"So… what happened back there, with that wall with those glyphs?" Sofia asks as she and Vardall walk to the exit of Bleak Falls Barrow. He turned toward her.
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like that wall or those glyphs in my life, but... I felt that, even so, they were familiar. I understood one of them, but I don't know what it means."
"Hmm..." Sofia mumbles.
Vardall looks at her. "Do you know anything about this?"
She shrugs. "You're asking the wrong person, buddy. My knowledge is restricted most by how drunk I can get.
Vardall arched an eyebrow. "Are you always getting drunk?"
"Not all the time. Sometimes I just want to get a handsome man and have a good night of, you know." Sofia stated with a broad smile on her face. Vardall just widened his eyes but began to laugh soon after.
"What?"
"You remind me of a friend of mine called Zevran." This makes Sofia a little curious.
"Really? In what way?"
"Well… Zevran is an elf that, just like you, is an avid fan of some more… carnal activities." He said with a smile on his face.
"This Zevran guy seems like someone interesting. I think he and I would get along really well." Sofia says.
"Just make sure you and he go to a room before." Vardall's comment makes Sofia laugh. "Come on, we're almost on the exit." Both of them return to their walk and finally get out of Bleak Falls Barrow.
Now out of that place, Vardall and Sofia make their way back to Whiterun. But before that, both decided to make a quick stop on Riverwood, to see if they could sell that golden claw they found for a good price.
"Sofia, if I may ask..."
Sofia looked to Vardall. "Yes?"
"Your spells. Where did you learn them?"
"I studied at the College of Winterhold for some time." Sofia answered. "Even though I just wanted a place to stay. It was either the college or living in a cave. I got expelled after they caught me using spells in some... ways they disagreed."
"I can only imagine what..." Vardall murmurs, which makes Sofia chuckle.
Hmm... at least I know now where to go to learn more about Skyrim's magic.
Vardall looked at Sofia again. "And what can you tell me about this College?"
"Somethings. It's a reeeally boring place. In that place, the only thing those mage do is study and study! They never have any type of fun." Sofia complained.
"They're mages. Study is what they do, and I speak from personal experience." Vardall comments. "Also, given your ideas of fun, it was probably a good thing you were expelled."
The two of them arrived in Riverwood after some more minutes of walking. Vardall soon noticed the increased number of guards in the village, much more than before. As a result of his conversation with Jarl Balgruuf.
"Vardall!" A familiar voice called out Vardall's name. Turning toward the voice, Vardall noticed Hadvar coming towards him.
"Hadvar. Good to see you." Both Vardall and Hadvar shake hands. "I thought you would already be gone by now."
"I'm leaving for Solitude now. It's already time, and I need to talk with General Tullius about what happened." Hadvar finally notices Sofia beside Vardall. "Already making friends, I see..."
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. This is Sofia." Vardall presented Sofia to Hadvar, but after hearing her name and looking more closely at her, Hadvar came to a conclusion.
"I know who you are." Hadvar said to Sofia. That made Vardall raise an eyebrow. "Do you care to explain?"
"I told you, I have a reputation around Skyrim." Sofia answered sincerely.
"To say the least." Hadvar said. "Your companion here is a well-known troublemaker, Vardall. around other things. I remember once she caused so much trouble at the Winking Skeever back in Solitude that even the Imperial Legion had to get involved."
That made Vardall open his eyes wide. He straightforwardly looked at Sofia. "What have you done in Solitude?!"
Sofia shrugs. "A cockfight, but with skeevers. I admit things went out of control."
"To say the least." Hadvar adds.
Vardall's jaw was dropped to the ground now. "It's settled: You're WAY worse than Zevran!"
Hadvar couldn't help but laugh at all this. "Anyway, was good to see you again, Vardall, but I have to go." The Imperial soldier turns around and leaves, taking a horse and making his way to Skyrim's capital.
"Now come on." Sofia pushes Vardall's shoulder. "Let's see if we can sell this golden claw."
The Grey Warden was still processing everything he had heard. "We're having a conversation later, my lady."
"Oh, come on! Don't act as if you're a saint." Sofia laughs while making her way to Riverwood's general store, with Vardall following her.
Upon entering the store, both hear an argument between a man and a woman.
"Well, one of us needs to get it back!" The woman screamed at the man.
"I know! Don't worry, I will..." The man stopped talking when he realized that Vardall and Sofia had entered the shop.
"We'll talk about it later." The man told the woman before turning his full attention to Vardall and Sofia. "Welcome to Riverwood Trader. I'm Lucan Valerius. What can I do for you both?" The man said.
"Uhh… What was that discussion about?" Sofia asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing." Lucan Said "Just a family arguing with my sister. Now, what do you both want?"
