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The Road to Ruin	By : pirouette Category: +A through F > Elder Scrolls - Oblivion Views: 2483 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I neither own nor am affiliated with Bethesda or TES:Oblivion, and am making no money from this fic.

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The
Road to Ruin, Chapter Six: Growing Darkness

Caleigh managed to sneak out
while I was still sleeping, so I rose to a cold and empty bed. I knew that she
meant well by it, but I was still upset that I wasn't able to say goodbye. She
was only headed into the center of the cult's activity, after all. The shrine of Mehrunes Dagon himself. After I had spent much
of the morning pacing the battlement, suddenly acutely aware of how she must
have felt every time she was here, Cyrus found me again, but his words of
comfort did not reach me. Nor did prayer to Akatosh provide relief, which
renewed my worry that my god was not watching closely. And so I waited, and
tried to read, and did my best not to snap at Jauffre. An air of tension
settled over the Blades and the Grandmaster both, and we bided our time in
silence, pretending not to watch the road.
By the second day I was no
longer sleeping. I knew it was likely she had only just arrived, and that there
was not yet cause for worry, but any time I let my mind grow idle I imagined
her dying brutally at the hands of the cultists. By the fifth day the Blades
had taken to hastily excusing themselves from any room I entered, which did
little to improve my mood. But at that point, I was not the only one who was
worried: according to the plan she and Jauffre had discussed, she should have
returned within four days. Baurus and Captain Steffan got into a fight so
severe they had to be locked in separate rooms until Jauffre could calm them
enough to figure out what had caused it. In the end, it was discovered that
Baurus was trying to gain permission to go after her.
�She shouldn't have gone
alone!� he shouted at Jauffre, struggling angrily against his brethren, who
were holding him by the arms.
�She insisted on it,� he
replied calmly. I remembered him telling me that making her a Blade would only
cause trouble and suddenly felt as though this entire encounter were my fault.
�Since when have you
listened to a word she said? You want her to die!�
A chill pervaded the room as
soon as those words were spoken. Jauffre shook his head and strode from the
hall without a backward glance. As soon as he was gone, Baurus slumped to the
floor, and his captors released him uncertainly.
�Leave us,� I said,
motioning the rest of them toward the library. Soon he and I were alone.
�Baurus, this solves
nothing.� I sat wearily on a nearby bench.
�How can you be so calm?�
�This is not calm,� I
laughed shortly. �I've not slept or eaten in days.�
He looked up at me then, and
the panic in his eyes reminded me that he was the youngest living Blade. I
remembered Cyrus warning me that he'd taken my father's death particularly
poorly. The others were hardened. He was not. And, it was becoming clear,
neither was I.
�If anyone can do this,
Baurus, she can. Another person would only slow her down.� I realized as I said
it that I actually meant the words.
�I didn't know she was a
thief,� he chuckled at last. �Not until Cyrus explained to me why Jauffre was
so mad about all the Tamika's that appeared in the cupboards when she came
back.� We were silent for a moment. Then he sighed and moved to sit next to me.
�This conversation is all backward. If anyone needs comforting, it's you.�
�What makes you say that?� I
busied myself with the sleeve of my robe.
�It has to be hard, caring
for someone who is duty-bound to risk her life for you.�
�I am sure it is just as
difficult for you.� He was the first Blade to openly discuss our relationship.
Given his own feelings on the matter, that surprised
me.
He chuckled. �All right,
sir. So we both need comforting.� He rose and strode to the cupboard we had
been forbidden to open by Jauffre, removing a bottle of Caleigh's filched wine.
By the time we were rediscovered, we'd made it through three of them.
Jauffre walked me to my
quarters and coaxed me onto my bed. �Drinking stolen wine with a bodyguard?
Really,� he muttered, handing me a glass of water.
