The Dragonborn comes home

by Hossfeathers

Ragnthor of the Isles comes home to Skyrim after being gone for 8 years. He had come home to visit is family and maybe repair a romance that had been broken by the way he left. Little did he know that coming home was but a small step in his journey. (will go through story and all dlc with and ending set many years after Dragonborn.) M for violence

22. Chapter 22:Lydia's Race

Chapter 22

Lydia

The meat she got from Black Moon last longer than she thought it would, almost 3 weeks. The supplies she got from the Thalmor lasted for a week longer.

During that time there had been no sign of Thalmor as far back as she would dare go into the trees. And she came to a sudden realization. She may have hated them, cursed them for coming and making her waste her strength but the almost weekly arrival of supplies had kept her going. Now it had run out.

She spent 3 hungry days before she looked at her armor and realized that with a little work she could tear the leather out and boil it down to a nasty tasting broth while at the same to making the leather soft enough to easily chew.

She chuckled as she though back to where she had learned how to do it. During the times when her father was working off a week long binge and was between jobs he would hunt down all the leather he could find and throw it into a big pot. She would spend a month drinking broth and hoping that her father would manage to get a job.

By the evening the cabin smelled like a tannery. When she looked in the pot she was worried with what she saw. She could tell by the feel that the armor Ragnthor had made her was good and strong but what she didn't know is that it didn't have much leather. Even if she kept adding snow it would only last a week before the leather would be boiled to nothing.

She walked outside and looked up into the sky. "I know your real but I have no idea if you truly listen. But I'm done. Without some kind of help I won't make it much longer. So if you truly care about the fates of men, send someone soon. And if I don't make it, send Ragnthor. I don't want him to think that he drove me off. I want to tell him I'm sorry."

She shook her head and, after taking one last look at the stars, she walked back into the cabin. She drank a bowl full of broth then went to sleep.

Ragnthor

It had taken 2 slow weeks to reach the Karthspire and another 2 weeks back. Ragnthor and Lucia were close to home and Ragnthor was looking forward to spending a day or 2 resting before he started on his next task. Climbing the Throat of the World to consult with the Grey Beards.

They had just reached the far side of the western pasture when Ragnthor spotted a group of people standing around near the head of the lane and 2 more standing near someone who looked like Jon.

Ragnthor motioned for Lucia to stop. "Hold up a moment lass. Do you see anything strange up a head?"

Lucia looked around and shook her head. Ragnthor smiled. "Look closer. There are people I don't know by the road and another by the house. I believe one is my friend Jon but I cannot make out the rest. So what do you think we should do? Keep in mind that we are currently in danger."

He smiled as he saw Lucia think hard. "We shouldn't ride up to meet them. There could be more that we can't see. Is there another way to get to the house?"

Ragnthor rode close and rubbed her head. "You are a smart girl. We will go through the trees. We will have to ride slow because I'm sure the colt will make a lot of noise. Now let ride toward the trees, but if I say stop, freeze." Lucia nodded.

Ragnthor motioned for Slasher to sneak off through the field. Ragnthor watched as he slunk off through the field then motion to Lucia and they rode off.

About 30 minutes of winding through the trees, deep enough not to be seen but close enough he could still watch the men, they rode up behind the house.

"Lucia, slip off your horse and get into the house by way of the cellar. Your friend Ves should be there. If she is not, I want you to go to Lydia's room. It is the safest room in the house." Lucia nodded and darted off into the cellar.

Ragnthor rode around the edge of the house and raise his arm. "Ho, Jon. How have the last few weeks been?"

Jon startled so bad Ragnthor though he was going to leave his skin. "By Shor Ragnthor! In the name of the divines, what possessed you to sneak up on me?"

Ragnthor kept a steady gaze. "You know what I'm going through. I found it more prudent not ride straight into a group of people I don't know with Lucia."

Jon nodded. "I supposed your right."

Ragnthor cracked a small smile. "Well are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Jon gave him a weird look. "Well actually they're here for you. They said they have information about Lydia."

