Scroll Scouting part 1
It would be a long and tiresome journey back to fort Dawnguard. Tarrion knew it would take him a full day to return, and he knew he did not have the strength to make it all by himself. Thus it was smart of him to first go to Solitude and hire a carriage to take him to Whiterun. There he went straight to Breezehome and took a dive in his bed. He barely managed to kick off his boots before he fell asleep and did not wake until many hours later.
"My thane?"
Tarrion woke up and stared straight into Lydia's brown eyes.
"Not now…" Tarrion mumbled and he turned around. "Just five more minutes."
"My thane, what happened?" Lydia asked.
Tarrion got up and yawned.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Past midday, my thane." Lydia answered. "I see that you had a long night. Can I make you something?"
Tarrion did not want to bother her, but before he could say 'no' his stomach rumbled.
"I'll make something to eat." and before Tarrion could protest, Lydia stood up and left the room.
Tarrion fell back on the bed and felt like he could sleep for the rest of the day, but he knew he had to report back to Isran, and so he got up. Lydia had left a bowl with water for him to freshen up, and Tarrion splashed the water in his face. He removed his armour and washed his upper body and felt himself wake up.
A few minutes later Lydia came back with a plate filled with a loaf bread, an apple and some mead. As soon as she entered the room and saw her thane standing with his entire upper body exposed, she turned around.
"Apologies my thane. I… I am sorry." she stuttered.
"Lydia, how many times do I have to tell you: I don't mind." Tarrion said, and he felt himself smile. "You have patched me up more times than I care to mention, so you have seen more parts of me than anyone else."
He knew that Lydia took her duties as a housecarl very seriously, and she did not want to presume anything without explicit permission from her thane. Tarrion often told her that he saw her as a friend, and not a servant, and that she could speak her mind whenever she liked. But none of that mattered to Lydia, as she would still be embarrassed every time she saw her thane without any upper clothing. She had helped him and closed more wounds than she could count, but the way Tarrion did not seem to mind it was strange for her. She knew no other thane that was as normal as Tarrion, because he never gave her a direct order, but would only make requests. He would share stories with her and would act like a friend and equal, never as her superior or her owner.
"I know my thane, but…"
"And how many times have I told you not to call me 'thane'? My name is Tarrion, and you are my friend, not my servant."
Lydia turned around and Tarrion saw a slight blush on her face. She put the plate on the bed and wanted to leave.
"Did anything happen while I was away?" Tarrion asked.
"No, not much, my…. Tarrion." Lydia answered. "The only thing worth mentioning is that a few strangers wanted to enter the city last night. The guards denied them access, because they did not trust them. One of the guards thought he saw their eyes glowing. The strangers said that they would be back. And I heard some rumours about a strange old man, clad in grey and surrounded by Imperial Guards, but I have no idea what that means."
Tarrion nodded as he took a large gulp of mead.
"How about the Companions? Have they asked for me, or has something happened?"
As the Harbinger of the Companions, Tarrion had duties, but since he was an adventuring type, he was away for sometimes weeks. On those occasions he asked Aela to be his replacement, which thankfully she was willing to do.
"No, nothing." and Lydia shook her head. "I only know that Aela and Farkas left the city yesterday, but nothing else."
"Thank you, Lydia. I should let them know I am back in town, but I have to leave."
"May I ask where you are going?"
"Fort Dawnguard, to the south-east of Riften." Tarrion said, after he took a bite from the bread. "There is a Vampire threat growing, and I think these guys can prepare themselves, and protect Skyrim. I have to go and report back there."
"It is a long road to Riften. Shall I saddle a horse?" Lydia proposed.
"Yes, that would be great. Thank you."
A little bit later Tarrion had finished his meal and freshened up. He left to the stables outside Whiterun and there Lydia waited for him with a horse.
"Thank you, Lydia. What would I do without you."
"I don't know, Tarrion." Lydia smiled. "But I think the day wouldn't be saved."
"Probably not." Tarrion laughed and he climbed on the horse.
It was a long journey back to fort Dawnguard, but it went a lot faster now that Tarrion did not have to walk. The night began to fall when he finally reached Clear Spring Canyon. But when he reached the fortress, he saw that all was not well. He heard the sound of swords slashing and battle cries, and he heard Isran roar. Tarrion jumped off his horse and ran towards the fortress and saw that a few Vampires had made it past the few defences. Tarrion drew his sword as well and rammed it through the back of a Vampire, severing it's spine.
The fight did not last long, because Tarrion incinerated three of them with a Shout, and the rest were overwhelmed and killed soon after.
"Look at this." Isran said and he spat on the ground. "This is what we get for open recruiting. It was only a matter of time before they would find us."
"We knew that this would happen, but we also knew that open recruiting was the only way, Isran."
Durak walked towards Tarrion and gave him a hard pat on the shoulder.
"Thanks for that. I knew the Nords were able to use their voice in combat, but I did not know it was like this."
Tarrion had not told anyone that he was Dragonborn, and he still felt no reason to. He knew that most people would either fear it, or try and take advantage of it.
