xlittledragon

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

     “It is,” he said, without a hint either of bluster or humility, “But I was taught first to be a soldier, so I learnt how to take orders, and how to give them.” how to weep for fallen friends yet feel elation in the screaming of the enemy for theirs, too. War made a strange creature of men and women, and of Alexandros no different; one hand, square and calloused, with tendons and veins standing proud, held the reins considerately, firm but gentle on the horse’s mouth. They had looked the same when they held the spear with which he ran through a friend known to him since he was an infant, all for pride; they had pointed, and called down death on entire cities. “You must have learned a little of that under Xia?” he added, laughing with a tinge of sadness for the other life where he would not have had to guess at what kind of a mother she was.

   NAENIA couldn’t help bit laugh a little at his assuredness. It reminded her of her mother, which made her feel a twinge of home-sickness, but it was also familiar enough that it made her feel comfortable. It was a weird duality. As he continued, she thought on his words. She figured that it was good to learn how to fight in a war in order to lead a war. Anything else would be irresponsible. 

   SHE grinned a little at Alexandros’ question. ❝Oh yes,❞ she told him, ❝When she was available, she would train me. When she wasn’t, it was often her housecarl, Hella. Hella told me I have a warrior’s heart, but I’ve never fought in any real battles.❞ She had killed, though, on many occasions. The first time was hard, but she got better at distancing herself from it. They were small fights, though, usually just a group of bandits or something. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to handle the chaos of a battle in a war or something. ❝My mother always said it was important to learn how to protect myself. I don’t know, though, if I’m a good at leading. I haven’t really gotten any opportunities to do that.❞ She shrugged at that. 

[xlittledragon]

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒

“ am i not good enough? ”  

“ you’ve been so quiet. what’s on your mind? ”  

“ why did you help me? ”  

“ who do you fight for? ”  

“ why do you hate me? ”  

“ have you come to laugh at me in my miserable state? ”  

“ you’re not dating anyone, are you? ”  

“ i’ve got your back, okay? ”  

“ where do you think you’re going? ”  

“ how long have i been asleep? ”  

“ are you going to kill me? ”  

“ why can’t i come with you? ”  

“ we all have secrets, don’t we? ”  

“ did you want to be alone? ”  

“ why should i trust you? ”  

“ wait. did you hear that? ”  

“ promise me? ”  

“ why are you talking like we’ll never see each other again? ”  

“ do you remember anything at all? ”  

“ what? no witty remark? nothing clever to say? ”  

“ you wanna know what your problem is? ”  

“ may i have this dance? ”  

“ can i ask… what happened? ”  

“ how many people have you killed? how many? ”  

“ do you ever hear yourself? ”  

“ would you run away with me? ”  

“ could you be happy here with me? ”  

“ you can’t or you won’t? ”  

“ you slept with them, didn’t you? ”  

“ well, how do i look? ”  

“ after all you’ve done how can i possibly trust you? ”  

“ why can’t you let me in? what are you so afraid of? ”  

“ what did they do to you? ”  

“ so why’s it so important anyway? ”  

“ where have you been? ”  

“ why are you looking at me like that? ”  

“ why did you come? ”  

“ what are you doing out here by yourself? ”  

“ is… that my shirt you’re wearing? ”  

“ you… don’t like me very much, do you? ”  

“ why does it always have to be a fight with you? ”

“ why can’t you look me in the eye? ”  

“ can you forgive me? ”  

“ what if i never see you again? ”  

“ you were going to leave without saying goodbye? ”  

“ how about a little midnight snack? ”  

“ are you… smelling me? ”  

“ how did you get this scar? ”  

“ what do you want in exchange for it? ”  

“ what did you want to tell me? ”  

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

     "Oh, meetings!“ Alexandros laughed loudly, the word dripping with pure disdain, “Leave those to the ones who need them, councils and the indecisive! A queen should make her decisions and ask leave of none but her own conscience.” he gestured with a clenched fist. “Read books, and speak with the wise; know your own mind. Have good friends with talents you can use, and entrust them with managing the details. If anyone tries to convince you to wait for their opinions, then they want control of you. Look out for that.”

