look, its the main quest.
-x-X-x-
"We're going to clear out Bleak Falls Barrow. Care to join us?"
Aela blinks at the invitation I give her the next morning. The Huntress' eyes narrow and she has the audacity to flare her nostrils at me, even as Svanna watches her quietly. When I'd made it back to the room, I'd left the two of them in, Aela had been asleep… Svanna, not so much.
The Dragonborn truly didn't seem to need slumber any longer, one of the only aspects of the game that had transferred over to her, from what I could tell. Well, that and the fact that this world, or at least the Province of Skyrim, narratively revolved around her and her actions. Regardless, with her awake, I had explained my intentions to her and gotten Svanna on board with my plans.
And while I didn't intend to keep Aela at our side as we traveled all across the province, I didn't quite want to let the female Nord go just yet.
"You should know that disturbing the ruins of our ancestors never ends well, Vayral. The Draugr do not take kindly to intruders."
Grinning, I just cock an eyebrow at her.
"Scared?"
Aela bristles, not completely… enthralled by me just yet. And yet, this very morning, Svanna and I had woken her up with our hands on her body and enjoyed her for much of the morning hours before moving to the top floor of the Mead Hall to sit down and have the first meal of the day. I'd applied more of those fun little head pats while we were at it. It was tempting to do one now in a more public setting to see her reaction, but no… I would refrain for now.
"… Very well. I shall join you both, to make sure you don't do too much damage. What even… what even draws you to the Barrow in the first place?"
I consider how best to answer for a moment, before deciding to be honest with her. It is, after all, the funniest way to respond. Leaning in close, lowering my voice to a whisper, I grin wickedly as Aela the Huntress instinctively leans in closer as well. Then, I tell her the absolute truth.
"Dragons!"
Aela blinks, and then furrows her brow as she deadpans my response right back to me.
"Dragons."
Eyes twinkling, I just grin wider and nod.
"You'll see."
-x-X-x-
We leave Jorrvaskr and indeed Whiterun itself soon after. Once we're on the road, I'm tempted to put Aela on a leash and collar, but I can tell she's not quite there yet. Instead, I take every opportunity I can to place my hand atop her head as we travel, applying more 'positive reinforcement' in the form of continual head pats.
At first, no longer in a bedroom setting, Aela snarls and pulls away, much like a wild and untamed mutt would. But over time, as we continue on, the head pats begin to feel too good, and she gets used to my hand sliding through her hair, scratching into her scalp. By the time we reach Bleak Falls Barrow, she's leaning into my touch and positively moaning her encouragement.
Honestly, I do it mostly for Svanna's benefit than anything else. The lithe Nord watches as I continue my slow corruption of Aela, and from the small smiles she continually sends my way, she loves every last second of it.
When we reach the Barrow, bandits are in fact waiting for us. And so, we kill them. It's really that simple. If I was alone, I would fall back on my Illusion Magic to either make them kill each other or pacify them so I could walk right on through. But since I'm not alone, and I have no desire to risk Svanna, I take a frontline position.
… Bleak Falls Barrow levels me up another fifty times, before we get to the final chamber, with the Draugr Overlord and the Word Wall. Not because the dungeon is scary or dangerous or anything like that. Indeed, I rush in with my swords and take all the attention upon myself, and with the health that over three hundred levels gives me, I have nothing to fear from neither the bandits nor the draugr that await us within.
The reason that I level up so many times is because I've found a little bit of what would have been called a 'cheese strat' in my human self's former world. A minor interaction between the Ordinator Perk System and having the XP Spell times a thousand enabled made it ridiculously easy to level up multiple times in every single combat.
Basically, the very first Ordinator Perk for both the Heavy and Light Armor Skill Trees made it so that so long as you were wearing two pieces of Heavy or Light Armor, you would gain a small amount of Heavy or Light Armor experience while in combat, regardless of whether or not you were actually getting hit. And the best thing about that was, you could take the first perk in those skill trees while the skills themselves were still at fifteen.
And when combined with me increasing my experience gain from skills by a thousand times, well, that small amount of Heavy and Light Armor experience became a lot more than it should have been.
