Chapter 6

Lylaia walked next to Kell who rode elegantly on his horse. They were headed towards Markarth where they had heard Leon was headed. Lylaia was wary of Kell but she trusted his ability to protect himself which made it easier for her not to worry about him. They rounded a corner in the road and saw what looked like bandits up ahead robbing a lone rider blind. Kell clicked his tongue and urged his horse forward to catch up to them. Lylaia pushed on and broke into a run to follow behind him. As they grew closer to the intersection in roads they noticed the bandits as a rag tag group of Kajhiits and the lone rider as Leon.

Lylaia laughed under her breath and pulled out her bow. The bandits noticed the two coming up on them and turned their daggers on the approaching foes rather than Leon. Kell spoke quickly and urgently, "Stand down thieves. We're prepared to kill you if not report you to the guards."

The dark leopard looking thief who seemed to be leading the group on point hissed at him desperately, "We'll die before we go back to an Imperial prison!" Of course they'd already been in jail. Probably escaped multiple times before. Lylaia raised her bow with an arrow sharper than the blades they held and sent a threateningly glance their way.

"We could always settle this the simple way and see who comes out on top?" Lylaia offered with a snarky tone.

Leon shook his head, "Stop! We can all just walk away from this and live normal lives."

The Kajhiits laughed and the chestnut colored cat behind the leader spoke, "We've come far enough without making any money. This country is barren! Give us your gold or forfeit your lives!"

Kell sighed and reached around his back to grab the huge hammer there. The leader noticed and lunged at him with his dagger. Lylaia let loose the arrow and it soared straight through the cat's right arm. He howled in pain and fell into a crumpled position on the ground, clutching his bloody forearm. Kell nodded in thanks towards her and smashed his hammer into the cat's head, crushing it and sending his body flying.

The Kajhiit's yowls of fury rose into the air as all three of them charged to avenge their leader. Lylaia hit the black tabby advancing on her with a single arrow to his chest plate. He reeled and fell down, coughing up blood from a punctured lung. Kell smashed his hammer into the rib cage of another Kajhiit instantly killing her. The last stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw the carnage around her. She dropped her dagger and backed away quickly before turning and fleeing.

Lylaia aimed but Kell stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder, "No. She won't get far without a weapon or supplies. Skyrim will take her." She dropped her bow and sheathed her arrow.

Lylaia turned her angry gaze on Leon, "You ran away!"

Leon realized he had been caught and dismounted his horse before talking, "I don't intend on following you down this road of murder. It's wrong!"

Lylaia held in shouts of anger, "My patience is growing thin Leon Stryde. I'm taking you to the temple of the Greybeards whether you intend to or not."

Leon cocked an eyebrow, "The Greybeards? I thought they were just monks who lived on the top of a mountain and worshipped Dragons?"

Kell nodded, "Partially correct but more importantly they've mastered the art of Shouting. You need to learn from them to harness your Dragon blood."

Leon looked Kell up and down, "Who are you anyways?"

Lylaia spoke for him, "Kell is a Blade. You should be honored he came to find you. He's also going to guide you to the Greybeards. If that isn't convincing enough then i can't help you."

Leon looked confused but nodded, "Okay so if the Blades are a part of this does that mean the Greybeards expect me to kill dragons?"

Kell nodded, "That's exactly what you're going to do. The point of the Dragonborn's existence is to fight back the Dragon's resistance against mankind. They've tried to retake the Mortal plain a couple of times but the Dragonborns have fought against them for ages. You're destiny is to save the world from Dragons."

Leon took it all in and slowly responded, "Why didn't I always know I was the dragonborn? wouldn't I have been born with the ability to kill dragons by... shouting?"

Kell seemed deep in thought, "Well the Dragonborn is a spiritual existence. You share the blood of Dragons but you don't necessarily have any way of telling until you come in contact with someone or something that also has Dragon's blood. Which is why when you fought the Dragon in Whiterun you absorbed it's soul when it died."

Leon turned to Lylaia, "You trust him?"

Lylaia nodded, "I do. I'm surprised you're worried about what I think."

Leon rolled his eyes, "I'm not. But if we all go together to the Greybeards I don't want you guys killing each other."

Kell and Lylaia exchanged a glance before Kell laughed and said, "Don't worry about that son. We may have different beliefs but we're working towards the same goal. We value each other's skills."

Lylaia nodded, "I need you to get to the Greybeards, so does Kell. Simple enough for us to work together until that adventure ends."

Leon sighed, "Does this mean I have no other choice than to follow you guys there?"

Kell let out a hearty laugh and slapped Leon on the back, "Of course it does! You'll be working with us all the ways to Ivarstead where the base of the mountain starts that leads to the Greybeard's temple."

Leon and Kell mounted their horses and Lylaia walked beside them as they set off eastbound. Leon's mouth gaped a little, "Ivarstead? That's days from here!"

Lylaia rolled her eyes, "It wouldn't be if you hadn't run off to Markarth."

Leon glared at her, "How was I supposed to know my destiny was in the opposite direction?"

Kell chuckled, "We'll have to make a small stop in Riverwood on the way there."

Lylaia cocked an eyebrow, "What are we picking up?"

Kell held up his hand, "Not what, but who. We're going to need another blade to accompany us on this journey. I'll be picking up an old friend of mine that served with me at Skyruler Temple."

Leon's posture perked up a bit when he heard mention of the legendary fortress, "Hey I've heard of that before! Right on the border between Skyrim and Cyrodiil. I've never been to Cyrodiil before. What's it like?"

Kell shrugged and thought for a moment, "It's kind of like a melting pot. There are animals and landscapes from all over Tamriel living alongside each other in Cyrodiil. I'm surprised the Dragonborn has never been to Cyrodiil."

Leon's brow furrowed, "It's not like I've know my entire life. This is very new information to me."

Lylaia tilted her head to the side a little, "And your family never took you on vacation?"

Leon shook his head, "The Companions are my family. I never knew my father and my mother died when I was very young. She was too weak to take me past the walls of Whiterun. The real reason I even became a Companion was because I wanted to explored Skyrim. Though I've only really been to the border of the valley."

Kell nodded, "You'd enjoy it down there. It's a little hot but the country is beautiful. I even got to see the Imperial City. It was like the city had been built by the Divines. It was truly magnificent."

Leon smiled to himself, "I hope I get to see it someday. You know, I bet I will."