Chapter 4

Erik walked outside, after he finished talking to Isran. He heard giggling, and when he looked down he understood why. Serana was sitting on the floor with the dog, a large smile was plastered on her face. She was patting his head, and he was licking her cheek playfully. The dog wagged his tail excitedly, as she laughed and rubbed his side.

Serana looked up at Erik and said through laughing, "Oh, sorry. This dog is just too cute to resist. Whose dog is this?"

Erik stayed silent for a moment, before he said, "He's mine. For the time being."

Serana raised an eyebrow at him, as she stood up. "You didn't have a dog before. Where did he come from?"

"I just found him. His owner died."

Serana looked at the man in confusion and concern. "What happened?"

"Vampires." Eric said with a blank tone.

'Oh' was all Serana could manage to say. She slowly bent down and smiled widely. She lightly pulled on the dog's ears, and his tail was wagging furiously. Erik watched silently, as Serana giggled at the dog.

"He suits you. Look."

Erik looked at her curiously, as she pointed at the puppy's eyes.

"They're like yours."

Erik looked down at the husky, and his eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. One eye was brown and the other was...an icy blue.

Erik didn't even notice before. He was too concerned about healing the dog's leg and burying the man, that he didn't even notice the husky had two different colored eyes.

Erik stood in silence, as Serana softly put the dog on the ground.

You're observant about weird things… Erik thought.

"Let's give him a name." Serana said to Erik.

"Why?" Erik asked. Serana stared at him with a blank expression on her face.

"What do you mean, 'why?' Because he's coming with us, that's why." Serana patted the dog's head, and looked at his face smiling. There was a moment of silence before she mumbled, "Frost."

Erik eyed Serana, and she turned to him. "Do you like that name? Do you think he looks like a 'Frost?"

The man didn't say anything, so Serana turned back to the husky and asked, "Do you like that name? I think it suits you. Your fur looks like frost." The dog practically jumped in her arms. She laughed softly.

Erik began to walk away, and Serana ran to catch up. "Hey! What's up with you and walking away when I'm not looking?" Serana asked in a joking manner.

"We need to move." Erik said blandly. Serana quietly watched Erik's back, as he made his way down the pathway. Frost right next to him, wagging his tail.

Okay, debbie downer.

Erik didn't say a word, as he continued to walk. She didn't know where they were going, and she felt like she would just annoy him if she asked, so she stayed silent.

They made their way through a beautiful forest area that was just outside of Fort Dawnguard. Serana took in the view. The night sky was filling up with stars, and the moon was beginning to peak over the horizon. She enjoyed listening to the wind rustling against the tree leaves, and she loved the subtle noise the torchbugs made with their wings.

Serana looked back up at the backside of Erik's hooded head.

Hmm? He's pretty tall. I've never noticed that before..

Serana was cut out of her trance, when she heard a voice ring in her ears.

"Stop staring." Erik said, quietly but firmly.

Serana became a little flustered. How did he even notice?

She became a little defensive, as she retorted back, "I wasn't staring. I was just wondering why you don't really talk. You-" She cut herself short, when Erik froze. He raised a hand to her face, signaling to be quiet. Frost perked up his ears, and he started to growl softly.

Serana looked around, but saw nothing. She felt like something was there, but she didn't see anything unusual around.

"What is it?" Serana asked quietly.

"Vampires." Erik said in a low voice.

"But how do you know-" Serana cut her question short, whenever she saw glowing eyes emerge from the trees surrounding them. Frost growled a little louder, as Erik stepped firmly in front of both Serana and Frost. Serana moved up a little closer, and she watched as five vampires grouped up in front of them.

They stood a distance away, and watched Erik and Serana with bright eyes, waiting to see what they'd do. One vampire broke from the line and started to walk towards Erik and Serana. It was a woman, who had long dark hair and eyes the color of the sun.

She smiled devilishly, her fangs glistening in the moonlight. Her voice was loud, as she said, "Give it up, Serana. Your father wants the Elder Scroll, and he wants you. And we both know, he always gets what he wants.."

Serana walked beside Erik, as she eyed the vampire woman. Both of them testing to see who would back down first.

"If my father wanted the Scroll so badly, he should have shown up himself, instead of sending his servants to retrieve it. I'm not giving you anything." Serana's voice was firm and unwavering and it caused the vampire woman to laugh wickedly.

