Mirmulnir came down from the southern peaks, his bronze back reflecting the last rays of the sun setting behind him. It illuminated his figure as he landed in the centre of the rubble with a deafening roar that knocked the guards to the ground. His wings and underbelly were a shade lighter, almost as pale as the giant teeth that he bared in a wicked grin. Even from up as high as she was, Rebecca could see that they were almost the same size as the guards themselves.

Shaking her nerves out of her system, Rebecca drew the string of her bow back as far as she could manage, and finally released, breathing out at the same time. The bow shook as the arrow flew out and down toward the dragon. It landed in his neck, just a little off target, and earned her a screech of such fury that it made Rebecca tremble. To her horror, Mirmulnir shifted on his perch, his fiery red eyes locking on her own as he located the archer responsible. He beat his wings in a show of hostility, and for a moment, Rebecca was almost certain that she had seen a sickening smile spread across his deadly maw. The next second it was gone, as he opened his mouth to release a spurt of flames aimed right at her.

She let out a gasp as she was tackled to the ground by a sudden force from her left. Landing heavily on the stone, Rebecca yelped as she felt the brick beside her heating up with the force of dragonfire. Felix's blond mop was buried in her side.

"Felix, are you alright?" she panicked. The Imperial looked up with a nonchalant glance at his hair, the ends of which were quite seriously singed. He shrugged and gave her a wink, getting to his feet and offering her a hand.

"Never better." he grinned.

The dragon had since become preoccupied with T'ariq, firing jets of frost that slowed and weakened its deadly breath. This gave Felix a chance to throw down some daggers, landing them all along the dragon's spine until it was lashing its tail back and forth, searching for him with eyes that burned for blood. All the while, Rebecca and the soldiers were firing arrow after arrow into its hardened hide, loosening scales here and there. She was aiming in particular at its vulnerable underbelly, but the dragon was careful not to leave it on display, and refused to fly up the tower to face his three main aggravators for fear of exposing this weak spot.

Eventually, Irileth decided to lead a charge on the ground, since the arrows were barely making a dent in the dragon's natural armour.

"Come on," Rebecca called to T'ariq and Felix as she ran down the stairs, stashing her bow and reaching instead for the sword by her side. She knew firsthand the efficiency of short-range weapons against dragons, and had no desire to watch the guards be picked off one by one while she cowered on the roof. She heard her companions hurried footsteps behind her as Mirmulnir gave another ferocious wail, accompanied by the sound of crackling flames. They stepped out onto the battleground and were immediately hit by a wave of heat, and the terrifying figure of the dragon, lit up in the sunset.

Rebecca caught her breath as she took in the full might of the beast in front of her. The cries of the men ahead spurred her into action from where she'd paused, her legs going stiff. Yes, she was scared of the dragon - but more than that she was scared of the guilt that these soldiers might pass on to her with their dying breath. Mustering up her courage, Rebecca conjured a ball of flames in one palm, swinging her blade menacingly in her other hand.

"Thuri du hin silk o Sovngarde!" the dragon growled, lunging forwards and snatching up a guard in his mouth. Rebecca watched with wide eyes as his powerful jaws clamped down on the man, his screams muffled behind the scales before he was silenced with one last, vicious bite. A wave of anger came over the girl, hot as the fire that burned in his lungs as she ran forward, gritting her teeth.

"Mirmulnir!" she shouted, her breath a thunderous cry that made Irileth jump beside her. The dragon's eyes narrowed into slits as he swallowed the guard, his muzzle spattered with a violent red colour.

"Finally." His ancient maw curved into a grin that glinted bright as a blade. The battle ground to a halt as Mirmulnir revealed long, sharp teeth dripping blood. Rebecca took her place in front of the dragon, her heart racing in her chest as she raised her sword. Everything in her body screamed at her to run. Her legs twitched as though they knew death lay mere inches away. But Tom's words had stuck with her since that night in Whiterun; she knew that this was her fate to face. She did not have the luxury of fear. There was no room for that now.

"You are brave," Mirmulnir gave a deep and throaty chuckle, his eyes alight with a ravenous glow. "Bahlaan hokoron. Your defeat gives me honour."

