Unfamiliar Faces
Chapter 4: Making Plans, kicking out the Thalmor
The final day of the moot had finally come. After days upon days of the Jarls debating and having one mock vote after another, on this day, a new High King or High Queen of Skyrim would be decided.
While the Jarls sat around their table, Mikkel and Riala, along with General Tullius, Delphine and Esbern were watching events from the back of the room. Currently, it looked like Elisif the Fair had the lead in the number of votes.
"I think we should consider the Dragonborn in these proceedings," came the new Jarl of Dawnstar, "He did save all of Skyrim from the dragons, and even now sports that amulet, which you, Balgruuf, said came from Akatosh himself."
"There is one problem with that idea;" Balgruuf the Greater replied, "The Dragonborn is not a Nord. He's an Imperial, coming from Chorrol in Cyrodiil."
"I had a chance to speak to General Tullius, and a commander from the Penitus Oculatus, just yesterday, after you first brought this idea up," Elisif added, "And they're convinced that the Dragonborn is actually a lineal descendant of the Septim dynasty. While he is an excellent warrior, and leader, the fact that he is not of Nord descent means he cannot be High King of Skyrim. His lineage to Martin Septim, though, means he has a claim to the Ruby Throne in the Imperial City.
"This again," Mikkel thinks, "Even now, I still have no idea if what they're saying is true. Can I be descended from the Septims?" His face showed a look of deep thought as he continued to ponder what he was told.
"Maybe you should consider asking Akatosh," Riala whispered in his ear, "you still have that portal stone, right?" Mikkel nodded.
"Anyway, that is a topic for another time," Maven Black Briar interjected, "I say we continue with this vote. We have been debating for weeks now, and it is time we got this finished." The vote continued, and soon, a new High Queen of Skyrim was elected, in Elisif the Fair of Solitude. After all the pomp and circumstance of crowning Elisif as High Queen, Mikkel and Riala went back to Proudspire Manor, where he retrieved the portal gem from the chest of drawers. He then reached out a hand to Riala, who gladly took it. The Dragonborn Imperial then touched the glowing gem of the Portal stone and both Dovahkiin disappeared from the manor.
The Shrine of the Dragonborn slowly appeared around the two, as the shroud of mist disappeared once more. A booming voice filled the shrine. "Fahvos lost hi daal, Dovahkiin?" the voice of Akatosh asked, "Why have you returned?" He then noticed Riala at his side and landed in front of the two, bringing his head down to look right at her. "Nii faadus dii hil wah koraav hi, Riala. It warms my heart to see you. I take it you and Mikkel are close, now." Riala just nodded
"I have some questions, regarding my lineage, Drog Bormah," Mikkel said to the draconic divine, "I was informed that I may be descended from the Septim line of Emperors. If anyone would know, it would be the dragon god of time itself."
"Ah, the line of Tiber Septim," Akatosh responded, "I know it well. Zu'u mindok nii pruzah. They were the last to hold the Amulet of Kings that I gave to Alessia. I remember Martin well. His actions saved Mundus from Mehrunes Dagon. Yes, Mikkel. You are descended from Martin Septim. He and Lina did share a bed the night before the final day of the Oblivion crisis. Ok rei lahney nau zeim hi. His line lives on through you. How did you find out?"
"The Penitus Oculatus, the Emperor's bodyguard, discovered it from records in Chorrol, after I helped the Legion finish the war with the stormcloaks," Mikkel explained, "They're of the opinion that I should succeed Titus Meade II."
"Dreh hi loro? What do you think, Dovahkiin?"
"I honestly don't know. What I do know, though, is that the dominion has to be driven back to Summerset Isle."
"And you have powerful allies to help drive them back, Mikkel. You have every dovah on Nirn as your ally," Akatosh reminded the dragonborn Imperial, "Not only that, but you can bring the peoples of Tamriel together, not through words, Dovahkiin, but through your actions. When you return to Cyrodiil, and before you visit the Imperial City, go to the Castle of the Nine, outside of Chorrol. There, you can begin the process of building up the forces of Tamriel against the Dominion."
"The Castle of the Nine," Riala states, "You mean that we can reinstate the Order of the Knights of the Nine."
"His ancestor, Lina, was the Divine Crusader," the divine dragon reminded Riala, "And the Thalmor have angered my brethren and me in denying the divinity of Talos. Thus, we wish to see the Order restored, and put up against the Thalmor. Mikkel, return to Cyrodiil, visit the castle, and prove yourself worthy, as I am sure you are, of donning the Crusader's relics, and leading a new order of the Knights of the Nine."
