Heyo.

So this was kinda rushed and I'm not that happy with it, but hey. I'd like to think it's not all that bad. Also I made my own line break, which kinda looks like a pair of... teeth... now that I'm seeing it.

Anyways, hope you guys like it.

Peace.


"Dragonborn? A mortal with the soul and mind of a Dragon? Impossible. If such a thing existed, it would be an affront to the entire species." Apollo chuckled to himself, leaning back in his throne with his cheek resting against his closed fist. Hircine shared the laugh with the sun god, before launching into the history of the great beasts known as the Dragons, and their mortal relatives.

"A very long time ago my relatives, the Aedra – or more specifically Akatosh, the chiefest among them, watched as man fell prey to the monstrous creatures that ravaged the world with fire, slavery and death. These beasts were of Akatosh's own creation, and thus were like his children just as how Lycanthropes are my own. These great beasts were – at the least – as big as a house, with heads that were big enough to fill a cart. They had great wings, were capable of flight, and were covered from their heads to their feet and claws and tail in nigh-impenetrable scales."

A few of the gods gathered, Athena more than the rest, listened with great care. Hircine seemed to be describing what seemed to be a drakon, but larger.

"Their gullets were capable of producing great gouts of flame, frost, and other such magicks gifted to them by Akatosh. These immortal, tyrannical beasts were called Dovah – or Dragons – and they subjugated the world of man." At this, Hircine summoned the misty visage of a Dragon in flight so that the gods would understand their description. Artemis was the first to speak.

"A terrible foe, to be sure. You say they were capable of magic?"

"Indeed!" Hircine nodded enthusiastically. "In fact, Dragons primarily focused their magic through their language, Dovahzul. Literally meaning 'Dragon voice' or simply the 'Dragon language,' by simply speaking certain words with heavy intent upon their meanings, Dragons could literally do anything, go anywhere, and rule anything they wished. They ruled the world of man with iron tooth and claw, and Akatosh looked upon his children and wept at their misdeeds."

Hircine let go of his spear, and the great weapon stood upright without aid. The Daedra gathered a silver mist around his hands, and then thrust it outwards, creating a series of moving images before the gathered gods. They depicted bloody and gruesome images of the Dovah descending upon the various races of Tamriel, forcing mortals to construct great spires and monoliths in terrifying Draconic styles, and in a cruel sense of irony, appointing mortals to rule in their absence in exchange for power.

The images then switched to that of the mortals fighting back against their oppressors, futilely attacking the winged beasts with arrow, magicka, sword, and shield. Other races than that of men fought together, with the sole purpose of fighting for the freedom of their world.

Hircine turned the view again, bringing to the forefront a terrifying silver-black Dragon that held a horrifyingly kingly visage. White hot flames poured from its gaping maw, drenching the world below him in an acre of fire.

"The mightiest of all was the great Alduin. Known as the World-Eater and the Firstborn of Akatosh, Alduin set his sights on destroying the entire world, claiming it his destiny to do so in order so a new and better world should rise in its place. Aided by his brethren, the terrible winged destroyer brought the great Dragon War to Tamriel."

The visage then began to move, the black Dragon began to flap his wings and soar upwards. Alduin flew up high into the sky, and soon four other Dragons met him in the air before falling beside him. With Alduin at the head, they reared back as one, and bathed the army that gathered below them in a burning sea.

The gods gathered watched in horrid fascination at the scenes playing out before them, unable to comprehend the mass carnage. The only one who was not completely shell-shocked was Ares, and even the great God of War had to grimace at the devastation that he was watching.

Flesh, bone and sinew crunched as the beasts feasted on mankind without pause, blood filled entire valleys after even a single dragon had his fill. Bodies were nothing more than charred husks, and gathered together by slaves in order to be placed in a gruesome and twisted effigy for their master's amusement. Children were given up to their terrifying overseer's for them to toy with; they were made to perform ugly acts of cruelty on one another and when the masters were finally bored of their entertainment, the young were told to walk into their mouths, never to see the light of day again.

