In War, Victory

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or claim copyright of Bethesda Softworks.

Prologue:

The Tavern known only by the locals as: 'The Septim's Arms' was especially lively on this particular night. With the cold air getting steadily frostier as Winter descended on the province of Skyrim, any weary traveller would find the warm, friendly atmosphere and a drop of fiery brandy much more a welcoming distraction than continuing their hike to Falkreath; the closest and only town in the South-West of the country.

So it was for these reasons that the Tavern was filled to the brim of both Travelers and Villagers heartily enjoying good food, drink and the entertainment of a gripping folk-tale or two. As it started too get late, a young Nord with cheeks rosy from the heat of his Mead, stood up and shouted to the rest of the Patrons.

"Enough of these old Wives' stories! Let's hear something real! Something exciting and adventurous!" He laughed along with his companions. In response to his request, a voice as soft as feathers, yet loud and commanding enough to quieten the racket.

"I know of such a tale my friend." Every eye in the room was now fixed upon a youth in the corner of the room, hidden by the shadows. From what little the people could make out by candlelight, he was a pale Dunmer with short-jet black hair, dressed in red velvet finery and a heavy green cloak. On his back was a Mage's staff and resting against his hip was a steel Shortsword of Cyrodiil design. He politely sipped his goblet of wine and stared back at his public with bright scarlet eyes.

"And who might you be stranger?" The Nord who had shouted out before was the first to speak up hesitantly. The impassive scarlet eyes danced in amusement at the question, making the Nord flush with embarrassment at being their target.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you my name just yet. But if you're all willing to listen to my story, I'm sure you'll find out as we go. For now, you may call me 'Van,'" he smiled faintly.

"Very well... Van. What is this tale then? Is it real? Is it true?" The young Nord asked curiously.

"As real as you or me, Serah. As true of any virtue, this I swear. This is a legend that has being passed down from one generation to the next for over two hundred years in my homeland of Cyrodiil. Tell me Ladies and Gentlemen, have you ever heard of the Champion of Cyrodiil? or even The Hero of Kvatch? Defender of Bruma? The Right Hand of the Last Septim? Saviour of Tamriel? Yes? I expect you have but not in this way. Well my friends, allow me to tell you all now that the Champion's legend has since been retold ten thousand times in the past and each story is different in one way or another. But this tale is completely accurate in every way, from her personality, to her beauty, to her skill and courage in the face of an unimaginable evil."

"What makes you so sure?" A pretty Khajiit woman with a strong Morrowind accent piped up.

"Let's just say I was an enthusiastic follower of the Hero of Tamriel's life and I went to great lengths to document her legend," Van responded with a dry chuckle and smirked at the rapt attention he was getting from the Patron of the Tavern. "Now our story begins on the 27th of Last Seed; the Year of Akatosh 433. These are the closing days of the 3rd Era, and the final hours of Emperor Uriel Septim VII's life."

Note from the Authoress: Hey all! This is my first Oblivion Elder Scrolls Fanfic and I based it on my favourite Playthrough of the game. The story idea came to me over the course of playing it for so long, and with the release of Skyrim coming in November, I thought I should dedicate this to a truly amazing game. I hope you like my intro cus from this chapter on everything will be told from my character's point of view rather than being dictated by the mysterious NPC storyteller above. Who is he do you ask? Work it out for yourselves when more chapters are uploaded, you haven't really got alot of info on this guy just yet.

Finally, big Thanks to My inspiration Leonette, Authoress of the Oblivion Fic 'Broken Daggers,' and who encouraged me to write this.

Thanks, Enjoy the Story.