The party gathered their gear and horses and rode away from Windhelm in mid-morning. Nora wanted to get set up in Kynesgrove well before the time of the dragon rising, maybe scout out the burial mound. And she wanted to get out of Ulfric's city. Not that she thought he would go back on his word, but she wanted to get far away from the man who said he wanted her to be his queen. She didn't want to get tied down with anyone, much less someone she might have to kill someday.

 

They went the long way around, letting them see some more of the country. There was a large Stormcloak camp along the way, hundreds of soldiers camped out, the ring of hammers on anvils as they prepared armor and weapons for battle. The sentries waved them through, only warning them to not approach the general's tent, where a conference was taking place. But the general, a tall thin Nord with an intelligent look, came out to see them.

 

“I wanted to get a look at the woman who was said to kill dragons permanently,” said the officer, one Elof Storm-Rider, smiling at Nora. “Ulfric sounded quite smitten with you in his letter.”

 

And that's the problem, thought Nora. She just wanted to kill this dragon and get on to Winterhold, out of Ulfric's Hold.

 

Kynesgrove was as before. A small village, a mill that was not working, and a mine, as well as the nice inn. She found out that the forest around the village was sacred to Kynareth, and so the trees were off limits, the death of the mill. There was a thriving mine working in the village, its reason for being.

 

Nora left Valdimar and Annekke behind to stable the horses and unload the pack animals, while she led the rest of her people over some steep hills to find the dragon burial mound sitting in a field, a small Nordic ruin sitting on the other side of the grass. She led her people into the ruin, taking down a small group of bandits and gathering some loot, then back out by the burial mound to pick out the positions her people would fight from.

 

The Dragonborn walked into the inn as the sun was setting, to find Valdimar and Annekke sitting with Delphine at one of the tables. Talking and laughing.

 

“Good to see you made it,” said Delphine, looking up at Nora. “Ready to kill a dragon?”

 

“I do this to save this village,” said Nora, staring at the Blade. “Not to prove anything to you.”

 

“Fair enough,” said the woman. “And I wish you would stop seeing me as an enemy. I can really help you out in your quest to rid this world of dragons.”

 

Nora wasn't sure of that, but she was willing to give the woman a chance. After all, she had done the same for Ulfric, so why not Delphine?

 

“I was a little nervous coming into Ulfric's Hold.” said Delphine, nodding at the pair of Nora's people she had been sitting with. “But your people told me of your run in with him.”

 

Nora shot a glare at that pair, who had been running their mouths more than they should have. “People need to keep my secrets, secret,” she growled.

 

“Wants to make you his queen, eh,” said Delphine. “Can't blame him there. You are one good looking woman, as well as a symbol of power. But he stands against the Empire, which makes him my enemy.”

 

To Nora that was the only thing Ulfric had going for him. Something else she didn't see eye to eye with concerning Delphine.

 

“At least he doesn't like the Thalmor,” said Eldawyn after swigging down half a bottle of wine. “Death to the Thalmor. First in the Empire, then in the Isles.”

 

There were number of cheers and raised glasses Eldawyn's way.

 

“That's one thing Ulfric has done,” said Delphine, also raising her glass to the Altmer. “I don't have to look over my shoulder every five minutes to make sure those bastards aren't coming after me.”

 

Nora thought the woman was being paranoid, but she couldn't imagine hiding from people for over twenty years like Delphine had. Her style was to take down people who came after her, not run and hide.

 

“We looked over the land where the mound sits,” said Nora. “I would like to get out there early morning and get my people in place. If we're not wasting our time?”

 

“I guarantee nothing, Nora,” said Delphine, shrugging her shoulders. “My best estimate, based on the Dragonstone, is that the dragon will come back to life tomorrow. I don't have a time, and I don't know what's going to happen to resurrect it. But it should happen.”

 

The Dragonborn had to accept that. And if the dragon didn't rise tomorrow, did she want to wait additional days for an event that might not happen? Or leave and go to Winterhold, and her advancement as a mage?

 

So they sat at the table and heard Delphine's tales of the glory days of the blades, when there were hundreds of them, the guardians of the Emperor, standing and riding in honor in their shining armor. And how the Altmer had all but defeated the Empire, until almost all of the Blades fell in battle, the remaining members hunted like animals and killed. Until, as far as she knew, only one very young Blade, Delphine under a different name, remained. Nora felt sorry for the woman, someone who had seen everything she had ever loved die, and still fought on. Not enough to like her, but enough to feel her pain.

