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Skyrim Page 5 - "NAKED! Naked naked naked "

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A/N: Still here? After the unremitting angst of last chapter (I'm so sorry) we have an action packed beast this time around. One reviewer called Liriel and Madanach a bipolar couple (to be fair, they're mostly fairly sweet and loving to each other and all is usually fairly calm, but the stories tend to revolve around the emergencies) and you know, I'm starting to wonder if he actually is. He's definitely a bit messed up - twenty years stuck in a cave with only Skooma for entertainment will do that to you, and Madanach was the brilliant but crazy type beforehand... Oh and losing three kids, also not great for the old sanity. Liriel's mostly too young and inexperienced to know any better, but Madanach's definitely got Issues. As you will see.

Warnings: trigger warning for substance abuse. Also, er, Madanach/Sanguine. Sort of. Kinda. Non-explicitly, and it's not entirely clear if it's actually real or just a hallucination. It's a bit weird and a pairing I never thought I'd write, but um, there you go.

Summary: With Liriel gone, Madanach's long suppressed demons finally get the better of him at the worst possible moment, as Liriel goes to confront her parents and learns a few things about her family, from her parents' romantic histories to the lengths they're prepared to go to to save her from herself.

Madanach didn't move as Liriel fled the Keep. He just looked down, staring at the wedding ring she'd left behind, mutely removing his own and placing it next to its twin, all feeling just seeming to cut off. He was barely aware of Liriel's presence in his head growing ever more distant, both physically and emotionally, and Cicero wailing about something or other until Eola grabbed him, snapped at him to calm him down and sent him away... and then his little girl started showing all her mother's famous sympathy and compassion.

“Da, what did you do, what are you doing, don't just sit there, get after her, tell her you're sorry!”

Madanach just poked at the rings. They were pretty, a perfect little pair, and truth be told he'd even found the Restoration boost useful before now. Both for healing injuries to the kids, easing his own aches and pains... and keeping Skooma shakes at bay, a little gift from Mara to help keep him clean.

Mara's magic hadn't worked this time.

“Better this way,” Madanach said softly. Not for him, no, but for Liriel it would be. He'd do anything for Liriel. Including breaking his own heart to set her free.

“What are you talking about, it is not better!” Eola shouted. “She's the most beautiful woman in Skyrim and you just sent her away, damn it, what is wrong with you?”

Nothing. Everything. He was old, tired, going to die soon enough, his marriage had been destroying his wife, he'd failed every child he'd ever raised, the Reach was free and didn't need him any more, and he'd just had enough.

“Damn it, Eola, if you think she's that pretty, go after her yourself, see how easy it is!” Madanach snapped at her. He regretted it immediately, seeing her cheeks flush and the hurt in her eyes.

“Cariad, I'm sorry, I didn't...” Madanach began. Eola shook her head, an odd pinched expression on her face and it was only when Madanach racked his brains to realise where he'd seen it before and remembered her childhood that he realised it was the look she got when she wanted to cry but was hiding it.

“How could you,” Eola whispered, looking utterly betrayed. “After all this... Liriel's one of the best friends I ever had and you just...”

Marrying his daughter's best friend. A truly terrible idea. More than anything he missed Kaie, missed her calming presence and unswerving loyalty, missed the guaranteed hug and tea made for him that Kaie had provided whenever previous Liriel problems had cropped up. But she was gone, and Eola was all he had left, and Eola was as much Liriel's as his.

“And what do you think she was to me, daughter?” Madanach said roughly, trying not to remember how Liriel felt, soft skin next to his, the sound of her voice, the way she smelt, way she tasted and failing miserably. All things he'd never have again, just long lonely years without her. He'd taken that fate from her and brought it on himself. Justice at least.

“You still love her,” Eola whispered. “Tell her you're sorry!”

He was, of course he was, it felt like a part of him had been ripped out. But if it spared her the same in the years to come... Madanach turned and walked away, ignoring Eola's protests completely.

“Get Borkul,” Madanach snapped to one of the nearest ReachGuard. “I want him guarding my bedroom door. No court today. No one comes in or out of that room once I'm in it. Not even Nepos or Eola.”

“Da, what are you doing, I'm your daught- oof!” She'd tried to run after him, but two ReachGuard soldiers had stepped in front of her to bar her way, and while she could easily have killed them, they were just following her father's orders. Because he was king, and despite her Dark Brotherhood ranking, her closeness to Liriel and being his beloved daughter and heir, Eola at the end of the day had to abide by his rule like everyone else. In public anyway.

