Morndas, 20th of Last Seed. 4E 211
Ysara had to admit, she was shocked when Ulfric designated one of his men to her. It had also conflicted with her, what if they man died on her watch? She'd feel guilty, knowing that there's a possibility that he'll die and never return to his family.
Not like her, only if she was truly close with her family.
She had conjured some magic she had learned throughout the years, one that could make her tell the time. 3:04am. She sighed, snuggling up against the thick blanket. The road to Riften would be a day and a half journey, so it wouldn't be as bad as some adventures she's had to take. Hell, she walked from Black Marsh to Skyrim. She still had a bit of time to sleep, an hour or two at most. Dozing off at most, she was able to gather an hour more of sleep before she inevitably decided to rise from the bed.
Her nightgown had risen up her thighs as she stretched her arms open with a yawn. She was happy she was going to be out of the cold, Argonians were terribly weak to cold. And being Dragonborn didn't make her immune to the frostbite chill of Windhelm's or Winterhold's weather. Usually she'd have to use a spell to keep her warm enough or cloth herself warmly.
Luckily there had been a fireplace placed there that would keep her throughout the night. She had begun to get ready for the journey, suiting up in her armor that she would need for the long mission ahead. Only six settlements, surely we clear them out before he signal the dragons to attack.
It hadn't been sunrise yet when she finally got dressed in her armor, strapping the katana to her hip. She felt a hint of anxiousness in her stomach, remembering that she would not be doing this alone. The soldier who had been in high regard and rank, Vidrak, was joining her to save Skyrim.
Again.
Ysara was not used to having people accompany her on her journeys. She didn't have any aid back then besides the Blades and Greybeards . She was alone when she slayed multiple dragons, alone when she would camp out at night to stay warm. Alone when she would be seriously injured and had to patch herself up at night all alone.
She was used to being alone, and she somewhat liked it that way because people wouldn't slow her down, or get themselves killed because of her. Even if the person that was traveling with her was a very attractive Nordic man, she wasn't willing to have another burden fall on her shoulders.
Even if that burden happened to be a handsome man.
Being from the Black Marsh, she didn't have many close friends or lovers. She wasn't the kind of girl men were into. Yes, she was fierce in combat; but she didn't want to be a housewife or a mother, which most Argonian men were after in her experience. They weren't after women like her, ones who loved to be a scholar with their head in a book or an adventurous one. For Akatosh's sake, she skipped a culture festival so that she could read one of her favorite book series that had gotten published that day. She's never been discriminatory towards other races of men, in fact; it was a young Redguard who had also been traveling that had taken her virginity when she traveled from Black Marsh, it had been a one and done thing considering she never saw the man again.
It has been awhile since she's had a man bed her…
Ysara shook her head, she would not allow intrusive thoughts to cloud her mind. She must stay focused on the task. The sunrise had taken its place in the guest room window, alerting her that it was time to get going and save Skyrim again.
Stepping out of the room, the halls of the Palace of the Kings were eerily empty. She had walked along the old, aged hallway spotting the exit to the room where they planned the mission, she had stopped in her tracks when two male voices overlapped each other, as if they were in a minor dispute.
She had hid behind the door, silencing herself to eavesdrop on what the men were speaking about, their voices obviously belonging to Ulfric and his soldier, Vidrak.
"I know this may be a lot for you, son. But I know you are the only soldier I can count on." Ulfric's stern voice rang from his mouth. "I trust you will be able to handle yourself?"
There was a pause before she heard Vidrak's voice. "Of course, my king. I will not let you down. But I must ask," There was another pause. "Is the Dragonborn adamant about my aid in this cause? Will there be a strained relationship between her and I?"
"She was hesitant at first when I first spoke to her about sending you with her, her only complaint was that she didn't want to be the reason if you were to perish. It's an understandable reaction. She is a good hearted woman, she'll come around."
"And the troops, my king? Who will take my place in leading them?"
"Captain Frilar will assume the position in your absence. I have everything under control, Vidrak." She could hear the stern voice of Ulfric. There was no more conversing after that, seemingly over.
She sighed, revealing herself from behind the door as if she just wasn't listening to their conversation. The two men had spotted her, letting their focus take place on her.
Vidrak's glacier blue eyes had bore a hole in her soul, and she could see the shape of his sharp jawline buried under his matted beard alongside his chiseled face.
"Dragonborn, it is great to see you awake." Ulfric greeted with a visible nod, watching her walk in front of the throne he had sat on. "I expect the two of you will begin your journey?"