�So send payment to the
inn,� I muttered, taking a sip. �Then it won't be stolen.�
He blinked, then forced himself back on track. �You need to separate
yourself from the men more completely, Martin. We've been over this.�
I shook my head. �They
cannot be expected to die for a stranger.�
�But I think we can both
agree that some lines should not be crossed. I've not seen you drink this
heavily in years,� he added, frowning. �Between this and your behavior with the
girl, I am honestly worried.�
I snorted at him. �You don't
understand, do you, Jauffre?�
He shook his head. �What is
there to understand?�
�I love her.�
There was a long silence.
Then: �I hope for all our sakes that is the wine
talking.� And after that he would say no more.
I was soon lulled to sleep
by the alcohol coursing through my veins, and awoke feeling strangely
refreshed. The first thing I did was assign Baurus as my personal guard, giving
the other Blades more free time and me someone to quietly commiserate with. To
my surprise, Jauffre supported the idea whole-heartedly, saying he believed
Baurus could benefit from such responsibility. This decision lessened the
stress among the ranks somewhat, and I found I was proud of myself in the rare
moments my mind wasn't fixated on Caleigh.
On the eighth day someone
was spotted on the road, walking a horse toward the Temple.
We rushed to the battlements and recognized Caleigh's old paint. I wanted to
run down to the gates myself, but Jauffre forced me to remain in the Great
Hall.
�I will send her to you,� he
assured me. �But it is time you started acting like the Emperor.� As he said
it, Baurus and Cyrus leapt down the stairs, taking them three at a time, racing
each other to the gates. I have never envied anyone more than I did those two
in that moment.
I was re-reading the same
sentence in whichever book was in front of me for what must have been the
thirtieth time when Baurus finally ushered her in through the main doors of the
hall. I stood and smiled, and was about to step forward and hug her when I
realized that she was badly injured. Scorch marks laced her face and arms, and
the way she winced as she approached indicated that the damage was even more
extensive. She'd been walking on her own, but the instant the doors slid shut
behind them she grabbed hold of Baurus. I rushed forward silently and inspected
the damage.
�How on earth did you travel
like this?�
�Slowly,� she grimaced.
Baurus eased her onto a
bench, face lined with worry. I sat down next to her and tried to keep my voice
level.
�Did you forget how to
heal?� The portions of her shirt that had not been covered by her armor were
charred and crumbling away in places. She'd been hit more than once with a
lightning spell. I cast on her face, and the worst of the marks faded.
�We both know how well I do
that.� My hands took hers, and soon her arms were restored.
�Potions?�
Baurus interjected. �I helped you pack at least ten of them, didn't I?�
I reached for her stomach,
sliding my hands under the remains of her shirt. He politely averted his eyes,
and I pretended not to be jealous that he had seen her off and I had not.
There was a pause. �I ran
out.�
I attempted to hide the
chill that ran down my spine inside bravado. �I take it the stealth approach
didn't work, then.�
She stared at me blandly,
and I gave in and clutched her to me. �By Akatosh, I thought I'd lost you.�
�I thought you had, too, for
a little while.� She bumped her forehead against mine and smiled wanly.
Baurus tried to sneak toward
the barracks doors, but we both stopped him with a gesture and bade him come sit with us. I had him tell her the story of his fight
with Captain Steffan before allowing her to fill us in, hoping it would lighten
the mood. Thankfully, it seemed to. When she began her tale, the lines around
her eyes had softened somewhat.
She reached the shrine with
no trouble and managed to convince the doorkeeper that she wanted to be
inducted into the cult. They asked her to give up all her possessions, and she
agreed. When I stared at her in horror, she laughed at me.
�Martin, it took me three
minutes to get it all back.�
Once inside, she
pick-pocketed and then lost her guide quite easily and found her way to the
shrine itself, where she discovered three things: Mankar Camoran, holding the
Amulet of Kings, and preaching before the Lord Dagon's own spell book, the Mysterium
Xarxes. She said the leader of the Mythic Dawn looked rather well for being
over four hundred years old. He escaped with the Amulet, but left his book
behind. When she told me this, I felt a chill run down my spine.
