The Dragonborn Comes Ch. 35

Chapter 35 -- Lord Dragonborn

*****

We were woken up before dawn by a servant, smart enough not to make a big deal about the fact I was surrounded by women, though they were all covered by blankets. If he had even half a brain, he'd have known they were naked. I thanked him for waking me before I woke up everyone else. There was no grumbling, everyone immediately aware of what was to come, and I stood by the door, kissing and hugging all of them before they disappeared to their own rooms. Only Leliana remained with me, her things in my room.

Dressing in silence, I could feel her eyes on me as much as I looked at her. Neither of us appeared nervous at all. I was confident we would face down the darkspawn and win. I'm surely Leliana was confident in her own abilities, but I think she was also utterly confident in my leadership and abilities too.

Once in my armour, she walked across the room to stand in front of me, looking up at me with those beautiful blues. All I did was lean down and kiss her, a soft one that would have told her everything. "We'll win," I said softly. We hugged briefly, enjoying another longer kiss, before collecting the rest of our gear and heading out to the courtyard, where a quick breakfast was being offered before we mounted up.

The army was ready and raring to go, receiving news that some units had already left, some to scout the road ahead, others to simply make good time. Messengers had arrived during the night with news that the dwarves were taking the north road and would make Denerim in time. The mages would be taking the same route and were ahead of the dwarves. The Dalish, being closest to Denerim, would link up with us on route.

"You ready for this?" I asked Cerys as we mounted up.

"If I wasn't, it's too late now."

"We're going to kick Archdemon arse!" Ohgren exclaimed. That was followed up by numerous comments about what we were going to do to the darkspawn. I didn't mind, and let it continue as we pointed out horses in the direction of Denerim. I was taking the lead, though Alistair remained by my side. Word had spread about him being the heir, and as columns of men parted, there were plenty of cheers in his direction.

No darkspawn patrolled the south road. They had even departed from Lothering. We rode hard all day, only slowing to allow the horses a breather and some water, before kicking them on again. We knew the soldiers would fall a little behind, but many would have their own horses, those on foot would be marching as fast as possible, only stopping for an occasional break before moving on. Riding from Denerim to Redcliffe could be done in a day. We knew they probably wouldn't make it until nightfall. But fighting in the day or night wouldn't matter. We knew the battle itself would not last long.

Picking up the Dalish from where they were waiting, we could see light rising up in the distance. It was then that we knew that Denerim was probably burning, and could only hope the planned evacuations had worked. We stopped a couple of miles away and dismounted. We sent a few scouts ahead, the rest of us waiting for the army to arrive. A messenger was sent to find them and returned quicker than we expected, stating the head of the army was barely an hour away. He said the soldiers would probably verge on exhaustion, so we would have to hit the darkspawn straight away.

To be honest, I was already tired of waiting. It was time to take the fight to them.

Dust was kicked up by the approaching army. Scouts returned, reporting on what the darkspawn were doing. The guards had put up a good fight, but had eventually been outnumbered. Though they reported of civilian casualties, they told us that the darkspawn appeared to be aware of our approach and were preparing. I wondered if it would end up being a siege, assured that was not how the darkspawn thought. They would meet us in battle outside the city walls.

As soon as the majority of the army was with us, I gave the order for our group to move out. There were no grandiose speeches before we hit the darkspawn. We did form lines as we approached the city walls. Warriors to the front, mages and archers to the rear, the Dalish making up most of the latter, with the Circle mages joining up with us on the field near the city. The darkspawn watched us, but for some reason, allowed us to form up.

It was a slight reminder of what I'd watched happen at Ostagar. The outcome would be different this time as the Dragonborn would be taking the field.

"Any word on the dwarves?" I asked.

"At least an hour way," a scout reported, "They're hurrying as quickly as they can."

"Very well. Riordan, you still plan on looking for the Archdemon alone?"

"Yes. Like any Archdemon, it will be at the highest point, with the best view, from where it can communicate. Just get me inside the walls and I'll do the rest. If I fail, then it will be up to Alistair and Cerys."

