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actuallykiwi · 2 years ago

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Inner Dragon Chapter 5: The Return of Dragons

A long hot bath and a night at the Sleeping Giant Inn later, Annie sat contentedly at a table in the corner of the tavern. The Riverwood tavern was quiet, as early in the morning most patrons had already headed home. She munched on her apple as Kaidan emerged from his room, looking much cleaner and well rested than the night before. “And how are you feeling this fine morning?” She asked as she wiped the apple juice from her mouth.

“Enjoying a warm tavern and a good ale, you’ll get no complaints from me,” he plopped down in the seat across from her and downed the mug she got for him. “Ah, so what about you? How’re you holding up?”

She thought for a minute. “Feeling much better after a bath. Nervous, maybe? Empowered? I mean I’ve never delved into a ruin like that, let alone to get an artifact as important as this.” She patted the Dragonstone that was nestled safely in her bag. “All in all, I feel... adventurous.” She finished with a smirk.

Kaidan grinned back at her. “Glad to hear it. Good to get you out of the books, metaphorically speaking.” She rolled her eyes, “Haha, I’m a nerd, I get it.”

There was a few quiet moments where they enjoyed their breakfast before Kaidan broke the silence. “I am curious about you, though.” Annie looked at him inquisitively. “What did you wanna know?”

“Well, where are you from?”

“Chorrol, down in Cyrodiil. Not too far from the Imperial City, which is where my brother frequents for the Legion. I was in our city’s chapter of the Mages Guild, so, y’know, hence the nerdiness.” She shrugged. Kaidan scratched his head, “Still unsure what ‘nerd’ means, but I’ll take your word for it. Cyrodiil, huh? You must miss your homeland. I hope the war hasn’t made Skyrim too... unwelcoming.” She laughed dryly. “Yeah, we did get one heck of a welcome party. But thanks. It’s warming up on me.” She smiled at him, and he returned it with a nod.

She cleared her throat. “Anyways, what else did you wanna know?”

“I know we’re looking for your brother, got any other family out there?”

“Yup, our parents! Brienna and Jace Sinclair. They’re both back home in Chorrol.” “Do you miss them? Ah, perhaps that’s a daft question.”

“No no, you’re fine. And yes, I do. It’s only been a couple weeks since I saw them last, but with all that’s happened with Alec, the war, and the dragon in Skyrim...” she trailed off, and Kaidan placed his hand on her wrist. “It must be hard to be away from them right now. But I know they miss you, too. They must be proud of you both.”

The amount of sincerity in his voice and his grip on her arm surprised her. From the look in his eyes boring into her, she knew he meant every word. It was almost enough to make her tear up, but she smiled warmly at him. “Thank you. It is hard being away from them, but that’s why it’s so important we find Alec. And we will.” “Aye, we will.” He nodded firmly and removed his hand.

“Sooo, enough about me. Your turn! What brings you to Skyrim?”

“I’ve spent a long time wandering; this is where my feet led me.” She waited for him to continue speaking. “And...?” He chuckled. “To own the truth, I’ve come back to Skyrim to learn something of my heritage, my bloodline. The few clues I have pointed me here, but it takes time to decode. So, I’m paying my way by collecting bounties.”

“You have no family to ask?” “No... not anymore. Perhaps I do have blood kin out there, but I’ve never known them.” Annie couldn’t imagine not having a family. Being without hers right now was more painful than she let on, but she was surviving. She studied him a bit more. His skin was a soft honey tan, almost golden like an elf, and somewhat leathery. And his eyes... she had never seen them on men or mer. Sharp, pensive, and a deep crimson-like hazel. The red tattoo that coated the right side of his face was also not familiar to her. “You don’t even know your race? You definitely don’t look like a Nord.”

“No. I was raised as one, by one. But I have no Voice of the Emperor or Dragonskin magic... I don’t even know the race of my mother. All I have is a hunch, but I need proof.” She perked up. “Well, I do like a good mystery! Maybe I could help?” He blinked at her. “You’d do that?” She nodded.

“I suppose I could use the help. The best clue I have is my sword, but I’m certain we can find out more in our travels.” “You got it. I’ll keep an eye out! And speaking of travels, time to get moving?”

“Aye. Let’s return that Claw first.” She agreed, and the pair rounded up their belongings and headed out.

***************************************

The shopkeep was very grateful to have his shiny golden trinket back, and his sister was a little... too grateful. Kaidan and Annie got back on the road before things got too uncomfortable.

“You’d think with two guys pawning after her already, she wouldn’t flirt with a total stranger, right? She was pretty, though.” Annie thought aloud as they crossed the bridge and started their journey back to Whiterun. “Hey, you weren’t the one getting groped. They can have her,” Kaidan shuddered. “Agreed. She was really forward.” Annie thought about how Carlotta came right out and offered to “pay him back in full” and ran a hand down his arm. “Ohhoho, Miss Annie, do I detect a hint of jealousy?” He grinned slyly and nudged her. “Hah! Not a chance! I’m just using you for your sword.” She teased.

“My sword, eh? That could mean a lot of things...” She turned beet red and punched his arm. “No no that’s not what I meant!! Kaidan!!” He laughed as they trekked on.

The rest of the trip to Whiterun, they talked more about Annie’s family and shared childhood stories. Eventually, the Plains opened up and they arrived at the city gates around noon. Fog blanketed the land, and the sky cast long grey shadows. By the time they reached Dragonsreach, the fog had mostly cleared, but the sky was still overcast. Annie always loved rain and storms, but this felt... symbolic, somehow. Almost foreshadowing.

