The Legend of Zelda: Skyrim - Chapter 18: Lincoln the Bard
Bard's College and welcome to Solitude
Over 100k words!
The stone road to Solitude was long and windy, mostly flat with small inclines. The walls and gate of the city soon came into view up a steep massive hill, past a guard tower, windmill, docks, and stables.
Link stared in silent awe from atop Epona. He had never seen a place like this before. From where he was, there was a natural arch formation that spanned the river to the other side, there were buildings on this arc, ending with some sort of castle-like structure.
The Hylian nudged his horse's sides and she started to walk up the path. The two soon reached the stables and Link stopped Epona, then got down and led her over to the stable master, who was a man with full brown facial hair.
"Name's Geimund. What can I do for you?" The man stepped away from a white horse and eyed Link.
"I'd like to have my horse stay here for a while, though I'm not sure for how long."
Geimund eyed the boy before him and seemed to study Link. After gazing at the Hylian for a while, the man nodded. "Right. How about this then. You pay me for one night, and at the end of your stay, however long that is, you pay me for the rest. Sound good?"
"That sounds fair." Link agreed as he gave Epona a look over.
"I'll take your horse then. Should be a short walk up to the gate. There's more guards than usual up there. Wonder why..." Geimund held out a hand for Epona's reins.
Link gave the reins to Geimund and the Nord visually examined the mare. "Good horse... she got a name?"
"Epona."
"Epona..." Geimund mused. "A good name. She's strong and no doubt fast... could be a good war horse..." His gaze moved to Link. "Stormcloak armor?" He questioned.
The Hylian gazed at Geimund, inwardly cursing himself. He had forgotten to get new armor after leaving Windhelm. "I..." He paused. "I don't know if you heard... A dragon fell on Windhelm a few days ago."
To Link's surprise, the man grinned. "So, that was you? I heard about it alright, the entire province knows about it!"
"Right...Um... My old armor was destroyed in the fall... So Ulfric gave me this armor..."
Geimund inspected Link again. "Armor looks just a tad too big on you, just my perspective, though. Now, I have to warn you that Solitude doesn't take too kindly to Stormcloaks. Even those that wear the armor, but aren't part of the faction."
Link nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
The Hylian left the stables and continued to walk up the long winding path. The cobblestone road was steep, but manageable. Link passed the large windmill on his left; on up he passed a two storied guard tower, and soon he approached the massive wooden and metal twin gates.
Two guards were standing before the gates and one of them held up a gloved hand as Link approached. "Halt. State your business."
"I'm just here to look around Solitude."
The left guard examined Link. "What's with the armor? You a Stormcloak sympathizer looking to cause trouble?"
Link shook his head. "No. I was the one involved in the dragon falling on Windhelm. My old armor was destroyed in the fall, so Ulfric gave these to me to wear until I could find better armor."
The two guards looked at each other, then the right one spoke up. "Alright. You pass. I suggest going to the blacksmith and getting new armor. Or at least new clothes while you're here, the clothes shop is Radiant Raiment. There's also an execution taking place to the right as soon as you get past the gates behind me, some idiot gate guard I think... might have already happened."
"Thanks for warning me." Link stepped back as the two guards moved to open the gates.
"You're welcome. Just don't cause any trouble, and we'll get along just fine." Remarked the left one.
The two guards stepped aside for Link to pass after opening the gates, and so he entered Solitude.
The thing that got Link's attention wasn't the massive buildings, nor the large square, nor the many different paths that led away from the square. No, what got his attention was a rather large crowd to his right. Being as short as he was, he couldn't see what was going on, but he could still hear it.
The Hylian wandered over to the back of the crowd and tried to look in between people to see what was happening up front, but soon gave up and hovered at the edge of the gathered mass.
The desperate tone of a young girl rang out. "They can't hurt uncle Roggvir. Tell them he didn't do it."
A rough sounding voice spoke a single word. "Positions." Perhaps some sort of high ranking official?
A man spoke next, he sounded drained. "Svari, you need to go home. Go home and stay there until your mother comes."
Another order. "Lock the city gates."
A woman's voice sounded next, one that sounded haughty. "You should tell her that her uncle is scum that betrayed his High King. Best she know now, Addvar."
The man snapped back. "You're all heart, Vivienne."
The rough voice from before spoke again. "Roggvir. You helped Ulfric Stormcloak escape this city after he murdered High King Torygg. By opening that gate for Ulfric you betrayed the people of Solitude."
A different male voice yelled "Traitor!", while a another yelled "He doesn't deserve to speak!"
Then Link heard a voice that was possibly only a few years older than him. The man sounded resolute. "There was no murder! Ulfric challenged Torygg. He beat the High King in fair combat."
Another voice. "Liar!"
The man, who had to be Roggvir, spoke again. "Such as our way! Such as the ancient custom of Skyrim, and all Nords!"
Several people booed at the man's words, it was impossible to tell who.
"Guards, prepare the prisoner." Spoke the rough voice again.
Roggvir responded. "I don't need your help." There were sounds as if someone was kneeling.
"Very well, Roggvir. Bow your head." Footsteps.
"On this day... I go to Sovngarde."
Link caught a glimpse of something metal as it rose over the crowd, then it vanished. There was a thud, then mixed cheers and cries of horror.
The metal thing appeared above the crowd again, except this time, it was dripping blood, some of it running down the wooden handle of the weapon. It was a large bladed sharp axe with a long and sturdy wooden handle. For a second, he was back in Helgen, seeing the same axe rise above him, glinting in the midday sun -
A voice got Link's attention and he looked around, then noticed Hadvar standing nearby. As the Hylian walked over to the Nord, the crowd began to disperse, and Link saw the aftermath of what he hadn't been able to see - a bloodied woven basket was before a makeshift wooden table of sorts, with a headrest. Inside the basket was a head.
Hadvar caught Link staring and stepped in front of him to block the sight from view. "It's good to see you again… Is that what I think it is?"
Hadvar talking to him seemed to bring Link back to reality and he shook his head, then looked down at the golden sword pommel. "The sword?" Link asked Hadvar.
"Yes. Is it Dawnbreaker?"
Link drew the blade and showed it to Hadvar, who nodded. "Just as I thought. So Meridia chose you?"
"Seems like it."
Hadvar looked Link up and down for a second as he returned the glowing sword to a scabbard that didn't match it at all. "You look really out of place here. Radiant Raiments sells clothes, let's see if we can find some for you there."
As the two started walking away from the crowd, Link kept looking back at the grisly scene up on the stand until he finally tore his gaze away to eye the various buildings passing overhead and tried to forget about it. "What happened to him?"
Hadvar sighed. "Roggvir let Ulfric in and out of the gates the day High King Torygg died, as Captain Aldis said."
Link side eyed the Nord. "I've heard people talk about what Ulfric did, what really happened? If I overheard things right, the Jarls…. what…. they meet every few years to elect a main ruler?"