"That's… I can't…" Aphrodite began, completely unable to find the proper words. Her husband, Hephaestus, reached out to her hand, which she took in earnest.

"They were defeated, yes? You speak of them in the past tense; this does mean that these damnable beasts were cast down, yes?" Inquired Hermes, the Messenger God almost simmering in anger. Hircine clapped his hands, and the horrible images swirled around until they showed a new image.

"After watching the Dragons destroy the beings that she invested in, Kyne, the great Stormbringer and wife of Lorkhan, visited Alduin's very brother in his sleep."

The swirling image briefly flashed to a less imposing Dragon, tan in color and overseeing the carnage that his brother wrought from afar with calculating eyes. Above in the sky, the clouds formed the shape of an imposing woman her arms crossed in silent fury.

"Kyne forced upon Alduin's brother, Paarthurnax, the great injustices that he had been thrust upon mortalkind. Wracked with guilt and grief, the Dragon was instructed by Kyne to teach mortals the Way of the Voice, their very own Thu'um."

Paarthurnax was shown teaching the mortals the Thu'um, showing them how to meditate upon the words, and how to imbue their very will and intent into each word spoken. Energy of all kinds poured from their mouths, and each could do wondrous feats that mortalkind should never have received, yet did because it was demanded of Paarthurnax, who took to his new profession willingly.

"However," Hircine twisted the scene again, showing a group of three individuals huddled in a dark room, illuminated by the energy frothing from their mouths. Their eyes shone of hate for their rulers, and with each word they spoke, they created a terrible shout that had never existed in the world before.

"There were some," continued Hircine, "who did more than simply meditate on the words of power. Fueled with rage and hatred towards their Dragon masters, three individuals pooled their knowledge to create a brand new shout, which would aid in the destruction of Alduin and his kin."

His next words shocked the already stunned gods to their very core: "They turned the immortal Alduin… mortal."

Whispers ranging from quiet shouts to furious ramblings broke out among the gods present.

"Impossible!"

"Such a thing isn't even possible, why…"

"Hecate's magic couldn't even create something of that scale!"

"Does he truly take us for fools?!"

"However," Hircine continued with his voice raised so that the gods returned their attention to him, "Alduin's destiny was so ingrained into the passages of time… that his essence could never truly dissipate. Alduin would simply revive to take his revenge and fulfill his ill-fated destiny once again, so the three concocted a plan. Using a great artifact, they sealed Alduin away into the void at his weakest moment, so that he would fall into nothingness for eons, until his own destiny would revive him once more."

The three were shown fighting Alduin, and mourning the loss of one of their own as their blood poured out onto the snow covered ground.

"After the tragedy, Akatosh looked upon what his children had wrought in despair. To make amends for his legacy, he touched the very essence of a young, ambitious native, and gifted him with the mantle of Dovahkiin."

A young man, strong and bold was lifted by a column of fire, wreathed around him like a twisting pillar of flame. When the flames dissipated, the man lifted his mouth to the sky and loosed a gout of flame that rivaled that of a dragon's power.

"This man was Miraak, and he was the first of the Dragonborn. Yet he strayed from fighting the Dragons that remained, and fled to the plane of Oblivion with one of my kin in order to pursue dark and forbidden knowledge. Ever since, Akatosh has given individuals throughout history this great power, and they have all been influential on the tides of time. Which brings us to the last Dragonborn to have been blessed with the Dovah Sos, or Dragon Blood."

"The man that you flee from. Tiber Septim was his name, correct?" Zeus queried towards the Dunmer Queen, who nodded in affirmation.

"Yes my lord. By his account he was blessed with the power of the Dragons from birth, but many think he was gifted it the night before a great battle long ago. In any event, it is said that the Dragon Blood passes down through lineage—"

"Which I have confirmed, after tasting her unborn's deep power through our contract." Hircine walked back to Barenziah, and placed a hand on her shoulder before turning back to the gods assembled with a seriousness in his eyes.

"Septim would stop at nothing to end his accidental legacy if he knew that it survived. He attempted to slay Barenziah when she refused to give herself up to kill the unborn, and would surely continue if he caught wind of its location again."

