Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long but I am back, FROM THE DEAD (just kidding). I have been doing some d&r on my story hopefully it is a little better! Thanks again if you have stuck with me from the beginning.
Chapter 9
Harkon could feel the stone wall around his heart growing back moulding to fill every small crevice. It has been so long since his heart had felt hope enough to beat but now, in his mind he could see what a fool he had been. He was about to give the woman of his dreams up, for what? The ultimate glory of night ruling over the day? He had asked for this, for centuries in fact, every day on his knees to his lord and now.
"Now what?" Aribella asked.
Harkon whose hands had not yet left the map sighed. He didn't dare speak he wanted to make these few moments last despite the fact that as the seconds ticked by he could feel the familiarity between them fading.
"Aribella." He stood and turned to face her. She stared at him expectantly waiting for him to speak. Nothing came only silence. Harkon was screaming in his mind. He wanted to apologize to tell her they would run away now and never look back, that now they would live together forever. Ari watched the different emotions flicker underneath his stony features, and felt her heart burst. Ari looked to the fire place to hide her face from the Vampire Lord.
"Please, Harkon. Don't do that." She was hurt, and Harkon could see it.
"Do wha-" he tried to reach for her when she pushed his hand away and looked him in the eyes. The fury in her there would have scared even the staunchest of nords but all Harkon felt was grief. Though he would never allow it to register on his face, Aribella seemed to see right through him and threw her arms up in the air and walked to the fireplace.
"That! Don't do that! Don't look me in the eye and think that somehow this might all work out that somehow we might end up together riding off into the god damn sunset! You know exactly what you want and its not me. You know that maybe not tomorrow maybe not even in a few centuries but eventually you would think, what if? What if I had surrendered her to Molag Bal? What if I had fulfilled the prophecy? What if I was now I had unlimited power? Don't deny it Harkon I can see it in you." Ari flipped on the would be king and watched his emotions flee from him. He was caught and they both knew it. Harkon wanted to look away to stare at the floor but doing so would mean that this argument was over that she had won.
"I still care for you-"
"Harkon," Aribella's fury was replaced with remorse and sadness. She fell into a chair deflated. "When you do complete the prophecy, and when all of those what if questions do come true, do you really think Lord Molag will allow an inferior half blood, who has been on the run from him for centuries rule along side you?" Ari scoffed and laughed at herself. "Knowing the dread lord he will have a far better match prepared for you." She looked at the floor then, avoiding his gaze. "I will go to our Lord and I will beg for his forgiveness, but I will still spend the rest if eternity in Coldhaurbor receiving my punishment." The room grew still and Harkon was about to beg her to stay that he would find another way when there was a knock at the door.
"My Lord! The priest is here!" A member of the lesser court yelled through the solid door.
"Aribella." Harkon's heart stopped could it be sunset already? There was still so much more that he needed to say.
"My Lord." Aribella bowed to the Vamipre Lord. She walked to the door and opened it dismissing their last moments alone together. The lesser vampire was shocked to see the lady open the door, he staggered backwards holding aloft his one good hand. The other was wrapped with a significant amount of cloth to stifle the bleeding. "Please let the Priest know that we will be ready for him in a moment and to please meet us at the alter." The lesser vampire stared at her for a few moments and then jumped about three feet off the landing when her heard Harkon.
"Go, Now." Harkon gripped the wooden table in front of him crushing the fibers in the wood till they splintered. Ari watched as the pathetic creature tripped over himself. She was surprised to see a good number of Harkon's court assembled outside the door. Had they been listening to their conversation?
Harkon was now immediately behind Aribella ushering her out of his chambers. He offered her his arm and she took it. The only thing that could have made this moment more fitting was if Aribella was wearing a gown made of the finest silk and a crown upon her head. They were a perfect fit in every way it was just not meant to be the doom driven king and the beauty lost to the ages.
