บท 658: An Empire Free
A/n: 13 Early Access Chapters on P4treon and MORE! ➡️ https://linktr.ee/donovel ⬅️
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Jon sat at a high peak early in the morning thinking and meditating for a clear mind. He could see the entire world beneath where he sat and it brought him peace.
"A Broken World!"
"Will you shut up, Shadow?" Jon replied as his thoughts were interrupted by the leech at the back of his mind.
"Heh! Too broken for my taste." Shadow said, "You could have just become the Emperor but you're still going on with that old broken man's ideas."
Jon exhaled heavily and closed his eyes. Over his head, the demon-like Shadow was looming over his head in a mass of animated darkness.
"Don't listen to him." Another voice interrupted the Demon-like Shadow, as it animated itself in another mass or darkness, it turned to a Human-like Shadow. "All you need is to do what you want but be swift with it."
Two Shadows, a Demon and a Human.
"You two are annoying to no end." Jon said, "It was a mistake allowing you to meet Sheogorath. Now I have to deal with the two of you at the same time."
"He's so disheartening. Hey! You're so disheartening." The Demon Shadow started to mock Jon with his bullying manner of speaking, "You're just staring at nothing while doing nothing useful. At least with your company, you were invading the world by buying it."
"Is there a way to turn him off?" Jon asked.
"Beats me." The Human Shadow replied.
At that moment, footsteps were heard coming towards Jon. The two Shadows finally disappeared and Jon focused on the elder coming towards him.
"Dovahkiin." The Elder Greybeard spoke.
"Master Arngeir." Jon walked off the edge of the mountain and stood up in respect for the old man who came.
"I see you have perfected listening to the Voice of the Sky. Kyne encases you with her blessing." Arngeir said but he then spotted Jon's shadow beneath his feet and noticed it being heavier and darker than most.
"Sky Above, Voice Within." Jon said, "These words I learned here were greater than any word of power I learned."
"A lot is in your mind, Dragonborn." Arngeir remarked.
"The Emperor is dead." Jon remarked the first thing that came to his mind.
"I see." Arngeir said, "You wish to become one."
"Not really!" Jon shook his shoulders.
"Young Tiber Septim was eager to lead and conquer." Arngeir said hinting out that is part of his nature as Dragon Blood.
"Young Jon Dare would rather buy the Ruby Throne rather than go killing left and right." Jon replied, "It is empty, you know."
"How so?" Arngeir asked.
"The Empire died 200 years ago. It stood 200 years till now and it feels like we're watching someone animating the dead. Eventually, it crumbles but it is saddening." Jon said, "No Amulet of Kings, no Divine Covenant with Akatosh, no Sacred Bloodline of Dragon Emperors, no Dragonsfire at the Temple of the One. It is just…"
"Just?"
"The Age of Men." Jon said, "No longer will the Divines rule beside Men. Men will rule themselves by themselves and they will become free."
"Same as Creation intended them to be." Arngeir said.
"Yes." Jon nodded and turned to watch the clouds with Arngeir before asking a strange out-of-place question, "Do you know the story of Adam and Eve?"
"Adam and Eve?" Arngeir frowned.
"A Man and a Woman created as the first humans." Jon said, "Their Creator put them in a Garden and told them to live in utter luxury as in Heaven, for it was actually Heaven. However, they were told not to go near a certain tree.
In some versions of the story, there was a guardian on the tree with a sword of fire, in others, there was none so much so the tree itself was just an ordinary tree in the garden, barely noticeable.
The couple later disobeyed their Creator and ate from the tree by the trickery of a snake. The snake promised them what mortals always seek so dearly and they blindly believed him. After they ate, they were projected nude to each other and were released on the Mortal World which in contrast to Heaven, a thorny place with dangers and death."
Jon finished his story and looked to Arngeir.
"What do you think?" He asked.
Arngeir looked at the sky and for the first time, the man was puzzled.
"Though they sinned, they were meant to sin. Their Creator wanted them to sin." Arngeir, "Well, it can hardly be a sin then. Humans are repulsive."
"Indeed." Jon nodded.
"To me…" The Old Man found it hard to say, "It was clearly a test. If they were truly the First Man and Woman, they needed to be taught something important before they were sent to the mortal world and part ways from the safety of the Heavens."
