Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Skyrim or any of the Elder Scroll games.
Author's note: Feel free to point out any grammatical errors I have made. I can deal with constructive criticism to better my writing style. Thank you.
Chapter 6: Fire in the Plains
Mahrig
If I would have known Gareth would be the type to brush off my act of going directly against his wishes, I would have followed him to Bleak Falls Barrow sooner. Instead I had waited until he had been gone for some time. I had been lucky enough to arrive in time to assist him with the spider that had gained an advantage over him. Gareth didn't seem to be mad, but I assumed deep down he was disheartened by my actions. It was kind of cute the way his lips formed a tight line after discerning his situation had been greatly aided by my arrival. I'm not sure if it was the creepy feeling this place gave me, but I had let a bit of humor enter my character as I tried to lighten the mood. Gareth was just trying to protect me, but I had seen my share of battles as well and there was no need to sit around and do nothing when I could be helping. The spell tome he gave me that I had finished in Riverwood and had intended to use to aid him, did not however, aid me in any way as the Dunmer hit me with his lightning attack.
The little weasel slipped away further into the barrow as I recovered from the surprise attack. After regaining my composure I had commented on my dislike of the dunmer. Gareth was frozen in place now looking into the dark passage in which the dunmer had fled. His eyes searched the darkness. I was curious as to what had caught his attention so quickly. I recalled hearing screams earlier, but I had just assumed the Dunmer had ran into a rat. The rat bodies that littered the floor near the entrance of the barrow had certainly startled me.
"Come on, stay close to me. We are likely to run into some interference." Gareth nodded toward the dark hall and started walking. I did as he asked. I stayed beside him for the most part slightly falling behind only when the hall would wind into turn after turn. The earlier wind that had echoed through the halls was now only a faint whisper. The sounds that now filled the halls were eery. I could hear things scurry into the shadows, probably much smaller rats, but it gave me the creeps nonetheless. I knew this was a resting place, and I expected the place to be littered with burial cairns, urns and bones, but for the life of me I was not expecting those bones to be walking. Gareth and I had just rounded a corner that brought us to an opening to a much larger room than the suffocating halls we had previously been in, when a figure burst from the shadows. Gareth instantly took a defensive stance placing himself between me and the charging figure. A faint blue Aura engulfed Gareth's form growing brighter by the minute until the room was illuminated in hues of pale light. Gareth struck the figure with his sword, the inhuman growls and jumbled speech that came from the body of the attacker startled me. Gareth had knocked it backwards and caused the being to lose its balance. My attention was caught by the illuminated eyes that now stared at us from multiple places in the open room. I heard the creaking of bones without the cushion of flesh begin to move. Gareth stepped away from me and released the energy that had built across his being. The blue light burst from him in one powerful pulse knocking back the figures that had been coming toward us.
"Use your fire now!" Gareth's shouted request had caught me off guard, but I soon complied. I focused on the consumption of magicka and envisioned the flames from my palms. The flames burst forward. The beings that had been knocked back were trying to regain their footing. They were illuminated by the burst of power that Gareth had released just moments ago, and that made them easy targets to locate with my flames. Gareth rushed forward and struck down each flaming figure that struggled and flailed around on the floor. When the last being had been dealt with Gareth turned back toward my direction and motioned me forward. Beside the bones and hardened rotted flesh, still smoldering, that littered the floor lay the shady dunmer that had attacked me earlier. His eyes were frozen open in fear, but void of any life. Gareth knelt beside the dunmer and ran his fingers down to his eyelids, closing the Dunmer's eyes in a manner I had seen many times before.
Gareth grabbed the small satchel that the dunmer had been toting and began to rummage through it. His eyebrows shot up in surprise as he presented a large Golden claw. The realization dawned on me in that moment. My thoughts went back to the merchant of the Riverwood Trader. Lucan had mentioned his store being robbed of a similar object. Gareth must have realized this too because he handed the claw to me. I didn't have a bag so I tied the awkward bulky object to the belt of my cuirass to the best of my ability making sure that it was secure. When I was satisfied I looked up toward Gareth who was now reading a leather covered book he had pulled from the Dunmer's bag. His eyes scanned over the pages for a few minutes before he shut it and handed it off to me as well.
"It would seem his name is Arvel according to his journal. He stole the claw thinking that it would unlock a tomb in here with untold riches." Gareth shook his head as he spoke and continued.