 

Nora slept that night with a miner she thought handsome enough, wanting to sample some more of this world before facing whatever it was that might be its end. The man, whose name she didn't even bother to get, was a clumsy lover, but his cock was large enough to fill her, and she enjoyed him through an hour of mindless sex before falling into a dreamless sleep.

 

*     *     *

 

“Dragon,” yelled a young woman, running down the path. “There's a dragon. Run for your lives.”

 

Nora ran, not for her life, but along the path, at a sprint. The sun had barely risen, and already her plan had gone to hell. They were not going to get into position before the dragon rose, but they would still be able to kill it.

 

“Nora,” yelled Eldawyn frantically. “Wait for us.”

 

Everyone joined in the refrain. But Nora didn't hear. She only heard the roar of the great beast that was in the air over the mound, swirling energy linking it with the burial site. She came around the bend and into the field. The mound was still closed, and an enormous black and red beast, the largest she had ever seen, hovered over, the energy flowing from it to its still dead brethren.

 

The big dragon started to speak, in the dragon tongue, something that Nora couldn't understand. It was not talking to her, but to the beast it was raising. And then it looked her way, and the marrow froze in her bones as it established a mental link with the enemy it knew was here to defeat it. With the knowledge that it was too powerful for any mortal to challenge. And then the dragon spoke to her.

 

“You do not even know our tongue, do you?,” said the dragon in its thunderous voice. “Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah!”

 

And Nora knew. This was the World Eater, and she could see in her mind how the end would come. How this dragon, this God, Alduin, would eat the souls of the living and the dead. All would fall before him and his limitless appetite. He would go to Sovngarde when he left here, eating more souls, gathering the energy to raise more of his kind. Those souls would no longer exist, gone forever. Until he gathered enough energy to resurrect another dragon, over and over, until only Shor's hall stood against him, and then even it would fall.

 

The world eater would also take the souls of those it ate in the world of the living, though it preferred the pure energy of the dead. Now it hunted Sovngarde, but eventually it would attack the Elysium fields of the elves, the Soul Cairn, even the planes of Oblivion. It would take centuries, but the dragon God had the time. Even the Gods themselves, Aedra and Daedra, would fall to his appetite, weakened by the demise of their worshipers until they were only shriveled husks of themselves. It would eat all the intelligent life of this world, not as one huge feast, but in horrible small bites, prolonging the terror. Until this world was the realm of animals, the dragons hunting from the sky.

 

And then I'll come for your world, Dragonborn, came the thought. Because my appetite cannot be sated.

 

Nora thought she had been afraid in the past. When she had been hunted by Supermutants, or running from a horde of feral ghouls. On seeing her first death claw. But those had been minor frights compared to how she felt now. Her entire body shivered in fear, her bladder released, and she didn't care. She just wanted to run and run and run some more, until this dragon was far behind her. And that would not be enough, as every intelligent being went to feed this flying hunger that was greater than the Gods.

 

“Nora,” said a voice behind her, and hands grabbed her and pulled her back to cover.

 

“Look at that damned black bastard,” said Annekke, her voice breaking in terror.

 

“I can't fight that,” said Nora, shaking her head, feeling sick to her stomach in her fear. She knew that Alduin didn't attack her now because it really didn't fear her. It had no reason to. She would fail, no matter how long she prepared, and the Dragon God knew it. The Gods and men who depended on her were fools. And she was the biggest fool of all for thinking she could stop the end of the world.

 

“Slen Tiid Vok!” shouted Alduin, a roar that knocked the companions back. The top of the mound broke open in an explosion, and the skeletal remains of the dragon started to climb out, feeding on the energy provided by its overlord.  Sahloknir was its name, and it had been waiting for ages to come back to this world that it might hunt at the command of its master. The World Eater rose into the air and wheeled away, dismissive of the people who had come to challenge it. And why shouldn't it? It was as far above them as they were above bacteria.

 

“We need to kill that dragon.” shouted Delphine, laying a hand on Nora's shoulder.

 

“I can't beat that thing,” said Nora, the fear of Alduin starting to fade as it flew away, the hopelessness remaining. “I can't beat that thing. It will kill us all and end this world. There is no way I can beat that.”

 

“You don't have to beat that, today,” yelled Delphine in her face. “You only have to beat this dragon rising from the mound, and save Kynesgrove.”

 

“But they are doomed anyway.”

 

“Maybe. Maybe not. But they still have lives to live, while they have them. Do you want then cut short by that thing out there?”

