A/N: Hello all and welcome to chapter 14! Last chapter saw Alana fighting off her old adversary and making peace with Serana. Now we get to go back to Skyrim for a brief moment and start the Dragonborn DLC officially. I know, I know. I've waited fourteen fucking chapters to do that. Sorry. XD

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 6*

Alana grimaced in pain as she slowly dragged Clockwork behind her, the large sword leaving a thin trail in the ash wastes. Her limbs burned with the effort and her blood continued to drip out from her wounds, but she kept going, ignoring the discomfort. She had been on the move for an hour now and each step was agony, but she refused to give up and die in the ashlands. She had too much pride to just keel over and bleed out. 'I am not just going to give up and die. Not anymore.'

Several bloodstained locks of hair stuck to her face and she paused to brush them away, panting heavily. 'Damn this hurts. But no matter what I have to keep going. I made a promise to Serana that I would live for the both of us. I'm not going to break that promise now. Not after I came this far.' She tried to focus her restoration magic on her wounds, but there were simply too many of them for her to heal at once; her magic sputtered and died on her fingertips and she patted her satchel to try and find any potions inside.

Her hand hit the hard glass of one and she pulled it out with shaking hands. A potion of regeneration; perfect. Just what she needed. She bit down on the wooden stopper and yanked it out, grimacing at the awful taste of it. 'Here it goes.' Alana raised the vial to her lips and she downed it in a hurry. The familiar taste wasn't the most pleasant, but it was more than enough to reinvigorate her and keep her from bleeding out. 'If only my magic was stronger. I could heal myself without having to worry about whether or not I have potions on me.'

She felt her wounds start to close up as the potion worked its way through her system and she winced. Having the powers of a Divine or not, healing potions still stung something fierce when one was as injured as she was. She didn't like that she took as many hits as she did during the battle with her old adversary from last year, but she knew it would be impossible for her to get through that fight completely unscathed. The two of them were almost a perfect match for each other in terms of skill and combat. He was more calm and composed while she was fiery and brash. What he lacked in raw power he made up for with agility, and vice versa.

'I seem to do that a lot against opponents who are quicker than me,' Alana mused. 'Too often I've relied on little more than brute strength. It helped me during the civil war when I was still learning how to use my Thu'um, but now? Now I need to focus on using my magical abilities again. Not exactly easy considering I haven't used them in over a year. Maybe longer.' Her time as the Arch Mage of Winterhold seemed so far away now.

Or perhaps it wasn't. She was still capable of apprentice level destruction magic and she did have some sort of cleansing spell that was able to root out any impurities, effectively destroying them. 'I don't know what it's even called though; let alone how to use it at will. Akatosh didn't exactly give clear cut instructions. Typical Divines.' She let out an unimpressed scoff.

Alana was able to stand up a little straighter now thanks to the potion's effects. Boosting her own regeneration process was always painful at first, but being a soldier had taught her how to deal with the discomfort. Compared to the wounds she picked up during the battle of Fort Sungard, these injuries were nothing. The blonde had fallen in and out of consciousness for two days after the battle, her body almost unable to handle the severe trauma.

She shielded her eyes as a gust of wind off of the sea tossed ash into her face, choking as some of it ended up in her throat. She doubled over to spit it out, wiping her mouth with a grimace. 'Ugh. I never wanted to taste that. But now that I have, I can confirm one thing. It tastes bloody awful.'

The blonde rolled her eyes and summoned every last bit of her strength into putting Clockwork in its holster. Her limbs throbbed and burned in protest, but she bit her tongue and refused to cry out. Once the heavy sword was secured in the leather harness she breathed a sigh of relief. No longer would she have to resort to dragging the damn thing behind her like some sort of bloody horse. 'I swear it weighs more than even Requiem did even though its actually lighter. Maybe that's just a sign of me being exhausted and suffering from blood loss.'

