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>When posting prompts, always remember to add kinks you're both looking for and wanting to avoid in a potential fill.
>When filling, please remember to add your story tags: characters, relationship types, kinks, series and universe (ie: skyrim)
>Our character limit here at LJ is 4300.
>If you have any other questions about posting, visit the HOW TO KINK MEME THREAD, under the Page Summary on your left.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.1
Date: 2014-01-31 12:01 pm (UTC)Summary: Madanach meets his in-laws and it's hard to say who's less pleased with the situation. Ancalime however is having a great time, especially when she starts making some new friends...
Really, this city was as horrible as Elenwen had implied. Stone everywhere, a maze of winding, twisting pathways, and the people, dear Aedra, the people! Orcs and humans mostly, those dark-skinned Redguards, more of those bearded Nords, and then there were the Reachmen. In particular the guards, in fur outfits that looked like rags held together with bone and feathers, that covered nothing. Sabrinda had already seen Meryndor glancing for a second too long at one of the women – he'd hidden it well, but she'd seen. Then there'd been the way everyone had kept staring at Ancalime – previously stony-faced Breton guards taking one look at her little girl and gasping and whispering like they'd never seen a child before. And so what if her ears were too big for her head? She'd grow into them eventually, all Altmer did.
She put her arm around her daughter and ushered her onwards, following the Reachwoman who'd met them at that infernal teleportal. Sabrinda was all for magic, but that thing was just not natural. She'd had flashbacks to the Oblivion Crisis, staring into yet another Oblivion Gate as the Dremora hordes prepared to pour through, shouting at her soldiers to hold firm, they were the trueborn sons and daughters of the Aedra and they would not fall.
It had been several moments before she'd realised she'd been clinging on to Meryndor in terror, Ancalime staring up at her with wide eyes, and she'd pulled herself together for her daughter's sake and led the way.
Anyway, they'd made it, and why Liriel had chosen this city, Sabrinda had no idea. Stakes welded into stone rooftops, goat's heads on pikes on every corner, an entire Spriggan corpse over one building's entrance, the sound of steelworks on the far side of the central crag. Liriel could have had the glass spires, golden sandy beaches and warm summer breezes of Alinor, with cicadas chirping and jasmine in the air. Instead she'd chosen... this.
That girl was leading them up to the stone edifice at the far end of the city, the one with the waterfall pouring over the front. Ancalime gasped to see it, and Sabrinda tightened her grip. This city had already claimed one daughter – it was not taking the other.
A particularly vicious-looking Orc emerged from the Keep at the head of a small patrol of Reach-Bretons, the Orc at least having the decency to be wearing heavy Orcish armour rather than the unseemly skull-festooned ensemble the Bretons seemed to like.
“Eola! We got your message – well, sorta, the boss and Nepos are still decoding it. What's up – oh. Not you people again, we told you, we don't worship Talos round here... wait. What's with the kid – you're not kidding.”
“Borkul,” the woman said cheerfully. “We've got guests. Here to see the King, seeing as Liriel's not here.”
“I bet,” Borkul said faintly. “Right you lot, form an honour guard, I'll walk with the Princess here. Let's get these distinguished guests inside, shall we?”
Princess – Elenwen had mentioned a daughter from a previous marriage, one old enough to be married herself. This must be her, and while Sabrinda wasn't great with human ages, this one looked like a young-ish, quite capable warrior with an aura of magic to her. So this was the heir to the throne. One to watch, clearly. She wondered where the husband was. Was it the Orc perhaps? Possibly – she'd not thought even humans would stoop to bedding Orcs, but this place was barbaric even by human standards, and those were base enough.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.2
Date: 2014-01-31 12:02 pm (UTC)“Are you all right?” he whispered in her ear.
“I'll have to be,” Sabrinda whispered back. “But thank you, love.”
She squeezed his hand and together they entered the Keep. Inside it was bigger than Sabrinda could ever have imagined, huge hallways carved into the rock itself and more ReachGuard on watch under the silver banners with the red eagle emblazoned on them, not entirely dissimilar to the blue and gold eagle flags of the Aldmeri Dominion. But this wild land was not Alinor and its barbarous natives were not Altmer.
