Dragon of the East - Arc 2, Chapter 25

  • Dar-Meena

    ~ ~ ~

    The sky was bright blue, cloudless. We shuffled out into the chilly air of the mountain foot and gathered on a dusty road. I stayed at Chase’s side. The ground was cold and wet with melting snow. Falura walked out the inn’s doorway last, clopping along with her staff. She looked around at Kynesgrove.

    “Did we really save this village? Or have we simply delayed the inevitable?” She sighed. “Their guard has been nearly wiped out… and another attack is well in the realm of likelihood. There is, after all, at least one dragon that still roams the land.”

    “The black one, right?” I said, combing my claws through my feathers. “I still don’t get it. You’d think two dragons could destroy a village together. Why’d the black dragon leave?”

    “Couldn’t be simpler,” Reinhardt replied. “The black one’s in charge. Generals don’t fights on the front. They send others to fight for them.”

    The dragons have a leader? That seemed like a scary thought. I hoped it wasn’t true.

    “Consider yourselves fortunate,” Chase passively mentioned. “The black dragon would have slaughtered us. Its power is tremendous. I doubt even I could survive another encounter.”

    Falura spun her head.

    “You’ve seen it before?”

    “Firsthand.”

    Reinhardt laughed.

    “Don’t get modest on us, Dragonborn,” he said. “You Shouted a dragon to its death! There ain’t another man alive with your kind of power. What’s a lizard like you got to be afraid of?”

    The Nord had a lot of fire left in him. Chase locked eyes with the warrior.

    “Much. That black dragon destroyed Helgen.”

    Like water to a flame, Reinhardt’s smile disappeared.

    “…What?”

    “I was there, among the precious few who escaped. Believe me when I say that the beast’s power is not to be mocked. As strong as my Voice has become, the black dragon’s is stronger still.”

    Chase could’ve dropped that a little more gently, if you ask me, but it was too late to regret the words. Reinhardt’s cheer was gone; something quiet and vindictive took its place. He was like a different man entirely.

    “You’re saying… that dragon…” He pointed back to the sky. “The one that got away… was the one that killed my aunt and uncle…?”

    “Yes...” Chase caught something important in those words. “You knew already?”

    The Nord looked at the ground, nodding to himself.

    “I met someone else who survived Helgen. He mentioned a black dragon. When I saw the one here, I thought maybe…” He trailed off.

    Chase nodded in understanding. He didn’t like having to bring up Helgen, I could tell. Did the thought of it upset him that much? I don’t know what kind of experience it’d been, but it was hard to imagine anything leaving Chase shaken.

    “I am sorry you were both caught up in these events,” he said. “I trust you will manage on your own from here. There is something I must ask of you, before we part.”

    “Hold there, we’re not done yet,” Reinhardt spoke up. “Delphine wasn’t the only one looking for you, you know.”

    Chase responded coldly, as if to a threat.

    “I don’t take kindly those who make a point of finding me.”

    “Oh really? Why’s that?”

    “The less you know, the better.”

    Reinhardt took a big congested sniff and wiped his nose.

    “Fair by me, but you’re off to hunt dragons,” he said. “Gonna be tough work for just you and the girl.”

    “We will manage. Your assistance is not needed.”

    “Now that’s not the way I see it... We can help, Dragonborn. Let us come along.”

    Chase ignored him. “I will only say this once, so listen closely.” He took a step toward the pair. “Forget this day ever happened. Speak nothing of me to anyone and go on as though we never met. If you truly wish to aid me, you will do this.”

    Reinhardt was nonplussed. “Wha…? Why would we–”           

    “If you don’t, the consequences will be dire.”

    The man depressed his brow. “What’s this about? You in some kinda danger?”

    “No more questions. We met as strangers and we will depart as strangers,” Chase said, walking away. “Thank you for helping protect this village.”

    Reinhardt tried to follow after him. “H- Hey! Wait a minute!”

