Disclaimer: I do not own the character, places or events depicted in this story. I only own the idea behind it and Fengir, everything else is owned by Bethesda

Chapter 3

After leaving Haskill, Fengir walked for about three hours, before he came to a stream at the foot of a mountain. The road continued to the right, following the stream. From further down the stream, he could hear the sound of a sawmill and the ringing of metal hitting metal, most likely a blacksmiths hammer hitting the anvil. Leaving the road, he went down to the stream. Kneeling down, he dipped his hand into it, feeling the pure waters of his homeland on his skin. Smiling, he looked up on the mountain and the ruin which had scared him and many others around Whiterun when they were children.

He could still remember the stories his mother used to tell him at bedtime, before she passed away when he was ten. At the though of his mother, he felt the smile leave his face and sorrow take its place. As a strong nord woman, his mother would have been welcomed into Sovngarde when she died, as would his father. But he, now a Daedric Prince, was denied entry if he were to die, making it impossible for him to meet them in the afterlife.

Ah, well, it was 200 years to late for regrets, now. Besides, if all went as planned, and he could stop Alduin, maybe he could speak to the Aedra and be allowed to visit Sovngarde from time to time. Shaking his head, he decided that such wistful thoughts would do him no good, and with a last glance towards the ruins known as Bleak Falls Barrow, he rose to his feet and returned to the road.

After following the road for another ten minutes, he reached the entrance to Riverwood. It was a small settlement, with maybe ten families living there at most. It also looked somewhat young, and Fengir thought it must have been built within the last 50-100 years. As he walked past the guards at the entrance, he was somewhat confused at how peaceful Riverwood was. After all, it hadn't been that long since Helgen had been destroyed, and surely, he couldn't be the first one to get there?

As he passed the first house, he heard an old woman claim she saw a dragon, but her son simply said that she had dreamt it all. He continued on his way towards the blacksmith, who was sharpening a sword on the grindstone, but looked up as he reached the smithy.

"Ain't everyday we get visitors in Riverwood", he said with a smile and nodded in greetings. "You need anything? By Ysmir, if it's simple and strong, I can forge it."

"Well, that depends. You have a nephew named Hadvar?"

"That I have. Why? Has something happened to him?"

"Well, yes, but don't worry, he's still alive. And I think he'll come by here in a day or so, as soon as he's made sure the survivors are safe."

"Survivors? What has happened? Tell me!"

The man rises up and takes a step towards Fengir, a mixture of fear and relief in his eyes. Fear for what has happened, and relief for knowing Hadvar was safe.

"Now, now, don't be hasty. Helgen has only been destroyed by a dragon, it's nothing serious."

The man stops and stares at him.

"A dragon? Shor's bones, have you been drinking, man?!"

"I assure you, I'm as sober as can be", Fengir said, looking insulted. "The empire was about execute this rebel... Ulfric, I believe his name was, when a dragon came and burned the whole place down. I helped Hadvar and two locals out of Helgen, and he asked me to come here and warn you, before going to Whiterun and warn the Jarl. And now that I'm done here, I bid you a good day!"

With those words, Fengir turned to leave, but was stopped by the man.

"Wait!" Fengir turned back towards the man. "If what you say are true, then I own you a debt of gratitude for saving my nephew, and no true Nord would ever shrink from a debt. Please, if there is anything I can do, tell me."

"Well, I could use a bow and some arrows if you have any. Those dragons can fly, so I will need a weapon that can hit them."

The man nods, and walks over to a chest standing in the corner of the smithy. From it he takes an Iron bow and a quiver of iron arrows.

"Here, take these. If what you've said is true, then this is nothing compared to what I owe you, but know this; if Hadvar comes here and don't confirm your story, you will be a wanted man in this Hold, and you'll end up in the Jarls dungeons."

Taking the bow and arrows, Fengir smiles at this. "Oh, don't worry, I never lie. I may talk a lot on nonsense, but I never lie."

Waving goodbye at the blacksmith, Fengir went across the street to the local traders, Riverwood Traders. Stepping inside, he came upon a young woman arguing with a man.

"Well, one of us have to do something!" The young woman was staring angry at the man.

"I said no! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!"

"Well what are you going to do then,huh? Let's hear it!"

