Thank you Lawrence HBain, pir84lyf and madmick74 for following the story. I hope you're enjoying it so far!
Lawrence HBain- "Maybe Lars/Jenessa/Lydia? Cause while I was already interested in the coming relationship with Lydia you made one with Jen interesting too…"
Answer: Maybe! Jenassa will definitely appear in later chapters though I am unsure about the 3 way between all 3. Let me know if ya guys want Lydia/Lars/Jenassa or just a Lydia/Lars!
I am sorry it didn't come out on the intended date ;-;. I have been rather busy but I hope you forgive me! Anyways I hope all of you enjoy the newest chapter of Iron and Magic.
As the duo made their way towards the bridge that led to the 7,000 steps, Lars saw Gwilin and Klimmek in the middle of a conversation.
"On your way to the 7,000 steps again, ey Klimmek?"
The old nord chuckled, "Not today. I'm just not ready to make that climb to High Hrothgar. The path isn't safe."
The answer gave the elven man a look of surprise.
"Aren't the Greybeards expecting some supplies?"
"Honestly. I am not certain. I've yet to be allowed into the Monastery. Perhaps one day."
"That's because you ain't one of them yet Klim."
Klimmek looked towards where that came from and saw Lars standing there with an unknown woman.
"Ahh Lars it's you!" looking at the unknown woman. "And you're smitten now?"
"Why do people-," sighing loudly, "No she isn't my wife Klimmek. Lydia, this is Klimmek. Klimmek, this is Lydia, my housecarl."
Klimmek gave her a once over before responding with, "Ahhh. Well. Keep my boy here safe alright? He sometimes acts before he thinks."
"Klimmek, I know how to protect myself quite well."
Lydia just smiled.
"Don't worry. I am his housecarl. That is kind of my job."
Lars annoyingly sighed, while walking over the bridge, and said, "C'mon Lydia. Let's get going."
As they made their way up the 7,000 steps, they didn't get more than a couple before they came across some type of alcove. It was old and ancient but seemed still in very good shape.
"Before the birth of Men, the Dragons ruled all Mundus. Their word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs. For their Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land." it read.
"Hmmm , I read about these tablets. If I am correct, as we climb more, it should tell us the history of not only Skyrim's past but this mountain's history."
They made their way up towards the 7,000, a few hours passed of silence before Lydia spoke.
"So what was your childhood like Lars?"
Lars was taken aback by this sudden question from her.
"Why?" he questioned.
"Well I just thought since we'll probably be traveling with each other for a while, it'd be good for us to know each other." she answered.
"That made sense." He thought.
"Well I was in a hurry last time we spoke. I am from Rorikstead, born to a single father. Never really knew much about gods or stuff until a woman named Silania Petreia took me away when I was 6. From there I was taken to Solitude to study on the divines and where I first learned I had an affinity for magic."
Lydia looked at him confused.
"I thought you said you knew your father until you were 12 and that's when you were taken away?"
"Eh. I lied about that. I tend to keep to myself and I thought we honestly would never see each other again. Never in my life was I expecting to be this so-called Dragonborn or that's what people think."
Lydia was a bit conflicted but understood the reason why he did that. It seems like Lars lived a more away from society life so he probably tends to not see the same people again.
"Well from here on out, no more lying alright?"
Lars looked besides him at her, smiled and responded, "Yea sounds good. After all, you can't protect someone if ya don't know about 'em."
Lydia couldn't lie about one thing for sure: Lars was definitely talented but also very kind. Although that smile caused her to blush and respond back with, "Let's just keep moving alright?"
They talked for some time as Lydia explained that she was a native to Whiterun to a mother and father who lived outside the walls of the city and owned a simple farm. Saying she learned how to fight from the captain of the guard when she was very young and became a standby housecarl for Whiterun's next thane. She always expected her Thane to be some up tight Imperial noble who was either dismissive of her or incredibly creepy but Lars was alright. Although she didn't tell him that last part.
As they made their journey up the 7,000 steps, they stumbled across a tight, cliff face pass that seemingly led more up the mountain but before they made it through, they were interrupted with a loud roar.
"Frost Troll." Lars said as he pointed up on the cliff face a few meters above them as a frost troll jumped down right next to them and took a swipe. They both dodged out of the way and prepared their weapons for a fight. Lars immediately prepped up two fire bolt spells in his hands and started battering away at the beast. Lydia unsheathed her steel sword and shield and started battering her sword against her shield to taunt the beast. The beast seeing this, roared again and proceeded to charge at her and take two consecutive swipes at her which she ducked out of the way of both and swung at his thigh which connected. The beast roared in pain but was soon finding itself bombarded with an array of fire bolts before Lars dropped the spells and drew his mace out. The beast continued to take swipes at Lydia before giving up and deciding to take on the seemingly less armoured man. He switched to him, took a haymaker which connected and sent Lars back a few feet. Lydia decided to take the opportunity and sheath her sword and shield to draw her bow and arrow out and started knocking back arrows and firing. A few arrows connected with the beast as he turned around to go after the more annoying target now, drawing the attention away from Lars. Lars took the breather to summon up a quick healing spell before casting a fireball in his hands and shouting, "TAKE COVER!" as a massive fireball spiraled towards the beast and Lydia. Lydia quickly, realizing the massive ball of fire coming towards her, disengaged to her right as the ball of fire slammed into the troll. The troll started to catch fire and soon found itself in flames and quickly became consumed by flames.
