{"id":1975,"date":"2022-11-19T13:15:34","date_gmt":"2022-11-19T20:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=1975"},"modified":"2022-11-22T10:46:59","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T17:46:59","slug":"chapter-8-dardeh","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-ii\/part-ii-above-and-beyond\/chapter-8-dardeh\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 8 – Dardeh"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cUp there,\u201d Dardeh said, pointing. It was hard to see anything through the mountain fog, but he knew where and what he was pointing at. It didn\u2019t matter. He was simply trying to stall.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I need a few more minutes. I just need to get my thoughts in order. <\/em><\/p>\n

How do you approach someone who not only has disliked you for twenty years but has also told you, specifically, you\u2019re not welcome? And the worst of it is that I am again in a position where what I do and say may have oversized effects on everyone else.<\/em><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t want this. I wanted it to be over.<\/em><\/p>\n

He glanced over at his niece and at Harald. Harald usually looked serious, but at that moment it seemed as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.<\/p>\n

And he does. The world \u2013 or at least Skyrim \u2013 is going to be his burden to bear. Maybe in another decade. Maybe next week. Who knows? He doesn\u2019t want it, and I understand that better than nearly anyone. <\/em><\/p>\n

They\u2019d had a pleasant enough trip stopping for the night at Mammoth Manor. He\u2019d enjoyed listening to Qara chatter about her experiences on Falskaar. Harald, as usual, had been the least vocal of all of them, but he had opened up at one point, following a very long sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re going to hate me, aren\u2019t they?\u201d he\u2019d asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is going to hate you?\u201d Qara asked, peering at Harald.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents. They really don\u2019t like it when I\u2019m out of their sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh had needed to suppress a loud sigh of his own. He understood Harald\u2019s frustration. But as the oldest adult in the room, it was his responsibility to make sure Harald understood his own duty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell they won\u2019t be around forever, Harald,\u201d Qara said. \u201cLater on you\u2019ll be able to do whatever you want and nobody will be able to tell you otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a rather harsh way of putting things, Qara,\u201d he\u2019d said, trying desperately to still the voices in his own mind that shrieked about the same matters.<\/p>\n

Ulfric is old. He\u2019s going to die before any of the rest of us, barring a catastrophe. Frina will be devastated. And how will Roggi be? Will he fall apart? And what then? What do I do?<\/em><\/p>\n

That was the part that he hated thinking about. Roggi was precisely between Ulfric and him, figuratively – and literally, in terms of age.<\/p>\n

I know I gave everyone a scare with the coughing, and now with the ruined voice. But the fact is that it\u2019s a whole lot more likely that Roggi will be the first to go of the two of us. And if Ulfric is gone and Roggi is gone, will I have any relevance at all? To anyone?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s true, Uncle Dar,\u201d Qara protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you have to understand how uncomfortable it is to hear, Qara,\u201d Harald mumbled. \u201cOf course you\u2019re right. Father will be gone and I\u2019ll at least be put before the Moot, if nothing else. But here\u2019s the problem. How am I supposed to be a ruler if I\u2019ve never done<\/em> anything? Seen<\/em> anything? Talked to people who are different from me?\u201d He looked at Qara, then at Dardeh. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the reasons I went to Little Vivec. It was hard to hear people saying they\u2019d moved and established a whole new town because of my father<\/em>.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI think I helped with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seemed that way to me,\u201d Qara answered quietly, giving him a small smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the only way I could do that was to slip away while they weren\u2019t looking. They were angry about that, especially Mother. I don\u2019t want to spend however many years Father has left growing to resent his very existence because they won\u2019t let me go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh had to admit that Harald was right. His own mother had been concerned for his safety, of course. But she\u2019d always encouraged him to do what he felt he needed to do. Harald, though, had an extra layer of responsibility.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t get crushed by fate until I was thirty. I had experience with people. I knew who I was, as a man, even though what happened to me changed that. I was able to adjust. Harald is still just a boy in many ways.<\/em><\/p>\n

He\u2019d been just about to open his mouth, try to say something reassuring, when Qara opened hers instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get it, Harald. I really do,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cThe only way I was able to get to Falskaar was to sneak away. Daddy told me not to go and I did anyway. But I didn\u2019t have the whole world depending on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then Dardeh had been unable to stop himself from saying the thing he had not intended to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut maybe you do, Qara.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had just stared at him. And he\u2019d kicked himself for even mentioning that. If he was right, though\u2026<\/p>\n

