Lands Unknown part 2

As the sun rose over the endless plains of Whiterun, Serana and Tarrion followed the roads that would lead to Solitude. They have been riding for over a week, but since they first needed to stop at Whiterun, they had taken the long detour through Riverwood. There they had informed the Jarl of their plans, who had given him permission to leave.

"You have earned a leave, Tarrion," Jarl Balgruuf had said. "But be back within a year, there are still matters that need addressing, and not all can wait for much longer than that."

Tarrion had thanked him and had then stopped at the Companions. He said his goodbyes to everyone and thanked Aela in particular.

"Thank you… for what you did for Serana. I cannot-.."

"Indeed," she interrupted him with a smirk. "You owe me."

He smiled and nodded. "More than I am willing to admit."

He knew the Companions would be able to manage themselves for a year, with or without him. He left them in good hands, as Aela, the Twins and Ria would be able to guide the others when needed.

He did send a letter to the College of Winterhold. He would have gone there personally to explain the situation, but he, and especially Serana, desperately wanted to leave Skyrim before more trouble could find them. In an extensive letter he explained why he left, for how long he would be gone and that Faralda would be in charge during his absence. She would be the interim-Archmage and she would also be able to appoint an interim-Master Wizard.

Although the majority of the Jarls did not oppose his plans, other were not so happy with it. Brunwulf Freewinter did not want him to go, since Tarrion was able to keep the Argonians happy, although they still lived outside the walls of Windhelm. Many of the citizens still opposed the plans of letting them in, although their numbers were dwindling… albeit it slowly. Eventually Tarrion received permission, but was urged to come back quickly.

Maven Black-Briar though, supported his plans wholeheartedly, though this was not out of good faith or because she thought he deserved the vacation. Tarrion knew this, and he suspected that she just wanted to get rid of him. He did not care about it, and send a letter to both Mjoll and Iona to ask them if they could keep an eye out on his behalf.

After a long journey they arrived in Solitude, where Tarrion left to inform the Jarl about his intentions, and Serana bought supplies for the long journey by sea. They had decided to go to the border between Eslwyer and Valenwood. The warm climate and life-filled nature would be something completely different than what they had experienced so far, and they looked forward to it. They would take the trip by sea, since more trouble could be found on the road, and although it would still take a full month to get there, by foot it would be much longer.

Tarrion found Elisif on one of the many balconies that the Blue Palace had.

"My Jarl," he announced himself.

Elisif looked up and smiled at him. "Ah, Tarrion. It has been a while since I've seen you. How are you?"

Elisif looked at him. She had bright eyes that had the same shade of blue as the summer sky. Her long, light brown hair hung over her shoulders, and was held in place by a delicate and beautiful circlet. Her face was flawless, with a small nose, rosy lips and a supple neck. Her clothes were fit for a queen, which was fitting, since she was the rightful High-Queen. They were inlayed with gold and silver, with jewels on the shoulders and chest.

"I am well," he answered politely, still keeping his tone respectful.

"I heard you have had quite an adventure on Solstheim to the northeast of here. You must tell me about it."

This came as a surprise to him, but he had no intention of reliving what happened there. The memories were still too fresh and although Serana had forgiven him, things were still not the way they were before. They both knew it would take time for them to completely put it all behind them, but that was the reason why they went on this vacation.

"You have not received the report I send, milady?"

"I have… and no need to call me 'milady', Tarrion… you know this. You can speak plainly here. But I'd like to hear about the adventure from you."

"Ahh," he sighed. "With respect… I'd prefer not. It was not an adventure that I like to remember. I have too many bad memories about Solstheim, and they are still too fresh."

"What kind of bad memories?" Elisif asked him, but when she saw a muscle pull in his face she nodded. "'Very bad', I see. Then I am sorry… I won't ask."

"Thank you," he said and he meant it.

"But why have you come to Solitude?" she asked and her bright, blue eyes looked at him. "I have not asked you to come."

"That is true," and he nodded. "I have come to ask for a favour. A big one."

"What is it?"

"I wish to leave Skyrim for a time," he said, only now realizing how blunt it sounded. "I mean, I wish to ask you if I can leave your service for a time. Serana and I…. we have had our share of troubles. We have done everything we could to help where we can, yet we are tired. It is our wish to take a vacation to Eslweyr, to the south. We wish to stay there for a time… and we think that the journey there and back again will take long. We think it will be half a year before we return."