Basically, for Aela and Svanna, our journey through Bleak Falls Barrow was one of me cutting a bloody swathe of destruction through our foes, with the both of them getting a handful of shots in here and there. For me, however, it was a notification every five seconds telling me that I had just gotten both Heavy and Light Armor to Skill Level One Hundred again, which usually meant I gained two new levels at the same time.
And so, I was forced to 'pause' the world around me, enter my Skill Menu, prestige both Light and Heavy Armor, reapply the one perk point to both skill trees, and then leave the Menu and go right back to fighting.
Tedious, perhaps, but also incredibly worth it. By the time we made it to the Word Wall, and I slew the Draugr Overlord with contemptuous ease, I had made my Heavy and Light Armor Skills Legendary over twenty times apiece.
And so there we were, in that final chamber… and to my complete lack of surprise, Svanna found herself entranced by the first Word Wall I'd let her see. I watch in amusement as the Dragonborn slowly walks towards it. I can't hear anything, I'm not getting the wild effect that you get in the game… but I'm certainly imagining the noises that usually accompany the discovery of a new Word Wall, and easily able to picture what Svanna is experiencing right now.
However, even after I retrieve the Dragonstone from the Draugr Overlord's body, Svanna hasn't stopped staring at the wall. As seconds drag into minutes, Aela comes over to me, her pretty face twisted into consternation.
"What is she doing?"
"Well, given she's the Dragonborn, I assume she's assimilating the knowledge that the Word Wall has to offer her."
My offhanded, nonchalant claim makes Aela's mouth drop open in disbelief.
"W-What?"
I grin, holding up the Dragonstone.
"Meanwhile, this map of Dragon Burial Mounds should be very helpful, now that the dragons are returning. If Svanna there is going to consume as many Dragon Souls as she possibly can and get strong enough to defeat the World-Eater, they'll prove VERY necessary."
"I-!"
Aela's wide eyes make it clear that she actually believes me… and yet, I'm turning her whole world on its head with these rapid bombshells. Needless to say, I'm doing so on purpose, for my own amusement. Just as, glancing over at Svanna to make sure she's still busy, I do what I do next for my own amusement. Reaching up and placing my palm on top of Aela's head, I grin as she shudders, her eyes nearly rolling back in her skull from the pleasure of a simple head pat.
This time however, I don't pat. I grip… and begin to push down. The Huntress descends to her knees with little protest, letting out an uncharacteristic mewl unbecoming of a woman who was supposed to be a wolf, not a cat. Still, I don't really care. All I care about is that when my golden cock flops out onto the Nord's face, she does as is expected of her and obediently opens her mouth, beginning to suck.
-x-X-x-
Aela is still sucking my cock when Svanna comes out of her trance. Walking over to my side, the little Dragonborn doesn't stop what's happening. In fact, she barely pays Aela any mind at all. Instead, she looks at me and says it in the quietest voice, the word she's learned.
"… Fus…"
I just chuckle. Really, the lithe Nord had no business being so cute. In the end, we make our way out of the Barrow, once I've coated Aela's face in her cum. When Svanna, adorable as she is, orders Aela to keep my seed upon her face and not clean it off, I'm surprised but also amused to see the Huntress obey. Whether that's because she's falling further and further under our sway, or because she now knows Svanna is the Dragonborn… it doesn't really matter, in the end.
We stop by Riverwood on our way back to Whiterun, given that the town is much closer to Bleak Falls Barrow than the city is. Having retrieved the Golden Claw from the Dunmer Thief trapped in the webs back in the dungeon, I go ahead and give it to Lucius in exchange for the gold I was promised. In truth, at this point, his gold is meaningless… but its nice to see Camilla again. So nice, in fact, that we stay the night and after making sure Lucius won't wake up once more, I get to enjoy Camilla's delightful, soft body along with Aela's hard, chiseled form, all while Svanna helps out.
Its only the day after that, that we make our way back to Whiterun. And never do we hear a single word of any dragon attacks. All things considered, I head towards Dragonsreach with Svanna and Aela at my back around midday. As we enter the Jarl's Palace, I can't help but be a little… cautious. I'm not afraid, necessarily, not as I was when I first rushed my way through Riverwood. However, there was a reason I'd done things the way I'd done them.
