Some time after leaving the Reach, Atreus and Ysmir made their way into the fringes of Falkreath Hold and down the path leading to what was left of Helgen in order to take a mountain path the Dragonborn knew of that would hopefully help cut down the length of their journey back to Fort Dawnguard. Once they made it to the ruins of the rather small, walled city, Atreus studied the scene with a noticeable intrigue before he turned his attention to Ysmir.
"So, this is where the first one attacked...?" Atreus asked simply as his eyes scanned the heavily damaged city before he noticed Ysmir give a light nod in confirmation, his own gaze locked on the city as he thought back to that day, his brush with the executioner's block and everything that lead up to his learning the truth of his destiny.
"Aye...this is where it happened...the Imperial Legion were preparing to execute Ulfric Stormcloak and a group of his men before it attacked..." Ysmir answered, something about the look in the Dragonborn's eyes causing Atreus to study his companion curiously.
"It almost sounds like you were there when it happened..." Atreus observed in a simple, but noticeably curious and intrigued tone, which made Ysmir to give him a brief nod before he turned his gaze to his companion.
"I was among those sentenced to be executed...got caught up in a skirmish between the Legion and Stormcloaks at the Cyrodilic border on my way back from exploring some Alyeid Ruins in the province; I was sent to the block even though my name wasn't on the list and it was about that time when the dragon attacked..." Ysmir explained simply as Atreus listened with intrigue, raising his eyebrow lightly when he noted the timing of the dragon's attack and Ysmir's impending execution.
"I'm guessing you didn't know your nature at the time..." Atreus suggested, making the Dragonborn give him a curious look before shrugging the comment off and shaking his head a bit in response to confirm the observation.
"No...and even then, it would've been difficult to fight a dragon with my hands bound and lacking a weapon, especially when said dragon is Alduin..." Ysmir answered, this time drawing Atreus' gaze solely to the Dragonborn when he mentioned the dragon by name, an instinctive anger briefly sparking through his eyes when he recognized it from some of the stories he had read about the gods of this realm.
"Alduin...the World Eater...that's the dragon who attacked this place?" Atreus asked in a tone that was a mix of light surprise and urgency, leading Ysmir to give him a nod in confirmation when he learned that Atreus was at least familiar enough with Alduin to recognize the name, but he couldn't help noticing the same anger in his eyes that he seemed to hold for the other gods as well as the daedra.
"Aye, the same...I'm still not entirely sure what brought him here or why save for vague references recorded through prophecy, but as soon as I fill in those blanks, I'm going to stop him." Ysmir explained as Atreus kept studying him and listening to his story, letting out a brief, somewhat frustrated sigh when he realized the hands of prophecy were at play.
"Translating anything that prophecy tries to tell you tends to be damn near impossible...it leaves too much to chance regardless of the path you take, what you try to prevent, who you try to save; prophecy is always unpredictable..." Atreus said, his tone growing duller as he reached the end of the statement, causing Ysmir to study him curiously, especially when he noticed that he seemed to speak from personal experience, however he reluctantly brushed his observation off before giving a light nod in agreement.
"Wise words indeed, boy..." Ysmir said simply before they noticed movement coming from the sundered walls surrounding Helgen, drawing both men's eyes to the source where they noticed a couple of archers clad in armor made from scraps of fur pelts patrolling the wall. "Looks like the bandits already made themselves at home..." Ysmir said in a kind of dull tone as Atreus readied his bow then cut his eyes to the Dragonborn.
"How do we want to take them?" Atreus asked in a simple, quick tone that let Ysmir know that the man was already prepared for a fight if things came to that, but the Dragonborn took a few moments to look around and see what they were working with in terms of travel as while he had no problem snuffing out bandits, he and Atreus had to report back to Isran as quickly as possible.