"Well..." Vardall approaches Lucan's balcony. "I wanted to know how much you can give us for this." The golden claw was then placed on the balcony. Lucan's eyes widened.
"You... you found it!" Lucan shouted.
Now Vardall was confused. "What?"
"This claw! It belongs to me and my sister. Some bandits stole it from us a few days ago. But you found it!" Lucan said while he takes and analyzes the claw. "Still in very good condition. How did you find it?"
"I, uh... found it with a bandit group in Bleak Falls Barrow. Vardall says truthfully Lucan nods.
"Those bandits... I bet you show them what happens when you steal from Lucan Valerius!" Lucan then stored the claw and took a bag of coins.
"Here. You deserve a reward for bringing my claw back." Vardall examines the bag, discovering several gold coins and a large amount.
"Well… thank you." Vardall said, storing the gold coins along with the rest he carried. "Come on, Sofia. Let's go." Then Vardall exits the store, with Sofia following him.
"Well... that was unexpected." Vardall said.
"Definitely. But why do you let him stay with the claw? I bet that claw is worth much more than just the coins he gave you." Sofia crossed her arms.
"I'm not going to steal from a simple shop owner. I still have some morals, you know? I restrict myself to those who'll won't miss some money." Vardall answered Sofia.
"Well, you have a point."
The two of them continued to walk back to Whiterun, talking about some random things on the way. Well, Sofia was talking the most. Vardall was mostly silent, thinking about other things and paying almost no attention to Sofia. It didn't take long before she noticed that.
"Hey..." Sofia's voice takes Vardall out of his reverie. He slightly shakes his head and looks at her.
"Hmm?"
"What's going through your head, pretty boy? What's up with the sudden silence?" Sofia questions.
"Oh! I'm..." Vardall dodges his gaze from Sofia. "Just thinking about my home."
Sofia raises an eyebrow. "Feeling homesick? I never felt like that, but I can say it feels like a bitch. Where are you from, anyway? I still think you're from Cyrodiil."
The Warden opens his mouth to answer but hesitates for a moment. "No, I'm... not from Cyrodiil. As I said before, it's complicated. Let's just say my home is quite far from here, as well as not being the most welcoming place right now." Vardall bites his lip, closing his hands into fists afterward. "...Especially after what I did."
That just raises even more questions for Sofia. What was Vardall talking about? What has he done? But before she can even question him about anything else, they're both approached by a man.
"You two there." The strange man called their attention. "You two look like you can handle yourselves in a fight. The Dawnguard could also use someone like you both."
Vardall takes his time to study the man. He looked like an elf, but a more muscular and taller one, not to mention his prominent teeth growing outside his mouth. Still, he was shorter than Vardall, being only slightly taller than Sofia.
"Dawnguard?" Sofia asks, curious.
"We're vampire hunters. Dedicated to free the world from those monsters."
Vampires? The only vampires that Vardall knew were abominations that were the result of a mage being possessed by a hunger demon. He doubted that it was the same case in Skyrim.
"What kind of vampire?" Vardall asked, hiding his confusion.
Vardall's words made the man a little upset. "What kind of vampire? The blood-sucking one, of course! Were you living under a rock to not know what a vampire is?!"
"Is that just... The type of vampire I'm used to is a little different."
The man sighs, quite infuriated. "These Nords..." He looked back at Vardall. "It doesn't matter. We're facing a vampire threat, and with this civil war going on, the Dawnguard are the only ones willing to do something to stop them. Go to Fort Dawnguard near Riften if you want to join us." The man then simply walked away.
"Well, that was unusual." Sofia comments. She notices Vardall keeping his gaze on the man while he walks away.
She pokes the Grey Warden, making him look back at her. "The next thing you'll say is that Orc caught your eyes more than myself here." Sofia says it with a smile.
Vardall partially ignores her comment, still processing some information, like what that man was: an Orc.
But then, the Warden just shakes his head and sighs. "Let's go. We still need to return to Whiterun."
Vardall doesn't even wait for Sofia, as he returns to walk the road. Sofia just stares at him, quite confused, but follows him afterward. This certainly only made her have some questions about Vardall, but she felt now was not the time to start asking them. For now, she could keep her curiosity in check and focus on their actual task.
Again in Whiterun, Vardall and Sofia headed straight up to Dragonsreach. Entering the palace, they went to where Farengar was. While getting close, they both could hear the mage talking with someone.
"...You see? The terminology is clearly First Era or even earlier. I'm convinced this is a copy of a much older text. Perhaps dating to just after the Dragon War. If so, I could use this to cross-reference the names with other later texts."
"Good. I'm glad you're making progress. My employers are anxious to have some tangible answers."
