Amaryllis found a few interesting things in Sky Haven Temple, one of which was a complete set of Blades armor, which she felt looked more like what a samurai might wear, while the other happened to be a katana that seemed to radiate power, no doubt containing an enchantment that was designed to harm dragons, given the nature of this place and the symbols that had been etched on Alduin's Wall, though she claimed it as well and made sure to deprive Delphine of a great deal of things, since the lady didn't deserve most of the items that had been left behind by the ancient Blades. Once that was done she, Za'kera, Lydia, and Kya departed from Sky Haven Temple and retraced their steps back to the entrance of the cave that allowed them to enter the area that the Wall had been built in, where they found that none of the puzzles could be reset, meaning Esbern would have to look into it to make this place somewhat safer for him and Delphine, before they emerged from the cave and found that no new enemies had appeared in the area around the opening. As such the group returned to the main road not a few moments later and headed to their left, heading to the east once more since High Hrothgar was their destination this time around, though while they walked Amaryllis considered making a detour and stopping at the Falkreath Sanctuary, just so Za'kera could learn whatever Word had been written on the stone wall she had seen once she met her new Family and was given the first list of targets that needed to be taken out. Of course they were still surprised that Kya wanted to join up with their group and fight the enemies of Skyrim, mostly because she was a little insane, or totally insane in some cases, and seemed to enjoy large scale battles, something that might work to their advantage if they encountered a group of foes that tried to slow them down, but for now she walked with her scythe on her back and kept her eyes open for any enemies who might challenge the Dragonborn.
One thing that caused them to stop was a group of bandits killing a merchant and his guards, who had been guarding a carriage that was filled with goods that had been on their way to one of the cities or towns that dotted Skyrim's landscape, so Za'kera drew her blades and rushed forward as Amaryllis and the others joined her, where she cut one down by taking his head, Lydia removed the upper half of her target's body with her battleaxe, Amaryllis carefully dodged a few attacks before stabbing her target right in the head, and Kya hacked both of the remaining bandits to pieces.
"It looks like this was headed for Gray Pine Goods, the general store of Falkreath," Amaryllis commented, as she found a note on the merchant and read it for a couple of seconds, before noticing that there was all sorts of items aboard the now ownerless carriage, food, metal, clothing, and who knew what else, though with the horse still alive they could easily take it and use it as a transport so they could get from place to place at a quicker speed, which would save them time given that they had no idea what Alduin was up to.
Za'kera nodded as Lydia climbed up into the driver seat of the carriage, allowing her, Kya, and Amaryllis to climb into the back section and make themselves comfortable, even though Za'kera made sure to loot the bandits and ended up finding a couple of coin sacks, a few lockpicks, and some gems that could be sold, though once everyone was aboard their new mode of transportation they started moving a few moments later, where their new stop would be Falkreath and see if the owner of the general store was up so they could drop off the goods in question. Such a thing meant that they would pass by where Amaryllis' old Sanctuary rested and it would give her a chance to add to Za'kera's power, before checking in with the shopkeeper in Falkreath, and once that was done they would be able to continue along the back road that would link up with the roads near Ivarstead, meaning they would be able to save time before heading to High Hrothgar to speak with the Greybeards and see what they had to share regarding the Prophecy of the Dragonborn. Other than the bandits there weren't any other obstacles for Amaryllis or her companions to worry about, meaning they were able to reach the hill that lead to Falkreath without having to stop and take out more enemies, even though she and Za'kera noticed that another mock battle was taking place in part of Whiterun's plains, making her wonder if the war was waiting for the Dragonborn to pick a side before things really got heated. Instead of worrying about that the group headed up the hill in question and followed the path as it lead them towards their current destination, though Amaryllis did take a moment to glance at the mill that she had killed that vampire at, before heading to Morthal and killing the horrid bard who had been inside the inn, causing her to mentally sigh for a moment as she realized that they were getting closer and closer to their destination, not to mention the place that had been taken from her.