   NIA found herself giggling as Alexandros laughed loudly at the mentions of meetings. She liked the way he thought, though. To delegate those ridiculous meetings to others; to be sure in one’s own decisions. ❝I like the way you think; I suppose that’s what makes you a good ruler,❞ Naenia said. She thought about what he said and thought that all of those were things her mother was: well-read, well-spoken, kept good company, and sure of herself. She took other people’s opinions, but not over her own knowledge and convictions. Truly, Nia thought her mother would have made a good ruler. She wondered if perhaps Xia’s aversion to rule was why she had never actually pursued Alexandros. Was that one of the reasons why Nia did not get to know about her father growing up? 

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

     Ghosts passed over his face; sorrow and joy in one, intermingling like climbing vines. “I too,” he said, at the touch on his shoulder of the perpetual shadow, whispering, had you forgotten me? Sometimes he did forget, and the world seemed endless again. Then it would settle on him once more, like cold, wet linen; the dead, their touch, and the feel of time’s wheel on him. “This is her chance, if Skyrim can be trusted to care for itself without her,” he laughed, “I don’t think she believed me, but I did tell her once to be done with all the factions and take that throne herself. But perhaps that can be your project.” and he shot Naenia a grin, a dare - no hint of joke. His changed mood made his horse pick up its feet. “If I send her an invitation from both of us, she’ll have to come - and a gift- I have a few pieces lying around…”

Jewelry neither for himself, nor his wife, but noticed in the piles of loot and kept close for years; they had always been for Xia, really, but he had always felt it ran too close to feeling like a bribe; like he thought he could convince her to turn from her own dreams and follow his with some gold and shiny stones. She had her pride; he loved her for it. In person, he could pile her with gifts with grace.

   ❝MY mother on a throne? She would never,❞ Naenia laughed. She had seen the way her mother passed power away from her and unto others. At the mention of her taking on that mantle, Nia couldn't help but let out another laugh, smaller this time. ❝Me? You think so? I'd have to attend all of those political meetings, though, wouldn't I?❞ She scrunched up her face at the thought. She had sat in on one or two of them as a child. That sounded awfully boring. She'd rather have adventure and fun.

   NAENIA let out a hum at his suggestion. ❝She does have a soft spot for rings and necklaces,❞ Nia mused, throwing a grin back at Alexandros. She was almost positive that if Alexandros invited her mother now, especially with Nia there, it would definitely bring Xia to Cyrodiil. Nia wasn't even sure what would be the selling point — the ability to see Alexandros again or to see her daughter for the first time in a long time. She knew that if Xia had to admit anything out loud, though, she would say that she had come for Nia.

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood​:

     He was squinting out at the horizon, to the very distant glitter of the sea, crows’ feet deepening at the corners of eyes nestled within their lids like jewels in folds of old, soft linen. His lion’s mane of hair looked washed out in the bright sun; the silver strands showed clearer, the bleached yellow paler. She uncovered a wound on him with that - as raw as when it was first cut, as when he had stuck a spear through a friend over it. A complicated wound, as well; simpler when he had only had one, mortal father; when he had not been frowning over himself as father. It would be more complicated if he could actually have a child - but he had to worry first over whether his empress’s childlessness was a fault that lay with him.

“Your time will come,” he said, not as the wise old men had solemnly tested his patience when he was a youth, but with a knowing smile, “But first, we thank our mothers for giving us our lives so we can earn anything at all,”

   NAENIA made sure that she was facing forward, but she could not help but steal glances out of the corner of her eye at Alexandros. She didn’t want to be caught staring, but she truly could not help it. She wondered, as she stole her glances, what features of hers she had inherited from him. She was often told she was the spitting image of her mother, but surely she had gotten something from him. She wondered if it was noticeable or subtle; wondered if others would see it before she did. 

   THE girl let out a small laugh. ❝Yes, I suppose you are right,❞ she nodded. One day, she too would have honors to her name. She wouldn’t be known as just the Dragonborn’s daughter, but have a name and a legend of her own. She was determined to not be just a sentence in a history book; she wanted a whole book of her own. 

   ❝YOU have a point. Without them, we would not have a name at all to put any honors to,❞ she mused. At the mention of mothers, though, she wondered for a moment what Alexandros’ mother was like. She had heard stories in passing about the former Empress Olympias. Most were... not painted in a favorable light. What was her grandmother truly like, though, she wondered. If Alexandros was to give her a welcome, would she be able to meet Olympias? 

   ❝I do wish that my mother was here, if only because I think she would very much have liked to see you again,❞ Naenia commented after a small moment of silence. She once more glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, gauging his reaction. 

