Serana hated lugging this boy around, dragging him by the ankle. The dude was heavy, and it was really taxing on Serana. Trying to keep her grunts to a minimum, she drug the lifeless boy across the ice, down the many steps, taking no care of the rhythmic slamming of his skull against the stones.
Her mind ran quickly in her head, coming to conclusions. Obviously, Lotux was using Marcius for his abilities. She wasn't quite sure of her motives, but she was 100 percent sure that she wasn't there to rebuild a relationship. She knew her sister better than that.
And this boy, Marcius. He was devoted, she'd give him that. Even she had her doubts whether Darin would ever mount a dragon and risk his life in that manner. Serana wondered... What did Lotux do to earn his mindless devotion?
"Serana!" a familiar voice called, and she eagerly searched for the source. There, just ahead, around the bend, at one of the wayshrines. Darin. She tried to hide the sudden smile on her face, the eagerness in her step.
Suddenly, her smile faded as she took in the scene. Her sister, Lotux, hanging limply in his arms, head resting against his chest. Even from here, she could smell Darin's blood on the blonde's breath, and irritation crossed her features. The fact that the two seemed so at ease together, how perfectly Lotux fit in his arms, even better than Serana, just rubbed her raw.
"How about we switch monsters?" She offered, her voice taking a dry note. She looked into Darin's green eyes, waiting; but he hesitated.
"I think I'm good. She's really not that heavy," he explained, nervously avoiding eye contact. Serana raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Darin... Why is your lip swollen?" Serana asked suddenly. She couldn't keep the accusation out of her voice.
"A giant. I fought a giant. Shouldn't we get going?" Darin asked, turning around and walking quickly up the steps, Lotux's sword bouncing on his hip. Sighing, Serana dragged Marcius's body up the steps, consumed in her thoughts.
Lotux mumbles tiredly in her sleep. "Don't let them kill... He's mine. Erik is mine," she mumbles, curling up in a ball. Darin presses his hand against her head; she is feverish.
Serana looks unconvinced, scooting close to the fire. They'd just set up camp, nursing eachother's injuries.
"What is she talking about?" Darin asked, rummaging through his bag for Mammoth Cheese. Serana sighs.
"You don't want to know," she mutters.
The red-head shakes his head. "But I do."
Lotux drops to a crouch, her blonde ringlets catching the sunlight. The sun is warm, but not unbearably so, the grass beneath her feet soft. She smiles at the passing butterflies, reaches out to touch their soft, velvet wings. Quickly, she focuses, and remembers why she's outside anyways.
There, before her! Erik, sweet Erik. A smile pulls at her lips, and she walks slowly forward, not making a sound.
"Surprise!" She yells, tackling the boy. There's a laugh, an exhalation of breath, and the pair tumble to the ground, Lotux landing on top, giggling. Erik smiles, brown hair brushing against her face.
"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready? You turn six today," he exclaims, but Lotux isn't listening. She's too busy watching the rise and fall of his chest, the sparkle in his brown eyes. There is no one she loves more than this person here. Erik, her best friend.
"I am ready. And I know what I'm going to ask my father for," she whispers, long lashes blinking.
"What is it?" Erick asks, the dimples in his chin deep. She loves the dimple in his chin, the perfect place for her pinkie.
"I'm going to ask... if you can stop being a thrall. So we don't have to play in secret anymore."
"Look, do you see it?" Lotux asks, pointing up at the night sky. It's late, and they're sitting in the garden, Lotux's head pressed against his shoulder.
"Hmm?" He asks, not really listening. He just wants to soak in this moment; this happiness. Lotux reaches over and taps his cheek, catching his gaze.
"There, up there. The moon, Erik. Isn't it beautiful?" She says, eyes alight with joy. She is fifteen.
Erik suddenly turns to look at Lotux, love evident in his eyes. "Not as beautiful as you," he says softly.
"I hate her so much, Erik... She took everything for me. I just want to make her pay," Lotux cries, burying her face in her hands. She's 18 now, her skin a sickly shade of pale. She had always been a sick girl, with a weak heart, but she seemed to have been getting better; with Erik at her side. But now... she started to worsen.
Her curls have lost their luster, she suddenly looks so fragile. Erik draws her into his strong arms, swaying her from side to side, humming a lullaby into her hair.
