Dragon cultists; of course it had to be Dragon cultists of all things. It mattered not what plane of existence you found yourself in they were all crazed people. At least the cultists in his lands knew very well that a dragon was a dragon and not a reincarnation of a long dead prophet. After that rambling speech from their leader Kydin was more than happy to put his blade through the man's gut. He had met his share of crazed priests in his travels, but this guy definitely made the list of the most ludicrous. And from some of the things Kydin had seen through the vast network of tunnels that ran through these mountains they were breeding dragons, voluntarily!

"I thought you said that dragons were extinct in your land," Kydin said as he and the rest of the party made their way from out of the caverns and into a small valley nestled in the mountains. His keen eyes surveyed the open area and had so far seen no other hint of cultists lying in wait for them after dealing with their leader. But from what else he could see, the last of the ruins were quickly coming into view jutting out of the mountain stone in the distance.

"Well, I thought they were," Alistair said sheepishly as he put his weapon back in its sheath. "With the exception of the Archdemon, of course." That's right, Kydin thought back to the conversation that he had with the man earlier in the day. Alistair had started explaining to him about the event they were trying to hold off, the Blight. The man spared no detail in telling him about how he was the last of the order in the land he belonged to, the Grey Wardens, and about the darkspawn and the tainted god that commanded them. The way Alistair had described these darkspawn made him think about the many Draugr he had come across in the ancient Nordic ruins throughout Skyrim, but these darkspawn sounded much worse. He hoped that these creatures wouldn't be too much of an interference in his hunt for Alduin.

"It appears that they were trying to bring them back from the verge of extinction," the elder mage, Wynne, said.

"Indeed," Morrigan piped up in that sarcastic tone of hers, "if any of those laboratories were any indication of being used for breeding the beasts."

Alistair ignored the witch. "So, for there to be eggs that leaves the question of where is the mother?"

Morrigan smirked, "Ah, so the Chantry did teach you something about breeding, did they?"

"Shut up, Morrigan," Alistair snapped.

Kydin looked to Wynne, "Do they always fight like an old marry couple?" Or worse they fought like a Nord and a Thalmor.

"I'm afraid so," she sighed tiredly.

"Hey!" they both snapped in unison before turning on each other once more. "Stop copying me!"

"Oh, Maker," the sister, Leliana groaned out as they approached the entrance to the ruins. From outside the architecture of the structure reminded Kydin of Imperial design, the same as the rest of the stonework they had found in the caverns earlier. Upon entering Kydin immediately knew that these particular ruins were different from the rest they had seen so far. There was a power here. A presence of sorts that lingered in the air. Further in they continued until they came to an open chamber where a lone armored man stood on the opposite side. Just by looking at him Kydin already knew that he wasn't a cultist like the rest of the men they had come across so far. No, this man, if he even was a man, had to be a sentinel or at least a guardian of some sorts. And though, from vast experience, sentinels and guardians of any ruin, crypt, or in short anything ancient Kydin had ever dared venture into usually tried to kill him, he knew that this being meant them no harm, at least not for the present moment. The party approached with caution.

When they were mere feet from the stranger he spoke in a deep ghostly voice. "I bid you all welcome," he greeted a little too calmly for Kydin's liking. "Leilana, Alistair, Wynne, Sten, Morrigan," he addressed them all by name before setting those dark eyes on himself, "Kydin."

"So where are we going, Brynjolf?" Enthir asked his friend as the Nord led them through the woods outside of Riften. The two mages knew that the man was taking them to see Karliah, a fellow thief from what Brelyna understood, but as to where exactly she was they couldn't even begin to guess.

"You'll see soon in a minute, my friend," Brynjolf called back to him as they made their way through the thick bush. Once they came out to the other side Brelyna found that they were before an outcropping of a large rock.

"Are you sure you're going the right way?" she questioned the thief.

"Just be patient, lass," Brynjolf said as he walked up to the formation. Brelyna followed after him with Enthir somewhat reluctantly following also. She couldn't believe she was putting her faith in a thief of all people, but again she had to remind herself that she was doing this for Kydin and apparently this Nord was a close personal friend of the Imperial. Brelyna groaned inwardly. Well she supposed that if Kydin trusted this man then she guessed she could put some of her's in him. Yeah sure, she supposed she could trust him about as far as she could throw him. But to her surprise once they got closer the thief led them to a doorway hidden cunningly in the shadows of the small mountain. Brelyna noticed a lone towering stone near the entrance and carved on its surface she saw the symbol of a bird.

