Chapter 2: The Thief and the Warrior

Quick note: Events that happened during the Dragonborn's story that he did not know of directly will be highlighted by the * icon shown here. These events are from important characters within the story that need to show certain events such as characters outside of the five main characters from during the game (ex. Astrid, Kodlak, etc.) exchanging words with someone else away from the Dragonborn and friends' ears. Let it be known that all of the journals were written by Zacharius, Errick, Akira, Scarlai, and Stryger (Dragonborn, Guild master, Harbinger, Listener, and Arch-Mage), which is why the story has multiple P.O.V.

*Hadvar lay in that cave for what seemed like hours. The Stormcloaks had reunited with their leader and Hadvar tried to stop them. He had taken a dagger to the side, however, and was now left for dead in this cave. Bastards. He at least had been able to take out two of them before he had taken his injury.

He was just about to pass out from blood loss when he heard a noise. It sounded like footsteps coming his way. No doubt it had to be the Stormcloaks coming to finish him off. Hadvar had no plans of going out without a fight, however. He picked up his sword and stuck it out towards the man that had approached him.

This man wasn't wearing Stormcloak gear. He wore an outfit that looked like he was a Vigilant of Stendarr. The steel plate helmet he wore covered his face, so he was unsure this man was friend or foe. The iron greatsword on his back might've said foe if the man's hands weren't glowing with restorative energies.

"Do you wish to be healed?" Thestranger in front of him asked. Hadvar could've sworn the man's voice held an echo, but perhaps it was just because of the amount of blood he lost.

Unable to utter a sound, Hadvar resorted to nodding his head.

The Stranger then brought his hand to Hadvar's wound, using his restoration abilities to heal the man's wound. Hadvar shuddered and groaned. The wound must've been more severe than he thought. But he was able to calm down as the wound healed at an alarming rate. When there was nothing more than a scar left, The Stranger removed his hand from Hadvar's side, bringing a water pouch to the man's mouth.

"Drink." He commanded. The man obeyed, drinking the water within the pouch to bring moisture to his mouth again. "It took a lot of energy to heal your wound. You will need food and bed rest for a few days before you can travel again."

"Thank you." Hadvar spoke, his voice still harsh. "My uncle is in Riverwood, just to the North from here. Will you help me up?"

The Stranger grabbed the man's hand, pulling him up slowly to avoid harming or staggering him. Hadvar groaned again as the spot where he had been stabbed ached. The Stranger then put his arm over his shoulder and began to help him walk out of the cave.

"So, who is it my uncle has to thank? Are you a Vigilant of Stendarr?"

"No, although I passed a few in my travels across Skyrim. I came up here to investigate the rumors of a dragon in this area. Helgen was destroyed, and you were the only survivor here I found."

"That dragon came out of nowhere. I suspect General Tullius escaped along with some of the other men, but they didn't take the Keep like they had planned. I was attempting to escape with one of the prisoners that was going to be executed, but he went with the Stormcloak traitor, Ralof."

"What was this prisoner's name?"

"Zacharius Morrigan, I think."

The Stranger nodded. "Zacharius Morrigan was a Thalmor target. They suspected him of Talos worship and attempted to capture him in the Imperial City."

"And you would know this how?"

"I do business with the couriers. They hear things and I say things. It's an even trade."

Hadvar blinked as they stepped outside. It was midnight by now and the stars were out. The walk along the road was quiet. No wolves or bandits came out of hiding to strike at them, and everything just seemed too peaceful. He could see Bleak Falls Barrow in the distance, and he was glad he wasn't alone right now.

"You still didn't tell me who you are."

"Names are pretty, but useless for one-time encounters. I am simply a stranger passing by."

"But my uncle's a smith. He could craft you something you could use."

"Unless he pushes the issue, I need nothing from you." The Stranger replied as they reached Riverwood. The house was right in front of them, and Hadvar didn't need to say anything to get them to his uncle's house. The Stranger pulled him up the stairs and knocked on the door. A man in a blacksmith's apron opened the door, immediately shocked at what he saw.

