Harbinger Ch. 12

Up to now, I have kept pretty much on canon as far as the main quest line goes, but for those familiar with Skyrim, I have altered the things slightly just so the story doesn't get too large, or boring.

Lyara snuggled as close as she could get to Farkas that night. His arm around her was a great comfort, but she just couldn't relax or get warm. They had no bedroll, only their cloaks, and the cold of the hard stone floor seeped into her very bones. Exhaustion must have eventually over taken her, as she finally drifted off to sleep. When she woke a few hours later, she was stiff and cramped but eager to get on the road.

The weather was unseasonably mild, for which Lyara was very grateful. There was a chill in the air, but the sun shone brightly, glinting off their armour. Lyara and Farkas passed the time telling each other more about their pasts. Despite her bad mood, he managed to make her laugh a few times, especially when he told about a fight he once had with Vilkas when they were children over a girl, and he had broke his brother's nose. He and his brother grown up in an orphanage, but had always longed to be warriors. Their father had been a city guard in Whiterun, and had died in a skirmish during a Forsworn ambush while out on patrol. Their mother had died while they were quite young from some illness Farkas had been too young to know what it was called. Kodlak had been a friend to their father, and regularly visited them in the orphanage. As soon as they turned sixteen, he took them and brought them to Jorrvaskr, where he had lived ever since.

Lyara shared some more about her time in Valenwood, and why she had finally chosen to leave. Following an attempt by her Grandparents to force her into an arranged marriage, Lyara left home at 15. Estranged from her family, and almost an outcast amongst her people, she headed north in search of her father. When she finally made it to the Nord populated town of Bruma, she asked around hoping for information, but she had limited knowledge of the man who fathered her, and was unsuccessful. She teamed up with a band of mercenaries from the Fighters Guild, after she had bested one of their men in a brawl. They taught her how to fight with a bow and steel, and how to survive in some of the more unsavoury parts of the world. They were not everyone's idea of a family, but they all looked out for each other, and it was the closest thing she had known.

"Until now that is," she added. "You, and the Companions are my family now." She beamed at him.

Farkas could not help but return the smile. It was not often he saw her smile like that, which was a shame, because it lit up her whole face. Her eyes sparkled, and some of the worry lifted from her brow. The stories brought them even closer together, and Farkas felt that he was finally seeing what drove this unusual woman into the life she now led.

Once in Whiterun, they slept in their new home rather than head back to Jorrvaskr, and headed straight back out the next morning. She slept much better that night than she had done the previous night. The bed was comfortable, and with Farkas's arm around her, she felt warm and safe.

Fresh horses and temperate weather allowed them to skirt around the bottom of The Throat of the World without too much delay, and they reached Ivarstead just before midnight. Wilhelm, the owner of the Vilemyr Inn, greeted them like old friends. He showed them to a room and promised to send up some food shortly.

Lyara was so exhausted, she just wanted to sleep, but Farkas made her wait up and eat. In the morning, Farkas woke just after dawn, and saw that Lyara was still sound asleep. They had to go up the '7000 Steps' but it would only take about an hour to get up the path, so he could see no reason why she should not sleep for a little while longer. He lay awake, with her head on his chest, happy to just listen to her breathing.

When she did wake, she quickly got ready, eager to get this over with. Arriving downstairs in the main bar area, Wilhelm offered them both some breakfast of ham and eggs. It was all freshly prepared, and the smell made Farkas's tummy growl. Lyara was going to decline, but when she heard his stomach rumble, and saw the plaintive expression on his face, she agreed. Farkas smiled a grateful smile, before tucking into his food so fast it was as if he had never eaten. Lyara ate hers, but not with quite the same gusto.

Farkas constantly worried she didn't look after herself properly, and thinking she was just picking at her food, he told her that they were not leaving until she had eaten it all as she needed to keep her strength up. She scowled at him in jest, and said that he was just trying to make her fat.

When they arrived at High Hrothgar, the silent monks inside nodded in greeting as they moved through the main hall. Eventually, Arngier, the leader of the Greybeards, appeared and asked her why she was here.

