Hi Guys!
I fell in love (in a manner of speaking) with the character Zerina I invented. I wanted some more depth to her so I started thinking what she would have been like as a child. Soon I found myself writing it down and before I knew the first chapter was born. Overall it's going to be a short story (if I can restrain myself lol) in which I will describe several events throughout her youth to when she meets Rales.

I hope you like it


Chapter 1: Childhood

Vabdas residence, 3E290

‘Zerina, come inside dear. Dinner is ready!’ a Dunmer woman caringly shouted across the green pastures alongside the Quada Samsi, south of Gnisis. ‘And stay away from the river honey!’
‘Yes mummy,’ a young girl answered sighingly while wading through the river knee-deep and kicking the water. ‘I am big enough to decide for myself,’ she mumbled despondedly but was soon lured to the house by the wonderful smell from her mother’s cooking.

‘Yummy, Nixhound-stew.’ The smell was a familiar one, her mother always made Nixhound-stew when her father returned from the mines. He’d stay away for days and return grimy and utterly exhausted.
With her bare feet flapping though the wet grass, she ran towards the house to greet her father when a moist nose tumbled her over. ‘Hey buddy,’ she greeted her favourite Guar from the pack that was grazing around the Vabdas residence. ‘I can’t play right now, daddy’s come home,’ she exubarantly said to the animal.‘I’ll be back after dinner, alright?’ she said while hugging the animal. A wet tongue dragged across her face sending her into a giggle. ‘Not now,’ she said laughingly.
Quickly she pressed a kiss on its snout and ran home.

‘Easy on the door! How many times do I still have to tell you?’ her mother reprimanded her.
Zerina pouted her lips. ‘But, I wanted to-’
‘Yes, yes, I know, you wanted to see your father,’ her mother smiled. ‘But you still need to take it easy on the door. One day you’re going to break the hinges.’
Zerina’s eyes became wet and the corners of her mouth dropped. ‘I don’t want to break them,’ she said sadly.
‘No need to cry, dear. Just be more careful.’
‘Shijana, you’re being to hard on her,’ a gruff voice interjected.
‘Daddy!’ Zerina shouted and ran into his outstretched arms.

‘You been behaving, darling?’ Zerina nodded vigorously in reply.
‘Did you bring me something father?’ she asked with her almond-shaped eyes glowing with anticipation.
‘I might,’ he said with a mysterious smile. ‘How about a kiss first?’
With a wet sound she pressed her lips on her father’s cheek. ‘Now can I have my present?’
‘Okay, okay,’ her father smilingly submitted and slowly pulled a thin leather strap with a blood-red amulet suspended on it from his tunic. He put his indexfinger over his lips. ‘It must remain a secret, okay? You can not show it to your friends,’ he said conspiratorially while tying the leather necklace around her slender, long neck. A feature she inhereted from her mother. ‘Now, let’s have some dinner. Why don’t you help your mother set the table?’
She hated doing chores but since her father had asked her, she ran into the kitchen to help her mother. ‘And don’t run indoors!’ her father shouted after her while shaking his head amusedly.

‘Look what I can do!’ Zerina exclaimed at dinner. Her plate filled to the brim with Nix-hound stew was floating several inches above the dinner table.
‘Don’t play with your food,’ her mother told her off but a wink from her husband silenced her.
‘Where did you learn that?’ her father asked her intrigued. Of course he knew Zerina had learned it from simply copying her mother.
‘I watched mother and just did the same as she did. Wanna see?’
The pair looked at eachother meaningfully. Shijana was a resourceful mage but in many ways, her five year old daughter rivalled her, if only in talent.
‘Show me,’ her father said. Before her mother could interrupt her, the floating plate crashed down on to floor, slinging stew and ceramic shards throughout the entire kitchen while another lifted from the table.

‘How many times have I told you never to cast the same spell when another is still active? Now look what you’ve done. I just cleaned the kitchen,’ Shijana complained sighingly while her husband burst out in laughter. ‘So you think it’s funny, why don’t you clean it up?’ she jestfully adressed him and flung the moist towel towards him.

