Looking back chapter 4

   Days and week's went by I learned a lot from every member of our patrol. I also learned more than I ever wanted to about politic's, my Aunt and Decin would often talk about political happenings, Amy listened without ever saying a word to them, I listened but often gave my opinion. 
   I didn't like the way it looked like the Thalmor were heading, as a deadra hunting quasi military  group I was happy to be with them, but the direction of the politic's and religious aspect was something I was very uncomfortable with. In my Aunts quiet way, without ever sounding mean, she told me that my opinion would get me persecuted in the year's to come, that I should like Amy did, keep my mouth shut and no one would ever know. It was a lesson I took to heart. Decin said that he would never turn me in for my opinions, but their are many who would, to make themselves look better.
    Amy taught me another lesson that I caught on to right way. She said "Altmer could plant a little seed today and wait to harvest the Acorns 200 yr's from now, where as her people planted corn to harvest in less than a season." I saw what she was getting at right away. 
   Aunt Irrillia and I worked on her baby clothing, Amy sat with us playing her lute. Decin would sometimes sit in, reading a book or working on a silver engraving. I really admired those engravings, but had no talent at all. I know we must have made an odd sight, 1 lady, 2 warrior woman and a scarred brute of a man. Because of his size and the scarring on his face, not a few softer political appointee's made the mistake of thinking Decin wasn't the brightest star in the sky. Decin had a rapier whit and slow way of talking, that often had people walking away before they realized he had insulted them. I heard from one of the guards that one young man took three days to realize he had been insulted. 
   I did find in that time, that if I took my time, I was pretty good at carving stone. I did a lot of the Deadroth that we ran into and sent back to Oblivion. If the first couple were a little warped looking, no one seemed to mind. 

    About two months before Irrillia was due, Decin had a meeting with all of his patrol to tell us some new's that had just come out of Cyrodiil and to ask us all a favor. Because of the type of news, he asked the favor first, which was probably a good thing, as no one would have shut-up long enough to hear the favor after the news. He asked us if we would run two patrols back to back and then have two weeks of guard duty in the week when Irrillia was due. He really didn't need to ask, we all agreed to that without any hesitation. 
  The news and it was big, Decin stood before us, with warring emotions on his face, but then he became our commander. " I don't like repeating myself, so keep any comments and outbursts quiet until I have finished." He looked down at the paper in his hands, " Someone in Cyrodiil has figured out how to close these Oblivion gates. They closed a gate saving the city of Kvatch, it seem's you can go through the gate and into towers that are found in that realm. Making your way to the top of the tower and removing a sigil stone, will close the gate and send the person home that is holding it. Now that said, their are alot of unanswered questions. How long ago this happened we don't know, how many people went in the gate we don't know, how many came out we don't know. Our mages have been discussing this and think that as long as anyone that get's to the tower is touching the person removing the sigil stone, they will also come back. But we can't be sure." as he paused the room blew up with everyone trying to talk over everyone else. 
   Amy and I kept quiet along with some others as Decin wasn't answering any questions, them being tossed at him to quickly to answer. As the room quieted down Decin started talking again, " The commander here has picked our patrol to enter a gate, now we won't be doing so alone, Merican's patrol will enter ahead of us, then someone will come back out when they get to the tower, then they will leave as we fight our way to the top. I would hope we all would come out, but some may get lost, others may die... I don't want someone getting injured and left behind inside the gate. Each of you will have a buddy, IF your buddy get's injured, you both will hurry as quickly as possible back out of the gate. I would think after a certain point that going back would take longer than going ahead, but staying behind everyone. Something's we will decide when we see what we are up against. Please take some time and come up with answers at evening muster. Dismissed" and with that he turned and left quickly.
   I slowly followed him out the door with Amy beside me, I had no intention of actually catching him. My Brother-in-law to be or not, he was still my Commander. I just didn't want to be in the cluster of questions, I wanted time to think. Amy and I went and sat up on the fort's walls, looking out toward the nearest Oblivion gate. "Healing" Amy said, "We need to ask about taking healer's with us or teaching those with any skill at all some simple healing spells". I nodded and told her I thought some potions would be a good idea also. Something else was food and water, nothing in the dispatch had said anything about how long they had taken to close that gate. Bandages and herbs, would be a good thing, as not every cut needed a healer or potion. 
  The day wound slowly towards dinner, I checked in with Aunt Irrillia, but Decin was there and I felt they needed the time together. I was hoping he would talk her into marriage before we went to close the first gate. Amy and I went to the barrack's were most of our patrol was.  They were all in little groups, talking quietly. As we came in the room got quit and I wondered what was up. Salihia the oldest of our patrol took it upon herself to come over to us and in a not so quiet voice said " We want to make sure the commander makes it out. You Zane are not just a good warrior but also a good healer. You know magic's and we think that you and Amy can stay right behind the commander and make sure he is comes out. Remilyn will be the commanders "buddy"."   I nodded and went and sat at one of the tables.
    Remilyn was everything opposite to the commander, he looked about 200 years younger than he was, plus he had to be the heaviest set Altmer I have ever seen. He carried a shield and a mace, both of which I have seen him use to cut the head off of enemies.  That shield had a metal ring around it that he kept as sharp as some people kept their swords. He was actually older than Decin by 100 years. He looked more like a bandit than the professional soldier. They would make excellent "buddies" for this trip.
  We all waited on Decin, quietly tossing idea's back and forth, we also decided that Salihia would ask all the questions, which I wrote down for her, that way we would have all our questions answered without it getting to late. As Decin walked into the barracks, he had a small smile on his face, I nudged Amy, who smiled large and nudged the man next to her, I think we all figured out that my Aunt had consented to marry him, before he even stopped in the middle of the room.

