The little canyon the Dawnguard used as their base was pretty. It was the one thing Serana liked about the place. She couldn't say she was happy to be back. Her first trip here wasn't a fond memory. Had she not been so quick about mentioning she had been looking for Akiseta, she was sure they would have tried to shoot her with their silver-tipped bolts.

On her second visit with the Moth Priest, she'd gotten cold, harsh stares. Now, they weren't as hard, but still brimmed with suspicion. Serana knew to expect it, but it still irritated her. After all, she'd went quite a ways to help protect the world they all lived in. Shouldn't that count for something?

Akiseta glanced over at her. "Is something wrong, Serana?"

"No. Just getting the usual greetings from the welcoming party."

Akiseta looked around at the other Dawnguard members. She took Serana's hands in her own. "Don't let them bother you."

"I'm not. It's just... tiring."

"I know it is." Akiseta placed a hand on Serana's cheek, gently stroking her cold skin with a thumb.

Serana liked the gesture, but noticed it brought on some more passing glances. "Seeing us like this, they might think I did something to you."

"But, you did." Akiseta smiled softly. "You've enraptured my heart."

Serana leaned into Akiseta's palm. "You know what I mean."

"You care what they think?"

"About me? No. But, what they think about you.. And, if they think I used my magic on you or something.."

"I don't care what they think about anything." Akiseta said. "If anyone has anything to say, I'll make sure they get corrected."

Serana didn't have a chance to speak before Akiseta kissed her. She melted into the kiss, pulling the Argonian closer.

She couldn't help but smile after the kiss broke. "Well, how can I argue with that?"

Akiseta grinned, and lightly kissed her on the cheek. She took the vampire's hand as they entered the fort.

"Isran! We're back!" She called, her voice echoing some.

Isran came out of one of the entryway. He cast a brief glace at the women's joined hands, before looking at Akiseta. He looked troubled. Or tired. Or both.

"Akiseta. It's good to see you back alright."

"She's alright. I took good care of her." Serana said. She and Akiseta shared a look.

The Argonian cleared her throat. "We have the other scrolls. Where is Dexion?"

Isran's face fell a little. "He's in the other room. He... come see for yourselves."

A bit of dread welled up in Serana's stomach. She and Akiseta followed Isran into the other room.

"Dexion? They're back." Isran said as they entered.

"I'm glad you've returned safely, my friends." Dexion said, turning his head in their direction.

"Oh no..." Serana whispered. Dexion had a cloth wrapped around his eyes.


Akiseta approached him, kneeling beside his chair. "Dexion... your eyes... what happened?"

Dexion sighed. "It's my own fault, I'm afraid. I was too hasty in reading the first scroll. I thought I could waylay the after affects of being ill-prepared, but I was wrong. I may recover, but this could be permanent."

Akiseta lowered her head. "Then it's over." There was no one else who could read the scrolls. Without the scrolls, they couldn't find Auriel's bow. How could they stop Harkon now?

"Not all is lost, my dear. There is another way."

Akiseta lifted her head. "Really?"

"Yes. The question is, how much are you willing to risk to find the bow?"

Akiseta had put everything at risk the moment she agreed to help the Dawnguard, Everything was at risk even of she hadn't joined. The danger wasn't gone until the prophecy was ended.

"Tell me what I need to do."

"An ancient ritual of my order. We don't call ourselves Moth Priests for nothing. There are sever secluded grove across Tamriel where Ancestor Moths reside. This is where the ritual is preformed. There should be a specific draw knife in the glade. Using it to gather Canticle bark will draw the moths to you. Their augur maintains a connection to the scrolls, and should allow you to read the scrolls yourself."

Akiseta nodded. "That doesn't sound too hard."

"Wait a second. Can you explain the risk part?" Serana asked.

"There are always risks involved with the scrolls. This ritual is no exception. I can't assure freedom from harm. Going blind could be the least of your worries. Only the most attuned Moth Priests have ever performed the ritual."

"Then how do we even stand a chance?" Serana asked.

Akiseta shared her concern. She'd seen what happened to Septimus, mind addled by the scrolls, and worsened by Hermaus Mora. And then, Dexion went blind. What could happen to her?

"Whether or not you believe it, the scrolls have a mind of their own. If they didn't want to be found, they wouldn't have allowed it. Akiseta has procured three. I'm certain she was meant to hear the chorus of the moths."

"I have to try. It's the only way to end this."

"Aki, a word, please?" Serana asked, her tone a little harsh.

Akiseta followed her back into the main hall.

