[A/N]: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you for all the lovely feedback! It means a lot to have such awesome support. With that said, I'll move onto the actual chapter, which I hope you enjoy.
Thank you Erakleon, for being a wonderful beta and checking over this chapter! :)
[DISCLAIMER]: I don't own the Elder Scrolls Series, that's Bethesda's right. But Arela, Celta, Delica, Garthla Pale-Storm and Enden are my characters and belong to me.
~Mumford and Sons, Lover of the Light
I had done wrong
You build your tower
But call me home
And I will build a throne
And wash my eyes out never again
"Mother!" Enden heard Serana yell. She came rushing up the stairs as if a pack of wild Sabre Cats were biting at her heels.
"Mother is that really you?" Serana continued in pure shock. "How do we get inside? We need to talk." Enden could hear the desperation laced in with her words. He couldn't help but pity Serana for a few seconds. Valerica's cold exterior had hardly even changed at the sight of her daughter, which was surprising to him.
"Serana what are you doing here? Where's your father?" Valerica shot back. Her voice alone sent a spindle of chills running down his spine. Valerica's voice was insensitive and Serana's relieved expression faltered. After not seeing her daughter for so long Enden was surprised those were the first words that came from Valerica's mouth.
What type of mother would ignore the distress of her own daughter? Especially since Serana noted that she hadn't seen her mother in centuries. He couldn't help but think ill of Valerica.
The moment that thought popped into his mind Valerica's eyes drifted off Serana and on to him. Her eyes dug into him, and she looked more hostile than before – something he didn't think was possible.
"Father doesn't know were here. I don't have time to explain–" Serana stated, but her mother shrewdly cut her off.
"I must have failed. Harkon's found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he." Valerica's voice rang with anger and even a hint of fear, blatantly ignoring Serana's growing frustration.
This whole reunion with mother and daughter was turning into a disaster. The air between them was growing unsteady, and Enden could almost sense an impending fight.
Serana threw out her arms in anguish. It seemed already her mother was getting under her skin. "No, you've got it all wrong. We're here to complete the prophecy our way, not his." There was no mistaking the desperation her tone carried. Again, another prang of pity seemed to rock Enden. All Serana wanted was for her mother to just listen to her, but it seemed Valerica was unwilling to do just that.
Valerica's eyes again shifted over to him, and the amount of discomfort her stare imposed was unbearable. He just wanted to burst into flames to avoid it. "Wait a moment… You brought this stranger here with you? Have you lost your mind?"
"No, you don't–" Serana started off, before Valerica angrily raised her hand demanding silence, and like a dog Serana obeyed.
Fury rose in Enden's chest; he bit his lip, forcing himself not to yell something derogatory at Valerica. How could Serana let her mother treat her like this? Like a servant? They had come all this way, and for what? For Valerica to treat them like pathetic peons? Like they were too childish to understand the gravity of the situation?
No. They both fully understood what was going on. This was about stopping Harkon from completing the prophecy, for all of Tamriel relied on them protecting the sun from destruction.
"You." Valerica's eyes beckoned him forward. "Come forward. I would speak with you."
Enden instantly clenched his fist in response to her words. This woman really did feel she could command people like slaves, didn't she? He knew better than to snap, so he quickly loosened them and relaxed.
Never before had he wanted to punch someone in the face so much. He thanked the divines that this force field was up, or he might have done something rash, like break Valerica's damn nose.
"Are you done thinking ill of me?" Valerica spat.
"What do you mean?" He stated defensively. Was his anger that apparent? He thought that he'd done a pretty decent job of hiding it – minus the clenching fists.
He watched as the corner of Valerica's lip twitched upward in amusement. "If you believe your thoughts are safe from me, you are sadly mistaken." He watched as Valerica did a slow pace along the barrier. "You have heard that some Volkihar vampires are gifted, correct?"
Enden narrowed his eyes at her. "No. I haven't. I was under the assumption that the Volkihar were selfish, angry, power-hungry and insane. The only exception being Serana," he snapped back.
Valerica bared her fangs. "You rotten mortal. How dare you say such a thing to someone far superior to yourself. I was gifted by Molag Bal, I can read your very pathetic thoughts, and I do not like being mocked." She hissed.
