GUYS! I am SO SO SORRY! I stuffed up. This chapter should have been BEFORE the Lydia and Farkas ones. Just pretend you didn't read them until after this chapter OK? hehe.. sorry
CHAPTER SIXTY ONE: Paarthurnax
“You are the leader of the Greybeards?” Wyldfyre asked, sheathing her sword.
“I am as my Father Akatosh made me, as are you Dovahkiin.”
For some reason, she felt she could trust this dragon, even though her first instinct was to run from it. The dragon souls inside her definitely deferred to his authority, if somewhat reluctantly. There was some resentment she could feel coming off them. The grey dragon sat there blinking, breathing its hot breath on her. Wyldfyre studied it in turn. He was old, how old she could not even begin to guess. His wings were tattered and ripped and a few of his spikes on his head and around the mouth were either broken off or completely missing. Dragon or not she needed his guidance.
“Paarthurnax, I have come here seeking your knowledge.”
"Drem. Patience young one. I will hear what you seek, but first there are formalities that we must adhere to. As is fitting when those of the Dov meet for the first time. I, being the elder, will speak first. Hear my Thu'um young one! Feel it in your very bones!” Paarthurnax lifted his great wings and beat them until he rose off the wall, and then landed beside Wyldfyre, shaking the ground a little. He turned his head towards the silent wall and blasted a fire shout at the it. When he was finished a glowing word was left behind. Wyldfyre stepped towards the wall and the word leaped off and entered her body, her vision blurring and then clearing again. The dragon souls shied away from the word.
“Now, take my understanding of the word, Dovahkiin, a gift from me to you” Wyldfyre had never taken knowledge from a living Dragon before and it sent her to her knees with its power. It vibrated through her whole body and the souls inside her stirred excitedly. As the knowledge fed on the word Wyldfyre came to realise that it was, in fact the final word for the fire shout. She now had all three words!
“Now, greet me in the way of the Dovah!” Paarthurnax growled. She turned to him as he sat there waiting patiently and then gathered herself and shouted right at him.
“YOL TOOR SHUL!” While the blast of fire that exited Wyldfyre’s body was not as powerful as Paarthrunax’s, it was still an impressive display of power and the dragon closed his eyes in delight as the fire engulfed him. It had been a long time since he had felt the warm fires from another.
This one is different, the Greybeards were right, he thought.
“Ah, yes” he sighed “The blood runs strong in you; I can feel it in your Thu’um”. He moved over to the wall and curled up against it, shuddering as he lowered himself to the ground. “Now, what is it you wish to ask of me?” Wyldfyre walked over and sat on a rock in front of the old dragon.
“I have come by a certain carved wall in an old temple. It says that Alduin was defeated the first time by a shout. Is this true?”
“You must be referring to Alduin’s Wall at Sky Haven Temple, the old haunt of The Blades” he did not say the name of his kind’s biggest enemy with any hint of malice or anger. Wyldfyre nodded.
“I am”
“Yes it is true. Alduin was defeated by a shout, but it was not the only thing used on that day.”
“Can you teach me the shout?” Wyldfyre asked eagerly. Paarthrunax blinked his eyes slowly at her.
“I can not. For I do not know it” Wyldfyre’s heart sank.
“Do not fret little one. I said I did not know it because no Dov ever knew it. For the shout that the mortals used was made from mankind itself”
“I thought all shouts were dragon made?” Wyldfyre said in surprise.
“They are, except for Dragonrend”
“Dragonrend? Is that the name of the shout?”
“Indeed. And as I was saying, the Dragonrend shout was made by man. They poured all their hate and malice into the three words they used and as such, no Dragon has been able to utter it, or know it.”
“Then how do I find it?” she asked him.
“I have been thinking about this for some time, and I believe that if you were to go back to the point in time when the shout was first used, then you will be able to learn it.”
“Go back in time?” Wyldfyre asked bewildered, the concept astonishing to her. Paarthurnax lifted his head and looked towards a place on the mountain, that upon first glance, looked completely normal, but on closer inspection she could see an unusual swirl of snow that didn’t move like the rest of it.
