The Last Heir, FanFic Options

[redsrock]

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The Last Heir

CHAPTER ONE

The goblins were rushing in through the barn door, but they had no clue I was sitting up above on a rickety plank, ready to jump down and slay the evil beasts.

With my trusty spear in hand I dove down from above and struck one of the monstrous creatures to the floor. The others shrieked loudly as they charged me, but it was of no use. My skills in battle were envied by all and matched by no one.

One by one I sliced my way through the goblin horde until only the chieftain stood before me. He held his magical battle axe in hand with a furious expression, but I knew his intimidating stature was unreal. He was truly afraid of me and wanted nothing more than to run back to his smelly cave, but alas I was guarding the only exit out of my barn.

Slowly I walked towards the monster and as I inched closer and closer I began to see the sweat dripping from the chieftain’s face. His hands that were clutched tightly around the axe were shaking wildly. He stood no chance.

“Lukas, have you finished cleaning the barn yet? Supper is almost ready!”

At the sounds of my mothers shrill voice the battle ended and suddenly I was unfortunately sucked back into boring reality.

“Not yet mother, give me another ten minutes or so…”

I quickly took the broom I was holding and started sweeping the floor because I knew it was only a matter of seconds until my mother came to see what the matter was. She told me to clean the place an hour ago but of course like usual I had dazed off into my own fantasy land.

“LUKAS! Will you please clean things up quickly? Supper is just a few minutes from being ready and you’ve barely even started! What have you been doing in here all this time?”

Sure enough she entered the barn with the same stern expression she gave me every time I angered her, which seemed to be often.

“I was fightin’ the goblins mama, I had to protect our barn from the enemy,” I said with a sly smile about me.

My mother hated it when I pretended to be a knight or a warrior, or whatever... For some odd reason she becomes very infuriated whenever I did so.

“Lukas, you’re fifteen years old! When are you going to grow up?” She said with her arms folding firmly across her chest.

“Fine, fine, I’ll clean the barn, it shouldn’t take too long!”

“The next time I catch your mind wandering about when you’re supposed to be doing chores you’ll get a whipping you’ve never imagined before.”

I simply rolled my eyes as she walked away. But of course she wasn’t yet finished with her tirade. “And stop pretending my broom is some kind of weapon!”

“I can’t help it mama, I’m gonna be a knight some day!” I chuckled back.

She grunted loudly and finally ended the argument with a threat I’ve heard millions of times before, “You break my broom and I’ll break your legs!”

I always laughed loudly at that one, for my mother wasn’t abusive as some kids’ mothers were. She would never lay a finger on me, besides my constant spankings of course.

Come to think of it, I’d hate to see what she would do if someone ever did laid their hands on me. It sure wouldn’t be pretty, I know that for sure. My mom is extremely protective of me.

I think that’s why I am home-schooled. She probably doesn’t want to even think about me being whipped by the school’s headmaster, which I am almost positive would be a daily activity. She’d rather do that herself…


Two hours later I finished sweeping the floors and bundling all the hay. It took me longer than I expected and mother wasn’t too thrilled about the delay.

“Sorry mama, it took me a bit long than I thought it would. Mama…?”

I yelled a bit more but was never given a response. My immediate answer to the silence was that she was most likely outside watering our garden and picking any already ripe vegetables.

So I threw off my work clothes and bundled into a pair of comfortable pants and an unbuttoned shirt. I went into the kitchen to see two plates resting on the table. One was full of cold food and the other was almost entirely eaten.

I walked over to the front door and poked my head out to see where mother was. I saw her standing just a few feet away from the porch. That’s when I saw two men in shiny silver armor standing next to her.

I walked outside to greet the men and I noticed she was sobbing.

“Who are these people mama, and why are you crying?”

Without giving me an answer she threw her arms around me and began to cry even more than before.

“Mama, what’s wrong?”

One of the men in armor spoke up with a deep and serious voice.

“Son, follow us into your house. There are some matters that need to be discussed.”

I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say. My mom took me by the hand and led me and the other two men into the house, where we all sat down at the kitchen table after she cleaned it.