Handily he caught the towel and set to cleaning the floor. It was partially his doing so it was more than fair he and Zerina would wipe away the spilled stew and remove the ceramic shards.
‘Come darling, put down that plate and help me clean up the mess you made. And no buts.’
‘Yes daddy,’ the little girl bleakly answered.
For several minutes Zerina helped her father but much to his amusement she only spread it out further rather than cleaning it up.
‘Go feed your Guar,’ he said.
He was rewarded with a kiss, a hasty thank you and footsteps through the mess leaving only more for him to clean up.
Amusedly he shook his head and wondered what his wife would say if she found out he had let their little girl go play outside, despite her orders.

Yay! Zerina, the impish little mageling.

Nicely done, Remko.

Are you going to get her up to meeting Rales before continuing the adventures of Rales?



Couple nits:

'...slowly pulled a thin leather strapwith a blood-red amulet suspended on it from his tunic.'
You want strap with as two words.

'You can not show it to your friends,’ he said conspirically while tying the leather necklace around her slender, long neck.'
Although I know what you mean, I couldn't get any dictionary hits on 'conspirically'; therefore I would use the fine word, conspiratorially.

To be honest; I really don't know. When I have ideas I write them down. It might be finished before I have new ideas for "Memoires" maybe the other way around, I just don't know. Art can not and will not be rushed

This is the new chapter I mentioned. It has replaced the former chapter 2, that one is now chapter 3. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I have writing it.

Chapter 2: Zerina meets Divayth & Yagrum

Tel Fyr, 3E 291 (Zerina age 6)

‘How would you like to meet an old fiend?’ Shijana asked Zerina.
Shijana and Mansilamat had discussed her arcane talents overnight and had decided Shijana would take her to Tel Fyr. Maybe Divayth knew a way to limit her powers untill she was ready to fully harnass them. It had been a hard choice but it would be best for both her and for the entire family. If the Mage’s Guild would find out about her extraordinary skills, they would most want to recruit her and study her exceptional capabilities for personal and monetary gains.

‘Where are we going mummy?’
We are going to see your godfather, Divayth.’
‘What is a godfather?’
‘That is a person who will take care of you should anything happen to me or to your father.’
Zerina started crying. ‘But mummy, I want to stay with you and daddy.’
‘I know deary,’ she softly said while picking up her little daughter and squeezing her to her chest tenderly. Gently Shijana wiped the tears from Zerina’s tiny face.
‘You don’t have to live with him yet, only if we can’t care for you anymore.’
Her grief already forgotten, Zerina flashed her mother a warm smile that could melt a mountain in Skyrim.
‘When are we going?’
‘Soon ‘Rina.’
Is it far?’
‘Yes honey, now go stable and feed the Guars and go to bed.’

The next day, the small family was packing what meager things they had and were preparing their trip to Tel Fyr.
‘Why are you wearing that mummy?’ Zerina had asked when Shijana had donned a heavy hooded mantle.
Patiently, Shijana had explained to her that some people didn’t like her very much and that she didn’t want those bad people to recognise her.
For Zerina it was all a game. Intermittedly she would hide between her mother’s legs under the mantle and would try to scare other people they came across by suddenly emerging and shouting boo.

‘What is your name, little one?’
Zerina looked at her mother, clinging to her leg.
‘It’s okay honey, this is your godfather. Be polite and say hello to Divayth.’
Shyly, Zerina moved from behind her mother’s skirt she had been hiding behind.
‘You are old.’
The Master Wizard threw his head in his neck and burst out in laughter. ‘Yes, I am very old. But you are very little,’ he winked. ‘Want to see what I have behind my back?’

‘I already know,’ Zerina replied. ‘But I don’t like sweets,’ she wryly added.
Divayth raised an eyebrow and looked at Shijana intensely.
‘You weren’t exaggarating when you said she was smart.’
‘how did you know?’ the ancient wizard asked the little girl.
‘Zerina shrugged. ‘I just knew.’
‘How about now?’
‘A knife.’
Divayth nodded. ‘Very good. Could you go play for a while? I would like to talk to your mother for a short while.’
Shijana briefly nodded to her daughter in agreement. ‘Go find Uupse, I am sure she would love to play with you. She should be around here somewhere.’
With that, Zerina darted away.