Sure enough they reached Falkreath without wasting too much time and they were lucky to find that the shopkeeper for the general goods store was standing outside, even though he wasn't pleased to hear that the carriage driver had fallen in a bandit raid, but he did pay them for safely returning his goods to him and let them take the now unloaded carriage, but before they left the city Amaryllis lead Za'kera down to the fallen Sanctuary before coming to a stop in front of the Word Wall, where she ran a hand over the etchings as her friend gained a new power, and once that was done they headed back outside and returned the others as they headed for High Hrothgar.
Thanks to what happened the last time Za'kera, Amaryllis, and Lydia passed through this area there weren't any foes for them to worry about, as no new bandits had moved into the ruined town of Helgen and it looked like neither side of the war was interested in rebuilding it, even though the Imperials had been in control of it before Alduin showed up, but such a thing allowed them to ride through one gate, head up the road in front of them, and then head through the next gate as they followed the path to Ivarstead. Of course everyone noticed the Stormcloak camp off to the left, after leaving Helgen behind anyway, though fortunately it appeared that many of Ulfric's followers were busy and didn't notice them passing by the area that their camp was located in, meaning they wouldn't have to worry about being bothered by the racist army, as Amaryllis knew that with her disguise they had two Khajiits and an Argonian, but she didn't worry about that as they rode passed the Stormcloaks. After that Lydia brought them to the curved section of the road, which had a few twists and turns in it, though they also found no one wandering through this part of Skyrim and meant that they didn't have to worry about stopping anytime soon, though such a thing also made Amaryllis think about those odd travelers, maybe cultists, she had seen earlier and had her wonder if they would cross paths with them at some point in time, given that they seemed to be interested in finding the Dragonborn. The other thing she thought about was the fact that there were no dragons hanging out near the road, nor had there been one handing out near Sky Haven Temple, meaning Alduin was either waiting for a good number of followers to be revived or he didn't want to empower his foe until he was ready to face Za'kera, but there was a chance that she was right and that the true meaning of the prophecy was that a truce would be formed between the two sides, making the dragons allies for whatever was coming in the future, to which Amaryllis sighed as she focused on what might happen when they reached High Hrothgar.
Due to there being nothing in their way Amaryllis and her companions were able to reach Ivarstead in good time, but that was followed by Lydia heading up the Seven Thousand Steps, something that caused her and her friends to carefully grip their weapons as they made their way along the path, just in case enemies might be waiting to attack them, but found that such a thing was unnecessary and the carriage came to a stop in front of High Hrothgar after an hour, to which they let the horse rest for some time as they headed inside the structure, finding one of the Greybeards, the only one who could speak apparently, resting in the middle of the main chamber.
"Dragonborn, you seem troubled." Arngeir commented, speaking when Za'kera and her companions came to a stop near where he was sitting, where it seemed like he was either reading her aura without opening his eyes, which would be very impressive, or he had opened them a little to see who was entering High Hrothgar and had noticed the troubled look that was on Za'kera's face, though either option could have influenced his welcoming, before he opened his eyes and stared at all four of them for a couple of seconds, "Tell me, what seems to be bothering you."
"Don't be angry, Master Arngeir, but... well, we found Alduin's Wall," Za'kera replied, as she had a feeling that the monk in front of them would be upset with the mention of the infamous stone carving, especially when she considered what she had said back in Sky Haven Temple, that the Shout used to defeat Alduin was a weapon and might not have a place in the Way of the Voice, and she could see a frown appear on Arngeir's face, "however, while we thought it might provide us with answers, to figure out more of my destiny and how to deal with the threat of the dragons returning, Alduin's Wall has only left me more confused, especially with an alternate theory on what my prophecy might mean... listen, I don't care about the Shout that was used to defeat Alduin, I just... I don't know what I want to do at this point in time."
"The Blades... I should have known that they would meddle with your training," Arngeir said, his tone telling Amaryllis that he wasn't too happy with the survivors of the ruined order messing with Za'kera and her attempts to learn more about the Thu'um, or even figure out what her destiny was supposed to be, before he considered what she had said and the bits of information he knew on the matter, leading to him sighing for a second, "the Shout in question is known as 'Dragonrend', a Shout fueled by the hatred of the ancient Nords who created it as a foul weapon to use against their oppressors, but we cannot tell you what its Words of Power are, as they are unknown to us... we do not regret this loss, mind you, given that Dragonrend has no place in the Way of the Voice."
