Chapter 7

The group of four journeyed onward towards Karthspire and Sky Haven Temple on foot. There was no road leading to the ancient Akaviri ruins, and much time was spent scaling rocky hills and crossing icy streams. When they finally reached Karthspire the sun was setting, and the sky was growing dark. They could see a large settlement of Forsworn in front of the cave that led to Sky Haven temple.

Forsworn were the native tribal people of western Skyrim. They often made their homes in crude huts or old abandoned ruins. Despite the bitter cold winters of Skyrim, they wore little clothing, save for a few bits of fur or leather straps. Their heads were generally adorned by crowns of antlers and horns. Forsworn were savagely hostile to outsiders, and were known to mercilessly kill anyone who dared step near their camps.

"That's a LOT of Forsworn," said Delphine, surveying the settlement from a distance.

"We should wait until nightfall and slip through their village in the dark. Not that we can't handle a fight with them, I'd just rather avoid having to kill a whole village of people just to get to the cave on the other side," said the Dragonborn.

"It's a good two hours before it will be fully dark. What should we do to pass the time?" asked Malborn.

Esbern smiled and said, "Did you ever hear the tale of the ancient Blade Draben Sengrin? It's a fine bit of history. Let me see... It all began when..."

"Oh dear gods, here we go again," said Delphine, rolling her eyes.

After two hours of a very long and dry history lesson, they began creeping slowly toward the Forsworn village. The camp consisted of a myriad of docks and bridges criss-crossing over a river, seemingly without purpose. There were no boats moored at the haphazardly constructed docks; instead the wooden structure was overrun with all manner of crude huts and tents. Delphine, pointed the way as they crept behind watchful archers and night guards. Without incident, they reached the cave and entered.

Upon entering the cave, they slipped past two sleeping Forsworn and made their way through to the first structures within. The cave was pitch dark and Esbern lit the way with a light spell. It wasn't long until they came to a deep pit that lacked a bridge to cross it. At the edge of the orifice, were three small stone pillars. They bore a different ancient Akaviri symbol carved in relief on each of their sides. Esbern studied the symbols.

"Ah.. this one here. It's the symbol for dragon," said Esbern. He turned each pillar so the dragon symbol faced forward. Suddenly a bridge erupted from the ground beneath them, and stretched across the drop.

In the next room, the same symbols were carved into each of the stone tiles on the ground. They walked along the ones that bore the dragon symbol to avoid whatever trap might befall them for stepping on the other symbols. Finally, after travelling through another large portion of the dark cave, they reached the entrance to Sky Haven temple. It was a huge dark stone room with a massive man-sized face carved into the back wall. It looked as if the face functioned as a doorway somehow. Esbern studied the circles carved into the ground in front of it.

"It's a blood seal," said Esbern looking at Elsa, "It can only be opened by a Dragonborn's blood. Your blood."

The Dragonborn kneeled onto the circle, unsheathed her sword and gently ran it across the back of her left hand, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the symbols below. The giant stone face slowly swung back, granting them entrance into the ancient temple. No one had likely entered there for thousands of years.

They walked up the entrance steps into the beautiful old temple. The main hall had a large feasting table, still in good condition. The walls were adorned with the most intricate of bass relief carvings, depicting the tales of the ancient Blades. Along the left wall, there were a variety ancient Akaviri Blade weapons and armor that were thousands of years old, yet still looked new after having been well preserved within the sealed temple. Even the bedrooms were remarkably well preserved, and the neatly-made beds looked cozy and inviting.

"This place is better than I thought it would be," said Delphine, "It could make a great new headquarters for the Blades."

Esbern studied the ancient Akaviri wall carvings and soon found the story of Alduin carved into the back of the main hall. He studied it carefully with the excitement of a scholar who had dreamed of seeing this historic relic all his life.

"They used a shout," he finally said.

"What?" asked the Dragonborn.

"They used a shout to defeat Alduin," repeated Esbern, "But it doesn't specify the words of the shout."

