Cold.
That was all that Glack-Al could feel as he lay in the snow. From the tip of his tail to the feathers on his head. All he could feel was cold. At least, in the parts of him that hadn't gone completely numb.
'I don't think there was enough fire salt in that soup.' he thought before he felt something kick him. 'Huh...almost felt that.' he thought as he grunted while moving his eye to see who had kicked him. He saw Tadal'alla standing over him and shouting something, but was too out of it to understand what she was saying. 'Oh no. She must be so worried. I gotta get up...I can't move. Too cold.' he thought before his vision went black.
It came back when he felt something start to shake him, his vision clearing for a moment to see his sister shaking him and yelling at him. 'Sorry...sis...my body won't listen to me.' he thought before blacking out a third time.
He woke up again to the sight of a group of people approaching them, the one in front looking like he was saying something and making Tadal'alla jump. '...who...are...' were his last thoughts before he blacked out again.
The next time he regained consciousness, his body felt more comfortable and a lot warmer than he remembered. His eyes slowly opened to a dark and unfamiliar stone room.
'Where am I?' he thought before trying to remember what happened. 'Tadal'alla and I were walking up to High Hrothgar. The weather got freezing...Oh yeah, I collapsed from the cold. Guess that fire salt soup didn't keep me as warm as I thought. Who were those people that I saw before blacking out? I gotta get up.' he thought before he tried to get up, only to find a heavy weight latched onto his right arm. 'What the- What's got me?' he thought as he tried to move his right arm. Whatever it was, it was large, warm...and furry?
"Mmmn."
Glack-Al blunk at the sound before he turned his head to the right to see a large lump under the covers of the bed he was lying in. He moved his left arm out, grabbed the covers, lifted them up...and put them back down. Then he lifted them up again...then put them back down again. Then he lifted a third time and just stared at Tadal'alla as she slept next to him, both in their underwear and her having a death grip on his arm.
'What in the name of the Hist is going on here?!' he mentally screamed as he did his best to keep calm and slowly lowered the covers. 'Why is she there?! Why are we almost naked in the same bed?! Where even is here?! Calm down!...Calm down.' he frantically thought before taking a few calming breaths. 'There's probably a reason for this. Just...nudge her awake and ask.' He slowly lifted the covers again and looked at her before he moved his right arm a bit.
"Tadal...Tadal'alla." he whispered, earning a groan from her. "Tadal'alla! Wake up!" he whispered loudly while shifting his body around, jostling her a bit.
"Huh?" Tadal'alla said as her eyes opened, her tired gaze looking up into her brothers eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds before her eyes shot open.
"GLACK!" she yelled as she released his arm, only to latch onto his neck and hug the stuffing out of him.
"Oof!" he grunted at the sudden embrace, hugging back out of reflex. "Whoa! What's with you all of a sudden?!"
"You collapsed in the snow! This one could not wake you! I...I..." she began before her eyes started to water. "I was afraid that you would not wake up! Even when they brought you in and covered you in all these blankets, you still wouldn't respond!"
"Was I really that out of it?" Glack-Al asked as he remembered the few times he was in and out of consciousness. "I remember you yelling at me, then a group of people approached, then...I was here."
"The Greybeards heard me yelling and came to investigate. They brought you in and placed you into this bed." Tadal'alla explained.
"Well, that explains how I got here." he said before looking at her. "But that doesn't explain why you were here. And in nothing but that." he finished as he gestured at her. Tadal'alla looked down at herself before covering her body with a blanket and blushing.
"T-This was for the purpose of warming you up! Nothing more!" she frantically stated before asking. "Are...you warm?"
"Yeah. A lot warmer than earlier. I can feel my limbs again." he said as he rubbed and flexed his fingers. "How long was I out?"
"Khajiit does not know, but I am glad that you're awake." she said with a smile before pointing at two pairs of clothing nearby. "Let us get changed. We must meet with the Greybeards." she said before tossing the blanket over his head, earning a "Hey!" from him. "No peeking."
"Why would I peek at you?" he grumbled.
The two siblings, fully clothed in warm clothing, were walking through High Hrothgar in search of the Greybeards. They saw a man in a dark cloak sitting on his knees on the ground, his eyes closed in meditation.
"Excuse me. Honorable Greybeard? My brother has awoken and we wish to speak with you." said Tadal'alla. The Greybeard opened his eyes and looked at them, smiled, then went back to his meditation.
"Uh, hello? Did you not hear her?" Glack-Al asked with a frown. The Greybeard merely looked at them again and smiled. "Not going to say anything?"
