Full Version: Serene of Cyrodiil, her true story, chapter 1
Let's hope she gets to wield a DDK sometime then!
Aye..she will....in due time, but now the last part of chapter 1
Telemachos never revealed that it was I who saved his life and not Leila; that I do give him credit for. He seemed somewhat fond of me and tried to make my life in prison a little more endurable than it would have been otherwise.
All in all I spent 7 years in the Imperial Prison, but when I look back I don´t regard that time as completely wasted. Due to my proven healing-skills I was allowed more freedom than most of the other prisoners; I was allowed in the apothecary to mix ingredients of different kinds for potions that were commonly used in prison; also I was allowed to go out to collect the necessary plants and herbs, naturally under close supervision, but still I was able to get out in the fresh air now and then, which I really appreciated. But the fact remained……I was not free, and that made me think about what freedom really means and why it´s considered a punishment not to be free. For me it was the issue of very strict routines, and no personal space, always having to live with another person present, no opportunity of splendid solitude, to read a book or just sit down and daydream; having to be awakened every morning at the same time and eat breakfast together with a lot of more or less strangers with different eating-habits, that disturbed me most.
Sharing quarters can be very annoying, especially when you are not used to it. The sounds at night in a prison-cell with three or four women are sometimes unbearable……That I think was my real punishment, together with the obvious fact that I was not free.
I shall try to describe what a day in prison is like:
06.00AM Reveille, that is a guard walking down the corridor while he very loudly bangs at every cell-door shouting,
“ Wake up there ya´ (here he uses a word that is inappropriate), it´s mornin´ …..”
So we crawl out of our beds, fighting to be the first in line at the washing-bucket, if there is any water left from the day before, and if that water still is usable….
Then breakfast, normally some tasteless mire, as I´ve already told you about, but sometimes we get some kwama-eggs or a piece of bread. There´s no talking allowed during breakfast, “let the food silence your mouth,” as my grandmother used to say. Right after breakfast we tend to our daily tasks. No breaks, except for lunch, we just keep working; but that is also a good thing, keeps the mind busy. After supper they put the lights out and we are supposed to go to sleep.
So the days passed year after year….
Telemachos often volunteered to supervise my plant-collection-odysseys; maybe because he just wanted the opportunity to get out of the dull grey prison …or maybe because he had grown fond of me personally. When we were on these expeditions, he trained me in the use of different weapons, such as long- and short-bladed swords. The reason he showed this confidence in letting me use a weapon was our secret, but naturally he knew about what had happened to me and why I was sentenced to prison. He also knew my Uncle Varus, who was now his commanding officer, but who also had some tryst with his elder sister. He never told me much about this but I got the sense it was not at all pleasant
He used to tell me that I might need to be able to defend myself when I get out of prison, so he arranged a dummy consisting of a “doll” made from empty sacks, on which I was supposed to practise my blows and thrusts.
I was a good student; I quickly learned how to use the blades, and oddly enough I was better with the long-blade, which is not common among women. I was not as strong as a man but I was tall and because of my rather long arms I had a considerable reach and so I could easily keep the enemy at a distance when fighting. We had practice “fights” Telemachos and I, and after a couple of months intensive training I finally succeeded in beating him in one of those fights.
It was a warm sunny afternoon, in the middle of Sun´s Height; I had finished with the day´s collecting of marshmerrow and trama roots, and Telemachos suggested we should try a “fight.” He´d brought two beautiful steel katanas with him and wanted to see how my skills had improved.
At first I didn´t do very well; Telemachos successfully avoided my attacks …..but as the fight went on, my greater reach proved itself an advantage, and I slowly forced him backwards until he hit an upright boulder…..then I found myself pointing the knife-sharp edge of my sword at his throat. Telemachos stood absolutely still, looking right into my eyes, knowing that one single movement could send him straight on to his ancestors. I was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, totally aware of the sudden opportunity to escape that had presented itself.
I put down my sword with a sigh, the tension of the moment vanished and I smiled at Telemachos and asked him to recognize my victory. Some things are just impossible; I couldn´t kill Telemachos. I was not a murderess, although I did take a man´s life once, and was therefore sent to prison in the first place. But I would never believe that it had been murder- I was protecting myself and others and would do so again, if necessary. But this time it would have been cold-blooded murder, and that was something I was not capable of.