In the game, if you did things in the proper order, you actually got an early encounter with Delphine. Namely, she could be found conversing with Farengar Secret-Fire in his study whenever you returned with the Dragonstone, he'd tasked you with getting.
However, this ONLY happened if you did things in what the game considered the 'proper' order. That is, going to Whiterun first, talking to the Jarl, being sent on Farengar's fetch quest, and then returning. Meanwhile, if you went to Bleak Falls Barrow first, you bypassed the entire early encounter with Delphine, making the Riverwood Innkeeper's surprise reveal later all the more of a shock.
Which always seemed odd to me. Because really, Bleak Falls Barrow was one the way to Whiterun. One of the easiest quests to run across in the game, The Golden Claw, sent you there straight from Riverwood. If I had to guess, I would say the VAST majority of players went from Riverwood to Bleak Falls to Whiterun without ever doing things the 'right' way, resulting in pretty much all of them missing that hidden Delphine-Farengar interaction.
Of course, that was my entire goal. I still had absolutely zero intention of interacting with Delphine for as long as I could help it. And so, I'd done things in this order specifically to avoid that 'scripted event'. And… it seemed to have worked? As we move up towards where Jarl Balgruuf is holding court, I glance over into the side room where Farengar is doing his thing and see the court wizard… but no sign of the blonde woman in there with him.
Perfect.
"Halt! What business have you with the Jarl?"
Ah, Irileth. A very sexy, smoking hot Irileth at that. The Dunmer Housecarl steps forward, moving between us and the seated Jarl with her eyes narrowed in suspicion. I give her a grin and am glad to see my auras having some effect on her when her face flickers for a moment, but true to her loyalty, she doesn't let my… majesty keep her from doing her duty.
"We come with news for the Jarl. News of dragons… of the attack on Helgen."
"Let them past, Irileth. I would hear their words."
Glaring us down, Jarl Balgruuf's Dunmer bodyguard nevertheless steps aside, giving us room to speak with him. The seated Jarl's eyes flicker across all three of us assessingly, though he seems most surprised to see Aela among us.
"A Companion. These two are with you, then?"
Back straight, Aela shakes her head.
"I am traveling with them… but they know more than me about what's going on."
Deciding that's as good a place as any to interject, I clear my throat and draw the Jarl's eye.
"We have needs from Helgen. A dragon attack during Ulfrida Stormcloak's execution. In the chaos, Helgen was burnt to the ground, Ulfrida escaped, and the dragon is in the wind."
Balgruuf's eyes widen at that, before narrowing.
"Tch, I should have known Ulfrida was mixed up in all of this. Still… this seems utterly fantastical."
I just grin and throw my thumb over to Svanna.
"If our story is so hard to believe, you're never going to believe that SHE'S the Last Dragonborn, and that the dragon we saw at Helgen was Alduin the World-Eater himself."
That silences the hall. Perhaps its because of my Illusion Auras, combined with my maxed out Speech Skill and the handful of perks I've taken from that. All I know is, no one tries to gainsay me immediately. After a moment of silence though, of course…
"S-Surely you can't be serious!"
And there goes Proventus, Dragonsreach's great skeptic. He lets out a nervous laugh, as if he expects me to exclaim that all I have said was in jest at any moment. But I don't. Instead, I offer him a sharp smile, before sweeping my gaze back to the Jarl.
"I'm deadly serious. Alduin has returned, and the Last Dragonborn stands before you. I, her humble companion, merely seek to streamline this whole experience. We have a tablet that your court wizard will find very interesting, I assure you."
THAT gets Jarl Balgruuf's attention, and he actually sits up in surprise.
"… My court wizard has in fact been looking into matters related to these dragons and the rumors of dragons. How did you know?"
Shrugging, I just smile.
"It is the Dragonborn's destiny to defeat Alduin. How could she not know what she needs to know?"