"Are you insane!?" Serana snapped. "You can't really be considering doing this."

"What other choice is there?" Akiseta snapped back. "Let your father rob the world of light? Let him doom everything to Oblivion? Let my daughter suffer? Let you die?"

"You know I don't want any of that! But look at what happened to Dexion! And that man you told me about, Septimus. What if something worse were to happen to you?"

"I know it could be dangerous, Serana. But there isn't any other alternative. We need the bow."

"I know." Serana sighed. "I know. I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't, Serana."

"You can't promise that."

"I can, and I have." Akiseta kissed the vampire's forehead. "Now, I have to see Sorine about a new crossbow real quick, and then we can go."

"Okay." Serana said softly.

Akiseta offered a smile, before heading to Sorine's work area. Isran stopped her along the way.

"You're sure about this, Akiseta?"

"Yes. I have to do this. It's the only way."

"Just be careful."

"I will be."

"Listen, about Serana.."

"What now?" Akiseta asked. She was tired of the Dawnguard's suspicion of Serana. But at least Isran stopped calling her 'it'.

"It was mentioned to me that you kissed her."

"What of it?"

"Did she..."

"No, she didn't!" Akiseta snapped before Isran could finish. "You want to know why I kissed her? Because I like her. Quite a bit. And she likes me the same."

"Are you sure, Akiseta? Vampiric magic can be very manipulative."

"I know what vampires are capable of, Isran. I've seen it first hand. My necklace protects me. And Serana would never do anything like that to me. She cares about me. Her feelings are as genuine as mine are."

"I just wanted to make sure, Akiseta."

"Well you don't have to worry."

"Is.. is she alright? She seems... different from before. What happened out there?"

Akiseta frowned. "We learned more about the prophecy. To darken the sun, Harkon would need to taint Auriel's bow with the blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour, which is what Serana is."

"Are you saying.. Harkon is planning to kill her? His own daughter?"

"Yes. He doesn't see her as a daughter anymore. Just a piece to be used in his game." Just talking about it made Akiseta feel sick. She longed for the time when they could end the prophecy, and end Harkon.

"By the gods..." Isran muttered. "I... That must be hard for her to know."

"It is, but she's trying to keep it out of her mind for now."

Isran gave a small nod, and let Akiseta be on her way. She met Sorine by the forge.

"Hey, Sorine."

"Akiseta! Good to see you. I heard you returned. Everything going alright?"

"Yes, just getting ready to head back out. Got any extra crossbows? Mine broke. A lot."

"You're in luck! You're just in time to try out my new model. I've worked all the kinks out." Sorine said, handing one to Akiseta. The material of the build was that of Dwarven metal.

Akiseta looked it over. "It's quite impressive."

"Thank you. It fires and reloads faster. And I've also developed some new bolts." Sorine handed some to Akiseta. "They explode in fire, ice, or electricity. So, be careful if you use them."

"I will be, Sorine. Thank you." Akiseta said, making sure the new bolts were wrapped up securely before placing them in her bag.

She met Serana by the door.

"All set?" Serana asked.

"Yes. We just need to stop in Riften for a minute. I have to take care of something."

"Alright."


Serana looked around the city of Riften. Everyone they saw gave Akiseta a bright smile as they passed by.

"Everyone seems to really like you."

"Yeah. They're grateful for all I've done to help improve the city. Clearing out a deep-seeded corruption ring wasn't easy. But these people deserved better lives."

"Always the noble hero."

Akiseta shrugged. "I was just trying to do the right thing. Maven and her sons were tormenting these people, and the Thieve's Guild and the corrupt guards were too. I couldn't just do nothing."

"I love it when you're humble." Serana said in a playful tone.

Akiseta turned her head away, a shy grin on her face. Serana couldn't resist a giggle.

"So, what was it you needed to do here, Aki?"

"I wanted to stop by the temple. I know you don't do temples, so would you like to wait at the Bee and Barb?"

"Sure."

Akiseta led her into the tavern, and over to a table in the corner. A male Argonian with green scales and feathers approached.

"Aki! It's a pleasure to see you again! What can we do for you today?"

"It's great to see you to, Talen. I was actually going to visit the temple. This is Serana. She'll be waiting for me here. Perhaps you could interest her in one of your special drinks."

Serana raised a brow under her hood. "Special drinks."

Talen nodded. "Yes, milady. We have three. They're my own special recipes. I brought them over from my days as a bartender in Gideon. We have the Velvet Lechance, the White-Gold Tower, and the Cliff Racer."

"The Velvet Lechance sounds nice."

