The late afternoon sunlight was blinding on the snow as I walked up the steps to High Hrothgar's monastery. When I stepped inside and into the relative darkness, I blinked several times as I tried to get my eyes to adjust enough to see. When I finally could, I noticed Arngeir heading toward me.
When I held the horn out to him, he said, "You've retrieved the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller after all."
"I apologize for taking so long returning this. There were… unexpected delays."
"Understood. Such things inevitably happen. You have now passed all the trials. It is time for us to recognize you formally as Dragonborn."
The rest of the Greybeards walked out from further in the monastery to gather around me in a circle. I watched them all get into position, feeling a little wary.
"You have completed your training, Dragonborn. We would Speak to you," Arngeir told me. "Prepare yourself. Few can withstand the unbridled Voice of the Greybeards, but you are ready."
I took a deep breath and my hands clenched into fists at my sides. I had no idea what would happen next.
As one, the Greybeards Spoke. "Lingrah krosis saraan Strundu'ul, voth nid balaan klov praan nau."
Their voices whirled around me. It was like trying to stand in a strong wind as the power tugged at me. I gritted my teeth and held my ground.
"Naal Thu'umu, mu ofan nii nu. Dovahkiin, naal suleyk do Kaan, naal suleyk do Shor, ahrk naal suleyk do Atmorasewuth. Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok."
Then it was over and Arngeir give me a slight bow.
"Dovahkiin," he said. "You have tasted the Voice of the Greybeards and passed through unscathed. High Hrothgar is open to you."
As the other Greybeards left, heading back to wherever they'd come from, I hurried after Arngeir.
"There's something I need to ask of you."
He turned back to face me with mild curiosity and clasped his hands before him. "What is it, Dragonborn?"
"I need to learn the Shout that was used to defeat Alduin," I said.
"Where did you learn of that?" He asked, frowning. "Who have you been talking to?"
"It was recorded on Alduin's wall."
The Greybeard's expression instantly grew dark. "The Blades. Of course. They specialize in meddling in matters they barely understand. Their reckless arrogance knows no bounds."
My jaw clenched. I was a Blade, long ago.
"They have always sought to turn the Dragonborn from the path of wisdom," he went on, his tone harsh with disapproval. "Have you learned nothing from us? Would you simply be a tool in the hands of the Blades, to be used for their own purposes?"
"They're helping me. I'm not their puppet," I snapped.
He hastily backtracked. "No, no, of course not. Forgive me, Dragonborn. I have been intemperate with you. But heed my warning – the Blades may say they serve the Dragonborn, but they do not. They never have."
Suddenly I was watching Baurus staying behind to give Martin a better chance to get to the Dragonfires. The daedra ran him through, but he still kept fighting. I angrily shoved the thought aside.
"So, can you teach me this Shout?"
"No." My frustrated reply was cut off as he said, "I cannot teach it to you because I do not know it. It is called "Dragonrend," but its Words of Power are unknown to us. We do not regret this loss. Dragonrend holds no place within the Way of the Voice."
"If the Shout's lost, how am I supposed to defeat Alduin?"
"Only Paarthurnax, the master of our order, can answer that question, if he so chooses," he said.
I frowned, confused. "Why haven't I met him yet?"
"He lives in seclusion on the very peak of the mountain," Arngeir explained. "He speaks to us only rarely, and never to outsiders. Being allowed to see him is a great privilege."
"How do I get to the top of the mountain, then?"
"Only those whose Voice is strong can find the path. Come. I will teach you a Shout to open the way to Paarthurnax."
I followed Arngeir outside and across the courtyard behind the monastery. On the far side, a set of stairs led to a stone gateway. Beyond it I saw mist caught in a strong wind. That did not bode well.
"The path to Paarthurnax lies through this gate. I will show you how to open the way," Arngeir said. "The words to the Shout are lok vah koor. It is known as "Clear Skies.""
"Lok vah koor," I repeated slowly, tasting the words and feeling the power of them on my tongue.
"It will blow away the mist, but only for a time. The path to Paarthurnax is perilous, not to be embarked upon lightly. Keep moving, stay focused on your goal, and you will reach the summit. This is your final gift from us, Dragonborn. Use it well."
