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An unknown woman sat unconscious inside of a moving carriage, the movement gently rocking her body back and forth. Cold air lightly brushed across her face as she slowly woke, her red eyes narrowing from the blinding sun. Wincing, she closed her eyes before opening them again, slowly blinking. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she noticed her hands were bound with rope; her leather and chainmail armor pushing uncomfortably into her skin from how tightly the rope was secured around her wrists. She could also feel a pain in her neck; most likely due to the unknown (though obviously long enough) amount of time she spent unconscious with her chin tucked into her own chest. Another area she felt pain radiating from was her forehead, centered around the left side. She could feel that it was sticky with blood, her black fringe sticking to her forehead uncomfortably. She was also very aware of a weight pressing up against her right leg.Finished checking over her own person, she looked up and around her environment. The carriage she was in small, filled to the brim with just three other men. Up at the front of the carriage, driving, was an Imperial soldier gently guiding a chestnut colored horse along the cobbled road. She furrowed her brow in confusion. What was going on? 
Where... This isn't- Wait where was I before? What was I doing before?
"Hey you, bosmer."The woman looked towards the direction the voice came from, noticing a Nord sitting across from her. "Finally awake?" She nodded in response, unable to find her voice just yet. She took a moment to look him over; he had blonde hair that almost touched his shoulders, strands pulled to the left side of face to form a small braid. He also had a scruffy beard and large blue eyes that stared back at her, full of curiosity. A large build with large muscles too, he looked intimidating in his Stormcloak armor. "You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there." He jerked his head toward the dark haired man next to him, who looked terrified and angry all at once."I... can't exactly remember what I was doing to be honest," She answered him, brow still furrowed in confusion as she briefly looked down at her hands. "Might be safe to assume that whatever it was might have something to do with why my head hurts so much.""Damn you Stormcloaks... Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy," The dark-haired Nord practically snarled. When the bosmer looked up at him, he was glaring at the blonde next to him. He was basically wearing rags, clothes barely held together with worn threads and covered head to toe in dirt along with who knows what other kinds of filth. His eyes, a dark brown color, were small and narrow and his face was gaunt, most likely from lack of food."I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell by now." His brown eyes cut over to her, almost in desperation of wanting to have someone like him, someone who 'didn't belong' in this carriage. "You there. You and me- we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants.""We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief," The blonde spoke solemnly."Shut up back there," The driver snapped. The bosmer's lips curled ever so slightly in disdain for a brief moment before she forced her face into a more neutral look."If you were planning on stealing, I would say you belong here," She told the would-be thief quietly, who glared at her, almost as if he felt betrayed by her words."So, what's wrong with him," The horse thief asked, also much quieter this time as to not anger their driver. His eyes were looking at the man sitting to her right, the source of the pressure against her leg. She looked at him herself, curious. Also a Nord, this man was much broader and taller than her and the others. He was dressed in fancy, noble clothes with fur over his shoulders and decorated in jewels and gold. His hands were also bound, but he had a gag over his mouth, scrunching up his rather impressive beard. His hair was a darker blonde that reached his shoulders, pulled back and out of his face. His eyes were as blue as the sky and filled with rage."Watch your tongue," The Stormcloak across her snapped in warning. "You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King of Skyrim.""Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm," The thief gasped, small eyes widening in realization as horror struck him. "You're the leader of the rebellion! But if they've captured you... By Talos... Where are they taking us...?" He frantically pulled at his bound hands, head whipping around to look for an escape. But there were none that wouldn't end with him on the receiving end of a blade or a few arrows. They were surrounded.Her heart pounded frantically as she finally looked away from the Jarl, who had begun to stare back in her in curiosity, though the fire in his eyes did not die. "I don't know where we're going," The ungagged Stormcloak answered, and she took the opportunity to escape Ulfric's gaze by looking to his soldier instead. "But Sovengarde awaits.""No, no! This can't be happening! " The thief choked out, almost crying. "This isn't happening!"What could have led to me being here, she thought, struggling to conjure the memories that evaded her. Darkwater Crossing was a mining settlement, and the bosmer and her companion had stopped nearby to make camp. The Stormcloaks occupied Darkwater Crossing, but a small squad of more Stormcloaks were passing through with Ulfric Stormcloak, the Jarl of Windhelm himself. They were obviously more welcome than her and her companion.She struggled to remember who she was with. Broad, tall, obviously male, and a... green tail? Argonian! He was an Argonian! Long, curly white horns on his head, adorned with a few copper bands and chains. He wore steel armor, modified for Argonians to accommodate the horns, tail, and beast feet. His scales were dark green, with black scales mottled throughout.
 
They were sitting at a fire side by side, content in their silence as they watched the flames from the log that they had rolled over to sit on."... have you sharpened your arrows?" The name he used was muffled as the memory came back to her.
"Of course, dada," She replied, nudging the quiver with her boot. She glowered a bit when the Stormcloaks let out another loud whoop and cheer, followed by the clanking of metal tankards.

"Pay them no mind, hatchling," The Argonian soothed, and almost immediately she felt at ease hearing him speak again. He suddenly looked into the trees that surrounded them, and she followed suit as she heard a twig snap. "Someone's there," He hissed quietly just as it seemed Oblivion had burst forth onto the mortal plane once again.

Imperial soldiers stormed Darkwater Crossing, interrupting the Stormcloaks revelries and catching the pair in the middle of their fight, leaving them no choice but to defend themselves.
"Hey," The soldier spoke, his voice bringing the bosmer from her memory suddenly. He nudged the thief next to him with his elbow. "What village are you from, horse thief?""Why do you care?""A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."The thief hesitated before answering, "Rorikstead... I'm from Rorikstead." He sounded defeated. As soon as he finished speaking there was a shout just ahead. She turned to look where the shout came from and found that they had reached a town that was protected by walls and gates. The thief began to mutter prayers to the Divines to save him and she nearly snorted in contempt. The Divines won't save you now, she thought as the gates opened and the horses were ushered forward."Look at him," The soldier sneered as their cart entered the gates, his blue eyes turning to an Imperial general in anger. "General Tulius, the Military Govenor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. Bet they had something to do with this," He snarled, but his face suddenly dropped, recognizing what village they were in. "This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here." He paused, likely remembering said girl and their time together. "I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in. Funny," he continued sadly, "When I was a boy, Imperial walls used to make me feel safe."The wagons finally pulled to a stop next to each other, near a watch tower, a block in front of it. "They're not so safe now," She spoke quietly, red eyes wandering to the executioner, "Even for people that aren't Stormcloaks." She looked up towards the sky, wishing it would swallow her."Why are we stopping," The thief stammered, and she looked down finally."Sorry to say," She spoke as they were ordered to leave their carts, "but it looks like it's the end of the line.""No! Wait," He protested as Ralof ushered him off, "We're not rebels!""Face your death with some courage, thief," The Stormcloak chastised as she exited the wagon last and stood between Ulfric and the soldier. It was glaringly obvious they were much, much taller than she was. Standing before them all was an Imperial woman wearing the armor of an Imperial Captain. It was mostly made of steel with a leather skirt and ornate helmet, and a steel sword rested against her hip. Her hair and eyes were dark, and her expression was set in a permanent scowl. Next to her was an Imperial man with brown hair that stopped just past his ears with soft, brown eyes. He wore light, studded Imperial armor and held a list and quill in his hands. He held a grim expression. He clearly didn't like the assignment he had been given."Step forward when your name is called," The Captain barked. "One at a time.""The Empire loves their damn lists," The soldier sighed next to her.Ulfric grunted in agreement as his name was called, "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm," The list-man called. The Jarl stepped forward, the rage in his eyes returning full force, and he was guided towards the group gathering around the executioner's block. "Ralof of Riverwood." The soldier, now known as Ralof, gave her a nod before walking away to join his King. "Lokir of Rorikstead.""No," Lokir, the horse thief, suddenly shouted where he stood in front of her before taking off in a full run in hopes of getting away. "You won't get me!""You fucking fool," She spat quietly as the Captain shouted for the archers, who were swift in executing him."Anyone else feel like running," The Captain asked with a cruel smirk on her face. When no one answered or moved, she nodded to the list-man next to her to continue.He looked down at the parchment, furrowed his brow, then looked up. She was the last one left by the carts. "Wait. You there, step forward." She took three steps forward. "Who are you?""I'm afraid I can't recall.""Not many halflings would choose to come alone to Skyrim.""I wasn't alone," She interrupted. Halfling? Half of what? How can you even tell that sort of thing?He nodded, writing something down before looking to his Captain. "What should we do, Captain? She's not on the list.""Forget the list. She goes to the block."Fury ignited inside the bosmer. Lazy bitch just doesn't want to fix their Empire's mistake. She thought to herself as the Imperial man looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry, we'll make sure your remains are returned to Valdenwood.""Black Marsh," She said suddenly. Why Black Marsh? "Return them to Black Marsh." He nodded and he grestured her to step towards the crowd of prisoners. She did as instructed, begrudginly, and stood nxt to Ralof."Ulfric Stormcloak, some here in Helgen call you a hero," Tulius began. "But a hero doesn't use a power like the Voice to murder his King and usurp his throne." Ulfric grunted around his gag in response, more than likely a curse. "You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace."There was a strange... roar in the distance and everyone looked around curiously. "What was that?""It's nothing," General Tulius soothed. "Carry on.""Yes, General Tulius," The Captain replied before waving a priestess forward. "Give them their last rites."The priestess approached, wearing simple golden robes, and raised her hands in revelry as she spoke, "As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessing of the Eight Divines upon you, for you are the salt and Earth of Nirn, our beloved-""For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with," A red-headed Stormcloak snapped as he approached, interrupting the priestess."As you wish," She replied curtly, lowering her hands and stepping to the side, well away from any of the mess that was about to occur.The soldier was forced to kneel before the block and rest his neck against it. He spoke again, "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials," He sneered as the large, two-handed axe was raised. "Can you say the same?" There was a sickening squelch and crunch noise as he was decapitated, his head landing in a little basket and his body pushed over by the Captain to make room for the next one."You Imperial bastards!" "Justice!" "Death to the Stormcloaks!" Many people shouted all at once, making her pointed ears ring."As fearless in death as he was in life," Ralof murmured."I'm sorry for the loss," The elf replied, turning her head slightly to give the man a sympathetic look. He nodded solemnly at her once before returning his attention to the block. "It's a waste of talent.""Next, the half breed," The Captain called. She scowled, but it quickly turned to a look of curiosity as they all heard another roar, but much closer."There it is again.""I said the half-breed was next!"The list-man sighed, "To the block prisoner, nice and easy." He was obviously saddened by the injustice, but his position in the Imperial Army wasn't powerful enough for him to even think about helping.The elf walked over and tried not to gag at the sight of the severed head that was already attracting flies. They hadn't even tried moving the body away. She maneuvered herself around the corpse and stood in front of the block, not giving the Captain a moment to even push her down to her knees before kneeling herself. Once she was on the ground, she laid her head on the block and the roar was heard again. It was dangerously close and it did not sound normal. A gut feeling was screaming at her to run. It was a sound she was sure she had never heard before.The executioner lifted his axe up, a cruel smirk of his own widening on his dirty face. She forgot how to breath as the axe was raised, but she did not waver and stared at the executioner and he stared back mockingly. He enjoyed his job."What in Oblivion is that?!" She looked away and towards the tower as a large, dark form landed on top of it.

