Hey everyone and welcome to my first ever fanfic. I am really excited about this. I have been brainstorming for this story for a long time and I have logged a lot of playing time into the The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I do not own or have any connection to Bethesda or The Elder Scrolls series, but Aidriil Soliron, Lorilina Soliron, Ganlas, and of course Corrillian Soliron are my original characters and belong to me. Please review! It means a lot. Sit back and enjoy my first fanfic! Thanks!
The Rise of Soliria
Chapter 1: Escape (Prologue)
The chilling air caressed the faces of the two tall figures as they trudged through the thin layers of snow. "I hate snow" said the tallest. His shorter, but yet still tall wife looked up at him. "I know, I know" replied. "Are you sure we are heading the right direction?" Her husband stopped, unbuckled his knapsack, and retrieved his map. "Shouldn't be much farther" he said with a nod.
He glanced down at the bundle of cloths in her arms. "How is he?" he asked holding out is arms. She brushed one of the cloths aside, revealing the face of a young elf baby. "He's fine" she replied handing him the child. She smiled at her husband as he wrapped the child in his arms. "Come" he said. "We should be close".
After about ten minutes of walking, the snow became thicker, and the air became colder. The man stopped. "There" he said pointing to a faint glow in the distance. The two began walking quickly towards the glow, and then they began to run. A tall, muscular figure appeared beside the glow. "Halt!" he shouted. "Who goes there?" The figure walked towards them. He held a large steel greatsword. As he stepped closer, they could see that he was an Altmer. "We're Altmer too". The man stopped and smiled. "Then you are welcome" he said with a laugh. "The name is Ganlas. I suppose you received my letter?" The husband and wife both nodded and removed their hoods. "Of course. I'm Aidriil and this is my wife, Lorilina". "Ah, the Soliron family. I knew you'd show up sooner or later". His eyes shifted to the child in Aidriil's arms. "And who is this little one?" he asked. "This is our son, Corrilian" answered Lorilina. Ganlas moved aside one of the cloths so that he could see the young child. This is when Corrilian erupted in tears.
"Oh dear!" Ganlas said with a laugh. "Why don't we get the lad some warm milk?" He gestured for Aidriil and Lorilina to follow him. He led them up a small hill. At the top of the hill was a large camp, with at least fifteen tents surrounding a large fire. "There will be a lot of us on this journey. At least forty" said Ganlas. The two other High Elves seemed surprised. "Almost everyone is still asleep" Ganlas continued. "I sent a small group of men down to Bruma to get more supplies before we cross the border". "When will we head into Skyrim?" asked Aidriil. Ganlas pondered the question for several seconds, and then he said "I assume my men will return from Bruma around noon tomorrow. I hope to leave when they arrive, but we are still waiting for another family to show up". The three of them glanced at one another silently and awkwardly. "Oh yes, the milk" Ganlas said to break the silence. He whistled and two small Altmer girls came running from a large tent. "Take this nice lady and her child to an available tent and bring them some warm milk" Ganlas told them. The two girls nodded and took Lorilina to an empty tent on the opposite side of the large fire.
After watching the girls lead Lorilina to the tent, Ganlas turned to face Aidriil with a stern expression on his face. "Can you fight?" he asked. "I can" Aidriil replied, "I'm a mage". The other seemed impressed. "Good, we'll need you". "Why?" Aidriil asked surprised. Ganlas rolled his eyes. "For the same reason you came here! Insults have been hurled at innocent High Elves for the past ten years" exclaimed Ganlas. "Ever since the emperor signed the White-Gold Concordat, Imperials everywhere have accused High Elves of being Thalmor radicals". Aidriil nodded in agreement. "And that's why you wrote to us saying that you could take us to Skyrim" stated Aidriil. "Exactly!" shouted Ganlas. "I sent spies to every city in Cyrodiil. Then I had them report back to me with the names of families who were victims to oppression from Imperial citizens. Then I wrote to all of the families and had messengers deliver my letters". "So what does this have to do with me being capable to fight?" asked Aidriil. "They don't want us here" replied Ganlas, "Not the government, but the citizens. They're not going to want us in Skyrim either. I've heard some stories about bandits who have killed small groups of High Elves trying to leave Cyrodiil." Aidriil understood and nodded. Ganlas was quiet for a moment, then said "Skyrim is the homeland of Talos. They love him, worship him. He is their god. Therefore they do not like the Thalmor. They will accuse us of being spies!" "I understand. I don't want to raise my son in a place where he could be a victim to Imperial insults. There would be less insults in the Imperial City, but I can't afford to move my family there" Aidriil explained sadly. "There will be insults in Skyrim, but not as much. You must be willing to fight for this group of innocent people". Aidriil smiled. "I am" he said. "Now get some rest. I will have someone wake you around noon when you can meet the others" said Ganlas, shaking Aidriil's hand. The two of them grinned and then excused themselves to their tents.
