A/N: Welcome back! If you were wondering where the Imperial guards came from, I have made some amendments to chapter 2 which states that they were at Old Hroldan Inn.
All characters, place settings and other items belong to their respective copyright holders, Bethesda/ZeniMax Media Inc.. Characters that do not appear in the original content of The Elder Scrolls (OC, or original character) that bears a name similar to other popular story character names and/or character behaviour and attitude are purely coincidental.
Chapter 4: Revelations
Having being stalked by a group of official looking guards can be unnerving, even if you are an all powerful, highly skilled, gifted-by-the-gods warrior. Trying to get away, she led them north, the night coming in at a steady pace. Being a Khajiit has its advantages, at least Janice appreciates the fact that they can see in the dark whenever they please; it has helped her numerous times in dungeons while Derkeethus or Lydia (her usual travelling companions) stumble around in the darkness like total idiots.
Using her Telekinesis spell on the metal hooves fixed to Shadowmere's feet to lighten the horse's weight, she gave a silent command to the horse to speed up, galloping in the direction of Windstad Manor where she have an armoury stocked with custom weapons of her design; all more powerful than those she left in Lakeview Manor, except for one.
"I wish I hadn't left Chillrend there, that was my finest tempering I had done thus far", Janice mumbled as she gripped the reins tighter.
Hearing multiple hooves stomping the ground furiously behind her, she knew she had to reach the mansion as quickly as possible if she wants to defend herself, knowing full well that she needs a lot of weapons in case these highly trained soldiers manage to disarm her.
Skidding to a halt just before she crashed into the door, she jumped off Shadowmere and was hit by a paralysis spell.
"Wait up!" Huffed one of the guards who was unfortunate enough to not be given a horse during this simple assignment.
"Here, sorry about that, Your Highness", said the nobleman as he dismounted and poured an antidote into Janice's mouth.
Recovering from the paralysis, she looked up in shock at the nobleman, asking him in a surprised tone, "Your Highness?! What do you mean by that? More importantly, who exactly were you referring to? And who are you?"
"I am Mamercus Cocceius Geta (A/N: I had to use a Roman name generator since Imperials have close links to Romans. BTW, the English name I typed in was John Lee if you were curious.), the High Chancellor of the Elder Council. You can call me Cocceius for short. I am referring to you of course, Your Honour. Me and the council dug around some books after the assassination of the last Emperor looking for a possible successor when we heard about your heroic act in saving Nirn from the World Eater. That was when we realized that you were the Dragonborn in our books that was supposed to lead the Empire. We had thought Martin Septim was the last one, but apparently we were wrong." He explained with his head bowed in respect.
Getting up to a comfortable sitting position, she just stared at the man with her mouth agape. "Please, get up and accept our sincerest apologies for scaring you like that." Cocceius said, offering his hand to the disorientated Khajiit.
Still in disbelieving shock, she grabbed the outstretched hand and stood up wobbly. Shadowmere had apparently trotted off before the dust settled, obviously hiding to avoid framing Janice as the assassin.
Standing up to full height, she easily dwarfed the old Imperial and several of the non-nords in the small contingent. Saluting respectfully, the guards shouted, "Long live the Empress! Long live the Empire!"
Long live indeed, I am basically immortal, Janice thought as she slowly recovers from the initial shock.
Stepping out of the door, Gregor the housecarl looked around the scene before spotting his charge. Grabbing the Dragonbone greatsword he had requested, he slowly made his way to Janice. The guards, noticing this after the salute, grabbed their weapons and surrounded him; some of the more mischievous ones poking him with their swords.
"I am her housecarl! I demand that you give me a reason for not cutting your heads off!" Gregor exclaimed as he gripped his sword tighter.
"Release him! He is with me." Janice said as she snapped out of her confusion.
"You heard our Empress! Put down your swords at once!" Cocceius commanded.
"Empress?! What have they done to you, milady?" Gregor said as he approached Janice with caution.
"Is this how you address your ruler, boy? Put down your sword at once!" Cocceius scowled at Gregor.
"It's alright, Cocceius, he is just confused. Show him the amulet." Janice said.