Ares snorted in his seat, "Why not just simply kill the babe? Surely it would've solved your problems." He motioned towards Barenziah nonchalantly. Hera switched her gaze to the God of War, boring into his eyes with terrifying fury.

"I would hope that you don't repeat those words in my presence again, Ares. Mind who you speak among." Ares waved his hands in a placating gesture.

"Peace mother. I understand I speak against your sphere, but my point stands. Truly, you could have simply acquiesced and lived a danger-free life, so this begs the question:"

"Why did you not?" Asked a soft-voiced Hestia from her throne. The rest of the gods looked on towards Barenziah, wanting to hear the next words that she spoke. Barenziah herself looked down to the floor, gazing upon its intricacies whilst gathering her thoughts and feelings.

"I…" Barenziah trailed briefly, "I'm not entirely able to answer, I think. Perhaps if I had not known prior, then I most likely would have when it was brought to me. But when my friend showed me through a spell, the spark of life within my very being, I…"

Hircine raised a hand to her chin, and directed her face to upwards do that she didn't hide her face from the gods. "Acknowledge them, little one."

"I—" Barenziah fidgeted with her tongue, nearly unable to find the proper words before sighing and looking to the ground again.

"Truth to light, I do not believe myself able to provide a distinctive answer. Perhaps 'twas awe, or simple fear? Mayhap there was a sort of hope that I felt— hope for my people, or maybe hope that I would not be without a legacy of my own." The Dunmer queen looked up towards the gods assembled, looking into each of their eyes and meeting their gazes with her own.

"Mayhap it was all of these things, or none at all! But I do know this: because of Septim and his murder of one who was considered family to me over the babe residing in my womb, alongside his willingness to kill me in order to contain his infidelity? I have one thing and only one thing left in my life:" Barenziah's hands and gaze drifted to her stomach, gently roaming her hands around where her unborn child was located. They remained there before she snapped her head back upwards to look Zeus in his eyes with a fire that surprised him.

"This babe that resides in my being. My dear Shiriah was murdered to protect us, and my lord Hircine took pity on us and offered security. With such greatness to protect my babe, I will do as any selfless mother would do would they be me, and protect my future babe! I will guide them as they grow, and see them rise up to challenge their very existence!"

The Olympians watched as the woman before them stood stronger than ever before. Gone was the shivering wreck of a woman, and gone was the fearful façade. Before them they saw a being with the look of a terrifying mother bear, fearful of nothing and no one.

"They will walk the world and watch with wonder, as I show them all that is beauty and good in it! Never wanting for love or safety, I will protect all that they are and more!" Barenziah swept her gaze across the room again, searching each god's face for something that looked to challenge her or her future.

She found the exact opposite.

The gods gathered all watched with calm smiles on their faces. Even the God of War, who was smirking at the fierceness the woman exuded. The only one not smiling was the Queen of the Gods, who was most definitely not merely smiling.

She was beaming, in both the figurative sense as well as literal. Because of the current praise she had received from the Solstice, as well as being within such a close proximity to one with such a fierce motherly glow inside of her, Hera was being filled with immense power and even greater joy and happiness.

Suddenly, startling all the gods gathered, she rose from her throne with a swift motion and stepped down to Barenziah, shrinking to a smaller size as she did so. When she reached the Dunmer, she stood still before her whilst still glowing like a torch and gently placed her hands to the side of the woman's face.

"Hear ye this, all present:" the silence in the throne room was so prevalent that if one strained they would be able to hear the faint sounds of jubilation occurring down in the mortal world down below.

"I hear the story of this woman, and as I do my very spirit bleeds for her. Hearing the raw and pure emotion stemming from her very essence during her tale of accomplishing whatever she could to protect her unborn child…" The goddess wore a smile that radiated her pride towards the Dunmer Queen's actions, looking as if tears might run down her face at any point from the sheer overload of emotion.

"I now place my protection upon this woman—nay, this mother." Hera's hands residing on the sides of Barenziah's face began to glow brighter, until the brightness slowly began to encompass Barenziah completely, so that her body shone with a radiant golden light.

