“In a bit,” Lucia said, seeing Shadowmere rearing up and kicking out and it taking all the stablehands' strength to restrain him. Which was odd, Shadowmere rarely shied at anything. Lucia didn't know what but something was wrong. “You go, I'll be along in a bit.”
“OK,” Sissel said and ran back into the city. Lucia watched as the ReachGuard ended up having to intervene, two of them slicing their palms open, holding hands and linking magicka to cast a particularly powerful calming spell on the horse, which didn't entirely work but lasted long enough to get Shadowmere penned up inside one of the stalls.
“Never again,” one of the guards muttered, magic flaring as she healed her palm. “I tell you, that bloody horse – if it wasn't the Brenhina's, I swear it would have been put down months ago.”
“If you can put it down,” her colleague agreed. “All the same, normally it's no trouble. Wonder what set it off like that.”
“Don't know, don't care,” the first guard sighed. “Don't know the first thing about horses, don't care to. All I care about is that they behave themselves and no one steals 'em.”
“Aye to that,” her friend agreed as they returned to their posts. Lucia was about to head back into the city when she noticed something else. A small, motley-clad figure crouching in the shadows.
“Hey Cicero. What are you doing?” Lucia asked. Cicero yelped, starting up and glaring at her.
“How?? How do you always do that, you do not even know Detect Life!” Cicero snapped. But a second later, he was relenting, recalling whose child Lucia was.
“Hello sweet Lucia!” Cicero trilled, grinning up at her. “Cicero was merely enjoying the view! Cicero definitely isn't up to anything, oh no. Cicero is a good boy!”
Lucia had on many occasions asked her mother exactly why Cicero was like he was. The answers had never entirely satisfied, but Liriel had been able to tell her Cicero had lost his mother young and spent his entire life trying to get her back one way or another. The effort and loneliness had turned his mind, with the result Cicero hadn't really grown up properly. Lucia could believe that. She always felt a bit sorry for Cicero, although she was also wise enough not to entirely trust him.
“So what aren't you up to, then? Were you watching Cali and her parents go as well?”
“Me? Of course not!” Cicero said innocently. “Cicero certainly wasn't watching to make sure the venom-spewing troublemakers had definitely left, and he was certainly not planning to creep after them and stab them in secret for hurting sweet Liriel, no. And, er, if sweet little Lucia could not repeat that to her mama, Cicero would be most grateful and could certainly arrange for a few spare septims to fall into dear Lucia's pocket...”
“I didn't hear you say anything, Cicero,” Lucia said, knowing how this game went by now. “You'd never do anything you weren't supposed to, I know. I mean, as long you didn't actually stab Mama's ma and da, I'm sure I wouldn't know anything else. For three septims, I wouldn't remember a thing.”
Cicero cackled and slipped her three coins. “Cicero likes you, little one. Cicero thinks you are learning very fast.” He tilted his head, smiling knowingly. “So you were watching too. Cicero wonders, did the sweet Listener-child notice anything... odd? Unusual?”
“Shadowmere doesn't normally freak out like that,” Lucia said, trying to think what had been odd. Other than that, not really anything.
“No, he does not,” Cicero murmured. “Something is wrong, very wrong. But Cicero isn't sure what. Still, they are gone. Come, come little Lucia. Your mama is likely still in Vlindrel Hall. She went in to upbraid her lying and neglectful parents, but hasn't come out. Cicero worries. Cicero fears she is upset or unhappy. She and Madanach... quarrelled. There were words. Tears. Cicero fears for his sweet sister, he does! She has been kind to poor Cicero. Taken care of him when no one else would. Cicero... Cicero worries...”
He looked up at her, eyes wide and actually frightened. Lucia remembered her mother's words, that Cicero lost his mama and never recovered. Well, she knew what that felt like. If Liriel hadn't taken her in, she didn't know what she'd have done.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 7.9
“OK,” Sissel said and ran back into the city. Lucia watched as the ReachGuard ended up having to intervene, two of them slicing their palms open, holding hands and linking magicka to cast a particularly powerful calming spell on the horse, which didn't entirely work but lasted long enough to get Shadowmere penned up inside one of the stalls.
“Never again,” one of the guards muttered, magic flaring as she healed her palm. “I tell you, that bloody horse – if it wasn't the Brenhina's, I swear it would have been put down months ago.”
“If you can put it down,” her colleague agreed. “All the same, normally it's no trouble. Wonder what set it off like that.”
“Don't know, don't care,” the first guard sighed. “Don't know the first thing about horses, don't care to. All I care about is that they behave themselves and no one steals 'em.”
“Aye to that,” her friend agreed as they returned to their posts. Lucia was about to head back into the city when she noticed something else. A small, motley-clad figure crouching in the shadows.
“Hey Cicero. What are you doing?” Lucia asked. Cicero yelped, starting up and glaring at her.
“How?? How do you always do that, you do not even know Detect Life!” Cicero snapped. But a second later, he was relenting, recalling whose child Lucia was.
“Hello sweet Lucia!” Cicero trilled, grinning up at her. “Cicero was merely enjoying the view! Cicero definitely isn't up to anything, oh no. Cicero is a good boy!”
Lucia had on many occasions asked her mother exactly why Cicero was like he was. The answers had never entirely satisfied, but Liriel had been able to tell her Cicero had lost his mother young and spent his entire life trying to get her back one way or another. The effort and loneliness had turned his mind, with the result Cicero hadn't really grown up properly. Lucia could believe that. She always felt a bit sorry for Cicero, although she was also wise enough not to entirely trust him.
“So what aren't you up to, then? Were you watching Cali and her parents go as well?”
“Me? Of course not!” Cicero said innocently. “Cicero certainly wasn't watching to make sure the venom-spewing troublemakers had definitely left, and he was certainly not planning to creep after them and stab them in secret for hurting sweet Liriel, no. And, er, if sweet little Lucia could not repeat that to her mama, Cicero would be most grateful and could certainly arrange for a few spare septims to fall into dear Lucia's pocket...”
“I didn't hear you say anything, Cicero,” Lucia said, knowing how this game went by now. “You'd never do anything you weren't supposed to, I know. I mean, as long you didn't actually stab Mama's ma and da, I'm sure I wouldn't know anything else. For three septims, I wouldn't remember a thing.”
Cicero cackled and slipped her three coins. “Cicero likes you, little one. Cicero thinks you are learning very fast.” He tilted his head, smiling knowingly. “So you were watching too. Cicero wonders, did the sweet Listener-child notice anything... odd? Unusual?”
“Shadowmere doesn't normally freak out like that,” Lucia said, trying to think what had been odd. Other than that, not really anything.
“No, he does not,” Cicero murmured. “Something is wrong, very wrong. But Cicero isn't sure what. Still, they are gone. Come, come little Lucia. Your mama is likely still in Vlindrel Hall. She went in to upbraid her lying and neglectful parents, but hasn't come out. Cicero worries. Cicero fears she is upset or unhappy. She and Madanach... quarrelled. There were words. Tears. Cicero fears for his sweet sister, he does! She has been kind to poor Cicero. Taken care of him when no one else would. Cicero... Cicero worries...”
He looked up at her, eyes wide and actually frightened. Lucia remembered her mother's words, that Cicero lost his mama and never recovered. Well, she knew what that felt like. If Liriel hadn't taken her in, she didn't know what she'd have done.