Surtr falls to his knees and tightly closes his eyes as he tries in vain to process everything that was happening... Thoughts, feelings, and memories pass through his mind, but he was sure...? He was sure? He-, wasn't sure if they were his or not.
Who was he, even?
He remembered his birth... Thousands of years ago he was brought into existence by his father, Akatosh, and though the being never said a word to him or his brothers, he knew that they were his greatest creation. They hadn't just been gifted the world, the world had been gifted them...?
No... He was born in Stonehills to Pactur and Sorli, with a brother called Sirgar, right!?
He'd travelled across the Empire training himself in the art of combat-
-Flown over the world, ruled over lesser beings as his father had wanted-
-Fought with Ulfric Stormcloak and the rebels-
-Burned those traitorous mortals who dared defy them-
-Barely avoided execution at the hands of the Imperial Legion-
-Destroyed their false priests who lie of their loyalty-
-Fought against a dragon attacking Whiterun!-
-Killed his traitorous kin and absorbed their essence-
-He'd killed the dragon Mirmulnir-
-He'd died at the hands of the Dragonborn, Surtr-
-He was Surtr-
-He could only be Surtr-
-Surtr lived-
-Mirmulnir died-
-But his memories lived on-
Surtr grabbed his head and gave a pained shout. He had no idea what was happening to him, but Mirmulnir did... He absorbed the dragon's soul, memories, might and all.
"-urtr! Surtr! Are you alright!?" Jackle hurriedly asks as she shakes his shoulder.
"Uh... I-... I don't know. D-don't touch me." he mutters in response while unconsciously brushing her hand away, the reactionary feeling of wanting to tear apart the mortal that touched him was almost overwhelming him. He knew these sensations were both foreign, and not. They were his feelings now, he was Mirmulnir and Surtr as one. Logic dictated that he was the dominant personality due to the simple fact that he lived and the dragon did not... But that didn't make separating thousands of years worth of feelings, instincts, and memories from his own any easier.
"Gods, he's... Dragonborn!..." one of the guards mutter as they look at the steaming pile of dragon bones.
"Dragonborn...? The one from legend!?"
"He's truly Dragonborn!"
Surtr squeezes his temples as many people begin to chant 'Dragonborn', the feeling that his head was about to explode was only made worse by those annoying ants! "B-be quiet! All of you!..." he shouts, causing everyone to trail off, confused at his response.
"Surtr! Are you alright? Is something wr-" Shakeesh says as he approaches.
"G-GET. AWAY!" he shouts, his voice causing a shockwave that lifts all nearby people off of their feet, throwing them to the ground, stunned but ultimately unharmed.
...
"GODS! HE REALLY IS THE DRAGONBORN!" a guard shouts, as if he hadn't just been blown off of his feet by Surtr.
Ignorant of Surtr's erratic state of mind, many people begin celebrating the birth of a new Dragonborn, at least, until Irileth ordered everyone to do their respective duties, giving Surtr some degree of respite.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fighting force eventually returned to Whiterun, first with the injuries carried atop some loaded carriages, then followed by a dozen carriages transporting the many dragon bones, all at the shock and awe of everyone watching.
The people following behind the cart couldn't help but sing and chant in the Dragonborn's name, despite the fact that Surtr was frowning and acting out whenever someone touched him.
His friends in the Companions noticed this change, and it was only Shakeesh and Jackle that stopped anyone from stepping over the line and causing a full-on meltdown.
"DOOOOVAAAAAHHHHKIIIIIIINNN!!!!!!!!!!" a litany of voices call out from atop seemingly every nearby mountain simultaneously, literally causing the ground to tremble, not from the volume, but from the sheer presence of it.
Surtr unconsciously growls at it, comparing the voices to the scrape of metal, or nails on a chalkboard. He could tell that those who uttered it shouldn't be using it in the first place, thieves.
Everyone in the convoy paused midstep at the call, some guards looking between each other with almost gleeful expressions, "The Greybeards! They call the Dragonborn! It's a summons!!!"
"THE DRAGONBORN, REVEALED WITHIN OUT CITY! WE ARE TRULY GRACED!"
Shakeesh wets his lips as he looks at Surtr, "We'll take you to Jorrvaskr, so the whole city can't follow. Give you some degree of peace there." he says, nodding at Jackle as they pull the despondent Surtr away.
Irileth, some of her more trusted guards, and the rest of the Companions file into Dragonsreach, quickly reporting the happening to Jarl Balgruuf.
"So, you killed the dragon, and the bones are waiting outside on a cart?" he tentatively asks, unsure if they were being truthful... Not because she couldn't trust them, but because of how unbelievable the situation seemed to him. Sure, his keep was designed to trap dragons, but that'd always been a myth, legend to him.
"It is as you said, my Jarl." Irileth nods.
"And you were saved by a former Companion, a foreign warrior?"
Aela coughs into her fist, drawing the Jarl's attention, "Not former, she was never formally removed from our roster. Saeka Busujma is still a Companion."
Balgruuf breathes a brief of relief, "Good, that saves us having to send gifts of thanks to Hammerfell..." he looks back to Irileth, "Lastly... What's this about a Dragonborn? I heard the Greybeards earlier, so it can't just be a rumour... Does Skyrim have a new Champion?"
