“Ssh!” Madanach hissed. “You think I want the entire camp knowing?? Kaie doesn't even know! Keirine does, but she knows everything. Yes, all right, you're right, I had a... well, a fling with a young Nord girl once. Didn't go anywhere but nine years later, I'm taking Markarth and what do I find but my old lover and an eight-year-old son looking too much like me for comfort. I've never really been able to care for him as I'd like, what with being married and then in prison all these years, but I was able to send Karliah to get him and his mother to safety. She was too late to rescue Inga but she brought me my son. I raised him on a camp in secret, took care of him until they captured me, then he ended up with Nepos being trained as one of our agents. And he's been that ever since, we've kept his parentage quiet for his own protection. So don't you go telling anyone! Honestly, who told you, was it Karliah or Keirine?”
“Neither, I worked it out,” Elisif said, feeling rather pleased at being right and at the same time feeling rather sorry for Argis. It sounded like he'd had a rough life. No wonder he'd not seen much of his father, and it seemed his sisters didn't know he was even kin. “I can't believe you sent your own son to be my bodyguard, don't you know how dangerous it's been? We faced Alduin the World-Eater!”
“I know but who else could I trust?” Madanach shrugged. “And please, don't remind me about the Alduin thing, Argis has already told me, as have your two Dunmer friends, it sounds terrifying. But he seems to be in one piece, even if he is picking up unsuitable partners.”
“And you call me crazy,” Madanach muttered, but he was smiling a little. “Still, nice to see the boy happy. He deserves it, life hasn't been kind. If I end up with my head on a spike, at least he'll have someone to look after him.”
“You're not going to get executed,” Elisif told him. “And when this is all done and you're Reach-King, you can finally tell Kaie and Eola and everyone else he's yours and then he'll have a family again.”
“I will, will I?” Madanach asked, eyebrow raised. Then he shrugged and nodded. “I'll think about it. Got a battle to fight first. But you're right, once I'm pardoned and safe, I can tell the girls, I suppose. Mireen's dead, I don't have to worry about her any more. Might tell Eola when she gets back from Dawnstar. She never got on with her mother anyway, she won't care I cheated on her once.”
Ah yes, Eola's mysterious venture in Dawnstar. No one was willing to talk about it, or why Cicero and Eola had gone there, only that Madanach wanted the place watching and it turned out Cicero knew a little hideaway up there. So off they'd gone and most of the camp seemed of the opinion that they didn't much care about anything other than how peaceful it was without Cicero there.
Elisif had a feeling she didn't want to know and wouldn't approve when she found out, but she had other priorities. Such as fighting Ulfric the next day. Victory or Sovngarde, and the thought of either terrified her. She just hoped it was quick if she did die.
More mead, was the answer to that one. So she drank more mead, and Madanach drank more of whatever potent moonshine he was on, and above them the aurora blazed and the moons rose and set as the fire burned down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Argis collapsed back on the straw pile while Farkas cleaned them both up, stars in his eyes and feeling dazed.
I'm not into men. Not really. I prefer women. This isn't going anywhere, it's just a bit of fun.
Apart from the way Farkas looked at him, and kept performing little acts of kindness such as getting him mead and cooking for him, and massaging tired muscles at the end of the day, and then Argis had had to reciprocate out of guilt, and one thing had led to another and...
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 29.4
“Neither, I worked it out,” Elisif said, feeling rather pleased at being right and at the same time feeling rather sorry for Argis. It sounded like he'd had a rough life. No wonder he'd not seen much of his father, and it seemed his sisters didn't know he was even kin. “I can't believe you sent your own son to be my bodyguard, don't you know how dangerous it's been? We faced Alduin the World-Eater!”
“I know but who else could I trust?” Madanach shrugged. “And please, don't remind me about the Alduin thing, Argis has already told me, as have your two Dunmer friends, it sounds terrifying. But he seems to be in one piece, even if he is picking up unsuitable partners.”
“Farkas isn't unsuitable, he's an absolute sweetheart!” Elisif protested. “I think they're cute together.”
“And you call me crazy,” Madanach muttered, but he was smiling a little. “Still, nice to see the boy happy. He deserves it, life hasn't been kind. If I end up with my head on a spike, at least he'll have someone to look after him.”
“You're not going to get executed,” Elisif told him. “And when this is all done and you're Reach-King, you can finally tell Kaie and Eola and everyone else he's yours and then he'll have a family again.”
“I will, will I?” Madanach asked, eyebrow raised. Then he shrugged and nodded. “I'll think about it. Got a battle to fight first. But you're right, once I'm pardoned and safe, I can tell the girls, I suppose. Mireen's dead, I don't have to worry about her any more. Might tell Eola when she gets back from Dawnstar. She never got on with her mother anyway, she won't care I cheated on her once.”
Ah yes, Eola's mysterious venture in Dawnstar. No one was willing to talk about it, or why Cicero and Eola had gone there, only that Madanach wanted the place watching and it turned out Cicero knew a little hideaway up there. So off they'd gone and most of the camp seemed of the opinion that they didn't much care about anything other than how peaceful it was without Cicero there.
Elisif had a feeling she didn't want to know and wouldn't approve when she found out, but she had other priorities. Such as fighting Ulfric the next day. Victory or Sovngarde, and the thought of either terrified her. She just hoped it was quick if she did die.
More mead, was the answer to that one. So she drank more mead, and Madanach drank more of whatever potent moonshine he was on, and above them the aurora blazed and the moons rose and set as the fire burned down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Argis collapsed back on the straw pile while Farkas cleaned them both up, stars in his eyes and feeling dazed.
I'm not into men. Not really. I prefer women. This isn't going anywhere, it's just a bit of fun.
Apart from the way Farkas looked at him, and kept performing little acts of kindness such as getting him mead and cooking for him, and massaging tired muscles at the end of the day, and then Argis had had to reciprocate out of guilt, and one thing had led to another and...