-Woah, I hadn't realized just how much I'd typed up for this one! All from attempting to describe the entirety of one's journey up the 7,000 Steps to see the Greybeards for the first time! Let's see if I can wow you all just as before; enjoy!-


The majority of Lydia and Siffre's carriage trip was a quiet one. The one horse drawn carriage charted them across the flat, sparsely grassy plains of Whiterun hold. All around them, local fauna like deer kept reasonable distance from them. In fact, more fantastic creatures like a pair of giants, shepherding a group of massive mammoths, were also seen in the distance walking in the direction opposite them. While it was a quiet trip for them, the silence was occasionally broken up by the occasional remark or attempt at small talk.

Their cart proceeded along the dirt road until eventually it began to run alongside a river off to their right side. The White River, as Bjorlam had identified it, was a massive torrent of rushing water and crashing waves. Given how close it was to the mountain it was also a fair guess to assume it was freezing as well. The traveling party would do well to remain up on the trail's elevated high ground and away from the ice water below.

Throughout this trip, Lydia would catch glimpses of Siffre scanning the skies every so often. She did this, while her eyes held that familiar look of concern... and fear, from her earlier mentioning of Helgen. Thankfully, the skies were clear with no dragons to be seen, nor heard, from anywhere. All three of them would breathe a little easier with this basic fact, but that same fear never completely left Siffre's eyes.

As the road and the river curved more to the right, it was not only natural plant-life that could be seen. Dotting the land in very isolated places were more stone structures that were old run-down forts and keeps. From times long past when these places were structurally sound and in their prime, it was probable they served much different purposes back then than now. As such, forts like those were probably infested with bandits using them as their hold-outs. Thankfully they could only be seen at a distance, far away from the commonly traveled road. Little risk of any stick-ups in that regard...

Nearly an hour had passed and the curved road was definitely taking them more south by now. Lydia and Siffre began to notice the subtle change in the plant-life's appearance. Whereas plants and trees in Whiterun hold were known to be vibrantly green, they were now taking on a more warm-color to their leaves; a perpetual autumn. One of the first indicators for Lydia that she had fully left home, and she was greeted to a sight of strange beauty.

"Ladies," Bjorlam suddenly spoke up, "Ivarstead is directly straight in this direction, and to get there I'll need to break off the main road and take the side road." Siffre and Lydia looked out in the direction he was pointing. It was true, a smaller, more unbeaten path broke off from their current road and pulled inward to hug the mountain more.

"Alright then," Lydia said, and Bjorlam continued to drive. This new road would be taking them through a more forested section of land than where they had been travelling before. Trees were now more close to the road than before and could be seen much clearer this time. Lydia noticed the air had changed as well. It was... well, different, than what she was used to. It felt about the same coolness as Whiterun, but... Maybe the surrounding autumn leaves scented the air differently. It was a pleasant smell, and she couldn't complain about it at all.

Ten more minutes had passed, and Bjorlam spoke up again, "We're here!"

Siffre and Lydia looked forward. A stone bridge to cross, and there was a settlement to greet them. A small hamlet of about four buildings, and a lumber-mill at the edge of the river. It's massive wooden wheel continued to spin along with the ever-running current of the river. A figure could be seen within the saw mill itself doing something, but was too far away to be clearly identified. Lydia herself had been to Riverwood in Whiterun once or twice in her life, so the sight and concept of a saw mill run naturally by river flow was not new to her; it was a familiar feeling.

The carriage completely cleared a rise in the dirt road, and then came to a slow halt just outside of the settlement's perimeters.

"Here we are, Ivarstead of the Rift," Bjorlam said. One at a time, Lydia and Siffre walked out and off of the carriage. Touching back down they instantly felt how different the ground itself felt. It felt more moist, yet not too much to leave muck on their boots nor sink into it, "I apologize but I'll need to be heading off now to Riften; horse here'll need to be cared for."

"We... understand; thank you for your assistance," Lydia said. Bjorlam nodded, then flicked his wrist and was on his way back down the path through the town and onward in a different direction. While he traveled out of sight, Lydia and Siffre took a moment to stretch the stiffness out of their legs. They'd been sitting in that carriage for about an hour or two now, so it felt good to get the blood flowing through their legs again. They then looked back up and allowed themselves to embrace where they were.

"So this is the Rift Hold?" Lydia said, "Well, so far it looks pleasant enough..."

"The- the air," Siffre noted, "it smells... hm, crisper and... cooler."

"You smell it too?" Lydia asked, "I thought I was the only one who smelled how different it was..." She looked out towards Ivarstead again. There were fewer number of people walking around, doing various chores. One could be seen pushing the stone wheel of a massive wheat grinder, while others could be seen gardening. In addition, Lydia could see at least three guardsmen local to this Hold walking around. What immediately caught her eye was the difference in color of their armor. The cloth stitched into them was violet, signifying their allegiance to the Rift.

"So... we're here..." Siffre said, "Where... do we go now?"

"Hmmm..." Lydia pondered, "We should ask around, see if anyone has further information. Maybe the guardsmen?" She pointed out to a nearby patrol close by who was walking in their general direction.

