Chapter 2: Reminiscence

Gelebor...

I stood on the Chantry's balcony, overlooking the Forgotten Vale. I felt strange. I never got the chance to speak to my brother after he trapped himself within the Inner Sanctum, but for some reason I felt lost without him. I was still trying to come to terms with what he was. I didn't understand why Auri-El didn't save my brother from becoming a vampire, or why he didn't stop the initiate who had changed him in the first place. Vrythur was the closer to the Aedra than the rest of us. Why was he punished? What did he do wrong? It didn't make any sense.

As usual the vale was covered in the vast expanse of whiteness; crisp feather-like flakes were carried by the wind and drifted to the ground. Dark clouds covered the horizon and blocked out the sun. A storm was coming. I stepped back into Darkfall cave, grabbed the rest of my belongings and relocated them to what remained of the Inner Sanctum. I was a little surprised to find the Inner Sanctum in ruin, but from what the dragonborn said it was Vrythur's doing, not her own.

I knelt beside the fire in the crumbling ruin; a book in hand. Snow flew through the shattered ceiling and the bitter wind whistled through the cracks of the walls. The Chantry was empty and quiet; too quiet. It was hard to grasp the fact that it would be like this for the rest of my days. I could still remember the Chantry during it's former glory. The priests would walk up and down this hall, preaching about Auri-El to the younger initiates. It was always peaceful and full of hope. Now, it was left in ice, slowly being destroyed by the elements.

Since Vyrthur's death, I was left to believe that I was the last of my kind. It was hard to come to terms with. There used to be so many of my friends, close friends that were practically my family, that lived here. But now... now they were gone, and I feared that I would live the remainder of my life in a decaying ruin, to eventually die alone.

I recalled what the dragonborn had asked me before she left. I remembered the look on her face. The look when I answered her question.

"What do you plan on doing now?" She asked after obtaining Auri-El's bow from the wayshrine.

I sighed. "Even with Vyrthur gone and the Inner Sanctum destroyed, my duty as a Knight-Paladin of Auri-El remains. I've been sworn to protect this vale and everything it represents until I die."

Her face fell. "But what about the wayshrines?"

"For the time being, they will remain open. If remnants of my kind who escaped the betrayal at the hands of the dwarves exist out there, perhaps they will find this place one day."

"And what about the Chantry?"

"While it would fill me with joy to see the Chantry back to its former glory, that time has long since passed. Now that my brother's dead, it's quite possible I'm the last of my kind."

Emelin's face had saddened immensely and she kept her eyes fixed on the ground, as if ashamed. "Then," she began, "I've contributed to your race's extinction."

I placed my hand on her shoulder, getting her to look up. "There's no need for that kind of talk. I said it was possible. It's also quite possible that there are some other isolated conclaves of snow elves nestled elsewhere on Nirn. I'll also assume Vyrthur didn't exactly give you the option to stay your hand."

"If only he did..." She whispered under her breath. "So what will you do next?"

"For the time being I will remain here, on the overlook and continue trying to keep the Sanctum free of the Betrayed. You're always welcome to return here at any time, of course." She weakly smiled at that and I couldn't help but smile back.

I wondered how her quest had got on, and if she had succeeded. Sighing, I returned to my book.