"Her child will be one of destiny, born of blood and metal. Yet even as their destiny will be filled with strife and hard-fought, they will know happiness and love. There will hard times ahead, this I know in my being. Yet you, Barenziah Taeylis… you will live to see the babe within you become more than you ever could have believed." With her final word spoken, the Queen of the Gods shone as bright as the Sun Chariot that Apollo drove across the skies. Barenziah glowed right alongside her, the both of them shining like twin stars and bathing the entirety of the throne room in bright golden light.

Zeus watched with pride.

Poseidon watched with serenity.

Apollo and Artemis watched with great interest.

Aphrodite watched with love.

Demeter and Hephaestus watched with a slight grin.

Athena gazed with impasse, yet those who looked closely could see the small smile forming on her face.

Hades held his hands to his face, steepling his fingers and watching with intensity.

Ares pretended as if his interest was elsewhere, but secretly watched with fascination.

Hestia watched through half-lidded eyes, wearing a serene and kind smile.

Hermes watched whilst explaining the goings on to his twin snakes wrapped around his caduceus.

And Hircine? Hircine watched with a knowing grin, the expression hidden underneath his great stag helmet.

"Let all hear and heed! Queen Barenziah Taeylis is now under my protection, and as such she will be treated as the royalty she is! Let those who wish to take issue or qualms to her, bring them to me and I will lay them to rest. She and her child will be of a great and terrific destiny, and from this moment forth I shall forever be their patron until Thanatos claims their souls! So sayeth I, Hera! Queen of the Gods!" Hera's voice thundered out across Olympus, reaching the ears of every godly deity and underling that were present. The decree traveled far and wide, and through Hermes – who was using his godly powers over his sphere to send the message to all corners where their influence reached – it reached the very corners of the Earth.

As the light died down in the Olympian throne room, those gathered could hear the shouts of affirmation and acceptance from the streets of Olympus, and the world below them could be heard as well, cheering at the prospect of hearing from one of their deities and praising them for taking in and sheltering a woman with child.

Hera retracted her hands from the dumbstruck Barenziah, and smiled as brightly as she could towards her before walking back to her throne and growing back to her godly size. Her husband placed his hand upon her in worry when he saw her stagger slightly. Assuring her husband with a loving smile, the Matron of Family and Childbirth addressed the Daedric Prince that was now looking over Barenziah in awe.

"Lord Hircine. I feel like you are owed an…" Hera paused, blinking slowly for a brief period in order to get her bearings, "explanation… of sorts." The Queen of the Gods gazed down towards the Dunmer woman with a now loving gaze, as if the younger Queen was of her own flesh and blood.

"I placed my blessing, along with a small portion of my godly essence into Barenziah and her child. Danger will be hard pressed to find them, and they will be shielded from such as they grow and live their lives. Yet if Barenziah's little one will be as powerful as in the tales you told us of, even if they come across any such danger they will be granted to strength to deal with such a foe in any case. I myself will personally see to Barenziah's protection, and I have the ideal location for her in mind as I speak of this to you. Kaedos!"

At Hera's cry, a servant hurried into the throne room after appearing in a brief flash of golden light, her face calm and serene as she walked before the gods and bowed in front of their Queen.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"Please, take Barenziah to my home. You will attend to her every wish, and she will be treated as if she was my daughter. Respect will be given, is this understood?" The servant remained bowed, not moving as she spoke.

"Indeed, my lady."

"Thank you. I will arrive shortly, as soon as this meeting is adjourned. You are dismissed."

"Your wish, my lady." The woman turned towards Barenziah after being dismissed by Hera, and immediately bowed before the Dunmer as well. "Excuse me my lady, but if you would accompany me?"

Barenziah was still awestruck. A being considered a god had laid their hands upon her, and given her a godly gift of protection. Here, she was safe… but more importantly Septim had no chance of crossing over to this world. As the Dunmer Queen was led out by the servant Taedo, and disappeared in a flash to Hera's palace, there was only one thing on her mind.

She was safe.

