Gaenor: Reloaded Options

[ShraX]

I posted this on the official TES forums, and although it's not finished, I'll continue updating both here and there.

If you haven't read the other two stories I've written, one of them is in the Fan Fiction section of this site, and you can PM me for the other. There really is not much needed to know when reading this one, except who the already well-known characters such as Gaenor and Almalexia are.

Enjoy--

The Nerevarine lay a lifeless corpse upon the Mournhold Temple steps. His blood trickled out of the slashed openings in his neck, limbs and torso, and down each stair, leaving its stains as it went before collecting into a shapeless pool on the tiled courtyard floor. The High Ordinators were still, their armored masks hiding the looks of terror on their faces as they stared at their defeated savior. The Temple doors were now wide open, and Almalexia hovered at the entrance. Her Hands were nowhere in sight.

"My champion," she said softly in disbelief, her golden face emotionless. "Who is responsible for this?" She spoke quietly but the entire city heard her. A Hand emerged from the darkness of the Temple and removed his helmet., engraved with the Daedric runes for S and V. "Our guards watched the battle," he explained in his low, rumbling voice. "They dared not aid your Nerevar for fear of death by his murderer - the Bosmer, Gaenor." The Demigoddess floated down the stairs, over the the corpse of the Nerevarine and turned back to the Temple. "Salas, this wood elf has gotten his revenge, but Terenius' life is nowhere close to Nerevar's in worth. Remain here and clean this mess. I will find young Gaenor and speak with him." Her Hand bowed and ordered the two Ordinators, still in a stupor, to dispose of the Nerevarine's body, as well as those of the four slain Hands within the Temple. Almalexia's wrath was unbridalled, and vengeance consumed her. Her fury at the news of Nerevar's death manifested physically, killing all but her favored Hand, Salas Volar, in an explosion of goldy flames.

She flew from her place in the Temple courtyard high above the city and into the clouds which concealed the late afternoon sun's light. The moons were now more than halfway over the mountainous horizon and brought their stars with them. With a gesture of her wrist the dense clouds parted in two and the light of the lowering sun lit the city aglow. She closed her eyes and began searching for her prey. However, this was unnecessary. Almalexia expected this mortal to flee into hiding from her might, but he welcomed it. He was sitting on a bench in the Bazaar, doodling shapes in the dirt with his sword.

His armor was sundered, dented and sliced through. One pauldron was missing as well as both gauntlets and parts of his greaves. It wasn't clear to tell from his ebony armor, but he was covered in blood from head to toe. He leaned his blade on the bench and removed his helmet, then placed it over the hilt. It was hot and sweat was dripping from his forehead to his beard. He put both hands to his face and wiped it, and ran his fingers through his stiff hair. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, waiting with open arms for death's embrace.

Almalexia dove towards him like a starving hawk upon a field mouse, disintegrating the clouds with the aura of flame around her. This mortal wood elf defeated her martyr in combat and had the audacity to sit on a park bench in plain sight! Masser and Secunda were rising in unnatural quickness and the sun was already out of sight. The furious demigoddess did not realize in her blind rage, but Gaenor tore away from his hands and looked up past her to see it: both moons took position directly above him, Secunda in front. As they slowed to a stop everything around him turned pitch black, aside from the raging Almalexia, now halted in mid-air, as well as both moons.

The elf slowly stood and faced his enemy in partial confusion. After his ordeal he truly cared not what his fate was. 'An eye for an eye,' was his logic. 'She took Terenius and I take the Nerevarine.. but this is very strange. perhaps this witch's debt is still not repaid.' He walked past her toward the moons, which were glowing and pulsating with light, as if to communicate.

"Much has happened this day. We must speak."

[ShraX]

Iranon's corpse turned loose and broke apart with the rain, and by morning, naught but his cloak remained. Miraculously, the skies over Valenwood cleared overnight, and the sun's still-grey light warmed the land. Naztheril wrapped carefully the body of Gaenor, and with a heavy heart, carried it with him to an old, familiar site.

Although the trees stood lifeless and black around him, he recognized the village; it was Ebon Ro, and the flowervines adorning the trunk of Gaenor's home would be in full bloom. He spoke quietly and softly to the cradled elf in his arms, and prayed to His Lady Azura for his spirit's safe arrival to Her Kingdom. He laid him down on a cleared space of ash, turned, and left knowing his body would join the earth and nourish new life to regrow the Sun Tree.. and two years later, a seedling would sprout from the Tree's stump with the promise of its rebirth.

As for Naztheril, he would wander Tamriel for the remainder of his days as a mortal man. With Valenwood razed, his link to nature was severed, and the ability to shift into The Beast of the Night Sky was lost to him. He discovered his new mortality and accepted it in time, but avoided civilization on most days, as he was never able to leave behind the depression over his lost companion. His death was of old age half a century later, and Azura took him in peace.

Those that made up the Prince's army that night were the only survivors of Olkair Henar's purging of Cyrodiil, and so they worked to rebuild their once mighty nation, and Garen was crowned Emperor as Uriel was presumed killed by the undead menace.

The Bosmer of Valenwood were said to have been born of the trees in ancient days, and this myth was proved fact in the years after its destruction. As the Sun Tree grew ever larger, the ruin around it sank into the dirt and was consumed, and with its roots replenished of life-giving energy, gave rise to the lush, green forests it once boasted, and from them, the Bosmeri race would be grown anew.

Gaenor's name was passed down into the ages with stories of his triumphs, near defeats, and epic adventures since first leaving Mara's Hole In The Wall in Sadrith Mora. He was proclaimed to be one of the elite few named Grand Hero to Tamriel, and each year, on the night of his selfless death, a great celebration would be held in his honor, and to commemorate the sacrifice he gave to defeat the evil that threatened the land. He set himself free, lifted the dark curse that shadowed his world, and was remembered for all time as: Gaenor, Champion of Fire and Light

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The End

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I thank those who've been reading this series about Gaenor and I appreciate all feedback I've received, "good" and "bad". I also apologize for my unexplained, year-long absence, but please be satisfied in knowing it was a necessary break. I'll be back here eventually.. and next time, I want some hardcore criticism!