AN: Hey, happy new year!
To cturner971/Chretner: The group here is going to be important, especially in introducing the structure of the Empire and how Oct has grown up. They'll also be part of the fight at the end of all of what's going on.
Also, to every lass who is wondering, someone you haven't seen in a while might show up in a couple chapters.
Jul
Octavian
"Okay, so this is your last chance to back out, Athyn," I said while I finished pulling on the cloak over my black and brown tunic, the material of my father's, mother's, and grandmother's enchanted cloak calming my own nerves at abandoning the party with a foreigner in tow. I had a Nordic Steel sword strapped to my hip, the elegantly designed weapon a gift from the Skaal after Father had followed his promise of repairing their Grand Welkynd Stone four years ago. Shaman Frea had looked so tired, but beamed when she saw me... I digress. With everything together, I almost looked like a mercenary or low member of the Fighter's Guild out to party the night away. "The High Elf Quarter can be... well, it's not for most in high society."
Tora was gorgeous, her red hair – once loose for the party – had been tied up into a simple braid that dangled down her back. She had a stash of extra clothes in my room, useful for when the two of us wanted to sneak out of the palace together. Her hand was on her steel ax resting on her hip. She was currently in leather pants and boots, both deep brown. Her blue and white shirt was padded lightly, giving her some armor that, as a Blade-trained Nord, she always needed. She must have been horribly anxious in that dress for the ball. She had to deal with a couple assassination attempts as a child, so armor had been a constant fashion choice when she'd been relocated to the Imperial City around our thirteenth years. The would be child killers were a group of ultra-nationalistic Nords called... Stormcapes? They apparently were part of a big war in Skyrim before either of us were born.
"It's a nice change of pace," she stated with a grin. "Maybe we'll get in a bar fight again!"
Athyn palled. "Um..."
"No backing out now!" I shouted in spite of my earlier statement before shoving a set of clothes into his hands. "It's going to be... dusty, so leave your stuff here and get changed in the bathroom. We're going as soon as you're ready."
Athyn glanced between us, our excited glares infecting him. "O-okay," he said before backing slowly away and entering the bathroom. It was about a minute or two before he spoke again. "So, where are we going, specifically?"
"Oct knows a couple people in the High Elf quarter," Tora explained. She plopped down on my bed and leaned back, hands clasped behind her head. "They usually have something fun to do."
"And if not, we can make some trouble," I finished, shrugging. Tora laughed and shook her head from my bed.
"You aren't being serious, are you? Trouble seems -"
"Oh, don't worry. Nothing we'd be arrested for," Tora said before turning to me and, in a lower voice, continuing with, "If we run away fast enough..."
"Well, that's good. I suppose I can stand that," Athyn breathed in relief. He came out of the bathroom, clad in the dry brown that almost any normal person in the Empire wore, though they looked nice enough.
"Do you want to bring a weapon?" I asked, crossing my arms. "We've got extra."
He held his hand, palm up, in front of his body. A deadly glow of flames appeared in his open hand, its body dancing about before he closed his fist and extinguished its life. "I can take care of myself without one."
I shrugged. "If you want. Just remember not to burn anything down," Tora warned. I shook my head as she glared at me. "We don't need that happening again."
"I was thirteen!" I defended.
Athyn blinked. "You... burned somewhere down when you were thirteen?"
"It was... a thing that happened."
"An accident?" Athyn asked.
Tora and I glanced at each other. "I... Sure," we agreed.
Athyn glared unbelievingly. "Oh, we're kidding," Tora teased, shoving off of my bed. She placed her hands on her hips. "He was in a magic competition and he tried too hard. Threw a Fireball instead of a Firebolt."
"I paid them back," I defended again.
Tora held up her hand to cut me off. "Doesn't matter, we've got to go," she said, ending the conversation. "Are we taking the tunnel, then?"
I grinned. "Of course not. You need time to learn about the traps in there," I said. I motioned for them to follow. "Don't worry, I've been working on this for a while now." I walked over to my room's door and peered out, always keeping a vigilant eye out for Dorthe and her army of watchmen that were always on my back. So far, so clear. "Okay, come on." I left the room and began to briskly walk down the hall, careful not to make any noise. I swear, Dorthe had ears in the walls.
I turned down the corner and then left around another. I stopped at the palace's walls and ran my hand down the wall. "The last Emperor's family had this made after the Oblivion Crisis. Nobody knows about it."
"Then how do you know about it?" Athyn asked doubtfully.
I glanced over. "No one's looking to break out of the castle except me. It's easy when you try everything in your free time." I placed my hand on the nearby torch sconce. "And nobody expects the obvious." I pulled down and the wall slid open. "Now... who's ready to explore the city?"
