-Chapter XIII- Everything Starts With Nothing

-Windhelm, Skyrim

-24 First Seed

-6:30 A.M.

-Nicholas

"Dammit where are you?! Come out now!" I demanded angrily. I had spent the past hour searching for the dragon, who seemed to randomly disappear sometime throughout the night. Ever since I had waken up that morn I had thought I had searched the entire room at least twice. I was stopped mid-search by a knock on the door.

"Nick, what's wrong?" Rayman asked, poking his head through the door.

"It's that stupid dragon! He seems to have just..." I trailed off, continuing my search.

"...disappeared?" There was a brief silence until Rayman broke it again. "Nicholas, are you all right? You're all sweaty and red." I realized he had noticed my sunburn.

"Yeah." He began to laugh, and I looked over my shoulder to see him have a big smile on his face. "What?" I asked. He looked at me, hesitant as to whether he should say or not. "What?" I repeated, this time somewhat more aggressive.

He pointed up. "I guess things aren't exactly looking up for ya, eh?"

"Huh?" I asked, following his finger to where he pointed on the ceiling, where the small dragon was with bright eyes as he tightly gripped it with his sharp, ebony-like claws. "Why you stealthy son of a bitch." I said with a lighthearted laugh.

"It took you an hour to find him?"

The dragon flew to me, landing in my arms, and then innocently gazing up at me in wonder. "Yeah, and it took you ten seconds. You want to fight about it?" I asked with a grin.

He broke a smile, "anytime."

I followed him to the mead hall, where Ulfric and Saria awaited me. Ulfric was as chipper as ever. Saria, however, was groggy, and seemingly exhausted. "Good morn to you, young Swiftsword." Ulfric called to me upon noticing my arrival.

"And to you, kinsman." I replied.

"Do you have any plans of what you and Saria might do on this day?" he asked, getting up from his throne.

"Not that I know of." I looked over to her for confirmation, to which, she wordlessly shrugged.

"Saria tells me that she feels that her current weapon of choice isn't for her."

"I might have said something of that sort."

"In that case!" he said excitedly, leaning close to me, handing me a bulky coin purse, "here you are." he said in a whisper.

"What is this for?"

"Saria."

"I'm sorry?"

"Go out into the market, and see if you can't find her a weapon that you believe would suit her better than her dagger." I noticed the dragon got up from my arms, and climbed up my tunic until he was firmly perched up on my shoulder. "Oh, and have you thought about what to name this one?"

"Not...really. I don't know, Stealth or something."

He gave a confused look. "Stealth?"

"It's a long story."

"No it isn't." Rayman said, walking past us.

"Yes it is." I said to him.

"What?" Ulfric asked.

"See, no one understands you, Rayman. Other than me, of course."

"Yeah, but you could still tell them about the hour you spent searching for him." Rayman said.

"Or I couldn't." I retorted.

"Nicholas." Ulfric got my attention by grabbing my shoulder and turning me back to him. "Just take this, find her a different weapon." He took my hand, and I opened my palm for him to place the purse on. I looked at him, and gratefully bowed.

"Thank you, Ulfric."

"Why are we out here again?" Saria asked as we browsed the weapons market near the cemetery.

"We need to find you a new weapon." I replied.

"What makes you say that?"

"Somebody told me that you don't think your dagger is right for you, and even I could tell."

"How so?" she asked, rubbing her sore sunburn again.

"Just how you wielded it seemed strange to me. I think you'd be better with a bow, perhaps." I told her, motioning her to follow me to a stand that sold a plethora of bows with vast abundance of arrows in quivers corresponding to the race of craftsman of the arrow.

"Ooh..." she said agape as we neared the vendor, who was a dark elf sitting on a barrel up against the wall of Windhelm.

"Whatcha' got an eye for?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"What's this one?" she asked, picking up a large, black bow with red accents running up and down it.

"Ah, expensive taste, I see..." he said with a genuinely happy grin. "That is a daedric bow."

She set it down shortly after his words of "expensive taste", then quickly saw another one that caught her eye. "And this one?" It was another large black one, but one that shone silver in the sunlight.

