“So this is it, huh?” I say remorsefully, looking down at the unfinished book on the table in front of me. Adrienne stands on the other side of the table, both hands on the polished wood table as she leans against it, sighing at my question out of stress over the upcoming battle.
“This is the last night. The final stand will begin at dawn.” she confirms, her normally clear voice sounding forced. I glance up at her, taking in the sight of the person I’ve known since childhood. In my mind, I know that she hasn’t always been such a great hero, that she hasn’t always been the commander of a holy order of knights, but now it’s hard to see the girl she had once been. She’s looking as though it’s becoming hard to hold the weight of the world on her shoulders, and as much as I wish I could shoulder some of it, that isn’t something I’m capable of. This is her fight, I remind myself. Hers and her knights.
“You’ll make it out, Adri, I know you will. Have some faith in your own strength, my friend.” I assure her, standing up from my seat. Don’t get me wrong, my best friend is about to go into battle against the most powerful dragon in existence, and I’m worried, but I always have faith in her.
“But what if I don’t? What if I die in there, even if I do manage to defeat Alduin? How would the others take it? How would you?” she replies, deciding to pace from one side of my study to the other, hands clasped behind her back, and even though it feels like a bolt of lightning went through me when she finished speaking considering the questions she’d asked, I have to admire how much she looks like a real commander now compared to only months before. And that fact gave me courage.
“Those questions are irrelevant. You’re going to be back here tomorrow night, and we’re all going to drink ourselves silly. I promise. Now you stop doubting yourself and get some rest.” I order, looking her in the eye as boldly as I can, and I watch the sudden panic that had set in dissipate, and she sighs again with something of a grateful smile.
“Alright, Catticus.” Adrienne agrees. With a wave from me to her and her to me, she leaves my dimly-lit study, the door leaving a hollow echo as it slams closed. I let out a sigh of my own, exhausted as usual, and walk over to a bookshelf opposite the window. My hand reaches for a black book, one I’ve read many times. I trace the old spine with my fingertips and pull it gingerly off of the wooden shelf, the over-read pages almost ready to fall out of the book.
“The Tale of the Dragonborn. If only they knew.” I mutter to myself, shaking my head. I carry the book back to my desk and open it up, deciding to read tonight instead of write like I usually do. To think that this book, the one I hold in my hands, is the book that started it all. This battered old piece of literature has somehow followed us through our lives since we met, and now here it is, still with me only hours before the greatest battle in history will take place. I hope that once I finish writing the story of the Dragonborn Knights down, it will become as widespread and legendary as this book, or even greater. Of course, the story will have to end first, even if I have great faith in what the outcome will be.
There is no way Knight Commander Adrienne will lose. Even if she’d started out as nothing more than a Whiterun noblewoman, she has become the greatest commander in history and the hero of Tamriel. She has come so far from the little girl with a rowdy white horse that I grew up with. Now, she is greater than I’d ever even imagined she would become.
I have always looked up to her, both figuratively and literally. She always seemed to have the kind of strength and soul I lack. I once told her, “One day you’ll be a mighty hero, and I’ll be right behind you to write the tale.” I never knew how true my own words would become.
********
Merry Christmas guys! Undecided is making it's return with a few changes, including that I've added a character, changed the gender of a character, and a few other things you'll get to see along the way. But with a new year on it's way, and hopefully more time to work, the three books will be back up and better than ever before. For those who have read the books and those who have only read this part, welcom to the new and improved version of Undecided. It's been a long time getting here.
CZYTASZ
Undecided- Book 1 of the Dragonborn Knights Trilogy
Fanfiction“I have always looked up to her, both figuratively and literally. She always seemed to have the kind of strength and soul I lack. I once told her, “One day you’ll be a mighty hero, and I’ll be right behind you to write the tale.” I never knew how tr...