    “Put it to rest, Reinhardt,” Falura said suddenly. “We needn’t prod and worsen the matter. This meeting hasn’t gone the way we planned, but there are other leads we can still peruse. All is not lost.”

    The Nord whipped around.

    What!? Falura! Don’t talk crazy! This is the best lead we’re gonna find!”

    “The Argonian has made himself clear. He does not want our company.”

    “But we can’t just… Falura, we can’t! This could be our only chance!”

    “Reinhardt, let it go. There is no more to be said.”

    I watched Chase walk down the road, hesitating. The Nord and elf broke into an argument, more heated on the former’s side. I jogged up to Chase and matched his speed, leaning in close to him.

    “What are you doing?” I hissed.

    “Leaving,” he said.

    “They just offered to help us.”

    “And? Does this concern you?”

    “No. I just don’t think we should be so quick to turn them down.”

    “I disagree.”

    “I can see that! What’s your reason?”

    “Something you still fail to understand,” he spoke ominously. “To follow me is to follow death. Your life is as much as I am willing to risk, and even that remains in question. I won’t let their ignorance lead them down a fatal path.”

    What about Delphine? You didn’t turn her down!

    “Those two can handle themselves, you saw it. They know what they’re in for!”

     

    “That does not mean they won’t be harmed.”

    “Then maybe they will! Maybe they’ll take the heat from a few dragons. So what?” I shot a quick glance back. “Better them than us, right?”

    Chase snarled disapprovingly.

    “Dar-Meena, that is exactly why I do not want them along!”

    “But–”            

    “THAT’S IT!!! I’M HAVING NONE OF THIS!!!”

    Reinhardt’s voice boomed. Chase and I jerked to a halt and turned around. Falura gave her bodyguard a wide berth as he pointed an angry finger at us.

    Oh boy…

    “You two! Lizards!” His finger bent down. “Get your scalebacked hides over here before I come and lug you by your tails! We’re all gonna have a nice warm, friendly chat, and nobody’s leaving till we’re done!”

    We stood dumbly, exchanging looks. True to his promise, Reinhardt started marching toward us. Chase’s frown deepened to a scowl as he motioned me to get behind him.

    “Leave us be,” he said. “We have nothing to discuss.”

    “Yeah?” Reinhardt didn’t stop. “Well I didn’t come all this way for nothing. These dragons are destroying my homeland, and I’m not gonna sit and wait for you to slay them all! Tell me why you won’t take us.”

    The warrior didn’t get a reply.

    This was bad. Chase had that death glare of his, just like I saw when I first met him in Riften. He’d draw his sword on the Nord in a heartbeat, if he was stupid enough to provoke him. Reinhardt didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’d think to hold himself in check.

    “You got stones in your ears, Dragonborn? Huh?” he jeered.

    Chase reached for his sword and hissed under this breath.

    “I have no patience for this…”

    I stepped in front of him.

    “Don’t you dare!” I barked back. “I know what you’re thinking!”

    He faltered, hand flinching off his weapon. Reinhardt came to a cautious halt.

    “You,” I said, stomping up to him, “back up. I want to talk to you.”      

    The Nord didn’t move. “Look here, lizard lady, I’m trying to–”

    I shoved him aside into the grass. “W- Woah now! What’s the matter with you!?” he stammered. I was surprised he let me push him. He might as well have been a brick wall with all that muscle. My plan wouldn’t have worked if he’d stood his ground.

    “Hush it, will you?” I hissed, shoving him farther. “Knowing Chase, he’s probably going to hear us, but at least try to keep your voice down.”

    The Nord was confused but sealed his mouth shut. I made sure we were far from Chase, though not so far as to make him suspicious. We stood off the side of the road in wet grass, beneath the cold shadow of a tree.

    “Hear me out,” I whispered. “You’re going at this the wrong way.”

    “Eh? Whaddya mean wrong?” he whispered back.

