Till the End of Time Chapter 11: Explanations, an elder scroll series fanfic

Author's Note: I decided to split this up into two chapters – 'Meet Jauffre,' which is the rather pointless previous chapter, and 'Explanations,' which is what you're reading now.

I hope you like how I've done Jauffre. I was originally going to do him a bit like Dr. Kleiner from Half-Life 2, or give him a bad habit or SOMETHING, but that didn't work out, so he's fairly similar to how he is in the game with a bit of added character.

EDIT: In the game Jauffre already knows about the Emperor's death when you talk to him, but I didn't realise that until I started writing. So in the story he doesn't, until you tell him. And the chapter's name has been changed from 'The Search for the Heir' to 'Explanations.' No big reason, but 'The Search for the Heir' seemed a bit unwieldy.

Explanations

Note: This bit of multiple choice is a bit convoluted, but follow it as best you can.

Weynon Priory, Outskirts of Chorrol, The Great Forest, Last Seed 28 3E433

Jauffre smiled. "You were saying?"

If you say, "I brought you the Amulet of Kings," go to block one.

If you say, "The Emperor sent me to find you," go to block three.

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"I brought you the Amulet of Kings," Templar said.

Jauffre's eyes opened wide. "What?"

"I brought you the Amulet of Kings," Templar repeated.

Jauffre's eyes opened wider. "This cannot be. No one but the Emperor is permitted to handle the Amulet of Kings."

"The Emperor's dead," Templar replied flatly. I should've realised that they would suppress the news.

"What?!" Jauffre breathed in suddenly. He pushed his chair back, stood up, and turned to look out the window behind him. "The Emperor dead… Wait. Show me the Amulet. That might help make a bit of sense out of this."

Templar fished it out from under his armour and wordlessly handed it to Jauffre, who gingerly took it from his grasp.After what seemed an endless moment, he leaned back in his chair and turned to face Templar.

"So the Emperor is dead. And by the Nine, this IS actually the Amulet of Kings. I think you'd better start at the beginning - ?"

"Templar. Templar Estantesec."

"So, Templar, you are carrying the arguably the most powerful news in Tamriel and arguably the most powerful artifact. I suppose that I have to ask what happened."

Templar sighed. "I suppose you should."

Go to block 2.

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"…and then, just before he died, the Emperor told me that" – Templar shuddered – "he couldn't go any further, and that I al…alone must stand against the Prince, umm, The Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants…" Templar trailed off.

"Go on," Jauffre said, his voice gently encouraging.

"And that – and that he must not have the Amulet of Kings. He said that I couldn't help him when I tried to get his guards to come, and that I couldn't change his fate." He choked a little on the words. "Then he said, oh, he said to take the Amulet and take it to Jauffre, and that you alone know where to find his – find his last son…"

"Anything else?"

"There was something. It didn't make sense to me at the time, and still doesn't but… He said to find his heir, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion. And then I made my way here."

"Close shut the jaws of Oblivion," Jauffre murmured faintly, almost too quietly to hear. "Close shut the jaws of Oblivion…" Suddenly, he seemed to regain control of himself again.

"As unlikely as your story sounds, I have no choice to believe it. Only the strange destiny of Uriel Septim could have brought you to me with the Amulet of Kings."

If you say, "Who is the Prince of Destruction?" go to block 6.

If you say, " 'Close shut the jaws of Oblivion…?' " go to block 7.

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"The Emperor sent me to find you."

"Emperor Uriel?" Jauffre asked. "Do you know anything about his whereabouts? He hasn't been seen for days."

Templar stopped when he realised Jauffre didn't know about the death of his Emperor. He decided to come right out with it, as kindly as he could.

"Jauffre," he said gently. "The Emperor's dead."

If you say, "I was there when he died," got to block 4.

If you say, "He gave me the Amulet of Kings," go to block 5.

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"I was there when he died," Templar added softly.

Jauffre sat, his face frozen in a mixture of shock and horror and sadness. Templar felt sympathy for the old man, knowing how hard it would be to accept the death of what was probably a close friend.

"You'd better explain yourself. Now."

Templar didn't realise who'd spoken for a second, until he saw that that it was Jauffre. He kept staring straight ahead at the wall, with not a twitch in his expressionless face. His lips moved again.

"Now."

