The Legend of Zelda: Skyrim - Chapter 10 - I'm...Dragonborn?
Retrieving Nettlebane shall also be in this chapter. And a weapon/item makes an appearance...

"So...a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age."

Link didn't say anything at first, but rather gazed in silent awe at the building he was in, before he moved his gaze to the robed man before him. "I'm answering your summons."

The man nodded. "We will see if you truly have the gift. Show us, Dragonborn."

"You call me Dragonborn. What does that mean?"

"First, let us see if you truly are Dragonborn. Let us taste of your Voice."

Link somehow knew what this man meant, he hesitated for a moment, before the strange energy manifested as he said "Fus", and there was somehow a boom as the energy seemed to strike the old robed man.

The monk merely gazed at Link before he smiled and nodded. "Dragonborn. It is you. Welcome to High Hrothgar. I am Master Arngeir. I speak for the Greybeards. Now tell me, Dragonborn, why have you come here?"

"Who are you? What is this place?"

The man motioned for Link to follow him to the center of the room and he did so. "We are the Greybeards, followers of the Way of the Voice. You stand in High Hrothgar, on the slopes of Kynareth's sacred mountain. Here we commune with the voice of the sky, and strive to achieve a balance between our inner and outer selves."

"I want to find out what it means to be Dragonborn."

Arngeir nodded. "We are here to guide you in that pursuit, just as the Greybeards have sought to guide those of the Dragon Blood that came before you."

This was new.

"You mean I'm not the only Dragonborn?"

The Greybeard shook his head. "You are not the first. There have been many of the Dragon Blood since Akatosh first bestowed that gift upon mortalkind. Whether you are the only Dragonborn of this age...that is not ours to know. You are the only one that has been revealed thus far. That is all I can say. We are honored to welcome a Dragonborn to High Hrothgar. We will do our best to teach you how to use your gift in fulfillment of your destiny."

"What is my destiny?"

The Greybeard motioned for three other robed figures to join him and Link in the center of the room. "That is for you to discover. We can show you the Way, but not your destination."

Link nodded. "I'm ready to learn."

Arngeir smiled. "You have shown that you are Dragonborn. You have the inborn gift. But do you have the discipline and temperament to follow the path laid out for you? That remains to be seen. Without training, you have already taken the first steps toward projecting your Voice into a Thu'um, a Shout. Now let us see if you are willing and able to learn. When you Shout, you speak in the language of dragons. Thus, your Dragon Blood gives you an inborn ability to learn Words of Power. All Shouts are made up of three Words of Power. As you master each Word, your Shout will become progressively stronger. Master Einarth will now teach you "Ro," the second Word in Unrelenting Force. "Ro" means "balance" in the dragon tongue. Combine it with Fus - "Force" - to focus your Thu'um more sharply."

Einarth waved a hand and then said a word, somehow imprinting the 'Word of Power' as it was called, on the stone floor. "Ro…" The symbol glowed and then it was gone, and also somehow in Link's head.

'Balance...Alright, learning these words doesn't seem too hard.'

Arngeir's voice broke Link's thoughts. "You learn a new word like a master...you truly do have the gift. But learning a Word of Power is only the first step...you must unlock its meaning through constant practice in order to use it in a Shout. Well, that is how the rest of us learn Shouts. As Dragonborn, you can absorb a slain dragon's life force and knowledge directly. As part of your initiation, Master Einarth will allow you to tap into his understanding of "Ro.""

Link half turned towards the Greybeard named Einarth, who smiled at him.

It was as if something in his mind unlocked. Link was hardly aware that Einarth was bowing to him, as he was more occupied with the fact that he somehow now knew the true meaning of Ro, it felt something similar to when he absorbed - was absorbed the right word? - Mirmulnir's soul.

Arngeir eyed Link for a moment, then nodded again. "Now let us see how quickly you can master your new Thu'um. Use your Unrelenting Force shout to strike the targets as they appear. Master Borri, if you do not mind..."

The Greybeard named Borri nodded, then Shouted. "Flik Lo...Sah!" Some sort of target appeared. It appeared to be a spectral form of a Greybeard, and Link eyed it before he tested out Ro.

"Fus...Ro?"

Again, there was a boom as the energy from the Shout struck the target and it vanished.

