Chapter Seven: Freedom through Blades
Weird things start to happen to your head after sitting in a cell for a while. The spirits of the tortured souls who met their end here tend to linger. Disembodied whispers and taunting voices haunted me during the night. "Forgive me, Martin, I've lost faith," Was my routine prayer before I'd fall asleep each night. I had no faith in the Dark Brotherhood coming to get me out of here, my life being spared, or in keeping my sanity intact.
It was the crisp month of Last Seed when the strangest whisper crept up into my brain. It wasn't the usual "Get out, you're doomed," from the bodiless prisoners. I was half asleep, gazing up at the window, when the voice rang out.
"In darkness a doom sweeps the land." It said. A dark entity filled my terrified heart as the sky outside my window slowly turned red. The smell of death and decay filled my nostrils as screams shattered my already faint heart.
My eyes jolted open, my lungs gasping for air. "It was just a dream, Decie." I whispered to myself. I stood up to look out at the window that stood five feet above me. "The sky is not red, silly girl." I whispered under my breath.
"What is it? Dreaming of a clean execution?" Valen spat out. The Ashborn was watching me sleep, the creep! He chuckled at his own brand of sick humor.
"Watch your damn tongue you twat!" I shouted. "If given the chance, I'm sure anyone in this damn city would take the chance at giving you a painful death! We'd all laugh at your execution, Dreth! That is, if anyone would even think for a moment of you deserving the dignity of death!" I ran towards the iron gate that shut me in and rattled it, wishing in my mind that it would come off its hinges so I could give a piece of my mind to that rotten piece of Dunmer scum!
"Quit it, woman!" Bendu grumbled at me. The gate squeaked at I let go of its bars and sat down on my bedroll, looking back up at the window.
"Do you hear that, my dear?" Valen began. "You've caused such a ruckus that the guards are coming! The end is coming sooner than expected for you! Hehehehe!" His menacing laugh sent shivers down my spine. I didn't want to believe him, and there wasn't much reason to do so, but I listened for the guards entering the dungeon hall that would inevitably scold me.
"Lock that door behind us." A voice said. "My sons, they're dead aren't they?" More murmurs, footsteps, and clanking armor. "My job is to get you to safety." "They're dead, I know it." Surely, this wasn't the routine checkup done by the jailors. "What are these prisoners doing in here?" An authoritative female voice demanded. Startled, Bendu and I looked up towards the gate. Four figures stood outside our humble cell. Three of which were in armor foreign to me, holding katanas and the fourth was adorned in a magnificent robe of fur and velvet with a grand jewel hanging from his frail neck, reflecting the little light that was in the room. He looked so familiar. That jewel! Where was it from?
"I… Uhh… Mix-up with the watch!" A man timidly replied.
"Never mind them. Just get that damn gate open." The female continued. "Stand back you two. We won't hesitate to kill you." I jumped to my feet and walked towards the back wall next to Bendu. The four strangers were walking past us through the cell when the old man in robes stopped to face us.
"I've seen you." The man said, placing a wrinkled hand on my shoulder. "Show me your face." I looked up to meet his misty blue eyes.
"It's only fitting that I say the same, sir." I began. "Who are you?"
"I am Tamriel's emperor, Uriel Septim." My eyes widened in shock at his words. The same man whom I splattered wine all over years ago? The man who led to the tip of the iceberg with my decision to run away from Ebonheart? How could this be? "And you are her citizen. We both serve her, but in strikingly different ways."
"What do you mean, your majesty?" I asked in a tone of disbelief, in awe of the situation.
"By the grace of the Nine, you two are in the same cell that houses an entrance to a secret passage out of this city. My final hours draw near, and what I leave behind is what you are to pick up."
"I… I don't understand, your… your majesty." Bendu said.
"You two. What are your names?"
"I am Bendu, she is Azadeh." He said.
"Bendu, Azadeh," Uriel nodded at both of as he repeated our names. "You are the ones from my dreams. Follow us. Your destiny awaits you outside these four walls!" Never had I been more eager to leave this cell. Bendu and I were more than happy to oblige, even if the old and weary ruler was speaking cryptically.
