Heroes of Tamriel - An Homage to Oblivion

by Anita-Swan66

I wrote this as a school project. It is based off Oblivion; The Elderscrolls, with some characters from the game, but mostly my own. The chapters switch between characters - telling the story from 5 P.O.Vs. The story line has also changed a bit - bits and pieces are taken from the game. Please read and enjoy!

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Tamriel's Last Stand

This was it was all Amara could think as they reached the gate to the entrance of the citadel. The bridge behind them had crumbled and fallen into the lava. There was no turning back. They pushed on the gate together. It opened slowly, only to reveal two Daedra, swords drawn and ready to fight. Amara drew her sword and waited for them to come at her. They started to move but Merik walked forward. She held a hand out in front of her.
"Stop" she commanded, her eyes closed. Amara could feel her magic flowing out of her like a cool breeze in the scorching heat of the Deadlands. The Daedra froze, staring at Merik. Amara saw a chance and took it. She ran her sword through one of them and set the other one aflame with her magic.
"I see you're getting better with that Glamour of yours" Lucien said, his voice not entirely happy. Amara looked back to see Laen, Zylien and Lucien all frozen in motion. Amara laughed as Merik let them free. The inside of the citadel felt hot, as if they were inside an oven. The room was circular with black steel walls. The only light they had came from a pit in the middle of the floor, where a fire large enough to reach to the next floor sat. Sweat started to pour down Amara's face. She tried to hold onto the walls to keep her from falling over, but as soon as her hands touched the wall she had to pull it away. The walls were hotter than freshly made metal. She hissed as she cradled her burnt hand. She lifted it shakily into the air and took a breath as deep as she could. As she let it out, she healed her hand with a white light.
"We'll never live it d-down if we die on the first floor" Zylien coughed as he helped Merik walk.
"Can you imagine the stories people will read their children?" Laen smiled, "'papa, read me the one about how the heroes died of dehydration'" he mimicked the voice of a small child. Zylien made a noise between a cough and a laugh. Lucien came to stand next to Amara.
"Are you ok?" she asked watching his face. He looked pale, even more so than the rest of them. He didn't look at her. He was too busy watching the pit of fire in the middle of the room. He kept feeling his arms, trying to find the burns he had gotten only minutes ago.
"Hmmm?" he said, eyes still wide, staring at the fire. How could she have been so stupid? She hadn't forgotten; she'd just pushed it to the back of her mind.
"Oh Lucien, I'm so sorry" she went to touch him but their heat together would be too much to deal with. She had an idea. She wasn't sure if it would work; only because the fire reached through the second floor and maybe even to the top of the citadel. She kissed Lucien on the cheek and jogged to the edge of the fiery pit. It would be just her luck that she would fall in or worse, the fire would be immune to her magic. She held her hands out in front of her.
"Ekem" she whispered and her hands began to glow blue, "Ayem" she felt as if she was sticking her hands into cool running water, "Yoodt". At first the water came out slowly but after a moment it began to build up. The fire was strong and it felt as if it was fighting back, but Amara dug down inside of her, and felt her connection to Sheogorath. She used her Prince to enhance her strength. She felt him as if he was behind her, holding her hand again, like he had been the first time she went to Nox. She smiled as she became lost in memories, but her moment was ruined when someone touched her shoulder. Zylien stood beside her, Merik passed out in his arms.
"Is the water safe to drink?" he asked and Amara nodded. She knelt and cupped her hands. As she put them in the water she shivered. The room was losing heat quicker than she had expected. The only reason the light wasn't gone was that there were torches illuminating their sides of the room. The heroes drank the water Amara had created, but by the time Merik was able to walk on her own the room was so cold Amara could see her breath freeze in the air.
"We need to keep moving" Amara said looking for a door that wasn't going to lead them back out to the Deadlands. Eventually Laen found the door that lead to the second level. Amara took the lead, running up the stairs to the next floor. She had a feeling that something on the next floor was going to try to kill them. They reached the top of the stairs and stopped. There was a hole in the middle of the floor and one in the ceiling, where the fire would have gone through. Amara wondered what the fire was for. She went to get a closer look, but was stopped. Lucien had grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"What?" she asked looking around to see if she had missed anything.
"Traps, everywhere" he pointed to the dark floor. She followed his gaze but found nothing. She looked at everyone else. They looked as confused as she was. Lucien rolled his eyes and knelt on the steps. He laid a hand down in the darkness and pulled away almost immediately. Spikes sprang up out of the ground just in front of Amara. She stumbled back.