Aidriil awoke the next morning to the sound of horses and wagons. "Ah, perfect!" he heard Ganlas shout. As he stepped outside the tent, he saw ten Altmer arriving in four horse-drawn wagons. Ganlas was smiling and slowly clapping. "I expected about ten horses for the women, not four wagons!" One of the High Elves in the wagon laughed, "We spent all the money we had because we knew that it would be worth it" he yelled. "Great job, Cyrelio!" Ganlas shouted back. Many of the other elves began emerging from their tents. Ganlas scanned across the faces of the elves outside their tents. "Let's go!" he shouted. Cheers came from all of the elves as they frantically began gathering their things.
Aidriil walked quickly over to Ganlas. "What about the other family?" he asked. Ganlas's excited expression turned grim. "It pains me to say that we should leave now. It's early in the morning, and I'd rather encounter Nordic bandits sooner than later" he said sourly. "They might be in greater numbers later". Aidriil knew that Ganlas was probably right, so he nodded and returned to his tent to gather his things. When he returned to his tent, Lorilina had already packed their belongings and wrapped Corrilian in new cloths. "Ready?" she asked with a smile. "Let's go start a new life" he replied.
Aidriil changed into his old Arcane University robes and led his wife and baby to one of the wagons. "You two should ride. I'll walk" he said. He kissed them both, and then walked away. Lorilina glanced at another Altmer woman in the wagon with her. "Where are you from?" she asked. The woman stared in the distance with wide eyes for a moment, and then snapped her gaze to Lorilina. "No! No, no, no. Danger lies ahead at the border", the woman exclaimed. "No, no, no!" Lorilina slowly looked around to avert her gaze from this woman. She then pulled Corrilian close to her chest and closed her eyes.
Aidriil approached Ganlas, who was conversing with some other men. "Remember men, we are large in numbers, but low on fighters" he said. He turned to see Aidriil. "Ah, Aidriil" he said, "You will walk with me on this journey. Cyrelio and Maguii are also mages and will guard the first wagon. We'll guard the second. That's the one that your family is in". Aidriil nodded and then shook hands with the two other mages. "I'll have three archers guarding the third wagon, and then two swordsmen guarding the fourth wagon" continued Ganlas. "That's it?" asked Aidriil. Ganlas faked a smile. "Let's go!"
As the horses began pulling the wagons through the snow, Aidriil started to get nervous. He tried thinking joyous thoughts, but he couldn't steer his mind away from the possible dangers that were ahead. He looked to his left to see Ganlas, who also began to grow nervous, and Aidriil could see it in his face. "So…" he said, "Where are you from?" Ganlas began to relax at Aidriil's attempt at 'small-talk'. "Bruma" he said. "Were the insults bad there?" Aidriil asked. Ganlas paused, and then answered "Not particularly. I started planning this expedition after I received word that my cousin and his family had returned to Summerset. The heckling in Anvil had become too much for his family". Aidriil remained quiet. "One of his son's friends, also an Altmer, was kidnapped by some fisherman and sent to Hammerfell on a trade ship", Ganlas continued. "That's when they decided to flee to the Summerset Isles". Aidriil nodded. He had never seen the homeland of his ancestors, and he never particularly wanted to. "After that" Ganlas started again, "I decided to start building a camp north of my home in Bruma". Aidriil smiled. "You're doing a great thing here, Ganlas", he said. "You could be saving all of these elves. I know we will face challenges in Skyrim, but I believe that we will overcome them". Ganlas nodded with a grim smile.
Suddenly, the first wagon stopped and Maguii came running towards Ganlas and Aidriil. "Ganlas!" he shouted. "You need to see this". Ganlas and Aidriil followed Maguii up to the first wagon. There, Cyrelio was bending over three corpses in the snow. All three were Altmer. "Damn it" Ganlas cursed. "It's the family we've been waiting for". Confused families in the wagons started to stand up to see what the commotion was for. "They must have passed our camp during the night and wandered closer to the border" Cyrelio said. Maguii slowly walked up to one of the corpses and pulled an arrow from its shoulder. He inspected it thoroughly, holding it close to his golden-skinned face. "It's definitely Nordic" he pointed out. This is when another arrow pierced his throat. Blood spurted from his neck, showering Cyrelio in red rain. "By the gods!" Ganlas shouted. "Take cover!"
