[h3]The World Was Wide Enough[/h3]

[i]13th Midyear - Evening - Salosoix Residence[/i]

[hr]

It had been around one hour since Salosoix Hawkford had arrived back at his temporary dwellings in the heart of Gilane, a piece of luxury sandwiched between a hookah den and a clothiers. It appeared smaller on the outside than it was inside. A purposeful choice. It would be easy to walk past the front door and not notice it at all. The perfect spot to conduct his affairs.

Inside was a simple tiled porch that led into an open office. Salosoix’s workspace. He liked to work near the entrance. It was his prying nature you see - a particular trait that he had nurtured through his life. 

He would never share it with anyone outside of his family, but Salosoix Hawkford was orphaned at 11 after the death of his mother to a common illness. There had been a terrible storm and she took ill and simply never recovered. It was believed that Senisande Hawkford suffered from a broken heart after her husband deserted her and left her with their only son, Salosoix. She simply never had as much love for life after he had left. After her death, Salosoix was left as her orphan. Penniless, homeless, and without family. 

Many would have given up after having been dealt such a hand of cards - but not Salosoix. A diamond in the rough, he had an unimpeachable power of speech and a hunger for more, to rise above his situation. To fan the spark into a flame and overcome his bad fortune. So he worked. By 14, the prodigious young Breton was already a squire for a noble merchant of Wayrest - attending to his needs, working to procure items and sell them on. He used this time to learn and absorb everything around him - and so his influence only continued to grow until he found himself practically running the business for the merchant. He had the gift of a silver tongue - and ambition far beyond that of the pampered Master he served… 

Nobody ever did question exactly what happened to Salosoix’s Master, and nobody ever did question why and how Salosoix absorbed the business and carried it on after his Master’s untimely disappearance.

Opportunity had simply knocked.

It was a business he had continued to pursue throughout his entire life - a business that brought him to Gilane just as the world was about to tilt and change. “Fortune favours the brave…” he mused, as he often did. His eyes falling onto the flames of his hearthfire. It seemed like only days ago that he had arrived here - only expecting to close a deal on some tapestries. Yet, here he was still. Feeding into the hands of the Dwemer Governor, Rourken with the opportunity to turn the tables on an old rival, [i]The Poncy Man[/i] and… absorb his prosperous guild. A smirk grew over his thin lips as he sipped from his glass. Tonight it was a red wine. He ran his fingers over the mahogany of his desk, thinking back on the memories of his life. He had achieved so much, made a name for himself, and found himself with a fortune that even as an orphan with big dreams he would not have been able to imagine.

[i]And yet.[/i]

He had a fortune, he had a good home, a flourishing business, he had respect and enough power to keep him safe and allow him to play a game of chess that for anyone else would simply be too much of a risk. And yet it wasn’t what he cared the most about. It was when he walked through the front door of his rented residence to see the black cloak and clothing of a dangerous heathen that his heartstrings were plucked at, a knot grew in his stomach, and a burning anger rose behind his eyes. He had been in Hegathe with his appointed bodyguard doing some important negotiations. To return to his home to find that Gregor Sibassius’s scourge had spread back to his daughter’s heart had set a fire in his chest he didn’t know existed. It was a flame of indignation at such misfortune that hadn’t been ignited since he had found himself at rock bottom at 11 years old. 

He peered across from the flames, over the rims of his glasses to his daughter who was sat before him. Her face aglow with heat from the fireplace. He took another sip, and his lips curled at her. They both held onto the stubborn silence for a few moments longer. 

“So Raelynn, is this just defiance? Rebellion? For I don’t understand it.” His voice and stare were so intense that even Raelynn fell sheepish under it. “Papa please, you don’t understand,” was the small response that she offered him. It wasn’t enough. “So make me understand. He threatened me with dark magic. He’s a necromancer? Correct? I’m going to say it’s a damned safe assumption to make that he was the reason that the Dwemer Administrator perished. The reason as to why your once beautiful hands were mangled.” While there was anger and vitriol in his tone, his manner was calm and cold. It was a complete dichotomy of behaviour - but this was how Salosoix was. He would never let his emotions boil over. He knew that his daughter was far more likely to crack under the pressure of his terrifyingly austere approach.