-ϾǂϿ-

"She is not safe," were the first words that exited Hircine's mouth as Barenziah left. "Not truly, anyhow. If nothing else, at the very least you've assuaged her fears."

"I figured as much," Zeus muttered. "That much power residing in her coupled with the power that her child has by its own? Danger will find her like a wolf can find bleeding prey, and the same will be true of any being who desires the power that girl now holds within her. Childbirth will be incredibly painful for her, to put it lightly." Hera gazed after her charge while her husband spoke, watching as the young woman was whisked away by her servant. Snapping back to the present, she returned her attention to the meeting at hand.

"The protection my wife imbued upon her was very powerful, and will make her stronger as her life continues. It is quite specific to sphere. Mothers, in particular. As Barenziah will be a matriarch herself, that power will only get stronger during her lifetime. However, because of its allure, there is a danger… and you have not been forward with us, if I am not mistaken." Zeus's gaze bored into Hircine, whose features were impassive through his stag helmet.

"You are quite correct, Lord Zeus," Hircine spoke with a sigh. "Barenziah is still hunted. My counterpart should be able to feel the pull of the Hunt upon her as well, I'm sure?" Artemis nodded slightly at this, nearly lost in thought.

"Indeed, I can feel the tether upon her. It feels… as if a frayed rope is fixing itself very, very slowly." She looked into the eye sockets of the skull that Hircine wore, staring the Daedra down. "Something powerful is after her, something you haven't warned her about."

Hircine sighed at this, growing back to his full size as he did so.

"To be fair, I actually did warn her. The simple technicality, is that the first threat to her life is still the biggest threat to her continued existence." Hircine trailed off, and it was Demeter who spoke next with a grim finality.

"This 'Tiber Septim.' He is the threat, correct?" Hircine nodded at the goddess, and she continued. "I do not understand how a mere mortal – as powerful as he may be – could cross worlds as you have in order to… hunt… her."

Hephaestus hummed in agreement, "You did say that you formed a deal with the woman, and that was how you were able to cross over. So how exactly would a mortal, albeit one of these Dragonborn, be able to do something that only a deity could accomplish?"

Hircine paced around the room as he was questioned, finally stopping and forming another image in between his hands. It was of a man, obviously Septim, glowing a bright myriad of colors, before becoming engulfed by them.

"Using a dangerous process, something that is considered impossible by all chance, Septim crowned himself a new title, Talos, and used a deadly practice known as CHIM." Hircine spat out the name of the art, as if it was a curse or some other deadly poison. "Without going into its intricacies for the sake of simplicity, if practiced and performed correctly in all aspects then it can… ascend… mortals into a state of empowered immortality." Athena's eyes widened at the implications.

"They can—"

"Become a god, yes indeed," ground out Hircine. "A mortal achieving the state of godhood with a mortal's intentions is… perverse. There is nothing that is godlike through their decisions, as what they do and say is through a filter. It is the equivalent of a dog attempting to eat at man's table, believing itself actually a man!" Hircine's voice was raised tremendously, shouting out the last sentence in heated frustration and anger. Hermes was of like mind.

"We have elevated those considered worthy before, but the transformation affects the mind as well, molding it to see things from the perspective of godhood an all that it entails. It is the true gift of godhood, not the immortality or power, but the knowledge and wisdom that you receive. To think that a mortal with such power can do as they please, is an affront to godhood itself!" Many in room mumbled their assent, frowns (and in Ares' case, snarls) affixed to their faces.

"And therein lies the situation. With his new state of pseudo-divinity and my need to return to my own world, Talos will feel my presence as it returns to my plane of existence. As he is not strictly Aedra or Daedra, he has the power to leave Nirn as he sees fit. It will take time and much effort, yet he can and will find where Barenziah is. Of this, there is no doubt in my being."

The gods looked amongst themselves, curious and wary of the information they had just been given. Zeus was the first to regain composure.

"But… how will he gain this information? Just how powerful is he?"

"He will no doubt find me and interrogate me. It will be long, and it will hurt if I'm not careful. It isn't something that I'm looking forward to, being the prey instead of the predator."