He saw her face become sour, and she looked over Sea of Ghosts to the north. Tarrion saw that he asked something that she could not fully agree with, yet she was trying to find the best way to deal with it. He smirked to himself, since she had the same expression on her face as he always had.

After a while Elisif nodded. "Very well, I will give you permission for this," and Tarrion sighed in relief. "However…. When you return, there are... things we have to talk about. They are…. Personal to me, yet I cannot talk about them with you yet. I need to understand my own position on this more."

Tarrion looked at her, and he saw a frown on her face and in her eyes he saw a pain. "My Jarl?"

But she shook her head. "We will talk about this when you return. That also gives me time to think about it more."

Tarrion nodded and made a slight bow with his head. "As you wish."

While Tarrion talked with Elisif, Serana found Jordis in the marketplace. She greeted her friend and smiled at her.

"Hello, Serana," Jordis smiled back. "How are you?"

"I am good," Serana nodded. "Tomorrow Tarrion and I are leaving Skyrim for a time… something I have longed for a while now. Are you going to be fine on your own?"

"Oh please," the blonde housecarl scoffed. "You two are in Falkreath most of the time. Whenever you two show up here in Solitude, I see that he has a few scars more. I will be fine here, no need to worry. I have plenty of things to keep myself busy with."

"Like what?" Serana asked. "What do you do in all that time?"

"Hmm? Oh, ehh… I ehh," Jordis stammered. She clearly did not expect that question. "I sometimes lead soldiers to clear out bandit camps. We did that just last week with a camp north of Dragon Bridge. I often meet with Vittoria, and most of the time I dine with her and her husband."

"Vittoria Vici? The Emperor's cousin?"

"Yes, although she is not 'royal' in her behaviour. She has a number of servants, but is still very nice to all of them. She saw how Tarrion treated people, and she saw that they respected him for that. She does the same, and doesn't want to force respect. I like her in that regard. Her husband is no different, and despite that their marriage was arranged, they make it work. They genuinely seem to love each other."

Serana nodded and she had heard of the wedding between the Imperial Vittoria Vici, and her husband who was a Nord. This all happened during the Civil War… and it was an arranged marriage to try and quell the Stormcloak Rebels. A union between the two rivalling factions in an attempt to bring them together. This had not helped, and many of the Stormcloaks saw this as a poor attempt to lure them into laying down their arms.

But both the bride and the groom did not care about it. On the wedding day, they seemed to respect each other. And even before the end of the Civil War they had started to love each other. Now Vittoria had announced that she was with child, and her husband could barely contain his happiness.

"But speaking of weddings," Jordis smirked and she slyly looked at Serana who quickly became red in her face. "When will we see you in a wedding dress?"

"Are those apples on sale?" Serana asked and quickly walked toward a stand.

"Hey!" and Jordis pulled her back. "Don't change the subject, just answer the question; when are you and Tarrion getting married? You've been engaged for about a year now and you haven't spent that time discussing alchemy. Who won that bet, by the way? I remember Aela and Lydia having a bet on you two… who won?"

"No comment on that," Serana said stoically, and she awkwardly rubbed her arm. "but when will Tarrion and I get married? I don't know. After we come back."

Jordis looked at her friend, and there was a look in her eyes that had dampened her happiness. There was something about Serana that made Jordis think there was something going on between her and her thane. "Hey," she asked softly. "are you alright?"

"I am… I will be. Tarrion and I have been busy and we had to face a lot of trouble in the last few years. We are taking some time off, to calm ourselves. We need a break."

She sighed and looked at her friend. "We are both so tired of all the things we had to face, and the thing we will face in the future. We want some time to ourselves, so we won't have any regrets toward each other."

Jordis nodded in understanding. "I see… then I wish you a good time together. And I do indeed believe that those apples are on sale."

Serana smiled and both started to browse the wares in the marketplace.

That night Serana could not sleep. She lay next to Tarrion, staring at the ceiling. She tossed and turned under the covers until she couldn't' take it anymore. She grabbed a tunic and walked to the balcony.

