Woo! Three chapters, three days. I'm on a roll! (Just a fair warning, this probably will not happen again, but I'll try).

Also, heads up. This chapter is mainly just dialogue from the game, and I'm also pretty sure I spelled Durnheviir wrong. Have mercy on me.

The Soul Cairn was a very strange place. As soon as she entered, Serana could tell that much. It resembled a set of mass ruins, with crumbling stone towers and mazes dotting the landscapes. Purple lightning flashed overhead, and the groans of the undead could clearly be heard. Both innocents who had been soul trapped, and…others. Serana wasn't sure what those were just yet. She hoped she didn't have to find out.

After an hour of hiking towards a large stone castle that glowed in the distance, she began to feel very unnerved. It was like hearing a flat note in a piece of music - her senses felt like they were being constantly grated by some unseen force. The only thing that kept her sane was talking to her friend the vampire hunter.

How ironic. Serana had known many people in her life, but she had only ever truly opened up to this one person - who just so happened to have sworn himself to destroy her kind. If someone had told her that before she was locked away in Dimhollow, she would have killed them on general principles. Now, though…

They had to take fairly often breaks, for Green's sake. He huffed and puffed a lot more, and seemed to have a harder time hefting Dawnbreaker. He even had to cast weaker spells. When Serana asked him what it was like to be missing part of his soul, he only replied, "Like I suddenly need glasses. Everything is blurry."

So when they finally reached the castle, Serana paused to let Green catch up to her. It was strange to see him in such a hostile environment without his helmet on, but the Soul Cairn had ruined it.

"I hope your mother is nearby," he panted, placing Dawnbreaker back in its sheath.

"You and me both," Serana muttered.

Together, they climbed the steps to the dark castle, and Serana caught the first look at her mother for centuries.

She was thinner than before and even paler, if that was even possible. She held her hair up in two buns kept towards the back of her head, and she looked…defeated. The look was so unfamiliar on her mother that for a moment Serana almost didn't recognize her. There was a pink wall of light between them, but that didn't stop Serana from running up to it and looking at her mother.

"Mother?" Serana asked. Valerica looked up, and Serana definitely recognized the face. "Mother!"

"Maker…it can't be!" Valerica said, running up to the opposite side of the force-field. "Serana?!"

"Is it really you?" Serana asked, speaking quickly. "I can't believe it!" She hadn't realized how much she missed her mother until that point. She glared at the barrier separating them. "How do we get inside? We need to talk."

"Serana?" Valerica repeated, still in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Where is your father?" She spoke in a staccato fashion, as if each word was their own sentence.

"He doesn't know we're here," Serana said. "I don't have time to explain!"

"I must have failed," Valerica said, and that look of defeat returned again. "Harkon's found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"

"No!" Serana insisted. "We're here to stop him…to make everything right."

Valerica's amber eyes finally landed on Green, who stood protectively behind Serana. Her eyes widened. "Wait a minute," she said. "You've brought a stranger here? Have you lost your mind?"

Serana tried to take a step forward to reassure her mother, but the barrier got in the way. "No, you don't -"

"You." Valerica said, pointing sternly at Green. His eyes widened in panic. "Come forward. I would speak with you."

Green swallowed and did as he was told, stepping up beside Serana and in front of Valerica. She was just as intimidating as he imagined her.

"So how has it come to pass that a vampire hunter is in the company of my daughter?"

Green opened his mouth to explain, but Valerica cut him off.

"It pains me that you would travel with Serana under the guise of her protector, in an effort to hunt me down."

A flash of anger, clearly felt despite the absence of part of his soul, spilled out of his mouth. "This is no ruse!" He protested fiercely. "I want to keep her safe."

Valerica scoffed. "Coming from one who murders vampires as a trade, I find it hard to believe your intentions are noble." She began to pace, and Green tried his best to keep a handle on his anger. It was harder now, without his soul. "Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you."

Green crossed his arms. "I've been keeping her safe."

"Safe?" Valerica demanded, sticking another finger in Green's face (as much as she could with the magic barrier in her way). "You call bringing her here safe? Has she explained nothing to you?"

He suppressed a growl of frustration. "That's why we're here for the Elder Scroll."

"You think I'd have the audacity to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of her Elder Scroll alone?" Valerica scoffed again. "The scroll was merely a means to an end. The key to the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself."

Green felt his blood run cold. "What do you mean?"

"When I fled Castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls. The scroll I presume you found with Serana speaks of Auriel, and his arcane weapon, Auriel's Bow." Valerica's shoulders slumped suddenly. "The second scroll declares that 'The blood of Coldharbour's daughter will blind the eye of the Dragon.'"