‘You were right to come to me, Shi,’ Divayth solemnly said. ‘Her potential is beyond anything I have ever seen. She senses items by their energy pattern, something only very powerful and experienced mages usually can. I also suspects she can read minds although she doesn’t realise it yet. Have you considered the Psijic order for her?’
‘I have but surely you have heard the rumours too. I can’t send her to that dreadful place. She’d hate it. You know what they’re like if you’re not an Altmer.’ Divayth nodded. The order was only for the very elite of the Arcana Arts and Altmer were often too haughty to accept other “inferior” races were capable of being powerful mages too. Divayth knew all too well. He had encountered members from the order several times on more than one of his academic expeditions. Even he was still regarded as an inferior mage although no one - bar his friend Baladdas - could rival him in power.
‘We also have to think of something to keep the Mage’s guild away from her. I am quite sure they would show a unhealthy interest in her and would want her to experiment on her. I don’t know why but I have a feeling she is going to play a role in something far more important than any financial gains.’

‘Once a Telvanni, always a Telvanni,’ Fyr joked. ‘I agree though. I am quite fond of that little sprog too. Something tells me you have an idea.’
‘Indeed I do, old friend. Actually, a past event gave me the idea. Do you know of those bracers slaves have to wear?’
‘Say no more, say no more. I know exactly what you are thinking. You want to limit her in her powers?’
‘Exactly. But I am not quite sure how she would react to being cut off from it suddenly. I know some slaves perished because of that.’
‘Sadly, very true. However; I think she still might be young enough so it won’t damage her emotionally. Besides; unlike slaves, she won’t be cut off from her magic entirely. Go see Yagrum. If there’s anyone who could make such an item, it would be him. Remember to raise your shield once in my Corprusarium because potions won’t protect you from my patient’s disease. I still haven’t found a cure, sometimes I think it’s hopeless,’ Divayth sighed. ‘Take this ring, it’s small enough to fit her small hands. Yagrum will know what to do.’
‘Thank you, Divayth.’

‘Zerina, could you come here for a moment?’
‘Come find me,’ the little girl replied laughingly. ‘And no cheating by using magic.’
‘She has your spirit, Shijana,’ Divayth smiled.
‘Yes, and her father’s sense of humour, regrettably,’ Shijana retorted with a wink.
‘Would you have it any other way?’
‘Of course not.’
‘I’m sorry honey, we haven’t time to play right now. We have something really important to do.’
‘Where did you learn that?’ Shijana asked her little girl when she suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
‘Uupse taught me. She is really nice,’ Zerina said.
‘I should’ve guessed,’ Shijana laughingly replied.

‘I don’t like it here, mummy,’ Zerina said frightenedly. ‘It smells weird.’
‘We are almost there, munchkin.’
‘What are those things?’ Zerina pointed at a horribly disfigured creature.
‘That person is very ill, deary.’
‘He looks ugly.’
‘That’s not a nice thing to say Zerina. He can’t help it,’ Shijnana reprimanded her daughter gently. ‘Now, be quiet and follow me.’
‘Yes mummy.’

‘Hello Yagrum.’
A deformed bearded mer nodded his head. ‘Hello Shijana. What brings ye back ‘ere?’
‘I need your help making a very special enchantment.’
Yagrum’s eyes started glowing. ‘Finally, something useful ta do. And what’s yer name li’l lass?’
‘Zerina,’ she replied. ‘You look weird.’
‘Aye lassie,’ Yagrum replied smilingly while looking himself up and down, ‘I do look weird. Do I scare ye?’
Zerina shook her head.
‘So, what can this old Mer do for ye and yer mother?’

‘I need you to enchant this ring Yagrum,’ Shijana replied in Daedric. ‘We have decided we need to protect her,’ Shijana fixed her gaze on her daughter briefly. ‘We don’t want her to go to Artaeum Island and we don’t want her to be discovered by the Mage’s Guild either. It wouldn’t take long before House Telvanni to find us through that powerhungry bunch of Nixhounds.’
‘What were you saying mummy? Is it a secret?’
‘Yes, it’s a secret and if you promise to not tell anyone, I will give you this pretty ring.’
‘What do you propose?’ Yagrum replied in Daedric
Shijana explained to Yagrum what she and Divayth had discussed and soon the ebony band Divayth had given to Shijana was glimmering with the intricate echantment Yagrum had infused it with.

