"Honey, I'm home!" Father said as he entered the small home within the forest.
"Welcome back." Mother replied with a smile. "Were you successful? Marcus has been looking forward to it." She continued with a smile.
Father smiled as he brought out a stack of books from the sack he was carrying. "The steward pulled through, and he managed to get some apprentice-level books."
"New books?" The now five-year-old Marcus asked with a smile as he quickly came out of his room.
About a half-hour walk from the house was the town of Ivarstead which was near the southern border of Skyr*m. The house was relatively small, consisting of two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a dining/living room. His parents built it over a few years within the forest. That being said, they were not too far from civilized life.
Ivarstead was well known in Skyr*m because it was also the beginning of the 7000 Steps. The 7000 Steps was the path taken to reach the peak of the Throat of the World, the tallest mountain in Skyr*m. At the peak of the Throat of the World resided the order of greybeards, a group of reclusive hermits who maintained the study of Dragon language. However, there was an additional reason why Ivarstead was unique, which even slightly surprised Marcus.
Perhaps due to the combination of a few mods, Ivarstead belonged to a new tenth hold named (A.) and was without a Jarl. This new hold included Helgen, Iverstead, and the Throat of the World from Falkreath, The Rift, and Whiterun Holds, respectively. Ivarstead and Helgen were the only two notable civilized areas within (A.) as the rest was mountains and inhospitable terrain. This left (A.) as the smallest and poorest of all the holds with only basic agriculture and an abandoned iron mine. However, that was not the reason why it was without a Jarl.
The Dominion, an island nation ruled by high elves, had blitzkrieged against the Empire, which Skyr*m had belonged to for the last 800 years. The old Jarl joined the war with one son while the other stayed behind to become the new Jarl. After the White-Gold Concordat was signed, ending the war temporarily, the old Jarl returned alone. However, to his horror, the son he left behind, his last successor, had also passed away.
The new Jarl had lost his wife due to complications in delivering their son, who turned out to be stillborn. As a result, the new Jarl put a bottle to his head and pulled the trigger. The old Jarl lasted a while, but the injuries sustained during the war and the excessive drinking made him follow in his son's footsteps.
Marcus was aware of the situation of the hold because his father had fought alongside the old Jarl as his parents had lived in the area since the old Jarl was young. When it came to the specifics of these events, however, Marcus could never get an answer from his father. Currently, Helgen was being managed by a troop from the Empire. A steward of High King Torygg was managing Ivarstead. The Empire was not in Ivarstead because of the civil war between the Empire and the Stormcloaks, the latter controlling the eastern territories. Theoretically, a new Jarl should have been promoted, but Torygg had not done so yet due to hitherto unknown reasons. However, the current political situation of Skyr*m was of little concern to the five-year-old Marcus.
Marcus glanced at the books before a hint of disappointment appeared on his face. There were three books on alchemy, archery, and sneak. "No magic books or spells?"
The two parents smirked in amusement at Marcus's reaction. "Magical books are rare in Skyr*m, much less spell books, especially since most Nords are against magic and prefer metal weapons. I collected the spell books I gave you over decades. However, given how talented you are, we will take you to the College of Winterhold when you turn 10."
"I guess I'll have to wait," Marcus replied with a sigh to his parents' bemusement. Marcus can help a chuckle in the warm atmosphere. In his previous life, his parents had died in a car accident… Didn't they? Marcus frowned as he had a slight pain in his head. This often happened whenever he thought of his past. It was a strange sensation, almost like his past life was a dream. It felt complete yet fractured, which caused his headache.
"Marcus, you okay?" Mother asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Marcus replied as he brushed it off. "I have a question for you two." He continued to change the subject. "What is a blessed child?"
The two parents flinched from surprise at the question. "Where did you hear this?" Mother asked.
"I heard the two talking about it a long time ago when trying to sleep."
The two parents glanced at each other in confusion, trying to recall the conversation, but to no avail.
Father paused for a moment before he slowly spoke. "A blessed child is one with a deeper connection to the divine realm than others. We knew you were a blessed child due to the starlight that pierced through the house directly into your body. Blessed children are scarce, even for a hundred years, but they have several common traits. The first is slightly accelerated physical and mental growth. You wouldn't have realized it, but your body and mind are beyond your peers."
Marcus made a slight nod in agreement. After all, his mentality was heavily influenced by his previous life, and he had noticed his body had grown faster than he expected. However, he attributed the latter to constantly utilizing his unique healing magic.
"However, these are the unique things about a blessed child." Father continued. "Every race can have unique traits and powers that stem from the deity they originated from. A blessed child goes even beyond this as they can have multiple powers that are unique to them. Depending on those powers, the individual can become quite powerful. Many will take blessed children extremely seriously. After all, Tiber Septim was only a mortal who founded the Empire and eventually ascended to godhood. If a mortal could do that, so too could a blessed child. You can't tell anyone you're a blessed child, and you should hide your abilities until you become strong enough to protect yourself."
Marcus nodded as he already understood this truth. "Thanks for telling me," Marcus said as he quickly snatched the books and went off to his room.
The two parents looked at each other with a wry expression before they side.
"I worry about him." Mother said.
"He's enthusiastic, but he doesn't know when to take a break," Father replied.
"He's more than capable of beginning bow training too."
"The next time he brings it up, we will start."
"Having such a son is a blessing… But it's also a heavy responsibility."
"Yes, but it's completely worth it."
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I like the name Coldreach.