Phoenix hadn't a clue what to do.

Alduin, the World-Eater, had reduced to a mere mortal weakened on the ground. He couldn't move, he could barely speak. She had half a mind to just leave him there to freeze to death, but she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

Her destiny to defeat this mighty dragon seemed to disintegrate.

The storm weakened, and her strength had begun to return.

Phoenix felt the strength of her Thu'um within her once again. The snow storm had weakened her to the level were a Shout would probably had reduced her to a weak mess on the freezing ground.

"LOK VAH KOOR!"

Suddenly, the clouds shifted, and gave in to her mighty Thu'um.

Now, she had only two problems. Alduin, and Paarthurnax's disappearance.

Phoenix decided to deal with the former. She headed over to Shadowmere and tugged his reins, gesturing him towards the nude Alduin unconscious on the ground. From one of the satchels attached to Shadowmere, she pulled out a pelt she often used as a sort of blanket. She carried it in case she decided to set up a camp – knowing that she wouldn't make it home in time to rest.

Hesitantly, she placed the pelt on to Alduin, and awkwardly wrapped it around him. Phoenix knew that she shouldn't be helping her arch nemesis, but his helpless form lying nude on the ground with no chance of surviving made her feel empathy for the evil dragon he usually was.

The moons were high in the sky. Thankfully enough, any signs of a snow storm seemed very unlikely.

Phoenix decided to set up camp. She took some bedrolls and tents from one of the bags attached to Shadowmere and had begun to fix up a small camp. She then took out a few logs of firewood and created a somewhat neat pile in the centre of the word wall.

Phoenix then cast a firebolt spell at the wood, sparking a small but warming camp fire.

What do I do with Alduin? she pondered, glancing at the unconscious man wrapped in a pelt beside the word wall.

She tried not to think about it as she dragged him along the ground towards the camp. Definitely not a preferred method, but she had no chance in Oblivion at picking up a man who was once a humungous dragon.

Finally, after a little bit of effort (and leaning on Shadowmere for support occasionally), she had managed to transport Alduin's limp, lifeless form to one of the sheltered bed rolls.

Phoenix herself lay down on the other bed roll, and fell into a deep sleep.

"Argh!" Phoenix cried, as a strong arm grabbed her harshly from her bed roll by her collar. She was forcefully tugged upwards, face-to-face with her arch nemesis.

Alduin.

"P- put me down!" she was shivering nervously.

"How DARE you!" the now-human World-Eater hissed, moving closer to her face – that now wore a terrified expression.

"P- please… I… it wasn't my intention!"

"Whether it was or not, Dovahkiin, this is still your doing!" Alduin hissed menacingly, spitting in her face. From the corner of her eye, she saw a short blade in his other hand. Her dagger.

"Hmmm… what would you prefer Dovahkiin? The easy way, or the hard way?"

Phoenix ignored him, and struggled desperately in his grip. "Let me go!"

"I'll take that as the hard way, then," he grinned devilishly, baring his beast-like teeth. The dagger was swung toward her, before it plunged into…

Phoenix shot up from her bedroll, but managed to prevent herself from screaming. Another nightmare, she thought. Her first instinct was checking her dagger was still at her side - thank the Divines it was.

Although it was still prominently night, Masser was now low in the sky, Secunda trailing behind. It a few short hours, daylight would come and she would be expected back home soon by her impatient steward, Marcurio.

"Dovahkiin!"

Oh, there was that problem, too.

"What have you done to me, foolish joor?!"

Phoenix turned around, expecting a horrible beastly man or a weird cross-species between a Nord and an Argonian. By Akatosh, she was wrong.

The only time she had seen him properly was during the intense blizzard, and the most she had seen of him was a glint of a vampire-like eye. Stood before her, however, was a towering male – most comparable to a Nord. He had ebony black hair that surpassed his broad shoulders. His face was seemed to have a constantly-unimpressed expression, enhanced by his gaunt cheeks and jaw. His long and angular nose gave the impression that he was looking down his nose on her – which he probably was anyway. A pair of soft lips were thinned in a hateful expression, parallel to his body language. A lean body, although somewhat struggling to stand on their new mortal legs, faced Phoenix directly – as if to challenge her. Besides her evil glares and spiteful attitude, she could not deny that this human Alduin was one of the most attractive men she had ever encountered.

Thank the Divines I gave him that pelt, she thought as she acknowledged the single pelt wrapped around his frame.

Still struggling to move on these new human legs, Alduin practically waddled towards Phoenix, who had an expectant eyebrow raised. If he attempted to attack her, she had no problem with defending herself – especially against Alduin.

"Oh mighty Alduin!" she exclaimed sarcastically. "You have come to challenge me?"

"Challenge? Arrogant mortal, you are no challenge for the First Born of Akatosh!"

"Would your new mortal form say the same? Look at you, the all-powerful Alduin, and you can barely walk more than three steps!"

"Ignorant joor, your soul will be mine!" Alduin stood a foot from Phoenix. Strong hands reached for her neck. Her dagger was unsheathed, ready to retaliate.

Nothing.

Alduin wobbled awkwardly on his legs, before helplessly collapsing.

In Phoenix's arms, that is.

She barely managed to stay on two feet as the angry Dovah had fallen.

She immediately shoved him off, before the unintentional situation got any more awkward.

Phoenix considered the situation, quickly drowning out what had just happened. "Look, Bane of Kings. My destiny is to defeat you in a battle between Dovah and Dovahkiin. I will be seen as an ultimate failure if the way I defeated you was by leaving your mortal form out to die – but your lack of cooperation will give me no other choice. As much as we both despise the idea, you can either come with me and stop trying to kill me, or I'll leave you here to be eaten by a bear or something."

Alduin gave her a deadly glare.

"So, what will it be?"

A/N: My vision of Alduin in this fic is a portrayal of a human Alduin by RisingMonster on DeviantArt. If you want more of an idea of what this particular Alduin looks like, I would check that out :3