All right, guys! This is my first story published on this account! Fingers crossed I don't muck it up with this story.

So I've always loved Skyrim (especially the Dawnguard DLC), and I have a *cough* slightly unhealthy obsession with it. I may have played it through like...sixteen times. But that doesn't matter, because it allows me to present to you this fanfiction. SO here we go.

Here's my disclaimer: Nobody except my guy Guy is owned by me. If I owned Skyrim, I would be rich, but since I just spent all my money buying the computer I'm typing this on, I'm broke.

Enjoy!

"Serana, quickly!"

Serana stumbled over a stone but kept going. Why did her mother have to pick such a maze-like hiding place? Serana had already forgotten the way out. If it hadn't been for her vampiric sight, she would have long since lost her mother in the dark of Dimhollow Crypt.

"Mother, I'm coming!" Serana hissed, nearly falling head-first down the massive steps. She understood the urgency, but wasn't the goal to make sure that she was still in one piece?

Serana wasn't usually this clumsy. In fact, she was the least clumsy vampire in Castle Volkihar. But the weight of the Elder Scroll on her back—it had to weigh twenty pounds at least!—slowed her down and threw off her balance. If her mother would just slow down for one second…

They continued to run in the darkness, and Serana vaguely registered the large arches that they passed in their haste. She would have loved to stay and explore more, but they didn't have time.

Of course, if all went to plan, she would have all the time in the world to spend in this crypt. Not that she would be able to explore.

"Here," her mother said breathlessly, coming to a stop before a large stone monolith. It was taller than Serana was and seemed to be hollowed out, leaving a space just big enough for a person to fit inside. Placing a stone next to it, her mother stood on her makeshift step and examined some sort of device placed on the top of the monolith.

"Serana, place your hand over the blood seal," Valerica told her daughter, stepping off the stone and giving Serana a place to stand.

Serana did as she was told, standing on top of the stone-stepping stool and placing her hand over a small, circular device set on top of the tomb.

Shink!

White hot pain tore through her as a blade shot through her hand, spilling dark red blood all over the top of the tomb. Some small part of her brain that could function through the pain tried to tear her hand away, and the agony only increased. She realized that the scream cutting through the cavern was her own.

And then, as quickly as it began, the blade had retreated back into the monolith. Serana stumbled backwards, but her mother caught her. Through the tears, Serana could see her mother holding a glowing golden light over her hand. Instantly the pain faded, and she could think clearly again.

"I am sorry," Valerica said, sounding only partly sorry. "It was the only way. I've healed you, but I've always been rubbish with Restoration magic."

Serana glanced down at her right hand. An ugly white scar stood on the back of her hand. If she ever got out of this place, she was going to start wearing gloves.

Suddenly a bout of dizziness overcame her, and once again Valerica was forced to catch Serana. This time, her mother eased her into the empty space in the monolith.

"It is time," Valerica said, looking troubled.

Through the sudden sleepiness she was feeling, Serana felt a flash of fear. Was it too late to back out of this plan? The Elder Scroll was digging painfully into her back and all she really wanted was a cup of strong Argonian Bloodwine.

The world was falling away. Her mother's image was fading, but Serana did catch the last words her mother said.

"Sleep well."

Darkness.

—|—

In Serana's dream, she was a fox in the wilderness, fleeing from a large wolf. She was running as fast as she could, but sometimes she would stumble over rocks that were all shaped like claws. Overhead, the sun was burning bright, and she was desperate to escape its burning beams. But with every howl of the wolf behind her, the sun turned a deeper and deeper shade of red, like it was bleeding.

Suddenly, there was something in front of her. It was the size of a small lizard, but it had leathery wings folded into its side and steam was billowing from its nostrils. Its scales were black as night, but its wings were bright silver. Its eyes matched her own: amber, but not hungry, like she knew the wolf's were.

The miniature dragon stepped up beside her, and she knew that she could stop running. Together, they turned and faced the wolf.

The battle was long and fierce, and all of them were bleeding heavily, but in the end, the white wolf keeled over, dead. In triumph, she turned to the dragon, only to find that he was dead as well. He had bled out through a hole in his neck. And once again, she was alone.

—|—

Rumbling.

