Serana opened her eyes, and yawned. She shifted around in Akiseta's embrace, and looked at the sleeping Argonian. The expression on Akiseta's face was more content than Serana had seen since leaving Whiterun.
Akiseta had been put under a lot of stress in such a short time. Between Ulfric and Tulius breaking the deal, the dragon incidents, and the Thalmor sending assassins after her, she was caught up in a mess of problems.
Serana understood how she must have been felling, and she wished she could do more than just give her lover a few moments of peace. But a few moments would have to do for now.
She leaned in and softly kissed Akiseta's cheek. "It's time to get up, Aki." She whispered.
Akiseta opened her eyes, and looked as Serana sleepily. "I would have preferred a few more minutes, iluukai." She said with a yawn.
"Would they have made a difference?"
"I suppose not." Akiseta sighed. She gave Serana a kiss, and then got out of bed and began getting dressed.
Serana did the same, and then they began gathering up the clothes they'd taken off last night. Serana picked up Akiseta's pants, and was surprised when she heard something clatter to the floor. She looked at the object, and was shocked.
It was a small gold ring, set with three amethysts. Serana picked the ring up, her hands trembling. The small gold band caught the light coming in through the window, and the amethysts shimmered flawlessly.
Serana felt her chest tighten, and her breath catch in her throat. She gripped the ring in her fingers, hands trembling.
"Aki." She said in a shaky tone.
"What's wrong?" Akiseta asked, turning around. She saw the ring in Serana's hands, and froze. If her scales weren't dark, she might have been a little pale. "Where did you find that?"
"I found it in your pocket."
"Kaoc." Akiseta muttered. "I was hoping to surprise you."
"Is this what I think it is?" Serana asked. She knew it had to be, but she had to ask.
"Yes, it is. You see, it wasn't weapons for my Shield Siblings that I was working on." Akiseta admitted. "It was that."
"So, all those days you were at the Skyforge?"
"I was making that. It took me some time because I wanted it to be perfect. I had a whole romantic thing planned out, but then I got that letter from Laila, and all this stuff came up.." Akiseta sighed.
She came over to Serana. "This isn't exactly how I was hoping to do this, but the moment is here noe, I guess. Will you marry me?"
Serana looked at Akiseta's face, seeing the love in her eyes, and then looked at the ring, which felt warm in her grip. She brought her free hand over her mouth, covering it as she felt tears prick at her eyes. She moved her hand to brush them away.
"I can't." She said, so softly she almost couldn't hear it herself.
Akiseta tilted her head, confusion spreading across her face. "What?"
"I... I can't." Serana repeated, her voice shaking,
Akiseta looked away, looking disappointed and sad. "Oh. It.. Gods damn it, it was too soon. We've only been together a year-"
"No, Aki. It isn't that."
"Then what is it?"
Serana sighed. "I think we need to sit down."
Akiseta nodded, though worry crossed her face. She sat on the edge of the bed, and rested her tail across her lap. Serana sat beside her.
"Aki, it's not like I don't want to. I do. But.. I can't."
"I don't understand. Why not?"
"Remember how I told you becoming the kind of vampire I am was my family's idea?"
"Yeah."
"Well the pact ties us all in. Even if we stop direct worship of Molag Bal, as I have, we're still bound to oblige it."
"What does that have to do with this?"
"Under the pact, we pledge ourselves fully to Molag Bal. In doing so, we must completly renounce anything related to the Aedra. When a couple gets married, and least ina traditional way or in Skyrim, it's under the veil of Mara's embrace."
"So, are you saying that the pact prevents you from getting married?"
"Yes. Having a lover is all good and fine, but getting married goes against the pact."
Akiseta furrowed her brows. "But... I don't understand. That pact was made before Cyrodiil was the seat of an empire. And you don't even worship Molag Bal anymore! Why can't we get married?"
"Because it violates the pact. Doing so would invoke Molag Bal's wrath."
"And what could he possibly do? The Daedric Princes of that much power can't cross into our realm."
