A Tale of Dragons: Tanz do Iiz ahrk Yol

Chapter: 4

A journey to remember

Small beams of light had managed to make its way through the few small windows that Breezehome had to offer. Somewhere during the night Serana had managed to find sleep and was now waking up due to the beams that roamed her face, offering the vampire little warmth. She had fallen asleep while sitting in the bed, not the most comfortable position, but then again, she wasn't planning on sleeping. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. It was still extremely early in the morning so she saw no need to leave the bed just yet, because snugly pressed against her tight or her whole right leg actually, was a comfortable warmth. During the night Khara had moved a little closer to her and Serana really didn't mind. In an attempt to get a little more comfortable, Serana moved her legs a little, which made Khara growl as she threw an arm over Serana's legs, just below her knees, and pulled them closer, all while being asleep.

To anyone else, hearing growling would probably make someone nervous, maybe even scared. But something told Serana that the wolf simply didn't want her to leave its side. The action only made Serana smile down at the woman lying next to her. Khara still had her forehead in the same position so it looked like Serana's idea worked, The Dreamweaver didn't find Khara's dreams during the night, finally giving the wolf her much needed rest.

Serana decided that she might as well continue reading the book, seeing to how she is being held in place. She was eager to find out more about all the things that happened during her stay at Dimhollow.

A little more time passed before Khara's breathing changed, indicating her waking up. "Huh, so I've taken your legs hostage now, have I?" Khara spoke in a low, husky voice. "I'm sorry." She said but made no effort to move. The wolf was a little surprised when she saw that she was this close to the other woman, but something in her mind told her not to worry, and she was too much in a zombie-like state to argue.

The tone of Khara's voice made Serana look down at Khara in an instant. Khara was still not moving, but her eyes were opened a little. Serana chuckle a little. "I'm not complaining, you're very warm." Khara closed her eyes and smiled. "Did you have any more nightmares?" She asked the woman that was warming her legs.

"No, in fact I didn't dream at all, which is a very nice change. I don't think I've slept this well in the last two years." Khara answered as she removed her hand from Serana's legs and rolled over on her back, breaking all body contact, much to her wolf aspect's disappointment. "Thank you."

Serana chuckled as she looked at the book once more. "Anytime." Serana said. Khara smiled and stretched as she stared at the roof above. This should feel weird, uncomfortable or at least a little awkward, but no, it felt like, like it was the most natural thing in this unnatural world. Her wolf spirit told her.

"We should get ready, we have quite the journey ahead of us." Khara said as she stood up and walked over to the bedroom door before turning around. Serana was still sitting in bed with a book in her hand, looking awfully comfortable. Khara rolled her eyes and smiled. "Come on now, you can bring the book if that helps." She offered.

Time passed and the two had already packed what they would need, potions, bandages, weapons and such. Serana picked up her cloak, or Khara's cloak before saying, "I forgot to give you your cloak back."

Khara turned to her and shrugged. "You keep it." She smiled as she tilted her head. "If sort of completes the whole mysterious look you got going, you know, with the hood and all."

"But, won't you get cold?" The vampire asked.

"I don't think that's even possible, with the dragon blood combined with that of the wolf. I mean, it feels like I'm on fire, but in a good way if that makes sense." She answered. "With the exception of falling into a frozen lake or something similar, I don't think I can get cold. But what about you? I thought that vampires were resistant to the cold." She didn't know a whole lot about the creatures of the night, but she did know a little. Serana's vampiric blood combined with her Nordic resistant to frost should make it so that she wasn't bothered by it.

"We are, but just because we can't get hurt by it doesn't mean its comfortable." She told the wolf.

Khara nodded, "I've never thought about it in that way". Maybe getting Serana some new armor or something enchanted that provided warmth wouldn't be the worst of ideas. Thinking about enchantments, Khara remembered something currently residing in one of her pouches.

"Not many do." The vampire said with a small smile.

"On to something completely different, I have something for you." The vampire raised an eyebrow. Khara searched the pouches on her belt, not fully remembering which one she put it in, but she did manage to find it after a few moments. Khara brought her hand closer to Serana and opened her palm. In her hand was a ring made by ebony that had a small sapphire on it, it was a beautiful piece of art. It looked like the ebony was trying to swallow the gem, giving it a very unique look.

"Now, I'm not going to get on my knees or anything." She joked, making Serana release a small laugh. "I thought that this could come in handy for you. Its enchantments are beyond me because I don't have a very good understanding of the more advanced spells in the destruction school." Khara said as she looked down at the ring.
"But you do, I've seen how easily you cast them. It basically intensifies the spells effects, making them even more powerful."

