A/N: Hey all and welcome to chapter ten of Whispers of the Night! This story is progressing far better than its predecessor and I'm happy to have finally gotten past the more difficult stages of this darker story. As always, I hope you enjoy!
Whispers of the Night
Summary: One year after Serana died and she left Astrid, Alana has left for Solstheim to be alone and never harm another innocent. Enemies new and old are rising, and it is never easy for one to free themselves from the shackles of their demons…
*Book 2: Oblivion Walker Part 2*
Alana slowly blinked her eyes open, fully expecting to find herself adrift in the sea miles away from Solstheim's shores. However as her blurry vision started to clear up she started to recognize that she was not drowning and being pecked at by scavengers. She was lying on a bed with her arm and side covered in thick white bandages, stained red with her blood. "W-where…?"
She sat up with a wince, biting back a yelp of pain as she put weight on her broken arm. It was starting to heal thanks to Akatosh's cleansing power, but it was still going to hurt like hell until it was properly mended. 'Dammit, this hurts.' The wound on her chest was already mostly healed up and she was already undressed save her for her undergarments; her daedra hunting gear was hanging up and still soaking wet, droplets of water dripping into a puddle by the fireplace to dry.
"You're finally awake." Saoron was sitting across from her in a wooden chair, a goblet full of brandy in his hands judging by the smell of it. He was twirling it in his hands and he stood up, cracking his neck from side to side. "Don't move. Your body is still trying to get used to being whole again."
"Saoron, I'm fine," Alana replied with a wince, trying to swing her legs out of bed. However the Breton man wasn't buying the lie and he put his hand on her chest to force her back onto the bed.
"Like hell you are," he said with a hint of a frustrated snarl. "Stay."
Alana had never heard him actually say something to her in that tone of voice. He was always calm and composed; had her actions finally drove him to crack and let loose his frustrations? 'After what I just put him through, I deserve it. Even his patience has its limits.'
The blonde lowered her head with a sigh as he went into the kitchens, presumably to make her something to eat. She hadn't realized it but she was starving and not for blood, either. The back of her throat wasn't yearning for the sweet river of life that flowed through one's veins. It was actually her stomach that was growling at her. 'When Akatosh said he'd remove my impurities, did he cleanse me of my vampirism too?'
She tried to call forth her powers of the night to no avail. Her Vampire's Sight was gone, as was her ability to transform into the Vampire Lord. The blonde glanced out the window and saw that the sun had already begun to set. The brilliant orb of fire was starting to descend beyond the horizon and she rubbed her shoulder as it throbbed painfully. The muscles would take some time getting used to not being assisted by her vampire blood and she would probably have to train to get her strength back up to what it used to be.
Saoron returned a few minutes later with a bowl of clam chowder, giving it a gentle stir and handing it to her. "Here. I made a batch of it while you were out."
"Thank you." Alana raised the wooden spoon to her lips and began to eat. She hadn't realized it at first but she was in fact quite hungry. After the first few bites she began to eat quicker until it was gone; the warm chowder was so filling and she could feel it giving her strength. Her body needed it more than she realized.
When the last bite was gone Alana let the bowl fall into the bowl and she looked at the sheets covering her body. "I spoke to my father."
Saoron stopped in his tracks and looked at her, motioning for her to continue. Alana lowered her head and sighed. "He said that I was being irrational about everything and that I was being arrogant thinking I was responsible for what the daedra have been doing. Do you think he's right?"
"He is," Saoron answered quietly. "Think about everything you've accomplished. You saved Skyrim not just from Alduin, but from one of the most powerful vampire lords in all of Tamriel. If Harkon managed to put out the sun, imagine the chaos that would have erupted. Wars would've broken out and wouldn't end until every last vampire was dead. You and Serana included. Do you think she'd have wanted that?"