And here they were, now, trudging along the road to Markarth. Dardeh\u2019s mood felt as heavy as the look on Harald\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

What if I\u2019m wrong?<\/em><\/p>\n

Even worse, what if I\u2019m right?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Dar? What were you pointing at?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Once again, Qara\u2019s voice dragged him back into the present. He jumped, and then focused his attention once again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts. You know how old people are.\u201d He grinned at her, trying to hide how unsettled he really was. \u201cUp there. On the side of that mountain. The big island in the middle of the river.\u201d He pointed once more. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty cloudy up there at the moment, but that building you can just see. That\u2019s Sky Haven Temple.\u201d<\/p>\n

They started moving again. It wasn\u2019t too much farther up the road until they\u2019d need to drop down and cross the river, to get to the Karthspire without having to go through what was left of the old Forsworn camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where the Blades are, right?\u201d Harald asked.<\/p>\n

Dardeh grimaced. \u201cWell, Delphine anyway. I don\u2019t know whether Esbern is still alive. If he is, he\u2019s very old. Much older than your father, Harald. He was one of the Blades\u2019 archivists.\u201d He glanced at Harald to make sure he had the younger man\u2019s attention. \u201cBear in mind that officially, the organization called the Blades was disbanded when the White Gold Concordat was signed. Officially, they don\u2019t exist anymore. Delphine, though\u2026\u201d He sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDelphine what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I really don\u2019t want to give you my opinion. I don\u2019t want to influence you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou already have, Uncle Dar,\u201d Qara said dryly.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s right. I guess it\u2019s too late to worry about that. <\/em><\/p>\n

Dardeh chuckled. \u201cYeah. Ok. Delphine was convinced that there would be another Dragonborn, and that the Blades \u2013 even if she was the only one left \u2013 were sworn to protect that person. That turned out to be me. She thought the Thalmor were somehow responsible for the return of the dragons, and while I was checking that out I learned that Esbern was alive. It\u2019s a good thing he was, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is that?\u201d Harald asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he led us here. Sky Haven Temple. He was the only one of us who even knew it exists. Inside is a wall \u2013 like the carvings in the Hall of Stories you sometimes run across in the old barrows.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had to stop talking then, as it was slippery footing crossing the river and he had no desire to meet Delphine again while sopping wet. Once they were all safely across, though, Qara prodded him to finish.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the wall? What\u2019s so important about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned. \u201cThat wall told us that I would need a Shout to defeat Alduin. This world would have been eaten if we hadn\u2019t found it. It\u2019s the first one you used, Qara. Joor Zah Frul.\u201d He frowned at the flat sound of the Dovahzul words he uttered.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never get used to not having my Voice. Never. I thought I\u2019d never get used to having it and now being without it makes me feel naked. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you were the one to have to use it,\u201d Harald said, a bit breathless from the climbing they were doing up the steep embankments.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm,\u201d Qara said quietly. Dardeh peered at her and saw her brows knitted into a frown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know whether or not that was the right choice?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nearly jumped out of his ebony shell. Paarthurnax had posed the same question.<\/p>\n

Why did I want to kill Alduin, he asked me. What if this world was meant to end so that the next one could begin? And all I could tell him was that I loved the one we were in, that I cared too much for the people in it, that I didn\u2019t want it to end.<\/em><\/p>\n

What if I was just being selfish?<\/em><\/p>\n

What if I was wrong? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Qara,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cThat\u2019s part of why we\u2019re coming here to see Delphine, and Esbern if he\u2019s still alive. I don\u2019t know, I don\u2019t have any way to know, and I can\u2019t change it now. But maybe you and Harald can.\u201d<\/p>\n

He caught Harald and Qara exchanging a look before they all entered the Karthspire cavern. It was still as damp as it had been the last time he\u2019d been there, so he warned them to watch their feet. The suspension bridge onto what had been a rough living area was still in good repair, though. Delphine had to come and go for supplies, after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis looks like a\u2026\u201d Harald murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cForsworn space?\u201d Dardeh said, shooting him a grin. \u201cIt was. It was an outpost of the big encampment down in the valley. We had to fight through all of them to get here. It\u2019s been years now, though.\u201d A lot of years.<\/em><\/p>\n

