Chapter Sixty-One:

The Long Road

Hello, ground. I love you. You know I do. I have drooled in sleep on you many times. But I need to get up now. So stop holding me down, please.

I could remember leaping through the portal to Sovngarde and smashing into stones, and for a moment I thought I'd just hit the base of the portal and not any actual plain of death, but a brief glance upward at the dancing lights in the sky and the bright stars told me otherwise. They didn't look like the stars I'd seen in Skyrim—there were no clouds to block their sight. And the sky was brighter, despite obviously being nighttime.

The stone felt odd beneath my fingers, like it was constantly moving and reshaping itself, but there wasn't any signs of it actually doing so. Lifting myself off the ground, I observed my surroundings closer to the ground rather than to the stars.

It almost appeared to be Skyrim, but statues of great Nord heroes and gods were littered across the valley below with a watchful, stoic gaze, and had been carved with a loving and accurate hand. There were many trees pinched lightly with snow; the ground and stones shared that aspect. Mountains were clearly visible in the far north-eastern distance, but I knew I'd never seen their like before. They were as unfamiliar as a stranger's home. Stone steps leading down into the valley were set before me, with cauldrons lit with fire to light the way ahead. Lastly, I could see a large structure that had clearly been shaped by people and not by the landscape, but from where I was standing most of it was blocked out by a rocky hill that had a makeshift path and stairway up.

The valley was veiled in a thick mist that blotted the vision of those passing through it. I could just barely make out some armoured men wandering aimlessly around with no clear path present. And there wasn't even a large black Dragon in sight.

Assuming the structure in the distance was Shor's Hall, I began my tread down the steps and into the dense valley below. I hoped to be heading towards that hill I'd spotted before, so at least I would know where I was and where I needed to go.

There was an eerie, peaceful silence in Sovngarde, almost like that familiar lull before one falls asleep. I could hear the footsteps of the wandering soldiers, and hurried to follow them, but would always emerge from the fog right in front of the mountains or the stairs from which I'd come. About the seventeenth time I'd been turned around towards the exact same place I'd been several times previous, my head felt like it was going to explode. Of course, it didn't help that it was still throbbing from the damage inflicted on the back of my head, and I had a major limp that was only getting worse as time passed. My right arm, flesh turned dark from the lightning the Dragon Priest had wielded, was numb until I had the bright idea to swing it against a rock to see if I had any feeling left. Several minutes of biting my lip so hard I drew blood later, I was back to limping in the fog.

This is getting nowhere! I pursed my lips as I thought. I need to find a way to clear—oh my gosh I'm a moron.

"Lok Vah Koor!" After a considerable amount of time, a portion of the valley's mist faded enough so I could see where I was going, although most of it was still swathed in the rapidly-expanding fog. The blood trail I was leaving behind showed I'd been literally walking in circles without realizing it. With this new advantage I hurried forward until I was once more engulfed in the soft-touching mist. Somehow, I had a feeling that this wasn't a final test for the lost soldiers I'd seen to reach Shor's Hall—it was much more sinister than that. The fog had to be Alduin's doing.

I might be walking in Alduin's Dragon farts, I thought to myself while I Shouted again to clear the path. Well, it'd stink, wouldn't it? And eating the souls of the dead ought to make the bowels of anyone a bit upset... right?

Gods, Taryn. Just try to stop nattering. You're going to make yourself go insane if you keep thinking like this.

I took a considerable amount of time Shouting and finding my way through the valley of mist. When I thought I'd be coming across a soul, they'd disappear from sight, their bodies dissipating into the mist further away from Shor's Hall. Any attempts to yell at them from where I stood were futile, since I may as well have been screaming at a brick wall—they couldn't hear me nor reacted to anything beyond the veil of fog engulfing their souls.

Once I'd finally found a pathway that appeared to be heading towards Shor's Hall, I came across the soul of a Stormcloak soldier staggering forward. His warrior's tunic was coated with blood from his breast downward, as if he'd sustained a wound there. Dirt and blood had spattered across his face, which made me realize he'd just recently been in a battle. Considering how surprised he was to lay eyes on me, his soul couldn't have been a few days old within Sovngarde.

