I backed up, barely getting my sword up in time to block the assassin's strike. He was stronger than me. If he'd had the chance, I'd have already been dead, but he was just a bit too slow. As he raised his mace to strike again, I slashed his unarmored stomach open with a single swipe. I hastily jumped back to avoid the resulting gore. The man crumpled to the ground, dead at my feet.

I stood there, shaking all over, not sure whether my knees would hold out or if I'd collapse from the strain of it all. Heavy footsteps crashed over the stones of the floor and echoed up into the ceiling as Baurus stumbled back in. His armor was covered in blood, and I wasn't sure how much of it was his. Some of it was even smeared across his dark face, beneath his helmet. His eyes swung wildly from me, to the dead assassin, to the Emperor's body. He sunk to his knees, his armor letting out a metallic clank as it made contact with the floor.

"No… Talos save us…" He groaned. I saw him reach out to the old man before his gauntlet clenched into an angry fist.

"Sir?" I asked quietly.

"We've failed. I've failed… The Blades are sworn to protect the Emperor, and now he and all his heirs are dead…" Then he stiffened. "The Amulet, where's the Amulet of Kings?" He jumped to his feet, obviously panicked at its absence. "It's not on the Emperor's body."

For the first time, I remembered the pendant I held in my hands. I looked at it, staring into the cut surface of the blood-red jewel. "The Emperor, he… he gave it to me." I held it out, showing it to the shocked Blade.

"Strange," he murmured. "He saw something in you. Trusted you."

"I wish I knew why…" I said, mostly to myself. I was a prisoner that just happened to be in his path, and suddenly he trusted me with the fate of the Empire? Why? I was nothing more than a no-good thief. Not even that anymore. I was no one.

"They say it's the Dragon Blood that flows through the veins of every Septim. They see more than lesser men." Indicating the amulet, he said, "The Amulet of Kings is a sacred symbol of the Empire. Most people think of the Red Dragon Crown, but that's just jewelry. The Amulet has power. Only a true heir of the Blood can wear it, they say. He must have given it to you for a reason. Did he say why?"

I shook my head, trying to remember what the Emperor had told me. "He said I was supposed to take it to someone named Jauffre. I think."

Baurus frowned, clearly puzzled. "Jauffre? He said that? Why?"

"Because… because there's another heir?"

He shrugged. "Nothing I ever heard about, but Jauffre would be the one to know. He's the Grandmaster of my Order." He paused at that and, with a chuckled, added, "Although you may not think so to meet him. He lives quietly as a monk at Weynon Priory, near the city of Chorrol."

"How do I get there?"

"First you need to get out of here. Through that door must be the entrance to the sewers, past the locked gate. That's where we were heading. It's a secret way out of the city. Or it was supposed to be secret," he amended ruefully. "Here. You'll need this key for the last door into the sewers."

"The sewers?" I asked after taking the key he offered, peering past him at the dark hole in the wall.

"There are rats and goblins down there… but from what I've seen of you, you were a forester. Am I right?"

I looked at him askance. "What makes you say that?"

"The way you fight. You've got some Legion training."

I couldn't help the bitter chuckle that escaped me. "Yes, I was trained by someone in the Legion, but that was a long time ago. I'm not one of them."

"Well, if anyone can handle it, I'd say it's you."

I shook my head. The sooner all of it was over with, the better.

"After the sewers, then what?"

"You must get the Amulet to Jauffre. Take no chances, but proceed to Weynon Priory immediately. Got it?"

I stuffed the Amulet in my pocket. "Yes, but… this is all so…"

"Easy," he said. "You'll be fine. No one's more surprised that me that I'm sending a prisoner off with the Amulet of Kings. But the Emperor trusted you for a reason, and I trust the Emperor."

I nodded slowly. "And what about you? What will you do?"

"I'll stay here to guard the Emperor's body and make sure no one follows you. You'd better get moving. May Talos guide you."

I started for the door. I'd barely taken two steps when I stopped and turned back. Unstrapping the sword from my hip, I held it out to Baurus. "Here, this was Renault's. I thought you'd want to have it back."

He took it from me. "Thank you. I'll see that it is given a place of honor in the halls of the Blades."

I turned away from the mourning Blade and climbed through the hole in the wall to face whatever lay beyond.


For some time, I was worried that the sewers were never going to end. They just seemed to keep going; endless, winding tunnels full of goblins and skeevers. Tantalizing glimpses of sky were visible out of grates in the ceiling high above my head. But then I saw a round, low-ceilinged tunnel ahead. At its end was a barred gate, and past that… light. Sunlight. I let out a relieved, strangled sound that might have passed for a laugh. I ran forward, my boots slapping over the wet stone ground. I grabbed the rusted handle, wrenched it back, pulled the gate open, and stumbled out.

I blinked in the suddenly bright light as I stepped out of the tunnel. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I gazed out at my surroundings. The tunnel was built into the side of a hill overlooking a wide lake. Lake Rumare, probably, which meant I was still somewhere on the City Isle. Early evening sunlight cast long shadows over the grass and the surface of the water. Across the water I could see the gleaming marble arches of a ruin and, beyond that, rolling hills that were covered in trees. I hadn't had a chance to see the Heartlands of Cyrodiil in daylight; it had been night when I'd arrived in the city. It was so… different than Morrowind. The absence of the giant mushrooms was honestly a bit strange.

