Please... hold on.
Those were the last words that the Hero heard as he slipped into a state of unconsciousness. As he fell deeper into this dark void he saw his own memories cascade as well with him in this dark sea of emptiness. Each memory was presented to him and he had the chance to rather hold onto it or let it fall away faster from him and disappear for what seemed like eternity. He heard the agonizing shrieks of the battlefield as he looked upon a moving photograph of his reminiscence. The portrait vanished and behind him he heard a crackling voice beckon out to him. The tone echoed out around him and silently a memory had resurfaced from a chest that he confined it to in his mind. "Oh, look, an Imperial in the Imperial Prison. I guess they don't play favorites, huh?"
The Hero turned his head as he looked at the memory. He saw a shadowy elder Dunmer standing behind a sturdy cage door. His hands wrapped around the smooth metal as he stuck his head closer to the light to see the Hero who remained shrouded in the shadows of his own cell. His faded crimson eyes shifted back and forth as the once Imperial prisoner had walked closer to examine the Dunmer who spoke to him. Dreth's lips coiled in a smirk sending a few dark ripples over his discolored façade. "...Your own kinsmen think you're a piece of human trash. How sad. I bet the guards give you "special" treatment before the end. Oh, that's right. You're going to die in here, Imperial! You're going to die! Imperial criminal scum like you give the Empire a bad name, you see. You're an embarrassment. Best if you just... disappeared."
As the Hero cascaded into the darkness of his mind he reached forward and attempted to swipe the remembrance away. The ethereal figure of Valen Dreth slowly but surely altered to a billowing hunched haze of shades as the Hero wished not to remember that day at all. Conversely, another memory resurfaced that he wished to shroud former in the depths of his mind. He heard the bubbling of fresh magma that churned in the fiery lake. He heard the jerky metallic noise of the Crawler rolling the joints of its body as it inched gradually across that lake. He smelt the brimstone and decayed human flesh that was thick in the air. His stomach churned as he attempted to force it from him; however, it seemed nearly impossible. The mere thought of that realm made him uncomfortable. He pivoted his head away with desire to avoid this memory.
The memory grew around him and soon its hellish jaws swung ajar and devoured him. He became shrouded in the darkness of his mind and as he looked onward he could see he was standing before the vast lake of fire. The heat of the magma emitted from the lake as if it were the pulse- the essence- of the lava. His skin cried for he was far too close to the edge of the lake. Perspiration dampened his darkened brow as he gawked upon the immense atrocity that was the Siege Crawler. Upon every fifth pulse of his heart it inched nearer to the gate of which he was faced away from. Upon the bronze back of this monster he saw two entwining figures. His eyes lifted and he could see Xilivicus and himself clashing together. Their blades swung together in harmony but the Champion's hearts were shattered and upon two different levels. As the man looked up into the sky to see himself he felt such grief rise in his heart. It hadn't really ever left him. It was merely just a voice in his head he quieted unless he lost grip of his self the voice would raise. With a heaved groan that rose and vanished before him, the Hero looked into his own crazed eyes. In those moments, he had been taken over by another entity. One which he never wished to become.
High above the steeples of the towers, thunder shattered the heavens causing crimson pieces of the clouds to cascade into the lakes of fire. Not long after, a scream came from the bridge of the towers. It was her voice. The man lifted his eyes leisurely as he could only watch this performance. No longer was he a part of it. Is this my reprieve from damnation? To spend forever watching that which condemned me? The dark void of Sithis would be far more pleasant than watching this play out for eternity. The Hero stomached the play as if it were rotted meat dampened with cave water. He saw Elizabeth's weakened body hunch over the bridge as she reached her hand out in hopes to grasp Xilivicus and save him from the fate that the knight delivered to him. Could she have known? Could she have known what would befall of his feeble human body?
This was the moment. This was it.
His shoulder dug deep into his skin and the Churl plunged over the side of the Siege Crawler. The Hero watched as he could see the terror and almost... acceptance that had smeared across the Churl's face. The terror gathered together and fled from his face in the billowing winds. His eyelids drooped and as he closed his eyes he fully accepted his fate. The knight's stomach lurched as he saw his rival's flesh disappear and at last the magma devoured his body and soul. The shrill shriek of Elizabeth echoed to his side and he felt chills run through his arm and down his side. Her voice acted like poison in his veins. With such remorse, the Hero closed his own eyes and bowed his head. I don't want to watch any more. Take me away from here.
