Interlude: Hearthfire (5)

4 Sun's Dusk, 4E207

There's a mystery that's baffled Amara and Leon for years now; two mysteries, actually, though the second one is a more recent development.

"Still Corinna produces no magic," Amara mutters, a hand on her chin as she watches our daughter play in the snow with a few other children and her dog. My partner looks as lovely as ever by the light of the setting sun. "All Aestus children are able to produce magic by the age of four at the latest. She turned five yesterday, yet I have never seen even the slightest spark."

"All of them?" I ask with an obvious tone of doubt. Honestly I'm getting a little tired of this conversation. "Your House never produces a non-mage?"

"Non-mages are distinguished by their coloring and tend to appear outside of the head family. As I have said before, our magicks affect our appearance. If she were a non-mage, she would not look as I do… but she does. And besides this, she has magic. I can feel it! Can you not?" She says all this with a perplexed scowl.

I shrug. "Vaguely, yeah, but there's not much for me to say about it. And I've still never seen this brightness you claim is there, even with your fancy perception spell."

"I swear to you, it is there. One sees it just in the corner of the eye, like a faint aura. Look at it directly, and it disappears." She leans against my torso when I put an arm around her shoulders. I'm hoping the half-hug will distract her and shut her up… but it doesn't, of course. "Time and again I have tried to determine its nature, but it is impossible without any sort of magic to siphon from her. She produces none, and I can take none." She pauses a minute. "It is… troubling."

"I'm sorry, I really don't, uh…" I run a hand through my hair, needing to fidget while I search for a useful response. I honestly don't see why this is such a big deal, or why she feels the need to keep bringing it up. Maybe Corinna's just a late bloomer?

"She was not born under the Atronach…" Now she's talking more to herself than to me. "Even if she were, the handicap is treatable and has nothing to do with casting… No other magical disabilities seem to match hers…"

"Disability?" I repeat, maybe a little more harshly than is needed. "Amara, it sounds like you're about to call her a cripple. Or a disappointment or… something."

I feel her whole body go stiff as she realizes how her words might have sounded. "Oh." She blushes. "No, I… No, it is only peculiar. I would not be so cruel as to…" She sighs, and the hand that was on her chin now moves to pinch the bridge of her nose. "That did sound awful. Forgive me."

"I think you should let it go for now. If she gets it in her head that you're disappointed in her, it'll break her heart." The scene of innocent play just in front of us morphs into an all-out snowball fight. I cock my head as I watch: Corinna's got quite the throwing arm for a kid her size, and I can't quite tell if Duran is shielding her or if she is shielding Duran. "Let me teach her the sword," I say after a minute.

She would have started learning the basics of magic a year ago, but again and again it's proven to be a pointless exercise.

"… Alright." One of her arms snakes around my waist and we stand that way for a bit, trying to exchange comfort. It's obvious that she feels bad.

Then the wind blows up from the bridge and Winterhold proper, and I smell it.

The vampire.

I jerk out of Amara's embrace and spin on my heel to face the College gates, unable to suppress the rumbling in my chest. The mages here all know about me and they don't talk if they know what's good for them. It's an unspoken agreement. A bit of growling from me won't start a riot, especially not with Leon as Arch-Mage.

"What is it?" Amara asks from behind my back.

I sniff the air again. I detect Leon, too, but he's separate from the unmistakable smell of a goddamn vampire. But they're close. They're near, coming up the bridge. He told me to expect one this week, they both did. But still. Still it's hard to control my reaction.

"Lydia!" She calls sharply, probably thinking me unnecessarily paranoid.

"Vampire," I grind out, never taking my eyes off the gate. "With Leon. Coming up the bridge."

She sighs. "It is Sybille Stentor, darling. You knew she would be coming. Why in the world are you so tense?"

I clench my teeth, a little raw from her dismissive tone. "I told you they tend to attack me when they smell me."

"Lydia." Her hand is gentle, but firm, on my shoulder. "She is very old and very well-integrated. She will attack no one here, and even if she were to, Leon would overwhelm her. Lydia." She turns me back around and makes me look at her when I don't do it myself. "For me, please, rein in your temper. Take Corinna and help her wash up and dress, then take a few moments to breathe. Meet us in Leon's office when you have finished."