After a moment, Ysmir found the path he was looking for then cut his eyes to the bandits before turning his attention back to Atreus, almost like he was analyzing the situation as a whole. "Let's leave them be for now...we need to report back to Isran and the skirmish would just delay our trek to the Fort." Ysmir suggested, making Atreus give him a somewhat surprised, but contemplative look as he thought on the Dragonborn's suggestion, cutting his eyes between him and the bandits the entire time; after a few moments, he gave his companion a nod as he lowered his bow.
"Yeah, you have a point...I doubt they'll be going anywhere anytime soon..." Atreus said simply as he stepped aside enough for Ysmir to take the lead before following the man's steps as they quietly made their way around Helgen, keeping their eyes on the walls as they passed to make sure none of the patrols caught onto their presence; although, they were more than prepared if they did.
After they made their way around Helgen and continued on their trek, Atreus and Ysmir soon found the mountain pass the latter suggested they take so they could try and shorten the length of their journey, which seemed to be more or less abandoned save for a traveling merchant or hunter every now and then.
As they continued through the pass, Atreus spent a good chunk of his time taking in the sights the area provided along the way and enjoying the peaceful feeling it managed to coax out of him before he lost it again.
It was sights like this that convinced Atreus to settle in Skyrim after his arrival to Tamriel, the scenery was always beautiful, the natural world mostly untouched by her people and it almost made him feel like he was back home at times given it could nearly pass for Midgard; despite the otherwise obvious distinctions in flora and fauna, a good few of which were still pretty similar.
On occasion, Ysmir looked behind him to make sure Atreus didn't fall behind and quickly noticed how transfixed his companion seemed by the natural beauty of the mountain pass, which made a brief, content smile tug at his lips a bit as he turned his gaze back forward. "You have a deep admiration for nature, don't you?" He asked in a simple tone, which made Atreus glance to the Dragonborn after a moment as he thought on how he wanted to answer the question.
"Skyrim's landscape just reminds me a lot of home...sometimes, it helps me remember what being at peace feels like..." Atreus answered in a somewhat dull, but rather content tone that gave Ysmir a brief glimpse of the peace the environment seemed to give him, but at the same time, the Dragonborn couldn't help noticing the sadness that seemed to lurk within the serenity; however, given his companion's answer, he assumed the sadness came from a yearning to go back to his home.
"I'm guessing it's been awhile since you've returned..." Ysmir suggested in a simple, but somewhat cautious tone as he didn't want to end up provoking his companion by digging into his past more than he was willing to let him, although to the Dragonborn's surprise, the man lowered his head a bit and gave a brief sigh.
"Too long...if there's even anything to return to..." Atreus answered, his tone was that of a man who had truly lost everything to horrible circumstances that could perhaps even cause the Gods complete, mortal anguish if they were personally subjected to it. Despite his curiosity and concern for his companion, Ysmir reluctantly took Atreus's answer as a sign to drop the subject and led him to answer the man with a light nod in understanding.
Atreus and Ysmir continued through the mountain pass in silence, mostly so they could remain observant of the environment just in case they ran into some kind of trouble as while they had made their way through a good chunk of the pass without trouble, there was still a decent chance of something or someone deciding to attack them even though they had hardly encountered anything in the pass thus far.
That was before they rounded the next turn only for Ysmir to raise his arm in front of Atreus to let him know they had trouble ahead, which made him look to the Dragonborn for a moment until he noticed his companion motion around the turn for him to have a look, which he obliged as he hugged the wall of the pass and peeked around the corner to see what was in their path.
"You're worried about a few wolves...?" Atreus asked him in a dull, dry, but otherwise amused tone before Ysmir shook his head in response as he noticed a subtle, but amused smirk tug at the man's lips, which made him chuckle lightly as he shook his head.
"No, I'd just rather not kill them unless they give us good reason to...and this pack doesn't seem like they're causing anyone any real trouble..." Ysmir answered, which made Atreus's smirk fade a little as he turned his gaze back to the wolves and thought on the Dragonborn's words, the look in his ice blue eyes almost seemed to suggest that he was reading the beasts in front of them before he rose to his feet and rounded the turn like he was approaching a simple group of travelers.
