Hey guys, well seeing as Athynae and sometimes Athlain's antics as children have been referenced in Blood on the Moon and each time I have found myself writing the "memory", mostly in an effort to better understand her, I thought I would share some of those blasts from the past with you. The entries will not necessarily be in order, just snapshots from here and there at different ages and occasionally some entries from the PoV of other friends and family just to add some spice. The first entry will be the story of Athynae getting her first journal and why.




I hope you enjoy Athynae's childhood antics, I have sure had fun writing the handful that I have so far. Even better are some of the "memories" from others who know her. Just be cautious while reading with any beverages close as she has a tendency to speak her mind (like you didn't know that) and we all know what that can mean when a child is involved.




"Mama are housecats baby Khajiitt??" While standing next to a family of Khajiit in market square kind of thing.




*Note: It has been pointed out that Athynae seems a bit mature for her age in some of the entries and if I were gauging her by my two eldest children that would be true(quite normal but no less wonderful), however two ideas mingled together in regard to her intelligence and maturity; One- She is her own person and there is no comparing her to anyone on that level; Two- I sort of combined my two youngest children, my daughter who is and always has been an adult (just ask her) and my son who, at the age of two, slipped out the sliding glass door, off of the deck that was 5 feet off the ground (we have no idea how he did it), climbed the fence and went to the neighbor's to help him work on a car, oh, and he only had on a pull-up, my motorcycle goggles and his sister's paten leather dress shoes.




Please do what you do, comment, correct, suggest but most of all I hope you enjoy.





Athynae Serethi- The Making of a Princess…





I dedicate this endeavor to the three people who are responsible for Athynae's existence:




minque for creating her and graciously sharing her with treydog




treydog for making her a part of Athlain's world and subsequently introducing me to her through his story then allowing me to become her writer




and of course




Black Hand who has allowed me to make Seth such an important person in Athynae's life.

THANK YOU SO MUCH

WOO HOO !!! Welcome to the forum (again, again, and again !!!! Wait, and again !!! )



Loved this:




ROFL !!!

Athynae! Welcome to the Arena! I'm so excited to see you launching your own thread and look forward to reading it.

This is- in many ways- the most EXCITING part of being involved in this community. Seeing a new writer take their first bow. Obviously, in this case, there is even more to it but...

Welcome. Have fun. I know your readers will.

Thanks mALX and Acadian, man that was quick.


This is the first full entry in Athynae's journal, and every subsequent journal as well, she'll explain...


Inside the cover of the first journal…


To Her Highness the Princess of Trouble,
Congratulations on completing your fourth year. A very Happy Birthday to you. Fill these pages with memories so you can look back and remember you were once a child.

Uncle S



The ony reezen he sez he mayd me that is cuz I git into all most az much trouble az he duz an if thas troo then good I will be her highness princess of trouble forever.


Page 1
I got it I got it I got my bow from the ahemssa mama sed I culd have it when I gro up an I got it two day at my birthday cele sela pardy. I am going hunting az soon az I can git a way frum my nurs kowshy

I went hunting fond a beetle got a arow and put it on the string and pulled then uncle seth showed up and made me not shoot it and ast me if I was trying to kill myself I was not shoting the arrow backward he is so mean sometimes he brought me home and made me give him my bow until he culd lern me how to use it.



Page 2
I ges befour I put a lot of stuf in here the most portant thing is the story bout how I becam a princess cuz I never ever never wanna four get that story it wuz tha most portant day of my life.

I had read these words so many times over the years, and in some ways that day would always be the most important day of my life. I am caught now in a whirlwind that brings me back to these pages to remind myself who I am, where I came from and the lessons I have learned before I leave here. Everyone will be angry with me for a while I am sure, nothing new to me…but something is terribly wrong with Athlain and I have no choice. I have traveled with Mother and Father and I have stayed with the Ahemussa for a summer but I have never been on my own, alone. The first story in each of my journals is this one, and so once again upon fresh pages I retell the story. Each time the words change only slightly as my vocabulary has grown and I hope my spelling has improved, I do know that my handwriting is at least legible now.

I was two days from my fourth birthday, and I had decided that being four meant I was going to be a grown up. To prove my point prior to the big day, just to make sure everyone was in agreement with me I slipped the watchful eyes of my nurse, Kausha. That in itself was nothing new, I did it at least once a day but this day I planned a giant adventure. I can remember my knees shaking as I opened the door and stepped outside for the very first time without an adult. I was going to find Athlain and get him to go with me. I knew Aunt Baria and Uncle Trey were in Skar because the council was in session so I headed to the home they stayed in when they were here.

I slipped and slid and ducked and ran all the way there, three houses down. I weaseled my way around to the back door and peeped in to make sure no one was in the kitchen and made my way into the house. It wasn't fair really but Athlain didn't have a nurse, Aunt Baria took care of him. Mother told me it was because she had to be away so much with Redoran business, I understand that now, then I did not.

I tiptoed into his room and quietly closed the door. "Psst, Athlain, where are you?"

He came out of the room they called the nursery through the adjoining door. "Hey Fena, did your Mom bring you to play?"

"Nope, she did not. I am a grown up now or I will be in two days so I came by myself." I tried to puff myself up and look as big as I could. "Let's go outside."

"HUH UH! Mother would have a red face fit! I can only play in the nursery. She will be back to check on me soon, she checks on me all the time." It was always like this at first, but I knew I could bring him around so I continued

"Are you a scaredy rat? Huh? I walked ALL THE WAY over here all by myself and you won't even go outside with me? What kind of friend are you anyways?" As soon as he looked down at the floor I knew I had won. "Come on, we'll go out the balcony door in the nursery, it's easier." And so we did.

Out the door, onto the balcony and up, I know now that was where my plan fell apart, but it sure seemed like the best idea at the time because there wouldn't be anyone to catch us on the roof. And so there we were, watching all the people milling about and talking about them making up stories about them, where they lived, what they did for a living, etc. I don't know how the argument started, I think in the aftermath I forgot because it was irrelevant. But all of a sudden Athlain was on his feet with his fists tight, holding them in front of his chest with a face that looked like he had been forced to eat trama root.

"I am bigger than you, take that back or I will beat you up." He tried to look mean, he did, try that is, but it didn't work.

"Oh don't be silly Athlain, you are still just a baby and I am all grown up." And I mussed his hair. I think I need to add that there was a slight incline to the roof and Athlain was on the down side. Anyway, when I rubbed his head and smiled he drew his fist back and said

"TAKE THAT BACK!! I mean it, I am gonna rearrange your face!"

I bent down as I was saying "You are too mean Athlain Treyson" and when I stood up I had my wooden dagger that Uncle Seth had given me and I pointed it at him and yelled "BOO!" an eye blink later "A T H L A I N!!! NNNOOOOO!" As he went over the edge of the roof and down. There was a cloth cover over the balcony which caught him or rather slowed him down but he just rolled right off of it and down he went again. It just so happened that there were a couple of chairs outside, they kind of looked like a cross between one of the beds the Ahemussa slept in and giant pieces of the cloth Mother cut up to make bandages. He landed in one of those, but he broke his arm.

I climbed down, all the way down, I didn't bother going through the house because I had to get to him fast. But by the time I got there Aunt Baria was already there. She looked at his arm then at me then at him but all he said was "I fell".

"Athynae how did you get here young lady?" She had her head bent and she was looking at me with her eyes wide which was never a good look.

"I uh, um, I" I don't know if thought I could dig a hole with my toe to crawl into but my toe was certainly giving it a shot, "well, Kausha went into her room and I wasn't tired and.."

"Stop right there, you needn't go any further." She picked Athlain up who was being VERY brave and only whimpering a lot and carried him in the house back up to his bed. And I followed, no need to add more to it by doing something totally stupid. "Sit down Athynae, I have to take care of this first and THEN I will take care of you." Before she was done I heard someone coming up the stairs and I just had a feeling it wasn't one of the retainers because his boots were too heavy.

"Baria, what happened?" Uncle Seth looked like someone had cast a fireball in his face. "Thyna would you like to tell me what happened?"

"No sera I would not." I didn't want to tell surely he knew that.

"Athlain fell from the balcony. I suppose they were out there playing. Apparently Athynae decided to come for a visit without a chaperone."

"Um Aunt Baria?" she looked at me "He didn't fall from the balcony, he fell from the roof." The look on both of their faces told me I should not tell everything I know. I still do not do well with that one, my mouth shoots before my brain has nocked an arrow.

"Baria, I will take her home. Is there anything I can do before I go?" I was in trouble, and I hated being in trouble with Uncle Seth, he wasn't swayed by the 'I'm really sorry' look, not one bit. SHOOT!

"No Seth thank you, I don't think it is anything that a simple potion and some medicinal salve won't fix. Athynae you are not quite old enough to be out by yourself dear. I do love you so and I would hate for you to get hurt."