Serana brought her hand up gently and accepted the ring. When her fingers came in contact with it she could feel its magic. "Woah, I can't wait to try some spells now." Serana smirked before looking at Khara. "Thank you, I'll put it to good use." Khara smiled and nodded before walking over to the door.

"So, you ready to do some more exploring?" She didn't get a response, or at least not a verbal one as Serana simply beamed at her as she walked rather fast past her. I'll take that as a yes. She chuckled.

After leaving Breezehome they had walked down to the stables to fetch Khara's horse and to buy another one. They got another horse because Khara transforming into a werewolf this time wouldn't be the best move, they were to travel on a rather busy road during the day and through two small, but populated villages. Lydia had accompanied the two down to the stables before they said their goodbyes as the two sat out on their journey.

The road to Riverwood had been quiet, with the exception of a few hunters, they didn't encounter anyone or anything. They could now start to see the outskirts of the little village, just on the other side of the river.

They rode their horses over the stone bridge where they were greeted by a couple of fishermen. Khara noticed that the people of Riverwood had managed to finish some of the buildings that they were working on the last time she was here. Ever since the threat of Alduin had vanished many of the small villages throughout the whole of Skyrim was currently expanding or simply improving the already existing buildings.

"The people here seems rather cheerful." Serana commented after they had been greeted by at least a dozen people.

"Aye, they are. With Alduin gone, other villages and towns are expanding, thus buying lots of lumber. And with Riverwood being a lumbermill at heart, they make a lot of gold." Khara explained as they were now just about to pass the blacksmith.

"Good day, Dragonborn! Out on another adventure?" The smith said from his forge.

"Hello, Alvor. Me and my friend here-" Khara nodded to Serana. "-Are just on our way to Ivarstead. "

"Ivarstead, eh? You wouldn't mind delivering something for me to the innkeeper there, would you?" Alvor asked and he cleaned his hand with an old rag as he walked over to Khara.

"As long as it's something small, no." Khara said with a smile.

"Good on you, it's just a dagger for Wilhelm, poor lad is afraid of being robbed." He said as he handed Khara the dagger which was wrapped in leather.

"Can't blame him now, can we?" Khara said as she took the dagger and placed it in a bag with was tied to her horse's saddle. "We'll make sure he gets it."

"Thank you, now you two be careful out there!" He said as he returned to his forge.

Khara signaled to her horse to start moving again and Serana did the same. They left Riverwood and made their way towards the ruins of Helgen. Half an hour had passed and Khara could see in the corner of her eye that Serana had a little smile on her face as she looked around, taking in their surroundings as they rode out of the settlement. It seemed like Serana haven't been out much on the road, but if anything, it only made Khara smile at the woman.

"You haven't been doing much traveling before, have you?" She asked.

Serana looked over at Khara. "No, not really. I was raised at the castle and it was a rare occurrence I was allowed to go with my parents to the cities. I did sneak out every now and then, but that was about it. Now that I think about it, that castle was as much as a prison as Dimhollow." Serana said as they could now see Helgen's guard tower in the distant.

"Looks like we have a lot of travelling to catch up on then." Khara said as she took a quick look at her map.

Her words made Serana look at her in a certain way. "It would seem so." She said as she smiled at the wolf.

Khara then thought of something. "As a wise woman once said, we travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us." Khara said with her head held high in order to give the sentence more character.

"That's pretty deep, who said that?" Serana asked, she did catch the meaning of it.

"I did, just now." Khara said as she looked at Serana with a smirk on her face. Serana only shook her head in amusement.

Khara smiled at Serana before turning her head to look at Helgen. Khara forced her horse to stop and Serana did the same. The vampire followed the wolf's gaze towards Helgen, at the gate there was two men, bandits by the looks of it.

Khara turned her head to Serana with a wicked grin on her face. "Looks like you might get to see how powerful that ring really is."

They dismounted their horses and guided them over to the gate. The two men watched them with interest while they whispered to each other. Serana and Khara could smell their stench, it looked like they slept in the dirt. One of the men took a step forward and opened his mouth.
"Hold it right there ladies. If you want to pass you'll have to pay the toll." He said as he let his eyes roam their bodies before continuing. "How you pay is up to you."

Serana looked at Khara. "Let me handle these." She said and Khara nodded before taking ahold of Serana's horse. Serana kept her head low and placed her hands behind her back as she approached the man.

"What are you suggesting?" She purred. The man straightened and took a step closer, hands on his belt.

"I think you know what I mean." He answered in a low voice with a smug look on his face.

Khara saw that Serana had a spell in her hand, it was a mixture of blue and green light. The light turned brighter as Serana's fingers moved around delicately. Serana raised the other hand and gestured the man to get closer, which he did. This should be good. Khara thought. Serana had placed herself so that the other man at the gate couldn't see what she was doing.

