Day Forty-eight

I awoke but in a haze of sleep. Lydia was standing over me and shaking me, telling me to rouse myself.

"You had your chance, Housecarl," I mumbled, "Now you'll have to work for it."

I was still half asleep when I landed harshly on the floor. Although it hurt, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. Suddenly I felt myself being lifted by my arms and deposited in a chair. A slap across my face only partially woke me.

"As much as I enjoyed that, Ralos," Lydia said, "I'd rather not have to do it again. Now wake up."

I struggled to open my eyes. I rubbed at my stinging cheek. "I'm exhausted," I muttered, "It feels like skooma withdrawal but without the headache and the skanky whore to pay off the next morning. Oh wait, you're here."

Another slap shook my head and nearly loosed a tooth. I put my hands up, "I'm joking, I'm joking."

Lydia straightened, "My first thought was brain rot, but that would be impossible to detect with you. I'd say you caught Bone Break Fever from that troll. No surprise, I doubt it's the first time you've caught something from a female."

"Probably not the last either, I might add," I said, "I'm all out of my cure disease potions. You got any?"

"No, and there's no store in this backwater town. You'll have to wait until we get to Whiterun. Think you can make it over the mountain pass?"

"I'll give it a try, since they don't have a carriage here either. Just give me a minute."

"How about another friendly slap?"

"I'll pass..."

Slap!

I held my other cheek, "I said I'll pass."

"That wasn't the friendly slap. Your jokes could use some work. I'll be outside when you're ready."

I met Lydia outside but we took a detour to the stream by Narfi's home. I shoved my head in the freezing water for a moment, making sure Lydia did not try to hold me under. The water helped a little, but not as much as the slaps. I was not about to tell her that, however. I shook the water out of my hair and took the lead back to the pass.

The troll was still gone from the overhang but after we crossed the stream using the rocks, a new menace appeared. Three glowing balls started flying around us, hissing angrily. At first I thought they were ice wraiths but I had never encountered them away from the snow. I meant to avoid them but they seemed intent on a confrontation by blocking my way then ramming into me.

"You're an expert on balls, Lydia," I said, "What are these things?"

"These are wisps, Dragonborn," she said, "And you've just earned yourself another slap. I think you're starting to like it. But these are not the real problem."

She was right as they were defeated much easier than ice wraiths. It only took a few swipes of my elven sword to destroy them. I took out two while Lydia hacked the other one to death. All of a sudden, spikes of ice came flying through the trees at her.

"There's the real problem," Lydia said, running towards a spectral woman in the trees.

It could only be a wispmother. I had never seen one before but that was all it could be. I loosed my bow while I let myself heal. I saw Lydia unleash her draemora lord, Kynval, on the being.

Between the two of them hacking at her and my bow landing precise dwarven arrows, the wispmother soon took flight, forcing us to chase after her. From out of nowhere, two other wispmothers appeared, but these were dimmer than the first and seemed more intent on getting between than attacking. Lydia and Kynval attacked these shades while I continued my assault on the original, though my arms were tiring quickly. The wispmother took flight again but even as I was about to try to pursue her, Lydia got her bow out and felled the specter with one final shot.

Kynval vanished as I caught up to Lydia.

"That was unexpected," I said, putting my bow away.

Lydia gave me another slap, this time still wearing her steel gaunlet. "Kind of like that?"

"All right, that definitely loosened a tooth."

"Perhaps I'm a tooth expert, too? I suggest you get moving if you expect any help getting through this pass."

Reluctantly I followed close, feeling I would need help before long. I found the tooth and gave it a wiggle. Yup, definitely loose. Best I kept my mouth closed for a while, for my teeth's sake.

The march through the mountain pass was arduous but the brisk wind kept me alert enough to where I did not need to lean on Lydia at all. We came out of the woods and the cold wind of the mountains turned into a hot sun once the shade of the woods was gone. I needed to cool off and refresh myself so we went past the Ritual stone to the river below. The icy water felt great but even better I spotted what looked like a shrine not far up the hill on the other side. I did not want to go into Whiterun looking dead to the world. I did have a reputation among the ladies for being healthy and virile. I told Lydia to follow me to the shrine within the shallow cave.

"A shrine to Talos?" Lydia said, "I didn't even know this was here."

"I don't care who it's for, it'll still heal me, right?"

"It should. You don't need to be..."

Suddenly the ground shook as we jogged up the hill and for a split second I thought perhaps I had insulted a deity. Then we heard the roar of a dragon and next a wave of icy frost engulfed the two of us. I did not want to be trapped within the cave so I darted to the right, though my actions were slowed even more by the attack. A blood dragon took flight and began a tight attack pattern to continue the unprovoked assault.

I reached for my bow, as did Lydia and we began firing our arrows at the moving beast.

"What are you doing?" Lydia called out as the dragon flew by, spewing ice and cold in her path. "Use the new shout you just got, the Dragonrend!"

I blamed my forgetfulness on my weakened condition. That should have been the first thing I thought of. I harnessed my bow and recalled the words, but the dragon had flown off up around the hill. I should have taken the moment to cure myself at the shrine but I did not think of it. Instead I used my healing magic as I ran to the top of the hill to bring the dragon down to earth so we could deal with it on our terms.