A dragon.

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The executioner stumbled over, his own axe damn near killing him and her as he dropped it. She threw herself away from the executioner's block as the dragon stared mockingly down at the horrified mortals before it. She couldn't hear anything but the blood pounding in her ears."FUS RO DAH!" Unrelenting Force.And at that moment noise rushed back to her pointed ears; chaos. The sky practically turning red as man and mer in the town were thrown back from what they knew as a Shout. Fire began to rain down from the sky as the dragon pushed off of its perch from atop the tower and shot off into the sky. The bosmer had fallen over onto her back, dazed, and her vision blurry from the impact. "Get up," Ralof shouted, pulling her up by her arm, and she forced her feet under her to stand, allowing him to keep his hold. "The gods might not give us another chance!""Agreed," She shouted over the chaos as they ran towards the tower. They barely made it inside as the dragon passed over, breathing fire down at them. Ralof slammed the door shut and a Stormcloak soldier approached, grasping Ralof's shoulder in comradery before he mumbled something to the woman and gestured towards the bosmer. The woman nodded in agreement and approached as she was trying to force her wrists from their bindings."Here, let me," She offered, unsheathing a dagger. Gratefully, the elf offered her arms up and let the Stormcloak cut her free."Jarl Ulfric! What was that thing," Ralof asked. "Could the legends be true?!""Legends don't burn down villages," The Jarl answered grimly as he looked around at his soldiers, blue eyes lingering on the elf a little longer before looking away. "We need to move. Now!"Ralof approached the elf and gestured for her to follow, and she took one more look at the Jarl and the other injured Stormcloaks before following after the Nord, "Let's go! WIth me, up the tower!"Together, they went up the steps, finding another Stormcloak man there trying to move the debris so they could proceed farther up. Suddenly, the black dragon's head crashed through the stone wall, sending the poor man to his death as the stone crushed him, fire immediately billowed inside. Ralof and the elf stumbled back, trying to to get away from the inferno. The heat was more intense than any fire she had sat beside in her life, but it didn't last forever before the dragon took off, shaking the tower. She briefly wondered if the structure would hold when Ralof pulled her forward again, towards the hole the dragon created. "You see that inn over there," He asked. More like what was left of the inn. "Jump down there, and run! I'm going to help get the others out."She studied the distance and grimaced before doing as she was told. She jumped, managing to land inside the destroyed building, stumbling a bit in the process as she landed before continuing to jump down to the ground floor. At least that was a much shorter fall.Just outside, she found the Imperial man that had the list of prisoners. He was coaxing a boy over to shelter where another, much older, Nord man awaited."YOL TOOR SHUL!" Fire Breath.
Why do I understand? What am I hearing?
"Haming, you need to get over here," The Imperial soldier shouted with urgency as the dragon landed in front of the boy. "NOW!" Said boy was frozen in fear, unable to move. She made a split-second decision and ran out, grasping the boy in her arms and snarling at the black dragon before diving behind the shelter as it breathed fire at them. His eyes had been the same color as the fire he breathed, filled with a mocking joy as it took off into the sky again.Sobbing brought her back to her senses and she looked down at the boy in her arms. She loosened her hold on him, beginning to let him go but he gripped onto her armor, still wanting to be held. The Imperial quickly came over and got Haming to let go before transferring him over to the Nord. "Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunner, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tulius and join their defense.""Gods guide you, Hadvar."She stuck close to her unlikely comrade (funny how a huge disaster brings people together) as they traversed the dangerous town. "Stay close to the wall!" At least from one direction the dragon would have a hard time spotting them. And he didn't as he landed on that wall. Both pressed themselves against it, and they dared not even breath as he breathed fire at a building before taking off into the sky once more. They stumbled from the force of the take-off but kept moving. Hearts pounding so hard they thought the dragon would hear it, they moved towards the keep. Can dragons hear our hearts beat?"Ralof, you damn traitor," The Imperial snapped as they found the Stormcloak. "Out of my way!""We're escaping, Hadvar," Ralof replied calmly. "And you can't stop us.""Fine, I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovengarde!" He took off, farther into Helgen, presumably looking for his General."Hurry, into the keep, elf," Ralof shouted, holding the door open.She didn't hesitate, but her stomach filled with dread as she heard the dragon speak, "Hin sil fen nahkip bahloki," He bellowed.

Your souls will feed my hunger.

Ralof slammed the door shut behind them and she slid down the cool stone walls of the keep, panting. "I don't think I've ever experienced something quite like that in my entire life...," She muttered as Ralof mourned over the loss of a Stormcloak who lay dead near a table. He had succumbed to his injuries from the looks of it."It looks like we're the only one's that made it," Ralof said as he removed the belt off of the dead Stormcloak, taking the axe with him. "You might as well take Gujar's axe, he won't be needing it anymore."She stood to take the offered weapon and belt and put it on before taking the axe from his holster. It felt heavy and clunky to her, foreign, but she took a few practice swings to get used to throwing the weight. I'd rather have a bow, but beggers can't be choosers. Meanwhile, Ralof inspected the only two gates in the room they were in, but both were locked. They didn't stay that way for long, however, as they heard voices coming from the left gate and they both crouched down on either side. The door squeaked open as it was unlocked, and two Imperials stepped through. The Captain and a simple foot soldier. Ralof swung at the foot soldier and the elf threw herself at the Captain.Her first swing was dodged, but she quickly went in for another that struck the Captain's arm where no armor covered her. The hit sent her flying to the ground and her helmet skittered off and clanked onto the stone floor. Her arm was mangled from the harsh swing. The elf wasted no time in lifting the Imperial woman by her hair. Leaning in close to her ear with her axe blade up against the Captain's throat, she spoke ever so quietly, "Forget the list, she goes to the block."The Imperial began to choke on her own blood as her throat was sliced open. The elves' vision began to blur as she heard a voice shout from inside her own head, "Beekrava, run! I'LL FIND YOU JUST RUN, BEE! RUN!"She dropped the Imperial, almost dropping the axe as well, though she managed to keep a hold on it. "Not bad, if a little sloppy when you swing that axe, elf, " Ralof spoke, pulling her back to Nirn. "Perhaps I could train you with it when we reach Riverwood.""Beekrava." He looked at her confused. "My name. Sorry, I just... remembered it. Call me Bee, I don't use an axe. I use a bow, sometimes a sword.""Finally remembering what happened?""Sort of. Small pieces are coming back," She replied as he searched the bodies for keys. "I was with an Argonian at Darkwater. We made camp around the same time you guys did. Then the Imperials attacked. Still can't remember the rest.""I remember seeing you both in the fray," Ralof supplied, holding a key ring with two keys on it. "The Imperials attacked indiscriminately that night. I don't know what happened to your friend, but I pray you find him well."The duo continued their way through the keep, cutting down any Imperials that tried to stop their progress. Along the way they found out they kept a torture room in the bowels of the keep. It was were they discovered and assisted two other Stormcloaks who had also found their way into the keep, looking for a safe way out of Helgen. All along the way, Bee was pocketing anything she deemed to be valuable. Until she found her own property if she ever did; she would take anything she could get her hands on. This now included a knapsack, empty journal, and charcoal. She had decided that taking notes would probably be in her best interest upon finding the items.With the help of the Stormcloaks, they made their way through the keep, which was quickly turning into tunnels and caverns as they dispatched Imperials with ease. At some point, the elf had discarded the axe in favor of a steel sword and a long bow. At another point, a rock fall separated them from the two Stormcloaks they had saved; Ralof prayed they made it out safely. Eventually, they made it outside. It was somehow still daylight, but close to late afternoon. Bee didn't think she would miss the cold, crisp, air as she breathed it in."Get down!" Ralof tugged her down behind a large rock as the black dragon roared and appeared overhead, leaving the destruction of Helgen behind. He flew over the mountains where a barrow sat, disappearing entirely from view. "Looks like he's gone for good this time." Ralof stood, Bee following. "Come, lets get to Riverwood. I don't know if anyone else made it out alive, but the place will be swarming with Imperials soon enough, so let's get moving."She nodded in agreement as he took off at a brisk pace, following suit, "Not to mention the Thalmor will probably be with them." The worn path they were on turned into a main road and Ralof quickly identified their location before turning left."Damn elves- Apologies," He quickly said. She chuckled and waved it off. "My sister, Gerdur, runs the mill in Rivewood, just up this road. I'm sure she'd help you out.""I would appreciate all the help I can get."Their walk was fairly uneventful, only interrupted by a few wolves that were quickly taken care of. By the time they reached Riverwood, the sun was setting and the small town was abuzz with activity and gossip. Everyone had seen the black dragon fly over their sleepy little town and no one paid them any mind until Ralof found his sister at the mill. She embraced him, tears in her blue eyes and blonde hair mussed from the days work. Her green dress was covered in wood chips and shavings."Bless you, for bringing him home safely," Gerdur thanked Bee, grasping her hands."It was no problem, but he actually saved my hide more than once.""Regardless, it's good to see you both in one piece." She called her husband over, and they all crowded around a stump in relative peace away from the other townsfolk so they could recount their story. When Ralof finished, Gerdur looked like she wanted to pass out, "Dragons... The world's gone mad...""There's going to be changes in the world," Bee spoke, not having added much to the story other than a few snippets of what she saw. "I can feel it."The sky was beginning to darken and they were all exhausted. "Come on, let's get you two inside to get cleaned up and fed. We'll figure out more tomorrow," Gerdur said urgently, ushering Ralof off of his seat on the stump. He didn't argue, more than happy to have a home cooked meal and a warm bed for the night. Beekrava wasn't going to argue either.

