Lost Legends

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"It can't keep going on like this!" A young woman's voice gasped as two figures dove over a snow drift to avoid detection by passing guards. "We have been fighting for so long that no one even cares anymore!" She added, running her fingers through blue black hair that had already become brittle with the cold.
"Of course they remember, Dex." The young woman's companion replied in an annoyed whisper. "We fight for freedom from the imperial invaders who seek to make us bow down to them!"
The woman who had just been referred to as Dex rolled her grey eyes. "What does it matter who sits on the throne as high emperor? Either way, we're still left down here in the dirt." She added, poking her head up to see if the coast was clear. "The rebellion is just pushing back the tide, sooner or later the imperials will find us all, and execute us as promised."

"Perhaps she would survive if I let her go." Draco whispered, hanging his head. "All I ever do is hurt her. Maybe...it would be kinder of me to simply leave her be..."

"While that could be true, one can never be too careful." Almeada countered. "Come now, child. You can't tell me you don't believe the stories of a real live dragon."

"There are a lot of 'what ifs' flying around here." Ulfric commented. "How about you grab onto the assumption that she is missing you as much as you are missing her, until proven otherwise?"

"I believe them perhaps a little too much.' Dex muttered quietly. "So what if there is a real dragon? I don't see how it would affect me."

"We did not part well, king." Draco muttered, dropping his well muscled frame into the chair with a sigh. "She is probably off celebrating the fact that she'll never see me again."

Almeada fixed Dex with a knowing look. "Is that so?" She asked softly, clearing her throat when Bree came closer. "Your man sent word. He's busy this evening. He will ask after you tomorrow." She told the other woman.
Bree frowned at this but managed a shrug. "I was hoping to get a look at the fools gathering at the gates anyway."

"Or she has been moping around just like you, having spent all this time hoping you would find her." Ulfric replied as he ran his fingers through his hair, knowing that look that Draco wore well. "In my experience, when a man and woman argue, and the woman leaves... She is expecting the man to chase her."

Dex had turned her face away as the other two women spoke, a far off look in her grey eyes. As far as she knew, Draco had been glad she had walked away, after all... He hadn't come looking for her.

"She needed her space, Ulfric. And I was making sure she got it." Draco told the other man. "Would you not do the same for your little pet?"

"You, child, should stay here. In your state it will bring nothing but trouble." Almeada admonished.
"My state?" Bree asked, cocking her head. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"There is giving her her space, and then there is simply abandoning her." Ulfric corrected. "If Bree wished for space, of course I would give it to her. But still, I would always know where she was, always mindful that one day... She may need my help."

Dex's eyes came back into focus and she turned to look at Breenan. She had an idea what the elder Dunmer meant, but didn't say it out loud. "It's just a stupid dragon anyway, why would anyone go looking for it?"

"Your destiny is that of protector." Draco sighed, finally fixing Ulfric with a sad gaze. His golden eyes were dull and hopeless. "Mine is to be killed by my mate. The day she figures that out is the day she will be free."

Bree shook her head. "Oh for heaven's sake. I simply made an erroneous potion and then drank it. Going out amongst thieves isn't going to kill me, Almeada. It was just a weakening liquid anyway."
Almeada turned toward Dex shaking her head. "I think you know why. I cannot stop you two from doing anything. I am simply trying to tell you to be careful."

"You think she has it in her? She is, after all, only human." Ulfric replied, his finger rubbing his stubbly chin as he drifted into thought. "I suppose the bigger question is... Why does it sound like you want her to?"

"It won't kill you if you are with one of them." Dex replied, glancing between Bree and Almeada. "I could go with her, make sure they don't try to pickpocket anything." She added, trying hard not to make it seem like she wished to go see this dragon too.

"She deserves her freedom, jarl." Draco told him. "How would you like to spend an eternity without the chance for rest?"

"You need to watch yourself as well." Almeada told her. "With that wound...and...you won't be in the best condition. The two of you could be overpowered and though I'm sure your protector will save you, it won't come without cost."

"It seems like you are the one who gains no rest, dragon." Ulfric responded. "From what I understand, she dies, and is born again with no memory of past hardship, where you... You must remember every loss, as well as every joy you shared with her."

Dex certainly didn't like being told she was too weak to even go into the town without incident. "Bree will not need her male protector, I am quite capable of keeping her safe." The dark haired Dragonborn replied haughtily.

"This was a stupid idea." Draco said suddenly, pushing himself to his feet and heading for the balcony. "I should never have tried to be something I'm not. Let that crowd below try to kill me. I see no reason to pretend anymore."

"I don't need any protectors at all." Bree snapped, giving them both a sour frown. "I can take care of myself just as well as you can."

"They may not wish to kill you." Ulfric pointed out coolly. "They may wish to imprison you, understand you... And then exploit you."

Dex snorted at this, heading for the door herself. "If that were so, why am I the one running all the dangerous errands?"

"People kill what they do not understand." Draco whispered, looking below them at the flickering lights just beyond the gates. "No doubt they will exploit my body only after my soul has left it. It's the human thing to do. Right?"

"Because you feel you must." Bree snorted, grabbing for their cloaks. "You really do need to take it easy." She said gently. "Especially with that wound on your stomach." She finished, handing the other woman her cloak.

"If you truly believe you and that girl are 'soulmates', then it is not your soul to set free." Ulfric commented. "It belongs to her, and I would wager she will not simply let you leave."

