“Of course she did,” Sabrinda sighed. “She wanted a handsome prince, so she got them to make her lover king. And as for the power... Meryn, you felt his magicka earlier. The man is an arrogant barbarian, but he is a talented mage. She's clearly one of those mer who can't resist strong magicka. Not unlike someone else I know.” A teasing note at this point, and while Sabrinda was still furious at Liriel, part of her could see the funny side, or the irony at least. Meryndor had often said that he'd found Sabrinda attractive at first sight, from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her at a high-class party where she'd been one of the guards providing security for the Thalmor host, but the moment he'd realised he had to have her was a year later at another such party when a Dark Brotherhood assassin had tried to kill the host's husband, only being prevented by another guard getting in the way. Said guard had been Sabrinda's best friend, and Sabrinda had gone berserk, destroying the hapless assassin in a magical display that Meryndor had never seen the like of before and utterly forgetting to shield any of her magicka in the process. He'd seen her in her full power, seen she was a very talented mage indeed, felt the magicka rising throughout the room and just wanted to drown in it forever. The courtship had started the next day, Meryndor not caring he was the son of one of the city's wealthiest merchant families and she was just a Thalmor soldier from an ordinary working family. Nothing had mattered except that he had to have her, needed her like the air he breathed, and as an only child of older parents, his family had given in and approved the match. She'd not expected anyone from that background to even look twice at her, but after thirty years she'd finally begun to believe it and twenty years after that, they were finally married. A perfectly respectable courtship leading to a happy Altmer marriage.
Liriel, if the stories were to be believed, had met Madanach within weeks of arriving in Skyrim, and a few months later he was king, Skyrim's political landscape was transformed and Liriel was his official betrothed. Close to a year later, they'd got married. That had been six months ago.
It went against everything she and Meryndor had taught their daughter, but Sabrinda had felt Madanach's magic for herself, and unless he'd bewitched her somehow (she was murdering him personally if that was the case, diplomacy be damned) all she could think was that Liriel's damned sentimentality and a weakness for strong magic had taken over and she'd lost her head completely. This Madanach could certainly be charming when he wanted – he'd been courteous if wary, and then he'd started talking to Ancalime. What sort of culture encouraged talking to strangers' children when their parents were right there, Sabrinda had no idea. Altmer children, while treasured and doted on by their families and indeed highly valued by society at large, were simultaneously expected to remain good and quiet when outside their own homes, not interacting with strange adults until they'd learned to behave like one themselves. The relative scarcity of Altmer children meant most adult Altmer had little idea how to react to them, so they were encouraged to behave like grown-ups as soon as possible. Unheard of to address an unrelated child on their level. And yet Madanach had done just that to Ancalime, and the filthy look he'd given her when she'd intervened... As if he thought she was a terrible parent or something.
Meryndor finally joined her on the bed, collapsing on it next to her.
“What if she really loves him?” he whispered, face drawn and hollow and that hurt to see, her warm and cheerful husband reduced to this. Sabrinda drew closer, wrapping her arms around him.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.7
Liriel, if the stories were to be believed, had met Madanach within weeks of arriving in Skyrim, and a few months later he was king, Skyrim's political landscape was transformed and Liriel was his official betrothed. Close to a year later, they'd got married. That had been six months ago.
It went against everything she and Meryndor had taught their daughter, but Sabrinda had felt Madanach's magic for herself, and unless he'd bewitched her somehow (she was murdering him personally if that was the case, diplomacy be damned) all she could think was that Liriel's damned sentimentality and a weakness for strong magic had taken over and she'd lost her head completely. This Madanach could certainly be charming when he wanted – he'd been courteous if wary, and then he'd started talking to Ancalime. What sort of culture encouraged talking to strangers' children when their parents were right there, Sabrinda had no idea. Altmer children, while treasured and doted on by their families and indeed highly valued by society at large, were simultaneously expected to remain good and quiet when outside their own homes, not interacting with strange adults until they'd learned to behave like one themselves. The relative scarcity of Altmer children meant most adult Altmer had little idea how to react to them, so they were encouraged to behave like grown-ups as soon as possible. Unheard of to address an unrelated child on their level. And yet Madanach had done just that to Ancalime, and the filthy look he'd given her when she'd intervened... As if he thought she was a terrible parent or something.
Meryndor finally joined her on the bed, collapsing on it next to her.
“What if she really loves him?” he whispered, face drawn and hollow and that hurt to see, her warm and cheerful husband reduced to this. Sabrinda drew closer, wrapping her arms around him.