And funnily enough… that actually works. Heh, we're sent to see Farengar shortly after. I can't help but stare greedily at his Enchanter, feeling the metaphorical weight of the necessary tools I've been lugging around in my inventory. Knowing that we won't have much time, and not wanting to send Svanna into battle against a dragon without the best gear I can make her, I pull the Dragonstone out for Farengar.
"The Dragonstone. If you please, I have need of your Enchanter for the battle ahead."
He blinks, and then his eyes widen in glee at the Dragonstone. As I'd hoped, he waves me off towards his Enchanter without questioning what I'm on about, too excited for his shiny new toy to care what I'm doing. Which is good, because as I begin the Fortify Loop, I'm sure I look rather… ridiculous. Still, I've got everything I need to make a basic set of broken gear for Svanna.
Nothing that insane, nothing in the hundreds of thousands of percent, but certainly, I could make it, so Svanna's health and stamina regenerated a thousand times quicker, effectively making her tireless and unkillable. And for good measure, I added both base health and stamina enchants to those pieces as well with the perk that let me enchant each item with two enchants.
Well aware of my time limit, expecting Irileth to run into the room and interrupt at any moment, I also enchanted the other two pieces of Svanna's new gear set with broken Sneak Enchantments measuring in the hundreds of percentages.
I could have given her Fortify Archery instead, but I was leery of doing so. Perhaps it was the Thalmor in me but giving anyone the ability to kill me when I was otherwise invincible in this world… didn't sit well. Especially since Svanna didn't have an inventory like me, meaning anything I gave her COULD technically be stolen from her.
Gear that made her shots thousands of 'points' of damage, effectively killing anything in one hit, would certainly help against the dragons… but it was too much power to put in anyone's hands, even Svanna's. Better to make her immortal and untouchable, than give her the equivalent of a magical nuke in the form of every arrow that left her bowstring, I figured.
"Farengar! Farengar, you need to come at once! A dragon's been sighted nearby!"
And there it is. I turn back from the Enchanter just after finishing with my work to see Irileth arriving to interrupt Farengar's inspection of the Dragonstone. She turns to me, Svanna, and Aela a moment later.
"… You three should come to."
Here it was. As we follow Farengar out of his study and into the throne room once more, I pull Svanna back and hand her the newly enchanted gear. To her credit, she doesn't say a word, simply taking what I give her and putting it on without an ounce of hesitation.
"A dragon! How exciting, Where was it seen? What was it doing?!"
"I'd take this a bit more seriously, if I were you. If a dragon decides to attack Whiterun, I don't know if we can stop it. Now come on!"
I grin at the wide-eyed expression on Svanna's face as she feels the new enchants on her gear wash over her. Staring down at herself, from the bracers to the leather armor, to the helm and boots, I can tell she's amazed, to say the least. With her base health and stamina boosted, and her regen so insanely high, I imagine she'll never actually feel tired again, heh.
Offering her my hand, I grin when she beams at me and takes it, and the two of us walk out of the room as well, to join the Jarl and his War Council as they begin conversing about what to do with the Dragon sighted near the Western Watchtower.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Alright, Full Disclosure time, lmao. I found a Fortify Alchemy item on a vendor yesterday and then tried the Fortify Loop for making OP things last night in my game, only to figure out that I could not make it happen, because I have the Unofficial Skyrim Patch installed 
But fuck that, I still want to make OP items a thing in this story. That said, as a result of the above, I have never actually DONE the Fortify Loop successfully in a playthrough of Skyrim. Soooo, that's why I'm vague about it in the chapter. And if I got anything wrong about how it's done anyways... fuck it lmao 
Heyoooo, back again.
-x-X-x-
The talk with the Jarl is quick. You don't just leave a Dragon sitting on your front doorstep after all, even if it hasn't attacked yet. Of course, thanks to my foreknowledge from the game, I know that the Dragon is Mirmulnir, and he waits for a proper challenge before truly attacking. Given the narrative flow moving around Svanna, he might have continued waiting forever, even though I recalled him not knowing that you were the Dragonborn until you slew him in the game.
That said, we're hurriedly sent off with Irileth and a detachment of Whiterun Guards to try and fight the Dragon. Interestingly enough, there is one small discrepancy in all of this that takes me by surprise… Aela is with us. And maybe if this was the game, she wouldn't say anything, but this was still a living, breathing world, for all that it ran on the Last Dragonborn's time.
