AN: Merry Christmas, & Happy New Year!

Sorry it's been so long. I had finals, and I've been enjoying my time at home with my family for the past month. I have been working on this, though, and I hope – but no promises – that I'll be able to update more often in the coming months.

Anyways, time for a couple responses:

TheSilenceIsVast: FeelsVeryBad. Yeah, Luc and Oct's relationship is going to be a big part of this final section of the story, as well as looking at how Oct really views that night so many years ago.

cturner971/Chretner: I'm glad you read so much of my stuff. I try to make it as fun as possible. The time skip... It's here for a few reasons. The one that is the biggest is probably that I wanted to show that, for Luc, the war with Thera is a battle that gets worse as time goes on. She's a Vampiric Elf Dragonborn. She has forever. He's a human Dragonborn with ruined vocal chords and wounds that keep piling up. Fifteen years will have ruined him. I also wanted to have Oct reach the point in his life where he would be a little bit younger than his father was at the start of this story, and show how he lives in the Empire that's been established for nearly two decades now. As for why he's angry with his father, it's complicated. That night where Serana died plays a big part. And while he knows his father is busy for a good reason, that wouldn't totally matter to him. At his core, he was still a little kid whose mother had been murdered, was forced from the only home he'd ever known, and was left alone most of his life in a palace large enough to host a dragon for dinner.

Anyways, enjoy everybody!

Fahiil

Thera

The Dunmer were an infuriating people. They believed themselves superior to all that they came into contact with, regardless of how far their bloodline had strayed from the Chimer and Altmer purity it had once held. They held to ancient traditions and beliefs that placed obstacle after obstacle in my path to claiming their allegiance. Every requirement of every social ritual had to be completed just so or any chances at alliance or domination would go up in smoke.

Of course, their aid in the next years of the war was not a necessity for my victory. No, my victory had only ever relied on one thing – acquiring the Bow of Auri-El. I could wait a thousand years or more, and it would remain the only obstacle on my path to godhood. My Empire could crumble and that fool human control all of Tamriel. I would outlast him and take what was owed me. He was on his last leg now, anyways. About to die, by all accounts. And whoever he had posing as the son Isran had killed would be ill equipped to inherit his throne. I had seen it in his eyes so many years ago, the eyes of a man without anyone left. Even if my Empire crumbled, he had crumbled long ago. It had to hurt him, seeing every day someone pretend to be the child that he failed.

Of course, waiting for the Bow of Auri-El to appear while heading an Empire was much preferable to awaiting its return in poverty. And awaiting it following the destruction of that fool's life's work? Even better.

Unfortunately, defeating that... Man would be made all the easier by enlisting the aid of Morrowind and its powerful houses.

A vexing position to be in, truly.

"Ambassador Dreloth," I said, my mind clearing as the dark skinned elf approached my throne of carved ruby. I uncrossed my legs, clad in black cloth, and recrossed them. My hands tightened on the armrests and I smiled down at her. "Welcome, ju'rohn. I take it you had a pleasant journey?"

"The ship you sent was more than adequate, Empress," she responded with a bow. Her rich, purple-red robes draped from her shoulders and pooled slightly before straightening out when she returned to full height. She clasped her hands behind her back. "The décor was just like that present in the great halls of my homeland's capital city."

I turned towards Babette, standing silently at my side. "It pays to have excellent allies," I said with a gesture to the eternally childlike vampire. I returned my attention to Dreloth. "And all of my allies would become your people's... should my terms be met."

"Of course," Dreloth noted with an understanding frown. I had demanded the allegiance of the Dunmer to my Empire – or at least the main puppet state. The Aldmeri Dominion was still functional and nominally remained in control of the lands it had held at the outbreak of the first great war over fifty years prior. It was a personal desire of mine, I must admit, that the elves of Tamriel all be united under a single banner. The Orsimer would be difficult to convince, with so many of their kind already members of the Legion, but it would happen eventually. Once I was a Divine, my will would be law.