Irileth wets her lips, "Yes, it seems so... However, the 'Dragonborn' is none other than Surtr, the Stormcloak sympathiser who'd almost had his head cut off in Helgen..."
...
"That... Makes things difficult." the Jarl mutters, running a hand through his beard, his tired face looking focussed despite his rather pale and pallid skin. "Where is he now, might I ask? Was he injured?"
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"Where is he now, might I ask? Was he injured?"
Irileth turns towards the Companions present, "Indeed, where is Surtr? As far as I'm away he wasn't grievously injured, where is he?"
The Companions glance at one another, unsure what to say, but are luckily saved as Shakeesh enters the room. "Apologies my Jarl, Surtr appears to have broken some ribs and taken a knock to his head during the fight. I've left him in Jorrvaskr with some potions and a healer to recover."
"Hmm, I'd have you all give a full description of the battle, but I imagine I'll be hearing it from every tavern soon enough. Have Surtr come to Dragonsreach once he has recovered, for now... Irileth, send reparations to the families of the men who didn't make it. Proventus, have everyone who participated in the city's defence rewarded, Surtr especially for dealing the final blow."
""At once my Jarl""
Balgruuf looks to everyone else, "You are all free to make merry, thank you and congratulations for slaying one of the most terrible threats to Whiterun in over several thousand years. You all have my utmost respect!"
"Cheers to that! Let's grab some drinks! I've got some stories to tell and women to bed! Think of that, me, a dragon slayer!"
"Dumb ass, the Dragonborn slew the dragon, we were just running and trying not to get crushed."
"Dragon Slayer by Accomplice?"
"Dragon stabber, not slayer. That's the best you're gonna get out of me. Unless you'd rather have me cock-block you tonight and every other night."
"Fine, but if you do talk, I'll accidentally mention the fact that you pissed yourself!"
"It was only a dribble!... I mean, it was blood! From the battle!"
Aela shakes her head at the glory hounds as they make their way to the various inns, she and the Companions instead head to Jorrvaskr, intent to celebrate amount friends and allies, plus, they were eager to speak to Surtr on the subject of him being Dragonborn.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning Saeko blinks her eyes and slowly wakes up, pushing herself off of the matted stone slab that lay in the Temple of Kynareth.
"Ah! You're awake!" Danica Pure-Spring, the Head Priestess of the temple greets, smiling as she looks the swordsman over.
Saeko runs a hair through her bloodied and matted hair, still stained with dragon blood, "Where am I? Did we slay the dragon?"
Danica enthusiastically nods, "We did! It's the word of the town how you cut the beast's wing off with a single strike! Truly, on behalf of Whiterun and all the people who live here, thank you for protecting us!"
Saeko numbly nods, receiving thanks for very common for her both during her time in the Companions and in Hammerfell. "I see. And, where is my friend? The Redguard called Raiden?"
"I... He visited last night to check on you, I imagine he got caught up in the merriment last night... It's not every day a dragon is slain after all, neither is the discovery of a Dragonborn in our midst!... Who could have known that Surtr was a being of legend! He seemed like a normal young man to me!"
...
"Dragonborn?" she questions,
"No, THE Dragonborn! the one of legend! Born from Akatosh himself, a mortal with the soul of a dragon! Kyne bless us, he's the solution to Skyrim's problems, our saviour!"
...
Saeko shakes her head, getting to her feet while checking herself over... Other than being filthy and having some of her hair singed, she was fine... Though, she'd need to look for where her sword went...
She remembered summoning a spirit sword, her Shehai, something only the powerful Ansei could do. But she also remembered how taxing it was to use, meaning she'd need a weapon beside it so she wouldn't pass out while dealing with weaklings.
She didn't really care about this 'Dragonborn' either, as far as she was concerned, he was just a guy with a special physique until he'd proven himself otherwise... The fact that she'd done half the job for him withstanding.
Now, where to find her wayward friend?
It isn't long before she locates Raiden in a room in the Bannered Mare, one Nord woman and a Redguard in each arm as he lies in bed...
*Ahem!*
"W-who?" Raiden asks as he cracks an eye open, sporting Saeko with her arms folded. "Hmph, looks like you've caught me with my underclothes down. Do you want to join or...?"
Saeko shakes her head, "Just coming to see the mast-, hm, student. As I recall, I'm now an Ansei, and you're still..."
Raiden gives a low chuckle, "Yes, yes... Now could you leave me and these two ladies? I believe you have someone to locate of your own, no?"
She nods, "I'll go ask at Jorrvaskr, you just... Do whatever you're doing." she says as she leaves.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the same time, Surtr hadn't slept a wink at all. While his physical wounds had been healed, he'd been going over his many new memories for the entire night. Sure, he had thrown a bedside table at some of the more noisy bugs that approached him, but he was beginning to settle down.
Even after staying up all night, he found that he wasn't tired at all... Indeed, now that he'd had time to process things, he felt better than he ever had before!
He gets up and opens the door of his room, coming face to face with Jackle who quickly shifts her weight to lean on the wall... Had she been waiting outside of his room?
"Kehlo-...*Ahem*" he coughs into his fist after misspeaking, "What do you want?"
"Surtr, you've been acting like, well, like an arrogant fool since the battle. Big deal, you're the Dragonborn, but acting like you're above everyone else-"
"What. Do. You. Want." he growls.
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
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