The Last Soulmate

12-Mind

I was sitting on what looked like a hammock with Alduin. We were entwined together, staring at the sky. What the hell? He can’t even stand me! 

“Alduin.” I spoke. I recognized it as my voice but accented. 

“What is it?” He asked me. 

“You should have taken me to fly with you” I snuggled closer to him. Ugh. It’d been a while since I dated. Maybe this is some hidden fantasy of mine. 

“Maybe, someday I will.” He spoke, leaning in for a kiss. Suddenly, everything was dark and I was alone in a void. 

“Oh, he has a thing for brunettes.” It was a voice similar but not quite to mine. She was wearing an eerie mask. It was the woman from the fight. 

“You again…who are you?” I ask her. 

“I am quite curious about that.” A voice says. It’s deep, sultry, and accented, similar to the one in the first part of the dream. 

“What are you doing here in my head?” I ask them. 

“You think it’s her again?” The woman asked him. My stomach churns as I take in details of the masked man’s form. He’s wearing greenish brown robes with gold accents and a strange mask. 

“Possibly. But it’s not like she wanted me anyhow. Alduin was far more to her taste.” He has an extremely bitter tone. 

“Who are you talking about?” I ask. “And what are you doing in my head?” 

“That’s for us to find out. Now, go to sleep, Aemma.” She casts some kind of magic. I’m choking and gasping for breath. I try to shout but I can’t. Everything turns dark. 

I wake up in my own bed, relatively unharmed. Except when I turned my lamp on, there were red hand marks on my neck. I walk outside of my room and grab the emergency cigarettes from the fake fruit basket. I head outside and take a deep breath before lighting a cigarette. 

“Couldn’t sleep either, could you?” I almost dropped the lit cigarette and the lighter. I whip my head towards the direction of the voice. It was Alduin, sitting on a porch chair and reading a book from Serana’s collection with his legs propped up on the table. 

“Damn, you could have warned me.” I hiss and continue to attempt to light my cigarette. I throw the lighter off the balcony in frustration. 

“You’re upset. Why?” He asked, sitting down like a normal human being. 

“None of your fucking business.” I snap, hugging myself. “Besides why, do you care?” 

“I suppose you’re not as bad as you seem.” Alduin shrugs. “And I’ve been having night terrors as well.” 

“What are yours about?” I ask him. 

“I saw the Dragonborn again.” He spoke. “She was taunting me.” 

“I saw her and another man.” I spoke to him. Alduin instantly perks up. 

“Who was the man?” His voice became icier than usual. 

“He didn’t want to tell me his name.” I looked at him. I was shaking. “He wore these greenish brown robes and this weird mask-” 

Alduin almost tipped the entire table over. He ran over to me. 

“What did he say to you? What did he-” He stares at my neck. “I should have turned him to ash the day he was presented to me.” 

Is he….worried about me? Me? 

“He was talking about someone…..the Dragonborn asked if he thought I was her…he got salty and said it didn’t matter because he wasn’t her type..” I cross my arms. “Alduin, who is he?” 

“I knew him as Rynhek….then Miraak when he was named Dragon Priest. We should of never trusted him. I let my love for my brother blind me to how much of a threat Rynhek was to everything.” 

“What happened?” I ask him, letting my arms fall to my side. 

Alduin’s face looked pained. “I don’t think I want to discuss that.” 

“I’m sorry. Whatever happened must have been painful.” I look down. 

“How did you get those marks?” He looks at me. 

“They got mad that I wouldn’t stop asking what they were doing. The Dragonborn started to choke me out and she called me a name I’ve never heard of.” I speak, still staring at the ground. 

“What did she say?” 

“She called me Aemma.” Alduin’s red eyes widened. He made a huffing sound and turned around, walking back into the apartment. I wonder if she was the one Miraak and the Dragonborn were talking about. She must have been Alduin’s girl or his wife or something. Maybe that’s why he reacts like this. Miraak must of had a thing for her too. 

I follow him back into the house. 

“Are you good?” I ask Alduin as I notice he’s got his head buried into a pillow he’s holding. He groans. 

“As good as I’ll ever be.”