Chapter 5.

To Adventure!

I was a child again, walking through the Lost Woods. The sound of my footsteps crunching leaves was the only noise in the normally lively forest. Mist filled the air, and I passed through the enormous hollow logs that filled the woods, again and again, trying to find the right path. Right, left, right, left, straight, left, right. That was the path that it took to get to the forest meadow. I could walk there in my sleep, and I did, eventually coming to the steps that led to the meadow. Coming to the top, I saw the clearing surrounded by trees with the crumbling ruins of the Forest Temple right in front of me. The carved pedestal and the ancient tree stump remained in the meadow, but it was as silent as the woods were.

"Hello? Saria?" I called out, my voice seeming to echo in the glade. No answer came. In a fit of inspiration, I pulled out my ocarina and played Saria's song on it. The happy tune was at odds with the mist-filled woods, but it worked. Saria's voice called out from the woods just outside of the clearing.

"Link? Link? Where are you? I can't find you?" her voice called out.

She was off the path, outside of the meadow. All my instincts told me not to wander off the path, but my feet moved as if they had a mind of their own, pulling me out of the clearing.

"Saria!," I called out, "You need to stay on the path! You'll get lost!" A giggle came from deeper in the woods, and I followed it. Finding a small pile of overgrown rubble, I spotted Saria in her dark green turtleneck and tunic with her back turned to me.

"Saria, you shouldn't be here! You might turn into a Skull Kid!", I implored her. She didn't move, but she spoke sleepily to me.

"Where did you go, Link? I can't see you." I stepped in front of her, begging. "Come on, Saria, can't you see me? We need to get back home!" Her eyes were open but were looking into the distance, not seeing me. "Where did you go, Link? Why did you leave me?", she said sleepily. I reached out my hand to touch her arm, then jerked back as I felt her icy skin. It was only then that she saw me, snapping her head to the side to stare at me with utter hatred in her eyes.

"You left me! You left all, of us, to die!" Figures came out from the mist, all clad in the clothes of the Kokiri, yet they were not Kokiri. Instead of youthful skin and bright eyes, their skin was dried and emaciated, with their eye sockets filled with deathly blue light. One of the Kokiri stepped forward and snarled.

"You left us. You killed the Great Deku Tree, and left us to die!" I stumbled backward, falling onto the rubble-strewn ground, while the rest of the Kokiri surrounded me. Saria looked down at me, her eyes still filled with malice, and an ancient-looking sword appeared in her hands. After the sword appeared in her hands, the rest of her began to morph as well. Her bones cracked, and her skin shriveled, becoming deathly pale and dry until she was only a corpse with glowing blue eyes. The corpse looked down at me, its teeth grinning at me on its decaying skull, and it opened, its mouth wide.

"You are lost," it said in a groan like a dying man, "you are alone, and you will become one of us." As it spoke, I could feel myself weakening and shriveling under its icy blue gaze. When I looked down at myself, I saw only bones, with moss-covered armor adorning my chest. In a panic, I screamed, my voice a howling and monstrous gale. The world swirled around me in a myriad of shapes, colors, and vegetation when I woke up abruptly.

My head slammed into the headboard in my room, and I lay there, stunned, on the bed. I blinked my eyes blearily, looking around at the small room. It must have been early morning by the dim light pouring in through the window. Feeling the bump developing on my head, I sat up, slowly, feeling all the aches and pains of life returning. My side felt like it had a spike stuck into it, and the other small wounds across my body made themselves become known as well. Grunting in pain, I sat up, got off the bed, and looked down. The bed was covered in sweat, blood, and Hylia knew what else. I groaned internally at the thought of having to pay for new sheets, but I slowly began to remove my armor, piece by piece. It took much sweating and cursing in pain, but I got all my armor off, much to my relief. I was chafed and sore from sleeping in my gear, but I was grateful for its protection. Scratches and dents were along its metal sheets, but it was still whole- and still uncomfortable. Walking slowly to the bar, I went to Orgnar.

