Chapter Text
The sudden lurch of the stone beneath her feet dragged Serana out of her slumber. Darkness surrounded her, no different from the infinite blackness of the dreamless sleep she had fallen into after her mother had sealed her deep beneath the surface of Skyrim. There was another jolt of motion as her tomb began to shift and rise before coming to a jarring halt after a few seconds. It was only a moment's hesitation before the stone face of her sarcophagus shifted forward and sank into the stone floor and her world was filled with a blinding light.
She gasped in pain, stumbling forward blindly as the light seared into her eyes amber eyes. As her legs, stiffened from standing for gods know how long gave out on her, strong hands caught her shoulders and held her upright. The smell of fresh blood filled her nostrils, and the steady thump of a beating heart assaulted her ears. Her mouth began to water at the scent of fresh prey, her ravenous hunger almost consuming all rational thought, but she forced the urges down and kept control. How long have I been down here? She looked up at whomever held her, blinking rapidly as her eyes struggled to find focus. All she could see was a dark shape, vaguely human, silhouetted by the light. The hands that held her disappeared in an instant. She felt herself falling again and thrust her own hands out to catch herself. Cold stone met her touch as the sound of steel scraping against leather filled the air around her. Serana tried to push herself back to her feet when the biting touch of steel grazed the side of her throat. The stranger's hand was steady, and the touch was as light as a feather, but the blade was razor sharp, nicking the skin and drawing a bead of crimson blood. With her senses dulled from sleep, it took a moment for Serana to feel the white hot burning sensation rapidly spreading from where the blade touched her skin. Silver. The weapon a warrior would take with them when expecting to kill undead. Whoever he was hadn't simply stumbled upon her obliviously.
"Move and you lose your head, vampire." the voice of the stranger commanded, strong and unwavering. "Now, who are you and why were you sealed away down here with an Elder Scroll?" Serana didn't know whether to feel relieved or threatened. Her 'rescuer' didn't know who she was or why she had been sealed away, and he wasn't one of her kind, which meant her father hadn't found her yet. Her gaze shifted from the ground to him, it was a him, judging by his voice, and her vision slowly began to return to her eyes. He was tall, or at least seemed it, from her position kneeling before him. He was covered from head to toe in steel plate, and his features were hidden completely behind a helmet that covered the entirety of his face besides two holes to see from. On his back he wore a shield of strange design the likes of which she had never seen. The blinding light in question was a glowing orb of magic hovering behind the stranger.
"Who are you?" she managed to say, her voice strained, the words difficult to form from lack of use "Who sent you here? How did you find me?"
"I hardly think you're in a position to be asking me questions." the man said, a hint of annoyance influencing the tone of his voice, the blade pressed slightly deeper, drawing more blood. The hunger surged again and it took all of her considerable willpower to stop herself from batting his sword away and sinking her teeth into this man's neck to drain him dry. She needed to know more, needed to know what had gone wrong and how her sanctuary had been discovered. While he didn't seem to know what he had found, she doubted that his arrival in Dimhollow had been pure coincidence.
"My name is Serana." she decided at last, giving her name seemed harmless enough. "What's yours?"
"My name isn't important." he replied tersely "What is important is why some of your friends were down here looking for you."
"Friends?" Serana's eyes left his and scanned the cavern that surrounded her, it held little semblance to when she was sealed away. Archways of stone surrounded her sarcophagus and a man-made stone structure had been built into the wall, a number of corpses lay strewn about. They had been immolated, burned to the point where none of their features remained recognizable. The only thing that distinguished them were the scorched remains of their armor. She recognized the style immediately as the attire commonly worn by the members of her father's court. She swallowed as a nervous knot formed in her chest. Harkon had found her after all, and if he had found her, what had become of her mother? She tried to stand, but the pressure from the blade at her throat increased, forcing her back to her knees.