Deeper in the main passage led, guards standing to attention as they passed by and then Sabrinda felt it. A long, slow uncurling of magicka, a mage's magicka field let go, slowly and casually flowing out, filling the Keep, and if Sabrinda had thought this place wild before, now she knew it was completely lacking in manners. Honestly, no Altmer of any age over forty-five had any business letting their magicka go like that, half the city would sense it, it was just vulgar to advertise one's power so broadly, particularly if you had the bad luck or ill wit to be stronger than one's social superiors. Whoever this was must be particularly ill-bred – magically formidable perhaps, but in no way anyone she wanted to associate with.
“Mamma!” Ancalime gasped. “Mamma, someone just let their magicka go, I can feel it, where are they? Are they in trouble?”
“They should be, but I daresay that's for their King to judge,” Sabrinda sniffed. “Don't think that means you can do it, Ancalime. You keep yours under control like I've been teaching you.”
“Yes Mamma,” Ancalime said softly. Sabrinda patted her on the back, feeling rather proud of her youngest. Gentle, docile, probably the best-behaved out of all three of her children – Haldyn had thrown tantrums and answered back constantly, while Liriel always had to ask why. Sabrinda knew that curiosity of hers would get her in trouble one of these days, and look how things had turned out.
“Sab,” Meryndor said quietly. “Sab, I think that mage is the King.”
He was looking up ahead to where a steep set of stairs led up to a balcony where various Orc and Reachman servants could be seen going about their business... and in the middle was another set of steps leading up to a throne – and it was the source of the magicka. Steeling herself, Sabrinda stepped forward, following the Reach-Princess as she went to address her father.
“Da, we have visitors,” the young Breton announced cheerfully. “They've come all the way from Alinor, look!”
“I know, Cicero told me... eventually,” the man on the throne growled and as the Princess stepped aside, Sabrinda got her first look at the monster who'd corrupted her little girl.
He was getting to his feet, dressed in blue and gold robes that reminded Sabrinda of a fancier version of her own, a circlet on his head and a red-gold necklace similar to his daughter's round his neck. Silver braided hair down to his shoulders, bearded like most of the men she'd seen so far, although less facial hair than most. He was standing on the steps leading up to his throne, arms folded, and Sabrinda had the feeling he was waiting for her to come to him. But what struck her the most were the eyes – silver-grey eyes that seemed to stare right into you, and although he probably was a fraction of her age, Sabrinda had a feeling he'd packed a lot in to the few years he'd had. She could certainly imagine him facing down an Oblivion gate without fear, shouting for his soldiers to do likewise.
Not that she admired him. Of course not, the man was a monster who ruled over animals, but it would be wise to respect the magic if nothing else. This one had power.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.3
Date: 2014-01-31 12:04 pm (UTC)“Afraid not, Da. They never asked for mine, you see,” she said, shrugging. The King of the Reach rolled his eyes and turned back to her.
“You'll have to forgive my daughter, I'm still trying to educate Eola in the finer points of receiving visiting dignitaries,” he said, actually daring to smile. “Madanach, King of the Reach, at your service. I'm afraid I'll have to ask your names, Justiciar.”
Sabrinda was loath to give him any such thing, but she supposed she might as well tell him. In a society where blood ties took a second place to merit and family names didn't officially exist, first name terms were usually the only terms to be on.
“My name is Sabrinda. This is my husband Meryndor. We're looking for our elder daughter Liriel. They tell me she lives here.”
Not a flicker of surprise on Madanach's face and she guessed the odd court fool that had accompanied Princess Eola had warned him they were here.
“She does, but she's not in the city right now, I'm afraid. She's a celebrated national hero, she travels a lot. I'm sure she'll be back soon, in fact I've taken the liberty of asking my steward to arrange accommodation for you. You can make yourselves at home until she gets back.”