There was no point waiting any longer as I gave the signal for the archers. A simple raised sword, glancing to see rows of elves and humans, aiming at the darkspawn in the distance. Dropping my sword, the arrows darkened the sky as they flew towards the darkspawn lines. As soon as they started to strike, Alistair raised his sword and roared, "For Ferelden!"

Warriors surged forward. I ran straight for the biggest, ugliest darkspawn I could see. Armed with only a sword, I would have surprised them by unleashing the full power of my Thu'um. At least half a dozen darkspawn in front of me erupted in flame, and I made short work of at least three of them. The walls were still at least one hundred or so metres ahead, darkspawn flooding out of the gates to meet us. Bodies already littered the ground, those of the city guard and civilians being joined by numerous darkspawn corpses.

My sword was bloodied quickly, barely taking a scratch as I left my shield where it was, on my back, relying on sword work and I guess a bit of luck. If I found myself surrounded, the darkspawn received the full force of my Thu'um, either coating them in flames or simply sending them flying arse over head. I heard the screams of the fallen as we cut down the darkspawn. They were nothing but monsters, but they had size and strength over many of our soldiers, and we knew many would be meeting their Maker, even during the opening stages of the battle. But we gained an upper hand quicker than I expected. The darkspawn did not retreat, dying where they stood, allowing access into the city.

It was there that we immediately split up. Riordan had already disappeared. Alistair, Cerys, Morrigan and myself would be heading in to take down darkspawn and find the Archdemon, knowing it would be at Fort Drakon. Before we departed, the dwarves arrive, realising the fight at the walls went for longer than we thought.

"Who do we take?" Cerys asked.

"Everyone. Our allies can watch our backs here. We need to get to the fort and wipe out any darkspawn resistance inside." Calling forward the commanders from our allies, I gave them instructions and also told them to keep an ear out for the horn Ohgren carried. A particular blast would notify them that we might need assistance. If we cleared the city of resistance, it would make their lives easier too.

Darkspawn filled the streets of Denerim, and the Dragonborn and his allies, having fought across the length and breadth of Ferelden, were more than ready, and certainly more than capable, of dealing with them. A trio of ogres caused a bit of concern, thankful the dwarves had also brought golems, and so we called them in to help us. The ogres were bastards to take down, and more than one golem fell at their hands, but mixing up my Thu'um with magic, we finally put all three on the ground, sending the remaining golems into the city to deal with any packs of darkspawn they found.

As we moved through the city, we checked on places of evacuation. The Chantry was still barricaded, hearing voices within that all were okay. The sense of relief was palpable. Next was Eamon's estate, Ser Cauthrien opening the rear door, noticing a dozen guards behind her, ready to strike. She nearly wept upon seeing us, before telling us the situation. Plenty of survivors, numerous wounded, but prepared to bunker down until it was all over. Before I left, she pulled me towards her, placing a hot kiss on my lips. I heard the comments from my girls, though they knew what had happened between Cauthrien and I.

Alistair wanted to check the palace, so that was our next destination, cutting our way through even more darkspawn. I was relieved to see that there were few civilian bodies on the ground, hopeful that most managed to make it to safety before the darkspawn crashed through the city gates. There were more city guard bodies, but they were always surrounded by darkspawn corpses.

"Each one should be burned with honours," I stated.

"Their names will be added to a memorial to their defence of the city, Dragonborn. Of that, I can assure you," Alistair said. And I believed he would do exactly that.

Guards still lived near the palace. They were exhausted, and had the thousand-yard stare of men who had seen nightmares come to life. Many broke down upon seeing us, believing they would never be rescued. We escorted all the survivors into the palace, where there were numerous survivors, particular of the nobles who had not managed to depart in time. As the rest tended to the survivors, I went searching for Anora. Her door was locked, and I didn't have the key, so I just shouldered the door open. She stood in the middle of the room, armed with sword and shield, though lowered them immediately upon seeing me, then dropped them to the ground as she stepped forward to hug me. I was covered in darkspawn blood, but she didn't seem to care.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," she said softly.

"Are you okay, my lady?"

"Better now that you're here to save the day."

"I'm glad you're so confident."

"I had no idea you cared so much for my welfare."

"I'm probably using the wrong word, but I feel you are my responsibility, my lady."