Upon seeing this, Ysmir raised his eyebrow curiously, but made his way around the turn just enough to see what he was going to do and keep him covered just in case they decided to attack him like they usually did whenever approached by humans. When Atreus approached, the wolves looked up at him warily as they crouched like they were getting ready to lunge with their ears pinned back and warning snarls rumbling in their throats, although the man was un-phased by their attempts at intimidation.
Atreus seemed to have singled one specific wolf out in his approach and when he reached it, he crouched down and put his hand forward for the wolf to smell it as a means of letting it know he wasn't their enemy, a gesture that caused all of the wolves to hesitate in their preparation for attack then look to the wolf he had singled out, which confirmed his assumption that this specific wolf was the alpha in the pack.
The wolf studied Atreus cautiously for a moment when he knelt down and offered his hand as it sniffed the air around him, something about his scent made it tilt its head curiously before it studied him until it reluctantly approached, having unknowingly lowered its guard as it reached Atreus's outstretched hand and sniffed it with a mix of curiosity and caution.
Atreus gave the wolf a few moments to study him before it finally licked his hand and even gave a light wag of its tail when it finished sniffing the outstretched hand, which coaxed a light smile across his lips as he reached into his pack, produced a few chunks of venison and gave one to the alpha before he tossed the others to the rest of the pack; the wolves gratefully feasted on the offering before they turned their attention to Atreus for a moment.
The wolves studied Atreus before they each gave a light bow of their heads then looked up to the sky and released a collective, haunting howl that carried on the wind before they gave him and the Dragonborn a final glance then turned to make their way along the path and continued on their way.
When the wolves cleared off, Ysmir lowered his guard and approached Atreus with a noticeably surprised, fascinated and intrigued look in his eyes as he studied his companion. "I've heard of people having a way with animals...and even mages being able to charm them with ease, but..." The Dragonborn paused for a moment as he thought on the best way to phrase what he wanted to say.
"But, what you demonstrated here and back in the cave goes far beyond even them...it's almost like you can understand them as easily as you can understand anyone else; even communicate with them to the same extent. How?" He observed as Atreus simply listened to Ysmir speak before he turned his attention back to him.
"I'm...not really sure how to explain it in a way that would actually make sense, but...I guess the simplified version is that I've just...always been good at understanding them, certain behaviors, twitches, the look in their eyes...it's complicated." Atreus tried to explain before he let out a quiet sigh and took a few moments to regain his reserve as Ysmir patiently listened with a distinguishable fascination with his companion's talents.
"This...maybe more of an opinion considering my experience, but...really, if you pay close enough attention, figuring out how to understand animals isn't any different than trying to understand people; it's just another language." He finished with a light shrug, which made Ysmir raise his eyebrow in intrigue and contemplation as Atreus's observation glided through his mind as he gave a light nod in agreement.
"You...make an excellent point...and very well said, too. There aren't many who actually think about it like that." Ysmir said with intrigue lining his tone as he studied the fascinating young man before him for a few more moments before Atreus simply gave him another light, casual shrug as he watched the Dragonborn for a moment when he noticed the look in his eyes.
"Well, I'm glad you at least seem to get what I'm saying...seems like it's a pain in the ass trying to get other people to understand; even the ones who are supposedly devout to their gods." Atreus said in a simple tone that seemed to hold a somewhat subtle disappointment as he talked about how hypocritical people seemed to be when it came to animals; granted, he personally wasn't against hunting and still participated himself, but he knew there were a surprising number of people in Tamriel who just killed for fun and lacked any real respect for the natural world.
