Oooh, excellent stuff... ...

So, the man with green eyes from another time takes a shine to the Khajiit and starts flirting...

Curious to see what happened to the earlier affectioned laydee... ...

Loved the way you put the ending to the Bleak Falls Barrow quest that you fast forwarded past, in... ...

Brilliant stuff...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Balgruuf gave a small bow in reply, and Ekali made an awkward curtsey.
Cute.

Tamriel. Do you mean Cyrodiil? Tamriel is the entire continent, which includes Skyrim.

Sorcalin seems friendly… I like him better than the others we’ve seen around Ekali. He ran off pretty fast after getting her outside. Hrongar seems to have an unexpected change of heart. His brother whip him into shape?

I like reading how Ekali and Gladio work together.

McBadgere: That shows how much I know about flirting See, he wasn't supposed to flirt with her, he was just supposed to be his normal gentlemany self. Hehe, Sorcalin is of the market at the time, so he isn't really available for being with Ekali. And well, she isn't really Sorcalin's type. Not that he is hers either for that matter.

You know what's funny? My biggest problem at the moment is who Ekali is going to fall in love with, and who will be attracted by her. I've got a few npcs' I'm considering, because I would prefer to have her be with someone who I haven't created, but I don't know. There aren't that many orcs in the game, and most of the Nords don't like khajiits'. I mean, when would she have a reason to visit a stronghold?

King Coin: Yep, I meant Cyrodiil. I keep mixing those two up, though I have no idea of why

I like Sorcalin as well, he's fun to write about. And I would expect that Balgruuf is the cause of Hrongar's apology. Hrongar doesn't seem like the kind of man that would give in easily, or admit that he's wrong.

Anyway, here's the new version of the poem. About paragraph 7, Mirmulnir means "Allegiance Strong Hunt", which could be translated to loyal hunter. Just in case you didn't know. The full meaning of that paragraph will be explained soon.

To Skyrim

In a carriage of wood
On ill-made roads
Across the Jeralls
To the North

They took me away
From all that I knew
I fought by their side,
Yet they'd cast me away

Dragonborn?
What do they expect?
Dragonborn!
How could I help?

From Cyrodiil to Skyrim,
The destiny that's mine
A new life to lead

With Nords to execution,
A jarl, thief and warrior
A distant roar came closer
Gifted time in which to run

Blood seeps from an oozing wound,
And my heart carries me forth
Soft paws follow along,
As my hands raise the blade
We fight for our lives under the rising sun,
Blood and gore wherever I turn

Beneath a broken tower,
We fight the loyal hunter
Then his chuckle pierce the night,
As I writhe beneath his gaze

They would forge me to their will,
Beg me fetch every thing
Call me aar(servant),
I dare you
Dahmaan bron, (remember Nord)
Zu'u Staadnau (I'm unbound)

Briinah! (sister)
Their cries pierce the night
Fahdon! (friend)
They would greet me as their own

How do I deny their call?
They who name me kin
It is what my soul craves
Yet I stand here still

Blades pledge allegiance,
Yet expect me to serve
A tusked marauder,
Bears the face of a friend

Who is friend and who is foe?
Who will help me stand?
When all is said and all is done,
Who will be there still?

I do like this new version better than the other. Good stuff even if I'm not sure what it all means. Some of this hasn't come to pass yet I'm assuming.

I am loving these poems! You are talented in so many ways!

King Coin & mALX: Thank you ^^ Yeah, it'll all make sense eventually. Some will hopefully make sense when you've read the following chapter.

The following chapter and all those like it are pretty much disconnected from the rest of the story, except for the fact that they speak of what happens in the other parts and what happens in the rest of the story governs who shows up in Dezhahnu, as I've decided to call it. Which is why I'm counting them as individual chapters.

[Explanations of the dragon language will be provided within these]

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali got the opportunity to speak to Sorcalin, but didn't learn much more than the facts that he isn't with the Thalmor and knows a whole lot more than he should. Hrongar interrupted them when they were speaking -which caused Sorcalin to leave- to ask for her forgiveness and to ask if she'd join them for dinner. Then, Ekali dreamed of what happened just after she found the word wall in bleak falls barrow. Next, any more surprises about what it means to be dragonborn?

Dezhahnu 1

A cold wind gracing her face caused the khajiit to open her eyes, and she stumbled backwards after taking in her surroundings but was brought to a stop by the rock-wall a foot behind her. She stood on a ledge that was a few feet wide, overlooking the northern part of Skyrim from above the clouds, and her heart beat frantically as she looked around for a way to get out of there.

Then a rumbling chuckle reverberated through the air, and a dragon came into her view, perched as he was on an odd pillar a short distance away. Though Ekali dared not believe it, she knew as soon as she saw him what his name was, and stared at him in shock.

“Mirmulnir?” She blinked a few times, reluctant to believe the fact that the dragon she'd killed herself sat in front of her.

"Drem Yol Lok Dovahkiin [Greetings dragonborn]. As I recall it, we were never properly introduced. I am Mirmulnir. Your inner mind is, amusing, I think," the dragon said and bowed his head to her. The woman was startled by his willingness to speak, but dared to dislodge herself from the wall to see him better.

"My name is Ekali. What do you mean when you refer to my inner mind? Where are we?" she asked, looking around once again. Stars covered the sky above her, and though her sight was mostly hid by clouds beneath, she could see the faint outline of buildings. It was with a start that she realised that the river going by far beneath them was the White River, and that the cluster of buildings was Whiterun.

"Then I greet you Ekali Do Strunmah Diin [of the Frozen Heights (lit. of mountain freeze)]. And that is where we are, your inner mind. We more commonly call it dezhahnu [lit. fate dream, used to refer to the place that every dragonborn visit when they sleep, after their powers have been activated.] . Everything in our close presence, is here because you wish it. Though I wonder why that is here, Nau Monahven [On the Throat of the World]," Mirmulnir said, and she looked at him.

"My inner mind... What would happen if I fell of the mountain?" Ekali asked him.

"You would loose it, your inner mind. Or go mad, as you mortals say. Nothing here can affect your mortal body. No, injuries that are sustained here, they will affect your mind. So tread carefully, briinah [sister]." The woman looked at him in shock, and looked at her surroundings with a completely different view.

"How do I get away from here?" Her voice shook as she spoke, and the dragon sighed as he cast his gaze against the horizon.

"By no choice that is yours, Dovhakiin. You will wake when the sun rises, or when someone wakes you in the living world," then he looked at her, and she sunk down on the ledge as dread filled her body.

:-:-:-:-:

When the moons had shifted slightly on the sky, and Mirmulnir had circled the mountain a few times to see the magnitude of the dreamscape, the khajiit stood up again to speak with the dragon. He perched on the pillar when he saw her new stance.

”So, have you any idea of what to do, briinah [sister]?” the dragon spoke to her, and she furrowed her brow. A light snowfall had begun a while ago, and so a light dusting of white covered her armour. She brushed it of her face before she spoke to him.

”Is there any way for me to get higher up the mountain, or make this ledge larger?” she asked, causing a smile to come upon the dragons face. She frowned when she saw it, and stepped back towards the cliff wall.

“I wondered when you'd begin to ask the right questions. Zu'u ahst hin ahmik, dovahkiin. [I'm at your service, dragonborn.] Come,” he said and flapped his wings so that he left the pillar and came to be just next to Ekali. She flinched when she realized what he intended.

“You want me to ride on your back?” she burst out, and the hunter chuckled.

“There's little else to do, briinah [sister],” he answered and held himself as close to the ledge as he could. Still, it was quite a distance between the two of them, and the khajiit was doubtful of whether she could make the jump to his back. Taking a deep breath, she took the few steps she could quickly and threw herself across the open space that laid between her and the dragons' neck.

Wide eyed and gasping for air, she seated herself with one leg on each side of the dragons neck. And when Mirmulnir was certain that she wouldn't fall, he flapped his wings faster to carry them forwards and upwards through the air. She clung to his scales for dear life as the two ascended, and looked down against her better judgment. The khajiit female whimpered as she saw the ground far beneath them, causing a chuckle to issue from the dragons' maw. He beat his wings harder against the chill air, and ascended at a sharper angle.

“Haalgron hau Golgronfron! [Hold on (“Haalgron” is lit. “hand bind”)] You do not want to follow Pelagius!” the dragon called out to her, just as a cold wind hit them and caused him to veer to the left, so that the khajiit leaned away from the mountain. She gasped in surprise and clung even harder to his scales, squeezing her eyes shut so as to not see the danger beneath them. Then, a few moments afterward, her body shook as Mirmulnir touched down on a large plateau on top of the mountain. “Aam, nid Monahven.” [Hmm, no throat of the world]

“Golgronfron?” he asked, puzzled, after a little while of looking at her where she clung on his back. Then she opened her eyes wide and drew in a ragged gasp, causing a smile to come upon the dragon's eyes. The air was colder at their present location than on the ledge earlier, so the khajiit shuddered slightly when she finally managed to move of the dragon. “Cold, briinah?” he asked with a chuckle, and she threw a glare at him, but walked a few steps away and the stomped her feet a bit to get back the feeling in her feet.

“I'll get used to it,” she muttered before she turned back to him, and this time she was the one who looked puzzled. “What was it you called me? Brina, and that other longer word,” she continued, and Mirmulnir chuckled as he folded his wings in properly.

“It is my language, our language. You are dov [dragonkind] too, but in different way. Briinah is sister. Perhaps not from same female, but sister none the less. Golgronfron is the name you have been given by us, the rest of the dov. You are kin, but bound to earth. This Golgronfron means,” he answered in that slow way that she'd started to become accustomed to. Ekali frowned when he'd finished speaking.

“What do you mean with my being kin? And what's dov?” she asked, and the dragon tilted his head slightly, like a curious dog would sometimes. He had a very ponderous expression upon his face.

“You are kin, this I know. It is all I need to tell you. Do you want to know specifics? Then ask Alduin, he knows also. The name was his idea. We are dov [dragonkind]. I am dovah [dragon], and all dovahhe [dragons] together is dov. You are not dovah, but dov none the less.”

“Alduin?” If anything, the woman only looked more confused than earlier, and the dragon would, if he'd been able to, probably have furrowed his brow.

“You will meet Alduin. Not now, but soon. He is curious about you.” Having said that, the dragon seemed contempt, and smiled at her again. Ekali opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again with a sigh.

“Would you teach me the dragon language?” She asked instead, though she didn't hold much hope that her request would be accepted. He looked thoughtful for a minute as his eyes covered the landscape around them.

“Yes, I will. Zu'u sizaan het, nid filok [I am lost here, no escape]. It could be amusing, perhaps.” He nodded to reinforce his words, and looked back at the khajiit. Snow was once again covering most of her armour. She seemed to remember something then, and open her mouth to speak about it.

“Earlier, in the air, you said that I do not want to follow Pelagius. What did you mean by that?” A grim smile showed on the dragon's face when she'd said it.

“Pelagius III, Pelagius the mad. So he is and was called. He fell of height in his dezhahnu [used to refer to the place that every dragonborn visit when they sleep, after their powers have been activated.], or so Zeymah [brother] said. You do not want to be mad, so you do not want to fall. And hence you do not wish to follow Pelagius,” Mirmulnir stated matter-of-factually.

“Pelagius the mad was dragonborn?” Ekali asked with wide eyes and disbelief shining from every part of her body.

“Yes, his dezhahnu [used to refer to the place that every dragonborn visit when they sleep, after their powers have been activated.] began though he had not absorbed a dragon-soul, and so he had no one to tell him of the dangers,” the dragon said and laid down in the snow. Ekali who had nothing more to say, sat down as well, to ponder the things that she'd learned. As well as to recover from the shock.


Author's note:

I've found nothing that indicates that Pelagius was dragonborn, except that he's related to Tiber Septim. This fact, and the part about the dragonborn coming to some kind of dreamscape when he or she sleeps, are both completely made up by me.

Further explanation of the name Golgronfron as well as dezhahnu;

Golgronfron – lit. Earth bind kin. Used by dragons that acknowledge her as their kin, though they pity the fact that she can't fly, which means she's bound to the ground.
Dezhahnu – lit. fate dream, used to refer to the place that every dragonborn visit when they sleep, after their powers have been activated. Fate, since a lot of the point of being dragonborn is to slay dragons, and since it's after they've slain their first dragon that the dreams begin. There are exceptions to when the dreams begin, hence Pelagius the mad.

The beginning the whole thing was very interesting, I like the direction (I think) that you are taking this. Will the souls of other slain dragons begin to appear there as she kills more? Is this how she’s going to learn her Shouts? Through the dragons that she slays and come to be a part of the realm within her mind?

Maybe instead of putting translations at the end, put them near the sentences within brackets or something. Like this:

Zu'u ahst hin ahmik, dovahkiin [I am at you service, dragonborn]

Not perfect, but much easier than scrolling around.

King Coin: Yeah, all the dragons whom Ekali slays will appear in Dezhahnu. Learning shouts will pretty much be the same as in the game though. Mirmulnir, and possibly other dragons, will only teach her how to speak the language and understand what the dragons say.

I'll do that.

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali found out that dragonborn go to a place called Dezhahnu when they sleep, where they meet all of the dragons they've slain. And not only does she meet them, but if they were to push her of the mountain, a fall which would kill her in the real world, she would go mad. She also found out that the dragons call her Golgronfron.

Chapter 4.1 Elsweyr fondue and bread

The light snowfall carried on a slight wind began in the late morning, a while after Ekali and Gladio had left the city of Whiterun. Their steps took them on the road north of the Throat of the World, the running water shutting out all other noises in the beginning before the road separated more from the river. Nothing stopped their passing, indeed few living creatures could be seen along the road, except the occasional elk and hare. Salmon climbed up the river, and birds of different kinds flew overhead. Yet the woman did not see her surroundings.

While the wolfs' nose was on the road, investigating every rock and bush that they came across, the khajiits' eyes were gazing of into the distance. She absent-mindedly fingered the hilt of her short-sword as dozens of thoughts churned in her mind, causing the frown that adorned her face. In the city she'd gotten her hands on a better bag, one made of the pelt of a snow bear, as well as a couple of pouches to fasten around her waist. She used them now, as they travelled down the road.

Her ears flicked suddenly forward as two towers, a stone bridge spanning the distance between them, appeared before them, and she took her gaze from the horizon to see what was going on beneath it. A caravan had almost completely passed the towers, but now people were sending arrows raining down upon the rear and the caravan guards, both mounted and on foot, were fighting a small melee force on the ground.

Suddenly back in the present, Ekali gestured for the wolf to follow her closely as she burst into a sprint, taking the forsworn bow of her back. When she where a small distance away from the caravan, the khajiit stopped and called for Gladio to aid the guards in their fight as she fitted an arrow to the string and aimed at one of the bandits standing on the bridge. Her companion needed no further instructions as he flung himself at an Imperial in leather armour, easily getting his jaws around the marauders throat since the male had his back to the two of them. The woman paid no further attention to the wolf as she focused her attention on the archer, and let loose the arrow.

The loud splash as the bandit hit the water alerted the other archers to her presence, and a few of them switched their focus, forcing Ekali to take cover behind a boulder not to be turned into a pincushion. Hearing several arrows scatter against the ground where she'd been previously, the khajiit drew another arrow before she left cover, and quickly aimed in on one of the bandits before releasing it. She continued like that until all the bandits on the bridge had either fallen into the river or retreated into the towers. Then she shouldered the bow and drew her great-sword, turning her attention to the caravan guards whom had almost defeated the bandits. The drivers of the wagons had managed to move them a bit further away.

With a last cry out, one of the bandits fell, and the rest turned tail and fled into the tower. Gladio threw himself at the legs of the last one, forcing him to the ground in a tumble of iron and fur, and the khajiit felt a sting of fear course through her as the warrior turned to strike at the animal. The wolf however, quickly bounded out of his way, allowing one of the others to strike the killing blow. Then he gave a soft sound and trotted up to Ekali to put his head against her side, having felt her fear.

