Summary:

This chapter is a point of view chapter for Amirah and goes into what she was doing before reuniting with bjorn and more of her backstory as well. It also goes into more about Zalam-dar and the Rising Dawn Syndicate as well.

"I'm not letting you hang around that Nord barbarian anymore. It's for your own good. You're a daughter of Yokuda. You deserve better."

Amirah knew there was nothing she could say to her father that would make him change his mind about Bjorn. Even if she had something to say, she wouldn't have wanted to say it. She was too angry and hurt to even look at him, let alone talk to him. So she said nothing.

She rushed into her room and lay down on her bed. On the ceiling over her bed, there was a window where she could see out into the night sky. Whenever she needed to calm herself she'd search for the constellations. She was born under the sign of the Warrior but admired the Lover, The Lord, and the Lady as well. The Lover was her mother's sign. It suited her well. Those born under it were known to be passionate and graceful, which Iszara the Sage certainly was.

Amirah often wished that she could be more like her mother, in some ways at least. Of course, she never really knew her. Most of her knowledge of her came from other people's stories.

Out of the few memories Amirah did have of her mother, her favorite was when she watched her belly dance as a little girl and she tried to dance along with her. Iszara also had a beautiful singing voice that had a divine nature. She would often sing to Amirah at night to help her go to sleep.

Amirah remembered her mother's appearance vividly too. She wore turquoise eyeliner and gold glitter on her face. She had long, frizzy black hair that was similar to Amirah's and very thick eyebrows. She had doe eyes that were wide and intelligent looking. Her pupils were deep and endless. She wore long colorful gowns with sparkles and gold bracelets on her arms. She had a small turned-up nose and was very beautiful.

When the Thalmor invaded Hammerfell they wanted to make an example of the insurrectionist known as Iszara the Sage. They executed her in the streets in front of her family and supporters. Unfortunately, this memory was more vivid in Amirah's mind than the pleasant ones.

Iszara faced her death bravely. Her last words as they brought her to the executioner's block were: "Don't cry for me, Hammerfell. My body may die but my ideas will live on. Ideas are our weapon." This statement became a rallying cry for the remainder of the rebellion.

Iszara was remembered by many as being loving towards all, even those that could be considered her enemy. Amirah was once told a story of a group of bandits who tried to rob Iszara on the road. They pointed their weapons at her and told her to "hand everything over'' . She smiled at them and said, "there is no need for that. If you want food or money you only need to ask."

Shortly after this encounter, some of these bandits contacted her. They told her they decided to leave their life of crime behind and paid her back the money they stole from her.

There was also the legendary story of a Thalmor justiciar named Caryndil whose life she also touched. He was inspired by Iszara's beauty and charisma to abandon the Dominion and join her cause for an independent Hammerfell.

Iszara envisioned a Hammerfell that was free of both the Empire and Dominion. She dreamed of a day her people could once again determine their own future. She dreamed of a day where the Crowns and Forebears lived together in peace. She dreamed of a day where men would throw down their swords and solve their differences through words rather than violence.

Iszara did not see the glory in war. To her, killing was always the same whether a man was slain on the battlefield or murdered by an assassin in his sleep.

Iszara's philosophy of nonviolent resistance was alien to the people of Hammerfell, since being great warriors was deeply ingrained in their culture. Despite this, she developed a strong following. While most of the Redguards did not become pacifists, she inspired them to seek peaceful solutions to their conflicts. Though history would later ignore it, much of the peace that came between the Crowns and Forebears after the siege of Hegathe wouldn't have been possible without her influence. They were united through their mutual respect for her.

But Amirah was not her mother. She wasn't a pacifist and she didn't aspire to be. Her goal was to have the heart and soul of her mother and the fighting skills and courage of her father.

Amirah knew it was counterproductive to stay angry at her father. Her mother always told people not to give in to anger. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down and detach herself from her thoughts.

Amirah loved her father but he was full of anger and resentment. It seemed that when Iszara died, a part of him died as well.

Amirah's father Umar believed in Iszara's power to end the violence and chaos in the world. He had faith that she could help humanity evolve into a higher state of being. He believed this because she helped him become better. Her light helped him overcome his darkness.

In his youth, Umar developed a gambling problem. He spent most of his money betting on underground fights.

During the Great War, Umar lost a lot of his money due to this unhealthy habit. He traveled to Cyrodil to fight as a combatant in the Imperial City Arena, hoping to earn some of his money back.