As soon as he enters the room, Vardall can see the person Farengar was talking with was a hooded woman. As soon as the Warden and Sofia step into the room, the woman stops what she is doing and immediately dodges her gaze to them, especially at Vardall. The Grey Warden didn't like any of that.
"You have visitors." The woman said to Farengar, who only now noticed more people there.
"Hmm?" The mage looks at Vardall. "Ah, yes, the Jarl's protege! Back from Bleak Falls Barrow? You didn't die, it seems."
Vardall crosses his arms. "It would need more than some undead to kill me." Vardall takes the Dragonstone from his backpack and hands it to Farengar. "And here's what you're looking for."
The mage raises both his eyebrows and smiles. "Ah! The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow! Seems you are a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends my way." Farengar takes the stone into his hands. "My... associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork." He points to the hooded woman. "She discovered its location, by means, she has so far declined to share with me."
The woman looks at Vardall again. "You went into Bleak Falls Barrow and got that? Nice work."
"Hey! He didn't do that alone, you know." Sofia says as she was at Vardall's side, crossing her arms.
The woman ignores Sofia, turning to speak with Farengar again. "Just send me a copy when you've deciphered it."
Vardall found all of this very odd, especially who that woman was and why she was so mysterious. But before he can say or hear anything else, everyone in the room hears someone else getting close to the room.
"Farengar!" Irileth, the elf Vardall met for the first time in Dragonsreach shouts, calling the attention of everyone. "You need to come at once! A Dragon was spotted nearby." She dodges her gaze to Vardall. "You should come as well."
That appears to have caught Farengar's attention. "A Dragon? How exciting! What was he doing? How he..."
"I would take this more seriously if I was you." Irileth said.
Looking around, Vardall just noticed that the hooded woman from before had vanished, probably while he was focused on Irileth. Yet it wasn't time to think about that.
"Follow me." Vardall, Sofia, and Farengar all follow Irileth upstairs, where the Jarl is, together with a city guard.
"Ah, there you are. Now... tell us about the dragon." The Jarl orders the city guard.
"Yes, my lord. I was on the watchtower when I saw it. He was huge, bigger than anything I have ever seen." The guard started talking. Everyone was paying attention to him.
"What's he doing? He's attacking the tower?" The Jarl sounded concerned.
"No sir. It's just flying in circles. When I saw him, I ran as fast as I could. I thought it would come after me." The guard said.
The Jarl nods. "Very well, son. We'll assume from here. Go back to the barracks for some food and rest. You deserve it."
"Thank you, my Lord." The guard then walked away.
Right after, the Jarl turns to his housecarl. "Irileth, pick up some guards, and go to the watchtower." Balgruuf says.
"I already ordered my man to reunite by the city gates." Said Irileth.
"Good." The Jarl then turns to Vardall. "There's no time, my friend. I need your help once again. As you were at Helgen, you have more experience with dragons than any of us."
You have no idea...
Counting everything he has already faced on Thedas, Vardall has already slain 4 dragons similar to the one he saw on Helgen: two High Dragons, the Archdemon, and Flemeth, who shapeshifted herself into a dragon.
"I didn't forget about what you did to Farengar." Balgruuf continues to speak. "As a token of my esteem, I told Avernus that you can buy a property in Whiterun. Also, take this gift from my personal arsenal." When the Jarl finished talking, several people came to Vardall, carrying a full set of armor. Taking the armor in his hands, Vardall could see that it was an armor made of steel, divided through plates all over the armor, making it heavily tough and strong.
"If you will face that dragon, you will need the best armor that I can provide. Now wear it, and go kill that thing." The Jarl ordered.
Vardall wasted no time in going somewhere more private and changing his iron armor for steel plate armor. The armor made him a little less mobile than the iron one, but it was something the Warden didn't care much about. He was also very used to using heavy armor since his preference during the Blight was to use a Grey Warden heavy armor after he earned the knowledge of the Arcane Warriors.
"Hey, Sophie..." Vardall calls Sofia. "Do you truly want to do this?" Vardall asked Sofia before leaving Dragonsreach. "We're not going to fight bandits, it's a dragon. If you want to stay here or go somewhere safe, I will understand."
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for nothing!" Sofia has a confident smile on her face. "I'm not a milk drinker, you know that. You're gonna face a dragon, and I'm going with you."
Vardall smiles. "That's what I like to hear. Now let's go." Vardall and Sofia exit Dragonsreach and make their way to Whiterun's gates. On their way, they saw many curious citizens curious about the sudden heavy movement of guards, but they just ignored them and finally arrived at the gates, where Irileth was waiting with a platoon of almost 50 guards.
"Finally, you're here." Irileth said as soon as she saw Vardall, before turning to talk with the guards.
