"Ah." Titus cried out in pain as Sorine Jurard emptied a vial of a strange gold coloured liquid on to his leg.

"Oh don't be such a baby." She scolded him. "I thought you Nords were the big, strong silent types." Titus just stared angrily at her as the diminutive Breton busied herself, grounding up a fresh batch of herbs and dumping them into a pot of boiling water.

"I thought you were just going to give me a healing potion?" He asked, worriedly watching as Sorine seemed to pick different ingredients at random to throw into the boiling water. "

"Oh no, no, no, I said I'd treat you and treating you is what I'm doing." Sorine told him as poked at the great bite mark on his leg, ignoring Titus's hisses of pain as he prodded at the wounds. "Bears have very dirty teeth, they never brush them you know."

"Dirty teeth?" Titus asked, sure that the pain must have been making his mind play tricks.

"Yes dirty teeth, do Nord mothers not teach their children about such things." Sorine said impatiently. "Dirt leads to infection, infection leads to death, surely you know this?"

"My mother wasn't a…" Titus sighed heavily, realising it was useless to argue with the Breton. "Yes I know that."

"Then why do you argue?" Sorine asked exasperatedly, shaking her head as she turned back to her mortar and pestle. "Here drink this." She pushed a new vial into his hands. "It's for the pain." She said more gently, placing a cool hand upon his forehead before turning away once more, trying to hide the worried expression on her face.

"What is it?" Titus asked worriedly, he seen men lose limbs to infection, held men down as surgeons hacked off maimed limbs and afterword he had always found himself praying fervently to the Gods that such a fate would never befall him.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Sorine muttered as she rummaged through her satchel. "Probably nothing." She smiled reassuring back at Titus before emptying yet more herbs into the bubbling cauldron. "Drat." She cursed, tipping the satchel upside down and letting the contents fall onto the table, all kinds of flowers and herbs floating down on the fire blackened wood along with what appeared to be a dead mouse, at least he thought it was, he couldn't be sure anymore, his vision was getting blurry and he was struggling to tie two thoughts together.

"How's our new friend?" Gunmar's deep bass echoed off the walls of the small hut as he strode in, a deer slung across his back.

"He'll be fine." Sorine said tersely, still searching through the mess of plants. "Gunmar, go make yourself useful and find some Mara's Blessing."

"Mara's Blessing? Gods no Sorine tell me you're not making the poor lad drink that swill, surely he's been through enough already."

"And whose idea was it to enter a bear cave without checking if more than one bear lived in it?" Sorine growled back.

"Alright, I'll go find the damn flower." Gunmar held his hands up in surrender, the huge Nord wilting under Sorine's glare.

"And hurry." Sorine called after him. "You don't want to be out at night in Skyrim at the moment."

"I'd like to meet the vampire who could sneak up me." Gunmar snorted derisively, though his pace quickened as he headed out of the door, leaving the dark, smoke filled room without a backwards glance.

"Huh the mouse isn't dead, it was just sleeping, and I'd like to sleep." Titus mumbled, his eyes drooping shut.

"Stay awake." He jolted awake, his cheek burning with pain as Sorine delivered a stinging slap, the ring on her finger cutting his cheek.

"Ow." Titus moaned, he should have been angrier, he thought dimly as he slumped back on the wooden cot, but all he could feel was numbness, tiredness, like he was slowly slipping away.

"Hey look at me." Sorine turned his head so that he was looking into her eyes. "You cannot sleep, you hear me. Some these bears manage to get nightshade on the teeth, especially when they make a kill in the forest. When you got bit you got a dose of nightshade straight into your bloodstream."

"That's not good." Titus mumbled, his head nodding forward, eyes closing for a moments before he jerked awake once more.

"Not ordinarily, no." Sorine agreed. "Luckily for you a healthy dose of my famous Jurard Soup will have you dancing in no time?" Titus stared bewilderedly at the Breton, who seemed to be ignoring him completely now, babbling to herself as skilful hands began to prepare yet another potion, her knife was a blur as it chopped and crushed the various plants on her pockmarked table.

