13 Days Later
Attrebus flipped over the table in anger, his enraged yells filled his chambers in anger, as he strode across the large and ornate bedchamber. I was sat in one of the comfortable and luxurious chairs, along with Vaenus.
Vaenus was only 19, the youngest of us all, and was still unmarried, given how all her suitors would mysteriously die within the first few weeks of courting. Her history meant that only men who were brave (or stupid) would try to win her affections. However, as her siblings, Attrebus and I knew of her unwavering loyalty to her Empire, and our late father.
"Something wrong, Attrebus?" Vaenus asked in an innocent voice, which only frustrated Attrebus further.
"They've taken Bruma!" He bawled across the room. "Carvain surrendered Bruma to the Nords! The coward!" He thundered past us and slumped into the ornately carved chair behind his desk, where he sighed. "Is there no-one in this court that I may trust?" He exhaled loudly again, then looked at me. He stood up, launching his fist into the table. "I want him dead Cassius! I want him dead, and I want those barbarians to see! No one leaves the Empire!" I nodded.
"It will be done sire."
He waved a hand for us both to exit, resting his fist over his mouth. We both stood up, bowed to him, and left the room. As soon as we were outside, Vaenus started talking again.
"You knew that this would happen." She stated.
"Are you a mind-reader now little sister?"
"Why didn't you tell Attrebus this would happen?"
"You know our brother as well as I: do you think he would've listened to me?"
"You still could've tried." She said lowly.
"I've grown attached to having my head on my shoulders." I informed her. "I wouldn't wish for it to change."
"Yes," Vaenus said with a grin "what a shame that'd be." I put out a hand to stop her as we reached the end of the corridor.
"Speaking of losing one's head, don't you think you have something to tell me?"
"Such as?"
"Trying to persuade our brother that I desire the throne?"
"Do you?"
"You know I don't." She grinned widely.
"I simply stated you must feel wronged in some way... especially given what your mother was." I pushed her against the wall.
"Choose your next words carefully little sister." She smirked at my anger.
"She was a whore." I stayed still, itching to grab her throat, but I had to stay calm. I had to stay calm. I released her, and took a few steps backwards.
"And yet, I am still more trusted than you." I stated. "No one believes any of your lies." And with that, I exited the room, leaving to go and pay a visit to the Count of Bruma.
Slipping into the city was easy - I simply put my hood up and kept my head low - the Nords were too arrogant or too drunk to realize a hooded figure walking in with the Imperial sigil imprinted on his chest. Once inside, I made my way up to the main castle, which was heavily guarded - on the ground anyway. I grinned to myself - after hearing all the rumours of dragons in Skyrim, the Nords would have started looking up to the sky for defense.
I waited the lesser part of an hour until the sun was rising, and began to climb up the side of the castle - the jagged rocks of the wall acting as my footholds. In next to no time, I had seen reached the castle window, in which I peeked to see the a larger character clad in a Nordic robe and furs walking away from the a jail cell, angrily ordering the jailer to keep the jails shut. He cursed to himself and walked away with a pair of guards, who stopped at the doorway. I grinned to myself, and slipped in through the gap. I walked over to the jailer on at the desk, who sat there, simply rolling the dice. I grabbed the dice as he threw it up in the air.
"Has he said anything yet?" I asked the man, putting on a thick Nordic accent.
"No, no sir." The guard replied, falling over himself to stand up. I had to fight myself from grinning. I needed this to be publicly known that no one can leave the Empire.
"Who do you report to?"
"Lord...High King Gunder Wintershield."
"Then go and get him, and bring him back here - we need to get a confession out of the Count!" The soldier instinctively jumped from the table and began to stride across the room towards the hallway. I shook my head.
"Amateurs." I muttered, and I walked towards the cell, where the Count lay, chained up to the wall. I grabbed a bar of the door and launched my foot into the cell door, swinging it open. He began to stir as I stood over him.
"Collantius Carvain." I said, announcing my presence.
"I knew you'd come." He said, all hope lost in his voice. "Wintershield thought he could protect me from you."
"Nords aren't known for their intelligence." I stated. He nodded.
"You have come to kill me?" He asked, his voice slightly quivering. I hesitated, trying to find some way of putting it.
"You betrayed the Empire Carvain. We can't allow that."