As she breathed in the cold air she felt herself calm a bit. Looking out over the Sea of Ghosts to the north she saw an endless mass of water. Tomorrow, she would be sailing those waves, past Solstheim, past Morrowind, then south all the way to Elsweyr. It would be quicker to take the western route, but that would take them past the Summerset Isles and they both knew that one ship would be an easy target for an 'accident' or 'mysterious disappearance'… especially with the Dragonborn on board.

But Serana did not feel at ease at all. She made a quick glance to the door that lead to the bedroom, yet immediately looked away.

'Maybe this was not a good idea, leaving already,' she thought to herself. 'Maybe we need to wait a bit longer… for us to find each other again. I hate to be stuck on a ship and us ignoring each other or awkwardly trying to make thing seem normal.'

The last few weeks with them back together were not easy. Serana could feel it in herself, and saw it in Tarrion when he looked at her. There was still pain there… in both of them. He would greet her with a good-morning kiss, and she would smile, but not return it. They still avoided each other's eyes and when their eyes would meet, it was only briefly. The last few weeks had been monotone, and Serana felt numb. She buried her face in her hands as a cold breeze blew over Solitude.

"My, my… keep going like this and your hair will turn grey even before mine."

Serana felt a shock go through her body as she heard that voice and she turned around.

Stepping from the shadows, just like she could do, Valerica appeared right in front of Serana who recoiled and fell against the balustrade.

"Is that any way to greet your own mother?" Valerica smirked and she spread her arms.

But Serana did not embrace her and panted as she looked with pure fear in her eyes at the woman standing there. Her hair was the same, yet neater than when Serana last saw her in the Soul Cairn. Her clothes looked new and her face seemed fuller, or less empty than before. A golden ring adorned her finger, and she wore a dark cloak inlayed with figurines. All in all Valerica looked beautiful, much better than she did in the last centuries. Her eyes glowed with a newfound strength and they now looked at a terrified Serana who looked like she stood face to face with a Dragon.

"Come now, Serana. Don't deny me this embrace," and before Serana could stop her, she was hugged by her mother who held her tightly, yet Serana did not hug her back.

"What is it? Surprised to see me out of the Soul Cairn?" Valerica asked as she pulled back. "My future son-in-law arranged that... how nice of him. It has been a while since I've been in Solitude…. It hasn't changed much, though I hear the new Jarl is a beauty to behold. A delicious looking thing."

"Why are you here?" Serana ignored her mother. "What are you doing here?"

She was taken aback by her daughter's tone and her smirk faded a bit. "I came to visit my daughter, who I thought would be happy to see me."

A number of remarks popped up in Serana's head that she could hurl at her mother, yet she only sighed and turned around and leaned on the balustrade.

"It is a bad time."

"Because you're leaving tomorrow?" Valerica asked and Serana nearly broke her neck when she turned her head. "How do you know?"

"I have decided to 'enlist' agents in Skyrim to keep me informed of what happens. And also to keep a bit of an eye on you," she admitted. "You can't expect me to merely stay in Castle Volkihar without any news from the outside world."

"You've been keeping tabs on Tarrion and me?"

"Among others, yes," Valerica said plainly and she leaned against the balustrade. "So…. I've heard that you two are leaving Skyrim for a while."

"Who are your agents?" Serana asked abruptly. "Tell me."

Valerica raised an eyebrow and sighed. "A spymaster, if that is what you could call me, doesn't reveal her agents…. But very well. There is a Vampire couple in Falkreath, not far from where you live. Hert and Hern? They are among my agents. There is also an agent here in Solitude, but I cannot reveal who tha-…"

"Sybille?" Serana asked and judging by Valerica's expression she knew she was correct. Sybille Stenthor was the Court Mage of Solitude, and also a Vampire, something that took Serana exactly half a second to find out as soon as she stepped into the throne room of the Blue Palace. "She is a friend… why didn't she-.."

"Because I asked her not to," and Valerica came standing next to her daughter. "I didn't want to arouse your suspicions, and it is not a good thing to find out a Court Wizard is actually a spy. She was easy to convince though. It seems that, although serving a Jarl, she does recognize true royalty." and she smirked slightly, hinting at the fact that she was Pure Blooded.

Valerica sighed and looked out over the Sea of Ghosts. She looked at Serana and she visibly dropped her act. "But I really did come here to check on my daughter, to see if she is happy." And the motherly look she gave Serana was almost alien… to both of them. "How are you, Serana? You look… troubled."

