Elder Scrolls: Empire of Blood

01: Family

The winds of Skyrim blew cold over the plains of Whiterun as Jarl Frother looked out from the balcony of Dragon's Reach over his vast holdings.

Pulling his fur cloak tighter around him the Jarl found himself thinking back over the past and all of the events that led him to the position of Leader of the hold and the people he lost along the way.

His father had died helping to put down a bandit raid while his sister had been married off to the old jarl that came to power in Windhelm after the death of Ulfric when she had reached her twentieth name day.

His brother Nelkir had left home right before their father died after the two had engaged in a heated argument.

"My love, what brings you out here in the cold?" Asked his wife Isabel as she came to stand beside him, wrapping him in her warm embrace.

Isabel was the daughter of the old King of Jehanna, and both a loving wife and mother to her husband and children.

"Just thinking of the past my love and the future," he replied returning her embrace.

Isabel gave her husband a knowing look as she wrapped her loving arms tighter around him.

The two of them stood there silent for a moment just basking in each other's company enjoying the little time of peace before returning to the day-to-day task of ruling.

A noise from behind them sundered the quietness around them compelling them both to turn and see their daughter Fredis chasing after their youngest son Toben who was holding a black stray cat in his hands.

"Father, Mother look what that mangy animal did to my new dress!" said Fredis as she showed them the damaged clothing with claw marks all about it.

"You scared her if you hadn't yelled at her she wouldn't have destroyed it!" Countered Toben holding his pet close to his chest in an attempt to protect her from harm.

Fredis went to lunge for her little brother but was stopped by her mother who was now giving them both a look of disapproval.

"This is not the way two children of the Jarl of Whiterun should be acting nor is it right for siblings in general," Said Isabel sternly "Fredis I will see that the dress is replaced and Toben in the future, please keep your cat away from your sister's room now I want you both to make amends."

The teen and her little brother reluctantly did as their mother commanded and then went on their separate ways.

Frother gave his wife a warm smile of admiration.

"Where would we all be without you my love?" He asked her as he pulled her into his arms.

"Perhaps swimming in mead," she joked earning a deep roar of laughter from her husband.

Outside of the city walls below them on the plains of the Whiterun hold the two eldest sons of the Jarl were slowly and quietly stalking a deer for the castle cook.

Eric the eldest was just about to loose an arrow into the creature when the sound of a snapping limb spooked the animal sending it and the rest of its heard darting off in fear.

The two twins let out a groan of annoyance before they both turned to the sight of their younger brother Baldwin giving them both an apologetic smile.

"What are you doing here?" asked Eric angrily.

"I wanted to get out of the keep and have some fun like the two of you," the younger boy replied casting his eyes to the ground saddened that he had made his brother angry with him.

Eric regretted the way he had spoken to his little brother, he could remember what it was like being his age and wanting to follow his father into battle and on hunts in the plains surrounding their home.

"Forgive me, brother, I was too harsh," he said apologetically to his little brother.

"Now come let us get us a deer or old Nan and the cook will serve our hides for dinner," he said earning laughs from both of his brothers.

As the three of them gave chase to the herd of deer they did not see the lone rider from Solitude barreling down the road towards the city.

When the man finally reached the gate he announced to the guards that he had come bearing news for the Jarl that Queen Elisif the Fair was dead from an illness.

At that moment it was as if a dark cloud began to form once again over Skyrim.

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Later that evening as the Jarl and his wife sat in his private study going over the news from that morning, Frother was mulling over who he would support in the upcoming moot.

Isabel encouraged him to just follow both his gut and his heart and choose whichever one he deemed to be the best person for the job ahead.

Frother felt a bit of the weight that the decision left on his metaphorical shoulders be lifted giving him a little peace.

He was thankful that he had found such an extraordinary woman like Isabel to both help and guide him through life's hardest moments for she had always been his rock.