Through Darkest Times: Book One

Chapter Twenty-Three: All But Glory (Part Two)

A/N: Part Two!!!! This is the end of Book One, and Book Two will be out soon. Ah, I can't wait! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the last chapter of Through Darkest Times: Book One!

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"But... there is one they fear. In their tongue, she is 'Dovahkiin' - Dragonborn!"

~ Esbern

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I felt cold. Weightless. I couldn't quite explain this... this feeling. But I have never felt it before. My skin felt cold, and my muscles weak. I then felt a surface beneath my feet, and I felt my weight once again. I slowly opened my eyes, and I could see a tint of blue and purple shine through my eyelids. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Such beauty. Such despair. What was supposed to be a land of righteous warriors, is now a land of lost and frightened souls. I looked around and saw that I was standing on a stone staircase, the steps perfectly cut. To the left and right of me, I could see large stone pillars in the shape of hooded monks. The land itself looked similar to that of Skyrim, with the large mountains and grassy plains. Though the difference was that the atmosphere was foggy and distant. I squinted my eyes and saw a large dragon in the distance. I gritted my teeth at the thought of seeing this dragon, Alduin.

"How dare you come and disturb the dead, you bastard."

I started to jog down the steps and towards the stone path. I couldn't even see ten feet in front of me. The mist was thick and cold. Though suddenly, I could see a figure, a soldier. I approached the man, who bore the Stormcloak uniform. He looked lost and distraught. The soldier turned towards me, his face expressing sadness.

"No. Turn back. Or he'll find you." The soldier pleaded.

"Who?" I asked.

"The World-Eater. He has come to feast on the souls of Sovngarde. You should turn back now, while you still can." He said.

"No, you don't understand. I am the Dragonborn. I have come to defeat Alduin." I said.

The soldier's eyes lit up at my statement. He seemed genuinely happy.

"The Dragonborn! You'll want to seek out the Hall of Valor. Just around the mountain." The soldier explained, pointing through the fog.

"Can you take me there?" I asked.

"Of course," The soldier exclaimed, starting to walk down the path, "I do hope you can defeat the World-Eater. He has claimed several fallen soldiers, my friends."

I stared at the ground in sadness. I was a little late, too late. I have to stop him, and quickly before he claims more of these poor souls. I heard wings flapping in the distance, and I could feel Alduin's energy. I looked around for him, but I couldn't see through all this fog. Suddenly, the black dragon came flying in, talons out. He flew above the ground and claimed the soldier in front of me. It happened so fast that I couldn't stop him. He flew away with the soldier who was guiding me.

"No!" I yelled, "You bastard!"

I felt tears form in my eyes. I was defenseless. I couldn't save him. It happened so fast. How could I possibly save Sovngarde, or Tamriel, if I couldn't save this one soldier? I hit the side of my head, snapping the thoughts out. I have to do this. I have come too far to back down now. I ran down the stone path, hoping to find the Hall of Valor. The fog made it difficult to see, but I pushed on as fast as I could. I could see the large mountain that the soldier was talking about. 'The Hall must be nearby now.' I ran a while longer before seeing a large bone-like bridge. I gasped at the beautiful structure before me. A long bone bridge stretched a few hundred feet, connecting to a large palace-like building. The Hall of Valor. I walked forward and was greeted by a tall Nordic-looking man.