Lands Unknown part 16

The seas were calm as the small sail was caught in the slight breeze. There were two oars in the boat, yet so far they were able to use the sails to journey further west. Serana sat in the back and would often stare at the backpack they placed in the centre, tied to the mast with a rope.

There was something beautiful about how she sat there, Tarrion would think to himself. A deep and intense longing could be seen in her eyes as she stared. He knew why she would sometimes sit there for hours and do nothing but look at the leather, almost trying to look through it and see the small box inside.

It had been two days since they left Telom and they did not know how much further they had to go. As long as they kept going west they would make it to the long peninsula, the Ka Po Tun called 'the Serpent's Head', they knew that, yet it still seemed so far away. To the far north they could see the shores of Akavir, yet they knew that was not where they had to go.

Every morning Tarrion would open the backpack and grab one vail of blood to drink it, and every time Serana would look over his shoulder to make sure the box was still there. A pointless thing to do, she knew that, yet it would put her at ease and remind her it was not a dream.

So they sailed further west, leaving the city of Telom in their memories. Neither was really sure how to think about their adventure, yet both wished their journey had led them elsewhere.

After almost a week of sailing and with Serana starting to find the rocking of the boat unbearable, they finally saw land. Both sighed in relief when they saw it and both grabbed the oars and started rowing. After another few hours their boat ran aground on the sandy beaches.

When they approached they saw they had reached the southernmost tip of the peninsula, yet they were still on the eastern side of it. They had to reach the western side first and from there they would return to Tamriel.

Crossing the massive ocean would not be easy, yet Tarrion had explained everything to Serana, and although she had her initial doubts, she trusted he would take them home safely.

"I have thought about it," he had said to her. "and I think I can bring us home."

Serana had looked at him and she knew what he was suggesting. "You will fly us there?"

Tarrion had stayed silent for a few moments, only to nod. "Yes… that is my plan."

She knew better than to argue with him, yet this did not mean it would be easy. "Can you make that journey?"

Again he hesitated before he nodded. "I can. I brought you from the western lands of Akavir all the way to Telom in half a day and I did not feel the fatigue at all. Crossing the ocean would, I think, take several days… yet I have seen how Dragons fly. They use very little energy by gliding on the winds. They climb fast and high, only to soar for miles and miles on nothing but air, moving their wings very little."

"You have seen this up close or from afar?"

"Up close," he answered. "When I went to Skuldafn I had Odahviing carry me there, remember?" and Serana nodded. "From Whiterun to Skuldafn he only had to climb twice. I will use the same technique."

"You do realize he was a Dragon, right?" she asked him. "He had been one for centuries, if not millennia. You are not, and you have only flown once."

"I know," and he took her hands. "I know it will be dangerous and difficult… but I will make it. I have all the reason in the world to make the crossing; You… a wedding… and now, also children."

Serana could feel tears well up in her eyes as he said that and she looked at the backpack. She took a deep breath to compose herself and nodded at him. She looked again in those deep eyes that had always given her strength, and they did so again. She trusted him to do this, and she knew he would do everything he could to make it to Tamriel. To bring them home safely.

That night Tarrion looked up at the skies of Akavir and saw the stars and moons in a different light. Masser was waning and Secunda almost completely dark. The endless lights that lit up the shallow beaches of Akavir danced in the waves and for a few moments he thought about staying. This was a beauty Skyrim did not have and it made him want to travel more on Tamriel. To see other places. The mountains of High Rock… the deserts of Hammerfell… the swamps of Black Marsh and the massive forests of Valenwood. He knew would see more beauty in Tamriel, and he wanted Serana to be there with him. To sleep under the starry skies of Elseweyr and visit the Imperial City. He had lived the last two decades in Skyrim and although he did not regret it, he wanted to see more. He had brought peace to the province, and it had lasted for years.

He wondered what his friends would say when they returned after more than two years, wearing strange clothes. He wondered how they would react when they saw he was a Vampire… and he wondered if he should cure himself… or ask Aela again for the Blood of the Wolf.

He stayed awake for another hour before he fell asleep. The next day they would have to travel through the jungle one last time and then the longest journey back across the oceans, and he knew he would need all his strength for that.

After two days, late in the evening as the sun was setting, they arrived on the other side. Only a few supplies were taken from the boat. The food that Shazra had supplied them with was left behind, yet a few long pieces of rope would come in useful, they knew this. The dense jungle gave way for sandy beaches and amusingly Serana recognized the place. A bit further north they found the cave they used on their first night on Akavir and they decided to stay there for the night and the following day. Tarrion would need to rest before the long journey back and although Serana wanted to re-live the memory of their last stay in the cave, she decided with a smile not to drain him of any energy, knowing there would be plenty of opportunity for that later. She did cup his face as she lay next to him and gave him a soft, but intense kiss. The kiss did not feel as warm as it always had and although she did not voice her thoughts, she did not want him to stay a Vampire… yet she knew her reasons were once again selfish.