Hadvar nodded. "Yes. The Moot is a council made up of the Jarls of each hold in Skyrim that is convened upon the death of the High King of Skyrim to formally choose the successor to the throne from any qualifying members of the royal family. In the absence of a legitimate heir, the Moot instead chooses a successor from among the Jarls. The Moot can reconvene during a living High King's reign if he breaks some taboo which makes the Jarl's lose confidence in him, such as refusing a challenge made in the old traditions. Ulfric challenged Torygg to a duel, which is honorable, but then Torygg was killed when Ulfric used the Voice against him." Hadvar was about to say more but then noticed where he was. "Here we are. Radiant Raiments."
As soon as the two stepped inside the building, they were greeted by two women standing behind a counter. They appeared to be elves of some sort with strange skin colors. "Oh look, Endarie, it's… what was his name… Hadvar, I think." Said the one in black robes.
The greenish-skinned woman gave a tight smile to Hadvar, who nodded back before her gaze turned to Link. "And who might you be? That armor you're wearing doesn't fit you. How can you even hold weapons, you look scrawny enough as is." Her tone was matter of fact as she stepped out from behind the counter and walked up to Link, who found that he had to look up at her due to their height difference.
"I'm here to get some clothing."
Endarie gave Link a look over. "Clothing? Are you scared of the possibility that wearing that armor here could get you killed? Because it's a very high chance."
"Pretty much."
The woman shook her head. "Acting brave won't get you far in most places." She walked back around the counter and returned with some sort of measuring tool. "Stand still while I measure you." She ordered.
It took several minutes, with pauses due to Endarie writing down various measurements, but eventually she stepped back. "Hmmm… I think we have clothing in your size, it's not out here though, possibly in the back. Go ahead and look around while I go and check." The woman then walked to another room.
The other woman behind the counter smiled. "Hello. I'm Taarie. My sister… she doesn't like most people, I'm surprised she was that friendly with you."
"It's fine." Link noticed something on a nearby shelf and stepped over to it. It was a dark green sleeveless tunic with a belt around the waist. Next to it was a pair of tan pants, neatly folded.
The Hylian turned around when he heard Endarie's voice. "I couldn't find anything in the back - Oh, did you find something?" She was standing by the counter, gazing at him.
Link nodded and he half turned, picked up the two clothing items and showed them to the woman. "How much for these?"
Endarie put a hand to her chin in thought. "Hmm… Strange, you're the first person I believe to ask about those. We didn't put a price on them… Let me see… Ten Septims each?"
Before Link could respond, Taarie took something off the shelf behind her and stepped out from behind the counter, then walked up to Link while holding a pair of boots. "Here. You'll need these if you're staying here for long. They're fur-lined boots. For the cold. Five Septims for these."
Link took the pair of boots from the woman and set them on the ground beside him, then shifted the clothes he intended to buy to one arm as he reached into his knapsack. "Do I pay either of you?"
Taarie nodded. "Yes".
Link took out the twenty five Septims and made sure they were all there. "...Twenty three…. twenty four… twenty five." He handed the coins to Taarie, who smiled at him, then pointed to a side room.
"Thank you. You can use that side room to try on the clothes."
Link nodded, picked up the pair of boots, then walked into the other room.
He returned a few minutes later wearing the new clothing. The Hylian had neatly folded the Stormcloak armor and had set it in his knapsack for later. Hadvar smiled when he saw Link and the two women nodded in approval.
Endarie gave a small smile. "The clothes suit you well. Might even serve as armor if you're good at dodging. Maybe. That's a high maybe. You can wear armor over those clothes, so I suppose what I said is true."
Taarie turned to her sister. "Endarie, I think Roggvir had an Amulet of Talos, do you think his sister would want it back?"
Endarie eyed her. "Yes, but how do you know about this?"
"She told me when she stepped in the other day to buy gloves."
Link spoke up. "I could possibly get it."
Both women turned to face him. Endarie raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think it's wise to loot a fresh corpse?"
"No. But it's just an amulet, if I'm returning it to a relative, it shouldn't matter, should it?"
"No." Hadvar intervened. "And if the Captain starts anything, I'll talk to him."
"Great." Link then paused and turned to the women behind the counter. "Who should the amulet be given to?"
Taarie answered him. "Greta. Tall, long blonde hair, wears farm clothes. Roggvir was her brother."
"Thanks." Link motioned for Hadvar to follow him, then left the building.
Walking up the steps and over to a decapitated body to retrieve an amulet hadn't been in Link's plans for that day, but there he was, doing just that. Hadvar was standing below the stand, watching for any signs of trouble.
The body was lying on its front, flies already swarming the visible bone and muscle of the cleanly cut neck. It hadn't begun to bloat yet, which was good.
The Hylian looked around, then knelt next to the body and began to rifle through Roggvir's pockets. 'Didn't expect to be doing this.'
His left hand hit something cold and he grabbed it and pulled it out, then examined what he had found. It was a beaded necklace, with a small hook to hold the necklace together. The centerpiece was a combined arrow and axe. 'This has to be it.' Link stood from where he had been kneeling and jumped down from the stage, then walked over to Hadvar. "I think I got it." He showed the necklace to the Nord.
Hadvar inspected it. "Yes. Thankfully, no one noticed you up there. Let's go find Greta."
Link nodded and looked down at the amulet as it reflected the sun overhead. He thought he saw some sort of inhuman golden eye looking back at him, then he blinked and it was gone. 'What was that?' He decided to not tell Hadvar and stayed silent as the two walked the streets of Solitude.
A few minutes later, the two came across a sad looking woman that fit Endarie's description of Greta. She noticed them and then the amulet. "Where did you get that?" She asked in a weary, saddened voice.
Link stepped forward and showed the amulet to Greta. "Was Roggvir your brother?"
The woman nodded and continued to eye the amulet.
"I think he would have wanted you to have this." The Hylian offered the amulet to Greta, who reached out and took it, looked at it, then smiled with eyes that shone with gratitude. "Talos bless you, child." She whispered. "You risked your life to bring this to me, did you know that?"
Link shook his head. "No."
Greta looked around her carefully. "Listen carefully. Talos was outlawed to be worshipped or even spoken of by the Imperials and their White-Gold Concordat." Her voice was quiet. "If they catch you talking about him, you get a warning, if you get caught worshipping him… it's being tossed in a dungeon, or worse."
"They kill people for worshipping someone? That doesn't make any sense!" Link spoke a bit louder than usual due to his sudden outrage.
"Keep your voice down!" Greta hissed, looking frantically around her and then froze for a second as she saw a guard looking in her direction with suspicion. She then began muttering "you fool" as the guard began to walk over to the three.
"What's going on here?" Ordered the guard as he got close enough to speak.
Greta turned around and Link felt something cold be pressed into his hands as the woman began to talk with the guard. "Nothing at all, this young man is new to the area, I was just telling him that worship of Talos is outlawed."
The guard eyed Link from where he was standing. "Hmmmm…. Very well." He stepped back from Greta. "I'm keeping an eye on you. You may have saved Whiterun and Windhelm from dragons, but you still have plenty of opportunities to get into trouble." The guard then turned and walked back to his post.