“Lukas, do you have any idea who your father was?”

“Umm…no sir, I do not. Mama told me he passed away when I was still a baby.”

The man looked over to mother and she started crying again, this time thankfully a little quieter than before. I hated seeing her cry; it pained me more than anything else.

“You father was Martin Septim, son of Uriel Septim. Do you know who any of those two men are?” The man asked with a sterner tone.

“No sir, I’ve never heard the names before,” I said sheepishly.

Again the man looked over to my mother, this time with sheer anger. I was almost afraid he was going to yell at her but he turned his attention back to me.

“Your father and grandfather were rulers of the Empire Lukas. Surely you’ve of the Empire, haven’t you?”

I nodded. Who didn’t know about the Empire? Even we, on this small island hundreds of miles from anyone else, know about them. But was this man serious about my father, and apparently my grandfather, once being rulers of the Empire?

“Martin and Uriel were both recently slain recently. Your grandfather was assassinated by the culprits and Martin sacrificed himself to save Cyrodiil. You, Lukas, are the heir to the throne.”

I was stunned beyond belief. Surely I was dreaming right? Perhaps I had fainted from the barn’s heat and I was imagining all of this? Surely I had to be, there’s just no way in the world any of this could really be happening.

“I’m sorry sir, but what are you talking about? I think you have the wrong person. I’ve lived here all my life and I highly doubt it’s possible that I would be related to any Imperial Kings.”

“Ah, but it is Lukas, what your mother has apparently forgotten to mention to you is that she was once a caretaker for the Chapel in the city that was once Kvatch. She happened to have a “small” mishap with Martin and that brought you into this world. Your mother fled the country and brought you here. And since you’re Martin’s only heir that makes you’re the rightful king of Cyrodiil.”

I looked over to my mother and she was able to nod her head slowly. I was the King of Cyrodiil? How could this be? I’m only fifteen years old!

“We’ll give you about an hour to get your stuff together and then we set sail for Cyrodiil where you will take your place at the throne, though it won’t be as glamorous as you might think. A war has just been won, but don’t worry, I’ll explain everything on the way.”

Things were happening so fast I didn’t know what to think. I was looking back and forth between the two men and my mother, then the next thing I knew I was toppling face first towards the table, and then everything went dark.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER EIGHT

For what seemed like minutes, though it was merely seconds, all three of us stood there gazing into each others’ eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. But what Jauffre and I were completely wrong in what we assumed. We thought she was the aggressor, but actually she was only a pawn a mad woman’s game.

“Thank Talos you found this room!” Yelled Caelia with tears streaming down her cheeks. “You have to do something; Alessia’s been torturing these poor people for years!”

“Hold on a minute, just slow down and tell us what’s going on. Why are all these bodies here and why did Alessia lie about her husband’s death?” Demanded Jauffre.

“I’m so sorry; I wanted to do something, I wanted to tell somebody, but I was too afraid. She may seem like a nice person, but she’s terribly evil when outsiders are not around.”

Torturing? What on earth was going on in this place?

“So she’s been torturing people; But why?” I asked.

“She is prejudice against Argonians, Khajiits, and Dunmer. She’s been like that ever since I can remember. This room was kept a secret for a very long time until Marius learned of its existence just days ago. When he threatened to let the public know of her evil deeds she had him killed! The true cause of her husband’s death has been kept a secret as well,” she claimed.

This wasn’t making a lot of sense to me. If all of these events were supposed to be kept secret, then why did Caelia seem to know everything?

“But how do you know all of this?”

“As regretful as I am of my past, I played a key role in everything that has happened. When Alessia first took the throne I tried to get close to her, only in order to show my loyalty. But unfortunately I got to know her dark side, and for some reason she showed me the room. But there’s another one as well. This is only where the bodies are kept; there’s also a room where the actual torturing takes place!”

“So what you’re saying is that you have helped Alessia with her actions?”

“Yes, I feel terrible about it, but I didn’t know what else to do. I was too afraid…” She started to sob even harder than before, and then she collapsed to the ground with her hands in face.

Jauffre walked over and grab her arms, pulling her up from the ground. “Who killed Marius Caro? Answer me!”