She released the sword with one of her hands and used it to stroke his bloodstained fur. Then her eyed turned to the guards of the caravan, most of which she now noticed were khajiits. They looked at the two curiously, and had not yet sheathed their weapons because of the bandits close proximity. Ekali took a deep breath and walked up to them, Gladio turning to follow close by her side. One of the khajiits, a male wearing steel armour, stepped forward to meet her.

“You have a good eye, and the wolf is a fine fighter. I am Do'Rak, and I am in charge of those who guard this caravan. It is unusual to meet another khajiit in these lands, and when the threat has been eliminated, we would be pleased if you would share our fire,” the male said and nodded to her, glancing towards the towers occasionally.

“I am Ekali. Are you going in after them?” she answered him, gesturing to the tower with a nod of her head. The rest of the guards were standing a few feet of, watching the entry to the stone buildings while they were waiting for their leader to finish speaking with the newcomer.

“Yes, we do not have far to travel until we reach the camp-site, and if we do not take care of them now there is a chance they'll attack us tonight.” The male turned from her then to issue orders to the others, and she sheathed her great-sword again, taking out the bow and moving within sight of the bridge between the two towers. About twelve people guarded the caravan, and eight of those now stood at the base of the tower while the rest stayed with the wagons. She knew she'd only be in the way if she headed into the stone building with the others.

The caravan guards formed up two and two. First there were two wielding heavy armour, large shields and sword or mace, behind them another two had taken out their short-bows and stringed them. The following four held their weapon of choice, and three of them were clad in leather armour. Then the group moved in unison into the tower as Ekali watched them.

Turning her attention to the bridge again, the woman put an arrow to the bow-string and waited as Gladio sat down by her side. After only a few moments, she heard the clashing of steel from the tower and then the clanking of iron against stone as someone fell down the stairs. She winced when a loud crack sounded through the air. Not soon after a bandit backed out onto the bridge, drawing her bow taught, and Ekali merely waited a moment to assure that no-one was coming out after her before knocking her own arrow and releasing it at the human marauder.

A battle-cry was heard, and an orc wearing steel armour fell of the top of the tower, landing with a crash on the rocky shore of the river. The fur of a tail flickered into sight briefly at the top, but then rushed back down to the floor just beneath where the opening of the bridge was. Then the eight guards emerged onto the bridge in the same formation as before, and she could see those who wore shields raise them as arrows flew from the other side of the river. The female khajiit stayed still as she did not know if she could hit the bandits from that far away, and instead watched the others as they covered ground slowly but securely.

Every now and then the archers in the group would peek out behind the shields and fire an arrow each before once again ducking in behind the other warriors. Then as a group of marauders rushed out of the opposing tower, the two warriors in the front fell to one knee, allowing the two archers to shoot above their heads at the hostile men. As soon as the arrows were fired, causing a few of the bandits to stagger, the warriors once again stood up and met their enemies head on. It was an effective strategy, and showed perfectly well the advantages one could have when working with a group. Ekali herself had taken part in similar strategies during her time with the legion.

She kept her bow close at hand as she waited for the warriors to finish with the bandits, ears peaked in case anyone would sneak up on her. Soon she could see the group walking leisurely back across the bridge, and she put her bow back on her back, moving closer to the base of the tower.

When the caravan guards came out through the bottom door, Ekali was there to greet them. Most of them continued on past her with nothing more than a nod, to help get the caravan moving again, but Do'Rak walked up to her instead.

“I hope you will let me live up to my earlier promise,” the male said with a smile, gesturing for her to walk with him after the caravan that started moving right then.

“I'd be glad to do so,” she answered him and smiled faintly as they fell into step next to each other, Gladio taking up the rear. The merchants' caravan continued until after they'd crossed the border into Eastmarch, though Do'Rak did not walk with their guest for long.

:-:-:-:

The sun's setting found them camped by the river further across the border of the hold. Ekali had just finished cleaning up by the river and was heading to the camp-fire, and Gladio had run of to hunt. The wagons stood parked in a half-circle and most of the group of merchants and guards were seated around the fire in the middle over which a pot steewed, laughing at some joke that the woman hadn't heard. She could hear the soft neighing of the horses, and surmised that they weren't far away.

“Ah, there you are. Everyone, meet Ekali of the Frozen Heights,” Do'Rak said when he spotted her, and gestured for her to sit by the fire. She frowned slightly at the odd title he'd given her, but then smiled at all of the greetings that came her way.

The male khajiit was sitting next to a female, and having removed most of his armour, a small child was now sitting on his lap. Two other children also sat with the two, though both of them seemed to be a few years older than the first. Then there were another three khajiit's in commoners clothing, all female, and a few of the guards. A wood elf and a nord, dressed respectively in leathers and steel armour were the two anomalies.

When Ekali sat down, one of the other women spooned some of the contents of the pot into a bowl and gave it to her together with a piece of bread. She said thank you before she started eating from the bowl, and such a flurry of tastes met her tongue that she had to stop for a moment. It was mostly the taste of cheese and ale, but also another that seemed to dance with her taste buds.

“What is this?” she asked of one of the other females when she'd finished her meal, and the other woman smiled to her before answering.

“It's Elsweyr fondue, we make it of ale, eidar cheese and moon sugar.” Ekali knew she looked both surprised and alarmed, luckily the other khajiit had turned away just after she delivered her answer. The wood elf guard, seeing her discomfort, approached Ekali then.

“Don't worry, the moon sugar looses it's potency as a drug when it's cooked,” the male whispered to her, and she whispered her thanks back to him. He smiled at her one last time and nodded before stepping back again to survey the perimeter of the camp.

Ekali sat for a while more, listening to the camp's chatter, before another person walked up to her. He was another khajiit, and had taken of his steel armour in favour of comfort. He looked very young to the female's eyes, dark brown spots spread randomly across his golden fur. The brown shirt he wore was tight against his large chest, and a mane of dark-brown hair covered his head. The yellow eyes looked her up and down curiously as he approached.

“Hello, I am Urjora,” the male said, his voice an even tone that reminded her of the whisper the wind made as it flew through the trees. He sat down by her side with ease, and Ekali nodded to him in greeting.

“Hello,” she said, turning from him to look at the others around the fire. The ease with which all of them moved amongst each other and conversed, except for a few of the guards, implied that they'd known each other for a long time. The female khajiit found it pleasant simply to be able to witness such a thing again, having only been exposed to the guarded socialisation of nobles and soldiers since her arrest.

“You helped to fight the bandits, didn't you?” the young male asked, and she turned her gaze back to him. He truly did look like an innocent boy, and perhaps that's why the smile that adorned her face was so heartfelt. There beside her sat a person who'd yet to experience tragedy.

“Yeah, I did. How long have you been with the caravan?” His smile only got larger when she asked him.

“A couple of years now, they took me in when I came here from Elsweyr. I don't know where I'd be right now if it weren't for Do'Rak and Inerri,” the youngster said, and Ekali nodded knowingly.

“I felt the same way about the legion once,” she confided, and the male's eyes grew wider as he realised what she meant.

“You were a legionnaire? I didn't think they accepted anyone but humans in their ranks,” he said, and Ekali smiled faintly.

“Those times are long past. I never fought on the front-lines, but I knew many elves who did.”

“So what did you do?” His question came as no surprise to the female, nor did the fact that his admiration for her didn't seem to diminish.

“For the first year there was the training of course, then I took part in covert operations, weeding out bandit strongholds and such. Eventually I was reassigned to Bruma as a forester after the last one got himself killed. That means that I hunted down bandits, fugitives and of course animals that had gone feral,” Ekali said and took a sip from her water-flask, looking into the fire instead of at the youngster.

“What's it like? To kill people I mean.” She glanced back at him when he finished speaking and sighed.

“Have you never done it? You are part of a guard force,” she said and frowned at him. The lad looked down and scratched his head.

“No, I'm usually left to guard the wagons when anything like what happened today occurs, and we haven't come across that many ambushes. Sometimes I wonder if they're coddling me.” The male sighed, and she frowned in response.

“You should be happy you haven't had to kill anyone yet. It tears at your soul, and if you aren't careful it might destroy who you are. Don't kill anyone unless you have to,” Ekali spoke with a low tone as she looked into Urjora's eyes. His brow was furrowed when he met hers, though they still held that same childish adoration as before.

Sorry...One episode back...Will definately catch up...

Loved the whole dreamscape thing...Amazing stuff...

Loved the way that you brought the previously "oh look here's our first dragon" Dragon back to life...Brilliantly done...

Excellent story...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Oh, the Pelagius thing was goosebump inducing...Nicely done...

Right, I'm so completely over-excited about what you did with that caravan there, that if I don't watch it I will descend into downright creepy... ...

Absolutely brilliant stuff...

Loved it with a passion...

Nicely done with the new characters...And the addition of the Bosmer and the Nord make it seem more real somehow...

Absolutely nice one!!...

*Applauds till his hands hurt*... ...

Counted the last chapter as last weeks episode, so here is this weeks! I don't know how frequently I'll be able to post over the next few weeks, as I'm first going for a cruise with some family members and then we're visiting family further south.

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali came across a caravan when she'd left Whiterun and helped them take care of a group of bandits that had attacked them. In return, they invited her to eat and sleep at their camp. Do'Rak, the leader of the caravan's guards, also introduced her as "Ekali of the Frozen Heights".

Chapter 4.2 Up we go

“Well, this is where we part. I hope you meet no danger as you travel,” Do'Rak said as he flung the last of the bedrolls onto one of the wagons and turned back to the khajiit female with white fur. She smiled faintly and hoisted her bag onto her back, looking around at all of the travellers. The sun's rays scattered of her armour and he wondered, not for the last time, who she were.

“There was something I've been meaning to ask you since yesterday,” she said, and her gaze travelled to Urjora whom had hoisted one of the children onto his shoulders while he was speaking leisurely with Inerri. The male by her side followed her gaze, and smiled when he saw what she was looking at.

“Yes?” he asked, and Ekali turned her eyes back to him.

“When you introduced me yesterday, you called me 'Ekali of the Frozen Heights'. Why?” Her question caught him of guard, and he shrugged as he thought of what to answer.

“You came from the tundra, the frozen heights. There was no reason to call you otherwise, and you seemed in need of a new beginning. Especially after what you told Urjora yesterday,” the male met her confused look and smiled kindly. “We need to be going.” Ekali nodded at that, and took his hand when he offered it to her, fingers grasping his firmly. “We'll meet again I think.” He smiled at her.

“I hope so,” she answered with a genuine smile, and released Do'Rak's hand so that he could head towards his horse.

Just then, the wagon drivers got the horses to move forward, and the caravan guards formed up around them. Do'Rak looked back at the wagons and then smiled one last time to the woman before he mounted his horse and trotted after the others. Gladio came up beside her and barked happily, prompting her to run her fingers through his fur before taking her bow in hand and starting up the trail that would take her on the fastest route to Ivarstead.

:-:-:-:

The coloured leaves of the autumn forest fell softly to the ground as the setting suns last rays shone through it. The clear water flowed past the small village, increasing in speed as it moved past. Two stone bridges, one towards the Throat of the world, and one going towards the southern forest, offered two of the three entrances. The third came from the north, a small trail that had been created by the many hunters and prey that traversed it.

Six buildings made up the little village, if one did not count the burned down structure on the other side of the river. There was the inn, the mill, the small and newly built general-store and three houses in which farmers, fishermen and hunters had lived for many years. The order in the village had stayed the same for all those years, as the pilgrims headed for the mountain-trail provided a good income for its inhabitants.

Ekali and Gladio entered from the northern trail in the late afternoon, dirt and grime covering both of them from the long path upon which they'd travelled. They walked past one of the bridges, the mill and several houses before stopping before the inn. Then the two walked up the stairs and in through the doors of the wooden building.

The owner looked up as they came in, and most of the eyes in the room looked at the wolf first, until they spotted the khajiit next to whom the animal was walking. Then they looked at her instead. Wilhelm put away the cloth he'd been using to sweep the counter-top when they approached.

“What can I do for you?” he asked and nodded his greetings to the woman. She cast a look around the room as she took her coin-pouch from her side and withdrew a few coins.

“I'd like to rent a room and to buy a mug of mead and a bowl of soup,” she said as she put down the correct amount of drakes in front of him. Nodding, the nord scooped up the coins and put them in a lock-box before turning back to her.

“Certainly, you room is over there, and I'll bring out the food in a moment,” he gave a grudging smile as he pointed in the direction of the room. She smiled faintly back despite the suddenly tense atmosphere in the room. Then she walked with the wolf to the room he'd pointed out and sat down on the bed, placing her pack on the floor beside it. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and sighed, wishing that she was back with the caravan.

After that Ekali started to take of her armour, piling it on the bed for the time being, and told Gladio to stay in the room as she headed out into the common room and took a seat at a table in the corner. After a while Wilhelm came up and placed her food in front of her, and the khajiit smiled in thanks and ate the soup, avoiding the stares of the other people in the room.

:-:-:-:

It was early morning when they left the inn, setting their course towards the bridge that connected Ivarstead to the path going up the mountain. Clouds covered the skies, though they weren't dark, and as such she hoped it meant that no storm would come upon them on the mountain.

As they approached the bridge, Ekali saw two men standing on it, one of them leaning against the railing as they spoke. The one who was standing turned to her when they heard her approach, and asked her what her business was in the village. He did not seem hostile, yet she could not help to wonder about his intentions.

“I'm just passing through to get up the mountain,” she answered and frowned as he looked her over.

“Ah, a pilgrim. You're not going all the way up to High Hrothgar by any chance? If you are, could you deliver something for me?” the man asked as the other man straightened up from his leisurely stance by the stone railing and walked of into the village, and Gladio trotted of towards the mountain.

“I suppose you could say that, and yes. I am headed for High Hrothgar. What do you want me to deliver?” she said, still hesitant. He picked up a sack from beside his legs and tossed it to her, Ekali caught it easily.

“Those are supplies. I usually deliver them once a month, but I'm growing older and the path is treacherous. Come back when you're done up there and I'll give you something for your troubles.” He only waited for her to nod in confirmation before he walked past her towards the village, and Ekali packed the supplies with the rest of her equipment before following the path Gladio had taken, catching up with him only after a little while.

Hours passed as they trudged on along the winding trail, with only the bright skies above to watch their passing. They saw a few pilgrims as they walked, but no one bothered them, and the only other living creatures were birds and the occasional wolf that they had to dispatch of.

It was hard going, as snow often covered slick patches of ice on the stone steps, and the biting wind sought to throw them of their feet. Ekali stayed quiet all of the while, eyes and ears always alert for threats on their path. Gladio investigated unseen tracks, running to and fro across the trail. They stopped briefly to eat when the sun was at its highest, then they continued on again.

By mid-afternoon Ekali spotted something further up the snow-covered trail, and gestured for Gladio to be quiet. The wolf barred his teeth, for he'd already seen what lay before them. A snow troll was fighting someone up ahead, emitting strange noises as it did so. When the khajiit finally saw the steel-clad warrior fighting the snow troll, she drew her bow and nocked an arrow, telling Gladio to attack.

The wolf bounded forward just as she released her first arrow, piercing the unnatural creature through its shoulder, and the creature gave an unnatural shriek as it turned slightly from the warrior after knocking whoever it was back a few feet. First spotting the wolf, it rushed at the animal, but Gladio skipped aside just as they were about to meet, circling the creature to clamp his jaws down around one of its back legs. The troll swung at him, and he once again bounded out of its reach.

Ekali had once again readied an arrow, and released it just as the creature shrieked after the wolf again. By now the warrior had recovered, and ran while yelling some form of battle-cry at the creature. But the troll was faster, and was now running towards Ekali. Knowing that it would reach her before the warrior did, she put her bow away and unsheathed the great-sword that was slung over her back.

As the troll reached her, Ekali sidestepped and reached out her sword to slash at it. She managed to cut its arm, but then it spun around directly to reach out with the other and hit her as hard as it could. It hit her chest, and though the armour protected her from most of the damage, the force of the blow threw her backwards onto the cold ground. The creature hurried up to her as she struggled to get on her feet, the sword having been knocked out of her hands, and she watched as it lifted it's arms and retracted the long claws to finish her off.

