Even in terrible visibility, High Hrothgar was nothing short of impressive.

The colossal stone structure rose high into the clouds, towering high above our heads in a silent, quaint sort of majesty, and strange-looking carvings decorated what would be the otherwise bare outer walls of the building, at the moment too far away from me to even try to make out what they were in the snowy gale. In the current weather, it seemed even more mysterious than I'd imagined it, and even a little dismal in appearance. I suddenly felt slightly nervous about entering, as, after all, it was Helgír who had been called up here; the Greybeards probably hadn't expected him to bring any companions up along with him.

Speaking of which... I thought to myself, stopping in my tracks and thus causing Nightbrook to do the same, How on earth are we going to explain the Dragonborn's current state to them?

"Well... we're here..." Nightbrook remarked, removing his arm from my shoulders carefully, letting out a humorless laugh as he continued, "This is going to be one gods-damned difficult situation to deal with. And there are still more stairs we've got to cover, and we can't get up these with the horse."

It was then I noticed aforementioned flights of stairs, and almost groaned out loud. On the way up here, I'd seen enough steps to last me a lifetime, and we were probably going to have to carry Helgír up these ones ourselves.

That's when I heard a slight shifting noise coming from where Snjall was standing, like fabric sliding against leather. Turning, I was surprised to see that Helgír was standing and very alert, though he didn't seem to acknowledge my presence - or Nightbrook's, for that matter. His eyes, still a mess of swirling blue and gold, were completely focused on the monastery, and he started to walk forward, his steps unfaltering. Completely and utterly bewildered, I turned to look at my other companion, and he merely shrugged, starting up the steps after the Dragonborn.

We had gotten about three quarters of the way there before Helgír suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing the rest of us to halt in order to keep from running into him. He looked back at us, his expression confused, and I noticed that his eyes were now primarily their original color, just barely flecked with gold.

"I... How did we get here so quickly?"

"Perhaps a later time would be better to discuss this. I don't think it's particularly smart to stand out here just discussing what happened and freeze to death, especially not when we have more important things to be doing," Nightbrook answered smoothly, clearly eager to get up to shelter.

Helgir didn't look particularly happy about letting the subject drop, but he did anyways, responding, "Very well. But there'd best be a very good explanation as to why I can't remember most of the trip up here."

With that, the Dragonborn got moving once again, hesitating a few seconds before he finally pushed open one of the enormous doors into the monastery and entered. Eager to get out of the cold, Nightbrook and I followed suit, hurrying out of the miserably cold weather in hopes that there would be some source of heat in the building.

I'm not sure what I was expecting to see when I walked into the monastery, but the sight that greeted my eyes once I'd made my way through the narrow entry hall certainly was nothing I'd been expecting. The interior of the room we'd walked into was surprisingly sparse for something so intricate looking on the outside, with very few furnishings other than quite a multitude of pots crammed into corners and other places for no discernible reason, and, if they could even be counted as 'furnishings', there were a few carvings on the walls that were somewhat similar in style to the ones I'd seen outside. I hadn't exactly thought it would be opulent and well-furnished, but if the rest of the monastery was as bare and spartan as this... I wondered how the Greybeards could tolerate living in such a barren and cavernous dwelling. To the place's credit, however, I also noticed it was well lit, and did have an air of almost reverence to it as our small group moved to the center of the room, looking for any sign of human activity - as, at present, we seemed to be the only ones in the monastery, or this part of it, at least.

It was then I became aware that we weren't alone in this main room of sorts as a dark grey-robed - and hooded - individual made his way down a flight of steps on the other side of the area, and headed straight for us, his unhurried gait suggesting he, in fact, had been expecting us. As he came closer, I noticed his robes had very intricate designs on them, and, though he was wearing a hood, it did nowhere near as good of a job at shadowing his features as Nightbrook's did; as a matter of fact, the hood didn't even cast much of a shadow over the man's face, and I could see that he had a long, brownish-blond beard - though it was greying somewhat with age - tied neatly above the collar of his cloak, and clear, deep blue eyes that were shone with wisdom, knowledge, and experience, as well as another thing I couldn't quite place. He practically radiated a quiet sort confidence and mystery - a different kind than our group's thief, to be sure - though by no means did he seem proud or condescending in any way. He stopped right in front of Helgír, his gaze piercing as he simply stared at him for a few seconds before speaking.

"So... a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age."

"I'm answering your summons," Helgír responded evenly, staring back at the Greybeard with a respectful yet unfazed expression on his face, though for a moment I thought I saw a bit of unease flicker in his eyes.

"We will see if you truly have the gift," the older man responded, an odd yet unreadable look on his face as he continued to stare at the blond-haired Nord, continuing, "Show us, Dragonborn. Let us taste of your voice."