He was still staring at her, not showing a hint of anything other than simply being a king welcoming unexpected visitors. No mention of what he'd done with their daughter... and then his eyes slid over Ancalime, still clutching at her mother's hand and that did get a reaction. Surprise, a raised eyebrow, and then he actually stepped off the dais, dropping to his knees and only wincing slightly before smiling at the child.
“Hello there, cariad,” he said gently. “I didn't get your name.”
“Don't answer him, Ancalime,” Sabrinda snapped, forcing back the hate and fury and urge to tear him apart. He'd already charmed one daughter away from her people, he was not doing the same to her innocent little Aedra girl.
“Ancalime,” Madanach repeated, still smiling and ignoring Sabrinda completely. “Is that your name, hmm? You don't need to be afraid, no one's going to hurt you here. No one hurts anyone in my Keep unless I tell them to and I only do that to people who've been bad.”
Ancalime inched closer to her mother, hiding her face with her hair and barely peeping out at Madanach.
“'m not s'posed to talk to str'ngers,” she whispered, barely audible.
“I'm not a stranger, I'm a friend,” Madanach replied, still smiling. “I know your sister, you know. Liriel's here all the time.”
That did get Ancalime's attention, and she perked up, smiling a little.
“Really?” she whispered.
“Really,” Madanach said, and Sabrinda decided that was it, they were getting out of here, getting Ancalime away from all these humans. By the Eight, she should have left the girl in Alinor, Khajiit and Bosmer servants were still better than all these wretched humans.
“Ancalime, children should be seen and not heard,” Sabrinda snapped. “Now, these accommodations, where are they? I trust they're suitable for people of our standing.”
Madanach slowly stood up and when he raised his eyes to hers, Sabrinda felt a little prickle of fear at the expression in them.
“The house in question is owned by Liriel, she always seemed to find it acceptable,” he said coldly. “Uaile here will be residing there as your personal assistant while you are here, and I've arranged beds in the barracks for your guards. There's a children's room for Ancalime. I'll be sure to send Liriel to you as soon as she returns. She's on her way back.”
Sabrinda glanced at Uaile, a young Reachwoman with yellow eyes and silver hair, a combination not seen often on humans but quite common in Altmer. There was something of an aura of magic to her as well, muted and reined in but definitely there. While she was at least wearing standard servant dress rather than that awful fur get-up, Sabrinda had the feeling she wasn't normally any kind of domestic servant. There to keep watch, no doubt.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.4
Date: 2014-01-31 12:05 pm (UTC)So wrapped up in her rage was Sabrinda that she didn't even notice Ancalime staring over her shoulder at the Reach-King, or the smile and wave the two exchanged. Ancalime turned away and hid her face with her hair, but the smile didn't fade. A human had been nice to her! Not just any human but the King of the city! He had a crown and everything and some fancy robes. And he knew Liriel, he knew her sister! He could tell Ancalime stories about her! No one told Ancalime anything about Liriel lately, not what she'd actually done. Only that she'd done something bad.
Ancalime missed her sister more than words could say, and not even being able to talk to her parents about Liriel lately was weighing on her. But King Madanach might want to talk, and he'd been nice. Children weren't really supposed to talk to strange adults, or talk while the adults were speaking... but Madanach wasn't a stranger now, and if her parents weren't around...
Hiding her face and keeping quiet, Ancalime began to plot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Madanach watched them go, unable to resist smiling at little Ancalime as she looked over her shoulder, waving goodbye before turning back before her parents noticed. Liriel had a little sister! She'd never said she had a little sister! A little Altmer – he'd never seen a child Altmer although he supposed they had to exist.
“I didn't know Liriel had a sister!” That was Nepos emerging from the shadows, looking as amazed as Madanach felt. “Bless her, she's the sweetest little thing!”
“I know, did you see her ears!” Madanach gasped. “They're too big for her head and it shouldn't be cute but it is! And her tiny little snub nose and the freckles!”
