Chapter Thirteen

"A dragon?" Farengar asked, eyes suddenly glowing with brightness. "How exciting! Where was it? What was it doing?"

"I'd take this a bit more seriously if I were you." Irileth snapped with annoyance. "The Jarl has requested our presence." Glancing at Erik and Alinja, she muttered, "You two should come too."

Irileth lead the nords out of the Court Wizard's quarters and towards the stairs to the second floor, gesturing to a Whiterun guard to follow. On the second floor, the Jarl and the steward, Proventus were waiting for the small party to arrive.

Jarl Balgruuf turned his attention to the guard. "So, Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?"

"Tell him what you told me," Irileth told the guard, "about the dragon."

"Uh…that's right." The guard stuttered, clearly shaken. "It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life…I thought it would have come after me for sure."

Balgruuf's face relaxed with slight pride. "Good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it." He turned his dull blue eyes to the dark elf. "Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there."

She smirked. "I've already ordered my men to muster near the main gate."

"Good, don't fail me." He tilted his head to Alinja and Erik. "There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friends. I need your help again." He raised his knuckle to his mouth in thought. "I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon. You've experienced firsthand a dragon up close, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I have instructed Proventus that you are now permitted to purchase property in the city. And please accept this," He handed the two of them two bags, "twenty-five hundred gold coins for each of you."

"Thank you—" Alinja started.

"Thank me when you survive this." Balgruuf interrupted.

Farengar suddenly stepped forward. "I should come along. I would very much like to see this dragon."

At that moment, Alinja made a movement to punch the wizard in his ignorant face, but was stopped my Erik.

"No," Balgruuf told him. "I can't afford to risk both of you. I need you here working on ways to defend the city against these dragons."

"As you command." Farengar replied, slightly disappointed, however he loyally and respectfully bowed his head.

Irileth, the nords and the husky were about to make their way down the stairs when they were stopped by the Jarl.

"One last thing, Irileth." He stood firmly with his legs slightly apart. His face was serious and focused. "This isn't a death or glory mission. I need to know what we're dealing with."

"Don't worry, my lord." Irileth crossed her arm over her chest as an act of loyalty. "I'm the very soul of caution."

With that, the Dunmer lead Alinja, Erik and Meeko out of Dragonsreach and to the front gates of Whiterun city. Several guards were stationed there, some holding torches. Irileth stood in front of the party she was about to lead and gave an inspirational speech, raising the spirits of her followers and giving them the courage they'll need to fight a dragon. As they made their way out of the city, Erik glanced at Alinja and noticed her frayed nerves.

"Don't worry, Ali," he reassured her, "we'll beat this beast and live to tell everyone about it."

"How can I not be worried?" She quarried. "Erik, I'm terrified. I'm not sure if I can…" memories of the nightmare flooded her mind, causing tears to well into her eyes. "I'm…not strong enough for this."

"You are." Erik said without hesitation. "You give yourself too little credit."

"Just promise me, you'll be there with me." Her voice lowered to a whisper to stop any water from falling from her eyes.

"I promise." He planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "I'll always be by your side." He gave her a warm smile and she couldn't help but smile back. It was all she could hope for.

"Thank you."

As the team neared the western watchtower, Irileth lead them behind a small hill to observe the damage. The tower was smoking heavily with thick, dark, black smoke and part of it was completely destroyed. Parts of the tower had crashed to the ground, with fire igniting the vegetation around blackened grass. A few bodies from the Whiterun guard were lying lifeless around the fire, some of their limps snapped off, blood decorating the fallen stones. Everything about the scene screamed destruction, danger and death. The atmospheric aura was a burst of terror that was clearly wisping into the minds of the guards witnessing the devastation. They shifted uncomfortably; some were looking away in dismay and fear.

Irileth shielded her eyes with her hand and observed the horrific scene. "There's no signs of any dragon now, but it sure looks like he's been here." She frowned. "Spread out and look for survivors." She ordered the group.

Alinja lead Erik and Meeko to just outside the tower and looked around the fallen stones for any signs of life. Suddenly, Meeko's ears pricked up and he barked once, running off towards the entrance to the tower and disappeared within it. Alinja and Erik went to follow him when they heard him barking loudly and constantly.

"What's wrong, boy?" Alinja asked.

"I think he's found something." Erik commented.

"Or someone." Irileth came up from behind them and made her way to the broken tower.

A guard came stumbled out of the tower, clutching his side. "Quick! Get undercover! It's still around here somewhere!"

"Guardsman!" Irileth said in an authoritative voice. "Tell me what happened. Where's this dragon? Quickly now!"

"I saw it happen!" The guard stammered. "Hroki and Tor just got taken!" He stumbled down the ramp from the entrance of the tower. Meeko's ears pricked up again suddenly and his nose raised into the air. He growled, anxiously. The guard looked at the dog and then followed his gaze to the sky. The colour drained from his face, sweat beaded at his brow and he began to shake in utter fear. "By Kynareth…" he whispered. "Here it comes again…"

"Here he comes!" Irileth shouted. "Make every arrow count!"