Nodding, I stepped up to the gate and Shouted the words. Instantly the mist vanished, leaving part of the trail clear. I hurried through. Looking back, I saw the other Greybeards gathered with Arngeir to watch me. The mist slowly crept back in, and they vanished from my sight.
For hours I climbed that mountain, Shouting until I was reasonably certain my voice would fail at any moment. No plants grew up there. It was too cold. Who lived in that kind of place anyway?
The sun was rising as I reached the summit, turning the sky a rosy color. It seemed desolate. Abandoned. Someone was actually up there?
There was a loud roar. Looking up, I saw a dragon swooping overhead, illuminated brilliantly in the dawn sunlight. I drew my sword and tensed, waiting. But he didn't attack. Instead he landed in front of me, sending up a spray of snow.
"Drem Yol Lok," he said to me. "Greetings, wunduniik. I am Paarthurnax. Who are you? What brings you to my strunmah… my mountain?"
Paarthurnax. The leader of the Greybeards, the person I'd gone all that way to see… was a dragon.
I looked him over cautiously. Unlike Alduin his scales were light gray. His horns were shorter, forming a kind of frill around his head. One of the horns on his chin was broken. Silver eyes stared down at me with interest.
I sheathed my sword. "I think you already know who I am."
"Yes. Vahzah. You speak true, Dovahkiin. Forgive me. It has been a long time since I held tinvaak with a stranger. I gave in to the temptation to prolong our speech."
"Why live alone on the top of a mountain if you love conversation so much?" I asked.
"Evenaar bahlok. There are many hungers it is better to deny than to feed. Dreh ni nahkip. Discipline against the lesser aids in qahnaar… denial of the greater."
"I need to learn the–"
"Drem. Patience," he said, cutting me off. "There are formalities which must be observed at the first meeting of two of the dov. By long tradition, the elder speaks first. Hear my Thu'um! Feel it in your bones. Match it, if you are Dovahkiin!"
He reared back, towering over me, his pale wings spread wide. Opening his maw, he Shouted a stream of fire down upon me. I gasped. But then I caught it, the word he'd Spoken. As I did, the fire passed over me.
"A gift, Dovahkiin," he said. "Yol. Understand Fire as the dov do. It is change given form. Power at its most primal. That is the true meaning of "yol." Suleyk. Power. You have it, as do all dov. But power is inert without action and choice. Think of this as the fire builds in your su'um, in your breath. Su'um ahrk morah. What will you burn? What will you spare? Now, show me what you can do. Greet me not as mortal, but as dovah!"
Feeling the power build in my chest, I released it in a Shout.
"Yol!"
Fire erupted from my mouth, licking over the dragon's face. He seemed to smile.
"Ah, yes! Sossedov los mul. The Dragon Blood runs strong in you. It is long since I had the pleasure of speech with one of my own kind. So, you have made your way here, to me. No easy task for a joor… mortal. Even for one of the Dovah Sos. Dragon Blood."
"Can you teach me the Dragonrend Shout?" I asked.
"Ah. I have expected you. Prodah. You would not come all this way for tinvak with an old dovah. No. You seek your weapon against Alduin."
"The Greybeards didn't want me to come at all," I told him.
"Hmm. Yes," he rumbled, nodding slowly. "They are very protective of me. Bahlaan fahdonne. But I do not know the Thu'um you seek. Krosis. It cannot be known to me. Your kind – joorre – mortals – created it as a weapon against the dov… the dragons. Our hadrimme, our minds cannot even… comprehend its concepts."
"How can I learn it, then?" It felt like I was getting nowhere.
"Drem. All in good time. First, a question for you. Why do you want to learn this Thu'um?"
I hesitated. "Honestly? This world might not be the best, but it's all I've got. I don't particularly want it to end."
"Pruzah. As good a reason as any. There are many who feel as you do, although not all. Some would say that all things must end, so that the next can come to pass. Perhaps this world is simply the Egg of the next kalpa? Lein vokiin? Would you stop the next world from being born?"
"The next world will have to take care of itself."