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Despite Gerdur's house being rather small, it did have a large basement that they used for storage and bathing in almost complete privacy. Bee was offered a bath first, which she gratefully took along with the new clothes she was offered. Gerdur was taller and slightly broader than the elf but she just rolled up the sleeves and pantlegs of the borrowed clothes after she finished cleaning herself in the wooden tub.The elf spent some time in the basement, using an old mirror and comb to brush through her tangled hair. The water had turned pink when she washed the blood from her hair; the wound on her forehead looked like someone had taken the pommel of a sword to it. It looked angry and bruised. With a grimace, she took a leather cord she had been given and used it as a head band to tie her fringe back away from the wound. The rest of her long, black hair she left down to dry.She could remember small tidbits of time before Darkwater Crossing. They primarily centered around her, presumably, adoptive father, the Argonian. Although his name escaped her, what little memories she could remember were warm and happy."Are you alright down there?"Bee jumped in her chair, startled, and she set the comb down to wipe tears from her eyes. She hadn't even realized she was crying. "I'm fine! I'll be up in a moment." She gathered her armor and under clothes and climbed the stairs up and into the cozy home. "Thank you, for the bath and clothes, ma'am.""Oh, no need for that ma'am nonsense," Gerdur smiled, taking the under clothes from her. "That is quite the wound you've got on your head; hold on a moment I have a healing potion." The clothes were put into a basket, and she then opened a cupboard, pulling out a small vial of red liquid. "Drink up, it won't fix it right away, but it'll take the edge off and start the process." Bee downed the potion, remembering that they usually don't taste very good, but this one was laced with honey."Thank you. Um, where can I put my armor? At least until I can clean it tomorrow?""Right in this other basket," She replied, returning to a pot that she had resumed tending to. When the lid was lifted, she could smell something good and her mouth watered, stomach growling. When was the last time I ate?The front door opened not long after Gerdur started spooning portions into bowls and in stepped Ralof, Hod, and Frodnar. Hod was a large, Nord man in a simple white shirt, brown pants, and boots. His hair was a dirty blonde and he had a large mustache on his face. Frodnar, their son, was twelve years old. Blonde hair that was growing past his ears, and he certainly had a lot of love and support for his Uncle Ralof. All three of them were carrying wood, having been out chopping while Gerdur and Bee stayed indoors."You're back just in time, dinner is ready," Gerdur greeted as the trio stacked the wood near the fireplace. Frodnar happily, and messily, abandoned his wood in favor of dinner. Hod audibly sighed but fixed it up next to the fireplace into a neat pile. Gerdur scolded the boy who didn't seem to mind at all as he stuffed his face with venison stew."Interesting choice in hair style, Bee," Ralof teased, looking at the fringe that was sticking up oddly from the headband she had fashioned. "You look like one of those tropical birds, runs on two legs and doesn't fly.""I didn't want it getting in the wound," She explained with a chuckle. "It does look a bit funny, though. And I think the bird you're looking for is a fellrunner."Neither Ralof nor Beekrava intended to stay in Riverwood for long. Considering they had both been prisoners and were still rather close to Helgen, it would be safer to move on soon. She took the few days they were staying to run errands outside of town for the residents of Riverwood. Alvor, a large Nord man with brown hair that touched his shoulders and hazel eyes, was a proud Imperial supporter. Not that it made much of a difference to Bee; as long as he paid her for all the hide she brought and processed for him, she didn't particularly care. And he paid well, of course. She walked away with 200 septims at the end of the day."Heard you did some work for Alvor today," Hod mentioned at dinner, his tone suspicious.Bee swallowed the food she had been chewing. "He needed hide, Hod, nothing more. Paid well for the entire day. 200 septims." He grunted in response and tucked back into his dinner, and the halfling gave Frodnar a warning look when he tried to sneak his vegetables to Stump, his dog, her face clearly stating, 'I will tell your mother.'. He brought the carrot up to his mouth and ate it with a scrunched-up face, much to Stump's disappointment.The next morning, Ralof departed for Windhelm. He gave Bee a hug and parting words, "And cut that hair of yours," He chuckled, ruffling the black hair up. "Wouldn't want someone grabbing it.""I'll think about it," She replied with a chuckle, fixing it back as he bid farewell to his family.He gave a final, "I'll see you around, Beekrava, and I'll be sure to tell King Ulfric that you helped me.""Ralof, I don't think that will do much to change his opinion on elves," She pointed out, handing him a pack of rations."I know, but if you ever find yourself in Windhelm, you'll receive the hospitality you deserve." He began his long walk to Windhelm with a wave over his shoulder. Gerdur and Hod returned to work at the mill when Ralof was out of sight, sending Frodnar to play with Dorthe, Alvor's daughter. Bee offered earlier to take care of the household chores for Gerdur so she could help at the mill today.True to her word, the halfling began the chores outside, caring for the livestock before going in to start cleaning and preparing herbs. Part of the chores included doing the shopping, so around noon, Bee grabbed a basket and the parchment that Gerdur had written a list on and made her way to the only general goods store in the small town, The Riverwood Trader, owned and run by Lucan Valerius. He was a black-haired Imperial man, wearing nice clothes. He also had a sister, Camilla Valerius, and their resemblance as siblings was uncanny. According to the rumors Gerdur had eagerly told Beekrava, Camilla was vying for the affections of two men in the town. Sven, a blonde and burly Nord Bard, and Faendal, an older white-haired wood elf and archer Gerdur was personally rooting for Faendal."Well one of us has to do something!""I said no," Lucan shouted back at his sister. Seems I came at an inopportune time. "No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!""Well, what are you going to do then, huh? Let's hear it!""We are done talking about this," Lucan told Camilla sternly as Bee entered the Riverwood Trader and he cleared his throat awkwardly from his counter. "Oh, a customer. Sorry you had to hear that.""That's alright," She said approaching the counter and giving him the parchment. "Lose something?""Yes, we did have a bit of a... break-in," He admitted sheepishly as he took the list and began to retrieve the items. "But we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold. In the shape of a dragon's claw."I smell a profit... "I could go get the claw back for you," She offered."You could? I've got some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring my claw back," He said, almost excited. "If you're going after those thieves, you should head to Bleak Falls Barrow, northeast of town."That black dragon flew over it... It shouldn't be there if the thieves have taken up residence. "Bleak Falls Barrow... I'll leave first thing in the morning, after my trip to Whiterun," The halfling said, giving him the septims Gerdur had given her for the shopping."So, this is your plan, Lucan," Camilla asked haughtily from her seat next to the fire. "One elf against a who-knows-how-big group of bandits?""Yes. So now you don't have to go, do you?""Oh, really? Well, I think your new helper here needs a guide.""Thank you, but no," Beekrava said, approaching the door to leave the store. "I'm more than capable of finding the barrow. I'll have it back as soon as I can." She quickly left before Camilla could argue. She's never swung a sword from what I've heard and she wants to leave town? Absolutely not, she would be a liability.Beekrava was surprised to find Faendal waiting outside of Gerdur's home when she arrived. "Afternoon, Faendal," She greeted warmly, "What brings you here?""I actually had a favor to ask of you, do you mind if I come in," He asked, taking the rather heavy basket from her."Oh, thank you! And of course, let me unlock the door." She took the key out that she had been given and unlocked the door, holding it open for the wood elf. Bee had a perfect view of the back of The Riverwood Trader from here, and the side of the wooden building, where she saw Camilla had followed her and saw Faendal enter the home. The halfling couldn't see the Imperial's face from here, but she was sure it wasn't pleasant."You can just set that on the table, and make yourself comfortable. Mead?" She asked as she closed the door behind her. The elf nodded, setting the basket down and taking a seat at the dinner table while she retrieved a bottle of mead for him and uncorked it just before setting the bottle down in front of him, then seating herself across from him. "What can I help you with?""I'm sure you've already heard that Camilla had been... Well choosing between Sven and I, correct?""Yeah, I have. I also heard she's been pulling both of you around for some time now.""She has. And in the end, she chose Sven, just last night she made it quite clear," He answered, almost downing the entire bottle after his sentence. "I want to leave and go to Whiterun with you." He stared at the bottle, almost as if he was thinking the answers to all his problems were inside and all he had to do was drink to the bottom to get to them."I would enjoy the company, Faendal. I was actually going to Whiterun tomorrow, then Bleak Falls for Lucan if you wanted to come with me there, turns out they had a break-in.""I heard them arguing this morning. I'll meet you on the bridge tomorrow?""Perfect, and for what it's worth I'm sorry that things ended up the way they did, however they did. Gerdur and I were rooting for you."He chuckled, "Oh? And why is that?""Because unlike Sven, you would be able to provide, and you don't live with your mum." Faendal chuckled, giving a smile for the first time since he had come inside. "You'll find someone, and maybe they're in Whiterun.""I'm going to miss your help around the house," Gerdur sighed, hugging the elven woman before her. The trio stood on the bridge that would lead them out of Riverwood to Whiterun. "Both of you come back safe! Faendal, you'll always have a job at my mill.""We'll be safe, Gerdur," Beekrava smiled. Her armor was clean and repaired for the short excursion. It was a healthy mix of leather with steel plates and pauldrons. She had woken up in that wagon with it on and it was in excellent condition, if a bit worn. The dark brown leather chest piece was layered and buckled on securely with straps and even had pouches hanging off her chest and waist, which she kept road rations and potions in. The large pouch on her waist held the gold she'd made during her time in Riverwood.Her leather pants had a pouch for lockpicks hanging from her left thigh. Steel plates covered her shins and were partially covered with leather boots. A dark brown cowl covered her head and neck, while a small knapsack was thrown over her shoulder, held in place with one gloved hand. "Thank you for allowing me to stay for so long."Gerdur nodded and looked to Faendal, who was wearing a very standard leather armor, a hunting bow and quiver of steel arrows as his chosen weapons, his own knapsack in hand and a dagger on his hip. "Take care of her, Faendal. Take care of each other.""We'll be back in a few days," Bee told her with a nod, gesturing with another small nod for Faendal to follow as she began their trek towards the open plains of Whiterun. The trip started uneventful enough, they traveled in friendly silence, even as a sickly and feral wolf attacked them when they were getting close to Honningbrew Meadery.They were walking past one of the many farms outside of Whiterun when they noticed three people fighting a giant in one of the crop fields. Faendal had already drawn his bow, nocked an arrow and let it fly after just a few moments of hesitation. Just as the giant turned, the steel arrow hit deep into his left eye with enough force to push it in far enough to pierce its brain. The giant gurgled as it dropped to his knees and then face down into the dirt, the head of the arrow sticking out ever so slightly from the back of its skull."Nice shot," Beekrava said with a whistle as the armored humans came towards them. One was a Nord woman with fire red hair that went just part her shoulders, green warpaint streaked over her face, which was set in an almost harsh but very impressed look. Her armor was a bit questionable. The fur barely covered anything and any metal on it looked ancient and only for decoration. The other woman looked to be an Imperial, with tan skin and an angry face. She wore hide armor and a helmet to match, her hair tucked inside. Coming up slowly behind the women was a man in heavy steel armor. A Nord with shoulder length dark hair and stubble across his face. On his back was a massive great sword."Thanks, that was a nice shot," The red head complimented, stopping before the pair with her arms crossed under her chest. "Both of you should join the Companions, warriors are always welcome in Jorrvaskr.""That is quite the honor," Faendal smiled, "Bee and I will have to think about it once we speak with the Jarl.""Good luck getting into the city," The Imperial woman grunted at them. "They're only letting citizens of the city in and out, and only on official business.""Oh, we actually are bringing news about the dragon attack," Beekrava replied. "And a message from Riverwood."The Imperial raised her eyebrow, "That might get their attention. Good luck, regardless."The two elves bid farewell to the humans who had a giant mess to clean up, and began to walk down the path to the gates of Whiterun. They reached the city gates by noon, but were almost immediately stopped by a guard. "Halt! City's closed with the dragon's about," He said gruffly. "Official business only.""I have news about the dragon attack at Helgen," Beekrava replied.She just barely saw his eyes widen from behind his helmet. "In that case, head on inside. But keep your nose clean," He added sternly. "Both of you.""Yes, sir," She answered, approaching the door after he unlocked it, cracking it open for the two elves to slip inside. "Thank you, sir." He nodded, closing the door behind them.The city was busy, even near the front gate. A blonde woman was dutifully working a forge while a man in Imperial armor spoke to her as other people were milling about, doing their shopping. Beekrava didn't recall being in Whiterun, and looked to Faendal for guidance. "Not used to a bustling city," He asked her in a teasing tone."No, it's not that," She chuckled. "I don't think I've been here before; nothing looks familiar.""I've been here a few times. Once you get to the Cloud District, Dragonsreach is just beyond it. Stick close." She nodded, following behind the wood elf. The closer they got the Market District the harder it became to navigate, but the pair persisted and eventually made it to the Cloud District. Its centerpiece was a dead tree, a shrine to Talos next to the stairs leading up to Dragonsreach. Up a short flight of stairs was long house, its roof made of an upside-down boat. "At least the crowd is gone. Dragonsreach is just up those steps. Jorrvaskr is to the right... And Hiemskr is still at it, even after all this time."Hiemskr was a middle-aged Nord, wearing golden colored priest robes, preaching in front of the shrine to Talos despite it having been outlawed. But Whiterun had remained wildly neutral in the Civil war. "Talos the mighty! Talos the unerring! Talos the unassailable! To you we give praise!""