"Shor's bones, boy. Why do you look like you lost a fight with a cave bear? And who's this?"

"He's a friend. I need a place to rest, uncle. A lot has happened."

"Well, come on in. Set yourself on the bed and relax. You look like you need sleep."

Hadvar and The Stranger walked towards the bed and Hadvar sat down, careful not to disturb his aching side. "Thank you, Stranger."

"Now," Alvor spoke. "what happened to you, Hadvar?"

"We had captured Ulfric Stormcloak and some of his men, and we were about to kill them in Helgen using the chopping block. But then a dragon came out of nowhere and destroyed the town. I was forced to escape through the keep alone, but I was stabbed by one of Ulfric's men. By chance, this man came to my rescue and healed my wound to the best of his ability."

"Really?" Alvor asked, turning towards The Stranger. "And how exactly do you play in, Stranger?"

"I had been investigating the signs and sounds of the dragon from the mountains. By the time I reached Helgen, it was nightfall and everyone who still drew breath had left. I investigated all of the buildings and found your nephew in a cave, still grasping his bleeding side. Like he said, I had done all I could for him, but he still needs food and rest for a few days."

"Damn. If a dragon is on the loose, Riverwood is defenseless. We need to send word for the Jarl that we need guards here in case a dragon does come to attack us."

"I could head out immediately and see about reinforcements. If not, I can have someone stop by Whiterun or send a courier to deliver a message."

"It's night time. The Jarl won't be at his court for several hours. And you should rest up, too."

"I will be fine. I've gone longer without rest."

"And besides, you need to be rewarded for your actions like any true friend of Skyrim."

"I do not perform actions in the hopes of earning coin. I perform actions because those actions are the right thing to do."

"But surely you deserve something for your efforts. A warrior of your skill doesn't desire anything?"

The Stranger looked at the sword on his back. While it had served his mortal guise well, the iron greatsword was in dire need of sharpening. "If you really wish to help, I would much like a new greatsword. Something original, but with detail not seen by other swords. Something that would mark the sword as mine, and the craftsman as yours."

"I may be able to help you with that. But I'll need a few items for that. Bring me a few gems and an ancient Nordic greatsword for the model, and I'll use any and all of my materials to craft you a fine blade."

"The gems I can offer now." The Stranger pulled out a few rubies and sapphires. "The greatsword I would need to find."

"There are possibly greatswords within Bleak Falls Barrow just up the mountain, but be warned, the draugr walk the halls still."

"I do not fear the dead. I shall head out at daylight to retrieve a greatsword for you."

"That would be best. You two better rest up for now. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs with my family."

The Stranger watched as Alvor walked down the steps, patiently sitting by the fire until morning.*

Once daytime hit, Zacharius had left Gerdur's home, heading towards the blacksmith to buy a set of iron armor with what little coin he had. The smith Alvor seemed suspicious when he sold the Stormcloak cuirass, but he merely explained that he stumbled upon it during an adventure, which was not a lie. Alvor would have refused to buy it had Zacharius not assured him that he could use the cuirass for spare materials. When he possessed a full set, he only had his sword, dagger, bow and arrows, lockpicks, and supplies left. Seven gold coins jingled in the coin purse Gerdur had made him (with his initials stitched in), and Zacharius knew he would have to find gold elsewhere. When he slipped the helmet on his face, he felt a sense of completion envelope him, as if it was part of him.

"Whiterun, here I come." He immediately embarked along the road out of Riverwood. He quietly hummed to himself as he passed by an Imperial man that had to have been in his early thirties. He hadn't noticed the man reaching for his coin purse, but when he felt it being yanked off of his belt, he leapt into action.

"Hey!" Zacharius shouted as the man attempted to run in the opposite direction. He immediately reacted by picking up a rock off of the road and throwing it at the thief. Hard.

