"So what would you call a Vampire Werewolf?" asked Valeria in amusement. "A Werepire perhaps? Maybe a Vamwolf?"
Stefan chuckled.
"Your guess is as good as mine," he replied.
They were silent for a moment.
"Talking of werewolves," said Valeria. "I think we need to settle our bet. I killed more werewolves than you."
Stefan nodded in agreement.
"I believe you did," he replied.
"So that means you have to eat human food," she said.
Stefan nodded. He stood up and made his way over to the kitchen. All the food stored had long since gone bad and were unfit for consumption, even for a Vampire.
"I'm not sure if this is safe to eat," he said pointing to the spoiled fruits and the gone bad meat.
"Don't you have a house-carl?" asked Valeria. "I heard you mention that Whiterun has one."
"Yes," said Stefan. "But the one for this house died four years ago. As for Lydia, well she must be at least mid-forties by now."
He chuckled for a moment when he thought about a forty year old Lydia with Serana and his daughter. He remembered how reluctant she was to allow Serana into the house the first time. Perhaps time had changed her he thought.
"It looks like I will have to go and hunt for some human food," he said.
"No father," said Valeria urgently. "Please don't go. Stay here."
He made to get up but returned to his seat when she pleaded him to stay.
"Perhaps we can go out when the sun rises," he said.
"Yes," said Valeria.
She threw her arms around her father and hugged him as tightly as she could. Stefan held his daughter close.
"I could go for some blood potions though," she said expectantly.
Stefan chuckled.
"I'll check the alchemy lab," he said. "Wait here."
She released her father. He got up and walked up the stairs. His boots leaving prints in the thick layer of dust. He reached the hallway and walked along it to the alchemy lab.
He pushed open the door, breaking a layer of dust that stuck it to the door frame. The door swung open to reveal a dusty, musty alchemy lab. He fished around the shelves of long forgotten ingredients. He heard two bottles chinking together and moved his hand across them. He took them off the shelf and found then to be two musty bottles of blood potion. He picked them up and carried them out of the room. He returned to Valeria.
"Here," he said. He gave them both to her.
"I can't have both," she said. "What about you?"
"I'll be alright," he said. "You need them more than I do."
Valeria shook her head in refusal.
"One each," she insisted. "I insist father."
"Okay," he said.
She handed him one and he took it from her.
"To Lucinda," said Valeria. "In the hope she doesn't become a werewolf."
She raised her dusty bottle in the air. Stefan copied her and they clinked their bottles together. They drank their potions and placed them on the musty table.
"Oh my," said Stefan. "I've never had a potion that far gone."
"Is that what human wine tastes like?" asked Valeria.
"Close enough," he replied.
He coughed as the after taste hit him. He recovered.
"When the sun rises, I'll show you where me and your mother got married," he said.
"Really?" asked Valeria excitedly.
"Of course," he said. "I remember you asked me about it before. I promised I would show you. Why not now?"
"Thank you father," she said happily. She smiled and her red eyes shone in the firelight.
"I wonder how Serana and your sister are passing the time?" he asked thoughtfully.
"My lady," said Lydia who was sat at the fire.
"Yes Lydia?" asked Serana looking over to her from the dining room.
"I would request to go home and be with my husband," she said. "He will concerned about my whereabouts."
"Of course Lydia," replied Serana. "You may go."
"My lady," said Lydia gesturing her head towards her and Lucinda.
She then turned and crossed the room. She opened the door and disappeared into the night. Lucinda, who was sat cross legged on the floor reading, looked up as she left. She then returned to her reading.
"What are you reading?" asked Serana watching her daughter.
"Anecdotes from the Dwemer," replied Lucinda.
Serana nodded. She had already read this book and indeed all the books in this house. There was no book she had resisted the urge to read, except 'The Lusty Argonian Maid'. There was a good reason why she hadn't touched that one. She watched her daughter reading and was reminded of herself at such a young age.
"The Dwemer were fascinating little elves," said Lucinda as he deep red eyes flew across the page. She looked up to her mother.
"You must remember them mother?" asked Lucinda.
"Lucinda!" replied her mother scornfully. "How old do you think I am?"
"Early twenties," replied Lucinda. "But you have been alive since the first century. You must know something about them."
Serana beamed at her daughter for thinking she was so young, she wasn't wrong of course but still; it was nice to hear.
"I know just as much as you," she replied. "You're forgetting I was asleep during the second and third century."
"I'd like to visit a Dwemer ruin one day," said Lucinda thoughtfully. She then recalled what her grandmother said about the Falmer by the fire.
"What are the Falmer?" she asked. "Grandmother said you knew about them."
"Disgusting creatures," replied Serana. "Stay away from them. You can't sneak past them either because they have the hearing of a bat."
Lucinda listened with great intention.
"They were slaves of the Dwemer, before?" she asked.
"Correct," said Serana. "But now they're just a bunch of psychopathic creatures that want to murder everything above ground."
"Perhaps we could go underground and wipe them all out?" suggested Lucinda. "Before they have a chance to kill all of us."
"Good luck with that," said Serana. A slip of sunlight emerged on the table in front of her. She looked behind her to see the weak sunrise beginning to creep through the windows. She turned to her daughter.
"I'm going to bed Lucinda," she said.
"Okay mother," she replied not looking up from the book she was reading. "I'll finish this chapter and then come up."
Serana chuckled. A spitting image of herself when she was her age. She knew from memory what she was like at that age and knew not to pursue the issue of coming to bed.
"Don't stay up too late Lucinda," she requested.
Serana swung her legs over the table and made her way up to the master bedroom. Her foot was on the bottom stair when she turned to look at her daughter.
"Good night Lucinda," she said sweetly.
"Good night mother," replied Lucinda looking up at her.
Serana smiled at her daughter before ascending the stairs. Lucinda watched her mother climb the stairs before returning to her book. She heard footsteps above her, followed by the sounds of her climbing into bed and then silence.