Aribella's grace reminded Harkon of a Snowy Saber Cat. Every movement was methodical as if she had taken the last few centuries planning where her every foot would fall, and yet it was effortless and seamless as she gracefully walked along side but slightly behind him. She may not be a pure blooded vampire but she is more a royal than any Jarl or Emperor that Harkon could ever recall. There are only a few stairs that led to his quarters but every step seemed to last for a millennia. Various members of the court gathered at the base of the adjoining stair cases in anticipation. Tonight was the night that their Lord would rise. Aribella and Harkon turned to climb the stairs that led to the great Cathedral and as they entered Harkon noticed other members of his court assembled in the shadows.
Ari turned up her nose at the disgusting room, large piles of dirt and rock had accumulated all over the room many were accompanied by skulls and not all were human. The stench of blood while normally a sweet perfume smelled more like a whore house in winter. Sticky sweet perfume clung to Aribella's lungs and seemed to pollute her own blood.
"Harkon." A hooded man stood at the base of the altar. "It's been some time since we have last met." Around the mans neck was a large amulet with the same face etched into the altar. An amulet of Molag-Bal.
"Too long my friend." Harkon extended his arm and took the priests hand in a firm grip.
"I see you have spent your immortality well, but where is Valerica and Serana? Shouldn't they be here?" The priest didn't look around, is it possible that he already knew about Valerica, Ari wondered.
"Serana is in hiding I have a group of my finest looking for her still, but Valerica has left this world. Slain by this woman's hand." He said gesturing in a grand sweep to Aribella. Harkon offered her the Priest's hand and she took it shaking it politely.
"Ahh, our lords song bird. Yes I can feel the truth of your words Harkon." The Priest hummed, "Valerica now serves our Lord in Coldhaurbor, may she find peace." Turning ever so slightly to face Aribella he addressed her, "I am brother Markus Priest of Molag-bal in Cyrodil." He patted Aribella's hand and seemed to pause. "You are going willing to our lord? How interesting I was expecting a certain amount of," he paused, "resistance." Ari felt her mind flicker to what happened a few moments earlier in Harkon's chambers but it was enough. "So I see." The priest leaned next to her ear and whispered for only her to hear. Not even Harkon who was a few feet from Aribella could hear the Priest's words.
"Brother Markus is a Telepath. He can see what you feel though touch." Harkon explained.
When he stepped back Aribella was close to tears but she shook them away and nodded. "Thank you Bother Markus."
"No need sister, no need." He pulled back his hood and Ari was surprised to see that he was blind. Where the Priests eyes should have been were instead hollow sockets of skin, rather like his eye balls had dropped down his throat crating a vacuum pulling his skin tight. "My penance to our Lord, in order to serve him faithfully I gave him my vision but I have not suffered from their loss. For example, Lord Harkon, you really should clean up this altar room, its even giving me a head ache." Ari gave the kind dark priest a half smile, second to his eyes the priests other features were just as shocking. He was whiter than the snow, everything from his hair to his skin it almost made it impossible to place him. His accent and height made Ari think he was a Bretton.
"I will see to it Brother as soon as this ceremony is complete." Harkon nodded. Brother Markus nodded his smile dropping from his face as though he had forgotten the real reason he had come.
"Ah yes," he turned to the crowd of silent on lookers from the Cathedral floor. "While I do appreciate the warm welcome this particular ceremony requires only two." Harkon glared at the lesser members of his court and they scattered out the cathedral doors and into the castle. Harkon waited for the priest to continue, but Brother Markus waited. "That means you too I'm afraid my Lord." Harkon was about to argue and thought better of it. He turned and walked to the great double doors and just as he reached them he heard Aribella speak.
"Goodbye, Lord Harkon." He stiffened and turned to see her walk to and kneel before the altar. Her knees finding the grooves in the stone steps where Harkon's usually were placed He turned looking away, any where but at her.
"Still here Harkon?" Brother Markus was facing the altar but still somehow he knew the master of the castle was still there. Harkon glanced one more time at Aribella, then turned and closed the door behind him. The hollow echo of the door resonated and somehow amplified inside Ari's chest. She was caged and her every instinct was telling her to run, but she was doing this for Harkon. It was her turn to make the sacrifice. "How noble of you dear, but I think love for another man will not help you in earning forgiveness from Lord Molag-Bal."
