The village of Ivarstead was strangely lively and bustling, both in comparison to the other small villages Valkyrie and Serana had seen in their travels, and for a settlement built some ways off from what looked to be an ancient Nordic burial cairn. As the two rode into town atop their horses, past scattered acres of farmland, busy townsfolk paying them no mind, Valkyrie's eyes found themselves darting off in the distance. At the edge of the small town, a bridge built over the river, and beyond it a path that lead to the base of the Throat Of The World, up into the mountains. Valkyrie's nerves fluttered, as they did nearly every time the young woman tried to grasp the possibility of why exactly the events of her life had unfolded in such a manner.

"Hey," Serana's voice ripped Valkyrie out of her own inner monologue. "No time for nerves now. Destiny awaits."

Valkyrie nodded. "You're right," she relented. "Guess I can't stall any longer. Let's find somewhere to hitch up."

"You sure?" The vampire questioned. "It looks like a long hike to the top of the mountain."

"Mountain air isn't good for the horses," Valkyrie said, which prompted a chuckle from Serana. "Or," she added nervously. "So I've been told."

"You've warmed up to that thing much faster than you did to me," Serana said with a smirk. "I'm almost a little jealous."

"Jealous?" The Nord asked flatly.

"Almost," the vampire replied. "But you're right, we should leave the horses behind." She motioned to the bridge, where two men, a Nord and a Bosmer, stood at the edge chatting away. "Let's go ask these two if they know somewhere."

Valkyrie simply nodded. As the women rode closer to the men, she began to pick up on their conversation, suddenly more interested when she discovered the subject at hand. On your way up the seven thousand steps again, Klimmek? the Bosmer asked with a cheerful glint in his voice. Not today, the Nord responded with a sigh. I'm just not ready to make the climb to High Hrothgar. The path isn't safe. So this man was heading up the path into the mountains as well, or at least was supposed to. Valkyrie and Serana exchanged looks upon hearing this information, the men paying them no mind as they rode closer.

Aren't the Greybeards expecting some supplies? The Wood Elf questioned yet again, intriguing Valkyrie with each new sentence. Not only was this man following the path, but was apparently delivering supplies straight to the Greybeards. Honestly, I'm not certain, the Nord replied. I've never been let into the monastery. At last, it seemed Serana at least had grown tired of hearing the two talk and interjected herself into the conversation. "Gentlemen!" she said firmly. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but did I hear right? You were planning on making the trip up the mountain?"

"I was," the Nord named Klimmek said with a shrug. "Sadly, my legs simply aren't what they used to be."

"Sorry to hear that," Valkyrie finally spoke. "What exactly do you deliver to the Greybeards?"

"Mostly just food supplies. Dried fish, salted meats, things that stay fresh for a long time," the man said. "The monks tend not to get out much, if you catch my meaning."

"And in return?" the vampire asked.

"Well," the man paused. "It's kind of an understanding between us. It wouldn't feel right to charge them for some preserved food."

"I understand," Valkyrie nodded, before motioning to Serana. "We're actually making the pilgrimage for the first time."

"No kidding," the Elf finally said something. "I've never gone myself, but the stories people tell after they come back,"

"What can you tell us?" Serana asked. "About High Hrothgar, or the Greybeards?"

"I've been to the monastery many times," Klimmek said. "But I've never laid eyes on the Greybeards. Not that I'd want to. Being masters of the Voice, they could kill you with a single word." Both Valkyrie and Serana's eyes grew wide at the man's words. "Not that they would," he carefully backtracked. "They seem peaceful enough. I wouldn't want to provoke them, though."

"I've always thought it was odd that there's always a thick layer of clouds covering the peak of the mountain above the monastery," Gwilin said, giving his chin a scratch. "Not sure what's up there, but I bet the Greybeards know."

"We'll be sure to ask them," Serana said half sarcastically. There was no need to let these men know that Valkyrie had been summoned specifically to speak with the monks, as there was no way of knowing peoples' reactions. "So," she said, turning back to Klimmek. "Since you've walked the path so many times, anything specific we should watch out for on the way up?"

