The Last Heir, FanFic Options

[redsrock]

CHAPTER THREE

Outside the city stood a magnificent wooden carriage accompanied by five black horses. The scene was truly beautiful in every possible fashion. The design of the carriage was breath taking, and the horses were just as gorgeous.

“Wow, this sure is a major upgrade from that rickety ship we just got off of. I might actually feel safe this time,” I said teasingly.

“What can we say? Only the best for the Emperor!” Baurus said while the three of us loaded into the carriage.

A neat looking Dunmer male was steering the fantastic wagon, and this was a definite first, for me at least. Back where I came from, Dunmer were for the most part dirt poor, and usually fairly dirty in its literal sense.

“So how long from here Jauffre?”

“Just slow down Lukas; there are things we need to talk about before we do anything. Ocato will not be an easy person to convince, even though it doesn’t even matter what he thinks or wants. What it comes to is that we need to stay away from angering Ocato. I know you probably don’t think much of him right now, and neither do I, but it would be the safest bet to keep him as happy as possible.”

“Then what are you suggesting, let him boss me around?”

“No, that’s not what I am saying Lukas, I’m simply implying that we do not want to get a smart mouth with the Altmer. Whether I like it or not he does have connections, and that could be deadly to our cause.”

“Which is?” I asked.

“That we uphold the Septim blood-line and bring Cyrodiil back to its former glory of course. We shall do it how your grandfather did, the right way. We just need to persuade Ocato and the Council that you are the answer for the country.”

It sounded like a nice plan, but I highly doubted it would work. It was easy to believe in such an idea, but it would be a struggle getting Ocato out of our hair. I feared it just might result in us forcing him out of the city, which was the next thing I wanted to ask Jauffre about.

“What happens if Ocato doesn’t listen and we have to use force in order to get him to leave? That certainly wouldn’t bode well with the Council. I don’t want my first impression to end like that…”

“Don’t even think about it Lukas; if it comes to that then we’ll worry about it then. Right now we need to decide on what you will say to Ocato.”

“What do you mean me? Why aren’t you speaking with him?”

“Because I am not the Emperor Lukas. That position falls to you. I believe if you are the one to speak with Ocato he just might think more highly of you. Even if he does it won’t be much, but it’s better than nothing.”

He was probably right; any kind of praise we could get out of Ocato would be great, if any at all that is. The way he’s been described to me I wouldn’t be surprised if he attacked me on sight. I really hope the soldiers think well of me. It’ll be strange fighting for someone so young, but if the army is as loyal as I’ve heard I have absolutely nothing to fear.

“Try not to think about everything at once Lukas. Right now is the time to focus on what you should say to the Chancellor. I believe you should try and act as confident as you possibly can, and hold your ground when he starts pounding you with questions, because he surely will, and don’t forget to…..”

The rest of the trip was spent strategizing for the upcoming meeting, and the closer we got to the city the queasier I was feeling. I wanted desperately to rid myself of the hundreds of butterflies that were seemingly floating around in my belly, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get them out.

“Here we are Lukas, follow Baurus and I while we lead you to the Palace.”

We walked through the iron gates and I realized Jauffre was right; the city was filled with people. It was so mesmerizing Baurus had to knock me out of my wondrous trance. It was so unbelievable that so many people could fit in one place.

Unfortunately, just as in Anvil, the people were for the most part rude and immature. Many were rustling about looking rather drunk. Baurus said that since the war ended there really hadn’t been a lot of rules that were enforced, leading the citizens for the most part to do whatever they pleased.

Through the first section we went and after finding our way through the crowd we entered another sector, where we came face to face with a beautifully crafted structure that Jauffre explained was the palace.

“Alright Lukas, this is the palace. Follow me inside.”

As Jauffre started towards the palace Baurus stood in his place with his arms crossed, accompanied by an annoyed expression on his face.

“What about Baurus? Why isn’t he coming with us as well?”

“Because Baurus has a bit of a……problem with Ocato. The two don’t exactly get along with each other and I think having him with us brings too much of a potentially dangerous situation for your cause. It is in our best interests if he stays here. Isn’t that right Baurus?” Jauffre said with his eyebrows raised.

“Whatever you say boss…” Baurus replied with a sneer.

I followed Jauffre into the building and inside two guards dressed in silver armor were guarding the entrance, and I took it they were the palace guards. It was sort of awkward knowing that they were literally working for me. So strange it will be for them to work for someone so much younger than themselves.