He demanded this of his mind; however, he was merely a servant to the his mental psyche. His voice was ineffective against the strident influence of his mind. The waves of heat still overflowed him as he stood beside the lake of magma allowing the shadow of himself to leap from the Siege Crawler and sprint towards the main gate were he would rendezvous with the High Elf. As he stood there inert as the steeples of the towers, he no longer viewed himself as a man or even an Imperial. He seemed to be only a silhouette of doubts and hatred that masked itself with the hero's façade. A likely act put out to get the attention and respect that he always thirsted for. As he was to turn his back to the lake of magma he saw an enormous air pocket blossom on the surface of the lava. His eyes were drawn to the flamboyant boil for he hadn't remembering seeing that when he departed through the tower's doors. The effervesce formed and slithered across the magma until it reached the crimson shore. With uncertainty the knight treaded quickly over. He rounded the faded base of the tower and skipped between a few jagged rocks as he watched; mesmerized.
From the blanket of magma, a skeletal hand reached out and feebly grasped at the molten rock that had solidified against the shore of the lake. As the hand reached further from the magma, veins encircled the bone and muscles began to form with no true origin. Skin slithered over the muscle like a plague falling over a city. The skin began a fiery color like that of the lava then quickly faded once it had surfaced into the air.
It turned to a dark violet.
The Hero's eyes grew wider as he wished to draw closer; however, he was uncertain that the newly restored hand wouldn't reach out and grab him in hopes to drag him to the bottom of the lake of fire. A sickness flooded the knight's body as once again he was only a spectator to the events. Voices echoed in his head like a courtroom as they all attempted to rationalize the situation.
It's your personal condemnation creating this photograph! You're writhing in your own lunacy! One voice bellowed out to him above the others.
You're dreaming, kid; you are beginning to mix together the fabrics of reality and the powers of invention! Each voice seemed truer than the last.
It's another view of the incident, kid! Stop attempting to shroud the truth under a veil! This hadn't appeared as his voice. It seemed far more diverse; nonetheless, he listened to it. He became the judge at this trial of insanity.
Another skeletal hand jerked from the embrace of the magma and as it slammed down upon the molten rock, a glass shattering noise echoed out to the spectator. The Hero was snapped from his schizophrenic quarrel and his focused was back upon the magma. Underneath the thick skeletal hand were the shards of a black broken vial which seemed rather dry of any fluids. Long jagged nails grew like thorns from the fingertips of the hands. The nails dug into the earth and with an unexpected force, the arms heaved a skeletal body from the magma. The lava rolled down the ashen bones like thick blazing oil. The fiery magma appeared as skin that melted away from the bones leaving them bare.
The skull fell lifeless to the shore of the lake as the skeleton appeared to rest. Upon the temples of the skull there were two jagged bones. The Hero identified them rather swiftly as the horns of the man. Muscles stretched from all parts of the body and skin crawled tightly over them like a blanket of violet. As the skin had rounded the face and follicles of hair begin to sprout, the chest heaved immense and breath was breathed into the Dremora. He vomited chunks of magma which turned his mouth into a fiery pit. With newfound strength he placed his hands upon the molten rock and lifted himself. He was rather clumsy at first; however, that was expected.
As he lifted his head, his thick ginger hair fell before his closed eyes. His breaths heaved for a few moments like they would if he had been running for a while. His brawny torso was rather bare besides the remnants of his Daedric greaves that hung loosely to the pronounced hipbones scarcely below his waist. His body gleamed with newborn sweat which pronounced most of his well toned muscles. His angelic face lifted to the sky as he observed his surroundings. He pivoted and looked upon the Siege Crawler which soon informed him of his location. His face stiffened with a mixture of grief and disappointment as personal images and words flooded his mind.
"... Xilivicus," the Hero wheezed in disbelief as if he had plunged into the depths of the lava and resurfaced with the Churl as well. He spoke softly hoping that the Dremora could validate this ever so true proclamation, "... I... I killed you."
Silence was his answer. The knight was just a ghost in this realm, he realized. His voice was just a puff of wind against the ears of those he spoke to. The man stumbled away from the shore as he ascended the pitiable incline that lifted him onto a higher level of Oblivion. The Hero was fast to follow as he couldn't allow such wonderment slip from his grasp. He held upon this meager amount of hope rather tightly. Almost obsessively. If there was a way to acquire Elizabeth's exoneration it would be returning to her that which she lost. In a futile attempt to acquire the Dremora's perception, the Hero called out to him in his rich Colovian voice which was shaken in bewilderment, "... Xilivicus!"