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

     “Still?” he laughed, “Who else in the entire world would be so shy of praise when so well earned? A humble dragon. Nirn should stand on its head.”

He scoffed at it in genuine, totally bemused affection; he would never understand it. What could anyone enjoy more than the adulation of the crowd? She was half a god, and the only person who doubted it, was her. He had been striving for over a decade for recognition, and all it had got him was blood and censure; if they said he was arrogant, well, he would show them arrogance.

“One day, perhaps, I will wrestle her into attending one feast in her honour, if she doesn’t escape on dragonback first. I hope you’re not so averse to such things. I should be a poor host not to give the dragonborn’s daughter the welcome she deserves.”

   NAENIA could not help but giggle along with him, and she nodded. Yes, still. Xia hadn’t changed in that regard. Nia had heard the stories from the years before she was born, how her mother was and how she still was. Sometimes Naenia wished that Xia would be less humble, but she had a way of telling people off without them even realizing it. Without showing her true power. It was impressive, for sure. 

   ❝IF you manage that, I shall be astonished,❞ she laughed again. She wondered how her mother would handle a dinner in her honor... let alone one hosted by Nia’s father. She shook her head then. ❝I’m not so adverse, but I have nothing to my name but my mother’s honors,❞ and my father’s, so hidden she added in thought. What would a dinner in honor of her be like? She hoped one day she too had something to her name other than Dragonborn’s daughter (or even Emperor’s daughter, should she ever be recognized). 

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

     “All Tamriel, and half of Akavir, although I hear that hardly anyone realises I did more than sight the coast. They should return with me, when I go back, and see for themselves the cities I’ve founded.”

He didn’t do anything so blatant as look around, but by the corner of his eye he assessed the distance of the guards, and spoke softly. “Keep this to yourself; it is not for anyone else. But I know it. We don’t belong to the lands of our birth. My land is Alinor.”

His caution was obvious. Not for lifetimes would the deep scar of the Great War begin to close over. Where, on all Nirn, could be found masses magnanimous in victory, a mob considerate of virtue, a wronged man willing to see justice done rather than revenge? But Alexandros loved the Altmer; those towering, beautiful, proud people, who, though forced to drink the poison of a tyranny for well over a century, had kept their nobility. What would his officers, steeped in the memory, or the telling of the memory, of the Sack of the Imperial City, think to hear him say as much? Over this tired issue his life had been attempted on twice now, and though he knew his retaliation necessary, though he did not regret what he had done, he still felt the blood on his hands. He would be a cold man not to - it was all from friends; from the men who had dandled him upon their knees when he was a babe; from the children of noble families entrusted to him to raise up into officers their parents could be proud of.

“It must be all that dragonfire in her that lets Xia love Skyrim,” he smiled, “I don’t know anyone else that likes having their kneecaps frozen solid, even the ones who were born there. But she picked it for her own - it seemed to me she loved the land more than she even knew. They’re lucky to have one such as her for a guardian.”

More lucky than they deserved, even, but of course he would think that.

  NAENIA listened with rapture, hearing of the places that he had traveled to. She was jealous, but then, she still had a full life ahead of her. She could still see all of those places just as he had. ❝That sounds absolutely amazing,❞ Nia commented, an amazed look on her face.

  NAENIA leaned in as if that would allow her to hear him any better. With how close they were riding, it wasn't particularly hard even if he spoke softly. ❝Really?❞ She said with once more wide-eyed amazement, ❝that's fascinating.❞ She had not known that Alinor was his land... her land, if she thought about it. ❝I promise, I won't tell a soul!❞ She told him, making a crossing gesture over her heart.

  SHE laughed at his comment about her mother. ❝That must be it! It's the only reasonable explanation,❞ she agreed. She did not have the same fire warming her inside. Sure, she grew up in the environment, so she was used to it, but she definitely preferred the warmer weather rather than the cold snows of northern Skyrim.

  A soft look appeared on Nia's face and she nodded, a small smile on her face. ❝I think Skyrim chose her, and it chose well. She's good at what she does, even if she doesn't like to brag about it.❞ She agreed that they were lucky to have her as a guardian. She couldn't have said the same when she was younger, but now she had a better relationship with her mother. Although, the whole finding-out-who-Nia's-father-was thing put them back just a little bit. She knew she'd forgive Xia eventually, she was just allowing herself to be mad at her for a little while.