Nordic bandits began jumping out from behind rocks and snow banks. Archers fired from the tops of trees. Aidriil sprinted towards the second wagon to find Lorilina and Corrilian. A bandit cut him off and pulled a large battle axe from his back. Aidriil stopped, slowly raised his hands, and formed balls of fire in each. With the thrust of both of his arms, the bandit was engulfed in flames and thrown backwards into a tree. Aidriil ran to the back of the wagon and helped Lorilina and his weeping child out of the wagon. "Take Corrilian and go!" he shouted. "Don't stop until you reach Bruma! I'll find you later!" His wife shook her head rapidly. "No! No!" she replied. "You must! Get yourself and Corrilian out of this" he began to shove her away from the cart. "You need to ge…" his voice trailed off and he fell to the ground; two arrows in his back. "Aidriil!" Lorilina shouted. She fell to her knees with her baby in her arms. Tears streaked down her cheeks. "You will always have my love" she whispered as she kissed his forehead. "No, Aidriil!" she heard Ganlas shout behind her. "Lorilina you must leave. Save yourself and your son" he yelled. He pulled her to her feet. "Come!" he shouted. "Follow me!"
He led Lorilina and baby Corrilian passed the last two wagons, cutting down bandit after bandit with his large greatsword along the way. "Go to Bruma. Build a new life for yourself. Raise your son and never forget your husband!" he exclaimed. "I will" she replied, "Thank you, Ganlas… Ganlas watch out!" she shouted as a bearded bandit charged toward the large elf. Ganlas whirled around, but only to have a steel sword thrust through his stomach. "No!" Lorilina shrieked in horror. The bandit yanked his sword from the Altmer, and then shoved the lifeless body to the icy snow. His eyes widened when he saw Lorilina and her child. A sly grin parted his scruffy beard. Lorilina slowly kneeled and placed Corrilian in the snow. She glared at the Nord and he began to laugh. She dug her hands and feet into the snow. "I'll send you to Oblivion you bastard!" she shouted as she lunged toward him, tackling him to the ground. The bandit was no longer smiling, because her hands were grasping his throat. She released one of her hands and ran it down the man's side to his waist, where a sheathed dagger was waiting for her. She pulled it from its scabbard and jammed the blade into the bandit's temple. She rose and picked up Corrilian, then she ran back up to the fourth wagon, which was empty and surrounded by dead Altmer.
She climbed into the wagon and looked upon the other wagons. Dead high elves surrounded them all. The snow was no longer white, but instead soaked with red. She hopped off of the cart and sprinted into the forest. She was hoping to find Bruma, or at least the camp that they had stayed at the night before, but after what seemed like hours of running, she found nothing. Wrong way, she thought. She stopped running and sat in the snow. Corrilian began to cry again, and she soon followed his actions. She heard the sound of crunching snow. Footsteps. She became silent and she quickly covered Corrilian's mouth. She slowly turned her head and looked behind her. Standing motionless behind her was an elderly man, possibly a Breton, robed in dark blue garbs. He was bald and had a thick, grey beard. "I suppose you know what all the commotion is about" he said. She nodded frightfully. "I won't hurt you" he added. "Am I anywhere near Bruma?" she asked, still unsure of whether or not she could trust this man. He chuckled. "Sort of" he said. "You're sitting exactly on the Skyrim-Cyrodiil border". She was right. Wrong way, she thought and she cursed in her head.
Suddenly, shouts arose in the distance. "Oh, no" Lorilina exclaimed. The man, seeming uninterested, pulled a loaf of bread from his robes and offered it to her. "If they catch me, they will kill my son!" The man nodded in agreement. He knew what she was asking of him, so he nodded again. Lorilina held baby Corrilian in front of her, and began to cry. "You will live" she said to her son, "You are destined for greatness." She paused as tears poured down her face. "Corrilian Soliron, you will make a difference in the world". She traced a circle and a cross on his forehead, and then handed him to the elderly man. "Our paths will cross again one day, my son" she said softly. The elderly man wiped a tear from her eye. "He will learn the ways of magic" he said, "… like his father". Lorilina's eyes widened in confusion. The voices were becoming louder and she knew that she needed to leave. She slowly nodded twice, and then ran off into the forest.
Corrilian began to cry again, so the old man pulled him close to his chest. "I've been expecting you, little one" he said with a soft smile. He turned and slowly walked through the snow. "Your mother is right. You will make a difference, and you will achieve greatness" he paused. "Your journey begins…now".