Just as expected, the Dremora continued to walk down the paths of Oblivion; ignorant of the apparition that tried so frantically to contact him. His structure was hardened as he seemed determined upon something. Could it possibly be that he still burdened the love for Elizabeth in his rotting black heart? With Xilivicus' newly acquired life, he gained another entity to him; one that was sensed within a glance. He looked stronger and more willed then he had before. There was also a distinct malicious vibe that he discharged from those piercing tangerine eyes that could light a man's soul on fire or cause one to succumb to his will and become as submissive as a canine.
"Please," begged the Hero in a distressed voice that clenched upon a twinge of fear. "Please... God's blood... p-please... tell me that I am not dreaming! Tell me that you are Xilivicus and that you are alive!"
The Dremora stopped.
The Hero's eyes grew wider as for a moment he truly thought he had caught the attention of the Churl. The ideas and worries that were cradled in his mind were thrown out like unwanted vagabonds. His mind- his attention- everything that could possibly heed any word or imagery from the Dremora was focused upon Xilivicus. He awaited the answer of truth.
"... You are dreaming," Xilivicus' ruthless voice broke out into the eerie silence that had encased him and held him hostage. "I am nothing more then a figment of your imagination."
The legitimacy struck the Hero cruelly in the face. He nearly stumbled back from the blow. His heart raced beneath his chest as he looked upon his rival with such misery- such pity and forlorn. His cracking lips opened in hopes to persuade the man. Persuade him into telling him a lie that might suffice his breaking heart. Before the Hero could even mutter a sound, Xilivicus turned and focused his eyes upon him. His eyes burned so brilliantly. They blazed like prairie fire; able to fascinate and destroy all in the same time. The Churl's dark pouted lips came ajar as he spoke, "... Even in your dreams, Great Champion, may I give you information that not even your mind could fabricate. For a part of me lives on outside the walls of Oblivion."
"Yes," the Hero agreed with a frantic head nod. He proceeded while clasping his hands together and continuing with a grief-stricken voice, "Elizabeth lives on. I am only too grateful that someone has survived from the war."
Xilivicus turned his eyes to the sky; the sky which bled more with each passing second. For even when Tamriel and Oblivion were at war it had appeared that the heavens had intervened and took a fatal blow. Thunder rolled across the crimson clouds and echoed over the realm. As the Churl returned his eyes to the Hero he could not immediately find the precise words that he wished to tell him. "... No..." he began, "... another part of me lives."
"Another?" the Hero questioned with befuddlement. His brow creased over his magnificent chocolate eyes as he inquired urgently, "What other part? Please, my friend, I must know... it may be the only way I can regain Elizabeth's trust."
With a saddened sigh heaved from his strapping chest, Xilivicus felt all too sorrowful at the moment to answer the knight's anticipated question. Even if he were merely an illusion that only lived in the bothersome mind of Cyrodiil's Champion, he still could feel the qualms and grief that burdened him in the days before death. "Elizabeth..." the Churl had whispered out to himself in an endeavor to kindle his imaginary heart. "...she appears only as a dream to me now. A dream which consumes me even as we speak... I miss her so much."
The Hero held a grimace upon his face as he observed the sadness displayed by this poor creature. With his hands he had stripped the Dremora of any chance he had at having true love. Within his own hands he destroyed and now with the same hands he would amend this broken bond. "... Xilivicus... please..."
The Churl was pulled from the memories that tossed like tides in his hollow body. His weary eyelids drooped over his narrow eyes as he knew that the Hero hadn't much time to roam this sinister castle in the sky. He avoided the answer that the Hero wanted by another, "... Lord Dagon shall strike again upon Tamriel. It is very clear that this time... he will shut the jaws of Oblivion and open the gateway to his new sovereignty upon Tamriel. You mustn't let him succeed." A rolling chill ascended Xilivicus' spine as he knew that the time had run out. "... You must know that I forgive you for what happened upon that day. If it is any constellation, it is what I insisted to happen. Please, dear friend... take care of them."
The Hero's expression grew even more perplexed as he questioned rapidly, "Them? What do you mean them? Xilivicus, I don't-"
Xilivicus feet turned to billows of violet smoke as he began to fade from the dream. The Churl bowed his head as he had no time to respond to the man's infinite questions. With the last words he retained he uttered, "... tell them I'm sorry..."
