![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/5-2-16-1.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cRoggi, no!\u201d<\/p>\n
Dardeh\u2019s heart constricted with a familiar, sickening fear as the dragon he had just Shouted down thundered onto the snow-covered road and Roggi \u2013 as he always did \u2013 ran straight for its snapping jaws.\u00a0 I should be used to this, he thought, drawing his bow. It\u2019s his way. It\u2019s what he always does; he runs headlong into the danger and takes it out by brute strength and sheer force of personality.\u00a0 But the dragon, a magnificent creature of shimmering blues and purples, was angry at having been contained by a Shout and was snapping wildly at the much smaller adversary carving painful gashes through its face.<\/p>\n
Dardeh peppered it with arrows, watching closely for signs that the Dragonrend effects were waning.\u00a0 Just as Roggi whirled in a complete circle and brought his greatsword across the creature\u2019s neck with all of his considerable strength, Dardeh sank a final arrow into its head.\u00a0 It jerked back in its death throes and crashed to the ground again.<\/p>\n
Dardeh heard a cry of pain and ran forward toward the dragon corpse. He couldn\u2019t see his husband anywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoggi? Roggi! Are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n
As he neared the spot, the dragon began to smolder and smoke. Tendrils of flame appeared at the edges of its scales.\u00a0 Dardeh began to panic; there was nothing he could do to stop this process once it had begun, and he still didn\u2019t see a Nord with a greatsword.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoggi!\u201d\u00a0 No, no, Shor, you can\u2019t have him yet! He\u2019s mine, do you hear me?<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh heard a muffled groan; then a familiar booted leg appeared just beneath the curve of the dragon\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, yeah, I\u2019m coming. Give me a second. Stupid thing landed on me.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh\u2019s legs nearly gave out from under him from relief. \u201cWell move it; it\u2019s starting to burn.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi, bent in half, scooted himself out from under the dragon\u2019s neck and jumped clear of the flames.\u00a0 He immediately dug into his pack, pulled out a healing potion, and downed it.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn, that hurt,\u201d he grumbled. \u201cI don\u2019t know why they have to grow so big.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh closed his eyes and spread his arms as the intoxicating process of absorbing the dragon\u2019s power reached its height. \u00a0\u201cYeah, well,\u201d he said, fighting to focus on his conversation in spite of the overwhelming sensations coursing through him, \u201cI\u2019ve told you before. You get in too close. I don\u2019t want to lose you, Roggi.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBah,\u201d he heard. \u201cIt\u2019ll take a lot more than a lizard to kill me, Dar. I\u2019m too stubborn. Besides, I have my own personal dragon to take care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n The sound he always heard during these moments happened; a muffled boom that indicated the dragon\u2019s power was now entirely his. He opened his eyes slowly and smiled at Roggi.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I really wish there was some way I could share this with you. It\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi strapped his greatsword across his back and tossed Dardeh a sideways grin. \u201cOh, you do, Dar.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just say that I can always tell when you\u2019ve just taken a dragon. Speaking of which, let\u2019s get to Winterhold. I\u2019m looking forward to a night at the inn.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh found himself blushing furiously; he could feel the heat in his cheeks, heat that had nothing to do with the last moments of the dragon\u2019s dissolution. \u201cRoggi! Good grief!\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi just grinned at him again and started down the road toward Winterhold, whistling as he went.\u00a0 Dardeh shook his head and laughed, then scurried to catch up to him.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Brynjolf and Agryn weren\u2019t too far behind Edwyn, even having taken a few moments before leaving the castle.\u00a0 He could see the tiny speck of black moving eastward along the shoreline even as they made the crossing to the finger of land outside Northwatch Keep.<\/p>\n He had insisted that they make as little noise as possible and stay unseen, if they could.\u00a0 Agryn had confirmed to him that Edwyn\u2019s immediate goal was to scuttle Ulfric\u2019s bid to become High King; and now Brynjolf wanted to gather as much information as he could about that before taking care of Edwyn for good.\u00a0 It would do nobody any good if they killed Edwyn only to have Ulfric be surprised \u2013 and humiliated \u2013 at the Moot.<\/p>\n \u201cHe really made a stand-in just to get a child?\u201d he asked Agryn as they crept along.