Chapter Text
When she first opened her eyes, Tiberia Arcvius had no idea where she was.
The room she had woken up in was dark, almost unnaturally so, and extremely damp and humid, she could feel drops of water on the floor by the bed roll. She could barely see an inch in front of her, except for the thin jet of silver that came through the small bared window over her head.
In fact, had that not been indication enough, the bloody shackles that hung from the ceiling were just about enough to give her an inkling of where she was.
The shipment. The border. The guards.
Shit.
Tiberia stood up from the awkward position she had been in, obviously a result of being knocked unconscious and thrown into the cramped cell, and made her way towards what she believed to be the front of the room, using clammy hands to guide her through the almost suffocating darkness.
When she reached the door that she bitterly knew was the only real barrier between herself and freedom, she tried to listen for any sound in the cells around and beyond hers in order to try and pinpoint just where she was located in the underground prison, and was surprised to find that what she would have assumed would have been an area infested with the whining and kicking of the other inmates, was completely, and eerily, silent.
As if she was the only prisoner in the grand Imperial Prison.
Now that would be a disturbing thought.
"Hello !?" She exclaimed, rather impulsively, "Is there someone there !?"
She couldn't be the only one, that would be impossible, verging on horrifying. Her crime wasn't that bad, a simple misunderstanding was all it was.
Suddenly, from the void before her came the sound of rattling chains, Tiberia's first reflex was to reach for the bow that was usually safely strapped to her back, dejected, she settled for holding onto the bars of the cell door.
"Oh look." came a voice, "An imperial in the Imperial Prison. I guess they don't play favourites, huh? Your own kinsmen think you're a piece of human trash. How sad. I bet the guards give you "special" treatment before the end."
She stared in front of her, incredulous at what she had just heard.
"What the hell are you blabbering on about, man?"
"Oh, that's right." He spoke again, the irritating screech like tone to his voice almost making her recoil in disgust. " You're going to die here, imperial! You're going to die! Imperial criminal scum like you give the Empire a bad name, you see. You're an embarrassment, best if you just...disappeared."
She let go of the bars, her initial shock now completely gone, and replaced with an almost irresistible urge to laugh.
"Is that your way of making friends? By insulting people until they give in and start getting paranoid? Who raised you like this, your mother? She did a pretty shit job if you ask me."
She could feel his indignation through the bars of her cell, and the small spluttering sound coming from his side of the larger room succeeded in making her chuckle.
"Who are you to say such things about my mother!?"
She grinned.
"The one that you not only just insulted, but also the one that was arrested for third degree murder. If I'm to die anyway, what's stopping me from starting again? These doors aren't going to keep me out of your little cell for much longer, I'm afraid."
Scandalized, she heard him almost slam his back against the wall of his cell.
Gullible bastard.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh just try me, fri-"
Their discussion was interrupted by the very welcome glow of what could only be a guard's torch, and the low murmur of a heated argument.
With the newly gained light, Tiberia was able to take a look at her charming partner. She was glad to see that she had guessed right, he was indeed a dunmer, and not a handsome one at that. Managing to have pasty white skin, despite being what many would call a "dark elf", that perfectly matched the colour of his greasy hair, there was nothing remotely menacing or noteworthy about him.
"Yes, your Majesty. Beneath the Legion compound. We're headed for a secret passage known only to the Blades. No one can follow us through here..." Said a distant voice as it came closer. She saw the dunmer take a step back into his cell, shooting her one last glare before he turned his back to her completely.
Something seemed wrong.
Horribly wrong.
And she had no idea why she felt that way.
Soon enough, four people ended up at the entrance of her cell. One woman, who wore a very peculiar set of armour with a black cape fastened around her neck, took out a key from her pocket and unlocked the door with a flick of her wrist. Not knowing what was happening, Tiberia took a silent step back towards the end of the room.
Behind her, two men, who wore the same armour yet lacked the fancy looking cape marched in, their deadly katanas unsheathed, as if they expected an unseen enemy to pop out from the gloom that surrounded them at any moment.
And after them came in what was perhaps the last thing Tiberia could have expected. A man that every good imperial could recognize in the blink of an eye, even in the most horrible of conditions.