    “Chase said you couldn’t come with us. You want to change his mind, don’t you?”

    Reinhardt frowned. “Wait… Are you helping me?”

    “Yes, you idiot,” I said. “I don’t care about you or your mage, but I do care about him. Chase needs all the help he can get.”

    “He doesn’t want our help!”                 

    “He doesn’t know what’s good for him. He’s not above persuasion, but read my lips – if you keep up this tough guy act, you’ll be staring down the end of his sword.”

    Reinhardt raised an anxious brow. Chase was approaching us.        

    “What do I do?” he asked.             

    “Just don’t threaten him,” I hissed. “Be honest and persistent. Especially persistent.”

    “Dar-Meena, there won’t be any violence… We can talk this over amicably.”

    I turned around. Chase was relaxed, arms slack, tail curled at the end. I felt an inner sigh. He didn’t hear us. He thinks I’m just trying to stop a fight from happening.

    “You had that look, Chase,” I said. “What was I supposed to do?”

    “Xhu… Apologies…”

    He turned to Reinhardt and the two men made a wordless pact of peace. Falura joined us from the road. She was keeping herself absent from the goings-on, standing behind her bodyguard.

    “Don’t mean to make trouble,” Reinhardt said to Chase, “but my friend is trying to study the dragons. And I’m… well, I’ll be blunt, I’m in it to fight them. The way I see it, you’re the best man to help us get what we want. We can help you in return. We’re not asking for anything…”

    Chase grew intense. “You do not know enough to understand what you are asking.”

    “Then help us understand!”

    “I cannot. I’m sorry. I have good reasons for turning you down. Trust that, if nothing else.”

    Dammit Chase! Quit being so defensive! He acted like we could take on the dragons all by ourselves, even though that might’ve been true. Chase was an amazing swordsman and a brilliant hunter. If anyone could stop the dragons, I’d stake my life on him. Reinhardt thought the same, I’m sure. He’d seen Chase at his best today.

    What he hadn’t seen was him at his worst.

    I saw the burns on his face and I knew where he got them. They were a sobering reminder that Chase wasn’t immortal. He could die, just like anyone else. Whether he liked it or not, he needed people watching his back, and it was up to us to convince him.

    Reinhardt started speaking, slowly.

    “At Helgen… Did you see a balding man with a big girth, bushy beard? Or a stocky old woman with long silver hair and a widow’s peak? They lived in a small house on the east side of the village.”

    A hush settled over our gathering. Appealing to emotion, huh? It’s not what I would’ve tried in that Nord’s shoes, but it seemed like it worked. Chase was definitely the sympathetic type.

    “No,” he said sullenly. “There was too much chaos. Even if I saw them, I cannot recall.”

    Reinhardt nodded. “Wanted to ask, thought I might as well.” He paused for a moment. “You ever lost any family before, Dragonborn?”

    If Chase’s flash of anger was any sign, he did not like that question.

    “I choose not to dwell on the dead. My thoughts are of those still alive.”

    “Aye. I know what kind of man you are, Dragonborn, even if you don’t show it. You’re noble. You put others before yourself.”

    “Enough. Is this all you wished to say?”

    Persistent! I shouted in my head. Be persistent!

    “Delphine said you’re the only one who matters,” Reinhardt mused. “Think she was wrong about that?”

    “It is not my concern what she thinks of me,” Chase replied.

    “Shor’s bones, man, you’re Dragonborn! Show a little pride!” Reinhardt made sweeping gestures with his hand. “Tamriel hasn’t seen someone like you since the third era! Dragonslaying’s in your blood! That’s why you matter! You’ve come to Skyrim at the time of the dragons’ return. Only the gods could’ve planned a thing like this.”

    Funny. I didn’t peg Reinhardt for a religious man. Chase made a clicking sound in his throat, resting an idle hand on the pommel of his sword.