"What did she do, Lo?" He asks, using his pet name for her. He gently wipes the tears from her cheeks, presses it to his tongue. Salt. This small thing reminds him that she's still human, still alive, still able to love.
Lotux looks up, eyes swollen and red. Erik realizes she has never looked more beautiful.
"She destroyed everything. My research, my books, my paintings of us. She broke my favorite sword; the Blades sword I stole. I'm just so tired, Erik. So tired of all of this."
Erik sighs. "Then sleep, baby."
Lotux gazes down at the blue sword, before looking up at Erik. "I got this for you," he begins. "To remind you that even when things go wrong, and when everything just... sucks... It can always get better." Erik says with a small smile.
"Where did you get it?" She asks, running her hands along the smooth blade.
Erik chuckles. "I spent a lot of time searching Skyrim's dwemer ruins. That's all."
"What have you done?!" Lotux cried, taking Erik's head into her lap, tears rolling down her cheeks. "He was innocent, he had done nothing wrong, Serana!"
Harkon rests a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Serana told us he'd... made a move on her, forced her."
Lotux focuses her gaze on Serana's, questioning. She finds her answer when her sister's gaze slides guiltily away.
"He would never! He loved me, not... Serana," she spits, reaching down to caress Erik's face. His eyes are open, even in death. Her tears fall endlessly now, weeping rivers, a future that could never be.
"How could you? I'll kill you," Lotux hisses, slamming her sister against the wall, Vul-Dur-Al in her hand. Serana doesn't resist, simply sets her sad gaze on her sister. "Don't you dare. You don't get to be sad. You did this."
Serana buries her face in her hands. "I was just so... jealous! I'm so sorry, I never meant for it to be this way. I just wanted to hurt you, like you hurt me. How do you think it felt to not have a friend in the world? And you had him. And I always liked him, he was mine first, before you stole him away. I just... I don't know."
Lotux's fangs slid out from her gums, making her quiver with rage. "Look at me. You did this! You took away the only person who was worthy of the light. You damned him. Look at me!"
She screams, her voice echoing throughout the court. She hears footsteps, several.
"Lotux, let her go!" Harkon's voice thunders. Lotux spins around, but she doesn't relinquish her hold of her sister. The pain in her chest hurts so much, she wishes it would stop.
"You're going to tell him the truth," Lotux hisses, but Serana shakes her head, closing her eyes. Disgusted, she throws Serana's body across the room, ignoring her pained cries as she slams into the display cases, glass raining down. Lotux draws her sword.
"TELL HIM! Tell him you lied! He was supposed to spent the rest of eternity with me, and you took him. You had him killed! He was innocent!" She yells, voice cracking.
Serana doesn't answer, and Lotux rushes her, brandishing her sword. However, Harkon intervenes, taking the blow meant for Serana. His Vampire Lord form towers over Lotux, and the disgust and disappointment on his face is evident.
"Leave this court, Lotux, and never return. You do not belong here," he snaps. Lotux's face changes from shock to cold rage.
"Then kill me! Kill me already, and get it over with!"
Fura Bloodmouth rushes to the scene, taking Lotux's side. "My lord, just banish her. She so obviously wants to die, don't give her what she wants. Make her live with this pain," she reasons desperately.
Harkon breathes heavily, blood dripping down his arm.
"Lotux BloodFury, I hereby banish you from the courts. You are to never return, and you will be forced to live like the animal you are," he booms.
"Damn," Darin whispers, processing what he was told. Serana nods grimly in the moonlight, regret washing her face.
"Then I don't blame her. She's allowed to be a bitch. How could you?" He asks, looking at Serana in a new light.
Lotux's voice answers for her. "That's Serana for you. Now you know the real her. But let me tell you a story."
"Once upon a time, a girl loved a boy. She was happy, even. He showed her the light, after she'd been wandering around in the dark for so long. She actually believed she was worth something. She began to believe... that even monsters could find happiness."
The vale is mysteriously quiet, as if the trees themselves were hanging onto her every word.
"But one day, her sister grew jealous of her happiness, and she decided she'd steal it away. She broke the boy, shattered the girl, and looked at the mess she made. Still, she wasn't happy."
Her last words hang in the air for the rest of the night.
"But which sister are we talking about? Is this Lotux's story, or Serana's?"