<\/p>\n \u201cMore accurately, Tyna made Edwyn a stand-in,\u201d Agryn said sourly. \u201cTyna and your face-changing friend down in the Ratway. You couldn\u2019t possibly tell them apart. At least not until Geor Mandel speaks. He\u2019s a Breton, like us, but he\u2019s a very ordinary sort of person and his patterns of speech are very simple.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnlike our friend Edwyn and his\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOverly pompous and wordy discourse?\u201d Agryn chuckled. \u201cYes. I keep wondering about Geor, actually. Since Tyna and I abandoned Edwyn\u2026 Well, let\u2019s just say that I\u2019ve never been one to make thralls. I don\u2019t truly know how it works if you\u2019re not near them to exert influence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm.\u201d Brynjolf\u2019s mind was racing. \u201cI certainly don\u2019t know. But I\u2019m curious. Are you really going to be able to do this with me? Kill him, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u00a0 Why wouldn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been with him a long time, lad,\u201d Brynjolf said, casting a glance at the Breton. Agryn\u2019s face was drawn into a tight, angry frown.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he tried to force himself on Tyna,\u201d Agryn spat between clenched teeth. \u201cI would kill anyone who tried to hurt her.\u201d\u00a0 He looked at Brynjolf and shook his head. \u201cI had started to doubt him some time ago, Brynjolf. He\u2019s not the same man I have been friends with for all these years. But that was the end. You have to understand. She\u2019s my most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded.\u00a0 I looked up to Mercer Frey for so long. Considered him a friend and a mentor. And he was lying to me the whole time. He was the one who killed Gallus. The Guild was the most important thing to me then. I understand how Agryn must feel.<\/em><\/p>\n He realized that he\u2019d not been paying attention to their whereabouts when Agryn suddenly stopped him with a hand on his arm and pointed.\u00a0 Not far ahead of them, a dark figure stepped out from a cave and scurried eastward.<\/p>\n \u201cHe must have ducked inside to heal up,\u201d Agryn whispered. \u201cHe\u2019s hurt, Brynjolf. Or ill. Something\u2019s wrong with him.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never seen him act the way he did when he came into the castle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell he didn\u2019t get very much rest, if that\u2019s why he went in there. He wasn\u2019t that far ahead of us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can get him, right now,\u201d Agryn said, his tone excited.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, lad. I still want to watch him, see what he\u2019s up to.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn sighed. \u201cIf you insist.\u201d<\/p>\n They stopped for a moment to refresh themselves with blood potions.\u00a0 All the while, the figure ahead of them got smaller and smaller, until Agryn was practically vibrating with tension.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to go<\/em>, Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, alright. I\u2019m sorry, lad. I know this is hard. But I\u2019m thinking about the politics of the situation as well as the need to get rid of him. We need to know as much about what\u2019s going on as we can learn.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn heaved a frustrated sigh. \u201cYeah, I know. And I agree with you. I\u2019ve never harbored any ill-will toward Ulfric Stormcloak, and somehow I didn\u2019t think Edwyn would actually try to become High King. I thought he\u2019d just influence Elisif. But now\u2026 He\u2019s lost himself, and I just want it over with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand,\u201d Brynjolf said.\u00a0 They started down the shoreline again, the figure in black just barely visible in the distance ahead.\u00a0 They followed him up over the rise next to the cave Edwyn had used, and down the far side into a sheltered spot where the sun kept the snow melted back from the grasses.\u00a0 Edwyn\u2019s footsteps were easy to spot here, and they started their pursuit of him once more.<\/p>\n Edwyn was far enough ahead of them that they needed to move more quickly or lose him.\u00a0 After a few moments of scuttling along in a crouch, Brynjolf tsk\u2019d and shook his head.\u00a0 He stood and indicated to Agryn that they should run. They\u2019d gone only a few dozen paces when there was a snarl from their left; and a snowy saber cat hurtled at them across the shallows, from a small mound of land just offshore.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t that the cat was especially difficult for them to take care of.\u00a0 Both of them were accomplished fighters, vampires equipped with the life-draining magic that could damage even the most formidable foes. The beast took only a few swipes at them before crumpling to its side.\u00a0 But when they looked ahead, they could no longer see Edwyn.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it!\u201d Agryn snarled. \u201cHe\u2019s gotten away!