"How do you know about the amulets?" Cocceius said as he showed the disgruntled housecarl the amulet of the council.
"Well, I wouldn't be a good Imperial soldier if I don't know how the Empire works, now do I?" Janice partially lied as Gregor fainted from shock. A couple of guards dragged him into the house and the rest prepared the carriage that was messed up during the chase.
"You mean you were the Legate that General Tullius wouldn't stop talking about in his report following the war?" Cocceius said in mild surprise.
"I guess so, I mean I was the one who did all the leg work while he and Legate Rikke sits there planning." Janice explained as the pent up frustration of her needing to do everything in Skyrim came back to her.
"What were your other achievements, my lord?" Cocceius asked as he led Janice to the waiting carriage.
"Well, I am the Archmage of the College of Winterhold, the Harbinger of the Companions, Thane of all the nine Holds in this province and I saved Tamriel twice from certain unworthy rulers as well as Solstheim from Miraak. I am also a bard." Janice listed as she carefully avoid mentioning her ties with the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild as well as not mentioning she was now the lord of a vampire clan.
"Wow, you have certainly achieved a lot, Your Highness", Cocceius said as he stopped in front of the carriage. "Please, step inside, we need to head back to the Imperial City for your coronation." Cocceius continued as he opened the red silk curtain to the carriage.
"Can we go to my house in Falkreath first? My family is there." Janice asked as she stopped mid stride to admire the interior.
"Yes, Your Highness, anything for the Empress." Cocceius said as he bowed his head.
"Here you go, don't want to get lost now", Janice said as she gave the location of Lakeview Manor to one of the guards. "By the way, Cocceius, I thought it was supposed to be 'Your Majesty'?"
"It is a matter of formality, we only officially recognise the Empress or Emperor after the coronation." Cocceius explains.
"I see, good night then" Janice said as she climbed in and Cocceius closed the curtain.
Inside, the floor is covered by a thick red carpet, the walls are tiled with red cushions, tied down with gold string in a diamond pattern. On the left side of the entrance was a silver basin of water. On the right side was a table that has a bowl of fruits on it. In the middle was a red and gold throne with a symbol of the crown on the top of the backing.
Grabbing an apple, she sat down on the luxurious throne as the carriage begins to move. She thought about how she is going to explain this to everyone as she finishes the apple, tossing it aside. Soon, she was lulled into sleep by the rhythm of hooves stomping the ground.
[Shadowmere, third person POV]
Hiding inside the horse shed, he could not believe the fact that the Listener was to become Empress. How would she continue her leadership in the Dark Brotherhood if she can longer meet the Night Mother? I must find a way to communicate this with her. Shadowmere thought as he sees the carriage and guards leave the estate.
"Fear not my dear, she will find a way", a dry voice boomed in his head.
"Who is this?", Shadowmere mentally exclaimed in shock.
"I am the Night Mother silly, I have let you hear me temporarily. After all, my dear Lucien's pet should not get too worried during his/her undead life. By the way, if you would stop switching your gender, that would be nice." The Night Mother said, a tone of disapprovement near the end.
"It isn't like I had a choice. When Lucien died, I had to find a way to not get too attached to him…", Shadowmere mentally went soft in the end.
"You loved him, did you not?" The Night Mother teased.
"Yes…" Shadowmere replied as he bowed his head in shame.
"Well, go now, and find a way to get that saddle off, you are a walking piece of evidence!" The Night Mother instructed.
"Well, if you give me the ability to talk to the humans inside the Dawnstar Sanctuary, I think I can find my way back to the Listener inconspicuously." Shadowmere requested.
"Very well, I will grant you the ability to use telepathy1." The Night Mother said.
Feeling a power coming down on him, he felt that he had gained a new ability. Testing it, he peered through the window of the house and sent the bard inside a message using his mind. The bard jumped and nearly fainted, getting up disorientedly to go to bed, exclaiming that it probably was because of all the mead he was drinking.
Feeling satisfied with the results, he proceed to give the sleeping horse inside the shed a good kick in the head, snapping the neck and killing it. Using his teeth, he unhooked the saddle and sling it over his back. Galloping to a shallow pond, he summoned the dark energy he possessed and melted into the water.
