Turdas, 2nd First Seed, 4E 205. Letter to Lydia.

My dear friend Lydia,

I have missed all of you so much including that white fleabag.

Rigmor and I never intended to become Emperor and Queen! As usual I went to do a task for The Divine and found myself on the Ruby Throne. This is what our Gods wanted and their plans to get me on it have spanned centuries.

I know the Divine Task is not yet completed and I have an idea what is next but will have to get back to it after all the pomp and ceremony the public demand.

I am no longer Thane of Whiterun and therefore you are no longer my housecarl. Your wages will not decrease. In fact they will substantially increase as I can no longer help with the running of the schools.

I have also gifted you Dragons Nest, the small house attached to Dragons Keep. As you know the deportment training has been moved to the other campus as well as the houses I own in the holds. I only ask that if you ever sell the property that the school be the purchaser.

Only once in all the years we have worked and travelled together have you ever called me by my name. I do not wish you to replace ‘My Thane” with “Your Majesty”. Just Wulf will do. PLEASE!

Let me get rid of any rumours you may have been hearing.

I am not calling myself Wulf Septim simply because I wish to adopt that most esteemed name. Funnily enough the desire of Sethius to adopt the name Mede was the reason Rigmor needed my help!

I am called Wulf Septim by right of birth.

I was born on the island of Roscrea in a small hut to two loving parents. My mother was called Allie and was an avatar/aspect of Saint Alessia. My father was an avatar/aspect of Talos. I was made Dragonborn by Lord Akatosh. I am the product of three Gods who designed me for a purpose but love me nonetheless for who I am, not what I am.

At the age of 18 I was whisked away from Roscrea and trained in martial and magicka skills by people unknown. I believe some people from Akavir were told of the existence of a Dragonborn and that they took me. I know they had been visiting Roscrea and were looking for something and that I had been travelling to the shoreline waiting for something.

I believe my memory was blanked by The Divine to make the preferred outcome of all their planning most likely out of the infinite possibilities.

Allie also had some of her memories blanked. She knew she had been a slave but had no idea she was part of Saint Alessia. She knew her beloved partner was Talos. When I vanished from Roscrea soon after my 18^th birthday Allie searched for me for decades. Only a few days ago we rescued the essence, the soul, of Saint Alessia from a part of Oblivion where she had been battling Molag Bal for the souls of hundreds of children. When I met her in Sovngarde the part of her that was Allie was relieved to have finally found me!

I was in Sovngarde again because I was escaping death. Akatosh gave me the chance to escape and my love for Rigmor gave me the strength to escape.

Rigmor and I are to be married. We are to rule over Tamriel for a while but we are really caretakers for our first child.  We will help prepare Tamriel for a child that combines the royal bloodlines of Mede and Septim. The child will be Dragonborn and will usher in a new era of prosperity and peace for all on Nirn and not just Tamriel. This will be achieved by her absolute right to rule and her compassion and empathy and her name is Kintyra and she already grows within Rigmor and we are blessed.

Believe me Lydia that this is not the ravings of some religious nut but the truth as revealed by The Divine and Saint Alessia.

There is fighting soon to be done. There will be a war greater than any before against undead warriors from Akavir. The war can only be won if lasting peace and respect between man, mer and the beast races is achieved. A united Tamriel that Rigmor and I must oversee the formation of in the coming years. We do not know how much time we have before they come ashore and wreak their death and horror.

When the fighting starts you may wish to do your part and I am not going to insult you by asking that you refrain. I am asking as a friend that you remain doing your good work with our orphans and schools till the fighting starts as they will be the model for the many more built out of necessity.

Rigmor and I will visit when we can but first there is a wedding and coronation to be had.  You will receive a formal invite to both.

All Rigmor wanted was a simple life. We have both been used harshly by the Gods but I have come to accept the necessity of most of what they did to me. My beloved lost her father and a large part of her formative years and endured loneliness and brutality that would break most others. The fact she has come out the other end still able to laugh and love and see beauty is a testament to the strength of mortals that Gods envy.

I have come to accept what The Divine did to me as a soldier will accept the necessity of a battle or campaign when they see them in the context of strategy to win the war. It is when a soldier sees their friends die next to them for the sake of capturing a hill or town with no context that their hatred for those in command germinates and grows. The Divine have not been diligent enough in giving context and they have allowed themselves to be regarded as no better than the Daedric Lords by many. This may cause issues moving forward as we try to create a united Tamriel.