"I don't get hurt Aunt Baria it's always Athlain." Before I got the last words out Uncle Seth had picked me up out of the chair and started out the door.

"Uncle Seth why is your face so red? You look like you shot a fireball and it came back and hit you."

"SSHH! Not now Thyna, not yet. You really need to be quiet for a few moments while I decide how I am going to incapacitate you for the next ten years."

"What is inca incap inpacicitate?"

"It means you cannot move." He was holding his lips very tight and the muscles in his jaw were working back and forth like the baker's hand when he made dough.

"But I don't want to be inpalcacitatered."

"Why did you leave the manor without Kausha? Why do you insist on making trouble when your Mother is occupied with Redoran affairs?"

"Because I had to show Mother that I will be all grown up on my birthday, that I do not need Kausha anymore. I didn't get hurt, I went all the way to Athlain's and I didn't get hurt."

"What happened to Athlain?" He said raising one of his eyebrows, which made him look really scary.

"I didn't push him!"

"Then what did happen?"

"He fell, like he said, I promise." I knew I wasn't lying.

By this time we had reached the manor. Instead of taking me inside we walked around back to the garden. "Sit, right here." He said as he put me down pointing to a chair. "Now I want you to tell me exactly what happened."

"He fell, well, sort of, But I did not push him. I did not."

"Sort of, explain sort of." Seth had known me all my life and he was well aware of how literal and explicit questions needed to be phrased. I would not lie but ….

"We were just playing" and I sank in my chair, pouting, I really was sorry he had gotten hurt. I hated it when he got hurt. "and he said something and I said something and he didn't like what I said and he got up and put up his fistes and said he was bigger than me and that he could beat me up. And I told him he was being mean and he told me he would rearrange my face and I showed him my dagger and yelled boo and he jumped. That's the whole story, 'cept he fell all the way down."

Uncle Seth shook his head and looked like he was counting in his head then he said "Hence forth you shall be known as Her Highness the Princess of Trouble." with a knightly air, but the expression on his face was different.

"Uncle Seth are you fluberstrated with me? I am sorry, I didn't mean for my best friend to get hurt. I just didn't think about taking him up on the roof when he is still a baby and all."

He looked toward the sky like someone was going to snatch him out of there, like he wanted them to. He took a deep breath and looked at me. "Ok, your highness, I am getting you a book for your birthday."

"A book? Really? What's the name of it?" I did like to read, I was a very good reader or so Mother said.

"That, my child, is up to you. You are going to write this book."

My heart fell, that just didn't sound like much fun. "But Uncle Seth, it's supposed to be a good present."

He smiled, "It will be. It will also, I hope, help to keep you out of trouble. You get into almost as much trouble as I do."

"Really? I do?" It was looking a bit better now.

"I want you to use the gift to write down everything you do every day. I want to know what you did at academy, I want to know what games you played, AND missy, I want to know everything else." And he looked at me like he knew I did things that could not be proven.

I shook my head, "HUH UH! I can't do that. What if someone found it? That is not a good idea Uncle Seth. You surprise me, you are smarter than that."

"This is your story, and only you will know what you write on the pages. Keep it hidden if you must but write it all down for two reasons. One so that one day you will have help remembering and two it will help to keep you from being bored."

"Ok Uncle Seth I will do it but I do not like it. I think it is not smart to right those things down. Better to just answer the questions you are asked."

"I write everything down. I want to remember and one day maybe someone else will want to know about me after I have left Nirn, so the books will be here."

"OOHH well that's different then, you didn't say that before." And I ran into the house yelling "Her Highness Princess of Trouble coming through, make way for the princess…." And I could hear Uncle Seth laughing.



..

*



GAAAAAH !!!! It's little Treydog !!! (Athlain)





ROFL !!!

SPOILER !!






GAAAAAH !!! And now I can picture Seth doing this since I've been reading his story too !!! This is Awesome !!

Uncle Seth is going to have something to read in his isolation me thinks, lol.


Awesome Write !!! I love it !!!


*

Absolutely fantastic!!!...

Loved it...Surprisingly enough...It made me laugh a bit... ...

Very excellently done...And I'm so looking forward to more...So much...

Oh, this is just proper funny right here...



...Nothing funnier sweeter than a kid trying on a big word...

Oh yeah, I also liked the way big bad chief Morag Tong Seth simply picked her up and put her on his hip...I really like that...Good man that one...

NICE ONE!!...About bloody time... ...

*Applauds heartily*... ...

Well done! I am glad that you've finally taken the plunge and we can see the evolution of a Princess, of trouble no less.

S:"Oh dear,...here we go...*chuckles*"

Yay!!! "My"girl comes to live..in her OWN thread! That is sheer joy.....wonderful to read about her antics and knack for getting herself into situations. This is gonna be a "must read as soon as possible"

*claps hands*

"So Seth, what now?, You kinda care for her, right?"

"What happened to Athlain?" He said raising one of his eyebrows, which made him look really scary.

"I didn't push him!"

I love it! Wonderful, Athynae!

Considering the things that tend to happen when ‘Thyna is around- yes. Of course, even worse things happen to him when she isn’t- so….



Ah yes- the literal- and EVASIVE- answer.



That one just cracked me up.



Yes- funny how that happens....



Quoted before- but I will highlight it again, because of the joy of it.



So much is said in these few words...



WRITE IT DOWN? ALL of it?! When it CAN and WILL be used against me?



She will make a fearsome council member one day.

This is a gem of a look into her early life- and goes far toward explain why Athlain walks funny and seems to have all those nervous tics...

NOTE: Yes, I know the giant spaces are distracting, my apologies, not quite sure what happened. When I tried to fix them after previewing the text it totally screwed up the manuscript and took me forever to fix it. I will try to figure it out before I post the next piece.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU To EVERYONE!!! I will express my gratitude more personally later but since I was here I thought I'd throw that in....

An excellent start here already, one that I'm finding an entertaining read just from chapter 1. You've already given Athynae a very distinctive voice and personality, and I'm looking forwards to seeing how she'll end up in the story to come. Brilliant stuff!

As for the formatting, just post it with a single break between lines or automatic double spacing on Word (if you have it). The posting form automatically adds a line between everything when you post in on the normal reply one (don't bother with fast reply, that just gets rid of all your formatting).

McB Thank you so much!!

The space thing is fixed on the first story...thanks to McB. I don't know what happened but I will figure it out before the next one goes up, I hope, lol.

What a delightful look at Little ‘Thynae – I mean Her Highness the Princess of Trouble.

'I tried to puff myself up and look as big as I could.'
This is so easy to visualize!

'The look on both of their faces told me I should not tell everything I know. I still do not do well with that one, my mouth shoots before my brain has nocked an arrow.'
Wise advice if only she could heed it.

Oh, this is great fun!!!

@mALX- Thank for your support,

"It's little Treydog!!! Athlain"

ROFL!!!

@McB- The line you picked was a memory of my niece, she was about 3 and kept trying to say irritated and it came out iterated…as far as the comment about it being bloody time

Oh yea THANK YOU!!!!!!

@BH-Thank you, I do hope you enjoy it. You too Seth…

@Minque-Thanks so much for your support from the beginning. I am so glad you are here…

@Grits-Yep, that's one of those lines right out of one of my children's bedrooms…along with the look I use (which is not anymore effective for me than it was for Seth.

@ Trey-I'm sure she could change that if you want her to, just saying. Yes, the entire piece shows that she learned early to just answer the questions she was asked with no additional information necessary. I could respond to each comment but the gratitude would not be any greater than it is for all that you do, I don't think that is possible. Thank you repeated multiplied by 20 squared…

@Colonel Mustard- This is just a jumble of pieces snapshots of her childhood so everyone can see her hopefully as I do…Thanks for reading I do hope you continue to enjoy.

@Acadian-Yes, she absolutely is the Princess of Trouble, STILL. I am so glad you are having fun, I do hope that continues with future 'entries'.



BIG SHOUT OF THANKS TO THE BADGER FOR FIXING MY SPACE ISSUE!!!! I don't know what happened but I hope it doesn't happen again.

Thank you to Black Hand for the first part of this piece, a memory from Seth.

There was a defiant stare in the little Dunmer girl's eyes as she looked up at the taciturn man, his profile shaded by the early afternoon sun behind him.

A gust of wind sent a whirl of ash into the air, sending a long wisp of her hair away from the side of her face.

"Well now, bruising, crying, sitting all the way back here behind the Skar shell..what have YOU been up to little one?" The man knelt down and put down his satchel grabbing some cloth and a vial from its contents.

"U-unca Seth?" Athynae said as her expression changed to one of joy. "H-how'd you find me?"

"Well, I was coming back from up north, stopping by to visit your parents, then I thought I heard a child crying back here, seems like the kind of thing that warranted at least a look." He said applying the salve to the cloth and patting the side of her face.

"All the way back HERE?!" she exclaimed.

"Well, your hearing will get better with age. Your only -five-? summers now?"

