Chapter 16
Ragnthor
Ragnthor opened his eyes to mist filled bleakness. He groaned and held his side as he stood. He walked around and stretched as much as he could, waiting for the fight that was to come. Suddenly a voice spoke up beside him.
"You truly have chosen the most interesting times to take this walk lately. I always expect you after you have lost conciseness but you seem to want to visit when you should be the most safe." Arkay chuckled softly.
Ragnthor turned to face him, fire in his eyes. "Are you going to send me back now or do we have to fight?"
Arkay laughed. "Easy there, boy. Unfortunately we will have to fight this time, no way out of it. But I would like to know what has you riled up. Usually you are more passive than this." He waved his hand and chairs formed out of the mist and he sat down.
Ragnthor thought about hitting Arkay over the head with one but finally sat down. "I have more to lose now than ever." Arkay knowingly smiled and waved his hand.
A picture appeared on the mist. It showed Lydia waking up and shaking his shoulder, seeming to try and wake him. Ragnthor roared and threw his chair through the picture, shattering it like glass. He took a breath and calmed himself.
"You see, more to lose than just my life."
Arkay smiled. "I do see. It turns out that mother might be right after all."
He stood and waved his hand, making the chair vanish. "We shall fight with fists this time. Attack when ready."
Ragnthor swung hard at Arkay's head, hoping to end the fight fast. Suddenly Arkay wasn't there and Ragnthor felt a flurry of blows smash into his side that knocked his ribs out of place. He reached down blindly and grabbed something. He twisted violently and smiled as he heard a snap and a pop. He lashed out savagely with his foot and was rewarded with the popping snap of a knee and a grunt of pain. He turned and swung his foot at Arkay's other knee and was rewarded with the same. He bent over, wrapped his hands around Arkay's neck and lifted him off the ground, snarling as the end of a rib erupted out of his chest, causing a stream of blood to pour out. Ragnthor held him up, slowly tightening his grip.
He snarled at Arkay "Will you send me back or do I squeeze the life out of this form? I know it will take over a hundred years to gather the strength to create another corporeal form."
Arkay used his good hand to gesture at his throat. Ragnthor smiled and threw him to the ground like a sack of meat. He put a hand to his chest, trying to slow the flow of blood. Arkay looked up at him and smiled, coughing.
"Next time we will try something harder. Maybe bows. You are free to go. And as an added bonus for knowing about what happens if you try and kill me, when you wake your ribs will be knit. Just don't go falling out of the sky again for a while. It will kill you. And since I am a nice guy I will send you back instead of waiting for you to drop from blood loss." Arkay snapped his fingers and all went black.
He woke to Lydia's worried face. She didn't seem to notice as she kept shaking his shoulder and calling his name. He reached up and brushed her cheek.
"It's ok, Lydia. I'm alright." Something flashed in her eyes as she recoiled from him. S
he slid over to the far side of the bed and sat there, hunched over. He sat up, wincing as his muscles complained, and slid over next to her.
"What's wrong?" As her shoulders jumped he knew he had said the wrong thing.
She replied with tears streaming down her face. "I thought I was losing you. I woke to check on you, like I had been doing all night, and I could barely tell you were breathing and your heart was hardly making a sound. I panicked." He put his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close.
He sighed and shook his head. "I think it is time I tell you something. Hell, it might be over due." She looked up at him and he used his other hand to wipe the tears from her face.
"You remember that night after the battle for the fort?" She nodded, looking confused.
"Remember how I told you that my soul had wandered on the border of here and gone. I also talked with the gods." Her eyes flew wide and shock filled her face.
He smiled. "Not all of them. Just Arkay and Talos."
Lydia's mouth fell open. "You talked to Talos?"
A shadow crossed her face. "You talked to Arkay. Just how far gone were you?"
The smiled left his face. "On Death's doorstep."
Lydia shuttered and slid as close as she could. "You were there again tonight, weren't you?"
Ragnthor nodded. "And I met with Arkay. He is more the sheppard of the soul than the priests teach. He meets you there and guides you to your chosen afterlife. Be it to the realm of a God or Daedra. For a few souls, whose destiny it is to go on and do great deeds, to change the world, he offers a choice. To join in the peace of the afterlife, letting Akatosh allow the flow of time to continue unchanged, or to fight him and earn back the right to live. That is where I was, in combat with a God. And I have risen to the challenge time and time again. As an extra reward, my ribs are no longer broken. Fragile but whole." Lydia slid her hand down his side in awe.