"Listen all of you, we're going to face a dragon. I will not lie, it will be dangerous. But we need to defeat that beast if we want to keep the city safe. But I don't want any of you trying to play hero and just running into unnecessary risks. We don't want meaningless deaths here. Watch each other's backs and let's go kill that lizard!"
Good speech. But I've already heard better.
Most guards yelled in excitement, but some still showed a level of fear, even while trying to hide it. Vardall couldn't blame them, because fighting a dragon isn't something any sane person should be prepared to do.
Exiting through the city gates, Vardall and Sofia marched together with Irileth and her guards to the watchtower. They could all see the smoke and the destroyed watch tower from afar, and as they got closer, they started to spot the many bodies as well, burned and ripped apart by the flying beast.
"By the Nine... Look what that dragon did." One of the guards was speechless in the face of that carnage.
Such a scenario in front of him... The smell of blood and burned flesh... It all triggered some bad memories in Vardall. But he couldn't lose his focus now. Vardall was the one with dragon-slaying experience here, even if none of them knew it. So if, or when the creature shows up, it will be in his hands to kill it.
Irileth's voice took Vardall away from his reverie.
"Scatter! Look for survivors and watch for any sign of that dragon." Irileth ordered. The guards then spread out around the watchtower, with some keeping their guard, especially on the skies, and others investigating the bodies of their fallen brothers and sisters. Vardall and Sofia decide to join a group of guards and check inside the tower.
Analyzing the inside of the tower, It was all a great mess, just as it was outside. Its interior was greatly destroyed, just like the outside. A few more bodies were found there, but what took everyone there by surprise was finding a single survivor among the bodies.
"This one's alive!" Sofia yelled as soon as she spotted the guard, helping him to get to his feet.
All the guards gathered around the sole survivor, with Vardall already ready to heal the man with his spells. But the guard didn't seem to care about himself at all, only showing an expression of pure fear and terror, almost sterical.
Vardall tries to calm the man. "Hey, easy! You're safe now."
"No... No! Get back! You need to get out of here! That dragon is still close!" The guard yelled in despair, with a lot of fear in his voice.
Vardall tries to heal the guard, but he can't stop moving. When finally some other guards managed to immobilize him so that Vardall could do his job, a dragon's roar was heard by everyone.
"Kynareth save us, here it comes again!" The guard screams in pure terror.
Vardall didn't wait. As soon as he heard the roar, he ran right outside the tower, his sword and spells already prepared for the battle.
"Someone's anxious to die, I see!" Sofia jokes as she follows Vardall, also preparing herself for the upcoming fight. All the guards inside the tower followed them, their swords and shields, and their bows ready.
Getting outside, they barely had time to catch their breaths before they saw a giant, red dragon flying above them. This was a huge dragon, slightly bigger than the ones Vardall faced in Thedas, but still much smaller than the black dragon from Helgen.
"Thuri du hin sille ko Sovngarde!"
Okay, now that took Vardall by surprise. A dragon that could talk?
But the Warden didn't have much time to think about such a thing, because soon after, the dragon roared and prepared to attack.
"Get ready, men!" Irileth yelled to the guards. Many of them showed fear of having to face such a creature, while others showed anger at having their colleagues and friends killed by that dragon.
The dragon wasted no time and began hurling fireballs at everyone in the area. Many guards were already killed by the creature, while only a few were able to dodge. Before they're hit, Vardall quickly creates a magic barrier over him, Sofia, and most of the guards next to them, preventing them from being burned alive.
In the meantime, many guards tried to hit the dragon with their arrows, but none of them had any effect. Vardall watched as the arrows simply bounced off or hit the dragon but fell to the ground afterward. Just as the Warden predicted, the scales over the dragon's body were too thick for arrows.
"Don't waste your time shooting at the dragon's body!" Vardall yelled to all the guards. "Aim for its wings to prevent it from flying, then shoot at its weakest points, like its neck and mouth!" The Warden didn't know that the same tactics he used to kill dragons in Thedas would work on this one, but he didn't have any better choices.
Irileth got slightly curious about how Vardall had such information, but this wasn't the time for such distractions. She was at least happy that someone here apparently knew what to do.
The Dunmer dodges her attention from the guards. "You all heard the man! Focus on the wings and mouth of that flying lizard!"
Following their Commander's order, all archer guards changed their focus to the dragon's weak spots. Watching that, Vardall decided to quickly act and help them. He focused all the mana he could and cast one of the spells he used the most, one to increase his and others' speed.
The Arcane Warrior had never done that spell with so many people, but he didn't have much choice. Doing his best to focus, Vardall and all the guards and other people around there felt the spell over their bodies, already feeling their enhanced speed. That proved to be vital for the archers, as now they fired their arrows upon the dragon almost relentlessly. Even with the giant beast dodging most of the projectiles and killing more guards, that started to irritate him.
