The Legend of Zelda: Skyrim - Chapter 9 - ...Dovahkiin?
Well, what can I say, a lot of stuff is gonna happen in this chapter.
NEW THANE WEAPONS!
The new Thane weapons are from a Nexus mod by the user of Icecreamassassin, by the name of Thane Weapons Reborn.
The Nirn lore later in this chapter is an exact transcript of Double Negatives' "The Dawn Era - The Elder Scrolls Lore" lore video.

"What do you mean, he's Dragonborn?"

"That thing the lad did was shouting, so he must be Dragonborn!"

"That's right! My grandfather used to tell stories about the Dragonborn. Those born with the Dragon Blood in 'em. Like old Tiber Septim himself."

"I've never heard of Tiber Septim killing any dragons."

"There weren't any dragons then, idiot. They're just coming back now for the first time in...forever."

"But the old tales tell of the Dragonborn who could kill dragons and steal their power. The kid must be one!"

The four guards glanced over at Irileth.

"What do you say, Irileth? You've been awfully quiet."

"Come on, Irileth, tell us, do you believe in this Dragonborn business?"

The housecarl shook her head."Hmph. Some of you would be better off keeping quiet than flapping your gums on matters you don't know anything about. The dragon's dead, and that's something I definitely understand. Now we know we can kill them. But I don't need some mythical Dragonborn. Someone who can put down a dragon is more than enough for me."

A guard shook his head. "You wouldn't understand, Housecarl. You ain't a Nord."

"I've been all across Tamriel. I've seen plenty of things just as outlandish as this. I'd advise you all to trust in the strength of your sword over tales and legends."

The group had left the ruined watchtower and had started to walk back towards Dragonsreach.

A lone guard looked back towards Link and noticed that the left side of his face was covered in blood. "You know you're wounded, right?"

A nod.

"Don't worry. We'll get you back to Whiterun and find you a healer."

Another spoke up. "You know, I found those clawed things by the White River. Almost broke my back carrying them up to Dragonsreach, yet the kid can use 'em without any problems."

"Maybe they were forged for him or something? They're definitely magic weapons of some sort."

A thunderclap resounded across Whiterun Hold, and some voice came from the Throat of the World.

"DDDDOOOVVVAAAAHHHKKKIIIIINNNNN"

Everyone stopped walking and gazed up at the mountain.

"Well, that confirms it - the kid's Dragonborn. Who would have guessed?"

Irileth shook her head. "I'm still not convinced, we should get back to Dragonsreach before all of us faint from sheer exhaustion."

A guard shook his head. "If any of us are going to faint, it's the kid. He's been through a lot."

Another guard spoke up. "Yeah, with fighting that dragon and killing it, not to mention being Dragonborn…"

"Enough of this Dragonborn business! We'll speak to the Jarl about it. Now, if no one else has objections, let's move." Irileth eyed the group for a moment, then she turned and started walking across the field, then the entire group trailing behind her.

When the group entered Whiterun, people came out of their shops and houses to watch them pass.

The guards seemed to enjoy saying "out of the way, Dragonborn business." while Irileth merely glared at them with an irritated look.

However, as the group passed Jorrvaskr, someone hailed him.

"Link." Eorlund stepped forward, holding something in his right hand. "I made this from the remnants of that shackle and tried to get as close as I could to that design you sketched. It turns out that the metal is somewhat magical. Here, I want you to have this."
Something was hanging from an Iron-Silver necklace, something familiar…

It was the Hyrulian Royal Crest.

Link stared at the necklace for a moment, then reached out, took the item from Eorlund, and lifted the necklace over his head, where it fell to rest at the base of his neck. "...It's glowing a bit. The metal. How interesting."

Eorlund nodded, then gestured towards something behind him. "I need to get back to the Skyforge. Good luck, Link."

As the man left, the Hylian found himself looking past the seemingly dead tree and up at Dragonsreach, well aware that something had been set in motion, something not even he could stop.

The twin doors of Dragonsreach banged against the wall as they were shoved open. Balgruuf got up from his Throne and watched in silence as Irileth and the three guards walked towards him. "Well?"

"The dragon is dead. But not by our hand."

Balguuf arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Oh? Then who killed it?"

"I did." A lone figure was standing by the doorway, his clothes stained with blood and dirt, blood running down his face from an open wound.

The Jarl stood still for a moment, then rushed forwards, hugged Link, then took a step back. "Your wound doesn't seem to be that deep. Farengar can heal that. But you must tell me, if it was truly you who killed the dragon, how did you do it?"

"I jumped from the tower, landed on his back, and stabbed him to death with these." Link drew two daggers and flipped them in his hands before catching them."...I do not know what those are…"

"I do!" Farengar stepped up besides the Jarl and raised a hand. Link's wounds healed a second after and the mage grinned. "So, I heard you killed a Dragon. Well done! If I'm not mistaken...Those twin daggers go by the names of Dawn and Dusk. The fire dagger being Dawn, the ice dagger, Dusk. I wonder where you found them…They were made by a servant of Azura to please her, but she rejected the weapons, for a reason that is unknown to this day. "

Farengar started to talk about various artifacts of old while the Jarl walked back to his throne, and lifted a magnificent sheathed sword off two hinges that were above his Throne, below the skull of Numinex.

Irileth took a step forward. "What...What are you doing? You're not thinking of rewarding him, are you? Balgruuf, he disobeyed a direct order!"

The Jarl gazed down at the weapon and smiled, then raised his gaze to his housecarl. "Yes. But if he hadn't disobeyed me, all of you would have died. And then what? The dragon would have attacked Whiterun!"

The Jarl walked back to Link with the sword. "No, he shall not be disciplined for disobedience, but rewarded. Link, you have done me, and Whiterun, a great service today. Therefore, I wish you to give you this weapon."

Balgruuf placed a hand on the sword's hilt and drew it, the blade shining as light from the torches reflected off of it. "This is Numinex's Bane. This very blade slew the dragon whose skull hangs above my throne. My ancestors wielded this blade, it was mine when I was your age, now, it belongs to you." He sheathed the sword and held the scabbard towards Link, blade first. "Take it."

The pommel was a blue sapphire, ground to a smooth circle, the hilt was wrapped in fine leather, and the crossguard was twin dragon heads.

Link silently noted that everyone stepped back a few paces, as he placed a hand on the sword's hilt, then drew it. The blade curved inwards for about four inches, then returned to its normal shape, where it came to a point around a foot later. But yet, it was glowing softly.

