Scarlet Scale Ch. 003

I do NOT own the Elder Scrolls series, or any part of it. This was written purely for amusement.

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I was running down the road with the small group of city guard that Irileth had rounded up from their patrols of Whiterun. It was fast enough that we were making good time, but not so fast that we were going to be weak to fight. I could already make out the tower now, and there was fallen debris, smoking fires scattered about.

The speech that Irileth had given to the guard had roused most of their spirits, though one poor man seemed terrified at the idea of actually fighting a dragon. I was the opposite, perhaps even more excited than Irileth, as I was already several horse-strides ahead of her.

"Well," she commented as up to the side of a couple large boulders, "I don't see a dragon, but it sure looks like it's been here. Spread out through the rubble, look for survivors, but keep alert to the sky. I need someone to search the tower as well."

I was sure that was prudent, so I ran up along with a guardsman.

"Stop, wait!" It was another guard who had already been at the outpost, waiting for help. I waved for Irileth as the soldier gasped frantically. "It's still here, I'm sure! He already snatched up Tor. Hroki and I just barely got into the tower in time!"

The dunmer bodyguard seemed so taut with fighting spirit that she might as well have "flown" up the steps herself.

"Where?" She demanded. "Where is this monster?"

Just then, several things happened, all at the same time. One of the guard outside blew on a loud trumpeting horn. The soldiers were shouting. The air was split by a deafening roar, a sound so strong that it had a force we could all feel.

But...

I knew this "dragon."

Sprinting up the steps in the still hot stone of the tower, I reached its landing in no time. I saw him sweeping down from the clouds over the low mountain range to the south.

Mirmulnir.

He opened his maw, and let loose another torrent of fire down at us. But as he dove down for Whiterun's soldiers, the great lizard's head was dipping below me, and the tower. I leapt down with the point of my sword aiming at his scaly neck. It connected, the blade going in only halfway.

"Brit grah," I heard him say as he lifted up, trying to throw me off "I had almost forgotten what fine sport you mortals can provide!"

His amusement infuriated me, and I ripped my sword out.

"You WILL die!!" I screamed. "We 'mortals' have worth too!"

But the dragon ignored me, shaking the massive neck. Instead of falling off, I had already grabbed hard the scales and chunks of his flesh that my black blade had managed to loosen. It wasn't much, but I had a good grip, made stronger by my talons.

After a moment of that, he was trying something else. Mirmulnir thrust his wings down, lifting him higher into the air.

"Mey joor!" He chuckled. "You realize not, that lok is the comfort of the dov! It will turn against you!"

I had no idea what his plan was, but for that vague reason of before, I knew he meant the sky. I needed to act, right away. I had only the feeling that he was going to try rolling into a spin in the sky, but he might try anything else too.

Although I had gotten my sword already, I never let it go, and rammed it in again to get another handhold in its neck. I pulled my daedric dagger out, launching my feet off towards his head, which was easily as big as my whole body.

Dagger in hand, I punched it into the dragon's eye as hard as I could. He roared in rage and pain, diving for the ground. Knowing that I was still too far above to land safely, I kept holding fast, letting Mirmulnir take me to it instead. The guard saw their chance and ran to strike. They got some arrows in, and one lucky man managed to throw his greatsword like a spear, the weapon's tip biting into its tail.

But I KNEW that I was the one causing the MOST injury to the dragon, and somehow that it wasn't just because I was still clinging to its neck. The dragon crashed, but was swinging his head too wildly for me to get the other eye. I leapt again, off into the grass, but grabbed a fallen guard's greataxe. Heaving with both hands, as hard as I could, the axe-head was cleaved into the top of its skull.

Some kind of realization seemed have sparked to the dragon at that same moment, because I thought I saw the expression of fear in its remaining eye.

"Dovahkiin...?" He gasped as the eyelid closed. "No... I have... failed Alduin..."

Contrary to what I usually felt about triumphantly slaying an opponent, I felt saddened about him passing. Almost like I might for another hatchling of my people. Then I turned to talk with Irileth, but the guard in front of me gasped in shock and surprise.

There was a crackling, hissing sound coming from the dragon behind me, and as I turned back around drawing my bow, I saw Mirmulnir's body erupting into flame. I thought that maybe he was trying to use some kind of unknown magic to unexpectedly revive, but the dragon was completely still, except for the flame. Irileth and the city's guards backed away, I think, but I was only barely aware of them. Instead, I walked into fire, its light and warmth mildly caressing me as it seemed to enter my body somehow. And as it faded, I came to a NEW understanding of that strange word I saw in the Bleakfalls ruin.