“The only reason why I am not dragging you back to Daggerfall with me, is because I am a man of principle and I will not lay a hand on you,” he said as he placed the wine glass onto the desk, the crystal caught the light and began to glow and twinkle like a ruby. “There is more to him than that." She did not confirm or deny the accusation. "He has his reasons, and he is a good man. He has kept me safe, and I… I love him.” She was her father’s daughter - she wouldn’t back down to him over this, and she mimicked Salosoix’s manner and adopted it as her own, showing her indifference at his anger in a complete lack of expression on her face. “What you have with [i]him[/i] is not love, it’s self-loathing… It’s a wildfire that will burn out of control and consume you, Raelynn. I thought I raised you better than this. Or, perhaps I am wrong and you are right - this [i]necromancer[/i] will be your Knight. But it will be the first time I have ever heard of such a thing.” 

“Don’t you dare mock me,” she snapped back. While Salosoix could stay ice cold - Raelynn had the fiery temperament of her mother in her blood too and she could not resist biting - he knew that she would react and he was already prepared for it. “You make a mockery of yourself by parading around with him. You make a mockery of our name - of [i]my[/i] name and I will not allow it any longer. You are complicit in his criminal degeneracy, and that in turn makes you a filthy little degenerate-” He stopped himself from saying the rest of it aloud. He wanted to call her a whore, but even with his anger as hot as it was, he couldn’t spray such a word in her direction. Even thinking it made him feel bad enough.

“Like father like daughter then, aren’t I?” Raelynn’s temper subsided as she realised what her father was doing - baiting her into an emotional outburst. “I wonder, Papa, are your hands clean? For mine may be mangled but yours are covered in blood and there is dirt under your nails from everything you’ve buried…” Her eyes narrowed and Salosoix’s jaw clenched, a vein protruding from his neck as the rage bubbled beneath his skin. They could go back and forth like this all night if they really wanted to, and it seemed that tonight - yes, maybe they wanted to. Salosoix could see this would go in circles. 

“You just haven’t got the courage to do things yourself. Tell me, how many men has Zhaib killed for you here? You even had Gregor and Jaraleet slaughter members of the insurgency, did you not? Don’t you dare sit over there in your false throne and call me a degenerate without first looking in the mirror.” The young Breton swallowed and her body tensed as she waited for her father’s response. She knew that those words were the weights that would tip the scale and be the push to drive Salosoix over the edge. Surprisingly, he remained as forbidding as he had been, his fingers merely tightened around the stem of the glass and he drew one long breath.

“Hold your tongue and remember where you are, don’t be so fucking impudent and know your place. You will say no more about my activities here.” He snarled as he ran his hand through his hair from root to tip. “Everything I do has a reason - is there a reason for your behaviour outside of lust and self-hatred?” Salosoix needed Raelynn to understand who was in charge here, and yet it was senseless to make this a battle between the two of them. He had to let it go in order to drive the conversation where he needed it to go. 

“I’m leaving for Daggerfall in the morning.” He said dryly, giving her no time to retort, despite his observation of her cheeks growing red and fingers clasping at the desk. He lifted the glass once more to meet his scowl. Neither of them spoke as he took a sip from his glass. His fingers relaxing from their grip. “I will ask you only once to come back with me. Your efforts here have been impressive, and this work will be good for you to recuperate. Raelynn, I would like for you to come home.” His eyes met hers - their colour and intensity the same. There was little expression behind them, but there had been a softened tone on his tongue. 

He already what her answer would be. 

“You are your own woman, and I have raised you to be nothing else. Your sharp mind and incredible intellect has always impressed me…” His posture softened into the chair as he began to speak but he could not look at her. “Your mother and I always wanted the best for you. We raised you to have ambition of your own, your own goals and dreams for your life. You are especially gifted with the arcane arts - something that, your mother and I were never interested in. You found that on your own. To be a healer is no simple feat and you never receive enough credit for that… Not even from us.”