After some 5 years in prison, my healing-skills came to be of use again, when an epidemic of swamp-fever broke out in the men´s ward. In two weeks, fifteen of the prisoners were infected and the guards were terrified that it would spread throughout the prison. I worked the whole time in the apothecary with the ordinary physician, preparing healing-potions. The terrible thing was that if the potion was not distributed within the first two days after the outbreak of the disease, it had no effect at all. So when I came upon the first prisoner who was too far gone with infection I thought I´d try something else.
The disease affected the lungs mainly; they filled with fluid and the patient was slowly suffocated. The cause was a kind of germ that developed in the swamps of Cyrodiil, and sometimes, when the conditions were right, became very aggressive and so attacked humans.
I put my hands on the chest of the patient, who was in a very poor shape, delirious and with a bad cough. I closed my eyes and concentrated…..Almost immediately I felt the heat in my hands as the energy built; the unpleasant bubbling in the man´s lungs slowly diminished, as did the feverish heat that emanated from his whole body. I shivered, sweat running down my back, as his fever seemed to go right through me. I had to let go……and so I did, falling to the side, panting with exhaustion. But I knew I´d succeeded; the man would survive.
Then the real struggle began, as we, the physician and I, tried to cure as many as possible with potions. In the end, there were a couple of men that I had to heal “my way.”
After these events I was regarded as “official” healer and did get some more benefits, such as being allowed to visit the prison-library, a privilege that pleased me greatly. I always loved books and being able to spend quite some time in a library, regardless of its size and content, was a pleasure. I read all books in that library……literally, and thus increased my skills in strategic planning, alchemy, how to repair weapons and different war-strategies.
Sonya had been transferred to a labour-camp some months before; apparently her mother had untied her tongue and reported her husband to the authorities for abuse and there was evidence that Sonya had acted in pure self-defence and so her death-sentence was withdrawn. That pleased me because I had been rather fond of that harsh Nordic girl.
In the end of my seventh year in prison I had an encounter with Azura again, something I had not had since the day I saved Telemachos’ life through Leila. But this time it was different; this time she came to my dreams in person, not only as a voice……
I saw a tall, slender woman dressed in bluish white, a face hard and yet delicate, eyes burning, standing beside my bed in an aura of coldness, her smooth voice speaking words of wisdom, words of fate:
“Serene of Cyrodiil, you have passed the first trial that was laid upon you; there will be a change of scenery, for good and for ill. You will encounter further trials, and you will be the hope of an entire population. You will be a saviour, but fear not; I shall guide you.”
Shivering, I drew the blanket tighter around me and fell asleep again. I was abruptly awakened by a hand shaking my shoulder rather harshly.
“Wake up, and be quiet. Hurry up, lass, it´s time to leave.”
The hoarse whisper went through my sleepy mind and I was dragged off my bed, a hooded cloak was cast over me and I was taken outside into the dark quiet street. I saw a wooden carriage in front of the prison-gates and started to ask what this was all about.
“Shhhh, girl, don´t speak, just come along, we have a long way to go.”
I was pushed into the dark carriage and off we went, through the empty streets until the smell of fish and salt caught my nose and I realized we must be at the harbour. The carriage stopped and I was taken out. Two figures, totally covered in black cloaks, grabbed me by the arms and led me on to the pier, where a low ship was lying alongside. I was hustled up on the gang-plank and onto the ship. It was all dark and I heard my escort whisper some orders. Another cloaked figure appeared from the hold and turned towards me. He looked at me, muttered something I couldn´t understand, and I fell into darkness…..
Here ends chapter 1
Telemachos never revealed that it was I who saved his life and not Leila; that I do give him credit for. He seemed somewhat fond of me and tried to make my life in prison a little more endurable than it would have been otherwise.
