Cearbhail:

A good long chapter for you all to enjoy. It's a good one if I do say so myself. Well, I won't spoil it for you so please take your time. I'll try to go over it and get rid of any errors I see off the bat. Oh...and let me know if you like it.

Oh...and enjoy. ^^

[Ruby]

Dear Maleek,

We've finished up with our mission in Sentinel. We managed to establish a stable government that will begin to unite Hammerfell, abolish slavery, and return to their original roots before the Aldmeri Dominion took hold of them. It would have taken forever weren't it for our newest ally…Nrillia, some old necromage of legend. I'm sure you've already met her though. She mentioned messing around with you, but try not to hold that against her. As far as I can tell, she had good intentions. We'll be back by the evening. Tullius will remain behind to prepare Hammerfell's defenses, while Ulfric will return to Windhelm. Lydia can't wait to introduce her little Khajiit girl to Ysolda; her name is Ahmbra. She looks like a little Ruby only with tiger stripes and a deeper orange coat. She's a quiet one, it's weird to see a Khajiit so quiet. But anyway, we'll be back soon. I'm curious to see if Ruby has returned yet. I didn't get a note from you telling us that she did, so I'm a little worried. See you soon,

Asger and Lydia Stonearm.

…

Can you believe how long I waited by Solitude's gate to see my fathers return? I wasn't alone. I had Maleek with me. He sat by my side and we talked and hugged the whole time while we waited. I was still nervous to face M'aiq, but it had to be done. I had to know for certain if there was a chance I could ever return to being his daughter. And I think Maleek understood that. He just silently waited beside me, hugging me and resting on my shoulder. It was nice to have him here. And imagine…we'd be together for the rest of our lives, just like this. Just a year ago, I was ready to die for nothing less than discovering my first friends. And then I met my first rival, who turned out to be my first love, not to mention my significant other. Maleek may have hated me when he first met me, and I may have hated him too…but it's amazing how we got here. He had proven to me that he would go to the ends of the planet to find me and bring me home. And although he didn't, he was here waiting for me until he knew for certain.

The entire day had been one of silence. As soon as I finished breakfast, I came out here and waited. And when we got hungry, Maleek brought us lunch. We even brought out a table and two chairs to wait by the gate so that we wouldn't miss the very second my two fathers walked through the gate. Once we finished our lunch, he moved his chair next to me and just wrapped me up in his arms. We sat like that for a few hours. Asger and Lydia were coming here first, as far as I know. I'm sure at least M'aiq wanted to know for certain that I was ok, even if he didn't want me to know I was his daughter…and as far as he knew…I didn't know yet. I guess it was up to me to tell M'aiq that I knew I was his daughter. I felt something mischievous brew inside me. I had an upper hand for once. I could choose when M'aiq became my father.

"Hey…do me a favor. Don't tell M'aiq I know he's my father." Maleek was about to question me, but I guess he saw the sparkle in my eye because he only smiled and nodded.

"Planning on playing with him first?" He started to chuckle as he sat back in his chair. "Please tell me you're not going to torture him all day."

I crossed my arms and looked at Maleek with a purr in my voice. "Just a father/daughter date is all. We'll go shopping or something. You know…and I can do it without him knowing I'm his daughter because I'll just grab onto his hand and say, 'I want to become more like a normal Khajiit. Please teach me our traditions.' Anything after that will be all M'aiq's fault."

"M'aiq's fault?" Maleek echoed with curiosity. "What do you mean by that?"

"Whether or not I tell M'aiq that I know I'm his daughter. If he shows me a fun time, I'll tell him, if not…well…I don't know how often I'll see him. I already have a kickass brother, and I have Lydia and Asger as my mother and father. And soon I'll also have Cecilie as my baby sister. I don't really need another father, especially a creepy failure like M'aiq." And right as soon as I finished that statement, I heard a guard standing post scream out that travelers were approaching. The gate started unlocking and with a single push, I could see Asger and Lydia stroll into Solitude.

Asger paused for a second, a smile growing on his face before he started looking around. When he saw me and Maleek sitting near the decapitation square, he waved to us and looked over at Lydia. "There she is. Safe and sound." He ran up to us, well, more up to Maleek. He handed him a letter saying, "Here, I wrote this yesterday. Thought it would get here faster if I just handed it to you when we got here."

