InsaneJournal

PREVIOUSLY: Ysmir finds Esbern in the Ratways and fends off a horde of Thalmor Justiciars in the process of recovering him from the Ratway Warrens.

---

The Rift was easily one of Ysmir's favorite places to pass through. Most of the danger was simply just the wildlife and the occasional band of thugs, but Ysmir relaxed back in his seat and let Sigaar drive the carriage as Esbern admired their surroundings.

"Sigaar, would you mind taking us through the back way to Whiterun, past Darkwater?" Ysmir asked. "I need to stop at Whiterun to check on my housecarl before my friend and I make way for Riverwood."

Sigaar didn't say anything at first, but nodded his head to agree with Ysmir's request. "Aye, lad, we can do that. The roads might get a little rough on the way there and it may take a little longer but I'll take the route by the White River once we get to that point and drop you off by Whiterun's stable."

"That's not a problem," Ysmir replied casually, sitting back in his seat. He didn't really say much for most of the ride to Riften, he was tired and needed a moment to rest, anyway.

When Sigaar dropped the pair of men off in Whiterun, they exited the carriage and Sigaar took off back towards the Rift. "We'll walk to Riverwood from here, Esbern. But first, let's go into the city. My house is just inside."

"Very well, lad. I'm not in any rush, it's been a while since I've seen anything above ground. It's quite beautiful out here," the old man said, looking out over the nearby plains.

Ysmir's lips twitched into a brief smile and he lead Esbern past the guards and into the city. While Whiterun's doors were still technically closed, the Thane was allowed to come and go as he pleased with his company in tow.

Breezehome was just a few steps away from the main gate and Ysmir unlocked the doors, inviting Esbern inside before closing it after them. Etienne was sitting by the fire pit reading a book when Ysmir and Esbern entered and looked up to wave at them.

"Hello, Etienne, glad to see you're doing better. Is Lydia upstairs or has she gone to see Jarl Balgruuf up at Dragonsreach?" Ysmir greeted him.

"She's up at Dragonsreach, she's fine," he said, marking his page and setting his book down on the table. "Who's your friend?"

"His name's Esbern, we're going to Riverwood together. I don't know where else from that point," Ysmir explained. "First I just have to drop some things off here, lighten my pack. Lay low here for just a little longer, Etienne. I think the Cistern is safe again but I don't want to take any chances, there were some Thalmor agents down there looking for my friend here. When I come back next, I will personally escort you back to the Cistern, Brynjolf will literally kill me if you don't come back in one piece."

"What, you don't think I can take care of myself?" Etienne teased his Guildmaster. "It's alright, Ysmir. I'll wait here patiently until you come back for me. I wouldn't want to be on Bryn's bad side, either."

"Well, I know you can take care of yourself," Ysmir chuckled. "I just would feel better if I saw you walking into the Cistern with my own two eyes before letting you go. Lydia will keep you safe until then, Whiterun is a good city so you should be safe here. The Thalmor never come here, anyway. You know how they like to leave their stench everywhere they go."

"Fair point," Etienne snorted. Ysmir finally went upstairs and stashed everything he didn't immediately need in his house chest- he would come back later to sell off anything he didn't want or need. Descending the steps again, Ysmir joined back up with Esbern and wove goodbye to Etienne. "Tell Lydia I stopped by, I'll be back later, maybe a few days. I don't know."

"Yessir," Etienne replied, going back into his reading once they were gone.

"You have a nice home, Dragonborn," Esbern said, following him out of the city.

"Thank you, Esbern, it was the first home I ever bought here in Skyrim. That being said, I rarely stay overnight there now that I actually have it. I just needed a place to store things at and I didn't want to use Jorrvaskr so I have this place. I'm sure Etienne's been putting my bed to good use."

"Who is he, anyway?" Esbern asked as they walked out and through the corridors of Whiterun's battlements.

