Chapter 9 - Two Mothers
Brynjolf ran towards the canal and started looking for Jon, a moment later Jon swam up and was a bit dizzy.
Working the whole morning, chasing a thief through the city, jumping from a high rooftop to a deep canal while shouting a 'War Cry' certainly took a toll on a 10 years old child, even though his mental age is about 35, it could only add to the burden on the body.
Brynjolf fished the dizzy boy out from the canal and carried him back.
The four kids from the orphanage caught up to Brynjolf and took the already passed out Jon from him.
Wulfur carried Jon and the girls took the purse, they kept it away from people's sight, Jon's War Cry didn't scare them as he did not consider them to be hostile.
On the rooftop the thieves were already at the brink of losing their souls, Sibbi who was the target of the 'War Cry' was experiencing true terror, he was going to have PTSD after this for sure.
One must know that 'War Cry' is a racial skill only gained by Nords. Through it, warriors could conjure all their fighting spirit and bloodlust, then manifest it into a thunderous cry. The cry can devastate the morale of any weaker enemies and would make normal people faint from terror.
Only strong warriors could make this cry, Ulfric Storm-Cloak the Jarl of Eastmarch and Kodlak Whitemane the Harbinger of the Companions were known living figures who were witnessed shouting a 'War Cry'.
For a small kid from an orphanage to use such a skill, his future is certainly that of a great warrior, when the 'Companions' hear of this, they would send their people to invite him to join.
Outside Skyrim there were mercenary guilds but in Skyrim there were the 'Companions', They are one of Skyrim's four guilds in game and they are those people who come out to solve problems when the coin is right, they avoided political conflicts, so instead of calling them mercenaries they better to be called 'Adventurers'.
The legend of Ysgramor and his 500 companions is a basic knowledge for all Nords.
A warrior from a faraway continent in the north was. He is one of the most legendary heroes of Men, who played a pivotal role in the ascendency of humans on the continent of Tamriel, but that's a story we will continue in another time.
Back to the present and few meters away from the passed out Jon, Hilda and Nurina stared at each other while Delvin was holding his forehead, he looked to both "Nurina this is Hilda, Jon's mother, and Nurina is the Headmistress of the orphanage."
"I see." Hilda was the first to speak, she totally forgot about that.
"I am Nurina Aren, a pleasure." Nurina turned cold a formal.
"Hilda Fire-Mane. Thank you for raising Jon all these years." Hilda spoke politely.
Nurina narrowed her eyes which turned cold and sharp, "You here to take him?" and she kicked right into the main topic.
Hilda gave a wry smile while looking down then shook her head saying "... He's better off without me."
Nurina felt the sadness in Hilda's voice, she wasn't going to give up her apprentice and the person she considered a family without a fight from the start, but she sympathized with Hilda.
"… This way." Nurina walked ahead leading Hilda to the direction of the orphanage, Hilda followed after she whispered something to Delvin who nodded to her, he then signaled to Brynjolf and both disappeared in the crowd.
A while later Hilda who was in her cloak and hood reached the Orphanage with Nurina, and it seems the kids have already reached her before them.
Passing the entrance and to the next floor the found the kids grouped around Jon's bed, Ysolda and Akara kept nursing him. Nurina arrived to the side of the bed and handed a blue potion to the girls, she instructed them and led Hilda to her room.
Hilda looked at Jon without nearing him, she felt like a hole was being dug in her heart, she then followed after Nurina.
Nurina opened her room, led Hilda in and closed the door tightly, she offered her a seat and sat opposite to her.
Hilda sat and rested her big battle axe to a wall then removed her cloak and looked around the room. It was a big enough room with full wooden furniture and some foreign objects that clearly didn't originate from Skyrim, a basket that held some staves and many shelves packed with books, a wide bed and a few pots that had some medicinal herbs and flowers planted in, it was a gorgeous room that fitted the Dunmer style.
Silence took the lead of the conversation but Nurina as the host had to cut it, she looked at the bucket beside her and fished out a bottle, she offered it to Hilda who with a "Thanks" gladly took it.