Arngeir smiled and nodded. "Well done. You should notice that your Shout is more focused. Use that to your advantage. Again. Master Einarth."

"Flik Lo...Sah!"

Link didn't hesitate this time and the target was gone.

Arngeir: "You learn quickly. Once more. Master Wulfgar."

"Flik Lo...Sah!"

Again, the target vanished and it was quiet for a few seconds, then Arngeir began to walk out of the room. "Impressive. Your Thu'um is precise. You show great promise, Dragonborn. We will perform your next trial in the courtyard. Follow Master Borri."

A few minutes later, the four Greybeards were outside, standing on a stone circle.

Arngeir stopped walking and half turned. "We will now see how you learn a completely new Shout. Master Borri will teach you "Wuld," which means "Whirlwind.""

Borri nodded and merely said: "Wuld…"

The Word of Power inscribed itself on the ground and then it was gone.

'...Whirlwind...Seems powerful enough. I wonder what it does.'

"You must hear the Word within yourself before you can project it into a Thu'um."

'...Right. I think I understand. '

"Approach Master Borri and he will gift you his knowledge of "Wuld.""

Link and Borri eyed each other for a few moments, then he again felt as if he was absorbing Mirmulnir's soul again, even though he wasn't.

Argnier nodded. "Now we will see how quickly you can master a new Shout. Master Wulfgar will demonstrate Whirlwind Sprint. Then it will be your turn. Master Borri."

"Bex!"

As soon as the man said this, a gate opened nearby and Wulfgar walked in front of it, then Shouted."Wuld. Nah...Kest!"

The Greybeard somehow seemed to shoot across the area and through the gate before it could close.

"Now it is your turn. Stand next to me. Master Borri will open the gate. Use your Whirlwind Sprint to pass through before it closes."

"Bex!"

Once again, the gate opened, and Link gazed at a moment before he tested out Wuld. "Let's see if this works...Wuld."

Another boom was heard and then he was somehow on the other side of the gate, on the ground from when he had tripped a moment before.

Link looked around in confusion before he heard footfalls, and he picked himself up from the snow, then half turned to see Arngier before him. "Your quick mastery of a new Thu'um is...astonishing. I'd heard the stories of the abilities of Dragonborn, but to see it for myself…"

"I thought it was this easy for everyone."

"No. Indeed not. But beware that your skill does not outstrip your wisdom."

"I don't know how I do it. It just happens."

"You were given this gift by the gods for a reason. It is up to you to figure out how best to use it."

"Thank you. What's next?"

The three other Greybeards had gone back inside High Hrothgar already, and Arngeir waved a hand for Link to follow him. "You are now ready for your last trial. Retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, our founder, from his tomb in the ancient fane of Ustengrav. Remain true to the Way of the Voice, and you will return."

"Why are the dragons returning? Does it have something to do with me?"

"No doubt. The appearance of a Dragonborn at this time is not an accident. Your destiny is surely bound up with the return of the dragons. You should focus on honing your Voice, and soon your path will be made clear."

"Thank you, Arngeir. I will continue my training."

"Good. Then you will be ready for whatever lies ahead."

"Surely there's more you can tell me."

"There is indeed much that we know that you do not. That does not mean that you are ready to understand it. Do not let your easy mastery of the Voice tempt you into the arrogance of power that has been the downfall of many Dragonborn before you."

"What does it mean to be "Dragonborn"?"

"Dragons have the inborn ability to learn and project their Voice. Dragons are also able to absorb the power of their slain brethren. A few mortals are born with similar abilities - whether a gift or a curse has been a matter of debate down through the centuries. What you have already learned in a few days took even the most gifted of us years to achieve. Some believe that Dragonborn are sent into the world by the gods, at times of great need. We will speak more of that later, when you are ready."

"Why are Shouts in the dragon language?"

"Dragons have always been able to shout. Language is intrinsic to their very being. There is no difference in the dragon tongue between debating and fighting. Shouting comes as naturally to a dragon as breathing, or speaking. In mythic times, when mortalkind was in great need, the goddess Kynareth granted us the ability to speak as dragons do. For most people, long years of training are required to learn even the simplest Shout. But for you, the dragon speech is in your blood, and you learn it almost without effort."

"There are only four of you?"

