7000 Steps Higher

The first few days after the war passed by quietly. People in other towns seemed to carry on with their lives, even with the defeat of the Empire. Not everything is quiet, however; disquiet fills my heart now. With every town I passed by on the way to High Hrothgar, men and women alike stared at me with both despair and despise. 

The wings did not help me in any way reduce their anxiety in my presence. I found myself in an inn the night of the war and even with the blood of the beast raging inside me, I slept soundly. I dreamed of dragons, and Kiya. Somehow, the dream told me they--we--were connected. I woke up from the dream in a sweat, lying on my back on the bed. An unfamiliar weight was bearing down on me. I tried to move my head to get a view of what it was. Wings made of bones were protruding from my back! I had to rub my eyes to see if they were deceiving me. 

That discovery made me wonder what the monks at High Hrothgar have to say. I've always thought many people have the ability to Shout, and that they only opt not to. However, I have not seen anyone else with wings, which means I might be the only one who can Shout. I had to get there as fast as I could. 

I stopped by Vilemyr inn at Ivarstead to learn more of the Greybeards, the aforementioned monks at High Hrothgar. Close to nobody have seen them, as the monks have rarely gone outside of their monastery. I did not get any information that might help how I'll approach them. I went on.

Hmmm, well, you're useful.

Up here in the mountains, the war and its aftermath seem so far away. Even she seems very small, looking at this vast expanse of rocks that have existed since the dawn of time. Uflric felt irrelevant here. Only dragons have the power in this place, I thought.

What a sight to behold.

A few creatures here and there made the walk up the Throat of the World more interesting, but I only found wolves and trolls. The blasts of wind and snow slowed me down, but as I climbed up the last of the steps, I stumbled upon a glorious fort with walls upon walls of solid stone and a tower above everything in the world.

Scratch that, this is a sight to behold.

I still had no idea who these Greybeards were, even if I had a lot of time to think by myself on the way up. I knocked on the huge doors of High Hrothgar, and it swung open with no one on the other side. I turned on a corner and saw four men in dark robes congregating at the middle. One of them, seemingly surprised at my arrival, approached me, and my wary stance became more relaxed as he went closer. 

If this is a party, it's a dull one.

He introduced himself as Arngeir, the one who speaks for the Greybeards. He told me the others cannot speak for their voices are too powerful to be heard by mortals. I could have disagreed, but they wanted to see for themselves how I, presumed Dragonborn, could learn a Shout and use it almost immediately. We went outside, and I demonstrated to them how easily I, and other people as I once thought, learned the Whirlwind Sprint Shout and used it effectively. Arngeir, having never seen a Dragonborn in his lifetime, thought it astonishing.

Wait until I tell you about that time Kiya and I had a shouting match...

Or so I thought I was the only one. Arngeir spoke of Dragonborn since the dawn of man and their dominance over dragons. However, he found it even more astonishing that there were two Dragonborn in this era. It would seem that the dragon problem is graver than they expected. He told me, "You will have to work together to defeat the threat of the World Eater. Once you meet her, you will know she's the one."

She? My heart pounded a bit faster as I asked him who he meant by that. He described her: black, long hair, fair complexion, wields bow and arrows, and has distinct red marks on her left eye. It took me a while to gather my bearings. She is the other Dragonborn?? How do I not know this? A part of me felt so much anger; this is not the first time she has kept something hidden from me. I guess I should have seen her affinity for Durnehviir and even the other dragons. It all makes sense now. Damn that woman! Now she's in hiding, and I do not know how to find her.

Dammit! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?

  

 Arngeir felt my anger, and asked me to calm down. He told me I will find her when the time is right, however dangerous it might be. I wondered what that meant; this monk kept speaking cryptically. I sighed, and told them I should go. The monk told me to go, but go to Ustengrav and retrieve the horn Jurgen Windcaller, founder of the Greybeards. I recalled it was near Windstad, and told them I will.

I was about to leave through the huge gates when I remembered about the wings. They did not look surprised when they saw the wings as I entered the room, but Arngeir revealed that it was the first time he saw something like this. It might be an effect of the awakening of the dragons, he explained. Alduin's power is increasing, and another being of equal power has awakened far away, and the blood of the Dragonborn in me stirred up along with them. He could not think of a way to remove these wings, he told me; he will have to consult with their leader, Paarthurnax, atop the Throat of the World. I do not know who this Paarthurnax is, but I would have wanted to talk to him personally.

I hurried back to Windstad. I had relocated Lucia there, almost forcibly. She knew what I had done to her foster mother, and she seemed reluctant to come with me. As we traveled from Breezehome to Windstad, she suddenly told me, "My ma will be back, and you'll be sorry!" This was the last time she talked throughout the journey. 

Quit complaining! You're safe already!

Now, I had to check on her if she was doing fine. Alesan told me she ate, but only very little, and did not talk or sleep much. He found her staring outside most of the time. I felt helpless. I do not know much about children even if I've had Alesan for a while now, more so little girls with missing mothers. I will have to find her mother, and quickly. Not for my sake, but for hers. Maybe I will have to find Kiya first. Sometimes saving the world isn't worth anything if it's still broken.