She looked up at him. "Is this why you fight the way you do? Because you know you can beat Arkay and go on living."
He shook his head. "I fight this way to protect those I love. You can't fight with fear and expect anyone but you to return home safe."
Lydia nodded and laid her head on his chest. "I can understand that. Just be a little more careful. If you die in battle you cause pain for those that love you."
Ragnthor smiled and kissed her. "I will think about that. Now I have had a long day so I am going back to sleep. You are welcome to stay or go."
She loosened her arms a little. "I think I will stay."
Ragnthor smiled down at her and relaxed back into his pillow thinking Life is good.
The next week went by like a blur. Lydia refused, at sword point, to let Ragnthor do anything harder than feeding the horses and overseeing Lucia's lessons.
So every day after staggering down the stairs to feed the horses, he would sneak off into the woods where he would stretch and practice with a bow he had picked up 2 or 3 years ago. Even after working on it all week he wasn't very good.
At night he would watch Lydia teach Lucia swordsmanship, offering advice when he felt the need. Then he would make dinner. After dinner he would walk up the stairs to bed. Soon the week was over and Ralof and Brasella arrived. They showed up in the morning.
Lydia hollered up at him. "Ragnthor, wake up! You have guests!"
He shook his head and smiled. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" He threw on the shirt and pants he wore under his armor and walked downstairs and opened the door.
"About time to showed up Ralof."
Ralof huffed. "Well if that is the way you are going to act we may as well go home."
Ragnthor laughed. "Come in, come in. We are just getting ready for breakfast and you are welcome to join." They all laughed and went in the house.
A short while later Ragnthor was struggling to put on his armor, his muscles still tight. As he was struggling with a strap on his side he felt someone tighten it down. As he turned he saw Lydia.
"Thank you. Still a little tight." He leaned down and kissed her.
She smiled. "You know, I think I like you without the mustache." He huffed as she laughed.
As they walked down the stairs he asked "Do you want to take the wagon or just ride?"
Lydia smiled. "Lets ride. It has been a while since I have seen you on the back of a horse," her smile left, "and it will be a while before I want to get back on that wagon."
Ragnthor put his arm around her. "Ok." When they downstairs he called out to Lucia.
He waited until she got over before he spoke. "Now me and Lydia need to leave but you can trust these 2. Even if the Ralof looks wild and wooly." Lucia started laughing before he continued.
"Now we should be in a few weeks, no more than 2 months."
Lucia's eyes filled with tears and he hugged her. "Its ok. We would tear through the gods to get back to you." She nodded and he rubbed her head.
He turned to Ralof. "There is gold in the room you 2 shared the last time you were here."
He walked close. "If anything happens to her…"
Ralof nodded. "I know. You can trust us."
They shook hands then Ragnthor and Lydia went outside and mounted up. Lydia smiled over at him.
"First one to Riverwood wins." She slammed her heels into Black Moon's side and took off.
Ragnthor shook his head and smiled. "Come on, old man. Lets Ride!"
They rode into Riverwood toward dusk, Lydia getting there first. He heard her laughing stop as he slid off. He growled as he put his hand on his side while he tied Ahearn to the fence. He heard Lydia behind him.
"Are you ok?"
He turned and smiled at her. "Ribs are just a little more tender than I thought. But don't worry, let's just go inside and get this done." Lydia nodded and they walked inside.
Ragnthor motioned for Lydia to sit while he walked up to the bar. "I would like to rent the attic room please."
The man at the bar nodded slowly. "I can offer you a room but we don't have an attic room. Who ever told you that was mistaken."
Ragnthor nodded. "Well then what room would you have me take."
The man motioned with his head. "Take the one closest to the bar. Hope you can find it." Ragnthor smiled and nodded walking to the room.
He motioned to Lydia to stay sitting and walked in, closing the door behind him. He looked around the room when suddenly he heard the door start to open. He pulled a dagger out of the sheath on his chest and stood behind the door. A person walked through the door. Ragnthor wrapped his arm around their neck with the knife to their throat.
"Are you the one who left the note in the barrow?"
