Chapter 39
YOL TOOR SHUL
The grey dragon roared behind them, casting the swirling winds back in place before flying high up and over the mountain, towards the Throat of the World where he no doubt roosted.
Rona kicked through the snow, which had piled up since no one was able to pass the windy barrier and clear it. The two of them and their wolf made it over the pass and saw High Hrothgar just ahead, but Rona stopped and turned to her right. A monument of Talos stood nearby, carved in stone, overlooking the path leading to the monastery. He was always there, watching over those who made the journey.
She stepped forward and looked up into the face of the great warrior, who was once just a man, who united all of Tamriel and who became Emperor before he rose to godhood. Whether he really was a god or not, she could not be sure, but one thing she knew for certain, he too was once Dragonborn. She wondered why she'd never met him, either as a ghost or in her dreams. Perhaps it was because he truly was still living as a god and couldn't be bothered to offer a guiding hand to her like the others.
She did not feel any real connection to him but considering his great deeds she did understand the nords faithful worship of him.
"Ah, Talos, patron deity of warriors and heroes, also known as Tiber Septim and Ysmir," Bishop said, standing by.
She looked over at him, surprised by his knowledge.
"What? I've picked up a few books in my day."
She laughed then said, "Hey, let me see your pack, I need to leave something here."
He handed it to her and she rifled through it pulling out Torygg's Horn. Bishop glanced at it and said, "You're supposed to give that to the Greybeards, they're not going to be happy if you lose it."
"This isn't the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller... this is High King Torygg's War Horn," she said as she placed it on the pedestal, giving it in offering to Talos.
Bishop narrowed his eyes at her, "Are you telling me you just made an offering for the High King... to Talos?"
"Elisif asked me to," she said sadly.
Bishop smacked a hand to his head and laughed, "Wow. That is, hah. Really? She's going against -"
"The White-Gold Concordat, yeah," she finished for him, "She's betraying everything she's stood for," Rona looked at him, "She's violating the treaty for what she believes in. For the man she loved."
Bishop blinked at her mournful expression and looked back up at the statue with a thoughtful, "Hmm."
Rona felt compelled to pray for the first time in her life, thinking of love and loss. She asked, "Could you give me a moment? I'll catch up with you in a minute."
He gawked at her, "Are you going to pray?" She shot him a serious look and he raised his brows then muttered, "Right. Didn't know you were the worshipping type. Don't take too long, I'm starving and I bet the old men are too." He left her, calling Karnwyr over to him.
Rona pulled the Amulet of Talos from her pouch that Risla had given her months ago. She grasped it in her hand and whispered, "I don't know if you're real, or if you can hear me," she looked back up into the face of the lifeless statue and pleaded, "Please, don't let Alduin take him from me. Please protect him, take me instead if you have to. That's all I'll ever ask for. I'll do my best to follow this path the gods placed on me, I'll follow it to the end. But I beg you, please protect Bishop." A single tear trailed over her cheek and she wiped it quickly and stuffed the Amulet back into her pouch and ran off towards the monastery.
The two of them entered and were immediately greeted by the waiting Greybeards. Arngeir looked delighted to see the both of them, "Welcome back Dragonborn and Bishop. We are pleased that you have returned us!"
Rona bowed, "It's good to see you again Master Arngeir."
"And you as well, Lady Rona. Tell me, were you able to complete our task?"
"Yes, I did," she handed him the Horn.
He took it and said, "Good, you've retrieved the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. Well done. You have now passed all the trials. Come with me. It is time for us to recognize you formally as Dragonborn."
He walked away from her, leading her to the open foyer and motioned for her to stand in the center as the four of them stood at the four compass directions, "We would Speak to you Dragonborn. Stand between us and prepare yourself," he glanced at Bishop, "Please step back young man and I suggest you cover your ears, do not stand in the way of our voices."
Bishop frowned but did as asked and stepped aside, clicking for Karnwyr to follow him, crossing his arms and watching quietly.
Arngeir looked to her again as she stood between them all, "Few can withstand the unbridled Voice of the Greybeards. But you are ready."
