We heard our regular guard talking to a female guard, it seems she was assigned here and he had been moved to Rorikstead where he had family that could put him up. A misunderstanding had put them both in the same bed and she wasn't happy about it. It seemed Tex was back and sleeping in the room downstairs, so she thought to use the smaller room.
Signar went down to answer the knock at the door, I was right behind him, as I figured the guard would want to see me before they would leave us be. As Signar explained to the guard what was wrong, I peeked from behind his back at the guard, he laughed and said have a good rest of the night.
I grabbed a jug of fruit juice and some breakfast rolls and headed upstairs, I stopped long enough to put on some loose pants and then took everything out to the balcony. I knew Signar would join me once the issue with the guards was taken care of.
I heard our bedroom door close so knew he would be out in a minute, which he was, with a clean shirt on. He sat down and propped his feet up on the lower balcony rail. We sat in silence, for a while and I got to think some of my problems through. I was enjoying the quiet chill of the morning, the sun wasn't even a glow on the horizon yet, an aurora was putting on a dim show.
"My Lady? You're not going to eat that are you?" I paused with one of the pastries almost to my lips and looked at it, then grimaced... ick... sausage roll, Hulda made them for Signar and Tex, I much preferred the fruit pastries, but it appeared that I had already eaten all of those. I put it down and Signar laughed then picked it up and popped it in his mouth. I picked up my mug and took a sip.
"I've finished my armor, so I think we will head over to Riverwood and see what Delphine wants. Even though it's only a day's ride, I think a couple days' travel rations and the tents might be a good idea. "
"You have in mind to go somewhere after seeing Delphine?"
"I don't really know, I doubt she said urgent and just wants our company. I would prefer to be prepared. Plus we might go to Windhelm, the court wizard there is pretty old and may have an answer to why my magic is so much less than it was before." This worried me more than some of the other problems, as I relied on my magic in battle. I would be careful, not just because I hated the feeling of being weak and flat on my back, but because Signar and Tex also relied on my magics.
I stood up and walked to the door, looking back over my shoulder I told Signar that it was going to be dark for a couple hours yet and the bed did look rather inviting.
The trip to Riverwood was rather uneventful, the guards having finally gotten rid of the wolf pack that had been attacking travelers. Another would move in to take their place, but today at least the way was clear. Orgnar greeted me, with a grin which was for him as good as a smile and a hug, and asked if I was going to sing and teach Sven a couple new songs. Seems he was playing the same couple of melancholy song's over and over again.
I laughed and said no I was here to speak with Delphine. The Lady herself choose that moment to come up out of the cellar. She motioned for me to follow her then went to shut her bedroom door once we were inside. Signar closed the door, she looked at me then at him, and frowned.
"Where I go he goes", at which I got growled at, " Correction, where I go they go."
"Fine, follow me down, so that no one can overhear". I gave Signar that 'see I told you look', he just shrugged. The only person in the Inn at that time was Ognar.
"So, I heard you are Dragonborn, is that correct?"
" One of the Guards at the Western Watchtower named me so after defeating the dragon that was attacking there. The Jarl agreed when I told him I had absorbed some kind of power from the Dragon when he died. The Greybeards named me so after several tests." She snorted and looked back down at the table.
"You'll forgive me if I don't believe everything the Greybeards say, to be true".
"Your prerogative of course. So, what.. you want to follow me around until a dragon attacks and then help me slay it so that I can absorb it's soul upon its death?" when Signar shifted from his apparently relaxed position, I looked and saw the angry expression on his face. "Peace Signar."
"No, I know where one might be resurrecting if the pattern holds. You gave me the key to that pattern."
"The Dragonstone?" She nodded, "Why so much interest in dragons and Dragonborns?"
" I'm a member of the Blades," I startled when she said that, but quickly thought it figured, " We remember what few other people do. The Blades started as Dragonslayers and The Dragonborn is the ultimate dragonslayer, by absorbing it's soul, they won't come back. Which is what is happening now, something is bringing the dragons back to life."
"So where are we heading?"