"He's one of my men from the Thieves Guild," he explained. "I'm the new Guildmaster, have been for a while now. I imagined something happened to him when he didn't come back to the Cistern after a few days but I didn't expect he was locked up with the Thalmor. Silly bastard is lucky that I found him when I was at the Embassy or he'd have been dead already, they weren't feeding him much of anything except lightning down there."

"I'm sure he's happy to be out of there, then..." Esbern said. They continued walking down the pathway and took a left turn before walking down past Honningbrew and to the forked road before turning right. After what seemed like ten or so minutes of walking and chatting, they finally arrived at the bridge that took them to Riverwood. "There it is, Esbern. As soon as we cross that bridge, we'll be at the Sleeping Giant Inn and Delphine will be right inside."

"It's been so long, I can't believe she's stayed here all this time," Esbern commented, walking forward with the Dragonborn. "How is she?? You've talked to her more than I have in the recent years."

"I mean, she's fine. She's really missed you," he said with a shrug. "She was kind of surprised to see I was the Dragonborn; we'd met once before I knew, I just didn't recognize her at first, but she recognized me."

"When did you know you were Dragonborn?" Esbern asked as they crossed the bridge. "How did you find out?"

"It's been almost a year, now. I'd crossed the border into Skyrim from Cyrodiil. Got caught up in an Imperial ambush meant for Ulfric Stormcloak so they hauled me off to Helgen with Ulfric and his other men. I guess they had a list that I wasn't on," Ysmir said.

"Ah, Ulfric is still alive then?" Esbern asked. "Or... did they execute him?"

Ysmir shook his head to the latter question. "No, he's still alive. Alduin appeared at Helgen just before the axeman could lop my head off - I was second in line. Sent the whole place into chaos. As soon as I escaped there with the help of my new Legion friend, his uncle here sent me off to Whiterun to talk to the Jarl about the dragon. Ended up doing a favor for the court wizard and came back from the Barrow with that Dragonstone Delphine wanted. As soon as I returned, there'd been a dragon sighting at the western watchtower. We went out, slayed the beast, and that's when I learned what I was. Then the Greybeards summoned me, so I went up to talk to them at High Hrothgar."

Now they'd crossed the bridge and the inn laid just inside the wooden entrance of Riverwood. Ysmir opened the door up the stairs and went in first, holding the door open for Esbern. Delphine was sweeping the floors when the door opened and she looked over, setting the broom aside. "Esbern!"

She wasted no time crossing the room and drawing her friend into a tight hug while Ysmir stood in the background, waiting for them to finish.

"Delphine! I... it's good to see you. It's been... a long time," Esbern said, hugging her back.

"It's good to see you, too, Esbern. It's been too long, old friend. Too long," Delphine said, pulling back so she could rest her hands on his shoulders. "Well, then. You made it, safe and sound. Good. Come on. I have a place where we can talk. Orgnar, hold down the bar for a minute, will you?"

Orgnar nodded at Delphine from behind the bar and went back to wiping down the cups. Ysmir trailed off after Delphine and Esbern as they went downstairs to the cellar.

"Now then. I assume you know about..." Delphine started, leaning against her table.

"Oh, yes! Dragonborn!" Esbern blurted. "Indeed, yes. This changes everything, of course. There's no time to lose. We must locate...let me show you. I know I had it here, somewhere..."

"Esbern, what..."

"Give me...just a moment...," he said, digging through his pack before setting a book on the table. "Ah! Here it is. Come, let me show you. You see, right here. Sky Haven Temple, constructed around one of the main Akaviri military camps in the Reach, during their conquest of Skyrim!"

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Delphine asked Ysmir, glancing at him before looking back to Esbern.

"Shh!" Esbern hissed. "This is where they built Alduin's Wall, to set down in stone all their accumulated dragonlore. A hedge against the forgetfulness of centuries. A wise and foresighted policy, in the event. Despite the far-reaching fame of Alduin's Wall at the time -- one of the wonders of the ancient world -- its location was lost."

"Esbern. What are you getting at?" Delphine asked, crossing her arms.

"You mean...you don't mean to say you haven't heard of Alduin's Wall? Either of you?"

