Hey hey! Thanks for taking the time for reading this story at this very moment in time. This first chapter is from Serana's perspective. Hope you enjoy!
The door slammed shut as the last patron left the bar. Serana was the only other person inside the Sleeping Giant Inn, besides the bartender Orgnar. He's been the barkeep here for an unusual amount of time, even when Delphine left to help the Dragonborn on his noble quest. He was busy cleaning up the dirty mugs the last patron left belligerently around the tavern.
Getting kicked out of the Dawnguard wasn't her most proud moment. It happened only a few months ago, when Isran found her feeding on a Bosmer bandit that tried to sneak his way in to Fort Dawnguard, only to be caught by Serana. The Bosmer was then taken to her quarters – still alive, no less – and bound to the table in her room, lay sprawled across facing the ceiling. She gagged him, so he didn't make too much noise and fed. And fed for what she could remember as only a few days before Isran found him during a weekly inspection. Serana never had a moment to speak before she was given the leeway to leave Dawnguard without being hunted for what she is.
After she passed through Dayspring Canyon for the last time, she didn't know what to do or where to go. She wanted to go see Thedrenar, but what would he say? He's happily living with his wife and two kids somewhere in Skyrim. If he found out she had been kicked out of the Dawnguard… maybe he'd understand. But she wouldn't want to take the risk. She collected herself and headed to Riverwood, looking more of the like of an ordinary pilgrim.
"Can I get you anything, Serana? You have been sitting there a while drinking nothing, after all." He asked as he walked by where she was sitting.
"I'm fine. Thank you, Orgnar. I'm just reflecting on some thoughts." She replied, a hint of a solemn tone in her voice.
"Alright. Come up and sit at the bar and tell old Orgnar about your thoughts." He sauntered over to his spot behind the bar and rested his arms on it, crossing them. He patiently waited for Serana to rise from her table and sit at the bar, choosing the stool farthest on the right. She lowered her hood, and her braided raven hair was shown.
"Okay… where to begin… You've heard of the Dawnguard, yes?" He nodded in response. "Right, noble vampire hunters and all that shebang. Well, a few months ago, I was tasked with patrolling the upper ramparts of the fort, and I couldn't help but notice something out of place. A ladder was leant against the wall, not far from the doorway leading into the castle" Serana placed her elbos on the bar and clasped her hands together.
"I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess you had an unexpected guess." Orgnar interrupted.
"Exactly. I entered the doorway near the ladder as quietly as I could and crept down the stairs. Low and behold, a foolish Bosmer had found his way into one of the others' belongings. I snuck up behind him and reached around his head and covered his mouth with one hand while jabbing my dagger into his side whispering: 'Make a move and you're a dead elf.' He didn't move a single muscle."
Orgnar trying not to take away from the moment, grabbed a dirty tankard of the dirty rack and started to clean. "I forced him to my quarters where I gagged him and bound him to the table in my quarters, where in turn, I would feed on him when I got… hungry."
"Being a vampire in the Dawnguard must've been tough for you, eh?" He finished cleaning the tankard and rested his arms on the bar.
"You'd think, wouldn't you? Well, a couple days pass, without any interruption from any of the other Dawnguard. But then came the weekly inspection of my quarters that Isran – the leader of the Dawnguard – had to do to make sure I wasn't 'plotting against him or any of the others'."
"He didn't take to kind to you feeding on someone in the fort, did he?"
"That's putting it lightly. Isran put the bandit out of misery and called me out in front of everybody. He said that I'd have this one chance to leave before he sends them after me. I had no time to grab my things as I had to quickly leave the fort. When I left the canyon, I decided to come here and lay low for as long as I need to, and you've been a fantastic help at that, too."
"It's nice having my own personal vampire bouncer, if I'm being completely honest. But I think there's more going on in that head of yours. I know you." He was right. There was something – no, someone that was on her mind. But she had the toughest of times when it came to him. She knew he was married. He would never want to be with her. So, what was the big deal with telling Orgnar about it?