All in all I spent 7 years in the Imperial Prison, but when I look back I don´t regard that time as completely wasted. Due to my proven healing-skills I was allowed more freedom than most of the other prisoners; I was allowed in the apothecary to mix ingredients of different kinds for potions that were commonly used in prison; also I was allowed to go out to collect the necessary plants and herbs, naturally under close supervision, but still I was able to get out in the fresh air now and then, which I really appreciated. But the fact remained……I was not free, and that made me think about what freedom really means and why it´s considered a punishment not to be free. For me it was the issue of very strict routines, and no personal space, always having to live with another person present, no opportunity of splendid solitude, to read a book or just sit down and daydream; having to be awakened every morning at the same time and eat breakfast together with a lot of more or less strangers with different eating-habits, that disturbed me most.
Sharing quarters can be very annoying, especially when you are not used to it. The sounds at night in a prison-cell with three or four women are sometimes unbearable……That I think was my real punishment, together with the obvious fact that I was not free.
I shall try to describe what a day in prison is like:
06.00AM Reveille, that is a guard walking down the corridor while he very loudly bangs at every cell-door shouting,
“ Wake up there ya´ (here he uses a word that is inappropriate), it´s mornin´ …..”
So we crawl out of our beds, fighting to be the first in line at the washing-bucket, if there is any water left from the day before, and if that water still is usable….
Then breakfast, normally some tasteless mire, as I´ve already told you about, but sometimes we get some kwama-eggs or a piece of bread. There´s no talking allowed during breakfast, “let the food silence your mouth,” as my grandmother used to say. Right after breakfast we tend to our daily tasks. No breaks, except for lunch, we just keep working; but that is also a good thing, keeps the mind busy. After supper they put the lights out and we are supposed to go to sleep.
So the days passed year after year….
Telemachos often volunteered to supervise my plant-collection-odysseys; maybe because he just wanted the opportunity to get out of the dull grey prison …or maybe because he had grown fond of me personally. When we were on these expeditions, he trained me in the use of different weapons, such as long- and short-bladed swords. The reason he showed this confidence in letting me use a weapon was our secret, but naturally he knew about what had happened to me and why I was sentenced to prison. He also knew my Uncle Varus, who was now his commanding officer, but who also had some tryst with his elder sister. He never told me much about this but I got the sense it was not at all pleasant
He used to tell me that I might need to be able to defend myself when I get out of prison, so he arranged a dummy consisting of a “doll” made from empty sacks, on which I was supposed to practise my blows and thrusts.
I was a good student; I quickly learned how to use the blades, and oddly enough I was better with the long-blade, which is not common among women. I was not as strong as a man but I was tall and because of my rather long arms I had a considerable reach and so I could easily keep the enemy at a distance when fighting. We had practice “fights” Telemachos and I, and after a couple of months intensive training I finally succeeded in beating him in one of those fights.
It was a warm sunny afternoon, in the middle of Sun´s Height; I had finished with the day´s collecting of marshmerrow and trama roots, and Telemachos suggested we should try a “fight.” He´d brought two beautiful steel katanas with him and wanted to see how my skills had improved.
At first I didn´t do very well; Telemachos successfully avoided my attacks …..but as the fight went on, my greater reach proved itself an advantage, and I slowly forced him backwards until he hit an upright boulder…..then I found myself pointing the knife-sharp edge of my sword at his throat. Telemachos stood absolutely still, looking right into my eyes, knowing that one single movement could send him straight on to his ancestors. I was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, totally aware of the sudden opportunity to escape that had presented itself.
I put down my sword with a sigh, the tension of the moment vanished and I smiled at Telemachos and asked him to recognize my victory. Some things are just impossible; I couldn´t kill Telemachos. I was not a murderess, although I did take a man´s life once, and was therefore sent to prison in the first place. But I would never believe that it had been murder- I was protecting myself and others and would do so again, if necessary. But this time it would have been cold-blooded murder, and that was something I was not capable of.
After some 5 years in prison, my healing-skills came to be of use again, when an epidemic of swamp-fever broke out in the men´s ward. In two weeks, fifteen of the prisoners were infected and the guards were terrified that it would spread throughout the prison. I worked the whole time in the apothecary with the ordinary physician, preparing healing-potions. The terrible thing was that if the potion was not distributed within the first two days after the outbreak of the disease, it had no effect at all. So when I came upon the first prisoner who was too far gone with infection I thought I´d try something else.