She told him that the Blades had shown her Alduin's Wall, and that it had revealed the secret to defeating Alduin was in the shout known as Dragonrend.

Arngier was immediately hostile at the mention of the Blades, and Dragonrend.

"That is just typical of those blood thirsty Blades. Dragonrend was a shout created from hate, and I refuse to teach this to you."

Lyara pleaded with him, but he stubbornly refused to listen. Suddenly, a disembodied voice boomed around the cold walls of High Hrothgar. Lyara could not understand the language, but instinctively, she understood that it was dragon tongue.

With a resigned sigh, Arngier told her that Paarthurnax, the true leader of the Greybeards, demanded to see her. Arngier led her out of the back to the courtyard area.

The wind was blowing cold and fierce, and Arngier had to shout to make himself heard. He pointed to a small archway at the back of the courtyard, which led to a path that took them to the very top of The Throat of the World. It was here that she would meet with Paarthurnax. Wrapping their cloaks tightly around them, Lyara and Farkas made their way through the arch.

Farkas was not happy. He didn't particularly enjoy heights, and the path was extremely narrow. Slowly and carefully, they made their way up higher and higher. The wind whipped up the snow about them, until they could barely see where they were going. Finally at the top, they seemed to leave the wind behind and the air became still and calm. Lyara looked around trying to spot a dwelling of some kind that the leader of the Greybeards could be hiding in.

"Get ready for a fight!" Farkas yelled.

Lyara immediately had her bow in her hand, and an arrow nocked, then looked in the direction of Farkas's gaze. At the pinnacle of the mountain, upon a large stone outcrop, was a dragon. It was covered in pale grey scales, and was much larger than the one she had fought in Whiterun. It stared at her with its large red reptilian eyes before jumping down and landing several feet away from them.

"Drem Yor Lok. Greetings, I am Paarthurnax."

Lyara froze, wondering why the dragon was not attacking. Is this who the Greybeards sent me to see? She recalled Esbern saying that some of the dragons that had fought with Alduin all those years ago had betrayed him, and sided with the humans, teaching them the Thu'um. Was this such a creature? she wondered.

She slowly lowered her bow as the dragon was not making any hostile gestures, and she didn't want to antagonize it. Erring on the side of caution, they kept their distance. Farkas seemed reluctant to lower his sword, but he held back, following her lead. She was pleased to see that he was poised and ready to charge at a moment's notice.

"Who are you? What brings you to my mountain?" The ancient dragon spoke to them, his voice slow and deliberate. Lyara was amazed that he could even speak.

"Are you the master of the Greybeards?" Lyara asked in return.

"They see me as master, as old and wise, and it is true I am old. Tell me? Why do you intrude on my meditation?"

"I wish to learn the Dragonrend Word of Power. Are you able to teach me?"

"Patience. There are formalities that must be observed at the first meeting of two of the Dov. The elder speaks first."

The dragon stretched up his neck to its full height.

"Hear my Thu'um. Feel it in your bones, and match it if you are Dovakiin."

The great beast turned towards the rocky outcrop.

"YOL TOOR SHUL," he bellowed, and a great jet of flame shot from his mouth. So hot was this flame that it quickly melted the snow, and caused the rock to smolder. As the rock glowed, it became clear there were words inscribed in Dragon tongue on the wall. Something deep in Lyara reacted to those words, and their knowledge was transferred into her. Instinctively, she knew she could repeat what the dragon had just done.

She placed a hand on Farkas's chest, signalling for him to stay back, before walking closer to the dragon. Paarthurnax looked at her with eyes as big as her head. Razor sharp teeth protruded from a jaw that could have easily bitten her in half.

"Now, show me what you can do. Greet me not as a mortal, but as a Dovah!" Paarthurnax ordered.

She turned to face the dragon, and let out her own cry.

"YOL TOOR SHUL"

A jet of flame, not quite as impressive as that of Paarthurnax, came forth.

"Aaahhh yes... dragon blood runs strong in you. It is long since I had the pleasure of speech with one of my own kind."

Lyara figured he must be referring to her dragon soul.

