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sonsofbal · 17 days ago

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VIII. The fall of the Athans

In this chapter, Alicent seeks solace in the familiar corners of Morthal, but what begins as a quiet afternoon quickly turns into a revelation she never expected. With her sharp words and haunting memories, Alva sheds light on the dark past of Seth's family - a past veiled in power, betrayal and blood. As secrets rise to the surface, Alicent must face the chilling question: can the son escape the shadow of his father's legacy? Immerse yourself in a story where loyalty is tested and trust is a fragile thing. Will Alicent heed the warning, or be drawn deeper by curiosity?

If you want to read the book from the start, here's the INDEX. You can also read it in AO3.

At the farthest table in the Moorside Inn, Alicent broke off another small piece of his sweet roll and popped it into her mouth. She pretended to nibble on it before putting it back on her plate after making sure Benor wasn't looking. The mercenary had been kind enough to invite her over for a snack that afternoon, but even her favorite treat had failed to whet her appetite. Even though she had thought that spending the afternoon with Benor would help to clear her mind, Alicent still felt as if a swarm of wasps were buzzing around in her stomach. She struggled to breathe whenever she thought of Seth, and she couldn't get him out of her mind. So much so that she couldn't help but stifle a choked up sob when she remembered what had happened in the store earlier that morning.

"Now, will you tell me what’s wrong?"

Alicent picked up her jug of pumpkin juice and gave him a sideways glance. Benor crossed his arms as he waited, the fabric of his shirt stretching over his muscles. He wore a scowl beneath his long, disheveled hair, accentuating his rugged appearance.

She took a few sips in silence and took a deep breath. Alicent felt a little ridiculous for bothering him with her problems, but Benor had seen her so sad in the shop that he had tried to cheer her up with this invitation. And here she was, sitting silently, wasting the food he paid for. It wasn't fair to let him sit there without an answer. Not when he was that good.

"It's Seth. He doesn't seem to care about me anymore..."

"Didn't think you were friends," he commented nonchalantly, sipping his mead.

Alicent nodded vaguely and turned her eyes back to her own drink, which was still in her hands.

"We have seen each other a lot since the Mist Festival. I thought maybe... Maybe that..." Alicent sighed, not knowing how to continue. She usually only talked to Idgrod about these things. "I thought he was going to ask me to be his girlfriend," she finally confessed. "But now he doesn't even want to spend time with me."

Benor cleared his throat, uneasy.

"Look, kid. He’s probably tied up with something," he concluded simply, as if that were all and Alicent was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"That's what Idgrod said. I miss them," she sighed heavily, frustration clear on her face. "And Joric, too. I didn't know how much they helped me not to think about it until they left for Solitude".

"The boy likely doesn't come to Morthal much," Benor muttered. "Where he lives... Road's rough this time of year."

Alicent denied it.

"No, it's not that. He came to the shop today. He asked me about the chabroseggs, made an angry face when I told him we still didn't have them, and left without saying anything. He's been strange since we last met," Alicent explained, remembering that afternoon with Seth and Idgrod.

"Were you in a fight?"

Alicent denied once more. She'd gone over every detail of that last evening in her head countless times and still had no idea what she'd said or done to deserve his indifference.

“Maybe…”

It was at that moment that Lurbuk, the bard of the tavern, began to recite his most recent piece. At her young age, Alicent had not heard many bards, but it was hard to imagine a worse one than the orc who, to top it off, had a nasty habit of recounting villagers' misadventures. It was Benor's turn, and he groaned as he listened to Lurbuk begin to sing about how he and Alva used to get along. Even that made Alicent think about Seth.

He has time for Alva, she protested to herself, remembering what Joric had told her before they left for the capital. Her friend had seen the two of them talking in the shadows between two houses, and according to him, it had not been the first time they had done so.

"Benor," Alicent called, making Benor look at her again, "can I ask you something?" He nodded his head and Alicent had to pause for a second to choose her words: "Does it bother you that Alva always talks to other boys?"

Benor understood at once what she meant by that, and looked away once more, uncomfortable.

"Alva never overcame what happened to her kin," he finally said.

"What does that mean?" Alicent asked with a frown.

