The Legend of Zelda: Skyrim - Chapter 19: Tea with Kings and Gods

I got a job so that's cool I guess

More Solitude stuff, more action, you know it, you love it (maybe)

"Fish?"

Corpulus studied the youth before him, who was standing on the other side of the counter. 'A bit on the lanky side, has a few scars, got a look in his eyes that says he's been through a lot, sorta looks like a Wood Elf … and a Nord… Wonder if his parents were mixed?' "For what reason would a person like you be needing fish?"

The bartender watched as the younger warrior shifted a bit. "Well, I heard Solitude is known for their fish, I figured I could try some while I'm here."

Corpulus noted the tone of uncertainty, was he telling the truth? Possibly. But a sell was a sell. "How many were you looking to buy? I've got so many, I'd give them away for free if I could… One Septim each."

"I'll take ten."

'Why so many? If it's just him, he only needs two at most. Suppose he could be buying a lot to avoid buying more later. ... I heard Wood Elves are cannibals, could it be he's here buying fish to spice up - no. Surely not. Most likely it's that weird diet those elves have.'

The Imperial then turned to the fish stock behind the counter. "Take your pick, I have salmon, Silverside Perch, River Betty, Histcarp, Cyrodilic Spadetail, and Abacean Longfin."

"On second thought, I'll take two of each."

Corpulus got the desired fish and wrapped them all in seaweed, then leather and placed the wrapped fish on the counter. "Twelve Septims."

The warrior took out the Septims and dropped them into Corpulus' awaiting hand, then picked up the fish and dropped them in a bag at his side. "Thanks. Do you happen to know of any rumors? I'm not from around here."

'That's clear as day.' "There is one… People say there's a man wandering the streets near the Blue Palace. He seems distressed but he's not making any sense. Keep saying something about 'helping to free his master', whoever that is. If you intend to head up there, I'd stay clear."

"I'll keep that in mind." The younger man turned to leave but then turned back, Corpulus looking on as twenty Septims were tossed on the counter. "For letting me stay the night."

The Imperial smiled. "No problem. Enjoy the fish." As the elf walked away, the barkeep could have sworn the knapsack shook a bit.

It was probably nothing.

As Link walked away from the barkeeper and left the Winking Skeever, he heard a voice call out to him from across the street. The voice belonged to an older gentleman who looked like he had seen better days.

As the Hylian approached, he got a better look at who had called out to him. The man in question wore nothing but ragged clothes and shoes, one of his eyes was white, indicating that he was half blind, and he had an iron dagger tucked into the ragged shirt. "Spare some gold for a veteran?"

Link eyed the old man, then reached into his knapsack, noting the dragon hatchling had spilled his Septims all over the bag after eating the fish, and was now curled up on the resulting gold coin pile, seemingly asleep. He took out thirty Septims and handed them to the old man. "Here. I have more of these than I know what to do with."

The man stared at the coins, then reached out with a shaking hand and took them from Link, his remaining eye shining in the morning light. "Arkay bless you. My name is Noster Eagle-Eye. You seem the curious sort, I assume you must have questions, ask away."

"Are you really a veteran?" Link mentally kicked himself as soon as he finished speaking. The man had said as such when he had asked for currency.

Noster scoffed. "What? You see a man fallen on hard times, and you think he's been like that forever? I was there. I fought in the Great War. I was on the field at Anvil. And when I was struck down and lost my eye, they left me. You understand? They left me for dead. I didn't leave them."

"Is there any way I can help?" 'Shouldn't have asked that, but at least I know what happened to him.'

""I was the finest scout in the Legion, once. Tracked down all the places in the wilds that were causing people trouble. Lost my helmet in one of the old forts up near Dragon's Bridge. My pretty, pretty helmet. Life just got worse after that. Kept losing things. So many things..." Noster trailed off and seemed lost in thought.

"I could go find it for you."

"Oh, you could? I sure would love to have it again. Could show you some of my old scouting tricks."

"Scouting." Link thought it over in his head. 'Could use the knowledge, I still don't know all of the dangers this land has. "… Sure."

"Might help you get less scars." Noster gave Link a warm smile and waved him off as the Hylian happened to notice Hadvar approaching.

"I see you found Noster." Hadvar reached the two.

"Hello, Hadvar, this young man offered to find my lost helmet."

"He did? Link's reliable, I'm sure he'll find your helmet quickly." Hadvar turned to Link. "General Tullius wants to see you in person."

"What for?"

"He wants to see if you're Legion material." Hadvar reached into his bag and handed Link a sealed letter. "Tullius sent me in person to fetch you and take you up to Castle Dour, but he wrote this letter for you."

The Hylian gazed at Hadvar for a second before he took the letter and broke the seal, then unrolled the paper and silently read it.

We of the Legion have heard of your exploits since Helgen. You have caught my interest despite your age, and I would like to test your merits and possible value to my army. Please travel to Castle Dour as soon as possible, and we can speak of your integration into the Legion. - General Tullius

"I myself believe you're more than capable, but that's for General Tullius to decide." Noster had wandered off while Hadvar waited for Link's response.

The Hylian double checked the letter before he rolled the paper up and placed it in his knapsack. "When are we leaving?"

"Now."

The double doors to Castle Dour opened and Hadvar led Link inside. The trip there hadn't been noteworthy, and there hadn't been that much outside, save for someone training archers at the far end of the courtyard.

"Here we are. I'll go tell Tullius that I brought you here and then come and get you, you can look around if you want or wait here." Hadvar walked off to a set of doors straight ahead, leaving Link alone.

The entrance led into an antechamber containing a sitting area on the left with a wooden bench against the south wall with a low table in front with a copy of Dwemer History and Culture on top. Against the east wall was a narrow table with a plate of red apples, a bowl of bread and a sliced eidar cheese on top. To his right was a long wooden table with a book - when inspected, the title was The Legend of Red Eagle - on top and two bookcases beside it holding a couple more common books.

To the right of the double doors was a table with a built-in alchemy lab, while to the left was a table with a built-in arcane enchanter. There were stairs to the north and south.

Link inspected the book shelves; they held no titles of interest, so he took the two books from the two separate tables and found somewhere closeby to read them. He didn't understand most of Dwemer History and Culture, save for the Dwemer were a long vanished race of people that lived in metal fortresses mostly underground and they had advanced mechanisms and weapons.