Uriel Septim.
The Emperor of Tamriel.
A soft gasp left her mouth before she could even think to stop it.
The reaction was immediate. The woman who she know understood was the leader unsheathed her own katana and in one great stride, was in front of Tiberia, the blade pointing menacingly toward her neck.
She backed away, her back hitting the wall.
"Who are you!?"
Not one to be shy, or someone that had a habit of showing when they were afraid, she squared up her shoulders and stood up to her full height, looking down to the guard with as much indignation as she could muster.
"The prisoner that was put in this cell gods know how long ago, for no apparent reason might I add."
"Wait." Said a much older voice in front of her, he sounded exhausted.
Both Tiberia and the guard looked at the Emperor, apprehensive and confused.
The woman was about to speak again, but the older man spoke before she had the chance.
"I recognize your voice, please, come out from that dreadful darkness, child, let me look at you."
The guard turned to briefly look at her again, distrust plainly written across her features, before she backed up.
Tiberia, almost hesitantly, took a step towards the Emperor, shedding the shadows that clung to her so well, before stepping fully into the light, her dark brown eyes squinting at the brilliance of the torch.
"My lord." She greeted him.
He walked closer to her, his hand reaching out to hold her arm in a gentle, yet firm, grasp.
Recognition shone in his ice blue eyes, lighting up his face with hope and what seemed to be joy.
"You," he started "I've seen you... Let me see your face...You are the one from my dreams...Then the stars were right, and this is the day. Gods give me strength."
She saw the guards, that she now knew to be the Emperor's Blades, shoot each other questioning looks behind Uriel's back.
"What's going on?" She demanded, her voice harsher than she had intended it to be.
The old man sighed wearily, his shoulders sagging under some unseen pressure. He looked so very tired, like he was about to come undone in the depressing little prison cell.
"Assassins attacked my sons, and I'm next. My Blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell."
Her eyes narrowed, everything that was happening seemed surreal, like it had been planned weeks in advance. Perhaps the emperor's escape was, it all seemed very hush-hush, but her being there? That couldn't have been planned, it couldn't have.
"Tell me then," she asked, her voice low, distrustful, "why am I in prison?"
"Perhaps the Gods have placed you here so that we may meet. As for what you have done...it does not matter. That is not what you will be remembered for."
"Pardon the interruption, sire." Said the young Redguard closest to the wall, in which there was now a large gaping hole, whose dark eyes shone in the dim light of the room. "But we must really be on our way."
His gaze flicked to Tiberia, and the Emperor turned to face her once more.
She took one, daring, step towards him.
"What am I to do, then ?"
He smiled, his lips trembling ever so slightly. "You will find your own path. Take care...there will be blood and death before the end."
And then, as quickly as they came, the small party of four was gone, and Tiberia was left alone, standing in front of the hole in the wall.
She looked back to the front of the room, where she could see the dunmer from earlier peering at her from the darkness of his cell, before she focused her gaze towards the hole once more.
Wishing that she had her bow, or any weapon for that matter, she did what any sane prisoner would do, and followed the Emperor's trail.
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"Do you think she followed us?" Asked Baurus, whipping the blood off of his sword. How many damned assassins could there possibly be? He couldn't even begin to imagine how bad it could have been if the passage hadn't been as secret as it was.
"I know she did." Answered Uriel as he looked around, his eyes scouting the shadows for the sign of red hair.
"Your Majesty," Glenroy called from behind a pillar, his shoulders hunched and looking all around as tired as Baurus felt, "we need to keep moving, they'll be upon us again soon enough."
The Emperor leaned against the stone wall, his hand reaching to hold the blood red amulet at his neck and closed his eyes, a weary sigh leaving him.
Sometimes Baurus truly wondered just how the old monarch was still alive, he looked so fragile in his robes, too large for his weak, thinning body. He deserved to rest, to live out the last of his days in peace, not with the weight of his son's murder heavy on his heart as he crawled through a hundred year old passage that would or would not save his life.
"Not yet." He answered "Let me rest a moment longer...just one moment."
Baurus walked over to Glenroy, who now wore Renault's black cape around his shoulders. They had been close, he knew, and he could see how hard her death had hit him. They had been comrades since they had both been initiates in the Blades a long time ago, long before Baurus himself had joined.