The next day, when the sun was setting, they left the cave. They both looked out over the white beaches of Akavir and they took one last look at the cave where the silvery lights of the pool slowly started to sparkle again.

"Are you ready?" she asked him and he nodded.

"I am… or I am as ready as I will ever be," and he started to undress.

Serana watched him get out of his clothes and folded them in their backpack with the remaining vials and she put the ring on her own finger. She pulled a few vials from the backpack and he drank his fill.

She looked at him and saw his lips were bloodstained as he stood there for a few moments, seemingly waiting. His body was not as massive as it was before. She first noticed it when she woke up after he freed her from the Tsaesci. She could still see he was muscular and strong… yet his muscles were less apparent than before, like he had not eaten well in a long while.

Tarrion composed himself, taking deep breaths through his nose and out his mouth. Last time he did this he was overwhelmed by it and it was because of an anger he had not felt before… but now he had to will himself to do it. He took one last breath and focused all that he was on that one thing… he forced himself to think something he disagreed with. To believe he was truly a Dragon and his place was in the skies, and not on earth.

He looked at her. "I promised I would not transform again, unless it is absolutely necessary, and never without your permission….. is it alright?"

She swallowed once and nodded, and although Tarrion did not use the Shout, he heard a deep roar within him, saying the words.

MUL QAH DIIV

Serana took a few steps back when she saw him drop to his knees. His hands transformed into massive claws and so did his feet. His skin became black and took the shape of scales, rather than normal human skin. His scars started to turn red and they became the red patterns on his body that gave him a strange yet terrifying appearance. She saw how two wings grew from his back. She heard him growl and grunt under the pain and she understood it, since she would feel the same when she would transform. She also saw a long tail grow from his lower spine, lengthening itself further and further. She saw his body grow larger and larger, almost without stopping… yet then it all stopped and he stood up.

His massive head now reared towards her, and she knew he was trying to smile, yet it did not make his visage any friendlier. He stretched himself and spread his wings in the setting sun. This alone was enough for her to almost be blown away, not by the wind, but by the sheer energy that now radiated from him. She felt it all and a deep and powerful warmth, almost like an invisible barrier was around him. Admitting to herself, Serana took another step backwards and felt afraid. Not by what he was, but by the immense power she now felt coming from him.

"Let us go home," his voice rumbled and it echoed over the beaches. One wing lowered itself on the sand and carefully Serana walked towards it. She felt the muscles as she stepped on the joint and climbed onto his back. It was rough and scaly, yet there were no spikes like she feared. Holding on the rough and large scales on his back she braced herself as he spread his wings again.

"Hold on," his voice rumbled and with one giant flap of his wings Serana felt herself almost loose her grip.

Within seconds she saw how the shores of Akavir became smaller and smaller behind her as Tarrion flew above the ocean. He flew at least thirty metres above the water, yet his wings would still sometimes touch the waves. Serana looked down and saw one blur of blue and red below her as the setting sun turned the sea into blood. The rhythm of his wings forced Serana to hold on tightly, and she feared the prospect of keeping this up for another three days.

"Brace yourself!" Tarrion roared and he started to climb.

With powerful strikes of his wings and with all four of his legs clawing at the air, he climbed higher and higher, while making sure he would not climb to steep. Serana dared not to look down anymore as she held on for dear life. She would survive a fall from this height, she knew that, and she still could transform into a cloud of bats and mist. Yet she also knew the backpack would not transform with her. Having it strapped to her chest she made sure it would not be damaged, yet this proved difficult under the immense pressure of the winds that now sounded around her.

Not long after Tarrion had started climbing, yet for Serana it felt like hours, she felt how he levelled himself and the seemingly endless strikes of his wings finally stopped. The winds still blew all around her and her hair moved around her head, yet the pressure had lessened and she dared to look around.

Under her the backpack shifted, yet she quickly placed it back as she looked around. She was surrounded by clouds. All around her she could see an endless blanked of white fluff around her, and above her the stars started to appear. The last few rays of the sun disappeared far in the distance in front of her, yet she knew they would have to follow it. Far below her she saw the endless ocean stretch out, reflecting the stars and two moons above.

On either side of her the two massive wings were spread, causing them to glide calmly on the winds, yet still at incredible speed. She knew that even in her Vampire Lord form she would not be able to keep up with Tarrion now and she held his scales tightly.

The hours passed by, almost like minutes, and before Serana knew it she saw how the clouds above her turned red in the rising sun. They had descended far toward the ocean surface and she knew Tarrion would have to climb again soon.

"Serana!" she heard Tarrion bellow above the noise of the wind. "I have an idea… but you will have to hold on very tightly."

