ULFRIC AND THE NIGHT KING BROUGHT THE PIECE OF THE RING OF POWER BEFORE DAGON WHO SMILED. Ulfric could sense the Daedric Lord's lust for his Master's creation, but the Dark Lord of Tamriel had designs of his own. Dagon motioned for them to follow and he led them deep inside the bowels of his palace to the armory, where his weapons of war were forged. Ulfric was impressed with the array of weapons on display and the great forge that the Daedric Lord led them to. The former jarl could feel the heat of the fires and they were comparable to that of the ruined Mt Doom where the Ring was originally made. The heat would be necessary for strengthening the ore to repair the damage that was done to it, but more important was bending the Ring to his will for Isildur's Bane answered to Sauron alone. And Dagon had the skills required for that. As the days passed into weeks, Ulfric and Dagon successfully re-forged the Ring of Power yet Ulfric knew one last crucial ingredient was needed for it to be finished. Dagon celebrated the Ring's nearing completion by summoning members of the Mythic Dawn who bowed before him. Cheering and roars of approval echoed in his palace.
"The Ring of Sauron is remade and now belongs to Dagon" they cried "We shall begin a new Oblivion Crisis and when Dagon crushes the Dragonborn we will rule the world!"
"The Dragonborn is of the Septim bloodline and he and his seed will be eradicated from this world" Dagon yelled making a fist and thrusting it in the air gaining the approval of his supporters.
Ulfric looked at the Night King and nodded his head and the Night King understood the meaning behind the unsaid command and remembered the Dark Lord's words in Mordor:
When the Ring is remade, cripple Dagon. Then take his heart. To control the legions of Daedra, the Ring must be tempered in the blood from the heart of a Daedric Lord.Only then will I be able to unite evil under my banner.
The Night King drew Aeglos and thrust it into Dagon's chest and the Daedric prince screamed in agony as the Elvish weapon tasted blood for the first time in three millennia. Dagon looked at Ulfric his eyes wide in shock, the Mythic Dawn rushing forward to their fallen leader. Ulfric summoned lightening and engulfed them – their screams of pain delighting him as he slowly killed them. He turned his attention back to the Daedra, Ulfric's eyes turning yellow as the critically wounded prince struggled to speak.
"Why Ulfric? Why betray me" Dagon demanded coughing up black blood as Dremora Kynreeve began to fill the room drawing weapons.
"As my Master Sauron once said 'sacrifices must be made' and the Ring of Power doesn't belong to you. It was and will remain a relic of Mordor and not of Oblivion. Take his heart and temper the metal in the blood."
The Night King cut Dagon's still beating heart from his chest and dipped the Ring in its blood. Shocked at seeing the death of Dagon, the Daedra and surviving Mythic Dawn members cried out in disbelief. As Ulfric took the Ring and slipped it on his finger, its Oblivion and Black Speech runes began to glow. He turned his attention to the members of the Mythic Dawn and Daedra. Summoning magic he enhanced his voice deepening it, like the Istari of old.
"I am Ulfric Stormcloak! Dark Lord of Tamriel. Slayer of Mehrunes Dagon. Bow before your King! Bow!
Ulfric watched as the Mythic Dawn and Daedra got on one knee and the Night King returned Aeglos in its sheath across his back.
"I may have slain your 'god', but he was weak. I have seen and tasted real power. Power that my Master Sauron taught me. I intend to unite all evil and when I have done so, we shall find the lost Silmarils. With the Silmarils we shall restore Melkor to his rightful place as ruler of this world and Sauron as his heir. Anyone who stands against us will be put to the sword."
The Mythic Dawn cheered and the Daedra roared their approval. Ulfric thought it would be more difficult to sway them, but Sauron had told him that the hearts of men are easily corrupted. That corrupt men will follow anyone with power. The Daedra he was not sure of so he had other ideas for them. Turning to the Night King he gave him a simple command:
"For the Daedra who don't follow, conscript them into your forces. You suffered heavy losses at Rivendell. I'm sure you could use replacements. Turn them."
