"I don't understand." Raika said, tilting her head to the side as she studied the younger women, "There's no 'party' here, and even if there was one I'm not sure someone like me would even be invited."
"Geez, its just an expression." Luna replied, letting out a sigh as she faced the open sky, "Ah, the mystical scent of Tamriel, how I have longed to fly the ancient skies and fight the enemies of the land once again. By the looks of things it seems that we're in Skyrim, the ancient homeland of the nords and, from what I could gather from the legends I heard last time I was here, the dragons. If the Dragonborn has come again then that means that the dragons have awakened and she's been called upon to fight them once again."
"Wait... how do you...?" Raika started to ask, but stopped as she wondered how much Luna actually knew about Skyrim and the dragons, "Exactly how much do you know about Skyrim and how do you know your in Tamriel?"
"I was last in Tamriel during the time they called 'The Oblivion Crisis'." Luna replied, the tone of her voice telling Raika that she was remembering something, "That was a time of my life that I was proud of. Before the daedra attacked and the Emperor was assassinated I was a pit fighter, known throughout Cyrodiil as Nightmare, the Queen of Knights. Over the course of my fights I grew bored with the fighters that came to challenge me, only sparing my opponents because I believed that they still had more to learn and had come nowhere close to earning the 'good deaths' that they sought. Eventually I gave up my position as the Champion of the Pit, to some upstart orc I believe, and wandered down to the river, where I stayed for a week as I contemplated what I should do next.
That's when I met Rend Org'resh, a fine orc warrior who had been wrongly imprisoned in the Imperial Jail and pardoned by the late Emperor Uriel Septim VII, who chose to give him a royal mission. Rend didn't trust me, and I couldn't really trust him, but we saw the warrior side in each other and he asked if I was willing to join him in the mission he had been handed as the dying wish of an Emperor. I decided that my time in the Imperial City was over and gladly followed Rend on his quest, seeing the sights of Cyrodiil and reading up on all the books I could get my hands on. Our quest led us to some walled city called Kvatch, where we bravely entered an 'Oblivion Gate', defeated the forces that greeted us on the other side, and saved those that remained from having to deal with the daedra.
Rend was hailed as the Hero of Kvatch and we easily rescued Martin Septim, the last surviving heir of the Septim line, but I didn't not leave until I had eradicated every daedra that had made it into the city. We made sure that Martin was safe, even going as far as to move him to someplace called Cloud Ruler Temple and beginning a lengthy quest line to find the missing King's Amulet. During our time we fought the followers of Mehrunes Dagon, dealt with countless Oblivion Gates and the creatures within them, and even decoded a secret message that lead us to our goal. Even then we had to chase the Amulet through a province of Oblivion before we could retrieve it and put a stop to the invasion that was bound to happen.
During our time together Rend and I began to trust each other and I eventually told him the secret of who I was and where I was from, swearing him to secrecy to keep Equestria from the eyes of the Empire's mages. He didn't care that I was from someplace he had never heard of before or what I had done before he met me, but he cared that I would go out of my way to help him save his world. Rend and Martin gathered their army and fought the daedra in the Imperial City, where I lended a hand and led the cities guards against the enemy that intended to destroy Nirn. Despite all our attempts to stop the invasion Mehrunes Dagon still entered Tamriel, breaking the sky open and forcing me to consider releasing my full power to save everything. Martin, on the other hand, decided to use the power of the King's Amulet and sacrificed himself to stop the invasion and sealed the ripples that Mehrunes Dagon had caused.
Once the city was repaired and the commotion had died down Rend asked me if I was willing to stick around and teach some of the guards the techniques I used, but when I told him that my time in Tamriel was up he didn't hold anything against me. Then I left Tamriel behind, returning home so I could relax and plan my next adventure in case I ever returned."
"And you only returned because your sister came here?" Raika asked, rubbing her temples as she tried to understand everything that Luna had just told her, "Why did you come here?"
"Didn't my sister tell you?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow as she faced Raika, "She came to find and heal Sombra while making sure that she found and gave aid to the Dragonborn. I came to Skyrim to aid her in her quest, which means whatever she wants to do I will follow her lead. Sombra's one of my friends and I'd like to be able to talk to the stallion we knew before Discord came anywhere near him."