A loud roar of thunder in front of the Dawnstar Sanctuary woke the three remaining members that were asleep in their rooms. Getting up, Nazir said grudgingly, "This better not be one of Shadowmere's pranks again."
Indeed, when Shadowmere was bored at night, he would often go out to drag some innocent people to the hideout only to let them go when Nazir comes out to kill them for witnessing the entrance to their hideout only to realize Shadowmere had wiped their memories. He would often announce an emergency through a loud clap of thunder, much like what is happening now.
Heading outside, the trio was greeted by a black puddle forming near the shore. With a much softer clack of thunder, the black shadow of Shadowmere took shape before materialising. Noticing the strange entrance, Nazir immediately knew that something was amiss. Cicero spoke before Nazir could express his surprise, "What is the horse doing here? Surely to mock us again didn't you, hmm?" He spoke in his usual manner.
Ignoring the jester, Shadowmere telepathed as he stepped onto the shore, "Hello."
"What?! What sort of trickery is this? Clearly this is someone else here mocking us! The real Shadowmere cannot-", Cicero was cut short when Babette, the child vampire and potion master she is, chuck a sleeping potion into his face. The jester quickly collapsed, unconscious.
"Well, if we have enough of that, tell us, what do you want? And how do we know that we can trust you, because, like what that idiot said, Shadowmere couldn't talk." Babette asked as Nazir just gaped like a fish.
"If I was here to destroy the remnants of the Dark Brotherhood, I wouldn't bother talking anyway. Besides, the password for the Black Door of the Dawnstar Sanctuary is 'Innocence, my brother', is it not?" Shadowmere calmly said.
"Alright, I believe you. How do you talk anyway? And where is Janice, aren't you always with her?" Babette said as she tried to snap Nazir out of his trance with some foul smelling concoctions.
"Bwahh!" Nazir exclaimed as he choke on the foul scent before Shadowmere could answer. "What… she… said… Ughhh…" Nazir told the horse before vomiting.
Laughing, Shadowmere replied, "we got a slight problem, Janice had been crowned the Empress of the Empire. Before you ask, The Night Mother talked to me, assuring me that she would find a way to continue her work with the Dark Brotherhood. She also gave me the gift of telepathy to talk to you guys about it. Now, help me get this saddle on so that I won't be 'a walking piece of evidence' as she so put it." The black horse said as he pick up the saddle and hold it in his mouth.
Seeing as both of the conscious members had their lower jaws on the ground, he just sighed and telepathed "I can wait for you both to pick your jaws off the ground."
After a few minutes, Nazir managed to regain his composure to say shakily, "the Listener, Empress. To think we got that far in the contract… I now seriously doubt whether she lied about the five thousand gold we got as payment."
"I don't know about that, but can you help me with this? I should get going, I want to be in time for when she reach home." Shadowmere demanded.
"Alright, here we go", Nazir said as he replace the saddle.
"I'll keep this here at the sanctuary, now go, you have fun now." Nazir said as he drag Babette and the unconscious jester into the sanctuary.
"Of course I will." Shadowmere said as he stepped into the water and teleported off.
Back at Lakeview Manor, a black puddle formed in the shallow banks of the lake behind the estate. As quietly as he can, he tried to materialise without too much noise. Seeing it was successful, since the necromancer who was sleeping near the summoning table on the shore had not stirred in the slightest. Trotting to the horse shed at the front of the house, he nudge the horse occupying it to the side rudely. "What do you do that for?" Snorted the horse.
"Shut up" Shadowmere commanded, baring his teeth to let the other know that he is superior.
"Fine, just because you are her favourite horse." The horse said, going back to sleep.
[Time skip, back to Janice, third person POV]
Waking up as sunlight begun to creep in from the thin curtain, Janice took off her helmet and proceeded to wash up before realizing where she is. So it wasn't a dream, she thought as she reached for some towels under the basin. What should I say to them though? She wondered as she sat back down on the throne, the road becoming bumpy again.
Blaring trumpets and the sudden stop of the carriage jerked her out of her thoughts. "Empress Janice has arrived!" Announced one of the guards when the trumpets end.