They stepped out into the ravine that housed the outer limits of the Temple \u2013 what had been a puzzle-locked entry the first time Dardeh had seen it. Qara gasped.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWow,\u201d Harald murmured, moving up to stand beside her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting anything like this,\u201d Qara said, pointing across the gap. \u201cWhat are those two pillars for?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh chuckled. \u201cI had the same reaction to it the first time I saw it. Except that the bridge was up. The pillars held it and its mechanisms.\u201d He stepped ahead of them, moving ahead to the three rotating pillars and pointing at them. \u201cSee the symbol on them? That\u2019s the Akaviri symbol for the Dragonborn. I was glad to have Esbern with me to tell me that.\u201d He frowned then. \u201cBut I\u2019m surprised the bridge is down. It makes the place a bit vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe there\u2019s a lock farther in,\u201d Harald said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Of course,\u201d Dardeh said, startled that Harald thought of something he hadn\u2019t. \u201cWell let\u2019s keep moving.\u201d I just hope everything is still alright<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He trudged across the bridge and through the next chamber, where long ago he\u2019d needed to disengage flame traps by moving carefully across the Dragonborn symbols. And as he had expected, once they\u2019d passed through that room and up into the chamber with the blood seal and the door carved as an enormous bust, he heard Qaralana gasp.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat on Nirn is that<\/em>, Uncle Dar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe head? Esbern told me that it\u2019s supposed to be Reman Cyrodiil. You know, the one that the province is named for. It used to be down. Blocking that entry. There was only one way to open it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh suddenly and unexpectedly found himself unable to form more words. He was choked by emotion, remembering the awe he\u2019d felt, carving into his own palm to bleed onto the blood seal and watching the namesake of a province make way for him. He\u2019d been the only person alive capable of opening that doorway.<\/p>\n

And I guess this is where I have to admit that I\u2019ve become an old man and am irrelevant. Because the door is open. Nobody needs me to spill my blood for them anymore. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat looks like a blood seal to me,\u201d Harald said softly. \u201cWas it? Did you have to open it yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh sent a grateful look to his unofficial nephew, and nodded. Then he took a deep breath and blew it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. That\u2019s how it was. I\u2019m not sure why this is getting to me. Sorry about that, both of you. This isn\u2019t about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana surprised him with a one-armed hug. \u201cActually it is,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just as much about you as anyone. Because you\u2019re the one who knew that we needed to come here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh could only nod. Nod, and lead them through the open door and up the curved staircase to the second door, closed, with the Dragonborn symbol on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Temple proper is beyond this door.\u201d<\/p>\n

The door opened as he pushed against it, much to Dardeh\u2019s grateful relief. He led them up the curving, ornately-carved staircase toward what was undoubtedly going to be a disappointing sight beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t expect much, up here. It\u2019s just a big old\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He stepped into the main cavern and stopped cold, in stunned silence.<\/p>\n

The cavern was no longer the great, empty, stone-filled space he\u2019d last seen. There were banners flapping in the breeze from the roof\u2019s opening. The braziers\u2019 bright light illuminated nooks and crannies he didn\u2019t remember having noticed before as well as the chamber\u2019s elaborate stonework. Someone had cleaned Alduin\u2019s Wall \u2013 the saga of the first great battles between men and dragonkind stood out more clearly than he remembered, and it was beautiful. Three dragon skulls hung on one of the central walls, as if to emphasize that this was not simply a repository of information about Alduin but also the home for some of the greatest dragon-hunters in recorded history.<\/p>\n

Above it all, suspended in the center of the great cavern, was the complete skeleton of a dragon, from its jaws to its tail and out to the tips of its wing bones. It was majestic, and threatening, and yet it was the very symbol of an enemy that had been defeated.<\/p>\n

And Dardeh marveled at how easily the sight of it caused his inborn heat to fan from embers into a flame. It was his instinct to fight dragons \u2013 other<\/em> dragons \u2013 and to prove himself their better.<\/p>\n

And I have no Voice. I have only these two children, each of whom has something of the gift I had. And neither of them is my own blood.<\/em><\/p>\n

He found himself needing to wipe away the tears that had begun rolling silently down his face. It was simply too hard, not knowing whether there had been a reason for him to throw away his own greatness.<\/p>\n

