Wow I'm an idiot. I finished this; days ago and thought I already posted it. Turns out I didn't. 'slaps myself in the face'
The next few chapters will be set into the past as Gah-Ei goes to Albion. Thanks for the suggestions in the reviews. On the suggestion of GWise; I revised a small bit of chapter 11. Thonjolf couldn't possibly have known about Henrietta's affair; so I made it so one of his 'sevants' overheard it (With magical means).
Anyone wonder what would happen if Louise actually summoned someone from her own world like the rest of the Void mages. Say: Kirche for example. The Germanian might even be subservient to Louise since I think the runes do have some built in compulsion charm or something. It does explain why Saito is willing to both kill and take abuse for Louise. Though if it causes the familiar to fall in love with the summoner it might be Yuri then… I'll just stop there.
The Journey to Albion was filled with obstacles.
With a civil war on-going in the Isle of White; the level of safety there for the average person wasn't too high. Consequently; not too many people wanted to go there.
Only the most daring of captains would fly their ship to Albion; and they were few, indeed. These brave men were more than willing to accommodate the few traders and opportunists that sought passage to Albion; for a steep price.
Likewise; there were only a few captains willing to bring aboard an Argonian. Of those few willing; not one was also willing to go the Albion.
They blamed it on his appearance. When he was fully armoured in Daedric Armour; he made an imposing figure. Back in Tamriel; people thought he was a Dremora. In Halkengenia; people thought he was devil. Some things never seemed to change.
It was only exacerbated by the fact that the only port town with vessels willing to risk journeying to Albion were focussed in La Rochelle, within Gallia. As such only a few of the local Gallians were aware of the existence of his race.
Oddly enough he saw the same knight captain that accompanied the Princess to the Academy of Tristain while he looked for a boat at La Rochelle. No doubt the man also saw him; the wide berth that everyone gave the Argonian was a big indicator.
If he remembered right: the knight was called 'Wards'; a strange name even for this land. Why would someone who protected the Princess as a personal bodyguard be in La Rochelle? Likely another question he will never have the answer to.
Leaving La Rochelle; he meant to call upon another means of transport.
Gah-Ei had left the road nearly a half hour ago. He had no idea where he was going but it had to be away from where people could see. He didn't need people to get any more ideas about him when they see him riding a dragon. Already they assumed he was bloodthirsty berserker and a half-demon.
Even the birds here seemed to stop chirping as he passed by the roosts. The sunlight rained down on him relentlessly and from within his thick, dark armour he felt a mild irritation.
He stumbled upon a small glade and that was where the Dragonborn decided that he had travelled far enough.
"ODAHAVIING!"
Ripples formed in the air as the power of the thuum passed through it. The grass and leaves shivered as they felt the force of his thuum.
If he couldn't reach Albion by ship; then he will make do with a dragon. He leaned against a tree as he waited for his long-time ally and friend.
It didn't take long before he heard the flapping of strong wings. A large shadown enveloped the glade as dust rose from the ground.
"vir vis zu'u aam hi dii thur (How can I serve you my Overlord?)"
Odahviing landed heavily on the ground and the ground shook briefly from the landing. Loose leafs were shaken of their branches as a flock of small birds scattered at the arrival of the dragon.
"Eyvir zey wuth fahdon (Well met old friend)" the Overlord greeted. The relationships between them was much more casual than suggested by Odahviing's gesture of acquiescence; but the Dragon was a stickler for the proper formalities.
Gah-Ei walked freely towards the Winged Snow Hunter. "Los hi tok wah kun zey wah hrotvon por? (Are you able to take me to the floating isle?) He asked of the dragon.
"hrotvon por? (Floating Isle?) " quieried Odahviing.
"Have the dragons not explored these new lands yet?" asked the Argonian, switching away from the Dragon Language.
The crimson dragon snorted in derision. "Most Dovah are content with staying back on their mountain top. Only a few have actually explored this new land; though none of them speaks of a floating isle." answered Odahviing, switching languages without a hitch.
"And what of you?"
This time Odahviing snorted in amusement. Small puffs of grey smoke ejecting form his nostrils. "You kid me. I suppose you need me to get there." noted the dragon; intelligent eyes focusing on the smaller form of the Argonian.
"Yes. The locals haven't proven too kindly to my race." admitted Gah-Ei, already moving to the side of Odahviing.
The dragon craned his neck back to look at the Dragonborn. "Do they not know who you are? I thought that stories if your exploits would have been shared among you mortals."