She didn’t dwell on it for too long as they entered the keep and made their way towards the court wizard’s chamber. As they rounded the corner, Annie heard voices. She put a hand up to Kaidan as they stood against the wall. There was a voice she didn’t recognize speaking to Farengar.

“You see? The terminology is clearly First Era or even earlier. I'm convinced this is a copy of a much older text. Perhaps dating to just after the Dragon War. If so, I could use this to cross-reference the names with other later texts." Farengar rambled.

"Good. I'm glad you're making progress. My employers are anxious to have some tangible answers." The other voice was female. She sounded impatient.

"Oh, have no fear. The Jarl himself has finally taken an interest, so I'm now able to devote most of my time to this research." He rifled around some papers. "Time is running, Farengar, don't forget. This isn't some theoretical question. Dragons have come back." The voice was not quiet. Annie and Kaidan shared a look. "Yes, yes. Don't worry. Although the chance to see a living dragon up close would be tremendously valuable... Now, let me show you something else I found... very intriguing... I think your employers may be interested as well..."

They shared one last nod before Annie gently knocked on the wall and they peeped around the corner. The source of the voice glared up at them from beside Farengar. A woman in leather armor pinned Annie with her glare, her pale blue eyes narrowed in suspicion and shadowed by a hood. She nudged Farengar without moving her gaze. “You have a visitor.”

It took the wizard a moment to drag himself out of his notes. "Hmm? Ah, yes, the Jarl's protege! Back from Bleak Falls Barrow? You didn't die, it seems.” Annie glimpsed down at herself. “Uh, yeah, it seems not...? Here you go.” She shook her head and handed him the artifact. “Ah! The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow! Seems you are a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends my way. My... associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork. She discovered its location by means she has so far declined to share with me.” He looked pointedly at the hooded woman, "So your information was correct after all. And we have our friend here to thank for recovering it for us." She now eyed Annie and Kaidan with surprise.

"You went into Bleak Falls Barrow and got that? Nice work.” With a nod of approval, she turned back to Farengar. “Just send me a copy when you've deciphered it." They exchanged a few more words and the hooded woman began to leave. As she exited the room, she almost ran right into Irileth, who was sprinting into the room. The woman evaded her and scurried out into the hall. Irileth was panting and looked agitated.

"Farengar! Farengar, you need to come at once. A dragon's been sighted nearby!” She glanced at Annie. “You should come, too." Annie blinked at her and was about to reply, but Farengar quite literally jumped from his hoard of papers and approached Irileth. "A dragon! How exciting! Where was it seen? What was it doing?" The elf shook her head. "I'd take this a bit more seriously if I were you. If a dragon decides to attack Whiterun, I don't know if we can stop it. Let's go." She gestured for all of them to follow her, which Farengar excitedly obliged.

Annie looked back at Kaidan. “Fighting a dragon? I’ve been face-to-face with one before but there’s no way I can-” “Let’s just see what’s going on. We’ll go from there.” He reassured her. She nodded, and they followed Irileth up a flight of stairs.

Jarl Balgruuf was standing in what seemed to be a small war room behind the throne room. He was speaking to a guard that was covered in scorch marks, and seemed worse for the wear. "So, Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?" The guard nodded. “Yes, my lord.” Irileth approached them. “Tell him what you told me, about the dragon.” The guard seemed nervous, scared. "Uh... that's right. We saw it coming from the south. It was fast... faster than anything I've ever seen."

"What did it do? Is it attacking the watchtower?" Balgruuf seemed to be in deep thought. "No, my lord. It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life... I thought it would come after me for sure." The Jarl patted his shoulder. "Good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it.” The guard nodded and limped back down the stairs. “Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there." Irileth stood at attention. “I’ve already ordered my men to muster near the main gate.”

“Good. Don’t fail me.” Irileth bowed and stepped to the side as Balgruuf’s attention diverted to Annie, who was watching timidly but stood straighter as he approached. He seemed almost remorseful for what he was about to ask. "There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friend. I need your help again. I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon.” Annie eyes went wide. “But, Jarl, I’ve never-” “You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I instructed Avenicci that you are now permitted to purchase property in the city. And please accept this gift from my personal armory."

The Jarl picked up a scabbard from the table and handed it to Annie. She reluctantly took it from him and unsheathed the sword a few inches. The blade of an iron sword gleamed up at her, with a slight fiery glow. “It’s enchanted.” Kaidan noted from over her shoulder with a nod of approval. She looked back up at the Jarl. “Sir, just because I’ve seen a dragon before doesn’t mean I can fight one! In fact, that same dragon almost took my life!” She thought back to the moment the dragon Shouted at her, sending her and several others flying. Her head still sometimes ached from the impact of hitting the wall.

Balgruuf placed his hand on her shoulder. “I know it’s scary, but you will not be alone in this fight. From the moment I met you, I knew something was different in you. I still haven’t pinpointed what, but I know that you can do this. Trust your instinct. Trust your friends.” With this, he glimpsed at Kaidan and backed away. Kaidan gripped her shoulder as well and gave her a reassuring look. She glimpsed back at the sword, hooked it onto her belt, and took a shaky breath. “Okay.”

Annie and Kaidan made their way out as Farengar approached the Jarl. "I should come along. I would very much like to see this dragon." "No. I can't afford to risk both of you. I need you here working on ways to defend the city against these dragons." Farengar seemed disappointed, but did not argue. "As you command." Balgruuf called out to his housecarl. "One last thing, Irileth. This isn’t a death or glory mission. I need to know what we’re dealing with.” She bowed again. “Don’t worry, my lord. I am the very soul of caution.” With that, she gestured to Annie and Kaidan, and the three of them ran out of the hall.