‘This might feel a bit tingly, deary, but it will pass soon enough,’ Shijana said while sliding the ring on Zerina’s delicate finger causing the little girl to giggle.
‘It tickles,’ she chuckled.
‘It doesn’t seem to discomfort her,’ Yagrum said to Shijana in Daedric.
‘Divayth and I had hoped it would work because she is still young. Thank you Yagrum, this means a lot to us,’ she replied in the same language as the old Dwemer.
‘Can we go now?’ Zerina complained.
‘Yes hunny. We’re leaving. We are just going to say goodbye to Divayth and then we are going back home.’
‘Good, because I miss Buddy. He must be really hungry.’ Zerina pouted.

‘I think it has worked,’ Divayth said while removing his hands from Zerina’s temples. ‘Her focus seems to have been dispersed so she will be less powerful but I wouldn’t be surprised if heavy emotions will negate the effect of the ring though. Be mindful.’
‘What would I do without you old friend?’ Shijana said smilingly and hugged the ancient wizard.
‘Thank you, for everything,’ she added while pressing a kiss on his stubby cheek.
‘Say goodbye to your godfather, Zerina.’
‘How about a kiss for an old Mer?’
Zerina pressed a loud kiss on the wizard’s other cheek.
‘Don’t be a stranger, and be careful you two.’

Just found this, and oh, what a wonderful introduction to one of my favorite ladies!

I loved the interaction between Zerina and the Guar - it shows what a kind heart she has. I also loved the sense of mischief she has apparently inherited from her father.

So she's going to be a powerful mage? Gee, I never saw that coming

I know about waiting for inspiration all too well. I've written down six other unrelated ideas while trying to pick up the thread of Julian's story again. It's been three months since I've done more than tweak chapters already written, and I'm still high and dry. So here's hoping you and I find the inspiration to pick up Rale's and Julian's stories again, but I know it'll happen when it happens. Maybe later rather than sooner, soo . . .

In the meantime, what a wonderful interlude you've given us with Zerina's childhood!

Zerina gets her own thread! Yippie! If all the female characters around here were to gang up, they would create quite an army!

Seeing Zerina's childhood, and seeing more of her mother has been a real treat. I especially like the insight into her mother. Her reasons for going into semi-exile and leading a quite, unobtrusive life ring true. I would much rather have a simple life with the person I love than the rat-race of House politics.

‘Look what I can do!’ Zerina exclaimed at dinner. Her plate filled to the brim with Nix-hound stew the was floating several inches above the dinner table.
This had me laughing out loud! Simply delightful. I am so glad I do not have magical children!


nits:
Of course she was the one sent out of the class room in stead of her tormentor
While not technically incorrect by writing them as two separate words, in English classroom and instead are more often spelled as one word each. Really your call on how you want to do it, I just wanted to make you aware of that.


I might even teach u a spell tonight okay?
Looks like Zerina's mom was texting. Either that or the guar ate the "yo" in you.

I do like it so far.

Fantastic! I get the impression that your feelings for Zerina might end up with a story that even surpasses the Rales adventure for size. Short story, no way!

I love the mischievous side to Zerina. She reminds me of Maxical, except, of course, that Zerina can cast spells.

Using another spell while the first plate was in the air. Awesome!

I just realised I forgot a very important part, a part that was brought up in "Memoires" The part where she meets Yagrum. Like I wrote there, Yagrum indicated Zerina was about 4foot tall so it would be have to be around age 5. Meaning, I need to rewrite a part of chapter 1 and 2.
I also just found out Widow Vabdas actually had a daughter in-game, Shullay. Ah well

Just read your second chapter, the Zerina, age 12 one. Delightful, Remko!

Interesting and poignant story behind Zerina's mother. Perhaps a glimpse into why Zerina is rather secretive about her own magic?

Talk about a brilliant little girl!!! I wonder if Zerina's mother even realized that rather than promising to behave, her daughter instead, successfully elicited a promise from her mother to teach a spell! No wonder Rales will find himself unable to keep up with her. I'm not sure if you did this intentionally or not, but I think it is brilliant!


nit:
Oops.

Thank you, much appreciated



That's exactly my intention. They are bassically hiding from the Telvanni (I will go deeper into the Telvanni thing) and the Mages Guild.

Chapter 3: Adolescent

Gnisis, 3E 297 (Zerina age 12)

‘You are not allowed to levitate your classmates Zerina! I don’t want to have to explain to their parents that their children can’t come home because they are floating around somewhere or are eaten by Cliffracers.’
Zerina laughed impishly when she recalled the hysteric cries of the class bully not being able to come down from the ceiling. He had been pulling her hair and calling her witch throughout the entire day untill she had enough of it and had cast a spell on him. Of course she was the one sent out of the classroom instead of her tormentor, which was must unfair in the little girl’s opinion.

