Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim, just my own made up characters.
Okay here is the next chapter as promised, enjoy!
"That was a lot of work to go through just for a horn, eh Crystal?" Jack says rubbing his hands together as an icy gust of wind blasts across the mountain outside High Hrothgar.
"Yea, went all the way through that tomb for nothing. Like seriously? Next time leave the note on the door outside, save us the trouble and time," I reply pulling my coat closer around me.
We have traveled a long, long way to get this horn. First we had gone to Ustengrav the ancient Nord tomb and found that the horn wasn't there but in Riverwood. Then we had to travel to Riverwood and meet Delphine, a nice lady even if she was being all-secretive, the blade lady who at last gave us the horn and now here we are. Back at High Hrothgar at last, man I've never walked so much in my life!
We open the door and there stands all the Greybeards, already gathered in a circle waiting for us. Arngeir turns as the door slams shut and greets us solemnly. "Ah, Dovahkins! Your back! I trust you have completed the task set to you?"
"Yes, here is the horn of Jurgen Windcaller," Jack says pulling out the horn and handing it to Arngeir.
"Excellent! Good, now that you have retrieved the horn we shall formerly greet you Dragonborns. Master Wulfgar shall teach you the last word in Unrelenting Force, Dah, meaning Push," Arngeir says waving to Wulfgar as he steps forward.
The one that must be Wulfgar (to be honest they all look the same) approaches us and bows. Strange symbols break out onto the floor glowing orange and I can feel the presence of a new word hidden away in my head. "With all three words together, this shout is much, more powerful. Use it wisely," Arngeir tells us.
"Of course," I nod.
"Master Wulfgar will now give you his understanding of Dah," Arngeir continues, directing out attention back to Wulfgar.
Wulfgar bows again and this time a orange energy, similar to the cold white energy of a word wall, flows off him and surrounds me and Jack and then. Just like before the word is released and I know it, and that's not all. I now see a larger picture between the three words Fus Ro Dah and how I can use them. "You have completed your training Dragonborns. We would speak to you," Arngeir says sombrely, "Stand between us, and prepare yourself. Few can withstand the unbridled Voice of the Greybeards. But you are ready."
The Greybeards all gather in a circle and wait patiently for us to enter. Jack walks to the centre confidently and I follow a little more cautiously, I know all will be well but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous. We just stand there for a moment back to back and then… the Greybeards speak.
It's incredible. Their Voices are so powerful they resonate right into my very being. They shake the world around me so hard I can barely see and have to hold onto Jack's arm just so I don't fall over. All of them have their arms raised and they are shouting something in the Dragon Language that I cannot understand and when it is over I am still a little wobbly from all the shaking. "Amazing," I find myself whispering.
Jack nods his head in agreement and opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted by Arngeir approaching us. "Dovahkins. You have tasted the Voice of the Greybeards and passed through unscathed. High Hrothgar is open to you."
"Thank you for all that you have done for us," Jack tells him bowing a little in thanks.
"What were you doing?" I ask Arngeir.
"We spoke the traditional words of greeting to a Dragonborns, or Dragonborns in this case, who has accepted our guidance. The same words were used to greet young Talos, when he came to High Hrothgar, before he became the Emperor Tiber Septim."
"What did you say?"
"Ah, I sometimes forget you are not versed in dragon tongue as we are," Arngeir smiles slightly, "This is a rough translation: "Long has the Stormcrown languished, with no worthy brow to sit upon."
"By our breath we bestow it now to you in the name of Kyne, in the name of Shor and in the name of Atmora of Old."
"You are Ysmir now, the Dragon of the North, hearken to it."
"Thank you, if you don't mind we will leave now," I say nodding at Arngeir who bows at me in return.
We leave the monastery and stand outside on the bottom of the steps for a moment, soaking in the incredibleness of what just happened. "That was so cool! Can't wait to use Fus Ro Dah for the first time," Jack grins looking at me.
"Yea, wicked," I grin back.
"Shall we go to Kynesgrove?" Jack asks me as we make our way over to the horse we bought outside Whiterun.
"Yea, and go face off another over-grown lizard. Should be fun."
"Extremely. I'm not going for any rides this time though."
"That was hilarious," I laugh looking over the edge of the cliff.
"Was not! It was terrifying, I though I was going to die," Jack grumbles.
"I bet. Hey Jack should I jump?" I tease pointing at the cliff.
"NO!" Jack shouts looking shocked and scared.
"Awwwwww," I pout.
