{"id":2024,"date":"2022-11-27T11:39:05","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T18:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=2024"},"modified":"2022-12-03T15:13:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T22:13:00","slug":"chapter-10","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-ii\/part-ii-above-and-beyond\/chapter-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 10"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/p>\n

The weather hadn\u2019t improved. Winds howled, flinging sharp needles of ice and snow into their faces. It was so loud that Qaralana nearly missed her uncle\u2019s raspy shouts for her to stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d she shouted back, moving closer to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes!\u201d she shouted back.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK!\u201d Dardeh yelled, nodding.<\/p>\n

We at least have to get high enough up that we can hear each other.<\/em><\/p>\n

She trotted up through the stone entry to the summit trail and felt the words of power building within her.<\/p>\n

\u201cLOK- VAH KOOR!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Qara dashed through the place the freezing mists had been, with Dardeh on her heels. After she\u2019d used Clear Skies several times and they\u2019d crossed the rope-and-plank bridge partway to the summit, they stopped.<\/p>\n

Dardeh trotted up beside her. \u201cSo we\u2019re going up because\u2026\u201d He left the sentence unfinished, clearly a question, leaving her the option of choosing right there and then. She couldn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I can\u2019t do anything until I hear the story directly from Paarthurnax, Uncle Dar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh nodded. \u201cThat\u2019s wise,\u201d he agreed. \u201cFor what it\u2019s worth: I didn\u2019t kill him twenty years ago but I don\u2019t know whether that was right.\u201d He frowned. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m more like Arngeir than I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara laughed. \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cDelphine once told me that all the great heroes have had to decide. You hear about the ones who used their power well, or who used it poorly, but you never hear about the ones who never made a choice. She was talking about the Greybeards \u2013 but I also did nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara stared at him. Did he really believe that about himself? \u201cI don\u2019t know how you could possibly say that, Uncle Dar. You killed Alduin! If that wasn\u2019t using your power I don\u2019t know what is. And after that? You\u2019ve done more with your power than half the rest of us combined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh smiled a crooked smile at her. \u201cWell, maybe. But I was talking about this specific decision. I didn\u2019t make <\/em>one. I was too busy trying to take out the one dragon to worry about the other one.\u201d He stopped for a moment, looking shocked, as though something had occurred to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned and shook his head. \u201cEver have one of those moments when you think you\u2019re on to something important but it slips away before you can really grasp it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara grinned. \u201cAll the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

He chuckled. \u201cI just had one of those. Let\u2019s go, Dragonborn. It\u2019s still your choice, but I want to hear what our friend Paarthurnax says as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was one more ice wraith between them and the top of the mountain. Qaralana spotted a dead mountain goat, on its side on the icy path. The next thing she knew was a sudden burst of pain as the wraith attacked with its frozen fangs. Dardeh once again roared past her, taking the wraith down as she healed herself as best she could.<\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t bode well.<\/em><\/p>\n

They were still well short of the summit when she started hearing dragons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess Paarthurnax has company,\u201d Dardeh muttered as he ran alongside her. \u201cI don\u2019t know whether I like the sound of that or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what to expect, Uncle Dar. I\u2019m assuming they won\u2019t attack. Will they?\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned. \u201cI hope not.\u201d Qara heard the uncertainty in that statement and shuddered inwardly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They were approaching the final curve of the trail when the sound of wings had them looking up. A familiar form \u2013 this one with red and white wings \u2013 soared overhead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be damned,\u201d Dardeh said. \u201cThat looks like Odahviing. What is he doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara peered up at the sky and watched the graceful beast floating around the peaks. \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. He\u2019s been\u2026 an ally. After I killed Alduin and came back to Skyrim I found myself here, surrounded by dragons. Paarthurnax flew off. Odahviing said my Thu\u2019um was the strongest and pledged to help me whenever I needed him, and he has. But I have no Thu\u2019um now, and\u2026\u201d He trailed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter, Uncle Dar. We\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

