3E 410
Velvani Folvyn kneaded her fingers through the deep green branches of the berry bush. Well rehearsal motions efficiently and precisely took whatever fruit the bush had that day and delivered it into her basket. Comberry's were in high demand here in Blacklight. There were used to make Greef, a potent alcoholic drink that was delivered to Cornerclubs throughout Morrowind. The stuff had a reputation for surprising young drinkers into over indulging. Its victims would barely be able to lift a head off their pillows the following day. As she worked that day the sun shown brightly on her back and the earth felt warm between her toes. On the edge of the field she could hear a few children playing battle. Random shouts of pain would suddenly interrupt the steady stream of stick wacking, but never fully stopped their battles. Straightening up, she paused to wipe her brow and smiled as the little boys dashed from view. Her son Teldryn was one of them. From where she stood she could still see the feet of the boys peeking out from under the shrubbery. Their red Dunmer eyes hardly distinguishable from the ruby berries as they watched her.
An idea snuck it's way into her head. "You foolish children! There is no hiding from the great Nocturnal!" She loudly proclaimed, "The Prince of Shadows sees all!"
She began to wave her arms around and walk towards the children, stomping as she went. Giggled screaming erupted from the group and they dashed from their hiding places. Soon all they had left behind was a trail of dust and a few scattered sticks. The small voices slowly faded away as the boys turned around the distant farm house. A final laugh escaped her and she returned to her post. This would be her ninth and final basket for the day. The last basket was always the longest. She ached to go back home and see her playful son and elder daughter once more. With a sigh she again moved her hands to the steady rhythm of picking.
When Teldryn came home the next day she knew something was troubling him. His unusual silence was punctuated by mindless foot tapping and staring contests with the wall. For the time being she let him process whatever concern he had on his mind in silence as she assembled a stew in the kitchen. The burden would surely feel less heavy on him once he'd eaten, and then he might share it with her. As she cooked she ran down the list of common childhood misfortunes and wondered which one was bothering Telderyn. Was he having issues with a bully? Did he accidentally do something horribly embarrassing in front of his friends? Or was he perhaps in an argument with another boy? Her concern for him wrapped itself around her mind until she too fell silent. Only the sounds of the bubbling pot filled the empty home.
If she hadn't been so concerned for him she might not have even heard the small voice that finally called her.
"...Mom?" The quiet and timid voice he used was so unlike her son. In an instant she was facing him ready to comfort whatever hurts he might have had.
"Yes Teldryn? What it is?"
He looked down at his feet and clenched his fists. His red Dunmer eyes large and mournful. He didn't speak right away. He seemed to be gathering the courage to say whatever it was that had burdened him so.
The words never escaped him. The sanctity of the moment was interrupted by his older sister Rinori storming through the door. It seemed that she too must have had something on her mind because her brows were furrowed. The sight of her mother and brother darkened her mood. With an attitude she slumped into the chair across from Teldryn.
Velvani sighed. The vulnerability of the moment was ruined. Now she had two upset children to deal with. She threw the remaining cooked meat into the stew and dished up bowls.
'By Vivec, it's difficult raising these two alone.' She lamented to herself, 'if only Gaden would come home.'
Her husband had taken a job working the farms for a Redoran Stronghold on Vardenfell. He sent them whatever he earned. The remote and dangerous location meant the Great House paid well for the services. Without that extra money her stews would have lacked its precious meat.
Rinori huffed and pulled a bag of septums out of her bag. Velvani could tell just by looking that it was smaller than it should be.
"Meden lowered my wages again." The scowl on the girls face deepened.
Her mother picked up the bag and counted what was there. When Rinori first got the job apprenticing under Meden, it had seemed like the family could make enough to enroll Teldryn in a Basic Magics course. Now though, it was barely enough to cover the robes.
"You've done what you can Rin," her mother said in a soft tone.
She split the money and gave a third of it back to her daughter. The rest would stay with her and keep the house running. With a comforting touch she handed Rinori a bowl of soup and then glanced towards Teldryn. She was surprised to see a look of deep anger etched in his face. He was glaring at his sister with a passion. The next few moments happened in a quick blur. He yelled before fire began swirling around him. Heat erupted from his body and nearly burned his mother and sister. His legs landed on the floor and took off. The flurry of sparks and light stormed out of the house, his Ancestors Wrath leaving a wake behind him.
