10th of Rain's Hand, 4E 188
Valkyrie fell to the ground, having been smacked rather viciously by her brother's wooden training sword. Bruises and scrapes covered the young Nord's body, and her breath was heavy and labored from the intense, grueling training her father and brother had been putting her through. For a moment, she simply decided to lay there, not get back up, that perhaps accepting defeat was the only way out. That was, until Gronmir marched over to where she lay, grabbing the young girl's arm and jerking her to her feet.
"What are you doing?" The redheaded teenager demanded of his younger sister. "You don't give up just because you get knocked down a few times. You get back up and fight!"
"We've been doing this for hours," Valkyrie whined. "How am I supposed to learn anything when all you do is beat me up?"
"You're the one who wanted to learn how to fight," Gronmir said as he sheathed his weapon. "You think a bandit or a Forsworn will have any mercy on you?"
Valkyrie only groaned in response. It was true, she had wanted this more than anything she could think of. To be able to fight back against the Forsworn, the madmen in the hills, if nothing else so that she wouldn't meet the same end as her mother. But the young Nord could never have known what she was in for. That her brother would beat her senseless for most of the day while her father simply watched, all the while both of them would berate her for not defending herself adequately enough. It was enough to drive the girl mad, but against her own better judgement, she brandished her own wooden sword yet again, inviting Gronmir to come at her.
The boy smiled wickedly, all too eager to jump back into battle. He came at Valkyrie fast, swinging his weapon downward at her, the girl just barely managing to dodge his attack. Valkyrie attempted to retaliate with a few blows of her own, but every one was parried with seemingly masterful precision. Finally, Gronmir spun his blade, wringing his sister's weapon out of her hands. It dropped to the ground, but before Valkyrie could attempt to retrieve it, her brother went back on the attack. He swiped his weapon fast, each swing coming closer and closer to making contact with Valkyrie, but the young girl just barely managed to dodge every last blow.
Then, Gronmir reared his arm back, readying for a horizontal strike. Valkyrie ducked below her brother's blade, and followed through by rolling underneath the taller boy's legs, making a mad dash for her grounded weapon. At last she retrieved it, the odds now somewhat evened, and the two circled one another for a moment. Beads of sweat poured down Valkyrie's face as she anxiously awaited Gronmir's next move. The older boy wore a smirk, as if he knew his little sister wouldn't be able to keep up for much longer. Finally the boy rushed forward again, this time swinging wildly. Valkyrie managed to block a few of his blows with her own sword, but every blow knocked her just a bit more off balance.
Gronmir delivered one final attack with his sword, and Valkyrie just barely managed to deflect with her own weapon, but the force of her brother's attack knocked the young girl to the ground yet again. Her brother came down on her, attempting to deliver the final blow, but a stroke of luck happened upon Valkyrie. Gronmir suddenly tripped on something on the ground, losing his balance and falling to one knee. This gave Valkyrie just enough time to rise back to her feet and retaliate with an attack. The older boy attempted to evade, but Valkyrie's wooden sword tagged him right in the back of the knee.
In all her nine years of life, Valkyrie had never felt more proud of herself than that moment. She had finally done it. After countless losses against Gronmir, she had finally laid a blow on him. The young girl began to laugh madly, jumping up and down in sheer joy. She was a true warrior at last. Or rather, she was right until her brother caught her off guard by rushing into her. He successfully sent her to the ground once more, a moment later the end of his sword was inches from her face. Gronmir smirked.
"You're improving," he said, sheathing his weapon. "But one hit doesn't mean you've won the fight." He reached out his hand to help Valkyrie off the ground, which the girl gladly accepted. "I think that's enough for today," he added. "What do you think, father?"
They both turned their attention to Skjalund, sitting in the shade on the porch of their hut, a pipe in his mouth. "I suppose that will do," the old man said, rising from his chair. "You're doing well, Valkyrie. But you're too nervous." He walked over to meet the both of his children. "You have to let go of your fear and fight like a true Nord." He placed his hand on his daughter's head, ruffling her hair, much to the girl's annoyance.
