A/N: WOW! I can't believe this is finally done! I've been working on it for so long, and I love this story so much that I hate to see it end...which is why there will be a sequel! I'll be releasing it one year from today, but for every review the story receives (multiple reviews on the same chapter don't count, so don't go spamming reviews at me haha) I'll knock one day off - as of right now, with 187 reviews, the story will be released on July 22nd, but obviously that can change. So if you enjoyed the story, make sure to leave me a review telling me what you thought! I'm so excited for the sequel and I hope all of you will be too! Until then, enjoy the epilogue of The Secret Daughter!
Six months later.
"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages!"
Leola was all but bouncing with excitement as she heard Aventus's voice, louder than she'd ever heard it before. For a sneak and an assassin, he sure could be loud when he wanted to.
"It is my great honour to present to you, my dear friend, the daughter of your former High King Ulfric Stormcloak, the brilliant and beautiful Princess Leola Stormcloak!"
Leola could feel herself madly blushing as the mighty palace doors were drawn open. As they parted, she could see on the other side an ocean of people - her people, citizens from all over Skyrim who had travelled to Windhelm to see her become Queen.
She stepped out of the doors, absolutely beaming as she gazed out at her people. Galmar, Erith, and Aventus stood on one side of the palace's front steps, waiting for her with grins on their faces. On the other side, all the Jarls were lined up, there to support their chosen Queen. Leola could see a look of resentment hidden behind Elisif's smile, but she ignored it. Today was her day to shine.
She wore the most magnificent gown she'd ever seen in a deep blue tone. There was a long train behind her that was probably now caught up in the doors, and Erith had helped her to style her golden curls into an elegant updo befitting a Queen. Everything felt perfect about her coronation day - the only things missing were her parents.
"Princess Leola," said Galmar, stepping forward, "it is my great honour as leader of your father's armies and his right-hand man to swear you in as High Queen of Skyrim."
Erith was beside him, and in her hands, she held a cushion. Upon that cushion sat a fearsome looking helm, one that Leola had never seen before. Erith held the cushion out to Galmar, who lifted the helm from it.
"The Jagged Crown is made from the bones and teeth of ancient dragons, and it is said to contain a portion of the power of every king or queen who has worn it," Galmar said as he held up the helm - er, crown - for all to see. "Leola, do you accept this crown and, with it, the role, title, and power of Skyrim's High Queen?"
"I do," Leola responded, her voice louder than her usual soft tone.
"Will you do everything in your power to protect, rule, and care for Skyrim's people and lands?"
"I will."
"Will you rule this land with honour, dignity, and respect?"
"I will."
Galmar turned again to face the people, lifting the crown. "Then on behalf of the people, I crown you, Leola Stormcloak, High Queen of Skyrim. May Talos smile upon your reign," he said, turning towards Leola and lowering the crown upon her head. It was heavy, and she knew it wouldn't complement her elegant updo, but she didn't care any more. She was the Queen, and that was what mattered. She would do everything for this land, and now, it was time to tell her people that.
She turned to face the audience that had gathered, gazing out at them through the dragon teeth of her new crown. They were all looking at her expectantly, but she wasn't afraid.
"My people," she began, grinning widely. "I am honoured that you accept me as your High Queen. My father loved Skyrim, and he dedicated his life to serving it. I, as well, dedicate my life to serving Skyrim. I promise that I will do the best I can to keep this land safe and prosperous, and in exchange, I ask only for your loyalty, which so many of you swore to my father many years ago."
She paused for a moment, letting a few cheers ripple through the crowd. She felt as though her heart might burst. She could barely believe how supportive they were being, how happy they were to have her as their Queen.
"I know that many of you - definitely most of you who are older than me - knew my mother, the Dragonborn. Although I was never lucky enough to know her by that name I know that if your warrior of legends had even half the heart and dedication that the woman who raised me showed during my childhood, she must have been a remarkable hero. Both my parents leave behind quite the legacy to protect and uphold, but I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to give you all that my parents gave you and more."
At this, they cheered more, applauding almost violently as she gave them a little curtsey. A grin was on her lips all the time as she straightened up, waving to the people for a moment.
"Thank you, everyone," she said. "There will be festivities in Windhelm for the entirety of the week, and I assure you all that I will be coming down to enjoy them," she added, and a murmur of laughter filled the air. "For now, though, I must take my leave, to meet with the Jarls and tend to official business as your new Queen. Thank you, though, for all your love and support."
