Dragonborn Ascendant (23)

A/N: Well, as always, thanks everyone for supporting me up to this point.

-x-X-x-

Cold…

“Arms… gs… bro..!” A distant voice exclaimed.

I see a distant land, far away in the horizon. It’s harsh and frigid, and home to hardy people.

“Don’... him! His… oken… ause… harm!”

The clear skies are a limpid blue and the air is filled with the sweet iron scent of blood and death and I feel happy.

“...lose to…! Go… Temple… reat…!”

These are not my memories…

“He’s awake!” Someone shouted, but their voice was muffled, as if something was covering my ears. “He’s regaining consciousness! Quick, bring the mother!”

I blinked and I didn’t know for how long the darkness stretched, but when my eyes opened again there was a hand on my chest gently pushing me down.

“Calm down. Calm down, warrior,” she said. She because her voice was smooth and gentle, with a pleasant singing quality to it, her tone twinkling with laughter. “You are hurt, and your body should recover. So for now, please rest, warrior.”

My eyes opened and I groaned, feeling my body ache all over.

“Ugh…” I moaned quietly, eyes closed as I felt each jolt of pain on my bones washing over my body with a quiver in my voice. “This better not happen every time…” I told myself. “Fuck.”

It wouldn’t be good for my health sustaining critical damage every time I fought dragons, after all. Though, in retrospect, I fared much better against Yolviingah, Lokqobonir and Yolusvulkrii than against Mirmulnir. In no small part that must be because against the dragon in Whiterun Hold I hadn’t yet fully awoken my dragon soul, whereas against the trio of dragons at Karthspire I had already consumed Mirmulnir’s soul. Not that it matters much now. Lokqobonir would have killed me, but he wasn’t able to, so I dealt him a fatal wound.

And here I am. Still alive…

My eyes moved, taking in the foreign environment around me.

Stone ceiling and floor, robust and solid, unblemished. The Dwemer architecture was unmistakable, and I immediately relaxed knowing I was in Markarth - though it could have been somewhere else, however unlikely that possibility was -, the tension leaving my body with a pained but alleviated sigh and a grimace on my face.

My eyes could see better now.

Even in the dimly lit room with only a couple of candles lighting up the place and giving it the barest of warmths I could still see every detail with clarity I never had before.

The doors opened to my room, warm air rushing from the corridor as a woman stepped inside.

She was a Nord woman, tall and well developed. Her generous breast pressed in the confines of her priestly garbs, and she carried a war axe strapped to her hips, as well as a dagger. Her appearance was youthful, just like her disposition, yet the greying hair and small, almost imperceptible wrinkles on her face denoted otherwise.

“You’re awake,” the woman noted, placing down the candle she carried on the table by the entrance. The tone of her voice and the way she expressed herself didn’t let me believe she was happy with the notion, however. “Good.”

“Who are you?” I asked, struggling to raise my chest from the bed, the covers slipping to reveal my naked chest. “Where am I for that matter?”

“You are at the Temple of Dibella of Markarth,” the woman answered, tone curt. “And I am Hamal, the woman who fixed you to the best of my abilities, even though Restoration is not my specialisation.”

I can see that, I thought, but instead of letting any words that may cause offence slip off my mouth, a soft golden glow appeared in my hand when I activated a Restoration spell of my own. My arms, legs and ribs all felt like a thousand needles pricked me at the same time, but I endured it with only a slight grimace that I hid quickly.

Throwing my legs out of the bed - and also noticing I wasn’t wearing any sort of trouser either - I got up, feeling joints stretching and bones popping when I took a step forward.

“Thank you.” I muttered to the priestess who took a hesitant step back, wide eyes looking up to meet mine.

Her fingers twitched, no doubt in preparation to pick up her axe to strike me down, but after a moment of silence where no one moved so much as a muscle she seemed to snap out of her daze.

“You should thank the Jarl, not me,” she said tersely. “Came himself to the doors of our temple with an army on his back, begging us to help save your life. We could hardly refuse him, and we were forced to break seclusion. For you.” She said, and I blinked, surprised that Igmund would go so far for me. Then again, he was probably being pressured into doing so.