After about fifteen minutes of walking through the hallway, I kicked open the door that led outside of the palace's wall and peeked out cautiously. It didn't happen all that often anymore, but occasionally Dorthe would patrol herself outside of the palace. She had apparently told Tora once that she did it because she needed to be sure that there were no threats, to see the safety with her own eyes. I couldn't help but be reminded of Solstheim every time I thought about it. Thankfully, Dorthe was nowhere to be seen. For now. "Okay, come on," I ordered, casting a look over my shoulder. Tora was just behind, her boots a little dusty but no worse for wear. Behind her was Athyn, nearly ashen with the stuff. He didn't seem to mind, though – again, Solstheim came to mind. I turned away and walked out confidently, waiting for them to follow me before closing the passageway. I placed my hand on the entrance trigger to ensure I knew what I was doing and it swung open slightly. "Good." I shut it again.
"Where is this High Elf Quarter we are heading to?" Athyn inquired, voice a hushed whisper.
"Not too far," Tora replied, voice normal. She pointed towards the southwest. "The Thalmor apparently turned that side of the city to ash in the last war. People apparently thought it would be ironic if they forced the elves to live in a hell made by elves. Really, any race that is part of the Thalmor is forced to live there, so High Elf Quarter is a little bit of a lie."
"It was all my father could do to keep them from stuffing the Dark Elves, Orcs, and Argonians in there, too," I remarked while I cast another glance around for any Blades. When I saw the coast was clear, I sprinted down the street with the others at my heels.
"Was that a compliment for the Emperor I hard?" Tora taunted when we turned our third corner and found ourselves in the middle of a normal crowd in the city, safe from Dorthe's prying eyes. She easily slowed to a walk and kept pace with me without any change in her breathing."How rare it is to pry one out from behind your teeth."
I elected not to respond.
"Yes, I noticed you had a contentious relationship with him. Why?" Athyn inquired calmly, his voice even despite how far we'd sprinted.
I, again, elected not to respond.
"Oh, that? That goes a long way back," Tora explained for me. I clenched my fist but decided not to say anything. Any of the parts that were a secret, Athyn likely already knew. His father had been there when I had – it wouldn't surprise me if Athyn had been there as well, or perhaps had been informed later by his father. Either way, Tora and my first meeting was not a secret. It was ancient history. "Its as old as our friendship. We actually both first arrived in the Imperial City at around the same time, more than ten years ago."
Jul – 13 Eruvos Usliik
Toragge Elidottir
Tora clung to her mother's clothes with a fearful look on her face, the wide open expanses and unfamiliar world that existed outside of their carriage terrifying her to no end. High Queen Elisif of Skyrim placed her arm around her daughter's shoulders and pulled her close, allowing the young, fiery haired girl to bury her face in Elisif''s purple dress. "What is wrong, Little Princess?" Tora let one of her eyes peek out of her mother's dress at her father, a man that still looked uncomfortable with his position half a decade after it had come to him.
Falk Firebeard was never a man meant to be consort of a Queen. A personal friend to Elisif's first husband, he had been a prominent member of the former High King's court. When Torygg had been killed, the two had spent years solving a civil war and slowly growing close to one another. Culminating in an accident that Elisif and Falk both knew was the greatest gift of their life – a little girl. "I don't want to be out here. It's not safe when we aren't home," Tora explained quietly, her words slightly slurred by her young age.
"Not safe," Falk echoed sadly. He nodded. The Nords were never a people to lie to their children. "Aye. It is not. But you can be brave and strong – like your father, eh?" He moved over to sit beside her and wrap her up in his arms, shaking her from side to side and making the little girl laugh loudly. "You're big and strong, like a princess should be!"
"Father, stop!" Tora shrieked, though she didn't mean it. She laughed loudly and and wrapped her arms around her father's neck to hug him tight. She nuzzled into his neck and sighed. "I love you, Father."
It was about an hour later when she woke up again, yawning and stretching between her parents. She glanced up sleepily and cocked her head to the side when she saw the two were sleeping, their heads resting against one another. The little girl immediately went to town in poking both of them until they woke up. "Mother! Father! Mother! Father! Mother! Father! Mother! Father!"
"Wah?" Falk asked, jerking awake first. He looked around in a daze before his eyes settled on his daughter. "Hm..? Tora. Did you have a good nap, my Little Princess?"
Tora snuggled into her father's chest. "Yes, Father."
Elisif opened her eyes slowly and smiled. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"
Falk smiled and wrapped his arms around his daughter. "Of course I am."
Elisif nodded then sat up straight and stretched. She moved towards the front of the carriage and opened a small sliding door. "How close are we to the Palace?"
"Ah, I was just about to wake you up, Milady. We entered the city just now, which means we are about ten minutes away," the carriage driver replied.