Alana shook her head, looking at her sword leaning against the table next to her bed. "No. She wouldn't…I'm sorry. I thought it was me telling myself I needed to die, but you were right. It was Mephala all along." 'He was right. I was too busy drowning in guilt to listen. Mephala almost got what she wanted.'
At the thought of the daedric prince she began to seethe and she wanted to take her sword in hand; she wanted to strike her with every ounce of fury her body contained. But Alana knew she couldn't directly make the bitch pay without walking into a trap. Mephala may have been a lot more powerful now, but she still lacked the raw physical power to manifest on Tamriel for long periods of time. If Alana were to attack her she'd have to go into her realm of Oblivion, the Spiral Skein.
The blonde Nord let out a soft hiss of frustration. She wanted to make her pay, not just for meddling in her life and turning her own mind against her, but for the amount of good friends she had lost over the years due to her. 'She will,' she silently vowed. 'Mephala will pay for what she did to you. All of you.'
"You are a damned fool." Saoron let out a frustrated sigh. "I tried to tell you that, but you wouldn't listen."
Alana tried to stand, focusing her restoration magic on herself, but it barely did anything and her attempts at standing resulted in her falling onto her hands and knees. Her legs felt as though they were made of nothing but sand, easily blown away by wind and water alike. Being dead seemed to have drained her body of its strength a lot more than she initially anticipated. "How did I get here?"
"We carried you back," Saoron answered, putting her arm under his back and hefting her back up.
"Wait…we?"
The door to his house opened up and Alana's face paled. The one person she didn't want to see yet at the same time wanted to was standing only a few feet away, however she could tell that the past year had definitely changed her. The beautiful gaze she could lose herself in was now a predatory gold and Alana could practically taste the anger that radiated from her. "A-astrid?"
With a furious snarl Astrid strode over to her and slapped her hard. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"
Alana winced from the power behind the strike and she couldn't bring herself to meet Astrid's furious gaze. "I—"
She was cut off by Astrid's hands grabbing her and slamming her against the wall, razor sharp canines bared in a snarl. "You selfish bitch! You left us! You left me, without a damned word!"
Alana felt the guilt burn in her chest for she knew Astrid had every reason to be absolutely livid with her. She did leave the Brotherhood, her family, behind when they needed her the most. She didn't want them all to suffer the same fate as so many others of her loved ones had and thought that leaving them was the best course of action at the time. 'She's right. I did leave them all. Not only that, but I turned her.'
"You could've said something!" Astrid spat, her grip tightening. "But you didn't! You just ran away like a damned coward! Did I mean that little to you!?"
"I left because I didn't want you to die!" Alana shot back, slightly wobbling. "You would've suffered the same fate as Serana did!"
"Don't you dare try and make my decisions for me," her former lover said with a hiss. Guilt racked Alana as she slowly realized just how much pain she had put her through. She not only turned her into a vampire against her will, but abandoned her when she needed her the most. She had been selfish about it.
Astrid let her go and reached for the ebony sword fastened to her back, unsheathing the deadly blade. "If you care so little for yourself, then you won't mind who I kill, will you? Perhaps I'll start with your friend that you're so fond of."
That made Alana start to seethe. "Leave him out of this. He had nothing to do with it!" Power from her gift from Akatosh started to bubble and hiss beneath her skin and her hand found the handle of her zweihander.
"You know something? I don't want you," Astrid snapped. "I don't want this weak shell of a woman who cries about something that happened in the past. I want Alana back; I want the vengeful warrior that would make a god tremble and the woman I fell in love with, not some pathetic weakling who wears her face."
Astrid's sword lashed out towards Saoron and Alana moved in the blink of an eye. Her sword flashed and met Astrid's with a loud clang, the blonde Nord breathing heavily as she pushed her back. She knew how deadly with a blade Astrid was prior to her involuntary transformation, but this was much different. Astrid was much stronger now thanks to the vampire blood that coursed through her veins
And she was livid.