"Alright..." Siffre moved first, Lydia right behind her, to meet with this female guard. She heard them approaching and stopped for a moment.

"You two are new here, aren't you?" she asked, "Travelers?"

"Of a sort, yes," Lydia said.

"We um..." Siffre said softly, "Well... we're trying to... see the Greybeards..." The guard tilted her head in response.

"Hm, no mere travelers but pilgrims?" she said, "There's no shortage of those coming to this town. I suppose I can tell you what all I know..." She turned and pointed to her side, "Simply cross that bridge over the river, and then the first of the 7,000 Steps awaits you..." Siffre gave an audibly sharp exhale of breath from the mentioning of that number.

"I... That's completely..." she looked at the guard, "There's really... that many steps... going up there?"

"Well, I've never walked it, so I can't personally say if that's true, or simply an estimate born of superstition..." the guard admitted with a shrug, "As for hardships, besides the climb itself, there's the occasional wolf or frostbite spider, but nothing you two can't handle from the looks of it."

"I see," Lydia said. That was an important detail to know, and she was glad to have heard it, "Well, it sounds like we'll need some healing potions just in case. Does this place have an apothecary?"

"I'm afraid Ivarstead does not have one, however..." the guard reached her free hand behind her and into her bag on her hip and pulled forth two small pink-colored vials, "I myself can spare two for the both of you." She held them out in her hand before Lydia and Siffre, and one after the other the two ladies accepted one from her.

"Um... thank you," Siffre said.

"Yes, thank you for this," Lydia pocketed her potion in her own bag, "And thank you for your time and the information."

"Good luck to the both of you," the guard said, and resumed on her patrol. Siffre and Lydia looked back at each other, then both looked out at the bridge, and the daunting path laid out before them.

From what they could see alone, there were a set of steps going straight up and alongside the mountain at first glance. About ten feet up however, the steps couldn't be seen anymore, but squinting closer could show that they curved inwards to the left and more along the mountain's side. They would no doubt continue to ascend its length. The further they looked up the mountain, they could see clearly how its summit seemed to pierce the cloud-line.

"The Throat of the World..." Lydia said, "Well, it certainly lives up to its reputation."

"And we... haven't even... climbed it yet," Siffre noted, "But... I'll have to... if I ever want to... to understand this... this Voice I have..."

"Agreed," Lydia said, "So I guess we'd better get started..." With that, the two women proceeded to cross over the stone bridge. The sound of rushing water could be heard directly beneath them through the stone structure. Their noses were also filled with the faint vapors of light mist that the crashing water produced as well. They hadn't even started up the mountain yet and were greeted by scenic marvels.

The first steps were finally before them and they began to ascend. Years of weathering and erosion marred the pristine image of each step. Almost every step on this single section had a curved off corner. Unfortunately, this was something Siffre realized too late as she slipped the toes of her boot off the edge and fell forward with a small yelp.

"Ah-!" The air in front of her vibrated along with her yelp. Her open hand and her shield held in front of her to catch herself as she fell to one knee. Dull pain shot up the length of her leg and through the rest of her upper body.

"My Thane!" Lydia rushed to her side to help her up, "Are you alright? You must be careful!"

"I-I know..." Siffre said, "I just... slipped..." Shaking herself, she and Lydia were moving again. Siffre took her next steps slowly and deliberately this time. From looking up, they could see how this set of stairs curved to the left as it ascended, while at about fifteen feet away from them and about ten feet high off the natural ground.

"Huh? What is that?" Lydia noted. Before they could commit to the sharp left turn the steps would take them, something could be seen in front of them off to the right side of the path. The women approached it to look closer at it. It was a small, stone-carved object, a little shorter then Siffre, with a center hollowed out of it. The outside of it held a carving of a humanoid figure, though like the steps had also eroded slightly from external weather, "What is this?"

"It's... there's something... written in here..." Siffre's eyes caught sight of words within the carved out hollow of the stone, "Um... 'Before the ...birth of men... th-the Dragons... ruled all Mundus'," Lydia's perked up at attention. Mundus? Dragons were present in every part of the world, not just in Skyrim?

"'Their word was... the Voice, and they... spoke... only for... True Needs, for the Voice could... blot out the sky and... flood the land...'" Siffre stepped away from the carved text, still eyeing what it was she just read, "The Voice... it's really that... that powerful... isn't it?"

"I wouldn't put it past dragons to actually be capable of something like floods... Even if this was clearly written many years ago." Lydia remarked, "Come on, let's keep moving."

Lydia and Siffre turned back to the left and proceeded along the steps' path. The path felt a little different this time, as the steps themselves didn not feel as steep one after the other as the initial ones felt. The path in front of them looked to be much more of a flatter surface. The two could actually see in the distance before them where the path curved back to the right again.

As they reached halfway across this stretch of the path, Siffre suddenly glanced to her left side. Past the jagged rocks jutting out of the side of the mountain, she could see Ivarstead below, as well as a clearer view of the rushing river rapids.

"Look at that... the view..." she quietly uttered as she walked. Lydia looked over to her side as well. Ivarstead looked more and more miniature by now, and the people could barely be seen. This view was incredible, but also a little... precarious.

