Skyrim - Main Quest 7 - A Blade in the Dark

When you arrive in Riverwood, go to the inn and talk to Delphine. When Delphine is asked for the attic room, she will tell you that there is not any such thing, but she can give them the room on the left. When you go inside, she will talk to you about the Horn and give it to you. She will ask that you follow her to a secret room below the inn. She reveals that she took the Horn to attract the attention of the Dragonborn, and the note was a test to protect against trickery by the Thalmor. She also tells you that the dragons are not coming back, but are actually being resurrected from their burial mounds. Only the Dragonborn can permanently kill dragons, but she is not quite ready to accept you as Dragonborn, despite the Greybeards' interest in you. Luckily, she has a task to prove your worth. According to the Dragonstone map from Bleak Falls Barrow, the next dragon will rise from a burial mound in Kynesgrove, and she wants you to go there with her and kill it—only then will she accept you as Dragonborn. Tell her you're ready to leave, and she will put on her gear and leave the inn.

You are free to follow Delphine to Kynesgrove, or you can go at your own pace and possibly beat her there. As soon as you get to Kynesgrove, Iddra will run up to you saying that a dragon was sighted flying over the burial mound and that you should get out of town. If you traveled with Delphine, she will run up ahead of you to the burial mound, fearing it may be too late. If you arrived ahead of her, she will appear shortly on the mound, behind you.

Upon arriving at the site, you will see the dragon Alduin, who is using his Thu'um to resurrect the dead dragon. Once the dragon in question,Sahloknir, is whole once more, he has a conversation in the dragon language with Alduin. It is recorded below with a general translation below the text and a literal translation in parentheses.

• Alduin: Sahloknir, ziil gro dovah ulse!
  • Sahloknir, ever-bound dragon spirit! (spirit bound dragon eternity-of.)
• Alduin: Slen tiid vo!
  • Let your flesh be unrotten! (Flesh against time.)
• Sahloknir: Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?
  • Alduin, my overlord! An age past, did you not destroy the power of the ancient kings? (Alduin, my overlord! An age time ago kill power-of-kings ancient?)
• Alduin: Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir.
  • Yes, Sahloknir, my trusted ally. (Yes, Sahloknir, my champion [of] allegiance.)
• Alduin: Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi.
  • So, my false Dragonborn? I do not recognize you as dragon. (So, my of-fake Dragonborn? I recognize no from dragon of you.)
• Alduin: You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name of Dovah.
• Alduin: Sahloknir, krii daar joorre.
  • Sahloknir, kill these mortals. (Sahloknir, kill these mortals.)

After ordering Sahloknir to kill you, Alduin flies away. Kill Sahloknir and absorb his soul, then talk to Delphine. She will tell you everything that you want to know, and reveals that she is one of the last members of the Blades. She will also talk to you about her suspicions regarding the Thalmor, who are the only ones who could benefit from the return of the dragons. She then mentions possibly infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy, starting the next quest, Diplomatic Immunity.