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

      “I know the feeling,” he replied, and nudged on his horse at an easy pace. The guards kept a discreet distance, but not a private one. After as many brushes with death as he had had, they were pretty careful of him. “It is sent from the gods. Some of us they ask for special devotions - I knew it all my life, since I was a child, that I had to see beyond the horizon.”

Ever the horseman, even just by the glances that talking and riding side by side tend to make, he noted that she knew what she was about, and not just in the way that anyone who has to ride a horse to get around is. The smile already on his face twitched in amusement; he wouldn’t call the animal that Xia rode a horse (he couldn’t say what it was, only that it was not a horse), but it behaved enough like one that he could imagine it a stern teacher, in the ways that clever horses are. The best teachers, in his mind, often were that sort - they said get good, or get off.

“There isn’t a feeling like it, is there - crossing a mountain, and seeing for the first time the new land stretching away into the distance.”

   NAENIA smiled at the way he described his lust for adventure; that it was sent from the gods themselves. Nia liked the sound of that. She liked the idea that the gods had blessed her with something. Not just that, but that it was the same something that her father had. To know that she had shared even one thing with him was all she had ever wanted. ❝I am sure you have seen all of Tamriel at this point. What has been your favorite?❞ She could not help herself from asking. Her mother hadn’t seen quite as much of the world, but she always said that Skyrim was her favorite. Nia found that answer too boring for her likings, and hoped that Alexandros would regale her with some tale of a beautiful far off place. 

   ❝COMING here was... exhilarating. To know that there was this place that I had never seen — with people whom I have never met. The possibilities seemed absolutely endless. I wondered if I might conquer the world this way.❞ She hadn’t meant it literally — not in the way that armies or rulers conquered the world. It was more so a comment on the feeling that it gave. 

   ❝MY mother only mentioned right before I left just how beautiful Cyrodiil could be. She told me, briefly, of some of the things that she had seen. Her words don’t do it justice, if I am honest. Don’t tell my mother, but I think I might like it better than Skyrim.❞ Nia’s eyes were alight with amusement at this comment, her lips tugged upwards in a silently laughing smile. Perhaps it was beautiful to her because it was new. Perhaps it was because of what the province held. She wasn’t entirely sure what made her think so.  

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

     He could hardly rejoice - outwardly or otherwise, he would not delight in good things denied her. But the heart is foolish. He had blundered in asking, anyway, and he was usually so considerate of others’ honour, knowing only too well the sting of its harm. He brushed it aside and rescued them both with, “Her daughter is my honoured guest- someone will collect your household, and give you a place in camp.” he summoned up some of his guard at once, the only pause allowing, rather than for her to accept or decline the offer, for her to tell them where to find her belongings, and any servants or companions. He had one of them dismount, too, to offer her their horse. “Come, ride with me, and we can talk. I wouldn’t have you travel all the way out here to be neglected - tell me, what’s brought you so far?”

The guards were all well bred and well trained and went about their tasks in good, polite order. The crowd was bound by no decorum; they craned and peered as if to watch a fire juggler, the hum of their voices wordless, yet somehow carrying the tone of their curiosity.

   HE hadn’t said anything in Nia’s response to her mother not being married. She wasn’t entirely sure what was going on in his head at all. No matter how much she studied his face, she could not determine it. She did not know his little tells like others might, if he had any at all. 

   WHEN Alexandros told her that he would give her a place in his camp, her heart nearly stopped. Was this actually happening? Was she still in her bedroll, dreaming away? ❝O-oh, thank you! I would... I would really appreciate that,❞ she accepted his offer. She told the guard where to find her belongings. She hadn’t brought much with her — only enough of what she could carry. She thanked the guards before drawing her attention to the horse that was offered to her. 

   SHE was beautiful and strong looking. Nia gently patted her, introducing herself first before climbing into the saddle. When she considered Lex’s question of what brought her so far, she debated how to answer. In truth, it was to see him. She felt as if she could not tell him her true intentions — not yet, and not when there were potential eavesdroppers. 

   ❝I wanted an adventure. I have seen nearly all of Skyrim, so I felt as if I needed to go even farther. Cyrodiil seemed like the next best step. I, uhm, somehow managed to make it here, and I suppose that the rest is history,❞ she told him with a smile, brushing loose strands of her hair behind her ear.