Her father's prized zweihander sword, the one he spent years forging, was currently gathering dust in the basement of her house back in Raven Rock. It was the weapon she used to strike back at a daedric prince and such a weapon did not deserve to sit away isolated like that. 'It belongs back home in Skyrim. But what should I do with it?'

She frowned, yanking her foot up after it sank deep into the blanket of ash covering the southern half of Solstheim. 'It would be a disgrace to just leave it in a cave somewhere. No, there's only one thing that it should be used for now. To serve as a memory and honor those that I've lost.' Yes, that sounded perfect. The sword could serve as a memory to those who had fallen and as a reminder of the promise she had made to Serana.

She was thankful when Raven Rock loomed into view, a small and weary smile forming on her face. Her limp had all but disappeared and she moved with much more vigor, moving as fast as she could. Exhaustion ate away at her bones and she started the familiar descent down the ashy trail into the town. 'Almost there. When I get home, the first thing I'm doing is taking a hot bath. Talos knows I need one.'

She took one whiff of herself and nearly gagged. She absolutely reeked of sweat and blood. 'Definitely a bath. Talk about revolting. I don't think I've been this filthy since the time the Sanctuary got attacked by the Penitus Oculatus.'

The Bulwark was only a few short steps ahead and she could see a few sentries posted along its walls. The dunmer soldiers all held elven bows in their hands but lowered them when they saw who she was. A few excited murmurs just out of earshot echoed above, but she was willing to bet they were talking about how she was the daedra hunter. 'I don't mind them knowing, but I don't want them to treat me any differently. I may be the one who has been keeping them safe at night, but at the same time, I'm no different than Saoron is.'

She limped past a few of soldiers standing guard at the entrance to the prisons and they both gave her subtle nods. While they might have not spoken, the simple gesture was enough for the blonde to know that they respected her despite that she was not a dunmer.

The temple that housed shrines of the Tribunal was across from Councilor Morvayn's manor shone brightly, hundreds of tiny candles lighting the balcony gardens of scathecraw and trauma root. The miniscule flames flickered, giving off an eerie glow, and Alana glanced briefly at the heavy entrance. For a moment she wondered if she should ask the elder in charge if Astrid had indeed come inside looking for someone or something; she hadn't forgotten about the young boy who had mistakenly approached her assuming she had been the one he spoke to. 'What did Astrid do? He was obviously abused by one of the priests who tend to the shrines. I wouldn't put it past her to murder them.'

Despite what Astrid insisted, she was not a mere cold blooded killer. She picked her targets out rather well, though Alana could spot a theme of her victims being among her. Astrid did have a bit of a soft spot for those who had suffered at the hands of others. She'd never admit it, of course; when teased by Nazir of being quite a soft woman instead of the dangerous and seductive assassin she pretended to be, she hissed out about how she would strange the Redguard man with his own intestines and then boil them in a stew. She was old fashioned like that.

'No. If someone did that kind of deplorable act, then they shouldn't be redeemed. There are some actions you can never forgive and that is one of them.' Alana shook her head and continued on, finally reaching the Morvayn manor and leaving a trail of blood behind her. Her wounds still throbbed, but she could handle the pain for at least a little longer. She had endured much worse before.

She could see some large candles still lit in the windows and dark shapes moving about inside, so it was safe to assume they were expecting her. Not wanting to keep the councilors waiting any longer she pushed her shoulder against the door, wincing as she opened it.

Inside the luxurious manor, Adril was indeed waiting for her return. He had just finished eating dinner and looked up upon her entry, frowning when he saw her wounds. "Alana! What in the name of Azura happened to you!?"

"If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy," Alana joked weakly, clutching her side as her hoarse laugh made her ribs ache. "Don't worry about me. I'll live. Vendil is dead and so are the Morag Tong assassins he hired."

"I'm glad you got rid of him. To think he'd stoop so low as to hire those fletchers…" Adril shook his head in disgust and stood up, the two shaking hands. "Wonderful. Simply wonderful. Councilor Morvayn will be pleased to hear this. I'll take you to him now."

