InsaneJournal

PREVIOUSLY: Andrel (now, Ysmir) found the horn, but not in the tomb itself. He has now been officially recognized as the Dragonborn by the Greybeards, but the innkeeper Delphine still has her doubts.

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Andrel had plenty of time to think about what Master Arngeir said on his way back to Whiterun. He was still fuming about what the innkeeper had said to him, but he was lying to himself if he wasn't a bit curious about what she had to say about him.

He didn't imagine she'd be too thrilled to see him again, especially after the way he'd left her the last time they'd spoken. He hadn't forgotten that she'd somehow managed to infiltrate the Barrow without having to go through the trials the way he and Lydia had – he was still perplexed. If she was able to get to the Horn without being Dragonborn, she had to have skills or resources he didn't know about.

When he arrived back to Whiterun, he made a beeline for Breezehome. He was tired of travelling the last few days and needed time to rest. Setting his pack down on the chair inside his doorway, he heard Lydia coming downstairs.

"Welcome back home," she greeted. "I'm assuming something big happened, we could hear the rumbling in the mountains from here."

"The Greybeards have the Horn again. They've formally recognized me as the Dragonborn," he replied, settling into the chair next to his firepit. Lydia took the other chair and he uncorked a bottle of mead, taking a long drink before setting it on the small table between them.

"Who had the horn, then?" she asked, leaning back into her chair. He swallowed back the honeywine and set the bottle down.

"The innkeeper of Riverwood," he sighed. "She doesn't think I'm actually the Dragonborn. I left her after I got the horn back, but she's still got more to say to me, provided I haven't mugged her off."

"And what of the Greybeards?"

"They called me Ysmir, the Dragon of the North," he said, his eyes drifting over to his housecarl. "Said I could probably get away with using it from here, on."

"It has a nice ring to it," she said. "I doubt anybody in Whiterun will question you, especially not the Jarl or the town guards. Other places, you'll have to convince them it's not just for show. Crazy as it sounds, even Ulfric in Windhelm would probably respect your claim."

"Ulfric is many things, from what I've gathered, but certainly not a pretender," he yawned. "I know he studied with the Greybeards, but he's not Dragonborn and he only knows that one Shout. I've learned or mastered at least ten in the last half year; he'd still be struggling on his second."

"Well, you have my support," Lydia assured him, patting his shoulder. "What do you plan on doing, next?"

"I need a few days to rest. Restock on supplies, craft some more arrows, do some more research," he said. "For now, let's just enjoy some idle time. I need it."

The next few days were a welcome reprieve. He had time to think, write in his journal, and gather more supplies before he finally decided to check in with the innkeeper, again. He hadn't even managed to catch her name before he stormed out.

Riverwood wasn't that far away, but he chose to bring Allie with him. Coaxing her into a run, he made it to Riverwood in half the time. Dismounting, he tied Allie off and went back inside the Sleeping Giant. The innkeeper was in there, sweeping the floor when she looked up to see him. They didn't even need to say anything to each other - she knew why he was here and she put the broom back to its resting place before disappearing back to the basement room.

The Dragonborn followed her downstairs and she turned to him, leaning on the table in the middle of the room. "I knew you'd be back," she said. "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."

One side of his mouth curled into a smirk, but there was no warmth behind it. "You haven't given me much reason to trust you, either... I'm sure you can understand why I was so angry when I left. I put a lot of effort into getting that horn. Whether it was more than... whatever you did... I can't say or know for sure. So please, let's cut to the chase. What do you want and what are you not telling me?"

Delphine sighed, her head tipping forward before she looked back up at him. "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."

"Ah, yes... Because once a Dragon dies by the hand of another dragon or the Dragonborn, there's no coming back. It's over," he added. "Yes, I'm aware of that. The dragons that are coming back weren't killed by someone like me. They were killed by... well. People like you. When they died, their souls weren't absorbed. How did you figure all this out?"

"You remember that Dragonstone you went and got for Farengar? There's a reason he sent you for that, he was trying to get it for me," she said, her grin growing. "I was the one that complimented you on your handiwork. I didn't think we'd be meeting each other, again. I knew the Dragonborn had come but I didn't know who. I did know the Greybeards would send for that Horn of yours, though."

"I do remember, yes... So this Dragonstone, what is it?" he asked, scratching the stubble on his chin.

"It's a burial map," she explained. "I've visited some of the sites on that map and found the burial mounds empty. There's a pattern, and I know where the next dragon is going to be raised. You're going to come with me and kill it. Then I'll see if you're really this 'Dragon-Born' everyone's been talking about."