"It is, my Thane, but we should stick closer over here, away from the edge?" Lydia reminded her. Siffre heeded this advice and the two of them moved as far away from the edge of the mountain. No where in did this endeavor of theirs included falling to their deaths off the world's tallest mountain. Especially when they had just started, no less!

A few more feet and a few more slight steps, and the path suddenly curved back to their right and began to ascend much more sharply. Even as they walked up these new steps, Siffre and Lydia's calves were both starting to burn by this point. There was also the fact that this section of the path appeared to narrow a bit, which reduced the amount of space for the two ladies to walk up. On their left side the walls of the mountain appeared to stretch outward, while to their right side sets of sturdy trees sprouted out and along the edge.

Siffre walked up, her hand held on the wall to steady herself.

"This... this is... my legs are..." her quiet tone this time had a mix of panting in her voice.

"I know, it feels like my legs are on fire as well..." Lydia agreed. Every step taken only added another kindling to the burning in her lower legs. The combined foot-wraps and inner boot's padding did little to cushion her own feet's discomfort. If her own legs were starting to hurt this much, she could only imagine what Siffre's were like, considering her's had been blistered earlier.

Up this stretch the relative end could be seen, at least in a sense that it would curve again. But that wasn't the only thing the two women saw. Two things could be seen at the path's curve: another of those carved stone readings, and a man, walking down along that curve carrying a dead rabbit in his hand. In his field of vision his eyes fell upon the two women approaching him.

"Hail travelers!" the man greeted, "You're headed up the path to High Hrothgar as well?"

"As well?" Lydia asked, confused, "There are others travelling this path?"

"Indeed, this is a Path many pilgrims like to travel, though you two are the first ones I've seen today," he said, "I was just heading back down and take a load off at the inn, and get this game cooked." He indicated to the dead rabbit in hand. Lydia stepped to the side to allow the man to walk past them.

"W-wait," Siffre silently spoke up, causing the man to turn back and face her, "Have you... um, have you been... u-up there? To High... Hrothgar? Seen these Greybeards?" The man's eyes narrowed at the questions.

"Hmmm, I've never gone that far up to the monastery myself, much less even laid eyes on them..." he said, "Still I simply content myself in travelling this path as my form of meditation... Is that what you two have come to do?"

"Well, not really," Lydia said, "Our business... it directly involves the Greybeards..."

"Really? Then that means you're going up to High Hrothgar yourselves? Hm, here..." With his free hand, the man fished into his side bag and pulled forth two small objects, "I keep salted meats on me just in case. It sounds like you two'll need them more than I do."

"Oh, thank you," Lydia said, taking her piece. Salted meats were handy for staving off the ill-effects of hunger, despite how bad it tasted. Siffre took her piece right after she did.

"Well, luck be with you," the man said, proceeding to walk back down where they had come, "Oh, and keep an eye out for nasty creatures. I thought I heard a frost troll's cry on the way back down here...!" The man grew smaller as he walked further down and away, leaving the two women alone.

"Frost troll?" Lydia said aloud. That was not good news. Any troll that had a word tacked on to its name like 'frost' troll was definitely not one to trifle with, "We'd best keep alert from here on out, my Thane." Tucking away their respective meats, they both started to turn back on the path, until Siffre remembered the curved etching stone they were about to pass.

"Wait... I want to... see what this says..." she walked up and looked closely at the words, "Men were born and... spread over the face... of... Mundus...The Dragons... presided over the... crawling masses... Men were weak then... and had no Voice."

"How could that be though?" Lydia pondered, "From what I've seen of dragons, they may be powerful, but still act like nothing more than animals."

"It um... maybe they... speak?" Siffre said, "Communicate with other dragons... somehow?"

"A talking dragon? That's another thing I wouldn't want to think could exist..." Lydia said with a shudder. She then looked back up at the left-curved path again, "Hey, look there; finally snow."

"Yes, I can feel that... that chill, in the air... I should-" Siffre reached her free hand to her arm to undo the clip that held her sleeve in place. It fell down the length of her arm until its end met with the end of her gauntlet, and she repeated the same process with the other sleeve. The effect was immediate, the wind was no longer stinging at her arms as fiercely as before with this protection for her arms, "Ahh... better."

Lydia had done the same with her sleeves and the two women continued their ascent. This time they not only had the steepness of the steps to worry about, but the snow and ice that were found on them added a thin layer of slickness to their surface. They were careful to make each step they took deliberate and precise- front toes and half the soles on each step, heels going unused.

It was by now the wind around them was now openly noticeable. It howled in their ears and whipped its cool in their faces as they continued to walk. Lydia could feel the tip of her nose starting to freeze by now. If only this wind could be useful and cool off her burning calves a little bit!

The path began to curve inward again, but not enough to swing around in the opposite direction this time. The path began to ascend more into the mass of the mountain itself... Wait, was there still a wall of mountain in front of them, or maybe the mountain was much more massive in scale than either woman had initially anticipated? It was getting harder to tell by this point. And only adding to the tribulations was the fact that the snow that now replaced soil on the ground was beginning to pour over on top of the steps, which would not only make it even slicker but conceal it from view!