"Turn back, traveller!" he pleaded, stumbling through the mist into the safety of my Shout. "Terror waits within this mist. Many have braved the shadowed vale but vain is all courage against the peril that guards the way!"

The soldier finally tumbled forward on his arms. I carefully approached the soul and warily placed a hand on his ethereal shoulder. A cold embrace welcomed my hand. The soul felt like water, ready to break and flow into the sky, but remained formed as the terrified soldier. His beard was a dark, rich brown, which matched his eyes. The poor man wasn't even looking at me—he appeared stuck in his mind.

"Who are you?" I asked, hoping to jerk him from his visions.

The Stormcloak must have thought I'd been a shade to warn away. When he heard my voice, he calmed considerably and fell back onto his bottom. "Near Giants' Gap, in the gloom before dawn, we marched unsuspecting into the Imperials' trap. Then we stood and fought, our shield-wall defending until by dawn's light the Legion's ranks wavered. But I never knew if nights-end brought victory—a swift-flying arrow to Sovngarde carried me."

His words were almost lost on me, since he hadn't answered my question. Perhaps the shock was a bit much yet. "Giants' Gap? I haven't heard word of that battle yet."

The Stormcloak's shoulders sagged, so I tried again: "What's this mist?"

"I do not know, but none have passed through," admitted the soldier mournfully. Then he looked at me for the first time, eyes full of hope and pleading. "Can you lead the way to where Shor's Hall waits, beckoning us on to welcome long sought?"

It took me a minute to decipher his words, but when I did I nodded, hoping my Shouts wouldn't fail me along the way. "I'm heading there now. If you stick close you'll be all right."

"I'll try to hold to your hopeful purpose." The Stormcloak gripped my outstretched hand and let me heft him onto his feet. He didn't seem to notice the shivers his soul sent down my spine from the water-like contact. "Quickly, before this encompassing fog once more snares me in the World-Eater's net."

I didn't let go of his hand. I didn't want him to fade into the fog if I let go of him, and then it'd take a miracle for me to find him again. He didn't seem to mind as I Shouted a path for us, since he had lost himself in his visions and reverted to incessant mumbling that I didn't bother to pay attention to. Pains in my leg, arm and head began to return, so if anything I wanted him to be quiet.

Eventually, I managed to clear the fog away to reveal the first steps up the hill I'd seen when first entering Sovngarde. It wasn't far from Shor's Hall, but just to be certain I decided we needed to make a trek up the steps. The soldier didn't argue or refuse the direction.

Halfway up, the mist lifted. When I looked below, I could see the ebbing of the fog blocking the path of many other aimless souls. I had to grit my teeth and press on, and try to focus on getting to Shor's Hall. The soldier with me at least deserved a little time in the afterlife.

At the top of the hill was situated a Word Wall, crumpled and broken—a disastrous mess of stone. The Words of Power etched on its curved stone was rubbed away, never to be seen or interpreted again. I was so busy studying that I hadn't noticed the Stormcloak had released me and sprinted to the edge of the hill, near the Word Wall.

He was beaming at the sight of the Hall of Valour, content to stand on the precipice of the hill simply to marvel at the ancient structure.

I guess I left him to gawk at it for a little too long. Suddenly, the massive thrum of a growl loomed above us. Wingbeats boomed, echoing within the canyon. I tried to react; I leapt for the soldier, but Alduin stooped and with outstretched claws caught the soldier perched on the cliff. He screamed, more from surprise and mourning than pain. Alduin pulled his legs towards his belly and wrapped his wings around himself, then dove into the fog until he was no longer visible.

I tripped over a stone and fell hard against the rocks, hissing with pain and the new sting caused by Alduin. If I wouldn't look like a complete fool, I'd have hit the ground a few times. Instead I forced myself to glare at the spot Alduin disappeared, taking the lost soul with him to devour.

Dammit! I snarled in my head. Alduin...!

I all but leapt down into the void of fog down the stairs. Clearing the way with my Shout, I sprinted through the mist with renewed vigour, ready to deal what Alduin had coming to him.

But as I ran (limping, may I add), I came to realize that Alduin was different. First, he didn't immediately target me. The soul had become much more important to him, which meant he wasn't considering me a threat. Second, his underbelly and his leather wings were glowing orange like fire, no doubt caused by the poor Nord men and women who were sustaining him and making him stronger.

