Child Of Darkness

(A/N: One more chapter after this where Mathieu's still little. Then he becomes a teenager. This chapter sort of wavers between funny and dark; depending on how you read it one more so than the other. I wrote it to be dark, but not everyone may read it like that. Also, with Vicente I touched a little more on the traditional vampire of folklore instead of relying solely on Skyrim and Oblivion's take on vampires. I will probably put another chapter up today as well.)

Sickness

Lucien worriedly sat with the little boy in front of the fire. Mathieu was cuddling close. Lucien gently supported the child's head with his hand. His other hand was around the child's back, gently rubbing it. The little one was whimpering again. Lucien glanced down and pressed his lips to the boy's forehead. He remembered his own mother doing such a thing to check for a temperature. His hands were otherwise occupied cradling the young boy. Mathieu's fever was even worse than before.

Lucien frowned, partly annoyed at the inconvenience. He could be doing so many other things now, but none of them were currently on his mind. How long had this sickness been developing? The first sign of something going wrong was when the child ceased being able to have proper bowel movements. The boy hadn't gone once for two days now. He'd begun coughing two nights ago, he'd been getting chills that next morning and throwing up, and now he sported a burning fever and still hadn't expelled anything.

"How is he?" Telaendril questioned, entering.

"Worse. Has anyone found a remedy yet?" Lucien asked.

"Thankfully; but I don't think you'll like it," she answered.

"What do you mean?" Lucien asked.

"The medicine for the fever will he hard enough to force down his throat, but for the bowel movements… Let's just say the method of administering it isn't oral," she replied.

Lucien started. Oh gods, that would be a nightmare; especially given the boy's past. For the first long while after Lucien had brought him into the sanctuary, Mathieu had been wild. He never let anyone touch him but Lucien, and then only when he was scared or miserable. He would flail and punch and kick and scream and slice at anyone who came near him or into his room. During tantrums he would weep hysterically or hurt himself. Once in a while those traits still came back. Hardly ever could anyone hold him down if he was acting up. Lucien was lucky if he were able to without the boy weeping and looking terrified or hurt at the action. He swallowed painfully. Gods, it killed him to watch the boy in those moments, but mental scars ran deep. So, so deep.

"Find a better way," he ordered simply.

"We're trying Lucien, but he can't go on like this much longer," Telaendril said. Lucien pursed his lips. Just his luck. She left and Lucien focused his attentions back on the boy.

ES

Mathieu began to stir. Lucien started out of sleep. He must have drifted off at some point after Telaendril left. He looked down at the child. "Daddy, I don't feel well," Mathieu said, hugging his dragon tightly.

"There, there. It will pass. The medicine will help," Lucien replied.

"I don't like medicine," Mathieu protested, eyes immediately hardening. Lucien inwardly groaned. The boy had been in a foul and violent temper lately, and it had intensified with this sickness. The child had been punching holes into things during temper tantrums, even hitting the other members of the Brotherhood. Sometimes hard enough to leave bruises. He'd actually broken Fafnir's nose, to the horror of everyone. It had taken three of them to restrain him from going wild, and that was with Gogron's help. This would quickly become a battle ground if the boy refused to cooperate.

"Do you like being sick?" Lucien cautiously asked.

"I don't want medicine and I don't want to be sick!" Mathieu yelled.

"You cannot have both, child," Lucien calmly replied, trying to bring him down from a hysterical outburst. "Choose one or the other."

"No!" Mathieu protested. He whimpered right after. His stomach hurt. He wanted to go to the bathroom but couldn't. He refused to take the medicine, though, he did!

"Don't make me choose for you," Lucien warned.

Mathieu was silent. Finally he said, "Fine."

Lucien started. Could he really be that lucky? Suspicion darkened his eyes. Perhaps, but he doubted it. He put the boy down and took his hand firmly and tightly. His suspicion grew when Mathieu tested to see how hard his grip was. He tightened his hold, to Mathieu's obvious annoyance, and brought him to where he knew Ocheeva would be waiting to administer the medicine.

ES

"He came?" Ocheeva asked in shock, seeing Lucien with Mathieu. Mathieu summed up the situation. Ocheeva was there. So was Gogron and Vicente this time, and M'Raaj-Dar, and Teinaava. Pretty much the whole sanctuary. Let them try it.

"For now," Lucien replied.

"All right then. Mathieu, this medicine is going to help you. It may not taste very good, but it will make your fever and tummy aches go away," Ocheeva gently said, kneeling down with a long tube filled with a liquid. Mathieu whimpered and drew close to Lucien, tears in his eyes. Lucien shivered to think on what mental scar could possibly be coming to the child's mind as he looked at the vial. "Now, come and…" she began.

Too late. He'd jerked free of Lucien in a heartbeat and bolted. They all blinked in shock, trying to comprehend what just happened. Shaking out of it, Teinaava exclaimed, "After him!" Immediately everyone separated to hunt down the boy. The skeleton guarded the exit to the sanctuary as ordered, because the boy was still terrified out of his mind of the undead. Mathieu would never try to pass it to escape.

"Mathieu! Come out now little one," Antoinetta cooed softly. Mathieu liked her well enough. She was one of the youngest in this sanctuary so Mathieu could relate to her.

Mathieu watched from his little hiding nook. They would never find him here. Never. And he wouldn't go out, no matter what. They wouldn't make him take the medicine. He didn't like medicine. It was gross and usually ended up burning when it went down his throat. "Mathieu!" he heard Telaendril call out soon after Antoinetta was gone. Not a chance.