As the man lowered his head Serana whispered something in his ear as she touched his chest with her hand the spell was in. Khara saw that the man's face turned completely blank as he straightened up and turned to walk back to his friend.

Khara walked up to Serana. "What did you do to him?" Khara asked as she looked at the two bandits.

"Watch." Was the only answer she got before Serana nodded to the man she had been talking to. He grabbed his sword and plunged it into his friend's chest. The other man's eyes widened as he took ahold of the sword that was currently on its way out of his chest and grabbed a dagger. He stabbed his opponent again and again as he roared in pain, tears filling his eyes.

Khara and Serana simply stood there and watched the scene before them. The two men fell to the ground as blood was flowing out of their wounds as well as their mouths. Khara's eyes were wide, what in Oblivion did she tell him. She thought as she turned to look at Serana.

Serana felt Khara's eyes on her and looked at the wolf. She raised her hand and summoned the spell once more. "Vampire's Seduction, it makes it very easy to persuade people." She said as she nodded to the two corpses before them. "Want to find out if they have more friends inside?" She asked with a smirk.

Khara returned the smile as she tied the horses to a small tree before grabbing the Ebony Blade. "Yes, lets. I've been wanting to try out my new blade for a while now."

They walked over to the gate and together they opened it, ready for whatever awaited them on the other side.

"Have you ever tasted skeever before? I'm telling you, it's almost like chicken, but only almost." Said the man who was currently tending the stew over the campfire. There was four sitting around it, hungry by the looks of it.

"Never tasted it, never will. I'll starve before sinking to that point." The biggest of the four said which earned him two hums of approval from the others sitting next to him.

"After selling all of the items we found in the houses, we'll be able to buy the best of meat and finest mead!" He cheered as he raised his cup and the others did the same.

They were so distracted by the food that was currently cooking that they didn't see the two women that were getting closer. Khara cleared her throat, making them jump from their seats as they turned towards them.

One of the bandits looked behind the two intruders and saw his allies lying in the dirt motionless behind them. "Well don't just stand there!" He roared as he looked at his friends. "Fucking kill em'!" He yelled and the others charged Khara and Serana with their weapons in hand.

Khara ran forward to meet them, her blood pumping in her veins, her eyes turning a few shades brighter as her blade clashed with another. This wasn't the fighting she was used to, normally she would fight draugr, vampires, dragons even. Its safe to say that the bandits didn't stand a chance as Khara easily moved around the two she was fighting, to Serana it looked like Khara was dancing.

Serana looked at the two other bandits who had their eyes on her. She was curious to see what the ring she was given could do, so she summoned a fire bolt and aimed at the closest target. The fire felt warmer and was burning a little brighter in her hands than normal, she let it fly towards her target hitting the woman in her chest, knocking her to the ground. The woman panicked as she tried to extinguish the flames currently eating away her flesh, she sounded like a banshee where she squirmed in the dirt. Serana summoned an ice spell and cast it at the man in front of her, slowing the man down. She then grabbed her dagger and plunged it up through his jaw, due to all the ice on his body he didn't fall, he simply stood bent over as the ice held him in place. Serana looked over to Khara who was pretty much just playing with her opponents at this point.

"Stand still you bloody hag!" Roared the man who was desperately swinging his axe after Khara. She finally ended the life of one of them with a single swipe to the throat. "You bitch! You'll pay for that!" He yelled again. Khara easily disarmed the man with an elbow to the side of his head. She placed her sword in the dirt before slowing down with all the movements. The man raised his fists and threw a punch at her, but Khara just grabbed his wrist, her werewolf blood giving her more and more strength. He tried again with his other hand, but she simply grabbed that one as well. She felt extremely powerful, she knew she could easily end his life and it made her smile.

The man's face fell when he looked into her eyes, it looked bright blue flames danced in them. There was no warmth to be found in those eyes, nor any coldness, just nothing.
Khara then took in a deep breath.
"No! No, plea-…"

"YOL TOOR SHUL!" Serana's eyes widened as the watched the man get swallowed whole by the flames. Khara stood still as the burning corpse, if you could call it that, smoldered as it fell to the ground. Khara raised a hand to cover her eyes as she took a step back.

As Serana walked closer she could hear that the wolf's heartbeat was racing. Serana could sense Khara's worry, it was almost like she was hiding, scared that the world would see her. She moved so that she was now standing in front of the tense wolf. "Khara, look at me." Serana gently took ahold of the hand covering Khara's eyes. Serana moved the hand, but the wolf's eyes were closed, a look of concentration on her face as she was trying to calm herself. "Open your eyes." Serana said in a low and gentle voice that made Khara open her eyes in an instant. Serana looked into her blue burning eyes. She could see that Khara was annoyed at, at herself? "They deserved this, stealing from the dead and making a living on their misery."