"If Master Einarth did respond, his Voice would likely tear you both asunder." said another Greybeard as he approached them. He was dressed like the Greybeard sitting and had his long beard tied in a knot under his chin. "How are you feeling, young one?"
"Better. My sister said that all of you helped me in and warmed me up after I collapsed. Thank you." Glack-Al said with a smile.
"You're quite welcome." the Greybeard said. "Your sister explained the reason for your arrival up here. Now that you are awake, we wish to see if this is true. Come. Follow me." he beckoned before walking away, with Einarth rising from where he sat and following. The siblings followed the two Greybeards to meet two more Greybeards awaiting them. "Now," the knotted Greybeard said as he turned and faced them. "Let us taste of your Voice."
"Do what?" Glack-Al asked in confusion.
"Shout at us." the Greybeard clarified.
"Shout at you? But wouldn't that hurt you?" Tadal'alla asked.
"Fear not. We have trained to withstand such power." said the Greybeard with the knotted beard as he stood before the two. "Now, each of you demonstrate your power.
"Very well. This one shall go first." Tadal'alla volunteered. She stood at a distance from him and...
"FUS!"
...Shouted at him, making him stumble on his feet.
"Incredible. To have the Dragonborn of legend stand before us." said the Greybeard before turning towards Glack-Al. "Your turn."
"Alright." Glack said with a confident grin before he took a deep breath and...
"FU-FU-FWACHOO!"
Everyone was just staring with wide eyes for a few moments before roaring laughter came out of Tadal'alla.
"AHAAAAAHAHAHAHA!" she laughed, falling to her knees and holding her sides before she fell over and rolled on the floor as Glack-Al stood there, his cheeks turning a little red.
"S-Shut up! I just sneezed is a-a-aacpckbt!" Glack-Al snapped before sneezing again, making his sister laugh harder. He and the Greybeards simply watched her laugh before she devolved into little giggles, then finally calmed down. "You done?"
"Yes. Nice Shout, brother." she said with a grin, making him glare at her.
"Hmm. Perhaps the cold weather during your journey has giving you a bit of a cold." the knotted Greybeard wondered out loud. "We can try again later when you feel better."
"No no. I can do this." Glack protested. He took a few deep breaths before...
"FUS!"
...Shouting at the Greybeard, making him stumble a bit before he stood up straight.
"Not one, but two Dragonborn stand before us." the Greybeard said with a smile. "Welcome to High Hrothgar."
"Thanks." Glack-Al said before sneezing again.
"I am Master Arngeir. These are Masters Borri, Einarth and Wulfgar." Arngeir introduced.
"This one is Tadal'alla." she said before Glack-Al sneezed again. "And the Argonian with the sniffles is my step-brother, Glack-Al."
"Hi." Glack-Al said before sniffling again.
"Now then, tell me, Dragonborn, why have you both come here?" Arngeir asked.
"What kind of question is that? We came because you summoned us up here." Glack-Al stated.
"True, but did you understand what it meant at first when we summoned you?" Arngeir asked.
"No. We were unaware at the time. The Jarl of Whiterun was the one who explained that your shouts were you summoning us." Tadal'alla explained. "Why did you summon us here, anyway?"
"As the Greybeards before us have sought to guide those with Dragon Blood before us have done, so too do we wish to guide you." Arngeir answered.
"Before? You mean there were Dragonborn before us?" Glack-Al asked in surprise.
"Indeed. Neither of you are the first Dragonborn. There have been many of the Dragon Blood since Akatosh bestowed that gift upon mortalkind. You two may or may not be the only Dragonborn of our age. We do know that you are the only ones that have been revealed thus far."
"So there could actually be dozens of Dragonborn out there, but none of them would know unless they take a dragon's soul like we have?" Tadal'alla asked.
"Precisely." Arngeir said with a nod. "But that is not important at the moment. What is important is the decision you two make. We have much to teach you in the Way of the Voice, if you are willing to accept our guidance."
"You're not going to ask us to stay up here on this cold mountain, are you?" Glack-Al asked while rubbing his arms to warm up a little. "I'm all for learning this, but I don't plan on staying here any longer than I have to."
"While that would be ideal for others wishing to learn, that is not quite necessary for either of you." said Arngeir. "Tell me, when did you two learn of 'Fus', the first word of Unrelenting Force?"
"The Shout we did earlier? We discovered it on this strange wall in a place called Bleak Falls Barrow." Tadal'alla answered. "And what do you mean by 'first word?'"
"Before we answer, we must know. Are you willing to learn?" Arngeir asked. The siblings looked at each other before taking a few steps away to whisper.