    “You think a higher power has dictated my arrival? True or not, what difference does this make? Am I essential to stopping them?”

    The Nord shrugged. “You’ll make stopping them easier.”

    “Hence the reason I am choosing to fight. This conversation has no point.”

    “But if you die… what happens then?”

    Chase grimaced. “The people of Tamriel will continue to fight dragons, with or without me,” he said.

    This was it. Reinhardt found a wedge. What he needed was a hammer.

    “So it’s okay if you get killed,” I snapped, “and leave the dragons for everyone else to deal with?”

    Silence.

    “I will not die,” Chase growled. “Even if I do, your gods can always send another.”         

    Reinhardt turned up his nose and put his fists on his hip. “And if they don’t?”

    “The races of men,” Falura softly interjected, “were enslaved by the dragons in the Merethic Era. If given the opportunity to do so again…”

    She picked a good time to finally say something. Chase had begun to crack.                      

    “The Greybeards themselves could not say if I was the only one!” he hissed.      

    “Well then,” Reinhardt said, “you a betting man, Dragonborn?”        

    Chase was simmering. Delphine had the right idea after all. If the dragons were a game, then he was the most valuable piece on our side of the board. Every dragon he didn’t kill had the power to devastate a city. Would Whiterun or Kynesgrove still be standing if he hadn’t fought for them?

    “Admit it. If you die, a lot of people are going to die with you,” I said, averting his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… what’s risking the three of us compared to risking hundreds or thousands?”

    “No one should have to risk their life for someone like me,” he spoke softly.

    “Don’t say that! Chase, you’re not invincible! You’re going up against dragons, assassins and gods know what else!”

    Reinhardt jumped. “Assassins!?” He turned sharply to Chase. “Ysmir, you’ve got assassins after you!?”

    “Not just any assassins,” I muttered. “The Dark Brotherhood.”

    The Nord had to keep his eyes from bulging out.

    “Well then, that settles it! You need protection!” He thumped a fist to his heart. “No assassin’s gonna put a knife in your back, not as long as I’m still breathing!”

    “The knife will be in your back, first!!” Chase suddenly roared.

    The Nord and elf startled. His teeth were bared in rage, claws opened and taut. He looked ready to grab the person nearest by their shoulders and shake them. I backed away from him, eyes widening.

    “You are all fools! You know nothing of my enemies! I traveled here from the southern provinces to hide from them!! The Dark Brotherhood are dull blades! They are nothing!! Do you know how many assassinations I’ve survived!? I sleep with my eyes open now as I have for the last ten years of my life!! The ones who seek my death are relentless! And if they discover that you’ve allied with me…!”

    Chase was shaking, his voice hoarse and desperate.

    “If all of you – all of you ­– choose to stand at my side, they will hunt you as they have hunted me long after the dragons are done! Your deaths will be written with mine! That is the price you’ll pay!! Is this what you want!?”

    No one answered him.       

    Reinhardt stared at the grass. Falura leaned on her staff.

    Chase looked at me. I didn’t look away.

    He only gave a glimpse, a faint picture of his life before Skyrim, but it was enough to make me shudder. It wasn’t so much the words he spoke as it was the way he spoke them. Chase had… that… bottled up inside him all this time. I think I understood why he tried so hard to scare me away. It wasn’t because he thought fear would work. The fear was already his.

    He was afraid… and he wanted us to be afraid too.                                                             

    The stillness dragged on.

    Then Falura came forward.

    “This isn’t about what we want,” she said solemnly, almost with regret. “This is about what needs to be. The dragons are a threat to every province in Tamriel, not merely Skyrim. You may be the key to stopping them. Whatever the cost… we must ensure you survive.”

    Chase’s shoulders fell in defeat. After this and the fight against the dragon, he was drained physically and emotionally. He’d had enough. Reinhardt took a step closer to him.

    “Dragonborn. You still with us?”