Greta watched the guard leave, then turned to face Link, who was now holding the amulet. "Keep it."
Link gazed at the woman with confusion. "What?"
"You keep the amulet. I realize now that I can't have it, It'll give me away as a Talos worshipper." Greta smiled sadly. "Oh, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I just have to find another way to worship the Ninth Divine. Besides, you look like you need his protection more than I do. And remember, try not to wear the amulet in Imperial controlled territories or near the Thalmor."
Link looked at the amulet in his hands. "Maybe you're right." He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back. It was Hadvar.
"We should get going." Said the Nord.
Link nodded, then moved his gaze to Greta. "Thank you."
The woman smiled at him. "Not at all child. May Talos bless you and guide you on your journey." She then walked away, leaving the two in the street.
As Link watched Greta walk away, he found himself gazing at the amulet. For a second, that golden eye from earlier was visible, then it was gone. He then noticed the amulet had a faint blue glow to it, and barely visible in the middle of the small metal axe was a faded carved dragon skull. The Hylian felt something... otherworldly about the object he was holding, some sort of divinity to it. It sort of felt like his Triforce piece.
Hadvar eyed Link. "You never told me what you're doing here in Solitude."
Link looked up from the amulet as he lifted it over his head and let it fall over his neck, hidden beneath his new clothes. The metal felt cold against his skin. "Um... I'm just here to see the scenery...?"
The Nord shook his head and smiled. "You and your love of nature. Tell you what, Tullius is looking for recruits right now, you're not old enough, sure, but maybe you could become a recruit in training."
Link gazed at Hadvar, unsure of how to respond due to Ulfric accepting him as a Stormcloak. Thankfully, he was saved from answering by his knapsack shaking. He grabbed at it. "Listen, can we talk later? I went through some ruins earlier and haven't had a chance to rest since then."
Hadvar nodded. "Sure. There's a inn called the Winking Skeever. Beds there are cheap, food is good, lots of books to read and people to talk to. In fact I'll head there myself, see you around, Link." With that, the Nord walked off.
As Hadvar walked away from Link, there seemed to be some sort of commotion out front. He was too far away to hear what was being said, nor was he able to see exactly who was talking. When Link got closer, he saw a man with brown hair standing on the steps, looking up at the Blue Palace. He then saw Link. "Greetings. I am Viarmo, current headmaster of the long established Bard's College. I am afraid that if you want to become a bard, that is not possible at this time."
Link eyed the man, suddenly fascinated that that was even an option here. "Are you sure? What's the reason for?"
Viarmo gazed at the Hylian for a second. His face then grew serious. "The Queen has ordered that the festival be canceled."
Link blinked. "Cancelled?" He repeated. "Why?" He didn't know what festival it was, but he knew something serious had happened.
The Altmer sighed. "Due to the recent murder of High King Torygg, the mourning widow and current Jarl, Elisif the Fair, has put a stop to the festival. She reasons that burning a king in effigy is in poor taste, which, I suppose now that I think about it, might be true. I'm looking for someone who can somehow help me restore the festival."
Link nodded. "Do you have some sort of plan?"
Viarmo smiled brightly. "Yes. Yes I do, it would be better to discuss that inside though." The man went inside the building and Link followed him.
Inside the Bard's College were bards of various races and both genders. They had a lot of instruments, some were sitting in windowsills or on chairs, talking or practicing songs, while others were eying Link.
Viarmo was standing in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind his back as he waited. As Link approached, the Altmer relaxed and eyed him. "I suppose you want to help? Very well. Elisif has forbidden the Burning of King Olaf, a Festival put on by the Bards College. We need to change her mind. To convince her, I want to read King Olaf's Verse. A part of the Poetic Edda, the living history of Skyrim. Unfortunately the verse was lost long ago."
"It was lost?"
"Yes. According to Giraud, our histories keeper, the portion of the Edda dealing with King Olaf might still exist in Dead Man's Respite. I need you to retrieve the poem."
"Do you know why Elisif forbade the festival?"
"As you may be aware, Elisif's husband High King Torygg was recently killed. Elisif mourns her husband deeply and she feels that a festival that burns a King in effigy is... distasteful. I've tried to convince her the festival is many centuries old and celebrates Solitude but I need proof. I believe King Olaf's verse will provide that proof."
"What is the Poetic Edda?"
"I think Giraud here would give you the best explanation of both it and the history of King Olaf's Verse. You should speak to him about it." Viarmo smiled at Link. "I wish you luck in finding the verse."
Link was directed to a man in brown robes with a strange hat, who turned to greet him. "Greetings, you must be the one Viarmo was talking to?"
Link nodded as the man grinned. "He's sending you after King Olaf's Verse then? That's good, we shouldn't leave it lying around now that I've figured out where it is. My name is Giraud. The Verse was Svaknir's contribution to the Poetic Edda, the living history of Skyrim. Each bard adds to the Edda in his or her time."
"What was the verse about?" Link asked in curiosity.
"The verse criticized the reigning King Olaf. He was so incensed the bard was put to death and all the copies burned. At least, that's what we thought until I translated some ancient texts a year or so ago. We now believe King Olaf buried the truth with the bard. If I'm right Svaknir and King Olaf's Verse lie in Dead Men's Respite, along with the burial chamber of King Olaf himself."
"Sounds fascinating." So I go to this place, get the book, then leave. Should be easy enough.'
Giraud nodded. "It is. Now then, I'll send you on your way so we can hopefully reinstate the festival."
Two bards blocked his path as Link started to walk away from Giraud.
"So sorry to bother you, but I heard you were going to Dead Man's Respite?" Asked an elderly woman in a green set of robes.
"Yes….?"
"It's just that I and two of my fellow teachers have had our instruments stolen by bandits. Over a year ago, thieves broke into the college and made off with a lot of valuable things. Mostly gold and silver. But they also stole Finn's Lute. We just learned where the bandits fled to, and I very much want that lute back."
The woman gestured to a woman with blonde hair with golden robes and a fur shoulder cover. "Pantea has had her flute stolen by a student and given to a Necromancer, believing my friend's story that the flute could raise the dead."
The elderly woman then started to speak, but Giraud stopped her. "Thank you for speaking to him, Inge. The bandits were scattered a few months ago, those two items were taken to Dead Man's Respite, as well as a drum that would be very important to retrieve."
"What drum would that be?"
"Rjorn's drum! Nobody knows where he died, and therefore where his drum might be. Halldir was the missing link. Rjorn entered Halldir's Cairn in secret, and presumably died there. Now all I need to do is find someone to get it. And that someone is you, since you're going to Dead Man's Respite."
"Sure." Link paused. "Where is Dead Man's Respite?"
Giraud pointed to the Hylian's knapsack. "Take out your map and I'll show you."
Link rummaged in his pack for a few seconds, then took out a folded map and set it on a nearby table, then unfolded it and stepped back a bit.