"Should we do this? I'm all for learning this stuff if we don't have to stay up here on this frozen peak, but what if they want us to start doing and not doing certain things?" Glack-Al asked.
"Those are risks we'll have to take. If dragons are returning, we may be the only ones who can stop them." Tadal'alla reasoned.
"Hmm. Point taken." Glack-Al said with a nod before they turned back to the Greybeards. "Alright. We're willing to learn, Master Arngeir."
"Excellent. Now, we shall begin by explaining what being Dragonborn means." Arngeir began. He explained how Dragonborn were those who had the body of a mortal, but the blood and soul of a dragon, and that it was a blessing from Akatosh upon mortalkind. He went on to explain how Dragonborn could absorb the life force of slain dragons, the same ability that dragons have, and could learn Words of Power and unlock their understanding far quicker than regular people can.
"When you saw the first word of Unrelenting Force, Fus, you said that your minds felt cloudy, correct?" Arngeir asked.
"That's right. It was like a fog in our minds." Tadal'alla answered.
"But after we each slayed a dragon and absorbed their souls, it was like the fog cleared and we had known about what the word meant all our lives." Glack-Al added. "Is this what all Dragonborn can do?"
"Correct." Arngeir said with a nod before turning to Einarth. "Master Einarth, if you would."
Einarth nodded before stepping forward.
"Ro..."
The siblings watched as the word 'Ro' appeared on the ground in the same writing they saw in Bleak Falls Barrow.
"What is this?" Glack asked.
"This is the second Word of Unrelenting Force. Ro, or Balance, combined with Fus, Force, will focus your Thu'um more sharply." Arngeir explained as the siblings looked at the word. They stared for a second before a familiar fog entered their minds. "You learn a new world like a master...you truly do have a gift."
"No. What we have is more fog on our minds." Glack-Al responded while blinking a few times.
"Then allow Master Einarth's knowledge of 'Ro' to clear the fog." Arngeir said. Both siblings watched as a strange power emanated from Einarth and into them, their understanding of 'Ro' becoming clear. "Normally, it would take one years of practice to understand it's meaning before using it in a Shout. However, being Dragonborn, your absorption of a dragon's life force unlocks that knowledge in an instant. Now, to test your Shout."
"Fiik...Lo...Sah!" Shouted Borri, creating a man shaped silhouette before them.
"Use Unrelenting Force on the targets as they appear." Arngeir instructed. Tadal'alla stepped forward first before shouting "FUS...RO!" at the target, making it stumble before disappearing.
"Well done. Now, you try." Arngeir instructed at Glack-Al. He stepped forward as Einarth summoned a target. The Argonian did the same shout as his sister, making the target stumble before disappearing. Both siblings did this a few more times with a few more targets before Arngeir stepped forward. "Very impressive. Both of your Thu'um is precise. You show great promise."
"Heh. These trials seem rather easy." Glack-Al said with a grin.
"Then the next task should be rather easy. Follow Master Borri out into the courtyard for your next trial." Arngeir instructed.
"...You mean outside...in the cold?" Glack-Al asked with a faltering smile.
"Oh, come on. It'll be easy." Tadal'alla teased with her own grin as everyone followed Borri outside. The cold hit them, though the warm clothing kept them from freezing on the spot.
"Guugh! I hate the cold." Glack-Al grumbled.
"The next trial shall not take very long." Arngeir reassured. "We will now see how you learn a completely new Shout. Master Borri will teach you 'Wuld' which means Whirlwind."
"Wuld!" Borri Shouted at the ground, the word looking as if it were burned into the snow. Both siblings studied the word before their minds fogged again.
"You must hear the word within yourself before you can project it into a Thu'um. Approach Master Borri, and he will gift you his knowledge of 'Wuld.'" Arngeir instructed. The siblings did as instructed and were gifted the knowledge of 'Wuld' from Borri. "Now we will see how quickly you can master a new Shout. Master Wulfgar will demonstrate Whirlwind Sprint. Then each of you shall try. Master Borri."
"Bex!" Borri shouted at an iron gate, causing it to open.
"Wuld...Nah...KEST!" Wulfgar Shouted, causing him to instantly move through the gate before it closed behind him.
"Whoa! That was fast!" Glack-Al said in astonishment.
"Such is the power of Whirlwind Sprint. Now, each of you try." Arngeir ordered.
"This one will go first." Tadal'alla volunteered before moving into place. She waited until Borri Shouted the gate open before Shouting "WULD!", causing her to fly through the gate before it closed. She made it through, but tripped and wound up rolling across the snow before smacking into a snowbank.