\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf was just as dismayed about the situation as Agryn was, but felt it was important to remain calm. \u201cWe can still get him. There are only a few places he\u2019s likely to have gone, now that he\u2019s been run out of Volkihar Castle. Right? He either went to Proudspire, or he\u2019s heading to Winterhold.\u201d<\/p>\n Agryn frowned.\u00a0 \u201cOr he could have headed inland and gone to Markarth for all we know. But I think you\u2019re probably right. Let\u2019s hurry and see if we can at least find his prints.\u201d<\/p>\n They broke into a run.\u00a0 Even with the slowness of daylight, they made good time. It wasn\u2019t long before they picked up Edwyn\u2019s trail again.\u00a0 He\u2019d run all the way down Haafingar\u2019s peninsula rather than cut up through the forest; and he\u2019d run through snow, leaving a visible track.<\/p>\n He has to be getting tired, if he\u2019s hurt. He\u2019s going to make for the city, for certain.<\/em><\/p>\n They\u2019d made it around the end of the land before they spotted him again.\u00a0 Agryn grabbed Brynjolf\u2019s arm and pointed.<\/p>\n \u201cI see him, lad. He\u2019s not moving very fast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was having a hard time to keep his eyes open, in the castle,\u201d Agryn responded. \u201cLike he hasn\u2019t slept in days.\u00a0 Even as strong as he is that\u2019s going to take its toll.\u201d<\/p>\n The snow-covered coast gave way to warmer, greener surroundings as they neared the fjord between Solitude and Morthal.\u00a0 Brynjolf expected to see the tiny figure before them turn inland. He fully expected to see Edwyn make for Proudspire.\u00a0 But he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Instead, he cut straight across the water for the marshes.<\/p>\n \u201cHow is he doing that?\u201d Brynjolf asked, squinting to get a better view.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a conjured horse,\u201d Agryn said sourly. \u201cAnd he has a spell that allows horses and people to run over water.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sighed. \u201cOk. Let\u2019s run to the stables, in that case, and take the carriage to Morthal. He\u2019s got to pass through there.\u201d<\/p>\n It was much later than either of them would have liked when they started scouting the area around Morthal for signs of Edwyn\u2019s passage.\u00a0 Nobody had seen him come through town, so they went along the edges of the marsh, listening for heartbeats and watching for footprints.\u00a0 Nothing revealed itself.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we know he didn\u2019t go to Solitude,\u201d Brynjolf said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s heading for the College, Brynjolf. It\u2019s the most logical choice.\u201d<\/p>\n The sun was sinking as they headed out to the shoreline to make the long trek east.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, lad,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cNow I wish I hadn\u2019t waited. We should have taken him out at the castle.\u201d<\/p>\n They ran for a few minutes.\u00a0 Agryn cleared his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEdwyn would never have apologized for making a bad decision. And it wasn\u2019t even a bad <\/em>decision. Just not the absolute best one.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf chuckled. \u201cWell, lad, you\u2019ll have noticed by now. I\u2019m not Edwyn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank the gods.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know that the Moot is approaching,\u201d Jarl Korir said with a snarl.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know why more of you are here to strong-arm me. I\u2019m still not changing my mind. My support is behind Ulfric Stormcloak, and no amount of intimidation is going to change it!\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh struggled to close his mouth, which had sagged open in astonishment.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure what you mean, Jarl Korir.\u00a0 I\u2019m certainly not here to strong arm you. I was fairly sure you were going to support Ulfric, but I wanted to make sure you knew the Moot was coming.\u00a0 Was someone else here before us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat damned mage. The Arch-mage. Seems he married Elisif of Solitude, and he thinks that ought to give him some kind of say in the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEdwyn Wickham was here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThreatened to unleash more of that damnable magic on our city. Well, I told him what I thought. And the same goes for you \u2013 if you\u2019re with the College, you have no reason to be talking to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you know who you\u2019re talking to,\u201d Roggi said, in that quiet voice that always raised the hair on Dardeh\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n \u201cEasy, Roggi,\u201d he said, not shifting his gaze from the Jarl\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s alright. Jarl Korir, I am Dardeh. I\u2019m known as the Dragonborn. I\u2019m here on behalf of Ulfric, and, well,\u201d he hesitated, looked at Roggi\u2019s stormy face, and broke into a grin. \u201cI guess if you had said you were for Elisif I might have been here to do a little strong-arming, yes. But you needn\u2019t worry.