Another chapter of Guardian turned into a standalone. To address a comment made by one of my readers, there is a reason I'm going the one-shot route.
For starters, I am no longer doing the whole 'novelize the events of the Dawnguard DLC' anymore. That's probably been done to death already, and I'm not so good at multichapter stories. Secondly, my stories about Hastrel are not supposed to be in chronological order (those of you who read me over in Fallout will notice I do the same over there). It worked in Fallout really well, so I'm taking that method here to Skyrim.
I know they so far seem to be in order, but once I run out of Guardian chapters to re-upload, that is going to change. I probably won't even do most of the Dawnguard questline seeing as how, again, it's been done to death and back.
Enjoy.
"You never did tell me why you were locked away in that crypt, Serana." In retrospect, Hastrel should have asked about this earlier, but he hadn't gotten around to it.
"That's… complicated. And I'm not sure I could trust you." Serana answered, eyes turning to the water as their boat glided through the waves. "But if you want to know the whole story, we just need to get back to my family home."
"Well, we're almost there." Hastrel let go of one of the oars for a moment to point a thumb behind him. "Speaking of the crypt, how long were you in there?"
Serana hesitated. "Good question, hard to say. I… I can't really tell. I feel like it was a long time. Who is Skyrim's high king?"
Hastrel couldn't have rolled his eyes any harder if he tried. "That's actually a matter for debate."
"Oh, wonderful. A war of succession. Good to know the world didn't get boring while I was gone. Who are the contenders?"
Hastrel smiled or a brief moment, but it was hidden beneath his facemask. "The empire supports Elsif, but there are many in Skyrim loyal to Ulfric. Far as I'm concerned, they're all a bunch of divines be damned idiots."
"Empire?" Serana tilted her head slightly in confusion. "What… what empire?"
"The… empire. From Cyrodiil?" Hastrel felt like whacking himself with one of the oars the moment he said it. Again, he forgot this vampire had been taking a several hundred-year nap. Of course she might not know about the empire!
"Cyrodiil is the seat of an empire? I must have been gone longer than I thought. Definitely longer than we planned." That definitely caught Hastrel's attention, but he knew Serana wouldn't answer anything about it. "Please, let's hurry. I need to get home so I can figure out what's happened."
"I'd love to grant your request, but this boat only goes so fast." Hastrel shrugged.
Serana nodded but said nothing else. Hastrel found himself already liking this woman. Most of the people he dealt with regularly would be demanding he row faster or something. In fact, when they got in the boat, Hastrel almost had to beat Serana away from the oars. Otherwise, she'd be the one rowing instead of him.
"Why were you locked away?" Conversation was helping make the boat ride more bearable, Hastrel felt no need to stop now. Serana didn't seem to mind, even if she was fairy elusive. The vampiress was probably grateful he hadn't run her through when they first met.
"I'd… rather not get into that with you. If that's alright." There was Serana being evasive again, not surprise. She didn't say it outright, but she sounded apologetic at the very least. "I'm sorry, it's not that… it's just that I don't know who I can trust yet. Let's get to my home, and I'll have a better sense of where we all stand."
There was something in the way Serana said that. She wasn't talking about not trusting him specifically, she didn't know if she could trust anyone, period. Just what happened before Serana was locked up?
"Well here we are, home sweet… castle."
Hastrel arched an eyebrow at the vampiress' words before looking over his shoulder. Well, he certainly hadn't been expecting the woman's family home to be an actual castle. This trip was full of surprises, first a not kill-on-sight vampire and now a castle. What was going to be next? A pet dragon Serana rides around?
Wait a second… was he escorting a vampire princess?!
"It's impressive, why didn't you tell me it was so big?" Hastrel briefly wondered which was bigger, Fort Dawnguard or this place. There was so much fog surrounding the fortress that it was almost impossible to tell.
"I didn't want you to think I was one of those women who sits in their castle all day." Serana almost sounded sheepish. "I don't know, coming from a place like this… it just isn't me."
"Fair enough." Hastrel pulled the boat up to the dock and stepped off to tie it down. It was not lost on Hastrel how Serana seemed to hesitate leaving their boat. This was a woman who didn't want to go home, but had nowhere else.
As the pair walked closer to the fortress, it seemed to grow even larger with each step. How did he manage to not see this place before? It must be the fog, there had to be some kind of enchantment to mask the place from view.
"Hey so, before we go in there…" Serana stopped Hastrel with a hand to his shoulder. The touch lasted but a fraction of a second, but Serana recoiled as if burnt.
