The Dragons Are Back (Miraculous Ladybug X The Elder Scrolls Crossover)

Chapter 4: Questions

Alya had dragged Marinette along with her to the park to meet up with Paarthurnax, after the redhead promised to make it up to her for not helping her decode the Guardian spellbook instead.

They found Paarthurnax in a grove of trees, presumably trying to hide himself from people. Which wasn't exactly working, as he still managed to draw a small crowd, having to repeatedly shoo them away. Once they got to him Alya pulled out a notepad.

"Alright, spill."

Paarthurnax proceeded to tell them about how Alduin, as the World-Eater, was obligated to destroy existence at the end of each universal cycle or kalpa and how his twin brother, Strunsahtiid, the World-Forger, would reform it with his Thu'um.

Eventually this cycle was ended when the gods decided the sacrifice a large amount of their power to make Nirn, the universe, last. Alduin, now with no real purpose, created what amounted to a dictatorship with himself at the top, enslaving men and mer to his will and bestowing favored servants with great boons in the form of enchanted masks. These favored servants became known as the Dragon Priests. Paarthurnax admitted that he helped to build this dictatorship, but began to have misgivings about Alduin when he tried to lay claim to the lordship that, according to him, rightfully belonged to the father of all dragons, the dragon-god of time Akatosh.

He briefly stopped to explain that all dragons had the innate urge to dominate and that the will to power was in their blood. Dragons also were especially attuned to the flow of time due to their connection to Akatosh.

It was then that the goddess Kyne approached him and instructed him to teach mankind the Thu'um so that they could overthrow their dragon overlords. Humans had previously tried to rebel, but were Shouted down by the dragons. Paarthurnax taught three great Nord heroes, Hakon One-Eye, Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, and Felldir the Old, the Voice  and they did battle with Alduin, culminating in Felldir using an Elder Scroll to cast Alduin forward in time. As a result, Paarthurnax camped out on a mountain called The Throat of the World, knowing where Alduin would return, but not when.

The World-Eater returned during a civil war between the Imperial Empire and the Stormcloaks. A Dragonborn, however, managed to chase him to a place called Sovngarde and defeated him, but was unable to fully kill him. Alduin tried to return again, but Strunsahtiid stopped him and killed him for good. After that, Strunsahtiid created a realm called Dovjunaar so that the dragons could live without risk of being hunted down.

Once Paarthurnax was finished with his monologue, Alya still had more questions, but decided to leave them for another day. She already had enough information to digest.

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When Marinette made Alya promise to make it up to her for taking away precious time to study the Guardian grimoire, she did not expect it to come in the middle of the night while she was trying to sleep.

Her phone buzzed and she was highly tempted to just throw it from her balcony, but she picked it up anyway

"Hey girl!" Alya's voice called cheerily.

"If it's something to do with Adrien, then you can forget it," Marinette grumbled. "It's three in the morning and I just had a patrol. I need sleep!"

"Relax, it's got nothing to do with that. Remember how Paarthurnax said that he taught humans the Thu'um? Well, I was thinking that maybe he could teach it to you, so that you could defend yourself. It's about time you took power from non-Miraculous sources, you know. I talked to him as Rena Rouge, and he said that he's staying in Paris."

Marinette slurred drowsily. "Okay... I'll go talk to him about it tomorrow..."

"Great! Sleep tight!"

"M'kay. Bye."

And she fell right back asleep.