Chapter 7

Dovakiin's calling

Whatever doubts I had about Nord parties, they were all proven to be wrong. I was on my third bottle of mead when the dancing began, which was incredible. The Nords in the party, who were a majority, paired up and swooped and pranced in wide circles. The other races in the crowd each had their own distinct ways of dancing. I didn't even know what all of the races were called, but I took it all in. I had a good buzz going on when someone, I don't even remember who, pulled me in and started to dance with me. I did my best to copy them, but I'm sure that I did a horrendous job. Malon had always said that I had two left feet when it came to dancing. The singing that accompanied the dancing was beautiful, if strange. The singers varied in their races, but the Nord musicians always seemed to have the clearest and most sonorous voices. I can't remember fully what was sung, but when a bard started singing about a man named "Ragnar the Red", everyone went nuts. It was apparently a very popular song. The rest of the night passed by happily, and all of my memories of the last week were drained away in song and mead.

The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache. I opened my eyelids to see the ceiling of a wooden room. Pushing myself up to a sitting position, I groaned at feeling something banging in my head like a blacksmith. I gingerly opened my eyes further, wincing at the sunlight seeping through a window's curtains.

"Well, that… Was awesome!" I croaked. Despite my dragon-sized hangover, I could still recall flashes of what happened last night. I hadn't gotten that drunk since an enormous party at Lon Lon Ranch. It was for its 40th anniversary, and a huge barrel of beer was bought for the occasion. I smiled at the memory, then stood the rest of the way up. Walking over to a small basin of water, I splashed some water into my face. The cold helped me focus, and my head cleared a little more. I took longer than I normally did, walking slowly, but I got dressed and made my way out of the room I was staying in. I exited into the feasting hall, which was still a mess even though I saw a dozen servants cleaning up. Some leftovers from the previous night were laid on the table, and I took a few pieces to nibble on while I found the rest of my things. I couldn't find any of my gear in my room, so I guessed they were taken for cleaning and maintenance. It took only a few moments to ask a servant, who bobbed his head respectfully.

"My Thane, your gear was taken to be repaired by Eorlund Gray-Mane himself. You should be honored! The Skyforge, where he works, is in the wind district. You can't miss Jorvasskr, the Companion's hall. If you look behind it, you should find the forge." Nodding gratefully, I walked out into the crisp morning air. I shivered lightly, though I didn't mind the cold. The morning air was simply… divine, with no other way to describe it. Even the smells that tended to permeate most settlements didn't have much of a hold there. I walked down the path to the town, noting just how well-defended Dragonsreach was. It sat on a hill, with the only easy path upward a small path. The strategic part of my mind highly approved. I strode into the town, seeing the massive tree that took up much of the town square. Turning left, I went up another path and towards another impressive building. This one was built like an upside-down boat, with a curved roof and pointed ends. Shields painted in bright colors hung along its entire rim, and there was a busy flow of men and women in various types of armor going in and out of its impressively carved wooden doors. I avoided the building, instead taking a path that curved to the left and behind it.

As the servant had promised, a forge was built into the small hill behind Jorvasskr. As I approached, I saw a white-bearded man fitting another ring into a length of chainmail. Despite his apparent age, the man had impressive muscles and was wearing thick hide armor. Before I said anything, he looked up from his work and stared at me directly. He gave me a once-over before grunting

"Took you long enough. Here, just give me another half-hour." His curt attitude surprised me, though I made sure not to offend the man who was actively fixing my armor. I sat on a nearby bench for a while until he finally finished, picking up the length of chainlink off the anvil. I got up, but the man who I assumed was Eorlund ignored me, walking over to another corner of the forge. He pulled a small handful of more rings out of a pocket, then efficiently attached the new strip to a new chainmail shirt. It looked like it was much more finely crafted, and the steel rings shone, polished, and freshly oiled. Moments later, Eorlund finished the armor, lifting the shirt to catch the light.

"The old shirt was shittily made. Stormcloak armor always is. So I made a new one for you- much easier than fixing the heap of junk that you had. Besides, I already had a shirt that was almost finished.", he said.