"We are done talking about this." The man turns towards the door Fengir just stepped through. At the sight of Fengir, the scowl on the mans face disappear. "Oh, a customer. Sorry you had to hear that."

As the Fengir approach the man, the young woman goes to the other end of the small trader. When he reaches the counter, the man says apologetically. "I don't know what you overheard, but the Riverwood Trader is still open. Feel free to shop."

So that not to seem rude, Fengir buys a few potions before speaking to the man.

"Based on that argument, something must have happened. Mind if I ask you what?"

The man looks a bit miserable before he answers. "Yes, we did have a bit of a... break-in. But we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold. In the shape of a dragon's claw."

"A dragon's claw, you said? Interesting... I have a bit of a fascination with dragons, so if you would allow me to study it for a bit, I could return it to you."

"You could? We would be grateful if you could get the claw back. I even have some extra coins from my last shipment, they're yours if you bring back my claw."

"It's a deal then! Oh, and by the way, do you know were the robbers went?"

"Yes. They were last seen going towards Bleak Falls Barrow, so if you hurry, they may still be up there."

"Well, then! I'll be back with with the claw come morning! Farewell!" Leaving the Riverwood Trader, Fengir felt a smile grow on his face. Finally! A chance to let loose and be an adventurer again! These years as Sheogorath had been fun, but he missed the simple joys of an adventurer. Delving into ruins, finding lost treasures, helping people and gaining fame, and to begin with Bleak Falls Barrow. He had often wondered how the ruin looked inside while he was still living in Whiterun, and now he would be able to find out.

Almost laughing out loud, he left Riverwood the opposite way he came in, and crossed the stream on a stone bridge, before turning left and beginning the ascent of the mountain towards the ruins. After about an hour of scaling the mountain, he came across an old, ruined watchtower, in which a group of bandits had made themselves comfortable. As he came closer, the bandit on guard called out, telling him not to come closer. Knowing that if he were to reach Bleak Falls Barrow, he had to pass the watchtower, but the bandits would most likely not allow that, so he drew his bow and put an arrow on the string. This didn't go unnoticed by the bandit, and as the bandit drew his greatsword and called in to his friends, Fengir took aim. When the bandit started to charge towards him, he let the arrow fly, hitting the bandit in the shoulder, destroying the joint. Dropping the sword and falling to his knees in pain, the bandit didn't even notice what Fengir was doing, until the next arrow took him right in the head, killing him instantly.

Watching the bandit drop, Fengir smiled, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg. Looking down, he saw an arrow sticking out of his thigh. Looking back up, he was almost hit by another arrow, and he noticed that the first bandits friends had come out and were now shooting at him. Swearing in every language he knew, he summoned a Flesh Atronach to take care of the archers while he removed the arrow from his leg and healed the wound with a healing spell.

The terrified screams of the bandits echoed down the mountain as the Atronach made short work of them. The first bandit didn't even have time to react, when the Atronach attacked, and was knocked to the ground, dropping his weapon. Before he could draw his sword, the Atronach reached down and grabbed him by the throat, strangling him before ripping his arm off. Not being able to scream in pain, the eyes of the bandit almost popped out of his head, before the Atronach ripped it from his shoulders. Tossing the corpse away, the Atronach turned towards the last bandit, which had been firing arrows into it while it killed her friend. Dropping her bow, she drew her sword and attacked the Atronach in desperation, hopping to kill it before it killed her. Ignoring her desperate attacks, the Atronach slowly walked closer to her, and in a last desperate attempt to kill it, she stabbed her sword right through the spot its heart should have been, had the Atronach had one. Now close enough, the Atronach wrapped its arms around the bandit and squeezed her hard. Her screams of pain didn't last long, as the vice-like embrace of the Atronach forced the air from her lungs, and stopped her from drawing another breath. Within a minute, she was dead, her sternum and ribs crushed and her spine broken. As the last life fled her body, the Atronach disappeared, dropping her body on the ground.

Still cursing, Fengir went up to the corpses and began looting them, grabbing all the gold they had and as many arrows he could carry. Then he paused, realizing what he had done. The Flesh Atronach was an Atronach only those chosen by him could summon, which gave the spell an unique resonance which other Daedra and mortals strong in Conjuring could sense. If he had been discovered, it would put his plans in jeopardy and even cause the destruction of Nirn if the wrong person noticed. Stretching his senses out over Skyrim, he tried to sense if anyone had noticed the spell. He couldn't feel anything which could indicate that he had been noticed. Sighing in relief, he decided that he shouldn't summon another Flesh Atronach, unless he had taken precautions to make sure no-one would notice.

