A/N- Obviously this will have huge spoilers for the Dawnguard storyline from Skyrim... Other than that, here are a few definitions if you've never played the game.
Solitude- The capital city of Skyrim. Think of Skyrim as the U.S., and Solitude as Washington D.C.
Stendarr- One of the 9 Divines, or gods.
Brazier- Basically a bowl of charcoal or coal, used mostly for light. Not specific to Skyrim, but not really a commonly used word...
"You'll need to bring something warm, you know there'll be snow along the way," Emma's mother held out a cloak, which Emma eyed disdainfully; despite Skyrim's harsh, bitter climate, she generally tried to avoid cloaks when travelling. They only got in the way of her weapons and made her feel bulky and weighed down.
"I'll be fine," she said, mounting her horse. Snow held the rejected cloak tight against herself and sighed. She hadn't expected Emma to take it, but she always had to try. "I'll write when I get there." Her father stood a short distance away, near the stables, appearing aloof but Emma could see the pride hidden behind his carefully neutral face. He stepped forward and looked up at his daughter.
"Promise me you'll be careful," he said after hesitating for a moment. She nodded, and he returned the gesture. "Vampires are smart, Emma. They're smart, they're sneaky, and they're dangerous-" They'd had this talk already. Last night and at least once a month since she was old enough to listen. Vampires were smart, sneaky, and dangerous. Most of them were very old and knew the world in a way that someone as young as Emma- only 18 years old- never could. It was very important that she keep her wits about her, tread lightly, and never go into a fight alone. She knew his speech forward and back, but she listened anyway because she could tell from his shaking hands that he was terrified for her to leave.
"We should get back, David," Snow prompted, resting her hand on her husband's shoulder. "It's about time to feed the baby." They said goodbye, and as her horse carried her down the path, away from Solitude and her family, she resisted the urge to look back.
The trip there was long, cold, and quiet, giving Emma a lot of time to think about why she was doing this. Vampires were dangerous, and less of them in Skyrim could only be a good thing; if she could contribute to the thinning of the herd, great. But most of all it was for her parents. They always told her what their profession was before they settled down to have Emma, and though they never outright told her what to do, it was always heavily implied that she would follow in their footsteps. And now she was. She slowed down, her map spread out in front of her. She squinted at the worn ink, looking around herself for landmarks. Her mother had drawn a circle around the general area of Fort Dawnguard, but Dayspring Canyon wasn't marked, and neither Snow nor David could pinpoint it exactly. She knew it was on the other side of the mountain, and that the entrance looked just like any other cave entrance. She scoured the map, grimacing deeply, and was startled when her horse whickered and shuffled his hooves. She looked up; a timid looking young man emerged from the brush, his hands up in a harmless gesture.
"Sorry, I hope I didn't startle you," he said with a grin. Emma returned it, and she saw his eyes drift to her map. "Are you lost? Maybe I can help? I'm Agmaer." She doubted just anyone would know the location, but it couldn't hurt to try.
"Emma. And, um... Dayspring Canyon?" she asked with a shrug. "Fort Dawnguard?" His eyes grew wide and excited.
"You're joining too?" he pointed down the path a bit. "I know where it is, it's not far-" He cut himself off and ran in the direction he had pointed. Emma followed, and amused herself trying to imagine this boy fighting vampires. He couldn't have been much older than herself, and seemed to be considerably less traveled. But his enthusiasm was infectious; her exhaustion from the trip faded and was replaced by excitement to meet the other hunters, go on adventures, to make her parents proud.
"It's sort of hidden," Agmaer veered off the path and started pushing aside the brush with his hands. "I think there used to be a nice entrance with braziers and such, but, well, it's been abandoned a lot of years. And now with the vampires so worked up about-oh, who knows what- I guess it's wise not to draw attention to it." Emma chuckled, dismounting her horse and stepping carefully off the path to help him search.
"The vampires are worked up about something?" she asked. Her parents must have left that out. She knew the attacks were becoming more frequent, but she thought that was just because there was more of them.
"Yes, haven't you noticed?" he looked at her increduously. "They've been attacking towns and there've been more sightings than ever on the roads. Most folk think it's just because they aren't getting enough to eat hiding out in caves and so they've taken to attacking outright, but my pa seems to think they're looking for something."
"Looking for something," Emma mused, intrigued. "Something important, or dangerous?" He shrugged.
"Hard telling," he said. "But I'm tired of sitting around on our farm waiting for the day they decide we're next. I'm done being afraid. All that's left now is to fight back." Emma found herself feeling unexpected admiration for the boy; maybe his reasons for being here were more noble than her own. In any case, they soon found the entrance, hidden behind thick, tall grass and brambles.