"A shop full of riches to take, and he decides to steal the one thing of rumors that lead him to his death." Gareth stood up and looked around the room. My candle light spell was starting to dim again. He reached inside his small pouch that he had brought and handed me another vial. The contents were a light blue and I drank without even questioning it. I could feel the rush of Magicka envelope my being. My mind became clear and no longer fogged by my magicka's waning effects. We continued further into the barrow. We found ourselves in many more sticky situations involving the walking decayed bones of the ancient Nords. Our routine was a constant the further we traveled into the barrow. We came across a few traps that Gareth skillfully navigated and dismantled.
After what seemed like ages of battling through hordes of Draur, as Gareth called them, we came to a surprisingly illuminated hall. It didn't appear that anyone had made it this far in ages, so as to why the flames in the brazier's that lined the halls where still lit was a mystery to me. I examined the intriguing art that had been carved into the stones. The ancient Nords must have recorded parts of their history. Figures of authoritative women and men were visible in each section of the wall. Below their designs were other figures carved into the stone. It seemed to tell stories, but my mind couldn't follow the meaning because of interruption. Gareth stood at the end of the hall.
"My lady, have a look at this." I walked down to where he stood. Ancient Nordic architecture surrounded a series of segmented stones. In each segmented part of the stone was a metallic emblem of different animals. In the center of what we had surmised to be a door, was a series of four key holes. Underneath the keyholes were indentations leading down into a single indentation. It almost looked like… I glanced down to my belt. The golden claw still hung securely to my side. I untied the claw and inspected the underside. There were three engraved animal symbols from top to bottom of a bear, moth and owl. I looked back up to the door. The symbols were all present on the door, but they were out of order. I pointed this out to Gareth. He shook his head in agreement.
"This is a Nordic puzzle, I'll need to realign the sliding stones until they coincide with the order they appear on the claw otherwise we could be faced with a deadly trap." His eyes scanned the huge door before stepping forward. He started with the top column. I had assumed that he would have to use a greater portion of his strength to slide slide the ring of stone. Oddly enough it seemed quite easy to do. He didn't even make a sound as he continued to move the slabs until they presented the desired animal. He repeated the process until he came to the final ring that encircled the keyhole. Once he was finished he motioned for me to step forward. I cautiously lifted the bulky claw to the hole. The clawed fingers of the key easily fit into the holes. I twisted the key in both directions until I felt the wall begin to vibrate. Gareth pulled me backwards the key still in my grasp. The stone wall before us began to descend into the floor leaving another dark hall in wait.
We made our way through a few more waves of Draugr before entering a huge cavern that was illuminated by the bright moon light from an apparent hole far up in the cavern ceiling. It was truly a sight to behold. A small stream ran through the area, encircling the strange altar like object in the far side of the cavern. Gareth and I crossed the small stone bridge that led over the stream and started ascending the stone steps. When we reached the top I noticed a huge enclaved wall that contained strange symbols I had never seen. Gareth scanned the wall as well, but soon turned away to inspect the huge sarcophagus that lay beside a stone table. I continued scanning the symbols on the wall. Most symbols were different and there was little repetition among the designs. Repetition, like the sound of my heartbeat that was steadily growing in my ears. I began to feel a slight breeze in my hair, and my vision seemed to be drawn to one segment of symbols that began to glow within the wall. My heartbeat was like a drum now, and the wind I had heard began sounding like chants as the glow in the wall became more intense. My vision blurred as I stared at the wall, but the symbols drew closer and closer. The color in my vision faded to black and all that was illuminated was the the symbols that danced in my line of sight. It was as if the image had burned itself into my mind, an intangible piece of information that I couldn't quite grasp. A firm grip on my shoulder pulled me from the swirl my mind had entered. I glanced up blinking multiple times until Gareth's features bled into my vision. His stare was filled with concern.
"Are you alright my lady?" I nodded, not sure what had just transpired. I had prepared myself to voice my answer when I heard a loud thundering sound of stone breaking. Gareth and I both jumped and glanced back over our shoulders. The Sarcophagus that Gareth had been inspecting was now open. The huge stone slab that had been sealed over the top was now laying beside the personal tomb. A figure sat up from the center, turning its head in our direction. Two bright blue swirling orbs of light lay in place of where its eyes should have been. For a dead being its movements were swift. It lifted itself from its resting place and bolted toward Gareth and I. The blue Aura that Gareth had used before returned and danced across his skin building slowly in intensity. I readied the energy of my flames as they began to flicker across my palms.