Giraud stepped up to the map and grabbed a nearby quill. "See here? The ruins near Morthal?" The man tapped at the location on the map and Link nodded.
"I think I've seen something there."
"Yes. That's Dead Man's Respite." Giraud marked the location on the map with an 'x' and the location's name, then stepped back. "There you go."
Link took the map from the table, then inspected it before he returned it to his knapsack. "Thanks."
Giraud smiled. "Good luck, you're going to need it."
The Hylian nodded and then left the College.
Dust particles rained down as Link got the door open and walked inside. It had been a quiet, pleasant journey from Solitude to where he was now, but that ended here.
Once his vision settled due to the low light, he saw a ruby carved claw resting on a small raised pedestal that was on a table. As Link went to pick up the claw, he noticed a ghost standing on the other side of the table. It beckoned to him, then vanished, as if the ghost wanted Link to follow it.
The Hylian gazed after the ghost for a second, then looked down at the ruby dragon claw and picked it up from the pedestal, then stepped back. As soon as he picked up the claw, four Draugr rose from the ground and began to lumber and stumble towards Link, who reached to his side and drew Dawnbreaker, the holy sword's glow lighting up the room.
As one of the creatures lunged towards him, Link swung the sword and it connected with the Draugr's shoulder. To Link's surprise, the creature caught on fire and began to flail around, knocking into the other three in its frantic movements. They too, caught on fire, one lunged towards him with a sword and nicked his right arm, and then all four turned to ash. When they did, a ring of fire erupted from the ash piles and sent things flying all around the room as a nearby gate rose and hit the ceiling. Link had to quickly duck to avoid being hit with a clay urn, which shattered upon impact with a nearby wall. The Hylian gazed at the sword he was holding for a second, grateful he had chosen to put back on his Stormcloak armor after leaving the college and Solitude proper, then grinned mischievously. If the sword could catch things on fire, then make them explode… what else could it do? He decided to find out.
Link decided to look around the room he was in. There were two burial urns nearby that held ten Septims each when opened, in the southwest corner was a coin purse that had thirty Septims. To the northwest was an iron door. The door opened into a small, seemingly empty room, holding only an iron sword and a minor potion of healing. Link took the sword to sell later, the potion, and coins in the main room and walked through the open gate.
He followed the passage, noticing a pressure plate that, when activated by a thrown rock, triggered a spear trap just before the intersection. Link carefully walked around the spear trap and turned left, heading north. As the passage descended, he saw two empty soul gems on a sideboard and picked them up. Eventually, Link reached the end of the passage and activated a pull chain that activated several rotating doors in a row.
The Hylian got past the rotating doors after waiting for a chance to walk through them, and when he did so, he walked into more catacombs, with more rotating doors. After he passed several of these, he began to notice spider webs. Link reached the end of the corridor and turned in a western direction to be confronted by two frostbitten spiders, which glared at him as they skittered across the room in his direction.
Link waited until the spiders were close, then took out the Fire Rod, primed it, then fired. The spiders were covered in flames and ran around for a while before two daggers flew through the air and put the two creatures out of their misery. Link retrieved Dusk and Dawn from where he had thrown them, then passed an alcove on the right that held an Orcish Warhammer. Link took the Warhammer and continued on his way.
At the end of the corridor was an urn that was empty when checked, and after Link sliced through some webbing, he found a locked chest that held fifty Septims when unlocked.
Link returned to the room he had been in previously and found thick webbing blocking his way. He cut through it and entered the next room. There was another pull chain and he pulled it to activate more rotating doors. Two Draugr were waiting for Link as he approached the rotating doors and he picked up his bow from where it was hanging on his shield, notched an arrow, then fired. It hit one of the creature's in the chest, killing it. The other continued to stumble towards him as he hooked his bow to his shield and drew Dawnbreaker, then swung it towards the Draugr, who burst into flames upon contact, then turned to ash.
Link then noticed some sort of trap on the floor and half picked up the remaining Draugr corpse, then tossed it onto the pressure plate. It caused a wooden battering ram to swing into the opposite wall with a dust raining boom. The Hero of Twilight gazed at the wooden object for a few seconds before he darted around it to see what was in the small room past it. On a table was a book by the name of The Buying Game, that detailed in persuading shopkeepers to barter with you for prices. Link took the book to read for later, as well as taking a coin purse with twenty Septims, a Major Potion of Magicka, and an empty soul gem.
Link walked through the passage to the north, encountering one more draugr slumbering in an alcove in front. He snuck past it and continued onwards. At the top of the following stairs was an urn and a burial urn in the northeast corner. At the bottom of the first set of stairs was a pressure plate that, when activated by a piece of broken wall that he picked up and threw on the plate, activated a flamethrower trap. Link bypassed this by carefully stepping around said trap and then slowly walking away from it, then returned to his normal walking speed once he had reached a safe distance. There was a doorway blocked by light spider webs and the Hylian used Fireball to burn the webbing away, then stepped into the next room.
Two frostbite spiders dropped from overhead. They were dispatched by the use of Fireball, due to Link learning that Spiders caught fire easily.
There were two bookcases with a Major Potion of Magicka and an empty soul gem on the shelves. To the right of the bookcases was a pair of Elven boots. At the rear of the room was a sideboard in the northwestern corner with a pair of iron gauntlets on top, along with some sort of drum. An Orcish greatsword and another pair of steel boots was to the right. Opposite in the northeastern corner was another sideboard with an urn that was empty when checked, and a leather strip on top. Link took all of these items and continued onwards, bypassing the three Draugr corpses as he walked over the trapdoor grates and activated a nearby pull chain, which opened a nearby trapdoor in the floor to reveal a well filled with water. Link walked over to the well, seeing no other option but to jump into it.
There was nothing of interest at the bottom of the well, and the way forward was to the east. Link emerged from the water into a partially flooded passage, and then into a larger cavern. A skeever was nosing about in the shallows, and a Draugr was standing on a ledge, straight ahead overlooking the room, beside a visible soul gem. Another Draugr emerged from the sarcophagus below the ledge, and more - two of them - ambushed Link from the left. All of them were killed with a combination of the Fire Rod and Dawnbreaker.
Link collected a small coin purse that held ten Septims and four loose gold coins from under the bottom of the wooden spiral ramp winding around the pillar to the right, then ascended the ramp. A trapped iron gate barred the way across a stone bridge. Link looked for a disarming mechanism, and found one in the bottom right hand corner. He managed to disarm the obvious trap, then unlocked the door and walked across the bridge, noting the various blades resting in the walls. There was a chain at the far side of the bridge, which had been to disable the trap if it had been set off. Link walked past it and continued onwards.
Link followed the next wooden ramp up and passed through a set of iron doors at the top. In an alcove to the right in the following corridor after passing an urn along the wall was an arcane enchanter built into a table, with a steel helmet to the left. A Major Potion of Healing was on a sideboard to the left. Opposite the enchanter, to the west, along a short corridor was a magically sealed door and a sideboard with a stone bowl containing three canis roots. A passage to the right headed down some steps.
