Jul
Lucius
The battle with Alduin was the hardest I had experienced, up until that point. The King of Dragons had called down meteoric flames from the sky, causing the blue dome to fog over with a vortex of cloud and smoke. I remembered, with a jolt, that this Shout was the one Alduin had used at the execution. As the twin Dragonrend of Thera and myself collided with Alduin, he shrieked in a rage of recognition. "Dur kiin do faal Vun!" Alduin shrieked as the strength in his mighty wings left him and he was sent down to the summit of the mountain. The fires from the sky ceased to exist in time with the death of Alduin's flight. "The Cursed words you have learned, Dovahkiin, but still I hold dominion over all Bormah has created!" Alduin roared in my direction and loosed a mighty fire blast from his maw.
I raised a ward in my left hand moments before the fiery explosion had rushed from his jaws, and the Magickal wall forced the fires around me, harmlessly. The blue light of Dragonrend disappeared from Alduin's flesh. "We were given blood by Akatosh as well, monster," I snapped. I rushed forward, brandishing my blade, but it seemed fruitless. Every blow that I loosed against the dragon's scaly hide seemed useless, vain. The assault of my Jokaar, as Paarthurnax had called her, ended much the same. Her twin sabers were stymied at every attempt to penetrate the jagged hide of Alduin, the long black scales acting much as defensive steel.
"Ah, Bormahro fen vis kos qobo vomulhaan, joor," Alduin retorted. His tail swung through the air and Thera's form suddenly collided with mine, sending the two of us crashing into the nearby word wall. Our crash had been, thank Talos, slowed by the snow. Alduin roared again and took flight. "Tahrodiis Paarthurnax!"
I struggled to my feet and collected my blade from where it was buried in the snow. Far above, I heard the roars of two dragons locked in deadly combat. Paarthurnax and his brother tumbled through the sky, their wings locked together and their jaws snapping at each others' necks. "Hi lost dii Diist! Zin avok pah, dovah uv joor!" Alduin screamed at Paarthurnax as he knocked the ragged dragon's jaws away from assaulting his throat. He assaulted Paarthurnax with a gust of flame, and the dragon was forced to release his hold on his former king, beating his massive, torn wings to stay afloat. "Hi grut zey, zeymah!"
"I betrayed none, Alduin," Paarthurnax retorted. "Briinah Skar uth dii zin wah jaaril joor."
Alduin shrieked in rage and flew to collide with his former lieutenant. "Ruz dir voth niin!"
"Joore Zah Frul!" I shouted, and the blue energy collided with Alduin. He roared and dropped, falling inches below his target of Paarthurnax. He glided, deftly still, down to the Throat of the World once again. "I do not plan to die this day, Alduin."
"Ah, you know our language now, do you?" Alduin asked, the blue energy of Dragonrend still flooding into his body, making him mortal. "It does not change that my teeth will rend you in this world and the next."
"No, my teeth will rend you now!" Thera screamed as she rushed past me, her twin blades glinting in the sunlight. The sabers clattered against the dragon's skin, but not uselessly. The energy of Dragonrend, it seemed, made Alduin's hide a much easier thing to destroy. The blades cut through one jagged point of the dragon king's hide, slicing the jagged scale in two. Alduin shrieked in pain and lashed out with a powerful wing. "I see that, of the two of us, I am the only one who can hurt him!" Thera called as she twirled around the wing.
"Use Dragonrend!" I commanded the Thalmor bitch. The blue energy of Dragonrend was beginning to dissipate. "It's the only way!"
"I take no orders from a Man, fool!" Thera replied. She ignored my advice and continued to assault the dragon with her blades. I grimaced. I knew that my Voice was much stronger, and that my Thu'um would be of much more use against Alduin. However, it seemed that the only way for us to survive – let alone win – was for me to cover both our asses. So I unleashed Dragonrend upon Alduin once more. Besides, I couldn't have Alduin kill the Thalmor bitch – Lydia's vengeance was far from complete.
"Meyye, duraal Zaan fent ni jaaril hi!" Alduin mocked before unleashing blast of frost towards Thera. The frozen Magicka hit her, and she stumbled back, frost growing along her metal armor.
"Not alone, perhaps," I replied as I gathered Magicka in my left hand. The purple energy drew my hand forward, and Magickal lightning flew through the air to collide with the ancient dragon. "But I have little doubt that our skills in tandem with it can defeat you." Alduin screeched as the lightning passed through his body, and then turned his attention towards me. Suddenly, my joints were coated with thick ice and I was incapable of moving.
