AlijhamAug 03, 2015Aug 03, 2015 at 05:12 PM
#1
Alijham didn't look up from his desk when he heard the creaking of the ladder and the clop of the trap door. He stared down at his writing, pretending he didn't notice for the time being, but he reacted on impulse when his father stepped around the corner.
"Wyndhenir told me what you did."
Xarineau's wine-red eyes, a replica of Alijham's, cinched. "What of it?" The older elf asked, lacing his fingers together behind his back.
"You didn't kill that little girl, did you?"
"She was already dying. Better to get it over with earlier."
Alijham spun around and sucked in a heap of air through his teeth, chest swelling. His brow dimpled harshly. "Why?" Was all he pushed out with all of the breath he'd saved.
"I taught him how to make a sacrifice, had he ever the need to do so," was the reply.
"What..?" Alijham croaked. "You taught my son how to.. why would he ever need to make a sacrifice!? You should have brought that girl to me, and instead of ending her already miserable life in the most miserable way possible, I could have at least done something to put her soul to rest! To show her a little bit of kindness.. all you did was confirm that her life didn't matter," his voice hushed. "And now she is a trapped, wandering soul that thinks she was never worth a damn thing."
Xarineau looked amused. "You would care so much about a girl that was already damned? One you never even saw the face of?" He chuckled.
"Yes!" Alijham yelped. "What if that was your daughter, your sister? What then? Her family is probably plowing Malabal Tor down to find her, and even if they did.." he sniffed. "..They would find her slaughtered on an altar to Hircine."
"Are you telling me you've left behind your god, Alijham?"
"No," he whimpered. "Is that all you've gotten out of what I said? Is an innocent life really that worthless to you?"
Xarineau scoffed, shaking his head. He let out a soft laugh. "You can't save everyone, silly elf. I don't know why you feel so entitled to do so, but it is not in your hands."
"I know that I can't save everyone, but you could have saved that girl. That was in your hands, and you chose to throw her life away to 'teach' my son something that he will likely never use, and never needed to know. All you taught him was how empty your chest is."
"How empty my chest is?" He repeated, shoulders shaking lightly in another laugh. "If my chest was so 'empty', I would have never housed, clothed, and fed you. I never would have taught you alchemy, and I ne--"
Alijham slammed Xarineau against the rooty wall. "Don't. Pull. Out. That. Alibi."
"Alibi?" Xarineau still seemed rather amused. "Why, I only said the truth."
"I slept on the forest floor every night, because I was afraid if I slept in my room, you would find me there. Mother taught me to make my own clothing, and that is what I wore, so you couldn't track me as easily. I hardly ever came when you sent uncle Epis out to find me and bring me to you, for what you said was going to be alchemy practice, because I was afraid that was a lie, and you'd only use it as an excuse to find something else I'd done wrong and drag me down to the river for it. Every time you bruised or gashed me to try and get me to 'learn a lesson', all I learned was that I wasn't good enough. After a couple of years, I didn't even mind it anymore. I just sat there and took it. Do you know what that feels like, Xarineau? To be put down and degraded because of who you are and your own free will? Sure, I wasn't perfect, but don't pretend like you are. In fact, you are much further from it than I. The many--and blissful, for that matter--years I spend without you did teach me something, and that is that I was never the one that wasn't good enough. It was you who was never good enough, and you will never be good enough. Not for me, not for Mother, not for Wyndhenir, and not for Hircine. Because you have your priorities all mixed up--at least, that was how it began. And it escalated. And escalated. And now you are a daedric prince's pet, a child beater, and more of a hog than an elf. Congratulations, your son hates you. And so does your wife, more than likely, and the other son you never acknowledged." Alijham released him from the wall. "Sleep on that--I bet you'll dream like a baby and rise like a spring daisy." He flashed him a toothy smile and whipped around.
"Wyndhenir told me what you did."
Xarineau's wine-red eyes, a replica of Alijham's, cinched. "What of it?" The older elf asked, lacing his fingers together behind his back.
"You didn't kill that little girl, did you?"
"She was already dying. Better to get it over with earlier."
Alijham spun around and sucked in a heap of air through his teeth, chest swelling. His brow dimpled harshly. "Why?" Was all he pushed out with all of the breath he'd saved.
"I taught him how to make a sacrifice, had he ever the need to do so," was the reply.
"What..?" Alijham croaked. "You taught my son how to.. why would he ever need to make a sacrifice!? You should have brought that girl to me, and instead of ending her already miserable life in the most miserable way possible, I could have at least done something to put her soul to rest! To show her a little bit of kindness.. all you did was confirm that her life didn't matter," his voice hushed. "And now she is a trapped, wandering soul that thinks she was never worth a damn thing."
Xarineau looked amused. "You would care so much about a girl that was already damned? One you never even saw the face of?" He chuckled.
"Yes!" Alijham yelped. "What if that was your daughter, your sister? What then? Her family is probably plowing Malabal Tor down to find her, and even if they did.." he sniffed. "..They would find her slaughtered on an altar to Hircine."
"Are you telling me you've left behind your god, Alijham?"
"No," he whimpered. "Is that all you've gotten out of what I said? Is an innocent life really that worthless to you?"
Xarineau scoffed, shaking his head. He let out a soft laugh. "You can't save everyone, silly elf. I don't know why you feel so entitled to do so, but it is not in your hands."
"I know that I can't save everyone, but you could have saved that girl. That was in your hands, and you chose to throw her life away to 'teach' my son something that he will likely never use, and never needed to know. All you taught him was how empty your chest is."
"How empty my chest is?" He repeated, shoulders shaking lightly in another laugh. "If my chest was so 'empty', I would have never housed, clothed, and fed you. I never would have taught you alchemy, and I ne--"
Alijham slammed Xarineau against the rooty wall. "Don't. Pull. Out. That. Alibi."
"Alibi?" Xarineau still seemed rather amused. "Why, I only said the truth."
"I slept on the forest floor every night, because I was afraid if I slept in my room, you would find me there. Mother taught me to make my own clothing, and that is what I wore, so you couldn't track me as easily. I hardly ever came when you sent uncle Epis out to find me and bring me to you, for what you said was going to be alchemy practice, because I was afraid that was a lie, and you'd only use it as an excuse to find something else I'd done wrong and drag me down to the river for it. Every time you bruised or gashed me to try and get me to 'learn a lesson', all I learned was that I wasn't good enough. After a couple of years, I didn't even mind it anymore. I just sat there and took it. Do you know what that feels like, Xarineau? To be put down and degraded because of who you are and your own free will? Sure, I wasn't perfect, but don't pretend like you are. In fact, you are much further from it than I. The many--and blissful, for that matter--years I spend without you did teach me something, and that is that I was never the one that wasn't good enough. It was you who was never good enough, and you will never be good enough. Not for me, not for Mother, not for Wyndhenir, and not for Hircine. Because you have your priorities all mixed up--at least, that was how it began. And it escalated. And escalated. And now you are a daedric prince's pet, a child beater, and more of a hog than an elf. Congratulations, your son hates you. And so does your wife, more than likely, and the other son you never acknowledged." Alijham released him from the wall. "Sleep on that--I bet you'll dream like a baby and rise like a spring daisy." He flashed him a toothy smile and whipped around.