A/N: Sorry for the wait. I write when I have a strong compulsion to do so instead of just cranking something out for the sake of having an update. I write better when I'm excited and motivated rather than wishing the chapter would just end. I also decided that a small warning is possibly in order. At the end, there is slightly *implied* rape. There is nothing really detailed and there is an explanation in the beginning of the next chapter that I am posting immediately after this that has a strong likelihood of changing how you view the end of this chapter. I don't want to spoil the beginning of the next chapter, and am unsure of how this will be received or even if a warning was actually necessary, but here goes nothing.

Ronthil was more than ready to go. In my excitement, I nearly forgot Molag Bal's mace, but I was quick to correct that error. Unwilling to waste any more time on this island, I transformed and flew over the ocean. Ronthil was quick to follow. When we reached the shore, I took the time to take in Ronthil's form. He wasn't Harkon by any means, and never would be, but he could be appreciated. A smidgeon of guilt entered my heart as I thought about how much more attractive Harkon had been when I had agreed to court Ronthil. I pushed it aside. There was nothing I wanted to do about it, at the present.

We flew at a much slower pace after we came to shore. The curiosity that had been slowly building came to an apex when we neared Wolfskull Cave. Where did Ronthil find the journals in that cave? Could we find something else of use in there? I was nervous to ask him about it, though, as I didn't want to alert him that a big part of his presence was to help me try to revive Harkon. I wasn't sure how poorly he would react.

Should I skip it and go to the Throat of the World? I felt so scattered right now that I wasn't even sure what I was trying to do first. I landed atop a massive rock formation and tried to figure out what I wanted to do. An urgent tap on my shoulder and a worried look on Ronthil's gray face as he pointed at the reddening sky in the distance made my decision for me. I hadn't even realized sunrise was just around the corner!

When we flew to Wolfskull Cave, Ronthil gave me a watchful eye. "What? It's the closest cave," I said through my row of sharp teeth. Resignation showed in his eyes as he complied. When we entered, Ronthil changed back into his usual, elfish form. "Are you feeling alright, Iola?" he asked as he jogged behind me.

Scouting ahead as far as I could without entering the main chamber, it seemed that the cave was abandoned. Casting a simple spell revealed nothing alive or undead. I sighed. "Ronthil… I need to be straightforward with you. I can't stand feeling guilty for too long." He was watching me intently, fidgeting slightly as he adjusted his weight from one foot to the next. "I want to try to revive Harkon. It's been something that's controlled my heart ever since I ended his life and I can't move forward until I at least do everything in my power to bring him back."

Ronthil took a deep breath and his molten eyes stared into mine. "What purpose would it serve to bring him back? Am… am I not enough?"

My brows came together as my expression softened. I took a moment to transform back into my normal form. Talking was difficult and I had a feeling this was going to be a conversation that lasted until we went to sleep for the day. "Ronthil, it's not that," I half lied. "It's- I just-," I rubbed my face as I struggled to find the right words. "Ronthil, I love him. He and I were incredibly close and you know how hard it is for me to have friends. I miss him terribly."

He folded his arms over his chest. "If you are successful, what happens to us?"

Heartbreak was mere seconds away and it made me sweat. "I… I don't know, Ronthil. I don't even know if he wants to come back or if he will ever forgive me for killing him. I am hoping that, by bringing him back, it will show that I still value his friendship." Liar, liar, LIAR was all I could think. I valued being Harkon's lover. "It would, at least, make it so I don't have to be the leader in the castle. Taking over his court was something I never wanted." At least my last statement wouldn't be a big, fat lie.

He nodded, though it wouldn't surprise me if he knew when I was lying through my teeth. "I see. And if you aren't successful?"

"Then I can put this behind me and focus on the present." At least, for the most part, I should have added but didn't. I wouldn't have a choice to let it go if every available option was exhausted and yielded no results. I almost congratulated myself for not flat-out lying to Ronthil with that particular statement.

He looked around the cavern and languidly walked over to the ledge that offered a beautiful view of the main chamber. It seemed like he was looking up to where the summoning circle for Queen Potema was. "Let's find a safe place to sleep. I can feel that the sun has risen and I'm tired," Ronthil said. It surprised me that he had taken the lead instead of submissively waiting for me to make the suggestion. I walked behind him nervously, hoping that he didn't just realize how little invested I was in our relationship beyond being friends. "Sleep with me?" he finally asked with hopeful eyes and an easy smile as he neared the old sleeping quarters.