"It would seem my early thoughts were incorrect," he said as he brushed the Thalmor off, again into the word wall. "Truly, jul, you are the more dangerous of the Dovahkiin. Less arrogant, but still... you have the fire of a dragon without the strength to actually claim that fire. Your soul will be as a feast, Dragonborn."
I struggled against the ice that coated my body as Alduin neared me. Talos, please! I begged, still trying with all my will to shatter the ice around my body. Suddenly, it just happened. The ice shattered and I looked up at Alduin's gaping maw above me. Dragonrend sent him flipping through the air to land on his back. The blue glow of my Thu'um coated the dragon's body and seemed to suck the life from him. I was unprepared for the next swing of his tail that brought Alduin back to his feet and forced me back a few steps. Thera stood next to me – she had disappeared when it had seemed our defeat was inevitable, only to reappear for the glory. "Meyz mul, Dovahkiin. You have become strong," Alduin admitted, panting heavily. His beady, black eyes focused on me. "But I am Al-du-in, Firstborn of Akatosh! Mulaagi zok lot! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else! You cannot prevail against me. I will outlast you... mortal!" With that, Dragonrend's Magickal flow ended, and Alduin fled.
As I breathed in deep to stop his flight, Paarthurnax stopped me. "No, Dovahkiin," he began, "he is right. He is no ordinary dragon. The only place you can truly end my brother is in Sovngarde... but I know not where that is, for it was a secret he guarded jealously."
"Then how do we find it?" the Thalmor bitch asked.
Paarthurnax looked between us. "My brother is weakened, now. He will retreat, and place many of his forces at the line to defend Sovngarde. Nunon dovah vis yah dovah. Only a dovah can find a dovah."
Fahiil
Thera
"Unfortunately, all we can do is wait for Lucius and the Blades to find the correct dragon to summon," Arngeir told me. He sighed. "Paarthurnax has said we misjudged you; we are no fools. Lucius has sought the aid of the blades over the Way of the Voice, unlike you. Save Master Wulfgar, we all advocate staying true to only you, Ysmir."
I put on a fake smile. "Thank you, Master," I said with a bow, drawing a smile from the filthy human. "I admire Paarthurnax, despite how he has been tricked by Lucius. So many in Skyrim have, after all."
"Paarthurnax is incredibly detached from the world below," Arngeir noted. Internally I scoffed at the hypocrisy of the human. But, to err is human. He could not understand what my superior Mer brain clearly saw – the Greybeards were even more detached from their fellows than the dragon was to Men. "But that does not make him any less of a teacher."
"No, it does not," I agreed. Truthfully, waiting bored me. The blood in my body ached for battle, for action. For power. To wait as I was infuriated me to no end. My muscles twitched at every noise, ready to leap into battle and claim dominion over the human weaklings and their draconic superiors.
Just then, the doors of the monastery flew open. "I 've been lookin' for you!" a voice called, drawing my attention. "I've got something I need to deliver to you. Your eyes only." A young Nord walked towards me, clutching a bag between both hands. "Let's see here... Some Wood Elf payed good money for me to place this at the top of my list. 'Ere you go."
I took the item from the Nord and pulled the envelope open. The letter itself seemed to be nothing special, a greeting letter that invited me to a housewarming in Rorikstead. However, the wording itself revealed the true message. "The failures of your immediate superior have become unforgivable. Kill Elenwen, then enter deep cover. Live with the expectation of no further contact, but the readiness should it come."
I furrowed my brow. I was being fired. Well, it was a sobering notion. Still, though, the Thalmor were giving me severance package. As I had long suspected, Elenwen's many failures regarding Lucius Atmoran had taken a huge toll on her standing with the Aldmeri Council. At this point, murdering Elenwen was a simpler and cleaner job than giving her another chance to redeem herself. As consolation prizes go, it was definitely a delicious one to receive. "I have business to attend to while we await Lucius," I told the Greybeards. I smiled. "I won't be long."
Jul
Lucius
"Ah, Lucius, what do you need?" Balgruuf asked as I neared his throne. I knelt down on one knee, bowing to the Jarl. "No, rise. The hero who returned Whiterun to me has no need to bow to me. Rise, hero."
I rose to my feet. "Thank you, my Jarl," I said, smiling. "But, do you think I could have a really large favor should I trade that whole 'no bowing' thing in?"
"You deserve more than one favor, Thane," Balgruuf replied, half smiling.
"You aren't going to say that when you hear the favor I need," I explained.
The Jarl's face darkened. "I already can tell he agrees with that belief," Irileth muttered. "Tell him."
"I need to catch a dragon, and Dragonsreach is the only place in Skyrim one can do that," I explained.
