Notes:
Most people can't say exactly how a story ends. I think I have an idea of how "Prequel" may end. Not exactly like this but many others may have a similar idea.

Enjoy this theoretical ending of Katia Managan's mishaps in "Prequel".

P.S.: There is no Category for "Prequel" so I put in under "Elder Scrolls" and the Subcategory "Oblivion".

Prequels End

by

Ralte

"Wake up, kitty kitty. That's it. There's a rat in my cell, Khajiit. A fat, tasty rat. Does the kitty want it? Is the kitty hungry? You'd better take whatever you can get in here, Khajiit. They don't feed the new prisoners. Didn't you know that? First they starve you. Then they beat you. Then, if you're lucky, they kill you. That's right. You're going to die in here Khajiit! You're going to die!"

Who is that Asshole?
Why am I in a prison?
What happened?

I just escaped the Mage Guild in Kvatch, with everything Sigrid stole from me.
Plus a lot of her gold.
It was probably not the right thing to do but Sigrid practically mind-controlled a poor woman into giving away all her belongings to a very rich person.
That poor woman had been myself and I wanted back what was taken from me.

I couldn't go to the City Watch because Sigrid used alchemic potions and enchantments to give herself an incredible personality which wasn't illegal; at worst it was highly immoral.
It should be because somebody who could convince everyone to do everything sounded like a catastrophe waiting to happen.

I was able to break into the mages' guild.
I was able to locate my stuff and the money that was taken from me.
I had even managed to get out without being detected.
And when I landed in prison.

But I never was arrested or even approached by a guard or at least knocked out from behind.
I was there and suddenly I am here.

I just noticed that my clothes had changed as well. I didn't wear my "Cloak of Grey Tomorrow" anymore but instead the rags of a prisoner, including the metal braces for chains on my arms.
I disliked the idea that somebody had redressed me while I was unconscious and the fact that I never saw a female guard in Cyrodill so far didn't help me alleviate my thoughts.

With nothing better to do and dispel my thoughts, I explored my surroundings. The cell was roomy, not large but I doubt I would develop claustrophobia overnight. There was a little table in need of repair and placed on it was a tan jug with water and a tan cup.
There were also a lot of chains hanging from the ceiling and a little bank made out of stone to sit and sleep on.

I felt like I would cry soon. My bad luck couldn't and wouldn't let me go. But I couldn't blame my bad dreams on this development but only something I don't understand.
Was this the works of the Aedra or the Daedra?
Was it the work of Sigrid? Had she caught me during my break-in and teleported me into this prison with a spell?
But I had heard that teleportation was too complicated to be done with a simple spell and Sigrid wasn't that good of a mage, only good at bathing in charisma-enhancing potions.

I thought about talking with that unfriendly Dunmer in the other cell, maybe he knew where I came from? I didn't remember waking up from sleep so he could confirm that I was teleported to this place.
I opened my mouth and closed it again.
I wasn't in the mood to talk to that abrasive asshole, maybe later.

I searched the entire cell in the hopes of finding a secret gateway that may lead me out of here. It was a ridiculous thought but not the most ridiculous thing that happened to me so far.
But I wasn't able to find a secret entrance, no hidden button anywhere. That or I wasn't able to find it.
The former would suit my bad luck and the latter my incompetence.
Incompetence.
Everything is my fault again.
I… Oh forget it!
Why should this be my fault?
I made no mistake I could be aware of!
I was teleported out of nowhere with nobody nearby and it didn't felt like I jumped through a portal which replaced my clothes with those rags and… I still got my lock pick.
I started to wonder if it was magical.

What was the point of all of this? Some people say that they are cursed by the gods or the Daedra but all of this seemed to make this into a real case of a divine curse.
They say that the "Ways of Aedra are mysterious" but this didn't make any sense to me.

/During my entire life, I was plagued by nightmares, it ruined the relationship with my parents and it made all my efforts and work in different fields end in vain. Nothing seemed to work out, no friends and I sunk into the clutches of alcoholism. All because somebody wants me to be unhappy. Or somebody cursed me on accident. Or I am the reincarnation of some evil asshole from the past who did horrible things in the ancient times?/

My role in the universe made no sense to me. I could have handled being very unlucky, I could handle regular difficulties, I could even handle my nightmares over time but getting screwed over in such a direct manner was something impossible to avoid.

