The Legend of Zelda: Skyrim - Chapter 22: Training with the Voice

Almost 4 months. I really need to get a consistent upload schedule…

It was the next morning when Link reached Ivarstead. He spotted a large crowd nearby the steps to High Hrothgar as the morning sun cast golden rays on the buildings and flora, and guided Epona over.

As he got closer, he saw the group was largely made up of Imperial soldiers. Some of them waved to Link as he drew near the group, however, a man who appeared to be a high ranked soldier stepped forward. "Halt. What brings you to Ivarstead?"

Link slowed Epona and looked down at the officer. "I'm traveling to High Hrothgar."

"That old monastery up on the mountain behind me? What for?"

"To ask the Greybeards if they can help with training." Link answered truthfully.

Then one of the soldiers spoke up as Link decided to get down from Epona and stand beside the horse. "Don't you know who he is, Legate Adventus? He's the Dragonborn we've been hearing so much about."

The Legate went silent for a second and then nodded curtly. "I see. I must warn you that we were tasked to escort someone up to that monastery. I assume you don't know who I am, so let me introduce myself. I am Legate Adventus Caesennius, and I expect you to be on your best behavior while you're up there in order to represent the Legion. Despite who you are, Dragonborn, you're below my rank, and thus you answer to me. Is this understood?" Adventus looked down at Link with disdain.

Link grit his teeth beneath his helmet as he stood there next to Epona, feeling a rare sense of vexation. He ignored the stares of the others as he slightly nodded. "Yes."

Despite the incorrect response, the Legate smirked. "Good. At least you of all people still know your place."

Link wasn't necessarily violent, not intentionally, but he suddenly wanted to punch the smirk off of Adventus' face. He drew a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady. "May I at least know who you were escorting?"

"No. I'm afraid that information is highly classified, and not for the likes of you to know." The Legate paused. "…Although, if you are indeed heading to the monastery , you'll find out soon enough."

Link was thankfully distracted from further conflict by the local stable hand walking up to him. "May I take your horse?"

"Sure." Link gladly handed the stable hand Epona's lead, paid the twenty five Septims, then started to walk towards the soldiers, who were standing before the steps.

"I wish you luck on your travels." Stated Legate Adventus as he stepped back and let Link pass by him and his soldiers as the stable hand led Epona away.

"Who does he think he is? Although if he treated me like that, I don't want to think of how he treated his own men." Link muttered to himself as he made his way up the steps.

The Hylian stopped briefly to admire the view from where he was - he could see Ivarstead down below, then off to the right were rivers and various forests. Beyond that was Windhelm, and some sort of city amongst the birch forest.

'I should try to summon Shade.' Link thought as he turned away and continued to walk up the steps. He passed by where he had fought the Frost Troll - its corpse was still there and he didn't bother to question why - and continued walking until he had reached the last stone tablet.

He then stopped before the chest in front of the doors, thought about opening it to see if there was anything inside, then decided not to. Link then turned around , and leaned against the chest and stone structure it was up against.

'Let's see… Galsdar told me that I needed to focus on back home, on Shade in particular…'

And so Link closed his eyes and focused. He thought of the rolling green and flowering plains of Hyrule, of the vast ancient forests, of flowing rivers and lakes and of Death Mountain. Link then thought of his ancestor, who the man had been in life, and who he was now.

"…Summon Shade." Link opened his eyes…

Nothing.

'…Okay. So I'll just try this until I'm successful.' So Link tried again. And again. A fourth time. Fifth. Sixth. And so on, until he found Shade's presence. Just like the other summons, he sort of latched onto the presence, and attempted to bring the undead warrior from Hyrule to Nirn. By doing so, he felt something change.

It wasn't a good change.

But at least he had finally been successful in summoning Shade.

"What are you doing out here? Don't you find it rather cold?"

Link looked up to see his ancestor standing a few feet away, looking down at him with confusion. "…Not really."