We walked straight past the guards and then through an open entrance to a room with a humongous table with many chairs lined around it. In the chair nearest to the room’s entrance was a menacing Altmer with his arms crossed, almost identical to Baurus. He even had the same sneer, although this Altmer’s seemed more evil in a way…

“Hello Chancellor, it’s been a while since we last spoke,” said Jauffre cheerfully, but it seemed a warm welcome was of no use.

“It hasn’t been long enough. Is this who I’ve heard about?” Ocato said pointing at me.

“Yes Chancellor, this is Lukas Septim, son of Martin Septim and grandson of…”

“Enough Jauffre, you do not have to go on. I get the point. Before you go on with your speech that I am sure you have previously planned, I want you to know that I spoke with the Council just the other day about this very subject. The Council does not and will not recognize the boy as Emperor.”

“But you have no choice in this matter Chancellor, and neither does the Council. He is a Septim and he is also the only Septim. Whether or not you agree, the boy will be Emperor. There is no other way and you know this.”

Jauffre seemed to have put up a good argument, but now I was wondering what happened to our strategy of me talking and Jauffre keeping quiet, but then suddenly it seemed as if I had spoken a little too soon.

“Let me talk to the boy myself. So, Lukas, how do you suppose you’ll go about running the most prestigious and most hated country in all of Tamriel?”

I opened my mouth to speak but I was quickly cut off by Ocato’s harsh words.

“How will you deal with the situation in Solstheim, or have you even heard of the place to begin with?”

“Well, I…umm…”

“And what about Vvardenfell in the Morrowind province, what shall become of our soldiers over there?”

“I…”

“What about our county itself? How will you keep the other cities from civil war?”

“Enough! I will not stand for this any longer. The boy is young, there is no questioning that, but he will be an excellent leader, I assure you of that.” Jauffre’s words were full of both pride and anger. I had never seen him get mad, and at this point he appeared on the verge of attacking Ocato. His eyes were full of rage and his hands were shaking.

But nonetheless Ocato did not appear fazed one bit. He simply smiled an evil grin and gave us his last words. “I will no longer waste my time with the likes of you. I’ll leave this country now, along with the support of the Council. As long as the boy remains Emperor the Council will have nothing to do with the Empire.”

And at that Ocato walked swiftly out of the palace, slamming the doors as he went.

“That didn’t go as smoothly as I wanted it to…”

“I’m sorry Jauffre, I didn’t mean to sound so stupid…”

“It’s not your fault Lukas; I knew he was going to do that. I’m not surprised at all, but now things will change, and I’m not sure if it’s for the better or worse. Sure, it’s good that we will no longer have the Council breathing down our necks, but now the other provinces will be able to at least think about attacking us without the worry of sanctions from the Council.”

I was about to reply to his statements, but we suddenly heard guards running in the hallway and out of the palace. Jauffre and I hurried outside to see what the matter was, and we saw several soldiers holding back Baurus, who was yelling and cursing at the top of his lungs. No more than ten feet away was Ocato, walking away smiling that same malicious grin…

[The Metal Mallet]

And now things get a little messy, and crazy, and possibly dangerous. I'm eagerly anticipating how these problems will get looked after. Continue whenever you can.

This post has been edited by The Metal Mallet: Oct 14 2007, 03:55 AM

[redsrock]

Are you saying that you're not eagerly anticipating the problems because you didn't like the chapter? Just wondering, I'm a little confused at the moment...

[The Metal Mallet]

I have no idea why that "not" is there. I liked the update. I have to admit though, it's been awile since I played Oblivion but I don't quite remember Ocato being a prick. Of course, it depends on how long after the Oblivion Crisis this takes place. If it has been long enough for Ocato to become a bit power hungry I can understand his greedy ways, but if the Crisis just finished, I don't quite seeing Ocato acting this way.

That's just my way of thinking.

[redsrock]

The bad thing about Oblivion is that not many of the characters had much personality....and unfortunately we didn't get to speak with Ocato much at all. And you have to think in his shoes: how would you feel if a mere 15 year-old was claiming to be the Emperor? lol

[Agent Griff]

Hm, this is starting to get interesting. Ocato acted just like anyone who had been getting a taste for power would have acted. It'll be interesting to see how Lukas will deal with these problems. It's also good to know that my fan fic isn't the only one to deal with politics excesively. Keep up the good work!

