Chapter 1
It rained hard that day. The day when the Emperor met his doom. The weather fit the events that were happening. King Helseth had finally breached the Imperial city after weeks of constant battle on the walls. He only got in by treachery though. He agreed to a truce with the city to allow both sides to collect themselves and regroup, but instead the King had his men scale the wall with grappling hooks the very night that was supposed to be a peaceful one.

Inside the throne room, Emperor Julies Lennox sat with his son and the Champion of Cyrodiil. The Emperor was old, but his son, Samuel Lennox, had never seen him look so tired. “My son.” The Emperor said in a low, mournful tone, “You must continue on. You must keep the Lennox bloodline alive. You must live until you are old enough to hold a sword. Until you can father a son. Until you can raise an army for your cause. Until you can overthrow this usurper, Helseth.” His father ran a wrinkled hand over his face.

“Sam, you know what is going to happen to your father?” Sam only nodded. The boy was muscular for his age with thick black hair like his father’s. “Good.”

“Why don’t you just run away father?” Sam asked.

“Sam, I cannot hide. Wherever I go, Helseth will follow. He will not rest until I’m dead.” Julies looked his son in the eyes. “But you Sam, he will not hunt you. You are only a boy yet and of no trouble to him. When you run, nobody will follow.”

“What do you mean father?”

“I’m sending you away with Robert.” His father gestured to the Champion who had been standing beside them silently. “He has agreed to take you somewhere safe and watch over you. He’ll teach you the arts of war and how to use a sword. When you are old enough, I want you to raise an army an take the throne back from this usurper.”

Sam looked over at the Champion. The man was tall, standing above six feet with large arms and a shaved head. He wore the Imperial Dragon armor he obtained ten years ago after he helped defeat Mehrunes Dagon. On his hip he wore an elven longsword with a ruby attached to the pommel.

“I’ll protect you Sam.” Robert told him, “I protected one heir to the throne before, I can protect another I suppose.” He gave Sam a weak smile.

His father stood and placed his hands on his son’s shoulders, “Be strong my son. The day will come that you will take my throne back, and you will be Emperor.” The Emperor straightened himself. “Robert, take my son. Take him and watch over him as if he were your own. Go.”

The Champion placed his fist on his chest, and bowed slightly before grabbing Sam by the arm and led him out of the throne room. Sam followed, and never once looked back.

Wow. I was actually moved by this. Simple enough yet cuts to the meat of it.

I assume that Lennox is the man who got to be Emperor after the Septims. The name Robert got me thinking of Game of Thrones (I'm reading right now )

I simply love the fact that Helseth is conquering the Cyrodiil throne. He is definitely the right mer for the job.

One thing I disagree: if the enemy is indeed Helseth, he would not let the boy live. No ruthless invader would ever let the Emperor's progeny go free to raise an army against them. Especially someone as ruthless as Helseth.

I'm drueling here. More! :wub:

Thanks for the positive feedback . I'm not saying that Helseth is just going to let him waltz out of the city just like that. The Champion is going to try and sneak his way out and hide away somewhere until things cool down. perhaps I should have worded that better, but whatever.

And it was actually The Game Of Thrones that inspired me to do something like this. I'm reading a Storm of Swords right now and I just can't get enough of it.

You sure this is your first fanfic? It's mighty fine for a rook.

Yup, it's my first fan-fic. I've written short stories in the past though, and I've developed my skills there.

It definitely shows.

Thank you very much ^_^

i liked it, the names where a little unimaginative but that doesnt matter, it still has the criteria needed for me to carry on reading cudos to you

Chapter 2
The yard echoed with the sound of wood on wood and the grunts and puffs of the two combatants. Sam dodged Robert's attack and quickly attacked only to be blocked again by Robert's practice sword. Sam attacked viciously and swung with all of his might.

He pinned Robert against the house only to see him slip away again and start walking backwards. Sam followed him and soon started to breathe heavily from exhaustion. It was then that Robert countered Sam's swing, slid behind him and smacked the back of his knees. Sam fell on his knees and felt a tap on his shoulder. "You're dead." He heard Robert say from behind.

