The Eldest Councilor, A knight in service of a councilor... Options

[Kiln]

Author's note: Keep in mind that none of the characters in this story are based off of any in oblivion, as I do not have the game and cannot add references to it so just assume that it takes place years after the OB storyline.
Also, this is my first real try at a story from the first person perspective so it may not be so good but hey, I hope you find the time to at least read a little and decide if you like it.
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Prologue

I shall tell you a story that is rarely told, there are few left in this world to recite it. It is a tale of a knight who would stop at nothing to protect his master and friend, throughout time he grew more and more powerful. I will admit that his power was not used only for helping people, they were used for what his master desired and needed. I shall read this story from the journal of Deagan, for he is long gone now and his tale has nearly been forgotten.

Chapter One: In the Beginning...

My name is Deagan, I am but a prisoner now but I was not always locked up like this, believe it or not I once served one of the oldest and most respected councilors in the country...once I was a respected knight serving under what I felt was right...though now I sit here in the darkness, secluded from the other inmates, I can't help but think back to when I first arrived and why I was brought here.

When I first entered the prison, I was on the same floor as the other prisoners but after I escaped my cell and nearly made it out of the complex, the warden added several more guards around me but I was still on the same floor at that time.

The extra guards that were added to the area were always drunk and abusive, they enjoyed hitting me for long periods of time, generally only a few would participate and the beatings would last only a few short minutes but there were always the occasions when they would all enter my cell and hit me at once.

I could have killed them at any time with the amount of experience and training I'd been through but I took the punishment so I could avoid getting into more trouble. Though every man has his limits and eventually I snapped.

One day when the guards entered my cell to begin the usual beating I took the iron mug from the wet stone floor of my room and swung it with my full strength at the nearest guard, causing him to fall to the ground.

As the other guards stood in amazement, I drew the sword from the belt of their downed comrade and jabbed it through the stomach of one of the others. The last guard that hadn't already run unsheathed his sword and I fought him for a few minutes before finally getting through and slicing his neck.

I know it was probably wrong but I felt great, I'd once again gotten the feel of a blade in my hand and felt the blood of the guards who had beaten me regularly for almost four years.

I went for the stairway and fought several more guards in the room with the exit.

Before I left I took a knee near the bodies and searched them quickly for anything that might be of use to me once I had left the prison but there was nothing but a bit of gold and a key.

I went down to the cell room and released the other inmates, no matter what they had done, nobody deserved to be locked up here. The bruised inhabitants of the prison stayed downstairs for now, until I'd checked things outside the prison.

At that point I was starting to feel pretty good, the doorway was right in front of me and I now had a weapon and a bit of gold, I was set to start my new life.

I opened the double doors in front of me and stared blankly into the huge blue sky above me, smelling the fresh air, tasting the winds, absorbing every moment of my newly acquired freedom...but it was a short lived moment of ecstasy.

In all the time I'd been fighting my way out of the prison, one of the guards had already made his way into town and brought back several others. I looked out across the courtyard at the many armored guards in formation in front of me and did a rough estimation of how many were there.

I counted about twenty and readied myself to fight them when I heard the loud thumping noise, as I slowly looked down I noticed the arrow in my chest and quickly broke it off, leaving the tip still inside of my flesh and starting to move closer to the group of men down the stairway.

Another arrow struck my shoulder but I did not let my pain show, instead I continued to make my way closer and closer to the soldiers, knowing that this battle would be my death...unfortunately it wasn't.

A man in a robe emerged and put his hand out as if he wished were motioning for me to stop, from it emerged the spell that ended my escape, it hit me and all my strength faded, I felt as if I hadn't slept in months and I fell to the ground on my knees, barely able to stay awake...which reminds me of why I hate mages since we're on the subject.

The guards surrounded me and forced my head down, the guard drew back his blade and readied to strike me, finishing this once and for all.

Before he could a voice rang out,

"No! Do not kill him, he shall be forced to suffer for what he has done, for the rest of his days he will remember the brave guards he killed today and their deaths will weigh hard on his mind."

In reality I felt no remorse for killing the guards, not even the slightest bit of guilt, my years of killing had taken away the feeling of grief and the feeling of wrongdoing that I had when I first started.