�By the
Nine, Caleigh! Don't tell me you took it!�
She reached into her pack
and held it out to me wordlessly. I snatched it away from her, snarling. �Such
a thing is dangerous even to handle! Can you not feel it? What were you thinking?�
Her eyes widened in shock.
�I�I thought it might help us get the Amulet��
My fingertips, still resting
against the book, began to tingle. Just like other Daedric artifacts, the Xarxes
practically hummed with power. I sighed and forced myself to relax. Of course
she would not have felt it, as useless as she was with magic! It was not fair
for me to snap at her.
�I'm sorry. You did well,� I
reassured her, sliding the book away. But I could still feel it in the back of
my head, teasing me long after my hands had released it. �Go on.�
To get to the Xarxes,
she had to methodically purge the shrine of its cultists. She managed to take
nine of them down before they discovered her position. Three more were dropped
before they topped the stairs, but after that she had to draw her sword.
�You would have been proud
of me,� she giggled at Baurus, who ruffled her hair and then looked at me
guiltily. I made a point to smile at him.
Everything went fine until
Ruma Camoran joined the fray. The first bolt of energy took out Caleigh's
shield arm, and the battle almost ended there. Jolt after jolt of electricity
hit her, and she was forced to leap from the ledge and run for the book.
�They had an Argonian
captive, and I set him loose, and Ruma got me again,� she said haltingly,
staring blankly at the table. �So I grabbed the book and started running for
the other side of the cavern��
That is when the statue of
Mehrunes Dagon collapsed, taking out the majority of her pursuers. She told me
later, when Baurus was no longer around, that the sounds her pursuers made as
they were crushed to death were worse than being in Dagon's Oblivion. Ruma was
stunned, and Caleigh took the opportunity to stab her through the throat. She
had enough time to drink two potions before the sound of the statue's collapse
brought the rest of the cultists down upon her. She downed her remaining
potions like water in the ensuing battle, but still barely made it out alive.
�One got away,� she grimaced
at last. �A Dunmer girl. But I think the Argonian made
it, so it balances out.�
Except now any other
cultists would know exactly who to target. I did not say so at the time, but we
found out in the following months that I was not wrong�I have lost count of the
number of assassination attempts brought against her since her attack on the
shrine. I threw my arms around her tightly and did not complain when her lips
found mine. We both needed comfort.
I secreted the Mysterium
Xarxes away in the library as Baurus summoned the others for food. Having
her back among us was like a breath of fresh air�by the end of dinner, Steffan and Baurus were once again on speaking
terms. Jauffre looked at her worriedly more than once, but he seemed to relax
as soon as he decided no more stolen goods were going to materialize. That
night we were both too exhausted to do anything except sleep, tangled against
one another, terrified we would wake alone, but the next morning she did her
best to make me forget she'd gone at all.
This time Jauffre allowed us
a week of bliss. I kept at my daily prayer, scheduling it for when she was out
hunting, and managed not to indulge my growing desire to take her over one of
the dining hall tables at three in the morning. Blades from different cities
sent messages and stopped in frequently, but Jauffre refused to tell us why.
Since there was a sudden abundance of Tamika's at the dinner table, being
silently poured for us by the Grandmaster himself, no one much felt like
pushing the issue.
�Bosmer, I have another job
for you,� he said at last one night, passing a slice of mutton down the table
to her. When she raised her eyebrow, he smiled faintly. �In
Bruma.�
My heart decided to keep
beating after all.
�What do you need, Breton?�
I heard Cyrus choke on his
wine and had to stifle a laugh.
�Your potions have given the
night watch a good enough eye to discover that there have been spies on the
roads at night.�
�Have they,� she said
demurely, sipping at her water.
�I was wondering if you'd be
willing to go drive them out of Bruma.�
�Why me?�
She squeezed my hand under the table.