"I'm not angry because I killed him, I'm angry because of the way I killed him and that I took joy in doing it." Khara spoke with disgust in her voice. She turned her head to the side. "Sometimes I just get lost in the moment, sometimes it feels like I have some sort of…" She was struggling to find the correct word.

"Bloodlust?" Serana asked. Khara's eyes lit up and she looked back at Serana, the anger currently forgotten.

"Yeah." She whispered. She was worried, had she said too much? She had never admitted this to anyone before, but when it came to Serana she was so tempted to let it all pour out, too get all that weight on her chest to decrease.

Serana gave a little smile. "I know exactly how you feel." And she did, she was a vampire after all. Serana hadn't always been so in control of her hunger. And she remembers how horrible she felt after losing control. Never again.

Khara nodded before looking around. "Damn, we killed them all. I should have just knocked him out for you."

"For me? Why?" Serana asked.

"Well, you're hungry, aren't you?" Khara asked as she removed the blood on her blade with some cloth she ripped off a bandit's cloak.

"Oddly enough, ever since having your blood, I haven't been hungry." Serana said as she crossed her hands and wondered over it.

"That's strange? Do you feel unwell in anyway?" Khara said before her eyes widened a little. "I didn't poison you, did I?" She asked worried that might be the case.

"No, I feel fine, Khara. I'm just not hungry is all." Serana said, trying to let Khara know she was all good.

"Is it because of my blood, the dragon blood?" The wolf asked as she tilted her head.

"I think so, your blood is divine after all, literally." She said and Khara let out a little laugh over her clever words.

Khara could only smile back before she looked around them. She spotted a corpse being held up by ice. Khara nodded to the dead man. "I take it the ring worked well?" She asked ready to change the conversation.

Serana turned around before she spoke. "You could say that, I only had to cast two spells and that's saying something." The vampire answered amused by the sight. She turned her head back to Khara who seemed to be calmer now. "You ready to continue?" She asked.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Khara answered.

They walked over to their horses and left Helgen behind. They only needed to get through a mountain pass now before they would reach Ivarstead. Khara had used this road many times and she preferred it, mainly because it was rare that she encountered any trouble there. The path was narrow, making it impossible for bandits to make a camp to fight off the cold and the area was too small to serve as a home for predators. So, she was certain that they wouldn't run into anyone.

An hour and a half later they had finally entered the Rift. Except from all the snow and the cold, much to Serana's dislike, they managed to get through it unscathed and was now surrounded by colorful trees that populated the entire hold.

As they were closing in on Ivarstead a pack of wolves spotted them and was casually walking towards them, but Serana saw that Khara didn't get ready to attack or act in any way. "You do see those wolves, right?" She asked. Khara then turned her head.

"Oh yeah, don't worry about them, just bring your horse closer to mine." Khara said. Serana moved the horse closer as instructed and was a little surprised when the wolves walked past them, almost like they didn't see them.

"Why didn't they attack us?" Serana asked.

Khara smiled at Serana.
"Perks of being a werewolf. They could probably see my aspect or wolf spirit, whatever you prefer."

"I didn't know that, is it the same for all werewolves?" She was curious now.

"I know that they won't attack a transformed werewolf, but I think they do when they are in their normal form. Don't quote me on that though, I'm not sure." Khara asked.

"How did you beco-…" Serana was interrupted by the loudest most hair-raising roar she had ever heard. The sound made both women stop their horses and look at each other with wide eyes. "Was that a-…" A roar could be heard again and Khara nodded.

"Dragon." Khara looked up in the skies and spotted a green dragon flying towards…Her eyes widened even more, its flying towards Ivarstead! "Come on, Serana! It's heading towards the village!" She said as she kicked her horse, riding as fast as possible towards the village with Serana right behind her.

They crossed a stone bridge and dismounted their steeds, not bothering to tie them this time. Khara's eyes were glued on the flying creature in the skies as she grabbed her blade. "You intend to fight it?" Serana asked still shocked that there was a huge flying lizard currently roaming the skies above.

"No, I intend to kill it." Khara said as she walked closer to an open area in the middle of the village. She knew that this wasn't a very powerful dragon because of the color of its scales, but she also knew that dragons were never to be underestimated.

Serana ran over to where Khara was and prepared herself for what was to come. A few guards ran towards them as well. "Aim your arrows at its wings!" Khara shouted at the guards.

"You're not our captain outsider, stand aside and let the guards handle this!" One of the men shouted.

"I'm the bloody Dragonborn! Now do as I say!" Khara roared, making sure that her Thu'um could be heard and felt as she said the words. The guards looked at her with wide eyes before nodding their heads. "Just focus on its wings, I'll do the rest!" She shouted to everyone.