This woman was exhausting, but he exhaled a sigh. "Alright. Where is it?"

"It's in Kynesgrove. A small settlement near Windhelm. We need to hurry if we're going to catch it in action, though. Give me a moment to gear up and we'll be off. The name is Delphine, by the way. I don't believe you got it the last time we saw each other."

"No, I didn't. And my name is Ysmir," he said. "Or at least, it is now. You can call me that or if you're still keen on not recognizing me as the Dragonborn, I'm the Harbinger of the Companions and the Thane of Whiterun."

"Very well then, Thane," she said. "I'll be up when I'm ready."

Ysmir turned and went back upstairs, waiting in the commons of the small inn. A few minutes later, Delphine resurfaced, dressed in a full set of leather armor.

Outside, he mounted Alfsigr again and Delphine mounted a horse of her own. They took off back towards Whiterun, turning east at the White River. The horses were faster than anything they ran into, so minimal fighting was had. They needed to save their energy for the fight that was coming.

When they arrived in Kynesgrove, the sky was dark and cloudy, the wind whipping at their faces. Tying off their horses, they hurried up the hill. The villagers tried to warn them against going up there, but they pushed forward, anyway.

Hovering above a stone mound in the ground was Alduin. Ysmir could tell it was the same dragon he'd seen in Helgen. The mound below was cracking, and Alduin was speaking in Dovahzul, now.

Sahloknir! Ziil gro dovah ulse!

It was almost impossible to see anything with how hard the wind was blowing. The situation was getting dangerous fast, and they had to work to make sure this dragon didn't manage to get away.

Sahloknir! Ziil gro dovah ulse!
Slen Tiid Vo!

"Watch out!" he warned Delphine. The mound burst open, and the once-lifeless dragon began to take shape. Flesh and sinews formed around the bones of the beast. Delphine started moving towards Sahloknir but Ysmir threw his arm in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "No, let him regenerate. We'd break our weapons on his bones."

They went and hid behind a rock, watching as Sahlokniir took form. Alduin was still hovering overhead, and Ysmir could feel his heart dropping in his chest. It had been some time since he first saw Alduin in Helgen, and he didn't want Kynesgrove's people to suffer the same fate. Now that Sahloknir was revived, he began to speak.

"Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?"

"Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir," Alduin responded before turning his head towards Ysmir and Delphine. "Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi... You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah."

Stepping up from behind the rock, Ysmir glared up at the hovering dragon. Alduin's red eyes were glowing, fixated on the Dragonborn. "I don't care what language you speak, worm. I will kill you."

Alduin seemed to snort, and ignored the Dragonborn's threat. "Sahloknir, krii daar joorre."

Alduin departed the burial mound, leaving Ysmir and Delphine to deal with Sahloknir, who vaulted himself into the air with one large flap of his wings. It wasn't all that surprising to Ysmir, how expendable these resurrected dragons seemed to be. Alduin liked to taunt him; he'd had so many chances to kill the Dragonborn but left his subordinate to do his dirty work.

Sahloknir looped overhead of them, and Delphine loosed an arrow at him as he stopped to hover in front of them. The arrow struck Sahloknir in his chest, and his head cocked back as if he were about to Shout. Ysmir moved in front of Delphine, countering with his own. His Shout sounded like a clap of thunder, and a wall of force moved into Sahloknir's face, cutting off his air supply for a moment. He knew that would only enrage Sahloknir further, and he shielded himself and Delphine from the oncoming fire with a warding spell.

As soon as Sahloknir's attack stopped, Ysmir retaliated with two fireballs, one hitting the dragon square in the chest while the other met with his outstretched wing, burning the sensitive skin that was keeping him afloat. "Delphine! Open fire on him and get his wings with your arrows if you can! The sooner we get him on the ground and crippled, the better!" he yelled back to her.

"Got it!" she responded, nocking an arrow in her string before loosing it at Sahloknir's left wing. Ysmir felt a twitch of cold in his hand and shot a large ice spike at his chest, trying again to sabotage Sahloknir's ability to Shout at them. The more pain he felt, the harder it'd be for him to stay up in the air. As he hoped, the spike struck Sahloknir in the chest, the impact stabbing him through his scales.

Shouting wasn't as simple as just saying a few words, even as the Dragonborn. The words themselves were simple to say, but there was imagery and metaphors behind their meaning, and that was the context that gave him his understanding.