Alana was still recovering and her movements were sluggish at best; her sword was barely able to connect with Astrid's at times and she eventually landed a glancing blow on her, the very edge of her black sword nicking her cheek. It was only a small cut and would heal within minutes but she'd definitely bear the scar from it. Blood began to trickle down her face and Alana felt Astrid's fist connect with her stomach.
She doubled over, winded from the strike, but still she remained standing, using her weapon to hold her up.
Astrid scoffed and stormed out, casting a glare over her shoulder. "If you want to die so damned badly, then I'll kill you myself."
Alana watched her go and she fell, panting and letting the sweat drip off of her like a heavy rain. Astrid's words stung and she knew she was right. She had to let go. As much as it pained her, she couldn't continue to blame herself for something that wasn't her fault. It was no one's fault but Mephala's.
"Well, she seems nice," Saoron quipped, pulling her back over his shoulder and setting her down in bed again. "You certainly know how to pick them, I'll give you that."
Even in spite of all that had just happened, Alana still let out a small laugh and rubbed her sore shoulder. "Even after she just attempted to kill you? In that case you should've seen her before. Damn woman was a constant tease."
She grimaced and let out a ragged cough. "And before you open your mouth, I know I deserved every bit of that. She has every right to be furious with me after what I did." 'By Talos, I knew she'd be furious with me. I should've anticipated her anger. But I think I underestimated just how infuriated she'd be with me. And saying, "I'm sorry," isn't going to cut it this time.'
Alana let her head hit the pillow, glancing over at her friend with one eye already closed. "I'm going to sleep for a bit." She wanted to add that he wouldn't have to worry about her trying to kill herself again, that she would fulfill the promise she made to Serana during her dying moments, but the words died in her throat and she could feel her exhaustion getting the better of her.
She closed her eyes and for the first time in a long time she fell into a quiet and peaceful slumber.
Saoron watched the steady rising and falling of Alana's chest as she started to fall asleep and he let out a frustrated sigh. "Curse you and that damned stubbornness of yours." Astrid was probably out feeding on some homeless beggar and Alana wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Not in her current condition. Still, he wasn't sure if he could trust her to be fine on her own after she just attempted to kill herself. It wasn't exactly something he could just forget ever happened; he could still see her falling every time he closed his eyes and being powerless to stop it despite all of his skills as a warrior.
'I think she'll take Astrid's words to heart more than my own,' he mused. 'They were once romantically involved, after all, and sometimes it takes more than a friend to get through to someone in the mindset like her.'
Even though Astrid did draw her blade on him, he didn't sense any proper intention to murder him from her. He firmly believed she only did that as some sort of test to see whether or not the Alana they both knew was still inside. If the woman they knew was still in there somewhere, she would leap to his defense in an instant and she did.
But he knew that wouldn't be enough to convince Astrid. He could tell she was just as stubborn as Alana was from their brief interactions. 'No wonder they ended up getting together.' Saoron rolled his eyes at that.
He was dressed in a set of plain clothes for the time being, having taken off his armor to get it repaired by Glover Mallory, and he hated to admit that he felt strange walking around without the steel plates covering his body. He had only his sword on him for protection and though his endurance would enable him to take some punishment, it wouldn't stop a potentially fatal strike if someone were to attack and get the better of him.
Right now, he could swear that he felt eyes on him and he didn't like it. 'Why do I feel as though I'm being watched by someone?'
Saoron glanced over his shoulder as subtly as he could, but whoever was stalking him was doing a good job of not getting spotted by him as he made his way through the dusty streets of Raven Rock. He saw Glover's forge up ahead and approached the blacksmith, his fellow Breton pounding away on a glowing hot elven sword for one of the Redoran Guard.
"Glover. It's nice to see you again," he greeted. "Been kept busy last few days?"
Glover shrugged and dipped the blade into a vat filled with water to cool it down, wiping beads of sweat off of his head. "You know me. I've always had a steady stream of work. What brings you here today?"