"Actually, there is something else on my mind…" She leant towards him, but she was cut off by Orgnar greeting the new patrons. Serana slightly turned her head so her eyes could see, and she saw what she had dreaded since the day she left the Dawnguard.
Isran, Celann, Agmaer and Durak. Three senior members of the Dawnguard, and a junior member. The four worst people to enter the place where she stays, well, maybe second only to one other. She turned away, hiding her pale face from view. Celann, Agmaer and Durak sat down at the table as Isran made his way to the bar, standing directly to Serana's right. He placed his hands on the bar, greeting Orgnar.
"Hey there, barkeep. What've you got on tap tonight?" Isran asked. Politely, too. Serana never knew that Isran was this polite to tavern bartenders.
Orgnar replied by pouring four mugs of his finest mead and placed them on the bar, not saying a word to Isran, as if he knew this was the Redguard that Serana was talking about earlier.
Isran grabbed the coin pouch from his side, and out fell 17 gold. "Will that be enough to cover my tab?" He asked, still so uncharacteristically polite.
Orgnar slid 1 of the gold back Israns way and nodded to him. Isran thanked him and made his way to where the others were sitting.
Serana didn't move when Isran was next to her, and Orgnar noticed. "Is that him? The guy that gave you the boot?" He said quietly, while leaning her way. She didn't say a word, just nodded slightly. "Would you like me to get rid of them?"
Serana hissed back at him. "No! If you do that, they'll see you as a vampire sympathizer and lock you in their dungeons, trying to figure out how I bewitched you. I'll just leave and be back later." She got up from her seat and made her way to the door, only to be called out by Isran himself.
"Come here, girl. I've got something to say to you." Serana tried to ignore what he was saying but he was damn persistent. He asked a third time before she stopped at the door. He got up from the table and made his way over to where she was standing.
"So, you think you could just walk out, and we wouldn't notice? What kind of vampire are you, anyways?" Isran leant his hand on the door, blocking any escape for Serana.
"Why are you here Isran? Come to gloat that you kicked me out? If not, I have somewhere to be, thank you." She tried to get past him, but his arm was unnaturally strong. A Redguard of his stature is strong, sure. But to hold the door against vampiric strength?
"We've come because we want to apologize for the way we – I, acted. I expelled you without hearing your side. One of our scouts noticed you taking up residence here in the Sleeping Giant." Serana immediately turned to face Orgnar with a questioning look on her face. He in return shook his head.
"Really? I'm flattered." She said, sarcastically. "I'm honored that you want me back, but I do have somewhere to be, so if you'll excuse me…" She went for the door again, but his strength again matched hers. Something here was not right. Was this a new spell to counteract vampire's strength, let alone hers? She wished she didn't have to find out.
This can't be the real Isran. He'd never be able to match my strength. This must be some new form of illusion spell…
Isran looked directly into her amber eyes. "And I'm insisting that you follow us. There's something that we want you to see." A small smile shone across his face, making Serana secretly nervous. Living in the Inn made her accustomed to odd encounters, but this one had to take the cake.
"Fine. I'll follow you to what you need to show me, then I'm off to where I need to go. Deal?"
"Done deal. Let's go, boys!" Isran motioned for the others to follow suit. They exited the Inn with Celann, Agmaer and Durak flanking Serana, and headed south-west.
South-west… that isn't headed toward the fort. Something is wrong here.
When the got to a spot in the forest, Isran stopped. He turned to face Serana, eyes glowing. She readied herself for a fight. "What's going on here? Why do you want me specifically? What's so special about me?"
Isran circled where Serana stood, holding a massive hammer in his hands. Three separate howls can be heard in the distance, furthering Serana's nervousness.
Celann looked around him, seemingly more nervous. "You know, I've heard this is where the White Wolf hunts for his food. Maybe we shouldn't be here, Ven- uh Isran…"
"If you're scared of some urban folklore about a white wolf that hunts in this area, maybe you shouldn't have joined up in the first place!" Snapped Agmaer, who's showing an uncharacteristically aggressive behavior.