"Force..." I whispered.

The guard all dashed back in, astonished to see the flesh and skin of the dragon 'burning' away, the wispy light apparently flowing into my body, as though I was absorbing it. Indeed, I somehow KNEW that I was, and although I had felt saddened by the dragon dying, I was now feeling a rush of intense, THRILLING pleasure. I longed for it to continue, but the powerful feeling faded slowly.

"Dragonborn..." one of the awed guardsmen whispered "you're a... a... dragonborn..."

"What?" Irileth demanded cynically "What's this about a 'dragonborn?'"

"In some of the oldest tales," the guardsman explained, "the bards sing of the dragonborn, a mortal who can slay the mighty dragons with ease, and absorb their souls. If you really ARE dragonborn, you should be able to 'shout' like the dragons can. Go on, try it."

I thought hard about that word from the wall, and the "new" meanings of it. During that, the soldiers were debating about whether I was or wasn't the dragonborn they were talking about. As they had said, the well-known popular Emperor Tiber Septim had been dragonborn. But he was an imperial human, not argonian. Still...

I had the feeling that I should look away from the guards, it just seemed to naturally come to me.

I took a deep breath and...

"Fus!!"

The plains' scrub and small rocks were thrown back away from me, about maybe thirty feet! I knew I was supposed to feel surprised at something I had never seen, or had a feeling about before arriving here, but... I wasn't surprised at all.

"By the Gods..." the guard gasped in astonishment. "See Irileth?! She IS a dragonborn!"

"Humph." Despite the shout, she was still unconvinced. "I urge you all to trust in your fighting skills, and the strength of your weapons. Those, and superior tactics are what win a battle. I see a DEAD dragon, and that means they can be killed, I do need some mythical dragonborn who may be able to kill a dragon."

"That's okay Irileth," the same guard replied "you don't know, you ain't a nord."

"Look," the dunmer commented as she turned to me "I don't know about this 'dragonborn' business, but you've certainly proven yourself a VERY capable fighter. You should get back to Whiterun, tell the Jarl about what happened. We'll help get the injured back to the city, and thank very much for your help, Scarlet."

"I'm glad to have."

Then I turned and jogged down the road. But as I started passing the stables, I heard a strange thundering call come rolling down from the huge mountaintop, the one to the east of Riverwood.

"DOV-AH-KIIN!!"

It seemed to shake the very ground itself, as though it was an earthquake. Again, words I had never heard, but I KNEW that it was referring to myself. I was "dovahkiin," not just argonian. But what it meant, I only knew that it was somehow related to the dragons. Despite my still continuing irritation at not knowing what this meant for me, I was grateful for my shaman urging me to find these mysterious things about myself.

Before long, I was standing in front of Jarl Balgruuf again. He was speaking with his court. By now I had realized that included his younger brother, his advisor, the court mage, and of course, his personal bodyguard Irileth, who hadn't returned yet.

"You heard the summons. What else could it mean?" He was waxing sentimental, but then turned to me. "So what happened at the watchtower? Was the dragon there?"

I answered quickly, wanting to collapse into a bed "The watchtower was nearly destroyed, but we killed the dragon."

Balgruuf was very pleased, "I KNEW I could count on Irileth. But there must be more to it than that..."

"Turns out I may be something called 'Dragonborn.'"

"Dragonborn?" He sounded surprisingly suspicious. "What do you know about the Dragonborn?"

"I don't completely understand it," I tried explaining "but I keep having a strange feeling that I've seen all this before, and with each time, the feeling seems a bit stronger. One of your men was convinced I am dragonborn, when he saw me absorb some sort of fiery magic from the dragon after I landed the killing blow. Then I tried a shout, and blew away the rocks and bushes."

Jarl Balgruuf, his brother, Hrongar, and the mage Farengar, their eyes all went very wide just then.

"So it's true..." Balgruuf said quietly "The Greybeards really WERE summoning you."

"The Greybeards?" I was confused, I simply fought an enemy, and did what I had to win. That all seemed like the natural thing to do, hardly special. "Who are they?"

"Masters of the Way of the Voice. They live in seclusion high on the slopes of the Throat of the World."

"Why would they summon me?"

