"Where is she?" Serana asked pointedly.
"After all this time, not even a 'hello' to your own father?"
"You are a lying, murdering, heartless, kidnapping sewer-rat! Now tell me where she is!" Serana snapped.
"My my. Such venomous words." Harkon said, turning away from her. "You really have disappointed me, Serana."
'As if I care about your opinion.' Serana thought bitterly, her last shred of patience wearing out completely. She tugged the cloth off the bow, and pulled out one of the arrows, knocking it into place.
"Tell me where she is, now!" She threatened, aiming it at Harkon.
Harkon looked over his shoulder, an impressed look on his face. "So, you found the bow after all. And now, you plan to kill me? Is that it? You won't get information out of me if I'm dead."
"Then I'll tear this whole castle apart until I find Akiseta."
"You think you'll just be able to waltz on out, do you?"
"Have you forgotten what I am? I am a Daughter of Coldharbour! And I have the bow. My odds are pretty good."
"Every vampire and thrall in this keep is armed with silver, from the blade of every sword and dagger to the tip of every arrow."
"I'm not afraid to take my chances."
"Why not bring your new friends from the Dawnguard with you? Your chances would be a little better."
"This doesn't concern them anymore." 'Good, he still doesn't know they're coming. Isran, please hurry.'
"Making this personal now?" Harkon asked in an amused tone.
"You made it personal." Serana aimed the arrow a little higher, aiming the tip at Harkon's throat. "Where is Akiseta?"
"She's alive. You should be grateful."
"Grateful? Grateful!? For what!? For murdering other vampires!? For torturing mortals!? For tearing our family apart!? For taking away the only person who's ever given a damn about me!? For planning to kill me?!"
"I wasn't going to kill you."
"Yes you were, you bastard!" Serana yelled, gripping the limb of the bow tightly, its warmth burning her hand. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out!? I know you need my blood to complete this prophecy!"
"The blood of a Daughter of Coldharbour is necessary, yes. But nothing was ever mentioned about a sacrifice being necessary."
"What in Oblivion are you talking about?"
"Had you or your mother ever bothered to listen to me, or even help me on this matter, you'd know. I do remember what it was like to be human. To be mortal. I know they require things that need the sunlight."
"You're the one who wants to darken it!"
"Control it." Harkon said in a correcting manner. "Whatever started this prophecy seemed to indicate that the sun should be darkened permanently. But this would be detrimental to us, since it would affect our source of food. Tainting the bow would darken the sun forever. But, tainting an arrow, and using the bow to fire said arrow at the sun would create a temporary effect."
"You never said anything about this before."
"I had to do a lot of research. You and your mother wouldn't listen. By the time I came close to a solution, she hid you from me. And when I came up with a solution, you ran off to the Dragonborn. But now that you're back, you can help me. If we used a little of your blood, we could turn some days black as night."
"Do you honestly think that still wouldn't start a war with the mortals?"
"We would have the advantage during the days we darken. Whole days and nights for us to claim the world in. Other vampires would join our cause. And once we have what we want, things would go back to normal on our terms."
Serana shook her head in disbelief. "It won't work. There are a lot of powerful people in the world. Akiseta is one of them. She would never stand for any of this."
"If she could be made to understand that we could help her-"
"Help her!? You really are fucking insane!"
"You still aren't listening to me, Serana. Think about it. How many people in Skyrim still scorn her? How may Nords detest that their legendary hero is an Argonian?"
Serana bit her lip. She knew Harkon spoke true. Akiseta had told her of the people who still hated her.
"Ever since I learned who she was, I had people learning what they could about her." Harkon continued. "I know of many of the feats she's accomplished. Protecting Winterhold, becoming Harbinger of those Companions, freeing Riften from corruption, destroying an entire order of assassins, and slaying the World-Eater. She saved this pitiful world. Yet, because she's an Argonian, many Nords would rather see her dead than at their aid. The Stormcloaks and their false king see her as a disgrace, the Imperial army sees her as little more than an interference, and the Aldmeri Dominion would love nothing more than to skin her alive."