"Never use too much energy at one time, especially at the beginning of a fight." He said as Sam struggled back on his knees. "It's better to stay on the defense at first until your opponent gets tired, then you strike."

The pain in Sam's legs proved his point easily enough. "Come on, let's get something to eat." Sam nodded and eagerly headed for the door.

The two of them lived in a small cottage just east of Vulkhel Guard in the Summerset Isles. After Helseth breached the Imperial City Walls, Robert took Sam and snuck him into a cruise ship under the identity of Samuel Golvert. From there, they travelled to the Isles knowing that Helseth couldn't touch them openly there since the Summerset Isles seceded from the Empire after the Oblivion Crisis. After they arrived, Robert had bought the cottage and they lived there peacefully for ten years.

Robert had a meal of ham covered in spices with fresh milk and even fresher apples ready for them soon after their practice was finished. Sam hardly chewed his food he was so hungry and after he looked longingly at his plate. "Sorry Sam," Robert said, "Money is tight right now." Robert's bald head was now covered in a thick dirty blonde mane with a few grey hairs here and there.

"Money has never been tight." Sam said, "Why is it now?"

"Because," he said, "I just bought you something."

"What is it?" Sam asked, suddenly very excited. Robert must have seen the surprise on Sam's face because he began to laugh.

"Follow me and I'll show you." Sam hurried after him into his room. Robert reached under his bed and pulled out a long object wrapped in cloth. He pulled back the cloth to show a newly forged blade. In the sunlight the blade gave off a beautiful shine. The hilt was made of black leather with a sapphire attached to the end.

"It's Elven," Robert told him, "like mine except this is of a much higher quality. I had it ordered from Alinor, from the best smithy in the city." Sam was speechless; he never received a gift as good as this even from his father. "I thought since you were nineteen and you are almost done your training, that you should have your own sword. Go on, take it."

Sam lifted the sword high above his head and inspected it. "I..." He said, "Thank you."

"Of course Sam. You deserve it. This sword is the sword that will win back your Empire.

Chapter 3
The plaza was crowded full of men and mer alike. Each with their own purpose of being there. Sam studied them with cautious eyes. This had been the first time he had left their cottage since they arrived at the Isles.

“Come on Sam,” Robert urged, “let’s just get to the smithy and get out.” Sam followed Robert through the crowd with his hand on the pommel of his sword. They shoved their way through until finally they came to a building with only three walls. The hearth was burning hot and the sound of iron on steel pierced the air.

“Excuse me.” Robert called to the burly Nord who was busy hammering a brand new sword. “Excuse me!” he called louder when the man didn’t answer him. The Nord turned his head towards them and studied them.

“Ya, what is it?” he said back. Robert approached him.

“We’re in need of a set of armor.” Robert told him bluntly.

“For you or him?” He gestured to Sam.

“Him.” The Nord studied Sam for a moment then turned back to Robert.

“What type of material are you looking for?”

“Steel or better.”

“Yes,” the Nord said, “I believe I have some steel in stock. Give me a moment” Sam waited as the blacksmith went back and forth, bringing out many different sets of armor. When he was finally finished, the Nord gestured for him to take a look.

Sam shrugged off many of the heavier suits for he preferred speed over overall defense. He looked for over half an hour before he finally made a decision on what he wanted. “That one.” He pointed to a steel briastplate with pauldrons and knee high boots with steel plates fixed onto the shins and on the toes and laces on the back instead of the front.

Robert looked at Sam's choice carefully. “Good decision Sam.” He said finally. He turned back to the blacksmith who had been waiting patiently. “We’ll take this one.” Sam put on the new armor clumsily as Robert and the Nord haggled.

Sam had just laced up the boots when Robert came up to him. Sam stood straight so Robert could see him. Robert smiled. “Now you look like a true warrior.”

The two of them left the Blacksmith with a fist full of coins and began their walk back to the cottage. They shoved their way through the crowd once again when someone screamed. Sam whirled around and saw a man clad in black under his normal clothes with a dagger raised above his head, pointed at Sam.