“I…I did!” She continued her crying and Jauffre let her fall to the ground.

“What should we do now, Jauffre?”

He looked down at Caelia and then back to me. “This is not what needed; not at all. Never once in my life would I have foreseen something as terrible as this, not from someone of her name. The Valgas are a prosperous family of honor. It just doesn’t make sense.”

He paused to collect himself before continuing.

“We’ll have to confront the Countess, Lukas. I am almost afraid of her response because I do not know how she will react, but something must be done.”


“Wait, Jauffre. We don’t have to deal with her just yet. Let go back to the Imperial City and gather some troops. Then we will come back and question her. She wouldn’t dare do anything with five hundred Legion soldiers backing us up.”

“Hmm…that does sound like a good idea, but what are we to do with Caelia?” He said while pointing to her pouting body. “What if she informs Alessia of our discovery before we can get to her first?”

“I think that is a chance we will simply have to take. If this is all the Countess has done wrong perhaps we can only impose severe sanctions against her, rather than take the throne away from her.”

Jauffre didn’t like that idea at all.

“You are the Emperor, so that decision lies solely to you. However, as your advisor, I will give you my view on the situation. Think of it this way, what if you were the sibling or spouse of those dead bodies? What if you were the child of those corpses, now mother and fatherless because of what Alessia did? Can you really live with yourself knowing that you have a murderer ruling one of the cities of Cyrodiil?”

I knew exactly what he was getting at, and it wasn’t as if I was differentiating from what he was saying. I actually happened to understand and agree with everything coming out of his mouth. It wasn’t a matter of deciding whether Alessia’s acts were severe enough for harsh reprimands, because they definitely were, I was fully aware of that. I was only a bit nervous. I didn’t want to have to make these kinds of decisions, but what else could I do? I am Emperor; I am no longer a little boy. It’s time that I grow up and show a little backbone.

“Listen to me, Lukas. I know you’re scared, but that comes with your new title. War is something a country never wants, especially civil war. But if that is what it comes to you must stand firm. Alessia, if all of these accusations are true, is a killer. But that is the interesting thing about all of this. So far we only have allegations, even if we do know for sure that she lied about her husband. Do not worry, Lukas. I will stand behind you whether or not you heed my suggestions.”

I had already made my decision sometime between vomiting and then seeing Caelia drop to the floor in tears. Alessia would be punished for her actions, that much was certain. I was just hoping she would go peacefully. I never really did consider anything but dethroning her. If I had ever said anything else it was all an act; that I was simply scared, but now that is all over.

“Alessia will no longer be the Countess of Leyawiin. She cannot continue her role after what she has done to these people. But we have to do this carefully. We must go along with what we were doing before all of this happened. Tomorrow morning we will leave and head back to the Imperial City. There we will gather a small army and confront Alessia with our accusations. If she does not cooperate we will have to remove by force, and like you said, if a war is what it takes then a war we shall have. I’ll do anything to protect my country and its people.”

“That was very well said, Lukas. You certainly are learning fast. The way you handled the situation in Bravil was excellent, and I am sure the same thing will happen with Alessia and Leyawiin. But, what are we to do with her?” Jauffre said, looking over to Caelia, who was still sobbing loudly.
“Get up Caelia,” I said to the crying captain.

When she struggled to perform my request I walked over and helped her up myself. Despite my young age I was already five-foot eight-inches, and because of my work around the house I had become rather strong for someone as little as I.

“I’m going to make you a deal. You will stay here and pretend none of this happened, okay? We will come back tomorrow with an army big enough to eliminate Alessia and all of the evil doings that have been going on in Leyawiin. Even if you are a murderer, which is something that will be hard to live with for the rest of your life, I will not throw you in jail, as long as you cooperate and stay on my side that is.”

I looked over at Jauffre, and his eyes were raised, giving me a surprised and questioning look.