And so, when Aela asserts herself as one of the Circle and proclaims that we stop by Jorrvaskr on our way out of the city to get as many Companions as are ready for combat, Irileth doesn't gainsay her. The Mead Hall IS pretty much on our way out after all, basically barely a little ways out of the way at the end of the day.
As such, as we leave Whiterun behind and head for the Western Watchtower, it's not just me, Svanna, Irileth, and the Whiterun Guards, but also Aela and the Companions. Not every member of the Circle is at Jorrvaskr when we come calling, but certainly several of the Companions are with us as we see the Dragon high in the distance.
I should have expected as much, that such a thing was a possibility when Svanna and I recruited Aela for our little quest, but I'd honestly been so focused on other things, such as avoiding the Delphine encounter and preparing Svanna's first round of busted gear for the Dragon Fight, that I hadn't even considered whether or not the Companions would or could help out. They hadn't in the game… but this wasn't a game.
Compartmentalizing that realization was actually pretty easy, thanks to my Thalmor half. That part of me was pretty good at shunting heavy thinking aside and focusing on the task at hand. Almost too good, really, but right now there was a big fuck off dragon to deal with.
As we close in on the Western Watchtower, Mirmulnir begins his attack. Strafing the tower with his flames, the cries of the soldiers already there begin to sound out, and the smell of burning wood and stone and flesh fills the air as does acrid black smoke. With a cry, Irileth takes command of the situation as best as she can.
"Archers! Fire at will! Everyone else, in and out! Quick strikes, and then retreat! Leave no room for the Dragon to counter-attack."
Heh, this close to the creature… fuck, it was honestly rather terrifying. I almost wished I'd actually just gone Stealth Archer. A glance around shows me that Svanna has vanished. I don't think she's just run off like a coward though, I'm pretty sure its those damn boots I gave her. As I'd feared, they work on me as well. With her Stealth increased by a thousand percent, she is effectively unnoticeable.
Unfortunately, I cannot do the same. Well, I could, but I won't. I already set myself up as some sort of Giga Chad Warrior, and now not only Aela, but half the rest of the Companions were out here with us as well. Even if I wanted to, I wasn't about to ruin my growing reputation by starting to cast magic all willy nilly. A Rally might have been nice… but no, instead I draw my swords and wade into combat alongside the other melee fighters.
As I do so, as Mirmulnir lets out a roar that sounds something like a laugh and descends to meet us… I see an arrow suddenly sprout out of his side. He whips around at it, but cannot see where it came from, amidst all the other archers firing. Those he can see, those he can detect. But Svanna? Svanna remains effectively invisible. Just the way I'd intended it.
"OI, FUCK FACE!"
Mirmulnir's long, serpentine head whips towards me as I speak with more confidence than I actually feel. Rationally, I should be fine. My health is ridiculous, and even in the game, Mirmulnir literally couldn't be higher than level fifty. Meanwhile, I was nearing level four hundred. In fact, as we're staring at each other in that brief moment, my Armor Perks trigger, causing me to hop into my menu for a second to get another two levels. Apparently, this moment before battle still counted as me being in combat, heh. Go figure.
As soon as I'm done with that momentary distraction, I run forward. My One-Handed Perks all require me to start fighting, after all… and so I start fighting, getting in close and ignoring Irileth's words about quick in and out attacks to just begin wailing on Mirmulnir.
He, of course, responds by breathing Fire directly into my face. As I burn, I just laugh, because the thing is… I'm getting Level Ups even faster, with how he's now supercharging my Armor Skill Ups. His Fire Breath ultimately tickles as I swing madly, but any time I lose more than a hundred points of health, I just go into my menu and level up again, resetting my hit points, my magicka, and my stamina once more.
By the time I've lost another hundred health, well, surprise, surprise, I have more level ups just waiting for me after I prestige the Heavy and Light Armor skills once more.
In the midst of this insane fight, if it can even be called a fight, I bare my teeth at Mirmulnir at one point when his fire breath abates, and he looks at me in what I can only describe as draconic surprise.
