One Night with the Emperor
Chapter Two – Newest Blade
When we reached Weynon Priory, all of our silly little plans went up in smoke. The enemy attacked Weynon Priory and stole the Amulet minutes before we arrived. Martin and I cut down a handful of the assassins as they tried to escape. The Amulet was not in a single one of their hands. We gained the Heir, but lost the Amulet. Jauffre had me run to Chorrol to restock our supplies, and led us away from Weynon Priory maybe an hour or three after we arrived. Led us up toward Bruma and Cloud Ruler Temple.
Even with all three of us on horses and riding hard, it took us several days to get there. Martin tried his hardest to keep up our morale. He talked about how he looked forward to seeing Cloud Ruler Temple, if only so he could get a good night's sleep.
I appreciated his attempts. This entire thing was hard on him too. So I did my best to do the same for him. Between the two of us, we even managed to get Jauffre's mood to lighten. Honestly, I didn't expect to be able to do that. Jauffre blamed himself for the loss of the Amulet.
We actually made it to Cloud Ruler Temple without much resistance. Maybe it was Jauffre's insistence that we leave right away and travel the lesser-used mountain road to Bruma. Maybe the gods kept us safe. Or even a combination of the two.
Joy and cheers greeted us at Cloud Ruler Temple. Martin gave his first speech as the Heir. For not knowing what to do, he didn't do too badly. He pulled me aside afterwards, as the Blades went back to their duties. Neither of us knew if I would be staying or if I would be thanked, given a reward, and set on my way. With the title Hero of Kvatch under my belt, it would be easy to find work and accept contracts for the Fighter's Guild again.
Martin thanked me for all I did for him. He would probably be dead if I hadn't come along. Beyond that, he told me about his lack of knowledge about being Emperor, and lack of desire to be Emperor. He, who loved and sought knowledge and taught me so much of history and various other things while on the road, didn't know what to do. I was the only one he could tell these insecurities to. His only friend in a sea of new faces. The only one who saw him when he was still Brother Martin, a priest of Akatosh, and not yet Emperor Martin, or even heir Martin. Even Jauffre expected more of Martin right now as Emperor than I did.
I never really viewed Martin as Emperor Martin, or even Brother Martin. He's always just been Martin to me. After that first bandit attack on the road to Weynon Priory, we worked as a team. A good team, too. We weren't Emperor Martin and The Hero of Kvatch. We were just Martin and Abiyomi.
Despite that, he hadn't expressed his fear of not living to their standards of Emperor or of his lack of knowledge so openly before. Maybe it was his way of saying goodbye without actually saying it. Avoiding the finality the word carried. I tried to reassure him, but a Blade approached us to show Martin to his room before I could even utter a word. It hurt. Why, I didn't know, all I knew was that his being led away from me with the potential of never seeing him again but from a distance hurt.
As they walked into Cloud Ruler Temple, Martin looked back at me. Our eyes met for only a moment. That was the moment I knew why it hurt. Over the nearly four weeks we spent together, I fell in love with him. He would make a great Emperor, and the Imperial woman he would one day choose for his wife would be so lucky. It almost hurt worse knowing.
Jauffre approached me. Time to get a pat on the head and sent on my way. The Blades would keep Martin safe and get the Amulet back. My part in this would be over.
Except, that's not what happened. Jauffre asked me to become a Blade. Me, a Dunmer, asked into an order of Talos, the god of men. Most elves would reject the idea, even if they served the other divines. But I felt the pull of all Nine since I was a child, something my mother didn't like too much. That was why I left Morrowind as soon as I was old enough, nearly 80 years ago now.
Though I've mainly served Dibella and Akatosh, I accepted Jauffre's offer and became a servant of Talos. The Blades welcomed me with open arms. One of my new brothers showed me to their sleeping chamber, directly below Martin's, where I promptly crawled out of my armor and into a bedroll. Sleep claimed me as soon as my head touched the pillow.
In the morning, another of my new brothers showed me to the armory. We spent a few hours fitting me with new Akaviri armor. I also got a new sword; an Akaviri katana. I didn't accept a shield in favor of my current shield; the shield of Lord Kelvyn, previous master of Battlehorn Castle, a place I saved from marauders and brought back to life. There aren't too many of us, but I will always bear our crest. My new brothers and sisters accepted that.
Jauffre found me as they fitted me. He had a mission for me. I needed to go to The Imperial City, find Baurus, and help him figure out who was behind the assassinations. My work with this Crisis wasn't over.
After I finished fitting, I went to find Martin. I wanted to see him and tell him the news before I left. After all, it is my news to tell. Not anybody else's.
Martin stood in the dining hall, leaning against one of the cabinets. He held a book in one hand, and a half-eaten piece of bread in the other. Whatever he read in that book engrossed him so much he used the bread to follow the words. It made me smile.
I walked up to him, stopping only an inch in front of his book. We're about the same height, so my head should have blocked his light. He didn't notice. I flicked the back of his book.
He jumped. Another smile tugged on my lips. His eyes flicked up for a moment before going back to his book. One of my eyebrows rose and my smile grew. He jerked his head back up, eyes wide.