"Six!" she said defiantly.

"Ah yes, six, has it been so long? Well, what happened to cause this mess?" he asked her, the salve already working its medicine and the bruising slowly disappeared.

"I-I fell." she lied.

"Mmmm. Fell onto some fists more like...the boys wouldn't let you play with them again, and you took it to the next level?"

"They're MEAN! They deserved it!" She snapped back. "You-You're not gonna tell Momma are you?" she suddenly wilted at the thought of a stern Cyrodiilic mother.

He smiled slightly. "Well, the bruising's all gone now, so I don't think she'd believe me would she?" He said putting the stuff away and sitting down next to her.

"I WILL however, give you a lecture." He said, as she rolled her eyes and rested her chin on her palms.

"Now, now, attitude. Respect for your Kinsmen, remember? You're a little Redoran lady, act like one!" He said with a slight mock to his tone.

"Now then, I only wanted to make a point. Which is stronger? Attack, or Defense?"

"ATTACK!" she cried out. "Like the way I made those boys cry when I kicked them!"

Sethyas smirked at the little girl's outburst. "No. Because when you go around attacking everything, you develop a reputation. And as strong as you are, you can't take on the world and they will come after you...no, if you defend yourself from those who attack you, you will be the stronger opponent, for every move sacrifices some guarding."

"Athlains Dad attacked Dagoth Ur! YOU carry those knives around all the time! You guys always attack and look at you! You're both great warriors!!" she pleaded.

"Athlains Dad spends 90% of the time behind a shield and attacks only when he sees the opportunity, I--uh, stay quiet, and...never mind, I only attack when its needed, that's all you need know about my technique...besides I'm not as great a warrior as you would think..." Sethyas said getting off point to the observant child's counterpoint.

"What I am trying to say is, you should never be the one to initiate a fight. NEVER attack, unless you or someone's life is on the line, fighting should always be your last option, even surrendering should be considered before fighting, when the enemy has to spend all his time watching you, it weakens him, while you have the opportunity to observe and find your way out."

"That sounds like cowards talk!" she grumbled.

"Oh? Then why did Tiber Septim rout an army twice his size AFTER surrendering to them? Why did the Akaviri fail to conquer Tamriel TWICE, and Tamriel failed to conquer Akavir in return?" Seth said to her.

She looked up at him with furrowed brows.

"True battle, true fighting is done beforehand, with your mind, not on the spot with your fists. It is said that the best fighters and generals have already won a fight before it is fought."

Athynae now just looked confused.

"Stand up." he commanded as he rose to his feet.

She complied as he pulled out an exquisite amulet from the satchel, and she looked over it greedily.

"This bauble is yours if you can land one fist on my torso or face." he said as her eyes lit up at the thought of being rewarded for hitting someone.

Being much shorter than her Uncle, Sethyas knelt down resting on one knee as she began her barrage.

After several minutes of him effortlessly slapping away her fists, and even taking some frustrated kicks to the thigh, she was panting and screamed at him.

"Give up?" He asked, bemused.

She just stared at him.

"Do you see? You've spent all your energy on needless aggression and I'm still--OOF!"

Her fist was a half-inch inside his gut as he instinctively grabbed her wrist simultaneously.

She gave him a mischievous little smile as she said quietly: "I didn't say I gave up." and took the necklace.

He stood up and smiled. "I think you learned this lesson a little TOO well."




Uncle Seth didn't know the truth of it all, someday he would but not today…See, thing was, the boys had asked for it. I had stepped in over my head; not anything I would admit to anyone else, but every bruise, scratch and bleeding injury they had they deserved and if I had to suffer some for it then I just did. They had been the blight that took over after the real Blight was gone. When they moved here, being a kid Ald'ruhn had become a daily battle. Big dummies that picked on all the younger kids because well, we were all younger, including me. They had come from the mainland when I was about 3, I think, and they NEEDED to go back.

Yesterday I was on my way home from daily lessons, playing my usual sneak game when I heard Mae crying. I stepped around the corner to see those guar butts holding Cai with their hand over her mouth and pulling Mae's hair. I yelled at them and ran toward them; they let Cai go and took off. Mae grabbed her and hugged her as I got to them. I asked what happened and they told me through whimpers and that wind-sucking thing you do when you cry too hard for too long. Aunt Baria must have heard them because she came from the market about that time. I told her what had happened and she said she was going to talk to their mothers. And I thought to myself:

"Fine, you do that, but these stupid nothin's need a dose of their own potion."

I needed a plan to make sure they got some of what was coming.

There were four in their little band of ugly goblins, and two of them usually had their younger brother scribs in tow. I needed to think…

I sat in my room for what seemed like hours trying to come up with the perfect plan, something sneaky and painful- and I came up with a couple good ones. The only problem was they needed to KNOW it was me. I didn't sleep very good. It just made me mad as a five-legged mud crab that they had been so mean to Mae and Cai. Athlain couldn't do anything; he was sick, I think it was something Mae and Cai put in his juice, but all I knew for sure was it was not me, at least not this time.

The next day, there were no lessons, so out I went in search of the evil doers. I considered bringing my bow for some target practice, but it's probably a good thing I thought better of it. A good punch in the nose would do just fine. It took a little while to find them, but find them I did, standing just inside the gate in front of the Fighter's Guild. I stayed out of sight; this was not a good place, too many grownups to stop me before I got some talking done.

They were such idiots, trying to slip out the gate like they weren't up to something. Anyone watching knew exactly what they were doing. I don't know who they thought they were fooling with that act. It was hard not to laugh out loud. But out they went and I was far enough behind that I could stay hidden, but close enough that I wouldn't lose them. Out the west gate and south, and I knew where they were going. There was a great mound of boulders just south that was split in three or four segments and almost in the middle on the east side there was a cut out perfect for hiding.

I waited patiently, well, as long as I could. I wanted to make sure they were comfortable and ready for company before I welcomed myself, you know, catch them unaware. I had worked my way close enough to hear their mumbling, but I was only catching actual words here and there. I heard a flint strike, which was probably not a good thing. I was not permitted to mess with fire at all; I couldn't even add logs to the fire and, after getting scorched on Cook's pot, I didn't want to. That was the worst hurt I had ever had. Then I smelled hackle lo and shook my head. Uncle Seth and Father partook of the stuff occasionally and I did not like the smell particularly, but in Father's study and in Uncle Seth's rooms the combination of hackle lo, brandy and leather was just right.

I stepped into the opening and the sun was at my back so I cast a long shadow. "You have got to be the stupidest boys in all of Nirn. Don't you know that stuff just makes you stink so anyone can follow you?"

"Hey look fellas it's the Arc of Madnesses brat come to join the party." The biggest of the boys sat with the hackle lo pipe in his hand trying to look like a grownup.

"Madness huh? I don't think she would like that very much, honestly though when she is unhappy well she can seem a bit on the mad side." Let them think about that one. But they were so stupid they didn't catch it.

"Whatcha gonna do dog meat, tell your mommy what we're doing?" The biggest one must be the leader, it figured, since he was the dumbest of them all.

"No." I paused for a short breath. "I was thinking I would tell yours." And I tried to imitate the look mother got when she was trying to scold me, but didn't want anyone to overhear. You know the look I'm sure, the one that says "If you don't straighten up this minute your backside is going to look like a striped guar hide when we get home."

"You better not, you little sneaky witch." One of the other boys decided to show me he could speak human language, I was impressed.

"And who do you think is going to stop me, crab meat?" He was the one that had been holding his hand over Cai's mouth. "I'll kick your butt so hard it'll look like you are talking through a crack."

"You need someone to teach you a lesson, little girl! You don't know who you are messing with. We'll hurt you so bad even your Mama won't know you." The beast was blathering again. I just shook my head. Uncle Seth always said,

If you are going to fight- fight. Don't talk, don't try to look 'heroic'- just hit someone as hard and fast as you can.

Still, there were six of them and only one of me, and a little conversation might make the odds better. It was worth a try anyway.

"So, are we gonna do this one on one or are you all gonna try at once?"

I had no idea what it was going to be like if they all jumped in at once, but I was mad enough at what they had been doing and they had just added to it by calling Mother names. I didn't care what they said about me; they couldn't hurt me with words, well, unless they were the words of a spell and these boys couldn't spell the word "spell" itself, so I wasn't worried about that.

"We won't waste any time; we'll just all get it over with so you can go home crying to your Outlander Mama, Hlaalu scum."

That did it. The one thing they could have called me and gotten a reaction, yep, that was it. I set my feet like Uncle Seth showed me as the biggest bully charged. The other five just stood there watching. He dove at me, and I didn't even move my feet, I just leaned to one side and he went face first into the dirt.