Then he looked at Qara. And he smiled.<\/p>\n

Qaralana had moved into the cavern and past him to the right, staring open-mouthed at the dragon skeleton above her. She stared, unblinking, and Dardeh was sure he saw the same emotions roiling just beneath the surface as he\u2019d had. It was her enemy. It was her kin. It was a creature to be dominated, subdued, shown its proper place in the Planes of Existence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWow,\u201d she breathed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShor\u2019s beard,\u201d Harald whispered, moving in to stand beside Qara.<\/p>\n

Dardeh wanted to laugh, even as his heart was crumbling within him. These were the children of his heart, if not his body. In a real sense, he and Qara were even more closely related than uncle and niece, bound by the dragon blood as they were; and Harald stood beside her in the same protective stance Roggi had so often taken, standing next to Dardeh.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure neither of them even notices that, but I do.<\/em><\/p>\n

He wanted to laugh, but didn\u2019t; he\u2019d finally noticed the people on either side of the long stone table in the chamber\u2019s upper platform. Seated on a stone chair, facing away from the doorway, was a slender, gray-haired man.<\/p>\n

Esbern. I would not have thought it possible. And yet here he is.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dardeh slowly observed the space beyond Esbern. To the left were some tall book cabinets \u2013 one at least, and maybe more. Between him and the books were several low wardrobes. The glint of soul gems atop the nearest suggested an enchanting table might be behind. The glow of cavern mushrooms beneath the dragon skulls told him the table there was an alchemy station, and that the person approaching it was Delphine.<\/p>\n

He took a deep breath.<\/p>\n

This is going to be hard.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dardeh glanced at the other two and began approaching the two Blades, waiting until he was fairly close to the table to clear his throat. Esbern turned to face him, looking as unconcerned over Dardeh\u2019s showing up after nearly twenty years as he might have been to find a raindrop falling through the open ceiling above his head. Delphine, though, snapped her head around to stare at Dardeh in open-mouthed amazement, followed by tight-lipped anger.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you decided to ignore my message, Dragonborn? Assuming that you\u2019re welcome here when you\u2019re not? Always full of yourself. We even heard that you left Whiterun on the back of a dragon, all those years ago. That\u2019s a little showy, even for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh couldn\u2019t help but laugh.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Delphine. It was the only way to get to Skuldafn and then to Sovngarde, where Alduin was. But obviously you knew Alduin was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delphine\u2019s mouth fell open again. \u201cYour voice! It\u2019s, um\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh sighed. \u201cGone. Yes. I\u2019m not the Dragonborn any longer, Delphine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delphine\u2019s brows furrowed. \u201cHow can you not be Dragonborn when you have the blood of a dragon?\u201d<\/p>\n

She has a point.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI do still have that blood. We\u2019ve determined that much. But no, I can\u2019t use the Voice any longer. It\u2019s a long story. I did kill Alduin, though. The World-Eater has been gone for a long time now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Esbern had come around the end of the long stone table, and peered at Dardeh. \u201cYou did it just as the prophecy said. I knew you could do it. I still didn’t think I’d live to see this day. Thank you. You did a great service for us all. I believed in you, and yet…”<\/p>\n

Dardeh raised one eyebrow. \u201cAnd yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet you\u2019re still not welcome here, Dragonborn,\u201d Delphine finished. \u201cWe have nothing to discuss. I\u2019ll have to ask you to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh felt his irritation rising. Somehow Delphine had always managed to anger him thus, and even after twenty years she had done it again.\u00a0I told her I\u2019m not the Dragonborn anymore and she\u2019s acting as though I said nothing at all.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came all the way out here to talk to you,\u201d said a light but bristly voice. Both Dardeh and Delphine turned to see Qara approaching, her expression defiant. Dardeh recognized the tone of her voice and the way she held her body. She was of the dragon blood, and she was not happy.<\/p>\n

He spoke up, quickly, trying to defuse the situation. It was one thing for him to trade barbs with the older woman, but there was no reason for Qara to be in Delphine\u2019s bad graces as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my niece, Delphine. Qaralana. She\u2019s Dragonborn. Truly the<\/em> Dragonborn, with the ability to absorb a dragon\u2019s soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delphine peered at Qara and then shook her head. \u201cI still can\u2019t have you here, Dardeh. Not until the matter is settled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara had just opened her mouth to say something \u2013 Dardeh didn\u2019t know what, but feared it would be as hot-tempered as what was roiling through his mind at the moment \u2013 when a deep voice took Delphine\u2019s attention away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize that the Blades were in the habit of refusing assistance to the Dragonborn,\u201d Harald said, approaching the group from behind Delphine.<\/p>\n