   Decin let us know that Irrillia Greymore had consented to marry him on the morrow, before we left to close our first gate the following day. That shut the whispers up for a moment as we all soaked that one in, then a round of congratulation before Salihia walked in front of him and started asking the questions that we had come up with.
    We came up with some changes, Merican's patrol would wait for 2 hr's for anyone that might be injured and help them out after the 2 hr mark, all injured would follow with the healers. The healer's would have guards that would also act as stretcher barriers. Any walking wounded would help the others.
    I went to talk to Irrillia and talk to her about everything we had discussed. If anyone got home, Decin would, all of us would make sure of that.

Looking back chapter 3

    After we had eaten and bathed Irrillia and I went to the room we were assigned and I know I at least slept the clock around. When I finally woke up, I looked around and my Aunt had gone, the two pallets on the floor were empty also. A note from my Aunt, beside the bed told me that I would find some clothing in the dresser and I should bath again and come find her. I choose the better of the outfits in the dresser, figuring if they wanted me to work I could come back and change out of the dress.

   I found my Aunt sitting in the sunshine, in a small garden along the fort's walls. She smiled her approval of my choice of clothing and then introduced me to the tall Altmer who had led us here. His name was Decintanor and he turned into the best friend I have had in ages. Decin ( as I called him) took us under his wing, got me training in magic and weapons, found me some good armor and then put me in his own patrol. Ok do putting me in his patrol was a way to keep his eye's on me and made Irrillia very happy, which was very important to him. He had fallen in love with her at first sight, as bedraggled and dirty as we were.

  I made another friend in that time also, though she has long since passed away, A Nord by the name of  Ammila Snowfox, with her light blue eye's and bright red hair she did her surname proud. Amy and I were almost inseperable in those first months after the Oblivion gates opened up. You wonder at a Nord being in the Summerset Isle's at that time, her family were shipping traders. She was a wonder with her battleaxe and bow, either equally as deadly. She was only a year older than I, but much more mature and world wise.

    I learned quickly to use my sword and my bow skills improved, to the point I very rarely missed. When I went out on my first patrol Decin had me stay in the middle of the group, along with Amy and we both put our bow's to good use. With my sword strapped across my back, I kept a knife in my strong hand and used spells in the other. I healed our troupe and used small fire spells on the Deadroth that got to close to myself and my patient. Amy kept them off my back for the most part though, usually shouting "death or Sovengarde", which never made sense to me as one has to die to go to Sovengarde. Then again, my knowledge of the Nordic language wasn't very good back then.

   You wonder that I joined Thalmor back then? Well, at that time, they were for the most part, focused on getting rid of the Deadroth and the Oblivion gates that brought them. To me that was a good use of my skills and a way for me to learn more, while keeping myself and Irrillia fed. The children kept to our room's for awhile, until more and more showed up without parents or other guardians, they were put in their own bunk rooms then.

   I measured time not by the calendar but by how large Irrillia was getting with child. Also by how agitated Decin was getting, you would think he was the one with child. Irrillia had reason's, she wasn't completely over Harriods death and she wanted to get in touch with her family before she made the next step. I had a talk with Decin about her, I was curious what his family would think. He actually shrugged and then said, in probably one of the snootiest tones I had ever heard from him, " Irrillia Greymore is from very good family, with political and monetary influences". Then he laughed and said, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

   Finding out he really did love her, even though one could make the argument for a "political marriage", I told him that her birth family wasn't thrilled with her marring "dirt farmers". He just about choked on his wine and looked at me with astonished eyes... "dirt farmers? they think your family were only farmers?" I said yes, my family were just farmers. To that he looked at me rather oddly and then asked if I and my friend Amy would care to take a trip into Alinor, where Irrillia's family resided.

