Disclaimer & A/N: Hey, I'm early again! Seriously, guys, I'm really trying to keep this up and this weekend while I was working, my mind kept straying back to my story and I was writing on every available piece of paper. Whenever I got the chance that is. And I've finally figured out where Gozrak's character comes from, I mean other than the rat maze of my brain. I have this little cat that's partially blind and completely deaf and she is absolutely my shadow. She even chases the other two cats out of my bedroom and around the house, like that protects me in some convoluted way. So that somehow crept into my subconscious and became a 61/2 foot Orc instead of a tiny little cat. Anyway, I felt like sharing that and I'm not really sure why. (The rat maze brain again) I'm still writing pretty much nonstop and I'll try to update again soon. Oh, and it's not mine.


Everyone was nervous when dawn crept through the morning after Bruma had gathered all her defenses and those that were sent to help her. The townspeople were told to stay within the walls of the city and Jauffre had appointed several troops to watch over them in case things went wrong. They were prepared for the worst; those willing and able men and women were armed for that specific reason. Matti and her little band of healers had set up a hospital of sorts in the great hall of the castle and the town's meeting hall. Katryn and several others that had experience with herbs and potions had worked rather feverishly with the Redguard healer that night to prepare as many curing potions as they had time for.

Now, the Elf and her shadow, along with Narina's two donated soldiers were loitering around the base of the wall where Jauffre, Martin, Baurus and Steffan were waiting. The weather had turned foul again. A strong wind had kicked up from the north and seemed to bite into every break of their armor and article of clothing. Clouds were piling up all around; those thick, heavy grey clouds that threatened snow and with the severe drop in temperature, it seemed very likely.

The troops in the little green valley between the mountain peaks were moving about rather aimlessly and it was clear they were becoming less and less sure about why they were present. Jauffre's eyes were quick to spot this and he himself was having doubts about being a little premature with their actions. But it was not to be helped. If they were to remain up at the Temple, the time to get to town would be far too long for them to be of any use.

Katryn and the Orc seemed to be the only ones that were at ease. Gozrak was running a file over the pick end of his battle axe, sharpening it to a needle point. He was sitting on the ground with his legs stretched out before him and leaning against the stone wall of the city. The Elf was beside him, restringing her bow and patiently answering questions and giving last minute instructions to Narina's soldiers. The constant looks Martin sent her way were not unnoticed by the grandmaster. Neither was Katryn's obvious avoidance; that was the strange thing. Her usual amiable and indulgent temperament towards the priest had shifted away from him and Jauffre knew that there had to be a big reason for her to change so completely. Bigger by far than her anger at him over Levin. The Elf was downright nervous about Martin getting physically too close to her or anyone even hinting that she put herself in a position where she would be alone with him. And of course that just made the grandmaster suspicious. Perhaps it was that Martin had indeed asked Katryn to stay with him after everything was over. With the Elf's actions and obvious emotions that seemed the most likely and Jauffre was left wondering if she had either said yes and was trying to hide it or she refused and was avoiding him because it hurt the both of them.

A yell suddenly went up from the scouts at the first line of tents and broke through the grandmaster's thoughts. Immediately everyone was at attention as Bruma's first line of defenses charged a swarm of Daedra that ran up the hill at them. Gozrak and the two soldiers were after Katryn like a shot as she ran through the rows of tents and soldiers to get a look at the gate that was around the bend in the road. As soon as it came into view, another seemed to leap up from the ground roughly two hundred yards away. A second wave of Daedra emerged and for a moment it seemed it was the four of them against this swarm before they were surrounded by the Blades and other soldiers.

Gozrak deftly beheaded two of the scamps as they came at his little group and turned to watch after Katryn as she killed a third and then a fourth. The two other soldiers were holding their own and soon the army around them was succeeding in pushing the creatures back towards the flaming gate. The Orc glanced at Katryn and opened his mouth.

"No, neither one is the Great Gate," The Elf called over the clash and clamour of the fight, as if reading his thoughts. She grabbed the arm of a passing soldier and felt her heart twist when she saw that he was a boy not much older than seventeen or eighteen, "Find the grandmaster or Captains Baurus and Steffan. Tell them to put together two bands of guards and get these gates closed."

The boy's terrified face flooded with relief as he realized he would not have to enter the fight so soon. He turned and disappeared amongst the press of men and women. Katryn watched him go and then turned back to her own little band. Her eyes slid past them to the two gates flaming up against the grey day and hilly landscape. Daedra were still pouring from them and it seemed as though there would be no respite any time soon.