"Excellent choice, milady. I'll be with you in just a moment." Talen dipped his head as he walked off.

"I won't be long." Akiseta said, moving Serana's hood slightly to kiss her cheek. She handed her some coins.

Serana watched her go with a smile, and sat down. She glanced around the tavern as Talen came back. Serana handed him the coins Akiseta left her, and took a drink. It had a very sweet taste to it, and was smooth.

"This is very good. What's in it?"

"The Velvet Lechance is a mixture of blackberry, honey, spiced wine, and a touch of nightshade, perfectly harmless I assure you."

Serana thought she'd picked up a faint scent of nightshade. Her mother had grown a lot of in her garden before. "It's very delicious."

"Thank you, milady. This one has always been Akiseta's favorite. Thari-Na preferred the White-Gold Tower."

"Thari-Na?" Serana asked, surprised to hear Talen mention Akiseta's former lover. "You knew her?"

Talen nodded. "Yes. I knew them both back in Black Marsh. Met them during our middle-youth years. Aki's parent brought her along for they're little trips sometimes, and they used to come visit on their own before I left."

Serana hadn't expected to meet someone Akiseta had known from her life in Black Marsh. She couldn't help the curiosity that was starting to gnaw at her.

"Were you surprised when you saw her in Skyrim?"

"Oh yes. I was quite shocked to see her when she first came to Riften. I was also surprised to see her alone. She told me what happened to her parents. It's sad to think about. They were good people. And, what happened between her an Thari-Na. Losing a mate isn't easy for my people. But our relationships rarely ever fall apart like theirs did."

"I know it's all been hard on her." Serana said, remembering the self inflicted scars on Akiseta's arm.

"Indeed. But, it seems things are looking much better for her. And I'm glad to see her visit the temple. Mara is well enough to have faith in, since Aki has so little in the Hist."

"She doesn't seem to have any reason to have faith in the Hist." Serana remarked. "I mean no disrespect. But it doesn't seem like the Hist has ever looked out for her."

"Maybe not directly. But her necklace was blessed by it. Even though she lacks the sacred connection to it, it's still watching over her. And she puts some faith in that. She doesn't need our people's connection to it for it to be a part of her life."

"She said something similar to me about the gods, once."

"She's right, you know. I'm sorry, but I do have other things to attend to. Nice meeting you, milady."

Serana watched him walk away, then looked into the dark colored liquid of her drink. She thought back to when Akiseta had asked Mara to watch over them both. It had seemed pointless to ask Mara to watch over her. Why should the gods care about a vampire? Especially one with a history seeped in the world of the Daedra.

Of course, Mara was the one who watched over mortals with love and compassion. Akiseta had earned her favor, even with her beastblood.

Akiseta had said she didn't have to have faith in Mara, just faith in her. And Serana did have faith in Akiseta. She was the only thing Serana had found to have faith in after a long time. Years upon years of having only herself to rely on, Serana had welcomed a friend to depend on. And now, it was more, much more. Someone she could share these feelings with, someone to share herself with.

Maybe Mara was watching over them both.


Akiseta sat in a bench near the front of the room, as near to the alter as she could be. Maramal and the other priests came to and about, but aside from them the temple was empty. It gave her space to think.

She tried not to think about the Elder Scrolls, and the ritual she needed to perform. There was no point in worrying about it. It had to be done no matter what. Dexion knew much more about the scrolls than she did. He was confident she was meant to hear the song of the moths, so she'd take faith in that. And the scrolls were connected to Aetherius. So, maybe the gods, or at least Mara, would protect her.

She found herself thinking about the help she had given priestess Dinya aid in spreading Mara's warmth to troubled lovers across Skyrim, and her words throughout Riften. Aiding in helping love find its way had made Akiseta happy, and helped her ignore the dull pain in her own heart at the time.

That pain that had stayed with her for so long was finally gone. Her heart felt light and full. Serana had made her feel this way, feelings familiar but different from the last time.

She'd felt a brief moment of surprise when Serana had kissed her back in the spring, but was more overcome the joy she had felt. The vampire's lips had been cold, and her mouth had a lingering taste of the blood consisting in her diet, but she was soft, a very different experience from kissing someone else with scales.

Akiseta clasped her hands together, and lowered her head. "Milady Mara, I want to thank you for watching over me through these difficult times. And for looking out for Serana, too. I know she feels you wouldn't care about her, due to her past and what she is. But, I feel that you do care. And I thank you for letting me open my heart to her. I ask that you continue to watch over us and our relationship in the future."