Raika moaned and took a seat on the ground, wondering how she had gotten to this point in her life. She was the legendary Dragonborn, the only person who could permanently kill a dragon by tearing out and absorbing its soul, she had become the Thane of Whiterun by slaying a dragon, and had acquired four companions that were making her head hurt. Lydia was an okay person, but she didn't know what to think about the three who claimed they were from someplace called Equestria, which one of them had no idea they were even from there. Celestia was a fine warrior and spell caster and, if she believed the tales that were written on Nightmare during the third era, Luna was an accomplished warrior and a capable mage. Sombra...all he was good for was carrying around some of the supplies and fighting if they managed to get overwhelmed by enemies.
Raika was concerned that if the evil that Discord, whoever he was, had awakened inside Sombra woke up then all of Skyrim would be facing a threat that could be as bad as the dragons themselves.
"My Thane," a voice called out as Lydia approached the edge of the porch, "the nord that you asked me to watch woke up. He asked where you and Celestia went, but I have no idea who this 'Celestia' is supposed to be."
Celestia and Luna reacted before Raika could even get a single word out of her mouth. They were at the wooden door within seconds, leaving Raika to walk back to the door by herself and wonder exactly how Sombra had remembered Celestia's true name so quickly. She was sure that he had simply connected the dots between Celestia's true name and the name that she had been using the entire time she had been around him. As she followed her companions back into the area they had left Sombra in she was greeted by a very strange sight, a small wavy line of pure magicka that was coming out of his left eye. His right eye was just fine she noticed, but the look on his face told her that he was trying to keep whatever was inside him from breaking out.
"Here, let me help you." Luna said, kneeling beside Sombra as her horn lit up, "Focus on my sister and we'll get you through this."
Celestia bowed her head and pressed her forehead against Sombra's, allowing their horns to cross without causing any harm to either of them and giving Luna the time to begin whatever spell she was working on. For a moment it didn't seem like either of them were doing anything at all, but then Raika began to notice that the golden and azure colored magic gathering around the two sisters. A third magic, one that was bright red colored, joined them by wrapping around Sombra, but Raika noticed that the purple energy from before was beginning to finally recede, disappearing back to whatever hole it had come out from. A few seconds after the purple magic vanished the three different magics that surrounded the three nords vanished as well, leaving three seemingly normal people behind.
"I haven't used that spell in ages," Luna sighed, wiping some sweat off her forehead before getting onto her feet, "We've sealed the most of the dark magic deep inside him, so there shouldn't be any concern for it breaking out anytime soon. Of course if worst comes to worst there's always the chance that an enemy could knock him out and shatter the seal that we just worked. He will remember some of his memories now, but which ones we wont know until he decides to tell us."
Raika turned to head to one of the beds, but when she cast a look at Sombra he seemed out of his, as if the pain of holding back the 'dark magic' had taken so much out of him. It was a miracle that Luna and Celestia knew exactly what to do in such a situation, which just have meant that they had some experience with the mysterious dark magic in their own world. Luna didn't seem so certain that the seal they placed would hold for long, but she failed to elaborate as to how long the seal would hold without someone, magical or otherwise, tampering with it.
"I'm glad you followed me to Skyrim Luna," Celestia said, taking a seat after making sure that Sombra was sound asleep, "I don't think I would have had the strength to finish the sealing spell after all the magic I poured into healing the wounds he sustained in our previous fight."
"I'm glad I could be of some use already," Luna replied, turning to one of the beds, "I would very much like to hear the tale of the wounds that he sustained and exactly what he was fighting that could have inflicted them, but for now I must get some sleep. Flying from my point of entry to this location took a lot out of me."
Raika sighed before letting her head hit the pillow, figuring that she had enough of both sisters for one day and would wait until the following morning before trying to understand them.
---------------------------------
Morning reared its ugly head as Sombra moaned, forcing himself off the bed and nearly fell over when the sunlight hit him in the eyes. The first time he had awoken in someone else's bed it had been such a pain because he had no idea where he was, no idea how to even move his body, or even who he was. As he straightened himself he took a brief look at the area around him, finding four empty beds around him that reminded him of the time when he thought that Raika and Tia had left him behind. Only this time he found a note on the table in front of him, one that peeped his curiosity as it was addressed to him and not one of the castle maids that was running around somewhere.
