章 747: 747: Serana's Secret
A/n: You guys know this type of cat that runs away for a while and then returns home with a few kittens on her tail. Welp, think of me the same way.
Earlier in January, I became a proud father of Aisha (little Donna as you shall refer to her by now), who completely graced this mortal realm with her presence on a winter day just like her father.
And since I finally started sleeping properly in the past month, I got my Masters and worked as a screenwriter for a local entertainment show, and yeah… I AM A DAD!
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If it wasn't for the Winterhold revolution and advancement into the age of money and investment, Solitude would have been the most powerful city in Skyrim. It has the Imperial Legion, the East Empire Trading Company headquarters, and the perfect weather this time of the year.
Still, a lot of the city's glamor was fading away momentarily due to an unfortunate chain of events. The Emperor was slain on his ship outside the city, the Dragon Cult announced its reemergence into the world by besieging the city, the Dragons attacked it on many occasions, Jarl Elisef the Fair was slain, Vittoria Vici was assassinated, and the city's population and prosperity were declining day by day.
For something to rise, others must fall. That's why it was Solitude that fell for Winterhold to rise.
However, this pessimistic way of looking at things didn't seem to affect the new Jarl of Haafingar, Jarl Bryling, and her court steward and soon-to-be husband, Falk Firebeard.
As the two engaged in an intimate brawl of thrusts and moans, Bryling finally lowered down her legs that had been facing the ceiling for the whole night and let Falk stagger sideways to sleep beside her on the bed as the two were trying to catch their breath.
"That was a good effort." She commented with a content smile as she turned to him.
"Aye!" Falk agreed, "Almost an hour, huh? I do feel getting younger."
Bryling laughed at the silly man beside her and was getting up to move closer to his embrace but the door to her chambers was suddenly opened.
"Who in the…" Bryling and Falk were covering themselves while reaching out for their weapons by the side of the bed.
"No time! You two get dressed!" The bedroom intruder spoke to them like a cranky old person with a strong glare.
"Sybille! Oblivion!" Bryling was almost about to cuss at her court mage but she chose to calm herself first.
"Get dressed!" Sybille Stentor told Bryling and Falk to get dressed once again with a foreboding tone, "We've got another one."
A minute later, Bryling was wearing a light blue dress and Falk was in his white sleeping robe but the two were still armed with a sword, an axe, and a couple of crossbows. Sybille walked ahead of them and held up a lantern but she still had her staff in hand.
The three crossed the darkness of the dungeons beneath the blue palace and arrived at the cells. A foul reek of blood filled the place and the groans of many beasts echoed through the place.
"Jarl."
A man, who was standing far from the group, called for them and they approached him with Bryling in the center. The man wore a brown armor of segmented plates covered in leather with the crest of the burning sun on his chest.
"Master Tovjor. What have you found?" Bryling asked.
"Look for yourself."
The man turned to the dark cell he was standing before which made Bryling approach his side and look closer.
A vampire!
And what else would it be?
Grawl!
But that wasn't the end of that.
Something was messed up about these vampires that were showing up as of late. It wasn't even right to call them Vampires anymore. Just some mindless blood-crazed beasts from the bowls of Oblivion.
Falk Firebeard approached the side of Bryling with his crossbow aimed at the thing inside the cell and his face reflected the shock and dismay from what he witnessed.
"These things are getting more monstrous every time we catch a new one." Tovjor said and urged Falk to retreat, "It is like Oblivion has started to spawn new monsters at Skyrim with more creativity than the fabled Oblivion Crisis."
"It wasn't as fabled as you think. Just a damn Daedra invasion." Sybille spoke with an annoyed face, "This damn thing, on the other hand, is more cursed than Daedric. It's a vampire, no mistake about it."
"I can't believe I am saying this out loud but I do prefer the old vampires to whatever this is." Bryling said as her body became drenched with sweat, causing her one-layer robe to stick to her naked body beneath and attract the gaze of Captain Tojvor.
With an annoyed expression, Falk stepped ahead to be a barrier between his woman and the peeping eyes of the Dawnguard Captain, but that made the appearance of the monstrous vampire clearer from where he stood.
To describe it, we would need to imagine a werebeast creature with the features of a bat. Its body is long and slender, thinner than a werewolf, but still with the same proportions, except for the considerably larger head.
Things didn't end there. The creature lacked any sort of fur, except for the hair above its head, and its eyes were larger than a bat's head-to-eye ratio and they were all white with black veins spreading through them. As for the mouth, it had two large fangs similar to all vampirekind, which are used to drain blood from its unfortunate victims.
That creature was the thing that plagued the countryside of Haafingar more than anything lately and nothing could stop it except for the Dawnguard who were accompanied by Mages from the College of Winterhold and Clerics from the Temple of the Eight.
"Captain, you know how I feel about holding these monsters and conducting experiments in my dungeon. I would like you to get rid of that thing at once." Bryling said.
"With all due respect, we need to know what we're dealing with." Tojvor said and turned to Sybille.
"Don't look at me. I offered to help in my own way and you're the one who insisted on getting your hands dirty." Sybille said.