... Charming," Beekrava chuckled as she and her companion walked by to begin the climb to Dragonsreach. They entered quietly and went up a much shorter flight of stairs. Up ahead was what looked like a banquet hall, a large fire in the center. Farther down was a throne where a blonde Nord, with a beard styled with a simple band to keep it tidy, sat. He wore an ornate gold and ruby circlet befitting his station, and his clothes were clean and lined with golden threads and fur.A balding Imperial man with a mustache and fine blue robes stood to the right of the Jarl, and approaching with her sword drawn was a Dunmer woman with red hair and eyes, her gray face was angular and sharp. She wore modified leather armor, lightly accented with gold and the Whiterun crest on the center of the chest piece. "The Jarl is not receiving visitors. I am Irileth, his housecarl, you may state your business to me.""We've come from Riverwood," The Bosmer began. "They request aid due to the dragon attack at Helgen." The Dunmer quickly sheathed her sword, her face softening just slightly."That explains why the guards let you in. Come, the Jarl will want to speak with you personally," She ordered, gesturing with her hand to beckon the duo forward. They followed the dark elf, stopping as she held her hand out in front of them before going forward herself, taking her place at the left side of her Jarl. She leaned down and mumbled to the Nord as he stared at the elves, his older face neutral. His eyes, however, became worried as his housecarl whispered to him.When Irileth stood straight, he finally spoke. "So, you saw this dragon with your own eyes?"Beekrava nodded and replied to him, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Yeah, I had a perfect view while the Imperials were trying to execute me.""Really? You're certainly... Forthright about your criminal past," He replied slowly."As far as I'm aware, my Jarl, I have no criminal past," She explained. "I believe I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Stormcloaks were taken by the Imperials. The last I saw the dragon, it was headed in this general direction.""By Ysmir, Irileth was right...!" He had a fairly quick and quiet talk with his housecarl, Irileth, and the Imperial man as Faendal and Beekrava waited, albeit not very patiently; at least Beekrava wasn't patient. Eventually, the Imperial man pulled away, looking disgruntled, while Irileth left the throne room, a smug look on her sharp face. The Jarl began to speak to the elves again. "I thank you for seeking me out, Riverwood will receive aid immediately. You've done my hold a service, and I won't forget it. However, there is another thing you could do for me."
Oh no...
"Suitable for both of you and your particular... Talents, perhaps." It's a fetch quest, she thought grumpily as he stood. "Come, let's go find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into a matter related to these dragons and... rumors of dragons."The two followed him to a room off to the side, though Beekrava was reluctant to do so, where a ginger Nord with neatly groomed mutton chops stood over an alchemy table, appraising a potion in his hands. The Jarl cleared his throat at the threshold of the room. "Ah, Jarl Balgruff," The man greeted, turning around fully. "How can I assist you?""I've brought you two elves who may be able to help you with your... Project," Balgruff replied slowly. "I will leave the details to you."Farengar looked at the two elves as they entered the room, the Jarl excusing himself back to his throne. "So, the Jarl thinks you can be of use to me." His tone was condescending. "Oh, yes, he must be referring to my research into the dragons. Yes, I could use someone to fetch something for me." I knew it, she thought grumpily. He paused as the two elves stopped before him, eyebrows raised. "Well, when I say fetch, I really mean delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there." We're still fetching something."What does a ruin have to do with dragons," Faendal asked."Doesn't seem to connect, unless you've found a connection?""Ah, neither of you are mere brute mercenaries- Thinkers!" He sounded almost excited. "You see, when the stories of dragons began to circulate, many dismissed them as mere fantasies, rumors. Impossibilities. One sure mark of a fool is to dismiss anything that falls outside his experience as being impossible. But I began to search for information about dragons- where had they gone all those years ago? And where were they coming from?"Once you get a mage talking you can't get them to shut up... "What do you need us to find," She asked before he could catch a breath to continue."I ah, learned of a certain stone tablet said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow- a 'Dragonstone' said to contain a map of dragon burial sites. Go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find this tablet- no doubt interred in the main chamber- and bring it to me. Simplicity in itself.""It may take us a few days, but we'll get it," She agreed with a nod, dismissing herself and Faendal to leave. Once they were outside of Dragonsreach, she began to speak. "Alright, how does a night of rest sound?""Agreed. It'll be dark by the time we reach the Barrow. The Bannered Mare should have some rooms."The Market District was still fairly busy, though nowhere near as bad as before. Faendal dutifully led the way to the Mare, a large and homey inn with a plaque on the front depicting a rearing horse. Inside, there was quiet and cheerful music being played by a blonde bard in a corner, who cradled a lute. A Nord woman with long, auburn hair wearing a simple dress stood behind the bar, wiping up some spilled mead. She greeted the two warmly, though she eyed their ears closely, "Good afternoon, what will it be?""Two rooms, please, ma'am, to start," Beekrava said, pulling out her bag of coins. "Whatever you have cooking as well, and two mugs of ale?""Aye, of course. Thirty gold for the rooms, and your food and drinks." Beekrava counted out the required payment and handed it over before joining Faendal at a table. Seems once gold is involved racism practically flies out of the window. The two discussed their plan for the Barrow over their late lunch, preparing themselves for the ancient Nord tomb they would be invading come tomorrow.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Beekrava wasn't happy when she was made to leave the warmth of The Bannered Mare by her companion. Faendal took her complaints in stride, having already known that the halfling wasn't used to the cold and never intended to get used to it. They trekked back towards Riverwood, but instead of heading into town, they took a left and went up the mountain path. Nothing came around to stop them until they neared the top of the small mountain. An old, decrepit watchtower sat on the edge of a sheer drop, seemingly threatening to blow over in the snowstorm that had kicked up long before the elves arrived. Outside the tower, leaning against a tree, was a bandit. A Nord man in hide armor, though it did little to protect him from the elements or attacks, especially when he came roaring at the two bosmer with a great sword held up only to meet his end with a swift arrow to his throat courtesy of Faendal."The others in the tower were probably alerted," He noted as he retrieved his arrow, "Let's move on before they come out.""Or we can kill them and save ourselves and others the trouble," Bee suggested."Ah, you make a point. They could move down the mountain and set up an ambush eventually," He agreed as two more bandits came out of the watchtower, these a bit more heavily armored in steel. The two elves peppered the bandits with arrows until a few hit fatal weak points in the armor, dropping them a few feet away. They retrieved the arrows, wiping the blood off of them in the snow before returning them to their quivers. Arrows got expensive, after all. The pair continued to trudge through the snow piling on top of the path that had been made, presumably by the bandits, until eventually they reached Bleak Falls Barrow.The bandits were none too happy to see the two and immediately attacked, shouting curses and death threats. A man and woman in furs approached with weapons drawn, but Faendal was quick to dispatch them before they got too close. The woman, who was much faster than the man, was taken down first before she got too close. Just as he took the man out with two arrows, an arrow clinked off of a stone pillar near Bee's face. She nocked her own arrow and scanned the barrow, locating the archer and shooting her down. The outside of the barrow fell silent."These must be the bandits that stole that golden claw from Lucan," Faendel spoke, wrenching on of his arrows from one woman's chest. "He said they were holed up nearby, correct?""We can kill two birds with one stone then," Beekrava replied, tearing out her own arrow from the archer's throat, the flesh squelching. She curled her nose up, wiping the blood off in the snow as she continued to speak, "Get the claw, get the Dragonstone. Profit."Turns out getting to the claw was a bit more difficult than they originally thought. The bandits had set up camp a bit farther into the dilapidated temple, so they didn't notice Faendal and Beekrava open the large doors just enough to slip inside. They did, however, notice when the doors shut a bit too loud. They didn't have much time to nock arrows and ended up using their bows to block the swords that were swung at them. A third bandit sneered at them from a broken altar, holding his own bow but not engaging yet."Kill them quick, before they run off and get the guards!"Beekrava strained against the man pressing down on her, nose curling up from the foul smell of blood, sweat, and beer combined. He let up, just enough for her to dive to the side. She grabbed up towards her quiver and snagged an arrow as he fell face first into the doors. The elf nocked it clumsily from her position on the stone floor, but the man was back on her, knocking the bow from her hands. The Nord straddled her, beginning to press his sword to her throat, but she grabbed at the hilt and his hands. She pushed back, trying to keep the blade from slicing her throat open."Can you two not-" He suddenly gurgled, and the weight of the Nord on top of her suddenly increased as blood steadily flowed from his mouth, a wound in his throat. Faendal threw the warm corpse off of her and pulled her to her feet."Are you hurt?""Just my dignity," She replied, retrieving her lost bow and arrow. "Thanks for the save." He nodded, inclining his head deeper towards the inside of the barrow's temple entrance. She followed, a bit more cautiously this time, approaching the bandit's campfire. The gathered the few petty trinkets and small coin purses laying around, not finding any claw or Dragonstone. "Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Guess we're going farther in.""These ruins usually have traps, tread carefully." She nodded in agreement, letting him lead the way out of the temple portion of the barrow and down the flight of stairs. What was left of the hallways and stairs twisted and turned. Most of Bleak Falls Barrow was inaccessible due to cave-ins; no one had been inside to care for the stone and halls of the dead for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Even vines had broken through and began to over take the ruined and forgotten halls.As they journeyed deeper, they began to hear mumbling and paused. Both elves crouched, stepping lightly as they descended a longer staircase. There was a doorway at the bottom yet no door. Just inside, a bandit holding a torch stepped towards a lever in the center of the room and pulled it. Nothing seemed to happen as the gate at the opposite end of the room didn't even budge. However, after a couple seconds passed, the bandit was pelted with a multitude of small arrows that were shot out from the walls. He shouted in surprise and turned to leave but stumbled and fell, his veins slowly turning a sickly black as he hit the stone floor and tried to claw his way towards the exit. He caught sight of the two elves as foam bubbled up from his mouth as a last strangled breath escaped his him before he stopped moving and lay limp on the floor."... So let's not touch that," The woman spoke with a grimace, leading the way into the room cautiously. "You've been in these barrows before, Faendal?""Only a few, but I know enough. Let's take a look around."The puzzle in question looked straight forward, turn the pillars to the correct faces, and each pillar had three sides. A whale, a snake, and a hawk on each of the three pillars. Faendal had gone up a flight of stairs to investigate and he quickly noticed that the answer was at the top. There were three opened mouthed humanoid faces carved into the wall up the stairs, save one having crumbled and fallen off the wall."Turn the first two of the pillars to the snake, then the last one to the whale," He called down."Alright," She replied, turning the first one. It resisted, but eventually gave way. Once each pillar had been turned, Faendal pulled the lever. The gate opened up slowly and the two walked into the next room once it had settled. The next room held a chest and a stone table with a dusty book. Over to the left was a hole in the stone floor, a wooden staircase leading down. From those stairs, they heard a chittering, squeaking noise, followed by scrabbling of tiny claws on wood and stone. "Are those...?""Skeevers, I'll handle it." Three patchy and scrawny rats threw themselves up the last of the stairs and hurled themselves towards the man, but he took out his sword and swiped once, then twice, and then a third time. All three miserable creatures lay dead on the floor. "They used to just be large rats, you know.""Just large rats," She scoffed with a quick eye roll, nudging one with her foot as they passed by them and descended the very questionable spiral wooden staircase. It creaked and groaned under their combined weight but they pressed on as the staircase held up, even after they stepped off. They entered what looked like an embalming room, but the ruins were so old it was hard to tell. All the supplies, expired of course, were there to embalm a corpse but there weren't any abandoned Nord corpses.They left the room and pressed forward down a hall where they began to hear pleading shouts. Both elves paused, giving each other confused looks before creeping forward a bit more cautiously, noting the webs that were becoming more abundant and thick. "Can we leave," Bee asked suddenly as they came to a set of archways, blocked with thick webs."Unfortunately, no, we've gotten this far," Faendal chuckled. "Do you know any magic?""This is a terrible time to find out, but I can try," She muttered as the volume of the pleas increased and became more demanding. She closed her eyes and focused on manifesting a flame in her right hand, but it was a lot more difficult without instruction or memory of how to. Bee mentally focused on camp and hearth fires, trying to translate them to growing a flame in her hand.Faendal suddenly grabbed her wrist as warmth blossomed in her hand and Bee opened her eyes in time to see the webs burn away and for her hand to start burning. She jerked her hand back and the spell broke, swiping it in the air a few times to help cool it off. Faendal chuckled, "You do know how, but you forgot to ward your own hand." He took her hand and looked it over quickly, "Just a little red, so you stopped just in time."