Just as he spoke the last word, he vanished from the reverie and reality itself like a candle snuffed out in the dead of winter. The colors of Oblivion began to run together as if the scenery was merely a canvas of wet paint and water had dripped upon it. Everything faded into blackness around the Hero for he could not even move his legs. He was immobilized by force and by his own fear. Darkness surrounded him once again as he fell out of the abyss of his mind and began to fall into consciousness.
The brilliant fireplace roared comfortably allowing some of its heat to fall upon the hearth and rest there for a while. Even though the room was fueled with such efficient warmth that was graciously dispensed from the flames, it had seemed that this would not entirely thaw the tattered and torn carcass of the Hero. The blackness perched upon his eyelids scattered and drifted far away from him. The shadows of the flames flickered over his glistening tanned face as he first began to stir. The throbbing pain that had taken refuge in his chest now seemed to bother his entire body. His muscles awoke with him as he pushed himself up to glance around.
Xilivicus, I don't... no... no- you were not real, were you? It truly was only a dream... how foolish I was to believe that. He told himself as he blinked away the weariness that hung from the lashes of his eyelids. Everything sharpened as he could finally see where he was. Yes, he knew this place. He had visited it often. The main temple of the Blades' fortress looked just the same as it had when he had left it to fight for Tamriel. He tossed his eyes down upon his immediate surroundings to see a mixture of empty and filled glistening bottles next to the bedroll that had been positioned next to the roaring fire. As he hunched forward even further to look around, he cringed in pain as he felt his tattered skin brush against the material of his bondages
What had happened upon the battlefield? All that he remembered was sprinting up the coiled snake-like ramps that led to the Sigillum Sanguis. Those images had been smeared into darkness as that is when he had drifted into that unbearable trance. The man crutched all his weight upon his right side as he lifted a hand to press the drenched coils of gold away from his heated face. The fire had proven effective for his cheeks were the color of rose petals. The deep rich wooden door behind him had cracked ajar causing the Hero's ears to perk. His body cringed for a second as he pivoted his head to look at his visitor.
The slender porcelain figure of Elizabeth glided into the room with ignorance of the man's recovery. Just as her eyes fell upon him her lips coiled into a grin and she hurried rushed over to him. Her petite hand fell to her abdomen as he gripped the edges of her housecoat soon pulling it tighter around her figure in hope to keep it from falling open and exposing her velvet nightgown. As she came to his side she had kneeled down and with hands folded in her lap she sat and admired the bondage that she had wrapped across his chest. "... I'm so glad you're awake," her hushed soothing voice told him, "we all feared the worst."
The Hero lowered his gaze in shame for even now he couldn't bare the presence of the maiden. It had smoldered his skin which was covered in the follies of his actions. His lips became sealed as he wished that- like his memories- he could wish her away and she would vanish for the moment. The Altmer's ashen brow creased as she had hoped for some response from the Champion. Her head had cocked hardly to a side as she overlooked him. She saw the hindrance of grief that he sheltered willingly in his body. Her shimmering sapphire eyes shifted across his face as she waited for a moment longer. When his answer became silence, she questioned him lightly, "... are you alright?"
"I... I'm so sorry, Elizabeth," he finally answered with a shaken voice. His head pivoted and his devastated glistening eyes glued upon hers as he needed for her to understand. He needed her merciful grace. "... I could have... I could have saved him. I could have saved him and stopped before he had... Oh, Elizabeth... what have I done?" He turned his head away to the fire as if it carried the answer. The emotions began to overwhelm him as he could no longer stomach the guilt of all his actions. The weight of the world- the fate of Tamriel- the guilt of his death... it all had been bottled up for too long. His previous dream had been the trigger for this emotional breakdown.
Silence was her answer as she turned her eyes to the fire as well. What was she to say to him? Oh- yes... you have ruined my life as well as our relationship. I never want to see you again—no... she couldn't be cruel. The guilt and pain he felt now was his well earned punishment. A weak smile pulled to her lips as she told the knight, "... I half expected you and Xilivicus to be working with each other. You have given him precisely what he wanted."