"Seriously no, don't scare me like that. I know it's just a joke but it's a bit different when the cliff is right in front of you," he breathes.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Hey Jack, have you thought about that Guild at all?"
"Akatsuki Guild?"
"Yes that one. Will we join? They seem like great people."
"Nice enough, but I'm not joining them," Jack says grabbing a pair of gloves from a bag of the horse.
"But Jack! If you don't join then I can't join," I say.
"Sure you can, I won't stop you."
"You'd really let me go off like that after what we went through?"
"If that's what you wanted, then yes."
"Are you serious? I thought we were friends! I thought you would try harder to make me stay!"
"Were not friends? Just because you go somewhere and I go somewhere doesn't mean were not friends, I lived in a whole other country from you before!"
"You weren't actually here with me in the flesh before. I just thought you would stay with me," I sigh inwardly.
"You are choosing a path I do not want to take. But I still would like to be your friend Crystal," Jack says looking at me in the eye.
"Stay with me then," I counter looking back at him.
Jack looks incredulously and his face folds into an angry frown. "So it's either stay and join a group I want no part of or leave and lose your friendship because you can't handle a long distance relationship, what do you take me for? A fool?"
"No!" I say surprised, "That's not what I meant!"
"Well that's what I heard," Jack says turning and walking away.
"Where are you going?" I shout after him.
"Everywhere, Somewhere, Nowhere. Some place where a friend won't force me into something I don't want and lose them if I don't agree," Jack shouts back not turning around.
"Jack! Come back!" I shout again but he either doesn't listen or doesn't hear me. He just keeps on walking into the swirling snow swallows him up and he is gone.
I hug myself tightly and cry tears that freeze before they even hit the ground. What just happened? I don't even know what just went on or how Jack got that idea, all I wanted was for him to come with me to the Akatsuki Guild! Why was he so against it? It's not like it was going to kill him or anything and for him to just leave like that… That was pretty rude!
"Well who needs him?" I think to myself getting up on the horse and riding it over to the 7000 steps.
"Not me that's for sure," I said, "I'm going to join the Akatsuki Guild and show him just how great a guild it is!... That is if I ever see him again."
1 Hour Later
It's been an hour and I'm now sitting at a table in the local inn, in Ivarstead. After warning me about a nearby Barrow, the bartender, a nice man with balding hair, gave me a nice hot cup of tea and a honey nut treat half price. No sign of Jack, I've asked everyone in the inn and they said they haven't seen nobody but me come back down the steps since we first went up which makes me worry. Did he slip off the mountain? I hope he is okay. I wish we could repair that little tiff we had I miss him already.
"Hello Crystal, is this seat taken?"
I look up hopefully only to be disappointed and surprised to see Saren standing there, a hand on the back of the chair opposite of me. "No not at all, why are you here?" I ask curiously.
Saren sits down and orders a tankard of mead, he doesn't speak until the mead has come and he takes a few sips. Then he looks me in the eye and says, "looks like something is troubling you, what's the matter? and where is your friend, Jack?"
"That is what is the matter, Saren," I say tracing circles on the table surface, "Me and Jack…we got into this fight and he left, I have no idea where he is."
Saren sighed "What a shame." He said, taking another sip of mead "So what was the fight about?"
"It was about your Guild actually. He didn't want to join but I did and we fought over it because I wanted him to come but he just flat out refused to even consider it!"
He shrugged "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink," Saren says knowledgably.
"I know but I had so hoped he would stay with me…" I say a few tears leaking out.
"Hey now don't cry, I hate seeing a pretty girl like you cry." He said, as my cheeks turned a few shades darker "I know what will get your mind of him, why don't you come with me and we can go back to the Guild and you can join just like you wanted. Plenty of work to be done, you won't even think of who shall not be named.
He then stood up "Come on, what do you say?" he said, holding out his hand.
For a minute I just look at his hand lie it's some sort of alien thing I don't know how to work with. I almost don't want to go after what happened with Jack but what other choice do I have? It's either stay here and have no where to go and no chance of ever seeing Jack, waiting for my gold to run out or join the Guild like I wanted and do something instead of just sitting around. Well this is no contest.
"Okay lets get moving," I say grabbing Saren's hand, "I hope you have a horse though, because there is no way I'm going to walk that great a distance again after climbing up and down all those steps."
Okay everyone there it is. I'll try to update next week maybe but I make no promises; I'm surprised I even managed to get this one done in time (barely). Have a good day.
