As Siren walked at the front of the group, she thought of how this usually went. They would get there, kill a dragon, beat up a few draugr, then leave. Easy as that. Aela would use her awesome bow skills, Calder with his battle-axe, Dross with his magic stuff, and Draco was the best with his sword. She was partial to her daggers, and a bow if needed. The dragons would be good bow training anyway, and Aela said she was getting better. Siren thought of Aela as the sister she never had. Aela had been the one to introduce her to the group, and the one to get her a spot with the companions.
"Siren!" Draco hissed into her ear.
"What, where, when, how! Oh, I dozed off again," she looked around herself. Everyone was crouching down behind some rocks, so she did the same. She looked over the edge and saw what they were looking at. Three dragons were sitting up on a ridgeline, with a small army of draugr sitting in the valley. The jarl said a few draugr, not one hundred. She looked over at Draco, waiting for the verdict.
"We will need to wait till morning, it's almost nighttime. Fighting dragons in the dark is treacherous." He then began to stare oddly over near some trees. Everyone looked over to see two figures walking towards them. One was larger than the other, and their armor was matching.
"Vilkas!" Aela whispered happily. The larger one lifted his head and smiled. Draco smiled and stood up, clapping his old friend on the shoulder, while Aela stood up and hugged the Blade.
"Hello everyone. Me and Lydia heard of some dragons near here, so we decided to come," Vilkas gestured to the figure next to him.
"Lydia? I barely recognize you in that armor," Draco embraced his old housecarl, "How has the Blades life treating you both?"
"Well. Did you not get the letters?"
"We did, and we are all happy for you two," Aela sighed, remembering the letters Draco showed her about Vilkas and Lydia getting married. She remembered the wedding as well, a happy event in hard times. Then the latest letters about Lydia being with child were shocking to everyone in Hjerim. There were so many things coming to surface in her mind she almost cried right there.
"Well, if you have the same plan as us, waiting till morning, we found a little hole in some rocks to settle in," Lydia pointed towards some rocks.
"Good idea, let's head up there."
Aela was tired when they got to the alcove, but couldn't sleep. She kept thinking of Vilkas and Lydia, and how they seemed so happy. She had never been one to get into an actual relationship; she thought it was too restricting. But now, she kept thinking of Calder and his wife, Vilkas and Lydia, Eorlund's family, and she wanted something. Talking to people, getting to know them, that was hard for her. She was known for being a bit gruff or cold, so many were wary around her. And the main problem was who she actually wanted. She wasn't sure if he knew, but Draco was her hearts real desire. Draco was known for being a bit feeling deficient; people said he was almost an atronach. She hated herself for being quiet about it; it made her feel weak, but his reaction could be less than nice. And, even if he returned the feeling, he might not allow her on any more adventures, even if he knew she needed no protecting. Calder did the same with his wife, who was a great warrior.
She finally drifted off to sleep, thinking of the day ahead of them.
Draco woke up in the morning at dawn, which was perfect. Siren was already up, and told him she was going to scout out the valley. Calder and Vilkas were also awake, and they were getting ready. Dross woke up right after him, looked around then walked out to look at the enemies. Draco then went to wake up Aela.
"Aela!" he whispered. She bolted upright and stared at him wide-eyed. "We are going soon, c'mon."
"Alright," she whispered back. She grabbed her bow and sword, and then followed him out. The canyon had an easy entry point to the bottom, so he decided to send Calder, Vilkas, Lydia, and Siren down there to handle the draugr. Dross would handle one dragon, while Aela helped him with the blood dragon.
They got into position, and were about to sneak up on the dragon when the leader of the dragons began to laugh.
"Nice try, Dovakhiin. But it is not that easy to sneak up on a dova. Your dwiin(steel, for you non dragons) is sharp, but my mind is sharper." The dragon roared and the draugr turned towards the four adventurers facing them.
"Well damn." That was all he could say before he had to jump to the side, barely dodging the closest dragon's fire. He let Dross handle that one as the blood dragon laughed again.
"Come human! Face my fire, feel my teeth!" the dragon shot a fireball that barely missed his head. He leapt forward, running towards the beast. He saw an arrow hit its neck, and knew Aela was shooting from somewhere behind him. He swung forward, his sword catching the dragon's snout. Next, he bashed it in the eye and stabbed its wing. The dragon decided that was enough and the swung its head, knocking him down. The dragon laughed and was about to use its fire when Aela appeared, slicing its face with her sword.
Aela was not one to feel scared, but this dragon was a lot tougher than many others she had seen. It looked like a blood dragon, but it fought almost like an ancient one. She swung her sword again and again at its head, but it just grabbed the blade in its mouth and broke it at the handle.
"Oh no." The dragon blasted her with the Unrelenting Force shout, sending her flying into Draco. He managed to stop her without falling down, and then set her on the ground before charging in. The electric sword he used buzzed with energy as he stabbed and slashed at the monster. It reared its head and roared, snapping at him and blowing fire, but he knew how dragons worked. He jumped on the monster's head and drove his sword through the thing's face. The dragon collapsed, electricity coursing through it.
Aela tried to stand, but her legs were still shaky from being hit by the shout. Draco had pulled his sword out and walked over. He pulled her up and let her use his shoulder as a support. They saw the final dragon hovering near them, but made no move to attack it.
"Dovakhiin, you cannot best us! We have the support of what you call the Dragon Cult. They bring us back from the dead using your souls, and build up our undead armies! Soon all of Haafingar will be ours, then all of Skyrim! Ha! Ha ha ha!" The dragon then flew towards the west, laughing the whole way.
"Draco! Did I hear right? It said something about Haafingar, and the Dragon Cult!" Vilkas ran up, huffing from the long fight with the draugr.
"It seems as if the Dragon Cult is making a comeback. Vilkas, we are going to Skyhaven. Tell all of the others."