As they took time to catch their breaths, they looked at each other and just smiled. They had never been in an actual fight with something together, so they were both worried about how well they would work together and this fight brushed away any doubts they had about each other's strength. They both simply just nodded at each other before continuing on forward.
As they continued, the skies grew darker and darker with each step before the starry night sky was over them now. They were greeted with another alcove as before and this was labeled VI.
"With roaring Tongues, the Sky-Children conquered. Founding the First Empire with Sword and Voice. Whilst the Dragons withdrew from this World." it read.
"Wow see what I mean. This tells the first founding of the Empire after the humans rebelled and defeated their cruel dragon overlords." Lars said excitedly.
"Alright but does this alcove tell us where we can bed down for tonight so we don't freeze our asses off?" Lydia retorted.
He chuckled. "No but I think I saw a hollow part of the mountain behind us." as he pointed behind them and up.
As they woke up, they packed up their things and continued to trek along the rest of the path towards High Hrothgar. After an hour or so, they saw the tall and stony spires of High Hrothgar. The building looked incredibly old, at least before or after the Dragon war but Lars was unsure. They were greeted with a central tower with an offering chest and two adjacent stairways that led up into the main building.
"So this is High Hrothgar? Huh thought it'd be bigger." Lydia said.
As they made their way up the stairs, they took one final deep breath before they entered the complex.
When they entered, they were immediately greeted with a warm interior and entered seeming a main common area where iron braziers lit with warm, inviting fires ablaze. They saw a man in a grey robe approach them and as one approached them many more did. Lars counted about 4 of them approached them before the first one who did spoke.
"So... a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age."
"That's what people keep telling me. Tell me. What does that even mean?" he answered back.
"Show us, Dragonborn. Let us taste of your Voice."
"What do you mean?" he questioned.
"Feel the voice, the dragon soul within you and let it speak for you."
Lars reached deep down and almost like instinct, he shouted, "FUS"
The wave of pure energy made the old man stumble backwards a bit before he regained his footing and walked up towards Lars with a smile.
"Dragonborn. It is you. Welcome to High Hrothgar."
He approached him and again, saying, ""I am Master Arngeir. I speak for the Greybeards. Now, tell me, Dragonborn, why have you come here?"
"Who are you? What is High Hrothgar?" he asked.
"We are the Greybeards, followers of the Way of the Voice. You stand in High Hrothgar, on the slopes of Kynareth's sacred mountain. Here we commune with the voice of the sky, and strive to achieve balance between our inner and outer selves."
So they're the Greybeards. They look incredibly old but he knew that these men were known as the most powerful wielders of the Voice so he knew not to judge them on their appearances. Lars had so many questions to ask them but decided to wait and just keep it simple.
"I guess my next question is that I want to know what it means to be this so-called Dragonborn. It is what people keep calling me."
"We are here to guide you in that pursuit, just as the Greybeards have sought to guide those of the Dragon Blood that came before you."
"Huh so I am the only dragonborn that's alive. The last one if he'd remembered correctly was Tiber of Atmora back during the 1E." He thought.
Lars thought for a while. The life he once knew was never to come back and if it did it wouldn't be for a very long time. If Arngeir was correct: He was the first Dragonborn to have appeared to them in centuries meaning that he was the only one that could stop whatever that thing was back at Helgen. He had two choices at the moment: Just leave this place right now and try to be ignorantly blissful or fulfill this doom-damned quest of this Dragonborn title and potentially get killed in the process. Well if he's the only person standing between him and the potential end of the world, he'd rather die knowing he tried to do something then knowing he had the power to do something about it.
"I am ready to learn master."
Arngeir smiled before replying, "You have shown that you are Dragonborn. You have the inborn gift. But do you have the discipline and temperament to follow the path laid out for you? That remains to be seen."
The rest of the masters gathered in a circle as Arngeir said, "Without training, you have already taken the first steps towards projecting your Voice into a Thu'um, a Shout. Now let us see if you are willing and able to learn. When you Shout, you speak in the language of dragons. Thus, your Dragon Blood gives you an inborn ability to learn Words of Power. All Shouts are made up of three Words of Power. As you master each Word, your Shout will become progressively stronger. Master Einarth will now teach you "Ro," the second Word in Unrelenting Force. Ro means "Balance" in the dragon tongue. Combine it with Fus - "Force" - to focus your Thu'um more sharply."