Rebecca saw the glow in the dragon's throat an instant before the flames appeared. She ducked and rolled behind a boulder, screaming at the others to get down. The next second an inferno had engulfed the ground beside her, the dry grass ablaze and spreading fast. Rebecca realised that if she didn't move quickly, she would be trapped. And so, she leaped over the shimmering wall of heat, running straight at Mirmulnir with a battle cry that would've made Ysgramor proud. Her speed had the desired effect; for the first time, a glimmer of fear was visible in the dragon's ember eyes, and he drew back in surprise. Rebecca saw her chance and grabbed it - literally. She swallowed her pulse, which felt like it had risen to her throat in her fear, and took hold of one of his long curved horns, swinging herself onto his neck.

Now she was out of the fire, but into the frying pan. Mirmulnir spat flames in his outrage, swinging his scaly head back and forth in an attempt to throw her off. But Rebecca held on tight, her breath coming in shallow gasps as her mind attempted to process the fact that she was currently seated atop a deadly, fire-spitting lizard. The moment the dragon paused, Rebecca took a huge lunge and threw her body forwards, onto his head. Without thinking, she covered one eyeball with her hand and used the same tactic that had worked so well earlier that day. The fireball that had been building in her hand released right into the dragon's eye. She heard the sizzle and pop of the eyeball and knew that she had been successful. But Rebecca had also sacrificed her grip on his neck to momentarily blind him, and was thrown into the side of the tower with a heavy thud that knocked the wind from her and made her vision swim.

The next thing she knew, Rebecca was being hoisted up on a furry shoulder and carried away, the sounds of the battle muffling as he ran her around the side of the tower. She heard the long and terrible screech of the dragon, although this time, to her satisfaction, it sounded as though it was edged with panic. The clashing of swords against scales commenced once again as the others rejoined the fight, and the dragon began to snarl not in fury but in pain.

The furry hands dropped her against a stone wall, gently lowering her down to the ground as her sword slipped out of her palm and landed with a clatter. Rebecca blinked slowly, and found herself looking into another set of blazing orange eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, before her vision cleared enough to reveal that this pair belonged to a Khajiit, not a dragon.

"When will this kit learn to stop throwing herself into battles that she cannot hope to win!" he hissed, baring his fangs at her. Rebecca's head was still a little fuzzy, and she couldn't understand his frustration. She raised a finger and tapped him on his little pink nose.

"And yet," she giggled. "I have never yet lost."

She heard T'ariq spit in frustration before running back to the fray, making her chuckle as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. Wobbling a little, it took her a few steps and several shakes of her head to regain any sense of stability. When she did, it was only to be suddenly knocked back to the ground by a tremor that shook the earth with such strength that more of the tower fell down around her. Mirmulnir's final shriek faded to a moan as she rounded the corner and saw him lying in the upturned earth, his hide peppered with arrows and a large spear lodged in his neck. His eyes locked onto her own, fixing her in place for fear that he would find the strength to heave one more fiery breath.

"Dovahkiin?" His remaining eye was filled with horror, as though the consequence of this defeat were only just dawning on him. Rebecca found the courage to smile, more out of relief than spite. She dared to draw nearer, much to the shock of the guards, who yelled at her to step back. She kneeled down in front of him, the dragon's breath hot on her chest as she nodded. He blinked, confused.

"No!" His great voice was barely a whisper as he breathed his last. His eye stayed open, watching as the others gathered around to inspect the great beast.

"Damned good shooting, boys!" Irileth patted the nearest guard on the back, looking down at the dragon with a satisfied sneer.

"Is it really dead?" Felix stood beside her, watching Mirmulnir's body with suspicion as it began to twitch. Irileth and her remaining guards stepped back in fear as the very flesh of the dragon seemed to melt, alighting before their eyes.

"Get back!" T'ariq pulled on her arm but she wrestled free, drawn as if by a great force to the decaying form of her opponent. His monumental skeleton seemed to shake as it was revealed, each scale smoking as they burnt like paper, no longer the impenetrable hide that had protected Mirmulnir in life. Rebecca felt the scene was strangely familiar, and not just because she had watched it a thousand times on the Xbox. No, this felt like she had done it before - really done it before, as if in a past life.

The winds of change rushed in her ears just as they had done in Bleak Falls Barrow, only this time she was hit with a force so strong it nearly knocked her over. Her body shook with the sheer power she was absorbing, and she gasped in shock as Mirmulnir's life flashed before her eyes. In the space of a moment she felt his hardship, his fury, and his might, all those centuries spent hiding in the mountains until he could exact his revenge, as he felt destiny had intended. Well, Rebecca thought. It seems destiny had other plans.