Jauffre smiled. �I think
you'll find that people are more willing to talk to the Hero of Kvatch than
they are to a Blade in full armor.�
She sighed. �All right. But I hate the way everyone acts like they know
me just because they've heard about me closing the Gate.�
Everyone at the table
thought the discussion had closed, so when Jauffre spoke again it caused an
unexpected lull in conversation.
�I also have a question I've
been meaning to ask you.�
She set down her tableware
and stared at him.
�You mentioned that you
encountered the Camoran son in the Imperial
City, and the daughter in Dagon's
shrine.�
She nodded once.
�My Blades in those areas
have been able to find no trace of either of them. Are you sure they are dead?�
�Quite
sure.� Something about her grin bothered me.
�Why don't you enlighten us,
then?� he replied, looking more than slightly annoyed.
Caleigh's smile faltered.
�They both fought well.�
Jauffre gestured at her to
continue.
�They fought and died like
warriors.� She looked around the table, saw all the confused eyes trained on
her. Refused to meet my gaze. �It's our way,� she
whispered at last.
She was a cannibal, then.
Her extended absence in the Imperial City
and at the Shrine suddenly made a great deal more sense. All down the table,
faces grew grim as they understood why there had been no bodies to find.
Steffan's lip curled, and he pushed his plate away in disgust. Even unflappable
Cyrus looked bothered, and Baurus was shaking his head as though convinced he'd
heard the entire conversation incorrectly. Caleigh watched their expressions
change, mouth open, eyes wide. Hurt welled in them,
but she kept her head high. I tried to catch her attention, to quietly show her
that I was not bothered by this revelation, but she rose without looking at me.
�If anyone needs me,� she
said softly, �I'll be in Bruma with the Nords. This table feels a little too Imperial of late for my tastes.�
I knew she didn't mean me,
but that did nothing to lessen the sting of her words. The table remained
silent as she slung her bow over her shoulders and exited through the main
doors with a slam.
�Baurus, Cyrus,� Jauffre
snapped. �Go after her.�
�Sir?�
Baurus said, looking to me for the affirmative.
�Make sure she doesn't steal
anything!� he added angrily.
Baurus opened his mouth, but
I silenced him with a look. �Please, take her a cloak,� I told him. He nodded,
and the two of them rose without another word, though Cyrus did spare a glance
back at Jauffre, shaking his head.
�What in Talos' name has she
been feeding us?� Steffan muttered at last, staring suspiciously at the meat on
his plate. I opened my mouth to retort, but to my surprise it was Jauffre who
silenced him.
�Captain,
now that you've made your ignorance clear, perhaps you should go attempt to fix
it in the library and allow the rest of us to salvage our meal.�
Steffan snatched up his
drink and stormed out of the hall. As he left, I rose, intending to pace the
battlements and work off the worst of my anger privately.
�Martin, we need to talk.�
�Now is not the time,
Grandmaster.� He recognized the edge in my voice from our encounters years ago
and wisely let me alone. I spent my evening draped in Caleigh's bearskin,
watching the roads, but they did not return home. When it got too cold, I
returned indoors and spent the rest of the night working my way through the Mysterium
Xarxes. It took me no time at all to hate the book completely. Its dark
runes sang to me, drawing me into its pages, losing me in senseless words. They
rearranged themselves, shifting before my eyes, daring me to control them. But
I did manage to tear one piece of information from its bindings, though the
effort cost me more strength than I had expected.
I knew where Mankar Camoran
had taken the Amulet.
A hand on my shoulder
shocked me back into reality, and I shut the book with a snap. My eyes blinked
blearily, and the world re-focused around me.
�Ah,
Jauffre.� I ran my hands through my hair and sighed.
�You haven't slept,� he
said, handing me a plate of leftovers.
I shook my head. �I was
trying to find us a route to the Amulet.�
�And the fact that your
Bosmer stormed out last night has nothing to do with it.�
I shook my head. �I am not
sure now is the time for this conversation, Jauffre.�
�I disagree.� He took a sip
of water and gave me the chance to leave the table. When I didn't, he continued.
