Harbinger

When they got up the next morning, Farkas asked as they got dressed, "So who are we roughing up today?"

Lyara smiled at him.

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I am hoping to not have to do any 'roughing up' today. I just need to talk to someone in Riften called Esbern. He is supposed to be one of the last remaining members of the Blades, a powerful order of knights who were bodyguards to the ancient Septim Emperors, and they are committed to fighting dragons. I hope that he has some information about how we can stop them."

"So where can we find this Esbern?" He asked.

She shrugged.

"I don't know exactly. I was told by Delphine that he is probably hiding from the Thalmor in somewhere called The Ratway. We need to find him before they do."

"Delphine?"

"From Riverwood. She and I made friends while I was there, and she asked for my help in getting to the bottom of why the dragons are returning."

They made their way downstairs, and Lyara asked directions from the barkeep Keerava. She was warned that The Ratway was a rather unsavory part of town. It was a network of underground tunnels that ran under the city of Riften. It was home to the Thieves Guild, and many other sleazy and disagreeable types. Lyara pushed the doorway open that led into the tunnels.

The way twisted and turned, and became a bit of a maze. They passed several alcoves that seemed to house the lost and forgotten of Riften society. Lyara walked into a larger room, and was immediately stopped by two residents of the warren.

The first vagrant walked right up to her, asking her to hand over any valuables and she wrinkled her nose at his smell. He stank of body odour and stale beer.

She heard Farkas pull his sword out of its scabbard.

"Get away from her," she heard him growl.

The vagrants appeared to back off, but she felt it was a foil. She was proved right, when as they stepped into the next room, she heard their clumsy attempts to attack from the rear. Farkas spun round, his hand having never left his blade. The razor sharp sword spun out when he extended his arm and sliced across the belly of the foremost vagrant, his guts spilling out in hot steaming pile.

Lyara had knocked an arrow, and as soon as she was sure she wouldn't hit Farkas, she loosed it straight into the throat of the second vagrant, who fell backwards clutching his neck as he choked on his own blood.

She looked to Farkas as he wiped his blade on the dirty clothes of their attackers. He looked at her and nodded to indicate he was ready to carry on. His face was serious, all his senses on full alert. She thought to herself he was very handsome when he meant business.

She took the lead and they carried on through the tunnels. They got to a stairway that passed a room with bars on the door, and Lyara noticed there were books visible in a neat row on a shelf. This struck her as unusual compared to what she had witnessed so far in the warrens. On a hunch, she pushed into the room, and was challenged by an elderly Nord.

"Are you Esbern?" Lyara asked him.

"Who sent you?" he asked, looking a little fearful, his eyes wide.

"It's okay," she said, trying to calm the man down. "Delphine sent me."

"Del ... Delphine?" He seemed to calm slightly then. "Why would she send you?"

"Delphine wants your assistance in getting to the bottom of why the dragons are coming back."

The man looked a little calmer, but still unsettled at her arrival.

"So ... Delphine keeps up the fight after all these years?" The old man asked. "I thought she would have realised its hopeless by now. I tried to tell her years ago."

"What do you mean it's hopeless?" Lyara asked.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? What more needs to happen before you all wake up and see what's going on." Esbern sputtered.

Lyara was a little surprised at his outburst. He appeared to be a little mad, but she trusted Delphine, and if she said this man could help, well then, she would listen.

"Alduin has returned, just like the prophecy said. The dragon from the dawn of time will devour the souls of the dead. No one can escape his hunger, here or in the afterlife. Alduin will devour all things and the world will end. Nothing can stop it."

Esbern started to pace the floor as he continued his tirade.

"I tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen. Fools! It's all come true. All we can do is watch our doom approach."

"Alduin ... the dragon who is raising the others?" she asked. Delphine had told her that she had witnessed the dragon Alduin speak over a dragon burial ground and raise a long dead dragon back to life.

"Yes! You see? You know, but you refuse to understand. It has all been foretold, the end has begun. Alduin has returned. Only a Dragonborn can stop him, but no Dragonborn has been known for centuries. It seems that the gods have grown tired of us. They have left us to our fate -- the plaything of Alduin the World Eater."

Lyara put her hand gently on the man's shoulder, trying to calm him down. She looked him in the eyes and said gently, "It is not hopeless Esbern, I am Dragonborn."

His rheumy eyes looked at her for a second, not believing what he had heard.

"You are Dragonborn? Can it really be true?"

Lyara nodded in response.

"Then ... then there is hope. The gods have not abandoned us. We must go ... go quickly." He turned then, and started putting a few scrolls and manuscripts into a satchel.

His face serious, but looking much more in control, Esbern turned to Lyara and said, "Take me to Delphine. We have much to discuss."

Lyara looked at Farkas, and he just shrugged, before she headed out of the room and led the way out of the warrens. When they pushed through the door leading to the streets of Riften, they were ambushed by a small group of Thalmor agents.

One was a magic user, and he blasted Lyara with what looked like lightening. Stunned, and weakened, she staggered back. Farkas charged at the wizard with a mighty roar and ran his blade so hard into the Thalmor mage that he lifted him off his feet.

The other two agents were trying to edge past Farkas, and get to Esbern. As she struggled to her feet, she saw Esbern conjure an apparition. It was vaguely female shaped, yet made from living flame. It swooped at one of the attackers. Its touch caused the attacker to blister and burn, and with a deadly embrace, the creature engulfed him and the street rang with his screams of pain.

Lyara shot out a leg, and was able to knock the final attacker off his feet onto his back, while lifting a dagger from her belt which she swiftly rammed straight into the middle of the man's chest as he hit the floor.

The attack over, Farkas and Lyara looked fearfully at the strange apparition, concerned it may turn on them. It did one somersault in the air, and then vanished.

