A/N- Hey there everyone! So we are back to the past with this chapter, as I said in a previous Author's Note. It's a slightly shorter chapter than usual, but its where I wanted it to be. I will be returning to the present with the next chapter. I am not looking forward to writing and posting the last of the flashback chapters... and I'm sure everyone's got equally mixed emotions since we all know the outcome.
Another mixed emotion running through my mind is with the start of this chapter, we are slowly starting to reach the end of To Light the Dragonfires. I'm sad to see it end, but happy that I will be completing a story for the first time in my life. I hope everyone is still enjoying the ride as much as I am... and hopefully, trying not to cry the way I have.
Also, as a side note- I have a poll posted on my author page that I'd like for readers to check out and help me answer a question I've got running through my mind.
And with that little side note out of the way... please enjoy!
...
It had been sunset on the twenty-first of Rain's Hand by the time they reached the gates of the Imperial City. They had entered the Talos Plaza District on their way to the palace with Jauffre in the lead, Steffan on their left, and Baurus at the back. Tala had remained beside Martin on his right, but she had also acted as another guard in some little way, mindfully watching the citizens as they slowly gathered around and stared in awe as they witnessed the Dragonguard accompanying an actual Dragonborn Emperor. While the ride had been easy on Tala, the walk through the streets had tired her quickly. But she had held her head high and did her best to appear in good health.
"Is that the new Emperor?" She had heard one person say as they walked.
"Those are the Blades! That must be the new Emperor!" She had heard another citizen say.
"That's Martin Septim! And that must be the Hero of Kvatch!" Another person had commented.
"That's the Hero of Kvatch? What's with the hair?" Had been the contemptuous response of a different person.
Catching wind of that conversation had caused Tala to cringe. After going through Bruma and not hearing a single comment about her hair had felt strange, but enjoyable; upon hearing that remark, she felt a little of her swollen pride somewhat deflate.
She hadn't been bothered by it for very long, for Martin had placed his hand on the small of her back to get her attention. When she had looked at him, he just gave her his gentle smile, almost as if to reassure her not to worry. She didn't know if he had also heard the sideline conversations, or that he simply noticed her change in demeanor; either way, she could tell he was trying to be comforting. And that meant more to her than any off-comment by any stranger in Cyrodiil.
When they finally passed through the doors into the Green Emperor Way, Jauffre had increased his pace and walked ahead the group to announce their arrival to the Palace guards. Upon stepping foot near the doors of the White Gold Tower, they stopped and waited for Jauffre to return with the formal invitation; all the while Tala continued to survey the area like Steffan and Baurus had. After weeks of patience and hard work, the last thing she had wanted was some surprise ambush.
Her cautiousness had eventually ceased when she felt Martin take a hold of her hand and gently squeeze it. "There is no need to act as my guard." He had said softly. "That is why we're accompanied by the Blades."
"I know." Tala had said with a sigh. "I guess I still worry about you and look out for you as your champion and your friend, no matter what."
Martin smiled as he brought her hand up to his face to gently kiss it. "And I shall always look out for you, my friend. But today, there is no need for caution. We are finally here, and I will light the Dragonfires... and finally end this chaos."
She had then let down her guard as she wrapped her free hand around his arm and leaned into him. Then she drew in a breath and let out a content sigh. Yes, in their minds, they had assured themselves that the crisis had finally been over at that moment in time.
It wasn't long before Jauffre had walked back out and announced, "Sire, Chancellor Ocato is expecting you. He had word of your arrival in the capital."
"That was quick." Tala had softly said aloud, to which she had gotten a soft smile and an even softer chuckle out of her beloved.
The doors had been quickly held opened for the two of them, and they were escorted into the Elder Council Chambers. That had been the first time Tala stepped foot in the room, and at the time the table had been void of people sitting around it. She had taken her moment to observe the large room, all the while with her hands still wrapped around her husband's arm. A weary part of her wanted to take a chair and sit in it, but she had fought the urge.
"You can take a seat to rest if you wish." He had softly whispered in her ear.
Her eyes slowly wandered away from the chairs to look at him with a twisted frown. "As tempting as it looks, I would rather stand by your side."
"Where is Martin? I was told that he had arrived in the capital!" Came the echoing shout of High Chancellor Ocato as he had entered the room not moments after they did, and upon recognition of the Blades armor and Emperor's robes, he briskly narrowed the gap between them. "I have been expecting you." He greeted them diplomatically. He had even clasped his hands together and hid them under the long, red sleeves of his robes to complete the look of political formality.
