Chapter 23

Dragons Resurrected

Rona's dreams were filled with the nightmarish figure of a vicious black dragon consuming the souls of men all around her. She cried out, shouting, doing everything she could to defend them to no avail when the beast flew down upon her -

"Wake up! WAKE UP!"

Rona's eyes snapped open to the sound of Bishop's urging as he shook her shoulders. He was fully dressed and had a look of sheer terror on his face, something she'd never seen from him before.

"Gods, woman you sleep like the fucking dead - we have to leave now!"

"What?" she mumbled in sleepy confusion.

He threw her clothes at her and tossed dirt on their campfire to put it out. She realized it was still night time when the flames went out and everything fell into complete darkness. Bishop was in a hurry to go, grabbing their things as the sound of a dragon's roar pierced through the skies - alarmingly close. Rona started moving at break-neck speed, pulling her underwear, dress and boots on and clamoring to find their things. The roar was over their heads then and the ground shook under their feet as the dragon flew directly over them. Bishop pulled Rona to the ground covering her, but no flames sprayed around them.

They watched as the beast flew over to the burial mound, hovering over it and speaking loudly in dragon's tongue. Bishop climbed off of her and pulled her to her feet and continued running around the camp, grabbing their things, "Shit! The horses ran! Fuck!"

Rona stared off at the creature illuminated by the moonlight as it spoke deeply, "Vuljotnaak! Ziil gro dovah ulse!" The mound of earth shone with an eerie force of light shooting into the sky.

The dragon flew around it once before shouting a devastating whirl of light against it, "Slen Tiid Va!"

The earth rumbled, throwing them off balance and the burial mound exploded, spraying gravel everywhere. She went pale, unable to turn away from the sight before her as the bones of a dragon pulled itself from the ground, clawing its way to freedom.

Bishop stood by her, watching and trembling with fear. He grasped at her arm, gripping her tightly. He was not afraid for himself, but for her, knowing what she would do.

The dragon's bones looked to the sky at his fellow, as its flesh regenerated through fiery light to its body. He spoke thickly, "Alduin, thuri! Pogaanbok lost vod naal?"

"Geh,Vuljotnaak, kaali mir."

The wind whipped up around them as the sounds of spirits cried all around them,

(The Song is The Promise by Within Temptation)

"Where are we now?"

"We're almost in heaven."

The souls of dead soldiers appeared, wandering aimlessly around looking lost and terrified. Then Jillian illuminated before them, waist length, raven hair sweeping through the night as she gazed across to the ghostly figure of a man. She reached out for him, unable to grasp him. The black dragon looked to them and growled deeply before he stomped down to the ground crushing the man's spirit under him.

He roared at her, but when she did not move, he cocked his reptilian head, intrigued and uttered, "Dovahkiin..."

The rumbling of drums and strings sawed in the air.

She stared down the twisted black dragon before her, drawing a glinting great sword from her back. Her voice rang high and furious, her song one of hatred and vengeance.

"On behalf of her love
She no longer sleeps
Life had no longer meaning
Nothing to make her stay
She sold her soul away

I held you tight to me
You slipped away
You promised to return to me

And I believed

I believed"

The dragon seemed to smile cruelly at her, ignoring her singing, as he whispered her name, "Jillian...hi lost daal. Zu'u fen krii hi enook tiid."

She swung her sword at his maw, catching him on the snout! He hissed at her and flew high into the sky.

"After the night he died
I wept my tears until they dried
But the pain stayed the same"

I didn't want him to die all in vain
I made a promise to revenge his soul in time
I'll make them bleed down at my feed

I held you tight to me

You slipped away
You promised to return to me
And I believed
I held you tight to me

You slipped away
You promised to return to me
And I believed

Sometimes I wonder

Could I have known
About their true intentions
As the pain stayed the same
I'm going to haunt them down all the way

I made a promise to revenge his soul in time
One by one they were surprised

I held you tight to me
You slipped away
You promised to return to me
And I believed

I held you tight to me
You slipped away
You promised to return to me
And I believed"

Rona felt herself drawing her bow from her back, joining her song, compelled to sing her vengeance for her.Bishop twisted at her arm, trying to stop her, pleading with his eyes not to go and she said, "I'm sorry, Bishop." She shouted,"WULD NAH KEST!"