Gareth and I both moved away from our position in opposite directions. The draugr's gaze followed me and it shifted its course to follow mine. I opened my reserves and brought forth the flames that welled behind my mind's gates. The fire didn't seem to slow the draugr, but I hadn't expected it to. The fire did however lower the draugr's defenses enough for Gareth to move in behind it and start and onslaught of melee attacks. I kept my stream of flame constant, trying not to accidentally catch Gareth in its path. The draugr turned toward Gareth facing away from me. My flames now pelted its back as it focused in on the surprise of attacks from Gareth. The sword that the draugr had been carrying crashed to the floor sending a ringing sound through the cavern. Gareth took this advantage over the disarmed draugr and sent his sword toward the center of the the flaming corpse. A loud thunderous sound escaped from the being and sent Gareth flying backwards. He landed painfully against the open sarcophagus and gasped for air. I didn't know what to do. I ceased my onslaught of flames and rushed forward to where the draugr had dropped the sword. The metal was still hot from where my flames had heated its surface. It was a pain I could deal with considering the circumstance. The draugr turned its attention to me. I froze momentarily. I could see the blue orbs through the flames that seemed to pierce my soul. I broke free of my state of paralysis just in time to evade the flaming body that charged toward me. Gareth had pulled himself from the heap he had collapsed to on the floor and was now moving in my direction. The blue haze was stronger now and I could tell he was preparing to release the energy. I felt a cold pierce the cuirass that covered my back, when I glanced back I noticed the draugr was concentrating a stream of frost towards my center. My movements were slowed and the draugr started gaining ground toward me. I slightly turned my body as the draugr approached and raised the sword. I saw the blue flash of light pass over every object, including me to hit its mark the draugr. I didn't miss my chance as the draugr collapsed into a kneeling position. Though my movements were slowed I brought the sword down with all the strength and speed that I could muster. I felt the crunch of bone as the sword penetrated the draugr's chest. I watched as the blue orbs faded into nothing but hollowed out sockets of dust. The draugr collapsed to the ground with the sword still in its chest. I glanced over to Gareth's position who stared in disbelief.
"I didn't know you had that kind of fight in you my lady." I awkwardly chuckled at the comment. I hadn't realized I did either. It had been a spur of the moment decision that I had made to try and stall the draugr. I had no idea that I would have killed it, if you can even truly kill something that is already dead.
We found the dragonstone, or at least an object that fit the description, inside the sarcophagus that had once contained the draugr. We didn't waste time in returning to Whiterun. After returning to Riverwood, Gareth had went directly to where he had stabled Arlow. No sleep for tonight. The early hours of the morning were dawning as the sky began to lighten and the stars began to fade. I couldn't help but to wonder, as I sat on the back of Arlow behind Gareth, what would have happened if I had not gone against Gareth's wishes to remain in Riverwood. Would I still be waiting for him in the Sleeping Giant Inn to return or would he have returned sooner and we could have already set out on our journey back to Whiterun? I guess those questioning thoughts didn't matter considering we had already completed the task that had been given to us. The thought of Gareth not making it out of Bleak Falls Barrow did sadden me. He was a very gentle person despite his dented scuffed armor and his rough scarred hands. He looked as if years of battle had consumed his life, and yet he kept living to do deeds for others. If there were ever a person to look up to in my life, It would probably have been someone like Gareth.
Gareth
We returned to the plains of Whiterun shortly after noon. The sun was directly overhead and another storm was brewing in the distance. We had the dragonstone that Farengar had tasked us with retrieving, and I was able to aid the souls of unrest in Bleak Falls Barrow. Mahrig had impressed me with exploits of battle while travelling through the Barrow. She wasn't as helpless as I had originally pegged her. I realized that assumption had been unfair towards her. Afterall I barely knew anything about her other than what little she had shared. She certainly opened my eyes to a new side of her closed off personality with her playful gestures and quick thinking. I could see the amount of determination she had held in her eyes while battling against the many draugr that walked the halls of Bleak Falls Barrow. Whiterun was in view now, but the sight that gained my attention was the distant smoke that filled the air.
I stopped at the stables and instructed Mahrig to return the Dragonstone to Farengar. I wanted to investigate where the smoke was billowing from. At first Mahrig looked like she would protest, but the urgency of the matter soon registered and she had hurried off toward the city. I rode toward the west where the smoke had begun to thicken and fill the vast plain area that lay before me. A fifteen minute hard gallop brought me to the edge of the smoke filled area. I slowed down once Arlow and I entered the wall of smoke but kept him at a hastened trot. Flames started coming into my view. The foliage and grass that covered the plains was on fire, and the distance behind the spreading flame showed barren scorched earth that had already burned. I stuck to the road, knowing that I could easily become lost or trapped in the path of the flames. A tower started coming into view, the Western Watchtower of Whiterun. The once sturdy fortress now lay in shambles and barely standing. The guard walk that had extended away from the tower now lay in ruin on the scorched plain.