"Well, you're back." Isran said. He still had is old, grumpy voice and is sunken eyes looked tired. "I don't suppose you have good news."
"Not exactly." Tarrion answered and he told Isran the whole story. Of how he found Serana in Dimhollow Crypt and how he brought her back to her father. How Harkon was a powerful vampire and that it was clear that he had far-reaching plans.
"So what are we going to do?" Tarrion asked. "We are not going to give up, are we?"
"Why of course not." Isran said. "I'm old, not stupid. We are just going to need some help. I know people that I have worked with over the years. They will help us, and I'd like you to find them."
'Of course, I have to find them.' Tarrion thought to himself.
"Very well. Who are they and where can I find them?"
Isran scratched his beard a few times before he answered.
"We should keep it small, so as not to attract too much attention. I think we'll want Sorine Jorrard. Breton girl and good with tinkering. I heard she became fascinated with the Dwemer a while ago. I think we also want to find Gunmar. Big brute of a Nord. Last I heard he was scouring the wilds looking for beasts to tame. Bring the two of them back here, and we'll see about getting the fort back into shape."
And so Tarrion left fort Dawnguard not twenty minutes after he arrived there. Sorine Jorrard was easy to find. Isran had given Tarrion a location where she was likely to be found. And so Tarrion travelled to the northernmost areas of the Reach. There he heard a young woman yelling all kinds of curse words.
"Those blasted mudcrabs! Those cursed mudwalkers. Those …."
She stopped cursing and looked up at Tarrion. Sorine looked like she was in her late twenties. Her hair was deep brown and her eyes were blue. As soon as she stood up Tarrion saw that she did not even reach to his shoulders.
"Sorry about that. Can I help you?"
Sorine needed a little convincing, but as soon as Tarrion mentioned that there was an Elder Scroll involved, she agreed to come with him. She even joined him on his journey to find Gunmar, who was also not difficult to find. They found him south of Ivarstead, and helped him get rid of an old and strong bear. Gunmar was indeed a large man, about the same height as Tarrion, but broader, with long, brown hair and dark, brown eyes. With Sorine to back him up, Tarrion convinced Gunmar to help out and after they helped him out with the bear, the three of them returned to Fort Dawnguard.
"Hold it right there!"
As soon as the three of them entered the main hall of the fort, four large gates blocked all the exits. Isran appeared above them on a balcony, and he activated some strange device that shone bright light on them.
"What are you doing?" Sorine asked.
"Making sure you're not Vampires." Isran said harshly as he turned the device off. "Can't be too careful. So welcome to Fort Dawnguard. I'm sure you've heard a bit of what we're up against. Powerful Vampires, unlike anything we've ever seen before. And they have an Elder Scroll. If anyone is going to stand in their way, it is going to be us!"
"That is all well and good, but do we even know what they want?" Sorine asked, and Tarrion suddenly wondered the same thing. Harkon never mentioned anything about that, and Tarrion did not even have a hunch. He saw that Sorine was more than just someone that dislikes Vampires, but was also good with her head.
"What do we do now?"
"We'll get to that, for now just get acquainted with the space." Isran continued. "Sorine, you'll find room to start your tinkering on that crossbow-design you've been working on. Gunmar, there is an area large enough for you to pen up some trolls. Get them armoured up and ready for use. In the meantime, Tarrion, we are going to get to the bottom of why a Vampire showed up hear looking for you."
'What?'
Tarrion had no idea what this could mean and was as surprised as his expression said.
"Let's go have a little chat, shall we?"
Tarrion followed Isran to a separate room. It was dark and lit by only one torch, but as soon as he stepped in he saw that it was a cell. A small part of the room, barely enough for one man to fit in, was surrounded by steel bars. The rest of the room was filled with torture devices, ranks, tools and other instruments to inflict unhuman amounts of pain. Tarrion did not know why Isran brought him here, but then he saw two slight glowing eyes appear out of the cell, and in the light of the torch he recognized Serana.
"This… 'Vampire' showed up her looking for you." Isran said. "I'm guessing it is the one you found in Dimhollow. It says it's got something very important to say to you, so let's hear it."
Tarrion looked at Serana, both surprised and disgusted. Surprised because he did not expected to see her, and disgusted because of the way Isran locked her up here. Tarrion knew that she was a Vampire, and thus it was smart not to trust her, but Tarrion also knew that Serana was different than other Vampires, and locking her up like this, was just cruel.
"You probably weren't expecting to see me again." Serana said like not much was going on.
"No, not really." Tarrion said. "Why are you here?"
"I'd rather not be here either," Serana remarked, looking at Isran and the torture devices. "but I needed to talk to you. It's about why I was sealed away, and why I had the Elder Scroll."
"What do you mean?"
Tarrion was eagerly awaiting an explanation, but Isran had just grabbed a silver sword and now looked at the blade with an unsettling look in his eyes.
"The reason why I was down there with the Elder Scroll," Serana continued. "it all comes back to my father. I guess you figured this part out already, my father is not exactly a good person, even by Vampire standards."
That was something Tarrion could agree with, given the fact that he heard that Harkon would put the head of his own wife on a spike
"He wasn't always like that though," Serana continued. "there was… a turn. He stumbled on this obscure prophecy and just lost himself in it."