"The occasional pack of wolves," Klimmek shrugged. "But that's about it. To be honest, I'm dreading the climb. My legs are going to hate me for it."

"If you're making a delivery, we could do it," Valkyrie piped up. "Since we're headed up that way anyhow."

"If you could show us somewhere to stow or horses in the meantime," Serana added. "Mountain air isn't good for them, or so I've been told."

"That would be kind of you," Klimmek said. "Are you sure?"

"I think we can handle a few wolves," Valkyrie said, shooting Serana a smirk.

Hours passed. Valkyrie's legs ached horribly from climbing the stone pathway up the mountain, much of which was decayed away by time and, as she and Serana went higher, covered in snow. The further they ascended, the heavier the snowfall that seemed to follow them, eventually blocking away the sun and severely limiting visibility. The Nord's mind raced as the snow continually crunched beneath her feet, still doing her best to come to terms with the strange turn her life had taken. As if slaying an ancient, incredibly powerful vampire with ambitions of godhood after said beast had blocked out the sun itself weren't enough, she was being summoned by a mysterious group of monks that lived in an ancient monastery, and apparently possessed the power of dragons, all because she supposedly possessed the same power?

The whole thing made Valkyrie's head spin, and caused her to drift into her own head, almost walking the path subconsciously, so consumed with her own inner thoughts that she almost didn't notice the gruff, inhuman snarling just above her. Almost...

Valkyrie looked up, the heavy snowfall making it nearly impossible to make anything out, but the Nord just managed to recognize the large, angry frame of a frost troll, staring both herself and Serana down from atop a ridge in the stone. She instinctively put a hand on the hilt of her blade, readying herself for possible battle. The troll jumped down from the ridge, landing with enough mass that it shook the ground, almost knocking Valkyrie off balance, but she managed to stay on her feet. The troll growled, baring its blackened, uneven teeth at the two of them, who stood their ground, waiting for the monster to make the first move.

"Easy, boy," Valkyrie heard Serana say next to her. "Just walk away."

The vampire's words were poorly chosen, as the troll let out a thunderous roar, before leaping through the air, its inhumanly strong legs propelling it towards the two women, only to be knocked out of the air by a thunderbolt from Serana. Valkyrie drew her blade, readying herself for the troll to get back to its feet, which it did only a moment later, seemingly only angered by the vampire's attack. The beast charged again, making a swing at Valkyrie's midsection. It was big, and it was strong, but the troll was slow as well, and the Nord easily dodged its strike. The troll swiped again, and again, each time missing before the Nord finally came back with a stab of her blade. The troll attempted to block the attack, only to end up with a sword impaling its arm.

The beast roared with pain, and Valkyrie yanked the blade out, now summoning a fire in her free hand. She threw a steady stream of flames in the troll's direction, forcing it to back away as it frantically tried to escape the blaze. It was unable, eventually being pinned up against the ridge line by Valkyrie, who suddenly stopped her assault to swing with her sword once more, this one grazing the back of the troll's leg as it tried to flee. Valkyrie reared her blade back, ready to finish the battle as quickly as it had began, when she took notice of the monster's body.

The great beast had curled itself up on the ground, making a noise that almost sounded like a whimper, and of a sudden Valkyrie lost her appetite for battle. She sheathed her blade, earning a confused look from Serana. "What are you doing?" The vampire asked, returning to the Nord's side. "You have him right there."

"I know, but..." Valkyrie sighed. "Look at him. He's so pitiful like this, I kind of feel bad."

"You feel bad?" Serana asked, audibly confused. "This thing just tried to kill us!"

"Yes, I was there for that," the Nord said. "But it's not like fighting vampires. Or bandits. Or even hunting for food. This thing doesn't know any better." She paused for a moment, before turning to face Serana. "Do you think you could heal it? You're better with Restoration magic than I am."

The vampire squinted her eyes at the Nord, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Please tell me you're joking." Valkyrie only shrugged in response. "You do realize as soon as he's back at full strength, he'll just come at us again, right?"