"You seem reticent, Ambassador," I said simply. I clasped my hands and frowned. The cold emptiness of the room seemed to magnify on Dreloth and she bit her cheek, a reaction of the fear running down her spine. Clever woman, it seemed. "What bothers you?"

"N-nothing of note, Empress," she said with a small bow of her head. "Simply that allegiance and alliance are vastly different. The Council has its eyes on both you and your enemy, and it knows that remaining neutral will only result in death." She bit her lip upon seeing the cold look I was giving her. "They have elected to send an ambassador of House Redoran to the Imperial City. I obviously would prefer to side with the winning side... but the council wants to weigh its options. And alliance sounds better to them than allegiance."

"They think I wish to subjugate them?" I inquired with a smirk. "I only subjugate those who do not pledge themselves to me." I stood up slowly and walked down the steps that rose up to my throne, reaching Dreloth and gripping her shoulder as tight as I could. She whimpered at the pain, but kept herself impressively calm. "So, perhaps they should view this as a choice between living and dying."

Ambassador Dreloth was silent upon hearing this. She looked scared. I was glad to learn I had not lost my touch. Intimidating fools and spies was easy sport, but assaulting the bravery of a creature such as a Dunmer politician was another story. They would not bend, the would not bow. It was not in their nature to succumb. It had been bred out of their upper class, and where that was not possible it had been ground out by their elders. If I could scare this ambassador, one who they had decided was brave enough to be sent into a literal den of Vampires, then there was hope that I could force all of Morrowind to bend the knee.

Finally, the Dunmer spoke. "I will be sure to impress the immediacy upon them all," she stated with a small bow.

"Good..." I said with a smirk. I looked up and gestured for a servant to walk forward. It was a human, clad in fine clothes but with the marks of being bled along its neck. Cuts healed with magic to prevent its turning but supply sustenance. A slave, but a very useful one. "Lead the Ambassador to her chambers and prepare her for the coming ball." The slave knew that there was another command beneath it – Observe her. Slaves were quite good at keeping watch. Their lives were worthless to their masters, so any around them would forget that they were present. And a slave would be more than willing to murder for its freedom.

The slave bowed, then turned and walked silently past Ambassador Dreloth. "I take my leave then," Dreloth said after watching the slave pass for a moment. She glanced up at me and bowed her head slightly. "Empress." Then she turned and followed the slave out of the throne room.

"Any news from the scouts?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

Babette turned her head from the door. "Still nothing, Thera,"

I let out a single bark of laughter. "Yes. The same as it has been for a decade," I muttered. I sighed. "The Bow will appear when it is my time."

"Of course... But are you sure that it is good to divide your attention so?"

I raised an eyebrow and my eyes flicked towards Babette. "Speak."

"The Bow. It is a powerful weapon, and your ascension to godhood would be... cataclysmic for the Empire," Babette admitted, choosing her words carefully. "But you are dividing your attentions. The war, the alliance with Morrowind, these are concrete. We know that these will be of use now, Thera. The Bow you could attain at any moment throughout the millennia, but Tamriel? That is an opportunity that you would be lucky to see once on this Plane."

"True," I admitted. "But this is a Dominion of Vampires. It would not last. You know that."

"I do..." Babette admitted. "But if the Empire is what rules Tamriel, they will not stop hunting you. It will become an Imperial Directive for a thousand centuries that you be hunted down. And that would make a hunt for the Bow nearly impossible."

"True..." I admitted again. I despised admitting things, in general. Yet... "Perhaps it has become something of an obsession for me, the Bow. And yet I cannot have it leave my mind. The power of Alduin, the control of the Bow, the death of his whore. I may have taken so much from that fool, but he has taken perhaps more from me. The Bow has become the sign of my defeats... and the redemption for them. It is as simple as that."

"I understand. And yet it should not be the only thing you concern yourself with. Do not think of it. I shall," she stated, though there was pleading in her voice. She raised one hand and gestured towards the darkened windows, then at herself. "You are needed for the war, for conquering. When the Bow appears, I shall alert you. Until then, I will take the weight of searching for it."