"Yes." Is all that Ysara could muster out, she hadn't particularly been in a great mood the past few days; especially that dragons have returned to Skyrim not even a decade later. She turned to Vidrak, who had bowed to her. "We leave for Riften immediately. I assume you are well packed with supplies and needs? It'll take us almost a day and a half to make it to the Rift."
"Of course, Dragonborn. The horses at the stable are readied for the trip to Riften, I have a contact at Riften stables, he'll watch over the horses and supplies for us."
Ysara nodded. "Great, then we'll need to make haste. I don't know what he's planning, but it won't get far. Not on my watch."
"I understand." He said, once again bowing. At least he was respectful towards her, many nords didn't take a liking to the Dragonborn being a Argonian, in fact she's been called quite a bit of racial slurs in Windhelm. She's even had a drunken asshole paw at her chest, which ended up with his head going through a wall. One of the reasons she had covered her face for most of her time as Dragonborn.
"Good. Then it's time we start, we do not want to keep the divines waiting."
…
The first day of travel for the duo had been a long and exhausting embark.
Vidrak had made sure to keep his guard up, the horses they rode were certainly tired from the day's worth of traveling. Him and Ysara had barely conversed throughout the trip, only specifically for needs and necessities. Vidrak declared to himself that he would take care of the hunting and cooking, as his father would smack him all the way to Summerset if he made a woman hunt for food and cook whilst he sat around and lollygagged.
Even if that same woman was the Dragonborn. An Argonian Dragonborn.
It was…refreshing? He didn't know how to explain, he'd heard stories of the Dragonborn but never bothered to care for the legend. He always heard she'd be cloaked in black armor with most of her face covered. She wasn't a Nordic man or woman, but an Argonian woman. He holds a lot of respect for her in that regard, she must've had to endure a lot of conflict and criticism. These lands can be cruel to Argonians.
The two had settled down somewhere in the middle of Eastmarch, between some trees making sure they wouldn't be disturbed by any unwanted guests. The fire cracked under the pot that Vidrak had brought along, he was able to catch a few salmons from the river to the east of them about a mile away.
He flipped the meat over on the pot, glancing at the woman in his peripheral vision, she had her head deep in a book not paying any kind of attention to him or his cooking. He wanted to strike up a conversation with the beautiful woman sitting to his left instead of across the fire, he had cleared his throat.
She had been reading a book, he didn't recognize the cover of it. After they set up camp, and he volunteered to hunt and cook, she thanked him and went on to read a book. She seemed into it as she had an intense gaze grazing her eyes along the pages, she adjusted the thin blanket she had wrapped around her before she yawned and flipped the page.
Maybe now is a good time to start a conversation.
"Permission to speak?" Vidrak had asked, cringing slightly at his tone. She looked up from the book with a confused look passing through her orange eyes, before she spoke in her own voice. Her accent was there, but it had mostly faded.
"You need not use any formalities, Sir Vidrak." She stated. "I am not of status."
"Sorry, I guess I'm just used to speaking with Ulfric." He said, now sprinkling salt on the fish meat. He watched her take a bookmark from her pouch, and slip it in the book before closing it. "It is not everyday that I get to travel with the Dragonborn."
"What is it you would like to talk about?" Ysara asked.
"Well, if we are going to be working and traveling to save Skyrim; I think it's best we get to know each other. Have a mutual understanding and respect for one another." He said, trying to hide his awkwardness in his voice. He was never good with speaking to women.
There was a beat of silence between the two, before he sighed and faced her.
"If you do not-"
"No, it's fine," she stated, holding up her red shaded hand. Her nails had been painted a black shade, he noticed. "What is it you would like to know about?"
Vidrak had placed two slabs of meat on the plate, before handing it to Ysara who bid him a thank you. "Are you originally from Skyrim?"
She had taken a bit out of the meat, before she chewed. Seemingly satisfying for the taste she thought, she's never tasted fish this good. Not even back home in Black Marsh.
"No. I am from the village called Gideon, in the Black Marsh. I traveled here almost a decade ago." She informed, earning a nod from the Nordic man. He had set the pot aside, before he began to dig into his food "Kaj-Kuel and I both left there, he left for Hammerfell being released from the Stormhold prison for theft, he wanted to start fresh in life again. I left, because I simply didn't want to be in Black Marsh my entire life."
"Kaj-Kuel?" Vidrak tried sounding it out, but it came off his tongue rather flat.
