Chapter 19 - A Familiar Situation
"Oh, Yang, Jaune! Welcome!" Serana greeted her friends warmly, as they dismounted from Durnehviir, who gave the three a friendly nod before he was returned to the Soul Cairn.
"It's been a while, Serana." Jaune returned with a smile, as Yang began wordlessly walking towards Castle Volkihar.
"It's only been a week, Jaune. Miss me already?" Serana couldn't help but tease. "Anyway, how was Kynesgrove? Enjoyed your... vacation, with Yang?"
"Not much of a vacation..." Jaune admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"She didn't let you get much rest?"
"It was cut short by a dragon attack." Yang interrupted irritably, turning back to the pair. "And that's... kind of why we're here."
"Oh..." Serana noted the look on Yang's face. "This isn't a social visit, is it?"
"She's been like that ever since she came back from meeting the leader of the Greybeards." Jaune explained with a shrug, still slightly miffed at the fact that he hadn't been allowed inside High Hrothgar. Then again, if the way the mountain had shook from their Voices was any indication, the Greybeards had denied him entry more for his safety than any other reason.
"You mean, she hasn't told you anything?" Serana was genuinely surprised by the news, and even more so when Jaune shook his head.
"... it's a long story, and I didn't want to have to tell it twice." Yang told a half-truth to the two. She didn't know how to explain to them she was still trying to process all the revelations that had been forced upon her, since Kynesgrove, nor could she explain the strange sense of dread she was feeling. "Do you remember Blackreach?"
"How could I forget that underground Dwemer city?" Serana forced out a chuckle. "We were lost down there for days!"
"I need the Elder Scroll from Blackreach." Yang stated matter-of-factly.
Jaune's jaw dropped, while Serana's face hardened imperceptibly. In her opinion, if she had nothing to do with the scrolls for the rest of her undeath, it would still be too soon. But she knew Yang, knew she knew the risks, and thus decided to entertain her.
"What happened at Kynesgrove?" Serana demanded to know.
"Well... we ran into two old warriors fighting the dragon, called themselves the last of the Blades." Jaune offered, trying to get the ball rolling.
"The Blades... I've heard of them, before I was entombed." Serana thought about it.
"They used to be the Emperor's personal bodyguards." Yang explained. "Warriors, spies, scholars... whatever the Emperor might need, they were supposed to be able to do.
"Until the Great War. The Thalmor wiped them out, and in the peace treaty forced the Empire to outlaw their very existence."
"Turns out, they also used to be dragonslayers, and they're sworn to follow the Dragonborn." Jaune added, elbowing Yang in the ribs.
"Really? So you've got a group of fanatics dedicating themselves to you?" Serana raised an eyebrow at that. If that was what Yang wanted, then she had badly misread Yang.
Yang shrugged, though she had the grace to at least look mildly embarrassed, as she defended herself: "They knew how the dragons were returning, and they helped us get into the Greybeards' good graces."
"So... how are the dragons returning?" Serana pressed on.
"Alduin, Bane of Kings, the World Eater." Yang said, as if the name should have explained everything. It did to Serana, but she saw Jaune's confused face, and explained: "He was... is, the first-born of Akatosh, and presumably the ruler of dragons. Delphine and Esbern saw it with their own eyes; Alduin can use a Shout to bring dead dragons back to life."
"That's why you being Dragonborn is so important, isn't it?" Serana asked, recalling the ancient legends. "He can just keep resurrecting them, unless you kill them and eat their souls."
"So that's why they called you the greatest dragonslayer..." Jaune began to finally connect the dots. There were still a few pieces missing from the puzzle, though. "So why are you so serious? I thought you'd have been thrilled, Yang? All the dragons you could ever want to fight, including, apparently, the king of all dragons?"
"Yeah, Yang, it's all the glory you could ever want." Serana added, confused. "Don't tell me you're worried about the stakes, Yang! You and Jaune already saved the world a week ago! And how's this tie into the Elder Scroll?"
"That's not it, and I'm getting there." Yang shook her head. "The Blades told me that the weapom used to defeat Alduin previously was a Shout, hence why I went to the Greybeards. And the Greybeards... they couldn't teach me the Shout. Not even their leader, who, by the way, is a dragon!"
""What?!""