“Oh my actual gods,” and that was Eola, looking faintly appalled. “Can you hear yourselves right now? You're as bad as the rest of the city! So she's a child Altmer, so what?”
Ah yes, Eola's famous parental instincts shining through. Exactly like her mother sometimes.
“She was cute,” said Madanach firmly. “And Altmer don't have that many children, they certainly don't take them abroad very often, do you know how rare it is to see a child Altmer? I know I never have.”
“You're the King of the Reach!” Eola cried, exasperated. “The Scourge of the Nords, the Murderer of Markarth, King in Rags as was, Red Eagle's Heir! A grown man who turned sixty last year, and here you and Nepos both are, losing it over a small child. Borkul, tell him.”
“I'm staying out of this,” Borkul muttered. Then he did grin a bit. “But the ears thing is cute, you get it in Orc kids as well.”
“See!” Madanach said, vindicated. “Even Borkul thinks she's cute.”
“Father,” Eola sighed, hand over her face. “Can we possibly get back to the more pressing matter of Liriel's Ma being in the city? And that she makes my ma look like a shining beacon of generosity and compassion? And that I imagine she knows damn well you've seduced and defiled her daughter.”
“Her father certainly does,” Borkul said, smirking. “He was giving you some hard looks, boss. Wouldn't want to be in your shoes.”
“He didn't say much,” Madanach said thoughtfully. He didn't think Meryndor was a warrior – a merchant from what Madanach had heard, capable of simple illusions to entertain children, and a dab hand at Restoration from all the times he'd had to deal with his children's injuries – but not the Destruction mage his daughter was. All the same, it didn't pay to antagonise his father-in-law. Even if Sabrinda did appear to be de facto head of the family – in public at least.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.5
Date: 2014-01-31 12:08 pm (UTC)Of course she had, Liriel was a starry-eyed romantic despite being Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, a skilled thief and trafficker with more than one Daedra. Children of loveless or abusive marriages did not end up like that – well, look at Eola for proof of that. It also explained where Liriel's skill with children came from – she'd had practice with her baby sister, had probably imagined Ancalime's face when she first met Sissel and Lucia. Much about his wife was rapidly becoming clear on meeting her parents.
“So now what,” Madanach said quietly. “I know they're her parents, they know I'm her husband, we all know we know that. What do I do next? I can't avoid the issue forever.”
“Where's Liriel?” Eola asked. “She needs to be here, last thing she needs is to get back and find you all at each other's throats. Once she's back we can start planning, or at least make a few things clear to them.”
Madanach closed his eyes and focused, reaching out to his wife, seeking her out. Back in the Reach, not far away, yes she'd missed him too, she was sending reassurance his way. Here in an hour or two maybe? Good. Madanach could cope with Nord armies, fire-breathing dragons, Daedric shrines and assassination death cults. What he couldn't deal with were his in-laws.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So that's Madanach,” Sabrinda said, lying back on the double bed that was presumably once their elder daughter's, and what she might have done in that bed, Sabrinda didn't want to think about. At least the marriage had most likely been consummated at the Keep. That was if Liriel had retained her maidenhood until the ceremony and frankly Sabrinda was by no means convinced that was the case. “He's older than I expected.”
“Older?” Meryndor snapped. He'd not stopped pacing since he'd got to the house, distressed and furious after meeting his son-in-law for the first time. “He's got silver hair! Wrinkles around the eyes! I was expecting a young man, or at least someone in the three hundreds or whatever the human equivalent is. As it is, I'm not convinced that if he was a mer, he wouldn't be older than me! What was she thinking, Sab?”
Sabrinda closed her eyes, trying to work that one out for herself. “I don't know, Meryn,” she sighed. “I honestly don't. She never even seemed interested in actual men back home. She read all those romance novels, but you remember all those dances we took her to, all those eligible men we introduced her to? Not a flicker of interest in anyone. All she cared about was her books and her spells and her pony. Now look at her.”