A huff escaped my lips as I shook my head. That didn’t matter. What I should focus on right now was the woman in front of me, and the clear discontent she had with my presence. Worse, I knew that tone and that type of conversation. Telling me why she had to do something, as if she had been coerced…

A sigh escaped my lips.

“And?” I raised an eyebrow. “Get on with it. What do you want?” I demanded.

Nostrils flaring, Hamal took an indignant step forward to drive a finger on my chest. “What I want is for you to get out of this temple,” she hissed, glaring at me. “But that would be against the Sybil’s last wishes.” And to that I raised an eyebrow. “Yes, we only accepted you for healing because our Sybil insisted quite persistently for us to accept you, even ordering us to prepare a room exclusively for you. But now that she has passed we must find a new Sybil, except we can’t do this because we have to take care of you.” Said the priestess rather angrily, and I merely blinked dumbfounded.

The Sybil ordered the priestesses to take me in? Was she the woman that talked to me when I woke up?

That just left me  even more confused.

A frown came to my face. “What do I have to do?” I grunted. “Do you know where your new Sybil is?”

“Luckily for you,” Hamal continued, her tone biting and frosty as she crossed her arms. “We have already performed the ritual of the Exalted Protocol of the Dibellan Sybil, and we’ve been awarded with visions of a hammock pressed against the stone.”

“That really doesn’t help me.” I grunted, earning a glare from the woman who continued as if I just hadn’t interrupted.

“We believe the vision has shown us Karthwasten,” said the priestess. “If you can travel there and retrieve our young Sybil, then your debts to this temple will be paid.”

Easy enough, I thought, grunting.

A set of clothes was provided to me just so I could look decent as I left. Even then whispers accompanied me, soft words traded between the priestesses who all watched me with varying degrees of interest.

Stepping out to Markarth, the city had a completely different atmosphere than before. There was still, of course, the hubbub of the many mines still operating in the city, but the citizens as a whole seemed more relaxed and happy as I walked. Some even greeted me or traded a few polite words as I walked, which I found a behaviour completely unlike the first time I came into the city. It was jarring, to be honest, the complete turn of attitude caughting me off guard just as much as Aela slamming herself against me almost as soon as I stepped a foot inside the Silver-Blood Inn.

“Eas-!”

She didn’t even give me a chance to talk before kissing me, her lips smashing heatedly, almost desperately against mine; and I wasn’t the one who was going to refuse her. Though I grunted when some throats were tellingly cleared, holding the redhead tightly by her hips before leaning back.

“Don’t do that again.” She demanded.

“I have dragons to kill and a world to save, Aela,” I muttered. “I can’t promise you that.”

“Then just… don’t die… idiot.” She ordered another time, and I nodded.

I could do that.

“Thane,” Lydia quietly called. She didn’t meet my eyes when I turned to face her, instead biting her lips and looking down, a conflicted expression on her face. “I… I failed, my lord. I… I abandoned you…” She muttered remorsefully.

I frowned, feeling Aela’s sigh on my chest.

Slipping from the huntress’ embrace I easily caught the brunette’s face, tilting her chin up so she could meet my eyes. Something that she reluctantly did, biting her lips with clenched teeth.

“You didn’t abandon me, Lydia,” I reassured my housecarl. “I remember rather distinctly ordering you to retreat.”

“But-” she stopped herself, falling in silence right after.

“Tell me, Lydia,” I ordered. “I told you already, you can tell me everything you want. You’re my housecarl, not a slave.”

Her mouth opened. “I-” and then it closed. She took a breath. “It’s my duty to follow you, my Thane. To die in battle for you. Leaving you was…”

“Idiot,” I sighed. “I don’t need you to die for me, Lydia. And I’d never ask for your life in exchange for mine, nor do I want to.”

“But-!”

“Your life is yours, Lydia,” I cut her off. Then, after a moment of consideration, I continued. “But you’re a stubborn woman. Divines know all you damn Nords are… So let me make this clear for you. Under no circumstances, Lydia, I don’t want you to endanger your life for mine. Especially against dragons,” I stressed. “I don’t want you to die because of me.”

