Chapter Fifty
~Arryn~
Helgen did not appear to be under attack when I arrived. In fact, the hold was eerily quiet. It wasn't until I walked through the gates that I saw why. The sun was just starting to set and there was no one in sight. Not one person. My footsteps echoed loudly, my boots sinking into the loose gravel path.
I walked to Wujeeta's home and knocked on the door. I heard nothing as I waited. I knocked again. Nothing. I tried the door. It popped open easily. Inside the house it was dark, nothing looked disturbed, it was if she had simply left. I did a quick sweep of the house, and it was indeed empty. I closed the door behind me as I exited. It was strange that she would leave without locking her door. I walked to the inn and cursed aloud when I walked through the door.
The inn was a mess. Chairs were knocked askew, along with overturned tables. Food and half full ales littered the floor. It was completely empty save for one lone body in the center of the room. I didn't recognize the young Khajiit man, and I couldn't tell what had killed him. There were no discernible wounds, no blood. He just stared up at me with lifeless green eyes. He was small. He couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen winters. I carefully closed his eyes and prayed that he reached the Khajiit afterlife without trouble. The rooms upstairs were all empty, but in various states of disarray. I walked back downstairs to check the storeroom and kitchen.
When I walked into the back room of the inn, I thought I was going to be sick. There was a large pile of bodies, neatly stacked. Men, women, children, dogs, there had to be at least twenty bodies. I took one look at a small pale hand sticking out from the bottom of the pile, doll still clutched in it, and lost my stomach on the floor. I couldn't look any more. I stumbled out of the room, wiping my mouth.
I drew my ebony sword and cautiously made my way to the keep. I pushed on the door, but to my surprise, it was locked. I knocked on it with the hilt of my sword and listened. I could hear quiet voices arguing, but couldn't make out what they were saying. I let out a sigh of relief. There were some survivors at least.
"Go away!" A muffled voice shouted. There was urgent arguing before the voice shouted again. "Who are you?"
"My name is Arryn!" I yelled back.
"The Dragonborn?" A new, female, voice shouted.
"Aye!" I bellowed.
After a brief moment, the door popped open and I was pulled inside quickly. A man slammed and barricaded the door behind me. I blinked a few times to adjust to the dim light of the keep and my mouth fell open. All the citizens of Helgen were crammed into the keep, and the majority of them were staring at me.
"Hello." I said slowly, looking around the room. So many scared faces. I pulled off my helmet and nodded at the group.
"Are you truly the Dragonborn?" The man who had pulled me inside asked.
"Of course he is!" A familiar gravelly voice called. An Argonian woman pushed her way through the crowd.
"Wujeeta? What is happening? Why is everyone hiding in here?" I asked quickly.
Wujeeta sighed. A murmur shot through the crowd. "The Dragonborn is here! The real Dragonborn! He came to help us!" I cringed.
"A group of strangers came to the inn last night. They were looking for a woman and they were bad news, you could tell just by looking at them." Wujeeta told me. "There was only eight of them, so when they started making threats, we didn't take them seriously. We should have."
"What did they want? Where are they? Wujeeta what in Oblivion is happening? I rushed all the way here from Solitude." I snapped irritably.
"They're vampires Arryn." Wujeeta said quietly. "And they were like something out of the old stories. You know, the ones parents tell their children to keep them in line. They started killing people outright. No one could stop them. Not the mercenaries Ri'saad hired, not anyone. We all ran here, this is the only safe place, the only place they can't break into. I sent a courier and no one else has been in or out until you got here."
"Why?" I asked, my eyes wide. "What do they want?"
Wujeeta shook her head. "They were looking for a woman. None of us have even seen her." She said.
"Can you help us Dragonborn?" A man called, sounding hopeful.
I nodded. "Aye. The sun is setting. The beasts will return. I will meet them." I announced.
A man pushed forward. "Dragonborn, my wife, she is still out there, she was trying to tend to the wounded. Can you look for her?" He asked. "Her name is Nevvi." He was clutching a small bundle to his chest, and I realized that it was an infant. I looked into his scared brown eyes and prayed that his wife wasn't in the pile of bodies.
"I will search for your wife, and do my best to bring her back to you." I agreed carefully.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I would go myself, but our niece needs me." He said.
"I understand." I said with a nod. He gave me a sad smile.