"Well. At least that theory is true. Legend says that if a Dragonborn holds this sword, it glows. Fascinating..." Farengar was eying the sword with curiosity.

Balgruuf nodded. "Link, I have been dwelling on what your reward should be for aiding Whiterun...I believe I have up with something reasonable. I will offer you Breezehome at four thousand Septims instead of the aforementioned price of five thousand, you shall be anointed Thane of Whiterun, and that, if you do accept, you will be the youngest Thane to have ever been anointed in any Hold. Furthermore, Lydia will be your personal housecarl.."

Unfortunately, being told all of this at once in addition to fighting a dragon and learning that he was 'Dragonborn' was far too much for Link, and everyone watched in mute silence as the boy swayed a bit, then collapsed at Balgruuf's feet.

"I... really don't think that's going to do much of anything, Lydia."

"You and your fancy magic and health potions...Alright, fine."

Link found himself sitting in a chair in Fangar's study, looking up at the man himself and Lydia.

The mage half turned, noticed that he was awake, and grinned. "Ah, you're awake. Wonderful. How do you feel?"

"...I suppose I feel alright."

"Good. As for the state of your clothing...I used an alteration spell. Nothing to worry about. Now, what's the last thing you can remember?"

"...Receiving that sword?"

Farengar nodded. "Yes, I was worried about that...The Jarl wants to speak to you. He's upstairs, on the balcony. And I'd like to speak to you before you set off."

The mage helped Link up and let him re-equip his weapons before Farengar and Lydia walked Link upstairs to the balcony, where Hadvar and Ralof were speaking to Balgruuf.

"Ah, Link, you're awake. Wonderful. I do apologize for telling you all of that at once. I believe you have questions, so ask away."

Balgruuf nodded to the two Nords as they stepped past him and walked up to Link.

"The two of us are heading out." Ralof told him.

"You're leaving? Where are you going?"

"Well, Hadvar is off to Solitude, because he's with the Imperial Legion, and I need to report back to Ulfric in Windhelm. Don't worry, we'll keep in touch."

Hadvar started to walk away and inside Dragonsreach, Ralof started after him but then stopped. "Is...Is that what I think it is?"

Link looked confused for a moment, then realized what the man was talking about and showed him the ring. "Yes. I discovered by accident that it has magical properties. Well, Farengar found out and told me. Apparently it helps somehow with archery, though I haven't noticed a difference…"

"Interesting. Well, I'd best be off. Good luck, Link. You're going to need it." Ralof walked off and Link then noticed that Balgruuf had his full attention.

"Sorry about that. As for questions...Yes, I do have some...my first is...What is a Thane?"

"A Thane is one who is respected by those in the Hold for providing a great service. it is mostly an honorary title, but it does have some benefits, such as you can buy things from merchants for lower prices and sell things for higher prices. Some people take advantage of the...Not so good things being a Thane can inquire, but I believe you won't."

The Jarl took a gold worn key from his pocket and handed it to Link. "That is the key to Breezehome. The price was five thousand Septims, but for you, I shall only ask four thousand."

"You don't need to do that, I have enough…"

"No. I decided it would be four thousand to whoever helped Whiterun, and that person is you, Link. In addition, various furnishings will cost one thousand and eight hundred Septims, and I shall give you a floor plan so you can talk things over with my steward, Proventus Avenicci. Also, Lydia shall be your housecarl."

"I don't need a housecarl, whatever that is. Really. I'll be fine on my own."

Balgruuf shook his head. "Link, you may not think you need one, but I'm afraid Skyrim is a completely different land than what you're used to. I believe you've already seen some of what Skyrim has to offer?"

The Hylian nodded. "I did. Where's your steward?"

"Here."

Link half turned to see a man standing in front of him. "I'm Proventus Avenicci. Balgruuf has already given you the key it seems…Now, if you'll just step over here, we'll make sure you have the payment, then I'll help you come up with a floor plan; with you being the youngest Thane to be anointed yet, this shall be quite interesting….

"Now, you say that you can't use magic, but that doesn't mean you'll not be able to in the future. Therefore, I'm giving you these two spell books. Flames, and Healing. Flames is a fire spell, and Healing...heals you, obviously. I hope you can put them to good use at some point, and if you do, please tell me about it. If you can master these spells, I can teach you new ones."

Link was back in Farengar's study, the two discussing Link's apparent lack of magic. "I'll keep that in mind."

The mage nodded. "Good. So you're heading to High Hrothgar, then?"

"Yes. The guards were talking about it.""...The...You mean Balgruuf didn't tell you?""I never asked and he never spoke of it."

Farengar shook his head. "What are you waiting for? Go ask him before you leave!"

Link stepped out of the mage's study and walked up to the Jarl. "Balgruuf, before I leave, I'd like to speak to you about something. When the dragon died, I absorbed some kind of power from it."

The Jarl looked at Link from his throne and smiled. "So it's true. The Greybeards really were summoning you."

"The Greybeards?"

Balgruuf nodded. "Masters of the Way of the Voice. They live in seclusion high on the slopes of the Throat of the World."

"What do these Greybeards want with me?"

The Jarl shifted on his Throne. "The Dragonborn is said to be uniquely gifted in the Voice - the ability to focus your vital essence into a Thu'um, or Shout. If you really are Dragonborn, they can teach you how to use your gift."

Hrongar spoke up. "Didn't you hear the thundering sound as you returned to Whiterun? That was the voice of the Greybeards, summoning you to High Hrothgar! This hasn't happened in...centuries, at least. Not since Tiber Septim himself was summoned when he was still Talos of Atmora!"

Proventus shook his head. "Hrongar, calm yourself. What does any of this Nord nonsense have to do with our friend here? Capable as he may be, I don't see any signs of him being this, what, 'Dragonborn.'"

Hrongar also shook his head. "Nord nonsense? Why you puffed-up ignorant...these are our sacred traditions that go back to the founding of the First Empire."

Balgruuf glanced at the two men, "Hrongar. Don't be so hard on Avenicci."

Proventus looked a bit guilty. "I meant no disrespect, of course. It's just that...what do these Greybeards want with him?"

Balgruuf glared at his steward. "That's the Greybeards' business, not ours."

He then moved his gaze back to Link. "Whatever happened when you killed that dragon, it revealed something in you, and the Greybeards heard it. If they think you're Dragonborn, who are we to argue? You'd better get up to High Hrothgar immediately. There's no refusing the summons of the Greybeards. It's a tremendous honor. I envy you, you know. To climb the 7,000 Steps again...I made the pilgrimage once, did you know that? High Hrothgar is a very peaceful place. Very...disconnected from the troubles of this world. I wonder if the Greybeards even notice what's going on down here. They haven't seemed to care before. No matter. Go to High Hrothgar. Learn what the Greybeards can teach you."

