Madanach was standing behind her father, a little further up the hill, smiling a little and eyes staring straight at her, and she knew what he was thinking, could tell that he wanted to drag her into the nearest bedroom and tear her clothes off, falling into bed with her and having a powerful and dangerous dragonslayer riding him until they both passed out. Or possibly pinning said dangerous dragonslayer to the bed and watching her come while he took her hard, it depended on what sort of mood he was in. Difficult to tell, the Bond only told her so much and she wasn't sure if he even knew which he'd prefer.
In the sort of mood she was in right now, Liriel could quite happily claim him right here in front of everyone, nails digging in as she snarled he was hers, all hers, her chosen mate and no one was taking him from her, not even her parents.
And as for Sissel and Lucia, they were her babies, her little dragons, and if her mother thought they could just be waved aside like they were some pet she'd brought home...
“I am the Queen of the Reach by marriage, and the mother of Sissel and Lucia here,” Liriel said coldly. “I am a slayer of dragons, saviour of the world, bringer of peace and if you think you can change any of that, you can think again, Mother.”
Sissel gasped and Lucia snuggled closer to Liriel, both looking up at Sabrinda with wide eyes. They'd often wished for grandparents but she suspected they'd not imagined this.
Sabrinda's nostrils flared as she drew herself up to her full height, cold fury in her own eyes.
“I should never have let you leave Alinor,” she snapped. “Look at you, you look like some sort of... and you're queen of...” She gestured helplessly at the watching ReachGuard, not to mention Cicero still covered in dragon blood and Eola who'd been nuzzling at his cheek, licking it off him while he cooed at her, but had stopped on seeing Sabrinda talking.
“Girls,” said Liriel calmly, patting her daughters on the shoulder. “The Keep. Now.”
“Ohhh, but Mama...!”
“But we didn't do anything!”
“The Keep,” Liriel growled. “Now.”
Hung heads and sad eyes and pouting, but neither child argued with that tone of voice and Sissel and Lucia ran off. So impressive was that tone of voice that Ancalime actually started to follow... until Sabrinda caught her arm.
“Not you, Cali. Wait for me up in the house.”
“But Mamma...”
“In the house! Now.”
“Yes Mamma,” Ancalime whispered, giving in and walking forlornly up the steps to Vlindrel Hall. Watching her, a few of the ReachGuard gave the little elf-child sympathetic looks but Ancalime kept her head down and kept walking. Liriel's heart went out to her baby sister. Her mother had always been firm with her children... but it took seeing her again, seeing her family after all this time, after everything that had happened, after looking after children of her own, to realise just how messed up her family was. How messed up Alinor was.
“What do you expect me to do, Mother?” Liriel said, barely keeping her anger under control. “Tell Madanach I don't love him any more and want a divorce? Tell my babies I don't love them any more and can't be their mother? Go back to Alinor with you and be a good little Altmer wife to some Thalmor toadie?”
“You can come home with your people where you belong!” Sabrinda cried, frustrated.
“These are my people!” Liriel shouted back, indicating the surrounding crowd of ReachGuard and quite a few ordinary citizens who'd crept out now the fighting seemed to have stopped.
“They're not even elves!” Sabrinda cried.
“I don't care!” Liriel shouted. “Altmer aren't the only people worth bothering about, Mother. Who cares if we're descended from the Aedra? We're just mortals like everyone else – ow!”
Sabrinda had slapped Liriel hard, sending the Dragonborn reeling. She hadn't even planned it, it was just an instinctual reaction to having her people's heritage dismissed like that. And as soon as she'd done it, she realised it was a mistake, she hadn't meant to, she did love Liriel despite everything, that was why she was here, to get her back home before the Thalmor decided she was too dangerous to allow to live...
Re: Thicker Than Blood 4.6
In the sort of mood she was in right now, Liriel could quite happily claim him right here in front of everyone, nails digging in as she snarled he was hers, all hers, her chosen mate and no one was taking him from her, not even her parents.
And as for Sissel and Lucia, they were her babies, her little dragons, and if her mother thought they could just be waved aside like they were some pet she'd brought home...
“I am the Queen of the Reach by marriage, and the mother of Sissel and Lucia here,” Liriel said coldly. “I am a slayer of dragons, saviour of the world, bringer of peace and if you think you can change any of that, you can think again, Mother.”
Sissel gasped and Lucia snuggled closer to Liriel, both looking up at Sabrinda with wide eyes. They'd often wished for grandparents but she suspected they'd not imagined this.
Sabrinda's nostrils flared as she drew herself up to her full height, cold fury in her own eyes.
“I should never have let you leave Alinor,” she snapped. “Look at you, you look like some sort of... and you're queen of...” She gestured helplessly at the watching ReachGuard, not to mention Cicero still covered in dragon blood and Eola who'd been nuzzling at his cheek, licking it off him while he cooed at her, but had stopped on seeing Sabrinda talking.
“Girls,” said Liriel calmly, patting her daughters on the shoulder. “The Keep. Now.”
“Ohhh, but Mama...!”
“But we didn't do anything!”
“The Keep,” Liriel growled. “Now.”
Hung heads and sad eyes and pouting, but neither child argued with that tone of voice and Sissel and Lucia ran off. So impressive was that tone of voice that Ancalime actually started to follow... until Sabrinda caught her arm.
“Not you, Cali. Wait for me up in the house.”
“But Mamma...”
“In the house! Now.”
“Yes Mamma,” Ancalime whispered, giving in and walking forlornly up the steps to Vlindrel Hall. Watching her, a few of the ReachGuard gave the little elf-child sympathetic looks but Ancalime kept her head down and kept walking. Liriel's heart went out to her baby sister. Her mother had always been firm with her children... but it took seeing her again, seeing her family after all this time, after everything that had happened, after looking after children of her own, to realise just how messed up her family was. How messed up Alinor was.
“What do you expect me to do, Mother?” Liriel said, barely keeping her anger under control. “Tell Madanach I don't love him any more and want a divorce? Tell my babies I don't love them any more and can't be their mother? Go back to Alinor with you and be a good little Altmer wife to some Thalmor toadie?”
“You can come home with your people where you belong!” Sabrinda cried, frustrated.
“These are my people!” Liriel shouted back, indicating the surrounding crowd of ReachGuard and quite a few ordinary citizens who'd crept out now the fighting seemed to have stopped.
“They're not even elves!” Sabrinda cried.
“I don't care!” Liriel shouted. “Altmer aren't the only people worth bothering about, Mother. Who cares if we're descended from the Aedra? We're just mortals like everyone else – ow!”
Sabrinda had slapped Liriel hard, sending the Dragonborn reeling. She hadn't even planned it, it was just an instinctual reaction to having her people's heritage dismissed like that. And as soon as she'd done it, she realised it was a mistake, she hadn't meant to, she did love Liriel despite everything, that was why she was here, to get her back home before the Thalmor decided she was too dangerous to allow to live...