"Be careful, I think there might be traps" Merik said sarcastically, looking at the spikes. Amara had to smile; she was trying to lighten the mood. The spikes started to go back into the dark floor, and if Amara hadn't seen it first-hand, she never would have believed anything was there. Lucien took lead, stepping over the shadows into places he knew where safe. Amara followed, trying to step exactly where he did. Laen went next, following with ease. The same couldn't have been said about Merik. She tripped over her own feet. Amara turned when she heard Merik cry out. Laen had her arm as she dangled over one of the traps Lucien had walked over. He pulled her back and steadied her. Amara gave him a small nod as he turned back. She followed Lucien, and was thankful that he had stopped moving when she did. They made it the middle of the room where the fire should have been.
"What do you think the fire was for?" Laen asked looking up through the roof. The next floor was pitch black, but also the last floor. Amara took a deep breath and let it out. They needed to find the next door, without stepping in a trap. She had an idea, but knew the others wouldn't like it.
"I can get up there, with help, and find the door up there and work my way down." She said. Lucien denied it immediately, saying he wouldn't leave her alone. Laen wanted to go with her but backed down when she said she worked better when she didn't have to worry about other people. It was true and she didn't have time to be nice. She loved her friends and appreciated their help, but she knew how to work alone better than how to work in a team. Merik agreed with her, saying it would take less time if Amara found the door. Zylien didn't say anything. "You don't want me to go up, do you?" she asked and Zylien looked at the floor.
"I was the first person you saved Amara, I know how you work alone and how you change when you're with others. You ran head-first into the danger and didn't expect anyone to help you, but now you run in head-first, but now you look back to make sure none of us are hurt or dead" he said. He looked her in the eyes. "I was the one that needed saving, but now I'm going to do what I can to help you, even if can't go with you." He smiled, but his eyes were sad. He was worried she would go up and not come back down again. He dropped to his knees and put his hand flat on the ground, making sure he didn't touch the traps around them. The ground shook and Amara had to hold onto Lucien to keep from falling through to the first floor. She steadied herself and found three skeletons wearing shrouded armour in front of her.
"Thank you" she smiled at Zylien. Two of his skeletons knelt, facing eachother, and held their arms out to eachother. They held each other's elbows. Amara looked at Zylien and he nodded. She put her foot on their arms and pushed herself up so she was balanced, standing on top of the skeletons. Lucien had a hand on her back, making sure she didn't fall. She looked at the ledge above her. She could jump the rest of the way, but catching herself would be the hardest part. She closed her eyes, willing herself not to look down. She took a breath, counted to three, and let it out. As she opened her eyes, she bent her legs and with the added boost from the skeletons beneath her, she jumped towards the ledge. As she reached it, she grabbed on and hung over the hole in the floor. She pulled herself up and scrambled to the next floor, breathing heavy. She looked back down at her friends. Lucien was pale, but he looked relieved that she had made it. The third skeleton was preparing itself to jump, as she had done. Amara realized she hadn't checked her surroundings. She crouched and looked around her. The floor was completely black, and the only things Amara could see were the outlines of what looked like coffins standing vertically against the walls.
"Hefheld ekem yoodt" she whispered and a ball of white light materialized in front of her. The room became lighter. She stood up, seeing no threat. The skeleton had made its way up through the opening and was now standing beside her. The walls were grey stone. In front of it were five rectangular boxes that she had mistaken for coffins. They stood in a circle just three steps from the hole. Each stone container had Daedric writing carved into it. They were each of the Daedric Princes that had given a hero to defeat Mehrunes Dagon. Behind them, were banners each detailed with the colours and portrait of each Daedric Prince. Amara drew in a shaky breath and let it out slowly.
"Amara?" she heard Lucien call out. She had been quiet for too long and they'd gotten worried.
"Yeah, I'm ok, just processing what I've just seen" she called back, still staring at her surroundings.
"Is there a door somewhere?" Zylien asked. Amara had forgotten to look for a door. She cursed softly and looked around. There was a wooden door directly opposite the hole she had come through. She walked over to it, still aware of everything around her, encase there were more traps. There weren't, but it was better to be safe than end up with multiple wounds. The door was locked, and Amara had seen no keys on the way over. She suddenly went pale. A low growling sound came from the other side of the door. She ran back to the hole.
