Alduin
“Kos hi ready?” Paarthurnax spoke in broken tongue, perched from his wall.
“Geh, in,” Sonin replied, her hands trembling from something other than the cold.
“Bex nii,” he commanded.
Sonin did as instructed, unravelling the scroll after stepping into the tear in time. She witnessed the previous defeat of Alduin. The shout to ground him she already knew, but the banishment she did not. Sonin had no time to contemplate the events she witnessed as a roar erupted and the sky darkened. Just as Paarthurnax predicted, Alduin would respond to the opening of the elder scroll.
“Lost funt. You are too late, Alduin! Dovahkiin! Use Dragonrend!” Paarthurnax took to the skies to meet his older brother.
Sonin prepared her strongest wards, the air around them crackling with her magika. She unleashed Dragonrend, the shout wrapping visibly around Alduin’s wings and bringing him crashing to the ground.
“What is this?” Alduin cursed, “thdro los folaas, dovahkiin!”
“Thdro los fin folov, Alduin!” Sonin yelled back as she rushed toward him.
He roared, sending meteors raining down on the mountaintop. Sonin dodged them all, some coming too close for comfort. She yelled nothing as she pushed through her racing fear. Her bones ached from her excursion already, her heart telling her this would be a fight to the death. Every roar and shout coming from Alduin made her shake to her core. Sonin was terrified.
“Now is the time to strike!” Paarthurnax encouraged from the skies.
Sonin nodded to him and rushed the massive dragon before her. He was straight out of legend and, unlike her, looked every bit the part. He breathed fire at her, but her ward kept her protected. Unlike previous fights with dragons, she could feel the heat of his thu’um through her ward. It was nerve racking, but she had no choice but to move forward.
“Dir!” She shouted and rained lightning against him.
The attack had little effect, most of it reflecting off his blackened scales. Sonin switched tactics, trying to damage those ebony scales with ice shards while avoiding his teeth and tail. Sonin jumped over the beast’s tail and hit the ground harder than anticipated. In that fraction of a second it took her to recover herself; his teeth were mere inches from her. It reminded her of how she got that first injury that nearly ended her story before it began.
“Hi kos sahlo!” Alduin shouted as she rolled away from his mouth.
“Dii Mulaag los infinite!” Sonin shouted and sent his head back.
Alduin shook off her thu’um and breathed fire on her again. Her ward was barely strong enough to keep her from burning, but she managed to gain ground on him. Sonin summoned forth her bound blade and ran it into his flank. It was her intention to try and get on top of the beast, but he shook her off with a ferocity she had not seen from a dragon before. He truly was the strongest.
“SAHLO!” Alduin bellowed and trapped Sonin under his massive claws.
“Damn you!” Sonin cursed, trying to wiggle free of his grasp, but the snow made things more complicated and slowed her movements.
Alduin opened his mouth to reveal his many rows of teeth, but as he came down to snap her head off, Paarthurnax swooped in and knocked him off. They tumbled nearly off the side of the mountain, a mess of wings and claws.
“Master!” Sonin quickly got to her feet and ran over.
It was easy to ignore the gnash in her leg while the adrenaline was pumping through her. The need to save her master overrode her own fear and pain. With all her fury, she summoned forth two daedra. They came from Sanguine’s realm and rushed the dragon with no fear. Sonin downed a potion to restore her mana and quickly cast a spell to heal the wounded Paarthurnax.
“Dreh Ni faas dovahkiin,” he shouted at her and returned to the relative safety of the sky, bleeding.
The daedra held Alduin’s attention long enough for Sonin to down another potion to restore her magika and one to heal her leg. She had made them in preparation for this very battle. One daedra vanished back to Oblivion. The other was attacking Alduin head on with a battle axe. Sonin took the chance to rush behind Alduin, narrowly avoiding the strikes of his tail.
Quickly, as the second daedra disappeared, she ran up Alduin’s back. She summoned two daggers to dig into his scales to hold on as her shout wore off and he took to the sky. Sonin’s hair was whipped back and forth at the force of the wind as she rode high above the storm clouds with Alduin. Using a spell to fortify strength, she took out one dagger at a time and stabbed him again to make her way to his head.
Alduin roared, diving toward the ground to try and shake her off. Sonin lost her breakfast, vomit staining her armor and making her stomach turn. Humans were not meant for this type of travel. She took a few moments to merely hold on as the ground came back into view. She could see the outline of Whiterun and her heart sank. Alduin was taking them there.