"I can't... see... where to step..." Siffre struggled against the whipping wind.

"Stay close to me, my Thane! I can still see, barely...!" That was partially true, as Lydia only had a rough guess of where the steps were. The wind whipping her face and obscuring her vision as well of as the slickness of the steps were not doing her nor Siffre any favors. She was starting to lose feeling in her cheeks by this point, but she pressed on, listening closely for the sound of Siffre's steps behind her to make sure she was there.

The path curved slightly to the right again, and for once Lydia could see at the top the gray of the sky above to greet her. Could this mean they had reached it? While so far this 'felt' like they'd ascended 7,000 steps there was no way it could actually be true, could it?

"It looks clear at the top of this pass!" Lydia called out behind her.

"R-really?" Siffre called out. Lydia's eyes narrowed at what she'd heard; that had to have been the loudest she'd ever heard Siffre's voice so far! It was a little louder than one would try and talk over a crowd of people, with air vibrations accompanying it. Maybe surrounding, howling wind was a suitable motivation.

"Let's just... keep pushing...!" Lydia reached her open hand behind her, a second later Siffre taking hold of it. The two women powered through with burning legs in an icy storm to finally cross over the pass...

What they did find was mixed results. Before them was a clearing, a large open area of a snow ground with trees off to their right side and the mountain's sheer drop to the left. There were no more steps directly in front of them, but rather steps could still be seen at the other end of this area!

"Gods... damn it!" Lydia cursed, "We're still not there?!" This was ludicrous! It felt like they'd been climbing for ages, but looking up at the mountain's side showed there was much more to be climbed.

"Huh... my legs... I'm... tired..." Siffre huffed and panted behind her, "And a... a little hungry..." She reached into her back to pull forth the salted meat. She unwrapped it from the cloth it was wrapped in and gingerly took a bite from it. The saltiness assaulted her taste buds instantly, but it was still satisfying to chew on something.

Lydia glanced over at Siffre, the sight of her munching on her salted meat diminished her moment of frustration. As they walked forward, she fished forth her own piece of salted meat and bit into it as well. Her piece tasted like it was lightly salted, and because of that was noticeably without flavor. But she was hungry at the moment, and flavorless food in her belly was still food.

They moved slowly across this open section of a clearing, the ankle-deep snow combined with the whipping wind slowing their movement. Before they reached the end of it and the next set of steps, another etched carving stone could be seen off to the left side. Siffre quickly finished her piece of meat and moved closer to inspect it.

"My Thane, do we really need to stop for every one of these?" Lydia asked.

"I'm... curious... They've been mentioning... this Voice..." she urged, then turned to look in closer, "Hmmm... The fledgling... spirits of Men were strong... in Old Times, unafraid to... war with Dragons and their Voices... But the Dragons only shouted them down... and broke their hearts..." She took a step back and looked at Lydia.

"This is starting to sound like reminding us of what's obvious," Lydia said, "The dragons and everything about them are a menace, we already know this!"

"Yes, they are... but..." Siffre said, "Where did they... go? How are they... coming back?" She gestured to the etched stones, "And the Voice... These things might... reveal more about the Voice!" Lydia shook her head with closed eyes and a sigh. It might be the frustration gripping her presently, but there was clearly a far more pressing matter than simply reading every stone's written words on a snowy mountain!

"We should really press onward..." Lydia urged, tension starting to creep into her voice. Siffre followed behind her, back up another set of steps. The cleared a couple flights when the path suddenly dipped downward, then curved back upward again. Up, down, up, down, climbing steps was hard enough going a single direction, never-mind two interchangeably! Both women's calves were practically screaming at them while on fire by this point. Fortunately, the surrounding wind appeared to let up a little so that they could at least see a good ten feet in front of them. At this point, any lack of hardship for them was great news.

They'd reached what felt like their third rise of steps when the path descended yet again, this time almost clear off the side of the mountain itself if the path didn't curve to the right again. Instead, there was the familiar sight of another etched carving stone, words within ready to greet a reader.

A sigh escaped Lydia's lips as the two of them descended down this pass. Well, to be fair, there were multiple reasons for her sigh; her screaming calves for one. Beside her, Siffre could be heard panting as well, the same kind of hard breathing she herself was doing. Even if she wasn't vocally admitting it, Lydia could tell she was also getting tired as she was. She supposed it could've been worse, the whipper winds might have returned with a vengeance, or the two of them could've even had to traverse this path completely without boots. A quick mental prayer went up to the gods above that her boots were doing a superb job in keeping her feet completely warm, even when submerged in snow.

They reached the flat section of this pass, and Siffre approached the etched carving stone. However, she didn't read what was written right away. Lydia tilted her head at this.

"My Thane? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I... I can't... pronounce this word..." she softly said, "Paa-... Parther... Paath...-" Lydia groaned.

"If you can't pronounce it, then what is the point of trying to decipher this?!" she exclaimed. Siffre looked back at her with opened, pleading eyes.

"Lydia!" the air rippled between them as her volume was raised slightly, "Because... Kyne and... whatever this word is... they taught Men... to use the Voice!"

