Kindred Judgment part 3
Tarrion looked out over the bow of the boat. He saw the slight shadows of the cliffs and one of the watchtowers as they glided through the water. Serana stood next to him, but she couldn't see a thing. Tarrion thought he knew why. The mist he summoned with his Shout, was no ordinary mist, and he knew how easy it was to get lost. He assumed that his Dragon-blood gave him protection from it, but all the others felt like they had gone blind. Aela looked from her eyes as if she couldn't see anything, and Archon scared her when he put his hand on her shoulder.
"You should wear a bell." she had told him. "I am very sure now that I hate this Shout. Please don't ever use it again."
"Sorry… but it is the only way to get safe passage. I don't like this shout either."
"It is… as if I am blind, both in spirit and body. I feel disorientated… like none of my senses work like they are supposed to…. Please tell me you can reverse this mist… I don't like the idea of fighting in it."
"I can dispel it, don't worry."
Now, as he stood on the bow of the boat, he tried to pierce the mist with his eyes, and he saw the banks of the beaches vaguely ahead.
"Brace yourself!" he shouted. "We are about to run aground!"
He saw how the others grabbed something to hold on to, and Serana grabbed him.
"I got you…" he said to her, and he wrapped his arms around her.
"I know you do."
A few seconds later, the boat hit the shoreline and they stopped abruptly, but they all managed to keep their footing. Tarrion walked ahead, to the tip of the bow, and listened. But he could hear nothing. There were no signs of battle, or cries of an attacking force. Everything was eerily quiet, and it made Tarrion feel uneasy.
"Do you sense anyone?" he asked Serana, but she shook her head.
"But I don't know if that means that everyone is truly gone…" she quickly told him. "This mist is… strange, and I'm not sure if I can trust my senses now."
Tarrion nodded, and looked again, listening closely for any sign of life. But when he still heard no sign of life, he jumped down from the boat onto the beach. His boots sunk a bit in the sand, but there was no response.
"Tarrion?! What are you doing?"
"Wait here." he said back. "I'm going to see if there is anyone alive." and he walked away. Everywhere he walked, the ground was scorched. He saw heaps of ashes lying scattered across the ground, and many death-hounds and Gargoyles lay dead all around. He walked past a few palisades and wooden barricades, but there was not much left of them. He saw that Odahviing and Durnehviir had done what they set out to do, and left no stone unscorched.
Tarrion was now sure that nobody survived the onslaught of the Dragons, and he walked to the shadow of the watchtower, but found it ruined. The entrance was blocked, and large pieces of it lay scattered on the rocky cliffs. He turned around and looked at where the boats were supposed to be, and breathed deeply.
LOK VAH KOOR
His voice echoed over the beach and the waters, and the mist lifted. The boats became clearer and the sun broke through the clouds, bathing the entire island in a golden glow. He saw Serana quickly don her hood, and she jumped off the boat and ran toward him. All the others also left the boats, and unsheathed their swords. When Tarrion overlooked at wat was left of the defences, he saw the destruction that the two Dragons had caused.
Dead bodies lay everywhere, and the ground was blackened by both fire and blood. The smouldering remains of the wooden palisades and barricades were easily dispersed, and Tarrion saw that the large bridge to the castle was broken.
"By the blood…" Serana said quietly. "I knew Dragons were powerful, but I did not expect this."
With a roar, Odahviing flew over the ruined watchtower and Tarrion heard him laugh. He flew over the ships and the small sails whipped back and forth in the wind that came from his wings. He landed a bit further away and Tarrion walked to him.
"We have done as you asked, Tarrion. They knew not what hit them. Now, can we help you with breaching this gevild? This castle?"
"Yes you can, my friend." Tarrion said. "They have barred the gate, and I alone cannot break through, and since we came with boats, we could not bring a ram to break the gates down."
"Say no more…" and Odahviing smiled. "I will stand on the one side, and the old one on the other, and with our Thu'um combined, we will shatter it."
He flew away and Durnehviir came flying next to him. Tarrion looked up, to the countless windows of the fortress, and he saw no lights burning, and this made him uneasy. He had thought the Vampires would have unleashed everything they had left at them, but it had stayed quiet. The entire fortress stood there in silence, and some of the men started to whisper.
