The Longest Climb

I know we both sighed as I opened the door to be greeted by rain, wind and lightning. Any hopes of at least ending the journey dry disappeared with the sun and warmth we experienced on our journey to Ivarstead. We put on our thick fur coats straight away, hoping they being wet wouldn't cause us too much discomfort when we hit the snow, ice and undoubted bitter cold.

After a quick breakfast, strapping our small packs to our back and sheathing our weapons to our hip, we walked across the bridge and started to climb the seven thousand steps. We'd already agreed that we wouldn't rush this journey. Klimmek said that it would take all day and it was smarter to take it slow and steady. The path would be narrow in most places. I didn't particularly want to slip, lose my footing and fall over the edge to my death. The only positive is that neither Lydia or I were afraid of heights, so I figured we could possibly stop at times and simply take in the view, weather permitting.

But I know we were both feeling quite miserable as we started to climb. I took the lead and simply checked where I placed my foot, one after the other. I didn't believe we'd meet another soul during our entire journey, though Wilhelm mentioned having pilgrims often visit Ivarstead, so I wondered if anyone else had headed this way upon hearing the summons of the Greybeards. But we hadn't been climbing for long when we made another discovery.

"What's that?" Lydia asked as I came to a stop next to what appeared to be some sort of monument.

"I have no idea. But it's in our language at least."

Lydia leaned forward and read the passage. "It mentions dragons. Perhaps there are more ahead. Maybe it will explain why dragons have returned? Or what it means being Dragonborn?"

I nodded. "I think you might be right. We'll stop if we find anymore and see what they say."

I thought the weather had settled in for the day so was surprised that the rain soon disappeared though the wet ground was still treacherous underfoot with each step we took, using my toes to ensure I gripped each step, looking up every often to see ever more steps ahead, while looking to my side or behind to see the progress we had made. The view was already spectacular as the clouds slowly parted and the sun finally started to shine down.

The path turned sharply at times, carved into the side of the mountain, becoming even steeper, causing our pace to slow even more. I wasn't too concerned about being too slow, as long as we made High Hrothgar by nightfall. The wide path we had started climbing narrowed soon enough so we had no option but to walk in single file. We'd already been climbing a while and I'll admit I was already blowing a little bit from our exertions. The steps were not easy, arms swinging but leg muscles burning, and I could understand why Klimmek suggested he now found the climb difficult. 'I couldn't imagine doing this once a month or so.'

After stopping at a second monument and reading the words, we continued upwards, the grass and trees lining the path, thinning out as we soon found the ground covered in shallow snow, though the path and steps themselves were still relatively clear.

"And to think we're probably not even a quarter of the way there," I heard Lydia grumble behind me.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, my thane. At least it's not raining. Trying to look at the positives."

I could hear her sucking in deep breaths already, not that I wasn't already doing the same, so I kept the pace relatively sedate in front. I had no idea if we'd come across any wild animals during our journey so certainly didn't want to get separated. Getting into a fight on this path would not be ideal, no matter what. Part of me wanted to stop from time to time as we continued to climb and a different part of Skyrim below me was revealed. Ivarstead had now disappeared and in the distance I could see forests and rivers, forts and ruins. I had thought the surrounding lands around Chorrol had always been magnificent but, as far as I was concerned, nothing compared to what I had found in Skyrim since I had arrived. There was a rugged beauty to this land that was almost moving at times.

We continued to climb, the snow slowly starting to get deeper, our feet crunching on the surface at first, leaving a line of footprints in our wake. Before long, our feet were sinking into the snow and our pace slowed even further, the strain and exertion on our muscles increasing. As the snow deepened, the weather turned cold and the wind picked up, ruffling the bottom of our coats, blowing snow into our face. And it was only going to get worse.

"Are you okay?" I yelled behind me.

"Just keep going!"

I figured if we stopped, we'd fall to the ground in exhaustion. The only option was to keep going until we either dropped or reached our destination. Though, if we dropped, we'd probably die in the cold. At least we could still see the steps. I had thought counting them would have been a good exercise, a motivational tactic to keep both of us going as the number increased with each step, but I gave up that idea relatively quickly, and the steps had now disappeared under the snow. I simply hoped I wouldn't turn an ankle as we continued to climb.