The Night King smiled and bowed his head in acknowledgment of the command. He once had a dragon under control and now the thought of scores of Daedra in his army, his power would nearly be limitless. And the Night KIng had his own designs for Westeros and with Daedra troops victory was all but certain. Ulfric was pleased at how quickly the remaining Mythic Dawn members fell into line and now he had to turn his attention to the other Daedric princes. Like the rest of humanity and elven kind, if they chose not to follow, they too would be put to death.
BRIANNA SAT CROSS LEGGED IN HER CHAMBERS AND MEDITATED AS OBJECTS FLOATED AROUND HER. Since arriving at the Island of Artaeum two months ago, her powers increased ten fold. Her quick mastery of Alliteration, Restoration and Destruction magic surprised her Psijic teachers. She read the Istari tomes and scrolls and some of the spells and abilities shocked her – learning them would take her years and time was a luxury she didn't have. Ulfric had been taught by Sauron and the Psijic's could only help her so much. Brianna considered maybe the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and Yennefer could aid her in her education, but travelling to the Northern Kingdoms would take time and money. And there was no guarantee they would accept her as a student. As Brianna meditated and considered her options, she sensed another presence in her room. She opened her eyes and found her herself looking at a beautiful woman who seemed ageless. But she had a sadness in her eyes as she looked at Brianna even when she smiled.
"Your beauty reminds me of my Luthien. It's unfortunate that you're letting your hatred for Ulfric consume you."
Brianna remembered that Luthien's mother was Queen Melian, but Melian had returned to Valinor after the fall Doriath and death of Thingol. How in Oblivion did she get into one of the most secure places in the world she thought. Brianna bowed to the former Maiar queen and Melian raised her hand.
"I have watched you from the shores of Valinor and am so proud of you. Your dedication to the Akaviri and the Dragonborn is admirable and your beauty rivals that of my daughter. But don't let your anger and quest for vengeance against the Dark Lord lead you astray."
"The only way I can gain justice for my mother is avenging her death. I can't beat Ulfric without the knowledge of the Istari your highness" Brianna said.
"I am a queen no longer, but I am your grandmother. There is no need to address me as such" Melian replied. "But have you considered why your father never slew the former jarl?"
"My father never talked about the war" Brianna answered.
"It surprises me not. Speaking about that much death must be painful. But stripping Ulfric of his power, casting him out and breaking him was a far more fitting punishment than death" Melian told the young Akaviri. "Your father could have put Arya and Jon to death, but instead he chose to spare them for he knew that they could serve another purpose."
"Yet Ulfric chose Sauron and has become the first Dark Lord of Tamriel" Brianna countered.
"Ulfric is nothing more than a slave of Sauron driven by his hunger for power and thirst for revenge. And now he has re-forged the Ring of Power and has aims on breaking Morgoth and Sauron out of the Void."
"Morgoth" Brianna hissed remembering her history lessons from her Psijic teachers. "The first Dark Lord of Middle-earth. The fallen Valar."
"If the First Dark Lord joins Sauron and Ulfric they will usher in an era of darkness the likes the world has never seen. The Ring of Power was remade to unite all evil under one banner – Orcs, Haradrim, Easterlings, Daedra, Nilfgaard and others will follow whoever bears that cursed Ring. Not even your father can defeat three Masters of dark magic especially Morgoth. Only the Dragonborn Emperor can – your brother Talion."
Brianna shuddered at the thought of three Dark Lord's in the world and was ashamed that she let hatred consume her. Melian laid a reassuring hand on her granddaughter's shoulder "Brianna you are one of the most skilled warriors in the world and I trust with time you will have the wisdom of the ancient Noldor" she leaned in and kissed her granddaughter's forehead. "I must bid you farewell, but I leave you with a warning. Beware of the Psijic's for they are keeping a dark and dangerous secret that even the Valar couldn't discover and I fear that it is terrible."
Brianna nodded as tears streamed down her face and Melian hugged her one last time. "Do not tell the Psijics I was here. No one can know I visited."
After Melian left, Brianna wondered what secret her Psijic teachers were keeping and why Melian feared it. Brianna was determined to learn what they were hiding,s and in the morning she would get her answers. And the answer she would find would horrify her and change the course of the history.