"Ah-ha!" The woman cheered as she pushed against the large stone wall. I looked at her like she was crazy for fighting the large slab of masonry, but to my amazement it moved under her might, and swung open like a door! In astonishment I gazed down the long tunnel that was hidden behind the wall as the emperor's four guards escorted him down through the dark pathway. Bendu eagerly walked down the tunnel behind the Emperor. My eyes scanned the four walls for the last time. An astonished Valen Dreth stood up in his cell with his jaw hanging open as I waved goodbye to him in triumph.
"GET ME OUT OF HERE YOU IMPERIAL MUTT!" He yelled, shaking the bars of his cell's gate. The rattling faded away as I walked further down the darkened tunnel behind the others.
At the time, I didn't realize the seriousness of the situation I had become entangled in. Little did I know, assassins lay in wait for our little group to walk into an ambush. After navigating the maze of tunnels and crumbling rooms we found ourselves in room that was just as dreary as the others, but was wide open, with only one door on the other side. The Redguard in armor walked towards the door ahead of us, eager to make sure the other side was clear.
"Stop!" The woman yelped. "In the rafters!" She pointed up as men in crimson robes jumped down, swords drawn, ready for the kill. "Protect the emperor!" They all shouted in unison. In fear of my own life, I jumped into the shadows behind a large pillar, covering my eyes to avoid the gruesome scene. My heart ached as I heard the woman scream in agony, and I wondered if we were to share that fate. The clashing swords stopped before I uncovered my eyes. I looked around the room to find the men in crimson lying on the ground in their own blood, and the woman lie there too; her body empty of life.
"Are you alright, Sire?" The Redguard asked.
"Yes. But Captain Renault-"
"She's dead. I'm so sorry. But we need to keep moving." I walked over to the woman named Renault. She still remained motionless, next to the two swords she had carried with her. In order to survive this place, I had to toughen up. I've killed before, this should be no different. I picked up her swords, and handed one to Bendu, who was staring at the body next to me.
"Let's get out of this damn place." He said and motioned me ahead. Further on through the dark hallways, more assassins guarded our way, but they weren't smart enough to hide in the rafters like the first attackers. I stayed near the emperor, which was probably the most dangerous spot at the moment, to prove my integrity to the suspicious bodyguards that led the way through the ancient tunnels. We ended up in a large, empty, room. The two gates in the room led out of the place left the guards perplexed
"This one." One of them said, pointing to the gate on the left. I walked forward to try and open it, but it wouldn't budge. I inspected it, to see if there was a simple lock we could overcome, but we didn't seem to have time for lock picking. A long steel bar kept the door shut, with no hope of opening it from my side.
"It's barred from the other side." I turned around to face the other four. "We don't' have time to fiddle with it. What about the other door?"
"It's worth a try. I haven't a clue as to where it goes, but we haven't got the time to wonder." The Imperial guard, whom I had earlier found out, was named Glenroy, said. All of us rushed towards the other gate, which hung wide open all this time. Only a measly dead end awaited us. "Damnit! It's just a dead end!"
The swift sound of a footstep rushed behind me, I turned around to see more men in scarlet red behind us, just outside the room that lead to a dead end. I drew my sword and screamed, "Behind us!" Everyone turned around and charged towards the attackers, I stood aside to keep an eye on Uriel, who was left behind at the end of the room, away from the attackers.
"Get back!" Bendu shouted at me in the chaos. I walked backwards to get around my companions and next to Uriel. There was no telling what these men in crimson had up their sleeves. Someone had to stay near the old man. Uriel and I stepped back towards the back of the room in an attempt to stay away from the bloody battle in front of us.
"I can go no further." Uriel said in a low, melancholy, tone.
"Your majesty-"
"Take this," He unfastened the chain that held the large jewel and handed it to me. "You must stand against the Prince of Destruction."
"Sire! I won't let you die here!" I cried, the gem hidden under my fist.
"Hide that amulet, Decima."
"How do you know my-" I gasped.
"Bring it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son." He hissed to me in haste. "Find him, Decima. Find my heir, and shut close the jaws of Oblivion." I gaped in amazement at the man. This man knew that he was at the end of the road, and nothing would stop what he would foresee.