"I can take it easy when I'm dead." Dex replied as she pulled her cloak on, and the look in her desolate eyes made it clear that she didn't use that term as an off the cuff remark.

"Then perhaps a little torture is what I need." Draco smiled ever so slightly. "Or...maybe I need to eat a few humans. Your food has done nothing for me."

"Then perhaps you should consider that yours is not the only life in jeopardy and take care of it?" Bree countered, taking a moment to position the hood over her head.

"And I prepared it myself." Ulfric jested with a slight smirk. "You are acting like a child, Draco. Love and loss has made you a fool. Take a step back and think about what you are doing."

"I thought you didn't need my protection over your life?" Dex replied, misinterpreting Breenan's words.

"You mean like you did when you lost your queen?" Draco shot back, unable to keep from grinning. "I hear that was quite a show having a Dunmer controlling your every movement."

"Who said I was talking about me?" Bree asked, motioning for the other woman to follow her past the graveyard. "I hate this place."

"You heard wrong, no one controls me." Ulfric replied thinly. "And one day Breenan will come around, she will agree to be my queen."

"Then who else old you be talking about? In case you hadn't already noticed, I don't even speak to anyone else besides yourself and Almeada." Dex replied, pausing to look upon the graveyard. "I like it... It is the only truly peaceful place in this city."

"As soon as you stop bedding her and begin being seen in public places with her." Draco snorted. "You try and speak to me about the proper way to treat a woman but you do nothing but bed yours."

"If you say so." Bree muttered, deciding to let the subject drop for the moment. "There's still some creepy man hanging around here trying to kill women. Lucky for me, I guess, I'm a Dunmer and he seems to only want Nords. I guess that makes you safe too."

It would seem odd that Ulfric suddenly chuckled. "You have a lot to learn. It is her choice not be seen, not mine." He replied. "She is far too, shall we say 'mindful' of my reputation to the people as their jarl."

This didn't make Dex feel lucky, only reminded her that she had no place in skyrim. "As a Dunmer you have your own place in any town you visit." The silver eyed woman told her companion. "The Nords think I am in imperial... And the imperials think I am something else entirely."

"Then perhaps she is not the one for you." Draco muttered, scowling at Ulfric as he laughed at him.

"Then what are you?" Bree asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the other woman.

"That is where the fun lies, isn't it? The path that will lead me to finding out?" Ulfric replied. "For one so old, you seem to have let a lot of the good stuff pass you by."

Dex smiled sadly, her silver eyes looking at the gathering crowd in the distance. "You would have me locked away if I told what I thought. Let us just leave it as 'I don't know'."

"I see no goodness in this world. Skyrim is the least pleasant of all the worlds." Draco snapped, turning back to Ulfric. "Tell me. If your mate wanted to go back to Morrowind, would you go with her? And answer me truthfully. I will know if you are lying."

"I certainly would not." Bree said firmly, pausing to peer around the corner at a pair of guards. "I've seen plenty of really crazy things and that's just been in the past month or so."

Ulfric honestly didn't know the answer to that. He had spent his life fighting to free skyrim, but now... A part of him really did think he would give it all up if Breenan ever wished to return to Morrowind. "That's a complicated question." He replied finally.

Sadly, Dex didn't believe her. She couldn't explain the things she had been seeing in her dreams lately. This wasn't helped by the fact they didn't feel like dreams... But memories. How could they be memories? She had never been a dragon herself, had she?

Draco nodded. "And yet, I feel that I must have the answer." He admitted. "I do not think that even you will make sense to me if you cannot answer it."

"Those guards aren't letting anyone out of the city." Bree hissed after she figured out that Dex wasn't going to answer her question. "Got a solution?"

Ulfric nodded in agreement. "If she asked me to go with her, right now, I fear my answer would be no. Skyrim is in chaos, I could not abandon the hold, just as I could not guarantee Bree's safety if I simply let her go." The jarls sighed heavily, his broad shoulders slumping somewhat. "But if she asked me in a years time, when peace was here... I would have no qualm joining her."

"call your boyfriend?" Dex replied, her silver eyes flicking over the guards, assessing how quickly she could dispatch them if needed.

Draco nodded, making it clear it was exactly what he had expected. "You are only worried about your kingdom. It will cost you. Believe me. I know." He said darkly, turning back to the balcony.

"That's not going to happen." Bree muttered, rolling her eyes. "Something else then? Maybe a potion or two?"

"Did you have a kingdom?" Ulfric asked suddenly curious. "Before humans settled in Skyrim?"

Dex shook her head. "I don't have much use for them." She replied, reaching down to pull a dagger from her boot. "Stay here, I'll see if I can try and talk to them. You never know... They may be glad to have unclean blood out of their city."

"Oh yes. Myself and my mate were worshiped like gods. Even the other dragons fell before us. But I was a selfish and terrible god. I would never say this to another living being but...I got what I deserved."

"Wait..." Bree made a grab for Dex only to come up short. It was when she fell crashing out from behind the wall that guards caught sight of them.

"And they punished her, to punish you?" Ulfric asked, leaning a little closer now as he listened. "Your fate was to see her as a weakling human for the rest of eternity?"

Dex stopped in her tracks, groaning as she closed her eyes. "This why I work alone..." She muttered when the guards started in their direction.