Gaining entrance to the capital of Almalexia didn't take much effort at all, considering the entire party consisted of men and not mer. Lily had always thought Mournhold itself was the capital of Morrowind; Suna corrected her after they gained access to the city and began towing the wagon across wide cobbled streets toward the centre of the large, walled fortress. Almalexia was the capital, named after the dead goddess. Mournhold was the Temple city, apparently, which meant that was where the rich, the royal, and the goddess resided.
That was news to everybody in the Bercarius family except Mallory. Somehow the girl had already known all about it.
When they reached the walls of the inner city of Mournhold, several guards stopped them and demanded, unlike their counterparts outside Almalexia, to search the wagon. Once that was all said and done, Suna had to prove her identity as a citizen of Mournhold—they apologized profusely, saying that clearly security hadn't been tight enough a few decades ago, when Almalexia had been killed, and they didn't want to risk it with King Helseth—and then they were all cleared to enter the city.
The sky was bleak and grey as they rolled the wagon into the shopping district of the Great Bazaar. There was a small stable by the gate to Almalexia, so they gratefully unsaddled the horses and emptied the wagon, filling all the bags they had with them. Once the gold was paid to keep the horses for an undetermined amount of time, they started the journey on foot, following Suna past the bustle of people and the tall, stone buildings.
"We live in Godsreach," Suna said, hoisting a bag over her shoulder so it rested on her ratty leather backpack. "It's where all the rich folk live. Dad grew up there before he moved to Cyrodiil, then the Isles. The Temple district, where Almalexia was, it's been flattened and turned into more houses now that she's dead. It's just another way for people to cover up that the Almsivi is dead," she muttered, shaking her head. "Any day now, Baar Dau is going to fall."
"The moon over Vivec?" Jake asked. "It seemed fine when I was there."
Lily, of course, had no idea what they were talking about.
Suna glanced back at him and pushed her electric blue hair out of her heavily made-up eyes. "When were you there?"
He shrugged. "Dunno. Back before the Nerevarine was a big deal."
"Over twenty years ago." Suna picked up the pace and pushed through a throng of Argonian tourists all hissing in their native tongue. "Baar Dau only stayed in place because of Vivec's power. He's mortal and dying. It'll fall."
On that grim note, they wound past more buildings to come to another gate.
"The Royal Palace," Suna said blandly as the guards let them through.
They walked calmly past royally outfitted soldiers marching about. Remmy kept trying to stray off and explore, but thank the gods, Mallory had a firm hold on his arm for nearly the entire trip. They made it across the district to what Suna called the temple courtyard, which appeared to be what remained of Almalexia's Temple region.
The walk through the courtyard was fast. Suna led them through several shortcuts until they came to the gates to Godsreach.
The district was entirely houses. Giant manors, stretching up to the sky, with flat stone walls, beautifully manicured gardens, and slate-coloured shingles for roofs. Nobles and servants wandered about, chatting amicably with each other and the guards that idly patrolled the peaceful neighbourhood.
"This way." Suna led the pack down a street to the left and soon they were face-to-face with one of the smaller giant manors in the district. Three or four storeys; Lily couldn't tell from their place at the bottom. It had a lush, beautiful garden overflowing with colourful flowers and ferns she had never seen before, and the front steps looked freshly swept.
"Home sweet home," Suna murmured, and hopped up the stairs to the front porch.
Lily glanced at Jake and caught his eye. The first time either of them would see Marian since she vanished from Cyrodiil after the end of the Daedric Invasion: it was a bit of a big deal.
Lily rather wished she didn't look like a bum. And Jake was sporting a month-long beard. Not to mention they all reeked of travel and sweat.
Suna hesitated, holding up a fist. She looked conflicted as to whether she should knock or march right in. Shrugging, she dropped her hand and shoved open the door, shouting, "Mum! Where are you?"
A high-pitched shriek echoed down a hallway in front of them. The interior of the building, as they saw when they crept in after Suna, was plain stone lined with a few statues—of what Lily presumed was Sheogorath—drapes and carpets. A fancy suit of armour stood by a large hearth nearby, and a long, sleek katana hung beside it.