"What is this place?" she asked with a mix of curiosity and suspicion as they passed by it.

"Another thing that Kydin would, not doubt, have my head for if he found out about this," Enthir grumbled as he followed the thief to an opening that was barely visible hiding in the darkness of shadow.

"It is where we will find the woman we seek," Brynjolf said. "But it would be best if you never breathed this to another soul, okay lass?" throwing a wink in Brelyna's direction.

Ignoring the action of the flirtatious thief Brelyna could do little else but nod in reply. Who was she going to tell really when she could barely remember how they even arrived here through all the thick forest foliage they had traveled through? She had a poor sense of direction anyway unlike Kydin who could find his way out of the college blindfolded. He had good practice at that when she had accidently temporarily blinded him that one time with one of her experiments. The three of them entered the cavern beyond the mountain rock where the Nord continued to lead them through what certainly was an interesting place from what Brelyna could see. A winding path served as their guide where along the way she noticed a tattered banner every now and then bearing the same mysterious bird-like symbol as the boulder that guarded the opening to this secret place. When the path finally widened they arrived at a grand open chamber that left Brelyna speechless. Never would she have guessed that ruins such as these existed within the mountain.

Enthir let out a low whistle as he stood to admire the view before him, "So, this is Nightingale Hall, huh? Not too shabby."

"Nightingale Hall?" Brelyna repeated curiously as her eyes also took in the new environment around her. The dirt path had slowly turned to a stone tiled floor, broken and chipped away from years of age. The floor led to a wooden bridge which allowed safe passage to the other side of the small river created by a cascading waterfall located in the center of the chamber's wall. It was clear to see that there were more unknown rooms on the other side.

"Yep, it's just another home sweet hideaway for some members of the guild," the thief simply said, but Brelyna had a feeling there was more to what Brynjolf was saying. "It's enough to make your head spin, eh?"

"Is that your voice I hear, Brynjolf?" a feminine voice called out, echoing through the chamber. The three companions looked over to the other side of the bridge to see a woman clothed in black leathers approaching them. When she was close enough to make out her physical features Brelyna was surprised to see that the woman was a Dunmer like herself, but with violet eyes instead of the commonly red ones their race was known for. A very rare trait among her kind.

"Karliah!" Brynjolf greeted.

Karliah didn't seem to be as equally happy to see the Nord. "Brynjolf, what in Oblivion are you doing? You know you are not suppose to bring outsiders here."

"Sorry, but it is kind of an emergency. I couldn't really avoid it."

"Karliah, you wound me," Enthir began theatrically as he placed a hand over his wounded heart. "Don't you know an old friend when you see one?"

"Enthir? Sorry, I didn't recognize you there," she stopped before them and smiled warmly at him. A big difference to the greeting that she had just given Brynjolf. "It is good to see you again. And who is this girl you bring?"

"Karliah meet Brelyna a fellow colleague from the college and a friend of Kydin's."

"Pleasure. I am Karliah," she greeted formally. "If you are a friend of Kydin's then I guess we can make an exception… for the both of you." Though her voice was kind to Enthir and herself for Brelyna it was hard not to notice the dagger-stabbing glare Karliah's eyes were throwing in the Nord's direction.

Enthir grinned, "Oh, how very kindhearted you are, my dear."

Karliah redirected her attention to her fellow thief. "So, Brynjolf, what is this emergency that you speak of?"

And so Brynjolf broke the news to her. "Hate to tell you this, lass, but from the news that Enthir and his friend brought me it seems that our fellow Nightingale has gotten in way over his head this time around."

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked.

"Kydin has put on a little disappearing act and we're on a mission to find out where he has gotten to," Enthir explained.

Karliah's eyes widened. "He's gone? Just like that?"

"Well, there is more than that to the story. But long story short we need an item of Kydin's that he stowed away in the guild vault, but we only have two out of the three keys. We need to get our hands on a third one."

"Do you have any ideas, Karliah?" Brynjolf pressed. "Do you know of a way we could somehow open the vault without the final key?"

