An Prolonged Love

Fandom: Elder Scrolls Series (Skyrim with DLCs)

Author: CatandKaraForever

Rating: T

Genres: Romance, Adventure, Action, Fantasy

Serana's Point of View:

The tower was decaying. There were numerous missing stones, it was covered in vines, and it was askew.

"This has to be the place," I told Allea, taking a step forward and preparing a warding spell to protect myself if the mage attacked us.

"Yes. It is. I sense his power. At the very least he was here once," she said.

"Leave this place," a loud and deep voice echoed through the canyon, "I would hate to have to turn you to ash!"

"We come in peace," Allea called, tapping into the Thu'um and increasing the volume of her words to guarantee the mage heard, "We come requesting your help!"

"Help? Why would I help you? Mortal intruders!"

"You were infected with the Shadow-Curse," my wife called, "Correct?"

"Yes...Millennia ago..How'd you know?"

"We were informed by a native," Allea said, "But that is not significant."
"You're right. It's not. What IS significant is that today is the day you die!"

"I was infected too," Allea called, "We've heard you can..control your curse. Use it as a tool...rather than a disease."
"You lie! I would sense a fellow Cursed one's presence near me."

"Let us come to you," Allea said, and I could see that she was becoming incorporeal again, "Or come to us!"

There was a puft of black energy and the mage appeared before us. He was transparent, with black shadows coming off of him. He had a long transparent black blade in each hand, and he stared at us.

"You..do not lie. This..is surprising. Come with me. Both of you," he said, turning away from us.

We walked inside the tower, which was completely intact on the inside. In fact, it was quite cozy. The floors were covered in bearskin rugs, there were large candelabras on the walls. He led us into a room with floor to ceiling bookshelves, filled with what I assumed were spell tomes. There were 2 large chairs, which he beckoned us to sit in.

"So," he said as he paced the study, "What brings you here? I'm assuming it has to do with your curse?"

"Aye," Allea said, "I was seeking to be able to control it, the way that you do."

"It's actually quite simple," he admitted, "For me at least."

"What do you do?"

"I clear my mind and then just think of being physically present, when I'm incorporeal and that makes me corporeal. To be incorporeal is just vice versa."

"How did you initially deal with the..stability?"

"What do you mean?"

"The involuntary changing from corporeal to incorporeal," she said.
"Oh? That..I just needed to practice switching and over time I gradually started involuntarily switching less and less until not at all."

"How long did it take to master?"

"A couple of weeks," he said, "You should practice it."

"Practice? No offense," Allea said, "But practice is something that is obvious. I was hoping you could teach me to harness it."

"Aside from what I've told you I don't know how I can help you," he said, his face utterly lacking emotion.

Allea clenched her fist in anger, just as she become incorporeal again.

"Now go. You are wasting my time. I will not smite you down now, as we are..kin in our blessing. But if you waste much more of my time I will not hesitate."

"Please," she said, "Help me."

He snapped his fingers and we were blinded for a moment. When once more we could see, we were in the middle of a desert, nothing but sand to be seen in every direction.