"Tickles."
His nostrils flare at that, and I have his full undivided attention as my blades cut into his sides. All around us, the others shout and strike at him as well, but I'll give the dragon this… he's a beefy, BEEFY boy. To be fair, I hadn't bothered making any one-hit kill weapons yet. I'd already gone over why I wasn't going to give anyone else a weapon that could do a million damage in one hit, but I also hadn't done so for myself, mostly because I'd known I was already effectively invincible, and I was more concerned about securing Svanna's life as well as soon as possible.
All the while that we're fighting, arrows from nowhere continue to pepper Mirmulnir. Svanna, wherever she is, continues to strike at him. Which is good… she'll be eating his soul, soon enough. Obviously, I didn't have an indicator of a health bar on the dragon, the world continued to be a real world while I and the things I made seemed to be the only things in it that operated on Gamer Logic. But I could tell, as the battle continued, that Mirmulnir was getting more and more harried.
He was going to die here, and as he claws at me and I respond by cutting into him even more with my simple swords, I can tell he realizes it. Which of course, makes his next action kind of a dick move. Lunging forward, the Dragon tries to take me with him by closing his entire jaw around my midsection, roaring as he sinks his teeth into my body.
My eyes widen in surprise as I'm bodily lifted off the ground, and for a moment, my life flashes before my eyes… or rather, it would if I wasn't so busy hopping in and out of my menu, constantly leveling up as his huge dragon fangs penetrating my body did a lot more damage than I was expecting them to. I never got below half health, but it was still a little terrifying.
With me in his jaws, Mirmulnir went to rise up into the air, and THAT scared me, because fucking heights were terrifying and FUCK Skyrim ragdoll physics bullshit. But before he could do more than beat his wings and begin to push away from the earth, his head jerked once and then twice, and suddenly he was releasing me to tumble out of his jaws and back to the ground.
"Dovahkiin? NO!!!"
As I come up to my feet, blades at the ready, I'm treated to a truly spectacular sight. Two arrows protrude from Mirmulnir's eye sockets, and as he collapses in a heap, more fly true right into them. Turning, I watch as Svanna walks up, no longer trying to hide, simply drawing arrow after arrow and firing them with pinpoint accuracy into the Dragon's eyes until both are littered with what looks to be ten apiece.
She stops at my side, and finally lowers her bow… only for Mirmulnir to begin flaking into pieces, his flesh immediately turning into soul energy as the presence of the Last Dragonborn in his defeat means that rather than a temporary death… he is absorbed by the lithe young Nord standing next to me. I catch Svanna, as she gasps and nearly stumbles back, looking like she took a punch to the gut as Mirmulnir's soul flows into her.
In front of Irileth, Whiterun's Guards, and the Companions alike, Svanna absorbs her very first Dragon Soul, and finally becomes the Last Dragonborn in truth and in the eyes of her people. Big moment to be sure, and the reactions are everything I could have hoped for.
"… Dragonborn…"
"She's the Dragonborn…"
"Can't believe it!"
"If she's the Dragonborn, she should be able to shout, right? Oi, can you? Have you tried?"
Straightening to my full height, I direct a withering glare at that Whiterun guard, completely ready to tear him a new one with the weight of my Speech Perks and Illusion Auras behind me. But before I can say anything, Svanna straightens up beside me… and Speaks at the Guard.
"FUS."
There's power behind the syllable that explodes from her lips, and the guard is sent tumbling, albeit no worse for wear as he quickly gets up. The others all look startled, before another laughs.
"That was Shouting, what you just did! You really are the Dragonborn then!"
I just raise an eyebrow and scoff.
"I said as much, didn't I? Honestly, you Nords are such a superstitious lot, you'd think you'd be more willing to believe what's right in front of your eyes…"
Before my contentious words can start any fights, Irileth interjects.
"Enough. That was the hairiest fight I've ever been in, and I've been in more than a few. Still, never seen anything like what you two just did. You fought the dragon head-on like it was nothing, and you… you were firing the entire time, but I never saw one ounce of you until the very end."