The person nodded. "So you are the Dragonborn. You're cagy. That will serve you well. Mind taking your knife from my throat?"
He did and the person turned. "You're the woman that asked Farengar to get the dragon stone." She nodded.
"Yes. And that is part of what we need to talk about. Now please follow me." She walked across the dining room.
Ragnthor motioned for Lydia to follow. He was in awe as they walked through a closet and into a cellar. They stood around a table as the woman talked.
"My name is Delphine and I am the last of the Blades. And yes I sent you to get that stone. Do you know what it is?"
Ragnthor shook his head. "It is a map of dragon burial sites. You see, anyone can kill a dragon but unless you destroy the souls it comes back. Only the Dragonborn can kill a dragon for good. Now for some reason the dragons are coming back to life and I think the damn elves are behind it and I plan to stop them. To hell if the Empire backs them."
Ragnthor nodded and looked at the map. "Ok. What are we going to do? And there is no need to worry about the Legion. I have high enough rank to get them to leave us alone."
Delphine nodded. "We will deal with that when we come to it. First you need to prove to me that you are Dragonborn. Now in deciphering the map and following the pattern I believe that the next dragon will be in a little town called Kynesgrove. We shall go there and if the dragon appears, we stop it. And if what happens is something like the old tales say, then we will talk about our next move."
Ragnthor nodded. "Ok Delphine. You are free to leave tonight. We shall stay tonight and meet you there. I'm recovering from fighting a dragon and will take all the sleep I can get."
Delphine nodded. "Well then would you please leave so I can put on my armor."
Ragnthor nodded and they left. "Lydia, you go into get ready for bed. I'll join you in a while. I'm going outside to have a smoke."
He walked over and gave her a kiss. "In case you are asleep when I get back." She nodded as he walked outside.
He sat down on a tree stump across the river and pulled out his pipe and sat there watching the river.
He sat there all night.
The next morning he walked into the inn to find an angry Lydia. "Where were you all night."
Ragnthor looked at her with tired eyes. "I came in once and laid down but it hurt. So I went back outside and found a place I could sit and be at peace." Lydia still glared at him as she nodded.
Ragnthor ordered breakfast and they ate in silence. Soon they were finished and they left. They got on their horses and flew down the road. They made good time, getting about a quarter of the way there. Ragnthor set up a tent for Lydia then sat with his back to a tree and smoked. She gave him a questioning look and he shook his head.
The next morning he was up early making breakfast. While Lydia ate he broke down camp. The next 5 days went like that. Around noon on the fourth day they arrived at Kynesgrove. When they got there Ragnthor got a room. Lydia looked at him.
"Will you actually use the room this time or sleep outside?"
Ragnthor smiled at her. "This room only has one bed, are you fine with that?" She smiled as she hit him.
A few hours later they were sitting outside, looking at the sunset. Soon they saw someone coming up the road. It was Delphine. She rode up and tied her horse next to theirs.
"How did you 2 get here so fast?"
Ragnthor laughed. "Ride hard and stay off the roads." Delphine shook her head.
As she walked over a roar echoed from the mountains. She looked over at Ragnthor and he nodded. Together they tore off up the hill. As they neared the top Ragnthor motioned them to move quietly. As they came over the top they saw a dragon flying around a raised circle on the ground, sending some kind of force into it.
All of a sudden the ground exploded outwards and a skeleton came out. Soon it was covered in flesh and the other had landed and they were rumbling to each other.
"I will try and take the large black one. Lydia, you go for the other. Delphine, help where you can." They nodded.
Ragnthor stood and charged, roaring at the top of his voice "HAWAY THE BRAW!"
He slammed into his target with his shoulder, causing it to shake its head. He swung his sword at its head a few time and it rebounded like he was hitting stone. It tried to bite him and he flung himself out of the way and hit the ground hard. He turned over to stand when its wing claw slammed into his chest, pinning him to the ground.
It held its head less than a foot from his head and spoke. "You know little for a nordling and even less for being dovah-born." It shook its head, almost taking off Ragnthor's nose.
"I will not kill one so ignorant of one's role. Seek me out again when you have learned what you truly are." The dragon took off with a rush of wind and flew off,
laughing. Ragnthor scrambled to his feet as fast as he could. He turned on saw the dragon pull its head back to bite Lydia and time slowed.