"I have more questions."

Balgruuf waved a hand. "By all means, Link, ask away."

"Thank you. What does it mean to be Dragonborn?"

"Well, in the old tales, the Dragonborn heroes would use the power of their Voice to defeat the enemies of Skyrim. Wulfharth was Dragonborn. Talos, too - the founder of the Empire, back in the good old days. In the very oldest tales, back from when there were still dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power."

"Who are the Greybeards?"

"They're the Masters of the Way of the Voice - of Shouting. They live up on top of the Throat of the World. If you're really Dragonborn, they'll want to talk to you. In the old stories, they always summon the Dragonborn for training."

"How can you protect Whiterun from the dragons?"

Balgruuf thought about it for a second. "With good planning and constant vigilance. Even now, Farengar continues his research into ways we might drive back these terrors. We must also have ample reserves of water to combat the fires that will surely spread after an attack. But our greatest weapon? Courage. For if we cannot kill the beast, we must at least have the tenacity to drive it back. Until brave heroes step forward to destroy these monsters, that is the best we can do. Now, I hope I've answered your questions. I believe it's time you left Dragonsreach and go look at Breezehome. I might come and visit one day, when it is not so busy here..."

Link nodded, said farewell to everyone, then turned around and walked down the steps, then left Dragonsreach.

He was looking up at a massive dead tree.

"It's a shame, isn't it?"

A priestess was sitting on a bench, looking up at the tree.

"What is?"

"This is the Gildergreen. It was planted as a seedling in the early years of Whiterun. Disciples of Kynareth could sense something holy in it, and traveled far to hear the winds of the goddess in its branches. They built the temple. Of course, not as many pilgrims these days. It's a bit of an eyesore at the moment. More of a problem for the pilgrims than for me, but not many of them around anymore. A big dead tree isn't very inspiring if you're coming to worship the divine of wind and rains. Kynareth gives life, and we need a living tree to be her symbol."
"A live tree? Is there a way to make this one come back to life?"

The priestess nodded. "To the east of here is a hidden grove where the Eldergleam resides. It's the oldest living thing in Skyrim. Maybe all of Tamriel. Our tree here in the city was grown from a cutting of that tree. You can still feel the glory of the mother tree through it. It's an old tree. Very old. They say it was a seedling when the first men were arriving from Atmora, thousands of years ago. The sap is precious. It can restore barren fields or bring life to rocks. I can use it to repair the Gildergreen, so we can worship properly like this never really die. They only slumber. I think if we had some of the sap from the parent tree, we could wake up its child. But even if you could get to the Eldergleam, you couldn't tap it. Not with any normal metal.

"If you really do want to help, you'll need something to cut into it first. Eldergleam is older than metal, from a time before men or elves. To even affect it, you have to tap into the old magic. You'll have to deal with the Hagravens. I've heard about a weapon they've made for sacrificing Spriggans. It's called 'Nettlebane.' The hags terrify me, or I would have gone after it myself."

Link looked up at the dead Gildergreen for a second before he nodded. "I'll find a way to restore your tree for you."

"Your spirit is strong. Kynareth's winds will guide your path. It's held in a Hagraven nest called Orphan Rock, it's North of the road running between Helgen and Ivastead."

Balgruuf had been kind enough to mark everything on Link's map for him and he quickly found the location for Orphan Rock.

'I own a house. An actual house.'

Link was standing before Breezehome, key in hand, simply gazing up at it in mute silence.

"So, you're the new Thane, I take it?"

The hylian half turned to see a dark skinned man wearing rich clothing standing before him. "I suppose I am."

"I'm Nazeem, owner of Chillfurrow Farm. Have you been to the Cloud District yet? What am I saying, of course you have, otherwise you wouldn't be Thane. I happen to be veryclose to the Jarl, by the way, I actually advise him on various political matters.""No you don't."

Nazeem blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Balgruuf never even mentioned you while I was there."

The man's face grew pale and he took a step forward. "You were only there for part of the day, and…" Nazeem's gaze moved from Link's new sword to him. "...So he gave you that sword, did he? I wonder why, you don't seem like a warrior to me."

"Is this lowly farmer giving you trouble, Thane?"

A lone guard was standing nearby, glaring at Nazeem.

"Not exactly…""Well, if he does start bothering you, just let me know."

At this point, Nazeem walked away from Link and he was free to enter his new house.

A lit fire pit was in the middle of the room, an empty metal cooking pot with a support rack was placed in the middle of the fire pit. Several herbs and food items hung above the fire pit from the ceiling. To his right was an empty bookshelf with two baskets and a glass bowl. Above the bookshelf were three glasses and an empty grain sack on a shelf. A weapon rack was before the bookshelf, and before that was a cabinet in the corner. On the lower shelf where two grain sacks, on the second shelf was a glass, a ceramic jug, and some plates. On the top shelf was some kind of meat, and three glasses. On top of the cabinet were three candle sets. To his left was a table with two chairs, there was a plate with some sort of meat on it, an empty tankard, a wooden bowl and a ceramic water jug. Above the table were herbs of some kind, and hanging on the wall above the herbs was what appeared to be a round carpet of some sort. The entranceway was covered in a blue rug that had bands of orange and dark blue.

Beyond the left table was a three tiered cabinet that had various items on each of the three shelves. Behind the fire pit was another table with two chairs, a set of candles, a wine bottle, and a lone tankard. A table was up against the right wall, past the bookshelf, and it had two glasses, a bowl, and a ceramic pot on it. Two diamond-crystal shaped windows were above the table. Several wooden pillars placed among the walls had small supporting arches, most likely for the upstairs floor. A lone window was between the two tables.
Beyond that table was another table, this one had carved designs on the edges, on the table itself was another wine bottle, various cut cheeses, a ceramic jug, a bowl with cabbage in it, and a lone tankard.

There was a set of stairs to his left, but he wasn't ready to venture upstairs yet. Under the stairs were two wooden crates. And a few wooden barrels behind the crates. To his right was a cabinet, which held various food items. There was a doorway beyond the cabinet, and Link walked into the room to find that it was a fully stocked alchemy lab.