"Five. Our leader, Paarthurnax, lives alone on the peak of the Throat of the World. When your Voice can open the path, you will know you are ready to speak to him."

"When can I meet your leader, Paarthurnax?"

"As I said, you will know you are ready when your Voice can open the path to him."

"Tell me about the Greybeards."

"We study the Way of the Voice, according to the teachings of our founder, Jurgen Windcaller. Very few are permitted to study with us here at High Hrothgar. But in your case, Dragonborn, it is a privilege to guide you towards mastery of your Voice."

"Why don't the others talk?"

"Their Voices are too powerful for anyone not trained in the Way to withstand. Even a whisper could kill you."

"Who was Jurgen Windcaller?"

"He was a great war leader of the ancient Nords, a master of the Voice, or Tongue. After the disaster at Red Mountain, where the Nord army was annihilated, he spent many years pondering the meaning of that terrible defeat. He finally came to realize that the gods had punished the Nords for their arrogant and blasphemous misuse of the Voice. He was the first to understand that the Voice should be used solely for the glory and worship of the gods, not the glory of men. Jurgen Windcaller's mastery of the Voice eventually overcame all opposition, and the Way of the Voice was born."

"What is the "Way of the Voice"?"

"The Voice was a gift of the goddess Kynareth, at the dawn of time. She gave mortals the ability to speak as dragons do. Although this gift has often been misused, the only true use of the Voice is for the worship and glory of the gods. True Mastery of the Voice can only be achieved when your inner spirit is in harmony with your outward actions. In the contemplation of the sky, Kynareth's domain, and the practice of the Voice, we strive to achieve this balance."

"But I don't follow your philosophy. Why help me learn the Voice?"

"The Dragonborn is an exception to all the rules - the Dragon Blood itself is a gift from the gods. If we accept one gift, how can we deny the other? As Dragonborn, you have received the ability to Shout directly from Akatosh. We therefore seek to guide you on the proper use of your gift, which transcends the restrictions which bind other mortals."

"I will try to follow the Way of the Voice."

"That is commendable. But remember, the Dragon Blood itself is a gift from Akatosh. Do not try to deny that gift. Your destiny requires you to use your Voice - why else would Akatosh have bestowed this gift upon you? If you remember to use your voice in service to the purpose of Akatosh, you will remain true to the Way."

The Greybeard took Link's map and marked the location of Windcaller's Tomb before handing it back.

"Now, is there anything else you would like to ask me?"

".Do you happen to know where Orphan Rock is?"

"Orphan Rock...Yes, I do in fact know where it is. It's exact location is…"

A few hours later, Link found himself riding Epona as the two traveled down a stone path. He had spent some time trying to learn the two tomes Farengar had given to him before he had left, but to no avail. Perhaps it was because he had already learned in theory all there was to know about the two spells. Besides, he had never really been one for magic, even on his journey back home, and Midna had been the one to deal with magical knowledge and how to wield it.
He suddenly heard her voice, clear as day, as if she was still traveling with him.

"Trying to learn magic? It's not an easy process, I'll have you know. I'm sure that if you keep at it, you'll eventually get the hang of it."The Hylian shook his head to clear it, then noticed that he had managed to wander into a Stormcloak camp.

There were around ten soldiers gathered around a campfire and all of them got up. Some gazed at Link with suspicion while others made as if to draw their weapons. In response, the Hylian got down from Epona's back and he silently noted that the Stormcloaks seemed to ease up a bit.

"Where'd you get that armor?"

A man walked up to Link, looked him up and down, then walked in a circle around him before ending up back in front of him. "Ralof gave it to me." Link self consciously adjusted his own set of Stormcloak armor as he said this and the man gave a firm nod, silently noting how large the armor seemed on him.

"Ralof's a good man. If he trusts you, then I suppose we can do the same. Alright, follow me."

As the soldiers took Epona away to be stabled and the leader, who introduced himself as
Hararne Eriksen led him over to the campfire, Link learned that, observing from his current position, Orphan Rock was a valley with a stony grass covered plateau in the middle of the valley, only reachable by a fallen tree. But he would dwell on getting up there later.

Once they were seated by the campfire, Hararne asked for Link's name, and he of course gave it.

"So, Link, mind telling us what brings you to this location?"