"This life is hard, and it forges us in different ways," he explained. "Alva lived very well in Markarth and always hated Morthal. I can't blame her for trying to get back what she lost. And you know what they say: There's a lid for every pot.”

Alicent pondered Benor's words, twisting them with what Idgrod had told her at the Mist Festival before the ceremony.

"Speaking of which, what happened to her family?"

Benor tensed up.

"I don't know if..." he began.

"Her parents died during the rebellion that killed Seth's father, didn't they?" Alicent interrupted him.

Benor gave a reluctant nod.

"Yes, Alva was there. One year younger than you. Yet..."

Benor left the sentence half-spoken, and she leaned slightly toward him.

"Still what? Was she there? Did she see it happen? Was it the same day? Why were they murdered? Benor!" The Nordic cleared his throat and looked at her strangely for a moment. In a fit of curiosity, she shook his arm in an attempt to get his attention. "You can't just leave me hanging like that!" She protested, "Do you even know how his parents died or not... Ow!" she screamed as she felt a stomp on her right foot. "Why are you kicking me?"

"To keep you from questioning him about my past, child," Alva said behind her.

Alicent felt herself go pale and almost immediately blush from head to toe.

"A-Alva, I..."

Alva ignored her and pulled up a chair to sit between her and Benor. Alicent lowered her head and stared at the table as Jonna, the innkeeper, took their order. Alva ordered a bottle of spiced wine and Benor another jug of mead; he paid for both drinks in advance. When Jonna left them alone again, Alva was the first to speak.

"Have you been paid for the last order?" she asked Benor directly.

Relieved that Alva was more concerned about Benor's finances than asking for explanations, Alicent finally worked up the courage to look up. Alva had her body turned toward Benor and wasn't even looking at her. Benor nodded in pride.

“An’ a thousand septims! What you say, woman? How about that trip you wanted for Saturalia?”

Alicent couldn't see her face, but she could tell that Alva was pounding her fist on the table in anger.

"Actually, I’ve got another trip to take," she excused herself in a tone of apology that was rare for her.

"What's that, another trip?" asked Benor disappointedly.

"I have a letter from my uncle Harkon. He wants me to visit him." Alva sounded unenthusiastic.

"Harkon?" Benor looked at her wary. "Never mentioned Harkon to me."

Then Jonna returned with the drinks and there was silence at the table until they were alone again.

"We've never had much of a relationship. I don't know what he wants, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

"I could go with you," Benor suggested.

Alva tightened her fingers around the pitcher before draining almost half of it in one gulp. Meanwhile, Alicent prepared to make an excuse and leave. Ever since she had arrived, she had felt overdressed, not to mention how uncomfortable she still felt that Alva had caught her asking such a personal question. As if she could smell her intentions, Alva turned to face her.

"We'll talk about it tonight, Beni," she cut him off dryly, turning in her chair to face Alicent. "It seems there is someone here who is too interested in my family's history."

Alicent tried to hide behind her jar by taking a drink.

“Give her a break,” Benor said, “The kid’s just lovesick.”

"Lovesick?" Alva raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Benor. "Well, I'm surprised it took Joric this long to meet someone else."

"What? Joric and I..." Alicent sighed, setting her drink down. She knew Alva wouldn’t drop it, so she decided to come clean. "It wasn't about you, Alva, I promise. I just wanted to know what happened to Seth's family."

"Seth?" Alva's eyes narrowed until a lightning bolt of realization opened them wide. "Oh, I see. So the lovesickness is for him."

The Breton woman emptied her jug and filled it to the top. Until then, Alicent hadn't noticed how bad she looked. Alva still looked prettier than any other Morthal woman, but she didn't look as well as usual, and the slight dark circles under her eyes suggested that she hadn't been sleeping much for several days.

"If I were you, I'd stay the hell away from him," she said suddenly.

Alicent blinked in surprise. She remembered what Joric had told her about Alva and Seth. That, added to what she'd said, made her angry.

"I'm sure you'd love that," she stuttered defensively.

Alva let out a dry, irritated laugh at that.

"Stop overthinking and listen to me, kid. Stay away from Seth Athan. I'm telling you for your own good."

