Sorting out the trophies

Sovngarde, four hours after the end of the Rating Game.

Leaving the Gremory to revel in their triumph over the former fiancé, Alduin ventured to Sovngarde, spending two hours scouring the ethereal realm for the paralyzed Chinese woman and the Dovahkiin.

In the chaos of battle, he hadn't given much thought to where the exit portal in Sovngarde would be. Consequently, he discovered the Chinese woman tangled in the bushes near the Whalebone Bridge, while the Dovahkiin was lost in the forest's wilds.

Hauling the bodies to a clearing near the Whalebone Bridge, Alduin opted to begin with the Chinese woman. As he examined her, he detected a potent aura, even for a fragment of a Dovah soul.

"This one holds a formidable Dovah soul. At the very least, an Ancient Dragon or, maybe, a Revered Dragon. Perhaps even a Legendary Dragon, though not an elemental, as I can't sense mastery over a particular school of magic" Alduin mused, scrutinizing her. "Sil Tiid Vo!"

Her body arched and spasmed as the turbulent energy of the restored soul shattered the paralysis spell. Soon after, she settled down and opened her eyes. Alduin beheld a unique set of eyes that existed only in one kind of Dovah. It seemed as though four eyes gazed at the world from each socket. The first of the resurrected Legendary Dragons blinked, her eyes morphing into another exceptional appearance—purple irises with yellow pupils. Detecting shifts in the Xuelan aura, Alduin grinned, recognizing her possessor.

"Welcome back, Viinturuth!" he greeted her warmly.

"Alduin, My Lord!" the Chinese woman uttered, kneeling and bowing her head in reverence.

"Arise, Viinturuth. Tell me, do you recall your life as a devil?" Alduin asked

"Yes, Milord. It's strange to hold memories so contradictory," Viinturuth replied, studying her hands. "I'm unsure of who I am now. I feel like a Dovah. I perceive myself as a Dovah. Yet I have the body of a mortal female, and while recognizing myself as a Dovah, I also sense the mortal female named Xuelan within me. Bizarre sensations, My Lord."

"You're the first to take note of this" Alduin remarked, scratching his chin.

"Are there others? Before becoming a devil, and even after, I heard nothing of Dovah except for the Great Red." asked Viinturuth thoughtfully.

"I've resurrected four Dovah, not counting you. Two of them, like you, were mortal females. But they didn't ask such questions" Alduin replied.

"And who were the other two?" Viinturuth inquired.

"The Great Red you mentioned turned out to be Odahviing. I resurrected another Dovah by locating his burial mound. It's possible that your original strength as a Dovah before your demise is the reason for your awareness. The two who bore fragments of the Dovah soul in mortal female bodies were elemental dragons, namely frost and fire. As for me, it was easier," Alduin grinned. "I was reborn with my own soul. My only challenge was adapting my body to the abilities of a Dovah. All I can suggest is that you don't reject the part of your life you lived as a mortal, unaware of your true nature. It's foolish to deny yourself, no matter what your life was like."

"You're absolutely right, Milord. Denying oneself is pure folly. Yet, it's a bitter pill to swallow, being confined to a mortal shell, knowing we once soared freely through Keizaal's skies. And it probably sounds odd when a human female refers to herself as male."

"I understand. We didn't concern ourselves with questions of gender before. But now, we'll have to get used to it. You are a female, Viinturuth, accept it. It's important for us to learn this lesson as we gather as much Dovah as we can."

"But why, Milord? Why must we hide among mortals and these strange new Daedra?"

"I'll get to that. See, Paarthurnax's actions triggered a cataclysm that not only endangered Nirn but also other planes of Mundus and Oblivion, teetering on the brink of extinction. And eliminating that threat cost the Gods and Princes their lives. The world now is considerably weakened. You can sense the change in the magical background, can't you?"

"Yes, Milord. An unpleasant feeling, as if from pure water, I... I dove into a dirty swamp."

