The Great War-A Skyrim Fanfiction-Book One

Chapter Six

Talen woke to the faint sound of chatter and metal striking metal. He ignored it, thinking it to be some remnants of a wild dream, slowing fading into murkiness, drifting deep into his subconscious. But as he woke more and more, so did the sounds. He could make out the strangely hollow sound the blacksmiths made while hammering their exquisite weapons and tools into being. He could make out the chatter outside his door being that of the deep, warm voice of Linwen and the quick language and random remarks of Gwen. He began to sit up, remembering what was to happen this day. As he did, a familiar face poked in through the doorway.

"If it isn't Talen-Glim! Still alive, huh? No near-death situations tonight? Glad you're up-we have to go your introductory meeting."

Linwen's simple and slightly messed-up humor was a welcome relief after the strange world he was now in had swallowed him whole. He even managed a faint smile before walking to the door and slamming it shut.

"Not ready yet," he said, walking to his dresser. "Just postpone it for five minutes."

"We've been up for ages waiting for you," came the muffled voice of Gwen. "It was supposed to start twenty minutes ago! But I'll give you another five."

A muffled whump was heard and Gwen coughed heavily. Then Linwen spoke. "Two minutes or I break this door down and drag you out here."

"What if I'm naked?"

"Just be glad you're a lizard and have a tail to cover it up."

"That's not how they work-"

"Hurry up! You're wasting time."

Talen nearly ripped off the dresser doors. Inside were a selection of nearly arranged clothes quite similar to the ones he usually wore. He suspected his own clothes were taken and replicated at some point that previous day. He picked up a simple green shirt and tunic and hastily put it on, not anxious to become the local laughingstock on his first day. Running back to his bed, he picked up his sword, which had apparently been given a sheath overnight, and opened the nearby door just as he saw Linwen raise her boot. She promptly lowered it, and raised her other leg to itch it. She avoided Talen's eyes as she smiled innocently.

"Were you really going to?"

He got no response.

***

The walk to the council chambers was a brief one. The three of them sped back down the hallway, Talen's sword digging into his leg, then took a left into a very narrow hallway at a speed Linwen called "fast walking" but made both others gasp for air. Linwen wasted no time explaining him not to touch anything valuable without permission. Or, at least, with anything he didn't want cut off. Soon after, they arrived at a set of shut dark wooden double doors. Linwen knocked lightly, and soon after the doors swung wide. Inside was one of the most spectacular rooms he'd ever seen. In the center was a grand oak table, delicately carved and painted hundreds of hues. Two dozen people sat around it, immersed in conversation. In the center was a beautiful globe of shining golden light perched on top of a large wooden box. He could see various treasures inside of its open sides.

The room itself was a masterpiece of stone. The walls were covered in tapestries and beautiful artwork. Talen saw paintings of sunny sands of Hammerfell and the Alik'r Desert, the lush marshland of his old homeland, deep in the forests of Black Marsh, and the wondrous, prismatic and almost unreal colorful forests and towering peaks of the great Altmer isle of Summerset. The ceiling towered at least fifty feet above the room, masterfully carved to depict the famous Alduin's Wall. The floor was the only simple part of the room, covered in a single color-a maroon carpet. On the back wall, shelves lined the wall that extended to the ceiling, neatly filled with unfamiliar tools and contraptions and a series of scrolls and books. In the very center of the wall was a panel in which was embedded a dusty, ornate carving of a metal box of dwemer design with symbols scattered around it.