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Elle was not a good liar. Once, she caught her brother sneaking out, and he made her promise to cover for him. When her parents asked her if she knew where he was, her response and behavior had been so contrary that they ended up realizing she was lying before she even finished the first sentence. Her brother had been pretty angry with her after that and the whole experience just hadn't gone very well for her. Now she had to lie about why she wanted to know about the dragon shrine. The real reason was that she was afraid she was going crazy and dragons seemed to be following her everywhere she went now and a billion other things. However, since Nil didn't seem to know much about it, she didn't think it wise to disclose all that, not until she knew more, at least.

"Well, um," she said after a pause, "It just seemed... rather unusual and I was wondering if it served some sort of purpose or did something, or, um, if the words meant anything important, or, maybe-" she stopped herself and bit the inside of her cheek, realizing that if she kept going, she would ramble. "Just, curiosity, I guess," she decided with a slight shrug, not sure what else she could say that would sound even remotely convincing.

As of now, she was torn between getting it all off her chest and keeping it to herself. She kept telling herself that it was the stress of being captured and almost fried to a crisp and having her head hit one too many times, but there was still a part of her mind that thought otherwise. The word, the dragon word she had seen on the shrine, why couldn't she say it? Its meaning was clear in her mind but her mouth couldn't form the sound for whatever reason. She wished she could, then she could tell Nil, but she couldn't, and it was frustrating.

I know you.

Shut up.

She closed her eyes for a second to rid her mind of the image of the dragon's red eyes before going back to stitching up the exit wound. Thankfully, it was smaller than the first one, so it didn't take her as long to get it closed up. She used the towel to wash it one last time before grabbing fresh bandages and wrapping them around his torso to prevent the stitches from ripping. "There," she said as she tied it off, "Just don't go getting stabbed again anytime soon and you'll live," she added sarcastically. She scooted to the edge of the bed and dangled her feet over the side before standing up and putting things back where she had found them in the first place.

-

Elle was relieved when he didn't question her further. No doubt he knew she wasn't being entirely honest, but maybe he didn't care enough to interrogate her about it. Or maybe he was just being respectful. Hard to say. Either way, she wasn't going to complain, because she wasn't sure how long she would be able to withhold the truth under questioning. He would find out eventually, that is, if they stayed in each other's company that long. It was difficult to tell what the future had in store. Once they reached Whiterun tomorrow, it would probably blow over and everything would return to normal. She still had plans to visit her friend in Falkreath, so perhaps after she fulfilled her promise to Gerdur, that's where she would go.

She turned back around to face Nil when he spoke and nodded in agreement, "I won't argue with that. It would be nice if something went smoothly for a change," she said, turning and heading out the door and calling over her shoulder, "Good night, see you in the morning." She headed straight for her room and flopped face first into bed, kicking her boots off with her face still stuffed in the pillow. She was tired a sore, so it didn't take long for her to fall fast asleep.

-

As exhausted as she was, and as easy as it was to fall asleep, Elle's mind remained painfully active. She had the same nightmare she had had the night before, the one with the faceless warrior and the black dragon. However, instead of the dream shifting to the mountaintop like it had originally, she found herself in the crypt again, standing in front of the dragon shrine. This time, all the symbols were glowing, golden tendrils of light swirling around the room, the same war cry filling the air. Her gaze was glued to the shrine unblinking, the brightness burning her eyes and causing tears to stream down her face. The golden threads of light suddenly started weaving together, creating some sort of shape until she could see that it was a dragon.

It was smaller and less frightening than the black one from the Helgen attack, something in its eye that was neither malevolent nor kind. Elle wasn't afraid of this one, partly because its form was made of light and not tangible in anyway, but also because there was a certain degree of familiarity that confused her. The dragon's form started to shift and contort, turning into a single beam of light that shot straight for her, striking her square in the chest and filling her entire being with warmth. She felt a rush of adrenaline, like she could lift an entire mountain and hurl it into the sea.

However, she didn't get to enjoy the feeling long, because the sound of rock cracking and smashing to the ground caused her to whirl around to see what caused the ceiling to cave. The black dragon with bloodshot eyes had crashed into the cavern, hurtling straight for her. Elle yelped as a giant dark claw slammed her down and pinned her to the floor, the beast's face looming over hers with a growl rumbling in its throat. She wanted to shut her eyes and try to get away, but she was petrified, staring wide eyed and opened mouthed at the dragon. It started to speak in its natural tongue, fangs bared in a snarl as it did so. The words seemed to be drawing the very soul from her body, sucking the breath from her lungs and dragging the light from her eyes, the golden dragon taking shape again.