By the front gates, Irileth was giving an inspiring speech to her men, who all seemed just as nervous as Annie. Kaidan watched her as she had a death grip on the hilt of her new sword, trying her best to listen to the speech. “You okay?” He asked gently. “Kaidan, I’m not a warrior. I’m not even a soldier! I’m just a mage that loves studying, learning- I-I mean I know destruction spells, and I can hold my own in a fight, but a dragon?? Back in Helgen, I’ve never been so scared in my life, and now I’m being asked to go through that again...” She was biting her nails, but got a nasty shock when she realized her hands were tingling with electricity. “Listen, Annie.” He stood in front of her so she had to look up at him.

“Remember what the Jarl said: You’re not alone in this. Trust me. I’ll be there the whole time. I swore to protect you to repay my debt to you, and I’m standing by that promise. You can do this.” Annie stopped trembling and met his eyes. He wasn’t grinning, wasn’t frowning. His eyes were filled with fierce determination. He truly believed in her.

“...The glory of killing it is ours, if you're with me! Now what do you say? Shall we go kill us a dragon?" Irileth finished off her speech with rallying cries from the soldiers. Kaidan held up a hand to Annie. She glimpsed down to make sure her anxiety-driven Sparks had worn off, and when she knew they had, she gripped his hand. He firmly squeezed it, and with a heartfelt, possibly excited grin, he took off running with the group, Annie close behind him.

*******************************************

It was a short run to the Western Watchtower. But what lie in its place was not a tower, but still-smoldering ruins. The tower was half crumbled to the ground, nowhere near its original height. A walkway and barricades were torn down and burning with still-roaring flames. Worst of all, charred corpses lie scattered amid the ruins. The dragon had definitely left its mark.

Irileth led the group up to a short hill across from the carnage. “No signs of any dragon right now, but it sure looks like he's been here. I know it looks bad, but we've got to figure out what happened. And if that dragon is still skulking around somewhere. Spread out and look for survivors. We need to know what we're dealing with." She and the soldiers brandished their weapons and charged onto the scene. Annie and Kaidan made their way toward the tower and quickly found something.

A guard, scorched like the other was, crouched by the doorway inside, trembling. His eyes grew wide when he saw them enter. He shakily stood and shooed them out. "No! Get back! It's still here somewhere! Hroki and Tor just got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it!" Irileth, who was nearby, came to investigate. "Guardsman! What happened here? Where's this dragon? Quickly now!"

He shook his head. “I don’t know!” As they approached the bottom of the tower, he froze. His head turned slowly south and he fell to his knees. “Kynareth save us, here he comes again...”

Everyone turned toward where he was facing, and listened. Sure enough, Annie heard it. It was in the distance, but she knew the sound all too well. A roar. A dragon’s roar. The clouds were still thick and blocking the sky, but they could faintly see a shadow move from the mountain top and disappear overhead. “Here he comes! Find cover and make every arrow count!” Irileth found a spot by the crumbled walkway and readied her weapon. Kaidan pulled Annie over behind the tower where a small outcropping covered them.

They all waited. Listened as one last roar, much closer this time, echoed just overhead. It was quiet. Still, as everyone held their breath and watched the skies.

Then the dragon dropped from the clouds and snatched up a guard from the walkway in his mouth. With a sickening crunch, the dragon flew back above and flung the guard’s body back to the ground. Annie was going to be sick.

A war cry rose from the brave troop as they unleashed all they had upon it. Arrows and spells sprang up from all directions. Kaidan unsheathed his own bow and landed a few himself. Annie stayed behind him as he crept around the tower and followed the beast wherever it went. The dragon made a few laps around the premises, then landed with an earth-shaking crash. It took a breath, “Everyone get down!!” and Shouted.

Flames roared out across the ruins as everyone ducked for cover, some not so lucky were still out in the open. Kaidan yelled and covered Annie behind a broken wall. Even through him, she could feel the immense heat that surrounded them. Once the fire stopped, everyone brave enough emerged from their hiding and began to strike it again. Annie found herself hyperventilating on the ground as Kaidan stood up from shielding her. “Stay here!” He shouted, and went back to attacking.

She was doing everything she could to calm down. Her pulse was racing, her vision was blurry, she couldn’t breathe. She watched from behind the wall as men began approaching the dragon and attacking head-on, but the dragon’s strong jaws had them quickly, and they were gone. She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down again.

Suddenly, everything went quiet, and time seemed to slow. The sounds of the battle were muffled. The fire that raged from the beast roared around her, a distant rage. Her gaze found Kaidan, who was rising from his cover and launching another assault. Kaidan, a stranger fast becoming a friend, who believed in her. Her brother Alec, somewhere out there, probably looking for her too, believed in her.

She was terrified. The sparks igniting her whole body at this point proved it so. But now was the time to use that fear, and prove them right.

Something burned within her. Something shifted within her, and she found herself standing up from the rubble.

The dragon paused, very briefly, and made eye contact. Its face registered something which she would later realize was recognition. The guards were doing a number on it, but it wasn’t enough.

With her body still running on pure adrenaline, and whatever fire was now raging inside of her, she mustered all of her magicka into her hands, and struck out towards it.

An amount of electricity that could instantly kill a man was pouring from her outstretched arms. She was screaming, but you couldn’t hear it over the shock.

It wasn’t killing it, but it certainly caught the dragon’s attention. With it distracted for just long enough, the other men moved in and hit it once again with everything they had. It was Irileth that dealt the final blow, with a sword through its head by way of its eye. Its other eye met Annie’s again, this time with fear. And then she heard something she never expected. She heard it speak, to her.

“Dovahkiin!? No!!!”