“Rather than put you in prison, I will only strip you of your title and banish you from Leyawiin for the rest of your life. I doubt you will ever get a job of such prestige ever again, but that is another aspect of your punishment. Such a sentence may sound a bit harsh to you, but it is either that or you can spend the rest of your days rotting in a cell. The choice is your Caelia…”

Jauffre’s expression was awfully difficult to read. I couldn’t tell whether he was happy with my decision, or if he disagreed with what I was doing. It mattered not, some decisions should be made by me, and I alone.

“Okay…I’ll do it. Thank you so much for understanding, my lord. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again.”

“I don’t need any apologies, Caelia. Let us now leave this room and never speak of it again until Alessia is removed from her throne.”

So the three of us left the bloody room and Jauffre and I walked back to my quarters, where Baurus was waiting so anxiously to hear what we had to say.

“What happened? Did I miss anything good?” Baurus smiled. He didn’t know how grave the situation now was. But when I told him of our discoveries, his happy stature changed to a more serious expression.

After a few minutes of talking, Baurus and Jauffre left chambers to go to theirs. It was late and time for rest was greatly needed. Hopefully tomorrow wouldn’t turn out to be a disaster.









The next morning the three of us got up and left the city of Leyawiin after giving our last goodbyes. So far everything was going okay and fortunately word had not yet gotten out that Jauffre and I found her secret room. If we were lucky, Alessia wouldn’t find out about that until it was too late. Though I wasn’t a bit scared of doing what needed to be, I didn’t want to use force unless it was absolutely needed.

“We have to get back as soon as possible, so do you think you could pick up the pace from our previous rides?”

Jauffre had asked our Dunmer transporter of the favor, and he seemed happy to go a little faster. Unfortunately faster was definitely and understatement. The Dunmer drove wildly the whole way and we almost hit a tree twice. Despite the dangers nobody could take away from the speed we were going. Those horses must’ve been trained well, because we got to the city before nightfall, which was amazing considering we had started out all the down in Leyawiin.

I found Lex eating dinner at his home in the Elven Gardens. When I first him of my findings he at first was a little confused. He though that perhaps I was mistaken. But after I told him some other things he came around to believing me and immediately left to organize a small army. I wanted to leave first thing in the morning, sometime around six a.m.

“Yes sir, I’ll gather the troops right now. Which officer will lead the army?”

“I would like Itius to come with us while you stay here. You’ve done a nice job while I was gone and I think we should keep it that way. The people seem to like you Lex.”

He could see where I was going with that particular comment. “Don’t worry sir, the people will come around sooner or later,” he said as the two of us left his house.

Within two hours the soldiers were chosen and were waiting for me to speak with them before going to sleep that night. Jauffre told me that it would be best to give a few words in order to gain the men’s trust, which I guess was a good idea, but to tell you truth I was bit worried they wouldn’t buy my comments.

“Just listen to me, Lukas; the men won’t laugh at you anymore. Soldiers of the Empire are the most professionally trained, I guarantee you. It doesn’t matter how much the war drained them, I assure you they are ready to get out onto the battlefield once more. It’s what they were trained to do.”

“All of that makes sense, Jauffre, but we aren’t automatically going to fight with Leyawiin, I’ve already told you that. I want to avoid war at all costs.”

“That’s fine, but at least give them a few words before going to bed.”

And that was that with our argument. I looked outside the door and the men were getting a bit restless, probably wondering why they were all standing there doing nothing. Itius was there as well, speaking with Lex and Baurus. It had appeared that Baurus and Jauffre were back on good terms, which was obviously a good thing. Then there was the confusing Itius…

When I first told Itius that he would be commanding the army he was ecstatic. For once he seemed to be in a better mood, now that he was getting a leading role that is. In my mind he was power hungry and wanted to be the center of attention, but I was beginning to think that perhaps I was a bit over the edge with that assumption. Could it be that he was only a born leader and that was what he was supposed to do? I surely hoped so, because sooner or later I would have to choose a commander of the Imperial Army.

That decision would come down to several things, one being their skill in combat obviously. I want a leader that is just as good with a blade as they are with words. I think Lex would win the battle of words, for we is an excellent speaker, or so Jauffre had said. I haven’t been able to speak with the troops just yet and I will certainly get there take as well. I want someone who the soldiers look up to, and that will most likely be someone who knows a thing or two about fighting.