�I think you have the wrong impression.�
�Oh?� I realized I was
raising my eyebrow at him. Her habits were rubbing off on me.
�I did not intend for last
night's conversation to end so poorly. I have nothing against her personally.
In fact, thus far she has managed to pleasantly surprise me at every turn.�
I took a half-hearted bite
of the food on my plate. �So why do your best to keep her from me?�
�Martin. You are the Heir.
She is a nearly nameless Bosmer from Valenwood. No one can find word of her
existence before your father sent her to us.�
I shook my head. �And until
a few months ago, I was a farmer's son. Now, I am the bastard of the late
Emperor.�
�Yet still of Royal blood.
You two cannot keep doing this once we relocate to White
Gold Tower
and you are crowned.�
�That is no one's choice but
my own, Jauffre.�
�No. You cannot be selfish
about this.�
�Why not?�
I asked, and realized that I was shouting when the guards at the main doors
startled.
�Because
she is a mer, Martin.� I had thought the elf argument would be
too weak for him to attempt�the Altmeri had enslaved us, not the Bosmeri. My
ancestors had not freed us from her people�s bondage. But of course, that was
only his opener: �An elf, a cannibal, and a thief! Can you imagine how well
she'd fare within the palace walls?�
�About as well as I will,� I
muttered, and Jauffre slammed his fists against the table.
�Fine!�
I snapped. �Then we shall not marry! She will come and go as she pleases!� At
least she could.

I�m not sure now is the best
time to be reminding me of this, you know. We still have to deal with
this particular problem once we�re done saving the world.
Hush. Keep remembering.
We�ll find the solution soon enough.

He looked at me sadly, and I
felt all the fight go out of me. �Martin. I believe you when you say that you
love her. And you would be a fool to think that she did not return the feeling.
But the Empire will eventually need an heir, and she will not be able to
provide you that.�
I hung my head. �You think I
do not know this?�
�Can you do that to her?� he
asked me softly. �Can you put her through that when the time comes? And what of the other woman? Is it fair to her?�
�You think I do not know
this?� I asked again, and was ashamed to hear my voice crack.
�I think you are refusing to
look ahead. Unfortunately, that has always been my role in your life. And so I
have done what I could to keep her away.�
He fell silent, and I buried
my face in my arms so he could not see my eyes reddening with tears. The Heir
should not cry in the middle of his Great Hall.
�I am sorry,� he said at
last, and rose to go, but I stopped him with his name.
�You're right,� I managed.
�You're right, and eventually I will have to deal with this. But I am not�� my
voice caught again, and I shook my head angrily. �Let us have what peace we can
while it is available to us. I�ll deal with what happens at the Palace when it
becomes pertinent. Just like all that training you keep threatening to force
down my throat, and the propriety I never have a sense of. Let me deal with it then.�
Jauffre stared down at me
and shook his head. �It would be easier for you both if you simply sent her
away.�
I laughed shortly and shoved
the Xarxes farther from me. �Perhaps a month ago you would have been
right.�
He shook his head again,
opened his mouth. Thought better of it, and sighed with resignation. �Very well. From now on, she may remain in the Temple
unless her talents are expressly needed. The Blades will miss the wine,� he
added wryly, �but I'm going to trust you when you say this is for the best.�
At the time those words
flooded me with relief. I thought I had won. I was sure that there was
no task that could possibly be best-suited for Caleigh when her skills were
compared to those of the rest of the Blades. There was no doubt in my mind that
she would be with me for the remainder of my confinement in this gods-forsaken Temple.
But that was before Gates started opening all across the land. Before I was forced to order her to leave my side, to ignore her
begging, and her tears, to send her back into Oblivion. It was one thing
to have my mentor tear my lover from my side�it was quite another to have to do
it myself.
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The Road to Ruin