Mikael scowled darkly, he was now a prisoner in this castle. He had stayed for the three days and now it was time to leave. There was no way in the nines he could stay another day. His dear brother didn't want him leaving the castle. He couldn't go to the inn, or outside. He wasn't allowed practicing with Hadvar.
Hrongar was the only one he liked of his family so far. Balgruuf's hired hands, weren't too bad either. The mage was very helpful, after everyone else went to bed, they would practice magic. Proventus, he was one of a kind, he knew the best way to make a quick buck and how to save money.
Irileth, he didn't know what to make of her. She was very protective of his brother as she should be. Then there was a woman named Lydia who has spoken to him many times. She was nice enough, but she annoyed him more times than not.
It was time to leave, he didn't feel comfortable here. Even though everyone but his brother treated him respectfully and not like an invalid, he couldn't stay. This place didn't feel like home to him. This place was his prison, or close to it.
~oooooooooooooooooooooo~
He found Hadvar on the balcony, he could hear the swings of his blade. "Hadvar, I'm heading out of Whiterun," Mikael stated.
"I take it you have had enough?" Hadvar murmured with a smirk. He knew when three days were up that this was going to happen. Today was the third day, and he had been expecting this talk since he woke this morning.
"Gods yes! I need out of here. I need to be elsewhere away from him," Mikael grumbled.
"When do you want to leave?" Hadvar asked, he knew it wouldn't take them long to pack, but he wondered if the Jarl was going to allow them to leave. He had noticed how overly protective the Jarl was with Mikael. He treated him like an invalid, unable to do this on his own when that was the farthest from the truth. It was true Mikael needed help when in a strange town, but other than that he was able to do everything else on his own.
"Now," Mikael stated firmly and stalked towards the doors he just walked through. "It will only take me moments to be ready."
Hadvar followed him out to the room they both shared. He noticed that Mikael hadn't unpacked a single thing since being here. He wasn't surprised in the least. The only thing he needed to pack was the clothing he had worn during the night. They lay neatly folded on his bed, already washed.
Mikael's clothes were already packed, his sword strapped to his side. "I take it you are not going to talk to the Jarl?" Hadvar asked.
"When I walk out of here I'll talk to him, other than that, I couldn't be bothered," Mikael stated coldly.
"I'm ready…" Hadvar murmured and watched his friend walk out of the room with his pack on his back.
Hadvar followed closely, his watching the Jarl's reaction closely, already knowing that this wasn't going to go over very well.
"Mikael, where do you think you are going?" Balgruuf asked, worry racing through him.
"Away from here. Your three days are up," Mikael answered firmly.
Balgruuf leaned back in his throne with a heavy sigh, he didn't know what to say. He could order him to stay, he knew that but what would be the point. He thought about asking why, and knew he didn't want to know the answer. Mikael and him had quite a few arguments as it was. So many that if they were ever alone together, they couldn't have a civil conversation.
"Where will you be heading?" Balgruuf asked quietly.
"That is not your concern, but don't expect me back here," Mikael bit out coldly. He didn't bother saying another word and headed towards the door once more. He sighed in relief that Hadvar didn't step in trying to make things better, there was no way that could happen, not until his brother let him have his freedom.
~ooooooooooooooooooooooo~
Hadvar walked beside Mikael, his thoughts elsewhere. He wasn't sure where they were going or what his companions plan was. It worried him travelling with a blind person, if it was a short distance he wouldn't be as worried but this was Skyrim, a place where those who needed protecting usually stayed near the cities or in their walls. Instead Mikael was going to wander the lands, something that he should speak against but couldn't.
They were just passing the stables, he had hoped they were going to use the cart awaiting there, but Mikael hadn't even asked if there was one. He watched as Mikael used the walking stick his uncle had sent to the inn. It seemed to help him, that he stayed on the road instead of walking off into the plains or buildings nearby.
"Where are we heading?" Hadvar asked.
"Wherever this way takes us," Mikael retorted, trying his best to hide his anger but even he knew he hadn't succeeded.
"Markarth, and a few other smaller towns," Hadvar said quietly, not want to do something that set Mikael off more. He wondered how long Mikael would be in this mood. He missed the joking man, this one was too silent.
Hadvar stopped dead when he looked towards the watch tower they heading towards. His mouth dropped open, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was Helgen all over again, only this was a different dragon. He didn't know how long he stood there in a daze before he realized that Mikael was running towards the sounds of fighting. He didn't want to get involved, he didn't want to fight a dragon but it looked like he had no choice in the matter. He raced after Mikael, catching up to him when the other man stumbled over a rock.
He watched as Mikael stood still, his hands lit with magic. He wasn't sure what the blind nord was going to do or how he was going to fight something flying around. Instead of worry about Mikael he took his bow from his back, firing arrow after arrow at the over grown lizard.
His eyes widened further when magic hit the dragon, making it roar in pain, more so than their arrows had. The other soldiers that went to hide came out firing arrows, dodging blasts of fire. He tried not to let it affect him when another soldier fell to dragon fire. It was Helgen all over again.