Tala had quickly pulled away from Martin's arm to stand more formally by his side while Jauffre approached to address the Potentate. "I trust the Council has agreed?" The Grandmaster had asked.
Ocato had nodded. "The full Council has already considered the matter of Martin's claim to the Imperial Throne in detail." Then he had placed one arm at his side while he motioned Martin to step forward with the other. Tala had watched as he approached while Ocato courteously went down on one knee to boldly announce, "Martin Septim... on behalf of the Elder Council, I accept your claim to the Imperial Throne! We should arrange the coronation ceremony as soon as possible!" He then stood to his feet and added. "Sire, if you, your Blades, and your Champion would be so kind as to accompany me to the Temple of the One, we shall begin the ceremony."
Martin had turned to look at Tala, whom merely smiled sweetly at him. "Tala is more than just my champion, Chancellor. She is also my-"
But before Martin could say the word for everyone to hear, the doors had loudly slammed open with a Palace guard shouting at the top of his lungs, "CHANCELLOR OCATO!" The guard then came barreling inside and hysterically added, "The city is under attack! Oblivion Gates have opened and daedra are inside the walls! THE GUARD IS OVERWHELMED!"
Everyone in the room suddenly went wide-eyed and still. Tala had even held her breath and turned to look at Martin, whom had also done the same.
The city's under attack? How? Did the last of the Mythic Dawn manage to open an Oblivion Gate? She had fretfully thought to herself.
The only one who hadn't outwardly shown their fear had been Ocato. "Courage, soldier. We have an Emperor again." He had calmly responded before he looked to Martin. "Your Highness, what are your orders? Shall the Guard fall back to the Palace?"
They had all watched as Martin shifted his gaze to the ground while his eyes subtly darted back and forth for a second or two. Then he had quickly turned his attention to his new advisor. "No. If we let ourselves get besieged in the Palace, we're doomed. We must get to the Temple of the One immediately."
"As you command, sire." Ocato had then followed the solider out the door as he shouted as loudly as he could, "GUARDS! Form up and protect the Emperor! To the Temple of the One!"
In an instant, the three Blades pushed Martin and Tala together in order to shield them both as they walked out of the palace. Upon stepping outside, their first sight had been a large Oblivion Gate over towards the entrance to the Elven Gardens District. When she had managed to look up, her second sight had been the disappearance of the stars in the night sky; they had been replaced with the angry red hue that always circled around the Gates. Then their next sight had been the Captain of the Imperial Legion approaching Ocato with a battalion of twenty soldiers behind him.
"The Palace is cut off, sire." He had announced. "We were the last to make it through from the Legion Compound. My men and I are at your disposal. What are your orders?"
Ocato quickly turned to Martin, looking for an answer. The newly proclaimed Emperor had then hurriedly responded with, "I need to get to the Temple of the One. It's our only chance to stop Mehrunes Dagon."
The Captain had quickly nodded. "Yes sir. Let's move out!"
The swarm of Imperial guards quickly formed another barrier around the Blades and the High Chancellor for added protection while others went charging into battle, in hopes to defer the daedra as the group pushed on. She had felt Martin's embrace around her as they were crammed in a triangle of Blades remaining close to their monarchs while they all hurried down the road towards the Temple District. She could see the guards clashing with Xivilai and Dremora soldiers- some winning, others slowly loosing. The guards had to stop halfway when a handful of Valkynaz soldiers came charging out the Temple District doors and straight for them. Some of the barrier of men had no choice but to break formation in order to fend them off.
"We must get to the Temple!" Martin had shouted in frustration. "Drive them back!"
Tala had wanted to rush in and fight with the rest of them, but she already felt weak and dizzy just from briskly walking. In her best attempt to help, she summoned her magicka, slipped her arm past Baurus to outstretch her hand at an open space, and conjured her Frost Antronach to join the battle. She had then tried to summon destruction magic to her hands next, but in an instant she felt her body grow weak and her knees gave out underneath her while she failed to cast the spell. She had felt Martin grab a hold of her waist and keep her standing, to which she had held onto him, doing her best not to bump into Steffan while he held his ground.
"Are you alright?" She had heard Martin fret.
"I'm fine." She replied. "I just can't summon any spells without it taking a toll on my body. I still feel fatigued from the blood loss I sustained in Paradise."
