Corpus Tamrielicum - The Imperial Library

"Get out of here, boy! Now!"
[30.3] KING EDWARD III
Edward fled, yelling for his mother, who was running toward the bushes and calling him. She
clasped him to her, and began shouting for Moraelyn instead. There was no answer, then,
somehow the elf was there, unharmed, his blade sheathed again. But he was breathing hard.
"Did you kill it? Are you hurt?"
"No and no. I was shielded. Barely. You disturbed a sow in her den with her litter.
Fortunately, she thought she'd had enough after the first impact. I daresay she's unaccustomed
to finding her enemies still standing afterwards."
"Why didn't you kill her?" Edward demanded, feeling bloodthirsty after his fright.
"A katana, even the Ebony Blade, is not the weapon I'd choose against a mother sow. A spear,
maybe. The longer the better. Besides, if we leave her be, there'll be six pigs here next year,
with luck."
"You made a magic shield," Edward said, wide-eyed.
"Aye, barring the shield, she'd have left a few marks even on a tough old dark elf."
"Edward, it would be gracious to thank your rescuer." His mother prompted.
"Thank you," Edward said automatically, his mind busy with more questions. How had the elf
known of his danger? How did he get there so quickly?
"There is scarcely need to thank me for saving my son's life. Thank Shade," Moraelyn said.
"The cat told me there was trouble."
Edward knelt and hugged the smug purring cat. "Good old Shade. I can always count on him."
"My son". "Our son". The words rang proudly out at the least excuse. Edward puzzled over
this for awhile; it wanted an explanation. The one he favored was that Moraelyn simply didn't
know him very well yet, and was prone to give the benefit of the doubt to strangers.
Eventually, but in the meantime he might as well enjoy it. It was nice. Having a father that
was proud of you, that liked being with you, took you places, talked to you, listened to you.
And most remarkably of all, let you alone when you needed to be. Moraelyn only really liked
being alone when he was composing a ballad.
Edward told Beech and Willow about the mother pig. "I ran when he told me to. Would you?
Because he said to. I couldn't think of any way to help, but..." Willow and Beech listened
carefully, exchanged glances, and said they'd think about the problem.
After supper around the evening fire, Willow took up her small harp and began to sing about
the joys of an autumn afternoon and berries...except that Moraelyn sent the boy off to pick
berries. They'd got that part wrong. Moraelyn sat up sharply and looked around, but the others
had slipped away into the darkness and Willow wasn't looking at him.
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