"Need you to help repair my armor." Saoron laid it out on the workbench for him, showing where the shoulder guard had been cut completely off by Alana's sword. "Damn shoulder guard got sliced clean off."
Glover frowned and looked at the cut, stroking his chin. "Too clean to be a normal blade. What in Oblivion did you go up against, a dremora lord?"
Saoron winced as he thought about the fight between him and Alana before she committed suicide. "Something like that." 'I'd really prefer not to ever get in a duel with Alana ever again. Even in a mentally broken state she's more vicious than anything I've gone up against.'
"Hmm. I'll see what I can do. You sure you'd rather not upgrade to steel plate armor instead? It would offer a bit more protection and in your line of work, you could use all the protection you can get," Glover offered.
"Thanks, but I like my mobility. Normal steel isn't too heavy and allows me to move around easier than plate does," Saoron replied with a shake of his head. "How many days should I have to wait? I know you've probably got a few other customers."
"Days?" Glover smirked. "You're talking to one of the best blacksmiths in Tamriel here. I'll have this done within a few hours. Let me talk to Captain Veleth and see if I can trade him some improved sets of bonemold armor in return for letting you get priority. Won't do us any good if Raven Rock's resident mercenary gets himself killed now, would it?"
Saoron chuckled at that. "Careful. I don't think old Teldryn would take kindly to hear you saying that. I prefer to think of myself as the lone human enforcer who is more than glad to lend a helping hand around here."
The title of mercenary wasn't something that he felt fit him. He didn't ask to be paid for the jobs he performed for the Redoran Guard or the councilors. They had to insist he take the damn gold more often than not.
"You've done this town more good than Teldryn has and he's been here for at least two decades." Glover let out an unimpressed scoff. "All that bastard gives a damn about is how many septims one can float his way. He's not even that good of a blade; you'd beat him in a duel with ease."
"Teldryn knows his way around a sword. He's still alive for a reason," Saoron pointed out. "Besides, he hasn't really found anyone willing to hire his services for awhile. I think he's considering giving up the sellsword life and settling down properly. One can only be a mercenary for so long before it catches up with you."
Glover merely shrugged and reached under the workbench to pull out a steel ingot and some leather. "If you say so. I'll set to work on this and you should be good to go back out in no time at all. Just do me a favor and don't get yourself killed fighting daedra or whatever else is crawling on this island; you're not the damned Black Swordswoman."
'No I'm not. But Alana is and yet none of you realize just how much she's done for this town.' Alana might have seen herself as some sort of monster, but to the Redoran Guard she was a heroine. She had done so much for them even if they didn't know it was her.
Saoron left Glover to his work and set off across town to the Bulwark to report to Captain Veleth. The old dunmer was still waiting for him to report the situation at Fort Frostmoth and inform him of their victory over the ash spawn.
His initial sense of uneasiness soon went away as he approached the town's barricade; no one would attempt to try and assassinate him in close proximity to at least two dozen highly trained soldiers. Even if they sometimes fell to annoying distractions like wine. Talos knows how many times he saw a few of the soldiers spending two or more hours in the damn cornerclub trying out Geldis' new liquor.
The soldier standing guard at the main entrance to the barricade nodded in his direction as he approached. "The captain's inside. Go on in."
Saoron entered the Bulwark and true to the soldier's word Captain Veleth was indeed waiting patiently for him. The captain stood up from his seat and briskly approached him. "What news do you bring from Fort Frostmoth? Good I hope?"
"Yes. General Carius is dead," Saoron replied, shaking his hand in greeting. "No longer will we have to worry about him sending ash spawn to attack Raven Rock. We can all breathe a little easier now."
"Good, good. It's a pity it had to be this way," Veleth said with a hint of sadness. "There are many tales containing his exploits, including founding Raven Rock. Here; Councilor Morvayn wanted me to hand you and Alana this when you got back. Better than a soldier's pay."
"Save the money." Saoron shook his head and politely declined the hefty bag of gold that was passed his way. "We could use it for something much more important than paying me. Like getting some of those abandoned houses on the other side of town fixed up."
