Bond Of Blood

Chapter 32

Lilith Aurelius rolled her eyes and made to continue her walk towards Jorrvaskr. She loved taking her daily walks, especially after her daughters funeral. It gave her time to think, and to remember Morgan as her daughter, and not as a heroine of Skyrim. She had never talked to her about it, but she knew that Morgan was not someone to look for fame and fortune, and would have almost certainly hated the pressure that had been placed on her.

But sometimes, even the lowliest person can rise above the rest.

Her family had never been rich. Growing up in Bruma under Thalmor rule had made it extremely hard to build up much gold, especially when the taxes forced upon the Countess of Bruma by the Thalmor increased every year tenfold. Lilith always wondered what had happened in Bruma after her daughter had killed one of the Thalmor's highest ranking officers in Cyrodiil and had fled to Skyrim.

Not that it matters now. She has gone to a place where even they cannot touch her.

"I was talking to you, wench!"

She was jolted out of her musings by a smooth hand gripping her forearm, the sickening nasally voice of Nazeem filling her ears as he continued to speak.

"I was interested in buying the gems off your daughter. I have asked you twice now and you continue to stay silent. I need an answer!"

Lilith spun around, grabbed his elbow and flipped him over her shoulder before kneeling on his chest, her sharpened glass dagger held in a steady hand at his throat. She leaned over and smirked at him.

"This is your answer you pathetic, snivelling piece of dragon shit. Talk to me again and I will carve your tongue out and feed it to Odahviing."

She ignored the foul stench of urine permeating from his breeches and stood up, sheathing the dagger before continuing towards her destination. She gave an apologetic nod to the guard who had been sprinting towards her, and he simply chuckled as she passed him.

Lilith would never get used to this. She had been grown up in a place where friendships were hard to come by, where anyone could betray you for gold. But after the funeral, more and more people of Whiterun had begun to open up to her, asking her questions about herself and her daughter, about where they had learned to fight and so on.

Lilith's favourite question was the one where they asked about Morgan's upbringing and what she had been like growing up.

She smiled as she sat down on a bench, the branches of the Gildergreen tree a welcome shade against the harsh sun.

"But Mother!"

Lilith held back a smile at her daughter's expression. She was holding the small bloody iron dagger close to her heart as though it were the best form of protection she could ask for, her eyes wide and tears beginning to form around the edges.

"But nothing young lady! You are in very deep trouble!"

"But...!"

"Hush! You and the Countess's daughter are as bad as each other, I swear! What were the two of you thinking? You could have been hurt!"

"The guards never DO anything!" Morgan screamed back, and Lilith flinched as she had that strange feeling wash over her, as though an invisible force had tried to hit her.

"Wolves are dangerous! They hunt in packs Morgan, you know this! The guards are here to keep the people inside the walls safe!"

"And what about those that live outside the wolves? Are they just wolf food?"

There were times when Lilith could see herself when Morgan started getting upset, and this was one of those times. She understood her daughter's way of thinking, but she also knew that it was impossible for every person to be protected. She knelt down and brushed a strand of black hair from Morgan's forehead and sighed.