The man known as Master Einarth approached the center of the semi circle the masters were making and spoke into the middle. Pure energy of power left his mouth and imprinted the word, in dragon language, Ro. When the word was fully imprinted, streams of orange tendrils attracted towards his body, practically begging him to reach out and touch it. He reached out and the tendrils circled around him then went into him and he felt a rush of power enter his body and it was a weird feeling but strangely exhilarating.
"You learn a new word like a master... you truly do have the gift. But learning a Word of Power is only the first step... you must unlock its meaning through constant practice in order to use it in a Shout. Well, that is how the rest of us learn Shouts. As Dragonborn, you can absorb a slain dragon's life force and knowledge directly. As part of your initiation, Master Einarth will allow you to tap into his understanding of "Ro." Now let us see how quickly you can master your new Thu'um. Use your Unrelenting Force shout to strike the targets as they appear."
Master Einarth approached Lars and the same spectral orange tendrils rushed out from him and entered his body. In a quick second, Lars understood the meaning of Ro and the meaning behind it. As he stepped back, another man in the same robes approached the center and said.
"Fiik... Lo...Sah!"
As a spectral version of the greybeard appeared.
"So he was just supposed to shout at the specters? Alright seems easy enough." he thought.
"FUS"
He repeated this two more times, each time a different master appeared to shout the same specter summoning shout. After 3 times, Arngeir approached Lars again.
"Impressive. Your Thu'um is precise. You show great promise, Dragonborn. We will perform your next trial in the courtyard. Follow Master Borri."
"I'll just be inside here Lars. Go have your fun. I'd rather not be out in the freezing cold again if you don't my Thane." Lydia perked up.
Lars looked at her and said, "That's fine Lydia. Master do you have any food around here my friend can eat?"
Master Arngeir looked at the young woman that accompanied him and said, "The right corridor. You should reach a central meeting room. Food is there."
As Lars followed the Masters.
"Don't have too much fun without me Lars."
"Don't worry if any bandits appear, I'll make sure you're the first one to get a punch in." he winked and smiled. Lydia just rolled her eyes smiling before going off towards where Master Arngeir told her to go.
As they made their way outside, Lars was greeted with a courtyard. There were arches pocketing the area and they met in the middle of them.
"We will now see how you learn a completely new Shout. Master Borri will teach you "Wuld," which means "Whirlwind."
The master now known as Borri stepped in the center of the courtyard and spoke into the ground. The same pure energy flowed from his mouth into the snow and imprinted the word "Wuld" into the ground. He reached out and felt the energy enter him but this was different. This energy felt more excited and rushing. Almost like he was ready to run from here to Whiterun and back. He saw Master Borri make his way towards a gate before Arngeir piped up.
"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." Now we will see how quickly you can master a new Shout. Master Wulfgar will demonstrate Whirlwind Sprint. Then it will be your turn. Master Borri."
The men ready themselves at a pillar that was a few meters from the gate. Wulfgar looked at Lars and cheekily smiled before Master Borri said, "Bex!" as he opened the gate. Master Wulfgar just waved as he shouted, "WULD… NAH… KEST!" as his body proceeded to rocket forward at a blinding speed. It was like at one moment he was standing next to him and the next he was on the other side of the gate as it closed.
"Oh so he was the cheeky one of the group huh?" he chuckled to himself.
Master Arngeir turned back at Lars and said, "Now it is your turn. Stand next to me. Master Borri will open the gate. Use your Whirlwind Sprint to pass through before it closes."
A few seconds passed before he heard Master Borri shout, "Bex!" and the gate opened. Lars felt the rush of pure energy course throughout his body as he shouted, "Wuld!" and he felt himself propel forward and before he knew it, he was standing a little ways inside the gate. He looked over at Master Arngeir who had a look of surprise and astonishment as he slowly walked over to him.
"Your quick mastery of a new Thu'um is... astonishing. I'd heard the stories of the abilities of Dragonborn, but to see it for myself..."
"Really? I don't even know how it happens. I feel like each word of power has its own taste. The unrelenting force shout feels powerful and authoritative but the Whirlwind Sprint one feels like I hopped up on skooma."
First time ever in the conversations they had, he heard Arngeir laugh before replying with, "Well, I have heard people describe it weirder but you were given this gift from the gods for a reason. You are now ready for your last trial."
"Thank you. Tell me what it is."
"Retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, our founder, from his tomb in the ancient fane of Ustengrav. Remain true to the Way of the Voice, and you will return. Unless you have any other questions for us, we will meet again."
Lars just smiled at the old man and said, "let's go inside because the amount of questions I have will freeze us to death if I ask them out here."