“I know, I always thought she'd stay single forever,” Meryndor said softly, one hand resting on the back of the door, and he looked awful, far worse than Sabrinda felt. Now she'd got a better grasp of the situation, she actually felt quite calm, her strategic mind kicking in and analysing the situation, looking for vulnerabilities. Whereas Meryndor always had been the more emotional of the two of them, much like his daughter. He and Liriel had always been close. “Honestly, I don't think I'd have minded that, having my little girl around forever. But she had her heart set on travelling.”
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.6
Date: 2014-01-31 12:12 pm (UTC)“Just let the girl go if she wants to that much,” Sabrinda had sighed. “I'm sure I can talk a few people into getting her a visa. Cyrodiil wasn't so bad... when we weren't having to subdue the place anyway.” With any luck, Liriel would suffer from homesickness and be back in months. But she hadn't. Months had turned into years and the letters home had got ever fewer and then stopped altogether. Sabrinda had contacted her Embassy colleagues in Cyrodiil, and all they'd been able to tell her was that there'd been an incident in Bruma, some human had allegedly tried to grope her in a tavern and Liriel had slit his throat and fled the city in a panic, killing about ten guards in the process with her Destruction magic and raising a few to cover her escape. No one had seen her since. Sabrinda had only just been able to talk Meryndor out of chasing after her, insisting the Cyrodiil Thalmor Ambassador would find her. It didn't occur to either of them Liriel would flee over Pale Pass into Skyrim, not with winter on its way, not with the war just having broken out, not with the border being closed to civilians. She'd never thought to write to Elenwen and ask her to look for her – other than the College of Winterhold, Skyrim wasn't known for its magical heritage.
Sabrinda was regretting not having looked earlier. But as it was, it was too late now. She just had to work with what she had.
“Wealth and power, it must be,” Sabrinda sighed. “It's clearly turned her head. It can't be lust, he's not only old, he's shorter than us!”
“Dammit Sab, that is not like her!” Meryndor snapped. “You know what she's like, she used to read romances and fairytales and dream of a handsome prince to sweep her off her feet, praying to Mara every night. She'd no more marry for money than sell herself on the street! She doesn't care about coin, she's always had it! Anyway, you heard Elenwen, this Madanach wasn't rich when she met him! Little better than a bandit leader, apparently. She was the one who negotiated the treaty that put him in power!”
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.7
Date: 2014-01-31 12:16 pm (UTC)Liriel, if the stories were to be believed, had met Madanach within weeks of arriving in Skyrim, and a few months later he was king, Skyrim's political landscape was transformed and Liriel was his official betrothed. Close to a year later, they'd got married. That had been six months ago.
It went against everything she and Meryndor had taught their daughter, but Sabrinda had felt Madanach's magic for herself, and unless he'd bewitched her somehow (she was murdering him personally if that was the case, diplomacy be damned) all she could think was that Liriel's damned sentimentality and a weakness for strong magic had taken over and she'd lost her head completely. This Madanach could certainly be charming when he wanted – he'd been courteous if wary, and then he'd started talking to Ancalime. What sort of culture encouraged talking to strangers' children when their parents were right there, Sabrinda had no idea. Altmer children, while treasured and doted on by their families and indeed highly valued by society at large, were simultaneously expected to remain good and quiet when outside their own homes, not interacting with strange adults until they'd learned to behave like one themselves. The relative scarcity of Altmer children meant most adult Altmer had little idea how to react to them, so they were encouraged to behave like grown-ups as soon as possible. Unheard of to address an unrelated child on their level. And yet Madanach had done just that to Ancalime, and the filthy look he'd given her when she'd intervened... As if he thought she was a terrible parent or something.
Meryndor finally joined her on the bed, collapsing on it next to her.
“What if she really loves him?” he whispered, face drawn and hollow and that hurt to see, her warm and cheerful husband reduced to this. Sabrinda drew closer, wrapping her arms around him.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.8
Date: 2014-01-31 12:18 pm (UTC)Meryndor reached for her, clutching her to him as he rested his head on her shoulder, a little sob coming from him.
“It is too late, meleth, they're wed,” he whispered. “He took my baby girl's innocence, Sabby!”