Errick felt a sharp pain form from the back of his head and he stumbled, letting out a strange sound out from his mouth as he fell to the ground. When Zacharius saw the man fall, he immediately pulled out his dagger, walking straight towards the man. He pulled him onto his back so he could look at the thief. The man was still whining about his head.

"WHY IN OBLIVION WOULD YOU THROW A ROCK AT ME?! I'M GOING TO HAVE A LUMP THERE, AND A HEADACHE, AND PROBABLY ROCKJOINT CONSIDERING HOW WOLVES DROOL OVER THESE THINGS!"

"Would you rather have gotten an arrow up your ass? Or perhaps a dagger in your back?!"

"The arrow I could deal with." The thief replied. "The dagger just doesn't seem your style, up-front warrior. But the ROCK was the worst idea you could come up with."

"Shut up and give me my coin purse back."

"It's not your coin purse."

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it's not." The thief said with a musical tune.

"It has my initials sewn into it."

Errick looked at the coin purse and saw the initials Z.M. in it. "No way! You have the same initials as me?!"

Zacharius grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, bringing his dagger closer to the thief's face.

"Okay." Errick backed off. "Not in the mood to have seven septims taken from you. I get it. Take your stupid coin purse back. I don't need an angry Nord breathing down my neck."

Zacharius took his coin purse back from the thief and dropped the man back on the ground. He tied it back onto his belt and began to walk back towards Whiterun. Errick picked himself back up and decided to follow the man just to break conversation. He could perhaps convince the man to be his bodyguard with the use of his special serum from his gloves. Just a handshake and the Nord would be his best friend.

"So, what brings you to this part of the country?" Errick asked.

"I'm bringing a message to Whiterun for Riverwood."

"Oh, so you're a courier?"

"It's not really your business, thief."

"Oh, but you must know who you're talking to. I am Errick Entius, master thief and bastard son of Master Hod Entius. I once stole from the Emperor Titus Mede II on his birthday. His cake also exploded with such a beautiful sound, decorating his guests with bits of vanilla cake and frosting! It was the best distraction I ever used to escape with my goods. In fact, consider yourself lucky that you hold the honor of being the first person to protect his purse from me."

"Yes," Zacharius became lost in thought for a second. "lucky. You know, my grandfather was a moth priest who saw from the elder scroll I'd run into a ruggedly-handsome Imperial with a lot of luck and a natural talent for thievery."

"Look, if this is the pick-up line you use on every guy, then I'm just going to say I love women, but the compliment is flattering."

"I'm not hitting on you. I'm only saying my grandfather saw I'd run into an Imperial thief that would join the mythical Thieves Guild, make a lot of gold, and help me stop a bunch of dragons from destroying the world."

Errick smirked. "Yes to the first part, the second part sounds intriguing despite the fact they're too 'mainstream' for me, yes to the third part, but fighting dragons isn't my thing."

"But don't dragons usually guard treasure?"

Errick squinted hard, shaking his head. "I'll tell you what, you can continue believing your crazy coot of a grandpa while I head off and find the Thieves Guild to make myself rich. If our paths cross again, we'll get a pint, but I assure you I won't go dragon-hunting with anyone."

Zacharius smirked as he saw the man depart, quickly glancing back at him before running away like crazy.

"So you're saying a man that tried to rob you on the road was one of your traveling companions and a member of the Thieves Guild?" Ronan asked.

"Yes, and he eventually became Guildmaster among other things. I don't automatically agree with what the Guild does, but not everybody in the guild is evil. They like stealing, but that's about it."

"And what about the Breton?" Torygg asked. "Was she really the Harbringer of the Companions."

"Yes, however I want you to understand that there is something about the Companions that isn't really meant to be known. So when we get to those details, you better swear you will not say a word to anyone about it."

"Okay. Tell us about her."

"Akira was a great warrior that held a personal secret. A traumatizing event that led her to pursuing fighting techniques. What had happened to her, I will not say yet. I didn't know myself until much later. I only remember her first charging with an axe in her hands."