“That’s-”

“Lydia…”

“I-” She opened her mouth to protest, but seeing my glare, the stern, serious look on my face made her rethink her words anc click her mouth shut. Then she blushed. “V-very well, my Thane…” The brunette whispered, squirming in my grasp before I released her.

When Aela passed me to lead me to where they were sitting, there was a smile on her lips as she caught my hand to guide me away and a glint on her eyes that almost made me frown. But instead of questioning, I hid a frown and allowed myself to be led away.

I’ll admit, almost as soon as I had food in front of me, my mind forgot some of the things I had to talk about.

I’d been hungry. Starving even. Not that the priestess at the temple didn’t feed me, they did offer me food, but compared to what I actually needed to feel sated and what I actually ate, I was still left with an empty stomach.

“The priestesses have asked something from me,” I said in between bites, garnering the attention of the women. “They want us to go to a village, Karthwasten, to bring back a little girl with us.”

“Why is that?” Aela asked. “They are not asking us to kidnap a child, are they?”

“No,” I shook my head at Lydia’s startled gasp. “It’s a request, something important to them, and I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say why… Have you heard news of their Sybil?”

“None whatsoever,” the redhead shrugged. “Perhaps Lydia might have?” She raised an eyebrow, turning to the brunette.

“Other than her being the one to order the priestesses to heal you, Thane,” my housecarl started. “Then I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything you don’t know already. But if you are mentioning her now, I suppose…” she trails off in a mutter.

Nodding in confirmation to her assumption, I then moved on to say. “We can leave… Wait,” I blinked, a frown crossing my face. “Where’s my armour?” I questioned.

My heart fell while watching them wince. Another one, I thought dejected.

Sighing, I got up. At least now I had an excuse to get a new armour set… I should probably start learning blacksmithing myself, I mused.

“Tomorrow.” I declared. “We can deal with this tomorrow.”

“Where are you going?” The Companion asked.

“Bed,” I told her, and in the blink of an eye she had my arms wrapped around her chest, subtly dragging me away. I couldn’t help the smile that crept to my face. “You horny minx.” I whispered in her ears.

She pinched my arm, throwing the door to our room open. I laughed as she growled, kicking the door shut and pulling the redhead to bed with me.

Cold…

“Arms… gs… bro..!” A distant voice exclaimed.

I see a distant land, far away in the horizon. It’s harsh and frigid, and home to hardy people.

“Don’... him! His… oken… ause… harm!”

The clear skies are a limpid blue and the air is filled with the sweet iron scent of blood and death and I feel happy.

“...lose to…! Go… Temple… reat…!”

These are not my memories…

“He’s awake!” Someone shouted, but their voice was muffled, as if something was covering my ears. “He’s regaining consciousness! Quick, bring the mother!”

I blinked and I didn’t know for how long the darkness stretched, but when my eyes opened again there was a hand on my chest gently pushing me down.

“Calm down. Calm down, warrior,” she said. She because her voice was smooth and gentle, with a pleasant singing quality to it, her tone twinkling with laughter. “You are hurt, and your body should recover. So for now, please rest, warrior.”

My eyes opened and I groaned, feeling my body ache all over.

“Ugh…” I moaned quietly, eyes closed as I felt each jolt of pain on my bones washing over my body with a quiver in my voice. “This better not happen every time…” I told myself. “Fuck.”

It wouldn’t be good for my health sustaining critical damage every time I fought dragons, after all. Though, in retrospect, I fared much better against Yolviingah, Lokqobonir and Yolusvulkrii than against Mirmulnir. In no small part that must be because against the dragon in Whiterun Hold I hadn’t yet fully awoken my dragon soul, whereas against the trio of dragons at Karthspire I had already consumed Mirmulnir’s soul. Not that it matters much now. Lokqobonir would have killed me, but he wasn’t able to, so I dealt him a fatal wound.

And here I am. Still alive…

My eyes moved, taking in the foreign environment around me.

Stone ceiling and floor, robust and solid, unblemished. The Dwemer architecture was unmistakable, and I immediately relaxed knowing I was in Markarth - though it could have been somewhere else, however unlikely that possibility was -, the tension leaving my body with a pained but alleviated sigh and a grimace on my face.

My eyes could see better now.