The man leaned down close to me and whispered into my ear softly,

"You will suffer for the crimes you have committed fool, you cannot stop us, we will kill the councilor."

I forced my head to look into his eyes then quickly looked to his feet and spat onto them, showing my hatred for him. If I could have lifted my arms I would have hit him right in the jaw and strangled him but alas, I was powerless.

I stayed awake a bit longer to see one of the guards draw back a wooden club and that was it, I awoke some time later in the darkness, completely alone. I learned later from the warden that they had moved me into the cells in the basement, away from the well behaving prisoners and into the part of the prison with those who would never see day again.

The guards were careful here, never leaving anything in which we could use to escape and never entering our cells under any circumstances. I was in the high-risk section of the prison and nobody wanted to disturb me.

It was a step up from the prison upstairs in some ways, no listening to other inmates complaints and no abusive guards.

Though life in the lower sector got old quickly I'm still here, as I've been unable to escape, its been years since my only escape attempt and I wonder if I would even be in this situation if I had not been in the service of councilor Quin, who would probably be killed by the black diamond assassins, if he had not been already.
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Hope this at least slightly interests some of you.

This post has been edited by Kiln: May 9 2006, 08:14 PM

[Kiln]

The horses pulled the carriage into town slowly, keeping pace with the guards around us.

As we arrived outside the city the guard inside the carriage stepped out and spoke with the men standing beside the huge doors leading past the city's walls.

The councilor's bodyguard flashed some documents and the men let us through without hesitation, I looked around the city once again as we slowly rolled in and thanked the divines that we'd came to the city during the night or else my parents might have found out why I'd been taken prisoner. The last thing I wanted was for them to find out I was a thief.

They might even have gotten me out of trouble and taken me home but that was the last thing I wanted. I would soon be headed to the manor of an incredibly rich old councilor and once I arrived the looting would begin.

For now though, I would have to wait at the cart for the councilor to return from his meeting. As he stepped from the carriage the guards formed at his sides and only one stayed with me at the wagon.

The stone streets of the city were lit by many lanterns hanging from posts, the golden light emerging from them made the roads look truly amazing at night.

I sat with my back against the huge iron wheels on the wagon and looked upward into the sky, the stars glowed brightly, the moon was full, and the clouds moved swiftly through the air. I could hear crickets chirping and the occasional owl screeching as it searched for prey outside the city. Things were more quiet that night than I'd ever heard them before.

Tonight was beautiful and bright enough to see, it would have been perfect for an escape but I couldn't be sure how far I would make it before the guards caught up with me so I decided to stick around until the time was right. My plans to loot the councilor were not yet set in stone, nor were any other thoughts running through my mind.

I had spent a long time waiting in the same place so I stood and started pacing back and forth along the road. The man who guided the horses looked at me briefly but said nothing, he'd been silent for the entire trip and I could tell that he didn't like me much, but it turned out that I didn't get much of a chance to know him.

Just as I was about to speak to him the doors to the council house opened and Quin stepped out smiling along with his guards. He looked satisfied and happy as if he had gotten what he wanted from the meeting, this was also the first time that I'd seen him in the light and could really make out what he looked like.

The councilor looked like the average middle aged imperial, the lines of age were clear upon his face but they were few, he had a short beard and mustache that was mostly black but had lots of gray sprinkled through it much like the hair on his head, and for clothes he wore an exquisite looking blue shirt with matching pants and a black cape that fluttered gently in the wind. He stood tall with his head held high as he strode toward the carriage, though he was old it seemed that he had the vitality of a man half his age.

I heard light footsteps behind me and turned to face the man who was running extremely quickly in our direction. Yards behind him was a group of about four guards.

He wore a yellow suit that looked like very light material designed for running, I would soon discover that it was his job. The councilor's guards must have known the runner since they did nothing to stop him from coming very close to Quin. The man stopped several feet away and breathed heavily before bowing before the councilor to show respect.