Ragnthor slid off Ghardh and raised his hand and whistled. Slasher came around the side of the stable, hackles falling, and Ragnthor heard a rapped on the window and knew the Ves was both there and standing down.

Ragnthor walked over to the first man he ever saw as big as himself. The man had 10, maybe even 20 years on him. From his scars and armor Ragnthor could tell he was a merc with many years of service. And from his growing stomach he didn't have all that many years left for roaming.

The woman was a tall and willowy Bosmer who whose look told of a deep, scaring hurt, long in the past but never forgotten. She carried herself with the utter confidence of some with a mastery of their weapons and complete trust of their companions.

Ragnthor walked forward and took the man's hand. "My name's Ragnthor. Is it true that you have information about Lydia?"

The man nodded. "Aye. The name's Mountain. You lass Lydia worked with us for the summer, though under a different name. 3 or so months ago she thinned the numbers of a large group of Forsworn that was catching up to us during a job. We haven't seen hide or hair of her since."

Ragnthor lost control of his temper and grabbed the front of Mountain's armor. "She has been missing since the snow fell?! You have been away a long time kinsman. There's like to be 8 to 9 feet of snow there by now."

Mountain snarled and shove him back. "You think I didn't worry?! As soon as we got our escort back to Solitude I took a man back and looked for her myself. And like I said, No Hide Or Hair!"

Ragnthor's temper burned hot and black as he roared. "And It's Taken You Almost 4 Months To Tell The Person Closest To Her?! I Would Hate To Serve With You! What Do You Spend Your Time On, Swilling Mead?!"

Ragnthor swung at Mountain' head. As soon as Mountain grabbed his fist he swung the other. Again he caught it and they stood there, straining, trying to throw the other to the ground. Ragnthor brought his knee up and slammed it into Mountain's gut and broke free. They circled each other then charged like bulls, roaring and slamming into each other with a massive thud. They tore violently at each other, their nails leaving bloody trails and their heads crashing together with massive cracks. Suddenly Ragnthor found Mountain's arm around his throat.

"LEARN FROM YOUR BETTERS, WHELP! I'M MORE THAN 4 DECADES ON THIS WORLD AND HAVE LED THIS GROUP FOR THE BETTER PART OF 2! NOW SUBMIT!" He slammed his fist into the side of Ragnthor's head.

Ragnthor roared and reach behind his head and, grabbing Mountain's, threw him to the ground. Ragnthor swung a foot at Mountains face and, even though he moved enough to avoid a broken jaw, was rewarded with a crack. Mountain surged to his feet, spitting blood and teeth, and charged. Ragnthor swung as Mountain was charging in and was rewarded with another crack before Mountain slammed into him hard, knocking him to the ground.

As they were falling, Ragnthor wrapped his legs around one of Mountain's and pulled down as hard as he could. He was rewarded with a pop and a roar of pain. Suddenly Mountain grabbed his arm and instantly there was a pop and a massive jolt of pain. Ragnthor roared and swung his good fist as hard as he could. It hit the point of Mountain's jaw, knocking both him and his head back.

Ragnthor scrambled to his feet and stood there, right arm hanging limp and painful. He watched Mountain struggle to his feet, putting all his weight on the left. He gave a savage grin as he charged forward, blood lust in his eyes.

Suddenly an arrow appeared in his good arm followed by a loud, female voice. "ENOUGH!"

Ragnthor turned and saw the elven woman holding a bow. He started to stalk toward her. Instantly she had another arrow nocked and drawn.

"One step closer, Thane of Whiterun, and this arrow buries itself so deep you will never pull it out."

Ragnthor snarled and turned toward the stable. As he walked he pulled the arrow from his arm. When he got there, he slammed his shoulder into a post until he felt a grating pop and sweet relieve. As he walked back he pulled out his pipe and lit it in a final effort to calm down.

