Ancalime looked up, panicking a little as she saw four other humans bear down on her. Not least because they weren't taller than her. They were her height or shorter. Children, one boy with pale skin and dark hair, the tallest of the four, then three girls, one dark-skinned Redguard girl, one olive-skinned girl with ash-coloured hair and dark eyes like Cicero's, and in the lead, one little girl with blonde hair, pale skin and round cheeks.
“Hello little Sissel!” Cicero cooed. “Hello children!”
All four children had stopped dead on seeing Ancalime, and she shifted nearer to Cicero for comfort.
“Who's that?” the Redguard girl asked. “Is she an Altmer? Like Queen Liriel?”
“Just like Queen Liriel,” the boy whispered, looking Ancalime over. “Wow, it really is true.”
The other two girls had stepped forward, both staring at Ancalime in amazement.
“You're related to Mama, aren't you?” the little one who Cicero had called Sissel asked. “Are you her sister? Or... does she have other children?” Sissel looked a little bit betrayed at the mere idea.
“Of course not, Sissel,” the other girl sighed. “Mama wasn't even married before she came here and met Da. I think that's her little sister.”
Ancalime scratched her head, trying to work this out. The girls were sisters – and their mother was related to her? Her older sister apparently. Liriel. Queen Liriel? As in... married to the King.
No wonder her parents were angry.
“But Liriel can't be married to a human!” Ancalime cried. “That's illegal! Mer are meant to marry other mer!”
“You want to tell King Madanach that?” the boy laughed. “He seems to think Liriel's his queen and that it's all perfectly legal.”
“It is legal!” Sissel said, glaring. “Da's King, he said it was all official and that he was Mama's husband and now our Da too and we were a family!”
Family... Liriel had children, like Haldyn was going to have with Naarie. Except these children weren't little babies, they could walk and talk and everything and... Ancalime remembered her father telling her that it was very bad indeed to walk around telling humans elves were better than them, and realised that Liriel might be cross if Ancalime was mean to her children.
“But you're not elves,” Ancalime said, confused. “Why would Liriel be your mother?”
“Because our real parents died,” the one who wasn't Sissel explained patiently. “And we didn't have anywhere to go. I was living on the streets when Liriel found me. She gave me money and food and one day when she finally got a house, she said she could adopt me if I wanted. So I said yes and she's looked after me ever since. Same with Sissel when her parents died. And then she married Da and now we all live here. I'm Lucia, what's your name?”
“Ancalime,” Ancalime told her, and while she was still a bit confused and worried about it all, she could also quite see that it was very wrong for a little girl to end up not having a house any more after her mamma and daddy died. Really, that was very kind of Liriel to look after two strange humans like that. Maybe that was why King Madanach had married her, he'd felt sorry for them too and wanted them to have a father, and you had to be married for that to happen. Mamma had always been very firm that you had to be married to have children.
“Ancalime,” Lucia repeated, smiling. “That's a pretty name! All the elven names are. I wish I was an elf sometimes. But Mama says she still thinks I'm pretty and she loves me anyway and not to worry about being an elf. Did you want to play a game?”
That had Ancalime's attention at once. She hardly ever got to play games with other people, just the servants sometimes. When Liriel had lived at home, they'd often played together, but that had been a long time ago. Being able to play with other children?
Mamma wouldn't be pleased, but Mamma wasn't here. Of course Ancalime wanted to.
“Yes!” she squealed. “What are we playing?”
“Tag!” Sissel laughed. “One of us is It, and has to chase after the others – when they catch one of us, then they're It instead. Tag, you're It!” She tapped Ancalime's wrist and all four of them promptly ran off in different directions.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.10
Date: 2014-01-31 12:22 pm (UTC)“Hello little Sissel!” Cicero cooed. “Hello children!”
All four children had stopped dead on seeing Ancalime, and she shifted nearer to Cicero for comfort.
“Who's that?” the Redguard girl asked. “Is she an Altmer? Like Queen Liriel?”
“Just like Queen Liriel,” the boy whispered, looking Ancalime over. “Wow, it really is true.”
The other two girls had stepped forward, both staring at Ancalime in amazement.
“You're related to Mama, aren't you?” the little one who Cicero had called Sissel asked. “Are you her sister? Or... does she have other children?” Sissel looked a little bit betrayed at the mere idea.
“Of course not, Sissel,” the other girl sighed. “Mama wasn't even married before she came here and met Da. I think that's her little sister.”
Ancalime scratched her head, trying to work this out. The girls were sisters – and their mother was related to her? Her older sister apparently. Liriel. Queen Liriel? As in... married to the King.
No wonder her parents were angry.
“But Liriel can't be married to a human!” Ancalime cried. “That's illegal! Mer are meant to marry other mer!”
“You want to tell King Madanach that?” the boy laughed. “He seems to think Liriel's his queen and that it's all perfectly legal.”
“It is legal!” Sissel said, glaring. “Da's King, he said it was all official and that he was Mama's husband and now our Da too and we were a family!”
Family... Liriel had children, like Haldyn was going to have with Naarie. Except these children weren't little babies, they could walk and talk and everything and... Ancalime remembered her father telling her that it was very bad indeed to walk around telling humans elves were better than them, and realised that Liriel might be cross if Ancalime was mean to her children.
“But you're not elves,” Ancalime said, confused. “Why would Liriel be your mother?”
“Because our real parents died,” the one who wasn't Sissel explained patiently. “And we didn't have anywhere to go. I was living on the streets when Liriel found me. She gave me money and food and one day when she finally got a house, she said she could adopt me if I wanted. So I said yes and she's looked after me ever since. Same with Sissel when her parents died. And then she married Da and now we all live here. I'm Lucia, what's your name?”
“Ancalime,” Ancalime told her, and while she was still a bit confused and worried about it all, she could also quite see that it was very wrong for a little girl to end up not having a house any more after her mamma and daddy died. Really, that was very kind of Liriel to look after two strange humans like that. Maybe that was why King Madanach had married her, he'd felt sorry for them too and wanted them to have a father, and you had to be married for that to happen. Mamma had always been very firm that you had to be married to have children.
“Ancalime,” Lucia repeated, smiling. “That's a pretty name! All the elven names are. I wish I was an elf sometimes. But Mama says she still thinks I'm pretty and she loves me anyway and not to worry about being an elf. Did you want to play a game?”
That had Ancalime's attention at once. She hardly ever got to play games with other people, just the servants sometimes. When Liriel had lived at home, they'd often played together, but that had been a long time ago. Being able to play with other children?
Mamma wouldn't be pleased, but Mamma wasn't here. Of course Ancalime wanted to.
“Yes!” she squealed. “What are we playing?”
“Tag!” Sissel laughed. “One of us is It, and has to chase after the others – when they catch one of us, then they're It instead. Tag, you're It!” She tapped Ancalime's wrist and all four of them promptly ran off in different directions.