To Solstheim

by reikat

While on her way to the Palace of the Kings, Eriah is ambushed by strange cultists bearing orders to hunt her down and kill her as a false Dragonborn. Realizing this can't be put off, Ulfric tells Eriah to go to Solstheim and put an end to this threat. In Apocrypha, Hermaeus Mora watches and plots. Takes place before First Meeting of the First and the Last. One-shot

Eriah was walking through Windhelm on the way to the Palace of the Kings. She had been in the area and decided to see if Ulfric Stormcloak had orders for her in regards to the civil war. She was passing Candlehearth Inn when she was approached by three people wearing strange garments and masks. "Are you the one they call Dragonborn?" one of them, a man, asked. "Who's asking?" Eriah asked back, getting a really bad vibe. They looked like cultists of some sort and their accents were strange. "Hear this, False Dragonborn. The true Dragonborn will soon return. Now you must die." said another. Before Eriah could get any answers as to what they were talking about, one of the cultists launched a fireball at her. Dodging, the Dragonborn pulled her Elven warhammer from her back and engaged in battle. Civilians moved to get out of the way and watched, terrified and wondering what in Oblivion was going on.

One by one, the cultists fell to her hammer. Eriah, breathing hard, slowly stood straight and hooked her hammer to her back. "Are you okay, Dragonborn?" asked an approaching guard. "Yes." she answered shortly before kneeling at the side of the ringleader. She went through his robes and pulled out a piece of paper. Opening it, she started to read."Board the vessel Northern Maiden docked at Raven Rock. Take it to Windhelm, then begin your search. Kill the False Dragonborn known as Eriah before she reaches Solstheim. Return with word of your success, and Miraak shall be most pleased." it read. Eriah's face settled into a glower. Solstheim? Wasn't that an island off the coast of Skyrim that was officially part of Morrowind? Who were these people and, more importantly, who was this Miraak the note spoke of? How did they know who she was? Eriah had never set foot in Morrowind in her life, much less the island of Solstheim. Had her reputation reached those shores? Who were they to claim she was a false Dragonborn?

Recognizing that this couldn't be put off, Eriah looked at the guard who was currently getting the civilians to move along. "I hate having to drop this on you but I must see Jarl Ulfric at once. This cannot wait. Can you handle the bodies?" she asked. "Of course, Dragonborn." he replied. Nodding, the woman started striding towards the Palace, the cultists' orders in hand. When she reached the building, she opened the door and sent a prayer of thanks to Akatosh that Ulfric was currently on his throne. The jarl saw her coming and stood up, coming down the steps as she reached him. "What is it, Dragonborn? You looked troubled." he said, forgoing asking why she was in Windhelm when he hadn't finalized plans for the next battle. "I was just attacked by a trio of cultists, claiming to be from Solstheim. They had this on them." Eriah replied, handing the note over to him. Ulfric read it over several times, his face growing darker each time. "This makes no sense. Sure, it's likely your reputation as the Dragonborn would've reached Solstheim by now but...these people know your name." he said, handing it back to her. "I take greater issue with anyone claiming I'm a false Dragonborn, Ulfric. I have the Voice, the soul of a dragon, and the blood of Akatosh to prove my birthright. Whoever this Miraak is, he knows nothing." Eriah said, messaging her temples.

Ulfric could tell she was feeling a bit torn between her obligation to the war and the need to get to the bottom of this mystery. "You need to go, Dragonborn. Go to Solstheim and figure this out." he said, reaching over to set a hand on her shoulder. "Is that an order?" she asked, looking up at him. "No. But you and I both know that if you don't go, the attack in town will just happen again. I can't afford to have a third party going after my most valuable soldier when we have a war to win and an Empire to drive out. I'm not ordering you to suspend your service but it's in your best interests to do so. We've made good progress since you swore your service to me. I can afford to let you go and take care of this problem. All I ask is that you stay safe and that you come back to me." he said. Eriah's heart skipped a beat but her features were schooled into a thoughtful expression. She harbored feelings for the man before her but never let it show. "How long will you give me?" she asked. "As long as you need. I don't foresee this being a quick mission. Solstheim is a large island and you'll have your work cut out for you to find answers." Ulfric replied. The Dragonborn bristled a bit. If she tarried too long, that might open up an opportunity for the Empire to strike back. "I can't leave you for too long. What if the Empire pushes us back and undoes our progress while I'm away?" Eriah protested.

Ulfric took her shoulders and looked at her. "That will not happen. Before you came into the picture, we had done well enough. When we first met, the war had actually stalled. You were the cog needed to get it moving again. Trust me, Dragonborn, we will be fine without you for however long this takes. You need to focus on this mission so we don't have to worry about the war getting maligned by this Miraak. If you still insist that you can't step away for the time you clearly need, then I'm ordering you to remain on the island until the threat is neutralized." he said. Eriah blinked before sighing and dropping her gaze. He had a point. Whoever this Miraak was, he clearly wasn't someone you could go up against halfway. She really did need to get out of soldier mode and into Dragonborn freelance mode so she could focus on taking this man out. The fact his cultists claimed her birthright was false was a pure insult. She was Eriah Quintence, Last-born of Akatosh and slayer of Alduin. No one called her lineage false and got away with it. Judging from the note's wording, Miraak wasn't the one who personally gave the orders. Whoever was calling her out to Solsthiem was acting on his behalf. The only confusing part was the cultists' claim that Miraak was returning and that he was the true Dragonborn. What did that even mean?