The Dunmer thought for a moment before replying. "That puzzle vault is the best money can buy as you know, Brynjolf. The only other way I would know of is at the risk of suffering the wrath of you know who," she stressed the last part knowingly to the man. "And you know you know who is not going to willingly part with it anytime soon. But perhaps there is another way."

"What are you thinking, Karliah?" Enthir asked.

"We can make a copy of the key. I remember Gallus once telling me of a man that has the skill of doing so."

Brynjolf seemed to perk up at the news of this. "This man, do you know where we can find him?"

Karliah smirked. "Better yet I can take you there. Though, I warn you, it will be a long journey to get to where he is located."

Brelyna sighed. Of course; what seemed like a simple enough task was going to instantly turn into a complicated one; but she saw no other option. "It's not like we have any other choice."

Karliah smiled, "Then it's settled. Come on, we can purchase supplies and horses in the city. After that you can explain everything to me on the way."

Kydin listen quietly and intently as the guardian asked each of his new companions about a personal inner difficulty in their lives. Now these weren't your typical hard questions like if you were about to charge off into battle what would be your personal weapon of choice. No, these were soul searching questions about choices you made or could have made, why do you believe in what you believe, why do you say the things you say, things that lead you on the path that you now travel on. He heard Alistair's endless wondering of the deadly fate that he escaped from a blood bath with the darkspawn unlike the rest of his brotherhood and his mentor, Duncan, a man he could see that Alistair had looked up to. He heard of Wynne's doubts of the words of wisdom that she so freely offered to others, Sten's failure of how he killed an innocent family in a blind rage, and of Leliana's claim of how she heard the voice of the Maker, this world's divinity, and the guardian's slight accusations of how she simply claimed it for the attention. Morrigan was the only one of them to brush the spirit off in his interrogation of them. And now that left him remaining. Since Helgen his life had never been the same and when he had found out he was Dragonborn his world was turned upside down and had his head spinning for days on end. He had a lot of things to question about himself, his actions, his beliefs, and his fate. Whatever this spirit had to ask him he was sure it was not already something he had asked himself before.

When the Guardian finally turned to him Kydin let out a grim chuckle, "Best for last, eh? So, what's it going to be-my regrets or my failures? Either way you won't be getting a short answer."

The Guardian looked at him with those all too knowing eyes of his. "Even though you are new to this world I know very well who you are, Kydin, the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, Head of the Thieves Guild, Leader of the Companions, and many other titles. But the one you are most famous for is Dragonborn."

"You really can see everything," he murmured. It was unsettling really with the knowledge that this spirit seemed to hold and he couldn't help but be reminded of a certain daedric prince, Hermaeus Mora. Like the spirit said he was new to this unknown world; the guardian shouldn't even know his name.

"Your life is laid out before me like an open book detailing everything of your past and your future," the guardian explained. "I see your struggles and your great conflict between Alduin the dreaded World Eater from your world."

Kydin frowned. "So, he is here?"

"Yes."

Finally, he would be able to get some answers. "Where? Tell me, where I can find him?" He had to find Alduin and the sooner the better before the dragon started tearing this world apart.

"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you. You will confront him at the destined time and place when you are ready to face him once more."

At this point it was getting harder and harder for Kydin to keep his frustration under control. "You're good at asking questions, but not so great at answering them."

"My only task here is to prepare you for the journey ahead. Besides, even if I were to tell you, do you really think that you would be ready to face him once more?"

Kydin thought about it. Sure, he was strong now, much stronger than when he first found out he was Dragonborn and he knew very well that at this moment Alduin was weak with no way to get to Sovngarde to gain back the strength he had lost. But, if by some small chance, he was able to gain back that strength then he knew that he didn't stand a chance, at least not alone. He even had the help of the Tongues, three masters in the ways of the Voice, in Sovngarde and he still failed. And he refused to fail again, not when there was so much at stake. The next time he faced Alduin it would be to the death-he would make certain of it. He didn't have the resources here like he did in Skyrim and he couldn't count on anyone here to come to his aid. He only had himself and himself alone and because of that fact he needed to reach his maximum potential.

"No," he said bitterly, though he knew it to be true. "I need to become stronger."

The guardian nodded in agreement. "You have been dealt with a great task and entrusted with the lives of all living mortals to cleanse the world of Alduin's evil. And now the lives of this world hang in the balance on you to succeed in your quest. Are you prepared to answer my questions?"