"QUIT YOUR BLABBERING AND HELP ME!"

Beekrava and Faendal looked towards the room with disdain, but ultimately he released her hand and pulled out his sword. Bee nocked an arrow and crept in behind the other elf. The room was large and almost every surface was covered in webs. To the far left, a dark haired Dunmer in hide armor was caught in a thick web, halfway cocooned and struggling."Cut me down before it comes back," He demanded, almost snarling. Just as he finished speaking, a giant Frostbite spider descended from a large hole in the ceiling. "DON'T LET IT EAT ME!""I think it cares about us more," Beekrava shouted, drawing her bowstring back and loosing the arrow in the spider's face. It hissed and landed on the stone, then skittered towards Faendal as he was the nearest threat. He swung his sword, cutting the spider's chelicerae a few times making it recoil and hiss. It lifted it's pedipalps and front legs, attempting to pin the man down, but Faendal rolled to the right, dodging just in time and landing a good swipe on one of its eight legs, cutting part of it off.The spider screeched in anger, turning to attack the elf again. With Faendal mostly out of the line of fire, Beekrava began to pepper the frostbite spider's rump with arrows. Between the two elves, the giant frostbite spider was taken down. It crumpled into a heap on the floor when Faendal landed a final hit to one of it's many beady eyes. All was quiet for a few seconds before the Dunmer began to speak, "Good, you killed it! Now cut me down before anymore of those things shows up!""... Can I just roast him? I mean, he is a bandit after all," The woman asked Faendal quietly."Worst he's done is steal a ornament and been annoying, let's hear him out." They approached the Dunmer, who impatiently wriggled in his half done cocoon."Well? Aren't you going to cut me down?""Do you have the claw," Faendal inquired."Yes, I know how it works, too! The claw, the markings, the door in the Hall of Stories," He said quickly, dark eyes begging for his freedom. "I know how they all fit together! Help me down, and I'll show you. You can have the claw back as soon as I'm done with it."Looking skeptical, Faendal used his sword to cut the elf free from the web, but almost as soon as the Dunmer's feet touched the ground he took off deeper into the barrow. "You fools! Why should I share the treasure with anyone?!"Angry, Beekrava made to follow the Dunmer with haste but Faendal grabbed her arm. "Why are you stopping me? He has one of the things we need!""These barrows aren't made to keep people out, Beekrava," The man said, his tone serious and his face hard. "They're made to keep things in. Specifically the draugr. I can almost guarantee that there will be a few before we reach the Hall of Stories. Let them kill him, then we'll take them out and get the Claw.""What the hell are draugr?""They're undead Nords that used to serve Dragon Priests. They would embalm and entomb them in barrows like this," He explained, gesturing around with one hand. "There's hundreds all over Skyrim. It's best we proceed with the utmost caution from here on out. Do you understand?"She stared at him for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, you're more experienced. I'll follow your lead." He let out a sigh of relief before nodding back at the halfling."Keep your weapon drawn and your wits about you."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Faendal had been right to warn his companion about the high possibility of danger. As they crept through where the dunmer ran off, they began to hear sounds of fighting followed by garbled growls as the undead chased their prey, who cried out as he was struck down."Kill the awoken draugr, get the claw, and we keep going," Faendal instructed. Bee nodded in agreement as Faendal peered around the corner, "There's only three. That bandit is dead, so they're starting to patrol. We can get the jump on them."They both readied their arrows and walked out of hiding, but the undead hadn't noticed them yet. They took their shots at two different draugr, each hitting their intended targets, but the undead are rather durable. The two they shot turned their heads at the intruders, bones snapping and dried skin stretching. Their glowing blue eyes bore into the elves before they growled and lifted up their swords, running at them with surprising speed.Bee panicked and dropped her bow, going for her axe instead and swinging at the draugr that reached them first. Its head almost came clean off as she cleaved its skull in, the skin and bones unable to withstand the power behind the swing. A second arrow from Faendal landed in the eye socket of the other draugr and it fell over with the other, finally dead for good as their blue eyes dimmed until they were just empty sockets.The third, hearing the commotion, lumbered around the corner, but Faendal quickly shot it down as well. When it was finally quiet they crept into the room, finding the bandit's fresh corpse laying in the center with the Golden Claw inches from his hand, seeming to have tumbled out  of his pack when he was attacked. Faendal grabbed the Claw as Bee began to search the body for anything noteworthy, finding a small journal hidden in one of the pockets of his hide armor."Anything interesting," Faendal asked, putting the Claw in his pack."A journal, he probably wrote down whatever Hall of Stories secret he was talking about," She replied, thumbing through the journal before closing it, looking to her fellow archer for further instruction."We'll go a bit further in before taking a break, if you're up for it." She nodded and he smiled. "Let's get moving then." 
My fingers are trembling.
The Golden Claw is finally
in my hands, and with it,
the power of the ancient
Nordic heroes. That fool
Lucan Valerius had no idea
that his favorite store
decoration was actually the
key to Bleak Falls Barrow.