    I replied I was more than happy to do so, but would the fort commander allow us to go their just to visit my Aunt's family? Of course he wouldn't, but weekly the commander sent out letters to his superiors and got some in return. That is what we would legitimately be doing, with a side trip to visit family.

   We arrived in Alinor in the early afternoon, having dodged Oblivion gates and wondering groups of deadroth. Amy put up the hood on her armor, her face and ear's being dead giveaways she wasn't Altmer. She tended to dirty looks and words from those who didn't know her. We arrived at the Thalmor garrison and told the man on watch that we had letters for the commander. He showed us the way to go and when we arrived at the commanders door, we found someone else their who took our pouch and said to go find a meal, bath and bed for latter, we would have replies in the morning to take back.
    Not wanting to arrive on Irrillia's family's doorstep smelling of sweat and horse, I took a bath and found a clean cloth uniform and the bath attendant said my armor would be on my bed when I got back, clean and mended as needed. Amy said she would wait  here as the garrison had it's own inn with mead and wine.

   I got directions to the family manor, which had not escaped  deadroth distruction, but was being repaired quickly. The man at the door told me to have a seat and wait. Which I did for about a quarter of an hour. Then a servant asked me to follow her, to an office. Their were three men in the room, the oldest asked me why I had come and I went to hand him the letter Decin had written. One of the younger men took the letter and opened it, not reading just looking at it as if to make sure their wasn't poison in it or something.

  The old man read the letter and then looked up and asked me what Irrillia wanted. Because of his wording, I didn't think Decin had said anything about my relationship to Aunt Irrillia. " I believe Commander Decintanor wishes to marry Irrillia Greymore and is seaking your blessing. As far as I know Irrillia doesn't know that he sent me here today". I knew darn well she didn't know and I also knew she had sent a letter's each week with the courier, that were never answered.

  The old man nodded and told me to go wait out in the hall. After another quarter hour the servant came back and handed me two envelopes, with instructions to give both to Commander Decintanor, even though one was addressed to Irrillia Greymore. The servant handed me two silver coins and winked, I'm not sure if that meant she had taken one or if she had figured out that I wasn't just a courier.

With the coin I had just been given and some I had earned, I went to the market. I had two thing's in mind, the first being some kind of sweet for my Aunt, the second being fabric to make some baby cloths out of. It didn't take to long to find sweet's, but I was their til late in the afternoon trying to find cloth that was soft enough for a baby. Trade with outside towns was very very scarce right now and somethings hard to get.

 I stopped a man wearing sailor clothing and asked how shipping was going. He shook his head and said "no where young one. Their are Deadroth in the seas, that you can't see until the start ripping up your ship from under you. No one wants to travel and I can't say I blame them." I said thank you to the man and sighed, Ammila wouldn't be going home anytime soon it seemed.

  The next day was a quiet one, Amy and I rode back to the Fort and other than seeing the Oblivion gates we saw not a single deadroth. I gave the courier pouch to the Fort Commanders aide and told him what we had or rather had not seen on our ride back. I then went and found Decin and gave him both letters.

  I do not know what was in those letter's, for I never asked, but judging by the rage on Decin's face the one addressed to my Aunt was not nice. He stood their with both letter's in his hands and then balled up the one to Irrillia and threw it in the fire. He looked at me and told me that I never saw or had a letter from her family addressed to her, I just nodded. He turned and looked out the window, which I took as a dismissal and left.

 Amy was right behind me as I turned to go, I had forgotten that she had come with me. As we left the building she said in a very soft voice, " I would not want to be on the other end of his anger". Me either I thought and told Amy we should go and give my Aunt her sweets and the cloth I had bought.

It was not til nearly five decades later that I found out what that letter had cost Irrillia's family, Mer live a long time and Decin's family was very powerful before the Oblivion gates opened and twice as powerful in the year's to follow.



 

Looking back, Chapter 2

     I found out that week that Aunt Irrillia was the youngest daughter of an important political family in Alinor, she had married my Uncle Harroid without her families blessing. She said we would start heading in that direction, though we may not make it all the way their and our reception might be rather cold.
     She taught me to use magic, told me I would make a much better mage than she. Calm, fear, frenzy a couple distruction spells and healing.... she taught me much of healing. You wonder that I don't use much in the way of magic now? The reasons lay with that time, lulling even a monster into vacant stupidity and then stopping it's heart, will play very hard on the mind. Back then with the little training I had and the sheer amount of Deadroth we ran into, it was the best thing to keep us among the living. 
     I prefer to use the sword and bow, unless I have no other choice and very rarely have I had to use magic to kill in the last couple hundred years. 