Serana's world was shaking, creating a deep thrumming noise that reverberated in her bones. Before she was even fully awake, the wall she was leaning on fell away, throwing her onto the floor.

"Unh…" she groaned as she blinked against the bright light. What was happening? Her head was still fairly groggy. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a blurry pair of boots standing in front of her.

Mother must have come for me, Serana thought as her head began to clear. How long has it been?

Above her, somebody cursed. And the voice was distinctly male.

That couldn't be good.

Serana scrambled to her feet, her mind instantly cleared by alarm. The man standing in front of her was probably the strangest looking person she'd ever seen. His armor sort of looked like it was crafted out of bird feathers—it was black as night, and had the inscription of some kind of bird in the middle. It sort of looked like a nightingale, one of the birds that Serana had read about. His sword looked like it was made out of some sort of bone, but it also looked sharp enough to slice through solid steel. Serana also noticed that his right hand was soaked in blood, and there was a hole in his glove. He must have tried to use the blood seal, just like she had.

But perhaps strangest of all was their helm. It was made out of a dark metal—probably ebony—but it almost completely enclosed his head. It had no eye slits, so it was a mystery how the man could see at all. The only thing that showed that there was indeed a man inside was a small slit where his mouth should be. Serana briefly wondered if the man was a vampire like her, but his scent was all wrong. He smelled like a regular mortal—though his armor, by the smell of it, was coated in vampire blood.

"Where is—" Serana started, then decided against it. Best not to play all her cards just yet. "Who sent you here?"

The man said nothing for a moment, seemingly observing her. Serana decided that his helmet must have been enchanted for him to be able to see out of it. "A man named Isran." His voice sounded young. In his twenties?

Serana frowned. "I…don't know who that is." She hesitated. "Is he…like me?"

"What do you mean, 'like you?'" The man cocked his head in what Serana assumed was a confused gesture.

Now she was even more confused. Couldn't he see her glowing amber eyes? Her pale skin?

"A…can't you tell just from looking at me? A vampire."

It was impossible to tell whether or not the man was surprised. He hesitated for only a moment. "Why were you locked away like this?"

"That's…complicated," Serana responded. Truer words had never been spoken. She couldn't just lay it all out for some stranger, could she? "And I'm not totally sure I can trust you."

The man said nothing, waiting for her to continue. For some reason, there was this…air about him. He seemed like a good man. A good listener, too.

Serana took a moment to consider her options. On the one hand, if she tried to make it back home in her weakened state (she could feel her knees wobbling and her hands shaking), a lot of bad things could happen. She could get lost, she could be killed by a perceptive farmer living in a town…she had a whole list of things that could go wrong. Perhaps this stranger could be of use? If he was the mercenary type, whoever was home would surely reward him. But Serana sensed that this man was not a simple thug.

She decided to take a risk. "But," she said, hoping the man couldn't see her uncertainty, "if you want to know the whole story, help me get back to my family home." She tried very hard to keep the desperation out of her voice.

The man thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Where do you need to go?"

It couldn't be that easy, could it? "My family used to live on an island to the west of Solitude. I would guess they still do."

The man nodded again. "Okay. I can get you there."

Manners, a voice whispered in Serana's head. It seemed that the countless hours learning etiquette in her father's court had paid off.

"By the way," she said, "my name is Serana. Nice to meet you."

The man stuck out a hand for her to shake. "Nathan."

Well, Serana thought, I hope he really is a good man, otherwise I'm screwed.

—|—

If Serana ever found her mother, she was going to kill her.

Not only had there been gargoyles waiting for them—which attacked without a second thought—but there had also been Draugr, which Serana found endlessly annoying. And not only had there been skeletons that popped up out of nowhere, and not only was the place endlessly confusing, but there had been a blasted Dragon Priest presiding over the Draugr. Granted, it was a weak, nameless one, but Serana still had to heal a nasty burn on her forearm from the thing. Oh, and to make matters worse, the air in the crypt was so stuffy that Serana nearly passed out at one point. At least Nathan was feeling it as well, otherwise she would have appeared weak.

She could tell that he had a lot of questions, but he wisely chose to wait to ask them until they had exited the crypt. They had emerged on the side of the mountain in the middle of the night, where a blizzard seemed to be raging. Quickly, she flipped up her hood.