I walked from house to house, searching each one briefly. Most were empty. Two contained the corpses of their occupants. I sighed and prayed that they were granted a swift journey to Sovengarde.
One the last house, I was surprised and a little elated to discover that it was locked. I knocked on the door and pressed my ear to the door to listen for movement. I heard very soft movement and almost fell flat on my face when the door was pulled open suddenly. I stumbled and felt a dagger pressed against my neck.
"You will not harm those within demon!" The woman holding the dagger hissed. I blinked at her.
"That's rich coming from you Serana." I remarked dryly.
"Arryn? Oh Gods Arryn I am so glad it's you!" Serana called, sheathing her dagger. She pulled me inside and quickly locked the door behind me. She threw her arms around me and squeezed me tight. I returned the embrace. I hadn't seen Serana in ages.
"What are you doing here Rana? What have you done?" I asked as I pulled back.
"What do you mean, what have I done?"
She asked, her hands on her hips. "Why is everything always my fault?" She pouted.
"Serana there is an inn full of bodies. I don't have time. What did you do?" I growled.
She sighed, biting on her thumbnail. "Alright. It IS kind of my fault." She admitted.
"Serana!" I yelled.
"It was an accident! I stopped here for medical treatment and the people chasing me caught up with me. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt!" She protested, her eyes wide and pleading.
"Were you hurt?" I asked.
"Just needed some stitches. Most people didn't even know I was here. Humans aren't really that perceptive." She remarked.
"You're human now." I reminded her.
She waved me off. "Yes, yes. And you can lecture me on mortal appreciation later. I need to get out of here, but I can't really take on seven Daughters of Coldharbour by myself." She said, looking at me expectantly.
"I was told that there were eight." I remarked.
She sent me a grin. "There was. Now there are seven." I nodded.
"You don't by chance know where a woman named Nevvi is?" I asked.
"Nevah's husband calls Nevah Nevvi." An accented voice broke in. I turned and smiled broadly at the gray Khajiit woman.
"Nevah! So good to see you again!" I said.
"The Nord who danced with Nevah! Hello!" The pretty Khajiit woman replied, recognizing me.
"Your husband is safe, he has your niece." I told Nevah.
"And nephew?" She asked.
"I- I am unsure." I admitted, deciding that honesty was the best choice. My mind flashed back to the young lad in the inn.
"Many thanks." Nevah said. "Nevah must tend to the hurt now." She walked further into the house. I watched her go and questioned whether I should have asked for a description of her nephew.
"He's dead isn't he? The nephew?" Serana asked, not as quietly as I would have liked. I sent her a stern look, which she ignored. "He is." She concluded.
"Why would you say that?" I hissed.
"Your face. You looked panicked." She replied with a shrug, sounding bored. Empathy had never been one of her virtues. "Shall we go meet these Daughters of Coldharbour?" She asked.
"Why is a group of vampires after you in the first place?" I asked with narrowed eyes. This simply reeked of Isran and the Dawnguard.
She didn't even have the grace to look sheepish. "I took something of theirs. Something important." She said casually, tightening her cloak around her neck.
"What did you take?!" I hissed, rubbing my left temple in frustration.
She pulled out a silver dagger and showed it to me. I stared it in confusion. It looked like any normal dagger, if not a bit ornate around the handle.
"And that is?" I prodded.
"They call it Lamae's Dagger, but it isn't really. It's just a dagger they use to start the ritual of offering women to Molag Bal. Without it, they can't perform the ritual." She explained. "No degrading ritual, no pure vampires."
"So you've prevented them from making more Daughters of Coldharbour? Ever?" I asked. That sounded like a good reason to steal it.
"Not exactly." She started, when she noted the look on my face, she quickly explained. "Until they get another dagger sanctified by Lamae Beolfag, at least. And since no one has seen her in centuries, I'd say that it's a decent solution for now." She said. "Isran thought so too. I thought I got out without them noticing but they gave chase."
"And they want their dagger back, so they've trapped you here." I concluded for her.
"Exactly." She agreed.
"Serana you're a walking pile of bad luck." I grumbled, pulling my helmet back on.
"That's terrible to say. You're such a mean person Rynny. I'm nothing, if not a complete delight to be around." She snipped back.
I snorted. "Come on Serana. We've got to deal with your friends." I told her. She nodded. We quickly exited the house and walked to the courtyard.