The disease affected the lungs mainly; they filled with fluid and the patient was slowly suffocated. The cause was a kind of germ that developed in the swamps of Cyrodiil, and sometimes, when the conditions were right, became very aggressive and so attacked humans.
I put my hands on the chest of the patient, who was in a very poor shape, delirious and with a bad cough. I closed my eyes and concentrated…..Almost immediately I felt the heat in my hands as the energy built; the unpleasant bubbling in the man´s lungs slowly diminished, as did the feverish heat that emanated from his whole body. I shivered, sweat running down my back, as his fever seemed to go right through me. I had to let go……and so I did, falling to the side, panting with exhaustion. But I knew I´d succeeded; the man would survive.
Then the real struggle began, as we, the physician and I, tried to cure as many as possible with potions. In the end, there were a couple of men that I had to heal “my way.”
After these events I was regarded as “official” healer and did get some more benefits, such as being allowed to visit the prison-library, a privilege that pleased me greatly. I always loved books and being able to spend quite some time in a library, regardless of its size and content, was a pleasure. I read all books in that library……literally, and thus increased my skills in strategic planning, alchemy, how to repair weapons and different war-strategies.
Sonya had been transferred to a labour-camp some months before; apparently her mother had untied her tongue and reported her husband to the authorities for abuse and there was evidence that Sonya had acted in pure self-defence and so her death-sentence was withdrawn. That pleased me because I had been rather fond of that harsh Nordic girl.
In the end of my seventh year in prison I had an encounter with Azura again, something I had not had since the day I saved Telemachos’ life through Leila. But this time it was different; this time she came to my dreams in person, not only as a voice……
I saw a tall, slender woman dressed in bluish white, a face hard and yet delicate, eyes burning, standing beside my bed in an aura of coldness, her smooth voice speaking words of wisdom, words of fate:
“Serene of Cyrodiil, you have passed the first trial that was laid upon you; there will be a change of scenery, for good and for ill. You will encounter further trials, and you will be the hope of an entire population. You will be a saviour, but fear not; I shall guide you.”
Shivering, I drew the blanket tighter around me and fell asleep again. I was abruptly awakened by a hand shaking my shoulder rather harshly.
“Wake up, and be quiet. Hurry up, lass, it´s time to leave.”
The hoarse whisper went through my sleepy mind and I was dragged off my bed, a hooded cloak was cast over me and I was taken outside into the dark quiet street. I saw a wooden carriage in front of the prison-gates and started to ask what this was all about.
“Shhhh, girl, don´t speak, just come along, we have a long way to go.”
I was pushed into the dark carriage and off we went, through the empty streets until the smell of fish and salt caught my nose and I realized we must be at the harbour. The carriage stopped and I was taken out. Two figures, totally covered in black cloaks, grabbed me by the arms and led me on to the pier, where a low ship was lying alongside. I was hustled up on the gang-plank and onto the ship. It was all dark and I heard my escort whisper some orders. Another cloaked figure appeared from the hold and turned towards me. He looked at me, muttered something I couldn´t understand, and I fell into darkness…..
Here ends chapter 1
great story Minque! i just read the last three parts. Serene is really lucky to be trained and such by Telemachos.
i like Telemachos, do you think we will some how see him again??
i like Telemachos, do you think we will some how see him again??
[quote=Soulseeker3.0]great story Minque! i just read the last three parts. Serene is really lucky to be trained and such by Telemachos.
i like Telemachos, do you think we will some how see him again??[/quote]
Thank you! Glad you like it..About Telemachos...well it certainly is a possibility, I haven´t really outlined all of the following but there is a fair chance he´ll turn up.......hmmm really a good idea, got me thinking here
*outlines several plots*
i like Telemachos, do you think we will some how see him again??[/quote]
Thank you! Glad you like it..About Telemachos...well it certainly is a possibility, I haven´t really outlined all of the following but there is a fair chance he´ll turn up.......hmmm really a good idea, got me thinking here
*outlines several plots*
If not, I'll start a petition to get him back!
Very nice new part minque!
Very nice new part minque!
