This was a lovely episode and well-deserved respite to pause and add some wonderful detail.

'As for why they couldn’t have simply travelled to Chorrol from Morrowind, Argentil had explained that teleportation between provinces was restricted to border cities.'
Heh, this is a great technique that many of us have used to good effect. Anticipate the possible questions a reader may have and allow your character to address them head on within the story. Well done! It can be quite entertainingly effective when addressing some of the TES gamisms that don’t necessarily make perfect sense.

'Lucius knew the man was withholding something. “Integrity.” He said simply, quoting one of the knightly virtues which Hector had once told him. Though he didn’t quite know what the word meant, he thought it had something to do with truth.
Hector looked up once again and smiled.
“The boy knows how to get his way.” Argentil chuckled, not lifting his nose from his book. The fire sparked, as if it were chuckling too.'
This was delightful because it fully and efficiently displayed so much of the four characters involved. Yes, Lucius shows he has been paying attention and that the heart of a young knight likely beats within his breast. Hector predictably shows his colors as a real knight. Our resident academic and mage, Agentil, displays his almost irritatingly commanding grasp of, well, just about everything. And finally the closing sentence shows a glimpse into the warm personality that many campfires can indeed display as you keep us solidly in the venue.

So now, we are ready to continue to the City of the Great Oak, better armed with what awaits our young and hopeful squire.

*

There is a bunch I could quote, I am having to stop myself to keep from spamming your thread. Some I can't bypass :




LOVED this, a detail you could have let pass but didn't - it makes that whole paragraph!





This was an amazing touch, makes perfect sense and would have slipped by a lot of writers - perfect !!




This had me in hysterics, and I could absolutely picture it because I actually know some people that poached pond ducks on a private ranch in Florida, ROFL !!! Awesome touch, broke they may be but they are eating like kings !!! Loved this touch !!! You don't miss a trick !!!



LOVED this line !!! Totally Awesome, AWESOME Write from beginning to end !!!


*

Grits Thank you. I'm looking forward to the next installment of Jerric's Story, by the way, can't wait to see what happens next.

Acadian Thanks for your compliments. I must say that I really liked the last episode of Buffy.

mALX Thank you.


Chapter Twelve: The Finish Line
Late First Seed 3E 413

The Great Forest suited it's name. It was huge. Lucius, Argentil and Hector had been travelling in the forest for a day or two now. When they passed a priory a few miles back, Hector said they were getting close and picked up the pace. Argentil was panting heavily after only a few minutes though, so they slowed down again.

There was a thin mist which seemed to part like curtains, revealing Chorrol to Lucius, it's tall stone walls were a dark grey, made darker by the heavy rain which had fallen the previous evening. The city, in it's soggy state, looked a dreary place, though not unwelcoming. The huge wooden gates had the oak tree of Chorrol painted upon it's front. It was early morning and so the gates had not yet been opened to allow travellers entry. There was a queue of people with carts filled with trade goods waiting to be let inside. They too, looked a dreary bunch, quiet and quite soaked. No doubt many of them would be heading to the nearest inn as soon as they could.

Just as Lucius and his party joined the group, the gates heaved open and the people began to shuffle inwards. Hector and Argentil turned right after they entered, leading Lucius up the hill to where the castle loomed over the city. It's portcullis gate was flanked by two towers. For some reason, the one on the right was much bigger than the one on the left. Lucius tried to come up with an explanation in an attempt to not think about what lay ahead. What would his uncle do? Would he laugh in his face and throw him from the castle walls? Would he make him a servant, doomed to scrub the floors for eternity while his uncle walked across the room with muddy boots? It was a daunting prospect.

They were let into the castle quite easily, the portcullis was opened for them and the guards waved them through without so much as a second glance. A herald greeted them at the castle's main gates and asked them a few questions, which Hector answered quickly, as though he had rehearsed them.

They entered the great hall, their footsteps echoing off the walls. Ahead of them, a man and a woman sat upon two thrones seated side by side. The woman looked half asleep, the man looked fully asleep. The man was handsome looking, or so Lucius thought. Though he knew little of these things, just descriptions of people others had said were handsome.