Titus had begun to fall into a haze by the time Gunmar returned, voices of long dead friends and family seemed to shriek out at him, their voices distant and muffled like they were crying out from their graves.

"You sure you can't give me something to knock me out?" He almost begged Sorine, his hands were shaking badly now though whether it was the effect of fear or poison he didn't know.

"You can sleep once I've given you the cure." Sorine mumbled impatiently, her back to Titus as she added the red flower Gunmar had brought her to the mixture that bubbled in the cauldron.

"I don't think its sleep the lad wants." Gunmar said softly, a sad smile on his heavily bearded face. "Not the kind with dreams at least. Not to worry lad, I've got just the thing in my pack, it'll knock you out faster than an elf in an alehouse."


Gunmar was true to his word, so much so that three days later Titus was still feeling groggy as he limped up the path to the great gates of Fort Dawnguard. A wooden palisade had been built across the winding path that twisted up towards the gateway, the heads that adorned the spikes either side of the gate telling Titus that the palisade had been built for more than appearances. New faces stared at him suspiciously, crossbows levelled at the ragged trio as they trudged towards the gate. Titus spotted Agmaer upon the palisade's gatehouse and waved in relief.

"I know the middle one, let them through, Isran wants to see him." Agmaer said gruffly, not refusing to meet Titus's questioning gaze.

"Friendly bunch." Sorine remarked as they left the palisade behind them, she had been hovering near Titus since they had gotten of the coach, ready to catch him if he fainted, which she had brusquely informed was likely after the strain his body had taken over the past week.

"They've been attacked." Gunmar replied, nodding in the direction of the freshly dug graves to their right. "And they're waiting for the next one, it frays the nerves of even the strongest warriors."

"It's more than that." Titus muttered. "Did you see the way Agmaer was staring at me, like I was a enemy or something."

"You do look like you're half dead." Gunmar chuckled, he moved to slap Titus on the back but thought better of it, his eyes shifting down to Titus's heavily bandaged leg. "You're just imagining things lad."

"I hope so." Titus said tiredly, his thoughts already shifting away from Agmaer, towards his soft bed in the fort's barracks.


"Hold still." Isran growled, his voice echoing of the walls as the thick wooden doors swung shut behind them, glancing up Titus saw him standing on the walkway above them, staring down at them like they were rats trapped in a pit.

"What the…" Titus swore as a bright light blinded, a hand shielding his eyes as the rays seemed beat down on him, he wobbled as his weight was forced onto his injured leg, he would've fallen but Gunmar whipped out at an arm to stop him from toppling to the side.

"Sun Fire Isran? You really think we're vampires?" Sorine snapped.

"You? No." Isran turned his gaze to Titus. "Him, yes."

"Well he's not undead." Sorine grumbled. "I should know, I spent enough time keeping him that way."

"Better safe than sorry." Isran replied bluntly. "The Vigilants got too arrogant, thought they were safe and look what happened to them."

"Shor take their souls." Gunmar muttered quietly, his hand reaching up to touch the Talos pendant on his chest.

"What the hell was that?" Titus asked, still blinking furiously as his eyes struggled to readjust.

"Sun Fire, a spell passed down from the ancient Dawnguard."

"For killing vampires?"

"It's the Dawnguard." Sorine laughed. "Of course it's for killing vampires."

"Enough chatting." Isran interrupted. "Sorine, Gunmar make yourselves at home. You, you have a visitor." Isran spat out the word like it left a sour taste on his tongue, his one eye boring into Titus for a few moments before he turned and walked away.

"Why'd he have to choose chambers upstairs?" Titus complained, the pain in his leg flaring up at just the thought of climbing up that steep spiral staircase.

He was sweating heavily by the time he reached the top of the staircase, the bite mark on his leg felt like it was on fire.

"Fuck Isran, fuck the Dawnguard, fuck this damn visitor and fuck the damn bear." Titus snarled under his breath, furious that he couldn't just collapse in his bed, that he still hadn't earned any damn trust with Isran, Agmaer or any of the Dawnguard.