"Kyne?" Lydia said, "That proves it- the gods themselves gave them the Voice! What more is there to know?!" Siffre's eyes narrowed at Lydia's continued outbursts.

"This is... something that directly... involves me!" her voice was definitely raised to normal speaking level, yet the air between them vibrated hard with every pronounced syllable that exited her mouth, "Am I... forbidden from... wanting to know more?!"

"I would say under better weather conditions, and from actual people who are still alive, at the end of this gods-forsaken path, and would probably be more than willing to tell you more themselves!" Lydia was almost fuming at this point, returning Siffre's hard stare with one of her own. In that moment, the snow around them didn't feel as cold and icy. Both women stared at each other, a single, similar thought on their minds,

'How can she not see the importance of this?!'

Lydia shook her head and continued to follow the path, not even bothering to wait and see if Siffre was behind her. Thankfully the Dragonborn followed after her up the next flight of steps. The air around them was thick and palpable, in spite of their current altitude. In fact, glancing off to their left side showed that they were so high up by now, the surrounding sky only appeared as a thick, gray blanket of clouds, wind, and snow.

Before them, the flight of steps led them up a steadily narrowing path. A jagged rock wall on their right stretched outward, while the edge of the path, and the mountains pass on their left, drew closer to the center. Lydia could feel her frustrations grow even more; not only were her feet crying out for mercy, but she had to voluntarily angle herself and keep within the confines of the steps to avoid the risk of falling.

Siffre was right behind her, and her own legs were not faring much better than her housecarl's. In fact, she didn't tell her but her legs were practically on fire and their muscles were tightened from this unconventional exercise. She was used to travelling along flatter areas of land, certainly not up mountains! Glancing up this mountain, she could see through the thick of the clouds above how it the peak could be seen much clearly now, a beacon of hope and relief through the fog. There was now the sense that they were almost there... and that she would get the answers she desperately sought.

By now the path led them through a small, rocky ravine. Thankfully with bigger walls of rock now surrounding them, the wind wouldn't be able to blow against them as hard if it ever picked up again. In fact, this part of the path thankfully had no more ascensions as the women passed through this ravine. Maybe things would look better from here on-

A growling sound could be heard on the wind, causing Lydia to instantly stop moving. They stood beneath a rocky outcrop reaching above them by now when that strange sound reached her ears.

"Huh? What was...?" she said, "My Thane, there's something here..."

"Really?" Siffre spoke with skepticism, "I thought... nothing was to stop us-"

"That's not what I meant!" Lydia urged, "I mean be sile-" In that instant, Lydia quickly cut herself off, even as she glanced at her Thane. Perhaps that was not the best choice of words to use in front of her. She just hoped that Siffre would not take hard offense to that, "I thought... I thought I heard something..." she quickly covered up.

Siffre's eyes widened a little, and she glanced around at the looming rocks surrounding them, "I didn't... hear anything..."

"Let's keep moving, but carefully..." Lydia said. She began to slowly walk through this ravine, maintaining a slow and steady pace for her and Siffre to walk. She trained her ears to focus on whatever that sound was, hoping she wouldn't hear it again. Or worse, that whatever it was wouldn't hear them.

Siffre followed her housecarl until the two of them completely exited the ravine and the surrounding overhead rocks. Before them the path veered again to the right, with plenty more steps revealed before them. On the other hand, directly in front of them lay a sheer drop off the side of the mountain. Their course clear, the two of them proceeded towards the steps... or would have if Lydia hadn't stopped yet again.

Her eyes widened, and she slowly turned around in cautious fear. She'd heard it, that growling noise. This time, Siffre heard it as well, and both women turned their heads back around to face the source. That source stood upon the outer edge of the overhead rocks, eyes looking down on them.

"A frost troll..." Lydia breathed. The creature stood above them, arms long enough to almost drag their knuckles on the ground, individual hairs of its fur being blown on the wind, and its maw open to bare its canines at them. It pounded the ground once, then twice, then flailed them out with a roar. There was no denying it- it had seen them, and would probably want to kill them!

"A... troll..." Siffre breathed. She quickly pulled her sword from her sheath. Upon hearing this, Lydia did the same. The two women stood, side by side, their shields held out before them, at the ready. This may be a hardship involved with travelling this path, but this one involved combat, something they were definitely familiar with.

The troll wasted no time and practically leaped up to jump all the way down to their level. The two women watched as it hit the ground with a thud, on its hands and feet, yet continued to advance upon them unfazed.

'Alright Lydia, stay calm,' Lydia thought to herself, 'Left leg forward, right leg steady. Shield arm out, sword arm at the ready-' She barely finished her mental mantra when the frost troll was already on them, swinging its heavy arms. The two women braced themselves and their shield arms as best they could, but were still caught off guard by the sheer strength behind the swings. The force and vibrations of the strikes rattled through their hands, up their arms and practically shook their bodies.

"Grgh-!" The result of their defense was mixed; despite the deep rattling through her body, Lydia held her body steadfast. Siffre on the other hand found herself staggering backward, unused to this type of raw strength attack. In the process she lost her footing and fell straight back down into the bed of snow beneath her.