"I have an idea of who I want to assist me in restoring the order," Mikkel nodded, "Thank you, Drog Bormah." He took Riala by the hand and touched the glowing gem in his portal stone, causing the two to disappear from the Shrine of the Dragonborn. By the time they returned to Proudspire Manor in Solitude, it was already night, so the pair decided to get an early start in the morning.
The next morning came and Mikkel was up early, putting quill to parchment, adding names to the list of people he wants to help restore the Knights of the Nine. It's this scene that Riala walks in on. "Already getting started?" she asked, "Who's on your list already?"
"3 of my housecarls: Jordis, Lydia, and Iona, Delphine from the Blades," Mikkel listed off names, "Farkas and Vilkas from the Companions, Hadvar and Rikke from the Legion."
"My Thane," Jordis said entering the room, "General Tullius, Delphine, Legate Rikke and Hadvar are here. Iona is also here. She was at Castle Dour when I spoke to Tullius and Rikke."
"Good," the dovahkiin replied, "All of you have a seat. We have much to discuss." He watched as the entire group sat around the table as Mikkel set down his quill, and looked right at all of them. "I'm glad you're here too, General," he started, "Soon, Riala and I will return to Cyrodiil. There are people we want to join us. General, I want Legate Rikke and Hadvar to come with us back to Cyrodiil as part of our group. Delphine, you're also to join us."
"Why so many?" Delphine queried.
"I spoke to Akatosh again yesterday," the dragonborn continued his explanation, "He said that we should visit the Castle of the Nine, outside of Chorrol, before we return to the Imperial City. Delphine, I want you to have Esbern take over as grandmaster of the Blades. As of now, I'm recruiting members for my inner circle, a reborn Order of the Knights of the Nine. They have to be people I trust, so I've made a list of eight people. You're on the list." This news stunned the room to silence.
"The Knights of the Nine," Jordis whispered, "Great great grandfather, Geimund, was one of them."
"And I take it you want Rikke as one of your knights," Tullius noted.
"And Hadvar," Mikkel added, "General, I'm going to want you to help the Legion plan our strategies against the Thalmor, once the Order is reborn. We'll also have the dragons on our side."
"I'll advise Commander Caro of what's going to happen, and have the Penitus Oculatus meet you at the Castle of the Nine," the general told the dragonborn Imperial.
"Take Esbern with you," the dovahkiin advised, "because the Knights of the Nine aren't the only ones getting a new lease on life. The Penitus Oculatus will soon become a reconstituted Order of the Blades, with Esbern as the grandmaster."
"My thane," Iona started, "Who else is going to be in your inner circle?"
"You and Jordis, along with my housecarl in Whiterun, Lydia," Mikkel explained, "As well as Vilkas and Farkas from the Companions. I have a letter for Archmage Tolfdir at Winterhold, telling him what's going to happen, and how we'll need the college's assistance in the coming conflicts."
"We'll first have to drive the Thalmor out of Skyrim," Delphine noted.
"I can handle that, easily," Mikkel stated, "Well, Odahviing and I can. I take it the Thalmor won't be too happy to be facing down a dragon. All I have to do is destroy their base outside of Solitude, and their embassy, and their presence in Skyrim is done for." A smirk just came to his face, which Riala picked up on.
"What's on your mind, dii sil liin," she asked.
"I wonder how Serana and Valerica would enjoy a banquet of High Elves," Mikkel wondered.
"I would say, thank you so much," came the voice of Serana as she walked up behind Mikkel, "I'm sure my mother would think so too."
"It's good to see you again, Serana," Mikkel smiled, turning around to greet the vampire, "I take it that you and Valerica have kept the Vampire presence in check since Harkon's death."
"We have," the Daughter of Coldharbor replied, "So, there's a bunch of Altmer that we can keep to feast on?"
"In a fort not far from the boat you keep to get to and from Castle Volkihar," Tullius advised.
"Really?" Serana mused, "I always wondered who was keeping that fort up."
"And I'm guessing you'll take Odahviing, and a couple of dragons to destroy the Thalmor embassy?"
"The dragons will wreak havoc on the embassy, while I go in and see what kind of intelligence, or dirt, I can dig up on the Thalmor."
"You're thinking they were behind the disappearance of Massar and Secunda, before the great war," Esbern noted, "I wouldn't doubt that they were behind it, just to get the Khajiit back on their side." Mikkel just nodded. "I wouldn't put it past the Thalmor to try something like that," the elderly gentleman continued, "If we can find evidence of it, we may just get the Khajiit on our side." The group continued to talk for a few more hours, and plans started coming together.