Maleek took the letter from him and opened it up. "Dear Maleek…we finished with our mission…see you soon…" He crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it at Asger. "Lot of good that does us now!" He grumbled as he turned around. "Still…thanks. I don't know if I could have saved my fiancé without you."

"Fiancé ?" Lydia asked as she walked up. She looked at me and I swear she smiled. Lydia smiled! That's near impossible! "Ruby, I'm glad to see you're safe. And look who I brought back with me." There was a preteen Khajiit hiding behind her, and she was dressed in the maid outfits Ranjier forced us to wear. Oh…I remember her, she was Slaves #62. Last I checked she didn't have a name, but I bet that changed once Lydia got her hands on her.

"Oh…hi, … wasn't your name Never-Never Land?" When I asked her, she averted her slightly greenish/amber eyes away from me. "Or…what were the other names? Hidden Gem, Tiger Lilly, and Ambrosia?"

The Khajiit girl averted her eyes at mentioning the last name. Only the sickest of our customers ever used it to describe their sexual pleasures. "My name is Ahmbra now." She murmured to me in her Dunmer accent. Yeah, we all had them as slaves. Customers thought they sounded sexier than a Khajiit accent. I definitely remembered her, and I remembered that name too. Umbra…that was the name of that nice Orc that always came to visit us. He was one of the only customers that came by to talk instead of doing weird things to us. I never got to talk to him much, but he was always talking to Ahmbra. I guess when she was freed she took his name as her own. That would mean that…he died. He must have tried to free her just like he said he would…and he must have died in the process. Poor Ahmbra…I bet she spent a few weeks in the punishment cage for that.

I rubbed the girl's head; she was about a foot shorter than me, which meant she was younger than me. "Well, you're free now, right? What are you planning to do next?"

She looked up at me with excited eyes. "I hear a woman named Ysolda will adopt me and make me her daughter. I can't wait to meet her." Repressed memories of Ysolda dressing me up in her costumes returned to me. And I started to curl onto the ground. "Um…Ruby…are you ok?" She asked me.

"Yeah…Ysolda…yeah…great." I looked up at her, trying to smile. "Do you like wearing dresses?"

She nodded. "Yes." Her voice was filled with such enthusiasm that I almost felt sorry for her.

"Ok…great. You'll have fun then." I attempted to look away from her over to Lydia. "You replaced me with a younger tiger version of me?"

Lydia shrugged. "I freed her and brought her to Ysolda's. When we found out you were there and had left with her…I brought her with us to present to Ysolda when we got here, now…where is she?" She looked around. I pointed to the Winking Skeever and Lydia nodded to me before pulling me in for a hug. She held me there for a few seconds before rubbing me on the head. "I'm glad you're safe. Welcome home."

I returned the hug. "It's so nice to be back. I knew you guys would come after me…even if Ysolda saved me first."

"I was there two days later at most." Lydia replied, and I believed her. "And I killed every slaver, every customer there. And I freed all the slaves."

"Did you kill Kim?" That was the only one I really cared about dying.

"He was the first." That meant so much to me that I broke down into tears on the spot. Lydia held me close to her and just held me while I cried. Ahmbra walked in for a hug too and the three of us just stood there in silence, well…Ahmbra and I cried but Lydia stood there like a statue, comforting us with her head rubbing. We stood like that for a few minutes and in that time I didn't notice that Ysolda and Ralof had come outside, or that M'aiq had joined the party with us.

When I felt the tears finish up, I opened my eyes and looked around. M'aiq was standing near the gate, and he was looking at me like he expected me to disappear again. He did look like a concerned parent, even though he was trying to look like he didn't care. Amazing I never caught onto it earlier. And I couldn't just walk up to him without him knowing that I knew. Well…I did spend some time in Elsweyr so…I had an excuse nonetheless. I pulled away from Lydia and said, "Excuse me, mom. I need to talk to M'aiq about something." She looked shocked but when she looked at Maleek for an answer, he only shrugged.

"I didn't say anything." He mumbled to her, which was a lie, but it played out that I still didn't know anything. Thank you, Maleek. He's always got my back, and will lie when he knows it's important to.