"I figured as much, even though I have no interest in the Shout," Za'kera stated, though she sat down for a moment as she considered the information Amaryllis had shared with her and the others back in Sky Haven Temple, information that left her confused on what to do next, because if her friend was right about her prophecy it meant she would have some hard choices to make, as in did she focus on taking down the Aldmeri Dominion or did she follow the main prophecy and bring about the end of Alduin, before she sighed as well, "one version of the prophecy seems to be me and Alduin fighting at the end of time, another seems to be of us joining forces to take down a greater threat... I'm just confused on what I should do, especially with the weight of such a decision."
Arngeir sat there for a few moments, debating what he should do in this situation as he noticed that Amaryllis tried to tell her friend that they should just forget the prophecy and focus on something else, like head to a bandit camp and take out those who were plaguing the land, meaning that while they might not know each other all that well she was trying to be a good friend to the Dragonborn and not make her worry about things, especially since it seemed like she might have been the one to suggest the alternate versions of the prophecy, before he stood up and surprised them.
"Thanks to the surviving members of the Blades, regardless of their reasons for looking for Alduin's Wall, you now have questions that only Paarthurnax, our leader, can answer," Arngeir said, as while he would have preferred to wait until the Dragonborn had a much stronger understanding of the Thu'um, after a few months of study to be exact since he knew of the power that one of Akatosh's chosen possessed, before doing something like this he also knew that the only method to help Za'kera was for her to speak with the oldest and wisest member of their order, "Paarthurnax lives in seclusion on the very peak of this mountain, where we rarely speak to him and he almost never speaks to outsiders... but he is the only one who can help you right now. Come, I will teach you a Shout that will open the way to him."
Za'kera and the others followed after Arngeir as he headed outside, where they found the other three Greybeards in front of the large brazier that seemed to be in front of a path that lead to the peak of the Throat of the World, though they did stop their meditation as the group approached and stood up, watching as Arngeir explained that Clear Skies would be the last Shout they gifted Za'kera and carefully used his own power on the stones in front of him, carving three Words right into the stonework, allowing her to focus on them and add the new Shout to her growing list of powers, before he gifted her some of his understanding of it so she could use it.
"I have granted you my understanding of Clear Skies, Dragonborn... use it well." Arngeir stated, almost as if he was slightly worried that something bad might come from expanding Za'kera's knowledge too quickly, since she now had two Shouts that were complete and a number of incomplete Shouts, but right now he knew that she was in need of guidance and the only one that could help her was Paarthurnax, hence why he was doing this, "Clear Skies will blow away the mist, but only for a time, allowing you to tackle the path to our leader, a path that is perilous and not to be embarked upon lightly. Keep moving, stay focused on your goal, and you will reach the summit."
"Alright, I'll do my best." Za'kera replied, where she stepped up to the path that was beyond where Arngeir was standing and focused on the wind that was surging beyond the barrier, with Amaryllis and the others standing behind her, before she gathered her power for a few seconds as she braced herself for what she was about to do, especially since this was a new Shout and this happened to be the first time she would be using it, "Lok Vah Koor!"
Amaryllis watched as her friend's Shout struck the mist and wind that was in front of them, something that caused it all to fade away in a few seconds and revealed a path that lead up to where Paarthurnax currently rested, which was when she drew her swords and rushed forward without wasting even a few seconds, causing Amaryllis, Lydia, and Kya to replicate her movements as they followed behind her, knowing that if they didn't move soon she would leave them behind and the path might disappear. As such they stayed a few steps behind her as she focused on clearing out any weather that was in front of them, using the Clear Skies Shout of course, though there just so happened to be a couple of ice wraiths blocking part of this path and caused her to lash out at them with her blades, mostly knocking them senseless as Amaryllis, Lydia, or Kya finished them off with their weapons. The oddest thing was that there were a couple of goats along the path and moved to the side when they approached them, where Amaryllis wondered if they had climbed up around High Hrothgar or something, though if that was true she knew that keeping such a thing from the Thalmor would be important, so they didn't try to come up here and do whatever it was they were supposed to do, as she still had no idea what the whole issue of the Towers was supposed to be and knew it would be some time before she learned anything about it. Of course there was also a troll partway up the path, how it got there none of them had any idea and none of them cared that much, as it fell to Kya as she dashed forward and swung her scythe a few times, carving the poor troll apart before it could even get near Za'kera, allowing her to continue on her way as the others followed after her, before she eventually found what had to be the entrance to the peak of the mountain, two large stones that had wind behind it, causing another usage of her new Shout to open the way.