The Nord seemed taken aback by that request, and the monk seemed to sense his reluctance, adding in a somewhat reassuring manner, "Do not be afraid. Your Shout will not harm us."

But what about him? If... whatever that was happens again... I thought worriedly, remembering what had happened back when Helgír had slain the Blood Dragon. Seeing as he didn't even remember that it'd happened... I should-!

Before I could even finish my thought, the world seemed to shake a little as a harsh, ancient-sounding word resounded through the room, the voice behind it almost barely recognizable as Helgír's, the all-too-familiar unnatural gold color flaring in his iris. The Greybeard was knocked back from the sheer force of it, the blow hard enough that he cried out, but he somehow managed to keep his balance and merely staggered back, looking slightly surprised.

"Dragonborn, it is you. Welcome to High Hrothgar," the man responded, continuing as he walked back over towards our small group, "I am Master Arngeir. I speak for the Greybeards. Now, tell me, Dragonborn, why have you come here?"

"As I said before, I'm answering your summons, Master," Helgír repeated respectfully, crossing his arms comfortably as he waited for a reply.

The Greybeard seemed slightly amused by this, replying, "We are honored to welcome a Dragonborn to High Hrothgar. We will do our best to teach you how to use your gift in fulfillment of your destiny."

"What is my destiny, exactly?" Helgír responded warily, suddenly looking anything but comfortable as he shifted his position.

"That is for you to discover, son of Torygg. We can show you the way, but not your destination."

And, with three simple words, the world seemed to spin off-balance for a moment.

"How on Mundus do you-"

"Son of Torygg?!?" I blurted incredulously, not quite believing what I'd heard - and not really wanting to believe it.

I turned to look at Helgír, whose expression could only be described as a strange mix of emotions somewhere between outrage and despair; this was the first time I'd ever seen him express any signs of anything that even remotely resembled fear.

"Is that who you are, then? Huh. Word on the street was that you were last sighted on the way to Morrowind, or dead - at  least, that's what the most common theory was... But it seems that those brand of rumors were quite far from the truth," Nightbrook mused loudly, sounding almost interested, in stark contrast to the generally agitated mood of the rest of our company, "I've never been one to dabble in politics unless absolutely necessary, but I've got to say you look a bit different than I was told you-"

"So... You lied to me, then." My voice sounded colder than I'd originally meant it to as I interrupted the thief, crossing my arms as I glared at the Nord, an icy sort of indignation building up within me at this sudden reveal. I couldn't care less about who he was, other than the fact that he'd lied to me so easily about things, and more than once, at that. What kind of person was this man, really?

His answer didn't do much of anything to make me feel more kindly towards him either, "Of course I did. And if you knew the first thing about current politics, you'd understand why. Skyrim's in the midst of a civil war, Helvia, and it's a terrible time to be a political figure right now. You have to understand, despite how innocent anyone may seem, one-"

"How can you even think you can justify lying to me like this? And not just me, Helgír! If that even is your name. And I'm not as stupid as you seem to believe, I'm more than aware of the basics of the situation of this country. And if you're such an important political figure, why aren't you trying to fix things?"

That seemed to strike a chord with the Dragonborn, as he stopped for a moment, seemingly shaken by what I'd said, before he advanced towards me hostily, fury and almost a hint of pain evident in his features as he practically snarled, "Ah, yes, that's what I'm supposed to do. Fix everything wrong with this blasted place, is it? Forgive me, I seem to have forgotten my role in society that was so generously thrust upon me."

"Look, I don't understand what your reasons are for... whatever it is you're trying to accomplish here, nor do I really care at this point. But why did you have to lie in the first place? I've never even pestered you to ever talk about yourself, either, so was that falsehood really necessary? And how many other things have you lied about, Helgír? I just... I don't understand."

"Well, you've already made that quite obvious," Helgír responded dryly, his tone still holding an undercurrent of mixed negative emotions, "But I think you don't understand more than just why I did what I did. If you really knew politics here, you'd know why I was eager to get out of that mess. It's not possible for one man to 'fix' what's wrong with this country, and-"

"So you decided to give up on that without even trying?"

"It's not giving up if you were never even meant to rule in the first place!" Helgír responded immediately, seething with fury, and for a minute I forgot my anger as his statement took me completely off-guard.

"What on Nirn do you mean by that statement?" I asked, still irate but now also more than a bit perplexed.

"I mean exactly what I said. I wasn't supposed to inherit the throne, and I'm not about to now, under these circumstances. I've had enough of this," he half-growled, half-complained, "Is it too much to ask to be able to have control over my own life and what I wish to do with it? Is it really? Because I've had enough orders and suggestions from other people about how I should be living it to drive a man insane. As soon as I manage to get away from one unwanted responsibility, I run headfirst into another, and inherit the role of some legendary hero, nonetheless! The great Dragonborn, the savior of mankind! Gods know I'm won't be able to live up to that legend. All I've wanted out of life is to make my own name for myself, and live up to my own expectations of self, not be trapped in a constant struggle to live up to an empty title that I never actually earned! There's no glory in just fulfilling a role, it's just what's expected of you, what you're supposed to do, what you have to do!"

