(Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim; just Xana)
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Despite losing consciousness atop the cold mountain summit, Xana awoke to find herself lying in a warm bed. Upon inspection, she realized that she was now within the living quarters of High Hrothgar, to which she slowly sat up and asked herself in a tired voice, "What happened?"
"You succumbed to exhaustion and collapsed in the snow," Master Argnier answered as he approached her with a tray containing a hot bowl of soup, half a loaf of freshly baked bread, and a mug of water. Upon handing her the tray, he then took a seat in the adjacent chair and gave her a pointed look: "I can see it in your eyes. You've seen the land of the Gods and returned."
Wordlessly thanking him for the food, she emitted a sigh and nodded, "Yes, I found Alduin's portal to Sovngarde."
"Does this mean... it is done? Is Alduin truly defeated?"
"I hope so. But I don't know if Alduin can ever be completely destroyed."
At her statement, he shrugged, "Perhaps, perhaps not. Dragons are not like normal mortal creatures, and Alduin is unique even among dragonkind. He may be permitted to return at the end of time to fulfill his destiny as the World-Eater. But that is for the gods to decide. You have done your part."
A small nod was her response before he then gently placed a hand on her shoulder: "You've shown yourself mighty, both in Voice and deed. In order to defeat Alduin, you've gained mastery of dreadful weapons. Now it is up to you to decide what to do with your power and skill. Will you be a hero whose name is remembered in song throughout the ages? Or will your name be a curse to future generations? Or will you merely fade from history, unremembered? Let the Way of the Voice be your guide, and the path of wisdom will be clear to you. Breath and focus, Dragonborn. Your future lies before you."
"Thanks, Master Argnier," she tiredly smiled before a thought crossed her mind: 'How in Oblivion did I end up inside the monastery?'
As if sensing her thoughts and confusion, the old Nord added, "If you're wondering how you came into our care, you have your dragon friend to thank, as he was the one who brought you to our doorstep after you collapsed on the summit."
"Odahviing? Is he still here? Does he know I'm okay? The last thing I remember seeing was the worried look in his eyes."
At her questioning, Argnier gave her a reassuring nod, "He's aware of your improved condition and has been patiently waiting for you to awaken for nearly three days."
Upon hearing that, her crimson eyes widened, "I've been asleep for three days?!"
"Yes. Your final battle with Alduin had taken a great physical and mental toll on your body, forcing you into a deep sleep. My fellow Greybeards and I have kept watch over you and regularly updated Odahviing of your condition. Since his arrival, he has refused to leave the courtyard for fear of your condition worsening. He also didn't you to wake up alone, and insisted on staying close by."
At his words, Xana felt her face heat up as a blush appeared across her cheeks, "He...He did that? For me?"
"Indeed. I was unaware of the bond you two seemed to have formed during your time together thus far."
Sensing that he knew more about her and Odahviing's relationship that he was letting on, Xana adverted her gaze and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ears, "Uh…well…he's agreed to assist me should I require his help in battle….He's kind to me and hasn't tried to attack me even though he's had plenty of opportunities."
Hearing this, the old Nord's gaze softened at the young Dunmer. "It seems your futures are intertwined together. Whether he remains a loyal battle companion or something else entirely, that decision lies with the two of you," he noted with a smile.
"Are you saying…."
Before she could speak further, Xana was politely cut off as Argnier polietly held up his hand: "I suggest you follow your instincts, Dovahkiin. However, before you run outside to speak to your dragon companion, I would advise that you eat and replenish your strength."
She gave a slight nod of agreement before gradually consuming the meal Argnier had provided her. Once finished, Xana climbed out of the bed and immediately noticed that she was only dressed in her chemise. Of course, she was too excited to see Odahviing to care about her current state of dress. Not bothering to even adorn her armor or boots, she then headed out the door leading to the courtyard, determined to see her crimson dragon.
