It was over; nothing remained. The scattered ash of sweet memories dissipated before Dragonborn's eyes, shattering his heart into thousands of pieces. The one promise he made that day he could not uphold. The last piece of the puzzle was left, something Dragonborn found among confiscated items. He spent most of his road home looking at it and pondering.
It was a necklace that caused him pain just by taking a look. The triangular shape with an image of a rune enclosed inside a hand and three daedric symbols at each angle. Morrowind's symbolic. That was the only thing Dragonborn was sure of…And it could've been his own. He once possessed a similar necklace, it was a reminder of home, the one that stood to the south at the heart of Jerall mountains, and the one that lay to the east, the home Dragonborn did not remember.
Now, however, he had a new home.
Rialyn stood in front of Castle Volkihar once more, a place he found himself returning to after an arduous journey and another hard-won battle. A dark and unwelcoming place for any outsider, a grotesque environment with blood painting the floor and walls of the castle, but he learned to see another side to it. Now, he was a vampire lord with power beyond mortal limits, but it did not come without a price.
The dark elf looked up; the sun was rising. It felt much different than it did before Rialyn accepted Harkon's gift. A while ago, he enjoyed seeing it grow, seeing a new day begin anew, another turn of the cycle. But through the eyes of a vampire, the perception was drastically different. It burned the skin, weakened the body, and clouded the sight. It was a consuming force of nature, a raging flame that forced vampires back into their castles and caverns. He could resist, of course, but would rather not risk it, the armor weighed heavily on Rialyn, but it was his shield from the sun.
Surprisingly, the castle's entrance was not empty as it usually was; as Rialyn approached, he saw a woman looking at the emerging sun. She was a good friend of his, seemingly possessing youth and beauty that would make many envious hundreds of years older than Rialyn and most people he knew. As she noticed him, the elf saw a smile on her face.
"Who am I seeing…Welcome back, Rialyn. Hope your journey wasn't too tiring."-She greeted him warmly.
"And I see you are very "busy" as a steward of this castle."-The elf said with dry sarcasm but was immediately faced with regret. That was uncalled for.
"Grumpier than usual, huh? I suppose I have my answer…"-Serana responded lightheartedly. She Rialyn well and understood that he might not be the most pleasant mer when his mood was sour and got used to it. The Dragonborn was grateful, but he knew that he needed to work on himself.
"Sorry, I'm sure you've done very well, as always. The road was tiring, and the sun isn't the most pleasant sight now."-Rialyn said.
"I found it somehow appealing in the last few days."
"Tired of caverns?"
"Somewhat…It's just that seeing the sunrise before it's too bright…To imagine that it won't affect you, remember the old days of my own youth, you know? I'm probably rambling, but do you feel it sometimes as well?"
Rialyn looked at the rising sun for a few moments, then turned to Serana.
"I do, of course. I've been a vampire for no longer than two months and still remember how it was. I try not to focus on it too much, though, I chose this power, and I don't want to relinquish it yet."
"I suppose you're right…."
"If it makes you go outside and enjoy the view, it might even be healthy."-Rialyn could see Serana's smile.
"I don't just do it for the view, though; we had some unwelcome intruders just a day ago."
"It always happens when I leave, doesn't it?"-Rialyn wondered. "Who were they, and what did you do to them?".
"A group of bandits arriving on a boat thought it was an abandoned castle where they could harvest riches. I think you imagine how it turned out."
"Any survivors?"
"Just one, he fell on his knees and begged for mercy. I ordered to take him in. He's in the dungeon right now; Vingalmo and Orthjolf watch over him."
"I can barely imagine a punishment worse than that."
"They had an argument."
"As always."
"It's about what to do with the prisoner, but I just told them that you'll decide when you return."
"Thanks for the consideration. I'd like to take a look."
"Sure, let's go. The sun is getting too warm for comfort anyway."
The vampires entered the castle, and Rialyn immediately caught the familiar scent of blood; it calmed him and made him thirsty. The dark elf took his helmet off; his face began to change and wither; he hadn't drunk any blood since he raided the fort in Cyrodiil; it was taking its toll.
"And if I may ask about your journey…"-Serana was hesitant.
"Of course."
"Did you the one you were looking for?"
Rialyn sighed; he kept details of his journey somewhat secretive, it was personal, and he didn't want to discuss them in-depth with anyone just yet, but Serana deserved to know something.
"I did. It was too late."
Serana remained silent, although Rialyn could see sympathy in her eyes. She did not know who he wanted to find but realized it was essential for him and did not inquire beyond limits. They both needed to focus on the task at hand.
When they entered the dungeon, Rialyn could already see Orthjolf and Vingalmo looking at one of the cells, occasionally switching to each other. The Nord was the first to see Rialyn and Serana approaching.
"Oh, look who's finally here!"-He exclaimed as they approached. Vingalmo soon followed.
"Welcome back, my lord."
"Good to see you both. I heard we have an intruder."
"Indeed, you can have a look yourself."-Vingalmo pointed at the mortified man on his knees in the cell and glanced in his direction. "Seems like you won't remain uncertain any longer; a lucky day."
