Corpus Tamrielicum - The Imperial Library

106 2. THE ELDER SCROLLS CHAPTER 2: DAGGERFALL
[30.3] King Edward III
King Edward, Part III
by Anonymous
Chapter 3: Lessons
The golden days passed swiftly. Edward spent most of his time in the company of his parents.
He saw few other children. None at all lived in 'their' tree, only their wood elf host and
Moraelyn's six Companions, an oddly assorted, cheerful lot. Disrespectful, Edward thought.
None of the Daggerfall court or servants would dared have addressed his father as these did
Moraelyn and Aliera with their constant raillery. But these weren't servants or courtiers. Just
Companions. Only one was a Dark Elf. There were a Khajiit woman, two wood elves, brother
and sister, a Nordic man, even bigger than Moraelyn and a strange looking lizardlike man,
who spoke with such a hissing accent that Edward couldn't understand him at all. The Nord
man was called "Slave of Moraelyn" or just "Slave" for short, although Moraelyn usually
called him "Mats" of "My-slave." Mats tended the group's weapons and gathered wood for the
evening fires. But it wasn't unusual for the others to bring wood; Moraelyn himself often
borrowed Mats' axe and fetched and split wood if there was need, or if he just felt like it.
They spent much of their time roaming the woods and fields, hunting and gathering produce,
in twos and threes. Usually Moraelyn, Aliera and Edward and Shade went off together. They
carried bows for hunting. When Edward asked Moraelyn to teach him to shoot better, he was
told to ask his mother, as she was the better shot. And it was Aliera's arrow that brought down
a handsome buck, although both arrows had struck, and they quarrelled over who's arrow had
killed as they ran toward the buck.
"Bah!" Moraelyn exclaimed as he pulled his black fletched arrow from the hindquarters. "I
don't know how I managed to feed myself before I married you."
"You had the Companions."
"Aye. Mats, Mith and I starved together, before we met Beech and Willow." Moraelyn pulled
out his black dagger, Tooth, and began to skin the animal's body, calling Edward to come and
watch. "You want to learn about animals, don't you?"
"Live ones." Edward said with distaste. His dainty mother was ripping the skin away with
enthusiasm.
"Such make tough eating," the dark elf said. "Give me your cloak; I'll make a package for you
to carry."
"I am a Prince, not a pack horse!"
"You'll carry your share or you'll be a hungry prince this night." The elf had lost his good
humor.
"I won't. I don't want any. You can't make me."