Hours passed and soon Mikkel found himself sitting on his patio, reading something that Esbern had left behind. It happened to be a journal left behind by a former Blades grandmaster named Jauffre. He had been grandmaster during the final years of the 3rd Era. Mikkel soon found himself engrossed in the book.
22 Evening Star, 3E433
I have stopped in to see Lina once again. She is surely with child. If my suspicions are correct, then this child was conceived right before the final conflict in the Oblivion Crisis. She and Martin were unbelievably close after she rescued him from Kvatch. If this is an heir to the Septim line, then the Blades will watch over them
27 Evening Star, 3E433
I was correct. The child is Martin's. Lina finally told me such this afternoon. She has also told me that they are already well protected by her Knights of the Nine. Also, she has stated, in no uncertain terms, that her child is to have a normal life, away from the perils of the Ruby Throne. The Elder Council will have to find a new Emperor.
From there, the journal gets a little boring, going on and on about the day to day life of a monk at Weynon Priory. That is, until…
21 Second Seed, 4E01
Lina's child has been born, a son she named Uriel, after Emperor Uriel, whom she said helped her turn her life around. How I wish Martin could see his son. He would be proud. I noticed Lina shed a few tears, and silently curse the names of Mankar Camoran, and Mehrunes Dagon, as she held little Uriel. She still misses Martin to this day. Aside from Sir Thedret and Sir Geimund, she has had the Knights of the Nine spread to the far corners of Cyrodiil, wiping out any remnants of the Mythic Dawn Cult.
Even now, she cannot visit the Temple of the One without tears. I would ask about her relationship with Martin, but I do not want to bring back sad memories on this day. Maybe someday she will feel up to telling me, but I am not holding my breath. There are things that should not be known by many.
27 Last Seed, 4E01
I do not know why, but Lina finally confided in me about her relationship with Martin.
After failing to retrieve the Amulet of Kings from the Mythic Dawn hideout, they had a long talk, where she basically let him see a side of her that none of us, aside from him, had seen. She worried that losing the Amulet meant we had failed, and all was lost. It frightened her to no end.
Just when she appeared to be at the point of hysterics, Martin reached out nad just held her. He told her that a way would present itself. She just had to keep faith in the Divines. She told him that she'd rather put her faith in him. That was the moment when the friendship that they had formed in Kvatch turned into love. They agreed to keep between themselves until the end of the crisis, as to remain focused on the threat from Oblivion. Then, he sacrificed himself to stop Mehrunes Dagon. She even recanted his last words.
"I do what I must. I cannot stay and help rebuild Tamriel. Farewell, my love. You have been more than a dear friend to me in the short time I have known you. But I must go. The dragon awaits."
She could only watch as he smashed the Amulet of Kings, and became the golden avatar of the dragon god of time, unleashing unheard of levels of power to send Dagon back to Oblivion. She watched as the man she would give her life for, gave his to save all of Tamriel. When the battle was over, only a statue of Akatosh, and Lina, sitting on her knees in shock and tears remained in the Temple of the One. Chancellor Ocato told me she could barely speak when he found her.
One can only imagine the effect that experience had on her. Lina is one of the strongest people I know, a battlemage of the highest order, as skilled in magic as she is with the blade. She is the Divine Crusader, leader of the Knights of the Nine. But, she is still human. She still has feelings, and she had deep feelings for Martin, likely still does. She will probably never feel for another like she did for Martin. She will raise their son alone, save for her Knights, whom she will keep at arm's reach.
It pains me to see her in such pain, but I am remiss to try to be a friend to her. As grandmaster of the Blades, our relationship must remain as it is.
Mikkel is shocked out of his reading when Riala tapped him on the shoulder. She smiles as the dragonborn man and hands him a sheet of parchment.
"I found something interesting," she noted, "There's a name on this order. It's the order for the Emperor's assassination. The man who ordered the hit is on the Elder Council."
"Have Jordis take this to Commander Caro," Mikkel replied, "He'll get the Penitus Oculatus on the job. Tomorrow we head out to hit the Thalmor Embassy." Riala just nodded, then went inside. MIkkel closed the book, stood up, and followed her into the manor.
The Thalmor Embassy in the Province of Skyrim isn't as grandiose as the one in Cyrodiil, but it's a relatively simple posting for Ambassador Elenwen. She sends out a squad of Justiciars every now and then to round up a few Nords for Talos worship, then tortures them to her heart's content.
She had sent her squad out yesterday, and didn't expect them back for another 8 days. All she had on hand were a handful of Aldmeri troops for the Embassy security force, as most were stationed at Northmist Keep, the main Aldmeri outpost in Skyrim.
"Ambassador," came a voice down the hall as an exhausted Thalmor soldier ran into the office, "Northmist Keep has been overrun with vampires."
