Sarin is fourteen when he first hears the voice. It's oddly familiar yet out of his reach, a name he can't place.
He was out picking flowers, for his mother loved flowers best. She was named after a lotus, some foreign flower Valercia had seen in the Soul Cairn, and his sister was named after a lily- another foreign flower that his own mother had seen during her adventures in the plains of Oblivion.
These weren't lilies or lotuses, some prickly red bush with small buds, but it would do.
There is a great root nearby- Jarrin Root. When grounded into flower it's quite delectable. I'm sure mommy would love it.
The voice is feminine, but distorted, sounding like many hissing voices at once. He spins around, eyes searching for the voice. He's quite a sight, blazing with a fury passed down from his mother. But his eyes- glowing purple in the night- he got from his father.
His blonde hair is braided back from his face, tied into a short pony-tail. His skin is tan from the sun, marked by scars from his daily romps in the wilderness. At his hilt is a sword, glowing blue, a bit large for his slight frame.
I'd fetch it, but your mother is favored by Molag Bal, and he isn't fond of the ingredient.
Sarin looks up the hill, to his house. It's large, two stories, built by Darin's own hand. They told him tales how it was originally small, until it was burned down. When his parents and aunt returned, they renovated it, making it fit for kings.
He jogs up the hill, ignoring the voice as one does a fly. Still, the voice doesn't fade, but rather, worsens with time.
2 years later
"Sarin, I said no and that's final," Lotux snaps, scrubbing at the table with a rag. "It's not up for discussion, so don't even think about giving me those puppy dog eyes."
The boy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his tunic. "Come on, mom! It's our birthday, and we want to see what's in the basement. You always told us when we were older, and here we are- older."
His mother's mouth is a tight line, grey eyes darkening with secrets of the past. For reasons she had never explained, she kept the basement locked, and no one was to go in there, under any circumstances.
Often his mother hinted at a past life- but she never offered any tidbits of information. She never explained the jagged scar on her back, or why her son had eyes like amethysts, instead of grey or green.
Sarin had his suspicions, though. It seemed ridiculous, to think his sweet, old mother having a dark history, but there was no other explanation.
Like when the wolves got too close for comfort, scaring the cattle. Lotux simply went out into the night- and came back with five new wolf pelts, splattered with blood, but without a weapon.
Or that time when Darin was enlisted in the civil war, fighting for the imperials. Most women would be hysterical, but not his mother. No, Lotux simply planted a kiss on his head and told him to be home for dinner.
When asked about this, she simply said-
"Your father has been through worse and come out unscathed," she said, before turning to add wood to the fire.
Sarin had tried to get into the basement- to no avail. It was protected by some magical barrier, allowing no man, woman, or child to pass.
"Is there anything else you want for your birthday?" Lotux asks, drawing him from his thoughts.
"Lilix wants to see the world. You know how she is," Sarin begins, glancing out the window.
Lilix was the wild one. The brave one, the determined crazy one. The firstborn, by two hours. And she never let him forget it.
Lotux smiles, leaning against the counter. "She takes after Darin, that one."
Sarin rolled his eyes, hating when she got all nostalgic like this. A soft hand lifted his chin, and warm grey eyes met his own.
"You, on the other hand, take after your own father. You have his eyes, his velvety voice. I can already see that you'll be able to woo all the girls with your voice alone."
The boy's eyes light up at the mention of his father. She rarely brought him up, but when she did, she was more or less open with information.
"What else do I have of his?" he asks, but the spell is broken. Lotux's face darkens, and she returns to her cleaning.
"Hopefully nothing else."
"I know it may sound crazy," Sarin begins, running a hand through his hair. "But I swear it seems like our parents are lying to us."
Beside him, Lilix files her nail down to a point using sandstone. Her red hair is short and messily cropped, falling just past her ears. Lotux was horrified when she cut her curls, once shoulder length; and even more so when she began to take on feral behaviors- like hissing whenever faced with something she didn't like. Darin said it was just a phase, always the nice one, and that lead to another argument.
Lilix glances up at him, jade-like eyes narrowing into slits. "What do you mean?"
"You know- with everything," Sarin shakes his head, exasperated. Lilix was always the pretty one, with slanted eyes and rose-petal lips, prominent cheekbones and curvaceous build. Sarin, on the other hand, was sort of skimpy, and no amount of forge-work would change that. While she would most likely be courted, he'd have a nice, full life of farm work. And if he didn't buff up soon, his dad would have a heart attack.
His skin was tan from yard work, his blonde hair falling to his chin in ringlets. A flurry of freckles covered his shoulders, but that was it.
His twin sister put down the stone and gave Sarin her full attention. "I understand completely."
Sarin turns, shock marking his face. He wasn't expecting that. "Really?"
"Yep. I mean, why else would you have purple eyes? You'd have to be adopted."
There's that cynical and sarcastic attitude he's grown to love. Sarin rolls his eyes and bumps her shoulder.
"Seriously though. I mean, don't you ever wonder what's in the basement? Why mom has those weird scars?"
Lilix looks into the sunset, overseeing the lake. "Yeah, I do."
"Then let's break in. Come on, we can do this! I'll keep watch, while you do all the dirty work."
His sister glares over at him. "How considerate of you."
Nothing worked. Throwing stones, wood axes, strange incantations- no affect. More than once, it ended with Lilix spitting a stream of curses as she's thrown back from the force-field protecting the basement.
"It's not working, Sarin. Why don't you give it a try?" Lilix snapped, dropping her tools and storming past her brother. Sarin sighed, but obliged.
"Just keep mom busy- I'm pretty sure she's getting suspicious," he responded, falling to his knees at the drop-door in the floor. Purple words in another language, and some strange insignia stared up at him. Try as he might, he could not translate the words.