[redsrock]

Thanks to everyone out there who's following my story. Your comments are greatly appreciated...

[Lord Revan]

Is the basis for Ocato's change in personality founded on how the last Imperial Battlemage (Jagar Tharn, I believe) acted when he got a shot at power.

I don't quite see how a post-war environment is a time of great luxury and enjoyment for the person who has to pick up the pieces and put it all together again.
That's just me, and Ocato could feel angry to have the empire he's been slaving to keep together handed over to a fifteen-year-old who knows near to nothing about leading/healing an ailing nation.

[jack cloudy]

You have a good play between the different characters. Jauffre, Ocateo, Baurus. They're all good. Lukas is at the moment more forced into observing, but he also has his moments.


Now to continue the Ocato discussion. I think he's either worried about losing power. (And damn well he should be. Jauffre literally tells him to be a good boy and do as he's told, right in his face!) Either that, or he's worried about seeing a fiftheen years old farmboy on the throne. At Lukas' age, a true heir raised at court would know a thousand times more about politics than he does.

And while we're at the subject, there's something that has always bothered me about Jagar Tharn. He is the best of the best, the right hand of the Emperor, and he casts the guy into another dimension just so he can rule the Empire? He was already practically in charge before he did that. Not only that, but wouldn't it have been easier to just turn old Uriel into a puppet rather than quest for the supreme artefact of Obliviongating?

And then this. All sources say that he mismanaged the Empire and turned it into a mess. Why? You can't become advisor of the Emperor while being a complete brain-starved moron. If anything, Jagar Tharn has to be a better than average ruler capability-wise just because he's managed to climb so high during his career! (before he took the throne for himself) It just doesn't make any sense and that's why I think that Tharn had different reasons than powerhunger for doing what he did.

[redsrock]

Hopefully I can get the next chapter out by tonight, because I am now on Fall Break!!! No more school for 4 straight days!!!

[redsrock]

CHAPTER FOUR

Before I knew it Jauffre was running from where I was standing, and made his way over to where Baurus was being restrained by the soldiers. I heard him yell a few words at Baurus, who said something in return, resulting in a heated display of words that lasted at least twenty minutes. The two argued about several things, while the main was Baurus criticizing Jauffre for bossing him around. Jauffre shot back that he was the Grandmaster of the Blades, and that opened up a whole new argument in which Baurus claimed Jauffre was abusing his powers.

When everything settled Baurus marched off angrily, while Jauffre came back to me. All of the soldiers had stood the entire time, watching the two argue just incase things got out of hand.

“Come inside with me Lukas and then we’ll come back here where we’ll make formal statement to the city regarding your new role as Emperor. We need to prepare a very small speech”

His face was bright read and drenched with sweat. He seemed even angrier than when he Ocato spoke just a while ago. I was actually almost afraid of Jauffre at the moment. He was showing a side that I had not yet seen.

“What about Baurus? Where is he going?”

“I couldn’t care less about him right now. Obviously he needs a few hours to let himself cool down, and if he doesn’t want to cool down then maybe he should think about his future with the Blades…”

Jauffre said the last part loud, loud enough for Baurus to hear just as he left the area, slamming the doors behind him. Jauffre told a nearby guard to gather up all of the citizens and bring here to the outside part of the palace.

“I know who you are, but you’re not going to boss me around.” The guard was very rude and I couldn’t wait for Jauffre to hand it to him.

“I’ll have you know that standing to my left is the heir to the throne, Lukas Septim.”

The guard looked at me and laughed unsurprisingly.

“Ha, that little boy? He’s younger than my son.”

I looked around and the other soldiers were laughing as well. I was beginning to feel smaller than I actually was. Jauffre ushered me into the palace as the soldiers continued their laughter.






“You’ll have to remain calm throughout this event Lukas; you cannot act as you did with Ocato. I know you’re young but you have to be strong and show the people they can trust you,” said Jauffre.

The thing that kept bugging was how in the world Jauffre knew about me in the first place.

“Jauffre, how did you know my existence and where I lived?”

“Martin told me just before battling Mehrunes Dagon. He told me where you lived and your name as well. It was a sad time; I really do think your father wanted to see you, but alas he never made the journey to where you and your mother lived. He said he wanted to countless times, but could never gather enough strength to go. Despite what your mother told you, Martin was the only person she told of where she was taking you. She thought, and thought correctly, that the father should know where the son was. I have to say that if it were me I would have traveled to see you, but Martin made his decision. But of course that does not make him a bad person Lukas; he really did care about you, even if he never laid eyes upon you.”