She looked up at me and smiled before stepping back, looking down and noticing the blood. "Well, I'm glad I chose to wear my armour, at least."

"And it looks very good on you too, my lady." Not quite as good as Leliana, but she definitely looked attractive in it. And my comment made her blush.

"I'm sure you have more darkspawn to kill, Dragonborn."

"Expertly done, my lady. I will return once the Archdemon is dead."

Before I left, I heard her walk after me, feeling her soft hand take mine. She turned me to face her, lowering my head towards hers, where she lay a soft kiss on my lips. "Maker guide you, Dragonborn," she said softly.

"Anyone else would get the wrong idea, my lady."

She took a deep breath. "You're the first man to look at me like that in... too long."

What the hell, I kissed her in return. It was brief, lasting only seconds, but the blush already on her face only deepened in colour. "Be safe, my lady."

Returning to the rest of the group, most assumed I had been to check on Anora, simply asking if she was okay. Alistair appeared amused by my concern but said nothing about it. From our conversations, he'd already well and truly moved on, suggesting that he preferred ruling alone than experiencing what would have been a fake marriage. To be honest, in that regard, I didn't blame him. He could now go looking for love in the right places.

There was now only one place to head. Fort Drakon. And it was there that the majority of the darkspawn army was waiting for us, either outside the fort or within its solid stone walls. We were joined by the few remaining golems, and after getting ourselves in order, warriors in the middle, arches to the sides, mages to the rear, we hit the darkspawn hard and fast.

"Sereda, call in the dwarves. We're going to need warriors to cut our way through these cunts," I ordered.

She blew the horn and I swear you could hear the roar of the dwarves as they charged through the city. They had the most experience fighting darkspawn and their numbers would be invaluable as we worked our way through the fort.

How none of us died as we slowly made our way through the fort, I'll never know. The warriors led from the front, as always, surviving on gestures and the fact we knew what the other would do. Those armed with archers changed to dual blades upon entering the fort, any darkspawn dumb enough to get close to them dying a death of a thousand cuts. As for the mages, they were protected by the rest of us as they wielded destruction, or healed any wounds we happened to take.

The fort was full of any darkspawn you could think of. Genlocks, hurlocks, ogres. Some armed with giant swords and axes. Some armed with bows. Others had magical abilities. No matter what they were armed with, no matter what they were capable of, they still died in the end. We constantly had to watch our backs at the same time, as the darkspawn knew where we were heading, and threw everything at us to stop our progress. We could only hope the remnants of the army, the Dalish and the mages would watch our backs.

I'm not sure how long it took us, but we left a pile of darkspawn bodies in each room we passed. We lost a few of the dwarves along the way, as they were lunatics and had no real sense of self-preservation, but by the gods, they were brave. At the last staircase leading to the roof, we stopped and organised.

"Mages to the rear. Rogues, take out your bows. Warriors, up close and personal. Dwarves, do their thing. The quicker we take down this bastard, the better," I said.

"And I must make the killing blow," Alistair added, "Only a Grey Warden can kill an Archdemon."

The Archdemon was waiting for us and I gave it a face full of my Thu'um, leaving ice crystals on its face and neck. Flames wouldn't work, they never did against a dragon, or a dragon like creature, but they were always susceptible to cold. Our mages friends unleashed all manner of attacks, arrows flying by or over our heads. But the scales of the Archdemon were thick, and it was not alone for long, calling in numerous darkspawn allies. The rooftop was soon the front of the Blight. It would be there that we would win or fall.

We couldn't fight forever. Most of us were now definitely tiring after having already spent a long day in the saddle before fighting our way through Denerim. And the Archdemon had some sort of weird attack of its own. It wasn't fire. It wasn't cold. But whenever it hit, the pain was excruciating, and it affected many of us at once if we couldn't block it.

It was soon bleeding, though, as no creature could take the sustained management we handed out and not soon be wounded. But it was smart, being the soul of an old god, never leaving the one part of its body which I always aimed for. I was surprised it did not try and fly, so it must have been confident.

"Alistair, I will distract it. Once the neck is exposed, go for the blow."

