We made an early start of it the next day and headed to the inner sanctum of the Chantry we had seen from the frozen lake. Once we got their I stood half amazed at the statue of Auriel, it was in the same form as those my parent's had in our shrine. Of course I had known that my family worshiped Auriel, while playing lip service to which ever deity or forma the ruling body tried to force down our throat's.
To get in I poured the Initiates Ewer into the basin and watched it run down channels cut in the stone. As we entered the main room, we saw Falmer and other creatures frozen in ice. We went from room to room looking for the Knight-paladin Gelebor's brother and any sign of Auriel's Bow.
Serana bumped into one of the frozen creatures and it broke from the ice encasing it. We were twice as careful after that fight, as during the fight we woke others, to not bump into any of the frozen creatures. I am not totally convinced that they were alive though, as they shattered apart after a few good hit's with the sword or a fire spell. When we finally made it into the room Gelebor's brother was in, he seemed rather happy to see Serana.
After his little speech about, prophecies and Daughters of Coldharbor, it's a complete mystery why he didn't melt into a pool of burnt flesh. The look Serana gave him would have killed a lesser being. He told us that while he was appreciative of my bringing Serana to him, I should just lay down and die, it would be easier on us all. Well that was something I had never heard before, I really wanted to go back to killing deadra, at least they didn't try to kill you with inane drivel. Evidently Serana had heard enough also, because she sent a blast of energy at him, that had it hit, might have sent him through the icy wall. He revived some of the frozen creatures and dropped icy chunks from the ceiling on us. After the majority of his icy minions where destroyed he revived the rest and started dropping huge chunks of the ceiling on us.
When I got in a semi clear spot I summoned my own flame atronach, took a deep breath and charged back in. While fighting 2 falmer's and a frost atronach, I heard the tell tale creak of ice parting ways with the ceiling so I moved quickly to my left. I saw them go down at the same time a large piece of ice hit me on the shoulders, causing me to black out. I came out of it with Serana kneeling in front of me with a potion bottle in her hands.
"Get up, he ran out-side, all his minions are dead. We should be able to catch him if you hurry". I groaned but got to my feet and followed her out onto a balcony that over looked the frozen lake. When I caught up to her, the two of them were standing at the edge of the balcony and he was taunting her again.
They were spitting venom back and forth when he finally said that Auri-El, had betrayed him, when one of the initiates had turned him into a vampire, Auri-El had turned his back on him or it never would have happened. Serana spat that this whole thing was because he wanted revenge...on a God? I listened to them go back and forth for a little while longer, I needed to regain just a bit more strength to caste the spell I wanted to caste.
Just at the point where I knew I had enough strength for one spell, I slowly grabbed a bottle out of my pouch and sipped the potion inside, holding it in my mouth. When Serana had had enough of his rhetoric, she grabbed him with both hands and lifted him high above her head. She told him exactly what she thought of his false prophecy, that had driven her father half in-sane and broken her family apart. He had also gathered enough strength to break free and did, blasting Serana across the balcony. I knew she was fine, as he needed her alive to do what he wanted.
It was the moment I was waiting for though, I swallowed the potion in my mouth, it went down like a lump of mud. I felt the serge of power, I knew it would only last a limited amount of time. The first spell was one I generally used only on myself, but had caste it on others time to time, I threw the spell at Serana and she was engulfed in a misty ward.
Vyrthur, whipped his body around to face me and started gathering the strength for his own spell. But I beat him to it, my magic was already gathered and as I finished the incantation in my head, I sent the Sun spell blasting at him. Before it had a chance to hit or miss I gathered the strength for a lesser spell and held it ready. The light from the spell had left spot's in my eye's and I squinted so that I would be able to see if the spell had worked. Serana screamed and huddled in a small ball behind a stone bench, she would be fine. As the spell hit Vyrthur, it flung him backwards into the balcony railing, I heard the stone of that snap over the sound of fire roaring. I walked towards where he was and as the spell completely dissipated, I could see it had done it's job.
As he lay there dieing, I knelt beside him and told him the truth, that he had never looked for. " Auri-El, didn't abandon you until you turned your back on him. There is a cure for full blow vampirism, He was testing you, testing your faith in him. You failed and managed to destroy the rest of your people with you." As the light started dimming in his eye's I saw the comprehension bloom. He closed his eye's and whispered, " Auri-El forgive me". Took one last breath and was gone from this world. I stepped back as his body turned to ash, leaving behind his armor and knife.