"I know where the door is, but you can only open it from your side. I'm going to come back down and show you where it is." She whispered. Even though they had been yelling at eachother, with no negative consequences, now she knew there had been someone listening, she decided to whisper- Logic. She dropped down into the hole, still hanging onto the sides and threw herself at the skeletons, which were still waiting for her. She landed with a thud in the arms of one of the bony figures. She scrambled away from it and landed on the floor. It was still unnerving that Zylien had made skeletons out of nothing.
"Amara, are you alright?" Lucien asked helping her up. She nodded.
"There's something on this side of the door, we need a plan before we go up. I'm not sure what it is, but we've come too far to be careless" she said and the others agreed. They voted that Lucien would shadow walk and Zylien would 'distract' whatever was blocking the doorway.
"Wait, why not me? I proved myself, I'm as brave as anyone in this room" Laen said. Amara sighed. He had proven that he could be brave, by pulling Lucien out of the fire and by going first on the bridge to the citadel. He was brave, but only because he needed to prove himself, but she couldn't explain it like that to him.
"We need Lucien to go, because he can move without being seen and Zylien is the best swordsman out of us all" Amara finally said. She turned to Lucien.
"I go up there and find out how to open the door, while Zylien gets the beastie out of the way?" He asked making sure he knew what he was doing.
"Yeah, now don't die before you get back to me" she went up on her tip-toes, so she was eye level with him and kissed him softly. She dropped back down and felt a smile creeping onto her face.
"Do I get a kiss too?" Zylien asked, his voice full of humour. Amara turned around and realised they had an audience. Merik was grinning ear to ear, Laen was blank faced, blinking at the two of them, and Zylien was smiling, his eyebrows raised. Amara scowled at them and turned back to Lucien for help, but he was staring dumbfounded at her too.
"The door's that way" she said pointing across the room. She knew she sounded grumpy, but none of them took it that way. Merik started laughing and Lucien went bright red. "Seriously?" she asked- it's like she's trying to have a grown-up conversation with children. Amara didn't like the idea of sending their best fighter up to face the creature alone, and it didn't matter that Lucien was going with him. Lucien wasn't fighting. Amara stood between the shadows as she watched Lucien and Zylien disappear through to the stair way to third floor.
"Something's bothered you Amara" Laen said carefully coming to stand beside Amara.
"I hate not being able to see them" she wanted to pace around the room, but she had no idea where the traps were.
"I'm sure they'll be fine" he said, giving her a smile that should have re-assured her, but it didn't.
"There is a way you could see them" Merik said, "Magic"
"What makes you think I know how to do something like that?" Amara asked, and Merik smiled.
"Cause I've seen you in action." Merik replied. Amara knew she was right. She had an affinity for magic, she always had. She closed her eyes and pictured where she thought Lucien was. It was like trying to find the needle in a haystack, when it was pitch black and there was no needle.
"Vekh oht iya roht" she whispered, and as she opened her eyes she saw Zylien walking quietly up the staircase. Everything looked as if it was seeing the room through a blue filter. She heard her heart beat echo another's; Lucien's. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through him as he moved, pressed against the walls. He wasn't afraid of what would greet them at the top of the stairs.
"Lucien, we need to pick up the pace. Stay with me" She heard Zylien's voice. It sounded like he was speaking to her from underwater. Lucien didn't nod or make a sound, but he picked up his pace and moved with Zylien up the winding steps. She thought it was strange how Zylien trusted Lucien this much, especially after he had hated Lucien the first time they met. She thought, perhaps, they had proven themselves to eachother while she was in Nox. It felt like so long ago, waking up in the cold cell, meeting the strange hooded figure that was Lucien, working alongside a weak stomached Dunmer that turned out to be one of the best fighters she'd ever met. She focused back on where Lucien was. She saw them turn around the last bend. Blocking the door was a smaller version of what Mehrunes Dagon had looked like when he had gone through the Oblivion Gate, although he was less terrifying. Amara thought that is was probably the size of Mehrunes Dagon that scared her the most, only because looking at the miniature version, which it was compared to the original; it didn't have the same kick to it. She could feel Lucien trying to stop himself from laughing. Even in the face of danger he still had a sense of humour. The beast growled at Zylien and started to move away from the door, but there was no way Lucien could get past it. She underestimated him. Instead of going around the beast he went through it, because that makes a lot of sense, why wouldn't he just go through the object blocking his path. Amara rolled her eyes. Lucien stood at the door and pushed it. It didn't open and he cursed softly. There was a key hole but the mini-Dagon, wore no keys.