Balgruuf laughed heartily. "Well, at least I can easily answer, Dragonborn. No," Balgruuf said. He sighed and shook his head. "Ask anything else of me."
"There is nothing else -"
"He said no!" Proventus snapped, snapping out of his pained reverie. "The Jarl will not have the hold risk being plunged back into darkness so an ancient, broken trap can be used to capture a fire breathing monster. I will not let the Stormcloaks that killed my daughter reclaim this hold under any circumstance!"
"Proventus!" Balgruuf snapped at his steward. The Imperial turned to Balgruuf with rage filled eyes. "Leave us." Proventus began to object, but Balgruuf raised his hand. "Now."
Proventus turned his wild, angry eyes towards me, but left despite his desire to kill me there. "He is right, Dragonborn. I cannot let this city fall back into Stormcloak hands."
"Alduin has returned," I stated simply, freezing the Jarl.
"What is Alduin?" Irileth asked the Jarl.
"I... The World-Eater, devourer of souls. He... is just a legend," Balgruuf said. "A myth."
"As were dragons," Irileth noted, drawing a look of annoyance from the Jarl. He sighed. She was correct.
"I can't do this unless the war is over. The threat of the Stormcloaks is too great," Balgruuf said. He put his hand on his forehead. "My hands are tied Dragonborn."
"So.. I have to put an end to the war?" I asked. I pursed my lips. "Fine. I'll get Tullius to march on Windhelm."
Fahiil
Thera
I pulled myself over the fence of the Thalmor Embassy as the two patrols crossed paths and I became left in a blind spot. I glanced up at the moon – Elenwen was most likely in her study at this hour, plotting and planning on ways to make it up to the Aldmeri Council. Unfortunately for her, the Council had already decided upon her payment for her failures. The dagger at my side was tipped with a deadly poison, one that caused the target to develop the same symptoms as severe rockjoint. Healers would try to treat it, but in the end it would appear that they were unsuccessful; too late, perhaps. Elenwen would die in horrible, mute agony.
I moved silently across the snow covered ground, making sure to not kill any of the guards. A messy kill would only endanger my mission and make the Dominion look weaker as a whole. They fired me, so I didn't really care about that, but I did not want any assassins sent to hunt me down for a mistake. No, better to do well then and claim vengeance against the Council – to claim dominion over the Council – later, when I was ready.
I shook my head and cleared such grandiose thoughts from my mind. If I did not focus on the mission as it was, I would fail. I deftly unlocked the door to Elenwen's study and slid between the frame and the door itself. Silently, I shut the wooden barrier behind me. The building was dark, save for a single flickering light that glowed from Elenwen's study. I carefully moved through the dark halls until I saw her standing alone. Her robes were caked with dirt, and her hair was matted, even coming out in some places. The stress was getting to her. She stared at the documents on the table, muttering to herself. "Northwatch keeps reporting strange goings on in that castle. Vampires. Yes, that sounds right. Perhaps I can cut a deal with them, fake my death and aid them in their... whatever it is they are searching for. The Vigilants have found something in that Cave... yes, 'He keeps babbling about vampires.' That's what the prisoner said!"
Honestly, I had known this woman for nearly forty years. She was strong willed, and could carefully plan out anything so that it would en well for her. Seeing her broken, nearing insanity and a natural death like that was... well, I wanted to let her suffer longer. Leave and just let her die of painful natural causes. But I couldn't risk her surviving, so murdering her it was. The poison I had coated the dagger with was fast acting, and could work even when only a small amount was exposed to the target's system. In layman's terms, this meant all I had to do was make a small cut, one that would not attract the attention of the healers. I crept up behind Elenwen and did the only thing I could think of: I slammed her forehead into the table with enough force to knock her out and make it look like her body had seized up from Rockjoint. As soon as her body thudded to the floor, I drew the poisoned dagger and slashed it across her finger – shallow enough to be thought a cut from parchment, but deep enough for the poison to mix with her blood.
Then I left her for dead. I froze and turned back to her. "This is too easy a death for a failure, Elenwen," I remarked quietly, then I stole away into the night. I climbed over the fence and began running away from the embassy as quietly as I could.
Around two or three miles away, I saw something that made my blood shiver. Carved into a tree were three words. "We know, Thera." The words rested beneath a hand carved into the tree with soot and blade. A Black Hand. My heart quickened, and I looked wildly around the forest surrounding me. They had to be lying in wait, they had to still be there. After a while, I recognized that I would never find the author of the message. No, that would never happen. Instead, the Dark Brotherhood would soon find me.