"He gave me the Amulet of Kings," Templar continued.

"What?!" Jauffre breathed in suddenly. "Why? Why not one of his Blades?"

"So the Emperor is dead. And by the Nine, this IS actually the Amulet of Kings. I think you'd better start at the beginning - ?"

"Templar. Templar Estantesec."

"So, Templar, you are carrying the arguably the most powerful news in Tamriel and arguably the most powerful artifact. I suppose that I have to ask what happened."

Templar sighed. "I suppose you should."

Go to block 2.

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"He gave me the Amulet of Kings," Templar continued.

"What?!" Jauffre breathed in suddenly. He pushed his chair back, stood up, and turned to look out the window behind him. "The Emperor dead…" He sighed."Wait. Show me the Amulet. That might help make a bit of sense out of this."

"So the Emperor is dead. And by the Nine, this is actually the Amulet of Kings. I think you'd better start at the beginning - ?"

"Templar. Templar Estantesec."

"So, Templar, you are carrying the arguably the most powerful news in Tamriel and arguably the most powerful artifact. I suppose that I have to ask what happened."

Templar sighed. "I suppose you should."

Go to block 2.

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"I'm glad you believe me. At least someone does," Templar said, with some relief. Otherwise I'll be locked up in that damned prison again. "Do you know who the Prince of Destruction is? It would probably help…"

Jauffre answered quickly. "The Prince of Destruction the Emperor is referring – referred – to is none other than Merhunes Dagon, one of the lords of the demon's world of Oblivion." He paused and took a deep breath, as if doubting what he was about to say. "It sounds ludicrous even to me, but the Emperor's words – 'close shut the jaws of Oblivion' – certainly suggest that he perceived some threat from Oblivion. And you should not take an Emperor's predictions lightly."

"Oblivion? It's hell. I though it was some sort of fairy tale that, you know, all the sinners would be chucked into, not a place. That you can visit."

"No, no." Jauffre chuckled without mirth. "Oblivion is very much real. But all the scholars agree that the mortal world is protected from the daedra of Oblivion by a magical barrier."

Go to the Main Story.

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"I'm glad you believe me. At least someone does," Templar said, with some relief. Otherwise I'll be locked up in that damned prison again. "But close shut the jaws of Oblivion?"

"His meaning is unclear to me as well. The Emperor seemed to perceive some threat from the demonic world of Oblivion. And an Emperor's predictions should not be taken lightly. They can see differently from normal men…"

"Oblivion? It's hell. Like, you know, a place all the sinners would be chucked into, not a real world. That you can walk around in."

"No, Oblivion is very much real," Jauffre answered grimly. "Very real indeed. The Prince of Destruction, Merhunes Dagon, is one of the lords of Oblivion. But the mortal world is protected from the daedra of Oblivion by magical barriers."

Go to the Main Story.

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Main Story

"How can Oblivion threaten us, then?" Templar asked. "Unless the Emperor meant that the magical barriers are failing…"

"I'm not sure. Only the Emperors truly understand the meaning behind the rituals of their office." He paused. "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. We always assumed it was just a formality, of course – a bit of a symbolic thing to help the people accept a new Emperor. "

"And?"

"With the Emperor dead, and no new heir crowned, the Dragonfires in the Temple 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."

"Damn." Templar swore. "This keeps on getting better and better. As you believe my story, I'm going to have to believe your story. Of course, I don't know anything about lighting Dragonfires or magical barriers." He laughed, but without much humour. "But you said there was no new heir. The Emperor told me that he had a secret son, living somewhere in Cyrodiil."

"Ah, yes. I am still not sure whether to trust you with this information, even after all that has been said."

"You can-"

"But I will," Jauffre interrupted. "I am one of the few who knows of his existence. Many years ago, I served as a captain of Uriel's bodyguards. One night, Uriel called me to his private chambers…"

Rain lashed at the windows, and thunder boomed in the distance. It was not a good night.

Jauffre rapped on the door uncertainly, in the back of his mind suspecting that the message was fake, a practical joke played by his men to commemorate his recent promotion. The Emperor almost never called people to his quarters, and certainly not a lowly Captain of the Guard.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and the Emperor himself stood behind it.

"Welcome. Come in. It is cold outside."