It was Honningbrew Mead, Nord's favorite.
[A/N: maybe I can get a sponsorship lol.]
After a sip, Hilda spoke, "So, the magic from a while ago, he learned it from you?" She asked. One must know that Nords are not fond of magic and some even hate it, they don't mind healing and enchanted weapon though.
"He is talented and hardworking, for a Nord with a talent that surpasses some elves in magic is something that history has rarely recorded." Nurina bragged as much as she could.
Hilda smiled and took another sip, "His father also liked magic." She gave off a smile yet it was felled with sadness.
"I am sorry." Nurina gave her condolences.
"Oh! No, he's alive… probably" Hilda made a not sure expression and shrugged her shoulders.
"Probably?!" Nurina was puzzled.
"The Thalmor failed to kill him in both the Great War and Hammerfell resistance, yet he killed them like a sickle in dry weed." That was Hilda's turn to brag.
"The war ended, and as a war hero. Shouldn't that treaty of White-Gold something protect him and his family?" Nurina was a bit confused here.
Hilda finished the bottle in one go and looked at Nurina with narrow eyes then said: "Unless…."
Nurina thought for a second about what Hilda meant with "Unless" she soon found the answer.
"Unless you are from the Blades." That was the only logical answer.
'The Blades' archenemy to 'The Thalmor', they were the personal guards of the Emperor after the Akaviri invasion in 1E-2703. Formally known as 'The Dragonguard' they served Emperor Reman I, and evolved through history to be known as 'The Blades' guards of the emperor and his intelligence operatives.
The White Gold Concordant that was signed to end the Great War between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion, it stated on some outrageous terms like disbanding the 'Blades' and outlawing the worshiping of the ninth god of the Empire 'Talos'.
Nurina made a very worried face after discovering such a truth about Jon's family, she even felt sad for Hilda and her husband.
"During the war, I was one of the Nords who were dispatched to the Empire as reinforcement. And after the treaty, I felt betrayed. The Empire abandoned its best of the best warriors and forsook mighty Talos. I was so ashamed of them but I couldn't do anything. After that, we heard that Hammerfell refused the treaty and made preparation for war. I traveled there with my brothers and met with a former commander from the 'Blades', he was to be Jon's father. Commander Jonnrad Fire-Mane." Hilda kept telling the story to Nurina, who was so immersed in listening.
After some time they reached the part when Hammerfell decided to make a treaty with the Dominion which was known as 'The Second Treaty of Stros M'kai'.
There Jonnrad and Hilda felt uneasy. The 'Thalmor', the ruling faction in the 'Dominion' will for sure send their spies and assassins to root out all of the unwanted trouble in Hammerfell.
Due to some reason, Jonnrad couldn't leave Hammerfell, so he sent his most trusted man 'Fultheim' with Hilda to Skyrim. Hilda was pregnant at that time and couldn't fight so she had to hide in the Empire as a detour to lose the 'Thalmor' on her tail and she finally made it a year later to Skyrim.
Nurina was so in awe from the grand adventure and was taking a huge liking on Hilda, different from her first image of the mother who abandoned her child, Hilda was like some heroine in her eyes.
Nurina talked about herself before coming from Morrowind and talked about her life with Jon, and about their tiny adventures and discoveries.
Hilda was at her wits end from what she heard. A child devolving a theory in Magic was something unheard of, and his accomplishments and studies were on the par with some scholar from the mages guild or the College of Winterhold.
"But one thing I don't understand." Nurina asked, "Why did the Thalmor target you until now, I mean it has been 10 years and I am sure you have your secrets but you don't have to hide all that much."
Hilda was astonished of Nurina's observation, she looked at her and sighed, "That is indeed another story, yet the ones the Thalmor looking for is not me or my husband" her eyes turned cold and her killing bloodlust was clear in her voice, "They are after Jon, the f*ckers are after my son".
Nurina's eye shrunk and she stood up, her expression was like a scared cat that was about to cry, her soft voice was shaken and she only muttered "why? why?" while looking at Hilda's angry face.
