Song of the Dragon and the Bear

Chapter 59

  Vara stared at the world that passed by beneath her in a blur of colors. The feeling of being so high in the sky left her breathless from both awe and the thin air. Her hands clutched the scales of Odahviing's back in front of her tightly, but fear was the last thing in her mind. Never before had she felt so close to the Gods. Was this what the saw as they looked down on Tamriel?

"Do you feel it, Dovahkiin?" Odhaviing asked as he flew, his voice a deep rumble, even in the wind. "You have the Voice of the Dov but not the wings, and now you will forever envy them. There is no better feeling than that of bo, of flight." Vara could only nod, her voice stolen by the wind. To be able to fly like this above the world whenever she chose...it was a beautiful thought. All too soon, however, Vara saw Skuldalfn in the distance and rapidly growing closer.

"All of Alduin's mulaag, his strength, is gathered here, Dovahkiin," the dragon warned as he circled the side of the mountain on which the Nordic ruin was built. "It will not be easy to reach the portal." Odahviing landed in a relatively clear area just outside of the ruins, the ground shaking as he did so. Vara climbed down from his back and walked around until she was standing at the great dragon's head.

"I know, but I must reach it. I will defeat Alduin," Vara said, injecting as much confidence into her voice as she could. Part of her didn't believe that she could do it, but she shoved those thoughts down. She had no room for doubt, not anymore.

Odahviing regarded her for a long moment, his reptilian eyes scanning hers. Eventually, he let out the dragon equivalent to a chuckle, a deep sound that Vara felt more than she heard. "You may be right, Dovahkiin. I will look for your return...or Alduin's." With those words, the dragon pushed off from the ground and took to the sky, circling the mountain once before flying away. Vara watched the dragon go for a long moment before turning toward the ruins, already pooling magicka in her hands. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the power running through her. Then, she let her breath out in a long sigh and squared her shoulders as sparks crackled to life in her hands.

. . .

Ulfric dug his heels into the sides of the horse he rode, urging the creature to run faster, the trees and rocks around him blurring as he passed. His mind was a jumble of emotions and memories, but above them all was one clear thought; he had to get to Windhelm. If Vara did fail, it would be up to him to protect Skyrim. And the thought terrified him. If Vara failed, he would be left alone to hold Skyrim together. And so he urged his onward, praying that he would be able to reach Windhelm soon.

. . .

Vara rolled underneath the blade of the draugr, the sword whistling through the air above her. Before she let herself think too hard about what she was doing, Vara dispelled the flames that flickered in her palms, her magic coalescing instead into a sparking staff of pure electricity. She swung the staff as she stood, the magical weapon slicing cleanly through the undead creature's neck. The draugr fell and its sword clattered to the stone, but Vara had no time to celebrate her victory, she spun, raising her staff above her head as she did so, and the electricity made contact with the ax of yet another one of the undead. Sparks showered over the both of them as Vara pushed back against the draugr. Then she suddenly dispelled the staff and jumped to the side, the creature stumbling past her. She turned and Shouted, "Fus ro dah!" and the creature went flying, crashing into one of the many pillars around them with a crunch. She didn't stop to see if it was going to get back up. Instead, she continued to push forward, deeper into the ruins, encountering another horde of draugr at every turn.

Already, she had slain two dragons and countless draugr. Unfortunately, she knew that there were hundreds of Alduin's followers, both dragons and draugr, gathered here. She leaned against a cracked pillar, her chest heaving. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, but she seemed safe, at least for the moment, so she took a moment to summon her healing light and allow the warmth to fill her body and mend her wounds. She wasn't able to heal herself while fighting, as she had to save her magicka for her attacks, so she had accumulated a fair number of cuts. As they healed, Vara focused on getting her breathing back under control. All too soon, her wounds were sealed, and she pushed herself from the pillar, forcing her feet to move in the direction of a door that seemed to lead deeper into the ruins.