If it was truly possible to hate one person on this planet more than I hated Lloretheni, that person would be the God-King Almalexia for more personal reasons than one could count. Starting with, she tried to have me killed by sending me on a suicidal mission way back when I was the Archcanon of the Temple, back in my ignorant days. She most likely did not like me because I had challenged her when returning, telling her that I would be the one to kill them, one by one. Now, with King Helseth away in Cyrodiil with Queen Beranziah, Almalexia was left to choose the next Duke – or Duchess – of Vvardenfell.
Upon hearing this, I nearly took off Neloth's head. He was the only one of us Telvanni who lived in Sadrith Mora, the main city of House Telvanni, so he heard politics quite frequently. In fact, I appointed him as my political advisor when I became Archmagister. He tried to assure me that I was overreacting and taking things out of context, but I wasn't.
No, Mr. Lloretheni of Great House Redoran was running against me. We had to speak in front God-King Almalexia and an enormous crowd in Mournhold tonight. Lloretheni worshipped Almalexia, for he was once a House Indoril official. House Indoril serves Almalexia as Ordinators. Rumors state he was one of "Her Hands"- or personal dogs she keeps in her High Chapel to protector her and command at her will. Well, she certainly didn't have a Lloretheni when I was Archcanon, and how he managed to switch Houses is beyond me (but I will agree House Redoran fits him the best).
Neloth assured me that all would be taken care of, but for Azura's sake, everyone knows the Telvanni do not have political connections. We tend to stay as far away from the strain of politics as possible, avoiding the public eye. Neloth could not possibly have connections! What was also bad was House Telvanni had a terrible reputation for harboring necromancers and conjuring strange creatures. Though I was known for many courageous acts and noble deeds, it would be impossible for the crowd to see past my Archmagister title. Not only this, but I knew Lloretheni would reiterate in his speech my House and things I've done to promote it.
Yet, I still sat in that velvet chair on the stage in the Great Bazaar facing thousands of people all crowded around to view the fate of Vvardenfell. With Neloth and Aryon at my sides and Fyr hiding in the crowd, watching, I swallowed the knot that dwelled in the pit of my throat as Almalexia came to the edge of the stage.
"Citizens of Morrowind!" she addressed with her smoothest tone. "Draw your attention to me if you will! As each of you have heard, it seems the Nerevarine has been killed defending Vivec."
Oh, I forgot to mention that the lie the Tribunal came up with to protect their power and keep the public from knowing of Vivec's death was that Andrew defended Vivec from a Daedra invasion lead by Mehrunes Dagon. Most Ordinators of high rank confirmed this. The public thought Andrew was dead and Vivec was alive. Well, it was better than saying Andrew tried to murder Vivec and died, I must admit.
"As devastating as this is to our culture, we must pick up the ashes and move on. We are all here to decide the candidate. Though I am the one who chooses, I will use your opinion as council and pick the one you want to lead."
The crowd cheered while I gawked. Almalexia was going to let the people choose for her? No. This was a trick. Almalexia would never allow someone to do something like this for her. Not unless she knew they'd choose in her favor.
"Sounds like Almalexia is too lazy to choose," Aryon teased. I gently laughed.
Neloth grunted. "No, she's bound to have something up her sleeve. I wouldn't be surprised if every one of those people out there were Redorans, Indorils, and pilgrims of the Temple."
"Well, Divayth is out there," I stated. "And his daughters. And Yagum if he's that table." I pointed slightly to a table at the far end that was oddly shaped. We all slightly chuckled.
"Avalia, I'll be happier than a mudcrab in mud if you even get one vote," Aryon said. "If you get one vote, just one, from someone other than Divayth and his daughters, it means people saw the truth about you and not your title."
I smiled at Aryon; we were close friends also. When I was rising rapidly in the ranks of the Telvanni, he edged me along, became my patron (because Divayth refused to keep me secluded on an island away from people), and named me Archmagister. He believed in me more than Neloth, maybe even more than Divayth if that was possible.