His gaze moved from Hararne's face, to the ground, and back up to Hararne as the Hylian tried to think of some response. Finally, he decided to tell the truth. "I'm here to retrieve Nettlebane so I can restore the Gildergreen in Whiterun."

The entire group of Stormcloaks started laughing at the very thought but it soon faded when they realized that Link was indeed serious about retrieving the dagger.

"Look, I know what happened to the tree in Whiterun, I know that Hagraven has that dagger, but I'm afraid we can't let you go up there.""Why not?"

Hararne shifted a bit and gazed at Link before speaking. "Do you even know what Witches and Hagravens are?"

"No."

The Stormcloak sighed and shook his head. "...You don't even know what you're going up against. Hagravens gave up their humanity for more power. Witches are women who are training to become hagravens. Both can cast spells and are very dangerous, regardless if they're together, in separate groups, or alone."

Various other Stormcloaks nodded and Hararne's face fell a bit when he got a response.

"That doesn't seem so bad.""Maybe to you, but to us, it is. We're not letting you go up there by yourself."

Link thought this over. "What if all of you attacked the Witches at once?"

Another soldier shook his head. "No. In fact, we should be out there, scouting-"

"We should be focusing on our own mission, not wondering about when our next battle will be."

Hararne cut the other man off and Link realized that the man had been about to give away the reason they were out there. So he changed the subject. "Aren't you supposed to be the protectors of Skyrim? Doesn't clearing this place of evil creatures help towards that?"

Hararne looked down in thought. Then he looked at his comrades behind him, then back at Link, this time eyes full of determination. "Yes. Yes it does. Tell you what, you want to get that dagger? By Kyne, we'll help you get it!"

After some time, the group reached the center of the valley after dodging several elemental and spike traps that they had observed before leaving the camp.

The plateau seemed to be empty from where Link was standing and he noticed a dead tree that seemed to lead up to it before he heard one of the Stormcloaks yell something, then the Witches attacked the group of soldiers a few seconds after.

The Hylian caught a flicker of light in the corner of his vision and he spun around, only to see what appeared to be a ball of fire heading straight for him.

Due to his previous experiences in Hyrule, he had dodged many, many fireballs, it was merely timing after all.

Link dove to the right and hit the ground, only just missing the fireball. However, the spell still managed to singe his right shoulder and he cursed himself inwardly for being so careless.

For a moment, he thought he was safe. After all, he had dodged the spell, what else could happen?

Then the fireball hit the ground and promptly exploded.

Link felt as if he was covered in flames for a few moments before the sensation faded. He had a notion that he was now injured, but he ignored it and got up, discerning that the fireball had come from the plateau.

'That must be where the Hagraven is. I just need to get up there.'

Link recalled seeing a dead tree earlier and eventually found it. However, before he could get close enough to the dead tree to walk up the trunk, a Witch appeared before him.
The two stared at each other for a moment, before the Witch summoned lighting and threw it at him. Link dodged the attack and ran up to the woman, who pulled out a knife and swung it at
him. There was a clang as the knife flew through the air, having been deflected by Link's sword.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to try harder than that to kill me."

The Hagraven cast another fireball, however, Link managed to dodge the attack and it hit a nearby tree and set it on fire.

The Witch cursed at him before summoning more lightning and attempted to throw it at Link, but he was faster.

He Shouted. "Fus, Ro!" Using the Shout in combat felt exhilarating.

There was once again a boom as the wave of energy forced the woman back, staggering her, and while she was distracted, the Hylian swung Numinex's Bane, attempting to merely slash the woman's neck for a quick death. However, he underestimated his own strength, for the woman suddenly moved to regain her balance and her head was cut smoothly from her shoulders.

The Hagraven cast yet another fireball in Link's direction, which he swiftly dodged, then he ran towards the dead tree that was leaning against the plateau, but before he could set foot on the dead tree, it caught fire and Link was forced backwards a bit. He stared at the burning tree for a few seconds before he made up his mind and ran up the burning trunk, well aware that he was receiving injuries in the process, and managed to reach the plateau just before the tree burnt away and what remained of it fell to the valley floor.

Something slammed into him and he went flying to hit what he thought to be a fallen tree, before he fell to the ground and found himself looking at...something. "What is it that you seek?"The creature could speak, it appeared to be a cross between a bird and a woman.

"...Are you a Hagraven?"

