The doors to Castle Volkihar opened. The foursome entered the Keep. Valerica looked up at them from the long table. A bottle of Nord Mead was in front of her and appeared to be half-empty.
"We have returned mother," announced Serana as Valeria closed the door behind them.
"So I can see," replied Valerica. She stood up to greet them. "And Farkas?"
"He is dead," replied Stefan.
"That's good news," said Valerica. "We can all breathe easy once more."
Stefan chuckled.
"Let's start with a drink," he said. He grabbed a bottle of Nord Mead from the counter by the fire. He uncorked it and took a deep swig. Serana got one for herself and handed another to Lucinda.
"What about me?" asked Valeria.
"Your too..." began Serana.
"...Here," said Stefan. He handed her a bottle.
Serana gave him a scornful look.
"Thanks father," said Valeria.
He winked at her and she smiled.
They uncorked their bottles.
"To Lucinda," said Valeria. "The saviour of the Vampire race."
Lucinda burned a bright red in embarrassment.
"To Valeria," said Lucinda. "The best archer Skyrim has seen these many years."
It was Valeria's turn to blush. They raised their bottles and drank to each of them.
Lucinda finished her bottle and placed it down on the table.
"I'm going to go to bed," she announced at large. She was exhausted and hasn't slept since Whiterun.
"I think I'll join her," said Valeria. She too placed her bottle onto the table. However, hers was only half empty. It seemed that Valeria didn't enjoy the taste of mead that much.
Stefan and Serana watched their daughters leave the Great Hall towards the Courtyard.
"Are those two alright?" asked Valerica.
"Yes," replied Serana. "They're okay. They've been though a lot these last few days."
"Haven't we all?" asked Stefan. He looked down at his wife. She smiled at him.
"I think we will should go to bed too," said Serana hintedly. "You must be tired."
"Oh," said Stefan cottoning on. "Yes, I'm exhausted."
Serana smiled at him.
"Good night mother," she said. She grabbed his hand and led him out towards the doors to the Courtyard. Valerica nodded and returned to her bottle of mead. She finished it and then pulled Valeria's towards her and set to work on finishing it as well.
There was a sound of loud splashing. The sounds of someone lowering themselves into a bathtub could be heard.
"Ahhhhh," said the voice in relaxation.
Lucinda stood at the balcony. She leaned on the rail and glanced at the waning gibbous moon illuminating the sky.
In the background was a small bathroom. It was occupied by Valeria who was soaking herself.
"What does human blood taste like?" asked Valeria.
Lucinda looked over to her sister.
"I don't know," she replied. "Blood I suppose."
"Am I right to believe that you like how it tastes?" she asked.
Lucinda thought for a moment.
"We are vampires," said Lucinda. "We don't get to decide if we like it or not."
Valeria nodded.
"I'll take that as a yes," she said quietly.
She shifted to make herself more comfortable.
"I've only got four years to wait until I can try it for myself," said Valeria thoughtfully.
"It's not as exciting as you think it is," said Lucinda. "I was the same at your age. Then I tried it. It's not as glamorous as you think Valeria, trust me."
They were quiet for a moment. Lucinda looked up at the moon once more.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Valeria.
"What do you mean?" asked Lucinda.
"Well father killed grandfather, now you have killed Farkas," said Valeria. "Soon there will be no more enemies."
"There will always be enemies of Vampires little sister," said Lucinda. "Make no mistake of that."
"That's a relief," said Valeria. "There's still a chance for me to get some glory."
Lucinda chuckled at her sisters comment. She turned to look at her.
"Come on little sister," said Lucinda. "Let me wash your hair."
She turned around and made her way over to the small bathroom. She picked up a wooden pail and entered the bathroom. The door swung shut slowly. It stopped just short of the frame and hung, leaving a gap allowing the steam to escape.