"Y-you mean torture?!" Zeus thundered. Poseidon slammed his fist into his throne, denting the turquoise metal slightly inwards.

"This is unacceptable! We will not let another divine be put to a rack and flayed! You need not return at all, why do so at such a cost?"

The Daedra pushed up his skull helm and sighed, before speaking quietly.

"I am not the most selfless of Daedra, of this I have no shame. The other Princes are mostly of like mind, but there is one binding thing that keeps a thread of morality in us:" The Olympians listened earnestly, and Hircine whispered out, "our followers."

The Prince gave a sigh, sliding his stag skull off slowly as he did. His face showed a rugged visage, covered in dirt and scars and speckled in what looked like dried blood. The sclera of his eyes were a sharp pitch black, with the iris' a deep forest green which glowed subtly with power. Short-cropped, midnight colored hair glistened with sweat, completing the image of a tired huntsman.

"When Daedra gain those who deem themselves devout, it is not the same as it would be the Aedra. Our followers give us power, make us stronger and help us maintain physical forms on occasion." Hircine looked into the eyes of those gathered, before grinning, "Daedra exist, but man gives them power. Is this any different here?"

The silence in the room was almost palpable, those present staring with wide eyes at the godly being in front of them. All looked to Zeus, whose eyes were closed as he leaned forward with laced fingers.

"Indeed. Humanity gives us strength, and through them we exist. If they were to know—"

"Of course. I'm not so idiotic as to suggest such an event."

The gods gazed at him with new respect. He respected their intimate knowledge and didn't impose change upon their status quo, and not only did he understood that torture was very likely in his immediate future, yet he did not shirk from his perceived duty.

It was… impressive.

"I do not know if I will concede, but should I not then he will most likely use CHIM to discern her location. Getting here, however, will be a long process, even with CHIM." Hircine brought up a ball of silvery-white light, scrutinizing it while contemplating his next words.

"As for power? I do not know the limits that Septim's power has, or even if he can use it here at all. But what has been seen of it?" The Daedra paused, dispelling the power by enveloping it with his hand. "He could very well be unstoppable."

The Olympians looked amongst themselves, very aware of beings who bore such a description. In their experience, they were defeatable, but they were very hard to do so. In some instances, like their father Kronos, they never truly defeated them, instead trapping them in such a way that they wouldn't be able to escape if they didn't use incredible power to break free or waited for years to gather strength in secret.

Hircine suddenly swiveled on one foot, grabbing his spear that he had left standing on the marble floor behind him, and turning back to face the gods in one fluid movement.

"I do not know how long you all have. I am sorry for placing this burden upon you, but the Hunt cannot be ignored, and only ends when the hunter takes his prey, or if the prey escapes for good. A two sided coin, and yet it is weighted in Septim's favor." Hircine raised his spear above his head with one hand, and brought it down onto the floor of the throne room with a resounding THWACK! A portal comprised of inky black darkness surrounded him, and began to engulf his being entirely.

"I will endeavor to return when it is time for Barenziah's child to become my champion. When the child is of age, and ready to pursue the Hunt, let them take up my spear and use it to complete their Hunt. Until then, I do not know what will truly happen."

Before the Daedra was consumed by the portal, he jammed the butt of the spear into the center dais, forming a small crack in the floor as he did so that was immediately repaired through godly magic.

"The child must rise above his own blood. I trust your guidance will shape him until I return. Farewell, and may the Hunt overlook your bastion."

With that, Hircine, the Daedric Prince of the Great Hunt a, vanished, leaving the gods to contemplate their first steps.


Ight, so a couple things:

I made Zeus a little less ornery, mainly because he's got less to worry about and he's a freaking god of justice and all. Also, in response to Alexis Martinez, yeah there might be a few lesser dremora here and there. I mean... maybe...? I dunno. I still haven't figured out if Barenziah's freaking kid is going to be a guy or girl.

Seriously. The gender could go either way. If anyone has any preference then feel free to input.

Also I'm not the best self-beta, so if there's any mess-ups then it's just me being stupid and missing things.

I think that's it.

Peace.