 

Nora looked out over the dragon, still not completely reconstituted. Still mostly bones, the flesh starting to reform in what looked like the reverse of the burning dragons that were a result of her eating their souls. Nora still thought that it was a hopeless fight against the Dragon God, but his dragon was not it, and she could shout her defiance at Alduin by ending the life of its follower before it was truly reborn.

 

Nora shouted, sending Unrelenting Force into the dragon, getting its full attention. The Dragonborn ran into the clearing, throwing ice spikes into the dragon, hearing them strike as the beast shuddered from the damage. Her party followed her, Eldawyn and Sofia throwing ice as well, Annekke, Elesia and Lydia sending arrows into it as fast as they could draw and loose. Valdimar and Delphine ran forward, intending to close and strike in melee.

 

Sahloknir shouted at them, staggering some of the companions back. Nora weathered the shout and closed, sending spike after spike into the dragon. Valdimar brought his enchanted ebony hammer down on a wing, cracking bones, while Delphine struck the tail with her curved sword, reminiscent of a katana of Earth.

 

Nora leapt onto the head of the dragon, landing on her feet, swinging Dawnbreaker into its neck over and over. The dragon bucked and she barely kept her feet, and kept hitting it, until the life went out of its eyes. Nora leapt away to land on her feet, spinning around to face the monster, which was already dead, once again, before it had truly lived. Its form started to burn. The soul went into her and she rose into the air, the orgasm flowing through her. Nora landed on her feet again, and the overflow of energy exploded out of her. But the hopelessness remained.

 

“It doesn't matter. I can't beat that thing we saw raising this dragon. Nothing I can do will make any difference.”

 

“And the scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold, that when brothers wage war come unfurled!” sang Sofia in a clear sweet voice. “Alduin, Bane of Kings, the ancient shadow unbound, with a hunger to swallow the world!”

 

And I'm expected to fight that, thought Nora, shaking her head.

“But a day shall arise, when the dark dragon's lies, will be silenced forever and then,” continued Annekke, taking up the next stanza. “Fair Skyrim will be free of foul Aldun's maw! Dragonborn be the savior of men!”

 

And then Lydia sung the final passage of the prophecy. “Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn, to keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout, when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray.”

 

“Words. Only words,” said Nora. “Written by people hadn't seen the reality of Alduin.”

 

“But they had, Nora,” said Annekke. “They did, and they knew the Gods would provide the hero to defeat him.”

 

Nora simply shook her head, not believing.

 

“Is this the same woman who conquered the Commonwealth,” said Elesia, putting a hand on Nora's shoulder and shaking her. “Who took over the Institute, defanged the Brotherhood of Steel, and destroyed the raider gangs.”

 

“Those were just men. This is a God, that even the Gods fear. I can't beat it.”

 

“Not now, no,” said Delphine, putting a hand on each shoulder and looking into Nora's eyes. “But you have time to prepare, to grow mighty and defeat the World Eater.”

 

She's right, thought Nora, recalling her early years in the Commonwealth. When she was fresh out of the Vault, with few of the skills that would see her through her trials. She was in over her head, and the only thing she could do was fight, with her last breath, until she was victorious or dead. And she survived, and became great. Could she do the same here? Kynareth seemed to think so, or she wouldn't have been brought to this world.

 

“You're right. I must do everything I can to prepare. And I must fight to the last breath, until either myself or Alduin is dead, for good.”

 

“That's the spirit. I know it will be hard, but you have people around you that will see it through to the end. And I will use my network to find out what I can. Including what brought Alduin, a dragon all thought defeated for good in the past, back into our world.” Delphine patted Nora on the shoulders again. “So go to Winterhold and learn from the mages. Strengthen your shout and become the best warrior you can be, and we will see who comes out on top in the end.”

 

Nora nodded her head. The feeling of hopelessness still lived in her breast, but a spark of hope had glowed into existence. She needed to ignore the fear and cling to the hope, preparing for the final confrontation, and killing as many dragons as she could along the way.

 

“Contact me if you get any information,” she told Delphine, taking in the nod from the woman. Nora was willing to accept help from this Blade, but the Dragonborn would still be in charge. Just as she always had been.

 

*     *     *

 

Nora took another bath in the inn, cleaning the stink of her own urine off of her and changing into fresh small clothes. Pissing oneself was embarrassing, but Nora had experienced that in the past. Some people might think her the invulnerable bitch warrior, but she had the same feelings as any other. And many people urinated or defecated on themselves in battle, though it took an exceptional fear to make Nora lose control.

