A/N: Soooo I'm a terrible person. I'm so sorry about how long it's been since an update came out - I've had a lot going on and I haven't been on my laptop at all, which is where all the updates are saved. I'm pretty sure that if I'd been updating regularly this whole time, the story would be done by now xD I'm going to get back to regular updates now though, and I'm so sorry if I've worried anyone or anything like that. I hope you guys enjoy! :)
Upon arriving in Morthal, the group was practically ambushed by a flock of children. They all rushed to see the carriage, and Aventus softly told Leola that visitors weren't common in Morthal. The town was quite isolated, and Leola could understand why people wouldn't be quick to visit - there was an eerie fog looming over the swampy little town, though the haunting atmosphere didn't dim the light in the eyes of the children.
"Aventus! Aventus!" shouted a pair of identical little Redguard boys with their hair cut short. Aventus laughed as he climbed down from the carriage, scooping the pair of them up in his arms with ease.
"It's good to see you both!" he exclaimed. "You're getting so big, I can barely pick you both up!"
"Aventus, where is our mommy?" asked one of the boys, gazing at the carriage.
"Ahh, your mommy is still working," Aventus said, smiling. "She's not with me right now - I'm sure she'll come home for a while soon though, don't worry."
"Oh," said the other one, sounding disappointed. "We had hoped mommy was coming home sooner."
"Don't you two worry. She'll come home," said Aventus, carefully lowering the boys to the ground. He turned to face Leola as she came down. "Leola, these are Nani's sons, Trayvon and Shamar. Boys, this is Princess Leola!"
"Princess?" asked one of the little girls in the group. Her dress was a pretty shade of blue and she had pale skin and dark hair - she almost looked creepy, in a way.
"Yes, Kirstne, remember?" asked one of the older boys in the group, a blond boy who was holding the hand of a tiny girl with short blonde curls who could barely even toddle about. "Papa was saying that King Ulfric had a daughter now!"
"Ulrar!" exclaimed Ulfric as he climbed down from the carriage, looking at the older blond boy who had spoken. "Look at how much you've grown!"
"Hello, sir!" said the boy, grinning widely.
"This isn't another little sister of yours, is it?" Ulfric asked, looking at the tiny girl.
"No, your highness, this is Miss Britte's daughter," said the boy, Ulrar. "Miss Britte gives me gold and sweet rolls for watching her!"
"Ahh," Ulfric said slowly, nodding.
"Britte….Britte's daughter?" came a voice, and Leola turned to see Erith, her eyes wide with surprise. "I didn't know Britte had a daughter…"
"Erith?" Leola asked, but Erith shook her head quickly.
"Don't worry, Leola," she said quickly. "I'm just surprised, that's all."
"You were involved with Britte, right?" asked Leola in a low voice.
"And Sissel," Erith muttered, shaking her head slightly. "I wonder what poor man fathered this little one."
The little girl, as if understanding that Erith was talking about her, pulled her hand free from Ulrar's. She began to toddle towards Erith, tumbling over on the way. The whole group, adults and children alike, laughed slightly, and the girl's blue eyes lit up. She giggled a bit before toddling the rest of the way to Erith, holding out her arms as if for a hug.
"Oh, honey, I shouldn't," Erith said softly, but she reached down and scooped up the tiny child in her arms. "Ulrar, what's her name?"
"Eydis," said Ulrar, and Erith nodded slightly.
"Eydis," she repeated, gazing at the little girl. "Aren't you a beautiful little baby, aren't you?"
"Yes, and she happens to be my baby," came a voice from the other side of the carriage, and all heads turned to look as a pair of women emerged. Both were strikingly beautiful, with thick blonde curls that rivalled even Leola's hair, and dazzling blue eyes. Their tight-fitting gowns accentuated all the right features, and Leola almost thought that she might faint. Erith had dated them, and yet still found herself even remotely attracted to Leola?