The other book, however, greatly got his interest. It told of a long dead warrior named Faolan, who was nicknamed the Red Eagle due to circumstances of his birth, and how he fought back against the first Empire taking over the Reach. It also spoke of a sword, one that had been lost when Red Eagle had given it to his people, and that if it was returned to where Faolan had been buried, that he "might rise and lead them again."

'Finding a lost sword. How hard could that be?' Link was about to read more of the other book when he was interrupted by Hadvar, who had left the room he had entered.

"Tullius is ready to see you now." The Nord stated.

Link got up from the wooden bench and walked over to Hadvar, who nodded and held open one of the doors. The Hylian entered the room, the Nord right behind him.

The first thing Link saw was, when he got closer, a pair of long wooden tables placed end-to-end with a large tactical map of Skyrim, a copy of Mixed Unit Tactics and a couple of rolls of paper. There were many banners unique to the castle hanging from the walls, while against the east wall, to the left when entering was a narrow table with a bottle of spiced wine on top. To the right was a small cupboard with a bowl of bread and a piece of cheese on top.

There were stairs leading up in the middle of the south wall. In the southwest corner were a couple of wooden benches with a low table in front. Against the west wall was a small cupboard with a locked display cabinet on top containing an iron sword. In the middle of the north wall was a door leading to the legate's quarters. To the left was a chair and at the rear of the room, in the northwest corner was a small cupboard with a wardrobe and set of shelves in an alcove to the left. On the shelves were, when asked about, two quicksilver ingots.

An armored man and woman were standing at the table, examining the map and having a heated conversation.

The woman shook her head. "I'm telling you, Ulfric's planning an attack on Whiterun."

Tullius scoffed. "He'd be insane to try. He doesn't have the men."

"That's not what my scouts report, sir. Every day more join his cause. Riften, Dawnstar, and Winterhold support him."

Link got the feeling he wasn't supposed to be overhearing this conversation. 'Those names, are those villages? No… what do they call them…? Holds?'

Tullius shook his head. "It's not a cause, Rikke. It's a rebellion."

"Call it whatever you like, General. The man's

going to try to take Whiterun."

'Ulfric plans to take Whiterun? Why?'

"Jarl Balgruuf..." Tullius corrected.

Rikke paused for a second. "Balgruuf refuses the Legion's right to garrison troops in his city. On the other hand, he also refuses to acknowledge Ulfric's claim."

"Well, if he wants to stand outside the protection of the Empire, fine. Let Ulfric pillage his city."

Rikke nodded curtly. "General."

Tullius picked up a quill and wrote something on the map. "You people and your damn Jarls."

Rikke tilted her head a bit. "Sir? You can't force a Nord to accept help he hasn't asked for."

Tullius looked down at the map again. "If Ulfric's making a move for Whiterun, then we need to be there to stop him. Draft another letter with the usual platitudes, but this time share some of your intelligence regarding Ulfric's plans. Embellish if you have to. We'll let it seem like it's his idea."

'So spies exist… That gives me an idea.'

Rikke nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You Nords and your bloody sense of honor." Tullius remarked.

"Sir."

"General." Hadvar spoke and the man standing at the table, looking down at the map, raised his head.

"Ah. Good, you brought him." General Tullius turned his steel gaze on Link, seeming to silently scrutinize him for a few moments before the man stepped away from the table and over to Link. "It's quite hard to believe the one we found lying under a tree near the border nearly a month ago is Dragonborn, but reality is harder to bear then mere legends and myths. You accepted my invitation to join the Legion, so tell me, why do you want to join the Legion and not Ulfric's army? You aren't from Skyrim, you have no loyalty to anyone."

"I do to those who saved my life." Link responded, finding that he had to tilt his head back to look up at Tullius.

"I see. How old are you?"

"Seventeen, although I come of age on the twentieth day of the sixth month, I think Ulfric said that month was…" Link trailed off, trying to remember.

Rikke spoke up. "Midyear."

"You've got nine months and sixteen days until then. Quite a lot of time for events to occur." Tullius went silent, still gazing at Link. Finally, he spoke. "Rikke, do you think he's capable, despite his age?"

"He's been killing dragons, sir, I think he's the most capable person in Skyrim at the moment." Rikke responded from behind the table.

"Of course." The Imperial nodded. "You mentioned Ulfric. If you were in Windhelm, why didn't you join him?"

Link thought about how to respond. He could lie about it, or he could tell most of the truth. "I only ended up there because I flew a dragon there from Kynesgrove. It fell in front of the palace and I was rendered unconscious for three days. Once I awoke, I stayed there and recovered."

"And Ulfric didn't tell you to join?" Tullius gazed at Link with suspicion.

Link hesitated, he again wanted to lie, but just saying "no" would be too suspicious; he had seen Ulfric in person and talked to him and it wouldn't be like the leader of the Stormcloaks to not present his cause for fighting. "All he said was what started the war and why it was still happening."

Tullius gazed at Link for a few more seconds. "Very well. I believe I have a task for you, young mister Farmanne, but you will have to speak to Rikke for more information. Successfully complete this task, and report back to me. Then we shall see about you getting inducted into the Legion."

Link nodded as Rikke stepped around the table and walked over to him as Tullius returned to the table to look over the map.

"There's been word of bandits making camp in an old fort nearby called Fort Hraggstad. Go there and take them out, secure the fort, then report back here." Rikke marked the location of the fort on Link's map.

The Hylian wasn't exactly sure on how to respond, so he merely nodded, replied with "Yes, ma'am", and then left the room.

"Hmm. Well mannered." Rikke looked over at Hadvar. "We need more people like that."

Hadvar gave a nod in return, but couldn't help but worry that Link's politeness would get him into trouble someday.

Once Link left Castle Dour and made his way back down to the main area of Solitude, he was stopped by a man running up to him. "You there! You have to help me free my master!"

"Your what?"

"Yes, yes! You seem fully capable! He's trapped in the Pelagius wing, in the Blue Palace. Here!" Before Link could respond, the man shoved some sort of bone in his hands. "Oh, so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Dervenin! Remember, the Pelagius wing!"

Link watched as the man ran off into the shadows, then looked up the road toward the Blue Palace and started walking.

Dervenin was clearly the man the bartender had spoken of. Something was off and Link was determined to figure out what.