Her mother sighed. ‘It’s not funny, you hear! If I ever have to tell you again there will be consequences. You have to learn that you have to use your magic responsibly.’
‘Yes mummy.’ Zerina knew she had been out of line but she just hadn’t been able to help herself.
‘But, but, but… He hurt me,’ she complained with a trembling lower lip. ‘He was pulling my hair.’
Shijana dropped to her knees to bring her face level to Zerina’s face and placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders tenderly.
‘I know love,’ she said reconcilingly. ‘I know he has hurt you but you can’t use your magical powers to get back on him. It frightens the other children. Tell the teacher or tell me, but please; no more spellcasting untill you are old enough to know what you are doing and to realise how much you can hurt people with it, okay honey?’
‘Will you teach me?’ Zerina’s eyes started sparkling in anticipation.
‘Promise you will behave and I might even teach you a spell tonight okay?’
‘You promise?’
Her mother nodded. ‘I promise.’

That night Zerina amazed her mother again with her magical talent. The ring Yagrum had enchanted for her had limited her spellpower but she still managed to cast spells that kept surpising Shijana. Even Neloth himself had struggled with the finer intricacies of the fortification spell she had managed to master in just two tries.
Of course she knew Master Neloth was too arrogant to realise he wasn’t as powerful as he thought he was but Shijana only knew two more powerful mages than she was sure Zerina would grow into. Divayth Fyr and Baladdas Demnevanni were the only two mages who were as powerful as they were benevolant. Most mages from her former House were corrupt, totally insane or in some cases, even both.

A promising young new member had arisen in House Telvanni but Shijana feared an assassination on his life any time soon. Differences of opinions and fueds had traditionally been solved that way but she had been sick of it and had refused councilship when it had been offered to her. Instead, she had fallen in love with a slave - a crime punishable by death for the slave and exile for the wizard - and had fled Sadrith Mora together with her love to the only place she knew she was safe. Tel Fyr, the tower of her old friend Divayth Fyr. The memory of her escape that night with the love of her life was still as clear as glass to her.

’I can’t let you do this Shijana, you will throw your life away for me. Gua..’ he started but couldn’t finish his sentence before the mage outside of his holding cage had cast a silence spell on him.
’Sshh,’ she had shushed him.’I am going to open this lock so we can escape together. I don’t want that life if it can’t be with you.’
His eyes revealed his emotions when his voice couldn’t. They shone with love for the would-be councillor of the Great House of Telvanni. The woman who would give it all up for him - a slave.
With a silent click his cage opened and without a further word, together they fled through the dark of night. To Tel Fyr, to safety.


‘Okay, now combine the spell you already know with the the one I just taught you.’ With a proud smile she watched her little girl weave spells that even she herself had struggled with. She could sense Zerina’s powers increasing every day; it wouldn’t be long before she would attract undesired attention from the Mage’s Guild. If it were up to Shijana, Zerina would never be confronted with the - in her eyes - corrupt guild. From what she had seen, most of their members were only out for personal accomplishment, rather than trying to do some good with their powers. Shijana was more than happy ignoring most of her arcane powers and had resorted in healing farmers and mine-workers with minor spells that hardly left an energy trace and simple potions next to be being a wife and a loving mother instead of a Telvanni councilor.

Just reviewed the new Chapter 2 - wonderful! You've captured both the Divayth and Yagrum of Rales's story yet again, only from the perspective of a small child. I really enjoyed it!

Something tells me I've already met the trigger for those heavy emotions!

Ok, went back and read the new chapter 2. I'm glad you added it. Plenty of goodness there. Little Zerina is a little delight!

I just finished the new chapter 2. As everyone else has said, little Zerina is purely adorable! The way you are posting, you must be having as much fun writing her as we are reading her!

Some things that seemed odd to me was the prospect of the Mages Guild taking Zerina away if her magical abilities were obvious. It sounds much more like a shadowy government agency rather than a union of magicians out to make money.