Umar never made it in the main arena but he started fighting in underground cage matches, similar to the ones he used to bet on.

In a strange turn of events, he was captured by a Daedra named Reive to fight in his fighting pit. He was put up against Tyr, a Nord warrior. The two of them teamed up against Reive and escaped.

This led Umar on an adventure that resulted in him fighting in the "Battle of the Red Ring".

Many of the Crowns resented Umar for abandoning his countrymen. They did not believe the stories he told them of how he wore the armor of the Emperor and led the Imperial Legion's fight against the Dominion in the Imperial City.

Umar became depressed. He was alienated from his friends and family for abandoning them during the war. Iszara, however, stood by him as his loyal wife and best friend.

Iszara's talk of a free Hammerfell made Umar believe in something again. When she died, only hatred remained. The Dominion thought Iszara's death would kill the spirit of the people of Hammerfell, but it only lighted an angry flame inside them. Umar led the charge against the Dominion in Hammerfell's last stand. He was known as a war hero because of this.

In many ways, Bjorn reminded Amirah of her father. When she first laid her eyes on him, she could see into his soul. Underneath his guarded exterior, he was kind and had a gentle heart. She wanted to be a light in his life like Iszara was for her father.

As Amirah reflected on all of this, she became nauseous and felt a strong ache in her stomach. She cried out in pain and Umar came rushing in to the rescue.

"My princess! Are you ok?"

Amirah was taken aback. She hadn't heard her father call her that since before her mother died. She was so moved by this, she forgot about her physical discomfort for a minute. Then, it kicked back in again.

"We need to take you to Aunt Mahsa," said Umar, "she'll know what to do."

And so to Aunt Mahsa's they went. Aunt Mahsa was Iszara's younger sister. She was a healer in Skaven who was revered throughout most of Tamriel.

Mahsa's healing temple was made of stone and had a glass sunroof. The inner walls were painted gold and the floors were painted white. There was a large library of books, an alchemy lab and a hammock for her patients to lie down on. She also had a small pet monkey that ran around the temple, getting into mischief.

Mahsa resembled Iszara, yet had a more solemn demeanor. Her hair was in dreadlocks with colorful beads and she had a ring through her right nostril. She wore a dark green corset with a black skirt and a dark green cowl over her head.

When Mahsa found out what was going on with Amirah she was flabbergasted. She looked back and forth at Umar and Amirah, unsure of what to say.

Umar looked up from the book he was reading about the great Cyrus the Redguard and placed it down on an end table next to where he was seated. He stood up and shrugged at Mahsa, expecting her to say something.

"Well spit it out already!" Umar finally said, impatiently.

"This concerns Amirah. Not you. I think you should leave," Mahsa glared at him

"Nonsense! I have a right to know what's wrong with my daughter!"

Mahsa shook her head at Umar out of irritation. This was so typical of him. He never gave his daughter any room to breathe.

"Just tell me. It's ok if he hears. I want to know what's wrong." Amirah reassured her.

"No! You alone should hear this! Trust me!"

Mahsa thought of using illusion magic on Umar to force him to agree, but he'd likely be aware of her doing it, and wouldn't take kindly to it. It would create unnecessary drama. Mahsa looked at Umar again and rolled her eyes, realizing there was no convincing him to give them privacy. She then turned back to Amirah.

"You're pregnant."

"I'm...what?" Amirah sat up in shock.

It took Amirah another minute or two to fully digest what she heard. She didn't know what to feel.

Before she could say anything, Umar stepped in, "it's fine. "I'll have it all taken care of."

"Oh so you've already decided for her,I see," Mahsa scolded him.

"Yes. I have. It's better we keep this as much of a secret as possible."

Amirah lay back on the hammock and went into her head. She had a lot to think about.

She knew the baby was Bjorn's because she had been with no one else besides him. If she were to ever get married and have a family, she wanted it to be with him. This wasn't the time for that though. She had barely left Dragonstar, there was a whole world for her to see.

Mahsa was a clairvoyant who could see inside her patients and learn exactly what was wrong with them. All she had to do to use this ability was put the palm of her hand on their forehead and focus intensely. There was one detail about the baby that she had not yet shared with Amirah, but that she thought she might like to know.

"It's a girl," Mahsa informed her.