"Aye," he replied looking the spirit dead in the eye. He would not run from this, he would not back down because that wasn't who he was. Despite what Morrigan had said Kydin could tell that she had been afraid of what the guardian would ask of her. She was scared of the truth, scared of looking weak in front of others and admitting that weakness because that is what all the others had been asked.

"Even if you are able to defeat Alduin, do you think that you be able to permanently prevent the End of Days? How do you know that you are not simply delaying the inevitable from happening?"

Kydin showed the spirit no emotion as after all he had heard it all before. He remembered Arngeir telling him almost the same thing when he tried to prevent him from going after Alduin. Lecturing him on how the End of Days was unavoidable and that his actions would not prevent the inevitable from happening.

"That's the thing, I don't know," Kydin began in a voice so hard and cold it might as well have formed Stalhrim ice. "That's the kind of downside it is being a lesser being to you prophets and gods who look down on us and see how our lives turn out. We don't know and we will never know what will come or what will be unless we try. You just said it yourself that thousands of mortal lives are in my hands. So what is it you expect me to do? Just have me think that all I have done for the past year has been all for nothing? That there has been no point for my actions? Have me lie down like a dog and accept the fact that the world is going to come to an end anyway and lay my life down and simply wait for the inevitable doom to take me? Yes, it was a prophecy that foretold the End of Days, but you, like my mentor, have forgotten that I was foretold as well. That they fear me. That he fears me. And I will defeat Alduin; for me there is no "try". This is a task I can and will see through. I don't know if I am delaying the inevitable or not, but I will fight so that the people of all of Nirn can live another day."

"I see," the guardian said in a somewhat satisfied tone. "Thank you, for answering my questions, all of you. You may now pass on through to test your faith in the Gauntlet. Good luck to you all. And Dragonborn I wish you all the best in your journey," and in a flash of blinding light the spirit was gone and the doorway before them opened. But not one of them moved. For a moment no one dared to even speak, not even Morrigan. And Kydin didn't have to be a genius to know that they were all staring at him, while he glared icy daggers at the empty space the spirit had just occupied. He had a general idea of what they could possibly be thinking. Right now they were seriously beginning to wonder just who exactly he was and if he had really spoken the truth to them up till now. What was his drive, what was his goal, what was his purpose? And most importantly what was the weight that the title Dragonborn carried that the specter had so casually referred to him as? But right now he didn't really give a damn. All he cared about was completing the Gauntlet, leaving these ruins and go Shout his frustrations out for this whole damn world to hear.

Brelyna was deep in thought as she let her mount follow the rest of the pack. Ahead of her Enthir and Brynjolf led the way on the well-traveled road that led to the west away from Riften leaving herself to bring up the rear of their traveling party with Karliah and Kydin's hound, Meeko, trotting faithfully along side them. On her right the currents of the Treva River passed by gently while on her left the peaks of the Jerral Mountains towered over them.

It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago they had left the gates of Riften to go on a quest to find this key maker that Karliah had spoken of. According to her the man known as Calcelmo, the one that had installed the vault in the Thieves Guild, had old ties with the guild and had cut these ties long ago to further pursue his research of the dwemer people, an ancient lost race of elves that were known for being an advanced civilization. It was very hard to come across a dwemer ruin and not recognize it as such. Their skill and developments were revolutionary in a wide range of areas with the most recognized being their creations in engineering, crafting and stonework. And then there came the day when the dwemer people disappeared which has till this day remained one of the greatest mysteries in Tamriel. Whether they disappeared all at once or over a vast period of time is a constant debate amongst scholars.

The passion that Calcelmo had in his search of knowledge had secured him a position in one of Skyrim's most famed cities Markarth, which was actually the last known intact city left behind by the dwermer and the perfect place for a scholar like Calcelmo to be. If the weather cooperated they could arrive there in a week. If the weather, however, did not then depending on the conditions it could take them even longer and they were already in enough of a rush as it was. Brelyna was already frustrated as it was because of how long this whole operation was taking them and considering how critical Kydin's situation was.

"Either you are just a quiet woman or you have something on your mind. Which would that be, Brelyna?"

"What?" Brelyna snapped out of her haze. "Sorry, what did you say?"