"Su-una!" a little voice screamed, coming rapidly closer. A little boy suddenly rounded a corner up ahead. He looked remarkably like Baran, just like Suna did, only his hair was a lighter brown, and unlike his sister, his eyes were brown. He sprinted toward them, pumping his skinny little arms, and launched at Suna as soon as he was close enough.
Grunting and deftly catching the boy, Suna cradled him close and smiled. "Hiya, Sheo. I missed you."
"I missed you too, Suna." He snuggled close to his sister and peered over his shoulder at the newcomers. "Hi! I'm Sheo, Daedric Prince of Biscuits!"
Lily smiled at his childish delight, and felt Jake freeze at her side. "Biscuits, eh? That must be the best Prince position ever."
His head bobbed enthusiastically as he nodded. "It is! Clavicus Vile always gives me anything I want when I share my biscuits with him. But don't tell anyone," he added with a whisper. "Vaermina always gets jealous, and it's no fun when she's mad."
Mallory made a soft sound. "I can imagine."
Suna dropped her little brother to the ground and he scrambled to his feet, grinning. "Thanks for bringing Suna home. I missed her."
"You're quite welcome, Sheo. I'm Lily." She crouched to the boy's height and smiled.
"Hi, Lily." Sheo looked up at the others expectantly.
Jake merely looked at the kid and said, "Jake."
"I'm Mallory. A pleasure to meet you, Sheo."
"I'm Remmy."
Sheo narrowed his creamy brown eyes. "How old are you?" he asked interestedly after Remmy gave his introduction.
The boy looked perplexed at the question. "Twelve."
Looking rather put-out, Sheo nodded and slumped back into his sister's legs. "Oh."
Lily glanced Suna's way as she straightened. "There's not a lot of boys his age here," the girl admitted, grabbing up her brother's hand. "I mean, he thinks he's an ageless Prince, but we don't tell him otherwise."
The boy grinned up at her. "She's just crazy."
"Oh, I see. So is it just Vaermina you leave out?"
"No, I don't leave her out; I just don't give her as much. Malacath is pretty popular too, just not at parties. He likes really dry cookies. I always give my burned ones to him."
Mallory snorted as she held back a laugh, and Lily bit her lip, doing the same. Malacath, Prince of the ostracized—rescuing poor spurned, burned cookies from a seven year old boy.
"Come on, Sheo," Suna urged, pulling him down the hallway, past the armour. "Don't spill all the Daedric secrets to them in just one sitting."
"Fine," the boy moped.
"What armour is that back there, Suna?" Remmy asked, hopping up beside her.
"Dad's. He got it when we came back from the Isles. Apparently it'd been waiting for him for like… I dunno, a really long time. He said something like he got fitted for it before he went to stop the Greymarch."
Lily nearly strained her neck to look back at the armour. She knew she recognized it—it was Imperial Dragon armour; Baran's prize for saving the Empire, and the same type Martin wore during the battle of Bruma.
She flinched, having a sudden recollection of that day; seeing Martin, her Martin, the priest and brother, decked out in heavy armour, wielding magic and a sword.
"Sheo, what are you shouting for?"
Lily's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the high, soft, fluttery voice that brought back so many memories. Distant and vacant, like she was always lost in her own little world—which she likely was, as she was such a fish out of water in Tamriel—but smart and always kind.
Marian Clutumnus.
A tall, thin woman appeared around a corner ahead of them. Wearing a long, plain, navy dress with her platinum blonde hair twisted up into an elaborate bun, Marian hadn't seemed to age a bit, save for a few thin lines around her vibrant green eyes. She was just as aristocratic and perfect as Lily remembered.
She stopped upon seeing everybody. Her large doe-eyes rested on Suna for a long moment, then a wide smile split her face. "Suna! Oh, by Sheogorath, you're home!" Picking up her skirts, she rushed toward her daughter and quickly engulfed her in a warm hug. Suna squawked and tried to pull away. "Staada told me when you entered Abasel av Pellani, and I was so afraid there would be an avalanche to crush you or something."
"You're grim, Mum. Lemme go." Suna successfully freed herself from her mother's grasp and ducked behind Remmy for protection. "I got who you wanted, Mum."
Marian's big, vacant eyes moved from her daughter to the boy she stood behind. "Oh. Hello, Mr Lily," she said, smiling somewhat.