The man's ears perked and he turned his head back to her with a saddened façade, "... he loved you Elizabeth. I would never—he would unquestionably never..." his eyes closed as he concentrated upon his words and as he caught grasp of the precise words he opened his eyes and informed her, "... there is no man upon this earth who would wish to die knowing there is a girl who is waiting for him to return to her. Xilivicus loved you ever so much, Elizabeth... and I stole his life from you."
"You stole nothing," she laughed weakly while shaking her head softly. Her long silver tresses glowed in the firelight as she turned her head. Her eyes fastened back upon him as she explained, "He told me it would be better off if we had never met," her forced smile soon faded as she could recall those fiery eyes that burned through her. She remembered the way he spoke and how he never wished to submit her to a life with a Daedra. In that moment, she could see the movement of their bodies together. She could see how he arched his back as he lifted himself from her embrace to watch her as he pleased her in a way not every man could. His eyes beheld the beauty of her face as he would rock back and forth upon her. She snapped herself away from those memories by closing her eyes and shutting closed the jar that held his memory. "... I denied the thought of him leaving... I suppose that—that the Divines had something else in mind and you were only acting upon the fate that they had carved into stone."
"Elizabeth... for one moment could you think of yourself and not the damned Nine Divines and their plan for this world!" the Hero spat with a hurtful glare. "... You loved him. He loved you... how can you possibly be fine with me murdering him?!"
His voice lifted into the parapets of stone which made Elizabeth heave a heavy sigh from her chest. As she looked back upon him she answered, "... it hurt to watch. It still hurts now and it shall hurt for my entire life. To think of what could have been is hard for your actions had engulfed them in the flames of hatred. Revenge will not settle these feelings and hatred will not bring him back. My friend... I have forgiven you for everything... don't you think it is time you forgive yourself as well?"
Silence engulfed them and their eyes continued to hold together. The security and elegance emitted from the Altmer's eyes was quickly taken in by the eyes of the knight. His weeping heart had been settled ever so slowly as he began to realize there was nothing that could bring the Dremora back. The words that she had spoken to him had been absorbed into his mind and just like the light of a candle it had discharged a bright light that fought back the growing darkness. With another painful thought, the man turned his head forward as he spoke out to the maiden, "... I just wish there was something I could do..."
Elizabeth smiled sweetly knowing that behind his flaws there was a sympathetic creature that only wished for acceptance. A gentle hand lifted and settled across the man's darkened shoulder. The man's head turned as the High Elf spoke to him, "... I know you do..."
While he leaned upon his right side, he lifted his left hand and placed it over the maiden's with a smile creasing across his face. His fingers gripped onto her skin in a appreciative sign. Her words had taken the weight from his shoulders allowing his mind to stretch further then his difficult past and to carry on to what the future may hold for him. With a gracious chuckle, the knight said, "I wish there was another way to express my gratitude other then a meaningless hand gesture."
Elizabeth laughed herself while shaking her head and pushing him over slightly causing him to nearly topple over. He made a rather ridiculous face which caused the Altmer to twitter even more. As she withdrew her hand from his shoulder- and discontinued her laugh- the Hero overlooked her and questioned, "... so I guess you are dealing with this rather well. I am glad to see you're much stronger than I."
The Altmer smiled faintly as she lifted to her feet and crossed her arms across the thin fabric of the housecoat. "... it's rather late, my friend. You probably had no idea you slept for an entire day."
"An entire day?" He questioned in reassurance while tossing his eyes up to her.
"Mmm-hmm," she sounded off with pursed lips and a slight nod of the head. She glanced around and made certain that everything was in order. As her eyes fell back upon the Hero she grinned and told him, "If you wouldn't mind I am going to head back to bed. If you need me I'll be up in the room right next to the emperor," the mere thought astounded her when she thought about it, "You should get some more rest yourself—Tamriel is waiting to see its valiant knight rise up to fight yet again."
"Oh boy," he muttered sarcastically with a grin, "I just can't wait."
A gentle giggle came from her mouth and she turned her body to the door. Just before she left she glimpsed down at the knight and bid to him, "... Sweet dreams, Great Champion of Cyrodiil."
Just as he was to issue the same farewell, he heard Xilivicus' in his mind and he muttered off to the maiden rather quickly, "... I had a dream about him... about Xilivicus, that is."
Elizabeth's long curved ears had perked as she had heard that name. Her head pivoted around rather hurriedly causing her tresses to spin in the air. Her eyes sheltered a slight interest as she wheezed, "Oh?"