"What are we going to do now?" He whispered.
The older man smiled, but he knew by the vacant look in his eyes that all hope he might have had had died along with Renault.
"Not all is lost, don't you worry."
The Redguard rolled his eyes, exasperated. "This isn't about worry, this is about facts. Renault is dead, we're being followed by Talos knows how many assassins and the Emperor, bless his soul, looks like he's about to drop dead. We can't carry on like this."
Baurus looked back to Uriel, who was still leaning against the wall, and then to Glenroy who now looked more than a little apprehensive. He had flinched at the mention of the other Blade, and Baurus almost felt bad for him.
"For his sake."
"Listen to me boy," Glenroy snarled "there's nothing we can do until we get out of this gods forsaken place. We can't carry on like this, you're right, but we must."
The imperial grabbed Baurus' shoulder, his grip strong and harsh.
"For all of our sakes."
Glenroy patted him roughly on the back and walked past him towards the Emperor. He told him something, his voice soft, a gentle hand upon the old man's arm, and soon, they set off again, into the unknown of the ruins.
Baurus knew that the three of them weren't going to come out alive, he just hoped that the Emperor would be safe.
He hoped.
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When she found the pile of bones near the goblin's little lair, Tiberia had been disturbed as well as saddened, but when she spotted the sturdy steel bow laying at the top of the pile, all other thoughts immediately left her head, replaced with immense gratitude.
Finally.
She had made due with a rusty iron short sword that in normal circumstances, she wouldn't have trust with her cat's life, much less hers, but these were no normal circumstances, so she swung at her foes with that blade in her hand, thankful that she had even a small opportunity to defend herself against the never ending onslaught of rats and goblins.
Along the way, she had also found a set of ratty and tired looking leather armour and boots, telling herself that it was much better than her flimsy prison garb, she had quickly changed into it, trying not to think of what happened to it's previous owner.
She had heard fighting, loud blood curling screams and the clash of weapons, coming from somewhere to her right, and she had guessed that the Emperor and his men were not far behind the cavern's walls. But she carried on, desperately hoping that she wouldn't end up in the same trouble as them.
She wondered why exactly she had yet to cross their path, she had followed quick on their trail after all.
Maybe it was just not meant to be.
Blending in the shadows, she took down goblin after goblin, dodging spells and traps with swiftness only found in the most talented of assassins and thieves, and quickly, she found herself at the end of the long winding cave tunnels.
Bright blue light guided her parth, and soon, she landed in what seemed to be an old Ayleid ruin.
"Since when are there ruins under the Imperial Palace?" She asked, to no one in particular, as she crept around, not really knowing where to go or what to do.
"Damnit!"
She spun around, drawing her bow and aiming it towards the source of the sound.
"It's that prisoner again! Kill her, she might be working with the assassins!"
She saw the other Blade walk around him, his katana drawn, ready to strike, and although they were quite far from her, she knew that the moment she let her arrow fly, the Redguard was going to cut her to pieces.
She was fucked.
"No. She is not one of them. She can help us. She must help us."
The Emperor pushed the two men out of his way as he walked between them, coming to stand a few feet away from Tiberia.
"As you wish, sire." She heard the Blade, that now wore the same black cape the woman from earlier had worn, mumble angrily as he stomped away, followed by the redguard, who gave her an apologetic look.
It was easy to understand what had happened to him.
"Please, come closer, you do not need to be afraid, my guardians will not harm you."
Seeing the almost pleading look in the Emperor's eyes, she slowly lowered her weapon, and took a step towards him.
She felt like she was some savage animal that was about to be put down. She just wanted to go home, to go back to her parents, to sleep in her bed.
But it seemed like the Emperor had other, much less comforting plans for her.
"They cannot understand why I trust you. They've not seen what I've seen. How can I explain? Listen. You know the Nine? How they guide our fates with an invisible hand?"
Tiberia nodded, her hand subconsciously reaching for the amulet of Arkay that she kept in her pocket. She doesn't know what would have happened to her if the jailors has taken it.
"The Nine guide and protect us."
He smiled and inclined his head in agreement.