I trudged down to the edge of the lake. As I did, a small blue butterfly flitted past my nose. I batted it away impatiently. Kneeling on the bank, I splashed some water on my face to clear off some of the dirt and blood I knew was coated on it. Then I rinsed out my hair. After wringing as much of the water out of it as I could, I tied it all back in a ponytail to keep it out of my face.

Night was falling fast, and I wanted to be under cover as quickly as possible. The city was my best bet, so I tromped up the hill toward the gate. I hadn't even made it past the waterfront when I was arrested, so I had no idea where I was going. By the time I reached the gate, the sun had set below the city's high stone walls. The sky high above me was a deep, burning orange and the cobbled road was bathed in dark blue shadows. The guard that let me in eyed me suspiciously. Guards always made me a little skittish, even after several years out of the business.

Trying not to shake, I gave him my best sheepish smile. "Sorry to bother you, but I need to get someplace, and I don't…"

"Not from around here?" He asked. I shook my head. "What are you looking for?"

"Somewhere to sleep for the night. I'm off in the morning."

"Well, the closest place is the Merchant's Inn. It's just down the street and to the left."

"Thank you so much."

He nodded and went back to his post. "Stay safe, citizen. These are dark times."

I felt the Amulet, heavy in my pocket.

"Don't I know it…?" I murmured as I walked away.

True to his word, I found the Merchant's Inn exactly where he said it would be. I walked up the front steps and into the inn, feeling more than a little out of place in my musty armor. Luckily, it was nearly empty. The man behind the counter gave me a quizzical look as I walked up, but otherwise said nothing.

"How much for a bed for the night?" I asked.

"Twenty Septims."

It wasn't cheap by any standard and I felt myself cringe a bit as I pulled the drakes out of my pocket. All I could hope was for some kind of compensation after I delivered the Amulet.

The man took the gold I handed to him and gave me a key in return, saying, "It's up the stairs there, first door on your left. Sleep well."

I followed his instructions, climbing the stairs at the back of the inn and going through the door to my room. It was bigger than most I'd seen in Morrowind, certainly bigger than most of the one's I'd lived in, but I expected that from this city. I stripped out of my armor and dumped my weapons in the chair, keeping my knife with me. Then, sitting down on the bed, I pulled out the amulet and studied it. To be honest, it was a gaudy thing. The red diamond set into the gold was as long as my palm. Eight smaller stones in various colors surrounded the larger gem. I frowned and turned it over in my hands. What was so special about this particular amulet that made it so powerful? I considered putting it around my neck, just to see what would happen, but thought better of it.

Still holding it tightly, I snuffed out the candle and went to sleep.


When I stepped out of the inn in the morning, it was raining. I swore under my breath and tugged my hood up to shield my head from the drops. Wasn't that just my luck? I was beginning to wonder if the gods hated me. I'd certainly done enough in the past to warrant it.

I spent some time in the shops around the Market District, getting what supplies I could with the meager drakes I'd managed to scavenge from the catacombs. The coins turned out to be enough, barely, and the rain finally settled by the time I was finished.

When I left the Imperial City, I took the bridge leading away from the City Isle, passed the town on the other side, and headed north. There were a few lone farms near the road, along with the crumbling remains of old ruins. Abandoned forts, by the look of them. The old stone walls had totally fallen down in some places. Where they were still standing, they were covered in grasses or tangled ivy. In the distance, I spotted what I thought might be deer roaming in the ruins. Even though I couldn't see any obvious threats, a feeling of unease still crept through me. I drew my bow and kept an arrow on the bowstring, just in case my intuition turned out to be correct.

As I passed beneath a stone archway, I heard a nearby voice purr, "Hand over all your gold and things may not get… ugly."

My gaze snapped to the right to see a Khajiit walking toward me from the bushes alongside the road. He was dressed in tattered clothes and mismatched armor. There were a number of braids in his straw-colored mane. In one of his clawed hands he brandished a dagger.

"Oh sweet Divines, you have got to be kidding me," I groaned.

He hissed. "I will gut you, stupid woman!"

When I fired my arrow at him, he dodged the shot. He swiped at me with his dagger and I caught his wrist, stopping the blow. Yanking an arrow out of my quiver, I jammed it into his neck. I quickly ripped it out and blood poured from the open wound. The bandit staggered toward me and I took a step back to stay out of his reach. He let out a gurgling sound as he sank to his knees and tried to stem the flow of blood.

"Dark… moons… upon…"

"Shut up," I snapped.

He fell forward after that, his body going slack. His tail twitched once. I saw his yellow eyes go glassy.

Once I was sure he was dead, I knelt down and took the purse from his belt. To my satisfaction, I saw that there was more in there than I'd gotten from the catacombs and sewers. There were also lockpicks, which I tucked away in the base of my ponytail. With that done, I dragged the body off the road. I straightened with a sigh and looked down the road ahead.