Eola watched him disappear before turning and running. She'd sent Cicero after Liriel, but with her father being stubborn, she needed help. Time to find Nepos.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“He's seriously throwing us out?”

Sabrinda could barely believe her ears. Only here a day and they were being asked to leave? “Can he do that?”

“It's his city, I rather think he can do whatever he likes,” Meryndor growled, fingering his neck, still a little sore after being slammed into Dwemer stonework by a man who clearly had not lost any of his physical strength despite advancing years. “He didn't specify what would happen if we weren't out of here by tonight, but I imagine it won't be pleasant. Best case scenario is if the ReachGuard haul us to the border by force and leave us there.”

Sabrinda didn't ask what the worst case scenario was. She didn't need to, she'd carried it out often enough. At least Madanach probably wouldn't kill Ancalime, and while she detested the idea of anyone of her blood living in this heathen land, Liriel would probably do as good a job as any of raising her sister.

That was if the Thalmor didn't kill her first. Sabrinda might be furious with her daughter, but that didn't mean the thought of her dying didn't hurt.

“But... he can't,” Sabrinda whispered, sinking into a chair. “We've not... I barely saw her, Meryn! Hardly had a chance... Meryn, we can't leave her here, Elenwen will...!” Sabrinda stopped, aware of Ancalime playing in her room and Uaile in the back room.

“I know,” Meryndor said quietly, sitting across the Dwemer table from his wife and squeezing her hand. Despite his intemperate words to Madanach, he didn't want to see Liriel dead either. He wanted his little Liri-bella back, his sweet innocent little princess. But the princess had become a queen, and the king involved was neither a good man nor a safe one. Meryndor hated the thought of him with his hands all over Liriel and couldn't decide what was worse, Liriel hating every minute or actually enjoying it.

“Could we leave and come back in secret – no, no, that's no good, they'd see through illusions for sure, they do actually know their magic,” Sabrinda sighed. “Gods, if they'd just let me talk to her...”

The sound of a key in the door and the door opening and closing. Both Sabrinda and Meryndor fell quiet. While both were sure Madanach had a key to this place, probably more than one, neither felt comfortable with his people just walking in whenever they felt like it.

“This is a private residence, stranger,” Sabrinda called out tersely. “State your business or leave.”

Pause. And then a voice both knew well and had hardly dared hope to hear.

“I know that, Mother, it's my bloody house.”

“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.

“Meryndor, dearest, please explain what you said to our darling daughter and her admittedly unstable lunatic of a husband to ruin their marriage overnight?” Sabrinda said sweetly. While she couldn't say this was a necessarily unwanted development exactly, she really didn't like seeing her little girl in tears either.

“I don't know!” Meryndor cried, racking his brains to think what set her off. What sent her off in tears and shocked her... well in hindsight that was obvious. “Wait... I think it was me telling her about Kaie.”

“What about her,” Sabrinda said tersely, too busy glaring at her husband to notice Liriel sitting up, stunned.

“You knew he had a human ex-girlfriend?” Liriel said, confused. “And you didn't mind?”

“Of course, but there wasn't a lot I could do about it,” Sabrinda said with a shrug.

“It meant nothing,” Meryndor said quickly. “It was just a fling, it was over centuries ago, Madanach himself said she was a long-dead hero to them. She's dead and buried, just as he will be one day, and Liriel will have moved on and found someone else and will barely remember him.”

“What, like with you and Kaie?” Sabrinda snapped. “Meryn, you still have that locket with her hair in it. And you still go to a shrine of Arkay every ten years on the anniversary of the day you first met.”

“What?” Liriel whispered, dazed, but neither parent paid any attention to her.

“A man can have a few regrets, can't he?” Meryndor shot back. “And you have some nerve, you still have all Valiriel's old love letters and you take chrysanthemums to her grave every year on her birthday!”

“They were her favourite!” Sabrinda protested, and at this point, Liriel was staring at the table in utter disbelief.

“Valiriel,” she said quietly. “That was your friend, the one that assassin killed by accident at that party. You named me after her. And she was your lover all along.”

“Betrothed,” Sabrinda said, face turning tight and sad at the memory. “We grew up together. Joined the guards together. Did everything together. Couldn't imagine being apart. She was like the other half of me. And then she died. I must have spent years mourning her.”