Irileth removed her sword, and the beast collapsed, lying still. Annie fell to her hands and knees, all of her magic drained from her. The handful of surviving men were already rejoicing. Irileth approached the body. “Now let’s see if this overgrown lizard is really dead.” The guards approached with her, but froze in their tracks.

The body was igniting. Flames appeared from inside it and engulfed it. “Everyone, get back!” Someone yelled, and they all ducked for cover. All except Annie, who was still too weak to stand. Kaidan rushed over to her and tried to help her up. “Annie!”

She was barely standing when the body was fully ignited, and then a strong wind moved through. Something was coming out of the dragon, and into her. The shock of the absorption knocked her out of Kaidan’s grasp, but she was still barely standing. This power flowing into her was blindingly burning, but felt... natural. It wasn’t forcing its way in, although the force was strong. The dragon’s body dissolved into nothing but bones, as if all its life force was now moving into Annie.

After a moment, it finished, and all the wind and fire faded away. Annie dropped to one knee and began panting. “By the gods... what just happened to you?” Kaidan knelt next to her and placed a hand on her back, but quickly snatched it back. She felt like she was on fire.

“I don’t.. I don’t know...” All the others were gathering around her, silent with awe. One guard stepped up, his mouth agape. “I can’t believe it... you’re Dragonborn!” Annie used Kaidan’s shoulder as a crutch to help herself stand. She was cooling off and touching the metal of his armor, which he was quietly grateful for. “I’m a what?”

“Dragonborn. In the very oldest tales, back when there still were dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power. That's what you did, isn't it? Absorbed that dragon's power?" The guard explained. Annie felt her chest. She was warm, but not burning anymore. That roar and power that she felt earlier was louder now. Whatever just happened, it definitely awoke something within her. “I mean... it certainly felt like it...”

“There's only one way to find out. Try to Shout... According to the old legends, only the Dragonborn can Shout without training, the way the dragons do." The other guards began debating the legend. Annie looked down at her hands. They were still hers, but they felt... different, somehow. Stronger. She felt stronger. Kaidan was watching her intently. “How do you feel?” She looked up at him. “Honestly? A little freaked out.” He chuckled. “But... I feel stronger, somehow. And really, really warm. And my chest kind of, burns? Not like heartburn, but like... something is... alive. Am I making sense?” Kaidan chuckled again and shook his head, “Not really, but after what just happened, who knows?”

The men had dragged Irileth into the debate. They finished arguing, and looked back at Annie. "If you really are Dragonborn, like the old tales, you ought to be able to Shout. Can you? Have you tried?" She looked at Kaidan. He shrugged. She sighed and walked a distance away, facing away from the handful of survivors.

She definitely absorbed something from the dragon. The burning in her chest was working its way up to her throat while she thought. Okay, Shouting. I can do that? Think, Annie. If dragons can Shout, that means it’s in their language, right? What do you know about their language? Nothing really. Except... one Word... from the Barrows... The burn sat dead center of her throat. She envisioned the physical form of the Word she saw, how it engulfed her vision, how she heard and felt it through her entire body. She gripped her fists, and took a deep breath and,

“FUS!”

The volume of her Voice shocked her. She couldn’t help but cover her mouth out of surprise. She Shouted. “I did it...” She whispered.

The others gasped and murmured. The same guard from before approached her. "That was Shouting, what you just did! Must be. You really are Dragonborn, then..." Annie turned to face Kaidan, who was right behind her, his shocked face matching hers. “Well, I’ll be damned... I’m traveling with a Dragonborn...” She couldn’t help but nervously chuckle.

"That was the hairiest fight I've ever been in, and I've been in more than a few. I don't know about this Dragonborn business, but I'm sure glad you're with us. Jarl Balgruuf will want to know what happened here. I'm taking command here for the moment. You head back to Whiterun and let the Jarl know what happened." Irileth seem unperturbed by the discovery, but impressed nonetheless. Kaidan nodded and gently guided Annie back to the road and towards Whiterun.

“This... changes everything, doesn’t it?” She asked aloud. “It only changes what you want it to. You’re still Annie, just, a little louder now.” She chuckled. “I never knew I could get that loud.” He shook his head. “Quick way to win an argument, though.”

Annie was beginning to feel a little weak by the time they reached the city stables. It felt like the heat was wearing off, and she was back to feeling the drain of her magicka. She stumbled a bit, and Kaidan caught her arm over his shoulders. “I’ve got you.”

They had just made it past the first gate when a loud clap of thunder shook the earth, sending them tumbling to the ground. But through the rumble, Annie heard the unmistakable Shout,

“DO-VAH-KIIN!”

Her head was ringing. She couldn’t hear anything, even Kaidan who was shouting something in her ear. The world was spinning and everything was fading away. Somewhere, she heard Kaidan call her name, and then all went black.

#skyrim #writing #fanfiction #inner dragon fic #annie sinclair #kaidan skyrim #kaidan skryim mod

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actuallykiwi · 2 years ago

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Inner Dragon Chapter 4: The Dragonstone

(One of the longer chapters, little bookmarks placed for your convenience if you need them!)

The Bannered Mare was especially busy at this time of night. Merchants, farmers, and nobles alike all came in for their nightly mugs of warm mead and even warmer temperatures by the fire. Annie and her new traveling companion were enjoying their own meal in the corner of the room, listening to the bard’s version of Ragnar the Red and watching the patrons drunkenly sing along.

“So you’re just doing this as a favor to the Jarl? What if they still can’t locate your brother?” Kaidan inquired of her over his mead. “Well, then I guess it’s off to the next town, which I’m guessing would be Solitude. That is the Imperial capitol of Skyrim, after all. It would be where the surviving soldiers would report.” She thought aloud. He nodded in agreement and took a swig of his drink.