"I've served the Nine all my days, and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens. The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign. I know these stars well, and I wonder...which sign marked your birth?"
She fidgeted with the amulet in her pocket.
"I was born under the sign of the Thief, my liege."
"The signs I read show the end of my path." He said, sounding incredibly tired. "My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."
She raised an eyebrow in interest.
As if sensing what she was about to say, Uriel shook his head, his expression grave.
"But your stars are not mine, all I know is that today, the Thief shall guide your steps on the road to destiny."
"So you can see my fate then? You can tell me what's going to happen when we all get out of this cursed dungeon?"
Urgency clouded her words, and she took another step towards her companion.
"My dreams grant me no opinions of success. Their compass ventures not beyond the doors of death. But in your face, I behold the sun's companion. The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness. With such hope, and with the promise of your help, my heart must be satisfied."
She looked into his eyes, such an icy shade of blue, and wondered where a man could come up with things such as these. So many questions bubbled around in her brain, for she knew that she had only understood but a small part of what he had just told her. But despite her curiosity, she chose to keep silent
He gave her a warm smile, one that seemed to bring the glow of youth upon his aged face. She saw then, under the harsh light of the Ayleid light, that once upon a time, he must have been quite a handsome man.
She quickly saw the image of a man, with shoulder length dark hair, dressed in a set of resplendent golden armour, a long ornately decorated silver blade held in front of him, pointing towards the horizon. The image of what an emperor should be.
She wondered if he had ever looked like that, if he had ever inspired his people by simply letting them bask in his regal glow.
Tiberia looked at the two Blades that had, during her discussion with the Emperor, come to stand closer than they had previously been. They both looked jumpy, it was obvious that they were uncomfortable standing in a place such as this for too long without action.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
She saw his gaze rest on something over her shoulder, but she didn't bother to turn around to see what it might be.
"I go to my grave. A tongue shriller than all the music calls me. You shall follow me yet for a while, then we must part."
He turned around brusquely, and walked back towards his Blades, who slowly made their way towards the door nearest to them. Briefly hesitating, Tiberia took out the amulet of Arkay and quickly wound it around her neck, before raising her bow again and following the trio, lurking behind them in the shadows.
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For a time, they walked in silence, none of them daring to speak, lest the sound of their voices attract the assassins that were undoubtedly still following their trail. However, it didn't take long before the Emperor started humming an old tune that Tiberia had never heard before. His soft baritone, although quite worn, still managed to calm her nerves.
After a little more than half an hour of stumbling around in the dark, the little group came upon a large room, with pillars that rose up all the way to it's high, decorated ceiling.
Tiberia had never seen anything quite as stunning.
"I think this is it." She heard one of the men in front of her mumble. She immediately felt her shoulders relax.
He turned around to face her and the Emperor by her side.
"You there, prisoner, guard the Emperor while I go with Glenroy to scour our surroundings for the door. We won't be long, I promise."
She nodded and with a flick of her head, she led the Emperor to a secluded alcove who's lower ceiling gave off the illusion of safety..
She looked around, trying to see if anything was out of the ordinary, listening for any sounds that didn't belong, before she felt someone urgently grasp her hands.
"Wha-"
Uriel ripped the pendant at his neck and thrust it into her calloused hands, his eyes were wide, she could feel him shaking against her.
"Take my Amulet. Give it to Jauffre. There is still one of my blood that yet lives, and Jauffre is the only one that knows where to find him. Save him, and help him embrace his destiny."
He pushed himself away from her, hitting his back against the wall.
"Find the last of my blood." He murmured "And close shut the marble jaws of Oblivion."
Upon the end of his sentence, the wall closest to him burst open, and out came two individuals dressed in ruby capes and and dark, twisted armour.
She immediately drew her bow, and shot in front of her, too shaken up to properly take the time to focus. She cursed her carelessness as the arrow flew and hit one of the assassins between the eyes.
But she was too late, and when she shot her second arrow, Uriel was already lying at her feet, his lifeless eyes blankly staring at the ceiling.
The body of the man she had just taken down crumbled to the ground, landing on top of the Emperor's.