     I went out of the tunnel first had had a good look around, our house was gone and the barn mostly burnt also. What animal's left were to skittish to catch, except our old plow horse. I found a saddle and rope to tie on his halter.  I found some grain and a sack and put that together with what supplies we had left, vegetables from the garden and tied them to the back to the saddle so Irrillia could ride if need be.  I could run along side the horse, Irrillia could not, not that he would go faster than a trot, but better than nothing.
   We both carried  bow's and a couple of swords,  also Irrillia had made us some traveling cloths, by taking our dresses and splitting them into a loose pant, with hidden pocket's for our money and jewels. We started out under a blood-red sky, with horrible smelling wind's blowing from differing directions. 
   The first people we met were a couple of young children from the neighboring farm, who said they had been in the barn when the creatures attacked and climbed to the top of the hay stack's and then across the beam's to a small "hiding place". They were scared and hungry, having only eaten raw vegetables from their home garden.
    We ran into many deadroth over the next couple day's. I would calm them and Irrillia would stop their hearts. Sometimes if we saw a small bunch and could hide before they saw us, I would cast frenzy on them and they would kill each other off, fear sent them running when we could. Those children picked up both of our spell's very quickly and used them just as well as we did. Irrillia taught us to use runes placed on the ground in front of us at a distance as trap's that the Deadroth would run over and it worked well. 
      The children and I would place runes of frost and lightning around our camps at night, fire making more light and noise than we wanted at night. It helped those not on watch to sleep better, even if it wasn't the best sort of defense. That poor horse got so used to thing's exploding and disintegrating in front of him, that he rarely so much as twitched an ear.

   Am I making it sound like to much of an adventure? Trust me it wasn't, we often found  people torn apart or half eaten. Once or twice we found horribly wounded people that Irrillia would "mercy kill" as she called it, their bodies were so infected from their wounds, she could not have healed them even with a group of healers.
     We avoided other people after we were attacked by a small group of men. At first we had been happy to see two of them, but one of the children noticed a third hiding in some brush. Irrillia said to be ready with our spells. We ended up having to kill those men, which Irrillia said was a pity because so many had died and we would have shared everything we had with them anyway. This was the first time I used magic against my fellow Altmer on that trip, it wasn't the last.

   We made it to the coast and started heading south for Alinor. Irrillia thought it rather strange that we hadn't already run into a large military patrol. Remembering things my father had told me, I wasn't really to surprised, we hadn't stayed on the roads, but usually within a mile or so of them. Patrol's, like the deadroth they were hunting, would take the easiest route, the road. We might have passed a few patrols when going around hill's trying to avoid the Portal's or Gate's to Oblivion as we were to learn later and never knew it.
    We could see the smoke from Alinor when we ran into our first patrol, or rather they ran upon us heading back to their garrison. There leader a particularly tall man, with new claw scar's running down his handsome face, asked if we could keep up with them. Irrillia told them that the horse would only go at a slow trot and she could not run at all, obviously, as she placed her hand's around her belly. The commander nodded and said they would travel at our pace, though it would be right after nightfall when we got to the garrison at our best speed.
   I continued to lead our horse, with Irillia riding as the children asked questions that from an adult would be seen as rude or tactless. We learned they were Thalmor troupes and many were now flocking to their garrison's that before snubbed their noses. I remember my Father and Uncles talking about them, they didn't like what they stood for, called them terrorists of a sort. 
   Even though I would later agree, right then and there, I was happy for the promise of a warm bed and a hot meal.... and a bath.

Looking back, chapter 1

    My very earliest memories are of our farm on the Summerset Isles. It was a hard working the land, but like most farmer's we didn't know how hard we were working and my parents and Aunt's and Uncles made my life fun. What can I say about that time? It's hazy with time and the horror that happened after, not just my nightmare, but the whole of Tamriell's also. 

    I was a mere 25 at the time, very young by Altmer standards, though I know by human standards quite grown.  I was the only child born of my Aunt's and Mother, so probably spoiled and innocent to the world outside our farm. 

     How can I convey the horror and chaos of that day, It started with what I can only describe as a scream of the air, like it was protesting what had happened. I had been getting milk and egg's for breakfast, the animal's all got very skittish. My eldest Uncle climbed to the roof to see what might have happened, our land being rather flat. He said he saw smoke in the direction of the nearest town. All the men figured that some mages experiment had gone wrong, though my Aunt Irrillia said no, it was something else,she felt something wrong in the air, she was a mage of small magic's, mostly healing.