Serana lowered the bow, loosening the draw on it some. This was all true. No matter the good Akiseta did, there were plenty of people who still hated her. She thought back to the bandits they'd met on their way to find Valerica, the Nord who had taunted her, and the Dark Elf who'd belittled her.
"Akiseta may have stalled the war, Serana, but that tension could snap again. And she won't be enough to stop it. But we could. Together, we could help her stop this war. The Imperials and The Stormcloaks wouldn't be able to match the strength we could amass. And we could put the Thalmor in their long over due place."
"Akiseta would never agree to your help."
"But she'd agree to yours. You could convince her of the good of our path. You could show her what we could accomplish. You show her what she could have: An army of vampires at her side, and an eternity at yours."
"You mean... turn her?" The words sounded strange to Serana. Her mind didn't seem to be able to comprehend them. 'Turn Akiseta? Make her a vampire?' She couldn't fathom the idea.
"Yes. Share your gift with her. It would create an inseverable bond between you two. Imagine it, a Dragonborn sired by a Daughter of Coldharbour. Nothing could stand up to that kind of power. She could have everything, and so could you." Harkon stepped in front of the blood alter. "And we could be a family again."
Serana looked at the ground. For more time then she could count, she had wanted nothing more than to have her family like it used to be. But it was too late. Too many things had been sacrificed, too many bridges had been burned.
Akiseta didn't care about praise or power. She wouldn't want to brand her name on the world in that manner, and neither did Serana. This wasn't right. This was wrong.
She was going to have a family. Akiseta and Lucia. She met Harkon's gaze.
"You don't care about me anymore. The only thing you care about is power and control, and you'll do anything to get it. You want to use Akiseta, and you want to use me. I am done being used!"
Serana pulled the string back and fired the arrow at Harkon. He moved, and the arrow struck the alter. It created a brilliant explosion of light, and she heard Harkon scream. Even from a distance, Serana could feel its sting, and she had to close her eyes at the intensity.
Harkon had taken his vampire Lord form. Slight scorch marks lined his skin, and blood leaked from his eyes. He flexed his wings, lifting a bit off the ground.
"You traitorous little wretch!" He held his hand in her direction.
A pain burned in her blood, and she was forced to her knees, hands pressed into the floor. The grip of Harkon's blood magic.
"How pitiful you've become, Serana. So undeserving of Lord Bal's gift." Harkon taunted, starting to approach.
"I'll show you who's the pitiful one." Serana strained out, struggling to attempt to stand. She focused her magic, and brought her free hand up, arcing a chain of lightning bolts into Harkon's face. He snarled in pain, freeing her from his grip. She stumbled away from, and let loose another arrow. This one hit the floor beside him, making him holler. She hid behind one of the pillars to avoid getting hurt.
Coming out, she was scratched along the shoulder by sharp claws, and slammed into the floor. It was a gargoyle, much larger than any other she'd seen. Its skin was deep shades of onyx, and flecks of gold lined its body. Harkon must have summoned it.
Serana raised a barrier of ice in front of her as the gargoyle attempted to claw her again, and she backed towards the alter. Harkon lunged into her, striking the arm that held the bow. The bow was flung from her grasp and into the window, breaking the glass and disappearing from sight.
Serana created a spike of ice in her hand, and drove it into Harkon's shoulder, getting him to back away. She danced back, creating more distance.
Serana took her vampiric Lady form, snarling at Harkon. Using all the magic she could muster, she reanimated bones from the various piles in the room, creating a huge, misshapen construct. The bone-made being clashed with the behemoth of a gargoyle.
Exhausted of her magic, Serana lunged at Harkon. He flew from her reach, perching on one of the upper balconies.
"Look at yourself, Serana. Acting like a beast." Harkon taunted.