"Ah, I believe this is it," he announced, and pointed to a tipped brazier with ashes and coals spilling out into the grass. "See? Used to be a nice, fancy hole in the mountain. Now it's just... a hole in the mountain." Emma called for her horse, and together the three of them entered the canyon. It was narrow, with the surrounding mountains jutting steeply upwards on either side, but ahead it opened into a wider valley, and the path to the left opened even wider. As they turned the corner, the fort came into view. They both stopped short when they saw it.
"It's... bigger than I expected," Agmaer breathed. Emma silently nodded her agreement. When her parents mentioned Fort Dawnguard, she imagined one of the many smaller forts across Skyrim; this was more like a castle. She mentally compared it the all of the Jarl's palaces, and decided it was much, much larger. It only seemed to get bigger as they got closer.
"Where is everyone?" Agmaer wondered. "This place seems almost deserted." Emma scanned the towers, and her eyes stopped on a figure. He was standing on a platform near the top of one of the two towers, his arms crossed and, though she couldn't see his eyes, she assumed he was watching their approach. As she watched he turned and disppeared into a door. The winding path eventually led them to the front doors of the fort. A man in armor Emma had never seen before stood outside, watching.
"New recruits?" he asked with a sly smile. "Isran will decide if you've got what it takes. Go on, he's right inside." They exchanged a look and, with a deep, steadying breath, Emma pushed the heavy doors open and stepped inside. It seemed they were interrupting an argument. Hushed, angry voices drifted across the empty circular room.
"You know why we're here, Isran" a hooded man was saying. "The Vigilants are under attack everywhere, the vampires are much more dangerous than we believed-" Emma recognized the hooded man as a Vigilant of Stendarr. From what she understood, they were a group of warriors who had pledged loyalty to Stendarr, one of the 8 gods of the Empire. She couldn't recall what exactly he was the god of- mercy, or compassion, something like that. In any case, the Vigilants were known for hunting daedra and daedra worshippers, werewolves, vampires and other abominations.
"So now you want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard?" the other man demanded. "I remember Keeper Carcette telling me repeatedly that this fort was a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and manpower to repair. So now that you've stirred up the vampires against you, you come begging for my protection?" The Vigilant grimaced.
"Keeper Carcette, the others..." he breathed deeply and wiped his face in frustration. "They're all dead. The Hall was attacked, they're all dead. You were right and we were wrong, isn't that enough for you?" Isran sighed and appeared to weigh his words before speaking.
"I... I never wanted any of this to happen," he said. "I tried to warn you... I am sorry." The Vigilant broke down into tears then, and Isran turned away uncomfortable. He eyed Emma, who had stepped forward awkwardly, unsure of whether to interrupt or not.
"Who are you?" he asked shortly. "What do you want?" She cleared her throat.
"I'm Emma," she told him, her voice only shaking a little. "I'm here to join the Dawnguard."
"Got a fire in your belly to kill vampires?" he asked with a chuckle. "Good for you. But look around; there isn't really much to join yet. I've only just started getting the order back together." Emma looked around; the room was largely empty, with only a few weapons lying around. There didn't seem to be anyone around other than the weeping Vigilant, Isran, her timid companion, and herself. "I'll need someone out in the field taking the fight to the abominations while we're getting the fort back into shape."
"I'll do that," Emma agreed eagerly. "Just tell me where to go."
"Tolan was just telling me about some cave the Vigilants were poking around in," he gestured at the Vigilant, who swiped hastily at his eyes. "Seemed to think it had something to do with the recent rise in vampire activity. Tolan, tell her about... Dimcrypt, wasn't it?"
"Dimhollow Crypt," Tolan corrected, his voice gaining strength as he turned to Emma. "Brother Adalvald was sure it held some long lost vampire artifact. We didn't listen to him any more than we listened to Isran." Isran nodded to Emma.
"Good enough for me," he said darkly. "Go, see if you can find what the vampires are looking for. With any luck they'll still be there." Emma frowned.
"You want me to go a..alone?" she shrank under Isran's gaze.
"Look around, do you see anyone available to accompany you?" he gestured widely around the room. "Unless you've got a friend to take with you, you're on your own today." He picked up a crossbow and a quiver of bolts.
"Here, take this. It'll help you take them out before they can get close." Emma weighed the weapon in her hands, and turned to Agmaer. The moment she laid eyes on him, Isran also seemed to notice his presence.
"You there, boy," he snapped. "Stop skulking in the shadows, step up here. What's your name." He told him with much stammering and fidgeting.
"Can you accompany this young lady to Dimhollow Crypt?" Isran eyed the boy.
"I'll go alone," Emma spoke up. "It could be dangerous. I've spent lots of time in dungeons, I may have even gone up against vampires before. I just don't think you're ready yet." Agmaer shot her a look that was both grateful and apologetic, and Isran shrugged.
"Suit yourself," he said, handing Agmaer a crossbow and pointing him towards a target across the room before looking back to Emma. "Be careful." And just like that, he sent her on her way.