"You've changed. A few months ago, on Snowpeak…" Shade smiled. "I found you as a half frozen wolf."

"…I remember." Link wasn't too fond of the memory. He didn't bother to move from where he was, and he watched as Shade walked up to him.

The two then embraced.

As this happened, Link then realized what he had done while summoning Shade. He had felt something like this once before - in Ustengrav. "It happened again… I must have used up all of my Magicka to summon you."

Shade tilted his head in confusion. "Magicka?" He echoed as he looked down at Link.

"I told you, remember? I can use this world's magic." Link paled slightly and stumbled but then caught himself before he fell.

"Are you alright?" Shade asked in alarm.

"I'm fine, just - help me inside." Link waved a hand in front of him towards the steps.

Shade looked up and saw the doors. "Of course." He smiled as he helped Link inside High Hrothgar.

On the day of Tirdas, the 23rd of Hearthfire, the cold winds of the outside air vanished as Link opened the doors to High Hrothgar and stepped inside.

He had recovered some of his strength from using his Magicka outside, and so he stepped away from Shade, then turned to face him. "Thank you for helping me, but I can walk the rest on my own."

Shade nodded, then looked around the room. "I'm certain this place is nice, but I feel as if I'd rather be exploring. An entire new realm, never before heard of… Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea." After giving Link a parting nod, which he gave in return, Shade then turned and left the building.

The doors closed behind the undead warrior as Borri noticed Link and bowed in his direction, before the monk walked off, and soon returned with Arngeir.

"Link, it is good to see you again. What brings you here this time?" The master Greybeard asked Link as he turned to face the monk.

"I want to somehow further master the Thu'um, is that possible?" Link responded.

"Of course." Arngeir nodded. "Tell me, what Words of Power have you learned besides what we have taught you?"

"The second word of Unrelenting Sprint, and then two others, Fiem and Su."

"Ah, Become Ethereal and Elemental Fury." Arngeir nodded. "Fade and air. Nah is also good for meditation, being the word of fury."

"I spoke to Jurgen."

Arngeir stopped speaking and gazed at Link in silence for a few seconds before he responded. "Is this true? Did he really speak to you?"

"Yes. His spirit appeared before me in Ustengrav, when I returned there with the horn."

"Most intriguing that Windcaller would appear before you. I do have my questions, but we must discuss this at another time. Follow me after you take off your armor. You can set it on any nearby table." Arngeir began to walk away from Link, towards a side room.

Link spent some time taking off his armor and set it on a nearby table, then went to follow the Greybeard, but then he heard a voice behind him.

"Hello. I am Prince Romulus Mede. Who might you be?" The voice belonged to someone of the Imperial race - brown hair and eyes, pale skinned. He wore golden robes and had a sword and shield at his sides.

Link knew the man expected an answer, so he stopped following Arngeir and turned to face the Imperial. "Link Farmanne." He said simply.

"The Dragonborn. Yes, I have heard about you." Romulus looked Link up and down. "I assume you traveled here for Voice training?"

"I did. What brings you here?" Link inquired, finding that he was very curious about Romulus.

"My father - Titus Mede the Second - is dealing with the civil war here and so many other things back in Cyrodiil. Due to being a Tongue, my father suggested that I travel here to better familiarize myself with my powers, and so, here I am." The Imperial sat down in a nearby chair, then looked around the room. "Skyrim is very different from Cyrodiil."

"How so?"

"More open, very vast, more villages and people, lots of ruins - of more cultures - different climates and general atmosphere." Romulus said matter of factly. "Where are you from?"

"Somewhere called Hyrule."

"Never heard of it." Mede frowned.

"No one here has." Link shook his head. "It's not anywhere on Nirn, as far as I know."

Romulus tilted his head a bit to the side. "Interesting. If where you're from doesn't exist here - as in no one has heard of it, so they can't confirm its existence - how did you end up in Skyrim?"