"It means elder brother. I have one named Narzul."
"Have you seen your brother lately?"
The Argonian sighed. "No, I haven't seen him since we parted ways in late 200. We've written letters back and forth for some time for a few years. But I haven't gotten one back since 207."
"Hammerfell isn't too far from here. Maybe a week's worth of traveling but still manageable, why never visit him?"
Her gaze didn't break from the fire that cracked in front of them, and she had been twiddling her fingers against one another in an attempt to distract herself.
"We weren't exactly on good terms when he left home," she says, looking up towards the star littered night sky. "After he was released from Stormhold, we got into a dispute. That forker thought because I was supposedly the golden child of the family, I would stay behind and take care of our parents. I almost clawed his eyes out of his face. We verbally fought, and he left. Haven't seen him since."
Vidrak took a bite of his food, letting himself chew before he swallowed. "And you planned to come to Skyrim, of all places?"
"No," she simply said, she chewed her food before she talked. Didn't want food spitting from her mouth. Not very ladylike. "I wasn't exactly heading here at all, got caught up in something and I was brought here."
It didn't seem like Vidrak had brought the story, as a hint of doubt in his blue ocean eyes. He had knew she was withholding something from him, but he let it pass. It wasn't his business.
"I heard you were Arch-Mage up at the college," he tried to steer the conversation away from the current topic, and it seemed to brighten Ysara's expression. "How long have you been doing that?"
Ysara shifted. "Seven years now. I was elected by members of the college to become Arch-Mage after Savas was killed. So far, I haven't blown the entire town up yet."
Vidrak let out an airy chuckle, before Ysara had giggled. Vidrak took another bite out of his meal, before he had swallowed. "I've heard a lot of good things at the college."
Her face froze in shock, as if he's never heard of the college before. "You have?"
He nodded. "I know a few people who went; or are currently attending the college. Know a lad by the name, Onmund?"
The Argonian's facial expression lit up with recognition. "Yes! He was one of my students before he rose up in the ranks, and became a mage. Now that you mention it, there was a incident in his last year there as a student."
"Incident?" Vidrak repeated.
She nodded. "In my third year of being Arch-Mage, I've made up timetables for different kind of classes and learning experiences. One class had been on destruction, and during the course; one of the newly mages had blown a wall through the entire college wall."
Vidrak's eyes peeled up in shock, not ready for the twist of the story.
"What happened to that person? Were they sent back home?"
Ysara nodded again. "He couldn't really get down the basics of magic, and we had to cut him loose from the college."
The duo was silent after the statement, silently eating their food that Vidrak caught for them. But, this woman intrigued him. He wanted to know more about her, and he'd only get to do that by asking questions that weren't too unwarranted.
"Why did you leave home?" He asked, and it wasn't long before Vidrak saw that the question affected her. She had taken another, soft bite from her fish. He almost immediately regretted the question. "You don't have to answer-"
"No," she said hastily. "It's fine, you wanted to know me. My parents and I didn't see eye to eye on what I wanted to do with my future. They ran a shop back in Gideon, whilst I wanted to be a scholar and adventurer. They wanted me to take over the shop, I had already worked there for some time and I didn't want that life. I wanted to explore, and I always had my head shoved in a book, I wasn't what they wanted me to be."
Vidrak could hear the pain in her raspy voice, she could see the regret in her eyes that matched the cracking fire just in front of them. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Me too." She simply said, taking another bite out of the food Vidrak cooked for her. "What of you, Sir Vidrak? What is your story?"
Vidrak had swallowed the last bit of his food before setting the metal plate next to him in the dirt they had decided to take over for the night.
"Born and raised here in Skyrim. Joined the Stormcloaks when I was but a young teenager, was trained to be a warrior. And to be the best at it." He began. He felt her eyes on him intently. "I wanted to be just like my father. Strong, brave, and kind hearted. He taught me the ways, he taught me a lot of things I know. He was ranked one of the best warriors, he taught me how to hunt, fight and kill."
"Where is he now?" He heard her ask.
"He…he died, about a year back." He solemnly muttered.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Papa was sick for a while," the Nord stared at the starry sky, before he sighed. "I just wish I had more time with him. I'd give anything to hear one of his speeches he used to give me. He once scolded me for being…ignorant towards a Khajiit."
"Really?" He saw the Argonian perk up with curiosity, she had seemed to be listening to him intently. He mentally patted himself on the back. At least Vallric was wrong about me being awkward with women.
