Thank you SO much for the awesome reviews: PheonRen, CouslandSpitFire, KnightOfHolyLight, Graymalkyn and MB18932! Reviews make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :D I would also like to thank the people who have put this fic in their list of favorites and those that are now following it! :D

As usual, our disclaimer: Bethesda and Bioware own! :D

Chapter 26

Anders quickened his pace as soon as the College of Winterhold came into view. The vision he had just had back in Mzulft after they had discovered the location of the staff had put him on the edge; he could still see Nerien – the Psijic mage who had first appeared to him in Saarthal – warning him that the college was in danger, and he should travel there immediately.

Mjoll hurried behind Anders, finally catching up to him again. She managed to grab his arm and he turned to face her, his brow furrowed.

"I don't have time to chat," Anders quickly said as he shook his head.

"I think you need some rest!" Mjoll blurted out. "You say a Psijic mage appeared to you back there in Mzulft, but I never saw him!"

"I said I don't have time!" Anders replied, his voice raising an octave. "Look, if you want to follow, follow. If you can't keep up, I'll meet you at the inn."

Mjoll's eyes narrowed instantly and her breathing hitched slightly. Anders sighed at this.

"I don't want to fight or offend you, but I can't do this right now." Turning, he resumed his brisk walk, sprinting into a run when he reached the stone ramp that led to the bridge.

Mjoll stood there for a few moments unable to decide whether to stop at the inn, or follow Anders to the college. She frowned and threw up her hands in the air in desperation, then ran after him.

…

Anders opened the double doors that led to the foyer and stopped still in his tracks. In front of him, Arch- Mage Savos Aren and Mirabelle Evans were trying to dispel what looked like a ward of some kind that was barring their entrance to the Hall of Elements. Arch-Mage Savos whirled around, his face breaking into a smile as soon as he saw that it was Anders.

"You've returned! Gods be praised!" Savos sighed.

"What's happened here?" Anders shot out, his eyes wide with shock.

"Ancano. He's in there with the orb, casting some kind of spell on it," the Arch-Mage hurried to say. "We must dispel this barrier to get inside!"

"I'm sure the barrier is all Ancano's doing," Mirabelle muttered.

Anders nodded. "Let's bring it down," he said quietly, just as Mjoll appeared in the foyer. "Stay back!" he called out to Mjoll. "Wait for me outside!"

Mjoll nodded and did as she was told. The magic was so powerful and strong in that area that it frightened her. And that was saying something, for she was rarely frightened. She went back out into the courtyard, standing among the rest of the mages who were whispering to each other in worried tones.

"What's going on in there?" Faralda asked Mjoll who shook her head.

"Is it any wonder this is happening? Magic is extremely dangerous. You should know that, shouldn't you?" Mjoll replied in a cold and haughty voice.

Faralda's eyes narrowed and she frowned, shaking her head. She turned to look at the great doors to the foyer which were now pulsating with a strange energy. In a few moments something that looked like a wisp passed through the doors and zoomed off towards the great gates at the entrance to the college proper.

"What in Oblivion was that?" Colette exclaimed, sharing a glance with Tolfdir, who shook his head.

"Whatever it is, it's heading straight for Winterhold! We must protect the town!" Tolfdir exclaimed.

…

It took some time to look through all of the books among the shelves dominating one wall of the secret room in Castle Volkihar, but Alessia finally stumbled upon a red bound journal and opened it. 'Harkon's shortsightedness is becoming a serious problem. I've warned him time and time again that his foolish prophecy would cast far too much light on our people and yet he refuses to so much listen to a word I say. I've become less a wife and more of an annoyance in his eyes. Devoting attention to my work is the only solace I can find while enduring his ridiculous crusade.' Alessia excitedly hopped up from the chair she was in and crossed the room to Serana. "I think I've found it!"

Serana took the journal and leafed through it. "Yes, this is Valerica's journal," she mumbled as she skimmed the pages. "Ah, here we go…she writes what is needed to open the Soul Cairn, but doesn't give the amounts. Hopefully we'll get this right. We need soul gem shards, purified void salts and finely ground bonemeal…oh. Dammit."

"What's wrong?"

"We're also going to need a sample of her blood. Which…if we could get that, we wouldn't be doing this," Serana said, a forlorn look on her face.

Alessia thought for a moment, and then grinned. "You share her blood, Serana."

The vampire's face lit up with a smile. "Very good! Let's just hope that's enough. Mistakes with portals like these can be…gruesome."