Hopeless, I felt so utterly hopeless.
How could I ever face Quill-Weave again? Will I even be able to get to her in the first place ever again? I mean I don't even know if this is really a prison. Maybe this is the cellar of an evil magician and that Dunmer lied to me? Why should he? Maybe he is playing mind games with me. Maybe this is a dream? A more realistic looking one and the Dunmer will turn into the monster to catch me off-guard? Oh great, dreams that look so realistic they aren't distinguishable from reality anymore.

I crouched down and rubbed my head. I didn't know what was real anymore.
Maybe if I did nothing at all I could get through this? No action would also mean no reaction and no reaction would mean peace.
I was imprisoned anyway, so I could take a rest. No worries, just waiting day after day for the end of my sentence, only waiting, thinking, eating and sleeping.

I lied my young cat body down on the simple stone bed of my cell to get some rest. No reason to flip out right now. Actually I felt relaxed with no pressure on my mind right now.
Getting some sleep was better than to walk around in this cage like a restless tiger after all so I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
Before I could go asleep, I remembered my usual nightmares and wondered if I would suffer them here too.
Or was this one already?

I played with the thought to use my lock pick on the cell door as I heard voices. They seemed in a hurry and I begged that they weren't my executioners the Dumner had promised that he would come to get me, I begged the nine Divine to let me survive this.
Maybe they would only check the cell and release me after realizing that I shouldn't be here?
Maybe I would be free soon?
Maybe I would be dead soon?
Maybe some other bullshit will happen and transport me into another impossible situation?
Who knows, my life not only sucks but is also strange and nonsensical.

They came closer, they talked about something, somebody said that his sons were dead and somebody named Baurus was mentioned.
Whose sons? Why would somebody kill them?

I saw the group coming into view and…. I saw him. A man clad in a beautiful robe and he wore an impressive amulet around his neck. He had white hair and a very royal aura, no; it was an incredible regal aura emanating from him!
He… No, it couldn't… No, NO, NO, NO, NO!

Pure terror encircled me, the unending depths of fear and terror crashing into my mind like a thousand horses.
I wanted to run, I wanted to dig myself through the massive stone in a desperate move, I wanted to hide, I wanted to…
I wanted to kill him, rip his throat out, bite him to death!
My fur reared up, my eyes became narrower than ever before, I bare my teeth and I swung my tale around. One of his bodyguards threatened me, ordering me to stand back or be slaughtered.
I didn't fear them but I did what they wanted to get my shot, my revenge and my absolution!
They would be unable to stop me should he came close enough to me and if they should try they would die too!
I would kill this monster and finally be free!

But something in my mind said to me that this would be a very bad idea.
Something nagged in me that something wasn't right, well more so than I already thought.

It was so… Convenient.

"You… I've seen you…"

The man in the regal apparel came closer to me. He looked so harmless up-close and appeared to ignore my aggressive stance.

"Let me see your face… You are the one from my dreams. Then the stars were right and this is the day. Gods give me strength."

I wanted to say a thousand different things to him. I wanted to ask him why he appeared in my dreams and why I appeared in his. I didn't know that this was a vice-versa deal. He didn't look like as if he was scared of me but why should he always had the upper hand in the dreams provided we had the exact same dreams.

As I was finally able to speak I was only able to say "What's going on?"
"Assassins attacked my sons, and I'm next." was the start of his answer.
"My blades are leading me out of the city along a secret escape route. By chance, the entrance to that escape route leads through your cell."
"Who are you?"
I know who he was but I think I wanted to be sure.
"I am your emperor," he answered. "Uriel Septim. By the grace of the Gods. I serve Tamriel as her ruler."
I trembled as he said "emperor" and the urge to kill him came back. I wanted to pluck out his stupid eyes! If I struck now I could…
"You are a citizen of Tamriel, and you, too, shall serve her in your own way."
What did he just say? I would serve Tamriel? I would have laughed about this idea, especially coming from him if the situation wasn't so dire.