If the reports Sabrinda had seen about her daughter's escape from Bruma had been even close to accurate, Liriel's innocence in at least some respects had gone well before her arrival in Skyrim, but men were always a bit sentimental about these things.
“I know, love,” Sabrinda whispered. “I know. But it does not mean her life is ruined.”
“He stole my daughter,” Meryndor repeated. “My beautiful little Liri-bella. He seduced her away and she didn't even invite me to the wedding!”
“Meryn,” Sabrinda whispered, placing a kiss on his forehead. “Meryn, you are not an old mer, you will live to see her second, I am sure of it.”
“Not the same,” Meryndor breathed. “It's never the same. If you died, I could never even think of being with anyone else. I'd mourn you forever, Sabby.”
“Meryn, you old romantic,” Sabrinda whispered, tilting his head up to kiss him on the lips this time. “Come on, meleth. I hate seeing you like this. Let's at least wait until she arrives before we give up, yes?”
Meryndor didn't answer. He just took her face in his hands and kissed her for all he was worth, and if he was the rock that kept her grounded, she was the one who made him feel safe. Losing himself in his wife's embrace, Meryndor rolled on to his back and pulled her on top of him. Sabrinda let out a muffled squeal but didn't object, reaching down to unfasten his clothes. Her husband needed her. Who was she to deny him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ancalime tiptoed out of the room, glancing about. All the luggage had been brought up, the guards had been escorted to the barracks by that Uaile, and her parents had disappeared into their room with the door closed. Ancalime knew what that meant – sort of. It mean husband and wife time, Mara's special gift to married couples that blessed their family with love and happiness and sometimes more children. At least, that was how Daddy had explained it to her. He'd not said anything about what actually happened, only that Mamma would tell her when she got older. Frustrating but Ancalime did know one thing – it'd be a while before anyone saw them again, which was perfect for what she had in mind.
Moving as quietly as possible, Ancalime made for the front door, cracking it open and peering out at Markarth in the sunshine. This house was really high up, with a lot of steps, and she could see half the city – the winding passageways and the stream that poured through the street, the market stalls, the tavern with its creepy sign with the old witch on the front, the gatehouse, the Temple of Dibella on the central crag and at the far end, she could just about see Understone Keep rising in the distance.
Mamma and Daddy didn't like this city very much – Mamma had been scared of the teleportal gate and Daddy had looked angry since visiting the King – but Ancalime thought it was really pretty. It looked like it was growing out of the mountain and the waterfalls were pretty and its king was clearly a nice man. So while her parents were busy, she was going exploring. She probably wouldn't get another chance.
“Oh, and if I spy a singing biiiird, I'll snap its neck before it's heard!”
Ancalime stopped as she made her way down the steps. She didn't know who was singing but he sounded... odd. Although maybe lots of humans liked to sing about hurting birds.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.9
Date: 2014-01-31 12:19 pm (UTC)Ancalime missed her big sister horribly. But this city was her sister's home now, and it occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, the court fool had mistaken Mamma for Liriel.
“Oh, and if I see a sneaking elf, it won't be good for the dear child's health!” the jester cackled before his head swivelled to look at her, dark eyes shining and his lips pulled back into a grin. Ancalime gasped, beginning to wonder if this was a good idea... but it was too late now. He'd seen her and had skipped over, kneeling next to her, still grinning.
“Hello, dear little child!” he cooed. “Don't be afraid, humble Cicero doesn't mean you any harm!”
“Is that you?” Ancalime said nervously. She thought he was referring to himself but couldn't be sure. Cicero giggled, clapping his hands.
“Yes, yes! The little elf is clever, she is! Yes, you see humble Cicero before you. Cicero knows who you are, sweet child. You are the sister of the Listener, you are!”
“Sister of the Listener?” Ancalime said, confused. Cicero glanced around, narrowing his eyes.
“Foolish Cicero has said too much. But you are the sister of Liriel, aren't you. You know her. You look like her. And those others, those are her... parents.”