She carefully pulled a long piece of rope from the backpack and strapped it to her chest. a second rope was tied around herself and, with extreme effort, around Tarrion's long neck. After making sure she was tied to him she shouted back.

"Do it!"

Making a slight move Tarrion levelled himself before he Shouted.

WULD NAH KEST

Fast like a thunderbolt he now glided above the oceans. Almost falling off Serana barely managed to keep her grip and she closed her eyes to protect them from the intense winds. Below her she could hear the waves crash against the pressure of the winds and they left a sea of foam in their wake.

Adjusting himself slightly Tarrion now used his speed to glide upwards toward the clouds again, and still the Shout did not wear off. It almost seemed to increase in power as they climbed higher and higher.

It took over an hour before Serana felt their speed decreasing and by then they were surrounded by the clouds again. The sun had risen behind them and the waves were almost invisibly small below them.

"This could make our journey a lot faster," she heard Tarrion's voice.

"Perhaps!" she shouted back, "But warn me before you try again… I almost fell off."

Tarrion heard her and laughed, yet promised her he would warn her.

And so the uneventful days passed by, until on the fourth day, when Tarrion started to feel the fatigue, they finally spotted land in the distance. As they got closer a small tip of a mountain started to appear in the far northwest, and they knew it had to be Red Mountain of Morrowind. The lands in front of them would have to be Black Marsh, a place neither of them knew well. They decided to turn northwest and head towards Morrowind and try to find their way back to Skyrim from there. Tarrion did not know for how much longer he would be able to hold out and he knew he needed a long rest after their journey.

At nightfall they arrived near the northern shores of Black Marsh, yet they continued further north and near midnight the finally entered Morrowind. Far to the north they saw Red Mountain spitting its black smoke and far below them they saw the tiny lights of small villages and towns.

Serana felt Tarrion descend faster and faster and she clapped him on his back to keep him awake.

"You can land somewhere… I see towns far below us."

He only growled and in a large spiral he descended near one of the towns. On top of a large hill he nearly crashed in the dirt, yet managed to make a good landing… be it a rough one. Serana untied herself from his neck and jumped to the ground. Behind her Tarrion's head dropped on the ground and a deep, bellowing rumble came from him as he panted. Serana turned around and saw one of his large eyes blink slowly. She couldn't help but smile gently as she walked back and touched the ridge above his eye. His eye alone was larger than her head and she could see it looking at her.

"You have done so well," she said as she continued to stroke the ridge above his eye. "I cannot imagine how tired you must be."

As if to answer her she saw his eye close, only to open again after several seconds and she kissed the ridge and she felt slightly surprised, yet only for a moment. It did not feel cold against her lips… yet not searing hot either. It felt like it had a different warmth of its own. She knew enough about creatures to know that reptiles were coldblooded and would warm themselves in the sun…. yet she realized that Dragons were more than mere reptiles and had a power to them that normal animals could not even dream of.

"Rest now," she said softly and with as much love as she could. "You have more than earned it."

With that she saw his eye close again and a deep rhythm came bellowing from his throat and he had fallen asleep. She walked toward his chest and found a good spot under his wing where she too rested her eyes for a moment before she fell asleep.

Serana woke up under the rising sun. She could feel the warmth coming from it and she looked around her. The dragon was nowhere to be found and a naked Tarrion lay next to her. She rubbed her eyes and kissed his forehead.

"Good morning," she said more to herself than anyone.

The sun's rays peaked over the hills to the east and it now shone on them. Immediately she panicked as she saw Tarrion's skin turn black in the light and she quickly removed her ring and put it on his finger. The charring stopped and before long his skin had healed again. She sighed, both in relief and sorrow as she realized again that he was a Vampire. During the last few days he had not felt the burning of the sun and it seemed his resilience as a Dragon outmatched his weaknesses as a Vampire. She grabbed her backpack and pulled his clothes from it. Knowing he could not walk through Morrowind naked she, with effort, put his trousers on.

An hour later she woke him up. She gave him three vials of blood to restore his strength, yet it only helped a little. He was still exhausted and he wanted to rest in a normal bed and both descended down the hill and toward the town. No-one seemed to have noticed anything like Dragon landing on the hilltop just outside of town and neither of them minded. The last thing they needed now was a number of people asking questions.

The innkeeper was a friendly Dunmer and she let them stay for the day in a room, free of charge. She saw how exhausted Tarrion was and she did not even notice the slight glow in their eyes. Serana saw the Dunmer held their hospitality in high regard. She saw she was in a town a bit north of Mournhold.

When the sun started to climb further down and to the west, Serana thanked the innkeeper again for her hospitality. She had an attractive face, slim figure and long dark hair in a single braid.

"You are most welcome," she answered after Serana's third 'thank you'. "We don't get many Nords here… and he looks similar to this Nord I remember from a couple of years ago when I went to Skyrim to visit my sister."

