Author: Bryce Langley
Creator: Bethesda Game Studios
The following is a fan-based fan-fiction. I do not own any of the images, used in my published material. Elder Scrolls V Skyrim and all other Elder Scrolls games and official characters are all owned by Bethesda. Please support their official release. Thanks to Skyrim Wikipedia page for providing timeline information for the prologue. Enjoy!
Prologue
In the fourth era of the 171st year (4E 171), the Ambassador of the Aldmeri Dominion ordered the Empire to step down from power. The Empire, enraged at the Ambassador's request, refused and began to resist Aldmeri forces. Thus, the Great War between The Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion had begun.
Aldmeri forces led by Lord Naarifin invaded Hammerfell and Cyrodiil. The city of Leyawiin fell, and the city of Bravil was besieged.
A second Aldmeri force, led by Lady Arannelya, crossed western Cyrodiil and invaded Hammerfell. The Redguards native there, divided by civil war and disorganization, put up little resistance. The southern coastline fell to the Aldmeri forces as the Imperial Legions in Hammerfell retreated North into the Alik'r Desert known as the March of Thirst.
In the following 172nd year (4E 172), the Aldmeri forces continued to advance into Cyrodiil to capture the Imperial City.
Beginning in the 173rd year (4E 173), Aldmeri forces crossed the Niben and advanced towards the Imperial City through the eastern bank, surrounding the city from the east, south, and west. Imperial forces attempted to make a stand in Skaven to fight off the advancing Aldmeri soldiers. Skaven inevitably fell to the attacking army. However, the victorious Aldmeri forces were severely weakened by the advance through the desert, and were unable to continue their campaign.
In the 174th (4E 174), the Imperial City failed to resist Aldmeri forces and ultimately were forced to relinquish the city. In addition, The Reach and Markarth fell to the Reachmen in The Forsworn Uprising and were ruled as an independent kingdom. This did not last long however. Battles over control of the new territory continued to resume during its existence.
Finally, in the 175th year, the Battle of the Red Ring took place as the Empire embarked on a campaign to retake the Imperial City. The Imperials suffered heavy casualties, but won back the City. Exhausted from the war, however, the Empire negotiated a peace treaty and signed the White-Gold Concordat with the Aldmeri Dominion, thus officially ending the war.
The terms and agreements were the surrender of the remaining territory still occupied by the Aldmeri, and the banning of the worship of the 9th Divine Talos.
As a result of the new treaty, relationship between the Imperials of Cyrodiil and the Redguard of Hammerfell quickly deteriorated. The Empire renounced Hammerfell as an Imperial province. In fear of another possible threat from the Aldmeri or other armies in the future, a decision was made to remove the Elder Scrolls from the White-Gold Tower and scatter them throughout Tamriel.
In the 176th year (4E 176), a young Ulfric Stormcloak and his militia were able to retake the Reach and Markarth from the Reachmen. The surviving Reachmen fled to the hills of the Reach and became known as the Forsworn. Though it was a victory for Ulfric, he suffered numerous casualties; including the loss of his second in command, a large Nordic man, Bjorn the Blade.
With his dying breath, he requested Ulfric to look after his newborn son. His late wife, a beautiful Nordic woman by the name of Aria died giving birth to their son on the ninth day of Sun's Dusk.
Ulfric soon realized he was incapable of such a task, and eventually broke his promise to Bjorn. Instead, he had the young child escorted to a private orphanage in a southeastern part of Skyrim, a province called Riften. Ulfric never returned, nor did he seek any further information about the boy as he began to grow.
The boy, along with the rest of the children, suffered under the tyranny of Grelod the Kind, the Orphanage Headmistress. He attempted to escape on several occasions, only to inevitably be captured by the Riften guardsmen who would always drag him back to the orphanage. Of course punishments would ensue. Eventually, the other orphans would patronize him for always getting into trouble, and he would initiate fights with them, relentlessly punching and scratching everyone that provoked him.
He continued to grow into his middle teens, enduring the torturous lifestyle he was burdened with. No one spoke to him, not a word. He kept to himself, usually hiding alone in the shadows somewhere where others could not bother him. Particularly enraged one night at Grelod after a beating that left him bleeding, he shoved her with a surprising might fueled by rage , and quickly fled the orphanage. Having become much quicker since he had grown older, he was able to outrun the city guards and never looked back as he escaped further and further from Riften. He refrained from traversing the main road as to avoid being caught by the pursuing guards, and instead rambled on through the woods.
Eventually, the guards of The Rift gave up their pursuit of the young boy. He was left to fend for himself, in a world unfamiliar to him, unaware of what dangers could easily arise and what fate would have in store for him. And thus began the epic tale of a legendary hero.