I brought Arlow to a halt outside of the tower. I dismantled and made my way toward the door. Through the entrance I could see bodies litter the floor. I rushed in.
"Wait, stop don't make too much noise its still out there somewhere." A balding Nord stopped my advances once I entered the tower with his words. I looked into his terror stricken gaze. In a quiet voice I whispered.
"What happened here?" The Nord motioned me away from the door and I followed. He glanced out the window cautiously toward the smoky plains and then turned his attention back to me.
"We were just switching patrols when it attacked. A dragon. He swooped down out of nowhere and started picking off the guards that were on their way back home to Whiterun." He paused looking down toward an injured man that began making pained noises. He knelt beside the red haired Nord and tried to soothe him. Looking back up at me he continued.
"My men and I tried to take the beast down with our bows, but the dragon was too quick and his fire burned too hot. All we could do was retreat into the tower. I don't know if any of the other guards on the last patrol made it." He looked back toward the window. I tried to calm his fears.
"I didn't see the… dragon on my approach, but my vision was hindered by the smoke. I don't think it's still around though, I didn't notice anything strange." The Nord shook his head in exhaustion.
"We thought he had gone also, but as soon as the abled men had tried to make a run for it, he would appear. He is lying in wait I just know it. All we can do for now is wait as well. He knows we are in here, but I can't leave these injured men for the sake of my honor, and I'm not much of one for the act of sneaking." I glanced down toward the numerous wounded men the Nord spoke of. Some men had minor injuries, other's were more severe. My bag was still tied to a waiting Arlow outside. I would need potions, and a lot of them. I didn't have many in my bag, but I figured I could make up for lack of healing potions with my restoration.
"I'll return." The Nord's eyes widened as I made my way back toward the entrance to the open plains. Arlow's figure could be seen from the entrance to the tower. Though the area was filled with smoke, I could still see the lightened state of the sky, no dark shadows were looming around, and so I started off toward Arlow. I didn't want to leave my faithful horse out in the open, but it didn't seem that I had much choice, or did I? I walked Arlow back to the stone path that was barely recognizable as a road with all of the fresh scorch marks that lay on the surface of the stones. I turned him toward the way we had come. Arlow knew where the food and water would be waiting for him because we had spent most of our time in Skyrim in the plains of Whiterun and he had been housed in the Whiterun stables more than I cared to count. I untied my bag and threw it across my shoulder. I gave Arlow a forceful smack to his hindquarters and watched as he headed off into the direction of Whiterun. I could only pray to the divines that he wouldn't stray too far from the road and become lost in the smoke, but he definitely held a better chance of survival on the run than standing still and lying in wait like the rest of us. I made my way back into the tower, scanning the sky one final time. Upon entering the Nord man that I had spoken to let out a sigh of relief. I decided that I would need to tend to the severely wounded first.
I'm not sure how much time had passed, but most of the men in the tower had now regained consciousness and began to move around with unease. I had spent most of my restoration powers healing the ones who had been badly wounded. Most of my potions had disappeared, used by those with wounds that were minor or bordering severe. The sky had begun to darken, not by the approach of darkness, but thunder could be heard. That must have been why we didn't hear the approach of people outside of the tower. A breathless Mahrig burst through the entrance to the tower. She had startled a group of the guards that had been setting against the wall beside the final person I tended to. Her frantic eyes scanned the room and finally rested on me. An expression of relief washed across her features. I could see the tint of torch light approaching from behind her. Ireleth came through the entrance next and began conversing with the Nord that had filled me in on my arrival. I stood up from my position and gave the man I had been tending to the last vial of healing potion I had to offer. He nodded his head and began to sip the contents. I turned back to be greeted by a wide eyed Mahrig. She stood mere inches from my armored body with outstretched arms.
"Thank goodness you are alright Gareth!" She flung her arms around my midsection. The foreign sensation of contact swept over me. A hug? She's giving me a hug? It had been a long time since I had encountered such contact with another person, a female… I continued my efforts of understanding as she retracted her arms and instantly distanced herself from me taking a few steps back.
