Chapter Text
“Hey you, you're finally awake.” Draco’s sweet mate Ray said as he walked out into the common area.
“Been in and out for hours.” Draco responded, “having the flu is like all of Oblivion breaking loose, but the doc told me that I’m not contagious.”
“Yeah, stupid Haden for bringing it to us.” Ray growls, he hates his roomate, and claims that there’s a war between the two.
“I’m off to the dining hall.” Draco responded. “See you on the other side.”
Skyrim University has seen much better days, currently it’s a part of a network of other colleges, but some students want it to be independent after their tuition rose.
Everything has been downhill since the riots started with some senior called UL Frank killing the president of the college. He was then charged and jailed. Now he’s seen almost as a martyr with the students who want out of the “empire.”
Draco made it to the dining hall and sat down on a circular table. Today they served undercooked chicken with broccoli. He braced himself as he ate it knowing his stomach would flip later.
Once he finished he decided to head to the Whiterun academic building to class a little early.
“Psst.” A voice called as he stepped inside. Shrugging Draco walked away and ignored her.
He walked up the stairs to the second floor and heard her again, “hey.” She said quietly.
Finally Draco turned around to see a young woman about his age. She was very tall with bright green eyes and blond hair. She gave a warm smile.
“Finally! I’ve been looking for you forever! My name is Vesta and you must be Draco.” She arched an eyebrow as if it was both a question and a fact.
“Uh yeah, do I know you?” He responded.
“No!” She backed up, “not really, it’s hard to explain but haven’t you heard the tale of the heroes? The gods?”
Draco couldn’t care for the heroes, he knew that there were statues of them all over the world, silent places to thank them for their sacrifices.
“Everyone has.” Draco responded.
“Then you must know why I’m here!” She stepped up a few more stars inching her way closer.
“No I really don’t and I’m going to be late.” Draco stepped further from her.
“You’ve seen things.” She called after him as he opened the door, “you’ve dreamt it, this land, it’s not real, you know it.”
Draco sped walk to his class as Vesta seemed to follow, “leave me alone.” He stopped to face her, “I will call the cops.”
She hastily scribbled something on a sticky note and handed it to him, “when your eyes are open send me a message.” She said and walked away with her head drooping.
Draco shoved the sticky note in his bag and continued on his way.
Professor Balgruuff already had his PowerPoint open and was chatting with a few students about the upcoming weekend. He’s one of the few who actually try to understand students' opinions and does what’s best for them.
“Draco, please have a seat.” He said when Draco walked in.
“You're later than normal.” Draco’s friend Lydia commented when he sat down.
“Some strange girl ran into me today.” He replied.
“Oh? What’s her name?” Lydia teased, probably thinking he has a new girlfriend.
“Vesta, I’ve never seen her on campus before.” He replied with an eyeroll.
“There was a guest who’s on campus with a sister named Vesta, maybe that’s her.” Lydia shrugged.
“Who?” Draco asked.
“Ms. Titanborn, she’s an alum who lives near campus.” Lydia pulled out a notebook and pencil to prepare for today's lecture instead she wrote contact information for Ms. Titanborn.
“Maybe I should ask her why her weird sister knew my name.” Draco shrugged and pulled out his laptop.
After a quick Google search Draco found out what she looked like and sent her a message.. Ms. Titanborn seemed to still be associated with the college and emailed back much quicker than expected.
After class was over the two met at the coffee shop. She was rather tall, much taller than anyone Draco had ever seen.
“Are you Ms.Titanborn?” He asked.
She held out her hand, “Lyris.” She nodded, “please let’s talk, I know you met my sister.”
Draco sat down across from her at the booth, her hands were folded and she didn’t seem relaxed.
“She knew my name and gave me her phone number.” Draco said.
Lyris frowned, “so you must be Draco, you have to forgive her, she’s not in the right mind at the moment.”
“How did she know who I am?”
“Vesta is under the impression that you are one of the heroes, she also is convinced that she is one as well.”
“So she tracked me down?” Draco began putting the pieces together.
“Yes, I’m and I am sorry on her behalf, she’s harmless.” Lyris took a sip of coffee.
“I guess I should just ignore her.” Draco pondered on how to approach the subject. This weirdo, Vesta, was still Lyris’s sister.
“If you see her tell her to come home, everyone’s worried.” Lyris closed her eyes.
“She isn’t home?”
“My father and I normally keep Vesta inside because she has a tendency to get herself unwanted attention.”
