Day Fourteen
The next morning, Lynly did not stir when I left the bed. She had earned the rest. I drank the second bottle of skooma Lydia gave me to help clear my head and settle my stomach. I felt new again. The same could not be said for Lydia, however. It seemed the drinking continued after I left and Lydia was determined to hold up her end. This morning she was holding her head over a bucket when I found her. I left her to empty the rest of her stomach and I gathered some food for our breakfast and more for the journey to Kynesgrove.
Lydia appeared shortly after, looking like she just bit into a mushy apple and found the core filled with half-bitten worms. I offered her some food to ease her symptoms.
"Mammoth cheese curd?" I said.
She recoiled, holding it at arm's length.
"Cold Slaughterfish stew?"
She drew her dagger, "Offer me any more food and you'll be eating your next meal through the hole I carve in your throat."
I put the food away, "All right, I guess we're ready to go. You can eat later on the way."
As we were leaving, Lynly Star-sung appeared, looking a bit disheveled but smiling at me.
"A pleasant journey, my Lord," she said then nodded at Lydia. "Housecarl."
Lydia flipped a coin to her. "For singing lessons, barmaid."
"Her pipes are just fine to me," I said in her defense.
"As is your pipe, my Lord." Lynly said.
Lydia left, holding her stomach, "I think I'm going to be sick again."
We left Iverstead heading northeast, past the troll cave across the river and down the mountainside along a narrow dirt road. Nothing impeded our progress and Lydia seemed to be recovering from her night of drinking as we walked. At the bottom of the mountain I saw a fort near a high falls. We avoided getting anyone's attention from it. The trek down the mountain was uneventful but took a while and Sundas would be here soon. We kept going north until we ran into an area filled with pools and hot springs, spewing fountains of steam into the air. One pool actually had a group of scantily clad sun worshippers in it. They did not pay us much attention as we passed by. I assumed the women's silence came from too much time in the sun. I would have to remember where this little spot was for later, however.
We did not get much further before I heard the distant roar of a dragon. I stopped and looked around. I spotted one peak that looked like it could have a dragon's nest. A dragon appeared through the clouds surrounding it, circling and diving as it flew. As long as it stayed there, it would not have to die, especially since I was in a hurry. We topped one more rise and the ground shook as the dragon swooped past our heads and let loose a deafening roar of challenge. Never turn your back on a dragon.
"You should have left well enough alone, dovah," I said, and reached for my Bow of Embers.
Despite the landscape being mostly hot springs and stretches of barren dirt, the dragon had the misfortune of attacking while we were near a small stand of trees. He had the upper hand of being able to hover and breathe down his icy attacks from relative safety, but he soon learned our bows could be deadly accurate. This time, my force shout did not stop his breath attack, but it did delay it enough for us to take cover behind a tree or rocky hill. We wore him down with our bows then with axe and sword until finally I charged in and delivered a vicious cut across his snout followed by a leaping stab down between his eyes.
No sooner had I absorbed his metallic soul than a fireball knocked me off my feet. Before I got up I quickly drank a couple of red potions then searched for the source of the attack. I heard Lydia cursing. I followed her voice to find her pounding her battleaxe against a necromancer's magical shield. He was slowing her with an ice spell. I disrupted the mage's concentration with a powerful blow to his side, nearly taking his arm off. He crumpled and cried surrender. I had seen this rouse before and I opened his ribcage to the sun. Two more mages and a reanimated skeleton appeared and met similar fates. These mages were no match for a Dragonborn that could Shout them over a hill.
Lydia stumbled across an alter they must have been using along with several long dead skeletons languishing in pools of sulfuric water. I emptied the urns around the alter of their coins and left the rest for scavengers.
"It is not too late, Ralos," Lydia said, "I believe we are close to Kynesgrove according to the map. We have time to check that peak where the dragon was circling. There may be another one of those dragonwalls up there like the one near Labyrinthian."
"That's true. Or there could be another dragon."
Lydia shrugged. "If there is, perhaps this one will listen to the new Dragonborn. And if it won't, you will have more bones to sell."
"Those bones are pretty damn heavy," I said, "What the Hells am I supposed to do with them?"
"I don't know. You could probably use the scales to make a bad-ass shield."
"Why not make a whole suit of armor out of the bones? Wouldn't that look hideous? I wonder what that stuck up bitch in Solitude would say if she saw me walk into the Blue Palace wearing that?"
"She'd probably run away screaming."
"She would if she saw you coming after her again. Come on, let's go see what's up there."
At the base of the peak I saw mammoths not too far off, though I did not see any giant herding them. The path up the small mountain was tough to follow but the dragon I killed must have been the one using the roost since it was empty when we got there. There was in fact a dragonwall. The word revealed was 'cold' and I felt it was the second word of power to go along with 'frost' that I had found on the way to Ustengrav. I allowed the dragonsoul to show me the word's power. I was tempted to try it on one of the rocks but I had had my fill of ice and frost from mages and dragons. I would wait until I needed it. There were two chests as well, one containing an orcish sword and some potions, the other come coins. We left and continued on north.
Lydia was right. Kynesgrove was not much further and within the hour we were approaching the town. Hopefully it would be easy to find Delphine. She would probably be in the inn since snow has started to fall. Near the town, a woman ran past warning us to run away or become dragon food. I stopped her and was about to slap her out of her hysterics but Lydia stayed my hand with an iron grip. I glared at Lydia for interrupting but she seemed not to notice. I would forgive her this one time.