"Yup, the great secret of the Greybeards is that they're led by a dragon, Paarthurnax, who rebelled against Alduin and fought for mortals the first time around." Yang waved away the bombshell she'd just dropped like it was nothing, though privately she was relieved to not be keeping that secret any longer. "The important thing is, he was there, when they first defeated Alduin, and even he can't know the Shout they used against Alduin, because their secret weapon is just that potent against dragons."
"So that's why you need the Elder Scroll." Serana nodded in understanding. "You need to see how they did it originally."
"You're going to use the Elder Scroll?! Again?! After what happened last time?!" Jaune, however, only remembered how pale Yang had been, back in Ancestor's Glade, after reading the damned thing. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he pointed out: "Also... don't you have the soul of a dragon? Are you sure it's safe?"
Yang blanched, as she thought about it too, but she shook her head. Paarthurnax had been working on the assumption that, with her mortal body, she would be sufficiently undragonlike to be able to use it. Trying to calm his worries, Yang forced a laugh, and reassured him: "Well, apparently me having a mortal body makes it alright."
Jaune didn't look sufficiently convinced, and so Yang changed tracks, and explained: "Look, Vomit Boy... Alduin isn't just a dragon. The title of the First Born of Akatosh is literal, and so is the title of World Eater. This is our best bet at stopping him, and saving the world again."
"Why is this world always in danger?" Jaune folded his arms and huffed, but he knew where Yang was coming from. He didn't like it, but she did have the best chance of reading the scroll and coming out fine. It was the only reason why he'd agreed to let her do it last time, after all.
"Vomit Boy..." Yang stared into Jaune's eyes, pleading for him to understand.
Jaune looked away, conflicted. This wasn't like the Vytal Festival; he couldn't just take her place, shove her into a rocket locker and fight her battle for her. And he could understand self-sacrifice for the greater good, seeing how he'd gotten into Beacon... and Skyrim. But he still remembered how the ideas of duty and destiny had torn Pyrrha apart, and how prophecy had ruined Serana's life.
In the end, though, he knew Yang, and he knew he couldn't stop her. At the very least, though, just as she had been there for him...
"Fine, but I'm not letting you do this alone, Yang."
Yang couldn't help but smile at his words, a rare ray of sunshine rather than the usual teasing smirks.
Jaune awkwardly looked anywhere else but her face, unsure of how to handle the current Yang. Coughing, he added: "If anything feels wrong... take care of yourself, alright?"
"Oh, now you're using my words against me?" Jaune sighed, but at least the unfamiliar mood was gone, and he rolled his eyes back at the smirking Yang.
Serana coughed and cleared her throat, and as the pair turned to her, she said: "Well, now that I have your attention... mother's been holding on to the scrolls. She's been studying them, for lack of anything better to do. You can grab it from her in her study, Yang."
Yang nodded, and she left the room, leaving Jaune and Serana alone.
Jaune spoke first: "So... how's living back in this castle?"
"It's... a bit weird being back, honestly." Serana admitted, looking around. "I mean, this was my home, the place I grew up in; I can't help but feel comfortable and safe here. At the same time, though... I can't help but expect Harkon to pop out every time I turn a corner, you know?"
Jaune did, somewhat. He'd taken some time to get used to Saphron's absence, when she'd moved out and gotten married, and he didn't have centuries-worth of memories to complicate matters. He nodded, and continued: "And what about your mother?"
"Oh, things are still definitely awkward." Serana shrugged with as much indifference as she could feign, before sighing. "She... she knows she pushed me too far, made me do things I didn't want to do... but she still believes, deep down, that she was right about Harkon. And I honestly can't say that she's wrong, that he wasn't a monster..."
Jaune winced, unsure of how to reply. After all, Harkon had admitted, in front of all of them, that he'd known all along that he would have to sacrifice either his wife or his daughter, for the sake of his ambitions. Sure, perhaps once he was a better man, but the Lord Harkon they'd fought against had been anything but.
Serana spoke before Jaune could: "Either way... my mother and I have agreed to... ignore certain topics, for now. Sure, we'll need to address them eventually... but we're immortal vampires. It can wait; we'd both rather get back to being able to hold a civil conversation with each other first."
Jaune nodded, unable to do much else. They did have all the time in the world, and he felt like he'd already overstepped his boundaries the first time, when he'd met Valerica in the Soul Cairn.