She's smaller than me: shorter, thinner muscle, thinner bones. If we were a wolf pack, I'd be the one making orders.

I growl and sigh all at once and it comes out like an embarrassing whine. I can already feel my ears turning red. "Fine…" I take a step toward Corinna and her little friends, but it's a struggle. "You're sure she won't… ?"

"Yes, I am more than sure." She shoos me with a hand. "Now go on."

Still kind of embarrassed, I shuffle off, take Corinna by the hand, and lead her into the Arch-Mage's tower. She's brushing half-melted snow from her disheveled mess of hair with her free hand, Duran following close at her heels. He follows her everywhere. "I didn't wanna be done," she grumbles. "Runa got me in the eye."

"Sorry, order's from up top. Does it hurt at all?" I look her over. I'm surprised she isn't crying about it.

She rubs at it. "A little bit."

I push my door open and hold it for her. "Well a hot bath'll fix it. Hang up your stuff."

She does this very neatly for someone her age. Amara, we've both learned, doesn't tolerate untidiness so well when she's given the time and peace of mind to fret over it. "Who's here?"

"A vam—" I bite the word back as quickly as I start saying it. Am I supposed to tell her? I mean, Corinna already knows what I am—it's not exactly easy to hide, after all, though she hasn't seen me in Beast form yet—but she's never been around a vampire before and I don't want to create a problem where there might not actually be one. I scowl as I place a large kettle of water over the fire. "A friend of Leon's or something."

"Oh. So do I have to wait to eat? I'm hungry." She sits down on the rug beside the hearth, and almost immediately, the dog curls around her. He and I have developed an… understanding, I guess.

But I laugh quietly, more to myself than to her. Here I am, fretting over a vampire, when all she cares about is her next meal. "I wish I had priorities like yours." I ruffle her hair.

The kettle is enchanted, so the water heats up pretty quickly. I wash and dress her as efficiently as I can, though I'm a little slower than usual since I'm still not happy about having a vampire here, and I take a few minutes to pull myself together before we head back out the door. Amara said this vampire's unlike the wild sort, that it's civilized. You'd figure that I, of all people, would be more than willing to give other werewolves and the nightwalkers their due chance at courtesy, but I never said I'm perfect.

My own struggle is tough enough, and I'm supposed to be Hircine's best breed. I still feel the call to take to four paws and hunt. I feel it every day. I resist giving into it permanently because I have Amara and Corinna to call me back. I can't say the same for the other supernatural types I encounter here and there, though. They can't all have the same motives that I do.

I resist the urge to glower. Damn Imperials and their damn etiquette. Why is it so necessary to introduce a five-year-old girl to a potentially-dangerous stranger? Why is that considered the polite thing to do?

I stew in my sour mood while Corinna urges me toward Leon's apartments, hungry and unwilling to tolerate my slow pace. The smell of vampire is everywhere, and I've no doubt that it can smell me too. It'll get all hostile as soon as I open the door, I just know it.

I enter first, blocking the door for Corinna, who's not-so-subtly pushing against my leg. A pair of glowing red eyes fix on me immediately, but neither of us makes a move. I start counting the seconds. If she doesn't do anything within seven, then I'll move.

"Lydia," Amara says over the rim of her cup, "this is Sybille Stentor. She has been gracious enough to lend us her expertise for a certain College-wide research project. Madame Stentor, this is Lydia, my partner. Corinna, our daughter, is currently struggling to move past the doorway… darling."

Seven seconds. No movement. Nothing. The vampire's still staring at me, but that's to be expected.

"A pleasure, I'm sure," it says guardedly. I guess I can't blame it.

"Ma, come on!" Corinna finally whines. "Ma!" The vampire's eyes flicker downward just as I move enough to let my daughter push past, though I keep a hand on her shoulder.

And then the strangest thing happens.

"By the divines!" The vampire looks away from Corinna and shields and rubs its eyes as if it were in pain. "What… What is this, Leon! Is this some elaborate trap?" It tries to look at Corinna again and turns away immediately, hissing.

"Pardon? I do not…" He stands up, at a loss for words and genuinely confused, looking constantly between his niece and his guest. "What is wrong?"