He was shaking his head as he walked back. "I'm sorry, good sir. I know you were trying to help. And I apologize to you, ma'am. I shouldn't have let my feeling take control. It was a thing such as this that drove her away in the first place." He took a long drag and continued. "It's just that lately emotion runs hot and heavy, barely skin deep. These last few months it has gotten me in more trouble than 8 years of wandering."

He shook his head and was greeted with laughter. "Oh, young man, it's no skin off my nose. If I lost my Eilonwy, I would tear down mountains just to get her back. But you have shown me one thing. It's that it is time to retire. The day a haggard looking, ragged faced, wasting young man can tear down the Mountain, it's time to leave the fighting to the younger men."

Ragnthor gave him a half glare. "Do I really look that bad?"

Mountain laughed. "You looked like you got the worst in a fight with a saber cat after being starved for a month. Those 6 or so months have really done a number, haven't they?"

Ragnthor nodded. "The only reason to keep fighting is my niece. Without her I would have been on the path leading to the great beyond a fair while ago."

The elven woman walked over to him. "She was worried that you would feel that way. She was planning on coming back. To be perfectly honest I was hoping to find her here, smiling and happy. Now if you want we will go with you to where we found the remains of the fight."

Instantly his head shot up and fear filled his soul. "There was evidence of a fight?" They both nodded.

Ragnthor turned and swung onto Ghardh. "I need the location, now. The Thalmor are after me and those I care for. If there was the slightest hint of a trail they will find her."

Ragnthor pulled Ghardh's head around and yelled. "Ves, get out here!" Almost instantly she was outside. "I need you to watch Lucia for another month or so, I have things to do." Ves nodded.

Ragnthor swung around and grabbed a map Eilonwy held up and looked at it, the location burning itself into his mind.

He was gathering he reins when Mountain spoke. "Is there anything we can do? We still count her as one of our own. If you wait a bit…"

Ragnthor held up his hand. "I need to move fast and now. If you want to help, stay and help Ves keep Lucia safe. How much…"

It was Mountain's turn to hold up a hand. "Go now, we can talk money when you get back."

Ragnthor nodded and, whistling for Slasher, jammed his heels into Ghardh. They tore down the lane, snow flying from Ghardh's hooves. They turned onto the road and Ragnthor pushed him even harder, slamming the ends of the reins into him, hard. Ghardh pushed and strained for all he was worth. Soon they were long out of eye sight.

Ragnthor rubbed his face, not sure if the tears forming were from the cold or because of the news. "I'm coming, little one. Come what may, I will find you and bring you home."

Ragnthor pushed Ghardh as hard as he could, sleeping in the saddle and only stopping to rest Ghardh and to allow Slasher to catch up. As they pushed farther and farther north Ragnthor grew worried about how deep the snow was.

During one of the few stops, Ragnthor stepped off the road to cut Ghardh a few branches to eat and sunk up to his armpits and he still couldn't feel the ground. Ragnthor clawed his way back to the road.

"Shor's Bones! Why in the nine hells would anyone live in this much snow?" He walked over to Ghardh. "Sorry old man, no chow tonight." Ghardh stamped his hooves and snorted at him.

Ragnthor reached the spot marked and the map in a week and a half. The amount of tracks moving through the buried battle site worried him.

He shook his head as he walked around. "That's not good. The Thalmor have been here a good half dozen times since the snow fell. At least twice since it stopped." He cracked a smile as he saw a trail leading off into the trees. "At least that gave me a path to follow."

Suddenly Slasher dropped and started snarling. Ragnthor looked in the direction he was facing and cursed. It was a small group of Thalmor.

Suddenly someone yelled. "It's The Dragonborn!"

Ragnthor Whistled and swung up onto Ghardh. He gestured to the trees and tore off as fast as the deep snow would let them.

A short while down the trail he saw an overhanging branch and an idea quickly took shape.

He yelled at Slasher. "Find Lydia." And Slasher took off.

Ragnthor put one hand on the saddle and pushed himself up so he was crouched on his feet. As they passed under the branch he lunged up and to the right, grabbing the branch close to the trunk. As he jumped his kicked Ghardh in the flanks, causing him to scream and tear off, running hot and mad.

