Just then a contingent of guards and volunteers, along with Nenya arrived at the standing stones. Irileth recognized her and asked Nenya, “We need help can you help them?” She pointed to Rosenlyn and the others. Irileth stated next, “We need to get them to Riverwood.” Nenya asked Irileth, “Is that her?” Julian said, “Yes, Nenya but we’re going to need a lot of help. For now can we get these people back to Riverwood?” She had twelve regulars and another eight volunteers from Falkreath with her.
Nenya commanded, “Someone run to Riverwood see if Hod the miller has a cart we can use to get these people back to Riverwood. Guards set up a circle around them.” Nenya then asked, “Is that the girl Rosenlyn everyone was speaking about?” Julian said, “Yes, it was because of her that they were able to pull her back here!” Julian then pointed to the Breton girl and said, “Nenya, that is Etain. She is the Breton girl we’ve all been looking for! “
Nenya said to Julian, “Rosenlyn looks exactly like her Grandmother, Royze. How many generations have been involuntarily involved in this?” Julian replied, “I don’t know but somebody or something is not happy about it at all. Did you hear the angry voices from the Throat of the World? The very mountains virtually shook themselves apart?” It wasn’t long before Hod got there with some other volunteers. Fanedal was there, Gerdur too.
Gerdur jumped down from the wagon and said, “Oh by the divines, what happened here?” Nenya replied, “A lot, but we need to get these people back to Riverwood and set up some places to get them healed. Someone also needs to get word to the Temple of Kyne in Riverwood and maybe the Alchemist there. I hear she is really good with her healing potions and salves.” Gerdur said, “Hod and I heard Irileth issuing orders to get help from Whiterun and to update the Jarl.”
Gerdur asked, “Who is that girl? The one who just shows up one day! I mean I like her; she’s got that bubbly sense of humor. You can’t help but like her when she is around you.” Nenya looked at Gerdur and said, “Based on what we know, she is an Acolyte to Azura. It was her that somehow used the stones and these others to help her pull Etain back from the Reach.”
Gerdur exclaimed, “The Reach what was she doing there? That place is dangerous” Nenya replied, “She had been near Sky Haven Temple the old home of the Akaviri Dragonguard. She is the catalyst of why all of this happened.” Nenya then said, “We can talk about all of this once where back to Riverwood. I feel exposed out here. Come let’s get them back there.” When they neared Riverwood the town had already grown by three times the population it normally had.
Kodlak, the leader of the Companions came with others from Jorrvaskr hall and said to them, “What happen to these people?” Gerdur said, “Kodlak we need healers for them and we need guards. Is someone protecting Etain?” Kodlak replied, “You mean that girl we saw being taken into Alvor’s home, yes, Irileth is there.”
Gerdur asked Kodlak, “Doesn’t Alea know some healing arts. These people need all the help they can get.” Kodlak said, “Alea do what you can for them treat them as one of us, these are our neighbors and friends. Dedicate yourself to helping them to getting better. The rest of you see what they need to help guard this town and these people.”
Then Kodlak asked, “What the heck happened here? We all saw the whole sky light up and then the mountains shook and then we heard roars and voices coming down from Kynareth’s sacred mountain.” Gerdur said, “It’s a long story, right now let’s see what we can do to help these people.” Kodlak said, “I am running back to Whiterun to speak with the Jarl, maybe his wizard can bring help from other places, I understand some of the wizards dedicate themselves to the healing arts.”
Dorthe came as they were helping her father and mother out of the cart. “Mommy, Daddy what happened to you. “We’ll be okay Dorthe, We just need a little rest.” Sigrid looked at Gerdur, “Can you…” Gerdur said of course, “Dorthe they’ll be okay.”
Sigrid looked at Gerdur, “Have you seen her?” “Who?” “The Breton girl they are now calling Etain.” Dorthe then said, “Mommy, she’s hurt badly, she’s bleeding out all over from her scars on her back and she’s glowing.” Sigrid replied, “Glowing, what do you mean?” Dorthe replied, “Just that, there’s this glow all around her now!”
