Two young brothers stood silently outside a modest home in the small hours of the morning. A river quietly lapped along a nearby wooded bank--a peaceful moment given the events of the previous day, let alone their journey at large. The twins had traveled far these past weeks and had finally arrived in Skyrim, visibly battered and worse for the wear. A kind smith in a sleepy village had given them some small rations and a place to rest their heads for a night. Grateful for the kindness he had shown, they snuck quietly out of the house in the moments before dawn, wishing not to impose any further on their host… though perhaps more importantly, to avoid incurring any further debt to him.
The air of Last Seed was cool and still. Secunda waned low in the western sky. The brothers exchanged glances. The road back to Elsweyr was long, and the twins had set out from their dusty homeland weeks earlier to make a name for themselves, and having heard the accounts of others who had traveled north seeking fame, fortune, and adventure. Having spent their youth together trying not to live in the shadow of the other meant their relationship was a friendly, albeit competitive one. They had separately spent more time than they would admit to the other learning new things, voraciously consuming texts to try and outshine his brother. So when the self-assured J’Rava boldly suggested he might leave the familiarity and warm sands of Elsweyr to make a name for himself, his brother J’Zava sneered, and was quick to counter that he was already planning to leave within a fortnight. Having now finally arrived in the cool and unfamiliar land with nothing but their blood to bind them any longer, their continual one-upmanship won out, and led them to this quiet, weighty moment.
Breaking the silence, one brother suggested to the other: “A wager. Let us meet here in twelve Lattices’ time, to see which one has learned more for himself.” His twin quickly agreed, and with no more to be said on the matter, the two parted ways. J’Rava headed west, toward the moon sinking lower along the horizon, and J’Zava headed east, toward the now breaking sun.
To be continued...
Two young brothers stood silently outside a modest home in the small hours of the morning. A river quietly lapped along a nearby wooded bank--a peaceful moment given the events of the previous day, let alone their journey at large. The twins had traveled far these past weeks and had finally arrived in Skyrim, visibly battered and worse for the wear. A kind smith in a sleepy village had given them some small rations and a place to rest their heads for a night. Grateful for the kindness he had shown, they snuck quietly out of the house in the moments before dawn, wishing not to impose any further on their host… though perhaps more importantly, to avoid incurring any further debt to him.
The air of Last Seed was cool and still. Secunda waned low in the western sky. The brothers exchanged glances. The road back to Elsweyr was long, and the twins had set out from their dusty homeland weeks earlier to make a name for themselves, and having heard the accounts of others who had traveled north seeking fame, fortune, and adventure. Having spent their youth together trying not to live in the shadow of the other meant their relationship was a friendly, albeit competitive one. They had separately spent more time than they would admit to the other learning new things, voraciously consuming texts to try and outshine his brother. So when the self-assured J’Rava boldly suggested he might leave the familiarity and warm sands of Elsweyr to make a name for himself, his brother J’Zava sneered, and was quick to counter that he was already planning to leave within a fortnight. Having now finally arrived in the cool and unfamiliar land with nothing but their blood to bind them any longer, their continual one-upmanship won out, and led them to this quiet, weighty moment.
Breaking the silence, one brother suggested to the other: “A wager. Let us meet here in twelve Lattices’ time, to see which one has learned more for himself.” His twin quickly agreed, and with no more to be said on the matter, the two parted ways. J’Rava headed west, toward the moon sinking lower along the horizon, and J’Zava headed east, toward the now breaking sun.
To be continued...