Gah-Ei waved his hand dismissively. He seated himself firmly on top of Odahviing; adjusting so that his tail wouldn't be impaled by the spikes on his servant's spine. "What I did was a long time ago; there are new heroic deeds to tell and new heroes to admire."
Seeing that the Argonian was properly mounted on him; Odahviing flapped his wings hard and fast. The large dragon lifted off the air and hovered only just slightly above the tree line.
"It was not so long ago that you slew Alduin." objected Odahviing.
"You Dragons are immortal. Time always seems to go slower for your kind since you're all not in a rush to live like us." countered Gah-Ei.
They were well into the air now; the trees seemed far smaller from this height. Gah-Ei could even see the tiny long strip of dirt road he had traversed not so long ago.
"Which way Dovahkin?" roared Odahviing; ready to go.
When he didn't receive an answer; he repeated his question, louder this time. "Which way to the Floating Isle thuri?"
His head could only draw blanks as he tried to remember where Albion was. He knew that it was east of Tristain; but that's about it. Gah-Ei could only slap his head in frustration. He couldn't believe he didn't know.
An incredibly close roar echoed across the clouds. The crew of the Castella stopped in their tracks as a large shadow traced across the deck. The flapping sounds of a large winged beast could be heard from above the ship.
Sailors shouted and pointed as the shadow disappeared. More than a few rushed to the railings to catch a view of what had just passed them.
They would regret that as a dragon dived upward, brushing the railings with its wings. Performing a roundabout in the air; it came to steady itself in speed to draw abreast with the vessel.
The curious sailors who were at the railing drew back in shock and awe. They stumbled back in their rush to put distance between them and what was obviously a dangerous carnivore.
The crew of the flying ship was not impressed. No; they were more terrified than anything else. A few of them had seen drakes and dragons before; always tamed and mounted by mages.
But they one they currently faced was nearly twice as large as the normal dragon. Having only the hind legs and the wings entwined with the arms; this dragon was unlike anything ever seen.
Whereas the usual dragons had smooth even scales so much that it felt like soft skin; this one had rugged red scales across its body with it being separated into different parts of its hide. Several jagged horns and spikes decorated its body; adding to its threatening form.
But the scariest part was the head. Cunning and intelligence could be seen in its eye and if they didn't know better; then it looked like it was being amused by their frightened reaction.
There were rumours of more ferocious and strange dragons prowling the skies of Tristain. Of course; no one had actually ever seen one, but many claimed to have heard their roars. But they were meant to be just the run of the mill rumours.
The one in front of them was definably not just a baseless rumour.
"Well met! Do any of you happen to know the direction to Albion?"
To add to the strangeness was the devilish man riding it. From head to toe; he was covered in charcoal black and blood red armour. If one concentrated; then they could see red orbs glowing within the helmet.
And he had a tail. A TAIL!
"Answer the question." rumbled the dragon.
And a talking dragon… why not?
Looks were shared between the crew as they implored for someone to answer before they get eaten. Eventually they all drifted to the captain who was sweating nervously as his crew 'encouraged' him to answer.
Taking what might be his last breath; the captain stepped forward to meet the dragon; his crew stepping aside to let him advance. Just tell them where Albion is and they'll leave. This was the mantra that he repeated in his head as he came face to face with the red dragon. He could do this! Just tell them it's north-east and they'll be gone.
Staring into the depths of the dragons eyes; his earlier confidence died.
"I…It's no… north-we... west fr… from here." The captain said; fronting up to the dragon and his rider.
"Many thanks landstrider." called out the rider as the Dragon disengaged from the vessel.
The dragon let out another roar as it glided through the clouds. Its speed far surpassing what the vessel could do.
They remained quiet for a few minutes; unsure of whether it will return or not. After what seemed like days; the captain let out a sigh of relief.
With that the sailors surrounded their captain; proudly congratulating him for 'driving off' the dragon. The captain in turn smiled sheepishly before it grew more confident.
By nightfall; they would be toasting each other about how they braved a deadly dragon and it's demon rider. And when they reached La Rotecce; a great tale of bravery and the steadfast will of loyal crewmen in the face of the evil dragon rider will be complete.
Odahviing soared through the air with great speed. More often than not; the dragon simply let the wind currents propel him further along towards their destination.
Gah-Ei hanged on to the dragon. He now remembered why this was such an exhilarating method of travel. It was the constant feeling of danger that brought adrenaline to his aging body.