Knowing she couldn’t let Alduin tear into her home, she rebolsted her courage and strength. She casted her dragonrend shout again and braced for the impact. Alduin’s wings crumbled into his body and they both came crashing into the ground. Sonin was barely holding on, one of her arms uselessly broken at the impact. They were in the hold, but far from the city. Sonin cast a healing spell while Alduin returned to his feet.
Just as her bones snapped back into place, Alduin was recovered and attempting to shake her off once more. Unsure of herself, Sonin cast a familiar summon. Two spirit wolves who posed little threat to the dragon rushed the beast. It only bought her a few seconds, but in that time she was able to gain a few more inches on his back toward his neck. The wolves handled now and her shout wearing off, Sonin took a chance. She stood on wobbly legs and ran up Alduin’s back. If she hadn’t done it a dozen times before on lesser dragons, she would have never made it to his neck.
Alduin roared and sent more meteors down as Sonin dug her summoned daggers into the base of his neck on either side. The scales were softer there, so she was able to hilt them both. Alduin returned to the sky and back to the Throat of the World.
“Fin tiid los Nu dovahkiin,” Alduin roared and landed on the mountain.
Sonin stood and dug her blades impossibly deeper. Using a spell she only read about once, she morphed them both into longer blades. They nearly touched and Alduin could feel every inch of growth. He stood on his hind legs and managed to knock Sonin off. She flew, hitting her head hard on the wall. Blood poured from a cut on the back of her head and from a busted eardrum. Everything was fuzzy and hummed with deafening pain.
“Thdro los hin oblaan, laat dovahkiin,” Alduin spoke wearily, limping toward her slowly.
Blood gushed from the wounds on his neck. Sonin could feel all her broken bones now. Left arm, shattered again. Right leg, fractured. Head, concussed. Eardrums, busted. Ribs, fractured. Refusing to meet her end on her ass, Sonin forced herself to stand. It was a desperate last attempt but she dug deep down into her repressed memories. She started uttering the words she remembered her mother shouted all those years ago.
“Yol, sos. Sos fah yol,” she wheezed as tears streaked her face, “Akatosh, zu'u ofan hi dii sos. Ofan zu'u hin yol!”
Her blood boiled, literally. Like a thousand suns were under her skin, Sonin caught a flame. She cried, knowing how this ended with her mother. Sonin came into this fight thinking it would be her or Alduin, not considering it could be both. She closed her eyes and willed the tears to stop. A warrior doesn’t cry when making the ultimate sacrifice. Her last thoughts were that of her mother, smiling as she rocked her to sleep with stories of dragons and Akatosh. His symbol around her neck. Her father came into view behind her, Talos’ amulet showing over his tunic. They both smiled down at her. The world suddenly became very cold.
…
“Dragon!” Shouts were heard throughout the city.
Vilkas, Farkas, and the rest of the Companions rushed outside to see the biggest dragon they ever witnessed falling from the sky. Vilkas was still holding Sonin’s letter, it having arrived just minutes prior. His war paint was streaked just as his brother’s was.
“Do you think…?” Farkas didn’t finish the thought.
“Aye,” Vilkas felt his heart sink, “That’s our Sonin.”
…
Brynjolf looked up at the suddenly darkened sky, the whole city hearing the roaring of a single dragon and the voice of a single one speaking in it’s tongue. The world itself was shaking beneath them. He felt the letter in his pocket again, feeling the need to reread it. He knew it was his Sonin up there, but he would never forgive her if she died. Slowly, he turned from the hellish sky and made his way to Honeyside.
…
Lydia was crying, holding Vigilance for the first time. She had read the letter over and over again until it hurt. The dog sensed something was wrong and licked at her hands.
“She’ll be okay,” Lydia repeated to Vigilance, “She’s always okay.”
…
“Alduin,” Balgruuf exhaled, “I hope you know what you’re doing Dragonborn.”
“Sir?” Proventus Avenicci questioned.
“Send word to Tullius and Ulfric,” he replied and looked from the great porch toward the scene of the fallen dragon, “I will meet with them both.”
“I’ll get the good parchment,” Avenicci quickly turned and left.
“Return to me, dragonborn,” Balgruuf spoke to no one.
…
“What is that racket?” Galmar questioned Ulfric as he read and reread the letter in his hand.
“The dragonborn sent word to speak with Balgruuf,” Ulfric informed his advisors.
“Who is she to command a Jarl?” Galmar spat.
“This is grave news Galmar,” Ulfric scolded, “She may not return to us.”
“Joined the legion?” Thrice-pierced asked.
“No. Facing a great foe. She sent her regards should she fail her quest,” Ulfric felt himself on the verge of tears, but would not spill them in front of his men. “Arrange a meeting in Whiterun.”
…
“Silly girl,” Argis’ voice sounded in the darkness.