"Don't worry about helping us, Tala." Steffan had said over his shoulder. "Just stay with Martin. We'll drive them off!"
The Imperial guards had eventually separated from their place as a shield to engage in combat, leaving Ocato under the protection of the Captain and his Legionnaire messenger, while she and Martin had the Blades. In doing so, their opportunity to run had presented itself.
"Now's our chance!" Jauffre had shouted. "Get Martin and Tala into the Temple District! Now!"
Tala had done her best to run as fast as them, but her body slowed her down. She had felt helpless in that moment- her lack of armor and her anemic body meant she was a liability. A part of her had wondered if she should've been left behind. But she knew she wouldn't; if she had even dared to suggest it, Martin would have refused to go any further. Instead, she held his hands tight as he acted as her strength, helping move her forward as they ran through the doors and into the next district.
As they made their way closer, they had seen the high-ranking dremora step out of a Gate in front of the Temple to immediately start clashing with the Imperial guards as they defended the civilians. They witnessed helpless men, women, and children being chased down by stray daedra while the city guards tried their best to drive the demons away. The walls of the temple had been in their sights. If they could just get inside...
Two Markynaz mages had suddenly come rushing over to them, forcing the three Blades to break from their formation and take the daedra down before they could cast any spells.
"Get back against the wall!" Baurus had shouted to them as he protected the front.
Martin and Tala had quickly done as instructed. She had decided to throw herself against the wall and use it to support herself for a second while Martin pulled his Dagger of Sparks from inside his robe. After she took her second to take a few deep breaths, she too pulled her own enchanted dagger and readied for any attacks.
"There's too many of them right at the doors of the Temple!" Tala had exasperatingly commented.
"Mehrunes Dagon knows that if I can reach the Temple of the One and light the Dragonfires, he has lost." Martin simply commented. Even though he had done his best to remain calm, she had heard the agitation in his voice; he had been just a frustrated as her.
"We need to find an opening to slip past the daedra and get into the Temple." She had told him.
He had nodded as his eyes scanned the destruction taking place several feet in front of them. "If we're careful, we could rush in and have the guards surround us. They could act as a blockade to distract the daedra and give us time to enter the Temple undetected." He then turned to look at Tala in enough time to see her nod in agreement.
"It's a long shot, but it's the only shot we have." She concurred. "We need to get to Jauffre and have him follow us. He can help us gather up the guards." She had then pushed off the wall to prepare to run, but as she quickly stood straighter, she felt her world waver and she lost her balance, forcing her to lean back up against the wall and hold her arms out in front of herself... just incase she fell.
He had watched her unsteady maneuver, all while wearing a look of uncertainty. "I fear for your safety, Tala." He had calmly said. "You are at a disadvantage. Perhaps you need to stay back with Jauffre and Steffan. I'll take Baurus with me to the Temple of the One."
"I fear for your safety as well, Martin." Tala had responded. "But... you're right. I am at a disadvantage. I... I will stay back. Just please be careful."
He quickly placed his hand against her cheek and began to say, "I'll come back to you, alive. I promise. Stay here where you are-"
She knew he was going to say the word 'safe', but his sentence had been cut short when the sound of a lightning strike echoed through the air. They both turned to look and watched as the Oblivion Gate glowed with a yellow, hot light before the frame had shattered. The fiery flame of the portal remained, and out of the fire morphed a large red beast, standing over twenty feet tall with horns protruding from its head, large fangs jutting out from its jaw, and two arms on each side of its body- with one of them wielding an enormous battleaxe. It stared down at the mortals with menacing red eyes for a few seconds before it let out a spine-curling roar, making the ground beneath them shake and the sky change into violent colors of black, purple, and blood.
The Daedric Prince of Destruction finally crossed into Tamriel.
While everyone stood there, frozen in fear, Martin had suddenly let out a loud, angry cry of his own. "We're too late! Mehrunes Dagon is here! Lighting the Dragonfires will no longer save us... the barriers that protected us from Oblivion are gone!"
Tala had found herself fully pressing her back up against the wall before she slowly sunk to the ground and onto her knees. It's over. She had painfully thought. Mehrunes Dagon has won. All that time we spent in trying to prevent this from happening is in vain.
Her eyes had looked to Martin, whom had turned around to look at her with the same pained expression in his eyes as he angrily clenched his teeth. She really didn't know what ran through his mind that day, but she was pretty sure he had been thinking the same thing she did.
Now what do we do?