I had to agree- compared to the new chainmail shirt, the one I had was grungy at best. I was also given a black cotton undershirt to wear underneath the chainmail. I made a mental note to put the armor on later that day. After Eorlund gave me my new chainmail, I asked

"So, I have new armor, What about my sword?" Eorlund looked up, already working on another project- what looked to be a leather cuirass.

"Oh, the sword you killed the dragon with? It's in the box over there. Not much I could do with it- it's ancient. The enchantment is old too- I wouldn't suggest you use the sword much more unless you want it to explode in your face. There's also a replacement sword in the box if you don't want to take that risk." I nodded, then gingerly picked up the enchanted blade, along with a new steel sword in a leather scabbard. Having finished gathering my gear, I went back to Jorvasskr to seek out Lydia. I had met with her shortly the day before but hadn't truly gotten to know her yet. From my first impression, however, she seemed like a loyal and dependable woman.

Sitting down once again at a long table, I took a pitcher and took a deep swig. I still had a headache from my heavy drinking the previous night, but it was diminishing more by the hour. I was on my second glass of water when a guard walked up to me and saluted.

"My Thane, the remains of the dragon have been retrieved, and treasure has been found. I was ordered to notify you of this, as you were the one to slay the beast." I followed the guard back out of the building, sighing internally. I couldn't stay frustrated though, as I gazed upon what the guard showed me. Mounds of gold lay in the chest, and a large pile of dragon bones, a handful of its hand-sized scales, and a bag made from a deep brown hide were stacked neatly beside it.

"This is all for me?" I queried. The guard nodded and replied "As the dragonslayer, these are your trophies of war. It also felt… right, to give the dragon's remains to you, as the Dragonborn."

There was that word again. Dragonborn. I still hadn't processed the overload of information from the day before, and it still confused me. I had killed dragons before, most prominent among them Volvagia, an ancient dragon revived by Ganondorf during my first adventure. I hadn't absorbed his soul then, so why did I absorb the dragon's soul, now? Was I the only one who could permanently kill a dragon, by absorbing their souls? Questions flew around my head, but I wore a neutral expression, masking my turmoil of emotions. Thanking the guard, I picked up the heavy chest and carried it to the general store. It took several different offers, flaunting my title as Thane, and all of my bartering skills at my disposal, but I managed to sell the dragon bones and scales for just shy over one thousand septims. Along with the hoard that I had in my chest, plus what I had left over, that left me with a little over 5000 septims. With this massive amount of coin, there was a problem. I couldn't just carry a chest around, so I examined the leather bag that was also in the chest,

According to the guard, the gold and the bag were both found in the skeleton, roughly where its stomach would have been. Opening the flap, I took a look inside. It seemed surprisingly spacious. Looking again at the outside, I confirmed my suspicions. It definitely looked larger on the inside. Deciding to test it out, I pulled my new sword, sheath and all, off my back. I then began to push it into the bag slowly. It went deeper, and deeper until the entire blade was inside the space. A huge grin split my face as I realized what it truly was, and my funk from earlier temporarily fled. It was a bag of holding! I held a pouch of holding during my adventures in Hyrule, and it was truly my most magical and precious item. There was no way otherwise that I would have been able to carry half the amount of equipment then. However, this current bag of holding was different. Upon putting my sword inside, I still felt it get heavier. Compared to the bag that I once had that was nearly weightless, it had its limitations. Despite this, I was still grateful for the enormous luck that was set upon me. To celebrate my success, I decided to risk another mug of mead up at Dragonsreach.

Trekking all the way back to Dragonsreach, I was met with a grumpy Lydia. Lydia was a strong woman. She was taller than myself by a good four inches, and was muscled as if through combat rather than training. She had black hair and light blue eyes. She also wore fur armor covered in steel plates, and wielded a sword and shield as I did. And Lydia was not happy to see me.

"My Thane, I have been entrusted to protect you! As such, you shouldn't go wandering around without me." It appeared that Lydia had a hangover as well. Explaining my absence to her made her frown lessen, but she still seemed in a bad mood. Her expression changed from one that was grumpy to one of disbelief when I reached over and poured myself a new bottle of mead.