Ysmir shook his head. "I've never heard of Alduin's Wall but... my housecarl gave me this book, "The Book of the Dragonborn", and it mentioned a prophecy about Alduin and the Dragonborn."

"Let's pretend we haven't," Delphine interjected. "What's Alduin's Wall and what does it have to do with stopping the dragons?"

"Alduin's Wall was where the ancient Blades recorded all they knew of Alduin and his return," Esbern explained. "Part history, part prophecy. Its location has been lost for centuries, but I've found it again. Not lost, you see, just forgotten. The Blades archives held so many secrets...I was only able to save a few scraps..."

"So you think that Alduin's Wall will tell us how to defeat Alduin?" Delphine replied, leaning back against the table again.

"Well, yes, but...there's no guarantee, of course..."

"Sky Haven Temple it is, then. I knew you'd have something for us, Esbern. I know the area of the Reach that Esbern's talking about," Delphine decided before glancing over at Ysmir. "Near what's now known as Karthspire, the Karth River canyon. We can meet you there, or all travel together, your call."

"Let's all travel together," Ysmir said. "I told my friend in Whiterun to wait there for me until I can take him back to Riften myself. Are you ready to go?"

"Always, and that's fine. I'll gather the things I need and we can set off."

Ysmir nodded and allowed Esbern and Delphine to recollect their belongings and the trio went back upstairs.

"Orgnar, this is it," Delphine announced. "The inn is yours. I'm probably never coming back here."

The nord snorted and nodded. "Well now, that's something to think about."

"Take care of yourself, Orgnar. Goodbye."

"Yeah, sure... you too, Delphine. You be safe."

The trio at last left Riverwood and took off towards the crossroads that lead back to Helgen, but they instead took the roads by Falkreath, west and then north until they reached the road that twisted behind Whiterun.

"It's another dragon mound," Ysmir pointed out, looking over the hill ahead of them. There was a stone structure with a concaved mound laid into the ground. "Alduin resurrected a dragon here, it's empty. I just wonder which dragon it is."

"Well, that mound there is the Great Henge," Esbern pointed out. "That burial mound used to be the resting place of a dragon named Vuljotnaak. He was slain back in the First Era."

"Well let's hope wherever he is, he's not on his way back here to delay our travels," Ysmir said. "Let's get moving, I want to get to the Reach."

The trio moved on down the road, following the road signs to Karthwasten until they came across a double bridge.

"This is it," said Delphine, taking a drink of water from her canteen. "The Karthspire is just up this way across those bridges there. Be prepared, there's quite a lot of them prowling that I can see."

"How do you want to go about killing them all? They aren't going to let us pass peacefully, I'm sure of that," Ysmir said. "I'll take as many as I can and I've got my Voice to help if we get into a pinch."

"You do whatever you want, Dragonborn," Esbern said. "I will conjure up some extra help for us to keep them distracted."

The three of them crept forward and Ysmir pulled out his bow once he was sure he'd found a good spot to hide. He wanted to take down as many as possible, as quick as possible. Delphine and Esbern continued on ahead of him, drawing the hordes of Forsworn to themselves. Ysmir started his own barrage, aiming for the few sentries patrolling the boardwalks over the river. Some of them fell over from the impact, but some of them narrowly dodged his arrows and started running towards his hiding spot. Ysmir put his bow back in its resting spot and drew his sword, shooting a fireball at the closest attacker, watching as their body was engulfed in flames.

One by one, the trio picked off every single Forsworn that infested the Karthspire and the floor was littered with their bodies. Delphine had sustained a few injuries in the skirmish - a few gashes on her arm and some bloodied scratches decorated her face. She had a cut lip and her hair had loosened from its tie, leaving a few wispy locks stuck in the blood smeared on her face. Esbern was looking her over and healed over all her wounds before tending to his own, and they finally entered the cave now that it'd been cleared of its hostile inhabitants.