"For my own good?" Alicent repeated in disbelief. "For my sake, why?"

Alva pursed her lips before taking another, more moderate sip.

"You know what they say. Apple never falls far from tree. "

For some reason, Benor gave Alva a look of warning. This intrigued Alicent, who insisted on going.

"And what does that mean?" Alicent questioned.

He’s more like his dad than you’d think,” Alva said, her voice tight.

"Alva," Benor warned.

The negative tone with which Alva referred to Seth's father took Alicent by surprise. Mr. Athan seemed like a fairly respectable person from the way Seth had talked about him.

"You make it sound bad," she said innocently.

"Because it is," Alva growled. Clearly, something was bothering her. Benor looked at her disapprovingly, but she continued to drink and continued to speak. "Seth didn't tell you, did he?" Alicent denied, and Alva smiled cynically, her lips curling into a tight smile. "You really wanna know what happened, kid?"

Though the question had the ring of a threat, she nodded. Benor leaned over to Alva.

"Is that necessary?" He murmured, conflicted. "She's only a kid."

Alva silenced him with a look of her own.

"You know who else was just a kid? Me, when I watched my parents getting murdered because of Athans." Alva gripped her cup tightly. "Lord Athan was a monster. And Seth was his favorite. The only one he ever treated well.”

“How...?” Alicent began, but Alva interrupted.

“...Do I know?” Alva's sour smile disappeared and Alicent had the feeling that sorrow appeared in her eyes. ““Back then, I was close friends with Parker Athan, the eldest of the three siblings.”

"Three?" she asked in confusion. Not understanding the question, Alva arched her eyebrows. "Seth told me there were four." Alicent replied suspiciously.

Alva frowned and denied it.

"They were three: Parker, the eldest, and the twins, Hugo and Seth. I spent many days in that house, it is still in my memory. Lord Athan was only good to Seth. The other, Hugo, was ignored. Lord Athan acted as if he didn't exist. And just between you and me, it was the best thing that could have happened to him when you saw the way he treated Parker. He didn't care if there were guests in the house. Anything Parker did, a silly thing like leaving a dirty plate on the table or crumpling a rug as he walked by, was an excuse to lay a hand on him.

Alicent's eyes widened, startled. Not even the pasty way Alva spoke because of the wine could take the heat off the matter. Alicent glanced sideways at Benor, now with an understanding of his attitude. Even she knew that it was not a very good idea to tell such a thing about such an important family, but Alva went on with her story.

"One day Parker vanished for weeks. I tried to go and see him many times, but they wouldn't let me. A month later, Olivia, his mother, let me in. He was a mess. His eye..." There was a quiver in her voice and a moment's pause for thought, after which Alva resumed her drinking. "Whether he lost it in the end, I don't know. He had broken ribs and cuts and lacerations all over his body. As he told me, he miraculously survived. Afterwards, he was on the run, and I never saw him again.

"That's terrible," Alicent managed to whisper.

Alva had a blank look on her face but nodded.

"Things went south between Lord Athan and his wife after Parker ran away. It didn’t stand out to me, but I knew because my parents knew and talked about it when we were home alone. Lady Athan began to spend more time at the Jarl's court than usual, though she had always been there. She may have saved my life," Alva added with a bitterness that made Alicent's head spin, "but I know what I saw. She was behind the assault.”

That last detail eventually took her out of the story. Something about it didn't quite fit.

"But... Seth's father was killed by the Forsworn," Alicent replied, repeating what both Seth and Idgrod had told her.

"And what do you know of the Forsworn? Come on, tell me," Alva demanded, disdaining.

Not having anything to contribute, Alicent shrugged. Truth was, she wasn't sure what a Forsworn was.

"The Forsworn were the rulers of the Reach until Ulfric Stormcloak conquered them before he betrayed the Empire," Alva explained. At that moment, she seemed to be more focused on the small amount of wine left in her cup than on her surroundings. "After that, the Forsworn who had not been executed were treated as criminals and were condemned as such. Among them was their king, Maddanach. In the end, he became a puppet of the Jarl.”

Alicent scowled. This explanation had given her more doubts than answers.