\u00a0 I\u2019m delighted to know you\u2019re with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDragonborn is it?\u201d the Jarl said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard about you. You\u2019ve made quite the name for yourself, both during the war and since.\u00a0 And you<\/em>,\u201d he said, turning to glare at Roggi. \u201cDon\u2019t think I don\u2019t know who you are. And don\u2019t think I care about that. You\u2019ve no call to get on your high horse with me.\u00a0 I\u2019m not one to take threats well.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh had a hard time to keep himself from snickering.\u00a0 He managed to keep a straight face, though, and nodded at the Jarl. \u201cVery well, sir. I don\u2019t suppose you know where Edwyn went?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. But he\u2019s attached to the College, so I\u2019d look there, if you\u2019re looking for him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot so much looking for<\/em> him as looking out<\/em> for him,\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cHe\u2019s more or less working against us.\u00a0 But thank you. And take care. I wouldn\u2019t put anything past him at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry about us,\u201d the Jarl said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be at the Moot, ready to cast our vote.\u201d<\/p>\n They left the Jarl\u2019s longhouse, and Roggi turned toward the east. \u201cCome on, Dar. It\u2019s a long way to Windhelm. At least we have good news for Ulfric.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh shook his head. \u201cI want to stop in at the college first.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi frowned. \u201cI\u2019d rather not. Something about this feels wrong, Dardeh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, come on. I want to talk to Urag. I mean, I left a note for him about Septimus, but I don\u2019t know whether he got it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd is that really important with everything else that\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled, leaned over and kissed Roggi on the cheek. \u201cDon\u2019t be a mother hen, Roggi. It\u2019s fine. We won\u2019t stay too long. Humor me.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi frowned. \u201cDar\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nibbled on Roggi\u2019s ear and whispered. \u201cI humored you<\/em> last night, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi turned bright red. \u201cDardeh, you are not fighting fair.\u201d\u00a0 His eyes twinkled, though, and he grinned.\u00a0 \u201cAlright, alright. We\u2019ll go see Urag. Let\u2019s get going.\u201d<\/p>\n They made their way across the narrow bridge to the College, through the courtyard and up the stairs into the Arcanaeum.\u00a0 Urag gro-Shub was resting at the very back of the room, in a chair beside his desk.\u00a0 He looked up with a scowl, as though he was quite prepared to flay whoever it was that was intruding into the peace of his library.\u00a0 When he realized that it was Dardeh, though, his expression softened.<\/p>\n \u201cDragonborn.\u00a0 It\u2019s been some time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt has indeed.\u00a0 I just wanted to make sure you\u2019d gotten my note about Septimus. Gosh it seems like such a long time ago now.\u201d<\/p>\n Urag gave him what passed for a smile. \u201cI did. And thank you. I appreciated knowing what became of him. Old fool wasn\u2019t quite in his right mind, but he was my friend once.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad he found some kind of peace in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded. \u201cHe did. I almost wish I\u2019d seen what he saw, because he said it was marvelous.\u201d\u00a0 Before he was consumed into a pile of ash, poor misled fool.<\/em> Just thinking about Hermaeus Mora made the embers of anger begin stirring in his core, and he felt his jaw tighten as he fought to damp it down.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you found your Elder Scroll.\u201d\u00a0 Urag seemed genuinely interested.<\/p>\n \u201cI did. It helped me kill Alduin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlduin! Well, that\u2019s something, isn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 Urag rubbed his chin, and then frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d Roggi asked.\u00a0 Dardeh glanced at him. Roggi was hovering near him, moving back and forth in front of Urag\u2019s desk. He looked very uncomfortable, as if there was something just out of sight that he could feel but not see.\u00a0 Easy, love. It\u2019ll be fine. Once we\u2019re in Windhelm and we\u2019ve talked to Ulfric I\u2019ll help you relax.<\/em> He shot a grin at Roggi, but Roggi didn\u2019t seem to catch it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the whole business of you being Dragonborn,\u201d Urag said. \u201cPeople have been asking and asking for books on the dragon blood and the Empire, and so forth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople?\u201d Roggi said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem, Roggi?\u201d Dardeh asked him.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not \u2018people,\u2019 really,\u201d Urag said. \u201cMostly the Archmage.\u00a0 He seems to be obsessed with the whole business of the Empire and the succession,\u201d he said, his brows furrowing. \u201cAre you the reason for all this interest?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDar,\u201d Roggi hissed, pulling Dardeh aside. \u201cSomething\u2019s wrong. We need to leave. Now!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi, what\u2019s wrong with you today? You would think we were being hunted or something.\u201d\u00a0 Dardeh was about to return to Urag\u2019s side, but Roggi once again grabbed his arm and pulled him back behind one of the substantial stone pillars.<\/p>\n \u201cYes! Well done, Dragonborn. You would think that, wouldn\u2019t you?\u201d The exclamation was followed by loud laughter.\u00a0 Dardeh reached for his swords, and whirled to find the source of the voice, but he couldn\u2019t see anything.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are you?\u201d Roggi growled, pulling his sword out in front of him. \u201cYou can\u2019t hide from me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd yet I am doing just that, am I not? It\u2019s altogether too convenient that I should find you here, Dragonborn,\u201d the voice said. \u201cI have had the longest of all possible days traveling from here to Solitude, to Volkihar Island and then back here. Finding you here is an absolute gift. And I am most grateful to both our esteemed Jarl and Urag gro-Shub here for confirming that you are in fact the Dragonborn. It was rather dark the last time I saw you, and I wasn\u2019t certain I would recognize your face when I saw it again.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a shimmering at the far side of Urag gro-Shub\u2019s desk, and a figure appeared, dressed entirely in black, slightly bent over but with his arms wound tightly up against his body.<\/p>\n \u201cArchmage,\u201d Urag said quietly, looking more than a bit distressed.<\/p>\n Roggi growled.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Dardeh hissed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat am I doing here? Why, this is my domain, my dear Dragonborn!\u201d\u00a0 He started walking toward the two of them, slowly.\u00a0 \u201cWell, more accurately this particular space is Urag\u2019s domain, of course. My quarters are above. As to my current task, I am looking for information on the dragon blood, as our honored archivist mentioned.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh\u2019s mind flashed back to the night when Rayya had lured him out onto the tundra near Broken Fang Cave.\u00a0 He remembered the cry of the man who, he was certain, he had burned badly \u2013 the one who had welcomed him to his new life.\u00a0 But he remembered hearing another voice, too; deeper, smoother in some ways and harsher in others.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were there that night, weren\u2019t you?\u201d he snarled. \u201cIt\u2019s your fault that Rayya died!\u201d<\/p>\n The Archmage laughed. \u201cMy fault? I believe you were the one who burned her to a cinder, Dragonborn. I haven\u2019t the power. But you do, and that is exactly why I am so pleased that you\u2019ve come to me, rather than making me search longer. It will be so much easier to research the effects of Dragonborn blood first-hand rather than through books and scrolls. Time is of the essence, after all, as it seems that the Moot is imminent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d better not harm any of this collection,\u201d Urag growled. \u201cI don\u2019t care whether you\u2019re the Archmage or not!\u201d\u00a0 Urag and Edwyn Wickham glared at each other for a moment. The old archivist rose from his chair and faded to a corner of the room from which he could observe but not be reached.<\/p>\n \u201cDar,\u201d Roggi whispered. \u201cWe have to get out of here. Back up toward the stairwells.\u201d<\/p>\n They were right. They were all right. He\u2019s after my blood.<\/em><\/p>\n He\u2019s not sane.<\/em><\/p>\n Dardeh did start edging backwards, one hand extended out behind him to help him find the walls and avoid tripping over furniture. Roggi stood between him and Edwyn, holding his sword horizontally before him.\u00a0 Edwyn advanced on them at the same pace. Dardeh couldn\u2019t help but notice his glowing copper eyes and the fangs he wasn\u2019t bothering to conceal; that, and the fact that he seemed to be favoring or protecting his hands for some reason.\u00a0 His mind raced, trying to think of what to do.<\/p>\n Fire is the most obvious choice but I can\u2019t very well Shout in here. It doesn\u2019t matter how well treated this wood is or how carefully preserved the books are; this room is nothing but flammable materials and if I Shout I\u2019ll be killing Urag and centuries of research.