His daughter was right and they both knew it. It was the elephant in the room. His hands were dirty and he was a dishonourable man. A smiling assassin without the nerve to draw a weapon of his own. Once again, memories ran through his mind. Every negotiation, every coin carefully placed into the hands of someone willing to get things done. Once more he turned his head to look his only daughter in the eye. “I’m proud of you, Raelynn.” Before she had a chance to interject, Salosoix’s hand reached out over the desk to grab at hers, “I watched you disappear in front of me. I let it happen. It was my fault, I had a chance to save you, and I chose [i]this[/i]… over you.” His free hand motioned around the room, and his eyes darted to all the corners, to every shining jewel and treasure that was littered around his office. “All in the name of what? [i]Power[/i]?” He sighed, and squeezed at Raelynn’s hand. His thumb running over the back of it. Just as he had done the first night he had been reunited with here again. “I was terrified that I was about to lose my stance here. What I had been doing, building... But you see, the only thing that has ever mattered to me at all... I had given away.”

All she could do was listen, never had she seen her father relent so easily - and it was because of that, that part of her did wonder if this was still part of his game. But as tears formed against his eyes, she knew he was being sincere. “Papa, I’m sorry…” She sighed, placing her other hand on top of his, letting him have his moment of quiet. “I know why you did it, I understand.” Had she felt more like fighting then she would not have absolved him of it so quickly - but there was something sad about seeing him appear so defeated.

“I don’t want to lose you, Raelynn. I can’t force you back with me. If I do that you’ll wither - I’ve… Seen it before, I can’t do that to you.” He thought of his own mother, the way that her very essence floated away from her the same day that his father walked away. “I saw you like that only nights ago. I don’t trust him, I don’t like him, but… You’re right, he will keep you safe. I saw it in his eyes that night he threatened me.” Raelynn dropped her gaze to the floor in shame. Perhaps she still needed to speak to Gregor about that - was it his temper? Was it something else? “He told me about it, he was just so fraught, Papa. He didn’t think. He wouldn’t do it again, and you know, he listens to me - he does. I’m helping him be better, to stop being so… Much like that.” She felt ashamed to lie in front of her father - knowing that there had been times she would use her own wiles to rouse Gregor’s [i]temper[/i] as and when she pleased...

Salosoix shook his head at his daughter’s naivety when she wasn’t looking. Did she [i]actually[/i] believe that she would be able to change Gregor? Did she want to? He could feel a distance between them and it hurt him to admit it to himself. “I am frightened by what I saw. He has an unhealthy hunger for you, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.” He shook off the feeling of dread that fell over him, the room growing ever darker now as his fire died down to embers. “Look at me.” He demanded, straightening himself up against the sharp back of his chair. Raelynn did as he asked and lifted her head back to meet his eyes, “do not let what he wants and desires eclipse what you [i]need[/i], my Sun.” Raelynn nodded, grabbing at his hands.

“And you are right…” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose - unsure of whether or not to delve deep into his closet. “I have danced with several demons in my life Raelynn… You know that I built up our reputation from [i]nothing[/i], I did not do it alone… What I have learned is there is [i]always[/i] a price. Balance always has to be restored in some way. I am frightened that you being in his shadow leaves you compromised, regardless of what you think - you are a woman who should stand in the light.” He let go of her hands, and got up from his seat - there was a tension in his body that was apparent in the way he walked. He was not satisfied with the outcome of their conversation. Salosoix was not a man who would compromise, but tonight he had been forced to. “What are you talking about, Papa?” She asked, feeling as though her father’s poetic riddles were about to give her a headache. “Demons? Balance? How much wine have you had?” She stood from her own chair and shadowed him across the room gingerly. 