"You're still drinking? Shor's Bones, and I thought that us Nords were resilient," she said in awe. This brought a smile to my face as I took a swig from my mug. People were sitting all across the room, blearily eating a late breakfast. Among those people was Avencci, the Jarl's advisor. This sparked a memory, and I scooched my chair closer to his to talk.

"So, Proventus, now that I'm a Thane, I can purchase property in the city, right?" My overly cheerful attitude made Avencci glower at me, but he still replied civilly.

"Yes, Thane. There is one house available right now; Breezehome." As Avencci talked about work matters, his bad mood faded some.

"It's quite a lovely home in the typical Whiterun style of architecture. It's not currently equipped with many amenities, but it does have a few pieces of furniture and storage. More can be bought if you pay additional fees. The best part is; It is currently selling for only 5000 gold! That is quite a good bargain right now if you ask me. If you want to purchase it, we have a monthly program that can be used to pay its cost." Once Avencci finished speaking, a slow smile crept across my face for a second time.

"Well," I said as I pulled my new bag onto my lap, "I just happen to have the amount in full if you will take it."

The look on Avencci's face alone was worth the tremendous cost. I still had 137 septims but was definitely feeling a lot poorer. After being directed to Breezehome and given the key, Lydia and I both stepped inside. It was… underwhelming. Much of the inside of the house was empty, save for some crates stacked underneath the staircase and an empty fireplace. Stepping upstairs, I saw three rooms, a smaller room to the left of where the staircase ended, a living room, and a master bedroom. All of the rooms were bare, save for a few essentials. The master bedroom was equipped with a straw-covered bed and a single chest, while the smaller room had only a small drawer and a similar straw-covered bed. It wasn't much at the moment, but it was home for now. I stopped by the chest for a moment to drop off items that I didn't immediately need. Several souvenirs, a bottle of mead, an extra set of clothes, and 30 gold went into the chest. I immediately felt lighter, and more able to move without the extra weight. Nodding my head in satisfaction, I walked downstairs and walked out through the open door. Having no other things to do on my list, I took inventory of my gear. My new armor and weapons were in top shape, though I did see what Eorlund had meant about my old enchanted blade. It looked like being shoved into a dragon's skull had done a number on it. Several nocks were in its blade, and its edge seemed rather dull. Seeing the condition of my blade, Lydia shuddered.

"It's a relief that you have a new blade. I doubt this is even recoverable. Why don't you try to disenchant it? I know Farengar, the court wizard pretty well, so I'm sure that he can give you some advice." I considered Lydia's words, then agreed with her. I couldn't use the sword anymore, and it was dangerous to even melt down for scrap. The best thing to do would be to learn its enchantment. Sighing at having to walk back up to Dragonsreach once more, I trekked up the path with Lydia by my side.

Hours later, I emerged from Dragonsreach, mentally exhausted. It wasn't just the process of learning how to disenchant the weapon that gave me a headache- it was the awkward questions that I had asked, and the lack of information. I had asked Farengar, point-blank if he was a Hylian, but he kept on telling me he was a "Bosmer", or a wood elf. Then we got into an argument when he insisted that I was a Bosmer as well! My point is, it took a while for us to even get to the enchanting. After that, it was a lecture about the "flow of Magicka" and "the dissolution of the material object". I zoned in and out several times, but I got the gist of what he said. Surprisingly, it was a lot easier to disenchant objects than I thought! I disenchanted my old sword first, the blade turning into black dust. Then, with careful guidance, I disenchanted the axe that I had been given. Both enchantments seemed to hang in my mind, only accessible when near an enchanting worktable. I then promptly enchanted my new sword with the "absorb vitality" enchantment that I had received from the axe. The process was likely sloppy, and not very well made, but it was my first enchantment. I was proud, and Farengar even told me it was an excellent start. By the end of my time with Farengar, we had become if not friends, then acquaintances. Lydia, who had stood by while I enchanted, seemed vaguely interested, but did not enchant anything herself. Unfortunately for me, I wouldn't get many chances to enchant more items. Enchanting required soul gems, which came from soul-trapping monsters or animals. The process made me uncomfortable- dabbling almost into necromancy. Farengar assured me that no soul gem could hold the soul of a humanoid, but a look in his eyes told me otherwise. Either way, I would only be purchasing my soul gems- not harvesting them myself.