Alinja slowly raised her head to the sky, fear building inside her. The nightmare wouldn't leave her mind. It began to cloud her thoughts. Flashes of the black, red-eyed dragon shifted in front of the dragon that was hurtling down towards them. She suddenly found she couldn't move her legs. Her eyes were fixed on the creature, targeting her. She watched at its mouth opened and she remembered the black dragon's fire engulfing her. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't do anything. She couldn't do anything but watch death hurtle towards her.

"Get down!" Erik yelled, tackling her to the ground, just in time to avoid being incinerated by burning hot fire. The dragon roared deafeningly and gained altitude, preparing for another attack. "Alinja! Snap out of it!" She felt a stinging sensation on her right cheek and she jerked back to reality, looking at her surroundings with sudden focus. It took her a few seconds to realise she had been slapped.

"Erik?" She looked up at him.

"We have to fight if we want to stay alive!" He cried standing, and helping her to her feet. "Fight with me."

She watched him draw his sword and her eyebrows knitted together as she nodded at drew hers as well. Gripping the hilt tightly she forced her mind to clear the fear that was clouding her judgement and laid her eyes on the circling dragon, watching it and waiting for it to make a move to land. She snapped her head to her right when she heard the zap of lighting magic and saw Irileth using the sparks spell to try and provoke the dragon to get onto the ground level so that the rest of the men could attack it. The giant creature tilted its wings down and it began to prepare for a landing.

"Scatter!" The dark elf ordered and everyone split up as it landed with a loud crash, its feet imprinting deep marks on the ground which shook violently, causing some men to fall off balance.

The dragon raised its head and spoke, "Zu'u Mirmulnir! Zu'u fen krii joor! Niid Aaz!"

Alinja's eyes widened. She understood that! But before she could say anything, it opened it mouth.

"Yol Toor Shul!" As it shouted these words, fire ignited from within its throat and the tongues of flames poured out.

The group scattered again, but a few guards were not quick enough. The rest looked on in helpless horror as their comrades were burnt alive, skin blistering and popping like cooked beef; hair burning off, leaving large scabs in patches on their heads; Alinja almost choked with fearful disgust as their eyes literally melted out of their sockets, the liquid running down their faces. By the time they were dead, they looked like the shambling corpses of the draugr.

"Now! Get it while it's grounded!" Irileth yelled.

The men charged at it with full force. Alinja, Erik and Meeko joined the attack. Some attacked its back legs so it would be unable to take off into the sky again. However two guards went to the front of the dragon, attacking its head. Alinja ran to help attack its legs and sliced with all her might. She was surprised at how tough the hide was. She sliced once and it didn't even make a mark, but with the help of the guards around her, they were able to make it bleed. She glanced around for Erik and Meeko and saw that the dog was attacking the dragon's left wing. He gripped it with his teeth and tore and viciously as he could. The dragon only saw this as an annoyance and pushed out its wing, sending Meeko flying into a fallen part of the tower. He helped, blood trickling from his nose. The dragon raised its head and opened its mouth, about to set fire to the canine.

"No!" Erik yelled. He ran up to the dragon's chest and stabbed as hard as he could, piercing the softer hide, causing the dragon to roar in pain.

It turned its attention from Meeko to Erik, eyes blazing with anger. It snarled, revealing teeth the size of Alinja's forearm. Erik looked panicked for a few seconds, but forced himself to a braver and more concentrated expression. He gripped his sword and faced the dragon head on. Its head lunged forward and picked him up in its mouth. Terror was injected into Alinja's heart as the dragon let go, sending Erik flying against the side of the crumbling tower. To her utter relief, he was still alive, though his nose was bleeding, and he had a gash on neck. His ebony armour was resilient and saved his life.

Annoyed to see that its victim was still breathing, it opened its mouth to burn him, but a zap from Irileth's magic stopped it. The guards attacked it from all sides. Growing with irritation, the dragon spread its wings and flapped once, sending everyone around it flying off their feet. Alinja was to only one that was in a place where the wind could not get to her. With the distractions gone for now, the dragon turned back to Erik; who was panting from his wounds and was unable to get to his feet. He stared at the dragon and then glanced around for his sword which lay a few feet away. Alinja had to get its attention without getting pushed away immediately. She looked around for something to help her help Erik. Her eyes then lay on the tower. Breathing in, she sprinted to the entrance and into the tower.

Running up the spiral staircase, she reached the top and looked down at the dragon. The night's wind was chilly, and it whipped her hair around her face. Her long, brown braid flew in the wind and landed over her shoulder. Breathing out she took a leap of faith and jumped off the edge, hand gripping her sword tightly. The dragon—who was still focused on Erik—was about to incinerate him when Alinja landed heavily on its head, using the force from the fall to imbed her sword into its neck. The dragon reared back in pain and shook its head vigorously, trying to rid its attacker from its head, but Alinja held on tighter.

"You will not have him!" She cried and raised her sword, stabbing down on the side of its head. She bashed it with the pummel of her sword.

