The Dragonborn Comes

Just to answer a question / comment from the previous chapter, how is the Dragonborn armed and armoured? As he's arrived after defeating Alduin, I always do that mission at the end of my play-through, so my character is always OP by that stage, so defeating Alduin is always an anti-climax.

To ensure he's somewhat killable, or he can at least be wounded and bleed like a normal man, I always imagine my Dragonborn in this story as someone armed with mid-level light armour, so perhaps Scaled at best. As for his weapons, little more than a steel sword and shield, though as his history involves being a Companion, it's at least Skyforge steel. I generally ignore certain aspects of the game in my stories, such as glass, ebony or dragon / daedric weapons. I keep things simple. Everyone wields iron or steel and wears simplified armour - leather or scaled if light, iron or steel if heavy, with those brave or lucky enough to perhaps have something dwarven. Only elves (Thalmor) would have their own armour and weapons.

*****

The castle was full of monsters. But upon first entering the tunnel and exiting near the jail, the first person we found was a mage. We were all caught by surprise, but he caused all our jaws to drop when he noticed and recognised Solona, and she knew him in return. The story was as I expected. He had been at the Circle Tower. He had used blood magic. He had been involved with the planning of the rebellion.

Then he dropped a bombshell. He had been tapped by Loghain and was responsible for his poisoning. The good news was the lord still lived. The bad news was that he wasn't the one who summoned the demon. That led to a second revelation in a matter of a few minutes.

"The boy is gifted," he claimed.

"Boy? What boy?" I asked.

"Connor, his son. He has magic."

"Shit, that isn't good," Alistair muttered.

"Why's that?" I wondered.

"If Connor has magic, he'll need to be sent to a Circle."

"That's why I'm here," the mage, who called him Jowan, stated, "After escaping the Circle, I needed somewhere to lay low, but considering I'm an apostate, I could also try and find work. Isolde recruited me to teach Connor and possibly hide his gift. I think he may have summoned this demon, though accidentally."

I looked at Solona, who confirmed the theory. "Without sufficient training, someone like Connor would be easily susceptible to possession."

"The boy is powerful," Jowan continued, "And the demon in control is... Well, I'm sure you can imagine."

"Suggestions?" I asked, as I didn't have a clue what to do.

"You have a few, some of them unpleasant. The easiest would be to just kill the boy," Jowan replied.

"Not happening, try again."

"We could try a ritual to try and free Connor. But it would require... blood."

I glanced at Solona again. Once again, she agreed. "There is power in blood magic that would assist us."

"Any other options?" I asked.

She shrugged. "The only other people who could help would be the Circle."

"Considering we saved the tower, they might be willing to help," Alistair stated.

"Right, we have options at least." I walked forward towards the bars of the cell, Jowan stepping back. "As for you, mage, the only reason your head will remain attached to your neck is that I shouldn't make that decision. Rest assured, we'll find a cure for Arl Eamon and then he can make his judgement. I've seen what the Circle do to apostates and blood mages. I don't particularly agree, but for someone like yourself, maybe Tranquility wouldn't be a bad thing."

I turned and walked away, enjoying the fear that spread across his face. Leaving the cells behind, Solona did grab my forearm for a moment. "You didn't really mean that, did you? About making him Tranquil?"

"Not particularly, but do you think he should face judgement?"

"Yes. But death is better than being made Tranquil."

"If Arl Eamon recovers, then it's his choice. If he doesn't, then it's mine, and I'll kill the bastard."

Our fight through the castle was as we'd already experienced, full of the undead and summoned demons. Solona proved how powerful she already was a mage, raining down destruction on anything that attacked, leaving us with little more than slim pickings at times. As we were fighting through narrow halls, and stately rooms, Leliana and Zevran were also fighting with a short sword and dagger instead of bows, working well with Alistair, Cerys and myself. I'll admit to finding Leliana distracting at times. She knew it too.

Exiting into the courtyard, a demon army was waiting for us. The Dragonborn stepped forward to meet them. There were a couple of desire demons, and another powerful monster that Alistair referred to as a Revenant. I unleashed the power of the wind, sending them hurling backwards. All except the Revenant, who took the full blast but remained in place. So I used my Thu'um again and froze the bastard solid. Solona used her magic to shatter its ice form into a million small pieces.