"I don't care if you can read my thoughts. From now on I'll just express them openly, so you won't need to read them. Unlike Serana, I'm not afraid to voice my opinion of you. I think you're an awful mother for treating Serana the way you just did." He growled.
Valerica was shooting daggers at him through the barrier and he rather enjoyed it. The look of heedless rage on her face was more than pleasing.
It was almost sad when he saw Valerica get a hold of herself and relax. He watched as she took a few deep breathes before opening her eyes once again. "How is it that a vampire hunter like yourself has come to be in the company of my daughter?"
The ice in her voice was still present, and Enden couldn't help but smile. "I'm protecting Serana on behalf of my sister, Arela."
He watched as Valerica closed her eyes once again, and before he knew it she had whipped her head to stare at Serana.
"What! That can't be possible!" Valerica hissed at Serana.
"How can't it? You saw it for yourself right now. I didn't tempter with it. It was exactly how it happened." Serana spoke clearly, she waved her hand as a dismissal of her mother's distrust.
What in Oblivion was going on? It was obvious some secrets were being passed back and forth between mother and daughter, he hated being out of the loop.
He watched as Valerica shook her head in disbelief. "Harkon wouldn't possibly turn another mortal, not after what happen years ago..."
"Well, Father did turn Arela into a vampire. I saw it with my own eyes. I don't think he's ever turned anyone successfully before."
"If she survived Harkon's bite she must be powerful– Dragonborn! You say she's Dragonborn!" Valerica exclaimed, but it wasn't before her surprised expression turned to anger.
"I can't believe you just left her on Tamriel by herself, unguarded? You know the power of Blood Bonds. I thought you more intelligent than that, Serana! If Harkon gets his claws into her, he could have a strong tool to use in his completion of the prophecy!"
"Stop talking to Serana like she's some idiot! My sister was injured and we couldn't take her with us. Serana wanted to, but it was too risky. Plus, Arela could never be swayed to help that lunatic you call a husband!" Enden shouted at Valerica. This woman was absolutely infuriating. She was kicking the exhaustion for the Soul Cairn into full gear. Her haughty attitude was enough to create a headache in anyone. For a small moment Enden almost sympathized with Harkon, this women could drive anyone to the brink of insanity.
"How dare you! If you thought you were protecting my daughter by bring her here I consider you to have the same intelligence as a thrall."
He was about to shoot another retort at Valerica but Serana's plea cut him off.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Serana yelped. "We need to work together, and yelling at each other isn't helping."
Enden shot Valerica another dirty look but said nothing. It was Serana's mother that spoke next.
"Serana have you told this mortal anything?"
Serana looked down at her feet and didn't respond. It shocked Enden. Was Serana keeping something from him? Was she withholding an important part of the prophecy? He hoped not.
The idea of Serana leading him here under false pretenses frightened him. What if she was lying to him and Arela?
Valerica turned to him once again. "Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you. It goes farther than the Elder Scrolls."
"But I thought that's why we were here. Serana said we were here to get the Elder Scroll you have." He confessed, that's what this had always been about. The Elder Scrolls were the answer to Harkon's completion of the prophecy.
Enden watched Valerica pace along the barrier once again, her steps were frantic and it was almost uncomfortable. "You think I would have the audacity to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of her Elder Scroll alone? The scrolls are merely a means to an end. The key to the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself."
"Wait, what? Serana is the key? No, you must be mistaken."
He watched Serana's mother unleash the scariest, humorless laugh ever created on the Oblivion planes. "You think I didn't read the Sun and Blood Scrolls? I came here because of what I read. When I left 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. The second Scroll declares that 'The Blood of Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the Dragon.'"
What was that supposed to mean? Blinding dragons? Coldharbour? It didn't make any sense, and Serana's role in this made even less.
"How does Serana fit into this?"
"Like myself, Serana was a human once. We were devout followers of Lord Molag Bal. Tradition dictates that the females be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Few survive the ordeal. Those that do, emerge as pure-blooded vampire. We call such confluences the 'Daughters of Coldharbour.'"
