The travel to the rest of the wayshrines hadn't gone as smoothly as the prior parts of the journey, aside from the dragons.
They'd had to traverse through a Falmer village nestled in a small mountain pass. The tight spacing and sheer number of Falmer made it hard to get through. Akiseta resorted to taking her beast form. Between that and Serana's magic, they managed to carve their way through them.
"These damn things are like flies." Akiseta growled as they entered an ice coated crevice. It was a tight fit in her beast form, but she could smell more Falmer.
"One of the perks of leaving this valley is we'll be cutting down on our interactions with these things." Serana agreed.
The crevice led into a tunnel flooded deeply with water. Even standing on her hind legs, the water came up to her chest. Though she was covered in fur, the water was still freezing.
She clambered onto the ice and crouched on all fours to shake herself off.
"Sorry." She said with a grin at seeing Serana's irritated look.
"Sure."
Akiseta let out a light chuckle, then looked around. The cavern was huge. The walkways were all ice-made, jutting out of the walls, which reached up high, leading to an open ceiling. Despite the light leaking in from the sky, it was still pretty dim.
"That looks dangerous." Serana said, looking up at the walkways.
"It probably is, but we haven't much a choice. Come on."
They began finding their way through the cavern. The walkways were thinner than Akiseta had thought. She kept herself on all fours, keeping close to the walls.
The layout of the cavern was the most confusing Akiseta had ever seen. They'd gotten turned around three times already. And the Falmer made everything much more difficult.
"I don't think we're ever going to get out of here." Serana sighed as they went into another tunnel.
"I'm not spending the rest of my life with these things." Akiseta growled.
Reaching a Falmer bridge, Akiseta lunged forward to tackle one of the creatures before it could draw its bow. She lost her footing, and her hind legs slipped off. She gripped on with her paws, digging in as her hind legs kicked in the air.
"Aki!" Serana ran over, and grabbed one of Akiseta's forearm with one hand, and gripped the fur of her neck with the other, and helped pull her up.
Akiseta looked back over the edge. The fall would have been far. They went through more tunnels until they came to one that didn't look familiar to them.
Akiseta perked her ears up. "I think I see some light up head."
The tunnel led to an open rocky area with more Falmer. After getting through them, they came to the final wayshrine.
"Finally." Serana said, digging into Akiseta's backpack for the ewer.
As she went to the wayshrine, Akiseta changed back. She dug into her backpack and slid on her underclothes and armour.
"Aki! You need to see this!" Serana called.
Akiseta followed the little pathway, and let out a small gasp of awe.
A large stone bridge let to a huge building. It reached a good deal up the cliff face. The stone looked smooth and decorative. Arches and windows adorned the walls.
A statue of Auriel stood tall in the courtyard.
"The older symbols of Auriel's powers. This place really is ancient." Serana mused.
"I'll say it is. It's really impressive though." Akiseta looked around.
Upon being closer, Akiseta saw several cracks running along the walls surfaces, and many windows were broken. She could only imagine how it looked in its prime. It would easily put any temple or palace in Skyrim to shame.
They walked up one of the staircases to a large basin. Akiseta poured the contents of the ewer into it. They watched as the water ran through little channels carved in the ground, filling a sun shaped carving.
A light green light shone on the water. The sun shaped handle on the door spun around, and the door popped open a smidgen. They each grabbed a handle, and pulled the door open. It slowly swung shut behind them.
It was even colder inside then it was outside. The floor was covered in a light layer of snow, and frost coated the walls. A shrine to Auriel sat in the center of the room, light shining on it from a hole in the roof.
"Aki... look at these." Serana said softly.
Falmer and Chaurus's stood in a circle around the shrine, frozen solid.
"They're like.. statues." Akiseta whispered. The thought that they were once alive, and were frozen like this unnerved her. What had done this to them?
"And I thought the Soul Cairn was creepy." Serana muttered.
"This makes me nervous. Come on, let's find Vyrthur."
They made their way through the Sanctum, passing several of the frozen Falmer. Akiseta eyed them anxiously.
They finally made there way through an archway, leading to an icy ledge. They carefully jumped down, and entered a large room. The walls were decorated with intricate carvings, and four stone pillars reached up to the roof. The room was filled with frozen Falmer and Chaurus's.
A throne sat at the end of the room, a figure seated in it. The armour looked similar to what Gelebor had been wearing. A hood was pulled up over his head, and he leaned against one of the arm rests.
"That must be him." Akiseta hissed.
"Then let's finish this."