"Akatosh. Don't exactly remember, but I guess he decided to make me Dragonborn and left me at the ambush site. Woke up in a cart on the way to Helgen in rags."

"Ah. Must have been unpleasant." Romulus said sympathetically.

Link's face fell slightly. "It… was." He looked at the doors across the hall. "Think I should be going now, it was nice meeting you."

Romulus sensed that the conversation was over for the time being and nodded. "Of course. I hope we can meet again soon, to discuss our training."

Link left Romulus to meditate and managed to find Argnier in a side corridor, one that had lit alcoves and meditation rugs.

"Sit." The monk lowered himself onto one of these rugs and motioned for Link to take the one opposite him.

Link did so, and Arngeir gazed at the youth. "I will warn you, Link, that choosing to accelerate your power, and growing too fast, could affect you negatively. Do you still accept this?"

"I do."

The monk nodded, then instructed Link to close his eyes and relax. As Link did this, Arngeir continued. "Let us start with Nah. When you think of fury, what do you imagine, what feelings are invoked?"

"… Fear and anger… an inability to save… someone…"

"Focus on those feelings." Arngeir told him sternly. "Tell me what you see."

"… A burning forest."

"Good. You're already progressing, it seems. Being Dragonborn gives you the ability to master the Voice far more quickly than a mere Tongue, even after years of training." Arngeir explained. "Are you able to discern anything else?"

"… Dragons. They're in the forest, and can't escape…"

"And what of these dragons? Is there anything special about them?" The monk pressed.

"…There's a massive one… and… he's fatally wounded. He feels… a lot of things. Anger. Sadness. Fear. But he's worried about the other dragons. If they'll survive the fire, and those that are now hunting them…"

He suddenly Shouted, yet the voice wasn't exactly his. It sounded more animalistic, more untamed… and it was somewhat loud.

Arngeir frowned as Link seemingly left his meditation state. "This is most troublesome."

"What?" Link slowly cleared his vision and then focused on the monk. "…What happened?"

The Greybeard motioned for Link to get up as he himself stood. "Shout at me."

Link quickly stood and eyed Arngeir. "Why?"

"I must see if my suspicions are true." Arngeir responded. "Go ahead, Link."

The Hylian hesitated, then nodded, and then Shouted at Arngeir. The only reaction he had was that his cloak moved as if it had been struck by a powerful wind.

The monk bowed his head slightly. "Good. You have slightly progressed since we last met… But this is exactly the sort of thing that I've warned you of."

"What do you mean? I entered that meditation state, like you told me to…" Link's voice trailed off into silence.

"Yes. But you must learn to withstand." Arngeir told him.

"…Withstand?"

Arngeir nodded. "Yes. We shall teach you how over the next week. Follow me." The monk began to walk down the corridor, and as Link managed to keep pace, Arngeir spoke again. "You and Romulus will train together by our teachings, and perhaps help each other progress."

And so, Link learned to withstand the Voice. Romulus trained with him off and on, but with Link being Dragonborn, as well as a disciplined warrior, he learned to keep his Voice lower in volume, as well as to restrain it. This took several weeks, and in the process, his Voice became more precise.

One of the different Withstand training techniques, was to multitask while Shouting. Link pondered how to accomplish this, and soon decided to try to handstand while shouting. The entire idea was ridiculous, yes, but it ended up working. Romulus tried to mimic him with mixed success.

At some point, a month later, Link decided to ask Arngeir a question.

"How do the Shouts not hurt you?" Link asked Arngeir.

The monk smiled. "I've had many years to become resilient. There is something that you need to learn."

"What is it?"

"You must learn to swallow your Shouts when needed." At Link's confused look, Arngeir continued. "Let me explain. When you Shouted at me earlier, it didn't hurt like it was supposed to."

"Why is that?"

"The Shout doesn't affect me, nor does it boost my own abilities. I simply absorbed it - or swallowed, as it's called. It merely passed through my body with little to no effect."

"…That's useful."