"HAHAHA! A SNOW SABRECAT!" Glack-Al laughed as his sister quickly got out of the snow, her fur covered in the white powder. He kept laughing until he suddenly got a snowball in the face. "Oh ho ho. You're gonna get it now!" he said as he gathered snow before chucking a snowball at her, which she dodged.
"Missed me!" she laughed before throwing another at him, only to be smacked with it after he slapped it back with his tail.
"Got you that time!" Glack-Al chuckled as he threw another. Both siblings kept on laughing and throwing snowballs, completely ignorant to Arngeir trying to get their attention.
"Dragonborn! Please! Cease this childish behavior at once!" the Greybeard snapped at the two. When they kept on with their shenanigans, Arngeir decided to put his foot down.
"FO!" he Shouted, sending frost across both siblings and reducing them to shivering wrecks.
"GAH! C-C-COLD!" Glack-Al yelped, his knees knocking together as his scales turned a little blue.
"T-This one's w-w-whiskers are f-f-frozen!" Tadal'alla complained.
"If you two are quite finished playing around, we still need to see how Glack-Al here takes to a new Shout." Arngeir said with a stern frown.
"A-Alright! I'll do it! J-J-Just don't do that...that Shout again!" Glack-Al got out before he got into position while furiously rubbing his arms.
"Master Borri." Arngeir said.
"Bex!" Borri shouted, causing the gate to open once more.
"W-W-WACHOO! W-Wuld!" Glack-Al Shouted after sneezing, causing him to rush forward-
CLANG!
-and smack into the gate since the sneeze cost him too much time before the gate slammed shut.
"...ow." he muttered before fell backwards into the snow. He would've heard his sister laughing at him, had his ears not been ringing from the impact.
"Oh dear." Arngeir said in worry before reaching into his robe and pulling out a health potion. "Drink this." he said to the stunned Argonian. Glack-Al's eyes were spinning before he shook his head and focused on the vial.
"Thanks." he said before downing the potion.
"Your tone says that this has happened before." Tadal'alla spoke up, her grin never leaving since she saw her brother smack into the gate.
"More times in my life than you know." Arngeir answered with a tired sigh. "Shall we try again?"
"Yeah. I...I got this." Glack-Al said with confidence as he got back into position."
"Bex!"
The gate opened...
"WULD!"
And Glack-Al sped through before it shut.
"T-T-T-That good enough?" Glack-Al asked through his chattering teeth.
"Indeed." Arngeir said with a nod.
"Good. I'm going inside." Glack-Al stated before turning towards the monastery.
"Really? Don't you want to know-" Arngeir began before Glack-Al sent him a glare more frigid than the air around them.
"It's cold. I'm freezing. I'm losing feeling in my tail. Whatever you want to say, say it inside the warm building. I'm. Going. Inside!" he stated before trudging towards the building and slamming the door shut behind him.
"Hmm. Never had a student quite so...upset." Arngeir stated.
"Trust Khajiit. That was nowhere near upset." Tadal'alla said. "I do apologize for his behavior."
"No worries. We've never had an Argonian here before. At least, none that ever made it all the way up here." Arngeir informed her. "Let us join your brother."
"What about the rest of the trials?" Tadal'alla asked.
"This was the only trial that required us to be outside. And as for the other trials, we have but one left. Now, let us go inside." Arngeir ordered.
Glack-Al sneezed as he held his hands up to a torch for warmth, his body shivering from being out in the cold.
"Why? Why up on a f-f-frozen mountain?" he asked himself before curling in on himself when Arngeir and Tadal'alla came in, a gust of wind blowing with them before they shut the door. "I hate th-th-this p-p-place!"
"Stop complaining. It is not like we are staying here our whole lives." Tadal'alla said.
"I know that!" Glack-Al snapped before breathing on his hands. "Who's idea w-w-was it to put a monast-st-stery up here in the f-f-first place?!"
"Jurgen Windcaller." Arngeir answered. "He built this monastery and founded the Greybeards during the First Era."
"Okay...but why?" Glack-Al asked.
"The answer to that starts many years ago, during the First Era." Arngeir began before Einarth light tapped a bowl, it's contents steaming. "Oh, but before that, let us have dinner."
A few moments later had the two siblings sitting with the Greybeards and eating hot soup and bread, warming the group up with each spoonful. As they ate, Arngeir told the tale of Jurgen Windcaller, his defeat at Red Mountain, his peaceful change in life, founding the Greybeards and more.