"Aww, that's cute. Really. I applaud you for that little speech." Her glowing eyes moved to Serana's side. To Erik. Her eyebrows perked up, and she continued to walk closer to them again.

"Oh, and who could this be?" Erik didn't say a word, as he glared at the woman. "Ahh, I see. Playing the silent type, right?"

She moved right in front of him, and she continued to stare at his eyes. She opened her mouth, licked her lips, and barred her fangs at Erik. This made Serana tense up, and she readied the dagger she kept on her side.

The vampire woman chuckled and said, "Relax. We're all friends here.." Erik stood in silence, as the woman smiled at him.

"Hmm...your eyes are very appealing. I bet you're one handsome man under that mask.." The woman slowly lifted up a hand, and she reached for Erik's face. The man quickly and roughly grabbed onto her wrist. This caused the woman's eyes to widen.

"Don't." Erik said, in a low deep, commanding voice. The woman seductively scoffed, as she twisted her wrist out of Erik's grip. The vampires in the back silently waited to see what the woman was going to do.

Grinning she asked, "Has anybody ever told you how good you smell?" She took a step closer, completely closing the distance between her and Erik. Her chest pressed firmly against his abdomen, and he softly gritted his teeth.

"I mean...just being around you is making my skin tingle."

Using her slender fingers, she slowly moved them up one of his arms, her other hand laying flat on his chest. Erik didn't move or speak, and Serana became puzzled at the sight. What is she doing?

The vampire softly inhaled and sighed happily. She turned her head towards Serana and said in a mischievous voice, "I wonder how she's not ripping your clothes off right here. You're so...overwhelming." She inhaled deeply once more, as Serana squinted her eyes at the woman.

Standing on the tip of her toes, she put her mouth on the side of Erik's head. Her voice became so quiet, that no one else could hear her.

Whispering against his ear in a low seductive voice, she said, "I can tell you haven't taken her yet, even though I know she wants you too..."

She squeezed her fingers more tightly around Erik's arm, and he gritted his teeth harder. The woman hummed against his ear softly.

"I mean…you can tell, can't you? It's written all over her cute little face." The woman glanced at Serana, and she could tell by Serana's eyes that she was bothered and uncomfortable.

She smiled and quickly looked back at Erik. Letting go of his arm, she began to run her hand up the side of his chest, her cold fingers clinging to the back of his neck.

Hovering over Erik's face, she whispered, "You don't need her. I can please you better than she ever could…" She bit her lip softly and grinned widely, locking eyes with Erik.

"That's what you want, right? Someone you can fuck into Oblivion..?"

Erik's eyebrows tightened, and she could feel his muscles slightly tense up. He clicked his tongue and groaned in annoyance. This made the woman laugh, and she slowly pulled away from him.

She eyed Serana, and she could tell that Serana was irritated with show she was putting on.

Turning back to Erik, she shrugged her shoulders and impishly said, "Ehh, I wouldn't want to sleep with a filthy whore, either."

Serana's eyes grew with shock and anger, and she quickly threw her dagger at the woman's head. The vampire caught it in between her fingers and chuckled loudly, "Cute." Running her fingers along the blade she said in a demanding voice, "I'm done playing games. Give us the fucking Scroll."

Serana's fangs were apparent whenever she yelled, "No."

The woman's eyebrows knitted in frustration, and she gripped onto the dagger's handle tightly. Without saying another word, she struck Erik in the chest with immense force. The entire blade penetrated through his skin, and he fell to one knee, groaning quietly. Frost began to bark loudly.

"Erik!" Serana shouted, her voice riddled with worry. She rushed towards him, but the woman pushed her onto the ground roughly.

Turning towards Erik, the vampire exclaimed loudly, "This is what happens, whenever you disobey Lord Harkon." She pulled out a long silver sword, and she held it firmly above her head. "Pity. I really liked you..."

She began to swing down her blade. But before she could cut Erik, Frost bit her leg; her skin tearing under his teeth. She winced, as she turned to strike at him. Erik lifted up his hand quickly, and magic surged from his opened palm.

A strong energy pulsed through the air, and the woman was flung back so far that she fell onto the other vampires. Serana looked at Erik, as he stood up and pulled the dagger from his chest. When he did, blood gushed from his wound, and Serana could smell the potency of his blood. It was so strong it made her want to throw up.