"But he has legions of lesser Daedra at his command. If the pact us broken, he will send Daedra to kill us both."
"I've faced Daedra before. Let him try it."
"This wouldn't be the same, Aki. He would send more and more until we were both killed. And anybody who interfered in danger. Our friends could die. Lucia could die."
Akiseta looked away, bearing a pained expression. The last thing Serana wanted to do was bring up Lucia being in danger, but it was a sad reality. Molag Bal wouldn't care about the life of a child.
Akiseta stood up, and began pacing. Her tail swished with her movements, not revealing her thought or feelings, and her expression was unreadable.
"Aki?"
"Why didn't you say anything before?" Akiseta asked, standing still, and looking at Serana.
"I don't know. There was never a right time-"
"Oh, there wasn't?" Akiseta hissed. "What about when we almost kissed in Winterhold? What about when you kissed me at the hot spring, and nearly gave me your claiming mark?"
"Aki-"
"What about the first time we nested? Or when I held you in my arms that night?"
"Aki-"
"What about when we were in the vale, alone in our own little world?" Akiseta continued, stepping closer. "When we were almost killed by dragons? When we shared a beautiful night together, and I told you I loved you? And when you said you loved me?"
"Aki, please-"
"What about when I told you I was always going to be with you?" Akiseta pressed on, lashing her tail. "What about when we killed Harkon? What about when I woke up from my coma, after being kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured!? What about the two weeks we spent in Whiterun after that? Or after the New Life Festival, when we shared a bed? What about the whole fucking year we've been together!?"
"Akiseta, please!" Serana yelled, standing up. "Listen, I'm sorry-"
"Oh, you're sssssorry." Akiseta hissed. "That makes it all better, doesn't it?"
She asked in a sarcastic tone. She turned away from Serana, and crossed her arms, lashing her tail. She gripped the sleeves of her shirt.
Guilt washed over Serana, and she wanted to disappear. She knew she should have said something about this, but it had never occurred to her that this situation would come up. How could she be so stupid?"
She took a couple steps closer to Akiseta. The Argonian pulled her lips back and let out a growl that was dangerously close to being a snarl. Serana took a step back. The look in Akiseta's eyes was aggressive.
Akiseta turned her gaze the floor, staring at the boards for several moments. The she went over to her bag and picked it up, and headed towards the door.
"Aki-"
"I'll see you by the gate." Akiseta said coldly as she exited the room.
Serana looked at the door a moment longer, then picked up her bag. She gave the ring another look, then slipped it into her pocket and exited the room. Nobody questioned her as she left the inn, so she assumed no one heard their argument.
Akiseta was just outside the gate, looking over her map. Serana approached her slowly.
"We'll be heading to Markarth." Akiseta stated. "After I talk with Igmond, we'll go to Dawnstar, then Winterhold."
"Alright."
Akiseta folded the map, and slid it into her bag. She gave the carriage driver some coin, then hopped into the back. Serana climbed in, sitting on thr bench opposite of her. She spared the Argonian a look from under her hood. Akiseta had her hands clasped in her lap, and she was staring at the carriage floor. Her tail tip twitched in an irritated manner.
Deciding it was best to not try and talk to her, Serana looked around at the scenery. It wasn't enough to distract her from feeling so awful.
A/N: Okay, so a few years back, I was doing a whole lot of digging into some of the more convoluted bits of Elder Scrolls lore, and found out a bit of stuff about the pact Serana's family made with Molag Bal. Obviously, Molag can't do anything about already married couples, but the pact does prevent getting married, and he does send Daedra to deal with pact breakers. This information was very hard to find, and I had to cross reference a few things. There are also slight hints in the game, like the ruined chapel to Mara in the sectioned off Volkihar tower. This info also means Serana is lying to the Dragonborn about why she won't marry them. My guess is she does that so the Dragonborn won't get themself killed trying to find a way to be able to marry Serana. This was a missed opportunity for an awesome side quest. Anyway, I decided to include this into this story, and tie it into everything going on. I do have plans for where this will go and how things will play out, and I hope you all stick around to find out.