"Lucien" Amara whispered, hoping he could hear her as she could hear him.
"Amara?" he turned around, as if he expected to see her.
"Shush, don't answer, just listen. You need a key to get in, I can feel it is magic protected which means I'm off the playing field, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the wannabe Dagon has the keys somewhere out of sight" she said and Lucien studied the creature.
"What do you want me to do, grope it until I find something key shaped?" he hissed. Amara scowled. He wasn't going to make this easy.
"Nope" she smiled, and it wasn't one of her warm smiles. It was cold. The kind of smile you would see on a certain Prince of Madness, who shall remain nameless. "I want you to kill it then tear the skin off its bones. I want you to rip it apart until there are no places left it could hide them" she said. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but completely ignored it.
"Amara…" Lucien started, but Amara grew impatient. She felt her power bubble inside of her and it wouldn't be calmed. She made Lucien turn to Zylien, who was swinging his sword at the creature.
"Seht ekem seht yahkem ekem yoodt xayah" as soon as she spoke the words, she was seeing out of Zylien's eyes. She was in complete control of Zylien. It was as if Zylien had stepped into the other room. There wasn't any time to marvel at her new found power. She ducked an incoming swing from the creature in front of her. She threw down the sword Zylien was carrying. That seemed to surprise the beast, because it hesitated. Amara saw her chance and took it. She put her hands on its shoulders and pictured it ripping apart. She felt a maniacal grin creep onto her face at the thought of it crumbling under her strength. She wasted no time. She kicked the beast's feet out and used all the strength Zylien could offer to pull its arm out of its socket. The minion of Mehrunes Dagon cried out, but it didn't stop her. She pulled until she felt its blood splatter her face. It cried out. The only thing Amara heard was its shrieks as she pulled off another arm, using her foot on its throat as leverage. The cries stopped and something that sounded suspiciously like a growl escaped her throat. She stumbled back, stepping away from the body, but she misjudged where she stepped, forgetting that the legs she was using were longer than her own. She tripped and would've fallen if she hadn't felt three pairs of hands on her back. Once she was steadied, she turned and found Laen, Merik, and Lucien all ready to help her if she fell again.
"How did you get here?" she asked, her voice coming out as Zylien's and not her own.
"We felt you, felt what you were doing." Laen said, eyes wide, staring at her face.
"We got an image in our heads of where we needed to go. It was like we were using Lucien's memories of where he stepped to get here." Merik said. She was pale, trying not to look anywhere but Zylien's face.
"Amara, your eyes" Lucien said and Amara saw the sadness and fear in his eyes. She touched her face, as if she could feel if her eyes were different. She knew, just by the look on Lucien's face; the man who was supposed to love her no matter what, that she had Sheogorath's eyes and that he was scared of her. No, not scared, terrified.
"We left you down stairs. You told us not to move you" Laen said, just encase she got angry for leaving her alone. She didn't remember telling them to leave her there, but she knew they wouldn't lie to her.
"Thank you" her voice was empty, as was her face. She didn't feel anything. It was as if her emotions had been left behind. She closed her eyes and pictured her body on the ground, lying next to the skeletons. When she opened them she was back in the room surrounded by shadows. She sat up in the darkness and listened for the rest of the heroes coming back down, but something stopped them. She heard Zylien cry out and the heaving of someone throwing up. She guessed that it Zylien was also the one throwing up. Fair enough, he a) just had his body taken over to b) remove the enemy's limbs from its body. She heard the others start to argue.
"She didn't know what she had done! You can't fully blame her for what happened!" Lucien yelled, his voice echoing down the stairs.
"She used him and took away his free will, Lucien!" Merik yelled back. She had to get up there and apologize to Zylien. The longer she was alone, listening to them argue, the less he's going to forgive her.
"Did you see her face? She was completely out of it when she realised what she'd done" Laen jumped into the fight. That can't be good.
"Stay out of this!" Merik hissed. Amara expected Laen to back off, like he would have before, and of course she was wrong.
"How about you back off, Elf?" Laen spat. Amara started working through the shadows. She could sit here and let them fight over something she had done.
"S-stop it, now" Zylien coughed. Amara stopped at the sound of his voice. Would he ever forgive her for what she did? Would their reactions be the same if she had used Lucien? She continued walking where she had seen Lucien do it before. She reached the stairway, trying to block out the fighting, but she realised they wouldn't be fighting if it weren't for what she had done. She slowly started up the stairs.