"Wolves!" I yelled.

Two of them ahead. They hadn't seen us yet but I knew they would turn soon enough. As I've said, I have a live and let live policy regarding wild animals but we needed to get past and I knew if we approached these two wolves, they would do one of two things. Run away, and we'd only meet them later on the path, or they would attack us, and therefore we'd have to put them down.

"What do we do, my thane?"

"We'll have to put them down."

I looked at Lydia, who simply nodded. I guess she wasn't going to argue the point. It was my decision, after all. We took out our bows and readied an arrow. I felt the tension in the string as I pulled it back, narrowing my focus on the wolf ahead. I didn't want to have to use more than one arrow to put down the wolf, quietly instructing for Lydia to do the same as possible.

I let go of the arrow and string, lowering the bow as I watched the arrow fly through the air, almost in slow motion, before it struck exactly where I'd aimed. The wolf dropped to the ground immediately. The other wolf slightly turned before it too was struck down by the second arrow.

"Good job," I stated, "Come on, we should keep going."

We trudged on, the wind starting to pick up and the first flurry of snow smacked me in the face. It wasn't thick but was more than likely a sign of things to come, barely lasting a minute before it stopped. And at least it wasn't rain. I could feel the sweat drip down my back, feeling warm in my thick fur coat, but I didn't want to take it off. With each step forward, the climate continued to cool and I figured my own body heat would help dry the coat out. And I guessed I may end up getting wet later on anyway.

I had no idea how long we had been walking, all I know is that it had been uphill the entire way, when the angle of the climb appeared even steeper. The snow at least thinned underneath our feet but each step was even more difficult, looking back to see Lydia was struggling as much as I was, but she met my eyes and I saw the determination in them. I gave her a nod of respect for the fact she would keep going as long as I would go. All I knew is that we couldn't stop. Burning muscles or not, we must keep walking. This was a test of endurance. A test of my if not our fighting spirit, to overcome the obstacles and arrive in High Hrothgar in triumph. A test of how much did I want to know if I was Dragonborn.

The angle of the climb finally levelled out after a few minutes and we crested a rise. The view ahead was spectacular, a canvas of unbroken snow. But the wind was vicious, cutting through my fur coat, almost blowing me from my feet while whipping snow and what felt like ice into my face. I took a step forward as the path finally levelled out, appearing to even descend ahead, only for my foot to disappear in the soft snow. I looked back at Lydia.

"It's getting deep," I yelled over the howling wind. She just nodded and beckoned me to go on.

My feet were blocks of ice in seconds. My hands were numbing in the cold, unwilling to put them in my pockets in case I fell over and using one of them to shield my eyes. My nose felt detached from my face. Even my journey from Bruma had been nowhere near as extreme as this. Each step was now a mission in itself, feet sinking deep into the snow until we touched the surface below, which was nothing but sheet ice.

But we continued on, sucking in deep breaths, the cold air freezing throat and lungs. The view was still spectacular but I barely took any notice, all my focus on simply taking one step and then another. The weather continued to worsen as we started to climb again, the ferocity of the wind something I'd never experienced before. I looked up and saw no real dark clouds but the snowfall was tremendous, almost blinding, thankful that we were at least walking in daylight. If we'd done this in the dark, I had no doubt we'd both be dead.

I looked back and stopped as Lydia was now a few paces behind. She had an arm raised, protecting her face, a hood pulled up and tied tightly around the rest of her head.

"Are you okay?" I yelled as she walked past me.

"I'm okay!" she yelled back, "We must keep going. No matter what."

I wasn't about to suggest that we stop, as that would have been suicide without shelter, but I just wanted to make sure she wasn't going to stop. I'd only known her for barely two days but I was already impressed by her tenacity more than anything. I had a feeling that I would be able to rely on her for a long time to come.

Up and down the path we walked. Perhaps stomped would be a better word, the snow still deep enough to leave our feet and lower legs cold and wet. The wind never abated. The snow continued to fall. Somehow it was still light. I looked around and the weather was clear in the distance. I assumed we were receiving all the bad weather due to being on the mountain. I couldn't see too much above us because of all the snow but it was obvious we were now incredibly high, close enough to touch some of those fluffy clouds.

