The Last Heir, FanFic Options

[redsrock]

I hope you all enjoy the story and as always please leave feedback or a word of wisdom. I'm always looking for help and suggestions.



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]

I'm going to be honest with all of you, many things have happened in this story so far, and I am not sure how I want the story to continue. So for now I am going to end this story. It will definitly be continued, but I need time to figure things out. Too many things are happening at once, and I need to slow down and think about what I want to happen next. Until then I'll start on another story because I can't simply stop writing altogether, but I just wanted you all to know that I am NOT throwing this story in the trash. Here is the 12th chapter......


CHAPTER TWELVE


We had just past Bravil and were only about five hours away from the Imperial City when the rain started pouring down from the sky. It was coming down hard, making the trip a miserable for my troops. I have to admit I felt guilty riding in my carriage while Itius and the rest of the soldiers were either on horseback or on foot. It didn’t matter, either way they were getting drenched.

The rain made me think about Baurus. I felt bad for what happened back at Leyawiin, but not enough for me to blame myself for his actions. Baurus was getting to be a tad bit aggravating. At first I wasn’t too worried about it; I just assumed it was something that would eventually wear itself out. But now that he is continually acting like a child, perhaps this a problem that needs to be fixed before it escalates.

It was good thing Jauffre wasn’t there when Baurus went on his angry tirade. He would not have stood for he and Itius’s confrontation, and I can only wonder what the punishments would have been for the two. True, Itius was only protecting me, but I highly doubt Jauffre would’ve accepted any fighting with one another.

I looked back outside my window and saw Itius get off his horse, and then ordering a soldier to look after it. He then walked over and entered my luxurious cabin and sat down in the warm.

“By Talos that rain is cold! How are you doing, sir?”

“I’m just waiting to get back home. This slow trip is killing me,” I replied back.

“I know, my lord, but don’t worry, we’ll be home soon.”

“Yes, I hope so.”

We sat in silence for nearly five minutes, and it was getting quite awkward. I was beginning to think Itius only wanted to stay dry, which made me a bit angry. What kind of commander left his troops out in the rain?

“Are you here just so you don’t have to ride in the rain?” I asked him.

He looked at me with saddened eyes, but I didn’t know why. Immediately I knew I was wrong with what I had thought, and that actually something was wrong with Itius, though I didn’t know what yet.

“No, actually, there was something I wanted to tell you…about Baurus that is,” Itius said without looking at me in the eye.

“And what do you want to tell me,” I said.
“He’s…a little more troubled than you might think. I’m sure you think his attitude is just an isolated situation, but you’d be wrong about that.”

“What are you getting at, Itius?”

“Baurus has a troubled past, I’m afraid. A while back, even before they found you, Baurus wasn’t acting like himself. After the Oblivion crisis he was war-weary, and asked Jauffre for a ‘vacation’, if you will. When Jauffre denied him that luxery Baurus went into a fit of rage and started claiming that Jauffre was throwing his weight around, bossing everyone when he didn’t need to. Jauffre responded that Baurus grow up and learn to respect those above him. It didn’t turn out well and Baurus ended up walking out, and we didn’t see again for a whole week. You can imagine how hard a time that was for Jauffre, seeing as he and Baurus were the only ones Blades left. Despite all of the troubles we had in the Imperial City, I helped Jauffre out a ton since I had personally known him for years, and that is the only reason I know this, and I trust you enough that you will not repeat what I am telling you.” Itius paused before continuing his story.

“It was during that time Jauffre told me before Baurus was a Blade, he was a town drunk somewhere in Hammerfell. Jauffre explained that he had seen something in Baurus while traveling through Hammerfell, and he then decided to take Baurus under his wing. There were many who criticized Jauffre for making Baurus a Blade at such a young age, but he went along with it and it appeared he made the right choice. Everything went fine, but then the war with the Mythic Dawn came about. Baurus had not been a Blade that long, and if you ask me he wasn’t ready for what was to come. Granted, he did his part in defending our country, but afterwards his old self came around once more. Now, when Baurus walked out Jauffre and I feared he would never return, but in fact he did, just as I said, a week later. He was extremely apologetic and begged for Jauffre’s forgiveness. You know how strict Jauffre is, but for some reason he did forgive Baurus and everything that happened was forgotten. That was about a month ago, and now Baurus is getting that too-cocky-of-an-attitude once more. It doesn’t matter what Jauffre says to defend his decision, I just don’t think he should have made Baurus a Blade in the first place. He will only be a burden to the Blades and the Empire.”