He pulled himself up and sidled around the trunk so he was out of sight. Then he pulled his dagger and waited. Soon the group of 5 was passing under him, 2 were wizards. As the last one passed he sprung, quick and silent.

One hand closed over the elf's mouth as the dagger plunged deep. The momentum carried both of them into the deep snow behind another tree and they sunk. As quietly as he could he clawed his way back to the path and plunged his dagger into another's back while breaking his neck. The next one started to turn so he drove the dagger deep into her skull. She screamed as it entered and the wizards turned.

Ragnthor summoned his strength. "YOL TOOR SHUL!" He had imbued it with enough of his anger that it incinerated the elf he had targeted.

He saw the other wizard draw back her hands, one brimming with fire and the other with ice.

Ragnthor gathered his strength again and other shout tore from his throat. "TIID KLO UL!"

He felt the familiar pulled of time as he managed to hurl his dagger a mere instant before the elf loosed her spells. As he threw he dove forward, hoping to dodge at least one of her spells. He felt the heat of a fireball passing over him then the stabbing pain of an ice spike, slowly twisting, driving deep into the top of his shoulder. He hit the ground with the same shoulder, driving it even deeper and forcing the tip out his back.

Suddenly time resumed its natural flow and he heard a thud. He looked over and elf the woman had fallen. As he slowly moved over to grabbed his dagger he saw that it had plunged so deep the point poked out the other side. He shook his head as he grabbed the ice and, falling back against a tree, pulled it out, feeling the blood rush out. He summoned what strength he could spare and sunk it into a healing spell, managing to stop most of the bleeding on the inside. He reached into his pack and pulled out some cloth which he stuck into the wounds and used to cover the holes in his coat.

He leaned against the tree for a while, breathing and summoning the strength to move one. Then he started moving as fast as he could down the trail, one, frantic, thought driving him forward.

A few hours later it had started to snow. By nightfall there was a fresh 6 inches on the ground. Ragnthor looked up into the sky and started to curse when he came across Ghardh. Ragnthor dusted of the saddle and tore off into the night, following the trail and Slasher's slowly fading paw prints.

Dawn was breaking over the mountains when Ragnthor finally stopped. But his wasn't looking at the sunrise, he was staring at a cabin. The one at the end of the trail. He hurried and put Ghardh into the stable and threw in a large amount of hay then went to the door, rubbing his bearded face and wincing when his finger caught a scab, worried because there was no smoke.

He had just started to turn the doorknob when he heard a voice. "Just come and try it, Thalmor scum, and you will see just how easily I will sell my life."

Ragnthor opened the door and saw Lydia laying on the bed, eyes closed. He saw the dagger as she spoke.

"You will not get Ragnthor." She plunged the dagger toward her chest.

Ragnthor acted without thinking. "WULD NAH KEST!"

He tore across the room in the blink of an eye, grabbing the dagger and stopping it from going any farther. But even at the speed at which he had flown, he had been slow. He slowly pulled an inch of the dagger out of her chest before throwing it into the corner.

As soon as he reached her, her eyes open. She blinked in shock, eyes filling with tears. They froze, just staring at each other, tears starting to flow from their faces, the world deathly silent.

They were like that for a while then Lydia held out her arms. Ragnthor pulled her into a hug and sat there on the bed, just holding her.

"Ragnthor…is it really…I'm so…leaving…death…Thalmor…Black Moon is…" She broke down and started sobbing.

She bowed her head into his chest and sobbed. He rubbed her back as he pulled her as close as he dared, feeling her tears soak through his coat and his shirt beneath.

"I know, Lydia, I know. About the Thalmor, about the band you served with, about Black Moon."

She stopped sobbing and looked at him. "Ragnthor, I… I almost…" She broke down crying again.

Ragnthor pulled her close. "I know."

Lydia managed to stop a second time. "Ragnthor, I…I…I love you. I'm sorry it took this for me to realize."

