(no image yet, and I jump back and forth through the fourth wall some in this)

(I'm also gonna deviate a whole lot from the in game script. I think this makes more sense. Finding [ or just remembering things I'd forgotten ] while putting this story together has been interesting.

The Book of Dragons lists the first dragon you kill as "known alive" indicating that more than just the big guy later might have been camping out or flying around someplace.

There are a couple comments, mostly from Farengar that imply dragons had been sighted here or there but not taken seriously. He says "when the stories of dragons began to circulate, many dismissed them as mere fantasies, rumors. Impossibilities. One sure mark of a fool is to dismiss anything that falls outside his experience as being impossible. But I began to search for information about dragons - where had they gone all those years ago? And where were they coming from?" No mention is made of their diet, so they might be half-magical and not need to eat at all, meaning they could hibernate for a century or two while in hiding (if not teaching students on top of a mountain for years( easy enough.

Also, I doubt he and Delphine had just started looking for the stone. I also don't think she means Alduin when she tells Farengar "Time is running, Farengar, don't forget. This isn't some theoretical question. Dragons have come back." Game gimmicks aside, she didn't beat you to Whiterun just to give him the quest to give to you. So this is a thing. The people in charge would be happy to have an actual eye witness account from someone reliable and not a barely literate peasant. Good with crops perhaps but probably quite superstitious and easy to write off [by others at least] as not knowing what is what. Why your own adventurer is trusted by the jarl is up to you. )

With the Dragonstone in my borrowed horse's saddlebags, I give my goodbyes to Hadvar and his family. I make sure to tell Hadvar that if he beats General Tullius back to Solitude somehow, mention to Captain Metilius that I did meet Tullius in Helgen. "He'll know what you mean."

(As an aside, while the heroine doesn't know this, the information she was carrying was copies of the Ulfric dossier you recover later in the Embassy as part of the quest there. Pretend some spy or another got a copy smuggled out and the Captain wanted the General to know, in case the Thalmor tried to interfere or something).

Eventually arriving at the Whiterun gates, the guards make no mention of the largish stone I'm carting around. They probably assume I'm headed to the market to sell it and not get a little bit more than plain rock would bring, and a little farther up the hill. The guards outside Dragonsreach react a little differently, as I'd expect. "I think Farengar is looking for this" I say as I approach. One of them is able to get the attention of a third guard heading out to the city, and I get an escort into the keep. Asking the guard "Do you know if anyone else has come through with reports on the dragon attack at Helgen?" gets me a rather odd look from the guard. "A dragon huh. Dragonsbreath Mead you mean? Someone get drunk and start the inn on fire?" Shaking my head no, I say "Nah, large flying reptile, house sized, used to be stuck upstairs here... you know. Dragon. Flew over, burned down everything that would burn and knocked over half of the rest. Most of the people in Riverwood were kinda hoping the jarl would send some guards when a few of them saw it fly over."

Our debate on jarl first or mage first was interrupted when the housecarl stopped whatever it was she, the jarl and others were discussing and came our way. "What is the matter guardsman? Who is this and why is she bringing a giant rock in here?" Bowing a little (awkward with a giant rock throwing off your balance) I introduce myself and mention that the rock is for the mage but I have information about a dragon attack in Helgen. Irileth is quite happy to take me up to the jarl where I make my report. Pointing to the stone, the Jarl says he would like to join me in Farengar's study and see what the mage has to say about the stone. Dismissing the rest of the court, he leads me to the mage's study and I can see the man's expression change from curiosity to near giddiness when he accurately guesses the present I bring him. It makes a rather resounding thunk when I put it on his desk.

"Some old biddy said you wanted this hunk of rock. Found it while I was chasing down some bandits to retrieve another trinket that looked worth a lot more than this. A lot lighter too. Hope you can make it worth my while or I might just crack into smaller bits and use it for doorstops." Eventually I can't keep a straight face at the expression on the men's faces and start to laugh. "I ran into my Aunt and she asked me to fetch this for you. I have some of her notes, and hope we can make a map of this thing." Farengar and I fill in the jarl before letting him head back to court and his matters of Hold business before assembling the notes I brought and his own notes and books. It takes a couple days but eventually we start to make good progress. I check in with the EETC factor in town (mod added) just in case there are new orders coming my way (I sent notices to Solitude and Windhelm the first day here about where I am though not much on what I am doing).

