The words Dragonborn never struck Einmyria as something that she should ever worry about it. She was a girl. She could never be Dragonborn. The idea was just insane. When she had grown up with the Nordic legend, she never thought it would ever prove to be something that was real. It was supposed to just all be a myth. It was supposed to be imaginary. A tale you tell your children to scare them into going to sleep at night. That's what Einmyria thought, until this very day.
"You…you're the Dragonborn!" a Whiterun guard says in astonishment to the tan, auburn haired girl of almost eighteen years of age. She looked nothing like a Nord should, but she indeed was. It's a good thing too, or she'd have a racist mob after her in a second. These days, it felt like Einmyria was the only Nord that wasn't like that.
"I'm what?!" Einmyria exclaims, surprised more than anything. She was always told that the Dragonborn was to be a powerful male Nord that actually looked somewhat like a Nord, unlike her. The fact that the Dragonborn was a woman is something that many people of Skyrim would not be happy with, especially when that woman was only seventeen years old and didn't know a thing about the world.
She didn't know how to react, so she did the only thing that she ever knew how to do. She ran. She ran until her lungs were burning, desperately trying to get at least an ounce of air. She knew it wasn't a good habit, but Einmyria ran a lot. She ran from all her problems, not once looking back, not once ever thinking twice about her decision.
She couldn't be Dragonborn. The idea was just repulsive. She wasn't anything special. She was just Einmyria. Nothing more, and nothing less. What would she even do as Dragonborn? Sure, she was tough, but she was most definitely not cut out for the life of the warrior that everyone expected her to be. It's unlikely that anybody but the guards and Irileth knew about, but she already knew what they would think.
Growing up, Einmyria had no idea why people were so judgmental. When her mother died, everything in the province of Skyrim just seemed to go downhill. At least, that's what it seemed like to Einmyria. She thought about all of these things while she ran, not giving in to her pounding calves and lungs begging for her to rest and get some air, but she just wouldn't listen.
She finally came to a stop in the forest, leaning against one of the tree trunks, trying to catch her breath even though she had just told her lungs no when they wanted air. She slid down to the base of the trunk, dirtying her rear end, but she didn't much care. She could never show her face in Whiterun. What kind of Dragonborn would she prove to be when the first time Einmyria learned of this fact, she ran for her life?
She hears rustling in the branches, and even though she hadn't caught her breath yet, Einmyria readies her bow, fearing that the rustling were wolves waiting to come in for an attack on a broken and vulnerable girl. The rustling was getting louder and closer, and Einmyria's breath quickened, standing up fully now, and turning in all directions, trying to get some kind of shot on whatever was causing all that noise in the branches.
A few seconds later, a shadowy figure drops down, appearing in front of Einmyria. She shrieks, and the mysterious shadow cups a hand over her mouth, shushing her. She could now tell that it was a woman with the light of the moon. She pushes Einmyria forward by the mouth into better lighting.
The woman had dropped her hand when she was sure the girl would not scream again. She probably shouldn't have appeared in front of her so suddenly. "Who are you?" Einmyria whispers, barely moving a muscle as she waits for the stranger to respond. She takes one step closer, taking off her hood to reveal bright orange eyes that would give anyone a heart attack just by seeing them. They were still very beautiful, though.
The woman had short black hair that had a braid wrapping around until the back of her head. She had pale skin and looked to be the same age – maybe one year older – than Einmyria. She had on maroon colored armor, black boots, and a black cape to match that went down a little bit past her waist. She looked different. Different as in a good different. She was unlike anyone that Einmyria had ever met in her seventeen years.
After a few more minutes of staring at the woman, Einmyria came to a conclusion. This woman was a vampire. She backed up slowly, worrying what the creature of the night was going to do to her. "I'm not going to hurt you." the vampire reassures, reading her actions taking a step forward to decrease the space between them and get right back where they were before. "I'm Serana. It's nice to meet you, Einmyria."
"How…how do you know my name?" Einmyria barely whispers, and Serana had to lean in to catch her words. The strange woman came from the shadows, and not even stating her business made Einmyria uncomfortably nervous as a feeling in her gut tells her to leg it out of there. "How did you find me? What do you want with me?"