Serana snarled again, flying up to him. He backed out of her reach again. Serana used her bat swarm power, temporarily surrounding him. Her body reconstituted, and she latched onto him from behind, driving her claws into his stomach and sinking her fangs into the lower part of his throat.
Harkon thrashed around violently in an attempt to shake her off. He clawed wildly at her arms. He swung around his shoulder, scratching across her face. She let go, and they both fell from the balcony to the floor.
Serana backed away, keeping her left eye tightly shut as blood ran down her face. Harkon's blood tasted cold and bitter in her mouth, her own mixing in from the cuts along her face.
This fight was far from over.
Akiseta opened her eyes. The pain in her body was still ever present, but her senses of smell and hearing felt a little better, and her mind less clouded.
'I wonder why no one has come to dose me. It's been quite a while.' She thought. It didn't matter. She needed to get herself freed, quickly.
She stood up on her toes and much as she could, and leaned towards the right, stretching her head towards her hand. She pinched the edge of a feather tightly between the claws on her thumb and index finger. She moved her head sharply down, wincing as the feather was pulled free.
Craning her head up again, she forced the stalk in between the chain closest to end of her snout. Craning her head more, she slid the end of the stalk into the lock of the restraint. Akiseta moved her head ignoring the burning on her face and
The lock clicked, and Akiseta pulled her arm free. It still burned, but it was free. She pulled the feather from the chains, and unlocked her other arm and her legs. Stepping away, she fell to her hands and knees. Sitting up on her knees, she placed her palms to the chains, wincing at her burn. She was relieved when she was able to do her frost magic, since her restraints had been enchanted to suppress magic.
She ran her hands across the chains circling her snout, shivering as the chill reached her nose. Once the silvery metal stopped feeling like it was searing, Akiseta gripped the upper parts, and yanked downward. The chains snapped, falling down to the floor in little pieces.
Akiseta opened her jaws, moving them around to loosen them up. She used the rest of the magicka she could muster to cool off her snout, ankles, and wrists.
Akiseta stumbled over to where she had smelled the sea water. It was a small crack in the wall, letting the water make a small puddle. Akiseta scooped some into her hand and brought it to her mouth, reveling in how nice it felt against her lips. It was salty, and had the gritty tasted of dirt, but it was a relief from her dry mouth and aching throat. She sipped down a second scoop.
Along the edge of the wall was some fly amata. Akiseta picked a few and ate them slowly, not wanted to upset her stomach with the sudden sustenance. The mushrooms gave her some much needed energy.
Slowly standing up, Akiseta produced a small magic flame, and walked around. The door was made of solid metal. No lock was present, and a shove didn't budge it. It must have been bolted. She'd have to try Shouting.
But she couldn't fight in this condition, and she still couldn't will herself to turn. She needed the Ring.
Walking back towards her imprisonment wall, Akiseta searched the floor for the Ring. She finally found it stuck in a crack in the floor. It felt strange yet familiar in her palm.
Akiseta walked back to the door, and leaned close to the part where it should open. She took a deep breath.
"IIZ SLEN NUS!"
Ice coated parts of the door and the wall, some creeping into the crack between the two. Akiseta panted, and backed up a bit. She closed her eyes, focusing her mind and heart into her soul. She felt it, writhing inside her.
"FUS RO DAH!
The door busted open, part of it denting out at an awkward angle. The wall cracked in several places.
Akiseta fell to her hands and knees, breathing hard, her body trembling. A strange ache resonated through her. Her lungs burned, and her mouth and throat hurt. But she did it. She was free. She looked at the Ring of Hircine. It could reawaken her beastblood. It had to. She slid the ring onto her finger.
She fell onto her hands again, gasping. Her blood ran hot, burning almost painfully, and her heart was pounding hard. She clutched at her chest as the tension increased.
Akiseta only had vague memories of her first transformation, but these pains were similar to that. Her body must be readjusting to her beastblood.