Farkas looked at Lyara.

"Was that you?" he asked.

Lyara shook her head, and then looked at Esbern. "It was the old man."

"We need to get out of town quickly," growled Farkas. "There may be more Thalmor agents, and no doubt the town's guard are on its way too. Let's move it!"

The three of them jogged towards the city gates. They made it through just as a commotion was starting. The bodies of the Thalmor had obviously been discovered. Hopefully, as they were directly outside The Ratway, this incident would be blamed on the Thieves Guild.

Lyara purchased an extra horse for Esbern, and the three of them rode their horses away from Riften as quickly as they could.

Wilhelm, the owner of the Vilemyr Inn in Ivarstead was surprised to see Lyara and Farkas again.

Lyara paid for two rooms, one for her and Farkas, and one for Esbern. When Farkas returned from seeing to the horses, the three of them sat together.

Esbern was quiet, and hardly spoke as they ate. Instead, the three of them listened to the songs from the Inn's singer, Lynly Star-Sung. She had great skill with the lute, and a melodic voice.

One song particularly, caught Farkas and Lyara's attention.

"Our hero, our hero claims a warrior's heart

I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes

With a voice wielding power of the ancient Nord Art

Believe, believe the Dragonborn comes

It's an end to the evil of all Skyrim's foes

Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes

For the darkness has passed and the legend yet grows

You'll know, you'll know, the Dragonborn's come"

The chords were melancholy, and Farkas thought the voice of the singer's haunting. He reached over the table, and placed his hand over Lyara's. The realisation was finally hitting him, that Lyara was this Dragonborn of legend. The whole of Skyrim was relying on her to deal with Alduin, this World Eater!

She was no weakling, he knew that, but she seemed so small and fragile to him then, in the shade of this great responsibility. His heart ached at the thought of the dangers she was yet to face, and vowed that he would stand by her side through it all. He had found the love of his life, and he wasn't about to let some dragon -- even if it was a god - take it away.

"Come, my love, you look tired. Let us go to bed."

Lyara looked at him, gratitude shining from her red eyes. He noticed with some irritation that she had hardly touched her meal. There were obviously too many vegetables in it, he thought. He had some dried venison in his pack. He would make sure she ate some before they slept.

"You would do well to rest too Old Man," he said to Esbern. "We have a long ride ahead of us tomorrow." With that, Farkas led his wife out of the main hall, and up to their room.

He had brought some wine with them, and as promised, he made Lyara eat before she slept.

Farkas lay in their bed, Lyara in his arms, and her head resting on his chest. Her breathing had slowed and was steady, so he presumed she had fallen asleep. He was still haunted by the words of the song. The lyrics ran through his mind, particularly the line 'an end to the evil of all Skyrim's foe'. That was a whole lot of evil for one wood elf to fight.

Skyrim was suffering not just from the onslaught of dragon fire, but also from the oppression of the Imperials, the schemes of the Thalmor, and the rebellion of the Stormcloaks. Was she expected to sort all that out too? How can one person do all that?

She had him though, and the Companions. He knew that they would stand by their Harbinger, even Vilkas. He groaned inwardly, when it occurred to him that he would have to talk to Vilkas as soon as they got back. He was not sure how his brother would take the news he was married to Lyara.

He looked down at his sleeping wife. He liked calling her that. It sounded right. He was a little disappointed they had to escort the old milk drinker back to Riverwood. He had looked forward to the journey, knowing that it was probably going to be one of the last times for a while, that had some time alone.

He knew that things were about to get very busy, and it would all centre around the sleeping wood elf he held in his arms.

The cold wet morning did nothing to lift Lyara's mood. She had had a fitful night's sleep.

Deep down, she felt completely unworthy of being called Dragonborn. She just felt like Lyara Tyranea -- a Bosmer from Haven. She was no one special, and was confused why the gods had seen fit to bestow this upon her.

Farkas did his best to lift her mood. He even managed to coax a smile out of her when he pulled his horse close to hers, and suggested quietly that they allow the old man to go on his way alone for a bit, while they had a quick tumble in the bedroll.

She appreciated his efforts. It warmed her heart every time he called her love, or dear. There was a wealth of feelings in those small words, and it meant a great deal. He may look like a fierce barbarian, and she knew he could be if he was crossed, but his pale soft eyes gave away his gentle soul.

They drove their horses at a fair pace, keen to get to Riverwood before any more bad weather settled in.

It was late afternoon when they arrived in Riverwood, and they made their way to the Sleeping Giant Inn. Lyara was pleased to see her friend once again, and they greeted each other warmly. Delphine raised her eyebrows in surprise when Lyara introduced Farkas as her husband, but made no further comment.

She led the three travellers into her room, and once the door was closed, she opened a false panel behind a wardrobe that led down to a secret room. Here was where Delphine had done all her research over the past few years.

Lyara and Farkas stood helpless as Delphine and Esbern argued about what the next step should be. Eventually, it was decided that they needed to get into Sky Haven Temple, an ancient temple located deep in the belly of Karthspire, a ruined temple built long ago by the Dwemer, an ancient race of Dwarves.

Within the temple, was Alduin's Wall. A hieroglyphic freeze, carved in stone depicting how Alduin had been defeated by the ancient Nord. Delphine warned that it would not be easy to get into, as camped near to the entrance were a band of Forsworn, an aggressive organisation of indigenous Bretons that objected to the Nord's occupation of Skyrim. Esbern also explained that once inside, there would be challenges to overcome before entrance to the inner sanctum could be gained, that could only be completed by the Dragonborn.

"I have things I need to prepare before we travel," said Delphine to Lyara. "We will meet you there in a few days."

Lyara nodded agreement. That was acceptable. She had a few things to sort out herself.