"By we, you mean Attrebus?" He asked, looking up at me. "The boy is playing king because he found his father's crown - he does not understand how to wage war - sacrifices must be made-"
"Couldn't agree more." I cut him off, crouching down in front of him. I unsheathed a knife, trying to decide where to plant it.
"You kill me, and they'll know you've been here." He informed me, as if I hadn't considered this."
"I'm counting on it." I said. "In fact, I've already summoned your new friend." I grinned as he realized his impending fate had finally reached him. "Give my regards to your wife." I said, and I grabbed his face, launching my right arm into his stomach - the blade tearing through the skin and lodging itself deep within his organs - causing blood to pour down his skin, and onto his silk shirt, which was staining with a crimson flood. I was about to plunge the knife deeper into him, but heard hurried footsteps come down the hallway.
"Make way!"
I grinned to myself, then turned back to the Count. "Right on cue." I left the dagger in his stomach and stood up, turning around and walking casually down the corridor. I turned a corner and bumped into a figure - he was about my own height, and my own age, albeit maybe a year older or so - he couldn't be Wintershield - the famous Dragonborn! This boy? He wasn't physically dominating to me, neither did he seem efficient in battle - given the long jagged scar that arced across his right cheek. His blue eyes, curtained by his long, braided brown hair, shot down to examine the Imperial emblem on my chest. I kept my head low and moved past the fur-clad figure - probably a Nordic lord's son, come to watch the battles. I moved to the end of the hall, where the two soldiers noticed me.
"Hey, how'd you get in here?"
"He's wearing the-" I grabbed the two short blades from my belt and flung them into the chests of the guards, who let out strangled yells of pain before dropping to the floor, dead. I turned around to see the fur-clad figure running after me. I leapt over the railing and began to climb the numerous steps that would lead to the top of the building. I heard shouts behind me, but didn't stop until I reached the balcony, where I flung myself off, and caught onto the jagged bricks of the wall. I groaned as one of the bricks hit my cheek, but began to scale the wall none-the-less. I hoisted myself up onto the wall of the keep and ran along, until I came to a gap in the wall of the keep.
"Ah, damn it." I muttered, looking down at the drop. It was maybe, twenty, thirty feet? I took a few breaths - I could do this. "No problem." I murmured to myself, but the banging of the doors caused me to look back at the fur-clad figure, who was launching himself at me - intent on knocking me off. I grinned to myself. "This is where the fun begins..." I sighed and I dived off the wall, arcing my back. I landed on the ground in a roll, crouching as I stood up. I glanced back at the figure, who stood at the top of the wall. I smirked. "Too easy." I muttered, and began to jog along the castle's outer walls. A deafening shout behind me caused me to stumble slightly, grabbing the wall to steady myself. I turned back to see the figure leap off of the wall and land on the ground without any damage at all. A strange aura had exerted from him. I shook my head - okay, maybe he was the Dragonborn after all. I turned back to run along the wall, but saw a group of swordsmen running for me. I looked to my left, where a wooden crane was lifting debris in order to help rebuild, presumably the city had been affected in the Nordic attack. I jumped out of the way of the swords and landed on the rope of the debris, climbing up it and pulling myself onto the top of the narrow crane. I ran along it, careful to keep my balance. I took a quick look of the layout of the city - I could run across the rooftops to the main gate - quickest way out.
I looked down at the shouts and saw archers taking aim at me. I sprinted back along the crane and flung myself off of it and soared through the air: I crashed into the rooftop, rolling to break my fall. I groaned in pain, but carried on running - the arrows began to catch up to me - almost anyway - none of them were within inches of hitting me, but slightly too close for comfort. I began to sprint along the rooftop, hurdling over the short alleyways between the houses. I slid over a table full of food being prepared by a mother and daughter, and jumped up onto the wall, hoisting myself on top to see the guards closing the main gate.
"Damn it!" I hissed, and I turned back - the crane seemed my only chance to get another view of the city - take in another escape route. I turned around and started to sprint back towards the crane - but the guards had thought of that - there was two brave archers that were trying to balance on the narrow crane while aiming their arrows at me. I flung another short knife at the rope holding the debris, which tore easily, and then I launched myself off of the rooftop, grabbing the rope of the crane and using my momentum to swing around on it, knocking the guards off and letting them fall to a possible death. I let go of the crane and landed on the castle wall, which I scrambled up quickly and realised where I was - the roof of the Great Hall - a singular rectangle of a roof - no way out. I looked around to see the four guards that had blocked my path earlier.