Arngeir nodded. "Yes. Now, there are things you must know. You can only swallow Shouts that you already know, and if someone is more powerful than you, it will fail, or be significantly weaker."

"Okay."

"Furthermore, to actually activate Swallowing, you must be at one with the Shout you are using, as well as you must think of the true meaning of the Shout at the right moment."

"I think I understand." 'Doesn't seem that difficult at all.'

"Let me tell you a story. A story about our founder, Jurgen Windcaller." Arngeir smiled and beckoned for Link to follow him as he walked throughout the monastery.

"Long, long ago, Jurgen was in meditation, as he liked to do so every day. His Shouts, much like yours now, had grown in power and in volume."

Arngeir stopped to nod at Wulfgar as they passed in the corridor. "They were becoming unstable, and so, he began to search for a way to control the Voice. Through much meditation, and trial and error, he learned what I told you, and began to practice it every single day, for as long as he lived.

"But there is much more to this story." The monk checked a few books on nearby shelves and made sure Link was still following him as they stepped from a corridor into the main open room.

"Jurgen returned to the ancient Tongues after seven years of Meditation following the Battle of Red Mountain. The seven Tongues then fought Windcaller, for they feared what he had realized about the voice - that it should be used solely for worship and glory of the gods, not the glory of men. It was a means of attaining enlightenment, and not power. Jurgen fought the Tongues for three days straight, and Swallowed their Voices until they lay exhausted."

"What happened next?" Link asked Arngeir, who soon continued.

"They acknowledged the superiority that the Way of the Voice had given Windcaller, and traveled to where High Hrothgar stands today. This vast building was constructed here, and just as it was long ago, the principals are still the same. High Hrothgar is devoted to the studies of the Way of the Voice, as a philosophy of peace and inner balance."

The Greybeard finished, stopping a few seconds to catch his breath, before he spoke again. "Now do you understand?"

Link realized that this is what he needed to be better with fighting dragons. "… This is what I need, Arngeir, this is what I need to be better at fighting dragons. Can you teach me?"

Arngeir smiled warmly at Link's eagerness. "Link, I - we have trained for years to train one such as you. Yes, we will teach you."

While Link and Arngeir were talking, Cobalt crawled out of the knapsack and stared at the Greybeard, slowly blinking his green eyes. The hatchling yawned wide enough to show his tiny fangs and then jumped up to Link's shoulder, curling up like a cat while continuing to gaze at the elderly monk.

"A dragon hatchling." Arngeir said as he slowly smiled. "What do you call the creature?"

"Cobalt."

Arngeir nodded. "For his scales, I take it. A good name, for a mere hatchling. I would delve into Dragon names, but our master would be better suited for this topic."

"Your master? Who are they?"

"You will meet him in due time, when you are ready. For now, continue to train in the Way of the Voice, meditate, and learn new Words of Power." With this, the Greybeard walked away and left Link to his thoughts.

'Well. Seems I'll be here for longer than I thought. Although…I could…' "Summon Shade." It took a second, then Shade appeared in a flash of light.

The undead looked around. "This is a nice, quiet, quaint place. My type of dwelling, actually."

"You look like you've been somewhere." Link commented.

Shade nodded. "Yes, I wandered down to Ivarstead after I left here. I found something out, care to guess what?"

"…What?"

The undead warrior grinned. "I can still drink spirits!" He exclaimed.

"I suppose you'd be happy about that."

"I am." Shade smiled. "And what have you been doing in my absence?"

"Training."

The undead Hylian looked interested as he sat down in a nearby chair. "Really? Training of what sort?"

"The Voice."

"Which is…?"

"It's…" Link paused and tried to explain it. "It's some sort of ability that I have."

"Really?" Shade's single eye glowed and he leaned forward. "Do tell me more."

Link found a nearby chair and moved it over to where Shade was, then took a seat. "I can't really explain it, it's just something that happens." He paused. "… The Voice is… I suppose it's something like incantations that have various effects."