"This is our priority now," She told them and saw they were more than willing to follow her lead, "Stick close, I will make for the gate as soon as it appears. We cannot afford to lose any time."

They nodded as one and turned to charge towards the gates with the rest of the troops. Gozrak and the two others flanked Katryn, determined to keep her safe to finish their appointed task. There was no chance to destroy the gate without her and if anything were to go wrong, all would be lost. They were upon the enemy before they quite realized it. Three scamps threw themselves at Narina's soldiers, followed by a Dremora which Gozrak dropped with that lazy, absentminded swing of his battle axe. A second was going for Katryn and she sidestepped quickly to avoid using her shield arm. The Dremora was unperturbed and spun around immediately, his longblade swinging dangerously in front of him. Katryn's sword locked with his and he shoved against her, pushing her out from the protection of the other soldiers. She used that to her advantage and stepped away from him, pulling her blade free. The Dremora's momentum carried him out as well and Katryn swung. The sword glinted in the fiery light from the gate soaring above her head as she swung it around again and slashed through his neck. It was a good blow, but not a killing one. He threw himself at her again and then was dropped when a fellow Blade got him through the back.

Katryn didn't have time to thank the man. A scamp was right behind her and the Elf turned just in time to raise her shield as the creature's conjured fireball was sent her way. She could feel the intense heat of it even behind the steel and the burning on her forearm told her she would have to do better next time. She ignored the pain and finished off the scamp easily with another swing of the sword.

Almost as soon as the creature dropped, there was a tremendous crash and than whoosh of air that sounded like a forest fire. Roughly seventy-five yards ahead of her, another gate was appearing, this one bigger and wider and more intimidating than the other two. Instead of a rounded top, this one pointed menacingly up towards a sky that swirled black and orange with fiery smoke. Also absent was the troop of creatures that emerged from its doors.

The Elf glanced around quickly. All about her, Bruma was under intense attack; soldiers were fighting with the Daedra and even more were coming forth from the other Oblivion gates. The clash of steel on steel; the harsh calls of generals, captains and commanders; the screeches and roars of Dremora and scamps; and the hissing and crackling from the gates themselves made it hard to think clearly. And it was impossible to see who was ahead in the fighting. She could hear the screams and hoarse calls of the fallen soldiers and she wanted to close her ears to it. Instead she had to tell herself there was nothing she could for them and looked for her troop in the meantime. At the moment, each one of them was busy with their own separate battles. Katryn was torn. She knew that she shouldn't go in on her own, but time was short. Cutting down another scamp that came her way, she paused for a half second more, hoping to get someone's attention, and then made her decision.


Gozrak let out a roar of anger and frustration when he caught sight of Katryn's slender form disappearing into the third gate that appeared. He shoved the Dremora away from him with more strength than needed and then smashed its skull in with one powerful swing. His way was blocked by more of the enemies as he tried to break free and run after his ward. Fury flooded through him and he fought with a fervor that would have frightened Camoran himself as he knocked down everyone in his path to protect the Elf.

From his vantage point, Martin saw with grim satisfaction that they seemed to be pulling ahead of the swarming Daedra. He and Jauffre had sent the two bands of soldiers on their way to destroy the other gates. The men and women seemed to be getting over their initial dismay at the sight of so many of the creatures and now they were gaining a second wind. They trusted in the Blades and Jauffre's assurances almost implicitly and they knew that Martin's champion would do all she could to save Cyrodiil from this onslaught. But what he saw next made his blood run cold and the need to do something, anything, swept through him like a tidal wave.

Katryn had disappeared into the bright orange of the Oblivion gate: alone. His blue eyes flickered around the battle field. Gozrak was fighting fiercely with the Daedra, obviously trying to get to the gate himself. The other two soldiers were nowhere to be seen. Helplessness chased at the heels of his need to go and save the Elf. There was nothing he could do; he would have to wait and watch, not to mention hope, that all would end well. He could not live through losing Katryn now, not with the way things were between them. There was one last thing he had to ask her and in his mind it was the most important question he would ever ask and the most important answer she would ever give.

Katryn Gwynyth could not die.


Katryn was momentarily frozen. The sight before her was like nothing she had ever seen. This was not the other Oblivion planes. Directly in front of her was a giant pool of lava over which had stretched a dried lava bridge. Past tense because it was currently smashed halfway across. The sky was a smoky black but the burning of the lava pools cast an orange glow over everything. And then there were the siege machines. There were only two, but that was enough. They were like grotesque cockroaches, without the head, and towering above her; even taller than Bruma's city walls. Moving slowly, painstakingly towards the gate, it hardly looked like any of their six legs picked up or put down. They simply glided through the lava, the spiked mouths whirring loudly. The scales on their creepy bodies looked impenetrable and the Katryn's fears were confirmed. If she didn't get the gate closed in time, all would be for naught.