There was a moment’s pause where everyone applauded the bard Mikael’s performance, and then went about their business. Annie politely clapped and then looked across the table at Kaidan. “So... What exactly happened with the Thalmor?” He cleared his throat as he finished his mead. “Aye, guess I owe you that much.” He thought for a moment. “I’d been trying to find a way to cross the border into Pale Pass. Ever since Helgen, it’s been near impossible to get into Cyrodiil without a stack of papers for the Empire to keep track of you.” She scoffed, “Yep, we love our lists...”

“In the meantime, I’d been picking up bounty contracts to keep some coin in my pocket. Must have drawn too much attention to myself. I’d been camping by the lake when they ambushed me. It seems the Thalmor don’t need much evidence to bring in a suspect.” He spat the last few words out. “They took one look at that sword, and decided I’d be a good target for interrogation. Then they dragged me off to that prison.” Annie looked at him with concern in her eyes. “You must’ve been scared...”

Kaidan chuckled. “Brynjar used to say, ‘If you’re not a little afraid, you’re not understanding the situation.’ Fear I can handle easily enough...” He paused, and his expression darkened. “...But there was a moment or two where I thought it might really be the end for me. The Thalmor would have never let me go, no matter what I told them. You’ve faced down mortality too... Perhaps you know the feeling?”

She thought quietly for a moment. “Honestly, not until recently... When the dragon attacked Helgen, and I was separated from Alec, I was terrified that something was going to happen to him, or to me. ‘Cause y’know, when the sky opens up and starts raining fire, and a big black dragon is literally grabbing people from the ground, it’s a little terrifying, huh?” She chuckled nervously. Kaidan gave her a quizzical look at her change in tone. She cleared her throat. “But... yeah, I know what it’s like to be scared. But when that fear comes, you just have to fight through it. Keep a clear head and do what you can.”

He nodded. “Good advice.” He raised his mug to her and took a swig. “The Thalmor will come after you again, you know. They’re persistent.” She told him. He set his mug down with a heavy sigh and glanced at the door. “Probably. And I’ll be ready for them. Live and learn, right?” She grinned. “Right. And now you’ve got a little backup for next time!” She lifted her arm and patted her muscles proudly. He snorted, “Little is right, pipsqueak.”

“Wha- hey!” She threw a small piece of bread at him, and they both laughed. After a while, the two finished their meal and headed off to their room for the night.

Annie tossed and turned in her bed. Something felt off to her, but she couldn’t explain it. It was almost like a sense of dread, a looming storm cloud over her head that had yet to pour the rain. She turned on her side to face Kaidan on the other side of the room. “Psstt, Kaidan. Are you awake?”

Kaidan was on his back, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah. Suppose I’m still on edge, thinking they tracked me in here.” She glanced at the door. “I don’t think they will. The guy’s head is kinda on the floor...” He laughed softly, “Aye, I suppose that’s true. We should be safe for now. Let’s just get some sleep.” With that, he turned his back to her and was soon snoring peacefully.

She sighed and shifted to her back, gazing at the wooden beams on the ceiling. Maybe it was her missing her brother, or being worried about him, or the fact that something was shifting in the air in Skyrim. Rumors of dragons returning flooded the streets, and she probably wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen one for herself, up way too close for comfort. But this pit in her stomach was strong. Whatever it was, it was like she said before; whatever happens, just fight through it, and do what you can.

With a final affirmation to be brave to herself, she finally fell asleep.

********************

The sun glinted blindingly on the snow that had fallen overnight. It was an especially cold day in the Whiterun Plains, but still the sun persisted on melting away the ice, allowing some semblance of warmth in its rays. Annie and Kaidan bundled their cloaks to themselves tightly as they headed back toward Riverwood. The snow had frozen the river, but the cold was doing nothing to stop the townsfolk from their daily lives. The lumberjack still ran, the blacksmith hammered away, and though slightly slower, the guards stayed ever vigilant. Annie was happy to see that Irileth had followed through on her promise to send more troops, as more guards patrolled the street than she had last seen.

“According to Farengar, Bleak Falls Barrow isn’t far from here. Should we ask someone?” Annie thought aloud. “Maybe we can ask the shopkeep. Might wanna pick up a few more supplies, too. Couldn’t hurt.” Kaidan agreed, and lead her to a shop in the heart of town.

“I said no! No theatrics, no thief chasing!” “Well then, what are you going to do about it?” “We are done talking about this!” The duo was greeted by shouting as they opened the door. A frustrated looking woman was stomping away from the counter where a man had his face in his hand. He glanced up and flushed. “Oh, a customer! Sorry you had to hear that...” He cleared his throat “I don’t know what you overheard, but the Riverwood Trader is still open for business.”

Annie gave him a puzzled look. “Did something happen?” The man’s face went bashful. “Uh, we uh, we did have a bit of a break-in... Thieves didn’t take much, but they made off with my prized piece: an ornament, solid gold, in the shape of a dragon’s claw.” She glanced up at Kaidan who just eyed her coolly. “We could help you get it back, if you want?” She offered.

“Really? I’ve got some coin coming in from the last shipment, it’s yours if you bring the claw back.” “Oh, no, you really don’t-”

“We’re in.” Kaidan chimed. She nudged him reproachfully. “What? Man’s gotta eat.” He grinned. “Where can we find these thieves?” “Holed up in Bleak Falls Barrow. Don’t know why they hang around a crypt like that, ain’t none of my business.” Annie and Kaidan looked at each other. “Well, what luck! That’s where we’re heading!”