“Tell me about it,” Meryndor sighed. “Two years she let me try and court her before admitting she was in mourning for her dead fiancee still. Want to know why it took so long before we got married? That's your answer, one of us was still grieving. Aedra, we both were in our own way. I was still angry at Mara for giving me feelings for a human and taking her away so quickly.”

“Better to have loved and lost,” Sabrinda said, quoting an old Altmer poem. “I still miss her, but I'm glad I met your father. He was kind and compassionate and understood and even offered to leave me in peace... but I'd got used to him by then. So I said he could keep me company while I mourned. Three decades later and I realised he looked cute when he smiled and then I realised you could love again after all. So will you, sweetie. Sweetie?”

Liriel was shaking her head, fingers clutching at the table, looking horrified.

“It was a lie,” Liriel whispered.

“What was?” Meryndor said, confused. “Yes, I know we never told you, but this was years ago! We didn't think you'd ever need to know.”

“Need to... all those stories!” Liriel gasped, and whether it was heartbreak or anger in her voice, Sabrinda couldn't tell, only that there was power in it, a dangerous power that was already shaking the furniture and spoke of fire and blood. “Always telling me that Altmer would meet the mer of their dreams, fall in love, get married and live happily ever after, never loving anyone else ever... and you both had other people before! You loved Valiriel and you didn't even love a mer, yours was human... and they both died and you got over it and married each other, but you still have feelings!”

“Of course we do, we're Altmer, it never goes away, not really,” Sabrinda said gently, before seeing the guilt on her husband's face and realising what he'd said to Liriel last night. “Meryn, what did you...?”

“Because it's true, dammit!” Meryndor snapped. “Because it must be so much easier, meeting someone, loving them, marrying them and keeping them and not losing them and having to start again! Having someone with you who was never hurt, who isn't mourning their past lover still, who you never have to worry about comparing yourself to! We raised you that way so you wouldn't make our mistakes!”

“Valiriel wasn't a mistake!” Sabrinda protested.

“No, I know, I didn't mean it like that, Sabby, you know that... but just sometimes I wish you didn't still love her. Hard to compare to the dead.” Meryndor looked ruefully at Sabrinda, and even though they'd had this discussion many times before, it was still a hard one. Sabrinda still loved Meryndor of course, but part of her would always wonder what would have happened if Valiriel hadn't died.

“She's dead and gone though, Meryn,” Sabrinda said softly. “I married you, you're who I love now. You're the one who's alive and with me. I'll always miss her... but life didn't stop just because hers did.”

“The Dance doesn't stop,” Liriel breathed. “Unless you stop dancing. And even the dead still dance in starlight.”

“What?” Meryndor asked, frowning at her. “Is that some new poem or something?”

“Something Madanach taught me,” Liriel said, slowly getting to her feet, and there was power in her voice, power to shake an entire city down as an angry dragon began to unfurl its wings. “Something I learned in the Reach. Because say what you will about him, call him a stubborn, crazy, unstable murderer, and by Sithis that's all true enough, but he has never ever lied to me. Alinor gave me a lot of pretty pictures but the Reach taught me how to live!”

“Liriel, wait!” Sabrinda cried, memories of a thousand Thalmor executions flashing back to her, except now they all had Liriel's face and oh gods no, not her baby, please no. “Liriel, Valiriel, don't go!” She grabbed Liriel's arm in a panic, desperate for her not to leave. Liriel turned on her, actually snarling.

“Let go of me,” she hissed. “I have a husband to reclaim, whether he likes it or not!”

“Liriel, no, you'll be killed!” Sabrinda cried, moving to block her way.

“I won't ask you again,” Liriel growled, and Sabrinda barely recognised her daughter. The woman in front of her was not a sweet little innocent. This woman was a true-born killer, a force of nature in her own right. But even so, Sabrinda had stared down worse.

“No,” Sabrinda breathed, ready to face even a dragon's wrath to save her daughter. Liriel's lip curled back as she bared her teeth and inhaled.

“FUS RO-”

Green light and Liriel collapsed to the ground mid-Shout, stunned by Meryndor's paralysis spell. Sabrinda caught her as she fell, lowering her to the ground, heart thudding as the world came to a screaming halt.

“Meryn, what did you do?” Sabrinda whispered.

“She was going to hurt you!” Meryndor gasped, closing the gap and lifting Sabrinda's face up to look at him. “Sab, that dragon magic's dangerous, for all I know she was about to breathe fire at you!”

Sabrinda didn't have time to react as Uaile rushed out from her room, having heard the Shout and also having realised it hadn't been finished.