The creature blinked. When it spoke, its voice was raspy and barely understandable. Which made sense, considering how hideous this creature looked. "What sort of question is that? Of course I am a Hagraven, now answer my question!" At least the thing hadn't attacked him yet.

Link slowly got to his feet and kept his distance. "I'm here for Nettlebane."

The glint of metal got his attention - the creature was holding some sort of dagger. "This? It's mine, I'm afraid."

Link shook his head. "Sorry, but Whiterun needs it more than you do."

The creature before him screeched and darted towards him, the dagger raised high in the air.
Link dodged the attack, drew Numinex's Bane, and spun around, the blade cutting into the Hagraven's side. The thing turned on him and cast some spell, which he blocked with the sword. However, doing so caused him to fall to the ground and drop the sword, the Hagraven grinned and prepared to fire another spell at him.
The Stormcloaks were still fighting the Witches, so they wouldn't be of any help. No, Link had to deal with this alone.
However, he didn't have that many options, and he was running out of time to make a decision.
He used Unrelenting Force, but all it did was stagger the Hagraven, and it kept advancing...
Perhaps in sheer desperation, or because it was the one thing he could do, the Hylian held out his right hand towards the thing advancing on him and yelled "flames".

Fire. From seemingly nowhere, it struck the creature in the face and she started screaming and clawing at her face as she stumbled backwards.
Link stared at the spectacle for a moment before he moved his gaze to his right hand. A fireball rested in his palm; it didn't hurt, it was just...there.
'Magika?'

He felt a strange sensation running up his arm, like some sort of energy.

'Strange. It doesn't hurt...In fact it almost feels welcoming.'

Link heard something and looked up at the Hagraven, who was screeching about letting her guard down.

"You're going to pay for that! Once I kill you, I'll eat your heart and ears! Elven hearts and ears are a delicacy, I'll have you know! Especially elven children!" The thing continued to curse at him until Link got up and cast Flames at the Hagraven.

"One, I am not a child, I am seventeen years of age, and two, I'm not an Elf, I'm a Hylian."

The creature let out a deafening screech. Of course, Link couldn't hear now. But he didn't need to hear to finish off the Hagraven.

The Hylian de-summoned the fire before he drew the twin daggers, then ran forwards and stabbed the creature in the heart.

Whether it was due to his own natural healing, or if the Hagraven didn't try hard enough to truly deafen him, Link never knew, but he regained his hearing shortly after the battle and he realized that a Stormcloak was yelling his name.

The Hylian walked over to where the voice was coming from and looked down to find the soldiers looking up at him.

The unnamed Stormcloak spoke again. "Stay where you are, we'll find something that you can get down from there with."

"I don't plan on going anywhere, you can be well assured of that."

They seemed to take that as an answer and Link heard them presumably talking to each other about how they were going to get him down from the plateau.

He knew it would take a while, so Link picked up his fallen sword and cleaned it on the Hagraven's clothing before retrieving the twin daggers. There was something underneath the body and Link kicked the corpse over to find the dagger the creature was holding. Link picked up the weapon and examined it.

The entire weapon was ebony-green in color with root like patterns on the pommel, hilt, and blade. The pommel was curved, with various designs engraved into it. Further up, about three inches, more engraved designs were in the hilt, just below the crossguard. The blade itself had even more engravings and was six inches, and the flat of the blade was straight while the edge curved inwards and into the blade itself before becoming straight, until it sharpened to a point.

Past the dagger, he noticed some sort of body lying on the ground; he walked over and examined it, discovering that it was the 'tree' he had hit earlier.

As Link was examining the strange creature, the adrenaline he had felt began to fade, and with it fading, the pain he had been ignoring made itself known.

The pain wasn't nearly as bad as his first time becoming a wolf, or the wounds he sustained during his fight with Dragmire, but they still were painful.

The Hylian thought of using a health potion, but then realized that there was one other spell he hadn't tested yet, and so he tested it then.

Even though the Healing spellbook had said to turn the palms of the hands inwards while casting the spell, Link still felt a bit ridiculous in doing so.

Right after he said the word "heal", the pain began to fade and his wounds began to close and heal as if he had used a health potion.

"I think I can get used to using Magicka."