The part about the Mages Guild sending Zerina to the Psijic order sounded strange as well for several reasons. The first being that there has been no love lost between Summerset Isle and Morrowind since the Dunmer (then the Chimer) left Summerset ages ago as heretics. Likewise, the Mages Guild and the Psijics are very diametrically opposite organizations. The MG is typically portrayed like the equivalent of the magical Best Buy, all about making magic as simple as possible so they can sell it to commoners and make a buck. Where the Psijics are portrayed as a secretive old boys club of Altmer, who are all about esoteric scholarship and the acquisition of power for their own behalf.

@Everyone: Thanks for the praise. It really is fun writing from a 5 year old's perspective.

Hmm, thanks for pointing that out subRosa. I wasn't aware my story was colliding with lore that much. Now I have to rewrite...

One question; wasn't Divayth Fyr supposed to be a high ranked member of the Psijic order? Meaning it could be the Psijics would want Zerina into their ranks after all, even though she's a Dunmer?

I edited chapter 2, I hope it's less jarring now.

I do not see anything here in the wiki. They do say he is 4,000 years old, so he could have been back before the Chimer left Summerset.

You might be thinking of Sotha Sil, who appears to have been either part of or at least somehow associated with the Psijics after becoming a god. Exactly how or why Bethesda never explains.

The Imperial Library has a good article on the Psijic Order, and Summerset Isle

It’s easy to see the aspects of Zerina that make her such an engaging character. The big surprise of this story to me is the character of Shijana. Zerina’s mother (the erstwhile Widow Vabdas) emerges as a character of emotional complexity and unexpected depth. Has this always been how you see her? I suspect that she has sort of evolved through the telling of her daughter’s story. In any event, she is most definitely a keeper.

And I am with 'Rosa on this, I think you might be mistaking Divayth for Sotha Sil. I'll elaborate further via PM.

@Destri:I had some ideas about Shijana in "Memoires" (like her being a Telvanni originally) but you are partially correct. She didn't really come to fruition untill this.

@Everyone:After discussing it and looking it up I came to the conclusion I was wrong about Divayth being a member of the Psijics. I edited it so that he knows their attitude because he ran into them several times (which is totally feasible) on his academic expeditions.

Expect an update somewhere this week

Much quicker than anticipated, I present you chapter 4 A little foreshadowing and a familiar name to the MW players.

Chapter 4: Mischief

Outside Gnisis Legion barracks; 3E 300 (Zerina age 15)

‘I dare you,’ Ranys provocatively said.
‘You know I promised my mother I wouldn’t.’
‘Oh come on Zerina, she will never find out. What are you, a scaredy Scrib?’
Zerina looked at her friend angrily. I am not a coward, she thought.
‘Okay, I will do it. But if you tell her, I will hate you forever,’ she said sticking out her tongue.

Below the hill the two girls were hiding on, the Imperial Legion was exercising. Several barechested men were frantically swinging their blades into wooden training dummies. Some were shooting arrows into targets and others were running around the exercise field, sweating profusely underneath the blistering summer sun.
Ranys had dared Zerina into casting a spell on one of the legiononair’s swords. She ensured Zerina it would be incredibly funny and that no one ever would ever find out. Zerina wasn’t entirely sure - her mother had a knack of always finding out about their antics - but wouldn’t stand for her best friend calling her a Scrib.

‘What in Oblivion!’ the soldier cursed when suddenly his sword froze in mid-air. Pull as he might, the sword was suspended in space and time and wouldn’t budge.
Soon, his desperate tries of freeing the sword from seemingly nothing attracted the attention of his collegues.
‘Well, well, look at that,’ an archer laughed at the unfortunate soldier. ‘Omnius is too weak to pull his sword from the air.’
‘Stop laughing, you son of a Guar, and help me find the mage responsible! Has anyone seen the origin of the spell?’
With a clang the sword hit the ground when the spell wore off, drawing a stream of curses from the soldier when the hilt hit him in a particularly sensitive spot.

‘You were right Ranys, this was hilarious,’ Zerina commented still wiping away the tears from laughter.
‘I told you it would be funny,’ she replied with a grin from ear to ear.
‘So,’ a voice from behind them rumbled. ‘You two brats think that was funny?’
‘Uh oh,’ Zerina whispered.
‘It was her idea,’ Ranys suddenly shouted while pointing at Zerina. ‘I told her it would get us in trouble but she wouldn’t listen.’
‘Liar!’ Zerina hissed. ‘It was your idea.’
‘No! She’s lying, I swear it!’ Ranys screamed again.

