~O~
Bloodletting
"So what will happen now?"
Anja looked at Serana and asked this question as they made their way to Dawnguard Fortress. Serana had still seemed distracted the entire way.
"Well, I imagine the surviving vampires will just continue on their business..." Serana said, quietly.
"And your mother?"
"What about her?"
"With Harkon gone, she can return home, right?"
Serana nodded, deep in thought. "One road at a time, Anja."
Anja frowned at her abrupt tone, but decided to let it go. They entered the fortress and Isran was talking with a Dawnguard member. He looked over his shoulder when the two women entered. He looked beyond them and nodded to Celann. The Breton returned the gesture and the doors were locked.
Anja glanced over her shoulder when she heard the latch of the doors.
"Isran?" she said, frowning.
"Anja. Serana." Isran addressed them. "You've both saved Skyrim from destruction by the hands of the Volkihar clan. We are forever grateful for that. There's just one thing we must do first."
Immediately, Anja felt a gag shoved over her mouth and she struggled against several arms as they cuffed her wrists behind her back. Serana went to charge to her aid, but she was ultimately staked in the shoulder with silver. She screamed in agony.
"Serana!" Anja cried, muffled behind the gag.
"I'm sorry." Isran told her, sadly. "But with Serana still alive, there's always the chance the prophecy can come back to light. I cannot allow it. Let's not forget you've killed several of my own to protect her. This can't go unpunished."
Serana's back was smoking from the silver. Her eyes were wide and she shuddered in agony, struggling to stand. Blood gushed from her wound.
"Take her to the cells." Isran ordered. "Anja as well."
Auriel's Bow was taken from Anja, as well as the rest of her weapons. She struggled and kicked as the Dawnguard soldiers dragged her and Serana to the cells awaiting them. Bran and Sceolang barked furiously at them, barely restrained by other members of the Dawnguard.
They descended into the dungeon where very faint light shined through filthy, cold cells. A few starved vampires were also inside the cells, looking around with fright.
Anja was thrown into a cell and Serana was tossed in after her.
"Sorry. I really am." Isran assured them. "I'm not a terrible person. But I have to protect my own. You understand."
Anja snarled behind her gag.
Serana was shaking, crouched on the floor.
"If that one loses it," Isran continued, "She'll do us both a favor and put herself out of her misery."
Anja looked over at Serana, watching her fangs slip out from her gums. She was groaning in agony, writhing on the floor a few times.
"Farewell for now, Anja Bjansen." Isran said.
And with that, he left them alone in the dark.
O
"Serana..."
Anja noticed the vampire wasn't moving. Her sides were slightly raising up and down, very slowly. She hadn't spoken in a few hours and her breathing sounded wet, almost sick.
Anja wriggled a little and moved her arms beneath her, struggling to get them in front through the use of her legs. She cursed furiously behind the gag and managed to get her arms in front of her. She pulled the gag down and looked at Serana worriedly.
"Serana, look at me." she ordered. "We'll get out of here, I promise."
Serana hissed sharply. "Anja..."
"What?" Anja asked, anxious.
"The thirst..." Serana moaned and lifted her eyes to the other woman. They were blood red and her face almost looked feral. "It's...ripping me to pieces. I can't... I don't know if I can hold on much longer."
"You CAN!" Anja insisted, though she stayed away.
"No..." Serana whispered. "I just want you to know that whatever I do... I'm so sorry."
"Serana, focus!" Anja insisted. "We can get out of here! I'm not leaving you like this!"
"You have to. Just go...before I do something I'll regret..."
Anja turned to the wall and uttered FUS several times, but the bricks would not budge. In her state, she could not gain enough strength to put more effort into it.
"Hey!"
Anja looked up as Mogrul walked into the dungeon, up to their cell. He looked at her condition and scowled, grabbing a thick coil of rope from his belt.
"Dammit, those idiots couldn't bound you up better than that." he snapped.
He opened the cell door and began to wrap Anja up with the rope. She cursed at him as he tied the gag tighter. He looked annoyed and turned to Serana, who had stopped moving.
"Sorry, nothing personal." he said, "But this is what has to be."
She didn't move.
"Hey!" Mogrul snapped. "Did you hear me, bloodsucker?"
He kicked Serana a few times, Anja screaming beneath the gag for him to stop. When he went to kick a final time, Serana's mouth suddenly opened with a feral snarl and she bit down on Mogrul's boot, tearing his foot clean off in a gruesome spray of blood.
