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ANNOUNCEMENTS: UPDATED 12/16/2017

Happy Holidays, fellow Kinkmemers! I have returned and have no reasonable excuse for my absence except LIFE. I will be working on updating the archives. If anyone sees anything amiss, please let me know.

I am also hoping to find another Mod and an Archivist.

The more dedicated people we have in this Meme the less chance of it dying. I admit that being the sole keeper of the Meme is not great for the fandom. If something were to happen to me, for good, this place would go the way of the Fallout Kink Meme. Let's not let that happen! If anyone would be interested in Modding/Archiving, please drop me a line. Thanks! <3

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From: (Anonymous)

Liriel looked around, starting to quietly panic. Something was wrong, had they been betrayed or... no, the camp was peaceful, not burning, ReachGuard were just wandering around, seeing to the dead or comforting each other or getting on with what needed doing. But Liriel did notice something – that hushed conversations would fall silent as soon as they saw her or Madanach, and then there would be momentary looks of horror-sadness-guilt-pity and then they'd look away. Madanach had noticed it too, and he was neither unobservant nor a fool.

“What in the Void is going on?” he whispered, hand reaching to his axe. Everyone in range looked away, slinking off or trying to look busy, no one wanting to meet his eyes.

“Madanach...” Liriel began, and she reached for his shoulder, but Madanach had broken away, striding, almost running forward to where he'd seen a little trinity of Uraccen, Duach and Odvan all waiting for him.

“Uraccen, what happened, what's going on?” Madanach's eyes fell on the black armband around his arm. “Oh no, not Uaile, I'm so sorry...”

“She's fine,” said Uraccen, and there it was again, that pity in his eyes when he looked at Madanach. “It's... you'd better come with us.” He held out a hand and started to lead Madanach out into where the dead were laid out. Madanach didn't follow, eyes looking at all three of his blood-brothers.

“You're all wearing them,” he whispered, looking frantically around the camp. “Every single one of you, you can't all have lost people, you can't...” Madanach's voice broke as he realised the significance of an entire people in mourning. Mourning a leader – or a member of the leader's family.

“No,” he breathed, and Liriel felt her heart stop as she realised it too. But Argis was fine, he was with us, the battle was over when he left... oh. Oh no.

“No, she isn't, she can't be,” Madanach gasped, voice harsh and ragged, hands to his temples. “Not again, not again, where is she?? Where is my daughter??”

Uraccen looked out over the morgue, and sure enough, out on the edge, on a raised escarpment overlooking the rest, four ReachGuard warriors were standing guard over one body separated out from everyone else, a body with an ebony-clad warrior kneeling next to it, clinging on to a red-haired Forsworn in a jester hat.

“Kaie,” Madanach breathed, face crumpling as it sank in. “KAIE!” Without even looking at Liriel or anyone else, he was racing towards them, everyone in his path moving without even needing to be told why. Liriel followed after, heart in her mouth, her own heart breaking as her mind started to process just what this all might mean for her... but mostly her heart was breaking for Madanach.

He'd reached them by now, taking in Argis kneeling there with tears rolling down his face and Cicero nestled in his arms, sobbing helplessly on Argis' shoulder... and before them Kaie, laid out on a bearskin, eyes closed and arms folded, peaceful in death aside from the gaping wounds in her chest and abdomen that had killed her and the gashes on her arms and legs.

Madanach dropped to his knees, wordless.

“Kaie,” he whispered, fingers trailing over her face, feeling the skin cold and unmoving, forever unmoving now. “Kaie, daughter, no...” Then his voice broke completely, and the feared King of the Reach, commander of the Forsworn, was bent low over his daughter's remains, cradling her body in his arms, sobbing his heart out and not caring who saw him.

Liriel knelt alongside him, rubbing his back, tears on her own cheeks because she'd liked Kaie too, cared for her a great deal, she missed her too. But mostly it was because the man she loved, strong, all-powerful, buzzing with magicka Madanach, was currently howling his grief out for the world to hear, utterly broken. Slowly, gently, she prised him away from Kaie and held him, soothing him as best she could.