"Somebody placed you down here for a reason with that scroll." the man said, poking the scroll on her back with the tip of his blade "and those vampires went to all the trouble to find where you had been hidden and travel out to the middle of this frozen wasteland to find you. I doubt that you would have been sealed away with the scroll if you weren't important. There's something more than appears and I aim to find out what that is."
"Perhaps I was sealed away to guard the scroll. Have you considered that?"
He shook his head "You're immortal. If you were here to guard the scroll, you wouldn't have been locked up in that sarcophagus with it. Those other vampires were here for the both of you."
He was right. Her sleep had left her weakened and vulnerable. He could have killed her as soon as she stumbled out of her tomb and there would have been little she could do to stop him. Mother had told her that the key to realizing Harkon's prophecy had been that scroll and the other she had taken herself. Mother had explained that she was staying with the scroll to protect her from Harkon's wrath but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it that Valerica wasn't telling her.
"Vampire attacks have been on the rise all across Skyrim." the man suddenly spoke out, snapping her from her thoughts "It isn't just random violence, they were looking for something, looking for information. Whatever they have planned, you and that scroll seem to be at the center of it."
"And how am I supposed to trust you with what I know when you have me on my knees with a sword at my throat?"
"This isn't a matter of trust. People's lives are at stake and you're being evasive. Perhaps if I killed you and took the scroll I reckon it would grind whatever they are doing to a halt. The rest, we could figure out given time" he shrugged "Or you could be forthright with what you know."
"You said 'we'." Serana replied "Who do you work for?"
"I work with a group dedicated to stopping your kind from terrorizing people who just want to be left in peace." he replied "Were it up to them you would be dead already. Fortunately for you I have more sense than that."
"Good to hear." at least he wasn't completely unreasonable. She had something he wanted, and she needed somebody to help her. The passage of years is different to a vampire than it is to a mortal, and being asleep distorts the passage of time beyond any hope of comprehending. She needed to know how long it had been, and how the world had changed. Perhaps she could bargain with him. "My family used to live on an island to the Northwest of Solitude, though I suppose they still do. If you take me there I can gain a better understanding of the situation. Then perhaps I can help you."
"Not going to happen." he replied bluntly "I'm fighting a war against your kind, not acting as their personal courier to hand them everything they need to do whatever it is they have planned. We need to find a way out of this cave, then I'm taking you to meet with the leader of my Order. We'll decide what to do from there."
"Your Order of vampire killers?" she snorted "Forgive me for not wanting to go along with that plan."
"This isn't a matter that's up for debate. You're coming with me one way or another, but if you cooperate and tell us what we need to know I promise you that you will not be harmed."
She'd heard enough empty promises in her lifetime to know that this man could guarantee no such thing. He wasn't the man in charge, just a pawn for whomever lead these vampire hunters. An errand boy, sent to investigate a lead that they knew nothing about. If she went with him, they would torture her, force every last secret out of her and when they were done with her, they would dispose of her. She was not going to let that happen. With speed that only one of the ancient blood could muster, Serana lept to her feet, swatting his blade aside, knocking it out of his hand and sending it clattering across the stone floor. Before he could recover, she grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him with immense strength into one of the pillars that circled her sarcophagus. As he tried to rise to his feet she pinned him against the carved stone, tore off his helmet and pressed her dagger to his throat with just enough pressure to draw blood. Vampires had excellent night vision, and she could see his features clearly in the dark of the cavern. He was human, that much was clear, but not like any she had seen before. His skin was darker than her own, darker than any Nord she had met in her considerable lifetime. His eyes were a pale blue, almost grey, hard and unflinching. He was clean shaven with hair kept short and neat. "Let me counter that offer with one of my own." she hissed "You take me where I want to go, and I don't drain the blood from your body right here right now."
"Let me down before you get hurt." he replied coolly, not struggling in the slightest against her iron grip.
"You're hardly in a position to threate..."