Hilda rudely stretched her arm and took another bottle from Nurina's booze bucket, looking at it was a Black-Briar mead, she opened it and walked to the window, there was a beautiful view of 'Lake Henrich'.
Ten years ago on the other shore of the lake, she stood and gave her child to a thief so he can live in peace away from her.
The knight that followed her for a year went missing after that night and she traveled to her clan for hiding among them ever since.
"21 years ago while I was fighting in the war, an accident happened in the 'Imperial Library', the inner circles of the commanders only heard about this but it was revealed on a later date to the people. The disappearance of 'The Elder Scrolls'." Hilda stopped talking giving Nurina a breather after so many surprises.
Nurina was moving around the room not sure how to handle so many information. 'The Elder Scrolls', such a name was only associated with legends and major accidents that shook the world and changed the face of the era itself.
The Elder Scrolls also called the Aedric Prophecies [A/N: Aedric from Aedra, the opposite of Daedra (good gods, bad gods)] are scrolls of unknown origin and number which simultaneously archive both past and future events. The number of the Scrolls is unknown not because of their immense quantity, but because the number itself is unknowable, as the Scrolls "do not exist in a countable form". They are fragments of creation from outside time itself, and their use in divining prophecies is but a small part of their power. They simultaneously do not exist, yet always have existed.
[A/N: Witness the power of the Wiki, MWAHAHA. No, seriously speaking the elder scrolls is so important that the name of the game itself is 'The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]
No one would mention the two words 'Elder' and 'Scrolls' together in such manner unless there is something big happening.
"What does the Elder Scrolls have to do with Jon?" Nurina finally organized her thoughts and asked. She finally arrived at the three points of issue. 'Thalmor', 'Elder Scrolls' and 'Jon'.
"Ten years ago before I know I was pregnant with Jon, I met a Moth Priest from the 'Cult of Ancestor Moth' in a market in Hammerfell. He was blind but it looked like he could see me. He came to my direction like mad and when he tripped and fell he crawled on all fours till he got to me. He was speaking like mad and said "I found it. Not one, not two, but three. You carry a child who is fated to carry three scrolls of the gods". I knocked the priest out and ran away from the market. When Jonnrad heard of it he devised a plan to lead us away from the eyes of the Thalmor, few months later I gave birth to a boy and ran away with him from Hammerfell just as Jonnrad planned. Jonnhild was born year 4E181 named after his father and me. A year later, I arrived to Skyrim and you know the rest".
[A/N: Cult of Ancestor Moth are a cult of people who can read The Elder Scrolls but they get blind after doing so]
So that how was it really happening, such a child carrying such fate is sure scary. Not any parents could deal with such prophecy, yet these two kept their cool and made the right choices under pressure.
That was admirable effort but too bad Jonnrad was nowhere to be found.
"So what should we do after that?" Nurina was already planning ahead, "He can't stay in the orphanage after the age of 15 and truthfully I was planning to take him with me to Winterhold. With his ideas, he can make more wonderful achievements in the arcane arts."
Hilda nodded, "That is a good idea but he needs to be more capable and survive the trials of coming of age on his own." Hilda added.
"Coming of age? Don't tell me you mean that Nord nonsense tradition?" Nurina was angry at such words.
"Those are the traditions. He must learn how to fight like a Nord. I know you don't like and neither do I, what kind of mother would send her child to such challenge? But that's for his best." Hilda resolve was firm.
Nurina understood, compared to such challenge what lies in the future of such a kid is much more dangerous.
"I understand, I'll arrange for some people to instruct him in hunting and fighting *sigh* his talent will support him no matter what he does, I am sure of it." Nurina came to the same resolution as Hilda.
"Truthfully speaking he can make a 'War Cry' at the age of ten. You really raised a dragon" Hilda remarked with a smirk.
"Fufu…" Nurina laughed softly, the sweat on her face was already wiped away and she was feeling better. She offered Hilda a bigger bottle and opened a one for herself. The two mothers sat and laughed a meaningful soft laughs, they were already releasing some bloodlust about the fight ahead.
This meeting of the two monsters was a meeting that the Thalmor will surely regret they could not prevent in the not far future.