I sighed and nodded. "Alert the Slaves that I thirst," I stated simply as I stood up from my throne. "I will leave this burden to you as I prepare for the ball, at the very least, Babette." Then I walked silently out of the throne room and towards my room. She was right, as was usual when it came to my obsessions. The result of over a decade of partnership, I supposed. I had to focus on the now. The war, and killing him, as I had killed his whole family. When the Bow was the now, then I would focus on it.

I felt in my gut that that day would come sooner rather than later.

Jul

Octavian

The party was in full swing just a few hours later, with fruit and pastries covering tables that rested just a few feet apart all up and down the large ballroom of the Imperial Palace. Dignitaries from all over the Empire were present, including Jarl Balgruuf of Skyrim, the current Queen of Hammerfell, the Archmage of the Mage's Guild, the Harbinger of the Companions, and a rather bored looking Princess of Skyrim standing at my side in her blue dress. "When in Oblivion are those Dunmer going to get here?" she growled while I grabbed a strawberry and covered it in chocolate using the magically powered 'Chocolate Fountain' on the nearby table.

"Tora, you know that a fight isn't going to break out," I said quietly before devouring the strawberry in a single bite. I made sure none of the melted sweet managed to land on my royal purple robes that clung tight to my form like mage's robes. Through my food I continued speaking. Thankfully, we had been friends for years, so she understood quite easily. "Dorthe herself would behead whoever tried – regardless of their parentage."

"Except you," Tora pointed out as she grabbed her own strawberry and tried the fountain out. She made a happy noise as she ate and grabbed another. Chocolate had always been her weakness.

"Not if her threat yesterday was anything to go by..." I muttered, my mind flashing back to an image of her katana cutting my training sword in half when I suggested I didn't want to attend the party. She had said that, if the Crown Prince of the Atmoran Empire was nor present when the Dunmer ambassador arrived it would be taken as a huge insult by the visitors from Morrowind. Worse still, according to Dorthe, it would have been an insult to my father.

"Please. You and your father are the two people in this world she actually cares about," Tora said simply. Her hand clasped my shoulder tight. "Even if today is hard for you... it's obvious she cares."

"Mother's death shouldn't weigh on her," I replied sullenly. I could barely remember who Dorthe was before, how bright and kind she had been in those few days before... I turned my gaze towards the place where my father stood, quietly speaking with his advisors. Though, given his injuries he might have been shouting. "That guilt lies elsewhere."

"Well, since the only people who know what happened are the three of you, a village half a continent away, and an evil Vampire Empress, I suppose I'll have to come to my own opinions on that," she replied as her hand drifted down my arm. Her fingers clasped around my wrist and she brought me close. She leaned in and let her lips brush against my cheek before pulling away. "Regardless, one day we won't have all of the banquets to deal with. Peace time? Ever wonder what it might be like?"

"No banquets?" I asked, faux boredom in my voice. "But how would we fill our time?"

Tora grinned evilly. "Oh... we could figure it out."

I grinned back, the smile just as wicked as hers. "Yes, I suppose we could."

Tora's grip slid down to my hand. "I -" The music cut off.

"Presenting High Councilor Lleril Morvayn of the Morrowind House Redoran, and his son Athyn Morvayn of Morrowind House Redoran," one of the servants said, his loud voice echoing through the room as every set of eyes turned towards the newcomers entering through the large doors on one wall. I kept my grip on Tora's hand as we saw Lleril and Athyn enter, the both of them dressed in rusty red robes with very expensive looking golden trim. Their sharp, angular faces surveyed the room with serious gazes and their red eyes dragged over every individual one at a time. Lleril Morvayn... the name sounded familiar. The man looked familiar.

My father payed this little mind, however, and hurried towards Councilor Morvayn. I strained my ears, even in the silence, to hear his words. "Councilor Morvayn," my father said, bowing to the Elf before extending his hand. "It has been too long."

Lleril Morvayn... I remembered now. He was there, in that Dark Elf town when mother died. Their leader, who had some sort of personal friendship with my father.

