Once, the dragons dominantly ruled over all of Skyrim, seeking submission and obedience from the mortals that had no chance but to serve them. As such, the Nord began to form their own dragon cults, each devoted to serving their own dragon lord. But as time progressed, some of these dragons would turn their attention to certain individuals that caught their attention, because in time, they understood that beside their constant urge to rule, they also sought… something more.

Something that they valued far more than the majority of servants and priests of which they could care less about. Something, or someone, whom they would allow to be closer to themselves than anyone else, as their own personal dragon priest. These individuals, who were chosen by the dragon overlords themselves, became an object of worship as well for the people, as they were seen as a bridge between them and their corresponding dragon.

Such was the case with a young man that grew up within one of the many cults, raised and taught by his parents under the watchful gaze of the dragon they pledged their loyalty to.

The name he was given, as was custom in the language of the dovah, was Zaan.

During the time, it was well known that many dragons had chosen their selected priests from the ranks of their cult, and as such, the people of Zaan's cult, too, were presenting their young to the mighty dragon that ruled over them in the hopes of catching the interest of their thuri. But regardless of how many times they presented any new youths, the dragon never paid any mind to the efforts of the cult, dismissing their feeble attempts with the same words each time they would try anew.

'Do not waste your time in presenting potential young ones, I have no desire to declare anyone as my priest.'

Disheartened by the lack of interest of their lord, the people wondered if their thuri considered them as unworthy. Thus, as the days passed by, the cult strengthened their efforts in training the new generation to try and appeal to their overlord as best as they possibly could. And so, Zaan was among the young people that was pressured into serving their thuri.

As a child, he was growing up in awe of their dragon, however, it was only in his early adulthood in which he realized that his adoration differed from that of the rest of the cult, for he had always believed that they were worshipping their thuri simply for the being that it was.

And not for the power it wielded.

He always looked upon their protector and lord with wonder and curiosity, failing to notice that his brethren were not sharing the same sentiment, for he knew that they simply saw their thuri as a means to gain power and dominance over others. Which is why he secretly looked upon those in his age with disgust whenever they would compete against one another for the favor of their lord, for in truth, their supposed loyalty was nothing but a facade.

And yet, since so many were actively looking for the praise and favor of their thuri, he had come to keep himself in the background in the hopes of escaping that unending game of false effort and niceties.

What he didn't know, however, was that Thurvokun had directed her attention towards him a long time ago, for she was not fooled by the attempts of the cult. Despite the many years of service, their hunger for power and dominance had never ceased in the hearts of the many priests, thus, this was the reason she never even considered the possibility of declaring one of them as her own priest.

Despite that, Thurvokun was grateful for the nature of the cult, for it allowed her to focus on the one being that was different from the rest, who had picked her interest a long time ago. The moment Zaan had looked upon her with eyes that were filled with pure wonder and adoration in his early childhood, she knew that he was not like the others. Even as the years passed by, the young priest never seeked the potential power that she had to offer, instead, he merely wanted to know more about herself, something that intrigued her immensely.

Even as more and more young priests fought for her approval and respect, at which she internally scoffed at, he kept more and more to himself with each day that passed, not seeking to follow the charade of the others in any way. Thus, he was trying to create distance towards her as well…

Unlike the rest, he was not looking at her as his thuri and overlord, he was regarding her as something entirely else. Something that other dovah might have laughed at. But not her.

A friend.

And thus, she had found the one she was waiting for.

It was with great surprise when the message spread like a wildfire through the entirety of the cult that Zaan was being summoned by Thurvokun. Never before had their thuri asked for anyone among their ranks before, and it was the first time their lord had seemingly taken an interest in one of the young priests. Needless to say, witnessing the opportunity for the cult to build a proper bridge between their overlord and themselves, Zaan was immediately called forth by the highest ranking priests, much to his surprise.

For he wasn't yet aware of Thurvokun's intentions, and as he climbed the stairs towards the very peak of her mountain, he internally feared that he had done something wrong. Whenever he was in the presence of the dovah, she regarded him in a way that he couldn't discern, but never before had she called for him specifically, or anyone else for that matter.

Once he reached the top, Zaan hesitantly bowed to the presence of his thuri in front of him, who was already expecting him. It was silent for what felt like an eternity to him, and yet, only a mere moment passed as he kept his gaze on the ground, multiple thoughts coursing through his mind. But he suppressed them once her voice filled the silent atmosphere.

"Drem Yol Lok, Zaan. You needn't bow in my presence.", he glanced at her in confusion before he slowly complied. For once, he had actually forgotten his previous demeanor, they had spoken many times before whenever he happened to be nearby, although it was Thurvokun who always initiated it. She never seemed to care for any formalities during these moments, and after his first moments of hesitancy, he became slightly more accustomed to it and spoke a little bit more freely.

However, this was different, and Zaan still didn't know what she wished of him as she regarded him closely. Suddenly, after another small moment of silence, she laid down on the ground with her head resting on her wing, intending to create a more comfortable atmosphere for the young priest whose eyes were filled with uncertainty and confusion. But still, he remained silent in the intent to stay as respectful and distant as possible.

Much to her dismay.