"Why, Zylien? Because she's your friend? Because she saved you? Well none of that counts when she used you to finally embrace the monster she is." Amara stopped walking up the steps. She had saved Merik too. She had put herself through her worst nightmare, literally, to save this girl, and she still thought of her as a monster.
"Say that again" Lucien said, saying each word slowly and full of rage. "SAY IT!" Amara started to run up the stairs. As she turned around the last bend she saw the back of Laen, his short blonde hair almost glowing in the darkness of the stairwell. Next to him was Lucien. He was up in Merik's face, the perfect distance away to throw a punch. Merik was opposite him, her face full of anger and disgust. Her brunette curly hair was a mess and her skin, usually the midpoint of being light and dark, was pale and even with the golden shine to it that Altmers always have, she looked sick. Amara jumped to the conclusion that Zylien wasn't the only one who had been throwing up. And just as Amara had the thought, she caught the smell of what was all over the floor, as if acknowledging the vomit made the smell worse. She gagged. Merik turned to see Amara.
"Speak of the devil" she said and Lucien walked over to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, cupping her cheek with his hand. She nodded and she moved past him, letting his hand drop. She looked at Laen. His eyes were the same beautiful sea green-blue colour as they had been when they met, but there was something different. His eyes looked older and more tired. Amara felt guilty. Guilty that she had forced this boy, barely a teen, to be brave when even she had broken down. Guilty that she had used Zylien to do something he was beyond uncomfortable with. Zylien was standing, leaning against the wall, as if his own feet wouldn't hold him without aid.
"Zylien" she said in almost a whisper, "I'm so sorry." She heard him take a shaky breath as she took his eyes off the floor and looked at her.
"We need to finish this" he said, but didn't move.
"We still need the key" Laen said and Amara's eyes were drawn to the body on the floor. Her eyes didn't want to make sense of what she was seeing. It looked so much worse that what she thought she had done. The monster was almost ripped in half, its insides spilling out between its two halves. She didn't regret killing it, but seeing the mess she had created made her feel worse about using Zylien. He came to her barely able to keep it down after seeing someone get a broken nose, and now here he was, standing over the mess she had made. She looked back at the chaos. It made her feel better than what she felt when looking at Zylien. Something was definitely wrong with that. She remembered what she said before. The key was hidden somewhere no one should be able to find it. She crouched, trying to get closer to the body- if you could actually call it a body any more. Something was stuck, piercing its heart. It was silver and metal, but other than that, Amara couldn't tell what it was. She reached over and pulled it until it came out. It was the key they had been looking for. She heard someone gag behind her when the key came out with bits of heart stuck to it. She picked the bits of the key and stood back up.
"Well" Laen grimaced, "we found the key." Amara walked over to the door without another word. She had lost two of the people she thought were her friends, and it had been her fault. She couldn't even be angry with them. She's scared them. She shoved the key into the hole into the doo and turned it. She wanted to be angry, because she knew how to be angry; she didn't know how to deal with the emotions that kept trying to overwhelm her. The door opened with a creak and torches on the wall seemed to burst into flame. It didn't do that the first time Amara was in the room. The skeleton that had followed her through seemed to have disappeared, but it didn't worry Amara. She started towards the stone boxes once more, but before she got past the hole in the floor she felt the air around her get hotter.
"Something's wrong" she said and before anyone could say anything, fire burst through the hole. Amara jumped and she heard Merik squeal. The surprise of the torches and the fire made Amara think there was going to be other surprises.
"Weapons out, something's different this time" Lucien said, as if he'd read her mind. Amara heard the sound of swords being drawn as she drew her own. As they moved forward, the hole in the floor started to close up. The fire began to dull and in its place a midnight black orb, held by a thin metal, podium appeared.
"What is that?" Laen asked. Amara stopped him from moving closer to it.
"A Sigil Stone" Zylien said, "The Gate gets its power from the stone." Merik walked up to it before anyone could stop her.
"Then wouldn't the logical thing to do be to take the stone..?" she asked.
"No Merik!" Amara shouted. Merik ignored her and tried to pick up the stone. Amara felt a wave of heat wash over her as she felt Merik's life force drain. "No on touch her!" she yelled as she fell to the ground. She closed her eyes and reached out to Merik with her magic. She opened her eyes and Merik was standing further away from the Sigil Stone.