Delphine frowned. \u201cYou have a great deal of nerve coming here, Ulfric,\u201d she snarled.<\/p>\n

\u201cKing Ulfric is a busy man,\u201d Harald said, a small twitch of his mouth the closest thing to a smirk Dardeh had ever seen on him. \u201cLeaving the Palace isn\u2019t something he does often, these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delphine whirled to stare at him. \u201cWait, you\u2019re\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHarald. Harald Stormcloak. I\u2019d add \u2018at your service,\u2019 but I would find it difficult to offer my services to someone who won\u2019t even honor her organization\u2019s traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cNow wait just a minute,\u201d Delphine snapped.<\/p>\n

Dardeh watched \u2013 partially in dread and partially in amusement \u2013 as Harald slowly pulled off the gauntlet that had been covering his ring. He held his hand up, extending it toward the wide-eyed Blades leader. Dardeh frowned in confusion. He felt an aura extending from Harald\u2019s hand, a weak field of some sort of magic. But he personally had very little magic aside from healing, and the thu\u2019um that he could no longer use, and he couldn\u2019t identify what he was feeling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Moon-and-Star!\u201d she breathed, in awe. \u201cYou\u2019re wearing the ring! Ulfric Stormcloak\u2019s son<\/em> is wearing the Moon-and-Star? How is that even\u2026? I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh watched Harald\u2019s face closely. This was his moment of truth. Or deception, I suppose. What will he do with this shred of possibility?<\/em><\/p>\n

And is Delphine honorable enough to realize she needs to stop being so stubborn and at least find out why we\u2019re here?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Blades were sworn to serve the Dragonborn,\u201d Harald said, speaking slowly and clearly, without a hint of emotion of any kind. \u201cAnd before that \u2013 or maybe even concurrently with that, for a time – in the absence of a Dragonborn they served the Nerevarine, assisting in the defeat of Dagoth Ur. I know these to be facts about the Blades, facts that were once commonly known even if they are no longer so familiar to people. I would think this ring might be enough to earn the Dragonborn, her uncle, and one of her dearest friends at least an audience. Wouldn\u2019t you?\u201d Harald smiled at her and began pulling his gauntlet on again. \u201cThat is all we ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh was glad Delphine was looking at Harald and not at him, so that he didn\u2019t have to hide his grin. He could see a red flush creep up her neck, even from where he stood.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t have a chance to examine the ring, but it doesn\u2019t matter. There\u2019s not a soul alive brave enough to put it on to test its authenticity. Except for this young man, and the actual Nerevarine. No lies were told. And it doesn\u2019t even matter whether it\u2019s real. She\u2019s been called out for her hypocrisy and she knows it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Very nicely done, Harald. There is much more to you than I suspected. You may be young but you\u2019ve clearly paid attention to the ways your elders work.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Of course. We\u2019ll discuss why you\u2019re here.\u201d She glared at Dardeh. \u201cI\u2019m not ungrateful for what you did, Dardeh. Obviously. Esbern spoke for both of us in that respect. But there\u2019s still the matter of Paarthurnax.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOk, my turn,\u201d Qaralana chimed in. \u201cWhat is it about Paarthurnax that\u2019s so important? I really don\u2019t understand. What I do know is that there are dragons absolutely everywhere right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald looked at Qara and raised his eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what it\u2019s worth,\u201d Delphine said, \u201cI have heard rumors of dragons even as far west as Arnima, but they\u2019re just rumors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee, Harald?\u201d Qara said, grinning at him. \u201cAnd there was one on Falskaar. At least I saw a dragon. I don\u2019t know if it was one. It\u2019s a long story. What\u2019s important is that they\u2019re everywhere again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald coughed. \u201cJust everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara stomped on the floor. \u201cDon\u2019t cross me, Harald Stormcloak. We\u2019re here to find out about Paarthurnax, anyway.\u201d She turned to Delphine. \u201cI\u2019ve met him. He helped me. He\u2019s supposed to have all the other dragons under control according to Uncle Dar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my understanding, Delphine, after I returned from killing Alduin,\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cI had no reason to doubt him at the time, seeing as he\u2019d helped me get there in the first place. And after the first few years following, well, the calls for us to go take out a dragon have been very infrequent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we were wondering,\u201d Qara said, \u201cor at least I was, wondering what could be wrong with him. Do you think he\u2019s sick and that\u2019s why the other dragons are attacking again? Is it something else? Why did you want Uncle Dar to kill him? After all, he helped defeat Alduin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delphine snorted. \u201cYes he did. He betrayed the head of his order.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cHis brother,\u201d Dardeh murmured. Then he caught himself, hoping nobody had heard him say that. I\u2019m not supposed to be influencing this discussion. I\u2019m supposed to listen. I need to listen.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell isn\u2019t that a good thing?\u201d Qara asked. \u201cIf he hadn\u2019t done that the world wouldn\u2019t even exist by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a good thing, yes. We needed his help. Now we don\u2019t. Here\u2019s the thing, Dragonborn. He helped Alduin enslave our ancestors. He betrayed Alduin in the end, yes. But that makes him worse, not better. We can\u2019t afford to give Paarthurnax the opportunity to betray us<\/em> in turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harald cleared his throat. \u201cMy father told me the story he learned from the Greybeards. When the mortals of this land rebelled against the dragons, Alduin and the rest started slaughtering them. Is that wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