“What is that?” she asked, fascinated.
“Tiid-Ahraan, a Time Wound. When the mortals used the shout on this mountain that day, they also had the aid of a Kel, an Elder Scroll. When they used it to banish Alduin, instead of banishing him from time, they merely sent him forward through it. Using the Kel cause a wound in the very fabric of this world, the wound you see before you. I have waited here for thousands of years for my Brother to return, so that I may defeat him once again.”
“So I will need this Elder Scroll to go back in time?”
“Your mind is quick, Dovahkiin. Yes, the Kel is needed for you to go back and learn the word.”
“I don’t suppose you have the Scroll on you, do you?” Wyldfyre half joked. A deep throaty noise came from somewhere inside the dragon, which could only be described as a laugh.
“I have forgotten how amusing it is to tinvaak, to converse with mortals. But to answer your question, no I do not have the Elder Scroll, nor do I know where to find it”
“I was hopeful” she smiled wryly.
“Speak to Arngeir. He may know where to find it” Paarthurnax said then. He lowered his head and appeared to have fallen asleep until he spoke to her again.
“Do not dismay little one. I have a feeling about you”
“Thank you” she said, not entirely feeling his optimism. She stood, their conversation clearly over.
"Su'um ahrk morah. Until we meet again Dovahkiin"
*****
Wyldfyre trudged back to the Inn. Arngeir had proved to be of little help in finding the Elder Scroll, instead directing her to the College of Winterhold to speak to one of the mages there. She suspected that the Greybeard knew that Esbern might know, but he would not direct her back to the Blades. Wyldfyre was trying to decide if she should go back to Sky Haven Temple, or make the journey to Winterhold. Did she really want to see Delphine again? But did she want to journey to the top of Skyrim? She sighed, not having made her decision. As she neared the Inn a familiar scent caught her attention and she smiled, her heart leaping, and she ran the remainder of the way. Flinging open the door she looked around.
“Where is he?” she asked Wilhelm, who chuckled and directed her to the room with the double bed. Wyldfyre opened the door and flew into the arms of the man inside. They stood there for the longest time.
“I missed you” she said, burrowing into his chest.
“I know” Farkas said as he smoothed down her hair. He was relieved to see her. Their time apart had been too long.
*****
“How did you know I was here?” Wyldfyre asked him later. They lay entwined in each other on the bed, their clothing discarded on the floor.
“I didn’t really. I was actually passing through this way on a job, and I caught your scent. Wilhelm said that you were up at High Hrothgar and I thought I’d wait till you came back down”
“Oh so you didn’t miss me desperately and come looking for me?” she prodded him, giggling.
“Well no. But I would have!” he protested, catching her hands in his and kissing them. Wyldfyre snuggled down in the crook of his arm.
“I’m glad you’re here. I have a decision to make, and your thoughts would help”
“Go on” he prompted her, sliding his hand over her back.
“It’s all kind of a long story but in the end I need to find something called an Elder Scroll but I don’t know where it is and I need to either go back to Sky Haven Temple to Delphine who kissed me or go to Winterhold and....”
“Whoa!..Wait up..” Farkas propped himself up, looking down at her.
“Delphine
kissed you?” he couldn’t help but grin at the image. Wyldfyre rolled her eyes.
“She did and I’d rather not talk about it, but if you must know, apparently she likes me even though she knows I am with you. I don’t think she likes you very much though”
“Oh, so there is no chance of you and me and her....?” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“None at all!” Wyldfyre punched him on the chest.
“I was only joking!” he laughed. Wyldfyre glared at him, then giggled as well.
“I just about slit her throat when she did it” she said as they settled back down. Farkas chuckled. He could see that image as well.
“I think you need to go back to the beginning. What happened when you left Riverwood?” Wyldfyre then went on to tell him of their journey to Sky Haven Temple, their fight with the Forsworn and finding Alduin’s wall. Her incident with Delphine, including her naked show the next morning and then Esbern’s revelations. She then told him about Paarthurnax.