With that done Za'kera slowed down as the others caught up with her, where they quickly found that there was a decent sized area in front of them, a ruined Word Wall, and a little more to the peak that just ended after a little while, though as all of them figured that Paarthurnax wasn't present at all, since no one was here, they heard a roar that caused them to go on the defensive immediately, as it belonged to a dragon of all things, and sure enough a large dragon, who had dull grey colored scales, or at least they looked that way, emerged from wherever it had been resting and landed in the middle of the area, though when it didn't attack them Za'kera lowered her weapons and made the others do the same thing before she approached the beast.
"Drem Yol Lok." the dragon said, speaking in a voice that made Amaryllis assume that he was old and wise, which might be true given that his wings were tattered in places while his horns and some of his teeth looked like they had been damaged in battle, and they were able to tell that it was male due to the voice in question, though he was focused on Za'kera and only spared Amaryllis and the others a quick glance, mostly to check what they were doing no doubt, which Amaryllis was fine with since she didn't want to deal with a dragon, "Greetings, wunduniik, I am Paarthurnax. Who are you? What brings you to my stunmah... my mountain?"
"You're the leader of the Greybeards?!" Za'kera replied, where it was easy for the trio to hear that she was taken aback by this information, totally caught off guard by the fact that the leader of the Nord's most revered order, who were respected by everyone who called Skyrim home, happened to be a dragon, one who seemed closer to Alduin's size than the two she had faced so far.
"They see me as their master. Wuth. Onik. Old and wise." Paarthurnax stated, though that was followed by a light chuckle, as if he thought that it was funny that the Greybeards thought of him in that manner, or maybe it was more due to the fact that be might not be as wise as one might assume, but even as that happened he kept his eyes on Za'kera, studying her as they conversed with each other, "It is true that I am old... wise is another matter. Tell me, Dovahkiin, why have you come here? Why do you intrude on my meditation?"
"I... I come seeking answers, hoping that your wisdom will grant me understanding," Za'kera answered, where Amaryllis felt sorry for even speaking her mind back in Sky Haven Temple, because she didn't think it would have this effect on her new friend, who sighed as she likely considered what she was going to say and how she was going to word all of it so Paarthurnax knew how to help her out.
"Drem. Patience. There are formalities which must be observed, at the first meeting of two of the dov." Paarthurnax said, where his tone revealed that he was more than willing to assist Za'kera in her quest, though there was a tradition that all dragons seemed to abide by, which seemed to apply to the Dragonborn based on what Amaryllis was hearing, to which he turned around the ruined Word Wall and focused on what he was about to do, "By long tradition, the elder speaks first. Hear my Thu'um! Feel it in your bones! Match it, if you are Dovahkiin! Yol... Toor Shul!"
As those last three words left Paarthurnax's mouth, a Shout Amaryllis realized, a burst of flames erupted from his mouth as he torched the ruined wall that was his target, where he just so happened to etch the three Words of the Shout onto the wall in question, where Za'kera waited for a couple of seconds, to be sure the flames died down, before she walked up to the ruined wall and stood there, allowing her innate ability as the Dragonborn to grant her the knowledge of the Shout, all while Paarthurnax aided her a little in granting her his understanding of the Words.
"Yol... Toor Shul!" Za'kera shouted, where she turned and loosed her own fire breath right at Paarthurnax, as he claimed it was the proper thing for 'two of the dov' to do, meaning what two dragons would do when they first encounter each other, though it was hard to tell if Paarthurnax took damage from the Shout or if he was simply shrugging it off due to his vast experience, given that he must have seen a lot since the time of Alduin's rule, before she huffed and stared at the dragon that was in front of her and her companions.
