The Wolf Queen , Book I Series . This book is part of an eight - part series , as follows : Content . Year 3E 63 In the autumntide of the year , Prince Pelagius Septim , son of Prince Uriel Septim II , who is son of the Empress Kintyra , who is niece of the great Emperor Tiber Septim , came to the High Rock city - state of Camlorn to pay court to the daughter of King Vulstaed . Her name was Quintilla , the most beauteous princess in Tamriel , skilled at all the maidenly skills and an accomplished sorceress . Eleven years a widower with a young son named Antiochus , Pelagius arrived at court to find that the city - state was being terrorized by a great demon werewolf . Instead of wooing , Pelagius and Quintilla together went out to save the kingdom . With his sword and her sorcery , the beast was slain and by the powers of mysticism , Quintilla chained the beast ' s soul to a gem . Pelagius had the gem made into a ring and married her . But it was said that the soul of the wolf stayed with the couple until the birth of their first child . Year 3E 80 " The ambassador from Solitude has arrived , your majesty , " whispered the steward Balvus . " Right in the middle of dinner ? " muttered the Emperor weakly . " Tell him to wait . " " No , father , it ' s important that you see him , " said Pelagius , rising . " You can ' t make him wait and then give him bad news . It ' s undiplomatic . " " Don ' t go then , you ' re much better at diplomacy than I am . We should have all the family here , " Emperor Uriel II added , suddenly aware how few people were present at his dinner table . " Where ' s your mother ? " " Sleeping with the archpriest of Kynareth , " Pelagius would have said , but he was , as his father said , diplomatic . Instead he said , " At prayer . " " And your brother and sister ? " " Amiel is in Firsthold , meeting with the Archmagister of the Mages Guild . And Galana , though we won ' t be telling this to the ambassador , of course , is preparing for her wedding to the Duke of Narsis . Since the ambassador expects her to be marrying his patron the King of Solitude instead , we ' ll tell him that she ' s at the spa , having a cluster of pestilent boils removed . Tell him that , and he won ' t press too hard for the marriage , politically expedient though it may be , " Pelagius smiled . " You know how queasy Nord s are about warty women . " " But dash it , I feel like I should have some family around , so I don ' t look like some old fool despised by his nearest and dearest , " growled the Emperor , correctly suspecting this to be the case . " What about your wife ? Where ' s she and the grandchildren ? " " Quintilla ' s in the nursery with Cephorus and Magnus . Antiochus is probably whoring around the City . I don ' t know where Potema is , probably at her studies . I thought you didn ' t like children around . " " I do during meetings with ambassadors in damp staterooms , " sighed the Emperor . " They lend an air of , I don ' t know , innocence and civility . Ah , show the blasted ambassador in , " he said to Balvus . Potema was bored . It was the rainy season in the Imperial Province , wintertide , and the streets and the gardens of the City were all flooded . She could not remember a time when it was not raining . Had it been only days , or had it been weeks or months since the sun shone ? There was no judging of time any more in the constant flickering torch - light of the palace , and as Potema walked through marble and stone hallways , listening to the pelting of the rain , she could think nothing but that she was bored . Asthephe , her tutor , would be looking for her now . Ordinarily , she did not mind studying . Rote memorization came easily to her . She quizzed herself as she walked down through the empty ballroom . When did Orsinium fall ? Year 1E 980 . Who wrote Tamrilean Tractates ? Khosey . When was Tiber Septim born ? . Who is the current King of Daggerfall ? Mortyn , son of Gothlyr . Who is the current Silvenar ? Varbarenth , son of Varbaril . Who is the Warlord of Lilmoth ? Trick question : it ' s a lady , Ioa . What will I get if I ' m a good girl , and don ' t get into any trouble , and my tutor says I ' m an excellent student ? Mother and father will renege on their promise to buy me a Daedric katana of my own , saying they never remembered that promise , and it ' s far too expensive and dangerous for a girl my age . There were voices coming from the Emperor ' s stateroom . Her father , her grandfather , and a man with a strange accent , a Nord . Potema moved a stone she had loosened behind a tapestry and listened in . " Let us be frank , your imperial majesty , " came the Nord ' s voice . " My sire , the King of Solitude , doesn ' t care if Princess Galana looked like an Orc . He wants an alliance with the Imperial Family , and you agreed to give him Galana or give back the millions of gold he gave to you to quell the Khajiit rebellion in Torval . This was the agreement you swore to honor . " " I remember no such agreement , " came her father ' s voice , " Can you , my liege ? " There was a mumbling noise that Potema took to be her grandfather , the ancient Emperor . " Perhaps we should take a walk to the Hall of Records , my mind may be going , " the Nord ' s voice sounded sarcastic . " I distinctly remember your seal being placed on the agreement before it was locked away . Of course , I may verily be mistaken . " " We will send a page to the Hall to get the document you refer to , " replied her father ' s voice , with the cruel , soothing quality he used whenever he was about to break a promise . Potema knew it well . She replaced the loose stone and hurried out of the ballroom . She knew well how slowly the pages walked , used to running errands for a doddering Emperor . She could make it to the Hall of Records in no time at all . The massive Ebony door was locked , of course , but she knew