The dragonborn turned to look at Serana as a low murmur came from the bed. She stopped reading one of the many medical texts that were strewn haphazardly across her desk, and picked up a wooden board with a glass of freshly squeezed berry juice and some bread on it. Somewhat cautiously, she walked over to the bed and sat down gently, to await the vampiress's awakening.

The delicious smell of the bread was a welcome sensation for Serana. It managed to coax her out of her slumber, and after a few seconds she opened her eyes to see the dovahkiin. Her back was turned, and Serana was about to greet her, when the events of the previous night came flooding back to the brunette. How on Tamriel was she going to explain herself?

Before she even had a chance to contemplate her options, the dragonborn turned her head slightly, and saw that she was awake.

"Good morning. I've brought you some food - I hope you enjoy"

She said nonchalantly, allowing Serana to sit up before placing the wooden board on her lap.

"Thank you, you really didn't have to though. And… oh Gods I'm still in your bed, I'll leave you in peace"

The vampiress replied sheepishly.

"It was no trouble. And you'll stay right there, that's why I brought the tray." The dragonborn said with a smile, before standing up and getting ready to leave Serana to her meal.

"Wait… look about last night… I-I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. If you want to part ways then I understand, I-I shouldn't have-"

Before she could finish, the dragonborn cut her off.

"You don't need to apologise. I know you weren't yourself."

Serana was very surprised. The dragonborn had always been kind and selfless, but for her to make such an unwarranted spectacle was surely more than could be forgiven so casually. The vampiress herself could not fathom her periods of apparent helplessness, when she would have her volition suddenly wrenched from her and be at the mercy of a tirade of awful memories. It was as though an extemporaneous madness engulfed her, one which could not be predicted or tamed. Never had she come across such a thing before, and she could only assume that the dragonborn would be no better informed than she.

"Thank you. For understanding. But how could you…"

"In the early hours, I travelled to the Arcanaeum. Urag was less than thrilled to be woken, but he helped me to find works on the problems of the mind. I kept your name out of it, of course. I've been reading the texts, and I think I've found some passages that describe a similar affliction. I'd like you to take a look at some of them, once you've finished your meal"

The vampiress was nothing short of astounded. This information gave her much to process, and gave rise to myriad questions. Despite that, the first thing she had to say was more a statement of bewilderment.

"You did all of that, just to try to help me?"

The dovahkiin looked a little confused at first, and was admittedly rather unsure how to respond. She loved Serana more than anything, and would have ran barefoot to the tip of Elsweyr and back if it had the slightest chance to make her amorata feel better. But if their conversation at the Huntsman was anything to go by, the feelings were not reciprocated. And admissions of unrequited love were unlikely to make an already embarrassed Serana feel any better.

"I… well… I… you see… I had to fetch the bread anyway… and it really wasn't much out of my way"

Serana raised one eyebrow, an expression of incredulity on her face.

"You had to fetch the bread in the middle of the night, and you could accept nothing less than that famous Winterhold bread?"

The vampiress waited a few seconds for a reply, while a tinge of red crept into the cheeks of the dragonborn.

"It was nothing, Serana. You're my friend. I want to help you"

"You can be sure that this debt will be paid in full, starting now. If you were travelling through the night, you must be exhausted. You should get some rest while I look over those scripts. I'll take care of everything today."

The dovahkiin had to admit that she was tired. The journey had taken a good x hours there and back, and that had hardly been a relaxing horse ride - every second she had worried about Serana, and whether leaving her alone in the house was the right decision at all. Of course, there had been the process of finding the relevant scrolls, which was a painstaking undertaking for such an unusual condition, even with Urag's help. And to top it off, she spent the previous hours diligently studying each of the texts.

"Are you sure?"

Serana smiled, a look of deep affection in her eyes.

"Of course" She simply said, before getting up and walking over to the desk.

"Please tell me that you at least found time to eat? If not, I'll cook something while you get comfortable"

"Thank you, but I had something when I returned"

The Dovahkiin lied while she started to take off her riding gear. While Serana's cooking was delectable, she could not stand putting the vampiress to any trouble. Once she was down to her undergarments, she slid under the covers. To her delight, Serana elected to stay in the room to read the documents, rather than move them. Falling asleep was sure to be far easier, safe in the knowledge that the one she cared for above all else was right by her side.