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

     The name took his breath away. Some part of him had known, because truly, how could coincidence contrive to produce such a face, such hair, the style of braids, even the way in which her mouth twisted slightly. But he had refuted it, as to him this meeting seemed pure chance. But the gods brought the unthought to be - and here she stood.

There was a pause, a moment like when struck in the chest, and the lungs quiver but can draw no air; his lips sat parted, the smile suspended. “I do!” he said at last, “A grief to me still, that we had to part… she is married, then?”

It was due her, that happiness. He knew himself too pragmatic for jealousy; he had, after all, been the one to arrage the marriage of his wife’s sister to a man that had once been his own lover. To his surprise, then, he felt the clenching of his chest like the tug of the old wound at his lung. No political necessity could protect his heart from this; that once, she might have been promised him, and once, he might have chosen her for himself, and done so for her, not for politics. It was not that all her love should have been for him, that all her body, and all her soul, should have been his alone - a profounder ache than that. That he could have loved her in view of all the world. That their names could have been entwined in history. That their blood, as one, could have been the future of Nirn. That all the love that he had held for her for years, and all the love that she might have had for him, had gone up silently to the stars like plumes of breath on a cold morning, and neither had had the joy of it.

Perhaps it was because the girl had taken so much after her mother that he noticed not where her other features came from - something of her grandmother in her low cheekbones, something of him in her mouth - but the one puzzle piece that he was missing, had not even crossed his mind.

   NAENIA worried for a moment. The pause felt like it had lasted years. Would he deny having known her? Could he not remember her? She only felt relief when he smiled. The breath that had caught in her lungs finally able to be exhaled. He admitted to knowing her. He expressed sorrow over having to leave. She did not know how true that was — he could just be saying that because she was Xia’s daughter and did not want to offend. He could have been being polite. At his question, though, she shifted awkwardly.

   ❝UHM, well... n-no,❞ she once more chewed on her inner cheek, a bad habit of hers when she was nervous, ❝no, my mother never married.❞ It always felt somewhat awkward to admit something like that, as it also meant that she was announcing that she was nothing but a bastard. Most people seemed to not care too much... or, at least, they did not care enough to say it to her or Xia’s face. Only the supremely stupid dared to do that. As for Xia’s romantic history, Naenia didn’t really know much. Xia had always kept Nia in the dark about her trysts. It wasn’t until Nia was older that she even knew that Xia occasionally saw men — for that was all it seemed to be, occasional and casual. 

   THERE was one instance where Nia could recall meeting someone that Xia had had in her life. He had been a relatively nice man, from what she had remembered in her one meeting of his — accidental, as he came calling to their home unannounced. Nia had been ushered out of the room after he had given her a gift, but she had eavesdropped like the curious child that she had been. The two of them had argued. He had wanted to get married. He wanted to become a family. He had said he had a large estate home in High Rock that had once belonged to a cousin of his that they could move into as soon as Xia was ready. Xia told him to leave and never come back. 

   NAENIA could not speak for her mother. She hardly knew anything about her mother’s romantic life or how she felt about any of that. Still, she always wondered why Xia had never wanted to marry. Never wanted to get serious with anyone. When she read the letters, Nia could only assume that perhaps her mother had actually had feelings for her father. Perhaps he had been the only one that she had felt comfortable enough to trust. That was, however, only for Xia to know. She was not exactly forthcoming with that information. 

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

      He sat, straight-backed, watching her approach - it had been a flash, a moment of déjà vu, that stopped him, and of indulgence that called her forth. His memories of being twelve were distant and eroded, but she seemed to bring them back to life, and conjure a vision of the years he had missed, the space between the dove-soft Isa of his childhood and the marble-carved Xia of his time in Skyrim. There was such a resemblance in the girl as quite startled him. He had travelled all of Tamriel, and now seen vast swathes of Akavir - but among all the peoples, he had yet to find one which could claim that many, if any, of its children were ever born with silver hair.

When she approached he didn’t stand on ceremony - kneeling and bowing had its place, and that place was the audience chamber. He smiled kindly at her, those deep crows’ feet showing themselves etched at least in part by happiness, and he said, “Come up, I don’t bite.” Not really because she seemed afraid, but because it was true of high rulers everywhere that a cold and frightful grandeur would always emerge as a means to keep their peoples in awe and terror of them. Alexandros, who had proved that the heights of achievement owed their inspiration to love, preferred the common touch with which he had wooed all the Legion.