"My Thane! Are you-?!" Lydia did not have time to finish as the troll did not afford her a chance. With only one person now immediately before it, it focused all of its attention on her. With an animal-like snarl, it attempted to back-swipe at her from the opposite direction from before. But Lydia was prepared this time, and thrust her shield forward to bash it, catching it off guard.

This time the frost troll was left staggered, and Lydia quickly made her move to slash at the creature's unguarded midsection. Balgruuf's blade bit into the flesh, but unfortunately did not penetrate any further than about a centimeter of skin.

The troll quickly recovered from its dazed state and practically threw its entire weight into a shoulder dash. Lydia tried to block with her shield but was nonetheless thrown back, her sword yanking from the troll's flesh. She too staggered backward but was quick to maintain her balance and footing. She quickly glanced to her side to find Siffre regaining her feet.

"Urgh, damn..." She quickly shook her head, then looked back up at the troll in frustration. As the creature jumped in place and pounded its arms onto the ground, Lydia's eyes squinted as she noticed something. The slash wound on the troll's side was... growing smaller? Her eyes widened at the sudden realization.

"Trolls- they can heal quickly!" she exclaimed, "My Thane, that thing can deal much damage to us, while we can barely do minimum against it-!"

"Then I'll finish it now!" Reservations were completely abandoned as Siffre's raised voice harshly vibrated the air in front of her. She charged forward, sword arm held back and shield pressed forward.

"No, wait!" Lydia tried to stop her, "It's best if we attack togeth-"

But Siffre was already on the troll, shield arm bashing away an arm that tried to smack at her. She followed it up by kicking her foot forward into the creature's chest, pushing it back as well. Its head turned to the side, arms flailed loosely at each end, her opening was in sight! She raised her sword, pointed it straight, and stabbed forward.

Unfortunately, the troll's body shifted at the last minute, leaving Siffre's blade tip to penetrate its shoulder, rather than its heart where she'd intended. About one third of the sword sank into the flesh, leaving the troll to howl in pain.

Lydia watched as her thane pulled off this display, amazed! She'd actually gotten a hit on this creature, in spite of the it's high endurance! Maybe she can help capitalize on it as well.

The housecarl rushed in, her own arm raised to stab Balgruuf's blade tip into the troll as well. Her mark was aimed true, until the troll suddenly cocked its head forward. It's three eyes boring into the two women before it. Before Lydia could stab her sword, the troll suddenly threw both of its heavy arms up. This single action caused both women to lose grips on their own weapons, Lydia's sword went flying up and landed in the bed of snow, while Siffre's sword was left embedded in the troll's body, blood dripping from the wound.

"My sword!" the two women called out simultaneously. But the frost troll quickly followed up on its counterattack by smacking Siffre to the side, and shoulder charging Lydia. The housecarl held up her shield to block again, but was still shoved a great distance back. As she hit the snow, she felt a draft behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, the sheer drop was directly behind her! She frantically tried to crawl forward and away from the edge, but the troll was already upon her before she could get too far away from it. It held its arms up and relentlessly pounded on top of her outstretched shield. Every strike against the metal produced an echoing clanging sound up the mountain.

Her teeth grit and the muscles in her left arm screamed out in pain! There was simply no relief, no letting up with this creature! She was laying down so she couldn't get her arm forward to bash it away! She reached for her sword- oh gods! Her sword had fallen from her grip! Where was it?! The troll was now striking one arm on the shield while the other one was taking shots at her exposed side! Her armor did its best to cushion the impacts, but they still rattled her with radiating pain, blow after blow. At this rate her armor would be completely broken through! Then what?

Behind them, Siffre had recovered her senses and was picking her self up from the snow. She could feel the whipping ice wind against her arm; that impact had rolled up the sleeve slightly to expose her arm to the cold. There wasn't any time to catch her breath, she had to get to-

Looking up, there was Lydia, and a frost troll pounding its arms down upon her! Some of its strikes aimed at her shield, others were aimed at her body!

"Lydia!" Siffre cried out, air vibrating before her. One more strike on Lydia's body, and the troll's attention was pulled away to look behind it. Siffre's eyes had widened in fear. Looking down, Lydia was barely moving. The troll made a strange clicking sound with its mouth as it turned its head. As it rotated its body, Siffre's sword could be seen sticking out of its upper body, blood dripping from the insertion point.

But even in spite of this, the troll didn't even seemed to register pain. Its three beady eyes almost seemed to hold a strange look to them, a sneering look. Siffre saw this look, and her mind flashed. Yet another great calamity stood before her, and there she stood, helpless. Her hand involuntarily squeezed empty air, and she briefly forgot that she was literally empty-handed. This couldn't go like last time. But what could she do?

As hopelessness built up in her being, something else could be felt building up...

A sense that this was not the end...

This feeling built up, greater and greater, until finally...

"FUS!"

She almost didn't even realize it, even as it escaped her own mouth. The Voice burst from her lips and rushed straight towards the frost troll. It passed all around and past the creature, but the troll still appeared to recoil from this effect. So much in fact that it ended up stumbling and staggering a few steps backwards... towards the cliff's edge.

