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Dragonborn and Vanadis – Chapter 20
Much have happened since the Battle of the Mereville Fields, where Thenardier met his end and marked the end of the civil war in Brune.
Ten days after the battle, a formal triumph was proceeding within the kingdom's capital, Nice. The event mainly revolved around Tigre, who was viewed by the populace as a hero and savior to Brune due to his actions in stopping the civil war and halting Muozinel's invasion.
The civilians were quick to shower Tigre with praise as they threw flowers to the air. They also gave praises to the others who accompanied the archer in stopping the civil war, especially to the Vanadises despite them being from Zhcted.
Due to the occasion, almost everyone wore formal clothing except for Ellen and Mila; choosing to wear a mantle over their battle outfits out of courtesy.
However, there was one person missing from the triumph and that was Fenris.
When they first arrived in Nice, he received an uneasy welcome due to his supernatural abilities and fearsome reputation. Despite proving to the civilians isn't the demon that the rumors dictated, Fenris knew it will be a while before they would in a good light.
For this, Fenris focused his efforts into being more human and avoid actions that would create rumors that would demonize him further. He chose to restrict his use of magic, which he would use in dire circumstances. Instead, he would emphasise more on his martial prowess; following closer to the warrior roots of his race.
However, he couldn't follow through with this just yet for there was something that requires his full attention.
A few days before the triumph, Badouin chose to place his faith in the Dragonborn and lead him to the king's chambers. There, Fenris was doing what he can to treat Faron, the King of Brune. His body was ravaged by his strange illness and was currently in coma.
Fenris spend most of his days in Nice tending to him; using his spells to find the origin and properties of the illness while applying treatment. Due to the circumstances, he was only allowed to report his findings to Badouin himself regarding the king's status.
What he had to report to the Prime Minister however wasn't good news.
For one, Fenris learned via Afflication Scan that the king wasn't ravaged by illness that many people thought. Much to his shock, he had a strange type of poison in his body and it was surprisingly resistant to Restoration spells.
Despite his best efforts, Fenris was only able to remove a portion of the poison from Faron. The rest were too embedded in the king's body to be fully removed.
Not only that, the poison also made the treatment of his body very difficulty and combined with the damage it has inflicted, the odds of Faron making even a partial recovery was slim at best.
Fenris knew all he could do now was try to wake Faron from his coma and prolong his life long enough for him to see his daughter Regin one last time.
It was only a day before the triumph that Fenris was able to achieve this goal for Faron finally woke up from his coma.
After telling the Badouin about the news, the two then went to the king and told him about the civil war that occurred in Brune. As expected, Faron was both skeptic and cautious of Fenris when the Prime Minister told him about the Dragonborn.
Luckily, Fenris manage to make good use of his skill in Speechcraft in assuring that he isn't a threat and that he helped in ending the Brune civil war.
He stood by Faron side even on the day of the triumph as he used his Restoration spells to comfort him despite some of the poison still linger in his body. While Fenris deeply apologized for his inability to cure him, the king accepted his fate and thanked for his efforts.
Much to his surprise, Sophie came into the king's chamber as a representative of Zhcted. While surprised as well, she was happy to see the Dragonborn again.
Some time later, Badouin came into then came into the chamber and behind him was Tigre along with the others.
Faron and Tigre soon have a discussion regarding the reward the archer should receive for his service to Brune.
It was then agreed upon that Brune pay large sum on gold to Zhcted for their aid in ending the civil war and also pay for their war expenses. Not only that, the former would give the lands of Agnes to the latter and that both kingdoms would enter a mutual non-aggression treaty.
Fenris smiled as Regin was now officially recognized as Princess and thus the next in line for the throne. All the struggles and pain she had to endure to accomplish her goal has finally paid off.
However, he noticed that Badouin shook a little when Faron granted Tigre the title of Lumiere; Knight of Moonlight. Fenris wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that the Tigre's new title is one of significant status.
Tigre still remains a prisoner of war, but Regin stated to Ellen hat when the mutual non-aggression treaty ends, she has to return back to Brune.
While Ellen promised that she will return Tigre in three years time, Fenris had a good feeling that she is going to try to convince the archer to join her side.
Then again, Fenris saw it was a good idea for Tigre to be out of Brune for a while. While Duke Thenardier was dead, his supporters still live and would no doubt what for an opportunity to take revenge.
In a few days since the celebration of the end of the civil war and everyone return back to their respective homes and lands, Faron died peaceful and Regin then became Queen of Brune.