She waited, holding her breath, not sure what they were going to do and then her ears trembled and her body shook as their voices reverberated over her body. She nearly fell over at the power of the sound.
"Lingrah krosis saraan Stundu'ul, voth nid balaan klov praannau. NaalThu'umu, mu ofan nu, Dovahkiin, naalseleyk do Kaan, naal suleyk do Shor, ahrk naal suleyk do Atmorasewuth. Meys nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dohmaam daarrok."
Though their words were in dragon tongue she understood each perfectly in her mind.
"[Long has the Stormcrown languished, with no worthy brow to sit upon. By our breath we bestow it now to you in the name of Kyne, in the name of Shor, and in the name of Atmora of Old. You are Ysmir now, the Dragon of the North, hearken to it.]"
When they finished all four of them bowed and she glanced over at Bishop who was scowling fiercely and holding his hands tightly to his ears, Karnwyr had his own laid back and was whimpering with his tail between his legs.
Arngeir said, "Dovahkiin. You have tasted the Voice of the Greybeards and passed through unscathed. High Hrothgar is open to you."
"Thank you Master Arngeir," she said tentatively as she twisted a finger in her still trembling eardrum, "But don't I still have more Words of Power to learn?"
"Oh yes, many I am sure, but first let us hear a demonstration of what you have already learned on your journey, come let's step out to the courtyard for a moment." Arngeir walked away with the other three and she looked over at Bishop and asked, "Coming?"
He squinted at her and shouted, "What!?"
She laughed and shouted back, "Are you coming!?"
He shook his head still shouting like a deaf man, "I... I have no idea. I'm gonna cook us lunch, I'm starving!"
He walked by her and into their makeshift kitchen which the Greybeards had kindly left untouched. She smirked and headed outside into the courtyard. First Arngeir instructed her to demonstrate the shouts they had taught her, so she shouted Unrelenting Force, Whirlwind Sprint, Elemental Fury, Disarm and Kyne's Peace. Then he asked her to show him that which she learned in her travels, so she shouted Frost Breath, Throw Voice and what little she had of Marked for Death and the one word for Become Ethereal.
Arngeir was impressed, "Very good. I am glad to see you have completed your knowledge of Frost Breath, I am sure that it has aided you well on your journey."
"It has," she said solemnly, recalling all the awful times she'd needed it.
"Why so woeful young one?" Arngeir sounded concerned.
She looked at him and told him everything in brief detail, "My nightmares have been getting worse. The black dragon Alduin pursues me and seeks to kill me. He's resurrecting dragons all across Skyrim and wreaking havoc on the land and its people. I went to Solitude some time ago and Alduin sent thirty of his elite to try to kill me... so many people died."
Arngeir looked horrified, "Alduin? So he truly has returned then," he looked off to the side, his companions also appeared worried.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"When you spoke of seeing a black dragon in Helgen some time ago, I suspected... but I never thought," he met her gaze, his own eyes piercing, "It is fate that you would appear in this age. Jillian too once fought Alduin."
"I know," Rona said, "I've seen it in my dreams."
"Of course," he said nodding and stroking the knot in his beard, "The fifth Greybeard, Paarthurnax, has been eager to meet with you, though I initially felt you were not ready I see that you are now."
"The grey dragon," she guessed.
Arngeir nodded, "Yes, he is the one who put up the barrier for us when those nosy travelers started knocking on our doors. Our mountain has been quite restless with them here. Kyne is completely out of balance, though we should have expected as much. High Hrothgar often catches the attention of the world when the Dragonborn appears. Still, to disgrace the steps with their presence, their noise and their filth." Arngeir grumbled furiously.
"It's my fault," she knit her brows together, feeling horrible about it.
Arngeir looked surprised at her, "Of course it is not your fault. We cannot control the choices of others. We can only guide them to do what is right. Sadly, I do not think people like that can be very easily persuaded to listen and do what is right when they'd rather chatter over words of wisdom with their own gossip. But let us not worry about that. For now, we will focus on your training. We would teach you the shout, Clear Skies. Come," he walked over to the stairs leading to another windy barrier ahead of them.