Turning away from the slaughtered bandits, he continued up the mountain. The sun was setting when he reached the last ascent towards Bleak Falls Barrow, and the wind had started to blow harder, carrying a smell of snow with it. Looking up on the ruin, he could see movements on the approach to the doors. Seeing a bandit stepping out onto the stairs which leads up to the entrance, Fengir smiles to himself. The bandits are still there, and with the sun setting and a blizzard on the way, he had everything he needed to make short work of the guards. Since coming back to Nirn, he had kept his daedric powers suppressed, so to not alter the reality around him, as he did on the Shivering Isles. But now, he slowly released some of those powers, in order to hasten the arrival of the blizzard. Waiting for the sun to set and the blizzard to arrive, he sat down behind a rock and took a piece of cheese from his backpack and started to eat, feeling hungry after having walked and fought for a couple of hours. Within half an hour, the sky had been covered in clouds, and the wind had increased in intensity. A few minutes later, the snow began to fall, and Fengir rose to his feet in the darkness, whistling to himself as he made his way up the stairs to the entrance. Stepping up to the doors, he opened them and slipped inside, leaving the guards none the wiser in the blizzard.

The doors led to a large, open room, filled with broken ornaments and dust. In the far end of the room, he could see a campsite in which a fire was lit. Two bandits stood on the far side and talked about something. Sneaking closer, he soon came within earshot of the bandits, and smiled when he heard what they were discussing.

"That dark elf wants to go on ahead, let him. Better than us risking our necks." The bandit who talked was standing with his back towards Fengir, so he couldn't see his face, but the way he stood and the sound of his voice told Fengir all he needed to know. This bandit was older and more experienced than the other bandits he had met so far, which made him the first target when Fengir planned to attack.

"But what if Arvel doesn't come back? I want my share from that claw!" The other bandit was a woman, and a young one at that. Her mannerism told Fengir she was inexperienced and impatient, making her a secondary target. Now knowing for certain that the claw was down there in the ruins, Fengir decided that he had heard enough.

"Just shut it and keep an eye out for trouble."

Drawing his bow, Fengir aimed an arrow at the back of the male bandit. Letting the arrow go, he saw the bandit fall forward as the arrow took him right between the shoulder-blades, piercing his heart. Standing up, he dropped the bow and drew his Akaviri blade as the woman drew her sword and looked around for the source of the arrow which had killed her partner. Spotting Fengir, she screamed in rage and ran towards him with her sword raised above her head. Just standing there, waiting, Fengir didn't attack until she had started her downward swing. Taking a quick step to the side, he brought his blade up in a diagonal strike, taking her hand of her wrist. Staring at her wrist in shock, she didn't notice him taking another step, this time behind her. Twisting his body to maximize the force behind his strike, he brought his blade down on her neck, decapitating her in one swift motion.

Turning away from the twitching corpse, he shook the blood of his blade before sheathing it. Picking up his bow, he continued down into the interiors of Bleak Falls Barrow. He didn't have to descend far, before he heard the sound of footsteps in an upcoming room. Staying in the shadows, he looked into the room and saw a bandit walking around a lever placed on the floor in the middle of the room and a locked gate on the far side. While he watched, the bandit grabbed the lever and pulled it, triggering a trap. Arrows suddenly shot out of the wall next to the gate, hitting the bandit and killing him. Waiting for the arrows to stop, Fengir then stepped out into the room, looking around. He spotted three pictures, one on the floor and two on the far wall. One on the wall and the one on the floor seemed to depict a snake, while the third one looked like a whale of some sort. Looking around, he saw three three-sided pillars at the left wall, each in its own alcove. From left to right they showed; Snake, Whale, Eagle. Touching the pillar which showed an eagle, Fengir was surprised when the pillar turned to the right, changing from eagle to whale. Now knowing what to do, he touched the middle pillar, and watched as it turned from whale to snake. The three pillars now showing the same three images as the pictures did. Pulling the lever, he smiled as the gate opened. Continuing down, he came upon a few skeevers, but a short burst of flames from his hands turned them into charred corpses in seconds. A bit further down, he started to notice large webs in the corners and hanging from the ceiling. He must be close to the lair of a Frostbite Spider. Using fire-magic to burn away some of the webbing, he suddenly heard a voice.