Akiseta looked over at her tail as she felt a painful prickling sensation. Her tail was thickening, and her spines were receding in. Looking at her arms, she saw fur forcing its way through her scales, and her claws were rounding out, growing sharper.
She let out growls and snarls as her body change, her clothes tearing off. Finally fully transformed, Akiseta stood up on her hind legs and let out a howl.
For the first time in days, she felt great. She felt alive. And hungry. She was very hungry. She could smell rats, but they seemed to have scurried into hiding. Crouching on all fours, she sniffed around. She picked up old scents of werewolves and Argonians, none she recognized. She also picked up the scents of vampires, one in particular.
Harkon.
Akiseta dug her claws into the ground, growling. She didn't want food anymore. She didn't want to hunt. She wanted to kill. Harkon was her prey.
She squeezed through the opening she had made of the doorway, and charged her way up a long spiraling staircase. Reaching a door at the top, other scents filled her nose, once again calling attention to her gnawing hunger. Most prominent were fear, and blood. The scents of prey.
Unable to resist the allure of potential prey, Akiseta threw herself into the door, bursting through it. The scents were more overwhelming on this side of the door. They filled her nose and lungs, making her mouth water, kicking in her crave to hunt something.
Akiseta lunged forward, barreling into something. Something long and metal was shoved sideways into her mouth, and she bit down on it. Growling, she tried to wrench the object away.
"Akiseta!? Akiseta, stop! It's me!"
'I know that voice... I know that scent...' Akiseta let go of the metal thing, and looked down at who'd she pinned. It was Isran.
"Isran?" Akiseta stepped back, her ears falling back. "What... what are you doing here?"
"We came for you." Isran said, standing up. "The others are fighting the vampires. I came down here to look for you. Are you alright? I didn't mean to scare you."
"Yeah.. I'm fine, don't worry." Akiseta said, turning her head away. Had she really tried to attack her friend? 'I wouldn't have gone far enough to hurt him.' She tried to assure herself.
She shook her head. "Where is Serana?"
"She's confronting Harkon."
"Alone!?"
Just the thought of Serana facing Harkon by herself made Akiseta panic. She charged past Isran, ignoring his call for her to wait. She ran up some more stairs and through a couple hallways, sniffing for Serana's scent. She followed it into the main hall.
All hell had broken loose. The Dawnguard members were clashing with the vampires. It was like a small scale war. The scent of blood was strong. Akiseta tried to ignore it, and charged through, following Serana's scent. It led her to a large double door entryway. A pull chain rested on the wall, connected to a gate in upper part.
Akiseta didn't want Isran or anyone to follow her inside. She grabbed the chain and wrenched it downward, ripping it out of the wall as it triggered the gate. She burst through the doors, landing on all fours as the door and gate slammed closed behind her.
The scents of vampiric blood came to her nose. The first thing to catch her eye was Harkon, in his vampiric Lord form. Scorch marks lined his skin, and blood ran around his eyes. Blood ran down his neck, and his chest was clawed up.
"How!? How did you get out!?" Harkon snapped. Akiseta growled in response, starting to move towards him.
"Aki.."
Upon hearing Serana's voice, Akiseta turned her head towards her lover. Serana had also taken her other form. Claw marks lined her arms and ran down the left side of her face, all of them bleeding.
'He hurt her... He hurt my Serana..."
Akiseta turned her gaze back to Harkon. "You're dead!" She roared.
Akiseta lunged at him, missing him as he moved out of the way. She turned and swung out with her paw, snagging his face with her claws. He gripped her with his blood magic, forcing her legs to buckle, and bending one of her front legs into an awkward position. Snarling, she pushed herself into a standing position.
"You really are a stubborn mutt, aren't you?" Harkon sneered out. He swung with his claws, ripping into her jaw.