Behind us I could hear a Way Shrine rising, so Gelebor was able to open it. I walked over to Serana, who was still behind the Ward I had put her in. I raised a hand and dissipated it. She looked a little sun burnt, but other wise alright. I handed her a bottle and said not to ask, she unstopped it and took a sip, grimaced and then finished it off. In a matter of second's the burnt look was gone and so was the haggard look she had had for a week.
I turned around as Knight-paladin Gelebor walked up from behind us. I explained everything about his brother, why he said he had done all that he had done. While the Snow Elf wasn't happy to hear the knews about his brother, he said it now gave him hopes that the Falmer could be saved, that maybe some time in the future, they could again be his people. When I asked if he thought he might be the last of his people, he said no, he figured that their would be other pocket's of Snow Elves, just as his people had been here.
He asked if we had any Eleven arrow's, which I did, he blessed them and they started to glow. He looked at Serana and said she might either want to use gloves or not touch them at all. They would be very effective against the undead. He told us he would be staying here in this area, to repair the Sanctum, so if we needed more arrow's blessed just bring them. Also, any fresh fruit's or vegetables would be a very good trade for them... milk or butter? Maybe a live chicken, he hadn't had any egg's in a couple hundred years.
I laughed and asked how he felt about company? I knew a couple dozen Altmers that still worshiped Auriel or and I nodded Auri-El in the old ways. They would jump at the chance to find sanctuary here in return for helping put it all to rights. Well plus bringing in seed's and farm animal's to help with his food situation. His face brightened and he said he would love company, just let them know he hadn't had any so might be a bit of a recluse at times. I said that was understandable and I would let them know, but he could tell them as much or little as he wanted about his brother.
I handed him one of my packs and said it was the rest of our travel food. It was sealed rather well so I told him that when he opened it, he might want to put the contents in a basket and put that in the icy waters to keep it all fresh. He would be very surprised as their was a bout a half dozen boiled eggs, plus some fruit tart's all wrapped in oiled cloth ground with Ice Wraith teeth to keep it fresh. Plus some honey-nut treat's as I found they were a good source of energy.
Serana and I took our leave of him and walked out of the cave system. I made note of the turns as we went, so that Marcurio and I could bring him back some supplies and also so that I could give directions to my Aunt Irrillia. I knew she and Decion where only playing the game until they could find a safe place to raise their twin's. The boy's should be 5 or 6 year's old now. They were both worried about the war they knew was comming. Decion had already said he was not really willing to fight at the side of the Thalmor, he had been a part of for centuries, but he couldn't be a traitor either.
I well understood his point of view, although I was considered a traitor by some. I had only joined to fight the deadroth that were attacking our homeland and had gotten out honorably when the Oblivion Crisis was over. Some didn't see it that way though, once a Thalmor, always a Thalmor. I didn't like their politic's then and I have liked them less and less over time.
As we exited the last cave and came out into the light of day, Serana asked if we were going to head strait to her fathers castle or go tell Isran that we had he bow. I told her I had no intention of just the two of us fighting her father, I really didn't want to end up as either his thrall, dinner or both. I planned on heading to Markarth as I thought it might be a little closer than Solitude, plus it was on the way to Falkreath and I wanted to stop at my house and pick up Marcurio.
Well plus I had a friend in Markarth that I thought would take a letter to my Aunt and hand it to her. Knowing Serana would never say anything, I told her my plans about Gelebor and that valley. She said she understood and it was a good plan, but did I really need to get Marcurio, weren't their enough people at Fort Dawnguard to take along. I wasn't sure if I was hearing jealousy or something else, but I explained that Marcurio was a wizard of no small talent and Isran had a habit of discounting wizards so didn't recruit them. I told her that would leave herelf, me and probably that crazy Priest of Arkay as the only magic users and she couldn't caste a healing spell.
That she seemed to understand. We headed down the trail and got to the road before noon. I kept my eye's out for anything I could eat along the way. Serana might not need to eat, but I did. The Snow berries that were growing right outside the cave hadn't been enough. As we were about to cross a bridge, I saw movement in the water and hurried down, I grabbed my crowbow and tied a string to the end of the bolt. I hit the tiny mud crab dead center, killing it instantly. When I got it to shore, I pulled out the bold and wound the string back up, then cast a fire spell on it until I could smell the crab was cooked. I pulled off the leg's, really the only edible part, without making a stew anyway, and wrapped all but one in a piece of leather and tucked it in my belt.