"It's all I have." Ari choked on her words. It's all I have ever really had." The intensity of the white noise ringing through her chest was drowning her. When Harkon shut the door it felt more like he had given up on her, that all of her grief for the last two era were for nothing. Ari closed her eyes tightly trying to dampen the deafening white noise. He was supposed to be dead, why wasn't he dead?
"Hmm. That's an interesting question, if he really was all you had ever had why then did you choose to live without him?" Ari felt her mind flicker to Valerica and felt her hatred surge once again. "Ahhh I see. Tell me about it. What really happened in," he paused as if unsure of how to say it, "The Soul Cairn?"
"Yes," The priest had begun to circle her sprinkling the ash from an ancient vampire. "When Lord Sanguine first approached me in Cyrodill I was so angry. I had been deflecting my rage onto mortals for centuries before, I had fought in every major war not caring which side I was on, or whether I lived or died. I would have given everything, even my soul if it meant getting one thing. Revenge on Valerica for her crimes against me. When Sanguine offered me an opportunity to take it and I jumped at it."
"Did you know at first that it was Sanguine?"
"No not initially. He revealed himself to me in The Misty Grove, when I saw him the first time Sanguine appeared as a mortal man."
"Why would Sanguine want to help an immortal Vampire? A child of Lord Molag-Bal?"
"I didn't care at the time, I had just escaped from the Aldmeri Dominion and he was offering me an outlet for my aggression. So I took it even if his claim wasn't real and Valerica was dead."
"So what happened next?"
"After he revealed his true form to me he told me of the Soul Cairn and showed me the fate of Valerica. In her search for immortality she had become trapped in a castle inside oblivion. He asked me if I was satisfied with her imprisonment. I saw that she was thriving, in her confinement. She enjoyed her solitude to perform her experiments. Sanguine showed me a portal to the Soul Cairn and told me how to make it out."
"That was mighty generous of him."
"He said it more like whom ever survives this fight can use this one way portal to escape. 'But I'm betting on you Song Bird' he said." The priest stopped his pacing.
"He, Sanguine called you Song Bird?"
"Yes, I'm not quite sure why."
"It's not important right now, so what happened?"
"When I stepped through the portal I found myself inside a large arena, in what looked like the same plane of Oblivion I had seen Valerica. I thought perhaps I had been deceived. When I heard her whisper my name I turned to face her. She was pale with large black circles under her eyes a side effect of age and lack of feeding. Something was off about her, like she was a wounded Beast. I suppose living in a prey-less prison will do that."
The Priest continued his ceremonial preparations while Aribella resumed her trance. Ari had relived this memory many times before but this time it felt more vivid like she was really there again. The deep velvety red stains from Harkon's countless victims were now lifting from the stone stairs and creating a fine red mist in the Cathedral, small tendrils of the mist would lick out through the door and caused several of the lesser court members whose ears were pressed to the great double doors hair to stand on end. Ari's breathing was rhythmic almost as though she were asleep.
"I greeted her and asked her why? She ignored me and laughed to herself quite sure that I was an illusion. Using my bow I fired an arrow into her leg showing her that I was quite real, she became lucid then firing off insults and telling me that it was my fault that Harkon was dead."
"She didn't tell you the truth about Harkon's state what he had done for Lord Molag-Bal."
"No." Ari breathed dreamily. Out in the main hall Harkon sat on his throne while members of his court tried to cheer him with goblets of blood.
"No." He waived them away and felt a vision take him. He found himself in a dark, dismal plane. The sky swirled with hues of blues, violet and black. The collapsed Castle that surrounded him reminded him of his Cathedral but larger almost like an arena for battles. Aribella was there wielding a bow, he tried to touch her but she was transparent almost like an apparition. It became clear that he was only here to observe. She was staring at something and Harkon followed her gaze. Lying on the ground in what once resembled a royal gown but now was completely tattered and torn was his wife. Valerica.