Remmy gawked at her. "Mr Lily? That doesn't even make any sense!"
The Manic glanced up at the adults and her grin widened. "But with a mouth like Jake, I see," she murmured.
Lily couldn't hold back any longer. Beaming like an idiot, she practically jumped on Marian and knocked her back. "Marian! I missed you so much!"
Marian's arms wrapped around her, and the woman giggled softly. "I missed you too, Lily. You broke a promise, you know."
Pulling back somewhat, so they were nearly nose to nose, Lily frowned through the beginnings of tears and asked, "I did?"
Marian nodded. "Baran told you not to tie any knots while we were gone. But instead you got married and had children."
"You did too. To be fair, we didn't even know you'd come back to Tamriel. Actually, we hadn't even known you'd gone to the Isles," Lily pointed out. "You should've written, or visited when you went to get Baran's armour."
"I know. I apologize." Releasing Lily, Marian's gaze swept over to Jake. "Hello, Jacob."
"Hey, Marian." He stepped up and stuck out a hand, having deposited his bags on the floor beside Lily's. "Been a while."
She gave his hand a funny look before shaking it. "Oh, yes. Now, I suppose you've met the Prince of Baked Goods. Can we get formal introductions?" She stood back with her two children, and Remmy scuttled over to his big sister, looking terrified of the people they had associated themselves with.
Lily gestured to Mallory. "This is our daughter, Mallory Ida Bercarius. She's just a few months younger than Suna."
Marian's eyes widened. "How strange. She looks an awful lot like Jake. Odd how neither of your children got his dark skin."
"Shit happens," Jake muttered, glancing Mallory's way. It was true, though. She resembled him in almost every way except for her pale skin and freckles.
Lily set her hands on Remmy's shoulders, and he made a disgusted sound, anticipating what was coming next. "And this is Jacob Reman Bercarius the Seventh," she said, beaming as she squeezed his shoulders. "Because there weren't enough Jacob Remans in that family."
Jake jabbed his thumb in Lily's direction. "All her idea. I was firmly opposed to giving the poor kid that name."
Marian glanced at Lily, and the redhead explained, "He wanted to name him Skeffington. After the woods. Besides, he'd named Mal. Second kid was my picking."
"Good to know you think of us as livestock," Mallory remarked tonelessly.
"That is the only reason why people have children," Marian added, cocking her head to the side like an animal. "Free labour."
Lily giggled, and her daughter shot her a dirty look.
"Suna, Sheo, show Mallory and…" Marian suddenly looked extremely confused. Peering at Remmy, she asked, "Do you go by Jake too? That must get very difficult."
Rem stuck out a tongue. "No. Ugh. I'm Remmy or Rem."
"Oh, okay. Suna, Sheo, why don't you show them around the house, or bring them to the backyard. Unless it's raining!" she added, sounding suddenly panicked.
Suna grimaced. "It's not, Mum. C'mon, guys." She led them away, and soon only the three adults were left.
Marian smiled absently. "We might as go to the sitting room. There's nothing to do standing around in the entrance." She turned down the path she had come from, and Jake and Lily followed her through several hallways before reaching an open entranceway into another large room. This one was more decorated, with couches, bookshelves, paintings, and, of course, a small pile of weapons in the corner.
Marian cooed and scurried up to the large hearth, where a fire was roaring. Kneeling before it and nearly sticking her face into the flames, she sighed happily and shut her eyes.
Lily sat down near her on a long couch, and Jake plopped beside her.
Reluctantly pulling away from the fire—somewhat—Marian faced them and asked, "What did Suna tell you of the predicament?"
Lily sighed softly. Right down to business. "She said that after coming here from the Isles, your family was harassed by some fellow who thought you were from the Madhouse. Apparently Baran got him put away, but soon after, he went missing. And that was…"
"Three months ago now. The twelfth of Morning Star. An aureal in my care said she had caught sight of him during Sun's Dawn, trying to stow on a boat back to the mainland, but he must have been caught again." Marian's eyes fluttered shut, and she hunched back, so the flames nearly licked her shoulders. "We have had no other word of him since."
"So there's no way he could've just gone somewhere and is perfectly safe?" Jake piped up, leaning comfortably back on the couch as if he hadn't a care in the world.