The vampire smiled, revealing her pearly white fangs to Einmyria. "Darling, you have so many questions, but I have so little time." Her voice was just dripping with cheekiness, which really made her annoyed. "But! If you were willing to come with me, I promise you that I will explain on the way. What do you say, Einmyria?"
"Where are we going?" she inquires, actually considering the option. The vampire smirks cheekily, knowing that she had successfully convinced her, but she quickly wiped it off her face, even though Einmyria just caught it. She knew she had to go, just to prove this cheeky vampire wrong. She picks up her bow from the ground from when she dropped it when the mysterious vampire first appeared.
"It's just northwest of Solitude. It'll be quick." Serana promises, offering her elbow to the very confused but determined girl. "I promise." Einmyria gives her a quizzical look, for she knew that it wouldn't be that quick, but she still locked arms as Serana smiled once again, revealing her fangs once again, and her newfound companion being annoyed, once again.
That was one year ago. Einmyria had aged in more ways than one, and she had not been happy with her decisions lately. Her skin had lost its tan color and had become a ghostly pale color. Her beautiful sea green eyes had altered into an orange – almost lava looking – color. She was a vampire, turned by the lovely and cheeky Serana. The vampire she had met in the woods one year ago. The day that she figured out she was Dragonborn was the day she made such a bad decision. Along with running, not being smart was something Einmyria had added to her list of fatal flaws. In her defense, it wasn't her fault that her decision didn't particularly work out in her favor.
Serana had taken her back to Castle Volkihar, which was indeed northwest of Solitude. Upon returning, she was greeted with other vampires, and she realized that Serana had taken her to a cult of vampires, probably just setting her up for death. "Ah! Lady Einmyria!" the burly looking Nord – who was obviously the one in charge – said to her. "You have returned." It was easy to say that Einmyria was immensely confused by the Nord's statement.
She looked around to make sure that he was, in fact, talking to her. He was talking to her. "I'm just an average girl from Rorikstead. What are you talking about?" she questioned, more than tired with vampires for that night. The Nord vampire looks her over, wondering what had gotten into Lady Einmyria.
"Einmyria, your eyes. Your skin. What have those mortals done to you?" Einmyria was still confused as ever, and no one was giving her any answers. She wanted to know who this strange man was, and if he wasn't going to kill her or not, and she was really hoping that it was the latter. "You are Lady Einmyria of the Volkihar vampire clan. Serana, this is how you found her?" The vampire rolled her eyed but she nodded. "Would you like to rejoin the Volkihar vampire clan, my dear?"
Everything stopped for Einmyria. It all seemed to go in slow motion as she came face to face with a life or death situation, and she had only been Dragonborn for a couple days at that time. Einmyria shot Serana a look, while she wondered if she should accept it or not. It would be a way to get away from everything, she thought. "I accept your gift to become a vampire." she concluded very suddenly.
Serana was shocked. She wasn't expecting her newfound friend at the time to accept so easily. "Very well." the mysterious Nord man said, walking towards the girl. "Hold still." She stood frozen in place, daring not to move a single muscle. He tilted her head so that her neck was exposed and bit his teeth in, which caused Serana to flinch. He released her as she then fell to a crumpled heap on the floor.
Einmyria awoke with a start, glad to be awake for she had been having a terrible nightmare. What it was about, she didn't quite now, but she was glad to be out of it. The day that Harkon had confirmed Einmyria was his daughter, and turned her in a vampire was the day that she started having terrible nightmares. She could never conclude the cause of it, but she knew for a fact that Harkon had something to do with it, even if he was her father. The images were horrible and something that the Nord did not want to have to experience more than once, but it still happened.
"Einmyria!" she hears her sister call from somewhere within the castle. "Harkon is arranging a council, and he wants us to be there." Einmyria nods as a response and follows her sister out into the court where Harkon - or 'Lord Harkon', as he liked to be called - was making an announcement to everyone. Einmyria and Serana both take a seat at one of the tables in the banquet hall.
"We need two more Elder Scrolls. I know that this is no easy task. Therefore, I will need everyone to ask around. We would have one of the two already if Valerica had not already whisked one away, like the she-devil she is! Einmyria, Serana, ask around. The rest of you, do whatever you deem necessary. And don't disappoint me." he announced, and the last sentence was cold like ice, making you very chill to the bone. Einmyria shudders in disgust and heads to pack for her journey to get an Elder Scroll.