Prologue

The young woman stood back as the sounds of the battle in the next room rang out. “What is your name, child?” asked the older man she was escorting. “Chantal Grizé, Your Majesty,” she replied.

“I will be going no further. You must take this, the Amulet of Kings, to Jauffre at the Weynon Priory. He will know where to find the last heir to the throne.”

“But Your Majesty, I’m just a...” She quieted as he held up his hand.

“It’s now up to you to close shut the jaws of Oblivion, Chantal. Good luck, may the Nine Divines watch over you, and farewell.” He closed his eyes. As he did so, a panel in the wall behind him opened, and another of the assassins that had been plaguing the group since leaving the Imperial dungeon leapt forward from his hiding place and buried his blade in the back of the Emperor.

“BASTARD!” Chantal screamed, thrusting her own sword forward into the throat of the assassin. The sound of boots behind her caused her to whirl.

“The Emperor is ... dead? We have failed, then.” The tall Redguard bodyguard sounded downfallen.

“Baurus, he ... he told me before he was killed to seek out Jauffre at the Weynon Priory, that he would know of another heir. And he gave me this,” Chantal said, holding up the Amulet of Kings.

“By the Nine! You must go at once, then. I will cover your back here. Take this key and escape these sewers. Go, girl, now!”

...

“Run! The city of Kvatch has been taken by Daedra!”

Chantal watched as the High Elf ran past. Cowardly Altmer. Outwardly so civilized, yet so uncomfortable when violence happens. She sighed. Clouds of billowing smoke rose from the hilltop ahead of her. Rising from where the city of Kvatch stood. Rising from where Jauffre at the Weynon Priory told her that she had to go to find Martin, the last heir of Uriel Septim. Great. She checked the sword at her waist, cinched her helm a little tighter, and began trudging up the road.

“Get back, citizen! This is no place for you!”

Chantal looked at the gateway to Kvatch. A set of horns about 15 feet seemed to have grown from the ground in front of the gate. “I have to get into Kvatch and rescue the Emp ... Priest of Akatosh! How do we do this?”

The guard pulled his helmet back, and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Look, I’m Savlian Matius, Captain of what’s left of the City Guard. We can’t get into Kvatch until we do something with this Oblivion gate! These Daedra keep coming out of there. They came through and over ran us. Probably your Priest is still holed up in the Chapel, I think a few of our guard made it in there as well. But ... Look out, boys, here comes another one!”

From between the set of horns, a lizard looking creature appeared from nowhere. The two guards with Matius immediately took ready positions with their swords.

“Oh, screw this!” Chantal muttered. She quickly sheathed her sword and pulled out her bow. As the upright lizard began running towards them, she took position behind the improvised barricade in front of her and started shooting. She quickly put two arrows into the body of the creature, stopping it dead.

“Damn, lady! Fine shooting.” One of the guards said.

Matius looked at Chantal in surprise. “With you here, we may have a chance. These things – gates to Oblivion is what they have to be – can be closed, because they closed almost all of the ones they used to attack us. I’ve sent men in to see if they could close this one, but...” His voice trailed off.

“Okay, I understand. I need to get to the Priest of Akatosh inside. And if the only way to do that is to go through this gate, then...” Her voice trailed off. Chantal looked up at the sky. “Dammit, old man, was this what you meant about closing shut the jaws of Oblivion? I sure hope so.” She looked at Matius and the guards outside of Kvatch, and started walking towards the Gate to Oblivion. “Wish me luck, boys!”

With the attack upon Weynon Priory stopped, Jauffre now had time to look at the two travelers. One was the Grizé woman. The other ... He motioned for the remainder of his troops to gather round. “Hail, Emperor Martin Septim, Dragon Born!”

The tall, handsome priest of Akatosh shook his head. “Oh, bloody hell. Chantal, when you told me this back in Kvatch, I didn’t really believe it. I still don’t. My father – the man that raised me, anyway – was a farmer.”

Jauffre approached them. “Your Majesty, we need to get you to Cloud Ruler Temple. That’s the traditional home of the Blades, the bodyguards of the Emperor. You’ll be safer there than any other place in Cyrodiil.”

Chantal looked at Jauffre with a wry expression on her face. “And three guesses whose job it will be to get him there safely, right?”

Jauffre looked back. He saw the glint in her eyes, and smiled. “Welcome to the Blades, Grizé.”

...

“Damn it,” Chantal muttered under her breath. “Just find out about this mysterious cult that helped kill the Emperor. And then infiltrate their secret lair to get the Amulet back that they managed to steal. Piece of cake, right. And now this...”

She was crouched in shadows on a ledge above a huge cavern. The acoustics of the place were such that she could hear what was being said below her fairly well. A portal door to another plane was open, and the leader of the Mythic Dawn was talking. “I leave you now, my children, for Paradise!”

Chantal quickly got her bow ready, but she was too late. The leader passed through the portal, with it swiftly closing behind him. The cult members he had been talking to started to leave the area of the gateway. They started to gather around an altar situated in front of a large statue of the Daedric Lord Mehrunes Dagon. An Argonian lay on the altar, tied up, apparently to be a sacrifice. Looking past the reptile man, Chantal could just see a closed book. The cover of the book had a drawing on it that looked very much like the shape of the Oblivion gate she’d seen before.

“Well, if I can’t get the amulet back from Mankar Camoran right now, I better take that book to Martin so he can figure out what we need to do next.” Her bow still ready, she notched an arrow and took aim.

...

“Chantal, you’ve done so much for me and our cause. I do not feel that I can ask you to do more.”

“Your Majesty, you’re already dealing with what happens when someone decides that a Daedric Lord needs to directly influence Nirn. If your research says that we need to fight the fire that is Dagon with the fire that is something belonging to another Daedric Lord, then by the Nine I’ll get you that thing.

“Then read this – there is much information in this book that might help you.”

Chantal picked up the book and started reading. “Ah, this looks interesting – and I already know where this is. I’ll be back soon, Your Majesty.”

...

“What did you do to get this, Chantal?”

Chantal grinned. “Not much – but let’s just say that I don’t think I’ll be invited to any more dinner parties with Countess Caro any time soon. The sight of her and all her guests stripped naked as the day they were born in front of everyone was ... Well, you’ll probably read about it in the Black Horse Courier.” Chantal didn’t mention that her own clothes had also been taken, or that she’d had to run nearly five miles stark naked to escape.

Martin had a twinkle in his eyes, though, and a grin on his face while looking at Chantal. “The Sanguine Rose. I never thought to see this again. I once possessed it briefly, a lifetime ago, it seems now. To obtain it – and HOW you had to obtain it – I honor your dedication to our cause.”

He looked down at the staff in his hands, to avert his eyes from the beautiful blonde that had captivated his heart. “And knowing what you had to do to get it – I wish I had been there as well.”

Chantal looked at Martin closely. “Your Majesty only has to request it and I will give him a command performance.”

Jauffre came running into the room before the startled Martin could reply. “Your Majesty, Grizé, there’s been an Oblivion gate open just outside of Bruma. They need our help!”

...

“Okay, Captain Burd. Here’s how we’re going to do this. You follow me. You watch my back. You pay attention to what I do. And if we’re very lucky, all of us will live through this,” said Chantal.

“Bor, Soren, you’re with us. According to the Blades, this lady knows what to do!”

The small group quickly gathered their supplies, including extra potions of healing, and headed into the open gateway to the plane of Oblivion.

...

The bedraggled group of guards, led by Chantal, came out of the now closed gateway.

“By the Nine, that was a mess!” exclaimed Captain Burd.