Neil's Elder Scrolls Saga

Dear Friend Maurivar, 

      I'm glad you spent so much time teaching me to write so that this letter is possible. I hope you can be found at the boarding house in Wayrest, and that you're not on tour in some other town or province. My days of glory in the Arenas have ended in a most mysterious manner. I'll try to explain the last few weeks that have led me to my current circumstances.
      As you know, my gladiator company was on a tour south from your home province where I last saw you. We spent a week in Sentinel, where we fought well in a make-shift arena on the desert sands outside the city. Our opponents were mostly Redguards and Orcs, although one unusual High Elf proved that elves need not all be scrawny wizards. I'll try to keep this as short as possible, so I'll spare you the details of our victories in Hammerfell.
      Our next stop would be in Valenwood. As I explained to you before, my master, Brougo, wants to keep me out of Cyrodiil as much as possible. We planned to travel through County Anvil, Cyrodiil, without stopping until we reached Valenwood. He doesn't trust me. I sincerely promised him that I would take no inappropriate actions, but he'll take no chances. A man can be arrested or murdered for the claims I make, as I have found out.
      Despite his best efforts to hurry us through this narrow region of the province, a small company of Imperial Legionnaires met us on the Gold Road and stopped our progress. This was no accident. The Captain exchanged words with Brougo for some time before two sacks of coins changed hands. That is, Brougo received a payment, and when he pointed to me, it was clear what was happening. For some reason, which I may now understand, the Captain paid Brougo to remove me from his company of gladiators and place me into the Legion's custody.
      The short explanation is that my freedom had been purchased. I would no longer fight for Brougo as a gladiator.
      I never considered myself property, but in some eyes it might seem that way. My mother sold me to Brougo when I was a boy, but it was not as a slave. At least, neither my mother nor Brougo used the word, and none of us in the company considered ourselves so. Slavery being illegal in Cyrodiil, that word must be avoided at all costs. Slaves don't receive salaries, so in that way I was at least better than a slave.
      But at that moment when I saw the money exchange hands, when Brougo let me go so easily, I instantly saw that perhaps I had been a slave. How much coin was in those sacks? How much was it worth for Brougo to let me out of his employ? How much had my mother been paid to sell me into his care? I have been a fighter for most of my life, always doing as Brougo said, fighting the battles he chose. The only other education I ever had was from you, Maurivar. What else could I be doing with myself?
      I'm not writing this letter to inform you of a great new life of freedom. It wasn't my freedom that was purchased that day.
      The soldiers took me into their custody, as I already explained, and we began traveling east towards the capital city of the Empire, the home of the Emperor himself. This is where my lack of education and ignorance of politics led to my first mistake: I asked them if it was my father who paid for my freedom.
      I have told many, including you, that I know of my secret heritage. My mother told me who my father was: Geldall Septim, the Emperor's first-born son, and heir to the empire. She used to talk of him whenever she was alone with me. She wanted me to be proud of myself, for I had the blood of the Dragon in me, a rare gift for a peasant of my meagre stature.
      The guards of my escort were shocked when I claimed to be the son of Geldall Septim. He has no heirs, they said, which is true in the legitimate sense. I swore my claim was true, and that Geldall would confirm it himself as soon as I was brought before him. He would know my mother's name, and perhaps contact her himself to verify my identity. My mother and I could unite in some way with the Septim family. None of the Septim sons have children yet, so surely they will be glad to meet me! Think of it, Maurivar! You might be reading the words of a Prince!
      Notably, the legion captain did not seem surprised at my words. He said only this: "You won't be talking that nonsense until we reach our destination. Maybe then someone will listen to your claims." This should have been a clear sign that it was not my freedom that had been purchased, but probably my silence instead. Reaching Geldall and the Emperor will not be easy. Harder still, with my current state.
      Traveling under guard was demeaning. It was obvious that they despised me. But I caught them giving me looks of appraisal. Some of them suspected that I am who I claim to be. They thought they were looking at a young prince, that at last Geldall has done his duty for the Empire. They began to antagonize me while we were on the road and while camped. They asked me what other lies I had invented, how much my mother was paid when servicing Geldall, and other such insults.
      I turned the questions on their captain, who seemed to know more than the others about their mission. "How much did Geldall pay for my freedom? How much is he paying you for your silence?" The captain could only retaliate by accusing me of being delusional. I thought many times about how I might escape bondage and cause the captain great pain. If he wanted to be so silent, I could help him by splitting his tongue with his own dagger. His arrogant smile would have looked better without teeth. Needless to say, the captain and I became enemies on our trip through Cyrodiil. This was not the way I had hoped to return to my home province. But it has only gotten worse after those petty arguments.
      We stopped at a road-side inn one night to sleep indoors, and where a carriage would meet us in the morning to speed us along for the rest of the journey. There were a few other patrons at the inn, so the captain insisted that we make it appear as if nothing was amiss. For good behaviour, I would be rewarded with beer and venison. But by this point, I had become excited about how close I was to my father. We were perhaps only a day away from the Imperial City. My father was within reach, and neither beer nor venison would cloud my judgment.