As I walked away, I saw Lydia introduce Ahmbra to Ysolda. Ysolda acted more civil meeting her than she did when she met me. My first interaction with Ysolda was her grabbing me and rubbing her face on mine, exclaiming how soft my fur was. Ysolda was more than happy to welcome Ahmbra with a hug, which made her seem less weird. Too bad it was only an act. I should warn Ahmbra…so at least she knows what she's getting into. But I didn't. She looked so happy to meet her new mother that I didn't want to ruin the moment. Besides, I had a moment of my own that I needed with M'aiq. I watched for his reaction as I walked up to him. He definitely looked nervous of me walking up to him, and he was scanning me for any reaction that would give away me knowing that I was his daughter. But I had a good poker face; he'd never know that I knew unless I told him of such a fact.

As I got closer, M'aiq forced that very wide smile of his when he was fearful of interaction. "Why, hello, Ruby. M'aiq is happy to see you unharmed and back home in one piece."

"Oh really?" I said as I crossed my arms and cocked an eyebrow. I smiled as I flicked my tail in annoyance. "Would you stop it with the third person speech?"

"But…all Khajiit monks and elders speak in such tongue." He replied, laughing as he said so. "For M'aiq to change the way he talks would make him sound young and hip. He does not want that." He rubbed the top of his hooded head and looked down at me. "Can M'aiq ask Ruby a question?" When I nodded, he looked over at Lydia. "Did High Queen tell Ruby…what M'aiq means to say is…" He paused. Oh shab! Was he trying to tell me himself? Well, that would ruin the fun but if he could come out and say it already, we could stop this cat and mouse game. He finally sighed and shrugged. "Why did the little kitten Ruby come here to talk to such an old Khajiit monk anyway? She hates Khajiits."

Well, I guess the game continues. "I spent some time in Elsweyr, and…I really liked it. I didn't really have enough time to hang around with other Khajiits though, so…I remembered you were always trying to push Khajiit culture on me. So…just for today…will you show me how to be Khajiit?"

I swear the way his eyes sparkled when I asked him was almost enough to make me regret asking. He nodded and grabbed onto my hand. "First thing's first, M'aiq needs to get Ruby traditional rabi dress that all Khajiit girls Ruby's age wear."

"I have several; I just have them packed away." I announced as I looked at the blue dress I put on for today. "What's wrong with the dress I'm wearing now?"

He looked back at me and smiled. "It's not Khajiit style. Does Ruby not want to experience Khajiit culture today?"

I sighed as I nodded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to buy a new one." I looked away as M'aiq pulled me outside the gate. Not even twenty feet away was a full caravan with Khajiits setting up for the night. It was a weird coincidence that the Khajiit caravan happened to be here today. Jeez, it's almost like stuffed I planned was backed by the gods' wills. They must have wanted me to spend time with my dad as well.

M'aiq smiled as he looked back at me. "It appears M'aiq and Ruby are lucky. The caravans are here today." He quickly pulled me as he ran up to the caravan. I struggled to keep up with him as he pulled me. I felt a little embarrassed that I let myself get put into this position. But, I had suggested it and now I was committed to spending the rest of the day with M'aiq. When we finally reached the caravan, M'aiq pushed me forward, saying, "Do you have any rabi dresses for my friend Ruby? She wishes to experience Khajiit culture today." Friend? He couldn't say daughter? Oh…right. I hadn't told him I know yet. Ouch…that kinda hurt, being called his friend.

So, being a little upset, I nudged my elbow into his stomach, just hard enough to make him cough. "Not your friend." I said up to him. "You're more like my…mentor." I softened my tone and looked up at him. "Maybe like my dad or something. I don't know…you just give off a father vibe to me." There, chew on that for a few minutes. I looked up at him to see him struggling to keep his face composed. Ha! I'm so evil it hurts.

M'aiq looked away. "M'aiq would not put himself on such a pedestal. To think he'd have a handful of a daughter like Ruby would be too much for poor M'aiq to handle." Oh…he was good at avoiding confirming he was my dad.

If the Khajiit woman running the caravan noticed the battle going on between M'aiq and me, she did not express any knowledge of it. Instead, she just looked confused but shrugged. "Ok." She looked at me, holding out my arms and examined me. "I have a couple rabi that might fit her." She walked into her massive fur tent and walked out with a black ruffled dress. "Here, go try this on." She pushed me inside her tent and stepped out, closing the tent's cover when she did so. I wasn't certain that throwing me inside a dark tent was a good idea, but as soon as the flap went down, my vision reappeared as a bright blue hue and I was able to see in the dark. Oh yeah…we can totally see in the dark. I had forgotten about that. So, I changed into the dress and walked outside where my dad…I mean M'aiq was waiting with the trader.