When the Hylian entered the Blue Palace, he tried not to look suspicious as he wandered around, looking for the mysterious Pelagius wing. He was soon approached by the castle steward, Falk. "What are you doing?"

"I need to get into the Pelagius wing."

"Absolutely not. That wing has been sealed for hundreds of years, and for good reason. They say the ghost of Pelagius the Mad still haunts it. Ghost or not, there are reminders of his dark rule that are best left buried away."

Link tried to think of a response. "I've fought dragons, I'm pretty sure some mad ghost won't bother me."

Falk seemed to agree with that, but wasn't too happy. "I'll make an exception for you, but do not bring anything out when you leave. Too many dark deeds transpired in those halls…" The man handed Link a key and then guided him to the unused hall, then walked away.

The Pelagius wing was cold and dark. It was clearly abandoned, with strewn about furniture and cobwebs everywhere. Link couldn't help but feel apprehensive as he started to walk forwards, but a flash of light caught his attention and he looked down.

The Triforce of Courage was pulsing every now and then, and his hand felt somewhat numb and tingly.

There was something evil here.

As the Hero of Twilight continued deeper into the abandoned palace wing and moved upstairs to the second floor, he began to feel extremely tired, noting there was starting to be a thick fog that soon almost blinded him and obscured his vision.

Eventually, Link found himself next to an apparent bar, and felt so tired that he took another step forward, then felt his legs give way beneath him and he knew no more.

"More tea, Pelly my dear?" A strange voice roused Link from unconsciousness and he quickly realized a few things.

One, he was sitting at a table that was lined with food, in a forest, with a man in royal clothing sitting to his right, and a man wearing strange clothing to his left.

Two, he was currently a wolf.

Three, he was somehow wearing fine clothing.

The other man shook his head. "Oh, I couldn't. Goes right through me. Besides, I have so many things to do... So many undesirables to contend with. Naysayers. Buffoons. Detractors. Why, my headsman hasn't slept in three days!"

At first glance, this man could be passed off for a human, but if one paid more attention, they could notice that there were some minor things off about him, his face structure and ears resembled some of the "High Elves" that Link had seen. He had blond hair that was neatly combed back and blue eyes.

'Where… am I?'

The man with the strange clothes tsk'd. "You are far too hard on yourself, my dear, sweet, homicidally insane Pelagius. What would the people do without you? Dance? Sing? Smile? Grow old? You are the best Septim that's ever ruled. Well, except for that Martin fellow, but he turned into a dragon god, and that's hardly sporting... You know, I was there for that whole sordid affair. Marvelous time! Butterflies, blood, a Fox, a severed head... Oh, and the cheese! To die for."

Weirdly, despite looking more human, one would immediately figure out how much more off this man looked. It wasn't from how his eyes had no pupils, but much more. Just looking at him was a challenge. Worse yet, there was a feeling of power and danger coming from him, but it wasn't as bad as the feeling of... madness...?

The strange man had purple eyes and white hair. He wore a very unique outfit that consisted of a white handkerchief around his neck, a purple shirt, and black pants and boots.

Pelagius sounded bored. "Yes, yes, as you've said, Sheogorath, countless times before..."

'Sheogorath…?'

Sheogorath looked annoyed. "Hafrumph! Well then, if you're going to be like that... Perhaps it's best I take my leave. A good day to you sir. I said good day!"

"Yes, yes, go. Leave me to my ceaseless responsibilities and burdens..." Pelagius vanished and Sheogorath then noticed Link.

"Ah! So you decided to finally show up! Wonderful! Do you know you look so adorable like that? Where are my manners, I'm Sheogorath! The Mad Prince, Fourth Corner of the House of Troubles, the Skooma Cat, Lord of the Never-There, Raver, Comforter of Men, and Sovereign of the Shivering Isles!"

'That's a lot of titles.' thought Link as the wolf looked down at the strange clothes he was somehow wearing.

"Titles? Well of course I have a lot of them! I'm that important! But enough of that, what about you?" Sheogorath seemed to study Link. "Hmmm… Well no wonder the big dragon brute took such an interest in you, your own gods did as well!"

Link nodded, still unsure as to how he got here. Then he realized something. '… You can… understand me?'

"I'm one of the Princes, Lincoln! Of course I can!"

'Right. Who were you talking to, and where are we?'

"Emperor Pelagius III. Now surely even you know about Pelagius' decree? On his deathbed - oh, and this was inspired - he forbade... death! That's right! Death! Outlawed! We're inside the mind of Pelagius, silly. Oh. Is it your... first time?"

'Obviously.'

"I love that little spirit of yours!" Sheogorath got up from the chair he had been sitting in and walked over to Link. "Although I don't know why you're here specifically at this exact moment. Care to tell me?"

'I brought you a message.'

"Reeaaaallllyyyy?" He asked with an almost literal world shaking voice, there was a sudden feeling of power, it reminded Link somewhat of Meridia. Then Sheogorath's expression suddenly went from dangerous to child-like excitement.

"Ooh, ooh, what kind of message? A song? A summons? Wait, I know! A death threat written on the back of an Argonian concubine! Those are my favorites. Well? Spit it out, mortal. I haven't got an eternity! Actually... I do. Little joke. But seriously. What's the message?"

'Um… Someone named Dervenin gave me a bone of some sort and wanted me to free you.'

"A bone! Get it? Because you're a wolf? No? Pah, you're no fun." The Mad God paused. "Dervenin! Such a wonderful loyal servant. So he wants me back?"

The wolf nodded, now beginning to regret entering the forbidden wing.

Sheogorath clapped his hands together. "Excellent!"

'I think I made a mistake coming here.'

"Oh, no no no! No mistake at all. What you made was a choice. Granted, not a very wise choice, but these things happen. Ah, the folly of youth..." He then went on to elaborate about his past. "You know, you remind me of myself at a young age. All I cared about was riding narwhales and sleeping in honeycombs and drinking babies' tears... Word of advice if you ride a Narwhale. Mind the pointy end."

Sheogorath then seemed to remember why Link was there in the first place. "Ah, but there I go, waxing poetic about my misspent youth. Now where were we? Ah yes. You're the mortal messenger. And I am...? Honestly. Have you any idea?"