"Hey there," I said. Orgnar looked me up and down and snorted, "You look like shit, man." Sighing, I let out a small smile.

"Yea, yea, I know. I was wondering if there was a bath that I can rent." Nodding, Orgnar gestured for me to follow him, and led me to another room with a stone floor and a large tub of water. "I can get you a tub. It'll be 10 Septims per half hour, or 15 if you want hot water to be refilled every half hour as well." Paying in advance, I gave him 30 Septims, then waited as he called a worker over to fill the tub.

As I lay in the bathtub, with warm water covering all my bruises and half-healed cuts, I sighed contentedly. It was no Goron hot spring, but it still felt great. I scrubbed away the grime and blood that had accumulated in my journey and was left amazed at the film that was left on the top of the water. It took the entire hour that I paid to get all of it off, but I still felt a sense of uncleanliness, one that I was familiar with. The blood of living, thinking people was on my body, people who I had killed. Taking deep breaths, I calmed my mind and did the mental exercises that Zelda had once taught me. One deep breath in, hold it for 7 seconds, then exhale for 8 seconds. I calmed and cleared my mind, reminding myself that the men and women I killed were nothing better than thieves and killers. Once I had finished with my bath, I dried and clothed myself in a set of clothes that I purchased previously from Lucan, the store owner. Seeing the clothes made me freeze and open my eyes wide. I had forgotten to give Lucan back the claw! It took only a few more minutes to get dressed and make my way to his store, the Riverwood Trader. Opening the door, I saw the same sight as before, with Camilla and Lucan arguing over the counter.

"You sent him to die! He hasn't returned yet, and it's been a whole day!" Camilla yelled at Lucan. Lucan's face reddened in anger, and he opened his mouth to retaliate when he saw me in the doorway.

"Now, there's no need for that Camilla. He's right there!" Spinning around, Camillla looked at me with a surprised look on her face.

"You… How did you survive? There must have been at least a dozen bandits in that band!" I wished I had a pictograph to take a picture of her expression, but I just chuckled at her.

"I have my secrets. It wasn't easy, let me tell you, but I managed to get this!" I revealed the golden claw that I had hidden away in my bag. Now both Lucan and Camilla stared in shock at the item in my hand.

"Well?" I asked, "Wasn't this what you wanted?" Shaking his head, Lucan's mouth split open in a grin. "I don't know how you did it, but I sure am grateful! Here's the gold I promised you." He handed me a pouch that was brimming with gold coins. There must have been almost 500 of the gold Septims in there!

After purchasing some bandages, a map, and other medical supplies, I made my way back to the inn where I bandaged my wounds carefully. I had to use almost half of the roll by the time that I was finished, but it was worth the cost. Sufficiently padded and cared for, my attention turned to my armor. It was dinged up in several places, though the rusted weapons of the undead monsters hadn't done too much damage to it. It then occurred to me to ask a local what the creatures were! Pulling aside a patron, I inquired and found that the undead were known as Dragur to the Nords. They were ancient Nord warriors who were said to serve "Dragon Priests", though it was believed they were reanimated through necromancy. Satisfied with the answer, I went back to my armor. Despite doing my best to adjust the straps and pad the plates with extra pieces of cloth, the armor that I wore still chafed me. I appreciated its usefulness, but I decided that it was time to say goodbye. I sold it- for well under its price, I'm sure- to the blacksmith, Alvor. He said that he would melt it down for new bars. As a replacement, I decided to wear the chainmail that came with the Stormcloak armor I had been given. It was heavy, and cheaply made, but was still much lighter than the full-body plate armor that I had worn. Heavy armor wasn't for me. At least, not without more training.