     I was weeding the home garden when my Aunt Irrillia came and grabbed my arm and dragging me towards the house. It was only then that I heard the distant scream's of our herd animal's. My father and Uncles I could see racing towards the house from the field's, which I thought rather odd with the herd animals screaming in pain as they were. 

   My mother and other Aunt's where putting up the storm window's on the house and barn's, shooing the chicken's into the coop.  All this time I had been hearing whispers in the back of my head, my Uncle Harriod thought I might have a form of telepathy,  my Aunt Irrillia said no, it was something else. I had been hearing these whisper's since I was born, right then they were excited and angry. I never did understand them then and wish I didn't now.

   As my Father and Uncles got closer I could see that one of my Uncles was holding another in front of him, blood streaming down his chest. My Aunt stopped and waited on the men. As he came off the horse the other men wheeled around towards the barn and my Aunt caught him as best she could, I helped to keep him from falling on the ground and could feel the healing spell that my Aunt cast on him. The Blood stopped flowing, but I could see that the wound wasn't all the way healed. As my Aunt was tugging him to the house, I never did ask why she only partially healed him, now as a veteran of many battles, I know why.

    As the My Aunts and Uncles came into the house from the barn's, My Father latched the door and then pushed a low heavy piece of furniture against it. He looked at my Mother and asked if they had barred the upper windows also.  She nodded yes and had the most worried expression on her face as she said " I saw what was attacking the herds, never have I even heard a rumor of so many in one place".  

   Uncle Harriod came in from the other room with bow's and an assortment of swords, maces and axe's. Each of the men grabbed a weapon,  My Aunts and Mother a bow, except Irrillia, and headed up the stairs. Irrillia looked at Harriod who kissed her on the cheek, with the sadist look I have ever seen on his face. 

  She grabbed my hand just as my father told her to take us both to the cubby, which was a hidden room, very small, that had a hatch to a tunnel leading to the river. He put his hand on my cheek and said "No matter what, don't make a sound. Irrillia, cave in the tunnel as you go down it. We love you child, remember."

  I wanted to protest, to grab a bow and help the other's, but Aunt Irrillia was pulling me to the cubby. She whispered "we won't leave til we must, but you and my unborn child are to precious to loose".  

   And stay we did, looking out one of the cracks in the wall, I am proud I never made a peep, never screamed, only stood their in horror as the things that broke through the door and windows tore my family apart. Deadroth, I was later to learn.... At the time all I remember of them is their horrible faces, fang's and claws. That's not to say that my Father and Uncles did not put up a good fight, they did. Once the door was broken down, multiple beasts came through. My family was overcome, farmers with very little weapons training, try though they might.

   Aunt Irrillia pulled me to the hatch, right as we heard scream's from upstairs....My Mother and other Aunts... Irrillia pulled harder and then shoved me down the ladder. Then as a child, I hoped my Aunts and Mother fought hard and long...now as an adult, I hope they died as quickly as my Father and Uncles did. 

  I know I was in shock as I crawled through the tunnel, tear's blocked my vision, but I wouldn't have seen anything in the dark anyway. When I came to the "safe room", a stone room which my mother always kept clean, with emergency rations and money, clothing and medicine. I didn't light the candles and neither did my Aunt. Their was light from a type of fungus that grew on the wall, giving everything a dull green look. She came over to me and laid her hand on my head....which grew very fuzzy, I woke up two days later.

   "I'm glad your awake, I could use more company that your soft breathing", I looked around and saw Irrillia sitting on a chair, no one else had made it here. I knew it had been more than a day, my stomach felt empty. She nodded at the table and I saw bread, cheese and apples on it, more than enough food, a wine bottle with water in it to drink made up the rest of my meal. Through the dust on her face I saw the tear streak's, with haunted eye's above. " I put you to sleep, I thought it best, as we will be here at least another day. Be sparing with the water, they...fouled the well." 

   I could only imagine what they had done, I know she heard thing's dropping into the well and might have looked. The tunnels lead past a gate that went to an old well, this place had been though out completely a long time ago. Sometime in the past my family had not just been simple farmers. 

We stayed a week in that room, I learned a lot about my Aunt then. Irrilia was the only one in our family not from other farm's or towns in this area. She talked about her parent's and siblings and wondered if they were fine as well. Somehow she knew we were not an isolated attack.


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This is the start of a backstory for a Skyrim character. Zyne Greymore