Mortal weapons aside from magic didn't have much effect on dragons, but they still hurt and made the beasts bleed. His Voice would be a better help for both him and Delphine. He only knew two of the three words for fire breath: yol for 'fire', and toor for 'inferno'.

Heat in itself was destructive. One little ember could take down a tree if it had a chance, and the fire from that tree could destroy the whole forest. Fire was all-consuming but left unchecked, it was disastrous and devastating - an inferno.

YOL TOOR!

Sahloknir was bathed in a cloak of flames from the front, the heat singing his face and forcing him to close his eyes. Retreating from the attacks, Sahloknir flew off and circled overhead.

"Kren sosaal!" Sahloknir roared at them both. The three exchanged attacks for several minutes until Sahloknir could no longer keep himself in the air. By now, Ysmir had summoned at least two fire atronachs for extra help. With a large thud, Sahloknir collided with the earth. He pushed himself to stand again, panting and snarling.

Turning his body, his tail whipped out and caught Ysmir by his midsection, throwing him several feet away. He landed on the ground with a hard thump, the air knocked out of him. Coughing, he felt a searing pain near his lung, like he'd broken a rib from the impact. Delphine avoided Sahloknir's attack and continued to fire at him, keeping his wrath off of the Dragonborn.

Taking advantage of the moment, he used restoration magic to heal his wound before rushing again to Sahloknir's hind quarters, this time being sure to stay clear of his tail. There was a soft, fleshy patch of skin in the crook of Sahloknir's leg, and Ysmir drew his sword, sliding the sharp edge of the blade through the crease.

Blood poured from the wound, coating Ysmir's arm in a thick layer of crimson and the dragon roared in pain. Backing out, Ysmir circled around to Sahloknir's head and mustered every bit of strength he had left to shove his sword into the dragon's eye, the impact carrying him to his hilt.

Stumbling back, Ysmir watched as Sahloknir's body writhed in agony for several moments before he lost the ability or will to move. Ysmir's sword had pierced right into his brain, causing a massive internal hemorrhage. Sahloknir slumped to his other side and Ysmir climbed up on top of his head, pulling out his sword. Hopping back down, Sahloknir's heart had given out from blood loss and he expired, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Delphine was covered in blood from the times she'd slashed Sahloknir across the face. She had some injuries of her own from the fight, but she seemed to be alright, from what he could tell. Sahloknir's body began burning up, and his life force transferred to Ysmir. When the sensation faded away, Ysmir glanced over at her as he tried to push some of Sahloknir's blood off his arm and onto the ground.

"You... You really are Dragonborn," she murmured at him. "I'll be damned, you really did it. He's dead."

"I think you owe me some answers," he replied. He seemed tired, and he was catching his own breath. "Not here, though. We need to tell the villagers downhill that Sahloknir is dead, and won't be coming back."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know," she assured him. "Are you okay? You look like you took a pretty rough fall back there..."

"I'm fine. I healed myself while you were distracting him. I'm sore, but I'll recover," he sighed. His sword was coated in blood, and he pushed what he could off with his finger, careful to not cut himself on his own sword. Sheathing his weapon, he wiped his hand off on his shirt and started walking downhill, Delphine following him.

When they reached the bottom of the hill, Ysmir went inside the local inn. The civilians stared at him and Delphine as they entered. The woman who had warned them when they arrived was at the bar and covered her mouth. "By the Divines... you're alive. What about..." she asked, unable to finish her sentence.

"He's dead," he assured her. His voice raised to address the rest of the people. "The dragon is dead. He was being resurrected when we got up there, but my associate and I took him down. It's the end of his life, now and forever."

"But what if he's resurrected again?" the woman asked.

"He won't be. I am Dovahkiin," he explained. "His soul and power is part of mine, now. If you'll excuse my partner and I, we'd like to get ourselves cleaned up and tend to our wounds before we leave."

The woman nodded and went off to grab a bucket of fresh water for them. "Take this outside and wash yourselves off," she said, offering Delphine the bucket.

"Thank you," he said, nodding at the innkeeper as he opened the door. "You go first, Delphine. You're not as dirty as me."

Delphine grabbed a hold of the handle and followed Ysmir outside. There was a bench outside the door and she set it back down, cupping some water in her hand before covering her face and scrubbing the dried blood off her skin with her hands. Rinsing off her hands and forearms, she felt clean enough for now and let Ysmir do his own.

By the time they were done, the water was polluted with blood. Ysmir emptied the bucket in a place it wouldn't be a bother, then took it back inside. The innkeeper threw her arms around him, and he stiffened for a moment in surprise but relaxed and returned her embrace. She let him go after a few moments and gave his shoulder a gentle pat.