"The Dragonborn," the Jarl continued "such a person is said to be uniquely gifted in the Voice. An ability to focus your vital essence into a Thu'um, or Shout. If you really are Dragonborn, they can teach you how to use your gift."

Hrongar chimed in, "Didn't you hear the thundering sound as you returned to Whiterun? That was the voice of the Greybeards, summoning you to High Hrothgar! This hasn't happened in... centuries, at least. Not since Tiber Septim himself was summoned when he was still Talos of Atmora!"

"Hrongar," the Jarl's imperial advisor, Proventus interjected "calm yourself. What does any of this Nord nonsense have to do with our friend here? Capable as she may be, I don't see any signs of her being this, what, 'Dragonborn.'"

I was feeling highly tempted to try "shouting" against the wall just to prove against more doubt about me, but decided that a city ruler's hall was probably not the place such a "demonstration."

Hrongar was happy to express his irritation at the insult for me anyway. "Nord nonsense?! Why you puffed-up ignorant... these are our sacred traditions that go back to the founding of the First Empire!"

"Hrongar." Balgruuf chided, "Don't be so hard on Avenicci."

"I meant no disrespect, of course." Proventus' smugness towards Hrongar suggested that he actually didn't care, "It's just that... what do these Greybeards want with her?"

"That's the Greybeards' business," Jarl Balgruuf said, "its not ours."

Then he turned to me, "Whatever happened when you killed that dragon, it revealed something in you, and the Greybeards heard it. If they think you're Dragonborn, who are we to argue? You'd better get up to High Hrothgar immediately. There's no refusing the summons of the Greybeards. It's a tremendous honor."

The weight in tone told me that he considered this to be EXTREMELY important, but then went on. "You've also done a great service for me and my city, Dragonborn. By my right as Jarl, I name you Thane of Whiterun. It's the greatest honor that's within my power to grant. I assign you Lydia, one of my city's best guardswomen, as your personal Housecarl, and this weapon, a Blade of Whiterun-"

Hrongar and Balgruuf handed me a large case that was laying next to the Jarl's throne.

"-it should serve as your badge of office. I'll also notify my guards of your new title. Wouldn't want them to think you're one of the average citizens, now would we? We are honored to have you as Thane of our city, Dragonborn."

"Really," I persisted "Who are the Greybeards? I've never heard of any of this until I arrived in Skyrim."

"They're the Masters of the Way of the Voice." Balgruuf repeated. "Of Shouting. They live up high around the top of the Throat of the World. If you're really Dragonborn, they'll want to talk to you. In the old stories, they always summon the Dragonborn for training."

"So... what's it mean, to be Dragonborn?"

"Well," the Jarl seemed to think back as he recalled his memories, "in the old tales, the Dragonborn heroes would use the power of their Voice to defeat the enemies of Skyrim. Wulfharth was Dragonborn. Talos, too- though you probably know him better as Tiber Septim, the founder of the Empire, back in the height of its glory. In the very oldest tales, back from when there still were dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power. One such story is of Olaf One-Eye, but you shouldn't spend much time listening to tales. Go to the Greybeards, learn what they can teach you, as I am merely a student compared to their knowledge."

"Very well," I agreed, curious about something else he said, "this Lydia you mentioned, you said that she's my housecarl? Irileth is your housecarl, so does that mean, that... Lydia will defend my life the same way?"

"Yes." Balgruuf affirmed. By now, Hrongar and the others were settled for dinner, though still nearby, in the main hall. "Once you can afford your own house in the city, she will defend it with her life as well. I had already talked with her about this, she told me that if I decided it, then as her new Thane, you would be able to find her relaxing at the Bannered Mare. She had been the one who caught a redguard trying to break into one of the houses, and when he fled, he made the pursuit 'difficult' for her, but she detained him with an unconventional method. I must let her explain how."

"Thank you, my Jarl." I remembered the proper dues of respect easily, of course. "You have been rather generous, I appreciate it."

He nodded, and I left for the tavern that doubled as an inn. Mikael still wasn't back yet, but I told Hulda, the building's owner, why her bard wasn't there. She simply laughed, and agreed that he had had it coming. The only reason why she kept him around apparently, was because of the difficulty in trying to find a new bard. I also told her about Uthgerd.

"By the Nine!" She gaped. "I pray that she recovers!"