Zacharius had just reached the farms bordering the city of Whiterun when he heard battle cries from the lips of warriors. Looking at the farms themselves, he saw a group of warriors fighting against a giant. Zacharius had never seen a giant before, but the books didn't do them justice. A man with a greatsword swung at it while a woman with a bow shot at it with plenty of arrows.

Suddenly, a third woman came running out with a large axe, swinging it straight at the giant's leg. The giant collapsed, and the woman let the pointed end stab it's head. Another arrow flew into its head as a likely precaution.

"Nice swing, Breton." The woman with the bow spoke, shaking the hand of the Breton woman who had appeared.

"Thanks." She responded. "I saw you fighting the giant and wanted to help the famed Companions."

"So you've heard about us."

"It's the reason I travelled to Skyrim from High Rock. You're respected and revered warriors that sit in the halls of Jorrvaskr. I was hoping to join."

"Sadly, it is not my place to decide that. But if we find you in our halls, Kodlak White-Mane may let you undergo initiation. Until our paths cross again." The woman left with the man, who had lingered a little bit longer to look at the woman who had taken down the giant. He had a sort of caring, child-like look to him, and the blush from the woman's cheeks noted that she admired the attention from him.

Zacharius rubbed his chin. A Breton with a fire in her soul. The exact words from his grandfather's journal. And Whiterun was literally right in front of him. Perhaps he could convince her to join up if she was the one his grandfather mentioned. When he saw she had started walking towards the city, he caught up to her.

"That was an amazing kill." He spoke, grabbing her attention.

"Thanks." She acknowledged. "I studied their weak spots so I know where to hit to take them down. My name's Akira. Yours?"

"Zacharius Morrigan."

"You coming to join the Companions, too? You seemed dressed and armed for the part."

"No, actually. I'm heading to the Jarl to deliver a message."

"So you're an armed courier? Your employers must be paranoid if you're packing all of that equipment."

"I'm more of an adventurer at heart. But the rumors of dragons returning are true. The people of Riverwood are asking for reinforcements. I happened to be passing by, so I took it upon myself to aid them."

"And how do you know the dragon rumors are true?"

"I looked one into its very eyes. It destroyed the town of Helgen. No doubt the place is now infested by bandits."

"I strangely believe you."

The two approached the city gate as a guard approached them, stopping them in their tracks.

"Halt. The city's closed with the dragons about. Official business only."

Zacharius stepped up to him, holding a calm tone to avoid angering the guard. "My friend and I have information about the dragon attack at Helgen, as well as a request from Riverwood to send troops to protect the town."

"Riverwood's in danger, too?" The guard seemed to listen. "You better go in, then. Dragonsreach is at the top of the hill. Make haste, and respect our laws."

"I assure you, my friend and I will not be trouble to the city." Zacharius and Akira entered the city, and it was only when the doors shut that the woman spoke again.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. You need to join the Companions because fate decrees it."

"I like to think it was my choice to join rather than fate."

"Sometimes, they can mean the same thing." Zacharius stopped as a Dunmer approached them. The red finery and sharp grin the elf possessed revealed who he was. "Tarius?"

"Zacharius!" The Dunmer known as Tarius exclaimed as he walked up, shaking the Nord's hand with a strong grip that matched the hand he was shaking. "I expected you yesterday."

"Complications arose, brother. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"Strange to hear a Nord calling a Dunmer brother." Akira noted.

"That's because the other Nords you met were racist. Not Zacharius. The only elves he mistrusts are the Thalmor." Tarius pulled a book out from his satchel. "I got it into Skyrim without the Thalmor catching me. However, I suspect they might know about our affiliations. I recommend you watch carefully. Keep friends close, but keep enemies closer, brother."

"Same to you, Tarius."