"Thank you so much for taking care of that dragon... we heard about what happened in Helgen and we were all terrified," she told him. She looked to be around the same age as his own mother back in Bruma. "We can't thank you enough for keeping us from suffering the same. We don't have much, but if you're ever in Kynesgrove, your room is free. My name is Iddra."

"I was in Helgen... Alduin is who attacked," he confessed. "I didn't know I was Dragonborn then. You don't know how much I wish I could have done something, but Alduin is extremely powerful. I don't think it would have made a difference, then."

"It's not your fault, please don't blame yourself," she insisted. "I can't imagine what you've had to go through since then, but we have faith in you. With the war going on and the Elves breathing down our necks, we haven't had faith for a while."

Exhausted as he was, the comment did make him smile a little. The people of Kynesgrove were a gracious folk, and he appreciated their gratitude. He and Delphine said their goodbyes and rode back to Riverwood, tying off their horses. When they got inside, Delphine looked out the door for just a moment and turned back to him. "Alright.. I don't think we were followed. Come on."

He followed Delphine back downstairs, leaning on the table. "So... who are you, and what do you want with me?"

"I'm one of the last members of the Blades," she confessed. "A very long time ago, the Blades were dragonslayers, and we served the Dragonborn, the greatest dragonslayer."

"Yes, I've heard of them... Go on."

"For the last two hundred years, since the last Dragonborn emperor, the Blades have been searching for a purpose. Now that dragons are coming back, our purpose is clear again. We need to stop them," she explained.

"Yes, we do... I can agree with you on that," he said. "What's our next move, then?"

"The first thing we need to do is figure out what's behind the dragons. The Thalmor are our best lead. If they aren't involved, they'll know who is," she said. His eyebrow rose at her, and he scratched his chin.

"What makes you think the Thalmor are responsible?" he asked.

"Nothing solid. Yet," she started. "But my gut tells me it can't be anybody else. The Empire had captured Ulfric. The war was basically over. Then a dragon attacks, Ulfric escapes, and the war is back on. And now the dragons are attacking everywhere, indiscriminately. Skyrim is weakened, the Empire is weakened. Who else gains from that but the Thalmor?"

While she had a point, he still wasn't on board with the whole idea. "What makes you think the Aldmeri Dominion have that kind of power, Delphine? Dragons have been gone for centuries, at this point. I don't know... this is a lot."

"Well... I had one idea to find out," she said, sitting on a nearby chest. "If we could get into the Thalmor Embassy... it's the center of their operations in Skyrim. Even if they aren't responsible, they might know something. Problem is, that place is locked up tighter than a miser's purse. They could teach me a few things about paranoia."

He chewed on his bottom lip and tilted his head. "Mhm... go on. What's this plan of yours?"

"I'm going to need some time to pull things together," she said. "Meet me back here in a couple days, and I'll tell you everything."

He exhaled, and nodded. "Very well then... I'll see you again in a couple days." Ysmir turned to go upstairs and rode back to Whiterun. Once he was back in his house, Lydia was there to welcome him.

"So... what happened?" she asked.

"I met again with the innkeeper. Remember when I came back to Whiterun with that Dragonstone for Farengar? This was just before that dragon attacked the western watchtower. It's been months, I know..." he explained.

"What about it?"

"Well, I guess it was actually a burial map. Listen, Lydia... You can't tell anybody what I'm telling you. The innkeeper's name is Delphine, and she's one of the last remaining Blades."

"You're kidding... really? And of course, my Thane. You can trust me."

"Yes, I know... and I'm serious," he said, taking a seat in his chair by the fire pit. "Farengar wanted that Dragonstone for Delphine. She took it back to Riverwood with her and she's been studying it. Dragons are being resurrected by Alduin, and she found where the next one would be revived. We went to Kynesgrove together and got there just as Alduin finished. He flew off, but we killed the dragon he brought back."

"Wow... Is everyone there okay?" she asked.

"Yes, thankfully..." he said. "They're all fine. None of the civilians there were hurt. Delphine wants me back in Riverwood in a couple days, she thinks she might have a lead on the dragons and why they're returning. Her sights are set on the Thalmor."

"Well, let's hope that it isn't a dead end," she said. "And please be safe... the Thalmor are ruthless. If they get a hold of you, they won't ever let you go."

"I'd bring you with me if I could, but I'm going to have to do this one alone, I think. Is the washbasin warm? I need to clean up, I'm still covered in dragon blood."