Dear Sombra,
Do not be alarmed, we aren't leaving you behind to fend for yourself. Luna, whom you have yet to meet, has decided to purchase some raw materials so she can craft some better weapons for you to use, seeing how the one you used against the dragon is pretty much ruined now. Raika and Lydia, our newest companion, are selling off the most of the junk they collected from the dragon and a small group of bandits that was lurking somewhere near Whiterun. Last I heard from them they were being talked into purchasing a small house somewhere in the city, but I think Raika will put off buying a house for some deal of time.
While the others are busy with their assorted tasks I will be spending some time crafting some additional magic potions, so we can avoid being drained of magic if another dragon shows up. I should be the first to return to Dragonsreach, but in the event that I'm not then one of the others will check up on you and make sure that your perfectly ready for the journey to High Hrothgar.
With love,
Celestia
Sombra smiled, thankful that they had at least left him a note telling him that he wasn't going to be forgotten about and left behind, but remained confused as to the signature. His memories, what little of them he could now remember, told him that 'Celestia' was someone he had met one stormy night and had offered her a place to stay and something to eat. Tia, on the other hand, was someone he had met while on his journey with Raika, who had proved that she was highly skilled with a blade and was highly curious about the dragons. There was no way that the two women were connected and even if they were he would be able to tell the difference between them... in theory anyway.
"See Lydia? I told you he'd be awake by the time we returned." a voice behind him said, causing him to turn around and see Raika and another women standing by a doorway, "At least he's recovered enough so we can get our journey started."
"Let's not rush things my Thane," the women said, eying Sombra as if she was looking for something that would prevent them from leaving, "who knows how long he'll be able to stand before he collapses?"
"He looks fine to me Lydia," Raika replied, setting her sights on the note Sombra was holding, "Your one lucky man Sombra; not only did your girlfriend come to Skyrim to find you her sister came along for the ride. I can't think of many women that would leave everything behind to find the one that they love the most or even leave their lives behind to help their sister out in her quest. Both of them are helping me out, so you'll get to spend a lot of time with the two of them. Hopefully they'll heal the rest of your memories so you can remember exactly who you were."
"We had best be off my Thane," Lydia spoke up, "Luna said that she believed the weapon was going to be ready by the time we were ready to leave and Celestia wanted to make sure that the binding was as tight as it could possibly be. I didn't understand most of what they said because it sounded like they were talking about magic and not blacksmithing, but it seemed that whatever they were talking about was important."
"Those two know more about magic than most mages I've met," Raika said, turning back to the doorway, "All I know is that Luna was trying to make something that, as she explained it, could 'contain the power of dark magic for some time'. Celestia seemed to believe her, so I guess we should put our faith in her and see what they create."
Sombra shook his head as he joined the two women, keeping his eyes on the guards as they passed them and noticed that all of the guards seemed to nod their approval. Apparently word of a khajiit killing a dragon and saving Whiterun must have gotten around, seeing how no one gave Raika a hard time as they made their way out of Dragonsreach. Some of the guards even went out of their way to hail her as they passed, coming to attention and saluting her as she walked by them. As they walked Sombra thought he would have felt some pain somewhere on his body, from the fight with the dragon, but all he felt was his muscles moving and no pain flashes at all. Someone had gone through a lot of healing to make sure that he was in perfect shape again and all the facts pointed to the mysterious 'Celestia' that the note mentioned.
Stepping out of Dragonsreach brought them to the cloudless skies of Whiterun, where they could easily smell the wood burning and the scent of someone, somewhere in the city, cooking something. As they walked down the stone steps Sombra immediately noticed two more women standing next to a withering tree, one of which he immediately recognized as Tia and the other he assumed was her sister, Luna. They appeared to be discussing something, as Tia kept beckoning to the weapon that Luna was holding in her hands and Luna kept shaking her head as if she was disagreeing with Tia. Sombra feared that the weapon was imperfect as they were deciding whether or not to deliver the weapon to the designated person it had been created for, him.
"Ah, there you are." Tia said, breaking away from her conversation with her sister as they neared them, "Sorry if you caught any of that. We were discussing the finer points of how to house the power of Dark Magic before we dispelled it completely, to which I was saying that binding it in a weapon would allow us to erase it over time and not all at once."
"And to what I must disagree with you sister," Luna replied, shaking her head as she held out the weapon, "Housing the power of Dark Magic in a crystal item, such as one of the many soul gems that the people of Tamriel carry with them, and then destroying it will shatter whatever foul energies were inside it."