"You used your magic on me!" Merik yelled at her. Amara scrambled to her feet, she wouldn't let Merik yell at her for saving her life a second time.
"Maybe I should have let you die then. Is that what you want? I should have let you drown in Nox." Amara hissed. No one else was going to enter the fight. Maybe they thought by staying silent the fight will disappear on its own- boys and their logic.
"Oh, is that right? We have an argument and you wish death upon me?" Merik spat back. She wasn't going to back off and neither was Amara.
"An argument?! You called me a monster for something I had very little control over." Amara wasn't going to cry. In fact, she felt nothing like this was someone else's anger and not her own.
"Yeah, sure that's what happened. You have a way with getting people hurt. I heard you broke Lucien's nose the first time you met him and you two are supposed to be in love! You mistreat Laen because he's a coward and a child, you disappear when one of our heroes died and you feel nothing for him when he did die, you killed Sheogorath out of your own stupidity…" before Merik finished yelling at her, Amara's fist collided with her face. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on top of the Altmer, driving her fist into Merik's throat.
"Amara!" Lucien called out and she felt four arms trying to pull her off the Altmer – two arms on each of her own, which meant two people were trying to pull her off. Judging by the strength of the pull, neither of them were Laen. She was finally pulled off the bloodied and broken mess that was Merik. "Check her for a pulse" Zylien ran back over to Merik after letting go of Amara. Amara struggled against Lucien as Zylien crouched over Merik and felt her neck.
"Got one, she's just knocked out" Zylien said as he stood back up, his hand covered in blood. Amara calmed down and stopped struggling.
"The boxes" she said quietly.
"What did you say?" Lucien asked softly, as if trying not to spook her.
"We need to get into the boxes" she sounded tired as she sank into Lucien's arms.
"Merik can go first. We don't want her waking up again and doing that again" Laen said and Zylien nodded. He picked up Merik's body. She looked tiny in his arms, like a sleeping child being carried by their parents. He walked over to the one farthest to the right.. She watched silently as he opened the stone casket with one hand. The inside of the box had an outline of a person the exact size of Merik. The Daedric writing on her box said Azura's Hero- Merik. It wasn't there last time she was in the room either. Things seemed to be changing as they went along and she could only hope that it was because of the Daedric Princes on their side and not the one that trying to kill them all. Zylien put her gently down and set her in the box so she wouldn't fall out.
"Close it" Lucien said and Zylien sighed. They didn't know what would happen if they closed it. They didn't know if it would open back up. He shut the door carefully. The box started to glow yellow and Amara suddenly felt Merik as if she had taken her over again. Merik was waking up. She was scared, trapped in the box, but Amara didn't share what she felt.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" she heard Merik scream. Zylien went back turned back to the box and was about to open it when Amara spoke.
"Don't open it" she said. Zylien frowned, but he didn't keep moving. More writing appeared on the stone case on its left. It read: Sanguine's Hero- Zylien.
"See you on the other side" Laen smiled. Zylien pulled him in for a manly hug, one that starts off as a handshake. He hugged Lucien next, slapping him on the back twice. He moved to Amara and stopped.
"I forgive you" he said as he hugged her. He cried silently as she hugged him back. She closed her eyes and thought of the first time they met, she thought she had to save him, when in reality it was he who made her stronger. He pulled away, smiling. "I can't wait to go home" he walked to his box, "maybe you guys can come visit, I'll introduce you to my little brother." Amara smiled and watched him as he stepped inside and closed the door. It started glowing too, but this time its colour was pink. It made her wonder, what would have happened if Lucien was chosen by Sanguine. Her smile widened at the thought of him in glowing pink robes. She felt another boost of power and heard Zylien in her head. He didn't seem to notice she was listening to his thoughts. He was thinking about his brother. She tried to focus on something else so he could keep the memories to himself, but she couldn't get them out of her head. She saw a boy about Lucien's height with the same purple skin, pointed ears, and military styled hair smiling up at Zylien. His eyes were a bright green, the green of leaves in the spring and full of joy. She smiled, but was pulled away from the memory. She was dragged into Merik's head where she saw a little girl, no older than six, sitting and playing with another toddler. It was Merik as a child. She had the same golden tinted, milk chocolate skin with deep brown curls, although her hair was shorter in the memory. Screams of 'Get out of my head' pulled Amara back to reality. Lucien put a hand on her shoulder. The next writing appeared to the very left of where she was standing. It had skipped to boxes and gone right to the end. Hircine's Hero- Laen. Laen didn't move. Amara smiled sadly at the boy.
