A Case for Open Borders Content . My fellow citizens , I was as worried as you were when I read Queen Ayrenn ' s proclamation . Opening up our borders was not a decision to take lightly . I too feared the dire implications such an act would have on our beloved homeland . Would our cities be infested with fleas ? Would our children be stolen from their beds at night ? Fellow citizens , I assure you , I had just as many concerns about the safety of our proud Summerset as you . As a Kinlord , I had the great privilege of voicing these concerns to the very court of Summerset , and often found myself in the middle of the hotly debated topic . It was unprecedented , madness of the wildest kind ! I was determined to put a stop to the desecration of our beloved homeland . I too felt as though we were betraying our ancestor ' s wishes . Yes , my fellow citizens , I did adamantly oppose the very idea of opening our borders to these outsiders , cats and cannibals that I knew to be unworthy . Then something changed . I changed . Please , allow me to tell you why I now wholeheartedly support the queen ' s decree . Allow me to plead the rights of those who are now our allies and neighbors . This change started with the stories I heard of the war effort , of that I am certain . A narrow victory , only assured by the archery support provided by the Wood Elves . Khajiit agents who learned decisive secrets through clever subterfuge . Even looking at simply the numbers of our forces , no matter our military expertise and strength , I knew it was impossible to fight this war alone . Still , I was adamant . Our tentative associates need only serve us on the front line . What need had we for them here in Summerset ? I was set in my ways , and I felt that nothing could sway me . It was only when the unimaginable happened that I saw the truth . Andimeril , my shining star and only son , fell upon the battlefield . How often I think back to the night he left . If only perhaps I had been less stubborn . If only I hadn ' t bitten my tongue out of spite . If only I could have found the right words to convince him to stay . He was young and foolhardy , and far braver than I have ever been . The very thought that I ' ll never see his face again still tightens my chest so painfully I can barely breath . I did not learn of my son ' s death through courier or friend . No , I found out when a young Wood Elf stood before me , boots caked in mud and eyes filled with tears . In her hands was a plain , metal box , and I knew before she even spoke that my son ' s ashes were inside it . Her name was Grenith . " He never asked me to do this , " she said as her tears began to fall . " In fact , he always said he was never coming back . But I just couldn ' t bear the thought , you know ? He deserved to come home . " Before that day I had never even spoken to a member of another race , never looked into the eyes of those who I had always believed were so much lower than myself . It was then that I could no longer deny what was happening . That day my eyes were finally opened to the truth , not through debate or decree , but simply from that shared sorrow I felt with Grenith . So painful it had to be real . The allies who we think so little of are dying with our sons and daughters , every day . They share meals , exchange stories , try to find laughter and comfort when they can . They fight side - by - side , entrusting each other with their lives . This is the reality of their daily battle , far from our tranquil shores . Grenith told me about the last weeks of Andimeril ' s life . Perhaps it was only to comfort a grieving old mer , but she had nothing but admiration for my son . Her words of his bravery and kindness gave me a solemn comfort . My son died standing up for the ideals he believed in . To me , a letter from our queen herself would not have honored Andimeril more than the kind words of his fellow soldier . How selfish the thought is even now , but this comfort would not have been possible without our open borders . The honor that Grenith showed to my family would never have happened . She would have been treated just as I always believed her kind should be treated , as inferior , as unworthy . Without her , Andimeril would never have found his way back home , but rather remained as an unknown corpse on some distant battlefield . I would never have gotten the honor of putting my son to rest . My fellow citizens , these other races deserve nothing but our respect . If my personal story in no way moves you , please , I implore you to speak to them . Buy them a drink at your local tavern , invite them into your home for a meal . As a culture of scholars , we must open our minds and learn . Do so and I assure you , you ' ll find cultures that are vastly different , often shockingly so , but just as rich as our own . Don ' t close your minds as we once sealed our borders . Our future depends on the ability to move forward . Take that first step with me , my fellow citizens . Soon you ' ll find yourself walking toward tomorrow .