Meme Announcements!
Oct. 29th, 2011 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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
Re: Nightshade and Juniper 19.11
Date: 2013-07-09 09:24 pm (UTC)“Tell me about her,” Liriel whispered. “Tell me about Eola. You never did say what happened, you didn't even tell me her name until now.”
“Why'd you want to know now?” Madanach asked, sounding more than a little baffled.
“Just tell me,” Liriel said softly, nestling in his arms. “If – if we have to part... I want to know the last piece of the story before I go.”
She felt Madanach's arms tighten and a kiss on her head.
“Well, why not, it's not like it can hurt any worse than the rest of all this,” he sighed. “All right. You know how she saw Amaleen die. Well, it changed her. She'd always been closer to me than her mother and I know Mireen resented that. Mireen was not a good woman – she blamed me for not saving Eithne, and I think she blamed Eola for not saving Amaleen, or at least being the reason she died. Either way, she took it out on Eola, and managed to combine overprotectiveness with constant belittling. The way Kaie told it, Eola always seemed to be the naughty one, the stubborn one, the one who talked back, the one who invited trouble. Well of course she was, she was my girl through and through. I never knew when to shut up either.” Laughter at this, every word shot through with pride and really Liriel had to wonder how she'd not seen the relationship before. “Anyway, that's how it was and things got worse as she got older. She threw herself into her training, did really well by all accounts, was shaping up to be one of our best nightblades. Gifted, they called her. Never seen anything like it, so I heard. Better than her sister in a lot of ways. She had my gift for Destruction, her mother's Conjuration talents, could sneak like a Dark Sister, handled a blade like veterans twice her age. I was so proud, couldn't wait for her to turn sixteen, get initiated and then come do the jail runs with her sister so I could finally see my girl again. But it never happened.”
“She died?” Liriel asked, all the while knowing that no, she never died, she ran away. Deserted, according to Eola. A common deserter, so Liriel had thought, but no, she was the long-lost Reach-Princess. In danger of a brutal and fatal punishment, so Liriel had been led to believe. Punishment?? From the sound of it, Eola was no more likely to die a long, slow lingering death at Madanach's hands than Liriel was ever likely to. All the same, Liriel needed to make sure that Madanach would actually take her back with open arms.
“Worse,” said Madanach softly. “She ran away. Mireen's fault. She stopped Eola's initiations, confined her to camp, refused to let her make the sacrifice for her initiation of Sithis, and banned anyone in the camp from going near her to consummate Anu's. Said she wasn't getting recognised as an adult until she'd learned to act like one, and that meant getting married to continue the line. She'd already starting making arrangements with eligible men at other camps. Apparently Mireen doubted Eola's commitment to the cause and thought it would be best to get Eola married and pregnant as soon as possible to tie her down. Married by force and at sixteen! She was a child, Liriel, my child!” Madanach was shaking as he spoke, voice harsh and furious and Liriel began to realise why he'd not mourned Mireen's death. She'd have found it hard to forgive a husband who'd try to sell one of her girls in marriage.
“So she escaped,” Liriel whispered, her respect for Eola shooting up. “Good for her.”
Re: Nightshade and Juniper 19.12
Date: 2013-07-09 09:26 pm (UTC)“You don't see her as a deserter or murderer then,” Liriel said, hope flaring. Madanach looked at her, surprised she'd ever think that.
“No, why would I? She was a child, Liriel! Uninitiated. Never taken a life, never been with anyone, not started the Dance as a full adult. I'm not going to hold her to account for what she did as a child. She was alone and afraid and didn't know any better or have any other options. Because I wasn't there to look after her and stop it.”
Guilty, bitter, blaming himself – but not angry. Not vengeful. Eola would be safe – more than safe. Loved.
“What would you say if you saw her again?” Liriel whispered. Madanach didn't reply, and Liriel looked up to see tears in his eyes. “Madanach? Oh gods, Madanach, you don't have to answer that...”
“She was my girl,” Madanach whispered, not looking at Liriel as he clung on to her. “My little princess. All the others were born at Karthspire but not her. She was born in Markarth, in the master bedroom at Understone Keep, while I was King the first time. When she was born, I took her out to the waiting city and told her she would have everything I could ever give her, she'd want for nothing, she'd have the life I never did. A promise I could never keep. I failed her, Liriel. I loved her so much and I let her down. She needed me and I wasn't there...” He clutched Liriel to him, face buried in her hair, silent tears on his cheeks.
“I'm not sure I even want to see her again,” Madanach murmured. “Don't know what I'd say. How in the world I'd ever make it up to her, I don't know. I don't suppose she wants to see me again – she must have heard about me taking the Reach by now, if she cared, she'd have come back. But she hasn't so I guess she's done with us.”
Liriel wasn't sure whether to be impressed by his stoicism or outraged at him just giving up. She let go of him, sitting upright.
“Madanach, she's your daughter!” Liriel cried. “More than that, with Kaie gone she's your heir! You can't just give up on her! You have to find her. I'm not having any child of mine at constant risk of disinheritance, and nor will any Reachwoman you might marry.”
That did get to him, the familiar spark firing up with anger in his eyes.
“And where do you suggest I look, hmm? She could be anywhere! Morrowind, High Rock, Cyrodiil, who knows where she went? For all I know she went off to study magic with your lot in Alinor.”
“They'd never teach a human magic,” Liriel laughed. “Goes against everything the Thalmor believe.” She leaned over and kissed him, her lips meeting his as she held his face and tasted him one last time.
“Don't do anything,” she whispered. “Don't make any hasty decisions. Just keep yourself safe and take care of the Reach. Get your son married. Don't think about heirs or finding a bride or anything. Just leave it to me.”
Re: Nightshade and Juniper 19.13
Date: 2013-07-09 09:28 pm (UTC)“I am Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Archmage of Winterhold and Dragonborn,” Liriel replied, brimming with confidence at last. “I've got friends all over the place. I can find her, Madanach. I can get you your daughter back.”
“Don't make promises you can't keep,” Madanach warned her, but that was hope in his eyes, faint hope but hope nonetheless. He watched as she got up, reaching for her things.
“I can give you a year,” he finally said. “That's all, Liriel. I'm getting old, I can't wait forever.”
“I know,” Liriel said softly, shouldering her pack. It wouldn't take a year, it wouldn't even take a month if her intuition was correct. She just needed to hear the truth from Eola and persuade her to go back to her father.
Pausing to kiss Madanach goodbye, she left the tent, in search of Argis. Time to get her ex-housecarl's opinion, reclaim Cicero and then... then it was time to go find a princess.
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A/N: The Forsworn funeral owes a lot to the Fremen funeral service in Dune, with a few Dothraki elements from Game of Thrones and Forsworn/Elder Scrolls lore mixed in to give it that canon feel. I hope you liked it.
Eola must be the least likely princess ever, but I have a feeling she'd go well as kin to Madanach. She's not going to tell him about the cannibalism and Namira worship though. Even Madanach has limits.
Re: Nightshade and Juniper 19.13
Date: 2013-07-12 01:42 pm (UTC)And I'm with Liriel- I totally should have seen that Eola was Madanach's daughter but I didn't.