We found a few more of the monuments during our progress. I think it was explaining the history of the dragons and also of people who shout. I thought perhaps I should have been writing it all down as I wouldn't be able to remember it all, but it was interesting reading each little section.

Again the path dropped down into what could almost be described as a valley. I almost slipped at least once as my foot hit ice beneath the snow while I heard Lydia cry out as she almost slipped as well. I would have yelled out 'Be careful��� but she got there first. I just looked back at her and grinned, earning a smirk from her in reply.

I wouldn't say as soon as we started, but thankfully as we started to climb again, the wind and snow slowly started to dissipate. It didn't stop, the wind howling, still blowing snow into our faces and snow continued to fall, but it was no longer blinding, though I know Lydia and I were both absolutely freezing. My own teeth were chattering while I saw Lydia's were doing the same thing. My cheeks felt like ice while hers had taken on a rosy glow. As had the tip of her nose. Something I may have to tease her about at a later date. Though I wondered what I looked like, figuring my beard would be covered in ice.

I was hopeful we had to be getting closer as we had been going for what felt like hours. We probably hadn't but the exertion we'd put into the journey so far I knew was going to leave us absolutely exhausted on our arrival. 'Hope the Greybeards will be understanding if all either of us will want to do on our arrival is go to sleep!'

As the weather brightened somewhat, I started to feel more confident that we would soon be in the clear and I started to think about our arrival at High Hrothgar. Who were the Greybeards? What could they possibly tell me about being Dragonborn? Would I undergo any training? Would they tell me what I had to do next? Most importantly, would they be able to tell me how to defeat the dragons? So many questions and I could only hope they had the answers.

Then I heard my name shouted. Considering there was only one other person on the mountain with me, I came to a stop and looked back. "Lydia?" I asked in surprise. 'She said she'd never use my name!'

She ran forward, pointing. "I'm sorry, my thane, but look!"

I looked towards where she was pointing, shielding my eyes from the light which bounced off the snow. "Is that a troll?" I asked.

"It's a frost troll. I've never seen one before. I've only ever read about them."

Good information, but there was concern in her tone. "What is it?"

"If it chooses to attack, they are incredibly tough to take down."

I unsheathed my sword and readied my shield. Lydia doing the same. And the troll chose to attack, running towards us at tremendous speed. I raised my shield, Lydia doing the same, stepping closer together as the troll hit us at full force. I dug my foot into the ground, thankful there was no ice under foot, Lydia keeping her footing at the same time. The troll swung its arms, moving my shield to prevent any impact to my armour before I yelled to push forward, both of us bashing the troll with our shields before I lunged forward, feeling the tip press into the troll.

That only angered the monster as it struck out again. I managed to get my shield up in time to block but the power in its arms was something else altogether and I found myself stumbling back at least half a dozen paces. Then it turned all its attention on Lydia, who attempted to strike the troll. But I saw the mistake, leaving herself open and the troll hit her with a backhander. She went down without a sound, face first in the snow. I didn't see her move.

All that did was make me angry in turn. I knew I needed to change tactics. I yelled at the troll and flung my shield at its head. It smacked into it with a crunch, the troll yelling, bouncing up and down on the spot as I now only had my sword to hand. It was going to be death by a thousand cuts for the troll. I hoped that was only a turn of phrase I had learned in the guild.

I beckoned the troll forward, wanting to appear confident, unsure if the troll even understood those sort of emotions. Whatever the case, it came forward at pace, swinging its arms when it was within range. I simply ducked and manoeuvred out of the way before slashing away, feeling the sword dig into leathery skin with each swipe, noticing blood start to drip from a series of cuts. I circled around the troll, no longer feeling the exhaustion of the climb, instead feeling the adrenaline of battle through my veins, the thrill of the fight and knowing the triumph of my victory. Or so I hoped…

The troll continued to swing its arms. All I did was step back and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, hoping the troll may lose balance. It didn't but it left itself open to another slash, then another and another on top of that. The snow beneath our feet started to turn pink as blood continued to flow from the troll and I pressed forward and finally attacked in earnest. The troll swung its arms again but it was weakened, trusting in my armour to keep me safe as I thrust into the troll, hearing it cry out as I drove forward, driving my shoulder into its chest and forcing it backwards. Withdrawing my sword, I slashed again and cut it deeply just above its stomach and now the blood flowed freely.

