(sorry, did this one fast and quality isn't the best, but will work on better one next post when I have time)
After I’d had plenty of rest, I made my way back to the Sleeping Giant Inn. I wasn’t surprised to see Vilkas sitting on the front steps; sensibly I took my cowl down from the Nightingale armour before I approached him or he might have taken a swing at me with his sword. As it was he nearly hugged the life out of me – I was glad of it as I had missed him as well.
“Praise to the Divines you’re all right, love!” he laughed, swinging me about. ”What is this you’re wearing? Never seen its like before.”
“Perks of the job, and the job is done,” I replied. ”Everything all right?”
“Old Esbern is downstairs and the Delphine woman too,” Vilkas said as he finally put me back on my feet and ushered me inside. ”He’s quite a talker but he knows many stories; we’ve traded a few.”
I looked rather wary now – how much had Esbern said to Vilkas? Still, no time to waste so I made my way down below and left Vilkas to keep an eye on the road in case the Thalmor decided to be more problematic.
“Ah, you’re back,” Delphine said as she and Esbern were poring over texts and scripts. ”We’ve managed to uncover quite a bit. Our adversary is an old one, the – “
“World Eater,” I replied, only taking a small bit of satisfaction from their rather surprised expressions. ”Don’t ask where I got that, but it’s all I got. Who is it?”
“It is Alduin, the World-Eater,” Esbern said, shoving a book in my direction. ”He existed ages past and it is said that with his coming, the world ends. He destroys it all, and it becomes nothing. He is the beginning of the end. It could be argued that this is a natural process of the universe, however that process has become skewed – Alduin now wishes to control the universe himself, and would remove the world from the equation with only the dragons remaining.”
I could only just grasp such a thing – who can truly understand what it means to talk of destroying a world? – but I had witnessed this dragon’s destruction of an entire village, and had seen the other dragons’ work as well. Men, women, children burned to husks. Yes, that I could believe, and my eyes narrowed to slits.
“But he was defeated, surely, in times past?” I asked. ”That’s why there were Blades, was it not? And Dragonborn.”
“Very true, the last time Alduin wreaked havok upon the world, he was banished by the combined efforts of Dragonborn.”
“Well that’s good to know at least,” I said. “So how was it done?”
“We’re not entirely sure,” Delphine replied, shaking her head. ”The only thing we know is that the Blades and the Dragonborn created a Wall – Alduin’s Wall – which detailed the story of Alduin and how the defeat was done. It was common in those days to record history in symbols and imagery, although the skill to create and decipher such a thing is all but lost.”
“All but not quite,” Esbern interjected. ”I have made it my life’s work to study such things and I’m certain I could decipher the Wall if given the chance. But first we have to get there, and find it. It won’t be an easy road, and your presence, Dragonborn will be vital. The wall itself is in the former stronghold of the Blades, which has been abandoned and forgotten for some time.”
“And where is that, exactly?” I asked?
“It’s called the Sky Haven Temple,” Delphine said as she began to gather up some of her weapons. ”It’s outside Karthspire, which is going to be problematic as it is since it’s in the middle of Forsworn territory.”
“Well then I’m going with you,” Vilkas said as he stepped forward into the room with his arms folded. ”I know how to fight Forsworn, and I’ll not be staying behind like an old woman. My sword is no toy.”
I sighed – I didn’t want Vilkas in this mess at all, but Delphine gave Vilkas a wry smile. ”I rather thought you’d say something like that, Nord. If you must.”
“Actually, we’re going to have a word about that,” I said, eyeing Vilkas with as baleful a look as I could muster, but I managed to get his bland face again. It was definitely on, and the Blades in the room were well aware the room had just lowered a few degrees in warmth.
“Shall we meet you there?” Esbern coughed, trying to gather up an armful of scrolls and books in his arms.
“If you would, yes,” I said, my gaze still on Vilkas, who was bound and determined to ignore the look on my face. With a fair bit of diplomacy Delphine and Esbern excused themselves, which gave me a chance to round on Vilkas fully.