"What is wrong?" It repeats, its voice raised but not screeching. "Are you blind? She's bright as the sun!"

Frightened, Corinna turns and presses against me. I keep both hands on her shoulders, ready for anything. "Ma…" she calls me, growing increasingly upset.

"Bright as the…" Leon's eyes widen, suddenly, just as Amara's do. They share an urgent look. "Sybille. Madame Stentor—"

"Here, ocelle, I have you," Amara says gently as she moves to take our daughter into her arms. She gives me a look: Be patient. "No, no, my love, you have done nothing wrong," she whispers in response to the whimpering girl against her shoulder. She pauses to listen. "No, my dear, there is but a mystery to solve now. No, you are not in trouble."

"Madame Stentor, I assure you this is not a ruse. We are just as surprised as you."

"I'm too old to believe paltry words, boy! The only surprise right now is that you haven't done away with me already. The divines only know what you're waiting for."

"Then let that be the proof of my good intentions! My family and I meant you no harm, I swear it on my life."

"Then what is that—" Another hiss. "It's the most potent Turn Undead spell I've ever felt! I can't even look at her. If she comes any closer I swear I'll burst into flames."

"A Turn Undead spell… ?" Amara mutters to herself, rocking Corinna very slightly. "A Turn Undead spell…" She's already far away, lost to thought.

"That is the brightness you see?" Leon sounds astonished and fascinated all at once.

"Yes, damn it! Are you going to kill me or not? I can't bear this proximity any longer." The vampire's backing up against the wall, weak and furious.

"No, Madame. No, I swear it." While he makes his promises, Leon scrambles over to his desk and opens one of its drawers. "I have an idea," he says as he pulls out a metal box and opens it. "Mara mea, let me put Corinna in magical binds. Let me see what happens."

This pulls Amara from… wherever she was. "I cannot…" She looks down at our whimpering daughter, and then over her shoulder at the vampire. It's a battle between parenting instincts and sheer academic curiosity. She hugs Corinna tighter. "Only if she gives consent."

"Won't it hurt her?" I cut in, a little upset that Amara would try to take away Corinna's only defense against the vampire. And besides, they have no idea what the binds would do to her. What if they cause permanent damage?

"They halt the outward casting of magic, this is all. Magical binds do not disrupt the internal workings of the body. That is impossible. I cannot fathom that she would be harmed." Leon gives me a reassuring nod and then crouches next to Corinna. "Ocelle, will you help me with something? May I put these on your wrists?" He holds them up for her to see: two strips of white cloth inscribed with tiny runes.

The kid's unresponsive, of course. Anyone could have expected that. "Come now, my love." Amara pulls away enough to take the girl's face into her hands and dry her tears with her thumbs.

Current disaster aside, it's really nice to see. It's been something of a bumpy road, but Amara's gone a long way in learning how to interact with our daughter. She has her own way of doing things, sure, but her affection is genuine and she's done a nice job of learning how to show it.

"Hush, dry your tears. Shh, now." She kisses the girl's brow. "You are not in trouble and no one here will hurt you, I promise. Corinna mea," she coos, "your magic has merely startled Madame Stentor. It is not your fault. Will you let Uncle try to fix it?"

She doesn't say anything in return. She just hiccups and whimpers and nods in the affirmative, and Amara takes her back into an embrace. She's facing outward this time, her back to Amara's front, with Leon crouched and smiling gently just in front of her. "You are very brave, ocelle. If you will be patient with me now, I may just have a honey treat on the table for you. Will that do? May I see your hands?"

I bite back a protest when Corinna complies, still sniffing. Okay, yes, Amara and Leon know more about magic than I could ever hope to, but that doesn't make me any less paranoid. Amara's looking up at me again, though: Be patient.

Gently, he wraps the binds around her wrists. Nothing happens, at least not that I can see.

The vampire sighs. "It's like being tossed into cool water."

"How do you feel?" He asks his niece.

"Fine," she mumbles, not meeting his eyes.

Leon stands and Amara follows, Corinna still clutching her hand. I feel her other hand slip into mine after a second or two. I study her. She doesn't look any different, not that I could tell before anyway.