The dragon suddenly jerked its head back, smacking Alinja's face. Blood dripped from her nose, but she didn't give up. She gripped the horn of the dragon and heaved her sword into the dragon's eye. It screeched as liquid poured from its socket. Finally, she gripped the hilt and raised her sword high above her head and drove it down, sinking the blade deep into the creature's brain. The dragon groaned and sank to Nirn.

With its last breath it whispered, "Dovahkiin? Niid…"

Ripping her sword from her dead foe, she jumped off the dragon's head and ran straight to Erik.

"Erik!" She cried, worriedly. "Are you alright?"

He stood unsteadily and she dropped her weapon and came to his aid. He looked at her slight anger in his eyes.

"Don't ever do something like that again!" He breathed, clutching his bleeding neck. "You scared Oblivion out of me!"

"You're hurt," Alinja ignored him and reached into her pack and pulled out a healing potion. Uncorking it, she pressed it to his lips. "Drink."

He eyed her first before drinking the red liquid down. The wound on his neck stitched itself together and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry." Alinja said, looking down. "But in my nightmare, you were killed by a dragon. I won't let that become real."

Erik's eyes softened. "Thank you." He embraced her. "Thank you for saving me." A smile crossed his face. "Looks like I was the one who needed saving this time."

She suddenly looked around. "Meeko!" She called. "Meeko, come here."

The dog was lying on his side where the dragon had flung him. Hearing his name he struggled to get up, whining as he got to his feet. He yelped quietly and fell back over as he realised his back left leg was broken.

"Meeko!" Alinja ran over to him and searched her pack for another healing potion. She pulled the top off and opened the dog's mouth, pouring the liquid into his mouth. It took a little while before the dog was able to get up, but his leg was still bruised.

"That was the hairiest fight I've ever been in." Irileth was talking to a guard. "And I've been in more than a few."

Alinja turned and walked towards where Irileth was standing, next to the deceased dragon. She was about to congratulate her on a fight well fought when the dragon's body suddenly lit up. A fire made out of what looked like the golden rays of the sun itself engulfed the body.

"What's happening?" A guard asked with caution.

"Everyone get back!" Irileth commanded.

All the guards stepped back, but Alinja stood and stared with awe at the majesty and beauty of the flames. For a strange reason, she didn't feel afraid.

"Alinja, get back!" Erik went to pull her away when the flame flared up, making him step back and shield his eyes from the light.

And then a massive wind gusted the flames towards Alinja and she watched as it surrounded her. She breathed in and felt it fill her lungs. The flames…they weren't hot. She felt a certain power within her. Her eyes widened and she thrust her head to the night sky. Her mouth opened and a single word escaped from her mouth.

"Fus!" A transparent purple light forced itself out of her mouth.

And just like that, everything was normal again. She breathed in and out and looked around her. The guards' jaws hung open. Erik looked at their expressions and then back at Alinja.

Walking over to her he asked, "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I feel…" she looked up at him with glossy, deep blue eyes. "I feel better than I have before…" she wiped the blood away from her nose and noticed that it had stopped bleeding. She looked down at her hands. "I…I'm not sure what happened."

"I can't believe it…" a guard remarked, "you're…Dragonborn."

"Dragonborn?" Alinja asked. She had heard little about the Dragonborn. Only that they were an ancient warrior of some sort. "What do you mean?"

"In the ancient legends," the guard explained, "the Dragonborn was the ultimate dragon slayer. They would slay dragons and absorb their power. That's what you did just then, right? Absorbed the dragon's power?"

She shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure what happened to me."

"Well, you can Shout now, right? You couldn't before. That must mean you are Dragonborn."

"Dragonborn?" Another guard asked. "What are you talking about?"

"These were the ancient legends dating back to old Tiber Septim himself." A third guard said.

"I've never heard of Tiber Septim of killing any dragons." A fourth guard scoffed.

"There weren't any dragons back then, idiot." The first guard grumbled.

"What do you think, Irileth?" The fourth guard turned to face the elf who was standing back with her arms folded. "You're being awfully quiet."

"Hmph," she sighed, "you'd best keep your mouth shut than flapping your gums about things you don't even understand."

"You don't get it Housecarl," the first guard snapped, "you ain't a Nord."

Irileth looked surprised and angry. "I've been all across Tamriel! I've seen plenty of things just as outlandish as this." She walked forward and looked at the bones of the dragon. "Here's a dead dragon and that's something I definitely understand." She glanced at Alinja. "But I don't need some mythical Dragonborn, anyone who can put down a dragon is good enough for me." She finally turned to face her. "I don't know about this Dragonborn business, but I sure am glad you're on our side. Head back to Whiterun. The Jarl will want to know what happened here."

Alinja nodded and walked over to where Meeko was sitting. She lifted him up and the three of them headed back to Whiterun. As they were walking back, the ground suddenly shook slightly. She looked at Erik with a quizzical look on her face. Thunder clapped, although there were no clouds in the sky and then she heard it and she was sure that the whole of Skyrim heard it as well. A group of voices rang out into the air.

"DOVAHKIIN!"

*Dedicated to my cousin's dog, Missy. A gorgeous a friendly soul. May you Rest in Peace.*