Erik's arm went behind his head, and he pulled out one of the staffs that were lined up against his back. Serana watched, as Erik firmly planted his feet on the ground, his eyes slightly glistening. Are his eyes glowing, or am I just imagining it..?

Frost stood close to Serana, as she pushed herself off of the ground.

The vampire woman pushed off of the vampires surrounding her, and she turned her head towards Erik, a shocked expression wearing down her face.

"Who-what are you?" The woman's once charismatic and calm demeanor was gone.

Erik didn't respond, he only stared at them. After a moment of silence he said, "Leave. Now."

The vampire was clearly agitated at his demand and said, "Lord Harkon will get what he wants, and I will be the one that gives it to him." She turned her head to the vampires surrounding her and she said, "Kill them. Then take the Scroll."

They hesitated for a split second, but the four vampires eventually charged at Erik and Serana. Serana's hand enveloped with an icy frost, as she threw an ice spike at one of the charging vampires. It pierced through the vampire's chest, and he screeched as he fell to the ground in pain.

The others didn't stop when he fell, and they kept running. Erik squinted his eyes, as he slammed the bottom of his staff down on the hard soil. A large wall of raging blue fire emerged, burning the skin of the undead assailants. Their screams were horrific, and the sound caused the birds in the trees to fly away.

They fell to the ground, their skin charred and smoked. Serana could hear their skin cracking and popping as the flames surrounded their bodies. She watched silently, as the blue fire slowly dissipated before her eyes.

The vampire woman watched in horror, her eyes filled with anguish. Erik walked to the middle of the open field, leaving Serana and Frost behind.

"...How did you…?" The woman's words were broken, as she looked towards Erik, her face blank.

"Leave." Erik said with a deep assertive tone.

The woman's eyes became full of rage, when she said, "You just killed my entire clan, but you expect me to just leave?" She pulled out a small dagger, and looked back at Erik. "I know who you are now. You're a monster..."

She lunged towards Erik without further warning, and Serana instinctively ran to him. Erik evaded her attack, and she locked eyes with Serana. "I'll kill you, you bitch." The woman's attention turned to Serana, and she ran towards her.

"I'm going to enjoy ripping into your flesh-" Cold blood splattered on Serana's cheek, as the woman, in front of her, froze. A small dagger pierced through the middle of the vampire woman's head.

Serana looked at her, as she hit the ground. The dagger in the woman's head was Serana's.

A looming silence fell over them, as the woman's breathing slowed down. She coughed up blood and heaved in with great effort. With a painful smile on her face, she said, "He...he's coming...As-" She coughed up weakly, before she exhaled her last breath. Serana looked at the vampire's dead body, and she felt almost sad for her.

Erik's eyes glistened at the woman's words. He didn't understand what she meant. Who's coming?

Serana looked up at Erik, as he touched the still open cut on his chest. He winced quietly, as blood seeped from his wound. Serana was quick to run up to him, and without thinking, she reached for his chest.

He pulled back slightly as he asked, "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean? You just got stabbed. Let me see."

He looked down at her and said, "No." Serana scoffed at his words.

"What do you mean, 'no?' It was my fault. If I didn't throw my dagger at that woman, she wouldn't have been able to stab you…" Her voice trailed off, and Erik looked at her in silence.

She picked her head back up and said, "So, let me see. I want to help you."

"It will heal. Help me move the bodies."

Serana looked at him in confusion, "Why? What are you going to do with them?"

"Burn them."

Serana watched, as Erik started piling the bodies together. She wanted to ask him why, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She walked towards the vampire she killed, and looked down at the ice spike that was impaled through his chest. She looked at his face, but didn't recognize him. Grabbing his arms, she started to slowly tug him towards Erik.

Erik walked to the vampire woman's body and took Serana's dagger out, before he threw her in the pile as well. Blood dripped from the tip of the blade, and Erik watched it fall down to the ground. His eyes glistened.

Serana broke him out of his trance. "There. They're all together."

Erik wiped the blood off the cool metal knife, and handed it back to Serana. She hesitated before she took it out of his hand.

Frost happily walked behind Erik, wagging his tail. Erik bent down and patted the dog's head. He summoned an apple, and held it out for Frost.

"Good boy." Erik quietly said, while he softly patted Frost's head. Frost happily tore into the skin of the apple. Serana raised a pleased eyebrow at him, but turned away quickly when Erik stood back up.