Morvayn's serious features broke into a friendly smile. "And you, 'Legate,' I wish I could encounter more often!" he responded with a slight chuckle. My father turned red slightly and laughed with him, the hoarse noise unsettling many of the nobility present. They did their best to turn away from my father and hide their looks. He was hurt in the same way Tiber Septim had been all those centuries ago. But my father was no Talos. Morvayn took my father's hand and clasped it tight. "It has been far too long, indeed, Luc."

"Ller," my father nodded with a grin. He turned to me and motioned for me to come over.

I fought down a frown and turned to Tora. "Save a dance?"

"Only if it's to Ragnar the Red," she agreed jokingly. She shook her head and became serious. "Let's just leave early..?"

"I was waiting for you to ask," I muttered with a smirk before squeezing her hand. Then I let go and walked towards the guests.

"Councilor Morvayn. Athyn," I bowed my head to both men in turn.

"You remember my son, Octavian?" Father asked the Councilor.

The man surveyed me up and down for a moment. "I always forget how quickly you humans sprout up." He looked into my eyes, still the same glowing bronze that I had been born with. "But I could always recognize you. No other human has those eyes."

I blinked once and thought back to my father years earlier telling me I had my mother's eyes. Back when we had talked more. I blinked again and realized that Athyn had asked me a question. "Apologies. My mind was elsewhere... What was that?" I inquired of the younger elf.

"I asked when you met my father," he replied, his voice quiet but full of authority that came from being raised as nobility. He seemed annoyed I hadn't heard him.

"I actually lived on Solstheim for some time," I explained. I cast a glance over to my father and the Councilor, who both watched me speak with looks I couldn't decipher. I paused and studied them for a moment before deciding on what I would say. I wanted to annoy my father.

Unfortunately, more than that, I wanted to help the Empire. The Dunmer could help us dispatch the Dominion quickly, which would help me keep Fen and Niramo alive.

Fortunately, these two things matched up pretty well. What I had to tell him was the most scandalous thing – the truth. "My mother was a Vampire taking refuge there until the leader of the Dominion killed her."

Athyn's eyes widened and he took a step back from me. "Y- But I thought those were just rumors!"

My father took a step forward and I noticed that all of the nobles were staring at us. He motioned and the music picked up, a quiet command that they stop listening. They listened without question, and even moved to give us a much wider berth. "Are you trying to scare him?" he growled at me.

"He's our guest. He deserves honesty from his host, no?" I asked my father, unfazed by his anger.

His anger vanished in an instant and he looked over at the Councilor. He was smiling. "I told you my boy was intelligent."

I gritted my teeth at his fatherly tone. Always had to impress the guests, hm? Be a real father when others could see? Again, though, the Empire – my friends – outweighed my loathing for the man and what he did. "You gave me the best tutors for learning to rule this Empire. For strengthening it. And you taught me that a good Emperor must rule by first being a good man, a true father to his people." It was a pointed insult and he understood it. I could tell from the look in his eyes as they glanced down at the ground that I had struck his core.

"An interesting outlook," the Councilor cut in. He glanced over at Athyn, then back at me. "If you would please give my son a tour, your father and I have much to talk about, Prince Octavian."

"Father -" Athyn began protesting, obviously having assumed he would be part of his homeland's diplomatic mission.

"I will see you soon," Morvayn said, dismissing his son before walking away with my father.

Athyn seethed beside me. "You'll get used to it." He turned to me with a confused look. I responded with one of the few good things I could say about my father. "Father holds his duty above all else. Even family."

Athyn sighed. "I should have already gotten used to it. Decades of this have yet to make it normal, though."

I shrugged. "Maybe that I only met him just over a decade ago helps." I watched Morvayn and my father walk into a side room, then turned to Athyn. "I have a friend who doesn't want to be here. You want to explore the city instead of this... room?"

Athyn stared at me in surprise, then glanced at the ground. I could see the rebellion growing in him until, eventually, he nodded. "I have been wondering how the common citizenry of your empire lives, I must admit," Athyn said simply, shrugging as he turned to me. "I am intrigued by your offer."

"Great," I said with a grin. I could tell this would be the start of a great friendship. I didn't even let it bother me that it might have been my father's plan all along. "Tora's going to love this!"