Traveler (Skyrim Fan Fic)

Chapter 4

Dhaska the Wanderer had insisted on escorting me to Windhelm, despite my attempts to assure him I could handle myself out there. He wasn't bad company, either, he told me tales of his travels and adventures.

"So tell me Jennavara, what awaits you in Windhelm?" Dhaska asked.

"You can call me Jen," I smiled,"And I'm supposed to be meeting with a man named Claude Iron-Heart."

Dhaska stopped suddenly, and his face twisted with concern,"Claude Iron-Heart?"

I nodded, confused,"What's wrong?"

"Claude Iron-Heart is the face of a true Nord. He's rough, overbearing, and in some cases, quite deadly. He's seen war with his own eyes, and some say he even slaughtered a troll at the age of ten with his own bare hands."

I gave Dhaska a smile,"I've wrestled with a pack of wolves while in my travels, I think I could handle a big brute."

"Wolves? Please. This man could snap you in half, little one."

I yanked out my warhammer and slung it towards the Redguard. On instinct, he blocked my blow with his shield. The hit made a loud clash that echoed over the plains, and left a dent in the iron shield. Dhaska peeked over the top of his shield, eyes questioning and shocked. He saw my face, twisted in anger, eyes ablaze with fury.

"Do. Not. Call me 'little one'." I growled.

Suddenly, a distant roar was heard from over the mountains. Dhaska and I looked around for the source of the noise, but saw nothing. We saw a watch tower not far off, so we went to get a better look over the area from there.

As we approached the stone tower, we noticed flames and debris scattered about, everything was in ruins. I approached the entrance of the tower, and staggered back into Dhaska's chest when a guard ran out with a panicked and wary gaze.

"No, get back...its still here somewhere! Hroki and Tor got grab when they tried to make a run for it!" he stressed.

"Speak, guard, what exactly is it?" Dhaska asked.

The guard didn't answer, as another roar rumbled over the skies, and the guard froze in fear, his terrified gaze trained upon the peak of the mountains.

"Kynareth save us...here it comes again!" the guard cried, taking cover.

I looked at the peaks, and a large figure flew down, towards us. This creature was undoubtedly a dragon... And it roared as it descended and spewed flames upon the tower.

"Dragon!" one of the guards yelled, a horn blowing in the distance.

"Aim for the wings, and make every arrow count!" a female voice yelled.

Dhaska pulled out his great sword, and I pulled out my warhammer. My heart pounded in my chest as the dragon circled overhead. It landed, and looked me straight in the eye. I stared, memorized by this magnificent creature. Suddenly, the dragon opened its jowls and Dhaska jumped in front of me, blocking off the flames with his shield. The dragon took to the sky, and my murderous war side came out.

"Dhaska, when the dragon comes back around, I want you to give me a boost and launch me into the air!" I yelled over the noise.

"Are you crazy?!" he yelled back.

"Yes! Now do as I say!"

Dhaska nodded as I ran far off to get a running start, and he locked his fingers together, kneeling low enough for me to jump on. I ran forward at full speed when the dragon came into view. I placed one foot on Dhaska's hand, and he used his large muscles to fling me into the sky. As the dragon flew over me, my hand caught onto its tail, and I hung on for dear life.

I grunted, using all my strength to climb onto the monster's neck. The dragon roared angrily and whipped his head this way and that, trying to get rid of me, but I held on. I grabbed onto its horns and steered the dragon into the air, then towards the ground. Just before we landed, I pulled out my hammer and slammed it into the dragon's skull, sending it crashing to the ground with me in tow.

I coughed from the dust flying up, and then heard a faint whisper coming from the dragon,

"Dovahkiin... n-no...."

I was about to question what I had heard, but was promptly interrupted when Dhaska came running over. He looked overjoyed and amazed, but then his eyes traveled down to the dead dragon I was sitting on. I followed his gaze and saw the scales glowing a bright red, almost as if they were burning from the inside out.

I jumped off as the dragon's scales where burned away, and suddenly, a rush of power filled my insides, warming me and making me unknowingly smile. I gasped when it stopped, and saw that the dragon was now nothing but a skeleton.

"J-Jen?" I felt someone place a hand upon my shoulder, it was Dhaska.

"Dragonborn!" someone yelled.

"Huh?" I asked stupidly, still a little dazed from the power surge.

"You, you're Dragonborn! You must be one!" the guard repeated.

"What's a Dragonborn?" I asked, rubbing my head tiredly.

"In the very oldest tales, back when there were still dragons around, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power." the guard explained,"That's what you did, wasn't it? Absorbed that dragon's power?"

"I..." I paused in thought,"I don't know what happened to me..."

"There's only one way we can tell, try to Shout!" the guard suggested.

"Shout?"

"Yeah, Shout. The Dragonborn would use the dragon's powers and convert them into a Shout."

"I don't... know how to Shout." I said, a little embarrassed.

"Well! This has all been very educational!" Dhaska said, grabbing my shoulder,"Clearly my companion here has something going on, but at the moment we really should be going."

As Dhaska pulled on my arm, I dug my heels into the dirt,"Hold up. I want to know more about being a Dragonborn!"

"You should speak to the Jarl about this," the Dunmer woman said, stepping forward,"And tell him the dragon has been slain."

I nodded and turned to follower,"Well, Dhaska? Will you come with me?"

Dhaska stared at me for a while, his face unreadable. Then he sighed,"Well, I have nothing better to do. Why not?"

I grinned and pulled him along, jumping with excitement and forgetting all about my mission.