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when the dragon finally fell. They had killed it, they had killed a dragon… a dragon of all things. His legs could barely hold him, but he fought to stay upright. He wasn't about to humiliate himself by falling to the ground in shock.
Quickly he looked around the battle ground for Mikael. He gasped loudly when he watched Mikael walk towards the carcass of the dragon. This he had not expected, nor did he want to see his friend touching that beast who had killed many.
His caught in his lungs, hands shaking as a bright blue whisping light surrounded Mikael. He didn't need to be told what was happening. Him and all nords had been raised on the old stories of Talos, and other dragonborn. Mikael, was absorbing the dragons soul. This was almost too much to take in, his mind was muddled as Mikael stood there in a trance.
"Did you see that? He absorbed the soul!" a soldier shouted.
"No, I can't be. There hasn't been a dragonborn in centuries," another guard argued.
"You saw what I saw, then explain it to me!" the first guard growled in frustration. Hadvar stood there stupidly, listening to the guards argue and didn't know what to do.
He should be bring Mikael back to Whiterun, but he knew that was out. He nodded his head decisively, he would take Mikael to General Tullius… No that wouldn't work, the general didn't accept their legends, he wouldn't understand about the dragonborn. So what was he supposed to do?
~ooooooooooooooooooo~
Mikael didn't know what hit him, but it sure as hell hurt. That word he had seen weeks ago were now burning bright in his minds eye. What was worse, there was a voice in his mind he was pretty sure telling him what that word meant.
He stood silently, listening for the attacker that was screwing with him. He had thought he had been fighting a dragon, but now he knew that wasn't so. Whatever it had been that they had fought was dead, but the thing controlling it was still out there talking in his mind. Fus was the word being talked out. Force, a word of power so the voice said. He scoffed in his mind, he didn't need people thinking him insane by speaking out loud.
He really needed Hadvar, and he didn't know where the nord was. He trusted that nord more than any of the men he could feel surrounding him. He didn't think any of these men were the attackers, but victims of the attacker. They were calling him dragonborn of all things. He was pretty sure someone casted a very strong spell, now all he needed to do was find that person, kill them, and set these people free from the delusions the mage was placing in their head.
"Mikael?" Mikael heard Hadvar asked tentatively. He nearly sighed in relief at hearing his voice. Thank the gods he wasn't alone now. Now he had someone to help him search out this mage. He really didn't want to fight the mage alone.
"I'm fine Hadvar. How are you?" Mikael asked urgently.
"I'm not the one that just absorbed a dragons soul," Hadvar muttered.
"Please tell me you are not falling for some mages delusions?" Mikael grumbled, his hopes of hunting down the mage with someone he trusted dwindled and died.
"What are you talking about? There was no mage. Mikael you took the dragon soul. Its dead, only bones," Hadvar retorted, looking at his friend incredulously.
Mikael shook his head stubbornly. There is no way he was the dragonborn. No way. He was blind and hadn't lived in Skyrim so it made no sense. Yes he was nord, but he wasn't raised like them. He was raised on their stories, old legends, and such, but had lived in the Imperial City and his families' farm had been on the out skirts of the city.
No, it had to be a mage, there was no other explanation…
"You… you are dragonborn!" a man moving closer to him said.
"No I am not," Mikael bit out.
"You took the dragonsoul, it said that the dragonborn can use the souls of the dragons to shout as they do," The man insisted.
"And yet I haven't shouted," Mikael mocked him.
"You haven't even tried. Try and shout," the obstinate man demanded.
Mikael sighed, slowly shaking his head in frustration. Shout, how in the nines was he supposed to do that? The only people able to shout now were the Greybeards. He turned his attention within himself, remembering that voice explaining to him about FUS. The word that had been burning bright on a stone wall; burning bright enough that a blind man could see it.
He opened his mouth, ready to snap at the man but that wasn't what came out. "FUS!" his whole body shook from the force of that one word expelling from hi. His throat screamed at him, his body was still rattled. He stumbled back a few steps, trying not to fall on his ass in front of any on lookers around. That would be a sight, still in his brother's lands, and falling on his ass in front of his men. Yep, he so didn't need that. Damn he didn't need his brother hearing about him being dragonborn. That was the last thing he needed. He knew if his brother heard he would be forced to go back to the castle and that was the last thing he wanted.
"Mikael?" He barely heard Hadvar, but he could hear the fear in the man's voice.
"Are you alright?" he asked attentively.
"Don't ask. I don't have an answer, plus what happened here I don't want to talk about!" Mikael stated coldly. "We should continue on."
"Wait! You need to speak with the Jarl about what happened here. He needs to know that there was a dragon here and its dead now," One of the guards said frantically.
"Then send someone to him," Mikael bit out. "I will not go back up there and speak with my brother."
Mikael could feel the tension in the air but he ignored it. Right now, he really didn't care what people thought. He hated what just happened and what was going on. Him, a blind man was chosen by the gods to be the dragonborn. He knew the gods had abandoned the people and now he had his proof. No god or man in their right mind would put a blind man in the position of a hero. Men, mer and beasts should have never been forced to stop praying to Talos. This was his revenge.