"Hey Titus." A familiar voice greeted him coolly as he limped into Isran's study, jerking him out of his angry tirade.

"Serana?" Titus rubbed his eyes, convinced that exhaustion was making him hallucinate.

"What the hell happened to you?" Serana asked, eyeing him with a concerned look.

"You know this bloodsucker's name?" Isran asked furiously, cutting Titus off before he could answer.

"Yes." Titus mumbled, his brain too tired to come up with an excuse. "I met her in Dimhollow Crypt. She was not one of the vampires who attacked the Vigilants." He added hurriedly, heading Isran off before he could leap to the wring conclusion. "She was looked in some sort of stone tomb, I accidentally released her."

"None of which explains why you let it live." Isran growled, his hands wrapped around the hand of his warhammer.

"I was crippled." Titus explained haltingly. "I would have never been able hold a sword again if she hadn't healed me. I owed her a debt and she called it in."

"You Nords and you're damn honour." Isran chuckled derisively. "Still that doesn't explain why it is standing in my chambers."

"You'll have to ask her for yourself?" Titus nodded in Serana's direction. "I'd hoped our 'arrangement' was over."

"Look I know you have no reason to trust me but there is something you need to know." She sighed, looking a moment like a lost women, like any other girl in Skyrim. She's a vampire, Titus reminded himself, and you're just a walking meal to her.

"Go on." Isran growled, either oblivious or uncaring about the internal conflict Serana was going through.

"I don't know much, just that my father is obsessed with a prophecy, one that will 'end the tyranny of the sun', whatever that means. My mother told me that he needed this elder scroll, that with it he could fulfil the prophecy."

"End the tyranny of the sun, that doesn't sound good." Titus muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"No it doesn't." Isran agreed. "But how we do know we can trust this…this thing, it could all be a trick."

"I don't think so. Look Isran, I have some…experience with Elder Scrolls, they can do impossible if they're in the right hands."

"Fine." Isran nodded reluctantly. "If it is true, then we need to find out what this prophecy is and make sure that it can never be fulfilled. Can you read these elder scrolls?"

"You need a Moth Priest." Serana answered for Titus. "My father said that they were the only ones who could read an elder scroll and I happen to know where we could find one."

"Where?" Isran snapped impatiently.

"I have some requests."

"You mean demands." Isran growled, stepping closer to Serana, his warhammer held ready.

"Kill me and you'll get nothing." She hissed defiantly, fangs bared as she met Isran's fierce gaze without a trace of fear. "All I want is your word that I will be your guest and that I will be unharmed."

"You arrogant bitch, if you think I'm going to do…" Isran snarled angrily, his warhammer raised and ready to swing.

"Easy, easy." Titus yelled, pushing himself in-between the two of them before they began to tear each other apart. "Look Isran we need to find this prophecy, we need to stop whatever plan they have. Now look I've told you that this Harkon is no ordinary vampire, he changed into…into something. If we have to swallow our pride to stop their plans then so be it."

"You think its pride." Isran roared. "No one knows what vampires are capable of better than me, I lost my whole family to those bastards."

"You're not the only one." Titus yelled back, his temper finally snapping. "I lost my family, hell I lost my entire cohort to them. I have just as much cause to hate them as you but I am not the one who is letting my hate cloud my judgement." Isran just stared at him, nostrils flaring as the man struggled to control his rage. Titus let his hand wander to the hilt of his shortsword though if it came to a fight he did not fancy his chances, Isran was and stronger while he was exhausted, injured and his gaze was beginning to blur.

"Hate is what keeps me strong." Isran said quietly. "I give you my word that no harm shall come to you within these walls but when you betray us I promise that you're death will both be painful and slow. Remember vampire, I'm a man of my word."

"Well then." Titus forced a note of happiness into his tone. "Glad that's settled."

"Not so fast." Isran held out a hand to stop him from walking away. "She is your responsibility now, she harms anyone then it's your life I'll take in return."

"Good to know." Titus mumbled, too tired to argue with Isran anymore, the world was beginning to sway anyway, colours seeming to blur together and then the ground rushed up to meet him.