Arngeir spoke the words making them etch into the ground before her and imparted his knowledge unto her. She absorbed it all and he told her to face the windy barrier and shout the words at it. She did so crying, "LOK VAH KOOR!"
Her shout burst through the barrier making the winds cease entirely. "Amazing," she whispered.
"Yes. It is amazing how quickly you master the words. You will find that this shout can clear a rainy day or part the clouds if you so choose. Though for the sake of the local farmers," he said firmly,"I would ask that you use it wisely and only when absolutely necessary."
She turned back and smiled at him, "Of course Master Arngeir."
He returned her smile and said, "It is delightful to have you back Dragonborn. We have also been looking forward to visiting with Bishop, perhaps we could enjoy a meal together and you can tell us of your travels, before you head off to the Throat of the World that is."
"I'd like that," she smiled, knowing that they really just wanted to get in a good meal after months without.
They stepped back inside the monastery and found Bishop hard at work, preparing a feast for them. It seemed he too was eager to show off his culinary skills and impress the Greybeards. She couldn't believe how much he'd opened up over the last month. He was becoming gentler, kinder and all around more friendly even to those he once distrusted and looked down on with scorn. Releasing the pain in his heart seemed to have opened up a whole new side of him she'd never seen before.
"Still got a while before lunch is ready," he said, smiling at her.
"Let me help you," she offered. He directed her to start cutting some vegetables while he prepared the meat.
"It smells delightful, Bishop," Arngeir said inhaling the delectable scent in the room. All of the Greybeards stood by, eagerly waiting.
Bishop smirked at them, "Still need another hour, so go off and meditate for a while, will yah?"
Arngeir chuckled, "Yes, of course, of course. Take your time." The four of them disappeared down the hall and Rona snickered loudly.
Bishop thumbed back, "Can you believe these guys?"
"I think they missed you a lot more than they missed me," she said.
"Apparently!" He said throwing his hands to his hips, "They better not get used to it though," he looked at her, "I hope we're not staying too long this time."
"No, just a few days. They already taught me a new shout," she said as she peeled a potato.
"Oh yeah, what's it do? Send an angry mob of rabbits after the dragons?" He smirked to himself as he went back to seasoning a thick cut of venison.
"It's called Clear Skies, I can use it to… well, clear the skies," she shrugged.
He raised a brow at her, "Of what? Clouds? Rain?"
"Pretty much," she said, "And I can get rid of those wind barriers now too."
"That's impressive," he said while he cut the meat into thick cubes.
"Yeah," she said slowly leading into it, "We're going up to the Throat of the World soon."
He stopped cutting and turned to her, "Why? What's up there?"
"The fifth Greybeard," she answered evading his gaze.
"There's another one of them?" He narrowed his eyes at her and leaned in closer, suspicious of her darting eyes, "What are you not telling me?"
She bit her lower lip and mumbled, "Um… the fifth one might be a dragon."
Bishop exhaled and groaned, "Ladyship…"
"It'll be fine!" she cried, "The Greybeards seem to trust him, plus he saved us that one time and he let us pass through the wind barrier and Eira seems to like him."
"Yeah, well she doesn't exactly have anything to lose considering she's already dead," he said firmly and going back to cutting.
"It'll be fine Bishop," she assured him again, "I promise. I can tell he's good. My blood doesn't boil when I look at him like the others."
He scoffed and took his cuttings to dump into a stew before going to a wash basin to rinse his hands, "Your blood boils when you look at a dragon?"
"Only at the ones that want to kill me," she confirmed and put a finished potato aside, grabbing another to peel, "I get this weird urge to just... dominate them. I can't explain it."
He grasped her hip and pressed up behind her running his lips near her ear and whispered sensually, "Wish your blood would boil like that when you look at me." He ran his tongue over the tip of her ear and her face burned.
She turned and looked up at him, half laughing and said, "What? You want me to dominate you?"
He smirked, "Mmm yeah, would love it if you did that."
She shook her head and continued peeling, then thrust her butt out into him playfully. He smacked it and grabbed it and she giggled, then the most talkative Greybeard walked by. Arngeir looked over scowling, "Well, I see you two are getting along better these days."