Gerdur asked, “Who’s treating her? “Some said, “Arcadia is here, but they can’t get the bleeding to stop.” Then they heard Roselyn’s voice, barely a whisper. “Go and tell Danica to ask Kyne to send her Champion we need his help. There is a special connection to her, ancient it is, between Kyne and her. “
Roselyn the said, “The Champion will come; he can help!” Rosenlyn paused, trying to stay awake, “ You also need to get Alvor and Sigrid better, there is something they will need to do soon.” She then passed out again.” Gerdur said to Hod, “Separate the horse from the wagon, go to Whiterun, and convey the message personally to Danica. Go, I’ll be okay.”
Alea, the Huntress a Companion had done what she could for some of the injured. She then asked to be allowed to come down to assist Arcadia. Irileth was there helping Arcadia where she could. Alea asked, “Can I take a look, we deal with a lot of injures with the Companions.” Arcadia said, “Yes, please do but prepare yourself for this. It is not a pretty site.”
Even Alea, who had seen a lot of battle wounds was not prepared for what she saw. “By the divines, who did this to her? She looks like she was whipped until she was almost dead.” Arcadia said, “We don’t know anything about the when, but from what I can tell, this was from a long time ago, maybe when she was Dorthe’s age.”
Alea exclaimed, “What? Who would do such a thing to a child! Why are they bleeding again? They look fresh as if it just happened.” Arcadia replied, “We’re not sure and I agree with you but from everything I’ve been told, this is one special young lady. I mean look at her; there’s this glow coming from within her.”
Alea said, “Dorthe told us about it upstairs when we brought her parents back from the Standing Stones. The stranger, Rosenlyn they said her name, woke up long enough to tell us to send someone to speak with Danica in Whiterun. “ Arcadia said, “Why, I mean she’s a healer, but she has her hands full with all the sick in Whiterun.”
Alea said, “This Rosenlyn said to have her ask Kyne to send her Champion. That he would be able to help her. She also said that there is a special ancient connection to Kyne.” Irileth asked, “Kyne’s Champion, I’ve never heard of such a thing, have any of you?” Alea said, “I know there are Acolytes, like Rosenlyn who I’ve been told is one for Azura. However, I have never heard of Champions and what does that mean?”
Alea said, I think I might know of something that will help to slow down the bleeding. Can I use your Alchemy materials and other things to put the salve together? Of course, there also a full Alchemy table in the Sleeping Giant Inn if you need it.
Before Alea could leave though the young lady began to mumble something in a strange language,
Mother, Father, Why Could You Not Tell Me, I felt them all Mother, Thousands Of Souls Bound to that place. I freed them all, May their new paths find them peace. One heart, One Truth, We Are One!
Irileth exclaimed, “She speaks the Elder language, she is of the Elder Blood, the time before the Dawn?” Both Arcadia and Alea said, “What, how would you know that?” Irileth told them, “My father was a great academic in Morrowind. He was consider the brightest of the minds that existed during that time. This was an area of his research. He taught me all he knew growing up. Strange, he said someday it may serve you.”
Arcadia and Alea called out “Julian, are you up there” Julian said, “Yes, do you need me?” Alea replied, “Yes, come down here and bring your notebook. Irileth is going to translate something for you Etain is mumbling in the Elder language.” Julian said, “What, she’s speaking in the language before Dawn?” Irileth said, “Hurray please!“
Julian came down, “Who here understands that language?” Irileth said, “I do actually!” Julian was surprised, “Really, how did you learn that?” Irileth said, “My father was the greatest academic there ever was in Morrowind. It was an area of his research.” Julian said, “Of course, I remember reading about him in some old Tomes in Cyrodiil on the histories of Morrowind. How, did you learn those?” Irileth replied, “I am his daughter.” Julian said, “Okay so what did she say, “
“Mother, Father, Why Could You Not Tell Me, I felt them all Mother, Thousands Of Souls Bound to that place. I freed them, each and every soul who were bound to it. May their new paths find peace. One heart, One Truth, We Are One! “ Julian replied tenderly, “How can one soul bear so much pain in a single lifetime?”
