Author's Note: So, for those of you reading this, this is my first time posting anything here. Please let me know if you see any formatting errors I could fix to make these better. Also, let me know if you like this story. Seriously, I hope you guys enjoy this story.
Chapter One: The 30th of Frostfall
It was a fine day in the Imperial City. The sun was shining, the people were happy, and Emperor Titus Mede II had few problems to deal with. At least, that had been the case until a messenger had arrived with disturbing news. An ambassador from the Aldmeri Dominion had arrived in the city, and was demanding an audience with Titus. That worried him. The Aldmeri Dominion had avoided contact for years and now they sent an ambassador bearing gifts. It was troubling considering who Titus was dealing with.
What had started as a simple power-grab during the turmolt of the Oblivion Crisis had turned into the beginnings of something far more nefarious when the Thalmor declared the Summerset Isles seceded from the Empire. The new kingdom of Alinor had quickly grabbed power throughout the south of Tamriel, staging a coup in the province of Valenwood and bringing them into the fold of the resurrected Aldmeri Dominion. Decades later, the Void Nights happened and once more the Thalmor used a tragedy to gain power and influence.
When the moons Secunda and Masser disappeared, the Khajiit of Elsweyr were thrown into disarray. Without the guiding influence of the moons and the Lunar Lattice, the Khajiit were unable to have children for two years causing immense distress throughout their culture. So, when the moons returned two years after their disappearance, the Khajiit were more than happy to accept the explanation the Thalmor offered as they took credit for the moons' return. A few decades letter, Elsweyr seceded from the Empire and split into the kingdoms of old, becoming servants to the Aldmeri Dominion. That had been five decades before Titus had ascended to the throne.
Now, as the Emperor, Titus had been forced to watch as the Aldmeri Dominion grew more powerful and more bold. That, coupled with the devastation in Morrowind, the civil war in Hammerfell, and the secession of Black Marsh, had done much harm to the Empire in the Fourth Era. Titus had been working to try and strengthen the Empire back to its days of glory, but he had little success. So, he sat on his throne and waited for an ambassador from the greatest threat to the Empire to deliver a message.
Titus observed the room as he waited. The throne room was a marble construction that resembled a colossal hallway. It was nearly a hundred meters long and thirty meters across with marble pillars supporting the ceiling that dwelled far above the heads of those who stood in the room. There were chairs along the walls for petitioners, advisors, and the curious to sit in as he held court to hear people's issues. A length of red carpet trimmed with black ran from the base of the dais that the throne sat on to the doors that provided entrance to the room. As Titus watched, those doors opened. The doors were large and constructed of sturdy wood, but they moved nearly silently until they settled with a resounding boom. Titus Mede II watched as a tall, Altmer man strode confidently down the length of carpet. Behind him, a member of the palace staff was pulling a fairly good-sized cart covered with a piece of cloth. Titus could feel anxiety building in his chest. He had grown wary of the Thalmor and their agents in recent years, and seeing one of them in his throne room with a cart of something caused him to worry about what this meeting was about.
As the ambassador approached, the Emperor got a better look at him. He was of average height for an Altmer, reaching around six and a half feet tall. He had the usual pale golden complexion of his species, nondescript features, and even his hair was a traditional Altmeri cut. As Titus sized up the mer he found him to be completely unremarkable in every aspect of his physiology. That made Titus worry all the more. Because, to have risen to power in a conceited place like Alinor without looking handsome, the man before the Emperor must be either a brilliant man, a powerful wizard, or a skilled warrior. Or all three.
The ambassador finally reached the dais after what felt like years. He stopped and waited for the cart to be brought to his side before acknowledging the Emperor. Once the cart had come to a halt and the servant walked away, the ambassador looked the Emperor in the eye and began to speak. "Titus Mede II, Emperor of Cyrodiil, the Aldmeri Dominion stands poised to bring your pitiful Empire down and to reclaim our right to rule over man." The man's voice was clear and calm and it echoed throughout the room. The people throughout the room all quieted and stared at the bold man who had basically just issued a threat to not only the most powerful man in all of Tamriel, but to all men in Tamriel.
"However, the war would be bloody and we would waste unnecessary lives in it. So, I have been sent with a list of conditions for you. Accept them, and you can keep your weak little Empire around for a few years more." The altmer began reading a long list of demands, including things such as disbanding the Blades, ceding most of Hammerfell to the Dominion, and banning the worship of Talos. Titus could feel the blood rising in his face as he became more and more angry with the ridiculous arrogance of the Thalmor. He managed to restrain himself until the ambassador finally stopped talking. Then, as the crowd of people in the room turned to lay their eyes on the Emperor, to see history in the making, Titus Mede II stood.
"How. Dare. You." Titus spoke. His voice was deep by nature, but the rage that had taken hold throughout him caused it to sound like distant thunder that echoed throughout the length of the room, even though he spoke quietly. "Go. Go! Return to your masters and tell them that the Empire is not as weak as it appears! We will NOT! I repeat NOT give in to tyrants and sycophants who preach of superiority! Mer ruled over the people of Tamriel once before, and I will see this Empire follow Yokunda into the sea before I let elves make slaves of honest people once more."
The room erupted in cheers of support for the Empire and her Emperor as Titus finished his proclamation. The ambassador had an arrogant smirk on his face and Titus could tell that the Altmer man believed the Emperor was a fool for thinking he could stand up to the might of the Dominion. He wasn't the only one. The Emperor's military advisors stood near the throne and often gave subtle gestures to Titus to let him know of their opinion on certain matters, when they didn't have the time to privately discuss things. Right now, they were subtly shaking their heads in warning. Titus knew them well enough to understand their meaning. They didn't believe that the Empire had the military strength to support his claims of defending the Empire and her people. They weren't entirely wrong either. Titus knew that the Empire was not as strong as it had been during the Septim dynasty, but he also had eighteen legions under his command. He felt that surely that must be enough men to fight against the Dominion and its forces.
