User blog:Eilonwyn/A Letter of Loss

She. Won't. Stop. Help!

Also! Take a shot whenever the word Time appears! I dare you!

A disappearance.
“She’s done what!?”

“L-left your majesty. This note was handed in by her daughter.”

Maria sighed in frustration, running her hands through her long hair whilst she paced around her throne room, her son following her movements with his eyes. Even he remained quiet, fearful of his mother’s wrath.

“What does it say?” Maria asked through gritted teeth.

The guard glanced to the floor, nervously rummaging in his pocket, stalling until he finally pulled out the note written in long flowing handwriting that was surprisingly neat.

“Y-you won’t like it ma’am…”

“I don’t like a lot of things but I still face them head on.”

Like my husband…

The guard nodded and began to read in a trembling voice.

“Dear Lianne.

''You have reached that time in your life where you no longer need your mother. You are ready to find your own path and I am finally ready to reach the end of mine. Life won’t be easy for you; you know that more than anyone. But you are my daughter. You have the strength of me and your father inside you and that makes you tougher than anyone. Never forget what we went through to have you. Never forget the loss I have lived with for so long. ''

''How do I put this? ''

''You know the Blighted Knight from your Uncles tales? How he overran Falkreath with his Fallen army and laid waste to the town?''

Well…”

The guard gasped and looked up to Maria in shock, surprise and sadness in his eyes.

Maria nodded solemnly, guessing what was about to come next.

''“That was Set. My husband. Your father. He was the Blighted Knight and it…''

''It was my fault he became it. I ran away and Namira used his volatile state to push him back into being her champion. When we found each other again, neither of us were ourselves. I was crazy and he was undead. ''

''There was a great battle inside Camp Alessia. I danced around the ruins, laughing and crying and giggling looking for him. I knew deep down what he was like. I knew what he had become because of me. ''

''I got shot. Right in the stomach. I fell to the ground and found myself looking at the sky. The rain it…it washed away the madness, made me realise that if I didn’t die here, I’d be alone either way. It didn’t matter if he was dead or if he was the Blighted Knight. ''

''My Set was gone. ''

''Next thing I remember is hearing calls from Lillith. She was trying to get a medic to help me. To save you. That’s when I felt it, his lifeless hands under my head, tilting my face so I could look into his milky eye. I remember starting to cry instantly. I think I would have preferred him dead to be honest.''

''He carried me to Falkreath himself. I slipped out of consciousness and I don’t know how he did it, but by the time I woke up, he had taken the city over for himself. I made out to the shrine of Namira the first chance I got. I figured, I’d saved him from it before, so I could do it again. It took Lillith and I seven hours to find our way to the shrine in Cyrodiil. I knelt before it, absolutely exhausted and completely destroyed. There I contacted her and tried to bargain for my loves freedom. She offered me a choice. Either he stayed the way he was or she could make you her champion. I was taken aback and begged for 24 hours with him as normal to help me decide. Even though we both knew what my decision would ultimately be, Namira decided to grant me one final day with him. ''

''We wasted five hours getting back to Falkreath, and by the time I did, he was unconscious in the very spot I was just a few days ago. I knelt by his bed and the healer managed to wake him. He was alive again. The Set I loved, your father was back with me. I almost burst out crying right there and then, but I had to stay strong for him. ''

''He was weak and his breathing was shallow but he held on to talk to me. I climbed into bed beside him and we chatted about everything. Mostly about what we would call you. Him being as smart as he was, chose out the best name for you Lianne. He was always worried he’d be a bad parent, but I knew he wouldn’t be.”''

A loud sniff cut through the silence. The guard looked over to see Maria crying with a scowl on her face.

Julie, I…

I’m so sorry!

He looked saddened by this but kept going.

''“Our time together was so short. We kissed one final time and whispered our goodbyes to each other. Both of us knew, yet neither one wanted to admit it. ''

This was the last time he would ever see me.

''When he fell asleep I finally let go. I cried and howled and wailed before I slowly accepted it. I curled up and cried myself to sleep beside him. ''

How I wish I could have had more time.

''When I awoke, I awoke to war. He was gone and I had to find him. Maria was coming to stop the Fallen and avenge a man that could still be saved! The witch Agatha came to me in my dreams and told me to find them and protect them. If I could keep Set and Maria safe, she could return Set to what he was. To the man I love!''

''I rushed out into the battle, the Underlanders fought the Fallen with all their might, and quickly worked out that to kill a Fallen, it needed to be struck in the head. Destroy the brain and you destroy the body. In all the confusion, I couldn’t find them. I searched for hours until the Fallen suddenly retreated and I found Maria. She was alone. I asked her where Set was and she said he’d been injured in the battle and was being taken to her kingdom to recover. Eagerly I took off into the forest, Maria following on behind. If I could just reach him, Agatha would be able to do as she said! Little did I know that Set gave in to his wounds until it was too late. He died and he was free from Namiras grip. ''

''Our souls were connected you see, and when he died, his soul found his way to me. It hit me and again, I fell to the ground. I sobbed loudly, and Maria didn’t need to ask. We both knew for sure. ''

''He had died and I had failed in the one task I was given. ''

I still don’t know who gave him the final blow…

''But that doesn’t matter now. For twenty years I have lived without him. Never smiling, never laughing. I can’t remember the feel of his skin anymore and that scares me. What if I forget everything about him? ''

''I don’t want that. ''

''That is why I am leaving the Underland. It is time for me to repay my debt to Hircine. All I have to do is perform one final task for him, and my soul will be free to join Sets in Aetherius. Please don’t try to stop me Lianne. This is what I want. ''

''I can’t live without him anymore. ''

''My Set. My little Wood Elf will get to see me again so very, very soon. ''

''I’m sorry I was such a terrible mother. I’m sorry I’m a terrible person in general. I’m sorry I am being so selfish, but I just can’t go on without him anymore. ''

''I love you Lianne. ''

Goodbye…

Julie.”

Maria wiped her eyes and sighed heavily, running her hands down her face which was already showing small signs of how old she was getting. In her late forties now, Maria was no chick and she had refused to lift a weapon after Telemachus fell. The Breton looked to her guard.

“Do you know where Hircines shrine is?” She asked, picking little Set up and striding over to her armoury, beckoning the guard to follow her.

“No Ma’am.”

Maria nodded, before passing little Set to the guard. She turned and pulled open the doors to a large room filled to the brim with weapons and armour fit for every abled person in the underground City. She let her weary eyes wander around for a moment before they fell to the encased sword standing pride and place in the middle of the Armoury.

“I do…” Maria whispered in a low voice. She stepped forwards and drew a key from her pocket. A small click was heard and the display case swung open.

“Take Set to Damien, Pritch. I’m going to get her back.”

“But M-ma’am!” Pritch stammered. “You haven’t fought in over twenty years! You could die out there!”

“I owe this to Julie, Pritch. Don’t stop me.”

With that, Maria grabbed Dawnbreaker and strapped it to her side. The weight on her hip was instantly familiar and took her mind back to happier times. With a sense of nostalgia, she walked past the man holding her son.

“P-permit me one last q-question Ma’am!”

“What is it Pritch?”

Pritch sighed softly as well, looking over to his Queen with pained eyes that reminded Maria of the look Set used to give her whenever Julie was in danger…

“W-why?”

Maria paused in the doorway. She stood there for a second and spoke eight words before walking away.

“She deserves to know who ruined her life…”

~EoC~