Oblivion: Facing Destiny

Sunlight!

That was my first thought, an exaltation of my very emotions as I stepped from behind the bars…out of the darkness of the sewer tunnels that connected eventually to the under-croft of the Imperial City of Cyrodiil.

There, for so long…I cannot even remember now...I was imprisoned. I'm not even speaking figuratively; I was once a prisoner in the city for some reason unknown even to me. But through the strangest twist of fate, a story too long for me to tell, I was set free and at the same time beset with a most important task.

I wouldn't even remember what that was until I composed myself. All I could think about was blinking the light of dusk out of my eyes and looking at my surroundings for the first time in ages as the door closed locked behind me.

The sensation...the feeling...it couldn't be described in mere words. It was as if I was born anew. Given a second chance. The world before me was bathed in twilight, the sky taking on colors that I'd almost forgotten had existed outside of the drab grays and browns and silvers of the prison and underground. I stood on a small hill made of pebbles and surrounded by tall blades of the greenest grass. Stretching out on the horizon were trees, shrubs, and hills…glorious, rolling, fertile hills.

And the water!

In the silence of the scenery, that silvery-blue water, kissed with the colors of the sun lapped ever so softly against the shore and seemed to beckon to my blood and the blood of my ancestors (as an Argonian, a race of reptilians raised in the Black Marsh, I felt one with water. We can even breathe in it; it is a world of our own, accessible by no others unless they had the proper spells. Though I had tried not to let it faze me, I knew that the sneering Dunmer sharing the cell across from me had broken through to my shell when he taunted me about the lake).

I knew I was standing at the banks of Lake Rumare, surrounding the Imperial City. I didn't hesitate. I walked to the little abandoned dock that lay across from me and sat at the edge, taking my boots off to dangle my clawed feet in the liquid. So cool…so wondrous…how fortunate was I to have the chance to experience it again? I licked my lips and ran my tongue over my teeth, trying to remember what fish tasted like.

I didn't even know if I deserved that chance, for whatever reason I was in the prison. For all that the guardsmen knew, I was a murderer. A psychopath. A spy. Or even something as petty as a thief.

I don't even feel much like a criminal, really. Perhaps, as the Emperor told me, I was a humble soul chosen for a greater duty to the world.

I paused from slowly breathing in the new scents of the open world to look down at myself. I was certainly unique; except for the bright colors on my face and skin that showed my youth, I was completely white. Somewhat unnatural for an Argonian…and for the female I was, at that. I knew little about my origins as well, save for remembering my sign of my birth and my unusually talented skills in stealth and magic. To Baurus, one of the Blades assigned to the protection of the Emperor, I had declared myself a Witch Hunter…and to the Emperor himself my sign, the Warrior. In the prison, I wore shackles and brown sack clothes…which I had left in favor of the light suit of armor and other various things that I'd taken from the prison's discarded chests and remains of dead warriors. I also have a bow and a quiver of arrows, several pieces of alchemical tools, lock-picks, bits of food, and other things that I'd scavenged to either use or sell when I could.

Perhaps I was a thief before. I don't like the idea of stealing from people when I can help it, but I do have a strong instinct for taking advantage of situations. I loot the creatures that I kill and harvest every plant I come across…I look in every box and chest that is untended or discarded. I have no doubt in my mind that I could survive this world. I can fight, and I can prevail.

My name at least never escaped my memory like my past did. I am called Eyes-of-Amber, because I have a hint of gold around the usual red of my irises.

I let out a sigh and returned my gaze to the surroundings, which had darkened in my minutes of solitude on the dock. Above me, the stars were a veil against the sky and the moons hung like they were the artwork of the Nine, the very gods, on display.

I felt tears stinging my eyes. Oh, Gods…how beautiful. Have I ever seen the sky before? All of this?

I felt undeserving again. But, as my hand fumbled around the pockets in my trousers, they closed around an artifact. Carefully, reverently, I held it up to the waning light. Curiously, I held it up and made as if to place it around my own neck. But instantly it fell off and back into my hands, rejecting me.

The Amulet of Kings. A pendant of unbelievable power, given to the heirs of the Dragonblood; the rulers of Cyrodiil.

Emperor Uriel Septim gave it to me upon dying down in those catacombs…his killers, men wearing conjured armor and donning red robes, had relentlessly hampered any attempt at getting him to safety. He was knifed, right in front of me.

His last words still haunt my mind…and I started to feel the weight and the importance of the task I was given.

The throne of the Imperial City is without an Emperor…but there is hope in the form of an illegitimate heir. I was told to find a man named Jauffre at Weynon Priory, on the path to the city of Chorrol to the west, for help in finding this heir and returning the amulet to him so that the world can be at balance.

"Close shut the jaws of Oblivion…"

A shudder ran up my spine, and I clutched the amulet tightly. I could feel its magic energy, but I wouldn't be granted it. It belonged around the neck of the Emperor.

To think that the Emperor, the Blades…would trust ME, a lowly, random prisoner…with THIS.

I felt burdened. There was a side of me that wanted nothing to do with it. But another side cried out just as harshly. I couldn't just abandon what I'd been given. I was free. But there was a price.

Maybe…

I looked up to the horizon again, and let my view wander back to that steel gate that I'd crawled out of. From the reeking, vile, monster-infested underground to have the chance...seeing, feeling, seizing the glory of the outside world, I'd been brought out by an impossible twist of fate and test of will.

It was decided.

"My freedom was given to me. The least I could do is earn it," I murmured just to hear the sound of my voice, placing the Amulet of Kings back into the pack I'd scavenged along with my other things and took out my map.

Weynon Priory was quite a trek away. The quickest route would be to cross the lake (and oh how I wanted to swim again…), and stick to the road going west. And hope that the patrolling guards wouldn't recognize me as an escaped prisoner. At least I would be seeing so much of the rest of the province along the way. I had such a sense of exploration, and little idea of where to start. The ruins on the little island near the far end looked quite inviting too, in fact.

But my task was as good a start as any. Gathering myself and armed with my bow in case of trouble, I instantly dove into those cool lake waters and worked my limbs to spirit myself to the other side. I felt my strength returning, and tired muscles that were deteriorating from a life behind bars were crying out in the wondrous pain of being rejuvenated.

Return the amulet. Fulfill the dead Emperor's wishes. And then, maybe, perhaps, make a new life for myself with the second chance I was gifted.

"In your face, I behold the sun's companion. The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness."

It would be a long time before I knew what the Emperor truly meant. But as I pondered those words, swimming and running to meet my fate, I couldn't help but hope that it was only the short and sweet rant of a king who knew that he was going to die.