"I won't let our House down," I stated.
"Lloretheni," Almalexia said, glancing towards the Dunmer with admiring eyes, "you will speak first."
"And here is where all of Oblivion lets loose," Aryon groaned quietly as Lloretheni approached the center of the stage.
"Fellow citizens of Morrowind," he began, "a tragedy has befallen our great Nerevarine. Though he died in the most… noble of ways," he nearly choked on his own words when forcing that phrase out; pity he did not, though, "we must move on. It is what our hero would want. And what better way of starting off than electing a Telvanni to lead Vvardenfell, right? Hah! Archmagister Helshire has no right to be here."
Oh, goody, a degrading speech about me and my mistakes to make himself look better. Lloretheni, you are predictable, I thought to myself.
"We all are familiar with House Telvanni's tendency to house necromancers and test on innocent lives. Well, do you want one as your Duchess?" When he asked this question, he pointed to one of Divayth's daughters. She nodded her head, and Lloretheni was taken back. "Well, I for one don't. And I think the mass majority doesn't, either. Not a Telvanni traitor, anyhow.
"Most of you don't know that Miss Avalia Helshire betrayed the Temple for House Telvanni two hundred years ago!"
"Liar!" I shouted, jumping to my feet. Neloth and Aryon forced me to remain seated. Almalexia flashed me a glare that told me to hold my tongue.
"Even now, she doesn't want the truth out, but she did. What's worse is when the Guild of Mages were threatening the Telvanni's regulation on teaching spells and magic, she went and killed Archmage Trebonious to earn favor in her House. Then, she kills Archmagister Gothren when he won't name the Nerevarine Hortator. So what's to keep her from killing you people if you don't do what she wants?
"I would never do such a despicable act! I am for you, not my House!"
His lies stung my ears like a thousand wasps. I could not stand him, but Almalexia and her guards would not allow me to speak out against him. I just bit my tongue for the remainder of the time he spoke, gritting my teeth so harshly that I was amazed I didn't wear them down to the gum.
Finally, he shut his ugly mouth and sat down, allowing me to stand and speak. I walked confidently to the stage, portraying a sort of prideful swagger in my step. All of the confidence faded upon seeing the countless eyes staring at me, waiting. My voice was caught in my throat; I could barely breathe.
"Well, Archmagister Avalia?" Almalexia taunted, urging me talk.
"A-as you all know, I am Archmagister of Great House Telvanni," I began, voice shaking.
The truth, I thought to myself. Let's give them the truth.
My stage fright faded away. "But, I don't want this to be about titles. Titles tend to blind a person from seeing the truth, and that's what all of you want, correct? The truth?"
No one objected, so I continued. "We aren't here to listen to a moron rant about other people and their business. We're here to replace the Duke of Vvardenfell with a competent leader. Now, throughout Lloretheni's speech, I didn't hear anything pertaining to what he was willing to do for you. All I heard was my mistakes and past flaws mentioned repeatedly."
The crowd laughed slightly, and I knew they were beginning to see my point.
"But, I'm not going to sit here and gripe about my rival. I want you to know what I'm willing to do for you. As most of you are aware of, I was a very close friend to the Nerevarine, even before he came into office. I am familiar and actually coaxed him to use some of his methods. He wanted to keep the Dunmer ways we all love so well but at the same time please those who want to become civilized. Andrew is an honorable man, and I do not expect to fill his job equally. I'm not sure anyone could.
However, I can promise you that I will do my best, starting with slavery. Granted, I have no use for such an act. I believe everyone should be treated fairly, so why lock up people who have not yet been judged? I think we should keep slavery, but use prisoners as workers. They broke the law, so why are we paying for them to sit in a prison and be fed and pampered? We have to work for our food! So should they!"
"Yeah!" yelled a person among the crowd.