what to do . A year ago , she caught her mother ' s Bosmer maid pilfering some jewelry , and in exchange for her silence , forced the young woman to teach her how to pick locks . Potema pulled two pins off her red diamond broach and slid the first into the first lock , holding her hand steady , and memorizing the pattern of tumblers and grooves within the mechanism . Each lock had a geography of its own . The lock to the kitchen larder : six free tumblers , a frozen seventh , and a counter bolt . She had broken into that just for fun , but if she had been a poisoner , the whole Imperial household would be dead by now , she thought , smiling . The lock to her brother Antiochus ' secret stash of Khajiiti pornography : just two free tumblers and a pathetic poisoned quill trap easily dismantled with pressure on the counterweight . That had been a profitable score . It was strange that Antiochus , who seemed to have no shame , proved so easy to blackmail . She was , after all , only twelve , and the differences between the perversions of the cat people and the perversions of the Cyrodiil s seemed pretty academic . Still , Antiochus had to give her the diamond broach , which she treasured . She had never been caught . Not when she broke into the archmage ' s study and stole his oldest spellbook . Not when she broke into the guest room of the King of Gilane , and stole his crown the morning before Magnus ' s official Welcoming ceremony . It had become too easy to torment her family with these little crimes . But here was a document the Emperor wanted , for a very important meeting . She would get it first . But this , this was the hardest lock she ever opened . Over and over , she massaged the tumblers , gently pushing aside the forked clamp that snatched at her pins , drumming the counterweights . It nearly took her a half a minute to break through the door to the Hall of Records , where the Elder Scrolls were housed . The documents were well organized by year , province , and kingdom , and it took Potema only a short while to find the Promise of Marriage between Uriel Septim II , by the Grace of the Gods , Emperor of the Holy Cyrodiilic Empire of Tamriel and his daughter the Princess Galana , and His Majesty King Mantiarco of Solitude . She grabbed her prize and was out of the Hall with the door well - locked before the page was even in sight . Back in the ball room , she loosened the stone and listened eagerly to the conversation within . For a few minutes , the three men , the Nord , the Emperor , and her father just spoke of the weather and some boring diplomatic details . Then there was the sound of footsteps and a young voice , the page . " Your Imperial Majesty , I have searched the Hall of Records and cannot find the document you asked for . " " There , you see , " came Potema ' s father ' s voice . " I told you it didn ' t exist . " " But I saw it ! " The Nord ' s voice was furious . " I was there when my liege and the Emperor signed it ! I was there ! " " I hope you aren ' t doubting the word of my father , the sovereign Emperor of all Tamriel , not when there ' s now proof that you must have been . . . mistaken , " Pelagius ' s voice was low , dangerous . " Of course not , " said the Nord , conceding quickly . " But what will I tell my king ? He is to have no connection with the Imperial Family , and no gold returned to him , as the agreement — as he and I believed the agreement to be ? " " We don ' t want any bad feelings between the kingdom of Solitude and us , " came the Emperor ' s voice , rather feeble , but clear enough . " What if we offered King Mantiarco our granddaughter instead ? " Potema felt the chill of the room descend on her . " The Princess Potema ? Is she not too young ? " asked the Nord . " She is thirteen years old , " said her father . " That ' s old enough to wed . " " She would be an ideal mate for your king , " said the Emperor . " She is , admittedly , from what I see of her , very shy and innocent , but I ' m certain she would quickly grasp the ways of court — she is , after all , a Septim . I think she would be an excellent Queen of Solitude . Not too exciting , but noble . " " The granddaughter of the Emperor is not as close as his daughter , " said the Nord , rather miserably . " But I don ' t see how we can refuse the offer . I will send word to my king . " " You have our leave , " said the Emperor , and Potema heard the sound of the Nord leaving the stateroom . Tears streamed down Potema ' s eyes . She knew who the King of Solitude was from her studies . Mantiarco . Sixty - two years old , and quite fat . And she knew how far Solitude was , and how cold , in the northernmost clime . Her father and grandfather were abandoning her to the barbaric Nords . The voices in the room continued talking . " Well - acted , my boy . Now , make sure you burn that document , " said her father . " My Prince ? " asked the page ' s querulous voice . " The agreement between the Emperor and the King of Solitude , you fool . We don ' t want its existence known . " " My Prince , I told the truth . I couldn ' t find the document in the Hall of Records . It seems to be missing . " " By Lorkhan ! " roared her father . " Why is everything in this palace always misplaced ? Go back to the Hall and keep searching until you find it ! " Potema looked at the document . Millions of gold pieces promised to the kingdom of Solitude in the event of Princess Galana not marrying the king . She could bring it into her father , and perhaps as a reward he would not marry her to Mantiarco . Or perhaps not . She could blackmail her father and the Emperor with it , and make a tidy sum of money . Or she could produce it when she became Queen of Solitude to fill her coffers , and buy anything she wanted . More than a Daedric katana , that was for certain . So many possibilities , Potema thought . And she found herself not bored anymore .