My Random Skyrim Stories

A Simple Dragon Fight (Vilkas) 1

It should have been a simple dragon fight.

Not that most people typically considered fighting a dragon to be 'simple', but Kirstrid had slain several dozens of the things by now. She was the Harbinger of the Companions, Thane of over half the holds in Skyrim, and the Dragonborn who'd defeated Alduin. She could handle a simple dragon.

Or at least that had been what she'd assumed. She'd gotten cocky. She'd underestimated how tired she was from that last fight with a bandit chief, and she'd rushed the dragon headlong like she usually did. She swung her sword a little too slowly and then hadn't gotten her shield up quite in time.

Fortunately her companion had been there to back her up and the dragon was still slain. Vilkas was honestly as competent in a dragon fight as Kirstrid was at this point, she had been right to give him Wuuthrad after they'd managed to cleanse themselves of the beast blood. He wielded the huge battle axe masterfully— practically artfully, and he'd taken it as a great honor when she'd given it to him.

Vilkas had been her shield-brother now ever since she'd had to delve into Blackreach to find the first Elder Scroll. It had actually all started as something of a bet... he had made some quip about having killed one of every living thing in Skyrim, and she had asked what he knew about Blackreach. Vilkas hadn't believed the stories about Blackreach before that and had been eager to accompany her. He hadn't believed the Elder Scrolls existed before that endeavor either.

Blackreach had been over a year ago now, and Vilkas had become her most reliable friend since then. They knew each other's techniques and could anticipate each other's moves in a battle. Conversation was easy between them when they stopped at inns or made camp out in the wilds, he even knew his way around the manor she'd built north of Dragonsreach almost as well as she did— he actually probably knew her library better than she did.

So it had come as no shock to Kirstrid when he'd immediately covered for her misstep. He'd likely known something was wrong before Kirstrid had even realized it...

Not that Kirstrid was usually prone to missteps like this... she was usually known for being one of the most formidable warriors in the land... a fierce Nordic woman in the legendary Companions' armor with the shield of Ysgramor and the finest Skyforge steel sword in her hand. She had acquired several sets of armor that were technically higher quality than her wolf armor, but Kirstrid didn't really care. She was a strong, stubborn woman who shouted dragons from the sky and she wore her Companions' armor with pride.

But none of that made much difference when she had been too slow with her shield as the dragon had lunged in to snap at her. She blocked the dragon's top fangs with the shield, but a tooth in its lower jaw found purchase under her breast plate. It pierced the leather padding in her armor went straight through her ribs. She was sure she had a punctured lung along with at least two broken ribs, and she couldn't believe she had done something so stupid.

She had still managed to get her sword into the beast's face well enough to make it drop her as opposed to continuing to chew on her or something, but it certainly hadn't dropped her gently... it had tossed her rather violently into the rocky ground, which was making her regret that she didn't wear a helmet... the last thing she was aware of was Vilkas's angry swears of "by Ysmir, you'll pay for that," and the rush of power from the dragon's soul moments later. Then her world faded to black.