The dragon came closer to them and roared before turning its head towards the local inn and letting out a shout. "YOL TOOR!" The flames from its mouth were heading towards the inn and could easily burn it down.

"FO KRAH DIIN!" Khara shouted. Her frost shout easily destroyed the dragons weak fire shout and she even managed to hit the dragon with it, making it roar.

"Dovahkiin! Hi viik dii kinbok, dii in! Rok fen kos nahlok!" The dragon said as he aimed at Khara and tried to land on top of her. She rolled out of the way and tightened her hold on her blade. The dragon raised its head before trying shouting once more, but Khara wouldn't let it.

"FUS RO DAH!" The dragon closed his eyes as his head was forced back by the shout. Khara ran under it and cut him under its left wing.

Meanwhile Serana and the guards were aiming and hitting the dragon at its other wing with spells and arrows. Serana collected her thoughts and focused her magica at the dragon, she seeped into the rings powers and felt an incredible force flow through her body and stopping at her hands as she raised them. Razor sharp pikes of frost appeared in the air around the vampire, she aimed and she fired. They hit the dragon at its wing, flying straight through the thin layer of skin, successfully tearing it up.

With both wings badly damaged the dragon had no chance to escape and it slowly came to the realization that it wouldn't leave here alive, but that didn't stop if from fighting.

Khara was now in front of it with her blade ready, she could see that the dragon was tired and used it to her advantage. "Gaan!" As the shout hit the dragon, its head fell to the ground and it struggled to keep its eyes open as Khara approached it. "Hold your fire!" She commanded the others. They did as she asked, but remained on alert in case the lizard tried anything.

"Hi los muliik wey Zu'u zent, Hi los Thu'um los zok mul. Bo nau, geblaan nii, ahst jok Zu'u krif ol pah dovah fend." The dragon said as Khara was now standing right in front of it with her blade raised over its head.

"Hi krif pruzah ahrk nu hi fen kos orgein voth un bormah ahrk zeymah." Khara said as she pushed her blade down into its head, quickly ending its life.

Khara took a few steps back as the dragon's flesh started to burn away. The light of its soul flew a few feet up in the air before swirling down and into Khara. She never did enjoy this part, sure she got its knowledge and a little piece of its power, but she also got all of its memories, the pain, anger, happiness, frustration. Whenever she absorbed a dragon's soul she felt like a stranger in her own body. She closed her eyes in hope that the images belonging the dragon would soon fade away.

Footsteps approached her and she looked up to see that the guards were now close to her, looking at the skeleton of the dragon. "By Talos, she…She did it, she killed the dragon." A man said shocked as he inspected the bones.

Khara wasn't in the mood to talk to the guards so she simply walked away from them. Serana had managed to gather their horses and was now standing next to the inn, Khara walked over to her. "You alright?" Serana asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, it's not the first dragon I've fought and it certainly isn't the last." Khara chuckled. "We were lucky it wasn't a more powerful one."

Serana nodded, still not sure what to say about the whole situation that just took place, after all it was her first dragon. She had seen drawings, but never one in the flesh. She had to admit thought, it was a beautiful beast. This was really turning into a journey to remember, this was her first dragon encounter.

A man walked out of the inn and looked at the two with a huge smile on his face. "You killed that dragon, you stopped it from burning my tavern down to the ground, thank you, both of you! Please if there is anything you need, a room to spend the night?" He asked the two women.

Khara looked at Serana. "I don't know about you, but I'm not really tired so, if you want we can continue to Riften after having a little break." She asked, getting that soul in her system really woke her up.

"Yes, sounds good." Serana answered.

Khara then turned to the man who was waiting for their response. "We'll stay for a couple of hours." She told him.

"Of course, I'll make you two some stew." Wilhelm said as he smiled at them.

"Wait, are you Wilhelm?" Serana asked the man.

"Aye, how do you know of me?"

Serana walked over to Khara's horse and took the dagger that Alvor had given them out of the bag. "We have your dagger from Riverwood, Alvor sent us." Serana said as she handed the man his new weapon.

He unwrapped it and smiled before looking at the two women. "Come on inside ladies, the food and drinks are on the house." He said and walked into the inn.

Serana turned to look at Khara who simply raised both her hands and gave Serana two thumbs up and a goofy smile. Serana just snorted at the woman before leading them inside.

They sat down at a table in the corner of the room just like they did back in Morthal when they first met. It was secluded and offered the most privacy. It didn't take long before Wilhelm came out to them with their stew and drinks, his new dagger hanging from his belt. "Here you go, hope you enjoy it." He said as he flashed them his biggest smile, which was understandable since they had just saved his entire business. He then walked back to the counter.