Marian shook her head, and several locks of long blonde hair slipped from the bun. "I had several thorough searches of the Isles. He is not there. And had he gone to Cyrodiil, he would have told me. And there is no reason for him to have gone to Seyda Neen."
"Seyda Neen?" Lily repeated dumbly, just as Jake exclaimed, "Why was he in Seyda Neen?"
"That is where the aureal saw him. He was trying to hide away on a boat in Seyda Neen. It would take him back to the mainland."
Cluing in, Lily said, "I suppose Seyda Neen is a city in Morrowind."
"On Vvardenfell," Jake corrected.
"Whatever. Is that the only lead?"
Marian nodded glumly.
"So that's where we start," Jake said, pointing out the obvious. "I remember southern Vvardenfell okay. I mean, I haven't been there since I was eighteen, and I wasn't there long, but it can't have changed much."
Lily frowned nervously. "Isn't Vvardenfell extremely dangerous? I mean, Daedric creatures walk free there, don't they? They aren't restrained to their Planes."
"Oh, yes," Marian agreed, nodding gently. "Winged twilights, ogrim, daedroth, atronachs, clannfear, aureals even, hungers, scamps… but they are nowhere near as common as elytra and grummites in the Isles. You only have to worry about guars and scribs, really."
You only have to worry about… Lily's frown deepened after Marian stopped talking.
"Marian… aren't you coming with us?"
The duchess hesitated and shuffled back, closer to the fire. "I can't," she whispered, turning and hunching toward the flames. "Sheo is only seven. I cannot leave him under the care of the servants. They are mortal; they do not understand him."
Lily stared down at her hands, dejected that Marian wouldn't join them. The woman was an incredible fighter; she had been a Blade, the companion to the Champion of Cyrodiil, and was now the Duchess of Mania. Her skills with a blade could have only gotten better as the years passed.
"Keep Remmy here with you, then—" Lily started to say, but she was rudely cut off when Jake jumped to his feet.
"That's it? You called us all the way from fucking Cyrodiil just so you could send us off to find your fetching husband?" he bellowed, furious. Marian flinched somewhat, staring up at him with wide eyes. Lily gawked, stunned; it was all too sudden for her to react. "This isn't our business, Marian. We had our own lives. You can't just summon us away like some pet to do your bidding! The world doesn't work like that here! I don't know what it's like in your fucking insane asylum of a home, but that isn't how Tamriel works! Baran isn't our responsibility. He's yours. If you're just going to stay back here, sit on your ass in the safety of Mournhold while your fucking husband is probably being tortured or killed, be my guest. I'm going home."
Lily's heart snapped in two as she saw tears in Marian's eyes reflect the fire nearby. "Marian, I'm sorry," she whispered, and glanced up at Jake, who was scowling and grabbing at his hair. "Jake, that was extremely uncalled for. She sent Suna to get us because she had nowhere else to turn. She would've come on her own, but she has Sheo."
Marian nodded pitifully, and several tears slipped down her porcelain cheeks.
Jake whirled around, his dark eyes blazing. "We've been over this before, Lil! We've got responsibilities too! What about Mallory? What about Rem? Fuck, I never thought I'd be the one trying to get everyone's act together. What happened to you? You're a priestess, for the gods' sakes. You're just going to abandon your home, your kids, just so you can save someone who's probably already dead?"
His words stung as they smacked her face with their blunt truth. Lily felt her eyes burn with hidden tears as she gaped at him. He had never shouted at her like that before. He had never treated her like that.
Her mouth hung open uselessly. Her mind was flat and blank. She couldn't think of anything to say.
"And getting fucking wasted in Kragenmoor? You can't even try blaming that on me," he added darkly. "I offered one drink for your birthday. You went way overboard, Lily."
She flinched as if he had physically struck her. He never called her by her full name. She was fairly sure he hadn't even at their wedding.
"Maybe it's your midlife crisis. I don't know." He sighed exasperatedly and turned away. He had always intimidated her in the past when he was angry. Or when he was just trying to be scary. But he had always been weak and starving back then. Not anymore. If he was going to hit her…
Turning back toward her, he glowered and said, "I guess you're just not the responsible one anymore. Do what you want, Lily. I'm going home." Moving his glare on Marian, who was silently sobbing before the fire, he added harshly, "Good luck with Baran."
