Flash Fiction February 2023 Day 19: Fear The Daughter Of Death (Issy)

 A/N: This could have gone in the way that it did, or a much more angsty sad way, so I'm glad it ended up in the short and sweet version that it did. Mortals are weird, fear is weird, and Oblivion Gates are less terrifying with friends to fight them with.

Prompt: The Italians call Fear “La Figlia della Morte” The Daughter of Death

According to Baurus, resilience is what makes us human. According to Martin, it’s not so much resilience as much as hope, and Jauffre prefers the belief that free will is what separates us from otherworldly beings or simple creatures. I think something entirely different, I think the concept of fear is what keeps us grounded to humanity. I find myself thinking over events as I sit sharpening my blades late one night while the remainder of the temple sleeps or goes about their evening duties manning the walls of the ancient fortress. The Blades, for the most part, are like a well oiled machine and are capable of enduring the worst, but even special agents who have had all responses trained out of them still feel fear. “Got a new contract?” A voice asks, drawing me out of my head and mindless sharpening, it’s Baurus. “Nope, just bored.” I reply, setting down the weapon I’d been working on and the Blade gives an understanding nod. He looks tired, and rather bored himself, as expected given the fact that Martin had gone to sleep hours ago. There isn’t exactly much excitement in watching an emperor sleep and so he must have wandered out here to at least look for a snack. We talk for a while and I confirm my suspicion that he had gotten bored and hungry and decided to take a look at what's been hiding in the pantry. Now armed with a snack and a drink Baurus beacons me to follow him and pulls up another chair outside Martin's door so I can sit with him as he is technically still on duty. We discuss a variety of topics ranging from recent things I’ve been up to in my circles outside of the Blades, the current political situation, and of course the Oblivion Crisis which only seems to be getting worse. “Do you ever think Jauffre gets scared thinking that it’s just us against Dagon?” I ask Baurus who nods in agreement immediately, he has reason to fear too, we’re not exactly the most experienced in dealing with Daedra or large scale invasions of beings that are pure nightmare fuel. It’s laughable almost, in its own strange way. Some call the concept of fear ‘The Daughter of Death’ and while it certainly has its ties to death and dying, there is something uniquely alive when it comes to feeling fear, and overcoming it. While deep down, or not so deep in some cases, I think we all are scared out of our wits when it comes to the gates of Oblivion and all the turmoil, the fact that we continue to persevere gives us an advantage. Mehrunes Dagon may be the prince of destruction, but mortals are flawed and tricky beings, and we may just have a trick or two up our sleeves.