"Why am I in jail?"
Would he confess to me that he imprisoned me somehow? If so, nothing would or could hold me back after this. Nothing!
"Perhaps the Gods have placed you here so that we may meet."
So was this only a joke of the Gods? I curse thee! Getting revenge on them would be way harder in comparison to this old man who was never as threatening as he was in my dreams.
But what if this wasn't a bad joke?

"As for what you have done… it does not matter."
Excuse me? I did nothing wrong except for stealing from a big asshole that stole from me!
"That is not what you will be remembered for."
Good, because I wouldn't want to be remembered for robbing an asshole or for getting drunk and having an incredible crazy night with no memories of it afterwards or for getting robbed by a lucky Orc or having all my stuff stolen by a charming sorceress who got all her charm via bathing in charm-potions.

"What should I do?"
Asking HIM of all people for advice seemed so wrong but I was curious about his suggestions. I wouldn't probably follow his advice anyway.
"You will find your own path;" he told me in his friendly calculated tone. "Take care… There will be blood and death before the end."
So like any other day of mine.

His personal guard wanted to make haste. Whatever was hunting him I didn't want to encounter it.
They opened a secret door in my cell and left it open after getting through so I followed them.
This could be my last chance to kill him, my last chance to get rid of my nightmares but I started to doubt that he had anything to do with my plight.

I kept some distance, not wanting to risk angering his bodyguards. They were on the edge and ready to strike anyone down who would look at their Emperor funny.
I wondered if my pure hatred for him could overcome those warriors. They didn't make the impression of being new to this, indeed they looked like veterans.

I followed them down into an ancient looking ruin.
Then a thought hit me: Could this be a trap?
A strange sentiment because I was already in the Emperor's clutches even though he was clueless about my appearance in the cell.
I couldn't trust anybody in this situation, not even myself.

I was so in thought that I didn't notice the weird masked people in red robes attacking the emperor and his guards for a second.
I was lucky that these scary looking attackers completely ignored me during their ambush.
I took a few steps back just to be sure; I wasn't dumb enough to attack them with my bare fists and without any kind of armour.
I watched as the emperor and his guards fought against the assassins. They won but the leader of the guard, a female human named Captain Renault died during the skirmish.
It was odd because the enemies had hardly touched her with their weapons during the assault.

After the short battle I took everything from the corpses I could but I didn't dare to rob the dead Captain of her armour but her sword and torch was enough for me and would probably come in handy soon.

"You stay here Prisoner, don't try to follow us."
I didn't even notice what the others were doing. I wasn't disheartened from that; I wanted to be as far as possible away from the Emperor.
Too my surprise I feared the Assassins who hunted him more than the man himself and I wasn't sure if what the right course should be.

So I decided to make haste and get away from the Emperor and the Assassins as fast as possible. Luckily there was an alternate route I could take nearby, a way into an even more desolate part of the catacombs.

"Time for a crash course in Dungeon Diving."

This had been easier than I thought.
I had a lot of luck, a ridiculous amount of luck even!
I found in the first room a skeleton with a bow, arrows, Leather armour and some lock picks. I also encountered rats and later goblins on my way out but they were no problem for me, weak creatures, aggressive but weak.

I had found a lot of loot and useful equipment in these caves, maybe enough to pay all my bills and even profit from it.
It was so much easier than in the past too! Normally I would run into monsters which were way too powerful for me to handle but not today.

I couldn't believe how easy this was for me. Normally I would have run into a Xivilai with my luck or even worse beings.
Also the voices that didn't stop to criticize, annoy, be friendly or try to help had stopped to say anything for a while now.
I never asked myself where they came from and why they spoke to me in the first place and now was not the time to ponder about it.

I just had to get out of this dungeon and find my way back to either Kvatch or Anvil, I wasn't absolutely sure what my next step should be at this point.
My mission in Kvatch had probably become a disaster beyond belief. I could imagine that after I vanished Sigrid took back the things she originally stole from me in the first place.
I didn't know if she now knew that I was the thief. But I was teleported out of my possessions, even my clothing and I landed with torn clothes on my back in that cell.
Maybe my stuff was still at the place I was last time in Kvatch?
I didn't want to land in prison again so early and I didn't really leave this one at this point so I decided to stay away from Kvatch.