The Hero nodded frantically while explaining to her, "... I dreamed he lived... and... and he told me how much he misses you." He was careful with his words for he knew that far too many words could cause her strength to dissipate and her sadness to resume its reign upon her heart. With a scowl, the Hero informed her, "... he told me that there was another part of him... somewhere outside of Oblivion and to tell 'them' sorry and that I was to take care of 'them'." He laughed weakly as he brandished the mere thought as just his imagination creating ridiculous images. "It was a rather weird dream... a little silly if you ask me."
"Yes," her voice was bleak and so distant; nevertheless, it appeared as if she were right there with him with her attention on every word he spoke. A weak smile upon her face as she agreed, "It sounds like a rather weird dream."
As he turned his eyes to her he couldn't help but allow a scowl to mask his façade, "... Are you sure that you're alright, Elizabeth? You don't have to lie about it."
"I'm fine; truly fine," a brighter smile lit up her face and she bid the knight farewell soon gliding back to the door of which she had used previously.
Just as she had turned her back to him, the Hero became ever so skeptic of her words. His eyes were fastened upon her as with his final words of the evening he had whispered out into nothingness; who are you trying to convince, Elizabeth: Me... or yourself? His eyes drifted back to the fire as he positioned himself upon the bedroll and ever so simply he had drifted back to a dreamless slumber.
Elizabeth ascended the stairs rather leisurely as she sheltered many thoughts in her head. She could still see the knight's pained face as he looked at her in incredulity at her appearance and actions. Her head was held high as she rounded the corner and saw that Baurus had left his post near the heir's door. Possibly it had been Jaufree who pried him away long enough to get some sleep. The maiden's grinning appearance faded into nothingness as she sauntered to the paper sliding door which stood idly next to the emperor's door. Her fingertips fitted perfectly into the curve made in the handle. She pushed the door open and slipped inside. As she turned around and closed the door she also closed the door upon all the lies.
Her body weakened and no longer could she hold that elegant poise of a High Elf. Her body broke apart causing her to collapse upon the frame of the sliding door. She slid down until she was sitting upon the floor with her hand still fitted perfectly in the handle. Her other hand had risen and covered her mouth as she cried silently to herself knowing she couldn't hold the emotions any longer.
Are you sure that you're alright...?
No, I don't believe I am... how can I possibly be alright? She saw the rising and falling of Xilivicus' back as he rocked back and forth upon her. She felt his teeth biting into her skin and his hands ravaging her body.
He told me how much he misses you...
His hot breaths were falling like fog upon her heaving chest as the warmth from both their drenched bodies began to boil his blood. She could feel his firm sturdy hands fall upon her bare hips where his hands fit perfectly over her hip bones.
He loved you! You loved him! How can you possibly be fine with me murdering him?!
She could remember when he had grasped her tightly and forced himself upon his back. Her eyes grew wide and she could hear his wonderful laugh as he joked about her being the scholar of Tamriel and yet she was so clueless upon this subject. She remembered her laugh. It was so ample with happiness and affection. Xilivicus was kind and patient with her as he instructed her on how to move her body. Her eyes fluttered as she was overwhelmed with the sensation. Her cheeks turned pinked as she lowered her torso and pressed herself against his breathtaking and handsome body.
I had a dream about him. About Xilivicus, that is.
She remembered how his lips tasted. She remembered how it felt when he had nibbled at her ear. Even now she could still see those eyes. Those fiery eyes. Even though he wasn't a Dremora they altered back to the color they once were. That blazing tangerine. Those eyes had exchanged grief for love. Those eyes observed great amounts of pleasure. Those eyes... yes... those eyes.
Elizabeth... I love you more than the stars in the sky. I couldn't imagine life without you, my sweet, my darling. ... I swear to you... I swear by my life that I shall never leave you. I shall always guide and protect you, Elizabeth, through all life's disappointments and victories. Xilivicus grinned as she requested he say it once more. Say those three little words to her that lit her world up brighter then those stars in the sky causing her adoration to run deeper than the rivers coursing through Tamriel. Elizabeth... I love you...
"... Xilivicus..." Elizabeth sobbed lightly to herself as she pulled her hand from her face. She allowed it to fall lifelessly beside her as she could only focus upon those eyes that had burned their way into her mind. His memory turned only to smoke and her love, which once put the magma of Oblivion to shame, turn only to ash which vanished when a breeze would carry in from a distant land. "... I hate you."
Are you sure that you're alright...?
No... I don't believe... I am.