Roaring once more, the dragon prepares to pounce on a large number of guards. He smashed many of them while sending others flying backward with the shockwave.
"We made it land. Now, men! Attack with everything you got!" Irileth yelled, her sword already drawn and ready to charge the dragon.
With most now having changed to their swords, the Whiterun guards attacked the dragon fiercely. Even with their increased numbers and speed, they had a difficult time dealing with the dragon. The creature devoured all the guards in front of it while swinging his tail to attack the ones behind him. All the bravery and guts of the valiant guards of Whiterun weren't enough to defeat such a beast.
"That's not good..." Sofia says. "They're being slaughtered!"
Vardall watches that scene with a determined expression. Distraction and surprise attacks were the best ways to finish a dragon, and without knowing, the guards had given him the perfect opportunity to attack.
The Grey Warden runs in the direction of the dragon, his greatsword already in hand, his speed spell now focused solely on him. While the beast was distracted by the guards, Vardall took the chance and already did one of the main things you need to do while fighting a dragon: prevent it from flying.
Flanking the dragon, Vardall sees an open window and, without hesitation, jumps with his greatsword in his hands directly into one of the dragon's wings, doing the same thing Riordan did with the Archdemon during the Battle of Denerim.
The dragon roared in pain, right away striking Vardall with his damaged wing, knocking the Grey Warden away. Smashing himself into the ground and creating a huge shockwave, the dragon pushes away all the guards and Irileth, fully dodging his attention to Vardall.
Come and get me. I have a little surprise for you...
But instead of charging against the Grey Warden right away, the dragon just focused for a moment, as if he were analyzing Vardall. Such beast was a great danger for normal men, but Vardall wasn't anything but normal.
"You are brave, Balaan hokoron. Your defeat will bring me honor." The Dragon says. "Yol Toor Shul!"
The beast again unleashed a giant fire breath upon Vardall, trying to defeat the Warden at once. Casting a magic shield around him just in case, Vardall dodges the fire but still keeps himself in a certain area.
Sofia, Irileth, and all the surviving guards just watch as the dragon and the Grey Warden keep themselves in this "dance".
"I don't get it... What is his plan?" Irileth questioned her while she and Sofia took advantage of the opportunity and the dragon's distraction to aid and transport the injured to a safer location.
"Don't ask me; I don't know either." Sofia says.
That continued for a while, with the dragon attacking Vardall with fire, and the Grey Warden just dodging, attacking the dragon with his spells whenever he could. Eventually, the dragon grew tired of Vardall's actions. Deciding to take things more up close and personal, the dragon charges upon Vardall, in an attempt to devour the Warden at once.
And that was exactly what Vardall wanted.
As soon as the dragon opened its mouth to try and devour Vardall, the Warden dodged, putting the dragon exactly where he wanted. Without him noticing, the dragon had just stepped into one of the many magical glyphs Vardall had placed on the ground while dodging his fire. The power of the glyphs was enough to paralyze the dragon for a few seconds, allowing Vardall to act.
Vardall casts ice spikes beneath the dragon's entire body, gathering all of his remaining mana. The spikes were enough to pierce into his scales and flesh, causing some heavy damage and making him feel too much pain.
The guards watching from afar all cheered up in joy at seeing such a thing in front of their eyes.
Now was the time. Before the dragon could set himself free, Vardall holds his greatsword firmly in his hands and runs as fast as he can toward the dragon's head. The dragon tries yet again to bite the Grey Warden but to no avail. Vardall dodges again and, with all his strength, pierces the dragon's skull with his greatsword, ending his life the same way he killed the Archdemon.
The dragon roars in pain once more and desperately tries to push Vardall away, but the mage keeps steady. Strongly holding his sword's grip, Vardall does even more and casts a lighting spell over his steel weapon, spreading all over the weapon and frying the dragon's brain.
That was the final straw, and soon the dragon let out his last breath, collapsing to the ground, finally dying for good.
Upon seeing that scene, even more, joy could not be held back by the Whiterun guards. Even the wounded ones cheered up with the view of the fallen beast.
"Yeah! He did it!" Sofia cheers up in an almost childish way, looking more like a teenager than a fully grown adult. But then, that was her standard mood, and the situation now allowed it.
"I must say, I'm impressed." Irileth comments. "But still, this victory didn't come without heavy costs."
Well, Irileth was right. The dragon was defeated, but they lost too many people here. Of the 50 guards that came to face the dragon, roughly 13 made it out alive - that is counting the wounded ones. Not to mention all the guards that were on the watchtower when the dragon attacked. It was a harsh victory, but a victory nonetheless. At least all the people who lost their lives have been avenged now.
