Forging the Past part 5

Tarrion walked from the bed to a nearby cupboard. He grabbed two goblets and a jug of wine and placed them on a table nearby. He poured wine into both of them, yet filled only one. He then summoned a Bound Dagger and made a small cut in his wrist and let a small amount of blood fill the other goblet. Serana had found out she liked the combination of wine and blood. It still gave her the nourishment she needed, and yet made it seem so ordinary as a normal drink of wine. She took the goblet from Tarrion and took a sip.

"So..." she licked her lips. "You found Katria's ghost in Arkngthamz and the two of you found a strange 'key' there. What happened after that?"

Tarrion placed the goblet at his lips and took a small sip from the wine. "A wild goose-chase is what happened. Although, maybe not really. But we did have to travel throughout Skyrim in search of the right places. But, I must say, Katria had done her research. All that was left for us to do was put the final pieces of the puzzle together, and reach the locations that seemed to have any connection to the Forge."

He took another sip and looked through the high windows of his quarters.

Our first stop was at Deep Folk Crossing, near Bthardamz. It is a small ruin that was once called Bthar-Zel. Katria did not know what the true purpose of that place really was during the time the Dwarves studied Aetherium, though she seemed to believe it was some form of archive. Or maybe it was just a place where meetings were held. Who knows? That was actually the easiest piece to find.

The sun had begun to set when Tarrion finally reached the north-western end of the Reach. To the south, he could see the sun reflecting on the metallic domes of Bthardamz, but he knew he did not need to go there. He knew he had to reach the river and follow it upstream, just like Katria's journal explained. It seemed she wasn't sure what the purpose of this place had been, but she was sure there was a connection to the Forge.

Tarrion followed the sound of flowing water and reached the fast-flowing river quickly. He proceeded to follow it upstream and after a few climbs and tough corners he saw large shadows of ancient ruins. As he neared them he saw a large bridge spanning over the river. The water flowed fast and strong here and Tarrion climbed up the ruins and walked over the stone bridge.

He arrived in an area that was largely untouched, and apart from a few crumbled towers and remains of buildings, there seemed to be no real activity here. As if no one had set foot here in several thousand years. There even was no sight of trees, and the only life to be found here was the grass.

He walked around in the desolation, and saw ruins of a large chamber. The roof had collapsed and the walls had crumbled. At first he saw nothing there, but in the growing darkness he noticed how a small part of the last remains of a wall seemed to be illuminated by something, and as he neared it he was sure. There was something there.

He climbed over the rubble and saw a small pedestal and a familiar blue object lay on it. Tarrion took it from the pedestal, half expecting an alarm to go off and a number of traps to suddenly spring, but all remained quiet. The object had the same shape as the one he was carrying in a small satchel around his waist. A crescent with a piece of a crest in the middle, made out of a blue, almost illuminating crystal, yet also a bit transparent.

"Hmm.. beat me to it this time."

Tarrion almost dropped the key-shard in fright.

"Would you not sneak up upon me like that?" he asked Katria who had appeared behind him.

"Sorry." she answered. "I didn't mean to. But I see you found another one."

"Yes… it seemed you were right about this place."

"It seemed so." Katria remarked and she seemed to be surprised by it. "I knew it was a bit of a stretch, but I found a few notes that were legible that made references to this place. I wrote it down, to later forget about it. But when I found out that there were four cities that worked on the Forge, this one was among the most likely."

Tarrion nodded, and put the Aetherium shard in the satchel. "So what do you think this place originally was?"

Katria looked at him in surprise and had one eyebrow raised. "Are you really interested?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't." Tarrion shrugged.

"Ha… I guess not." Katria laughed. "But what was this place? I don't really know. I think, I'm not sure, this place had a part in the research done in Arkngthamz, or maybe it was a library of some kind… or maybe it was a meeting place, an office of some kind where the leaders of each of the four cities would come together to discuss what they have found. But I don't know… it seems too small for a library, and yet also too small for a research base or an office, but who knows what kind of ruins and hidden tunnels may be hidden below us."

"So this place could have been one of those things… all of them or none of them?"

"Exactly."

After they left Deep Folk Crossing, Katria explained where they had to go next. Tarrion had opened Katria's journal and they looked at the map she had used for her research. They saw a small number drawn on the mountains to the south-west of Windhelm.

"I think that might also be a place that is connected to the Forge. I forgot the name though."

Tarrion nodded. "Yes… I know it… Raldar? Raldtar?"

"Raldbthar!" Katria snapped her fingers. "Yes that was it. That should be our next stop. I'll see you there."