That was an answer I suppose I could live off of. I don’t know, all of this is just so weird. My father an Emperor, and my grandfather one as well, and I would’ve never guessed in a million years if it were not for Jauffre and Baurus.

“The first thing you need to do is stay strong out there when you are talking to the people. If you can muster up enough courage to face the crowd they will be a bit less critical I think, but how much I do not know. I am afraid this will not go well with the citizens of the Imperial City, but it’s something that must be done. If you are to Emperor you must talk to the people and get them on your side.”

“But Jauffre, they aren’t going to like being ruled by a fifteen year old teenager. This will be a disaster and you know it.”

“As much as I wanted to deny that accusation, you are more than likely correct. That is why I invited someone to join our little speech; someone who I am sure will help sway the public on our side.”

“And just who might be?”

“Remember when I told if it were not for the brave acts of a certain person, Cyrodiil would have surely fallen?”
“Yes, that sounds familiar. Didn’t he go by ‘The Hero of Kvatch’, or something like that?”

“Yes Lukas, the Champion of Cyrodiil is who I am talking about. Your father played important role in securing Cyrodiil from the enemy, there is no doubt in that; but the Champion of Cyrodiil played the most important role during the struggle. Before departing to find you and your mother I visited with the Hero.”

“Wait, I thought you said he had left the country to live alone?”

“That is what we told the people. In fact, he traveled deep in the Jerall Mountains, to a small cave where I thankfully found him. He was badly injured during the final battle here in the Imperial City.”

“What happened to him?”

“Well, he was burned severely during the struggle, resulting in his skin being mutated and burnt. He now resembles something of what nobody can even begin to describe, but it is beyond the injury that has caused that. It was because of his horrid figure that the Counts and Countesses shunned him away after the war, even after he saved them from sure destruction.”

“The people of Cyrodiil never did this however, and to this day they still talk of his heroic efforts and wish to someday see him walk the streets again. They were heartbroken to see him leave, but their sorrows were nothing compared to the Champion’s heart after what Counts and Countesses said to him. He ultimately decided to depart from the public, never to be seen again. Baurus and I did our best to get him to change his mind, but it was of no use. He had made his decision and that was the end of it.”

“But Jauffre, how did you get him to come here and help us now?”

“Like I said, I traveled to the north and was somehow able to find him. There I told him of what was going on. At first he was not the least bit sympathetic for our cause, but with a little bit of persuasion I got him to help us. He now believes, just as I do, that in order to get the people’s good judgment he must be by your side. I think with his presence the people will be more likely to be in favor of our cause.”

“And what if your plan does not work Jauffre?”

“Then we will have to resort to another plan, but for now we must hope for the best. Now, it is time for you to meet the Champion of Cyrodiil…”




Out from the shadows behind Jauffre came a figure that had been standing there for apparently the entire time. I had never noticed the man, or thing. An extremely bad odor came from him. It was the Champion of Cyrodiil.

He was wearing a golden mask that hid his face from view, even his eyes it seemed. He was also donning silver cloak, accompanied by matching silver boots. Its breathing was wheezy and it appeared that it was having a terribly hard time breathing in the first place.

Then it spoke a raspy tone that chilled me to the bone. The injury must have affected is speech somehow, for I could barely make out his words. Truthfully I wanted to run away from the horrid monster, but as I thought of that I thought how awful the Champion must feel.

“Lukas, I am the Champion of Cyrodiil. I am very pleased to finally meet you.”

He brought out his hand to shake mine. As I extended my own hand I noticed his was shaking uncontrollably.

“What is wrong child, are you afraid of me?” The Champion asked after we greeted.

I was unable to say a word. Heck, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I didn’t know what to say.

“It is alright to say so child, I will hold nothing against you. In fact, I would be surprised if you weren’t afraid of my presence.”

Again I said nothing, but simply stood firm in front of both he and Jauffre. The Champion was staring into my eyes with his own black pupils that were almost hidden behind his mask.

“You are a mere boy yet you stand here like a man. I respect that young Lukas, son of Martin, a once good friend of mine. Back when the war was going on your father and I spent a lot of time together. He was a great man indeed, and he will be proud to know that his own son will take his place at the throne.”