They walked into the room. As the got closer, Akiseta noticed the air in front of the throne was wavy, and discolored.
"It's a magical barrier." Serana whispered.
"Can we get past it?"
"We have to try."
Akiseta sniffed the air. Something was off. The scents of Falmer and Chaurus were heavy, but also diluted. There was something else, something she swore she knew, but no matter how deeply she breathed in, she couldn't pick up more than the faintest trace Was the barrier interfering with her sense of smell?
When they got a little past the center of the room, Vyrthur straightened in the throne.
"Gelebor must be desperate, sending a vampire and her dog to try and claim the bow." He drawled out in a bored manner, gesturing to Akiseta.
Akiseta froze in her track. 'He... knows what I am? How!?'
He could see Serana's eyes, but how did he know what she was?
"Although, I must admit, I was a bit worried you being Dragonborn would complicate matters." Vyrthur pulled a dagger from his side, turning it in his palm. "As entertaining as your display out on the lake with the dragons was, however, I feel I must inform you your powers are nothing compared to mine."
"You're pretty bold for someone whose life is about to end." Serana remarked.
Vyrthur let out a dry chuckle. "Girl, my life ended long before you were ever born. I must honestly thank the lizard, though. After all, she brought your lovely self right to me."
Confusion spread across Serana's face. "M..me?"
Akiseta growled. She drew her sword and stepped forward. "You aren't going to touch her."
Vyrthur laughed again. "Adorable. Such a loyal mutt. Don't worry. Your death shall be quick."
He waved his hand, and a cracking sound caught their ears. Turning around, they saw several of the Falmer and Chaurus's were now moving around, still coated in ice.
"YOL TOOR SHUL!" Akiseta Shouted, drenching the nearest ones in flames, making them screech in pain.
She swung her sword into them, cutting across their chests. The Falmer clawed at her with frozen fingers, ice-like claws tearing into her armour. The Chaurus snapped at her legs.
She hissed, backing into a corner.
Serana danced around them, using her lighting magic to keep them at bay if they got to close, and striking them with her sword. She let out a scream when a Chaurus spat venom onto her face. She backed away, rubbing her sleeve across her face.
Akiseta let out a hiss. "Serana, move!"
As soon as Serana was clear, Akiseta let out her fire breath Thu'um again, though the flames were weaker than before. The frozen creatures wailed in pain.
Vyrthur released more of ice-covered creature. Akiseta and Serana were soon covering in bites and claw marks. Venom dripped off of Akiseta's armour.
They manage to take the creatures down. Akiseta stumbled away from broken body pieces, panting.
Vyrthur clenched his hands into fists. "This has gone on long enough!" Frost swirled in his hand, and the rest of the Falmer broke free. But that was the least of their worries. Vyrthur had also summoned up a Frost Atronach.
This Atronach was much bigger then any Akiseta had see before. The top of its head almost reached the ceiling.
They scrambled out of the way as it swung at them, ice coating the ground where its limbs struck.
Akiseta backed up near a pillar, eyeing the Falmer surrounding her.
A large cracking sound caught her ears. She jumped back at the pillar crumbled, crushing the Falmer. She danced out of the way as a chunk of the ceiling almost came down on her.
'He's bringing down the ceiling!? Is he mad!?'
She turned to see Serana trying to fight the Atronach. It struck her to the ground, and she barely got out of the way as another pillar broke.
"YOL TOOR SHUL!"
The flames surrounded the Atronach, causing it to let out a deep, echoing sound that was like something sharp scraping across ice.
Akiseta ran up, and drove her sword through the outer layer of ice that made up the creature, plunging the blade into its icy core. It let out another sound, this one far more shrill.
Akiseta tugged on her sword, falling back as she wrenched it free, a snapping sound following.
She held the hilt in her hand. The blade rested inside the Atronach, and fell to the ground at the construct fell apart.
"No!" Vyrthur roared, standing up. "You will not ruin centuries of preparations!"
"It's over, Vyrthur!" Akiseta snapped, getting on her feet.
"No." A golden light surrounded Vyrthur. "Not yet!"
The light expanded, filling the whole room. It produced a blast that knocked Akiseta down. The magic radiating felt similar to that she felt from The Eye of Magnus when fighting Ancano.
Something struck her head as she tried to stand, knocking her down again. She closed her eyes, feeling searing pain along the right side of her head.
She heard Serana's voice, and opened her eyes, vision blurred.
"Aki! Oh, Aki..." She felt Serana help her sit up.