“You’ll find out one day. For now, I have something for you.” The elder Breton reached into a cabinet and pulled out a small, rectangular box, and a musty looking old book. “You’ll remember that every time I took a trip… I always returned with a gift, do you not?” As he had done already, he steered the conversation again, poking at the sentimental and greedy part of his daughter who’s interest would be well and truly piqued at the word ‘[i]gift[/i]’. He looked over his shoulder as she came to join him at his side, a smile finally curling over his lips, but his eyes betrayed any happiness he was trying to have her see. “I do remember. That’s why I liked you returning so much, you’d always bring me and mother something special…” 

Raelynn hooked her arm around his and stood at his side with her head on his shoulder. She vaguely recalled doing the same thing as a child, except she would climb up onto his lap as he sat in his favourite armchair in their library, pulling gifts from bags like a street performer might pull out colourful ribbons to amaze his crowd. The smell of their home hit her. It would always smell like polished wood, books, and of the wild lavender that grew in bunches around the home. She chuckled under her breath and squeezed at Salosoix’s arm tighter - all the animosity from the atmosphere dissipating as her eyes fell over the ornate looking box sat on the cabinet. “What is it?” She asked, biting her lip - her eyes glowing with the anticipation.

“It’s a sword.” He said, matter of factly - popping open the box to reveal a stunning blade inside. Only just longer than a dagger, but the hilt and pommel looked almost to be made of porcelain or glass they were so smooth and shiny, with ripples of burgundy and obsidian beset through it. The blade thin, and subtly curved towards its end. Raelynn gasped at it. It was the most beautiful sword she’d ever seen. Around the pommel there was a woven tassel in scarlet thread with jade beading holding it in place. “It’s a sword perfect for someone like you. Small enough to conceal, sharp enough to kill.” It hurt him to think of his daughter using such a weapon, but he already knew that she had found his scroll and put it to use. He shook off the thought of his darling daughter slicing through flesh. “You’ve had… A difficult time here. I want you to take this sword - you are capable of many things, yes, but in a scrape - this blade here might deter the wrong sort from laying hands on you.” He met Raelynn’s eyes again, and saw that they were too busy staring down at the expensive gift. For a moment, he saw his innocent child once more and it brought him a small feeling of comfort. “I wonder if… Well, Gregor might help you to learn to use it…” His levity did not last long, and his jaw clenched to have even suggested such a thing, but Raelynn needed to believe that he was coming around to it. 

“Thank you…” She said with a dreamy sigh, running her fingers over the handle. “The book?” She asked, turning up to look at her father, leaning further into him as she waited for his explanation.

“In a moment, I’ll tell you about it. I’m leaving tomorrow Raelynn.” The Breton plucked up the book and gestured back to his desk where he headed - back to his chair, an air of severity following him. He waited for Raelynn to get comfortable again. “I’ve been poisoned by my political pursuits here, you’ve been through so much, we need a break. We need time to mend. Will you return to Daggerfall with me, all things considered?” It was his last desperate plea for his daughter to come back with him. To get away from Gregor, and he already knew she was turning it down, but she had to feel empowered that it was her decision, or else he would only push her away and tug at defiant rebellion that he had been trying to quell. “All things considered, Papa… I have to stay with my,” she thought on it, were they really her friends? Companions? “I have to stay with the group. I owe it to them, and they actually [i]need[/i] me.”

It surprised him. He had expected her to tell him she was staying with Gregor, but she was choosing to travel with the rest of the insurgents? It filled him with hope that they would keep her from being buried beneath the plague that was Gregor. “I see…” Unsure of whether the disappointment in his voice was real or feigned, Raelynn placed her hands back onto her father’s, offering him a small smile. “[i]They need me, Papa.[/i] I am doing good work.”

The Hawkford patriarch placed the tome onto the desk between them, he could not change her mind. She was as stubborn as he was, (if not more so) he had to let her have this minor victory over him. “Well my Sun. When you are going to continue travelling further into darkness - you should remember to take a light, so that you never get lost in there...” After he spoke, he blew free the dust from it’s cover. Revealing it to be a Spell Tome of Expert Restoration. Raelynn’s eyes once again widened, and a smile crept over her lips - tears forming in her eyes. Her father had accepted her decision, and not only had he accepted it - he had provided her with resources to help her. She could only mouth the words to him, but he felt them.

After that, the two of them shared the last of the wine and talked for a while longer. There was so much left unsaid, but still so much mended - for now. Until they next were to meet there would still be issues left unresolved but this was the point at which they settled the differences. All that they could do now was enjoy each others company for an evening more. 

Tomorrow, everything would change.