“Madanach,” Liriel whispered, kissing the top of his head. “Madanach, I'm here, I've got you, it's...” Not all right, it'll never be all right again, but I love you, I'm not leaving you again, never...

From: (Anonymous)

Argis let Cicero go, moving to sit on Madanach's other side, arms around them both, and then Cicero was snuggling in against Liriel, whimpering that he was sorry, so sorry, he couldn't save her but he'd seen her killers dead, he'd murdered them all and brought Kaie back to camp. Of course he had, sweet, loyal, brutal Cicero, he must have visited the Wrath of Sithis on them all. Madanach didn't answer, but he did ruffle Cicero's hair which probably meant he approved.

“What now?” Liriel finally asked as Madanach's tears subsided. “We'll... we'll have to have a funeral, won't we?”

“Tonight,” Madanach whispered. “All these things... best done at night. Someone... her kin need to keep vigil until then, I'll need to stay out here...”

“Like the Void you will,” Argis cut in, and Liriel had never heard him talk like that before, never heard him sound anything like that authoritative. “I'll do it. You get to bed. Liriel, take him to his tent.”

“I'm her king and her father, I will do it!” Madanach snapped, looking up and now that was more like it, a glimmer of his old self coming back.

“You're nearly sixty, you've not slept, you're exhausted, go to bed,” Argis shot back. “I am her brother and Crown-Prince until you can produce a legitimate heir, I will do the damn vigil with Cicero here.”

Cicero squeaked quietly but didn't make a single ribald remark. Argis was still staring down Madanach, neither really willing to give in over this but someone had to and in the end it was Madanach.

“Fine, mabion. Watch over her. Do what I couldn't.” He choked on the last words as his eyes fell on Kaie and then he was getting up, looking away, face screwed up in pain.

“Madanach, wait, I'm coming with you,” Liriel gasped, and Madanach did at least stop and wait while she got to her feet, leaning in to her as she held him.

“Liriel. Don't leave me,” he gasped.

“I won't,” Liriel whispered. “Not ever.” Madanach let out a sob as he clung on to her, holding her for a moment, before loosening his grip, arms round her waist and head resting on her shoulder, usual aura of command utterly gone, just a man craving comfort. Comfort best provided in private without an entire camp watching from the corner of their eyes, feeling their king's pain but at the same time glad it was not them.

“Come on,” she told him. “Let's get you to bed. Argis was right, you need sleep.”

“No sleep will ever mend this,” Madanach whispered, but he acquiesced as Liriel led him away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I'm so sorry. I really am. Poor Kaie. Poor Madanach. Poor Cicero and Argis and everyone. See, this is why I didn't want to write it. But it is done and Kaie rests safely in the Void.

Next chapter, a Forsworn funeral and everyone deals with the aftermath.

From: (Anonymous)

This can't have been fun to write, but it was a joy to read - what a ride! I laughed, I cried, I held my breath. Poor Kaie. Poor Madanach. Poor everyone.

I loved Odahviing. I've always loved him - he's such a snarky, unapologetically self-serving bastard, and you wrote him PERFECTLY. I especially enjoyed his exchange with Argis. You did justice to Ulfric's death scene too, and too the complicated tangle of the civil war - Ulfric may not be a nice man, but he's got a point about oaths made to oathbreakers. Liriel is such a badass ("My ancestors are gods!"). And then the HEARTBREAK. Seeing a strong man cry is about the saddest thing in the world, and reading about it's not much better. Snuggle him better, Liriel. :(

From: (Anonymous)

Oh gods, I CRIED writing the ending! Madanach's normally such a ruthless badass, and to have to write him slowly realising he'd just lost his daughter and completely falling apart... yeah, it was fairly horrible, especially with the preceding scenes where everything's going so well and all five of them are turning into a little family.

While I don't think I'll ever be a Stormcloak, I do have a lot of respect for Ulfric as a worthy foe. Good to know the death scene worked!

I liked the 'my ancestors are gods!' line too - another reason she had to be Altmer, they firmly believe they're descended from the Aedra.

Thank you for the comment!