"Is everyone alright?" Ysmir asked as he followed them.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A few little cuts here and there but I'll be fine," Delphine said as they approached a large, open grotto. "This looks promising."

"Yes. Definitely early Akaviri stonework here," Esbern commented, leaning in to get a better look at the small pillars before them. Their way forward was blocked by another flat stone panel that was pushed up on the other side of the path before them.

"We've got to get this bridge down," Delphine said. "These pillars must have something to do with it."

"Yes, these are Akaviri symbols," Esbern replied to Delphine, looking also at Ysmir. "Let's see...you have the symbol for "King"...and "Warrior"...and of course the symbol for "Dragonborn." That's the one that appears to have a sort of arrow shape pointing downward at the bottom."

"I've never understood why they make these puzzles so easy," Ysmir chuckled as he pushed the pillars around into place. "Then again, I've seen bandits get gunned down by poison darts because they couldn't resist pulling the lever in a puzzle room."

"I suppose they don't think the traps might still work," Esbern reasoned. "Some of these barrows have been abandoned for a millennia, you'd think the traps would lose their function or the severity of their danger over time."

"Whatever you did, it worked," Delphine urged them. "Let's see what those old Blades left in our way."

They continued on over the bridge and were lead to another room full of pressure plates on the floor. Most of them were carved with the same symbol but there was a distinct line going across the room that had the same symbol that had allowed them to cross the bridge over. Ysmir wasted no time going across the good tiles and pulling the chain that disabled the other pressure plates. He could hear the bridge he'd seen from across the room lowering and it made a large echo through the chamber as it fell into place.

"Yes, yes! I think we must be close to the entrance," Ysmir heard Esbern exclaim.

The bridge lead them all up into a large, dark chamber. The entrance to the temple was locked shut with a large sculpture of a face, and a circle was crafted into the ground before them.

Esbern was awestruck by everything. "Wonderful! Remarkably well-preserved, too. Ah...here's the "blood seal." Another of the lost Akaviri arts," he marveled before looking at Ysmir. "No doubt triggered by...well, blood. Your blood, Dragonborn."

"Esbern's probably right," Delphine added. "Try using your blood on the carved seal on the floor."

Ysmir grabbed his dagger from his belt, getting ready to slice his palm. He wasn't sure exactly how much blood this damn thing would need- would a single drop be enough to activate the seal, or would he need a little more than that?

"Look here! You see how the ancient Blades revered Reman Cyrodiil," Esbern continued. "This whole place appears to be a shrine to Reman. He ended the Akaviri invasion under mysterious circumstances, you recall. After the so-called "battle" of Pale Pass, the Akaviri went into his service. This was the foundation stone of the Second Empire."

Ysmir finally relented and drug his blade across his palm, wincing at the sudden sting erupting in his hand. He allowed a few drops of his blood to fall onto the seal before healing the cut over and shaking his hand off. "Too bad it didn't tell us how much we actually needed. I probably could have just pricked my finger instead of adding another scar to my collection."

The seal started lighting up and an orb of white light settled in the middle before the large stone face finally withdrew, revealing a staircase up into the temple.

"That's done it!" Delphine laughed. "Look, it's coming to life! You did it! There's the entrance. After you, Dragonborn. You should have the honor of being the first to set foot in Sky Haven Temple."

Ysmir ascended the staircase step-by-step. The corridor was dark and his hand felt along the wall beside him to guide his way up. Opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of it- Alduin's Wall. There was a small amount of sunlight pouring into the chamber from the ceiling, but Esbern and Delphine added to the light inside by setting fire to the nearby sconces set next to the wall.

Esbern was beside himself at the display, babbling in excitement about the Akaviri and their craftsmanship. "Fascinating! Original Akaviri bas-reliefs...almost entirely intact! Amazing...you can see how the Akaviri craftsmen were beginning to embrace the more flowing Nordic style..."

"We're here for Alduin's Wall, right, Esbern?" Delphine reminded him, trying her best to not smile at the old man.