Just then, the wall behind the arched interior slid open, another crazed man in red flew out from the darkness that dominated whatever was on the other side of the wall. "NO!" I screamed as I flung myself forward to intercept the man. But it was too late! The assassin's long blade had already penetrated Uriel's back, sucking out the life in the old man. I landed a few feet away from the murderer, who now had turned his attention to me.
In a fiery rage I lunged towards the man, with Renault's katana drawn. He held his arm up to block me, but it was no use to him. My blade sliced his arm, forcing him to bounce back towards the stone wall. I had the bastard helpless and cornered, squeezing his bleeding limb. I wanted this man to suffer. I wanted him to suffer beyond what everyone else in the Empire would soon have to suffer. Fire danced in my veins, itching to be released at my fingertips. I let the magicka-fueled rage escape my hands and fly towards the assassin. "No! Please!" He screamed as the fireballs rushed towards him, igniting his hair and clothes. He howled in agony, trying to get his fiery attire off him. The Redguard and Bendu ran to us, taken aback by the scene.
"Kill the bastard!" The Redguard yelled. I took the bloody katana and shoved it into the assassin's body. The man stared down at his chest, sucking in his last breath.
"Paradise awaits me." He whispered, shutting his eyes, rushing into an eternal sleep.
"We… We've failed. I've failed." The guard whispered. I wanted to say something, anything that would comfort him. But I couldn't imagine anything that would even put me at ease. This man was sworn to the emperor; sworn to protect his life. And because of me, he failed. I looked over towards Bendu who was looking over Glenroy's lifeless body. It was just us three left. The assassins got what they came for, they shouldn't return. "Us Blades were sworn to save the emperor, and now he, and all of his sons, are dead!" The poor man knelt down next to Uriel's body, his face covered in a mask of grief. "The amulet of kings! Where is the amulet?" He shot the question towards me.
"I have it, friend." So the jewel has a name?
"What?! How did you get it from him?"
"He gave it to me, in fear of…" My voice trailed off. I'm sure the Blade (whatever "Blade" meant) got the idea.
"Strange…" He continued. "Uriel saw something in you, Azadeh. He trusted you… They say it's the dragon's blood that runs through the veins of every Septim. They see more than lesser men."
"I'd believe it." I grimly replied, looking down at Uriel body once more. "He said to give it to a man named Jauffre."
"Jauffre? Why?"
"He said there's another heir. He said there's hope!" I said, grasping onto any prospect of victory in my words.
"Nothing I've ever heard about. But Jauffre would know." He pondered the idea of another heir, and I'm sure he found the idea of another unprotected heir an atrocity. "He lives quietly as a monk in Weynon Priory, just outside of the city of Chorrol."
"How do we get there?" Bendu's haggard voice chimed in. Apparently, he's been standing here next to us for a while.
"First, you need to get out of here. Through that secret door must be the way out of here, past the locked gate. With luck, it should take you to the sewers, then out of the city." The man handed me a key from out of his pouch, hanging off his belt. "This is the key to the sewers."
"The sewers?" I asked, not so keen on the idea of tromping through waste.
"From what I've seen of you two, rats and goblins won't be much of a problem."
"And then what?" I had never left the Imperial City once I had reached it, nor did I take the time to continue with learning about Cyrodiil after Martin had taught me.
"Follow the Black Road to Weynon Priory. You must, I repeat, you MUST get that amulet to Jauffre. Take no chances, but proceed to the priory immediately. Understood?"
I glanced over at Bendu, who nodded in agreement. "Understood." We said in unison.
"Good. The emperor's trust was well-placed."
"What about you? Where will you go?" Bendu asked.
"I'll stay here and guard the emperor's body until help arrives."
"Should we send for help?" I asked.
"No. You need to get going. Time is of the essence. Now go!"
"Wait." I said while I grasped Renault's katana. "Take this. I'm sure she meant much to you."
"I assure you, it will be given a place of honor in the Hall of the Blades." The man smiled warmly at us as he took the sword. He ushered us through the secret door and towards the sewers. I took one last glance at Uriel, vowing to find his son, and to bring him to the throne. "May Talos guide you!" The Redguard shouted as we ventured further towards our destiny.