The Dunmer woman gave her a thoughtful smile. "It seems that you have answered my question without even knowing. "

Brelyna sighed tightening the reigns of her horse unconsciously as she did so. "I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment."

"I bet you do. Feel like sharing?"

Now Brelyna knew that she had only just met this woman that was somehow part of Kydin's life and was tied with the thieves guild, but her options where limited. Considering that her other companions were Enthir and a master thief Karliah might possibly be a refreshing person to talk to.

"It's just… Kydin never shared any of this with me-the guild, you, Brynjolf. He's been living this whole other life that I never knew about."

Brelyna had known Kydin for almost a year now yet recent events had proven to her that there was still so much that was unknown about the man she considered as her closest friend.

"Ah, I see." The thief nodded in understanding. "You're hurt."

"I feel more betrayed than hurt," Brelyna replied bitterly. "I mean why did he never tell me? I thought we were really close friends. I guess I was wrong."

If Kydin had not trusted her enough to tell her about his ties with the guild then Divines only know what else he might have kept from her. She trusted Kydin with her very life. She told him nearly everything about her and her life and she dared thought that he felt the same way about her. After all, she had accompanied him on many adventures across the province going everywhere to ruins filled with undead, marshes haunted by ghosts and deep dark caverns infested by the vilest of creatures to name a few. There were times when she returned to the college only to have her dreams plagued by nightmares for weeks after some of the things that she had seen.

"Well," Karliah began thoughtfully, "as I understand it Kydin joined the guild when he first came to Skyrim. He really didn't have much to his name back then, did he?"

In truth she wasn't all that sure. Kydin rarely spoke of his time before he came to Skyrim. She remembered him mentioning taking up odd jobs around the province to earn coin, but she had no idea if they were related to the guild. "No. But he could have found steady work elsewhere. No offense."

"None taken," the thief chuckled. "But then again I was on the run from the guild for many years before Kydin came along and helped me clear my name. Better that he joined the guild instead of joining something like the Dark Brotherhood, yes? Wouldn't you really prefer him to be a thief than an assassin or murderer?"

Brelyna hated to think it, but the woman did have a point. Better that Kydin had enough sense to pick the lesser of two evils. "Well, when you put it that way I guess it's not that bad. But still if he kept something like this from me who knows what else he might be keeping from me."

"You two must be really good friends or are you perhaps-?" Karliah trailed off for the mage to fill in the blanks.

"What?! By the Eight no!" Brelyna could already feel her cheeks warming at the suggestion the thief was making. It was times like these where she was thankful for the dark skin tone her people were known for. "No, nothing like that. We're just really really good friends."

"Alright, then," Karliah simply said leaving the topic be; much to Brelyna's relief. "So, how did the two of you meet?", she went on changing the subject. "You're from the College, right?"

"Yes." Brelyna confirmed. "I was more shy and awkward back when we first met than I am now, if you can believe that. Dark Elves aren't treated very kindly in Skyrim so I was actually pretty shocked when he acted friendly towards me when he first arrived." Kydin's first few weeks at the College had been quite memorable indeed.

"He is a charming one, isn't he?"

"So charming that he can make the College's grumpy Orc of a librarian crack a smile. Now that's saying something," she laughed.

Everyone at the college knew that Urag gro-Shub had quite the reputation in his position of college librarian or as he was sometimes referred to by the youngest members of the college "Urga grouch-Shub". The Orsimer mage had a strict and stern attitude even when he was outside of the Arcanaeum. He took his job very seriously treating every single book in the Arcanaeum as an infant like the overprotective parent he was. He assured that every member of the College treated each volume and tome with the respect and gentleness that they deserved. Brelyna remembered Kydin's relentless attempts before he finally got Urga gro-Shub's lip to even twitch. She sighed at the memory.

"Since the day I met him I've always envied his talent for being so social with others and his understanding of magic."

"He always was a fast learner." Karliah agreed. "But I've always wondered if it's his need to be a fast learner than being naturally gifted."

"What do you mean?" Brelyna asked curious as to what the thief was getting at.