Delphine laughed. \u201cI\u2019m not surprised to hear that\u2019s Paarthurnax\u2019s version. It wasn\u2019t so much the people rebelling against the dragons as it was the dragons deciding that they would leave no mortal being alive. The \u2018rebellion,\u2019 if you want to call it that, started later and was just the people trying to stay alive. And that\u2019s just my point. There\u2019s nothing to keep Paarthurnax from reconsidering his opinions and resuming the slaughter. There\u2019s no reason to let him live now that Alduin is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara looked back and forth between Delphine and Dardeh, her face clearly showing that she wanted someone to tell her what to do. Dardeh shook his head. He had his own confusion to deal with. I know something else about this situation \u2013 something they do not \u2013 but I can\u2019t muddy the waters with it. Not now.<\/em><\/p>\n

Esbern spoke up, his voice gentle but firm. \u201cJustice can be harsh. But it is still justice. Paarthurnax deserves to die. It\u2019s true that he turned traitor to Alduin and the dragon cult, but that does not excuse or expiate his previous deeds. Whether or not he has truly repented or merely acted to save himself, justice demands that he pay with his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The old man turned and walked away, turning to face them after a few steps. He beckoned toward Qara and Harald.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollow me, children. I will show you the records of his deeds, carved into Alduin\u2019s Wall. And then I hope you will return to us soon, with the news that justice has finally been done. With both Alduin and Paarthurnax dead, a dark chapter in history will finally be closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded to Qara and waited until she and Harald were out of earshot before turning to face Delphine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you don\u2019t like me, Delphine. We\u2019ve never had love lost between us. But know this: there\u2019s a potential crisis arising again after all these years and I am dead set on letting Qaralana decide how she wants to handle it. It\u2019s not my decision to make, anymore. I\u2019ll help her as best I can, whatever she decides, because I know what it means to be Dragonborn and to have fate deciding your life for you. I hope you\u2019ll at least give me credit for that.\u201d He turned toward the stairs that led outside. Without looking back at Delphine, he added: \u201cI\u2019ll be outside. Tell them to come get me when they\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t wait for an answer.<\/p>\n

The outside of Sky Haven Temple \u2013 the beautiful patio he\u2019d seen from a far distance as a young man \u2013 was shrouded by fog. He walked to the ornate stone table near the cliff\u2019s edge and took a seat, staring off into the distance.<\/p>\n

It reminds me of the Throat of the World. Shrouded in mists. I can\u2019t clear them anymore. All I can do is sit, and think, and hope I am able to do whatever Qara needs me to do.<\/em><\/p>\n

My mind is just as clouded as it was when I first met Delphine. I don\u2019t know if I did the right thing then, and I don\u2019t know whether I\u2019m doing the right thing now. <\/em><\/p>\n

I want to meditate on a Word of Power, Paarthurnax. I just don\u2019t know what that word might be.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   \u201cUp there,\u201d Dardeh said, pointing. It was hard to see anything through the mountain fog, but he knew where and what he was pointing at. It didn\u2019t matter. He was simply trying to stall. I need a few more minutes. I just need to get my thoughts in order. How … <\/p>\n

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