"You don't know that," Valkyrie shot back. "And even if he does, at least I can say I gave him a chance to walk away."

"Somehow I doubt a mindless beast is going to comprehend that, but..." Serana rolled her eyes, a golden aura enveloping her hands. "If you insist."

Only a moment later, the creature's wounds, from sword and fire alike, were healed, and the troll quickly stood up, seemingly confused. Much to their surprise, it did not attack like Serana had predicted. Instead, it continued to keep its distance, until Valkyrie reached out a hand to the top of the beast's head, gently stroking its fur. The troll seemed to enjoy this, its breathing growing heavier and more excited. Valkyrie only chuckled, "See? You're not so bad after all, are you?"

"Did you actually just make friends with a troll?" Serana asked in disbelief.

"I guess I did," Valkyrie said, moving her hand to scratch underneath the troll's chin. "Look at him, he's like a giant puppy. I wonder if I can get him to roll over."

The vampire sighed, laying a hand on the Nord's shoulder. "I think that can wait until after we find the Greybeards, love. Don't you?"

"That's fair," Valkyrie relented. "Go on boy," she commanded to the troll. "Get out of here." Strangely enough, the troll complied, turning on its heel and climbing back up the ridge from where it initially attacked. Once it was gone and out of sight, Valkyrie turned to Serana. "Well, that happened."

"Why did you bother having me heal that thing?" The vampire asked, crossing her arms.

"It was just a beast, Serana," Valkyrie shrugged. "It was just following its instinct. To be fair, we were kind of trespassing on his territory to begin with."

"I guess, but that doesn't change the fact it tried to kill us both."

"And we promptly taught him not to do that," the Nord said proudly. "And you saw what happened after. He learned his lesson and left us alone."

"Feeling empathetic, are we?" Serana asked.

Valkyrie took a deep breath. "While we've been on the road, I've been thinking," she explained. "When I was with the Dawnguard, all I did was fight. I craved battle, I wanted to kill every last vampire I could get my hands on. And that led me into situations that might have been resolved peacefully, but instead led to bloodshed. I thought that was just my nature, being a Nord, but..." she sighed. "I was just angry. And now that Harkon's dead... that anger just isn't there anymore." She drew her blade once more, much of its surface brown and black with the coagulated blood of her enemies. "I know I'm going to have to fight again. And often," she shook her head and sheathed the weapon once more. "But if bloodshed and violence can be avoided, I'd rather go peacefully."

The snow had continued to fall with ever increasing weight, to the point that even Valkyrie's Nordic blood couldn't stop her from feeling the ache in her bones as the freezing air and relentless wind continued to batter her senses. Even Serana, to whom the most inhospitable cold was like nothing, found herself shivering slightly the further they went on. After walking, climbing, and hiking since the sun had risen, Valkyrie was absolutely exhausted, yet saw no end in sight, particularly now that the daylight was fading. Between the looming darkness and the unrelenting blizzard, the Nord could barely see where she was going, relying solely on her instincts not to accidentally walk off the edge of a cliff, or slip and break her neck on a patch of ice.

At last, Valkyrie finally relented to the screaming urges in her mind, and summoned a fire in her palms. She had no idea how much longer the path to the monastery wound on, but found herself thinking that running out of magicka was preferable to freezing to death. As the flames flickered in her hands, the welcome sensation of their heat on what little of Valkyrie's skin was exposed, the two continued to march on through the elements. And suddenly, the snowstorm seemed to simply disappear. No wind, no snow falling from the sky. The Nord was baffled, but was less so when she spied in the distance a temple, and what looked to be a very old one at that. There was no mistaking High Hrothgar.

"So," Serana said, wiping the snow off her clothes. "Seems the unending blizzard wasn't natural after all."

"What do you mean?" Valkyrie asked, her eyes still on the building.

"I mean I think it was put there magically," the vampire explained. "Maybe to ward off anyone with ill intent, or as a test for people making the pilgrimage."