Just as the darkness had fully fallen across the hold, the seven vampires walked through the gates. They saw Serana and I standing there and chilling smiles settled on all of their faces. These women all looked very similar. Long black hair, ghostly white skin and those unsettling red eyes. They all wore identical vampiric armor. The one at the forefront of the group was the only one wearing a circlet though. It was gold with what appeared to be a red stone in the center. She's the one who spoke.
"Have you decided to return what you have stolen human?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Not by a long shot." Serana snapped. She sounded miffed at being called a human.
"You brought one human male to fight with you? You are a fool." The vampire laughed derisively. The vampires behind her echoed her cold laughter.
"You are trespassing on my land beast." I growled.
"Beast?" She hissed dangerously. "I must show you how to respect your betters human. You are nothing but food!"
"You are a filthy parasite that has trespassed and will die for your transgressions." I countered, bracing myself for the impact of the spell I saw coming before the sentence was fully out of my mouth. An ice spike glanced off my chest plate and I grunted. I'd have a bruise there for sure.
"YOL TOOR SHUL!" I shouted, feeling the shout rip from my chest.
The Daughters of Coldharbour were engulfed in flames and scattered, screaming their displeasure as their hands lit up with spells. Serana responded in kind, the magica swirling around her hands. She fired off ice spikes as we dodged a combination of flames and sparks. I charged at the leader, quickly impaling her with my blade, twisting the blade expertly. She slumped, dead before she hit the ground. Her corpse glowed a brilliant shade of blue before collapsing into a pile of ash.
I wasn't quick enough to dodge the mace that struck me on the side of the head. I stumbled back, momentarily dazed. Serana moved in front of me, firing off ice spikes rapidly as I composed myself. I yanked her back and a wicked dagger hit the air that had been recently occupied by her neck. I swung her around and she pressed her back to mine. The vampires circled around us carefully, searching for weakness.
"You take the three on the left." She suggested.
"You're on the left. I'll take the right." I corrected.
"Whatever." She struck one of the vampires in the neck with an ice spike. "You know what I mean."
We broke apart quickly, effectively separating the group of vampires into two as they scrambled after each of us. I swung my sword down hard onto the left shoulder of closest vampire, but my blade slipped and it buried itself in her neck. I yanked it back out hard as she collapsed to her knees. I ended her undeath with a sharp kick to the head. An ice spike hit me in the wrist, sending my sword flying. I bellowed in pain, glancing down at the magical projectile piercing my wrist. I quickly pulled out Mehrunes Razor and launched myself at the demon that had struck me. She blasted me with flames and I grunted in pain, grateful that my heavy armor was taking the brunt of the assault. I glanced at Serana and panicked a little. She wasn't faring well.
"DUR NEH VIIR!" I shouted, praying that there was enough room to summon him.
I was quickly answered by his chilling roar filling the air. I glanced up and saw his silhouette against the moon, intimidating and straight out of nightmares. Dragons were unsettling on their own, and he was deathless, decayed and a true abomination. He landed, causing the ground to shake beneath our feet. The Daughters of Coldharbour that remained looked stricken for a moment before they started lobbing spells in his direction, abandoning Serana and I entirely. Within moments, Serana collapsed, hitting the ground with a thud. I helped Serana to her feet, and she leaned on me heavily. Her eyes didn't appear to be focused. I quietly blessed Jordis as I retrieved a health potion and helped Serana get it down. She sighed deeply, resting her head on my shoulder.
The undead dragon roared his displeasure as he shouted at the vampires furiously. He was more irritated than hurt by their spells. Mistmen began to appear and quickly lay waste to the vastly outnumbered vampires. Once all of them were dead, the Mistmen sunk back into the ground, leaving black puddles where they had stood. He walked towards me carefully, dragging his tail. He flapped his tattered wings, satisfied.
"Ah Qahnaarin, it has been a long time." Durnehviir rumbled.
I nodded. "It has old friend."
"It felt good to stretch my wings. But I must return now." He said ruefully. I reached out and rubbed one of his horns.
"Thank you Durnehviir. I still look for a way to free you." I told him softly.
I watched as he began to fade. He tilted his head down. "Thank you. Friend." He called, before fading away completely.
I scooped Serana up, and with haste, made for Nevah's home. Serana needed a healer, and fast.