Now I just need to get to
the Hall of Stories and unlock
the door. The legend says there
is a test that the Nords put in
place to keep the unworthy
away, but that "When you
have the golden claw, the
solution is in the palm of
your hands."
Bee closed the journal and placed it on the ground next to her, careful to not put it in the puddle of oil nearby. Faendal, with a mouth full of jerky, asked, "Whav wish in it?""Ew, don't talk with your mouth full," Bee responded, nose crinkling. "The guy was called Arvel 'the Swift'- not swift enough if you ask me. But, he has a vaguely cryptic sentence at the end of his last entry. 'When you have the Golden Claw, the solution is in the palm of your hands.'"He had swallowed his jerky by now, but he picked up the Claw from his own pack to examine it. Turning it over, he noted the inscriptions on the bottom of it. "I think it's literal." She peered over and looked at the carvings; Bear-Moth-Owl, from top to bottom."If it is, that's very anticlimactic and the ancient Nords should've tried harder."He chuckled and put the claw away, sitting delicately on top of his rations. "We should, theoretically, almost be at the Hall of Stories by now. Ready to keep going?"She had packed away the journal and her own rations, having decided she wasn't actually hungry at the time, then stood up, shouldering the bag. "Yeah, ready as I'll ever be."  Traversing the Barrow was relatively easy when taken slow. Both elves were content to pick off the enemy draugr from the shadows whenever the undead woke from their slumber. Eventually, the pair reached the 'famed' Hall of Stories. The walls were worn down over time, but they could see the faint etchings on the walls still. People in robes, worshipping an intimidating, floating figure in the center, likely a once highly esteemed Dragon Priest. At the end of the hall, was a door, with three rings that seemed to rotate, all three were set to OWL. In the center was a key hole, meant for the claw if the indentations were any clue.Faendal took on the arduous task of turning the centuries old rings to the correct order; Bear-Moth-Owl. Each turn of the rings grated on stone and kicked up dust and dirt that had gotten trapped over the years. Taking the key from his pack, he inserted it into the key hole and turned.Slowly, the door began to lower."...The ancient Nords are anti-climactic and should've done better," Bee said suddenly, her voice deadpanned. "'Keeping the unworthy out'," She mocked with air quotes, following Faendal through the open door as he put the Claw away, attempting to contain his laughter. "A babe could've broken into this- Wow." Mid exasperated rant, she stopped, looking at the scenery before her. The cavern was massive enough to hold two waterfalls, connected by a small, winding river. The ceiling was seemingly cracked open, letting moonlight spill in, Have we really been in here that long? Sitting upon a large, stone platform in the center of the cavern was a stone sarcophagus, two brazier's lighting up the area. Behind it was a large, stone wall with scratched writing upon it.Beekrava could vaguely hear chanting coming from it, and one word from the strange script seemed to glow an ominous blue."Do you hear that," The woman asked as they cautiously approached the platform."The waterfalls? Yes.""No, the chanting.""Did you hit your head again," Faendal asked as they climbed the last small set of stairs. "I just hear the waterfalls." She seemed to ignore him at that point, pushing past and approaching the wall. The chanting grew louder as she got closer and touched the wall; her vision darkened in her peripheral until she could only see the words on the wall before her.
Het nok fall vahlok
Deinmaar do dovahgolz
ahrk aan fus do unslaad
rahgol ahrk vulom
Fus. Force. Her vision fully blackened completely and a headache bloomed as the sarcophagus cracked open. Faendal's voice came back, she hadn't even realized he had been shouting at her. Whatever had come out of the sarcophagus was attacking him, and from the sounds the elf heard, he was struggling to hold off his attacker. She shook her head and brought her hands up, rubbing at her eyes. When she pulled her hands away again, she could see. The moonlight and braziers were almost blinding.She turned, grabbing her axe as she did, only to get blown back by a Shout of all things, "FUS!!" Her back hit the wall and she grunted at the impact, the breath practically knocked out of her. Her momentarily and unintending distraction gave Faendal a chance to create some distance and start peppering the Draugr Overlord with arrows. She lifted up her axe to block an incoming blow from the sword it swung; it was radiating cold, wisps of frost falling from it.Bee pushed back, throwing the undead off and sending it sprawling onto the floor, still gripping it's enchanted sword. Beekrava took the opening nd practically pounced on the draugr, straddling it as she swung down onto it's face. It angrily blocked the swing with it's arm, not even phased, and then swung it's sword arm catching the elf off guard. It sliced against her back, cutting the leather open before catching on the chainmail underneath. She could feel the cold of the enchantment seeping into her.That's going to leave a nasty bruise, she thought, ripping her axe free and slamming it down onto the draugr's head. It let out a angry gurgle before it's blue eyes flickered a few times before dying out. She wrenched her axe out and stumbled up."What in Oblivion happened to you," Faendal asked angrily."I don't know! The wall was chanting and when I touched it I couldn't see or hear anything else!""Whatever happened, make sure it doesn't happen again," He spoke, voice stern as he holstered his bow.Face red with embarrassment, Bee walked past him and towards the sarcophagus, locating the Dragonstone inside. It was a simple stone tablet, depicting a map and several marked locations. She shoved the tablet into her pack and pulled out her journal and a piece of charcoal, scribbling down the script she couldn't quite understand, underlining the word fus; in the margins she wrote 'Force' and then the location, Bleak Falls Barrow.While she had done this, Faendal found the exit, calling her over. She walked to him, taking one look back before following him into the darkness.  They made camp at the base of the mountain that night, taking off for Riverwood early the next morning. Faendal passed the Claw over to her, muttering something about checking on his home while she ran her own errands.Shrugging, Beekrava let herself into Gerdur's home and got changed into a dark blue tunic and brown breeches and a pair of boots before picking up the ruined leather cuirass and left. She dropped the armor off at Alvor's for repairs before walking across the old cobble road to Lucan's shop."Y-You're back," Lucan exclaimed as she held up the claw. "And you found my Claw!" He took it from her gratefully, inspecting it for damage. "Funny, it seems smaller than I remember... Haha, but thank you, this means a lot." He walked back around the counter, placing the Claw on it almost reverently."Not a problem. It was actually a key for Bleak Falls Barrow," She mentioned."Really? I found it a few years ago in the river," He replied. "What happened to the bandits that stole it?""Dead," She said, accepting a coin pouch from him."Figures. Well, here's half a coin from my last shipment.""Of course," She smiled, pocketing the coin pouch. "I'll see you around, Lucan. Try to keep your Claw this time, though."He chuckled and waved her off, and Bee turned to leave. Just as she opened the door, she heard a shout, "Wait!" She turned and saw Camilla rushing down the stairs, stopping a few feet from the elf, "I-Is it true that Faendal is leaving with you?""He technically already left with me," She answered slowly. "We circled back here after we got your brother's Claw back.""Why?""I really don't think that's any of your business," Bee said coldly.Lucan awkwardly shuffled behind his counter. "Camilla, drop it," He said through gritted teeth."What? How can you say that, Lucan!"Bee sighed, lifting a hand to drag it down her face. "Woe is me for keeping up with this farce," She grumbled. "He's leaving Riverwood because of you, Camilla. Because you chose Sven over him." She opened the door and left, shutting the door behind her and making a beeline for Gerdur's house before Camilla could think to stop her.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

By the time the pair returned to Whiterun in the late afternoon, Faendal had forgiven Bee for the incident in the barrow, though she still didn't understand what had happened herself. Neither of them did. Nevertheless, they traveled up to the Cloud District and up the steps to Dragonsreach. The main hall was mostly empty, the Jarl and his housecarl nowhere to be seen. Even the steward was missing.Farengar, however, was right where they had left him. Off in his side room with a woman in leathers. She was leaned over his table, looking at at an old piece of parchment spread out on his desk. Her hood was up and neither elf could see her facial features. He was not far behind, one hand twirling a mutton chop, the other resting around his waist. The two lurked at the doorway."You see? The terminology is clearly First Era or even earlier. I'm convinced this is a copy of a much older text," He said, almost exasperated. "Perhaps dating to just after the Dragon War. If so, I could use this to cross-reference the names with other later texts.""Good. I'm glad you're making progress," She said, not looking up. "My employers are anxious to have some tangible answers.""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.""Time is running, Farengar, don't forget. This isn't some theoretical questions. Dragons have come back.""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...," He walked over to a bookshelf and started shuffling things around. "Very intriguing... I think your employers may be interested as well.."The woman seemed to noticed them finally, but only because she had finally looked up to see what Farengar was trying to locate. "You have visitors."He stopped moving things and turned, one dusty book in his right hand. "Ah, yes, the Jarl's protégés!" He walked over to the table and set the book down. As they entered, Bee began digging through her pack for the Dragonstone. "You didn't die, it seems." She looked up sharply, looking almost offended, but pulled the sought after tablet from the bag and held it out. "Ah! The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow!" He gently took it from her and held it close. "It seems you're both a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends my way. My... associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork." He gestured to the leather-clad woman; they could not see her face but they could see the fresh hickey's on her neck. "She discovered its location, by means she has so far declined to share with me."He turned to her, almost presenting the tablet, "So your information was correct after all. And we have our two friends here to thank for recovering it for us."As she turned toward the elves more, Bee thought she could see blonde hair poking out of her hood, "You two went into Bleak Falls Barrow and got that? Nice work." Her voice sounded forced, too high-pitched; fake. She turned towards Farengar. "Just send me a copy when you've deciphered it." She grabbed a pack from the floor and left, almost too quickly, making a wide berth around Faendal.Farengar shrugged, gingerly placing he tablet on the desk, "As for your payment, you'll have to see Proventus, the steward, tomorrow. He has retired from his duties for the day." All that for a fetch quest and I still have to wait to be paid, Beekrava groaned inwardly. Nevertheless, she gestured for Faendal to follow her out.

"FARENGAR!!"