'You're Sheogorath. The Mad Prince, Fourth Corner of the House of Troubles, the Skooma Cat, Lord of the Never-There, Raver, Comforter of Men, and Sovereign of the Shivering Isles.' Link deadpanned as he refused the urge to tear the clothes he was wearing from his fur. 'Do you plan to leave?'

"Now that's the real question, isn't it? Because honestly, how much time off could a demented Daedra really need? So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to leave. That's right. I'm done. Holiday... complete. Time to return to the hum drum day-to-day. On one condition. You have to find the way out first. Good luck with that."

'There has to be a catch to this.'

"Ha! I do love it when the mortals know they're being manipulated. Makes things infinitely more interesting." Sheogorath grinned and gestured for Link to get down from the chair, which the wolf did so. Awkwardly.

"Care to take a look around? This is not, I dare say, the Solitude botanical gardens. Have you any idea where you are? Where you truly are? Welcome to the deceptively verdant mind of the Emperor Pelagius III. That's right! You're in the head of a dead, homicidally insane monarch."

'How fun.'

"Now, I know what you're thinking. Can I still rely on my swords and spells and sneaking and all that nonsense? Sure, sure. Or... you could use... The Wabbajack! Huh? Huh? Didn't see that coming, did you?"

'The… what?'

Sheogorath then held out a massive stick to Link, one that had screaming faces carved into one of the ends. "Here!" He then took it back. "On second thought…" The Mad God had a mischievous look on his face. Sheogorath then threw the Wabbajack away. "Fetch!"

'…I'm starting to dislike you.' Still, the wolf instinctively ran after the large stick and leapt in the air, catching it in his jaws and then landing. 'What am I supposed to do with this?'

"Simple. Your task is to free Pelagius. Although I suppose you can't do so like that, can you." Sheogorath sighed. "Pity, I would have loved to see you run around in those clothes swinging that stick and such." The Mad God clapped his hands and the wolf became shrouded in a dark fog.

Link found himself back to normal a second later, except his balance was off and he pitched forward, but caught himself and stabbed the grass with the staff he was now holding, landing on one knee.

"Good! Now you shouldn't have any trouble at all!"

Link looked up at Sheogorath. "Are you going to just sit there, or inform me on what I should do?"

"I already told you, you have to free Pelagius to set us free! Although, I suppose you want a detailed explanation, you heroes and your need for information. Very well. First, you must travel to the Arch of Paranoia, to your left, to make Pelly feel safe. Next, the Arch of Night Terrors, to your right,, to wake him up. Finally, the Arch of Confidence, behind me, to help Pelagius love himself again. Do these three things, and we can leave. Sound good? Good."

The Hylian stood, shaking himself like a wet dog as he did so due to the transformation. "Never like that, the turning back and forth.", he muttered as he inspected the staff he was holding. "What does this do?"

"The Wabbajack? Why not find out for yourself? It's no fun being told what something does!"

"True." Link couldn't help but agree with that. He left the table area and headed left, somehow hearing Sheogorath's voice in his head as he got further away from the clearing, passing under a large stone arch.

"Oh, good choice. Well, good for me. I find everyone being out to get you so terribly entertaining. You might find it... less so. You see, Pelagius' mother was... well... let us say 'unique.' Although, I suppose in the grand scheme of things, she was fairly average for a Septim. That woman wielded fear like a cleaver. Or did she wield a cleaver and make people afraid? I never get that part right... Oh, but she taught her son well. Pelagius learned at a very early age that danger could come from anywhere. At any time. Delivered... by anyone."

The Hylian soon reached a small fort-like structure with steps leading up to the edge. In the middle of this structure, there was an arena. When Link approached, he saw a version of Pelagius with two other men sitting behind him, watching two creatures fighting. They appeared to be made out of floating rocks in the shape of a humanoid and were lit up by blue lighting.

"Storm Atronachs. Nasty things if you let them get the better of you. You're up there though so you should be fine!" Sheogorath's voice echoed in Link's head as he studied the creatures.

Link heard the Mad God's voice in his head again. "The objective here is simple, you simpleton! Use your Wabbajack to defeat the enemy, while they do the same!"

Link ignored the insult and gazed at the staff he was holding, then swung it towards one of the monsters. The monster was changed into a duck, as one was transformed, the other one was as well, and they continued fighting.

"Hmm... Your creature doesn't appear to be fairing any better than before. Methinks your aim is off."

Link used the Wabbajack on the opposite atronach, this time turning it into a goat. He watched as the other duck was also turned into a goat and realized that this would keep happening.

He instead looked at the two men sitting behind Pelagius. They were different… Link used the Wabbajack on them and the two men turned into wolves, which proceeded to attack the Emperor.

"Oho! I thought you'd never figure it out."

As Pelagius and the wolves disappeared, Sheogorath announced, "With the threat gone, Pelagius is under the delusion that he is safe, which means you've helped him out... sort of. And we're that much closer to home. Onto the next arch!"

Link returned to the clearing with the table and headed right this time, passing under another arch.

"You've headed down the path of dreams. Unfortunately for you, Pelagius suffered night terrors from a young age. He would lie in bed, paralyzed with fear, imagining his own nightmares coming to life. Ooohhh... Scary."

Link happened upon a bed in the middle of the forest with Pelagius sleeping on it.

"All you need to do is find something to wake our poor Pelagius up. You'll find his terrors easy to repel... but persistent."

Link looked around for something to wake up the sleeping man with and then realized he was supposed to use the Wabbajack, so he swung the staff in Pelagius' direction and leapt back when a wolf appeared.

The wolf lunged at Link, who rolled to the side and swung the Wabbajack at the wolf, which turned into a harmless goat.

'Right. So I just use the staff on Pelagius, then on whatever is summoned? Sounds easy enough.'

Link hit Pelagius with the Wabbajack again and watched as a bandit chief appeared. He swung the staff at the bandit before they noticed him and the bandit turned into an apparent younger version of Pelagius.

"Still can't wake him up? Perhaps you're barking up the wrong tree? Get it? You are part wolf after all!"

Link ignored Sheogorath and used the Wabbajack again, this time summoning a Hagraven. The creature screamed at him and turned into crows, which swarmed Link. He swung the staff and the Hagraven was turned into a young woman.

The Hylian used the staff a fourth time and some flame creature appeared. The creature was very feminine in appearance, and as Link tried to figure out what this creature was, it launched flames in his direction. Link dodged the flames and swung the staff at the fire creature, turning it into a bonfire.