"That is why I believe we should take the prisoners and make them harvest the crops, cook in the kitchens, and do the work in general. They have done wrong, not the slaves. They have committed the act against crime. They deserve to be sentenced to hard labor for however many days the crime is worth. A murderer who is given the death sentence should work until the day his head is chopped off and rolls on the floor, not lie in a room while being fed.
Lord Andrew was also focusing on the Tribunal. I don't worship the Tribunal, but I believe anyone who wants to should have the privilage to worship them as they please. It should be your choice to worship whatever you wish. And, the practice of necromancy is also a huge topic.
Would you believe me if I said I would not be alive and stayed alive as long as I have without necromancy? Would you believe that necromancy saved my life?"
The crowd slightly murmured, gazing at one another in confusion. I smiled slyly.
"Lloretheni stated that I had betrayed the Temple and forsaken my duties when I crossed over the Ghostgate. He is wrong. When Archcanon, I did everything in my power to find a cure for the dreaded Corpus disease. I believed there was one and wanted to find it and distribute it. O Great Almalexia sent me to the Ghostgate to find this 'mythical' plant that held that cure." I then slightly laughed, stopping my pacing and looking up at the sky.
"I was nearly killed searching a cave it was supposed to be in. Corpus Stalker decided to take a big chunk out of my side and eat it. Luckily, Lord Andrew was retracing a few steps and exploring the cave once more. He found me, rescued me, and took me to Divayth Fyr where I woke up and found I was diagnosed with Corpus Disease myself. Devastated, I wanted to die… but Divayth had a cure.
A Telvanni wizard, the ones who hoard skeletons and test on children and whatever you whisper about, had a cure for my disease, but your great Temple did not and sent the victims and their own followers to him to die in the worst state."
"Blasphemy!" shouted Lloretheni, jumping to his feet and rushing to my side. "Do not believe this witch's lies. The Temple did not have a cure because such a disease cannot be cured! She still has it! It's in her heart! The soul sickness consumed her and forced her to turn away from the Temple."
"Almalexia sent me to die!" I shouted at him, making the crowd gasp. "She wanted me out of the way because I knew there was more to that disease than straying from the Temple."
"How dare you speak of Lady Almalexia in such a manner! This is exactly why women should not lead! They forget their place!" he shouted.
"Shut up, Lloretheni!" Our heads turned to see Divayth standing in the midst of the crowd. "You will sit down and honor Avalia's speech as she did yours. You will remain seated until it is over."
He did not argue with the four thousand year old wizard. Divayth was not one to be reckoned with. Lloretheni sat down without another word.
"I am not trying to say that your Gods are wrong; I am saying that they are trying to keep you ignorant in the ways of medicine. Modern medicine we Telvanni use can solve your troubles. We can heal you, make you stronger, and it's all through the practice of necromancy. Andrew believed this, also. He wanted to pass a law that allowed the Telvanni to sell remedies. Andrew wanted to help you as I do, so please, give me the chance to show you that my House is not what you think. Let me show you the way to a better life, the life Nerevarine Andrew Relich wanted you all to have."
There was silence amongst the hoard of people for a moment. Then, a few individuals began chanting a phrase repeatedly. The chanting grew louder and louder and louder, soon filling what felt like all of Mournhold with its power.
"Nerevarine's Nerevarine! Nerevarine's Nerevarine! Make her queen! Make her queen!"
This chant really surprised me. These people actually preferred me over Lloretheni. They saw passed the façade he had attempted to cast by basing me on my title. They wanted me as the next leader of Vvardenfell.
I was honored and filled with this sense of satisfaction. With a triumphant glare, I turned to Almalexia who fumed with this anger. "Your people seem to have spoken."
She growled, pushing passed me to address them.
"Enough!" she yelled. "Silence your cries! You have spoken your opinion, now here is mine. Avalia is not the Nerevarine's Nerevarine. She is a liar and a traitor to her Temple. If you elect her, you will have condemned yourselves to death and betrayal! Great House Telvanni will begin sliding with things they once could not until you are all slaves and test subjects."
