Chapter 6 The Dragonborn Born
Chapter 6 The Dargonborn Born
It had only been a few days since our last meeting, yet Astrid looked… rough. Dirt stained her clothes, her hair was messy, and she carried the exhausted aura of someone who had just crawled out of a dungeon.
But strangely, her presence felt stronger. I could sense it—her aura had grown. Maybe she had seen the Dragon Language inside that dungeon… and learned something from it.
Without warning, she wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“Hey, you’ve gotten stronger since the last time I saw you,” she said.
For some reason, her voice didn’t make me shiver like usual.
“A-ah, not really. I just leveled a bit. I’m still not that strong.”
Her tone turned playful and teasing.
“Oh? And who was it again who promised we’d spar the next time we met?”
Damn it. I forgot about that.
“Come on, that’s not fair. I’m a mage and you’re a warrior.”
She slid her arm around my neck, pulling me closer—so close my cheek brushed the side of her chest.
“Ohh~ so you’re the kind of man who doesn’t keep his promises? Right, then forget it.”
That tone. That smug teasing tone.
My temper ignited.
“Fine! If you insist, even if the timing sucks, let’s go!”
I peeled her arm off me.
“Hoho, now that sounds like a man,” she said with a smirk.
But before our duel could escalate, Farengar suddenly interrupted, magical pressure filling the room.
“Could you two settle your business outside of Whiterun? If you fight here, half the city will get hurt.”
Whoa. I have never seen an NPC look this angry. This was… new.
“Anyway,” Farengar continued, “Astrid, did you manage to bring the Dragonstone?”
“Here it is.” She handed him the tablet. “Any information on it?”
“Delphine—our associate—is translating parts of it.”
Delphine stepped forward, cloaked and cautious. She clearly didn’t want to reveal her identity yet. In the original story, she only unveiled the truth after the Dragonborn awakened… so this made sense.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed.
Irileth—the dark-skinned, blue-eyed Dunmer captain—burst into the room.
“Farengar! You must come with me. A dragon has been sighted near the city!”
“A dragon… fascinating. What is it doing here?” Farengar muttered.
Astrid, Irileth, and I rushed to meet Jarl Balgruuf.
“A dragon was spotted at the Western Watchtower,” the guard reported. “He was incredibly fast—faster than anything I’ve seen.”
“Did he attack?” Balgruuf asked.
“No, my Jarl. He simply circled the tower. When I saw him, I ran back immediately to warn you.”
The Jarl turned toward us… and then fixed his eyes on me.
“You, Alex. You said you cleared an entire bandit camp alone, didn’t you?”
Astrid’s jaw dropped.
“What? You? Cleared a bandit camp alone!?”
The Jarl frowned at our reaction.
“You two know each other?”
“Yes, my Jarl,” Astrid answered. “We were together in Helgen during the dragon attack. But only one of us was allowed to enter when we came to report to you.”
Still, the Jarl looked unconvinced.
“Then prove your words. Show me that you can handle dangerous threats. Join Irileth and give me good news.”
I felt annoyed—at him and at Astrid for exposing the surprise—but this mission was also important.
I needed to confirm something.
Whether I’m the Dragonborn… or Astrid is.
“Very well, my Jarl,” I said. “I’ll help take down the dragon.”
The Western Watchtower
When we arrived, the tower was half-burned and smoking. The ground was littered with wounded soldiers.
“Stay alert!” Irileth shouted. “We don’t know where the dragon will appear!”
I distributed potions to injured guards.
Dragons were supposed to be rare—sometimes not appearing for an entire generation.
But with Alduin’s return, everything changed.
A deep whoosh echoed in the distance.
Wings. Massive wings.
Then a roar like thunder.
“EVERYONE, PREPARE!!”
I summoned my Flame Atronach, conjured my Bound Bow, and felt mana surge through me.
The dragon swept across the sky, then stopped and glared at us as if we were insects.
He inhaled.
And unleashed fire.
Guards screamed, shields melted, and men fled in terror.
“STOP RUNNING! HOLD THE LINE!” Irileth bellowed. “RAISE YOUR SHIELDS!”
I felt my knees tremble—until I saw her.
Astrid.
Standing firm, axe in hand, shield raised high, shouting:
“COME HERE, YOU BIG LIZARD!! DON’T BE A COWARD JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN FLY!! COME DOWN AND FIGHT!!”
Just like that, my fear evaporated.
I unleashed Sparks and ordered my atronach to target its wings. Still not enough.
“Astrid! Is that axe just for decoration!?”
She understood immediately.
“Hahaha! Good point!”
She hurled her axe with incredible strength—striking the dragon’s wing.
I followed up.
“Eat this!!!”
My last burst of magic sent the dragon crashing down, sliding across the dirt.
Astrid charged in without hesitation.
The dragon breathed fire at her—she blocked it with her shield, flames splashing and swirling around her. The dragon’s breath weakened; exhaustion set in.
“What’s wrong? Out of fire?” she taunted.
The dragon lunged to bite her, but she dodged, climbed its head, and stabbed its eye and scales. The beast thrashed wildly.
When its head jerked upward to throw her off, Astrid leapt—
—and delivered a perfect, brutal strike.
The dragon’s head fell.
The guards froze.
Then cheers erupted everywhere.
I found myself shouting too:
“HAHAHAHA!! WE DID IT!!!”
Irileth nodded proudly.
“Truly a Nord warrior!”
A moment later, the dragon’s body began to glow.
Its flesh burned away into light—
—and the dragon’s soul spiraled upward before rushing straight into Astrid.
Her eyes widened. Her breath caught.
“W-what is happening… what’s going into my body?”
“Astrid… you absorbed the dragon’s soul. You’re a Dragonborn.”
She trembled. “How do I… use this?”
“You saw the word on the wall in Bleak Falls, right? Try focusing that energy into it."
She closed her eyes, concentrating.
And then—
“FUS!”
A blast of force exploded outward, knocking us all back.
Her destiny hadn’t changed…
Or maybe it changed just a little. Because I was here with her