"This is a trap."
"They are waiting for us. We should leave while we can."
But Isran heard them and shouted. "We will not turn back! We will raze this place to the ground, and every last of those bloodsuckers that resides within! For the Dawnguard! For Skyrim!" and he struck his hammer on the rocks.
The others seemed to be inspired by him, and now nodded and walked forward. But Tarrion still felt uneasy as he walked the bridge to the main gate. Still no answer had come from the fortress, and he started to think about a trap as well. Serana walked next to him, and said nothing as they followed the path upward. A few of the stone gargoyles were broken and shattered, and the men seemed to draw courage from these broken statues. They even laughed, and kicked a stone claw away.
Tarrion now walked to the gate and prepared himself. The steel portcullis was indeed lowered as he had expected and behind that, the wooden gate was shut. The gatekeeper was nowhere to be found, and still no answer came from the fortress. Durnehviir landed on his left side and Odahviing on his right, and they waited for Tarrion's command. But he waited.
"Can you sense them again?" he asked Serana quietly.
"Yes, I can." she said, and he saw a slight smile appear on her face. "They are afraid. I can sense their fear…. They are afraid. They're standing behind the gate, more than a dozen of them… not knowing what to expect."
"Good," Aela said behind them. "Then that means they will fight less."
"Be careful." Tarrion said to her. "A cornered animal is dangerous… you should know this best of all, Aela."
"True… but this is also when they make mistakes."
"Well… enough of this then." and Tarrion's voice became stronger and he shouted to all behind him. Everyone had gathered on the bridge, and they waited for Tarrion to make a move.
"Leave no Vampire in one piece! Search every nook… every room… leave no stone untouched! Bring them death!"
And in unison with Durnehviir and Odahviing, he shouted and broke the gate.
YOL TOOR SHUL
YOL TOOR SHUL
YOL TOOR SHUL
The portcullis melted where they stood, and the gate was shattered, as if hit by an explosion, and a few loud cries and screams were heard, before they were ended by the inferno that escaped from Tarrion's mouth and the jaws of both Dragons. The ground cracked under the power of the flames, and the walls of the castle trembled, and everyone behind the gate was incinerated to ashes.
Then Tarrion shouted again in a battle-cry and he drew his swords from their sheaths and he charged into Castle Volkihar. Serana came rushing behind him, and behind her came Aela the Huntress, Mjoll the Lioness, Lydia and Iona. Isran shouted as he ran through the molten gates, and rammed his hammer on the first Vampire-skull he could find.
Gregor and Argis the Bulwark were the last to enter the fortress, but as they entered, a loud roar came from the bridge. The remaining gargoyles that were not broken, came to life and closed them in, blocking the path to the outside. A horn sounded from the roof of the castle, and a great number of burning arrows and fire-spells came raining down on the boats, and they burned like torches. The smoke blotted out the sun, and the Vampires laughed again, as they saw the only escape for their enemies go up in flames. Odahviing bit a gargoyle in two, while Durnehviir flew to the roofs and burned any and all Vampires he saw.
DIIL QOTH ZAAM
The roof of the castle cracked open, and from the fissures the undead crawled. Bonemen and Wrathmen, dozens of them, came crawling from the flaming fissures, and they slaughtered anything in their path, for the Vampires were overwhelmed and their laughs had ceased as they were cut down.
Inside the fortress, the majority of the remaining Vampires was gathered, and they were still strong. But the attackers fought with such ferocity that even the Vampires could not stand against them. The death-hounds jumped at Mjoll, but with one mighty swing, she cut two in half. Grimsever was now black with blood, and she swung it, cutting her foes down with every strike. Aela had struck her shield with her own sword, and she saw that it started to glow. As a Vampire lunged at her, she ducked and rammed the shield against her attacker's chest, and he with a loud shock, he flew backward and broke his neck on the ceiling. Lydia burned the undead Vampires wherever she saw them, and they fled before her, for her eyes glowed as her enemies burned after every strike.