Akiseta kept her gaze on the floor. She felt... content. And warm, a warmth she'd felt before. One she couldn't connect with this world. She smiled. She heard the temple's front door open, and the sound was followed by a scent she knew all too well. She turned her head, watching as Serana walked down the aisle way.

"What are you doing in here?" Akiseta asked as the vampire sat down beside her.

"Joining you." Serana replied, pushing her hood down. "It feels strange being in here."

"It's not hurting you, is it?"

"No. The magic from the shrine is making me feel a little weaker, but it's not anything serious. What have you been up to in here?"

"Thanking Mara for watching over us. Whether you believe it or not, she was looking out for you too."

"She told you this, did she?"

"Well no, obviously. I felt it."

There was some comfortable silence between them for a bit.

"Hey, Aki. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Serana. What is it?"

"Back at the spring. Why did you stop me from biting you? I know that it was probably for the best, but I'm curious. I didn't even have enough strength of mind to stop myself."

"It.. it wasn't easy. And, it wasn't that I really want to stop you. Not entirely." Akiseta said quietly, resting her tail across her legs.

She really hadn't. The whole moment at the springs had begun to feel perfect. The way Serana's mouth had felt and tasted against her own, the way her skin and body had felt. An experience somewhat new to Akiseta, to feel skin that was soft and smooth instead of scales.

A shiver had gone through her when she'd felt Serana's fangs run along her neck. Not one of fear, though. She knew that vampires gave their lovers a claiming bite, an instinct werewolves also had.

But the spring wasn't the ideal place for them to nest with each other. Akiseta had seen people cross there at night. Having a wayward travel stumble upon them in such an intimate act would have been embarrassing. There was another reason as well, which Akiseta decided to share.

"I know I said it was because the spring wasn't really the best place to nest, which is true, but there was another reason."

"What would that be?" Serana questioned.

"Well, it's a few reasons, actually. I haven't had feelings like these for anyone in a long time. And you've never had them before. It's kind of new to both of us. And you've never nested with someone before, especially not a woman. You haven't experienced true intimacy before."

"No, I haven't."

The small flash of pain in Serana's eyes hurt Akiseta a great deal. She could never imagine going though something as horrible as what Serana was forced through. To take advantage of someone like that, to hurt them, to force them into something that should be an intimate connection was a wretched thing. It made Akiseta sick that it happened. Even more so that it wasn't just Daedra that did it, but landstriders as well.

"The thing is, this is all something new for us both, especially you. And I didn't want to rush into anything, especially if you weren't really ready. "You may have thought you were," She added before Serana could speak. "But, I didn't want you to go through with it if you really weren't."

"It's sweet of you to be so concerned about me, Aki." Serana kissed her cheek. "What happened to me.. what I went through... it broke me. And I was like that for a long time. But, I've worked hard to put the pieces back together. And, when it came to the ones that were missing, that's where you fit right in. Whenever the time and place are right, it will be only you on my mind. Not what I went through. Because you would never hurt me."

"Of course I wouldn't. Ever. As for, you know, nesting... It's kind of like ux."

"Ux?"

"A sacred ritual among my people. Just as plants and animals renew their numbers at the turn of the seasons, so do the Saxhleel renew ours."

"So ux is when Argonians conceive children, then."

"Yes. It when mates are able to bear hatchlings. Obviously, it's only something the uvastuxith can do, since a female can't bear hatchlings with another female, nor can a male with a male."

"How is nesting similar, then?"

"Well, what mates do when nesting is the same as what they do when mating. But mating brings about hatchlings, which is why only uvastuxith partake in ux. Nesting is just intimacy between mates without the intent to bear hatchlings. Not that it's not as important for mates as ux is. Nesting allows mates to share in each other, and connect on a most personal level. Does that make sense?"

"Yes. No one's ever explained it to me like that before, though."

"It's not something all landstriders would understand. I know landstriders can nest even when they don't share feelings. But for us, intimacy is just that. Intimate."

"The way you say it is for your people sounds so nice. Not like anything I've ever heard or experienced." Serana said softly, smiling. "But I'd like to." She purred.

Akiseta felt herself blushing. "There will be time enough, my dear." She promised, kissing Serana softly.

"I suppose we should get going." Serana sighed in a defeated manner.

"I suppose so. But before we go off looking for the glade, we need to stop by Whiterun. I need to fix the damage done to my armour. And I would like to see my daughter."


Ux: A sacred mating practice of the Argonians.

Uvastuxith: Nest-becoming. A term for a procreational partnership.