“What have you done?” she screamed, seeing her Queen Consort lying paralysed and helpless on the floor. “You just used magic on her? On the Reach-Queen? You just sealed your own death warran-”

Sabrinda took advantage of the ranting to cast her own paralysis spell, sending Uaile falling backwards. Then she stared back up at Meryndor, both realising the same thing. Things had just gone horribly wrong.

“What do we do?” Meryndor said, panic in his eyes. “They'll kill us when they find out about this.”

“Sleeping potion,” Sabrinda said, thinking quickly. “I still have some left. Dose Uaile with that, she'll be out cold and we'll be long gone.”

“Sab, you get nightmares without it,” Meryndor said softly. Sabrinda shook her head, eyes not leaving Liriel.

“Just do it,” Sabrinda said, stroking Liriel's cheek. “I'll get some more in Solitude. Better that than execution.”

“Right. But what about Liriel?” Meryndor hadn't taken his eyes off her, worried sick about his little girl. Sabrinda brushed Liriel's hair back, wondering exactly that. What did they do with a daughter who'd changed so completely? Sabrinda had no idea, but she did know one thing – she was not abandoning her.

“We take her with us. Get rope and a gag, there's an empty chest in her room, no one'll notice we've got an extra trunk when we leave. We'll let her out at the Embassy – or better, on the ship. I don't trust Elenwen.”

Meryndor nodded his assent and went to see to Uaile. Sabrinda stayed with Liriel, unable to tear her eyes away from her beautiful girl.

“I'm sorry, daughter,” she whispered. “But I'm not letting the Thalmor make an example of you. Not you. Not my baby. Not my little Valiriel. No one is assassinating you, not now, not ever.”

Sabrinda hated having to do this and the silent betrayal in Liriel's eyes made it worse. But she wasn't leaving her behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silence and quiet, thank Sithis. No jesters shrieking at him or daughters shouting at him and weren't his children meant to be loyal to him, not their stepmother? No steward staring disapprovingly at him. No guards watching or servants giving him pitying looks. Madanach had his room to himself, his little cave, Borkul guarding the door, peace, quiet, stone walls all around him. Comfier than Cidhna but not far different.

Better this way. Safer this way. Liriel wasn't for him. She was too beautiful, too perfect, too lovely, beyond him. Even a king couldn't have a goddess in his bed. Not right. Sacrilege. Blasphemous even, wanting to bend her over the table and fuck her, refusing to let her come until she'd begged him for it. Even if she had come so hard she'd produced more fluid than he had.

Not for him any more. It was done, over, the Dance ended, Liriel set free to find someone else. Someone not a flawed, failing mortal approaching the end of his life. Someone who was still whole, who didn't have that gaping void of unhappiness in his heart and soul. Perhaps he'd had it all his life but just never noticed it. Until the Nords took Keirine and killed his father. Until he realised how cold Mireen's heart was. Until he saw Eithne die, and that was the trigger, that had ripped the scales from his eyes. Nothing had really meant anything since, and if he'd had things to distract him in the interim, that was all they had been. Just transient little illusions to keep him from staring into the Void. Apart from Liriel. She'd made it all better, lit up his world, kept the darkness at bay, warmed his soul. And all he'd given her was pain.

Better this way. Better for her to be without him, be free to be the Dragon-Goddess she should be. Find someone worthy. Someone not him. And if sending her away had ripped his heart out, he'd have to live with it. Or find something to fill it. Well, only one other thing had ever really done the job.

Hidden at the bottom of one of the cupboards, shut away in a little chest, somewhere even Liriel didn't ever bother looking, was Madanach's little test of strength. He'd found it lying around after getting back to Markarth after Argis's wedding. He'd no idea where it came from. Did one of the servants drop it? Was it something of Thongvor's, even Igmund's? He had no idea. But he'd shut it away, out of temptation's reach. Obviously giving it to anyone else would have been irresponsible, still less pouring it out into the pool that fed into the stream that ran through the city. So he'd kept it safe and hidden, out of harm's way. Only now and then, he'd get it out and look at it when no one else was around. A little secret. A little test. Proving he wasn't an addict, because if he was, he'd have drunk it by now, right? As it was, it wasn't doing anyone any harm just sitting here.