Serana, who had no intentions of pouring her heart out to her mother, still visibly confirmed Valerica's suspicions.

"Did he do this?" and Valerica nodded to the door, behind which Tarrion lay fast asleep.

When Serana did not shake her head, Valerica knew enough. "I see… then I will kill him," and she walked toward the door.

"What? Wait!"

"I warned him," Valerica said with an icy voice. "When he came to tell me that Harkon was dead, I warned him. If he hurt you, I would kill him. Funny thing though, he said that my threats 'meant little to him'. Let's see if he still thinks that now," and she reached for the door.

"Does he remind you too much of yourself?"

Valerica froze when Serana sneered those words. Her hand was a few inches from the door when she stopped, yet now it slowly closed. "What?" she asked and she looked at her daughter.

"A person who had all kinds of plans that included my fate as well, yet refused to tell me about it. Eventually they refused to inform me and decided to shut me out, leaving 'me' to deal with the consequences of 'their' actions….. sounds familiar?"

"I…"

"… had your reasons? Then why did those reasons include shutting me away for fifteen-hundred years? You wanted to protect me? Then why did you refused to tell me? What, 'mother'? What reasons do you have? What excuses do you have? What justifications do you have?"

Valerica stared at her daughter. Her mouth was half open in an effort to indeed give reasons, yet she knew they would not justify what she did. Serana had bared her fangs with every word she said and now her eyes flared at the woman she once called 'mother'.

They looked at each other for a few moments, until Valerica gave in. Lowered her head in defeat and walked away from the door.

"You're right…. you are," she admitted. "And I am sorry, I truly am. I've let my hatred for Harkon estrange us for too long. I… I have treated you as a means to an end. I never wanted that… or, I never intended that."

She looked at her daughter and sighed again. "I am sorry."

Serana and Valerica stayed on that balcony for a short while longer, and they talked. Serana did not tell her much about her personal life, but adventures she had… things she had seen, she did tell Valerica about that. She knew full well that her mother was a smart woman, and she would be able to deduct and guess much, yet she refuse to tell her anything personal.

Valerica told her about how she kept herself busy, with her alchemy and study of the Soul Cairn. How she had enthralled a number of bandits who now slowly but steadily cleaned up Castle Volkihar. The repairs and restorations were slow, but they were coming along, and she kept an eye on the rest of Skyrim and especially the Dawnguard, who had been guarding Auriel's Bow ever since.

"I am not even remotely tempted to go after that accursed thing, though," she pointed out. "I never want to see that thing, and I hope it is thrown to the bottom of the ocean."

After a short while they parted ways, and Serana gave her mother an uneasy hug. Something that put a smile on Valerica's face.

"Thank you, Serana," she said when she walked away. "It was good to see you again."

Serana nodded in response. "Yea… I ehh… it," and she cleared her throat. "It was good… to see you too… mother."

And although she turned away, Serana could have sworn she saw a slight tear well up in her mother's eye, before she stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

The next day she told Tarrion of her conversation with her mother, although she left out a few things. Tarrion seemed happy to hear that she and her mother were starting to reconcile, and although it would take time Serana too was happy with the first step.

Before it was noon, they said goodbye to Jordis and the rest of Solitude as they boarded the ship that would take them to Eslweyr. Their belongings were placed in the hull, and they were given a spacious cabin all to themselves. The ship set sail, and before long Solitude was only a small dot on the horizon. They could see Winterhold glide by and Serana felt both a sense of fear and unease… but also a sense of relief. No matter what would happen in Skyrim now… it would be out of their hands. They were leaving, and although not forever, they would have peace for a time.

After two weeks of sailing they arrived at a problem. Serana and Tarrion were calmly talking about what they would do in Elsweyr when the captain knocked on their cabin door.

"I read something about that," Serana said when Tarrion asked.

"Of course you did," he said with a smile. When Serana looked at him he explained. "You have read nearly every book I have found on my travels. How many books have you read by now?"

"How many books do you have?" she asked him in return, to which he could only respond with 'point taken'.

"Anyway," Serana continued as she rummaged through a chest filled with books and scrolls. "I remember that some of the fish in the sea of Elsweyr can glow at night. To scare off predators, some believe."