There was a table with three books on it, next to the three books was a ceramic jug and a glass. A chair was pushed up against the table. The alchemy lab was very interesting. A window was on the right wall, and there were more of those round carpet things, one on the back wall and two on the left. Another rug was covering the tile floor, and it was blue with various colors.
It was finally time to venture upstairs.

Fourteen stairs later, Link was standing in the loft. A table was back against the wall, having only a lone bowl on it. The roof had holes in it for some reason but Link decided he would deal with that later. There was a room off to the right, and he stepped into it to see what it was.
A table was up against the right wall, it had a bowl, a plate with a cheese wheel, and a wine bottle on it. To his left was a bed and a nightstand which had a plate with lit candles, and two jugs on it. A grain sack was under the bed and there was a rug that matched the one downstairs on the floor before the bed.

Link left the room. On the back wall was a shield plaque, and three more of those carpet round things. An end table and chair were in the corner. There was just one more room to check.

A table with two chairs was on his right, there was a book, a bowl with raw potatoes in it, and something that Swift called a "Sweet Roll". Before the two chairs was a table with a wine bottle, a cheese wheel and plate, another wine bottle, and a bowl.
He stepped further into the room. To his left was yet another table, this one had a wine bottle and two tankards on it. A knapsack was besides the table but Link ignored it and continued to check out the room he was in. A chest was up against the left wall, a double bed was on the right, in the middle of the room, and a nightstand up in a corner, which had a single tankard on it. Above the bed was a shield plaque that housed a shield and twin Iron greatswords.

Link walked over to the bed and sat down on the right edge, feeling it sink beneath his weight a bit.

'I don't believe it. Everything inside this house is mine. I don't even know where to start...Maybe with that alchemy lab? I tested making various potions back home, I could try to make some here...Yes, I'll go do that.'

'Let's see...Wheat and...Taproot?'

Nothing seemed to happen for a second, then the mixture blew up, sending soot everywhere.

'No, that wasn't it at all. What was it that the innkeeper said? Wheat and Blisterwort?'

Link added the ingredients and the grey mixture in the glass bottle slowly became a light red color.

'Did it work?'

There was only one way to find out.

Link picked up the glass bottle, interested a wooden cork, shook the glass bottle, removed the cork, and downed some of the potion. He felt energy coursing through him and he grinned.

'A health potion. This shall be very useful.'

"I didn't know you were one for alchemy."

Link set the health potion down on the table and looked behind him. Lydia was standing there in the doorway, a hand on her sword.

"I...suppose I am. I've made some potions back home and wondered if I could make some here."

Lydia smiled. "Good. How much Blisterwort and Wheat do you have?"

Link half turned and silently counted each item. "Twenty of each."

"Then you can make twenty more health potions. You're going to need them."

Link nodded and proceeded to start making the twenty said potions, while Lydia sat down in the chair nearby.

"I strongly suggest that you stay here for the night, but if you truly believe that you must set off tonight, I won't stop you."

"I've had times where I didn't sleep for two days. I think I'll be fine."

Lydia gazed at him with concern but didn't say anything.

A minute later, Link created the last health potion, then gazed at the woman curiously.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought Balgruuf told you. I'm your housecarl."

"What's that?"

"A housecarl is something like a bodyguard. I protect you and all you own."

"I do not need a bodyguard, I can handle myself. Besides, I was alone most of the time back home."

Lydia smiled wryly. "You may not think you need me now, but you might later, when people realize who you are."

"I can handle threats, I assure you that."

Several minutes later, after the two bickered back and forth about whether or not Link truly needed a bodyguard, he said farewell to Lydia and left the house.

"Link! A moment, if you can spare one." Samson was standing a few feet away, carrying a merchant's bag on his back."Samson? What are you doing here?""Well, I heard that you were leaving for High Hrothgar. I would like to travel with you, as I have business in Windhelm to attend to."

"Swift's not traveling with you?"

The Khajiit shook his head. "No. She is too busy. Besides, someone has to watch the stall while I'm away."

"True."

The Khajiit set the bag down and did various stretching exercises, then picked the bag back up and nodded. "Shall we be off?"

Lydia had informed Link that he could lock up the house and the inside door would still be unlocked, and that she had an extra key, so the Hylian locked up Breezehome, and they were off.

Before long, the two had reached the stables; a horse was trying to get out of its stall, and several guards were trying to get it under control.

"You know, they say they found that mare wandering. She had a strange saddle on her back, it's still there, see? From what I can tell, whoever owned her took good care of her. Strong horse, too."

Samson pointed a clawed finger to the horse, then to her back. The saddle on her back was in fact a Hyrulean Royal Saddle, emblazoned with the Royal Crest on both sides.

"It can't be…."

"Can't be what?"

"...My horse."

Without even thinking about it, Link took a step forward and whistled. It was three distinct notes, and the mare snapped her head up and gazed in Link's direction, notably not fighting the guards anymore.

Link continued to walk forward, until he was able to reach out and place a hand on the mare's neck. The creature snorted and gazed down at Link with intelligent brown eyes, then head butted his chest and started nickering. "Yes. I know you're scolding me, even though I can't understand you right now."

"So...This horse is yours, then?"

Link nodded to the guard that had spoken and the man helped him unlock the stall his horse was in and the creature walked forward until she was out from underneath the structure.

"It's strange, really, we couldn't get her under control, then you come along and she's fine."

Link grabbed hold of the saddle horn, put a boot in a stirrup and vaulted upwards and landed on Epona's back, then moved her with the reins to face the guard. "I know. Only I can ride her. Thanks for taking care of her for me."

"Not at all, Thane. And perhaps if I talk to the stablemaster, your friend can borrow a horse for free."

After the guard sorted things out with the stablemaster, Samson grinned, chose a stallion that was black and white in color, vaulted onto the creature's back, and the two were off, racing along the path that led out of Whiterun, off towards Ivarstead at long last.

The two had been traveling on the path leading east for two hours when Samson suddenly vaulted off his horse and ran for a nearby thicket of trees. The horse the Khajiit had been riding started to run past Link and he caught it by the reins and forced it to stop in its tracks.

'What is he doing? I know I shouldn't pry, but I am curious…'

Link watched the trees for signs of Samson, but when it grew clear that the Khajiit wasn't reappearing for quiet some time, Link got down from Epona's back and eventually got a small fire going.

After a few minutes, Samson walked over to the fire and sat down on the opposite side of Link. "I do apologize...I wasn't feeling well and I suppose traveling for so long didn't help much either."

"You know you could have said something, right?"