Looking between the two of us, Irileth's eyes show nothing but respect. Well, not quite nothing. There's also a smidge of desire as well, though her professionalism keeps any lust she might be experiencing well at bay, the Dunmer Housecarl giving us both a nod.
"You need to return to the Jarl right away. He will want to know what happened here."
I incline my head and Svanna just shrugs. As we turn to head back to Whiterun, Aela and the Companions follow after us. Aela looks at us… well, not quite in a new light, because I'd already been working quite hard to make her in awe of us both, but there's definitely even more respect and awe then there was before. She's also surreptitiously rubbing her thighs together in a way I'm sure everyone else misses, but I notice. Heh, if she's as aroused as I think, the other members of the Circle who are here can probably smell her neediness as well.
"That was…"
Svanna shoots Aela a glare that immediately shuts the older Nord woman up, and Aela blushes and ducks her head… before stepping closer and murmuring under her breath.
"I-I apologize… for how I spoke to both of you and treated your companion at first. I know better now."
The apology, while late, does seem to lift Svanna's spirits and she gives the Huntress a smirk before quickly taking my hand in her own. Apparently, my little Dragonborn had discovered a love for handholding. The action garners a few looks from the others, some of the Companions seemingly even disgusted that the Last Dragonborn was cavorting with a Mer such as myself. I make sure to make eye contact with those in particular, giving them all wicked smirks.
Of course, we're not even halfway back to Whiterun before it happens. Luckily, I'm expecting it, or I would have damn near jumped out of my skin.
"DOVAHKIIN!"
The Greybeards shout echoes down from atop the mountain, likely reaching every part of the province. Certainly, it reaches us down here within a few leagues of the mountain's base. The Companions all flinch, and Svanna staggers as I once again take hold of her to keep her on her feet. She probably would have been fine without me, but she clings to me all the same, taking comfort in my hold.
"That was… that was the Greybeards!"
"Had to have been!"
I just raise an eyebrow as the Companions finally start speculating in the same way the Whiterun Guards had been doing earlier, the Greybeards' Call making it impossible for even the most skeptical of them to stay silent any longer. Still, we make our way back to Whiterun all the same, passing two Alik'r Warriors arguing with a Whiterun Guard at the gate as we head inside.
While most of the Companions leave us when we pass by Jorrvaskr on our way back to Dragonsreach, I notice Aela stays with us, following after us like the good little pup she's become. I give her a knowing smile and enjoy the way the strong Nord woman blushes and averts her gaze.
We're allowed to see the Jarl quickly enough, of course. Proventus even looks relieved to lay eyes on us.
"Good, you're finally here. The Jarl's been waiting for you."
Behind him, Balgruuf is talking with Hrongar about the Greybeards' shout. As we walk up, he focuses sharply on me and Svanna.
"What happened at the watchtower? What happened with the dragon?"
Shrugging, I grin a rather carefree grin.
"Watchtower is in ruins, unfortunately… but hey, on the plus side, the dragon is dead."
Jarl Balgruuf lets out a sigh of relief at that.
"I knew I could count on Irileth."
I raise an eyebrow, but amusingly enough, Aela is the one who gets offended on our behalf. Oh, how quickly the Huntress' tune has changed.
"Your Housecarl comported herself well in the battle, but it was these two who carried the day. Vayral focused the dragon's attention solely on himself and likely kept casualties far lower than they should have been against such a creature. Meanwhile, Svanna IS the Last Dragonborn. I watched her absorb the dragon's soul after it's defeat with mine own two eyes."
The Jarl and his court are all taken aback by Aela's vehemence, but I can't help but be pleased. In the game, they just sort of believe you, but now I realize… having a respected Companion delivering the news makes our words all but irrefutable in the eyes of the Jarl's court. Chuckling, I shrug my shoulders.
"I did tell you all. Svanna is the Dragonborn. She absorbed the dragon's power and soul. She even showed off her ability to Shout soon after the battle."
Looking between all three of us for a moment, Balgruuf finally turns his gaze towards Svanna.
"So, it's true then. The Greybeards have summoned you."
Svanna's brow furrows, and though she doesn't speak Balgruuf clearly realizes she has no idea what he's talking about.