Lunging forward, breaking free of his grasp and straight through Jillian's spirit. She heard him cry out, "RONA!" as she aimed her bow high, aiming for the black dragon looking down at her before launching a spinning arrow into its hide. He roared and turned to his resurrected companion, spitting angrily, "Vuljotnaak! Bo ahrk du daar dovahkiin!"

He soared over her then, spouting flames which Jillian stopped with her own icy shout, "FO KRAH DIIN!"

Rona leapt out of the way as the resurrected dragon snapped its jaws at her. She cried, "SU GRAH DUN!" and sped across the plains. It chased her on foot before flapping its wings, flying low, gliding over the plateau. She narrowly evaded its icy breath and its flames as it was much faster than the others she'd fought before. She cried another whirlwind sprint, launching herself away from the claws bearing down on her, so that they tore at the grass instead.

She was in a position now to lob arrows into its hide, so she nocked her bow sending one after the other careening through the sky. She hit her mark multiple times, causing the creature to lose altitude and forcing it to land far from her. It came down heavily and something from her nightmares happened. Bishop was rushing the dragon, bow in hand. She screamed for him, but he did not stop.

Whirlwind sprint could only take her so far before she had to recover her voice. She tried it again, bursting forward and taking a breath, watching as Bishop, still fifty paces away from her launched an arrow into the dragon's eye just as it made to whip its head around and engulf him in flames. It roared, writhing in pain and flailing its body. Its tail caught Bishop in the side, toppling him over hard. Rona ran as fast as her legs would carry her and threw herself into the face of the beast as it sprayed flames where Bishop lay.

She shouted back, "FO KRAH DIIN!" and threw herself into the resulting blast between the two shouts, using the dust they created for cover. She found her prey, digging at its eye when she threw herself upon its snout, using its horn as leverage and burying her dagger into its skull. The dragon did as she predicted, as all the others did before, throwing its head back, attempting to throw her off. She clung desperately to its horn while it thrashed about wildly and she shouted, "FUS RO DAH!"

This was both the right choice and a mistake. It was the right choice because the unrelenting force of her voice thrust the dragon's head to the ground with enough power to snap its neck and shatter its skull killing it. But it was also a mistake because she was standing on its head and as it hit the ground it ricocheted back slamming into her, casting her body off like a pebble and knocking her unconscious.

The dragon withered and its soul entered her unmoving body. Bishop lay on his side, reeling from the pain in his arm, which had definitely snapped in several places. His leg also throbbed, though it didn't feel broken. He crawled on the ground, dragging himself towards Rona's lifeless body. Horror taking hold of him as he screamed out her name to no reply. He was sweating profusely and barely budged trying to move with one good arm and leg only. He rolled onto his back, trying to steady his breathing as his vision started blurring from the pain.

Karnwyr came running over now that the coast was clear of dragons. He stopped by Rona's body, whimpering and whining, nudging at her before responding to his master's wails. He padded to his side licking at his face. Bishop groaned as tears of pain, worry and helplessness stung his eyes. He cried out, agonizingly to the empty sky and Karnwyr howled with him.

"Khayla! Wait, be careful!" he heard the sound of a khajiit hissing nearby.

He looked over to Rona and saw an armored khajiit leaning over her body, checking for a pulse. "This one's still alive," she said. Bishop blinked, letting the tears in his eyes spill outward as a sense of relief washed over him.

Another khajiit appeared, standing over Bishop. He was dressed in finery and knelt down, "Are you alright? Tell me how the dragon has harmed you."

He grit his teeth, feeling lightheaded from the pain, "I think my arm is broken and my leg isn't feeling too great either."

The khajiit stood up and looked back calling, "Atahbah! Bring me the potions, the strong ones!"