"Which would make them seek out the nearest host and we'd be back at square one." Tia commented, shaking her head as they apparently finished their argument, "Regardless of what our argument is about we have finished the task that we set for ourselves, as you can no doubt see the weapon in Luna's hand that we spent the last hour working on. A weapon that has been designed to contain the darkness that lingers in your heart, Sombra, and use it up the more you use it. Luna, if you be so kind."
"Here," Luna said, holding the sheath out for him to take, "this weapon was designed after the one you had in a time long since forgotten, so we might not have gotten the designs right at all. Go ahead, draw the blade."
Sombra took hold of the sheath and gripped the handle, wondering how a sword could contain the power of darkness that they believed was lurking somewhere in his heart and body. He slowly withdrew the blade, finding that the sword's blade was as black as the night sky and seemed to draw the sunlight deeper into the abyss that it contained. Even as he held the sword in his hand he could tell that it was evenly balanced, which would allow him to swing with better precision, and he could feel something small within him being dragged into the abyss. He immediately sheathed the blade, wondering what sort of enchantment Tia and Luna had placed on the weapon that could allow it to do what it did.
"Now then," Luna continued, almost as if she hadn't seen the look on Sombra's face, "let's move on to High Hrothgar before someone decides to give us some random quest to complete for them. I had enough of those back during the Oblivion Crisis."
"Hail Thane," one guard exclaimed as he drew closer to the group, "the Jarl posted a bounty on a nearby giant that's harassing our shipments. Feel like taking up your weapons and taking care of him for us?"
"Quickly," Raika loudly said, turning towards the stone steps that would lead them out of Whiterun, "to High Hrothgar and the Greybeards. Adventure awaits us."
Before anyone could respond to the sudden outburst Raika was already moving, followed closely by Lydia, Tia, and Luna before Sombra sighed and ran after them before he ended up losing them.
"Could have at least declined the bounty..." the guard mumbled, turning around to walk up the stone steps to Dragonsreach.
---------------------------
They spent the next four hours walking around the base of the mountain that housed High Hrothgar before they eventually ended up in some town that was called Iverstead. During their journey they were assaulted by two groups of bandits, one of which had been standing guard at some ruined towers and a second group that had been housed in some cave. Both of them had been dealt with, though it gave Raika the opportunity to see how well both of her new companions could deal with fighting anything that could come after them. Lydia, baring a steel battleaxe, wasn't afraid to smash her enemies against the ground, but Luna, wielding her greatsword, moved as if the weapon was merely an extension of herself.
Sombra, once again, could barely stand against the bandits and almost dropped his sword at one point, but Celestia swooped in and pounded the bandit he was fighting into the ground. She wished that he had awoken his memories that showed him how to properly use a weapon so he could fight for himself without having to rely on someone coming to his aid. It was either that or she and Luna teach him how to fight like everybody else, which she was more than willing to do if it came to it.
"So this is Iverstead." Raika commented, staring at the small town as she stared at the bridge that connected the place to the mountain, "I've heard Ulfric Stormcloak mention this place when he retells of his visits to the Greybeards and I'm glad that everyone's doing okay. Let's get moving before someone decides we need to do something for them."
Sombra had no idea why she was avoiding people in need all day, but figured that she had her reasons and decided that he was better off not knowing what was actually bugging her. So they began their ascent up the mountain side, following the ancient stone pathway that had been placed to guide people all the way to the top of the mountain. While three of them had been expecting a simple walk up the mountain they got more than they were bargaining for. as they had to fight off three black furred bears, one rather angry troll, a cluster of wolves that kept snipping at their heels before they were dealt with, and one rather annoying icy wraith creature. Along the way they spotted three hunters, each of whom were making the 'Journey of the Seven Thousand Steps' at their own pace and couldn't be bothered to lend a hand if something came the groups way.
After the two hour long journey around the mountain side they finally came to a stone monastery that seemed to be carved out of the very side of the mountain, and even the loose stones Sombra wagered. Raika held her breath for some time as they made their way up the stone stairs, almost as if she was afraid that by entering High Hrothgar she would be accepting a destiny that she didn't want. Once they reached the doors Raika pressed her hands against the iron doors and gave them a push, only to find that they would not budge at all.
"Oh look my Thane," Lydia said, pointing to a note that rested on one of the iron doors, "It seems like the Greybeards left us a note. 'To whomever it may concern, the Greybeards are out to lunch and wont be back for some time.' I wonder if that means that they're not home at the moment..."
"WHAT IN OBLIVION?!" Raika angrily shouted to the heavens.