"Ow... what..." Akiseta reached up to the side of her head, wincing at her own touch. She felt blood, and ran her hand up to where her right horn should be. She felt more blood, and a rough indent in her scales where the horn should be.
"Are you alright? Can you stand?" Serana asked. Blood ran down the side of her head and shoulders.
"I... I think so. Where is Vyrthur?"
"Out on the balcony. Come on, let's finish this."
Serana and Akiseta limped up the steps leading to the balcony. Pain burned along Serana's shoulders and head, and her skin crawled with irritation when the sunlight hit the exposed parts.
Vyrthur stood at the edge of the balcony with his back turned to them.
They approached, but stop short of reaching him. His scent came to them clearly for the first time.
"You're... you're a vampire?" Serana questioned. 'How can he be a vampire?'
Vyrthur turned his head to them, shoving his hood down. He glared at them with cold red eyes.
"How?" Akiseta asked. "Auriel should have protected you!"
Vyrthur scoffed. "I once thought that myself. But the harsh reality is that the gods have no issue scorning even their faithful. Your dragon-blood father turned his back on me the moment I was infected by one of my own initiates!" He gripped the rail of the balcony. "I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter the cost!"
Serana shared a skeptical look with Akiseta. "You want to take revenge? On a god?"
The scenario would have been much more amusing if they hadn't had to go through all this trouble just to deal with a madman.
"Auriel may be beyond my reach, but his influence on our world is not!" Vyrthur snapped, gesturing to the sun.
"The sun?" Akiseta looked up at the sky.
'The sun...' A large pit of dread welled up inside Serana, and it felt hard to breathe. She swallowed dryly, as her mother's words came back to her.
"The fullness of the prophecy states that, using Auriel's bow, the blood of Coldharbour's Daughter can blind the Eye of the Dragon."
The bow.. her blood... the sun..
"It was you!? You created that prophecy?!" She cried.
"And the last thing I needed to complete it... was you." Vyrthur said calmly.
Serana clenched her hands into fists, feeling her chest tighten and burn. She took in quick, shallow breaths. The world around her disappeared.
All she could see was her mother, trapped in exile in a piece of hell. Her father's cold, uncaring gaze. The never ending darkness of the crypt in Dimhollow. Her life falling apart around her.
Because of him.
"You... you son of a bitch!"
She grabbed Vyrthur by his throat, lifting him up. "Do you have any idea what you've done to me!?" She screamed, tighten her grip on his throat. He weakly pulled at her hands in an attempt to pry them off.
"You've been waiting all this time for someone with my blood? Well that's too bad for you. Because the only blood being spilt here is yours!"
Vyrthur kick her hard in the stomach, making her let go of him. Another flash of bright light burned her skin, and hurt her eyes, making her stumble back. She jumped back to avoid getting his by the limb of another summoned Frost Atronach.
Her blood burned hotly in her veins, her heart pounding harshly in her chest.
'This is all because of him! This is his fault!'
She let out an enraged scream, taking her vampiric Lady form. Her blood burned even more, and her exposed skin stung under the sunlight. She didn't care.
She jumped on to the Atronach, digging her claws into its icy body, making it wail. She shoved off from it, flapping the winged limbs on her back frantically to keep herself in the air.
Akiseta, lacking a weapon now, was trying to snatch Vyrthur's dagger. She danced around to his side, swinging her tail up, driving her spines across one of his arms, and reached for the dagger. He maneuvered around, and drove the dagger through one of the tears in her armour, along her rib cage.
Serana let out a guttural snarl, and dove, landing right beside Vyrthur. She smack him aside with one of her 'wings', sending him flying into the railing, cracking it a bit.
She walked up to him, and grabbed him by the sides of his torso, driving her claws through his armour as she lifted him up.
"Still think your blood has any power to it?" She hissed.
She could smell the fear on him, see it in his dead eyes. And it brought a small smile to her mouth.
She lunged her head forward, driving her fangs deep into his throat. He let out a shriek as she drove her fangs in deeper. His blood filled her mouth, a cold, bitter taste.
She pulled her head back, pulling a chunk of flesh with her. Vyrthur's eyes went dim, his body limp in her grasp, blood running down the tear in his neck.
Serana spat out the chunk of flesh, and threw Vyrthur's corpse over the railing.
The rush of adrenaline left her body, and she became painfully aware of the scalding on her skin. She hissed, and covered her eyes, curling her winged limbs around herself.
