Chapter 1: Fayen
Fayen was knelt down at the bedside of the dying emperor Titus Mede IV. Fayen had undying loyal to the emperor ever since the events of Jaggar Tharn. Although back then it had been a different emperor, Fayen still felt that as the Eternal Champion it was his duty to be loyal to the emperor no matter who it was. Unless of course, it was another imposture, then it would be his duty to kill that emperor and bring the real one back. He had sent word to Garnin in Daggerfall about the emperor's imminent death a few weeks ago. Fayen thought that as Uriel Septim's Agent, and now the agent to any emperor in power, that he should know of the emperor's death. He was not around when Titus Mede III died, because Fayen and rest of the heroes except Argon and Sheogorath were dead. Titus Mede III had died before the Soul Wars, when he went on an expedition in a Falmer ridden cave, and had made the ultimate sacrifice to save the crew on the expedition with him. Now it was his son's turn to die, the thing is, up to a few weeks ago, Titus Mede IV was fine, then he drank an ale that a rebellious Dunmer servant had brought to him, and he was poisoned. The servant was captured and executed, but that could not stop the emperor's death. They had given him Cure Poison potions, and they tried healing spells, bringing him to the altars of the divines, the dragon in the Temple of the One, every remedy there was, they even tried creating a few special healing potions through alchemy, but nothing worked. Titus Mede IV could not be saved. Now he was lying in his bed, dying of the poison that servant had tricked him into drinking. Fayen wished the servant had not been killed, so that Fayen could torture the victim and give him a slow painful death to pay for his crimes, instead of the usual beheading.
"If he was still here, I would make sure he wished he was dead, I would torture him in the dungeon day and night, and then finally, when I grow sick of that Dunmer, I would try to get Nerevar here so that HE could torture him, and tell him how he had disgraced the Dunmer name. Then when Nerevar was done with him, I would slowly, and painfully behead him a dagger myself." Fayen muttered to himself angrily
"What was that boy?" asked the dying emperor
"Nothing sir, nothing." said Fayen knelt over next to Titus Mede IV
"Do not live with revenge in your heart Fayen, that only makes you as bad as the one who wronged you." said the emperor wisely
"But your Majesty, not only did he wrong me, he wronged you, and the rest of Tamriel." said Fayen
"I know, and there is nothing we can do about it now, it is too late. Besides, it's not like the Oblivion Gates are going to open and the daedra are come pouring out trying to take over Tamriel again after I die." chuckled Titus Mede IV
Fayen smiled, he admired how even in death, this man could be so calm and accepting as to make jokes. "I know I have not been the best servant-" Fayen began, but he was cut off by the emperor
"You have been a great servant Fayen. Don't you ever think any less, any mistake you may have made is forgiven. I am honored to have you as my servant, you should not be honored to have been my servant, but I honored to have you as my servant. The Eternal Champion, serving me, though he should serve no one, he kneels here at my death bed, humbled and in my service. That is the greatest honor there is." said Titus
Fayen smiled, and tried to blink away some tears, but it was too hard. This was too much for him, the emperor was dying, and now the emperor was holding him up so high, he felt as though he had failed him. If only he had more time, he was sure he could make a potion to save him!
"Do you need to step out a minute?" asked the emperor, "I promise no to die until you return."Fayen smiled, "If it is not too much to ask yes, may I?" he said
"Go ahead." smiled the emperor
"I'll only be gone a minute. Do not die until I return." joked Fayen
"You have my word." came the reply
Fayen got up and slowly but quietly stepped out of the emperor's room. He went across the hall to another room, where he sat in a chair and buried his face in his hands. He could not help it, tears came rolling down his face. He had been alive again for a year, and what had he done? He had failed to save the emperor. That's what. He should have known there was poison in the ale by the way the Dunmer smirked with success when the emperor took the ale and drank from it. Then, after a while, Fayen looked up, his eyes were red, and his cheeks were pink and puffy. He did not care what anyone thought, a grown man who had seen and caused death crying may have made him seem like a wimp over one death, but it was the emperor, who he had sworn himself to protect, he also failed Tamriel as he could not save the emperor. Then as he looked at the table in the middle of the room, Fayen noticed something that he was sure was not there when he had walked into the room. There was a small little package sitting there. Curiosity got the best of him and he went over to the table. He opened up the package, and found sitting there, a little bottle with a string and folded piece of parchment attached. He took it out, untied the parchment, unfolded it, and read it. It said:
Give this to the Titus Mede IV
~ A Friend
Fayen put the parchment down, and grabbed the bottle and held it close to him for fear of dropping it. He put all of his hope into this bottle, if there was any hope of saving the emperor, it was with this potion. He could not tell how he could tell, but he knew that this would save the emperor. Maybe it was just the fact that in such a hopeless time, anything that said it could save the emperor would make him overjoyed. He ran into the emperor's room, and found the emperor was still alive, but with very little time left.
