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

The Rescue of the Aureal

Note: Fracking love title drops.

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"Lass? Come on!"

"Ma! Get up!" It was the voice of my eldest daughter that shook me out of my stupor.

"Kary?" I groaned. "Kary... you need to leave. You need to go home." My vision was hazy, but I could still make out the disappointment on her face.

"Ma, I-- what's going on? What's with all this?"

"Just... please, listen to me, Kary."

"No. Whether you want me to or not, I'm helping to save Regina." Brynjolf frowned and stepped forwards, backing me and letting out the words I couldn't find.

"Karliah, you need to listen to your mother," he demanded. "She told you to leave."

"Then I just won't listen, Pa." Her insolence and denial reminded me of myself at her age, barely out of the Thalmor's clutches and inducted into the ranks of the legendary Companions. 

"Stop it, you three."

"I don't want my daughter to die, Dylora. I can't risk it."

"That's a little morbid, Ma."

"Morbid? It's possible. I refuse to put you at risk." I wouldn't tell her about my premonition, the sudden belief that one of us would die. I didn't want to fall before rescuing Regina, but I'd rather my death than Brynjolf's. Even that... I'd use my husband as a meat shield to protect either of my children, and he knew that. We all knew that.

"I'm putting myself at risk. You can't stop me from coming with, so you might as well accept it and stop wasting time." I looked over my eldest, only just realizing how much she'd matured. "You still see me as that little girl who scraped her knees every day playing tag. I'm a warrior. I took after you." Kary helped me up and hugged me tightly. "And I need you to accept that so we can go and save my sister." 

"Gods above..."

"Let's save the happy family acts for when we've defeated Nocturnal and restored Regina to her rightful place as ruler of the Isles." I glared at Dylora, but recognized the wisdom in her suggestion. I wanted time with my loved ones, but it was still possible that I could lose my youngest child to Nocturnal.

Or my oldest.

It was time to buck up and accept the fact that this path would result in injury and casualties. It was time to destroy that Daedric Bitch of Night once and for all.

...

The sky was dark and moonless, making it difficult to see. I held both Bryn's and Kari's hands as we walked around to ensure we wouldn't get separated. It took about an hour before we reached what Haskill called Passwall, the town between the official Isles and the gate.

"It's something of a test," informed Dylora as we passed through. Kary seemed more interested in it than her father or I did, but I couldn't begrudge her any curiosity. Such is the life of a warrior, with interest in every new thing they pass. For a moment, I was proud. A loud honking call from up the hill reminded me that this was more than a dangerous quest. It was a suicide mission.

I'd lost one daughter already, I didn't want to lose another.

"What's that noise?" Kary was obviously trying desperately to keep her voice from quivering, and though my first instinct was to hold her tight like a child, she had already let my hand go in favor of moving closer to Haskill. 

A twinge of jealousy pricked at me, the same kind of aggravation I'd felt when Regina had come home with Sheogorath. Jyggalag?

"Nocturnal must have kept the Gatekeeper. It is an immense monster that keeps watch over the doors into Mania and Dementia." However, at the top of the hill, Haskill and Dylora gasped in shock. Truly enough, a massive beast with sewn-up skin, unlike anything I'd ever seen, lumbered around with angry moans.