"Well, think about it, he is the Dragonborn of all people. Even with the civil war resolved Kydin has the weight of a prophecy on his shoulders not to mention the rest of Skyrim's problems. Before coming to Skyrim he was a simple man, but now knowing he is the Dragonborn he has to rise to the occasion to be the hero that the scrolls foresaw in order to deal with the dragons. He's grown a lot since the first time I met him. No doubt he's been trying to learn everything he can to get an edge on Alduin."

That was quite an insight on Karliah's part. "I've never thought of it that way."

"I don't think many do.", the thief said taking on a more serious tone. "Everyone does have their own problems to deal with, after all. Kydin's are just a little bigger than everyone else's."

"A little." Brelyna scoffed. "Right." If it hadn't been for Kydin's efforts so far, no one would probably have any problems to worry about as they could have been dead had not for the Dragonborn's interference.

Karliah saw the sour look on Brelyna's face and gave her a playful nudge with her elbow. "But that's why he has friends like us, right? To help him out of sticky situations like this one."

Brelyna appreciated the thief's efforts, but they weren't doing her much good. "He probably wouldn't be in this situation if he had taken anyone of us along. But he can be so damn stubborn sometimes."

"Agreed. But Kydin knows the dangers he faces better than anyone. He just doesn't want to see those close to him get hurt. He's a protector, that one. Which is probably why he didn't tell you about his association with the guild."

"You mean that the reason he didn't tell me was to protect me?"

"Like I said, Kydin is a protector." Karliah smiled. "And though he has made more than one grand name across Skyrim doesn't mean that it doesn't come at a cost of an enemy or two. Quite possibly a few dozen." Laughing at her own joke. "What would happen to you or anyone of us if we knew such secrets about him? Nothing any good, I assure you. But then again another possibility is that maybe he didn't tell you so that you wouldn't treat him differently."

Brelyna replied without hesitation. "I wouldn't have."

"You sure about that?" Karliah asked. "Can you honestly say for certain? Like you said when you first met him you thought he was a charming chap. If you had found out he was part of the Thieves Guild then you would have acted the same around him?"

Brelyna's shoulders slumped. "I—I don't know."

"Then he wouldn't have known either."

"You're right." She sighed heavily. Karliah had made some excellent points and she was certainly right about one of them-Kydin was a protector and he did have more enemies than anyone she ever knew. From mercenaries to dragons it seemed that there was no corner in Skyrim where Kydin didn't have an enemy lurking.

Minutes trickled by between the two elves as the sound of heavy hoofs on earth filled the silence between them. "You two really are close, aren't you?" Karliah asked softly.

"He's my best friend." Brelyna replied truthfully.

"Then have some faith in him," she smiled encouragingly.

Brelyna did. The problem was that her ever constant worry over Kydin was outweighing that part of her. "Where do you think he is now?" she asked looking to the skies as if the Divines themselves would answer her. "What do you think he's doing?"

"Your guess is about as good as mine." Karliah replied after a moments thought. "But knowing Kydin, hopefully, he is staying out of trouble until we can get to him."

Keeping her eyes on the clear blue sky above Brelyna said a small pray to the Divines. Please be safe.

With the Sacred Ashes in hand the party left the Gauntlet and caverns more soberly then when they first entered the temple. The whole thing had certainly been a trying experience for them all. All except for Morrigan the only one of them all to refuse the Guardians' questions.

Taking the path that had lead them here back out to the flat plain that was covered with snow, ice and debris a single shadow passed over them. One that was large enough to block out the sun far too briefly to simply be a cloud passing by. Instantly on the alert Kydin looked to the skies above desperately trying to block the blinding rays of the sun to get a good look at what he already suspected was close by. His keen eyes spotted the wing beast and not a second later did a fierce roar echo through the mountains around them. With his suspicions confirmed Kydin wasted no time. This could be his only chance.

He looked to the others. Most of them had gone stone stiff and wide-eyed at hearing the beast so close. A beast that they had all grown to known to have been extinct. Kydin couldn't help but laugh on the inside. He could only imagine the look on his own face when he first looked upon Alduin for the first time back in Helgan. "Don't get in my way." He warned them as he rushed past them, ready to meet his enemy head on.

"Kydin!" Wynne called after him. Instantly panicked at seeing him run head on into battle. "Where are you going?!"

"What in blazes are you doing?!" Alistair's voice echoed after her's.

"Are we sure he's not along the boarders of insanity?" Morrigan sighed as the rest of them watched Kydin run towards, what was possible, his death.