They emerged from the last of the mist near the old, broken word wall where they\u2019d each learned the first word of Fire Breath. Qara looked around the plateau and gasped. So did Dardeh.<\/p>\n

Paarthurnax was not alone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Arranged around the plateau were three other dragons. A fourth, maybe more, called out a challenge from somewhere nearby. One was a muddied white, much like Paarthurnax himself. Another was reddish. Qara couldn\u2019t tell whether it was Dardeh\u2019s friend Odahviing or some other red dragon, but she hoped it was Odahviing. Red dragons were notoriously powerful. The third was an intense, blinding white like a patch of ice in the sun.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Uncle Dar?\u201d she whispered to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I\u2019ve only seen a gathering like this once. Every other time I\u2019ve been here it was just Paarthurnax.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cWell, audience or not I need to talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara moved carefully toward the ancient white dragon and looked up at his huge head and broken horns. A distant part of her mind observed that she was not afraid, not at all; in fact, there was a fire in her gut that was fanning itself up into a full blaze. It was a challenge, she realized. A challenge much like the one she\u2019d felt on Falskaar, just before Ahkrinviing appeared and swooped down to grab the screaming Yngvarr Unnvaldr in its razor-sharp talons.<\/p>\n

Paarthurnax looked down at her and drew his mouth back into what she hoped was a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrem Yol Lok, Dragonborn. Greetings, Dovahkiin. What brings you both back to Monhaven?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh cleared his throat. \u201cWe\u2019re both looking for answers, Paarthurnax. Qara will speak for both of us, but first I have one question. Who are these other dovah?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paarthurnax swiveled his head around, gazing at the others. \u201cThese are my lieutenants. Toormaarfeyn. Hevnofokriid. Gaafkrokulaan. And of course you know Odahviing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh gave a sharp nod. Then he backed away leaving Qara to speak.<\/p>\n

Lieutenants, is it? Military ranks? Well, I suppose there\u2019s no reason to drag this out. I\u2019m just going to say it.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve listened to the Greybeards and I\u2019ve listened to the Blades. The Blades tell me that you must die.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought she saw a familiar glint in the old dovah\u2019s eyes at that. He arched his neck and peered down at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Blades are wise not to trust me.\u201d He looked past Qara, toward Dardeh. \u201cIt is as I have told you, Dovahkiin. We were made to dominate.\u201d He looked back down at Qara with an expression that she interpreted as a grin. \u201cAll these centuries I have overcome my nature by meditation and long study of the Way of the Voice. But it is always wise to distrust a dovah. There has not been a day when I was not tempted to return to my inborn nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara glanced back at Dardeh. He was holding one hand up to his mouth, holding back the words he so clearly wanted to say, battling his own nature and his own blood to give her the opportunity to learn what she needed to know.<\/p>\n

She thought back to the conversation in the Palace of the Kings. In particular, Roggi\u2019s observation came to the forefront of her mind. Jurgen Windcaller, he had said, dreamed up the Way of the Voice as an excuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you spent centuries studying a philosophy created by a loser?\u201d<\/p>\n

The great dragon snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you heard me. A loser. He lost at the Battle of Red Mountain and cooked up an elaborate rationalization why that loss had nothing to do with simply being outclassed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI taught mankind how to use the Thu\u2019um. His mastery of the Voice was second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara shook her head. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. Nobody told<\/em> him he couldn\u2019t use it later, did they? No. He simply lost a big battle and lost it badly, in spite of having a huge Thu\u2019um. And instead of admitting the loss he decided the gods had put some limitation on that power. I don\u2019t understand why you bowed your head down to him. You were the teacher, he was the student, and yet you have spent whole Eras living according to his invented creed. Up here on the mountain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is wise of you to ask such questions. I taught mortals to use the Thu\u2019um in order that they might someday prevail against my brother, Alduin.\u201d<\/p>\n

There it was again, the nagging feeling that she was just shy of the answer she sought. \u201cThat\u2019s what the Greybeards told me, too. But\u2026\u201d She shook her head. \u201cGive me a moment, Paarthurnax, before we continue this conversation. I need to think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Qara walked back to the edge of the plateau and sank to her knees. She cast her eyes to the skies above, praying that Satakal would guide her thoughts.<\/p>\n