Days later, and the map mostly finished we hear some yelling by the main doors. Soon afterward, Irileth comes to find Farengar and myself telling us a guard just reported another dragon attack. The three of us quickly join the jarl and the guard.

[ Fourth wall time again. I imagine the developers didn't think much on why a dragon would attack a watch tower, leave, and then come back later. After reading that this dragon was one that survived the purge by the Blades back in the Sky Haven Temple days I wonder if he decided that with Alduin back, it was time to put the mortals back in their place. He lit a fire to get attention and waited for anyone to show up so he could barbecue bunches all at once. Too bad for him things didn't quite work out that way. This is also why I'm delaying his attack after the normal point in game. He isn't aware of or connected to the retrieval of the dragonstone. That just made a convenient place for the PC to get the quest. ]

Dragon down and not moving, I walk over to look for my arrows, to see how deep they penetrated and determine just how tough this dragon was. It obviously isn't the same one I saw at Helgen and I mention that to the others. Turned to speak to them, I'm looking away from it and barely register the surprise on their faces before feeling a warmth on my back. Stepping away quickly I turn and see the dragon start to burn in a magical fire before a rushing sound wraps around me and images flood my mind. Something causes me to focus on the runes I saw in the Barrow and one... word? one set of marks stand out suddenly. FORCE. Suddenly, I understand all meanings of the concept. From forces of fate to forces of nature, power, strength, threats, will or fears that drive you. I knew I understood them all, as if I spend years meditating.

Moments later, and feeling years older, several of the guards ask if I "am ok?" and "was I burned by the dragon?" Checking myself over I find that I am unharmed and physically unchanged. Returning to the dragon I recover all of the arrows that I can find for Farengar, along with a few small scales. Since it doesn't look like the rest of the dragon is going to burn up, I think he'll have time to send out a work crew for the rest. On the way back to the city, our whole group is rocked by what sounds like a distant person shouting "Dov ah kiin." This gets the guards all excited and they start talking about the Greybeards and dragonborn but I just keep quiet, pretending not to know anything and just being a clueless non-nord from Cyrodiil. Irileth is a little less quiet about traveling around and seeing things, but I'm guessing she doesn't have a history with the Blades or feel like she drank a dragon's soul. I decide I'm heading for Riverwood just as soon I can with whatever duplicate notes Farengar will spare.

[ In my story, Thaneship, Housecarl and property ownership are offered but not taken up just yet. Yes, our heroine has done a lot for Whiterun but she's not an un-homed wanderer wanting to settle down and squirrel away a few tons of random junk and artifacts needed for later quests. This has also gotten long enough that I think I should stop it here (and then write two more paragraphs).

My backstory says that generations back, there were several more of the Septim line, not emperors but second cousins and the like, in the Blades, and through one of those the dragonborn blessing was passed down to this heroine. That or Kynareth laid the heavy hand of fate on her and said "Boop! You're IT!" Either way, her grandfather told tales of her great and more great grandfathers talking about the dragonborn members of the Blades and Esbern (no, not an uncle) was one of several others that knew the tales. With the breakup of the Blades during the war, few if any others were left, leaving Esbern to think he's the only one that still remembers.

Skipping ahead several quests, here's what happens - Lady Rose and Delphine decide to split up. Rose to see the Greybeards and learn this voice stuff, and Delphine to check several of the mounds located on the map. Rose realizes that Yes, you can learn the Thu'um by studying a word or concept until you master it, but tracking down and killing dragons instead serves two purposes: eliminate threats to the general population and gain years of knowledge in a few weeks of hunting. She realizes that these scholars won't appreciate her plan, so she just doesn't tell them. Ustengrav is plundered about a month later to finish her initial tests and did learn what they had her study and then she meets Delphine back at Riverwood. Plan in place, they head to the next burial mound, kill a dragon and Rose absorbs its soul, putting all of her practice with the thu'um into play and fully testing her theory about using a dragon's lifetime of memories to unlock a Word. Even though unable to gain mastery of more than a single concept with the speed and force of the dragon's memories rushing through her, she and her Aunt decide that the plan is sound. Now all they need to do is find the large dragon bringing the others to life and a way to bring him down. On the way back to Riverwood they discuss the possible reasons Elenwen and the thalmor were in Helgen and ever suspicious, Delphine blames them for the dragons. ]

Next chapter: Crashing a party. How Lady Rose gets a REAL invitation.