Just then he heard a squeak and looked around. There hung a bat, watching him curiously. A bat? When did they get bats here? Wait… Vampire! He gasped in horror. Too late. The bat suddenly transformed and the Vicente grabbed him. He screamed but was too startled to struggle. Vicente dragged him out from under the bed roughly and made sure his arms were held fast. Mathieu began shrieking and screaming and kicking and throwing his head back. Vicente was struggling. Intantly Telaendril was there, holding his legs fast. He still tossed his head and body.

"Little help here!" Telaendril called.

"On it!" Gogron replied, seizing the boy's body, but Mathieu was still twisting and turning and shrieking and giving them all headaches, if nothing else. Soon enough Antoinetta appeared and held his head still so he wouldn't hurt himself.

"Let go, let go, let go!" he screamed viciously. "Help, help, perverts, kidnappers!" he screamed, though he knew full well it would do nothing. They were no such things, after all.

ES

The rest of the sanctuary appeared and watched in disbelief as Mathieu was struggling free of the four holding him. "Child, calm yourself. It won't hurt," Ocheeva begged. Teinaava took the vial and went to him. Mathieu would have none of it. He savagely bit Teinaava. The Argonian man screamed in pain, trying to pull away.

"Got it!" M'Raaj-Dar said. He pulled out a spell and zapped Mathieu with it. It made Mathieu let go. Teinaava staggered back, arm badly bleeding.

"Such a fuss from a child," Teinaava said in disbelief as he quickly bound the wound.

"Give me that vial," Fafnir ordered. About time he got revenge on the boy for breaking his nose. He snatched the beaker and went to Mathieu. He roughly pulled open his mouth and poured the medicine in. Mathieu tried to spit it out, but Fafnir forced his mouth shut and plugged his nose. Mathieu would have to swallow to be able to breathe again. Lucien cringed at the action but did nothing. It was in the boy's best interests. Mathieu was stubborn, though. He was going slightly blue and beginning to seriously worry even an angry and vengeful Fafnir before he finally relented and swallowed. Fafnir immediately let him breathe again.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Antoinetta softly said, hoping to calm the boy.

Mathieu burst into tears and said, "It burns going down my throat and its gross and I hate you all! I hate you!"

"You're going to hate us even more before this hour's done," M'Raaj-Dar said, dreading this next medication they had to give. "There's one more medicine we have to give you. It will help you go to the bathroom, but it can't be swallowed."

ES

The Khajiit pulled out an icicle shaped object and Mathieu's eyes widened in horror. As if he hadn't humiliated enough! "No! No! Lucien, daddy, help me! I don't want to, I don't want to! Please, please, don't make me! Daddy, daddy! Mommy, help me, mommy, mommy, mommy!" he shrieked in terror.

His sobs became hysterical and Lucien swallowed, shifting uncertainly. He wanted the boy's terror and pain to end. He knew full well all the thoughts that were racing through the child's head, all the memories and horrors and suffering he'd gone through at the hands of his father, revellers, the bandits. The experience was bringing it all up again, and this time he could do nothing. Mathieu needed the medicine.

Now the boy was throwing himself almost out of the hands of the four holding him already. He would escape in moments. Immediately the other members converged, albeit reluctantly. It would take all of them to hold him down for this one. They finally managed to get him on the bed and hold him there, each one of them feeling worse and worse. Feeling guilty as sin they managed to get him into position. "Lucien, take it and administer it," Ocheeva ordered.

Lucien froze and looked sharply at her. "No!" he answered immediately, for to do such a thing… The child would be thrust back into that dark time, he knew. His father would again be having his way with him. The child would see and know nothing else. It wouldn't be medicine, it wouldn't be helping him, it would be, well… And Lucien knew that if he did as Ocheeva asked, he would be put in that man's place. The one who had sworn to protect him, who had promised him that his father would nevermore hurt him, would be the one doing what Mathieu would consider the same thing.

"Lucien, we can't keep this up," Teinaava insisted.

"No, no, Lucien, please, please! Don't hurt me daddy, don't hurt me!" Mathieu was screaming, and Lucien was horrified. "I'm sorry papa, I'll be good, I swear! Stop it! Enough!" Lucien rose and turned his back, walking away before he could be pressed into doing it. "No, don't leave me daddy! Papa, Lucien, don't leave me!" Mathieu shrieked. Lucien paused. He couldn't stay, he couldn't go. Helplessly he looked from Mathieu to freedom. He wanted to avoid the problem, to run away from it and let the others deal with it. But he couldn't…

Slowly he came back. Mathieu was looking up at him in fear and horror. Vicente saw how painful and hard it was. He pursed his lips then grabbed the boy's head and buried it in the bed as Mathieu screamed and began struggling even more. At least now Mathieu would never know who inserted the medication. Lucien gave Vicente a grateful look. The child was shrieking louder than ever and struggling. They could barely hold him down. It had to be done now, or he would escape and not even the undead creature guarding the door would stop him from fleeing the sanctuary

Lucien felt tears in his eyes then looked down. He took the medication and knelt. Softly he took the boys hand and whispered soothingly, "I promise you, your father will never hurt you again. Not while I live and breathe. I will not promise no one will ever harm you, I am not a divine, but I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Know, child, that this is not what your father did to you. No one here will ever do such a thing to you. I know it will hurt, I know you will have so many memories dragged up that you never wanted to face again, but it will end soon. Squeeze my hand as tightly as you can if you need to."

The others marvelled at how the boy stopped screaming and only whimpered in fear, body shaking. But he wasn't trying to escape anymore. He was bracing himself, as he must have done so often before when he was his father's play thing. In a moment it was done, and Mathieu screamed in pain then burst into helpless tears, squeezing Lucien's hand so tightly it made the man cringe. Lucien pulled him close and held him securely.

"That's my boy. That's my boy," he praised.

(A/N: There is a such medication in real life. I remember it all too well, and I couldn't have been more than a toddler then.)