Amirah was taking everything in. She had a flashback to when she was a little girl. In this memory, she giggled with joy as Iszara picked her up and swung her around in her arms. Though Amirah was much older now, she still felt like that child, longing for her mother to hold her and tell her everything was ok.

She then pictured this little girl that would soon be born with Nordic and Redguard features. She imagined the little girl hugging her leg and calling her "mama!"

"My mother couldn't be there to watch me grow up. But maybe I can be there for her." Amirah thought to herself.

"I want to have it," the words came out of Amirah before she could even think about what she was saying, yet she knew she meant it.

Umar was taken aback, "I did not think this would be something you'd want."

"I didn't either, but maybe this happened for a reason."

Umar sighed, seeing there was no changing her mind. "Ok. But you will not raise the child. That I will not allow."

"Oh you won't 'allow it"! Mahsa butted in again, "never knew my sister married a tyrant. This should be her decision."

"Do you mind, Mahsa?" Umar pushed back, "You've done your part. Now leave me alone to speak with my daughter!"

"No, I'm going to stay right here." Mahsa folded her arms and glared at him.

"Fine, fine." Umar gave up on arguing with her and went back to speaking with his daughter.

"You have your whole life ahead of you. Why throw it away? You can't just be thinking about yourself. House Hadran is a family of heroes. A symbol of freedom and justice. We have a legacy to preserve. We need to have continued influence in this province before the Forebears hand us over to the Imperials again. Hammerfell needs a family that will fight for her. Your brother Karim is too caught up in his wizard nonsense, and Jamal? Well, let's just say that the whiskey he loves doesn't exactly give him the best judgment. You are the only one who can lead Hammerfell toward the future. We can't have a baby with foreign blood messing that up for us. It was foreign influence that sold us to the Dominion in the first place."

"I won't abandon her."

Umar sighed, "Look, I know a nice family in Cyrodil who will take care of her. Please, you know you aren't fit to do this right now."

"You're right. I just want her to have a good life. I'm sure that family will treat her well."

Amirah spent her entire pregnancy at Aunt Mahsa's. Umar wanted to keep it a secret outside of the family. He told people she just wanted to spend more time with her aunt and didn't go into details.

Once the baby was born, Amirah was happy to finally hold her in her arms. Her eyes were green, with a mystic, otherworldly feel. Though she had just arrived in this world, there was a depth to them that seemed to carry the wisdom of lifetimes before. Her skin, a warm shade of light brown, carried the hint of sun-soaked deserts and cold northern winds, a blend of two worlds that had shaped her even before her first breath.

When Amirah looked at her daughter, something changed inside of her. The baby's innocent and joyful nature and her genuine smile filled her with happiness. However, she soon felt sad when she remembered she would have to give her away. At least she would be the one to name her.

Amirah named her daughter Tava Storm-Bear to honor the girl's Nordic and Redguard heritage. Tava was the Yokudan goddess of air, similar to Kynareth. Storm-Bear was a combination of Bjorn's mother Freya's clan the Storm-Childs, and his father's clan the Bear-Bloods. Freya's people were known as the Storm-Childs because of their strength against Ice Storms. They had deep roots in the high mountains of Skyrim and were known to survive in climates up there that most other Nords weren't able to. Gunther's clan was known as the Bear-Bloods because of his great great great great grandfather Odin Bear-Blood who wrestled a bear and defeated him in hand-to-hand combat. Since then many of the Bear-Bloods wore armor made of bear pelts in his honor.

Amirah knew she had to tell Bjorn about their daughter, even though they wouldn't be the ones raising her.

"Where's Bjorn?"

There was a long silence. Umar and Mahsa looked at each other awkwardly. Amirah was prepared to hear bad news.

"There's been an incident. Bjorn's parents were murdered," Umar informed her.

"They're….what? No!" Amirah could barely speak, "And what about Bjorn? Is he...he can't be!"

"We don't know yet. There's no sign of him."

Amirah gently handed Tava to Mahsa and then started to stand up and get off the bed. Tava began to cry but Mahsa slowly rocked her back and forth in her arms to calm her down.

"I must look for him! He could be in trouble!" declared Amirah.

Mahsa put Tava in her crib and went over to Amirah.

"Please," Mahsa put her hand on her shoulder, "you must rest for now. Tomorrow we can look for him. I will help you, I promise."

"No need," Umar interjected, "I'll have a search party look for him."