Serana did notice that Celann did almost call Isran by a different name, which confirmed her suspicions. These weren't the real Dawnguard. They had to be vampires. Or at least Isran- or whatever is name is. She looked around her surroundings and didn't see anything that she could use to her advantage. There are just trees, in all directions. Surrounded by a vampire and his thralls weren't exactly high on Serana's to do list.
"Listen, I'm just going to tell you this- "The Isran imposter cut himself off when they all heard noises iun the brush, what sounded like fast moving animals.
Celann quickly snuffed out his torch and looked around apprehensively. "I knew it! The White Wolf exists!" He burst into a sprint, running into the bushes surrounding the group. IT sounded like he didn't make it very far before he was caught by something in the bushes as well. All Serana could hear were the screams of Celann and muffled tearing and chomping noises. Almost as immediately as it started, the screaming stopped. Agmaer and Durak were looking considerably more and more nervous with each passing second.
Agmaer was the second to snuff his torch with Durak following suit. Agmaer sheathed his axe and quietly whispered: "Durak we need to get out of here before we end up food for whatever beast or beasts lurk in the forest."
Durak sheathed his crossbow, and tiptoed his way following Agmaer.
Then the forest when dead quiet.
Isran looked around, cautious of what might be coming for them all. He turned to Serana to finish what he was saying earlier. "Before I get so rudely interrupted again, the Master says hello."
Master? What master would he be talking about?
Isran took one step towards Serana, but before the second could be placed, something fleshy rolled in between them, onto Agmaer's foot who was standing a few feet away. Serana could make out that it was the torn and mangled head of Celann, or whoever it was. Agmaer in turn covers his mouth, as if to stop himself from vomiting at the sight of his teammates severed head.
Durak looks around, re-grabbing his axe from its holster. He lit his torch and waved it towards the bushes, yelling obscenities at them, trying to ward off whatever beast lurks with words alone. As he was waving his torch, a single pair of blue-beaded eyes stare back at Durak, who in his orcish manner sprint full tilt in their direction. He disappears into the bush, screaming all the while.
The yells stopped short after he charged. Serana, becoming more and more anxious with this whole situation, tries to backstep her way away from the Isran imposter. "Don't think you can get away while they're still here, do you?"
They? There's more than one?
Agmaer unknowingly backs into the imposter, who pushes Agmaer away from him. When he turns to face the imposter, a hulking white werewolf stands up behind him. Agmaer slowly rotates his body to stare directly into the chest of the beast, who grabs the comparatively small Nord by his head, who is screaming like his friends. The wolf raises Agmaer up to eye level and lets out a prolonged growl.
Out from the bushes behind Serana and the imposter appeared two smaller werewolves, one with a light grey coat of fur, the other with a pitch-black coat. The two circle around Serana and Isran, eyeing them up, letting short snarls seep through their closed jaws, as if they're waiting for the okay to make their move against the two in the middle.
The white wolf then tosses the still shrieking Agmaer on the ground, and the two smaller wolves bound on top, tearing into the Nord with ease, completely ignoring the armor that he wore. From what Serana could bear to watch, he didn't squirm for too long, as the black wolf went for the head as soon as the Nord's body slammed against the forest ground.
As the two smaller ones were feasting on Agmaer, the bigger, bulkier white one slowly crawled on its fours toward the two still standing in the forest clearing. Isran, ever unflinching, raises his hammer, ready to fight the beast. The noise of the hammer unsheathing caught the attention of the white beast and its two smaller wolves. The white wolf lets out a short growl, and the grey and black wolves return to devouring what doesn't seem like Agmaer anymore.
On its fours, the wolf walks up to Isran, who hasn't taken one step back to lessen the wolf's advance. He raises his hammer to swing, and the wolf kept his slow pace.
He must be a fool if he can think he can take on this massive creature on his own.
Isran brought the hammer down towards the werewolf at a blinding speed, that only vampires could keep track of.
In the moment, though seemingly impossible, the beast brought its paw up to stop the hammer, catching it mid swing.
