This dress is so itchy.

"You look fine."

You can't even see me.

"That's how I know you look fine. Besides. Your good armor is waiting for you inside the Embassy. Remind me why you are doing this again?"

For the fun of it.

"Really?"

No not really! I'm doing this because I might as well. The Greybeards have no further training for me, just chasing down more Words. I probably should've done that. But Delphine is connected to the Dovahkiin business. Like the Thalmor to her, she is my best lead right now.

The old dragon sighed. "Perhaps this is for the best. Better to move forward in some way than to wander aimlessly."

I'm glad you think so.

The carriage lurched to a halt. It took all of Elana's willpower to wait for the driver to help her down rather than leap out for herself.

A man smiled from a distance as he walked up. "Ah! A fellow latecomer to Elenwen's little soiree. And arriving by carriage, no less! Very classy. My lateness is due to getting lost on the way up this godforsaken mountain rather than any desire to actually arrive late."

Before he could flirt again, the Thalmor Wizard standing guard stopped them. "Welcome to the Thalmor Embassy. Your invitation please?"

Elana flashed her most winning smile. "Here you are."

The man took her invitation with a short bow. "Thank you, ma'am. Go right in."

As Elana walked up the stone steps as dignified as possible, she heard the other latecomer smooth talking the guard. She would love to hear someone try to get a laugh out of a Thalmor on official business, but now was not the time. She stood as regal as possible as the doors were opened for her.

She didn't even care Malborn was watching as she tore the dress off and strapped her armor on, placing weapons anywhere on her person she could reach.

He locked the door behind her, and she made it two feet before she was fighting off two Thalmor soldiers. When their empty bodies lay at her feet, she smiled.

Well. This trip was finally worth it.

The wizard that came running at her was icing on the cake.

There were more Thalmor to slay outside the main building. More soldiers and wizards came forward to die at her greatsword. She managed not to Shout, fearing the repercussions of revealing herself as Dragonborn to a bunch of power-hungry elves intent on destroying all Talos worship.

Speaking of which, she needed to acquire a new amulet of Talos. She missed the soothing power her old one had. Now that she was supposedly a descendant of Talos himself, she could use such a connection even more.

As the last Thalmor crumpled at her feet, rage seemed to boil inside at her lack of control. Before she felt like ripping the building apart in her wolf form, she took a deep breath. The wolf whined, begging to be set free. Instinct told her it would be possible to strong-arm her way through. The cool rationality she had begun to associate with the dragon begged her to take her time.

So Elana took several deep breaths in the cold northern air. There would be time to gather her power to change what could not be altered now. For now, it was time to fetch the documents for Delphine.

The Dragonborn kicked her way into the second building of the Thalmor Embassy.

She had just let Etienne free from his cell in the interrogation room when the voices of Thalmor came from above.

"Silence, traitor! Move slowly."

Elana quickly drew her bow and two arrows. Before the Thalmor could speak, she had fired into the faces of both the soldiers holding Malborn. He took that moment of distraction to take off away from the Thalmor, who had been protected by their helmets from all but bruising.

She rushed the soldiers with her drawn sword as the elf dashed by. Running on the adrenaline of the past few encounters, she was quickly victorious. She looted their bodies, grabbing the key for the trap door. Now leading her pair of escapees, Elana leapt down into the darkness.

Elana dragged herself into the Sleeping Giant Inn, more cross than that the ice troll whose lair she leapt into to escape the Thalmor. Luckily, she'd been alert or else Malborn and Etienne would have been freed for nothing.

Both had vanished like rabbits into the night to freedom in a life on the run.

Delphine, comfortable in her lair, smiled at the returned Dragonborn. "You made it out alive, at least. You're gear's safe in my room as promised." She gestured upstairs.

"The Thalmor know nothing about the dragons," Elana snapped in reply.

Genuine surprise covered the old Blade's face. "Really? That seems hard to believe. You're sure about that?"

"Why'd you send me if you weren't going to believe me?"

Delphine recoiled from the rage of a dragon. "You're right. I just….I was sure it must have been them. If not them, then who? Or what?"

"Calm yourself, little one."

Oh, don't get me started on you and your "she's mine" comment. I am no one's!

"I said, calm yourself! You are my hatchling, my kit, mine to care for. That is all. I would not dare to presume I have any other claim. How could I be so rude to my host?"

She inwardly growled at Mirmulnir but allowed her anger to slide away. Returning her attention to Delphine, she continued, "I don't know but the Thalmor are looking for someone named Esbern."

Once again, shock covered the Blade's face. "Esbern? He's alive? I thought the Thalmor got him years ago. That crazy old man. Figures that the Thalmor would be on his trail though, if they wanted to find out about the dragons."

"What would the Thalmor want from Esbern?"

She snorted derisively. "Tou mean aside from killing every Blade they can get their hands on? Esbern was one of the Blades archivists, before the Thalmor smashed us during the Great War. He knew everything about the ancient dragonlore of the Blades. Obsessed with it really. No one paid attention back then. I guess he wasn't as crazy as we all thought."

There it was again, the wistfulness of regret for mistakes in times long gone.

"They seem to think he's hiding out in Riften." If she remembered the dossier correctly, that is.

"Riften, eh? Probably the Ratway then. It's where I'd go. You'd better get to Riften. Talk to Brynjolf. He's…well connected. A good starting point at least."

It's all connected, isn't it? I can decide to go save Skyrim and it will still take me back either to the muscular idiot or the suave thief.

"Don't be so melodramatic. Now you've gotten the wolf excited."

Blasted… I don't even care. I'll just punch the guy in the face if he tries to pull anything.

"You did have quite the strong reaction to him."

Your point?"

"You have a different instinct towards him. Your instinct was excitement and now you're reversing that. He could be an ally, hatchling. Do not discount that possibility. If you are on the path of good, it occasionally helps to have friends unafraid to lie and steal for you."

I selfishly befriend him?

"Yes."

"Oh, and when you find Esbern, well if you think I'm paranoid, you may have some trouble getting him to trust you. Just ask him where he was on the 30th of Frostfall. He'll know what it means."

With a bow, Elana left the Blade, darting up the stairs to grab the rest of her gear. She threw everything into her packs, threw those packs over her shoulder, and practically threw herself out of the inn. She headed to the trader, selling anything she wouldn't need.

Riften, I have to go to Riften.

"Do you?"

There's an old man who has elves hunting him down. I ought to.

"If I may be of assistance, or distraction, the place you learned of the werewolves? That pit? You missed something you may want to return to retrieve. And then you should go to Sunderstone Gorge. Trust me. This old Blade has lasted this long. He will hold out for a while longer."

You tempt, not distract. Let's go.

Oh. Talos. How did I miss this the first time?

"You were slightly distracted by the pull of wolf magic. Yes, the wolf takes offense at that, but it is true. You had not begun to walk towards the dovah."

But FIRE.

"Yes, YOL is a word that pulls at the soul. It will keep tugging the more you use it. Be careful you do not burn your own heart out."

Ha! Wait, a dragon can burn itself?

"Of course. Especially when they are an ice dragon. Besides, you already know how your throat hurts when you Shout? Imagine continuing to Shout, and throw fire from that same, wounded throat."

Ow.

"Ow does not cover it, little one. Everything in moderation."

I don't have to worry about that until I slay another dragon. A shadow passed overhead. Son of a barrel. Really? That has to be coincidence.