Aldis III

"So first we had a cult try to raise Potema from the dead and now we have one worshipping the damn dragons?" Falk shouted. For such a politically savvy man he certainly yelled a lot.

Admittedly the dragons had become a problem. Since the destruction of Helgen the dragons were now numbered in the dozens if not hundreds. We were hard pressed to keep them at bay. Anytime we managed to actually kill one of the best a few days later a larger, menacing black one would resurrect it.

The older Nords were beginning to call it the End of Days. They were saying the black dragon was Alduin the World-Eater. I thought Alduin was the Nords version of Akatosh. That's what the schools in Cyrodiil were teaching everyone.

"Why would a cult want to worship the dragons?" Jarl Elisif "the Fair" asked her inner council. We had taken to meeting like this regularly so we could discuss the things of court without Thane Erikur.

"The ancestors of you Nords worshipped the Dragons as gods for many generations." Sybille Stentor told the Jarl.

"Yes, well, I know that. I mean why would they now? That was before we knew of the Divines." Elisif tried to explain but it only made her sound more naïve.

"My Jarl the people of Skyrim are scared. They think if they return to worshipping the Dragons then the Dragons will in turn return to how things used to be. As long as they are appeased they will not attack the villages and farms." Falk Firebeard explained.

"Is there anything we can do?" The Jarl of Haafingar asked. She had a heart for her people that I could not take away from her.

"Well until we find a way to permanently kill the dragons I don't know what we would do." I told the Jarl.

"Could we not kill the black dragon?" She asked.

"My lady, we have tried. Our arrows bounce off of him. Any magic attacks he absorbs. We gave up attacking with swords. Ranged attacks he ignores, but if we get close he eats our soldiers or burns them to death with his fire." I told her. "Elisif, if we could kill him we would."

"So what do we do?" She looked to the three of us.

"We pray for someone who can save our people." Falk looked out at the Sea of Ghosts. How dramatic.

"I don't know but we need to figure something out. With Helgen destroyed all of Skyrim's Imperial forces are now headquartered here. We are going to draw in more attention from the dragons if we don't figure something out." I regretfully told my liege.

"We could infiltrate the Dragon Cult!" Sybille happily shouted. What is wrong with this woman?

"How would we do that, court wizard?" I looked at her like she was crazy.

"Well you and I go in dressed modestly as some villagers and ask to be included as part of the cult."

"What in the name of all of the Divines?" I looked to Falk and Jarl Elisif.

Jarl Elisif looked like she agreed but Falk looked as hesitant as I was.

"Just like that?" He asked.

"Oh I can be very persuasive." Sybille smiled. "But I will need protection just in case. Who better than Captain Aldis?"

Just like that I was up shit creek with no paddle. By the end of the week we were in commoner's clothes, I had an axe at my side and we were at the entrance to some Nordic ruins within the Hold.

A Nordic man with a red skull painted on his face stopped at the door. "Where do you think you are going?" He reached for the blade at his side. He was wearing fur that looked like it had been on animals yesterday.

"My husband and I have come to find a new place to worship." Husband?

When I looked at her with my confused look she turned to me and winked. With that wink I felt that I was madly in love with her. Like I had never felt this way for anyone in my life. We needed to find a private room now.

"So you think you can just waltz in here like you own the place?" He was still gruff.

"Well I was hoping you could point me in the right direction. Our cattle keeps getting taken off by this brown dragon. I think it has a home over our little house." She smiled at the man and suddenly he was answering all sorts of questions for her. We learned the name of this barrow: Volskygge. We found out that the priest of Volskygge was an actual dragon priest from the Dragon War. He was preserved as a Draugr and now was back to his old ways. People of every race were coming here to seek out reprieve from the dragons. His name was Volsung.

When we entered the temple we were shown to an antechamber with tables set up and benches near them. "This is where the human priests stay when they rest. Here are some spare robes. All worshippers are required to wear them and leave any weapons in here." He pointed to where several robes were folded at the end of the table. Sybille told him to go stand guard and act like he never saw them. He turned and left as soon as she spoke.

"Sybille, what the hell?" I tried to whisper to her.

"What?" She looked confused.

"Earlier you said we were married and before I could argue you winked at me and I was madly in love with you and then you did something to that man and he followed out your every order to the T."

"Don't tell me Aldis you don't know what I am?" She laughed.

"A crazy Breton mage." I was in no mood for this.

"I am a vampire you idiot. Jarl Istlod brought me out of a court in High Rock to serve him and didn't care for my condition as long as I didn't use it on the people of the city. So I "experiment" on the criminals and when one dies here or there I use them." She gave me a serious look.

I grabbed my sword and held it up to her.

"Relax. You're as bad as the Nords. I am not here to drink your blood." She threw the robe at my head. "Now change." She told me as she started to disrobe.

My face turned red and I turned around. I have been a soldier all my life and probably have a kid somewhere in one of the forts I was stationed in, but my mother raised me with respect.

"Oh really? One minute you want to cut off my head and the next you are turned around to give me privacy?" I turned back over my shoulder to see her fully dressed.

"Do you want to turn so I can change?" I looked at her.

"Do I need to seduce you again?" She smiled and I noticed the points of her teeth for the first time.

"That's what that was?"

"Yes, and I made that guard a servant. Now, will you change willingly or do I need to wink at you again?"

I felt her eyes on me the entire time I was changing. It bothered me less than I think it should. Divines, I would need to go to the Temple soon.