"What do you mean 'lost himself'?" Tarrion asked.
"He just became absorbed by it. Obsessed really. It was sick, how obsessed he became, and he started to ignore me and my mother with it. The prophecy stated that 'Vampires would no longer need to fear the sun'. As someone who fancied himself as Vampire royalty, that is pretty seductive. Anyway, my mother and I did not want to invite a war with all of Tamriel, and tried to stop him. And that all ended with me being locked underground for who knows how long."
As soon as Serana finished, Tarrion felt pity. He could not explain why, but he could imagine that loosing ones father like that, would indeed be horrible.
"You took a big risk coming here." He concluded, and he meant it. He was impressed that Serana took the risk of almost certain death, to bring this information.
"I did," Serana said, and Tarrion could see a small smile of pride on her face. "but something about you makes me think I can trust you. Was I wrong?"
"No, no you're not." Tarrion smiled. "But we first need to convince the others."
"Well let's move then. I'm nothing if not persuasive." and Serana looked at Isran.
Isran did not seem impressed with the story, and pointed the silver sword at Serana's throat, making her lean back to avoid touching it.
"Alright, we've heard what it has to say." Isran said and he pointed the sword closer to Serana's throat. "Now, is there any reason why I shouldn't kill this bloodsucking fiend right now?"
"Isran, put the sword down." Tarrion said, and he looked fiercely at him. "We are going to need her."
Isran was not convinced, and still had his sword at Serana's throat, but after a while he finally consented, but not after giving Tarrion a warning.
"Very well." He said, although reluctantly. "It can stay for now, but if it so much as lays a finger on anyone else, I'll hold you responsible. Got it?"
He then turned to Serana and once again held his sword at her throat, making Serana flinch.
"You hear that? Don't think you are welcome here, because you're not! You are a resource and an asset. In the meantime, don't make me regret my sudden outburst of tolerance and generosity, because if you do, your friend here is going to pay for it."
Isran lowered his sword and left without another word.
"Thank you for your kindness." Serana said as she rubbed her throat. "I'll remember it next time I'm feeling hungry."
Tarrion could hear the sarcastic tone and could not help but smile. He opened the cage and led Serana to a different room, away from the torture devices. Now that she was out of the shadows, Tarrion noticed that she had the Elder Scroll on her back, still wrapped in dark cloth.
"So in case you didn't notice it before, I have the Scroll with me." Serana said and pointed at her back.
"Your father actually let you take it with you?" Tarrion asked surprised.
"Ha," Serana laughed. "it's not like I asked if I could have it. I didn't ask him: 'Excuse me father, I am going to the Dawnguard with vital information about you, so can I have the Elder Scroll with me?'"
Tarrion laughed and Serana smiled too.
"There is one problem with these Scrolls though; neither of us can read it. As far as I know only the Moth Priests can, and they are all half a continent away. In Cyrodill."
"Moth Priests, huh?" Tarrion said, and he stroked his chin. Then he remembered something Lydia said about an old man in grey. "I heard some rumours about an old man with an Imperial escort. It sounded like he was some form of scholar. Maybe that's our Moth Priest."
"Do you know where he's staying now?" Serana asked.
"No," Tarrion said, and he shook his head. "I have no idea. Where would a Moth Priest actually go?"
Serana seemed to think for a moment and walked around.
"Well back before I… you know, the College of Winterhold would be the first place I would go for any kind of historical or magical thing. The wizards there probably know about all kinds of things, people shouldn't know about. And now that I think about it, I am going with you. I've been really wanting to get out and explore."
"I expected nothing else." Tarrion said.
Serana looked at him confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I didn't think you would want to hang around here, or anywhere near Isran."
Serana smiled and nodded.
"No, not really."
A few minutes later they left Fort Dawnguard. The sun had already begun to slowly descend to the west, and Serana donned her hood as soon as she stepped out in the open.
It was surely a strange companionship. A six-and-a-half foot tall, broad Dragonborn and a five-and-a-half foot tall, slender Vampire lady. Strange companions indeed.
=End of Chapter=
=Authors Notes=
So, there begins the next part of the story. I know i am sticking very closely to the original content and almost 'copy' the dialogue, but i want to make sure the story is still the same. I will make changes later in the story, but for now i stick to the original content. I still have more than enough time to write more stuff for this story, so i'll do my very best to keep writing.
Dragon Language:
Not used.
Explaining the relation between Lydia and Tarrion:
The relation between Lydia and Tarrion is mostly professional. Lydia takes her duties as housecarl very seriously, and basicly says to herself: Duty first. Therefore she wll not try to enter a romantic relation with Tarrion, since he is technically her superior. Tarrion does not care that he is her superior and treats her as a good friend. Their relationship could be compared to that friend you know for your whole life. That guy/girl that you took baths with when you were 4 years old, etc. Dispite all of that, Lydia cares deeply for Tarrion and Tarrion cares for her, yet not in a romantic type of way.
BIG PPS: I am Dutch (from the Netherlands) so if there are any mistakes in spelling or grammar, please let me know.