"Are you alright?"
"I think… and thanks for asking." Serana stared at the enormous castle just ahead. "I wanted to thank you for getting me his far. But after we get in there, I'm going to go my own way for a while. I think… I know your friends would probably want to kill everything in there, I'm hoping you can show more control than that. Once we're inside, keep quiet for a bit. Let me take the lead."
That was a first, Hastrel was used to always being the one leading things. Not because Hastrel liked being front and center, but because nobody else wanted to do it. This ought to be interesting.
"Lady Serana is back! Open the gate!" Somebody up ahead on the bridge was yelling. The portcullis at the end of the bridge opened immediately after.
It was almost weird, Serana walked ahead with Hastrel right behind her. Hastrel hadn't been a follower since… many years ago. The memory made Hastrel almost want to bang his head against the nearby stone wall.
The duo passed an old man as they entered the front gate. Must be the watchmen in charge of the gate, Hastrel didn't miss that he was no vampire.
"How dare you trespass here…" Two steps inside, and Serana and Hastrel were accosted by some altmer. This one was a vampire, Hastrel could see the eyes. "Wait… Serana? Is that truly you? I cannot believe my eyes." The altmer stared at the vampiress in disbelief for a moment. All of a sudden, he fell all over himself to rush to a nearby railing. "My lord, everyone, Serana has returned!"
"I guess I'm expected." Serana chuckled darkly. Hastrel however said nothing, instead silently followed Serana to the stairs.
Ever since he was told about Serana's family home, Hastrel had been coming up with ideas of what he would find. His hope, had been to find more vampire like Serana. Ones that were willing to talk, vampires who were a little more… civilized.
Hastrel knew it had been too much to hope for.
Multiple tables covered the room, most of their seats occupied. Servants moved to and fro carrying dishes and assorted tableware. None of it all that odd in Hastrel's experience. Except all the dishes were covered in fresh blood, and more than a few bodies lay on the tables. Some of the vampires feeding on the blood fresh from the veins.
It took a lot more than this to turn Hastrel's stomach, but he knew he had just walked into the viper nest. To her credit, Serana seemed just as disgusted as Hastrel. But the vampiress hid it well, she was more focused on who was speaking to her.
"My long-lost daughter returns at last. I trust you have my elder scroll?" That deep, almost menacing voice, belonged to Serana's father. That one sentence, that was all it took. The callous disregard for his daughter's return sent Hastrel's blood boiling.
Time and place, Hastrel reminded himself. Not only was he grossly outnumbered, this was Serana's home. Listen first, then if necessary, kill later.
"After all these years, that's the first thing you ask me?" Serana didn't take her father's attitude lying down either. Hastrel wanted to applaud, but knew better. "Yes, I have the scroll."
"She has the scroll!" More than a few hushed voices erupted from the tables.
Of course, I'm delighted to see you my daughter." Serana's father smiled as he spoke, but Hastrel knew a fake expression when he saw one. "Must I really say the words aloud?"
"Ah if only your traitor mother were here, I would let her watch this reunion before putting her head on a spike." Hastrel was not at all surprised to hear that. This man, vampire or no, was far from a paragon for fatherhood.
Hastrel was listening, but planning as well. He stood with his hands folded behind his back, obscured by his coat. By all appearance, Hastrel was standing at attention much like a soldier. The truth was, he was hiding his hands so none could see his spells.
First, Hastrel used a detect dead spell to see just how many vampires he was facing. Just as he expected, almost everyone in the room lit up to his eyes. The only people who were not vampires, were the servants.
No amount of skill or power was going to make this battle winnable. Hastrel was outnumbered at least dozens to one. Maybe even worse, this was likely not all the vampires around. Detect dead only carried so far. Hastrel's only chance, would be to escape outside into the daylight.
Two shots of chain lightning, one left and the other right. That ought to sow enough chaos among the vampires to at least slow them down. The true threat would be Serana's father. There was something about him… something Hastrel hadn't felt since Alduin. A kind of ancient power, barely contained but still present. Hastrel would need something with a little more kick for him.
It was times like this that almost made Hastrel regret forgoing armor in favor of their spell equivalents. He would have to waste time applying the spell as he ran. Not like normal armor would be all the effective anyway.
"Now tell me, who is this stranger you have brought into our hall?" Hastrel was standing back in the shadows, but he knew it was only a matter of time before his presence was noticed.