I started back on the road to Markarth with Serana laughing at me. I shrugged and broke open the leg and started eating the meat inside. I sighed inwardly about the lack of butter, but I was hungry enough that I really didn't care. Between bites I asked Serana if she had any plans for after her father was killed and she did realize we would have to kill him? She said she knew that, but had not really thought about afterwards. So I offered her my house in Solitude, telling her she might have to hire a maid to clean the place, I had not been their in a couple hundred years.
Then I startled her, by telling her about the Steward in Solitude being a vampire and she would have to give the woman a letter from me, so that Sybille would know I had let Serana stay their. Sybille wouldn't have a problem with Serana being their and would keep the young vampire in check if need be. I didn't say that to Serana though. I did let her know that their was plenty of money and gem's laying around the house, it would be a good place to hole up for a while and think. Also, the swamp across the canal always had bandit living in it. She understood what I was saying, if she got hungry, the citizens of Solitude were off limit's, but bandit's...well dead is dead one way or the other.
As we entered Markarth and I found the Bard I was looking for, I asked her if she had ever considered getting cured. I didn't wait for an answer, because it was something she needed to think about. I walked up to Yngvar and asked the surly Nord if he wanted to take a trip and some gold. He played his part well and was as rude as he could be, without being so rude that I should have taken exception to it and challenged him to a fight, which I had done once already. I looked at him and told him I would have a letter for him in the morning and fare for whole trip plus half the money for going. He said fine and walked away, I turned and headed to the Silver-blood Inn and got Serana and I our own room's.
That night when I went to bed, I left the door unlocked, but I knew I didn't really need to. About 3 am, I heard the knob turn, it wasn't loud, but I was expecting it and woke up. Yngvar slipped into the room and I sat up and lit a single candle as soon as the door closed all the way. He walked over to the bed and sat beside me. " So what's up my tall skinny friend?", he whispered in a gruff voice. I rolled my eye's and told him I need to get some information to my Aunt, but the real pay for him was another tid-bit of information I pulled out of the hidden pocket of my armor.
I handed him the note and his eye's widened as he read it. I nodded and handed him a sealed envelope and a folded piece of paper. He read the paper and his eye's widened even more. He memorized what the paper said and then got up and burnt it in the candle. I told him if he ever wanted it, the sanctuary would extend to him also. He shook his head and asked how someone on the opposite sides of a war could be friends and why I was constantly giving him information. I replied that was easy, we weren't really on opposite side's of a war, this wasn't a war it was an argument. The war would come and Skyrim and the Empire would need each other.
He changed the subject and asked what was in the sealed letter. I told him the truth, it was just a chatty letter congratulating my Uncle on his empending retirement from the military and asking him if he and my Aunt with the children would like to visit me here in Skyrim at my holding in Falkreath. Along with directions and a few gossipy things. The real message was the one he had memorized.
I then handed him another envelope and told him that was the "reason" he was going to the Imperial City in the first place. Inge had commissioned a new Lute, a very special Lute and wanted someone that she thought could actually get to the Imperial City and back with it. You being a known bard and a tough man in a fight, where exactly who she would ask. I gave him a pouch full of gold and gem's and said it was enough to get to the Imperial City and back in whatever fashion he wished to travel, I gave him a second pouch and said that was his pay. He put the letters in a pocket on the inside of his armor and tucked the pouches to the outside.
Before he got up to leave he asked if I knew that the little vampire was watching my door and that he had had to talk to her before he came in. I rolled my eyes and said that it figured as she didn't really need to sleep. We both stood up and I walked to the door with him, then grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him the biggest most passionate kiss I could, making sure to ruffle his well groomed hair in the process. As I opened the door, he turned toward me with a hazy well kissed look on his face, I adjusted his armor and said have a good night. Then smiled as I watched him go, pretending that I didn't see Serana standing in the shadows at the other end of the hallway. He turned around and looked at me again and nodded once.
I stepped back into my room and closed the door locking it this time, sighed and laid down to get a few more hours of sleep. I rubbed the right side of my face, it would be red with irritation from his short beard tomorrow. I closed my eye's and took a deep breath and fell into a deep sleep.
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