The frost troll's sneering eyes widened into now panic and fear. It flailed its arms helplessly, crying shriek as it tumbled over the edge of the mountain side. Its cries steadily grew more and more faint until they could be heard no more.

Siffre was left standing in place, panting. She'd just used the Voice, again! Had she meant to do that? And what was it that triggered its usage? All she knew was that at the moment, her throat felt strangely sensitive, both outside, and inside.

"Lydia!"

But more importantly, Siffre rushed over to where Lydia was still on the snow. The housecarl thankfully was moving, if only just barely pulling herself into sitting position. She groaned, then briefly coughed into her fist when Siffre had got down on one knee to her level. Lydia lowered her fist to reveal spots of blood to the two of them. Both of their eyes widened at the sight.

"Lydia, you were... injured!" Siffre lowered her voice, "How badly... are you hurt?"

"I-ow!" Lydia grimaced as she gripped her side. Her hand reached down to cover over a small patch over red bleeding through the cloth of her armor, "Blasted troll... I'll be-"

"Quickly, here...!" Siffre fished into her hip-pack and retrieved the small vial of healing potion that guards-woman had given to her. With that heavy jostling of movement and impacts she took, it was a miracle it was still intact! She uncorked the top and swiftly but gently held it up to Lydia's lips. The housecarl slowly swallowed its contents, her grimace slowly growing more from the taste.

"Ahh," Lydia groaned. She was instantly reminded of the horribly bitter taste of a healing potion. She was almost not sure which was worse- her sore, bleeding side, or that.

"Huh? What is it...? Was that not... for healing?" Siffre suddenly fretted.

"No no, it's alright," Lydia said, "I'd recognize a healing potion when I taste one..." She looked back up at Siffre's concerned face, "And... you... you saved me. Again!"

'Even though I was supposed to be the one protecting you...' she thought.

"D-don't think anything... of it," Siffre quickly dismissed, "A-are you, able to walk?"

"I... I think so..." Lydia carefully pulled herself to both feet, Siffre standing close with hands out in case. Her entire upper body felt unbelievably sore, and her armor felt like it had strange dents in it. Well, she'd inspect her armor more closely later, for now-

Wait, what about... Her sword! Balgruuf's sword given to her; where was it?! She thankfully didn't have to look far, as it was easily spotted laying in the snow, dark blue against stark white. Carefully, she moved to pick it up and wipe the blood of the edge.

"Your sword... Wait, where is mine?! Where- oh no..." Siffre darkly realized. Lydia's eyes widened as well, even as she watched Siffre rush close to the edge of the mountain cliff.

"My Thane! Be careful!" She called out. She made to rush to her side, but a sudden jolt of pain shot up the length of her body. She clenched her eyes and teeth as she struggled to fight off the pain. Just how good of hits did that frost troll land on her?!

"My sword..." Siffre said, looking over the cliff-side, "My sword...!" Her voice raised in volume, but while facing the general direction of the open gray sky, the heavy vibrations that accompanied her Voice instead came off as overplayed echoes from the mountain. Her cry carried across the sky, ringing out as far as could be reached.

The housecarl's heart went out to her thane in this instance. She knew exactly the pain she was experiencing. Not too long ago, she too had lost a beloved weapon of hers. In light of this, Lydia powered through her physical pain and reached out to hold Siffre's shoulder. Upon contact, Siffre quickly spun her head to the side, and her demeanor quickly shifted as well. Her pain from the loss of her weapon switched to heavy concern for her housecarl. There was still a little blood pooling on her side, her hand gripping that spot hard, and her face was still scrunched in pain.

"Siffre, I am... I'm so sorry, about the loss of your weapon," Lydia tried to say, "But-but right now, we need-"

"But, how?" Siffre asked, "My sword... it's gone! I'm... useless!" Shaking her head, Lydia held her own sword out before Siffre.

"Here, you can use mine to protect us both," she offered.

"Huh? But that's-"

"It's our best chance! You don't have a sword but I'm in no condition to fight right now! So please, take it!" She gestured her sword to Siffre again, and the Dragonborn took it, holding it in her right hand.

"A-alright then... Um, can you still walk?" Siffre asked.

"I... I think so..." Lydia tested her legs, and found them to be none too injured. And with Siffre leading the way, Lydia's sword in her hand, the pair continued to walk along this now snow-concealed path.

Unlike earlier when the wind had died during their encounter with the frost troll, now suddenly it was picking back up again. With every step Lydia took along these steps, raw, dull pain rang throughout her body. No matter how gently of a step she took to try and reduce the pain, it still persisted, harder and harder. She hoped there would be some sort of relief with steps taken in the snow, but that helped very little, and also added unnecessary freezing to her feet by this point. Cold and beaten, what a way to survive a fight...