He looked back down at Bishop, crossing his arms and said, "Do not worry stranger, Ri'saad is here to help you... for a price of course." His shifty grin was the last thing Bishop saw before he finally gave in and passed out.

Rona felt a cool cloth touching her face. As her eyes fluttered open she saw a very concerned khajiit woman leaning over her, pressing the cloth to her face, "How do you feel Dragonborn?" she whispered kindly.

Aside from the throbbing in her head she felt okay. She made to sit up, wobbling as she did so, the khajiit woman said, "Be careful. You and your companion were injured in battle."

"Bishop!" Rona cried, "Where is he!?"

She glanced around the small tent and saw him laying, unconscious, nearby, Karnwyr at his side. He was covered in perspiration and blood, his arm mangled into an unnatural shape. She crawled over to him and placed her hands on his body summoning all her powers of healing, attempting to mend his arm. His flesh moved strangely as the bones inside knit themselves back together. Bishop's pale face winced painfully.

That one spell took the life out of her and she fell back, dizzy.

"Do not push yourself Dragonborn!" the woman insisted, "Wait here, I will get you some water and a potion for the pain."

Another khajiit, a male dressed in finery looked into the tent at her, "Ah, good morning... Lady Rona, is it?"

"Who are you," she mumbled.

"My name is Ri'saad. I have heard much about you from Ahkari. We have taken the liberty of collecting your steeds and other items and bringing them here for you."

The khajiit woman pushed by Ri'saad and hissed at him, "Do not bother her now, she needs rest." She handed her two bottles of potion and said, "Go on, drink up. It will help. The other is for your friend when he wakes."

Rona downed the bottle and felt a tingling relief all over her body, but especially in her head. The woman then passed her a tankard of cool water which she drank gratefully. She asked the woman, "Please tell me your name."

"I am Atahbah," she said, smiling.

"Thank you for your help Atahbah, please thank your friend for me as well."

The khajiit let her be so that she might recover her strength in peace. She watched over Bishop, pressing a wet cloth to his face as Atahbah had done for her. When she felt even a little stronger she carefully grasped his arm and whispered words of healing, mending it slightly. By the third time Bishop roused, gritting his teeth and groaning from the pain. His eyes flit up to her as he uttered, "Ladyship?"

Her smile turned into fitful sobs as tears streamed down her cheeks. Though he said nothing in reply, too exhausted and too much pain to tell her to stop with the waterworks. She wiped at her eyes with the palm of her hands and grabbed the other bottle of potion Atahbah left for her. She tilted it to Bishop's mouth, letting him drink slowly.

He sighed deeply as the color returned to his face, "That feels a lot better." But when he went to move his left arm he flinched and groaned, "And that still hurts."

Rona touched his arm again, caressing it gently as she used another healing spell on it.

"Try not to move it for now," she said, "You'll still have to heal naturally. I'll see if the khajiit have any medical supplies that I can use, preferably a splint and some cloth for a sling."

"Shame it's my left arm," he said.

She looked back at him curiously, "I've never seen you use your dagger in your left."

He smirked, "No, but I do use my left to polish it."

She blinked, then scrunched her nose and laughed at him, "I'll be right back."

She was thankful to see he still had his sense of humor and wasn't scolding her for going after the dragon.

The two of them spent the next three days taking time to recover. Ri'saad was kind enough to halt his travels and stay with them while Rona paid him back by helping him dismantle the dragon remains giving him a chance to take the best parts of the bones so he might sell them later. Their small caravan was overflowing with bones and Ma'Randru-jo, another male khajiit traveling with them, argued with Ri'saad every chance he got about tossing at least half the bones from their supplies simply because they wouldn't fit and made it impossible for them to search for other items.

Atahbah tended to Bishop's wounds, fixing his arm to a splint and sewing together a sling from some old cloth. His leg, thankfully, hadn't broken so Rona was able to heal it completely with her magic alone allowing him to walk around and get fresh air when he needed.

