Chapter 2:
The shock of losing Tennsa hit hard on everyone. Few words were spoken amongst those at Cloud Ruler Temple, the Blades fortress in Cyrodiil that they were staying in. She had always seemed too brave, too strong, too alive to die. Yet here they were, burning what little they had left of her. They didn't even have her katana to hang with those of the other fallen knights. It seemed as if the sky was mourning her loss as well, the tear-like drops of rain splattering across the roof of the temple.
Beras lay on his bed, unable to sleep. He was curled in a fetal position, hands locked around his knees. Tennsa had always been his favorite of the Captains. Though she had never been particularly nice to him, she at least gave him a decent amount of respect. She was the only one who thought there was more to being a Blade than the ability to fight.
The barracks door slid open, and a woman, about twenty-five years of age, stepped in. She was dressed completely in the armor of the faction, but held her helmet at her side. She had shoulder length brown hair, swept over to the right side of her head. Her blue eyes were out of focus and filled with the need to sleep. She was sweating and breathing heavily.
She walked over to the bed next to Beras' and collapsed, letting out a long sigh of relief. Looking over at him, she threw him a weak smile. "So," she said. "How's life?"
He raised his eyebrows at her. "Was that a joke?" he asked.
She laughed. "Yeah. It was." Closing her eyes, she spoke more quietly. "It wasn't funny though." She threw her katana onto the floor at the foot of her bed and began taking her armor off, tossing each piece down just as unceremoniously.
Beras looked down at the discarded equipment. "Uh, Annel, don't you think you should put that in the armory?"
Annel shot him a dirty look. "Like you actually care," she scoffed. "You just don't want me getting in any more trouble."
Annel was Gretta's granddaughter, and the only remaining member of her family. They had been friends since Beras' initiation into the Blades. It had started out as more of a mutually beneficial relationship: Beras did Annel's chores, and in return she used her influence over the higher-ups to insure he didn't get into too much trouble.
Unlike him, she had always been incredibly skilled in combat, surpassing even those who had been training for decades longer than her. This caused her to be greatly respected by the Captains. However, she had never had much talent in the area of military strategy, preferring to rush directly into battle. She also had a knack for disobeying and disrespecting her comrades and leaders.
Beras sat up and stretched his arms before falling back onto his bed in dizziness. He rolled over, and shoved his face into his pillow.
"Hey," Annel said softly. "Cheer up. Being sad won't get anything done." Seeing that he didn't respond, she continued. "If you just lie there you're just being a waste of resources. Tennsa wouldn't have wanted anyone to grieve her, because she knew that people die every day, and she isn't any different."
His voice muffled even further by the pillow, Beras mumbled back, "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Knowing that as we speak, people are dying?"
There were a few moments of silence following this statement. "I didn't mean it like that," Annel retorted in a somewhat irritated tone. "Don't twist my words." A few more seconds of quiet followed. "Why don't you go groom the horses or something to take your mind off of things?"
"I can't," Beras said. "I'm not in the mood."
Annel snorted. "You're telling me. Those stupid oafs want me to train endlessly it seems! I've been at it for hours, and only just managed to convince them to give me a break!"
As though he didn't hear her, Beras sat up suddenly, furious. "How could they?" he shouted. "How could they take her away from us? Don't they understand that there are people who care about her? That she had a life?" He was breathing heavily.
Annel looked extremely worried. "Woah, calm down. It's scary to see that you have the ability to become angry." Sighing heavily, she sat up too. "Of course they don't understand. They don't understand anything. I don't understand. How can anyone be that evil? To think that they are inherently better than those they once considered friends? To try to tear down something that has been established for centuries? It makes no sense."
"I just wish I could be useful somehow," Beras said, returning to his usual soft tone of voice. "You at least will be able to help out in battle. And you know just as well as I do that the only reason the captains allow me to stay is out of tribute to Gretta, and nothing more."
"Well," replied Annel. "You do help with some things. And there's no point in complaining. You've been privileged by being able to stay here. You might as well make good use of that. Anyway, do you think you could put my armor away? Thanks."
While hanging her armor on the racks, Beras pondered what she meant. He might as well make good use of it. But how? Sure, he got to meet some pretty interesting people, and of course the horses were nice, but how could he actually become useful? He couldn't fight; that was for sure. Not only was he hardly able to walk in a full suit of armor, but his skill with a weapon was about on the level of a mudcrab's.
He was somewhat stealthy, but not enough to rely on it. If he practiced he might advance to some degree, but his stocky figure made him easily visible. He had never tried out a bow, but if it was anywhere near as difficult as it sounded there was no way he'd be able to use one. Learning how to use magic was impossible, unless by some miracle a mage stopped by the temple and decided to train him. However, he couldn't rule it out without trying it.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he could never be a Blade. He could call himself one and he could be considered one at most, but he would never be able to fight the way the others did.
Maybe, a voice in his mind said. Maybe, you aren't supposed to help. Maybe you're just a bystander.
Before the thought could develop any further, he hit himself repetitively in the head. "Stupid, stupid stupid stupid…" he mumbled. Then he looked up. Standing to his left was Vyncent, a tall and thin man with pale brown hair and tan skin. The two of them had never really been friends or enemies. Mostly they had simply existed in each other's lives. They rarely spoke, and when the did, it wasn't ever for very long. His face demonstrated an expression resembling a mix between horror, disgust, and confusion.
"Uh…" he stammered, his voice low and clear. "Are you okay…?"
Beras flushed in embarrassment, nodded, and walked out the door, relishing in the fresh air. Everyone else was inside, hiding from the cold. He walked over to the edge of the walls and looked out at the land. Off in the distance he could easily see Bruma, and even the Imperial City. If he looked far to the east, he could even see smoke rising from the Red Mountain, still smoldering from its eruption.
Incredible really, he thought, that despite the vast and bountiful land given to them, the people of Tamriel had to squabble over it, hurting thousands of innocents in the process. Why couldn't people just understand each other, and the fact that they need to make due with what they already have.
Beras closed his eyes, squeezing out a single tear. It wasn't fair. No one should be so evil, so cruel to another person. No one should consider anything that can speak back to them as lesser beings. The Aldmeri Dominion cannot just walk in on the Empire and wreak it down.
Things needed to change. He opened his eyes, no longer wet with tears. A new light of purpose shone in them. For change to happen, it needed a vessel, one that could overcome obstacles and use their influence to bring it about.
He would be that vessel. He might not have fate on his side like the Nerevarine, and he might not have the might of Cyrodiil's champion. He certainly did not have the skill of any hero, or the power and influence of a Septim, but that didn't matter.
Beras knew he had something far better. Something that easily surpassed any of those other traits. He had his will on his side, and this was the day it became as strong as dragon scale.
He stood up, and looked back at the temple, and ran to find Annel. There was no time to waste.