Rona's face burned bright red, but Bishop just grinned broadly at the man and said, "Oh, so much better! She sings a lot more now too, right Ladyship?"
She turned her face downwards, seeking cover under her hair as Arngeir said, "Yes... well. I'm pleased you are both agreeable once more, though I still expect you to respect the sanctuary of Kyne as well. Perhaps it would be best if you sleep in separate rooms."
Bishop was still groping her rear and she didn't dare move, lest Arngeir saw.
"Not gonna happen," Bishop said still grinning, "Ladyship sleeps more soundly with her personal guard nearby."
Arngeir narrowed his eyes at him and Rona finally said, "We'll be respectful Master Arngeir, I promise you." She glared up at Bishop and threw her hands back behind her, separating her butt from his hand.
He just shook his head laughing, "Alright, alright. I'll behave."
"Very good," Arngeir said then proceeded to leave them again.
She elbowed him in the ribs as his hand started wandering again. He just loved breaking the rules and disrespecting people that tried to tell him what to do.
"Quit it!" She grumbled as she started cutting the peeled potatoes into thick slices.
He chuckled and left her alone to finish what he was doing. Still she smiled to herself. She never wanted him to change, no matter how boorish his behavior was.
As they set out the feast in the dining room the Greybeards joined them and they all started filling their plates. The four old men were very eager to pile theirs quite high and tucked in. Arngeir relayed all the compliments the others shared to Bishop, between bites, and though he tried to hide it he was looking rather smug by the end of their meal.
Rona went on telling them about her visits to Eastmarch, Haafingar and Whiterun. She gave them a brief rundown of their journey and told them all about the dragons she fought, even explaining how much of Jillian's life she'd seen and experienced in her dreams.
"Do you know what it means?" She asked them.
Arngeir looked troubled, stroking his beard thoughtfully and said, "It is as I said before. Your fate is entwined with World Eater, Alduin. Jillian fought him too, as you've already seen. Unfortunately she fell away from the teachings and allowed her heart to be consumed by hatred and spent most of her life seeking out and destroying the remaining dragons that lived. It was ultimately a dragon which claimed her life, later on in her old age. She never fully succeeded in killing all of them, though there were others who took up the blade and fought against them in her name."
Rona said thoughtfully, "You mean the Akaviri and the Blades?"
Arngeir's brows knit together furiously, "Who told you of them?"
Rona scratched her cheek, remembering that Delphine had stolen the two books she was going to give them. She wasn't sure if she should mention it since he seemed so worked up about it, but she needed answers, "I read those two books you asked for. Ata brought them from the Imperial Library. The Annals of the Dragonguard and Atlas of Dragons."
His face softened and he said, "You have them?"
She looked down at her emptied plate, "Someone stole them."
Arngeir scowled and said, "So you know then, of Alduin's Wall? And of the few dragons that escaped the Akaviri's sadistic eradication?"
Rona stared at him, astonished. Arngeir seemed absolutely angry that dragons were being killed. Bishop was just as confounded when he said, "You're mad about them killing the dragons?"
Arngeir gave her a stern look and said, "Have you ever considered that Alduin was not meant to be defeated? Those who overthrew him in ancient times only postponed the day of reckoning, they did not stop it. If the world is meant to end, so be it. Let it end and be reborn."
Bishop and Rona stared at him, wide eyed, and stunned.
"The fuck are you saying old man!?" Bishop barked at him then motioned to Rona, "You want to see her be killed? Is that it? Because that's what the dragons are trying to do!"
"No," Arngeir said mournfully, "I do not wish to see the Dragonborn be killed, however if you keep this up, if you continue to hunt them as you have, they will only fight back. They are only defending themselves, it is natural, the way of the world."
Rona scoffed and looked at him incredulously. "I didn't seek them out!" She screamed standing abruptly and slamming her hands to the table, "They've been chasing me! I was in Solitude just minding my own business when thirty dragons came down and started murdering everyone! And every time I've ever killed a dragon it was to protect innocent people! YOU THINK I WANT THIS!?" Her eyes teared up, "I never asked to be the Dragonborn! I see how you look at me, jealous of this, horrible, awful power. This godsforsaken CURSE! If I could give it to you I would. I don't want it. I never did. I just want the world to be at peace. I just want to be... free." She breathed and looked over them all as her tears trickled down her cheeks. She turned and hurried away from them all, hating it when people saw her cry.
