Unknown
Author's note: Okay, this is my first fanfic but-before you hurl yourselves behind the sofa in fear-pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese give it a chance as I've worked really hard on it and am quite happy with the end result (whether you dear readers will agree is another matter entirely). It was originally posted ages ago but, upon reading, decided it was crap and started again. The entire story has already been written so the updates shall be thick and fast, with no threat of hiatus. I have my wonderful babby sis Frenetic-Kinetic to thank for proof reading and most of my research was done using UESP wiki, so if anyone spots any inaccuracies I shall shoulder the blame before shrugging it onto them immediately ;). I did my best to eliminate spelling errors of names and places but if anyone spots any please let me know. Now, without further ado, let the first chapter commence!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even my own soul. I gave it up for cookies. Mmmmmm...cookies
Silver.
It's a dull blur in the distance filtering through long lashes as I muster all my strength to lift my eyelids. Dull aching caresses my forehead as coherent consciousness eludes me. My location is a temporary enigma that slowly starts to solve itself as my vision clears. The distant silvery blur is in fact tendrils of moonlight entering through a barred window positioned high above me. I realise that I am lying on my back as I try to position my head to get a better look at my surroundings, the protesting aches preventing me from doing so effectively. I close my eyes again for a moment before raising myself into a sitting position as several groans voice my body's disapproval at the upheaval. Carefully, I surveying my surroundings. The moonlight mingles with the amber torchlight to illuminate what appears to be a prison cell. Why the Hell am I in a prison? What happened to me? I panic when I realise that I cannot remember. I tunnel deeper and deeper into my memory, but it is a vacant, bottomless pit. After several deep, sobering breaths to chase away the remaining grogginess, I attempt to recover the last memory I have, but to no avail as panic-induced adrenaline fogs my brain. A voice informs me I am not alone as it cuts through my train of thought.
"Oh, look, an Imperial in the Imperial Prison. I guess they don't play favourites, huh?"
His words take longer to process than they should; possibly a side effect of amnesia? My perplexed silence fails to dissuade his taunting.
"Your own kinsmen think you're a piece of human trash. How sad."
Another chorus of groans accompanies my clumsy attempt to stand and I have to lean against the stone wall on my left to remain upright. I stagger towards the metal gate at the front of my cell and grip the bars for support, allowing me a good look at the owner of the snarky voice. His white hair is swept back from his thin, olive-coloured face, allowing me to see the contemptuous expression painting it. His scowling blood-red eyes tell me that, despite being a fellow prisoner, he clearly views me as an inferior being. My hackles rise.
"Who-?" I begin.
"I bet the guards give you 'special' treatment before the end," he interjects, cutting my sentence off completely. "Oh, that's right. You're going to die in here, Imperial! You're going to die!"
I have officially had enough of the low-life at this point. When I get my hands on him, I'm going to cut open his...I stop myself. Where had that thought just come from?
His pompous words assault my ears once again."Imperial criminal scum like you give the Empire a bad name, you see. You're an embarrassment. Best if you just... disappeared."
Imperial. He keeps calling me that. What does it mean? Is it a race or a title? Maybe it is just the ramblings of a bitter criminal-more than likely to be honest-but my curiosity is piqued enough for me to put aside murderous feelings to ask questions. Before my curiosity can be sated, however, my fellow prisoner interrupts me yet again.
"Hey, you hear that? The guards are coming for you! Hehehehe."
I hope he dies a slow, painful death, but, true to his word, distant voices echo from the staircase next to his cell. I press the side of my face to the gate to hear better but it takes a minute or two for their words to become audible.
"My sons, they're dead, aren't they?" an elderly male voice whispers.
"We don't know that, Sire," replies a stern feminine tenor. "The messenger said they were only attacked."
"No, they're dead. I know it." The elder voice is full of sorrow and regret.
"My job right now is to get you to safety."
Before I know it, four people stand before my cell. Three are armour-clad: the stern woman and two other men. The owner of the elderly voice is dressed in such regal finery that I feel my knees fidget to give an unbidden curtsey; I manage to hold them still.