"Aah... yes! Sossedov los mul!" Paarthurnax stated, his tone revealing that he was pleased and excited, why Amaryllis had no idea, especially since she wasn't a dragon and didn't understand them at all, while Za'kera tilted her head for a couple of seconds while she considered if she had done the right thing or not, before Paarthurnax focused his attention on her once more and it almost looked like he might have a light smile on his face, "The Dragonblood runs strong in you, stronger than what I originally assumed. It is long since I had the pleasure of speech with one of my own kind. Now, Dovahkiin, what sort of understanding are you seeking?"
"We found Alduin's Wall and how it mentions Dragonrend... I don't care about the Shout," Za'kera replied, because just in the off chance that Paarthurnax knew about the Wall and the information that was stored on it, especially something that might harm all dragons, like Arngeir seemed to think when he mentioned Dragonrend, she wanted him to know that she had no interest in learning Dragonrend, not when she was confused about what to do next, before she got to the answer so she didn't annoy the dragon in front of her, "what I seek to understand is the Prophecy of the Dragonborn and what path my future will take. If one were to read Alduin's Wall, or my prophecy for that matter, they would assume that, as the legendary Dragonborn, my destiny is to fight the World-Eater at the end of time, with the fate of the world being decided by the victor... however, one of my friends shared her thoughts on how there might be another meaning to the prophecy and I am uncertain as to how to move forward."
"Qostiid, prophecy, tells what may be, not what should be. Qostiid sahlo aak." Paarthurnax said, something that interested all of them a little bit, especially since they weren't expecting a dragon to say something like that in the first place, though at the same time Za'kera was beginning to understand why Amaryllis had insisted on there being another version of her prophecy, even if it initially confused her and made her question what to do next, "Vahzah. Your friend speaks the truth, Dovahkiin. Just because you can do a thing, does not always mean you should. In this case, qostiid says to do one thing, end Alduin... zeymah, the elder brother... when you, Dovahkiin, can chose any number of paths to take. Tell me, why do you act?"
"I... I..." Za'kera started to say, as she had a number of reasons as to why she acted in the past, to save towns and villages from all sorts of creatures and dangers, like the Champion of Cyrodiil had done as he sealed the Gates of Oblivion, but, as she thought about all of that, she realized that everything she had done, before being forced to come to Skyrim thanks to the actions of the Elenwen and her Thalmor agents, wouldn't contain the answer Paarthurnax either wanted or was just waiting for her to say.
"Because we love this world, and none of us want to see it end." Amaryllis stated, where she, Lydia, and Kya stepped up for a moment and showed the dragon that they were ready for anything and everything Za'kera might face, regardless of the decision she might make, though if she decided to join Alduin and bring an end to this world she would either hide until all things ended or figure out a way to stop the madness, which meant this was more about showing the dragon and Za'kera their determination, to ignite a fire in her friend.
"Pruzah. As good a reason as any. There are many who feel as you do, although not all." Paarthurnax said, sounding like he actually approved of their response to his question, instead of being annoyed that they had spoken before Za'kera had a chance to answer it, though he could see that the odd individual, who he could sense was different from anyone he had encountered over his many years, had an incredible effect on the Dovahkiin and that her determination was the key that was needed to spark something, "Some would say that all things must end, so that the next can come to pass. Perhaps this world is simply the Egg of the next kalpa? Lein vokiin? Would you stop the next world from being born?"
"If such a thing is possible, the next world will have to take care of itself." Za'kera replied, though this time Amaryllis could see that the fires of determination had been ignited inside her once more, which was what she was aiming for since it was her fault that Za'kera had been plagued by uncertainty when she figured out that there might be another way to read the Prophecy of the Dragonborn, before she turned and faced Paarthurnax once more, "They will have heroes to save it from whatever dangers might plague it, like how our world has me and my friends to deal with any potential threats that might seek to do it harm!"
