Corpus Tamrielicum - The Imperial Library

120 2. THE ELDER SCROLLS CHAPTER 2: DAGGERFALL
"That's Moraelyn! I thought he was going to stay the night. It's dangerous out there alone in
the dark. There are evil things out there. Can't you..."
"Dangerous for any evil that meets Moraelyn in his present mood. He will go safely, I
promise you."
"Oh. But I haven't thanked him. He's been very kind, really. Why was he so angry about the
door? It was just a silly question. The answer was him and my mother, when they're asleep
and I'm not there. How do you make a door talk? Is it an illusion?"
"That's three questions. Which of them do you want answered? Aren't you hungry? Would
you like a bowl of stew?"
"Yes, please. I'd like to hear about the door, please."
"Ah. You think the talking door may prove more comprehensible than a surly dark elf? More
interesting? Or safer?" The Archmagister's large golden eyes regarded the boy thoughtfully.
"I don't know if I, uh, like him. Sometimes I think I...and then other times I...do you
understand about liking? He said he didn't."
"You would be more comfortable if you felt the same way about him at all times, yet you do
not."
"Yes, that's it, exactly. You do understand."
"Moraelyn is not a comfortable man."
"Well, I don't mean that exactly. Sometimes he is. Like when we rode the dragon."
The Archmagister laughed aloud. His laughter reminded Edward of chimes. "Yes, yes. I find
comfort myself in having Moraelyn near at hand when dragons are about."
A young high elf brought in a bowl of stew and set it down on the table. Edward felt a bit
disappointed that the stew had come in such an ordinary way. Until he remembered that the
Archmagister hadn't sent for the stew.
"The priest at home in Daggerfall said it was a mark of evil things, that they cannot bear the
light," Edward said between mouthfuls. "Moraelyn doesn't like sunlight. And he's black."
"I see. Do you know what evil is?"
"Um, well, if you do bad things, then you're evil?"
"I see. If the cook had burnt the stew, would he then be evil?"
Edward grinned. "No, just a bad cook. But if he did it on purpose, then I guess he'd have done
an evil thing...but maybe he wouldn't be altogether evil. Maybe he was just angry about
something."