Rona spent most of the time patching up their torn and burned clothing as well as entertaining their new friends with songs and keeping Bishop company while he healed. He never once mentioned anything about her obstinate behavior and willfulness to barrel into trouble at a moment's notice.

Rona, however, couldn't stop thinking about the black dragon. She'd recognized him as the dragon from Helgen and the one from her nightmare.

She dreamt about Jillian and learned of her past through confusing visions and fuzzy memories. It seemed that Jillian had at one time fought against the black dragon. He had brutally killed her lover and she vowed revenge against the beast and all his kin. There were so many times she would be in arms length of the man she yearned for and the dragon would consume him whole. There were too many times when that man turned into Bishop for Rona.

It seemed that this dragon in particular was the reason that all dragons had returned to Skyrim. She knew that he was more powerful than any of them and she didn't know how she could stop him with her skills the way they were now especially when she could barely hold her own against the lesser ones. She had to continue her training if she would ever end the scourge of dragons that plagued Skyrim.

But with Bishop needing time to recover his broken arm, would that mean she would have to leave him behind? She tried not to think about it.

By the third day the two of them were packed up and ready to go, giving their thanks and saying their goodbyes to Ri'saad and his companions. An hour into their ride on the road leading to Falkreath Bishop called over to her, "Hey, we need to talk, now."

He sounded serious so she stopped Karinda and leapt down, Bishop hopped off Whiskey with surprising grace considering the state of his arm. He lead the way off the path a bit and turned to face her looking grim.

"What is it? Does your arm hurt?" she held her glowing hands out when he grasped one with his free hand and shook his head. He held her hand, rubbing his thumb into her palm and looked down into her eyes, his own dark amber orbs pleading with her.

"We should go, leave Skyrim for all I care. Just you and me, away from all this insanity. We can disappear and no one would ever find us."

She looked at him, stunned by this proposal. It seemed that he would have left with her if she so desired it and she did. She had an overwhelming urge to run away from this place.

He carried on, practically rambling, "We can even take on new names, leave this place far behind us and then live entirely different lives. Together... A life where you wouldn't have to be in constant danger."

She knew she couldn't leave now though. Not with the black dragon wreaking havoc across the land and her being the only one who could stop it. Her dreams and nightmares were getting worse and her visions of the other Dragonborn were becoming all too frequent. Her lips trembled as she turned her eyes downward, staring at his strong, calloused hand grasping desperately at her small delicate one.

"I can't," she whispered, "I can't leave."

He drew his hand back, balling it into a fist and growing angry, "Why do you do it? Is it the thrill of looking death in the face? Is that why you run around Skyrim challenging every damn dragon? Give me one good reason why."

She wanted to say, because I have the soul of a dragon, because I can't stop myself from trying to dominate and destroy them, because I'm the only one that can stop them, which he seemed to glean from the look on her face and scoffed,"I need to hear a better reason than the fact that you have the soul of some overgrown 's not a good enough reason for me to watch you put yourself in danger and for what? Because of some ancient prophecy? Did you even stop to think what all this might mean to me?"

She never stopped thinking about how it hurt him, how every time she fought another dragon it became more of a battle between the two of them on who could protect the other more. But if she didn't fight them, who else would? There was only one Dragonborn and the gods had chosen her. "I... I'm just trying to do what's right."

"What's right she says," he snarled,"You know what I think is right? Throwing you over my shoulder right now and saving you before you get yourself killed! Listen, the right thing, gets you nothing 'll end up dead, broken or a beggar, trust me. At least with my way of doing what's right, you'll stay alive and so will I."

Was this his way of showing his love for her? Would he ever say these things if he didn't feel that way about her?

He persisted at her indecision, "I'm the least likely option to get you killed Rona. If I were you, I'd choose the obvious which is to run away with me. I can protect you, keep you alive."

"Bishop, I..."

"We belong together, can't you see that? No one else in this world will ever be good enough for either of us," he growled, "You're mine and I'll be damned if I'm about to give you up."