Gozrak was livid. Every time he cut down one of the Daedra, another would come out of nowhere, impeding his path to the Great Gate. The number of the creatures had seemed to decrease some, but still the soldiers were kept very busy. These Daedra were not going down easily and when they banded together, it became even more difficult.

The two donated soldiers were suddenly at his side, helping him take down a particularly stubborn Dremora and then they were surrounded by allies rather than foes, giving them a chance to talk. All of them were feeling the strain of battle, though at the moment they were kept going by the intense flood of adrenaline pumping through their bodies.

"Where's Blade Gwynyth?" One of them asked; Gozrak thought it was Perci.

He hadn't ever been able to discern which was which. The Nords were brothers and looked like they were close to being twins. Katryn had told him that Perci was the shorter one and Cay had a scar spanning the width of his right cheek. At least that's what he thought she had said.

"She couldn't wait for us," The Orc answered shortly. His black eyes danced around him and he saw that the assault had eased for the moment, "Come, I have to find the grandmaster. It may be too late to go after her and I have to speak with him on the matter."

They shoved their way back up to the wall of the city and ran into Jauffre as they did so. It was obvious that the grandmaster had not had a chance to join the fray but his eyes were glittering brightly with the prospect of a fight. His expression changed from exhilaration to alarm when he realized who was standing before him and, more importantly, who was missing.

"What happened?" He asked and heard an echo of the same question come from behind him.

Martin had charged down as soon as he saw the Orc and his companions and he was ready to toss himself into battle without hesitation if that was the only way to get Katryn back. His blue eyes were blazing fiercely and he had set his jaw stubbornly as if expecting any of them to stand in his way.

"She went in on her own," Gozrak said and was surprised at how calm his voice was.

"That's obvious," Martin snapped and then regretted it immediately, and it was not solely because Gozrak looked like he wanted to rip his head off; though that did have something to do with it. It was not the Orc's fault and everyone knew that he would sooner light himself on fire than allow Katryn to do anything like this. Even when it was her own prerogative.

The black eyes flashed to him dangerously and then went back to the grandmaster. Ignoring the priest and knowing that would infuriate him more than anything, Gozrak addressed Jauffre.

"It is our fault. She told us to stay close and that was harder than any of us realized. Time was not on anyone's side and we cannot blame her for this."

"What happens now?" Martin's tone had cooled though he was still fuming inwardly.

Shouts went up from the front lines again and they saw that the second wave of enemies were upon them. Gozrak's expression became singular. His eyes glittered with desire to get back down to the battlefield, but that was out-shined by his want to hear what Jauffre had to say.

"Shor'na is right," The grandmaster was also watching the men and women fighting at the bottom of the hill, "Time is our biggest enemy and roadblock at the moment. Pray to whatever gods you have that Gwynyth pulls out all the stops on this one."


The air was thick with the stench of sulfur and something metallic; rather like blood. Burning flesh was another of the smells and the heat was so oppressive, Katryn wanted the constant chills from the Temple back. She was tempted several times to completely ditch her armor as she slunk along, trying to find an alternative route over the river of lava before her. So far she was not having any luck. She doubled back again and noticed that the siege weapons were a little nearer now to the gate. Cursing roundly in her own tongue, the Elf hurried up the broken bridge again and scanned the width of the gap. There was no way. Not even a Khajiit or an Argonian could jump that.

Feeling like she was wasting too much time and not knowing how to go about this, Katryn looked helplessly around her. There, just below her, were the leftover supports of the smashed portion of the bridge. They were still quite a distance from her perch, but she knew that there was a better chance of reaching one of these than reaching the opposite side. A screech interrupted her concentration and she looked up to see a scamp hurtling itself along the other side of the bridge. She drew back immediately, expecting the fireball to come at her and then strung an arrow. Her aim was as good as always and the creature was dropped a half moment later, the arrow piercing its neck.

She couldn't afford to let anymore time go by. Securing the bow at her back and slinging the shield there as well, she tried to steel her nerve as she judged the distance and took a few steps back. Sending out a prayer to any gods that might be listening and thinking, of all things, how Baurus would tease her about this after her insistence that there was only one god, she drew in another deep breath and ran forward, literally taking a leap of faith.


