🎻 "The Northern Ward"
(Traditional; origin uncertain. Commonly attributed to the bard Alveth Silvertongue, circa 4E 198.)
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I.
In marble halls of borrowed light,
the storm's child learned to stand—
With eyes like frost, with breath like fire,
and books instead of sand.
They wrapped him in the Empire's thread,
they crowned him with a name,
Yet under silk the heartbeat kept
the whisper of the flame.
II.
He spoke not loud, nor sought the crowd,
his voice was still and clear,
And those who mocked the northern wind
would bow when he drew near.
For fire, when taught to hold its tongue,
becomes a sharper thing—
It waits within the candle's glass,
it learns to watch the king.
III.
A girl with hair of autumn's blaze
would guard him while he read,
And from their hands the lessons rose
like sparks the wind had fed.
She taught him how to smile in courts,
he taught her how to see,
That strength may hide in quiet hearts,
as deep roots hide in tree.
IV.
They say he made an oath at dawn
when all the lake was gray,
And fire slept upon the wave
till morning burned it away.
He promised not to wake the storm
till silence found its end—
And so the Ward of Northern birth
became both flame and friend.
V.
Now somewhere north the banners stir,
and thunder learns its name,
And some recall the boy of light
who never played for fame.
If ever snow meets marble's edge,
and swords are drawn in song—
Remember how the Northern Ward
kept still, and waited long.
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Editor's note:
> Surviving copies of The Northern Ward differ in several lines. Some versions call the subject "the Dragon's heir," others simply "the silent son." Scholars debate whether the "girl with hair of autumn's blaze" represents a companion, a muse, or the Empire itself. The song was reportedly banned in the Imperial City after the outbreak of the Stormcloak Rebellion.