"Britte, I'm sorry," Erith said quickly, lowering the little girl back to the ground. Though she had been put down, the girl simply grabbed the leg of Erith's trousers and stayed put. "She came to me, I just wanted to say hi, that's all-"
"I didn't ask why you picked her up," said the blonde. She and her sister stopped, and both folded their arms over their ample chests. "I just said not to. It's not that hard - you never were good at listening. And Ulrar, honey, if you're not watching Eydis then what exactly am I paying you to do?"
"Now, now, ladies, that will be enough," said Ulfric in a low voice, and the blue eyes of both twins widened.
"Oh, your highness, King Ulfric!" exclaimed Britte. "I am so very sorry, your majesty, I didn't even realize that you were here! I do hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me," she continued, putting a hand over her heart.
"I think it best that the two of you move along," said Ulfric. He placed a hand on Erith's shoulder, and Leola couldn't help but to feel a fluttering in her heart. Her father was standing up for Erith, being protective over her and making sure that those who meant ill towards her were gone. Whether he genuinely cared for Erith or he was just doing it for Leola's sake, she knew not, but it didn't matter to her. What mattered was that he was doing it at all.
"Of course, sir, we'll do just that," said Sissel, nudging her sister slightly.
"Yes, of course," Britte said, smiling almost flirtatiously towards the King as she moved forward to scoop up her child. "Come now, Eydis honey," she said.
Almost immediately, Eydis's blue eyes welled up with tears and she let out a tiny sob as she tightened her grip on Erith. Britte sighed dramatically, folding her arms over her chest.
"Eydis, honey, that's enough," she said. "Let go, now."
The girl, too little to understand her mother's words, simply stared tearfully up at Britte, and Leola could practically feel her heart breaking. This tiny child who knew nothing of the world could tell just what a vile person her mother was, and Leola hated to watch as Britte knelt down and forcibly pulled Eydis's tiny hands from Erith's pant leg, picking the baby up in a way that was certainly not careful enough for the size of her.
"We'll be on our way now," said Britte, looking at the group. "It was so lovely to see you, your majesty," she added before she and her sister began to walk off. The group was silent, watching them go for a moment, before Aventus slowly turned to face Ulfric.
"Were they-"
"Yes," Ulfric grumbled, cutting him off.
"That's-"
"It is…"
Tonight, Morthal's inn was full of Leola and her friends. Ulfric had a guest room in the Jarl's home, and he had offered it to Leola, but Leola had opted to share Erith's room with her instead. She was curled up on the bed with a book open in her lap, while Erith was at the bar drinking with Bottar, Shelur, and Aventus. Leola had decided to pass for the night, knowing that she still needed to sleep off the strange incense that Kesh had made her inhale.
The book in her lap was an unusual choice to be found in an inn room, but it was all about the Dark Brotherhood. For how close she and Aventus were, it had occurred to Leola that there were many things he'd not told her about his organization. She ran her fingers over the dried ink where the author had written out the incantation meant to accompany the Black Sacrament that was performed to summon the assassins.
"Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your child unto me…for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear," Leola read aloud in a soft voice. The moment she finished, her doorknob turned and she jumped as the door was opened. She looked up and saw Aventus in the doorway, smiling at her.
"The Black Sacrament generally includes body parts, sacrifice, and lots of stabbing," he said, stepping in and closing the door behind him. "You can't do it with just the incantation."
"I know," said Leola.
"What are you doing?" he asked, walking over and sitting down beside her.
"Just thinking," she replied shirkingly.
"About Britte, right?" asked Aventus, and she gazed up at him in surprise.
"Yes," she said, knowing better than to question how he'd figured it out. He just knew - it's how he was. Sometimes she suspected he knew her better than she knew herself.
"Thinking about Britte made you want to perform the Black Sacrament?" he asked, and she shrugged.
"Maybe a little," she said. "That little girl, she doesn't deserve such a horrid mother. She deserves better."
"She does," Aventus agreed, nodding slightly. "I'll see what I can do, Princess. I have some business in Solitude that I have to attend to, so Shelur and Erith will be accompanying you to see Dagon tomorrow."
"Does it have to do with Minette?" asked Leola, but Aventus shook his head.
"No," he said. "Nothing I do will ever again have anything to do with Minette, I can promise you that."