"Idiot," was my only comment on his poor technique. He did not appreciate my remark and pushed himself up, yelling at his little group of thugs-in-training:

"Come on! Do ya need an invite? Get her!" And the rest of the big boys charged. I caught something, a head or fist or something, in my belly that made me let go of all my air. I felt my elbow make contact with something and a squeal followed. A fist to the eye told me I was going to have a mark of my own. I kicked the boy in front of me right where his legs came together and he went down like a shot cliff racer and I escaped their hands through the hole he left and went for one of the little brothers. I picked the little scrib up by his collar and whispered in his ear:

"You better tell them to stop or you are gonna get more than a good beating, I'm gonna feed you to the mud crabs." When I saw his face and how scared he was I felt bad; this kid had no choice but be to there because his big brother was a blight. The big boys stopped though. I looked at them, and I don't know what I looked like. I know what I felt like and if their appearance was any gauge, I figure we were about even. The biggest one had a scrape down his nose from sliding in the dirt; one of the others had a bloody nose, the one that never said anything was holding himself like he had to pee real bad, and the last one was crying with his hand to his head.

"Let him go, you sneaky little rat. You'll pay for this; you may not make it back home alive." King of the idiots spoke.

"If you do anything to me," and I leaned my head toward the brat I was holding, "he'll get twice what you give me, I promise." And then next thing I knew the little piece of dung slid out of his shirt and was gone, squealing like a baby kagouti. That was not good. They were between me and. Oops. The troop started coming at me and I saw a rock about the size of my fist. I picked it up and palmed it. I don't quite know what went where or who did what after that; it was a blur of arms, heads, legs and grunts, but I did not let go of that rock. I left them all in their little hidey hole, the biggest one rolling on the ground holding his head. "You even talk to Mae or Cai again and you will ALL be sorry. They are just little girls." I limped my way back to Sarethi Manor and that's when Uncle Seth found me. If he thought I was trying to play with those useless sacks of moldy wickwheat, so be it; I wasn't going to tell him otherwise.

LMAO! You certainly have a way with the expressions Athynae! This had me chuckling all the way through!

S:"How fortunate those boys were that you didn't tell me. But I think you already knew what I would have done. Now; I would never strike a child...but I might convince them that the boogeyman was real..."

I am loving these little insights into Uncle Seth and the close relationship they shared! From BOTM, I knew Athynae would have the same fiery redheaded temper, lol. Awesome Write !!

Ohhh I'm loving this, it had me chuckling since the start. I'm loving the dialog between the two :3

Dunno if it's just what's been happening in RL at the mo, but this story scared the hell out of me...I know it's a brilliantly well written story...And most normal people wouldn't write the bad that could have happened...But that was genuinely scary...

Funny as hell though... ...

Loved it... ...

Nice one!!... ...

*Applauds heartily*...

And nice one to BH for the start bit too...See, told you he was nice... ...

Since McB mentioned how scary this piece was, and my youngest son has had some major issues with bullies this year, the thought of what might have happened could be scary. But I will dedicate this one to all of those who dealt with bullies and would have either LOVED to have done this or the ones that actually DID it to tame the beasts....they are just a bunch of a-holes that need to get their teeth kicked in a couple times.

Awwww <3, Thank you

I would have LOVED to punch their faces to a pulp, not that the bullied me though, they did bully other kids. And ever time that I saw it, it made my blood boil, I would have done so much more than kick their teeth , I am a dragon ninja after all

Yes, I know how it is. I was the new kid at school almost every year until 9th grade because my Dad was in construction...it wasn't always pleasant. I finally about the age of 9 learned how to hold my own but rather than do it the way Thyna did, I went covert...they didn't know it was me until I got them all...

What fun to read! Little Athynae is adorable – and clearly demonstrates how long she’s had her temper. Eeep! Vengeance, was hers however. I really enjoy having Seth and Athlain drifting in and out of this – as they should. I’m looking forward to perhaps a scene with little ‘Thyna and her dear mother, Selene.

’She gave him a mischievous little smile as she said quietly: "I didn't say I gave up." and took the necklace.
He stood up and smiled. "I think you learned this lesson a little TOO well."

Well- cannot let THIS one go by:



For the rest- well, I would pretty much have to quote all of it. The main thing is the sense of "place" that comes through in the metaphors and descriptions. It bring us right there, in the midst of that dusty cluster of boulders, taking on long odds- because it is the right thing to do.

And how interesting that Athynae is finally driven to action- not by something done to her- but because of the mistreatment of her friends. Interesting- but not surprising.

Each of these windows into her earlier life tells us that much more about how she became the person she is.

Wonderfully done!

"Oh Thyna! You didn't think I knew about that incident with those boys, right? You din't think I actually found out? Well I did, but....since you handled it so well, I chose not to say anything or even interfere!"

This is SOOO fun to read! I do have a record of the little Princess her first 4-4,5 years but after that....she's all yours! And this start of her own story is purely amazing! I love every word of it...

Mother? Why wouldn't you say something? I, um, well, I was just protecting Mae and Cai and, and, well, it was about time they got what was comin'! Hateful, good-for-nothins!

"Why of course Sweetie! And you did show them who's in charge, right? And you didn't get that much hurt either...so. But remember one thing my precious....YOU were the first...YOU were the first child born after the Blight, on Vvardenfell, that...give you some powers that you may not be aware of...yet!"

S:"She just tricked you, I hope you realize. Most things she says she knows; she's acting off of intuition and simply confirming by saying she knew. Oh yes, you may have certain inherit abilities."

Are you sure Uncle Seth? Because there are some things she really shouldn't know....see I told you keeping the journals was a bad idea....

SS: "Well Seth, that's what you think...hmmm you may not be completely wrong here!"

SS: Thyna! Don't believe everything Uncle Seth tells you, he might not be totally neutral when it comes to you dear!"

I have always been a bit of my own person, if I don't think something someone says is in line with what I want to do I just kind of log it in for later...may not always be the best thing but it is sure teaching me a lot of valuable lessons like maybe I should listen and heed more advice than I do.

I always had the feeling you knew far more than you let on, now I know the reason for some of that. It wasn't that you necessarily 'knew' what it was just that telepathy that said "something bad is getting ready to happen" kind of like me with Athlain.

@mALX- She is quite the temperamental little girl and woman, that will never change I am afraid. It's a good thing that Athlain loves her because he certainly has times when he doesn't particularly like her….Glad you are enjoying the peek into the younger Thyna.

@Fawkes- Laughter is the best medicine my friend, I do hope that the majority of these have a good dose of humor. Though I am sure there will be a handful that are a little less funny just because life isn't always funny, but Thyna can turn even the most mundane into something a bit bigger…

I totally understand about seeing the other kids get picked on too, it just makes my blood boil and my eldest son experienced it for several years until he finally defended himself and fixed it. Now my youngest son is having the same issues. He'll take it for a little while longer I am afraid but when he does strike back it will definitely make an impression…

I am so so glad you are here…thank you!

@McB- As I said earlier in the thread I do understand that there are elements here that have been experienced since the beginning of time; there is always someone who seeks to make themselves look bigger by making others look smaller, it stinks but it's so true. I know first hand what that is like having been on the receiving end more than once but the first time was the worst. Being the new kid in school almost every year from 2nd grade to 9th certainly didn't help….BUT I would far prefer, in this case, that you see the humor AND the satisfaction in bringing them down a notch or two….

@Acadian- There will be appearances of many of the people that you know and some that you haven't really met yet. Stay tuned… AND the quote you picked probably defines Thyna better than any ONE I can think of, THANK YOU BLACK HAND!!!!!!!! FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!!!!!!!!!!

@treydog-and there it is again, the defining quote….I am elated that you are enjoying the peek into Thyna's youth- even more elated that you are such an integral part of the creation of it. THANK YOU!!!

@minque- As ever I am thrilled beyond words that you are here, that I see Thyna the way you envisioned her. I will strive to mold her into the person that would come from Serene and Athyn Sarethi with a huge dose of Sethyas Velas stirred in….or some mix of that….I hope you enjoy the next one….

@Black Hand-So glad you enjoyed that one, or my part of it. Yes, she does seem to have her own take on 'expressions' I am sure that trend will continue to some extent.

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! For your contribution to this piece, without your part Thyna's part would not have been possible. EVER GRATEFUL for all that you have given to Thyna AND for allowing me such freedom with the one and only Seth….

@Mother and Uncle Seth- "Thank you for not saying anything even if you knew about some of these things because if you had it would have probably slowed me down or changed me and I kind of like the way I am.

Uncle Seth, I didn't tell you for that reason; I wanted to take care of it just like you took care of the people you love. I was just doing what you and Mother and Father taught me to do. [/size]

Thyna at around the age of 7...enjoy

"And why is Her Highness sitting in her room in the middle of the day? Hhmm? She must not be feeling well. I guess I'll just have to leave her to rest. I'll see her in a few weeks when the council reconvenes." The familiar voice carried to the top of the stairs.

"No! Uncle Seth, wait! I'm not sick; I got in trouble. Please don't leave." I hated being restricted to my room. Of course, I usually asked for it, though I would never admit that to anyone, not even my Uncle Seth, and I told him almost everything.