I sat and thought about what Itius said. I never would have guess Baurus used to be a drunk. I just couldn’t believe Jauffre would associate himself with such a person. I’d have to ask him that when I saw him later.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that,” I said.

“I just thought I’d let you know his background. This isn’t just a faze, Lukas, this will go on and on until something terrible happens. I know I have no control over what you do, but I highly suggest you evaluate Baurus with Jauffre, and if you ask me, get rid of Baurus for good.”

Itius left the carriage and jumped back on his horse. The rain was still falling down but I didn’t care anymore. I was now thinking about Baurus more than ever. What if he really was turning into his own self? What is was a burden to the Empire? All of this was so confusing. There were so many things an Emperor had to worry about, it was all just so overwhelming, and I’ve only been the ruler for a mere three days. I had a lot more to come…




As we neared the Imperial City, at about seven thirty at night, I could just make out a couple of figures standing near the city gates. They were not in armor so I knew they weren’t guards, and when we got even closer I realized it was Jauffre and Lex. As soon as our carriage stopped in front of the gates, I got out and walked over to Jauffre and Lex. I didn’t like the looks are their faces one bit.

“What’s wrong, Jauffre?”

I saw Lex quietly shuffle his feet, looking at the ground. Obviously something bad had happened, and Jauffre then told me of what happened during my absence.

“Lukas, the Champion…he passed away while you left. Just a day ago in fact,” Jauffre said solemnly.

At first I could’ve sworn I saw a tear drip down Jauffre old, unshaven face, but then I realized it was only a glare from the sun. But even still, I could tell how saddened Jauffre was. From what I had heard he and the Champion had been rather close during the Oblivion crisis.

“Jauffre, I’m so sorry. Was it his disease?”

“Yes, it finally caught up to him, and he died in his sleep, peacefully. We buried his inside Cloud Ruler Temple, but on the outside, in the grass. That area was once used to spar with one another, but now it shall remain a shrine, reminding all the main reason we were able to fend off the Daedra horde.”

Again a moment of silence was fell upon all of us. I didn’t know what to say; I had never really been involved with anything like this before. Actually, this situation was quite awkward for me, so after a few minutes I broke the silence.

“Have preparations for the funeral been set?”

“Well, usually funerals are kept privately within the victim’s family, but obviously this is a different situation. The Champion has no family, or at least none have claimed to be of his kin. I think we will let the funeral be public, for all of Cyrodiil. The people owe him more than that, but this will give them an opportunity to pay their last respects before he finally laid to rest.”

“Very well, Jauffre. I haven’t been here long but the people have showed a tremendous amount of love towards him. Baurus did say he might have angered him by killing that drunken Nord that was coming after me, but I don’t believe it.”

Jauffre then asked for Baurus’s whereabouts.

“Now that you mention him, where is Baurus?” He asked me.

“What do you mean? He isn’t here?”

“No, Lukas, he was with you, do you not remember?”

I then explained to Jauffre what had happened back in Leyawiin, of his confrontation with Itius, and with me even. Afterwards Jauffre was furious, and was ready to punish Baurus on the spot, if he was present that is.

“I’m sure he’s sulking around Luther Broad’s Boarding House, in the Elven Gardens. You can always find him there when he’s feeling down. Come, Lukas, we shall go fetch him so that we may begin announcing funeral plans to the people.”

The soldiers, Itius and Lex went their own way while Jauffre and I headed over to the Elven Gardens. Once I first stepped foot into this district, for the first time I should add, I immediately realized that this was where the wealthy resided. The buildings in this particular district where magnificently crafted, and they were larger as well. I could only wonder how much it cost to live here.