"They are Masters of the Way of the Voice. They live in seclusion high on the slopes of the Throat of the World. You, the Dragonborn, are uniquely gifted in the Voice, the ability to focus your vital essence into a Thu'um, or Shout. If you truly are the Dragonborn… they can teach you how to use your gift."
Svanna gives me a questioning look at that, one I immediately comprehend from our time together. She's asking if that's really where we're going next, in the way one asks without expectation or any true desire one way or the other. I give her a smile and take her hand in mine, giving it a squeeze of my hand as I ever so slightly shake my head.
The byplay goes unnoticed by pretty much all save for perhaps Aela, as the Jarl and the men advising him have already begun talking again.
"That was the voice of the Greybeards, summoning the girl to High Hrothgar! This hasn't happened in centuries at least!"
"Hrongar, calm yourself. Really, are we absolutely sure this Nord nonsense pertains to our friend here? She can't REALLY be this… 'Dragonborn', can she?"
That, of course, starts a whole fight between the two men that Balgruuf has to shut down. Once he's done so, he clears his throat and looks back to us.
"You've both done a great deed for me and my city. And yet, by the Companion's own words, I know not who deserves the greater reward. You seem close. Mayhap you can decide amongst yourselves… which of you should I name Thane of Whiterun?"
I raise BOTH eyebrows at that. Not only was that decidedly not in the script, but it would also mean making an Altmer of all things the Thane of a Hold. That was… pretty big. And yet, before I can even consider Balgruuf's words, Svanna speaks up, quietly, but also clearly and concisely.
"Vayral. He should be Thane."
Balgruuf lifts his brow, but in the end inclines his head.
"So has the Dragonborn spoken. Very well then. On this day, I name you Thane Vayral of Whiterun. Tis the greatest honor that's within my power to grant. As well, I assign you Lydia as your personal Housecarl, and you are both entitled to one weapon from my armor. I'll be sure to notify my guards of your new titles… wouldn't want them thinking EITHER of you are part of the common rabble, now, would we? We are honored to have you as Thane of our city, Vayral. And thank you again for your service, Dragonborn."
He nods to both of us, and like that it's done. Although, as we turn to leave, I find myself face to face with a certain infamous Nord woman. Lydia's feelings regarding my appointment or her new role don't show on her face. The dark-haired Nord is as beautiful as every other woman in this world, even as she gives me a salute and bows her head.
"My Thane. I am sworn to carry your burdens."
I can't help but grin a little bit, cocking my head to the side. How… enticing.
"Very well, come with us. We'll discuss exactly what you'll be doing under me in due time, I imagine."
Lydia just nods and follows me, Svanna, and Aela out of Dragonsreach. However, we've barely made it out the front of the castle, before Aela stops us. Mindful of Lydia's presence, the Huntress' face is only lightly flushed as she looks between me and Svanna.
"I would like it if we could meet up later this evening so I could apologize fully for the offense I caused you both when we first met. I realize now that I have MUCH to make up for."
The meaning in her words is not lost on either of us… and the toothy grin on Svanna's face is, in turn, not lost on Aela. As the wolf shivers before the dragon, I just chuckle and nod my head amicably.
"It would be our pleasure. We'll see you tonight."
-x-X-x-
A/N: So yeah, that happened. Svanna decides Vayral is gonna be Thane, so Vayral is Thane. Did our little Dragonborn somehow sense it would put another poor, hapless victim in the form of Lydia in his clutches? Hm, hm.
That said, the question of the day/chapter actually pertains to Lydia. I've already decided that we're not going to be taking Aela with us when the SI and the Dragonborn leave Whiterun behind. THAT SAID, should we take Lydia with us instead? Or should Vayral make some excuse about his Housecarl staying in Whiterun to carry out his duties as Thane for him while he keeps traveling with Svanna?
If Lydia goes with them, she's gonna get lewded for sure. But if we choose to leave her behind, she's probably not gonna get lewded before they leave if I'm being honest. Next chapter is last sex scene with Aela and last bit of Whiterun before Vayral and Svanna hit the road.
So yeah... what do you all think?
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