I had to admit, the dress was just about long enough that it fit me. It didn't have any sleeves, and it was one of those layered dresses with ruffled edges on the layers. It was a good dress, and as with every other Khajiit dress I got to wear, it had a perfect hole for my tail to poke through. Sure, training my tail to go through the hole wasn't easy, probably would have been if I had grown up wearing dresses and pants like these. I looked to M'aiq for any sign of approval. The old cat, he hid it well behind a general smile that any person would give. But he did give me a nod, saying, "Now Ruby looks like a proper Khajiit teen girl." Proper? Jeez…I'm not proper in any sense of the word.

So, just to mess with him, I reached for the hole where my tail was sticking out. "It's a good thing I have a tail, otherwise slavers would think this hole was for their dicks…" That drew out a large gasp and awkward silence from every Khajiit in the small camp. When everyone looked at me, I guess they wanted more of an explanation so I said, "You know…for when they want to get inside my as…"

M'aiq ran up behind me, covering my mouth before I could say more. "Sweet girl, Ruby is. She grew up as a slave in Hammerfell, so she has social problems when it comes to understanding what is appropriate and inappropriate to talk about in front of strangers…or at all." With him covering my mouth with his fingers, I resisted the urge to bite him. This was fun. I liked messing with him. Ever since Maleek and I became an item, we kinda stopped fighting…and I missed having someone to mess with. I guess having a father would change this too…or maybe not. This was the most interaction I've had with my father. And I was enjoying it. Should I tell him now? Nah…I'll wait until I'm sure I should tell him.

The other Khajiits all looked down at me like I was a special case. The trader patted me on the head, saying, "Oh my, I'm so sorry you had to live through that."

I pulled my mouth away from M'aiq's hand, saying, "Yeah, the slavers brutally killed my dad and my mom. I never got to meet them…and it makes me want to cry. Just thinking that maybe my mom or my dad could still be alive…it haunts me. Will I ever know for certain if they're alive? Who were they; would they even care if they knew I was here? How would I know?" I tried to keep my voice as realistic as possible as I pushed myself up to M'aiq, looking up at him with pleading eyes as I looked around frantically trying to keep my eyes off him. Finally, when I was ready to drop my bombshell, I looked up at M'aiq and said, "Oh…and I met Ksaan. He's your son right? He says you're pretty neglectful; always leaving town to find your missing daughter."

And that finished him. His entire face blanked out and he started stammering to create a lie. His eyes were wide as he looked around. "Yes…M'aiq lost his daughter long ago. She'd be about your age by now…M'aiq thinks." He started chuckling and then looked at the trader. "M'aiq wonders if you have moon sugar."

She nodded. She pulled out several sorted bags of 'flavored' moon sugar. "We have traditional Masser, and traditional Secunda. If you're going for what the younger crowd is using, we have Rimmen Pop flavor, Cyrodiilian Cultured, and High Rock Breton Bash."

M'aiq pretended to mull it over. "Hmm…M'aiq will take the Secunda for himself, and Ruby…" He looked at me. "Which does she want?"

I looked over the bags. "I'm really new to this…and to be honest, just a few days ago, I was trying to get started on moon sugar to hide from my problems. Do you really think I should be taking this?"

He smiled. "M'aiq is not going to let Ruby sniff moon sugar. Traditionally, moon sugar is added to milk to make moon milk, or spun into cotton moon clouds for light eating. It's perfectly legal and has no associated hallucinations nor addiction problems for troubled youth."

I looked back down at the bags, and then back up at M'aiq. I looked back at the bags and pointed to the bag of Rimmen Pop. It was pink and blue…it looked cute…and kinda like cotton candy. "I'll try the Rimmen Pop."

M'aiq nodded to the trader. "Would she please spin it into cotton moons for them?"

She nodded and took out a tool that I didn't notice. It was kinda like a whisk but not connected at the end. She dumped both sugars into separate bowls and started spinning them one by one. I watched as the sugar started turning into stringy cotton candy, and I was loving every second of it. When she was finished she handed us the bowls. M'aiq paid her for the dress and the cotton moon clouds. We sat down with the rest of the caravan and he started eating. I watched as he took his claws and started twirling the cloud around his talon. His was a pure white mixture with some silvery glow to it. He then sucked it off his talon like it was nothing.