Mahsa looked at Umar suspiciously.

" I know this is important to Amirah. I want to do this for her," Umar explained himself, "She's been through enough. Let me do this for her."

Mahsa did not seem totally satisfied with that answer, yet she accepted it. The next day, Umar told Amirah that they had found Bjorn dead near his parent's shop.

Amirah blamed her father for keeping her separate from Bjorn and not letting her be there to protect him. Deep down she knew this wasn't his fault and that there was little she could have done to help Bjorn, but she needed a scapegoat. Either way, Amirah knew it was time for her to leave. The next day she rode off on her camel named Lani, a gift from Mahsa. She headed for Sentinel to join a band of warriors known as the Swords of Serenity. They were similar to Alik'r mercenaries in their fighting style yet prided themselves on being the defenders of the poor and the downtrodden, rather than common mercenaries motivated by gold.

Before she left, Amirah said goodbye to Tava and left a note for Umar. The note told him that she never wanted to see him again and to not come looking for her.

Amirah rode through the sands of the Alik'r desert. She had purchased two scimitars and armor with the gold she and Bjorn had earned performing music in inns. On her way there she fought off giant scorpions, sand serpents and other creatures. It was a good opportunity for her to practice her fighting skills. Her father had taught her a few techniques in the past, but it had been a while since then. She was a little rusty. She knew she couldn't be too green if she wanted to join the Swords of Serenity, even though they'd train her.

The first few battles with these creatures were challenging. She was even poisoned by one of the giant scorpions at one point. Luckily, she had brewed herself some potions at Aunt Mahsa's, including a cure poison potion. She drank this potion and quickly recovered. Amirah's fighting skills improved greatly by the end of the trip. She cut off a stinger from one of the giant scorpions to bring with her as a trophy. She planned to show it to the guild to prove she was a worthy warrior.

When Amirah finally arrived in Sentinel she was in awe of the architecture. She looked up and admired the buildings made of stone that seemed as tall as the sky.

Amirah was mesmerized by how magnificent the scenery looked. The sand all around the city didn't look particularly flattering to her, but the beautiful palm trees made up for it.

Amirah felt proud. This was a city her people made. This was the Hammerfell most people saw in their mind's eye whenever the province was mentioned. Sure, she loved her hometown of Dragonstar, but the feeling this place gave her was something different altogether.

Amirah had an interest in joining the Swords of Serenity for a long time before this. Her older brother Jamal was the first to inform her of their existence. He had worked for them a few years, but eventually was let go. Their leader Azzan didn't approve of his unorthodox methods of fighting drunk or his boisterous personality. Jamal told his sister that it was better if she didn't mention his name if she ever wanted to join them. He suggested that she mention her father because he was a respected war hero by Crowns and Forebears alike. Amirah preferred showing Azzan the giant scorpion tail instead. If she were to be accepted into the Swords of Serenity, it would be because of her own courage and bravery, not someone else's legacy.

Azzan was pleased when he saw the giant scorpion's tail. He took her under his wing and trained her intensely for months. Once she was ready, he started sending her out on jobs in Hammerfell, High Rock, and Cyrodiil.

Azzan appeared to be in his mid-sixties, yet he was one of the toughest warriors Amirah had ever met. He had the strong physique of a man in his twenties and the sagacity of a man who had lived for hundreds of years. He had a tattoo of a sword on his forehead, a shaved head, and a fluffy black beard.

When Amirah first met Azzan, she was concerned that she'd have to get a tattoo as well to be a member of his guild. Many redguards had tattoos, especially warriors, but it wasn't her style. Her brother never mentioned having to get one to be a member, but maybe his was on his upper arm or somewhere else where she couldn't see it.

When Amirah expressed this concern to Azzan, he laughed and said, "No, my child. This tattoo has nothing to do with that. I've had it long before the Swords of Serenity even existed. I don't remember why or when I got it. I believe I www injured and knocked unconscious in some sort of battle, I don't remember the details. I only remember waking up in a cave in the Alik'r desert, not remembering anything about my life or who I was before."

"You don't remember anything? At all? Not even your parents? Your family?" Amirah couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Nope. Nothing. Sometimes I think I might have even come here from another time long before this one, or another realm far away from here. But I don't know for sure."