I left the tunnel through a door and entered another part of the old ruins under the imperial capital. Through a hole in the wall I landed on a level from which I was able to oversee a gangway. There I encountered the Emperor and his guards again, still walking through the old, bluish, eerie ruins and talking about their desperate situation.
He seemed so harmless, so depended on his guards and I wondered why I ever feared him.

Especially after more Assassins came out of the tunnels and attacked the sovereign of Tamriel again but the guards did their job and beat them before they had any real change of killing the Emperor. Should I go down to them or stay here until they left?
But one of them spotted me and wanted to kill me, believing that I was with the Assassins.
I was ready to run away until the Emperor stopped them by saying: "No, she is not one of them. She can help us. She must help us."

"As you wish sire."

Me? Helping him? Maybe showing him the weakest part of my body so he could kill me more efficiently. I still came down to him, if he really was the monster from my dreams then climbing up to me would been child's play for him.

"They cannot understand why I trust you."
That makes us three.
"They've not seen what I've seen."

You killing me?
"How can I explain?"

Even a Daedra was not able to explain this mess, what chance will you have?

"Listen. You know the Nine? How they guide our fates with an invisible hand?"

"I'm not on good terms with the gods," I answered truthful. I never did anything to them as far as I know but after all what happened to me they could hate me for whatever reason.
"I've served the Nine all my days, and I chart my course by the cycles of the heavens."
Astrology was an unusual way to work on state business in my mind but I wasn't a politician.
"The skies are marked with numberless sparks, each a fire, and every one a sign."
A sign of senility.
"I know these stars well, and I wonder… Which sign marked your birth?"
Easy, the Atronach. The sign that for a long time hindered me at becoming a wizard.
Another thing that screwed me over but it wasn't a problem anymore in comparison to the 99 others I still have.

I gave him the answer and he continued to tell me more.
"The signs I read show the end of my path."
Good news for me!
"My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."

Yes, necessary for me! On the other hand he could kill me before the end.
I asked him, "What about me?"
"Your stars are not mine."
I wasn't sure if my stars were that much better than his.
"Today the Atronach shall aid you with your appointed burden."
As long as I got hit with enough magic spells that is.

It confused me why he was so calm about his impending doom. He didn't show any real sign of fear.
"Aren't you afraid to die?" I asked.

"No trophies of my triumphs precede me. But I have lived well, and my ghost shall rest easy."

I hoped so. The idea of his ghost haunting me could mean that he still could kill my person even after biting the dust.
"Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour."
Knowing when you will die? It seemed to be rather practical but what if you weren't able to change that hour?
"In this I am blessed to see the hour of my death. To face my apportioned end fate, then fall."

It didn't look for me as if he was "blessed" when he wasn't able to change his fate.
Was he so okay with his own death?

What about me?
"Can you see my fate?"
"My dreams grant me no opinions of success. Their compass ventures not the doors of death."
No tales of the Afterlife then?
"But in your face, I behold the sun's companion."
What now?
"The dawn of Akatosh's bright glory may banish the coming darkness."

Some divine help would be a fine asset but I doubt I could have so much luck.
"With such hope, and with the promise of your aid, my heart must be satisfied."
He wanted my aid? He wants to aid him, my nightmare? I think he lost a few of his marbles during his escape.

"Where are we going?"
Wait, I want to go with them? Why? I should wait until he is gone. Why did I say that?
"I go to my grave. A tongue shriller than all the music calls me."
That bard has to be seriously awful.
"You shall follow me yet for a while, then we must part."
The sooner ye better.

The second the Emperor was finished talking with me his bodyguard Baurus addressed me. He wanted me to hold the torch and light the way. I complied because I didn't want to start an argument with him and because I wouldn't say no to a free torch.

I followed the Emperor with a good gap between us just to be safe. He still didn't look like a dangerous monster out to kill me, yet I couldn't shake the fear that he may just turn around and gut me with his bare hands any second now or bite my head off or kick my body into two halves.
In my head the idea of forcing this torch down his throat before he could act formed.