"Never seen a Flame Atronach before? Now you have!"

'Flame Atronach… Alright. Good to know for later.'

When Link used the Wabbajack on Pelagius again, something rose up from the ground in front of the bonfire and floated in the air. It had a mask for a face and a strange staff.

"Dragon Priest. Nasty things. Have fun trying not to die!"

The Dragon Priest lunged for Link and the Wabbajack was knocked from his hand to land before the bonfire. Link eyed the floating creature, waiting to see what it did next.

The creature lunged for the Hylian and he dove out of the way, picking up the staff as he landed, rolled over and swung it at the Dragon Priest, which turned into a chest behind the bonfire.

"Well now, that's something to crow about. With Pelagius up and about you're moving right along. We'll both be home in no time. I hope you're having a good time. Actually, I hope I'm having a good time. I could care less about you."

"I could say the same thing."

"You can? You just did! You know, despite what I said, I can't help but begin to feel that I sort of like you, mortal. Although you're not really mortal, not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"When Akatosh stuck that soul inside you - without your permission, might I add - turns out the brute gave you a tiny itty bitty slice of immortality! Isn't that wonderful?"

"I guess." Link got up as the turned creatures gathered around the bonfire, finding himself gazing at the chest. He walked over to it and opened it, to reveal…

"No way."

The Ball and Chain weapon.

"Oh, that thing! It showed up a little while ago, thought it was interesting, decided to keep it until someone like you came along. Feel free to keep it."

Link picked up the weapon and spun it around to the side, grinning. 'Glad to have this back.'

He returned to the main clearing and walked behind Sheogorath to pass under the last arch.

"Ah, now this is a sad path. Pelagius hated and feared many things. Assassins, wild dogs, the undead, pumpernickel... But the deepest, keenest hatred was for himself. The attacks he makes on himself can be seen here fully. They are always carried out on the weakest part of his fragile self."

As he entered a small clearing, Link saw two versions of Pelagius' beating up each other, one huge, the other tiny.

"The self-loathing enhances Pelagius' anger! Ah, but his confidence will shrink with every hit. You must bring the two into balance."

'Okay… Let's see if this works…' Link used the Wabbajack on the tiny Pelagius, and watched as the man grew a bit. Then the larger man hit him and he returned to the size he had been previously.

'… So the tiny one becomes smaller when hit.' The Wabbajack was used on the large man and he decreased in size slightly. Link then used the staff on the small man and he increased in size a bit, then the larger man hit the smaller one and their sizes seemed to somehow return to their original starting point.

The Hylian heard Sheogorath's voice in his mind again. "You seem to be having a small problem... or perhaps it's a big problem? Maybe if you shrunk the whole thing down a little first?"

Link then got an idea and used the Wabbajack on the larger man until he was as tiny as the other tiny one, then used the staff on the original tiny one until he was as large as the now tiny man was.

"Wonderfully done. Pelagius is finally ready to love himself... and continue hating everyone else. I have a saying - I'm not going to feel what you have to like. Or something like that."

Link soon returned to the main clearing, where Sheogorath was waiting. "I fixed Pelagius' mind."

"Hmmmm... 'Fixed' is such a subjective term. I think 'treated' is far more appropriate, don't you? Like one does to a rash, or an arrow in the face." Sheogorath paused for a second, as to internally debate this.

"Ah, but no matter. Heartless mortal that you are, you've actually succeeded and survived. I am forced to honor my end of the bargain. So congratulations! You're free to go!"

He then gave Link a friendly reminder of his domain "I... have been known to change my mind. So... go. Really."

"I did as asked."

The Mad God sighed and snapped his fingers. "Pelagius Septim the Third, once the Mad Emperor of Tamriel, now so boringly sane. I always knew he had it in him!"

Sheogorath began to summon various things. "Well, I suppose it's back to the Shivering Isles. The trouble Haskill can get into while I'm gone simply boggles the mind... Let's make sure I'm not forgetting anything. Clothes? Check. Beard? Check! Luggage? Luggage! Now where did I leave my luggage?"

Dervenin was summoned opposite him, overjoyed. "Master! You've taken me back! Does this mean we're going home? Oh, happy times! I can't wait to..."

Sheogorath waved a hand. "Yes, yes, that's quite enough celebration. Let's send you ahead, shall we?"

After Dervenin disappeared, Sheogorath addressed Link. "And as for you, my little somewhat mortal minion... Feel free to keep the Wabbajack. As a symbol of my... Oh, just take the damn thing." The Mad God then gave Link a genuine smile.

"You take care of yourself, now, strangely, I find that I like you in a sort of… endearing way. And if you ever find yourself up in New Sheoth, do look me up. We can share a strawberry torte. Ta ta!"

Sheogorath clapped his hands together and Link's vision went white.

Strangely, when Link returned to his senses, he didn't feel as if he had passed out, but rather as if he had merely fallen asleep. He felt completely rested and he found that he was more than content to just stay where he was; which as he became more aware of his surroundings, was a defogged and much less evil Pelagius wing.

The Hylian saw a set of clothing and a carved staff in front of him, as well as the ball and chain weapon. Link gathered everything and got up from where he had fallen, looking around and then focusing his gaze on the Wabbajack. 'Maybe I can use this at that one fort.' It was worth a try.

Before leaving, Link decided to look around. He was still upstairs, next to the bar, and decided to follow the hallway. It led to another stairwell that led down past a boarded up doorway to a basement, which showed signs of being lived in.

The basement held various wines and meads, a bed roll in the far corner, a lit lantern, an iron sword, a copy of the Thief of Virtue, two crates - which supported an unusable chain mechanism - and another book, this was called Surfeit of Thieves. Link took both books and examined both of them. When he skimmed through Surfeit, he realized he had already read it, so he left it where it was. Curiously enough, by the entrance to the basement, there were three stacked boxes containing a lot of burned books.

Link took the Thief of Virtue and the sword with him and left the basement, returning to the upper level of the wing and descending the other set of stairs to end on the main level. He then left the Pelagius wing and quickly found Falk again. "Hello. You can have the key back."

Falk eyed Link and then took the key from him. "Did you find anything?"

"I freed Pelagius, if that's what you're asking." Link then turned and walked away, leaving Falk to ponder what the Hylian had said.