"Yeah, it was before my brother was born. Papa and I had taken a trip to Whiterun to visit a friend of his, and it was a Khajiit man and his son; R'arr and M'gah."
Vidrak smiled at the memory. "M'gah and I had gotten into a fight over something meaningless, and I threatened to use him as a rug. My father had slapped me so hard, I turned in a full circle and faced him with a salute."
Ysara giggled, and he let out a gruff chuckle. Maybe she isn't so bad after all, she stared a hole in his soul when she first met him a couple hours ago. Now she's sharing a laugh with him, as if she's not Dragonborn; but just another person.
Vidrak continued. "He always told me that I shouldn't look down on any race, no matter what they look like or sound like. To appreciate the entire spectrum of people and that they're not beneath us Nords."
"Sounded like a good man."
The soldier sighed with a sad expression. "He was, and I'm sad that he's gone."
Ysara stirred. "Well if it comforts you, I do not know if my parents are still alive or not…my brother also. It is good that you have closure, Sir Vidrak."
He nodded in agreement, still looking into the fire that had quietly died down before them.
"You should get in touch with your family, Dragonborn." He suggested, looking up at her now with an assuring look. "You'll regret it if you don't."
"I'm not so sure they'd want me to."
"That's what we all think," he replied. "Me and my father weren't on the bestest of terms when he was sick, but we vowed to push it aside for the remainder of the time he had here, on Nirn. It was possibly the greatest decision I made yet."
"Yeah…" she muttered, looking down at her fingers. "I just don't know what they would think when they find out what I've done since I've left the Black Marsh. I hardly make anyone proud these days, I do not think I can take another disappointment."
Ysara fiddled with her fingers, why had she been so open to this man? She had usually been cold towards men, as they didn't take too kindly to Argonian women, as they usually didn't fit their standards.
She was never good with men. They would want nothing to do with her, other than comment on her body and ask for a night with her. Like she was just some piece of meat for everyone to take a bite out of. She even had a man try to lift her tail up, and it ended with her kicking him through a door. None of them would usually have a conversation with her or see her as an equal, but this man here? He had treated her as an equal and partner, even if they've known each other for a day. He even cooked for her! She's never had a man cook for her.
Vidrak seemed…different. He was interested in conversing with her and wanting to get to know her. He seemed like a gentle soul compared to other men she's had to endure. Maybe he could be different…
No, she would not get attached. She told herself that. There's too much at stake in the world right now.
"Well, I've enjoyed this conversation Sir Vidrak; I think it's time I get some sleep. We should be in Riften by noon." She awkwardly shifted, before she bid him goodnight and quickly crawled into her tent.
Vidrak had been left speechless as she bid him goodnight and entered her tent before he could even think of what to say to her.
He had lied back onto the ground, staring up to the stars that littered the sky. He sighed, before smacking his hand on his face.
Way to go Vidrak…
...
Riften's citizens had been incredibly scarce, probably due to the dragon threat looming over the town. The distant roar of a dragon had lingered for a moment, but not any second longer. Ysara was half expecting it to swoon and drop in on them almost immediately. But, it had been quiet and scarce.
Ulfric said that the dragons currently were not attacking, and only soaring around the villages. Maybe that's a good thing…
The chill in the air had breezed through them, letting the windy breeze of Riften kiss their exposed skin from the armor both of them wore. She had shuddered a bit from the wind, she loved the breeze. But sometimes it'd bring a chill to her.
Ysara glanced back at Vidrak, who had been following behind her watching their surroundings. His muscular physique bulged under the Stormcloak outfit he wore, his arms almost popping out of the chain mail that the soldier sported that held no doubt strength to him. His wavy black hair, which could hold beautiful locks of his hair.
And those damned blue eyes, she almost hated how much she liked his eyes. It was like he was perfect in looks. Too perfect.
She could hear him tapping his sword in with a hint of anxiety, but he dared not to show it. He had never fought a dragon before, and he's only ever seen one when it had quickly flown past Windhelm back when was a teenager.
The two had made their way through the gates, spotting two guards who had been standing at the entrance with spears gripped in their hands. As they got nearer, one of the guards stepped up.
"Halt! Riften is closed for the time being, there is a dragon looming around. You'd best be off somewhere else!" He scolded with a stern voice, Ysara had cleared her throat and went to answer, but Vidrak's strong voice had cut her off.
"You fool! King Ulfric has sent us, you speak to the Dragonborn!" Vidrak sneered, making the guard jump up in surprise. She glanced at Vidrak, letting it known that she did not need him to speak up for her, she could handle herself on her own.