In front, Siffre led them along, keeping a watchful eye open and scanning all around them for any more creatures. Who knows what others were out there on this mountain? Maybe another troll? Or two? Or maybe even something stronger, and deadlier, than a troll. And with the two of them in the states they were, chances are they'd be made short work of. In light of that, Siffre couldn't shake this persistent feeling of... guilt, gripping her. She remembered not initially heeding Lydia's earlier warning about hearing the frost troll the first time. But she hadn't heard it, why? Was she not paying attention? Was her mind focused on something else at the time? That's right, that argument involving reading what those etched stones had to say! And now because of that, Lydia was gravely injured because of her?! Even by now as they passed yet another etched stone, Siffre suddenly felt little to no interest in stopping to read what it said. Those damned stones, her damned curiosity-

The sound of something dropping into snow caused Siffre to stop short. Turning around, her eyes widened upon seeing Lydia had fallen on all fours in the snow. Her breathing sounded shallow she wasn't displaying much movement.

"Lydia...?!" Siffre rushed back to her downed housecarl and gently shook her shoulder, "Lydia... are you...?"

"Urrgh..." a groan escaped the other woman's lips. She was still somewhat conscious, thank goodness. But this was no place to fall and stay down! There were no other options: they had to get to High Hrothgar, now!

Siffre angled Lydia's right arm around her shoulders and lifted with all her strength. Slowly but surely, and with a few complaining moans accompanying it, the two women were back on their feet. Unfortunately, Siffre quickly found that the extra pressure placed on her now only meant that her boots would sink into the snow that much easier. Still, she had to press on! They had to get out of this snow and someplace, anyplace, that was indoors! And previous mentions did say that High Hrothgar was a fort on this mountain. That would mean it could provide some adequate shelter from the wind!

"My Thane..." Lydia groaned, "I-I can... I can still... move..." Her speaking was strained from her injuries no doubt, which ironically was causing her to speak like Siffre. If not for these dire circumstances, the Dragonborn might have found some humor in this ironic situation.

"No, you can't... Lydia... You're injured, and you... fell down just now!" she spoke softly yet harshly, "Just... don't talk... I'll get us there... soon." Lydia didn't reply, or had she slumped her head from exhaustion? Whichever, Siffre carried the two of them along the path. Thankfully, they didn't seem to encounter any more ascending steps on this snow-covered path. While that did mean less burn for her calves, it still meant more burn for her ankles to work themselves out of being stuck in snow every step.

Siffre's eyes were darting all around them as they moved, ever more alert this time. They couldn't have been more vulnerable if they had both been stripped of their armor by this point! Still, for whatever good it would do, she tried to take as soft steps as she could when walking along, hoping to make less noise with every step. Lydia's feet were half-dragging and half-stepping, which in itself didn't make much noise either.

There were also moments as they walked where she'd notice a few more etched carving stones, beckoning her to read what they said. Had this been a mere twenty minutes ago, she would've been delighted to do so. But now, her interest in them had greatly diminished; there was something more important on her mind to take care of. She could feel Lydia shivering through her own body, though this kind of shivering felt different, and alarming. It felt as if her very core was being frozen, even with her winter-sleeves rolled down to help ward off cold.

The path continued to loop and curve to the right around the mountain, and Siffre could feel her frustration and despair growing with each false hope... until...

Against the gray, snow-storming sky, something could be seen. Something solid, something black, something almost erected from the very mountain itself. It appeared small, but still held perpendicular shaped roof, the outer walls, as well as a brazier with a fire burning in front. There was no denying it, and Siffre did not even stop the grin that was forming on her face.

"There... that's-that's it!" her voice vibrated slightly to mirror her excitement, "Look Lydia! It's there...!"

"Ugh, wha-?" Lydia stirred a little, but couldn't lift her head very high to look upon this marvel. Her upper body still screamed of pain, but by now the pain had dulled her and her senses considerably.

"Don't worry... We're almost... there...!" Siffre found her second wind as she carried the two of them with renewed strength. High Hrothgar began to grow larger as they drew closer to it. Looking at it, the stone structure looked like no kind she'd ever seen before in Skyrim. They appeared... weathered, and ancient. A piece of history, here in the present.

Before they reached the final steps that would lead them into the structure itself, Siffre noticed out of the corner of her eye one last stone. One last etched carving stone looking out at her before she would enter the building. She still had no intent on stopping to read what it said, yet still found herself glancing at it with both eyes. In fact, even from this distance, she could almost make out what it said...

'The Voice is worship; Follow the Inner path; Speak only in True Need.'

Worship, inner path, true need? There would be time to ponder this particular meaning later. For now, she almost hastily stepped up each step until they stood in the shade of the entry doorway.

"We did it...! Don't worry, Lydia..." Siffre spoke softly, "We'll get you warm... now, how do I...?" She looked over the massive door of an ancient past and found its door-handle. She gripped it with her right hand and pulled. It was much heavier than she'd anticipated, so she put more strength into her pull until finally it gave way and opened. Once it had opened a reasonable space, she slipped herself and Lydia through the crack, allowing the door to slowly slam shut behind them.


-And that's that! Special shout-out to that Throat of the World Frost Troll that no doubt everyone remembers! You know, the one that everyone dies to the first time they try to climb the 7,000 Steps? There was no denying that it had to have a big role to play in this story, which I hope I pulled off well! Anyway, I'll see you all very soon with the next chapter!-