Despite all Ranys’ attempts into framing Zerina with their crime, both the girls were punished and, exactly as Zerina had suspected, her mother was told of their mischief as well.
‘I am really sorry mother,’ Zerina ashamedly said. On Shijana’s face the disappointment was poignantly present. Yet; there was something else in her eyes. How could Shijana be mad at her daughter. It was only an innocent joke but the targeted soldier apparently had been the son-in-law of some general in Cyrodiil and had insisted the offending mage be punished, despite her low age.
The spell Zerina had cast on the sword had been an incredibly hard one. Shijana herself had been on the exercise grounds and had felt the remnants of the energy from the spell. Some parts of it she had recognised, some alteration and a hint of illusion but it had contained more, much more. It felt to her like Zerina had crossed the lines of the arcane schools and had wrought them together into a whole new way.

‘It was Ranys’ idea,’ Zerina mumbled with puffy eyes.
‘You know that doesn’t matter. It was you who cast the spell,’ Shijana told her off.
‘I told you to be responsible with your magic. Do I really have to forbid you to use it?’
Zerina slowly shook her head.
Shijana gently lifted Zerina’s chin and looked into her eyes with a faint smile. ‘Good, because I don’t want to punish you. Now, stop crying and say hello to your father. I can hear him coming home.’
Zerina’s face lit up with anticipation of seeing her father again and she started racing downstairs.
‘Oh, and ‘Rina?’ her mother stopped her.
‘Yes mummy?’
‘Stop showing off for Ranys,’ she winked.
‘Yes mum.’ Shijana waved her hand to indicate Zerina could go.
Before she could hug him and give him the usual kiss she saw something was wrong. Her father almost never frowned but today he looked worried.

‘What is wrong daddy?’
Mansilamat growled. ‘Damned Legion. We have to put up with those S’wits but they don’t do anything to protect us. They just stand around and mock us. Today another one of my collegues was attacked by those damned Kwama warriors. He nearly lost his arm. If the legion had done his job, Telar wouldn’t have gotten so badly hurt. Fetcher,’ Mansilamat cursed.
Shijana had come downstairs to greet her husband too. ‘Is there anything I can do for him?’
‘No, he was taken to the infirmary and was healed but it’s doubtful he will ever regain full control of his arm again. I bet he’s going to get fired because he can’t do his job anymore.’

‘Have you reported the guard with the General in Gnisis? He seems a decent enough officer.’
Mansilamat scoffed. ‘Who do you think they will believe? An Imperial officer or a lowly native miner?’
Shijana nodded. ‘I guess you’re right. But what else is there?’
Mansilamat’s sense of humour emerged. ‘Can’t you turn them into Cliffracers or something?’ he laughed.
‘I could try.’
‘Let’s have dinner, I am starving,’ she said with his stomach rumbling loudly.

Ah, so now we see the seeds being planted for Rales's first meeting with Zerina!

I loved how you described the sword hitting the soldier 'in a sensitive place!' Would this happen to be that arrogant son-in-law or some such of a Legion general? Threatening the future of a general's bloodline is a serious crime, you know.

I agree with Rider. I am so looking forward to Zerina meeting Rales and the two stories merging. You are doing a wondeful job of developing Zerina.

Once more, 'rina continues to be a delightful girl. I was about to say child, but at 15 she hardly qualifies for that anymore. In fact, it is about time she started noticing boys (and/or girls) now.

Mansilamat's tale of the hard day at work was an excellent way to set up his own eventual death as well.

It is not a nit, but when I read "cowardly scrib" the first thing I thought was "scaredy scrib" (as opposed to "scaredy cat") would probably sound better. You might want to use that instead.

@Everyone: I have a "small" gap to fill from 15 to when she meets Rales but I think I nearly finished this. Glad you liked the bit of foreshadowing I did with Mansilamat. Ofcourse I still need to adress how Zerina and Ranys (yes, thatRanys ) estranged from each other.

Scaredy Scrib...nice one. Changed it to that because that is exactly the thing a 15 yr old would say to dare his/her friends/ Thanks SubRosa

What do you think the girls were doing on that hill They were not having a picnic

I love the interaction between Zerina and Ranys, very typical siblings. You aren't the only one that fell in love with Zerina, I am so glad you are doing this background on her!