The guard stepped back, before swallowing. "My apologies, Dragonborn. We have all been on edge as of recently since the sudden return of the dragons."
Ysara nodded. "Yes, I can understand. It is good to see you doing your jobs, there is a reason the Jarl has chosen you two for this duty."
The men nodded at her, before they had stepped back letting them into Riften. The town seemed empty, as if no one lived here. Although Ysara had known that they were just hiding in their homes. The citizens of Skyrim were scared, and rightly so. Only a few people had been out and about.
She thought she killed Alduin, but apparently she didn't. He was back, already. And he had been sending her messages in her dreams that she didn't catch onto. She mentally cursed herself, she should've known. It shouldn't have taken two letters to notice something was wrong in Skyrim after a decade of peace.
After they made their way through Riften, they heard a violent roar before the ground began to shake. A shadow had swooned over the sky, one that Ysara had immediately spotted. Vidrak had quickly unsheathed his sword, preparing for combat. The dragon had been just over the town. It had calmed to a half, floating over the town with its gigantic wings. Its sights had landed into Ysara, who had a determined look on her face. The dragon had let out a bloodcurdling sound.
"Sir Vidrak," she called, just next to her. "Gather any remaining citizens and conceal them! I do not want any deaths on our conscience, find me when you are done!"
Vidrak had hesitated at first before he obliged. A couple residents in Riften had noticed the large dragon and was mortified, frozen in their place. One of them, holding a small child.
"Follow me! I will take you somewhere safe!" He roared out to the citizen, he had run past them urging them to follow him. He saw Ysara follow the dragon out of the town. Luckily, he had come to Riften a few weeks back so he knew the layout better than the average Skyrim soldier did.
He had urged them past him, down the steps onto the wooden balconies that kept them from sinking into the water. One of the doors of the houses swung open, and an old fragile man appeared.
"Hide in here!" He quickly waved them in, Vidrak had nodded. Quickly helping the couple residents into the darkened home. He had gone to go help Ysara but a hand caught his forearm, and he looked back and it was the old man. "Are you not hiding, son?"
Vidrak nodded. "I have a duty,"
The old man let go of his arm. "May Talos watch over your soul."
"JOOR!"
He heard a loud shout echo from the distance, he had quickly ran towards the steps leading back into the square of the town. Ysara and the dragon hadn't been visible, but he could hear the shouts and roars of both of them.
He followed the sounds of battle, before it had suddenly ceased. Finally finding his way out of Riften, leaving towards the back exit of the town. He didn't see Ysara or the dragon in sight, before he finally heard the stabbing of flesh. He looked to his left to see a dragon lying on the ground, bloodied and bleeding profusely from multiple areas.
The dragon had moaned in pain, multiple stab wounds had been embedded into its skin from all angles. Everything had happened so quick, that Vidrak couldn't process everything yet.
The dragon had moaned once again, slightly quaked on the ground before it squirmed once more and finally let out a small groan, dying before Vidrak's eyes. This was traumatic, even for him; watching a dragon die in front of his eyes.
"Sir Vidrak." He pointed his sword in the direction of the raspy voice, to the left of him was no other than Ysara covered in blood. Her kitana had dropped blood, as if it were dipped into a pool of it. He had dropped th sword back to his side. The blood had stained her face, and although her skin was already red; he could see the dark blood that had stained her skin. Suddenly she was enveloped by a mixtures of color and light, as if she was absorbing something. It died down, before she was back to her normal self.
"Dragonborn…" Vidrak was able to mutter, despite his shock.
"Ysara…" she corrected him, breathing heavily. Obviously still exhausted from the battle. She didn't seem to be injured from the fight, but she was still bloodied. She really is the Dragonborn. A true warrior.
"I-I-" Vidrak stumbled over his words.
"Have I left you so shocked that you are speechless?" Her raspy voice had echoed through his ears, and hit his eardrums. Her voice had held a hint of anger and stress. He nodded slowly.
"Of course not, just didn't expect you to be this brutal towards dragons."
She scoffed, she threw the kitana out to her side, letting the blood fling off of it before sheathing it back at her side.
"I must clean myself," she stated, walking closer to him. "You can head back into town. Maybe grab some breakfast, then we'll make our way to Ivarstead."
Vidrak nodded in approval, before Ysara looked him up and down. She nodded to him as well before walking past her back into the town. He peered up towards the sky, looking for someone.
"Father guide me," he muttered.