"And now he lays in his tomb in the ancient fane of Ustengrav, which contains his horn. I want you two to retrieve it and bring it back here. That will be your final trial." Arngeir instructed. "Do you have any questions on the matter, or in general?"
"This one has a question." Tadal'alla spoke up. "It concerns that dragons we have faced in battle so far." she said before telling them of their victories over the two different dragons and how each battle went. "My question is thus: How was one dragon easier to defeat than the other?"
"Simple. All dragons are different from each other." Arngeir answered. "Just as us Greybeards are different, or how you two are different from other Argonians and Khajiits. Some are simply stronger than the other."
"Huh. Well, that explains that." Glack-Al said before continuing. "I have a question. Out in the courtyard, I saw this path that had wind and snow blowing far worse than what we dealt with on the way up here. What was that?"
"That pathway leads up to the Throat of the World, the very top of the mountain. The barrier was set up by our leader, Parthuumax, to give him privacy." Arngeir answered.
"Paarthurnax? So there are five of you up here?" Glack-Al asked.
"Indeed. And before you ask, you may see him when we believe you are ready." Arngeir stated.
"Very well." Tadal'alla said before pulling out her map. "Where is Ustengrav located?"
"Let me see...here." Arngeir said as he pointed at a spot on the map that lay between the Holds of Solitude, Morthal and Dawnstar. "This is where Ustengrav is located."
"So you want us to go in, grab his horn, then come back? Easy." Glack-Al said before sneezing.
"Easy...right." Tadal'alla scoffed. "Well, we best get ready to leave tomorrow." Tadal'alla said before Glack-Al started sneezing again. "Or...maybe after my brother fully recovers?" she suggested.
-Two days pass-
It was morning of the third day and the siblings were making a final check of their belongings before they were to make the journey back down the mountain.
"Clothes...more hot soup...other provisions...all here." Tadal'alla checked off.
"Thank you again for letting us stay until I got over my cold." Glack-Al said in gratitude.
"Any time. Now, Ustengrav is quite a ways from here, and we know that Skyrim is fraught with many perils, so we don't expect you to return immediately." Arngeir said as he and the other Greybeards stood there to see them off. "Now, remember what we told you."
"Always be on the lookout for more Words of Power. Never underestimate any dragon. Don't use our Shouts on the innocent. We remember." Glack-Al recited. "Well, it's been fun, but we have to go now."
"Agreed. Thank you again." Tadal'alla said before they all walked out the front doors of the monastery, the wind and snow blowing harshly.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me! It's been like this since we got here!" Glack-Al complained.
"Allow us, Dragonborn." Arngeir said with a smile before he and his fellow Greybeards stepped forward, their collective gaze towards the clouds.
"LOK...VAH...KOOR!" they Shouted towards the heavens, their collective Thu'um smashing into the sky. The effect was instantaneous. One moment, the weather was a harsh blizzard. The next? Clear skies and a calm breeze, the sun's warm rays uninhibited by any clouds.
"By the Hist." Glack-Al said in awe, he and Tadal'alla's eyes wide as dinner plates.
"The skies should be clear long enough for you to make it back down the mountain." Arngeir said as the other Greybeards went back inside. "Sky above. Voice within." Arngeir recited before joining his fellow Greybeards inside.
"You think we'll be able to do Shouts like that?" Glack-Al asked.
"Perhaps someday, but that is something to think about in the future." she answered before she started walking. "Let us go. We don't want to be on this mountain when that blizzard returns."
"Right behind you!" Glack-Al said as he quickly followed her.
True to Arngeir's words, the skies were still clear as the siblings reached the bottom of the steps.
"You'd think going down the stairs would be a lot less tiring than going up." Glack-Al grumbled as he and Tadal'alla rested on the bottom steps. "My feet are killing me."
"Mine too." Tadal'alla said as she removed her boots and stretched her feet out, eliciting some pops from them. "I must ask Klimmek how he makes the journey up there so many times."
"Excuse me."
Both siblings turned to see a small platoon of guards standing before them.
"It seems you two have made the journey to and from High Hrothgar without any problems. Glad to see you're still alive." the guard leading them said.
"This one recognizes your voice. You are the same guard that left for Riften a few days ago." she stated.
"That's right. Glad you remember." the guard said. "Now, I hate to bother you after all you've done, but we have orders from the Jarl to escort you back to Riften. They've heard about you and wish to meet you."
"Why? They want to thank us for taking care of a dragon that was attacking a town in their hold?" Glack-Al asked.
"Some thanks!" Glack-Al snapped in anger from inside a Riften cell.