Khara tasted the stew and it was divine, horker stew was her favorite type of stew. She couldn't help but let a little moan escape her. She was currently in Sovengarde, the stew, the mead, the music, the fire, the company, the whole atmosphere just made Khara lean back in her seat and completely relax.

Serana chuckled at Khara's actions. "You sure seem comfortable." She said amused.

"Oh, I am. I really am, I freaking love horker stew, Serana. It's divine!" Khara threw her hands up in the air to make a point, a smile on her lips while she did it. She then looked at the vampire. "Are you hungry, hungry? Because I have a large healing potion with me, if I use it now I'll be good to go in an hour or so."

Serana smiled at her. "I'm actually good for the moment, but thanks."

Khara looked at her companion and smiled. "Alright, just let me know if you do get hungry, yeah?" Khara said as she took two cups and poured some mead to the both of them.

"I will, thank you." She said a little shyly.

"It's the least I can do since you helped me finally get some real sleep. I feel like I could run to Solitude and back without breaking a sweat." Khara chuckled at her own words as did Serana.

Khara nodded to the other stew on the table. "You should taste it, it's really good." She said.

"No, it would just be wasted on me." Serana said as she eyes the stew.

"You can still enjoy food though, can't you?" Khara asked, having a little plan in the back of her head.

"Well, yes, of course." Serana said with a raised eyebrow. What are you getting at? The vampire thought.

"Then if you enjoy it, it's not wasted." Khara said as she threw Serana a clever look. "Besides we didn't pay for it, and I'm full." She said as she leaned back some more and patted her stomach. "Sure would be a shame to have to throw it away, now that's wasting."

"Alright, alright, I'll eat it!" Serana had to laugh as she spoke, Khara really did know what to say in order to get what she wanted. Khara simply looked at her with a smug smile, obviously very happy with herself. "Try not to be too pleased with yourself now." She said amused.

Khara laughed. Traveling with Serana was something she could get used to, she really enjoyed her company, the clever comments and they just got along great. She felt like she could let her guard down more often, knowing that another was looking over her. Khara and her wolf aspect had a little conversation with themselves, unaware that they were being eyed by the woman sitting opposite them.

"What's on your mind?" Serana asked, she remembered her conversation with Lydia back at Breezehome, she could almost her Lydia say the words, maybe you can break through those barriers of hers. She could see that Khara was considering telling her, Lydia was right, looking into Khara's eyes did tell you a lot about her.

On the other side of the table sat Khara, currently having a silent debate with herself. What if it's too forward, what if it makes her uncomfortable. She asked her wolf aspect who whispered back, we won't know before we try. The wolf aspect said and continued, lower your walls. And so, she did.

"You." Khara furrowed her brows. She wanted to hit herself in the face with a fish. Fucking idiot. Serana whoever, saw that Khara had more to say, so she remained silent, letting the wolf have the time she needed. "I mean I like traveling with you. Unlike so many others, you know how to handle yourself in battle and not only that, but you also have humor and common sense, which is rare in Skyrim I tell you." Khara looked down at her hands.
"I normally travel alone, but this-…" She raised her eyes and waved her hand between the two.
"This is a good change." Boy was she nervous, what was going on in Serana's mind, what was she going to say, Khara was worried that letting her thoughts go wild like that would scare Serana somehow. But when Serana simply smiled at her all those thoughts went away.

"The feeling's mutual, Khara." Serana answered in a gentle voice.

Khara's eyes widened a little, really? Her wolf howled in joy and she was tempted on joining it in doing so, she lowered her gaze and smiled.

"Well, as I was saying before that dragon interrupted me." Serana said making Khara laugh. She lowered her voice and continued. "How did you become a werewolf? If you don't mind me asking that is."

Khara shook her head before telling Serana how she earned Hircine's favor. The vampire leaned back in her seat and relaxed as she listened to the tale.

Khara had just entered Falkreath when people had told her about a werewolf that was in the hold's prison. How she was given a cursed ring and how she slayed a majestic beast in order to ask Hircine himself to remove the curse. Khara had to prove her worth in a hunt in order for The Huntsman to remove the curse. She had traveled to the location given by Hircine where she was supposed to hunt with other hunters to bring down the werewolf. When she was about to kill the beast, it told Khara to spare him, it offered to be an ally to her and she accepted his offer. Together they killed the other hunters, something Hircine had enjoyed very much. They turned the chase inside out, the hunters became the hunted. Hircine was so pleased with Khara that he offered her his blessing, to become a Pure-Blooded Werewolf along with the ring, something that the Prince rarely did. Khara accepted it and that was it.

"I was unsure at first, as you know werewolves don't have a good reputation, but then he explained how much different a Pure-blood is. Since I hadn't defeated Alduin yet I thought that I could use all the help I could get, so I accepted and became his champion." Khara said as she took a sip of mead.