"Ah, good. Thank you, Thaer." The door slid shut and the High Queen returned to her seat, hands moving up to her hair to calm it and return it to its elegant braid. She finished quickly, deftly moving the strands of hair into the braid, then moved on to do her daughter's hair.
"Why do we have to dress like this, Mother?" Tora asked from her father's lap, sitting still while her mother tightened her hair into a braid.
Falk answered for his wife. "We are going to see the Emperor, Little Princess," he explained. He was running his own hand through his hair to calm it.
Tora frowned. That didn't really answer her question, she thought. "But who is the Emperor?"
"The Emperor is..." Falk frowned. How to explain this to a child?
"You know that a Queen rules Skyrim, Tora," the High Queen explained to her successor. "I must follow the rules the Emperor makes. He is... my King. And the reason I am Queen."
"He is a very old friend," Falk added on. "He invited us to stay in his palace for a few days before a funeral, then through the Summer Festival." Falk grew quiet. "It's for the woman he loved. We met her once."
Tora fought the urge to look at her feet. "That's sad..." she muttered. She frowned and sniffled.
"Oh, Little Princess," Falk muttered. He leaned in and wrapped his arms around her as Elisif finished their child's hair and did the same. "It is sad. It is painful. But he needs us, or else he would not ask us to stay this long."
"So... we're helping?"
"Yes. Because we are strong. And he needs us to be strong for him."
Tora was surprised by the sheer size of the Imperial Palace. She had thought that she had lived in a big house, but this..? The hallway she was standing in went on forever! She bet she could fit her whole home inside this hallway. All of Skyrim, maybe! "Wow..." she muttered without letting go of her mother's clothes.
The group was greeted after a moment or two by a rapidly approaching warriors dressed in Akavirii armor, gold and steel shining in the sunlight with the images of dragons and suns. One was a human woman, and the other a Khajit man. "Ah, Your Highnesses," the woman said, bowing deeply, the Khajit doing the same at her side. They both stood up straight after a moment. "How was your trip?"
"It was uneventful, thankfully, Delphine," Elisif replied. She cast a look at the cat man. "J'zargo." She frowned. "Where is the Emperor?"
Delphine and J'zargo traded a grimace before returning their attentions to the royal family. "Um... He – He is still with the healers," Delphine explained calmly. She looked down at Tora, who hugged her mother tighter. Delphine smiled softly and crouched down. "Hello there. The last time I saw you, Tora, you were... Oh, this big." Delphine held her hands apart, indicating the size of an infant. "The Emperor was at your naming day. So I was at your naming day."
Tora looked at Delphine. "You were?"
"Yes. The Emperor gave you... an enchanted bedding set. It always stays just right, no matter how cold or hot it is outside," Delphine said, casting her memory back.
Tora's eyes widened. "Those are from the Emperor?" Her grip on her mother loosened and she got closer to Delphine.
"Yes. And I brought the Akaviri dagger. Though I doubt you've used that yet," Delphine said with a smirk.
"She's always looking at it, though. She's a born fighter," Falk explained with a laugh.
"Yes... Um..." Delphine stood up. "I don't know if you'll want her to see this. The Emperor's wounds..." Delphine cast a look back at Tora. Studying her. Suddenly, the High Blade asked the young child, "Would you like to make a friend?"
Tora looked up at her mother, as if to ask how she should answer. Elisif offered no reply, but merely studied her daughter and awaited her response. "Um... Yeah?" Tora said, unsure.
"Good," Delphine said with a smile. "Divines know he needs one." She looked over at J'Zargo. "You lead her the room and keep guard with Dorthe, would you?"
"J'zargo agrees, Ma'am," the Khajit replied with a slight bow. He crouched and smiled at the little girl, unnerving her slightly when his long teeth flashed. "Would you like to ride on J'Zargo's shoulders?"
Tora nodded timidly and slowly released her mother. She cautiously eyes the cat man before reaching out with her shortarms and letting him lift her up onto his shoulders. "Do you want J'zargo to run or walk?"
Tora bit her lip. She wanted him to run, but... she was scared. She looked over at her father this time when she was looking for an answer. He stared back, letting her know it was her choice. "Um... walk..." she muttered, wrapping her arms around the Akaviri helmet and hugging tight.
"Of course. Just let J'Zargo know if you want to go faster." The Khajit turned to Elisif and Falk in turn. "Good bye, Your Highnesses." Then he began to walk slowly through the palace with the timid little girl sitting atop his shoulders.
She was silent for some time, just resting her chin against the Khajit's helmet while they plodded along. J'Zargo did not seem to mind, despite the fact that even the young girl could tell he was a naturally talkative creature. He waited for her to open up, and she wondered why. Did he do this a lot? Finally, she felt too awkward to continue silently. "Where are we going?"
J'Zargo turned his head slowly so the edges of his helmet would not hurt the little girl. "There is... The Emperor met someone very important recently. A little boy."