"When this is all over, what do you say we find a nice place we can all live?" Amara suggested and Lucien pulled her in closer to him and put his arm around her shoulders.
"That sounds nice" Laen smiled and started walking to his stone case.
"Laen" Amara's voice stopped him. He turned around quickly, as if he was looking for any reason to put off what he needed to do. Amara walked up to him and kissed him on the forehead, "I'll see you soon" she said. He blushed and turned away to hide his face.

When he closed his door, Amara felt him inside her head as well. There wasn't enough time to share what was happening with Lucien and even if there was, she wouldn't really know how to explain it. She saw, through Laen's memory, Zylien and Lucien arguing. She assumed it was when they had gone to Orien, otherwise Amara would have been there too. She saw Zylien punch Lucien in the face, breaking the Listener's nose. She smiled as she watched them yell at eachother. She felt Laen's emotions as he walked up to them. He was the happiest he had ever been just at the thought of being a part of a group that would later become his family.
"I'm next, Amara" Lucien's voice made her focus again.
"What?" she said, willing herself not to cry. If something went wrong, she would never be able to move on. He pointed at the container next to Laen's. It had his name and his Prince written on it like all the other ones. He smiled sadly.
"I'll see you later, right?" He said making it sound like a question.
"Of course." The first tear rolled down Amara's cheek. It was beyond painful saying goodbye, even for this amount of time. He kissed her, before anymore words ruined the moment. She melted into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on, for what felt like, the very last time. They broke apart and without another word he started walking.
"You know what?" he stopped and turned around, just as he opened the door, "I think, I've been in love with you since the moment I saw you." Amara smiled, tears still running down her cheeks.
"Don't say things like that, not now" he smiled and stepped into his chamber of stone. As the door closed, the last bolt of power shot through Amara as it started to glow black. She saw Lucien sitting in the room they had first met. She saw herself appear in the chair across from her and felt him hold his breath. She heard him thinking over and over again to tell her how beautiful she was, or how he felt, but how creepy that would be if he hit on her while she was doing a quest. She smiled and shook her head. To be fair, if he had done that, she would have hit him. She finally realized these images she saw were her friends' happiest memories. She walked slowly over to her own cement box as her name appeared. 'This was it' she thought as she stopped before she opened the door. She felt all voices in her head got quiet as she got in. She thought for a second that they were dead and this had all been a trap, but as she reached out to Lucien, with her magic, she felt his fear and knew he was still alive. She took a deep breath and closed the door. It was dark, with a faint green glow as her only light source. Before she could wonder about what happens next, she felt metal claws stab her in the back. She cried out, and it was as if her cries triggered blades in the other cases. She felt her companions' pain more than she heard their screams. She closed her eyes, trying to distract herself from the pain, but as soon as she closed them she saw what was happening in the room. The wall had been smashed and Mehrunes Dagon stood ready to destroy the only way they could close the Gate. She had to get out and stop him. She tried to pull herself back to reality, but she wasn't strong enough. She felt the stone sarcophagus drain the energy from each of the heroes, including herself.
"Amara!" she heard Merik call out. She aimed her magic towards the Altmer and closed her eyes again. "Take energy from me! If you take it, you can stop him!" Amara felt Merik wince at the pain she was feeling.
"Let us help you" she heard Laen next. She saw tears streaming down his face.
"Hurry" Zylien yelled. Their voices echoed through Amara's head. She tried to think of her own happiest memory – if this was the end, she wouldn't die in fear. She remembered being offered cheese by Lucien, holding Sheogorath's hand in Nox as he guided her through the darkness, and finally, she thought of her friends as they laughed in the face of danger. She opened her eyes, feeling the power Sheogorath had left her with. She felt the energy being taken from the other heroes and directed it into herself. The power wasn't warm or comforting. It was like being struck by lightning repeatedly and having to get up and push through it. She ripped herself from the claws that had inserted themselves into her back. She threw the door off her stone casing. She felt the scorching hot wind of the Deadlands and saw the giant figure that was Mehrunes Dagon.
"I have conquered the land of Nightmares and am feared by Namira herself…" she growled staring up into the face of the demonic Prince. She felt her hands light with a flame hotter than she had felt before. "…I replaced Order and its Prince, Jyggalag with Madness…" she smiled and felt the energy in her bubble as if waiting to explode. "I am Amara of Tamriel, and you've threatened my home." She threw all her power into the Prince and watched as he burst into green and purple flames.