Link took all of the items, then felt himself be drawn to the enchanter.
As he leaned forward a bit and placed his hands on the cold surface, he didn't feel like he needed to enchant anything… The Talos Amulet had some sort of divine effect, the locket and rings were enchanted... wait.
The forged necklace from the shackle.
Link took it from his neck and set it on the enchanter's surface, then gazed down at it. He noticed an Elven helmet on the table that was slightly glowing green. When he checked it, it had an enchantment called "Poison Resist." It seemed useful; as he gazed at the helmet, it seemed to melt away and he saw green runes floating in the air. He then felt the knowledge of the new enchantment enter his mind, then the runes faded. He then took a petty soul gem from his pack and set it next to the necklace, then thought about adding poison resist to the necklace. The petty soul gem exploded and the necklace began to glow a faint green. Link picked up the necklace and let it fall against his neck, stepped back from the arcane enchanter, and then he walked down the stairs.
He was greeted by more draugr to deal with, four of them. They were quickly dispatched by his new combination of the Fire Rod and Dawnbreaker, which were proving to be quite deadly.
At the intersection, Link first went to the left, passing a burial urn on a shelf to the left that was empty when checked. The Hylian didn't notice the pressure plate in the nearby doorway until it was too late, and activated the trap, which shot cold icy air in his direction. He found that removing a nearby soul gem from an alcove deactivated the trap. He took another soul gem from the opposite alcove, stepped over a dead draugr that was lying on the floor, then picked up the Major Potion of Stamina and Elven greatsword that were next to the creature. A scroll of Circle of Protection was just inside the doorway on a plinth and he took that as well.
Link then backtracked to the other side of the junction, heading north, to find a locked door, behind which was a locked chest with open hundred and ten Septims, a black metal ingot, a Ruby, and a steel horned helmet.
The Hylian left the room and proceeded down the stairs on his left. As he entered the circular room, the iron portcullis closed behind him, and the other gates in the room opened, expelling five Draugr.
Once again, the combination of the Fire Rod and Dawnbreaker dispatched them all quickly.
The first gate on the south wall, where two of the draugr came from, had an unlocked empty chest with a locked trap that triggered a poison dart trap. It was easy enough to avoid the spray of darts from the ceiling by opening the chest and then jumping backwards quickly, allowing Link to escape unharmed.
The other two gateways in the room held nothing of interest, although an urn was found in the northeast corner of the room that was empty when checked. Link activated the chain to open the trap door in the center of the room, and he followed the wooden spiral stairs down.
At the bottom, the handle opened a section of the wall, revealing Svaknir's body and an ancient looking worn book in the skeleton's hand. The ghost was sitting nearby the body in a corner, silently smiling at Link.
"Svaknir?" The ghost nodded as Link spoke his name and watched on as the Hylian knelt down before his body and carefully removed the book from the bard's hand. The ghost vanished and Link heard the sounds of multiple doors opening. He stood and turned to leave, then saw a flute lying next to the bard's body. He picked it up and left the small room.
He made his way back up the spiral stairs to see Svaknir waiting for him. The ghost of the bard motioned for him to follow, and led him to a door with symbols. Link briefly remembered Bleak Falls Barrow, where he and Ralof and Hadvar had encountered a door like this.
The puzzle required the correct combination of symbols as well as the Ruby Dragon Claw, which he had found in the first room, to operate. When Link inspected the claw, the object revealed the correct order of the symbols: Wolf—Hawk—Wolf.
Link spent a few moments turning the symbol locks into their right orientation, then stepped back as the three locks rotated and moved into place. The door then rose into the ceiling, dust raining down as the next room was slowly revealed. It was a burial chamber, Svaknir seemed to be standing in a small pond in the middle of the room.
It was very large, with twenty one Draugr sitting in chairs, eight on each side of the room, in the middle of the room was a table with a few items on it. At the back was a lone sarcophagus, up a set of stairs past a ledge with four Draugr seated in chairs. As Link walked down the steps towards the middle of the room, he heard the ghost speak.
"Olaf! It is time!" The spirit's voice made the entire room tremble, in response, eleven Draugr got up from their seats and began to stumble towards him, to which the spirit drew a sword and ran towards the creatures.
Link drew Dawnbreaker and started to walk forwards, five of the undead choosing to attack him while the other six attacked the spirit.
As the first one reached Link, he swung the holy blade upwards, catching the Draugr in the chest. It crumpled to the ground, and the others advanced.
The ghostly bard ducked and weaved as he dodged the six Draugr. He uppercut one with his sword, then ran another one through a second later.
Link spun around with Dawnbreaker held out before him, slicing through a Draugr that had tried to get behind him. He then rolled backward as one with a steel war axe tried to bring it down on him.
Svaknir impaled two creatures at once, then swung his sword into another undead, the two impaled skeletons knocking the other to the ground.
The Hylian got up from the roll and dodged a swing from the war axe, then bashed at the Draugr with his shield, making it be off balance. It fell to the ground and Link raised the sword, then stabbed downwards.
The bard kicked the two Draugr off of his sword, then knocked another to the ground with a shove and decapitated it. Svaknir then stabbed the remaining creature in the chest.
Link eyed the two remaining Draugr, then summoned the Fireball spell and held out his hand, a wave of fire engulfing the two creatures as Svaknir faced the sarcophagus and called out "Arise, Olaf! My vengeance is at hand!"
This caused the four Draugr on the ledge to get up from their seats and jump down, drawing various weapons as they approached.
Link swung Dawnbreaker as one neared him, it was blocked by an ancient axe, the owner glaring at him with glowing eyes from behind its weapon.
The Hylian glared back, then shoved the Draugr as he swung Dawnbreaker again. This time, the blade sunk into the creature's neck, decapitating it.
Link felt a presence behind him and he spun around to catch a war axe with his sword as it bared down on him, the Draugr making an angry growl as sparks flew from the two weapons colliding.
The Hylian rolled to the side, then came back up and raked Dawnbreaker up the Draugr's back, burning the bones and melting away the faded old clothing as the creature soon turned to ash.
Link took a moment to breathe, then looked around. Svaknir seemed to be handling himself just fine. The bard dealt with the two remaining Draugr, glanced at Link for a second, then faced the sarcophagus again. "Olaf!"
The lid to the grave flew up and shattered against the nearby wall as something screamed out "Insolent bard!" A rotting corpse climbed out of the sarcophagus and glared at Svaknir with blue glowing eyes. "Die!" It screamed as it rushed the bard.
The Draugr overlord wore battle armor, had a long horned helmet, and an axe in one hand. It was King Olaf.
Link eyed the corpse as it stopped halfway between its sarcophagus and Svaknir, then slowly turned to face the Hylian, who raised Dawnbreaker in response. Olaf ran towards Link, swinging the axe when the creature got close. Link ducked and then swung the holy blade in an upwards arc, catching Olaf in the chest, burning the chest armor as the creature screeched and stumbled backwards.