"So now you had to go from the one end of Skyrim to the other end?"

Tarrion sighed. "Yes… and that was not the first time… never mind it being the last. But I have had journeys that were much longer."

"Really?"

"After I refused your father's offer, I had to walk back to the Dawnguard," Tarrion summed up. "then, when we looked for your mother, we went from the Dawnguard to Volkihar Castle and then back, and after that, we went to the forgotten Vale, ánd back, and then again to Castle Volkihar…. And that was just the adventures I had with you."

"Oh, you poor thing." Serana said jokingly. "I can only imagine the pain your feet must have felt."

"I'm a Nord." Tarrion said and he pulled a strong face. "I don't feel pain."

"Save your boasting for the Companions." Serana laughed. "You can boast to Vilkas and Farkas about your adventures…. But for now… what happened then?"

"Well… I'll spare you the long and tiresome journey to Raldbthar, and the long dungeon I had to fight my way through, but after I defeated another large Dwemer Centurion, I entered a room that was perfectly square. There I met Katria again."

Tarrion walked into a large room that was perfectly square. Parts of the ceiling had caved in and one pillar had crumbled. In the middle of the room, still free from rubble, Tarrion saw a familiar device. A large, square stone with around device on it with a circular socket. Around the stone, he saw other tiles that were made in a peculiar fashion, and Tarrion recognized it as a hidden Dwemer staircase. A special Attunement Sphere was needed to operated it, but Tarrion did not have one with him at this time.

"Ah… there you are." he heard a voice, and a few metres in front of him Katria appeared. "That was quite the trip. Let's hope we weren't wrong."

She lead the way to a smaller room next to the room they were currently in.

"I think it's here…. Yes!"

Tarrion followed her into the room and indeed saw another pedestal with the next part of the Key to the Forge on it.

"Go ahead…." Katria said. "You should do the honours. After everything you've done….. plus I can't really pick up anything, so.."

"It's alright. I'll get it."

After Tarrion had picked the shard up and put it in the satchel along with the other two he saw Katria sigh.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's just…. I can't believe we're actually getting this close."

Katria seemed to smile and cry at the same time, and Tarrion thought he saw a small, ghostly tear well up in her eye. "In my entire life I haven't even seen even a sliver of Aetherium, and now we hold three pieces of pure Aetherium."

She looked at Tarrion with both pride and thanks, and he gave her a gentle smile.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes… yes." she said quickly and she wiped a tear from her face. "Sorry… So that is our third, we only have on left to go."

Together they left the room and walked toward the exit.

"So what do you think this place was?" Tarrion asked.

"Hmm…" Katria looked around. "If I had to guess, I would say this was their primary source of Aetherium. It definitely had deeper mines than most of the Dwarven cities in Skyrim, but I thought they had to be even deeper than this."

"They are." Tarrion remarked and he pointed at the large stone with the round device with its circular slot. "That is a staircase. You need a specific Attunement Sphere for it to work, but it will lead you even deeper."

"Really?!" Katria almost shouted and she ran to the stone slab. "Do you have that Sphere on you? Can we take a look at what is down there? Where does it lead? Have you been there? What is it like there?"

"Wow… slow down." Tarrion laughed. "I think it leads to Blackreach. Ever heard of it?"

Katria scratched her head while trying to think. "Yes…. I have heard rumours and read footnotes… but nothing more. I thought it was a myth."

"Well… it's not. It is a massive underground city, and incredibly well preserved. There are giant, mushroom-like plants there that glow and illuminate the entire area, and large crystals that also glow. In the middle of the city hangs a giant…. Orb…. That, I think, represents the sun. It glows with an orange glow and gives light to the city. It is also overrun with Falmer."

Katria looked at him with widened eyes. "That sounds like a wonder…. Except for the Falmer. Ohh, I would love to see it."

"I'm sorry…" Tarrion said. "I don't have that sphere with me right now."

Katria nodded in disappointment. "That is a shame…. It really is. But maybe we can find our own discovery. We just need one more piece."

"Yes, indeed." Tarrion agreed and he opened the journal again.

"It seems we will find the last piece here." Katria explained and she pointed at the eastern mountains of Skyrim. "The ruins of Mzulft. If I have read it correctly, it has a large storage area where they stored all kinds of supplies, food, armour, weapons…. And hopefully, Aetheruim."

Serana had finished her wine and now licked her lips. Tarrion had hardly touched his wine since he was telling the story.