“What’s your name?” he asked her, “From where do you hail?”

   THE closer she got, the better she could see his features. His hair, changing from the golden that had been described to her. It was beginning to look more like her mother’s — more like hers. His smile was kind, a reassurance. She had been told he was kind. She hadn’t been entirely sure if those stories had been skewed or not — still didn’t know for certain, but he looked kind. 

   NIA let out a little awkward laugh at his comment of how he didn’t bite. Then, she remembered her manners. She was standing before an Emperor, after all. She let out an embarrassed cough and did a curtsey (which looked a little awkward due to her not currently wearing a dress). ❝Naenia, Your Highness—❞ was that the right term to use for an Emperor? She had greeted a High King, and Jarls, and Thanes, but never an Emperor. She had probably just made a fool of herself, but she didn’t know any better. ❝Naenia Silver-Wing. I hail from Skyrim.❞ 

   SHE bit the inside of her cheek as she straightened up. Would he recognize her mother’s last name? Is that why he had called her forward? Not her name, no, but her looks. She had been told her entire life that she looked just like her mother. Sometimes people even called her by her mother’s name, mistaking Naenia for Xia. Depending on the day, Nia either hated or loved that. ❝Perhaps... you know my mother,❞ she said to him after a moment’s pause, taking in a breath, ❝Xia Silver-Wing.❞ Of course, she knew that he had known her. He had known her intimately, at least once. They had exchanged letters for a while. This sort of questioning, though, did not seem unreasonable. Her mother was the Dragonborn, after all. She was the hero of Skyrim. Would it be unusual for an Emperor to know a hero? 

[xlittledragon]

dionsblood·:

@xlittledragon·

     Alexandros needed to stretch his limbs; he had been in his tent three days together, working through an enormous pile of letters, dispatches, entreaties, comissions, disputes, treasury accounts- when he stretched, his back clicked, and he did not overbend his right side. To breathe deeply still caused him pain. When he stepped out into the early summer morning’s bright sun, and squinted, it showed up the deep crows’ feet at the corners of his eyes that befitted a man twice his age, and lit hair paler than it had been ten years ago, the golden mane now streaked through everywhere with silvery white. When he called for, and rode out on, a horse, it was not his beloved Oxhead, and it was not with his beloved Hephaestion; their ashes danced on the wind, many miles away, and their spirits waged war across the stars in eternal glory.

Yet he smiled at the soldiers as they greeted him, and did not show it when the old wound tugged at his breath. He meant to go out to the training field, beaten into a patch of the wide, flat grassland free of scrubby trees, to watch the youths practicing for their competitions in the upcoming games - knowing he was watching, people would push themselves further than they would have otherwise or perhaps knew they could, and benefitted from it. As he rode from the neat and organised ranks of the legion camp, however, he cut close to the followers’ camp, that dense, nonsensical jumble of merchants, whores, mercers, tradesmen, performers, and the like who came in the wake of an army, selling to the soldiers, enriched with bloody gold and plunder, whatever they could wish for. This was not his domain, so to them, he was a rarer sight, and worth seeing, even if he wasn’t bedecked in jewels or grand robes. It was the way he sat that told anyone who had never seen him before who he was. The way he sat, and the way he made the air feel.

He still smiled to them too, and lifted a hand in greeting; they were still his citizens. He took pains to see them follow and protected by as much law as could be done in such difficult circumstances. He was not very close to them; and yet his eyes still found some detail, and he drew his horse to a stop. He called one of his companion guard close to him, and spoke with them, pointing at the crowd. They trotted their horse over to the now curious people, stopping in front of her. “The Emperor would speak to you,” they said, gesturing her to leave the buzzing crowd, and approach him where he waited, too far for his eyes to be seen properly, but his gaze like a physical thing.

   NAENIA had been on this particular journey for some time now. She had set off after an argument with her mother — a new purpose lighting the fire within the young woman. She had information that she had never had before. A name, and not just a name, but a name that carried weight. A name that would be easy to find. Emperor Alexandros Mede I. Her father. 

   TO be perfectly honest, she had left on this journey with little to no thought about what might happen when she was to actually find him. What could she say to him? Hello, sir Emperor sir. I am your long lost daughter! That was laughable. Who would believe her? Still, she had joined a little travelling group of actors. They had plans to follow behind the Emperor’s army, providing entertainment among a group of people providing other services for them as well. 