This next skirmish was even more intense than the first. Daedra were breaking through the ranks and charging towards the city, intent on causing as much destruction and death as possible. Things had gotten so fierce that Jauffre and Martin were tossed into some of the fray as well. Archers from the top of Bruma's walls were shooting so many arrows that the sky was thick with them. The three gates were out of range of course, but not the Daedra. They really were single-minded and simple creatures and that made them even more dangerous.

Gozrak was fighting closer to the city and his eyes kept straying to the Great Gate, hoping to see some sort of change in its appearance. So far there was none and neither was there sight of the Elf. Real fear was coursing through him and he wanted nothing more than to go after his ward. Honestly, how the hell was he supposed to protect her if he didn't know where she was? But Jauffre was right, as usual, time was working against them and with their current predicament, they could not afford to lose any able fighters.


Katryn's boots hit the support hard and she stumbled, almost slipping off. She had landed just on the edge of the hardened lava and it crumbled sickeningly beneath her. Pushing away from the edge, she fell forward instead and crashed onto her knees. Pain shot through both and the old wound from the Gutted Mine reared its head with a vengeance. She let out a hiss of breath and got to her feet slowly. Another wave of heat hit her and she could feel sweat pouring down her back. Her right knee wouldn't allow even the slightest weight and she cast the healing charm to at least hold herself together.

Ignoring the easing pain as best she could, she glanced around her and was terrified that she had trapped herself on her own personal island. But, no, just ahead of her there was another section of fallen bridge. She couldn't figure out how it was that these hadn't been destroyed in the lava long ago but she wasn't going to dwell on it. She could only be relieved there was a way across. The Elf eyed her next jump and felt her heart sink. She might as well have been aiming for the moon: her next target was less than half the size of the one she was perched on.

The whirring of the siege weapons was even louder and Katryn glanced over to see their legs soaring above her and that steeled her resolve. She turned her attention back to her next little island and focused solely on her task. Taking a few steps back, she ran and jumped again. Her knee protested and she pushed off of the dried lava awkwardly, veering too far to the left. While her right foot planted, her left was hovering over the lava. She turned her body to pull her other boot up and felt the intense heat through the soft leather. A moment later, her pant leg burst into flames. The Elf dropped to her rump and slapped at the fire as it licked eagerly through the fabric to get at her skin.

She was able to exstinguish them quickly and she got back to her feet, disregarding the pain and looking up to see that the far section of the bridge was now just before her. This was yet another jump and she was going to have to grab hold of the shaped ledge of the next support. Taking just enough time to cast a second healing charm, she gathered her strength and jumped for what she hoped would be the last time.

Her fingers barely caught the lip that she was aiming for and her stomach dropped uncomfortably as her body seemed to be pulled down towards the lava. She was suspended in time for a moment before she got it together enough to put her feet on the lava as well and shove herself upwards. This gave her a chance to secure her hold with one hand and grope up for the top of the bridge with the other. She just about had it when her right leg gave out and almost sent her to her death. Immediately the Elf grabbed the ledge in a death grip and pushed her left toes against the bridge support. She didn't hesitate for a moment and used what felt like all her upper body strength to pull herself up completely.

Arms and legs shaking with the thought that she almost died and the effort it took to get out of the situation, she would have loved to to sit still and catch her breath, get her heart back under control. But that was proved impossible. The urgency of wasting precious time made her get moving again. Add to that a Dremora had just spotted her. She dragged herself to her feet and realized with a sinking feeling that she didn't have enough time to free the shield from her back. Grasping the sword and planting her boots firmly, she mentally tried to shove the shaky exhaustion from her limbs and met the Dremora with what felt like her last remaining strength.


Jauffre had finally been forced to join the battle as well. The amount of Daedra charging all around them was astounding and he was left wondering what the hell had happened to the two troops that were sent to close the other gates. He knew that these creatures had no commander to tell them when to fall back and when to surge forward. This meant that as long as their ranks kept multiplying, Jauffre's own troops would tire and eventually break down completely.

The grandmaster had tried to stick close to Martin but with how thick things had gotten it was becoming increasingly more difficult. They drifted apart as they fought and soon Jauffre lost sight of the priest completely. He ducked underneath the longblade of a Dremora and then cut it down easily. His path was taking him closer and closer to the gates and while he was slipping back into the soldier persona with no problem, his muscles were starting to become sore with the strain. He cursed Katryn underneath his breath as a scamp's fireball soared above his head and singed his hair. The Elf had waited long enough and he was beginning to fear the worse in spite of his faith in her abilities. As soon as the curses died away, he had to send up a prayer that she would succeed. It would be the end of life as everyone knew it if she failed. Not just Cyrodiil, but the whole of Tamriel.