At 9:30, Malachite reached the large, mahogany gates of Whiterun. Looking sideways at both guards before pulling the enormous doors apart and looked around the torch-lit city and felt like he was at home for the first time in a long time. He walked past Adrianne Avenicci's forge and climbed the stone steps towards Dragonsreach, but turned right and entered Jorrvaskr.
He descended into the underground level where recruits slept and found that the bed he had slept in last time was taken. Malachite shrugged and plopped down silently on the bed in front of that one. He blinked, and suddenly it was morning.
Malachite rubbed his eyes and checked his pocket to make sure that the ruby he had hidden there last night (He couldn't give everything away!) was still there. It was. He stood up and looked in the mirror.
Malachite had black hair that almost reached his eyebrows and in the back, touched his neck line. He was about 5ft 10, and was very skinny, but not all muscle. His eyes were what gave him his name, because they sparkled a brilliant shade of green just like glass. But who names a kid Glass? So Malachite it was.
Malachite snuck over to his old bed and pulled out a knapsack from beneath the frame. He pulled out a new undershirt, stripped down, put on the under shirt, pulled up his pants, and put his leather armor back on before sliding the knapsack, now containing his dirty clothes, under his new bed and heading up the stairs so he could go to Belethor's goods and possibly to the Drunken Huntsman afterwards.
When he arrived in the banquet room, music was playing, a fire was already raging, and two recruits were having a sparring match, fighting for acceptance into the Circle. Malachite rolled his eyes and was about to push his way through the two shield-brothers when the doors leading to Whiterun slammed open and a surprisingly clear voice rang through the smoke and laughter, shouting "Laas Yah Nir!"
Everything stopped and 102 eyes swiveled to the newcomer.
It was the Dragonborn.
Being an Argonian, he had no hair of course. He had spikes jutting out all over his head almost in rows. He was wearing Thieves Guild Armor, but no hood. He had two stripes of red war paint on his cheeks heading towards his ears, and he had soot all over his snout.
"Greetings, Companions! May I speak to your leader?"
Kodlak Whitemane stood up from his chair at the head of the table and said "We have no leaders here. We are all brothers and sisters here, but I will represent us."
The Dragonborn rolled his eyes and Malachite started to dislike him. He saved the world from Alduin, but now he had too much power over everyone else in Skyrim. He talked snidely. "Well, I just wanted to drop by, as I'm doing at all the guilds, and say a word of warning. The priests at High Hrothgar have felt a new Dragonborn somewhere in the hold of Whiterun. If anyone comes reporting having Dragonborn-like powers, come tell me in Breezehome immediately, or Lydia if I'm away. Got it?"
Kodlak inquired "What kinds of things would the new Dragonborn be talking about? What kinds of powers do you have?"
The Dragonborn scoffed and answered "Well, if they learn to shout extremely fast, or report having seen glowing blue words on a wall-" Malachite's weary eyes widened "- then that should be enough to come tell me. Okay? Any more questions?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned away and left the hall.
A burst of chatter broke out in Jorrvaskr. Who could be the new Dragonborn? Could it be a Companion? They had to get the Dragonborn to join the Companions. It would give them a good name, and he could possibly be the new Ysgramor!
These were all called out to the crowd multiple times in several different ways before Kodlak raised his hand to silence the chatter. "Silence, please, thank you. I agree with the thought that a Dragonborn joining the Companions would be a wondrous thing. But, we must not seek him out. The Dragonborn is free to what he please. He is still human, after all. If you find him, feel free to encourage him to take up arms, but more importantly, we need to repay our debt to the Dragonborn. I don't know how many of you here weren't here then, but three months ago, the Silver Hand led a raid on Jorrvaskr and murdered Skjor. The Companions would have been doomed. We were all wounded, and the Silver Hand would have taken us all if not for the Dragonborn.
"The old one, not the new one, of course."
"He ran in from his house, Breezehome, and shouted the Silver Hand members to shreds. They retreated, but the Dragonborn hunted them down for us and defeated every last one of them in battle. If you do not think that this feat is worth telling him where the new Dragonborn is, then you may leave right now! Now I say!"
A chorus of cheers rang out, but silenced when they noticed Malachite sprinting out the front door.
Malachite ran all the way to Belethor's goods to trade in his ruby. He wanted to sell it and get home to talk about this new development.
But he would never get to.
Malachite walked into Belethor's goods and marched up to the counter, placed his ruby on the wood, and said "I want 120 gold. That or higher. Take it or leave it."
The man behind the counter opened his mouth to say something, but a woman who had been browsing but now had her gaze locked onto the ruby shouted out "That's mine! My husband gave it to me before he passed!"
Malachite sized her up in his mind, and decided she was too poor to pay up. "No way. I found this in a cave. It belongs to me."
The woman hobbled to the door and called out "Guards! Thief! Thief!"
Malchite quickly turned the ruby over and found that there was an inscription he hadn't seen in the half-light of the cave before. To Hilda, from your eternal love, Haggard.
Ugh, Malachite thought. He tossed the ruby on the floor and sprinted for the gates, hoping to leave before the guards found him, but two were already there, waiting for him. They pointed and yelled and more guards came around the corner.
Malachite turned around and ran up to Dragonsreach, dodging arrows form guards on rooftops. He reached the wooden awning over the entrance and stunned both the guards standing there. He heard away up the stairs. He climbed to the roof of Dragonsreach as rain started to fall. Malachite looked behind him and desperately scampered for the back edge of Dragonsreach, but more guards were waiting for him on ground level. Malachite turned to see he was cornered by guards.
"You have committed crimes against Skyrim and her people. What do you have to say in your defense?"
Malachite felt anger boiling up inside of him. "I have one thing to say!" He screamed over the howling wind.
He thought of the wall in the drougr's cavern. Push. He tried to draw magic from inside himself and shouted 'Push!' but that's not what his lips did.
"Fus!"
A burst of blue light shot away from Malachite's mouth and the guards stumbled backwards and fell over. Malachite jumped over all of their bodies, but before he could get to ground level, he heard "Tiid Klo Ul!" and suddenly the Dragonborn was next to him and punching Malachite's lights out.
Malchite dropped over the edge of the roof and crashed through the wooden bridge in front of the entrance to Dragonsreach, rolled down the hill and slammed into the tree in the center of the town square, unconscious.