Changing the topic, Serana continued: "By the way, remember your first meeting with Harkon?"
"You mean, when he tried to turn us into vampires and banished us after we refused?" Jaune said drily.
"Yes, that." Serana nodded, too engrossed in her excitement to note his sarcasm. "I was doing more research into the spell he used, to banish you... it seems to be a Conjuration spell, that sent you out of the castle."
"Meaning?" Jaune pressed, still very unfamiliar with the principles of magic in Skyrim.
Serana coughed, and pulled out two scrolls as she continued on: "Anyway, once I understood the principles of the spell he used to teleport the two of you, I could begin trying to replicate it. So far, I've crafted a replica of his spell that should theoretically work..."
"Theoretically?" Jaune echoed, not liking where the conversation was going.
"Well... my father had far more power than I do... so I can't run the spell on my own..." Serana admitted.
"You want me to try them out, don't you." Jaune rolled his eyes.
"Not now, just... in an emergency... just pour your "Aura" into one of the scrolls, and have a clear mental image of where you want to go." Serana explained, and Jaune grabbed the two scrolls with a roll of his eyes. "The spell should send you to Oblivion, and then spit you back out where you wanted to go."
"I'll try it out and tell you how it goes, Serana." Jaune promised, pocketing the two scrolls.
"Well, aren't you two getting comfortable here." Yang's voice interrupted the pair, oddly devoid of its usual warm mirth. As Serana felt a chill go up her spine, Yang asked: "Sorry, Vomit Boy, can you give us a minute?"
"Uh... sure, no problem." Jaune easily acquiesced, suddenly feeling like he couldn't vacate the premises fast enough, and he followed his well-honed survival instincts and fled the room.
"Really, Yang?" Serana's eyes narrowed. "I know how you feel about him, but he's my friend too, and-"
"It's about Jaune."
Serana shut her mouth immediately, noting Yang's serious tone, and the fact that she had called Jaune by his actual name. Finally, after a pregnant pause, she offered an opening: "What's wrong?"
"I... I don't know if I should involve him in this fight." Yang admitted, looking away, feeling like she was betraying her friend. No true Nord would want to be left out of a fight for their own future... but...
Serana raised an eyebrow at Yang's admission, and countered: "Why? You know he's strong, and with his Aura he's practically invincible."
"You know his Aura's finite, and that's not all. When I read the Elder Scroll, at Ancestor's Glade... I had a vision."
"You mean a vision that wasn't of Auriel's Bow?"
"Yes. Martin Septim, an avatar of Akatosh, gave me a warning. That Jaune would be in danger, if he stayed in Skyrim. I ignored it back then, but now..."
"... you think this is the danger he was warning you about." Serana finished, collapsing into her chair. She didn't put much stock in prophecies, finding them vague and unreliable at the best of times, but a vision from an Elder Scroll was not something to be taken lightly.
Yang nodded, and added: "There's something else Paarthurnax told me. Even with their secret weapon, the Tongues, the ancient Nords who fought Alduin... they weren't actually able to defeat Alduin. They had to use the Elder Scroll on him, in the end, to send him forward in time."
"They used the Scroll? Were they mad?!"
"I don't know." Yang shrugged. "And I don't know if I can keep an eye on Jaune, not while fighting a dragon as powerful as the World Eater."
"If you're so worried, then why don't you try to keep him out of the fight?"
"Because I don't know if I can stop Alduin by myself." Yang admitted. "The first dragon we fought... it almost killed me, you know. I only survived because of Jaune's Aura healing my shattered spine."
Silence filled the room, before Serana finally suggested: "Maybe... you're looking at it the wrong way."
"Oh?"
"Do you honestly think you can keep Jaune out of this fight?" Serana pointed out. "At least, if he's with you, you'd know where he was."
"True... it's not like we can listen to Akatosh's warning on send Jaune back to Remnant." Yang joked, trying to make light of her insecurities.
"Well... about that..." Serana awkwardly chuckled.
"Serana..." Yang's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What. Did. You. Do?"
"... I've been researching a spell, that allows for dimensional travel." Serana admitted, refusing to be cowed.
"Why?!"
"You heard Jaune, in the Soul Cairn! He misses his home! He wished he could at least say goodbye to them, one last time!" Serana defended herself.
