Song of the Dragon and the Bear

Chapter 39

A/N My summer is officially over. *Cries pathetically* I'm going to try to get a chapter out at least once a week the way I usually do, but that schedule may be thrown off a little as I readjust to having a busier life. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

The Throat of the World was cold. The snow and ice didn't bother her, she had been in Windhelm too long for that, it was the wind that had her shivering like a leaf in a snowstorm. Cold and biting, the wind had started a few minutes after she had passed a pilgrim who had been kneeling in front of a small shrine. Vara had been curious, so she had knelt beside him. The shrine, as it had turned out, held an etched tablet that had seemed to be the first in a series of messages. Vara had read it quickly before moving on.

Now, she was stepping through the snow, careful of where she placed her feet on the icy steps. Her hands crackled slightly with magic; she had already had to fight off a few wolves and spiders. It had hurt her to leave the wolves behind without skinning them first, but she had to conserve her strength for the climb, and being out in this cold any longer than necessary could be dangerous.

Several minutes later, Vara rounded the side of the mountain, following the winding path of stairs that were mostly buried in the snow, she found herself facing a strange sight. The path continued on, this time bending away from the mountain somewhat rather than following the natural curve, cutting right through the ice and snow and giving the impression of a small canyon, minus the river at the bottom. Vara was so distracted by the strange sight that she didn't notice the frost troll until it roared and dropped down from its perch on one side of the canyon, lumbering toward her at an alarming speed.

Vara jumped backward as the troll neared her, quickly switching the sparks in her hands to flames, which would be far more effective on a creature like this. As soon as the troll was within range of her spells, Vara threw balls of flame into the creature's chest, causing it to stagger. While it was disoriented, Vara cast a quick rune on the path in front of her before backing away. The troll followed her, and the second his foot hit the rune he let out a howl of pain so loud Vara was worried that it might cause an avalanche.

A few well-placed bolts of fire later, the troll was dead. For a moment, Vara stood next to the large corpse as she tried to steady her breath. As she did so, she couldn't help but think how different this all was from the life she had led not that long ago. Before today, she had never actually fought a troll, only watched her father do so years ago. And yet she had jumped into battle with barely a second thought. Vara wasn't sure if she proud of that fact or worried by it.

Shaking her head, Vara took one last deep breath before continuing on up the snowy path. The steps, if there truly were seven thousand of them, were mostly buried in snow or worn beyond recognition. This path was old, likely older even than Windhelm, the city of Ysgramor. The thought made Vara wonder how many others had climbed these steps before her, unsure what their destiny held, not knowing what would happen when they reached the top. Had they been worried? Frightened? Curious? She knew she was.

The steps continued on, and the wind grew even colder, whipping at her clothes and pulling her hair free from the ponytail she had put it in. Finally, when she had almost lost all feeling in her fingers and toes, she saw the dark stone of High Hrothgar, stark against the white snow. The sight stirred something within her, and her steps sped themselves, as if drawn to the monastery.

A few minutes later, Vara was closing the lid of the offering chest in front of the building having delivered supplies for one of the villagers in the town below. Before entering the monastery, however, she strode over to the statue of Talos that stood off to one side. She knelt in the snow in front of the statue and bowed her head. 'Talos, guide me,' she prayed, desperately hoping that the god would hear her; she would need all the help she could get. Then, she stood and climbed up the last few steps to one of the large doors. And, without giving herself time to think about what she was doing, Vara pushed open the door and stepped into the monastery.