"Do you regret it?" Serana asked.

"There were some days in the start where I wondered if it was the right choice." Khara closed her eyes and in her mind, she could see her wolf spirit, it made her smile. "But after a little while I got used to it. You know, a werewolf's wolf aspect is like having another person in your head. It may sound awful, but it's like a wolf version of yourself, so you have the same likes, dislikes, opinions and you think very alike. Whenever I'm uncertain about anything or worried, it helps me calm down."

"That must be comforting." Serana said.

"It really is. People may come and go, but the aspect will stay with me till the end of my days." Khara took another sip of her mead. "Do vampires have anything like that?"

"No, but we can do something that makes us more connected to another vampire." Serana said as she looked at Khara.

"I've never heard about that, how do you do it?" She asked with curiosity.

"You pretty much just feed on each other, you know, drink their blood. I don't know how it works, but that makes it so that you share your feelings and thoughts."

"That's crazy, you could like, fight together and not even need to talk since you can hear the other person's thoughts. Can you always hear their thoughts or feel what they're feeling or just sometimes?" Khara asked.

Serana laughed at her eagerness to learn more. "You can choose if you want the other one to feel what you're feeling or hear your thoughts."

Khara leaned back in her seat. "I never knew that."

"Not many do, its a rather well-kept secret." Serana said as she enjoyed the warmth and music that the tavern offered. She enjoyed this very much as well, talking with Khara in such a relaxing setting made the vampire forget all the bad in the world. She closed her eyes and leaned back herself with a smile of content on her lips.

Khara saw how comfortable Serana was and smiled, giving the vampire a little more time to relax before they had to go out to reality again. They talked while time passed, they knew that they had to continue and all they looked forward to was the next time they could sit and enjoy a warm meal together.

"Ready to go?" Khara asked Serana. "It's going to get darker soon, so no more sunlight." Khara said, she knew Serana wasn't a fan of the sun.

"Yeah, I'm all set." Serana said as she rose from her seat.

As the two got their weapons back on their person and was about to leave, Wilhelm ran over to them. "Here you go, something for the road." He said as he smiled at them.

Serana accepted the bag and looked what was in it and smiled. "Thank you, Wilhelm. We appreciate it." She said as she smiled at the man.

"And I appreciate you two saving my business, stay safe and don't be a stranger!" He said as they walked out the door, smiling and waving at the cheerful man.

They mounted their steeds and turned to the road. "What did he give us?" Khara asked as she led her horse to walk alongside Serana's.

"Think fast." Serana said as she threw an apple to Khara, who caught it like it was nothing.

Khara's eyes widened and she smiled as she looked at the green form in her hand. "Yes!" She grabbed her dagger and sliced off a piece of it and brought it to her mouth.

Serana laughed at how fast Khara had managed to do all that. "I take it you like apples?"

"Aye, that I do. They are so sweet and tasteful compared to most of the food you can find in Skyrim."

"That is true." Serana said amused as she too took an apple.

After a few hours, they could finally see the town of Riften. Serana noticed that compared to the entire hold, the city itself was lacking when it came to colors, the whole town looked grey.

"Not to be rude or anything, but this place looks depressing." Serana said as they approached the stables.

"I can see why you would think that, don't worry thought, it's better on the inside." Khara said as she offered the other woman a heartwarming smile, that special smile that Khara only showed Serana.

Serana only nodded to Khara and smiled. She followed the wolf as they dismounted their horses and walked to the gate. As they got to the gate one of the guards opened it for them as he whispered to Khara.
"Good to have you back, Boss." Serana raised an eyebrow, but remained quiet.

"It's good to be back, Rune." She answered just as quiet as she and Serana walked through the gate and entered Riften. As they were walking towards a wooden bridge Serana spoke.

"What was that all about, are you Thane here as well?" She asked while they were walking through a marketplace housing a few shop stands.

"I am actually, but that back there-." Khara raised a hand and pointed with her thumb at the way they came from. "-Was about something else. You see, I run a little organization in this town as you are about to find out." Khara said as she led them down to the town's canals.

"What kind of organization are we talking about?" Serana said as she looked at Khara as they walked.

"It's going to sound bad at first, so please let me explain?" Khara said as she stopped in front of a door, which looked like it headed into the town's sewer system, and turned to face Serana.

"Of course, I'll let you explain, Khara." Serana smiled at her.

"Okay, good." Khara turned around and used a key to open the door, she then held it open for Serana. "Ladies first." She said as she bowed her head, an action which earned her an eyeroll and a smile from the vampire. It was dark, extremely dark, but luckily for them, they didn't need any light in order to see where they needed to go. As Serana took a step forward she was surprised.