With that, she blew them one last kiss before turning and heading inside. Erith, Galmar, and Aventus hurried after her, followed by the Jarls. Their families were at the front of the crowd, and they came up the steps and followed them inside - it wasn't really official business that they were attending to, but rather, a sort of party with the Jarls and their families to celebrate the coronation of their new Queen.
With Erith in tow, Leola hurried back to her room, giggling madly all the way. "I can't believe that I'm the Queen," she said once they were inside, and Erith began helping her to detach the train from her gown.
"I can't either," Erith said with a giggle. "Did you see that Elisif's daughter is pregnant?"
"No! I didn't even know Elisif had a daughter," Leola said as Erith removed the train, tossing it aside.
"Second marriage, some Imperial army man, not sure who - her name's Torygga, after Elisif's first husband."
"The one my father killed."
Erith put a gentle hand on Leola's shoulder, smiling. "Now, if he hadn't done that, would you be standing here before me as Queen?"
"Well, no-"
"No, you'd just be a sad orphan who wasn't even a Princess, let alone Queen. Elisif would be Queen, and I don't think for a moment that she could do a better job than you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Erith squeezed Leola's hand, grinning. "Now, let's go! We're missing your party!"
Giggling, both girls hurried from the bedchambers, just in time to bump into Aventus.
"There you are!" he exclaimed. "I was coming to find you, the Jarls were starting to wonder where you'd gone!"
"I was just dealing with the train! People would step on it if I left it on!" Leola said, and Erith giggled.
"We can't have that," she said. "Nobody steps on the High Queen."
Aventus turned his dark eyes towards Leola, smiling. "My Queen," he said, "if you don't mind, I'd like to take my leave now."
"You're not staying for the party?" asked Leola, her eyes widening.
"No, I can't," Aventus said. "Trust me, there are people at this party who'd rather not see me - and besides, I received word from the Brotherhood this morning and I've some...business...to attend to."
"You'd really miss my party to go kill people?" Leola asked, putting her hands on her hips. A chuckle left Aventus's lips.
"Now, you know I don't want to miss your party," he said, stepping forward and putting his hands over hers, on her hips, "but this is important. I wouldn't miss this for anything that wasn't, you know that."
Leola sighed, nodding slightly. "I know," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hurry back, though, this Queen's gonna need her left-hand man."
"Left-hand man?" he asked, laughing again.
"You know, because Galmar's my right-hand man. So you can go on the left," she replied, grinning.
"That sounds good to me," he said, kissing her forehead. "I'll hurry back. Promise. Now, go enjoy your party."
He turned and left, and Leola returned her attention to Erith, grinning. "Shall we head to the party?" she asked.
"Of course," Erith replied. "There are Jarls out there waiting to congratulate you, families to meet - all those kinds of things."
"Then let's go," Leola said, taking Erith's hand. They walked out into the main hall together, where sure enough, clusters of people mingled about. The long table in the hall was covered in various plates of food and bowls of drink, and as Leola entered, all eyes turned to her.
"Your majesty," said Harrald, the Jarl of Riften, as he lifted his tankard in the air. The rest swiftly followed, and Leola grinned at them all.
"Thank you, thank you," she said softly. "Please, though, don't mind me - return to what you were doing."
They all nodded, giving her smiles before turning back to their conversations.
"You've settled into the role of Queen quite well," came a voice, and as Leola turned, she saw Elienne.
"How so?" Leola asked, quirking an eyebrow at the other woman's comment.
"You've an air of royalty about you already," said Elienne. "You speak with all the grace and charm of a Queen. You've a way of addressing the people that sounds both genuine and practiced - it's really quite a skill to have mastered so quickly."
"Leola's just always been good with people," Erith said, grinning as she linked her arm with Leola's. "Right from when I met her, she's always been charming."
"But of course," Elienne said with a laugh as Glovald came up beside her.
"Queen Leola," he said politely, giving her a nod.
"Jarl Silver-Blood," she responded, and he chuckled.
"I look forward to working together for the good of Skyrim," he said. "Might you be interested in a visit to Markarth at some point in the coming weeks? Come be our guest, and let us converse as rulers and friends rather than allies and acquaintances?"
"I should certainly like that," Leola replied, grinning.