Alea said, “If you want to witness pain, look at this and then ask yourself how it is she even still lives.” Julian looked at Irileth, “May I?” “Yes, but just briefly!” Julian came around the bed and then gasped. “Who would do that to her? When did that happen?” Arcadia said, I believe a long time ago. Even though they are bleeding as if they are fresh, these are incredibly old scars. However, you are right. She has taken on a lot of pain in her life.”
“Has she called out their names, you know her mother and father?” “No, that is all she had said so far.” There was a knock on the door upstairs. A soft-spoken man’s voice called out. “May I come in!” Irileth called out, “We’re downstairs but if you mean her harm I will place an arrow between your eyes faster than you can say Azura” He walked slowly down the stairs.
A tall well-built man but dressed in simple monks clothing. Irileth had her bow notched with two arrows. He saw it and said, “Impressive, If the first one misses the second one finds its target. Our future Queen and Empress has some impressive talent guarding her. “
Julian asked, “How would you know that? Who are you?” The man dressed in monk’s clothing replied, “Well, a certain deity came and talked with another, then we received a prayer request from Danica Pure-Spring in the temple of Kyne in Whiterun. I was sent as soon as the request was received.”
Irileth lowered her bow, than you’re the…” He finished the sentence, “Champion of Kyne.” He saw the etching of the Elder Language sitting on a table, “Who wrote that, you Irileth?” Irileth replied, “Yes, how would you? Your father was known by many of the nine. He earned their respect. He also tutored his daughter well.”
“Is that all she’s said so far?” Irileth replied, “Yes, it is the only thing. She’s bleeding from those old wounds on her shoulders and back. We’ve been able to slow it but not stop it.” The Champion walked around to look at her back. Then he told them, “That is a sad tale, and Lady Kyne has seen to it that those who did that to her have all received payment in full for that sad deed.”
Arcadia asked him, “Was she young when this happened? I estimated she was around the same age as Alvor and Sigrid’s daughter Dorthe.” He answered, “Yes, she was, it was a Ambassador that saved her from certain death.”
The bleeding will not stop until she receives the covenant. Where is Alvor and Sigrid?” Arcadia replied, “They were taken to the inn to recover since we needed their bed for her.” “Can someone get them and bring them here?” Irileth asked, “Why are they important?” “You’ll see when they arrive.”
It was about ten minutes then Alvor and Sigrid came down and saw the man. Alvor immediately said, “Kyne” He replied, “Yes, it is time.” Alvor said softly, “Let me get them then, I will bring them here, so she is?” “Yes, she has always been since before the creation of the first word of the First Elder Scroll.”
Julian exclaimed, “By the nine, so I was right when I told her who she might be.” The Champion responded, “Yes, you were correct.“ Alvor and Sigrid were gone about thirty minutes and Irileth asked, “Should we send someone to check on Alvor and Sigrid?”
The Champion said, “No, what they are getting require ceremony and preparation before touching them, otherwise it would kill them.” Julian said, “What! Who are they? Certainly not just a Blacksmith and his wife?” Alvor and Sigrid returned in that same moment. Both were dressed in ancient robes from an age long gone.
Alvor carried a large, curved sword before him with a red diamond embedded in its hilt. Sigrid carried a delicate tiara with a red diamond embedded in its crown on a silk pillow. The Champion then said, “Everyone must step away so they can perform the ceremony. Be aware when Etain accepts the sword she will have sealed the Covenant of Kings. It will be complete!”
Avor came first, then he knelt on one knee before her. She began to mumble, “Mother; Father are you sure!” Alvor exclaimed, “For a long-time my family has been the keeper of her inheritance from her mother. My ancestor made them for her in the age when she still walk the halls of the Imperial City.”