"Is... is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling?"

The voice was coming from a room filled with spiderweb, most likely the main lair of the spider. Drawing his blade, he stepped into the room, looking around. On the far side he could see a dark elf, trapped in the spiders net. Taking a step closer to the Dunmer, he heard a hissing noise. Looking up, he jumped back as a gigantic spider fell from the ceiling, landing in the middle of the room. Turning its eyes towards Fengir, it reared up and attacked. As the spider rushed towards him, Fengir held his blade horizontally on his right and dashed slightly to the left. Using the momentum of the dash, he slashed at the spiders legs, severing all four legs on its right side before it could react to his speed. As the spider fell to its side, Fengir began gathering his magicka for an expert level destruction spell. The spell, Incinerate, burnt a fist-size hole through the body of the spider, boiling its innards and killing it.

Turning his back on the spider, Fengir approached the Dunmer, who was now relaxing where he hang, as the threat of being eaten had disappeared. As Fengir reached him, he spoke. "You did it. You killed it. Now cut me down before anything else shows up."

"In time, in time. Now tell me, where is the golden claw?"

"The claw? Yes, I know how it works. The claw, the marking, the door in the Hall of Stories, I know how they all fit together. Help me down and I'll show you. You wont believe the power the Nords have hidden there."

"Hmm, now that's interesting... Very well, down you go."

Drawing his sword, Fengir made two quick cuts, severing the strings holding the Dunmer in place. As soon as his feet touched the floor, the Dunmer turned around and bolted the other way, yelling back at Fengir. "You fool! Why should I share the treasure with any one?"

Hearing those words, Fengir barked a short laugh. Fool? If the elf only knew... Sending his mind forward, after the fleeing elf, Fengir woke all of the sleeping draugr in the crypts below. He then walked after the elf, hearing the sounds of battle in the distance. A few rooms down, he found the body of the elf, surrounded by draugr. As he moved closer, the draugr turned towards him and lifted their weapons. Once again using fire-magic, he turned them into piles of ashes, before leaning down and removing the elfs satchel from his body. Reaching in, he withdrew the claw from the satchel, before throwing it away. Looking down on the claw, he saw three pictures carved into its palm. Nodding to himself, he put the claw into his on satchel and continued on.

This part of the dungeon was filled with traps and draugr, but he easily killed the undead Nords and avoided the traps. He soon left the man-made parts of Bleak Falls Barrow, entering into the natural cave system the barrow had been built around. Following the caves, he came upon a corridor with carvings on the walls and a large door in the other end. As he came closer to the door, he saw a circular locking-mechanism sealing it shut. It was three rings, each with a picture of an animal on it, and in the middle was a circular plate with four holes in it, three at the top and one at the bottom. Taking out the claw, he looked on the carvings in its palm, before arranging the rings so that they matched the carvings on the claw. He then pushed the 'fingers' of the claw into the holes on the central piece, forcing the plate inwards, before turning it to the right. This caused the rings to move until they all showed the same animal, and the door to open. Moving forward, he soon came to a large cave. In the cave there was a sarcophagus placed in front of a wall, formed in a half-circle, the head of a dragon carved into it. Below the carvings of the dragon, there was some sort of scrip carved into the wall. As Fengir approached, one of the words on the wall started to glow. Moving closer, he could feel some sort of force leaving the wall, and entering him. For a short moment a word filled his mind, dancing in front of his eyes.

Fus

"Fus" As soon as he spoke the word, he heard the sound of stone grinding against stone. Turning around he saw the lid of the sarcophagus being pushed aside, as a higher undead left it. The Draugr Overlord turned its dead eyes towards Fengir, and raised its battleaxe, determined to destroy the one who had disturbed its slumber. But it had only time for one step, before Fengirs magic hit it in the chest, throwing it across the cave and crushing its head as it hit the opposite wall.