“I can show you how to get there, if you’d like!” The woman from earlier stepped back into the room with a hopeful smile. “No, Camila, you’re not going anywhere near there!” She rolled her eyes at the man behind the counter. “I’ll just take them to the edge of town, Lucan, calm down. Now, follow me.” She tilted her heads at them and led them back outside.

“You’ll have to forgive my brother and I’s bickering, he is so overprotective.” Camila complained as they strode back down the street. “I totally understand. Mine is too.” Annie smiled sadly. Her heart ached a little at how much she was worrying about Alec.

They reached a bridge a little north of the town entrance. “Now just head up the mountain and there should be a path to the south that will take you right to the barrow. But be careful, those dirty thieves and lowlifes don’t fight fair.” Camila warned them. Kaidan chuckled, “Neither do I, then.” He stalked on ahead, shortly followed by Annie after she thanked their guide.

A steady brisk breeze had started as they headed along the path that Camila had pointed them to, winding up the southern face of the mountain. It picked up as they climbed higher, snow beginning to whisper along the stone. Eventually, they reached a crumbling tower where the path took a sharp turn to the right. Outside, two bandits were lazily patrolling, until one of them spotted the pair. He drew his sword and sneered at them. “That’s close enough. You wanna keep all your limbs, you turn right back around right now.”

Kaidan coolly took a breath and drew his, not stopping. “And if you wanna keep yours, you’ll let us pass.” The bandit laughed. “Oh, I’m gonna love counting out your coin!” The bandit charged him, and before Annie could stop him, Kaidan was lunging, too. And she swore she saw him smile as he shouted, “My blade is thirsting for blood!”

Kaidan made short work of his attacker, then dove easily to the side as an arrow from the second bandit swished past him. Annie sighed and placed herself between them, shooting lightning at their other foe, who went flying back into the tower. Gods, she hated shooting people. Kaidan looked back at her with an almost shocked expression. She almost glared back at him. “You really woke up and chose violence this morning, didn’t you?”

“Excuse you, but he drew his blade first.” He retorted. “Yeah, but you seemed all too happy to return the favor.” She grimaced as she glanced down at the crimson snow surrounding the dead bandit, then began back on their path without another word.

***************************

It was a short walk to the Barrow from the tower. The light flurry had now turned into a harsh snowfall. Annie couldn’t help but stare in awe at the sheer size of the Barrow. Towering stone arches and pillars paved the path to the even larger stone crypt half-buried in snow. The wind whistled through and around the landscape as they shielded themselves from the cold and made their way to the stone stairway leading up to the entrance. And a group of bandits were waiting to give them a warm welcome.

The first sign was an arrow that bounced off the stair right in front of Annie, causing her to jump. “We’ve got company!” Kaidan already had his sword out of its sheath and was storming up the stairs, meeting two bandits blade-to-blade. Annie dove to the side as more arrows clanged on the stairs. She perched herself on the wall, trying to see through the snow where the arrows were coming from. She found her target off in the distance, perched on a ledge. After checking on Kaidan, who was having way too much fun pummeling the thugs, she dashed past them and shot her sparks at the archer, who fell shaking onto the ground below. As she made her way towards the entrance of the Barrow, Kaidan joined her. He had taken down every other bandit that was here, as evidenced by the bodies that now lay strewn about the stone. He was almost laughing to himself until he saw her expression as she tunnel-visioned her way to the large stone door. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She shook her head, “Just... don’t worry about it.” He was about to pry further, but just shrugged and helped her push the doors open.

The great stone doors gave way with a loud grinding groan. The cold hissed inside, bringing flurries in with it as they turned to shove it closed with a loud boom! “Who was that? Think the cold is getting to the others?” “Probably, sounds like the wind is doing a number on them.” “Eh, let ‘em freeze. Once Arvel uses that golden claw thing and finds the treasure here, we’ll get a bigger cut.” Two voices echoed from down the large entrance room, where a welcoming-looking fire flickered its glow along the walls. Annie whispered to Kaidan, “Well, we know the claw is here at least. Wanna try a more peaceful route with these guys?” Kaidan scoffed. “Annie, bandits don’t do ‘peace’. Not unless they get gold out of it.” She grabbed his arm before he could lift his sword again. “Just... try?”

He eyed her for a second, then sighed. “Fine. But when they start shouting about counting our coin, heads are rolling.” He trudged from the door, a pleased Annie trailing behind him. But the pleased feeling didn’t last long. As soon as the bandits realized they weren’t their comrades, they attacked, and Kaidan had to once again clear them out.

Once they were down, Annie sighed. “Something’s bothering you.” Kaidan noted as he cleaned and sheathed his sword. She looked up at him, then worry filled her eyes. “You’re hurt.” “Huh?” He looked down and noticed a gash on his arm. “Aye, that I am. But you didn’t ans-” She grabbed his arm and held her hand over the gash. With a deep breath, she summoned her healing, and a warm golden glow surrounded them with ribbons of light passing through. A gentle warmth spread through his arm as the wound closed, and when she looked up at him, he was looking at her with an expression she couldn’t figure out. “What?” She asked as the glow slowly faded. “I... thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled at him briefly before heading down the stairs into the crypt, a curious Kaidan poking at his arm behind her.

A short walk down some decrepit hallways filled with empty urns and chests told them that the bandits had already ransacked this place. They knew they were bound to run into more, and sure enough, they came across a lone bandit standing in possibly a storage room, filled with various miscellaneous loot. Kaidan reached for his sword, but this time Annie blocked him. “Wait,” she gestured at the bandit. His back was to them, and he was approaching a lever in the middle of the room. He pushed it forward, and before it had even clicked into place, arrows rained into him from somewhere in the walls, tainted with a nasty green bile. The bandit fell to the floor convulsing, and then was still. “Poison,” Kaidan thought out loud as they carefully approached the corpse. “Nasty way to go. I know the lever triggered the trap, but why?”

