She was going to die. In the snow, covered in frost, Farryn was going to die. She looked up and saw the massive gliding figure in the sky. It was circling, looking for prey and it was only a matter of time before it found Farryn hobbling in the snow.

Farryn wanted to fall over and bury her head in the frozen ice below. It would probably be a lot less painful way to die. Death by snow! Farryn thought forlornly. The dragon did not seem to see her yet and Farryn used this opportunity to hunch her back and curve her torso. She wanted to make herself appear as small as possible.

The dragon was still circling and Farryn wondered what it was doing. Searching for food, looking for a nice, tasty Nord to chew on. She didn't know how good a dragon's eyesight was, but Farryn foolishly hoped it would be awful and not hungry. Farryn trudged forward, keeping herself huddled over. Faster and faster, she walked. She was not going die; it was too early for her life to end. Farryn looked up again and saw she was putting some distance between herself and the dragon. Hope flared in her chest and Farryn plodded even faster in the heavy snow. It will not see me, it will not see me…

Another roar cut off Farryn's mantra and the mage squinted her eyes upward and paled at the sight of the scaly beast flying closer and closer until Farryn could see its great head. Farryn's breath came faster at the thought of taking on a dragon on her own. She looked around and saw no place to hide.

A cry caused her to stumble.

A loud swoosh made her fall.

And a strong thump made her sob.

Behind Farryn, the great beast landed, its wings flapping fluidly to balance the huge body. The dragon let out a tremendous roar and Farryn flinched back. She scrambled backwards and managed to get on her feet just when the dragon released a breath so cold that it made Farryn hiss in pain. Aren't dragons supposed to breathe fire? What is this?

Bright, cackling flames blew forth from Farryn's hands. The flames hit the dragon directly in the face, but it only made the creature angry. Farryn was not going to die without a fight. Despite her exhausted state, the mage conjured a Flame Atronach and let her flaming companion distract the beast. The Flame Atronach was rapidly throwing large fireballs at the dragon, each one doing greater damage as Farryn poured more magic into the daedra. She was hoping that the increasing barrage of fireballs would kill it and the amount of magic she was putting into her summon wouldn't empty her magic reserve.

But to Farryn's horror and despair, the dragon had grown tired of the constantly moving Atronach and swung its tail in a wide arc, swatting the Flame Atronach away. The Atronach landed in a heap several yards away and promptly exploded into a shower of orange sparks.

Ok. That didn't work.

The dragon turned its massive head toward Farryn. The dragon's white scales were covered in black scorch marks. Its left eye was shut closed and the sight of it brought a sense of satisfaction to Farryn, but that swiftly faded as the dragon let out another roar and scrambled toward the standing mage. Frozen in fear, Farryn could only watch as the dragon approached her. This was it, the end of her journey. It would be just like her execution all over again, however there would be no dragon to save her. Instead, it would kill her here in the snow where no one would find her remains.

The dragon was just in front of her now. It was so close she could feel its cold breath fan across her face, making Farryn shiver. White, gleaming teeth made their way into her view, promising the pain that would surely come if they latched onto her body. Farryn's breath was coming in sharp pants now and she was sure that the pounding of her heart could be heard all across Tamriel.

Farryn couldn't believe this was going to be the end for her. Killed by a damn dragon. Mother and Father would be so proud. The thought of her parents brought a rush of anger to the surface. Images of disappointed faces, disdainful smirks, and angry glares flashed through her mind, bringing a fiery wave of wrathful emotions to Farryn. She tried to push them back. Farryn didn't want to die angry, but memories of sharp slaps across bruised skin assaulted her head in quick bursts. She scowled at the approaching dragon, burning with an intense urge to scream, to roar, to shout. And so she did.

A high, ferocious shout that released all of her rage, disappointment and sorrow into the world. The dragon paused and scrutinized Farryn. For a moment, Farryn could barely breathe. Dragon and Dragonborn stood across the other with the former analyzing Farryn as if she was an interesting research project. Then the dragon took off, flying into the evening and disappearing behind snowy clouds. Farryn took a step back, turned and continued her way to the College. She wasn't going to bother to think about the dragon's mysterious behavior. The College waited for her. A new exciting discovery had been made. A finding that will no doubt make coming to Skyrim worth it.