"Indeed. So, I refuse to let my actions plunge the world into another cataclysm. We must tread carefully. Besides, our numbers are few. At most, there were three thousand of us, and now even fewer. A mere handful of Dovah have been reborn in mortal bodies, while the burial mounds of those who slumbered during Paarthurnax's rebellion have been plundered. I discovered Midgarstrun's burial mound by sheer luck. As you understand, two dozen Dovah are far from enough. Our priority is the restoration of our kind."

"I understand, Milord. I pledge to carry out your every command" Viinturuth said, bowing her head. "I, Viinturuth, the shining hammer of fury, bearer of death to Your enemies and lately known as Xuelan, swear to follow you on your path, Milord."

"Your loyalty has never been in question, Viinturuth." Alduin said with a smile "But remember, even in our old days mortals could subdue Daedra by knowing their true name."

"I understand, Milord. To all who are not Dovah and those you deem unworthy, I shall be known as Xuelan."

"To acclimate to our new names, we shall use them in our mortal forms. In our Dovah forms, we will use our true names. For now, familiarize yourself with these novel sensations, and I will talk with our guest."

"I understand, Milord. Is this the Dovahkiin, by any chance?" Said Wintouruth with a nod in Morgana's direction.

"She is. Dovahkiin has renounced her allegiance to Paarthurnax's path and accepted my offer to join us. As for the threat posed by Dragonborns, I intend to eliminate it by exploiting one privilege granted to me at birth.." Said Alduin thoughtfully. "Cross the Whalebone Bridge, Viinturuth, and find solace in the desolate Hall of Valor. It is an ideal place for meditation."

"Milord, are you saying..."

"Yes, we are in Sovngarde. Lorkhan is the sole deity who survived the collapse of the ancient world."

Watching Xuelan leave, Alduin turned his attention to the paralyzed Morgana. Placing two fingers on the stomach of the blonde lying on the ground, he hit her with a weak sparks spell while simultaneously lifting the paralysis enchantment. He couldn't resist the opportunity to mock his former enemy.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty"

"Kyaa!" yelped Morgana, leaping up and slapping Alduin across the face.

"You know what they say, no good deed goes unpunished," Alduin snarked back, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "And here I am, saving your sorry ass, and all I get is this attitude. Classic mortals, really – you help them out, and they can't even muster a simple 'thanks'."

"Thanks?! Thanks for what? Jamming your hand into my heart and making me feel like I've been run over by a herd of mammoths?" Morgana retorted, still wincing in pain. "Do you realize how much that hurt?!"

Alduin exhaled, rolling his eyes.

"Ever try getting stabbed in the chest by a 3-foot-long sword made of your fellow brethren's bone?" Alduin retorted

"Well… you were trying to conquer the world…" Morgana mumbled, and then tried to change the subject, "Why do you look like a human, and where are we?"

"Why am I human? Oh, that's a wildly entertaining tale involving a crazy woman in Daedric armor, eight gods, sixteen Daedric princes, and a mortal woman. Anyway, we're in Sovngarde," Alduin replied, sitting cross-legged in front of Morgana.

"So you're telling me that, like me, you've been reborn? And how did I end up being the one who defeated you? I distinctly remember you tossing me and the Tongues around like a starving wolf with domestic rabbits, and then the next thing I knew, I woke up at the Throat of the World, where Paarthurnax started singing songs about my destiny" Morgana stated.

"Well, the answer to your second question is simple – my father banished me. He said the world seemed perfect to him, and he tossed me into Aetherius. I learned about what happened afterward from Lorkhan many years later. And yes, I have been reborn. Somehow, my soul was pulled out of Aetherius, dragged through the Veil of Oblivion and the Mundus Barrier."

"That's how I ended up in a mortal body. I must say, the experience is far from pleasant. I even had an existential crisis from all this" said Alduin, scratching his head thoughtfully.

"Are you reeally Alduin?" Morgana asked with doubt, looking at the boy sitting in front of her.

"Remember the deer carcass on the way to Dawnstar."

"You are Alduin," Morgana nodded confidently. "Only one dragon threw deer carcasses, foxes, and trees at me when he accidentally flew by."

