Ishly and High Hrothgar

A week passed since Ishly was forced to move to High Hrothgar. She had once in a while visitors which were doing a pilgrimage of old climbing the Seven Thousand Steps.

They would reach High Hrothgar only to find Ishly sitting on the steps leading into it. She wanted to take a picture with them only to find out that the Nords took this place too seriously to take a picture just to show they made it to the top.

This made Ishly fall into a depression until an old woman appeared at the doorsteps of High Hrothgar. Ishly seemed lifeless in her eyes when she looked at her.

"You must be a Highwind to be living in High Hrothgar," says the old woman as she looked at Ishly.

"You are the first to call me a Highwind most of them think that I am a simple Asari taking care of the Temple," says Ishly as the old woman laughs weirdly at Ishly.

"Girl, I have lived longer than most of the Nords in Skyrim and I should know that you are a Highwind since I am one myself," says the old woman surprising Ishly who opened her eyes wide open.

"Only a Highwind would dare to sleep in High Hrothgar because of what it represents to our Ancestor," says the old woman as she looked at Ishly.

"Ancestor?" asks Ishly as the old woman smiled.

"Yes, my Ancestor, he must be your father or grandfather," says the old woman as she walked towards the steps using her cane.

"You mean Dad," says Ishly as the old woman could see that she was still a childish brat.

"Most likely, he was known to take children of different races under his roof. I still remember that I met my husband that way," says the old woman as she looked at Ishly.

"I know why they must have sent you here. You are hanging on to your childishness almost like clinging to it not wanting to grow up," says the old woman as she used a fire spell to free the stairs from the snow and ice before sitting down.

"I wasn't like you when I was younger so I can't give you some advice but it can tell you something really important if you listen to my story," says the old woman as she looked at Ishly.

"How will that help me get down from this snowy mountain?" asks Ishly seriously as the old woman laughs weirdly again.

"When I was young and I thought I knew everything that was going on in the world. I married my husband and we went to Kirkwall a city in Thedas. He was made Viscount by your father," says the old woman when she looks at the sky.

"And what has that to do with me?" asks Ishly as the woman smiles.

"Before we settled in Kirkwall we went on adventures around Nirn with some companions we came here together and we made a promise that we would come here every year just to see the view of Whiterun," says the woman as she looked at Ishly.

"We soon got into a fight with bandits that lived near the former village of Ivarstead. We fought and I who thought that knew everything in this world was wounded badly because of my overconfidence. I still decorated the scar on my abdomen," says the woman as Ishly was confused about why the woman was telling her this.

"I was wounded by an arrow that pierced through my stomach. I was dying a slow and painful death at that moment when suddenly shadows appeared out of nowhere to protect us," says the woman as Ishly knew about shadows since Vlad was one of them.

"That was the moment I realized that I didn't know anything of the world outside of the stories that my mothers and father told me about. I was crying thinking I would never see them again when he appeared with one of my mothers," says the woman as Ishly was now confused.

The only Highwind with multiple wives was Vincent but she called him, her Ancestor, making Ishly be on high alert about what was going on.

She was holding her knuckles ready to attack the suspicious woman when the cane was suddenly pointing at her throat.

"Don't interrupt me, child. Now where was I?" asks the woman thinking about where she left off.

"Dad appeared out of nowhere," says Ishly as she couldn't do anything.

"Right, he and Anra did. She pulled the arrow out of my stomach before closing the hole immediately so I wouldn't die because the stomach acid leaked and ate away my internal organs," says the woman as she pointed the cane away from Ishly.

"From that moment on I realized how precious the life I was living was. I changed drastically from the person that thought she knew everything to the woman that would enjoy every minute of it," says the woman as she looked at Ishly.

"This mountain changed many people in this family most importantly Vincent. That's why this place is used by him to train Highwinds that are walking down a path that is dangerous for the family," says the woman as she stood up.

"Many Highwinds before you were trapped here and many after you will be trapped here as well," says the woman as she saw that the sun was at its highest point.

"I need to leave now or I won't be able to get down from this mountain," says the woman as she stands up using her cane to stabilize herself.

"Who are you?" asks Ishly as the woman turned to her before she smiled.

"An old which that should have died long ago," says the woman as she laughs before saying, "If you are interested in my name you can find it on the wall over there like the name of every Highwind that was sent to High Hrothgar."

Ishly turned to the wall for the first time only to realize that there were more than hundreds of names on it when the woman continues, "I was brought here when my husband died and I went mad. Father had to drag me here since he saw that I was mad and not sad."

"Two weeks it took me to understand that Garrett's death did not only affect me but everyone else as well," says Morrigan as she pointed at her name.

"Wait Garrett Hawke, the Viscount of Kirkwall. But he is at least over four hundred years dead. You can't be his wife," says Ishly as Morrigan hits her lightly with her cane.

"Oh, I am. I come from a complicated family line even before I was adopted by Vincent. I and my sister are still alive while our real mother is a leading researcher in Kvatch," says Morrigan as she touches the markings.

"All those markings are proof that they left High Hrothgar changed. It was a tradition started by father see here," says Morrigan pointing at Vincent's name which was engraved there as well.

"Father always returns here when he needs to think about something important. He also seems to be untouchable but he is a man like everyone else and when he needs to decide on something serious he comes here and listens to the voices inside High Hrothgar," says Morrigan as she looked at Ishly.

"You have never sat down inside of High Hrothgar to take in where you are, am I right," says Morrigan as she could see the sun wander.

"You should do that and hear what the people before you have to say. It might look empty but this place housed the voices of many people. Listen and you will understand what I mean," says Morrigan as she saw the sun was almost gone from talking to the girl.

"I have to leave now or the people awaiting me in Whiterun will become nervous because I took too long to return," says Morrigan as she walked towards the edge of the mountain.

"We might meet again, Ishly Highwind, if destiny wants us to meet again," says Morrigan as she falls from the edge of the mountain surprising Ishly as she rushed towards the edge to catch her only to find a crow holding a cane fly towards Whiterun.

"Morrigan Highwind, the Witch of the Wild," says Ishly remembering that Anra told her about Morrigan before.

She then stands up and dusts the snow from her shoulder before going inside to see or better said hear what Morrigan was talking about.

She never took her time to sit down inside High Hrothgar as Morrigan said. She would sleep inside but spend the whole time outside the abandoned temple.

She sat down and closed her eyes as she would when she was younger when she meditated when she hears a voice.

"The girl finally began to try to listen to our words," says a manly voice as Ishly opened her eyes looking around but no one was there.

"We are those that walked before you," says a female voice making Ishly turn towards the opposite decision.

"And those that walked after you," says another male voice making Ishly turn again but no one could be seen.

"High Hrothgar is one of the most magical places since on top of the mountain exists a time wound which allows us to interact with our past, present, and future," says a voice that Ishly recognizes.

"Dad?" asks Ishly as the voice laughs.

"You must be one of the children I adopted after I became Emperor," says the Vincent of the past when he was only a Dragoon being trained by the Greybeards.

"I am just a lingering piece of the original like is everyone else that you are hearing inside those halls," says the Vincent of the past.

"He is right, Ishly," says the same voice as it was a Vincent of the future now talking when all the voices suddenly manifested into ethereal bodies.

Many people of many races were surrounding Ishly as they all looked at her when one of them says, "So this is Ishly Highwind better known as the Fool."

"The Fool?" asks Ishly confused because she never thought she would get such a nickname.