Hey, guys! Here's the second chapter to Blackheart. I hope you enjoy! Please review! :)
Ch. 2
—Fadrielindë's POV—
My head is pounding. What happened? I slowly open my eyes. A piercing white light shines down into my eyes, making my head pound even harder. I decide against keeping my eyes open and rely on my other senses to find out what is happening. I think back…what do I remember last? I remember Whiterun. Yes, I went to the Jarl for something. I strain, searching for the memory in my mind. Ah, I trapped Odahviing in Dragonsreach. He flew me to Sovngarde! I find the memory and replay it in my mind, watching it unfold, but this time as an outsider.
I was on my way to kill Alduin The World Eater. After fighting hundreds of Draugr and dragons, I had finally reached Alduin's domain. I remember gripping the Mace of Malog Bal, my preferred weapon, and flames engulfing my other hand, preparing to burn whoever got in my way. I cautiously crept up to the Word Wall before me. My vision blurred around the edges. All I could see were the bright burning letters of a new Thu'um I had not yet learned. I absorbed the word, loving how it felt on my tongue. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the thunderous sound of flapping wings, and I found Alduin was before me. With my heart pounding, I raised my hands and prepared to use my new Thu'um on him. But he screeched, the horrid sound filling my head. I covered my ears to stop the ear piercing shriek. I felt the ground shaking beneath me and the floor shattered. I raised my eyes to meet Alduin's, deep black and soulless, and began to fall as I see them burn red. His booming voice formed new words in the dragon language, words I had never heard. I felt myself plummeting down in the blackness beneath me. I looked up and only blackness greeted me. Panicked, I tried to summon Odahviing, but the Thu'um won't come out of my throat. My vision blurred as everything went black.
My eyes shoot open and try to adjust to the bright light above me. My head is killing me and I find it even harder to focus on anything. I probably should've saved my energy, using it to fight instead of conjuring up a memory. I try to sit up, but a sharp stabbing pain shoots through my entire body. I groan and lay down once more. Looking down at my body, I see I am still wearing my Nightingale armor, but the Mace is no where to be found. Also, my gauntlets have been removed and strange tubes are connected to my hands. I look to my left, following the tubes with my eyes, and see a metal pole from which a bag filled with a clear liquid dangles. I rip the tubes out of my hand, ignoring the pain. Trying to clear my head, I squeeze my eyes shut and massage my temples. Out of nowhere, a smooth voice speaks directly next to me.
"Ah, you are finally awake." I jump up and have the speaker in a chokehold before I even realize it. My hand, full of flames, is inches from his face. One must know never to sneak up on me, a master of stealth. From behind, I see that the man towers over me. He has shoulder length hair, black as night. His skin resembles the color of porcelain. I know I am in no shape to fight right now; my head feels like it might explode and I barely have any energy left. The man puts his hands up in a sign of surrender.
"I mean you no harm." His voice is that of velvet. I can tell by the tone and infliction of his voice that he is experienced in the telling of lies. I do not believe him, but I am so weak, if he decides to harm me, I won't be able to defend myself as well as I normally can. I release him and the flames from my hand disappear.
"Who are y—" I start to demand, but my voice catches as he turns around.
I find myself looking into a pair of dark green eyes. I feel like I am enveloped in his gaze. I tear my eyes away. His features are sharp and angular. He is wearing armor I have never seen in all of my adventures in Tamriel. It is the same color as his eyes, accented with gold and black. I bring my gaze back up to his face as he speaks.
—Loki's POV—
Her eyes. I have never seen anything like them. Piercing bright green, the vibrant color of emeralds, the greenest eyes I have ever seen. I see wisdom, pain, loss, and strength in her eyes. I chide myself for thinking of this woman as beautiful. I am alarmed at how quickly she attacked me. She is obviously trained in battle. And those flames coming from her hand; she must be a mage as well. The flames confirmed my belief that she is not of Earth. I can tell she is trying to remain strong despite the obvious pain she is in. Her eyes narrow as she waits for me to answer her question. I bow deeply before answering. If I am to use her to help me, I need her to trust me.
"I am Loki," I tell her. She studies my face, probably to see if I am lying. "I can tell you are in pain, if you would like to sit down." I gesture to a chair on the opposite wall of the room. She regards me cautiously, still in a defensive stance.
"I am fine standing. I have been in worse pain," she says coldly. She has a light but confident voice with an odd accent. She examines the room we are in. "Where am I?" she asks.
"We are in an underground bunker," I reply. She narrows her eyes.
"Bunker?" she asks.
"It is basically a facility underground made to protect its resident from any dangers up above," I say. She is looking around cautiously, taking in her surroundings. Before she can ask another question, I ask her, "What is your name?" She looks back to me as she answers.
"Fadrielindë," she answers. Certainly not from Earth.
"Where are you from?" I ask. She looks puzzled, as if I should already know the answer.
—Fadrielindë's POV—
I have never been more confused. Not even when I found out I was the Dragonborn. This Loki man's questions puzzle me. I am not what the Nords would call "big headed", but he should know who I am. I am known all over Tamriel. Loki stares at me, waiting for me to answer. "I was born in the Imperial City, but I have been in Skyrim for quite some time now," I say carefully. I do not know what game this man is playing, but I want no part in it. I know something is amiss, I just cannot place my finger on it. Loki has a blank look on his face.
"Imperial City? Skyrim?" he says slowly. "I am afraid I do not follow." What? Loki clears his throat and shifts his feet. "Fadrielindë," he pauses. "From what planet are you?" he finishes. I furrow my brow.