"Are you able to demonstrate?"

"Sure." Link got up from the chair and faced the open room. He made sure nothing was nearby that he could run into, then used Whirlwind Sprint. The Hylian closed his eyes, took a few breaths, then inhaled first. "…Wuld…" Then exhaled. "Nah!"

With a crack, he rushed forward in a blur, and ended up in the middle of the room not even two seconds later. Link then turned to face Shade after he opened his eyes. "How was that?"

"Remarkable." The undead warrior complimented with a wide smile. "The mere fact that you've been able to learn this, as well as different magic entirely… Makes me wonder if it's possible for me…"

"…I think I've regained some of my Magicka if you want to see some of the spells I've learned." Link suggested.

Shade nodded and got up from the chair. "Of course."

So the two went outside, where Link showed Shade various spells such as Frostbite and Sparks. He also summoned his Familiar, who took great interest in Shade.

They then returned to the warmth and comfort of being inside, where Shade finally noticed the small dragon that was still resting on Link's shoulder. "When were you going to tell me you acquired a dragon?"

"…At some point." Link said after he thought of how to respond after a few seconds.

Cobalt noticed he had gotten someone's attention, and the hatching moved to a sitting position and looked up at Shade.

"… I had a dragon hatchling once." Shade commented softly as the dragon suddenly glided from Link's shoulder to his. The undead warrior gazed at the small creature, then smiled sadly. "Her name was Volvagia."

"…The one that was corrupted?" Link asked tentatively. He didn't like where this was going.

"…The very one." Shade then decided to change the topic. "Let us discuss something else. I discovered something in Ivarstead over the… has it been a week?"

Link shook his head. "It's actually been a month."

"A month? Very well, then. It's quite exciting."

"What is it?"

Shade smiled, then leaned in close. "It's a secret. A surprise, if you will." The undead warrior stepped back. "I will tell you that I am investigating something for the people of Ivarstead."

"I shouldn't keep you then." Link said. "I still need to finish my training."

"Very well." Shade nodded to Link as Cobalt glided back to Link's shoulder, then the undead warrior walked across the open room to the doors, opened then, and left High Hrothgar.

The next month went by in a blur. Link spent his time learning how to get better at meditation, with more focus on the Words of Power that he currently knew. Finally, on Sundas, the 7th of Evening Star, Link successfully "swallowed" Arngeir's Fus Shout. He managed to keep both feet on the stone floor of the building, and also keep his balance.

A few hours later, Link crossed the vast open room over to the doors. He pushed one of them open to find that a man wearing everyday clothing was standing at the doors of High Hrothgar with a satchel at his side. "Greetings. If you're the person I'm looking for, then I have a letter for you."

"A letter? For me? Who gave it to you?"

"That's the question isn't it?" The man dug around in the satchel. "I'm one of the many couriers that roam Nirn delivering things and letters to people… Let's see here…" The courier took out a letter and handed it to Link, who examined the official looking elk ink stamp in silence.

"As for your question… the letter is from the Jarl of Falkreath himself. From what he told me, he's interested in meeting you after hearing about your various exploits. Looks like that's everything, but I have no doubt you'll receive more letters. Until next time." The Courier left Link's presence and he was free to open the letter and read its contents.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Siddgeir, and I have the honor to be the Jarl of the proud and ancient city of Falkreath.

The fame of your exploits across Skyrim has brought you to my attention. If you are interested in becoming a Thane of Falkreath, I invite you to speak to me the next time you are in Falkreath. Aside from the honor that accrues to the title, my thanes are entitled to a personal housecarl. I also can tell you privately that a choice parcel of land in Falkreath would be available for your purchase should your services prove useful to me.

I look forward to meeting you in person.