"Please…Don't kill me, I won't fight, I won't tell anyone, I…"-He begged for mercy.
"Quiet."-Rialyn's voice wasn't loud, but the spark of command instantly forced the intruder to be quiet. The elf entered the cell and looked down upon the bandit. The prisoner was scared to look into his burning eyes and see his withered face. "What is your name?"
"T…T…"
"Speak clearly. I don't have all day."
"Tordver…"
"Why did you come here?"
"Me and my comrades…We heard about the remote castle…Many people in Haafingar talk about it, we decided to try our luck…Hoped it would be empty and will have some treasures for us to sell…And if even if not, we could fight our way through…I didn't know it belonged to vampires, I swear?"
"You are poor, aren't you? Is that why you decided to gamble with death?"
"Y…Yes. I have a wife and young daughter…I need to aid them, and I have no work; this was the only way…."
"It is only a matter of time before you encounter someone stronger than you. It will be a lesson."
"I would do everything to help my family…Everything…"
"And so, you did. It's too late now."
Rialyn heard his advisors speaking.
"He would make good cattle for us. I suggest we keep him."-Vingalmo said.
"Are you kidding? We have more than enough already! Just bash his head and be done with it."-Orthjolf disagreed.
"You really care, huh?"-Serana said with a slight hint of annoyance.
Rialyn made his choice already, however.
"You invaded our home in an attempt to rob us, you need to learn a lesson."-The elf looked down on a terrified man, but before he could beg, Rialyn's teeth plunged into his flesh, consuming the mortal's blood. He screamed in agony as Rialyn felt life returning to his body. He was refilled with energy. When he thought it was enough, he removed his teeth from Tordver. He was terrified but resisted the pain.
"Please…Stop…"
"That will be all."
"W…What?"
"I will let you go and give you some money so you survive a few more days."
"I…Thank you, sir, thank you?"
"And while you have this time, come back to your family and find a job, try us again, and we will have you killed."
"It's not easy to find a job…I don't have enough time."
"You should try. And if not, come find the Ragged Flagon in Riften; they will have something for you."
He was too shocked to speak, and Rialyn did not care anymore. The advisors have been disappointed.
"Why would you just let him go like that?"-Orthjolf asked
"There is no need to kill or keep him. There is enough blood here already. Give him 500 Septims and send him away."
Rialyn walked towards the grand hall, and the two vampires obeyed. He still remembered the day they tried to kill him via their assassins, but they barely barked his way ever since he defeated Harkon. Good, Rialyn would keep it this way. He soon saw Serana following him.
"Any plans for now?"-She asked.
"I need a respite. The library seems the best place unless there any other matters I should be aware of."
"One more. We had another visitor a few days ago, a courier who brought a letter."
"Who would come this far north?"
"I thought the same, but he said it was strictly for the Dragonborn to read."
That was unexpected. Rialyn did not like to show his face in public places, not just because of his vampirism but also due to the degree of anonymity, this would give him. After all, if everyone knows that you are the savior of Skyrim, they will treat you as such. As an idol, not as a person. But it seems someone is aware that he lives in this castle. This might spell trouble.
"Thank you, Serana. I'll give it a read. Now I'd rather stay alone for a while. I'd be grateful if you see those two completing my order and not killing each other."
"All a day's work."
She left soon after, and the Dragonborn walked towards the library. Now that the passageway was repaired, moving between castle sections was way easier, and still, very few cared for the library. It was a place where he could reminisce and think about the future. It brought calm to Rialyn. He sat at the table and opened the letter.
"Greetings, legate.
I hope that whatever you are up to, it's productive; the last thing we need is more chaos. You seem to have disappeared after the battle of Windhelm. The last I heard of you was from mages at the College of Winterhold. I suppose I should not be surprised that you are off to more of your adventures, but you helped me win this war, so I'm obliged to warn you of our recent updates. Thalmor is here, tightening their grip on Skyrim; all we can do for now is to nod our heads and accept them. They are also aware of you and your contributions to the safety of Skyrim on all fronts, and I have reason to believe they will now try to eliminate you. Stay alert, Dragonborn, be wise when choosing allies. I will do the same.
General Tullius."
It was to be expected. Rialyn knew that the Empire did not give up on fighting; they were just waiting to strike at Thalmor with their full force. They might learn of the castle very soon, Tullius somehow did, but as long as they don't send an army, the vampires could quickly deal with a few agents. Only time will tell. As for now, Rialyn had something else in mind…
He looked to the bookstalls around the walls; they were filled with old books stored here for hundreds of years. But now, there were a few additions that looked much better than Rialyn could expect of an old book. The dark elf gazed at the necklace again and remembered what he wanted to do. He wanted to learn, to read more about his homeland. He didn't expect there to be much about Morrowind here, but it was worth a try.
After looking through tens of old books, he finally found something worth a while. A newer book, likely a recent addition, and that which delves into the dunmer homeland's history.
The Tribunal's End.