As Ysmir thought on his companion's words more, Atreus took a few moments to breathe and recollect his reserve given the fact the thought often grated at his nerves in a way that made him worry about some of his old habits coming out. "Anyway, we don't have time to get into any of that and it'd be pointless considering how likely it is you've heard it all before...let's keep moving." He said simply before the Dragonborn studied him for a moment then gave a light nod in agreement.
"Aye, you're not wrong...we need to make sure Sorine and Gunmar made it to the fort and that we don't have any nasty surprises waiting on us like last time." Ysmir said with a light shrug before Atreus gave him a light nod in agreement, content to hear confirmation that they were on the same page.
"Exactly. We can't give Harkon a chance to get any further with whatever plans he's brewing." Atreus said in a simple, but at the same time urgent tone as while he wasn't afraid of Harkon and his forces and knew that there wasn't anything they didn't have the power to stop or kill him, he wasn't about to let the scourge spread across Skyrim or the rest of Tamriel without putting up a fight.
After listening to Atreus's observation, Ysmir gave a light nod in agreement before the two men continued along their way through the pass with a noticeably heightened sense of haste in the hopes that they could make up for any time they lost due to their encounter with the wolves. Before long, the two men followed the path out of the snow covered mountain pass into the lush, autumn shaded and valley dotted woodlands of the Rift and made moves to continue on their way before Atreus noticed the small, run down shack to their left, nudged Ysmir then motioned to it.
"Think we ought to stop there and check our supplies? Maybe even see if we can salvage anything while we're at it?" He suggested simply before the Dragonborn followed his gaze and took a moment to study the shack before he looked back to Atreus with a light shrug.
"Probably wouldn't hurt, honestly...maybe our best opportunity until we get close to another village or even Riften itself." Ysmir said as they made their way over to the run down shack then searched through it where they found an Alchemy table along with various ingredients that the Dragonborn started mixing into a variety of concoctions while Atreus finished looking around for anything else that could be useful.
Upon reaching Riften, Atreus and Ysmir stopped by the city just long enough to make sure things were still running as smoothly as they could, which included checking to make sure there hadn't been any vampire sightings that would raise concern before Ysmir made a stop at the Alchemist's shop to sell any potions he had made that neither of them needed in order to get rid of them; once this was all done, they left the city and continued on their way to Fort Dawnguard.
As they traveled along the path to the Fort, the fiery glow of the now setting sun glimmered through the golden orange autumn leaves that decorated the Rift's landscape and gave the land a welcoming, calming shimmer that quickly caught Atreus's attention and coaxed him to glance around in order to take in the sight as much as he could, but not without keeping his attention on where he stepped to keep from getting too distracted and missing a step or stumbling into some other mess.
"You know...even though the city of Riften is absolutely twisted and cutthroat in terms of how it operates, the land around it's a beautiful sight." Atreus observed after a few moments of silence between the two adventurers, which made Ysmir look back to him before he took a moment to glance around the land then give a light nod in agreement.
"One of the most beautiful in Skyrim, if you ask me...even with Riften's faults." Ysmir commented simply before he turned his attention back to Atreus for a moment. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind my asking, how long had you been here before we ran into each other?" He asked in a curious, but respectful tone intended to show the seemingly younger man in the hopes that it would help calm his usual withdrawn, defensive demeanor a little given that he seemed to be in a calmer state of mind for the moment.
"In Riften or Skyrim in general?" Atreus asked in a curious, somewhat wary tone given that he knew if he asked about the latter, then he'd have to bend the truth enough to make his answer believable without revealing his nature and the immortality that came with it. Ysmir thought on the question briefly and even studied Atreus for a few moments when he noticed the change in his demeanor upon asking it, which more or less let him know he was hiding something, but at this point that didn't surprise him; although it further piqued his curiosity even though he decided to be careful in just how much he asked about his companion.
"In Riften." Ysmir answered after his moment of thought, which made Atreus raise his eyebrow a bit given how much thought the Dragonborn seemed to give before he answered the question and while it made him wonder what he really wanted to say, but he decided to brush it off for the time being given that it really wasn't important at present.