But if it was a wall that he was trying to create between them… then she would tear it down without restraint.

With a slow tilt of her head, her eyes always trained upon the young priest in front of her, she raised herself from the ground and began to approach him. The dragon witnessed every single shiver that ran through him once she crossed a certain border and stopped only right in front of him, and it was then that she bent down her head to meet him on eye level.

"Tell me… look me in the eyes and tell me what you see."

A light gasp escaped him, and Zaan was utterly taken aback as he involuntarily looked back into her eyes, unable to tear his gaze away even if he wanted to.

"M-my… thuri.", the moment these words left his mouth, he witnessed Thurvokun's eyes widen ever so slightly before they focused upon him once more. And suddenly, she broke any and all boundaries before she leaned her head against his own, taking his breath away.

"Do not regard me as your thuri, regard me in the same way that you always used to and tell me… what do you see?"

Regarding her deeply, he watched the sheer amount of hurt and sorrow within her eyes, and he couldn't understand. He was only one of so many within the cult, and what did it matter if he regarded her in a different way-

-and almost as if she had read his thoughts, her voice immediately tore him out of his mind.

"... do you truly believe that I care about any of them? That I take any pleasure out of their petty attempts to gain my favor?"

With each word, Zaan grew more and more conflicted, and he felt as though her eyes were looking into his soul.

"Do you truly believe that I have not cherished our bond?"

And just like that, any kind of wall that he might have tried to uphold was torn apart by her words alone as he remained utterly frozen in place. And a single tear began to run down his cheek, an emotional turmoil raging within him. Yes, that was what he had believed… it was what he had told himself countless times to make himself believe it… he could not stand the mere thought of becoming attached when he was merely-

"... my love."

Suddenly, everything was silent as his eyes widened, and he witnessed that her gaze had never left his own for a single moment.

"... w-what…?"

"That is all I see when I look into your eyes. The same ones that have always looked at me with such a pure innocence and wonder… I do not want you to leave my side."

Slowly but surely, she could witness the way he began to understand the true meaning of her words. As more and more tears began to run down his face as he stared at her in sheer disbelief, she gave a small and tender lick against his cheek, brushing them away. And thus, she finally revealed what she had always wanted him to be.

"I want you to stay by my side, as my priest."

Thus, it became known that after all those years, Thurvokun had finally chosen her priest. However, she was not blind to the way the cult had many times tried to manipulate Zaan into doing their bidding, to use him as a bridge to communicate with her. And as much as her inner fury threatened her to burn the entire cult into crisps and hold her dear one close to herself, she simply smirked in the face of all of these worms and kept Zaan close to her side at all times, out of reach for the cult as long as she was nearby.

With each day, she witnessed with glee that slowly but surely, he began to speak to her just as they used to when he was still little, and any last barriers that might have remained between them gradually faded away with every moment that she spent with him. She taught him in her knowledge of the Thu'um, a gift, and with time, he could master the art of the fiery Thu'um just as she did.

The time they spent together… she would cherish it for all times.

But it all took an end once the dragon war erupted. More and more of the joor started to rebel against Alduin's lordship, and whereas the rebellion was merely mocked by many of her brethren at first, it quickly changed once the Nord had learned to use the power of the Thu'um as well. With their numerous numbers, more and more of her kind fell, and ultimately, even Alduin was banished at the very top of the Monahven.

Even during the war, Thurvokun had regarded the land with a growing concern, knowing it was threatening every cherished day that she could spend with Zaan. She did not want any of this… she never wanted to participate in this war. All that she wanted was to keep him safe, to shield and protect him from anything that happened outside of their little world. And even though the war had not yet reached her own territory, she knew that it would eventually.

Thus, one day, Thurvokun suddenly vanished from the top of her mountain.

Feeling betrayed and shocked that their thuri had left them in their greatest time of need, it was not long until the cult began to blame Zaan for the disappearance of their lord, claiming that he had angered her in one way or another. But even as the voices grew louder, and it became more and more apparent with each day that they would try to take revenge on him, Zaan did not once leave the very top of the mountain where he had seen Thurvokun for the last time.

And he was crying.

Never once had she told him where she would go. Every single memory that he possessed of their time together, he held on to them even as the cult was assembling at the top of the mountain to kill him. Was he… truly at fault…? Did she really leave because of him…? And even as these blames that were thrown at him in his last moments overwhelmed his mind, a single thought lingered in his heart.

Why…?

However, unbeknownst to him, Thurvokun had never left to abandon him. Far away, in an ancient dwarven ruin at the very edge of Skyrim, she had seeked to claim it as her own to find a place where she could live with him in peace, far away from the war that was raging all over the land. To maintain their life together where it would only be the two of them.

And yet, she was ultimately slain, a group of Nord having hunted her down in the very heart of the ruins. Thus, her wish never came to be, and her last thoughts lingered upon the one she loved more than anything else, as well as the knowledge that she never had the chance to tell him the truth.

And so it was that a terrible fate overcame them both, two souls torn apart by death even though Thurvokun's love for him had never faltered. For all that she wanted… was to save him and shield them far away, to never be separated just as they had promised to each other.

But even to his last waking moments… Zaan would never know.