The ambassador spoke, "Titus, you should reconsider. You might say otherwise, but everyone in this room knows the truth. The Empire doesn't have the strength to fight against the superiority of the Aldmeri Dominion. If you try it, your majesty, you shall certainly fail. Better to accept these demands and live to see another day."
"I can't accept that. The Empire will not fall. The Empire will stand against the Dominion. We won't forsake Hammerfell. We won't go back to those dark days before the time of man. The Empire will stand, as it has for thousands of years, in defense of all of Tamriel. Whether it is the Nords of Skyrim, the Redguards of Hammerfell, the Dunmer of Morrowind, or even the loyal Bosmer and Khajiit who stayed true to the Empire when their governments betrayed it, the Empire will defend its people." Titus spoke firmly. He met the ambassadors gaze and stared him down. Titus Mede II was tall for an Imperial, and standing on top of the dais as he was, he easily loomed over the Altmer. "As I said. Leave this place. Go back to Alinor and tell your masters that the Empire will not bow to their whims. We stood through the Oblivion Crisis and we can stand through a few elves with overinflated egos trying to tell us what to do."
The ambassador eyes narrowed and Titus saw his jaw clench. "Well your majesty," the ambassador spoke, venom dripping from his every word, "I think that I should show you the gifts that 'a few elves with overinflated egos' sent you." As he finished he pulled the cloth off of the cart and tipped it over. Gasps and screams sounded from the crowd as dozens of heads rolled across the floor of the throne room. "Here, I hope you enjoy it."
Titus roared for his guards to apprehend the ambassador as he stepped down the dais and examined the heads. His heart sank and that ominous feeling in his chest returned in force as he realized he knew who these people were. He didn't recognize all of the heads, but he recognized a few. They were some of the finest warriors in all of Tamriel, and some of the greatest agents for covert operations. They hadn't answered to the Emperor for nearly two hundred years, but they had been working to protect the Empire all the same. The heads belonged to members of the Blades. Blades who had been in the Aldmeri Dominion partially at the behest of Titus.
Only a month after Titus's coronation, the Grandmaster of the Blades had gone to the newly crowned Emperor. He had warned Titus of the threat of the Aldmeri Dominion, of the Thalmor, a threat that Titus was all too aware of. The Grandmaster explained to Titus that the Blades were in Alinor and Valenwood fighting a shadow war against the Thalmor, and that Titus's father had been secretly supporting the Blades. Titus had pledged the Empire's continued support, in secret, to the Blades in exchange for regular reports. The Grandmaster had agreed, and so amends had been made between the Emperor and the Blades.
Now, Titus turned to the ambassador and raged consumed the Emperor. The palace guards had moved to arrest the ambassador, but the Altmer had shown why the Emperor had been right to be wary of him. He had pulled a longsword from beneath his robes and quickly slewn two of the guards with it before bringing down a third with a burst of lightning, all within the matter of mere moments it took for Titus to get over his shock. The other guards had backed up and were standing defensively.
Titus drew his own sword and approached the ambassador. The Mede family had seized the Ruby Throne through martial might, and as such, every member of the royal family had trained in the arts of warfare and combat from the time they could hold a stick since then. With over twenty years of training under his belt, Titus Mede II was a great swordsman in his own right and his men knew it. They backed away from the ambassador in order to give their Emperor room to fight. Only the Captain of the Guard, Corvus Valius, tried to stop him, but Titus waved him away. He had been forced to watch, helpless, as the Aldmeri Dominion had corrupted Tamriel. Now though, he could fight back.
Titus got within range of the ambassador and immediately launched into a vicious assault. With his impressive skill and with rage fueling his movements the ambassador was quickly put on the defensive as blow after blow fell upon him. The ambassador managed to block most of the strikes, and was able to evade the few that slipped past his defenses. Once he got a feeling for the Emperor's movements and timing, he attempted to send a bolt of lightning into Titus's chest. However, Titus had been waiting for some sort of magic and saw the attack coming as soon as the ambassador's hand twitched. Titus used it as an opening and drove his blade through the ambassador's chest.
As the ambassador fell, Titus turned and looked at the people who had been watching the events as they transpired. Most all of them were wide-eyed from shock and fear over what had just transpired. Titus addressed them loudly, " People of the Empire, you have just witnessed the beginning of a war. This war will not be easy, it will not be short. It will be a long and bloody affair just as you saw today." Titus gestured to the upturned cart and the casualties of the fight. "The Empire is about to face one of the greatest enemies we have ever had to face. But, we will prevail. The Empire is a place for all peoples of Nirn, and all people will stand united against the death and devastation that the Aldmeri Dominion brings. We will stand tall, we will fight, and we, will, win!" Once more, cheers sounded throughout the throne room, but these cheers were far more quiet and reserved than earlier. The people had seen death, and it had not been kind. Unfortunately, Titus knew that they were likely to see far more death, and far worse than that, in the days to come.
Author's Note: If you've made it this far, I assume you're happy with the story and curious about what's going to happen next. The plan at this point is to write somewhere around fifteen-twenty chapters with each one focusing on a different event that happened during the Great War. However, if I get a lot of support for this story I might change that and write more. So, please leave a review and let me know any suggestions, thoughts, opinions, praise, or critiques.