Nothing within Skyrim proved a challenge anymore; the once perilous dangers now only a passing annoyance: Draugrs burning with ease in fire, mages a pathetically weak in melee and bandits lacking any real skill. The Dragons didn't attack anymore and their undead priests had already been mostly put to eternal rest by him.
All in all; there was little that could bring him real danger on the ground. But up here in the air; where a single mistake could lead to you falling to your death; it was exhilarating. It had been a long time since he felt like this and he couldn't recall why he didn't do this more often.
The floating island of Albion could be seen now. It looked like someone ripped out a part of the land and left it suspended in the air. Large tracks of earth jutted out of the bottom of the island; forming what looked like a reversed mountain.
He could also see why it was named the Isle of the White. It was an apt name as the coasts of Albion were replaced with steep pristine white cliffs.
"Dovahkin! I see a town further ahead; between the two headlands." reported Odahviing beneath him.
Gah-Ei squinted his reptilian eyes. Distinctly he could make out the grey and black buildings among the green of the forests; a clear mark of civilization.
"We'll make land there." he said.
Odahviing grunted in acknowledgement; dipping his head slightly as he did so.
Once they made land; they could see to finding where Newcastle was. He still hadn't figured out how he was going to get into the Royalist castle without attracting too much attention; but he was sure he would come up with something later.
His stomach then chose that moment to grumble. Gah-Ei ignored it; he had a small bag of wrapped bread and a wineskin tied to his waist but he dared not eat it while flying. Knowing his bad luck; they'll end up flying out of his hand.
As if his words were an omen; what looked like a squad of dragons and their riders chose that moment to make themselves known.
Armoured in deep dark blue steel and wielding a weapon that looked like a mixture of a wand and a sword; they intercepted him and Odahviing in their air. Their black capes billowed in the air as they formed a semi-circle around them, keeping him within striking distance yet still having enough room to dodge a surprise attack.
"Halt! In the name of the Holy Emperor Cromwell I; identify yourself."
Gah-Ei raised empty hands into the air as a gesture of peace as Odahviing slowed down to a stop. "I'm Gah-Ei of Winterhold. I'm just passing by."
The dragon riders seemed to relax slightly at his declaration; though the obvious leader seemed to continue executing caution. "What's this Winterhold? I've never heard of it!"
Gah-Ei was stupefied. Surely the mass teleportation of a city couldn't be a regular occurrence. He could understand that they were busy with a civil war and not too many ships travelled to Albion and thereby restricted the passage of knowledge, but still…
"Winterhold's a protectorate of Tristain." he informed the captain.
That was clearly the wrong thing to say; as the dragon riders swiftly aimed their sword-wands at him. They expressions hardened as the captain spoke again. "Then it's best you turn back. We have no mercy for spies."
That judgement was a bit extreme. Just because he came from Tristain he was a spy?
"I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm no spy!" he objected.
The captain didn't blink as he responded to his objection. "Only mages can ride a dragon familiar and no commoner could possibly have armour like yours. Turn around now and we'll let you leave in peace. " He said coldly.
"Nust los shurvon wah iidah ol das ol mu straag un yar. Il mii nos diist. (They are going to attack as soon as we turn our back. Let us strike first)" rumbled Odahviing.
The mages paid no heed to the noises the dragon made. But the same could not be said for Gah-Ei.
"Vir dreh hi mindok? (How do you know?) He murmured back softly so that only his mount could hear.
"Zu'u lost mindok pogaan lo; pruzaan nahlrii kaaz (I have known many deceivers; the best being a khajiit.)
"Very well then." Gah-Ei answered for both of them.
The captain maintained a poker face throughout this. His men shared his expression as they made ready to kill the intruder.
Without warning; Odahviing dived beneath them. The dragon riders responded immediately with fire and wind spells being directed towards him.
"Zu'u fen lif daar wah hi! (I'll leave this to you!)" shouted Gah-Ei as he unsheathed his sword. He knew that he couldn't fight in the air effectively like this; but at least he could deter them from getting too close.
Odahviing nosedived through a cloud; three of the dragon riders followed; though the remaining two split from the rest and swept upwards above the cloud.
It was a wise decision as the red dragon stalled in the air. With the low visibility within the thick wet cloud; Gah-Ei reacted on instinct as he performed a sweeping cut to his left.
Though he could not see what he hit; he felt the miniscule resistance his sword met and spotted the crimson blood that his sword now eagerly drank. A scream of pain sounded off in front of him.