\u00a0 I can\u2019t do that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou do realize you can\u2019t become Dragonborn just by getting my blood, don\u2019t you, Edwyn?\u201d he said.\u00a0 I have no idea if that\u2019s the truth or not but I need to stall him. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t realize any such thing,\u201d Edwyn said, taking another step toward him. \u201cMy theory is that, as with my own power, yours came to you in your blood. We went to great lengths to see whether we might test that theory without killing you. But you thwarted that effort.\u201d<\/p>\n Suddenly Dardeh remembered a conversation he\u2019d had with Arngeir.\u00a0 \u201cBut your working theory is wrong, Archmage. The Dragonborn is sent into the world by the gods themselves, during times of great need. The Greybeards taught me that.\u201d\u00a0 He nearly tripped over a stack of books on the floor; looking behind himself for a moment he saw the dark opening that must be the staircase.\u00a0 I\u2019ll run as soon as I\u2019m there. Roggi will follow.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThere are always two potential Dragonborn,\u201d Urag said quietly from the shadows. \u201cAt least that\u2019s what the old tomes say. The current one and his successor. You can\u2019t remove the Dragonborn from the world, Archmage.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwyn laughed. \u201cAnd who exactly would this other Dragonborn be?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi gasped.<\/p>\n Dardeh frowned. \u201cI killed the only other Dragonborn.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi was shaking his head, but Dardeh had no idea why.<\/p>\n \u201cThen you are in fact the one I must have,\u201d Edwyn said, grinning.<\/p>\n Dardeh reached behind him and felt not reassuring stone wall, but an opening.\u00a0 Roggi glanced back at him.<\/p>\n \u201cGo, Dar! Go!\u201d\u00a0 As Roggi pivoted back to face Edwyn, Edwyn lunged at him. Dardeh heard a loud smack and two nearly matching grunts as the flat of Roggi\u2019s sword connected with Edwyn\u2019s armor.<\/p>\n Dardeh turned into the stairwell, feeling Roggi\u2019s heat directly behind him, and groaned.<\/p>\n The stairs went up, not down.<\/p>\n Damn it! I can\u2019t get past them from here. We\u2019re going to have to fight him on the roof!\u00a0 Well, so be it.\u00a0 And besides\u2026 <\/em>He grinned as a thought occurred to him.\u00a0 Dragons work better in the open, don\u2019t they?\u00a0 Well let\u2019s go, then. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Roggi!\u201d he yelled.\u00a0 \u201cUp here! Follow me!\u201d\u00a0 He raced up the stairs and through the door, the sounds of footsteps behind him reassuring him that Roggi was right behind him.<\/p>\n They spilled out onto a round platform \u2013 the roof of one of the College\u2019s towers, no doubt, Dardeh thought.\u00a0 Both he and Roggi backed away from the door until he was standing in the center of the space, atop one of the massive seals in the shape of the College\u2019s symbolic arcane eye.\u00a0 Roggi stepped a pace or two behind him, raising his sword to the ready position.<\/p>\n Edwyn Wickham came through the door and raised his hands.\u00a0 Dardeh watched the blue spheres of magical energies gather in his palms, and frowned as the man winced.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething wrong with your hands, Edwyn?\u201d he asked, lifting one of his ebony scimitars up before him.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing worth speaking of, Dragonborn. I have survived many centuries and many injuries far more grievous than this one,\u201d the Archmage told him. \u201cNow then. Would it not be simpler for you and your\u2026\u201d He paused, looked at Roggi, and made an expression of utter distaste. \u201cYour husband, <\/em>to simply lay down your weapons and allow me to sample some of your blood?\u00a0 Nobody needs to die, and nobody will be further harmed if it appears that I do not become Dragonborn by taking part of you into myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what do you plan to do if you do happen to absorb some of my power, Edwyn?\u201d Dardeh said, trying to stall him while he considered what to do next.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to attack while Edwyn was between them and the stairwell; that would make his escape far too easy.\u00a0 And if someone else should come up to investigate, he would run the risk of injuring or killing them if he Shouted.\u00a0 He shifted to the side a bit, circling around the ceremonial seal and quietly praying to Talos for some sort of inspiration.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, I intend to become Emperor. Surely you\u2019ve had no confusion on that. You, of all people, know that you\u2019re currently the one, true, divinely-appointed Emperor.\u00a0 But if your blood is taken\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Edwyn tsk\u2019d and shook his head, his coppery eyes glittering madly. \u201cIt would be such a shame to kill you for it, you know. Far better if you just allow me to make you my thrall, the way we had planned to do before that unfortunate accident with Rayya.\u00a0 At any rate, I will have the blood, I will have the power, and I will rule Tamriel forever, just as my lord and master Harkon planned.