We walked through the streets and over to our destination, and along the way we really didn’t see a lot of people. Granted it was now already eight o’clock in the evening, but still I was expecting more than the two elderly Dunmer women that were walking along the sidewalk.

But then the two walked up to Jauffre and I, seemingly wanting to start a conversation. I really didn’t have a lot of spare time, but of course I wasn’t going to shun the old Dunmer woman away.

“Excuse me, my lord, but may I please have a moment of your time?”

“Of course madam, what’s on your mind?”

“Well, my sister and I heard about what happened in Leyawiin with Alessia Caro. We also heard how you extinguished the bad vibe and replaced it with our dear Adamus Phillida. We wanted to thank you very making such a wonderful choice, Emperor. Adamus will never show the hatred towards Dunmer that Alessia apparently showed!”

She then shook my hand and the two ladies walked off into the moonlight. I was glad to see I had a few fans, I was just hoping it would eventually turn into more than two.

“See, Lukas, the people are already coming along. But don’t think those two mean everyone is going to all of a sudden jump on your side. What you did in Leyawiin will certainly help your cause, but now another disaster has struck the people. The death of the Champion has hurt them dearly, and you are the one that help them heal. They will be watching you during the funeral service, and when you make your speech,” Jauffre said.

“Speech? What speech? You never said I had to talk during the services!” I said surprisingly.

“Well in case you have forgotten you are the Emperor. What would the people think if you said not a word, and let me do all the talking?”

“Jauffre, you knew him, not me. You should be the on to talk…”

Then he interrupted me before I could continue, “And I will talk, but so shall you. Why wouldn’t you want to talk to the people, Lukas? This is the perfect time to get them on your side. With the right words you can sway their opinion for the better. I know it sounds like we’re taking advantage of the people during a trying time, when a hero has just fallen, but now’s the time to say what you want, for they will listen now. They wouldn’t dare say a word to interrupt you, not during a funeral service, especially the Champion’s.”

I guess he was right, but I didn’t want to admit it for some reason. I don’t, I suppose I’m a little bit afraid of speaking in front of everyone again. The last time I tried that I was almost killed by that drunken Nord, but thankfully the Champion saved me from death. But he’s not here to protect me anymore.

Of course that means I’ll have to grow up and deal with things myself. I can’t keep depending on people to protect me from harm; from now on that’s my job and nobody else’s. As Emperor of Cyrodiil it’s high time I ship up and lead this city like a true leader should. So far I have virtually shunned the people away, offering no explanation as to what happened in Bravil, or Leyawiin. Sure the people were far away, but I could have easily sent an informant to update the people of my travel. Tomorrow I will set things straight and explain everything to everyone.

Just down the street from where I had met the Dunmer woman there stood a fancy looking building with a sign reading: Luther Broad’s Boarding House. We had found our destination and I followed Jauffre as he led me through the entrance.

Inside the place was expectantly deserted, but far more than we were hoping. Nobody could be seen drinking and talking, accept for an old Imperial man, who was scrubbing away violently at the countertop. His face looked to be full of angry and irritation. I looked at the table he was cleaning and noticed that it was exceptionally dirty. I figured the man was Luther Broad, and then Jauffre reassured my assumption.

“Good evening, Luther, how was business today my good friend?”

Luther looked up from the counter with a huge smile once he heard Jauffre’s voice. Then his mean-looking attitude changed to that of a more high-spirited one.

“Jauffre, good to see you! Business’s been great as usual, but this dang mess is driving me insane. You should’ve seen Baurus earlier. He came in huffing and puffing as if someone had taken his money from him,” Luther said while laughing. “He never told me what was wrong but rather he ordered a couple rounds of beer. Once he had his fifth I told him I wasn’t going to give him another, because as you know that’s my rule. Well, he didn’t like that at all. He said something along the line of ,‘oh, so you’re going to treat me like a child as well?’, and then he stormed off outside.”

Jauffre sighed heavily and then took a seat on one of the counter stools. “So he was here, but now he’s gone?” he asked.

