'... and took its very soul like the heroes of old!'
The Nord opposite me concluded his short and confusing tale with a swig of ale, the foam collecting on his great, grey walrus-like mustache - which he happily slurped on after setting down his mug. I shook my head in confusion and looked at the guard incredulously. So far I had not written a single word upon the parchment on the mead stained table in front of me.
'Wait, you mentioned "Dragonborn?" You're saying Amara has the Dragon Blood?'
'That's what I said, Imperial. What, you got cotton in your ears?' Dragon. Born. Like old Talos of Atmora.' The guard bellowed the last, causing all within the inn to glance in our direction. He followed this with a belch and another swig of his beverage which was running dangerously low judging by his frown.
'Okay, but I would appreciate it if you could start again, this time from the begining and work your way towards the end in some sort of chronological fashion.' I realised I was, perhaps, on thin ice. After all, it never pays to provoke a City Guard, especially not in front of the patronage of the city of Whiterun's favourite bar. So I added, 'I will ensure your mug never runs empty throughout the tale...'
'Huh, now we're milking the right teat. I will have words provided you have enough gold to lubricate them.'
With an outward smile and an inward sigh, I ordered more ale and settled in to record this story...
'"Hroki and Tor got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it," I remember explaining as that Dunmer Housecarl and some of my fellow guardsmen arrived. That's when I noticed her. Dressed all in black, she were, like one of them mages. She was wearing an Amulet of Mara but I couldn't see why - I would have married her just on looks alone. Long dark hair, big dark eyes and a grace of movement as she dimsounted her horse - which made her robe hike up a bit revealing the most shapely...'
'Ahem, I know what she looks like...'
'Oh, right. Yeah. Sorry. So I then heard a roar and saw a black shape block the stars over the mountains. "Kynareth save us, here he comes again!" I yelled. The dark elf said something, can't remember what. Some nonsense about shooting straight, I think. Kjeld took out his war horn and blew a note that I swear was heard in Sovngarde, and that's when the dragon arrived.
'With a mighty roar it unleashed a jet of flame as it few overhead. I and a few others dived out the way and scrambled for cover, but not your Mara...'
'Amara.'
'But not you Amara. She just stands there, all calm like. Just before the flames reach her she extends a hand, a delicate pale hand with a very lovely wrist...'
'I know what she looks like, dammit!'
'Sure, right. So she extends her hand, and a blue light shimmers before her, and then she was lost in the fire which burned around her. I thought she was a gonner in that inferno. But no! The flames had parted around her slender body and not a single hair on her pretty head was singed! I got back up as she nocked an arrow to her bow and tracked the dragon as he flew. She seemed so calm. Everyone was shouting, shooting and cursing but not her. She just stands there, her beautiful face a pale light in the darkness, watching the beast and waiting.
'The dragon, he lands right in front of Bjorn who staggered back like after a night on the pissup. The dragon goes to bite him and that's when your mage shoots.'
'She's not a mage, she is a Schema of Akatosh. Those black robes are a mark of her rank. Please, continue.'
'Right, so your schemer...'
'Just say priestess.'
'Damn milk-drinking Imperial! You gonna let me tell this soddin' tale?'
'Please, continue.'
"Shor's dick, man! I would if you let me!'
'I think it's time for another ale.' I quickly left the table to get another round. No milk for me.
'So the priestess, Amara, she watches as the dragon lands, and she is already drawing her bow. Just as I reckon Bjorn is about to have his head bitten off, an arrow slams into the dragon's nose, knocking its entire head to the side. Bjorn legs it, and the dragon turns on the priestess, only to see two more arrows smack into its head. Amara now, well she has barely moved. Those three shots were so fast it didn't seem possible.The dragon opens its mouth to breathe more fire at her but again she just raises her hand and the flames part before her. The dragon lumbers towards her, she says something very quiet while gripping her amulet. Immediately she is surrounded by a blue glow. She draws two daggers from her belt and charges in at the dragon.
'She charged the bloody dragon, mate! Here we are, old hands at battle, veterans all, and it takes one woman to show us what it means to have balls! With a spin and a roll she is at the dragon's head, her daggers carving a masterpiece on its snout. The rest of us run in then, hacking away at it from all angles with swords and axes.
'Kjatan got killed by a tail swipe, may he find Sovngarde, and Bor got bitten almost in half. Even Amara got hit, it seemed the dragon took a chunk out of her side. I heard myself gasp, then, and hewed the beast with my axe with renewed strength.
'Amara staggered back and I saw her surrounded by a golden glow, a glow that sparkled in her hair like the sun, revealing to me the warm hues of red and brown on her head. For the first time I saw her look worried, not for herself, but for the bodies of the fallen and all the blood on the ground. Yet she came right back in, a dance of death as she struck, dodged and struck again with those two blades. The dragon reared up and went to spit more fire and that's when it happened.
'Amara, with a slash and a lunge, leapt upon the dragon's head! It was unbelievable. She was striking it left and right, while maintaining her balance like a damned cat. Such grace, Imperial! Such incredible strength I have never seen in a man, let alone a lady. The dragon was finally dead, struck through the brain, and she vaulted from it as it crashed to the ground.
'We all just stood there, mouths hanging down. Haha! What a sight. She looked a litle shaken but otherwise alright. Then the damned wyrm started to glow. That dark elf told us all to get back and we gladly did. Even the priestess backed up a bit. The glow brightened and with a roaring sound like wind over the tundra, the dragon's skin and flesh dissolved leaving nought but bone. The light flew straight into Amara and she seemed to absorb it, a star come to Nirn. Like I said: Dragonborn. She took its very soul like the heroes of old.'
'Where did she go after that?'
'I dunno. Back to Dragonsreach I reckon. We all kept patting her on the back - some of us twice - and just marvelling. A dragon and a Dragonborn. And a priestess of Akatosh. I would be worried what it all means, but after seeing her in action, I am happy to sip this mead and pledge my axe to her cause if ever she needs it. I would gladly fight and die by her side.'
With that I thanked the guardsman, who looked proud of his tale yet subdued as he drank his toast, and I took to my bed in the room upstairs. I wondered then if Amara had slept here. I would need to speak to the Jarl or his court in order to ascertain where Amara headed next. I was so close, just a day behind her now. With luck, and Arkay's blessing, I would soon see her again.
Whatever you face, trust in yourself, Amara Bright-Star. May Akatosh be with you.
One.
Three.
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