"So how does Serana fit in?"

"Like myself, Serana was a human once. We were devout followers of lord Molag Bal. Tradition dictates the females be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Few survive the ordeal. Those that do emerge as a pure-blooded vampire." Valerica crossed her arms. "We call such confluences the Daughters of Coldharbour."

Green had heard of Coldharbour before, of course. He had to stop one of the apprentice students from the College from summoning a daedra from Molag Bal's realm in his office. But from what he understood, it was not a friendly place, just like the owner of that chunk of Oblivion.

He looked at Serana, who was staring at the ground and refused to look at him.

"You underwent this ritual willingly?" He asked her.

Serana opened her mouth to reply, looking up at him, but her mother cut her off.

"It was expected of her," Valerica interrupted. "Just as it was expected of me. Being selected as an offering to Molag Bal is an honor. She wouldn't have dared turn her back on that."

Back to the matter at hand! Green told himself, and that cold fear returned. "Back up. The Tyranny of the Sun requires Serana's blood?"

Valerica nodded. "Now you're beginning to see why I wanted to protect Serana, and why I've kept the other Elder Scroll as far from her as possible."

Green forced himself to remain calm, but he couldn't stop some of the panic from seeping into his voice. "Are you saying Harkon means to kill her?"

"If Harkon obtained Auriel's Bow, and Serana's blood was used to taint the weapon, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete. In his eyes, she'd be dying for the good of all vampires."

Green's fists clenched. "I would never allow that to happen." Never!

Valerica shot him a skeptical look. "And how exactly do you plan on stopping him?"

Green was so angry at Harkon, at Valerica, and even himself, and so willing to protect Serana that the words just slipped out. "I…I'll kill Harkon."

Valerica snorted. "If you believe that, then you're a bigger fool than I originally expected. Don't you think I weighed that option before I enacted my plans?"

He grit his teeth. "And Serana's opinion in this?"

Valerica cut her daughter off once again. "You care nothing for Serana, or our plight. Whether or not you've become one of us to survive the Soul Cairn, you're still a vampire hunter at heart." She scowled. "You're here because we're abominations in your mind - evil creatures that need to be destroyed."

That was so far from the truth that Green physically growled in fury. To some, he was considered an abomination. He didn't want to destroy all vampires, just the ones threatening the innocents in Skyrim.

Finally he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Serana believes in me. Why won't you?"

This actually seemed to surprise Valerica. She turned to her daughter. "Serana?"

Serana's eyes were burning with an anger that Green had never seen in her before. She met her mother's eyes even as Valerica continued speaking.

"This stranger aligns himself with those that would hunt you down, and slay you like an animal, yet I should untrust you to him?"

Serana straightened, her body tense with rage. "This 'stranger' has done more for me in the brief time I've known him than you've done in centuries!"

"How dare you?" Valerica demanded. "I gave up everything I cared about to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!"

Serana clenched her jaw visibly. "Yes, he's a fanatic! He's…changed. But he's still my father! Why can't you understand how that makes me feel?!"

The last sentence was shouted at Valerica, and silence settled around the three. Serana was breathing hard, and so was Valerica, and Green was just proud that Serana had stood up for herself. And him.

Finally Valerica spoke, and if she wasn't angry before, she was now. "Oh, Serana. If you'd only open your eyes. The moment Harkon discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'd be in terrible danger."

"So to protect me," Serana said, her voice eerily calm, "you decided to shut me away from everything that I cared about?

"You never asked me if hiding me in that tomb was the best course of action, you just expected me to follow you blindly. Both of you were obsessed with your own paths. Your motivations might have been different, but in the end, I'm still just a pawn to you too.

"I want us to be a family again, but I don't know if we can ever have that. Maybe…maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness. Maybe it isn't for us. But we have to stop him. Before he goes too far. And to do that, we need the Elder Scroll."

Valerica deflated. "I'm sorry, Serana. I didn't know. I didn't see. I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us for too long. Forgive me. If you want the Elder Scroll, it's yours."

Finally, she turned back to Green, but her voice was less hostile now. "Your intentions are still somewhat unclear to me," she said. She glanced at her daughter. "But for Serana's sake, I'll assist you in any way that I can."

That's more like it. Civility, Green thought. "Do you have the Elder Scroll with you?"

Valerica nodded. "Yes. I've kept it safely secure here ever since I was imprisoned."

She went on to explain how the Ideal Masters tricked her and imprisoned her in the castle, and how Green and Serana could lower the barrier by killing three Keepers. She also warned about Durnheviir, but Green wasn't too worried about the beast. He had killed many dragons in his time; how would this one be any different?