I felt I was wearing out my welcome- the villagers who had first gawked at me now went along with their days, beginning to get accustomed to my presence. I had stayed another two nights to finish healing, which my body did astonishingly quickly. I expected my wounds to take at least a week to completely heal, and it took only three days. Even the knife wound in my side had healed, with no signs of infection. Either way, I had promised to travel to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to warn him about the dragon attack. It didn't take long to pack up- everything that I owned in the world could be shoved into my knapsack. Taking one final look, at Riverwood, I started my journey down the well-worn road. After the violent and fast-paced barrow-dive, I felt agitated at the monotony, my nerves still telling me that I was in danger. Eventually, after watching the beautiful Skyrim forests pass by, my worries began to ease up. I heard something then. Watching the wild lands before me, I swear I could have heard… music? An orchestra, playing with stringed and wind instruments. As soon as I heard it, the music disappeared as quickly as it came. It almost reminded me of wandering through Hyrule Field, but I shook off my melancholy. It took two more hours of walking before any trouble came to me. A snarl warned me of an attack, and I spun around to block it with my shield. A black-haired wolf slammed into my shield at full speed, stunning it long enough for me to cleave through its hide. My new sword passed through its fur, making ice crystals appear on the wolf's flesh. With a yelp, the wolf perished, and I settled into a more neutral stance. That was a mistake. With a heavy impact to my back, I stumbled forward as claws raked my back, though dealing no damage. My chainmail worked, though there must have been a tear where the wolf had clawed. Spinning around once more, I caught the second wolf's claw on my shield, while I swung at it with the other. It caught the wolf in the haunch, biting into its flesh, but not killing it. With one heavy blow, I raised my sword once more and cleaved through its skull. Having the peace shattered by the wolves didn't help my "battle jitters" as the Hylian guards put it. Wiping my blade on the second wolf's fur, I sheathed it once more and began my trek to Whiterun. The only directions that I had been given were to follow the path north, which I did. After another hour or so of walking, I came to a wide, open field, much like the one that I explored for so long. Ferns, mosses, and flowers were spotted across the field, and I saw it extend for miles in every direction. In the distance, I saw a town located on a hill, with farmland extending for miles around it.

"Well," I said to nobody in particular, "That must be Whiterun." After another hour of walking, my feet began to hurt and I began to miss Epona terribly. I hoped that she was okay. By the time that I felt my boots would give out, I finally came to the gate to Whiterun, which was guarded by two guards in familiar-looking garb. They looked like the Stormcloak soldiers that I'd seen but wore a mustard-yellow cloak instead of a blue one. Save for that difference, they looked exactly the same.

As I came to the gate, one of the guards called out to me.

"Halt! Whiterun is closed from outside visitors at this time. If you have need to come inside, send a note to whoever you will be staying with." Clearing my throat, I replied in lines that I had recited in my head during my walk.

"I came from Riverwood to deliver a message to the Jarl of Whiterun."

"Oh?", the guard said, "Well what is this "message"?" Ignoring the guards sarcastic tone, I replied,

"It's about needing more guards… sir." I decided to lay on the buttering-up tactic, hoping that it would work. It did, and the guard scratched his helmet thoughtfully.

"I see. Well, you'll need to talk with the Jarl about that, not me. I'm just a soldier. You can pass." And with that, he and his partner took keys from their pockets and opened the gates to Whiterun. Although it was beginning to darken, my first impressions of Whiterun were that it was cozy. Cottages made of stone and wood were placed along the cobbled road, and people were walking around, delivering goods and talking to one another even as the sun set behind the horizon. An inn at the far end of the road was filled with light, music, and laughter, all spilling into the early night. I went there, hoping for a room, and not too long later, I was fast asleep in a new bed.

Strange dreams filled my head, mixing my experiences from Termina and Helgen, seeing Clock Town burn to the ground. The nightmares that I'd been having had been getting worse, making me hold my head when I woke. Once more using the breathing technique that Princess Zelda had taught me, my breathing slowed, and my mind calmed down as well.

"Stupid nightmares.", I grumbled to myself before getting up. It was the same routine as the day before, packing up my gear, and equipping my armor. I almost hesitated to bring my weapons- I was going to the palace of a ruler, after all. Yet, I felt they may be needed soon. Being as ready as I could be, I made my way to the main plaza of the town. It was filled with many shops and stands, with several different races of people shopping or walking through it. Purchasing a small pastry, I ate as I walked, until a dark-skinned man blocked my way. I tried to move around him, but he turned again to face me.