"I can't wait to swim there at night," Tarrion said as he leaned backwards in his chair. "The clear, blue water… glowing fish… the woman I love swimming next to me."

She smiled when he said that. He had his head titled backwards in relief that they had indeed left Skyrim. The a week ago they had made port in the city of Necrom in Morrowind and they had entered the waters of Black Marsh. Serana opened her mouth to answer when someone knocked on the door.

"I apologize for intruding," the captain said. "But we have run into a problem. We can see bad weather on the horizon… a massive storm that is heading inland. We can avoid the most of it, but we will have to head east… toward the open ocean. It will make our journey at least a week longer… maybe more than two weeks."

Serana looked at Tarrion. He had the power to calm that storm, yet if they could safely avoid it without changing the course of nature, they would do so. They both nodded in agreement.

"Very well, captain," Tarrion said. "Would the open ocean be dangerous?"

The Imperial shook his head. "No more than what we have faced so far, and far less than sailing through that storm."

"If there is no other way, I can calm that storm."

"I have heard of your powers, sir," the captain nodded. "But, with all respect, I prefer to avoid the storm, rather than endanger my crew for you to show off."

And with that he made a bow and went back to the upper deck.

Tarrion sat there with his mouth hanging open when Serana chuckled. "Do I show off?" he asked.

"Mm… sometimes."

And so they headed east, toward the open ocean. Tarrion spend the most of his time below deck, and Serana noticed how he did not often look out of the portholes in their cabin.

"Not fond of open water," he answered when she had asked.

The crew left them be for the majority of the time, except during meals. Sometimes they would see a few wires hang in front of the portholes, indicating that a few crewmembers were fishing, trying to resupply when they could.

For almost three days they headed east, and the captain started to get a bit restless, as did the crew. The storm seemed to grow and although they were sure that it was heading inland, a part of it seemed to have split off and now headed back to sea.

"Pray to Kynaereth for favourable winds, boys," the captain shouted to the men when they started to realize that they were on the open ocean, seemingly being chased by a storm. "And if she refuses to listen, thank Akatosh that we have a Dragonborn on board."

But after another day the storm started to disappear and fade, and they headed south, setting a course for the southern areas of Black Marsh. Tarrion and Serana were both relieved that the storm had left and as the sun started to set, they left below decks to rest for the night.

A massive rumble woke them both and the immense rocking of the ship threw them out of bed. The chests in which they had stored their belongings were thrown against the wall and two shelves tipped over. Serana was thrown on the ground and nearly crushed by one of the wardrobes.

"What in Oblivion?!"

Outside the waves rammed themselves on the ship and it was almost impossible for them to keep their balance. Water started to leak into the cabin through the portholes and after they shut them a flash of light pierced the sky.

"I thought that storm disappeared?" Tarrion shouted above the roaring of the winds.

"It came back with a vengeance," Serana shouted back.

Tarrion grabbed his trousers and with effort was able to put them on as Serana with equal effort clothed herself, and they ran to the upper deck.

It was chaos. Members of the crew were shouting. Some desperately trying to reef in the sails, others aiding the helmsman in keeping the ship from spinning and being overwhelmed by the waves.

"Incoming!" one of them shouted and when Tarrion looked to his left he saw a wave the size of a mountain coming for the ship.

Without effort the ship was lifted up, and half the crew was slammed on the deck, while two fell from the rigging and disappeared in the waves. Huge amounts of water poured onto the deck and as the ship was carried ever higher until it found itself on the break of the wave. Immediately Tarrion felt his stomach climb to his throat as the wave fell back down. The crew desperately held on to the mast or rigging as the forces of nature toyed with the sea like it was nothing.

"DRAGONBORN!"

The captain stumbled and almost crawled his way over the main deck of the ship.

"ARE YOU DRAGONBORN OR WHAT?! For the love of Akatosh, CALM THIS STORM!"

Tarrion took a deep breath and Shouted.

LOK VAH KOOR

A wave of energy escaped his mouth as he used the Dragon Tongue… yet the waves did not recede, and the wind did not obey him.

"What!?" he shouted in frustration and he tried again.

LOK VAH KOOR

The mast of the ship exploded as the lightning struck the crow's nest, and the men that were still trying to reef in the sails were killed instantly, or thrown overboard and drowned. Large wooden splinters flew across the deck and one of them pierced Serana's leg.

"Serana!"