“Vilkas, I need you to keep an eye on Jorrvaskr! I’ve only just managed to get myself out on two messes, I don’t need you getting tangled into – “
“I’m bound already,” Vilkas replied with that insufferable calm way he had, gesturing to the Band of Matrimony he wore on his finger. That deflated me a fair bit, true, but I was still desperate to keep Vilkas out of the way of this dragon. It was a vain hope, I know – if the world went, would it matter? But perhaps in my defence I can say I still had Gallus and Karliah on my mind, and a part of my spirit cringed.
I wasn’t able to say any of this either, but I didn’t have to. I learned I never had to, for Vilkas merely put an arm round my waist and nuzzled my cheek with his rough jowl. ”I know why you fear; I would do the same. I can’t follow you all the way upon your wyrd, but I’ll follow as far as I can. And I won’t regret a step of it.”
I had to be happy with that, I suppose.
Delphine and Esbern went ahead, which gave Vilkas and I a chance to check in at Jorrvaskr and make sure everything was going well. ”I don’t know what sort of training you’re doing, but Vilkas is an even better fighter than ever,” Farkas said to me quietly. ”I wouldn’t want to take him on these days. You’re in good hands.” We managed to re-provision, get our gear tended at the Skyforge – Eorlund gave me a look when I put my armour on the anvil for his attentions; I’m sure he knew exactly what it was and whom it symbolised but he kept mum and worked it all the same – then with fresh horses we made our way to Karthspire.
The whole plain was crawling with Forsworn, and just ahead of what I assumed was the entrance to the Sky Haven Temple was a Forsworn stronghold. However at the moment they had their hands full fighting a dragon and angry troll so, taking advantage of the confusion, Vilkas and I managed to wriggle down through the rocks, dropping down to the ground in front of the Temple’s entry and then onward into darkness.
With the Nightingale’s cowl I was able to see well enough, and as Vilkas covered our flanks, I was able to bring us to the Temple’s inner entrance, where Esbern and Delphine were awaiting us.
“Now, then, let me think – ah, yes, here,” Esbern said as he scanned the walls, then found the trigger mechanism to open the stone doors. ”I don’t suppose I need to remind everyone to have a care…it’s been some time since anyone has been here and even we Blades don’t remember all the traps.”
“Funny you should say that,” I said, pulling up the cowl of my hood. ”I have a feeling I can handle any traps as needed.”
The old scholar wasn’t wrong – there was a lot of traps and triggers to deal with, but between his knowledge, my dexterity and Delphine and Vilkas’ training, we managed without too much scratching of heads or major wounds. When we finally came to the last door with the symbol upon the ground to open the main door, Esbern took a moment or three to decipher the symbols, and then gestured to me. ”Your bloodright will open this door, so then, Dragonborn, if you will.”
I nodded and stripped off my glove, taking my boot dagger in hand. Vilkas frowned but stayed where he was as I slit the palm of my hand and knelt down to allow the blood to drip upon the stone. I can’t really describe it, but the blood fell, pooled, and then disappeared as if the stone was as porous as linen. Strange way of doing things, I suppose but it did the job. Ahead of us, the door groaned and slid to either side, exposing a vast expanse of carven pillars and arched ceilings. Even Vilkas was impressed, whistling softly under his breath as Esbern and Delphine stepped back into the secret domain of their own order, forgotten and broken, but still here after all these years.
And the Wall – I wasn’t prepared for the Wall. It was immense, and the carvings exquisite, although rather grim. A huge dragon, and hundreds of skeletons falling beneath its feet. As Vilkas strolled around in the background and Delphine raised her torch high, Esbern was drawn to the Wall with his eyes aflame.
“I never thought I’d see this with my own eyes,” he murmured as he gingerly reached out to brush the Wall with his fingertips. ”This represents years of work and funding, the best carvers and the most incredibly skilled workers of symbolism and – really, Delphine, pay attention, it’s history itself.”
“Yes, Esbern,” Delphine said with the calm but insistent tones of someone well used to getting Esbern to focus. ”But what does it actually mean?“
“Well, clearly this here represents Alduin…and here, well I believe these are Dragonborn. See! From their mouths come something that looks like flame, but I doubt it. I think – yes, I think it’s a Shout. A very particular Shout – and here, Alduin falls!”
“So that means it’s a Shout that brought him down?” Vilkas said quietly, stepping forward as he studied the Wall with a bit more interest.
“So it would seem, Companion,” Esbern replied absently, still tracing the Wall with his fingers.