Upon hearing the monastery doors open, Odahviing looked over to see the Dovahkiin step out into the snow and approach, to which a relieved smiled crossed his face as he looked upon the young Dunmer, "Xana, you're finally awake! I was worried abo...," he was cut off as she suddenly embraced his snout and planted a kiss upon his maw. Odahviing's eyes widened at her unexpected gesture but he found himself thoroughly enjoying it as a soft growl rumbled within his throat. "…Xana…"
She smiled and met his gaze, "Odahviing…I'm sorry for worrying you. I appreciate you bringing me here to rest, but there's something I wanted to tell you." She blushed as her heart threatened to burst out of her chest from excitement and nervousness, "I love you."
He tenderly smiled at her, "Ahrk Zu'u lokaal hi, Xana…Dii brit fahliil."
Hearing those words, the young Dunmer hugged his face and happily peppered soft kisses along his scales, causing him to emit a low rumbling purr of contentment before licking her face as he couldn't exactly 'kiss' her back. Nuzzling his beautiful elf, he then took notice of her current appearance and emitted an amused grunt, "As much as I would like to continue to indulge in this exchange, you should head inside and dress. Despite your adaptability, I'm not sure you're fit to be in such harsh elements without the proper attire."
At his words, Xana blushed a deep shade of crimson as she glanced down at her current state of dress, or rather 'undress', "I suppose you're right. I should change into something more appropriate; however, I'm going to head off to Skyhaven Temple afterwards and inform the Blades of Alduin's defeat. I may not see eye to eye with them, but they did try to help me in my quest. The least I can do is assure them that the World isn't going to end…at least not today. Plus, maybe they have something I can use or 'borrow' that they won't necessarily miss."
"I didn't take you for a thief, Xana," Odahviing noted with a slight smirk, to which she delicately ran her fingers along his maw:
"There's a lot you don't know about me, Odahviing. But technically I'm not a thief, but rather an advent treasure hunter." She then planted a soft kiss upon his snout before she reluctantly parted from his warmth and headed back inside the monastery to dress.
Once adorned in her armor and gear, Xana offered her heartfelt thanks to Greybeards for their care and attentiveness, which was then followed by a temporary goodbye before heading out and making her way down the Throat of the World and off towards The Reach.
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-Two Days Later-
After tirelessly trecking across the rugged Skyrim landscape, Xana finally reached Skyhaven Temple, whereupon she then entered the forgotten fortress and stepped into the main hall containing Alduin's Wall. A sad smile crossed her lips as she looked upon the ancient carving. While she was glad Alduin was gone, she felt...lost: like she no longer had a purpose and was now aimlessly wandering around without any particular goal in mind. Brushing those negative thoughts aside, she emitted a sigh, 'I have the rest of my life ahead of me and I no longer have to worry about the world ending. I can finally take a break from being the Dragonborn,' she thought to herself.
Walking past the Wall and over towards the living quarters, Xana hoped Esbern was somewhere within the temple as she found his presence more tolorable than his comrade, Delphine: she really didn't care for the Nord woman and found her quite irritable to be around. In truth, she was still royally pissed at her for asking her to kill Paarthurnax because of his past deeds which lead to numerous deaths of her Blade predecessors in the Dragon Wars 6,000+ years ago. 'Like I would even consider killing him! He's my mentor and one of my dearest friends. He deserves to live as much as I do! So what if he did terrible things in the past: he's literally spent the last few thousand years repenting and regretting his decisions. If it weren't for him, I'd still be running around trying to find a means to defeat Alduin,' she mentally argued, knowing she was right.
Fuck the Blades.
Stepping into another room, Xana curiously began looking around when she discovered a secret handle hidden behind a nearby bookshelf. Upon pulling/twisting it, the stone wall shifted and moved, revealing a narrow passageway that led deeper into the temple. As her curiosity continued to rise, she used a candlelight spell to light her path as she carefully followed the passageway until it opened into a large chamber. Upon inspection, she immediately recognized it as a torture chamber!
There were cells lining against the walls and various contraptions used to inflict pain upon prisoners, to which Xana stood in shock as she warily eyed the nearby rack, pillory and breaking wheel. 'What in Oblivion were those ancient Blades doing with such malicious devices?!' She shuddered and shook her head of such horrible thoughts before she noticed an alchemy table in the corner of the room, along with a large wooden chest and a bookshelf. There were a variety of dusty, ruined books and preserved ingredients lining the shelves, but none of those struck her attention as much as the chest did. Upon inspection, Xana noticed that it was a master lock chest, which meant that it must contain something of great value or importance. Using the skills she picked up and honed during her travels, she successfully managed to pick the lock after only three failed attempts.
