Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim.

Author's Note: Okay, so I suck at battle scenes. Just a warning. Please bear with me on this one. Please review!Thanks for reading.

Chapter Two

And so we made our merry way out of Whiterun. I stopped to gather some things from Breezehome before we left, and I felt well equipped with my ebony bow slung over my shoulder, a quiver full of Elven arrows, and Dawnbreaker at my left hip.

We had just passed by the stable when I heard a roar somewhere off to my right. I whipped my head around and groaned when I saw a dragon circling the Western Watchtower. I was surprised to see one there, considering one of its brethren had been killed there a few short months ago.

And then it hit me. It was so unbelievably convenient that a dragon showed up just as I acquired a new follower. A follower who's strength needed testing. My eyes narrowed and a sly smile spread across my face. I could picture what I looked like: extremely mischievous.

"So stranger, have you ever fought a dragon before?" I shifted my gaze from the circling dragon so the yet-to-be-named man beside me. Eyes fixed intently on the giant flying lizard, muscles tensed, feet spread apart and knees slightly bent in a battle stance, I could tell he was ready. I smirked.

The stranger looked down at me, shrugged, and said, "After you." I chuckled before taking off at a run towards the tower, moving as quickly as my armor would allow. As we neared the tower, I grabbed my bow and nocked an arrow, letting it fly just as the dragon swooped overhead. The arrow caught the dragon in the underside of its neck, and the dragon let out an earthshaking roar. And now I have your attention, I thought.

"All right. Now," I said, turning to the stranger, "you have to watch. This is no cave bear, and if you screw up, you die. Get it on the ground as fast as possible, and I'll move in for the kill." I smirked. "Let's see if you're any good with that bow."

The stranger nodded, eyes on the dragon as it banked around the tower towards us. I watched as in one fluid movement he drew his bow and fired an arrow at the beast. I hadn't even noticed when he'd grabbed the arrow, and before I could say anything, he let another arrow fly.

Damn, he's good, I thought before turning my attention to the enraged dragon. Just as I was about to fire another arrow, the dragon stopped in midair, hovering above us.

"Run!" I yelled. "Get out of the way!" I jumped and rolled to the side just before a blast of flames scorched the ground I had previously been standing on. I scrambled to my feet just as the dragon was struggling to gain altitude, and Shouted, "Krii lun aus!" at its retreating form.

The dragon roared again, swooped down, tucked its wings in, and smashed into the ground. It slid towards me, cleaving the earth and shoving rocks aside. As the dragon picked itself up, I ran towards it, threw my bow aside, and drew Daybreaker. The dragon swung its great horned head around, and I feinted to the right to avoid its snapping jaws. I worked my way to the dragon's left side, trying to avoid both its teeth and its wing, slashing at its face as I went. The dragon growled in pain and turned its attention to its right side, where I was glad to see my new follower firing a rapid volley of arrows into the dragon's shoulder and neck.

I was just about to cut a slice in the membrane of its wing when said wing was thrust at me. It caught me in the stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. Gasping for breath, I took a few steps back, mentally berating myself for the mistake. You're better than that and you know it. Pay attention! I chided.

Meanwhile, the great beast was weakening, its breathing becoming more ragged and labored. Blood streamed from an arrow protruding from its right wing. I almost felt sorry for the creature. I might have felt worse if the thing wasn't attacking my homeland and killing everything in its path.

I chose to move back to the front while it was distracted, hoping to deal the final blow. The stranger saw me coming and I motioned for him to stop shooting. I wanted the beast's full attention. As soon as he stopped firing, I swiped a glancing blow off the scales on the dragon's neck. It turned its head, slower than expected, and made one last half-hearted attempt to close its teeth on me. I dodged easily and brought Dawnbreaker down point first between the dragon's eyes. I felt the blade pierce the skull before the dragon shuddered and collapsed.

I stumbled backwards, leaving Dawnbreaker embedded in the dragon's head. Unexpectedly, my legs folded beneath me and I fell into a halfway seated position a few feet away from the motionless creature.

My breath came in heaving gasps and my heart beat sounded like galloping horse's hoof beats. I faintly registered movement beside me, and the stranger's low, silky voice floated through the fog shrouding my head.

"You okay?" he asked quietly. I nodded, trying to catch my breath. "So that's what you were born to do." I nodded again. My gaze rested upon the dragon's body. "Doesn't seem too hard."

I laughed out loud. I felt sick from all the adrenaline pumping through my system, and pondered over whether or not I should heave my breakfast out all over the stranger. Doesn't seem too hard, eh? Let's see how hard it is to clean my vomit out of your armor, shall we?

I only got about a half a minute's rest before the dragon's flesh faded to ash and its soul swept to join with mine. As the soul bonded itself to mine, the sick feeling started to fade and a sense of complete calm washed over me.

"That was…. interesting," I heard the stranger say. And that's when I realized that I had never even asked his name before. I couldn't keep calling him "the stranger". Eventually he wouldn't be a stranger to me. If he lasted long enough, he might become my friend, not just my follower.

"What's your name?" I asked, eyes on the gargantuan skeleton lying before us.

After a pause, he replied, "Silas."

"Well, Silas, do you still want to come with me?" My inquiry was deadpan. I didn't want to sound too hopeful or too tired, even though I felt like sleeping for a year. I turned my head to look at him as he gazed at our surroundings. The mountains, the trees, everything. There was nothing that those haunting eyes couldn't see. And then he looked at me. His eyes were still filled with a great sadness, but I also saw a newfound sense of purpose, and maybe the beginning of hope.

"I don't have anything better to do," he stated. I'm taking that as a yes, I thought. I turned my gaze back to the skeleton after a few seconds and then nodded.

"Well, I guess we should get a moving then."