"Why!?" Aribella pleaded, she needed to know had to know why her once bond sister had betrayed her like this.
"I always knew you were pathetic. Why the dread Lord allows your continued existence is beyond me. You sought out mortals when you had the power of a Daedric Lord, you squandered your power and exposed the monster you were. Harkon was smitten with you, a fraud. I had to expose you, to get him to come back-"
"To you?! You whore you were married. To a king who loved you! Why couldn't you let Harkon and I be happy?"
"Because you were weak! You still are! So was Harkon, when we told him of your disease he wanted to find you to find a way to cure you. I had to stop him."
"So you killed him." Aribella's rage was visible she was surrounded in a flame. Harkon was in awe she had such power. Valerica smirked as though she had some well kept secret which only added to Aribella's rage.
"My husband then offered me and my daughter to Molag-Bal and now I am more powerful than you will ever be! I am a Daughter of Coldharbor, a pure blooded vampire. One of the chosen favorite of Molag-bal himself!"
"Is that why you hide in this hole in the wall? Seems like a pretty weak move." Aribella sneered. "If you have so much power then prove it!" Aribella fired another arrow and Valerica deflected it with an ice shard.
"Gladly!" Valerica stood and unleashed a volley of ice shards at Aribella. Ari ducked behind a small broken column which the ice shards shattered against. It had been some time since Aribella had even seen her nemesis, and she had never battled her. "I have acquired many new talents, Sister." Valerica sneered at the last word as though she were spitting venom from her throat.
"Is that what you call your pathetic attempt at magic? I have seen children cast a more powerful ice shards!" Ari taunted.
Valerica growled then summoned a large snow wall and hurled it in the direction of Ari. The small column took most of the damage from the spell but then toppled over, the stones frozen solid. Valerica sighed contentedly and limped to the icy pile of rubble and realized that there was no body. Raising her ward she spun slowly searching for her enemy. With the arrow in her leg her mobility was not well and the blood spilling down her leg only added to her blood rage turning her vision red.
"Where are you?" Valerica called to the tomb still pillars. Ari was only a few feet away, with an arrow drawn adrenaline coursing through her veins. This was one prize that she didn't intent to let escape. A pillar crumbled and Valerica turned unleashing another snow wall spell at the source of the sound. Ari let her arrow fly, Valerica turned hearing the bow string release, and cast another ice wall in Ari's direction neither Vampire was fast enough to dodge the attack and both fell to the ground. Ari's arrow had found its home just a few inches from Valerica's heart.
Harkon felt a dark chill watching his wife fall to the ground, he looked at his arms and legs that were covered in a thin sheet of frost glancing over to where Aibella had fallen he could see that she was also covered in a layer of frost. The women were exhausted but Aribella was the first to her feet shaking off the cold a gift from her nordic blood. She pulled a steel sword from her hip and stood over the fallen queen. Valerica sat up slightly and began to laugh darkly, coughing up blood with each exhale. Ari let her finish her hysterics, many foes that she had slain had strange reactions to deaths door and Valerica was no exception.
"It's your fault." Valerica spat.
"What are you babbling about?" Ari was in no mood to humor her enemy.
"Harkon's death, my family's vampirism! It's your fault I am cursed with this putrid disease." Valerica coughed up another large puddle of blood.
"What your Bastard of a husband did to your tainted bloodline is not my responsibility Valerica."
"Oh but it is! If you wouldn't have come into my life Harkon could have died a happy man with mortal children and a loving wife." Aribella smirked at the way Valerica said Loving wife as though she meant herself. "Instead you poisoned our very existence." Aribella roared and with one sweep took off Valerica's head. After a decapitation the human conscious is awake for about five seconds, and Valerica's head smirked wickedly as it rolled to a stop in the center of the arena.