She burst through the doors to the courtyard, drawing her cloak around herself and ran up the steps leading to the wind barrier. She shouted at it, "LOK VAH KOOR!"
The winds stopped and she pressed onward. She couldn't believe Arngeir would say such things. That he could want the end of the world, that she should just allow the dragons to kill anyone and everyone with impunity. Though she remembered that they were in fact protecting Alduin's own lieutenant. The gray dragon Paarthurnax had committed crimes against humanity too.
She met with another swirling wind barrier and shouted it down, continuing her climb, letting her mind wander. That was their way though. The Way of the Voice was a philosophy built into the ideals of pacifism with the believe that the power of the thu'um should only be used to worship Kynareth and to only be used in times of True Need. But was this not a time of True Need? With the fate of the world clearly hanging in the balance, with Alduin looming, seeking to destroy her and perhaps her beloved just as he had done to Jillian's beloved, was this not the purpose of the thu'um? Why else would the gods place this burden on her shoulders now if they did not want her to use it?
She needed more answers and she knew that Arngeir was too consumed by his faith in his own beliefs to give them to her. Perhaps Paarthurnax would speak more freely. Maybe she could exchange another song for information. She passed through more wind barriers and finally reached the peak. She stepped into the soft snow, shivering and looked around at the white flecks slowly drifting down, gently touching the open area on the mountain. Across the way was a blank word wall, though no sign of the dragon she'd come to meet.
She trudged through the thick blanket and stopped near the wall. Something strange caught her eye. It was like a rip in the air, a blurred space between her and the wall, when she looked closer at it she saw glimpses of something, like seeing through a looking glass and watching a scene unfold. She touched it, but her hand passed right through. She walked around it and looked inward. Her eyes relaxed for a moment as she tried to see inside the translucent tear in the air when her mind grew fuzzy and a low drumbeat echoed over the mountains.
She felt compelled to sing the words brimming in her mind, words she'd never known before until now.
(The song is Edge of the World by Within Temptation)
"Cannot swallow the soil
Make it all beautiful?
Cannot carry you, carry you, carry you now?
The truth can't bare the sunlight
You're afraid for the day it does
Hell when I told you so
I got burn, burn, burned again
Heaven forbid that my heart is for sale
Hope in the end truth prevails"
She looked deeper into the tear again and saw as Jillian fought against the black dragon with all her fury, and then another, Eira, as she touched the nose of the gray dragon, then more women - Dragonborn women who once stood where she stood now, looking out at the edge of the world, chasing their fates. Rona glanced up and noticed that twenty or more Dragonborn women surrounded her, sitting in the snow, some perched on the ledges of the mountain peak, others standing by. All of them contemplating their destinies. Jillian stood across the way, looking out over the mountain, her back to turned to them while Eira sat atop the word wall, smiling softly. Rona's voice picked up, singing her feelings and theirs, making them real. They joined her, allowing their vocalizing to pick up in the background.
"You're as proud as a God
But I believed in your heart
And I'll be leaving you, leaving you, leaving you now
The truth can't bare the sunlight
And don't pretend to be my guide
You said you'd change it all
But I got burn, burn, burned instead
Heaven can wait 'cause my soul ain't for sale
Hope in the end truth prevails
I'm gonna run to the edge of the world
Run to the edge of the world
Feel that I'm gonna get home if I try
I'm gonna run to the edge of the world
Run to the edge of the world
Need to find my way home, home"
Suddenly a screeching and a shudder as their voices cried out in unison and the tear in the air broke open releasing an enormous, winding aurora borealis across the skies, weaving images of the past into it. Dragonborn women struggling, fighting and following their journeys. Some finding love and others losing that love. Jillian was not the only one.