"Paaz. A fair answer." He contemplated my words. "Ro fus… maybe you only balance the forces that work to quicken the end of this world. Even we who ride the currents of Time cannot see past Time's end. Wuldsetiid los tahrodiis. Those who try to hasten the end may delay it. Those who work to delay the end may bring it closer."
I didn't particularly like that thought.
"But you have indulged my weakness for speech long enough. Krosis. Now I will answer your question. Do you know why I live here, at the peak of the Monahven – what you name Throat of the World?"
I glanced around. "I never really thought about it."
"This is the most sacred mountain in Skyrim. Zok revak strunmah. The great mountain of the world. Here the ancient Tongues, the first mortal masters of the Voice, brought Alduin to battle and defeated him."
"Using the Dragonrend shout, correct?"
"Yes and no. Viik nuz ni kron. Alduin was not truly defeated, either. If he was, you would not be here today, seeking to… defeat him. The Nords of those days used the Dragonrend Shout to cripple Alduin, but this was not enough. Ok mulaag unslaad. It was the Kel – the Elder Scroll. They used it to… cast him adrift on the currents of Time."
"Are you saying the ancient Nords sent Alduin forward in time?" That was a staggering thought.
"Not intentionally. Some hoped he would be gone forever, forever lost. Meyye. I knew better. Tiid bo amativ. Time flows ever onward. One day he would surface. Which is why I have lived here. For thousands of mortal years I have waited. I knew where he would emerge, but not when."
"And… what is an Elder Scroll, exactly?"
Paarthurnax hummed thoughtfully. "How to explain in your tongue? The dov have words for such things that joorre do not. It is an… artifact from outside time. It does not exist, but it has always existed. Rah wahlaan. They are… hmm… fragments of creation."
Wonderful.
"The Kelle… Elder Scrolls, as you name them, they have often been used for prophecy. Yes, your prophecy comes from an Elder Scroll. But this is only a small part of their power. Zofaas suleyk."
"How does any of this actually help me?"
"Tiid krent. Time was… shattered here because of what the ancient Nords did to Alduin. If you brought that Kel, that Elder Scroll back here… to the Tiid-Ahraan, the Time-Wound… With the Elder Scroll that was used to break Time, you may be able to… cast yourself back. To the other end of the break. You could learn Dragonrend from those who created it."
"Do you know where it is, then?" I asked him, crossing my arms.
"Krosis. No. I know little of what has passed below in the long years I have lived here. You are likely better informed than I."
"Maybe Arngeir will have an idea," I mused.
"Trust your instincts, Dovahkiin," the dragon said, lowering his head so it was very close to me. His silver eyes bored into me. "Your blood will show you the way."
"What will I even do with it once I find it?"
"Return it here, to the Tiid-Ahraan. Then… Kelle vomindok. Nothing is certain with such things… but I believe the Scroll's bond with the Tiid-Ahraan will allow you a… a seeing, a vision of the moment of its creation. Then you will feel – know – Dragonrend, in the power of its first expression. You will see them… wuth fadonne… my friends – Hakon, Gormlaith, Felldir."
"Who?"
"The first mortals that I taught the Thu'um – the first Tongues. The leaders of the rebellion against Alduin."
Right. The three figures on the Wall.
"They were mighty, in their day. Even to attempt to defeat Alduin… suhrot hunne. The Nords have had many heroes since, but none greater."
Arngeir was meditating at the top of a tower at the edge of the courtyard when I arrived back at the monastery, kneeling on a ledge overlooking the sky. From that height, I swore I could see all of Skyrim below me.
"So," he began, not looking at me, "you spoke to Paarthurnax. The Dragon Blood burns bright within you. Did he tell you what you wanted to know? Did he teach you the Dragonrend Shout?"
"No, but he told me how to find it," I said quietly.
"So be it. If he believes it is necessary for you to learn this… we will bow to his wisdom."
"I need the Elder Scroll the ancients used on Alduin in the first place. Do you know where I can find it?"
"We have never concerned ourselves with the Scrolls," he said slowly. "The gods themselves would rightly fear to tamper with such things. As for where to find it… such blasphemies are the calling of mages, not followers of the Way. They may be able to help you find the Elder Scroll you seek."
Murmuring my thanks to the Greybeard, I slipped away back down the tower staircase.