"I'm sorry, while leaving Whiterun I noticed Arlow trotting back from the west. You weren't with him and I automatically assumed the worst." The blue in her eyes was illuminated by the numerous torches that now filled the room. She had been scared for my life. She was the first person that had shown any concern for me in quite some time. I was always the replaceable one to most. If I failed at my job I had been tasked with, then I would just be replaced and they would send someone to finish the job. I quickly shook the swell of emotions that lingered in my chest. I brought my mind back to the matter at hand.
"What are you doing here my lady?" The change of subject didn't seem to phase her as she explained.
"Farengar and I were looking over the dragonstone together, he was explaining how the dragonstone could indicate the whereabouts of all the dragon burial sites in Skyrim. He said our best bet at discovering anything about the dragons would be to dig up one of these mounds and investigate their bones." She motioned back toward where Ireleth stood.
"Ireleth interrupted mine and Farengar's conversation we had been having and told us that we were both needed in the Jarl's ready room. When we arrived there was a guard explaining everything he had witnessed at this watchtower. I'm not sure why, but the Jarl thought it would be a good idea for me to come and witness this as well. He wanted as many able bodied people to come and gather information to report back to him. I guess I was someone he could spare." Mahrig's words registered in my mind and I slowly nodded in understanding.
Rain had begun to lightly fall from the approaching storm as Mahrig had finished her explanation. I glanced toward Ireleth who was now giving orders to the many men and women who surrounded her. A bright flash of lightning followed by a clash of thunder sent vibrations through the tower. The thunder echoed across the plains and even seemed break off into a completely different sound. If I had any other way to describe the sound it would be that the sky had began to roar. Most of the guards in the room went completely still, including the now very frightened ghost faced Mahrig. The bald Nord that had stayed behind to help his men spoke.
"Kynareth save us, here he comes again!"
A burst of panic rippled through the crowded tower. Men and women began to cower into corners. Mahrig was frozen where she stood. Her eyes were now glued to the entrance. Ireleth began barking orders to the few that had not been startled, the few who had not seen the beast yet.
"Men, lets hit him with all we've got, spell and arrows, we will exhaust everything to bring him down. Ireleth and her group of soldiers exited the tower immediately spreading out and taking cover among the debris. Mahrig shook herself from her trance and grabbed my arm as I stepped toward the door. I looked down to see her eyes had taken on shadows, an unreadable expression was on her face.
"Stay here my lady." I tried to step away but her grasp did not release me.
"I'm going also, I need to know that I'm not insane." Her words caught me off guard.
" I want to see the beast, and help bring it down in any way that I can." Mahrig had seen this beast before, and yet did not cower like the others had. I could see the look of terror bleed from her shaded eyes, into one of...anger? Her stride to the door was swift, and I followed.
Mahrig
The sound of the beast's heavy wings against the wind could be heard. My heart was pounding, but I had to know that it was real. I had faced the beast before and lived, and now my dreams were haunted by its memory. I hadn't had a decent sleep since Helgen and it was time to put this nightmare to rest so that maybe I too could rest. I would avenge all those lives lost in Helgen. I could hear Ireleth's shouts in the distance. Gareth trailed close behind me keeping up with my pace. I didn't even bother looking to the sky. The smoke and rain blurred my vision that had began to seep red. I was angry, anger was shaking my body in rolls of trembles. I readied my flames in both hands waiting for the beast to appear. Gareth had grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows that had been discarded by one of the previous fallen. He nocked an arrow and stood ready. Through the smoke and rain against the dense clouds a dark form appeared.
A strike of lightning from the ground struck the beast. Ireleth had been the one to land the first attack. Gareth wasted no time, he began firing an array of arrows at the large winged beast. The dragon was still out of my range. My flames would not reach the beast, there was no sense in blindly throwing the flames even though I wanted to.
"We need to get to cover!" Gareth shouted over the mixture of noises. The beast was circling the tower throwing balls of fire that landed with a loud impact in each place they had been aimed. He grabbed my arm and hauled me to what looked to be an old rundown stone fence. The Dragon was keeping a tight flight path around the tower and this gave us some distance from his attacks. Gareth notched arrow after arrow until there were none left. Another strike of lightning from somewhere on the ground caused the dragon to cry a ferocious wail that almost sounded like words. Gareth glanced in my direction the same time I had glanced in his. We had both heard the sounds, no the words. You challenge Mirmulnir? The dragon had spoken the words. Another series of fireballs escaped from his jaws. These landed much closer to where Gareth and I had taken cover. Most of the arrows that were shot toward the dragon missed as he continued his erratic flight path , the spells were lost in the low hanging clouds.