Jauffre stepped over the threshold and looked at his surroundings. The room was sparsely furnished, with a couple of plush armchairs, a small circular table on a thick rug in the centre and a large fireplace that crackled harshly at the back.

"I have something to show you." The Emperor beckoned him over to the table. Jauffre realised now that there was a basket on it, and something in that basket was moving.

It was a baby boy.

It was no more than a few weeks old, and was lying contentedly in the soft blankets that surrounded it.

"Jauffre. Captain of the Guard. I have a task for you. The future of Tamriel will depend on this child, so listen carefully."

Jauffre listened.

"Deliver him somewhere safe. Where he will not be known as who he really is. And make sure he grows up as a priest. It will aid his understanding of things to come."

And so Jauffre rode out into the hard, driving rain, the baby held safely under his cloak.

A baby would be found on the doorstep of the Chapel of Kvatch, laid there on one stormy winter's night. He would grow up to be a priest, as his father wished, but also with no idea of his real identity.

"…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."

"Where do I find Uriel's…the Emperor's son?" It didn't feel right, to sue the Emperor's real name as Jauffre did.

"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."

"Martin…" Templar stopped, and sighed. "Why did I have to be picked for this job?"

Jauffre smiled. "The Emperor obviously found something special in you. Maybe you should try and find that something in yourself."

Templar frowned half-heartedly. "Enough with the riddles already. Baurus told me that you were the Grandmaster of the Blades. No offence, but, you know."

"Ah, Baurus. I am glad to hear that he survived, but I fear he will take the Emperor's death particularly hard. But, yes, Baurus told you right. I am the Grandmaster of the Blades. Appearances can be deceiving, can't they?" He smiled at Templar's discomfort.

"We are masters of discretion, the Blades. While we may serve the Emperor, we don't do it publicly. Only a select few can do that, at the Elder Council in the Imperial City. And Grandmaster is really just a title that goes to the oldest Blade. Some of the younger ones could easily beat me if it came to a fight. But enough of that. Do you need anything for your journey?"

Templar thought for a moment. "Yes. Some healing potions and some food. And am map would also be good."

Jauffre stood up and walked over to the chest beside his desk. "I have a chest here for when any of the monks here need supplies, or any Blades secretly come and stop by to rest." He took a key from a pocket and unlocked the chest. "Take anything you need, but don't be too greedy. And a map…" He walked over to the bookshelf and rummaged around. "Here. It's a fairly recent map of Cyrodiil, and well-drawn too. It should come in handy." He winked.

Templar took a brief look at the map. Back to the Imperial City, then south to Skingrad, east along the Gold Road and finally north to Kvatch.

He carefully folded it and tucked it into an empty potion bottle. Then he walked over to the chest, withdrew two healing potions and two traveller's packs of rations.

All of the monks came out to bid him farewell.

"Bye, Jauffre! Thanks for the supplies!"

"Don't worry about it. If what I think is true, a few acts of generosity are the least of our problems."

Brother Maborel called out after him. "Come back soon, Brother Estantesec. We need the company."

Templar felt strangely jubilant at being called a fellow Brother. "I will, Brother Maborel. And Brother Piner and Brother Eronor. I'll see you soon."

He began walking down the road. Jauffre called out one last time. "Find Martin! Bring him here, before anything happens to him!"

"I will." Templar gave a little wave, and then Weynon Priory disappeared into the trees.

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It's all based on conjecture. We don't know anything. It's all guesswork, and sketchy guesswork at that. All we have to go on is a dead Emperor's last words and an old priest's interpretation of them.

Templar spent the night in Skingrad, and repaired his armour at the nearest blacksmith. He set off again just after dawn, making his way through the lush, hilly woodlands of the West Weald that hugged the border with Elswyr.

He emerged from the trees onto the zig-zagging road that led to Kvatch just before midday. Even though he could only see the walls and the tops of the tallest buildings, it was enough. And somehow, the bright daylight didn't make the scene any less menacing.

The hilltop city of Kvatch lay in ruins. He stared at the blazing fires that ravaged the sky. He stared at the blackened, gutted remains of the watchtowers that had once stood proudly on the city's great walls. As he watched, he saw the spire of a building crack and slowly topple to the ground with an almighty crash, crushing all that lay in its path. He heard screams.

And he said one word.

"Oh."