"You said there was a dragon?" Lydia asked the woman, holding her by her arm. "Was there a woman up there as well?"
"I don't know," she answered, "And I'm not standing around to find out. Now let go of me you stupid cow."
The woman twisted her arm free and fled from the town.
"I should have let you slap her," Lydia said.
"Next time you'll know better."
"It's about time you arrived," another voice called out.
I looked up the road and saw Delphine, though the thickening snowfall made it difficult. We caught up to her by the inn.
"The Dragonborn makes his own schedule, according to his own destiny," I reminded her.
Delphine looked at Lydia. "Is he always like this?"
"It's a work in progress, but yes. Sounds like we're not too late, though."
"Actually, you're right on time."
"As I knew we would be," I said, forcing them to see how fate dances to my beat. "Lead us to this dragon and I will show you how a Dragonborn deals with his subjects."
"Let's hope that blade is as sharp as your tongue. Follow me."
Delphine led us up a hill away from the town. I could see a huge dragon flying in circles at the top. Somehow this one looked familiar to me. I wondered if it was the one that helped free me from the Imperials' clutches at Helgen. I was so distracted I nearly tripped over the toasted body of a Whiterun guard.
"By the Nines," Delphine gasped, "That's Alduin. This is worse than I thought."
At the top of the hill we took cover behind some boulders as Alduin hovered over what Delphine called a burial mound. He began speaking in dragon. I felt I should know the words but they evaded my recollection. Smoke geysered from the mound then rocks were thrown into the air as something emerged from the ground. I was stunned as I watched the full skeleton of a dragon claw its way out into the open air. Alduin continued to speak and then the skeleton started talking as well. As it talked, flesh and then scales appeared over its skeletal frame. It spoke but the only word I understood was Dovahkiin. I stepped away from the rock and Alduin turned to face me, although I was sure he knew I was there the whole time.
"You do not even know our tongue, do you?" he said, "Such arrogance."
"I know your tongue will make a fine stew, Alduin."
The dragon laughed.
"No," Delphine warned me, "You mustn't. Not to the World-eater."
Alduin spoke again to the other dragon then flew away. The reborn dragon stretched his golden wings.
"I am Sahloknir. Hear my voice and despair!"
The dragon took flight and I reached for my bow.
"You are a fool to talk to Alduin so," Delphine told me, readying her own bow.
"Then why did he flee from me like a mewling kitten? He knows who has the real claws in this fight."
Our talk was put on hold as Sahloknir swept past us, breathing fire down upon the three of us. It took a while but our three bows eventually caused enough damage to him to force him to land. He began to crawl after me, leaving a bloody trail behind him. He snapped at me and tried to engulf me in his flames but I proved to be too nimble for him around the boulders. He singed me a few times but not for long enough to where I could not use my healing magic to heal it. Delphine and Lydia continue to harry him with their bows. His frustration became evident.
"My Lord Alduin requires your death, human," he said in his deep, rumbling voice, "I am glad to oblige him."
"The only thing Alduin requires," I said, "is to know I am not the one to be trifled with."
I leapt onto a boulder and jumped down in front of Sahloknir. My sword cut deep into his head and neck. He tried to snap his jaws onto me but I rocked his head back with my Shout of force. The three of us laid into him with our blades and mine was the final stroke, piercing his eye and exposing his brain to the cool air.
Sahloknir erupted into flames and I breathed in his soul like smoke from a skooma pipe. Once he was back to nothing but bones, Delphine sheathed her sword and approached me.
"I don't believe it. You truly are the Dragonborn."
"Was there ever any doubt? Of course, it seems I won't have a chance to tame any of them until I deal with this Alduin."
"True, you weren't able to control him, but you did absorb his soul. It appears I owe you some answers. Ask whatever you want, I'll hold nothing back."
"Who are you really?"
"I'm part of the Blades, protectors of the Septim Emperors, but now we are all but forgotten."
"So you are sworn to protect me?"
"Well, uh, we seek out the dragonborn in the hopes that he will bring an end to Alduin's rise."
"You've found him, Honey," I said, "Now what?"
"I need you to do something for me..."
"Wait, wait, wait. I just did something for you. You asked me to prove I was the Dragonborn and I've done that. Now what are you going to do for me? Calm down, Lydia, I saw that eye roll. That's not what I meant... well, not entirely."
"The Thalmor are after the Blades and they have information..."
"Not interested."
"Wha..what?" Delphine stammered.
"I've got a realm to conquer first. These dragons, and the Thalmor as well, will be brought to heel just as soon as I've taken care of a few other things first. Now, in case I need to find you, where are you going to be? Wait. Never mind, I'll just find you when the time comes. I bid you farewell, Delphine. Destiny awaits."
I waved for Lydia to follow and went back down the hill towards Kynesgrove.
"It sounded like she had more important things to say," Lydia told me. "Why did you just leave her standing there with her mouth open like some court fool?"
"I am the Dragonborn, Lydia. I am not of a mind to take anymore instructions from others who say they know what I should be doing. And besides, I made a vow to someone and I must see to that first, lest I be called a liar. All else can wait."
That left Lydia speechless. I should have thought of that before.
I stopped at the inn for lunch and to rest from the fight. Lydia suggested we ask for directions back to Whiterun. I scoffed, assuring her I knew the way. She looked skeptical, but prepared to leave anyway.