The Khajiit gave a small nod, obviously embarrassed by what had happened. "Sometimes my pride gets the best of me, but what happened is in the past now. To move on...I wish to know about your people, if there are other races where you are from."

Link picked up a few sticks and tossed them into the fire before speaking. "Hyrule has a very long and detailed history. In the First Era, the Era of the Sky, my race, Hylians, rode around on massive birds that were called Loftwings. There was a Hero, then, too. Legends have it that he's the one that started the supposed curse…The three wielders of the Triforce will be locked in an eternal battle until the end of time. I suppose it's real. After all, I was Chosen, I fought Ganondorf and almost died, I was chosen by the Master Sword…"

"Master Sword?"

Link nodded."It goes by a lot of names. Evil's Bane, the Sword of Hyrule, Demonslayer, to name a few. It's a powerful artifact that slays evil creatures and destroys various curses and dark magic. I believe it's somewhere in Skyrim, where exactly, I have no idea."

Samson shifted a bit.
"So...what, you're the sword's...protector?"

"Something like that."

The Khajiit nodded. "I'm going to tell you the creation of Nirn, although I will warn you that this will take some time. "In the beginning, there only existed chaotic nothingness. From this nothingness arose two beings. Anu, also known as 'Anu the Everything', who personifies order, stasis, and light; and Padomay, also known as "Psjjjj", which is purposely unpronounceable, who personifies chaos and change. These two are counterparts, equal and opposite. Being opposites, they fought each other, and being equals, neither of them won. After this clash, Anu decided to create itself a soul in order to reflect and better understand itself. Padomay did the same. The soul of Anu became known as Anui-El, the representation of Everlasting Light and Soul of All Things. The soul of Padomay would be known as Sithis, representation of Nothingness and The Void. Just like Anu and Padomay, Anui-El and Sithis are equal and opposite forces to each other.

"One thing of note at this point is that none of these four exist in the same way as the gods that come to follow. They are just shapeless, abstract beings, which is why some cultures do not consider them gods at all, but simply cosmic forces of nature. And even though Sithis is often shown as a skeletal being and is sometimes called "The Dread Father", Anu and Padomay and the two they created lack gender and any tangible form whatsoever.

"Just like their producesors, Anui-El and Sithis had some disagreements. Instead of fighting, however, they laid out a set of conditions, which would result in the creation of the Aurbis, which is a fancy word for universe. Afterwards, Anui-El created itself a soul, just like Anu did, in order to self reflect. Anui-El's soul was called Auri-El, later known as Akatosh, which would become the chief god of the Divines. Before Auri-El's creation, the Aurbis was turbulent and unstable. Auri-El stabilized it by creating the concept of time.

"With the Aurbis stabilized, other lesser gods were free to come into existence. These new gods include the beings who would become the Aedra and the Daedra and are collectively called the et'Ada, or "original spirits." Along with these new gods, new planes of existence came into being for the gods to inhabit, Aetherius and Oblivion. And here is where the drama begins."

Samson stopped for a few seconds to get his voice back, then continued. "Sithis, like Padomay before him, was a copycat and decided to create itself a soul as well, called Lorkhan. It is believed by some that Sithis created Lorkhan with the intention of undoing the work of Auri-El and returning the universe to a state of chaos.

"Thus began "Lorkhan's Plan", you see, the gods weren't all happy with the planes of existence they had to choose from as their eternal home. Lorkhan approached them with the idea of creating a new plane for themselves. He proposed creating the mortal plane, Mundus, and populating it with beings of their own creation. Many of the original spirits, including Arui-El, were convinced that this was a great idea. However, there was just one problem. Although Anu and Padomay were infinite and could create without consequence, Arui-El and the rest of the et-Ada were not. In order to forge their creations, the gods were giving up pieces of themselves, making them less powerful. Allegedly, Lorkhan knew about this from the start.

"Many of the gods realized what was happening and opted to leave Mundus before it was complete while they still had the chance. The chief among these was Magnus, the architect of Mundus, whose departure tore a hole through Aetherius, creating the sun and allowing magicka to flow into Mundus from Aetherius. The rest of the gods departed made smaller holes resulting in the stars. The last of the remaining gods in Mundus were understably very upset that they had lost much of their divine power. Auri-El created the Adamantine Tower on Nirn, which would remain standing on the isle of Balfiera in the Iliac Bay for all of history thus far. The remaining gods gathered there to decide Lokhan's punishment in the monumental event with the boring name, "The Convention." It was decided that Lorkhan's Heart would be removed and destroyed. Upon removing it, however, it was discovered that Lorkhan's Heart couldn't be destroyed."

"Lorkhan either died in the creation of Nirn or was killed by the other remaining gods, or either exiled. Then his Heart was removed and it was intended that the Heart be destroyed, but it was not because Nirn would have been destroyed as well for some reason. Instead of destroying it, Auri-El fired the Heart from his bow into the sea, where it wouldn't be discovered. The Heart was so powerful that Red Mountain formed around it, whose laval flows created the island of Vvardenfell. After the Convention concluded and Lorkhan was dealt with, some of the Gods were able to leave Nirn and maintain some of their power, but not enough to return to Aetherius, and so were permanently confined to Mundus.

"This group of gods would eventually be known as the Eight Divines. Auri-El, also known as Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Mara, Stendarr, and Zenithar. Talos would not become a Divine for a very long time, so I shall not speak of him now. The Eight created their own realms within Mundus, which can be seen from Nirn as planets. One final group of gods were either unable to leave Nirn or decided to stay and continue their work., even after learning of the consequences. They were left with none of their Divine power and became the Ehlnofay, who in order to continue their existence, resorted to procreation and they would become the origins of the species of Men and Mer on Nirn. I believe that is mostly everything.

"Now you know how Nirn was created. I am wondering though, how was this...Hyrule created, Link?"

"It varies from different races, but for mine, the three goddesses, Eldin, Lanayru, and Farore appeared one day, and created Hyrule. Din, the Goddess of Power, created the earth that we walk on, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, created order and intelligence, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage, created life. Hylia created the various races of Hyrule and taught them to live and work together. The Three left Hyrule, and at the point where they left, the Triforce was created, as well as the Sacred Realm. The Triforce is a powerful artifact; there's three pieces. Wisdom, Power, and Courage. There's been three wielders, known as Champions, in each Era so far, including mine. Ganondorf had Power, Zelda had Wisdom, and I, Courage, although I have it again, for reasons I haven't figured out yet."

Link showed Samson the symbol on his left hand and the Khajiit nodded.