“A dragon?” Farkas exclaimed. Then shook his head “Figures the Greybeards would hide something like that up there”
“Indeed” Wyldfyre agreed. “I was definitely not expecting the leader of the Greybeards to be a dragon”
“And Alduin was defeated with a Shout and this Elder Scroll?” Farkas asked. Wyldfyre nodded.
“Apparently the Shout wasn’t enough. It’s hard to understand, but the Elder Scroll did something to him, sent him to another place in time. Forward to this time, which is why he came back”
“How nice of the Hero’s of Old to send him to us” Farkas said sarcastically.
“I don’t think they did it intentionally. Paarthurnax said that the Scroll was supposed to send him out of time, not forward through it” Wyldfyre frowned, thinking about how desperate they must have been to use an Elder Scroll, from what Arngeir told her about them, they seemed unpredictable and dangerous.
“Still, it was not a very well thought through plan if you ask me” Farkas got out of bed and poured himself a tankard of mead. Wyldfyre watched his movements, as his muscles rippled under his skin. She stretched luxuriously in bed and sighed.
“I guess I should get up. I’m just so comfortable though and it’s been days since I had a decent sleep.”
“You’re not sleeping well?” Farkas asked her. Wyldfyre shook her head.
“Whenever I sleep without you beside me, I have nightmares. I don’t know why, but they leave me feeling so uneasy, I usually don’t go back to sleep.”
“What are the nightmares about?”
“Terrible visions” Wyldfyre frowned “I don’t really want to talk about them” Farkas downed his mead and rejoined her in bed. He drew her to his side and enfolded her into his arms.
“Then sleep now my love and I will chase the nightmares away for you” he soothed her.
“I love you, you know that right?” she whispered to him as he blew out the candle.
“Of course”
*****
They slept right through to the next morning and both woke up extremely hungry. Wilhelm went and made them a hearty breakfast as soon as Wyldfyre had popped her head out the door. After breakfast they dressed in their armour and packed their things, tying bedrolls and heavy traveller’s cloaks to their packs. It was only then that Wyldfyre noticed the large sword in the corner of the room.
“Is that the sword we found in Mzinchaleft?”
“Yeah” Farkas nodded “Vilkas lugged that job onto me. Is it all right if we swing by Riften so I can return it to Mjoll?” Wyldfyre was reluctant to return to Riften for two reasons. One being Marcurio and the other being Brynjolf. She ran her hand over the sword, it was a beautifully hand crafted Glass greatsword, and she could tell it held enchantments in its depths. She couldn’t deny the return of it to its rightful owner.
“I guess not” Wyldfyre sighed. Farkas looked concerned for a second, and then it dawned on him.
“Oh, now I know why you seem reluctant to go to Riften. We don’t have to go into the city if you want; I could duck in, give back the sword and be back out in a few minutes....” Wyldfyre smiled “...After I go looking for those two, what were their names again? Ouch!” He rubbed his arm where Wyldfyre had just punched him.
“Also Farkas, it’s a bit of a side trip. I want to head north, not east” She got out her map and spread it on the small table.
“See here” she pointed to Ivarstead and traced her finger up the map “I want to go North-east along this river and cross over here at Darkwater Crossing, then head up past Windhelm and on to Winterhold.” Farkas peered at the map, it wasn’t as accurate as the one he had in his head, but he showed Wyldfyre on her paper one all the same.
“All right, but stay this side of the river and go up until you get to this mill here, then follow the road to Windhelm. I’ll meet you there and we can travel to Winterhold together”
“Sounds good” she nodded. “Though I am reluctant to part from you again” Her arms encircled his waist.
“It won’t be for long“He reassured her “I can travel quickly on my own and will meet you in Windhelm in no time”. They parted an hour later, Farkas heading east out of the village and Wyldfyre taking the northern road along the river.
“Be careful my love” Wyldfyre sent out her thoughts to him.
“You to” his own came back, fading away as he sped with all haste to Riften.
...And HERE is where the Farkas and Lydia chapters go...