"But the information we get are invaluable." Tojvor argued.
"The best thing I can do is to provide you with a dungeon outside the city to conduct those experiments of yours. This is the last time I will provide you with a dungeon in the city. We can't afford accidents." Bryling gave her verdict.
"I understand." Tojvor said before asking, "Then what about the support?"
"You'll get your silver, Captain." Falk Firebeard scowled, "Be it weapons or septims."
"Can't complain then. Send a courier as soon as you settle on a new place for us to work." Captain Tojvor said so and moved to the nearby wall where a lever was perking off it.
As soon as he pulled the lever, a formation of soul gems was activated inside the cell and the chained monster got projected to an inescapable array of fire. The creature shrieked and struggled but its fate was ultimately turning to ash.
Captain Tojvor excused himself and left satisfied with the promise of money and supplies, leaving Solitude's trio to watch the fire consume the vampiric monster.
"Any idea what we are facing?" Falk asked Sybille.
"These things are the result of the Vampiric Curse but the best guess I can come up with is that one curse is layered on another in this case. Some new variables have been added to what we once knew about Vampires as it seems." Sybille said then turned away to leave the dungeon area through the stairwell, "An acquaintance of mine will bring a definitive answer to me about those things once I hear of them."
Leaving both the Jarl and her Steward in a state of endless worry, the Solitude court intended to do its best in order to fight off the Vampire breakout that plagued their hold.
***
In a far-off land to the east of Haafingar, the Hold of Eastmarch was fairing only a tad better, but a tad better isn't something to be happy about in this sort of situation.
"A serial killer or vampire, nothing shall terrorize my city under my watch."
These words echoed into the hearts of the people, especially after a few killing cases that ravaged the city of Windhelm. Ulfric Stormcloak was torn between inner and outside struggles since the eve of this year and had to make one strong speech for his subjects to raise their morale.
Funny enough, the moment the man turned away into his palace, he began glaring and grimacing at everything that moved. In truth, he was annoyed by what was reported to him last night.
"A new breed of Vampires?" He asked his court mage, Wuunferth the Unliving.
"That's what I just said! Do you always have to repeat everything I say?" Wuunferth replied with utter annoyance.
"What made you think these monstrosities are vampires?" Ulfric asked.
"The fact that they drained their victims of blood? Albite in a more barbaric way compared to a regular vampire, but still their aim was feasting on blood. Another sign is that when you strike them with Sun-type spells, they suffer a great deal of damage just as quickly as any undead, and parts of them turn into Vampire Dust."
Wuunferth started to lengthily explain everything to Ulfric.
"So they are just monsters in the end! Freaks of nature?" Jorleif the steward asked.
"Yes, and I am just a regular old man!" Wuunferth replied dismissively.
"Is that sarcasm I hear?" Ulfric asked with a piercing glare.
"Oh! Pardon me, Jarl. All I did was marvel at the fact that while people do see monsters as freaks, well alright, somehow this Old Man is still mistaken as one."
"Enough with that. You can get back to your duties." Ulfric had to dismiss the meeting now that no one was going to say something useful and his courtiers would start pickering like teenage girls.
"One last thing, Jarl." Wuunferth spoke up as everyone was about to leave, "Please, instruct your men to capture one of those monsters alive next time. It would be a marvel to stretch one on a torture rack and see how they tick from the inside."
With that request, all the eyes landed on Wuunferth the Undying with the same word in their heads.
Freak!
***
"People are worried!"
"As they should be."
"You think turning everyone against vampirekind will resolve your issues with your family?"
"Issues? I no longer have any."
"And Jon Dare?"
"Dearest Jon is busy playing Hero somewhere else. Taking down Dragons, facing Daedric Lords, fulfilling his destiny. He's doomed one way or the other. I can rely on him no longer. He is… loveable but he isn't what I need."
"Saying Jon Dare is loveable, don't let his women hear you."
"I no longer wish to meet him but I think he'll find out one way or the other and when he does, he'll come after me like the wrath of the Gods."
"Deceiving him is also not a good idea."
"With his wife by his side, that is. I need to set them apart for a while. The future depends on it."
"What of your mother?"
"I have no need for her. I found a new mother, she gave me more than what Valerica ever gave. I shall lead by her example and be a different kind of Vampire."
Serana stood above the Blue Palace with Sybille beside her.
"If these monsters you created cause enough damage, you shall come forward as we agreed?" Sybille asked.
Serana smiled vividly.
The moon was reflected beautifully on her pale skin and she showed an expression of warmth and happiness never seen on her before.
"I will make sure the losses are minimal and nothing harms the innocents. Once the entire Skyrim is riled up, they will all come for Volkihar and purge every vampire from Skyrim. Only then we the Scions of Lamae can take our rightful place. Only then will I finally have a family. A real family."
As she said that, Serana moved away her cloak and gently caressed her own swollen belly.
Sybille Stentor shuddered from fear.
Serana has done something so bold it can make the entire Skyrim if not half of Tamriel cry.
In her womb, Serana was bearing the child of none other than Jon Dare.
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See how I played that one out?
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