"But I'm just a kid!" Valkyrie crossed her arms, jerking her head away from her father's reach.
"Doesn't matter," Skjalund said. "Like your brother told you, bandits or Forsworn won't exercise any restraint just because you're a child. They will kill you if they get the chance." Valkyrie only sighed, hanging her head as her father spoke. "Chin up, girl," he continued. "You did well today regardless, so I think I'll heat up the rest of that venison stew Einethatch made the other day."
This brought a smile to the young girl's face, the rigorous training her family had been putting her through working up an appetite. She could practically smell the meat and seasoning brewing in her family's fireplace. Just as the three were ready to rush inside and stuff themselves, a strange sound stopped them all in their tracks. No ordinary noise was it, this was something loud, monstrous even, that Valkyrie had never heard in her entire life. And it seemed to come directly from the sky.
"Papa?" She asked, rushing to her father's side as the man put a hand on her shoulder. "What was that?"
"I..." Skjalund struggled to answer her. "I don't know."
The sound made itself known again, this time seemingly much closer, and also clearer. There was no mistaking it, this was a roar. A thunderous roar of some horrible monster that made Valkyrie begin to quake with fear. She threw her arms around her father's waist, trembling, while Skjalund did his best to maintain his composure. "We should get inside," he said.
No sooner had the old man uttered these words did death itself come over the horizon. A massive beast that looked almost like a lizard, but scales black as the darkest night. Wings almost like a bird, but spanned even farther than the houses. The monster landed on top of Einethatch's mansion, letting out yet another unholy shriek. This time, Valkyrie's terror grew past what she had ever thought possible. The clear blue sky turned a violent orange in the span of a moment, and fire began to rain down from the sky. It was then she finally realized what this beast was, as Skjalund bellowed out...
"DRAAAAAAGOOOOON!"
He quickly pushed Valkyrie away, just barely allowing her to be missed by a bolt of fire that struck the ground. Skjalund turned to Gronmir. "Take her and get yourselves out of here! Run!"
"But what about you?" The boy demanded. His father replied simply by picking Valkyrie up, much to the girl's resistance, and placing her over Gronmir's shoulders.
"Don't argue!" The old man yelled. "Just run!"
Reluctantly, Gronmir did as his father commanded. With Valkyrie straddled over his shoulder like a sack, the boy bolted from the carnage as fast as his legs would carry him. The last thing Valkyrie saw before her senses went numb was the dragon landing in front of her father. Skjalund raised his blade at the monster, prepared to fight back, but was engulfed in a wall of fire from the dragon's maw before he could throw a single strike. Valkyrie screamed. And she kept doing so for a length of time even she didn't register.
Nothing made sense. The young girl's senses had left her, her mind unable to comprehend what her eyes were seeing. Eventually, her mind began to calm. When her senses returned, she was still slapped over Gronmir's shoulder, the boy running at full speed some way from the village. "Gron," Valkyrie said, the quiver in her own voice surprising her. "We can't leave him."
"There isn't anything left to go back for, Valkyrie," Gronmir said sternly. "You saw what happened. We have to keep going."
The young girl was having none of it, as she began to squirm, causing her brother's grip to tighten. At last, she began to wriggle free from Gronmir's grasp, only to fall face first onto the ground below him. Before Valkyrie could even attempt to get to her feet, to go back to the village and retrieve her father, or what was left of him, she was stopped in her tracks by Gronmir's hand grasping the neck of her shirt.
"What in Oblivion are you doing?!" The boy snapped at his sister. "We have to get out of here!" Valkyrie offered no response to him, only still trying to get away and run back to the village, her only thought of her father. At last, Gronmir spun her around, both hands on his sister's shoulders, and knelled down to her height. For a moment, there was silence between them, the only sounds to be heard were that of fire and death off in the distance. "Listen," Gronmir said. "There was nothing we could have done, okay?" Valkyrie didn't want to look directly in her brother's eyes, but he kept speaking. "Right now, the only thing we can do is get help." He pointed off a ways, to the river that flowed just beside the road they had taken. "We're going to follow the river and go to Markarth, alright?"