"But what do the Athans have to do with it if it was Ulfrid who conquered them?"

Alva rolled her eyes; Alicent guessed that she was irritated that she had to explain herself so much. It made her feel a little insecure about herself.

"After the conquest, the Athans took over the Cidhna Silver Mine, the main source of wealth for the Reach. The mine is a huge and dangerous beast, and it takes a large number of men to work it. Of course, paying that many workers would involve sharing the spoils, so Lord Athan came up with an ingenious way to get cheap labor. If you get caught in Markarth, you don't get jailed, you get sent to the Mines. And believe me, nobody ever gets out of the mines.”

Alva's lips parted to form an 'o'. If what Alva said was true, why would Seth want to inherit that legacy?

"The problem is that there have never been as many criminals as there have been manpower requirements. Occasionally, the guards would opportunistically discover that a handful of working-age young men had joined the Forsworn. Even if the families swore that they were lying, there was little they could do to keep their sons from getting condemned. Ironically, some of these men's relatives ended up joining the Forsworn out of genuine resentment.”

»"The day it happened, my family was attending Lord Athan's private dinner. When the Forsworn burst into the house, we had not yet reached dessert. Six of them came in, each holding a serrated sword. They killed the family's housecarl and tossed my father out the window. My mother tried to stop them, and she suffered the same fate as him." Alva paused for a moment before continuing. "The Athan's house was in the highest part of the city. It was like they’d been thrown off a cliff. Lord Athan got no mercy; every blade cut into him."

»"When they finished with him, they went after me, but Lady Athan got in the way; she stood between us, screaming at the attackers to leave me alone, that I was a girl. I thought I would have to watch her die as well. One of them raised his sword, but..."

Alva left the sentence half-finished and drained the rest of her glass.

"If you had seen the hate in his eyes.... I don't think I'll ever be able to forget those eyes. He didn't know me at all, but he wanted to see me dead. Fortunately, he was stopped by the one who was supposed to be the leader. He reminded the others that they were ordered by Maddanach not to harm Lady Athan or her children. They left afterwards. Not long after that, the guard arrived."

"But how could Seth's mother have planned something like that?" Alicent asked, still filled with doubt. "She wasn't a friend of Maddanach. In fact, he shouldn't even like her, should he?"

Alva snorted.

"I told you before, child. Maddanach was a puppet in the hands of the Jarl. Olivia was very close to the Jarl. She was the mastermind behind the attack, I'm sure of it."

As that happened, Benor stood up, making them both look up.

"Looks like you’ve had enough wine, woman. And talk. Let’s head home."

Alva stared at Benor for a few seconds before she rolled her eyes at him in a lazy way. As if looking for something in her face, he analyzed her. Something he couldn't find. She let out a last resigned snort and got up, wobbling a little.

"But first, child," Alva pointed to Alicent, "remember my words. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. There’s gotta be a reason Seth was the only one he thought was worthy, don’t you think?"

"That's enough!" the mercenary said.

Benor grabbed Alva by the waist and began to lead her away from the table. Before he left, he gave Alicent a loving ruffle in her hair as a farewell.

"Don’t stress over this, kid. And if you can keep it quiet, even better. Take care."

After that, they left the inn, but Alicent sat there for quite a while, thinking about what she had just heard. Why would Seth want someone like his father to be proud of him if the story was true?

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It didn't make sense. Seth couldn't be evil, no evil person would do what he did; he'd been her comfort when she was most afraid, and he'd also promised to protect her from the mist. Okay, he didn't pay any attention to her right now, but as Idgrod and Benor had said, maybe he was just too busy. Maybe even what was keeping him so busy was planning to keep Morthal safe from the Necromancers. So, even though Alva had been meticulous with the details and seemed honest, Alicent had no faith in her. Besides, she had denied that Eve, the youngest of the siblings, existed. If Alva had lied about that, then why couldn't she have lied about everything else as well?

#skyrim #tes art #tesblr #Morthal #markarth #the reach #magic #dark fantasy #fanfic #Benor #Alva #tes #forsworn #ao3 fanfic #Alicent (Lami's daughter original character)#molag bal #harkon volkihar

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