He had brown hair which fell down to his shoulders and a large (but not overly so) nose. He was wearing a green doublet with silver trim. Very expensive looking.
The woman was thin with auburn hair, tied into a knot. She had a softer face than the man who Lucius presumed was her husband and a smaller nose. She was wearing a blue dress which matched the carpet and the tapestries of the room.

"Ah, our first petitioner." The woman said. "Charus." She nudged her husband. "Charus wake up." The man awoke with a start.
"Just dozing dear." He said, a little too loudly. "Herald? What do I pay you for?"
The herald, who had been standing behind Lucius, Argentil and Hector, stepped up and began to speak. "Uh, Sir Hector, Knight of Skaven. Argentil of Firsthold, Sumerset Isle Mages Guild, Wizard rank. And Lucius Andronicus of Grimdale Moor."

"It's a pleasure my lord and lady." Sir Hector offered, bowing. Lucius did as he did.
"Boy. Are you Lucius Andronicus?" The count asked, he looked curious and more awake.
"I…" Lucius thought about saying no. Perhaps he could claim to be Argentil instead, but he quickly dismissed the idea. The height would be a give away.
"I am." He answered finally. Argentil coughed and nudged him. "My lord." He blurted at last. The countess smiled, the count stood up.

"You… you are Antus' son? I never thought that my Knight-Commander would have had a child out of wedlock. To have an affair! The scandal…" He started pacing, speaking quickly. "This will not do. Your mother gave you his name? Why? She had no right. Unless…" His expression grew more horrifiedand his mouth widened. "Polygamy? Oh dear. Page! Page!" A Khajiit boy came from nowhere and stood at attention. "Fetch the Knight-Commander. There will be oblivion to pay for this. I shall have him… I don't know what I'll do, but I'll do something." The Khajiit scampered up the stairs very quickly and disappeared behind a stone column.

"M-my lord." Hector said. "Lucius is not Antus Andronicus' son, but his nephew. We have come here to… well it is complicated. I would like to speak with Sir Antus and yourself to explain."

At that moment, Lucius saw a tall, broad shouldered man briskly descending the stairs to the right of the thrones. He had black hair and a face which looked tremendously like Lucius' father's. Which could only mean one thing. The man stopped in mid step, causing the Khajiit behind to walk into him. He stared at Lucius with eyes of… Lucius wasn't sure what. Surprise? Happiness? Hatred?

He continued to stare as he resumed his journey down the stairs. The man came to a stop before the count, when he finally wrested his eyes away.
"You called, my lord?" He asked, bowing.
"I did. There is something which these people would like to speak to you about." The count replied.
"I think it would be better if we discussed this in private, husband." The countess suggested. "Herald, clear the hall."

The herald was slow to obey, he looked like he wanted to stay and listen, but he cleared the other early morning petitioners from the throne room.
"Continue, please." The countess urged. She had a soft voice, it was quite soothing.

"Well," Hector started. "Lucius is… your brother's son, sir knight." He addressed the man who had come down the stairs.
The man, who Lucius presumed was his uncle Antus, looked unsurprised.
"We have letters from your brother which explain everything."

And we meet the uncle!

’What would his uncle do? Would he laugh in his face and throw him from the castle walls? Would he make him a servant, doomed to scrub the floors for eternity while his uncle walked across the room with muddy boots? It was a daunting prospect.’
Here you perfectly capture the boyish apprehensions that I imagine would visit Lucius as he trekked up to the imposing castle.

’The woman looked half asleep, the man looked fully asleep.’
This is delightful. In fact your entire scene within the great hall was wonderful. It moved your story along while giving very human characteristics and imperfections to those inside.

Alas, we must wait to learn the mind of Sir Uncle.

Nit: Its vs it’s. I find it helpful to remember that its=possessive, while it’s is the contraction for it is. You use the contractive it’s four times in your second and third paragraphs where the possessive its is called for in each case.

LOVED this line !!! He is understandably nervous of what lies ahead for him, the unknown is a scary place. You captured that here with humor, but the feelings behind the thought were very tangible.