Suddenly, there was the sound dripping water, an acidic scent filling the small room. Visions flashed before his eyes, of books and untold histories, and then... it vanished.
And in it's wake was a mass of green tentacles, curling up from the wooden floor, with large eyes, closing and opening. Sarin gulped, reached out for the wooden axe.
"And so, like many others before you, seek answers only Hermaeous Mora can provide," the mass hummed, pensive voice echoing throughout the house. "I suppose, son of Bal, I could assist you- but all knowledge comes with a price."
The young boy got to his feet, amethyst eyes flashing with curiosity. "You know our father?"
A chuckle. "Your sister is entirely mortal, for she was conceived by Darin Eriston, the first Dragonborne of the century. You, on the other hand..." The mass of tentacles trails off, as if lost in thought. Sarin drops his weapon and leaps forward, mouth curling up in a small smile. Suddenly, the monster didn't seem so hideous now- as it offered answers that even his family had failed to provide.
"Tell me," Sarin demands, eyes alight. Finally, someone with answers.
"For a price, young prince. For a price."
The blonde suddenly hesitates, glancing behind him. However, the Daedric Prince before him commands attention, and suddenly the boy is on his knees, facing the Gardener of Men.
"I will answer all of your questions, and release the barrier that guards the secrets within. In return, I simply ask for your service, young prince."
There is the sound of footsteps, and behind him, Lotux lets out a scream of rage. She dashes forward, pushes her son behind him, blonde hair dancing with every movement. And then- she does something strange.
"Begone, Betrayer of Mortals, Seeker of Knowledge! He is protected by the blood of his ancestors, Molag Bal- and you will not have him."
And then, stranger still. Lotux draws a sword, seemingly out of Oblivion, and points it to the beast. She seems fierce, then, grey eyes blazing with rage and indignation. He realizes that he was correct- his mother, prone to fits of crying and episodes of rage, has a dark past.
He finally sees her clearly then. Fierce and unbroken, a snarl of rage plastered on her features, ready to take on the world in order to save her son.
"Ah, Lotux BloodFury," Mora hums, resulting in Lotux flinching at the mention of the name. "I remember you. How fitting, that this is your fate. Very well- I will relinquish my hold on him for now. But he will not evade me forever."
And with that, the Daedric Prince fades, leaving nothing but a mother and her two children.
"Mom? What in Oblivion was that? And Bloodfury? What's that name? And where did you get that sword? Who are you, really?" Sarin asks, voice raising. Lotux focuses her hard gaze on Sarin, but he meets her gaze readily, never faltering. It's Lotux who breaks away first.
"I'll explain it to you later," she sighs, but Sarin is inconsolable. He steps forward, eyes blazing, as his voice raises to a shout.
"No, mom! You'll tell me now! All this time, I've played it your way. But now, I deserve to know!"
Lotux suddenly looks old then, running her hands through her hair. "Fine. Fine! Go ask your father. Tell him I said it's time."
"Lotux said that? Really?" Darin asks, scratching his head. Lilix nods, looking up at her father with a smile pulling at her lips. He sighs, sits back in his rocking chair and starts to pull off his work boots. She studies her father, then, looking for hints of herself in his movements.
Nobody could say she wasn't her father's daughter. She had his eyes, sparkling like emeralds, or the greenest jade. She had his red hair, always shaggy and messy- unlike Lotux's perfect curls. And she had his cleft chin.
But the similarities stopped there. Everything else she got from her mother- from her curves to her fiery attitude. It often left Lotux exasperated and Darin laughing so hard he choked.
"That's all you right there, Lotux," Darin had gasped one night, face red from laughing so much. Lotux swatted him on the back of his head with a rag, frowning.
"Don't encourage her!" She snapped, but she couldn't hide the smile pulling at her lips. "I'm serious!"
Lilix, barely five, stomped her foot. "No, I'm serious. I have a boyfriend! And we're gonna run off into the sunset together!"
Darin stopped laughing for a moment. "Oh yeah? And who is it?"
The child held up her head. "Vilkas! And if not him, his cute brother, Farkas!"
That was it. Darin howled with laughter, shaking his head. "That's all you, Lotux!"
Sadly, that never happened. It hadn't crossed Lilix's mind that those men were a little too old for her- and her trips to Whiterun usually ended with her playing with kids her own age.
Lilix crossed her arms. "So, are you going to tell us or not? Sarin is gathering berries for the pie tonight, but when he's done, he's expecting the full story."
Darin wiggled his toes, before shoving his foot in his daughter's face. "Get a whiff of that hard work!"
"Da-ad! Seriously, I'm 16 now. Stop it!" She commands, shoving his foot back, resisting the urge to gag. Her father finally concedes and sits back in his chair, looking content.
"Okay, fine. But wait for-" He suddenly freezes, looking past Lilix. "Honey, run to the garden and get your brother."
Lilix turns, but a look from Darin stops her. "Move slowly now, quiet. Like when we went hunting. Don't make a sound."
"What is it?" she asks, heart pounding. "Is this another one of your pranks?"
But deep down, she knows it isn't. The fear in her father's eyes is real, bordering on hysteria. "What is it?" she asks again.
The horses begin to stir, snorting through wide nostrils and pawing at the ground. Next to her, their terrier snarls, bristling and baring fangs. Whatever it is, it can't be good.
"Just go get your brother and run to the basement. Go!"
"But you always said to never-"
"Forget what I said, dammit! Do what I say now!" Darin commands in a hushed whisper, pushing Lilix to the side. She recoils in shock- he never uses that tone with her. Only with Sarin, when he does something insanely stupid, but never with her. As she runs to the garden, she can hear her father's hateful tone as he addresses someone she can't see.
"It's been a while, Harkon."