Dragonborn Saga

Chapter 774: Hilda’s Gambit

"Hilda! Listen! Just listen to me!"

Nurina chased after the foolhardy Nord mother, for whom life was nothing but tragedy when the Moth Priests spoke a prophecy.

"No! Not again! I will not let history repeat itself."

Angered beyond sense, Hilda marched with wide steps and tightened fists, her blood-red hair fluttering in the wind as its curls and locks were influenced by her sudden and violent motions.

"That’s an innocent man we are speaking of."

"Innocent? Those… parasites! They do nothing but spout all manner of malice. They do nothing but sit on their asses day and night, ruining people’s lives as if they were some sort of…"

Her frustration was clear, as she could no longer contain her anger. With a sudden burst of aura, she shouted to the sky, and a wave of bloodrage exploded from her center, melting no less than ten feet of snow all around her.

Nurina watched her friend and the biological mother of her adoptive son as she relived the same trauma that almost destroyed her family 22 years ago. A child fated with three Elder Scrolls was already a disaster to be born into her simple family. Still, a grandchild called the "Night Heir" promised no less than the most destructive object in the entire history of Tamriel: the *Amulet of Kings*.

The Amulet of Kings is a pact of Akatosh forged into material form, given to the first empress of mankind on Tamriel, Saint Alessia, the Slave Queen. After the First Empire, Reman built the Second Empire when he was born with the Amulet of Kings embedded in his head. Lastly, Tiber Septim acquired it during the Battle of Sancre Tor and founded the Third Empire.

The Amulet meant one thing and one thing only: a new dynasty that would start a new era for the world. However, Martin Septim, the last emperor of the Third Empire, shattered the amulet to change the pact of Akatosh forever, and no longer was the empire needed to ward off the forces of evil.

With the fragmentation of the current Fourth Empire of the Mede Dynasty, it seemed all hope for the continuation of an empire was lost, yet in such dark times, the Amulet is now prophesied to return by a Moth Priest’s prophecy.

A situation of such magnitude wasn’t just problematic; it was a ticking bomb. Everything related to House Dare and Clan Firemane would be endangered.

Yet that wasn’t the only problem. If it were the Empire of Cyrodiil, the Aldmeri Dominion, and all the forces of Tamriel, Jon would figure out some way to keep them at bay.

But the problem here was the nature of the new pact itself. This pact wasn’t being formed between mankind and the Dragon God; it was between Akatosh and the Night Heir, Jon’s soon-to-be child, the half-vampire.

To anyone on Tamriel, the new empire wouldn’t be the Empire of Man; it would be the Empire of Night, the Empire of Vampires.

"Hilda, I’m afraid you are seeing things wrong."

But in contrast to Hilda’s fear, rage, and despair, different emotions appeared on Nurina’s face. It was nothing but pure dread and realization, something that she knew would be the only logical outcome for a situation like that.

Looking Hilda in the eye, she fought to shake off the chill that gripped her, a cold born not of ice or snow, but of fear.

"Jon, Hilda, Jon wouldn’t allow this," Nurina said, and held her elbows as if recovering from a fright. "The world won’t come to kill the child, Hilda. Jon… he may be the one to do it."

While Hilda was his mother, Nurina was the one who raised him and was one of the few who could predict his actions. Hilda’s eyes widened, as such insights, said by Nurina, would never miss their mark.

"You can’t be…"

Trying to deny it, Hilda felt like something within her was saying otherwise. Jon is not a brutal man in any way, shape, or form. However, his love for his people and his willingness to help them go a long way.

If the vampires were ever to make an attempt on the Ruby Throne or any throne in that regard, Jon would be the first to stand in their way. But this prophecy is much more sinister; not only does it speak of an empire for vampires, but it also heralds their acceptance by the Dragon God and the lifting of the curse of the sun.

No matter how bizarre this is, Jon wouldn’t accept it; he would fight it, even if it meant killing his own flesh and blood.

He is the dragonslayer, for crying out loud; nothing can stop him if he sets his mind to it.

"No!" Hilda looked at Nurina right in the eye. "This is… what should we do?"

"We can’t stop him," Nurina said.

"Should we? He wouldn’t be wrong?" Hilda argued.

"Are you right in the head? This is his child! It would break him," Nurina argued back.

"I KNOW!"

Hilda held her head and sat on the ground with a thud, her face devastated with all manner of trauma.

"It’s okay. We will figure this out. I am sure he can think of a way," Nurina, despite how shocked she was, tried to be the voice of reason.

"I don’t know. I fear for him, Nurina. I fear for us all," Hilda started acting wild, hitting the snow around her, as her eyes moved around, thinking fast and recklessly. R̃𝙖ΝɵβËS̈

Nurina saw her friend act the way she does and couldn’t help but worry for her and worry for everyone as well.

"What should we do then? Do you have a plan?" Nurina asked.

For Nurina—a wise sorceress—to ask Hilda for a plan meant that even this situation was overwhelming to her.

Mages like her would fall into inaction if they couldn’t plan for themselves, so the next best thing to rely on would be a warrior’s instincts or a thief’s intuition.