"What's this prisoner doing here?" She looks at me with furious eyes but doesn't seem to actually see me. The other prisoner called me an Imperial; perhaps these four are too and wish to disassociate themselves from me by looking through instead of at me. "This cell is supposed to be off-limits!"
One of her armoured companions mumbles apologetic excuses before she orders him to open the gate and tells me to stand by the window at the back of the cell. I obey, wondering what is going on. Are they here to see me? If not, then what's so special about this cell? Why can't I remember anything?
All derision has ceased from my fellow prisoner as he watches them enter my cell. The elderly man stops before me, staring and making no attempt to hide it. The skin around his eyes creases as he frowns before they widen in-was that recognition?
"You... I've seen you..." he breathes in astonishment. He takes a step towards me that I counter with one backwards. He advances once more. The wall behind me ceases my retreat. "Let me see your face... you are the one from my dreams..."
Whoa! Hold on a minute. Dreams?
He continues, oblivious to the discomfort that must be plainly evident on my face. "Then the stars were right, and this is the day. Gods give me strength."
"W-what's going on?" my cracked voice seems alien to my ears, the words escaping my lips before I can stop them.
"Assassins attacked my sons, and I'm next. My Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell."
"Why am I in jail?" Only once I've asked the question does the absurdity of it hit me. How would he bloody know? And as it turns out, he doesn't, but his answers to everything seem so mystical and cryptic. It makes me wonder who he is.
"I am your Emperor, Uriel Septim," he answers. I need to keep track of what does and doesn't come out of my mouth; it would get me into trouble soon. "By the grace of the gods, I serve Tamriel as her ruler. You are a citizen of Tamriel, and you, too shall serve her in your own way."
"What should I do?" I ask helplessly, finding nothing else to say.
"You will find your own path," he replies, warmly. "Take care... there will be blood and death before the end."
I'm left dumbfounded by the Emperor's words as he and his Blades leave through a secret door in the stone wall facing me.
"Looks like this is your lucky day, stay out of our way," says the darker-skinned soldier to me before following the others and disappearing round the corner.
My head is a swirling mess of bewilderment as I process the last few minutes. To the end of my days I shall never fully comprehend what exactly has happened here. With a gaping great escape route beckoning me, I am not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Before running through it, I look over at the sour-faced prisoner in the cell opposite. Is it possible to enjoy this victory over him a little too much? No.
"I could get used to this "special" treatment. Farewell!" I smile smugly and wave goodbye before leaving my cell, uncertain of the fate ahead but more than ready to meet it.
000
Crunch, crunch, crunch! The sound of dusty soil beneath my feet is almost deafening against the unnatural silence of the caverns. I have had to make my own way through here, as the Emperor's bodyguards, making no secret of their distrust, locked the door to their exit behind them before I could follow. Bastards! Oh well, I suppose this way hasn't been too bad if you discount the numerous giant rats, goblins and zombies I've encountered along the way. The rusted axe I found near the cavern's crumbling entrance was a great help. My left wrist throbs from the deep gash decorating it and goodness knows how many other bruises and minor injuries I've received so far, but the pale luminance ahead gives me hope that I am nearing the end of this murky path.
Echoes of familiar voices accompany the light and I arrive at a gaping fissure, only just realising in time that it is quite a height from the ground below. I see the Emperor and his Blades stop, murmuring to each other. I contemplate whether to rejoin them or wait until they are gone. The escape route of this place is a complete mystery to me, so following them would be best, but, having been shafted by them once already, I doubt they would have a sudden change of heart this time.