"Vampires, you say?" Elenwen asked, "From where?"
"Castle Volkihar," the soldier responded, "They were led by 2 powerful female vampires. Daughters of Coldharbor."
Suddenly, from out of the blue, an earth shattering voice rang out over the entire embassy, proclaiming, "ODAHVIING, ZU'U PRAAG HIN HIIF, AHRK TOLD DO DOV!" Sparce seconds pass and soon, Elenwen and all the Thalmor in the Embassy hear the distinct roars of no less than ten Dragons.
"Dammit," Elenwen cursed, "The Dragonborn. We should have killed him when he infiltrated this embassy months ago. Those dragons will tear this place apart."
The sounds of battle could already be heard all around as Elenwen's meager security force tried their college best to fend off a force of ten high level dragons. Meanwhile, the two Imperial Dovahkiin slipped in under the Elves radar, by using the same cave Mikkel used to escape last time he was there. A quick smackdown of a frost troll , and the pair was at the ladder into the basement. Mikkel just shouted the trapdoor off it's hinges and climbed on up, helping Riala up the last couple of rungs, before surveying the scene. Most of the cells were empty, save for one, which held a Khajiit male, shackled to the wall.
"Have you come to hurt this one again?" the lion-like Khajiit inquired.
"No, to set you free," Mikkel responded as she set the cat man loose from his bindings, "what is your name?"
"This one is called M'afaqa," came the answer, "Elves arrested me for Talos worship. This one used a shrine of Talos to cure a bad case of Rock Joint. Why do you help M'afaqa?"
"Because we're recruiting talented people to help us oppose the Thalmor," Riala replied, "We're here to drive them out of Skyrim."
"You are Imperials," M'afaqa noted, "Yet you help Khajiit. Khajiit are sworn to dominion."
"We believe that the Thalmor may be behind the disappearance of Massar and Secunda," the male Imperial explained, "A high elf mage trained in Illusion magic would have no problem doing such a thing."
M'afaqa went to a nearby chest and retrieved his steel plate armor and weapon, a massive halberd that Mikkel was certain that even the strongest of Nords couldn't heft. "What you say makes sense, Imperial," the Khajiit warrior stated, "This one will help you to stop the Thalmor." He and Mikkel exchanged a strong handshake, and the dragonborn Imperial tured toward the stairs.
"Let's get going to Elenwen's office, and see what dirt we can dig up," Mikkel told his partners, and all 3 proceeded up the stairs and to Elenwen's office, only to find it empty. "Looks like the ambassador's busy with my friends," he thinks to himself, then starts rifling through desk drawers, while Riala and M'afaqa comb through stacks of maps and the bookshelves. Riala finds a red covered book, and opens it, reading.
"Mikkel," she says, looking up from the book, "This is evidence that the Thalmor manipulated Ulfric into starting his war. They messed with Ulfric's mind, making him believe he was responsible for the fall of the Imperial City. After he was released, the Thalmor orchestrated the Markarth Incident. The Thalmor basically orchestrated the entire civil war."
"Pack it away, along with everything else incriminating you can find," Mikkel advised his blonde soul mate, "It sounds like the battle is winding down, we'll need to leave soon." Riala nodded and packed away as much as she could carry. M'afaqa did the same, packing away multiple maps of the different provinces.
The three walked out of the Embassy only to find Odahviing looking right down at Elenwen, and the Thalmor ambassador surrounded by the charred corpses of her security force.
"Zu'u dein daar gein nahlaas fah hi, Dovahkiin," the massive Dovah said to his human ally, "I kept this one alive for you. You may want to laan ek lith laan, ask her a few questions."
"Elenwen," Mikkel greeted the High Elf with a smirk, "It's good to see you again."
"Dragonborn," the Thalmor ambassador spat, "What do you want?"
"Oh, I got all that I wanted before I stepped out of the building," the Dovahkiin still grinned, "Your security forces dead, you about to be shackled, and as much dirt as I could pack away on the Thalmor's activities in Skyrim. Your little Dominion is about to krenmah tum come crashing down. But first, I want you to go back to Alinor, and deliver a message for me. Soon, very soon Faal Dovahkiin Daal wah faal Dovahmiin Krund. The Dragonborn will return to the Ruby Throne."
"The Ruby throne. You can't be."
"Oh, I am. Akatosh told me himself. I am descended from the Imperial Line of the Dragon's Blood. My proper name is, Mikkel Septim."
Chapter 4 End
Next Chapter: When nine warriors from Skyrim cross into Cyrodiil, an Imperial line, and a forgotten Order will soon return to prominence.
Chapter 5: The Covenant Finally Revealed.
