A/N: And after last chapter, we have now hit rock bottom and can now start climbing back up. Much like Madanach's going to have to, hem hem.
Trigger warning for substance abuse and after-effects, specifically Madanach on the tail end of a Skooma trip. Not to mention Lucia witnessing all this and really needing a cuddle.
Summary: The Reach's Queen is missing and the Reach responds - or at least it would if the commander-in-chief hadn't rendered himself completely incapable of responding to anything. With very few options left, it's time to resort to drastic measures - and when your king's got an addiction problem, staging an intervention takes on a whole new meaning.
Vlindrel Hall was locked and Cicero didn't have his key on him. Knocking and calling out to Liriel didn't work either.
“Do you think she is sleeping?” Lucia whispered.
“Sleeping? Of course she is not sleeping, she hardly ever sleeps during the day unless she has been up all night, and she slept last night eventually,” Cicero growled, resuming the hammering on the door. “Listener? LISTENER! IT IS CICERO! OPEN THE DOOR! PLEEEAAASE?” Cicero fluttered his eyelashes at the unmoving door and pouted, despite the fact that no one inside could see it. “PLLLLEEEEEEEAAAASE? Cicero is WORRIIIIIIEEEED!”
Still no answer. Cicero huffed and kicked the door.
“Bother and befuddle. She does not answer. Why does she not ANSWER?”
Lucia shrank back, a little afraid of Cicero when he was like this.
“Does anyone else have a key?” she whispered. “Does Da have a spare?”
Cicero stopped, looking up and giggling, smacking his forehead. “Of course, of course! Foolish Cicero! Cicero still has the spare key the Reach-King gave him! Sweet child, dear child, do not worry, just wait here. Cicero will return to the Keep and fetch it.”
So Lucia waited and it was nearly half an hour later by the time Cicero returned, brandishing the key and unlocking the door with a flourish, bouncing in without a care.
“Listener, Listener, dearest Listener, Cicero is here!” Cicero cooed as he pranced into the house. “Your dear brother is here to tend to you in your hour of need. Listener, oh Listener, where are youuuu?”
Lucia followed him, looking about her at the house that had once been home. She'd first come here with Argis, scared and tired and hungry after being taken prisoner by the Dark Brotherhood, missing her mother and wondering who that strange old wizard in the furs and bone had been and why his soldiers had come to rescue them. He'd said he was a king but Lucia knew there weren't any kings in Skyrim, not since King Torygg had been killed. So she'd not let her guard down for a second and by the time she got to Markarth and the soldiers had melted off into the wilds, she'd been exhausted. Then she'd got a cold not long after and her first few days in this house had been spent mostly in bed while Argis had made her soup and read her stories and by the time she felt better, Sissel had settled right in and Argis at least had proved beyond doubt he was a nice man.
Now that old wizard was king in truth and her father, and Argis lived in Solitude with his wife Queen Elisif, and Lucia hadn't really lived here long enough to really call the place home... but all the same she had fond memories of the place. So she looked around... and as Cicero knelt down next to a semi-conscious Uaile, Lucia saw the silver and sapphire magicka-boosting circlet that the College of Winterhold had given her mother lying on the floor and she knew her mother was in trouble.
“Uaile? Uaile, why are you lying on the floor, the floor is not for sleeping on! Wakey-wakey!” Cicero cooed as he shook her shoulder.
Uaile's eyes barely fluttered open as Cicero shook her but she did see the jester hat and pawed at the motley.
“Gar'lan,” she murmured. “Gar'lan, need... stop them... Brenhina...” Uaile fell back into unconsciousness in Cicero's arms and Cicero took his hand away, seeing blood all over it from where he'd been cupping her head.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 8.1
Trigger warning for substance abuse and after-effects, specifically Madanach on the tail end of a Skooma trip. Not to mention Lucia witnessing all this and really needing a cuddle.
Summary: The Reach's Queen is missing and the Reach responds - or at least it would if the commander-in-chief hadn't rendered himself completely incapable of responding to anything. With very few options left, it's time to resort to drastic measures - and when your king's got an addiction problem, staging an intervention takes on a whole new meaning.
Vlindrel Hall was locked and Cicero didn't have his key on him. Knocking and calling out to Liriel didn't work either.
“Do you think she is sleeping?” Lucia whispered.
“Sleeping? Of course she is not sleeping, she hardly ever sleeps during the day unless she has been up all night, and she slept last night eventually,” Cicero growled, resuming the hammering on the door. “Listener? LISTENER! IT IS CICERO! OPEN THE DOOR! PLEEEAAASE?” Cicero fluttered his eyelashes at the unmoving door and pouted, despite the fact that no one inside could see it. “PLLLLEEEEEEEAAAASE? Cicero is WORRIIIIIIEEEED!”
Still no answer. Cicero huffed and kicked the door.
“Bother and befuddle. She does not answer. Why does she not ANSWER?”
Lucia shrank back, a little afraid of Cicero when he was like this.
“Does anyone else have a key?” she whispered. “Does Da have a spare?”
Cicero stopped, looking up and giggling, smacking his forehead. “Of course, of course! Foolish Cicero! Cicero still has the spare key the Reach-King gave him! Sweet child, dear child, do not worry, just wait here. Cicero will return to the Keep and fetch it.”
So Lucia waited and it was nearly half an hour later by the time Cicero returned, brandishing the key and unlocking the door with a flourish, bouncing in without a care.
“Listener, Listener, dearest Listener, Cicero is here!” Cicero cooed as he pranced into the house. “Your dear brother is here to tend to you in your hour of need. Listener, oh Listener, where are youuuu?”
Lucia followed him, looking about her at the house that had once been home. She'd first come here with Argis, scared and tired and hungry after being taken prisoner by the Dark Brotherhood, missing her mother and wondering who that strange old wizard in the furs and bone had been and why his soldiers had come to rescue them. He'd said he was a king but Lucia knew there weren't any kings in Skyrim, not since King Torygg had been killed. So she'd not let her guard down for a second and by the time she got to Markarth and the soldiers had melted off into the wilds, she'd been exhausted. Then she'd got a cold not long after and her first few days in this house had been spent mostly in bed while Argis had made her soup and read her stories and by the time she felt better, Sissel had settled right in and Argis at least had proved beyond doubt he was a nice man.
Now that old wizard was king in truth and her father, and Argis lived in Solitude with his wife Queen Elisif, and Lucia hadn't really lived here long enough to really call the place home... but all the same she had fond memories of the place. So she looked around... and as Cicero knelt down next to a semi-conscious Uaile, Lucia saw the silver and sapphire magicka-boosting circlet that the College of Winterhold had given her mother lying on the floor and she knew her mother was in trouble.
“Uaile? Uaile, why are you lying on the floor, the floor is not for sleeping on! Wakey-wakey!” Cicero cooed as he shook her shoulder.
Uaile's eyes barely fluttered open as Cicero shook her but she did see the jester hat and pawed at the motley.
“Gar'lan,” she murmured. “Gar'lan, need... stop them... Brenhina...” Uaile fell back into unconsciousness in Cicero's arms and Cicero took his hand away, seeing blood all over it from where he'd been cupping her head.