"I'm gonna run to the edge of the world
Run to the edge of the world
Feel that I'm gonna get home if I try
I'm gonna run to the edge of the world
Run to the edge of the world
Need to find my way home, home
Just to fall out, no, no, no more lies
Once upon a time."
(Recommended Music Winter's Heart by Peter Gundry)
A dragon roared and flew around them all, watching intently from the skies before he landed with a resounding rumble onto the word wall, across from Eira. She smiled up at the beast and he pressed his nose to her outreached hand. He gave a low growl and his eyes went half-lidded at her touch. Rona knew it was love. The way they looked at one another. It was a strange thing seeing a dragon love a human woman. Eira kissed his nose and continued to pet him. All of the women remained. Staying vigilant and watching from their solitary positions on the mountain, some quietly vocalizing and humming together. They didn't vanish, which surprised Rona, though she did feel a deep spiritual connection with the place.
She was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Bishop standing by her, looking down at her with concern. He was actually wearing his cloak for a change. And he had not drawn his bow, he was trusting her instincts.
Rona took a deep breath, glad that Bishop was beside her again. She stepped forward and approached the beast. He turned his gaze away from Eira and looked down at Rona, a gentle smile curling at the edges of his large jaws, "Drem Yol Lok! Greetings vahdin. I am Paarthurnax. Tell me, what do they call you young dovahkiin?"
"My name is Rona Lightfoot," she said.
"Rona," he purred her name thoughtfully, "You were named for the daughter of Jillian, nid?"
Rona looked at him surprised and then turned back to glance at Jillian, who still stood, arms crossed, staring off the mountain as her hair drifted in the wind. She realized then that Jillian must have named her daughter for her lover, Ronin...
"No... I was named for another," Rona said to him.
"I see. Tell me vahdin, what brings you to my strummah... my mountain?"
"I came here because I wanted to learn more about... about my path as Dragonborn and about Alduin."
He nodded slowly but said, "Drem. Patience. There are formalities which must be observed, at the formal meeting of the dov. By long tradition, the elder speaks first. Hear my thu'um! Feel it in your bones! Match it, if you are dovahkiin!" He turned his head and roared at the word wall, "YOL TOOR SHUL!" Blasting a raging flame against it and impressing the words into the stone itself.
He looked back to her, "A gift, dovahkiin, for the lovaas. Yol. Understand fire as the dov do."
She heard Bishop suck in his breath as she drew nearer to the dragon and looked into the words. They eclipsed her mind and pounded in her head. She looked up to Paarthurnax who released a coiling wind to her, granting her his knowledge of the words.
She felt suddenly warm all over, a heat rising in her belly. It was gentle, like a warm hearth fire. The words licked at her throat, fiery in their fervor wanting to be released. Paarthurnax looked at her and said, "Now, show me what you can do. Greet me not as joor, but as dovah! Do not be afraid. Faasnu. Let me feel the power of your thu'um."
She stepped back and glanced at Bishop who just nodded. She looked right at the grey dragon and shouted, "YOL TOOR SHUL!" A fire erupted from her mouth and engulfed him. It was almost spicy, the way it coiled around her tongue and left a tingling warmth in her mouth.
Paarthurnax gave a low growl of pleasure, "Aaah... yes! Sossedov los mul. The dragonblood runs strong in you. It is long since I had the pleasure of speech with one of my own kind. So. You have made your way here, to me. No easy task for a joor... a mortal. Even for one of Dovah Sos. Dragonblood. What would you ask of me?"
"Why did the gods choose me?" She practically cried the words and she didn't know why she asked him, for he was surely just as ignorant on the matter as she was.
"I cannot say why Bormahu chose you. He chose Eira many ages past and she too once asked me this laan... this question. I could not say. Your blood runs strong and though you are very small I can sense, you are also suleykaar... powerful."
Rona looked down at the snow surrounding her boots. It was the answer she expected, but not the one she wanted.
"I remember your lovaas, your smoliin - your passion. You are one who seeks balance in the world. There is deep love in your heart which carries through your thu'um... Love. There is no word for this in the language of the dov. Our kind have rarely understood it's meaning," he looked to Eira again whose boots kicked gently from her sitting position on the wall, a smile tracing her red lips. "I did not know until I met her," he whispered affectionately.