Aribella screamed in frustration, even in her death Valerica still won. The death of her enemy did nothing to quench the raging inferno inside her heart. Valerica, Aribella begrudgingly acknowledged was right. A strange purple wind picked up around Valerica's corpse. Aribella could hear a small tearing sound like when a tree falls to the forest floor. Then suddenly Valerica's soul was swept away from her body. The blue astral form of Ari's fallen enemy screamed.
"GODS PLEASE! NO!" Valerica's blood curdling scream did nothing to stop what happened next she was carried up and up and through the black abyss in the sky. Ari laughed finally, she thought, justice.
The vision faded and Harkon woke in his Throne. The rest of the court it seemed had suffered far worse than he did, several bodies were still unconscious and a few were frozen solid as though Valerica had attacked the whole court only moments before. A sickening scream shook the Castle nocking the last of the dust from the walls and into the air. The death hounds matched the scream with a haunted howl, and then just as suddenly it stopped. The Castle was deathly still, the Cathedral door opened and a lone set of foot prints made their way down the stairs and into the main hall.
Somewhere in the forest near Falkreath the scream woke an un-child from a deep sleep.
She pressed her hands to her ears to try to stop it. Just before her head burst she saw only one image a Castle surrounded by the sea, and then nothing. No pain no images of places she has never seen before only the still and quiet calm of her room in the Dark brotherhood sanctuary.
"Babette?! Are you alright?" Nazir burst through the door then calmed as he saw that she was safe. He glanced around the room looking for an attacker but there was nothing. "I guess even immortal children can still have nightmares."
"It wasn't a nightmare brother." The vampire pulled her legs up against her chest and held them there trying to make herself small. She was embarrassed for crying out. She was not a child, even though her body was proportional to one. She fought every day to prove it, and there were very few people who understood her. Most recently was Ari.
"Want to talk about it?" Nazir leaned against the door way it was as close to giving a hug to the un-child as he felt comfortable. It wasn't that the redguard man wasn't touchy feely. He knew the appropriate reaction to every situation, that was why Astrid utilized him as a foreman of sorts. Babette nodded and he joined her on her child sized stone bed. He didn't know why she didn't sleep out on the other softer beds like the others. They were far warmer than this lump of rock.
"I think it's an omen." Babette whispered.
"What, like a crow? Or a rainy day?" Nazir asked. Babette shook her head.
"Do you remember that contract I was given that Astrid suddenly canceled? The Vampire north of Solitude?"
"Ah yes the one that our late friend Ari declined. What about it?"
"I saw the Castle surrounded by the Sea just like Astrid said, but-" Babette shivered, Nazir waited patiently for her to continue. "I heard a scream."
"A scream?" Nazir was confused. "Was it your scream? Because I definitely heard that one too." Babette blushed.
"No, this was a scream of agony. Of ultimate pain." Babette shivered again.
"Well then. What do you think it means?"
"Huh?"
"You said you thought it was an omen, is it a good omen? A bad one? What does that mean?" Nazir removed his hood. He liked to keep his dark curly hair short so as not to attract too much attention.
"I'm not sure if its bad or worse but I think it means that I need to go there. I need to go now." Babette reflected a moment and then stood.
"Wait, where are you going it's the middle of the night!" Nazir followed her out the door and all the way to their Mistress's room when Babette knocked. "Babette hold on for a moment are you sure about this?"
"I'm positive."
"Alright then, I'v got your back." Nazir leaned up against the door that lead down to the common room, Babette nodded and smiled in thanks.
"What do you want, sister?" Arnbjorn was in no mood for games. Still deep in sleep he rubbed his face. He was wearing his black leather leggings, his chest was bare.
"I need to talk to Astrid, it's important." Babette stood her ground and stared at the giant beast of a man. It wasn't that they never got along in fact for Babette, she viewed Arnbjorn as more of a father figure. She had no memory of her real parents. The vampire who had 'adopted' her from her real parents care when she was an infant taught her how to love killing. Then one day gave her the gift of Vampirism, it took a long time to get used to controlling her urges. For hundreds if years she was unfit to be in the presence if mortals. Her 'mother' tried to protect her from the worst of it and that was how she died. A vigilant of Stendar found them and in the struggle her 'mother' was killed. Babette was alone for two centuries and she had become quite skilled at killing discreetly. That was actually how Astrid had found her and invited her to the family. Arnbjorn was a little put off by the un-child but that was thirty years ago and they got along famously now.