"Yes," I agreed, "Mikael is looking after her. Apparently, I've found out 'something' about myself and must travel to another place in Skyrim. Uthgerd will probably be back by then, and you can tell her that I owe her another five more emeralds then. It was because of me that she was hurt, but I think she will understand it wasn't completely my fault."

"Five?" Hulda was confused. "How... yes I'll tell her."

"I'm also looking for a woman named Lydia?"

The tavern owner quickly pointed her out, she was chatting with Saadia, the barmaid.

"Thanks."

After walking over, I introduced myself, and Lydia seemed quite startled when I told her I was named a "Thane."

"Forgive me," she explained "but most are nords like myself. I'm still surprised that an argonian would fight so fiercely far from her native land."

"From that perspective," I commented drily, "I suppose it's understandable. But after killing the dragon, I..." the words were surprisingly hard to find, but Lydia knew what I meant.

"Yes, Jarl Balgruuf told me about it. My older brother Felnir, was one of those by your side actually. He came through the gate a little while after you did apparently, and he said the dragon 'ignited' into a mystical fire. I, and all the others of Whiterun heard the shout of the Greybeards. So... you are going, or are we?"

"Well," despite now being a 'Thane' here, Skyrim is still a foreign country to me. I would also appreciate the companionship..."

The way I said it, of course, was "open to interpretation," just as I intended.

"What do we need-"

I was interrupted by my noticing the door off to the side of the tavern appearing to open, and then seemingly nothing passing through it, as it shut. If I hadn't noticed the very faintest of slight distortion in the light by the stone, I might have paid it no mind. I looked at Lydia, rolling my eyes towards the door, and as subtle a pointing gesture as I could. She caught on as I pretended to be engrossed in preparing to see the Greybeards. Lydia replied about furs and water, a village named "Ivarstead" was at the foot of the path leading up, but my attention was focused towards the corner as I walked.

Suddenly, with the lightning-quick reflexes that my swampy homeland ingrained into all saxhleel, the argonians who were native-born, I grabbed the arm, and whipped my daedric dagger to the throat of the formerly invisible vampire.

"I. HAVE. Got. To. Feed... I can't help that..."

"No, I suppose you can't." I sympathized. "But, could you use a foodsource where they would not be terribly missed, such as bandits?"

"I don't have the time. No, I can't tell you why. For what it's worth though, your catching me without using magic, is... impressive. I respect this. Please listen, I don't transmit my gift through my bite, it is only through your consumption of my blood instead. I don't wish to harm anyone beyond defending myself, and I use self-control in my feedings. Please, I will actually go insane if the thirst gets stronger."

"I..." I hadn't ever thought about this side of things, but I already wanted to let her go on her way. I still needed to make sure that I wasn't going to be ostracized for my concern. "Know this, blood drinker... if I hear of ANY in this city dying, then I swear, I WILL hunt you down, and exterminate your entire coven without mercy."

"Yes, I understand. Thank you."

I whipped my dagger down, and the vampire quietly used her invisibility, slipping out the door.

"Why'd you let her go, my Thane?!"

"Because," I answered "as she said, she needed to feed, and couldn't help it. We both need food too, but what happens when we starve? The only reason why hunting a deer is considered alright, is the deer can't tell us of their fear."

"But a deer is just an animal!"

"Yes," I agreed, "but if they can't even fight back, doesn't that seem even less noble? The vampire mentioned that she makes more of a decision in it than what a large lion might. That predator simply attacks. The vampire I released picks her targets."

"But she might..."

"I know, but I warned her, and she obviously still has SOME self-control, or she would have fought right away. Blood-drinking aside, she's still an intelligent person. If she acts against the warning, only after that, she should be punished. We may talk of this later, but we should be alert for our journey tomorrow. I will tell Hulda that I saw a vampire making her 'escape' out the side door, understand?"

"Yes, my Thane." She sounded irritated, but conceded my points.

I told the tavern owner, and she seemed to take a short hiss in her surprise. Then I paid for a bed, and we went up to the loft to enjoy our ales.

"So," I started, "there's only one bed here, but are you... comfortable with that?"

"Yes, my Thane." Lydia assured me "I was sworn by my oath to the Jarl upon becoming a city guard, and if he tells me that you are my Thane, then that oath is transferred to you. This is how it is in Skyrim for all who would swear themselves to be Housecarl, such a person is then binding themselves to protect and defend their Thane or Jarl, also that person's belongings, with their own life, if need be. This also means, that I must place your needs first before my own. If you want the bed, then it is yours for the night."