"No need." Councilor Morvayn had started to descend the stairs to the kitchens, clad in exquisite furs and red eyes gleaming in curiosity. "Adril. I haven't seen a smile on your face like that in a very long time."

"Lleril." Adril nodded in greeting gesturing to Alana. "This woman has single handedly saved you from an assassination plot that would have taken your life. I'm afraid that Mirri, Tilisu, and Vendil Severin were not who we thought they were. In fact, they were here to avenge Vilar Ulen's death."

"I don't want to believe it." Morvayn shook his head in disbelief. "Vendil's done so much for Raven Rock. How is this even possible?"

"They had us all fooled. It was merely a ruse to prevent our suspicion. I should have been more vigilant. I'm sorry," Adril apologized, bowing his head.

"Don't say that. It wasn't your fault, old friend," Morvayn reassured. He looked back at Alana and motioned for her to come forward. The blonde approached him and he too had a broad smile on his face. "What you've done for me, for all of Raven Rock, is something I'd have never expected from a foreigner to our lands. I'm not just talking about thwarting Vendil's assassination attempt. I also mean what you do when the rest of us are sound asleep in our beds."

"Thank you, councilor." Alana bowed her head. "I do my best to protect the town that welcomed me with open arms, even when I was at my lowest point."

"You've more than earned your citizenship," Morvayn said. "I can have the official documents written by tomorrow afternoon. Now, I expect that Adril was preparing to reward you handsomely for your efforts, but I feel as though you deserve something a little more substantial. A bit of coin is not enough. Since the Severin family, or whoever they were, turned out to be criminals, their property is now forfeit. I reward you the Severin manor and all of its contents within."

Alana nearly fell, though it wasn't from the shock of what she had been awarded. It was more down to her legs starting to give out on her and she smiled. "Thank you again, councilor." 'I ought to go home and rest. Divines know I need it.' Even battle hardened warriors like herself needed time to recover.

She once again bowed her head in respect to the two dunmer men and left the manor behind, a weak smile on her face as she saw two wonderfully familiar faces approaching her. Saoron was jogging towards her, not clad in his heavy steel armor for once. Alongside him was Astrid and the blonde assassin's bright golden eyes widened in shock when they got closer.

"Alana! What the hell!? What happened!?" Astrid demanded.

Alana's knees buckled and she toppled forward like a sack of flour. Thankfully, Astrid was able to keep her from falling facefirst in the dirt and she looked up at her with a grin. "Aren't I normally the one saving you?"

Astrid thumped her below her ribs for her remark and she winced. "Be careful, will you? I think I broke something."

"You're covered in blood…what did you do?" Saoron asked, his hands becoming cloaked in Healing Hands. "For the love of Talos please do not tell me you went into a burial chamber with another dragon priest in it."

"No." Alana shook her head, closing her eyes with a wistful sigh. It was nice being cradled by Astrid again, even if the circumstances could be better. "Just stopped an assassination plot by Vendil Severin and took out the Morag Tong he hired. Oh, and don't let me forget, killed a certain daedric prince's champion again. That's who did this." She winked one eye open and gestured to her battered body.

Astrid huffed and helped her back onto her feet, throwing her arm over her shoulder. "You are a real handful, you know that? Why didn't you tell us?"

"It wasn't like I exactly planned on going out of town." Alana rolled her eyes. "It just sort of happened. Besides, the councilor is safe and sound. I can take a beating or two if it means protecting you."

"You seem different." Saoron frowned in concentration as he finished mending the last of Alana's injuries, his magic fading away. "More…at ease. I was so used to you being troubled that this almost seems strange to me."

Alana let out a soft chuckle, thinking of the last conversation she had with Serana when she was facing off against Boethiah's champion. "You could say that I've made peace with a demon that had been plaguing me for a long time."

