Disclaimer in Ch. 1
He shifted on his bed as he heard his door creak open. His hand slid up by his head for the dagger he kept there and he waited, keeping his breathing steady as whoever it was neared him. "Put it down Vilkas." Aela's soft voice met his ears. "I know you have been awake."
He turned to face her and raised an eyebrow in question. "Elise is back," she murmured. He shot up in bed only to be stopped by her hand. "She is not alone."
"She has brought others here before," Vilkas responded.
"Yes," Aela agreed, "but none of them were vampires."
"What?" Vilkas hissed. "Are you sure?"
"I smelled Elise first and was going to greet her when I smelled the vampire as well. They have not moved from just inside the door and they do not appear to be talking. I do not know what is going on, but I was not going up alone." She jerked her head in direction of the door. "Farkas is in the hallway armed and ready. If some vampire trash thinks they can take our Harbinger captive they have another thing coming," she growled.
Vilkas rose and quickly readied himself before meeting Aela and Farkas in the hall. Aela took the lead and the three moved quietly to the stairs. It was still bright in the common room and Vilkas realized it was not as late as he thought it was. His eyes turned towards the doors and he spied Elise standing at the top of the few stairs there, arms spread out in front of whoever, or whatever, was behind her. The figure behind her was cloaked and for the first time since he had purified himself of the blood, he missed it.
Aela growled in her throat as she slinked towards Elise. "I know what you are thinking," Elise's strong voice cut through the silence. "It is not like that. She is assisting me in my quest. I ask that you hear us out before you act."
Aela growled again and Vilkas placed a hand on her arm. "You had better explain quickly," he said.
Elise sucked in a breath and stepped to the side allowing the woman to step forward. "This is Serana," she said. "I know she is a vampire. She is helping me stop her father from completing his quest."
"What is her father's quest?" Farkas asked.
"To extinguish the sun," Serana interjected. "We think." She shrugged her shoulders and glanced at Elise. "Prophecies tend to not be very specific."
"And why are you helping to stop him?" Aela asked.
"My father would use it to rule the world. All living people would become cattle for him and his kind to feed upon," Serana responded.
"And you do not agree with his plans?" Vilkas asked.
"I enjoy the power I have from being a vampire and the immortality that comes with it, but I do not want to see life as we know it wiped out. I am content with feeding off the lowlifes that wander across Tamriel. Not to mention my father seriously underestimates the strength of mortals," Serana answered.
Elise stepped forward, a concerned look on her face. "We would not even be at Jorrvaskr, but we stopped at Breezehome and it was ransacked." She exhaled shakily and turned to Vilkas, eyes filled with worry. "The children and Lydia, all gone. What happened?"
Vilkas and Farkas shared a look before Farkas turned to Serana. "You may stay for now," he said to the vampire, "but I am watching you."
"I have no intention of staying here," Serana responded. "I need to go feed and the innkeeper indicated a group of bandits not far to the north. I will be back in the morning to collect Elise."
"I will go with you," Aela declared. All eyes turned to her in surprise and she added, "To insure you stick to only the bandits."
Elise nodded and the two women slipped out the door. Elise took quick steps to Vilkas, pausing a few feet away, an unsure look on her face. "Vilkas," she frowned. "Sofie and Alesan?"
Vilkas was not surprised when he caught the fear that laced her voice. He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. "They are fine," he assured her and she sagged in relief. "Come, you can see for yourself."
He led her down stairs and nodded good night to Farkas when he split off to his room. Vilkas and Elise continued into Kodlak's old rooms and Elise gasped when she saw Sofie and Alesan asleep in the bed. She hurried over to them and knelt next to the bed, fingers stroking across Sofie's hair as she leaned forward and nuzzled the girl, inhaling deeply. She moved to Alesan's side of the bed next and did the same thing with him before turning to Vilkas. He motioned her out of the room and the two sat at the table near the door. "Vilkas, what happened?"
"The Thalmor," Vilkas said quietly. "They ransacked Breezehome in the middle of the night. Lydia was able to fight them off and get the children to safety, but her wounds were too much." He trailed off and sighed. "She did not make it."
Elise's hands flew to her mouth and he could tell she was fighting back tears. "Why not send a courier out after me?" she hissed. "I would have been back here sooner."
"We did not want to risk the Thalmor intercepting anything," Vilkas answered. After several minutes he added, "We were not even sure what they were doing here." His question went unspoken but he could tell from the way Elise stiffened that she knew what he was asking.
"I cannot tell you yet," she sighed and leaned her elbows on the table, dropping her head in her hands. "Divines know I wish I could Vilkas, the timing is not right."
"By Talos girl," Vilkas snarled, "what are you involved in that you have the Thalmor after you?"
She laughed sardonically. "Believe it or not I did nothing to provoke them. The Thalmor are after me because I am me." His brow wrinkled in confusion and she smiled tiredly. "The time is coming Vilkas. I will have to make my move soon, sooner now maybe that they have made theirs. I promise I will reveal everything to you before I do."
"You speak as if you are going to war with them," Vilkas responded.
"In a way I am," she answered. "Not by choice, but because, like everything else I have dealt with since I returned to Skyrim, I have to. It is 'in my blood'." She threw a wry grin his way and he smiled sadly.
He reached out and grasped one of her hands in both of his, rubbing his thumbs over the back of hers. "Promise me you will ask for help when you need it. You are not in this alone," he stated, looking at her seriously.
"I promise Vilkas," she vowed, squeezing his hand.
After several minutes he grudgingly released her hand and smirked. "Do I dare ask what you and that vampire are up to?" he asked.
She laughed out right. "We are on the hunt for a moth priest," she stated.
His eyebrows rose up nearly to his hairline. "A moth priest?" he repeated. "The ones from the Imperial City who study Elder Scrolls?" he asked.
"The very same," she said, nodding. "Serana has a scroll and we need somebody to help us figure it out. Without it we have no hope of stopping her father. We have done some snooping around and think there might be one in Dragonbridge. Since Whiterun was on the way I suggested stopping so I could check on the children. I did not expect to find." She stopped speaking and inhaled shakily, again dropping her face in her hands. "I was so scared Vilkas," she whispered tearfully.
He slid his chair over next to hers and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I would have contacted you to come back if something had happened to them," he murmured. "And after what happened we have agreed to let them stay here until you return," he added.
"Thank you," she said, wiping her eyes discreetly. "I will be able to sleep better knowing they are safe here with you." She paused and then grinned at him. "Well, as good as I can sleep being a werewolf traveling with a vampire." He laughed and squeezed her shoulder before letting her go. "Go to sleep," he said. "You look like you could use it."
She nodded and slipped into the bedroom, tugging off her armor and laying it on the dresser. She pulled a tunic on and then slid into the bed between Sofie and Alesan, sighing contentedly as she slipped off to sleep. Vilkas smiled and eased the door closed.
He was walking back out to his room when Aela and Serana came down the stairs. The two seemed to be laughing over a joke and he raised an eyebrow. "Nothing like bonding over the murder of scum," Aela commented, patting him on the shoulder. "That is Elise's room," she said to Serana pointing at the room across from hers. "I am sure she is in with the children so you can use her room if you want."
"Thank you," Serana said and moved into the room. Aela nodded at Vilkas and then disappeared into hers. Vilkas shook his head in amazement before retiring to his room.