While the guards cheered up the dragon's defeat, Vardall was now panting, quite exhausted but still doing well given his Grey Warden skills. He then removes his sword from the dragon's head and puts it behind his back.
He didn't have much time to think before he was surrounded by all the surviving guards, who came over to congratulate him. Sofia was together, and she just looked at him in amazement and Irileth looked at him with respect.
"It was nothing..." Even with all these congratulations and praise, Vardall pretty much ignored it. It reminded him of when he defeated the Archdemon, of the crowds of people praising him for his deeds. It was a good feeling, but Vardall knew he didn't deserve any more. The same crowds that once treated him with such admiration and respect most certainly treat him now with fear and mistrust.
Suddenly, a strange noise caught everyone's attention. Turning their attention to the dragon's corpse, everyone could see as the corpse started to be engulfed by flames, starting to mysteriously burn itself.
"Something is happening. Get back!" One of the guards screamed in fear, and they all ran away from the dragon's corpse. Vardall also tried to get away, but suddenly the dragon's corpse started sending some kind of strange magical energy to him. Vardall felt... good after being struck by this strange magic. It was not harming him in any way, and it was even making him feel good. Together with that, he felt as if almost the pure concept of knowledge was being directly inserted into his mind. More and more of those strange words, just like the one he learned in Bleak Falls Barrow, were carved deep into his mind, together with their meaning and much more. All the... shouts that dragon knew. When it was all over, Vardall again felt good. He felt stronger than before. All the tiredness and fatigue he had from his previous battle was gone, and he felt he could fight against another dragon or even an entire group of Templars all by himself.
Looking at his side, the Warden now just stares at the skeleton of the dragon, all that remained of the deadly, yet majestic creature.
Everyone present had different reactions to such an act that took place before their eyes. The guards whispered things to each other, Sofia was startled and confused, and Irileth was silent and said nothing. One of the guards approached Vardall, still amazed by what had happened.
"I can't believe it! You are... Dragonborn..." The guard was still in a state of shock, surprise, and almost admiration.
"Dragonwhat?" Vardall raises one eyebrow. He could hear the other guards whispering something among them.
"In the very oldest tales, back from when there were still dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn could slay dragons and steal their power. That's what you did, isn't it? Absorbed the dragon's power?"
"I..." Vardall was very confused, again. Steal the powers of a dragon? How was that even possible? "...I don't know what happened."
"There's only one way to find out. Try to shout." The guard said. "According to the old legends, only a Dragonborn can shout without training, the way the dragons do."
"The way dragons... do?" Vardall was still confused. Then he remembers all strange words he learned after absorbing the dragon's power, so he decides to try some of them.
Having nothing to lose, Vardall moves to an empty point near him with just a big rock. He stares at the rock and breathes, preparing himself, thinking on the words...
"Yol... Toor... Shul!"
Right after Vardall shouts those words, he sees as he starts to continuously release a really large blaze of fire for his mouth, just like dragons do.
What the fuck...
"The Thu'um!" One of the guards said. "He summons the Thu'um!" This generated a huge discussion among all the guards. Meanwhile, Sofia approaches Vardall, standing next to the Grey Warden.
"So... Dragonborn, eh? Too bad it isn't me. I would give the term 'shouting' a whole new meaning." She smiles, but her smile quickly fades when Vardall doesn't respond, instead staring at anywhere.
"Hey, you're okay?" Sofia places her hand on Vardall's shoulder.
Instead of answering right away, Vardall lets out a dry laugh. "Yet one more strange thing happened in my life. I may start writing about it in my journal."
Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Are you... okay with this? You're not freaking out?"
The Warden shrugs. "Honestly, only strange things have been happening in my life in the last few days, so it does not surprise me anymore." He then moves away from Sofia, thinking on other words he also learned from the dragon's soul.
"Fo... Krah... Diin!" And the same from before happened, but this time Vardall released a giant breath of ice, instead of fire.
Vardall couldn't help but smile with all this. He still had some other of this Thu'um he wanted to try, but he nedded to talk with Jarl Balgruuf.
"Come on. Let's help treat the wounded ones and then return to Whiterun." He said to Sofia, already moving to help the guards.
Again, Vardall saw the destruction and death that the dragon caused while treating the wounded. If he hadn't acted fast, much more would have died. While he used his spells to treat the wounded, Sofia was helping organize the bodies of the fallen. Once both friends were done, they made their way back to Whiterun, crossing its stables and entering the city's gates.