"You loved her?" Rona asked him.
"Geh," he said looking back to Rona, "For a dov to love a joor, it was unheard of. Eira captured my soul with her songs. I felt things I had never known since Bormahu - our father, Akatosh, gave me laas... life."
"You betrayed Alduin for her, didn't you?"
Paarthurnax looked almost surprised at her, "Geh... Alduin, my brother, he became pahlok - arrogant in his power. Uznahgar paar. He took domination as his birthright. Dov wahlaan fah rel. We were made to dominate. The will to power is in our blood. You feel it in yourself, do you not?"
She did feel it. Every time she saw another dragon she felt the overwhelming urge to face it and destroy it while at the same time she felt terrified inside, knowing she was so small and fragile compared to them.
"Is that how they keep finding me?" She asked him, "Do they feel what I feel when I look upon them?"
Paarthurnax nodded, "We can sense the presence of other powerful dov nearby. The greater the dov's power, the stronger our sense."
So it was true. She couldn't end her journey because they would just find her no matter where she went and the dragons weren't secluded to Skyrim either. They could go anywhere, just as one had disappeared in Morrowind. She would have to keep fighting them and killing them, but if she wanted to stem their resurrections she would need to defeat Alduin.
"How do I kill Alduin?"
Paarthurnax looked to Jillian for a moment and the raven haired woman glanced back at him, giving him a stern look. He turned his head so that his beady eye could be seen shining white as the snowflakes fell around them, "He cannot be defeated. Jillian tried once before, but to no avail."
"But he was gone, wasn't he? He's only come back now. Was he sleeping? Hibernating?"
He paused for a moment before answering her question with one of his own, "Do you know why I live here, at the peak of the Monahven - what you call the Throat of the World?"
She felt frustrated by his lack of an answer to her own question and yelled, "I don't know! I never thought about it."
He turned his head to the sky and said, "This is the most sacred mountain in Skyrim. Zok revak strunmah. The great mountain of the world. Here the ancient Tongues, the first mortal masters of the Voice, brought Alduin to battle and defeated him."
"But how?" She demanded.
"I must correct myself dovahkiin, for Alduin was not truly defeated. If he was, you would not be here today, seeking to... defeat him. The nords of those days used a shout to cripple Alduin. But this was not enough. Ok mulaag unslaad. It was the Kel - the Elder Scroll. They used it to... cast him adrift on the currents of Time."
Bishop spoke finally, releasing his own frustration, "An Elder Scroll?"
Paarthurnax looked at him curiously, as though he'd forgotten the man was there.
"Geh," Paarthurnax replied, "The Kelle, the Elder Scrolls. Fragments of creation. Artifacts born outside time. They have often been used for prophecy," he looked back to Rona and said, "Your prophecy comes from an Elder Scroll. But this is only a small part of their power. Zofaas suleyk."
"So they just threw Alduin forward in time? And sent him here?" Rona was appalled. How could they do that? Just send their problem away and off to another time? Now it had become their problem - her problem.
"Not intentionally," Paarthurnax clarified, "Some hoped he would be gone forever, forever lost. Meyye. I knew better. Tiid bo amativ. Time flows ever onward. One day he would surface. Which is why I have lived here. For thousands of mortal years I have waited, I have met your ancestors, I have trained and taught them the Way of the Voice. I knew where he would emerge but not when and so I trained them all, preparing them to face him someday."
"How does any of this help me?" she pleaded.
"Tiid krent. Time was... shattered here because of what the ancient nords did to Alduin. If you brought the Kel, the Elder Scroll back here... to the Tiid-Ahraan, the Time-Wound... With the Elder Scroll that was used to break Time, you may be able to cast yourself back. To the other end of the break. You could learn Dragonrend from those who created it."
"Dragonrend?"
"Ah... it is the shout that your kind, joore, mortals created as a weapon against the dov. I would teach it to you but I do not know the thu'um. Krosis. Our hadrimme, our minds cannot even... comprehend its concepts. You will have to look back in time with the Elder Scroll to learn it."