Skyrim: Rise of the Dragonborn

Chapter 25: The Greybeards of High Hrothgar

As Beric and Lydia passed a statue of Talos, Beric looked up the walls. It was fairly large for a group of recluses, but it was about as plain as one might expect. There were no banners or large fires burning and defying the cold. Two sets of stairs led up to doors on both sides of a tower that stood a level or two higher than the rest of the wall. The more Beric watched the walls, the more he started to wonder if it were abandoned. The only sounds he could hear were the wind blowing against the walls and the duo's boots stepping up the stairs.

"Should we knock?" Beric asked as they approached the door.

"I'm not sure they'll answer, but it's worth a shot," Lydia shrugged as she reached up and knocked on the thick wooden doors. After the third knock, the doors slowly creaked open. As he peered in, Beric saw that the inside was rather dark. He took several steps in and observed a large stone pillar blocking his view of a much larger room. Walking around the pillar revealed a large room with two yellow banners hanging from the ceiling on the opposite side. There was a brazier at each corner of the room that lit the room. A wide staircase with a six-foot-high column led up to second level where some doors were located. At the top of the column that rose from the staircase, there was a large brazier that had an equally large fire that illuminated the second level. Beric almost didn't notice a robed figure that knelt before the column holding the large brazier. The figure's robes were grey with black fur on the inside. A hood covered the figure's bowed head.

"Hello?" Beric asked respectfully. The figure remained silent but raised his head. Beric spotted a braided beard that hung from the man's face. He heard Lydia shift nervously behind him. As he looked around, he saw three more robed men enter the room. Two came from the staircase, and one other came from a hallway that was behind Beric.

"So, a Dragonborn appears at this moment in the turning of the age," said the one that entered through the hallway. As Beric backed up a bit to put all of them in front of him he took a moment to observe them. The were, for the most part, identical. The only difference he could see was the braids in their beards and subtle differences in their facial features. They stood completely still. They almost appeared as statues with flesh and blood. The skin that Beric could see was almost as pale as the snow, in fact, the only thing that kept Beric from thinking their skin was completely white was their pale white beards. The other three that hadn't spoken yet seemed inhumanly silent. Their eyes seemed distant. It was as if Beric were in the presence of some beings that had shed their mortality.

"I'm answering your summons," Beric said after a moment.

"Of course," the greybeard nodded, "We summoned you as soon as we felt your presence. You certainly are gifted in some sort of power, but we will see if you truly have the gift of the Dragonborn," he said stepping forward slowly, "Show us, Dragonborn. Let us feel your voice," he said seeming to braise himself.

"You mean shout?"

"Yes, Dovakiin," he nodded, "Don't worry, we will not be harmed," he shook his head.

"Alright, then," Beric said taking a deep breath and cocking his head to the side in doubt. He planted his feet like he had done before and recalled the word he had learned, "FUS!!!" he shouted as a force shot from his mouth and cracked against the greybeard. His robes shot back like a flag in a brutal storm, as did his beard. He tilted his head to the side as the brunt of the shockwave hit him. After a moment, the greybeard looked at him and stared with his eyes slightly wider than they had been. The silence slowly grew as the echo of Beric's shout died in distant halls.