Confusion flickered across Astrid's face for a moment, only to be replaced by understanding. She'd understand it more than even Saoron would, having seen how much Serana meant to her. "I see. So, what will you do now?"

"Before or after I go to sleep for a month?"

"After, you damn angst angel."

"Hey!" Alana turned to give her a teasing glare.

"She's not wrong." Saoron yawned in a horrible attempt to hide his laughter. "You keep it up and people around here will start calling you some ridiculous name. They already know you as the woman brooding in the bloody cornerclub all day."

"I do not." Alana huffed. "I promise you that I was sober when I went out. Not even a single ale."

"Good." Astrid gave her a hard stare, jabbing her in the chest with her forefinger. "You need to stop consuming that poison. It does you more harm than good."

"Careful." Alana winced. "And I know. I know that." 'I only did it to take my mind off of things. But all I did was simply numb the pain for a little bit and then I'd be again ruined by grief. Looking back at that, it was really foolish of me to think it would do me any good.'

Astrid helped Alana limp back to her home, pushing the door open with a grunt. Saoron had of course draped of Alana's arms over his shoulders to assist Astrid with the effort. "Maybe you ought to not carry around a weapon that weighs half as much as you do for once."

"Hey it's lighter than Requiem is," Alana defended. 'I need to move it. Requiem can't stay in my basement.'

"Keep telling yourself that." Saoron chuckled, his rough hands ruffling her bloodstained hair. "It's nice to have you back."

"It's good to be back." Alana closed her eyes and let out a soft hum before she unclipped her holster. Her zweihander fell to the ground with a loud clatter and both Saoron and Astrid stood back to let her get undressed. Her typical black attire was covered in ash and blood and would need a very thorough wash.

"Please tell me you have something that you can use to bathe," Astrid said, looking at the bloodstains on her body. "You're utterly filthy."

"Thanks for the observation," Alana returned dryly, rolling her eyes. "And yes, there is a small bath in the basement."

"…why is it in the basement?" Astrid rubbed her head.

"Because Solstheim has an underground water vein," Saoron explained. "It's one of the few sources of untainted water on the island, save for a spring in the northern mountains. This home in particular needed one, seeing as it was once used to smuggle illegal contraband into the colony. I scouted it out for her specifically when she moved here."

"So…you live in a house that was essentially used for smuggling and Sithis knows what else. Why am I not surprised?" Astrid rolled her eyes and gave Alana an exasperated stare.

"Not anymore." Alana smiled and finished changing, limping downstairs to where the bath was. "Councilor Morvayn awarded me the Severin manor as thanks for stopping the assassination plot against him."

Saoron raised an eyebrow and looked at the blonde's belongings, hands on his hips with a sigh. "Let me guess. You need to move all of your stuff into it now."

"Yeah. Think you could lend a hand?" Alana asked. "Move everything except Requiem. I know you can't lift that thing by yourself." She smirked a little as she remembered how much he struggled with the Bloodskal Blade in the Raven Rock mine. It was amusing to think that he was a man of seemingly endless stamina yet could not wield a greatsword like her.

"No normal person can," Astrid shot back. "I doubt I could even with my newfound vampirism."

Alana winced as she remembered she was technically responsible for that. "How are you feeling, now that I think about it? Do you need to feed?"

"No. I had quite a nice drink earlier," the assassin replied with a dangerous purr, following her down. "Even if he was a sick bastard, he had a rather nice taste to him."

Alana sighed and it was her turn to be exasperated. "Let me take a guess. That dunmer boy who came to you told you about a priest doing something to him and you killed him without a second thought. That about right?"

"How did you sniff that one out? I was rather subtle…"

"The child came to me mistaking me for you."

"…oh." Astrid let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her head. "Um, sorry?"

"Don't. If he was indeed doing that to a bloody child, then he's better off in the Void." Alana shook her head. 'There are some crimes that even I won't forgive. That's someone who is irredeemable. They took away a child's innocence. That's something that can never be given back.'