Seth's frame darkened the doorway dressed in his official council robes. Guess they needed his vote or something. That thought was followed by the happiness that he was here; reasons didn't matter.

"What could you have possibly done this time little one? Surely you are close to running out of things that get you in trouble." He looked at me with the expression, a combination of censure and understanding that I had become far too familiar with. "From what your Mother shared am I to understand you REFUSED to do some arithmetic for the tutor?" His voice did not carry the same censure that his expression did and so I felt at ease enough to try to explain without being guilty before the trial.

"Well, yes, sort of, I mean, yes Uncle Seth, I did." I stammered.

"And why pray tell would you do such a thing?" He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head sideways, the look that said 'You didn't quite think that one through, did you?' Seth leaned against the mantel and crossed his arms waiting for my explanation.

I slouched and dropped my head, "Because it is stupid." I pouted. "I already know how to add numbers."

"Ah, well that lets me off the hook then." And he straightened and brushed his hands together as if he had finished a task. "And here I thought I was going to have to keep teaching you about weapons and fighting forever. But since you already know how to use a blade and shoot a bow I don't need to teach you anything else because it is stupid. That's one burden I need not be concerned about any…"

"No! You can keep learning new stuff about swords and bows and fighting. That's not stupid." I had drawn myself up and was once again taking a stand for my position that repeating simple mathematical calculations was stupid. Learning about weapons and fighting was NEVER stupid. "I know all about adding numbers, why do I need to practice?"

"So, you know all there is to know about numbers then?" He feigned a look of awe.

"No, I did not say that. I said I know all about adding numbers. I have more to learn about numbers, just not about adding them."

"So, if I asked you to show me, would that be stupid?"

"No, because you always make me prove to you that I know what I say I know," I said with a shrug; it was just the way it had always been. He said it kept me from telling anyone I knew how to do something I didn't know how to do. The frustration was that he should KNOW by now that I would not do that because if it got to Uncle Seth I would have to PROVE it, never a good thing if I didn't know. I learned that early on.

"Yes I do because it isn't enough to say you know something, you have to be able to show that you know." How many times had I heard him say that? He is not so old that he forgets telling me that over and over and over.

"What do you want me to show you Uncle Seth?" I knew what the answer was going to be but I figured it was worth a try just in case he wanted to see me do the new hand flip I had learned with my dagger.

"I would like to see those arithmetic problems you did not want to do." Yep, that's it; I knew it.

"Why? Are you going to do them for me?" I asked, acting a bit too excited; he knew I was teasing.

"I can't do math." His voice held no emotion and he looked so serious I almost believed him until I saw the telltale twinkle that said 'gotcha'. And he laughed. "I would like to see what you have."

"All of them?" Now that was just a bit much just to prove I knew how to add two numbers together. I could do them all in my head.

"Yes, why not?" He was acting like it was no big deal but it was, I was making a stand on this because it was stupid.

"I have to do the whole thing just to prove to you that I know what I say I know?" I didn't like that idea at all; it was the point. I had to show him I was determined like I had shown Mother; she just didn't appreciate it like Uncle Seth did. I knew I would still end up doing the work, well, that was a given from the start. But I would fight my battle nonetheless, otherwise they would think something was wrong with me.

"Do you recall over the summer when Baria asked Athlain to clear the scathcraw patch- so she could expand her garden? Remember how long it took him? He started at the ends of the branches so he would not get skewered by the thorns. Do you remember what you told me?"

"Uh huh, he was being silly. He wasn't thinking good. He could have done it different and it wouldn't have taken him so long. If he wore leather armor he could just go cut them at the roots. Or he could have used a flare spell and burned them up; it would have taken a few castings but he woulda been done in a day. Or- or- he could have let the guar loose and they woulda eat it up and stomped the rest of it down."

"So, by doing it the way he did he avoided a lot of pain, he didn't have to learn a new spell that takes lots of practice to get right or the time it would have taken the guar to finish the work. What he also did was complete the job in that time. If he had used the flare spell he would have still had to clean up the debris and if he had used the guar he would still have needed to get rid of the larger branches AND watched where he stepped in the process."

I really hated it when he did that, made my really good ideas into not so good ideas. "But it took him three days!" It was the best I could come up with.

"Ok, it took him three days, and how long have you been arguing with Serene about your numbers? And what have you gotten for your efforts?" Now he was getting to his point; I could tell by his eyes and the way the ends of his mouth turned up just a tiny bit.

"Two days. I got sent to my room until I do them." I stuck out my bottom lip; it just wasn't right. "But Uncle Seth, it's STUPID!" and that came out as a whine. "I know there are far more important things I need to learn!" I threw that in just to distract him, but it didn't work.

Now his eyes were smiling; here it comes. "So is doing more work than you have to- when it would be SMARTER to do what seems 'stupid'." He waited while his words wafted in the empty space between us. "There are times when you must fight and times when you must NOT, and little one you have to know the difference."

"But if I say something, don't I have to stick to it?" This was something Father and Mother had always told me.

"Well yes, but you should think before you speak because in this case you chose words that backed you into a corner. Refusing to do the work was a mistake because it was a fight you could not win, even if you never did your numbers."

"I don't want to lose; I want to win." And I did know that sometimes you needed to retreat and reassess before the next attack.

"So you win this war by maneuver. Do you always attack with a blade?" Now came the good stuff; he was talking about weapons now.

Smiling I said, "No, sometimes you block with it." I was good at this too, almost as good as I was with numbers.

"And how do you avoid being hit?" His expression was more serious now, there was more to this lesson…

I hesitated a moment "Sometimes I block with my katana, sometimes I pull my dagger and use it and sometimes…"

"SOMETIMES, Your Highness, you back up. This is one of those times." And there it was, using my favorite subject to make his point. There should be a rule against that; he did it all the time.

"BUT UNCLE SETH" I stomped my foot on the floor.

"Look, I am not going to take sides in this between you and Serene; your being right or wrong is not the most important lesson here. You have to think things through before you start a battle. Serene is your mother therefore she holds the 'Staff of Correctness,' which means she wins. One touch with the staff and poof- the Princess is in her room until she concedes or …."

"That is NOT fair." I did not like these lessons. It was even worse when he was right and I was the one that did something stupid. Which, unfortunately seemed to happen more often than not.

"I don't believe anyone has ever told you life was fair, little one. Now, I will ask a price from you for the teaching." He looked at me with his head bent like he was waiting for me to accept his price.

"My allowance is in my desk." I furrowed my brow and started toward my desk.

"No, Princess, not money, a bargain."

Uh oh, this can't be good. "A bargain? Like I give you something I have for what you taught me?"

"Sort of. I want you to do something for me. I want you to go an entire week without using the word 'stupid'."

"And why would I want to do that, Uncle Seth? How am I supposed to tell someone something is stupid if I can't say 'stupid'? That's just mean. You are being mean."

"And so are you." His mouth made a hard line.

"What am I supposed to say if something IS stupid?" I put my hands on my hips and leaned toward him. I really wanted to know. This was an important word; did he not understand that?

"Do you think the lesson I taught you was valuable? And will it save you time and trouble in the future?" He looked like the dealers in the market when they were trying to get more money for a bauble than it was worth.

"Yes, sera." It was the right answer but I did not like it.

"So we have a deal then?" He put his hand out for me to shake on it. I just stood there and looked at him, gritting my teeth trying to think of a way out of this. "Athynae? I do not teach you anything without exacting payment, whether it is the promise of practice time or making sure you do your chores, or teaching you why it is not a good idea to try to match stubborn with your mother."

"Fine!" and I shook his hand. "I may not talk at all." And I made my best angry face.

"As you wish." And he shrugged his shoulders.

"Sometimes Uncle Seth, you are so mean." I was definitely pouting but I still held one more card.

"Did I hear someone say something?" And he looked around acting like he didn't know it was me.

I stepped to my desk and picked up the parchment. "Here." And I passed it to him. He looked down at the completed pages of equations. He looked at me, shook his head and smiled, then crouched down and hugged me.

"You are and shall ever be Her Highness Princess of Trouble." And he laughed while I was trying to figure out how I was going to survive a week without saying "stupid". I was definitely going to need to avoid some people.

Yes...And today, I would have...

........

But aamywho!!...

Most excellent chapter...I laughed muchly...Poutyness is hilarious... ...

I really enjoy the way she is being taught all this stuff by Seth...You really are painting him brilliantly...

So much to quote that I loved absolutely...So I shan't quote any... ...

Absolutely brilliant...

Nice one!!... ...

*Applauds most heartily*...

What a treat as we see more of Little Athynae! I got a wonderful laugh from the image of Serene with her Staff of Correctness!

Then there was this:
"Fine!" and I shook his hand. "I may not talk at all." And I made my best angry face.’
Oh my goodness. It is wonderful to see the origin begins as early as seven years of age. Knowing the later path of Athynae, I long ago wrote the below piece.

