#oc: Medril

[ainaavas-sketchbook]

[Image ID] Two dunmer girls sitting on the floor. The orange haired girl sits cross legged, holding a mage light spell in her hands and the black haired girl sits on her knees watching the spell in the other girl's hands [End ID]

A bit later than planned, but here's a drawing of Ivrasea and her sister, Medril, as kids.

[ainaavas-sketchbook]

Sacrifice - TESFest Day 04

TW: Abuse

"It's easy, just like this." Ivrasea conjured up a magelight spell, but didn't cast it. Medril looked at her skeptically.

"I don't think I should do that. What if she finds out?" Ivrasea rolled her eyes at her sister's caution and put out the spell.

"You worry too much. She's not even supposed to be back until after dark tonight. She was in Vvardenfell, remember? She won't be back for hours." Medril considered this for a moment before giving in.

"Alright, if you say so." She sighed and tried summoning the magelight spell. Ivrasea helped guide her hands around the spell as it formed in her hands. A little ball of light sparked to life in front of them as Medril casted it. Medril gasped in surprise and Ivrasea cheered for her.

"You did it! And it's pretty bright too. You should try more spells. Maybe you could come meet my teacher." Medril's smile dropped from her face at this.

"Mom yells at you all the time for disappearing for whole days. Is that what you've been doing?" The look she gave Ivrasea made her feel guilty about it. It's true that she had been sneaking off to see a mage who was teaching her magic. She had never told Medril because she could never get alone time with her. "You know I can't do that. She despises magic in all forms and if she finds out..." Medril trails off and doesn't finish her thought. Ivrasea looks down at the magelight in disappointment.

"Yeah I know. I just keep hoping that we could do something together. She hates letting us have fun." Medril grabs Ivrasea's hand and intertwines their fingers.

"At least we get to have some alone time while she's away on this trip," she says with a smile. Ivrasea can't help but smile herself and giggles a little when Medril lightly headbutts her.

Suddenly they can hear someone fiddling with the door behind them. Ivrasea curse under her breath and starts pulling Medril away from the magelight.

"What about the spell?" Medril's voice is tense and shaking. Ivrasea pushes her towards the kitchen and shakes her head.

"I don't have time to put it out, but as long as you aren't near it, she won't think it was you." Medril tried to protest but Ivrasea closed the door on her and hurried back over to put the spell out.

As soon as she got there, though, the door opened and she heard a bag thump on the floor behind her. Afraid to turn around, she just stayed crouched in front of the spell, frozen in place. She could feel the anger of her mother already.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tears sting at Ivrasea's eyes but she holds them back and continues to put the spell out. Once she finishes, she stands up and faces her mother. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Medril standing in the doorway now. Her mother, on the other hand, stood in front of her, looking like a mess. Her usually kept up hair, was down to her shoulders and looked like it hadn't been washed in days. She was also covered in a thin layer of grime and her clothes were wrinkled.

"Its nothing." Ivrasea avoided her eyes, afraid of what she'd find in them. She hears a few footsteps come towards her then stop. Still afraid to look, she keeps eyes on the floor. Her heart is beating so fast and she has to focus to keep her breathing in check.

Suddenly, her mother grabs a handful of her hair and yanks her face up to eye level. Ivrasea screams out in pain and she knows some of her hair has definitely been pulled from the scalp. She forces herself to open her eyes and look into her mother's eyes. Her eyes are dark with anger and hatred.

"Which one of you cast the spell?" Ivrasea could vaguely hear her sister crying. She always did when their mother was like this. A fear response. Ivrasea closed her eyes again; she couldn't handle looking into those eyes any longer.

"I did it. She was just watching me, please don't punish her." The tears finally started leaking down her face as she lied. She couldn't let Medril take the punishment for this. She didn't deserve it.

The grip on her hair finally loosened and she opened her eyes to see her mother shooing Medril out of the room. Which was good for Medril but definitely bad for Ivrasea. As soon as the door closed, her mother walked over to it and locked it. Ivrasea thought about bolting out the door while she was on the other side of the room. She was faster, she could get away. But the thought didn't last long as she remembered her sister once more. She couldn't leave her to deal with the abuse.

Ivrasea just stood there frozen as her mother walked back over to her. She grabbed a key off the wall on her way over. She stopped about a foot in front of Ivrasea and took a breath.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop practicing magic?" Her face had gone deadly blank. Ivrasea didn't say a word; she barely breathed at all. "If you're seen casting magic, they'll find out what family you were really born to. That could get me in trouble." She gently placed a hand on Ivrasea's cheek, and for a moment her face contorted into a pained expression. But only moments later, she removed her hand and slapped Ivrasea across the face, hard enough to throw her to the floor.

"I saved your life when you were a child and this is how you repay me. Going around showing off your magic, trying to get me killed." She grabbed a handful of Ivrasea's hair and dragged her towards a door. Ivrasea struggled and tried to get out of her grip but to no avail. The struggle only made her grip hurt more.

She was thrown through a door and landed on a dirty, sandy floor. The door was slammed shut and she heard the clicking sound of a lock sliding into place. She stood up and rushed to the door beating on it and screaming. But she wasn't going to be let out. She should've known this by now. After a moment of struggle, she sat down against the door. She casted a magelight spell to see the room better. It was the same place as always. Just an empty room with a dirt floor and stone walls. There was a bedroll in one corner and a hole in another.

All at once, the situation really hit her and she broke down. Just sobbing uncontrollably. She had no idea how long she'd be left in here. When her next meal would. She wouldn't even know when it was night or day. But she would always sacrifice herself for her sister as long as they both lived.

Even if it killed her.