Akatosh may have chosen her to bring light to others, but there were certain crimes not even she could forgive. 'A little strange thinking that, considering the things I've done myself. I've lied, cheated, stolen, and killed. But everything I've done hasn't taken away what good I have done. Some of my problems were my own fault. But Akatosh knew that a lot of them were daedric lies. No mortal could resist that many godlike beings trying to invade their mind, Dragonborn or not.'

Saoron walked over to where a lone well sat in the basement and began to pump. His muscles bulged under his shirt as he heaved with all of his might, the rusty old metal creaking and groaning under the stress. His face slowly turned red from the efforts and a thin line of sweat formed on his brow but he continued away until the water from the underground pool spilled into the bath.

"There. That ought to do it." He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, breathing heavily. "I'll go start the fire and start cooking. Divines know you could use a bite to eat."

"I'm not that hungry." Alana blushed a little as her stomach growled in disagreement. "I'm fine, I promise. Besides, I can tell you want to talk a little bit."

"You wouldn't rather wait?" Saoron asked.

"No. Better to get it over with." Alana eased her body into the water with a soft groan of content, the water soothing the aches in her body and taking out the harsh sting of her freshly healed wounds. "So, what do you want to ask?"

"Before when we found you by the shore, you said you were shocked that the gods chose you despite everything you had done," Saoron started. "I know you're not talking about your abilities as the Dragonborn, so what did you mean? Is it connected to that wing of yours? And why your vampirism is seemingly cured?"

"Yes." Alana nodded. "When I told you I spoke to my father, I did tell you the truth. But I didn't tell you everything."

"Suspected as much." Saoron folded his arms. "Alright, go on."

"I also spoke to Akatosh. Well, more like yelled at him for not being present at all and letting the daedra do whatever they wanted to me," the blonde sheepishly admitted. "After that, he cleansed me. I can't remember what it was exactly he called me, but he told me that I was his chosen one. A savior."

"Weren't you already prophesized to be one as the Last Dragonborn?" Astrid pointed out.

"Not quite." Saoron shook his head. "The Last Dragonborn was fated to slay Alduin and end the threat of the dragons' return to Tamriel. I have a feeling this is something different entirely. The Dragonborn isn't called a savior."

"I don't know what he did, but my magic's been affected too," Alana confessed. "Earlier on my way to Ashfallow Citadel, I ran across two mages. After I had slain them, I turned them into purified sand. It gave off this pure energy, like I had purged it of all corruption."

"Impossible." Astrid shook her head in disbelief. "There's no magic in the world that can do that."

"Not true," Saoron countered. "There is a school of magic that simply cannot be taught, not even by a grandmaster mage. It's only rumored, of course, but it's the powers of the divine. For lack of better term, holy magic. Supposedly, only a true champion of the gods can use it. Their chosen ones, so to speak. Alana, you were already blessed by both Dibella and Akatosh."

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that my initial suspicions were right. There was a reason why the daedric princes were so obsessed with you and purposely meddling with your life. Alana…I don't want to believe that I'm right, but you're on your way to becoming one of them. You're essentially becoming a Divine."

"You knew? And you didn't tell me?" Alana was a little hurt by him keeping that knowledge a secret. "Why did you keep it a secret from me?"

"You wouldn't have believed me even if I told you," Saoron replied quietly. "Especially in your prior state of mind. You'd have seen it as something too ludicrous to be true and think that I was lying to you, making your condition even worse. By keeping quiet about it, I prevented yet another doubt from being seeded in your mind for Mephala to exploit. I'm sorry. I did what I thought was best at the time."

Alana let her initial hurt fade away and leaned back down into the bath, sighing. "I know. I don't blame you for it." 'That bitch fed on every doubt I had in my mind and used it as a weapon against me. No more. I'm ending this with my own two hands.'