   NIA was not a sheltered young woman. Well, not as much as some people were. She knew how to take care of herself. She knew about the darkness in the world. Her mother had taught her as much. She managed to fit in well with the riff-raff of the camp that followed the army. She made friends; friends who told her about the Emperor who commanded the Legion. She wasn’t entirely sure what to believe of the stories, but she did understand that it probably wasn’t that likely to see him. Ever since her arrival, she had been trying to come up with ways to get to the army camp and see him. None were good ideas, though, and so she kept biding her time. 

   ONE morning, though, she found herself graced by the divines. Emperor Alexandros rode through their camp. When her friend, Jelena, came rushing into her tent to tell her of his arrival, Nia scrambled out of her tent the second her feet entered her boots — no time to even lace them up. She stood in absolute awe as he rode through atop a wonderfully gorgeous horse. Somehow, he had looked exactly like how Naenia had pictured him — if not a little more weathered with age than the pictures people had painted. Her heart clenched and her mouth went dry as she watched him. This was the closest she had been... this was her chance, if ever there was one. 

   FATE was even kinder as a guard approached her. Her heart started to pound so loudly that she feared everyone around her could hear it. ❝The Emperor would speak to you.❞ He wanted to speak to her? He had singled her out? It took Nia a moment to catch her breath. She could not form words, but nodded an okay. She would agree. She would go to speak to him. The only question that remained was what would she say?

[xlittledragon]

scalettavito: ↳ 2x02 “Kaer Morhen”

↳ 2x02 “Kaer Morhen”

[xlittledragon]

sunsets and sunrises of skyrim /// p1/3

[xlittledragon]

CIRILLA OF CINTRA The Witcher, 2x03

[xlittledragon]

Must be something in the water  — Or that I'm my mother's daughter

indie the elder scrolls oc. daughter of xia silver-wing (oc dragonborn). semi-selective. multiverse. multiship. follows back from @xsilver-wings

[xlittledragon]

𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠  𝚊𝚗𝚍  𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎  𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚜.      ( feel free to change pronouns, potentially triggering, read & reblog with caution. )

’ i look like my mother and she looked like the enemy. ‘

’ i’ve never been welcomed here. ‘

‘ keep a pencil in your hand. or else someone will put a rifle in it instead. ‘

‘ i spent years thinking i’d find a way out. ‘

‘ i’m old enough to know the only way out, is through. ‘

‘ well, i need someone to take the fall for my petty crimes, that’s all. ‘

‘ we learned some good life lessons back then. ‘

‘ one: don’t cry in public. ‘

‘ she/he/they isn’t like you. no one is. ‘

‘ you’re the one of us who believes in a higher power. ‘

‘ when i get the nerves the night before i like to have a good tumble with a stranger. ‘

‘ you don’t seem like the type to do what they should. ‘

‘ well, turns out they do need me, so. ‘

‘ you’re a terrible shot. ‘

‘ when i was young, i had nightmares about it. ‘

‘ if it goes wrong, come back. you’ve lost enough already. ‘

‘ i’ll find my way back to you, promise. ‘ 

‘ don’t you want to know if you’re grisha? ‘

‘ if i can’t crack this, none of us are going anywhere. ‘

‘ maybe i won’t be here when you get back. ‘

‘ what are you? ‘

‘ that’s why i’m here, isn’t it? ‘

‘ they’re all gone. it’s my fault. ‘

‘ is it true? can you summon light? ‘

‘ when they realize their mistake, what do you think they’ll do to her/him/them? ‘

‘ i know her/him/them better than anyone does. ‘ 

‘ i don’t know where this letter will find you. but you must’nt worry about me. ‘

‘ i am perfectly capable of washing myself. ‘

‘ don’t change my eyes. ‘

‘ i’m almost as rare as you. ‘

‘ sentimental. we’ll work on that too. ‘

‘ i can’t go in front of the king, i need more time. ‘

‘ know that when i told you about true north, i was talking about you. ‘

‘ black is his color. not mine. ‘

‘ tell me, are you so anxious to be like everyone else? ‘

‘ it would be nice to know what the feels like, someday. ‘

‘ time for a heist. ‘ 

‘ you managed to win us over, didn’t you? ‘

‘ training is good. well, i think it’s going well. ‘ 

‘ where you are doesn’t matter nearly as much as who you’re with. ‘ 

‘ when there’s something you want, better to act without thinking than think without acting. ‘ 