The black wyvern attacked the gold, and the two grappled and shouted, fighting tooth and claw and bringing the entire cavern down around them as they did so. She watched in horror as the creatures battled with intense ferocity that was both appalling and frightening. Helplessly rooted to the spot, she could only look on as the two tried to tear each other apart in desperation, but neither seemed to be able to get the better of the other. Suddenly, they both stopped, the golden dragon looking her dead in the eye and saying in a voice that sounded eerily like her own, "Vopraan vok, Eilonwy."

The Breton's eyes snapped open as she sat up abruptly, exhaling sharply and looking around the room, only to find herself still inside her room. She sighed with relief and fell back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling for a moment. There was a grey dawn bleeding through the window, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to fall back to sleep, so she reluctantly sat up and rubbed her eyes with a yawn, then swung her feet over the side of the bed and pulled on her boots. She stood and walked over to the wash basin, splashing water on her face and drying it with a towel to banish the lingering grogginess, pushing the dream as far from her mind as possible. It was still early, judging by the amount of light outside, so she was in no hurry to gather her belongings and walk out into the main part of the inn.

-

Elle rubbed her eyes with a yawn with one hand while shutting the door to the room with the other. She turned around and paused before going and seating herself next to Nil, propping her elbows on the bar and lacing her fingers together, resting her chin on her knuckles. Curiosity wanted her to ask about the half-prince's numerous scars, but judging by the tail end of last night's conversation, she decided against prying. It would probably get her a dirty look and silence in response anyway. She had noticed them the night before when she was stitching him up, but she had been too tired to really process much of anything at that point. Maybe she would volunteer to go get some armor from the Trader that actually fit him to save him from Camilla. She wasn't sure what was worse, facing Camilla or a horde of bandits without armor. Hard to say.

"Morning," she greeted, glancing over at him briefly. Honestly, she wasn't sure why he was still with her. He could have taken off long ago. he had all but said he had better places to be and things to do rather than tag along while she warned Whiterun about the impending danger. Whatever the reason, she figured she would find out eventually. Or not. She was fairly uncertain of anything at this point. This simple trip north had turned into one heck of an adventure, there was no denying that. Though she had to admit, she was all adventured out at this point.

She shook her thoughts away groggily and rubbed the sleep from her eyes again with a small sigh. As far as she knew, she had gotten plenty of rest, it just hadn't been very regenerative. She blamed the nightmares. Or dreams. She wasn't sure what they were. The light dragon, it had her voice, which she found quite disturbing, even if she didn't understand what it had said to her. Even though it had been exciting as well as terrifying at first, she was getting quite sick of dragons now. They seemed to be everywhere she turned ever since Helgen. For what reason, she had absolutely no idea. No one sees them for, how many years was it? Too many to count, and the first one sighted in all that time comes crashing into her life like an ebony meteorite. Just her luck. Unless, it wasn't chance

There, her mind had run away with her again. She caught herself staring into the flames of the torch on the wall, blinking a few times and sitting back to rest her palms on the worn wooden surface. She wasn't much for talking in the morning, so she didn't try to start conversation this time, content to sit and wait for Orgnar's return so she could get herself some breakfast. A low growl from her stomach reminded her she hadn't eaten much the day before due to all the excitement and and whatnot.

-

Elle looked over at him slightly surprised, but smiled gratefully and accepted the gesture, "Thanks," she said, picking up the warm bowl, "that's very nice of you." She was used to plain food, so she had no complaints. She was just happy to have food in her stomach and the knowledge that her involvement in this whole dragon fiasco was about to end. All she had to do now was inform the Jarl of the danger and make sure he sent troops to Riverwood. Pretty simple, right? At least, that's what she hoped. With the way her luck had been these past few days, she wasn't so sure.

The soup warmed her insides and helped wake her up a bit, and she was much more alert by the time she had set the bowl down. Nil had already finished, so she decided to save the sweet roll for the road, standing up as she said, "There's a few things I need to get from the Trader. I could get you some cheap armor or maybe a shirt to hold you over to Whiterun? I'm sure they have better armor there," she added, tucking the sweet roll in her pouch. They both already looked like a couple of homeless people (which they practically were anyway) so it would be hard enough for the Jarl to take them seriously anyway, no need to make it worse.

