Elder Scrolls One-Shots (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Fanfiction)

Soul

He owned her. She knew that now.

Defeated by Miraak, the female Dragonborn fled Solstheim to fight another day. She felt empty after the battle however, like a piece of her remained behind.

Licking her wounds in Skyrim, the Dragonborn attempted to rest and heal. She vowed to fight Miraak once more, and as many more times as it took, to defeat him. She was the Last Dragonborn, a prophesied warrior, and would not stop fighting until she was dead.

Healing was hard, however, as the warrior found that she slept little. Only a few days home, an urge began to take hold of her to return to Solstheim. To go and seek out what was missing. The woman resisted, fearing what the urge could mean.

Slowly, the warrior began to lose enjoyment in even the simple things in life. Food became tasteless, excitement was hard to summon up and smiles were eventually never genuine. Instead of healing, the warrior began to sicken. Friends and companions noticed the change in the woman but could not help whatever was happening to her..

The ache of something missing was constant, and getting worse as time passed. The Dragonborn knew what was happening to her and could deny it no longer.

Miraak had wanted her soul to leave Apocrypha. The man must have it now, or maybe just part of it. She didn't know, really, but the Dragonborn knew nothing good could come of this for her.

**********

A month later and the Dragonborn's mind and body seemed to cry out for her to return to Solstheim. The warrior had resisted this long and vowed to continue doing so. Miraak would not win.

The woman now dreamed of the First Dragonborn. Taunting her. Telling her she would come back and that she had no choice on the matter.

The woman refused to give into the temptation. And she suffered. The Dragonborn ate little, slept little, looked more dead than alive. In her current state, she could barely fight. She spent most of the day at home, having lost the desire to do anything. Part of her began to give up.

Would it really be so bad to go back? Anything would be better than feeling like this.

One day, as the Dragonborn lay in her home, she received a package from a courier. He ended up leaving it at the door as the woman did not feel the need to rise from her bed. Hours later, the woman finally checked the package.

There was no note with the delivery and the warrior became curious of what was sent to her. She unwrapped the large package and froze.

It was her sword, one of the many weapons she left behind in Solstheim. The Dragonborn tossed the sword away from her like it burned. She knew who sent this to her.

**********

The next night, the Dragonborn found herself on a boat traveling to the Summerset Isles. The warrior felt the only thing she could do now was to leave and never return. Maybe she could find an Elf that could help her.

As the boat made its way through calm waters, the warrior began to lose the urge to return to Solstheim. The ache of something missing was lessening as well. With distance it seemed like Miraak's hold on her was failing. The woman smiled genuinely for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime to her.

The Dragonborn slept fully, also for the first time in months. The gentle rocking of the boat lulled her into a dreamless slumber. When the woman woke, she felt better than she had in a long time. She yawed and her eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar sight.

Why was she outside?

The warrior blinked in confusion at her situation. She was on the same bed she had been on the boat, but now she and it were outside. Someone, more than likely several, had moved her as she slept. The sea was before her, a forest behind and the bright sun shone down. There was no boat or other person in sight.

The Dragonborn looked around and froze. This place was familiar. It was... Solstheim.

The woman panicked. She almost screamed at the realization she was back in the one place she dreaded more than anything else.

It didn't matter how this happened. She needed to leave, now. The warrior quickly made her way to Raven Rock.

**********

The Dragonborn tried to find a boat but found that no one would take her, not because they declined, but because they didn't seem to even notice her. She spoke, no one listened. The woman went right up to them, they did not acknowledge her presence even as they made their way around her to get to their destination. In desperation she pushed a man. He got up and went on his way as if nothing happened.

The warrior yelled, she screamed, she almost cried. But no one paid any notice.

The ache returned that night as the woman sat brokenly gazing at the sea. She had been contemplating swimming all the way to Skyrim, even knowing she would not make it. The ache was worse than before and came with a new urge.

Go to him.

The desire burned inside the woman and she found herself helpless to resist. She stumbled as she rose to walk. The last of her resistance began to fade away as she began to accept that Miraak had won. He owned her soul, and through it, her mind and body.

As the Dragonborn exhaustedly made her way towards the Temple of Miraak, she wondered what would happen to her. Would she become like the people here, brainwashed? Or was there something else Miraak had planned for her? Had Miraak wanted to kill her, he would have done it.

So what fate did he have in store for her?

Filled with dread, the Dragonborn shook her mind of questions, knowing she would learn the answers soon enough.