"A week, at least...heard some rumors about groups of bandits who were actually skilled and dangerous enough to be a threat to people." He started simply as Ysmir listened as they made their way down the trail, his mind went through some of the rumors he had heard himself to see if he was familiar with the group his companion mentioned as he listened to Atreus's story. "Came here first chance I got, tracked them down and cut them down...they put up a hell of a fight, but I personally don't think they lived up to the rumors." He finished with a light shrug before the Dragonborn uttered a light chuckle when he heard his last comment.
"Doesn't really surprise me, even the more deadly bandits aren't that much of a threat when you actually face them." Ysmir said, his chuckling lined his tone as he spoke as Atreus studied him with a raised eyebrow for a moment before he let out a light chuckle of his own.
"Yeah, you've got a point...even though these guys were a little more sporting, I've definitely stumbled across more threatening animals while I was hunting." Atreus said with a dry, subtle wit to his tone, which made Ysmir let out a light chuckle and shake his head in response.
"Is there anything that scares you, boy?" Ysmir asked in a witty, but intrigued tone before Atreus stopped in his tracks and fell silent, almost like the question caused him to retreat into his mind enough to where all other functions wouldn't respond. When this happened, Atreus started to hear echoes from Ragnarok replay in his head, which he quickly lost himself to as Ysmir turned to check on him, a noticeable look of concern on his face when he saw his companion's state; although, despite the Dragonborn's attempts to get through to him, he wouldn't respond, almost like whatever his inquiry triggered had completely paralyzed him.
As Ysmir tried in vain to snap Atreus back to reality, all he heard was the crunching of bone beneath a combination of fist, steel and stone that was accompanied by his own agonized and enraged cries of anguish as well as Odin's own agonized screams and grunts that were coupled with madness laced laughter. "You can fight all you wish, boy...you can struggle, resist and butcher those you believe have done you wrong, but it doesn't matter in the end...it doesn't change what you've let yourself become...; a monster...just like your father before you." The All-Father's voice echoed in his mind before it was shortly followed by his own deranged, cold and almost chilling laughter.
"And I have you and your despicable, arrogant and corrupted brood to thank for helping me get here..." His voice echoed in response, an unfeeling and indifferent chill lined his tone before it was followed by one final, sickening crunch that transitioned int a symphony of stone and steel shattering in unison and blended with the distinct crash of thunder and lightning before...
"Atreus? Lad?" Atreus finally heard Ysmir call out to him after a moment, which made him shake his brief episode off then look to the Dragonborn like nothing even happened while his companion studied him for a few moments to make sure he was okay.
"I'm fine...it's nothing." Atreus said in a dull, but reassuring tone as he just did what he could to brush his flashback off so they could keep moving, although Ysmir studied him a little longer and even though he could tell he wasn't being entirely honest about what just happened, he reluctantly chose to leave it alone for the time being; he would talk in his own time, if he wished.
"Sorry about that, lad. I didn't know it was a..." Ysmir started in a simple, apologetic tone before Atreus shook his head lightly given that he knew the Dragonborn hadn't done any intentional harm considering he didn't know the details of his past or the demons he's had to face to make it where he was now.
"No...how could you have known? You didn't walk the same path I did...and I hope you never have to." Atreus responded in a simple, but still noticeably dull tone, which made Ysmir raise his eyebrow lightly as he considered the younger man's words as Atreus's eyes shot to the path before them. "We should keep moving...still a lot of work to do." He said after a moment of silence before the Dragonborn's eyes followed his to the path until he turned to his companion and gave a light nod in agreement.
"Aye, I agree...we need to make sure Sorine and Gunmar made it here safely and see what our next move is; Isran may have come up with more of a plan or found some clues to help us come up with one while we were gone." Ysmir commented simply before Atreus gave him a brief nod in agreement.