"LYDIA" he roared as he ran toward her.
He threw his sword and it pierced clear through its neck, but not slowing it in the least. He reached Lydia a split second before the dragon, knocking her out of the way as the dragon clamped down on his body. As he felt the dragon mouth close over him he lost what little control over his temper he had left. He slid his hand between him and the dragon jaw and strained, feeling the grip loosen. Suddenly its mouth opened and he fell to the ground. He was up in a flash.
As the dragon tried to bite him he sidestepped and swung as hard as he could at its head. Its eyes dilated as its head hit the ground. He smiled as the rage washed over him. The next thing he knew, his gauntlet crumpled with a snap. Some of the scales on the dragons head were crack.
Seeing it was still breathing he walked over and pulled his sword from its neck and whispered "You will never harm anyone again." Then with one blow he severed its head.
He felt the pain of the dragon's soul melding with his as he walked over to Lydia. She recoiled as he drew near.
"You said you would change."
He stopped. "Yes, yes I did. And I'm trying."
He saw tears form in her eyes. "DO YOU CALL THAT CHANGED!"
She started taking deep breaths. "You knocked me out of the way and I can understand that but not BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF IT WITH YOU BARE HANDS!"
The tears had started to flow down her face "Every time it's the same. Like at the fort. You could have retreated and tried again. I asked, almost begged you too. And at the farm. You fell out of the sky on a dragon and broke more than half of your ribs. Your lungs had more hole than a sieve and one rib had almost pierced your heart!"
He started walking toward her. "Lydia, I lost control, that true but you were in danger."
She started to back away. "But every time you let your anger control you, you almost die. Do you know how bad that hurts me?!"
He kept walking "Lydia…."
She snarled at him. "Don't come near me."
He stopped for a moment. "I'm just trying to protect the person I love."
Tears were flowing down her face and her chest and shoulders where starting to jump. "Well it's too late, you've lost her. You've just gone too far. Goodbye Ragnthor."
He started walking toward her. "Lydia."
She swung and dealt him a glancing blow. "I said stay away." He could feel the tears form as he kept walking.
Suddenly he saw her body shift. He never saw the blow. The last thing he saw was her tear filled face as his world went black.
Lydia
Lydia stared down at him for a moment, tears flowing freely down her face. She took a few staggering steps back then she turned and ran back down to the inn, hardly able to tell where she was going. She ran into her horse and flew up into the saddle.
She wrenched Black Moon's head so hard he reared and spun, squealing in pain and surprise. The moment his forelegs hit the ground she slammed her heels into him. He tore off, eyes wide and rolling, nostrils flared. He flew along the road, sparks flying as his hooves hit the stone.
As Lydia urged him harder and harder she felt his mood grew more wild and uncontrolled like hers. Suddenly a giant walked out of the brush on the side of the road. Black Moon slid to a stop and reared, forelegs flailing and spinning. As Lydia wrenched his head she drew her sword and slammed the flat of the blade on his hindquarters, causing him to take off like an arrow. She pushed him hard for about 30 minutes when she started to feel something off with his stride.
She slowed him to a walk and looked down at him. He was cover in lather and breathing hard with favoring his right foreleg. Lydia swore as she slid off. She ran her hands up and down his leg and felt nothing wrong.
She stood and hugged his neck. "I'm sorry boy. I'm just so confused." She buried her face in his mane and just sobbed.
Black Moon hugged her with his head. She rubbed his head and smiled.
"Thank you. At least you don't hate me. I don't know about anyone else."
Black Moon looked at her with wide, calm, questioning eyes and she cracked a small smile. "You think you can make it to Windhelm?"
Black Moon nodded his head and Lydia swung onto his back. Within an hour they were riding up to Windhelm. Lydia put him up in the stable then walked into the town. As she walked through the town she felt a familiar feeling start to flow through her.
She shook her head and started to fight it off, not wanting to go back to that frame of mind again. She stayed away from the bar in the good part of town but walked into the grey quarter. She walked into the bar aware of all the eyes on her. As she walked to the bar the bartender spoke.
"We don't like your kind here."
She sat down. "Well I would like a drink."
He sneered at her. "Is that some kind of slang for beating someone?"
Lydia smiled and shook her head as she put a pile of gold on the table. "Maybe now you will cut the posturing and give me a drink."