"The Triforce, when complete, grants the user a single wish, and it doesn't care if the wish is good or bad, it simply grants it. As for the Sacred Realm, I suppose it's like Sovngarde. All spirits from all races reside there, and the past Heroes and their Companions reside in a mansion, secluded from the rest of the Sacred Realm."

"The past Heroes of Skyrim reside in the Hall of Valor. Us Khajiit have the realm of Leswere, or the Sands Behind the Stars, the Argonians' bodies return to the Hist and their souls swim in an endless river, the Nords have Sovngarde, as you know, the Bretons, Altmer, Imperials, and Bosmer all believe they ascend to Aetherius when they die, the Redguards venture to The Far Shores, the Dunmer souls stay and persist, guiding their descendants and the Orcs venture to the realm of Malacath in Oblivion, known as the Ashpit.

"Those who are blessed and cursed with lycanthropy will go to the hunting realms of Hircine in Oblivion, while Vampires go to Molag Bal's realm of Oblivion, Coldharbour. Clavicus Vile's realm is unknown and no one knows how it is in there, he just collects souls for the sake of having them. Nightingales of Nocturnal become guards in her realm of Oblivion. Those who pledged themselves to Sheogorath or have gone mad go to the Shivering Isles. There are other realms, but I do not think you need to know of them now."

It was an hour later, the two had hunted for food, killed two hares, and were now waiting for the meat to cook.

"Do you still want to know about the races where I'm from?"

"Yes, if you feel like telling me."

"I might as well, it'll pass the time. My race, Hylians, have a separate magic source than those that live here in Skyrim. Magic is internal for us, meaning we can't use actual magic ourselves, but we can use weapons and items that have magic. However, a few people throughout history have been able to use actual magic. The Gorons are rock people, meaning they're actually made of rocks and eat rocks for food. They're the most powerful race, only second to Zoras, which are fish people. Being fish people, they can swim underwater and their armies are quite large. The last Race is the Gerudo. The Gerudo are made up of only women, and they...dislike men. No one knows why."

"That sounds problematic."

"It is, every Hero has had problems with them, me included. Fortunately, they bent their rules enough to help us."

"Good. May I ask you something?"

Link checked the hare meat to see if it was done."Depends on what you're asking."

"Of course. Have you heard of Moon Sugar and Skooma?"

"Not really."

"Well…" Samson looked around, then took out a small glass bottle filled with a purple liquid. "This is Skooma. My people are fond of it. It alters your mind, and some people will pay good coin. After this trip, I am done selling it. It is far too dangerous."

Samson put away the Skooma and took the second rabbit from the stick and started eating it.

"You seem to know a lot for just a mere merchant."

"I like to read and study ancient texts."

"You said that could be a scholar? I think you should be one."

"Maybe. But if I get accepted into Winterhold, what would Swift do without me?"

"Bring her with you."

The cat looked up. "But what about the merchant stall?"

"I think they'd let you set up there. It wouldn't hurt to ask."

Samson nodded, then it was silent for a bit as the two teens ate their meal.

"Link! Link, wake up! We've got company!"

Samson's yowl abruptly ended the Hylian's rest and he bolted upright to a sitting position, then looked around. "What?"

"Bandits."

Link grabbed Numinex's Bane and got up, then drew the sword. "How many?"

The cat shook his head, his eyes shining in the moonlight. "Five? Six? I can't tell. But we should be quiet, I think."

"I don't think it's any use being quiet anymore, Samson, they know we're here already."

The Khajiit nodded and raised his gaze to a nearby tower, where both of them spotted movement.

"You're not a warrior, are you?"

The Khajiit's eyes moved back and forth, his tail swishing back and forth against his furred legs from anxiety. "No. But I suppose I will have to be one now." Samson reached to his sides and drew two daggers.

"Where did you get those?"

"Swift. She gave them to me."

"Good. Make sure to thank her when you see her again."

The cat grinned. "Oh, I will, believe me, but I have to survive this, first!"

An arrow whistled through the air and hit a tree near Samson, then the five bandits appeared.

The leader stepped forwards, holding a two handed war axe. "Alright. Hand over your Septims and weapons, and we'll let you go."

Link stepped in front of Samson and raised the sword. "How about we don't give you our things and you walk away from this without a scratch?"

The bandit chief grinned. "Hey, you're that new Thane, right? I bet you're walking around with all the Septims you own right now. Hand them over, and we won't hurt you or your friend."

Link flipped the sword in his hands around with ease and pointed it towards the bandit chief. "I don't think so."

"Your funeral."

A second later, Link and Samson were fighting for their lives.

Link ducked under a bandit, then hit him on the head with the sword's pommel, received a gash on his right arm from another bandit, spun around, swung the sword in the bandit's direction and the man went down, not getting up. Meanwhile, Samson had stabbed one bandit with the daggers and was fighting the other with just his claws.

The last bandit hit the grass and the chief looked impressed. "It's not every day we deal with milk drinkers, but you two? You're warriors, I'll give you that, but I'm not done yet."

Five more bandits appeared and as Link and Samson raised their weapons, the chief swung his axe and struck Link with the flat of the blade in the side of his head.

He went down to one knee, his vision doubled, but then he got up and proceeded to draw Dawn, the fire dagger, and stab one bandit in the chest with it, then pulled the dagger out and stabbed another bandit with it.

"Link! Behind you!"

The Hylian pulled the dagger from the bandit's chest and spun around to see the axe bearing down on him.

When his vision came back, what remained of it was focused on Samson, who was being restrained by the three remaining bandits. The chief walked up to him, the axe covered in blood. "Still alive? You won't be for long if someone doesn't find you."

The man lifted the axe a bit and the blood reflected from the moonlight. "This is your blood, did you know that? Oh, and don't bother about trying to fight me. You dropped your sword and I doubt you can pick it up in your current state."

The bandit chief walked behind him and sent him to the grass with a kick to his back. "Take everything he's got save for his clothes and that sword."

"You don't want the sword?"

"No! It's the Jarl's sword! I dunno why he has it, but we can take everything else. And maybe figure out where this cat's caravan is so we can raid them."

"I told you! I don't have a caravan! I'm a mere merchant!"

A yowl of pain from Samson as the chief did something.

"Yeah, maybe, but you've got to have goods hidden somewhere. Let's get back to the towers.'"

The last thing Link heard was Samson yelling his name again, then everything was gone.

Ralof had watched the entire fight from the lookout point. When he saw Link get hit not once, but twice, and finally go down, his heart stopped for a second. "We have to go down there."