"He does?" Serana asked and she watched how the innkeeper poured herself a small goblet of mead.

"Yes," she answered and she hesitated as she looked at Serana. "It is a… private story, so forgive me if I do not tell you."

"I won't pry," Serana said with a smile. "But what about your sister? I have lived in Skyrim for a long time… maybe I know her. There are not many Dunmer in Skyrim."

"I suppose," the innkeeper answered. "She is a sell-sword… Janessa."

Serana perked up. "Yes, I know Janessa. She lives mostly in Whiterun."

"That is her!" the Dunmer said happily. "How is she?"

"I don't know," Serana admitted. "I haven't seen her in… how long has it been… at least two years? We have been away for a while."

"Oh," the innkeeper seemed disappointed. "have seen her little over a year ago, so I guess I know more then."

"If I may," Serana started. "Why did you journey to Skyrim? It is a long way from here."

To her surprise the Dunmer chuckled. "For you it may seem that way. I am Dunmer, so I live for much longer than humans. I have a different idea of what a long journey is, since I have more time. But you're right, since it is still pretty far away for a mere visit to my sister."

She sighed and looked around. "In truth I was also escaping this place a bit. I do not know what the Nords of Skyrim think of this, but my family tried to get me to marry this rich Telvanni wizard."

"Ah," Serana nodded. "and you haven't even met the guy?"

"No, I met him a few times," the innkeeper shook her head. "I talked to him and admittedly, he seems to be a good man. I have nothing against him, if that is what you mean… but to outright marry him?... no thanks."

"And so you visited your sister to get away from it all."

The Innkeeper nodded. "Janessa has always been the one to defy the family, and although I disagree with her… cannot say she is wrong."

"How were things in Skyrim when you were there last?"

"As usual," was the answer. "Ever since their civil war ended the roads have been much safer and trade is good there when I was there last. Although… come to think of it, when I was in Riften it seemed the townsfolk were upset about something. I don't know what, but it was something they did not like. But if you want news out of Skyrim, you should travel further north to… there they have more news. It is closer to the border."

Serana and the innkeeper chatted away as there were no other guests and Tarrion slept until nightfall. It was then that they moved on after thanking the innkeeper repeatedly, who requested they deliver a letter to Janessa when they returned. As they entered the night Serana saw that Tarrion felt better, yet was still not at full strength again. As they continued he complained about a strong pain in his shoulders, which did not surprise Serana.

"You had flown for several days, and your wings were attached to your shoulders. I can only imagine the effort it took."

Tarrion smiled at her and she saw it was a good smile, not one to just put her at ease. As they both entered the night the small town behind them became smaller in the distance and with every step they came closer to their home. Both of them would feel at ease again when they would spot the mountains of Skyrim and the pass that lead to Riften.

They were still far away from the mountain pass that lead to Riften, yet both felt better than they had in the last two years. They had met with Dunmer, which meant there was no question they were back on Tamriel. The roads that lead north were mostly quiet and they neared their home with every passing day.

The days turned to weeks as they slowly neared the border. Both knew this journey could have taken about a day if they flew, but Tarrion did not want to do this again as it had drained him more than he was willing to admit, and Serana did not want to journey on top of a Dragon, but next to her man and although they could take their time, they did not stop anywhere unless it was necessary.

After several weeks they finally reached the mountains of Skyrim and Tarrion felt like he could see their home already. Serana hugged his arm and he kissed her temple.

"Almost home," he whispered.

"Almost," she answered with a smile. "Almost home… almost married."

He kissed her again and both followed the path that lead between two high mountain peaks. Just one last push and they would be home again. Back to their normal lives again, and both agreed it would take a long while before they would go on any form of journey again. The troubles of Skyrim seemed insignificant compared to Akavir.

=End of Chapter=

=End of Arc=

=Author's Notes=

And that is this Arc done! 16 chapters long… I am not surprised it took this long, but I still consider it to be quite an achievement. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you will forgive any small mistakes I made during it.

But that is it for now. Leave a review if you like it or spotted mistakes. I always like to hear feedback.

I will also give you the name of the next Arc: Wrath of the Dragon

What will it be about?... you'll hear that next time :) Till then!

Dragon Language used:

MUL QAH DIIV: Strength Armour Wyrm (full Dragon Aspect Shout)

WULD NAH KEST: Whirlwind Fury Tempest (Full Whirlwind Sprint Shout)

PS: I made Tarrion's transformation to a Dragon require the subconscious Shouting of the Dragon Aspect Shout. This Shout allows him to become a Dragon since it allows you to 'Take on the aspect of a mighty Dragon'. I thought it made sense and I'm almost inclined to say that without this Shout, it would not be possible for Tarrion to transform. Just to add a bit to the lore. Let me know what you think of it.