Even in the dimly lit room with only a couple of candles lighting up the place and giving it the barest of warmths I could still see every detail with clarity I never had before.

The doors opened to my room, warm air rushing from the corridor as a woman stepped inside.

She was a Nord woman, tall and well developed. Her generous breast pressed in the confines of her priestly garbs, and she carried a war axe strapped to her hips, as well as a dagger. Her appearance was youthful, just like her disposition, yet the greying hair and small, almost imperceptible wrinkles on her face denoted otherwise.

“You’re awake,” the woman noted, placing down the candle she carried on the table by the entrance. The tone of her voice and the way she expressed herself didn’t let me believe she was happy with the notion, however. “Good.”

“Who are you?” I asked, struggling to raise my chest from the bed, the covers slipping to reveal my naked chest. “Where am I for that matter?”

“You are at the Temple of Dibella of Markarth,” the woman answered, tone curt. “And I am Hamal, the woman who fixed you to the best of my abilities, even though Restoration is not my specialisation.”

I can see that, I thought, but instead of letting any words that may cause offence slip off my mouth, a soft golden glow appeared in my hand when I activated a Restoration spell of my own. My arms, legs and ribs all felt like a thousand needles pricked me at the same time, but I endured it with only a slight grimace that I hid quickly.

Throwing my legs out of the bed - and also noticing I wasn’t wearing any sort of trouser either - I got up, feeling joints stretching and bones popping when I took a step forward.

“Thank you.” I muttered to the priestess who took a hesitant step back, wide eyes looking up to meet mine.

Her fingers twitched, no doubt in preparation to pick up her axe to strike me down, but after a moment of silence where no one moved so much as a muscle she seemed to snap out of her daze.

“You should thank the Jarl, not me,” she said tersely. “Came himself to the doors of our temple with an army on his back, begging us to help save your life. We could hardly refuse him, and we were forced to break seclusion. For you.” She said, and I blinked, surprised that Igmund would go so far for me. Then again, he was probably being pressured into doing so.

A huff escaped my lips as I shook my head. That didn’t matter. What I should focus on right now was the woman in front of me, and the clear discontent she had with my presence. Worse, I knew that tone and that type of conversation. Telling me why she had to do something, as if she had been coerced…

A sigh escaped my lips.

“And?” I raised an eyebrow. “Get on with it. What do you want?” I demanded.

Nostrils flaring, Hamal took an indignant step forward to drive a finger on my chest. “What I want is for you to get out of this temple,” she hissed, glaring at me. “But that would be against the Sybil’s last wishes.” And to that I raised an eyebrow. “Yes, we only accepted you for healing because our Sybil insisted quite persistently for us to accept you, even ordering us to prepare a room exclusively for you. But now that she has passed we must find a new Sybil, except we can’t do this because we have to take care of you.” Said the priestess rather angrily, and I merely blinked dumbfounded.

The Sybil ordered the priestesses to take me in? Was she the woman that talked to me when I woke up?

That just left me  even more confused.

A frown came to my face. “What do I have to do?” I grunted. “Do you know where your new Sybil is?”

“Luckily for you,” Hamal continued, her tone biting and frosty as she crossed her arms. “We have already performed the ritual of the Exalted Protocol of the Dibellan Sybil, and we’ve been awarded with visions of a hammock pressed against the stone.”

“That really doesn’t help me.” I grunted, earning a glare from the woman who continued as if I just hadn’t interrupted.

“We believe the vision has shown us Karthwasten,” said the priestess. “If you can travel there and retrieve our young Sybil, then your debts to this temple will be paid.”

Easy enough, I thought, grunting.

A set of clothes was provided to me just so I could look decent as I left. Even then whispers accompanied me, soft words traded between the priestesses who all watched me with varying degrees of interest.

Stepping out to Markarth, the city had a completely different atmosphere than before. There was still, of course, the hubbub of the many mines still operating in the city, but the citizens as a whole seemed more relaxed and happy as I walked. Some even greeted me or traded a few polite words as I walked, which I found a behaviour completely unlike the first time I came into the city. It was jarring, to be honest, the complete turn of attitude caughting me off guard just as much as Aela slamming herself against me almost as soon as I stepped a foot inside the Silver-Blood Inn.