"…Impossible…" the imposter muttered through his gritted teeth.
The White Wolf, in all its terrifying glory, stood up on its hind legs, almost twice the height of Serana, still holding the end of the hammer, swung his arm away from Isran and the vampire's grip on the hammer faltered. He was now weaponless, unable to defend himself from the wolf's physical attacks.
Isran then dropped his hands to his side, knees bent slighty, palms facing the white wolf. He was preparing a spell. The wolf crouched, curios as to what the vampire was doing, then in a flash of light that lit up the entire forest, the white wolf was struck by lightning that was shot from Israns hands. The beast cringed for a second, its face visible to Serana for a second. She noticed the streak the lightning is gonna leave across his face. The wolf turned to face the imposter, teeming with wolf-like rage. It let out a slow, elongated growl, and the two smaller flanked Serana, making sure she couldn't make a break for it.
The White Wolf slowly made his way to Isran, snarling all the way. "My master will hear about my death! He will feel it when I die! He will come for you! You won't – "The vampire was cut off as the wolf clutched his head, slowly squeezing it in its giant, right hand. Isran's breathing was strained, but he was still breathing.
The wolf slammed the vampire's face into the ground. Then again. Then again. As the wolf raised the vampire's head to match his height, the vampire let out a strained: "He will… come… for you… all…" His sentence was cut short as the wolf gripped tighter and smashed the vampire's head into the ground one last time before stomping on it, just for good measure.
When the White Wolf let go of the vampire's head, it turned to Serana.
This can't be good. I'm surely gonna die."
The wolf placed his two front paws on the ground and walked over to where Serana stood, not that far from where the Isran imposter lay dead. The wolf sat crouched its hind legs, and proceeded to sniff Serana, for what seemed to be an eternity to her. After about 10 seconds, the wolf pulled back. It let a short growl out and the two smaller wolves returned to its side.
"Who are you?" asked Serana. She couldn't believe what just happened. These three werewolves just saved her undead life. She couldn't think of how she might be able to repay them. As she was thinking, the white wolf stood up on its hind legs, towering over Serana. In a few short breaths, it said one word.
"F- fri- "
Is it trying to say friend?
"Friend…" The wolf snarled through its teeth. Serana looked directly at its face. Blood stained the white fur surrounding its mouth, with the new lightning scar crossing its left eye.
Serana had no words. Well, she had a few. "Why do you call me friend? What have I done for you?"
"Frien- Friend… Go. Friend go. Friend safe."
I have a guardian werewolf. Three guardian werewolves! Father wouldn't have believed this.
"Um… Okay. Thank you?" Serana turned to run back towards Riverwood, but when she rotated back to see where the wolves sat, they were gone.
Impressively silent when they want to be. Let's see how well they cover their tracks.
Serana found the wolves paw prints in the dirt, thanks to her vampiric night-eye. Silently sprinting through the woods, following the print tail and any signs that might lead to where the werewolves are headed, she came across this magnificent house. How has she never seen this place before? This would be a fantastic place to live with Him one day, if that day would ever come.
Jumping on top of the rocks that overlook the homestead, she reads: "Lakeview Manor" on the front of the house. Noises from the forest across from her make her sulk back onto the rocks overlooking the manor, as she sees the two smaller werewolves emerge from the tree line. One by one, they transform back into human form, albeit completely naked, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Wait a minute… that girl looks familiar… that can't be…?
The grey wolf transformed back into a beautiful young Imperial girl, who from her looks is no less than age 17. The black wolf transformed into a thin, young Nord man, who looks no less than 20, by Serana's guesses.
"By the Gods, it is…" Her whisper trails off as the White Wolf emerges from the tree line after its two smaller ones. The process of transformation took a bit longer than the other two did, even such it seemed to be painful, from where Serana was stalking. The two younger humans were helping the bigger one up, as he transformed back into a bulky Redguard man with strange white hair, who Serana felt strangely close to.
She watched the three of them get dressed and right as they were entering the manor, it clicked in Serana's head.
She couldn't keep her volume down.
"It's you…!"