"And so we went from the one Dwarven ruin to the other. I did ask her for a break though. I was tired and really needed the rest. So I stayed the night in Kynesgrove. After a staying there for almost an entire day and night, I headed for Mzulft, a large Dwemer Ruin in the eastern mountains. It was the same place I had to go when I was looking for clues for the Staff of Magnus. Thank goodness I didn't need to walk through the entire dungeon again."

"How so?"

"There was a storage building close to the main city. That is where we needed to go."

He pushed the heavy doors open and descended down a large staircase. The air inside was heavy and damp, and there was no light. He cast a Candlelight spell and saw how the hall was illuminated by the light of it.

"Ah, there you are." Katria said and her head popped out of a large gate. "I already found it."

She walked out of the metal gate and explained that the last part of the key lay behind the large steel doors.

"I can walk through it, but that won't help us. I can't grab it anyway."

Tarrion quickly picked the lock and saw another small pedestal with a bluish crystal on it. He placed it in his satchel and walked back to Katria.

"That was pretty easy, wasn't it?" she said.

"For you maybe. I had to walk all the way here."

Katria gave him a smile. "I know… and I'm afraid there is one last long walk for you left. We have all the pieces, but we still need to find the Forge itself. But I had a lead on that too, and I still remember it. Meet me at the ruins south of Ivarstead. The ruins of Bthalft. The Forge has to be there."

After several days of endless walking, Tarrion had finally reached Ivarstead, and after he stayed the night at the inn, he continued his journey south. He knew there was a small imperial camp nearby, but he wasn't looking for them. He tried to spot anything that would look like Dwarven ruins.

It didn't take him that long to find it. While he walked the road, suddenly several bandits came running, they had no weapons on them and one of them kept screaming.

"GHOSTS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

They ignored Tarrion completely and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Tarrion simply smiled and walked into the direction from which the bandits came.

A few small stone pillars were all that was left of the original buildings the Dwemer had made here. Near the centre of the ruins Tarrion saw Katria standing, near a small pedestal with a metal sundial on top of it.

"Ah, you made it!" she said and she was ecstatic. "Come here… look at this device here."

Tarrion joined her and saw what she was looking at.

The area had the unmistakable look of Dwemer ruins, but in the middle a large round stone there was a small, metal pedestal with a sundial on top of it. Right underneath that, in the middle of the pedestal the two saw a perfectly round gear.

"See this device? The gear in the centre is just about the same size as the shards we collected. I trust you still have them with you?"

Tarrion held up the small satchel and Katria heard the shards clink against each other. "Right here. I take it you think we should try to put the shards in the device?"

"That would be my guess, yes."

Tarrion grabbed one of the shards and placed it in the gear and moved it around until he heard a slight click, and the gear dropped half an inch and was able to move. Placing one shard after the other, and moving the gear after each, Tarrion could see Katria's eyes widen with every shard he placed. He could see the excitement on her face and he could not deny he felt the same. They were on the brink of discovering one of the greatest Dwemer findings in history, and despite that Tarrion wasn't much of an historian, he could feel the significance of their finds.

After he placed the last gear and turned it, a deep rumble echoed from underneath them. The sundial turned around once and the ground had started shaking a little, but it had stopped as quick as it started.

"Hmmm," Katria scratched her head. "Try… taking it out?"

Tarrion took the gear with the shards from the pedestal and immediately the ground started shaking. A deep rumble echoed through the ground and it felt like they started an earthquake. Below them, the large round stone which they stood upon, felt like it had come loose.

"What the-…. Get back! Hurry!" Katria yelled.

They both ran of the large stone slab, and not a second later it rose from the ground.

Tarrion looked up and saw how a massive tower, almost thirty metres high, rose from the place where they stood a few seconds ago. Advanced Dwemer architecture and technology made the gears and mechanisms that were made thousands of years ago still work like new and when the tower finally stood still, it loomed over the lands of the Rift. High, mighty and intimidating. In front of the two explorers there was a large opening in the tower, and Tarrion saw the gears and lever of a lift.

"It's true! It is all true!" Katria shouted ecstatic. "Come on! Let's check it out."

She ran to the entrance and could hardly wait for Tarrion to pull the lever. He saw how she could not stand still and how she almost wanted to push him away and pull the lever herself. Tarrion pulled the lever, a stone door closed and the lift descended down into the darkness below.

After a while the lift finally stopped.

"That took longer than usual." Katria remarked and Tarrion agreed. "How deep are we?"