Annie surveyed the room. She noted three animal runes carved in random places along the corners of the room, and to their left, three pillars with similar creatures. “It’s a puzzle. These go in a specific order...” She approached the pillars and tested her theory, turning the first one around. “Yep, these spin. So if we follow the pattern on the walls...” She pointed at the animal rune right above her, then followed the others, “it should be... Snake, snake, whale?” After she spun them, she cautiously approached the lever. “Be ready to run, just in case.”

Kaidan crouched low at the ready, and Annie did the same with healing summoned in her hand, and then pushed the lever. Both of them dove for the opposite door, but the grinding of the gate lifting told them they were clear. “Phew! I’m glad that worked!” Annie laughed with relief and trotted onwards. “Nicely done. Thanks for not getting us poisoned,” Kaidan said. “All in a day’s work!” She grinned widely, which caused him to chuckle. “Save people with ancient Nordic puzzles in old prehistoric ruins all the time, eh?” She snorted, “Oh yeah, it’s become quite a hobby-”

“Is... is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling?”

A voice called from further down the way. Annie and Kaidan exchanged a glance before running towards them. They came to a doorway that was completely blocked by a thick webbing, and Annie froze. “That’s... that’s spider webbing. Ohhh, I’ve heard about Skyrim’s Frostbite Spiders but I secretly prayed that I would never have to see one and now-” she gulped and took a shaky breath, “... there’s one here, isn’t there?” Kaidan couldn’t help but snicker and began hacking at the webbing. “Stay behind me then, little chicken. I’ll take care of it.”

“Hey, everyone has their feaaaAAHHH!!!!” She screamed as they entered the room, and a Giant Frostbite Spider slid down from the ceiling. “Ahh! Kill it! Kill it!” The origin of the voice yelled from the other side of the room, but the massive foe was blocking the way. Kaidan began confronting it while Annie kept her distance and blasted bolts at it. After a few minutes of dodging poisonous spit and massive spiky legs, he finally thrust his blade through the face of the spider, and with a sickening gurgle, it collapsed. He pulled it out, panting with a sigh of relief, and turned to see his partner breathing just as heavily. “You good there?”

Annie laughed dryly as she caught her breath. “Yeah, just... used a lot of magicka. I’m good!” She gave a weak thumbs up and Kaidan had to chuckle at how pale she had become. “Hey! Over here!” Now the voice from before called out, and as they approached, they noticed it was a dark elf strung up in the webs. “Cut me down from here! I know where the treasure is, up ahead!” He begged. “No sudden moves, understood?” Kaidan prompted. The elf nodded, and he moved his sword from where he had it pointed at his chest and did as he asked.

“It’s coming loose, I can feel it!” With a few more swings, the elf fell to the ground in a heap of web. Then he rose and scoffed at them. “You fools. Why should I share the treasure with anyone?” Then he turned and ran down the hallway he was blocking. “That must have been that Arvel guy the others mentioned. Whcih means he has the claw.” Kaidan muttered. Annie stepped forward, “At least he didn’t attack. Come on, maybe we can catch up to him.”

The halls lead to dusty chambers with long-dead bodies stacked neatly in little alcoves along the walls. They had reached the burial crypts. Kaidan scowled. “Urgh, that cold stink of undeath.” “Undeath? You mean the draugr?” Annie asked, and he nodded. “Aye. I’m sure we’re bound to run into some here... And it looks like they ran into our friend.”

As they rounded the corner, the elf’s body lie crumpled on the ground with a putrid draugr standing over it. Hearing them approach, the old dead turned to face them with a low gurgling growl. Before it had its axe raised, Kaidan dispatched it with a slash to the chest. The draugr barked as it fell to the ground, dead once more. Annie looked back at the dead elf, and something glinted and caught her eye. She leaned down to investigate, and came back up with a golden, gilded claw. “And there it is..” Kaidan approached her and studied it with her. “’An ornament, solid gold, in the shape of a dragon’s claw.’” She nodded and placed it in her pack. “Let’s keep moving. And watch your step, that’s a pressure plate that I’ll bet triggers that wall.” She pointed to a large moving gate covered in sharp spikes that indeed was pulled back, and ready to swing. “Huh. Surprised these things are still set. Then again, I’m sure it’s been centuries since someone’s been here.” Kaidan noted. Carefully avoiding the pressure plate, they pressed on.

More draugr awaited them in the next few chambers. A swinging blade trap gave them pause, but Annie concocted a way to get past them by crawling low to the ground, only barely grazing their hair. A chamber filled with oil and lit lamps made an easy way to dispatch the draugr without attacking them directly, but they had to wait for the fire to die out. Eventually, they followed a stream that led to a waterfall, and after dispatching the frost troll that somehow made its way there and a tough draugr guarding a large door, they finally made their way into Bleak Falls Sanctum.

**************************

This time, Kaidan took the lead crawling under the swinging blade trap. Once he pulled the chain on the other side, Annie crossed through, just as a sarcophagus nearby cracked open and a sleepy draugr arose. Two more made their way down the stairs at the other side of the chamber. While Kaidan dealt with the first, Annie shot sparks at the lanterns that hung in the center of the room, launching them at her pursuers. They exploded on impact, taking them both down. “I love these lanterns!” She exclaimed, smiling proudly to herself. He laughed and followed her up the stairs and further on.

