Beautiful Insanity (A Skyrim/Oblivion Fanfiction) ((ORIGINAL))

Trust

Jyggalag only stared at me while I was dazed, and deep inside a tiny corner in my mind, I couldn't believe what I'd just told him. This was it. This was when Jyggalag would leave me. The ungrateful little chit who never believed in love.

So you can imagine my surprise when I felt a light pressure on my forehead. I opened my eyes to see Jyggalag kissing my head softly. I let out a tiny whimper, unwilling to move. "Did you really think I didn't love you?" he whispered against my skin, his peppered beard tickling my senses.

"No one ever has," I replied weakly, pressure building up in my eyes as I fought the tears. "So why should you, Jyggalag?" He paused, and my heart stopped.

"Is there any reason why I shouldn't?" I opened my mouth to reply, then found that I didn't have words. At my silence, he went on. "My lady, you're my beloved one. I have finally found you after a life of loneliness." A spark of anger touched my heart, despite his warm words.

"And what of Galea?" My tone was harsh, perhaps harsher than necessary. "Your loneliness did not seem to include her, Jyggalag."

"I stole Galea from her family." At this, he seemed ashamed. "She did not willingly come with me, while you sought me out." I searched his eyes, though found nothing but honesty. "I had loved Galea in the beginning of her imprisonment, yes," he admitted. "However, my time with her is long gone. I love you now, and only you." He paused, seemingly pained. "My love, I must tell you something that may hurt you. I wish with all my heart that it were not true, ironic as it may be." My body seemed nearly bursting with different emotions. Sorrow, curiosity, even a bit of joy.

"What is it?" I asked the Daedric Lord curiously. "Are you leaving?" He looked up at me, his face twisted in sadness.

"In a way, I eventually will. However, that is not what I'll say. I am not here in any permanence, I am merely trapped in a glass prison of Sanguine's fashion." Confusion filled me, and it must have shown on my face, for he continued to clear it up. "I had never truly died. My brother, cousin... Sanguine rescued me a moment before your Nocturnal obliterated my being. He took me in temporarily and allowed his Daedra to bring me back to health.

"But I am here now, for he has imprisoned me in a sphere of glass, a trick of his own making. While on the brink of life and death, my cell is in your family's care." It took me a moment to process what he'd said to me.

"My-- my family?!" I screeched, my voice echoing around the pavilion. "What in Oblivion is my goddamn family doing with you?! They still hold a grudge against you, don't they?" I stormed away from him and paced the gray stones, pulling on my hair. My teeth pressed sharply against my lip, though I did not bleed.

"Please, calm down," he urged, following me as I walked. "Let us avoid bringing attention to ourselves." My blood was boiling, and I had little restraint. I prepared myself for another screaming bout, though found Jyggalag's hand over my lips before I could release the words. "Regina," he murmured, "I do not wish to see you harmed." Slowly, he removed his hand.

"I don't see why my family saw fit to take you," I growled. "Now we're both trapped in Daedric Hell, and nobody has any way out." Anxiety rose in my throat, and my voice became a panicked squeak. "They're trying to break you out, aren't they? They're trying to break you out and kill you permanently--" Jyggalag again stopped my speech.

"Calm yourself," he soothed. "It's alright. From what little I've heard outside of the sphere, they're trying to release me so I may help them go back to you."

"But I'm untraceable and unreachable by mortals," I rebutted, still stuck in my previous paranoia. Surely my parents want to take him away.

"Do they know that?" he responded. I bowed my head, embarrassed. "Your mother made a deal with Sanguine, though the price is still unclear to me." An uncharacteristic jolt of fear rose in my chest for Russet. She knows the price of dealing with the Daedric Princes, what did she pay to take Jyggalag? I almost laughed aloud at this thought, wondering when I had begun to care about her-- or her about me.

"I am doing all I can to help, but I am rather stunted in any way of communing with the living," the Lord in front of me admitted. I furrowed my brows.

"You're not dead," I denied fiercely, clutching his arms tightly. My eyes stared into his, desperate for agreement. Jyggalag lifted his arms up, one snaking around my body to bring me closer to him. The other lightly cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking my soft skin. His pale eyes scanned my face for a reaction.

"Neither are you," he reminded me. "Nocturnal of old is in your body, which lives even though you remain in here." I shrugged my shoulders. Jyggalag leaned forwards, pressing his lips to my forehead gently. After a moment, he drew away, though his hand still rested on the side of my head. "Whatever happens, whoever stands in my way, I will always protect you. We will find a way out." I hesitated to reply.

"Do you promise?" I said finally. "Will we escape?" Jyggalag nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I promise you, Regina, I will get you out of this damned place." I laid my head against his chest, though the lack of a heartbeat was slightly disturbing.

"What will you do when we escape?" I queried. "Will we return to the Shivering Isles? Will it still be a refuge for the mad, or will you return it to Order?" He took a few moments to respond, though what he said filled me with jubilation.

"When we return, I will take you back to the Isles. From now past the end of eternity, I will treat you like the Princess you are." He kissed the top of my head as my eyes closed. "And I will never let you go again."