Chapter 11
It is, in all races of men and mer, a common occurrence for new and expecting parents to make various promises and declarations regarding child-rearing. Many forget these assertions rather quickly upon being faced with the reality of caring for their offspring. Lilaena was not one of these sorts. She decided before she'd even met little Rioghnan how she would go about raising him and what rules she would apply to herself and her progeny, and her commitment to these promises never wavered. Most importantly, she vowed to protect her baby from the dangers and unkindness of the outside world at all costs. She knew somewhere in the recesses of her psyche that she was attempting to make up for not having been able to "protect" Mannimarco by vowing to keep his child out of harm's way at all costs, but she reasoned she'd quite literally not be able to survive another such loss in one lifetime.
As an infant, Rioghnan was quiet and generally rather good-natured. He seemed to find humor in the most unexpected things and often had a smile on his face – occasionally even when the moment wasn't the most opportune. He grew up in the security of his devoted mother's overprotective arms and although they had very little as far as material wealth, he never wanted for love, attention, or validation. Lilaena made quite sure of that. She educated him herself, taught him to read and write, and often took him on short trips to allow him to experience the world around him – always safely within the walls of Balmora or a nearby city or township, of course. She made sure that he knew everything she did, with the exception of one subject: magic. In her eyes, magic had turned from her sole interest and her life's goal to a great evil which had robbed her of her homeland, her family, and the love of her life. She quickly noticed a precocious affinity for magic in her son and it terrified her. He was harshly reprimanded for any attempt to demonstrate his abilities. Gods forbid he were to discover he could reanimate a dead scrib, for he would be yanked from her arms to die a prisoner, a desperate fugitive, or to spend his life maligned as some great, evil monstrosity. Under no circumstances would she stand witness to such a tragedy.
Rioghnan, her Little King, was Lilaena's world. She willingly sacrificed her own dreams to ascertain that he wouldn't have to worry about anything. She never thought twice about it; she was happiest just seeing him smile, and knowing he was experiencing the best childhood she could possibly provide. He always sported the finest clothing available and a pair of shiny, new boots, which they could afford only because his mother would wear the same dresses and shoes for a decade or more, mending and patching and ignoring the scuffs and tears until they fell apart completely.
As a young child, Rioghnan was content to accompany his mother everywhere and never wanted for any other sort of companionship. He was oblivious to the fact that anyone lived any differently. As he grew older, however, he began to take notice of how the resident Dunmer children around his age would play in the streets below his windows, laughing and talking and apparently having great fun, with no parents in sight. He would watch them intently, at first out of curiosity, but increasingly he began to wish that he could be down there with them, joining in their high-spirited conversations and boisterous games. They saw him as well, and would giggle and point at the mysterious "white elf boy" who could often be seen peeking at them from his windows. One scrawny, redheaded Dunmer girl began to wave whenever she'd spot him, and this delighted Rioghnan to no end. He was thrilled to have made a friend. His mother wasn't so pleased, however, and was torn between her paranoid compulsion to keep him tightly under her protective wing, and the guilt over preventing him from enjoying the company of other children. There ensued a great deal of back-and-forth over the issue, some taking place between the two of them, but especially in Lilaena's mind, as she struggled to choose whether it was better not to let him out of her sight, or to give in and allow him a little freedom, even if it meant he might be put in some sort of danger.
After some discussion, it was decided between mother and child that a compromise would be made: Rioghnan could spend time playing with the other children, so long as they remained within Lilaena's line of sight at all times. This would likely have worked out favorably had the children been a bit younger, but seeing as Rioghnan was now thirteen, and the other children were all around the same age, Lilaena's vigilance was regarded as quite intrusive and bizarre. When Rioghnan would come down to play, the other children would immediately clear the area, knowing that his mother would be right behind him to watch their every move. He eventually all but gave up on attempting to socialize with the other children. He'd been branded an outcast before he'd even had a chance to get to know any of them on account of his mother's paranoid behavior. As time went on, the reaction of the other children progressed from avoidance to outright derision. Anytime Rioghnan would so much as show his face, the other children would taunt him, calling him "Mummy's baby" and even hurling pebbles and rubbish at him on occasion. This awoke in him a great resentment toward Lilaena. He became quite disagreeable and would spend most of his time in his bed, silently staring out of the window and generally being sullen. He no longer wanted to join her on excursions and straight out refused to sit for any lessons, responding to her attempts at conversation with silence or sarcasm.
As he lay in bed with his back to his mother while she prepared dinner one evening, gazing pensively through the thick glass into the poorly lit alley below, a familiar copper-haired Dunmer appeared – the scrawny girl who had waved at him in the past. She stared up at the window for a moment, and upon realizing that he'd seen her, she waved again, for the first time in over a year. Rioghnan waved back with some hesitation, fully expecting her to produce a rotten ash yam to fling at his window or some such hideous thing, but much to his relief, she just smiled. And then, she motioned at him to come down. He shook his head, instinctively glancing in the direction of his mother. There was no way she wouldn't notice him leaving the flat, and he was fairly certain this girl was luring him into some sort of trap, anyway. The Dark Elf yelled something in response a couple of times. At first he couldn't figure out what it was, but then he realized she had shouted, "Later."
Rioghnan nodded in response, hoping to get her to leave before his mother took notice. He'd made the mistake of telling Lilaena about the children's derisive behavior and now she absolutely despised the lot of them. There was no way in Oblivion she'd ever knowingly allow him to associate with them again.
In the middle of the night, he was awakened by a strange tapping noise. It didn't take long for him to figure out that it was coming from the window. The Dunmer girl was back outside, throwing small pebbles. Two things came to Rioghnan's mind: His immediate reaction was to become defensive, as he was certain she intended to harass him with this absurd pebble-throwing, and he feared that his mother would awaken and mortify him by reprimanding the girl on his behalf. He decided to take care of the matter himself. He pulled his boots on, clad only in his nightclothes, and crept as quietly as he could down the stairs, his face hot with anger.