Kydin brandished his weapon and shield as he looked up to the clear skies above hoping to catch another glimpse of the beast. His eyes were blinded by the blazing sun above, but soon a figure came into view descending upon him. As the beast blocked the sun from view Kydin could see that this was not Alduin like he had first expected it to be. The creature landed before him causing the whole earth to shake under its weight. It was a dragon alright, but none by the looks of any dragon that Kydin had ever seen. The dragons back in Skyrim were large and bulky with their wings serving as their forearms. This particular dragon was long and sleek rising up far above in height than even the largest dragon that Kydin had ever faced. And its wings stretched our far and wide connecting on its back close to the base of its neck. Its full body colour was the deepest of violets its scales glistening in the sunlight, a deadly beauty most certainly. The dragon reared its spiky head releasing a fierce roar, obviously not pleased with him trespassing on its territory.

"Dovah!" he called. Kydin tried to gander whether or not all dragons even in other spaces and worlds knew the dragon language as he did. The dragon only looked at him deadly before spitting a stream of fire at him.

Guess not, he thought as he shouted, "Wuld Nah," avoiding the flames with ease. This would be an interesting fight to determine just what this world's dragons were capable of in battle. He would just need to be watchful of those powerful sharp front claws.

Kydin banged the pummel of his sword on his shield in anticipation. "Let's see what you got."

The dragon's confusion of his sudden burst of speed was brief as it snapped its mighty jaws at him. He swiftly sidestepped the beast's attempt before bashing it on the side of the head with his shield.

"Yol Toor Shul"

Alistair and the rest of them stood on the edges of the open battlefield as they felt the earth beneath them shake and quiver as they witnessed the battle before them. A wall of fire had just erupted between Kydin and the High Dragon.

"Andrestae's flaming sword, what was that?!" Alistair exclaimed as the tremor subsided.

"An earthquake?" Leliana hazard.

"I don't think so, my dear." Wynne said, her eyes never once straying from the fight between Kydin and the beast he battled with.

"That was magic," Morrigan stated with surprising awe. "It had to be."

Alistair was a little skeptical of that. "Never seen or felt magic that could do that before." He couldn't believe what he was seeing. A man, a single man, voluntarily fighting off a High Dragon. A High Dragon of all things!

It was easy to see that such a thing was not new to Kydin. The way he danced around the dragon was easy enough to see that he had skill and experience on his side. He never stopped, never once hesitated as he dealt blow after blow to the dragon's scaly hide.

"Shouldn't we go help him?" Leliana asked uncertainly.

Kydin was slashing his sword at one of the beast's forearms as the head swooped down to snap at him once more. The man dodged its dagger like teeth jumping out of the way as he brought his sword down across its nose. Kydin had obvious done some great damage to it for the dragon reared its head back letting out a cry of pain. It spread it's great wings wide and took off before they heard, "Joor Zah Frul," thunder around them to only see the dragon come crashing back down to the ground again.

If Alistair didn't know any better he would say, miraculously, Kydin had somehow forced the beast to join him back on the earth. "I don't think he needs our help, Leliana." Whatever form of magic Kydin was using granted him the ability to constrict the wings of the creature. If he wasn't seeing it all with his own eyes Alistair would have never believed it.

Though its wings were of no use the dragon swung his head down as Kydin bashed it in the jaw before it had a chance to snap at him. With the dragon stunned Kydin grabbed hold of one of the spikes that protruded around the jaw and swung himself onto the back of its head.

"He seems to have more than a handle on things." And quite literally at that.

The dragon barely had the chance to throw its unwelcomed rider off before Kydin plunged his sword into its head. Roaring in agony the dragon's cries were short lived as its life force began to leave it. Its voice dying out as its body fell to the cold earth unceremoniously the sheer mass of its body sending a tremor throughout the battlefield.

Alistair let out a nervous breath. "Makes you glad he's on our side doesn't it?"

A/N: Hey guys hope this chapter was worth the wait. I made it as long as I could without making it crazy long. So what do you think, do you think that the Dragonborn could really take on a High Dragon single handily? I like to think they can =)

Dragon Shouts:

- Yol Toor Shul - Fire Breath

- Joor Zah Frul - Dragonrend

- Wuld Nah - Whirlwind Sprint