Guild of the Dragonborn
Chapter 5: A Friend in the Shadows

Disclaimer: I do not own The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, or any of the characters involved except the concepts of the Dragonborn and their guild mates.

It was a sunny day in Skyrim, the guild was spending time in their newly constructed Guild Hall. Hidirion was pouring over a tome when Shilaney appeared before him.

"gods Shilaney, I've asked you not to do that," He said with start.

"Apologies Hidirion, but it's very easy to sneak up on you when you're nose is so deep in your books," She replied with a sly smile, "Anyway, I came to give you this," She handed him a rolled up scroll.

Hidirion unfurled the piece revealing a letter addressed to the Guild.

Dragonborn Guild,

It has recently come to our attention that you have begun to operate as a group inside of Skyrim as a sort of Mercenary band, we wish to inform you of your true purpose in Skyrim, meet me in the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, ask for the attic room.

Sincerely,
A friend

"Well, this seems interesting, maybe this friend has some information on that black dragon and how it brought us all here," Hidirion said as he rolled the scroll shut again.

"Should I prepare some to investigate?" Shilaney asked him.

"Yes, that would be best," Hidirion told her, "Bring Hi'er'lek with you, he should be there to lead,"

"As you say," She bowed from the waist and disappeared from sight.

"I'll never understand how they do that," Hidirion muttered to himself as he resumed his reading.

Shilaney closed the door to Hidirion's room behind her as she entered the upper-floor of the main hall. She descended the staircase and saw Lili sitting at the table. She was currently pouring over a book.

"Yes Lady Shilaney?" She asked without looking up.

"I've been dispatched by Hidirion to investigate a strange rumor, and I'll need a follower," She said with a smile.

Lili closed the tome and burnt it with a simple fire spell before standing to follow Shilaney.

"You're not leaving without me," Andria said as she and Hi'er'lek entered the room.

"You're most welcome to along Andria," Shilaney told her. She looked to Hi'er'lek who nodded his understanding.

"We leave in an hour, gather your things," Hi'er'lek told the two girls.

They nodded and left the room, Hi'er'lek approached Shilaney, "So what's this rumor?"

She handed the letter to the Orc and he unfurled it to read, he took a lot longer than Hidirion and by the time he was done Andria and Lili had returned, ready to leave. He handed the scroll back to Shilaney and scoffed.

"I don't like the sounds of this, if they have information they should just come here and tell us,"

"That's why I'm coming, I'm used to this method of subterfuge," She said as she rolled the scroll up and put it in her belt pouch.

"So where are we headed?" Lili asked.

"To Riverwood, the Sleeping Giant Inn specifically," Shilaney said as she turned on her heel and walked through the front door.

The group met Shealin, Bord, and Shishinee as they returned from their mission, the trio wished them luck before heading inside for some well deserved rest. Shilaney led them over to the stables where the carriage driver waited patiently.

"We require your services," She said with a smile.

"Of course, where do you want to go?" He asked.

"Riverwood please,"

"Climb in back and we'll be off then,"

The group clamored up into the wagon and they set off.

"Nice day for a ride," He said as he whipped the reins.

The ride to Riverwood was quiet, the group was each wondering what this contact might have in store for them, all but Shilaney who was formulating a plan in her head as to what they should do upon their arrival. A few hours later the party was at the gates to Riverwood, disembarking off the carriage they thanked the driver and watched him turn around and leave.

Shilaney turned to her team and took a deep breath, "Alright. I think we should head to the Sleeping Giant Inn separately, the four of us together might draw too much attention. Hi'er'lek can go in first, followed by Andria and Lili. Don't associate with one another, Hi'er'lek, buy a drink or two while you wait on the girls, when they enter strike up a conversation with the barkeep about the attic room, I'll wait a minute after the girls enter and sneak in while everyone's distracted by your conversation and the two pretty girls that just walked in,"

Hi'er'lek nodded with a frown, "I still think they should've just told us what they wanted to say,"

The group split up, Shilaney pretended to examine a Hunting Bow hanging up in Alvor's shop while Lili and Andria stood against a support beam for the Riverwood Trader pretending to have a conversation about normal farm village subjects while Hi'er'lek walked into the Sleeping Giant Inn.