He left them with the mess. He knew where he was going. The last light of the sun was dipping below the horizon as he stomped his way between small farming houses and fields. Angry tears streamed down the sides of his eyes as he marched towards town. Meden had never really lowered his sisters wages. He knew because he'd questioned Meden about it himself, in the hope he could have helped her out. After seeing what he saw today he knew where that missing money went every week. The memory of it was carved in his mind. The fire still fiercely swirled around his body and lit his way. In the distance he could see the illuminated windows of Blacklight's tall spires. A Nord had propped himself against a fence post around the corner of the city gate. Upon seeing him, Teldryn's heart began to beat faster.
The Nord was fairly alarmed at the boy sized fireball rapidly pacing towards him. The mace at his side was drawn and his other hand lifted with a glow of purple light.
"Back Off!" The man barked at him.
Teldryn might have ran off at the sight were it not for the echos of his ForeFathers raging in his ears and the surge of fire magic flowing in his blood. Stopping directly in front of the man he screamed with the loudest voice he could muster. "Give me all the Skooma you have right now or I'll kill you!"
"What?"
The Nord looked at him with a face both confused and alarmed.
"I said give me all your Skooma or I'll kill you!"
"You'll kill me?" The confusion and alarm took an undertone of amusement.
"That's what I said!"
"How will you kill me?"
"Why does that matter?!"
"I want to know how you'd pull it off. With magic maybe? Do you plan on slow roasting me with a hug? Or perhaps you happen to have a hidden weapon down your trousers?" The Nord was smirking now.
Teldryn flushed, hesitation finally rooting itself in his psyche. The flames around him flickered.
"Just give it to me." He now said with a slightly more reluctant voice.
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"But why?"
Teldryn clenched his fists and looked directly into his eyes. "Because you keep selling it to my sister!"
At this the man laughed, "Why does that matter?"
He struggled to keep his voice even, hate dripping from his words. "You got her addicted."
The image of his sister splayed out on the barn floor covered in vomit had replayed in his mind again and again. Empty Skooma bottles had littered the floor beside her and a fresh set of clothes folded nearby told him she knew how to plan for such indulgences.
When he'd watched her talk to this man in the past he'd wondered if perhaps they were interested in each other. Now though, the odd relationship made sense.
"That's just good business kid. Sorry." The man shrugged his shoulders. "I make a killing off lowlifes like her."
The disrespect felt violating. At those words the last of Teldryn's fire faded and he felt a wave of hopelessness drown his spirit. The realization of his weakness embarrassed him. What power did he have over this adult man? He'd been lucky the Nord didn't bash him over the head with the mace. Shame weighed on him as he realized how small and foolish he must have looked.. Elves matured slower than the races of Men. At ten years old he must have looked barely five by human standards. What had he been thinking?
"Don't sell to her anymore." The voice he'd mustered had lost almost all of its confidence.
"Nope, sorry kid, she's a consistent customer."
Grabbing him by the collar the man then slowly leaned in close and Teldryn could feel his breath on his face. "However, you tell anyone that I'm a dealer or rat out of my best customers and I swear on your precious Tribunal your intestines will spill out on the ground."
His heart dropped. He could feel panic swelling in his chest. The ruby eyes began to glimmer with water as he hurriedly tried to blink back the tears. With a shove the man let him go and Teldryn went sprawling in the dirt.
His legs couldn't get him on his feet fast enough as he scrambled to get away. Without his fire to light the way he tripped and tore a hole in his pant leg. After running for a while he stumbled his way into a barn and curled up on a pile of hay. Going home wasn't an option. Sobs stopped him from even breathing straight. How could he hide this from his mother? The next few hours he spent in that wooden shed slowly relieved him of his panic but a deep sadness persisted. It sat in his heart like a stone.
It wasn't until midnight when his mother finally found him. She'd lifted his shivering body and carried him home. Her repeated questioning got nowhere and eventually she banned him from playing with the neighborhood boys for a week. Lighting the floor on fire had to have it's penalties. Those seven days alone had him looking around every corner for the Nord. Fearing that a mistake might have been made and that the man would come for him. It took two months before he could fall asleep without one of his sisters candlelight spells illuminating the room. He'd soon learn that that same sadness and fear would dog him for years. As his sister battled her addiction, he would battle his fears for her. Such is the nature of Skooma.