"Feim!" The weight of his body disappeared and he slid to the floor, his body translucent like that of a spirit. Serana stumbled back in surprise and before she could react he became opaque and shouted again "Iiz Slen Nus!" and her body was encased in ice, rendering her completely immobile but for her head. The stranger dusted himself off, picked up his helmet from the floor and strolled around her out of her line of sight. She tried to cast a destruction spell to melt her way through her new prison, but found herself incapable. The sound of steel scraping against stone told her he had found his blade. He returned to view with a traveling pack strapped to his shoulder, placing the point of the blade against her exposed throat but gently enough so that it didn't draw blood this time.
He sighed "I get it. You're scared and alone, and you know nothing about me other than I kill your people. I wouldn't trust a thing to come out of my mouth either if I were you. But the simple truth is that you are going to have to. I can't bring you back to your family, at least not yet. There are too many unknowns and too much at stake. But I am a man of my word. If you help us, help me, I swear to you that my people will not hurt you."
"How can you promise that?"
"They'll listen to me." he replied simply "But try to run, hold anything back, or attack me or any of my people again, and I will not give you a third chance. Is that understood?" Serana nodded "Good." He stepped back, lowering his blade and the ice encasing her shattered. Free, she dropped to the ground and got back to her feet before taking another look at the cavern surrounding them. The man unslung his shield from his back, gripping it in his left hand. "Any idea how to get out of here?" he said "The way I came in is barred."
"Your guess is as good as mine. This place looks pretty different from when I was locked away." she looked over at her captor... companion? She'd make that distinction when the time came. "So, are you going to tell me your name or am I going to have to come up with something unflattering to call you?"
"Marcus." he replied, scanning the small island they stood on, looking for another way off, she followed his gaze until his eyes settled on a stone bridge leading across the water below. On the other side was a set of stairs flanked by two stone gargoyles. "This must be the way." he motioned across the bridge with his sword "Ladies first."
"Well aren't you just the model of chivalry?" Serana rolled her eyes "Worried I'm going to push you off the bridge and make a run for it?"
"Yes." Marcus replied, not taking his eyes of her though they did seem to soften. "I'd sink right to the bottom and you'd be free to go on your merry way."
She gave a dramatic sigh and shrugged "As you command." She did as he bade and crossed the bridge first and up the first set of stairs, he followed closely behind. At least he didn't prod me across at the point of his blade. She stopped, and turned back towards Marcus. "It looks like it's up those stairs and left to that structure over there." she pointed a long slender finger to where she meant and Marcus nodded.
"That's our best bet." he replied. As Serana took another few steps towards the stairs, there was a heavy rumbling that lasted but a moment before living gargoyles burst from their stony shells. With shrill screeches the beasts charged them with astonishing speed, closing the distance between them and their prey with a single beat of their wings. Serana barely jumped out of its path in time. She could feel a hard jerk around her throat as the gargoyle's claws tore through her cloak. Quickly, she spun on her heel and unleashed a torrent of frost and lightning magic against the abomination. Within seconds it was dead. A hard grunt from Marcus caught her attention. She watched as the second gargoyle unleashed a relentless cascade of strikes against Marcus' shield, driving him back closer and closer to the edge. For a moment a thought crossed her mind. She could use this distraction to flee, leave him to his fate and find her own way back home. It would be better than to be dragged across the province to be put at the mercy of people who made it their life's mission to kill her kind. That would be the smart thing to do, the kind of thing her parents would have done if they had been in her situation... her parents.
Lightning surged forth from her fingertips, striking the gargoyle midsection. It gave a hideous shriek and staggered back from Marcus, momentarily stunned. He wasted no time taking in a deep breath and shouting it down. "Yol Toor Shul!". Dragonflame illuminated the cavern from wall to wall and even from where she was standing Serana could feel the heat boring into her skin. If her spell had made the creature shriek the flames made it scream in agony as its stony skin began to blacken and melt. With astonishing speed for a man in full plate Marcus circled the gargoyle before plunging his sword up to the hilt through its back. He pulled the blade from the gargoyle and delivered a powerful kick, sending it tumbling into the water below.