"You are wrong," said a Khajiit amongst the crowd, his face hidden behind a hood. "You cannot see your foolishness because you are blinded by your own pride, Almalexia. Even a Khajiit such as S'maiq can see this. If you are a woman of your word and want what is best for your people, you will choose Avalia as the Duchess of Vvardenfell, not Lloretheni."
I expected Almalexia to argue pointlessly with this Khajiit, but instead, she growled with defeat. "Fine. Avalia will be crowned tomorrow as Duchess of Vvardenfell at noon. The ceremony will not be held tonight because of Andrew's burial."
With a large, wide grin, I watched Almalexia angrily tromp away. Victory was mine.
That night, I found it hard to rest. I was excited about my victory over Lloretheni and Almalexia. Finally, I could provide Vvardenfell with competence like Andrew had given. Lying in bed with Rei at my side, we both stared at one another as I chattered her ear off.
"It is exciting, isn't it, Rei? You and I will be leading Vvardenfell!"
Rei wagged her tail, not lifting her head from her paws. She didn't seem to grasp the importance of this situation. Being a wolf, you would think she was unintelligent, but Rei was keen in many ways. She understood me more than one would think, but tonight, I think she was just exhausted from our trip here.
"Of course, I'm not going to live in that Imperial structure Ebonheart. We'll move everything into Tel Uvirith and name it our headquarters. I know it'll be flooded with people, and I know you don't like people, but it's for the best."
Rei whined. She was begging me to shut up. I smiled and patted her head. "Alright. We'll talk more tomorrow."
I lay there for several hours, it seemed, staring out my window, replaying the chant people yelled over and over. "Nerevarine's Nerevarine! Make her queen!" Of course, I would not be queen; Morrowind had a queen – Queen Barenziah. I would be Duchess of only Vvardenfell, but that was enough. I was satisfied with that.
I don't know what time I drifted to sleep, but when I did, I had a terrible nightmare that still makes me shiver. Daedra were flooding Morrowind through oval, hellish gates and wreaking havoc on everyone. House Telvanni were trying in vain to close them, but the power of these gates was too strong. I saw the Daedra Prince Mehrunes Dagon looming over the city of Cyrodiil, crushing everything in his path. I witnessed the fall of Cyrodiil and Mehrunes entering Morrowind where I, Duchess of Vvardenfell, and King Helseth waited, armed and waiting to protect our people.
It did not end well, for the giant, four-armed Daedra merely picked us up in our arms and crushed us in his grip. The picture faded and was replaced with a glowing moon and star emblem, much like the one Andrew's ring had.
I knew Azura had sent me these disturbing images. I called out, "What is the meaning of this? Why are you showing me these? Is this my fate?"
"Avalia, you must not become Duchess of Vvardenfell," she replied gently. My eyes widened.
"It is not your destiny to fight Mehrunes Dagon as Duchess. If you do, then all will fall victim to him and his army of dremora."
"He's here, isn't he?" I asked her. "He's here on Tamriel."
"Not yet, Avalia, but soon. As for now, you have business at home to worry about. Dagoth Ur has returned to Red Mountain, for the Heart of Lorkhan beats once more."
"No," I whispered. "No, this can't be. Not so soon. We aren't ready yet! Andrew has not yet been freed."
"Andrew is no longer the Nerevarine. There is a new Nerevarine. Two, to be precise."
"Two?" I questioned. "Two Nerevarines?"
"From races hated by Dunmer rise the heroes who will vanquish the Tribe Unmourned. An outlander, who speaks differently for his kind, and a native born here and raised by mer. Together, united under moon and star, will rid the crater of Dagoth and his family once more. Avalia, you must not become the Duchess, for you are needed to set these two on the right path. You are needed not as Duchess but as you. When Almalexia crowns you Duchess, you must reject the crown. Lie if you must to explain your reasons, but do not speak a single word of Mehrunes Dagon's threat to Tamriel. It is not Almalexia's, Lloretheni's, or anyone else's concern."
