To my surprise, we weren't executed on the spot. We were arrested, our injuries treated, and hauled to the prison outside the city. They put different bracers on me after removing the piece of leather I used to block its magic. They separated dad and I, putting us in different parts of the prison. I was put high up in the tower. My cell was roomy, with stone walls, a straw bed, a small table and chair. There was even a window I could climb up to with a view of the bay surrounding the Imperial city.
Many of the prisoners in the cells near mine tried calling to me. Some wanted to know what I'd done, others asked if I knew their loved ones on the outside. All of them wanted news, but I didn't speak a word. Unlike them, I kept quiet dignity in defeat.
The first day was uneventful, but on the second, interrogators from the blades questioned me in my cell. I gave them no answers and asked for none in return.
I kept a quiet hope that Virisa, Fargoth, and Bargrum would come up with some sort of rescue, but this was the most secure prison in Cyrodiil. Even their wits would be put to the test.
On the third day, I got a visit from the last person I ever would have expected. The prisoners around me were transported to other parts of the prison, one at a time. It was at this time that I decided not to give up. I began a workout regimen to keep my body fit. At midday, I was doing sit ups against the back wall when I heard lots of footsteps approach through the hall. At this point they had emptied the whole cell block and I was the only one there. Still, I pretended not to notice when the men stopped outside my cell.
"You there!" A guard tapped on the bars with a small club. "Stand at attention!"
Instead, I laid down flat after a sit up and glanced at the group upside down. When I saw who it was, I did scramble to my feet, just to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. There stood Emperor Uriel Septim. I stumbled slowly toward the door, mouth agape.
"You... you used a fake. A body double."
The Emperor shook his head. "You caused a wound that few are capable of, but one of the most renowned healers in Tamriel was at the party and she was by my side before you'd even reached the window."
"That's not fair. That's not fair!" I lunged through the bars and grabbed the Emperor by his collar. However, the guards were quick and grabbed my arm before I could hurt him. Uriel readjusted his clothes before continuing, undaunted.
He had his men fetch him a chair and leave the two of us to talk. He took the seat, just out of my reach and indicated that I should take my chair.
"I'll stand thanks."
"You're not impressing anyone."
"I don't care if you're impressed. Now what do you have to say to me?"
He stared at me sternly for a moment before answering. "Usually, you'd be executed by now."
"So get on with it. Where's the headsman?"
Uriel sighed. "It's not that simple." Once again, he sat silently for a time. "Do you know why I'm the Emperor?"
I thought hard. "They say the Septims have dragon blood or some such nonsense."
"Yes. As the stories go, Tiber Septim, the first Emperor, was chosen by the divine Akatosh to be his champion. The descendents of his line are dragonborn."
"Why should I be interested in this history old man?"
Uriel's face suddenly changed. He flew into a rage, knocking over his chair and grabbing the bars of my cell. He shouted, "Because the dragon blood allows me to receive visions from the divines! I see the different paths the people around me can take and the fates their actions will lead to! I must guide the path of Tamriel as my predecessors have or the dreams will drive me mad! And as much as I want to kill you for stabbing me and manipulating my innocent daughter, I have to let you play your role!"
There was fury in his voice. Conviction I'd never seen before. I was forced to step backwards and shivers ran up my spine. Now I knew why the Septims had successfully run the Empire more than three hundred years. They didn't just have an advantage, they were forced to rule. Cursed with ambition. I had no reply and for the first time in my life, I was afraid to make eye contact.
The anger on the Emperor's face seemed so out of place, I got the impression that he rarely got angry at all. "Han-lu Urshar, your father has been sentenced to death and is on his way to the headsman right now. Your mother will face the same fate if we ever find her. It is practice for Emperors to destroy bloodlines that threaten the Empire. This means that usually, I'd have you executed, but I am forbidden by the divines.
"You will stay in this prison until I say and after that, you will still never sire enemies to assassinate my children once my time is over." He left with a flourish of his cloak and the jailers returned. One was a mage. He cast a paralyzing spell which I was powerless to block. My frozen body fell stiff to the ground while they entered my cell. The mage drew a razor-sharp blade and conjured a flame to sanitize the metal.