The air in the master bedroom of Heljarchen hall was a pleasant temperature; just warm enough to be mildly soporific while under the blankets. The dragonborn had the hearth in the corner to thank for that, for the wood was still burning strong, casting just enough light to make the various weapons glint on the walls. Her eyes were half closed, and she was just falling into a peaceful sleep when a knock came at the door.
"Come in" She said simply, pulling the covers slightly higher to obscure her breasts.
Serana walked in timidly, and closed the door behind her in a seemingly hasty manner. Her face was even more pale than usual, and her hands were trembling. The dovahkiin knew immediately that all was not right, but before she could ask anything of her vampire companion, Serana began sobbing quietly, looking away from the dragonborn as though ashamed of something.
"Serana? Serana what's wrong?" The dovahkiin asked, a mixture of alarm and a touch of anger in her voice. Whoever, or whatever, had done this to the one she loved so dearly would pay, and pay in their blood.
The dragonborn's words failed to elicit anything from Serana beyond plaintive sounds. She cast the covers aside and stood up as quickly as she dared for fear of further startling the vampiress before her. Despite the dovahkiin's care, Serana's head shot round, her eyes wide but swollen and red from crying. The vampiress stood motionless, seemingly petrified by a sheer, primal terror.
Bewildered, the dragonborn put out a reassuring hand in the first portion of what was intended to be a gesture for Serana to come forward. Before the dovahkiin could complete the gesture, Serana let out an involuntary squeal of fear on seeing the movement of the dragonborn's arm, and fell to the floor, her hands raised over her head as though to defend herself.
What was strange, the dovahkiin thought, was that this was no normal defensive posture; certainly not one of the many which she had seen Serana take in battle. True, the vampiress was first and foremost a magical warrior, but she was no dilettante when it came to hand-to-hand combat either. Position after position could have enabled Serana to strike back after absorbing a blow, but falling to the floor had no such advantage. No, this was a last-ditch attempt to protect one's head and face, when one had no chance of fighting back.
The dragonborn wasted no time in retracting her arm. She waited a few seconds in the vain hope that Serana would come to her senses without the dovahkiin having to risk heightening her fear again. Alas, the vampiress remained on the floor, sobbing continually. The dragonborn moved forward in as calm a manner as she could manage, while speaking slowly and calmly.
"Serana, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help"
Serana said nothing, seemingly utterly lost in whatever terror was enveloping her. Once the dovahkiin reached her, she knelt down and spoke once more.
"Serana, I'm going to put my hand on your arm now. I'm going to be gentle"
Filled with trepidation about the possible results of what was intended to be a comforting action, the Dragonborn stretched out her hand and gently stroked Serana's arm. No sooner had she begun stroking than Serana's hand darted to grab the dovahkiin's wrist. The vampiress was strong, and managed easily to pull the dragonborn's hand away from her, inadvertently digging her nails deep into the dovahkiin's skin in the process.
The dragonborn suppressed a wince from the pain and felt the thick blood begin to trickle around her wrist before its crimson drops fell to the floor with a splash. The vampiress's head remained bent downwards in spite of this, forcing the dovahkiin to look at her sleek black hair as she spoke
"S-serana, it's me. Don't you remember my voice?" The dovahkiin managed, in as calm a tone as she could muster.
"d-dov. Do-vah" Serana said slowly, in a strained, weak tone, relaxing her grip significantly but still not letting go.
"Yes." The dragonborn said, relieved. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She pulled her wrist downwards, pain shooting up through her arm as each centimetre of Serana's nails was agonisingly wrenched out. Fortuitously, the vampiress did nothing to stop her. Once her arm was finally free, the radiating pain became less frequent and less intense. The dovahkiin cautiously moved her bloodied wrist upwards so that it was pressed against Serana's lips.
"Lick" The dragonborn ordered in a steady but forceful tone. Serana obliged, using her elegant, long tongue to lap up a few drops of the crimson adorning the dovahkiin's wrist.
Serana seemed to recognise the distinctive blood of the dragonborn almost instantly. She raised her head slowly, deeply perturbed but no longer afraid of the woman before her. The mind of the vampiress was still far from clear; a maelstrom of emotions whirled violently through her head balking any logical thought patterns - it was a mess of fear and anger and disgust and more depraved, blood-soaked memories than could be counted.
"Dovah… Dovahkiin… naal ok zin los vahriin" the vampiress said confusedly, half-remembering, in her unstable state, a song she had heard long ago.
The dragonborn looked Serana deep in the eyes, thankful beyond thankful that the vampiress knew who she was.
"Come here" She said softly, wrapping her arms around the vampiress and hugging her tightly, her breasts pressed against Serana's tunic. The vampiress reciprocated desperately, holding onto the dovahkiin as if for dear life, while burying her head in the dragonborn's shoulder and crying deeply.