Azzan went along with Amirah for one of her first contracts. They had to fight off a group of pirates who were harassing and robbing people off the coast of Stros M'kai. At first, Amirah thought Azzan would have trouble because of his age. She was surprised at how wrong she was proven to be. He used a power attack with his scimitars that could take down three or four enemies with one hit. She'd never seen anything like it before.

When Amirah first started going on adventures with the Swords of Serenity, she was excited to see the world and to do heroic deeds. However, things took a turn for the worse during a job in High Rock.

A group known as the Rising Dawn Syndicate had been assassinating nobles and members of the royal court and had even stormed the capital of Daggerfall trying to overthrow the government, but were fought off by the imperial legion and the city guard.

Carman Dorell, a noble from House Dorell had gone missing around this time. Her parents were brutally murdered by the Rising Dawn Syndicate and various mercenaries were hired by other nobles in High Rock to look for her.

The Rising Dawn Syndicate was also desecrating temples of the divines and murdering priests and priestesses. Written in blood on the walls of these temples were the words "death to the gods" and, "A new dawn is rising. Let the old world die."

With a majority of guards and imperial legionnaires being focused on these atrocities and rescuing the kidnapped noblewoman, many people did not notice that the Rising Dawn Syndicate had also been massacring peasant villagers and farmers who refused to join their cause. Azzan wanted the Swords of Serenity to protect the peasants since they had no one to fight for them.

The survivors of the attacks in these villages were haunted by the words his followers uttered as they killed those who refused to join their cause: "For Lord Zalam-dar!".

Zalam-dar. Azzan knew that name all too well. The one-eyed wanderer who had slain his brother Kazabar.

"He was my apprentice. Raised him and his brother Kazabar since they were young cubs. They were pretty much born into the Swords of Serenity. We were the only family they had, other than each other."

"What happened?" Amirah was eager to learn, "What changed?"

"The Swords of Serenity were more than just fighters at the beginning, we were a political and social movement. We wanted to not only be the protectors of the common folk, but a political party that advocated for them as well. We were looking to make a new house in Hammerfell, one that united the Crowns and Forebears and put an end to the civil war. Another goal of this house would be to abolish the concept of nobility in Tamriel. People would earn their way in society based on their abilities, not on their birthright We would also abolish monarchy and dynasties and would create a new government where people leadership was shared among the people, and there was no centralized power in control. A society with rules, but with no rulers"

"Sounds alright to me. And Zalam-dar? Did this philosophy appeal to him?"

"Zalam-dar wanted to take our philosophy further and destroy society as it existed to make room for something new. We wanted to improve society, but Zalam-dar did not think it could be improved. He admired and studied Mankar Camoran, the leader of the cult the Mythic Dawn who assassinated the emperor in the second era and started the Oblivion Crisis. It's where he got a lot of the ideas for his movement. Only he didn't want a daedric lord to rule this new world, he wanted to rule it himself."

"Mythic Dawn, the Rising Dawn Syndicate. I see the connection now. Quite clever."

Azzan now had a look of regret on his face and sighed, "Perhaps, I did wrong by him. I paid more attention to his brother Kazabar and was training him to be my successor as the leader of the Swords of Serenity. "

"So he was looking for love, for someone to know he existed. Every child wants that."

"Yes, I should have been more compassionate. He was always defiant and never respected what I had to say. It made me angry."

"So why did he kill his brother? Just because he was jealous?"

"Partially, and to prove himself and that his ideology was right."

"So he just murdered him, in cold blood? "

"He challenged him to a duel, Kazabar almost won and took an eye from Zalamdar with his blade. You would think the fight was over at this point. Kazabar didn't want to kill his brother and begged him to yield, but Zalam-dar's rage overcame him, he rushed towards Kazabar, cut off his sword arm, and then stabbed him in the heart. He didn't stop there though, he cut his brother's heart out and kept it as a trophy."

"So it was a duel. It was fair combat. Dueling in Hammerfell has always been allowed and respected in our culture, so what was the problem?"

"The problem was we were supposed to be better than that. I wanted the others to be better than that. So I made an example of him: I banished him from the guild".

"He was an orphan when you found him, and you just threw him out on the streets like that again? How could you do that to him? "

" He was about your age. Enough of a man to survive on his own."

"Yeah, he survived. And many people died. I hope you feel your decision was worth it."

"I can't fix the past, but perhaps if we find him here I can set things right somehow. Maybe I can reach him. If not, I will do what's necessary to stop him."