I looked down at my own pink and blue mixture. Why not? I picked some off the bowl with my claw, almost grabbing it with my hand. When I was about to grab the cotton cloud, M'aiq stopped me by grabbing my arm. "No, do not grab with Ruby's paw, grab with her claw. The sugar will only get stuck in her fur and then Ruby will have to suck it off. And her fur will be sticky for the next several days, and she does not want that, M'aiq is sure."

"Yeah, yeah." I said in reply. So, this time I was more careful as I wrapped the sugar around my claw's talon. When I had a nice lump of it, I licked it off my claw. And it tasted amazing! It was like pure heaven had just entered my mouth. And there was a light buzz with it, but it didn't feel like the drug I had taken back when I was at Windhelm. "Oh my gods…what is this?"

M'aiq chuckled. "M'aiq knew she'd like it." He rubbed the top of my head and I actually let myself lean against him as I started purring to the enjoyment of this treat.

"Thanks for this." I said to him. "What else are we going to do?"

M'aiq looked up at the sky. "There isn't much M'aiq can show her. Unless Ruby wishes to learn how to dance or martial arts, M'aiq can't teach her anything else." That kind of depressed me. I had drawn up this whole plan where I was going to make him spend all day with me so that I could get used to the idea of being his daughter.

"Ok…what about history? What can you tell me about Khajiits?" I pushed myself onto his lap and leaned back, using him as a chair.

He paused as we continued eating our cotton clouds. It was simply the most amazing dish I've ever had. M'aiq finally started with, "Khajiits are one of the oldest races in Tamriel. We have…"

"You just said 'we'!" I said to M'aiq. "Ha! You did it, I broke you!"

I heard some of the other Khajiits around us snicker at me saying that, but M'aiq only smiled. "It is common for Khajiits to refer to our group as a whole with the plural 'we'." He looked away from me and started eating again. "As M'aiq was saying, Khajiits are one of the oldest races. We live in the desert sands of Elsweyr and grew a liking for the sugar canes that grew in our water ways. We've had a lot of wars with the lizard folk of Black Marsh, as well as the Bosmer of Valenwood. Khajiits' breeds are supposedly determined by the Twin Moons, but M'aiq knows that to be a lie. It is a myth. How else could M'aiq have a son and a daughter of the same fur color and general species? It is illogical to believe that Khajiits survive based on random chance of the moons' positions. There is but only one Khajiit that is born based on the moon…and that is the Mane. And even he is usually born under a certain family line unless that family line dies off somewhere and that is the only time when the moons have any effect on our birth cycles. The next Mane would be born on that particular day to the first baby born that day. The current Mane is of M'aiq's bloodline, since M'aiq is his son. So, M'aiq would wager that his daughter or son would bear the next Mane down the line, if his daughter married another Khajiit at least." He looked down at me. "But M'aiq doubts that to happen. Maybe his son will do him proud."

"And what makes you think your daughter won't marry a Khajiit?" I purred to him, trying to get him to slip up.

M'aiq sighed. "She was taken by slavers. While it is true that she may be bred with another Khajiit, M'aiq believes she'll be force-bred to an Argonian for a Ka'Po'Tun child, or maybe with a Bosmer for an Ohmes breed. Oh yes, M'aiq forgot to mention that, didn't he? The Ohmes breed of Khajiit is a half-breed between Bosmer and Khajiit. They appear elvish in nature but have some degrees of light golden fur and pointy elven ears, but the eyes of Khajiit, even if they are not always amber."

"Really?" I looked up at him. "That's interesting." I finished my bowl of moon cloud and stood up from his lap. "Ok…so this dance. How does it go?"

He looked from me to the slightly older than me girls standing around the campfire. "Do these girls wish to show Ruby how to dance traditional Khajiit dances?"

They shrugged and walked over to me. They grabbed me by my hands and pulled me over to the campfire. "We spin a lot." One replied as she twirled me underneath her. "Move your hips more." She said as another girl started grabbing my hips and made me shake more as I spun. It felt weird. Finally, they stopped spinning me around and said, "Ok, just watch." They went into a circle pattern and raised their hands above their heads. They started spinning around in a flower pattern it looked like, their wide dresses spinning with them, their tails curling around their bodies. When they stopped they would swing their hips around and then go in the opposite direction while staying in a perfect formation with the other girls. Two guys joined in, spinning around just like the girls, only they didn't have their hands raised, but down by their sides like they were welcoming a hug. And finally, the guys spun into the same circle as the girls and they started spinning around as one unit while hugging each other. It was a very beautiful dance, and I was suddenly jealous that I didn't know how to do it. There was so much about my own culture that I didn't understand…and I was enjoying learning about it. If only I had been this open when I first met M'aiq…I wouldn't have to be do avoidant about telling him I was his daughter. He might even had told me himself if I had shown interest earlier.