I need to think. There\u2019s something missing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Paarthurnax says that he taught mankind to use the Voice. That\u2019s what everyone says, even the Greybeards. Esbern showed us the carving of the three original Tongues using Dragonrend to send Alduin forward in time. But the Greybeards also said that most mortals \u2013 even those three – have to master the Voice through great effort and long practice. People like King Ulfric, and Harald \u2013 even the Greybeards themselves \u2013 they all had to learn to use their Voices that way. <\/em><\/p>\n

She lowered her gaze to Dardeh. He stood nearby, watching her, nodding his head just slightly. Silent.<\/p>\n

He was the one who killed Alduin.<\/em><\/p>\n

There was a sudden burst of light in her mind, a sudden handclasp of one idea to another, Satakal\u2019s fangs finally puncturing its own tail.<\/p>\n

Uncle Dar killed Alduin. Destroyed him for all time. The three Tongues didn\u2019t have the power to kill him. They had the Voice. So did Jurgen Windcaller. But none of them, not even the most powerful of those Paarthurnax taught, had the ability to destroy a dragon\u2019s soul.<\/em><\/p>\n

Only the Dragonborn could do that.<\/em><\/p>\n

Uncle Dar has the blood of the dragon. The blood he and I share. It\u2019s not Paarthurnax\u2019s instructions or Jurgen Windcaller\u2019s philosophy that have the power. It\u2019s us. It\u2019s something native to us. We didn\u2019t have to be taught to use the Thu\u2019um. Yes, we were given shortcuts to some of the words, by others who knew them \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t a requirement. We had that spark of immortality in us already.<\/em><\/p>\n

She glanced at Dardeh again. He was staring at the ground, his eyes snapping back and forth as if watching a scene play out before his eyes yet again. His face, so often wreathed in sorrow, was heavy with a frown of anger.<\/p>\n

He rejected Paarthurnax\u2019s suggestion that this world was only the egg of the next, that this world had to end. It makes sense now! Paarthurnax wanted his brother Alduin killed to avoid that, so that he could be the one in power! Uncle Dar didn\u2019t intend to assist him in that, but he did, inadvertently \u2013 and he made himself vulnerable to Hermaeus Mora in the process.<\/em><\/p>\n

There is a cycle to be ended. The avatar of Shor showed me that. The cycle needs to end -but the world doesn\u2019t. <\/em><\/p>\n

I must become the avatar of the great serpent, and I must destroy the remnants of the dragon civilization. That is why Dardeh swallowed his own Shouts, and why I was awakened as Dragonborn at this time. There is a great need.<\/em><\/p>\n

She rose to her feet. It was thrilling and terrifying at the same time: thrilling because she finally had an answer that made sense, and terrifying because it meant that she and Dardeh were in mortal danger.<\/p>\n

Dardeh stepped closer to her and spoke quietly. \u201cSo have you decided, Dovahkiin? What must we do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you know, Uncle Dar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh closed his eyes for a moment. \u201cYes, I think I do.\u201d He opened his eyes – one amber, one green \u2013 and looked at her again. \u201cBut I need to hear you say it. I can\u2019t make a bad decision. Not again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe called these other dragons his lieutenants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a military title. As in \u2013 war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he means to declare war on mortal kind, the way he did before you killed Alduin. Only this time he\u2019s the one in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh heaved a sigh. \u201cI think you\u2019re right.\u201d He paused for a moment and frowned. \u201cHe hinted at this twenty years ago, but I didn\u2019t act. I was too busy with other things. I won\u2019t make that same mistake this time. But it\u2019s your decision, Dragonborn. I\u2019ll do whatever you need me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s do this, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qaralana reached for her bow.<\/p>\n

I wish Chip was here. He\u2019s the archer. But I\u2019m not bad, and Uncle Dar is better. If I can get the drop on Paarthurnax, I\u2019ll be able to ground him. Between the two of us, he won\u2019t stand a chance.<\/em><\/p>\n