Here we go again! Her Highness in full bloom! I can just see her...."arguing" with Seth, who by the way you are picturing like I do, or at least it seems so to me. You describe his more "human" side, the side he shows Serene sometimes when he's not annoyed with her for poking around in his mind

I enjoyed this so very much, how she made a little fun of poor sweet Athlain's way of doing things! Hilarious it was!

I will pm you a little something you can use in a future post...IF you want to that is!


SS: "Well Thyna, I guess I should be thankful that you at least listen to your Uncle Seth...otherwise ...well I don't know"

I am absolutely loving these incites into the Seth behind the assassin we come to know in his memoirs !!! There is a depth to him that is touched on in his dealings with his own story, but in this we see a side of him he doesn't show many - Awesome Write !!

Yes! And I'm sure not even Blackie realised that his hero would be so famous in other stories ..when he created him!
But that's the THING! You create a man according to your likes and fantasy...then others interpret him differently, finds or maybe invents other sides of him...

I love the way Athynae is interpreted here ..AND Seth! because it fits so well with my "universe"

S.G.M

o_O


I suppose minque is right, I'm uncertain as too my true feelings concerning his apparent popularity. Firstly, I don't really like the original saga, it was the very apparent amateur writings, then again; practice makes for slightly less amateurish things.

Not too mention Seth has been with me through many upheavals in real life over the last four or so years. Not like a voice in my head or anything, but simply the idea of being better than what I am, which is what I think of as the spirit of Seth is, continuous self improvement.

But in many ways, Seth is no longer simply 'my' character, he's been borrowed and interpreted and brought too life in many different ways. I always shared him freely because; as weird as this may sound, it is what he would do. He is a walking contradiction, a remorseless killer who loves, a man who experiences deepest pain yet seeks to alleviate pain from the world. As selfless as he is closed off from the world.

Yet, the sense of wonder I gained from first playing Morrowind, the creation and deletion of multiple characters as I learned my playing style; the joy of discovery as I came across multiple bandit caves, the long hours in the night spent playing despite having work the next day, these moments I would not trade, and these moments are uniquely my own, and are what gave birth to the Mer in my mind.

So, good job Athynae, you do more than just do him justice. You breathe life into the softer side of the man, and even I am moved and have regained that sense of wonder. What's next?

Wow! Um, I had no idea when trey sent me the forum's address the magnitude of what it would come to mean to me. If by writing these stories, a process that brings me tremendous joy, also brings others some joy that is a wonderful feeling but if it has also served to bring back to you something so special as that I am humbled to my very center and elated to think I have succeeded in doing that for you. I will cherish this comment for the rest of my days.

Thank you so very much Black Hand, you are an incredible writer that has a way of putting ideas and feelings in such as way that the reader feels them tangibly. I was sucked into his story after reading the first paragraph not long after I arrived here and now I sit on the edge of my seat waiting for the next post to surface....and Athynae would not be her stubborn, opinionated, argumentative, perfectionist warrior self were it not for Seth, Serene, Athyn and Athlain but I also feel like Seth was the one that gave her permission to be who she was.

Time to crank up the Quot-o-Matic (patent pending; use under adult supervision; keep hands and feet away from moving parts; read the safety guidelines before operating; consult a physician if you experience dizziness, nausea, sudden weight lose, or blurred vision).

What these vignettes from Athynae's past give us are insights into the whole world that she inhabits. We get to see precisely what the thread says on the tin- "The Making of a Princess." And that is because we see the people who shaped and trained her- even as we also see how SHE shaped them.



That is obviously one of those "rhetorical questions."



So much is conveyed in those two lines.



To quote Athynae herself- "I never said I give up."



I can think of some mom's who have WISHED for such a handy item as a Staff of Correctness.



And Seth demonstrates the only good response to the deployment of "Fine!"



Simply a delight from start to finish. Wonderful.

@McB- Thank you so much, I am so glad you are enjoying. I hope there are many more posts that have "…so much to quote…" That is a quality that I strive for every time I put pen to paper.

@Acadian- I am so very happy you are reading and enjoying! And the poem was , well, that was just a work of art, every time I read it I smile. It now graces the front of my notebook, reprinted in a lovely calligraphic font and decorated with a border of her two favorite words…

Stupid and FINE go together so well don't you think?

@mALX- Seth is quite the mer without a doubt. He took on the mantle of Uncle and tried to fill the spaces when Serene and Athyn were busy with Redoran House affairs and the council. He didn't want their absences to be a blank space, probably a good thing with Athynae.

@minque- Thank you for the PM, I loved what you sent, ALL of it. Seth, in my mind, is as multi-dimensional as the universes on the forum but the common thread that runs through all of his aspects is his drive and determination to do whatever it is with practiced perfection regardless. That goes along with my response to the second comment. I don't think one story was or is big enough to hold the many dimensions of Sethyas Velas successfully.

AS: "Yes, Mother, it was a good thing, a very good thing but to be honest, I don't think listening to him was optional."

@Black Hand- I've shared my appreciation for Seth, both with readers and your generosity with him and I will continue to do so but your gift of his presence in Athynae's childhood I can never repay so if these stories do this:



Then I will bow humbly and say thank you and I hope that these glimpses into Thyna's childhood continue to inspire that sense of wonder. Thank you again, so much, your generosity is beyond measure.

@treydog- Thanks. So much I wish to convey in just one word….

First and foremost thank you all! RL has been a bit of a whirlwind this week with the arrival of my first grandchild. She is happy, healthy and perfect not to mention quite the beauty, and no I am not biased...

Now, this one is a bit long so grab a cup of hackle lo tea and join me on a ride...I was going to split it into two parts but, well, I didn't want to think that hard today I just wanted to get to the sharing it part. So, let's race shall we?

I had another history lesson with Father today and walking outside I found it hard to imagine the scenes he described before Nerevar Reborn had defeated Dagoth Ur at Red Mountain. The time before the Blight ended seemed almost like a fable, especially looking at Ald' ruhn now, since Mother had become Arch Mistress of House Redoran. One of the lessons that Father focused on was Dunmer traditions and how maintaining House Redoran's warrior heritage during peacetime was difficult. But Mother and the Council had continued to hone our martial skills with tournaments and competitions.

Children began their training in the ways of Great House Redoran as early as age 3 or 4, with lessons on the importance of honesty and integrity; how to handle weapons- mostly swords; and in the last decade, the use of guar as mounts, the same way horses were used on the mainland. Truthfulness was something we were expected to exhibit at all times, in all of our dealings- within the House and with others. There were competitions for warrior skills, with divisions by age, starting at age 5. There were small sector meets bi-weekly and regional tournaments yearly, but to compete in the regional tournament one had to earn a place either by number of wins or election of a recognized master of a particular skill. The regional tournament was open to competitors from outside of House Redoran, if they could qualify- AND pay an entry fee. As Mama liked to say, "Though we are not a 'merchant House' like Hlaalu, we still need money." Of course, in some ways, we still had to pay a price for letting outsiders in.

The weapons part of the tournament had been held the previous week and now it was the riding competition, which in truth was a series of races. Because the riders had to be lightweight and agile, the guar races were limited to those under 17. The 5 to 7 group raced around Ald'ruhn, the 8 to 10 group raced to Bal Isra and back, and the group I was in- 11 and up- raced to the old Ghost Gate and back. Adults also rode, but they did not participate in the races.

This year there weren't many competitors in my age group- Athlain and I, a boy from Vivec that was our age, and an older boy from the mainland that I had raced before. I guess he came here for two reasons: one, his parents could afford it and two, no one knew him so the chance of any public humiliation was lessened greatly. And there was one other, a Hlaalu kid whose family lived in one of the huts by the walls. And, if I had to guess, they had bribed a Guar Master for a nomination to compete, because Athlain and I were the uncontested champions. He was the winner of the track races and even sometimes a race like this, but usually the cross-country ones were mine because I did not slow down for obstacles. I trusted Lumhara and she trusted me.

The day before the race, Athlain and I had just finished taking Lumhara and Cos Mear for a workout when Berwain, the Hlaalu kid, came into the stables on a guar that I had never seen before. He had stripes on his neck and hindquarters and a wild set to his eyes. Honestly, it made me nervous because most guar, especially the ones around here, had very gentle expressions and were quite sweet.

"You've won your last race, Thin-A Longhair." I didn't care for the nickname but I didn't go freaky either when the kids called me that; they were just stupid. Calling me names either made them feel better or they were just copying the kids they spent time with; it didn't matter to me one way or the other. The only name that I could not stand was known by one other person and there is no way on Nirn Athlain would tell- because he knew what would happen if he did.