"He's fine!" Yang insisted. "He's happy here!"
"Is he, Yang? Is he really?" Serana pressed, glaring at her friend. "And what about his safety? You yourself said you don't know if you can keep him safe, not against Alduin!"
"And how safe is your spell?" Yang countered. "How sure are you that you can get him to Remnant?"
"I..." Serana hesitated, unable to answer.
Yang didn't miss her opportunity, and pressed her advantage: "If you had a spell you were sure could safely work, I might consider your words, Serana... but for now..."
Serana only glared, unwilling to reply.
"Please, Serana... not a word to him." Yang begged. "I need him to be focused... and I don't want his heart broken by false hope."
Serana finally looked away, the mental image of her friend broken enough to shake her. Mentally, she vowed to continue her research on the spell, to be sure it would work, before giving it to Jaune. Out loud, though...
"Fine." Serana gave in, before adding: "But I'm coming with you. There's no way I'm leaving you two to fight the World Eater by yourselves."
Yang smirked back, accepting the moment of reconciliation.
"It'll be just like old times, leech."
"Dang it, Yang." Serana sighed.
Author's Note: No, I have no idea how I'm still alive, let alone how I'm pumping out a third chapter within a week. And I'm totally not working on a fourth.
Yes, once again, I have used the power of flashbacks. This time, to breeze through all the exposition that is meeting the Blades, returning to the Greybeards, and meeting Paarthurnax.
I should point this out: the Greybeards are among the most well-regarded monastic orders in all of Skyrim, and the staunchest advocates of peace. Their word is enough for both sides of the Skyrim Civil War to agree to a ceasefire. Finding out that their order was in part founded by a dragon, who is still alive and still leads them... well, that's got to be quite the secret hanging on Yang's head. Tie that in with her paranoia over Martin's warning, her knowledge of just how far out of her league Alduin is (she almost died to her first dragon, and she mainly wins by cheap shots on distracted foes if she can't just overpower them), and her possessiveness over her companion, whom she feels the need to hide the full truth from, since she knows he'd do something stupid (and to keep him in the dark, is forced to maintain false bravado)...
Well, I hope you can see why Yang starts the chapter a lot more stressed, and seems a bit more vulnerable than usual.
Jaune, for his part, notices that something's wrong, but he respects her boundaries, trusts her to be frank and direct. But he's still Jaune, the guy who pushed Pyrrha into a rocket locker and fought Cinder Fall by himself to buy them all some time. He can be very protective of his team, and his friends.
I don't know if teleportation is actually a spell in the Elder Scrolls universe, but Harkon teleporting the player out of his castle is something that the player doesn't seem to be able to replicate. Then again, Harkon's a five hundred year old vampire lord and former king; it would make sense he had access to far more resources (of far less legality).
As for Serana's spell... it is definitely far simpler than most forms of magic in Skyrim, which would take a long time to learn. It's almost like Serana designed it for a person with less-than-zero knowledge of magic to use...
To answer some reviews:
I definitely agree that the Yang vs Sahloknir fight from the previous chapter ended rather anti-climactically. But, well... what do you expect? Sahloknir's just a regular dragon, while Yang's fought Durnehviir, and Yang uses Jaune's distraction to take the dragon by surprise. When the chance to land a killing blow presents itself, she doesn't hesitate to smash through it's eye with her dragonbone gauntlets. Like I mention above, she knows her physical limitations; she will get any cheap shot she can.
Also, as I've mentioned before, time between worlds isn't linear or consistent. Tbe Remnant sections are more there to provide context into the state of Remnant and the cast of RWBY than they are concurrently occurring.
Lastly, Jaune's Semblance is still Aura Amplification, not Dimension Hopping. How did he jump dimensions the first time round? Who knows? But his Semblance is still Aura Amplification. He doesn't know it, since he doesn't have any other Aura users to compare himself to, and probably has the idea that Semblances are super flashy from Nora, Pyrrha, and Team RWBY, and he mainly uses Aura Amplification to amplify the Aura he channels into weapons and people, hence why his Aura is so good at healing, and why he can super-charge enchantments so much. Other Aura users would be able to activate the enchantments in Skyrim's weapons, sure, but not nearly to the same extent as him.