"The Empress?! They chosen a replacement already? And why does she want to visit a random mansion? Oh, right, probably because of my wife." Derkeethus talked to himself as he emerged from the door, holding a stirring spoon. He was wearing his usual miner clothes even though Janice has offered him some better looking clothes before.
Janice stepped out of the carriage with a hand gripping her Dragonscale helmet as Cocceius held the curtains opened. "Hello hubby!" Janice said as she walked towards a very shocked looking Argonian.
"Uhh? Wha… How?" Derkeethus babbled like a fish out of water as he let go of the spoon.
"Come on, we'll talk inside. Stay here will you?" Janice said to the guards and a very excited looking Cocceius.
"Yes Your Highness" Cocceius replied as he looked at the couple, one of which pushing the other into the house.
Going inside, she spot a bloodied Alduin sleeping peacefully on the bed. "What happened to you?" Janice said as she tried to gently shake the dragoness awake seeing Derkeethus was still in a daze.
"Huh? Wha…? Oh Janice! Are they dead?" Alduin said as she wakes up.
"Yes Alduin, now tell me, what happened to you?" Janice asked as she prepared a Grand Healing spell, the helmet being placed next to the bed, on the floor.
"I fell off a cliff and a necromancer wanted me as her prize." Alduin replied as the spell did its work.
"I see." Janice replied as she looked Alduin once over before helping her up.
"I have something to announce", Janice told Alduin.
"I have something to ask you", Alduin said in a mildly angry tone, the anger from yesterday coming up.
"If this is about the stuff you found inside my room, you can ask later." Janice said as she grabbed the protesting dragon under her arm, her still frozen husband in the other and shouted for the kids to gather at the dining table.
Setting Derkeethus' stiff body on the chair carefully and Alduin on the other side, she saw the kids coming out of their rooms slowly and sitting down. "Now." Janice begun.
"Would you snap out of it Derkeethus?!" Janice said as she slapped the Argonian.
"Mom?" Both of them said as they watched the exchange.
"Would you fetch me a bucket of cold water sweetie?" Janice asked Sofie.
"Right away mom!" Sofie replied as she went into the kitchen to fetch some water from the storage tank.
Grabbing the bucket, Janice chuck the water onto the Argonian. "Wake up!"
"Ah! Cold, cold!" Derkeethus said as he snapped back to reality. Everybody just chuckled, the sudden shouting waking up the bard and steward.
"As one of you know…" Janice started, ignoring her shivering husband. "I… have been crowned the Empress of the Empire." Janice decided to drop the topic directly without a build up.
As her children, steward and bard looked on, stunned, "well, look at you! not only have you taken down me and all the others who wanted power, you just got handed the position without some challenger coming to you." Alduin said scornfully and with immense jealousy.
"How…" Derkeethus said, still acting like a fish gasping for air on dry land.
"I was coming back from… a meeting with the Jarl of Markarth when I was stopped by the the guards and the Head of the Imperial Council who is currently waiting outside." Janice answered, hiding the real truth.
"Is dad going to be the Emperor now? Are we going to prince and princes?" Sofie asked with glee, having recovered fast.
"I don't know, I will have to discuss it with them." Janice said.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk with Alduin." Janice said, motioning the angry dragoness to follow her.
Once Janice reached her room, Alduin, not wanting to wait any longer, screamed at the Dragonborn, "How many of my kin did you kill? And is killing my undead dragon cult really necessary?"
"Do you really want to know? And I killed them because they were in my way to learning all the words of power." Janice replied coolly.
"Of course I want to know! I need to give them a proper send off after all." Alduin said as she bit back her tears again.
"Alright, lets see… About a few thousand." Janice said. "You're lucky that they seem to be spawning everywhere, popping out of nowhere and attacking me. There seem to be an infinite number of them. Also, your 'dragon cult' was weak. I beat them down alone, barely powerful enough to do any damage." Janice continued nonchalantly, not caring when the dragoness broke down crying halfway.
"I hate you…" Alduin spat when she recovered a little.
"You'll get used to that. Is that all you are going to say?" Janice said as she opened the chest at the foot of the bed, taking out Chillrend. "Better keep this with me from now on", she whispered.