Just as I decide to climb down and join them, the stone pillar nearest the darker-skinned Blade begins to shimmer. I give my head a shake and wipe my eyes, assuming it is a fatigue-fuelled optical illusion, but it remains when I look back. The shimmering pillar starts to change colour, the pale grey stone shifting to a dull orange before an outburst of flames proceeds the arrival of three-what are they? Humanoid in shape, their...armour...skin...whatever it is covering them looks almost reptilian, scorched and black with patches of vivid scarlet peeking from beneath. An unearthly, distorted howl comes from the leader of the hellish trio as it swings its mace in the air, aiming for the Emperor. The attack is thwarted by the dark-skinned Blade, decapitating the monster with a deft lunge of his sword. The remaining two attackers circle their prey, unintelligible hollers of outrage spewing from their mouths. The female Blade attempts to usher the Emperor to a safe corner, but he is obviously no mere timid old man, his own sword raised defensively to block the blows of his assailants. In her momentary distraction, the female Blade is overwhelmed by one of the aggressors. A fatal strike of a mace to the head sends her to the ground, a savage kick in the face ensuring she doesn't rise anytime soon.
The inhuman barbarity sends shivers down my spine. My breathing is hoarse but the emotions accompanying those shivers are what alarm me most. Shock mingles with a menacing breed of perverse pleasure and my eyes widen as I find myself transfixed by the ghastly skirmish, each clash of weapons taking my breath away. It takes all my strength to avert my eyes, squeezing them shut and covering my ears with my hands. The muffled sounds of battle continue for what seems like an age, each agonising cry of pain sending a shudder through my body until, at last, mournful silence takes over.
Slowly opening my eyes and lowering my trembling hands, I peer out from the hole once more to see the carnage below. Five dead bodies are strewn about the blood soaked ground. Two are Blades, but the other three are not the nightmarish ghouls I saw a moment ago; they are three men clad in red velvet robes. Are they the creatures that had just attacked the Emperor? What kind of dark magic gave them their monstrous appearance? As I try to make some sort of sense of everything that is happening, a shout returns me to the present. The two survivors, the Emperor and the dark-skinned Blade, are looking right at me, the Blade ordering me to come down from my vantage point. Regaining some sort of composure, I awkwardly make my way down, landing clumsily at the Emperor's feet. Without giving me so much as a second to get to stand, the Blade's face is inches from mine, insisting I am working with the enemy and calling for my execution. I stumble back, the fury and grief on his countenance overwhelming me.
"Wait," the Emperor says, placing a restraining hand on his bodyguard's shoulder. "She is not our enemy, she will help us." He turns to me, his pale, slate-coloured eyes boring into mine. "Come with us."
I fail to see what choice I have; they are the only ones who know the way out, although the prospect of meeting more of those things is not one I relish.
"What is your name?" asks the Blade, impatiently.
I'm left completely stumped. What is my name? The most commonly-asked and easily-answered question faced by every single person in the world and I can't answer even if my life depended on it. What the Hell is my bloody name? A gaping black hole is residing where any sort of memory of my identity should be.
"I...I..." My lack of coherent response seems to infuriate him even more as he heads to the wall on my right, plucking the unlit torch from its mount. He murmurs a few words under his breath and a ball of flame flies from his hand to the torch, illuminating our faces with an orange glow. He shoves the torch brusquely into my hands and I fight back the tears threatening to douse my face. The Blade heads to the body of his female companion and takes a few moments to quietly study her before relieving her of her sword.
"Have you any skill with a blade?" he asks, handing me the weapon. I shake my head and he sighs. "Well, let us hope you are a quick learner. Now, stay close and do as I say."
He moves forward, the Emperor following whilst I trail behind them both. My mind is awash with confusion and countless questions. I pray to any god that will listen for the Blade to stay alive, otherwise, left to me, the Emperor's safety is in serious peril.
000
Not five minutes have passed before I spot another shimmer in the air and two more hideous assassins attack us. The Blade is more than capable of holding them off, wielding his sword like it is an extension of his own arm. Watching him, I once again feel that disconcerting bloodlust bubble in the pit of my stomach, dancing mischievously with my terror. I manage to contain it enough for no one to notice as we continue onwards. When we reach a barred door that leads to the sewers, the Blade attempts to push it open, but it doesn't move and he lets out an oath that reverberates off the surrounding stone walls.
"It's jammed!" he hisses, anger and frustration dripping from every word. He takes a few steps back and kicks the door with all the strength he can muster; again to no avail. Another curse and he looks around wildly. I wonder if the stress of this day has become too much for him; perhaps he is going mad.