We needed to keep him still and focused on something. My legs began moving before I even had time to consider the risks. A plan had surfaced in my mind, one that was more foolhardy than I had ever conceived. My legs gained speed as I ran toward the tower. I burst through the entrance and didn't look back. I began climbing the series of stairs that spiraled to the top of the tower. My breath was now coming in long jagged streams. I felt the rain on my skin again as I exited the shelter of the tower and stood on the roof. I could feel not only the wind from the storm but the huge gusts that hit me in segments from the winged beast that continued its flight circling the tower. It did not notice me, but it soon would. I released my flurry of flames from both hands lighting up the sky around me. I seen the glimmer of flame in the beast's eyes as it focused on me. The dragon came to a halt and hovered in one area. I had done it, the beast was in one spot.
"Joor, so arrogant are mortals!" The words the dragon spoke were as clear as if I had said them. I aimed my flames toward the beast and ran forward to the edge of the tower. The flames licked at the dragon's scales but didn't seem to inflict much pain. He opened his gaping jowls and a ball of energy began to form. The orange glow of the flames would be the last thing I seen before blinding heat would kill me. I braced for the familiar scorching heat to eat away at my flesh and bones, but it did not. I realized as I opened my eyes that Gareth stood in front of me, his magical ward that he had summoned stretched out in front of us like a shield, the flames passing around us in hot bursts. A barrage of arrows and spells hit the Dragon from below. His flames ceased and he took off this time away from the tower. His wings brought him back around in a wide circle heading back for the tower. He was in a straight dive toward the ground. Gareth glanced back toward me with a look of disbelief on his face. I had no doubt gained the privilege of a lecture if we survived.
The impact the dragon made when he slammed into the ground was louder than the thunder that echoed across the plains. Rock and mud hurled forward in waves as the dragon came sliding in toward the tower. He finally came to a halt. I watched as the grounded dragon was surrounded by groups of soldiers who still clung to their torches. Gareth took off down the stairs first. I followed shortly after beginning to realize what I had just done. I had intentionally put my own life in danger to give these people the advantage they needed over the dragon. The shock of my decision hit me. Did I not value my life anymore? The life I had fought so hard to obtain freedom for had just nearly been smothered out again, but this time it was from my own doing. I could hear the beast's snarls and pain. I had slowed to a walk my fear finally settling in. Gareth was already outside. I heard one last roar escape from the dragon, and the loud thud as his oversized body hit the ground. He was dead. They had killed the dragon. I wanted to see the beast up close. My flames had shielded most of the dragon's features from my sight, but now I could see him. I picked up my pace again. I ran straight toward the area where men and women cheered and voiced their victory. Gareth pulled his sword from the dragon's jaw and looked up at my approach. I froze in my steps. This...this can't be. This isn't right. My mind began to spin as the image of the dragon came into view. The large beast's eyes were open and staring right at me. His large green eyes that no longer held life did not hold my answers either. Gareth stepped toward me but stopped as a shout ripped from my chest.
"This isn't the dragon!" I began to panic. The world started to spin. Gareth ran to my side and shook my shoulders lightly.
"My lady look at me, what do you mean?" My hysteria was returning, I could feel my blood turn to ice as the realization hit me.
"This isn't the dragon that attacked Helgen. It's still out there somewhere." I had already began slipping into my thoughts that only harbored dark places. Gareth started to speak, but his words were lost in the echoes of my mind. My walls began to crumble like the walls of Helgen. The demon that had done all of that destruction was still out in the world somewhere. We hadn't stopped his reign of terror. I tried pulling myself together, not wanting to slip into the memories that threatened my mind. Tears were now streaming down my face as Gareth stared at me in complete confusion.
Some of the guards began shouting. I pulled myself out of my thoughts long enough to realize the dragon's body had begun to glow. Many of the men and women began to back away from the dragon.
"It's going to blow!" One of the men yelled as he took off in a sprint gaining as much distance as possible. A few others followed suit. I just stood in place, watching as the scales began to fall from the dragon onto the muddy ground. The flesh that lay under the scales began to disintegrate. I felt the wind around me pick up in an instant and the intensity grew. The swirl of orange and white rushed toward me on the trail of wind that engulfed my body. My confused and lost thoughts came into focus, my vigor returned and my body shook. The knowledge hit my mind like the dragon's impact had been with the ground. My anger burst out from my chest, no it burst from my soul and I could not control it.
"Fus!"