“I don’t suppose it says which one,” Delphine added, as I drifted away from the wall, studying the ruins. Broken chairs, rotted wood…and something else. It took me a moment, but eventually I realised I was looking for something; a Word on a wall? Something else? I couldn’t concentrate on what the other three were saying – there was that whisper in the back of my mind which was distracting me. I tried to chase my instinct but it slipped through my fingers, so I sighed and now just allowed myself to wander the halls, waiting for whatever it was to hint a little louder.
” – would be High Hrothgar,” I heard Vilkas say, his arms folded as he studied the Wall. So they were discussing the Greybeards then – I was only half-listening as I wandered back to the old stone table, and absently brushed my fingers over years of dust. Something lay on the table, and my fingers thrilled when I brushed my hand over it. Here, then. Here.
“Then I would suggest going – wait, what is that you’ve found, Dreema?” Esbern asked as now all attention was on me. I didn’t answer immediately, concentrating on what was on the table. Carefully, I took it up, and then realised what I held. With a fierce smile, I drew the blade; it gleamed in the light, sharp even now and carved all along the length with the visage of dragons. A purple sheen seemed to bloom from the metal’s heart, and I whistled again.
“What is that?” Vilkas said, stepping forward as he held his hand out for the blade – he was a Companion and a Nord but he could appreciate a good weapon when he saw one, even if it wasn’t huge and bulky.
“That may be one of the last of the dragonslayers,” Esbern said, managing to pry his gaze from the wall, both brows raised as he scuttled over with a smile. ”Yes, yes, see here! It’s been enchanted to kill dragons in particular. There were not many of these made.”
Vilkas tried a few cuts in the air, and he whistled. ”There’s strength in this steel even though it’s tiny,” he said, holding it up to the torchlight. ”Dreema can kill dragons well enough without it, but I know I’m rather tired of watching my own sword bounce off dragonscale. Anyone else want it?”
“Don’t look at me,” Esbern said with a wry chuckle. ”I can tell you how to kill dragons but I’m no good with swords.”
“I’d be tempted,” Delphine said. ”It’s a sword of the Blades and only a Blade or a Dragonborn should wield it. However,” she continued as she gave Vilkas a look. ”I have the right and the jurisdiction to create a Blade when standing in our final holdings, and that I can do.”
The way Delphine and Vilkas looked at each, I realised the conversation had already come up while I had been away…and I had a feeling it had already been agreed. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to protest. ”I think I’ve got a thing or two to say about – “
“You’ve done that, Harbinger, and I thank you,” Vilkas said in that maddeningly calm tones, but I could see the look in his eyes. He’d give me his full fury if I pushed it. ”But a Blade protects the Dragonborn, correct? And I’d do that anyway, right? So if I’m going to stand at your side for as long as I can then I need this sword, and I need to take the oath.”
How did I manage to out-talk a daedra but was completely incapable of doing so with Vilkas? So it was, and so it always had been; I had no argument. And so with that deadly sliver of metal in his large hands, Vilkas knelt before Delphine and took the oath of the Blades – and any resistance I felt before faded away as he did so. I knew that I wasn’t the only one who could hear he was saying the oath of the Blades with his tongue, but saying a much deeper oath to me. And how could I possibly have gone against it?
“Very well then, recruit,” Delphine said as she thumped her small, hard fist against Vilkas’ shoulder, then gave me a small grin. ”You’re a lucky woman, Dragonborn. Now with your guard at your side, perhaps you’d make your way to High Hrothgar and speak with the Greybeards and see what they know if this Shout. We’ll stay here and see if we can gather any further intelligence.”
“Fair enough, then,” Vilkas said as he sheathed his new sword. ”I’ll be keeping my armour, if you don’t mind – I’m still a Companion. Dragonborn? Are we ready?”
“Aye, ready here,” I said, striding for the rear exit of the Temple.
When we stepped out into twilight again, I gave Vilkas a reproachful look. It was all I could manage; I still worried for him, but he worried for me too. It’s why he had taken the oath, and I knew it.
“Love you, too,” Vilkas said with a grin. ”High Hrothgar?”
“Yes,” I replied, clambering up into the saddle. ”I think it’s time I had a word with the Greybeard’s master. Long overdue chat, really.”
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