"Kynesgrove, if the pattern holds that is where the next dragon will be resurrected at". I nodded
"Fine then let's get going"
We got to Kynesgrove three days later, Delphine didn't have a horse and wouldn't let us buy her one. If one discounts bandit attacks, wild animals, crappy weather, and un-social companion, it was a pleasant trip. We arrived in time to meet a woman running from the town saying that a dragon was attacking, but after questioning her, it seems it had just flown over towards the dragon mound.
We raced up the hill, for once Tex was not the first one there. The others crouched behind a rock, but I didn't bother, what point when the Black dragon knew I was there. I did not catch all the words that he said to the dragon mound, but another dragon crawled out of the dust and dirt, bones at first then flesh and skin. He gave his name to the Black Dragon, Alduin, firstborn of Akatosh.
The others did not catch the name, though when I looked at Tex, he was hugging so close to the boulder, that it looked like he was trying to be part of it. I frowned at him, it wasn't like he was scared, more like he didn't want to be seen.
I looked back when Alduin started speaking again, he was looking right at me, but speaking in the Dragon language, so I didn't understand most of it. He started berating me for calling myself Dovah and not knowing how to speak the language. I snorted, I never called myself dragon, everyone else was, but I said not a word, it didn't really matter. He gave another mighty flap to his wings and told the other dragon to "kill her".
"OK, guy's and gal's, fights on...kill the dragons". I used my staff to summon and got a Winged Twilight and then summoned my bound bow. My first two shots were for Alduin, but he didn't even flinch in his flight, which did not bode well for killing him when next we met.
It wasn't as long a fight as I had thought it would be, but Sahloknir was not as strong as he would have thought either. He did say we were putting up a good fight, for mortals. When he crash-landed and Signar went to do battle with his sword in hand, he even said that mortals had become arrogant while he slept. When Tex came into view I thought he was going to say something to the hound, but Signar put his sword through the underside of his throat at the moment.
Delphine came up to me right after I absorbed Sahlokir's soul, as his memories became mine, I felt the loneliness of one who called himself Sky's Phantom Hunter, never to be seen, by any, prey or friend, Alduin had been the only one who ever managed to find him.
"So, it is true, you can absorb a dragon's soul. I owe you answers. We have been looking for a purpose, for well, since we failed in our job to protect Uriel Septim VII. With the return of the dragons, I think I have found our purpose. That black dragon, he was resurrecting the other, we need to find out who is behind that." I snorted and she looked at me sharply.
" I saw him in Helgen," laughing weakly I continued, " You could say he saved my life."
She started going on about Ulfirc and The Empire and Thalmor, conspiracies and while I thought that the Thalmor might be a good source of information, I knew they were not conspiring with Alduin, let alone controlling him. But I didn't need to divulge all my secrets to her, so I kept my mouth shut.
"That's all good and well Delphine, but exactly how would we get the information from the Thalmor?"
" I don't know, I just don't know... damn, we are stumbling around in the dark. I have a couple of ideas, meet me back in Riverwood, it'll be a couple days to a week, I need to get in touch with some contacts". With that, she went back down the road.
I watched her go and then walked over to the dragon mound and sat on its edge. I stared brooding at Sahlokir's bones for a couple minutes, watching Signar and Tex walk around the field. Ulfric, he had a court wizard, an older man if I remembered what Ralof had said correctly. I didn't know him, but most wizards welcome a trade in magical items and as all I wanted was some information, he might be open to the idea.
When Signar started walking back to me, I got up and motioned in the direction of Kynesgrove. I told him that I wanted to speak with Ulfric's court wizard, he frowned a bit and scratched his chin, but shrugged and said fine, we could head to Windhelm, it was very close, only made sense to stop there for the night.
When we neared the Windhelm stables, my sight went blurry and I saw his face and Azura's... as I got dizzier, I saw the two of us standing in the snow on a road. I sighed and shouted "fine I'll go" in my head. My sight restored, the dizziness passed, I turned my horse up the road that would lead us to The Nightgate Inn and a Dunmer that I hoped would have some answers.
"Change of plans, I need to go meet a man".
~~~~~~
She was coming, I packed my things and got the Inn Keeper to fill another pack with food. I had already arranged to rent his grandfather's hunting cabin, had checked it out, and put some other supplies in it. I sat down to some hot stew and then went out to the road to wait for her.
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