The whole section of tradesmen waiting for the gates to open was a brilliant piece of world-building - loved that !!! And this:



I'll very much bet Hector did rehearse what he would say, over and over in his mind throughout this journey.



You never miss an opportunity to give us a minute glimpse of someone's character, these little moments bring your story to life and make the reader feel they are there witnessing everything rather than just reading a story. Love that touch you add to all your chapters, and that segment was a prime example of it !!



You write a very endearing character in Lucius. Awesome character and write !!



What a moment you have captured here, I found my own self holding my breath for what came next. Looks like the Countess may be Lucius's only friend in that castle!

WHEW!! What a chapter! You can't stop here, MORE !!! MORE !!! WHEW !!! Awesome Write !!!

I love the descriptions as the group approaches Chorrol. As Acadian and mALX said, I was struck by Lucias’ thoughts about meeting his uncle. They reflected his age and what we already know of him so well. This line:

"I…" Lucius thought about saying no. Perhaps he could claim to be Argentil instead, but he quickly dismissed the idea. The height would be a give away.

Made me smile and want to give him a hug at the same time. I’m looking forward to the next part!!

Acadian Thank you for your kind comments.

mALX Thank you. I originally wrote a few nightmares Lucius was to have, one of which featured him scrubbing floors and his uncle's muddy boots.

Grits I'm glad you liked my descriptions.

Chapter Thirteen: Squire
Late First Seed 3E 413

Uncle Antus seemed saddened by something. He sighed as he refolded the letter he had been reading for the last few minutes, though it seemed like days to Lucius.

“Your father asked me to induct you into the Knights of the Oak as a squire.” He said.
“That’s an excellent idea.” The count said, hopping up from his throne. “We always have need of more squires.” He sounded pleased, as if the entire notion had been his.
“I…” Uncle Antus began. Lucius froze, wondering what his next words would be, if he would be sent away or not. Time seemed to slow down as Uncle Antus finished his sentence. “Agree, my lord.” Lucius released an audible sigh of relief. “Lucius, I would be glad to allow you to join our knighthood. Come, I will escort you to your new quarters.” He paused and looked around the room. “Where are your things?”
“We travelled with very little my lord.” Argentil spoke up. “We lost most of our things during the shipwreck.”
Uncle Antus shook his head. “I shall make sure you get new clothes Lucius. As for you two-”
“Argentil was it?” The count seemed to notice the Altmer for the first time. “I find myself in need of a castle mage, you seem capable enough. Would you like the position?”
“I… would be honoured, my lord.” Argentil replied. Lucius found it strange that he had never known why Argentil was on the Necrom Burning. He decided to ask him at a later time.

“And you, sir knight.” The count continued, pleased with himself. “I would like to reward you for your service to our newest squire. Please, name it.”
Sir Hector looked abashed. “I require no reward my lord. I must leave Chorrol soon, for the Imperial City as I have been made the representative of my knightly order to the Emperor.”
“A high ranking position to be sure. Your selflessness is to be admired. I hope young Lucius will take note of this for when he is knighted.” The count smiled. “But please, stay for dinner at least.”

-

Lucius followed his uncle through the castle for a short while. He was led to a long, well lit room with beds, chests and closets enough for six people. tThree beds on the left, three on the right. Each bed had an accompanying closet and chest. At the far end of the room was a round table, ten chairs and a bookshelf.

“You will be sharing this room with some of the other new squires who are supposed to arrive later today. Choose a bed, I will get you some new clothes to change into. You should wait in here until the rest of the squires arrive.” Lucius chose the first bed on the right and sat down on it.
“You aren’t supposed to have a sword you know.” Uncle Antus said, just as he was about to turn and leave. Lucius gripped his father’s sword tighter in response.
Uncle Antus looked thoughtful. “Keep it hidden.” He said as he left.

Antus did not return. Instead a Khajiit entered with a large pile of clothing which he placed on the bed Lucius was sat upon.
“The knight-commander says to wear these.” He said, handing Lucius a pile of clothes. After the Khajiit left, Lucius quickly dressed himself in the assigned clothing. It mostly fit, though he had to keep pulling up his trousers and his boots were a little big. On top of the clothes pile which the Khajiit left was a small bag of coins. Lucius threw the coins into his chest (within which there was a brass key) and locked it. He then set about putting the clothing away. Afterwards he thought about investigating the bookshelf but was interrupted by the door opening.

