“And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold, that when brothers wage war come unfurled!
Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, with a hunger to swallow the world!
But a day, shall arise, when the dark dragon’s lies, will be silenced forever and then!
Fair Skyrim will be free from foul Alduin’s maw, Dragonborn be the savior of men!”
– Song of the Dragonborn
Jorvik trudged through the snow, his armour weighing heavily upon his powerfully built frame. He had been walking for days, resting under the stars, taking deer and fish from the land as food. His arm hurt from his recent skirmish with a bear. He had happened upon it unexpectedly and it had gotten the first blow in. Eventually, inevitably, the bear had fallen to the ground, Jorvik’s sword protruding from its head. He had never been beaten, by man or beast, and this encounter once again proved his superiority. An overhang appeared through the driving snow, a place where he could light a fire and tend to his arm. When the fire was burning nicely, and some deer meat was filling the night with a delicious aroma, Jorvik sat back, closed his eyes and thought about the series of events that led to his quest.
“Got to thinking… maybe I’m the Dragonborn, and I just don’t know it yet?” Those words, spoken by a guard in the majestic city of Whiterun, made him laugh at first. But then he started thinking about it. He was a proud, strong Nord. Never beaten in a fight. A mighty hunter. Maybe he was the Dragonborn! And why not?! No one could match him in combat! And just the other day he had helped the Whiterun guards bring down a dragon. Surely that meant he was the one! Then the Greybeards had summoned the Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn, their collective voices shattering the sky with its thunderous sound. From that moment he had known they were calling him.
It had been nearly a month after the summons, and Jorvik was still making his way to High Hrothgar, the ancient monastery of the Greybeards. He would answer their call! He would learn the way of the Voice, and he would defeat Alduin, the World Eater! No-one had ever defeated Jorvik in combat, and Alduin would be no different. He would face the massive black dragon fearlessly, and be praised in song after Alduin fell dead to the ground. With images of the glorious battle flying through his head, Jorvik fell asleep.
A mighty roar jerked Jorvik awake. He could hear massive wings flapping. A dragon was circling overhead! He grabbed his sword and stumbled out from under the overhang. With a crash that shook the ground, nearly knocking Jorvik off of his feet, a massive black dragon landed in front of him. It was Alduin! The dragon opened his mouth, the force of his words almost toppling him to the ground. “Dovahkiin! I heard that you have returned! But, you are not what I expected!” Raising his sword, Jorvik screamed back. “I will defeat you. I am destined to defeat you!” His words were brave, defiant, but he was trying his best to keep the trembling from his voice. Alduin was so much bigger than he expected! The dragon could kill him with one bite! With a mighty cry, he rushed forward, swinging his sword at Alduin’s head.
Jorvik hit a tree hard, and slumped to the ground. He had been trying to defeat Alduin for close to half an hour now, but so far he had yet to land a single blow. Alduin kept batting him aside, either with his claws, his wings or his tail. It almost looked like Alduin was toying with him! He looked up to find Alduin looming over him. “You are not the Dovahkiin. You are a pretender, not worthy of doing battle with me!” Alduin’s words caused the first seeds of doubt to be sown in Jorvik’s mind. “I am the Dragonborn! It is my destiny to defeat you!” Jorvik yelled back, his voice shaking. “So then defeat me, Dragonborn! I am waiting!” Jorvik painfully got to his feet, retrieved his sword and rushed at Alduin again. Once again he was batted aside, as a cat would bat at a ball. Scrambling to his feet Jorvik felt a dark rage overtake him. He would defeat this arrogant dragon! He would drive his sword straight through that thick skull and rid the world of Alduin once and for all! With a battlecry that would strike fear into any human opponent, Jorvik rushed forward, swinging his sword wildly. He managed to land two blows, actually staggering Alduin, before a mighty blow once again sent him flying through the air. He tried to get up again, but a sudden weight pinned him to the ground. Alduin was standing over him, one of his paws on Jorvik’s chest. “I was amused for a time, pretender, but now I grow weary of you. I will feast on your soul as I have feasted on so many before you!” Jorvik looked into the dragon’s mouth, a glow emanating from Alduin’s throat. He was about to be burned to death!
Suddenly a massive thunder of sound burst through the air. FUS ROH DAH! Alduin was knocked to one side, growling angrily. Jorvik struggled to sit up and was amazed to see an armour-clad warrior standing in front of Alduin, facing the dragon down fearlessly. “Dovahkiin! There you are!” Alduin almost seemed to be smiling.
Yet the warrior just stood there, sword at the ready, silently defiant. For a while dragon and warrior stared each other down, then Alduin spoke. “Our time has not yet come, Dovahkiin, but rest assured, it is near! Many have tried to defeat me in the past, yet none of them have succeeded. You will fail as well!” With a mighty flapping of wings, Alduin took to the skies. The warrior turned around and faced Jorvik. “Thank you! I was so foolish to think that I was the Dragonborn. Thank you for saving me!” Jorvik trembled as he spoke the words, and then darkness overtook him.
Jorvik awoke under the overhang, his body aching everywhere. He had been placed in his bedding, and his wounds bandaged. Food was set out next to him, along with some water. The Dragonborn was gone, all that remained were footprints in the snow, leading off into the distance, following the path that Alduin had taken.
–END–