"Planet? You have never heard of Cyrodil or Skyrim?" His face remains blank. "You do not know of Tamriel? Or Nirn?" No reaction. I shake my head incredulously. How can he not know? Loki takes a deep breath.
"Listen, Fadrielindë, you are not in Tamriel. You are on Earth," he tells me slowly.
"Earth?" I ask. Another planet? What did Alduin's Thu'um do to me? Loki opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. He must be thinking. After a few minutes pass, he finally speaks.
"Think of Earth as another land. You are from…Nirn, is it?" I nod. "Nirn is just one of many lands in the universe. Earth is one of them." I think about this.
"Are you from Earth?" I ask him, trying to figure this all out. He shakes his head.
"No, I am from Asgard. Well, I was raised there. I was born in Jotunheim," he replies. He must see the blank stare on my face because he explains more. "Somehow, you were transported from your land to Earth. I found you last night falling from the sky from a beam of light." I nod.
"Yes, I remember falling," I reply.
"Do you remember what happened before you fell?" he inquires. I nod my head slowly. "Can you tell me?" he asks. I consider his question. It will take more of my energy, but it will be easier for him to understand this way.
"No," I reply after some time. "But I can show you." His features contort into confusion. I sit on the medical bed and gesture for him to sit facing me. I place my hands on either side of his face. "This will be a little disorienting, but it will help you understand," I say, noticing his nervousness. I close my eyes and conjure up the memory of Sovngarde.
—Loki's POV—
My eyes roll back and suddenly my mind is filled with memories of an odd place I have never seen. Swirling fog surrounds me, making it difficult to discern what is happening. The fog clears and I see Fadrielindë standing next to me. We are in a giant tomb-like structure, like an ancient mausoleum. I look in front of me and do a double take as I see another Fadrielindë crouching in a corner holding the Mace with one hand and flames in the other hand. She has her helmet on and is sneaking up on a zombie-looking creature. I look at the Fadrielindë next to me. She is smirking at me.
"We are in my mind right now, reliving my memory of what happened before I fell to Earth," she says. She studies my face for my reaction. I can tell she takes pleasure in my confusion. I almost hate her for it.
"How are you able to do this?" I ask, watching the memory Fadrielindë slay a dozen zombie creatures at once. I hate to admit it, but her combat skills are incredible!
"I have always been able to relive my memories in my own mind. It was not until quite recently that I found that I am able to project my memories into the minds of others as well," she replies. She is watching the other Fadrielindë sneak up behind a creature. She shoots flames at it, catching it on fire. At the same time, she strikes the creature on the head with her Mace. A purple aura is absorbed by the Mace and is transferred into an oblong stone. I look at the real Fadrielindë questioningly.
"It is a soul gem. Sometimes when I make a very fast kill, the creature's soul is absorbed by my Mace and is preserved in a soul gem until I need it to recharge my weapon," she explains. She points at the past Fadrielindë. The memory Fadrielindë creeps through a large doorway into a huge chamber. There is a strange wall with odd engravings.
"What is that wall?" I ask. I hate asking questions, but my curiosity of this strange place gets the better of me.
"It is a Word Wall." She watches herself absorb a bright white light emitted by an etching in the wall. They seem to be letters of some kind. Fadrielindë elaborates, "Most people have no use for Word Walls, but I use them to learn new Thu'ums by absorbing the words."
"What is a Thu'um?" I give up on trying not to ask questions. She gazes into my eyes.
"A Thu'um is what those with the Voice use to create powerful magic. Each Thu'um does something different." I watch in shock as a huge black beast flies above the unsuspecting past Fadrielindë and lands directly in front of her.
"That is Alduin, the World-Eater," she says, her voice full of fear.
"Is he…a dragon?" I ask. "I have never seen a dragon; I have only read about them."
Fadrielindë's face hardens.
"Yes. He is a dragon." She watches as the memory Fadrielindë falls through the crumbling floor as Alduin shouts at her in a language unbeknownst to me. A wave of white light shoots from Alduin's mouth as he speaks and hits the past Fadrielindë. I watch in horror as she tumbles through the air, desperately trying to grab at anything to stop her descent. The memory warps and fades, and I find myself sitting on the hospital bed once more. Fadrielindë's hands leave my face. She looks exhausted.
"And that is what happened before I fell," she says, trying to keep her voice light. I have so many questions, but the first is—
"Who are you?" I know she possesses powers that no ordinary mage possesses. Fadrielindë swallows. A long moment passes before she speaks.
"I am the Dovahkiin," she says finally. She says the word so importantly that I feel foolish for having to ask what a 'Dovahkiin' is. "Dovahkiin translates to Dragonborn," she answers. "It means…that I have the heart of a mortal, but the soul of a dragon." I furrow my brow. How interesting.
"The soul of a dragon?" I ask, fascinated by this strange woman. "What exactly does that entail?" Fadrielindë seems unwilling to answer. She opens her mouth but says nothing.
After a long while she says, "It would be easier to show you, but I do not have much energy left." She does look exhausted. "Let me rest, and I promise that I will explain everything later."
"As you wish," I reply and stand up from the bed.
"Wait."
I turn around to face her.
"I will only explain after you have told me about yourself and why I am here," she says, trying to keep her eyes open.
I open my mouth to explain everything to her, but she interrupts me.
"After I rest," she says, smiling. I take my leave and return to the main chamber where the Tesseract is being held. I hate to admit it, but I actually kind of like her.