Alduin was much, much stronger than before. And I was weak.

Which meant Alduin was going to eat my ass if I wasn't careful.

I went around the left side of the hill, limping as I did, and suddenly more figures appeared within the mist. As I approached, I noticed that the man closest to me was wearing a very fine coat overtop a long-sleeved navy tunic. The poor Nord looked like he'd been pieced together. Well, quite well, at least by a loving hand, but there were seams in his skin that were still plenty visible.

Most notable about him though, beyond the puzzle-pieced limbs, was the gold crown sitting on his head, its centre infused with a ruby flanked by two emeralds. He had dark hair, a dark, short beard, and light brown eyes, but his gaze was lost in the mist.

I approached closer, and when I was in his proximity he looked at me sadly, resigned.

"When Ulfric Stormcloak, with savage Shout, sent me here, my sole regret was fair Elisif, left forlorn and weeping," the High King uttered dimly. "I faced him fearlessly—my fate inescapable, yet my honour unstained. Can Ulfric say the same?"

And then his eyes went back to the mist, as if I'd never been there. I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, hoping to stir him, and I did, however briefly.

"Beware!" Torygg added. "The World-Eater waits within the mist!"

Nothing more would garner a reaction from the man, so I moved on and hoped Alduin wouldn't discover the poor king before I could cut the Dragon's stupid glowing head off. And as I continued further in, closer to Shor's Hall, I could hear voices crying out. Men and women, all that fell in battles across Skyrim.

"Do you know the way? I'm weary and lost."

"Turn back! Before he finds you!"

"There is no escape. Courage is useless."

"In life I felled foes unnumbered, fearless in battle; but no blade can defend against the terror of this gloom-stricken valley."

Some of the voices ceased abruptly; others still called and tried their luck to find the Hall of Valour. I had to leave them all behind, and it sickened me. Before, doing the Dragonborn thing was a promise—now it was personal. All of the Nords, fighting on the side of the Imperials or the Stormcloaks, deserved at least a chance to enter Shor's Hall. Alduin was taking that away.

Which made me wonder...

"Kodlak?" I called, my first word that wasn't a Shout in a while (and which made me realize how hoarse my throat was). He'd been in Sovngarde for a while... "Hey! Kodlak!"

My pace picked up again. The pricks running up my leg stung, but it was bearable enough to keep moving. And I was so close to the Hall of Valour I couldn't afford to just lay down for a quick rest. After all, there was a Dragon looking to eat the souls of the dead, and one of the dead just happened to be—.

"Kodlak!" I hollered as I came around the bend of the hill. "Answer me!" Please don't tell me Alduin got him! Please don't!

"When I woke from cold death, my doom was lifted—there was Shor's Hall, my heart's desire. But now I wander, weary and lost."

I eagerly followed his murmured voice, hoping Alduin wouldn't hear it. I moved as quickly as my wounds would allow to find him, Shouting along the way to clear a temporary path.

And then I found him seated on a flat stone. His eyes were blue like the Sea of Ghosts; his hair a rich, dark brown. If he hadn't been wearing his signature Companion armour, I probably wouldn't have recognized him as quickly as I had. Like Torygg, he wasn't focused on me. His gaze was riveted to the pebbles under his feet.

"Kodlak!" I almost tripped as I hurried to him, relief spreading through me like wildfire. "Thank the gods you're—!"

"Alduin hunts me as we once hunted our prey—a bitter payment for many bloody deeds."

I clenched my fists, and without a moment's hesitation grabbed his hand and forced him to follow me. He felt like that soldier and Torygg; like water from a fountain about to burst away. And that time, I wasn't going to let go until we'd crossed the chasm into Shor's Hall.

I dragged Kodlak all the way to a bridge made exclusively of massive bones, which appeared to be the only way to the Hall of Valour. Now that we were fully out of the mist produced by Alduin, I realized that Kodlak had become just a bit more solid. He was blinking a bit more too, as if to clear his head.