 

They left Kynesgrove in early afternoon, accepting the thanks of the villagers who had observed a part of the fight, thankful that a dragon wasn't burning their homes down around their heads. And saying farewell to Delphine, off to contact her network and see what she could find out about what had brought Alduin back thousands of years after his past defeat. Nora wasn't sure what good that would do, since the bastard was here and had to be defeated now. Though knowledge was almost always a good thing, and knowing how he had been brought back to this world might hint at a means to banish him again.

 

“Remember,” said Delphine in parting. “He has been defeated before, so he can be again. I know you are concerned about the souls he eats. It bothers the hell out of me as well. But fighting him before you are ready will mean those souls have been destroyed for no reason, and all of our spirits are doomed. So make sure you are ready before you challenge, because I doubt if you will have a second chance.”

 

Nora had looked over her map before deciding which way they would go. There was no direct route north from Windhelm, an oversight that caused many problems with connecting with Winterhold. They had to ride to the west, past the Foresaken Cave, then on one of two paths to the east. One led through a long valley, in the center of which sat a fortress said to be the home of necromancers. Or through Wayward Pass, a way through the mountains, north of the village of Heljarchen. There were several ruins in the area, which might hold word walls, and an inn in the village, a warm place to sleep and have a bath. The downside was the winter plains to the west of Winterhold they would have to traverse. Almost no vegetation, deadly cold, and who knew what other dangers.

 

Nora had put it to the vote, letting her people know that she had veto power over the selection. It was almost unanimously for the more northern route. The thought of taking on a fortress full of necromancers and their minions was daunting, and Nora had to agree with that decision. So they had loaded up on oats at the Windhelm stables, buying several hundred pounds to pack on the animals. A couple of bags of oats hung from the saddles of each mount, a half dozen from each of the pack horses. Nora hoped they might find some more in Haljarchen, but if not she thought they had enough to see them through to the College.

 

Everything was fine for the two and a half days it took to get to the small village and its inn. It was surprising to Nora to even find a village of thirty or so buildings in this inhospitable landscape. There were some farms to the south, where the snow line faded into the tundra. Probably enough to keep the hundred odd people of the village alive, though Nora was sure some food must come in from outside. So she wasn't sure what kept the town alive. The inn was warm, the beds comfortable, and they were able to pick up some oats, enough to replace what the horses had eaten on the way here.

From the village north, through Wayward Pass, had been the start of a nightmare. Nora had passed up on some ruins, wanting to get to the College and start her higher education in magic. But there had been enough along the way to keep them occupied while trying not to die. Undead creatures, deadly spirits. Rieklings, the small goblin like creatures Annekke had warned her about, throwing their small sharp spears and causing the party delay in healing wounds. And dragons. Three of them on the way, including a mechanical nightmare that flew from the top of a sealed Dwemer tower. They all fell before the party, Nora attacking them with a vengeance born of her fear of Alduin. She took her anger out on his lesser brethren, hoping it hurt him as much as losing a companion hurt her.

 

They found a word wall at one point, killing the dragon and a couple of mages that seemed to be its servants. Trying to revive the position of Dragon Priest? Nora learned another word of Ice Form, making that shout much more powerful, and had found some of the little loot they had gathered in this part of the journey. They made fires every night, trying to keep warm in what were essentially Arctic conditions. Some nights the entire party was up, fighting the wolves that threatened the horses.

 

After five days of travel from the village that had been left far behind they were through the final pass that led to the icy wastes to the south of their target. The huge statue of Azura was visible throughout that day, towering from the peak of a mountain. Nora came to understand that the Lady of Twilight was one of the better Daedra, worshiped by many Dunmer, and basically good to her people. Nora resolved to visit the shrine when she had the time, interested to learn all she could about the Gods she might have to depend on in her battles. After all, they were threatened by Alduin as well.

 

On the seventh day, after fighting more Rieklings, they could see the top of the College on the horizon. Nora wanted to get there that night, but they had only reached the mines ten miles outside the Hold capital when darkness was falling, and with it killing cold.

 

“I would really like to spend the night in an inn,” said Sofia, getting nods of agreement from everyone.

 

So they pushed on, riding another couple of hours and entering through the gates of the town. They could not see much in the dark, maybe a couple of dozen buildings, with the impression of more looming out of the dark. They found a stables, new wooden buildings raised at the edge of a field of ruins, and Nora negotiated with the stable master, a man with one horse to his name, to shelter her horses for a month, with feed and exercise. The price was a little more than Windhelm, but she had expected as much, and the man seemed to get along with her mounts on first meeting. Queen Alfsigr warmed to the man at first touch. A good sign.