\u201d<\/p>\n He made a motion with one hand \u2013 a motion Dardeh recognized as the start of a conjuration spell.\u00a0 Once again, he winced.<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d Roggi shouted. \u201cYou can\u2019t have him! He\u2019s mine<\/em>, do you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Dardeh. So many things happened so quickly that he had no time to react, or move, or intervene.<\/p>\n For a brief moment, part of him marveled at how often he\u2019d had those very same words form in his own heart, when they were around Ulfric Stormcloak. You can\u2019t have him, Ulfric. He\u2019s mine.<\/em><\/p>\n Then Roggi leapt forward, slashing with his greatsword.\u00a0 For a heartbeat, it looked as though he was going to cleave Edwyn Wickham in two as he had so many bandits, and Imperial troops, as well as beasts and dragons. But Edwyn Wickham was an ancient Volkihar Nightlord. His reflexes were finely-honed.\u00a0 He merely stepped aside, and Roggi\u2019s blade crashed to the stones in a concussion that made Dardeh\u2019s arms ache with sympathy, knowing what that blow would have done to every fiber of Roggi\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n Roggi grunted, and took one step back.<\/p>\n Edwyn raised his hands, groaning.\u00a0 The energies he was holding turned from blue to red, and a spinning red disc formed around him, extending outward.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had enough of you,\u201d he hissed through clenched teeth. \u201cYou and your sword, and your blind devotion to something you don\u2019t even understand \u2013 a man you don\u2019t even understand.\u00a0 You Nords are all alike. Honor, and glory, and besting your foes with blades and brute strength. Stupid, brute strength. And what did that blow get you, eh?\u201d\u00a0 He hissed, clearly in pain himself to Dardeh\u2019s eyes, as he advanced on Roggi step by step, the disc spinning faster and faster.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you\u2019re right, that blow hurt,\u201d Roggi said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t taking your speed into account. But I have plenty more where that came from. And once we have you tied up, Edwyn Wickham, you\u2019ll find out what else I\u2019m good at besides stupid, brute strength. Something tells me it\u2019ll be a real eye-opener for you.\u00a0 You see, I like blood too. I just tend to extract it more\u2026 slowly. It\u2019ll be a real experience for me, too, to find out just how much a vampire actually holds.\u201d\u00a0 Roggi grinned at him; and Dardeh saw the darkness rise in his eyes, even from as far away as he was.<\/p>\n Roggi, no! <\/em>Dardeh felt frozen. He tried to call out but his voice refused to sound.<\/p>\n \u201cEnough to do this, Nord,\u201d Edwyn growled, stepping closer to Roggi.\u00a0 The edges of the disc reached him. \u201cEnjoy your experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi suddenly dropped his sword.\u00a0 His eyes grew wide.\u00a0 He started to scream.<\/p>\n Roggi, no!<\/em><\/p>\n Roggi dropped to the stones.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n Dardeh screamed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u00a0 No!!\u00a0 ROGGI!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He rushed forward, toward Edwyn Wickham, one of his swords held high.<\/p>\n \u201cYou. Will. Die.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n He could barely hear. He was in so much pain. Too much pain. Nothing would move, not even his eyelids.\u00a0 He was vaguely aware of his heart beating, very slowly, barely sustaining the movement of that blood that Edwyn Wickham had tried to pull from him with his magic.\u00a0 Air flowed sluggishly in through his nostrils and then back out again; but he couldn\u2019t feel his chest moving and knew there was no way for him to move, to rise, to attack.<\/p>\n Then an enormous sound filled the air.<\/p>\n \u201cMUL- QAH DIIV!\u201d<\/p>\n He focused on his eyelids and willed them to open, just enough so that he could see. Through his lashes shapes appeared, bare shadows on his consciousness.\u00a0 He saw a man in black, standing just above him. It wasn\u2019t Dardeh. He\u2019d heard the Shout; Dardeh would have been wreathed in the colorful magic of Dragon Aspect if it were him. No, this was Edwyn Wickham.<\/p>\n He frowned; or at least his emotions comprised a frown, though he could not feel his brows shift in any way at all.\u00a0 For high in the air, over Edwyn Wickham\u2019s shoulder, appeared a shape. His hands ached to grab his greatsword; his legs ached to rush into battle \u2013 for such were the responses his body knew to the sight of a dragon flying overhead.<\/p>\n But he could not move; and he could not see Dardeh.\u00a0 His eyes closed, exhausted from the effort of vision.\u00a0 And he listened.<\/p>\n A great, deep voice spoke. It was a voice he knew; and a part of him burned with love for that voice. But the voice was full of power. It hummed with power. There were overtones to the voice he loved that he\u2019d never heard before.