“You’re a squire too? So am I. Not by choice of course. My parents think bashing peoples heads in with maces is more important than anything else.” A brown haired human boy had marched into the room, shouldering a pack, full of his possessions. “Sorry.” He said. “I’m getting ahead of myself. My name is Armand Sagax. I’m a half Breton, which no doubt accounts for my magic ability, from my mother of course. I failed to inherit my father’s Imperial people skills however. I have no use for people skills anyway.” He yawned and placed his pack on the bed by the bookshelf.

“I am Lucius Andronicus.” Lucius said simply. Armand picked his pack up again and began to open it as he did so, the bottom burst and his belongings tumbled out. There were many books in the pile of the boy’s things.
“I like books.” He explained as he set about picking his things up.

The door opened again. This time, a Nord and a Dunmer walked in. They looked similar to each other. They had the same round face and long nose. Of course, their eyes were different, the Nord’s were blue and the elf’s were red, as was their hair, blonde and black, respectively. But beyond that, they looked strikingly similar. “Roliand,” the Dunmer held out his hand to Lucius, “Delos,” said the Nord, he too offered his hand.
“I’m Lucius Andronicus.” Lucius said, shaking both hands at once, awkwardly. “You are… cousins?” He asked them.
“Twins.” They both said. Lucius frowned.
“Our father was a Dark Elf,” the Nord explained. “Our ma was a Nord.” Said, the elf. “The mages call us a freak of nature, because we are a different race born from the same mother. At the same time.” Delos the Nord continued.
“They thought it would be funny to give us the name of the other race.” Said the dark elf, rolling his eyes.

The pair walked away to introduce themselves to Armand then, leaving Lucius thoroughly confused. Though he had little time to try and work it out as the door opened yet again, another Nord this time. A girl. A fact which Lucius was surprised by, he didn’t know girls could be knights. She had shoulder length golden blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Her skin was a pale white. Lucius had seen few Nords, none of them were like this. A walking stereotype, Argentil would say. She saw Lucius staring at her, mouth slightly agape.
“Elise.” She said. Her voice was high pitched, but not annoyingly so.
“Andronicus.” He responded. “Lucius Andronicus.”

Before he could continue their exchange, the door flew open and created a loud bang as it struck the wall.
“Sorry.” A voice squeaked. An Imperial shuffled in. “I didn’t think the door would be so light.” He then made his way towards one of the two remaining beds.
“I’m Antony. Antony Sintav.” He began arranging some of his things.

Lastly, came a dark haired Imperial boy, he walked with confidence and a grin on his face. He approached and spoke to Lucius first.
“My name is Amiel of Solitude. My father is the jarl of that city. You are?”
“Lucius. My father was knight, then a smith. My uncle is a knight-commander.”
“Ah, no doubt you will receive special treatment yes? I hope I do too. I’m twenty seventh in line to become Emperor.” He said, taking pride in the fact.

Lucius was slightly impressed. “Have you met him? The emperor?” Lucius had never seen the emperor, except on coins. He had been rarely spoken about in Grimdale Moor, except when stories were told during celebrations about how he was kidnapped by an evil wizard.
Amiel’s smile diminished slightly. “No.” He admitted, “But I hope to do so soon, I have heard he is planning a visit to Chorrol in a few months.”

Lucius spoke to each of the others shortly after they entered. He was sure that he would get along well with everyone, even Amiel despite his arrogance.

A little while after everyone arrived, a Redguard man in chain mail with a sword at his hip entered the room.
“What’s this?” Everybody looked at him, confused. “I see only one person in the appropriate clothing.” He pointed at Lucius. “Get yourselves changed.” He continued.
Armand picked up the ‘appropriate’ clothing and made for the door. The Redguard stood in his way.

“In here.” He said, dryly.
“With other people!?” Armand asked, horrified. The Redguard nodded curtly and began surveying the room with his eyes. Lucius followed them with his own. The Merete the Nord was already stripping off. Armand still looked frozen in horror and the twins were looking at everyone else, uncomfortably. Ardian stood where he was and Amiel was under the bed sheets, presumably having figured out a way to change without people seeing him.