"But the Greybeards are Nords, aren't they?" Valkyrie questioned, slowly stepping forward towards the temple. "And old ones. Why would they be using magic?"

"You're a Nord and you use magic," Serana quipped back. "Maybe you should just ask them."

They walked on towards the temple, its presence ever more imposing the closer they came, in Valkyrie's mind at least. Inside were a group of old men who could apparently kill a person merely by speaking. There were a set of stone stairs at the base of the monastery, leading up to what the Nord assumed was the main entrance, unassuming as it was, with an offering chest about halfway up, presumably where Klimmek would deliver supplies to the Greybeards. Just before the pair of them started up the steps, Valkyrie took notice of a great stone tablet, propped up next to the walls of the temple, strange symbols carved into its surface.

At least, Serana seemed to only comprehend them as foreign markings in an unknown tongue. "I wonder what this says," the vampire wondered out loud.

"What do you mean?" Valkyrie asked genuinely. "It seems pretty straightforward to me." She held up the light of her palm's fire to the stone, oblivious to the bewildered looks the vampire was giving her. The Nord began to read aloud, the markings on the tablet enthralling her in a way she couldn't quite understand. "Before the birth of Men, the Dragons ruled all Mundus. Their word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Need, for the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land." She turned to look back at Serana, who was bearing an expression Valkyrie had never seen before, what looked like a mix of concern, confusion, and disbelief.

"Keep going," was all the vampire said.

Valkyrie nodded. "Men were born and spread over the face of Mundus, and the Dragons presided over the crawling masses. Men were weak then, and had no Voice," she continued, growing ever more invested in the words in the stone. "But the fledgling spirits of Men were strong in Old Times. Unafraid to war with Dragons and their Voices. But the Dragons only shouted them down and broke their hearts."

"Sounds like it's referencing the Dragon War," Serana noted. "Interesting."

"The what?" Valkyrie asked, not taking her eyes off the stone. "Raised by Orcs, remember? I'm not really versed in ancient Nordic lore."

"I'll give you a history lesson later, just keep reading."

The Nord sighed, but complied. "Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man. Together they taught Men to use the Voice. Then Dragon War raged, Dragon against Tongue. Man prevailed, shouting Alduin out of the World, proving to all that their Voice too was strong, though their sacrifices were many fold." She stopped suddenly, a shiver running down her spine at the mention of this Alduin. Serana noticed, her expression immediately softening as she moved a bit closer to Valkyrie.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"That name," Valkyrie said softly. "Alduin. I feel like I've heard it before, but... I'm not sure."

"You did just have a dream about being devoured by a dragon," Serana reminded her. "Maybe they're connected?"

"I don't know. I hope not," the Nord breathed in deeply. "There's more here," she said, trying to remove her focus from the feeling of dread that permeated through her senses. "With roaring Tongues, the Sky-Children conquer, founding the First Empire with Sword and Voice. Whilst the Dragons withdrew from this World." Valkyrie and Serana exchanged looks, neither woman truly knowing what to make of the tale. "The Tongues at Red Mountain went away humbled," she continued. "Jurgen Windcaller began his Seven Year Meditation to understand how strong Voices could fail." She stopped once more. "Wait, who's Jurgen Windcaller? I feel like whoever wrote this skipped over a few things."

"Sounds like questions for the Greybeards, love," Serana said. "Anything more?"

"Yeah, here," Valkyrie said back. "Jurgen Windcaller chose silence and returned. The seventeen disputants could not shout Him down. Jurgen the Calm built his home on the Throat Of The World." She scoffed. "There they are again, missing things! I want to know what happened in between!" She turned to Serana, who calmly placed a hand on top of Valkyrie's head, only to forcefully turn her gaze back to the tablet.

"Focus please, Val," the vampire said.

The Nord rolled her eyes, but read on. "For all years silent, the Greybeards spoke one name. Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to Hrothgar. They blessed him and named him Dovahkiin." Valkyrie's eyes widened, she backed away slightly from the tablet. "Alright, that definitely stands out."

