The Dragon's Legacy: Return

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Hall of Valor

The only thing Eerika could feel was the rushing wind of Magic throwing her back and forth as she endlessly fell into oblivion. Her eyes were screwed shut as she clutched her hands to her chest, breathing rapidly as she plummeted. 

"Eerika." A voice called out.

She snapped her eyes open and looked around her. She only saw a blinding array of rainbow light that swirled around her. 

"Eerika!" The voice sounded so familiar. 

She twisted around and saw the faint shadow of a figure standing still in front of her. It was motionless compared to the churning light all around it, and although Eerika was falling, it stood as though the solid ground was beneath its feet. It reached out a hand to her.

After a moment, Eerika reached out hers to meet the shadows'. An image passed through her head: the shape of Dragonsreach and Whiterun. Eerika closed her eyes and watched the memory pan out in front of her like a painting. The city glimmered in a sea of darkness, the northern lights dancing above the Throat of the World. A phrase echoed in her mind, "I will stand by your side in both life and death." 

Eerika snapped open her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. But instead of looking to the shadowy figure, she found a valley covered in mist lying in front of her. She blinked a few times and looked around her. No sign of the portal was seen. She looked back to her surroundings and her jaw fell open. 

The sky was filled with a rainbow of colors, the northern lights of Skyrim were nothing compared to the nebulous shapes of color that filled the night sky. Where the moons should have been, a gaping hole opened into Aetherius, a fountain of light poured down into the realm below, illuminating the waves of fog that rolled silently over the landscape surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The light glimmered down from the sky as if everything was under water, shimmering in a strange glow. She took off the mask of Nahkriin and felt the cool breeze of the valley upon her face as it rustled her hair and the leaves of the trees towering above her. On the edges of the valley stood statues that vaguely resembled the Greybeards, towering higher than the trees and all facing where Eerika stood motionless in awe. 

This was paradise. This was Sovngarde.

A set of large stone steps went down to the center of the valley from where she stood. Careful not to slip on the ice, she followed the path set before her. On the far side of the valley stood the shape of a large castle, it's spires outlines by the stars and the vibrant colors far beyond. It must be the Hall of Valor, the place she would hear stories about as a small child. Youth seemed to fill her bones again and her limbs did not seem to slow her down anymore. She passed the statues that surrounded her, heading towards the hall. But she never shook the feeling of being watched. 

When she reached the bottom of the staircase, the mist of the valley engulfed her, drowning out all the light of the sky and plunging her into darkness. A feeling of uneasiness came over her and she unsheathed her bow and put on the mask of Nahkriin. Her eyes watched the space around her, careful to make sure that each step she took was silent.

 Suddenly, a figure appeared in the fog. Eerika halted in her tracks and watched the man, who was clothed in stormcloak armor. A faint light outlines him as he noticed her and slowly approached as if he too were skeptical of the events transpiring. "Turn back, traveler!" He warned, pointing back to the entrance of Sovngarde. "Terror awaits within this mist. Many have braved the shadowed vale but vain is all courage against the peril that guards the way."

"Who are you?" Eerika called out to him, lowering her bow.

He sighed and stepped forward to her. Eerika then noticed that his eyes were glazed over as if he were blind. As he stared into nothingness, he spoke slowly, "Near Giants' Gap, in the gloom before dawn, we marched, unsuspecting into the Imperials' trap. Then we stood and fought, our shield-wall defending until dawn's light the Legion's ranks wavered, But I never knew if nights-end brought victory -- a swift-flying arrow to Sovngarde carried me."