The Stormcloaks found him sometime later, sitting up against a tree, flipping Nettlebane into the air and catching it by the hilt. "So you found it, then?"

Link caught the dagger as it fell towards the ground and nodded towards Hararne. "Yes."

Another Stormcloak ran up and said that there were two people in a tent, most likely captives, and that a lone Witch was keeping them prisoner.

Hararne nodded, then looked down at Link. "Would you like to have the honor of rescuing them?"

Two people that seemed to be Nords were sitting in a tent, hands tied together. The two were arguing about something.

"Look what you got us into."

"It wasn't my fault, you were the one insisting that we run in here with little to no armor."

"I didn't know there would be that many things waiting for us, okay?"

"I knew this was a bad idea from the start."

The man shifted and eyed a lone Witch at the other side of the clearing. ""I do not like the looks that Witch is giving me."

The woman grinned. "It's because of your looks, isn't it? No wonder countless women seem to pass out when they see you."

The Witch walked over to the man and bit the air in front of him, causing him to yelp loudly and the woman merely smirked in his direction. "What was that?"

The man ducked his head in embarrassment. "I didn't know you could be so loud."

"It's not like I had any choice."

There was movement from the shadows and the Witch collapsed to the ground, blood splattering the grass as the body landed with a dull thud.

"...I think we have company."

Link gazed down at the dead Witch for a moment before he tore his gaze away and noticed two tied up Nords staring at him. "Hello."

The two Nords continued to stare at him until the silence was uncomfortable, then the woman nodded and said "hi" back.

"Do you mind telling me what you were doing here?"

"Being captured."

The woman rolled her eyes at the male Nord. "We were studying Orphan Rock and mapping it when those things tied us up."

Link walked over and cut the ropes of the two Nords with his sword, freeing them and the two got up.

Surprisingly, they didn't seem injured, just very annoyed that they had been tied up, which was understandable.

"Thanks." The Nord woman rolled her shoulders, then took a step back and looked her friend up and down. "Were you always that tall?"

The Stormcloaks had walked up to the tent by now and the two Nords were surrounded and talked to.

The woman managed to get away from the group and found Link reading scripture on a table. "Hey."

The Hylian nodded, acknowledging her presence.

"It's a good thing you showed up when you did. Listen, my friend and I, we found something." The Nord walked behind the tent and the two spoke to each other as the woman started tossing things around. "Ah, here it is. It's a good thing the witches and that thing didn't find it."

"That 'thing' is a Hagraven." Her companion responded from inside the tent as the man subsciously rubbed his wrists while speaking with the Stormcloaks.

"Whatever. It didn't find it." The woman came back with a magnificent staff of some sort, then held it out to Link, who took it tentatively, then gazed at it. When he looked back up, the two Nords were gone.

"...Where…"

Hararne walked over.

"They had somewhere they needed to be. Didn't get their names."

Link nodded, as he figured that was a reasonable answer, then examined the staff. He found that it resembled an ancient weapon back in Hyrule, it even had the Triforce emblazoned on the hilt, and the Hylian held it away from him a bit, as if to test the weapon, but then decided to test the weapon on the way back to the camp.

The group exited Orphan Rock and began the six minute walk back to camp.

The stormcloak who had told him to wait earlier introduced himself as Eren Fetid and was now walking next to Link. Eren looked at the weapon Link was carrying. "That staff looks strange. Have you looked at it yet?"

This caused Link to examine it again. He realized that it was in fact from Hyrule and he had a suspicion about what the weapon actually was, but he needed to test it first to be certain. He held it away from him, towards the stone path, and pressed a switch on the side of the staff. The blood-red orb sitting at the hilt began to light up and then it unleashed a wave of magical fire.

"Did you see that? That staff is powerful. Does it have a name?"

Link activated the staff again, then grinned."After all this time, and I found it. My people named it the Fire Rod."

It was indeed the Fire Rod. Link knew the weapon had seemed to have been lost to time, it had been mentioned in previous eras and in other Hero's journals, but he had never seen the weapon in person before now.

Eren sighed and he shook his head. "At least we didn't have to deal with any damn soul gems. We were lucky those Witches didn't use any for their weapons."

Link was now flipping the Fire Rod up into the air and catching it while it was powered on; he caught Hararne glaring at him and the next time he caught it, he powered off the weapon and focused his attention on Eren.

