“And what was your commitment to the cause like, Eola?” Liriel asked. “Do you actually want an independent Reach or do you just not care any more?”
Sadness crept into Eola's eyes, sadness and a fair hint of bitterness, and that was most unlike her. Eola very rarely had regrets about anything.
“My oldest sister died when I was five – the Nords killed her,” said Eola quietly. “They got my Da at the same time, my strong, proud, brave warrior of a father. I don't remember a lot about him, but I know he loved me dearly. Then he was gone. A few years after that, my next oldest sister died – I'd wandered off and got lost, she'd come out to find me and that's when the mercenaries attacked. She told me to run and fought them off, and she was good, but she was outnumbered and only fifteen. They hacked her to death and I couldn't do a damn thing. I was there for hours, clutching her body, cold, alone, afraid, hungry, crying my eyes out. In the end, I was so hungry I took a bite.”
So Eola's seduction speech had been at least partly autobiographical. Liriel suspected as much.
“They found me eventually, and I told them it had been a fox taking bites out of her, but I'm not sure Ma believed me. She was never the same again. When I approached sixteen, Ma was very clear that I had a choice – either join the fight like my third sister, or get married to continue the line. Needless to say, I said no to both and left. Liriel, don't get me wrong,” Eola sighed. “It's not that I don't agree and it's not even that I don't care. I'd love an independent Reach again. But it's never going to happen in my lifetime and I'm not throwing my life away in a pointless struggle that's never really stopped since Tiber Septim's day.”
“It's not pointless,” said Liriel, fighting the anger that was rising at Eola's dismissive words. “It's only pointless if we give up. I refuse to believe the Forsworn cause is doomed.”
“We?” said Eola, staring right into her eyes. “It's 'we', is it now? Sweet Namira, Liriel, what in Oblivion have you got yourself mixed up in now? I know you're Brotherhood but the Auld Alliance hasn't functioned in over a hundred years. And even when it did, please don't think it was more than a mutually beneficial trade and training agreement. The Dark Brotherhood were never ideologically committed to freedom for the Reach, any more than the Forsworn were prepared to kill just anyone unless it fitted with their own plans. Look, if you've been seconded out to the Forsworn, or even if they've just hired you for a contract, don't make it more than it is. Just do the job, get paid, get out, that's my advice.”
“You cynical bitch,” Liriel said softly, thinking of Madanach's delight as she'd told him she was Listener, and the barely concealed glee in his eyes ever since. Something about seeing him so happy had made her happy too, and for Eola to just dismiss everything Madanach believed in, just like that, felt like a slap in the face.
“Guilty as charged,” said Eola cheerfully. “What? Don't look at me like that, you know what I'm like by now. All I care about is my next meal.”
“There's more to life than the hunt!” Liriel cried, throwing her hands up in frustration.
“Is there?” Eola asked, eyebrow raised. Liriel fought back the urge to slap her.
“Look, do you want in on this job or not?” she hissed. Eola grinned at that, crossing her legs and settling in to listen.
“So there is a job then. Let me guess, the Forsworn have hired you to kill someone they can't get to themselves. Who is it?”
“Let's just say there are a few internal dissensions within the Forsworn with regards to policy,” Liriel said delicately. “And that a certain high-ranking member of the Forsworn is rapidly losing patience with this state of affairs and has retained me to deal with some of said dissenters, namely other high-ranking members of the Forsworn. Apparently if my client does it directly, all Oblivion will break loose, but if the Brotherhood do it, with no link back to said client, my client can then move in and clean up the mess, take their camps over and with any luck the rest will fall into line.”
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Nightshade and Juniper 3.7
Date: 2013-04-08 08:28 pm (UTC)Sadness crept into Eola's eyes, sadness and a fair hint of bitterness, and that was most unlike her. Eola very rarely had regrets about anything.
“My oldest sister died when I was five – the Nords killed her,” said Eola quietly. “They got my Da at the same time, my strong, proud, brave warrior of a father. I don't remember a lot about him, but I know he loved me dearly. Then he was gone. A few years after that, my next oldest sister died – I'd wandered off and got lost, she'd come out to find me and that's when the mercenaries attacked. She told me to run and fought them off, and she was good, but she was outnumbered and only fifteen. They hacked her to death and I couldn't do a damn thing. I was there for hours, clutching her body, cold, alone, afraid, hungry, crying my eyes out. In the end, I was so hungry I took a bite.”
So Eola's seduction speech had been at least partly autobiographical. Liriel suspected as much.
“They found me eventually, and I told them it had been a fox taking bites out of her, but I'm not sure Ma believed me. She was never the same again. When I approached sixteen, Ma was very clear that I had a choice – either join the fight like my third sister, or get married to continue the line. Needless to say, I said no to both and left. Liriel, don't get me wrong,” Eola sighed. “It's not that I don't agree and it's not even that I don't care. I'd love an independent Reach again. But it's never going to happen in my lifetime and I'm not throwing my life away in a pointless struggle that's never really stopped since Tiber Septim's day.”
“It's not pointless,” said Liriel, fighting the anger that was rising at Eola's dismissive words. “It's only pointless if we give up. I refuse to believe the Forsworn cause is doomed.”
“We?” said Eola, staring right into her eyes. “It's 'we', is it now? Sweet Namira, Liriel, what in Oblivion have you got yourself mixed up in now? I know you're Brotherhood but the Auld Alliance hasn't functioned in over a hundred years. And even when it did, please don't think it was more than a mutually beneficial trade and training agreement. The Dark Brotherhood were never ideologically committed to freedom for the Reach, any more than the Forsworn were prepared to kill just anyone unless it fitted with their own plans. Look, if you've been seconded out to the Forsworn, or even if they've just hired you for a contract, don't make it more than it is. Just do the job, get paid, get out, that's my advice.”
“You cynical bitch,” Liriel said softly, thinking of Madanach's delight as she'd told him she was Listener, and the barely concealed glee in his eyes ever since. Something about seeing him so happy had made her happy too, and for Eola to just dismiss everything Madanach believed in, just like that, felt like a slap in the face.
“Guilty as charged,” said Eola cheerfully. “What? Don't look at me like that, you know what I'm like by now. All I care about is my next meal.”
“There's more to life than the hunt!” Liriel cried, throwing her hands up in frustration.
“Is there?” Eola asked, eyebrow raised. Liriel fought back the urge to slap her.
“Look, do you want in on this job or not?” she hissed. Eola grinned at that, crossing her legs and settling in to listen.
“So there is a job then. Let me guess, the Forsworn have hired you to kill someone they can't get to themselves. Who is it?”
“Let's just say there are a few internal dissensions within the Forsworn with regards to policy,” Liriel said delicately. “And that a certain high-ranking member of the Forsworn is rapidly losing patience with this state of affairs and has retained me to deal with some of said dissenters, namely other high-ranking members of the Forsworn. Apparently if my client does it directly, all Oblivion will break loose, but if the Brotherhood do it, with no link back to said client, my client can then move in and clean up the mess, take their camps over and with any luck the rest will fall into line.”