He he he. I've wanted to write these next few chapters for a while. I'm a little rusty, so hopefully my plot twists still have some affect on y'all. Please enjoy!
Violet tripped over a stick and cursed. She thought there was supposed to be a fort around here, not some strange cave that led to nowhere and was covered in spiderwebs.
She muttered a few more swears under her breath as she emerged into a snowy mountain path. Marcurio tripped after her, but she was busy studying the path. Several animals rushed around nearby, their pelts colored with snow. Following the path downwards, there was an ice-crusted lake. In the distance, she could just barely see the tip of a castle's spire.
She glanced behind her to make sure Marcurio was still following before setting off.
They hadn't talked about what had happened. They hadn't really talked much at all, except when absolutely necessary. Even if Violet found herself drifting back to that moment when she was supposed to be focusing, she had a hard time talking about things like that. And besides, she needed to be able to focus on the task at hand, like usual.
So instead, Violet had gone back to focusing on her guilt concerning her brother. She had contacted one of her informants, who had told her that Green had recently been seen at Fort Dawnguard with the unknown vampire that Naldo had mentioned before. Deciding that her spiral of self-pity needed to come to an end, she and Marcurio had run off towards the fort near Riften.
Walking swiftly so that she and Marcurio wouldn't be side-by-side, Violet tried her best to appreciate the beauty of the world around her, like Green always had. However, it had always been easier for him; he didn't grow up knowing the things she knew or seeing the things she had seen. Violet had been corrupted knowing her parent's actions. Green, even though he had never known their parents, had been able to see the beauty of simple things because he never knew complicated things. At least, for a majority of his life.
She stopped in her tracks for only a small moment when Fort Dawnguard came into view, significantly larger than she had imagined. Unfortunately, the idiots had left the wooden gate open. They didn't even have any guards posted!
Violet strode right into the fort and was almost to the door before anyone stopped her.
"Hey!" A man with brown hair and a beard in heavy Dawnguard armor said. "Stop!"
The man drew his war axe, but it flew out of his hand, sticking into the wall when Violet shouted, "ZUN!"
The man stared at her as Marcurio caught up to her.
"I am the Dragonborn," Violet said, drawing herself up, even though inside she winced at using her reputation. "I am looking for my brother Green."
The man swallowed and stepped aside. "Why don't you go inside and speak to Isran."
The inside of Fort Dawnguard was bigger than Violet could have guessed. The grand hall was, well…grand, and she didn't even know what the rest of the place was like. The tip of the room had a balcony and a sunroof, which shined sunlight into the castle brightly. Protection against Vampires, perhaps?
A man was standing in the center of the room, with dark skin and black hair shaved close to his skull. He stood with a straight back and seemed to command all of the authority in the room. Or at least, he would, until he met Violet.
She marched up to the man she assumed was Isran and waited patiently. Fortunately, the man had broken off his conversation with a woman with red hair when he saw her approach.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Isran demanded, his silver eyes flashing dangerously. No doubt the man didn't appreciate random people walking into his fort.
"I'm looking for Green," Violet said, crossing her arms. "I was told he was here."
The man appraised her for a moment, before beginning to chuckle. Violet shifted uncomfortably. That was not the reaction she was expecting.
"I take it you're Green's sister?" Isran asked.
She frowned. "Yes. Did he mention me?"
He shook his head. "No, but you look just like him when he's pissed."
"Where is he?" Marcurio asked from behind Violet.
Isran shrugged. "I have no clue. I sent him on…an errand and instructed him not to come back until it was finished. He could be anywhere in Skyrim by now."
Violet glared suspiciously at him. "What kind of errand?" When Isran didn't respond right away, she sighed, dropping some of her tough persona. "Look," she said, softening his voice. "It's important that I find him."
He frowned, then sighed as well. "Oh, well. I suppose it couldn't hurt. You're not a vampire, and neither is your friend there. Any friend of Green's can be trusted. I sent him looking for Auriel's Bow, the only weapon capable of defeating a powerful vampire threatening Tamriel."
Violet froze. "Auriel's Bow?"
"Have you heard of it? It's a powerful artifact that was apparently crafted by the Elven god Auriel himself."
No, no no!
"Where was the last place you sent him?" Violet demanded, panic slicing through her.
Isran looked confused. "Ancestor Glade, in Falkreath. Why?"
"Thank you." Violet turned on her heel and began to sprint for the door, passing through it and into the valley outside. She was halfway to the exit before Marcurio caught up to her, catching her arm.
She spun on him, expecting one of the Dawnguard members. Seeing that it was only him, she relaxed, though she was breathing hard.
"What's wrong?" Marcurio asked her. "You ran out of there faster than any horse I've ever seen. And you look like you've seen a ghost."
In a way, Violet thought. She forced herself to calm down a little, just enough to give Marcurio the details.
"Have I ever told you about my parents?" She asked him.
He shook his head. "You haven't told me anything about what happened before you came to Skyrim."
"There's a reason for that," Violet said, shivering at the memory. "My parents could be called evil, in the right mindset. They were never satisfied that I wasn't born with magic, and when they became pregnant with Green, they saw a second chance." She looked at the sun in the sky, judging how much time they had. "Because of my parent's actions, he was gifted magic. But he can never touch an aedric artifact. Elven artifacts are much more potent. If he touches that bow, there's a very good chance that he could die."
She took a deep breath and turned away from him, looking at the sky once again.
"OD AH VIING!"
Sorry this chapter was shorter.
Lame Joke of the Day: What did the Vegetables say at the party? "Lettuce turnip the beat!"
BONUS CHAPTER IS NEXT, MY DUDES!
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