Gladio was still quite a distance away, and though she pulled at her short-sword to draw it from its scabbard, it wouldn't shift. Cursing her damned luck, Ekali was just about to roll out of the way when before her eyes, a green sword poked through the trolls abdomen and it shrieked before falling to the side.

Ah, Ivarstead!!...Lovely place... ...

Loved this chapter...Loved the scenery very much...

The fight with the troll was ace!!...Looking forward to seeing who her saviour is...

Oh, and Do'Rak is brilliant...I really like him...Hope he turns up again...

Brilliantly done stuff...

Enjoy your cruise!!... ...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Ch 4.1

The Khajiit caravans! A lot of fun to meet them on the road, I’m sure meeting fellow Khajiit is a pleasure for Ekali. They’re very good at clearing out bandits. Nice strategy. I wish the NPCs in Skyrim would use formations instead of running everywhere.

Invited to share a fire. I think Do’Rak has an eye on Ekali.

Something that I noticed in your writing, whenever you write ‘off’ you consistently drop the second ‘f.’ It’s rather distracting.

Oh, it looks like Do’Rak already has a mate. He was just being friendly then. And Ekali’s namesake is stated for the first time. Interesting.

Liked the conversation with the Ma’Khajiit.

Ch4.2

I hope she meets the Khajiit caravan again. They were wonderful to be around for her. Do’Rak seems to have much wisdom.

The caravan was much more comfortable than the inn. I think she wouldn’t stay long even if she wanted to.

I wonder who the warrior is fighting the troll? For some reason I imagine a delusional Nord who thinks he’s the Dragonborn. Green sword? Must be glass.

Do'Rak gave me the feeling of a father figure by the time I'd finished chapter 4.2, and I like him that way. I think Ekali needs someone like that after all she's gone through.

Got back from the cruise the day before yesterday. It was fun and gave me some needed time away from home. Upon coming home I saw your comments and was inspired to write, so I might be posting again before we leave. We'll see. I also got ideas about what will happen to Ekali in the distant future, and am now doing a lot of thinking about stuff that won't even remotely affect the first book in the story.

One, should I write about what I was to have happen in between book one and two, and have that be book two instead? Hence pushing book two back to book three. I'd probably then post both books simultaneously, since book two would thus contain very little that have anything to do with the games, and would therefore rely on my world-building skills (among others). It would span the happenings of one year. I was originally thinking that she'd just come back to Skyrim in book two and no one would know where she'd been off to.

Two, how the * do I pull of turning the civil war into something that is actually strategically believable, and not just a series of skirmishes in which the dragonborn makes all the difference? Probably a far bigger challenge than the other thing. I'll also have to make it so that Ekali is a great strategist, or simply really inspiring, since it's hers returning and joining __ that causes an end to the stalemate. Does anyone know of any good articles on medieval strategy?

Third, I've got a better idea of the romance that's coming her way now, though I doubt it'll be really apparent until late third book, which is very far off.

Four, I need names for dragons, all kinds. Dragons with neutral allegiance towards the conflict coming up between Alduin and Ekali, hence they don't care who wins or not. Dragons who'll only stop trying to kill her once she's defeated them, dragons who won't even stop then, and dragons who're friendly towards her. One of which will eventually bring her to the place in which the second book takes place.

Five, this project is going to be so much longer than what I originally thought

Six, should I post my list of original characters? Might be a good idea. Yeah, I think I will. In Sorcalin's thread though, and I'll include every single character that appear in my Elder scroll stories, not just Ekali's.

King Coin: Sorry, I keep mixing up off and of as well. A delusional Nord While it's a fun idea, it isn't exactly what I had in mind, but you'll see.

Um...I'm always scared to give advice because I'm the worst...And I mean hissy-fit absolute worst at following it...I'm just going to compare it to my KOTN Universe and hope you can get something out of it...

Thinking and planning is very cool...I love it...How will this affect things down the line? and all that...



Um, unless that's an absolute in the way that you work...Maybe stop worrying about it in terms of Books?...Just write the story as you want...If you want to expand on stuff, then do so...I've interrupted the flow of the story so many times, but just 'cause something has occurred to me and I've gone with it...Point is, if you want to go longer, go longer...

Unless you're in a rush to get somewhere with it...Take as much time on the journey, as long as you know where you're going, I'm content to follow, at least...

In short...You have brilliant ideas for your world...I'm definately loving it...I'd definately love to see more of your ideas of how stuff is, there...And I'm all for using the games as the starting of it all and going somewhere else afterwards...But that's just me...I may just be told off as being a bad example... ...



Working backwards...No, I don't know...Looking forward to whatever that is...And in mine, I've changed it all...Made Ulfric a renegade Knight of The Nine and that the Cyrodiil KOTN are going to Skyrim to take them all on...I've essentially re-written the whole thing...And when I eventually get to it...It's gonna be fun...

Just to give you an idea of how involved my planning got...Which you absolutely don't have to do...Because I'm a bit OCD with it all... ...One of my Skyrim characters is called Wulff Olfsson...He is decended from my Oblivion character Farn Olfsson...I have, in a notebook, the dates of births from Farn's kid to Wulff...Now that's sad...Plus, my entire KOTN story is roughly planned from 10 years before Oblivion right the way through to 3 years after the ending of my Skyrim...Pretty much every major event between those two points are taken care of...I just have to write it... ...

Where were we?...Oh yes...That whole Civil War and the bit in the MQ where you have to give away the cities...I mean, WTF?...Idiots...Aaamywho...Good luck with that...Oooh...I just thought of something...Will pimm you... ...



Cool!!...I'll buy a hat!!... ...



As in, Alduin, Paarthrunax, Oodaving etc or names for types?...



Hah... ...Yes, I know what you mean...But that's a cool thing...I gave up on mine recently, because it was just turning into this gigantic thing which was hurting my head...Just walked away from it...But then I missed it...And going back to it was sooooo much fun!...



Yeah, cool...A Dramatic Personae!!...Love it...

I think your world is cool...Expand on it...Unless you don't want to of course...

I hope this hasn't scared you... ...

Sorry...

You have a brilliant world...I hope you continue it...

Glad you didn’t change him.


Sounds just what you needed then.

If you like getting comments on your story, reading and commenting on other people’s stories is the best way to get support on your own story. I know of a few people that are very gracious supporters of people that comment on their stories.


I wouldn’t have both books going at the same time, I’d post them one at a time. I definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up with two at a time. Like McB said, unless you really want to get somewhere, take your time and don’t rush it.


Make the battles a lot bigger I guess. Also, make the civil war have a larger presence outside of the quests involving it. Some places could be dangerous for Imperials to travel and others for Stormcloaks. They go there, they die basically. It’ll make travel for Ekali much more dangerous though. People will want to know her side, or just try to kill her because they don’t recognize her, or because she's a Khajiit.


Woohoo! Every good story needs a little romance.


Not sure how helpful this is, but This is a wiki page with lots of words you could play around with.



Five:
Six: good idea
Try getting the right word. It pulls me out of your story when I have to stop and decide what word you were going for.

King Coin: Yeah, I know I should comment more. I just can't figure out what to say most of the time. But I'll try to get better with that. And I'm going to try and think more about which word I use.

One, I like thinking of them in terms of books. It helps me keep some order. And since those things happen in chronological order, I think it works. I am going to leave some space in which I don't mention what Ekali does as she travels and so on, so I can later go back in dreams/flashbacks if I get some idea I want to write about and not have to write about every single dragonfight. That'd be tedious.

Okay, yeah. It might be a bit too much to post both books at the same time. Chances are though that book two would take longer time in between posting than this one, since I won't have any premade story-line to follow(though I'll try to think of stuff that's going to happen). But that doesn't really matter much right now, I'm still far from finishing the current book.

Two. King Coin, I love that idea. Of it being dangerous to Ekali to visit places where the opposing faction is in control. Won't matter much until she picks sides officially, but the other stuff I can use from the beginning. Being suspicious of other races just makes sense. McBadgere, I agree. Giving away cities has never made any sense whatsoever, so that's something that I've decided to change.

Four, names of individual dragons is what I'm thinking of. That wiki page seems much easier to manage than the other ones I've found, thanks

Posted the character list, link's now in my signature.

McBadgere: It hasn't scared me, I appreciate it actually. World building is fun. And, buy a hat? Is that some kind of expression?

Speaking of world building, I've been thinking of currency. Morrowind has drakes, Oblivion Septims and from what I've gathered, Skyrim just has gold. Or did I miss something? Anyways, carrying around thousands of coins is stupid. So for the lowest coin I've used drakes so far, because the Septims are dead and gold sounds boring. So I want some coin that is worth 10 or 100 drakes, and one that is worth 1000 drakes. Or something, haven't quite thought it out yet. What metals do you think would be good to use? Have to think of names for that as well. The highest coin would probably have something to do with the Thalmor since they kind of rule the world at the moment. Or all of the coins...

Actually I think gold in skyrim = septims. They just called it gold for accessibility I think. If you look at the 3D model it still looks like a septim. You can look at it in your inventory under misc objects I think.


Edit: and other people like hearing from you on their stories too! I personally have a word doc open while I read so if a thought occurs to me while I read, I can just jot it down quick and keep reading.

Regarding currency, they’re still called septims in the Skyrim game, I suppose since there’s still the Empire. No reason you couldn’t make up your own currency, though. The septim coin has a dragon on it, and “drake” can be slang for dragon. So I’ve always taken the two terms to mean the same thing. This is just how I imagine it, but I picture the single septim coin as being thin and small, like a fingernail. Increasing denominations such as a 50 septim coin are thicker and heavier. That way the money isn’t so heavy that a person couldn’t carry a reasonable amount in a coin purse, and 1,000 septims doesn’t have to be 1,000 individual coins. That’s just an idea, I have seen others who use “drake” to mean a different amount, or even a different type of currency made of silver or copper and named for past generals or emperors. I think the important thing is to provide context for the things you change, so that when you put “1,000 drakes” in your story, your readers have an idea how much stuff that could buy.

I love your list of characters, very helpful!!

I’m late with this comment, but I would also advise focusing on one story rather than posting two separate books of the same character’s story at the same time. Your flashbacks idea is great, that way you can provide the background for current events without going through every event that occurred in between. Unless you want to write out the events of that year. I love stories that have nothing to do with the games.

Alright. Well, I'll change the names for the currency anyway since well, the Septims are dead. And the Thalmor are doing everything they can to get rid of the Talos worshiping, so it'd make more sense to get rid of the currency that he invented. I'll write up some explanation to that when I figure it out, so that I can link it whenever anyone makes a purchase or there's talk of money.

Grits: Yeah I'll just post one at a time.

I do also have beginnings of stories that take place outside of any of the game's time-lines, because I like those kind of stories as well. My rewrite of A strange love spans the time after the Oblivion crisis has ended and the mages guild splits apart, and another I'm writing takes place after the Thalmor have conquered Valenwood and is told from the perspective of a bosmer who helped them do it. I've come no further than the first chapter on each of them though, since I want to focus on EotFH.

And I've got it certain now, I won't have access to the internet when I'm away. I'll have access to a computer though, so I can still write.

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali parted ways with the merchants caravan and headed to Ivarstead where she was met with suspicion and silence. Then she continued on to the Throat of the World, where she came upon a snowtroll fighting a warrior. She caught the creatures attention to help him, and then the warrior killed it just as it stood above her.

Chapter 4.3 Noble death

When the troll fell dead to the side, the khajiit was surprised to find an orc standing before her, and both of them looked at each other in surprise before he reached his hand down and hoisted her to her feet. She mumbled a thank you to him, but he just looked at her as he sheathed his sword.

“What's a khajiit doing all alone in the midst of Skyrim?” he said after a while, breath coming out as a fine mist as he breathed rather heavily from the exertion. His rather large tusks captured her attention when he spoke, and black hair was pulled back from his face. A permanent crease sat above his brow. It took another long stare from the grey eyes for her to realise that he was waiting for an answer.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Ekali said as she brushed the snow from her fur and moved to pick her own sword up from the ground. He chuckled darkly in response as he eyed her weapons. Gladio came up then and gave the man a wary glance before looking Ekali over. “I'm fine boy,” she said, looking at the wolf, and then turned to the orc again. “And that's because of you. Thanks for killing the beast.” She forced a smile on her lips as she reached her hand out to shake his, and he took it and shrugged.

“I don't like having things owed to me or owing things to others. You got the troll's attention and gave me time to get up, I killed it before it could beat you into the stone. As far as I'm concerned we're even,” he said blankly as he moved his hand over his head, taking a look at their surroundings.

“Al right,” she answered him, looking surprised. “What are you doing up here? If you don't mind me asking. You don't look like someone who'd travel all this way simply to meditate.”

“Neither do you,” he frowned after he said it, as if though wondering whether he'd said it wrong, but then he shook his head and made a move towards the way she'd been heading. “We should start walking at least.” Which was what they did when he thought of what to say. “I've come here because the way is perilous, and I seek a good death. A troll is a worthy opponent. Why are you here?” his question shook her from the reverie that his earlier words had put her in, and she inhaled deeply before answering.

“The Greybeards wish to see me,” Ekali shrugged as a frown appeared on her face. “Why would you wish to die, are you sick?” she asked, and the orc smiled lightly as he considered her.

“I am not sick. One should find his death while he can still call himself a proper man. We orc men are not like these Nords and Imperials who carry on until they are grey and feeble and their hair falls out. To cling to something that is past its usefulness is unseemly, how much so when that thing is you?” he grunted, and set his hard gaze in front of them as they trudged on.

“Things that are past their usefulness are usually broken, you're not. Why then compare the two? And why would you wish to die? To be honest, it seems like a really odd thing to actively seek.” He looked back up at her when he spoke.

“You wouldn't understand. I lost everything I had not long ago, I no longer have a reason to live,” his voice was resigned when he spoke, and Ekali noted the sorrow that followed his words.

“I understand better than you'd think, but there are many things to live for. If you can't think of any reasons, isn't there a chance that you could find a new reason? I lost my old life when I came to Skyrim, everything that have ever made my life mine. But I'm not going to try and kill myself, because I've found a new reason,” she said as she gazed into his eyes, and noting that they'd stopped, began to walk again. He grunted again, and shook his head slightly.

“I don't see anything that I could do that would make this life worth living,” he uttered, and she glanced back at him again. Snow was beginning to fall as they conversed, and she idly hoped that it wouldn't blow up into a storm.

“You could help people. As much as I think humans would distrust you at the beginning, there are a lot of people in Skyrim who needs help from someone who can fight. And what if you someday met someone and got a new family? Would you want to miss up on that opportunity?” He didn't answer that, merely met her gaze with a contemplative look before once more turning his concentration onto their surroundings.

They travelled until the sun was setting and it was no longer safe to continue on the path. Then they stopped in a place where the cliffs provided cover against the strong wind, and gathered as much wood as they could find to build a fire.

:-:-:-:

Where they sat around the small fire, the orc had taken out a whetstone and his sword to sharpen it, and Gladio was lying by Ekali's side while staring at the flickering flames, eyes half closed. She was contemplating whether it'd be a good idea to go to bed early, but decided against it. The sky was covered by clouds, though the snow had ceased to fall a while ago. The khajiit's eyes were drawn to the orc and his unusual sword, and he looked up as soon as he felt it, looking confused at why she looked like she did.

“What kind of sword is that?” she finally asked, and the orc was so surprised he dropped the whetstone. It was such an important part of him, that using and taking care of the weapon had become second nature to him. Taking up the stone again, he looked the sword over before answering.

“It's orichalcum, it's a metal that our smiths specialise in.” She nodded at his words, and they fell silent again as he continued to care for the peculiar blade. Then he paused, having thought of something, and looked at her again. “I realize that we have not introduced each other, and think that it might be wise to do so now.”

“Oh, right,” Ekali answered, surprised. “My name is Ekali, this is Gladio,” she said then, gesturing to the wolf when she uttered his name. The orc nodded before talking himself.