Lucius was wondering what the problem was, do they not have underwear in the rest of Tamriel? He answered his own question when his gaze happened to pass over Elise. A firm ‘no’ from Skyrim. In his haste to avert his eyes, he spotted Delos. A firm ‘no’ from Morrowind, or wherever he was from. The others, Imperials, were wearing underwear, but Lucius didn’t look for long anyway, instead, he stared at the ceiling.
It was a good ceiling. Plain in colour, but it had a multitude of cracks running across it, good to look at if lying awake at night, he decided.

-

Eventually, everybody had changed into the appropriate clothing. The Redguard had relented and allowed Armand to change in another room, but nobody else. It seemed that Armand did have a way with people after all. A bad way. An unfriendly way. But a way nonetheless.

Once everyone was assembled, the Redguard barked at them to tidy their beds and put their clothes away. Lucius received some praise (though little more than an approving nod, rather than words) for having already done so. Armand received extra barks for taking so long. He seemed to want everything perfect and arranged in a certain order. It infuriated the Redguard, who had yet to name himself.

Once that was done, he led them out of the room and through the castle to the throne. There were another ten children, presumably squires, already waiting. The count and countess were there, and so was Lucius’ uncle and a few other knightly looking fellows.

“You children,” the count began. “Are to be squires within the Knights of the Oak. You will become knights. You will be trained in swordsmanship, horsemanship and a few other ‘manships’” The count chuckled to himself, the countess looked at him disapprovingly and sighed. “Your lessons start tomorrow. I will see you later.”

This was great fun! We have Lucius settling in with his fellow squires-to-be. You gave each of them a delightfully distinct personality in a small amount of wordage. I loved the highly unusual twins that you so effectively explained. And how funny everyone’s antics when the Redguard told them all to change clothes! Well done.

Nit: ’tThree beds on the left, three on the right.’
Little t big T.

It’s great to see Lucius finally feeling settled. I liked his thoughts about looking at the ceiling cracks. I really enjoyed meeting the other kids. As Acadian said, the changing clothes antics were hilarious. What a fun episode!

Whew, I still don't know how uncle dear looks at Lucius, but at least he doesn't seem to let his feeling effect his actions in a negative way. He could have put it all behind him, or just be professional.

As for the other squires, they came a bit too fast for me but I'll manage. And I also had a good laugh at Lucius' observations regarding the ceiling. Good for sleepless nights indeed.

Acadian Thank you. I confused even myself with the twins, I hope I didn't confuse anyone else too much.

Grits Thanks. I really enjoyed the latest of Jerric's Story and I hope you do decide to do a book two!

jack cloudy Thank you. Read on and see how the uncle thinks.


Chapter Fourteen: Thoughts and Feelings
Late Last Seed 3E 313


What am I to do? My nephew is within these very walls, he is to be a knight. I find myself angry and grief striken at his presence.

I had hoped I could forgive. I prayed I could forget. But I have not forgotten and I have not forgiven. I feel torn. I want to hate, but I cannot. Lucius is an innocent and of my blood. But I feel uncomfortable around him, his eyes are the same bright blue as… hers. He has her hair too, the same sandy blonde. Whenever I see him he reminds me of her and of all that I could have had. Should have had.

And now he must live the life my brother was supposed to. And I can’t help but feel that it should be my son in this castle, that I should be dead and that Titus should be here writing this. But he is not, I am.
He wrote me a letter. I do not wish to recount what he wrote but, one day, I will have to. Lucius must be told. It is only right that he know what happened and why it happened. But not yet. Not yet.

Right now, he must work. He must be pushed hard. I have spent little time with him, but if he is his father’s son then, as much as I hate to say, he could be a great knight. It pains me, but I must be the one to push him. No matter how much grief it causes, it is my burden to bear.
He is my nephew. I hate him for his father. And yet I love him for his mother.

What am I to do?