I hope we\u2019re doing the right thing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before she could talk herself out of it, Qara fitted an arrow to her bowstring and launched it into the air. She didn\u2019t see it strike the ancient white dragon, but she saw that it had \u2013 for the four dragons leapt into the air. Circling the plateau but apart from the others was another great red dragon, its wings dusted with white like snow.<\/p>\n

Odahviing. I hope he\u2019s still on Uncle Dar\u2019s side.<\/em><\/p>\n

But she didn\u2019t have time to worry about that. She aimed her Voice toward Paarthurnax and Shouted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cJOOR- ZAH FRUL!\u201d<\/p>\n

The shimmering energies of the Dragonrend Shout struck the grand old beast and she watched, half in delight and half in sorrow, as he reacted in horror to the understanding of his own mortality. She darted out of the way of his descent, swapping her bow for her blades, and winced as the Fire Breath of this ancient being singed her even at a distance.<\/p>\n

She heard Dardeh shouting \u201cI\u2019m gonna kill you!\u201d and saw him approaching Paarthurnax with his much larger blades at the ready, and she saw where her arrow had lodged in the dragon\u2019s wing, just behind the elbow. They converged on him, Dardeh at the snout and Qara at the tail, and only a few moments later the great being that had existed since the dawn of time itself came crashing to the ground, bursting into flames. Qara stared at the huge carcass in stunned silence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

By the gods. How? I thought he would be more of a challenge. How can he be dead?<\/em><\/p>\n

Is he really dead?<\/em><\/p>\n

She thought she heard Dardeh utter a strangled cry, but it was quickly drowned by the crackling and snapping of Paarthurnax\u2018s body bursting into flame, and the booming of his soul flowing into hers with a rush of power unlike anything she\u2019d ever experienced before. She had to stop for a moment, catch her balance, and get her bearings even as she heard Dardeh calling out a challenge to another of the dragons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna crush you like a bug!\u201d<\/p>\n

Toormaarfeyn thundered to the ground between Qara and Dardeh even as the last of Paarthurnax\u2019s energy flowed into her. She pondered the name for a moment. Inferno. Terror. Bane. She was about to call out, to warn Dardeh that this one breathed fire, and had just a moment to laugh at herself \u2013 because of course Dardeh would know that as well \u2013 when the huge beast slammed its tail down, hard, sending her flying backward. She hit the ground and made a loud whoosh <\/em>as the air flew from her lungs, painfully. Her vision narrowed to tiny dots.<\/p>\n

\u201cQara!\u201d<\/p>\n

She felt as well as heard Dardeh\u2019s voice calling her name, blood calling to blood, and her mind identified it as a strong sound, a clear sound, the sound of Dardeh at-Dadarh, the Last Dragonborn. She blinked, and gasped as air filled her lungs again; she struggled to her feet and found her blades in the snow where they\u2019d dropped. Dardeh was striking the dragon, over and over, dodging its magic. Toormaarfeyn crouched in a stance she recognized as him gathering his strength to leap skyward again, and she Shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cJOOR- ZAH FRUL!\u201d<\/p>\n

The dragon screamed in frustration and fear. Qara pushed forward, trying to strike it with her blades and somehow not having enough strength to pierce its hide. It was the fall. I have nothing left. I have to have something left. I have to! <\/em>She watched the magic beginning to fade and Shouted at the dragon one more time, and then saw its breath attack being directed at Dardeh. It wasn\u2019t fire. It was frost.<\/p>\n

Of course! Frost! The bane of fire \u2013 not fire itself! No wonder we can barely move!<\/em><\/p>\n