He should burn and choke at the same time for what he wants to do to me. No mercy for thee, Emperor of Tamriel, scourge of my dreams!
If I killed thee now I may die next but on my terms.
Or maybe if I could be fast enough I should be able to escape from his bodyguards.

But something deep down in me said to me that I shouldn't murder the Emperor in the most gruesome way. Something said me that this entire thing was wrong.
That this Moment was very critical, not just for me but for many other people.
Wait, was I really thinking this? I didn't even know who those assassins are; they could be the good guys here even if they looked like evil cultists.
They never appeared in any of my dreams. The same was true for the bodyguards.

We were almost always alone except the one time Quill-Weave was with me.
This ended poorly for her so I was glad that she wasn't here right now for her own sake. Last time she appeared in my dreams she died a gruesome death while trying to protect me.
She suffered enough under my mistakes already so I was happy that she wasn't here.

A few feet ahead and a few floors down we got attacked by more masked assassins.
They failed again and their bodies hit the floor ready to be looted by somebody in need of anything valuable.
And that somebody was me.
After plundering until they were butt naked, except the underwear of course.
Plundering your fallen enemies was one thing, but taking their dignity was another.

Afterwards we descended further and further until we reached a gate Baurus wasn't able to open because it was barred on the other side. He said it was a trap and his partner suggested a sideway to use.
I followed Uriel and his bodyguards into a small chamber with a few entrances which could be easily defended.
Difficult to come in, difficult to escape from. Goosebumps formed from my head to my toes as I realized how close I was to Uriel Septim the VII.

One of the bodyguards said that this was a dead end and they hadn't had any good options.
Not a good omen in my ears.
I felt that something important would happen soon.

"They are behind us! Wait here sire," one of the bodyguards advised and they ran out of the room.
The emperor looked at me directly into the eyes and I had problems to keep my Poker face up. I didn't want to show any weakness towards him.

"I can go no further," he started in a serious tone. "You alone must stand against the Prince of Destruction and his mortal servants. He must not have the Amulet of Kings."
Who? What? What was he talking about? He didn't look like it but it sounded like he was going insane.
"Take the Amulet. Take it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son."
His last son? A prince? What is going on here? Did these guys attack him because of the Amulet around his neck? What can it do? Why is he asking me if he wants to kill me?
"Find him, and close shut the jaws of oblivion."

Before I could respond he shoved the Amulet into my hands. Then something moved behind the Emperor. It was a secret door, looking like a part of the wall between an oval frame. The door swung aside and another masked assassin came out of its shadows.

The time stood still, or it became incredibly slow, I didn't know. The assassin, sword ready in hand ran up to the Emperor. My hand wandered towards my own sword.

The weapon of the assassin was rammed from below the waist up into the body of Uriel Septim VII.
He died on the spot, dropping to the ground like a bag of coal.

The Scourge of my nights was no more.
I feared this day for so long and then it ended this way. It was kind of disappointing, so easy, so simple.

After he fulfilled his deed the Assassin turned on me. The guy attacked me and said that this was not a good day to side with the royal family.
I wanted to reply that I didn't side with anyone so far but he wasn't ready to listen. He swung at me with no mercy and I could only recede to avoid his blade.
I drew my own weapon and started to swing at him, not wanting to be the next victim of the blade that killed an Emperor.

The battle was short. For an assassin who managed to get the drop on the Emperor he wasn't a very good fighter. I broke his defenses and thrust my sword into his heart, killing him instantly.
I avenged the death of Uriel Septim VII.
How could that happen?

His bodyguard ran up to the emperor's lifeless body, kneeling down admitting in raw shock and sorrow that he failed, praying that Talos may save them. I didn't know how often I prayed to the gods in the past but they never had listened until today. Or not.
I didn't know, this all seemed wrong. I should be the dead one here not him!
Why the heck did he die?
Why in Oblivion was I angry about this?!
What were all my dreams about?!

