A/N: Sorry, ME fans! I just had to write this. Any of y'all who have played Dawnguard know the absolute, incredibly painful frustration that comes coupled with the inability to marry Serana, to which my brother cried out dramatically, "BRO-ZONED!" Well, I say screw that because I have fanfiction. I tried to write it so anyone could read it, even if you aren't entirely familiar with Dawnguard. And yes, all my gaming characters are named after the goddess of the hunt. Warning: there will be naughty things involving two women later on.
Chapter One
Diana knew the scroll was trouble the second Aela dropped it on the table. She glanced at it quickly, noting the sun emblem wax seal. No doubt, it contained a request for help. She turned her gaze back to the book open on the table. In truth, she had no idea what she was reading. She had just needed something to stare at so the others did not question her. When Aela did not do anything, she asked, "Who delivered that?"
Aela took a seat at the table. "A recruiter showed up with it," she said. Diana glanced up at Aela, noting her wild mane of red hair and serious expression. The Companion's angular face did nothing to abate the "wolfish" rumors surrounding those of the inner circle. Aela always looked the predator.
Diana shrugged and turned a page in the book. "So assign the job."
"They requested it reach your hands."
She risked another glance. Her friend showed no sign of letting this go. "It has reached them." She held up her palms, smiling at the poor humor. Aela did not smile back. She lowered her hands. "Very well." She closed the book. "What else is it?"
"He requested an audience with the Harbinger of the Companions."
"Isn't that you?" she teased.
"Diana..." A hint of a growl penetrated Aela's voice.
"Fine. Fine. Show him in. Who does he represent, again?"
Aela stood and readjusted her armor. "He said he hailed from Fort Dawnguard." She turned and walked up the stairs to the main floor. Diana sat up straighter in her chair and smoothed out her clothes. She wore only a simple tunic and trousers for the day, something easy to lounge in. It astonished some of the other Companions. They were not used to the vulnerable sight of their unofficial leader. None dared mention it to her, though. Everyone had put her on a pedestal since the defeat of Alduin. Talos help the poor soul who spoke against her.
Diana was pulled from her thoughts as she heard voices from upstairs, mainly one unfamiliar voice, a man jabbering away about how thankful he was to be provided such an audience. Diana grinned when she heard Aela whisper the standard warning against hero worship. There was someone she could count on. "Harbinger." Aela stepped into the basement hall, standing guard at the doorway. "Durak of the Dawnguard." She stepped aside and a tall orc walked through the doorway. He had to step to the side to avoid a low-hanging metal chandelier.
"Dragonborn," he said. "It is an honor."
Diana tried not to wince at the title. Instead, she redirected, "The honor is mine, Durak." She gestured to a chair. "Be seated. It is not every day we host guests in the halls of Jorrvaskr."
Durak seated himself stiffly. He looked down at the unopened scroll. "You have not read the missive, then?"
"Why would I when I have you to inform me?" Diana drummed her fingers on the table.
The orc grabbed the scroll and broke the wax seal, unfurling it. "This is an invitation for the Companions to assist the troops at Dawnguard in an upcoming fight." He showed Diana the neatly formed lettering. A small map was scrawled at the bottom.
Diana shrugged. "So hire out the men. I am no leader, only an advisor." She felt a little annoyed at the hesitant manner the orc treated her with. To be fair, he acted more normal than most people who met her for the first time. At least he did not wax poetic about the "great debt" Skyrim owed.
"I would gladly do so," said Durak. "A fighter is a fighter. I mean no disrespect, ma'am, but anyone can swing a sword as deadly as the next person. Experience, on the other hand, is another story."
Diana liked the orc a bit more. "And you're not the most experienced of the Dawnguard, I take it?"
The orc shook his head. "I take my orders from a man named Isran. He has rebuilt Fort Dawnguard and reestablished the ancient order of vampire hunters. As soon as he started recruiting, vampires attacked a series of locations across the holds of Hjaalmarch and the Pale, often causing civilian casualties."
Diana nodded. "I see your need for concern, but why has Isran directed you to me and not the armies of the respective holds?"
Durak cleared his throat. "I thought the Harbinger of the Companions would know firsthand that the petty war between the Empire and Ulfric Stormcloak has diverted all troops. Isran asked I seek you out personally."
"Why?" asked Diana. "I killed dragons, not vampires."
It was Durak's turn to shrug. "Isran must think you will have an easier time killing vampires than you did dragons. I would think killing those beasts equaled a larger challenge."
The orc's words made sense. Diana really had no excuse to avoid helping the Dawnguard other than she rather enjoyed the idea of settling into Jorrvaskr for a few weeks. She had been gone from Whiterun for too long. Her brief visit to Dragonsreach did not count, and she had spent weeks wandering the frostbitten lands after she slew Alduin. What was a dragonborn to do without the imminent threat of dragons? Esbern refused to allow her back into the Blades halls until she dealt with Parathunax, and the Greybeards were always so off-putting. In the end, she had found stability in the mead hall and headquarters of the Companions, Skyrim's top warrior's guild. "They are indeed a threat," Diana said. She was impressed that the orc had sat so still through her long musing. "And this Isran insists I personally come?"