    He glared and didn’t look up. “You know the cost now… If this is truly the river you wish to swim, I will not stop any of you…”

    “Nothing’s set in stone,” the warrior said stoutly. “We could all die by the end of this, but who’s to say? It’s victory or Sovngarde. Let the bastards try and take us – dragons, assassins and all.”

    Chase didn’t reply. He just stared at him. Falura came beside Reinhardt, studying the Argonian with sharp red eyes.

    “Chases-The-Wind,” she said, “if you’re serious about what you say, I think we deserve to know what enemies we will be making by assisting you.”

    He shook his head. “The less I tell you, the more you will be able to claim ignorance in your defense. That could save your lives someday. They must not know that you’ve chosen to help me willingly.”

    Whoever they are, I thought with a shiver. I almost didn’t need to know who they were. If they troubled Chase this much, I wasn’t about to fare any better. He looked at me with a twinge of sadness. I was surprised at how sad I felt back for him. Had we really only known each other for a few weeks?

    “Do not waste your life on this one, Dar-Meena,” he said softly. “Please. I would never blame you. You can choose to walk away.”

    I grumbled.

    “You’re making it tempting, Chase… but I’m still with you.”                                             

    I’d made up my mind. I wouldn’t turn my back on him. He was my friend.

    It would be the four of us together from here on, for better or worse. Chase brooded quietly to himself, shutting out the world. We waited. After he finished having his moment, he cast another healing spell and adjusted his knapsack.

    “We should depart,” he said emotionlessly. “The sun is setting. Delphine will be waiting for us in Riverwood.”

    He picked up his feet and started walking, expecting us to follow him. That Argonian didn’t waste time. I had a question, though.

    “Um… Chase…?”

    “Hm? What is it?”      

    “Where’s Riverwood?”

    “It’s near Whiterun Hold,” Reinhardt said.

    “Can you show it on a map?” I asked.

    He did. The village was miles away. I could already feel my aching soles.

    “Chase. No. We can’t make a trip this lengthy,” I griped. “We need supplies. Food, arrows, potions…”

    “Aye. Gotta get me a new sword, too,” Reinhardt added. “A good one.”

    “Where will you find the gold for it?” Falura asked him, suspicious.                 

    “I, uh… was kinda hoping you could spot me,” he replied sheepishly.

    The mage rolled her eyes. “I’m not a treasury, Reinhardt. I spent almost all that I had hiring your friends back at Whiterun.”

    “Oh, right… I forgot about that…”

    “Go grab some bones off the dragon,” I snarked. “They’ve got to be worth something. We’ll sell them and fetch some coin.”

    “Merchants will sooner dismiss them as the bones of any other large animal,” Falura said with a scoff. “The few bones that are unmistakably dragon would be too heavy for even beasts of burden to carry.”

    I hissed. “Dammit… Then… let’s find that tail that got chopped off! Maybe it didn’t burn up with the rest of the body. I know I could pawn dragon scales easy.”

    “Yes, of course,” Chase groaned, rubbing his snout. “These are all matters we can settle. Let’s wait until the villagers return and do our trading here.”

    Falura and I peered off at the scanty thatch buildings of Kynesgrove. The village had maybe one general goods store, if we were lucky. Reinhardt cleared his throat.

    “Or we could go to Windhelm,” he suggested. “It’s north up the road, not even a day’s walk. Better trading in a bigger city, eh?”

    Chase slowly turned his head, shooting a murderous glare.

    Must we…?”                     

    “It seems the better option,” Falura said.

    I liked it too. It gave me some ideas.

    “Three to one, Chase,” I chirped with a grin. “You lose.”

    The Dragonborn growled.

    Reinhardt

    ~ ~ ~

    Right then! It was off to Windhelm with us! The Nords there were in for something special. It’s not every day your city gets visited by a living breathing Dragonborn, eh?