Tarrion could not see anything, and thus he cast a Candlelight spell and saw broken ruins around him. A metallic door hung warped in its hinges and a broken stone path lead further down the deepest caverns Tarrion had ever seen. The two followed the path away from the lift and quickly saw broken staircases. But on those staircases they saw skeletons. Small skeletons, and if Tarrion didn't know any better he thought they were the bones of children, but he knew they had to be Dwemer.

"What happened here?" he asked himself.

"The Aetherium Wars." Katria answered. "You read the book, right? After they Dwarves made the first real weapons out of Aetherium they all wanted the Forge for themselves. Weapons of such power would be able to withstand any army they thought, and so they fought each other. They all fought over the control of the Forge."

"This is no Forge." Tarrion said as they walked past more skeletons. "This is a tomb."

They continued past the dead and over the broken pathway and walked through a massive hall. Tarrion's Candlelight spell was not able to illuminate the entire area and they knew it had to be a massive place.

The path went up and they saw how massive staircases lead past buildings and the heard the rushing of water below them. At the top of the staircase they saw a few lights. The same lights that could be found in many of the Dwemer ruins and they saw a large metal gate blocking the path further down.

"There!" Katria said and she pointed upward. "I see two resonators. I guess you'll have to activate them before the gate opens."

There seemed to be no specific order to them, or Tarrion just got lucky, because he fired two Firebolts at them and the gate opened.

"What do you make of this place?" he asked her as they walked through the gates.

"I'm not sure." Katria answered hesitantly. "It feels old, doesn't it. Even by Dwarven standards. This place is very well preserved though, and yet it has to have been at least four thousand years since anyone set foot here. This 'has' to be the place. It just has to be."

As the two descended further down, Tarrion could feel the air getting warmer, and he started to feel sweat dripping on his brow.

"The air here is getting warmer." he said as they neared two more gates. Tarrion pushed them open, and Katria gasped loud.

In front of them a massive hall appeared, and Tarrion also saw why it was getting warmer. A massive lake of lava boiled at the far end of the hall , and in front of them he saw metal work, large pipes and masonry all surrounding a large, strange device.

"Is that… the Forge?"

Katria had already walked ahead and neared the central construction. Tarrion followed her but as he ascended the few steps to the device, he felt something tug his leg. He quickly looked down and saw a broken wire.

Immediately a loud alarm rung and several gates and pipes opened, and large, metallic spiders leaped from them.

"Katria!" Tarrion shouted and he immediately charged a spell.

Over a dozen Dwemer spiders charged at the two adventurers, but since Katria was a ghost and could not be harmed, she was in no danger. The downside to it was that she also could not help fight the automatons, and could only distract them. But that was enough for Tarrion who preferred to incinerate his metallic enemies, rather than blunting his blade on them. After a short while the ground was littered with pieces of the spiders, and soon after, also Dwarven Spheres, as they now poured from the gates as well, yet in fewer numbers. Tarrion fired spell after spell, incinerating and melting them as they attacked him, and he made quick work of them. After the final Sphere was defeated he sighed.

"Thanks for warning me about that alarm." he said sarcasticly.

"Hey, I can't really feel what is going through me." Katria defended herself. "I can walk through a door and not feel a thing, so that little tripwire…. Nothing."

"I know… well at least we-.."

But a massive rumble echoed from behind them. The two turned around and Katria saw the most terrifying thing she had ever seen, in both her life and death.

A massive metal hand had appeared from the lake of lava, and it now grabbed the stone edge of the lake. Then the rest of the arm rose from lava and with it the head of the largest Dwarven Centurion ever made. Its head was like a mask, and it represented a fearsome Dwemer. Its other hand held a massive hammer, and just like the monstrous construction itself, it was made out of solid metal. When it finally stood on the edge of the lake, it was glowing hot and lava and molten stone leaked from its arms and legs. It was over seven metres tall and Tarrion could hear Katria gasp in horror.

"Oh Gods…."

Without warning The Forgemaster, for this is what the Dwemer had called it, opened its metallic mouth and a stream of fire that rivalled the breath of dragons, poured from it. Tarrion barely had time to Shout, and make himself invulnerable.

FEIM

The fire passed through him and he felt nothing, yet he knew it was only just in time. He quickly ran to seek cover behind a pillar and even Katria, who was a ghost, forgot about it, and ran for cover.

The Forgemaster was the largest, toughest and strongest Dwarven Automaton Tarrion ever had to face, and within minutes the entire area was scorched and blackened from the fire-breath that both the Forgemaster and Tarrion used against each other. But Tarrion quickly saw that it was of no use. This monstrosity had survived while bathed in lava, so a bit of fire would not hurt it, and Tarrion tried something else and he Shouted.