"Sure," I said with as much eagerness as I could muster. The previous conversation made me wish a certain other person was to be my bed partner, but it was not to be this day.

The next evening wasn't as awkward as I thought it was going to be. We had slept comfortably in each other's arms through the day and his gentle kisses pulled me out of my sleep. Apparently, I had been responding to his affections at a satisfactory level while barely awake. "I love you," he whispered. It warmed my heart and made it ache at the same time. I didn't feel like lying to him this early in the evening, so I gave him a kiss in response. He was more than happy with it.

When I went to investigate the summoning circle more closely, he was quick to assist me by looking through old scraps of paper he hadn't looked beforehand and helped me understand how the circle worked. It was specifically for Queen Potema, to my disappointment, but Ronthil's reasoning was sound. "Queen Potema herself made the summoning circle for her more advanced summoning techniques. She was an incredibly powerful necromancer while she was alive. She was able to be summoned here because of how acquainted she was with the circle. She casted a great deal of magic on it. I wouldn't be surprised if her blood or some other part of her was part of its construction."

"I don't think Harkon had anything like this. A summoning circle, I mean," I thought out loud. Great. So I could, hypothetically, be able to summon Valerica with one of her summoning circles, but not Harkon. Of course the person I would be able to summon would be the one I would rather never see again.

Ronthil shook his head. "As far as I know, he didn't dabble in necromancy as advanced as this. I'm positive he didn't personally build any structures like this, except maybe the shrine to Molag Bal in the Cathedral."

"I would really rather stay away from the castle right now," I mumbled. It was unlikely I would be able to summon Harkon through it, anyways. It was something to summon Molag Bal with. Preferably, I would keep that particular Daedra at arm's length. Better yet, entire realms apart. I mused at the mace at my side. Could I strike a deal with a Daedric Prince without biting off more than I could chew? My soul was already set to be divvied up between the lot of them, all things considered, so not much to lose in that respect.

"Bring me souls…" a deep, familiar voice that sent chills down my spine invaded my mind. I knew that voice from the house in Markarth. Its owner gave me the mace. A grin threatened to quirk a corner of my mouth. I could do that. Maybe if I sent enough of them, he would be willing to send just one back?

For the next couple months, Ronthil and I painted Skyrim's landscape with blood. There wasn't a fort, ruin, or hole in the ground that we didn't decimate. Ronthil surprised me with the effective ruthlessness he could possess towards man and mer alike. Molag Bal's mace never lacked a thick coat of gore. One night in particular would leave memories for a lifetime, though not in the way I anticipated.

My teeth were deeply buried in the nude woman's flesh. I had forced her to strip, making up a lie saying that I would spare her if she gave me every item of value she had. She struggled fruitlessly as I drank her dry, each swallow making her heart work harder and harder. Finally, the thumping in her chest became no more and I laid her body down. I stepped away as her bowels vacated and her eyes dilated, just starting to tinge brown in color. I didn't know why, but I had felt compelled to watch her mortal form give up on life. It was interesting to see all the little changes. When her lips and fingertips were turning purple, I turned to Ronthil. "Finished?"

A moment later, he strode around the corner, wiping blood from his chin and throat. "Yes. You?"

I nodded. I hadn't told Ronthil about hearing Molag Bal's voice. When we ditched Wolfskull Cave in favor of clearing house on outlaw hidey-holes, he had seemed pleased. No need to ruin that good vibe with the knowledge of Daedric interference. "Yeah. Want to stay here for the day?"

"Not really. Wasn't there some place you wanted to go to just a bit out of Markarth?"

"Yeah. I had some friends in that area and I wanted to see if any of them were alive or if their children acquired the same tastes."

"Tastes?"

"Cannibals. Worshipped Namira."

Ronthil stared at me. "How did you meet them?"

"Eh… I kind of joined them. Got a neat ring out of the deal."

"Were you… were you a cannibal before you came into the court?"

"Yes, but I don't see the big deal. I mean, when the thralls reach the end of their usefulness, we drain them and eat them. Heck, the castle is chock full of bones and the tables are littered with chunks of corpses."

Ronthil paused for a moment, then conceded. "I suppose you're right, even though I don't partake in that kind of… dietary arrangement."