    Chases-The-Wind. I’d met him at last. I didn’t know too much about Argonians – they always seemed a mystery to me. Never even heard of ‘em growing up! Wasn’t till I went to Cyrodiil that I had my first run-in with the lizard folk. There was only one I ever spoke to, a fellow by the name Long-Neck or something. He was a regular at Julia’s inn, liked to spend long evenings drinking alone. I might’ve talked to him once or twice while I was the bouncer. Can’t remember what about.

    But Chases? Oh ho… I’d heard stories of the Dragonborn as a young lad, you know. He was better than the stories. When I saw him Shout that dragon out of the sky, I knew we weren’t dealing with any ordinary lizard. This was a legend in the making.

    Right gloomy, though, that man. I’d have to figure out what cheered him up, ‘cause whatever it was he needed it. 

    Falura

    ~ ~ ~

    Fredas, 12th of Hearthfire 4E 201

    It was true after all. The Dragonborn was Argonian.

    Terrible…

    Reinhardt wouldn’t realize what this meant. Neither would the girl, Dar-Meena. I was the only living soul who could see with clear eyes the slumbering nightmare we had consigned to accompany.

    Did the Dragonborn suspect anything? He must have, surely! His accent… Black Marsh. There was no mistaking it. Was he allied with them, the An-Xileel? Oh, but that didn’t matter… His morals and allegiances were irrelevant. He was native-born, which meant he had the link.

    His soul was bound to those damnable trees.

    I would speak to Reinhardt at the earliest chance. He was the one man I could confide in, though I worried he wouldn’t understand. This wasn’t really his problem. It was all conjecture, suspicion – a potential threat purely to the Dunmer of Morrowind.

    No. Not potential. The threat was real and I knew it. I knew it all too well.

    In my distress I almost prayed to The Three. What foolishness. They didn’t listen to the prayers of my people anymore. This Argonian abomination was proof of that.

    Chases-The-Wind

    ~ ~ ~

    I was beginning to presume that in a previous life I had been an oppressive slum lord. I funded my syndicate with drug-addicted clientele, corrupted law and order, and killed baby animals for pleasure in my spare time. Nothing else could explain my predicament.

    Xhuth… I dislike my own humor…            

    As the evening progressed, I continued to display hatchling behavior far beneath me. That is, I sulked. Of all the things I value in life, my autonomy would be high on the list. Yet I found myself being suddenly steered by the demands a group. No longer could I dictate my own course or drift where the currents took me. I may as well have been put in shackles.

    Do not mistake me – I did not resent the others. Whatever anger I had was toward my circumstances.

    None of them could comprehend the An-Xileel’s tenacity. Did they think I made my warnings idly? I spoke from painful experience. They thought they were above my curse, but they would succumb to it like all the others. No one close to me ever prospered in the end. That was not the way my life worked.

    Nothing ever changed.                                   

    But… this time… something has changed…

    My Voice. The power of my Thu’um. If I continued to grow stronger and master my abilities as Dragonborn, could I break my curse? Was this the answer? I intended to find out. I would continue to nurture my power and let the dragons be the first to taste it.

    As for Reinhardt, Falura… and Dar-Meena…

    To these three I swore a silent oath of protection.

    Of anyone who sought to harm them, I would spare the yielding…

    ...and kill the rest.

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Comments

3 Comments   |   Fallout Night likes this.
  • The Wing
    The Wing   ·  October 5, 2015
    Oh man, this was awesome. It was very clever how everyone ganged up on Chase and convinced him to let Falura and Reinhardt join up. 
  • Borommakot
    Borommakot   ·  October 4, 2015
    Psyched for Arc 3!
  • Okan-Zeeus
    Okan-Zeeus   ·  October 4, 2015
    Hey all! A heads up on something. I'll be posting Arc 2's epilogue tomorrow.
    There was a major change I made to the epilogue narrator a few months back, pertaining to the way he used pronouns. Here's a link to the chapter if you want to see what I m...  more