He walked to the bodies, without saying anything.

Serana walked to his side and stood silently, as he snapped his fingers. When he did, the bodies lit up in a brillant blue flame. Serana could feel the extreme heat radiating from it, and it made her skin feel pleasantly warm. Something she hasn't felt in a long time.

They stood in silence for a while and listened to the subtle cracking of the fire. Serana looked at the man who stood next to her and asked in a soft voice, "Erik, do you think we'll win?"

Erik's eyes stayed on the fire, as he asked in a deep voice. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think we can stop whatever is coming? That coffin...whoever is in there is extremely powerful. Just thinking about it...it gives me chills." Serana paused, as she felt an unsettling chill run up her spine.

She shook her head softly and spoke again. "Do you think we can stop them from opening it? Do you think we can stop my father?"

Erik's eyebrows knitted in deep thought, as silence fell over them once again.

"That depends." He didn't say anything else. His words weren't the most reassuring, but Serana knew she wouldn't get anymore out of him.

She wanted to desperately ask Erik about what the vampire woman whispered to him, but she knew he probably wouldn't tell her. So she stood silent. Like she always did.

After some time, the breeze put out the fire. Nothing but ash was left, and Serana knew the breeze would eventually take that too.

Picking up her head, she noticed that Erik and Frost were already a-ways-away.

"Hey! Wait!"

When she caught up, she began to lay into Erik. "Stop doing that! I'm a vampire, and it's even hard for me to catch up to you." Erik continued to walk ahead.

"Keep up then."

Serana glared daggers into his back, scoffing. "Did you not hear me? That's what I'm literally trying to do, you jerk."

Erik didn't respond, so she just continued to walk behind him quietly. After some time, a large stone wall peaked over the trees. Erik continued to walk forward, and soon they reached the main gate of the city of Riften.

Erik stopped at a carriage that was nestled on the side of the main gate's pathway. A man sat in the front seat, a lantern at his side. The light was dim against the night sky.

"Sir, do you need a ride?"

Serana walked behind Erik as he said, "No. I need information." The coachman raised his eyebrow with question.

"We're looking for a Moth Priest. He would have been in an Imperial carriage, and it would have been heavily guarded."

The coachman scratched the stubble underneath his chin. His eyes widened in realization, after a moment of thinking. "Ahh, so that was a Moth Priest…" The old man looked at Erik, his eyebrow raising whenever he saw his eyes.

"I'm assuming you want to know where he went?" The man asked. Erik nodded his head in response.

The man stepped off of the carriage's seat, pulling the lantern in his shaky hand. Pointing his finger towards the road he said, "I heard some guards, awhile back, say that he was headed towards Dragon Bridge. Don't know if that's true though. Sorry I don't know for sure,"

Serana walked closer to the man with a smile. Breaking the silence she said, "No, thank you. That's more than helpful." The man's wrinkled eyes soften at her words. Erik turned towards Serana and said, "We need to go."

Erik reached behind his back and grabbed a small cloth bag. He turned towards the man and held out his hand. "Here. For your help." The man looked at the bag in surprise. He threw up a shy hand, denying the offer.

"Ohh-um, that's kind of you Son, but I didn't do anything. And besides, I get by just fine." Erik ignored the man's words, and he gently placed the bag of septims in his hand. The man clutched the bag against his chest, his eyes softened. Erik turned his back to the man, and he snapped his fingers at Frost, who was quietly sitting on the gravel. Frost made his way to Erik's side, as Erik turned to face Serana. "Let's go."

"Okay, I'm right behind you."

After Serana said goodbye to the man, she followed closely behind Erik. But before they made it far, they heard the man speak up. "It's you, isn't it?"

The man's words made Erik stop, and Serana watched as his head tilted to the side slightly. "Your eyes. You're the Slayer, aren't you?" Erik lingered for a second, before he continued to walk further down the road. Serana looked at the coachman for a second longer, and she noticed that he was smiling. Her eyes soften at the sight. Turning her head away, she was dumbfounded on how far Erik was ahead.

"Hey. Wait up! Stop leaving me all the time!"

The old man watched the pair make their way down the road. He clutched the bag closer to his chest, and he sighed softly, a weak smile appearing on his face.

"May the Divines watch over you...Dragonborn."