"Do you get to the Cloud District very often? Oh, what am I saying, of course you don't," he said in a sneering voice. He looked at me in disdain, taking in my travel-worn clothes and chainmail. Taking a deep breath and ignoring his snide remark, I kept on walking towards the Jarl's longhouse. It was located on top of a hill and was built out of huge carved wood logs, with a base made of stone. The guards that I passed seemed to eye me suspiciously but did nothing to impede my movements. By the time I made it to the massive doors, I was impatient to finally tell the Jarl about the news from Riverwood. After further explanation to the guards, I was allowed entry into "Dragonsreach", and I was greeted with the sight of a large feasting hall. Servants bustled about, sweeping, setting down plates of breakfast, and generally making themselves useful while guards walked up and down the long room. At the very end was an ornately carved wooden chair, which a man in rich fabrics and furs sat upon. Before I could get to him, a woman dressed in leather armor stepped in front of me with a scowl on her face.

"What is the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors! What business do you have with the Jarl?" She said imperiously. Clearing my throat, I replied with my rehearsed speech.

"My name is Link. I have news from Helgen, about the dragon attack." She seemed to consider my request, a curious expression coming across her face as she thought. Eventually, she acquiesced, though her eyes didn't move off of me as I approached the Jarl, her hand tightening on her weapon as I came closer. Once I had determined that I had gotten close enough to the Jarl, he began to speak.

"So, Link, you were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?" Nodding, I thought of how I had been in the situation in the first place. Executed without a thought! With a note of bitterness in my voice, I replied.

"Yes, I had a great view while the Imperials were trying to cut off my head." This made the Jarl frown, furrows appearing on his forehead.

"Really? You're certainly… forthright about your criminal past. But it's none of my concern who the imperials want to execute. Especially now. What I want to know is what exactly happened in Helgen."

Doing my best not to let my anger show, I replied once again to Jarl Balgruuf.

"The dragon destroyed Helgen. The last I saw of it, it was heading this way." The Jarl looked considerate for a moment and opened his mouth to speak, but I swiftly cut in.

"But I'm not a criminal. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the Imperials imprisoned me when I was watching it happen." Looking at me with a flat look, the Jarl didn't appear to believe my words. Turning to a richly dressed man who was standing next to him, he asked

"What do you say now, Proventus? Shall we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?" Stepping forward, the leather-clad woman stepped forward.

"My lord, we should send troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger, and if the dragon is lurking in the mountains…" she trailed off. The richly dressed man, who appeared to be in his mid-fifties scowled at the woman, clearly having had this argument before. "The Jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation! He'll assume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him!" After more bickering, the Jarl eventually snapped at both of them

"Enough! I will not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" Looking at the armored woman, he ordered her (Her name was Irileth) to send a detachment of guards to Riverwood at once. Bowing stiffly at the Jarl's orders, the richly dressed man went away to continue his duties. Meanwhile, I stood awkwardly in front of the trio during the entire argument. When both Irileth and Proventus had left, the Jarl looked back at me.

"Well done. You sought me out on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a service, and I won't forget it. Here, take this as a small token of my esteem." With a gesture of a hand, a servant walked forth and placed a set of leather Imperial armor into my arms. Once the servant was done, the Jarl looked me up and down, nodded, then spoke.

"Actually, there is another thing that you can do for me. Someone of your particular talents, perhaps."

After walking over to a side room, we were met with a robed figure who was pouring over a pile of notes and books. He glanced up when he heard us, revealing similar features to my own face. He pulled back his hood, confirming my suspicions. He must have been Hylian! Finally, there was proof that Hyrule still existed! He had long, pointed ears, just like I did, but his features were slightly more angular than what I normally saw. I stepped forth, welcoming him in the traditional Hylian fashion that I'd learned.

"Hylia welcome you, friend." The man looked confused. Looking between myself and Jarl Balgruuf.