So, I grabbed M'aiq by his hands and started pulling him up. "Come on, you're dancing with me." He was about to protest, but I pulled him up. "No! You're doing this!"

"Wouldn't Ruby prefer to dance with someone closer to her age?" He asked as he tried to sit back down. "Perhaps the cathay-raht with dark fur and long legs?" He pointed to a dark-furred Khajiit with what I assumed was an attractive body. Hard to tell, I only have feelings for Maleek.

"What, can't a girl dance with her father?" And just like that, everything stopped. And…I had slipped the truth off my tongue. Instead of the building silence from everyone, I sighed and looked away form M'aiq. "You're the closest thing I have to a Khajiit role model…is it so hard to believe I think of you as a surrogate father for the one that died?"

M'aiq still looked stunned but stood up. "M'aiq sees that Ruby has learned the truth then." He picked me off the ground, holding me up to his eye level. "Did Lydia tell her?"

I shook my head. "No…Maleek did. Yesterday. And I know Ksaan is my brother. He and I talked for a while. He told me everything."

M'aiq nodded. "Now, M'aiq understands. Ruby seemed different, more accepting of M'aiq. He wondered why, now he knows." He pulled me in for a hug. "It is true…M'aiq is Ruby's father." He held me in a hug off the ground for a few seconds before my numbed arms found their way around his chest. I decided to hug him back. And when I did, I found tears that had been building release and I started crying like a baby again. My dad just held me there, holding me while I cried my eyes out. The other Khajiits stood there and watched patiently as we did so. When finally, I found myself being cried out, he put me down and patted me on the head. "Still feel like dancing?" He asked me.

I nodded and he started putting me in the proper position. "Ruby is short so it is ok to hold M'aiq's hands, since she is only just beginning. M'aiq will lead, all Ruby has to do is step with M'aiq and M'aiq will handle the rest. Ok?" When I nodded, he started stepping into a spin, and I had to quickly step to keep up with him. And we danced for a few minutes before he grabbed onto my hand, lifted it above my head, and spun me on my toes a few times before letting me come to a stop. When I did, I felt my dress spin around my legs until it couldn't spin no more and then it spun back out.

The rest of the day went by just as quickly, I think. Some of the girls braided my hair and taught me some traditional Khajiit braids. They let me practice on them. It was really nice of them to teach me all this, but I guess seeing me cry in my father's arms warmed them up to me. I got my ears pierced, since it's traditional. I got some beautiful silver loops to put in my ears and I couldn't believe I didn't do it sooner. Dad and I finished our date by having some moon milk by a campfire while some of the elders told some ghost stories based on Khajiiti legend. Dad had to translate some of it because it was spoken in some older tongue made up of hisses and growls, called Ta'agra. It was interesting to see exactly how things were seen in our culture, and as usual…it had a lot to do with the twin moons.

So, way past the sunset, Dad brought me back to the city. I was pretty happy with how the whole day went and he knew that I knew he was my dad…so that was something. Sure, it didn't go as I had planned, and I would have loved to fight him longer with it, but it came out when it needed to. And right as dad walked me up to the bards college to drop me off, he smiled at me, saying, "M'aiq will stick around to make sure you are safe."

"Dad?" I started to ask him the one question that had been bothering me the most. It wasn't why he stopped looking; it wasn't why he never told me I was his daughter. There was only one question I really cared about. "What was mom like?"

He stopped in his spot and stood there for a few minutes. He grabbed onto my hand and led me to a bench in the square where we had the burning of King Olaf every week. He looked me in the eye, smiling. "Ruby's mother…her name was Prissa. She was a baker. She'd make cakes for the Khajiits of Rimmen, but we did not live there. We lived in a small farm outside Rimmen, where Ruby's aunt Clara lives now."

"She's dead." I said to him, which made Dad's face crack.