"Who's Tiber Septim?" Serana asked.

"You're the historian here," Valkyrie questioned the vampire. "Oh, right. Locked away for a thousand years."

"And I'm so lucky to have you to fill in the blanks," Serana said sarcastically. "But yeah, who was he?"

"Tiber Septim founded the Septim Empire," the Nord explained. "The current Empire based out of Cyrodiil, in case there was any confusion." The vampire only chuckled. "But he was a pretty important person. And the fact that the Greybeards of old summoned him, and now the new ones are summoning me, well..." she took a deep breath. "Kind of makes me want to curl up in a ball and hide."

"Can't say I blame you," Serana shook her head. "But it's a little too late to turn back now, isn't it?"

"I don't know," Valkyrie said in a half joking manner. "I don't see anyone with an Elder Scroll about to extinguish the sun, so..."

The vampire responded with a playful punch to the arm. "Was that the last of it?"

"No," the Nord said, turning back to the stone. "There's one more stanza here. The Voice is worship. Follow the Inner Path. Speak only in True Need." She stopped. "I don't get it."

"Neither do I," the vampire crossed her arms. "It's all very vague and wordy. Then again a lot of old texts usually are. Hopefully the Greybeards will be able to tell us more. But first," she turned to face Valkyrie, her expression suddenly gravely serious. "I have something I need to ask you."

Valkyrie leaned back slightly, nervous about what exactly was on Serana's mind. "And that is?"

"How is it that you can read these glyphs?" The vampire demanded, pointing at the stone tablet.

"I..." the Nord stumbled on her words. "I don't know."

"These markings aren't in any language I've ever seen or even heard of," Serana continued. "But you can read them as if you've been studying them for years."

"Indeed she can."

Both women were startled by a new voice, quickly turning around to see an old man standing at the base of the steps leading to the monastery. He was clad in lengthy grey robes, with a hood at the top that obscured nearly all of his face, save for, much to no one's surprise, a grey beard poking out. There was a short silence before the old man spoke again. "I apologize for frightening you," he said gently, bowing his head slightly. "But I must ask, why have you come all this way?"

Valkyrie and Serana exchanged glances, the vampire motioning for the Nord to step forward, which she finally relented. "I'm answering your summons," Valkyrie said. "I guess."

"Ah," the man said, a smile forming underneath his hood. "I suspected it was you we summoned when I saw you reading the etchings. Not many in this age are capable of such a feat."

"What language are these glyphs, anyway?" Valkyrie asked.

"All will be revealed in due time. But first, introductions," the old man bowed again, much more graciously than the first time, to which Valkyrie and Serana reciprocated. "I am master Arngeir. I speak for the Greybeards."

"Valkyrie," the young Nord said. "It's a privilege to meet you."

"And Serana," the vampire spoke up. "Equally privileged."

It was then that Angeir tensed up slightly. "Ah," he said. "Forgive my rudeness, but we did not expect our summoned to have... company."

"Is that going to be a problem?" Valkyrie asked, as politely as she could manage.

"Erm... well..." the old man scrambled. "By tradition, only the Greybeards and those they summon are allowed inside the temple. We do not typically allow..." he paused. "Outsiders inside."

"I see," the Nord said, looking at Serana. "I understand your traditions, but..." she stopped putting an arm around Serana's shoulder. "She's more than just company. This one and I have been through a lot together. Where I go, she goes. And vice versa." Arngeir shifted his gaze to the vampire, who simply shrugged. "So this isn't something I ask lightly, but... could you make an exception? Just this once?"

The old man sighed, seeming to give up strangely without much of a fight. "Very well," he sighed. "She may come inside. But I must consult with the other Greybeards about how long she will be allowed to stay."

"That's fair," Serana said, cutting off Valkyrie before the Nord could argue any further. "Thank you for this. I promise to treat your home with the respect it deserves while I'm here."

"I would hope so," Arngeir said, before turning back to his summoned. "Now then... Valkyrie," he turned away from them, beginning an ascent up the steps. "If you'll follow me. We have much to discuss."