The art of their making is lost behind the veil of time.” Alvor paused then spoke, “ Alessia, your daughter has come to take up her inheritance. I ask you is now the time? Is she the one so that we may fulfill our oath to you?” The room came alive with a misty starlight. Then they all heard the following verse spoken:
“In the misty dawn of ancient times, beneath the ember skies,
There hailed the brave, born of ancient blood, with destiny in their eyes.
They saw not through human lens, but with visions deep and wide,
Through the eyes of forgotten races, they’d watch, and they’d guide.
These children of ethereal flames carried a weighty lore,
To balance shadow with the light, to open new doors.
They walked among the silent whispers of the breezes and the stones,
Bearing gifts from the Divines in their very flesh and bones.
Gifted with Honor, fine and pure, a beacon in the fray,
They bore loyalty’s unwavering torch through night and into day.
Truth danced upon their noble tongues, kindness in their wake,
With this, they’d mend the broken strings of choices all would make.
For they were the weavers of a world, torn by greed and strife,
Charged to restore an empire’s heart, to bring its soul to life.
Where every being would matter, hold worth of untold sums,
Where no one’s voice would falter, where no one’s hope succumbs.
They who are foretold beheld the world in shades unseen, unmet,
With hearts unbound by mortal coils, upon their fates were set.
To carve through darkness with the light that from their spirits poured,
To ensure each silent story was finally heard and forever adored.”
Then the ethereal voice said,
“Here before you lies before you my daughter; Etain, Saorlaith, Oralaith. Etain incarnated from before the first word of The Elder Scrolls was born, Saorlaith, of royal blood, a ruler yet to be, and Oralaith, empress and high queen of Nirn and the coming age.”
The voice then commanded, “Etain claim your right and be whole again!”
Etain slowly sat up, all there could see the pain it caused her, she came to the edge of the bed, knelt before Alvor reach her hand out and her fingers close around the sword, the ruby red diamond embedded in its hilt flared to life.
The whole room was frozen in humbled silence as they witness the blood of this injured Breton girl rise from the pores in her skin and flow into the ruby red diamond. The Breton girl who everyone now knew was Etain, said the following:
“The Covenant is Complete
In the quiet breath of dawn, where ancient vows once lay,
A whisper stirs, a bloodline’s call to stay.
Not of the past, but of a future yet to be,
A promise woven in the threads of eternity.
Ancient Elder Blood Now Comes
From the depths of time, a lineage awakes,
A heritage of strength, of trials and breaks.
Not just of flesh, but of a spirit’s flame,
A legacy that carries the weight of name.
In Faith, Hope, Honor, and Duty
Faith is the seed, hope the nurturing rain,
Honor the soil where dreams are sown and gain.
Duty the path, though long and steep,
All converge in a single, sacred step.
A Forge Is Formed In Courage
In the crucible of trial, where shadows play,
A forge is born from the courage of the day.
Not of steel, but of the heart’s unyielding might,
A place where broken things find their light.
A Fire Under the Last Fading Stars
A fire burns where the stars once sang,
A lullaby of endings, yet a new beginning’s chance.
Not a death, but a transformation’s song,
A beacon for the lost, a hope that’s strong.
An Empire Reborn
From ashes, a crown is raised anew,
A people’s spirit, once broken, now to view.
Not of conquest, but of unity and grace,
A rebirth of purpose, a shared embrace.
A Line Restored
A line once fractured, now whole again,
A submission not of fear, but of a sacred strain.
The prophecy’s words, etched in blood and time,
A path to follow, a destiny to climb.
The Ruby Throne Reborn
The ruby throne, once lost, now gleams,
A symbol of power, yet also of dreams.
The amulet of kings, reborn in light,
A new age dawns, of love, truth, and the dawn.
It’s Reign Will Be Forever More
Their reign is not of fleeting years,
But of a covenant that transcends the tears.
Our fates are woven in her line,
A tapestry of love, of hope, of divine.”
There was a bright light that formed around her and Alvor as both bowed in silence. Sigrid then broke the delicate silence. “Ladies, help her prepare for the rest of the ceremony. It will be held outside in the grove. All must bear witness to it.”
