Chapter 1

Aurelia

Twelve-year old Aurelia was, once again, exactly where she was not suppose to be. She dressed in the simplest gown she owned and wrapped an old worn cloak she'd found in the servant's quarters around herself. She took slow, careful steps as she snuck through the Blue Palace corridors. When she reached the streets of Solitude, she kept her eyes low as she walked. The hood of her cloak covered much of her face.

She wasn't supposed to be out here alone, but she needed to breathe. Rumors have been spreading like wildfire about the new mentor being appointed to her by the Thalmor-or so the gossipers say. last week she snuck into the kitchens to steal a sweetroll when she heard the chef say that the man had been an interrogator during the Great War, made an Imperial General break into sobs just by looking at him.

She didn't believe half the things she had been hearing, but it unsettled her nonetheless.

Lost in her thoughts, Aurelia bumped into the merchant's apprentice, causing him to drop the stack of firewood he'd been carrying. "Hey!" He began, but calmed down as she reached down to pick up the dropped firewood. he nodded and murmured a thank you before carrying on.

Aurelia smiled, pleased with herself. The disguise was working.

She passed a guard standing in front of the Winking Skeever. For a moment he stared at her for too long. Her heart skipped a beep. keep walking, she told herself. You're just a girl running some errands. you belong here.

As she neared the City Gates she pulled her hood low, wrapping the cloak tightly around her. She ducked her head down as she slipped through the gates. No guards stopped her. No one noticed their very own Princess sneak out of her own city in the broad daylight. Aurelia couldn't conceal the wide grin across her face. She'd done it. Free, outside of the walls she'd grown up in, well at least until dinnertime...

She walked a bit farther down the cobbled road before deciding to veer off into the trees. Here, the air felt cooler. She inhaled deeply. The smell of moss and pine giving her a sense of freedom that she longed for.

As she walked among the trees, she heard a soft high-pitched mewl. Quietly she made her way towards the sound. She pushed aside some snow-laden shrubs. There she sees a small sabre cat cub, its golden fur glinting in the light, his tiny body trembling from the cold. The cub looked up at her with wide frightened eyes and let out another soft mewl. Aurelia kneeled and extended her hand cautiously to the little cub. Despite its fear, he carefully stepped toward her and pressed its tiny nose to her palm.

"You're so cute," Aurelia whispered to him, as the little cub purred. "You must be hungry and cold..."

Aurelia glanced around the forest. There was no sign of any other sabre cats nearby. "Did you get lost, little one?" She asked the cub. He blinked then let out a long meow. "I'll take care of you." She said scooping up the cub.

his tiny body shivered from the cold so she tucked him inside of her cloak, holding him close as she trekked back to the Blue Palace.

She hid him in the palace garden behind a clutch of shrubs. She grabbed a bundle of blankets and shaped them into a nest and sat him in the center. Then she found a few sweet rolls from the kitchen and tore of bits and pieces for him to chew on. She kneeled down beside the little cub and smiled, "there you go. Warm, cozy and lots of snacks." She scratched behind his ears as he purred happily. "Now, what should I call you?"

Sybille emerged from a nearby shadowed arch. "Aurelia—where've you been?" She asked half-scolding half-worried. Her eyes narrowed "What are you wearing, child? you look like a commoner." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, shaking her head. "Come now. Your father is waiting, he has someone for you to meet. Aurelia-did you lose track of time again?"

Aurelia was already standing up, dusting the mud and leaves off of her gown as best she could. "No, of course not. I... was just distracted."

"You are trying my patience child." She knelt down to her level, pulling a handkerchief from her robes, "you look like you crawled through a bear den," she murmured while she dabbed the smudge of dirt on Aurelia's cheek.

"You are about to meet a man who considers a crooked collar a personal offense," she continued, fastening the cloak around Aurelias neck. "Try not to look like you've been raised by wolves."

Aurelia muttered something under her breath about wolves being better company than all of the nobles she's ever met.

Sybille smirked, shaking her head. She stood up and looked Aurelia over, "There, much better. You look Presentable. Mostly."

King Torygg's voice echoed through the stone walls of the Blue Palace. "You understand, she's still a child. If her mother were here, she would have known how to... help her. She is intelligent, kind..."

Ondolemar stood tall beside the throne with his hands folded behind his back. "The Thalmor's expectations remain unchanged, Your Highness. It's no small task to prepare a future queen."