"Yeah, we'll see, Bug Stain; the day you beat me will be the day I fall to my death from a pebble." The look on his face told me he was confused,

"In other words- imbecile," I had learned that using words containing more than four letters greatly decreased the chance Berwain and his pals would understand and so lessened the need for me to "educate" them with my fists, "It won't happen. You couldn't beat me if Lumhara was blindfolded."

"You'll see; you're getting ready to eat dust, elf-witch."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at him for just a moment, then I closed my eyes and started moving my mouth and rubbing my fingers together. I heard his retreat, along with that of his less than impressive guar; their feet moving rather quickly. Athlain elbowed me and we both burst out laughing.

"I wonder what would happen if you did actually turn one of them into a bug or something?"

And we roared again.

We were still giggling as we took care of Lumhara and Cos Mear, making sure they had fresh, clean water and straw bedding. We gave them each a nice helping of their favorite fruit grain mix too. Just as we started out of the stable Mae and Cai arrived in their typical fashion- talking simultaneously in low voices. As they got within earshot they ceased their rumbling and looked up.

"Hello Athlain, Athynae. How are you today?" Cai's vocalization came out dripping with honey. Something was up.

"What do you two want now?" Athlain asked, rolling his eyes. I did not like it when they played pranks on Athlain or me, and they did not, thankfully, pull them on my brother Ra, probably a good thing. BUT that did not ever stop me from being impressed by their abilities. They could not handle weapons of any fashion with any degree of expertise; they barely rode and never raced; but, when it came to pranks, they were the undefeated masters.

"Thyna dear, we are in need of your assurance, certainty, that you will win the race tomorrow," Mae intoned with the same sticky, dripping quality her sister had used. "We have a friendly bet with Berwain's little sister that you will win and we cannot lose because, well- we don't want to, but also because we bet those lovely hair ribbons Aunt Serene brought us from Sadrith Mora." Cai was matter-of-fact.

I was just listening, trying to keep from laughing at them, which was never a good thing.

Mae threw in just to be sure "You know- the ones that change color to match what we are wearing?" As if I didn't know what they were talking about.

"If Father finds out that you've been betting, especially something like that, you will be kneading dough and washing dishes until next Frost Fall." Athlain could be such a ninny sometimes. Of course the only thing he did to get in trouble was follow me. I think the only reason Aunt Baria and Uncle Trey let him keep playing with me was because they, like Mother, believed he actually kept me from doing some things. I enjoyed Athlain's company; at least he had more than one brain cell, so I wasn't going to tell them any different.

"Well, I fully intend to win, can't think of any reason this year will be any different than the past… how many times have I won this one Athlain; I can't remember."

I could feel the daggers coming from Athlain's eyes, "I hate you."

I smiled, "I know. That's why you never spend any time with me." And I cocked my head to the side and fluttered my eyelashes.

A foot stomping the ground drew our attention back to the girls. "This is not the least bit funny you two," Cai pouted.

"Can you not take anything seriously, Athynae? I mean really, you of all people should understand how unfulfilling it is to lose," Mae finished.

"How would I know that?" I had my favorite look on my face, the one that made me appear to be the idiot of Under-Skar.

"OOHH!!!!!!! You know what I mean! You are so hateful! Why can't you just work with us here?" Mae fumed.

"You two got out of sequence there; maybe you need to work on that." I gave them my best
"helpful advice" look.

At that they both spun around and headed out of the stables, leaning in to resume their verbal rumble. It really did look quite frightening sometimes.



The next day started early for everyone involved in the races, as well as the multitude of spectators. The older competitors were requested to observe and be supportive of the younger racers. I didn't have an issue with the support part and I would definitely be there to watch Rahvin's race, but I wasn't a good spectator.

I slipped to the stables just to sit with Lumhara for a few minutes before I needed to go watch Rah race. Then it would be time to get her saddled and warmed up for her moment in the sun. I walked to her stall and as I passed I pulled the rag from the hook. She stuck her head over the door and before I got close I wiped her chin off; she had a tendency to slobber some and "some" with a mouth that big was actually a lot. I didn't mind though; I kept a goo rag for just this reason because she was the most wonderful guar I had ever seen. I would have tolerated far more from her than just cascades of slobber, but thankfully it wasn't necessary. I nudged her under the chin with my head and wrapped my arms around her neck and she made a little sound in her throat like she had swallowed a flute that was out of tune.

"I love you too girl. Are you ready to race today?" She pushed at me and started shaking her head back and forth and her eyes lit up. "That's what I thought; you are always ready to race. How did I get so lucky?" I patted her neck and then put a hand on each side of her face "Race fair, and fly fast and we will win, right?" and she bobbed her head almost like she was nodding. "I gotta go watch Rahbrat, I'll be back and then we'll go show all of them how grand you are." And she made a loud warble sound. I really think she understood some of what I said.

I started toward the finish line and just as I got to the spot under the observation deck that Mother shared with the rest of the council the cheers went up. They were in the last stretch from Bal Isra. Rahvin and two other kids were almost side by side. The others were a girl from the coast and a boy from Vivec. Rah glanced toward me and at just the right time I dropped my head in a nod. He gave a shrill whistle and Star shot forward like an arrow from a bow. Rah beat the other two by at least a guar length; Star was almost as fast as Lumhara and Cos Mear. In fact, the only reason she wasn't as fast was because she was smaller than them.

Mother and Father were off of the deck in the winner's circle by the time Rah reached it. I stayed where I was because well, just because; it's the way Rah and I did things. We couldn't actually let anyone know we liked each other. We even went as far as to stage fights on occasion just for show. Of course Athlain knew the truth, but he wouldn't tell. Rah looked at me as Father took him from Star's saddle. I winked at him, smiled and gave him our secret hand signal; he beamed, and so did I. As far as little brothers go, I was a lot luckier than most.

Rah might not be good with a sword but he was something else all together in the laboratory and an exceptional archer just to let you know. He was 4 years younger than me and had already invented a number of new potions. I was the adventurer; he was the alchemist. Mother and Father had resorted to building him an outdoor lab because of the intermittent noises and aromas that emanated from his room. Sometimes his experiments had more enthusiasm than science behind them. His latest creation was a potion that made the creature that took it change colors, like a rainbow sort of and it lasted for several days. Mother had tested to make sure it wasn't dangerous before he actually tried it on anything living. It was great.

I returned to the stables to get Lumhara ready for the race and I bumped into Mae and Cai.

"Sorry about yesterday Thyna." Mae spoke first.

And of course Cai followed "Yeah, sorry Thyna."

"It's ok, I do understand, I was giving you a hard time yesterday. You know that, don't you? I do not compete in anything without every intention of winning."

"Will you let us make it up to you?" Mae was at the top of the flop today. I wondered if they had a system- or if it was just random.

"What? There's nothing to make up, I just said…"

"Yeah, but we would feel better if you'd let one of us lead Lumhara to the starting line and hold her 'til the banner drops." Cai of course.

I didn't feel comfortable with this at all, but I had two choices and I didn't like either of them. If I said no I would definitely pay a price later. If I said yes, I'd go ahead and pay the price now and get it over with. All I knew for certain was that something was up.

"If you insist, but think about what you are getting ready to do." There might be some that were fooled by those two, but I was not one of them.

I saddled and warmed Lumhara to prep her and met Athlain heading toward the starting line. "They caught me." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah I figured; they caught me too, but I already told Rahvin I needed him to do it so I was off the hook." He gave a huge fake smile.

"I hate you."

"Yeah I know, that's why you never spend any time with me. But I guess I could find a new best friend." And he pulled my raised eyebrow look. I still did it better.

"Well you could, but they wouldn't be nearly as much fun as I am."

"Right, that's the biggest reason there is for me to run as fast as I can and find a new one."

This was a weekly conversation, almost like our own private club or something. "Yeah but you can't because," and I wiggled my fingers in front of his face, "I, my dear Athlain, cast a spell on you that makes you find me irresistible."

"I can't resist wanting to put a spell on your mouth to keep it shut."

We both laughed.

We reached the edges of the throng and there waiting for us were Mae and Cai and Rahvin. Cai was making goo goo eyes at Rah, like she always did. I still didn't get it; they were too young to even know if they were friends.

Rahvin knew the drill; he had done this for both Athlain and me several times before. I crooked my finger at Mae; Cai was lost somewhere between here and Masser. "Just hold the short lead Mae; you are really only walking with us; she knows what to do but the rules state that we have to be led to the starting line so…."

"I know; do you think I'm stupid?" she tossed over her head as she moved toward the starting line.

She seriously did not just ask me that. I could have answered, but I was concerned that it would make an already bad situation worse. I did not trust this girl as far as I could throw Lumhara but she didn't seem to be hiding anything and there weren't any bulges in her clothing. She didn't even have pins in her hair today; it was hanging in braids. The tension eased just a little, but not much.

Berwain reached the starting line just before we did and the other two racers were almost to the line as well. Berwain looked at Mae and said, "You are gonna lose that bet with my sister, Red- and when you do I hope your face matches your hair."

