Chapter 8: All Hail

Previously: Echo of Someone Else

My dearest beloved Selara,

 

I hope this letter finds you. I have sent men all over Cyrodiil to find you. They said your family farms and cottages were abandoned. You were at none of the temples. I feared the worst until they finally found the last of your family at your ancestral seat.

 

I regret how things ended between us. I was so blinded by ambition that I couldn't see your side of things. I have wanted to be more than an eighth prince for years. I have wanted to wed a queen. And I admit that in the moment... I just really wanted you gone. 

 

It has been many days since my wedding. What began promisingly has faded into cold distance between my new wife and me. As she increasingly ignores me, I must confront a bitter truth: Elisif still mourns her husband, and her court still would prefer that I were a Nord. 

I have tried to learn their culture and customs. I have gone to the Bard's College in Solitude to learn about their history, literature, and music. I have trained with their swordsmen and ridden into the wilds with their hunters. They are so different from us, Selara. Nevertheless, I admire them very much.

 

Even so, I am lonely at court. My days are filled with sitting in a throne room where I am not needed. My evenings are filled with reading and wine.

 

I miss you. And my offer still stands. I did as Father commanded and married the Skyrim Queen. I overheard the court mage say she may already be with child. So we can be together, Selara. I will show you the beauty of this country and provide you a fine life here at the Blue Palace. It can be just like before, but without my mother's meddling.

 

I eagerly await your response. 

 

Always,

 

Cassian

 

*** 

Falk Firebeard didn't like the arrangement, but he didn't really have a better choice.

 

As far as the royal steward was concerned, there were far too many Imperials at the Blue Palace already, and this girl's presence was not going to make things better. While some Kings did take mistresses, it was bold for a King Consort to do so, especially when the mistress in question was his former betrothed.

 

He'd had hope. The royal couple appeared infatuated with each other their wedding night. They'd spent several days in bed together. Melaran had even assured Falk that Elisif was in the earliest stages of pregnancy. And just as quickly as hope flamed, it fizzled out.

 

The two began sleeping in separate bedrooms and dining apart. Elisif barely spoke to or acknowledged her new husband, who was becoming increasingly isolated at court. Falk figured that with the arrival of a mistress, at least someone could be happy.

 

"Miss Selara," the steward greeted courteously, "it is a pleasure to meet you. I trust you had a pleasant journey."

 

"The seas were benevolent enough, my lord," Selara replied, but despite her pleasant tone, Falk didn't miss the haunted look in her eyes. She was pale and thin, and had clearly been going through some kind of struggle. Her dress was fine and clean, but judging by her lack of chests, it was probably her only good one.

 

"I have made all the arrangements," Cassian happily assured her, lightly touching her lower back. "You have an account at Radiant Raiment; they specialize in Imperial fashions."

 

"And you will be sharing a chamber with Miss Viktoriyah," Falk told her. "She is lady-in-waiting to the Queen. Shall I show you your room now?" 

***

 

Oh, what fresh hell is this.

Viktoriyah wasn't just annoyed that she had a new roommate, but that once again, she was the last to know that someone had taken a lover.

 

This is what I get for visiting Volkihar off-schedule. 

"And who might you be?" she asked, switching to her Blue Palace voice.

 

"Selara," the young woman replied, her tone soft, her eyes worried. "I just arrived in Solitude."

 

Viktoriyah poured two glasses of wine and gestured for the newcomer to sit. The wine was enchanted, of course, designed to relax a mortal's guard with just a few sips, and make them speak the truth.

 

"I can only imagine the journey," she empathized. "I'll have the maids draw you a bath and fetch you something to eat."

 

"I'm much obliged," Selara thanked her, nodding.

 

Viktoriyah had to admit she liked her style. Selara was a raven-haired beauty in a fine dark gown, fit for a vampire noblewoman. She had a crisp, refined Altmeri accent that would delight even the likes of Vingalmo. She even had the "haunted" look that betrayed more than just a tiresome voyage.

"My last chamber-mate was the Countess of Bruma," Viktoriyah said. "From whence do you hail?" She was genuinely curious. There was something about this woman that she just couldn't put her finger on.

 

"The County of Anvil," Selara replied. "Though until recently, my family was all over."

 

Viktoriyah cocked her head to the side. "What happened?"

 

Selara sighed deeply before taking a long drink of her wine. Viktoriyah could tell it had been a long time since she'd enjoyed such a luxury. It made her wonder why the Emperor's son would be involved with a woman who couldn't even afford wine.

"When I was at court, betrothed to Cassian, I was an orphan," Selara confessed. "I had no dowry, no lands, no coin of my own. But I had cousins, so I would write them these... self-entitled missives demanding they pay for my jewels and gowns and perfumes. I'd make these lofty promises to repay them tenfold once I became a princess."

 

"And what did your cousins say?"

 

"Nothing," Selara said, eyes down, lost in memory. She shrugged haplessly. "So I'd write again and again, my tone angrier and more demanding each time. 'Where is my money? What is wrong with you people? Don't you understand who I am?' But still... nothing.

 

"And then one day, Cassian broke with me, in favor of Elisif. When I went back to my chamber in the Imperial Palace, I found that his evil cunt of a mother had taken back every gown, every trinket, every shred of finery the royal family had ever gifted. I left court with little more than the clothes on my back." She took another long drink of wine.

 

"So I trekked halfway across the country towards the Abecean Sea. I stopped at every farm and cottage I knew my family owned. Everywhere was abandoned. Barren land. Crumbling buildings. I had spent years writing to no one."

Viktoriyah stared at her, appalled. This was not the tale she'd been expecting. This was some kind of horror story.

 

"I found the last of my family in our ancestral castle by the sea," Selara said. "It's a giant ruin overlooking a harbor. More than half the rooms are unusable. When I finally met my cousins, my feet were bleeding, my soul was crushed, and I fell into their arms weeping like I've never wept before. And what's worse... they embraced me. They embraced me and wept for we were all of one mind: this is all that remains of the once-great Vantinius." 

Viktoriyah's whole body stilled. If she'd had a heartbeat, it would've stilled as well. She almost choked on her wine.

 

"Van... Vantinius?"

 

Selara nodded. "That's who I am. That's why the Emperor was willing to let Cassian marry me. I am Selara Aurelia Vantinia, one of the last of House Vantinius." She raised her glass. "All hail."

 

Next: Blood Sacrifice