Mystery of Talara , Book I Summary . A book in the five set series of books called " Mystery of Talara " . Content . The year was 3E 405 . The occasion was the millennial celebration of the founding of the Breton Kingdom of Camlorn . Every grand boulevard and narrow alley was strung with gold and purple banners , some plain , some marked with the heraldic symbols of the Royal Family or the various principalities and dukedoms which were vassals of the King . Musicians played in the plazas great and small , and on every street corner was a new exotic entertainer : Redguard snake charmers , Khajiit i acrobats , magicians of genuine power and those whose flamboyant skill was equally impressive if largely illusion . The sight that drew most of the male citizens of Camlorn was the March of Beauty . A thousand comely young women , brightly and provocatively dressed , danced their way down the long , wide main street of the city , from the Temple of Sethiete to the Royal Palace . The menfolk jostled one another and craned their necks , picking their favorites . It was no secret that they were all prostitutes , and after the March and the Flower Festival that evening , they would be available for more intimate business . Gyna attracted much of the attention with her tall , curvaceous figure barely covered by strips of silk and her curls of flaxen hair specked with flower petals . In her late twenties , she wasn ' t the youngest of the prostitutes , but she was certainly one of the most desirable . It was clear by her demeanor that she was used to the lascivious glances , though she was far from jaded at the sight of the city in splendor . Compared to the squalid quarter of Daggerfall where she made her home , Camlorn at the height of celebration seemed so unreal . And yet , what was even stranger was how , at the same time , familiar it all looked , though she had never been there before . The King ' s daughter Lady Jyllia rode out of the palace gates , and immediately cursed her misfortune . She had completely forgotten about the March of Beauty . The streets were snarled , at a standstill . It would take hours to wait for the March to pass , and she had promised her old nurse Ramke a visit in her house south of the city . Jyllia thought for a moment , picturing in her mind the arrangement of streets in the city , and devised a shortcut to avoid the main street and the March . For a few minutes she felt very clever as she wound her way through tight , curving side streets , but presently she came upon temporary structures , tents and theaters set up for the celebration , and had to improvise a new path . In no time at all , she was lost in the city where she had lived all but five years of her life . Peering down an alley , she saw the main avenue crowded with the March of Beauty . Hoping that it was the tale end , and desirous not to be lost again , Lady Jyllia guided her horse toward the festival . She did not see the snake - charmer at the mouth of the alley , and when his pet hissed and spread its hood , her charge reared up in fear . The women in the parade gasped and surged back at the sight , but Lady Jyllia quickly calmed her stallion down . She looked abashed at the spectacle she had caused . " My apologies , ladies , " she said with a mock military salute . " It ' s all right , madam , " said a blonde in silk . " We ' ll be out of your way in a moment . " Jyllia stared as the March passed her . Looking at that whore had been like looking in a mirror . The same age , and height , and hair , and eyes , and figure , almost exactly . The woman looked back at her , and it seemed as if she was thinking the same thing . And so Gyna was . The old witches who sometimes came in to Daggerfall had sometimes spoke of doppelgangers , spirits that assumed the guise of their victims and portended certain death . Yet the experience had not frightened her : it seemed only one more strangely familiar aspect of the alien city . Before the March had danced it way into the palace gates , she had all but forgotten the encounter . The prostitutes crushed into the courtyard , as the King himself came to the balcony to greet them . At his side was his chief bodyguard , a battlemage by the look of him . As for the King himself , he was a handsome man of middle age , rather unremarkable , but Gyna was awed at the sight of him . A dream , perhaps . Yes , that was it : she could see him as she had dreamt of him , high above her as he was now , bending now to kiss her . Not a one of lust as she had experienced before , but one of small fondness , a dutiful kiss . " Dear ladies , you have filled the streets of the great capitol of Camlorn with your beauty , " cried the King , forcing a silence on the giggling , murmuring assembly . He smiled proudly . His eyes met Gyna ' s and he stopped , shaken . For an eternity , they stayed locked together before His Highness recovered and continued his speech . Afterwards , while the women were all en route back to their tents to change into their costumes for the evening , one of the older prostitutes approached Gyna : " Did you see how the King looked at you ? If you ' re smart , you ' ll be the new royal mistress before this celebration ends . " " I ' ve seen looks of hunger before , and that wasn ' t one of them , " laughed Gyna . " I ' d wager he thought I was someone else , like that lady who tried to run us over with her horse . She ' s probably his kin , and he thought she had dressed up like a courtesan and joined the March of Beauty . Can you imagine the scandal ? " When they arrived at the tents , they were greeted by a stocky , well - dressed young man with a bald pate and a commanding presence of authority . He introduced himself as Lord Strale , ambassador to the Emperor himself , and their chief patron . It was Strale who had hired them , on the Emperor ' s behalf , as a gift to the King and the kingdom of Camlorn . " The March of Beauty is but a precursor to the Flower Festival tonight , " he said . Unlike the King , he did not have to yell to be heard . His voice was loud and precise in its natural modulations . " I expect each of you to perform well , and justify the significant expense I ' ve suffered bringing you all the way up here . Now hurry , you must be dressed and in position on Cavilstyr Rock before the sun goes down . " The ambassador needn ' t have worried . The women were all professionals , experts at getting dressed and undressed with none of the time - consuming measures less promiscuous females required . His manservant Gnorbooth offered his assistance , but found he had little to do . Their costumes were simplicity itself : soft , narrow sheets with a hole for their heads . Not even a belt was required , so the gowns were open at the sides exposing the frame of their skin . So it was long before the sun had set that the prostitutes turned dancers were at Cavilstyr Rock . It was a great , wide promontory facing the sea , and for the occasion of the Festival of Flowers , a large circle of unlit torches and covered baskets had been arranged . As early as they were , a crowd of spectators had already arrived . The women gathered in the center of the circle and waited until it was time . Gyna watched the crowd as it grew , and was not surprised when she saw the lady from the March approaching , hand - in - hand with a very old , very short white - haired woman . The old woman was distracted , pointing out islands out at sea . The blonde lady seemed nervous , unsure of what to say . Gyna was used to dealing with uneasy clients , and spoke first . " Good to see you again , madam . I am Gyna of Daggerfall . " " I ' m glad you bear me no ill will because of the whores , I mean horse , " the lady laughed , somewhat relieved . " I am Lady Jyllia Raze , daughter of the King . " " I always thought that daughters of kings were called princess , " smiled Gyna . " In Camlorn , only when they are heirs to the throne . I have a younger brother from my father ' s new wife whom he favors , " Jyllia replied . She felt her head swim . It was madness , speaking to a common prostitute , talking of family politics so intimately . " Relative to that subject , I must ask you something very peculiar . Have you ever heard of the Princess Talara ? " Gyna thought a moment : " The name sounds somewhat familiar . Why would I have ? " " I don ' t know . It was a name I just thought you might recognize , " sighed Lady Jyllia . " Have you been to Camlorn before ? " " If I did , it was when I was very young , " said Gyna , and suddenly she felt it was her turn to be trusting . Something about the Lady Jyllia ' s friendly and forthcoming manner touched her . " To be honest , I don ' t remember anything at all of my childhood before I was nine or ten . Perhaps I was here with my parents , whoever they were , when I was a little girl . I tell you , I think perhaps I was . I don ' t recall ever being here before , but everything I ' ve seen , the city , you , the King himself , all seem . . . like I ' ve been here before , long ago . " Lady Jyllia gasped and took a step back . She gripped the old woman , who had been looking out to sea and murmuring , by the hand . The elderly creature looked to Jyllia , surprised , and then turned to Gyna . Her ancient , half - blind eyes sparkled with recognition and she made a sound like a grunt of surprise . Gyna also jumped . If the King had seemed like something out of a half - forgotten dream , this woman was someone she knew . As clear and yet indistinct as a guardian spirit . " I apologize , " stammered Lady Jyllia . " This is my childhood nursemaid , Ramke . " " It ' s her ! " the old woman cried , wild - eyed . She tried to run forward , arms outstretched , but Jyllia held her back . Gyna felt strangely naked , and pulled her robe against her body . " No , you ' re wrong , " Lady Jyllia whispered to Ramke , holding the old woman tightly . " The Princess Talara is dead , you know that . I shouldn ' t have brought you here . I ' ll take you back home . " She turned back to Gyna , her eyes welling with tears . " The entire royal family of Camlorn was assassinated over twenty years ago . My father was Duke of Oloine , the King ' s brother , and so he inherited the crown . I ' m sorry to have bothered you . Goodnight . " Gyna gazed after Lady Jyllia and the old nurse as they disappeared into the crowd , but she had little time to consider all she had heard . The sun was setting , and it was time for the Flower Festival . Twelve young men emerged from the darkness wearing only loincloths and masks , and lit the torches . The moment the fire blazed , Gyna and all the rest of the dancers rushed to the baskets , pulling out blossoms and vines by the handful . At first , the women danced with one another , sprinkling petals to the wind . The crowd then joined in as the music swelled . It was a mad , beautiful chaos . Gyna leapt and swooned like a wild forest nymph . Then , without warning , she felt rough hands grip her from behind and push her . She was falling before she understood it . The moment the realization hit , she was closer to the bottom of the hundred foot tall cliff than she was to the top . She flailed out her arms and grasped at the cliff wall . Her fingers raked against the stone and her flesh tore , but she found a grip and held it . For a moment , she stayed there , breathing hard . Then she began to scream . The music and the festival were too loud up above : no one could hear her - she could scarcely hear herself . Below her , the surf crashed . Every bone in her body would snap if she fell . She closed her eyes , and a vision came . A man was standing below her , a King of great wisdom , great compassion , looking up , smiling . A little girl , golden - haired , mischievous , her best friend and cousin , clung to the rock beside her . " The secret to falling is making your body go limp . And with luck , you won ' t get hurt , " the girl said . She nodded , remembering who she was . Eight years of darkness lifted . She released her grip and let herself fall like a leaf into the water below .