Link got down from Epona and tied her to a nearby fence post, then looked up at Fort Hraggstad. It had taken him maybe twenty minutes to get here after leaving the Blue Palace. From outside, the fort didn't look very big.

The sizable courtyard and walls were patrolled by seven bandits. A forge was along the southwestern wall, with an unlocked chest to its left. On Link's right as he passed the arch into the courtyard was an empty stable, with several food barrels found around the courtyard.

The bandits of course noticed Link and soon surrounded him.

"You got a lot of nerve walking in here, kid? Are you lost?"

"He's not even wearing any armor or weapons!"

"I'm here to give you a warning." Link had purposely chosen to leave most of his gear at Castle Dour, under the assurance of Tullius that all of it would be looked after. All he had now was his everyday clothes, his knapsack, and the Wabbajack, which he was using as a walking stick. It was probably a very stupid idea, Tullius had said as much, but there was a chance he could fool these bandits.

"A warning?" Asked the leader of the seven bandits. "You think you can just show up unarmed and tell us that?"

"I overheard there will be Imperial patrols heading this way soon."

The bandits looked at each other.

"Should we believe him?"

"He's not here to kill us, that's plain as day."

"That walking stick looks weird though."

The bandits converged to discuss amongst themselves, then the leader walked over to Link. "Did you just show up for supplies?"

"I did. I was hoping in exchange for the information, you will be willing to give away things."

The leader continued to look at his group, then smirked as he turned his gaze back to Link and nodded. "We're okay with it, the chief, though, maybe not so much. None of us like him anyway, so I suppose you'd do us a favor if you somehow took him out. You can go inside and look around."

"Thanks." Link watched as the seven bandits made their way out of the courtyard and then looked up at the towers.

On top of the two intact towers were a few various bows and quivers of arrows on tables, with the top of the tallest tower also having a longbow. Link already had a bow, but he gladly took the extra arrows, which he counted out to be fifty. He then walked back down the tower stairs and entered the fort.

He was greeted by a bandit, while another was making their way down the stairs. "Easy. We heard the news, thanks for warning us." Stated the one bandit as he waited for the other to reach him before they left the fort.

To the left of the nearby fireplace was a cupboard holding clutter, a garlic bulb in a wooden bowl, and three books, while leaning against the fireplace was a woodcutter's axe. To the right of the fireplace was a doorway leading further into the fort, and in the northeast corner was a wooden table with iron armor, helmet, sword, and a battleaxe all on top. Link took the weapons and armor to sell later and walked through the doorway.

Through the doorway was a cart at the bottom of a flight of stairs, containing an iron shield, a long bow, iron gauntlets, and a potion of minor healing. Link took everything and climbed the nearby stairs.

Climbing the stairs lead to a large room, with a bandit leaning against the wall, and the bandit chief at the back of the room in an area being used as sleeping quarters.

It appeared that this bandit had also heard of the patrol warning and left the room, leaving Link alone with the bandit chief, who turned out to be a Khajiit.

"So, a wanderer brings news, yes?" The cat rose from his chair and drew a sword. "And tells Khajiit's fellow bandits to leave? This will not do."

"I'm unarmed. You're really going to attack me?"

The Khajiit grinned. "This should be quick, then." He lunged across the room in an instant.

Link found himself backed in a corner, the Khajiit prowling back and forth with the raised sword. "You shall die, and Khajiit shall be victorious."

The Hylian eyed the cat and then got an idea. He brandished the Wabbajack.

"What is that? A stick? Khajiit is not afraid of a mere stick!"

Link then swung it in the cat's direction and the bandit was turned into a duck, the sword clattering to the floor as the bird began quacking and preening its feathers. 'Should have brought at least one weapon… Then again, I could have used one of the ones I found here…'

The front half of the room was being used for storage, with several food barrels under a wooden structure in the northwestern corner. On this structure was a locked chest, which contained a hundred Septims, and a small wooden table holding three potions of minor healing and some foodstuffs.

Against the north wall were two sets of shelves containing three bottles of alto wine, a bottle of wine, some food, a gourd, an iron sword, and eight books.

Opposite the shelves was another wooden structure, with a food barrel and a table holding a small mead barrel and three potatoes. Link took the Septims, the three portions, the sword, and kept exploring the fort.

There was a raised section in the middle of the room with a small wooden table holding two bottles of wine. Against the south wall was a single bed and a dresser. On the dresser were three loose septims, a bulb of garlic, and some bread and cheese.

In front of this was an end table with a gourd on top, and against the north wall is another single bed and another table with a leg of goat roast and a loaf of bread on top. Link took the three Septims and continued onwards.

The western end of the room contained four more single beds, an unlocked chest, and a table holding a tactical map of Skyrim which the bandit chief was studying, a baked potato, a garlic bulb, a gourd, an iron helmet, and a copy of a book called The Gold Ribbon of Merit. When Link read it, he noted it was a book on archery and he took the book with him for further reading.

Against the north wall, between two of the beds, was a cupboard holding a leather helmet that when inspected, had Noster's name carved into it. Link took the helmet and checked the rest of the room.

Between the other two beds against the southern wall were an end table and a table with a set of iron armor, iron gauntlets, and an iron mace on top, while leaning against the end table was an iron greatsword, with a pair of iron boots next to the nearest bed. Link took all of the items and entered the prison.

Upon entering the prison, Link was in a room with a bandit roaming about and a second bandit sitting at a table to the left.

Unfortunately, these two hadn't heard the warning and attacked him. With quick thinking, Link swung the Wabbajack at the two approaching bandits and they were both turned to rats. The Hylian ignored them as he explored the prison.

On the table was a small coin purse containing twenty Septims and a satchel that contained nothing when checked. There were a couple wooden benches and a set of shelves holding only clutter behind the table, with a knapsack on top of the shelves that was empty. Against the northeast wall, almost opposite the entrance, were a second set of shelves holding a woodcutter's axe, banded iron armor, iron gauntlets, and an iron helmet. There were a door leading downstairs in the southeast corner. Link took all of the items in this room and headed downstairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was a room containing a set of shelves full of more clutter against the northeast wall, and a small wooden table in the southeast corner with a rock warbler egg on top. To the southwest were stairs down to the cells, which were guarded by another bandit.

The bandit saw Link and ran up the stairs towards him, but was turned into a cat by the Wabbajack.