It was only once they were a safe distance from the castle and well on their way to one of the Keeper's that Serana spoke.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. "I don't think I could be doing this alone."

Green sent a smile her way, but it seemed lesser than usual. He seemed distracted. "How are you feeling after talking to your mother?"

Serana looked at a fissure in the ground as they passed it. "Relieved…I think." Her hands fiddled with each other. "All those things have been building for a while. You have no idea how long I wanted to say that to her."

Green looked at her, and she saw that familiar concern on his face. "Why did you agree to her plan in the first place?"

"Look…" Serana began, "I loved my father, but when he found that prophecy…that just became his life. Everything else, even me and my mother…we just became clutter." She stepped over a pile of human skulls and tried not to shudder. "I was close with my mother, but she just kept feeding me her opinions of him, and eventually I started believing them."

He frowned. "She doesn't seem too fond of him."

She sighed. "The moment we gave ourselves to Molag Bal, things got really icy between them. They were both drunk with power, and pulling in different directions. And then he found that prophecy, and…that was it."

"And you were caught in the middle." Green's eyebrows were furrowed, but Serana couldn't tell if it was from anger, unhappiness, or something else. He had become much harder to read once he gave up part of his soul.

"I was," she agreed. "Honestly, it took me up until now to realize that my mother was really just as bad as he was. He was obsessed with power. She was obsessed with seeing him fail. It was just so…toxic." She frowned. "Maybe I could have seen this coming. We could all have been better off now."

Green stopped her, and they stood between two piles of bones. "You shouldn't blame yourself."

"I know that in my head," Serana admitted. "But I just can't help feeling bad about…the way things are." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry. I know you're trying to help. Thanks." She looked at the tower where the first keeper was in the distance. "Anyway, we should keep moving. Come on."

She walked ahead of him, and didn't see Green's deepened frown.

x x x

It took them a long time to kill all of the Keepers. Not only were the bastards hard to kill, especially since Green was weakened, but they were also spread as far as possible apart. It was incredibly annoying.

Finally, after they defeated the last Keeper, and were on their way back, Serana noticed that something was wrong with Green. Besides the obvious. He was being unusually quiet, and he kept stealing glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. In hindsight, it was fairly obvious, but in her defense, Serana had a lot on her mind.

"Are you alright?" She finally asked him, when they were close enough to see her mother's prison in the distance.

Green frowned, and his brow furrowed. Finally, he said, "You deserve to be happy."

Serana froze in her tracks, she was so surprised. "What?"

He continued, but paused a lot, as if unsure of himself. "When you were talking to your mother, you said that your family might not deserve happiness. I don't know about your mother, but I know you, and I know that you deserve to be happy once all of this is over."

She stared at him. "W-where did this come from?"

Green looked down at the ground. "I don't know." His tone made it sound like he definitely did know but didn't want to tell her.

Serana was at a loss for words. Even before she was a vampire, no one had ever told her that. But this person who'd she only known for a month or two seemed to care more than anyone she'd ever met in centuries of being alive. And maybe, just maybe, she cared just as much.

But how was she supposed to tell him that?

So in the end she settled for saying, "Thank you," and squeezing his arm comfortingly. There were many other things she wanted to say, she but didn't trust herself to say them.

Valerica seemed most surprised when Green and Serana returned.

"You managed to destroy all three Keepers? Very impressive."

"Are you able to give us the scroll now?" Green asked, his voice sounding tired.

"Yes," she said, sounding much more civilized. "Please, follow me." She turned towards a door behind her, then added, "Keep watch for Durnheviir. With the prison's barriers down, he's almost certain to investigate."

Serana and Green shared a look before following Valerica into the prison.

Inside, the "prison" was really just a wide, open space, almost like a large undead courtyard. There were still several bones lining the place, but it looked like Valerica had pushed them to the side. There were even a few barren plants growing in a line, like a garden had been set up.

They only took a few steps into the courtyard before a series of giant whooshing sounds could be heard.

As if on cue, all three of them drew their weapons.

"What is that?" Serana asked.

"Dragon," Green replied at the same time that Valerica said, "Durnheviir."

Then the beast crested the top of the prison, and Serana caught her first look at a dragon.

Durnheviir was a massive creature, with sickly green scales and purple wings. His claws were sharp enough to rip a man apart with a mere scratch and his mouth shone with hundreds of pale white teeth.

Green wasted no time. Bracing his feet against a stone pillar, he shouted into the sky, "JOOR ZAH FRUL!"

Instantly, a wave of blue magical energy shot forth from his mouth and lashed onto Durnheviir's body, dragging the creature to the ground.