Not all members of the Swords of the Serenity were satisfied with the guild's altruistic goals in High Rock.

"The nobles of house Dorrell are loaded," said one of them, who was a young stocky man with a cocky demeanor who went by the name of Kematu. "Just imagine what will I get if I'm the one to find that noble girl. What can a peasant offer me? A loaf of bread? No thanks!"

"There are plenty of mercenary groups already searching for her. The Swords of Serenity are the champions of the downtrodden we are here to.."

"Oh, I don't want to hear it! We are some of the toughest and most trained warriors in all of Hammerfell and we get paid breadcrumbs to help these peasants."

"Thought you said they'd pay you a whole loaf of bread, isn't that a little more than breadcrumbs?" Amirah couldn't resist the opportunity to get under Kematu's skin. She couldn't stand him.

"Laugh all you want. I have to help myself before I can help others: something a rich, noble girl like you wouldn't understand."

The group split up and a majority went with Kematu, while only a handful went with Amirah and Azzan.

"Mother would be proud of me," Amirah thought to herself

While their group was smaller, they had mages among them which gave them an advantage. The inclusion of magic users separated The Swords of Serenity from other Redguard warrior guilds

"How magic haters can expect to defeat the Dominion is beyond me," Azzan would say "The Thalmor thrive off of our division. What they fear is unity."

"If only Karim had a father more like Azzan," thought Amirah, "He would have felt more accepted"

This group of altruistic adventurers came across a small mainly Breton Village of farmers on the outskirts of Daggerfall.

The villagers all gave them a strange look and then started laughing to themselves.

"Who is this crazy band of characters?" An older Breton man laughed

"A posse of peculiar individuals for sure!" said a wood elf among them.

"Surely you are all familiar with Zalam-dar."

"Oh yes,big scary Zalam-dar!" Laughed the wood elf "The boogeyman! How about trying to put food on my table? That's a real monster to slay."

The wood elf wasn't laughing for long, he soon noticed an arrow in his left shoulder. He cried out in pain.

.A demonic-sounding khajiit was heard laughing in the distance. The Swords of Serenity readied their weapons and looked around but couldn't find the source of this cackling.

"This one isn't as clever as he thinks, is he?" The khajiit called out

The voice was now closer, yet no one could see him.

"Doesn't this one see? Zalam-dar is no boogeyman. The powers that be are The ones who keep all the food for themselves while these ones struggle to get by. Those greedy ones, they are the real boogeymen."

"Zalam-dar. I know you're there, it's Azzan and I know you remember me. If you let these villagers go, you can take my life instead. I know your grudge is more personal with me than others. If there's anyone who deserves to die by your blade it's me. But let these villagers go. "

Suddenly everything was quiet. Azzan and his soldiers including Amirah looked around, expecting Zalam-dar to come out of any corner.

Then, before they knew it, Zalam-dar darted out of nowhere towards Azzan and started swinging his daggers at him. Though taken off guard, Azzan quickly countered his attacks with his scimitars.

Just as Amirah and the others were going to back him up, they saw they had more company.. A female Khajiit necromancer in a dark hooded robe raised an army of the dead out of the local cemetery.

There was also another ally of Zalam-dar who now made her presence known: a Breton woman with an iron mask holding a bow and arrow. She started shooting at the other soldiers. Amirah blocked the arrows with her scimitars.

Zalam-dar tackled Azzan to the ground and now had both of his daggers pointed at his throat.

"Doesn't silly Azzan see? Zalam-dar's victory is inevitable. The rulers have failed. The gods and Daedra have failed. It's time for them all to die. The Empire will fall. The Dominion will fall. It's time for it all to be destroyed and a new world to begin. Even Lord Dagon himself couldn't accomplish what I'm going to. He was weak compared to what Zalam-dar is becoming"

"I see your delusions of grandeur have become worse over the years. You've truly lost it."

Amirah was now tangling with the woman in the iron mask in close combat.

"Your resistance is futile," she told Amirah, " Lord Zalam-dar is guiding us toward the future, and nothing is going to get in his way. His triumph is inevitable"

"No. He's fighting for no future at all you brainwashed zealot!"

"The masses are the ones who are brainwashed. Those guards searching for that lost noble girl, for example, are too foolish to see: that she wasn't kidnapped. She saved herself."