It was night when I finally finished my lessons with Farengar, and being exhausted and still injured, I collapsed onto my own bed, uncaring of the straw that made me itch. Then, I fell into a deep sleep. For once in the last few days, I had no dreams. It was just blissful darkness- until I was woken once again by the word

"DOVAKIIN!" My head snapped up, my mind still groggy. It was the Graybeards! My conversation with Jarl Balgruuf rang in my head almost as loudly as the call did, echoing around into the plain that Whiterun stood upon.

"Whatever happened when you killed that dragon, it revealed something in you, and the Greybeards heard it.", Jarl Balgruuf had said. The enormity of my situation washed over me again. I was alone in a country that I had no knowledge of, and I had become the first person in hundreds of years to gain a godlike, dragon-slaying ability. And- although I didn't want to admit it, I was terrified. The dragon that I had faced was incredibly powerful- even with a small army of Whiterun soldiers, many of them had died, and I only killed the dragon when it was already too worn to fly anymore. If the citizens of Whiterun expected me to slay more dragons, which seemed to be returning, I wasn't sure if I'd be strong enough.

The vast possibilities of my situation welled up inside of me- I almost didn't realize that I was crying. Tears fell down my cheeks. I was being selfish and foolish. But why shouldn't I have been? Hadn't I sacrificed enough? I'd already gone through two life-threatening quests, both at a young age. I had scars that would never disappear, things that I would never un-see. Now, I was dragged into yet another position where I had to save others? I don't know what happened next- I broke down. A sob tore itself from my throat, unbidden. I hadn't cried like that in years. I didn't know I could still make that sound. My body shook, my hands went numb. My door slammed open, making me aware of the outside world, if for a brief moment. Lydia stood in the door, looking around as if for an enemy. She only saw me, curled up on my bed. I sobbed in front of her- unashamedly crying. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop it. It was as if all of the pains, horrors, and emotions of my past all washed over me at that moment. Lydia relaxed, her eyes softening. Her sword fell at her side, and she rushed towards me, kneeling at my bedside.

"My thane! Are you okay?", she asked. I couldn't answer her- my shuddering breaths made it impossible for me to speak. Images, vague impressions of horrors from my past flashed in my mind's eye. A hand rested upon my shoulder, but I didn't notice until I heard Lydia speak again, this time more softly.

"Link, are you alright". Lydia had never used my real name before. She was traditional and strong, a stalwart woman. I had known her only for 12 hours, yet my impression of her was a good one. My breathing changed, after a while. It changed from shuddering, heaving breaths, to an uneven pattern. My chest seemed to loosen, just a little, but I still found it hard to breathe. My shivering didn't stop, as if I were walking through the cursed Snowhead mountains once again.

"Link, can you hear me?", Lydia asked. I nodded, still shaking. She looked me up and down. Lydia seemed to almost scan me, her piercing blue eyes looking into my blue eyes. She saw something in my eyes, and she nodded solemnly.

"You've been in battle for many years, haven't you? Your scars, your adeptness with a blade, it should have been obvious." Lydia looked at her own sword, almost bitterly.

"Battle leaves its mark- in the mind as well as on the body. I know this well. I know many people who have faced this problem, and I know that it can't be pushed down." My breathing leveled out more, my lungs evenly taking in fresh air.

"I can't possibly imagine what you've gone through. Nobody can. Nobody can ever say "I know how you feel." Despite that, my thane- don't let yourself be overwhelmed. A mind sails over dark memories, and yours are darker still than I could imagine. Don't let yourself sink- or you'll drown in them, a victim of your past." While she spoke, Lydia held my hand, reassuring me, and giving me comfort. It was some time until I was finally free of my own mind. Lydia's words had certainly helped, her presence reminding me that I wasn't alone. Still, my mind was exhausted. I was so tired that I fell back asleep, falling into dreams of sailing over dark water.

Translations:

Dovakiin- Dragonborn, a person born with the soul of a dragon.