She circled around the ever-darkening plateau, almost blindly, Shouting once more and missing the target. When a dragon plummeted to ground near Dardeh she fired arrows at it and heard one connect solidly, only to hear Dardeh\u2019s voice as though it was in her ear, blood calling to blood: \u201cNo! That\u2019s Odahviing! Don\u2019t harm him! He\u2019s helping!\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m hallucinating. That fall was too hard.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But she ran forward then, toward the grounded Toormaarfeyn, and watched Dardeh land a finishing blow on the dragon. It burst into flame, and its energy swirled around them, but into which of them she couldn\u2019t tell because there were more dragons in the skies above. Hevnofokriid \u2013 the icy white dragon – thundered to the ground, staggering both of them. Brutal. Frost. Slaughter. Oh good, she thought distantly. Another frost dragon. And we\u2019re only half Nord.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t get away from me,\u201d Dardeh growled as she Shouted to keep it grounded. This time she stayed well back from the creature\u2019s head, out of the frost, and was able to land her blows. Dardeh, though, was caught directly in its attack and sank to one knee. Qara screamed in wordless rage and struck faster, again and again, until at last she sent it to ground and it exploded into flames. She watched Dardeh struggle back to his feet and then lost track of him as the flames blinded her for a moment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re good as dead!\u201d she heard, off to her left somewhere. She heard the crash of a dragon coming to ground and then the piercing shriek of Fire Breath \u2013 YOL- TOOR SHUL <\/em>\u2013 but it was a dragon Shouting, neither she nor Dardeh, and of course it wasn\u2019t Dardeh because he had no Voice any longer. She blinked again, hard, trying to get her bearings back. It was Odahviing, Shouting fire at the last of Paarthurnax\u2019s lieutenants, Gaafkrokulaan. Ghost. Sorcerer. Prince.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What does that mean? she wondered, drawing her bow forward and readying the best arrows she had. Harald. Harald is the prince. But he\u2019s not here and this dragon breathes\u2026<\/p>\n

A huge gout of fire blasted toward them and toward Odahviing. She Shouted Dragonrend at the beast, keeping the arrows flying and moving forward even as she did so, for she could hear the percussive sound of each impact and could see Dardeh whirling, slicing the beast over and over as it perched on the edge of the mountainside. It couldn\u2019t take off, even as the magic of her Shout waned, and she knew then that they were close to ending it. It turned and belched flames at Dardeh, who howled but kept beating against the beast\u2019s muzzle with his scimitars. Finally, just as she reached the dragon and drew forth her own blades, Dardeh drove one of his up through the base of the dragon\u2019s skull and then scrambled to pull it free \u2013 for the huge body was toppling over the side of the cliff even as it burst into flames.<\/p>\n

Qara closed her eyes and stood there, breathing slowly, letting the dragon\u2019s energy flow around and into her and gathering what had been her very scattered thoughts into some sort of coherent state. She heard the bones crash to the stone below them, and then heard Dardeh\u2019s raspy voice say \u201cthank you, my friend,\u201d followed by the rush of wings.<\/p>\n

Odahviing saying goodbye. <\/em><\/p>\n

She opened her eyes and ran to her uncle. \u201cUncle Dar! Are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