"It's a trap," he continues, his eyes still searching his surroundings. "We need to get you somewhere safe, Your Highness."
The Blade guides us to a wall with an opening that, unless shown, I never would have realised was there, leading to a small room. He turns to me.
"Stay here while I look around for another way out. Protect the Emperor at all costs."
He disappears through the opening, leaving me with an impossible task. The old man looks at me for a moment before stepping closer.
"I can go no further," he says solemnly. "My time is over, I can feel it."
"W-what...?"
He holds up a hand to silence me. "You must help me...the Dragonfires, they must be lit! You're now all that stands between Oblivion and the destruction of our world."
"I don't under-"
"You must listen! Take this." He reaches round to the back of his neck and removes a large gold necklace, handing it to me. It weighs a ton and my jaw drops in awe. The blood red jewel hanging from it is beautiful-and massive. The Emperor continues. "This is the Amulet of Kings. Only one carrying the Septim blood can use it to light the Dragonfires."
"But you said all your sons were-"
Again, he silences me with a raised hand. "I know they are dead but there is one left. He is my illegitimate youngest son and the only person who knows he even exists is Brother Jauffre. Go to him and deliver this amulet. Help them close shut the jaws of Oblivion! "
Before I can even begin to argue, a blast of hot air knocks both of us to the ground. My sword lands several feet away and I turn to see another of those assassins emerge from the flames. Up close, it is even more gruesome looking than the others and a scream escapes my lips. In the blink of an eye its mace smashes the skull of the Emperor to a bloody pulp and chunks of flesh slap against the wall beside me. With my own life in danger there is no sign of the hazy bloodlust, survival instinct kicking in instead. I scramble on all fours towards my sword and my adrenaline-pumped body takes several tries to grasp the hilt firmly as I hear those terrible guttural shrieks behind me. I turn just as the assassin raises its arm for one powerful death strike that will end my existence. My entire body is paralyzed with fear as I realise there is nothing I can do; my life is about to end right here. Suddenly, the assailant stops mid-swing, its dreadful face contorted in what might be confusion. It studies me carefully and its eyes widen with the same recognition as the Emperor's had done. The creature's mouth opens and a garbled word escapes its lips. When I don't respond, it steps closer, repeating the word. I try to make it out. Lin? Line-ay? Linnay?
It drops the weapon to the ground and crouches before me, saying the word a third and final time, slower for me to understand. I make it out to be Linny but what does that mean? It raises a hand tentatively to my face and gnarled fingers are about to brush my cheek when a wave of blood sprays over me and the wall behind, the tip of a sword poking through the creature's chest. It collapses on top of me, nearly crushing me with its weight. I crane my neck to look over the body, seeing the Blade looming above. He helps me roll the dead body to the ground before offering a hand to help me stand. I tremble from head to toe with shock. The Blade supports me with an arm around my waist as he looks at the bloodied form of his dead master. A dark fury clouds his face.
"Are you alright?" he asks, the anger leaving his face but not his voice. "What was that thing doing to you?"
Try as he may to hide it, the suspicion is still blatant in his words. I push away from him.
"I have no idea what it was doing!" My voice is hoarse and wobbly, tears streaming down my face. "I have no idea about ANYTHING!" The events of the last few hours are too much for me. I don't know who or where I am or what is going on and I've had enough. I need answers. "The Emperor gave me this." I hold out the amulet and the Blade's face turns ashen. "He told me to take it to someone called Brother Jauffre."
"But, the Emperor's sons...they're all dead. Without them-"
"He said he has an illegitimate son, but only this Jauffre knows about him."
"Jauffre? He's the Grandmaster of the Blades." The Blade takes a moment to think before continuing. "The Emperor must have seen or known something about you the rest of us couldn't. I don't know what it was and I don't like it but I have to trust you to take this to Jauffre. He resides in Weynon Priory, just outside of Chorrol. We must get the amulet to him at once."
A/N: Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnnn! Reviews are like cookies and I be the Cookie Monster...did I mention I like cookies?