A crack split through the air and a whip coiled around the assassin’s neck. He dropped his knife and grasped uselessly and the whip around his neck as it dug deeper in his throat. Robert pulled Sam back and drew his sword. Another man appeared and slammed the butt of his spear into the assassin’s stomach. The assassin doubled over and the man drove his spear into his heart.

“Are you hurt my lord?” The man with the spear asked.

“Back off!” Robert warned before Sam could say anything.
The man with the whip unwrapped his whip from around the assassin’s neck. “We mean you no harm sir.” The man was a plump Bosmer with graying hair and wrinkling skin. The other with the spear was a tall, lean Redguard with short black hair and pouty lips.

“I said stay away.” Robert said.

“Robert! Enough!” Sam told him, “These men just saved my life.” He turned back to the two men. “I owe you my thanks gentlemen. But why did you do that?”

“Because,” the Redguard said. The two of them knelt before Sam, “You are our Emperor.”

Sorry I didn't respond earlier.

I like your writing style. Somehow it sounds more mature compared to some other stuff on this forum.
The story... Well... Let's just say I know exactly where you are at reading A Song of Ice and Fire

Sorry this one took so long, I've been really busy over the holidays, but things are getting back to normal. So here it is.

Chapter 4
The tea kettle boiled in the kitchen while Sam, Robert and the Sam's two saviour sat by the fireplace.

"Now that we've settled in," Sam said, "I believe it is time that we acquainted ourselves." Sam gestured to Robert who was sitting next to him, "This is Robert , my protector, my mentor, and my good friend." Robert gave them a curt nod and a smile.

The Redguard straightened and said proudly, "I am Regis Tyrone, son of Henry Tyrone, former commander of the Crimson cloaks, and slayer of pirates." Sam almost laughed at Regis's introduction, but managed to stifle it in time.

The plump Breton began lazily, "And I am Christophe Touchette. Unlike Regis here, I never knew my father, never commanded any type of force, and never slew any pirates. I am simply a man looking for work in this wide world."

"Very honest of you Christophe, I respect that." Robert complimented. The Breton man simply grunted.

Regis spoke up again, "My lord, we are so very glad to have found you after so long."

"You have been searching for us for a long time?" Sam asked.

"Yes sir, we have tried to locate you for some time now. After the fall of the Emperor Helseth commanded that everyone who still stood for your father to be apprehended immediately."

Christophe picked up from there, "To say the least, we still stood for the Emperor. We evaded them for a time, but we knew we couldn't stay in the Empire's borders for much longer. So we came to the Isles."

"Shortly after we arrived," Regis continued, "we heard rumours that you two had fled from the Imperial City. Naturally we were interested. So after much searching we found you, and at the perfect time it would seem."

Robert went into the kitchen while the three of them continued talking. "I had no idea that Helseth had put out a contract for my assassination." Sam told them.

"I doubt anybody knows except for Helseth's most trusted men." Christophe explained. Robert re-entered the living room with a tray with four cups of tea.

"The man is a coward," Robert said as he passed each one of them a cup, "Any man who reverts to assassination shows that he has no courage to face a threat head on."

"Very true." Regis said before taking a sip of his tea.

"Why don't we just tell him why we came here already." Christophe urged.

Regis hesitated, Um... yes well I suppose we should. My lord, you have of course had ambitions of retaking your father's Empire back from the hands of Helseth, have you not?"

"Of course, I dream about it every night. Though we don't have the money or the forces."

"My lord, of course you don't think that you two are the only ones who wish to take back the Empire, do you? There are former counts, countesses, high commanding officers, farmers even who would like nothing more than to see you retake the throne."

"Many of whom are here in the Summerset Isles," Christophe said, "We know many of them and all are willing to give you as much money and power as you need. There are a great number of mercenaries for hire around Tamriel who would gladly serve you."

"Just give us some time," Regis continued, "and we can amount a small army for you in which you can attempt to take any city you wish, and from there your forces will only grow. What do you say?"


Sam thought for a long moment, considering everything. "How long until I have my army?"

