ʜ ᴇ ʀ ᴏ // Teldryn Sero

o.o.9 // dragonborn

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No one's POV.
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   Rhea felt her stomach churn as she caught a glimpse of the wall with the sacred text. God forbid, something she could read while others could not. The energy from the wall called out to her, deafening her mind with the dragon language. She grimaced, taking a slow, shaky step forward.

   Teldryn stepped down the stairs next to her, raising a brow. "What? Why did we stop? We need to continue-" He rambled, stopping once he saw the wall with the jumbled mess of markings. "Seriously?" he scoffed, "A wall? Those things are all nonsense, outlander. I don't see what's so..." he trailed off, watching as Rhea was pulled to the wall. She raised her palm, letting the vibrant mess of colors swarm her body as she absorbed the knowledge.

   Teldryn watched, dumbfounded. How could she even do that? Did she study this? Was it incorporated with some...mythical Greybeard practice? Or-

   "That makes so much sense!" Frea breathed, sheathing her sword. "That is why Miraak is drawn to you! You are one of the same." She nearly yelled as Rhea retracted her hand, learning the word on the wall. Dragon Aspect....

   Teldryn just stared. "And what in the nine does that mean? She knows what he knows?" He asked. Rhea whipped around, a blank stare on her face. She wiped the blood and dust from her face. "You could say that." She muttered.

   Frea shook her head. "E-either she has studied this ancient text for years, or she is dragonborn! The news from Skyrim was true!"

   Rhea walked through the crypt wordlessly as Teldryn caught up to her after his moment of pause. "You're the dragonborn? The one who defeated Alduin all those years ago? The one who went practically silent? Why the fuck didn't you tell me any of this? How- how could you just-" He stuttered out, running into Rhea's back when she stopped abruptly.

   "That is not who I am anymore."

   The mercenary paused. "I'm sorry?"

   Rhea grimaced and turned around. "I lost that title years ago, or so i tried." She mumbled bitterly. Teldryn stood in shock.

   "Why would you wish to lose the title of dragonborn? You are a hero to Skyrim, are you not? I'm sure you live in such wealth that one cannot even imagine-"

   Rhea stopped him, holding up a gloved hand. "Because I fucking cant. That's who i should be, Sero. But that is not me anymore. I did what had to be done and I live with the consequences daily. Do you know how it feels to slaughter people you have once called family just because of some title? I have had many titles that have caused my downfall, and the tragedy of others. That guilt eats at you. It eats at you for years and you can't do a single thing about it. Imagine my goddamn surprise when I showed up in Riverwood, only to be met with masked fucking assassins trying to kill me after all these years of going ghost! I tried to escape it! I still fucking can't. You said it yourself, Sero, it's just some kid wrapped up in a savior complex. And you are absolutely right. Alduin should've left me on the block to die." Rhea seethed, turning without another word and marching off through the crypt once more.

   Teldryn stood in shock, his sword swinging idly in his hand as he mulled over the newfound information. It was... a lot. How could she say such things? The dragon blood was a gift, was it not? She practically saved the world, and here she is doing it again. The dunmer had heard many a tale about the Dragonborn in Skyrim, though he didn't care to acknowledge it. Sure, he said some things about the title itself but- he could never call Rhea such names! Well....

"I had heard Miraak has turned against the Dragon Cult, but to display the remains in such a manner as this... It is no wonder the dragons razed his temple to the ground. Seeing the remains hung up like trophies must have enraged them to no end." Frea said in a low voice as to not wake the draugr. The Dragonborn rolled her eyes. And you're telling me this now?

Once Rhea had felt the last of the energy of the knowledge enter her mind, she heard a faint movement. Teldryn was shaken from his trance as he turned to see a rather large draugr emerge from one of the sarcophagi. He grit his teeth, grabbing his blade and sprinting towards the gatekeeper in a dance of death, his sword entangling with the bones of the undead. Rhea simply watched as the mercenary unleashed his rage and confusion on the poor draugr. Once he was done, Teldryn took the key from the skeleton and turned around with a smug grin. "Key."

Frea smiled warmly while the Dragonborn merely scoffed, walking forward, snatching the key, and heading to unlock the door in the vacant sarcophagus to continue through. Teldryn clenched his jaw and followed silently.

Finally, the trio entered a small sanctum hidden away from outsiders. It was circular, and many books and ancient statues lined the walls. Frea stops to look at a ruined bookshelf while Rhea pushed on through a side room. She immediately cringed, coming across three Lurker statuettes with a handle in front of the heads. "I do not recognize this statuary. We passed a few of them earlier, but they are becoming more frequent as we get further in. I do not like this place. It almost looks as if these statues will come to life at any moment." Frea commented as she stepped in. The Dragonborn tensed as Teldryn followed behind her. The mercenary settled right beside the outlander. Gods, the tension was horrific. What he wouldn't give to be back at the Retching Netch with a nice warm bottle of Sujamma-

His thoughts were cut off as Rhea pulled the handle. A gate leading down a spiral staircase revealed itself on the floor. "That...looks like a death trap." The merc sighed out. Rhea didn't respond. She merely grit her teeth and descended the stairs without so much as a nod.

After a bit more fighting and walking endlessly through chambers, the three entered a room with a large book on a pedestal. This room...was much different than what they had come across before. It sent a churning sense of dread straight through Teldryn's body as he watched Rhea walk towards the book slowly.

"Ah- outlander, I do not believe that's the best of ideas-" He warned, stepping forward a bit. Rhea flinched away from him wordlessly and stepped up to the pedestal. Shit, Teldryn screamed in his head. Why did he have to run his fat mouth about the Dragonborn? Why couldn't he have shut up for once in his insane fucking life? The silence from his companion was deafening, and it was driving him absolutely mad. Yet, there was something about it. Something that caused his heart to shift uncomfortably in his chest. Worry. Sheer anxiety.

"This book... it seems wrong, somehow. Here, yet... not. It may be what we seek." The Skaal woman spoke up, nodding to Rhea. The Dragonborn nodded, letting her fingers glide along the worn pages of the book. Waking Dreams. It was pulling her. Enticing her. It was as if she was meant to read it specifically. The warnings from both Teldryn and Frea were muffled through the ringing in her ears. Rhea groaned out in pain as she crumbled to the floor, book still tight in her grasp.

"RHEA-!"

A scream.

Then silence.

Then darkness.

Fuck.

__________
Uh oh! Things are getting tense with the two dipshits.
What's gonna happen now that Teldryn knows Rhea's secret? Something she swore to leave behind?
Well, you won't know until later.
loser.
1319 words.