Aurelia stepped through the threshold, she hesitated, her eyes flicking from her father to the Thalmor Justiciar then back to her father. The King gave her a small smile. Though his expression shifted briefly to concern as he saw his daughter's attire. Sybille had managed to clean her gown well enough, but it was clearly not fit for someone of her position.

Ondolemar's eyes swept over her, calculating, accessing her. He didn't speak but there was judgement in his silence.

"Ah, Aurelia." king torygg's voice rings out warmly, "you've made it at last. " he gestures to the man beside him, " This is Justiciar Ondolemar, Head of the thalmor justiciars. He will be your mentor during the coming years, teaching you about matters of diplomacy and politics. You will also receive lessons in Elvish. "

Torygg pauses his gaze shifting briefly to Ondolemar, then back to Aurelia. " I trust him to help you and give you the skills and knowledge that you will need to one day lead Skyrim. His wisdom and experience are invaluable. I expect you to learn from him and treat him with respect."

Ondolemar nods," It is an honor to meet you Your Highness." His tone respectful, but brow raised slightly, " I am Ondolemar of the Aldmeri Dominion. You will refer to me as Advisor Ondolemar." His eyes scan her, noticing every scuff and stray hair, " I expect you to be punctual in the future. Sloppiness is unbecoming of a princess. I trust you'll take your studies seriously I have little patience for frivolity."

Aurelia stood tall and met his gaze with confidence. " It is an honor, Advisor Ondolemar. I look forward to learning from you." She dipped into a practiced curtsy. As she straightened, a damp leaf fluttered from her hair and landed at her fleet. Silently she prayed to every divine-yes, even Talos, that no one else noticed. But when she looked up she saw Ondolemar's eye twitch ever so slightly.

Once she was out of the throne room and out of sight, Aurelia let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding. A Thalmor Justiciar as her mentor? Advisor Ondolemar, he'd said. The Thalmor are always watching-it's what she's heard all of her life. Though she hadn't fully understood what it meant until now. Now it felt like she was being watched, observed like an experiment. Maybe it's not all bad, she tells herself. I get to learn Elvish. And he doesn't look as scary as the rumors were making him out to be.

She stepped out of the palace and into the gardens. She went to the shrubs she'd hidden her cub behind. There he lay curled up in a ball, his chest rising and falling as he slept peacefully. Only a few sweet roll crumbs remained, he ate every bite, she smiled down at the sabre cat. Aurelia scooped him up, blankets and all, cradling him in her arms.

"Sybille said I looked like I crawled through a bear den," she chuckled softly before continuing, "but no I was rescuing this cute little fur ball." Aurelia hummed in thought. "You know what? Maybe you are the bear. I think I'll call you... Halbjorn."

It was long past sunset, court was over and now the Blue Palace was quiet. The doors to the throne room were shut. Guards posted on the other side, leaving only the King, Ondolemar, and Sybille in the room. Torygg sat on the throne, looking weary but attentive, his hands steepling in front of him. He looked as if he were in deep thought. Ondolemar stood nearby with pristine posture and a look that said he wanted to be anywhere but here. Sybille, however was leaning against a stone pillar as if she owned the place, a goblet of red wine in her hand. She stared at the two men with amusement.

Ondolemar broke the silence first, "Is she always so.. disorganized, Your Highness?" For the love of Auri El a leaf fell from her hair.

Torygg sighed and began rubbing his temples. "Justiciar, she is young. Perhaps a bit reckless, but she is spirited. And she will learn."

Without looking up from her goblet, Sybile says, "Reckless, spirited, she's borderline feral-it's very charming when you're twelve."

"Charm is not the trait the Dominion values of its future allies." Ondolemar cut in.

King Torygg sighed once more. "And she will not be trained to charm the dominion. She will be educated to better lead Skyrim."

"And hopefully to brush her hair on occasion," Sybille murmured before taking a sip of her wine. "She's just a child. She'll grow and be a wonderful future ruler." She narrowed her eyes at Ondolemar, as if giving a warning. "I'm sure of it."

"She lacks discipline. Her speech was memorized, not internalized. And her curtsy-" he scoffed before continuing, "performed like a chore, not a duty. If I am to educate her I need her focused."

Torygg leaned forward in his chair, firmly he said, " you may find yourself surprised, Justiciar. My daughter may be spirited, but she has a sharp mind and a hunger for knowledge."

Ondolemar arched an eyebrow. "We shall see."