“You know Liriel!” Ancalime cried. She'd been right! He did know her sister, he did! “What's she like? Did she learn magic? All the magic? Does she have a magic castle? And a pony? She had to leave hers behind...”
“Yes, oh yes!” Cicero giggled. “She knows spells, many spells. More than she even knew existed! She can control dragons and the weather and she can breathe fire! Cicero wishes he could breathe fire. But he can't. He's tried, you know. Liriel says to learn a Shout, you must unlock its meaning through constant practice. So Cicero keeps trying, but he still can't breathe fire.” He looked at Ancalime sadly, pouting as if this was the most tragic thing to ever happen to him. Ancalime felt sorry for him. That was if he wasn't making it up, of course.
“Mages can cast fire from their hands, like Mamma,” Ancalime said. “You could learn that?”
Cicero smiled sadly. “It is not the same. But Cicero thanks you.” He got up, holding out his hand. “Come, come, sit with Cicero! Cicero shall tell you stories of your sister, all the ones he's allowed to speak of anyway. She doesn't exactly have a magic castle, but she has lots of houses and she's Archmage of an entire College! And she has a big black horse with red eyes called Shadowmere and he is the fastest horse in Skyrim and the Reach!”
Ancalime gasped and excited beyond all measure, trotted after him, taking a seat on the ledge beside him and listening as Cicero proceeded to tell an edited version of How the Dragonborn Killed A God and Won A War. And if Ancalime had adored her sister before, now she truly believed she was magic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Oh, and if I chance to see a cat, I'll feed its corpse to my pet rat!”
“Heeee! Oh that is good, very good, sweet child! You will be as good as Cicero soon!”
Ancalime blushed and giggled. She liked Cicero. He was funny! Very very odd, but funny. Liked to talk about sneaking and stabbing a lot, claiming these were Very Important Things for a young child to learn. Ancalime was fairly sure that sneaking up on someone and stabbing them before they knew you were there was illegal, but when she'd pointed that out to Cicero, he'd just cackled. He was a very strange man... but funny.
“Cicero, Cicero, is it true?”
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.10
Date: 2014-01-31 12:22 pm (UTC)“Hello little Sissel!” Cicero cooed. “Hello children!”
All four children had stopped dead on seeing Ancalime, and she shifted nearer to Cicero for comfort.
“Who's that?” the Redguard girl asked. “Is she an Altmer? Like Queen Liriel?”
“Just like Queen Liriel,” the boy whispered, looking Ancalime over. “Wow, it really is true.”
The other two girls had stepped forward, both staring at Ancalime in amazement.
“You're related to Mama, aren't you?” the little one who Cicero had called Sissel asked. “Are you her sister? Or... does she have other children?” Sissel looked a little bit betrayed at the mere idea.
“Of course not, Sissel,” the other girl sighed. “Mama wasn't even married before she came here and met Da. I think that's her little sister.”
Ancalime scratched her head, trying to work this out. The girls were sisters – and their mother was related to her? Her older sister apparently. Liriel. Queen Liriel? As in... married to the King.
No wonder her parents were angry.
“But Liriel can't be married to a human!” Ancalime cried. “That's illegal! Mer are meant to marry other mer!”
“You want to tell King Madanach that?” the boy laughed. “He seems to think Liriel's his queen and that it's all perfectly legal.”
“It is legal!” Sissel said, glaring. “Da's King, he said it was all official and that he was Mama's husband and now our Da too and we were a family!”
Family... Liriel had children, like Haldyn was going to have with Naarie. Except these children weren't little babies, they could walk and talk and everything and... Ancalime remembered her father telling her that it was very bad indeed to walk around telling humans elves were better than them, and realised that Liriel might be cross if Ancalime was mean to her children.
“But you're not elves,” Ancalime said, confused. “Why would Liriel be your mother?”