Epilogue: Knighthood 101
The last day of First Seed. 3E 413

“A knight should be chivalrous.” The old scholar began. “Without chivalry a knight is a simply mercenary.” The wrinkled old man had been speaking for a while now, he spoke in a different way from Argentil, Lucius felt more inclined to stay awake.
“But what is chivalry. Antony?” He asked, staring, waiting for an answer.

“Bravery.” The boy replied. The old man looked thoughtful.
“What else. Elise?”
“Loyalty.” She said.
“Loyalty to whom?” He asked.
“The… grandmaster?” The old man shook his head. “Count? Emperor? Empire? Gods?” She continued, each answer becoming more desperate.
“Certainly, a knight must be loyal to all those things, including the grandmaster. But also to the people. Mostly to the people.” He looked at the assembled squires. “Lucius, if the count ordered you to slay the emperor, would you do it?”
Lucius hesitated. Would he? Probably not. Should he? He wasn’t sure. “No.” He replied at last.
“Correct. But if the count asked you to slay a group of bandits, you would do so?”
“Yes.” He replied, more quickly his time.
“And what if the people asked you to kill the count? What if the count was mad? What if he killed people everyday?”
Lucius was not sure, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
“Yes. You should. The people are those that the knight should protect, at the expense of everyone else. The count is not our master. We must be loyal to him, but not at the expense of the people. To go against the people is to be a common cut throat. The blades protect the Emperor. The Temple Knights protect the gods and the castle guard protect the count. You, future knights, protect the common man.”

“Furthermore,” he continued. “In order to guide you through your lives, you are expected to adhere to seven knightly virtues. These are what make you a knight. To disregard them is to disregard your duty and to go against what it means to be a knight.” The old man looked at each of the faces staring up at him.

“Honour. Defend your own and protect those of your friends and family. Do not cheat, to do so is a stain upon your own.

Valour. Be brave, do not shirk from a battle. Remember, courage on the battlefield is not the absence of fear, but the strength and determination to overcome it. However, d not allow your valour to stand in the way of the next virtue.

Wisdom. Do not enter a battle which you cannot win. Retreat to fight another day. Outwit your opponents and remember that your mind is your most powerful weapon. Keep it sharp and you shall win every engagement.

Integrity. Be truthful and consistent in your values and beliefs. To lie or hide the truth is another stain upon your honour.

Charity. Show mercy to your enemies whenever appropriate. Be kind to those less fortunate. You must be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good.”

Temperance. Control yourself in combat, let your enemy make his mistakes in peace. Restrain yourself off the battlefield too, do not surrender yourself to selfish desires.

Faith. Trust in yourself, trust in your brothers and sisters in arms. Trust in the Nine.

*******

End of Part One: Flight

*******

I'm going to continue with part two the next time I update. The next part will begin on Lucius' thirteenth birthday. So, yes, I will be skipping a sizable portion of his life. But ages ten through twelve are boring! Thirteen through to twenty provide more... everything! Comedy, romance, drama et cetera.
Also, I'm going to take a short break from this story (two weeks max). I've hit some sort of brick wall and I'm going to take some time to think it over. I've found that writing short stories helps break this wall down. I wrote a few short stories in January when I had no idea what to write for this. It helped a lot. So I think I'll do the same thing this time.

I think you did fine with the twins in the prior episode. You made it perfectly clear that they were an unusual exception to the way the race of a mixed child is normally determined in Tamriel. By recognizing the question and answering it head on in your story you, in fact, avoided confusion in my humble opinion.

’He is my nephew. I hate him for his father. And yet I love him for his mother.’
A powerful and vexing dilemma. This brief visit with the thoughts of Lucius’ uncle answers some questions while raising new ones. Nicely done.

And Knighthood 101! Virtues that will stand any knight in good stead. I’m not surprised that the subject and instructor held Lucius’ attention better than the more. . . academic manner of Argentil!

Best wishes going forward as you work through what lay ahead in the adventures of Lucius.

I really enjoyed both parts of this section. The uncle expressed his predicament powerfully and beautifully. Knighthood 101 laid out what Lucius will spend the next few years striving toward, so no worries about missing anything. I’m looking forward to the next part, whenever inspiration strikes!