Madanach got the chest out and unlocked it, tracing his fingers down the little Skooma bottle. See, nothing to worry about. Of course he wasn't addicted. Maybe all the other Cidhna Mine veterans had their troubles, maybe they all had to have their little weekly support meetings and little pins celebrating how long they'd been clean for, their little buddy system. But he didn't need any of it. He'd survived in there longer than any of them, regularly downing the stuff in a desperate attempt to forget his beautiful Eithne being impaled on Ulfric Stormcloak's blade, and he'd managed to avoid addiction. He'd not even tried to find any Skooma once he got out, and even Keirine turning up at Druadach Redoubt, searching everybody, confiscating all their Skooma and tersely pouring it out on the ground hadn't fazed him. The others had whimpered and Borkul had actually screamed and gone for her but fortunately Madanach's paralysis spell had got him first. There'd been a long talk afterwards about the stuff being poison and this being better for everyone and that they'd all get through it together, but if Borkul made one move towards Keirine again, Madanach would gut him personally. Borkul, cowed, had tearfully promised to sort himself out, and the next day the rest of the Cidhna Mine veterans had made a pact that they'd all get clean together. Madanach hadn't joined them, just watching in amusement. He'd been all right. Sure, he'd got the shakes like anyone else but his magic had banished those and he'd had a war to fight. He'd been too busy to think about it.

Well, the war was done and he'd got a capable heir lined up. Not a lot left to do with his life now. The Reach mostly ran itself if he was honest, and never mind the laws he'd had to write and the government he'd had to set up to get things to that state. Nothing to distract him from the emptiness any more.

He stroked the Skooma bottle, smiling at fond memories of Skooma trips past. One drink wouldn't hurt, right? Just for a bit, just to make the darkness go away, just until he stopped loving Liriel. It wouldn't be forever. He didn't need it or anything. He wasn't an addict after all.

Madanach popped the cap off and downed the contents, shivering as the sweet nectar sank down his throat, slow burn warming him up and making all the aches and pains seem to fade away. By Sithis, he'd missed this. Smiling, he sank back into the pillows. Yes, yes, this was better, better than Liriel because he wasn't hurting her or anyone else this way. Much better, so much better.

“Enjoyin' my little preshent?” Sam Guevenne slurred into his ear, although he was in his Dremora form, arms around Madanach, who reached for him without even thinking. Something about those strong Dremora arms around him felt solidly reassuring.

“Yeah,” Madanach whispered. “Yeah, I needed this. You left it here?”

“Course,” Sanguine laughed. “No one'sh ever beaten me inna drinkin' contesht before, not legitit- lezhiti- not properly. Been a long time sinsh I got properly washted. Wanted to get to know you better. A lot better. Without that daughter of yours around. She'sh immune, ya see. Nammi won' let me get at her, which ish a cryin' shame. Can't get at her husband neither, his ma won't never let him out to play, and ya don' mess wiv his ma. But you now... you're gorgeoush.”

“Tha's nice,” Madanach whispered, liking this very much, Sam stroking his hair and holding him, stretching out and rolling on top of him and it felt nothing like holding Liriel, no soft curves, just hard muscle and being quite, quite helpless. Grinning, he lay back and wrapped his arms around the Daedric Prince of Debauchery. “Gonna kiss me again?”

“I was hopin' you'd say that,” Sanguine grinned, bending down to kiss Madanach. Somewhere deep in his mind, the empathy bond was trying to flare, Liriel trying to summon him, pleading for her husband to come and get her. But the Skooma had Madanach in its grip... and so did Sanguine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucia watched as Ancalime trailed after her parents, glancing sadly over her shoulder at her. She'd been allowed out to play earlier, but her father had reclaimed her all too soon, telling her to say goodbye, they needed to leave. Lucia could swear he'd looked anxious about something, but she couldn't have said what. So she'd hugged Ancalime and told her to write, and Ancalime had nodded sadly and whispered she'd try, if they let her. She'd looked so forlorn and sad and Lucia had just wanted to hug her to death. Couldn't they keep her? She clearly didn't want to go. She could stay with them at the Keep, Liriel was her sister, they were family! But Lucia had barely seen her parents to ask. No one had. It had been Eola who'd put them to bed last night, and she'd seemed worried too.

“Your ma's upset because her parents are here,” Eola had explained to them both.

“But why? Doesn't she like them?” Lucia had asked, confused.

“Don't they like her?” Sissel had whispered nervously. “Do they hit her like Papa used to do to me?”

“No!” Eola had cried. “At least, I don't think so. But they don't like her living with humans, and they really don't like that she married Da.”

“Don't they like him?” Sissel had asked then tilted her head as it occurred to her lots of people didn't like their Da. “I mean, less than Nords do?”