“I am Shakh, from Orsinium.” The khajiit female smiled faintly as they shook hands for the second time, and he smiled back hesitantly. Then they settled back, and spent a quiet evening in each others company before going off to sleep.

:-:-:-:

The great building looming above her caused Ekali to stop in her tracks as she looked upon it. It looked like a castle, with two floors above the foundation. Everything was made of stone, though snow covered any pieces that jutted out, as well as the roof and the top of the small tower-like structure just in between the two doors that lead to the entrance.

She cast a last look the other way, the road that Shakh had taken only a little while ago, before she took a deep breath and walked up the slippery staircase with Gladio on her heels. The steps seemed to be very much unused, except for a few old footprints that stuck there because of the ice. The door was heavy when she pushed on it, but surprisingly it made very little noise, and moved easily as soon as she'd begun opening it. The hall into which she stepped was very large, with a few pillars, and candles adorned a few places around the room. An open space took the centre of her attention, for it was the only place in the room that was well lit, and a square of stone different from that surrounding it was in the middle. The square was quite large, with each corner pointing to one of the four walls.

Ekali's attention was drawn from the architecture when an old man in robes stepped down the stairs on the other side of the room and walked towards her. Though he looked old with wrinkles and grey beard and hair, his gait was not troubled in the least.

“So... a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age,” he said in a voice that carried through the air and probably could be heard throughout the building. The man's eyes held both wisdom and sorrow that caused her to wonder what he could be thinking as he looked her up and down.

“I am answering your summons,” Ekali said in response as he nodded to her.

“We will see if you truly have the gift. Put down your equipment by the wall,” he said, and she did as he'd asked in silence. Show us Dragonborn. Let us taste of your voice.” He stepped back a step after he said so, and seemed to wait for her once she stood before him again.

“You want me to Shout at you?” Ekali asked, perplexed as she looked at the man.

“Yes, you will not harm me,” he answered her with a sigh, and the khajiit reached for the strange power that had been in her ever since she fought Mirmulnir. The word came to her as soon as she thought of it, and she took a breath to calm herself before she allowed the power to be released.

“Fus!” The shout that escaped her mouth caused the man to close his eyes, and he almost seemed happy when he opened them again. For the first time, he smiled at her before he spoke again.

“I am master Arngeir, I speak for the Greybeards. You say you have come to answer our summons. If you would have it, we would teach you about the voice, and the responsibilities that comes with the gift you have been given,” he said, then gestured to four other men whom had entered while he was speaking. She looked around at them, all four were looking at her, and then turned back to Arngeir with a deep breath.

“I would be thankful for whatever you wish to teach me,” she said when she met his eyes, and he gave a nod that was barely perceptible. With his hand, he then gestured for her to walk further towards the centre of the room, and she did so next to him. One of the other men, Einarth she'd later learn that his name was, stepped up next to the square.

“Ro,” her spoke, and though the shout reverberated through the air, it didn't hold the same force that it would if he'd spoken it in combat. Runes appeared on the ground in front of him, and she stepped closer to them, recognising the same script with which Fur had been written upon the wall. The word started glowing after a second, and once again the voices whispered in her head, louder and louder by each moment that passed. Then they quietened, and only one word remained. Ro. Mirmulnir had said it meant balance.

“Master Einarth will now gift with you his knowledge of Ro,” Arngeir then said, and a similar light to when the dragon had died flowed through the air between Ekali and the other Greybeard, causing the voices to speak in her head again. This time she managed to hold down the power that bubbled to the surface, and turned again to Arngeir when she'd done so.

Oooh...I like the Orc!!...He's cool... ...

While I'm content to wait and see...I have to ask...Be this the entrance of the Orcish love-interest™?... ...

Oh, the "I'll buy a hat." It was in a tv show ages ago...Anytime someone mentioned romance or weddings, someone would shout "I'll buy a hat." as in, for a wedding type of thing...Hence the "I'll buy a hat." when you said...Etc... ...

Love the walk up the mountain, the brief description of Hugh Hefner...*Cough* High Hrothgar...And I chuckled when I remembered that having climbed up all them steps, the chief Hugh of Hugh Hefner doesn't even offer you a cup of tea before he hassles you to start shouting...Yeah Bethesda...Great writing... ...

Aaamywho...Yours is brilliant stuff...Well done!!...Love it...

Nice one!!!...

*Applauds heartily*...


Enjoy yer trip!... ...

I was expecting the usual “What’s a milk drinker like you doing out here?” from the Orc.

He seems friendly for a… well… suicidal guy. I never really understood the Orcs. My Khajiit just passes them by when she sees them. If they want a glorious death, well, there are dragons about. I’m sure one of them will oblige.

Finally a proper introduction! And he’s left already? I bet she’ll run into him again.

The Greybeards! My Khajiit likes them too, though they get on her nerves at times.

That is so odd you brought that out in your story, and I have never actually thought of it before - I've never seen an old Orc! Holy Cow !! Seeking death while still manly - I absolutely loved that line! Great Write!

McBadgere: What do you think? I'm not going to say anything more about the orcish love-interest, except that you'll be seeing more of Shakh.

Haha, alright. I've never heard that one before

King Coin: I've kind of always understood the Orc's way of doing things. I might not agree that it's necessarily a good way, but I can understand it. It makes sense, kind of. I'm not quite sure what I think of the Greybeards though.

mALX: I think I've met an Old Orc about two times, and it really struck me as a great way to introduce a new orc character. Then I've never met any on High Hrothgar, but it's possible.

I recently wrote the part with the peace council, and halfway through it kind of ran away from me and said: "Hey! Let's change this, this and this! And that just didn't work!" So it's really different from the game, and has forced me to rethink the whole shouting system. There's only a bit about it in this chapter, but I'll go into more detail later in the next part of Dezhahnu.

I can actually guarantee a new part next week, as I'm almost finished with it and know what I want to write, but I'm not making any more promises than that. My new school turned out to be more work than I thought, but I love it and I'm going to do my absolute best to get a shot at going to Africa to work with endangered species in third grade. Of course I'm also hoping to one day work at my favorite zoo, but I mean, going to Africa and possibly working with saving cheetahs, I don't think much could beat that. Anyway, onto the story.

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali found out who'd been fighting the troll, an orc named Shakh, and finally arrived in High Hrothgar were the Greybeards were keen to make her work.

Chapter 4.4 High Hrothgar

The strap that was attached to the bag slipped from the woman’s fingers as she lowered it towards the ground, sitting down on the hard bed. She could feel the stone of the bed even though she'd piled countless furs on top of it, and so the khajiit was careful when she lay back on top of it. The small room in which she had been given leave to sleep was in truth little more than a storage area. Boxes and broken furniture lined most of the walls, while one was completely covered by firewood. As such, the bed almost stood in the middle of the room, and Ekali could only access a fourth of it. The room was situated just across the hall from the Greybeards chambers, and next to the bathing rooms.

Gladio had a bear pelt to lie on next to her bed, and though that meant that the two had even lesser area to move around on than they would otherwise, the wolf hadn't liked the idea of sleeping in the entry hall. The room had probably been inhabited before, the carpets and the fact that the bed didn't look like it was meant to be moved far were only a few of the clues that made her think of it.

The khajiit started taking her armour off, only leaving the boots since she had nothing else to wear on her feet, and the stone floors seemed cold even to her fur-covered body. Then she piled the pieces carefully next to her bed, making sure not to push them over, and placed her weapons next to them. Despite the troll Ekali had encountered coming up the mountain, she somehow doubted that she would come across anything dangerous in the halls of High Hrothgar. Except the Greybeards themselves of course, but they were very unlikely to use their powers against her of all people.

She had found – though she had yet to stay in the building for longer than half a day – that the old men were extremely peaceful, even to the extent of looking down on those who resorted to violence. Hence they had not interfered in the war. In a way it seemed too good to be true, as power has a tendency to corrupt, and in destructive powers the Greybeards would probably beat most people. Yet she didn't doubt that they'd kill each other to keep those powers under control.

Having put everything away, Ekali got to her feet and walked out of the room with Gladio following close behind her. She ignored the entrance to the Greybeards living area, stepping out into the Great Hall in which she'd learned the word Ro only a while ago. The air was chilly, and the building was silent but for the small noise of cutlery against plates on the opposite side. Since she couldn't see anyone eating, the khajiit assumed that those noises came from another room and she headed of towards the alcove that was straight ahead of her.

Judging from the fact that the Greybeards robes most likely were made out of wool, it might have seemed strange for someone to walk through the cold building in such simple clothing – the few fires throughout really didn't do much to keep it warm – but with the addition of her fur Ekali really didn't need anything but the linen clothing. There was a layer of fur beneath the chain-mail of her armour, which was of course useful when traveling through the snow, but she didn't necessarily need it inside.

None of the Greybeards looked up when she entered the large room with the stone table and the many chairs. It made Ekali feel uneasy, that they were so certain of themselves that they did not fear a stranger living underneath their roof.

A goblet of mead, a bowl of soup, some bread and dried meat all lay in front of one of the free chairs, and since all of the men were already seated it was obvious that the food was meant for her. So she sat down, and Gladio went over to a slab of meat lying only a few feet away from the door. Then they ate the meal in silence and while the Greybeards seemed at ease, the silence was foreign to the woman and she could not find it in herself to relax.

:-:-:-:

“Fus Ro!” The words did not break out of her mouth this time, but was pushed out, and the spectral shape stumbled before fading out of existence. Arngeir smiled when she looked up at him, though the rest of the Greybeards looked as solemn as ever. They stood, merely looking at her, waiting for their spokesman to talk.

“You have proven your ability concerning learning new words and using them, now we would like to see how well you learn entirely new shouts. We will perform your next trial in the courtyard,” he said and gestured for her to follow as all of the Greybeards turned and walked towards the doors to the courtyard. She followed quickly, picking up the cloak they'd found for her to wear outside. For even though the monastery with its stone walls was cold, the side of the mountain was even more so.

She followed after them, taking the door from the last Greybeard and only holding it open long enough for her to get through. The biting wind cut into her body despite the cloak, and she pulled it closer around her body as she hurried after the old men. They seemed resistant to the cold, and though the rough wool of their robes looked warm, she doubted it was that warm. But she followed them without complaint, watching as one of the men walked up to the gate on the western part of the courtyard, and another went to stand between the pillars that had been placed some distance away from them. When they were in position, Arngeir gestured for her to step up as another, Master Borri, Shouted a word at the ground where the runes appeared and started glowing.

“This Word is 'Wuld', which means 'whirlwind'. The shout in itself is called whirlwind sprint, and allows you to travel short distances very quickly. You must hear the word within yourself before you can project it into a Thu'um, a Shout,” Arngeir said as Ekali stepped closer to the runes on the ground, and then the voices began again as her sight narrowed until it only encompassed the word. She could recognize what they spoke of now, though she could not yet understand all of it. Tamrielic and the language of the dragons mixed, the former speaking of speed and power. Alluring words meant to capture the hearer, to mold her to its will. But they could not keep going on forever, so they stopped with the uttering of the new word, Wuld, as she staggered backwards in shock.

“Approach Master Borri and he will gift you his knowledge of 'Wuld'.” The Greybeards' voice brought the khajiit back to reality, and she tore her eyes from the ground where the runes were still engraved, stepping closer to the man in question. Light swirled between them as the voices filled her head. But they were dampened compared to when she'd learned the word itself, and Ekali frowned at this. “Master Wulfgar will demonstrate Whirlwind sprint, then it will be your turn,” Arngeir said, and Ekali moved with him and Borri towards the pillars and the gate. At Arngeir's sign, Master Einarth opened the gate with another word, Bex.

“Wuld Nah Kest!” Wulfgar shouted and flew past them. A moment later he stood on the other side of the gates that closed behind him.

“Now it is your turn. Stand next to me. Master Einarth will open the gate, use your whirlwind sprint to pass through before it closes.” The female stepped up to him hesitantly, placing herself between the two pillars as she brought the shout to the front of her mind, doing her best to rein it in until the gate opened.

Then Einarth shouted Bex and she allowed the word to flow free, bursting out of her mouth and leaving her breathless when she came to a stop on the other side of the gate only to hear it swing shut behind her. The shock of going from standing still to moving so quickly brought her to her knees, and she gasped into the freezing air.

“You could certainly use more practice, but there's no denying that you learn the words far more quickly than any of us thought possible. It is astonishing to see it,” Arngeir said as Wulfgar helped her to her feet and the gate opened yet again to allow them to return to the main part of the courtyard.

“I... thank you. What must I do next?” Ekali said when she came to stand before Arngeir again, and the other men moved past them into the monastery.

“You are now ready for your last trial. Retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, our founder, from his tomb in the ancient fane of Ustengrav. Remain true to the way of the voice, and you will return,” he said, looking at her with pride in his eyes.

“There were some things that I wished to speak to you about. Ask about, more specifically. Why are you the only one that speaks here, and are you four the only Greybeards?” she asked as her eyes roamed the grounds.

“I will answer whatever questions you can think of,” he answered her, smiling slightly before continuing. “There are only the four of us who live in the monastery, our leader lives on the peak of the mountain, and you may visit him when your powers have grown strong enough. I am the only one who speaks because of the power that each of us commands. When you begin to use the Thu'um, learning new words is a very difficult endeavor. But as we learn more and meditate on the words we gain more power. When that happens, more and more of what we say comes out in Shouts. Most of the dragons have already surpassed that point, they can infuse their power into any words, and still converse in the way that we do. But most mortals – except for the dragonborn who has the ability to learn words much faster - do not live long enough to gain that amount of control during their lifetime. I cannot use the same amount of power as my brothers, and as such I can still control my voice all of the time, which is why I speak for the Greybeards. You will reach that point, I'm certain of it, if you survive.” Worry creased Ekali's brow by the time that Arngeir finished, and she nodded thoughtfully.

“Thank you. Have you ever heard of Dezhahnu?” she asked then, and the Greybeard turned thoughtful for a minute as his eyes wandered over the courtyard. Then he focused on her again when he remembered something.

“A few of the old books mention it, though they speak mostly of the dragons that various dragonborn have met there after absorbing their souls. There are rarely any descriptions of the place itself or of how it works,” he said, as Ekali sighed and nodded.

“Once again, thank you. I have no other questions at the moment,” she said, and the two walked side by side towards the doors to the monastery.

“I am sorry that I cannot be of more help, but you are welcome to look through the books before dinner if you wish.”

“I will do that, if it isn't too much trouble.” He smiled at her again as they entered.

“It is not.”

Brilliant stuff, as ever... ...

Loved the feel of Hugh Hefner...Oo-er..Dammit!...High Hrothgar...Sorry, I make myself laugh too much... ...

No, I'm not easily amused then... ....

Aaaamywho...

Loved the Greybeards...Excellent job with them...The idea that Arngeir is the least of them, and that's the only reason he can talk normally is brilliant...Fantastic!...

Amazing stuff...

Loved it!...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

McBadgere: Thank you.

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali spent some time in High Hrothgar, learning from the Greybeards and resting. The discoveries she made while there however, did not ease her mind.

Chapter 5.1 Civil conflict

She arrived in Ivarstead in the afternoon, when the sun still shone upon the colored leaves and wooden buildings. The few clouds that adorned the sky were small, white and far in between. She walked leisurely, and Gladio bounded around her, hunting butterflies and investigating different scents.

The wolf came to a sudden stop as terrified screams tore through the air, and seeing smoke from further along the road, Ekali put on her helmet and set of at a run towards the yells that were increasing in volume. The wolf didn't keep pace with her this time, he'd soon outrun her as he sprinted full out towards whatever was happening. And as she passed the village houses, both armed villagers and guards left them to run towards the commotion.

Then she rounded a corner, and the outskirts of the village came within her sight. She paused momentarily, for it was Imperial soldiers fighting the town guards, and she did not wish to be involved in the conflict. But then she saw the villager lying on the ground, and she drew her great-sword as she once again rushed towards the skirmish. The Imperial force was small, merely amounting to about twenty men, but that was far more than the numbers of the village's garrison.