"Lok Vah Koor!"
The clouds cleared with Odahviing's shout. The one closest to them held his bleeding arm; desperately trying to both steer his dragon and stem the blood.
The other two were only meters directly ahead of them and were aiming their wands at them again. Jets of flames shot out of the wands and they combined to form a single more powerful burst of magic.
Odahviing, unable to manoeuvre fast enough to dodge it, took the brunt of the flames as they danced across his hide.
Meanwhile the two other dragon knight above them seeing their chance dove down towards them. Both held their sword-wands directly at them; a spinning drill of air forming around it.
Gah-Ei pivoted in his tedious seat to face the two diving lancers. His thoughts rushed through a number of shouts he could use before settling on one. "Zun Haal Viik!"
Where fire and ice might only hinder them; warriors are worthless without their weapons. As such the two knights were surprised when their wands were ripped out of their hands; and the one on the left who tried to hold on could only shout in pain as his and broke for his efforts.
"Yol Toor Shul!"
A breath of fire burst out of Odahviing's mouth. It was quick but not quick enough as both his targets managed to avoid the attack.
With nothing barring his way; Odahviing resumed his flight as the two disarmed knights floundered around before agreeing to withdraw.
The captain gave a curt order was given and the last two able knights warily drew away from the dragon. With one bleeding out and two without weapons; it was prudent to withdraw and just report this to his superiors.
Aware that they would inform others about him; Gah-Ei directed Odahviing to give pursuit; an order the red dragon was more than willing to follow.
Upon seeing that he following them; the two healthy knights slowed down to face him. Once again they released jets of flames towards them; though this time, without the advantage of being so close, they were easily ignored by the Winged Snow Hunter as he weaved his way past them.
"Yol Toor Shul!"
Another breath of fire spiralled between them as the two dragon knights split off to dodge the attack.
Odahviing craned his neck towards the one to the right, the closer one. Power shimmered around him as the mighty dragon shouted.
"Fus Ro Dah!"
The ferocious burst of wind took the dragon knight by surprise. It was not surprise to either dovah when the man was thrown off his mount. His screams trailed off as he fell; his mount tailing him, desperate to save him.
"Fireball!"
A large ball of fire hurtled towards them. The other dragon knight was already preparing another spell; his expression grim as Odahviing pushed himself above the fireball with a burst of strength from his wings.
"Fire blade!"
His wand was lit with fire as a blade of flames formed off of it. His mount unleashed a roar of challenge before nose diving towards them.
Odahviing met the challenge with a roar of his own as he turned his body to meet the attacker.
"Fo Krah Diin!"
This time shards of frost came out of his mouth in vast numbers. The opposing dragon reacted instantly and pulled off his dive to avoid the frost.
As Odahviing prepared to unleash another shout of power; the knight leaped off his mount. His mount shrieked in surprise and quickly followed his descent towards them.
Soaring through the air; he chopped downwards towards Gah-Ei. With practised reactions; the Argonian raised his own daedric blade to meet it.
The flames passed through his blade easily and both Gah-Ei and Odahviing grunted in pain as the blade of fire passed through them. The knight was obviously surprised that it didn't work but didn't let it deter him as his dragon caught him by the shoulder.
The dragon then did a flip in the air; releasing his grip on his master and righting himself just in time for his master to land hard on his back. The knight grunted in pain as he felt the pain shock through his groin.
It was an incredible display of acrobatics; but it didn't matter at all as a blade pierced him through the mouth.
"Yol Toor Shul!"
Appearing behind the dragon knight while they were performing their acrobatics; Gah-Ei withdrew his blade from the man's head as Odahviing roasted his dragon.
As the corpse and carcass dropped out of the sky; Gah-Ei turned back to the town he was originally hoping to get into to.
The three wounded dragon knights were now replaced with twenty-five fresh ones that were rushing to reach him. He could even see two of the smaller ships manoeuvring out of the two headlands following the dragons.
"I think we overstayed our welcome." quoted Gah-Ei from some book he remembered reading.
"Where are we ever welcomed?" asked Odahviing as he took off in the opposite direction.
Gah-Ei half-heartedly thought about that. Where was he ever welcomed while he was riding a dragon?
"Well ther- ugh." gasped Gah-Ei in pain.
"You are wounded." stated Odahviing; though there was no concern detectable in his voice.
"I know." grunted Gah-Ei. "We need to find somewhere to land."
I must say; I feel that I don't do battle scenes too well or well at all actually.