Anja's eyes widened and she watched in horror as Mogrul went down, screaming. He thrashed wildly as Serana crawled over to him, sinking her fangs into his throat.
"No!" Mogrul cried, as she sawed through his neck.
Slowly, she began to transform into her Vampire Form, wings sprouting from her back. Her hair lengthened down her shoulders and her face morphed into a terrifying visage. Her hands transformed into claws.
This had been the first time Anja laid eyes on Serana's Vampire Form.
Serana didn't just drink the orc's blood. She began to rend him to bloody pieces with her claws and teeth. When she was finished with him, she turned to the cell door and grabbed the bars in her claws. With a fierce yank, she managed to pull the door from its hinges and fly out of the cell.
Anja struggled and squirmed to get her gag off. When she managed to loosen it enough, she opened her mouth and uttered the Shout that would summon Durnehviir.
There was a hiss of death just outside of her cell. A chorus of wails that reminded her of the cries of Draugr.
She peered outside and noticed a swirling portal of violet appear. Immediately, it took the shape of the familiar dragon she had met in the Soul Cairn.
"Ah! The free air of Vus at long last!" the dragon sighed.
"Durnehviir! Over here!" Anja called.
The dragon flapped his wings and moved closer to the cell window. "Qahnaarin?" he said, "What have you gotten yourself into?"
Anja winced and squirmed against her bonds. "Serana's in danger. I need you to cause as much trouble as you can to stir the Dawnguard away before they kill her."
"I can." Durnehviir assured her. "What of you?"
Anja moved to the broken door and positioned her bound arms to a broken bar. She slipped one of the links onto it and twisted, snapping them in half. The clasps were still heavy on her wrists, but at least she could move her arms.
"I need to stop her!" Anja told him.
She retrieved Mogrul's sword and dug through his remains to retrieve the dungeon keys. She began to free the vampires trapped and ushered them out.
"Hurry!" she told them. "Get out of here!"
"They were going to use us as training for recruits." a vampire told her, grateful for the freedom. "Thank you. Thank you for freeing us."
Anja gave him a push. "You're welcome. Now go!"
The vampires rushed from the dungeon without argument. Anja made her way down the dungeon corridors behind them, determined to find Serana and stop her frenzied attack.
O
Isran was shocked to see the dragon passing over the fortress.
"Get it together!" he shouted, over the chaos of the panicking soldiers.
"Isran, a dragon has never made it this far out before!" Beleval cried, frantic. "These men have not been properly trained for battling one!"
"Move, now!" Isran commanded.
He looked over at the sound of a fierce scream of agony, followed by a desperate plea for mercy. A set of doors leading to the dungeon were thrown open and a soldier - bloody and mutilated - was thrown through it, striking the wall before going still.
Serana surged into the fray, roaring.
"Dammit!" Isran shouted, "The vampire is loose! Get her!"
Despite the shots from crossbows, Serana flew through them, cutting down each enemy who dared challenge her. She was in a frenzy, a bloodlust beyond all measure.
Outside, Durnehviir unleashed blasts of energy onto the fortress, rocking everything and everyone within. Arrows and crossbows simply passed through him.
Anja made her way out of the dungeon, watching several vampires embrace their companions with relief on their faces. She frowned and turned to Isran, who was bleeding from his wounds. He was missing his arm.
"Look...what you've done..." he groaned.
Anja scowled down at him. "You kidnap vampires for sport? To train your little boys and girls?" she snapped. "And you dare accuse me if ill-intent?"
"You've got a frenzied vampire on the run!" Isran spat, weak from blood loss.
Anja looked up at the sight of Serana feeding from Gunmar. She snarled and lifted her head, face soaked in blood. Anja tensed and watched as Serana dove at her with an unholy screech.
Just then, another form dove out of nowhere and slammed into Serana, knocking her off course from her intended target. Anja watched in shock as Serana fought with another Vampire Lord. Slightly taller, feminine and wearing the clothing of royalty.
They slashed, bit and clawed at one another, screeching.
"Valerica?" Anja whispered.
It was her. Without a doubt.
Valerica screeched at Serana and sank her claws into the younger vampire's wings, preventing her from fleeing. She reverted back to her human shape with a snarl of her daughter's name. Serana was reverting back to her human form as well.
She looked terrifying and feral, wild with bloodlust.
"Serana, don't do this!" Valerica commanded.
Serana shocked Anja by biting her mother's throat. Valerica gasped in pain and Anja moved forward to stop this, but, Valerica raised a stern hand.