"One last thing before I go. I couldn't help but look at your journal, and I think I might know of the Dunmer it speaks of. Whatever you do, don't enrage him. He is attuned to violence and his eyes scan for signs of weakness, treachery, and deceit. Do not lie to him because he will know, and he only ran to Skyrim because he holds a common enemy to us. Remain vigilant, because the Darth is the one that put fear into Cyrrodil's heart after the Oblivion Crisis that nearly destroyed Tamriel."

"Is he truly one to be feared?"

"He is. His ancestral power is feared even among Dunmer in Morrowind."

"I'll keep that in mind for the day he is needed."

"Take care, friend. May your ancestors smile upon you." Tarius began to walk away.

"Same to you."

Akira stepped up to Zacharius. "So, you gonna tell me what that was all about?"

"We were discussing my grandfather's journal. He was a moth priest that was recently murdered. My friend smuggled this into Skyrim so I could begin searching."

"For what?"

"Actually, it's for who." Zacharius held the journal out to Akira. "Go ahead. Read through it."

Akira took the open book and read what was written. Her eyebrow was raised at the 'Breton with a fire' part, making her think that he was referring to her.

"So your grandfather wants to find a bunch of random people to, what, slay an immortal dragon?"

"Pretty much. I plan on finding out what I can about these dragons and then assemble a team of talented people to help me."

"And one of these people has the dragonblood?"

"Yes. I'm just not sure who it is."

"Well I assure you, while I have a fire in my soul, I do not possess dragonblood. And I'm not even sure if the Breton your grandfather mentioned is even me."

"What if it is?"

"If it is, I'll join you later. I want to join with the Companions and I can't have anything distract me from that goal right now."

Zacharius bowed, taking back the journal. "I understand. If you are really the Breton mentioned in the book, I will come back after you help out with the Companions. If not, then you can live the rest of your days the way you wish to live."

"Very well. It's been a pleasure to meet you, Zacharius Morrigan."

"And it was a pleasure to meet you, Akira."

"So Akira listened to you when Errick did not?"

"Yes, actually. She and I first did not believe we were to hold a major role in my grandfather's prophecy, but destiny always has a way of sneaking up behind you. Eventually, we became great friends, but I decided not to join the Companions for reasons that were my own."

"And this Darth guy Tarius was afraid of?" Ronan asked. "Was he really as bad as he proclaimed?"

"His soul was truly black, but that was to be suspected of an old assassin. You see, when I was going up to Dragonsreach, he was finding himself walking the dark path again in Windhelm, taking a contract for a young boy that wanted a cruel old lady dead. The thing about Scarlai is that he could be a good man if he chooses, but there's something about murder that consumes his thoughts. He enjoys it."

"And you'd let a murderer help you?!"

"Keeping my enemy closer was the best decision I could make. Besides, we had a common enemy; he and I. A mer that had murdered someone he loved just like I lost my grandfather. It was him that put that elf to the sword, and ended the life of the great Thalmor Inquisitor."

"Who's that?"

"The brother of another travelling companion of mine. The Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, Stryger Myron, had apparently lost his older brother on a raid of their town in Summerset Isle, but we later discovered the Inquisitor's identity before Scarlai was dispatched to kill him. He was actually heading to the College around the same time as we headed to our own destinies. Say whatever you will about magic or assassins. The men who held those professions are still heroes to me and my legends. We all played our part in shaping destiny, whether or not our ways were good or evil."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So for those who read my other story, Mass Effect: Resolution, it should be no surprise that The Stranger made an appearance in Skyrim. Before anyone complains, allow me to explain. The Stranger is a multi-dimensional character, meaning he can travel to many alternate realities at incredible speeds. The reason he himself is in Skyrim is actually because he came here before he even visited Resolution and made a company based off of the code name of the woman he loved (for more details, read the other story). His role in Skyrim is meant to be more about watching over the Dragonborn and his companions for the duration of the main quest. However, he may not appear in the planned sequels that follow the DLCs.

Next chapter will be about Zacharius's visit to Dragonsreach, and the introduction of Scarlai and Stryger. Reviews are welcome and PMs with questions are appreciated.