Wind chill swept across frozen tundra and raked up the sides of mountains, carrying flurries of snow and icy air in its wake. The temperature was enough to steal the very breath from one’s lungs, but Arinel breathed steadily as he continued onward, immune to the cold frozen air fluttering his tattered robes. He gripped the staff he held, using it to guide his way across large rocks and craggy terrain, ignoring the blood still smattered on it.
The humming had returned to his mind.
It was a very quiet, soothing sound—warm, in fact. Almost motherly. It would have been a comfort to the lone Falmer if it had just been a mere figment or memory. But it wasn’t. He knew it was her, the Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn, once again preying upon his weakened spirit.
He refused to let her entice him.
Arinel picked his way through a small fissure, following the natural path of the terrain. As he crested a small hill it opened up into a gigantic valley before him—The Forgotten Vale. The humming in his mind faltered, and the Falmer let out a breath of air from between his frozen lips. Here, Azura’s power was weaker. Below him lay the flat sheet of ice that formed the massive lake, its smooth surface interrupted only by the waterfalls that stirred the water and kept it from freezing. In the mountains high above, on an outcropping, he could see his destination—the Chantry of Auri-El.
There he would find his refuge.
Arinel journeyed down to the banks of the frozen river and began to cross, humming a tune that countered the melody that had resumed in his head. Sometimes this was enough to quiet these spells, but he nevertheless quickened his step. He just had to reach the Chantry…
Arinel slowed as he reached a ruined structure that might’ve once been an archway. The air seemed to waver between the two crumbling pillars, and as he drew closer he could see the faintest outline of features beyond.
Strange. Gelebor didn’t usually keep the portals open unless he was expecting visitors—less a frost troll accidentally wander through—and Arinel had given no warning of his arrival.
It was no matter. It would save him time.
Taking a breath, the Falmer stepped through the portal, and all at once the image beyond became sharper, real. He found himself standing in a hexagonal arched structure, each of its stone walls blank, save for the one that held the wavering image of the frozen field he had stood in a moment before.
Arinel spent no thought on them. Instead he whisked himself out of the small building and made his way up the natural path towards a stone bridge.
Beyond it lay the Chantry, a beautiful, vaulted, ruined temple, constructed of stone and glass.
He doesn’t care about your kind, Arinel found himself thinking. He felt doubt rise within him as he made his way across the stone arch bridge.
He let us fall. He let the Falmer become the wretched race they are today. What will it do for me to keep begging for his blessing? His sanctuary?
His pace slowed, and the Falmer paused at the center of the bridge, looking up at the grand Chantry. Beyond its open doors he could see part of the ancient statue that depicted the Soul of Light and Order—Auri-El, the god of the ancient Snow Elves.
Against what felt like his own will he put his foot forward, then the other. His old sabatons scraped the icy stone beneath as he walked, leading him to the end of the bridge and up the old stone stairs and through the doorway. A moment later, Arinel found himself in front of the great statue standing within the Chantry courtyard, the old bronze depicting an elven figure holding the sun aloft in the sky.
The Falmer knelt in front of Auri-El, and prayed. As he did he felt something move within him, almost as something was being pushed away from his soul. Out of impulse he touched the edifice’s bare feet.
The doubt that plagued him before vanished, along with the humming at the back of his mind. Arinel’s body, mind, and soul grew light as he felt the influences of Azura sweep from his being, giving him back his freedom of will. He exhaled shakily, feeling the muscles in his back relax as he released tension. He had nothing to worry about now, as long as he stayed at the Chantry…
He felt someone watching him.
Straightening up, Arinel looked around.
“Gelebor?” he said. “Is that you?”
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