He merely nodded his agreement as I stood in front of the Archdemon. It looked at me, lifting its head back, thinking it was either going to fire something at me, or possibly try and bite my head off. All I did was raise a hand, waggling a finger in its face.

Then I spoke to it in the dragon language of Skyrim. I'm not quite sure it understood me, but the way it moved its head, I think it did, as it roared a couple of times whenever I stated something it wouldn't agree with. When I'd well and truly pissed it off, it tried to bite me, lifting my shield in time and striking it with my sword immediately. Then I used my Thu'um and its neck was exposed.

Alistair didn't hesitate for a second, immediately running forward, driving his sword deep into its neck, before taking my suggestion and slicing back up its neck. Blood immediately poured from the wound, Alistair rolling out of the way as the head of the Archdemon slumped to the ground, followed by its entire body. It wasn't dead just yet. He glanced my way and I nodded, as he drove his sword down into the head of Archdemon, straight into its brain.

A white light enveloped both the Archdemon and Alistair. I assumed that was the soul escaping. That was followed by an almighty explosion that I think knocked all of us from our feet.

And then, as quickly as the Blight seemed to begin, it was over.

*****

We were both dripping with sweat by the fire. Leliana could barely keep her head up, her knees must have been aching, my hands at her hips as I continued to pump into her. "Keep going, Ragnar. Cum in me again."

"You're insatiable, woman!" I groaned.

"Just one last time before we head to the palace."

That had been my life since our victory. Celebrations had immediately taken place across Denerim, if not Ferelden, though they were tempered by the fact hundreds had lost their lives. But the plans had worked, with thousands surviving having escaped to various estates across the city. As for myself, although Alistair had struck the final blow, the consensus was that I'd led the victory. Although I can be arrogant at times, I never win alone, and I certainly hadn't gain victory over the darkspawn without help.

That's not to say the girls didn't want to show their appreciation for me. It had been five days since our victory, and I was now very worn out, and my cock was calling out for a little peace too.

There was one girl missing. Morrigan disappeared right after the battle. No-one saw her go, and though we sent people to look for her, there was no sign of her in Denerim. Alistair mentioned she said that she would disappear after the battle, but I would have assumed she would have hung around for at least a day or two.

"I'm going to cum," Leliana moaned, returning me to the present.

I leaned forward slightly, grabbing one of those perfect breasts, leaning down further to kiss the back of her neck, tasting the sweat that now covered us both. "So am I," I said.

"Harder," she said, and I gave her what she wanted, really fucking her now, skin slapping against skin, hearing her moan even louder. "Fuck!" she cried. I groaned, feeling an impending explosion. "Cum in me, Dragonborn."

She'd been calling me that quite often since events of that day. I think she was finding it a major turn on. She could barely keep her hands off me. Nor could any of my other girls. I'd barely had a moment to myself since we walked away from the body of the Archdemon. I honestly didn't mind; it was just exhausting.

Feeling her start to squeeze my cock, I knew her own climax would arrive soon. I kissed her neck again, gently biting in too, hearing her gasp before making a contented noise. I was doing everything I could to hold back, but I eventually had to admit defeat. "I'm going to cum," I warned her.

All she did was lower her head down, lift her arse a little higher, and accept what I buried in her pussy. Funnily enough, my orgasm brought hers to the brink, noticing she was rubbing her clit to help herself along, and while I was still pumping cum into her, she started to climax at the same time. They definitely heard us across the estate, my groaning and her moans and cries.

Then we both stilled, sharing a glance, herself in a rather awkward position, me just as awkward, though it wasn't uncomfortable. We both started to chuckle as I pulled out as she immediately laid down on the blanket. I quickly joined her, making sure I'd grabbed the wine so we could share a drink. She kissed me afterwards, running a down my cheek. "I love you," she whispered, "Hero of Ferelden."

"I love you. And that's just what you think."

"And all those girls out there. If you weren't their hero before, Maker help you now, Ragnar." She cuddled into me as I laid back, feeling rather worn out. It had been a long morning already, woken by a pair of soft lips around my cock before I had a nice, warm, wet pussy thrust into my face. After the first orgasm, that led to sex on her back, sex on my back, then sex on all fours by the fire, where we enjoyed a second one together.