"Astrid love, wake up." Astrid rolled over and walked to the door her hair bumped on the right side from sleeping, she was wearing a simple black robe.
"What is it?" She stood and came to the door.
"Our sister needs to speak with you." He stepped out of the way allowing Astrid through.
"What is it sister?" Astrid straitened up trying to appear more in control. Babette hesitated putting the words together now it sounded insane to even the un-child, but she couldn't deny what she had seen.
"An omen came to me in my sleep, and I think it has something to do with Ari." Arnbjorn tensed at the mention of the arrogant vampire.
"An omen?" Astrid was already leery of this conversation. She crossed her arms over her chest showing her displeasure. "Did you also see this, vision Nazir?" Nazir who had been waiting for the outcome of the situation was surprised that Astrid had even mentioned him.
"No, I was woken up by Babette's scream. I'm surprised that you didn't hear it." He deflected back to Astrid.
"I know it sounds strange but I know what I saw." Babette blurted.
"And what was that?" Astid said annoyed.
"A lonely Castle surrounded by the sea, and a scream."
"You saw a scream?" Arnbjorn mocked.
"No. I heard it. A scream of incredible pain and suffering." Babette paused. "I think it was Ari."
"Good the bitch had it coming." Arnbjorn smirked.
"That's not possible, Ari is dead. Vizara and Festus found her body." Astrid shook her head denying Babette's words.
"Your right Astrid, an immortal assassin staging a convincing death scene isn't possible." Nazir quipped. Astrid was about to bite back but paused to consider what he was saying about Ari. It was possible.
"Be careful brother." Arnbjorn growled in a low warning tone.
"I meant no disrespect, I am just saying anything is possible." Nazir put his hands up and bowed slightly.
"He's right." All eyes were suddenly on their leader. In a cool and flippant way continued. "She may very well be still alive, but I am still not sure about this omen business." Babette tried to interrupt and Astrid rose her hand halting the girl. "It was probably just a bad dream, after all you were really close to Ari. It's probably just your way of trying to cope with the news of her death."
The room was quiet but you could almost hear the un-child raging inside.
"I know what I saw Astrid, and I am leaving to follow it." It was Babette's turn to be stared at.
"You are going to follow what? An omen of death and despair? Possibly your own? Babette, putting Ari aside for a moment why would you even want to follow a dark omen?" Nazir's tone was serious.
"Because I have to, something is telling me that I need to go and I need to go now." Babette stressed the last word and met Astrid's eye.
"There will be no talking you out of this, will there?" For the first time that night Astrid's shoulders slumped. She was defeated. Babette gave Astrid a single solemn nod. "Alright then. Go,"
"Thank you Astrid-" Babette smiled with relief.
"But on one condition, Nazir is going with you." Astrid crossed her arms once again over her chest waiting for her sisters response. Babette's grin quickly disappeared.
"No." Babette shook her head.
"I am the leader of this Sanctuary, and my soul purpose is to protect this sanctuary at all costs. You are a part of this Sanctuary and I will not let you march off on a death quest without back up."
Astrid narrowed her gaze at Nazir.
"I agree with Astrid. I am not going to let you go either unless I come along." He stood and took a few steps toward his sister. Babette thought for a moment and then spoke.
"You can come but do but don't stay with me. Meet me in the inn at Dragon Bridge in three days."
"Fine but I am sticking with you until we get to Dragon Bridge, then you can go your own way."
Nazir offered Babette his hand.
"Deal." Babette shook on it.
That's all I have for now, stay tuned for the next chapter! You will see what Skjor has planned and also discover exactly what happens in the Cathedral. Cya around!