"Yes, yes... Let's see what we have... Look, here is Alduin! This panel goes back to the beginning of time, when Alduin and the Dragon Cult ruled over Skyrim," he started to explain, showing them the left side of the wall that depicted a large dragon breathing fire. "Here, the humans rebel against their dragon overlords -- the legendary Dragon War. Alduin's defeat is the centerpiece of the Wall. You see, here he is falling from the sky. The Nord Tongues -- masters of the Voice -- are arrayed against him."

The center of the wall showed Alduin with his wings pointed skyward and there was a robed man standing underneath with his arms outstretched, his mouth wide open as if he were chanting. Alduin's Wall was admittedly some of the best art he'd seen, and now the prophecy he'd read about seemed so much clearer. "So this over here... that's a gate to Oblivion. From the third era," he said, pointing to a Daedric symbol. He pointed next to what looked like a broken staff. "And this here, this is the Staff of Chaos. When misrule takes its shape at the eight corners of the world."

"Yes, yes, very good, Dragonborn," Esbern praised him before pointing to a volcano billowing smoke. "And that right there, that's the Red Mountain in Morrowind. When the Red Tower trembles... Right next to that on the left is Numidium, the "Brass Tower". It created a Dragon Break, hence the Time reshaped from the prophecy."

"And that's me... or, the Last Dragonborn, at least," Ysmir said, pointing to the figure brandishing a shield. "There's wisps coming from the mouth to represent my Thu'um."

"So, does it show how they defeated him? Isn't that why we're here?" Delphine asked.

"Patience, my dear," Esbern chided. "The Akaviri were not a straightforward people. Everything is couched in allegory and mythic symbolism. Yes, Dragonborn. This here, coming from the mouths of Nord heroes -- this is the Akaviri symbol for "Shout." But...there's no way to know what Shout is meant."

"You mean they used a Shout to defeat Alduin? You're sure?" Delphine questioned him, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," Esbern contemplated out loud. "Presumably something rather specific to dragons, or even Alduin himself. Remember, this is where they recorded all they knew of Alduin and his return."

"So we're looking for a Shout, then. Damn it," Delphine complained before turning to Ysmir. "Have you ever heard of such a thing? A Shout that can knock a dragon out of the sky?"

"I imagine the Greybeards would know," Ysmir pondered. Delphine scoffed as soon as the words came out of his mouth. "What on Nirn do you have against the Greybeards, anyway?"

"If they had their way, you'd do nothing but sit up on their mountain with them and talk to the sky, or whatever it is they do," Delphine sneered. Ysmir knew that wasn't true, they actually encouraged him to use his powers, it was his birthright as the Dragonborn. "The Greybeards are so afraid of power they won't use it. Think about it. Have they tried to stop the civil war, or done anything about Alduin? No. And they're afraid of you, of your power. Trust me, there's no need to be afraid. Think of Tiber Septim. Do you think he'd have founded the Empire if he'd listened to the Greybeards?"

"The Greybeards have a point. Power can be dangerous," he replied. He didn't really want to argue with Delphine about it.

"Only if you don't know how to use it," she argued. "All the great heroes have had to learn to use their power. Those that shrank from their destiny...well, you've never heard of them, have you? And there are the villains -- those that misused their power. There's always a choice, and there's always a risk. But if you live in fear of what might go wrong, you'll end up doing nothing. Like the Greybeards up on their mountain."

"Mhm. Whatever you say, Delphine. I'm going to go talk to Master Arngeir about this Shout."

"Right," she sighed. "Good thing they've already let you into their little cult. Not likely they'd help Esbern or me if we came calling. We'll look around Sky Haven Temple and see what else the old Blades might have left for us. It's a better hideout than we could have hoped for. Talos guard you."

"Just because you don't like them, Delphine, doesn't make them a cult," Ysmir chastised with a humorless laugh. "You're really being ridiculous. I'm leaving now, you and Esbern have fun catching up. I'll return when I have more answers for us all."

"Travel safe, Dragonborn," Esbern said, turning away from the wall. "We will be here when you return."