The Moth Priest began to stir a short time later, groaning and rubbing the spot on his head where Mora had hit him, which was quickly turning into a large lump near his forehead.
"Wha...Where am…" His eyes widened suddenly as he seemed to remember what had happened. "I-I'm so sorry! That wasn't me you were fighting. I could see through my eyes, but I couldn't control my actions. Thank the divines for you!"
"Yes, yes." Mora waved away his praise, scowling slightly. Serana couldn't help but grin as the poor man glanced apologetically at Mora's burnt robes, before turning to her instead, most likely in an attempt to escape Mora's wrath.
"Dexion Evicus is my name. Moth Priest of the White Gold Tower. These vampires claimed they had some purpose in store for me, but they wouldn't say what. Probably hoping to ransom me, the fools." Maybe the man was going blind in his old age, Serana contemplated. After being captured by them, she would think he would be able to recognise a vampire.
"I know why they needed you, because we need you for the same purpose." He eyed her warily, no doubt reliving his brief time as a thrall.
"You do? Alright then, enough mysteries."
"We need you to read an Elder Scroll." The man's eyes widened in wonder, and he perked up visibly.
"You have an Elder Scroll? Remarkable! I will be happy to assist you with your Elder Scroll, just tell me where we need to go." Serana gave him a small smile, gesturing for him to follow them out of the cave.
"The College of Winterhold."
Their journey back to the college was uneventful, save Mora's muttered complaints about the cold weather. They arrived at the college soon enough, and they traipsed into Mora's quarters to retrieve the scroll. Mora rummaged through her large chest, retrieving the item and handing it to Dexion, who stared at it reverently, holding it like a newborn baby.
"Are you prepared to read the scroll?" The man started, his fervent gaze broken, but a wide smile split his wizened face.
"Oh, most certainly! Let's find out what secrets the scroll can tell. Now, if you will please be quiet, I must concentrate." The old man unfurled the ancient scroll, his eyes glowing softly, Serana thinking of how much it reminded her of what Mora's did when she read the dragon language.
"I see a vision before me, an image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It's Auriel's Bow!" He swayed slightly where he stood, eyes continuing to glow eerily in the flickering torchlight of Mora's room.
"Now a voice whispers, saying 'Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise. In the age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light and the night and day will be as one.'" Serana glanced at Mora, trying to gauge her reaction. The elf's face was impassive, but her eyes burned with intensity as she focused her whole attention on the Moth Priest.
"The voice fades and the words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait, there is more here. The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to this prophecy recorded in other scrolls." Other scrolls?
"Yes I see them now…" Dexion continued, "One contains the ancient secrets of dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood." Serana perked up as she heard the words. Her mother had two scrolls, one that she had entrusted with Serana. She had a pretty good idea of where her mother could be, but she had never heard anything of the other scroll. Hopefully the Moth Priest would be able to help in that regard.
"My vision darkens, and I see no more. To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two scrolls. I must rest now, The reading has made me weary." The glow in Dexion's eyes faded, the old man swaying once more where he stood. Dexion hobbled tiredly from the room, leaving Mora and Serana alone. The elf began once more to rummage through her chest, muttering quietly.
"I think I know where we can start looking for one of the scrolls." Serana said, trying to peer over Mora's shoulder as the elf continued her fervent search. "How big is that chest anyway?" The elf was almost shoulder deep, face scrunched in concentration.
"It's…" Mora panted, "Bigger on the inside...Aha!" She pulled a large object out of the chest, Serana rushing to catch the smaller woman in her arms as the momentum of the object sent her reeling back. Serana gently pushed Mora to her feet, but the elf didn't even seem to notice that she had almost fallen over in her excitement.
"And you know where the last scroll is too?"
"The last-" Serana finally got a good look at what Mora was holding, and her jaw dropped. The elf held an Elder Scroll in her arms, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet.
"How did you get that?" Serana managed meekly, as Mora continued to bounce excitedly, in a way Serana might have found cute if she wasn't completely dumfounded.
"I used it to learn a shout to fight Alduin." Mora waved away the question, as if keeping priceless artifacts in her room was a regular occurrence. Serana supposed that it wasn't far out of the question. "Anyway, you said you know where another scroll could be?"
"Yes, actually. My mother told me she'd hide somewhere my father would never think to find her. I think she's at Castle Volkihar. He would never think to look for her right under his own nose." Mora seemed to contemplate the idea, before nodding.
"Hiding in plain sight. It's dangerous, but it can be...effective."
"My mother is no coward, but I doubt we'll run into her there, she'll be more cautious than that. We can get in through an unused inlet on the northern side of the castle. An old escape tunnel exits there, I think that's our way in." Mora gave her a wide grin.
"Sounds perfect. Before we set out for the castle I need to do a few things in Whiterun, if you don't mind. I've taken one too many daggers in the back and I think it's time for some modifications on this old thing." She gestured to her robes, still bearing a large blackened mark where she had been burned.
"Besides," she added, "you haven't met my friends yet."
The guards before the gates of Whiterun gave them a sharp salute as they passed, greeting Mora in tones of respect. The sun had just begun to set as the pair reached the city, which was beginning to lose its usual daytime bustle as the residents moved into the taverns or their own homes. Serana spotted a few children playing hide and seek, flitting between homes with giggles of joy, before scurrying out of her line of sight. Mora led her to a small wooden home not far from the gates of the city, and opened the door. The home's interior was small but cozy, a fire was lit in the hearth and pot of stew bubbled warmly above it. Serana heard shuffling from upstairs, and soon a woman appeared on the staircase, wearing a simple frock, though she held a sword in her hand, no doubt hearing their intrusion. She had hair of a similar color to Mora's, but had brown eyes, and was slightly taller than Serana herself.
