The Cure For Curie (Complete!)

A Mother's Love

Finally, he thought as he watched the mages lift her from the caves they had dug into the courtyard. Gentle now, he pleaded as they carried her body into the house that used to be the Thalmor Embassy. Over time, in the dirt, her position had shifted into fetal. Covered in earth and pebbles, it felt as though she was being birthed from the very ground itself.

John couldn't be happier to see her face once more. Her dark hair, still cropped short, blew in the breeze as they moved past him with the precious parcel. Her eyes closed, her synthetic body sleeping so soundly, he hoped she would wake. A tap on his shoulder pulled him from his reverence as the team carried her through the threshold.

"Your highness?" A mage asked. He turned to face the Dunmer, nodding for him to continue. "Arch Mage Raf has gone missing. She had the holy tome in her possession..." The young man's red eyes blinked nervously as he tried to deliver the bad news.

"Not to fear young one." John said, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Wherever Miss Raf is, is of no consequence to us."

"But Sir, the book? It says that it is the key to awake the Matron."

"Don't worry." He replied dismissively. "We won't need the book. If Adla has stolen off with it, she won't be rewarded for her betrayal. We will gain nothing from that book."

The mage tried to protest but John shooed him away. He was in too great a mood to be bothered with some posturing mage. Today was the day his love would return to him. Today was the day they would be a family once more. Everything had aligned for this moment. It would happen as he dreamed it would.

"Fetch Shaun from Solitude. He will want to be here when his mother has woken." He said after waving over one of the scouts.

Digging in to her resting place had taken longer than he had thought. He had sent Shaun to Solitude until it could be finished. The walk wasn't far and it would help the boy take his mind off it. There would be children to play with, a privilege the boy had not had in the old world. It would do him some good to frolic.

John passed through the destroyed courtyard and into the main house. The once grand ballroom that had been in the main room had transformed into the place his love would awaken. A stage had been built with a large bed in the middle. He moved towards it now, her still form resting on the soft silk sheets.

Still curled up in a tight ball, it almost looked as if she had simply went to sleep the night before. It gave his heart a heavy weight of nostalgia for the old times. He would wake in the morning next to her resting face. Her eyes would open as her smile would bloom at seeing him. They would lay there together until duty drew them from their bed. It was bliss.

He crawled in beside her. He caressed her naked shoulder, the softness of her skin just as he had remembered. He drew in a deep breath, smelling her. She still smelled of the earth, she had not been cleaned yet. He didn't care though, the smell was her's and that was all that mattered.

Past the stage, the mages and servants rushed to prepare everything for the big event. Large red pillows were being placed on the floor in rows for people to sit in silent supplication. A large tub was brought in and placed next to the bed. Women came in turn to fill it with buckets of steaming perfumed water. Another woman, a small brunette Breton, lovingly placed a gorgeous white gown on a table. Setting next to it an array of gold jewelry and baubles accented with large round turquoise stones.

"Sir?" A Bosmer spoke, causing the king to wake with a start. He hadn't even noticed that he'd fallen asleep. He ran his fingers through her hair again, just to make sure it was all real.

"Yes, what is it?"

"It is time." He replied as he swept his hand toward the front of the stage.