"No mere mortal" he cried out as she thrust more magic at him, "can defeat Mehrunes Dagon!" He fell to his knees, making the ground shake. A blinding white light began to consume the building. Amara watched Dagon burn until she saw nothing but the light. She collapsed, feeling the energy she once had seep out of her.

She woke up only moments later lying in the middle of the cold charred remains of what used to be the Oblivion Gate. Her first thought was that Lucien was so lucky they didn't have to walk though the fiery Gate. She sat up too quickly. Were the others okay?
"Woah, slow down" she heard Baurus' voice. She ignored him, looking around. Spread around in a circle were the other four heroes, lying in the dirt. She looked at each one with wide eyes. No, no, no, they can't be… She scrambled to her feet and pushed Baurus away as he tried to stop her. She ran to Zylien, as he was the closest one to her. She collapsed beside him and felt his neck for a pulse, but her hands were shaking too hard. She screamed in frustration as she shook.
"Zylien, get up!" she cried. He didn't answer. She left him and pushed herself up. She wouldn't cry. Not yet. She ran over to Merik and knelt beside her. She laid her head on Merik's chest listening for a heartbeat. "NO!" she felt the first burning hot tear run down her cheek.
"Amara…" Baurus tried to kneel beside her but she got to her feet and ran to Laen, the next hero lying in the dirt. She crumpled down beside him, almost on top of him. He looked so young. She moved the hair out of his eyes and pressed her forehead to his, letting her tears fall onto his face. She lifted herself off him. She was afraid to look behind her. "Amara, don't…" Baurus didn't try to move her or stop her. He knew what she was going to do. She froze and started shaking even more than she had been before. Her breaths came quicker and she knew if she didn't calm down, she would hyperventilate. She turned slowly. Lucien was lying on his side, facing her, eyes closed, and hair spilling across his face. She held her breath as she crawled to him. She sat next to him and pulled him into her lap. "Amara, we have to get you to medical" Baurus was trying to be calm as he watched her tighten her grip on Lucien.
"Don't touch me" Amara growled, knowing the Blade would try to pull them apart. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed. Her power flared once more and as she cried she felt the soft down pour of rain. She hugged Lucien tighter and brought him closer to her. She screamed wordlessly, burying her face into his neck as the rain drenched the bodies of her friends.

She didn't let go, not for anyone. She wouldn't let them take her friends away. She tried, again and again, to pour her magic into Lucien, willing him to open his eyes. She fought off memories of laughing with Zylien as she tried bringing him back. She cried at the touch of Laen's cold skin. She hated herself for picking a fight with Merik and for wishing her death just moments before… She tore herself away from her friends and sat in the mud in the middle of them. She held Lucien's hand, draining herself of magic, just wanting him to come back. Only then would she leave. Only them would she shiver from the rain and only then would she celebrate along with Tamriel.

The surviving soldiers had left, all except the Seducers and Saints. They sat at the top of the hill and watched their leader fall apart. It had been hours since the Gate had been closed and still Amara wouldn't move. A Seducer came down to the ruins.
"My Lord…" it started.
"I am not your Lord" Amara said through gritted teeth. She looked up at the guard and gripped Lucien's hand tighter. She felt a hot tear run down her cheek when she didn't feel her Listener squeeze back. She only then realised she was sitting in ruins and that the battle had been won. "Five heroes lead by one, the time of Deadlands has begun, Madness wins but at a cost, the battle's won all but one is lost. Shadow rises to the cause, Tamriel in Dagon's claws, the wolf howls at fire beneath, a hero battles a circle of grief." It all made sense now. She had lead the heroes, watched Sheogorath and his Madness defeat Jyggalag but the cost was his life, all but one is lost, Lucien rose to occasion, making Namira claim him, Laen saved Lucien from the fires of the Gate… and there she was, sitting with her fallen heroes, grieving when the rest of the worlds were celebrating. No more Daedra. No more Mehrunes Dagon. And at what cost? She had lost in so many ways and yet the world could not care less. But that's what being a hero was, right? Sacrificing it all, so everyone else is saved? Amara was done. No more bending to the will of Tamriel or its Princes. She let go of Lucien's hand and started to push herself off the ground. The Seducer helped her steady herself as she stood.
"The Isles are yours, Lord Amara" it said as she started to walk away from her friends. She didn't look back.
"Then we go to the Isles"