She came to a stop next to one of the guards, barely having time to block the swipe aimed for his throat before having to duck a shield-bash aimed at herself. She spun, cutting open the stomach of the soldier who'd struck at her, desperately trying to hold her own against the many soldiers that surrounded them, hoping that the rest of the guards would arrive soon. And though more guards did arrive by the minute, they were still outnumbered, and they had trouble fighting through the soldiers to get to their allies. Still, it was with reluctance that she opened her mouth.

“Fus Ro!” she Shouted, and the soldiers closest to her was thrown back, slamming into those who were further away. Those not affected by the shout stopped what they were doing in surprise, but driven by their desperation the village guards were quickest to recover, and the odds turned as they descended on the fallen Imperials, as well as the ones who were still standing. Fear seared through the soldiers when they recovered, and they began their retreat slowly, after a while turning and full out sprinting from the village. Some guards raised their bows to shoot them down, but others stopped them, and the remaining soldiers had soon disappeared into the forest.

The first to move were the guards, walking about with grim faces to see who was dead and who was still alive. Then the villagers got into motion, working together to get the wounded into the houses and to collect supplies to tend to their wounds. The dead were put to the side, to be buried once no one was in mortal danger. Ekali moved with the villagers, and strangely enough, no one objected when she put a hand onto some of those close to death and poured her magic into them. At the moment, when so many were so close to death, they put their prejudices aside to accept whatever help they could gain.

Even the Imperial soldiers were tended to in the best way possible, for when one looked beyond the different armors they all wore, they were still kinsmen. The khajiit marveled at this, for she'd seen nothing of the like in the army. Yet the civilians helped those who'd caused, and probably had yet to cause, the deaths of their loved ones. It was like a well-tuned harp playing a solemn song – so much like a routine did it seem when the civilians worked to save those who they should call their enemies – and it was easy to let go of any thoughts that lingered in ones head. For right then and there, all that mattered was to save as many lives as was possible.

Thankfully, not many of the civilians or guards had been killed, and she was relieved to find that only Imperial soldiers had been harmed by her shout. And it wasn't until everyone in need of medical care had been taken care of that anyone approached Ekali about what she'd done. She was bent over one of the hurt guards, tending to his wounds to the best of her abilities, when footsteps sounded behind her before coming to a stop. She finished the last stitch, only having enough magical reserves to stop the worst of the bleeding for a few, before she turned around. It was one of the villagers who stood before her, the innkeeper whose name she recalled from her previous stay in the village, Wilhelm. He looked at her curiously, untroubled by the animal that was watching them from his spot next to the door.

“So the rumors are true then. We heard the Greybeards call the Dragonborn to High Hrothgar, but we had a hard time believing that the person in question was a khajiit,” the man said as she wiped the worst of the blood of her hands with a cloth and put the sewing equipment away before standing up. A lot of her fur was mottled by blood and grime, and she hadn't had the time to do more than to put her armor away.

“How are you so certain that I haven't spent the last few years studying with the Greybeards?” the khajiit asked him as she looked down on the wounded man again.

“Everyone that head up to High Hrothgar stop in Ivarstead, and I never forget a face. I saw you for the first time a few days ago.” She nodded as she prodded the body of the unconscious man, searching for any more broken bones.

“You're right of course. But I don't know what you want me to say,” she said with a shrug, turning to the innkeeper to walk out of the building as she slung her pack over her shoulder. He fell in beside her when she did so, still glancing at her every once in a while.

“Why did you do it? Help us against the Imperials. We didn't exactly give you a warm welcome the last time,” he said as they walked, and she shrugged.

“They attacked civilians, and I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. That's not right.” Gladio caught up with them then, and the Nord threw the wolf a quick look.

“We are grateful in any case. Not just for helping us drive them of, but for using your magic to heal people. As much as we frown upon magic, many would not have survived without it. And you could have left hours ago.” She smiled at this, turning to face him.

“You don't need to thank me, it was the right thing to do,” she said as they stopped momentarily. He just stared at her for a moment, incredulous, before reaching out his hand to shake hers.

“I haven't heard those words be spoken in a long time, I doubt many have. Perhaps there actually is a chance of saving Skyrim from its own people. I'm glad to have met you,” he said and walked past her towards the inn as she stared back at him in shock.

“I... Come on Gladio, we should get going,” she said after a few seconds, shaking her head briefly and turning towards the same path that the innkeeper had taken. Even a bath of cold water and cold soup was preferable to another night on the cold ground, and the blood in her fur was something that she'd always found to be uncomfortable. Besides, there was more work to be done in the village – and as had already been proven – the villagers appreciated the help.

4.4
The brief section training with the Greybeards was cool. From what I gleaned, Ekali’s learning more from the Dragons she’s absorbed than she is from the Greybeards, at least for understanding and using the word is concerned.

For a second, I thought she was walking around High Hrothgar naked! I can only imagine how strange dinner was for Ekali. The can’t talk, so silence is normal for them, but even in the heavily racist land of Skyrim, some conversation when eating with others would be normal for her.

I had assumed that Arngeir was the most powerful of the group and had the most control of his voice. I like what you have though, having him be the weakest.

Off to get the horn!

5.1
And the civil war rears its ugly head. The recovery was really strange, with the hatred the two sides have, tending the Imperials was unexpected. I expected some of the Nords to respect Ekali and others to hate her even more for her assistance. The way she’s going, she looks like she’s going to Cloak up. I’m wondering how that’s going to work.

Fair dues, this story is brilliant...

This part here -



Really is some amazing writing...Just wish all these RL idjots would see it too...

But I digress..

Amazing story...Loved that last bit with Wilhelm...Excellent stuff...

Long may you carry this story on!!...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*..

King Coin: Walking around High Hrothgar naked, that's something I'd never imagined. I didn't quite know how to go about the civil war scene. The first draft involved everyone going around and killing the remaining Imperials, but I don't see how they could do that, and leaving them on the ground seemed just as bad. Because, like I think I pointed out in the story, there's just as much of a chance that they have kin among the Imperials as within the Stormcloaks. And land is going to switch hands during the Civil war, so there is a chance that Ivarstead will one day belong to the Imperials.

McBadgere: Thank you And don't worry, even if I'm absent for months at a time, I'm not abandoning it.

Writer's block is annoying. Some of the weeks after I posted 5.1 I actually was too busy to write, but then I couldn't think of what to write. I do have ideas for the rest of chapter 5 now however, so I hope they'll work out. Should be around three more parts. No guarantees for when the next one comes though.

This one was fun to write, I've had Ekali's meeting with Ulfric Stormcloak in my head for a while now, and though I was planning on postponing it a bit, I think this works out.

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali went from High Hrothgar to Ivarstead, and helped the villagers and guards to fight of an invading force of Imperials. Afterwards, she helped them with healing the people who needed it.

Chapter 5.2 What do you want?
28th Last Seed

Midday came with clouds hanging heavy and dark in the sky as the khajiit female and her companion approached the city of Windhelm. They proved quite the pair, walking side by side, and the attention of the guards turned to them as they approached the bridge. Her eyes surveyed the fortress-like city as she walked towards one of the guards.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” the large Nord asked, his eyes not leaving the wolf the entire time. The womans ears flickered slightly as her gaze traveled between them, whiskers bristling when she saw the the object of the guardsman's worry.

“I only wonder where I could find lodging within the city,” she said, taking a step closer to the male wolf.

“The New Gnisis cornerclub lies in the Grey quarter, the lower part of the city where the Dark Elves live. There’s also Candlehearth Hall just within the gates, but I doubt they’ll serve you.” Her eyes narrowed at that, but the guard only gave her a blank stare and shrugged. “Might not like it, but that’s the truth. Not many in the city care for any other race but humans.” Just then a low growl emitted from the wolf, and the guard jumped of shock as the khajiit spun around.

“Dragon! There’s a dragon in the sky!” The shout came from the battlements of the bridge as bows were drawn and the exposed guardsmen moved into cover. Ekali slipped her helmet down over her head, and then drew her bow quickly before motioning for Gladio to get out of the way as she saw the beast descending towards them. Its gray scales glistened in the sunlight, wings folding neatly against the body as it took aim on one of the Nords, sweeping down and taking him in its claws before he had time to shoot. The creatures movements were smooth, wings folding out just as its claws closed around the man, catching an updraft and sailing out over the water before opening them again. As the man fell screaming to his death, the majestic dragon came flying back. The other guardsmen and Ekali pulled the strings on their bows back as they aimed in on the creature. Then she saw the beast open its mouth, and loosed her arrow before ducking into cover. She heard the guards do the same a moment later.

“Fro Krah Diin!” But they weren’t quick enough, and screams tore through the air as the dragon Shouted and frost flowed over the already cold stones.Heading out of cover as soon as it dissipated, she saw the dragon beginning to fly away from the bridge and opened her mouth in a shout of her own.

“Fus Ro!” The words broke from her mouth with the force of an avalanche, and the dragon was thrown of course slightly, anger consuming it as it turned easily in the air.

“Dovahkiin!” it roared, narrowing its eyes on her and coming back towards the bridge. By that time the soldiers who weren’t very hurt had gotten to their feet, and though their eyes were wide with shock they pulled out arrows and began to shoot the dragon. “I am Feynahkril! Fear my voice! Fus Ro Dah!” The shock-wave that spilled forth from his mouth threw them backwards, of the walkways and into the walls. Then the bridge shook as the beasts claws clamped around the side, and he craned his neck to look at her. His head whipped towards her, but Elkali rolled out of the way in the last second, causing the beasts muzzle to collide with the stone wall, and he roared in anger as he shook his head to clear it. Clarity came swiftly as a pair of jaws closed on the side of his throat, and a roar of pain heralded the furious shaking that ensued.

Gladio was thrown of, and a pained whine escaped from his throat as he fell to the stone floor further away, but when Feynahkril’s head swiveled round again he could not find the dragonborn.

Quick steps penetrated the sudden stillness, but he wasn’t fast enough to turn and pain shot through him as a blade dug into his neck. First then did he feel the pain all over his body, all the arrows that had gotten stuck and been driven further in by her shout. His life-blood had been seeping through the skin moments earlier, but as the sword was removed from his neck by her hands he could feel it flow freely over his scales. Fatigue coursed through his lumbering body as a thick mist settled over his eyes, and he was unable to even raise his head before descending into darkness.

Having seen the dragons eyes close, Ekali wiped the blood of the two-handed blade using a piece of cloth that she kept in her pack before putting it back into its sheath. Then she turned to survey the the bridge and found that not half as many as had been knocked to the ground by the dragons shout still lay there. Six men still laid down, but several were groaning, and many others sat with their backs to the walls. Reinforcements must have had arrived some time during the fight, for many of the men were staring at her as they tended to their wounded comrades.

Then her eyes fell on the wolf limping towards her, and she was just about to run to him when the voices began to whisper in her mind. Swirling lights enveloped her body as Ekali stepped backwards and the words increased in volume. This time she could make out a few words of the mess swirling through her head, but they confused her more than anything.

… her life… is your sister… not allow..! … Breathe child, I…

… trust Feynahkril. And with that, the voices stopped even faster than they’d begun, the last of the soul poured into her in a surge so powerful that it brought her to her knees. She blinked, looked up from her position on the ground. There was an odd feeling in her chest, power and knowledge becoming so intertwined with her own soul that she had to think for a moment before remembering where she where.

When she finally regained her senses completely, Ekali found that Gladio had already limped up to her, and was pressing his head into her right shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she moved her hand through his fur before moving so she could see what damage had been done to his body.

“You lucky animal, there’s only a minor fracture. Be still now, let me heal you,” she said and took a firm hold on his leg as she reached inside herself for the little healing power she possessed. Light swirled around them, and when she’d just begun she could hear someone approaching her from behind, but she waited until the wolf was completely healed to turn around.

“So the rumors are true, the dragonborn is a khajiit.” The Nord looking down on her kneeling form had discarded his helmet, possibly because it got too cold from the Frost breath, and was only wearing the blue and gray raiment of the Stormcloaks as well as a pair of fur boots. He had short blonde hair, which was a length that seemed quite uncommon amongst the Nords, and some short stubble adorned his chin and cheeks. They were youthful eyes that looked back at her as she rose so as to better meet his gaze. And though he still towered over her, he didn’t need to bend his head very much.

“Yes, I am,” she said and sighed as the wolf placed himself by her side. The soldier just stared for a moment before he realized what he was doing.

“I… word’s come down from the palace that the Jarl wishes to see you,” he said finally, hands fidgeting a bit. Ekali groaned as she pulled her helmet of her head and ran her fingers through the sweaty fur.

“More nobility,” she muttered, then shook her head and looked at him again. “Thank you for telling me.” He nodded to her before walking away to help with the wounded, and motioning for Gladio to follow, Ekali headed towards the city.

:-:-:-:

Suspicious eyes followed them when Ekali and Gladio finally entered the palace and headed towards the throne on which the Jarl sat. An Orc was talking to the steward, and many guards stood at different places around the room, but she ignored them for the time being. Her eyes pointed straight at the Stormcloak Jarl as she strode forward purposefully. Then his gaze was raised from the papers in front of him, and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of her. Looking down, Ekali saw that her armor was still slightly splattered with blood, and winced at the sight before looking up again.

“Yes, what do you want?” the Jarl asked impatiently when she’d stopped before him. She could feel the hair of her neck stand on end as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“I was told that you wished to see me,” she said and the whole hall fell quiet, for everyone knew just who he’d called for when word arrived of the dragons fall.

“So you’re the dragonborn?” His eyes widened and his mouth hung open for a few seconds before he got control over his face, and she sighed for the second time that day.

“That is what everyone calls me,” she answered him, casting a glance around the room to see that everyones attention was focused on her. “I am Ekali… of the Frozen Heights.”

“Ekali… Then you are the khajiit we met in Helgen. Ralof said that he wouldn’t have gotten out without you.” A new light shone in his eyes when the Jarl next spoke, and Ekali squirmed uncomfortably before nodding. She couldn’t help it, but that look made her think of a predator watching his next meal.

“I take it that means that he’s alive,” she said, looking around again.

“Yes, he is. Though he isn’t in the city at the moment, so you won’t meet him here.” His eyes looked her over appraisingly before he spoke again. “I would like to offer you a place in my army. First you escaped Helgen, then you defeated several dragons. I could have use of a soldier with your skill.”

“I beg your pardon, but I have no wish to fight in your war. I have my own business to take care of, and the welcome I’ve been given in this city has not been a good one.” He nodded at that, clenching his fists, but controlling his anger for a later time.

“Very well, then at least accept my offer of free lodging in Candlehearth hall.” He inclined his head in her direction, clearly not wishing to speak any longer, and she bowed in response. Then she turned on her heel and walked out through the palace doors.

“Ekali!” She hadn’t come far from the palace when she heard running footsteps behind her, and turned around in surprise to greet the person whom had called out her name.

Fantastic stuff...

Absolutely loved the dragon attack (cue music!)...Intrigued by the



bit...

That was cool...

And I loved the dissmissing of Ulfric... ...I could slap that nermal, really could...

Brilliant stuff...

Post more when you can, looking forward to it hugely...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

I thought I had read this chapter, but no I haven't. I was very pleased with her response to Ulfric's... Invitation.

The guard at the very beginning struck me as well. He polite to Ekali but frank about the other residents of Windhelm and their displeasure for anyone that isn't a Nord. I kind of wish that the racism was more pronounced in the game, it would make it a bit more interesting. You did a pretty good job in your chapter showing it however.

The dragon fight was pretty neat, though I got a little confused when you changed perspectives. I didn't realize you did that.

So, I finally managed to write this chapter, and I'm very happy about it. There's so much potential for Windhelm! And there's a budding relationship as well, which I really hope I'm not screwing up. I haven't actually thought that much about his character before, which was why this chapter was so hard.

Well, I think I should mention that this story can also be read on fanfiction.net now. I'm also publishing some other stuff there that doesn't have anything to do with the Elder Scrolls series, if you want to check that out. Link can be found in my signature.

And right, the new currency is called Thalms, and I'll be posting an explanation later in "The man with green eyes".

Italics = Ekali's thoughts/dreams/voices that Ekali hear in her head. In this chapter it's just her thoughts though.