"You're still here!" The book in his hand lowered and he glanced over my new armor. "You're- you're a Blade?"
I grinned. "The newest one."
His smile matched mine. "This is incredible!"
"Yeah, well, I already have a mission. Jauffre wants me to go to The Imperial City and help Baurus find out who is behind the assassinations. I just wanted to see you before I left."
"O-oh." Martin's smile deflated.
"Hey, don't be like that." I put a finger on his book and lowered it further. "The Hero of Kvatch is a highly sought after warrior for her swordsmanship mastery."
The corner of his lips twitched. "Swordsmanship mastery?"
"Yes, swordsmanship mastery. And said swordsmanship mastery is called to The Imperial City to track down these evildoers and save the world and all that."
His smile grew, but tinged with sadness. "Just come back safe, okay? It's going to be strange without you around."
"If everything goes well, Baurus, I, and whoever else we end up with will return soon with the Amulet. Then we can put this whole thing behind us. You'll be Emperor and I won't have to blackmail anybody to get into the palace to see you."
My remark wiped part of his sadness away, but not all. "I hope you're right."
It took a few weeks, but Baurus and I figured out that the assassins were all from a cult called the Mythic Dawn. We even got all four of the Commentaries; those stupid books their psychopath leader wrote. Or would he be a sociopath? I can never remember the difference. The entire time we worked together, poor Baurus worked himself to the bone. Jauffre was right. Baurus did blame himself for Emperor Uriel's death. When he asked if I minded if he went to Cloud Ruler Temple to guard Martin, I couldn't force him to stay with me. But I did have him bring a letter to Martin.
My letter was terrible. I had no idea what to say. But I needed to send it. I needed to let Martin know I'm really okay and he's not alone. Though he probably made friends with all the Blades at Cloud Ruler Temple by now. If he could get his nose out of a book long enough.
It took another week, but Tar-Meena and I figured out the code. I went straight to Lake Arrius Caverns. Most of me wanted to charge straight in there with my sword drawn, but I knew that wouldn't get me to the Amulet. So I stashed most of my stuff outside, save my shield and a sword I picked up off of a bandit. Being recognized as a Blade wouldn't do me any good at this point.
Inside, I managed to pass off as a potential new follower. A dark elf guy made me remove all of my equipment and put on their robes. Stupid dress code. I followed him into the main chamber, a shrine to Mehrunes Dagon. A platform stood in the center of the room, a pedestal toward the front and a huge statue of Dagon towering over a sacrificial altar. Mankar Camoran stood behind the pedestal, preaching to the gathering of cultists. He wore the Amulet, the red gem standing out on his chest. How could I get it if he wore it? Before I could figure anything out, a portal popped open behind him. He stepped into it. No!
Everybody turned their attention to me, the newest "member." Some elf lady called me to the pedestal stairs, along the side of the platform. She looked to be the strongest. The only one allowed on the platform with Camoran, and the only one with a staff, or weapon of any kind.
My walk up the stairs was slow, but not too slow. She commanded me to kill the sacrifice laying bound by ropes to the altar, an Argonian, as a symbol of my blood belonging to Lord Dagon. With a wave of her hand, she indicated a dagger on the pedestal, next to the… Mysterium Xarxes? Camoran's book of insanity. If I survive, I should bring that to Martin. Maybe he can make something of it.
I walked over to the pedestal and grabbed the dagger. My mind raced, but my body held steady. Slowly, trying to look somber, I approached the Argonian. The elf lady hovered closer and closer to me as I approached the altar. I lifted the dagger high over the Argonian-
I'm probably not going to survive this.
-and plunged it into the elf lady's chest.
Her face registered open-mouthed shock as she moved her hands to her chest. I yanked the dagger out. She fell to the floor of the platform. My arm flicked sideways. A few of the ropes holding the Argonian severed.
The room burst into motion. Most people raised their arms to conjure armor. I ran. Leapt over the pedestal. My dagger buried into the one dark elf guy's neck before his armor could materialize. He hooked "my" sword and shield on his back earlier. I yanked them free.
I should have died there in the shrine room. Even with the Argonian's, Jeelius', help after he freed himself. There were so many cuts all over my body. So much blood. I didn't know how much of my blood covered the floor and myself, or if it was the cultists' blood. Thank the Nine for Martin teaching me that healing spell. I drained my magicka healing myself. So did Jeelius, for that matter. It somehow managed to be enough.
I grabbed the Mysterium Xarxes. As I lifted it from the pedestal, the statue of Dagon toppled forward. It nearly killed me. Wouldn't that be ironic. The Hero of Kvatch killed a room full of Mythic Dawn, only to be killed by Dagon's statue falling on her.
Jeelius and I fled through the living quarters because somebody sealed off the main entrance. It was easier to kill them in the tunnels. I cut most of them down before they could summon their armor. Jeelius blasted apart those that fled. He blasted me on accident a few times too, but didn't get me too bad. We somehow managed to make it out. Alive. Which is all that really matters.
I escorted Jeelius to Cheydinhal before leaving directly for Cloud Ruler Temple.