“Yes, why, are you looking for him?”

After Luther’s question, Jauffre responded by explaining everything that happened the past couple of days, everything from my trip to Bravil all the way up to naming Adamus Count of Skingrad. After he was finished Luther looked at me, and I knew I was right then and there the immediate center of attention.

“Lukas Septim, the last heir. It’s about I get to meet you in person,” Luther said to me. Then he turned back to Jauffre. “Some friend you are, Jauffre. If I was as good of a friend as you say I am I should’ve been able to meet him the first day,” he said playfully.

“Sorry, Luther, but we’ve been very busy.”

“I know, I know, I’m only pulling you leg. How about some drink and food?”

“I’m sorry, but we have matters to attend to. The Champion’s funeral will be held tomorrow evening, and we still have preparations to make. Everyone is aware of the funeral, but we haven’t even brought the casket to the burial spot yet.”

“Ah, that is true. You do have some work ahead of you. Well, I’ll talk to you tomorrow I guess. It was good t meet you Lukas. Hopefully we’ll have more time to speak in the future.”

Jauffre and I walked out of the inn and made our way back to the palace. There, Itius and Lex were both waiting for us, ready to help with whatever needed to be done. The four of us entered the Champion’s chamber and took all of his belongings out, which wasn’t much. Itius and Lex were sent to the Imperial prison, where they would store the Champions belongings in the armor. That is until we decided what to do with them.

While Lex and Itius carried the items away, Jauffre asked me to accompany him while he had a last view of the Champion. He told me tomorrow the casket would stay closed, because he didn’t want anyone to see what the disease had done to his face and body.

So the two of us walked down a set of stairs and into the basement, where the casket itself was locked away in a small room. Outside the room two uniformed soldiers were standing guard, to keep away any intruders. The soldiers nodded at me and I nodded back. One of the soldiers unlocked the door and Jauffre and I stepped inside.

The room was rather dim, only lit by two small torches. Because of the low light the casket was just barely in view, stationed in the center of the room. It was a rather cramped space, and Jauffre and I were almost touching shoulder to shoulder. He walked up to the casket, quietly and slowly opened the lid, and look inside. He murmered something about not being able to see, so he grabbed one of the torches, and he was about to shine the light upon the body, but then he asked, “Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this, Lukas?”

“Of course I’ll be fine.”

“Lukas, this is not going to be pretty. You have no idea what the disease did to him before it finally took his life. Are you positive you want to see his face, as it is now?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

He nodded at me and then shined the light on the Champion’s face. I thought I was going to be okay with whatever way he looked, but as soon as I laid eyes upon his face the true effects of his disease. The Champion’s skin was a sickly pale green, with brown bumps all over. His eyes closed and the skin of his eye lids appeared to be almost wrinkly in a way. He had to ears, just a hole on each side of his head. As for hair, he had none at all, and the brown bumps were on his head as well as his face. I hadn’t noticed it before, but a stench was beginning to fill the room. Something so revolting I was beginning to cough a bit. Jauffre shut the lid close once more, this time for the last time.

After regaining myself I looked over at Jauffre, who was leaning over the coffin with his hands pressed over the hard wood. He did not look up at me but I knew what was happening. Although he was doing it quietly, I could hear Jauffre cry. It was so saddening, seeing him like that, and I wanted to be there for him right now, but then again I wasn’t sure if I should just leave him alone. I was about to leave the room in order to give him some peace, but he sensed I was going to leave, and he quickly motioned for me to stay.
“No, Lukas, it’s alright. I’m…I’m done crying. It…won’t do me or anyone else any good sobbing like this.”

The way he was trying to stay strong was commendable, but at a time like this nobody could blame him for weeping. He had just lost a great friend.

“Jauffre, you just lost someone close to you. I understand how you must feel right now. You should take this time to let it all out. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.”

“Yes, but enough is enough. We’ve got a funeral to get ready for tomorrow, and we don’t even have things set. I don’t know how we’re going to get things done on time.”

“Don’t worry, Jauffre, we’ll get it done.”

“I sure hope so, for the Champion’s sake at least…..