Again inside the city, Vardall and Sofia spot dozens of people on the streets, being held back by guards. Of course, such a huge movement of guards and a destroyed watchtower could call people's attention. Making their way through the crowd, Vardall and Sofia continue their way to Dragonsreach. However, they stopped when not just them, but basically, all of Whiterun heard a very loud thunder in the sky, followed by the shout of several voices, calling the attention of everyone.
"Dov Ah Kiin!"
That was a word Vardall had never heard, but also seemed familiar to him, and yet... Vardall felt it had to do with him. But now wasn't the time to answer some shouts in the sky. He still had to inform Jarl Balgruuf about their battle.
Vardall and Sofia returned to Dragonsreach, where they saw Jarl Balgruuf discussing something with his brother. As soon as they noticed Vardall was back, they stopped talking.
"Good, you're back. The Jarl is waiting for you." Proventus said while Vardall walked past him.
"So what happened to the watchtower? Was the dragon there?" Jarl Balgruuf asked, anxious for an answer.
Vardall decided to be direct. "The watchtower was destroyed, but I killed the dragon."
The Warden's answer makes Balgruuf smile. "I knew I could count on you and Irileth. But must have more than just that."
"Indeed, it has." Vardall said. "It looks like I may be something called "Dragonborn." Vardall's words made Balgruuf take on a more serious expression.
"Dragonborn? What do you know about the Dragonborn?" The Jarl asked.
Vardall just shrugged. "I don't know anything about this. But when the dragon died, I absorbed some kind of power from him."
Balgruuf seems to analyze what he heard from Vardall, resting back on his throne afterward. "So it's true. The Greybeards really were summoning you."
He frowns. "The Greybeards?"
"Masters of the Way of the Voice. They live in high seclusion on the slopes of the Throat of the World, the highest mountain of all Tamriel. The Dragonborn is said to be uniquely gifted in the Voice - the ability to focus your vital essence into a Thu'um, or Shout. If you are a Dragonborn, they can teach you how to use your gift." As Jarl Balgruuf was talking, Vardall was listening to everything, paying very close attention. If he wants answers, Vardall must go talk with the Greybeards as soon as possible.
After that, the Jarl, his brother Hrongar, and Proventus started a discussion. Hrongar said to Vardall that the thundering sound he heard was the Greybeards summoning him to a place called High Hrothgar. The discussion continued for some time but soon ended.
"You've done a great service to me and my city, Dragonborn." Jarl Balgruuf said. "By my right as Jarl, I name you Thane of Whiterun. It's the greatest honor within my power to grant."
Thane, huh? Sounds like an important title.
In Thedas, mages could never have a title such as this, even children of important people, like the son of Arl Eamon of Redcliffe, Connor. But Vardall was an exception. King Alistair, besides granting the freedom of the Ferelden Circle of Magi, had also made Vardall his Chancellor. Both of Alistair's actions clearly enraged several people in the Chantry, but Vardall didn't care and was even pleased.
Balgruuf continued to talk. "I also assign Lydia as your personal Housecarl, and this weapon of my armory to serve as a badge of office." Then was delivered to Vardall a really big and heavy greatsword. It has a robust appearance and a more brown color. It would be useful.
"I'll also notify my guards of your new title. Wouldn't want them to think you're part of the rabble, now would we? We're honored to have you as Thane of our city, Dragonborn." Jarl Balgruuf talked in a very respectful tone. Vardall smiled and respectfully nodded his head.
"Now, you and your companion might stay here in Dragonsreach for the night." The Jarl says. "You'll need to be well-rested to endure the journey to High Hrothgar.
Vardall agrees, and then he and Sofia are taken to a bedroom in Dragonsreach. It was quite fancy, but not as much as the room Vardall had in the Royal Palace of Denerim.
Later that day and after a good meal both companions had, they both prepared to go to their rooms and sleep a little.
"Now that was unfair. You earn a fancy title, but not me?!" Sofia complains while she and Vardall walk through the corridors of Dragonsreach.
"It was for a greater good, Sophie. I don't even want to imagine what you would do with basically a noble title." Vardall laughs.
They both continued their argument until they reached their bedrooms.
"Ah, after that battle, I could use a good night's rest." Sofia says.
Vardall stares at her. "You mean, the battle where I did all the hard work?"
"Hey! I was doing a damn good job distracting the dragon with my beauty so that you could kill it!" Sofia yells.
The Warden can't hold back his laughter at this. "Yeah, yeah... alright. Good night, Sofia."
"See you tomorrow, Vardall." And so Sofia enters her room and locks her door, leaving Vardall alone.
The Grey Warden sighs and enters his room. He takes off all of his armor and clothes, leaving only his pants, and sits on the bed.
Vardall despised being alone at the moment. It was the time when his internal demons tormented him the most - when he could feel the weight of his sins upon his shoulders. He sighs again and then runs his fingers over the scars he has on his body, all memories of each battle he won, each torture he endured, and each mistake he made.