Instantly, Green and Serana laid into the dragon, hacking at its hard scales with dagger and sword, while Valerica cast spells at it from a distance. Durnheviir roared with fury, spewing ice and flame at them with little effect. Soon his hide was slick with black blood and he collapsed to the ground.

Green took a step forward, as if expecting something, but the dragon's body glowed with a purple light and disappeared without a trace.

It was a long moment before anyone spoke.

"Forgive my astonishment," Valerica said, her orange eyes wide, "But I never thought I'd witness the death of that dragon."

"What makes you say that?" Green asked, sheathing Dawnbreaker.

"Volumes written on Durnheviir allege that he can't be slain by normal means. It appears they were mistaken." She paused. "Unless…"

Green frowned again. "Go on."

"The soul of a dragon is as resilient as its owner's scaly hide." Valerica continued. "It's possible that your killing blow has merely displaced Durhnheviir's physical form while he reconstitutes himself."

"How long will that take?" Serana asked.

"Minutes? Hours? Years? I can't even begin to guess. I suggest we don't wait around to find out." Valerica seemed more troubled than usual. "Now, let's get you the Elder Scroll so you can be on your way."

She strode off towards a small stone shack, and Green and Serana had no choice but to follow the vampire.

When she reached the small shack, she opened a large, oblong wooden case. And just like that, they had the second Elder Scroll. Green grabbed it and placed it on his back, then turned to Valerica.

There was a certain sadness to her posture. "Now that you've retrieved the Elder Scroll, you should be on your way."

Green frowned for the upteenth time that day. "You're staying here?"

She shook her head. "I have no choice. As I told you before, I'm a Daughter of Coldharbour. If I return to Tamriel, then that increases Harkon's likelihood of bringing the Tyranny of the Sun to fruition."

He felt his brow furrow. "We'll return for you when we can."

Valerica smiled, but it possessed no happiness. "I appreciate your concern for me, but Serana is all I care about. You must keep her safe at all costs."

Green nodded. "I will."

"And remember: Harkon is not to be trusted. No matter what he promises, he'll deceive you in order to get what he wants." She crossed her arms. "And promise me you'll keep my daughter safe. She's the only thing of value I have left."

"Of course."

Green gave Serana and Valerica a chance to say goodbye, and then Valerica told him where to retrieve his soul, and then they set out. Unfortunately, things were hardly ever that simple.

Durnheviir was waiting for them when they left, sitting calmly on one of the stone pillars that collapsed.

Green and Serana immediately drew their weapons, but the dragon's deep voice stopped them.

"Stay your weapons. I would speak with you, Qahnaarin," he addressed Green.

"I thought you were dead," Green carefully said, lowering his sword but not sheathing it.

Durnheviir shook his scaly head. "Cursed, not dead. Doomed to exist in this form for eternity. Trapped between laas and dinok, between life and death."

"Why are we speaking?" Green asked.

"I believe in civility between seasoned warriors, and I find your ear worthy of my words. My claws have rended the flesh of innumerable foes, but I have never once been felled in battle. I therefore honor-name you Qahnaarin, or 'Vanquisher' in your tongue."

Green nodded. "I found you equally worthy."

"Your words do me great honor." Durnheviir tilted his head in respect. "My desire to speak with you was born from the result of our battle, Qahnaarin. I merely wish to respectfully ask a favor of you."

Green's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What kind of favor?"

"For countless years, I've roamed the Soul Cairn, in unintended service to the Ideal Masters. Before this, I roamed the skies above Tamriel. I desire to return there."

"What's stopping you?"

"I fear that my time here has taken its toll upon me. I share a bond with this dreaded place. If I ventured far from the Soul Cairn, my strength would begin to wane until I was no more."

"How could I help?"

"I will place my name with you and grant you the right to call my name from Tamriel. Do me this simple honor, and I will fight at your side as your Grah-Zeymahzin, your ally, and teach you my Thu'um."

Green was still suspicious. "Just call your name in Tamriel? That's it?"

"Trivial in your mind, perhaps. For me, it would mean a great deal." When the dragon saw Green hesitating, he added, "I don't require an answer, Qahnaarin. Simply speak my name to the heavens when you feel the time is right."

Durnheviir nodded, and green and purple tendrils of light flowed from him and into Green. When the light was gone, Durnheviir flapped his wings and disappeared into the sky.

Serana stared at Green. He had told her he was Dragonborn, but today was the most she'd ever seen him shout or absorb dragon-power.

He looked at her. "Let's get moving."

Hee hee hee. I've been ready for this next chapter for a long time. Buckle your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen! I really hope (not in a mean way, I swear!) that this next chapter will have you screaming.

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