‘ i’ve always wanted to travel the world. ‘

 ‘ i like seeing you this way, i want you to be careful. ‘ 

‘ you never compliment anyone to their face. ‘ 

‘ aren’t you supposed to be scouting our way out? ‘ 

‘ what do you think i’m doing? ‘ 

‘ i think you’re flirting with that stable hand. ‘ 

‘ tell me, what makes one carriage faster than the other? ‘ 

‘ the right answer is their is no right answer. ‘ 

‘ it’s the horse that makes the difference. ‘ 

‘ no human being should be as proud as you are right now. ‘ 

‘ you think that’s what it is? just a trick? ‘ 

‘ you don’t want to keep it in your pocket for too long. ‘ 

‘ i’m sorry that it took me this long to see you. ‘ 

‘ i prefer to travel alone. ‘ 

‘ i’m afraid we can’t let that happen. ‘ 

‘ you stick with us, everybody gets what they want. ‘ 

‘ i’m not being anyone’s captive ever again. ‘ 

‘ it was my power keeping you warm. ‘ 

‘ you won’t get far out here without it. ‘ 

‘ if i wanted you dead, i would have slowed your heart instead of speeding it up. ‘ 

‘ you intend to kill me! ‘

‘ why would you save me? ‘ 

‘ so there is a brain inside all that muscle. ‘ 

‘ you used to call on me, on times like this. ‘ 

‘ when your table was messy and your bed was neat. ‘ 

‘ i am a witch hunter and you are a witch. ‘ 

‘ you made him afraid. now he wants you to fear him. ‘ 

‘ you’re the one who taught me how to kill, mother/father. ‘ 

‘ i taught you so you could protect yourself. ‘ 

‘ we need to teach them how to fight. ‘ 

‘ i forbid it. now, do you hear me? ‘ 

‘ it’s dangerous to go looking for the dead. ‘

‘ what you see may haunt you for the rest of your days. ‘ 

‘ maybe. just maybe. greed is a poor motivator. ‘ 

‘ true wealth is the friends you make along the way. ‘ 

‘ i should just tear this down now. ‘ 

‘ i will go north in the night. ‘ 

‘ no. this can’t be it. i’m not done tormenting you. ‘ 

‘ i will keep you warm. ‘ 

‘ i can’t wait to introduce you to my truest love. ‘ 

‘ when i got older, i learned that darkness is a place and it’s full of monsters. ‘ 

‘  they aren’t the monsters. they’re just boys/girls. ‘

‘  we can’t hide forever. we can run together. ‘

‘  no businessman worth his salt bargains for what he can take. ‘ 

‘  our enemies are threatened by your mere existence. ‘ 

‘  never make decisions out of fear, only out of spite. ‘ 

‘  well greed always worked for me. ‘ 

‘  the bone road ebbs and and the bone road flows. ‘

‘  handsome decoy is also not a [NAME’S] talent. ‘ 

‘  i’d rather starve than be a traitor. ‘ 

‘ needing anyone is weak. ‘ 

‘ you and i are going to change the world. ‘ 

‘ so, who actually saw what happened? ‘ 

‘  it came from everywhere, because you called upon it to come. ‘

‘ i have been waiting a long time for you. ‘ 

‘ there are no others like us and there never will be. ‘ 

‘ not many people surprise me. ‘ 

‘ fine. make me your villain. ‘ 

‘  they are traitors who tried to kill you. this is retribution. ‘ 

‘  i’ve survived for centuries. did you really think you could kill me. ‘

‘ you are quite valuable, you know. ‘ 

‘ the deal is the deal. ‘ 

‘ i’m just trying to keep warm. you should join me. ‘ 

‘ i’ve been warned off the job. ‘ 

‘ i know that look. he’s a man consumed with vengeance. ‘ 

‘ please tell me you have a plan. ‘ 

‘ i’m not against the occasional light roleplay. ‘ 

‘ i’d miss me too. i’m fantastic. ‘

‘ no one is ever going to believe i’m that old. ‘

‘ why does this concern me? ‘ 

‘ well of course certain death pays a million. ‘ 

‘ unlike a spider, i only need one leg. ‘