He said this to no one in particular, but the leader of this group, a man named Ashler Fanter, nodded. "I saw the whole fight. Shame what happened to the lad, he held his own for quite a while. Let's get down there and put an end to those bandits."

The rest of the Stormcloaks cheered and the twelve soldiers ran down the hill and to the towers.

Ralof and Ashler stopped beside the prone figure on the ground, and Ralof knelt beside him. "Do you think a healing potion would do anything?"

"Couldn't hurt to try."

Ashler handed Ralof a health potion and the Nord gave it to Link, who awoke a few seconds later and gazed up at Ralof with confusion. "I was on my way to Windhelm when I stopped to check in on the camp here. It's a good thing I did. Can you stand? You're friend needs rescuing, if the other Stormcloaks haven't already rescued him."

The boy thought about it for a moment, then nodded, and the two Nords slowly got him up, standing on his own, then Ashler handed Link his sword.

"You can get your bearings if you want. Ralof, with me."

The two Nords started to run for the towers, but stopped halfway as the other Stormcloaks ran out of the first tower, the lead one holding a bounty poster, while a Khajiit darted away from the group and over to Link.

After checking with Ashler and taking the bounty poster from the Stormcloak that had killed the bandit chief, Ralof walked back over to Link. "Here. Don't know if you accept bounties or not, but I'd say you scored a victory today. It's fitting, don't you think?" The Nord offered the bounty poster to the boy, who took it from him and looked down at the drawing of the man that had nearly killed him before he nodded.

"Where do I collect the bounty?"

"Turn the bounty in to Proventus, I assume you've already met him?"

Ralof received a nod from Link, and Ashler walked up to him and returned his stolen items, the rest of the Stormcloaks grouped up, one of them led the two horses over to Link and Samson, and, after getting situated, the group was off towards Ivarstead.

It took a while for the group to reach Ivarstead. In that time, since Link had nothing better to do, he decided to read the book he had found in Bleak Falls, which held information on how to perform the illegal art of pickpocketing. He didn't want to admit it, but he had had to perform pickpocketing and breaking and entering back home, simply because there was no other option. After all, the fate of Hyrule had been at stake, and sometimes, following the laws and rules wasn't even on the table.

After reading a bit more of the Thief book, Link put it away and took out the Flames spellbook, read a bit of it, then tried to cast the spell. Nothing happened, and he tried to cast it again. Still nothing.

"Trying to learn magic? It could be that you're from another realm, since you mentioned your magic is different than ours."

The Hylian glanced sideways at Samson and then nodded. "Maybe. Learning magic would be useful."

"I'm sure you'll learn it eventually."

It was around an hour later that the town of Ivarstead came into view. Samson stopped on the bridge and smiled sadly. "This is where we part ways for a time, my friend. I wish you luck in your journey."

"Yours as well, Samson."

The Khajiit and his horse took off at a gallop down the other path, towards Windhelm, as well as the Stormcloaks, Link stayed where he was until they had disappeared from view, then he flicked Epona's reins and the two walked off the bridge and entered Ivarstead.

Two men were standing near the bridge.

"On your way up the 7,000 Steps again, Klimmek?"

"Not today, Gwilin. I'm just not ready to make the climb to High Hrothgar. The path isn't safe."

"Aren't the Greybeards expecting some supplies?"

"Honestly, I'm not certain. I've yet to be allowed into the monastery. Perhaps one day."

The man named Gwilin walked off and Klimmek stayed where he was as the old man watched Link approach.

"Hello. I'm heading up to High Hrothgar. I could take your supplies for you if you want, Although I am wondering what they are."

Klimmek smiled. "I appreciate that. The supplies are simply just foodstuffs, dried meat and salted fish, that's all. May I ask why you're traveling up there?"

"Supposedly I'm Dragonborn, everyone told me I needed to speak to the Greybeards."

The old man's eyes widened. "So it was you who...The whole of us heard shouting from the mountain a few hours ago. I suppose that shout was for you, eh? My supplies aren't that heavy, maybe ten to twenty pounds, but you look like you can carry a lot. There's a chest up there, before the monastery doors, simply place the supplies in there. Though, I suppose if you're entering the monastery, you can just carry them in. And there's wolves up there, so be careful."

Link got down from Epona's back, handed the reins to a nearby stablemaster, paid the man the necessary Septims for the horse to be stabled, took the supplies from Klimmek, glanced up at the mountain before him, then started up the Seven Thousand Steps.

On his way up to High Hrothgar, Link discovered several ancient tablets that were carved with words. The first one he encountered was not even twenty steps up, and it read: EMBLEM I ~ Before the birth of men, the Dragons ruled all word was the Voice, and they spoke only for True Needs. For the Voice could blot out the sky and flood the land.

'I wonder who carved this, and if there are more of them. I wonder how long it'll take me to climb all of these steps.'

The Hylian glanced at the tablet for a few seconds before he continued up the steps.

Five wolves were staring him down ten minutes later. It was silent for a bit, then the lead wolf howled and then the wolves darted forward. However, they weren't expecting him to turn wolf.

Link slammed into the alpha male, sending the beast back a bit as the other four closed in.
One wolf snapped at him and he bit it in the leg, then received a gash on his right side from another wolf. He whirled around, fangs bared, and lunged for that wolf's throat. His fangs connected, spraying blood all over him as the wolf slowly died. Link dropped the corpse, looked down at it for a moment, then ducked instlctly as a wolf snapped its jaws where his head had been a second before. Link whirled around, sending snow everywhere, and his fangs found fur. He bit down, until he heard a crack and the wolf below him screamed and started thrashing around. He dropped the beast, having broken its back, then mercy killed it with a skull crushing bite. A third wolf lunged at him, which he sidestepped, then raked the claws of his front left paw down it's face, blinding it, then Link finished it off with a bite to the neck.