FO KRAH DIIN

The Forgemaster was stunned for a few seconds, and a part of it now seemed more brittle than before, but this quickly changed back and with another fire-breath it almost destroyed the pillar Tarrion used for cover. But both the cold and the pillar had given Tarrion an idea. He shouted at Katria.

"DRAW HIM TOWARD YOU!"

"WHAT?" she shouted back.

"DRAW HIMT TO THE LEFT! I HAVE AN IDEA!"

Katria clearly thought he was crazy, but she did it anyway and she started yelling and hollering at the Centurion. And she drew his attention, and it now slowly walked toward her. Tarrion waited…. A bit more…. A bit more to the left…. NOW.

He jumped from behind the pillar and shouted with all his might at the Automaton's legs.

FO KRAH DIIN

The Forgemaster was stopped in its tracks and was unable to move for a while and Tarrion jumped backwards and shouted again, but this time at the pillar he had used for cover.

FUS RO DAH

With a deafening roar the pillar broke and shattered and fell toward the Centurion. The massive stones and rocks that held up the ceiling now landed on the Forgemaster and crushed it. A few stones rolled further away and landed in the lake of lava and after that there was only the sound of steam being released.

"BY THE GODS!" Katria shouted.

"You can say that again." Tarrion answered and he walked toward the remains of the Centurion. "That was one tough piece of metal."

"Not that!" Katria shouted, but now looking at him with her eyes wide open. "You are Dragonborn?"

Tarrion smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Why didn't you mention that?"

"We were focused on finding Dwemer ruins."

Katria opened her mouth and closed it again. "You're lucky I can't, because otherwise I would have punched you in your face right now."

"Another time maybe, but for now… I think you were right. I think this is indeed the Forge as you said."

"Eh.. yes. Yes!" and Katria seemed to pull herself together. "We did it! We actually did it! There is just one last thing we need to do. To prove that this really is the Forge."

"How?"

"By forging something of course." and she looked at him. "You should do it. After everything you've done…. You should have the honour."

"What did you forge?" Serana asked with bated breath.

"Well..." Tarrion scratched his chin. "That turned out to be more difficult than we originally thought. We searched for Aetherium, but there was nothing to be found, until we realized that we had some in my satchel."

"The crests?"

Tarrion nodded. "Yes…. That was the only Aetherium we could find. But it was the first time I had ever tried to forge anything with this material, so we also had to search for instructions on how to use it. Eventually we found three schematics and diagrams. There were possibly more but either the ages had turned them to dust, or the fight had destroyed them. We found the instructions on how to make one of three items. A staff… a shield… and a crown."

"Which one did you make?" Serana asked and she looked at Tarrion in anticipation.

"I decided to make the Crown. I hardly ever use staves when casting spells and shields are easy to make or buy. But this crown looked highly unique, and so I used the forge to make the Crown."

Tarrion held the crown up as he pulled it out of the water. He had filled a small metal bucked with ice and it had melted quickly. The crown still sizzled and steam came from it but it had cooled down. Katria stood next to him as he placed it on a stone table and she looked at it with both fascination and tears in her eyes.

"That crown…. It's beautiful. It is… everything I could have hoped for."

She looked at Tarrion as he had put the tongs away and before he could stop her, she walked in him.

"Katria… what are you-.."

"Thank you." she said and she took a small step backwards. Ghostly tears now rolled over her cheeks, but they were tears of joy. "I wish I could hug you… kiss you for helping me complete my life's work. Thanks to you, I finally fulfilled my dream… what I set out to do…. My life's work is complete, at last."

And Tarrion understood what was about to happen. The one thing that had bound her to this world was her desire to complete her work, and she had finished it. She was leaving. She was passing on.

"Thank you, Katria…. For all of it." Tarrion smiled at her, and he felt his throat locked. To see someone he could call 'friend' pass on like this was something he had not felt before. Her voice had almost become a whisper, and she struggled to keep her tears back.

"I have finally done what I set out to do. But you… take that out to the world… and if anyone asks, tell them what we have discovered… together."

Then Tarrion saw how Katria started to fade away, in the same blue mist from which she had stepped forth when Tarrion first saw her. Her legs first disappeared, and soon her arms faded too.

"And now… I think I can finally rest. Thank you, my friend…. Thank you, and farewell… wherever your travels may take you."