Before I could ask any more questions, I was awake in my bed, gazing at the sun's rays seeping through my bedroom window and onto the green textured floors of the room. Many people would believe this to be merely a dream, discard it into the deepest crevices of their minds, and go about their business regularly. However, I did not take omens lightly. When spending time in the Urshilaku Tribe, the wise woman Mamea said that dreams were powerful tools the gods used to communicate with us mortals. I believed this strongly. If Azura did not want me to be Duchess, I would not be Duchess.
The question now was how am I going to break it to the crowd.
Noon rolled around quicker than expected. Standing before an even larger audience than last night was rather frightening. All of these people believed in me, and I was going to let them down. I glanced down at my ring, as I always did when seeking guidance from the Daedra Lord Hircine, and prayed for his helping hand. Even though this was not his specialty, I put nearly all of my faith into him and Azura for guidance. Never have they failed me.
"Avalia Helshire, please step forward," called Almalexia. She was standing at the edge of the stage holding a crown in her hands. I rose to my feet and walked forward to claim the prize I would soon turn down. I still prayed to Hircine to show me a sign that this is what truly must be done.
"In the absence of King Hlaalu Helseth, it is my duty to crown the most competent candidate as Duchess of Vvardenfell. Since I left this decision in the hands of my people, they have chosen you. So, with great honor, will you accept this crown and wear it, bearing all of the duties as Duchess of Vvardenfell? Will you stand by these great people and honor your word of justice and righteousness?"
I stared at the golden circlet with green emerald jewels. Seeing my reflection in them made me want to accept the gift. In one jewel, I saw myself as a prosperous "queen," decorated in fancy garments and garnished with jewelry and adored by my loyal subjects, but in the other, I saw a fiery image of a skeleton with eyes as black as coal and bones bleached white. She bore the circlet, also, and all the garments and garnishes, but lacked the adoration the other received. Instead, she was mourned. In the middle, I saw modern-day me with Hircine glancing over my shoulder, his face hidden by his deer helm. The Daedra Prince nodded, and I knew then that this was a sign to follow Azura's words.
"I cannot accept," I stated, pushing the circlet away. The crowd gasped as even Almalexia's eyes drew in shock. I turned from her to face my confused audience.
"I am sorry, but I am not destined to become the Duchess of Vvardenfell. I am not worthy of such a title, and I have received an omen of death if I become it."
Again, the audience gasped at the word death. Almalexia, in fury of being rejected even after agreeing to name me Duchess, nearly threw the crown at Her Hands in anger. She pointed a bony, golden finger at me and narrowed her yellow eyes.
"You listen to me," she growled, "you fought tooth and nail for this position. Are you saying you're not good enough for it or it's not good enough for you! Speak up! We all want to know!"
"Neither," I stated. "I just don't want to be killed. Dagoth Ur has returned and upon hearing news from a Sixth House spy of my rise in politics has issued a bounty on my head. If I become Duchess, you'll lose me as quick as you gain me. I have to be confined in my tower where I am safe, not a brick castle protected by outlandish dogs." I then motioned with my head to Lloretheni. "He has not been in Dagoth Ur's citadel, infiltrated his strongholds, and destroyed his family. In fact, he had no ties to Moon-and-Star. Let him be Duke of Vvardenfell. At least he'll last longer."
"Very well," Almalexia said. "I had thought Dagoth Ur was returning rapidly, but I had not expected him to be so vengeful, Avalia."
"Neither did I," I lied, laughing to myself that she believed my fairytale. "Azura was the one to inform me of this, and I'm thankful she did."
"So am I," Lloretheni voiced, stepping forward. "A Telvanni should never lead." He snatched the crown from Almalexia's hands. "I am your Duke, and you will obey me!"
"All hail the duke!" the crowd yelled. I was literally sick to my stomach for condemning them to one hundred years of Lloretheni treachery. That's how long it took for the new Nerevarine to arrive on Vvardenfell – 100 years.