Helgír was shaking slightly now, clearly from the exertion of his heated outburst, but he was far from finished speaking, "I know that having those kinds of responsibilities is regarded as an honor, something people would kill for; I know that all too well. But honestly? It's not that fantastic. It's a burden, a millstone around my neck that threatens to destroy me one way or another, a responsibility I've not even been prepared for. You... you have no idea how lucky you are, to start out with being just another average individual, to choose your own path-"

"Excuse me? Do you mean to imply I'm a nobody?" I interrupted incredulously, my anger rekindled at such a careless and brash statement.

"Well, you haven't exactly made a name for yourself-"

"Wow," I let out a disbelieving and half-disgusted sort of laugh, before continuing scathingly, "I'm glad to finally hear your true thoughts about me, Helgír. It seems that since you seem to view me completely as a nonentity, despite my tagging along on your little escapades and following your lead, rather than taking my own path and making something out of my own life, which was the reason I came to Skyrim in the first place. Now my eyes have been opened to just how little my friendship means to you."

The Nord's eyes widened as he realized what he'd just implied, and responded with, "Gods, that's not what I meant to say at all, damn it-"

"Of course you didn't mean to say it, but I know that you meant it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I'm supposed to be headed, and it's quite a ways from here," I replied cooly, meeting his eyes with a look of chilly indifference.

After giving him that glare, however, I averted my eyes and turned away, walking quickly but deliberately in the direction of the doors we'd come into the monastery through.

"Helvia, I-"

But I was already out of the building before I could hear the rest of what might have been said.

___________________________________________________________________________________

That went well, don't you think?

I don't think anyone won this argument. It's up to the characters to set things right, if that ever happens.

Anyways, the next part should be out soon, midterms and school willing.

Now, onto the questions!

~~~~~

QUESTIONS: 

Question: (Asked by Solienna for Helgír) ARE YOU ABOARD THE S.S. KALYSSA

Answer: (By Helgir) I... Is that one of the East Empire Trading Company's ships, or something...? If it is, I have no idea why you'd ask me such a ridiculous question, as it's more than obvious I'm on solid ground - a mountain, nonetheless! And if you weren't referencing a boat, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. 

Question: (Asked by _Aqua_Marine for Nightbrook) What's a mer?

Answer: (By Nightbrook) *completely serious voice* Well, it's a technical term for a Khajiit's kitten. And it's also what I named my crossbow when people kept asking me that question, so that the answer might strike them - literally.

Question: (Asked by shinigximi for Markarth Guard) SO HEY MARKARTH GUARD LOL HEY I'M A VAMPIRE LORD WHAT CHU GON DO ABOUT IT

Answer: (By Markarth Guard) By the gods! It's a vampire! *long pause* *breaks out into song* When there's something strange, messing up your Hold, who you gonna contact?

Isran: *pops out of nowhere* THE DAWNGUARD!!!

Question: (Asked by AjsProductions for Helvia) Do you like Helgír or Nightbrook?

Answer: (By Helvia) At the moment, I'm not particularly fond of either. One's insufferable and the other's a liar.

Question: (Asked by KadarAlSayfOfMasyaf for Ealdwine) Go take the Markarth Guard to the inn and ask him repeatedly where it is!

Answer: (By Ealdwine) Why in Y'ffre's name would I do that? And anyways, if any such individual was left free in my city, we'd have a serious problem. As it is, I think the refugees have mostly moved on to Falkreath, and I'm not about to go strolling into their Hold for a simple ask. *snooty pose*

Question: (Asked by EnderDash1 for Nightbrook) You like Helvia, don't you?

Answer: (By Nightbrook) Perhaps. Though I'm not entirely certain what to make of her. She seems eerily similar to someone I met quite a while ago...

Question: (Asked by -Thunderheart- for Helvia) Do you still want to go to the College of Winterhold, or do you enjoy adventuring with Nightbrook and Helgír?

Answer: (By Helvia) Well, my adventures with the two aforementioned individuals are quite over, by the looks of things, and honestly... If I didn't head to Winterhold now, where would I go?

~~~~~

If anyone has any more questions for anyone in Mage, feel free to ask them! If they've appeared in Mage at all, regardless of how long they were a part of the story, they're open to ask questions! ^^

Well, as always, please do leave a vote and/or comment if you enjoyed the chapter, and see you next time! Good adventuring, dear readers!

-AA