"That is an ebony bow. Not much Nords or elves care for this sort of weaponry...it's either the cheapest or the most effective with them."

"If you want the daedric bow I can probably figure something out." I whispered in Saria's ear as she continued to inspect the ebony one.

"No, I think I like this one." She turned back to the vendor, and continued to query about it. I quickly and discreetly opened the purse to see how much was in it. I was surprised to see a gold bar, which was easily worth three-hundred septims, and a good quantity of the smaller coins along with it. "How much for this one?"

He broke a smile, "five-hundred septims."

I walked up to the stall. I set an elbow on the counter and made my own offer. "How about a bar, and you throw in one-hundred arrows?"

He laughed, "I always did like haggling..." he leaned closer to me, "when I was the one buying. Five-hundred septims, and no arrows."

"All right, good luck finding another buyer for it. How long have you had it? Since the First Era?" I asked.

"Oh, you're just like your father, ain't ya? All right, the bar, one-hundred, and I'll give you an arrow for every two septims."

"The gold bar and one-hundred and fifty septims for the bow and one-hundred and fifty ebony arrows."

"Make the arrows dwemer and you've got a deal." he said, reaching out an arm. I took it, and we shook hands in a deal.

As Saria and I left the market square, she happily looked over the bow, and had the dwarven quiver and arrows strapped to her back quicker than I thought possible. We continued to walk away, she kept saying graciously "Thank you so much, Nick!"

We re-entered the Palace of the Kings, and were quickly met by Ulfric. "Did you find anything?" he asked me quietly.

"Ulfric!" Saria called happily from the mead hall.

"Does that answer?" I couldn't help but break a smile. "I thank you, Ulfric. Here's what's left over. I did my best to save as much as I could to bring back."

He waved a hand in declination, "you need not worry about such things, Nicholas. You'll need that much more than I, I can guarantee." Ulfric and I headed to the mead hall, where Saria was showing her bow to Rayman, who had Stealth sleeping outstretched on his nose.

"Also, Ulfric...I'd like to ask you if you know of any work that we might be able to do?" I asked as I was joined by Rayman and Saria. Stealth awoke from Rayman's large nose, and fell to the ground, landing on his feet, and climbed up my pants and tunic back to my shoulder.

He smiled. "I thought you might ask that. I've only got one favor, but I highly doubt you'd be willing."

"What is it?"

"Well, recently our apple shipments have been sparse, and I thought you might be willing to do me a favor and check up on our larger source, Ponyville, Equestria."

"What?"

"Apparently, rumor has it that a large force field has surrounded it, possibly a spell of some sort, and if you'd be willing to help Ponyville by freeing them."

I gave him a look of confusion. "You're kidding, right?" He wordlessly shook his head. "Anything else?"

"I also foresaw that." he chuckled. "Well, the nearest work I've found that may be of importance is from one of my business friends. The President of the United States."

"America?" Saria asked in shock.

Ulfric nodded. "If you want, I'll be able to set up the trip there."

I looked to Saria and Rayman. Saria looked to me for my answer with an expressionless face while Rayman smiled and nodded. I looked at Stealth, still perched on my shoulder. He looked at me with his typical innocent look, and rubbed his scaly face against mine. My face tingled where he rubbed, and I finally turned to Ulfric, "We'll do it."

The next morning we were preparing to leave, Saria and Rayman were already on the ferry to America, and I was still in the mead hall. "Thank you, Ulfric. For all that you have done."

"It was no trouble, young Swiftsword. And please, come back anytime you feel the need." He bowed his head, and returned to his throne.

I turned to the large double-door, and headed to it to join Saria and Rayman with Stealth on my shoulder. As I walked away, I noticed something at the corner of my eye, some sort of movement. I turned to the long table to see him sitting next to where I stood. I looked over to Ulfric, and he turned back to me, "What's the matter?"

I returned my gaze to the table, realizing I was the only one who saw him. "Nothing." I told Ulfric. My blood turned to ice as I began to walk to the door again. It was him, again. Just as he was by the door to my room when Stealth hatched.

Max.