"What did you say? No, on second thought, who are you?", he said. A smile that had crept onto my face faltered slightly.

"Aren't you… Hylian? Like me?" I pointed towards my ears, and then the man's. This seemed to make him indignant, puffing up.

"Well I've never heard that slang word used for "Bosmer", but let me assure you that I don't have that level of camaraderie with you to use it. Now, who are you, and why has Jarl Balgruuf brought you to me?"

Jarl Balgruuf interjected before I could push the subject. He was speaking, but my mind was moving too quickly to notice what they were saying. "Why does nobody know where Hyrule is?", I thought. It was only when my name was brought up that I snapped back to attention.

"Yes, I think Link would be perfect for this task.", Jarl Balgruuf said. The robed man nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I could use someone to fetch something for me. Well, when I say fetch, I really mean to delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there. I am talking about going into Bleak Falls Barrow, which is only a day or so of a walk away from here. In the ruins of the barrow should be a stone tablet that is carved with a map that I believe should show the locations of ancient dragon burial sites. I am hoping that it will help me understand how and why dragons are returning to Tamriel." As he spoke, I nodded thoughtfully, and a smile came to my face. His description exactly matched that of the stone in my bag. By the end of his short monologue, a smile was almost splitting my beard in half, and I started to chuckle. Pulling off my knapsack, I reached a hand inside and pulled out the stone tablet that I had found in the barrow.

"Do you mean this?", I asked with a grin on my face. The look on Farengar's face was priceless. He took the stone from my hands and gazed down at it in wonder. Looking up, his mouth opened and closed as if to form words, but none were spoken.

"H-how did you get this?" he asked in shock. I shrugged nonchalantly at his question. "Oh, I got a quest from a merchant in Riverwood. An item of his was stolen by bandits who were hiding out in Bleak Falls Barrow. I explored a little further, and I found that." I pointed at the stone. Later, I would look back on that moment and would smile at the look on Farengar's face. He took the stone and thanked me for the work that I'd done. After talking for a little while longer, a guard ran up to the Jarl, short of breath, and whispered something into the Jarl's ear.

Stiffening, the Jarl stood up straight and looked at the guard. "Is this true?" he asked. Nodding, the guard still gasped for air. Moments later, Irileth ran up to Farengar.

"Farengar! Farengar, you need to come at once. A dragon's been sighted nearby. You should come, too." As I heard those words, my face paled as I recalled the terrible power of the dragon that had laid waste to the entire town of Helgen. After several orders going back and forth, Jarl Balfruuf looked back at me.

"There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friend. I need your help again. I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon. You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I will instruct Avenicci that you are now permitted to purchase property in the city. Please, accept this gift from my personal armory as well." The Jarl sent another order to a guard, who promptly came back with a beautiful double-edged war axe that glowed a crimson red. Later, I was told by Farengar that the Jarl must have been very pleased, as the enchantment allowed for successful hits against enemies would heal my wounds as I battled. Even with the new weapon, I was still uneasy about fighting the dragon near the watchtower. Despite my concerns, I agreed to help the Jarl.

It took a half-hour to get all the soldiers ready, and another hour to march to the watchtower. By the time the soldiers and I had arrived, the watchtower was in flames, with large chunks of stone scattered across the ground. Bodies of other Whiterun soldiers lay on the ground, some scorched, and others with large chunks taken out of them. None were seen alive. When a living soldier made his way to us, he was limping and had burns covering his left arm. Gasping in pain, he begged for help, which we gave. I drew my blade and began to scan the sky. It didn't take long for the dragon to come back. It was different from what I had seen in the other dragon, having brown scales rather than the pitch-black scales that I had seen before. It didn't matter what the color of its scales was, though. It was huge! I hadn't gotten a good look at the dragon that I saw in Helgen, but seeing this dragon filled me with a primal fear, like a rabbit freezing after seeing a bird of prey. As it swooped down on me, I knew that in this situation, I was the prey, and it was the hunter. And I was fucked.