The elf nodded and gave her 3 bottles of mead. She was almost done with the 3rd when someone spoke up behind her.
"I like a woman who knows what she wants. Would you like to come over and talk with me?"
Lydia shook her head. "Not interested. Maybe some other woman would like the kind of 'talking' you are offering. Now please leave."
She felt a hand on her shoulder and stood, drawing her sword. She grabbed the front of his armor and stuck point of her sword deep enough to draw blood. She dragged him to the table on the corner and threw him into a chair.
"You have me. Now speak."
The man nodded. "I represent, let's call of a party, of people who, from time to time, provide a paid escort service."
Lydia smiled. "Your mercenaries."
The man nodded. "And you would fit in well with our group."
Lydia waved the bartender over. "Sorry, I don't like with the honor-less."
The elf handed her a bottle and she paid him. "We can give you a 10,000 gold signing bonus."
She pulled out the cork then held out her hand. "You have a deal."
As they shook the man asked "What is your name."
Lydia smiled. "You can call me Aednat."
Ragnthor
Ragnthor came to about an hour later, just before Delphine poured water on his face. As he shot up he looked around then hung his head.
"She's gone, isn't she?"
Delphine nodded. "She left an hour ago."
Ragnthor nodded as he walked down the hill. He walked into the inn and threw a large pouch of gold on the bar.
"Bring me as much drink as this will buy. Start with mead if you would be so kind. And if I pass out before I drink it all you can keep the money and the drink." The barmaid nodded and brought him an armload of mead which he tore into with a passion.
Delphine sat down next to him. "So you are really Dragonborn. Well then I guess we can go on to the next step. As I said before I think the elves are behind it. So our next step is to go to Solitude."
Ragnthor held up his hand as he finished what was left of his 5th bottle. "I would love to join you but I need to be getting home."
He opened the next bottle as Delphine started to speak. "But we need to find out why the dragons are coming back," she grabbed his hand as he opened the next bottle "and do you really to drink that much."
Ragnthor's anger flared as he grabbed her hand and saw her face go white and hear the bones in her hand start to creak.
"Have you ever lost something you truly loved? The woman that left is the only person I have ever loved and I have wandered all over this damn land."
He down the bottle and opened the next. "And I was getting close to asking her to be mine but, like every time I think about that, life likes to kick me in the balls. And it's not just her I have to care about. I came back to Skyrim after wandering for 8 years and found my brother and his wife had died and my niece was begging on the street. Now I have to go home and explain to her that a person that she has come to see as kind of a mother figure is most likely never going to come back. How the hell would you to that? I for one don't have a gods damn clue but I do know it will hit her as hard as me. So yes, I do need to drink this much. I'm trying to drown the pain that has happened and brace myself for what is going to come."
He released her hand and opened another bottle. He downed it and opened another before he spoke again.
"If you need me in Solitude, I will be there. But it will take me a month. I do have to go home and talk to my niece and the friend who is watching her for me. And I will leave in the morning. If you to stay you can, just don't bring up my drinking."
Delphine nodded. "I will meet you there. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry."
He opened the next bottle then waved his hand. He sat there until the money he was willing to pay ran out. He looked up with runny eyes and staggered out the door, pulling out his pipe. Looking at the sky he guessed there was about an hour before dawn. He walked over to Ahearn.
"Well, she's gone. And you know what, and this might be the mead and wine sloshing around inside of me, but I really don't see much of a reason to keep on going." Ahearn looked at him with worried eyes, shook his head and snorted.
Ragnthor smiled. "Don't worry, I really don't think I have the strength to end it myself. Besides, Shor hates a coward and I want to see my father and brother again." Ahearn nosed him.
Ragnthor rubbed his head then swung up onto the saddle. "Let's go home boy. I want to make some miles before I get hit by how much I just drank." He sighed as he urged Ahearn out onto the road, puffing away on his pipe.
-Author's note: Well that just happened. Heres hoping I can keep the story going from here and I don't have to throw the kill switch. And Aednat is an Irish name. For all you people too busy to look up the info on it, here it is. It is pronounced ey + nit and it means Little Fire, which I find suits Lydia well. A whole lot of go go in a little bit of body. And as always feel free to point out any spelling errors you find.