Akiseta broke from his grasp, and grabbed him by the throat. She slammed him into one of the pillars, causing it to crack. She heard Serana let out a scream, and turn her her head. A huge gargoyle had dragged its claws across her back.
Harkon took advantage of her distraction, and kicked into her stomach, getting her to release him. He struck her across the face with his claws, making her back away from him. She rubbed at her nose with her paws.
She felt herself caught in the grip of his blood magic, and Harkon slammed into her, sending her into the pillar. The pillar broke, and some of the foundry of the balcony followed suit, falling on top of her.
Serana had wanted nothing more that to see Akiseta again. But she wished the circumstances had been better. She wanted to go help her, but was struggling with the gargoyle. It had taken down her bone construct a few times.
She backed up towards the windows as the gargoyle came closer. She had never been good at summoning them herself, but she needed to try. She focused her remaining magicka, and tried to conjure one up. The one she had managed was much smaller than this one, but it was a bit of help.
She noticed that Akiseta had freed herself from the foundry, and wanted to go help her, but something called her attention out the broken window. Looking out, she saw Auriel's bow. It had snagged on a piece of the wall by its string.
Serana climbed out the window, carefully making her way down to the bow. The fog had cleared some, and the sun was starting to come out. Serana winced as her skin stung. She grabbed the bow, and clawed her way back up to the window, using her wings to gain purchase.
She threw herself into the shadows of the other side of the balcony, reverting back to normal. Her back burned from the prior exposure to the sunlight, and her arms and face were still in a lot of pain. The injuries felt worse in her normal form. She looked towards Harkon and Akiseta.
Akiseta's back was clawed open, blood staining her fur. Some of her spine was visible. Blood dripped from a cut along her jaw and nose. She grasped something in between her teeth. It was a long, thin grey limb with part of a wing attached.
Harkon stood opposite of her, matching her gaze. One of his wings was missing, blood running down his back. The other wing hung down at an odd angle, touching the ground.
Akiseta dropped the wing and lunged at him, and he used his bat swarm power, covering her in a cloud of bats, her attempts to snap them in vain. Serana picked up an arrow from the ground, and knocked it in place.
Akiseta dove through the cloud of bats, turning to face Harkon as his body reconstituted. Serana released the arrow.
The shriek she heard was almost deafening, and the explosion of light was nearly blinding even as she covered her eyes. The intensity died down, and she opened her eyes.
Harkon stood behind the blood alter, a piece of the arrow still driven into his chest. He doubled over the alter in visible pain, blood running from his mouth and into the alter. Burns covered his body. But something else was happening.
Parts of his body were... disintegrating. His skin was shriveling away, followed by his bones. He looked at his body in horror, screaming as it burned away. He collapsed to the ground as more of his body began to become ash, writhing in clear agony.
The sight was one of the more horrific Serana had seen in a long time, and she turned her head away, closing her eyes. She covered her ears in a attempt to block out his screaming, and the strained words he spoke to her.
"Ser.. ana... your own... father..."
The screaming stopped. Serana lowered her arms and opened her eyes, turning her head towards the alter. A pile of reddish ash lay on the floor. It was over. He was dead.
Serana turned her head to Akiseta, who stared over at the alter with shock. The werewolf turned her head to Serana. Serana offered her a small smile. Akiseta parted her jaws in a grin of her own, but then her eyes rolled up slightly before shutting, and she fell to the floor.
"Aki!" Serana rushed to her side, and cradled her head in her lap. Her heartbeat was weak, and her breathing was fast and shallow. "Oh, Aki... no, please no.."
Serana turned her head as the door to the cathedral was busted open. The gate had been close, and the bars were dented widely open. Isran came inside.
"Serana, what.. what happened? Is Harkon-"
"He's dead."
"What happened to Akiseta?"
"I don't know. She just collapsed. She's hurt."
"Stay with her. I'll fetch Florentius."
Serana turned her attention back to Akiseta, and began stroking her head. "It's going to be alright, love. You're going to be okay."