"I was expecting to smell like, well, like horseshit down here." Serana said as she took in a deep breath. The place almost smelled better in here than what it did outside in the town.

"Now what kind of woman would I be if I led you down into an actual sewer, I do have some class you know." Khara said, her voice turning very close to Nazeem's one at the end of the sentence, making Serana chuckle. "And I do believe that is the most offensive word I've ever heard you say."

"Huh, I think you're right, you must be a bad influence on me." Serana said amused.

"Oi, it's not my fault you got a dirty mouth." Khara said and they both laughed. It was no secret, they really enjoyed having these silly moments, it gave them a little escape from their current task.

"So, what is this place then? It looks rather nice in all honesty." The vampire said as she looked around the hallway there were current in, there were rugs on the stone floor, unlit torches hanging on the walls and some barrels and boxes lying on the sides.

"I would hope so, me and my fellow, erm, colleagues spent a lot of time and gold in making it so." Khara said as she started to walk down the corridor.

"Your colleagues, huh?" Serana asked.

"We're called the Thieves Guild, now I know how that sounds, but were good people, really." Khara explained.

Serana walked in front of her as they climbed down some stairs, where waiting to let her companion to catch up to her. "You don't have to explain yourself to me you know, I don't judge." Serana said as she gently placed her hand on Khara's left arm.

Khara's eyes looked into Serana's.
"And I appreciate that." Khara said in a low voice. She was about to lead them over to a bigger room, that was until she saw a shadow behind Serana, she narrowed her eyes.

"This will show you not to be in the company of an enemy of the Thalmor!" The shadow shouted as its dagger was well on its way to stab Serana in the back of her chest, in her heart.

Khara's eyes widened, what on Oblivion do I do!? The man who was about to kill her friend was too close to shout at, too close to block his attack. Khara's body moved for her, grabbing Serana's arm and pulling her towards herself at the same time as moving forward, she turned her body a little so that the vampire was now behind her as Khara had taken her place.

Coldness, that was the correct word to the scribe the feeling she felt right now, because on the left side of her chest, there was a dagger, currently digging its way further into her flesh. She fell to a knee, she felt like shit, must be poisoned. She thought. The dagger twisted inside of her as it made its way out only to meet her again where her neck and right shoulder met.

"Argh!" Khara groaned out loud as she grabbed the assassins hand, holding it in place. The assassin tried to get his dagger out of her, but it was no use.

"I will have your head, bitch! None may challenge the Thalmor!" He roared as he kicked her where the dagger had been in her chest.

Serana didn't know what was happening as Khara had taken her arm and pulled her away from the voice, by the time she had turned around, Khara had been stabbed. No! Serana ran towards the assassin, she saw that Khara had fallen to a knee and been rewarded with another dagger to her shoulder. Serana grabbed the assassins throat and with one hand and she raised him off his feet and squeezed hard.

She walked him over to the nearby stonewall and slammed his body into it, making the stone crack in multiple places. The man grunted at the impact, both his hands on his throat as he tried to twist out of the vampire's grip. Serana wasn't having any of it and squeezed his neck with all her might, making his neck snap with a disgusting sound. She dropped the man and ran over to Khara who was holding her hand over the cut on her neck.

Serana took out a healing potion of Khara's biggest pouch and poured it over Khara's wounds. It's healing too slow. She placed a hand on Khara's back and another under her knees as she picked the woman up in her arms.

"Where do I go Khara." Serana's shaken voice asked as she looked around, the stress eating at her.

"To the right, up the stairs th-…" She groaned at the pain. "-Then through the door, in the middle." Serana walked where she was told. She could smell the blood, feel it even as it ran over one of her arms. She found the door and kicked it open with her vampiric strength. She could see what looked like a dining area or a bar at the other side of the room and moved as fast as she could.

It was cold, it was so fucking cold. The dagger had been poisoned with something indeed, as it made her feel a coldness she didn't know existed, it was that cold. Her body felt numb, her eyes heavy and her mind foggy as she recognized the room they were in. She summoned all her strength to say one name.

"Brynjolf…" Khara managed to whisper before darkness claimed her.

Dovahzul Translations

Dragon: Dovahkiin! Hi viik dii kinbok, dii in! Rok fen kos nahlok! - Dragonborn! You defeated my leader, my master! He will be avenged!

Dragon: Hi los muliik wey Zu'u zent, Hi los Thu'um los zok mul. Bo nau, geblaan nii, ahst jok Zu'u krif ol pah dovah fend. - You are stronger than I expect, you're voice truly is the strongest. Go on then, finish it, at least I die fighting as all dragons should

Khara: Hi krif pruzah ahrk nu hi fen kos orgein voth un bormah ahrk zeymah. - You fought well and now you will be reunite with our father and brothers