Walking over to the closet, she took out all the armour sets and weapons related to the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood and set them on fire, effectively destroying all evidence of her connection.
Having recovered from her crying, Alduin walked over, staring at smoldering heap. "So whats with the broken steel sword and the armour you wore when escaping Helgen?"
"Memories of you trying to kill me when you had the chance", Janice said, rubbing it all over Alduin's face. "I just found the broken sword inside an opened chest inside a dungeon. I find it as a really good motivator to not craft anything with such a low level of craftsmanship." Janice continued.
"I… see", Alduin said, lowering her head knowing full well that should she attempt to attack Janice, she could easily have killed her without any struggle on her part.
"Aw, cheer up, at least you didn't become a statistic." Janice said, trying to cheer the dragoness up.
"I guess so", Alduin said as she raised her head.
"Anyway, let's go eat breakfast, I need to talk to Cocceius." Janice said as she swept up the ashes and threw it away.
Both of them went down, the bard coming up to Janice asking her what she could do for her2 royalty, Janice dismiss her with a wave.
Seeing Derkeethus cooking and just about everyone looking somewhat normal now, Janice went outside to talk to Cocceius.
"What is it Your Highness?" Cocceius immediately said as he saw Janice came out the door.
"I want to ask, what will happen to my family?" Janice asked the politician.
"They will be treated with the utmost respect, they will also be assigned the rightful places they should hold. Your husband would be Emperor and your children prince and princesses, your highness." Cocceius explained.
"Good, do you want anything to eat? I have bought a big sack of food the other day." Janice said.
"There is no need for that my liege, we brought our own rations, see?" Cocceius said as he pointed to where the group of soldiers were seated, enjoying breakfast.
"Alright, I will need some help packing later." Janice said as she walked back in.
"No need to lift a finger, Your Highness!" Cocceius called out to her retreating form.
This is going to be a long day, Janice thought as she sat at the dining table, thinking of a better way to break the news to the housecarls and her right hand men in their respective factions. I know, I will get Shadowmere to do it! He can teleport, can't he? I will just need to give him a letter, Janice thought as she quickly penned a letter.
'To all who receive this letter, please meet me at the Blue Palace. Signed, Janice S.
PS: Put this letter back'
She quickly folded the paper and made for the door. Seeing his liege coming out again, Cocceius went forward to greet her, "Is there something wrong?"
"I need to see my horse", Janice said as she made for a beeline towards the horse shed.
"Of course", Cocceius said, not really caring that Janice wants to talk to a horse.
"Shadowmere, how are you? Why do you have a different saddle on you?" Janice asked, the other question being blurted a little too loudly.
"Hello Listener, before you ask, the Night Mother gave me this neat gift." Shadowmere telepathed to Janice.
"Alright, now I am hearing voices in my head, as if this whole Empress thing isn't already weird enough. I must be dreaming." Janice said as she pinched herself.
"Ow! Okay, so it isn't a dream. Anyway, Shadowmere, can you show this letter to all my housecarls, Tolfdir of the College and Aela of the Companions? Just show it to them, don't scare them alright?" Janice said as she put the letter into a pouch in the saddle.
"Sure, I can try a different teleportation method as some of these places does not have any water. It will be risky, but I will do it." Shadowmere said. "I got rid of my former saddle so as to like like a normal horse." He continued.
"Before you go, I need to ask you a question. Was your telepathic message private?" Janice asked.
"Yes", Shadowmere replied as he step out.
"Should I be so bold, where is your horse going?" Cocceius asked as Janice approach the door.
"He always went for walks alone, it isn't a real problem." Janice explained as she went inside.
A/N: Alright! That's where Janice finally finds out that she is to become the Empress! Moving day's next chapter, so stay tuned for humour! Please review! I need to know if I am doing things correctly, or at least know if everyone who is viewing is happy with the direction!
1. I guess I have to make Shadowmere a main character now, eh?
2. I forgot the sex for the incredibly unimportant bard, it is a male in the actual game, sorry about that. I don't really care though, the bard would be gone in the next chapter.