"What are soul gems?"

"Soul Gems come in various sizes. They're needed for enchanting weapons and armor, and are used for recharging magical artifacts. Black Soul Gems, now those are the worst. Those hold the souls of people."

"How do these Soul Gems work?"

Eren gave Link a look of concern before speaking. "There is a spell called Soul Trap that you use to trap souls in Soul Gems. But you have to kill whatever you cast Soul Trap on, or else it will wear off, and you need to have an empty Soul Gem with you.."

Link nodded and silently vowed to never use Soul Gems. He didn't want to kill anything necessary, and taking souls sounded evil.

He was lost in thought for a few moments when Eren asked him about what magic he had back home.

"Magic users in Hyrule are rare, and the artifacts use the magical power of the wielder even if they aren't mages. I suppose I'm one of the few exceptions now."

Link raised his right hand and snapped his fingers, thus summoning Flames with ease and he merely gazed at the embers sitting in the palm of his hand before moving his gaze to Eren.

The Stormcloak smiled. "You know, I'm from Winterhold. You may or may not have heard of it, it's famous for a college for mages. Which I hate because they act like asses all of the time, but you? You're okay in my book. And, you seem to know exactly what you're doing."

"Well I'm very glad to hear that, Eren."

The camp had come into view by now and the group stopped just outside it. Link noticed that some of the Stormcloaks were talking about food and he de-summoned his magic. "If you don't mind, I could cook for you."

Hararne gazed at Link for a second, then started laughing. "Are you now? Well, what do you plan on making us?"

"I need a goat of some sort, and various herbs. I don't know what grows here in Skyrim so you're all going to help me out with that."

Eren grinned. "We can definitely help you with that."

Eren had finished two bowls of the food Link had come up with and was wanting even more.

The kid had left the group around five minutes before and had walked into the nearby forest, saying that he "needed time to think things over."

Eren knew better. All of them knew better, they had been his age once, but it was possible that was really what he was doing.

Hararne walked over and sat down beside Eren. "Well, did he tell you what this was?"

The man nodded. "Said it was something called 'Ordon Goat Stew', but then went on to say that it would taste different than what he was used to because Skyrim has different breeds of goats."

Hararne grinned. "Well, if our variant tastes this good, I wonder what his version tastes like, yeah?"

The two were interrupted by Link appearing from the forest and Eren raised a hand in greeting, which he returned. "Well? Did you think things over?"He said this quieter than usual and Link nodded.

"Good. I won't ask what you were doing in there, not my right to know."

The kid gave him a grateful look and Eren smiled, then gestured to a lone bedroll. "You look tired. The bedroll's yours, if you want it."

Hararne got up and walked over to talk to other Stormcloaks, Eren watched him leave, then when he looked back at the bedroll, Link was already passed out on it.

However, Eren overheard the others talking about Link moments later.

"Did you see how strong he is? How he fights? And he used the Thu'um! The lad's Dragonborn!"

Hararne walked back over to Eren and gazed at his friend. "What do you think he was doing in there?"

"That's none of your damn business. You wouldn't want anyone to ask you, would you? No?
Then don't ask him. If he wants us to know what he was doing, he'll tell us."

Several hours later, Link had woken up and was staring at the night sky from the bedroll he had found himself lying on. It was peaceful out here, mostly quiet, and he could finally just think about everything that had happened. But then he heard a faint sound, one that was familiar, and he sat up and looked towards the south, eyes narrowed. The sound was a roar, and it belonged to a Dragon.

He felt something respond within him, he felt the strange sensation of his blood boiling, and that caused him to get up and walk across the camp, a hand on the hilt of his sword, and he stopped just before the edge, gazing up at the sky. The Dragon roared again, only this time the sound was farther away than it had been, and, as if sensing there would be no fight, the sensation faded, only to be replaced with a freezing cold that didn't seem to be going away. It seemed that despite not being as cold as Snowpeak in Hyrule, Skyrim's weather had a certain bitterness to it.

Link stood where he was for a moment before deciding that being in the same tent with other people was better than potentially freezing to death, so he walked over to his bedroll, picked it up, and sought out the nearest tent; where he found a place where he hopefully wouldn't be kicked by sleeping people, tossed down the bedroll, and drifted off shortly after, not waking until morning.