“Because our real parents died,” the one who wasn't Sissel explained patiently. “And we didn't have anywhere to go. I was living on the streets when Liriel found me. She gave me money and food and one day when she finally got a house, she said she could adopt me if I wanted. So I said yes and she's looked after me ever since. Same with Sissel when her parents died. And then she married Da and now we all live here. I'm Lucia, what's your name?”
“Ancalime,” Ancalime told her, and while she was still a bit confused and worried about it all, she could also quite see that it was very wrong for a little girl to end up not having a house any more after her mamma and daddy died. Really, that was very kind of Liriel to look after two strange humans like that. Maybe that was why King Madanach had married her, he'd felt sorry for them too and wanted them to have a father, and you had to be married for that to happen. Mamma had always been very firm that you had to be married to have children.
“Ancalime,” Lucia repeated, smiling. “That's a pretty name! All the elven names are. I wish I was an elf sometimes. But Mama says she still thinks I'm pretty and she loves me anyway and not to worry about being an elf. Did you want to play a game?”
That had Ancalime's attention at once. She hardly ever got to play games with other people, just the servants sometimes. When Liriel had lived at home, they'd often played together, but that had been a long time ago. Being able to play with other children?
Mamma wouldn't be pleased, but Mamma wasn't here. Of course Ancalime wanted to.
“Yes!” she squealed. “What are we playing?”
“Tag!” Sissel laughed. “One of us is It, and has to chase after the others – when they catch one of us, then they're It instead. Tag, you're It!” She tapped Ancalime's wrist and all four of them promptly ran off in different directions.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.11
Date: 2014-01-31 12:24 pm (UTC)“You are It, dear child. Do not worry, do not fear. Being the one on the hunt is fun!”
Ancalime wasn't nearly so sure about that, but it seemed the only way to not be It was to catch one of the other children. Well, Ancalime could manage that. Leaving Cicero behind, she chased off after the Redguard. It was certainly one way of exploring the city.
Cicero watched, smile never fading and as soon as the children had dispersed, someone else joined him. His lovely wife, pretty Eola.
“Hello lovely wife!” Cicero cooed at her. “Cicero has been entertaining the sister of the Listener and now she is playing with the other little children! Aren't they delightful?”
“Adorable,” Eola said, smirking. “I thought you seemed pleased about something. I hope you've not been telling her scary stories that will give her nightmares.”
“Me?” Cicero said, looking personally wounded at any such insinuation. “Cicero would never do that! Cicero loves children! No, no, Cicero has merely been telling the sweet little elf-child of her heroic sister's exploits. The ones he is allowed to talk about publicly anyway.”
Eola smiled and cuddled him. Cicero might be a fool, but he had some discretion at least. The last thing Eola needed was the whole Namira worship thing coming to light.
“Sweetie,” Eola said. “Would you be at all upset if we postponed the honeymoon for a bit? I mean, I think I should probably be here for now, I think I need to support my Da while his in-laws are in town.”
If she'd thought Cicero would have a problem with that, she'd been wrong. Cicero's grin broadened.
“Oh, of course, of course! Cicero would never dream of abandoning his sweet Listener to deal with her other family on her own.”
“Good,” Eola sighed, tightening her grip on Cicero. “Come on, let's get back to the Keep.” Eola had a feeling that if things went badly, Cicero might come in handy...
~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Yes, because introducing Liriel's little sister to Cicero could never go wrong, could it? ;) Next chapter, Liriel returns.
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.11
Date: 2014-02-01 03:37 am (UTC)And then she met Cicero.
Also, I have to say, Sabrinda and Meryndor are - together, anyway - pretty adorbs. Some cultural values dissonance hardcore here, but they are pretty adorable.
(Please carry on! More everyone!)
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.11
Date: 2014-02-11 09:38 pm (UTC)I didn't realise just how much fun writing Liriel's family would be. All their backstories, all the culture clashing, all the Alinorian hypocrisy versus the Reach's messed-up but honest about it nature - it's very interesting to explore, let's put it that way!
Re: Thicker Than Blood 3.11
Date: 2014-02-02 09:16 pm (UTC)Please A!A, don't stop :D