Taking a step towards the sarcophagus before looking down into it, Fengir saw a stone tablet on the bottom if the sarcophagus. Picking it up, he saw what appeared to be a map of Skyrim, carved into it, with strange markings dotting the face of the map. Shrugging, he put it next to the claw, before starting to look for an exit. After a while, he found a hidden exit, which led to a cave on the north side of the mountain. As Riverwood was on the eastern side, he started to walk eastwards, humming to himself as he watched the sky getting brighter, as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. After about four hours of walk, he reached Riverwood. Knowing that the trader wasn't open yet, he went to the local inn. The sign outside the inn depicted a giant, resting on the ground. Opening the door, he went inside.

As he entered, a woman looked up from behind the counter and greeted him. "Welcome to the Sleeping Giant Inn, what do you need?"

Sitting down at the counter, Fengir ordered some mead and cheese. As he ate, he noticed that the woman was staring at him.

"What? Do I have slaughterfish stuck in my teeth? Why are you staring?"

"Sorry, it's just... your sword..."

"Hmm? Oh, right. I guess an Akaviri Blade isn't something you see everyday, now that the Akavir are extinct, and it's only the Blades that are using them. Maybe I should have taken another sword... Bah! Doesn't matter! More cheese!"

At the mentioning of the Blades, the woman had turned pale, but didn't hesitate as she went and got more cheese. While he sat there and ate, Fengir noticed that the woman was looking at him from time to time with a scowl on her face. When enough time had passed, he left the inn and went over to the trader. As he entered, both the man and the young woman looked at him. Walking over to the counter, he pulled out the claw and put it down on top of it. The man looked at it in wonder.

"You... you found it? Ha ha ha! There it is! Strange... it almost seem smaller than I remember. Funny thing, huh? I'm gonna put this back where it belongs. I'll never forget this. You have done a great thing for me and my sister." Smiling, the man handed over a pouch of gold to Fengir. Saying goodbye to the siblings, Fengir left the trader.

Setting out again, this time for Whiterun, Fengir left Riverwood and followed the road down from the mountain towards the plains. After about an hour, he came to a crossroad. Taking the right road, he would end up past the Throat of the World, in either Ivarstead, Riften or Windhelm. The left would take him to Whiterun, or, if continuing on, to Rorikstead or Falkreath. Turning left, he continued down the road, past a meadery and towards a farm. When he came closer to the farm, he saw a group of warriors fighting an angry giant. Readying his bow, he slowly took aim at the giant, and as it began lifting its club for an overhand smash, he let the arrow fly. As the giants club reached its highest point, the arrow struck the hand holding it, causing it to drop the club. Another arrow then hit it in the back of the knee, forcing the giant to the ground. As the warriors began stabbing it in the chest with their weapons, a third arrow hit the giant in the temple, killing it instantly.

Lowering the bow, Fengir walked up to the warriors, which was gathered around the giants corpse. Hearing his approach, one of the warriors turned around, causing Fengir to almost stop in his tracks. This warrior was a female, and a quite good-looking one at that. While not exactly Fengirs type, her armour didn't leave much to the imagination, giving him quite a good view of her finely sculptured legs and her cleavage... Fengir shook the thoughts from his head as she began to speak.

"That was some good shooting. You could make for a decent Shield-Brother."

"Shield-Brother? Ah, you are the Companions, I take it?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, we belong to the Companions. I take it you have heard about us before?"

"Well, I used to live in Whiterun as a child, and I sometimes dreamed of joining the Companions, but some events made that impossible at the time."

"Then why not join now? We could use a man with your skill."

"Maybe I'll do that, Maybe I'll do... By the way, the name's Fengir. Who are you?"

"I'm Aela, and these" she nods towards the two men standing next to her. "These are the twins, Vilkas and Farkas. If you decide to join, you can find us in Jorrvaskr."

Nodding, Fengir said farewell, to the three Companions, and left for Whiterun. Walking on the well-known path towards the main gates, he remembered the last time he traveled this path, 205 years earlier, when the guards had dragged him out of Whiterun to be hanged on the order of the Jarl. Approaching the gate, he was hailed by a guard, telling him that the city was closed, until the dragon business was taken care off. Telling the guard he came from Riverwood because of said business, he was let into the city.

And so the chapter ends, for now. I hope you who reads this enjoy the story, and if you have any question based on the story, please ask them as a review, and I'll answer as many as possible in the beginning of the next chapter.