She pushed away from his chest and looked him in the eye. Ragnthor saw equal amounts fire and fear in them, through the veil of tears. She grabbed him and, from the look of her, held on with all of her strength.

"Please don't leave. Just stay here, with me." Her shoulders started to jump as she fought back sobs. "I don't have your fancy words but I'm scared. Scared I will go to sleep and when I wake up you'll be gone. Just like what happened before." She started to sob but continued. "Please, please don't…leave…me."

He looked into her, tears pouring from his eyes. "I'm not leaving, ever again." He crushed her to him as tight as he dared, tears flowing freely down his face. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me."

He felt her sobbing get a hitch to it and he cracked a small smile as he rocked her back and forth.

Ragnthor didn't know how long they sat there, holding each. Eventually Lydia's sobbing stopped and finally she relaxed into a peaceful slumber. He laid her down and looked at the wound on her chest and saw the bleeding had stopped. He looked at her body and was scared by how thin she was. She had lost at least 20 lbs that she couldn't afford to lose. The only thing covering her was a low cut shirt.

He pulled the covers over her then placed a kiss on her brow then silently slunk outside to grabbed wood for a fire and something to eat. As he came back in he let Slasher in the house. Slasher padded over to Lydia and lay down beside the bed as Ragnthor built a fire and started to cook some food.

A few hours later Ragnthor heard a gasp and then a quiet, frightened voice. "Ragnthor? Ragnthor, where are you!?"

He stood and walked over. "It's alright Lydia, I'm right here. I made a fire and some food. Can you walked over and eat?"

She gave him a look with a trace of fear. "I…I don't know."

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and Ragnthor had to bite back a gasp at her thin legs. She slowly pushed herself onto her feet. She stood there for a while.

"I'm scared to walk. I feel like I'm about to fall."

Ragnthor took her arm and help her to the fire. He watched the tears of shame roll down her face and it tore at him.

"You did better than me, you know." He helped her sit and she looked up at him. "I made it 4 days before I started looking for release. The only thing that kept me going was Lucia. I just couldn't leave her like that, not knowing where I was."

Lydia gave a gasp. "I knew that you were in that way but 4 days?"

Ragnthor's eyes grew wide as he looked at her and she cowed. "What happened? What sent you to talk with the gods?"

Lydia hung her head. "There was a group of 25 or so Forsworn following hunting us. Me and the band I worked with. I did what I thought you would do. I dropped back to buy some time for them to get to a safe place. I took out 8 before they got me. Drove a spear clear through me."

She rolled up her shirt and showed him a nasty scar. "I managed to get away with…with Black Moon. I took straight off into the trees and found this place. I pulled out the spear and cleaned the wound."

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "That night I met Arkay, and Mara. She showed me you and helped to explain some things, about you and me. She gave me a gift, kind of like yours. She healed the wound in my back or I would have never made it this long."

She looked at him with worried eyes. "You look worse than then. You must have lost 50, 60 lbs." She raised her arms and gave a small smile as she rubbed his face. "And you grew a beard." Her eyes grew dark. "Where did you get the scratches?"

Ragnthor moved away, knowing that even in her weakened condition she could still hurt him. "I got in a fight with Mountain." She tried to get to her feet but was unable to. "They came giving me the information to find you. My anger has been quick and heavy since you left. I got hung up on a small thing and we came to blows. I…had him, when his wife, the Bosmer named Eilonwy, by hitting me with an arrow."

He saw Lydia's wide and angry eyes and gave a smile. "It's all fine now Lydia. Mountain is a lot like me, he understood why I did what I did. Shite, if he had been a few years younger he might have beaten me. They are helping a contact of mine from the Guild watch Lucia."

Lydia nodded and reached for a bowl of food. Ragnthor jumped toward her and grabbed it. "How long has it been since you last ate?"

She looked up at him. "Almost 6 days. Why?"

Ragnthor handed her a different bowl. "Because rich food on a starving stomach will do more harm than good. Eat this, it's just broth with a few small pieces of meat." She gave him a questioning look. "Just trust me. Please."