"I'm sure the ingredients are here," Alessia said as she rummaged through a shelf of flowers and mushrooms. "In the meantime…what's the Soul Cairn?"

"I only know what she told me. She had a theory about soul gems, that the souls inside of them don't just vanish when they're used…they end up in the Soul Cairn. It's the home of very powerful beings called the Ideal Masters. They grant special powers to necromancers in exchange for souls. My mother spent a lot of time trying to contact them directly in order to travel to the Soul cairn itself," Serana replied.

Alessia smiled and handed her a bowl of gem shards. "Here's one of the ingredients we need. If she made it there, so will we." After a short time of searching, they found the other two ingredients and made their way to a balcony of sorts, which overlooked the circles on the floor below. Alessia dumped the reagents into a silver bowl and stepped back, looking at Serana expectantly.

"Well, I guess the rest is up to me," she murmured. "Are you ready to go? I'm not sure what this thing's going to do when I add my blood."

Alessia nodded and Bran barked excitedly. "I'm sorry boy, but I don't think you can come with us," she said, then comforted her new friend when he whined sadly. "I'll be okay, I promise." She turned back to Serana thoughtfully. "Can I ask you something first?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"What will you do if we find your mother?"

The vampire's face fell. "I've been asking myself the same thing ever since we got here. She was so sure about what we did to my father, I couldn't help but go along. I didn't think of the cost."

Alessia squeezed her hand affectionately. "It sounds to me like she did everything she could to keep you safe."

Serana looked at their joined hands, a small smile on her face. "I guess even a vampire is still a mother. She worried about me. About all of us. But she wanted to get me as far away from my father as possible before he really went over the edge. I…didn't expect anyone to care how I felt about her. Thank you."

"Don't thank me for caring, Serana," Alessia smiled and gave her hand another squeeze. "Let's see if this works."

"Alright, here we go." Serana reluctantly let go of Alessia's hand and stepped over to the silver bowl. She raised her hand to her mouth and ripped open the flesh of her wrist with a fang, letting the blood run into the bowl. The ground beneath them rumbled, a purple light seeping between the circles on the floor far below them as they began to spin. The stones seemed to break apart, the light growing brighter as they separated, forming a staircase leading from the balcony to a swirling portal where the floor had been.

Alessia unsheathed a dagger and descended the stairs, but as she neared the entrance into the Soul Cairn, it seemed the bright purple light seared through her body - every nerve ending aflame and leeching the life from her. She screamed in pain as her knees started to buckle. She felt Serana's arms encircle her waist and the vampire heaved her back up to the balcony, the two falling into a heap.

"Are you alright?" Serana asked, her voice trembling with fear as she held Alessia, brushing the bright red hair from the thief's face. Though Alessia was deathly pale, the vampire could feel her heart still beating.

After a moment, Alessia opened her eyes weakly and groaned. "I…think so. Just give me a minute." Serana nodded, but Alessia saw the worry etching her face. "Really, I'll be fine." She disentangled herself from Serana and dug around in her pack for health and stamina potions. "What just happened?"

Serana thought for a moment, then gasped. "I'm so sorry, Alessia! I didn't even think about it. It's all my fault you were hurt!" Alessia shook her head and patted the woman's arm as she downed her potions. "It's…hard to describe. The Soul Cairn is…well, hungry for lack of a better word. It's trying to take your life essence as payment for entering. I'm so, so sorry."

Alessia grimaced as she downed the last dredges of potion. "It's okay, Serana. I'm not angry. So…I guess there's no way in?"

Serana wrung her hands nervously. "There might be, but…I don't think you'll like it." When Alessia just quirked an eyebrow, she continued. "Vampires aren't counted among the living. I could possibly go through the portal just fine…"

"No," Alessia said, shaking her head. "Becoming a vampire isn't an option. You don't know, do you?"

Serana's worried look changed to a confused one. "Don't know?" she echoed.

"When I delivered you to your father…something happened. Your father banished me, but he also invaded my brain, trying to convince me at all costs to accept his 'gift'. It was a horrible nightmare for me, and the fear I felt nearly drove me insane. I couldn't sleep and I kept on having the same nightmare. Anders cured me." Alessia shuddered and she looked even paler than she had before.

"I'm so sorry," Serana murmured sadly. "I wish I could have protected you…"

"Yes, I know that now," Alessia smiled. "I guess I don't have to tell you I won't ever become a vampire. Not unless I can help it."