“You're a Nord!” Eola had laughed. Sissel shook her head stubbornly.

“No, I just look like one. I'm a Rhanyeen-vira on the inside! It's why Papa didn't like me. He could tell I wasn't really a Nord.”

“I'm not sure your Papa liked anyone, but you're definitely one of us now,” Eola had said with a smile. “And so's your Ma. Despite being an elf. Only her parents don't like that at all. So that's why your Ma's upset. And Da's unhappy because she's upset. But don't worry, gwanethai bach. They'll go home eventually and then everything will go back to normal.”

Lucia wondered what Ancalime's normal was like. She didn't think her parents hit her like Sissel's papa had, and they didn't starve her like her aunt and uncle had, but the little elf definitely looked unhappy. Lucia would miss her.

“Do you think we'll see her again?” Sissel asked, also looking a bit sad to see Ancalime go. “Do you think Mama will take us to Alinor to see her?”

“Of course not, Sissel, Alinor's run by Thalmor. They don't let humans in,” Lucia sighed. “They don't like humans.”

“But if Mama was with us...!” Sissel said hopefully. Lucia really wished Sissel could get her head around the idea that even their Mama's powers had limits, although given their mother had shot a dragon down by shouting at it then taken its soul only yesterday, this was going to be a difficult task.

“That's worse!” Lucia sighed. “Thalmor hate humans, but they really hate it when elves marry humans and have kids with them! That's why they were upset with Mama!”

“Oh,” Sissel said softly, the truth sinking in. “Then... they won't let Cali write to us, will they?”

Lucia shook her head. “I don't think so. I'm sorry, Sissel.”

Sissel watched as the last of the trunks was loaded on the cart, the Thalmor soldiers seeming to have particular trouble with that one. Then the cart was trundling off, Ancalime watching sadly but her parents barely looking back. Once it was gone, Sissel turned to head inside.

“I'm gonna go find Skuli and Adara,” Sissel said quietly. “You coming, Lu?”

“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.

“We could go find her?” Lucia said, holding her hand out to him. If Mama and Da had argued... it didn't happen often. Most often it was just teasing and playful bickering, which usually ended up with playfighting which always turned into kissing, and then Da sweeping Mama off her feet and carrying her off to the bedroom with orders not to disturb them unless the city was under attack. It'd be ages before anyone saw them again, but they'd usually emerge looking a bit dishevelled but happy, Mama's face flushed and eyes bright and Da just smiling in a way he never normally did. He was always kind to Lucia and Sissel but right after time alone with Mama, he was at his kindest and most open, gentle and loving and attentive to Liriel in particular, but in a good mood with everyone. Then there were the more serious arguments where one of them was actually angry about something... but they'd only get to a point before one of them, usually Da, would stop and apologise and then they'd cuddle and have a quiet talk about whatever it was, and then it'd be all better. For Mama to have run away crying and be hiding in Vlindrel Hall, her old house from before she'd got married... Lucia felt scared at the very thought. Where was Da? Why'd he not gone after her? He might be king but he never let that get in the way of looking after his family. How could he look after the country if he couldn't care for his wife and children, was how he'd explained it to her once, then told her never mind if he looked busy or was holding court, she was to knock on the study door or get the attention of Nepos or one of the ReachGuard or Borkul. They'd let him know and he'd adjourn whatever he was doing. Unless the city was actually under attack or on fire, very little couldn't wait ten minutes for him to see what was wrong.

Given that whenever her mama got ill, Da would order hot soup from the kitchens and potions from Bothela and either deliver them personally or send them to her in bed with a little note attached, and to the Void with anyone who interrupted, Lucia couldn't imagine him not being there when she was crying. All was not well, and Lucia suddenly wanted very much to get a cuddle off her mother and check her family wasn't going to fall apart.

Cicero smiled sadly up at her as he got to his feet.

“We should do that,” he said softly, and now Lucia was really worried. Cicero hardly ever looked worried or afraid. For something to get to him... something was very very wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Next chapter is the one where they find Liriel's missing and Madanach's completely out of it, and basically all Oblivion breaks loose. I am anticipating great fun with it!

Gwanethai bach - little sisters. Rhanyeen-vira - true daughter of the Reach.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh I KNEW SHE WOULDN'T GET BACK TO UNDERSTONE SO QUICK
*bounces in seat* Next chapter, next chapter!

Wow this is so awesome! I can't wait for the next chapter.

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