Just like that, Hilda’s eyes suddenly froze, still as a streak of thoughts started sprouting in her mind. Her expressions became as hard as a glacier, and her eyes darted at her target like a hawk.

In the far distance, Sybille Stentor, who was given blood by Nurina, recovered her strength and went back to pick up the Moth Priest, Dexion Evicus, whom she saved from the Volkihar vampires.

Sybille supported the man with her only remaining arm and seemed to have conjured something like a prosthetic arm using a bound item spell, but it seemed like a hassle to control. Rightfully so, she did her best to deliver the Moth Priest to the two women.

"Hang in there, monk. Those people are strong. They can do something about this prophecy for sure," she said, trying to give strength to the brutalized body of the man whom she had been moving for days now.

"Blood… I smell it…" he said weakly.

"I am a vampire; what else would you smell on me?" she retorted.

"No," he replied. "Not yours, night dweller. Something… vicious… the wolves are gathering."

"What wolves?"

"I see… this is it… I see…"

"What are you…"

Just as she turned to look at him, blood splattered her face, and her entire being froze. The monk, whom she was escorting and the one whom she lost an arm protecting, was flung off her side like a ragdoll thrown back by an angered child, as his broken body hit the ground and rolled a few times before resting on his back with an axe’s blade deep in his head.

Right away, Sybille looked at whoever had done that, the enemy who seemed to have finally caught up and ambushed her right when she was a few steps away from finishing her mission, but all she saw was the red-haired woman, Jon Dare’s mother, Bloody Hilda Firemane, fixing her posture after seemingly launching something in her direction.

"NO!"

Beside her, Nurina shouted and held her by her shoulders, but Hilda remained tall and erect, cold and callous, strong and defiant.

"Stop it!" Hilda shouted back, making Nurina halt whatever she was doing. "This won’t get out to anyone! Never!"

"How? You just killed a man in cold blood?" Nurina couldn’t see any sense in what Hilda had just done.

"And I’ll kill a thousand more!" Hilda spoke with viciousness and zeal. "We’ll kill a thousand more."

"What?" Nurina looked at Hilda as if she had never recognized the woman she had known for more than twelve years.

"There was no prophecy! There was no Moth Priest! We were never here," Hilda said.

"You can’t be serious!" Nurina shook her head, appalled by the murder she had just witnessed.

"You want to protect Jon; you want to protect us all. Never mention any of this to him," Hilda said with a murderous tone before turning towards Sybille Stentor and marching towards her.

"No! Wait! I…"

"You will die if you ever think of speaking any of this to Jon," Hilda threatened Sybille with endless killing intent. "You will see wrath not even my son can unleash, and I’ll destroy Solitude itself if it stands between you and me, Stentor."

No one could speak any longer as Hilda took complete control of the situation. She even took a small knife enchanted with a flame enchantment by her husband, Jonrad, took off her axe, and stuck the knife in the man’s chest, fully incinerating him to ash with the charge of the knife.

Nurina understood what Hilda was doing, no matter how crude and dangerous it was. To protect Jon, they shouldn’t let him know… no, they mustn’t.

If he were to know, he’d raise Oblivion itself, and he is capable of that much.

"But… my lady… the Lord of Volkihar and his wife… they also know," Sybille said, trying to refute whatever Hilda was doing.

"It’s all madness, another stupid vampire prophecy. Jon shall dismiss it as such," Hilda said, and turned to Nurina. "You can do that. Make him look the other way, right?"

A long pause followed the question, but after a minute of silence, Nurina’s eyes found the way Hilda was paving, and with some resilience of mind, she nodded and replied:

"Yes. Jon listens to me," Nurina said, then asked, "But what of the girl Serana?"

Hilda’s bloodlust never ceased, but she still found reason within her wild and feral thoughts.

"What mother would speak of such a grim secret to a man like Jon?"

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Hilda’s bet on motherhood was right on the money, for when Jon returned to Valerica’s laboratory at the back of Castle Volkihar, Serana remained silent, serene, and observant.

"Where is my mother?" she asked with a voice void of fear or hesitation.

"I found nothing where she was supposed to be. Not her, not the Elder Scroll. I questioned a dragon named Durnehviir in the Soul Cairn, and he spoke of a man fitting the description of your father visiting days before us," Jon said with a cold tone, yet carrying a hint of pity towards Serana.

"He got her! The bastard!" Serana said and looked at Jon. "We must find him and get rid of him. Something tells me he is planning something very sinister."

"Isn’t being a bad guy his full-time job at the end of the day?"

"I guess you are right, my lord," Serana said and smiled sweetly at his joke. "Only his death can bring peace to the world, I fear."

Serana’s cunning and intuition worked in tandem to navigate this situation safely with her child. A great ambition lay ahead for that child, and Jon would oppose it to no end.

Serana knew that her parents were now a lost cause to her, and in order to keep the happiness she was pursuing, she must eradicate all those who knew the truth, using the brutish hands of the Dragonborn.

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Liked what you read? You can always read ✨MOAR!✨

Read the NEXT 12 CHAPTERS on >>> https://patreon.com/donovels

Wanna chat, get spoilers, report typos, be notified on chapters, or just hang out? Join >>> https://discord.gg/rAyrWnD

All my links and libraries >>> https://bio.link/donovel