The first came at me, swiping at my head. I easily grabbed his wrist and his shoulder, swinging him over me and onto the ground, where he rolled into the legs of another soldier, who tripped over him, stopping at my feet. I brought down my foot on the back of his head with a horrible crunching sound, before I launched my other foot around at the other man, kicking the side of his head, and causing his neck to break with a similar sound.
Another two soldiers came at me from both sides. I grabbed the wrist of the one on my right, ducking under his arm and forcing him into the path of the other soldier's swipe. It went across his chest, causing him to lose a grip on the axe, which I wrenched from his hand and held underhand. I threw the man into his ally, and readied myself for their attack. The first one threw a punch at me - now unarmed. I ducked under the blow, slicing through his furs and chainmail, then kicked the soldier behind him square in the chest, causing him to stumble back a few steps. I then buried the axe deep into the man's shoulder, while turning my body to throw a knife from my shoulder deep into the other soldier's forehead. I stood there, breathing as the dead bodies littered the rooftop. I turned back to the dying soldier, now on his knees. I withdrew the axe and spun around, gathering momentum and then launched it into the soldier's head, through his helmet. The axe lay deeply imbedded there. I took a sigh.
"That really did escalate quickly." I muttered.
In the next second, I turned around to face the fur-clad warrior, who had emerged from the ladder on the side of the Great Hall, brandishing a dazzling sword from his waist - it was broad, strong and had an ancient, ornate look to it. However, I was not the Emperor's Hand because I looked at pretty swords. I drew my own sword from my quiver and held it for one moment.
I growled and launched myself at my opponent, quickly slicing at his head and holding my sword with both hands. He brought his sword up quickly to parry, and return with a thrust into my stomach, which I quickly side-stepped. I grabbed his shoulder and launched my sword under his arm, feeling the vibration through the sword, I knew that I had broken through the armour. I shoved him across the roof, flourishing my blade. I grinned to myself - this was supposed to be the Dragonborn? The High King of Skyrim? I launched a follow-up, which he just about blocked, but as I launched another strike, he grabbed my wrist and brought down an forceful blow onto my blade, which broke into two - the blade dropping onto the floor. I swiped at his face with the broken hilt, managed to scratch him on the neck, as well as his breastplate. I dropped the hilt. Okay, maybe he was physically dominating - but strength wasn't everything. I had used it enough times to know it can be exploited. He launched another blow at me - this one trying to decapitate me. I ducked underneath it, it barely missing my hood and quiver. I grabbed his wrist as the blow passed over me, and pulled an arrow from my quiver, and drove it through the same gap in his armour, burying the arrowhead deep inside him.
The Dragonborn opened his mouth to unleash the legendary power of shouting - I saw him inhale deeply through his mouth and rolled away from him, leaving the arrow stuck inside him. I drew a small knife and got ready to throw it at him, when the trap door opened and the famous Nord general, Ulfric Stormcloak, stepped onto the roof with half a dozen swordsmen. I stood there, calculating my chances - I knew that Ulfric had the power of Shouting as well - maybe I was slightly outmatched.
"It's over assassin." Ulfric shouted. "Surrender, and we will give you a quick death!" I kept my eyes fixed on the Dragonborn. I wanted so badly to attack him - to finish this fight. I knew I had been winning - I didn't need a sword to beat him! I was the undisputed champion of the Empire - of all of Tamriel! I glanced behind me at the mass of trees. They seemed within jumping distance - and there was no other way I could escape right now. I snarled in anger at myself and my 'retreat', but I darted to my right and leapt off of the building - throwing myself through the air, and my outstretched arm caught onto a branch, on which I pulled myself up and stood within the tree. I hopped from branch to branch until I was about a mile or so from the castle - where I sat down in the tree, watching the group of Nords still standing on the rooftop - looking after my escape. I grinned to myself - I guess the Nords didn't feel like throwing their swords after me. I chuckled at the thought, then pushed myself up after the short break, and began to make my way through the trees until I would come to a main road, where I would barter passage back to the Imperial City.