"Ah, you have returned, good, I do not think I can hold on any longer." said Titus Mede IV sounding worse than ever
"Well you must, at least for another minute. Here drink this." said Fayen handing the emperor the bottle
"Fayen, we have tried everything, just give up now, it is too late. I have already accepted my death." said the emperor, feeling bad for his servant who had been through so much in the last year.
"Please, just humor me." pleaded Fayen
The emperor pondered this for a moment, then he popped the cork off the bottle, and drank from it. He handed the bottle to Fayen, shook his head, then his eyes closed, and he died. Fayen broke down, he had put so much faith into the bottle, gotten his hopes up so much, but it had not worked, the emperor was dead. He fell back into a chair beside the bed and started sobbing again. Then, a hand reached over and grabbed Fayen's knee, and he heard a voice from bed. "Fayen?" the emperor asked
Fayen raised his head and looked over, the emperor was sitting up alive and better than ever. "You're alive..." Fayen said amazed
"Indeed I am, you saved me Fayen, whatever was in the potion, it did the trick!" said the emperor Overwhelmed, Fayen hopped up, hugged the emperor than ran down the hallway shouting, "He's alive! The emperor is alive! He is in his room perfectly fine! It is as if nothing had happened!" A big crowd gathered in the emperor's room, and they were all amazed, the emperor explained what had happened, and later that night a feat was held in Fayen and the emperor's honor.
After the party, Fayen retired to his home in the Temple District of the Imperial City. He went down to the wine cellar and grabbed a bottle of Spiced Wine. He grabbed a goblet, and poured some of the drink in to the goblet.
Fayen smirked and then said, "Would you like a drink?"
No answer
"I do not believe I have properly thanked you for giving me the potion that saved Titus Mede's life." tried Fayen again
still no answer
"But where did you get it?" asked Fayen
This time there was an answer from the shadows, "Akatosh."
"Ah, so he had been listening." said Fayen
"Yes, but he was waiting for the right moment."
"So he waited until he was almost dead?" asked Fayen taking a sip from the goblet with his back to the person he was speaking to
"He wanted to wait until I was to come."
"Why?" asked Fayen
"So that he could take care of two things at once, and Akatosh wants you to know, that you need not worry about the punishment of the Dunmer who tried to poison Titus. He is to be tortured for a century in the Heavens of Sovngarde." said the one in the shadows
"Good. But why are you here?" Fayen questioned
"Tamriel is being threatened by a force not even the Divines can stop. The team needs to be reassembled. We are once again, Tamriel's only hope."
"Come out of the shadows Argon and talk to me." said Fayen
Argon realized his mistake in being in the shadows and stepped out. Fayen did not realize the mistake because he was still not informed about the Shadow King, "All I can tell you right now is that Tamriel is in grave danger. I am not to explain anything to you, Akatosh wants to tell everyone at the same time. Tomorrow morning, you will be taken by the Divines to a special place, where you will wait for me and the others, I am to gather you all up then the threat will be revealed. I only have three to go after you, I am risking a lot being here, so now I must go, one more piece of advice before I go." said Argon
"What?" asked Fayen
"Make sure light covers every inch of your house, leave no shadows and no darkness. Do not turn out any light sleep with the lights on tonight. It is only safe." said Argon, then he produced a spell and he disappeared.
After he left, Fayen put up magelights that would not go out all over his house. He lit candles, torches, his wall sconces, and his chandeliers. Then like Argon had said, he went to sleep without extinguishing any of the lights. The next morning, when he awoke Mara was standing before him.
"You ready to go?" she asked
"Lead the way." Fayen said then they were off