“Eas-!”

She didn’t even give me a chance to talk before kissing me, her lips smashing heatedly, almost desperately against mine; and I wasn’t the one who was going to refuse her. Though I grunted when some throats were tellingly cleared, holding the redhead tightly by her hips before leaning back.

“Don’t do that again.” She demanded.

“I have dragons to kill and a world to save, Aela,” I muttered. “I can’t promise you that.”

“Then just… don’t die… idiot.” She ordered another time, and I nodded.

I could do that.

“Thane,” Lydia quietly called. She didn’t meet my eyes when I turned to face her, instead biting her lips and looking down, a conflicted expression on her face. “I… I failed, my lord. I… I abandoned you…” She muttered remorsefully.

I frowned, feeling Aela’s sigh on my chest.

Slipping from the huntress’ embrace I easily caught the brunette’s face, tilting her chin up so she could meet my eyes. Something that she reluctantly did, biting her lips with clenched teeth.

“You didn’t abandon me, Lydia,” I reassured my housecarl. “I remember rather distinctly ordering you to retreat.”

“But-” she stopped herself, falling in silence right after.

“Tell me, Lydia,” I ordered. “I told you already, you can tell me everything you want. You’re my housecarl, not a slave.”

Her mouth opened. “I-” and then it closed. She took a breath. “It’s my duty to follow you, my Thane. To die in battle for you. Leaving you was…”

“Idiot,” I sighed. “I don’t need you to die for me, Lydia. And I’d never ask for your life in exchange for mine, nor do I want to.”

“But-!”

“Your life is yours, Lydia,” I cut her off. Then, after a moment of consideration, I continued. “But you’re a stubborn woman. Divines know all you damn Nords are… So let me make this clear for you. Under no circumstances, Lydia, I don’t want you to endanger your life for mine. Especially against dragons,” I stressed. “I don’t want you to die because of me.”

“That’s-”

“Lydia…”

“I-” She opened her mouth to protest, but seeing my glare, the stern, serious look on my face made her rethink her words anc click her mouth shut. Then she blushed. “V-very well, my Thane…” The brunette whispered, squirming in my grasp before I released her.

When Aela passed me to lead me to where they were sitting, there was a smile on her lips as she caught my hand to guide me away and a glint on her eyes that almost made me frown. But instead of questioning, I hid a frown and allowed myself to be led away.

I’ll admit, almost as soon as I had food in front of me, my mind forgot some of the things I had to talk about.

I’d been hungry. Starving even. Not that the priestess at the temple didn’t feed me, they did offer me food, but compared to what I actually needed to feel sated and what I actually ate, I was still left with an empty stomach.

“The priestesses have asked something from me,” I said in between bites, garnering the attention of the women. “They want us to go to a village, Karthwasten, to bring back a little girl with us.”

“Why is that?” Aela asked. “They are not asking us to kidnap a child, are they?”

“No,” I shook my head at Lydia’s startled gasp. “It’s a request, something important to them, and I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say why… Have you heard news of their Sybil?”

“None whatsoever,” the redhead shrugged. “Perhaps Lydia might have?” She raised an eyebrow, turning to the brunette.

“Other than her being the one to order the priestesses to heal you, Thane,” my housecarl started. “Then I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything you don’t know already. But if you are mentioning her now, I suppose…” she trails off in a mutter.

Nodding in confirmation to her assumption, I then moved on to say. “We can leave… Wait,” I blinked, a frown crossing my face. “Where’s my armour?” I questioned.

My heart fell while watching them wince. Another one, I thought dejected.

Sighing, I got up. At least now I had an excuse to get a new armour set… I should probably start learning blacksmithing myself, I mused.

“Tomorrow.” I declared. “We can deal with this tomorrow.”

“Where are you going?” The Companion asked.

“Bed,” I told her, and in the blink of an eye she had my arms wrapped around her chest, subtly dragging me away. I couldn’t help the smile that crept to my face. “You horny minx.” I whispered in her ears.

She pinched my arm, throwing the door to our room open. I laughed as she growled, kicking the door shut and pulling the redhead to bed with me.