Excellent work here! I could learn a thing or two from your writing style! 5 stars.

I liked it, i cant see anything to nitpick on so i look forward to the next chapter.

Sorry for being the negative one in this thread but somehow it all seems too easy. Getting an army without raising attention is not something done easy. And it somehow seems strange that Helseth would send someone so sloppy after such a high priority target. He has the Dark Brotherhood in his pocket, doesn't he?

Despite that, your text remains well written. Good work.

I'm not saying that they are raising an army without any attention, they in the planing stages of raising an army and just reassuring Sam that he has a lot of support from others.

I also mentioned that the assassin was clad in black underneath his regular clothes, like his black gauntlets are visible as well as his boots. From the perspective of the assassin, it was the perfect opportunity for a killing. He could have performed the killing, then melted back into the crowd. He was just unlucky that Regis and Christophe were near.

Chapter 5

Emperor Helseth paced his chambers uncomfortably. It had been long since he had last heard from his contacts in the Brotherhood. They told him that they had sent a man to the Isles over a week ago, surely it couldn't have taken that long to kill the late Emperor's son.

"My lord," his servant said finally, "Perhaps it is best that you get some rest."

"I will rest when I want to." He snapped at the young servant. The young man fell silent. Helseth peered out the window and saw the moon high above the earth. He should be here soon. "Leave me." He commanded.

The servant bowed low and made his exit quickly. "I thought he would never leave." The Emperor did his best to hide his surprise as he turned to meet eyes with a man dressed all in black robes. "Good evening Emperor Helseth."

"Good evening Garth." The Emperor said calmly. "What news do you bring of your assassin?" he asked anxiously.

"I regret to inform you, my lord that our assassin has failed to fulfill the contract." With a sudden fury, Helseth smashed his fist into the wall.
"How could you fail!" he roared as blood dripped down his hand and onto the rug, "He is one man!"

The Speaker remained calm with a neutral face, "Yes that is the exact thing that we thought at first, but it seems the boy had assistance from two other individuals. We have not yet learned their names, but we are doing everything we can to identify them."

"See that you do." Helseth swallowed some of his rage before starting again. "Send another assassin, a better one this time."

"We have already selected the next one to go. We have much more confidence in her."

"Good, see that this one does not fail, or I will have your head."

"As my lord commands." Garth took three steps away from Helseth, smiled, and then vanished. For hours Helseth paced his chambers, too worried to sleep. I waited for too long, he thought, I should have sent a man after him and his damn Champion the day after they fled.
Soon, sleep took him and he woke with the sun shining through the windows.

While he ate his breakfast, his general strode up to him and leaned over, "My lord," he whispered into Helseth's ear, " I am sorry to disturb you but there is an Altmer here to see you. It is important."

The Emperor found the Altmer admiring the paintings in his hall, "What is it?" he asked the man.

"Emperor Helseth, I live in the Summerset Isles and there have been many rumours lately. And well..."

"Well? Speak damn you!"

"My lord, the young Samuel Lennox is amassing an army." Helseth was speechless for a long moment.

"I... I thank you for this information. My general will pay you for this service." He left the Altmer with the general to discuss payment

I knew this would happen. I knew that that young curse would come back to haunt me. Well, let us hope this new assassin is better than the other one.

Its really good, but I saw many spelling and grammar mistakes. Please proof-read.

Ummmm..... may I ask where? :huh:



As for the story, it's a little short (for me) but I still intend on reading this, as it has caught my attention.

I'm not going to highlight each one for you, by the time you read it he could've edited them.

Helseth sounds very afraid. He should be more confident, he has conquered Cyrodiil, hasn't he?

Helseth is scared for a reason, which will be explained later in the story.

Well that should leave him with many doubts and possibly fears then. One would think....

Conquering a land won't make everyone your friend, and there are sure to be a fair amount of the people who still resist his rule. And the return of the rightful king, with an army behind him, would surely stir the people up, possibly into rebellion.

This is Helseth we are talking about. The way I remember him he was never surprised or caught off guard. Unless the Helseth in this story is a bit different.