Enden could have sworn his jaw was going to fall off. What kind of mother was Valerica? She allowed Serana to be offered to the Prince of Domination and Rape? He could imagine what dark ritual Molag Bal could inflicted on his followers. But letting her daughter go through some dirty, sick, twisted, corrupting ritual was an atrocity!
He grabbed onto Serana and pushed her behind him. He quickly withdrew his crossbow. "You let your own daughter undergo this! You're a monster, you're no better than Harkon!"
"Enden calm down." Serana exclaimed, as she gently grasped his shoulder. "Honestly, let my mother explain. There is more to this than you think."
Slowly, Enden put his crossbow away, but he still couldn't stop from wanting to rip Valerica's head off. From the disgruntal expression planted on her face she was perusing his thoughts once again.
"It was expected of her, 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. Harkon wouldn't have allowed it either, he was a zealot when it came to Molag Bal, as was I, at the time. But years away from his influence has allowed me to see what a mistake the whole ritual was."
This was a lot to take in. So this prophecy required Serana's blood in order to be completed? Could this get anymore complicated? Probably not.
In order to keep the prophecy from being completed he and Arela would have to protect Serana from Harkon, as well as keep the Scrolls away from him. Every little piece they learned of this prophecy only made the task ten times harder to stop.
"Let me get this straight. The Tyranny of the Sun requires Serana's blood?"
"Now you're beginning to see why I wanted to protect Serana, and why I've keep the other Elder Scroll as far from her as possible." Valerica looked at Serana once more, her expression stayed solemn. "I couldn't let Harkon win. He musn't figure out Serana's role in the prophecy."
Enden could feel his eyes widen to the size of septims. "Are you saying that Harkon means to kill her!?"
Valerica let out an angry snort. "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."
For once in his life, Enden was happy he didn't have a father. There was no way a father could ever let him down or hurt him. Before he had alway viewed it as a void in his life, but since he had met Harkon he didn't really mind being fatherless anymore.
"Arela and I would never allow Harkon to get ahold of Serana or any pieces of the prophecy. We will make sure the prophecy dies alongside Harkon."
A mocking laugh left Valerica – chilling Enden to the bone with its shrillness. "You think you can defeat Harkon? Well, if you believe that you're a bigger fool than I thought. Why do you think I came here for refuge? If there was a way to destroy that stubborn man, I would have found it long before I fled."
He scowled at her. "Arela and I are more than capable of killing that oversized bat. We will stop the prophecy."
"More empty words." She hissed, Valerica glances at Serana once more. "I recall Serana mentioning something about completing the prophecy 'our way'. And how exactly do you plan on completing the prophecy, without the death of my daughter?"
"Well, if you were listen I did say we were going to kill Harkon."
"What if you and your sister fail? Who then will stop the prophecy from its completion?"
"I–I don't know. Well, you could always jump in and help us!" He snapped back. Serana's mother was honestly about a few moments away from having her neck broken. Thank the divines for the barrier.
"Have you been listening to me? Like Serana I'm a pure-blooded vampire. My return would sure only hinder your efforts."
"Really? That sounds like a grand excuse to not get involved and to hide like a damn coward."
"Enden!" Serana shouted. "I told you, my mother is no coward. She did what she had to, to protect me."
Valerica swiveled to face her daughter, a look of disappointment was plastered on her face. "Serana, this man is a vampire hunter. He knows nothing of our struggles. Why should I entrust him to you?"
It was odd watching Serana defend her mother one moment, and then become instantly infuriated by her interference.
"This 'stranger' has done more for me in the brief time I've known him than you've done in centuries! He agreed to come help me look for you, and for what? So you could scold us?"
Valerica's expression became so irate and intense Enden wanted to shield his eyes. "How dare you! How can you say that, I gave up everything 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?"
Was that compassion Serana was trying to promote? Compassion toward her father? Toward Harkon? Things were really getting out of control now, they were supposed to kill Harkon, not feel bad for him.
"Oh, Serana. If you'd only open your eyes. The moment your father discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'd be in terrible danger." Valerica let out a frustrated plea.
"So to protect me you decided to shut me away from everything 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 motivation might have been different, but in the end, I'm still just a pawn to you, too."
