A/N: And so, my friends, we reach the place where things go awry. This chapter is shorter than the others, but I think that's okay. I think. If it's not, oh well. Sorry. :/ You guys are probably going to hate me for this. As always, thanks for those of you who reviewed, favorited, and are following the story. And thank you to all the silent ones out there who read but do not comment. Just knowing people are reading makes me happy. Enjoy lovies!

Chapter 14

As soon as the ancient dragon landed, I charged. Silas fired arrow after arrow at the beast, and it roared its fury at the indifferent sky. Its attention was divided; I dodged its wings, slashing holes in the thin membranes, and Silas kept its gaping maw away from me by firing arrows at it.

I was determined to keep Silas away from the fight so that he didn't sustain anymore injuries. My soul flared at the challenge of the fight. I watched the dragon lift his head slightly, and yelled at Silas to get out of the way just as a stream of flames was sent in his direction.

Once Silas was back on his feet, I hacked at the dragon's wing, aiming for the thin bones. I felt a crunch beneath my sword, and the dragon's roar of pain severed the sky. I hoped that Alduin, wherever he was, could hear this dragon's cries.

I ducked beneath its tail, dodging the dragon's futile attempt to catch me off guard. I drove my sword deep into the muscle of its shoulder and yanked the blade free, spinning out of range. Silas had run out of arrows, and without him distracting it, it was not safe to be that close to the creature anymore.

I backed off and joined Silas, waiting for the dragon's next attack. It came in the form of fire, and as I ran from the tendrils of flame, the dragon tried to lift off. Its broken wing flapped uselessly, and the dragon roared in fury. I could see the madness in its eyes, the flare of its nostrils as its scaly lips closed over yellowed daggers.

This dragon wasn't giving up. I didn't expect it to. The Dov were a proud race, and would fight until the very end. My heart hammered in my chest. Sweat dripped into my eyes, but I did nothing. I stood, eyes locked with those of the enraged dragon. In its eyes, I saw resignation. This Dovah knew the fight would soon be over. I also saw the will to crush me into the ground, the desire to claw and bite and tear until nothing was left but bloody shreds of flesh.

I smiled. This dragon would not have the pleasure of killing me.

"Come, Great One," I said. "Let us finish this."

Though it was my destiny to rid Skyrim of the Dov, I felt a great respect for them. They were such an old race. They had seen things I could only dream of. In the deepest part of my heart, I also felt envy. Having the soul of a dragon made me wish for the sky. I yearned to stretch my wings and let the wind carry me where it would.

Alas, this wild soul was trapped in a body confined to the earth. I would never see the land from the Divines' point of view. I would never feel the wind beneath me, cradling me in its wide expanse. My heart ached at the thought.

The dragon lifted its head and screamed a challenge at the sky, the words of the ancient tongue foreign in my ears. It fixed a great amber eye on me, and I readied myself for the end of the fight. I held my sword at the ready, steeled my nerves, and charged.

I heard a warning shout from Silas, but the bloodlust pounded in my ears. I heard only the dragon's great breaths and the pounding of my heart. I was focused only on the dragon; all else was unimportant at the moment.

In a flurry of metal and scale, I crashed into the dragon, striking what I could as quickly as possible. A little late, I noticed the dragon's head snaking towards where I stood near its shoulder. There was a horrible screech as tooth met steel, and a bright spot of pain flared in my side.

In an effort to escape the jaws of death, I stabbed at the dragons head. I felt my sword split the tough skin and then slide into bone. Suddenly, my sword slipped and the dragon's jaw went slack. I fell backwards from the toothy embrace, and scooted farther away as quickly as possible.

My Daedric sword was protruding from the dragon's left eye socket. The Dovah shook its head furiously from side to side, trying in vain to dislodge the painful object. From the corner of my eye, I saw Silas drop his bow and take off at a sprint towards the dragon.

At the last moment, he leapt and landed on the dragon's neck. I watched as he grasped the hilt of my sword and shoved it deeper into the dragon's eye. The Dovah gave one last shudder before dying. Silas slid off of the corpse and ran to my side.

I glanced down only to see myself covered in a red liquid. It took a few seconds to realize that the red liquid was blood. My blood. There were several tears in my armor. Jagged edges stuck out, more and more blood pouring out.

I looked into Silas' eyes, shocked. I felt him slide an arm around my back, and I collapsed against him. He held me close, my back against his chest, and he whispered. I couldn't hear what he said. His hands slid down to the holes in my armor, and a bright light shrouded them. The light grew, encompassing everything.

The dragon's soul had found its way to us, but I did not feel it merging with my soul. Silas went stiff against me. He had healed some of my wounds, but I was too weak to fully comprehend what was happening. I heard him scream, the sound coming from deep within.

I could see only the sky, but Silas continued to scream. I tilted my head to the side, wondering when I had fallen to lay on my back, and watched as the last of the dragon's soul merged with Silas'. I looked back towards the sky, my head screaming that something wasn't right, but my mind was clouded. As anguished screams morphed into a roar of agony, everything went black.