And with those words she vanished in front of his eyes. His hand made a slight gesture forward, almost trying to prevent her from leaving, but she was gone before he could act on the urge. And Tarrion was left alone in the ruins of the Aetherium Forge. Motionless pieces of the Automatons lay scattered everywhere and the ground was cracked on numerous places. The lake of lava boiled in the back, and it took him a while before he regained his senses and walked toward the exit.

Tarrion had stopped talking, but Serana still looked at him like the story wasn't over yet. But Tarrion took a deep sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

"That was not the last time I saw her though. I met her again in Sovngarde…. After I died."

"You did?"

"Mhm…" he nodded. "But not for very long. She only explained that I was indeed dead, and she helped me recollect my memories. When Tsun said I had to go back to where I woke up, she wanted to go with me, but Tsun forbade her. That was the last time I saw her. But I also buried her. I couldn't just leave her body in the ruins of a Dwarven city, and I dug a grave in the Reach for her."

Serana sighed deeply and looked at Tarrion in a new way, like he had weathered a bit before her eyes.

"I think she would have liked it." she said. "I think she would be grateful you did that for her."

Tarrion made a slight chuckle. "I think she would also like what I did to her apprentice, Taron Dreth."

"What did you do to him?"

"He is rotting in Cidna Mine. For attacking a Thane." Tarrion smiled. "I met him in Markarth, and when he saw the Crown he recognized the material I had he asked me where I got it. When I asked him who he was he told me his name, and it became clear to him that I knew Katria, and after he said that I 'knew too much' he attacked me."

He laughed. "A fool. Before I could blink several guardsmen grabbed him and took him to Cidna Mine. Haven't heard of him since."

Serana smiled too. "It seems he got a well-deserved sentence. But where do you have that Crown you made? I'd love to see it."

"Actually, I have the Crown here." Tarrion said, and he stepped off the bed and walked toward a seemingly normal pillar that supported the arced ceiling. "I considered burying it with Katria's body, but I realized she wouldn't want that. She wanted me to 'take it out into the world' and not hide it in the ground. So I brought it here to study it."

He had pressed a small, hardly visible button on the pillar and a hidden compartment opened. Then Serana saw one of the most beautiful crowns she had ever seen, and since she was raised as royalty, that says a lot.

It was beautifully crafted from gold, with seven blue jewels in it. Three larger ones in the centre, and two smaller ones on either side. The gold seemed to shine by itself, like it was glowing. The blue jewels were clearly not sapphires, but something far more beautiful and more transparent. They were held in place by small, golden bars that encircled them. They also seemed to glow by themselves and Serana could almost feel a power coming from them and they seemed to burn with an inner fire.

When Tarrion gave her the crown she could see her own glowing eyes reflecting in the jewels and the gold, and her hands were trembling.

"It….. it is beautiful." she stammered and she felt it was an understatement.

Then Tarrion took it from her hands and placed the crown on her head. She felt strangely invigorated when the metal touched her head. It felt incredibly light, lighter than even a cloth hood, and she smiled at Tarrion who smiled back.
"Now.. it is beautiful. It is only as beautiful as the head it adorns." he said and Serana felt herself blush. "You truly look like royalty to me."

"Do I?" she asked and she stood up in front of him and gave him a slightly seductive grin. "Do I look like a queen?"

"Much better…" Tarrion answered and he placed one hand gently on her back and with the other he pulled her head close. "You look like my queen."

=End of Chapter=

=End of Arc=

=Author's Notes=

And that is the final chapter of this arc. I do hope you liked it as much as I liked writing it. I will take another small break now, as the new Arc comes with a few challenges and I want to do it right of course.

I know I said that one of the Arcs would be 'A New Leader', dealing with the Greybeards losing a member and Tarrion finding a suitable successor. This idea is off the table….. for now. Maybe later, but for now I cannot find a good story line that I like enough. Instead of that we will have a different story arc for the next one:

Blood Runs Deep: This arc will deal with a huge source of frustration that everyone will know. The source of so much anger and annoyance and fights…. Yet I am sure that nobody would want to live without it. It will deal with: Family.

That is all I will say about the following Arc. So for now I would like to ask all who still read this, to stay tuned and most of all stay patient.

I might also focus a bit more on two of my other stories that i am working on, so this break might be a bit longer than usual.

MegaGothmog out.

Dragon Language Used:

Feim: Fade (Become Ethereal Shout)

Fo Krah Diin: Frost Cold Freeze (Frost Breath Shout)

Fus Ro Dah: Force Balance Push (Unrelenting Force Shout)