“The time is now Lukas, the men are getting impatient!”

Jauffre was starting to get on my nerves, but nevertheless he was right. It was time to talk to the men.

So I opened the door and walked out. Immediately the men got quiet and thankfully I had not heard any snickers, at least for now anyways. I stood only a few feet away from the men, so that I could get a good look at their faces. From what I could see I was getting mixed emotions. Some looked as though they were interested in what I had to say, but there were still some who looked as though they were still questioning my role as Emperor. Hopefully I would be able to change their views by time they leave.

“I’ve called you here, tonight, in order to tell you why we are about to embark on our first mission during my reign as Emperor. But before I get to that, I want to make sure we are all on the same page. Now, I know seeing me here, a fifteen year old boy, seems a bit strange. But let me give you another perspective you probably haven’t thought about. Think about what it feels like to be a fifteen year old boy commanding a bunch of grown men. It isn’t easy for either of us, but I am committed to making it work. I’ve only been Emperor for a couple of days and I’ve stopped a war between Leyawiin and Bravil, and I’ve also uncovered a secret torture chamber in Leyawiin. I’ve accomplished these things because I am ready to lead you. Whether you believe in me or not remains to be seen in the upcoming days, but I want all of you to know that you can trust me; I promise you that. Jauffre and Baurus are doing a great job of informing me of what goes on in this country, and I’ll be the first to tell you, it will take a while getting used to things. But that’s okay because I am a fast learner. I am going to bring this country back to its prestigious glory and before you know it we will once again be respected by all, even the Council. Right now they are too ignorant to see what I bring to the table, but down the road they will eventually realize how good of a choice I was once they see Cyrodiil more prominent than ever before.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect but what happened next gave me lots of confidence. All of the men began applauding my efforts, and it really did not seem as an act. I really think they were starting to believe in me. Once the applause died down I continued my first “true” speech.

“Now I will tell you the true reason we about to march our way south to Leyawiin. When Jauffre, Baurus and I made our visit to Leyawiin, we unearthed something that threatens the balance in our country. Alessia Caro has a torture chamber and has been killing Argonians, Khajiits and Dunmer for who knows how long. We cannot allow this to continue and we will stop Alessia from her evil acts. As of right now she does not know that I am aware of her doings, but tomorrow, when we arrive at her city, she will be ordered to step down as Countess. My plan is for her to go quietly, but something tells me that will not be the case. And if we have to use force she will be witness to a magnificent display of skill at the hands of her own men. I do not want to send you in battle unless I have to, but if it comes to war then so be it. I will NOT allow a murderer to be Countess of one of my cities…ever!”

Another thunderous round of applause commenced as I ended my apparent successful speech. As the soldiers left, many of them actually came up to me and shook my hand, congratulating me and letting me know that they fully support me. One soldier’s word really took me by surprise:

“When I first learned a fifteen year old child would lead our country I seriously thought about quitting. I’ll admit that earlier this morning I was actually filling out some papers and I was going to quit tonight. No matter how dishonorable it would’ve been there was no way in the world I was going to let a boy boss me around. But hearing your speech here this evening, my views have turned around and are heading in the opposite direction. You are very good with words my lord and I believe in everything you say. I can’t explain but I feel more confident than ever before. There is not a doubt in my mind telling me you will lead our country well.”

I felt very good about myself as everyone left the area, and so did Jauffre. He came over to congratulate me on a job well done, as did Baurus, Itius and Lex as well. I talked to them for a bit before they left to rest for the night, except for Itius.

“Excuse me sir, I know you are likely tired, but can you spare a few seconds of your time?”

“Of course, Itius, you can always come to me no matter what time it is. What is it that you wish to speak of?”

“I don’t have much to say, just that I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to display my leadership skills. I won’t let you down sir.”

Itius was a good a person, and I think that I was going over board in believing he was power hungry. He simply wanted to lead, and lead he was going to do.

After watching Itius leave I entered the palace and then to my chambers after nodding to the guards outside my room. It was finally time for rest, and I certainly needed. Tomorrow would be a long day…