A short walkway lead to a large, intricately carved door. It was eerily quiet compared to the rest of the crypt. They approached the great door cautiously. It was blanketed in a thick coat of dust, like it hadn’t been opened in a very long time. Annie ran her hand over the animals that were carved into blank spots on three separate rows, down to a single round lock in the middle, with three holes etched in. “Wait... the claw! Didn’t it have those animals on it?” Kaidan asked. She dug the golden claw out of her pack and held it up to the door. “It’s a key! We just need to put in the right combination!” She studied the animals on the claw, then spun each of the rows until they matched the pattern on it. She then held the claw up to the center and gently placed it into the holes. “Be careful. These puzzles are more often locked to keep things in, not out.” Kaidan warned. She nodded, and carefully twisted the key. The whole door shuddered and the rings swung back into place. Dust showered down from the door, and with a few loud clicks and thuds, it slowly slid down with a loud grinding groan.

She took a breath. “Well, we know why the claw is so valuable now. Ready to find out what’s in there?” “Hopefully the Dragonstone. But yeah, let’s do this.” He nodded and stepped past the door.

A short stairway lead into a large, echoing chamber with light pouring in from the ceiling. Bats fluttered above as they approached a stream flowing from two waterfalls on either side of the cavern. A stone bridge lead up to a large multi-level stone platform with a small bookcase, a sarcophagus, and a chest. Behind all of this was a large, curved stone wall with an odd, ancient language inscribed in it, and a stone dragon head resting on top. For some reason, Annie’s eyes landed and stayed on this wall, and she found herself drawn to it. “Annie? What are you doing?” Kaidan asked. She didn’t seem to hear him, and continued approaching the wall. One of the words was glowing, bright and beckoning. She had never seen this language and yet, it felt so familiar. The edges of her vision blurred until the word was all she could see. “Annie?” She didn’t know this language. But there was a force that stirred inside her, filling her every muscle. Yes, that was it.

Force. “FUS”

The word resonated in her until it all faded away, and she was left with a slight rush of adrenaline, and a little woozy. “You alright?” Kaidan stepped into her field of vision, and she focused back in. “Yeah, yeah I’m good. But I don’t know what-” A loud CRACK interrupted her. They both whirled around to the sarcophagus, where a tall, heavily armored draugr was dragging itself onto the stone. Kaidan yanked his sword from his sheath as the monster turned to face them, towering over them. Kaidan let out a battle cry and lunged, but the draugr took in a short breath, and Shouted. It was in a language she had never heard, possibly the same from the wall, but taken physical form. The sheer force of its cry launched them both back a few feet, tumbling to the ground. It shuffled towards them, but Kaidan was quick to stagger back to his feet and parry the draugr’s first swing. Annie shook herself out of it, and stood to help him. He was still shaking it off himself, but he stood his ground against it as their swords’ clangs echoed around the cavern. She waited for an opening, then struck her lightning at the beast. It paused just long enough for him to land a blow. He cried out again and landed swings in rapid succession. Finally with a sickening crunch, he drove his sword into the center of the draugr. Kaidan locked his eyes with its glowing blue ones, until the glow faded and it fell to the ground.

He panted and fell to one knee. Annie rushed over to him and immediately began healing where the draugr had landed hits of its own. “Thanks,” Kaidan muttered. “That may have been the toughest draugr I’ve ever faced. Some kind of Death Overlord or something.” “Ah, so you made a hobby of this kind of thing?” She asked. “I did tell you I started taking up bounties. A few included things like this, but nothing this major.” He explained, then looked back at his now-dead foe before him. “Now , what’s this...” He leaned forward and picked up a plaque that was sticking out of the back of the draugr’s armor. “I do believe we have found our elusive Dragonstone, Miss Annie.”

Annie took the stone from his outstretched hand and smiled. “Farengar wasn’t lying when he said it might be interred in the main chamber. But he didn’t mention this thing guarding it.” She said. “Well that would’ve deterred you away, now wouldn’t it?” He teased. “Heh, fair enough.”

Kaidan began rummaging through the chest, taking anything of value. “I wonder what Farengar plans to cipher from this Dragonstone...” he wondered. Annie took to studying the wall, running her hand along the word that was glowing before. Force... “So... What happened before? When you looked at that word wall, it was as if you fell into a trance.” Kaidan was now standing right behind her. “Wait, you didn’t see the light from the runes? Or hear anything?” She turned to face him.

“Uh, no? All I know about these walls is that they’re usually some sort of memorial, never heard about them being magic. But it’s clearly had an affect on you... Are you feeling alright?” He looked at her with concern in his eyes. She searched for the words. “It felt like... one of the words was reaching out to me, and the stone was speaking...” He thought for a minute. “Perhaps some magical way of communicating? It’s the purpose of these memorials to deliver messages, after all. Farengar might know more.” She nodded. “Yeah. I think I’ll be okay, I just don’t know how to explain what I saw...”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, there’s no pressure to. I’d rather you take it easy than let some old magic scramble your brains.” She chuckled. “Aww, you do care!” He rolled his eyes but couldn’t conceal his smirk. “Yeah, yeah, don’t let it get to your head. Ready to get out of here?”

She nodded vigorously. “Please. I’m gonna take like three baths to get all this dust off of me.” At that, he laughed. After quickly scouring the cavern for any more loot they might find and discovering a hidden exit out of the cave, Annie made sure she had the Dragonstone securely in her pack, and the two emerged from the Barrows into the frigid Skyrim night.

#skyrim #writing #fanfiction #inner dragon fic #annie sinclair #kaidan skyrim #kaidan skryim mod

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