      Midway through our meal, I stood up from the table. The captain stared at me hard, silently commanding me to sit down, and I know that I saw fear in his eyes. Bringing me into the inn was a mistake. I knew then that it was my silence that was bought, not my freedom! My father must know that I exist.
      I walked over to a table occupied by a man and woman, and introduced myself. The captain remained in his seat, but watched and listened closely. I told them that I was born not far west, in County Skingrad. I had lived with my mother at the farm where she was employed. Did they know the farm? They said they did not. Had they been to Skingrad? Yes, many times, they replied. My mother also spent much time there, especially in the evenings. I wondered aloud if my mother had met my father at an inn or at the alchemist's shop that she liked so much. I offered to tell them about my father, at which point I heard the rustling of the captain's armor as he stood from his table.
      "Do you know if Geldall Septim visits Skingrad often?" I asked. They gave me puzzled, incredulous looks. Hard, angry footsteps on the floorboards approached me.
      "Yes, Geldall is my father. I'm on my way to join him now."
      The captain bellowed an order to his guards to cuff me immediately.
      "Don't let these men silence me any further! The Empire needs its Prince! I am Prince Oberyn! Take me to the Emperor and be rewarded!"
      The footsteps were too close now, so I leaped up from the table and turned to meet the captain and his guards. I admit that I threw the first punch, hitting the captain on the shoulder. He would have been wise to send his thugs on me first. I had been raised a gladiator since childhood, after all. To my surprise, the guards stood back, as if to give the captain some room. The captain shook off my punch, and came at me with far more skill than I expected from a common soldier. I took many cuts from his dagger, but gave many punches in return. He fought better than most opponents I faced in the Arenas. I suspect now that he was no ordinary Legion soldier, which I should have assumed, given that he was on an errand for the Emperor himself, if my instinct proves correct. His sword remained in its scabbard at his hip, giving me confidence that I was in no danger of being killed. Geldall would have been outraged if these men had killed me.
      The guards had worked their way around and managed to pull my legs out from under me. They pinned me to the floor and shackled both my wrists and ankles, and put me outside behind the inn. As I lay on the grass in the shadow of the inn, the captain stood over me, looking down with an odd look on his face. He looked both smug and disappointed, considering what to do with me. He sent the guards back inside to finish their meals and to tell the other patrons that their meals would be paid for, as well as any damage to their clothing or goods. A prudent political move.
      Alone with me outside, he said this: "You make wild claims, brave Oberyn. And I tell you this without lying: you are wrong. Geldall Septim has no heirs or children anywhere in this world or any other. You are not a Septim and have no connection with that great family. Trust me, and trust the Empire when I tell you this. You would do well to take hold of your mind. Let's finish this journey together so that your life might start again with clarity. Abandon the illusions that addle your mind. Pray to Stendarr for salvation."
      A pious man, isn't he? Full of charity and compassion, but lacking evidence against me. It is disappointing to learn that the Empire seeks to control truth with muscle and religion.
      I lay on the ground outside the inn all night, the guards taking turns watching me. I stayed awake to see if any of the inn patrons would come to see my face again. No one came. No doubt the captain had words with them too, using magic of his own to take hold of their minds and manipulate their opinions.
      I thought of you much that night, Maurivar. You're the greatest friend I've ever known. I wished you could have somehow appeared, arriving at the back of the inn to find me helplessly chained on the damp ground, and freed me. I know no others who might have risked their lives to free me. Since leaving Brougo's company, I've been in chains and without anyone to trust. Money always changes hands in my associations. Wagers, contracts, bounties. Yours was the first friendship I knew that had no price.
      There isn't much more of the journey to explain. In the early morning, I was carried around to the front of the inn where a carriage was waiting. Once inside, the doors were locked and barred, and our journey continued at a faster pace with the help of horses. We did not go to the Imperial City, as I had expected. Instead, we traveled around it and continued east. Days later, we arrived in Cheydinhal and I was unloaded at the castle barracks and immediately brought down into the dungeon. I would like to tell you about how I have been beaten, starved, and debased, but it would be a lie. I am treated well, to my surprise. A healer was even sent to tend to the cuts dealt to me by the captain.
      As you can tell, they even provided me with quill, ink, and parchment, so that I can write anything I wish. I asked them to have this letter delivered to you at the boarding house in Wayrest, so I hope that you are there when it arrives. It's entirely possible that they will simply put this in a fire, but they have been treating me well so far. My father is taking care of me from afar. Why won't he come see me in secret here in the dungeon?
      I don't know what is going to happen to me. It seems that I won't be killed in this cell, which must mean that I will be freed at some point. But will I remain under watch for the rest of my life?
      What terrifies me the most is freedom. Should a day come when these shackles come off my wrists, what will I do? Where will I go? My only thought is to summon a friend to my side.

Please, Maurivar, come to Cheydinhal.

~ Oberyn