She rushed towards the two bodies, and with a strength she didn't know she possessed, threw the assassin's body to the side, and knelt by the deceased ruler's side, propping him up so that she could cradle his head, as she gently shut his eyes.
"I will never forget the wisdom you have given me, Uriel Septim."
She heard running coming from somewhere in front of her, but she had no strength to get up to fend against another onslaught of attackers. She was relieved though, when she saw that it was one of the Blades that came charging in, his armour covered with blood, and his katana ready for battle.
"My lord are you alri-"
He looked down at Tiberia, his whole body freezing upon seeing the corpse in her arms.
"I'm so sorry." She said, her voice as gentle as she could make it. "I did everything in my power to save him."
The man fell to his knees, a defeated sigh escaping his chapped lips. She could see tears swimming in his dark eyes. It was obvious how much the Emperor had meant to him.
"We've failed." he spoke "I've...failed. The Blades are sworn to protect the Emperor, and now he and all his heirs are dead."
"What's your name?"
He looked up from the corpse in her arms, looking at her as if seeing her for the first time.
"Baurus, my name is Baurus."
She inclined her head. "I'm so sorry for what just happened Baurus, but we really must leave this place before any of the others come."
He nodded, slowly.
He got up and without a word, he walked over to her and helped her stand up, taking the time to carefully place the dead monarch's body on the cold hard ground.
He briefly glanced at the Emperor's corpse before his eyes widened in alarm. He threw himself on the body, pushing away it's robes, his hands desperately searching for something that was obviously there no longer.
"The Amulet, where's the Amulet of Kings!? It's not on his body!"
She reached in the pocket of her looted armour, and brought forth a red shimmering jewel.
"Don't worry, I am the one that has the Amulet, the assassins never had the chance to see it."
"He gave it to you?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes, just before he died, it seems like he sensed the assassin's approach."
Baurus raised an eyebrow in silent confusion.
"Strange. He saw something in you. Trusted you. He must have given it to you for a reason. Did he say why?"
"He asked me to bring it to some guy called Jauffre, do you know him?"
He nodded, his expression serious. "As a matter of fact I do, he's the grandmaster of my order, but why would he have mentioned him?"
She shrugged "I don't know, he said something about a lost heir and closing the doors to Oblivion."
"Well," he said, "I've never heard anything about that, but if someone should know, it's Jauffre."
She looked into the hole that the assassins had made to the wall. Inside there seemed to be a small narrow path, illuminated only by the torches that Baurus had lit.
She guessed that Baurus was around her own age, but years and years of battle had given him the countenance of someone much older than he actually was. Although he was standing straight, like any good soldier, she could see how tired he was by the dark circles under his eyes and the slight sagging of his shoulders. She knew that if more assassins came their way, he wouldn't be able to hold for much longer.
"We should leave, it isn't safe." She commented, her eyes wearily staring at the opening in the wall.
Without tearing his eyes from the corpse at their feet, as if they were stuck there by some morbid fascination, he said "You're right, but I need to stay. It is my sown duty as a Blade to serve my Emperor, even if he is dead. I have to bring him back, he of all people doesn't deserve to rot in a place like this."
She walked over to Baurus, her hand reaching to grasp his arm. They eyes met, and unexpectedly, she felt the desire to protect him, to help him.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you? I could help."
He gave her a sad smile, but he shook his head.
"You need to go to Jauffre, if what my lord said was true, there is still hope in this lost heir of his. We need to find him as quickly as possible."
She cursed his logic, but nonetheless she shook his hand and patted him on the back, hoping, with all of her heart, that this man she knew nothing about except for his name, was going to be alright.
"Well, I wish you luck, my friend, and I hope that one day our paths will cross again."
"As do I."
She grinned and made her way towards the hole in the wall, drawing her bow in the process, before she was stopped by Baurus' voice.
"At the end of the corridor you'll find the entrance to the sewers, be careful in there, they're infested with goblins and Talos knows what else."
She turned back to face him. "Thanks for the heads up."
He smiled. "No problem."
As she took her first step into the gloomy tunnel, she took out the Amulet of Kings from her pocket, and faced Baurus for the last time, determination burning in her eyes.
"For the Empire." She said.
"For the Empire." He answered.
And then she was gone into the darkness.