"Very well, Ulfric. I'll depart for Solstheim immediately and I won't return until Miraak or whoever is acting on his behalf is dead in the ground." she said, meeting his gaze again. "Wise decision, Dragonborn. Don't worry about us here at home. We'll do our best to keep your mission a secret. Wouldn't do for the Empire to get cocky and try to overtake us while you're away." he assured her. He dropped his hands from her shoulders and she bowed. Turning on her heel, the Dragonborn left the Palace and headed for the market. From what she knew, Solstheim was a three-day voyage, four at the most depending on weather and other factors. She needed to get supplies enough to get her there and she'd be able to restock at Raven Rock. While she had been given leave to take all the time she needed to get to the bottom of this whole thing, Eriah swore to get it over with as quickly as possible so she could back on the mainland to continue her service. All that aside, she felt a little excited. Solstheim had belonged to Skyrim in the distant past. When Red Mountain erupted, Dunmer refugees fled Morrowind to take shelter on the island. The High King at the time gifted the island to the Dunmer as a place where they could settle and rebuild their lives. Thus, Solstheim was a part of Morrowind from then on. By going there, Eriah was effectively about to set foot in another province of the Empire.

Hermaeus Mora chuckled to himself. Things were proceeding according to his design. He had the cultists of Miraak deliver a message to the Dragonborn and she was preparing to set sail. Soon, she would fall right into his trap on Solstheim. Unseen in his realm of Apocrypha, Mora watched as his most ancient servant spoke long with his three dragon thralls and swayed many Seekers into allying with him so he could escape. While he had been the picture of a perfect servant for the past thousand or so years, Mora knew Miraak was plotting against him. He thought he was being clever in hiding his motives but the Daedric Prince wasApocrypha as much as Apocrypha was the Daedric Prince. Knowledge, forbidden or not, was Mora's sphere. Nothing happened in his realm that he did not know about. Miraak, the First Dragonborn, was unaware that he was about to meet his doom at the hand of the Last Dragonborn.

Mora greatly desired the woman whom Akatosh forged as his pawn against the World-Eater. In fact, he had wanted her since she was born, knowing as he did what Akatosh had wrought with the help of the other Divines. His last child was to be the one to slay Alduin as punishment for the World Eater going against his own purpose and she exceeded expectations. For one, she talked down to the World-Eater. For another, she succeeded in slaying him. That was no easy feat, even for a being who was rightfully called the ultimate dragonslayer. Talking down to a dragon was foolhardy at best but talking down to Alduin, a god in his own right, was of an even greater caliber. At their first meeting, the Last rebuffed Mora's overtures but used the Oghma Infinium regardless to boost her own skills. She had a healthy thirst for knowledge but it proved difficult to tempt her with promises of forbidden knowledge if she refused to hear Hermaeus Mora out. Her dislike of Daedra, in general, was the main problem but Mora wasn't worried. His trap had several layers and one of those was making her an offer she couldn't refuse. He would not make it easy for her to reach his realm of Oblivion. The Skaal kept secrets from him and he intended to get those secrets one way or another. The Last would be his pawn yet. He couldn't wait for the battle he was orchestrating behind Miraak's back. What a grand spectacle he was arranging. The First versus the Last. How fitting it would be to bookend the Dragonborn legacy in such a way.

The Daedric Prince had another motive in calling the Last Dragonborn to Solstheim. In some deep part of her, the Last knew she was indeed the Last of her kind. Meeting another would throw her being into chaos and if the other was the First, how delicious it would be to witness the despair she would inevitably feel when Miraak gave her no choice but to end him. So Mora's entire plan was equal amounts desire for a new servant, entertainment, and perhaps a touch of retribution for denying him. Normally, it didn't matter to the Prince whether or not a mortal served him. But over the countless ages of the world, a mortal would pop up once in a while that he would jealously pursue because of some character trait or flaw they possessed that he could make use of. It was most unfortunate for the Dragonborn that she was the one he had his many eyes on as a potential servant and it all came down to that very fact alone. He just needed to break her first. Miraak was the tool for this purpose and the First Dragonborn had outlived his usefulness the moment he started plotting against his master. He sought to escape back into the mortal world. Such ungratefulness on his part. Was treason a good way to thank the Daedric Prince for saving his pathetic existence from Vahlok thousands of years ago? Time for an upgrade. Soon, Mora was going to start the next phase of his plan. He was going to inform Miraak that another Dragonborn walked in Mundus and let him come across a particular book where he would learn the key to escaping Apocrypha was to take her soul. Then it would all progress to the Prince's benefit. The First will fall to the Last...and the Last shall belong to Hermaeus Mora.