A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for taking so long to get this out. :/ school is depressing. But yeah. I'm not too happy with the ending on this one (it's a bit abrupt for my liking) and I feel like this chapter should be longer because I've been away so long. Maybe I can get to work on another chapter soon. Sorry for any mistakes. As always, enjoy! Thanks to all of you who review. It makes me happy. :)

Chapter 24

I felt hollow. It had been weeks since my dreams had taken a turn from being horrid to hopeful, and I had grown accustomed to the peace. I was frightened by the prospect of being alone. Silas had been my strength since we met, and I was loathe to lose him. I was beginning to realize how much he went through for me, things that he shouldn't have to go through. Such as becoming a dragon.

I sat in the cold, uncomfortable bed and stared at an intricate pattern that had been carved so delicately into the stone wall. The fortress had never failed to impress me with its frozen grandeur. It was beautiful, but I had no desire to stay any longer than I had to. The silence of the place unnerved me.

Dragging myself from beneath the blankets, I stretched and then donned my armor. My right shoulder protested each movement it made. I could feel the muscles twitch and writhe beneath my skin. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Taking an apple from one of the shelves, I ventured outside. The snow was blindingly bright. It sparkled in the sunlight, a shining blanket coating the frozen earth. The winds had calmed considerably so that everything was still and quiet. A bird chipped merrily as it flew by overhead.

I altered my course so that I was moving towards the stone steps leading up to the great arch and the path to the summit of the mountain. The air was thin and icy, and it burned my lungs. I was surprised to see that even the killer winds protecting the path had died down. I had no need to use a Shout to keep the gales at bay.

I moved slowly, making sure to maintain sturdy footing while simultaneously observing my surroundings. I thought of my impending battle with Alduin, wondering if he had forsaken Sovngarde to test my strength again, or for some other purpose.

Perhaps he had come back to resurrect more Dov to fight me. Or maybe he had grown bored in Sovngarde, and wished to show his strength. The trap to catch the Dragon Odahviing had taken much longer to prepare than I expected. For weeks I had been waiting for the courier to bring his fateful message. The message that would mean I moved towards doom, whether it be mine or Alduin's.

My heart thundered painfully in my chest as a storm of doubt swirled inside. The fate of the world rested with me. A skinny, clumsy girl. There were far better warriors than I, and yet I was chosen for this task. A blundering child.

A sense of despair washed over me as I realized that I might not live to see my twenty-fifth birthday. How horribly unfair that one as young as I was forced into the life of a killer. I wiped furiously at my tears and threw myself down in the snow. Better to die here, alone, than fail against the World Eater.

I could have kicked myself for being so pathetic.

When I could no longer feel my nose, I pushed myself up and onto my feet. I trudged forward, determined to reach Silas. By the time Paarthurnax's hulking form came into view, my breath came in ragged heaves. The frosty air clawed my throat so that each intake was agony. I trudged on.

Finally reaching Silas' sleeping form, I plopped down into the frozen fluff. I inspected his damaged wing arm from afar, noting that he needed new bandages, but also that the small shards of bone were in their rightful place. As far as I could tell.

The cold had sapped my strength. I sat in silence, glad that Paarthurnax was contemplating something obviously important, and had not yet acknowledged my presence. He hummed occasionally, nodding his massive skull as if agreeing with himself.

After a few minutes of rest, I clambered through the snow towards Silas' wound. I felt inadequate. Silas had healed me more than he could even know. He made me feel whole again, yet I could not even heal his broken bones. I loathed my weakness.

Beneath the bloodied bandages, the gaping tear in his blunt scales seemed almost healed. In a few places, the wound still bled, but was, for the most part, healed. I wondered if the bones beneath had knit themselves back together as well. I prodded the skin gently, hoping to feel whether or not the bone was whole.

"That hurts, you know."

I shrieked and jumped back, but the snow around my ankles hindered me. I ended up flat on my back, staring up at the clear blue sky. A shadow was cast over my face as Silas snaked his head into my view.

His eyes were wide and clear, the forest green reminding me of the trees at the foot of the mountain. We stared at each other, the minutes stretching on until he finally moved. He dropped his head, pressed his hard snout into my stomach, and then retreated.

"Dovahkiin." I turned my attention to Paarthurnax. "I would like to apologize for my actions. It has been many years since I have seen another of my kin. I thought perhaps Alduin had sent the boy to try and kill me."

Silas snorted from behind me, no doubt in indignation at being called a "boy".

"The fault is mine," I returned, ignoring Silas for the time being. "I should have come before and warned you."

Paarthurnax dipped his head, and returned to his muttering. I had expected him to say more. I turned back to Silas, only to find him melting the snow around him with his hot breath.

I could see his throat was glowing when he turned towards me. He was using a small amount of fire to heat his breath, making it hot enough to turn the snow to puddles of water that soaked away into the surrounding drifts. It was strange that he could control his fire without using even the first word in the shout.

Once the snow around him had been melted, he fixed his eyes on me. "Come," he said. "It should be warmer now."

I slowly made my way over to him, and once inside the circle, stamped my boots on the frozen earth to rid them of ice. Finding a warm place to settle near him, I sat and folded my legs beneath me. We sat in silence for nearly an hour, enjoying each other's company and the scenery.

"You are not at fault for as many things as you think you are." I looked up at him as he gazed out over the land. After a moment, he turned and fixed me with a piercing gaze. "Don't look at me like that; you know very well what I speak of, and you know that I am right."

I opened my mouth, intent on protesting, but Silas opened his mouth, letting a breath of flame escape before clamping his jaws shut with a click. I abruptly closed my mouth and stared at him, eyebrows knit and defiantly pouting.

He chuckled then, a raspy sound like many stones grating together. Smoke escaped his nostrils and wandered away with the breeze. I could feel my expression soften, and I knew deep down that he was right.

I blamed myself for many things that were out of my control.