Elder Scrolls: Empire of Blood

10: as long as i draw breath

Lavinia sat in her room looking at the letter before her, reading it word for word, and as she read it she felt her rage begin to soar to new heights.

The letter in her hands was from her husband telling her to prepare the Palace and the court for the arrival of the daughter of the High King of Skyrim who he had forged an alliance with through the offer of a marriage between their eldest son Pius and the High Kings Daughter Fredis.

"After losing my own daughter he wants me to prepare her rooms for someone else?!" She thought to herself in outrage.

In one quick motion, her hands gripped the parchment and tore it straight down the middle.

The newly hired maids all were shocked at the motion but the seasoned veterans didn't even bat an eyelash at the Empress's actions.

Lavinia poured herself a glass of wine and went to stand by the window looking down on the gardens where her youngest son was playing with the servants.

This simple act brought a smile to the Breton woman's face she was happy that at least one of her children got to have a normal childhood.

Sighing deeply she took a sip from her glass of wine as she thought of her eldest son off training in a legion camp in Bravil while her only daughter was all alone in a foreign land with only her servants to remind her of home.

She knew one thing and that was that she would hold on to her little Alistair as long as she could and nothing and no one would ever take him from her as long as she drew breath.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fredis sat by her window crying over the thought of leaving her home and those she held dear.

"But Mama I don't want to go I don't even know him," she cried pleading with her mother in vain.

Isabel felt for her daughter she truly did but she knew that the alliance was good for both Skyrim and her people as well as their family.

"My dear I know that this is hard for you but we must do our duty to the realm and yours has asked you to be not only the future Empress but a voice for your home and its people," the high Queen replied with a sympathetic look as she placed her hand under her daughter's chin and lifted her face so that they were looking at each other eye to eye.

"I love you we all don't forget that," she told her giving her a sad but loving smile "I know you will make us all proud."

The two then shared a warm and loving hug and then let a few of the tears they had been holding back fall from their eyes.

The next few days came and went and soon it was time for the princess to leave Skyrim and head south to Cyrodiil.

She would be joining the Emperor and his escort for the journey south which was considered a great honor by many of the nobles of the Empire.

Fredis said her goodbyes to her friends and family and then she and her maids boarded their carriage.

The Emperor said goodbye to his friend and fellow ruler and promised to both the High King and his wife that he would guard their daughter with his life.

After he mounted his horse he and the rest of the group set out for home bidding the kingdom of Skyrim farewell.

After three days of travel, they finally reached the woodlands of Falkreath and set up camp to rest for the night before traveling onward the next morning.

It was here that the young Fredis learned of the Emperor's mistress traveling among them.

Being raised respectfully by her mother Princess Fredis was horrified by the new revelation.

The worse part of it all for the Nord teen was that her future father-in-law seen fit to make the woman one of her maids, an act she knew would not win her any favors from the Empress.

But seeing how she was all but powerless in the grand scheme of things she kept her mouth shut and minded her own business especially seeing how she was looking to make an enemy of neither the Emperor nor his favorite.

She only hoped that her own future husband was different than his father when it came to fidelity and public decency.

===================

Claudia had seen the way that the young nord noblewomen who were the maids of the princess looked at her whenever she was near them and she had heard the whispers that they and the Imperial servants had exchanged with each other about her relationship with the Emperor.

The whole thing didn't surprise her in the slightest for she had put up with far worse in the south from the nobles of Cyrodiil.

She didn't care what others thought of her the only opinion she gave any weight to was the Emperors and no one else.

As for the Princess, she had noticed that the young woman seemed to be trying her best to distance herself from the whole matter.

Taking her meals alone in her tent, or staying confined to her carriage when they traveled.

Claudia recalled that in all the days they had spent in the same convoy she had not spoken more than three words to her.

Claudia decided that she would speak with the girl so that they would not have any bad blood between them.

Rising from her seat by the fire that some of the guards had lit the Imperial woman went in search of the young Nord Princess.

It took a while before she could find someone who was willing to speak to the mistress of the Emperor but Claudia eventually found a young guard who pointed her in the direction he had last seen young Fredis.

Claudia thanked the young guardsman and then headed on her way, on arriving at the horses she found the young nord petting the white mare named Olivia that the Emperor had given her as a gift.

"You don't want to be here either do you girl?" Said Fredis as she rubbed the mare's nose and neck.

Olivia snorted and shook her head from side to side as if she were affirming the young woman's words.

"Duty is both a great and terrible thing," said Claudia as she stepped from the shadows almost startling the nord girl.

The Imperial woman saw the look of worry on her face and gave her a kind smile.

"Do not worry I understand everything that you are going through I too was ordered to marry a man I didn't know or love, all in the name of duty," she told Fredis as she took a seat on the rock beside her smiling at Olivia and patting her on the head when the horse nudged her with her nose.

Fredis eyed the woman curiously, she had heard that the Emperor's mistress was married to a nobleman from the Imperial City but never gave much thought about if the marriage was a love match or an arranged one.

"I want to do my family proud but this is the first time I've been away from home without my parents here to guide me," Fredis replied looking down at her feet "I don't even remember Prince Pius that well after all we were only children when last we met, I don't even know anyone outside of the royal family in the south how will I make it in the court?."

Claudia gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I was only nineteen when my father sent me to marry my husband and become the Lady of his house I was lost swimming in a world of sharks on my own so my advice to you is to find supporters and allies that you can truly trust and dig yourself in for you never know who will be your biggest threat."

She then rose from her seat and leaned against a nearby tree.

"Just remember that you have a friend in me when the time comes even if you don't approve of the relationship between myself and the Emperor, I will not betray you," she told the young Nord before turning to leave "good night Princess and please consider my words for the court of the south is not an easy place to maneuver especially alone."

And with that, she departed back to her tent leaving Fredis to ponder over her words of advice.