McBadgere: Thank you, that strange bit'll be explained eventually. It's always bugged me how you're pretty much forced into joining Ulfric the first time you speak to him. Sure, you can just ignore the quest or join the Imperials instead, but there's no actual dialogue in which you get to tell him of.

King Coin: Thank you, I quite liked that guard, and the racism gets even more pronounced in this chapter. I realize that might be a bit confusing now.

Previously in Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali arrived in Windhelm and defeated a dragon named Feynahkril outside the city walls. She was finally able to make out some of the voices speaking to her afterwards, but they answered none of her questions. Then she was called to the palace, met the high and mighty usurper Ulfric and told him that no, she doesn't want to participate in his war.

Chapter 5.3 Friend
28th Last Seed

“Shakh,” she said, surprise colouring her voice when she saw the orc heading towards her, and he smiled hesitantly at her, meanwhile doing his best to ignore the guards who were paying them far too much attention. “I did not expect to see you here.” She smiled faintly back at him as they began to walk next to each other, and he shrugged.

“Neither did I expect to see you, but you said that Skyrim’s people could use help, so that’s what I’m doing. Are you heading to Candlehearth Hall, or will you join me at the Cornerclub? I find it much more hospitable than the hall,” he said, and Ekali glanced at him before once again turning her eyes to the road.

“I think I’ll head to the Cornerclub, even if they’ll serve me in the hall, they’ll only do it because I’m dragonborn. I don’t want the kind of attention that’d gain me,” she said, and the orc smiled wider as he cut of down some stairs and she followed his lead.

“I’m glad to hear that. Ambarys is a very pleasant host, and has a much larger diversity amongst the beverages he sells. Not like at Candlehearth, where they only sell that strange stuff the Nords call mead.” He chuckled a bit at something that he obviously found funny, and Ekali smirked when he stopped talking.

“I actually happen to favour mead,” she said, and the orc’s laughter stopped abruptly. Had the alleyway they were currently walking through had better lightning, she’d have sworn that the reason to why he turned his head away for a few moments was that he was blushing.

“Oh, ehm… Sorry, I didn’t know that.” One green hand reached up to scratch his neck, and the female khajiit chuckled.

“Well, obviously. It’s not like I’ve had the time to tell you before.” She was still smiling when they came to the end of the alleyway, and she could see the sign of an inn further down the street that they came out onto.

“Eh, right. Of course,” he said and smiled hesitantly in her direction again, before they came to stand before the old worn-down door, and Shakh reached out his hand to open it. “It looks a bit shabby, I know. But everything is clean, and the food is good. They don’t water down the drinks either,” he said first, before opening it. Ekali nodded in response, and then they stepped inside.

There where quite a few people inside, and though a lot of the tables and chairs looked darkened with age, and both the floors and walls were of wood, she found that he had been right. Everything seemed clean, though a male dunmer was currently wiping up some vomit from the floor. Most of the tables where occupied, but there where still a few free ones, and the mer behind the bar looked up when they stepped inside.

“Shakh, what can I get you?” he asked as the two approached the bar, and the orc reached for the money pouch he kept within his armour.

“I’d like a bottle of red wine and a bowl of whatever you’ve got in the cauldron,” he answered the dunmer.

“Alright, that’s 20 thalms,” the owner of the inn said, and the orc handed the correct amount over. “I’ll get the food in a moment.” The dark elf handed him a bottle and a glass before turning to Ekali. “Now, what can I do for the dragonborn?” he asked with a warm smile, one that she returned.

“I’m Ekali. I’d like to rent a room for the night, and a bath if it’s possible. Then I’ll take some mead and stew for dinner,” she answered as she reached for her money-pouch. But the dark elf raised his hand to stop her with another smile.

“Sure thing, Ekali. I’ll have Malthyr take you up to your room and draw up some water in the bathtub. When you come back down the food will be ready. It’s all on the house though, so don’t go counting out coins,” he said as he waved his hand for the other man to come over, and when he did told him his instructions. The khajiit seemed like she was going to protest for a moment, but then she thanked him and followed the elf up the stairs to her room.

:-:-:-:

Shakh had already finished his meal when she came down the stairs again, and was taking occasional sips from a glass of wine as he looked her over. She wore a light brown linen shirt without sleeves and a pair of trousers in a darker material. The shoes on her feet were of a very malleable leather. She looked around for a bit before seeing him at the table by the fire, and walked towards him, having to weave through the other people in the room. He noticed her apparent discomfort now that she wasn’t wearing any armour, for even though she held her back straight and moved with the bearing of a legionnaire, her eyes were flickering back and forth and the ears on her head where leaning backwards slightly.

“Sit down, Ambarys should be over any minute now,” he said when she came closer, for he’d just seen the dark elf head into the kitchen through the door behind the counter. She lowered herself into the chair with ease, and took a last look around before turning her attention to the orc.

“So, have you managed to find employment here in Windhelm yet?” she asked after a few moments of awkward silence, and he smiled in gratitude for getting something to talk about, putting his glass down on the table.

“Actually, I’d just wrapped up a murder investigation when you arrived. Apparently several women have gone missing and turned up murdered during the last few weeks, and the Jarl’s soldiers haven’t been able to find out who did it.” He moved his hands a bit as he spoke, getting more animated the more he talked. “The last murder before I got here was committed in the graveyard, but the murderer was interrupted before he had time to take the body with him, and so there was a guard at the spot when I got there. I had to talk to the steward before they’d allow me to do anything, but he seemed quite happy that anyone would be willing to look into it, so that was far from the hardest part.” He paused to take a drink from his glass, and Ekali chose that moment to cut in.

“But if the guard had had so much trouble with it, how did you manage to find the culprit?” In the time that passed before he spoke again, Ambarys came up with her food, and she thanked him with a smile before turning back to Shakh.

“Well, you see, the wounds on the bodies were very odd, not resembling cuts from any common weapon. The people who’d investigated earlier hadn’t looked at them much, as they were common guards and rarely got to take care of murder investigations. I’m quite interested in weaponry, and I thought the wounds looked rather similar to those made by an orcish dagger, but still very different. The culprit never used his own house either, and since there’s been no eyewitnesses, it was hard to even know what homes to look in. But I asked the keeper of the Hall of the Dead - Helgird - about it, and she recognised the cuts. Ancient embalming tools, there were some kept in the hall, that’s what had made the wounds. You can find them rather often in old barrows, but otherwise they’re apparently quite hard to get a hold of.

“In any case, that was not the only clue I found. The murderer screwed up this time, he left a trail of blood from the scene of the crime to the house he used to house his victims. Hjerim, property of the Shatter-Shield family. Friga Shatter-Shield was one of the victims, and after her death the house was more or less abandoned. Her mother lent me a key so that I could get in, and I found quite a few intriguing items. One was an amulet that had been hid beneath a pile of papers concerning the Butcherer, the name that the locals gave the killer. The owner of the local museum, Calixto Corrium, identified it as an amulet that belonged to the court wizards. As it turns out, that was a lie. I confronted the courts wizard about it, and he said that it was an old necromancers amulet, and then went on to tell me that he believed he knew when the murderer would strike again.” He finally stopped to take a drink from his glass, and Ekali frowned.

“That sounds very… suspicious,” she said, careful to make sure he didn’t take offence, but he merely nodded in agreement and put the glass down again.

“I agree. However, he was right. When I arrived at the marketplace, Corrium was just in the process of trying to butcher a young woman. I managed to stop him, thankfully, but I had to kill him to do it. It turns out that he’d been collecting body-parts to rebuild the woman he once loved.” His eyes gained a far off expression, and he shivered slightly before turning them to Ekali again.

“Then it’s definitely good that you caught him,” Ekali said and shook her head slightly, accidentally bumping her hand into the now-empty bowl in front of her. She pushed it a bit further away from her so that it wouldn’t happen again, and took a hold of her glass.

“Yeah,” Shakh said, and then fell silent as neither of them knew exactly how to continue their conversation. “So, what about you? Where are you headed?” he finally thought to ask.

“Ustengrav. The Greybeards have asked me to acquire the horn of Jurgen Windcaller as a final… well, test, I suppose you could call it,” she said and took another drink as the wolf by her feet moved his ears a bit and turned his head around to better see what was going on in the room.

“So, where did you find the wolf? You rarely see them kept as pets or war-animals these days, and even when you do, they’re rarely very loyal.” Gladio started growling when the word pet left the orc’s mouth, and Ekali smiled as she put a cautioning hand on his head.

“First of all, he’s not really a pet. He’s my companion and a friend who has helped save my life on many occasions, and I’d never have gotten this far without him. And as for where I found him, it was around five years ago, when I’d been posted in Bruma for seven years. A lone wolf had been harassing both hunters and shepherds around the Jeralls, stealing food and hunting cattle. It was threatening to leave a lot of people without any means of survival, so I was tasked with tracking and killing it. Only, the wolf was female, and once I killed her I found that she’d been feeding cubs. So I followed her tracks back to the den, and found three dead pups, as well as this guy.” Ekali reached down to scratch Gladio’s head as she spoke, and Shakh nodded. “I couldn’t leave him, so I took him back to Bruma with me and fed him ground meat until he could eat properly on his own. Eventually, he got strong enough that he could join me on my outings, and once he did I quickly realised the worth of teaching him a few signs from the legion. Wolves rely a lot of instinct, I’ve noticed since, as it was like he’d been taught to fight in a pack, and only needed to do it for real for that training to kick in. Already from the beginning, he understood what I wanted much better than most humans, and seemed to want to do what he could to help. Humans have never been very good at reading khajiit body-language. In any case, it’s been quite an experience to fight by his side, and he still continues to surprise me.” She smiled as she looked down on the wolf, and he looked back up at her.

“There was a period when I’m guessing he became an adolescent, that he left me for a few months at a time. I followed him once then, and found that he was following a pack of wolves. They never allowed him to get close enough to do anything however, and so he always returned to me eventually. We’ve been travelling together for a long time now.”

“I didn’t know animals could be that loyal,” he said with raised eyebrows. “There never where many animals in Orsinium, aside from those we hunted.”

“Yeah, it’s not very usual to keep other animals than farm animals or horses.” She took a look around as she lifted the mug to her lips, and found that the amount of patrons had dwindled substantially since they entered. Her eyes went to the clock, which was showing that the time was currently half past nine in the evening. “Isn’t it a bit early for business to decrease this much in a tavern?” Ekali wondered aloud, and Shakh merely shrugged, as he was almost as much of a newcomer as she was. A dark elf nearby had heard her however, and her eyes quickly found him once he started speaking.

“The streets of the Grey Quarter aren’t safe at night, so most people try and lock their doors by ten o’clock. You’d be wise to do the same,” he muttered in a melancholy tone. Her brows furrowed as she turned to answer him.

“Why? Aren’t the guards patrolling the streets often enough?” she asked, and the dunmers’ lips turned into a smile that fell short of reaching his eyes.

“Newcomer, eh? In Windhelm, anything that ain’t human is fair game, has been for a long time. Miss, the guards help the criminals if we’re the victims. It’s a bit better if you’re a orc, khajiit or argonian, but not much.” Dark red eyes met hers as her mouth popped open in shock and she just stared at him for a while before regaining her tongue.

“But doesn’t the Jarl do something about it?” she uttered incredulously, and bitter smiles spread through the tavern as most were now listening to the exchange.

“Jarl condones it, he doesn’t care about us. No, we’re knife-ears, good for nothing but servants work,” the man snarled, and Ekali’s ears flickered backwards involuntarily as hate filled his eyes. Silence descended on the tavern as she sunk back into her chair. Shakh was watching the fire, troubled look in his eyes, and most of the other patrons were looking at the floors or staring into thin air. Some remembering past offences, some hoping nothing would happen when they made their way home and wishing that they were less sober. The few Nords present stared at the floor in shame. Finally, the barkeeps gaze wandered to the clock, and he snapped to attention once he saw the time.

“Okay people, time to be getting home, we don’t want anything to happen,” he said, and most eyes flickered to the clock before they rose from their chairs and left through the doors. The dark elf who’d answered Ekali’s question nodded to her in greeting, and she raised her hand to him slightly before he headed out. After a while, only the ones who were sleeping in the building were present.

“I should be getting to bed, I’ve got some people who asked if I’d help them with repairs tomorrow, and I have a feeling that it’ll be a long day,” Shakh finally said as he rose from his chair, and Ekali started slightly before looking up at him, so absent where her thoughts from her current location.

“I’ll retire as well, I have to leave early tomorrow. Have a good night,” she said and they shook hands with uneasy smiles.

“You have a good night as well,” he uttered uncertainly, and she smiled slightly warmer back at him, not allowing her exterior to show any of the fear she felt. If only he knew…

Then he turned and headed up the stairs, and she bade good night to Ambarys and Malthyr before she followed him and went to her own room.

Brilliant stuff...

Loved the way you wove that Windhelm quest (that I've never done personally ) into the story...

Also loved the whole Gladio/Bruma thing...As I'm currently bozzing around in Cyrodiil on Oblivion it's a nice remider of there... ...

Plus the worrysome stuff going on in the Grey Quarter... ...

Looking forward to much more...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

I was wondering if she was going to be seeing the orc here.

The corner club sounds better than the hall to me too. The hall is pretty nice, but it would be uncomfortable sitting under all those glares. I wonder what she thinks about Dunmer though, her race was enslaved regularly for a long time.

Spiced wine for the orc? And he was smirking at the mead!

A bath would be a must after that fight on the bridge with the dragon.

I found her discomfort with the seating endearing. I can see her moving her chair to better face the rest of the inn. And here’s more of that racism. I see Ekali still defending people from Imperial attacks, but this experience will probably change her view on the Stormcloak supporters some.

McBadgere: Thank you, I'm glad it worked as well as I thought

King Coin: And now it becomes apparent just how little I actually know about alcoholic beverages. Your comment made me google it, and... gah. Glögg, Spiced wine is the english name for glögg?! I'll have to change his choice of drink, because that was definitely not what I intended. I just... I made him order glögg!!!

Oh well, at least I learnt something new *grinds teeth*

On another note, thank you for your positive comments. Personally I don't think she has anything against Dunmer, as she hasn't met that many. But she and Neven were good friends, and the ones she's met in Windhelm have so far been very nice to her.

Actually with all of the bad stuff she's seen from the Stormcloaks the only reason I can see at the moment for her to join them against the Imperials is because of revenge and because she dislikes the fact that the Imperials are Thalmor pawns, so there'll definitely have to be some kind of change for her to join them.

Yeah that makes sense, especially if you are following the established timeline. I think slavery's been gone from Morrowind for 200 years or so at the time Skyrim takes place. Don't quote me on that though, I'm no lore master and I follow it where it suits me and toss it out where it doesn't.


I don't know where you are planning on going with this story, but I'd be perfectly content with her staying neutral in the civil war. She's got perfectly valid reasons to dislike both sides. That is to say that you don't have to ignore it either. She can still get tangled up in events. Just my thoughts, take it or leave it.

I'll be catching up on this tomorrow, have a full free day finally! Woo Hoo! Sorry it took so long, Saquira!

My PC has been up and down and I keep losing my notes on the chapters, so I have to make this quick.



Although I've never done these quests, I know it is the Whirlwind sprint from vids. It is just the way you wrote it that caught me off guard here, I choked on Koolaid laughing here, lol.

That was one huge battle! Do the shouts regenerate like magicka does?

Love the scene with the Jarl, and in the next chapter with Shakh. You are truly in your element in these one on one scenes, it feels like being there watching it happen! Loved this whole chapter!

Awesome Write, as always!

Yes, yes they do...And some shouts take longer to regenerate than others...There's a white bar along the compass which clears to let you know...Or, in RP you can just feel it's back...Y'know?... ...

The classic FUS, RO, DAH...Force push thing takes a while...

But the one that brings Dragons to the ground so you can smite them repeatedly takes next to no time...

Thanks!

Hi! I'm back... for a while at least. I finally got past the huge obstacle of Feynahkrils' dialogue, so after this we're going to Ustengrav. Then, Delphine...