The troll growled but I knew the battle was nearly over as it stood still, breathing deeply before it finally sank to its knees. This was not a battle of honour against another warrior. There would be no surrender. There would be no quarter given. As I said, I have no problem killing monsters. Holding my sword in both hands, I aimed for the neck, feeling my Skyforge steel sword slice through without a problem. The trolls body fell forward into the snow, turning the snow a dark, crimson red.

I sheathed my sword and jogged over to where Lydia still lay on the ground. I gently turned her over and was relieved to see there was no blood but her face already had the appearance of a dark bruise on her cheek. I shook her gently. "Lydia," I said quietly. It took a couple of more mentions of her name before she finally slowly opened her eyes before she blinked rapidly, looking left and right before turning to me.

"Rag… I mean, my thane."

"You took quite the hit there. How are you feeling?" She moved her jaw around and winced noticeably. "Do you think it's broken?"

"No. By oblivion does it hurt though."

"Come on, you should get up out of the snow. You'll only go and catch a cold."

Offering my hand, I helped Lydia to her feet, helping retrieve her sword and shield. We were under an overhang so took a moment to gather ourselves. "Should we have lunch?"

I had no idea what the time was but having something to eat sounded like a fine idea after the journey so far. But while stopping and eating was a good idea, it was still bitterly cold and I suggested we needed a fire.

"We passed some trees down that way," Lydia stated, pointing back the way we came, "See if you can find us some branches. Er, if you could, my thane."

"Sure, not a problem. Do you have kindling?"

"Something better," she replied with another smirk.

I had no idea what she meant but had a look for what she requested. There was plenty around and soon returned with arm armful of branches. I spent a few minutes breaking them up and soon had a little pile ready to burn.

"So what's this something better you have?" I asked as she had only pulled food out of her pack so far.

She said nothing, instead only putting her right palm towards the pile of sticks. And then, no word of a lie, flame erupted from her palm for barely a couple of seconds, but long enough to convince me of the positives of magic straight that. That isn't to say I almost shouted out in surprise at the same time, falling back on my behind, leading to much laughter from my housecarl. I soon forgot that as the fire took hold and soon hands were being warmed and I could feel the blood start to flow again around my fingers.

"Is there anything you can't do?" I asked.

"As I said, I've had years of training in preparation for my position as housecarl, my thane. I'm a jack of all trades, a master of none unfortunately. But, for example, if you were to ever buy an alchemy lab for your home, I could make all sorts of potions you may need for your adventures."

I nodded as I chewed on a piece of bread. "I'll certainly look into buying one then."

"What about yourself, my thane? I take it by your reaction that you have no experience with magic." She said that as a statement, not a question. Because it was obvious.

"None at all. I've never cast a spell in my life."

"But you do know everyone is born capable?"

"I've never thought about it. I've always trusted in my blade to get the job done."

"But you know there are other spells to use than just destruction, right?"

"Lydia, I have no idea about magic at all."

"Right, I think one of the first things we'll have to do when we get home is give you some basic training."

"Hang on, did you just call it home?"

"Of course, my thane. I live with you. Breezehome is our place of residence, as it is mine. So… home. And you're avoiding my idea."

"I think it's a good idea. I've been learning all my life. I don't plan on stopping now. So, once we're home, we'll look into it."

After finishing our lunch and dampening the fire, we put our packs on, sheathed swords and shield and continued on our journey. I guessed it was sometime in the afternoon but it looked like the worst of the weather may have finally cleared as it was certainly far brighter than before. The path continued to wind its way around the mountain, the clearing sky revealing views of which I wished there was a way of capturing them for an eternity. 'Perhaps I could commission a painting. Surely they have artists in Skyrim?'