"I wouldn't want to damn you to this existence anyway. You deserve better," Serana said truthfully, but felt a pang of sadness nonetheless. Eternity would be so much brighter if it were shared with her. "There may be another way. It wants a soul so we give it a soul. Yours." She placated Alessia's protests and continued. "My mother taught me a thing or two. I could partially soul trap you and offer that gem to the Ideal Masters. It might be enough to satisfy them. It will make you a bit weaker as we travel the Soul Cairn, but I should be able to fix that once we're in there. I'm sorry. I wish I knew a better way. Just know that whatever you choose to do, I won't think any less of you."

But Anders will. Alessia sighed. "I guess it really isn't a choice, then. Do what you have to do to soul trap me."

The two women stood up, and Serana grabbed Alessia's hand again. "I know this is difficult for you. I hope you trust me. I'd never do anything that could hurt you."

Alessia just smiled at her. "I trust you completely, Serana."

Serana closed her eyes briefly. "Thank you. I promise to make this as painless as possible."

Alessia only had time to notice Serana's hand glowing before a bright light shot from it and the edges of her vision seemed to melt to black.

…

Anders came to and rubbed his forehead. For a few moments he couldn't remember what he was doing in the Hall of the Elements or why he was on the ground, but after a few seconds his mind cleared a bit and he half crawled over to where Mirabelle was sitting, her back against one of the stone columns. She was looking very pale and when her eyes met his, he could see she was in a great deal of pain.

"Are you alright?" He hurried to ask her.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Mirabelle murmured a wry smile on her face.

Anders quickly lifted his hands over her, a deep golden glow enveloping her. After a few minutes, Mirabelle smiled at him. "You are an exceptional healer," she murmured.

Anders gave her a quick smile, then looked back at the orb which was pulsating angrily. Ancano was still feeding it with his spell and he frowned, turning to Mirabelle again. "What happened?" he asked. "I only remember something like an explosion then nothing…Wait a minute! Where is Savos?"

Mirabelle sighed deeply. "I wish I knew! We must find him! "

Anders helped her up and she swayed a little but he caught her by the shoulders. "Easy, there. Take it slowly."

"I'm fine," Mirabelle protested, then head to the foyer. "We must find the Arch-Mage!"

Anders followed her outside into the courtyard. Savos Aren was lying on the stone path ahead, his eyes wide-open looking at nothing. He was dead.

Mirabelle cursed Ancano and shook her head sadly. At that moment, Tolfdir ran up to Anders.

"The whole town of Winterhold seems to be under attack! Magical anomalies are in there right now, hurting the people!"

Faralda turned to Anders. "We must save the people of Winterhold!"

Anders nodded, just as Tolfdir asked Mirabelle what had happened. He left them talking and walked down the stone path in the courtyard to the bridge and ramp leading down to the town, Faralda following him. Mjoll fell into step beside him.

"We're going to kill those things, yes?"

"Yes," Anders replied. "And after we do, we'll go to Labyrinthian for the staff. That staff is the only thing that will stop the orb from whatever it is that it is doing."

"And then?"

"And then, I'm going to kill Ancano," Anders replied, his eyes flashing blue.

…

The Soul Cairn shocked Alessia a lot more than she thought it would. Once they entered the realm, she stood still for five minutes gazing around the whole place, which proved to be enormous. Everything was infused with purple, blue and pink lights. Looking upwards into the dark purple sky, she saw a black hole in the middle, while several wisps flew around lazily, filling the whole area with whooshing sounds as they passed. Lightning zigzagged the dark sky and struck every now and then, rumbling thunder heralding its approach. Alessia found herself looking at the dark, foreboding buildings that dotted the entire landscape. How would they ever find Serana's mother in such a huge place?

"We'll have to look inside the buildings as well. There is no telling where she could be," Serana voiced her thoughts, her orange-crimson eyes glinting in the half-light. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine," Alessia replied her eyes focused on the building on their right. She could see a gate of some kind which prevented them from walking into the structure. Her gaze lingered on the gate for a few more minutes, but then she scanned the rest of the building. There were two columns on each side, with a hole on top and the hole was glowing green. She took her bow and nocked an arrow. Her aim was perfect and as soon as the arrow went through the hole, the green light disappeared and part of the gate was lowered. Smiling, she nocked a second arrow, aiming for the other column. The light went out as well, and the gate opened completely.

"Clever," Serana smiled behind her.

The building was small, and contained a chest with soul gems and a steel greatsword. Alessia put the soul gems in her pack and they left that building and walked down a dirt path that disappeared into the darkness.