 

The inn, the Frozen Hearth, had a roaring fire in the middle of the common room that belayed its name, and they had plenty of open rooms. There were many men and women in mage robes populating the common room getting food and drink. It seemed to be the meeting place in town for the College, and the innkeeper, Dagur, and his staff were friendly towards the magic users that were his primary source of business. She found that some of the mages lived at the inn, including a few graduates who needed to stay near the College for access to its facilities.

 

“Are you here for the College?” asked Dagur while Nora ordered food and bathes.

 

“I am,” said Nora, nodding. “I intend to enroll in the morning. But I doubt all of my people will be able to stay there, so I need to get the rooms for a month.”

 

Dagur whistled, his eyes widening. Three rooms for a month were sure to be a windfall for him.

 

“I welcome the members of the College here,” said the man, smiling as Nora counted out some gems onto the counter. “They are my reason for being, since the town gets few visitors that aren't here for the College. The Jarl hates them, though. This used to be the capital of Skyrim, the Jarl here having more influence than any of the others. Rivaling Solitude it did. Until the Great Collapse took most of the city down, much of it into the sea. Jarl Korir blames it on the College, though no one really knows what happened that long ago. And many think it had something to do with the Red Mountain of Morrowind exploding shortly before.”

 

That would have been Nora's guess. The Great Fall sounded like the result of an earthquake, something that could have been set off in the plates of the planet's crust by a volcano. But in a world of magic, who could say, and the Jarl might have been correct, though it was not the fault of the present faculty.

 

Nora was sitting at a table, tucking into a large meal, when a man in mage robes sat down next to her.

 

“I overheard that you are here for the College,” said the Altmer, who wore the robes of a mage. “Spellsword?”

 

“I guess you could call me that,” said Nora. “I've picked up as much magic as I could out in the world, but I want to advance.”

 

“Well, that's the place to advance,” said the mage in a sarcastic tone. “Though you have to be careful, as they are sometimes bigoted toward those who study in areas they don't approve of.”

 

“And you are?”

 

“Nelacar,” said the man, holding out a hand. “Once of the College. I stay here so I can still have access to some of the mages I did research with. But you seem a little older and more mature that most of the other novices. And wealthier.”

 

“I've made quite a bit adventuring,” said Nora, not wanting to get into her titles with a stranger.

 

“And those are your people?” The man looked down the table, and the one next to it, where the party sat. “Several of them are mages, yes?”

 

“We have another spellsword who used to study at the College.”

 

“Sofia. Yes, I know of her. I actually found her antics amusing, her practical jokes tension relieving. The faculty didn't agree, and she was asked to leave. Good to see that she landed on her feet. But who is the Altmer?”

 

“Eldawyn? A destruction mage, powerful with fire.”

 

“And someone with a terrible secret,” said Nelacar in a conspiratorial whisper. “You need to be careful of that one.”

 

“I know all about her secret, Master Nelacar,” said Nora, her eyes narrowing as she wondered what this Altmer's game was. “I plan to see Master Gestor about helping her.”

 

“I doubt Phinis has the cure, though he might be able to point the way to one. But expect something long and dangerous. You don't undo a bargain like hers in an afternoon, after all.”

 

“Any other people I need to know here?”

 

“Well, Enthir, the Bosmer across the room, is an instructor at the College, though to me he seems to be more interested in making money selling hard to obtain items to the students. So be careful of him. There are several students here, and some of the people who work in the library. And the Orc over there, Urag gro-Shub, is one of the foremost scholars of ancient magic in Tamriel, in charge of the library. Good man to have on your side, and a bad enemy.”

 

Nora wasn't here to make enemies. She would befriend those who could help her in her mission, and avoid those who promised to become a problem. Of course, others might make that second part difficult.

 

“Thank you for your insight, master Nelacar,” said Nora, finishing her meal and starting to get up. “I'm tired, after a long journey, and would seek my bed.”

 

“Would you mind sharing it this night?” asked the Altmer, raising an eyebrow as he smiled.

 

Nora looked closely at the elf. He was not bad looking, and she thought of the reputation of elves. I hope I'm not disappointed, she thought. “Your room or mine?”

 

“I have the best suite in the inn, so I think mine would be preferable.”

 

Nora was not disappointed.