A man that stood easily several feet above Kodlak (who was no short Nord in his right) stood bare-chested at the foot of the bridge. He was glowing with a gold aura, different from the other souls I'd seen, and the broad-set belt on his waist was old, if not ancient. Large bangles with heavy studs hung from his wrists, four on his right and two on his left. A tattered but durable leather cloth hung from his waist, under his belt, and his boots were made of fur with steel greaves that extended to his feet. There was an ancient-looking battleaxe strapped to his back, which appeared to be his weapon of choice. Made me wonder if his long, dirty-blonde hair ever got in the way of grabbing it.

"Kodlak Whitemane," he said in a deep, booming voice that echoed across the valley. "I have waited and watched for you, no longer in vain. But you are still snared within the worm's mist. You serve a purpose yet in this veiled land; this, Shor has decreed. You will then regain your honour."

Kodlak was directed to sit on a stone not far from the gigantic man, and he did so. I reluctantly let go of his hand, since the giant had made it clear Kodlak wasn't crossing quite yet.

"What brings you, wayfarer grim, to wander here in Sovngarde, soul's end, Shor's gift to honoured dead?" the spectre asked, honey-coloured eyes sizing me up.

At that point I was curious about him. I didn't remember him from anything I'd read or heard about Sovngarde. "Who are you?" I countered instead.

Proudly, the man declared, "I am Tsun, shield-thane to Shor. The Whalebone Bridge he bade me guard and winnow all those souls whose heroic end send them here, to Shor's lofty hall, where welcome well-earned awaits those I judge fit to join that fellowship of honour. I ask again: what brings you, wayfarer?"

I pointed at the massive structure that loomed behind the man. "I need to get inside."

"No shade are you, as usually here passes, but living, you dare the land of the dead," Tsun stated cordially. "By what right do you request entry?"

The right in which all the souls stuck in the mist are going to be eaten if you don't move! I figured I'd get my head bashed in with that one, so I decided on being blunt. "I'm the Dragonborn."

"Ah!" For the first time, something similar to a smile crossed the deity's lips. "It's been too long since I last faced a doom-driven hero of the Dragon Blood."

"So... I can go in, right?"

And that's when Tsun went back to frowning. "Living or dead, by decree of Shor, none may pass this perilous bridge 'til I judge them worthy by the warrior's test."

"Huh—?!"

Quick as a flash, Tsun's battleaxe was out and swinging towards my head. I stumbled backwards out of his reach, but in a few massive, speedy strides he was on me and smashing his battleaxe downwards. I whipped Dragonbane out of its sheathe and parried the blow away, then quickly hurried to my feet, fire surging in my left palm. Tsun, his face expressionless, swung his weapon again, once I'd dodged I shot the fire forward into Tsun's chest. The warrior appeared unhurt by the flames that singed his chest and shoved forward, tossing me onto my butt again. I kicked out and connected with whatever was beyond his loincloth, but he was again unaffected.

Eek! Balls of steel! I hurried away from him, but a huge, meaty hand grabbed my hood and yanked me back. Forgoing the magicka in my palm, I grabbed the hilt of Dragonbane and shoved it upward, under the ribs of the bridge-keeper. He paused, his battleaxe held with only one arm, and then the weapon drooped downward.

"You fought well," he said with a sword sticking out of him. "I find you worthy." In a swift motion, Tsun yanked Dragonbane out of his torso and handed it gently to me. "It is long since one of the living has entered here. May Shor's favour follow you and your errand."

So, while I was stupefied and watching Tsun, his wound healed. And it was really gross.

"Shor's favour has found you, Dragonborn," Tsun prompted, completely unaware of what I'd been staring at. "The Hall of Valour, heart's-ease, awaits."

I pointed at Kodlak. "But what about him? What'll you do?"

"To your father?" I almost cringed. I was still unused to thinking about him like that, much less having others call him that. "Shor has a mighty task for him. The coming battle will be great, for warriors with the power of the Voice. But also for those whose fates are tied to Aetherius."

I was hesitant to leave Kodlak behind, but I needed to look forward. I needed to cross the Whalebone Bridge. Alduin first, then Kodlak.

So I moved forward. And when I looked back, I saw Tsun with Kodlak. But the old Nord wasn't looking at the massive deity. Instead, Kodlak smiled at me. So I smiled back, and I hoped he'd be successful with whatever was being asked of him.

I was so close. It'd end soon.

I just hoped it'd end with our victory.