By the time I reached the top, I was completely healed but my stamina was depleted. I leaned over and put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Lydia stopped beside me and tapped me on the shoulder.

"I don't think this would be the best time to take a breather," then she pointed straight ahead of us.

I looked where she was pointing and gulped in some more air, wondering if what I was seeing was real. "You've got to be kidding."

In the distance was a stone keep with crumbling, dilapidated watchtowers in front. In the open courtyard were two mages and a flame atronoch fighting the dragon I was after. At least, that's what I thought, until a second dragon dropped down directly in front of me. I started to shout the Dragonrend but was forced to stop when a gout of ice from the dragon smacked into me. I dove for cover behind a nearby rock.

"Now would be a good time for Kynval to make an appearance!" I shouted at Lydia.

Whether or not she heard me, I didn't know, but when the dragon tried to fly off I leapt from behind the rock and used Dragonrend on it. It impacted on the blood dragon's underbelly and a purple aura enveloped it. The participants of the other battle clearly took notice, especially the dragon, and stopped fighting for a moment to look. My dragon struggled but was forced to the ground.

I heard Kynval cry out with glee, "Are you prepared for your death?" He and Lydia attacked the downed dragon with fervor. It's reptilian head snapped side to side trying to grab hold of one of them, but they proved too nimble. I healed myself with one hand while I charged the dragon's flank, whistling my sword from its scabbard. I managed one hit before it tried taking flight again. I readied my shout but once again I was forced to silence myself as ice filled my mouth and eyes. The other dragon had come to its brethren's rescue. Before I could recover, both had flown off.

"A challenger!" Kynval yelled.

My eyes cleared enough for me to see the dremora lord run off to meet the mages that were now closing in on us. I secured my shield and looked to the sky to see where the dragons had circled to. A ball of fire crashed into me and I thought the mages had destroyed the dremora lord. Then I saw Kynval and Lydia trying to reach a mage. A second fireball hurtled towards me and I was able to dodge it. This time I saw it was from the flame atronoch. I quickly switched to my Drawven bow of Ice and we exchanged volleys, each of us scoring a hit.

The dragons reappeared together, this time landing side by side near Lydia and the mage. Kynval must have been destroyed and sent back. I ran to put the atronoch between the dragons and myself to give it a new target to focus on. I began healing the damage from the atronoch while I switched back to my sword. One of the dragons lurched forward and grabbed a mage in its jaws, shaking him violently before tossing back towards the keep. Good boy.

Lydia summoned Kynval again just as I shouted Dragonrend at the pair of dragons. Only one was affected, taking the brunt of the shout. The other took off, glowing red from a blow from Kynval's sword. I noticed the dragon went after the atronoch and remaining mage, however. I wished him luck.

The three of us set on the grounded dragon and managed to slay it before it could leave again. As it burst into flames, I swallowed two potions to aid my stamina and two for my health to heal the cuts I received from the dragon's wing claws. The dragon's soul filled me with the taste of blood. I barely had time to savor it before the second dragon, obviously enraged at the loss of its kin, landed nearly on top of me. His slavering jaws closed inches from my face.

I bashed the dragon with my spiked shield and its head reared back. I noticed bits of black cloth stuck to its teeth and I hoped the mage it had mangled was sweeter than I supposed. I used the staggering of the shield to maneuver out of the way of the dragon's jaws and ducked in behind its torn wing. I shouted Dragonrend again to keep it where we could get it and started swinging as quickly as possible at its leg and flank. I could hear Lydia grunting with the effort of her power strikes from her axe. Kynval was still there shouting challenges and curses. In a matter of moments, the shout faded but the dragon was too weak to fly from a myriad cuts and missing parts. I landed one final stab under its scales and into its ribcage and the dragon lifted his head to the sky. It fell dead, almost toppling onto Lydia. This dragon's soul was heavy with the taste of magicka, probably from the mage it had chewed. Its body turned to bones, lying close to its kin.

"It was a good fight," Kynval said then dissipated into thin air.

"Your summon has a knack for understatement," I said as I sat down on the ground. I heard no more sounds of fighting so I assumed the mages and their atronoch were dead. Even if they weren't, my adrenaline had run its course and I was out of stamina potions. If they wanted to fight, they would have to come to me.

Lydia was pleased, smiling broadly, "I'd say that was an excellent test of your new skills with the single-handed blade. I think this place is called Fellglow Keep. Rife with mages."

"They all suck, and I'd rather one dragon at a time, or at least when I'm not feeling completely drained. Wake me in an hour."

I laid down were I was but Lydia booted me in the leg.

"Get up, Lazybones. We're almost to Whiterun. You can heal at the Hall of the Dead then sleep in your own bed if you want. Here, I'll even help you up."

I half expected her to simply roll me down the hill, but instead she helped me rise then let me lean on her shoulder. Together we shuffled towards the neighboring farms on the way to the road.

"Does this mean you actually care?" I asked Lydia.

"Does this mean you need me?" she countered.

"Touche. We'll just keep walking together."