He had just finished consuming a healing potion, and tossed the empty vial aside as she approached. He nodded; but Qara couldn\u2019t help seeing the pain in his eyes, even as dark as it had become.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Are you? That was a hard fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head, trying to get the cobwebs out. \u201cI thought I heard your voice. Sounding like it used to, I mean. It was like you were right beside me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh frowned. \u201cNo, I\u2019m still not able to Shout. I\u2019m not sure how I made enough noise for you to hear me. Roggi will be pleased, though. If he doesn\u2019t kill me first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWell think about it, Qara. There can only be one active Dragonborn in the world at any given time.\u201d He sighed. \u201cMy day is done. I won\u2019t be called out to fight dragons anymore. And so is his,\u201d he said, pointing sadly at the skeleton recognizable as Paarthurnax\u2019s by its broken horns. He looked away from her, dejectedly. \u201cHe was my friend, once.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bleakness and devastation of those five words had Qara swallowing hard against the lump in her throat, wishing there was some way she could spare Dardeh from the pain. She hadn\u2019t ever considered Paarthurnax a friend. He was just an old dragon, to her. But her uncle was grieving. That much was clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid we do the right thing, Uncle Dar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it matter? It\u2019s over now.\u201d He shrugged. \u201cFor what it\u2019s worth, I think we did.\u201d He took an enormous breath and expelled it. \u201cLet me ask you something. Why did you decide we should kill him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara didn\u2019t even need to think about an answer. \u201cBecause he had decided he should kill us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you really think so?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cOh yes. Absolutely. You heard him call these other windbags his \u2018lieutenants.\u2019 He was going to war. He even admitted it, Uncle Dar. He said he\u2019d been fighting his nature for centuries but was always tempted to return to his inborn ways. He didn\u2019t say he was still<\/em> fighting. He said he had been<\/em>. I think all these other dragons were whispering in his ear for years, and finally broke through that wall that kept him from trying to rule. Even his name says it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmbition to be the cruel overlord. That\u2019s who he was the whole time.\u201d Dardeh shook his head. \u201cMy mistake was not paying attention to that fact twenty years ago. I took him at his word so that I could kill Alduin. It was the wrong choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really,\u201d Qara told him, trying to find something, anything that would wash the pained expression from her beloved uncle\u2019s face. \u201cYou saved the world. It was the right choice at that moment. You killed the one dragon. Now you\u2019ve killed the other one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh\u2019s mouth dropped. He continued staring at the snow, but blinked, several times.<\/p>\n

\u201cShor\u2019s bones,\u201d he breathed.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat\u2019s<\/em> what it is!\u201d he said slowly. \u201cAll these years and that\u2019s what it has always been! I was wrong. I was wrong so many times, over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Dar,\u201d she said, crossing her arms and fighting to keep herself from stomping into the snow \u2013 it would accomplish nothing, not even a sound. \u201cWhat IS it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh laughed. \u201cThe other one. Remember I told you I\u2019d had a thought just slip through my fingers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah? And?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s start down the mountain. I\u2019ll tell you on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so he did, as they picked their way carefully down the darkened mountainside, stopping for Qara to Shout and clear the skies as needed. He told her how the spirits of his father and their maybe-grandfather, maybe-older-than-that predecessor from Hammerfell had told him he needed to kill \u201cthe other one.\u201d How, over the years, he\u2019d thought at various times that \u201cthe other one\u201d was Ulfric, or Miraak, or even himself, and how that had played into his decision to still his own Voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure people got tired of hearing me talk about it. Especially Roggi. But he always went along with whatever harebrained idea I had next. But I was wrong, Qara. The simplest answer is usually the right one. I needed to end both of the brothers. I can feel it in my bones. Maybe that\u2019s why you needed to be the Dragonborn at this time and place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow so? I don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I was wrong. Because I made the wrong decision by letting Paarthurnax live. And because what I did in the meantime \u2013 after the decision was completely out of mind \u2013 damaged me. I was right about that part. Hermaeus Mora wants to work through me, still, and I will not let him do it. I couldn\u2019t make<\/em> this decision anymore, Qara. I needed you to make it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t quite understand all of it, Uncle Dar, but if I did something to help, I\u2019m glad of it. I\u2019m also glad you didn\u2019t freeze to death up there. Uncle Roggi can be\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrightening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good way to put it, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh stretched his arms out and his chin up to the skies. \u201cWell it\u2019ll be scary enough when we get back to Windhelm but there\u2019s one thing I know for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m never leaving his side again. I am done<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Qara smiled. \u201cWell, with any luck you won\u2019t have to. But I do suppose we have to get past High Hrothgar before we can get back to Windhelm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh stopped in his tracks. \u201cOh gods.\u201d He sighed. \u201cArngeir is going to be an issue. He thinks that the four of them are responsible for every bit of power either of us has. He has no idea what it\u2019s actually like being Dragonborn.\u201d He started walking again. \u201cYou saw him.\u201d Then he chuckled. \u201cHonestly, if I never have to deal with that man again it will all have been worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t like him much?\u201d Neither do I, Qara thought, but after all he\u2019s so much older than me that I didn\u2019t know what to think about him. At least he isn\u2019t as creepy as Yngvarr was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s putting it mildly. I think I tried for approximately an hour to be polite, and after that length of time he\u2019d rubbed me the wrong way. Entirely. If a person has an inborn gift and has made this trek based on nothing but a loud noise, it is\u2026 irritating\u2026 to be asked to prove the gift. I had the same issue with Delphine, frankly. Guess that was the dragon blood talking.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was good to hear Dardeh chattering all the way down from the summit to the monastery. Thinking about Yngvarr, though, had her pondering another issue.<\/p>\n