At the gates on the other side were Ser Perth and the rest of his soldiers. Leliana managed to open it, letting them in, and together we mopped up the rest of the demons before finally entering the castle. What greeted us in the main hall might have been amusing at any other time, as it was clear Teagan had been possessed, acting like a fool. I recognised Isolde, standing meekly by the fireplace, while holding the attention of everyone else was a small child. It was easy to assume it was Connor.

The demon in possession of Connor wasn't pleased at our appearance, and knew we'd been responsible for saving the village. I just retorted by mocking how weak his monsters were compared to myself and my friends. That just enraged him, blustering as he made all sorts of threats. If it wasn't the for the fact it looked like a small child, I would have ended it immediately. Instead, the demon used some sort of spell, running away as the guards lining the hall attacked us.

"Don't kill them," I ordered, so although it was difficult, considering they were trying to kill us, we managed to knock all of them unconscious.

Connor leaving broke the spell over everyone else, and after a discussion with Teagan, we had Jowan brought up from the cells. He again suggested we used blood magic, and Isolde stepped forward, offering to use her own, despite the warning that it would kill her.

"That's a last option. What about the Circle?"

"That depends, Dragonborn. Will they assist?" Teagan wondered.

"We've already saved their tower. I think they might owe us a favour or two."

"It's a couple of days' journey. And they don't really know you," Alistair said, "But if you go with Wynne, taking a letter from Teagan, also signed by us, surely they will help us."

"Solona?"

"Irving will definitely assist us, Ragnar."

"Then that's what we'll try. Teagan, write that letter while I ask Wynne for help."

Of course, Wynne stated immediately that she'd help me, and with Teagan's letter in hand, and also the offer of some horses to help our journey, the pair of us set out. Travelling by horseback would cut down our journey time, though we would still have to make camp for at least one night, as it was rather late by the time we'd set out. Making camp that night, Wynne offered to make dinner as I formed the tent and built a campfire.

After dinner, Wynne proved how sneaky she could be, taking out a bottle of spirit that she'd kept hidden in her pack. She opened it up and we toasted... something.

"So, Dragonborn, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure. There are no real secrets with me."

"Are you sure you're being... Hmm, let me find the right words."

"I can take a guess. You're talking about Leliana, Cerys and Solona?"

"Yes. I'm a little worried, particularly about Solona. She's very young, and I think she's already fallen in love with you. I just don't want to see her heart broken."

"I'm aware and we've already talked about it. She's adamant this is what she wants."

"Leliana and Cerys are old enough to make their choices, but I worry about them too."

"It's all just a bit of fun. They all participate with eyes open."

"I'll admit to also being a little jealous." That made me almost spit out my drink. "Oh, come now, Ragnar, it's easy to see why they are all attracted to you. It was obvious how happy you made Solona the other evening."

Chuckling, I admitted, "That might have been my fault. I told her she no longer had to be quiet."

"Yes, it is difficult satisfying your desires in the Circle." I could only look at her with surprise. "Surely the fact I have desires shouldn't be too surprising, Ragnar? I may be older than you but I still have the wants and needs that every woman has."

"I would ask how old you are, but even I know that is impolite."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-five winters passed."

"I'm a little less than double your age then."

"Well, then I can only say you are beautiful for your age, Wynne. The only thing that threw me was the silver hair, but your face shows wisdom, not age. You carry yourself with grace and dignity, and it is obvious you have years of experience."

She actually blushed. "Thank you."

"And I've also had sex with older woman before, if that's what you're wondering. I may as well put that bluntly, as there is no point dancing around the topic."

She smiled. "Good to know."

"Can I be honest, though? I was hoping for a break tonight!"

She laughed. "Yes, it's been rather obvious that you haven't spent many nights alone, particularly since I joined up with you. Though you interest me, Ragnar... That's a lie, you don't just interest me. But... It has also been a long time for me since I've felt the touch of a man."

"You're nervous?"

She laughed. "Admittedly, yes. I am not a young woman anymore."

"Well, let's put it like this. If you remain interested in me, and you would like to share my bed one night, all you have to do is ask."