\u00a0 Oh, he remembered hearing something like it, once before, when the voice had proclaimed No and shaken the very rocks beneath their feet. But that had been only a poor echo of what he heard now.<\/p>\n \u201cEdwyn Wickham! Dreh hi Mindoraan him Daan?\u201d<\/p>\n The words were meaningless to him, for a moment; and then from somewhere it was as though a whisper repeated them to him. Edwyn Wickham. Do you understand your fate?<\/em><\/p>\n He heard Edwyn Wickham\u2019s dry laugh, then, and his hoarse voice trying to form a reply.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking to me in the dragon tongue are you, Dardeh at-Dadarh? Pretend to be a dragon if it makes you feel important. Soon I will have your blood and I will fly among the dragons as well.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a chuckle.\u00a0 And then the deep voice that he both loved and feared spoke again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, can you not even understand our language, Edwyn Wickham?\u00a0 Is that what this is about? Simple jealousy? You are not Dragonborn, and you will never be Dragonborn.\u201d<\/p>\n He heard footsteps. Shuffling, as though the two of them circled each other. Then the rooftop shuddered.<\/p>\n \u201cHin tiid los Oblaan. Zu\u2019u him dan.\u201d<\/p>\n Your time is at an end. I am your doom.<\/em><\/p>\n He had to see. He had to witness what was happening. He forced every iota of energy he could muster into his eyelids, once again, and slowly, slowly, they fluttered open just a crack.\u00a0 He gasped.<\/p>\n Or, rather, he would have gasped if he had been able to form a sound.<\/p>\n Above him stood Dardeh, wreathed in Dragon Aspect as he had known would be the case.\u00a0 But beneath the helm of the Shout were horns \u2013 solid horns, protruding from Dardeh\u2019s skull, on either side of the unruly curls of blonde Redguard hair he fought with every day.\u00a0 And to either side of his body were wings.<\/p>\n Roggi stared in wonder, and in awe, and in fear.\u00a0 Dardeh had wings. They were huge, of brilliant yellows and blacks; the long fingers of their structure covered in orange scales and ending with wicked black claws of the type Roggi had seen so many times before, fighting dragons.\u00a0 The oranges and blues of the Shout\u2019s energy against the black of Dardeh\u2019s armor echoed the oranges and blacks of Dardeh\u2019s wings, and Roggi marveled at it.<\/p>\n He\u2019s been a dragon all along. I\u2019ve just never let myself see it before.<\/em><\/p>\n Then his eyes settled on Dardeh\u2019s face.\u00a0 If he\u2019d been able to shudder, he would have shuddered.\u00a0 For Dardeh stared coldly across the space to wherever it was that Edwyn Wickham stood.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t look angry.\u00a0 He simply looked like the personification of his words \u2013 Do you understand your fate? Your time is at an end. I am your doom.\u00a0 He stood above Roggi in the fullness of his power.\u00a0 Not arrogant, not angry. Not evil. Simply knowing.<\/p>\n \u201cDir nu.\u201d The words had the roof shuddering once again.<\/p>\n Die, now.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it that you think you can do to me, Dragonborn?\u201d Edwyn Wickham croaked.\u00a0 As if from far away the part of Roggi\u2019s mind that could think in such terms told him yes, that spell worked with his own blood and he was already hurt.\u00a0 He has injured himself more. And it is daylight.<\/p>\n \u201cYOL- TOOR SHUL!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The force of the Shout was such that Roggi was thrown from his side onto his back, both arms flung wide.\u00a0 He needed no translation to know what this Shout had been, but he needed, with all his being, to see what was happening.\u00a0 He forced his eyes to focus, as much as they could focus from the strange angle at which he now rested, and gasped at what he saw.<\/p>\n Yes, Dardeh had Shouted fire breath at Edwyn Wickham.\u00a0 There was no fire wisp around him, not this time; but the wings were held out to either side, as if to shelter Roggi from any backlash of the flames.\u00a0 He could see clearly the wicked claws at each wingtip, and the rack of horns on either side of Dardeh\u2019s skull. Most shocking of all, though, was that between the Black Book and the mask of Miraak that Dardeh always wore on his belt there extended a long, scaled tail, firmly pressed against the rooftop \u2013 for balance, no doubt, Roggi thought.<\/p>\n His eyes closed.\u00a0 He heard Edwyn Wickham scream.\u00a0 He thought he heard the man call out for Lord Harkon.\u00a0 Or maybe he called for Serana.\u00a0 Roggi wasn\u2019t certain.\u00a0 All he knew, as the darkness filled in around him, was that his husband was a dragon.<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi, no!\u201d Dardeh\u2019s heart constricted with a familiar, sickening fear as the dragon he had just Shouted down thundered onto the snow-covered road and Roggi \u2013 as he always did \u2013 ran straight for its snapping jaws.\u00a0 I should be used to this, he thought, drawing his bow. It\u2019s his way. It\u2019s what he always … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/5-2-16-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Resolution<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"