"Sounds like we need to move fast, then." Atreus retorted before he stepped forward with Ysmir following suit as they made continued down the path leading to Dayspring Canyon.
It wasn't long before the two adventurers crossed over into Dayspring Canyon and made their way along the path that lead to Fort Dawnguard itself where they were greeted by a completed wall made from logs that had been decorated with points at the top and adorned with a gate that was guarded by a crossbowman, who was perched on the platform on the left side of the gate.
"Well, he's definitely been busy...it's actually starting to look sturdy." Atreus commented in a simple tone, which made Ysmir give a light nod in agreement as they studied the wall for a moment, almost like both men were analyzing it to make sure it was truly as sturdy and defensible as it seemed.
"Looks like it...and it looks plenty sturdy enough; let's just hope it holds up against whatever Harkon sends our way." Ysmir observed before Atreus nodded in agreement, content that they were both on the same page when it came to the fort's defenses; it let him know that the Dragonborn wasn't underestimating the vampire lord's power, either. After a moment, the two men made their way forward and crossed through the gate as the guard watched them carefully before she decided that they weren't a threat then turned her attention back to the path.
As the two men continued down the path, they started noticing the other improvements and additions that had been made to the fort in their absence, one of said additions being a small camp that was situated by a garden that didn't seem much bigger than the camp nestled at its side; the people in this camp seemed to alternate between chopping firewood and working in the garden to occupy their time.
When they trekked up the hill and rounded the turn that lead to the main gate, both men looked on with intrigued and impressed expressions when they noticed it had been renovated and even reinforced as well, something that made them give a light, impressed nod in unison as they climbed up the steps preceding it; as they approached, the red-haired man who greeted them upon their first arrival looked to them and gave a light smile and respectful nod.
"Glad to see you two made it back in one piece...Isran's waiting on you and..." The man paused briefly as his previous, seemingly happy and content expression turned to one of concern. "Something happened while you were gone...he wants to speak to you both about it." He informed them in a tone that mirrored the concern on his face as Atreus and Ysmir looked between each other in confusion before they looked back to the man before them.
"Did he say what it was about?" Ysmir asked in a curious tone only for the man to shake his head lightly, although something in his eyes let them know that he knew what it was about, but that he either didn't want to talk about it or had been ordered not to; something that Atreus immediately took note of in the hopes of narrowing down the possibilities.
"Just that he wanted to speak with you both when you got back." He informed them before Atreus started to speak up then stop himself when he considered the possibility that he wouldn't really be able to get him to talk without using his powers and exposing his true nature. So, when Ysmir gave him a content nod in understanding, Atreus mirrored the gesture with a subtle hint of reluctance given that he was still trying to figure it out before they dealt with Isran.
"Alright. Thanks for giving us the heads up...we'll report to him" Ysmir told him in an appreciative tone before the man gave them a content, grateful nod as they strolled to the gate and entered the fort.
Once they entered the fort, Atreus and Ysmir were greeted to the sight of Sorine and Gunmar standing in the middle of the main hall, which had been sealed off with an iron gate, with their eyes turned up to the balcony that circled it as they stepped forward and joined them; when they stopped beside their newfound companions, both men turned their eyes up to see Isran observing them from the balcony.
"Alright Isran, you've got us all here. Now what do you want?" Gunmar asked the man perched above them in a noticeably urgent and somewhat anxious tone as he braced himself for whatever his old friend was about to tell them; especially given that he knew he was nothing but business.
"Hold it right there!" Isran ordered before the main hall was filled with sunlight that seemed to emanate from the ceiling above them, which made each of them study the commander with their eyebrows raised in confusion while he studied them each closely, specifically their eyes.
"What are you doing?" Sorine asked in a somewhat annoyed tone as he did this then concluded that they all seemed human even though he noticed a brief reflection in Ysmir's eyes, although it wasn't something that made him believe he was a vampire; however, his gaze lingered on Atreus when he noticed the blue-green shimmer that reflected in his when the light hit them and even though it inspired suspicion about the man's humanity, he didn't dwell on it considering it wasn't a sign of vampirism.