She went cold. Is that what it was? He felt as though he were about to lose a prized possession? She was just something for him to claim and own? Her heart sank and she grew heated, "Nobody owns me! I'm not some, thing, some toy you can just keep for yourself! I'm a god damn person, Bishop!"

She turned on her toe and stalked away from him as he cried, "Ladyship! Rona wait! I didn't mean it like that!"

She pulled herself up on Karinda and snapped the reins, cantering off down the trail to Falkreath, leaving him behind. All this time she'd been falling in love and all he'd felt was some sort of ownership over her. How could she be so stupid?

The swift crackle of hooves on stone echoed behind her as Bishop caught up, screaming, "Will you just listen to me please!? Do you think I'd go throwing myself at a fucking dragon if it was just possessiveness!?"

She yanked on Karinda's reins pulling her to a stop, Bishop doing the same with Whiskey. The roofs of the buildings in Falkreath peaked over the pines nearby. They were close to the town and she didn't want to air her dirty laundry around them, so she turned flashing him a stern gaze, waiting for his explanation.

He sighed, twisting his mouth before he said, "I care about you. I care... way, way more than I should ever care about another person. More than I have in a long time. I want to keep you safe, because I care."

He still couldn't bring himself to say those three little words to her. Could she really expect it from him though?

"Why did we leave Whiterun in a hurry Bishop? Tell me the truth," she said plainly.

Again he struggled with his words, as though searching for some other route, some other way. He glanced around nervously, making sure the coast was clear.

"What the hell has you so scared out of your wits!?" she demanded.

He met her eyes and grit his teeth, looking like he might actually cry, "I can't lose you. Every single person I've ever cared about has died on me, Rona. Every single one."

"Bishop I can't help you if you won't talk to me," she cried.

"It's you who needs help!" he barked, pressing his fingers to his temple, "You have no idea. No fucking clue! There are people that want to control you!"

She looked at him confused, "You mean Balgruuf?"

"NO! Not even close! Not even remotely the same! These people will kill you, they'll do... unspeakable things to you and I just... I have to protect you and I don't know how!"

These ambiguous words meant nothing to her. All she knew was that he was keeping something serious to himself and he couldn't tell her for some reason.

He growled, frustrated by her and by his own muddled words and said, "Enough talking!" He spurred Whiskey onward, leaving her behind. She hung her head back and exhaled noisily, releasing her own irritation before slowly following him into the little town.

She saw him stop at an inn, prepared to go inside when she trot right on past. He looked over at her, scowling and shouted, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going home."

He snarled, "FINE! If you don't want to take me seriously then go! Go get yourself killed! I've had all the near death experiences I can stomach anyhow!"

He barreled into the inn and she pressed on heading for the farm. They needed this time apart. He clearly needed it to collect his thoughts and she couldn't bear to fight with him anymore.

It was a brisk ride to the farm, a half hour at most to get there. When she arrived she felt a sense of peace overtake her as she looked out over the beautiful, flourishing farmland. She was also amazed by the cottage. The entire thing looked like it had been rebuilt from scratch with several additions made to it. There was a second floor and what looked like two additional rooms added. The roof had been stripped and redone entirely and the whole building had been given a fresh coat of white paint.

Rona stabled Karinda and wandered along a beautiful stone pathway that wove through the garden which was full of flowers and a variety of alchemical ingredients. She smiled as several butterflies landed on her, there were so many of them dancing among the flowers.

She found Illia at the other end of the farm, by the fence, and saw that she was not alone. Illia glanced back and said, "Oh! Rona!"

Her companion stood up, a thin man of six foot, five inches, towering over the woman beside him. His white wispy beard and long wispy hair fluttered gently in the wind. He looked on at the girl in front of him with kind golden eyes and flashed her a father's loving smile.

He spoke with a deep, warm voice, "Rona, velvynen!"

Her heart ached and a sob burst from her throat as she cried, "Ata!" And ran across the garden to hug the man she'd been missing for so long.