“What are you talking about- ack!” Dawnbreaker emerged through his ribcage as Liriel shoved her blade through his chest. Shrouded Boots had made no sound on the floor and Liriel had been silent as she'd crept up behind him, taking advantage of Ulfric being distracted by Madanach. Ulfric lived just long enough to look up and see Liriel smiling sweetly down at him before the Blade of Woe slit his throat and the Bear of Windhelm's Voice was forever silenced.
Liriel retrieved Dawnbreaker, wiping her blades off on Ulfric's clothes before sheathing them and looking up at Madanach. She looked like she was about to say something but no words came. She'd done it. They'd done it. Eithne avenged, Markarth avenged, Ulfric Stormcloak lying dead on the floor and it was over, all over at last. Madanach tore his eyes away from Ulfric's body to look up at her. Dragonborn, assassin, mage... and going to be his queen.
Silver eyes met gold and then he was in her arms and they were kissing, hands all over each other, fingers in each other's hair, backing up until they hit the table and then Madanach was perching on it, holding Liriel to him, kissing her for all he was worth and honestly if they'd been alone, just the two of them, they'd have been hard at it on Ulfric Stormcloak's table while his body cooled behind them.
Sadly for them both, Tullius had picked himself up by this point, with a little help from Rikke, and coughed rather pointedly.
“Excuse me, Dragonborn, but we do have a city to set to rights – are you and the Reach-King quite done?”
Liriel let Madanach go, blushing and hastily patting her hair back into shape. Madanach pushed himself off the table, amused at her embarrassment. Altmer, always so unwilling for anyone to see them actually demonstrate that they had animal instincts like the rest of the world. Not that he exactly wanted to show Liriel off to the world in that way but all the same, it still amused him.
Argis was also back on his feet, helmet off and looking so proud of the pair of them, and that was a sight to warm Madanach's heart, seeing his son smile again. My boy is happy again, I have a son again. Liriel stepped back to talk to General Tullius and Legate Rikke, leaving Argis to speak with Madanach. His eyes were glistening as he wiped at the corners.
“You did it,” he gasped, smiling despite the tears rolling down his cheeks. “You did it!”
“We really did,” Madanach replied, closing his eyes and finally feeling his daughter's ghost laid to rest, a caress of his hand and a kiss on the cheek and a whispered thank you and knowing she was at peace in the Void now. His daughter avenged and his son able to be his son again – while his family could never be what it had once been, it was healed at last. Argis stepped forward and then the two men were embracing, tears rolling down both their cheeks as two warriors who rarely gave in to their more vulnerable emotions finally let them go.
“Love you, Da,” Argis whispered in his ear. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”
“What, for treating you like you weren't mine for twenty years?” Madanach said, voice muffled as he rested his head against Argis' shoulder, and how in the name of Anu had the boy got so damn tall??
“It's alright,” Argis gasped. “It's OK. You did what you had to. You were protecting me the only way you could. But it's OK now, your first wife's dead, you're king, and you did it, you killed Ulfric, you avenged Eithne, you...” Argis had to stop there, choking on the tears as he held his father close. Madanach patted him on the back, knowing that of all of them, Argis was the only one who understood, the only other survivor of the day things had fallen apart. Now, by the grace of the old gods and his Queen of Dragons, he'd finally been able to put his family back together.
“Liriel did it,” Madanach said, letting Argis go, and turning to look at Liriel, who'd been watching them, tears in her own eyes but happy smile all over her face. “Thank her, I'd never have done any of this without her.”
Argis let his father go and the next thing Liriel knew, Argis had pulled her into a bear hug.
Re: Nightshade and Juniper 18.7
Liriel retrieved Dawnbreaker, wiping her blades off on Ulfric's clothes before sheathing them and looking up at Madanach. She looked like she was about to say something but no words came. She'd done it. They'd done it. Eithne avenged, Markarth avenged, Ulfric Stormcloak lying dead on the floor and it was over, all over at last. Madanach tore his eyes away from Ulfric's body to look up at her. Dragonborn, assassin, mage... and going to be his queen.
Silver eyes met gold and then he was in her arms and they were kissing, hands all over each other, fingers in each other's hair, backing up until they hit the table and then Madanach was perching on it, holding Liriel to him, kissing her for all he was worth and honestly if they'd been alone, just the two of them, they'd have been hard at it on Ulfric Stormcloak's table while his body cooled behind them.
Sadly for them both, Tullius had picked himself up by this point, with a little help from Rikke, and coughed rather pointedly.
“Excuse me, Dragonborn, but we do have a city to set to rights – are you and the Reach-King quite done?”
Liriel let Madanach go, blushing and hastily patting her hair back into shape. Madanach pushed himself off the table, amused at her embarrassment. Altmer, always so unwilling for anyone to see them actually demonstrate that they had animal instincts like the rest of the world. Not that he exactly wanted to show Liriel off to the world in that way but all the same, it still amused him.
Argis was also back on his feet, helmet off and looking so proud of the pair of them, and that was a sight to warm Madanach's heart, seeing his son smile again. My boy is happy again, I have a son again. Liriel stepped back to talk to General Tullius and Legate Rikke, leaving Argis to speak with Madanach. His eyes were glistening as he wiped at the corners.
“You did it,” he gasped, smiling despite the tears rolling down his cheeks. “You did it!”
“We really did,” Madanach replied, closing his eyes and finally feeling his daughter's ghost laid to rest, a caress of his hand and a kiss on the cheek and a whispered thank you and knowing she was at peace in the Void now. His daughter avenged and his son able to be his son again – while his family could never be what it had once been, it was healed at last. Argis stepped forward and then the two men were embracing, tears rolling down both their cheeks as two warriors who rarely gave in to their more vulnerable emotions finally let them go.
“Love you, Da,” Argis whispered in his ear. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”
“What, for treating you like you weren't mine for twenty years?” Madanach said, voice muffled as he rested his head against Argis' shoulder, and how in the name of Anu had the boy got so damn tall??
“It's alright,” Argis gasped. “It's OK. You did what you had to. You were protecting me the only way you could. But it's OK now, your first wife's dead, you're king, and you did it, you killed Ulfric, you avenged Eithne, you...” Argis had to stop there, choking on the tears as he held his father close. Madanach patted him on the back, knowing that of all of them, Argis was the only one who understood, the only other survivor of the day things had fallen apart. Now, by the grace of the old gods and his Queen of Dragons, he'd finally been able to put his family back together.
“Liriel did it,” Madanach said, letting Argis go, and turning to look at Liriel, who'd been watching them, tears in her own eyes but happy smile all over her face. “Thank her, I'd never have done any of this without her.”
Argis let his father go and the next thing Liriel knew, Argis had pulled her into a bear hug.