The sudden deep shout rung in the elves' ears and they stopped, steps away from exiting Farengar's open office.From around the corner, the dunmer Irileth came running, most of her leather armor haphazardly put on. She gripped the doorframe, panting, "Farengar, you need to come at once. A dragon's been sighted nearby." She finally realized Faendal and Beekrava were there. "Both of you come as well." It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order."A dragon! How excited," Fargengar exclaimed, rushing around the table and almost tripping on his robes. "Where was it seen? What was it doing?""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."Faendal and Beekrava looked at each other as Farengar hurriedly brushed past them, following the dunmer who was buckling up her armor. "Should we just... make a run for it," Bee asked."I have a feeling she would have a bounty posted for us within minutes if we did," Faendal chuckled. "Come, should just be a brief 'avoid this area the guards will handle it' conversation.""You'll owe me if that's not the case," She muttered, leading the way after Irileth. To the right side of the throne was a set of stairs that the two went up. Sitting a table with a map dotted with red and blue flags was Jarl Balgruff, dressed in a white undershirt tucked into brown breeches. Irileth stood on his right side, a guard fidgeted across the table where Farengar seemed to be hovering and almost vibrating.When it was clear the two elves had joined them, the Jarl spoke, "So, Irileth tells me you came from the western watchtower?""Yes, my lord.""Tell him what you told me," Irileth said, "About the dragon.""Uh... That's right. We saw it coming from the south. It was fast..." His voice trembled as he paused and shivered at the memory. "Faster than anything I've ever seen.""What did it do," The Jarl asked. "Is it attacking the watchtower?""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 had circled the table and clasped a hand on the guard's shoulder. "Good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it." He released the guard who muttered his thanks before taking his leave. "Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there.""I've already ordered my men to muster near the main gate.""Good. Don't fail me." He turned to the elves, looking tired. "There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friends. I need your help again." Beekrava looked at Faendal pointedly, not even bothering to hide her irritation at him, then moved her red eyes back to the Jarl. "I want you both to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon." He looked specifically at Beekrava when he spoke again. "You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else here."Beekrava sputtered, "All due respect, but I was running from it, I didn't fight it at all!"He held up a hand. "You were still there. I would appreciate it if you would help." More orders, she scoffed to herself but jerked her head into a nod. "But do not think I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I have instructed Avenicci to award you the deed to a small property within the city known as Breezehome. Now, help Irileth kill this dragon before it can attack Whiterun. There's no time to lose."Farengar suddenly stepped forward, excitement on his face, "I should come along. I would very much like to see this dragon.""No. I can't afford to risk both of you," The Jarl denied, voice stern, as if he were scolding one of his children. "I need you here working on ways to defend the city against these dragons. Once the dragon has been slain, you may be permitted to examine the remains with guards."Dejected, the mage muttered, "As you command."The Jarl turned to his loyal housecarl. "One last thing, Irileth. This isn't a death or glory mission. I need to know what we're dealing with. That being said... It wouldn't hurt to hire a few of the Companions."The dunmer smirked, "Don't worry, my lord. I am the very soul of caution. Come along, you two. We have a dragon to slay."  Irileth sent the two elves to wait just outside the gates of Whiterun with a contingent of guards, who nervously spoke about the prospect of having the fight a dragon. One Nord in particular must have at least been vibrating with excitement."So... Elf." Faendal and Beekrava looked over to the guard, eyebrows raised. "No, the woman-elf."The guard next to him elbowed him harshly, "Just shut up, you're digging yourself an early grave talking like that," He ground out. His fellow guardsman rubbed his side, glaring at the other man through his shaded helmet."I just wanted to ask!""... Then ask," Beekrava suggested, confused, raised eyebrow.Both the men snapped to attention and the first one spoke again, "Is it true? Were you at Helgen?"Oh, not this... "Unfortunately," She replied, tone crisp."Did you really fight the dragon?""Bjorn told me he heard you rode on it's back!" Faendal snorted out a laugh."What? No, I didn't fight it." She sounded exasperated as she crossed her arms. The guards looked almost disappointed. "I didn't have any weapons to fight that thing, even if I wanted to. Which I didn't want to." She paused, noticing the men were visibly deflated at the lack of truth to their gossip. "Nor do I want to fight this one, but an order is an order.""Exactly. We are honor bound to fight it, even if we fail," Irileth spoke, exiting the gates followed by the red-headed Nord they met a few days ago, and man that looked strikingly familiar to the other man they met the same day. "This dragon is threatening our homes... Our families. Could you call yourselves Nords if you ran from this monster? Are you going to let us face this thing alone?""No, Housecarl!""We're so dead...""But it's more than our honor at stake here. Think of it - the first dragon seen in Skyrim since the last age. The glory of killing it is ours, if you're with me! Now what do you say? Shall we go kill us a dragon?""Yeah!" "Damn right!"Irelith smirked, "Then let's move out!" She gestured for the guards to take point and followed. "The two of you are fairly new to Whiterun, these are two of the many Companions, Aela and Vilkas.""It's nice to see you again," Faendal greeted Aela with a warm smile. "And I'm glad to put a name to the face.""Vilkas, this is the elf I was telling you about," The woman said proudly. "Best shot I've seen, besides myself, of course. What's your name?""Faendal, this is Beekrava." She inclined her head in acknowledgement. "She's not much of a talker."Aela laughed, "Vilkas and her will get along well then." The man looked at the halfling, who had glanced at him briefly before shrugging. He came close to sneering at her. "Maybe not today."  By the time they reached the smoldering and ruined watchtower, the sun was beginning to set. They all crouched behind a mound of rocks, watching the ruined tower for signs of life. "There's no sign of a dragon, but it sure looks like he's been here," Irelith spoke, her tone grim. Without looking at them, she gave the order, "Spread out and look for survivors." Everyone drew weapons, Bee choosing her bow. The farther away from that flying lizard I am, the better. Let's just get in and get out, go to my new home and relax. She notched an arrow and went straight for the entrance of the tower.Once up the ramp, a guard poked his head out, waving her away, "No, get back!" He stared fearfully up towards the sky. "It's still here somewhere, Hroki and Tor just got grabbed when they tried to make a run for it!"Irelith was beside Beekrava in moments, "Guardsman! What happened here? Where's the dragon? Quickly now!" Bee turned to the sky, watching for the dragon. She would, know, after all. It was faint, but before Irelith could get answers from the guard, they heard a roar. "What was that?""... That's a dragon," Bee spoke as the others approached."What? No, it doesn't sound-""Look at me, Irelith." Both sets of red locked onto each other. The roar was much, much louder. "It is a dragon."Her eyes seemed the harden before she pulled away from the bosmer's gaze, "Find cover! And you three make every arrow count."Bee's ear's rang upon hearing that sentence, before she found herself in her own head, albeit briefly.
The Argonian was hunched over a little girl, her when she was just ten years old. She held a training bow up, the string was pulled back and an arrow was nocked and ready to fly. "This is just practice, hatchling, but when you're in a real fight..." His golden eyes darkened as he stared at the target. She let the string go and hit the bullseye. "You make every arrow count."
Bee shook her head and ducked inside the tower for her cover, but mostly to get away from prying eyes for just a moment. The dragon had swooped by, raining fire down on them before roaring, taking off into the sky. Her head and heart pounded. What frightened her in that moment... Was that deep down she was excited. The woman had to stop herself from walking out of her only cover to face the dragon head on as soon as it swooped by.Instead, she drew her bowstring back and waited. It landed to the left of her, concentrating on taking snaps at a few guards, led by Vilkas. Angling herself just right, she released the arrow. It landed right in the dragon's eye. It snarled and whipped its head around, locking onto the elf that dared shoot him. With a grimace, she ran out of her hiding spot just in time for it to be destroyed."Thuri du hin sil ko Soverngarde!"
My overlord will devour your souls in Sovengarde.
The elf tucked and rolled behind a destroyed staircase as she heard the dragon snarl and the unmistakable sound of a man being ripped in half or eaten alive. She didn't dare look from behind her new spot, she didn't dare move, even when the bottom half of said man was thrown nearby. I might be sick.The dragon chuckled deeply. "I had forgotten what fine sport you mortals can provide." Armor clanked harshly near her, and from the corner of her eye she saw Vilkas crouched close by behind another chunk of rubble, waiting for a new chance to strike. His great sword was covered in blood and he appeared unharmed. She heard the dragon take off and begin to fly around. She pressed herself against the rubble in an attempt to stay hidden but kept her red eyes locked on it at all times.It landed several meters away from her, stomping around in search of his prey. With it's one good eye, he noticed her, and a sharp grin pulled at his scales. "Found you, little joor." Mortal.
Fuck.
He stalked towards her and Bee abandoned her long bow to snatch her axe from its holster before throwing all caution to the wind by running forward with a battle cry like no other, axe raised. Surprised at this little outburst, the dragon didn't react in a timely manner to avoid her attack. Bee slammed the axe down on his nose, the blade digging in deep and almost getting stuck. He snarled and roared in pain, and she hung on tight as he thrashed his head around."Damn it," She heard Faendal curse, a rarity. "Hang on, we're coming!!"She gritted her teeth to keep from biting her tongue during the thrashing and tightened the grip on her axe, raising her other hand to grab onto the many spikes on his face. "Release me, joor," The dragon snarled, pausing his thrashing for just a moment to swing his tail at the approaching guards. With a challenge in her eyes, she merely jerked the axe free from his nose before slamming it down again, farther up his snout. "Joor!!! I'll rend the flesh from your bones myself!!"One good shake and Bee was thrown down, axe ripped from his face and, thankfully, still in her hand. He leaned down, maw open, and instinctively, and stupidly, she held her left arm up to block it. She screeched in pain as he bit down, and Bee had a feeling he wasn't even using the full force of his bite just to torture her. She desperately slammed her axe into the dragon's face, getting covered in blood that was both hers and the dragons, until one of Faendal's arrows landed in the dragon's one good eye. He roared, dropping the elf on the ground.Faendal was at her side instantly, dragging her away from the dragon as it writhed. "Are you okay!?" She pushed herself up, wiping the dripping blood from her face before grabbing his dagger from his belt, "Bee-""Shut up and shoot," She snapped, running back towards the dragon. The guards and Vilkas were hacking into the creature, unable or unwilling to get close to its dangerous head, having seen what would happen to them if they did.In that moment, Beekrava didn't care. She felt powerful. She would win.Before she knew it, she had leapt onto the dragon's face, straddling its snout. "Hi nalkun dir ziist hi komaan wah krif zey." She whispered-shouted before plunging the dagger down and into the soft spot of his skull."Dovahkiin? No!" The dragon suddenly collapsed, sending the weakening elf tumbling to the ground. Bee landed on her back and laid there, staring at the darkening sky.Soon enough, Faendal was blocking her view of the stars and she huffed out a laugh. "Gods, you are something else," He muttered, helping her up with her uninjured arm. "Take a look at our handiwork."The dragon was surely dead, face bloodied and eyes blinded. As everyone began to move a little closer to investigate, it began to burn into ash, flesh flaking away. "Get back," Irileth ordered. Faendal tried to tug her away, but she was rooted to the spot, staring as tendrils of light came from the burning corpse. The man let her go in favor of getting as much space between him and the burning corpse, and her. The lights wrapped around the elf, her head pounded as it was filling with knowledge of memories that were not hers. Something began to bubble in her throat, until a Shout ripped through her lips and into the night air.