The Hylian rose to a standing position and felt a coldness pass through him as Svaknir ran through the human and towards the dead king. The two locked weapons and began to fight soon after.
Link couldn't help but try to suppress a shiver as he willed the coldness to fade, watching on as the bard and dead king dueled. But Link was unaware that Olaf didn't need to fight him directly. The dead king Shouted.
"Fus Ro Dah!" A visible shockwave flew towards Link and he was sent across the room due to the Unrelenting Force Shout. When he got his bearings, he was up against the stairs opposite the sarcophagus, Dawnbreaker was lying on the floor before Olaf, who was gazing down at it with a tilted head in curiosity.
Then the dead king tried to pick up the sword, only to be set on fire from the holy blade. Olaf roared in anguish as the creature turned to glare at Link, who slowly got up from the stairs and glared back, then ran forwards down the steps, across the room, picked up Dawnbreaker from the floor and ran the dead king through the chest.
Olaf looked down for a second, then grabbed the sword and tore it from his chest, then tossed it away, lunging towards Link and knocked him to the floor of the chamber. Olaf then brought his axe down upon Link, only to miss his mark as the Hylian had rolled to the left and had gotten up.
The dead king was kicked by Svaknir, who sliced at Olaf with his sword relentlessly as Link retrieved his sword from where Olaf had thrown it.
Olaf reared up and took Svaknir by the throat, attempting to strangle him. The bard said nothing as he stabbed Olaf in the throat.
This caused the creature to drop Svaknir and then turn around in an attempt to run away, but ended up facing Link, who eyed Olaf, then pushed back the dead king with "Fus!" Link then leapt into the air and swung his sword in a downward sideways arc, decapitating Olaf.
Svaknir turned to face Link and bowed as a lute appeared in the spirit's hands. The bard then walked away from the Hylian and vanished in a ray of light, having been freed by the death of Olaf, who had dropped a glass war axe and a key.
Link took the key and war axe, then picked up the soul gem and the Major Potion of Healing that were on the stone table in the middle of the room. As he examined the key, something got his attention at the very back.
Chanting.
He walked across the room and up the steps, past the empty sarcophagus as he gazed at the glowing carved words before him.
The stone dragon head seemed to glare down at Link as he approached, reaching out to lightly run his hand across the various carved words as blue glowing tendrils surrounded him, his vision blurring as he fell to one knee before the word wall, knowledge forcing its way into his mind.
Nah.
Link wasn't sure what Shout the word was part of, yet he got the feeling that it was part of one that he knew. Unfortunately, the dragons he had slain thus far had no knowledge of the word, so he was unable to unlock its full potential at this time. The Hylian's vision slowly returned to normal as the chanting faded, and he soon stood and turned away from the now silent stone.
To the right of the word wall was a medium coin purse in an alcove that held one hundred Septims. King Olaf's key opened the locked door to the left, revealing an unlocked treasure chest, a major potion of strength, and an iron greatsword. Opposite the chest, in an unlit brazier, was a large coin purse that held three hundred Septims. To the right of the chest was a lever which opened the wall, providing a shortcut back to the small room by the entrance to the barrow. Link went to walk down this small natural corridor, then stopped when he noticed a lute lying on a table. He picked it up and examined it, then noticed there was a strap, designed to be worn over the shoulder. Link slung the lute over his shoulder and walked down the path, ending up near the front of the barrow. He looked around, then made his way out of the barrow entirely.
The sounds of a lute, drum, and flute playing in harmony echoed throughout the Bard's College as their owners sang a rousing rendition of "Ragnar the Red."
"There once was a hero named Ragnar the Red, who came riding to Whiterun from ole Rorikstead!
And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade, as he told of bold battles and gold he had made!
But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red, when he met the shieldmaiden Matilda who said...
"Oh, you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead! Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed!"
And so then came the clashing and slashing of steel, as the brave lass Matilda charged in full of zeal!
And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no moooooree... when his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!"
There were cheers from all around the room. More songs were called out by students and teachers alike.
Link was sitting at a nearby table, half paying attention as Viarmo talked to him about what he had found. He had returned to wearing just clothing, having removed the Stormcloak armor before entering Solitude.
"I have to admit I didn't think it would actually be there. Now let's take a look at this…" The Altmer examined the book that was lying on the table, the book opened to a random page. His face fell as he visually read the page's contents.
"Oh. Oh-no. This won't do at all. The copy is incomplete, it's aged to the point that parts are unreadable. And the parts that are readable... well... bardic verse has come a long way since ancient times." Viarmo shook his head as Link leaned forward a bit to gaze at the page. It was true, entire sections were completely unreadable due to age, and the sections that were readable didn't make much sense.
"This doesn't make any sense." The Hylian sat back against the chair and gazed across the table at Viarmo, who nodded in agreement. "So… what does that mean?"
"It means I can't read it to the court. Without the verse, I won't be able to convince Elisif of the importance of The Burning of King Olaf Festival. If she isn't convinced of the festival's importance, then she won't reverse her decision to stop the effigy burning. It means that the Burning of King Olaf, which the Bards College has held for time immemorial, won't be happening." The Altmer sounded a bit panicked as he looked down at the page again.
"I have a suggestion." Link paused until he had the bard's attention. "We can try making up new sections."
Viarmo frowned. "Make it up? That doesn't seem appropriate... I suppose I could copy his style based on what you brought me but I have no idea what happened in between these verses. Perhaps you can come up with sections?"
"I can try."
"Excellent... let's see here…" The bard cleared his throat and seemed to silently read the page, then spoke aloud. "O, Olaf, our subjugator, the one-eyed betrayer;"
"death-dealing demon and dragon-killing King."
"Your legend is lies, lurid and false;"
"your cunning capture of Numinex, a con for the ages."
Viarmo then paused. "King Olaf was Olaf One-Eye? He famously captured the dragon Numinex and took him to Dragonsreach. What do we say really happened?"
Link had to think of options. 'From what it sounds like, it's trying to falsify Olaf...' He thought of how to present the verse as if Olaf had been unfair. "Well… I suppose we could say Olaf found him asleep?"
Viarmo visually pondered this, then shook his head. "No, it sounds too boring, I'm not sure the court will like it. Try to think of another suggestion."
"...Olaf made a deal with Numinex?"
"Hmmm… It is probable… but I'm unsure if the court will like the option. Can you think of anything else?"
As Link gazed at Viarmo, he let his mind wander, trying to think of another option...
He looked down at his massive white paws, trying to ignore the heavy weight of the shackle. He then looked up at the glowing sword in the middle of the ruins, padded towards the weapon, felt his body start to change shape...
He found himself looking at a golden wolf, who then turned a black color, its shape contorting in the black mist that surrounded the creature until an undead warrior stood before him.
A four legged boar stood before him, its crimson eyes boring into him from across the throne room. He growled, baring his fangs at the creature, who tossed its head and emitted an angry bellow before it charged...
"Olaf was Numinex."