"Well, mother wasn't in there," Serana muttered.

"One building down, hundreds more to go!" Alessia replied with a grin.

…

Soon they ran into skeletons that attacked them. Fighting their way around the vast area, while searching for Serana's mother was a bit challenging. Alessia found that she had to stop to catch her breath a lot more than back in Tamriel. She concluded it must be because she had been partially soul-trapped.

"How can I get my soul back?" She gasped after one of their battles. "I'd welcome a bit more stamina right now."

She dug into her pack for a potion, and Serana shook her head. "Sorry about that. It could be in a chest anywhere. I have no idea where the Ideal Masters would keep it, but I think my mother would know."

One of the souls wandering around the place suddenly materialized before them, crying out a name.

"Arvak! Where are you?" The ghost wailed and stopped when he saw Alessia. "You! Help me find Arvak, I beg you!"

"Who is Arvak?" Alessia asked.

"He's my horse. He was so frightened when we got here that he ran away! I need to find him to calm him down. Please help me!"

"How can I help you?" Alessia wondered. If the horse was a ghost horse, she doubted she could catch it.

"You must find his skull. If you give it to me, he'll be back and safe," the ghost replied in mournful tones.

"I'll keep an eye out," Alessia promised.

They resumed their walk, while the distraught ghost continued to pace around, yelling the name of his beloved horse.

…

Anders wiped his brow as he observed the snowy ground, now dotted here and there with the essence of the magical anomalies they had just finished destroying. The town of Winterhold was once again safe, and it was time to return to the courtyard of the college to speak to Mirabelle about what he had to do.

"Mirabelle," Anders said quietly when they arrived at the courtyard. "I'm off to get the Staff of Magnus. It's the only thing that will stop the orb."

"Yes, of course," Mirabelle sighed. "You did discover where it was then?"

Anders nodded. "It's in Labyrinthian."

Mirabelle's eyebrows shot up to her hairline and her eyes widened slightly. "Labyrinthian? Are you sure?"

"Yes," Anders replied slowly, a puzzled look on his face.

"The Arch-Mage. He...he gave me this and told me to hold onto it," Mirabelle hastened to explain, holding out an object. "He said it was for Labyrinthian. I think…I think he meant it for you…"

Anders took the object and nodded, putting it away in his pack. "I'm sure it will come in handy," he murmured.

"Take this as well. It belonged to Savos, but I'm sure it will serve you well. It is an amulet that grants you extra magicka," Mirabelle said softly, handing him the amulet. "Go and bring that staff. In the meantime, Tolfdir and I will try to see if we can do anything about the Hall of the Elements,"

Anders nodded and turned to leave, waving good bye to the rest of the mages. His heart felt heavy and his thoughts immediately went to Alessia. Wherever she was, he hoped she was safe. He missed her terribly and the pain of being away from her kept him from sleeping soundly at night. He sighed and shook his head as they arrived at the stables, where they both got on their horses and left.

…

They finally found Valerica in one of the buildings at the very end of the Soul Cairn. She was shocked when she saw her daughter standing there. She was also trapped inside the building, for there was a pinkish wall of mist surrounding the whole place which created a barrier, making it impossible for her to leave or for anyone to enter.

"Mother!" Serana called out. There was some movement within the structure and a woman dressed in vampire armor hurried to the misty wall that imprisoned her, a look of unbelief on her face.

"Serana? Maker! It can't be! Is it really you? What are you doing here? Where is your father?"

Serana put her palms against the misty wall, pushing it, but nothing happened. "How do we get inside? We have to talk! Father doesn't know you're here. I don't have time to explain…"

"I must have failed, then," Valerica said sadly. "Harkon's found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"

"No, you've got it all wrong, mother. We're here to stop him…to make everything right."

At that moment Valerica took a better look at what at first she had mistaken for a shadow and was taken aback.

"Wait a moment! You've brought a stranger here? Have you lost your mind?" Valerica exclaimed, her eyes flashing angrily.

"No, you don't –"Serana began to say, but Valerica held up a hand and took a step forward until she was against the misty wall and directly in front of Alessia, her eyes flashing angrily.

"I would speak with you," Valerica said quietly. She seemed to sniff the air around her and her angry eyes made Alessia take a step back. "You! You are a vampire hunter!" the vampire exclaimed, shaking her head. "What are you doing with my daughter? If you are travelling with her only because you want to hunt me down…"

"No," said Alessia calmly. "I want to keep Serana safe."