"FUS!!!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The elf stumbled back from the force of the Shout, arm cradled to her chest and eyes wide. She almost didn't want to move or speak, even when Faendal shook her out of her trance; he was practically holding her up on her feet. The adrenaline was gone and she was so tired. "... something! Bee say something!!""... We should've just stayed in Riverwood."He looked confused, processing what she had just said before a smile cracked through the confusion and worry, he sighed in relief."I can't believe it," A guard said in awe, taking his helmet off as he approached. He was a young Nord, dark hair and brown eyes, face covered in soot. "You're... Dragonborn.""What," Faendal asked, adjusting his hold so her good arm was thrown over his shoulder and he was supporting her by the waist. She saw Vilkas scoff and Aela elbowed him in the side where there was an opening in his armor."In the very oldest days, back when there were still dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power," He explained, almost giddy with excitement. "And that's what you did, isn't it? Absorbed the dragon's power?""I don't know what I did; except almost get my arm torn off.""You Shouted, though! The old legends say that only the Dragonborn can Shout without training, the way the dragons can.""As riveting as these revelations are, she needs a healer," Aela interrupted, stepping forward. "Or she's going to bleed out. Give her to me, I know the terrain better, we'll get back to the Temple faster."Faendal passed her over to the woman, who effortlessly picked her up bridal style and Bee was grateful she was covered in blood because her face was on fire, "I'll handle things here, then I'll meet you at the Temple," He promised firmly. Aela adjusted her grip before she took off running towards Whiterun.Aela didn't say much except for a quick apology when the halfling was jostled a few times. As they climbed the path up towards the gates, a new Shout ripped through the air like a whip cracking. "DOVAHKIIN!"Great, now all of Skyrim knows, she thought as the woman carried her through the very empty city. Almost everyone was either in a tavern or their own homes. Bee wished she was in her own. They entered the Wind District and turned left, going around the dying Gildergreen and entering the Temple of Kynereth. A woman wearing yellow robes was reading a book on a carved wooden bench, but looked up upon their entry and her green eyes widened at the sight of a blood and viscera covered elf.She practically slammed her book closed, "On the stone table, now," She ordered. Aela did as told as the healer disappeared, coming out moments later with a bucket of water and a rag. "By Kyne, what did this to you, child?""A dragon," She ground out through gritted teeth as the woman pushed up the sleeve of her under armor and cleaned her arm. Bee took a glance down and her eyes almost bulged out at the sight of a dragon's tooth protruding from her arm."... You know, I was going to call you a liar," The healer chuckled as the Temple doors opened. Faendal rushed in, an irritated Vilkas right behind him; though his pace was a bit more leisurely. "Oh, Vilkas, perfect timing. I'll need you to keep her still. You, too, young man." She gestured the men over, who dutifully followed her orders. Vilkas sat behind her, holding her good arm to her chest and simultaneously crushing her against his armor, he held the other arm out for the healer.Faendal literally sat on her legs, "If I know you as well as I think I do, I know you'll kick," He responded to her sour look."You're not even going to take me out to dinner first," Beekrava joked to the woman who had already grabbed the tooth."I'm afraid not," She chuckled before attempting to pull the tooth out. One, two, three harsh tugs and it was ripped free of her arm with a scraping, squelching noise; tooth against bone and flesh. Beekrava hadn't even noticed she had lost consciousness.She was slow to wake, unwilling to open her eyes despite the loud cheering and music she heard, though it did seem to be dulled by walls. Eventually, and begrudgingly, she opened her eyes, finding herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Bee furrowed her brow and used her good arm to sit up, tucking the bandaged one against her stomach as she adjusted herself and leaned against the headboard. The halfling scrubbed the sleep from each eye and looked around.Weapons and shields lined the stone walls of the room she was in, and there were multiple beds. Is this a bunkhouse? A roaring cheer resounded from upstairs suddenly, startling her. With a sigh, she decided she would get up and investigate the noises, and if she could find Faendal. Bee threw the fur and linen off, noting she was at least wearing clean breeches and a clean, long sleeved white tunic. She stood, flexed her injured arm for a moment and noting minimal pain. I should be safe to use it almost normally.Bee walked to the door and opened it, finding a stone hallway, filled with weapons and taxidermy either on the wall or on stands, each sporting a plaque stating what the animal is, who killed it, when, and even how. And for the weapons and armor, who they belonged to, how they died, and when.The cheers were louder now having exited the room, so she simply followed them to a set of stairs, which led to a set of double doors. The sounds of people partying were louder, but they increased to a deafening roar once she opened one of those double doors. The smell of beer, musk, sweat, and is that blood?? assaulted her nostrils, and her nose wrinkled. She ascended the rest of the stairs, finding quite a scene.A woman in hide armor was on her knees, hands behind her back while she had her head tilted back. The man from the giant slaying days ago was pouring a tankard of alcohol into her open mouth. Most of it was missing, but everyone was cheering her on nonetheless. "N-JA-DA! N-JA-DA!"Cheering her on from one of the long tables, surrounding a fire pit that was roasting some beef, if the smell was anything to go by, was Faendal. He hadn't noticed her, so she took the opportunity to take a wide berth away from him, taking advantage of the cheering crowd of warriors to hide her approach. She easily came up behind him without notice before standing on her toes and blowing into one pointed ear.He shouted, whipping around to find a grinning Beekrava. He seemed stunned for a moment, unsure if she was really there. "You're awake," He said dumbly."You sound shocked," She inquired, eyebrow raised."Bee, you were asleep for two days.""... Oh."He led her towards one of the long tables and sat her down, "Danica said to start off with bread and cheese when you woke up." He handed her a half a loaf of bread, which she gratefully took and began to nibble on. "It's in my pack, but I saved the dragon tooth for you."Her eyes lit up, "How'd you know I would want it?""Your first dragon kill? Of course I knew you would want it," He chuckled, sitting down next to her. He looked up, greeting Aela as she approached."Nice of you to finally join us," Aela grinned, leaning on the table across from Bee. "What you did was legendary, Dragonborn!" She had said it so loud that a few heads turned, and Bee turned red under their gaze, her pointed ears burning. "No need to be embarrassed! I've never seen such ferocity, besides from myself of course.""Uh, thanks?"Finally sensing her discomfort, Aela gestured for her to stand, "Let's go outside for some fresh air, get away from the drunkards. You don't mind, do you, Faendal?""Not at all," He replied. "Just don't let her run off.""I will not 'run off'," Beekrava muttered, standing after finishing her bread and going around the long table to follow Aela out back. Outside the air was cool and the atmosphere quiet, save for the muffled sounds of the party inside. The sky was dark, stars glittering above and the Northern Lights shining bright.  "I don't want this," She spoke suddenly."You don't want what?""To be Dragonborn. I just... I want my da. I want to go home. We should have never left...," She paused and her eyes burned and her head pounded and she lifted her hands to cradle her head. "Fuck, I don't even remember where home is, thinking about it hurts.""Sit." She lowered her hands briefly, just long enough to find a crate to sit on, and resumed holding her head, tears starting to fall finally. "What do you remember?""My name. Dada is... Was? An Argonian... He taught me archery. He said make every arrow count. We were separated at Darkwater Crossing, when the Imperials attacked Ulfric and the Stormcloaks. He told me to run, I guess things were going bad?" She was rambling, but kept going regardless. "And I woke up in that cart and for a few hours I couldn't remember my name. I hate wine and the cold. Blackmarsh was warm and home-""You hail from Blackmarsh?" She stopped talking, frozen as tears came silently. "What else?"She shook her head, removing her hands and wiping the tears away furiously. "I don't want to be Dragonborn.""You have to be," Aela spoke, looking to the sky almost wistfully. "Dragons have returned, and without you we may all become enslaved by them again. You don't have the luxury of choice. The whole of Skyrim knows, if not the whole of Nirn." She looked to the halfling, who was looking at her hands as if the answers were there. "You'll have help with this destiny of yours. You needn't worry about doing it alone."Faendal and Beekrava were welcome to sleep in Jorrvaskr that night. Despite having just woken up, Bee had almost gone directly to bed after her talk with Aela. She merely gave Faendal a brief, "I'm feeling a bit sick after eating, so I'm going to bed. Enjoy the party for me." before disappearing downstairs.She didn't sleep long and was up early before most of Jorrvaskr, thanks to the wild party they had that night. Even Faendal was still out for the count when she got up and got dressed in her armor. Her left gauntlet was missing, probably destroyed by the dragon and left behind at the tower. With a mild look of annoyance, she left the room of sleeping warriors and entered the hall, closing the door quietly behind her and then she made her way upstairs. A few older warriors were already awake, along with Vilkas and Aela, who sat next to each other talking quietly."Good morning, Rava," Aela greeted.Bee furrowed her eyebrows from a moment, not quite awake yet. "Rava?""Did you forget your own name again?""What- no! I'm just not awake yet," She muttered, rubbing at her puffy eyes. "I'm going to see the Jarl, if Faendal asks where I am.""Vilkas will go with you," Aela said, clapping the armored man on the back of his neck. He glared at her, irritated, but she had an amused and almost impish twinkle in her eyes. "He still needs to collect payment for our services." The Nord grumbled, but stood and joined Bee, though he kept some distance from her.They walked together in silence through the sleeping city. The fog that had settled overnight had mostly lifted when they began their short journey. "... Did I do something to offend you," Bee asked suddenly.He sputtered, "What in Oblivion are you talking about?"She shrugged as they climbed the steps to Dragonsreach. "You don't seem to like me, at all, in any capacity, and I just want to know what I did to offend.""You did nothing," He replied stiffly. "I just don't trust you.""Oh, that I can deal with," She said as they reached the doors and the guards opened them. "I just have to prove you can trust me. That's easy."He scoffed as they entered the main hall, "Trust a halfling with no memory? Doubtful." Ouch.Jalf Balgruff was sitting on his throne, listening to a farmer petition him for more guards on his homestead. The Jarl granted his request, sending him off. On his left side stood Irileth, and on his right Proventus. "Ah, Vilkas, I assume you're here for your payment.""Yes, my Jarl," Vilkas replied. Balgruff gestured to Proventus, who produced a bag of coins seemingly out of nowhere and handed it to the warrior, who nodded his thanks."We appreciate your assistance in the dragon fight," The Jarl continued before turning his gaze to Beekrava. "And you, Dragonborn." She was suddenly nauseous. "It seems you've recovered well from your injuries.""Mostly," She replied."You understand that the Greybeards have summoned you to High Hrothgar? And what this means?""Sort of. I understand that I absorbed something from the dragon when it died. And shortly after I... Shouted.""They truly were summoning you," The Jarl said in wonder, standing from his throne. He looked at her almost reverently. "If you truly are Dragonborn, the Greybeards can teach you to use your gift.""Didn't you hear the thundering sound when you returned to Whiterun days ago," A brown haired Nord in scaled armor asked. "That was the voice of the Greybeards, summoning you to High Hrothgar! This hasn't happened in... centuries at least. Not since Tiber Septim himself was summoned when he was still Talos of Atmora!" He was almost vibrating with excitement.Proventus stepped forward, hands up and a look of disbelief on his face, "Hrongar, calm yourself. What does this Nord nonsense have to do with our friend here? Capable as she may be, I don't see any signs of her being this, what, 'Dragonborn'.""Nord nonsense!? Why you puffed up ignorant... These are our sacred traditions that go back to the founding of the First Empire!""Hrongar," The Jarl interrupted, sounding almost affectionate. "Don't be so hard on Avenicci.""I mean no disrespect, of course," Proventus continued, arms lowered by now. "It's just that... What do these Greybeards want with her?""That's the Greybeards business, not ours. Whatever happened when you killed that dragon, it revealed something in you, and the Greybeards heard it. If they think you're Dragonborn, who are we to argue," The Jarl said, cutting of the argument. He looked to the small woman, who stood there awkwardly. "Dragonborn." He paused eyes flicking around, as if daring someone to argue with her new job title. "You've done a great deed for me and my city. By my right as Jarl, I name you Thane of Whiterun. Lydia will be your personal Housecarl, and a badge of office will be sent to Breezehome. Do you accept?"No. "Yes, my Jarl, thank you."