"No! Stay back!" she ordered.
Anja froze, watching as Valerica allowed her daughter to feed from her. The older vampire just held Serana, soothing her with soft, barely audible words as blood poured down her neck and onto her chest from the bite.
It felt like an intimate sight to Anja, so she lowered her eyes a little.
O
Serana was lying in bed, sleeping.
Valerica and Anja watched her.
"I'm surprised to see you here," Anja told the older woman. "But grateful."
Valerica still watched her daughter. "I had heard news of Harkon's death." she replied, distracted. "I knew you'd return here. When I arrived, I saw Serana about to attack you."
She looked at Anja, troubled. "How did this happen?"
"It was Isran." Anja explained, "He infected her with silver. Bled her to the point that she fought off a frenzy for as long as she could."
Valerica's eyes narrowed and she squinted at her. She looked furious and turned to go, but Anja stopped her.
"No. They're all dead." she said. "There's no further need to do any more."
Valerica sighed and relaxed.
"I did not mean for this to happen." Anja finally murmured, after a moment of contemplation. "If I judged your whole race for the actions of a few, what does that make me?"
"A human." Valerica responded, with a small chuckle. "I admit, I should have seen the true nature of your hatred. It's something I have come to be used to by now."
"It doesn't make it right."
Valerica smiled a little. "You feel conviction. That's good. Most humans in your position would have cut my head off without a moment's hesitation."
Anja frowned and glanced down. "I don't know why I hesitated."
"You're a good person."
"No. You don't know the things I've done."
"I do. You still feel with a human heart, even though you are Dovahkiin," Valerica said, "Normally, I would find these things useless in battle, but they have saved many souls, I see. Even though you were fueled with hatred over your mother's rapist, you still hesitated to kill Serana. Maybe you knew she was not the enemy you thought."
Anja didn't reply.
Serana stirred with a low mumble. Valerica reacted first and reached down, lightly brushing Serana's hair aside. "Serana?" she said, carefully.
Serana met her mother's gaze and looked surprised to see her. "Mother?"
"She came after Harkon was destroyed," Anja explained. "Luckily so, you would have really put a damper on my whole evening."
She laughed a little.
Valerica gave Anja a look and regarded her daughter. "Do you remember anything?" she asked.
Serana shook her head. "N-No. I remember talking to Anja a little in the cells." she said, "I was trying to keep my mind, but then it all went black."
Valerica glanced at Anja briefly.
"It was bad, wasn't it?" Serana asked them. She seemed accepting of this.
"It was." Anja replied, quietly.
"How many?" Serana asked.
The two women were silent, knowing what it was she asked.
"All of them." Valerica answered.
O
Later, Valerica and Serana spent some time alone to discuss what they needed to as mother and daughter. Anja had decided it was best to leave them in peace, so she remained outside of the fortress. She also hated the idea of being in there after what had happened.
Sanguine appeared beside her.
"So...how'd it go?" he asked, smiling.
Anja frowned at him. "You weren't watching?"
"I was. But I like to hear it from you."
Anja rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you do."
Sanguine chuckled at her annoyed expression. It was just one of the few things about her he treasured: her facial expressions.
"Well, forget it." Anja snapped, weary. "I'm not going to tell you anything."
"Aww. You wound me, Princess."
Meanwhile, Valerica was hesitant about speaking, and Serana watched her silently with her arms folded across her chest, impassive to her mother's words.
"I was not the mother you needed me to be, Serana." she said, quietly.
She was pacing in the room, nervous about her confession to her daughter.
"I should have given you everything, but instead, that was what I stole away," Valerica fidgeted with her hands. "I starved you instead of fed you."
Serana shook her head, speaking just as quietly. "You don't have to do this, mother..."
"I do." Valerica said. She approached Serana and placed two hands on her shoulders. "Will you give me another chance? I promise to be a better mother than I was before."
Serana considered her words in silence.
Valerica closed her eyes, visibly stung by her daughter's silence, but expecting it. She lowered her hands and turned, hesitant to allow her to see the pain on her face.
"I know you can never forgive me," she continued, "But I can only work to earn it. Give me that chance, and I'll - "
She was cut off when Serana grabbed her by her cape and pulled her into her arms. Valerica didn't see the tears in her daughter's eyes as they held one another.
"Forgive me..." she whispered.
While they embraced, Elli had been watching them through a basin of water. She was emotionless to the sight before giving the basin a horrible kick, sending the water spilling everywhere.