[quote=minque][quote=Soulseeker3.0]great story Minque! i just read the last three parts. Serene is really lucky to be trained and such by Telemachos.
i like Telemachos, do you think we will some how see him again??[/quote]
Thank you! Glad you like it..About Telemachos...well it certainly is a possibility, I haven´t really outlined all of the following but there is a fair chance he´ll turn up.......hmmm really a good idea, got me thinking here
*outlines several plots*
[/quote]
lol just have fun... i feel like an adult talking to a kid or something :shrug:
i like Telemachos, do you think we will some how see him again??[/quote]
Thank you! Glad you like it..About Telemachos...well it certainly is a possibility, I haven´t really outlined all of the following but there is a fair chance he´ll turn up.......hmmm really a good idea, got me thinking here
*outlines several plots*
[/quote]
lol just have fun... i feel like an adult talking to a kid or something :shrug:
I wrote alot at your story at ES so if you wanna know what i thought about it please go read it. cause i dont think i can type all that again.
Copy an' paste?
um you have to forgive a slow person of his mistakes. My mind doenst work as fast as you all.
QUOTE(minque @ Feb 28 2005, 06:15 PM)
QUOTE(jonajosa)
Alittle of topic but did you use mods to create your character. I've never seen a hooded cloak before? ... You did a very very good job for english not being your first language.
Ok.. so the prologue showed that Serene in fact is writing down her story for the sake of her daughter. It´s like a self-biography, mark the title, .....her true story... something like the author of the self-biography of Princess Diana....mmm it was intentional!
About language oh well treydog has been my editor and kindly helped me to correct the worst mistakes.....
still even with editing the word usage is better than anything I have ever written in any language, you truly have a knack for writing, if not a full blown gift. I love the style that you use in your writing as far as what words go where and descriptive depth. I am very impressed, perhaps I will share something of mine later to let you see how talented you are, Keep in mind that English is my first and only full language (I can carry some conversation in spanish, latin, and know some japanese, still working on japanese though.)
ah thank you lots
____
V V
____
V V
DDK= a Daedric Dai Katana. It's one of the more popular and devestating weapons in the game.
It have an astonishing damage rate, but like alll Daedric, it weighs a bit much.
It have an astonishing damage rate, but like alll Daedric, it weighs a bit much.
That was great! I'll be reading more from you.
//Daedroth
//Daedroth
I just finished reading Chapter 1. Serene is a very likeable character, whom I can easily emphasize with. That is always a good sign, because only good writing can make one feel something (well, other than boredom!).
@SubRosa! I'm very flattered you took your time to read this my first try to write something! It's an honor for me to get positive feedback from an expert...
On a side note...I'm re-writing the first 3 chapters, in my opinion I've improved quite a lot since I wrote the first chapter..(oh my, am I cocky...
)
On a side note...I'm re-writing the first 3 chapters, in my opinion I've improved quite a lot since I wrote the first chapter..(oh my, am I cocky...
)
In the words of Kid Rock, it's not bragging if you back it up (I left out the words the forum would play with 
)
I should probably stop reading for the meanwhile then, until you start posting the new versions. *rubs hands together with glee at the idea*
There was one thing I meant to ask. You described Serene as having long auburn hair. But in one of the pics of her she had black hair?
)I should probably stop reading for the meanwhile then, until you start posting the new versions. *rubs hands together with glee at the idea*
There was one thing I meant to ask. You described Serene as having long auburn hair. But in one of the pics of her she had black hair?
Ah yes...the hair-mod I used hadn't the exact color, so it had to be black. Besides my charachter Serene in-game isn't quite the same person as the one in the story..
I have been amazed and hooked by this story - and I see why you liked the one of my kitty, our characters seem to have similarities in their background! Awesome story and writing, I love this!
mALX, Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it!
Just finished reading chapter one. I like it! Loved how you eloborated on her prison stay.
On to chapter 2 and the rest...
On to chapter 2 and the rest...
I have to admit I cried when she was sentenced and her father turned from her. Riveting writing!
mALX, Remko! i'm so glad you like my story, it means a lot to me that you guys care to read about Serene!
Wow, Serene has had a rough start! I’m enjoying this story very much. On to Chapter Two!!
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