Now, six months has passed as everyone continue to carry on with their lives. For Fenris however, his life is not as peaceful as it seems...
"Its over!"
Fenris shouted as he charged with Dragonbane in his hands against his foe, which was a Frost Dragon from Tamriel. He swiftly jumped onto the dragon's head just as it tried to bite him during his charge.
Recently turned twenty-one just a month ago, he still retains his usual appearance and physique except now his brown hair grew a few inches longer.
He was returning to Leitmeritz from his trip to Legnica and was going through when a dragon suddenly landed in front of him and was quite eager to kill the Dragonborn.
After gesturing his horse to get to a safe distance, Fenris prepared himself for a fight as he dropped his longsword and travel before he drew Dragonbane from its sheath.
The fighting raged for about five minutes and despite the dragon's aggressiveness, Fenris manages to evades its attacks while delivering powerful attacks of his own; his katana, magics and Shouts.
In the end, Fenris thrusted Dragonbane deep into its skull. After making a pained roar, the dragon then dropped to ground dead just as its flesh begun to burn away.
After absorbing the dragon's soul, he briefly inspected its skeleton before he notice something within its ribcage where the stomach use to be.
"Poor soul..."
Fenris made a sad frown as he saw there was a humanoid skeleton that was clutching onto the remains of a leather bag. Near it was a Nordic carved sword.
Dragons had a tendency to consume anyone they attack and there were cases that some were swallowed alive. While soft material such as flesh, food, leather would break down in a dragon's stomach, those like metal, gems and weapons have much greater lifespan.
It was no surprise that Fenris would find much valuables within the dragons he slain back in Skyrim. It wasn't the case with dragons that came to this world, but wasn't bothered since he wanted to keep those around him safe from their attacks.
After carefully removing the remains, Fenris showed his courtesy by it giving a proper burial. Lacking a shovel, he had to bury the bones under any pieces of stone around him.
"It's so sad to have your bone buried so far from home..." He whispered out after he finished burying the remains and using the Nordic sword as a marker.
After that, Fenris then looked into the degraded leather bag to see if they is anything of value he could use.
His eye widened as he saw the contents that was within the bag. Inside were a handful of assorted gems such as rubies, sapphires and diamonds along with two ebony ingots.
While many would be overjoyed to such a treasure since the gems would be worth a small fortune, Fenris was more interested on the ebony ingots.
Ebony was a highly valued material in Tamriel and is used in the forging of powerful weapons and armor. It was also one of the essential components needed in the creation of Dragonbone weaponry.
Fenris was working on making a Dragonbone greatsword since two weeks ago and believed he would have to use of another metal to act as a substitute to Ebony. Now, he has what he need to ensure that the greatsword could be use to its full potential.
"Well I be... These are keepers alright."
After whistling his horse to return back to him, Fenris picked up his longsword and travel bag, which he then put in the gems and ingots.
While he could collect some of the bones and scales from the dragon's remains, he didn't want to overburden himself and his horse due to their weight.
With that done, the Dragonborn continued his ride back to Leitmeritz as he left the dragon's skeleton behind for all who passes by to see.
When it was close to sunset, Fenris finally arrived at the gates of Leitmeritz's capital city.
Upon stopping at the stable, he got off his horse and slowly made his way to the Imperial Palace and carried with him his travel bag.
When he reached the palace's gates, Fenris was then greeted by Titta, who was as of now sixteen years old.
"Welcome back Fenris."
She said to the Dragonborn with a smile, which he gave her a smile of his own.
"Good to see you as well Titta. Is Tigre around?"
"No. Tigre-sama just went on a five-day hunting trip to the outskirts and Bertrand accompanied him."
"I see."
Both Titta and Bertrand accompanied Tigre back to Zhcted as he continues to be Ellen's prisoner of war. Fenris knew they were very loyal to the archer and it was a quality that he respected greatly.
At first, Bertrand was worried that he may not be able to accompany Tigre due to his old age along with his injury back at Saint-Groel.
However, Fenris made use of his Restoration spells and medical skills to ensure that the old man remained healthy during the trip to Zhcted. He also reassured him that his head injury wouldn't have an impact on his health. Every now and then, Fenris would also give check-ups to Bertrand to ensure his well-being.
After saying goodbye to the maid, Fenris entered the Imperial Palace. Moving thought the hallways, he was now in front of the door to Ellen's office.
After giving it a light knock, they heard Ellen's voice from the office.
"Come in."