Alvor leaned forward and kiss her on the forehead. She smiled and said, “Thank you and all the generations of your line for the dedication and service to my mother.” The Champion said, “Come, we must leave them to prepare her to complete the ceremony.” All the men left, even Irileth came with them. Sigrid, Arcadia, and Alea stayed behind to help her prepare for what came next.
She was bathed, given her mother’s armor she had made for her, her hair brushed combed and pinned up. Etain smiled and said, “Thank you. I sense there are many waiting for us in the grove.” They went outside and across the way to enter the grove of hardwoods and pines. Sigrid came with the tiara, her husband Alvor took a silken set of embroider cloth and laid it down on the ground. Etain entered the circle of all the people who had gather there to witness her assent. She knelt and bowed her head before Sigrid.
Sigrid looked at all that had come to bear witness, she smiled as many were her friends. Then she began, “In this era a new age begins. With this tiara I now set upon your head in service to Lady Mara, and to your mother and father. I now claim to the world, you are your mother’s daughter, Princess Etain, Saorlaith, Oralaith. The covenant is now complete!” Etain slid the sword from another age from its sheath. There were flames that licked its edge and symbols etched of an ancient word along the edge of its blade.
She took her sword, raised it high above her head, and drove it into the earth before her and a spectacle none had ever seen before happened. Her blood flowed like a river to join with the ruby red diamond in the hilt of the sword. Then the trees all around the grove came alive and swayed with song, the earth began to tremble and the surrounding mountains shook. A bright array of colorful mist came alive, filled with mini starlight. It exploded outward across the grove. Then they heard her say,
“The shadow of darkness, shall be vanquished from this land,
Its tendrils pulled, its empire fell, before you one stands.
In honor, in submission as of our need she is forged,
A pact of courage forged in fire, under the fading stars’ last song.
The empire of the dragon returns now from forgotten realms,
Rising with the dawning sun, to brighten the realms.
With scales that glint like morning dew, and eyes like ancient helms,
Our hearts beat like a single drum, in a world overwhelmed.
We celebrate this lasting bond, it will set the kingdom free,
A bond not forged by mere decree, but by a shared desire.
We are two rings that stand as one, for all eternity,
In the dance of stars and destiny, bound by felicity.
Hear our cry, oh treasured sky, and sing with us this tune,
Of dragon might and human heart, beneath the silver moon.
Our spirits blend in mystic lore, as day fades into night’s boon,
Dragon, we are of one blood, and our souls are knit in rune,
It’s song so named the “The Destiny of Fate” is our tune,
Upon its meter, will fall the beat of our fate the voice of grace.”
Then another voice disconnected from Etain somehow came from her and said. “All here bear witness this day, “
“Thus the line of that ancient bond is restored,
In her the blood that of the dragonborn flows,
Our daughter has come forth, the seal is now closed,
Of her blood the line is reborn, an Empire restored,
Through her line, peace will at last come,
Before you she submits to fate’s plea,
To the will of the Empire’s need,
And a Prophecy that is written in blood,
Will seal all our paths forever more.”
Every person regardless of belief knelt in homage to her. She then pulled the sword from the earth, and where it had been thrust a sprig of a tree began to grow, It then became a young sapling, then it grew rapidly into a grown tree and spread out it arms. Fresh blooms of beautiful delicate flowers formed, and everyone bowed even lower before this miracle before them. She rose before them and exclaimed, “Kyne has given you all this gift, this grove is now a scared place, for here the Covenant of Old is now complete!”
Then she looked at Alvor and Sigrid. “I am tired let’s go home.” Both Alvor and Sigrid put their arms around her to help lend her their strength. Then all heard them say, “Welcome, home, daughter of Akatosh and Alessia, sister of the nine.” Outside of the circle, a young girl with auburn colored hair and green eyes watched it all. She walked quietly away and said quietly to herself, “Grandmother now I understand!”