Argis saw how Gregor was knocked away by a gargoyle and he ran to his friend. Without even using his shield, he tackled the beast and crushed it under him, and Gregor severed its head.
"It seems like we're in for an interesting fight after all!" he said while he helped Argis on his feet.
Tarrion and Serana fought together and he slammed Orhjolf on the ground, breaking his back, and Serana cut Vingalmo's hand as he tried to grab her.
"You were one of us!" he shouted at her.
"I was." she said to him, and drove her dagger in his throat. "But no longer."
"Where is Harkon?" Tarrion asked her.
"I think he's…" she started, but then they heard a terrifying scream coming from a room near them. Tarrion ran to the door and down a few stairs, but he arrived too late. He saw a female Vampire standing over the dead body of Agmear. The young Nord had his throat ripped open, and blood gushed from the wound. The entire floor was drenched in the blood from more warriors and from several thralls, and all of them lay dead on the ground, all with a large wound in their throats, as if they were ripped out. The Vampire looked at Tarrion and smiled. Agmear's blood was dripping from her mouth, and her teeth were red with it. Tarrion saw why she was called 'Bloodmouth'.
"Have you come to help your little friend her?" she asked him and her voice was almost maniacal. "I'm afraid you're a little too late."
She licked her lips, and her eyes flared at him. "But I am still not satisfied…. So please come… sate my desires. You look like you can be very tasty."
"… You bitch!.."
"How rude." she smiled. "Come then, love… let us dance."
"So you want to dance?" Tarrion asked and he placed his swords on the ground, and he saw that she stood in the middle of all the blood on the floor. "Then dance!"
He shot lightning from his hands through his swords, and he electrified the floor. Fura was electrocuted by him and her body twitched and shook uncontrollably and the entire castle echoed with her screams. But Tarrion did not stop. He kept the lightning flowing and he did not blink while Fura's entire body started to char and her eyes burned in their sockets. Then Tarrion finally removed his swords, and Fura fell dead, and he spat on the ground.
Serana led Tarrion to a separate area of the castle, to a large door.
"I think he is in here. This is the cathedral…. It is the only place where I think he might be."
"Alright…" Tarrion panted. "but… before we go in… I want you to know…"
"Don't…" Serana looked at him and he saw that she knew what he would say. "Just…"
"I just…" and he sighed. "I love you…"
"I know." and she gave him a slight smile.
"Good."
And he kicked the door in and stepped into the cathedral. Serana followed him and as soon as they walked through the large doors, they slammed shut behind them. Harkon had shut them in.
The cathedral was a large room, with several pillars and balconies that were connected to the floor with stairs. A large stained-glass window behind an altar-like structure gave light the room, and Tarrion saw that the sun was blotted out by the smoke from the boats. They saw Harkon standing next to a large altar, and his face was no longer smiling and confident. His eyes flared in rage at both of them, and he held his hands like claws next to him. When he spoke his voice was calm, but Tarrion could hear it tremble with anger.
"Serana my darling… I see you still prefer keeping a pet."
"You know why we are here." Serana's voice also trembled, both with anger and grief.
"Of course I do…" Harkon said. "You disappoint me, Serana. You have taken everything I provided for you and thrown it all away, for this… pathetic being."
Tarrion saw Serana's eyes open wide in shock, like she couldn't believe what she heard. "'Provided for me'?... Are you insane? You destroyed our family! You've killed other Vampires… all for some prophecy that we don't even understand!... no more, I'm done with you." and she stepped next to Tarrion. "You will not touch him!"
Harkon was clearly about to burst from anger, but he still kept himself in check. "So… I see this little Dragon has fangs…. Your voice drips with the venom of your mother's influence. How alike you've become."
"No!" Serana shouted. "Because unlike her… I'm not afraid of you. Not anymore."
Harkon ignored her and now stared at Tarrion, and his eyes flashed even brighter. "And you…. It seems I have you to thank for turning my daughter against me. I knew it was only a matter of time before she would return with hatred in her heart."
"That hatred for you was born from your neglect." Tarrion said, and he felt his own voice and body tremble with anger.
"A small price to pay for the betterment of our kind."