Hands grabbed a hold of her, burning her skin even more. She was dragged down the steps, and under the shade of something she couldn't recall being their before.
Her mind was numb, and the pain in her body was severely darkening her vision. She panted hard, and was afraid she's black out.
Then, she felt the relief of coldness on her stomach. Akiseta's hand her pressed against her burning skin, cooled down by the basic frost magic the Argonian knew. Her hands slid over her torso, and to her upper chest.
Her breathing began to even out, and her vision began to clear. She leaned back against the wall of the structure. Taking a glance, Serana realized it was a wayshrine.
"By Auriel... what happened?"
They both turned their heads as Gelebor stepped through a portal, shock spread across his face.
"Complications." Serana said, lungs hurting for air.
"She got too much exposure to the sun. I can't do magic like this well. Please, help." Akiseta pleaded.
"I'll do what I can."
Gelebor took over cooling off her lower torso and legs, and Serana felt too drained to complain.
Akiseta moved to her back, pressing her hands into the lower part. She snaked her head over Serana's shoulder.
"FO!"
The word came from Akiseta like a harsh whisper, and Serana felt cold run all down her back and along her 'wings'. It felt heavenly.
Her senses came back to her, the pain leaving her body. She straightened up, and shook frost from her wings.
"Sorry about that." Akiseta apologized. "I didn't know what else to do."
"It's alright, dear. It helped quite a bit. Thank you as well, Gelebor."
"You're welcome. Helping you out is the least I can do. Since this shrine has been restored, then that means Vyrthur has been taken care of."
"He's gone, Gelebor." Akiseta confirmed.
Gelebor sighed. "It brings me some comfort to hear that he's no longer under the corruption of the Betrayed."
"He wasn't." Akiseta said.
"What?"
"He was controlling them." Serana said, turning back to her normal self. "He was a vampire."
"A vampire!? You're sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Serana stood up.
"Serana-"
"Aki, I just... give me a minute, please."
"..Alright."
Serana pulled her hood up, and walked out of the wayshrine. She made her way up the steps, and leaned against the balcony railing.
She stared down at the lake, though she wasn't really focusing on anything. She felt drained and numb.
All those years she spent listening to her mother speak venomously about her father, all those years she spent trapped in a crypt, all the things in her life she lost, her own father wanting to kill her. All because Vyrthur wanted revenge on Auriel.
She wasn't sure how long she was there, but Akiseta eventually joined her at the rail.
"Are you alright, iluukai?"
"You know that so many things in my life weren't up to me. But, it was still my life. And then, my father stumbled onto this damn prophecy, and my life wasn't mine at all. My mother took me away from everything. Because my father wants to kill me to make this prophecy come true. A prophecy that exists because that weak-blooded piece of trash wanted revenge on a god! He didn't care who he'd end up hurting!"
Serana slammed her fists on the rail. "Nothing in my life was ever about what I wanted. It was always about what everyone else wanted, and what they wanted of me. What they expected of me. But, to want to take my life away.. end it, like... like I'm nothing.."
Hot tears stung her eyes, sliding down her cheeks. "This piece of trash wanted me dead, my father wants me dead... my life was ruined by both their stupidities, and I don't know who to hate more!"
She felt Akiseta's arms pull her into an embrace, and she buried her head into her shoulder, unable to stop her sobs.
"It's alright to be upset, iluukai." Akiseta said soothingly. "And it's alright to be angry. You have every right to be angry. Vyrthur, Harkon, Valerica... Everyone has been making decisions about your life. What Vyrthur and Harkon have done is beyond despicable."
She shifted around to look at Serana's face. "But it's almost over. Vyrthur is dead. We have the bow. We're going to go back to Isran, get the Dawnguard, go to the castle to confront your father, and this will all be over." She gently brushed the tears from Serana's face. "And you will be okay. Nobody will ever hurt you again."
"You can't promise that." Serana said softly.
"Yes, I can. Because I'm here. I'm right here with you. I've been with you since all this started, I'll be with you when it ends, and I'll be with you for everything after. I'm always going to be with you. I love you."
Serana leaned into Akiseta. "I love you too, Aki."
Akiseta kissed her forehead softly. "It's going to be alright, iluukai. Just a few more steps."
Serana sighed. "A few more steps."
These few more steps were going to were going to be difficult. Harkon wasn't the father she once had. But, he was still her father. The person he used to be was dead, but his face was still there, along with all her memories.
She wouldn't have been able to ever do this alone. But she wasn't alone. Akiseta was with her. They were in this together.