King Coin: Yeah, I'm going to try and come up with some way that she can stay neutral but still get involved in the war, kind of... It's tricky. She'll have to make enough of an impact for her mother to want to kill her, which might require a bit of effort.

mALX: Thank you I like writing those scenes.

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: After speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, Ekali spent the evening with Shakh at the Cornerclub, and found out that he's quite the detective. The evening took a turn for the worse when it was revealed that the streets are unsafe during the nights for anyone who isn't human.

Dezhahnu 2
28th-29th Last Seed

For once, the khajiit's breath was calm when she awakened in the dream-scape, and she sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Then she blinked a few times, and seeing the dragon perched on a rocky outcropping further away, she got to her feet.

“Drem Yol Lok Golgronfron. I see that you came through your fight with Feynahkril without any mayor wounds.” [Greetings, Golgronfron.] The great dragon gazed down upon her as he spoke, wings not quite folded against his body in the mild wind of the late evening.

“Greetings, Mirmulnir. Have you seen him?” she asked as she looked around the plateau and the skies around it. Above her, the dragon smiled.

“Yes, I have. He's here somewhere, exploring his new home. Waiting for you to come, incidentally,” the great beast said as his eyes swept over the skies

“Dovahkiin,” [Dragonborn] a voice rumbled behind her as the other dragon came gliding down through the clouds, swinging around and landing beside them without even a slight rumble in the ground. “Also the cause of my defeat, it would seem.” She’d turned around when he landed, and both Mirmulnir and the khajiit were now watching the latest arrival. “Zu’u Feynahkril, but you know that already.” [I am Feynahkril] There was a trace of amusement in his voice, and it was reflected by the glint in his eyes.

“Drem yol lok, zu’u Golgronfron,” [Greetings, I’m Golgronfron] she answered him after a moment, bowing her head down in his direction. He smiled at that, and lowered his own head in greeting.

“Ah, so you do speak some of our language. Pruzah.” [Good.] He smiled wider for a moment as he came closer, lowering his head so that it came to rest before her. “However, I already know who you are. You are Dovahkiin, the dragon trapped in a mortal body.” He raised his head again, backing away from her. “It was in spite that my lord first called you Golgronfron, for you are a dragon bound to earth, and as such your presence is unlikely to make any difference in the coming days.” He bared his teeth at her, still smiling. She frowned, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Why do you say that? And who is your lord?” she asked, and he leaned his head to his right as he watched her.

“Because it is the truth. Your name is as much a curse as we can accomplish using the voice. It is a way of calling you weak. For the fate of the world will not be decided by those forever condemned to walk the earth. It will be decided in the skies above, and the power of the Voice shall be the deciding factor when the last blow is dealt. My lord is Alduin, and you will meet him one day, if you survive that is,” he rumbled, smiling threateningly as he leapt into the air, using his strong wings to catch onto an up-draft that brought him away from them.

“What did he mean?” she asked as she turned to Mirmulnir and found that he'd been watching her.

“In part, he meant that though you have a dragons soul, there is very much about us that you have yet to understand, many things you'll never understand. You are extremely young by our counting, and have yet to go through our coming of age trial. The rest, well, I expect you will hear more of that eventually.” Mirmulnir sighed and laid down onto the mountain, putting his head down to rest onto his front feet.

“Coming of age?” she asked, puzzled.

“Yes. Every user of the voice does one day loose the control of their powers. When it happens to a dragon, it is the sign that the child is ready to become an adult, and the child heads to the north, to the lair of the ancients. We do not speak of what happens there, but it is where you learn to control the voice, and whatever else the ancients have decided.” He closed his eyes, not bothering to look at her when he spoke.

“Have a dragonborn ever gone through it?” she asked after a short while, genuinely curious of the trial.

“A few, the one you know as Talos was one of them. You might go there one day, should you survive that long.”

“The greybeards told me of how most of the have lost their control of the voice, and it seems a very steep price to pay.” Ekali said as she looked up at the great dragon.

“The Voice is a great power, and they were never meant to use it. All power comes with a price. For most the price is a trial. One that changes you, and one that some wish they never had gone through. For others, the price is never to talk, unless you are willing to take the risk of hurting those around you. It is the price that Akatosh decided for his children, and it is a price that we have accepted. To not go through with the trial is to condemn yourself to a solitary life, and if not that, then death.” His eyes opened again and he watched her as he spoke. When he finished, the khajiit merely stood there for a while, thoughtful as she watched the dragon stretch his wings and neck.

“How many dragons are there?” she asked suddenly, and he turned his head towards her again, thinking quickly before answering.

“I do not know. In Skyrim, I doubt there are more than twenty. And many of us have spent the last century or so sleeping. There used to be many more, but most were either killed by the ancient blades or fled to other lands. Their bones lie buried beneath the ground you tread by day. Of course there aren't only dragons in Skyrim though; far to the north in Iisfrod [Icefield], thousands of dragons live at peace with the land around them. There we can hunt, live and raise our young without worry that the inhabitants of Tamriel will hunt us down. For they do not live there, and they have not done so for a very long time.” He smiled slightly as he spoke, for the words conjured many old memories for the old dragon.

“Why do you say 'they', I'm one of the people of Tamriel as well,” she asked with furrowed brows.

“Your body may be, but not your soul. You are a daughter of Akatosh. And though only he can know exactly why you have the body of a khajiit, I do know that you are what you are for a reason.” He looked her straight in the eyes as he spoke, and when no answer came from her, Mirmulnir yawned and placed his body in a more comfortable position before closing his eyes.

Blimey!...

It's no wonder it took you so long!... ...

Very epic, metaphysical and brilliant...

Loved the dragon language translations...Cheers for that...

I think this whole dreamscape thing is amazing...It's going to get a bit cluttered in there though... ...

Brilliant stuff, as ever...Nice to see you back...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Sorry it's taking so long, Saquira - will be back as soon as I get a chance to read this! <3

McBadgere: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. I figure the dreamscape is a pretty big place though, so space shouldn't be a problem.

mALX: Don't worry about it, I've been busy myself.

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali spoke for the first time with Feynahkril in Dezhahnu, and then she learnt of the fact that dragons have to learn how to control the voice, as well as what the dragons think of her.

Chapter 5.4 Deep beneath the snow
30th – 31st Last Seed

She bent her head down in the cold wind, shifting her bearskin hood so that it caught the snow that tried to get in her eyes. Muffled footsteps sounded nearby, but she didn't look around to see the wolf as she knew the futility of that endeavour. Though it wasn't the worst snowfall she'd experienced, it certainly didn't fall far behind, and as such she was keen to get out of the biting wind.

After a while, the faint crackling of a fire reached her sensitive ears, and Ekali raised her head to look into the storm. According to her compass she was heading straight north, which should lead them to the tomb Ustengrav within the day. She hadn’t expected to meet other travellers on the way, especially not since she’d already left the main road. She drew the great-sword off her back when an orange light appeared in the white landscape, and a soft growl reached her from Gladio's direction.

They came upon the camp suddenly. One second there was nothing but snow swirling around the khajiit, and the next a tent appeared not half a meter before her. A male Nord was sitting next to it, and he started violently when he saw her silhouette through the snow. He yelled out and put his hand on the axe by his side as he struggled to rise, but she was quicker, and thrust her short-sword through his neck. He barely had time to look surprised before he sunk to the ground with a gurgling sound.

Then the camp came to life, as a sword was drawn somewhere in front of Ekali, and with a roar another human came rushing at her. The khajiit barely had time to react, and then Gladio leapt through the air, pushing the human down into the snow as his jaws clamped down onto the woman’s arm and she gave of a shriek that was distorted by the storm. Ekali froze momentarily, but her eyes were soon drawn from the deadly struggle as sparks crackled to her left. Moments after her eyes went wide with the realisation, instinct kicked in and she threw herself onto the ground, fur bristling from the electricity that passed just over her head. Then she pushed herself up of the ground, and unable to find the short sword in the snow, she conjured up her flame spell before casting it at the last bandit with both hands. The man's thick clothing lit up easily, and he screamed into the air, but just like those of his companions the sound did not travel far, and he soon crumpled to the ground in a charred heap.

Ekali drew a deep breath as she lowered her body onto the ground next to one of the tents, trying to get her frantic heart to calm down. Not being able to see anything but snow around her, she was surprised to feel the cold metal underneath her hand, and looked down to see her short-sword peeking out from a snowdrift. She picked it up and wiped it off with a cloth she produced from her armour, before once again sheathing the weapon. Then she looked around once more, and found that Gladio was standing on some stone further away.

She got to her feet as quick as she could in the heavy snow-fall, and walked up next to the animal on the stone. Before them, the stone gave way to a large pit, and on the far side a staircase of stone was visible. Ekali sighed in relief and brushed her hand over the wolf’s fur, for it was the entrance to the tomb of Ustengrav. He glanced up at her, and she stepped clear of the edge before walking around so that she could walk down the stairs.

There wasn’t as much snow or wind in the pit, and she brushed the snow out of the fur on her head as she flicked her ears in relief and approached the metal door. It made a lot of noise when she pushed it open, and Ekali was happy to find that there where no bandits, except for the body of one, inside the door. However Gladio, as soon as he'd gotten inside and taken a sniff off the air, angled his ears backwards and barred his teeth before stalking slowly down the corridor. At his silent warning, the khajiit perked her ears, and upon hearing the faint noise of footsteps from further in, drew the bow of her back, strung it and fitted an arrow to the bow before following after the animal.

As they travelled further down the corridor, the noises became louder and louder, with two voices arguing with another. When they finally rounded the last corner, a large room opened up before them, covered in darkness. Ekali activated her night eye ability before sweeping the room with her eyes, quickly spotting the three humanoid shapes at the far end. A man and a woman in dark robes, as well as a man in fur clothing. But lights swirled around his shape, and he merely stood there, slumped over slightly, as the two mages argued.

Ekali drew the bowstring taught as Gladio stopped a couple of strides in front of her, body hunched down in preparation for leaping at the humanoids. She aimed first at the man in the robe, as he was the closest to her location, and then held her breath just before releasing the arrow. The projectile struck him just under the chin, and he went down with a muted gurgle as blood spilled from the new wound on his throat. The woman spun at the noise, eyes searching the darkness as the newly animated body by her side raised its axe. Her eyes found the khajiit just as she released a second arrow, and the wolf bounded forward after it. The arrow hit its target in the shoulder, and the mage yelled out in rage, casting her spell and sending a cloud of frost in in the dragonborn's direction as the body of the bandit began to run towards her. Gladio collided with the dead bandit when he'd gotten halfway across the room, and Ekali threw herself to the side, only just escaping the freezing cold of the spell.

When she got up again she left the bow on the ground and drew her great-sword from its scabbard as she shouted; “Wuld!” and was propelled towards the mage. Slightly disoriented by the motion, the Altmer female's next spell caught her in the shoulder, and the khajiit staggered momentarily, grunting in pain as she swung her sword at the elf’s' neck.

The woman, having put up a shield spell only moments before, fell backwards and put her hand to her neck, finding that a thin line of blood was seeping out of the new cut on her neck. She glared at the khajiit, but that was all she had time for before Ekali thrust the sword through her chest, and she went limp moments after.

Ekali took a deep breath, finally able to relax somewhat as she turned to look for the wolf, and saw him padding up to her on light feet. A pile of dust lay behind him, still glowing slightly blue, she saw, when she turned off her night eye ability. She bent down to wipe her blade free of blood on the mage's robes before sheathing the weapon and grabbing the corpse by the ankles, then proceeding to drag the bodies away and dump them in a niche in the wall. Gladio was already laying down when she got back, and she smiled slightly as she rolled out her bedroll and took out some food to eat for dinner.

<-><-><->

She stepped carefully over the uneven ground, listening closely to the hissing and creaking from the skeletons that were ambling around on the plateau further below. The cave that stretched out before her was immense, and Ekali took a moment to admire it from where she stood on the walkway. She held her bow in one hand, an arrow in the other, ready to fire almost at a moments notice.

When Gladio looked back, wondering why she'd stopped, Ekali put the arrow against the bow and aimed at a skeleton that was at the moment very isolated from the rest. It was just heading past the lower end of the walkway when she released the arrow, and went tumbling to the ground in a shamble, bones clattering against the hard floor. For some reason, none of the other creatures reacted to it, and the khajiit was free to nock another arrow without any hurry.

She picked them off one after one from her perch on the walkway, without having to worry about being discovered. Once that was done, Gladio finally relaxed, and Ekali slung her bow over her shoulders as she walked down onto the platform below. A throne-like chair stood further away, but the khajiit turned to the right where two pathways lead even further into the crypt. The closest one was a bridge that reached over a large abyss, and ended a couple of meters away from an iron gate and three standing stones. The further one spiraled down into the abyss, and only a few treetops could be glimpsed down below, though she could clearly hear the sound of rushing water.

She was pondering which path to choose when whispers began to reach her ears. Whisper of the dragon tongue. Incomprehensible to her at the moment, but calling for her none the less. Then Ekali was startled from her thoughts when the male wolf suddenly let of a short bark and bounded of down the path that was further away. She merely gaped for a moment before reacting, at which point she took a firmer hold around her bow before running after the animal, not wanting to call out in case it would attract any unwanted attention.

As she descended the path, both the trees and whispers grew closer, and a large stone formation appeared amongst the trees. The running water turned out to be a waterfall that ended in a small lake at the bottom. She came to a stop finally, and while standing on the cold earth she could clearly see Gladio lying by the water and the great stone, at which point the origin of the whispers became evident.

Screenshot

Standing before her was a wordwall, which even though it was hidden from the world above, called out to the dragons soul within her.

Stepping forward, she left her pack and bow by the water, transfixed by the wall as the whispers grew in volume and her field of vision narrowed. And for the first time, amongst all the powerful voices that brought her to her knees, she could finally understand a part.

There is power in knowledge, and you’d do well to remember that, child.

It was followed almost instantly by another word, Feim. Fade, she knew instantly that it meant, and if used as a shout it could allow her to pass through danger unscathed for a short time.

When she became aware of her surroundings again, Gladio was standing before her, whining in worry, but calming down when she met his eyes and reached out with a hand to scratch him between the ears. The next noise he made was one of pleasure, before she rose to her feet and surveyed the low reaches of the cavern.

No danger was apparent, and the wolf laid down on the shore again and closed his eyes, so she turned to the water. Sticking her hand in after removing the gauntlet revealed that it was a hot spring, and unable to resist the temptation Ekali began to remove her armour to bathe.

<-><-><->

The female khajiit kept her sword held high as she pushed open the wooden door, eyes sweeping the new space for spiders or draugr as her breath came in short bursts. Gladio was just as alert, ignoring the spider blood that covered his muzzle as he made sure no other danger would leap at the from the dark of the crypt. But there was only a gate on the other side of the door, an iron gate and a chain, presumably to open the gate.

Ekali took her sword in one hand as she stepped up next to the gate and pulled on the chain, causing the iron bars to raise into the roof, and allowing the wolf to stalk into the chamber beyond. And it was a large one, the khajiit saw when she stepped through herself, and began to head down the stairs. A large chamber with only one path to walk, ahead.

The path was lined by water, dark water through which she could see no bottom, and at the far end of the path stood some kind of altar. As she approached it, the ground shook suddenly, and great statues rose from the water on her sides.

Screenshot

She gaped at them for a few moments, and when it became clear that no danger was about to appear the khajiit sheated her great-sword over her back before heading along the path. The wolf padded along behind her as she approached the altar, and she frowned when she came close enough to see what laid on it.

Screenshot

A hand of stone rose straight up from, shaped as if to hold something. But instead of the horn that she had expected to find, there was a paper. She looked around briefly before reaching her hand out to pik it up, and nothing changed as she did so. The paper seemed new, not at all the kind that could have lain in a crypt for centuries. Opening the note and reading it caused her lips to draw back as she bared her teeth in annoyance and narrowed her eyes.

Dragonborn -

I need to speak to you. Urgently.

Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and I’ll meet you.

