“She already has,” Madanach said quietly and as he turned towards her, actual sympathy in his eyes, she realised he knew, he knew what marriage meant to an Altmer, because he loved one too. “Sabrinda, I can't say I counted him a friend, but I'm sorry for your loss. But you have kin left who need you, you have your daughters. Where are they, what happened to them?”
“They took them,” Sabrinda whispered, her voice hollow, everything hollow, all feelings numb as she recalled Ancalime's terrified cries. “They took my babies. That way, but I don't know where! Or... or why.”
“Falmer don't take prisoners,” the Orc grunted. “Not unless they want to eat them.”
Sabrinda felt the tears come back, nausea threatening to claim her. She barely heard Madanach hiss “Borkul!” before kneeling by her side.
“Sabrinda. We'll find them. Liriel isn't dead. She's not even that far away... and she's fighting, I can always tell, Argis, Liriel's fighting!” Madanach looked overjoyed at the thought and the Nord who was presumably Argis grinned.
“They got an angry Dragonborn to deal with. Well now, they're about to have a really bad evening.”
“It will get worse,” Cicero growled, fury in his eyes but an unholy smile on his face as he contemplated the death he was clearly intending to inflict on these Falmer. “Reach-King, please say we may visit pain and blood on the unworthy.”
“Agar y agarma,” Madanach grinned, patting him on the shoulder. “Of course we will. Can't let Liriel deal with this on her own, can we? We've got a Dragonborn to reclaim and her frightened little sister to rescue.”
“She's got a little sister?” Argis asked, surprised. “Really?”
“Yes, little Ancalime, not sure how old she is but I think she's the same sort of stage as Sissel. She's so sweet, she's got pointy ears that are too big for her head!”
“Madanach,” the woman in ebony cut in, then immediately flinched. “Er... I mean, sir. We have a Thane to find?”
Belatedly, it occurred to Sabrinda that the ruling couple of Skyrim were High Queen Elisif and King Consort Argis and judging from the crown, that was clearly the consort. Was the woman Queen Elisif? But no, she really couldn't imagine a queen looking that nervous, even around Madanach.
“Yes, of course, we do, sorry Jordis,” Madanach said, collecting himself. “Well, Sabrinda, I don't need to tell you you're in a lot of trouble. But I may be able to lessen your fate a little. Are you injured? Can you stand? Walk? Fight?”
Slowly Sabrinda picked herself up, brushing herself down as best she could, but honestly the robes were a dead loss. They'd have to do though – her clothes case was shattered by the road, the contents trodden underfoot. At least she still had her coinpurse and maybe the Embassy could help.
“I can fight,” Sabrinda said, staring Madanach down, surprised to see him smiling.
“Good,” he said, smirking, and really, what did Liriel see in him? “In that case, you want to start making some amends for kidnapping my wife? You come with me right now, and you help me get her back. Could do with another mage in the party. Well? You up for it?”
A chance to get her girls back. To rescue Ancalime. To save Liriel and hope her elder daughter ever forgave her. Of course she would.
“I'm with you,” Sabrinda said fervently. Madanach nodded.
“Good, then after me. Borkul! Jordis! Cicero! Come on, we've got a Dragonborn to collect. No heroics, no death or glory, just kill everything between us and Liriel then get her and Cali out of there, let's go!”
“Wait a sec- ah bugger it,” Argis sighed. “Right, you and you to Dragon Bridge, get guards down here to clear up the bodies and the mess. Get all bodies to the Hall of the Dead, but do NOT tell the Embassy any of this. Report to the Jarl, no one else. Not even Rikke.”
“Understood,” one of the guards nodded. “What about you, sir? Are you coming?”
Argis shook his head, adjusting the Jagged Crown and fingering his sword-hilt.
“No. Tell Elisif I'm sorry but my Thane needs me. She'll understand.”
With that, Argis turned and ran after Madanach, following the candlelight spell he'd cast and the glow of his and Sabrinda's mage armour. Once a housecarl, always a housecarl... and Argis had always been very good at his job.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 10.4
“They took them,” Sabrinda whispered, her voice hollow, everything hollow, all feelings numb as she recalled Ancalime's terrified cries. “They took my babies. That way, but I don't know where! Or... or why.”
“Falmer don't take prisoners,” the Orc grunted. “Not unless they want to eat them.”
Sabrinda felt the tears come back, nausea threatening to claim her. She barely heard Madanach hiss “Borkul!” before kneeling by her side.
“Sabrinda. We'll find them. Liriel isn't dead. She's not even that far away... and she's fighting, I can always tell, Argis, Liriel's fighting!” Madanach looked overjoyed at the thought and the Nord who was presumably Argis grinned.
“They got an angry Dragonborn to deal with. Well now, they're about to have a really bad evening.”
“It will get worse,” Cicero growled, fury in his eyes but an unholy smile on his face as he contemplated the death he was clearly intending to inflict on these Falmer. “Reach-King, please say we may visit pain and blood on the unworthy.”
“Agar y agarma,” Madanach grinned, patting him on the shoulder. “Of course we will. Can't let Liriel deal with this on her own, can we? We've got a Dragonborn to reclaim and her frightened little sister to rescue.”
“She's got a little sister?” Argis asked, surprised. “Really?”
“Yes, little Ancalime, not sure how old she is but I think she's the same sort of stage as Sissel. She's so sweet, she's got pointy ears that are too big for her head!”
“Madanach,” the woman in ebony cut in, then immediately flinched. “Er... I mean, sir. We have a Thane to find?”
Belatedly, it occurred to Sabrinda that the ruling couple of Skyrim were High Queen Elisif and King Consort Argis and judging from the crown, that was clearly the consort. Was the woman Queen Elisif? But no, she really couldn't imagine a queen looking that nervous, even around Madanach.
“Yes, of course, we do, sorry Jordis,” Madanach said, collecting himself. “Well, Sabrinda, I don't need to tell you you're in a lot of trouble. But I may be able to lessen your fate a little. Are you injured? Can you stand? Walk? Fight?”
Slowly Sabrinda picked herself up, brushing herself down as best she could, but honestly the robes were a dead loss. They'd have to do though – her clothes case was shattered by the road, the contents trodden underfoot. At least she still had her coinpurse and maybe the Embassy could help.
“I can fight,” Sabrinda said, staring Madanach down, surprised to see him smiling.
“Good,” he said, smirking, and really, what did Liriel see in him? “In that case, you want to start making some amends for kidnapping my wife? You come with me right now, and you help me get her back. Could do with another mage in the party. Well? You up for it?”
A chance to get her girls back. To rescue Ancalime. To save Liriel and hope her elder daughter ever forgave her. Of course she would.
“I'm with you,” Sabrinda said fervently. Madanach nodded.
“Good, then after me. Borkul! Jordis! Cicero! Come on, we've got a Dragonborn to collect. No heroics, no death or glory, just kill everything between us and Liriel then get her and Cali out of there, let's go!”
“Wait a sec- ah bugger it,” Argis sighed. “Right, you and you to Dragon Bridge, get guards down here to clear up the bodies and the mess. Get all bodies to the Hall of the Dead, but do NOT tell the Embassy any of this. Report to the Jarl, no one else. Not even Rikke.”
“Understood,” one of the guards nodded. “What about you, sir? Are you coming?”
Argis shook his head, adjusting the Jagged Crown and fingering his sword-hilt.
“No. Tell Elisif I'm sorry but my Thane needs me. She'll understand.”
With that, Argis turned and ran after Madanach, following the candlelight spell he'd cast and the glow of his and Sabrinda's mage armour. Once a housecarl, always a housecarl... and Argis had always been very good at his job.