The woman in the iron mask lifted her mask to reveal her face. She had curly dirty blonde hair, wide-crazed eyes, and a malicious smile on her face. It took Amirah a few moments to realize who it was, recognizing her from all the posters that had been put up in the area.

"You're Carman Dorrell!"

"Of course! I always knew since I was a young girl that the world my parents raised me in was a lie. They never really cared about me. Just their name and image. Zalam-dar helped free me from myself and them."

Between Zalam-dars' trained reinforcements, the army of the dead, and Zalam-dar himself, the Swords of the Serenity were slowly losing the battle. Most of the villagers were dead, and none of them were willing to join Zalam-dar's cause.

Amirah had knocked Carman unconscious with the handle of her sword. She often preferred nonlethal takedowns of her opponents if given the opportunity. In the heat of battle, however, those opportunities were rare.

Amirah saw that Azzan had a deep cut in his abdomen and he was bleeding out. She rushed towards him fighting off any of Zalam-dar's goons she encountered on the way,

"Come on, let's get out of here. We're outnumbered now, we need to get to safety regroup, and plan what we do next. I can get you to my aunt's in Skaven, she's a healer. She can help you."

"I'll only slow you down, look at me," Azzan pointed at his wound, "I'm done for. Save yourselves. We've already lost."

"The hell we have. This is just a minor setback. We're not gonna let them get away with this. We just need to get our strength back up again and find more backup. We can do this."

"Amirah…I need to tell you something "

"I don't think we have the time, we're gonna die here"

"Bjorn…that boy you loved….I think…I think I know where he is."

Amirah started getting emotional "What are you talking about? He's dead. I told you I don't want to talk about him anymore…why would you bring this up now?"

"My old friend Kurdan. He told me of a young Nord boy who matched his description, the son of blacksmiths. Long blonde hair as you described, his parents were murdered. Kurdan took him as one of his own and he's lived among the orcs of Krozdog stronghold ever since."

"And you never told me this till now. How could you keep that from me?" Amirah was angry

" I wasn't sure. And I didn't want to give you false hope. Either way, Kurdan said the boy described someone who fit the description of Zalam-dar as one of his parent's murderers. He took him on his own and he's been living on the stronghold ever since ."

"Where is this stronghold?

"It's close to your hometown of Dragonstar, I'm sure any orc in the area will be able to point you in the right direction. It's called Krozdog, it has a statue of an orc warrior with a dog in front of it."

"Ok but I'm still taking you with me first"

"No…I…I will be fine, actually" Azzan looked as if he had some sort of epiphany, "I remember it all now. I remember who I am. "

Amirah looked around and saw that most of her allies had died or retreated. Zalam-dar was making his way over to Azzan now. Amirah was ready for him.

Then to Amirah's surprise, Azzan stood up. Two magic blue-lit swords spawned in both of his hands.

"I am a sword-singer!"

Amirah looked at Azzan's abdomen, the wound was now gone. Azzan was going head-to-head with Zalam-dar.

Amirah knew of the sword singers, but they were an ancient guild of Yokudan warriors who had been gone for centuries. Could he be from a time that long ago? How did he survive this long? Of course, Amirah didn't have time to think about this now.

Azzan knocked down Zalam-dar and then fought the rest of his followers effortlessly. He healed some of the wounds of serenity members and they got up and were fighting beside him again.

Three ghostly figures with scimitars were now fighting beside Azzan too. The battle had turned around. Amirah then joined in with the rest of her allies.

"This is almost unprecedented. These ones are tougher than we thought," said Zalam-dar

The hooded khajiit necromancer now opened up some sort of portal to teleport her, Zalam-dar, and their other surviving followers to a different location.

"Come on, Zalam-dar, let us go!" she shouted, and they all went into the portal.

Amirah sure wasn't sure what to say to everything that had just happened.

"We need to find them," she finally said, "they could be harming people elsewhere."

"Go Amirah," Azzan told her, "find Bjorn, my instincts tell me he's in trouble. We'll worry about Zalam-dar. You go find Kurdan, he'll lead you to him.

Amirah then noticed a Redguard woman in the distance with a blue fancy gown, signaling for her to follow her. Amirah couldn't believe her eyes, it was her mother.

She could tell she was there, yet not there at the same time. She always knew her mother was watching over her, and this confirmed it. It almost moved her to tears.

Amirah then realized Azzan was right, she needed to leave. Zalam-dar needed to be stopped. But today wasn't the day. She needed to find Bjorn.