"And that is?" Jon asked as he noticed that Arngeir had caught up.
"Free Will." Arngeir said.
The two smiled and looked at the sky deeply.
"There is no need for me to be Emperor when I am Dragonborn, Humans can rule themselves with their own Free Will." Jon said.
"Thank you for the insight, Dragonborn." Arngeir said, "And a word of warning…"
Jon turned to Arngeir waiting for his warning.
"The Grey Wind is what inspired the Dragons to feed their hunger. He came to them from where they least expected and defeated their wills." Master Arngeir said.
Jon looked at his own shadow and smirked.
"I keep the fucker in check."
Jon's reply was disrespectful but judging by what he was talking about, Master Arngeir couldn't be offended by Jon's language at all.
"So, why did you come for us, Dragonborn?" Arngeir said, "You stated that you need assistance."
Jon nodded.
"I have sent a Declaration of War." Jon said.
The words were strange and too sudden for Arngeir who is a Greybeard and uninvolved in anything politics-related.
"Alright, to whom?" Arngeir didn't feel curious but wanted Jon to stretch his statement a bit.
"All the Nine Jarls of the Nine Holds of Skyrim." Jon said a sentence that even Arngeir couldn't ignore one bit.
Everyone knew Jon was light in the head at times but that was a brand new form of utter madness.
"Now why would you do that?" Arngeir said with a frown, "You don't want the Empire so you will settle for Skyrim."
"Well… I sent the Declaration of War but I am not planning to rule anything." Jon said, "I just wrote the name of the sender as the Dragon Cult."
Arngeir heard Jon and couldn't decide how to react.
Jon Dare just woke up one day, pulled out 9 pieces of parchment from his desk, wrote a Declaration of War on behalf of the Dragon Cult, and sent it to all the Major Holds.
"So?" Arngeir asked.
"With what happened to Solitude, everyone will start running around like headless chickens." Jon said, "At this time, one man will invite them all to fight the Dragon Cult."
"You?" Arngeir asked.
"The Dragonborn… technically me, yeah." Jon gave thumbs up.
"And why are you informing the Greybeards of this?" Arngeir asked.
"Because, Master Arngeir, I think we should invite the 9 Jarls up here at High Hrothgar." Jon said, "Let's hold a big peace meeting in the name of the Dragonborn."
***
The request shocked Master Arngeir of the Greybeards and he seemed quite disturbed but Jon stated a few reasons for his request.
First, he wanted a mutual ground for the warring Nords to come around for a meeting with their weapons at the door. It has to fulfill both the condition of being neutral, respectful, and agreeable by all Jarls.
Second, Ulfric Stormcloak is known to be rash and after the Dragon Cult's attack on Solitude, he was already amassing his army to attack Whiterun. If the Greybeards, who are his former masters, interfered in this situation, his reasoning will be affected and he will stand down.
Third, the Dragon Cult fears High Hrothgar as it seemed from their movements. The Snow Throat Mountain was once the seat of the highest power during the Dragon Cult days where Alduin himself resided. While it is now inhabited by Paarthurnax and the Greybeards, who are all immensely powerful, the Dragon Cult won't dare to take the chance and attack the whole lot of leaders like when they tried to do with the Blue Palace.
Jon didn't want to give anyone a chance, especially after the Emperor's Death. This would feel like another blow to the Imperial side and a sudden boost to the Stormcloaks but if they are to keep warring each other, all would finally serve the Dragons and Alduin.
Now if the Dragon Cult was to officially declare war, especially after the number of forces they revealed at Solitude, it would give the illusion that the Dragon Cult has more forces on standby and ready to jump on the next city.
More to that, the Jarls will start sending out more men to look for the Dragon Cult hideouts in their lands which will prove useful for Jon anyway. Once they are found, they will be attacked and rooted.
That put Jon in a very good mood now that he headed back to Winterhold and decided to rest for the day in his wife's embrace.
Tomorrow, he will head out to Riften and exact punishment on Maven and her Arch Wizard.
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A/n: 13 Early Access Chapters on P4treon and MORE! ➡️ https://linktr.ee/donovel ⬅️
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