Viarmo gazed at Link, then he smiled. "I think the court will love it. I'll write it in." The bard wrote down a few lines, then read the next section. "Olaf grabbed power, by promise and threat;"
"From Falkreath to Winterhold, they fell to their knees;"
"But Solitude stood strong, Skyrim's truest protectors."
"Olaf's vengeance was instant, inspired and wicked."
He then paused a second time. "Strange. According to history Solitude attacked Winterhold, but Aesgeir seems to be saying Olaf reacted. What do we say happened?"
'I have to think of something else that involves Olaf being unfair.' "Olaf ordered disguised troops to attack Winterhold?"
"I'm thinking no. While the court may like it, it isn't likely that it would have been successful."
"He convinced Solitude to attack Winterhold?"
Viarmo waved the quill in his hand. "Too realistic, the court will be bored, I think."
"He sacked it and used magic to blame Winterhold?"
The Altmer made as if to write it down, but then paused. "That sounds good, however I'm not sure the court will believe that Olaf had wizard powers."
'Since Olaf in this verse is now a dragon, I should come up with something related to that.' "Olaf decided to raid Winterhold in dragon form?"
"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Oh, that is exciting! I'm sure the court and the Jarl will love it. I'm writing it in now." Viarmo smiled to himself as he wrote words down on the page, then looked up. "It has a few final lines but that's all we needed to add. I need to head to court immediately and present this. You should join me."
"When do we leave?"
The Altmer got up from his chair. "Now."
The Blue Palace was massive. As Link looked around in silent awe, Viarmo cleared his throat. "Do you mind waiting here while I go and see if my voice is good enough to perform the poem?"
"Not at all." Link decided to sit down as Viarmo walked off into a side room. He could distantly hear the bard practicing with his voice.
As the Hylian sat there in a chair near the entrance, he looked around the room he was in. There were multiple pieces of furniture, a few bookshelves, and a vaulted ceiling high overhead. He then began to feel slightly off, it felt like he was slowly going mad.
The feeling vanished as Viarmo returned. "I think my voice is ready. I hope we've done this well." He motioned for Link to follow him.
Link got up from the chair and followed Viarmo up the winding stairs and found himself in an open room. Wings of the palace were to the left and right, a few people stood at either side of the room, and a throne was in front of him, occupied by a middle aged woman, who rose from the throne and spoke as the bard approached. "Ah, Viarmo. I assume you are here to petition for the reinstatement of the Burning of King Olaf Festival."
Viarmo nodded. "I am, Jarl. I wish to present King Olaf's verse from the Poetic Edda. Recovered this very day from the Bards Tomb."
Elisif raised an eyebrow. "Ah, you mentioned something that would convince us the festival should take place, but I didn't expect King Olaf's lost verse. Please proceed."
Viarmo smiled at the Jarl, took a deep breath, then began to speak in a dramatic voice. "O, Olaf, our subjugator, the one-eyed betrayer; death-dealing demon and dragon-killing King. Your legend is lies, lurid and false; your cunning capture of Numinex, a con for the ages.
No shouting match between dragon and man, no fire or fury did this battle entail.
Olaf was Numinex in human form, on moonless nights he would spread wings and sail.
Olaf grabbed power, by promise and threat; From Falkreath to Winterhold, they fell to their knees; But Solitude stood strong, Skyrim's truest protectors.
Olaf's vengeance was instant, inspired and wicked.
Because Solitude would not soon bend knee, Olaf would hurt them while his status accrued. He sacked Winterhold in dragonform, and bent their minds to blame Solitude.
So ends the story of Olaf the liar, a thief and a scoundrel we of Solitude commit to the fire.
In Solitude bards train for their service, they also gather each year and burn a King who deserves it."
The Altmer then fell silent and waited for the Jarl's decision as the small crowd of people politely clapped and discussed the poem in quiet tones.
"You have proven your point, Viarmo. The festival is truly a celebration of Solitude and a condemnation of false kings." Elisif finally said with a smile.
Viarmo bowed. "I thank you and the college thanks you, Jarl."
Elisif continued speaking. "Furthermore, I believe that such a fine poem deserves some payment of Patronage. The college will be generously rewarded."
Viarmo nodded, returning to a proper standing position. "Thank you yet again. I will make sure our applicant, who was instrumental in... recovering the poem, will be well rewarded."
The Altmer took Link aside as the court began to resume their various duties. "Unbelievable! You have done us a great service here. I can't begin to thank you enough."
"Does this mean I'm a bard now?"
Viarmo shook his head. "Soon, soon. These things must be done properly, you will be inducted as part of the Festival itself. I need you to return to the college and speak to Jorn. Eye paint, white long hair, wears a green short sleeve tunic, arm bands, tan pants, fur boots, can't miss him. He was preparing the Effigy of King Olaf. Tell him to finish the preparations, the Festival is back on." Viarmo left Link alone in the throne room and left the palace.
Link stepped into the college and eventually found someone matching Jorn's description checking over papers while sitting at a table. Jorn looked up at Link as he approached. "Ah, the bard-to-be. Did Viarmo send you?"
"He did. He told me to tell you that 'the festival is on', per his words."
Jorn smiled and nodded. "I'll tell everyone we're ready, but we'll start the festival at dusk. Come talk to me after dark, we'll get the festival started when you do."
Hadvar walked into his commanding officer's room and politely stood there. "General Tullius, you wanted to see me?"
Tullius looked up from his desk, where he was reading a document. "I did. What do you know of the boy who we captured near Helgen several weeks ago?"
Havdar gazed at the older man. "What do you mean?" He asked. "I helped him escape Helgen and walked him to Riverwood, sir. We then went to Bleak Falls Barrow and I got a taste of his fighting ability there."
Tullius leaned forward in his chair, folding his arms on his desk. "And what of it? His fighting style?"
"Sword and shield, occasional bow."
The older man nodded. "I see..."
"Are you thinking of something, General?"
Instead of answering Hadvar right away, Tullius instead moved his gaze to his assistant, a young Nord named Rikke, who met his gaze and nodded at him.
Tullius shook his head. "He's too young." He looked down at the documents on his desk and mulled over his thoughts for a while before he heard Rikke speak.
"Sir, I think he's proven himself despite his age. Have you heard what he's done?"
Tullius looked over his shoulder at the Legate. "That he made a dragon fall on Windhelm? I have."
"Then why are you hesitant?"
"Because he's not of age, Rikke. Do you think I want to have it on my conscience that if he joins, he will fight in the war? That each time he leaves here, he could potentially die due to my decision to let him join?"
Hadvar decided to interject. "If I may speak... Like Rikke said, Link has proven himself time and time again, General Tullius. He's fought several dragons, survived Helgen, and now has helped the Bard's College. Will you at least reconsider?"
Tullius gazed at the soldier for a while, eying Hadvar, before he finally responded. "I'm proposing that he be inducted as a member of the Legion."
Hadvar gave a small smile. "I think he'd like that."
Tullius raised a hand. "On one condition. You train him personally. Tomorrow morning, I'll speak to him here, give him the trial, if he's successful, he can join."
