gaze.

When she looked back, gone was the dragon, replaced by a stunning elven man in bright armor with a sword made of starlight at his side.

"Hello my daughter, it pleases me to have you at my side once again. However, I fear that you cannot stay with me for long."

Immediately, Trissa's face fell, and she let out a tired sigh as she wearily stood.

"I should have known that death wouldn't save me from running your errands. What do you need me to do now, dad?" Trissa said, her tone both annoyed and accepting of her burden as Akatosh's errand girl.

Akatosh frowned at his daughter's rapid mood change, but it was swiftly hidden again behind a serious expression.

"I see this is not pleasing to you, so I shall be brief. There is another physical realm that the Divines and Daedra had a hand in creating besides Mundus. This realm was created after your own, in a sort of experiment of the limit of our powers. To be completely honest, most of the Aedra and Daedra have either forgotten or lost interest in this land, but I and a few others have kept an eye on it, and we are disturbed by the darkness growing in this realm. There is great pain and strife racking the people of the land, and I cannot stand by any longer. So I am sending you, my greatest avatar, to set right the wrongs of Alesia and usher in a new age of peace for these people, your distant cousins."

Trissa looked at Akatosh for a moment, then sighed again. "Very well father. I shall help these people against the darkness. What do you need me to do?"

Akatosh smiled slightly. "That will be for you to discover, my child. Good luck, and may I not see you at my side for many more moons again."

And before Trissa could protest that she wouldn't be much help to these people if she didn't know who to fight, the world went dark.

...

Trissa groaned as the memories flooded back in an instant.

Thanks so much for the info, dad. She thought sarcastically. Figuring there was no point in dwelling in her lot further, the Dragonborn began to check over what supplies Father Aedra saw fit to give her.

To her satisfaction, she realized she was wearing her custom set of armor, and that her bow, sword, and daggers had come with her as well, though she only had steel arrows in her quiver. Akatosh had seen fit to grant her, as well, dozen empty soul gems of various sizes ranging from petty to greater, and a coin purse with around a hundred unfamiliar gold coins, plus a few garnets.

Trissa grunted in satisfaction and stood, attaching the coin purse to her belt and the bag of gems to her hip, the dunmer woman set out into the woods in search of her destiny.

Or just a tavern would be nice.

A/N: Just so you know, this story won't be updated regularly: I'm only going to be working on it sporadically between writing my main story, Necessary Monsters. Still, if you've enjoyed this introduction, Follow, Fave, maybe review, and until next time,

Imperator senatus et populi Romani Dinosaurs!