Suddenly, Morgana smiled and locked her eyes onto Alduin's face.

"Then, will you teach me the Shouts?" She said with a cheeky smile.

"Hold your horses, girl. Do I look like Paarthurnax?"

"I will make you, just like I did with the Greybeards!" she declared, proudly placing her fists at her waist.

"Don't you compare me to those bearded fools!" Alduin roared, slapping Morgana, who flew several meters to the side.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Morgana shouted, materializing her sword in her hand. But she was immediately pushed into the ground by Viinturuth's hand.

"Xuelan?" Morgana exclaimed in surprise, looking at the girl in a qipao.

"Dovahkiin" Viinturuth greeted her.

"Xuelan, why are you still here?" he asked, as he raised his hand and started massaging his forehead.

"Forgive me, Milord, but I wanted to ask how the devils would react to my 'resurrection.' You supposedly killed me, just like you did the Dovahkiin." Viinturuth explained, finding an excuse to observe her Lord and his conversation with the Dragonborn.

"Don't worry about that. Viinturuth, please, release Morgana, our Dovahkiin."

"Yes, Milord. My apologies for interfering," she said, and Morgana felt the restraining hand release her.

"Viinturuth? Wait, Xuelan - that huge purple dragon that turned a whole fort into rubble in just three attacks?!"

"Xuelan was one of the two Legendary dragons I resurrected. And it's quite baffling to me how you managed to take down one of the mightiest Dovah," Alduin remarked

"Well, I used Dragonrend and hid behind rocks until I shot her eye out with an arrow." Morgana answered with a cute and innocent expression on her face, putting her index finger to her lips as if remembering something. "Uhum, and then I kept hitting her with magic, constantly running from rock to rock to hide from her fire."

"It appears that you actually know how to use your head for more than just stuffing it with food. Impressive, but that's not relevant at the moment," Alduin interrupted Morgana's attempt to protest and locked his gaze with hers.

"You said you regretted your previous choice. So what will you do now? Remember, I won't let anyone harm my brothers. What you saw here before was just a small part of my power then, and now you're even weaker than before. You can't use the Thu'um, you're not as strong as you used to be. You only have your sword, which, I must admit, is much better than your previous toothpicks."

"I'm not a fool, Alduin, even if you think otherwise. Tell me, did you speak the truth in Kynesgrove? Can you really turn me into a Dovah?" she asked with a serious expression.

"Do I look like a liar to you?" Alduin was offended. "That offer is still valid if you're interested."

"So, what do I need to do?" Morgana asked, meeting Alduin's gaze with a determined expression.

"Nothing," Alduin replied, biting his finger until it bled and then inserting it into Morgana's mouth. "Just suck on my finger and try not to faint."

At first, Morgana tried to protest, but the serious expression on Alduin's face made her reconsider.

"Alright, I'll show you how to boss me around!" she thought triumphantly, and started licking his finger.

Meanwhile, Alduin watched in complete shock as his former foe licked his finger with great enthusiasm.

"Just what is going on inside her head? I swear, every time I'm with this girl, something ridiculous happens" Alduin mused.

"Are you trying to turn me on or turn yourself into Dovah? Just suck the blood" he said to Morgana.

Morgana's eyes widened as she did what he said, and after a second, she fell unconscious.

Alduin gently kicked her body a few times before smirking at the girl, who alternated between getting pale, red, and then returning to her normal color.

"Now there's definitely Dovah blood running in her veins" he said, picking up Morgana and heading to the Hall of Valor. Placing her on one of the benches, Alduin turned to Lorkhan.

"Shor, she'll be unconscious for three days. Watch over her."

"Did you turn her?" Lorkhan asked.

"Yes. Xuelan, stay here for a while. Practice controlling magic and Dovahzul, and let your body get used to the new power. Don't give me any reason to doubt that Legendary dragons were the most skilled and powerful Dovah in the pack."

"I won't let you down, my Lord" Xuelan smiled.