Summary: Altmer children never go wandering strange cities on their own, and a missing Ancalime sends her parents into a panic, which is not alleviated when the dragon arrives. Fortunately, Markarth has well-developed plans for dealing with dragon attacks, not least a secret weapon as their Dragon-Queen returns...
Much later, and Sabrinda and Meryndor emerged from their room to a very quiet house. Clearly Ancalime must be reading or something. Uaile had returned and was sitting at the main dining table, book in hand.
“Good afternoon, Justiciar,” Uaile said archly, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you and Sirrah Meryndor were going to be in there all night.”
Sabrinda narrowed her eyes but did not rise to the bait. A servant but only on loan to her and therefore disciplining the woman would be unwise.
“We all have to eat, Uaile,” Sabrinda said tersely while Meryndor wandered off to Ancalime's room to check up on her. “Will you be cooking or do I have to do it?”
“I can make you something,” Uaile said calmly, laying her book aside. “I used to have to cook for old Nepos after all.”
That was something. Sabrinda could fling a meal together, but since getting married to a man with servants and also becoming a commanding officer in the Dominion's armies, Sabrinda had long since left anything resembling domestic duties behind her.
A door slammed and footsteps rang out as Meryndor raced out of the other room in a panic.
“She's not here. Ancalime's not in her room. Where is she??”
“She's gone?” Sabrinda whispered, feeling everything come to a standstill as she quietly began to panic. “What do you mean, gone? She's not hiding somewhere?”
“She's not in the house, I checked, I used Detect Life and everything, it's just the three of us!” Meryndor cried. “She's gone!”
Sabrinda wasted no time before rounding on Uaile, furious. “Where is she? How could someone get in here and take my daughter??”
Uaile slammed the book down, glaring. “No one has taken your daughter. She went outside, chatted to the Garra-Lann for a bit and was last seen playing some sort of game with the city's other children. I don't know what exactly, but it involved a lot of running around and squealing and she seemed quite happy so I left her to it. The ReachGuard are watching, if there'd been any trouble they'd have brought her home or fetched you, so she's most likely still out there having the time of her life. Why don't you go fetch her in like normal parents?”
“Oh sweet Aedra,” was all Meryndor said before tearing out of the house. Sabrinda had been tempted to make Uaile go find her but she had a feeling her husband was probably best suited to the job. Nevertheless, Sabrinda was sufficiently concerned to want to join him in the search.
“Your King will be hearing about this,” Sabrinda threatened, before chasing after her husband. Uaile just rolled her eyes and let them get on with it. Some parents were too overprotective by half.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Where do you think she went,” Meryndor gasped as he emerged into Markarth in the late afternoon. “Gods, look at this city, she could be anywhere.”
“She was with other children,” Sabrinda said, lip curling. Human children and that boded ill. Bad enough Liriel had essentially gone native. “Squealing, apparently. So follow their voices and you should find her. Kynareth help me, they're certainly loud enough.” She could hear a girl squealing at the other end of the city, and gods help her, all these years spent training Ancalime to be good and quiet like a good Altmer child should be, and the human children of Markarth looked set to undo all of it in a day. She should never have brought the girl here.
“Right,” Meryndor nodded, heading off in that direction – and then a shadow swooped overhead, wind whipping through the streets as it did so.
“What in Oblivion...” Meryndor began and Sabrinda went pale to see what it was. A dragon, had to be, a vast scaly lizard with wings swooping over the city, bronze scales gleaming in the sun. Below, the cries of “Dragon!” had gone up and the ReachGuard patrolling the streets had unhooked their bows, cast mage armour and starting sending arrows and magic flying its way as the townsfolk ran for cover.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 4.1
Much later, and Sabrinda and Meryndor emerged from their room to a very quiet house. Clearly Ancalime must be reading or something. Uaile had returned and was sitting at the main dining table, book in hand.
“Good afternoon, Justiciar,” Uaile said archly, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you and Sirrah Meryndor were going to be in there all night.”
Sabrinda narrowed her eyes but did not rise to the bait. A servant but only on loan to her and therefore disciplining the woman would be unwise.
“We all have to eat, Uaile,” Sabrinda said tersely while Meryndor wandered off to Ancalime's room to check up on her. “Will you be cooking or do I have to do it?”
“I can make you something,” Uaile said calmly, laying her book aside. “I used to have to cook for old Nepos after all.”
That was something. Sabrinda could fling a meal together, but since getting married to a man with servants and also becoming a commanding officer in the Dominion's armies, Sabrinda had long since left anything resembling domestic duties behind her.
A door slammed and footsteps rang out as Meryndor raced out of the other room in a panic.
“She's not here. Ancalime's not in her room. Where is she??”
“She's gone?” Sabrinda whispered, feeling everything come to a standstill as she quietly began to panic. “What do you mean, gone? She's not hiding somewhere?”
“She's not in the house, I checked, I used Detect Life and everything, it's just the three of us!” Meryndor cried. “She's gone!”
Sabrinda wasted no time before rounding on Uaile, furious. “Where is she? How could someone get in here and take my daughter??”
Uaile slammed the book down, glaring. “No one has taken your daughter. She went outside, chatted to the Garra-Lann for a bit and was last seen playing some sort of game with the city's other children. I don't know what exactly, but it involved a lot of running around and squealing and she seemed quite happy so I left her to it. The ReachGuard are watching, if there'd been any trouble they'd have brought her home or fetched you, so she's most likely still out there having the time of her life. Why don't you go fetch her in like normal parents?”
“Oh sweet Aedra,” was all Meryndor said before tearing out of the house. Sabrinda had been tempted to make Uaile go find her but she had a feeling her husband was probably best suited to the job. Nevertheless, Sabrinda was sufficiently concerned to want to join him in the search.
“Your King will be hearing about this,” Sabrinda threatened, before chasing after her husband. Uaile just rolled her eyes and let them get on with it. Some parents were too overprotective by half.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Where do you think she went,” Meryndor gasped as he emerged into Markarth in the late afternoon. “Gods, look at this city, she could be anywhere.”
“She was with other children,” Sabrinda said, lip curling. Human children and that boded ill. Bad enough Liriel had essentially gone native. “Squealing, apparently. So follow their voices and you should find her. Kynareth help me, they're certainly loud enough.” She could hear a girl squealing at the other end of the city, and gods help her, all these years spent training Ancalime to be good and quiet like a good Altmer child should be, and the human children of Markarth looked set to undo all of it in a day. She should never have brought the girl here.
“Right,” Meryndor nodded, heading off in that direction – and then a shadow swooped overhead, wind whipping through the streets as it did so.
“What in Oblivion...” Meryndor began and Sabrinda went pale to see what it was. A dragon, had to be, a vast scaly lizard with wings swooping over the city, bronze scales gleaming in the sun. Below, the cries of “Dragon!” had gone up and the ReachGuard patrolling the streets had unhooked their bows, cast mage armour and starting sending arrows and magic flying its way as the townsfolk ran for cover.