One thing has been bothering me over the last few weeks and that is the fate of Stultus and his wife Sarmenti. They probably turned up on your doorstep thinking their life in Cyrodiil was over. I have included a full pardon for them both and they can return to Cyrodiil if they wish. I want them to know they never did anything morally wrong. They were victims of the evil we have removed. Wiping out the scum on both sides of that gate was my first step in the process.

How is Dogmeat?

I have so much I would like to talk about but that is better in person than a letter.

Hoping to see you soon.

Wulf.

Fredas, 3^rd First Seed, 4E 205. Reply from Lydia, Headmistress of Dragons Keep School for Orphans, Skyrim.

Is it okay if I am furious with ‘Your Majesty’?

Too bad if that breaks some stupid protocol because I am livid!

I should have been by your side as was my sworn duty. The same with Iona and Jordis. I know you hate being reminded that we swore to be your protectors but that was a fact and I knew you were going into grave danger even if you downplayed it.

I am no longer your sworn housecarl. I am as you always wanted. I am a devoted friend who will be by your side in whatever battles are to come!

I will do as you ask and remain as Headmistress until the first Akaviri troops land. Then I will be there and watch your back once again. I have no doubt our fleabag friend will be with me.

I know why you gifted me the house and know you were afraid to broach the subject. Yes, the Captain and I are still going out and things are progressing slowly. He understands I need to get over my feelings of guilt. I know this is not cheating on my beloved Bjorn and he told in in Sovngarde I should learn to love again but it is not so easy. Having somewhere more private to meet and have meals will help so thank you.

Stultus and Sarmenti arrived the day after you left and told me the story of what you did. Not even a mile into Cyrodiil and you were cleaning up the evil. Stultus has been helping with the bookkeeping and some of his excellent ideas have been implemented. Sarmenti has been teaching etiquette. Kharjo helped them get fair prices for the goods they ‘rescued’ from that horrible fire.

I have encouraged them to approach you with their idea once things have settled down. They wish to build a large inn where their office used to be. It would be a good stopover for people and a great place to catch up on the gossip and news from both sides of the border. We could rotate children through there who show an interest in bar keeping and cooking and so on.

You did not mention what you had to do at Table Mountain but I assume you were successful up to a point. That Molag Bal’s plans were thwarted but you paid with your life. That is the second time you have escaped the void. Maybe you are part Khajiit and have another seven lives to go?

You said the Divine Task was not completed. I am sure whatever it is you will figure it out.

Dogmeat is well. It was only a minor sprain but you would think his leg was falling off by the way he carried on. Children take turns riding him with the equine instructor following. He has shown great patience with the students and has proven to be the most popular in the stables.

Meeko is a God amongst the children. He seems to sense a sad child from a mile away and will hone in on them. He will do tricks and put on the cute doggy routine and eventually even the saddest child in the darkest of places responds and end up laughing once again. It is hard to reconcile such a gentle soul being a super-efficient killing machine. A lot like somebody else I know.

Meeko can have dozens of children trying to catch him and he dodges them all. The children now have strategy meetings where they discuss formations and so on to give them the best chance of nabbing him. He just has that stupid grin on his face as their plans unravel before him.

I cried when I read you had found your identity. It was always a subject you would mention with a deep sadness.

You say you have reconciled what The Divine did to you and your analogy of a soldier following orders is a good one. We still have many good soldiers taking their own lives and/or ending up insane even though they understand why they had to fight. Rigmor’s love will help keep you moving through the dark patches in your mind.

If anybody else claimed a parentage like yours I would smack them across the head for speaking such rubbish. With you I know it to be true and I am truly amazed.

Kintyra is a beautiful name and I think she will have the most doting parents ever.

I look forward to sitting down and having a good talk with both of you over a beer or two.

Alas I find I can’t just call you Wulf! If you care less about protocol that still does not mean I am happy breaching it. As a compromise I will call you Dragonborn and that is the end of that.

To be present when you and Rigmor exchange vows would be as great an honour as one could wish for.

Hoping to see both of you soon. Your eternal friend, Lydia.