"That was the Thu'um. Wasn't it?" she had heard tales of the Thu'um before, read countless stories of Nord heroes who had mastered the tongue of the dragons and used it to crush their enemies and win glory for the kingdom of Skyrim. But until today, she had never seen its use in person. It had always been an incredibly rare ability that took decades to master. Marcus looked no older than twenty five and he had already used it thrice in her company.
"How remarkably observant of you." Marcus replied dryly, gazing down into the water below to make sure the gargoyle didn't stir again. She scoffed in annoyance and for a moment Serana felt tempted to give him a solid kick to the rear and boot him into the water herself but decided against it. "Do you know if there are any more surprises waiting for us in here?" he asked, turning back from the sheer drop.
"How am I supposed to know? Like I said, this place looks a lot different from when I was sealed away."
Though she couldn't see his face behind the helmet he wore, she could almost feel his brow furrow into a frown "Do you have any idea how long you've been down here?"
"No... I..." She paused, the passage of time had been almost instant for her. One moment Valerica was saying her farewells and sealing her inside of her sarcophagus to sleep, the next she was being held at sword point by a faceless stranger. "What is today's date?"
"11th of Hearthfire Fourth Era 204."
"Fourth Era?!" Serana cried, and suddenly her legs felt weak as her breath left her body. She struggled to keep her balance but was forced to lean against a stone pillar for support. She would be the first to admit that she hadn't done the best job at keeping track of the passage of years, time had little meaning to a vampire, but there hadn't even been a First era when she had been sealed away. How many thousands of years had passed?
"Been a long time, has it?" Marcus asked plainly, making no effort to console her. All she could do was nod in affirmation. "Well let's find our way out of here. Then we can find someplace suitable to talk." Serana struggled back to her feet, regaining her strength and composure. They pushed forward up the stairs and through a rotting wooden door into another chamber, not natural like the previous one, but with walls of carved stone and more steps leading up. The far wall was lined with black sarcophagi behind a stone lever connected to a cast iron gate that sat closed down a short passageway. off to the side.
Serana sensed a trap if there ever was one. She caught Marcus' eye and gestured towards the coffins, just knowing that each held a draugr just waiting to be unleashed upon unwitting intruders. He nodded and with sword in hand, pulled the lever. Just as she had suspected the faces of the coffins dropped and from each stepped forth one of the ancient Nordic undead, charged with, or perhaps cursed to guard these ruins for eternity.
"Aav Dilon!" one of them croaked in its guttural tongue at Serana through long decayed vocal chords. It raised an axe, as ancient and decrepit as its wielder as it hobbled towards her.
Marcus laughed as Serana set the embalmed walking corpse alight with a firebolt. "I'm afraid you're a little too late for that." The second draugr swung at him with a greatsword, which he parried to the side with ease before burying his blade deep into its chest. The draugr's glowing blue eyes dimmed then died out, revealing the empty sockets that remained when their true eyes had decayed into nothing. Serana dispatched the third draugr with another spell.
With the draugr sent back to the afterlife they continued on through the opened gate and up another set of stairs into a cavernous room with a great fire burning in the middle. To Serana it seemed like some sort of ritual room for sacrifices, sending hapless victims into the flames far below as an offering to their dragon overlords. They were met by a horde of draugr and skeletons lead by one of great size donning a great horned helm with an immense battleaxe in hand.
"Bolag Aaz Mal Lir!" the creature roared gesturing towards the intruders with its axe, sending forth its minions to destroy them. Marcus spun the blade in his hand and stepped forward.
"Let's get this over with." He sounded almost bored as he spoke. She heard the sharp intake of breath that came before each use of the Thu'um "Su Grah Dun!" He charged the oncoming horde of undead, a veritable whirlwind of motion, slashing and thrusting his blade with astonishing speed and precision, using the height advantage to its full effect. Serana hung back, casting fire and lightning bolts into both draugr and skeleton, and before long all were slain but the leader.