"Oh.." Dad said as he looked away. "M'aiq may have to move back to Elsweyr to keep Ksaan company. Would Ruby hate him if he did that?"

I shook my head. "Nah…I wouldn't. This time I understand. I have a family…two now. And Ksaan only has you right now." I snuggled up next to him, happy to know that this was my birth father. And I finally belonged with him again. "So…about mom."

"Oh, right!" He stated as he looked up at the stars. "M'aiq knew her since he was a cub. She was a mean one." He laughed. "Tough and always picking on the boys. Every boy was dead afraid of her, especially M'aiq." He looked down at me. "But it was about when she was your age that M'aiq started learning more about her. She and M'aiq were forced to study martial arts together and Prissa sucked…bad, and M'aiq did really well. It made her so mad to be beaten in a match against M'aiq, when she could beat up any boy in town. M'aiq still hated her, but it was on Heart's Day on 16th Sun's Down that M'aiq saw a different side of her. In Elsweyr, it is tradition to bring cake to the one you wish to be mated with. And Prissa brought M'aiq a double-layered moon chocolate cake. And she was so flustered that M'aiq started to see a new side to her, this sensitive side that she only shared with M'aiq." He looked at me. "She was about Ruby's age. She looked so much like Ruby, from her cheeks to her mane. Ruby even has her ears." He pinched my ears and looked down at his hands. "Prissa was a challenge to understand. One minute she would show feelings for poor M'aiq, the next punch him for getting sappy on her." He laughed. "A true tsundere if one asks M'aiq."

"Didn't Maleek call me that once?" I wondered how much I was like my mother. "Do I ever act like her?"

Dad shrugged. "The way Ruby fights is most like her mother. She wasn't strong either so she relied more on her flexibility and agility to fight. It didn't help much against slavers, not when she was protecting her young…but she tried her best." Tears started forming in his eyes.

"What happened that day? Why were we out there?" I had to know the truth. I don't know why, but I wanted to know this.

He looked back at me, shaking his head. "It will only kill Ruby inside to know."

"It's killing me now!" I yelled to him, standing up on the bench and standing over his lap. "Tell me or I'll kick you!"

He chuckled. "Just like Prissa." He looked away. "He will tell Ruby the truth." He looked me in the eye and said, "It was Nisha's third birthday and she wanted some moon sugar for her birthday cake frosting. We were looking for sugar cane when we heard the bandits attacking farmers nearby. M'aiq was attacked…and Prissa was killed because little Nisha wanted moon sugar for her birthday." My heart sank into my stomach and my legs lost all feeling. I started to fall off but M'aiq caught me before I could fall off the bench. "M'aiq warned Ruby…the information would only kill her inside." And he wasn't kidding. I had been the reason my family had been killed…I was the reason. "Since the town's shops were closed that day because it was a Sundas, M'aiq and Prissa thought it would be a good idea to take Nisha to the sugar cane fields and collect their own moon sugar. It did not go as planned. It was not Nisha's fault…it was M'aiq's. He brought up the idea, Nisha only agreed to it."

I don't know how long I sat like that on dad's legs, but he didn't even attempt to move me. He hugged me close to him and just let me sit like that for maybe an hour before I felt myself sigh. "Ok…I think I'm ready for bed now."

He pulled me away, nodding. "M'aiq will be leaving tonight. Is Ruby ok with this?"

I nodded. "Yeah…just come visit sometime. Bring Ksaan with you. Perhaps we can have a family picnic or something."

My dad kissed me on the forehead and lifted me off his legs. "Of course, Ruby." He waved goodbye to me and started to walk away.

"Um…it's ok to call me Nisha, you know!" I called after him.

He turned around and waved to me. "See you soon, daughter." I watched him as he left. So…that went better than I had hoped. And it made me feel better, like something had been resolved. I missed him already. Shab…now what was I going to do with the rest of my time? I guess go to bed. I'm pretty tired.

Cearbhail:

Wow. We got to learn so much about M'aiq and Prissa. Not to mention Ruby spent a whole day with M'aiq learning about her culture for possibly the first time. I mean, a cookbook is one thing, but learning how to braid her hair, listen to traditional ghost stories, and even dance is another thing. Not to mention cotton candy. Did you guys like that? I thought it was pretty clever. And a fitting end for this. No...still one chapter left. But Ruby's father issues are finally resolved. And imagine...I was going to wait two whole years until the Chronicles of Ruby to do that.