She snorted as she grabbed the bowl. Ragnthor just smiled as he grabbed his and wolfed it down. A short while later she handed him back the bowl. She had only managed to eat half. Ragnthor was worried but tried to keep it from his face. He poured it into the rest of the stew he had made and placed it on the floor, whistling for Slasher.

Ragnthor help Lydia walked back to the bed and pulled the covers over her. He kissed her then threw some more wood on the fire. Then he walked toward the door. As soon as he put his hand on the knob, he heard Lydia speak.

"Where are you going?"

Ragnthor turned. "To get my blankets so I can sleep by the fire."

Her face grew worried. "Can you sleep with me? I'm…" her face flushed and grew pleading.

Ragnthor nodded. "Of course little one."

Ragnthor slid under the covers and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her thin, cold body to his warmer one. He rubbed her arms and softly sung to her as she slowly drifted off to sleep. As sleep caught up to him, he welcomed the peace of sleep for the first time in close to 6 months.

The next morning He woke early. He looked down at Lydia, still deep in the arms of peaceful sleep.

He kissed her and whispered. "Your such a lovely sight. Like dawn running naked on the snow." He gave a quiet chuckle as she tossed in her sleep.

Then he got up, fed Ghardh, built a fire and made breakfast. He was just finishing when he heard a yawn followed by a sleepy voice.

"Ragnthor?"

"I'm here, Lydia. Do you want some breakfast?"

She nodded and he helped her walk to the fire where he handed her another bowl of broth. They ate in silence. Soon she was done and Ragnthor fed the scraps to Slasher. Then he sat down and looked at her.

"Do you think you can ride a horse?"

She looked at him, worried. "I don't know Ragnthor, I just don't know. Why?"

He rubbed his beard and though. "What if I tied you on and bundled you up?"

She gave him a strange look. "Maybe. But why, Ragnthor?"

He stood and started pacing. "Because we need to leave. There is basically no hay, I don't have enough food to feed us for more than 3 weeks, And it's just going to get colder."

Lydia nodded, fear in her eyes. "Then I will try."

Ragnthor became a flurry of motion, packing what he could take, dressing Lydia and wrapping her in 2 different coats. He came across a pile of metal and asked what it was.

"It's the armor you made me. I had to tear it apart for the leather." Ragnthor nodded and put it in the pack.

Within an hour they were ready to go. Ragnthor picked Lydia up and carried her to the stable. He set her down just inside and threw a saddle on Ghardh, muttering curses at him. The he picked Lydia up and placed her on the saddle, tying her on with leather straps he always carried. Lydia tried to rubbed Ghardh's neck and he snapped at her.

"Who is this mean horse?"

Ragnthor laughed. "His name is Ghardh. He was part of the surprise me and Lucia had for you. And old friend brought up some horses I own, 20 of them. This old man is one of them. I will tell you more when we stop tonight."

Ragnthor lead Ghardh out of the stable and up to the trail. As they started walking he looked back at Lydia.

"If you get cold, tired, or wet, tell me. I know you and you might try and tough it out but don't, it will killed you. I really shouldn't be trying to move you in this cold but I have no choice. I just do not have enough supplies to last the winter. Do you understand?" Lydia nodded, her face covered with a thick band of cloth.

Ragnthor sighed and sent a quiet pray to the gods, asking for their help. Then he shook his head and they walked off into the early morning sun.

Author's note: It's done, we have conclusion. I don't know if it's what you were hoping for and it is rough but I can do no better. I personally feel awful for what I have been doing to poor Lydia but the story required I basically break her, tear down all her walls and started anew. And I was trying to avoid the macho man, damsel in distress type thing. She needed to not have a half a chance of saving herself. And 10 bonus points for those who find the reference in this one. I haven't done it in a while because there has been none that grabbed me. And an additional 50 if you know the exact thing it's from. Now the next few month I will be going back through the first 17 chapters and bringing them up to par, so no new chapter for a while. Now remember, have fun, read a lot, and thank you for reading.