She had already started for the exit as she waited for an answer, opening the door and stepping out into the cool morning air. It was a very nice morning, a little chilly, but the sun's rays were already warm and the sky was virtually cloudless, save for a few fat, fluffy clusters here and there. A perfect day for walking. Divines willing, this could be where the craziness ended.

-

Elle smiled with a nod, "I'll be right back, then," she said, walking down the steps to the cobbled road, making her way to the Riverwood Trader. The little establishment was slowly starting to wake up, its people rising to go about their daily business. She opened the door to the little shop and walked up to the counter. Lucan Valerius looked up as she walked in and smiled a friendly greeting. His sister was nowhere to be seen, yet. "Good morning," he said, "What can I do for you?"

"You wouldn't happen to have an large linen shirts for sale, would you?" she asked, walking up to the wooden counter.

"I do indeed," he said, turning around and pulling a faded green long sleeved shirt from a chest and setting it before her, "Will that be all?"

"Yes, but, I did have a question," she said, setting the appropriate amount of septims in his hand, "The golden claw that we returned to you, do you know much about it?"

Lucan thought for a moment and shook his head with a helpless shrug, "I'm afraid not. It's a family heirloom, as far as I know, doesn't really serve a purpose."

"Oh, well, thanks anyway," Elle said with a small smile, picking up the shirt as she went back outside. Well, it was worth a try. Surely they would have more information in Whiterun. The court wizards always had books and things concerning such matters. Maybe she would luck out.

( *distressed pterodactyl screech* CURSE DIALOGUE )

-

Elle tossed the shirt to Nilovas once she deemed she was close enough and nodded in reply to his question, "Yeah, let's hit the road," she agreed, continuing to walk down the cobblestone path towards the bridge they had crossed the day before to get to the barrow. The morning chill was beginning to lift as the day matured and Riverwood was fully awake by the time they had left it behind. The walk was pleasant in regards to the fair weather and scenic beauty. Now that she wasn't running from dragons or trying to climb through snow drifts up a mountainside, the Breton could fully appreciate the scenery Skyrim was known for further south.

Now that she was out in the open air, she was starting to feel much less groggy and her nightmares were seemed very distant and fuzzy now. After Whiterun, she could continue on her way to Falkreath and then proceed on a guided tour of Skyrim and its holds and reaches. She wasn't sure what that meant for her relationship with Nil, but she hoped that this wouldn't be the last they would see of one another. The grumpy half-prince was starting to grow on her. She wasn't sure about him, but she considered them to be friends. After all they had been through together in the past 48 hours, how could they not be?

She kept her pace brisk, wanting to get their news to Whiterun as soon as possible, but occasionally she would stop if she saw a flower or other such thing that she had never seen and quickly pocket it before jogging to catch back up to her taller companion. For once, the walk was pleasant; occasionally she would comment on the plant or wildlife, but other than that, their conversation was pretty minimal, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable or awkward. The most trouble they experienced was a lone wolf, which Nil quickly took care of before Elle could lift a finger. Well, that is, until Whiterun rolled into view.

Elle had paused at the crest of the hill to admire the size of the castle perched on the top of the small mountain in the distance and the surrounding farms, until the sound of yelling and clashing metal reached her ear. She furrowed her brow, and her eyes quickly located the source of the trouble at the bottom of hill, where a group of men and women were trying to battle a very angry looking giant in the middle of a cabbage field. While the group looked like capable warriors all, she shared a quick looked with Nil before drawing her sword and running down to help. Personally, she would feel bad just walking past and not offering any assistance, especially considering the size and strength of the creature attacking the group.

Since the giant was pretty focused on the people in front of it, Elle was able to run right in from behind and deliver a well placed horizontal slash to the lower half of its calves, since she couldn't reach any higher. Startled by the sudden pain, the creature, turned around, club raised to smash her into the ground, but she had already bounced away safely out of reach, enabling the other warriors to get in a few clean hacks and stabs.