When she opened the chest, Xana was shocked and appalled at what she found: inside were dozens of dragon bones and scales, along with a wooden crate containing several vials of a strange purple liquid, and a large bottle of what appeared to be blood. Of course, she had a sickening feeling that it was dragon blood. Pushing those thoughts aside, she then spotted a small journal among the vials. Picking it up and opening it, Xana noticed the date had been smudged away, but the entry was still legible. Curiously, she (mentally) began to read it:
Finally! After months of testing, I've finally created a potion that would transform a dragon into a human! Unfortunately, the transformation only lasts a few days and apparently makes the subjects much stronger than normal humans. How in Oblivion am I supposed to interrogate dragons properly if I can't weaken them?! Oh well, at least in human form, they're easier to kill.
I suppose I'll have to conduct further studies to see if there is a way to suppress their thu'um while in human form. At the moment, it seems that while they are still able to shout, their voices are not as strong. Maybe if I cut out their tongues... No! I need to be able to understand them! I need information!
In the meantime, I shall continue to craft more of these potions as my supply is dwindling. Perhaps I should also use this opportunity to extract more blood from my newly acquired test subjects. The last pair that were brought in are quite ill-tempered, but they'll change their tune soon enough..
Xana felt the urge to vomit: the Blades captured and tortured dragons?! For what purpose?! She flipped through the journal and while she didn't discover any answers in regards as to why the Ancient Blades captured and tortured dragons, she did discover the recipe for the potion they used to temporarily turn them human. A part of her wanted to destroy it, but another part of her was curious to see of it actually worked. If a dragon could be turned into a human, then that would mean she and Odahviing could… She blushed as her mind began filling with lewd thoughts, yet, she knew she'd regret not acting on this curious impulse if she didn't at least try. Of course, she would discuss her findings with Odahviing first, but right now, all she wanted to do was leave this wretched place and retreat to her home in Falkreath. With that thought in mind, she placed the journal and potions within her knapsack before quietly heading back through the tunnel and out of the passage, where she then closed it up and hid it from view once more.
Afterwards, Xana silently headed back into the main hall where she noticed Esbern's desk piled with books pertaining to dragons and various conquests of the ancient Blades. One book in particular contained a list of dragon names and burial locations. Oddly enough, she remembered skimming through this book shortly before heading off to Dragonsreach to summon Odahviing. Oddly enough, that's actually how she learned that he had been killed by the Ancient Blades and why Alduin resurrected him. Anger clouded her mind: she didn't want the Blades to possess this book any longer! She didn't want them hunting down the remaining dragons on that list! She would not allow them to kill Paarthurnax or Odahviing (again)! Checking to make sure that the coast was clear, Xana quickly snatched the book and placed it within her bag before hastily scribbling a note on a piece of parchment:
Alduin has been defeated. My Dragonborn destiny is now fulfilled and my services to the Blades are no longer needed. If either of you attempt to harm Paarthurnax or ANY other dragon seeking atonement for their past deeds, I will personally see to it that you no longer remain hidden from your enemies. This is my ONLY warning!
Xana then placed the note on top of the stone table across from Alduin's Wall, knowing someone would find it eventually. She figured Delphine and Esbern were outside in the courtyard training; but she wasn't about to go outside and interact with them. After finding the hidden torture chamber, she no longer had the stomach to speak to either of them, nor did she feel that they were worthy of her presence after they asked her to kill the very dragon who aided her throughout the majority of her quest: Paarthurnax was patient and kind towards her, whereas most dragons were all too eager to challenge her thu'um and skill with a blade or bow. The older dragon had taken her under his wing and gave her a greater understanding at what it meant to be a Dovahkiin, as well as providing her with the knowledge to improve the strength of her voice. Ultimately, her victory over Alduin would not have been possible if not for his guidance and support.
Mentally cursing out the Blades, Xana left Skyhaven Temple and stepped outside, breathing in the fresh mountain air before leaving the ancient structure behind her and making her way towards Falkreath for some much needed rest from all this Dragonborn business.