Meanwhile, in Sovngarde
Souls of various warriors arrived at this place. There were forests, rivers, lakes, but what particularly stood out was the path most souls took. They walked along a road that led them to the golden halls.
But right now, it was impossible to traverse this road due to the fog.
*Haaaaaa.* A dragon's roar had just echoed. It had returned to Sovngarde to devour the new souls that perished in the civil war. Truly, Alduin arrived at the right time, and this war added to his strength. It was quite possible that this legendary dragon could regain his full power, though not overnight, of course.
---
### Whiterun
John bid farewell to Faendal at the Sleeping Giant Inn. Along the way, he saw merchants near the tavern. And he saw that sacred tree in the center of the city. Impressive, but it was a shame it was wilting.
"Hahahaha! Come on, show us what you've got!"
Nearby, laughter and shouts could be heard from Jorrvaskr. Apparently, by evening, the Companions enjoyed brawling and drinking. Though, perhaps they had strict rules about alcohol (like, not everyone could get completely wasted).
"They want to suppress our faith in Talos. But we won't forget our god so easily. The god of man." A Nord man in a yellow robe spoke about Talos.
Ignoring the noise, the Dragonborn headed towards Dragonsreach. Step by step. About 3 minutes later, he reached the gates of Dragonsreach. The entrance was guarded by two guards. They were dressed in their usual yellow uniforms, with chainmail beneath.
"Halt!" the left guard shouted. "Who are you and what is your business here?"
"I'm John. I've come to report important information concerning Helgen and Riverwood to the Jarl."
"Hmm. Alright, come in. But first, hand over your weapon, and we'll search you."
"Very well," the young Dragonborn replied with clear composure.
After handing over his weapon and undergoing a search, John quickly entered the castle.
"Jarl Balgruuf, we can't wait any longer. A choice must be made."
"No. Not yet," Balgruuf affirmed.
"But..."
"I said enough!" the Jarl declared.
A dispute was already audible from the entrance. "What are they talking about? Probably the Stormcloaks and the Empire."
*Thump, thump, thump.* John had already reached the Jarl, but a Dunmer woman in leather armor blocked his path.
"How dare you enter here? The Jarl and his subordinates are having an important conversation. You were supposed to remain in the waiting room." She was clearly annoyed.
"Excuse me, of course, but I'm here on important business."
"Oh? And what might that be?" the Dunmer woman said with a sneer.
"I must report it to the Jarl myself."
"How can you be so presump—"
"Let him go, Irileth. I want to hear what he has to say," the Jarl interrupted her.
"Very well, my lord," the red-eyed woman replied.
The Dunmer woman immediately calmed down. It was rather strange that a Dunmer would serve someone and speak of loyalty. Usually, Dunmer were prone to lying, betraying, and killing. The legendary Nerevar himself was betrayed by his own beloved, who went to his friend Vivec. Sotha Sil also betrayed, but he seemed to regret it.
---
In short, the Jarl was already looking at John with interest, expecting to hear something important.
*Ahem, ahem.* The Dragonborn cleared his throat. "First, my name is John. And a Dragon attacked Helgen."
"What!?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. It was a huge, dark dragon. With one shout, it brought everyone down with its Thu'um."
"Could it be..." Jarl Balgruuf put a hand to his chin. "Dragons are returning?"
"But is that even possible?" a counselor murmured. "It's just a myth."
"Is it, Proventus?" Balgruuf asked. "Is this not proof?" He pointed upwards. A dragon skull hung on the wall above the Jarl's throne.
The counselor immediately fell silent. He wanted to refute it but decided not to tempt fate. Meanwhile, John continued:
"Then it flew west."
"Hmm."
"Riverwood is asking for your help. They ask that you send several dozen guards to protect Riverwood."
"Understood. Irileth, go to the captain of the guard and tell him to send four dozen soldiers to Riverwood."
"But my King, should we trust him?" Irileth said with a note of doubt.
"I can tell by their eyes when a person lies. And besides, it would be foolish to stand before me and lie to my face. Now, report this to the captain."
"Understood."
---
Irileth left the castle. John noticed an interesting tattoo on her face. He felt as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Jarl Balgruuf stood up and said:
"You've been a great help to the Jarl, John."
"Excuse me, Lord Balgruuf, but may I request a reward?"
"Hmm." The Jarl pondered. He had never seen anyone so directly ask for a reward. "And what do you wish for?"
"I wish to learn the basics of magic from your court wizard," the young man said with a sparkle in his eyes.
"Is that so? I can direct you to him. Furthermore, I have a task for you," the Jarl replied, stroking his beard.
"And what is it, Jarl?"
"You will assist Farengar with his research on dragons. After all, you have some experience in such matters."
"Of course."
"Good. I will take you to him."
---
The Jarl rose from his throne and headed towards Farengar's study. John followed Balgruuf. In the middle of the hall was a brazier, and on either side of it were tables laden with food.
They bypassed the tables and reached the left side of the castle. In his study, Farengar sat, studying dragon hieroglyphs. He was dressed in blue mage robes. His hood covered a third of his face. He shifted his gaze from the scrolls to the Jarl. Farengar immediately stood and gave a slight bow. Although he was a mage, he still had to observe certain courtesies, especially towards the Jarl.
"Farengar. I've sent you an assistant for your research."
"Oh? Hmm... That's good."
"What's more. He saw a dragon with his own eyes."
"What!?" Farengar exclaimed.
Balgruuf frowned slightly at his shout. Farengar came to his senses and decided to apologize:
"Forgive me. I'm just so excited."
The Jarl nodded and left. He decided to leave them to it. It was no longer his concern. He had to deal with the city's defense problems. After all, a dragon appearing out of nowhere could attack Whiterun and its holdings. And then there was this civil war... The Jarl's thoughts: "Damn, so much to resolve. This war, too. I'm being put to the test."
---
Farengar coughed slightly and looked at John. John introduced himself and got acquainted with Farengar.
"So. You saw the dragon, and what was it like?"
"An enormous dragon. Approximately as tall as a watchtower. Scales and horns as black as pitch. Its wings had a large span and could cover several houses with their shadow. Its eyes were bright orange."
"Excellent. And what abilities did it display?"
"It could use a shout that caused clouds to form in the sky and fire rain to fall. Furthermore, it could breathe fire and possessed immeasurable strength. It was impossible to look into its eyes for long."
"Very interesting," Farengar asked, making notes in his journal as he went.
John surveyed the mage's room. To the right was a map of Skyrim with all the cities and some settlements. To the left of the map, in the center of the room, was a large table. Behind the table were two laboratories: one for alchemy, and the second was a soul gem enchanting table.
Before the court wizard became completely absorbed in his notes, John decided to mention the task.
"Ah, that." Farengar immediately switched to a slower pace of speech. "We, or rather, I, require one item. It might be there, or it might not."
"What is this item?"
"And you hunger for knowledge? Highly commendable. It's a Dragonstone. Very important information should be inscribed on it."
"I see."
"It's located in Bleak Falls Barrow. You should thoroughly search everything there."
"Understood."
---
John already knew all about this but decided to pretend he didn't. Still, he needed to learn magic.
"Farengar. The Jarl told me you could teach me the basics of magic."
"Oh, that... He said it was a reward?"
"Yes."
"Well, you see. I'm not really a teacher. You'd be better off enrolling in the College of Winterhold."
"I need this knowledge now. It's essential for better preparation for the journey to Bleak Falls Barrow."
"Damn, you're quite persuasive."
"Speech skill increased." John's skill had just leveled up.
"Alright. Let's start with the basics."
Farengar began explaining the essence of magic.