There was so many angry emotions going through Serana's words.
Never before had Enden ever viewed Serana as the emotionally unbreakable type – but after being used, treated rotten, and betrayed by both her parents, he couldn't help but have a large amount of respect for her. She was strong willed, even stronger than him he wagered.
"I want us to be a family again. But I don't know if we can ever have that. 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."
Finally! Serana was finally telling her mother off! It was good to watch Valerica's anger fall flat on the ground. All her venom had now been destroyed by Serana's own anti-venom.
"I'm sorry, Serana. I didn't know... I didn't see. I've allowed my hatred of your father to estranged us for too long. Forgive me. If you want the Elder Scroll. It's yours."
"Thank you." Serana said. She turned around and walked down the steps, choosing to sit down on the last step without saying another word.
"You, Enden. Your intentions are still unclear to me. But for Serana sake I'll assist you anyway that I can."
"Do you have the Elder Scroll with you?" He cut straight to the chase, not wanting to spend another moment here than he had to.
"Yes. I've kept it safely secure since I arrived here. Fortunately, you're in a position to breach the barrier that surrounds these ruins."
"What do I need to do?"
"You need to locate the tallest of the rocky spires that surround these ruins. At their bases, the barriers energy is being drawn from unfortunate souls that have been exiled here. Destroy the Keepers that are tending them, and it should bring the barrier down. "
"We'll return soon." He promised, he started moving again, and he could feel his muscles ache. He didn't even want to think about how they were going to defeat these Keepers. But Valerica's voice made him turn around once again.
"One more word of warning. There is a dragon that calls itself Durnehviir roaming this Cairn. Be wary of him. The Ideal Masters have charged him with overseeing the Keepers, and will undoubtedly intervene if you're perceived as a threat."
"Thanks for the warning." Just like that Enden turned and headed toward Serana who was sitting on the steps.
"You okay?" He asked.
Serana let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, I–I just needed to get away from my mother for a bit. She can be so volatile sometimes."
He chuckled, and sat down next to her. "You're telling me, she was trying to rip me a new one the whole time. How do you feel after talking to your mother though?"
"Relieved... I think. All those things had been building up for a while. You have no idea how long I have been waiting to say that to her..."
"I can imagine, a few hundred years. But I have a question, if you don't mind me asking."
"Feel free to ask." She smiled.
"Did you ever agree to your mother's plan or did she force you into this?"
"Look, I loved my father, but when he found that prophecy... That became his life. Everything else, even my mother... we just became clutter. I was close with my mother, but she just keep feeding my her opinions of him, and eventually I started believing them."
"Like I said we were never very close. Not a lot of father-daughter bonding time if you know what I mean. But once we threw our lot in with Molag Bal... People just don't think about their families anymore. "Power takes precedence, he always said."
"And you were caught in the middle." Enden concluded.
"I was. 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. Maybe I could have seen this coming. We would all be better off now."
Enden was surprised by her words, Serana feeling regret because her parents were extremists? He had met both of her parents now, and he knew they were both crazy. And even now, Serana was trying to take the blame for both their failings. How had someone as selfless as Serana ended up with these damn lunatics?
"It probably didn't have anything to do with you." He reassured her.
"That's easy to say, I definitely didn't help things. I was... a bit of a difficult child."
Enden laughed. "You? A difficult child? I can't imagine that. Now me on the other hand, I was as difficult and as stubborn as they get. Our adoptive mother Garthla was the most patient women I ever knew. I use to frustrate her so much she would threaten to take me to the orphanage because I was so difficult."
"I can see it." Serana chuckled. "Enden, I just wanted to thank you for helping me. You didn't have to, but it means a lot to me."
"You're welcome, Serana." He smiled at her, it was nice to knew that his help was appreciated sometimes.
He slowly rose to his feet, he could feel how weak his legs were. Serana eventually helped steady himself by grasping his shoulder. "Now, come on. We've got some Keepers to kill."
Serana smiled. "Good. After talking to Mother I could use something to take my anger out on."
[A/N]: Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter! Next chapter, will be Arela back at the Guild, where some interesting stuff will occur, but I'm not going to spoil it. Please leave a review with your thoughts or concerns! :)