It was going to be a long walk.


It took me nearly a week to reach Weynon Priory. The ruin-dotted hills eventually gave way to dense woods. The trees made my skin crawl uncomfortably. The closest thing I remembered like that in Morrowind was the swamps of the Bitter Coast, and they could easily be deadly. Everything in the woods was hushed and closed as I walked, save for the echoes of birdsong. At night, I could hear the sound of wolves howling in the distance. I didn't like it at all and was grateful when I finally saw the Priory up the road ahead.

A large house with steepled roofs dominated the Priory. There was also a small separate chapel on the far side of the compound and a well in front of the house. I walked around it, brushing my fingertips over the stones forming its sides, and went up to the front door. After knocking twice, I stepped back and waited. It wasn't long before a man in black robes opened the door and gave me a polite smile.

"Welcome to Weynon Priory," he said, "a monastic retreat dedicated to Talos and the Nine Divines. I'm Prior Maborel, head of our community, and responsible for all secular and religious affairs. How may I help you?"

"I need to speak to Brother Jauffre. Please. It's important."

"Very well. You'll most likely find him in the library." He let me pass by and pointed up a flight of stairs. "It's up there."

"Thank you."

I went upstairs, as Prior Maborel had indicated, and turned right to find the library. At the far end of the room, sitting at a desk and writing something in a large leather-bound notebook, was an old man garbed in plain brown robes. He looked up as I approached and raised one gray brow.

"Brother Jauffre?" I asked.

His gaze was wary, as if he was examining me to see if I was worth his attention. "Yes, I am Brother Jauffre. What do you want?"

"The Emperor sent me to find you."

"Emperor Uriel?" He asked sharply, putting down his quill and closing the book with a snap. "Do you know something about his death?"

"Yes. I was there when he died."

"You'd better explain yourself. Now."

"He gave me the Amulet of Kings."

"You brought me the Amulet of Kings? This cannot be. Let me see it." I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to him. He took it carefully, cradling the pendant in his hands. There was a stunned look on his face. "By the Nine, this is the Amulet of Kings!" He looked up at me, gaze once again calculating. "Who are you? How did you get this? What do you know of the Emperor's death?"

I took a deep breath. "My name is Mara Fides, Father, and I'm no one, really. I crossed the Emperor's path soon before he was killed. Before he died, he gave the Amulet to me and said that I should take it to you. And he said…" I wracked my brains, trying to remember the exact words. "… He said, "Find him, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion.""

Jauffre sighed and set the Amulet down on the desk. "As unlikely as your story sounds, I believe you. Only the strange destiny of Uriel Septim could have brought you to me carrying the Amulet of Kings."

"He mentioned something about the "Prince of Destruction"… who is that, exactly?"

"The Prince of Destruction he referred to is none other than Mehrunes Dagon, one of the lords of the demonic world of Oblivion," Jauffre told me, his voice grim. "The Emperor's words – "Close shut the Jaws of Oblivion" – certainly suggest that he perceived some threat from Oblivion. But all the scholars agree that the mortal world is protected from the daedra of Oblivion by magical barriers."

"Then how can the daedra threaten us?"

"I'm not sure. Only the Emperors truly understand the meaning behind the rituals of coronation. The Amulet of Kings is ancient; Saint Alessia herself received it from the gods. It is a holy relic of great power. When an Emperor is crowned, he uses the Amulet to light the Dragonfires at the Temple of the One in the Imperial City. With the Emperor dead and no new heir crowned, the Dragonfires will be dark for the first time in centuries. It may be that the Dragonfires protected us from a threat that only the Emperor was aware of."

"There's one more thing," I said hesitantly. "The Emperor asked me to find his last son."

Jauffre clasped his hands on top of the desk. Leaning forward, he said in a quiet, solemn voice, "I am one of the few who know of his existence. Many years ago, I served as captain of Uriel's bodyguards, the Blades. One night, Uriel called me into his private chambers. A baby boy was sleeping in a basket. Uriel told me to deliver him somewhere safe. He never told me anything else about the baby, but I knew it was his son. From time to time he would ask about the child's progress. Now, it seems that this illegitimate son is the heir to the Septim Throne… if he yet lives."

I sighed, knowing I wasn't out of this just yet, and asked, "Where can I find him?"

"His name is Martin. He serves Akatosh in the Chapel in the city of Kvatch, south of here. You must go to Kvatch and find him at once. If the enemy is aware of his existence, as seems likely, he is in terrible danger. And, please, let me know if there's anything you need. My resources here are limited, but I will help in any way I can."

"Do you have any supplies I can take?"

"Yes. I keep a few things here in my chest to resupply traveling Blades." He got up and went over to a chest nestled between two bookcases. I heard the click of a lock, and he pulled open the lid. "Help yourself to whatever you need."

I knelt down and examined the contents. There was some leather armor that looked like it was in much better shape than the ratty set I wore, a new bow, a quiver of steel-tipped arrows, a map, and a couple of potions that I recognized as medicinal from their smell. Pulling them all out, I found a place to change into my new gear. Jauffre was kind enough to take my old gear before I descended the stairs towards the door of the house.