"Mora!" The elf grinned, opening her arms for a hug, and the other woman rushed forward, dropping her sword on a nearby table before sweeping the elf into her arms, completely lifting her off the ground, even as she began to berate her.
"You've been gone at least three months, you leave no note, you didn't even make your bed for gods' sake, and for all Aela and I knew you could have been dead! I have half a mind to put you over my knee and spank you, but you'd enjoy it too much wouldn't you, you little-" Serana's eyes made contact with the other woman's which widened and she hastily set Mora down, probably a little too forcefully since the elf fell straight to the floor, clutching her ribs and groaning slightly.
"You didn't tell me we had company." The woman glared at Mora, who still lay on the floor holding her side, but managed to gasp a few words.
"Couldn't...breathe...Lydia...meet...Serana." The woman walked forward, giving Serana a bright smile, extending her hand in greeting. Serana shook it, watching as Mora slowly clambered to her feet, using the table to help herself stand. Lydia rounded on Mora once more.
"What have you been doing all this time anyway?" Mora looked up, eyes watering slightly as she finally regained control of her breath.
"I went to help the Dawnguard for a while, but it turns out they're a bunch of bigots so I helped this kind woman instead." She began to inspect her fingernails. "We're going to save the world, or something." Lydia rolled her eyes, turning back to face Serana.
"So who're…" Her eyes widened as she peered more closely at Serana, before suddenly diving to the side and gripping her sword. With a cry, she rushed at Serana, who was ready to roll to the side when Mora appeared in front of her, catching Lydia's wrist and wrenching the blade away from her.
"Serana is a friend," she said firmly, "she isn't like the others." Lydia glared first at Serana, then at Mora, but she seemed to accept the elf's words.
"You hurt my wrist." She said sulkily.
"You hurt my ribs." Mora shot back. They glared at eachother for a few moments.
"Want to go drink?" Lydia asked. Serana rolled her eyes. This couldn't end well.
Serana found herself wedged between a very drunk Lydia, and another woman, equally drunk, with red hair and war paint who had introduced herself as Aela. Mora was talking to some of the other residents of Jorrvaskr, wobbling slightly as she fought to form coherent words. Serana herself had drunk quite a bit of mead, but her vampirism kept her from getting quite as inebriated as the two women next to her.
"So cute." Aela said fondly, gesturing to Mora, who was currently trying to use one hand to steady herself against a table as she tipped back yet another mug of mead. "She's such a lightweight." Lydia hummed in agreement, before turning to Serana, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"So...our resident Dragonborn has taken a fancy to vampires now, eh?" Serana, glad she could no longer blush, opened her mouth to deny any such thing, but Aela was faster.
"I guess we weren't kinky enough for her. That's something, considering..." She trailed off, before Serana up and down, making her squirm slightly under her scrutiny. "You're definitely her type." Aela leaned in confidentially before whispering, "She likes them tall." She gestured between the three of them.
"And curvy." Lydia added.
Serana wished she could melt through the floor.
"I haven't...we haven't…" Lydia laughed leaning in just like Aela.
"Come now, Mora is the most notorious womanizer in Skyrim. I mean, look at her." Serana looked up, and sure enough, Mora was leaning, in what she probably thought was a casual manner, against a table, talking to a giggling barmaid. Serana scowled for a moment, a pang of anger rushing through her, before she suppressed it, annoyed that the emotion had appeared at all.
"No, really. We haven't...done anything." The two women stared at her with incredulity, until Aela broke the silence with a low whistle.
"Damn. She must either really like you, or she's terrified of you."
"Maybe both." Lydia chimed in.
"You're really telling us that you've known Mora for at least a month, and she hasn't tried to get into your pants? You've got to be kidding me." Aela crossed her arms, looking at Serana with new found interest. Serana couldn't help but toy with thoughts about what would happen if Mora attempted just that, but did not enjoy the devious looks growing on the faces of her two companions.
"I'd say it's only a matter of time. Especially since she's drunk right now. I suppose we may as well give you a few tips." Aela nodded vigorously, pouring herself more mead.
"For starters, don't let all her fire fool you. In bed, she loves to be dom-"
A loud crash startled the trio, and Serana breathed a sigh of relief. Mora had managed somehow to knock over a large pitched of mead, much to the displeasure of the hall's many drunken residents. Lydia sighed lightly.
"Let's get her out of here before the fight starts." Lydia deadpanned, as if such a thing were a common occurrence. She stood from her seat, walked calmly to the Dragonborn, who was completely oblivious to what she had done, picked her up, putting the smaller woman over her shoulder, and carried her out the door. Serana stared blankly for a few moments, before Aela shrugged and gestured for them to leave. They stood from the table and left the hall, just as the sounds of a brawl began to sound from inside. Serana shook her head, following Aela to Mora's home. All she wanted at the moment as a very, very cold bath. Despite how uncomfortable she was with the discussion in the hall, she couldn't deny the want emanating from her abdomen. During their travels, she had been far too occupied put much thought into the matter, but she could no longer deny what she was beginning to feel for the small elf. Maybe it was that she had been so long without either a friend or a lover, but Mora made her feel a way she hadn't felt in a long time, even before she had been hidden away. Mora made her feel...good. Serana smiled slightly as she and Aela slipped inside the door to the small home. Despite the hardships that no doubt awaited them, maybe the future didn't look as bleak as she had thought.