A/N: NEARLY THE END! I have actually finished it, the next chapter after this is definitely the last. This one wraps up most of the loose ends for you, although not everything, it must be said. As the next chapter is done, you will not have to wait too long for it.
Summary: The Regency wasn't intended to last forever, but there's a few formalities first. Meanwhile Elisif is wondering if she was perhaps a bit harsh on Madanach, and Liriel isn't going to stay pregnant forever...
Warnings for childbirth (but not in any way that detailed) and, er, implied cannibalism involving the Ring of Namira.
One month later, and Madanach as promised had been a model husband and father. He'd not missed a dose of any of his anti-Skooma meds. He'd attended regularly weekly Skooma addict support groups and weekly sessions with a Forsworn mind-healer. Erandur had finally arrived in week three and started regular one-on-one counselling with Madanach as well, and it seemed to be going well.
Lucia and Sissel had both been a bit clingier than usual, but with Madanach around as almost full-time father for once, things had gone better than they might have. Lucia in particular had spent a lot of time alone with Madanach, quietly asking him what had actually happened, and Madanach, having taken on board the whole making amends to anyone the addiction had hurt bit of the programme, had answered her questions, from “what is Skooma?” to “why did you take it in the first place if you knew it was addictive?” to “were you and Mama really going to stop being married?” Difficult conversations to have, but Lucia hugged him afterwards and thanked him and told him grown-ups normally didn't like telling children what was really going on, but she was glad he had.
“And how are you ever going to be able to trust me again if I lie to you, hmm?” Madanach had told her, smoothing back her hair as she'd cuddled him.
“I do trust you,” Lucia whispered, kissing him on the cheek. “I'm just worried about you.”
“So are a lot of other people, and they're going to help keep me healthy. It's not all on you, bachgen,” Madanach had said, feeling anxious and guilty and touched all at once. Lucia had hugged him tighter.
“That's not what I meant,” Lucia said, clinging on to him. “I don't want you to die!”
“Not for a long time yet,” Madanach had said softly, quietly promising yet again he'd stay clean for Lucia's sake if nothing else.
Sissel had turned out to be mostly fine and much reassured by seeing her father apparently healthy, around a lot more and still apparently very much in love with her mother, and the personal magic tuition pretty much sealed the deal. Ancalime joined in with the lessons, very excited to actually learn some proper hands-on magic that could actually do some damage, and if Cicero's influence had gone horribly horribly deep, at least it meant she was smiling again.
“I'm gonna be the best at magic and weapons and sneaking and stabbing and I'm gonna kill ALL the Falmer and no one's mamma or daddy's ever going to die again!” Ancalime announced, cheerfully watching as a training dummy went up in flames.
“Yes, yes!” Cicero cackled. “The sweet little elfling is certainly very good at it. Maybe little Ancalime lost her real father, but the Dread Father will be very proud of her!”
“All right, perhaps that's enough fire today,” Madanach had said hastily. “Right, illusion magic. A much neglected school but with practice you too will be able to do things like this.” One spell later and Cicero was lying on the floor, staring into space and cooing at nothing. No one hurt and Cicero quiet for ten minutes, a result in Madanach's book.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 14.1
Summary: The Regency wasn't intended to last forever, but there's a few formalities first. Meanwhile Elisif is wondering if she was perhaps a bit harsh on Madanach, and Liriel isn't going to stay pregnant forever...
Warnings for childbirth (but not in any way that detailed) and, er, implied cannibalism involving the Ring of Namira.
One month later, and Madanach as promised had been a model husband and father. He'd not missed a dose of any of his anti-Skooma meds. He'd attended regularly weekly Skooma addict support groups and weekly sessions with a Forsworn mind-healer. Erandur had finally arrived in week three and started regular one-on-one counselling with Madanach as well, and it seemed to be going well.
Lucia and Sissel had both been a bit clingier than usual, but with Madanach around as almost full-time father for once, things had gone better than they might have. Lucia in particular had spent a lot of time alone with Madanach, quietly asking him what had actually happened, and Madanach, having taken on board the whole making amends to anyone the addiction had hurt bit of the programme, had answered her questions, from “what is Skooma?” to “why did you take it in the first place if you knew it was addictive?” to “were you and Mama really going to stop being married?” Difficult conversations to have, but Lucia hugged him afterwards and thanked him and told him grown-ups normally didn't like telling children what was really going on, but she was glad he had.
“And how are you ever going to be able to trust me again if I lie to you, hmm?” Madanach had told her, smoothing back her hair as she'd cuddled him.
“I do trust you,” Lucia whispered, kissing him on the cheek. “I'm just worried about you.”
“So are a lot of other people, and they're going to help keep me healthy. It's not all on you, bachgen,” Madanach had said, feeling anxious and guilty and touched all at once. Lucia had hugged him tighter.
“That's not what I meant,” Lucia said, clinging on to him. “I don't want you to die!”
“Not for a long time yet,” Madanach had said softly, quietly promising yet again he'd stay clean for Lucia's sake if nothing else.
Sissel had turned out to be mostly fine and much reassured by seeing her father apparently healthy, around a lot more and still apparently very much in love with her mother, and the personal magic tuition pretty much sealed the deal. Ancalime joined in with the lessons, very excited to actually learn some proper hands-on magic that could actually do some damage, and if Cicero's influence had gone horribly horribly deep, at least it meant she was smiling again.
“I'm gonna be the best at magic and weapons and sneaking and stabbing and I'm gonna kill ALL the Falmer and no one's mamma or daddy's ever going to die again!” Ancalime announced, cheerfully watching as a training dummy went up in flames.
“Yes, yes!” Cicero cackled. “The sweet little elfling is certainly very good at it. Maybe little Ancalime lost her real father, but the Dread Father will be very proud of her!”
“All right, perhaps that's enough fire today,” Madanach had said hastily. “Right, illusion magic. A much neglected school but with practice you too will be able to do things like this.” One spell later and Cicero was lying on the floor, staring into space and cooing at nothing. No one hurt and Cicero quiet for ten minutes, a result in Madanach's book.