I shrugged. "Shall we get going? We could see if the house I got this mace from is still abandoned."

"Lead the way."

Before we made it out of the crumbling fort, I was surrounded in a bubble of magic I had only seen summoned Daedra use to appear on Nirn. The next thing I knew, I was standing in a circular room with a tall ceiling buttressed by tall, spike-like columns. The mace was firmly in my hand as I looked around. It took no time at all to notice my armor and pack were gone. I was dressed in a thin, white robe. A menacing chuckle from behind made me whip around.

"Dragonborn, it's a pleasure to finally bring you to my realm."

I paled as I caught sight of the figure before me. My heart skipped a beat as a chilly spike of fear shot into my chest. This… this thing was Molag Bal. There was no mistaking him for another being. His skin looked rotted, though just a bit more extreme than the vampire lord, but his pointed teeth were bared and a pair of horns that framed his face were just the beginnings to the frightful being I had laid eyes upon. His legs reminded me of a goat's, though he stood upright with the torso of a man. Spikes came from the ends of his collar bone, his claws were fierce, and skulls were perched at his hips. His eyes bored into mine with enough chill to make my sweat turn to frost. I swallowed hard.

A low, drawn-out laugh shook me to the core, though I tried not to look like I was about to pee on myself. ". I have known you desire a soul I have claimed. I brought you to my shrine some months ago to tempt you into an arrangement, though you failed to approach my shrine."

Struggling to find my voice, "Y-you would revive Harkon in exchange for something?"

The smile the Daedric price provided made every hair on my body stand on end. "Indeed."

"What would y-you want," I asked, but quickly added, "my lord?"

"Now that you mention it…" he drawled as he slowly rose from the throne he had been sprawled in. In mere seconds, he stood before me and, no matter how much I lied to myself, I was scared out of my mind. "I want you bound to my realm. Bound, to me."

"A daughter of Coldharbour?" I asked in hushed tones.

A clawed hand gently stroked my cheek. "Close." I shuddered. "You will be bound much more tightly than that. I will not share with other Daedra!" His last words were said with such emphasis and volume, it paralyzed me with fear. Instead of running or fighting, I couldn't move a muscle. He lithely took slow steps around me, dragging his hand lightly over my back, across my shoulder, and then stopped on my breast. "Is it a deal?" He would have sounded suave if I weren't about to faint.

"S-so if I… if you… bind me in the way you desire, you will revive Harkon? Will I survive?"

He chuckled slowly. "Yes, of course. I may be inclined to grant you a gift by the end."

Harkon, alive and well, crossed my mind. To hear his voice again, to feel his touch, I would give almost anything to have that back again. "How…? W-what do I do?" I was gaining a tiny bit of confidence, but it was insignificant compared to the fear that gripped me. Greater still than the fear was the desire to bring Harkon back.

Molag Bal made a humming noise, then made his demand. "Transform."

I did as instructed, then waited as uncertainty flowed through me. Was this the right thing to be doing? Could I even say no? He slowly paced around me again, then hooked a claw in just the right places to leave me bare to his view. The breastplate and leathers had clattered to the ground. The air was freezing, but it barely registered to me. He took the mace and set it aside. "Lay."

Unsure how to do his request because of my wings, I sat on the stone floor and started to lean back. To my great surprise, and something akin to horror, he hooked an arm around my back and assisted me into laying down, adjusting my wings into a more comfortable position. Before my eyes, his form changed. He looked like that of a vampire lord, but far more fierce and crowned in a way befitting a Daedric Prince. His wings were quite grand and more filled out. He might have been armored as well if the circumstances were different, but I couldn't help but notice his nudity. I also couldn't deny how attractive he had become. He may not have been appealing to a mortal, but to a vampire lord, he was the most gorgeous creature I had laid eyes upon. The change was greatly appreciated aesthetically, as well as functionally.

However, I didn't let his looks mislead me. I knew exactly what he was capable of. My muscles tensed as if bracing for a long fall or a hard hit. I parted my legs and closed my eyes, hoping that he was speaking the truth when he said I would survive. As I felt his body lay over mine and his appendage push itself into its desired location, I tried to think of Harkon and what I would say when I met with him again. I let out a gasp as my eyes opened wide. All attempts at zoning out were vanquished when Molag Bal started to move.