"Your 'kind' is a blight on this world!"
Harkon sighed, like he was bored of hearing it. "Yes, yes… Always the 'noble' Vampire-hunter… but what happens after you kill me? Is Valerica next?... Is Serana?"
"No… Serana is too important to me. I will never hurt her."
It looked like something snapped in Harkon, because Tarrion saw a muscle pull in his face, and his expression turned even darker. "Then my daughter I truly lost! She died the day she accepted a 'mortal' in her life. But I am done with you, and speaking to my traitorous daughter. I will give you one chance to turn over the Bow to me…. There will not be a second."
Tarrion had the bow on his back, and it looked like it flared in protest to Harkon's threat.
"Never!" Tarrion shouted, and Harkon shouted back.
"Then you leave me no choice!"
Harkon now fought with Tarrion, and he was faster than any foe Tarrion had ever faced. Just to keep up with his strikes, Tarrion was forced to shout again.
SU GRAH DUN
But even with the speed of the wind in his arms, Harkon landed many a strike on him, until Tarrion's body was dripping with blood. Then Serana appeared behind Harkon and drove her knife in his back, and Harkon shouted in pain. He rammed Serana back and she fell against a pillar, giving Tarrion enough time to drive his sword through Harkon's gut. With another loud scream Harkon disappeared in a cloud of mist and bats and reappeared near the altar.
"Auriel's Bow will be mine!" he shouted, and suddenly he was surrounded by a massive shield of red light. Tarrion felt himself slowly weaken, and Serana shouted at him.
"Use the Bow!"
Tarrion grabbed the bow from his back and fired one of the arrows that Gelebor gave him, and the shield shattered with a flash of golden light. Harkon fell to his knees and looked more furious than ever.
"If you want to kill me… THAN YOU NEED TO TRY HARDER!" and with a burst of red light, he transformed. His face moulded in a monstrous, bat-like visage, and his hands and feet formed into claws. Tarrion had seen this before, when Harkon had offered his blood, but now he seemed ever more unnatural. He had become larger than before, and now towered above Tarrion and he seemed to be almost eight feet tall. His skin had turned grey, and with a flap of his wings he jumped high in the air, and hovered above them.
"You are fools!…you will not survive to see the end of this day!"
He summoned two gargoyles and several skeletons crawled from the ground. Tarrion and Serana were now heavily outnumbered, but neither of them had plans of giving up. Serana summoned a gargoyle herself, and Tarrion summoned two dremora.
"There you are, weakling!" they shouted, and Tarrion Shouted at Harkon.
FUS RO DAH
But Harkon disappeared again in a cloud of mist and bats, and the shout blew a hole in the ceiling, dropping piles of rock and stone on the ground. Harkon reappeared behind Tarrion, and clawed him over his back and Tarrion dropped his sword in his pain. Serana jumped at her father, and gave him another large cut over his back, and Tarrion Shouted again.
TIID
He only needed a little bit, and he ducked under another claw, and gave Harkon a massive uppercut against his jaw, and then grabbed his head and rammed it against the wall. But the Shout wore off, and Harkon grabbed him as well and threw him against the wall, away from him. Tarrion slammed into the wall and felt himself being covered with more rocks, as they fell from the ceiling. He had enough of it, and he felt himself growl in anger.
Harkon now fought with Serana, as his gargoyles and skeletons were being cut down by Tarrion's dremora and Serana's gargoyle, but he was stronger than her. He was in his Vampire-Lord form, and thus he was faster and stronger, and he grabbed Serana by her throat, and rammer her against a wall.
"How does it feel, Serana? That all you have ever had, is taken away from you? Take one last look at your friend, my daughter…. Because I will tear his body apart, and you will watch and weep."
"You will do…. no such thing!" Serana panted, as he choked her.
"You have failed, and nothing will change that!" he said to her.
But then they heard a massive roar, that was so loud, they almost felt the ground shake. Before Harkon could react, he was thrown away and was slammed hard into another wall. Serana fell to her knees and looked at how her father was thrown across the hall again and he slammed on the altar. She saw at what, or who, did this and she felt a combination of fear and relief.