Mae didn't say anything, she just reached up to rub Lumhara's nose like she hadn't heard him. The horn sounded us to the ready, then sounded again to signal the handlers to step out, and Mae gave Lumhara's nose another pat. Lumhara licked her hand as she stepped away and just as the banner dropped the world spun like the little wooden top that Ra played with.

Instinctively I tightened my legs around her front quarter and grabbed the saddle horn with my left hand. We were flying, then we were falling, then we were spinning. I couldn't even focus enough to direct her with the bridle. I reached down as deep as I could so my voice was like the guar master's and I bellowed, "LUMHARA- ENOUGH!"

She hesitated just long enough for me to assess and direct. The pillars of the old Ghostfence flew past and then it was all speed and holding on until the turn. I tucked in as close to her neck as I could, she dropped her head and the world became a blur as we screamed toward the old Ghostgate. I did not know what Mae the Mad had done, but you could rest assured I would find out and there would be a counter attack. I was concerned for Lumhara more than anything. She was running faster than a cliff racer could fly; the only thing that I could think of that would do that was a fortify speed potion- a strong one.

Next thing I knew I heard guar feet thundering behind me and I tucked my head to look under my arm. Berwain was not far behind, but beyond him Athlain and Cos Mear were nowhere close and Cos Mear and Lumhara were very closely matched speed wise. So the Bug Stain had cheated. Well, I would never be able to prove that I wasn't responsible for this unless I just dropped myself from the race. And that was exactly what I intended to do as soon as I could get Lumhara to stop, which could be a few minutes or sometime next week…. Mae and Cai would rue the day on this one.

Berwain was laughing behind me because he thought he was catching up. Well what's done is done, so he needs a lesson in messing with the rules AND with me. I leaned into Lumhara's neck and I hummed. I'm not sure why it worked- it just did. For Star Ra whistled and she would take off, for Lumhara it was humming, that or my lack of musical ability, I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket with a lid. She left all of them, Berwain included.

We made the turn at Ghostgate and started for home. I tried to feel for any problems the potion might be causing but found none. Her heart and her breathing were a bit accelerated but that was to be expected under the circumstances. I really needed something worthy of this for Mae and Cai. I looked up toward the finish line and heard from far behind me Berwain's voice shouting "She cheated! She had to! There is no way that broken down old guar could beat me, NO WAY!"

Rahvin, Mother and Father were standing at the finish line when I crossed. It was not easy getting Lumhara to stop but she finally decided she was done and dropped her head so I could dismount. The look in her eyes was absolutely heart breaking. She did not know what had happened. "It's ok girl, I promise, it's ok. We'll get you to the stables and cooled down and I'll get Mother to take a look. You'll be fine." I don't know if she understood but I hoped she did.

Berwain crossed the finish line about that time still spouting about me cheating. I walked toward the judges' tower as Rahvin came toward me. "Rahvin will you please walk her for me? I have something to take care of."

"Sure Sis, what happened? You scared me." His eyes were red rimmed.

I mussed his hair "It's ok, promise. I am fine and Lumhara is fine. I can't say the same for your girlfriend and her sister though." And I gave him a disgusted look. "I'll tell you later, ok?" He turned toward the stables with Lumhara.

"Hey Sis?" I turned "She is NOT my girlfriend!" and he continued on his walk away from me.

Berwain was coming at me full on and I was ready for the crash but he stopped just short and jabbed his finger in my chest. "You cheated! I will have you banned from racing forever!"

"I cheated? Me?"

"Yes you, elf-witch" and he narrowed his eyes still with his finger pressed at the top of my chest just beneath my throat.

"If you do not get your stubby, dirty finger off of me, I am going to remove it for you and if I do the only way you will get it back is when I feed it to you," I whispered so just he could hear. He moved his finger, good choice. "Now cheating is not something that I practice, I have no need to cheat because I just don't. Now that is not to say that there was not some other person that put something into the mix and so I am going to take care of this. Are you ready to be the winner of the race, Berwain?"

The smile on his face was monumental and I let it stay there for all of about three steps. "Too bad! You remember that threat you made about me not racing for the rest of my life? Yea, well, it just bit you on your cheating behind!" and I turned back toward the judges' stand.

I knew he was going to try to jump me from behind, Goody I do get to punch him in the nose. I turned just as he reached me and put my right arm out stiff, with the heel of my hand right on the tip of his bulbous nose. Crunch. Crap, I didn't mean to break it. And he screamed like a girl.

Leaving him there, holding his face, I spoke to the judge, "Sera, I apologize for what happened here today and my part in it. I did not know it but my racer was given a fortify speed potion and to be fair I am removing myself from the race. I would also like to request a full check of Berwain's mount as I believe he was dosed as well." I felt Mother's hands on my shoulders as I finished my little speech.

"Are you ok?" Mother's eyes bored into mine like she was trying to see to the other side of Nirn through my boots.

"I am fine Mama, but will you please go check on Lumhara and make sure she wasn't harmed permanently?"

"I will check my sweet but there are not ordinarily lasting effects from just one dose of fortify speed. I am proud of you and what you did, that was the right thing to do."

"Yes ma'am, I know. I could not accept a win under those conditions. If I cannot win fair and square, I need to lose."

We turned to head toward the stables and Berwain yelped, "You broke my nose! You'll pay for this!"

Mother started to turn, and Father was already out of sight, trying to catch up with Ra I'm sure, so I cleared my throat to get her attention. She looked up just as Uncle Seth and Uncle Trey stepped out of the crowd. Berwain took a step toward me as I moved in front of Mother. There was no way I was going to let her pull the Arch Mistress card for this. But instead Uncle Seth was there; he bent over and whispered to Bug Stain, just loud enough for those closest to hear:

"You take one more step and she will consider it a challenge. Do you want to meet her in the arena tomorrow morning?" I loved that look, I just loved it, the one he gave Berwain, a look that said 'I could wipe up the floor with you.' But this time the look was a conveyance for me. It was really hard not to jump up and down and yell, "Take another step, please, oh please, oh please!"

OHHHH! *jumping up and down, dancing around* I'm speechless! Talking about elf-witches.....Are you SURE you haven't a tiny bit of dunmer blood in you, Athynae? How else can you explain how you actually did THIS!??

I hereby pronounce you The Ultimate Author Of The Tales Of The Children Of Trey of High Rock And Serene of Cyrodiil....

Athlain, Athynae, Mae, Cai and Rahvin...YOU make their childhood ....well AWESOME is the understatement of the day!

Sitting here with my cup of coffee, smiling, re-reading the whole part and just ENJOYING it.

That Athlain and Athynae will develop their relationship is very nicely implied here and we know how it will turn out...ehhh almost anyway, there will be some events during the journey, that I'm sure of....then it's Rahvin, my sweet little boy....So much looking forward to read more about his early ages....YAYYYY.

I wonder, will Uncle S take part in his life as well? I bet he will....oh aye I bet he will. Our grumpy assassin has a knack for kids that we were not aware of before ..or were we?

S.G.M

If I wasn't sure that the headphones would just break, and I know that the kids really aren't ready for Duran Duran at this volume, I would so be dancing right now... ...

That was just incredible...Unbelievable...Wonderful...Amazing...All of the above...

Soooo good...

Anyone notice it was long? ...Not me...Absolutely perfect...

Oh hells I loved this...

Best of anything I've read of yours so far...And that's saying something...

Amazing stuff...Truly...

*Bows down*...Soooo good...

Nice one X Infinity...

*Applauds till his hands hurt*...

While the other updates were unquestionably good, you really opened up with this one and let it all out. You just went from merely carrying a tune to belting out like a Diva!

Seems like your finally over your stagefright and not afraid to let your whole superstar shine out.

I can def understand why you could not break this one apart. It was daunting to see that many words on a chapter, but reading them was not - riveting chapter! I couldn't stop reading from the first words, totally awesome write and immersion into the Morrowind culture of the different Houses - Loved this addition !!! Loved Seth's intervention at the end too, no threat of his own there, ROFL !!! Awesome Write !!

Such a rotten old doggie to have not commented until now- but here is hoping it will lure the Redoran princess back from staring at pictures of her grand-elf...

The first thing to note is the world-building aspect contained in the “why” of the races and other competitions. The way it fits with Redoran traditions adds depth and dimension.



A mystery to ponder… hmmm.



Dontcha always love how the different parents think the OTHER kid is the "good influence?"



There are more examples of this banter- and I quoted several of them. The thing is- it just fits.



Seemingly tiny details (although a guar mouth and "tiny" don't really go together) are what bring a story to life. And that is an example.

Getting to know more about Rahvin is also a treat- we again learn a lot about Athynae by how she interacts with her brother.



Mentioned the banter- and there it is again- AND in such a way as to give continuity.



Younger brothers- yep.



Yes that one made me laugh out loud.

As did this:



"Long" did you say? I did not notice; I was too busy reading and cheering and laughing.