7th of Hearthfire, 4E 201

The Greybeards seemed impressed by my Shouting. I guessed that was a good sign, but I had no way of knowing, because the monks were about as expressive as the stone that made up their monastery. They merely told me to follow them outside so I could complete the next test. With great reluctance, I obeyed and stepped into the freezing, biting wind.

I regretted it almost instantly.

Pulling my traveling cloak as close to my body as I could, I turned and faced the Greybeards behind me. "What's next?"

The only one who had spoken to me in Skyrim's native tongue, Master Arngeir, motioned for me to step aside. I did so, and he led me across the courtyard towards a towering metal gate set into the stones dangerously close to the cliff's edge. "You have shown your Voice's strength with your mastery of the Unrelenting Force Shout. Now it's time to see how well you learn and master a completely new Shout." He stopped beside one of two pillars several yards away from the iron gate, then motioned for one of his colleagues to come forward. "Master Borri will now teach you Wuld, the first Word of the Whirlwind Sprint Shout."

Master Borri whispered the word "Wuld," towards the ground, and like magic, glowing markings appeared at our feet. Words in the dragons' language, so Arngeir had said. It looked like fowl scratch to me, but perhaps after some time, I would learn to read it.

The markings on the ground began to fade, and at the same time, the understanding of the Word washed over me. I could see it clearly in my mind, but I had no way to use its power yet. Not without absorbing either one of the Greybeards' understanding of the Word, or a dragon's soul.

"Master Borri will now allow you to tap into his understanding of the Word," said Master Arngeir, a faint sparkle of admiration in his pale eyes.

Huh. Maybe they're not completely emotionless.

Master Borri gave a slight bow, then light rushed out of his body and into mine. I gasped as the power filled me, wrapped around my soul, and gave me the knowledge I needed. It hurt, almost, but it faded as soon as it came.

"Now, Dragonborn, stand next to me, here." Master Arngeir pointed to the spot right next to him. "Tap into your new knowledge of the Whirlwind Sprint Shout and use it to carry you through the gates before they close." He turned to Master Borri, who had walked towards the gates, standing halfway between us and the gates. "Master Borri?"

The other man gave a single nod, turned to the gates, and said, "BEX!" The gates swung open on squeaky hinges.

"Now, Dragonborn!" said Arngeir, although he did not have to prompt me.

"WULD!" I Shouted, and with a mind of their own, my legs carried me over the snowy ground and straight towards the closing gates. Everything around me stretched and blurred as I gained speed. I closed my eyes as wind whipped through my hair and ice crystals stung my cheeks and nose.

Closing my eyes turned out to be a horrible idea. I remembered in a panic that the gates were perched near the cliff, and I could not see where the cliff dropped off. Gasping, I opened my eyes and dug my heels into the ground, fearing that I was moments away from certain death.

Fortunately, I did not hurtle over the cliff's edge.

Instead, I slammed straight into a poorly-placed—or perhaps perfectly-placed?—stone pillar erected just outside the gates.

I slammed into the stone with a horrendous thud. The air left my lungs, and stars brighter than the sun burst behind my eyes. My face took the brunt of the impact, and blood instantaneously gushed from my nose. The impact was hard enough to send me stumbling backwards into the snow, and I landed hard on my backside, hands clutching my wounded face.

A dozen swear words spilled from my mouth as I tried to stop the blood flow. The concerned voice of Master Arngeir grew louder as he and the other Greybeards raced to my aid. Withered hands braced under my arms and hauled me to my feet. I kept my hands pressed to my nose, too afraid to take them away and see the thick, crimson liquid that was streaming between my fingers.

"Perhaps it's possible to master a Shout too quickly," said Master Arngeir as he gingerly pried my hands from my face. "Lean forward, Dragonborn. It'll help stop the bleeding."

I did as he said. My lungs heaved for air, leaving a palpable ache in my chest. "Du yoo gngow angy healig sbells?" I cringed at the sound of my voice. Gods, I sound awful.

It took Arngeir a solid minute to comprehend what I had said, and when he finally understood, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we don't. It's best to get you inside and out of the cold. We can give you some herbs and apply some remedies, but I am afraid your nose will just have to heal in its own time." He and Master Wulfgar helped me walked back towards the monastery. "Are you hurt anywhere else, Dragonborn?"

I shook my head, grimacing as it caused me a headache. "Id's jusd by ngose." I spat blood out of my mouth, dotting the pristine snow with scarlet drops.

Arngeir nodded. "After some medicine and bed rest, you should be fine."

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So this was just a short update, but I thought it would be a fun one all the same. So it would seem that Ylva was not always the suave, graceful killing machine that she is today. It seems that even she went through some awkward experiences in her life. Bad news for her, but good news for the reader, since her blunders serve as entertainment.

Okay, guys, I'm in trouble. I'm out of story ideas for this book. That's right. I have nothing to write about. I'm all out of creativity and inspiration, and I need your help to get it back. "But Wolfie, how are we supposed to help?" you ask? Well, let me tell you. You help by sending in story ideas. Your suggestions are like keys that open the gates to the Fields of Inspiration, and without those keys, I am stuck standing outside the gates sticking a rusty can out begging for scraps of motivation left by the people lucky enough to have keys to get inside. Don't force me to beg. Give me the keys, and I will use them to create something great (in my own mind at least).

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment (especially if you have story ideas)! Until the next adventure!

Love and sweetrolls!
~WG 💙