"What is it Elden?" The councilor asked

"Assassins along the main road, I brought four guards with me to join you. You must leave now before more of the black diamonds arive." The man said quickly still breathing extremely heavily

"You're sure?" Quin asked

"Yes sir, completely. At least twenty armed assassins wait for you less than three hundred yards out." The man replied

"Thank you Elden, I want you to stay in the city and wait until it is safe before you return to the manor." Quin said

"Yes sir." He replied and then took off for an inn nearby

The councilor turned to the guards who had heard everything,

"We must go." He stated plainly

The guards were just starting to join the rest of the men when the councilor climbed into the carriage, all the guards surrounded it, and got ready to take off.

I climbed on the side and held on as tightly as I could. I still hadn't quite grasped the situation but everyone was in a hurry to leave town before more of the assassins arrived along the road.

The guards were outnumbered, it was ten to twenty, more than double the assassins than guards. Odds were not good that the councilor would survive this ordeal, I had heard of the black diamonds and a target had never evaded the assassins for long.

I showed no fear but secretly I was terrified, I rode the cart along with the other soldiers and it was clear that the others were just as afraid but they tried their best to appear brave and strong.

We left the gates and started along the main road, I wasn't sure why we were leaving the safety of the city but it probably made little difference, he would be just as safe inside as outside but this way he would be closer to home.

The group walked silently along the road, trying to stay alert and be ready for the attack. A group of men in black charged at us down the road yelling and waving their blades. The guards braced themselves and got ready but did not expect the rain of arrows to fly from the darkness, one of the guards fell backwards with an arrow in his eye and several others were wounded. The nord that I'd met earlier was lucky enough to catch the arrows in his shield rather than his body and he continued fighting strong and unharmed.

A guard next to me caught an arrow in the throat, blood sprayed into my face and I wiped it with my sleeve and looked at the fallen guard. He was gone now and had no use for a weapon so I quickly grabbed his sword and pushed my back against the cart, flaming arrows landed all around me and the carriage had been set ablaze, the councilor was still inside.

The guards were falling quickly and the assassins were trying to get through the door on the opposite side of the cart so I pulled the door on my side open and stabbed through the window, catching an assassin in the eye with the sharp steel blade and killing him instantly.

Quin told me to get out quickly and he rushed me out the door, following closely behind me. Once we were outside again I looked about, only four guards remained and very few of the assassins had fallen. Three horses remained alive strapped to the front of the burning cart, the fourth had been hit with an arrow and killed.

Another guard fell, and this continued until only the large nord called Oryn remained guarding the councilor, he grabbed me and motioned for the councilor to follow as he led us to the front of the flaming cart.

He drew back his blade and cut the leather harnesses holding the horses and each of us climbed atop one of them. I rode as fast as I could, looking over my shoulder at the guards that had fallen all around the cart, arrows sticking from their bodies and assassins wearing black clothing crowded around it yelling and thrusting their blades into the air as the remains of the cart burned.

More flaming arrows continued to fall around us for some time until we had gotten out of range, we rode for hours and I was surprised the horses didn't give out by the time Oryn decided that it was safe to stop and rest for a few minutes.

I was still shaking uncontrollably even after riding for hours, I'd never been in a situation so dangerous or terrifying in my whole life but I had this distinct feeling that it would not be the last occurrence of such events.

It had only been a few minutes when Oryn decided that we'd rested long enough.

"We must leave now, we can't risk meeting up with them again. Its not too far from your estate now sir so we'd better get a move on." Oryn stated

The councilor was in no rush, he still seemed just as calm as before this had happened. I wished I'd felt the same but I was a complete coward at that time, though I was eighteen I had lived the sheltered life of a rich child, having everything I wanted given to me, having to earn nothing, and never getting into unnecessary fights.

This was a huge change from what I was used to, with the councilor I'd been forced to fight for my very survival the first night I stayed with him, though somehow this felt right, as if things were meant to end up this way.

The blood on my new blade had made me over confident though at the time it was the last thing on my mind. I still had relatively no combat experience. I was deep in thought about how things would be in the future when Oryn rushed me back to my horse and we got moving again.

I hoped that we would arrive at Quin's estate soon.
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If you've had the patience to stick with my story this far, I commend you my friends.
Hope you like it.

This post has been edited by Kiln: Apr 14 2006, 11:05 PM