Valkyrie nodded, but should have known her brother's plans were in vain. The roar of the monstrous dragon sounded out yet again, now closer to them than it was to the village of Karthwasten. Both siblings took off running down the road, but their legs simply couldn't carry them fast enough. Within moments, the dragon was above them, having flown from the ruins of the village in a matter of moments. The great beast landed directly in front of the two, its weight shaking the ground so violently that both siblings lost their balance, falling to the ground. The dragon snarled at them, inching its maw closer, as though toying with them, attempting to bring out as much fear as it could.
It worked. Valkyrie was paralyzed, unable to move, unable to comprehend anything except the death that was staring her in the face. Gronmir, on the other hand, returned to his feet a moment later. He drew his only weapon, a rusty axe given to him by his father, and raised it at the dragon. "Valkyrie," he said, not taking his eyes off the beast. "Run!" These were the last words he ever spoke. Before the boy even got a chance to charge at the monster, its maw opened, and its jaw closed on Gronmir's body with a hideous crunch. The dragon toyed with his corpse for a moment, swinging it around in his mouth before letting go, sending what was left of Gronmir flying into the river bed. Then the dragon turned its attention to Valkyrie.
The girl was numb. Nothing mattered except that this horrible monster was going to kill her. She didn't want to die, dear Gods, she didn't want to die. The dragon moved its face closer, a gust of hot air from its nostrils blowing back Valkyrie's hair. It was then that a horrible, otherworldy voice came from the beast.
"Zu'u Alduin. Zok sahrot do naan ko Lein."
The monster's jaw unhinged like a snake, and within moments, Valkyrie was devoured.
3rd of Last Seed, 4E 200
Valkyrie shot up, suddenly awake, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her forehead. She was exactly where she had been hours before, lying next to a fire, camped out near the village of Ivarstead. Serana, who had neglected to go to sleep, sat on a nearby log, and upon her lover's waking up, turned to face her. "You alright?" The vampire asked. "You were mumbling in your sleep. More so than usual."
The Nord's heavy breathing had finally calmed down a bit, and she allowed herself to lay back down onto her bedroll, staring in silence at the night sky for a moment. "I..." she stammered. "I had a nightmare, I think." Serana left her seat next to the fire, and promptly walked over to sit beside Valkyrie on the ground. There was a lengthy silence that followed, Valkyrie shifting her gaze back and forth between the sky, the fire, and Serana, her lover. A former vampire hunter in love with one of the very creatures she vowed to destroy, an irony that cost her no small number of allies and friends. But Valkyrie didn't care. In the months she had known Serana, the vampire had been there for her in ways no one else had ever dared. Neither of them were going anywhere any time soon.
"Do you..." Serana spoke after a while, resting a hand on Valkyrie's shoulder as she sat up. "Want to talk about it? What was it about?"
"You know, it's the damnedest thing," Valkyrie said, not looking forward. "I can't even remember." There was a beat, mostly caused by the Nord almost hearing the sound of the vampire's brow furrowing, as she knew Valkyrie wasn't telling the truth. The Nord sighed, leaning forward, wrapping her arms around her legs.
"Val," Serana said softly, rubbing her hand across Valkyrie's back. "You know you can talk to me about anything. No matter what it is."
"I know," Valkyrie sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be dishonest with you, I just... just..."
"Take your time," the vampire tried to reassure her.
"The nerves are getting to me again, I guess."
"The Greybeards?" Serana asked.
"Not just them," Valkyrie explained. "Gunmar said they were masters of the Voice. The same power Durnehviir used to help us beat Harkon. These old men apparently have the power of dragons."
"So," the vampire said. "You think your supposed destiny everyone keeps telling you about involves dragons?"