"Paaz. A fair answer. Ro fus… maybe you only balance the forces that work to quicken the end of this world." Paarthurnax stated, where Amaryllis assumed that the dragon was very pleased with them, or he liked their answer enough to continue with what they were talking about, even though at this point it seemed like there was no need to bother the dragon, not when Za'kera might know which path to walk, though she also felt it was interesting that he would say something like that, especially after what she learned in the Embassy earlier, "Even we who ride the currents of Time cannot see past Time's end… Wuldsetiid los tahrodiis. Those who try to hasten the end, may delay it. Those who work to delay the end, may bring it closer. But you have indulged my weakness for speech long enough, Dovahkiin. Krosis. Now I will offer you my wisdom. Do you know why I live here, at the peak of the Monahven... what you name Throat of the World?"
"No, I don't know why you would decide to live here... I have some ideas, but no clear answer." Za'kera answered, where she figured that it might be due to him wanting to remain hidden from the Nords, except heading out to grab a bite every now and then, since she figured that even an ancient dragon needed to eat, but they said nothing else as they listened to what the dragon had to say, even though she knew that he had used a number of words in his tongue while speaking to her and her companions.
"This is the most sacred mountain in Skyrim. Zok revak strunmah. The great mountain of the world." Paarthurnax said, to which he glanced around the area for a few moments, likely remembering what he was talking about while they stared at everything, even if there wasn't that much to look at right now, before focusing on them once more as he gathered all the information that Za'kera needed to make her decision on which path she wanted to take, "Here the ancient Tongues, the first mortal masters of the voice, brought Alduin to battle and defeated him, in part using the Dragonrend Shout. Viik nuz ni kron. Alduin was not truly defeated, as the Shout only crippled him, but even that, fueled by the hatred of the Nords, was not enough to bring Alduin down. Ok mulaag unslaad. It was the Kel... the Elder Scroll. They used it to... cast him adrift on the currents of Time."
"An Elder Scroll?" Amaryllis asked, because this was the first time she had heard someone make a mention of such a thing, despite the time she spent talking to Festus about all sorts of odd magic that rested in this world and the fact that she was unable to return to her own home world, meaning he had either never heard of such a thing or he had and didn't want to overload her while she was still coming to terms with the fact that returning to Equestria wasn't an option, though that was when she returned to the topic at hand, "I'm afraid that we have no idea what an Elder Scroll is."
"Hmm. How to explain in your tongue? The dov have words for such things that joorre do not." Paarthurnax replied, where it sure sounded like this might be something difficult for him to explain, though he glanced at Za'kera and the rest of her group and noticed that all of them were confused by what he had just said, but he took a few seconds to think about what he knew about the topic before sharing his information with them, "It is… an artifact from outside time. It does not exist, but it has always existed. Rah wahlaan. They are… hmm… fragments of creation. The Kelle… Elder Scrolls, as you name them, they have often been used for prophecy. Yes, your prophecy comes from an Elder Scroll. But this is only a small part of their power. Zofaas suleyk."
"So you're saying that finding the Elder Scroll that was used here, to defeat Alduin, might grant me the wisdom I seek, as in either from the Scroll itself or the information gained on the way?" Za'kera inquired, because she understood the part of this that Paarthurnax hadn't said, that if she found the Elder Scroll that was used to defeat the World-Eater and brought it back to this place, to where it had been used, she could likely peer into the past and learn Dragonrend, something she had claimed to have no interest in right now, something that caused the ancient dragon to nod his head in response, only for her to think about something else, "Okay, we need an Elder Scroll... where are we going to find such a thing?"
"Maybe the College of Winterhold?" Kya spoke up, as she had been quiet for a while and this was the best time for her to speak her mind, especially since it seemed like the most logical place for them to start their search for something like that, something that caused the others to glance at her for a moment as they realized that, while she might be insane and crazy for battle, this was definitely a smart thing for her to say and might be just the answer they were looking for, or at least one of the mages would have a clue to get them started.
With a new destination in mind Za'kera thanked Paarthurnax for speaking with her, and not kicking them off the mountain for interrupting his meditation, before they headed back down to High Hrothgar, where Amaryllis smiled as she found that her friend was truly back, her determination to save the world had been relighted as the fires of doubt had been snuffed out by the wisdom she had been granted, though she knew that once they returned to the carriage they would head down to Ivarstead and get some rest before heading to the north and helping Za'kera figure out which path she wanted to take in the future.