"Perfect," he replied. "We can make the arrangements by courier when you've finished settling in, then. Now, your majesty, if you'll excuse me - I've not seen Jarl Elisif in a while and should speak with her."
"Of course, be my guest - you are my guest," Leola said, and they both laughed before Glovald, giving her one last courteous nod, turned and headed off in the direction of Solitude's Jarl. Almost right away, a young blonde woman began moving in Leola's direction. She had blue eyes and a slightly pointed nose, and beneath her loose-fitting red dress, it was clear that this young woman was heavily pregnant.
"Your majesty," she said politely, offering as best a curtsey as her condition would allow.
"Hello," Leola replied. "I don't think we've met," she said, though from what Erith had said earlier, she had a pretty good guess as to who this was.
"My name is Torygga," the girl replied, confirming Leola's suspicions. "I am Lady Elisif's daughter. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"And you as well," Leola replied with a smile. "I didn't know that Lady Elisif had a daughter."
"And we didn't know that King Ulfric had one either," Torygga said with a devious glint in her eyes. Her tone had Leola feeling rather uncomfortable, but she tried not to let it show.
"That is true," she said, nodding. "Well, I am glad that you were able to attend."
"Of course," Torygga replied. "Travel right now isn't the best idea, but I simply had to attend the new Queen's coronation, how could I not?"
There was still an edge to her voice that Leola wasn't sure she liked, but her words were pleasant as anything, so there was nothing she could do or say. "As long as you take care, then, I'd hate for something to happen to you," Leola replied, and Torygga nodded.
"Oh, I take care," she replied, placing one hand on her round stomach. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to my little one."
"Have you thought of names yet for it?" Leola asked, and the other girl nodded.
"Yes - well, boy names, that is," she said. "I'd like it to be a boy. I'd call him Anders."
"That's a lovely name," Leola said.
"And the father?" inquired Erith from behind her, and Leola almost elbowed her lover - almost.
"Oh, he's...not in the picture," Torygga responded, shifting from one foot to the other. Leola, though she was annoyed with Erith for her blunt input, couldn't help but to be pleased to see that they had made the other girl uncomfortable in turn.
"That's a shame," Erith said.
"It certainly is," Torygga said with a nod. "Anyhow, I should go sit down - and I'm sure you've other guests to speak with."
"I do, but it was lovely meeting you," Leola replied, smiling. "Send me a courier when your child is born, I'll try to visit, or at least send a gift."
"I'd love that," Torygga replied, a smile coming to her lips before she gave one last small curtsey and headed towards the long table.
The rest of the party was mostly uneventful. Leola wandered around, making small talk with the Jarls and their families. Some had brought their children, others hadn't, though Leola enjoyed interacting with the little ones most of all. Over the course of the evening, the fact that her entire life was now dedicated to politics and ruling was beginning to sink in, and she found herself less personable than usual.
After a couple of hours, finally, the guests began to take their leave, starting first with Elisif and her daughter. Once they left, the others began to make their way out, one or two at a time. Before long, it was just Leola, Erith, and Galmar left. Guests who were staying in the palace retired to their rooms, while guests staying in the inn or in vacation homes in town headed there.
"You should get your sleep, your highness," Galmar said, putting a hand on Leola's shoulder as he came up behind her. "You've a great many years of hard work ahead of you."
"That's comforting," she said sarcastically, smiling a bit. "I will though, Galmar. Sleep well."
"And you," he said with a nod before heading off in the direction of his own room. Once he was gone, Leola sighed softly.
"And so it begins," she said, and Erith grinned, taking her hands.
"It's going to be an adventure," she said. "You know that we'll all be here at your side - me, Aventus, Bottar, Shelur...we're all here for you."
"I know," Leola said, grinning. She glanced away momentarily, a movement catching her eye in the direction of the chambers, and she quirked an eyebrow. "Who is that?" she asked.
A man was standing near the entrance to the bedchamber hall. He was an elf of some sort - Altmer, she thought - and he had a neat mess of jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore robes, and he was eyeing her closely. Her gaze shifted back to Erith as her lover turned her head.
"What? Who?" Erith asked. Leola frowned, looking over again - and sure enough, the man was gone.
"What? There was a man there," Leola said, and she felt Erith's hand come to rest on her cheek.
"You're probably just tired," Erith said in a gentle tone. "Come on, my sweet, beautiful Queen. Let's go to bed."