As he entered he noticed the barkeep gave him a quick glance before returning to his glass that he was cleaning, a few people were inside, they had a similar reaction to Hi'er'lek as the Barkeep. Hi'er'lek noticed the barmaid held his gaze a little longer than the others, but she quickly returned to collecting dishes. He walked past her and sat down at the bar, requesting their strongest mead. He slammed a few gold coins on the table and the Barkeep poured a tall glass of mead.

"Thank you barkeep," Hi'er'lek said as he took the mug and downed half of it in one gulp.

A few minutes later Lili and Andria walked in, continuing on their conversation without missing a beat. Hi'er'lek remembered the plan and looked to the barkeep.

"So, now that I've been here a while I think I need to get a room, you have one in the attic?" he asked.

The barkeep looked to the barmaid and she approached behind Hi'er'lek.

"I'm sorry, we don't have an attic room, but I can show you our open one," She signaled for him to follow her.

He stood up and noticed the door open a crack and mystically Shilaney seemed to materialize into a chair next to Andria. He nodded and followed the barmaid into an empty room.

"There you are, an empty bed, a dresser if you need it, yours for the night for ten gold," She said as she led himside and shut the door behind them.

"So you're the Dragonborn? Hi'er'lek right? The Orc?"

"Aye, I am Hi'er'lek, member of the Companions and Guild of the Dragonborn," He said in confirmation.

"I take it the three girls you brought with you are also Dragonborn?" She asked

"I only brought my-"

"Cut the act, I was there when you formulated your plan, I'll give you credit for trying to catch me by surprise,"

Hi'er'lek sighed "I'm not one for these acts, you'll want to talk to Shilaney," He said.

"Shilaney sounds like a Wood Elf name, she the one in charge?"

"You could say that," Hi'er'lek nodded toward the door, "I bet she's outside right now listening in,"

The barmaid turned around and opened the door to see Shilaney leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Come in, bring the other two with you as well," She said.

Shilaney signaled for Andria and Lili to join them in the room, once everyone was inside she shut the door again.

"Alright, if that's everyone?"

Shilaney nodded.

"Good, my name's Delphine, I'm a member of the Blades,"

"The who?" Hi'er'lek asked.

"The Blades, centuries ago we protected the Dragonborn and fought alongside them, but in recent times we've gone almost completely extinct, there might be a few of us left, including myself,"

"What do you want with us?" Shilaney asked.

"The Graybeards summoned you, but you haven't gone up to High Hrothgar yet, at least not from what my sources say, why?"

"We've been trying to find out information on the black dragon on our own,"

"And how's that working out?" Delphine crossed her arms impatiently.

"Not well, even our members who are students at the College had no information on it,"

"His name is Alduin, and he's the reasons Dragons are suddenly returning to Skyrim after centuries of being gone," Delphine told them.

"What?" Hi'er'lek asked.

"He's not bringing Dragons back from distant lands if that's what you're thinking, he's bringing them back to life, and the only way we can stop him is for you Dragonborn to do your jobs,"

"Which is?" Shilaney asked.

"Killing Dragons and absorbing their souls," Delphine told them.

As Lili went to say something screaming from outside the inn caught the group's attention. They all rushed out past Delphine leaving her flustered and confused. The group burst from the inn to see a Dragon in the air over Riverwood.

"Dragon! There's a Dragon attacking!" A woman screamed.

Shilaney drew her bow while Lili prepared a few spells.

"We'll bring it down with the guards, you two prepare to lay into it when that happens," Shilaney told Hi'er'lek and Andria.

They nodded and Shilaney ran off, finding a group of guards with bows aimed upward she joined them, lifting hers with the rest and directing their fire to make a rain of deadly arrows that quickly brought the dragon down to the ground in the street. Hi'er'lek, Andria, and a few other guards rushed toward the beast and began to lay into it with weapons. In a matter of seconds the Dragon was slain as it collapsed to the ground.

"Dovahkiin…" It whispered as it's body began to disintegrate and flow into Shilaney and Hi'er'lek.

"So, it seems that you really are who you say," Delphine told them as they approached the door, "Saves me having to get you to run an errand for me,"

"So, about the Dragons," Shilaney asked.

"Right, you better come back inside, not safe to talk out here," Delphine led them inside and shut the door.

The guards heaved on the dragon's skeletal body in an attempt to move it, to no avail.

"Maybe we should have those Dragonborn guys lift this thing," One guard said to the other.

"Yeah, you tell them that, see what they say,"