A huge Werewolf stood a few feet away from her. Its skin and fur were black, and its teeth were bared. The only reason she saw that it was Tarrion, was by the many scars that were still visible across his body. His face was now brutal and wolf-like and his eyes glowed bright red. He towered even more above her, and was over eight foot tall, standing on his hind legs, and he clawed over the wall, sharpening his claws.
The Vampire-Harkon stood up, and he looked at the giant Werewolf that now stood next to his daughter.
"The mutt is out…" he growled, and his voice was no longer human. "now we have a fight."
But his smile faded as soon as the Werewolf roared again, and with a single leap, he jumped on Harkon and started clawing on him. Harkon was still faster, but Werewolf-Tarrion was stronger. Serana dared not interfere, for the two titans had become a storm of fang and claw. Harkon clawed Tarrion over his chest, and he bit him in his shoulder.
Then Harkon tried to jump away and he flew over the altar that stood underneath the large stained-glass window. But Tarrion jumped after him and together they crashed through it, into the light of the day, and they crashed on the rocky beaches. Tarrion landed on top of Harkon, and while holding him down with his hind paws, he grabbed Harkon's wings and broke them. The monstrous Vampire screamed a terrible scream, and the few men and women that were outside, covered their ears. More of the attackers now gathered outside and they stood on the bridge and watched at the titanic battle between Harkon and Tarrion, and it was the most terrifying battle they had ever witnessed.
Aela watched at how the large Werewolf was cast aside by the Vampire, and she knew that Tarrion was the only one that would stand a chance. She knew that she could not help, for both of them moved too fast for a well place arrow, and anyone that would come close would be rent apart.
Tarrion was wounded, and he felt that several of his ribs were broken, and massive lacerations now covered almost every part of his body. He limped, leaning against a rock, and he saw that his enemy was wounded too. Harkon's wings hung broken and useless on his back, and his skin was rented on several places. But he also saw that Harkon was wounded less than him.
But Tarrion roared again, and while gathering his strength, he charged at Harkon, dodging a large orb of red light, and he bit Harkon across his chest. And Harkon screamed again, and his black blood gushed from his body. But he threw Tarrion off him, and fired another orb of red light, and this one hit its target. Tarrion's skin was ripped from him and felt his life being sucked out of him, as he fell limp against a large rock, unable to move. He saw how Harkon walked up to him, and on his monstrous face, he could see a slight grin of victory.
But then Harkon's face chanced. He looked surprised and his face was moulded in a painful grimace, and he looked down. A golden arrow now pierced his body, and it came out his chest, right through his heart. Blood flowed out the wound, and Harkon turned around, reaching to something Tarrion could not see, for his vision became blurred.
"No.. Serana…. Your own father.."
And then his body burst into red flames, and his skin melted off his bones, until his skeleton stood in a pile of red ashes. It made another slight twitch, and then fell apart on the ground, and Harkon of Castle Volkihar was no more.
But Tarrion now lay on the ground, feeling the salty air of the sea. His body started to shrink back to normal form, and his vision became more and more blurred. The last he saw was a dark silhouette, with two glowing eyes looking at him. He heard that she said something, but couldn't hear what. He felt a slight touch of her hand on his, and he knew who it was.
"…Tarrion…" he heard vaguely, and the last thing he felt before a deep darkness took him, were two soft lips pressed against his.
=End of Chapter=
=Author's Notes=
Stay tuned for the next and final Chapter of the Dawnguard Storyline. I got nothing else to say for now :'(
Dragon Language Used:
Lok Vah Koor: Sky Spring Summer (From the Clear Skies Shout)
Jol Toor Shul: Fire Inferno Sun (From the Fire Breath Shout)
Diil Qoth Zaam: Undead Tomb Slave (Durnehviir's Undead Summon Shout)
Fus Ro Dah: Force Balance Push (From the Unrelenting Force Shout)
Su Grah Dun: Air Battle Grace (From the Elemental Fury Shout)
Tiid: Time (From the Slow Time Shout)
PS: I am Dutch (From the Netherlands) so if there are any mistakes in spelling/grammar, please let me know.