"You make it sound so easy."

I shrugged. "It is. Most of the time, it's just sex, Wynne. And we're two adults who might want to see each other naked, and do other things together."

Thankfully, the conversation moved on, and Wynne showed plenty of interest in my life on Skyrim, purposely avoiding the topic of sex again. I didn't want a whole night of sexual tension. She told me a little more of life in the Circle, and I had a feeling she already missed life there, at least a little. When mentioning that, she admitted it was true, but she loved being out on the open road, with the possibility of helping defeat the darkspawn and saving the country.

We shared a tent, though thankfully we had separate bedrolls, sharing a large fur blanket to keep us warm. At least waking the next morning wasn't too awkward, as we hadn't rolled towards each other, and after a quick breakfast, we made good time riding for the Circle tower, arriving just after lunchtime.

Irving was surprised to see us again so soon, but after handing over the letter and speaking with Wynne, he agreed immediately. Gathering half a dozen trusted colleagues, they quickly packed up the supplies they would need, and we started our journey back straight away. As they had to walk, the Circle not bothering to keep horses, Wynne and I didn't bother mounting our horses, all of us walking as a group.

Returning to Redcliffe took us an entire day plus more, but as soon as we arrived, Irving wasted no time in setting up the ritual. It took a little time to prepare. During that time, Irving explained the details, and what concerned me was that a mage needed to go into the Fade. "Cannot I not at least go with them?"

Irving shook his head. "That won't be possible, Dragonborn. Whoever goes in must do it alone."

During our time away, Teagan had invited our group into the castle itself, even Shale, though the golem couldn't fit inside any other door other than the main ones leading in from the courtyard, so the golem remained outside. So as everyone was gathered around, I looked across the three mages. "Wynne, you have years of experience. Morrigan, your power is not doubted. But I'm putting my trust in Solona."

Morrigan scoffed. "Of course you would."

I ignored the jibe and looked at Solona. "Can you do this?"

"If you trust me to do it, then yes, I can."

Solona was made as comfortable as possible as the ritual would take place in the main hall, a pile of blankets placed for her to lie on, pillows to rest her head on. The closer to the start, the more nervous she became, so I sat next to her, just holding her hand. When Irving announced he was ready to begin, she reached out for me to hug her, and we shared a long but very sensual kiss. I then moved back, but continued to hold her hand, as she put up under and disappeared into the Fade.

I never let go of her hand, Leliana and Cerys sitting nearby as they watched. I must have looked incredibly nervous, both reassuring me that she'd be just fine.

Leliana just whispered into my ear, "You really care for her?"

"Of course I do. Nearly as much as you."

I think that answer surprised her. Not that I cared for Solona, but that I cared for her more. "What about me?" Cerys wondered.

"I'm your sworn warrior, Cerys, and it was an honour to make that vow. That should tell you everything."

I think she sometimes forgot about my vow, looking away a little embarrassed. "Oh, right."

We lapsed into silence again. Solona looked at peace though I wondered what she was going through in her dreams. The only thing that moved were her eyelids, fluttering occasionally as she dreamed. I remembered her telling me about the Harrowing, and what she had to do then. That's the main reason I'd chosen her. She'd only recently passed it, and did so with flying colours. I was confident she'd defeat this demon with ease.

It was at least a couple of hours, but Solona's eyes opened suddenly. Connor had been placed by the fireplace behind us, and I heard him ask for his mother. My attention was only for Solona, as she groggily sat up. I got down on my knees next to her. "What a bastard," she muttered.

I just cupped her cheek. "You did it!" I said quietly.

A broad grin formed. "That demon didn't stand a chance." She looked behind, nodding. "And at least he's safe now."

Isolde led Connor away, mothering him to death as expected, though her thanks towards all of us were heartfelt and teary-eyed before she did, particularly Solona, hugging her tightly as she thanked her over and over again. Solona was overcome, not particularly a surprise. "Maybe if my son does go to the Circle, he will have someone he can look to as an example."

Teagan thanked the mages for their assistance, and we agreed that we'd agree to do nothing else until the next day. Eamon would be assessed, all of us hoping he would wake, while Ser Perth and his knights would return to the village, just in case, though there'd been no sign of any more monsters since their defeat against our combined forces.

