Scales and Hearts | A Skyrim Fanfiction

Chapter Nine: What Resides Within

Druthza

"A dragon?" Me and the mage said simultaneously as the information sank in.

Is it Alduin? Or another Dovah? I wondered, feeling as my heart started thumping faster at the thought of the furious ebony-black World Eater laying waste to the area near Whiterun.

Farengar then spoke excitedly: "how intriguing! Where was it seen? What was it doing?"

The Dunmer gave him a steely glare, "I'd take this a bit more seriously, if I were you. If a dragon decides to attack Whiterun, I don't know if we can stop it. Come on." She crossed her arms and jerked her head towards the stairs nearby, causing Farengar, me, and Derkeethus to rush up the stairs, only to find Jarl Balgruuf standing there on the second floor, his weight shifting from foot to foot as he took notice of everyone coming upstairs.

But as we settled in front of Balgruuf and awaited our orders, a Whiterun guard rushed up the stairs, panting heavily and trying to catch his breath, and surprisingly, he seemed to be shaking a bit.

"So... Irileth tells me you've come from the western watchtower?" Jarl Balgruuf questioned the guard, who snapped his head up to look at him. "Y-Yes, my lord." Said the guard from behind his helmet, which concealed the majority of the man's face.

"Tell him what you told me," Irileth stated to the man, "about the dragon."

As he caught his breath, the guard nodded. "...of course, that's right. We saw it flying in from the south, and it was fast... faster than anything I'd ever seen in my life."

Jarl Balgruuf hummed thoughtfully. "What did it do, Bjalki? Is it attacking the watchtower?"

Bjalki shook his head, "no, my lord. It was simply circling overhead when I left. I've never ran so fast in my life... I thought it would come after me for sure."

The Jarl nodded, "good work, son. We'll take it from here. Head down to the barracks for some food and rest. You've earned it."

He then looked to Irileth, whose red eyes gazed back attentively. "Irileth, you'd better gather some guardsmen and get down there."

"My Jarl, I've already ordered my men to muster near the main gate." She said, and Balgruuf gave her a phantom of a smile. "Good. Don't fail me."

The blonde Nord turned his head in my direction, his green eyes staring into mine. "There's no time to stand on ceremony, my friend; I need your help again. I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this dragon. You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons than anyone else here."

Fight it? What if there's an alternative to this? I wondered.

Maybe I could try to speak with the Dovah, if it's still near? The thought of fighting the dragon made me frown slightly, and I was unaware of Derkeethus looking at me from the corner of his eye while I did this.

"However, I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar. As a token of my esteem, I'll instruct Avenicci that you're now permitted to purchase property within the city."

"And here--" the Jarl walked over to a nearby table with what appeared to be a map of Skyrim pinned to its surface, grabbing a pair of iron boots that carried a familiar, yet intriguing green shimmer to them when the light hit just right. "Accept this gift from my personal armory."

As I took the iron boots from the Jarl, giving my thanks, I slipped them on after casting aside my leather boots, and felt an interesting boost of energy surge through me as I settled into them.