-

(Accidental double post)

The giant was in a right rage now, although it was clear he was being overwhelmed, and was lashing out blindly, each stroke weaker. One of the warriors, a man with dark hair and black war paint smeared around his eyes, slashed his sword upward across the giant's stomach, the creature doubling over with an enraged bellow. Elle took that opportunity to spring forward and bring the edge of her blade down across the back of the beast's neck, both hands on the hilt and using as much force as she could muster. It wasn't enough to kill it, but the blow had lined up the perfect shot for the female warrior to fire and arrow through the bottom of the giant's jaw, the creature letting out one last guttural roar before crashing to the earth. The slight tremor caused Elle to stumble backward a few steps to avoid being crushed, lowering her sword and looking over at Nil before directing her gaze to the other warriors.

The red haired woman wielding a bow dropped her defensive stance and approached the Breton and half-mer, her green eyes studying them both with slight interest. "You handle yourself well," she said, "You would make good Companions."

Elle gave her a blank look for a moment, arching her eyebrow and tilting her head slightly, "Companions?" she asked, confused by the warrior's statement.

The woman furrowed her brow with a half smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, "You must not be from around here. The Companions are a guild of warriors dedicated to protect and serve, for the right price of course," she chuckled slightly, "You should stop by Jorrvaskr and speak to Kodlak, when you get the chance. He has a way with knowing your character just by looking at you," she added offhandedly, "Thanks again for the assistance." With that, she turned, signaling for the others to follow, and they regrouped and set off toward the walled city.

Elle watched them go for a moment, still a little perplexed by the woman's offer, then looked over at Nil. "Well, that was interesting. Shall we continue then?" she asked, wiping her sword off on the grass before sheathing it once more. She was eager to get to Whiterun and finally have some of her questions answered. There had to be a few hundred feet left between them and the city gates, surely nothing else could befall them between here and there. Though, at this rate, she wasn't so sure. Everywhere they turned there seemed to be another obstacle. And to think, all of this could have been avoided if she hadn't taken the shortcut to Falkreath.

-

Elle watched the Companions go for a moment before turning her attention to Nil when he spoke. She smirked and shook her head at his negative comment and replied, "Well, lucky for us we probably won't have to deal with them again." After taking one last look at the fallen giant, she took a few running steps to catch up with Nil, too anxious and preoccupied with her own thoughts to pay much mind to her surroundings. She had seen plenty of rocky plains and farmland in her time, and while beautiful, it was nothing special. It seemed that they would reach Dragonsreach without anymore obstacles until they reached the main gate. Elle's first instinct was to smile a greeting at the guard that approached them, but his sharp order caused her to stop and frown abruptly. Nil retorted before she could even think of a response, so she stood behind him slightly and let him handle the situation. When the guard heard why they were here, he seemed much more willing to let them by. She nodded and mouthed a more genuine thank you to him as they passed through the stone arch into the city. Well, town.

She only took a moment to look around her at the humble stone buildings and cobbled streets before quickly advancing over the bridge toward the center of town. They passed an argument between what looked to be an imperial soldier and a blacksmith, something about and impossible weapons order, but she didn't stay to eavesdrop. Their goal, the castle the rose above everything else in the distance, was just in sight, and she was eager to send aid to the people of Riverwood. While it may have been helpful in saving her neck, she didn't want to beast to hurt innocent people if it was still lurking in the mountains. A chill went down her spine as the image of its eyes flashed through her mind once more, the strange stone tablet she had picked up in the Barrow heavy in her satchel. Maybe she could ask the court wizard about it, or at least get some leads on where to find someone who could tell her what it was.

They reached a little square with various shops, inns, and such bordering it, a well at the center. A stone stairway to the left indicated another part of town, which seemed to be the only logical way to go to reach the castle, so she wasted no time in ascending the steps to find a large tree, dead, surrounded by benches and other townspeople. Again, she didn't stop to admire the scenery or speak with anyone, the castle up the next flight of stairs. THe guards made no move to stop them as they climbed the stairs and crossed the wooden bridge to the towering front doors of the castle. Now, she hesitated, glancing over at Nil before pushing them open and stepping into the sunlit threshold. She walked across the carpet and up a short flight of stairs, taking a brief moment to look at her surroundings. The ceiling was high above their heads, tapestries hanging from wooden beams. There were long wooden tables on either side of a great fire in the center of the great room, and behind that, the Jarl seated on a throne arguing with someone.