The blonde groaned out as the water numbed the pain of her injuries and she sat up a little taller. "I'm going to Skyrim again."

"You're leaving?" Saoron asked. "This town needs you, more than ever. Especially if both Mephala and Vaermina are making moves."

"I never said I was leaving completely," Alana returned smoothly. "I just have something I have to do. I need to do this. Please."

"So what, are we supposed to just sit here and wait?" Astrid asked with a sharp hiss.

"No." Alana shook her head and met Astrid's burning gaze. "Astrid…come with me. There's no one else I'd rather be with when I do this. Saoron's needed to keep the town safe and I trust him with that completely. But you…I want you by my side again."

Astrid mulled over it for a few seconds before letting out a huff, calming down. "Fine. Someone does need to make sure you don't run off and get yourself killed."

"Thank you." Alana got out of the bath and started to dry herself off. Her clothes were still upstairs and she gave Saoron a slightly embarrassed glance. "Um, mind leaving us for a few moments?"

Saoron caught the hint but did not blush in the slightest much to Astrid's amusement. Nothing ever really fazed him. He knew Alana way too damn well. "I'll go make a stew before you leave." He headed up the stairs and Astrid gave Alana an amused look.

"You said that for another reason didn't you?" she accused with a smirk.

"Did not." Alana huffed and hid her blush, turning away from her. "You have no evidence to support your claims."

"You're nude and I'm getting to marvel at a sight which seems to have only improved since I last saw it." The vampire looked at Alana's stomach and chest. "You seem even more fit than you did before."

"Please spare me having to hear you two go at it for some stress relief," Saoron called from above dryly. "Makes it hard to concentrate on cooking."

"You're no fun at all." Astrid let out a fake groan of protest.

Alana shook her head and covered herself with a weak towel, leaving tiny droplets of water in her wake. "I'm going to get changed…" 'Even if she's not being as cold to me, it still feels like she hasn't forgiven me quite yet. I suppose it was bound to happen; Astrid was never the most forgiving type of person.' She could remember the various insults she had called her late husband on their way to Riverwood after the Sanctuary was attacked. By Sithis she probably still despised him even a year later.

"So, what is it that you were planning on doing when you go to Skyrim?" Astrid asked, following her. "Go back to the Sanctuary?"

"No." Alana fitted on a set of pants and a long sleeved shirt lined with furs. "I have to leave that part of my life behind. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret doing what I did. But I have to leave it behind. I'm not an assassin, Astrid. We both know it."

"Then what?"

"There was a reason why I told Saoron not to move Requiem and it isn't because he can't lift the damn thing. I have a use planned for it, but I don't want to do it alone. I'm planning on going back to Skyrim to use it as a monument."

"A monument?" Astrid tilted her head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"I haven't told you this, but before I left, I made a promise to Serana when she died. I promised her that I would live for the both of us," Alana answered quietly, wetness stinging the corners of her eyes as she remembered that horrible fateful day. "I want to go back to where she passed and leave Requiem there to show her that I mean to keep it. I won't throw my life away unnecessarily anymore."

She wiped her eyes and stood strong against the wave of grief that flooded from her heart. 'I have too much to live for. You may be gone, Serana, but I promised you I would keep living. I am not going back on it, no matter what. I still have those dear to me.'

Alana reached down to pull Requiem out of its hiding place, removing the cloth wraps covering the behemoth blade. The warm handle felt comforting in her hand and yet a part of her felt like she was abandoning an old friend. 'It has to be done. Even though it hurts to leave it, it's for the best. This is a monument to the past life I want to leave behind.'

Alana would continue living, for the both of them. 'For the both of us, I'm going to be live and be free for the ones I live.'

'I won't ever break that promise.'

A/N: Okay, so apparently we don't leave for Skyrim just yet. XD. I kind of got carried away a little bit and meant to include it, but I felt like saving it for the next chapter once I realized just how long this one ended up being. Whoops. Anyway, tell me what you think!

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