I remain,

Jarl Siddgeir of Falkreath Hold"

Link read the letter a few more times, then turned to look back at Arngeir, who had walked up to see what the Courier wanted. He held up the letter. "Seems I'm going to Falkreath next." 'Seems I have the opportunity to build an actual house… Not sure if I want that, Breezehome suits me just fine…'

Shade appeared in a flash of light and looked at the letter in Link's hand. "A letter? How did you get to be so well known that people are sending you letters?"

Link turned around. "Where have you been?"

"Exploring a barrow." Shade smiled. "And you?"

"I've been here the entire time." Link looked back to see a confused Arngeir. "Oh, right. This is Shade, my ancestor."

Arngeir slowly approached the undead creature. "… A non-hostile Draugr? No… You're not a Draugr, are you?"

Shade shook his head. "No. After my death, I was given a task by my own gods to watch over the land for as long as I could. For five centuries, I watched over my home land…" The warrior gestured towards Link. "And then he was born. My purpose changed then - I was to look over him until he came of age, and then help him."

"Help him how?" Arngeir inquired.

"A tyrant took over, and covered the land in a mist known as Twilight. The lucky were transformed into animals and spirits, the rest… were turned into corrupted creatures known as Twilight Beasts. The ruling regent was locked away in a castle tower…" Shade reached out and placed a skeletal hand on Link's right shoulder. "And so, he found me, and I taught him all that I knew."

"I assume you ended up dealing with this tyrant, then?" Arngeir asked Link.

"I killed him." Link responded with no hesitation.

Arngeir widened his eyes a bit, but nodded. "Continue."

"I ended up nearly dying, and ended up unconscious for several weeks… earned a lot of scars… but I stabbed him in the chest, and I assume he was turned to stone…"

"If you do not remember all of the details, that is fine. I don't expect you to want to tell me all of that, considering what happened to you." Arngeir concluded. "I believe you have advanced far enough in your training for now. If young Siddgeir wants you to visit his hold, you shouldn't keep him waiting."

Link nodded, then turned to face his undead ancestor as Arngeir walked away and vanished from view down one of the corridors. "What now?"

"I do have something for you." Shade reached into the leather side bag that he carried, and took out some sort of crystal object. He then held it towards Link. "Take it."

Link reached out and took the crystal thing from Shade, then examined it. At closer inspection, the thing was a sapphire dragon claw. "Where did you get this?"

"A place named Shrouded Hearth Barrow. I've been investigating it for the past month."

"Actually it's been two months." Link corrected. "What did you find there?" He asked.

"Some mage who pretended to be a spirit. Said to have vanished a year ago, I suppose he went mad being in there by himself the entire time. I ended up dealing with him, he won't be bothering Ivarstead ever again."

"…You killed him?" Link naturally concluded.

Shade nodded. "I did. It wasn't even a fair fight - he tripped over his own weapon and landed on it. I merely finished the job so he wouldn't suffer."

"Okay." Link didn't know what else to say. "Did you find anything?"

"Undead that were friendly towards me. They led me through the barrow and gave me coins and goods. I also found some sort of carved stone wall."

"…The Draugr didn't fight you?"

"Draugr… Is this what they call undead here?" When Link nodded, Shade continued. "No, they did not."

"Interesting, and you said you found a carved wall, can you describe it more?"

The undead warrior nodded. "Certainly. When I approached the wall, it had carvings in another language, one that I had never seen before. There was a dragon head made of stone perched atop the wall."

Link looked at his undead ancestor for a second in silence, then he slowly smiled. "Shade, you found a Word Wall."

"A word wall? What is that?" Shade asked in curiosity. "Did I find something valuable?"

"You did." Link responded eagerly. "Word Walls contain Words of Power. Dragon Shouts."

"Let me think… Were the two words you used to fly across the room a month ago - one of these Shouts?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. First two words of Whirlwind Sprint. Each Shout has three words in total… but the fact that you found one so close to here… Are you able to get me into Shrouded Hearth?"

"I can most certainly try, though I don't know what the undead there will do."

Link looked down at the sapphire dragon claw he was holding. "…Guess we'll find out."