"Madame Stentor?" Leon then prompts.

The vampire rubs at its eyes again. "She's…" It blinks. "She's faintly bright. It doesn't hurt to look at her, but you couldn't pay me enough to try and touch her."

"Well, that answers one question," he says, a hand on his bearded chin. "And… creates several others."

We all do the best we can to get seated and settled again, but everyone's well aware that the polite mood of earlier is pretty much gone. Leon and Amara are watching Corinna with unmasked bewilderment while the vampire's doing its best to keep at a distance. Conversation is spotty.

As for me… well… My kid is a walking repellant for vampires and the undead, apparently.

I fight not to show my wolfish grin, but really, I don't think I've ever been prouder.

5 Sun's Dusk, 4E207

She's up pacing and brooding till well past midnight, just as I figured she would be.

"A Turn Undead spell…" she mumbles, twirling a bit of magic around her finger in thought. "A Turn Undead spell of constant effect, incredible potency, and outward casting. Magical binds do not disrupt the casting, they…" she sighs, "mask it? Reduce it? Muffle it?"

I don't say anything, content to let her speculate until she wears herself out or starts talking to me first.

She bounces the magic in her palm. "A spell she cannot control or deactivate consciously. One she casts every moment of every day, completely unable to disrupt it. One that neither Leon nor I can disrupt, binds or no binds."

I wait.

Eventually she turns to me, where I'm leaning against a desk nearer the wall. "Is that what binds all her magic? An endless spell that has… monopolized all her potential?"

I shrug. "I hope you're not asking me. I can try and make up an answer, but it'll probably disappoint you."

"No, I just…" Another twirl of idle magic. "I am thinking aloud."

"Seems to be a new habit of yours, that," I comment as I lean forward a bit and make a gentle tug on her sleeve. She lets me pull her close. "Letting me hear what you're thinking. I like it."

She kisses my jaw, though still kind of lost in thought. "I never thought I would find it so comforting."

Her collar is loose. She leans against me as I tug it to the side, just enough to see my mark. I kiss it and she shivers. She's never said anything negative about it, not once, and I love her all the more for that. "Can I share a bit of what I'm thinking?"

We embrace fully. "Of course."

I nuzzle against her neck. "Alright, I love you, but you shouldn't exhaust yourself with all this brooding. Knowing what it is doesn't change anything, not in the big picture. Let me teach her my brutish Nord ways and let's just be happy that no vampire or draugr or whatever will ever get the upper hand on her." I smile against Amara's ear at the thought. "Watch, she'll be a vampire hunter someday. She will kick so much ass."

She groans. "Must you make light of it like that?"

"I've come to think it's what I'm here for." My fingers trace the enticing swell of her hips. "You're the smart over-analytical one, and I'm the practical anchor that keeps you from drifting too far off."

She laughs softly, breathily. She traces over my neck and shoulders with a light touch. "How poetic. And yet you laud me as the wordsmith between us."

"I have my moments." Her body is growing warmer the more I touch her, very steadily, very gradually. It's faint, but it's becoming easier and easier for me to read her like that, as if I'm becoming more finely attuned to her the longer we're together. Sometimes I wonder if it's like that for every werewolf.

Normal people wouldn't notice it, but I notice everything when it comes to Amara. She sighs with pleasure when I nip lightly on her ear. "Are you trying to… seduce me away from my ponderings, darling?" Sure she's teasing me, but her fingers are already slowly undoing the ties of my shirt. She's in no hurry.

"I dunno. Is it working?" I press my nose to the soft skin of her neck and inhale deeply. Gods, there's no one else like her.

"Perhaps," she says all low and smooth. She pulls my shirt open and traces a light line downward with one finger. "But only if you do… exactly as I tell you."

And all of a sudden I'm given to wonder who's seducing whom, exactly.

Author's Note:

Hi everyone. Sorry about the hiatus… I moved to a new city, got a new job, got a new busy-life-schedule… all that fun stuff. It was nice to finally have a few moments to concentrate on writing, I must say.

So now we know what's up with Corinna. Yes, this development will be relevant in upcoming plots.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to leave me a few words if you did. :)

Until next time,

AE