Serana took a deep breath, allowing her head to clear. "Ah," she sighed. "It's so good to breathe again. Even in this weather, it's better than that cave."

Nathan nodded. "That was surprisingly better than most crypts I've been in."

Interesting. So he was an adventurer, then? Not many would willingly venture into crypts and barrows. Serana had been taught to stay away from them—not that it mattered. Before the whole incident with the prophecy, she had never been allowed off the island anyway. And before that...

Nathan looked towards the moon in the sky, though how he was able to see it still bothered Serana. She didn't like not knowing things. "We have about five hours until daylight. That should be long enough to reach Dawnstar before the boats depart for the day."

Excellent. Serana could throw a blanket over herself and avoid the sun in the back of a boat. Maybe she could find a good book as well.

It took them maybe thirty minutes to reach the bottom of the hill they were standing on, and luckily Nathan stumbled just as much as she did, so there wasn't as much time for conversation. There was an awkward silence, and Serana wasn't sure what to say to the man who had freed her. Maybe it was because of the blasted helmet that he wore. It was hard to imagine him as a person when he wore that thing.

As soon as that thought entered her mind, Nathan leaned against a tree covered in snow and removed his helmet, panting from the exertion of descending the hill.

Well…Serana certainly hadn't been expecting that.

Nathan seemed to be a…half-elf. Half-elves were so rare that if Serana hadn't read so many books, so wouldn't have known what he was. He appeared to be part wood elf and part human, which was strange to see. His features looked like they had been carved from stone—he had high, sharp cheekbones and a straight nose. But he had the narrow head of a Bosmer, and his eyes were shaped slightly wider than a normal human's. His ears were slightly pointed, more so than a human's but nowhere near as pronounced as a normal elf's. He seemed to be in his early twenties; about her age before she had become a vampire. He had short, light brown hair that was a bit of a mess, like he had just rolled out of bed. His skin was well-tanned, like he had spent a lot of time working outside.

Oh, and he also appeared to be blind.

Serana had to restrain a gasp as she realized that his eyes were milky white, his pupils barely discernible from the rest of his eyes. Still, he seemed to be able to see just fine, hooking his helmet onto his belt and wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"What's the matter?" Nathan asked with a smile. "Never seen a blind man before?"

Serana realized she was staring and quickly looked away. "No. I mean, I have, but…" Sometimes, when a thrall was being too difficult, her father would order them blinded. They'd stumble around for a while until someone decided to "put them out of their misery," as some of the members of her father's court had put it.

"You're wondering how I'm able to fight and move around so well." Nathan didn't seem to be offended. In fact, he almost seemed amused. "I get that a lot."

Serana opened her mouth once or twice, trying to find the right words to say as Nathan fixed her with his blind gaze. "Um…how do you…er, do that?"

Nathan leaned against the tree again. It was hard to read his facial expressions, partly because Serana was still a little drowsy from her long time asleep, and partly because his blind eyes made it hard to understand any emotion that flashed in them. But if Serana had to guess, she would say that he was thinking hard.

"It's hard to explain," he said eventually. "The easiest way to say it is that I have to use magic constantly."

Serana felt her eyes widen. Using magic all the time was exhausting for the most seasoned mages. How powerful must this man be in order to use magic to see so well?

"Anyway," Nathan said, standing up straight. "We're burning moonlight. We can talk on the way."

She nodded. Then, wondering if he could see that, she opened her mouth to respond but then shut it.

This seemed to amuse him. "Well," he said jovially, stepping over a large snowdrift and onto the road, "Why don't you tell me why you have an Elder Scroll."

Serana froze in the middle of stepping onto the road and then continued, cursing herself. Of course he knew she had an Elder Scroll! He may have been blind, but he could still see. Besides, even a truly blind man could feel the magic radiating from the magical artifact.

"It's complicated," Serana said simply. There wasn't really any other way to explain it without going into full detail, and she wasn't sure how comfortable she was with that yet. "I can't really talk about it. I'm sorry."

"What about why you were locked away like that?" Nathan asked. Serana could practically feel his curiosity.

That was also a long story. How to explain that without sounding…well, like a crazy person? "I'd rather not go into that with you, if that's all right."