"Making sure you're not vampires...can't be too careful." Isran answered in an almost grumbling tone before he cleared his throat and collected himself long enough to fill Sorine and Gunmar in on the situation. "So, welcome to Fort Dawnguard...I'm sure you've already been told what we're up against." He began as everyone below listened intently even though they each knew what was going on in the hopes that they would hear details about their plan of attack during Isran's monologue.
"Powerful vampires, unlike anything we've seen before...and they have an Elder Scroll; if anyone's going to stand in their way, it's going to be us." Isran finished as Sorine, Gunmar, Ysmir and Atreus looked between each other curiously before they turned their attention back to Isran like they were waiting on actual plans.
"This is all well and good, but do we actually know what they're up to? What do we do now?" Sorine asked in a noticeably concerned tone given how serious the situation was, which made Isran quickly cut his eyes to her.
"We'll get to that. For now, get acquainted with the space...you'll find room to start tinkering on that crossbow design you've been working on." He said before he turned his attention to Gunmar. "Gunmar, there's an area large enough for you to pen up some trolls; get them armored up and ready for use." He ordered before they each gave him a light nod in understanding then got their things together for when Isran lowered the gate so they could get settled in the areas he mentioned to them before his attention moved to Atreus and Ysmir.
"In the meantime, we're going to get to the bottom of why a vampire showed up here looking for you...let's go have a little chat with it, shall we?" Isran demanded before he lowered the gate for everyone to enter and strolled off as Sorine and Gunmar looked to Atreus and Ysmir curiously then turned and went deeper into the fort to get settled in while the two men looked to each other with perplexed expressions; although, they had the same idea.
"You don't think she..." Atreus started in a hushed tone as both men made their way into the fort and started up the staircase that lead to the balcony before the Dragonborn seemed to think on the possibility for a moment.
"Really took the risk of coming here? Why, though?" Ysmir questioned quietly before Atreus gave him a light shrug and shook his head as they continued up the stairs then stepped onto the balcony and went to meet Isran.
"Who knows? Even if she was trying to get away from her father, why come here?" Atreus questioned quietly, which made Ysmir shake his head and shrug a little before they crossed paths with Isran, who didn't seem happy at all as he lead them to what looked like an improvised torture chamber where they were greeted by a very familiar woman with pale skin, a head of raven hair and shimmering crimson eyes.
As soon as they entered the room, Serana looked to the three men and felt a soft, subtle smile tug at her lips when she saw Atreus and Ysmir enter the room with Isran, although she maintained her reserve given the man who gave them orders wasn't happy with her being there.
When they saw her, Atreus and Ysmir studied her for a moment with a mix of surprise, disbelief and even a light hint of relief with the knowledge that she was at least out of Harkon's clutches, although it was quickly replaced with concern when they realized exactly why Isran was in a terrible mood...
I know, hell of a place for a cliffhanger, especially after it's been so long since I updated, but this just seemed like the best place to cut it until the next one. (And as close as it was, it didn't take a whole year this time; yay! XD)
Anyway, hope y'all enjoy this one, that it was worth the wait and that it tides y'all over until the next one, because there's definitely more to come.
Which brings me to my next order of business. I need y'all to help me decide something with this structure of this story, because when I thought about how much it's actually going to cover and the amount of content I want to put into it, I'm trying to decide on how I want to go about it from here on out.
Basically, I want y'all to help me decide if I want to turn this into a trilogy (Where I leave this one as the 'Dawnguard' story then have two separate ones for the Main story and 'Dragonborn') or keep doing it the way I am; please let me know in your reviews or if you want, message me, however y'all want to let me know.
Anywho, that's it for this go round, enjoy the chapter and will update as soon as possible...