Draco nodded with understanding, “people think she’s blasphemous because she thinks she’s one of the heroes I presume.”
“Exactly, she ran off last night and hasn’t been home since, so I’m grateful that you at least saw her.”
Draco pulled out the sticky note with Vesta’s number, “what if I contact her and you can take her home?”
“She’ll never agree if I’m there.” Lyris shook her head.
“I can tell Vesta to meet me at one of the strange statues on campus and you can come in once she’s settled and take her home.”
Lyris nodded, “that might actually work, what if you meet at Kilkerath’s Pizza and we can meet at the statue outside.”
Draco smiled, “I’ll text her now.”
Hey it’s Draco
She responded almost immediately as if expecting the text.
Hiiiiii!
I'm so happy
I didn’t think you’d text back!
Draco thought of what to say next, his fingers flew over the keypad.
Dinner?
Tonight? 6:00?
Killkreath’s????
NOOOOO
I CANT
MERIDIA
YOU CANT
NO
“Lyris?” Draco showed her the phone, “Isn’t Meridia one of the princes? The false gods?”
“Yes, I’ve no idea how she learned it, father never approved, all talk of princes was banned from our house.”
Okay Draco typed but she responded faster.
Can we meet at heroes square?
I can ask my sister to pick us up
Draco showed the phone to Lyris who didn’t seem surprised.
“I guess you can take her home after all.” He shrugged.
Good idea , he replied back to Vesta.
…
Draco waited outside his apartment for the white car to show up. Lyris rolled down the window and signaled for him to come in.
“Draco!” Vesta said happily in the backseat.
“Vesta leave this poor man be, I’m very sorry sir, if she’s bothering you I can just take her home.” Lyris politely spoke as if we hadn’t met earlier.
“I’m curious to see what she has to say.” Draco replied, “to hero square it is.” He sat in the front seat next to Lyris. Vesta in the back grinned at him, she held a small toy that looked like a humanoid cat.
Once arrived at the shrines Draco opened his door and watched Lyris hold her sister's hand. It seemed strange as Vesta was clearly old enough to not need a babysitter.
“So what did you want to show me?” Draco asked.
“Come on.” Vesta tugged Lyris’s hand and walked towards one of the hero shrines.
The statue was golden with a young woman holding a raised staff. Her face showed no emotion as if she hid it all.
“This is the vestige.” Vesta explained the obvious then added, “me.”
“You are not a hero.” Lyris rolled her eyes.
“Yes I am!”
“Am not!”
“Am.”
“Not.”
Draco watched as they fought but then Vesta burst into laughter.
“Uncle Cadwell knows.” She said, “he knows everything.”
“His name isn’t Cadwell it’s Charlie.”
“No it’s Cadwell, that's what he told us, remember?”
“Uh.” Draco interrupted, “I don’t need to be a part of your family squabbles.”
“Sorry.” Lyris ducked her head.
“Earlier you said I’m the Dragonborn?” Draco changed the subject.
“You are! It took years to find you, but I did it! Here you are!”
“Vesta, look at him, he’s a student, not a hero.” Lyris pointed at Draco.
“That’s because he doesn't remember.” Vesta explained, “They used a great deal of magicka to wipe everyone’s memory.”
“And yet you remember?” Draco raised an eyebrow.
“I have dreams of the past and knew of it, I never believed it. Then the accident happened and everything came back.”
Lyris frowned, “She hit her head in the accident and now her brain is messed up.”
“It’s not messed up!” Vesta growled.
The three of them walked to one of the other heroes, the Dragonborn. Legend states that he stopped the world from ending.
“Don’t you notice how he looks like you?” Vesta gazed upwards at the shrine.
“Not through that weird helmet.” Draco responded.
“That’s a dragon priest mask, I don’t think I ever had one back in the second era.” Vesta smiled.
Draco gazed up at the shrine, the man held a great sword far bigger than anything he could have carried. Near his feet a dragon skeleton made from real bones rested.
“We could have used a Dragonborn back in Elsweyr.” Vesta’s eyes wandered from the statue to Draco.
Lyris who has been quite facepalmed, “Okay I’ve had enough of this, Draco I’ll drive you back to campus and Vesta and I are going home.”
“But-“ Vesta began to protest then stopped herself, “Fine, of course you don’t believe me! You never do! Gods willing I’ll prove it to you one day.”
Lyris only shook her head as the three of them headed back to the car.