Then, there was a sudden unbearable pain in his left shoulder. His vision went white, he heard something scream in agony, and when his vision came back, a wolf was standing over him, her muzzle covered in blood. Link risked raising his head a bit and glanced down at his left shoulder. He could see bone and the wolf shuddered and moved his gaze to the wolf whom he knew to be the alpha male's mate. He didn't want a confrontation, and hopefully the two surviving wolves knew that.
Before he could move, the female wolf left his field of vision and he looked down past his chest; the female wolf was uncomfortably close to a certain region of his body. However, before the wolf could do anything, Link surged upwards and slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

Then, the Alpha Male slammed into him, Link turned and half blinded the other wolf with a bite to the face, then raked his claws down his neck, sending blood droplets everywhere. The other wolf roared and bit down on his left shoulder - the same place his mate had bit Link. Link's vision went white and when he could see again, he was covered in various wounds and it hurt to breathe. He lunged forwards, not towards the male, but for the female, and his jaws closed over her neck and he bit down. The wolf died instantly and he heard a scream behind him before the male wolf grabbed him and threw him backwards. Link landed in the blood stained snow and rolled over just before the male wolf's fangs bit the air where his head had been a second before. As Link got up, the other wolf roared again, then slammed into him. The black and white wolf braced himself, then clawed at the other wolf's stomach, tearing a hole in the beast's belly and therefore disemboweling him. The older male screamed and then fell to the snow, thrashing around, before Link put the wolf out of his misery with a death bite to the head.

It was silent, save for the surviving wolf's ragged breathing. Link gazed down at the dead wolves, then as the adrenaline wore off, pain coursed through his battered body and he started shaking uncontrollably. The wolf's body voided itself as he was violently ill, then he blindly stumbled away towards the landing, where he collapsed and stared up at the sky, still shaking uncontrollably.

'Focus. Try to calm down, need to heal myself...Need to...No, I can't fall asleep here, I'll die if I do.'

The wolf got to his paws, then surged upwards. Before the transformation was complete, Link had already downed one health potion and was feeling somewhat better.

'I'm more concerned about my shoulder wound than anything else. How many health potions is it going to take to heal it? Can I even fight in my current condition? ...I shouldn't risk it.'

He picked up the supplies bag from where it had fallen, downed another health potion, just to be safe, and kept walking up the steps while trying to distract himself from what had happened, well aware that he was covered in blood, both his own and the wolves'.

It was about four hundred steps before he found the second tablet, and there was a man praying in front of it. The second tablet read: EMBLEM II ~ Men were born and spread over the face of Dragons presided over the crawling masses. Men were weak then, and had no Voice.

'Voice? What is that?'

"Traveling the Steps, are you? You met the wolves, obviously judging by your current state." The Nord who called himself Barknar got up and studied Link's shoulder wound, then dug around in his knapsack for cloth bandages and started binding the wound.

"Yes. What are you doing up here?"

"I like to come up here ever once in a while, mediate, walk the steps, bag game…"

"Do you know of the Greybeards?"

"They're not the sort to take visitors, but I never go that high up the path anyway. Some folk who make the trip leave them food or other essentials, but not to make conversation. I heard them, by the way, everyone did. Shouted something, a name, it hasn't happened in centuries. There, your wound should be alright. Might hurt to fight things, but you'll live."

Link thanked Barknar and continued walking up the Steps.

It was around five hundred more steps until the third tablet.

The third tablet read: EMBLEM III ~ 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'

'Interesting.'

The sun was setting quickly, far too quickly for Link's liking. He then got an idea, picked up a fallen torch, then hit it against the tablet. The torch caught on fire and Link used it to navigate the Steps.

The next tablet was around six hundred steps up.

The fourth tablet read: EMBLEM IV ~ Kyne called on Paarthurnax, who pitied Man. Together they taught Men to use the Voice. Then Dragon War raged, Dragon against Tongue.

'Paarthurnax? Who is that?'

A woman was meditating before it and he started to walk past her, then stopped.

"Hello."

The woman who called herself Karita looked around, then saw Link and nodded. "Hello. What brings you up here?"

"Just...Traveling. Did you hear the Greybeards?"

"Yes. I was outside Ivarstead when I heard them. It hasn't happened in centuries, you know."

"What are you doing up here?"

"Just meditating. I do this every few years. Barknar fixed your wound, didn't he? He's good at that, healing people."

Link nodded, thanked Karita for speaking with him, then started to walk up the Steps again.

A frost troll was sitting on the path. Unfortunately, there was no way to avoid it, but it hadn't noticed him yet. However, Link got an idea and raised the torch he was holding, then darted forwards and threw it in the creature's face. While it was distracted, the Hylian slung his bow off his back, notched an arrow, and fired. The arrow hit the creature in the third eye and it roared, then swung at Link, who ducked, then fired another arrow, then drew Dawn and stabbed the troll in the right arm. The fire dagger burnt the troll and it roared, then Link ripped the dagger from the troll's arm, vaulted up to its neck, then stabbed it in the throat. It died instantly, Link threw himself away from the troll's corpse as it fell to the ground and he landed in the snow. The Hylian got up a few moments later, looked down at the dead troll, then kept walking.

The fifth tablet, which was ten steps up, read: 'EMBLEM V ~ Man prevailed, shouting Alduin out of the world. Proving for all that their Voice too was strong. Although their sacrifices were many-fold.

'So these people fought Alduin once and won, that's good, I suppose.'

The sixth tablet, which was four hundred and seventy steps up, read: 'EMBLEM VI ~ With roaring Tongues, the Sky-Children conquer. Founding the First Empire with Sword and Voice. Whilst the Dragons withdrew from this World.'

'So the Dragons left, and now they're returned. And I guess I have some role in all of this.'

The rest of the tablets were a thousand steps apart, save for the tenth one, which was two thousand steps after the ninth.

The seventh tablet read: EMBLEM ~ VII The Tongues at Red Mountain went away humbled. Jurgen Windcaller began His Seven Year understand how Strong Voices could fail.

'Seven years? That's a long time to meditate.'

The eighth tablet read: EMBLEM VIII ~ Jurgen Windcaller chose silence and returned. The 17 disputants could not shout Him down. Jurgen the Calm built His home on the Throat of the World.

'So...Windcaller's home is High Hrothgar?'

The ninth tablet read: EMBLEM IX ~ For years all silent, the Greybeards spoke one name. Tiber Septim, stripling then, was summoned to blessed and named him Dovahkiin.
There was a statue of some sort on top of the ninth tablet.

'Is this Septim? And there's that word again...Dovahkiin.'

The tenth and final tablet read: EMBLEM X ~ The Voice is worship. Follow the Inner path. Speak only in True Need.

'Inner path? What is that?'

As soon as Link read the final tablet, he somehow felt stronger, more at ease, then he noticed he was standing before a massive building.

'This must be it.'

Link put the supplies in a lone chest outside the building, then walked up the steps, and entered High Hrothgar.

An old man in monk robes approached Link, raised his hands in greeting, and then smiled. "Welcome, Dovahkiin. We have been expecting you."