“Liriel,” Meryndor whispered and Sabrinda turned to see her daughter there, dressed in wizard robes cut in the style of that College they had here, circlet on her head and strange black and red boots and gloves on that Sabrinda was sure she'd seen the like of before somewhere.
“LIRIEL!” Ancalime shrieked, running out of her room to hug her sister. Liriel knelt down and held her arms out, smiling as she scooped her up, clinging on to her.
“Hey Cali-cat,” Liriel said, smile on her lips but her voice lacked the usual sparkle and her eyes looked gaunt in a way they hadn't the day before. The woman Sabrinda had seen yesterday had been a mage in her full power, a queen surrounded by her loyal people, someone who had done something to a dragon that had reduced one of Akatosh's Children to a mere heap of bones.
The woman before her looked like she was about to collapse.
“Ancalime,” said Sabrinda brightly. “Why don't you go outside and play with your human friends? Sissel and Luciel, wasn't it?”
“Lucia,” said Ancalime, confused. “But Mamma, Daddy said I couldn't, we were leaving today and there wasn't time.”
“All the more reason to spend time with them now while you still can,” Sabrinda said, hoping the girl would take the hint and leave so Sabrinda could find out just why her bright, brilliant daughter looked like a walking corpse. Exactly what had Madanach done to her?? “Off you go, Cali.”
“Oh, but I want to play with Liriel!” Ancalime protested, pouting at her. Heavens' sake, of all the times for Ancalime to develop a spine...
“Cali, do what your mother tells you,” Meryndor said sternly, and thankfully the girl gave in.
“Yes, Daddy,” Ancalime sighed and ran for the door, giving Liriel a cuddle and not sparing her parents a backward glance. Honestly, children.
Liriel was still kneeling on the floor and now her sister was gone, she'd given up any pretence of pretending she was all right. She had one hand over her eyes, staring at the floor, and Sabrinda was worried. This wasn't like her.
“Liriel?” Sabrinda asked, coming to kneel next to Liriel, one arm around her as she took her hand and helped her get up. “Liriel, what's wrong, what happened?”
“You bloody happened, that's what!” Liriel shouted, wrenching her hand out of Sabrinda's. “Congratulations, Mother, you won, all right? You won, you can go, you can stop worrying I'm going to show you up.”
“What do you mean?” Sabrinda asked, exchanging worried looks with Meryndor who was getting up to join them, also looking concerned. “Liriel?”
Liriel's face screwed up, tears starting to pour out of her as if she couldn't stop.
“He left me,” she sobbed. “He wants a divorce. And it's all your fault!”
Liriel dissolved into tears and despite her anger, she didn't resist as Sabrinda took her into her arms, holding on to her sobbing wreck of a daughter and staring at Meryndor in shock.
“A divorce?? But... what, why, what happened?” she whispered. “I mean, I don't like the man, but I thought he loved you! He put me in prison because I spoke my mind to you.”
“He's a maniac, that much is obvious,” Meryndor said, as confused as his wife was. “But even so, he's a maniac that loves you. I said something a bit intemperate about you to him and the man pinned me to a table while his guards watched. Don't tell me that's a man who doesn't care about you, even if he is insane.”
Liriel sobbed even harder, wailing in her mother's arms as Sabrinda sat her down, dragging another chair over to sit next to her, while Meryndor perched on the table.
“He said it wasn't working,” Liriel wept. “That it was breaking my heart thinking of him dying, and he couldn't stand seeing me unhappy. So he sent me away! I lost him! I lost my Reachman...”
Sabrinda stroked Liriel's hair, still not really understanding any of this, but she could see Meryndor biting his lip and looking horribly guilty, and she knew, she just knew, this was her husband's fault.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Thicker Than Blood 7.3
Date: 2014-02-21 08:23 pm (UTC)“LIRIEL!” Ancalime shrieked, running out of her room to hug her sister. Liriel knelt down and held her arms out, smiling as she scooped her up, clinging on to her.
“Hey Cali-cat,” Liriel said, smile on her lips but her voice lacked the usual sparkle and her eyes looked gaunt in a way they hadn't the day before. The woman Sabrinda had seen yesterday had been a mage in her full power, a queen surrounded by her loyal people, someone who had done something to a dragon that had reduced one of Akatosh's Children to a mere heap of bones.
The woman before her looked like she was about to collapse.
“Ancalime,” said Sabrinda brightly. “Why don't you go outside and play with your human friends? Sissel and Luciel, wasn't it?”
“Lucia,” said Ancalime, confused. “But Mamma, Daddy said I couldn't, we were leaving today and there wasn't time.”
“All the more reason to spend time with them now while you still can,” Sabrinda said, hoping the girl would take the hint and leave so Sabrinda could find out just why her bright, brilliant daughter looked like a walking corpse. Exactly what had Madanach done to her?? “Off you go, Cali.”
“Oh, but I want to play with Liriel!” Ancalime protested, pouting at her. Heavens' sake, of all the times for Ancalime to develop a spine...
“Cali, do what your mother tells you,” Meryndor said sternly, and thankfully the girl gave in.
“Yes, Daddy,” Ancalime sighed and ran for the door, giving Liriel a cuddle and not sparing her parents a backward glance. Honestly, children.
Liriel was still kneeling on the floor and now her sister was gone, she'd given up any pretence of pretending she was all right. She had one hand over her eyes, staring at the floor, and Sabrinda was worried. This wasn't like her.
“Liriel?” Sabrinda asked, coming to kneel next to Liriel, one arm around her as she took her hand and helped her get up. “Liriel, what's wrong, what happened?”
“You bloody happened, that's what!” Liriel shouted, wrenching her hand out of Sabrinda's. “Congratulations, Mother, you won, all right? You won, you can go, you can stop worrying I'm going to show you up.”
“What do you mean?” Sabrinda asked, exchanging worried looks with Meryndor who was getting up to join them, also looking concerned. “Liriel?”
Liriel's face screwed up, tears starting to pour out of her as if she couldn't stop.
“He left me,” she sobbed. “He wants a divorce. And it's all your fault!”
Liriel dissolved into tears and despite her anger, she didn't resist as Sabrinda took her into her arms, holding on to her sobbing wreck of a daughter and staring at Meryndor in shock.
“A divorce?? But... what, why, what happened?” she whispered. “I mean, I don't like the man, but I thought he loved you! He put me in prison because I spoke my mind to you.”
“He's a maniac, that much is obvious,” Meryndor said, as confused as his wife was. “But even so, he's a maniac that loves you. I said something a bit intemperate about you to him and the man pinned me to a table while his guards watched. Don't tell me that's a man who doesn't care about you, even if he is insane.”
Liriel sobbed even harder, wailing in her mother's arms as Sabrinda sat her down, dragging another chair over to sit next to her, while Meryndor perched on the table.
“He said it wasn't working,” Liriel wept. “That it was breaking my heart thinking of him dying, and he couldn't stand seeing me unhappy. So he sent me away! I lost him! I lost my Reachman...”
Sabrinda stroked Liriel's hair, still not really understanding any of this, but she could see Meryndor biting his lip and looking horribly guilty, and she knew, she just knew, this was her husband's fault.