When he opened the door, Fenris saw Ellen and Lim were handling paperwork and they still plenty to go based on the number of books on the table.
Ellen was wearing one of her silk dress while Lim as usual wore her standard outfit. They were also now seventeen and twenty years-old respectively.
"Ah Fenris. You are back safely." Ellen made a happy expression when she saw him while Lim greeted him with a smile.
"That I am." Fenris asked as he closed the door and took a seat on a chair. "Everything is well at Legnica."
"Good to her, but more importantly..." Ellen put down her papers and looked at Fenris with hopeful eyes. "Tell me about Sasha. Are the rumors true?"
"Indeed. She is recovering faster than I anticipated." Fenris said. "When I got to Legnica..."
When Fenris went to Legnica three months to check-up on Sasha and recharge the Siphon Amulet with Divine Cleanse, he was surprised that the spell was more effective than he anticipated.
From what the old servant told him, Sasha stated that she feels a sliver of strength returning to her body each passing day ever since she wore the Siphon Amulet. This was apparently the case when Fenris entered her room and saw her looking through the window while standing on her feet
While Sasha can only stand for a few minutes and had trouble walking without any support, Fenris knew that she was now much heathier than the last time they met.
Fenris believed at the rate Sasha is recovering, it would take another six to nine months that she would be cured of her illness. However, Divine Cleanse once again exceeded the expectations of its creator.
Three months later, word begun to spread across Zchted that the Sasha begun to take an active role in governing Legnica once again. Intrigued of the news, Ellen was quick to ask to Fenris to once again check on her friend and see if the rumors were indeed true.
When Fenris once again travelled to the capital of Legnica a few days ago, he was very surprised to see the Fire Vanadis herself greeting him at the palace's entrance.
After checking up on her, he found that Sasha still isn't completely cured and need to keep wearing the Siphon Amulet. However, she regained much of her strength that she previous lost to her illness and is now capable of moving on her own with little difficulty.
While she would suffer short bouts of fatigue due to her illness and it would take another few months before she would be cured, Sasha was nevertheless overjoyed that she could finally move under her own strength again.
Not only she gave Fenris her deepest gratitude, but also offer a substantial reward of his choice for everything he did for her. However, he politely rejected Sasha's offer and told her that seeing her recovering from her illness was reward enough.
"That was very humble of you." Lim said as she took in everything that Fenris.
"Then again, having Sasha's favour is a reward in itself." Ellen noted. "Thank you Fenris. It really means so much to me that you were able to treat her illness."
"Don't mention it." Fenris said after making a light chuckle. "I would also consider my spar with as a reward as well.
"What?"
Ellen and Lim looked at Fenris with a surprised look on their faces.
"Well after checking up on her, Sasha asked if she could spar with me in the palace's courtyard. I can tell you she definitely lives up to her reputation."
Fenris begun to explain Sasha's motive and the outcome of the spar.
Sasha was intrigued of the stories from some of her soldiers, who were involved in the Battle of Boroszlo Plains and witnessed Fenris in the heat of battle.
Six months, she didn't have the luxury of moving her body; let alone the opportunity to test Fenris's prowess face-to-face. Now that she regained much of her strength, Sasha could finally spar with the Fenris himself.
As for the Dragonborn, he heard from the people of Legnica that before being bedridden by her illness, Sasha was viewed as the strongest Vanadis. He too has the opportunity to test his mettle against the Fire Vanadis.
Sasha would use Bargren, Dragon Tool in the form of twin daggers while Fenris wielded his remaining katana with two hands, which temporarily sealing the enchantment on it
Even though it only lasted for seven minutes, the spar between Fenris and Sasha was something that those observing would remember for a long time.
Despite her slim physique, Sasha was able to match Fenris's movements and every time he tried to deliver a blow, she would either dodge or parry. However, she also had the same amount of trouble against Fenris for he blocks all her own blows with remarkable speed and reflex.
Fenris made use of feints in order to catch Sasha off guard while quickly analysing her moves. The Fire Vanadis however quickly caught on to them and maintained a cautious assault on the Dragonborn to avoid giving him an opening to exploit. Despite their efforts, neither of them were able to get an advantage over the other. Virtually, Fenris and Sasha were equal when it came to strength, agility and unyielding resolve.
The clash would have last longer if not for Sasha suffering from a sudden bout of weakness and Fenris quickly calling off the spar.
Nevertheless, they both praised their respective skills and worthy of their respective titles; Sasha as the strongest Vanadis and Fenris as Dragonborn.