"This is my savior, the one who freed me." Serana answered.
"For my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude. Tell me, what is your name?"
This was far from the first time Hastrel had to deal with nobility, even before coming to Skyrim. Hastrel's hands remained concealed, but he stepped forward and bowed slightly. "I'm Hastrel, my lord. Who are you?"
"I am Harkon, lord of this court." Harkon seemed pleased with the way Hastrel behaved. "By now, my daughter would have told you what we are."
"You're vampires."
"Not just vampires. We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim." With this, Harkon began to pace back and forth. "For centuries, we lived here, far from the cares of the world. All that ended when my wife betrayed me and stole away that which I valued most."
Hastrel had a sneaky feeling Harkon wasn't talking about his daughter.
"So what happens now?" Hastrel was already charging the chain lightning in his hands. The moment Harkon made a move, Hastrel was going to be ready.
"That is up to you, there is but one gift I can give that is equal in value to the elder scroll and my daughter." There Harkon went again, putting the elder scroll before his own daughter.
If Harkon didn't make a move soon, Hastrel might have to shoot first just to get this over with. He wasn't sure how much of Harkon's presence he could stand.
"I offer you my blood. Take it and you will walk as a lion among sheep. Men will tremble at your approach, and you will never fear death again." Now that, Hastrel hadn't expected. Judging by the whispers and sounds from the assembled vampires, none of them did either.
"And if I refuse your gift?" Power was always a tempting offer, but Hastrel preferred to know all his options. Both the good, the bad, and the absolutely insane.
"Then you will be prey, like all mortals." Harkon made no attempt to hide his scowl. "I will spare your life this once, but you will be banished from this hall."
Hastrel had already made his decision in his mind a while ago, but something off to the side caught his eye. During Hastrel's talk with Harkon, Serana had moved back behind her father to the far side of the hall.
The moment Harkon made the offer of his blood, Serana's face twisted into an expression of horror. It was quickly followed by a shake of her head. She masked it well, her gaze turning across the room to make sure nobody had seen her. But Hastrel had seen it, it made him doubt the authenticity of Harkon's 'gift'.
"Perhaps you still need convincing." Harkon sounded almost excited. "Behold, the power!"
Harkon's body began to twist and contort, bones snapping and reforming into a new shape. Harkon grew in height, his skin became a darker ashen grey, his features morphing to be more bat-like than human. It finished with a pair of wings erupting from Harkon's back, allowing the vampire to hover off the floor.
Standing before Hastrel now was a creature unlike any Hastrel had ever seen. Before, Harkon's power was present but hidden. Now it was radiating off Harkon in tremendous waves. Hastrel wasn't the only one who could feel it either. The moment Harkon changed, every vampire who wasn't sitting vacated the room. The ones who remained looked too afraid to run.
"This is the power that I offer. Now, make your choice!" Harkon's voice boomed across the hall.
Hastrel, never one for lacking in courage, had his response ready. Though Harkon was unimaginably powerful, he wasn't the only one in the room. "I refuse your gift."
There was only a single reason why Harkon hadn't sicced the entire court on Hastrel. Harkon was a powerful being, but he was also accustomed to being the strongest in the room. Just as Hastrel could feel Harkon, no doubt the vampire could do the same to Hastrel.
Harkon wouldn't start a fight unless he was absolutely sure he could win it alone. He could not afford to show weakness before his court. Harkon needed to get rid of Hastrel nonviolently, or turn him to his side.
Didn't matter if it was human or vampires, politics were the same everywhere.
"You are prey, like all mortals. I banish you!" Harkon snarled.
Hastrel had enough time to blink before the glowing ball slammed into his stomach. The wind was knocked clear from his lungs and the world sent spinning. When Hastrel finally came to, he was met with a sunny sky. Sitting up with a groan, Hastrel found himself laying in the snow just outside the bridge leading into the castle.
Damn, he hadn't even seen that spell coming. Good thing Harkon honored his word to let him leave, the vampires could have easily slain him while he was stunned.
Hastrel made his way over to the boat, but his thoughts returned to the vampiress he had left behind. Serana was among her own kind, and her father was lord of the castle. Surely she would be safe here.
Why did Hastrel even care anyway? He hadn't known the woman for more than a day, she wasn't his concern.
Not like Hastrel was ever going to see her again.
It might just be my imagination, but I don't seem to have very many Skyrim readers. I have been awfully busy lately, so I'm probably just not noticing. Either way, leave a review and let me know how I'm doing.