Laying back in the bed and covering himself with some high-quality blankets, Vardall keeps staring at the roof, waiting for sleep to take him. When it starts working and he starts feeling tired, Vardall turns to the side and, on an instinctive move, he hugs the other side of the bed - only to be received by nothing.
It takes a few seconds for Vardall to realize what he tried to do, and he just sighs with the realization. Even after what happened, even after what he did... He still misses his little, red-headed Songbird.
Sighing and letting one single tear drop from his eye, Vardall hugs nothing more than himself that night and closes his eyes to sleep.
"I just hope you're doing okay, Songbird..."
Opening his eyes, Vardall saw he wasn't in Dragonsreach any longer.
In front of him was an unnaturally beautiful place, with strange constellations in the night sky above the Warden. Statues of hooded and bearded men also decorated the land, with all of them turning and looking like they were staring at Vardall.
It takes a while, for the Warden to remember, but he has already been here before. Many days ago, in his dreams, Vardall saw himself exactly at this place, fighting against a creature he wasn't able to identify.
As he begins to walk straight, the Warden notices that the statues nearby are staring at him, but he ignores them. Soon, he saw that his way was blocked by a dense, thick fog, making it impossible to see anything in front of him.
However, Vardall soon heard a familiar and terrifying sound. Looking up, all he sees is the same black dragon that attacked Helgen and almost killed Vardall.
The dragon was huge as always, and even while flying, it focused its gaze directly on Vardall, staring at the Grey Warden with its deep, scary red eyes. Reality finally hit Vardall once he noticed the dragon flying in his direction, but it was too late. In one simple move, the dragon eats the Warden before he's able to do anything.
It didn't take long for the Grey Warden to wake up from his nightmare, desperately trying to find out where he was before he finally realized.
"Fuck..."
Calming down and relaxing, Vardall lays back on the bed, running both his hands over his face. He was already expecting to have more nightmares during his sleep, but he didn't think it would be like that. That place of his dreams... Vardall knew nothing about it and had never seen any place like that. Yet... why was he dreaming of that place? Or even where these dreams after all?
Vardall finally gets out of bed and dresses his armor before leaving his room, assuming Sofia is already awake. He proved to be right when he saw Sofia trying to flirt with a guard next to the Jarl's throne.
Vardall smiles and lets out a dry laugh at such a scene. He didn't even wait before passing and taking Sofia by her arm, walking away with her.
"H-hey!"
"Just preventing you from making something that'll put us both in trouble, Sophie." Vardall said, still smiling.
"I wasn't going to do anything like that! Besides, you're a Thane now? You could just use your fancy title to get us out of jail." Sofia affirms.
"Even so, I don't want to try that out." Vardall says. "We have yet to see these Greybeards."
Moving towards the Dragonsreach exit, Vardall and Sofia spot a woman coming in their direction. She was wearing a steel armor, with a steel sword and shield.
"My Thane?" The woman said, looking at Vardall. "I'm Lydia. I was named as your personal Housecarl. It's an honor to meet you." Lydia said. Vardall arched his eyebrows. Lydia was not only a very muscular woman with well-defined muscles, but she was also quite tall, even taller than Sofia. The Warden still had to get used to most women in Skyrim being so tall, and Lydia was one of the tallest he had seen. There were men in Thedas who weren't as tall as Lydia and Sofia were.
"Oh, hey. Nice to meet you." Vardall and Lydia both shake hands. "And please, call me Vardall instead of Thane, okay? I don't stand being called by fancy titles unless it is needed."
Lydia wasn't expecting Vardall to be so casual. Most new Thanes she had already met loved to tell as many people as possible about their new titles, but Vardall was different.
"Yes... Vardall." Lydia said, what made Vardall smile.
"Good. Now, this is Sofia, she's my friend and also my companion." Vardall pointed to the woman at his side.
Sofia smiled and waved at Lydia. "Hi."
"Now if you could follow us, we're going to a place called High Hrothgar." Vardall said. "But I don't even know where this place is."
"Oh, that I know." Sofia said. "It's a little far, and we'll have to walk more than 7,000 steps to climb there."
"7,000 steps? Oh, just my luck..." Sofia laughed at Vardall's reaction.
"Don't worry, Vardall. If you grow tired, I can carry you." Sofia jokes.
Vardall, Sofia, and now Lydia all exit Dragonsreach, making their way to High Hrothgar, where Vardall was hoping to get some answers.
Translation:
"Thurri du hin sille ko Sovngarde!" = My lord will feast on your souls in Sovngarde!
"Balaan hokoron." = Worthy enemy.