"Just take it so I don't have to hear it from the bloody councilors and then we can use it to refurnish those buildings," Veleth suggested. "That way they can't say I didn't give it to you like they said to and we can provide better living conditions to the people here."
"Alright, fine," Saoron conceded with a small grin. "Have it your way." Stubborn old bastard wasn't going to budge until he took it. "When can we start the repairs?"
"Hopefully once my men wise up and stop drinking that damn spirit." Veleth sent a scowl towards one of the younger soldiers in the barracks. "They've recently been falling to a drink called Emberbrand Wine. I despise the stuff myself; it's almost as addicting as skooma is. If I could just find where the hell they're hiding it, I can put an end to them falling asleep on the job."
"Need a hand finding it?" Saoron offered. "I'm not planning on going out of town until my armor's repaired."
"If you could, I'd consider it a favor. They're too smart to hide it in the Bulwark and I know Geldis doesn't carry it, either," Veleth replied. "I'd try looking around those abandoned houses on the outskirts of town, if you're not too busy."
"Not at all. Consider it done. And don't even think about trying to pay me for making this place a better home." Saoron smirked.
"You are a real piece of work." Veleth could only shake his head. "You know that you are one of the best things to happen to this town, right?"
"I'll assume that is as close to a compliment as I'm going to get from you." The brunet Breton laughed and started to head out to see what progress Glover had made. "I'll go ahead and see if I can sniff that stash out for you. I'll be back in a few."
"One more thing," Veleth called after him. "Second Councilor Arano wants to speak to Alana as soon as possible."
Saoron froze in his tracks and turned around. "Did he say what for?" 'Alana? But why? I was sure that the councilors didn't know about her being the Black Swordswoman.'
"I don't know," the captain confessed. "He just said it was urgent. Please, get her to see him as soon as she can. Whatever this is, this is even more important than dealing with the ash spawn or even reopening the mines. This is something big and from what you've told me about her, she may be the only one who can do something about it."
Something about his words told Saoron that while things looked good for Raven Rock on the surface, it was about to get much worse. 'Dammit.'
'I just hope she's in a listening mood. Talos knows her and the councilor don't get along all that well.'
"Alright. I'll see what I can do," Saoron replied. "I hope she's in the mood to deal with him."
"For the sake of everyone in this town, I hope so as well."
Saoron took his leave and left the Bulwark behind to see if he could dig up that stash of wine for the captain. 'If the councilors want to speak to Alana, then this is deadly serious. Something's not right here.'
'And I keep feeling as though I'm being watched by someone.'
He reached for the handle of his glass sword and drew it as he saw a flash of movement out from the shadows in the corner of his eye. The tough malachite of his sword met an unusually shaped dagger and he found himself staring at the bright golden gaze of Astrid.
The vampire assassin let out a laugh, lowering her dagger. "More than just a pretty face. I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice me."
"Do you think this is funny or something?" Saoron let out a hiss of frustration. Curse this damn vampire.
"Very." Astrid bared her fangs in a smirk. "Didn't expect you to be the one who was paraded around as the hero of this miserable little settlement."
"What do you want? I'm in no mood for games right now." The Breton rolled his eyes. Why Alana always chose the most complicated ones to be romantically involved with, he didn't know. 'I swear this woman is going to drive me mad.'
"Isn't our dear Alana supposed to be resting in bed?" Astrid asked silkily.
"Of course. Why?"
"Because she isn't there."
Saoron's blood froze in his veins and he let out a grumble of frustration. "Come on. Let's find her before she does anything stupid."
'Goddammit Alana. What the hell are you doing now?'
A/N: Next up, more fun with our loveable blonde angst-angel. XD I kinda like that nickname for her now. Think I'll keep it as a running joke when Astrid isn't completely pissed off at her. So, how did their confrontation go? Good? Bad? Tell me what you think!
C. Strife#5371