"Bolag Aaz!" Marcus taunted, echoing the draugr's hollow words. It growled at him, rearing its deformed and decrepit head in defiance.
"Niid Dovahkiin. Fus Ro Dah!" Marcus made no effort to move as the shout's effect washed over him like a summer breeze. He started towards the draugr blade at the ready.
"Thu'umul Krent!" he laughed, raising his shield at an angle to deflect a vicious vertical strike from the enraged draugr. The battle axe slid harmlessly across the face of his shield and dropped harmlessly to the ground. Before the draugr could raise it for another strike Marcus went on the attack. With every swing and thrust his blade found flesh, hacking carving, and slicing the slow and cumbersome undead like he were gutting a fresh kill after a hunt. It wasn't long for the draugr was forced to its knees in submission. Marcus spun the blade into a reverse grip and drove the point down into his foe's body at the base of its neck. He pulled the blade from the draugr's broken and dead body.
Wasting no time, he pointed towards a set of heavy wooden doors on the far side of the room with his sword. "That must be the way out."
"Looks like it." They made their way up the steps and through the first door, coming to a second iron portcullis with pull chain to raise it. Behind Serana could see the mouth of the cave, feel the breeze against her skin smell the cold air, fresh and sweet in stark contrast to the heavy, almost suffocating smog that seemed to fill every underground tomb. She pulled the lever and as the grate rose it took all over her willpower to keep from bolting out of the cave. Marcus would probably take it as a sign of attempting to flee.
It was snowing. Heavy white flakes of frozen water fell from the sky, shifting with the direction of the wind. The sounds and smells of the forest around her filled her senses and she inhaled deeply, taking it all in at once. Her troubles, her missing mother, her father, her captor and the aching hunger within her belly were all but forgotten in the wake of the sheer relief she felt to be out of that cave after countless centuries. "Ahhhh." she sighed "It feels so good to breath again."
She looked over to see Marcus digging through his pack and pulling out a fur cloak. He unfolded it and wrapped it around his shoulders, clasping it together at his neck so it would stay in place. "I would offer one to you, but I only have the one."
"Don't worry about it." Serana replied, she looked down at the shredded remains of her own cloak where the gargoyle's claws had torn through the fabric. It had always been more for show than practicality. Vampires and Nords had always held a unique resistance to the cold, and she happened to be both. A freezing gust of wind was as a gentle breeze to her. "So what's the plan now?"
"We'll head to Dawnstar. It's the nearest city... if you can call it that." he replied "From there I'll send a courier to my people and have them meet..." Serana held up a hand, cutting him off to his chagrin. He was about to reprimand her when she spoke.
"I smell somebody nearby." she said "I do not recognize their scent."
"Only one?" she nodded and Marcus breathed deeply through his nose and whispered "Laas Yah Niir!" his eyes glowed violet for just a moment beneath his helmet and his gaze locked onto something in the distance. "I see him. Find cover and wait here while I speak with our unexpected company. And don't try to run. I know your kind has a fondness for chameleon spell, but it will do you no good. I can see through them." He turned away from her as she ducked behind a tree and some snow covered brush, casting an invisibility spell over herself. Peering through the brush, she watched Marcus made his way to the newcomer. An orc dressed in unfamiliar armor, baring no resemblance to what Marcus wore came into view.
"Durak, what are you doing out here?" Marcus asked "Isran didn't trust me to complete the task on my own?"
The orc shrugged, his voice was fatigued from travel with a strong hint of annoyance at being sent off as an errand boy. "You know how he is. Where's Tolan?"
"Dead. The vampires killed him shortly before I arrived."
"He was a fool for trying to fight them on his own." the orc growled "Did you at least find what they were looking for in that miserable pit?"
"I did, but I can't tell you about it. Not here and not at the Fort either. Do you have a horse?" the orc, Durak nodded "Ride back to the Fort and bring Isran, tell him we need to meet somewhere safe."
"Where?"
Marcus paused, thinking, then lifted his gaze to meet the orc's. "The Hall of the Vigilant."