"I'm impressive." Ellen look in awe at Fenris after he described how the spar between him and Sasha went. "You were able to stand on equal ground with Sasha..."
"She felt the same way." Fenris said just as he got up and placed his travel bag on the table. "Before I forget, I have a present for you."
Ellen and Lim looked at the bag with interest and were shocked when he presented its contents; the gems and the ebony ingots.
"Where did you these?" Lim questioned as she picked up a diamond amongst the gems and examined it.
It was then Fenris told them what happened when he was returning back to Leitmeritz, where he fought against the dragon, buried the remains of its unfortunate victim and recovered the gems and ebony ingots.
"I see... I'm relieved were able to defeat that dragon and be in one piece."
Ellen looked upon the gems in amazement since she never seen this much before in her life. Even though the gems came from Tamriel, it was indistinguishable from those found in Zhcted or anywhere else in the world.
"Are you sure you want to give these to Eleonora-sama? These would be worth a small fortune if sold to right buyer."
Lim said in a surprised tone, which Fenris made a light chuckle.
"That is why I'm giving the gems to Ellen." He told her. "I know she would put the gold she would get from selling them to good use. I'll be taking the ingots though."
"Why's that?" Ellen inspected one of the ebony ingots along with Lim. From their point of view, it was just some form of blackish iron.
"Well you see Ellen, these ingots are from a metal known as ebony, which was highly sought after in my world."
Fenris told her as he then provided a brief description of the properties of ebony.
Of all the metals that could be mined in Tamriel, ebony is both the rarest and the most valued of them all. Highly valued for their incredible strength and durability, ebony is used to make elegant weapons and armor.
"Wait..."
Lim said as she remembers hearing that name. It was when Fenris told them his intention of create a greatsword from what bones were recovered from the dragon that he slain after the Battle of Molsheim Plains six months ago.
"I do remember you said something about not having any spare ebony. Are you referring to...?"
"The ingot you two are looking upon? Yes Lim, that is what I was referring to back then."
"Well I be..." Ellen muttered as continue to look upon the ebony ingot in her hands.
When Fenris first started to create the greatsword, she watched in fascination as he used a special set of tools he had with him to carve a portion of a dragon's rib bone into an actual blade. The fact he was able to chisel out the center of the blade without compromising the bone in any way shows how skilled a craftsman he is.
He also made sure that the blade is highly secured in his room and didn't hesitate to set up a various Runes to deter any potential thieves.
"Since you now have the metal you need, when will you be able finish this Dragonbone Greatsword?"
Ellen asked as she put the ingot back into Fenris's bag and looked at Fenris.
"If you allow me the full use of a personal blacksmith workshop, I believe I could I could complete it within three to five days."
The Wind Vanadis had a thoughtful look as she ponders over his request for a few moments before she nodded with a smile.
"Very well. I can set up one for you, but I expect a demonstration of your greatsword when you are finished."
"Not a problem." Fenris told Ellen as he took the two ebony ingots out of his bag while leaving the gems behind. "I'll be bringing these to my room. Be sure to tell me when you get the workshop ready."
With that, Fenris soon left Ellen's office and return to his room so he could prepare himself when the blacksmith workshop is ready. While it been some time since he actually did any sort of smithing here or in Skyrim, it was nevertheless a skill that he highly valued and would never forget.
He soon reminisced of items that he smithed by his own hands and all the effort he put into improving them. It was through this that Fenris able to perfect his crafting of equipment made from dragon bone and scales.
"Wait... Now I think of it..." Fenris muttered as he knew there was still plenty of dragon bone left in storage and not all the Dragonbone weapons he made in the past needed ebony.
Such as arrows.
"I wonder what Tigre would think if I gifted him a quiver of Dragonbone arrows..."
Author's Note:
My apologizes for the short chapter, but I had a number of complications that hampered my attempts to write and update. For one, I intended to upload a new chapter three weeks ago, but, but my hard drive which contained my stories died and the files were not recoverable. While I had backups in a flash drive, the newest chapter to Dragonborn to Vanadis was unfortunately not stored in it.
As a result, I had to write everything from scratch and it didn't help when I hurt my hand about a week ago. After some thought, I decided to do a short chapter to mark the start of Arc 2.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter.
Harem: Ellen, Lim, Mila, Sofy, Liza, Valentina(1), Olga, Sasha, Fine(1)
(1) I have decided to include these two to the harem, regardless of their actions in the Light Novel. I've already have some ideas how to make such a thing feasible, but that is only much later on in the story.