"Maybe," the Nord shrugged. "In my dream, I was a little girl again. Back home with my father and brother in Karthwasten." Serana nodded, prompting her to continue. "They were training me how to fight, and everything seemed to be going well, but..." Valkyrie stopped short, struggling with the realities of what she had dreamt. "Then the village was attacked, my family was slaughtered. Not by vampires this time, but a dragon."
"Like Durnehviir?" Serana asked.
"No," Valkyrie shook her head. "This one looked nothing like Durnehviir. It had black scales, and this one also spoke but... its Voice." The Nord shuddered. "It was horrible. It was like talking to Hermaeus Mora again, but worse somehow." At last, she turned to face Serana. "I'm so confused," she continued. "I don't know what any of this means."
"Well," Serana said, moving a bit closer to the Nord. "Normally I'd tell you it's just a dream, not to worry about it too much. But..." She paused. "I don't know. If you used the Voice, something mortals can't normally do, and now you're being summoned by the only other mortals who can, there has to be something bigger going on."
Valkyrie sighed, followed by a short laugh. "We're just not cut out for a normal life, are we?"
"That ship sailed when I was offered to a Daedric Prince," The vampire smirked. "Besides, normal is overrated."
"Isn't that the truth?"
"Are you going to try and go back to sleep?" Serana asked.
"No, I doubt I'll be able to," Valkyrie said, slowly getting up from her bedroll. The Nord groaned, stretching out her limbs as she attempted to shake off the last of her sleepiness. "Besides," she added. "The sun will be coming up soon, and it's only a few hours' ride to Ivarstead." She turned back to Serana, now also on her feet. "We should hit the road."
The vampire nodded in response, and with a flick of her wrist, the campfire promptly went out. Valkyrie took the time to tend to her new horse, a young mare with a coat whiter than any snow the Nord had seen. She woke the creature up with a gentle pat on the neck, and the horse was on its feet in moments. "Hey girl," Valkyrie said softly, reaching into her pouch for an apple, one the horse happily devoured in an instant, bringing a smile to the Nord's face. She continued to pat the noble beast's neck for a time, making sure it was fully awake before attempting to saddle up. From behind, Valkyrie heard Serana chuckle.
"I've never seen you get so attached to a horse," the vampire said, already mounted on her own horse.
"What can I say?" Valkyrie shrugged. "I like this one." She put her foot into the stirrup, mounting her horse with ease as the creature let out a neigh. "Ready to ride, girl?" The Nord said, gently stroking the top of the horse's head.
"Have you-" Serana stopped short, letting out a discomforted groan. Valkyrie understood, this could only mean that the sun was almost on the horizon, and that it was time for them to go. "Have you decided what to name it?"
"Hmm..." Valkyrie pondered out loud. "Well, I've never seen a coat like this on a horse. It's unique, needs a unique name to go with it." She paused for a moment. "I think I'll go with..." She smiled, looking down at her horse, then back to Serana, the vampire eagerly awaiting her answer.
"Ivory."
A/N: Been a while hasn't it, my friends? I apologize for the lengthy delay in getting this prologue up but in between the end of Part I and now, I moved roughly 800 miles away from home, got a new job, and am currently living with my best friend. I thought I was an adult before, but now life is starting to kick my ass lol. In all seriousness though, I've just been taking time to settle in and get myself situated before plunging back into the world of fanfic.
I also have something of a slight announcement to make. So in addition to writing, recently I've also taken up the pursuit of one of my life's other great passions: Music. I'm doing vocals for a metal band based out of Warwick, Rhode Island called "Outlander." (Yes, it is indeed an Elder Scrolls reference hahaha). If you enjoy metal music and screaming and all that jazz, maybe consider doing us a favor and checking out our stuff? We currently have a few songs released on our YouTube channel, and hopefully will be out playing shows in the next few months (provided we can find a bassist who doesn't flake on us after a few practices). Just go on YouTube, type in "Outlander RI" and you'll find us, as well as links to all our social media. You aren't obligated to do so at all, but I would very much appreciate it.
Until next time, my friends...