- A friend

Ekali crumpled the paper, dropping it on the ground as she gave of a weary sigh and sat down next to the altar. Her left hand took of the helmet before she ran her right through her fur, took a deep breath and looked up at Gladio.

“It seems we’ll be heading back to Riverwood next boy,” she said, and he tilted his head in curiosity. The khajiit merely put her helmet on again before standing up and heading to the door behind the altar.

That was epic!!...

I loved that it was an extended runthrough...Ustengrav's a gorgeous bit of design...I love that oasis at the bottom of the cave...Though the ramps always end up confusing me... ...

No, it's not difficult... ...

Aaamywho...

Loved the whole piece, Gladio was brilliant...

I got a shock at the start with the fight...She seemed to attack without warning...It's a good job it turned out to be bandits... ...

But still loved it!...

Amazing writing, glad you're keeping going...

Nice one!!..

*Applauds heartily*...

*

I haven’t met the talking dragon in my game yet, but love him in the vids. I love your rendition of him here, you have captured what I have seen of him in the vids perfectly! I also like that she answered him in his own language (and didn’t know if that was a part of the game or not, but loved it)!

Next:

Coming across a camp in a snowstorm, in it before you realize it is there - LOVED that! How real that felt, believable. Uh oh, that note sounds like a trap! Lol, Awesome Write !!!

*

McBadgere: Thank you, I quite like Ustengrav as well. That place with the trees and the water just by the wordwall is really nice. And I got such a shock when I entered the final chamber the first time and those statues rose from the water.

Yeah, I might have had her draw her blade a bit earlier than necessary.

mALX: She haven't actually met any of the dragons who you can talk too in the game yet, but I'm glad that you like the ones she have met She's going to be talking to a lot more dragons before this story is over.

And well, you can't actually answer anyone with dragon language in the game, as fun as that would be. Ekali will be using it a lot though, both voluntarily and involuntarily.

Oh, so talking in the dragon language was your own worldbuilding - now that makes it much more exciting! Also the part I bolded - this sounds AWESOME !!! Very intriguing, like there is more to being the Dragonborn than shouts, there is an actual connection? I LOVE this idea !!!!!!

Previously on Ekali of the Frozen Heights: Ekali arrived in Ustengrav and fought her way past bandits, necromancers and undead on her journey into the depths. However, once she reached her destination, a note had taken the place of the horn, asking her to come to Riverwood.

Chapter 5.5 The Attic Room
2nd – 3rd Hearthfire

They arrived in Whiterun in the afternoon, and Ekali having thought of where to sleep for quite some time headed up towards Dragonsreach to speak with the Jarls' steward. She'd much preferred to stay away from the place since they'd made her a Thane, but she needed somewhere to store her things, as all the items she found during her travels took up far too much space in her pack. The best option for it was to buy her own house, and having counted her coin the night before, she knew that she had enough. The guards nodded to her in recognition as she walked past, and Ekali returned the gesture without really thinking about it.

As she stepped in through the great doors and they swung shut behind her, a few glances were sent her way. But the eyes were soon averted, and heading up the wooden steps alerted her to the cause. Around the throne a group of people had assembled. Irileth and Avenicci stood on either side of the throne, and Hrongar stood just next to Avenicci. There where also the heads of the clans Battle-Born and Gray-Mane, as well as Commander Caius and another man whom she didn't recognise – both of them wearing the garb of the city guard. Though she wasn't close enough yet to hear what exactly they were talking about, she could clearly hear the mix of anger and frustration in the Jarl's voice, as well as see the frown upon his face.

As she came closer, Proventus Avenicci spotted her and alerted the group to the Thane's presence, which brought the discussion to an abrupt stop. Because of all the attention that was now turned to the khajiit, she had no choice but to step before the throne as the men crowding it stepped apart to allow her to stand with them.

"Thane Ekali, I take it you've been to see the Greybeards," Jarl Balgruuf said in greeting, and Ekali ignored the discomfort of standing in front of so many people as she answered.

"Yes, my Jarl. I travelled to High Hrothgar and the Greybeards began my training and trial," she said and the Jarl nodded.

"I see. So you have not finished it yet, I take it," he said.

"No, Jarl Balgruuf. There is another task I have yet to complete before they will recognise me as the Dragonborn." He nodded as the rest watched.

"I see. Now, what are your business here in Dragonsreach?" he asked, and she squirmed slightly where she stood.

"I wish to buy a house here in Whiterun, and intended to speak with Avenicci about it," she said as the Jarl raised an eyebrow. He did not comment however, but turned to Avenicci.

"Very well, I'm sure we can make do without the steward for a little while." He gestured to Proventus, and the man inclined his head to the Jarl before turning to Ekali. He motioned for her to follow, then headed to the staircase to the upper levels. The Jarl resumed talking as they walked up the stairs.

“There is currently only one house for sale in the city. It’s called Breezehome, and is situated only a few houses away from the city gates.” When they reached the top, he headed past the map-table to a safe in the wall, talking as he unlocked it. “The price for the house is 5000 thalms, and for an extra fee you can buy several upgrades to the furniture. The house comes with only the bare essentials, and an extra bed for your housecarl.” Having removed some papers from the safe, he closed it again behind him, and the two of them went up to the table where he spread the papers out.

“What is the total cost of the upgrades?” she asked as he fetched a quill and a jar of ink.

“1800 thalms. These documents detail the exact contents of the furniture upgrades,” he said and pushed a couple of papers closer to her as he began to fill out another. “There is a possibility that you might be allowed to expand the house in the future, should you have need of another room.”

“Thank you, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” she said, looking down briefly.

“If you say so,” he answered, finally finished writing. He pushed a few papers across to her and pointed out some of the blank spaces with his finger. “If you could sign your name in these places.” She did so, and he took them back as she reached into her coin-pouch to pick out a sufficient amount to pay for the house and upgrades. Avenicci accepted the money, then signed his own name on the papers before handing her one of them, as well as a key. “This is the deed and key to the house, and the furniture will be delivered and installed sometime during the next week. You might want to tell Lydia of your purchase as well, so that she can move her belongings from the  barracks.” Ekali nodded at all that, accepting the paper and key, and then winced at the mention of the housecarl’s name.

“You wouldn’t know where I can find her?” she asked as he began to put the papers together in a pile, and took both them and the money to the safe where he locked them in.

“She should be eating lunch in the Great Hall by now, unless I’m mistaken.” Ekali nodded, and then the two of them left the map-table and headed down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Proventus Avenicci once again joined the Jarl and his council, and Ekali walked past them to the dining tables. Lydia, her housecarl, sat furthest away from the throne, taking out all of her frustrations on the steak on her plate. When her eyes wandered and fell upon the khajiit, they narrowed, and she let go of the cutlery in her hands to get to her feet. The Nord was several feet taller than Ekali, as well as furious, but she ignored the impulse to cower and stood straight as she came to a stop before the housecarl.

“My Thane,” the Nord greeted her stiffly.

“Lydia,” Ekali said, just as rigidly. She took a deep breath as she thought of how to continue. “I just bought Breezehome down in the city, so you may move your belongings there when you have the time.”

“Very well. When will we be leaving Whiterun?” the Nord asked, taking a deep breath of her own and doing a visible effort at calming down.

“I will be leaving as soon as I have stopped by the house and the market. You will stay in Whiterun and take care of the house, hunt or spar with the soldiers. Whatever you like.” The Nord’s eyes narrowed as the khajiit spoke.

“It is my duty to protect you, not be your housewife,” the housecarl snarled in answer, and the khajiit’s eyes narrowed in return.

“It is your duty to follow my orders.”

“And how do you expect me to do that if you’re killed in battle?”

“I am more than competent enough to take care of myself, and I never go to battle alone.”

“A wolf is of little use in a real fight,” the nord woman sneered, and Ekali’s face tightened dangerously as her lips drew back from her teeth.

“And who are you to be the judge of that?” the khajiit snarled. “You may do with your time as you wish, but you are not joining me on my next journey. That’s an order,” she snapped before pushing past the housecarl and striding stiffly through the hall to the door. Despite the low volume of their argument, several of the guards had overheard it, and they where standing nearby, watching silently when the khajiit finally lost her temper and left Dragonsreach. As the door slammed shut behind her, the housecarl uncurled her fists and sat down in her chair again, anger barely restrained. She looked at her meal for a moment before finally pushing it aside and rising to her feet, having lost her appetite.

<-><-><->

Their feet found the bridge outside Riverwood around noon of the following day, and Ekali’s eyes swept over the small settlement. It only contained a general goods store, a smithy, a mill, an inn, barracks and six commoners houses, but the streets were full of people all the same. Sitting exactly where travellers from Falkreath, Helgen and Cyrodiil had to travel to get to Whiterun, it had become a flourishing traders community.

The Sleeping Giant inn lay in the middle of settlement, just by the main road and facing the river. It was where travellers spent the night and locals winded down after a long day at work. She’d already been there once, when joining Ralof for a drink after they’d escaped from Helgen. Before all of the dragon business. Now, it was her goal for the trip, and Ekali pondered it as she stepped up the short stairs to the door. A man sat on the bench next to it, face turned to the sun with closed eyes. He opened them when he heard her footsteps, and she nodded in greeting before stepping through the door.

The establishment was sparsely populated in the morning, merely holding a few patrons who were eating breakfast and the owner - a female Breton - who was leaning against a wall further in. She straightened up when she felt the khajiit’s eyes on her, and turned so that she could face the other woman.

“Can I get you anything?” the Breton asked when Ekali came closer, and she nodded as Gladio came to a stop behind her.

“Yes, I’d like to rent the attic room,” she said, at which the other woman frowned.

“Attic room, eh? We don’t have an attic room, but you may take number three. It’s down that corridor,” the Breton said, and Ekali sighed as she picked the necessary amount of thalms out of her pouch and accepted the key from the woman. Then Ekali followed the other woman’s instructions, soon reaching the small room where she was supposed to stay. When she’d unlocked the door, she and the wolf headed inside, and she placed her pack upon the bed before sitting down herself. Having received no instructions about what to do once she arrived, the khajiit took out a book and began to read. Since there wasn’t an attic room for hire, she could only assume that it was some kind of message, and she hoped that it wouldn’t take too long until she found out exactly who’d left the note.

<-><-><->

It was late in the evening when footsteps approached and stopped just outside Ekali’s door, then someone knocked on it just loud enough for the sound to reach her ears before the door was opened from outside and a woman stepped inside. It wasn’t until she stepped into the light thrown by the candle on the side table that Ekali could see the features of the Breton, the owner of the inn whom had previously rented her the room.

“So you’re the Dragonborn I’ve been hearing so much about. I think you’re looking for this,” Delphine said as she took her hand out from behind her back and held out the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller for the khajiit to take. Ekali’s ears slowly tilted backwards as she accepted the item and placed it on the bed, but the other woman didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. “We need to talk, but we can’t do it up here. Follow me.” With that, the Breton turned swiftly and left the room, heading down the corridor to the common area in which the female khajiit had dined earlier.

Gladio followed Ekali with his eyes when she stood up and made to follow her, but she motioned for him to stay before she grabbed the sheath containing her short-sword and slipped out through the door; quickly locking it before hurrying after the other woman. When she reached the common room, she found it empty of people except for Delphine where she stood by a door on the other side of the room. As soon as her eyes fell on the khajiit, the breton opened the door and stepped through, leaving it open behind her for the woman who followed only a few moments later.

“Close the door, then we can talk,” the Breton uttered as soon as Ekali had gotten through the door, and when the khajiit turned back towards the human woman she was stepping into a cupboard as a noise sounded as if though from a sliding door. Following after the blonde woman, the khajiit found herself in a small room with shelves, weapon racks and chests lining the walls. Plenty of potions and weapons could be seen, and in the middle there was a table with writing utensils and a map of Skyrim.

“The Greybeards seem to think you’re the Dragonborn. I hope they’re right.” Delphine walked around the table and leaned forward with her hands serving as supports on the table as the woman spoke, and Ekali’s ears flickered lightly in return.

“So you’re the one who took the horn,” she merely said in answer, and the innkeeper raised an eyebrow.

“Surprised? I guess I’m getting pretty good at my harmless innkeeper act,” she said, a small smile almost breaking through the cold exterior, but it was pushed down quickly.

“Well, here I am. What’s with all the cloak and dagger?” Ekali asked as she stepped up in front of the table, eyes firmly on the other woman.

“You can’t be too careful. Thalmor spies are everywhere, I wasn’t going to put my life on the line if there was a risk that you’re with them,” Delphine said with a roll of her eyes.

“What do you want with me?” Ekali asked, ignoring the other woman's’ reaction, still slightly vary in her presence.

“I didn’t go to all this trouble on a whim. I needed to make sure it wasn’t a Thalmor trap. I’m not your enemy. I already gave you the horn. I’m actually trying to help you. I just need you to hear me out.” The Breton sounded slightly exasperated as she attempted to explain herself, and Ekali nodded.

“Go on. I’m listening.”

“Like I said in my note, I’ve heard that you might be Dragonborn. I’m part of a group that’s been looking for you... well, someone like you, for a very long time. If you really are Dragonborn, that is. Before I tell you any more, I need to make sure I can trust you.”

“How do I know I can trust you?” Ekali asked as she narrowed her eyes at the Breton, prompting a huff of laughter to issue from the others’ mouth.

“If you don’t trust me, you were a fool to walk in here in the first place,” she said, only her eyes betraying her amusement at the khajiit’s comment.

“I might trust that you do not intend to kill me, but that doesn’t mean that I will follow you blindly into danger,” Ekali hissed out, and Delphine sighed.

“Fair enough. Any questions then?”

“Why did you take the horn from Ustengrav?” Ekali asked.

“I knew the Greybeards would send you there if they thought you were the Dragonborn. They’re nothing if not predictable. When you showed up there, I knew you were the one the Greybeards sent, and not some Thalmor plant.”

“Why are you looking for a Dragonborn?”

“We remember what most don’t - that the Dragonborn is the ultimate dragon-slayer. You’re the only one that can kill a dragon permanently by devouring its soul. Can you do it? Can you devour a dragon’s soul?” Ekali’s stomach churned at the woman's’ choice of words, though she knew better that most how true it was.

“Yes, that’s how I first learned I was Dragonborn.”

“Good. And you’ll have a chance to prove it to me soon enough.” Delphine nodded slightly to herself, eyes flickering down to sweep over the map before looking back at the khajiit.

“So what’s the part you’re not telling me?” Ekali asked with a frown as she too looked down at the map briefly. Delphine sighed, and when Ekali’s eyes met hers again the Breton bit her lip briefly before answering.

“Dragons aren’t just coming back, they’re coming back to life. They weren’t gone somewhere all these years. They were dead, killed off centuries ago by my predecessors. Now something’s happening to bring them back to life. And I need you to help me stop it,” Delphine said and the khajiit blinked in surprise. Mirmulnir and Feynahkril had mentioned nothing of the sort.

“What makes you think dragons are coming back to life?” Ekali asked.

“I know they are. I’ve visited their ancient burial mounds and found them empty. And I’ve figured out where the next one will come back to life. We’re going to go there, and you’re going to kill that dragon. If we succeed, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

“So where are we headed exactly?”

“Kynesgrove. There’s an ancient dragon burial near there. If we can get there before it happens, maybe we’ll learn how to stop it.” Delphine stepped back from the table once she’d finished speaking.

“Very well. However, I need to visit the Greybeards before I go there, and I’m not leaving until the morning,” Ekali said as she followed the other woman with her eyes.

“As you wish. Then I’ll leave for Kynesgrove the day after tomorrow and meet you there,” Delphine said as she interrupted her walk towards one of the chests and instead headed towards the stairs.

Fair dues...Brilliant, as ever... ...

I loved that bit with Prentis...The way you had Ekali buy the house and then furnish/upgrade it straight out was brilliantly done...

She's a bit spiky with Lydia, in't she?... ...I forget (I apologise ) did they have a run-in earlier?...Must go back and look...Lazy get aren't I?... ...

Aaamywho...The description of Riverwood was excellent, and I loved that whole thing with Delphine...

Nice to have another section...Always love it when they're here...

Keep going, brilliant stuff...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...