Whether Alessia's words calmed Valerica or not, it was impossible to say, but she glanced at Serana who had a pleading look on her face and turned back to Alessia, her countenance much calmer than it had been before. "Coming from one who murders vampires as a trade, I find it hard to believe your intentions are noble," Valerica murmured.

"She is the Dragonborn, Mother," Serana managed to say quickly, before Alessia had a chance to speak up.

Valerica's eyes widened slightly. "Dragonborn…" she murmured her gaze on Alessia once again.

"A gift from Akatosh, apparently," Alessia said softly. "I am no vampire hunter by trade."

"Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you," Valerica glanced at her daughter briefly.

"That's why I'm here for the Elder Scroll," Alessia shot back evenly.

"You think I'd have the audacity to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of the Elder Scroll alone? The scrolls are merely a means to an end. The real key to the prophecy of the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself!" Valerica exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Alessia asked.

Valerica sighed and started to pace along the length of the misty wall. "When I fled Castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls. The scroll you found with Serana speaks of Auriel and his arcane weapon, Auriel's Bow. The second scroll declares that 'The Blood of a Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the Dragon'."

"And just how does Serana fit into that?" Alessia inquired curiously.

Valerica sighed and stepped up to stand directly in front of Alessia. "Like myself, Serana was human once. We were devout followers of Lord Molag Bal." Her eyes grew sad. "Tradition dictated that the females be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Few survive the ordeal. Those that do emerge as pure-blooded vampires. We call such confluences the 'Daughters of Coldharbour.'"

"You mean…the Tyranny of the Sun requires Serana's blood?" Alessia asked, the horror in her eyes apparent as she caught on to what Valerica was explaining.

Valerica nodded, the sadness on her face pulling at Alessia's heart strings. "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…"

"Then," Alessia said in a daze, "Harkon means to kill her!"

Valerica nodded her eyes on the stone floor for a few moments. "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 would be dying for the good of all vampires."

Alessia shook her head. "I would never allow that to happen," she said firmly.

"And how exactly do you plan on stopping him?" Valerica asked with a half-smile on her face.

"I'll kill Harkon," Alessia replied simply, looking directly at Valerica who chuckled.

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

"And what of Serana's opinion in all this? Doesn't she have a say?" Alessia countered angrily.

"You care nothing for Serana or our plight!" Valerica hissed back. "You're still a vampire hunter even if you are the Dragonborn. You're here because we're abominations in your mind. Evil creatures that need to be destroyed!"

"Serana believes in me, why won't you?" Alessia flung back at Valerica, exchanging a glace with Serana.

Valerica turned to her daughter. "This stranger aligns herself with those that would hunt you down and slay you like an animal, yet I should entrust you to her?"

"This 'stranger' has done more for me in the brief time I've known her than you've done in centuries!" Serana exclaimed, stepping closer to Alessia.

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

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

"Oh, Serana. If you'd only open your eyes…" Valerica whispered sadly. "The moment your father discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'd be in terrible danger!"

"So to protect me you decided to shut me away from everything I cared about? You just 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." Serana's voice became a whisper, but it was loud enough for both Valerica and Alessia to hear. "I want us to be a family again. But I don't know if we can every have that. Maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness. Maybe it isn't for us."

Valerica looked at her daughter sadly. "I'm so sorry, Serana. I never realized that you felt that way."

Serana frowned, her brow furrowed. "I am still a person. I have feelings…"

"I – I didn't know you felt that way…I didn't see…" Valerica said mournfully. "I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us far too long. Forgive me."

Serana placed her hand against the misty wall, and Valerica did the same. There were tears in both their eyes and Alessia could feel the tears threatening to fall for her as well.

After a few moments, Valerica straightened and gave them both a smile. "If you want the Elder Scroll, it's yours." She then turned to Alessia and eyed her curiously. "Your intentions are still somewhat unclear to me. But for Serana's sake, I'll assist you in any way I can."

"Do you have the Elder Scroll here with you?" Alessia asked.

"I do," Valerica replied. "But the problem here is not whether or not I have the Elder Scroll. As you may have noticed, I am imprisoned here. There is no way the Elder Scroll can pass through this barrier."

"Then what can we do to free you?" Alessia asked.

Valerica nodded. "I'll tell you how, but it will not be pretty. And it will be extremely dangerous."

"I like danger," Alessia smiled. "In fact, I strive on it. It makes life far more interesting."

…