I smiled at the last sentence because it really wasn’t something I had thought about before. I never knew my father, yet knowing I was doing him a proud favor made me feel good about myself.

Then, I think, the Champion smiled back, though it was almost impossible to tell because of the mask. At that exact moment I realized there was nothing to fear from the man, no matter how disfigured and mutated he was. I knew then that he was one of the few allies I had at the moment and that was certainly something to be glad for.

“I am sure Jauffre told you about my disfiguration, and unfortunately it has gotten worse within the recent months. I have contracted several diseases during my stay in the mountains, though none are contagious, I can assure you that. The people of Cyrodiil must realize that you are the answer for the Empire, and I am here to help you in that quest. With my presence the people will be reminded that there is still hope for the Empire, not matter the Council and their puppet Ocato says. The Council is something that I feel very strongly about, but that is a subject for another day. For now I need rest before your speech. Then we will showcase you, my young Emperor, to the people.”




The Champion limped out of the room and somewhere to the right, where I guessed he would find a room to rest in. Jauffre put his hand on my shoulder and told me how brave I was, which was fine and all, but I still had some questions to be answered…

“Jauffre, do you mind if I ask some questions?”

“And would I be correct in assuming those questions pertain to the Champion?”

I nodded and then Jauffre closed the door.

“Well ask your questions Lukas and I’ll answer them as best as I can; although there are several things which I cannot tell you. The Champion made swear long ago not to divulge that information to anyone.”

“First off, what race was the Champion before his injury?”

Jauffre seemed to ponder over the question for some time, almost as if he had forgotten. It appeared that I was right.

“To be honest with you Lukas, I cannot remember what he looked like before the war, which happened almost two years ago. The only thing I can tell you is that he was not of the beast race.”

“Alright, my next question is what exactly happened to him specifically?”

“During the battle here in the city he was doused with a cloud of fire, which was cast by an unknown assailant, but most likely, by a Dremora. The injury he sustained caused him great pain and agony, and also resulted in his disfiguration. But I’ll also tell you this: his current mutation is far worse than what it was two years ago. His diseases have taken a toll on his body, and I am afraid his condition is getting worse by the day. It is best not to talk about that when he’s around, for I am not sure if he would take offense to it. What else can I answer for you Lukas?”

“Nothing, that’ll be it, thanks Jauffre.”

“You’re quite welcome Lukas. Now…..preparations for your speech.”

[jack cloudy]

I like the adition of the champion. It is obvious that they require some means of gaining popular leverage with the people and what's better than a hero? I also like how you dodged most of the identity issues. Sure, you ruled out a gender and two races, but that still leaves a lot more than if you went into total specifics. It sounds like something Bethesda would do in TES V. They did it before, with the eternal champion, the mysterious agent, the Nerevarine.

Truth be told, when you began with the golden mask, I was wondering if the champion was actually Dagoth Ur!

I do wonder what has caused the disfigurement though. Just fire wouldn't cause a continueing transformation like that, nor do normal diseases.

[Lord Revan]

Well, since a Dremora is a servant of Lord Mehrunes Dagon, it could have had special affects or something, possible a curse mized in. Anyway, I'm still rooted to this tale, keep on going redsrock.

[redsrock]

Thanks, I was real worried on how you all would percieve my descriptions of the Champion. I never once thought about actuall giving him a race, because.....welll....you know.....I didn't want any hate-mail!

This post has been edited by redsrock: Oct 19 2007, 02:50 AM

[The Metal Mallet]

Yes you handled the Hero of Kvatch situation quite well. I have a hunch though that the man might not be around for very long. That could prove to be a problem...

Solid update once again redsrock. You still provide a wonderful sense of overwhelming for Lukas.

[Steve]

I'm new to this forum and well, I've actually never read fan fiction until a few weeks ago and I've read a few so far. I like this one alot and I can't wait to see the end!

[redsrock]

Thanks a bunch! I'm not really sure when the next update will come. I'm real busy at the moment so we'll just have to see.

[Steve]

I hope it's soon!

[redsrock]

I'm very glad to hear that!

[mplantinga]

It seems that Lukas is up against impossible odds, and somehow I feel that even the Hero of Kvatch will not be able to change that. I'm looking forward to seeing how the speech goes and how the crowd reacts to the champion's presence.