Nathan sighed and scratched his head, messing up his brown hair even more. It was an unusual hair style. Most of the men…and elves…that Serana had met wore their hair longer.

It didn't matter. Serana forced herself to focus as he spoke again.

"Is there anything you can tell me?"

She thought about that for a moment. "Not really, no. I…I'm sorry. It's just that I don't know who I can trust yet."

Nathan frowned. "Do you at least know how long you were in there for?"

Now it was her turn to frown. "Good question. Hard to say. I…I can't really tell." Everything in the wilderness looked the same. At least, from what Serana could remember as a child. "I feel like it was a long time. Who is Skyrim's High King?"

"Queen," he corrected. "Jarl Elisif the Fair. There was a nasty bit with a civil war, but that's sorted out now."

"I don't know who that is," Serana said, almost to herself. "Is she well supported?"

Nathan snorted. "Sort of. The Empire supports her, at least."

Serana froze. "Empire? What Empire?"

Nathan turned around to look at her, fixing her once again with those blind eyes. "The…Empire. From Cyrodiil." He said that with a tone that implied, duh!

"Cyrodiil is the seat of an Empire?" Serana demanded, panic beginning to set in. "I must have been gone longer than I thought. Definitely longer than we planned. Please, let's hurry. I need to get home so I can figure out what's happened."

He sighed again, and together they began to run for Dawnstar.

—|—

The boatman gave them quite the confused look when Nathan asked for passage to her family home. "You want me to go there? Man, don't you know that place is haunted?"

Serana could sense Nathan's annoyance from behind his helmet (he had put it back on once they had neared Dawnstar, saying that he didn't like the looks people gave him without it). He leaned forward so that he was looming over the boatman.

"Listen," Nathan said, the tone of his voice darkening. "I need passage to the island off of Solitude. I haven't slept in over twenty-four hours. I'm tired. So because I'm in a hurry, I will pay you double—no, triple your usual fee."

Serana watched as the boatman's eyes lit up. "Well, in that case…"

Five minutes later, they were sailing the waves in a small sailboat. The boatman was manning the sail, well out of earshot.

Serana had managed to buy a book off of the boatman for three gold pieces, a small novel called Thief of Virtue. But she was too anxious to read it.

Who would be waiting for her at the castle? She really hoped it was her mother, and not her father. If it was Harkon…she'd just better pray it wasn't. Nothing good could come of that.

What she really needed to do was think about something else. But she was also worried that the sea spray would blot the ink of the book she wanted to read. So she'd have to settle for conversation.

She looked up as Nathan removed his helmet. It was hot in the boat, and his face was coated with sweat. She nearly laughed as the boatman started in surprise, almost mirroring the same reaction she'd had before. Unfortunately, the boatman seemed to have less tact that she did.

"You're a half-elf!" he exclaimed, mouth dropping open. A sudden burst of wind almost blew the sail out of his hands, but he regained control of it at the last moment. Serana winced as her stomach lurched.

Rather than being offended, Nathan just nodded. "You're very perceptive."

Serana stifled a snort. The boatman, who seemed to be a Nord, seemed flabbergasted. "Isn't that…?"

"Impossible?" It looked like Nathan had rolled his eyes, but Serana couldn't be sure. "It's not." Now he seemed annoyed. "What's your name, man?"

The boatman swallowed. "Helmann. People call me Guy."

Serana frowned. "Um…why?"

Guy seemed confused at her confusion. "Well…because 'Helmann' ends in 'man' and another word for 'man' is—"

"I get it," she said, wondering if all people were as strange as this nowadays.

Guy turned back to Nathan, but he seemed genuinely curious rather than seeking to cause offense. "Was it your ma or your pa that was the elf?"

Nathan's expression switched from humorous to guarded so quickly that Serana got whiplash.

"My father was the elf," he said, his voice quiet.

Interesting, she thought. She certainly had picked a unique companion.

She just hoped that she wasn't leading him to his death.

So, uh...how was it? I tried to edit it, but sometimes grammar mistakes and spelling errors still slip past me. There shouldn't be any plot errors yet, or anything.

So do me a favor and review, guys! It's super helpful. Thanks!

That is, if anyone is even reading this...