Durak nodded. "He said he wanted a small force of elite warriors. Something about attracting less attention."
"Sound logic." Diana drummed her fingers on the table again. She wondered what the others would think if she refused. Would someone attempt to overthrow her as Harbinger? Not that any of them could, except Aela or Vilkas. "Return to your master," she said. "I will arrive at Fort Dawnguard in a week, or not at all."
The orc stood and crossed his arms. "That is no answer."
"It's the best one you'll get." She grabbed the scroll and rolled it up.
Durak took a step forward, but Aela was at his side in an instant, holding his arm steady. "The Harbinger has spoken," she said. "I will escort you out."
He glared at Aela, then back down at Diana. She waited while he stood there expecting something to happen. Finally, his shoulders sagged and he sighed. "Very well," he muttered. "But don't think we will leave you be if you choose to hide here."
Aela gave a sharp tug on his arm and led him from the room. Diana remained seated for a moment, staring at the floorboards rather than a book. She ran her fingers through her short brown hair and stood up. Her private quarters would offer more privacy than then hallway, and Aela would still be able to find her. She shut the door behind herself and observed the sparse room.
Trophies from her accomplishments accounted for most of the decoration. Her weapons and armor lay in a heap in one corner while an overstuffed trunk lay in the next. She happened upon too many dangerous items in her travels, too many daedric artifacts or ancient dwemer technology that she could not simply sell off to the highest bidder. So she kept it all locked away instead. She walked over to a small vanity and studied herself in the bronze mirror. Her light blue eyes stared back. A scar ran from her right cheek to her jawbone, puckering the pale skin around itself. She had narrowly missed having her throat cut a few years ago while travelling in Cyrodill.
She had been born to Nord parents who traveled as merchants. Even during the great war, they had insisted on keeping up the trade with the lower provinces. It had earned them a profit for a while, and Diana had become a very adept warrior amidst the chaos, but their luck ran out soon enough. Diana had returned to Skyrim alone and unsure of what to do. She smirked as she thought back to her capture along the border. If the imperials had not tried to execute her, where would she have gone?
She turned away from her reflection and walked over to the bed. She sat down and began removing her jewelry. She did not wear much. Just a necklace and a ring. She slipped the amulet of Talos in her bedside drawer and twisted off Hircine's ring. She held the silver band up to the firelight and studied it closely. The snarling face of a wolf lay engraved in the material, a generous gift from the daedric prince. She sighed and deposited it in the drawer as well. Another change that had occurred since her return to Skyrim.
When Aela and Skjor had first offered her the beastblood, she had not thought for long on the consequences. She had rather enjoyed the new power. Being a werewolf suited her for the most part. After the first moon cycle, she started to pick up on the actual differences besides her newfound ability to transform.
Her hearing had improved, for one. She picked up conversations from an eerie distance away. She found herself restless more and more often, as if the wolf in her constantly prowled, never satisfied by any amount of food, drink, or women. She had taken on more tasks to distract herself. That was when she really started to rise through the ranks. She had surpassed everyone in her journey to help Kodlak. The old Harbinger had wanted a release from the beastblood. In the end, they found a cure. Before his soul journeyed to Sovngard, he named Diana new Harbinger of the Companions.
And so Diana found herself in the mead hall of Jorrvaskr, assisting Aela and Vilkas in running the Companions. She still fought with her restlessness. It felt like a void within her, something that no amount of adventuring would fulfill. No matter how much purpose she gave herself, no matter how many responsibilities she undertook, the feeling never vanished.
The door to her bedroom creaked and Diana looked up. Aela stepped inside and shut it behind herself. The warrior studied her with a confused expression. "You should go, you know."
Diana sighed and lean forward, pressing her forehead into her hands. "Do we really need to talk about this now?" she asked.
"Yes." Aela walked over to her and stood just a few feet away. "You work hard here," she said. "You train the whelps. You manage the jobs." Diana dropped her hands and rested her forearms rest on her knees. She looked away from Aela. "Someone in your position would seek out more, usually." Aela took a step forward. Diana inhaled and caught the woman's scent. "You have found a routine, a home, loved ones."
"Is that not enough?" Diana growled.
"It would be if you acted like it was."
"And how exactly do I act?" She glared up at the woman, challenging her. Instead, Aela took a seat next to her.
"You act as though you are searching for something. You're restless."
"That's one way to put it." Her hands twitched. She could not remain sitting like this next to Aela. On a bed. As much as she and her were just friends, a few incidents had slipped between the two of them when the moon had been more waxing than waning. Neither of them took pride in it. The gift of their blood only remained one if they kept control over it.
Aela shifted next to her. She wondered if the woman was giving in. "You should go, Diana," she repeated. "Some time away would be good for you." Diana noted the implied and me at the end of the sentence.
"Is my presence really so taxing?" she asked.
Aela took in a deep breath. "You don't wish to mate with me. I wish to find a mate."
Diana shrugged. "So, we have mated before," she said.
Aela shook her head and stood up. "Mating is for life, Diana." She fixed her with a sad stare. "You don't want that with me."
And she could not find the words to disagree as her friend walked out of her room and slammed the door.