What Child Is This? (Everan)

Prompt: A Child At War

A/N:  Functionally the spirit of Leah Thenath works similar to that of Ben Velothi, just Ben was a professional assassin and is capable of actually fighting, where Leah was around 5 years old and works more like a ghostly quest marker with her lantern.

 Wandering the countryside amidst the fog of the early morning I come across something rather strange. In the mist there is a faint glowing light, not like anything I’ve ever seen before. I can’t quite make out what it is from this distance. It doesn’t seem to be a wisp mother, or an ice wraith, and it definitely isn’t a city guard on patrol. I can’t think of any guards who would have torches that emit a blue light. Walking further down the road away from Solitude, towards the south I approach the light, and find it moves. As I continue further down the road in the direction of the war camp I was supposed to investigate the light darts around in the fog. It almost seems as if it wants me to follow it. 

I’ve done stupider things in life, why not follow a mysterious light in the fog? My hypothesis was correct it seems, the light guided me exactly where I needed to go, allowing me to find a good hiding spot to crouch and observe the encampment. The light has disappeared when I look up again, only to reappear across the clearing. Now that the fog has lifted I can see what it truly is, and what I see surprises me. The light was in fact a person, a small child. Squinting I try to get a better look, that child looks familiar, almost too familiar. What is a child, or the spirit of a child anyways, doing at war? 

I’m able to make out a few features upon getting slightly closer without revealing my position to the soldiers in the camp, who seem to not notice the child. The spirit is a little girl dressed in a long skirt or robe with a vest of sorts over it and long flowing sleeves, holding a lantern. The garments seem to be eastern in style, what one might find in Vvardenfell, though the girl does not seem to be a Dunmer, too tall even for a small child for that, and a different facial structure. The curly hair pulled back in a low ponytail is the most unusual feature. I don’t know very many elves in general with curly hair, only a few outside of family and Lanriael and her family. When thinking of family the thought dawns on me, I know who this child is. The little girl with the lantern standing across the clearing staring at me motionless is the spirit of my sister, Leah, who was murdered years ago. 

Due to our mixed ancestry she must be able to take the form of an ancestor ghost, to guide and serve the family in their times of need. Since she is too young to be able to fight, her way of helping must be to serve as a guide with her lantern. How had I forgotten about her? Sitting in the foggy twilight I stare across the clearing trying to comprehend everything when I notice the changing of the guard beginning, with that Leah holds up the hand not holding her lantern to signal goodbye, before turning away and walking back into the fog. The blue glow in the mist eventually disappears. How did that happen? Was this all a dream? What is a child doing as a guide in a war? 

Shaking my head to get the spiral of thoughts away I come back to reality, that was in fact all real, I’m crouched behind a large rock looking down at a war camp, one I wouldn’t have found without help, and I have a mission that needs completing, time to steal some plans. “Thank you Leah, I promise I won’t forget you again.” I whisper to myself as I make my way down the hill toward the camp, hopefully I don’t end up joining her once I get to the captain's tent.