Somehow I have to convince Daddy to come to Falskaar with me. He just has to. Even if it\u2019s a quick trip there and home. <\/em><\/p>\n

All thoughts, though, vanished as soon as she pushed open the doors to High Hrothgar. The atmosphere inside was silent. Not just quiet, the way it had been on her previous visits, but positively funereal. Arngeir knelt in the place where both she and Dardeh had, each in their turn, been greeted as Dovahkiin by all four Greybeards. She remembered how the building itself had shaken as they spoke, and hoped that they would understand the need to have slain Paarthurnax.<\/p>\n

Her hopes were in vain.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dardeh silently indicated that he would speak to Arngeir, and moved toward him. \u201cMaster Arngeir,\u201d he began, respectfully.<\/p>\n

The old man rose to his feet and turned to Dardeh, his face contorted into a mask of anger just short of utter rage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is how you repay our trust? Paarthurnax\u2019s trust? His\u2026 noble spirit? The wisdom of ages? His deep understanding of our existence? All gone? And for what?\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice got progressively louder as he continued speaking. Dardeh stood silently, allowing the old man to air his grief; but Qara quietly readied her own Unrelenting Force Shout. She was certain that she wasn\u2019t Arngeir\u2019s equal \u2013 but she was the Dragonborn, not him and not Dardeh. And she wasn\u2019t going to allow her uncle to be harmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA mindless<\/em> vendetta urged on you by a cabal of Akaviri barbarians! Begone! Before even my philosophy is tested beyond the breaking point! We are men of peace! And you are not!\u201d<\/p>\n

Dardeh sighed. \u201cFor what it\u2019s worth, Arngeir, I am sorry that it came to this. I\u2019ll leave you now.\u201d He inclined his head toward the old Greybeard and turned to swap a mournful look with Qara.<\/p>\n

Qara didn\u2019t much care for Master Arngeir herself, but neither had she known him for twenty-odd years. She approached quietly to stand beside Dardeh and cleared her throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaster Arngeir, I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Arngeir gave her the same angry sneer he\u2019d given Dardeh. \u201cWe have nothing to say to each other. Paarthurnax’s murder is beyond my powers of forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her anger boiled over. Dardeh tried to place a hand on her arm, to hold her back, but she shook it off. She wasn\u2019t going to be silenced.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou foolish<\/em> old man! Paarthurnax was about to declare war on all mortals, you included. He and his lieutenants had decided they\u2019d had enough of peace. That\u2019s why there were fresh waves of dragon attacks everywhere!\u201d She stomped her foot on the cold stones, making a satisfying smack<\/em> that echoed through the mostly-empty halls. \u201cSit up here, the four of you, and talk to the sky if you wish. There\u2019s nobody up there anymore, and nobody is going to answer you. But at least you\u2019ll be alive<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned on her heel and strode out the front door with Dardeh close behind.<\/p>\n

I took a huge risk just then. And I know Arngeir is mourning what he thought was a close relationship. But he\u2019s a fool. An old, lonely fool.<\/em><\/p>\n

I want to get Dardeh back to Roggi, and I want to give Harald a hug.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   The weather hadn\u2019t improved. Winds howled, flinging sharp needles of ice and snow into their faces. It was so loud that Qaralana nearly missed her uncle\u2019s raspy shouts for her to stop. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d she shouted back, moving closer to him. \u201cWe\u2019re going up?\u201d \u201cYes!\u201d she shouted back. \u201cOK!\u201d … <\/p>\n

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