Still, I kept quiet, except for answering some questions his bodyguard had. He told me that it was now my quest to deliver this amulet and that this was of utmost importance.
He seemed to trust me all of the sudden because the Emperor trusted me and proved that because he gave me that amulet. There was also something about the imperial line being able to see the future. Why did he die if he could have seen this happening? Couldn't he take a stroll through the city? Wasn't it full of guards who could have helped him better? They couldn't possibly be all on their side, whoever that side was!
Baurus also told me that only a true heir to the throne could wear this amulet, meaning I wouldn't be able to. I hadn't had the inclination to overtake the empire anyway.
He also thought that I was a scout. To be honest I wasn't sure what kind of career-path I could describe myself with. I thought for a little while about the different career-paths an adventurer could take and I decided myself to go for Healer.
With my luck it would be better if I was able to cure my own wounds.

Baurus thought that he wasn't far off with his conclusion. What do Scouts and Healers have in common? They could scout for alchemical ingredients in the wild but otherwise? I just realized that I tried to distract myself from the entire situation because I was unable to see the truth. The guy I was afraid for most of my life was dead and I just learned that he never was after me. That he hadn't even known me. That he had dreams like me but I wasn't killing him in them. He hadn't told me what exactly was happening in them and if I looked dangerous in them anyway. If I was a danger to him or not. Were his dreams more pleasant? Was I more pleasant to him than he was to me in my dreams or whatever creature had attacked me there? What attacked me in my dreams?

These thoughts didn't get my anywhere or even away from this damp and depressing place. Baurus had to watch over the Emperor's corpse and couldn't escort me to the exit. He also took the sword of his dead Captain Renault to honor her later because obviously I was not in need of a high quality sword, no sire! I tried to rob him with another sword I had found in these caverns but he wasn't going for it. I had to give him the sword of Renault back so I did reluctantly.

Now I had to deliver a holy amulet to a monk somewhere nearby so they could find the last remaining heir so he could become the new Emperor. No pressure here, just a delivery like usual, nothing important at stake. I was getting more sarcastic and snarky with every second in my head now while trying to figure out what my place in the universe was. I felt like I had been manipulated, like somebody wanted me to kill the Emperor before he was assassinated. Seemed more than unnecessary, like a very half-hearted Plan B. Whoever did this to me just had a really sick sense of humor, nothing more and whoever it was if I would get my hands on him I would make him pay.

But for now my goal was clear. I could either run as far away from the capital as possible or deliver this stupid amulet. To be honest, I probably had a million other different options as to what to do with my time but my main concern was if I should simply ditch the amulet or not. It was something dangerous people were after; People ready to kill anyone and everyone to reach their target, getting this amulet.

As I wandered away from Baurus and the Emperor's corpse I tried to hang the amulet around my neck just for fun. It teleported directly back into my pockets after a millisecond.
Magical indeed and more than picky. I had hoped that maybe I was a part of the royal Family, that this was my destiny, to rule over Tamriel. Or at least over Elsweyr. I would even have accepted a little fiefdom in the outback. But no, I was just an ordinary citizen with an unordinary amount of bad luck.

After a while I spotted a light, an exit, a new start. I came closer, breathing in anticipation of my future, a very uncertain one with the Emperor dead and cultists planning sinister things with the empire. I thought again about leaving not only Cyrodiil but all of Tamriel. But… Where could she go? I didn't know about the lands outside of Tamriel, I would be more lost there than I was here.

"Maybe a legendary hero will suddenly show up," I tried to calm myself. "After all, the Nerevarine showed also up without any foreshadowing. Just try to stay calm and hope a legendary hero shows up."

I opened the grid and stepped into the light and heard a message from the guys who had send me so many suggestions but this would be the last one I would hear from them in a long time:

Katia: Become one of the greatest heroines this world ever saw. You will be catnificent.

Of course they had to end it on a pun.

FIN

Notes:
I guess most of us think that Katia is supposed to become the Hero of Kvatch.
I did and thatis the reason I wrote this possible Ending for her. I hope I wrote her character the right way in this situation.
Hope you all had fun with this POV Story of Katia Managan, the sad Khajiit who may become the greatest unlucky protagonist of them all one day.