There were a total of seven cells, with four against the southwest wall, and three against the northeast wall. All of the cells were empty and unlocked. On his left was a table holding an iron battleaxe and a book. Behind the table was a chair, and against the southeast wall was an unlocked chest, which held ten Septims, to the right of two sets of shelves holding several pieces of bread and cheese as well as clutter.

Link took the battleaxe and the ten Septims and then began to backtrack through the prison.

Outside, the bandits were gathered around a fire.

"What do you think of that kid? Pretty stupid of him to just walk up and ask for supplies."

"Sure, we don't like the chief, but it'll be fun to see that cat mess with him a bit before killing him."

The leader heard some sort of quacking noise and looked up to see a duck waddling towards them. "What is that?"

The duck walked up to the fire and nestled down before it, its frightened quacks now turning to rage induced ones.

Then, before the bandits could respond, two rats and a cat ran out from the fort and over to the duck.

"… What in Shor's name?"

As Link made his way out into the courtyard, he saw no bandits. He then finally decided to go sell all of the excess weapons and gear he had, not noticing that a few animals had been kicked into the nearby river.

"So let me see, all together, you have… one Ancient Nord sword, two iron daggers, three iron swords, four Iron Helmets, three sets of Iron armor, one Iron mace, two pairs of Iron boots, six pairs of Iron Gauntlets, two Iron Shields, one Orcish Warhammer, one Orcish greatsword, one Elven Greatsword, two Iron greatswords, one Steel horned helmet, one Steel helmet, one pair of Elven boots, two Iron battleaxes, and one Woodcutter's axe." The store owner counted up the total while he caught his breath.

"The total amount of Septims is… two thousand, four hundred and thirty nine." said the Nord in disbelief. "Where did you find all of this?"

"I've been exploring ruins. And bandit hideouts."

"I see." The blacksmith checked over the items. "Name's Beirand, been the smith here for many years, now." Beirand then counted out the many Septims and handed them to Link. "Here you go, spend those coins and don't waste them. Or keep them for later if you want, in case something happens."

Link nodded and took the coins, then placed them in the knapsack, where the dragon was still asleep on top of the gold pile.

"Heard the bandits left the old fort near Dragon's Bridge. Did you have something to do with that?"

"I did. Told them an Imperial patrol was going to go there soon and they all left."

"Really? None of them fought you?" Beirand saw the kid on the other side of the corner shake his head. "Huh. Guess they didn't want a fight then. They'll get found soon enough. I have a feeling you might be a repeat customer, you mind if I get your name?"

"Link Farmmane, sir."

"Link… Alright. Suppose you have places to be so I won't keep you." The Nord nodded. "I'll let you be off then, remember to stop by if you need armor or more weapons."

"I'll keep that in mind." Link looked around the store, noting all of the various armor and weapons on the walls, before he stepped out.

Link had been walking towards Castle Dour when he passed by a familiar looking face. "Noster!"

The veteran had been dozing on a wooden bench when he heard someone call his name. He woke up and looked around, then noticed a familiar face walking towards him holding something.

Noster got up from the bench, watching as Link approached. "Good evening to you."

Link gave a friendly nod and held out the thing he was holding. "Your helmet."

Noster gazed at the leather helmet, then reached out and took it, running his aged hands over the faded material. "Look at it. That's real Nord craftsmanship, that is! Thank you for going out of your way to help me."

"It was no trouble at all."

"No?" Noster watched as Link shook his head in confirmation. "The bandits were dealt with, I take it?"

Link nodded. "They were. I told them a patrol was on its way there, and they all left."

Noster smiled. "Serves them right." He put on the helmet and adjusted it. "Let me show you an old trick I learned as a scout. Makes it harder for the enemy to notice you."

When Link returned to Castle Dour after receiving scouting training from Noster, Tullius and Rikke were still standing over the map, having a conversation.

Unfortunately, he had been too late to hear any of it, as Rikke stepped back from the map and noticed Link standing by the door. "You're back. Got anything to report?"

Link nodded and stepped closer to the table. "The bandits have been taken care of."

"Good. I'll get some men together to retake the fort. This was a good test of your abilities, I think you're more than ready to join us." The woman focused her attention on Tullius. "What do you think?"

Tullius studied Link. "Yes, I do believe so. In joining the Legion, you'll be taking an oath binding you to the service of the Emperor and thus to every citizen of the Empire."

Link found that he didn't quite like the sound of being bound to serve some far off Emperor. "I think I need a few minutes to decide."

"I see... Well, the Legion will still be here when you change your mind. Rikke believes in you. And I'm starting to see why. Consider this. What greater glory than to serve the Emperor and his citizens here in Skyrim, in these days of greatest need?"

Link nodded and left the room, then exited Castle Dour to lean against a nearby wall and stare out at the grand city before him. 'Do I really want to join?' He wondered. 'I'd learn new fighting techniques, get to explore the world more. Yet I'm also with the Stormcloaks, if either of them find out… No, I'll make sure they don't. Somehow. I want to save as many lives as possible in this unneeded war, even if I have no experience. … I'll take the oath and join, then I'll have to figure out what to do next.'

Link soon returned to the war room of Castle Dour. "I'm ready to take the oath."

Tullius nodded. "Well then. Repeat after me." He cleared his throat and then began the oath. "Upon my honor I do swear undying loyalty to the Emperor, Titus Mede II..."

'No turning back now.' "Upon my honor I do swear undying loyalty to the Emperor, Titus Mede II..."

"...and unwavering obedience to the officers of his great Empire."

'Do I regret doing this?' "...and unwavering obedience to the officers of his great Empire."

"May those above judge me, and those below take me, if I fail in my duty."

'No. I'm doing this to save lives.' "May those above judge me, and those below take me, if I fail in my duty."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire!" 'There. It's done. I've joined both sides. I'll take full responsibility for this if anything happens.'

"Hmm… Voice could use some work, but the enthusiasm is there." Tullius muttered, then continued. "Welcome to the Imperial Legion, soldier. Just remember, we take care of our own. Once you're in the Legion, you're in it for life. Speak to Beirand, he's normally out by the forge. He'll get you outfitted. You can train with us, and start real work when you turn eighteen."

Link nodded in response and left Castle Dour shortly after.

"Link! Back so soon?" Beirand set down a sword he was cleaning as Link entered the store.

"General Tullius sent me to you to get outfitted."

