Mortal (Book 3)

Chapter 18

I sit down at my desk and let my eyes pour over the documents. Decades of secret assassinations by the Mede family; the Septims, my family, barely survived and only with the help of the Motierres. The first few killings were quiet and painless deaths; poisonings, an arrow to the head while my great grandfather slept. Overtime they became more gruesome; pushing them from cliffs in the wilderness, framing them for crimes and publicly executing them. My grandmother Monaveen who was assassinated with King Rodene Motierre had five daughters before her death, but in the end, her husband and four of her daughters are murdered in cold blood before any of them reach their 18th birthdays. Only one, the youngest of the five, survived to pass on her Septim blood to me.
Eventually it's made clear that the Motierres establishing contact with Septim descendents is the very thing leading the Mede emperors to them, so they stop making contact and instead simply watching from a distance through a complicated network of spies and contacts, interfering only when necessary, waiting for a descendent to show some sort of promise or potential of reclaiming their title from the Medes.
Finally after hours of reading, my mother's name appears in the documents. A baby girl born 8th of Frostfall 4E 153, named Alma after her third month, a.k.a. Alma Septim. Second child born to Gline Septim and his wife, Rilina. Both Breton. Infant didn't appear well at birth and wasn't expected to survive. I backtrack a little and find another similar document of the birth of my uncle. A baby boy, born 25th of Second Seed 4E 149, named Havan, secretly Havan Septim. First child born to Gline Septim and his wife, Rilina. Both Breton.
Surprisingly, there is little documentation on my mother after her birth. However, there is a surplus of information of Havan. He was 22 at the start of the Great War and became a very accomplished soldier. A spy of the Motierres was asked to join the Legion as well to protect him at all costs and alert them of his progress. In the early days of his training the spy saved his life several times and later when he was more experienced he returned the favor. Eventually she became his best friend, and after the war, his wife.
I find another document of birth like Havan's and my mother's.

Twin daughters, born 19th of Sun's Height 4E 177, named Carth and Arbera, secretly Carth Septim and Arbera Septim. Arbera is firstborn, only by a few moments, to Legate Havan Septim and myself. Both half Breton, half Imperial.

I do the math; they'd be about 25 or 26 now.
The next documents, all in their mother's handwriting, document their growth and progress into their teenage years as accomplished warriors trained by their own parents. I smile as she documents everything from their first steps to their first straight shot with an arrow. She remarks that while Arbera is a graceful warrior, Carth appears to be more of an intellectual. Arbera is kind hearted and understanding, Carth is clever and quick-witted. Arbera has a tendency to trust blindly, but Carth protects her from her own heart. Carth is too sarcastic for her own good, but Arbera apologizes for her and makes sure she has friends. Their mother remarks that if the Motierres would see their potential, the two could be wonderful joint rulers of the Empire someday. I open the next document, and my heart drops when I see that it isn't in their mother's handwriting like the rest.

Report from Agent Huld to J.M.   3rd of Morning Star, 4E 193
Arrived at the location described, discovered home burned to the ground. Villagers informed me that the entire family was killed just a week ago. However, only the bodies of the mother, father, and one daughter were found, but the second daughter is assumed dead as well. Will continue to search for leads for security's sake.

My heart aches for the family I never knew, especially for their mother. Living her whole life with one mission of protecting Havan and her daughters, and knowing in her last moments she'd failed. Havan never knowing everything his wife had done for him and why, Carth and Arbera never knowing the truth.

Report from Agent Huld to J.M.   5th of Morning Star, 4E 193
Questioned several villagers with no luck. Finally as a last ditch effort, a young friend of the daughters told me that the family horse had disappeared after the fire. While most of the village assumed that the fire had spooked it away, she disagreed and hoped one of the daughters had survived. Investigated the ruins of the home and found horse tracks leading away from the family stable; will begin tracking tonight.