Tora's face rankled. "Boys?" she shook her head. "Father says boys are icky."
J'Zargo laughed at that. "Had I a daughter, I would tell her the same," he admitted between his booming guffaws. He sighed. "He has lost much coming here. He is scared."
The little girl leaned against the helmet again. "Scared?" she echoed as her mind traveled to her own fears. "Did people try to hurt him, too?"
J'Zargo didn't respond at first. "I think J'Zargo has said too much," he finally muttered. "Maybe you should ask him yourself."
He stopped walking a few minutes later, ending up in front of a door with a very solemn Nord woman in Blades armor standing outside. "J'Zargo," she said coolly. She looked up at Tora. "Princess." She returned her gaze to J'Zargo, waiting for an explanation.
"Delphine said to bring her. Perhaps she can help," J'Zargo explained, unflinching despite the steel in Dorthe's eyes. He lifted Tora and placed her at the ground. "If either of you need us, just knock on the door and we'll be right in, okay?"
Tora looked at the ground before nodding. J'Zargo smiled at her before opening the door and ushering Tora inside.
The room was sparse, devoid of any personal flair. There was a large bed near one wall, and it had its own bathroom. A large basket of new toys sat, completely unused, in the corner of the room. A large boy in gray furs was curled up at the base of the bed, head buried in his elbows and resting atop his knees. The door slid shut behind Tora with an echoing 'thud' that made the girl jump in surprise. The boy didn't move in the slightest.
The two stayed as they were for some time. The boy didn't move from his corner formed by wall and bed. Tora didn't take a step away from the door. It appeared he didn't do well around new people either. Eventually, however, Tora knew her mother and father would tell her to be braver than this, and she forced herself to walk towards the boy. She stood above him, waiting for a response but receiving none. She sighed and just sat down beside him in the same way he was sitting.
It was another five minutes before he turned and looked at her. It was another minute before she looked back at him. She was surprised by the glowing, golden eyes that peered over at her. "You have eyes like Miss Stentor."
The boy blinked. "Is she a Vampire?" he asked. From his voice, Tora could tell he was a lot younger than he looked. Probably not much older than she herself was.
Then the oddness of the question hit her. "Vampire?" she wondered aloud. She looked at the ground and a lightning bolt of terror ran through her spine. She tried to move away from the boy, but found herself frozen. "A-are you?"
"No," he replied simply. He rested his chin atop his arms and remained silent.
Tora sighed and let her legs slide down. He said he wasn't a Vampire – and now that she thought about it, he didn't look like a big scary monster that ate people. And he wasn't an elf like most of the ones that Tora had heard about. "No, Miss Stentor isn't a Vampire. She's just old and has pretty eyes."
"Oh," the boy said. "My Momma was a Vampire. She was nice, not like other ones that followed him." He sniffled and buried his face in his arms again, quiet sobs wracking his body.
Tora glanced away awkwardly before leaning in to give the boy a hug. He needed it, she decided. Besides, she thought he was nice sounding. The sobbing continued for a while.
"What happened?" Tora asked.
The sobbing quieted, but remained. "I... Momma died. Vampires killed her a few weeks ago," the boy explained sullenly. He looked over at Tora, a sad smile spreading on his face. "Thanks for being so nice. I'm Oct."
"I'm Tora," she responded, letting go of him and smiling. She looked over at the box of toys and eyed a pair of training swords. A twinkle appeared in her eye and she looked back at Oct. "Do you want to play?"
Oct blinked and looked over at the toys. He looked like he didn't understand the question, like the items were alien to him. Still, he nodded. "O-okay," he muttered before pushing up to his feet. Tora smiled and stood up, rushing to grab the swords so they could play.
Jul
Octavian
"So, he blames his father for being tracked by the Aldmeri Empress?" Athyn clarified from next to Tora as we approached the High Elf Quarter's gate. "I see. That does explain the animosity."
I rolled my eyes. "Those were the seeds," I muttered before opening the guard's door to the ghetto so we could get in and see Niramo and Fen. "The animosity is because of how my mom died. It festered in thirteen years of never speaking to each other." I used magic to lock the door behind us and crossed my arms to examine the High Elf Quarter.
Tora wasn't scared by my attitude, though she knew I was on edge now. "Fen and Niramo won't be too far off. We just need to wait for the biggest -" She sighed as she saw a pair of High Elves get thrown out of the nearest tavern, rolling across the stone street in a heap together. " – idiots."
The two elves looked up at us. "Oct! I thought you said you'd be busy today!" Fen shouted with a grin.
Niramo saw Tora and he grinned. "And you brought your girlfriend! We're gonna have some real fun fights, huh?"
Athyn tried to shrink away before they noticed him. "Oh, and who's the Dark Elf?"
Too late.