The area of Solitude around the Bard's College saw a flurry of activity during the next few hours.
Bards came from all over Skyrim to practice mock competitions and warm up for the festival, while food and drink providers shared recipes and tasted each other's dishes and spirits.
Buildings were opened to the public to either have a place to sit and talk or eat whatever they bought at the festival. Tents were set up with various toys and games for young children of all races. The toy makers compared toys they had made and tested them to ensure they were the best quality.
Inside the college was a different story. It was quiet and peaceful, with none of the atmosphere that was going on outside. The younger bards of the college were sitting together, discussing what Link had done earlier with the retrieval of the lost verse.
Link was up on the upper level, reading various tomes and books when Viarmo walked up to him. "It's almost dusk."
Link looked up from the book he was reading, which was another copy of The Buying Game. He set the book on a nearby table and turned to face the college headmaster. "It is."
"I never got your name, by the way. Yes, yes, I know, you've done all of this for us and I never bothered to ask for your name. My apologies."
"It's fine." Link replied. "Name's Link Farmanne."
Viarmo shook the Hylian's hand. "Link... A nice name. Short for Lincoln I assume?"
Link nodded. "Yes."
Viarmo looked out a nearby window. "Seems to be the time... I'll go outside and get things ready, Jorn will let you know when you can join us." The Altmer walked away from Link and down the steps to the main floor then vanished from view.
Link suspected at least half of Solitude was outside the college, out in the large stone courtyard. Jorn had gone up and told him the festival was ready to start a few minutes ago and he had walked downstairs and out the nearest door.
Now, he was standing near the back of the courtyard, next to the entrance, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with just how many people were gazing at him. Thankfully, Viarmo soon got their attention.
"Welcome, people of Solitude! We of the Bards College are pleased to be here to celebrate the Burning of King Olaf!" The headmaster was standing near a carved wooden body, which was hung up on a wooden pole. Viarmo was holding a lit torch in his hand.
"The festival would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our latest applicant," at this, Viarmo noticed Link and motioned the Hylian to come and stand next to him.
Link made his way across the courtyard and turned once he had reached the headmaster to gaze at the crowd gathered there.
"Link Farmanne." Viarmo continued. "He was the one who traversed the barrow by the name of Dead Man's Respite to find the lost verse of the Poetic Edda. He did this so that the tradition of burning a wooden effigy of the false king could continue for countless more generations."
The crowd in the courtyard clapped as Viarmo raised the lit torch and stepped towards the wooden structure. "With the lighting of this effigy..." The headmaster paused as he lowered the torch to the wooden effigy and it soon caught on fire. "He becomes a full-fledged member of the Bards College. Please welcome our newest Bard!"
Viarmo was nearly drowned out from the cheers of the crowd. As he watched the wood burn, he turned to Link and spoke quietly. "I think they like you."
"Seems to be that way." Link watched as the flames ate away at the effigy of the false king and smoke rose into the star dotted sky, the twin moons lighting up the courtyard in a pale glow.
Viarmo smiled and shook Link's hand. "Congratulations, you are now a full-fledged member of the Bards College. Thanks to your efforts, Elisif has declared the Burning of King Olaf should become a weekly event. We should discuss the reward she gave me to give to you."
"Which is...?"
Viarmo smiled and placed a bag of Septims in Link's hands. "Five hundred Septims, straight from Elisif's vault."
The streets of Solitude were empty, the effigy having burnt out some time ago.
Link was in an upstairs room at the Winking Skeever, lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was currently barefoot, his clothes were a bit loosened, and his weapons were strewn on a nearby wooden table.
'Maybe I shouldn't have eaten that many meat pies.' He thought as he remembered having been seated at a table and given a lot of food to sample.
The Hylian struggled to stay awake as he lay there on the bed, half aware of various voices downstairs. He was tired, today had been a very long day.
Link's gaze moved from the ceiling to the sack of Septims on the table, next to Dawnbreaker. 'Five hundred Septims... Do I really need it? Then again... maybe I'll have something happen and need it later...'
He closed his eyes and started to drift off to sleep when he heard a loud crack.
Link opened his eyes and rolled over, gazing at his knapsack, which was placed on the nightstand next to the bed. He watched as it shook once.
'What...' The Hylian reached out and picked up the pack with one hand, then pulled it towards him onto the bed and sat up, then froze as the bag shook again.
He slowly relaxed and undid the protective flap on top of the knapsack, then flipped it over to reveal a cracked large blue egg.
'...Is... Is it hatching...?'
Link reached into his knapsack and slowly lifted the egg out of it, then carefully set the egg before him on the bed and watched as the cracks grew and got larger. Pieces of eggshell started to fall onto the bed and the Hylian started to hear small noises from within the egg.
The egg moved slowly in a circle, wobbling back and forth as the creature inside tried to free itself, stopping constantly due to growing tired from its movements. Link occasionally heard chirping from within the egg, but he wasn't sure what the sound was supposed to mean or allude to.
Another crack appeared, along with a tiny glimpse of blue scales as a piece of the blue shell broke off and fell to the bed.
'Should I help?' wondered Link as he moved back slightly to give the hatchling some space.
He watched as the egg began to slowly roll across the bed in his direction, it seemed the creature had caught his scent and was trying to get to him. Link reached out to stop the egg's roll and felt the cold smoothness of the egg before a visible crack appeared under his hand. For just a second, he also felt something like rough ridges before the feeling was gone.
The hatchling started to chirp a bit louder as it continued to bite and claw at its egg, more and more pieces slowly falling to the bed.
Link heard a tiny hissing noise as he felt hot air be blown against the palm of his hand, then a forked tongue slightly brushed against his hand before the chirping took on what he assumed was an excited tone.
'I really think I should help...' Link removed his hand from the egg and he saw a bright green dragon eye staring at him from within the blue shelled egg.
The hatchling blinked slowly, still gazing at Link as it attempted to get its head through the small hole it had made. Link reached out with one hand and gently broke pieces of the egg away from the hole, allowing the hatchling to get its head through.
The Hylian felt cold, rough scales rest against his hand as the hatchling headbutted his palm, still chirping as it continued to try to free itself from its egg.
He found that he couldn't stop smiling. 'A dragon... I get to raise a dragon...'
The hatchling slammed its head into the eggshell above it and broke it in two, it continued to bite and claw at its surroundings until most of it was visible. It simply sat there in the open shell, blinking slowly, those green eyes locked onto Link.
Link brushed off small pieces of eggshell as he gathered his hands beneath the dragon and gently picked it up, then set the hatchling in his lap and looked down at it. The tiny creature was covered entirely in blue scales, its wings were slightly darker in tone.
The dragon, which was no larger than a full grown cat, chirped and closed its eyes as it made itself comfortable and its breathing grew steady, as if it had fallen asleep.
'... I don't believe it... I'm going to raise a dragon...' Fear began to creep in. 'But yet everyone here fears dragons, what's going to happen when they find out?'