Elle had made it to the fire when a female dunmer clad in leather armor drew her sword and stepped in their way. Her face was fixed in a suspicious scowl and her red eyes studied the pair critically, regarding Nilovas with more apprehension than the small Breton at his side. "What is the meaning of this interruption? Jarl Balgruuf isn't receiving any visitors," she said frostily. This time, Elle was prepared for a not so friendly greeting, so she quickly replied, "We have news of the dragon attack on Helgen." The mer frowned slightly, lowering her weapon as she replied, "No wonder the guards let you pass. The Jarl will want to speak with you personally. Approach." Then, she sheathed her weapon and stepped aside to let them pass.

Jarl Balgruuf seemed to have ended his argument with the man whom Elle assumed to be the steward, looking between the two of them with concern before he spoke, "So, you were at Helgen? You saw this dragon with your own eyes?"

Elle nodded, "Yes, it destroyed Helgen, and last we saw, it was headed this way," she replied, her tone laced with concern. She glanced sideways up at Nil as she explained before focusing her attention on the man seated before them.

The Jarl seemed to turn a shade paler, sitting up in his throne, "By Ysmir, Irileth was right! What do you say now?" he turned his head toward the balding man to his right, "Should we continue to trust in the strength of our walls? Against a dragon?"

"My Lord," Irileth interrupted, "We should send troops to Riverwood at once. It's in the most immediate danger. If the dragon is lurking in the mountains…" her tone sounded so genuinely worried that it caught Elle off guard, considering the woman's harsh attitude and hardy exterior.

"The Jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation!" the steward interrupted, "He'll assume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him. We should-" he tried to reason, however, the Jarl quickly cut him off, "Enough! I'll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" he growled before looking to the dunmer housecarl on his left, "Irileth, send a detachment down to Riverwood at once." She bowed her head and quickly turned to carry out his command. "If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my duties," the steward stated coldly before sulking away, his pride clearly injured. "That would be best," The Jarl said with eyes slightly narrowed before looking back at Elle and Nil, his look much kinder than the one he had just given the steward.

"Well done," he commended them, "You sought me out, on your own initiative. You've both done Whiterun a great service and I won't forget it. Here, take this as a small token of my esteem," he said, signaling with one hand. A servant approached with the fine leather armor and handed it to them before scurrying off again. "Thank you," Elle said with a smile, "Anything to help."

Jarl Balgruuf hesitated for a moment before saying, "There is another thing you could do for me. Suitable for someone with your particular talents, perhaps. Come, let's go find Farengar, my court wizard. He's been looking into a matter related to these dragons and… rumors of dragons." He stood and walked toward a pair of doors on the right side of the hall. Intrigued at the mention of dragons, Elle exchanged a look with Nil and shrugged before trailing after the Jarl. They entered a room full of all sorts of oddities and ingredients, a man in a purple robe standing behind a table covered in maps and other documents.

"Farengar," Balgruuf greeted, "I think I've found some travelers who can help you with your dragon project. Go ahead and fill him in on all the details," he nodded to the odd pair crossing his arms and standing off to the side. "So the Jarl thinks you two can be of use to me? Oh yes, he must be referring to my research not he dragons. Yes, I could use your help fetching something. Well, by fetch, I mean delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there," he chuckled slightly, as if the statement was amusing.

"Pardon my asking, but what does a tablet have to do with dragons?" Elle asked, her mind immediately going to the runed slab in her bag. Farengar smiled, "Ah, no mere brute mercenary, but a thinker. Perhaps even a scholar? You see," he went on to explain, "When the stories of dragons began to circulate, many dismissed them as mere fantasies. Rumors. Impossibilities. One sure mark of a fool is to dismiss anything that falls outside his experience as being impossible…"

The wizard went on, pacing back and forth and pausing to look down at one of the scrolls on the table every so often. "He sure likes to hear himself talk," Elle whispered aside to Nil. However, when he mentioned a "Dragonstone" in Bleak Falls Barrow that contained the location of dragon burial sites, she was all ears again. That was it. That was the tablet she had picked up. The Breton reached into her satchel and pulled out the slab while saying, "You mean this Dragonstone?" Farengar looked at her with shock, his eyes going from the stone in her hands, to her face, to her tall companion and back. "Why, yes, that's it. You've already found it," he said, taking it when she handed it to him and and marveling at it like a child who had been given a sweet roll.

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