Despite sleeping during the ritual, Solona was exhausted and headed to bed early. I spent a lot of time with Teagan, talking about matters off the record, though we did talk about what steps to take next. But as he was not the lord, he could only give suggestions, not orders. Alistair was a topic of conversation, and though I didn't pry too much, he did mention a few things as to why Alistair would be so reluctant to take the crown. He basically told me it would take a lot of convincing.

Heading to bed that night, long after nearly everyone had disappeared, I did wonder who might be waiting for me. Probably Leliana or Cerys. Or both of them together. Solona, if she'd woken up, though she was tired. I'd checked in on her a couple of hours before, and she was still fast asleep. Maybe Wynne, as she'd made her interest known. Morrigan would be waiting just to fuck with my mind.

It was Leliana, and only Leliana. Teagan had given me one of the finest rooms in the castle, and the bed was... enormous. Laying on the bed was Leliana, waiting for me without a single thing on her body, except the necklace she wore with the Chantry symbol nestling on her chest. She gestured for me to come with a finger as she sat up on the edge of the bed. She wasn't wasting time, her hands straight to my pants as they were on the floor rather quickly, along with my underwear. Once my cock sprang free, she licked up and down the shaft a few times before starting to blow me. As she did that, I took off everything else.

"Someone's eager."

Taking my cock from her mouth for a moment, she looked up. "You've been gone two nights. I missed you, and this. That's why I'm in here alone. Cerys understood."

I just ran a hand through her hair, bending down to kiss her, earning one of those sweet smiles I knew so well. "And I missed you." I had, immensely. I missed her the most, Solona just a little less, Cerys about the same. I had appreciated a couple of nights' rest, but I'd missed just their company most of all.

My cock disappeared into my mouth again, and she was now an expert at swallowing my entire length. I tried not to thrust too much into her mouth, feeling her hand on my arse to pull me forward occasionally. The thing she did do made me weak kneed and my eyes roll back in my head. To distract myself from the almost inevitable load I was going to fire down her throat, I reach forward to play with her breasts. That distracted her, almost choking on my dick as she started to laugh. That just caused me to laugh, and I collapsed on top of her, laughing away. As it died down, she just looked at me, running a hand down her face, and I thought she was going to say something...

The moment didn't pass, but I think she swallowed whatever words she was going to say down. Maybe it just wasn't the time. Maybe she thought... I'm not sure. But the smile never left her face, even when I ran a hand down her body towards her pussy, watching her lips part and taking a deep breath when my fingers found her entrance, kissing me gently when I inserted a couple of digits.

"And that's just your fingers!" she muttered.

"How about my tongue?"

"Only if I can carry on what we were doing."

That was like a fine plan. Laying down in the middle of the bed, she swung herself round and lowered her pussy down to my face. Purposely licking from her clit all the way to her arse sent a shiver up her spine, causing her to shudder and cry out, despite the fact her mouth was full of my cock. I ran my hands up her sides, and she was a little ticklish, before I held her in place by the hips and buried my face.

I'll put it like this. I don't know how any straight man can't enjoy going down on a woman. I mean, there are some right dirty women out there. I've been unfortunate to meet a couple. But a woman like Leliana? Pussy perfection. Always wet and willing to accept, if not want my tongue, fingers or cock. And from what she said, she wanted it constantly. I doubted I'd ever say no to her. Even if I was eighty winters passed and my dick barely worked. I'm sure there's a magic spell that'd get me hard!

And as much as I loved going down on her, she loved to reciprocate in kind. And damn she was good. It was so good I couldn't concentrate on pleasing her, so I eventually stopped to wait until she finished me, then I'd return the favour. She seemed to realise, doubling her efforts to bring my orgasm. Her hands ran up and down my legs before she fondled my balls.

"Leliana," I whispered, unable to stop my gentle thrusts into her mouth.

"Cum for me, Ragnar," she said. Like she had to ask or order. It was going to happen regardless. But she still upped the tempo further, and I enjoyed all the sounds she made, the moans, even the occasional giggle as my cock throbbed in her mouth. It still amazed me that she could take the length of it.