"So, you have made your way here, to me. No easy task for a poor ... mortal," he finished with a sinister chuckle. "Even for one of the Dovah Sos. Dragon Blood. You would not come all this way for tinvaak with an old Dovah. You seek your weapon against Alduin."

"Yes. I wish to learn Dragonrend."

"First, a question. Why do you wish to defeat Alduin?"

Lyara thought this an odd question.

"I want to prevent Alduin from destroying the world."

"Some would say that all things must end, so that the next can come to pass. Perhaps this world is the egg of the next. Would you stop the next world from being born."

Lyara was starting to grow impatient with all this philosophy.

"I like this world, and I don't want it destroyed. The next world can take care of itself."

The dragon seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"Maybe you only serve to balance those that work towards the world's destruction. But, you have indulged my weakness for speech long enough, and so now, I will answer your question. I live here, at the peak of the Monahven, the Throat of the World, because this is the very spot that Alduin was defeated by ancient tongues. Perhaps none but me remember how he was defeated."

"Did the Dragonrend shout not defeat him?" Asked Lyara.

"Yes, and no. Alduin was not truly defeated. If he was, you would not be here now seeking a way to defeat him."

Lyara saw the lips of the dragon move and twitch, in what she could only imagine was the approximation of a smile.

"The Nords of those days used the Dragonrend shout to cripple Alduin, but this was not enough. It was Kel -- the Elder Scroll. They used it to cast him adrift the on the currents of time. "

"Are you saying the ancient Nords sent him forward in time?" Questioned Lyara.

"Not intentionally. Some hoped he would be gone forever. Forever lost. I knew better. Time flows ever onward. One day, he would resurface, which is why I have lived here these thousands of mortal years. I knew where he would emerge, just not when."

Lyara couldn't help but think how this old dragon reminded her of Esbern.

"How did the Elder Scroll accomplish this?"

"The Elder Scrolls are an artifact from outside time. It does not exist, but has always existed. They are fragments of creation and are often used by your kind for prophecy. The prophecy of your arrival comes from an Elder Scroll."

"I do not mean to be discourteous, but how does this help me?" Lyara asked.

"Time was shattered here because of what the ancient Nords did to Alduin. As a Dovah, you should be able to cast yourself back to the other end of the Time-wound, and learn Dragonrend from those who created it."

Lyara's head was swimming from all the information. If she understood Paarthurnax correctly, he was suggesting she travel back in time and learn the Dragonrend shout from its original creators.

Paarthurnax made his way to the wall, and with one almighty claw, pulled a section of it down. Inside was a small hollow. He turned his head towards Lyara, and she moved forward to look inside. Amongst the rubble, was a small scroll. She picked it up and looked at the dragon for further instruction.

"Read the scroll at the Time-wound, Dovahkiin."

She unrolled the scroll, but looked over at Farkas before looking at the script. He had finally lowered his sword, but he still looked alert and on edge. He nodded to her, to let her know that whatever she had to do, she should do it. Not knowing what was going to happen next, she sent him a look that she hoped signified how much she loved him. She then bent her head to look at the text.

The writing was in an ancient language, one she did not understand with her eyes, but one her dragon soul instinctively recognised. Her tongue began to form the words and as she did so, the periphery of her vision started to blur. She continued to read as her vision contracted to a small funnel, then the words on the scroll seemed to disappear, and instead all she could see was darkness. She stopped speaking, unable to read any further. Her vision started to expand once again, but as she began to focus, she could see that while she was still atop the Throat of the World, there was a night sky now above her.

Stars were not the only thing that lit the sky, as she could see in the distance countless dragons swooping and expelling their deadly flame. Human voices caused her to turn her head, but she couldn't move towards them as she found she was rooted to the spot. She saw three warriors walk towards her, a tall muscular Nord male with long red hair and woad on his face, a fierce looking blond warrior maiden, and an older grey haired Mage. They were talking about luring Alduin to the mountain top in the hope they could use Dragonrend to defeat the Dragon god. This must be Hakon One-Eye, Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, and Felldir The Old; the ancient warriors who defeated Alduin thousands of years ago.