"Ah. So you're who he was referring to. Right. I have just one question for you. Light, medium, or heavy?"

Link took a second to process what the smith had said. "What?"

"Light armor for scouting detail, heavy armor for full on combat, or something in between?" The Nord explained.

"Hmm… I fight more than scout out things, so I suppose heavy armor."

The smith nodded. "Right. Take a seat anywhere and I'll fetch it for you."

Link walked over to a bench and made himself comfortable. While he waited, he thought about everything that had happened that day and found himself tapping the Wabbajack, the staff set against the bench next to him. 'I really hope getting this was worth it.'

"Here you go. Decided to give you a full plated helmet. You can try everything on and see how the armor looks on you with the mirror over there." Beirand gestured to a floor mirror and then went back behind the counter.

Link got up from the bench and walked over to the counter. "Why the helmet?"

"Don't know where you're from, but you must know by now how dangerous Skyrim is. You've gotten lucky so far, but there's worse out there than bandits and dragons. Figured you'd need it."

Link nodded. 'Can't argue with that.' He lifted the helmet from the counter, gazing at his reflection in the metal surface before he turned it around, lifted it above his head, and donned it.

His head was now completely covered save for his eyes. It felt strange, but he figured he would get used to it. Thankfully, his vision wasn't obstructed at all and he put on the rest of the armor, walked over to the floor mirror after retrieving the Wabbajack from the wall, and examined himself.

"Feels weird seeing my head completely covered." Link noted how his voice seemed to now echo a bit.

"Never had a full plated helmet before? Protects you a lot more." Beirand commented. "Armor fits you well."

"It does." Link then got an idea while studying his reflection and drew Dawn and Dusk, then got into a battle stance.

He flipped the daggers into the air and caught them as they came back down. Link then began to mock fight in front of the mirror, trying to get a feel for his new armor.

"Seeing how it fits?" Beirand asked from behind the counter.

Link had been spinning around with the two daggers at arm's length and froze, eying the Nord from across the room. "Yeah." He finally responded, absentmindedly tapping the two daggers together as he slowly returned to a normal stance.

"Just make sure to not break anything." Beirand commented before he turned around and began to clean things on the shelves.

"Noted." Link turned back to the mirror and looked down at the two daggers, before he put them away and drew Dawnbreaker.

When Link exited Beirand's store, he stood in place for a while, getting used to the feel of his new armor. He adjusted the chest armor as he shifted from side to side slightly and examined the gauntlets as he raised one to adjust the full plated helmet.

The bag at his side then shook and the Hylian threw the flap back. The dragon hatchling was awake and was staring up at him. Link couldn't help but smile beneath the helmet and looked around, then inserted a gauntlet covered hand into the bag.

The creature squeaked happily and began to bite at the gauntlet.

"I think I've decided on a name for you."

The dragon hatching titled his head, tiny sharp fangs still latched onto the gauntlet.

"I'm going to call you Cobalt."

Link didn't expect Cobalt to let go of the gauntlet, then fly out of the knapsack and around his head, squeaking happily before he settled on one of the Dragonborn's armored shoulders.

Cobalt continued to make various happy noises as Link reached up and began to run his gauntlet covered fingers across the blue scales. He kept a close watch for any passerby, but thankfully there was no one out and about at the moment.

The hatching called him "Zeymah" at some point, now biting at the gauntlet. Link didn't know what that meant. 'I'll ask Arngeir next time I see him.'

Link then heard a roar and he snapped his head up toward the sky. A dragon was flying over Solitude. Cobalt went silent and pressed himself against the metal armor as Link put a hand on Dawnbreaker's hilt and tracked the flying beast's movements.

No. It wouldn't do any good to fight the dragon here. If it was still around in the morning, then he could do something about it.

The Dragonborn watched as the dragon roared again, then flew out of view behind some nearby mountains. Link then coaxed Cobalt back into the knapsack and went to the Winking Skeever to get another room.

'I'll head down to Morthal in the morning and then see what happens next.'

"Did you hear? The guards caught some bandits."

"They did? How so?"

Link had been reading the copy of Dwemer History and Culture that he had taken from Castle Dour earlier that day, sitting in a corner of the Winking Skeever close to the fireplace. His helmet and knapsack were on the table in front of him, his weapons on top and on either side of the bag. Occasionally, he could see Cobalt's green eyes looking at him from within the knapsack.

The talk of bandits got Link's attention though, and he looked over at an Orc and Dunmer sitting at a nearby table.

The Orc smirked. "Found them in a muddy ditch just outside the city, near the river, unclothed and disoriented."

"Really? Were they drunk?"

The Orc shook his head. "Nope. They claimed to have been turned into various animals by some strange staff."

The Dummer scoffed. "No, they had to have been drunk."

The conversation dissolved into arguing, which Link ignored as he gathered his things and got up from the table he was sitting at, then walked across the tavern up to the counter.

"You again." Corpulus set a glass he had been cleaning on the counter. "Joined the Legion, did you? Good choice."

Link nodded. "Is the same room available?"

"Think so, let me see…" Corpulus looked at the ledger behind him. "It is." He turned back to face Link. "The Septims you gave me this morning paid for it, you're free to go up." The Nord handed him the room key.

"Thanks." Link stepped back from the counter and then headed upstairs.

When he entered the room, he closed the door and locked it, then tossed the room key on the nearby table as he took off his armor and weapons and set them by the door. He then set the knapsack on the bed stand and threw open the room's lone window, setting the Wabbajack against the wall as he looked out over the sunset lit buildings below.

'So many things happened today.' Link's gaze wandered over to the staff and he picked it up from where it was and examined the Daedric artifact in the dying sunlight. 'Went through a lot to get this. Wonder if there's a limit to its powers. Sure, it can turn people into animals, but what about objects...'

The Dragonborn thought about testing it, but decided not to. Unfortunately, he accidentally activated the staff…

The Wabbajack fell to the floor of the tavern room as Link slowly picked himself up after the staff's activation. '… I bet Sheogorath is laughing right now.'

Link had turned himself into a goat. He stared at the door for a while in annoyance before he looked down at the staff and resisted the urge to kick it into a wall.

Link instead sighed and turned to the window, then managed to stand somewhat upright and set himself against the windowsill, his hooves resting on the wooden edge. 'Guess I wait and see how long it takes for me to turn back.'