"Elsa, have you heard of such a thing? A shout that can kill a dragon?" asked Delphine.

"No, but I bet the Graybeards have. If anyone knows, they do. Their whole lives are dedicated to studying shouts," said the Dragonborn.

"I was hoping not to get them involved in this, but it looks like we have no choice," said Delphine, "You'll need to go to High Hrothgar and see what you can find out from them."

"You're not coming with me?" asked the Dragonborn.

"Let's just say, the Graybeards have me on their 'naughty list'. They don't like Esbern either," said Delphine, "But they seem to have invited you into their little club earlier. I think the only way we'll get their cooperation is if you persuade them alone. In the meantime, I can turn this place into a cozy new base for us. I think it will be perfect for our needs."

"And I'll begin training Malborn," said Esbern as he placed his hand upon Malborn's shoulder, "Perhaps, with time, he may prove himself well enough to be accepted as a true member of the Blades."

The Dragonborn smiled at Malborn. In her mind, she wondered what he'd look like wearing the armor of the Blades, and wielding an Akaviri sword like the ancient heroes. The idea of it seemed a bit ridiculous to her, but perhaps with Esbern's training, Malborn would at least learn how to defend himself from the Thalmor. That would be more than useful, considering his situation.

"Good luck with your training," said the Dragonborn to Malborn. She looked into his eyes, and imagined kissing him goodbye before her journey.

"Take care out there," said Malborn with a smile. As he looked at Elsa's kind face, he felt sad to see her go. She would be alone out on the road, and it filled him with worry. He cared about her. He tried not to let romantic feelings take the better of him, especially since he knew he wouldn't have a chance with someone like her, but there was a deep caring within him that longed to see her stay safe. He wanted her to stay safe not just because the world depended on her, but because he wanted to see her again. He wanted her in his life, at least in some small way. As he watched her walk away, he felt his heart skip at the thought of her. With a sigh, he looked down at the ground and wished he had been born a powerful Jarl or an exceedingly handsome and muscular Nord. He was just himself- a short, thin, penniless wood elf, and he knew all the effort in the world would not make him attractive to her.

As the days passed on without the Dragonborn's return, he thought about her more and more. When frustration set in during difficult training, he pictured her face and felt comforted. He knew he was in love with her, and part of him was filled with the deep sorrow that accompanied unrequited love. He finally came to the conclusion that he would do everything in his power to help her. He focused harder on his training, practicing his magic for hours on end, late into the night and before each sunrise. With each passing day, he became more skilled and thouroughly impressed Esbern with his swift learning. Esbern had to admit, Malborn seemed more determined than any of the other young Blades he had seen in training over the years. Delphine also took notice of Malborn's dedication to learning, and offered to teach him how to use a sword. There wasn't much else to do in the old ruin, and Malborn was such an eager student that she enjoyed teaching him. Previously, she considered it ridiculous to think that Malborn could ever be a Blade. But now she had to admit he could possibly have what it takes. Perhaps he really would earn himself a place among the Blades, that is, if he could prove himself in battle.

Esbern sat at the grand hall's table reading one of the well-preserved ancient books. It had been nearly a month since the Dragonborn had set out alone. He didn't want to say it to the others, but he feared that she had died, and all hope was lost for the world. It didn't make sense to him why she was still gone, when she should have been back within a week. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching the entrance. He readied a spell, in case Forsworn from the village outside the cave had wandered all the way to the temple. He lowered his hands with a smile. It was the Dragonborn, back from High Hrothgar.

"I was beginning to worry that you weren't coming back," said Esbern.

"It's a long story," said Elsa, "The Graybeards didn't know it. I had to go through a lot to find out about the shout. I had to use an Elder scroll to open a rift in time, and.. well, the whole story is a bit complicated."

"But you learned it then? You know the shout that can defeat Alduin? The shout that can save the world?" asked Esbern.

"Yes," replied the Dragonborn.