Without another glance their way, he stormed from the parlour. Even after he was long gone, they could hear him shouting for Mallory and Remmy to grab their things—they were going back to Cropsford.
And then they sat in silence. A thick, palpable silence that crushed Lily's ribs, threatening to choke the life from her with his mere words.
Never. He had never spoken to her that way ever.
Taking in a shuddery breath and feeling the deep sting of tears, Lily whispered, "I'm so sorry."
"You may go." Marian backed up and shuddered, keeping unnaturally close to the flames. "I don't expect you to stay. Go home with your family."
Lily slipped from the couch to the hearth and rested her forehead against Marian's shoulder. "No. If I needed your help, I know you wouldn't back down. Like when I needed you to help me find Jake when Dar'vaba took him after the battle of Bruma…" Lily smiled, albeit sadly, as she felt her friend shivering beneath her touch. "This is just me repaying the favour."
Marian's hand rested, shakily, on Lily's. "I wanted to go with you to find him, but I can't leave Sheo alone… he's fragile, Lily. He's only seven. I never wanted to make Suna go with you, but I needed someone…"
"Bring Sheo and Suna with us. I can protect him with spells, and I'm sure Suna could whip up a protective potion for him. And you're one of the best warriors I've ever seen, Marian." Lily swallowed a thick lump in her throat. "We'll keep him safe, and we'll find Baran."
"Mum?"
The women looked up to see Suna hovering in the doorway, looking nervous. Her hair was already half shaded in that eerie, dark purple. Looking between them, she leaned her leather-clad shoulder on the wall and said, "Bercarius left with his kids. Sheo started crying as soon as they were gone."
"Why?" Marian looked perplexed, and for good reason—Sheo barely knew them. Why would he start weeping just because strangers were leaving?
The blue in the tips of Suna's hair seemed to leak away, replaced immediately by purple. "He wants Dad home."
Marian instantly froze, her wide eyes locked on her daughter. "This is only the second time he has noticed his absence," she whispered, horrified. "We have to find him."
Suna nodded slowly and Lily guessed she had been crying too; her heavy makeup was messed over the tops of her cheeks. Maybe seeing her little brother sob for their father had broken something inside the hardened young woman. "Why'd he leave?" she asked, glancing toward Lily.
Lily sighed and squeezed Marian's frail hand. "He and your father… they never liked each other. They only got along on occasion for our sakes." She looked at Marian, and gritted her teeth together when she saw more silvery tears slipping down her alabaster cheeks. "It even came to blows. Jake never wanted to come here, Suna; you knew that. I guess it hit a sore spot when Marian said she couldn't come with us."
"So now what?"
"We're going," Lily said, before Marian could do or say something depressing. Well, even more depressing than the current mood in the room. "The four of us who are left. We're going to find your father."
"Sheo?"
"We can protect him. Easily. We should leave right away," Lily said, rubbing the wetness from her lashes. "Tomorrow morning. Hopefully Jake didn't take the horses…"
"He would have," Suna pointed out, living a finger to gnaw on. "I would've. It's okay; we've got a carriage to take us to a boat to Vvardenfell. We can take silt striders around from there. Plus, there are Mages Guild teleporters. And we've got feet. Can you be ready by tomorrow morning, Mum?"
Marian nodded slowly. "My armour and weapons are ready. I can get everything tonight. You two should go rest. You've had a long trip." Marian stood and cast another longing glance at the fire before leaving the room.
Suna stole a glance at Lily. "Got everything you need?"
Lily patted herself down. Trousers, shirt, boots—check. Steel dagger, taken from a highwayman many years ago—check; it was tucked away in one of her old leather boots. Magic—always at the ready.
Nodding, she said, "So long as you have extra clothes here, I'll be okay."
"Perfect. C'mon, I'll show you the guest room."
Lily followed Suna out of the parlour and glanced down the hallway toward the entrance, hearing a little voice ask for a daddy. Marian was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the suit of Imperial Dragon armour, Sheo curled on her lap, silently weeping.
Giving them their privacy, she hurried after Suna and desperately hoped they would find Baran as soon as possible.