"What is going on!?" she shouted. "Why can't you calm this?"

"This is no na-…"

But the ship was rammed by something, and Tarrion was thrown overboard and disappeared in the waves.

The water overwhelmed him, tossing him around like a doll. For half a second he was able to focus and immediately cast a spell and breathed again. Desperately he moved his arms and legs, trying to discover which way was up. A large shadow was above him, the shadow of a large ship, and he tried to swim.

Something hard hit his head and he could not remember what happened afterward.

The salty sea-air filled his nose as he breathed. Every part of his body felt numb as he slowly started to regain consciousness. A painful sting shot through his back… and again… and again. He opened his eyes and felt something on his back, poking him. As he moved he felt how an animal jumped from his back and he saw a large seagull fly away.

"Hey!" he hollered after the bird. "I'm not dead yet!"

He felt blood slowly pour from the wound the bird made on his back and he grunted as he slowly got up.

As he looked around he saw nothing that seemed familiar. He lay on a beach of white sand, with blue water behind him. The soft sound of the waves as they broke on the shore was calming, yet it did not calm Tarrion. In front of him he saw a forest, yet unlike any other forest he had ever seen. The trees started off ass small trees, with the main trunk being almost devoid of any branches, except for a number of large, green leaves at the top. These trees were smaller than the trees that Tarrion knew, being ten metres tall at the most… but further inland he saw larger trees. Trees that were massive, reaching over fifty metres at least, with branches that intertwined with each other, almost forming bridges from tree to tree. High, green grass grew beneath the smaller trees right in front of him, and larger plants grew further inland.

"W-… where am I?"

The seagull perched on a rock not far from him, looking at the confused man with its head slightly tilted. It had not eaten its fill yet, and it felt hungry. Yet this man seemed to still be alive, and thus not a good meal. It decided to shriek once and flew off.

Tarrion had used a small healing spell to heal his wounded back. He now looked around and saw driftwood in the white foam of the ocean and on the beach. Torn rigging and barrels lay scattered everywhere, covered in seaweed. Shattered crates and pieces of the hull littered the ground, and Tarrion saw a body a few metres away from him. It was the captain of the ship, his Imperial clothing giving him away.

"Where am I?" he asked himself again. "Where is Serana?"

Frantically he looked around, hoping to see a pale woman with black hair walking somewhere.

"Serana!" he shouted, yet there was no answer. He chose a random direction and started walking while shouting from the top of his lungs.

"SERANA!"

=End of Chapter=

=Author's Notes=

And they're separated again, this time involuntarily. But that is it for this chapter. Stay tuned for the next one.

If you read about the map of Nirn, you will hear about three island between Tamriel and Akavir. They skipped those islands and landed straight on the other continent. The storm carried them all the way east.

Also, there is no 'official' map of Akavir. I like the 'Planet Nirn – Geopolitical (v1)' of 'hori873' the best, so I will use that one for the rough, geographical context (/art/Planet-Nirn-Geopolitical-v1-391657854 on Deviantart). They arrived on that long, southwestern arm-part of Tsaesci land.

Also also, little is known about the rest of Akavir, the climate and environment for example. I will use what I think is most logical here:

-Since Akavir is home to creatures like 'monkey people' and 'tiger people' and 'serpent-folk'… I think that a jungle-like environment with tropical conditions is the most logical, given the fact that the actual animals also live under those conditions.

- So the Tsaesci land is mostly jungles, with the westernmost areas mountainous jungles or rainforests. (PS: Tsaesci…. Pronounce: 'Say-es-see'…. I always pronounce it as 'sai-ESS-key' though.)

- The Kamal area is frozen tundra and icy mountains, even more so than Dawnstar or Winterhold.

- Tang Mo is damp, almost swamp-like jungles mostly with large bodies of water between the islands (since 'Tang Mo' means 'Thousand Monkey Isles')

- Ka Po Tun has a lot of deserts in the eastern and southern areas, yet the western areas are also rainforest.

-And, since we have no idea about the rest of Akavir… culture, politics, religion etc. etc. I will use what I think is most logical. All that is described about Akavir, the Akaviri and more in the upcoming chapters, is my own interpretation of the continent. So… there. :)

Dragon Language used:

LOK VAH KOOR: Sky Spring Summer (full Clear Skies Shout)