The snow under foot was nowhere near as deep, leaving me wondering if we were now so high it didn't snow as much up here. The air certainly felt cleaner if not a little thinner, not leaving me breathless but I noticed a subtle difference. It was still bitterly cold, but the wind was now calm and the snowfall almost non-existent. Otherwise I strode forward happily, Lydia now able to walk alongside as the path widened, the slope now gentle. I sensed we were getting closer to the end.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lydia mused.

I looked at the view again. "Certainly is. Never thought I'd ever see something like this when I left Chorrol."

"I wonder how many housecarls have walked to High Hrothgar?"

"You're probably the very first."

"I just realised something, though."

"What?"

"We're going to have to walk all the way down again."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I think walking down will be far easier than climbing. But, we've done it once now and know what to expect. If we have to do it again, we can prepare even better next time."

More steps. Even more steps. I knew they would end eventually. I'm glad I hadn't counted them all. Even after our rest, the muscles were still crying out to stop for the day. I was still very cold and hoped there would be a warm fire waiting for us in High Hrothgar. But instinct told me we were nearly at the end as we continued to wind our way around the mountain, sometimes going up, sometimes going down. At least it was no longer steep and our footing was relatively secure. We walked carefully and slowly, knowing we should make our destination by the time it was dark.

The path curved to the right and I saw the first sign that we were now incredibly close as the outline of a building appeared as the rocky outcrop of the mountain was left behind. And then, as we crested another set of steps, I saw a status of Talos and I knew then that we had arrived. In front of the statue was another small monument and this helped me make sense of everything we had read before. Lydia joined me as I looked at the statue.

"Would you like to take a moment, my thane?"

"I thought this was illegal…"

"What the elves don't know won't kill them. I'm a Nord, my thane. Talos is my god. I just don't share that with a lot of people. Most people don't. We worship in secret. Well, most of us do. Heimskr doesn't care. I think he's almost daring for someone to stop him."

"Heimskr? Is he the preacher in front of Jorrvaskr?" She nodded. "He's a brave man."

"He is. But he's also foolish. The elves always hear about worshippers in the end. Everyone has heard of known Talos worshippers disappearing. That is the only reason why I would ever agree with Ulfric Stormcloak. Anything else, I think he's foolish. Skyrim is stronger in the Empire. The Dominion would invade us tomorrow if we were to secede." Then she paused a minute. "Apolo…"

I held up a hand to halt her. "Never apologise for having an opinion, Lydia."

A slight smile. "Of course, my thane."

I walked forward and kissed the base of the statue, Lydia doing the same thing before we turned and climbed the steps to what had the appearance of a monastery. I guess that would be the correct word, the Greybeards being some sort of monks, secluded as they were away from the rest of Skyrim, worshipping the Voice.

Suddenly feeling weary once again, we climbed the final few steps up to the monastery itself before we found ourselves standing in front of a giant pair of doors. Unsure if I should knock or simply enter, considering the Greybeards had summoned me here, I simply put my shoulder into the door and pushed forward.

Grey stone met my eyes plus a sense of warmth, a series of braziers in the reception area providing both heat and light. There was a hole in the roof that also let in sunlight. I slowly walked forward, taking in what I could see, which to be honest, wasn't very much for the moment. I dumped my bag on the ground and took the scabbard from my hip, laying my sword and shield down as well, hearing Lydia do the same behind me.

"My Thane. Ahead," Lydia whispered.

Down the stairs in front of me approached a man in grey robes and a very long grey beard. He looked incredibly old. Almost ancient. From other doorways came three other Greybeards, the same grey robes and long grey beards. They said nothing though they all met my eye. The first one to enter the area stopped only a couple of paces away from me. I stayed silent, allowing the Greybeard to speak first.

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

I looked at Lydia, who simply smiled and nodded. I turned back to the Greybeard. "I am answering your summons. I wish to know if I truly am Dragonborn."

The Greybeard nodded. "Then step forward. Show us your gift. Let us taste of your Voice. Then we will know if you truly are Dragonborn."

I looked at Lydia again, who simply gestured for me to step forward. So that is what I did. I stepped into the middle of the room, took a deep breath…

And showed them my gift.