Chapter Forty-Two

"So you came in through here?" Asked Serana, staring at the portal before her. She glanced to Yosa'Min who nodded her head. "Weird, wonder why I came out somewhere else."

"The Ideal Masters probably wanted to separate us," offered Yosa'Min.

"It is their way," rumbled Durnehviir, just a bit away from them and glaring at all the wisps that passed by. "Qahnaarin, I would like to give you something before you go."

Yosa'Min blinked at the half decomposed dragon and nodded her head. "What is it?" She was still wary around the dragon, but he'd done nothing but what they'd asked thus far and been polite for a dragon.

The dragon twisted his neck until his massive maw was pointing behind him best he could, and then he lifted a wing. Yosa'Min gasped as a creature unlike anything she'd ever seen before approached. Black bones were held in place by purple, fiery magic, formed in the shape of a horse with a mane of violet flames. It trotted towards her, graceful and virtually gliding over the lifeless ground. "It has been following you, Qahnaarin."

"What?" She balked, stepping towards the skeletal horse, fire burning throughout its body while pure orbs of white light filled its eye sockets. "Why?" The otherworldly stallion took a few slow steps towards her and then pressed its snout to her shoulder. She was shocked not to feel a hint of heat radiating from the creature, instead an almost cool sensation was in its place, and she stroked its obsidian skull. Though she wasn't certain how, she felt as if she knew this horse, and it whinnied softly as she stared into its glowing eyes. The longer she looked the more she believed she'd met the stead before, imagining a dark coat and soulful brown eyes. "Archer?" She asked, her voice catching. The glowing horse neighed quite loudly, nudging her affectionately and she wrapped her arms around its neck. "How in Oblivion is this possible?" She looked between a confused vampire and an indifferent dragon.

"Is this... An old friend of yours?" Asked Serana.

Nodding her head, Yosa'Min stroked Archer's boney cheeks. "He died when I tried to flee the Dawnguard... He was my only friend for years."

"It would seem he was soul trapped then."

"Sure that's possible but this is where people go not animals, black souls not white ones," countered Yosa'Min, "isn't it?"

Durnehviir snorted. "Some creatures are loyal even through dinok, death, and will cross Oblivion itself to be at their masters side."

Smiling, she pressed her nose to the stallion's. "Is that what you did?" She asked softly, "I guess we get to be undead together." Archer whinnied once more, and Yosa'Min laughed before a sad realization dawned upon her. "How do I get him out of here? His name doesn't mean anything in the Thu'um."

"This is where I gift him to you," said Durnehviir, smiling in the only way a dragon could, by revealing rows of fangs and looking a faint bit like he was about to gobble them up. "Consider it my respects to my Qahnaarin..." The dragon moved one of his wings over to the flaming horse and using the talon on the edge of the leathery limb sliced the tip of Archer's skull off, the piece of blackened bone dropping to the ashen floor while Archer made his disapproval quite clear, rearing up and Yosa'Min had to jump back to avoid being trampled. The dragon leaned his head forward until all it took was a soft breath and a few words and the bone glowed with purple magic. When Durnehviir pulled back, Yosa'Min picked it up. "Focus your power upon that bone, Qahnaarin, and you will summon your stead anywhere in Nirn and beyond."

Clutching the piece of bone to her chest, she smiled at him before nodding her head. "Thank you."

"Just remember to keep your word," he rumbled before spreading his wings and taking flight. Yosa'Min watched after him as the Soul Cairn shuddered in his presence, and then smiled at Serana who gave a shrug.

"You know what, I'm not even surprised at this point. This place is as weird as it can get," she said, "are you ready to go?" Yosa'Min stroked Archer's skull once more, marveling in how cold he was despite the flames filling his skeletal form, and then nodded her head. The pair of them stepped up the black stones, reached out to touch the portal and then felt the burning sensation of reality as they returned to their own plane of existence.

"Why do the gods enjoy putting me where people's shit ends up? I swear I end up in a sewer every other month!" Muttered Yosa'Min through her red sash, having wrapped it around her face to filter some of the stench away. Serana was doing the same with her cloak, ridiculous as she looked. "You'd think being a thief you'd get told your face would be in dung every other Turdas but this is just ridiculous! I'd figure being a vampire would put us above such filth!" She slipped slightly, and recoiled as she felt something squish beneath her hand. She desperately wiped her hand off on the nearby wall and used her other hand to pour a flask of alcohol over her hand and risked magical fire for but only a moment to sanitize it. "When was the last time someone cleaned this thing!" Further complained the redguard, a rather steep incline before them and she was wary of touching anything for support again.

"Probably never," replied the nord vampire, being just as careful as Yosa'Min was of where she stepped. It was most fortunate that there were elevated sides to the passage, the center a slow moving river of refuse and a foul smelling liquid. The redguard was relieved at one point that the passageway was empty of anything living or undead, but soon understood why. It was worse smelling than the Cistern after a night of drinking and feasting, though perhaps that was just her heightened sense of smell. "I don't think we're far so keep quiet," Serana said over her shoulder.

"I'll try to stifle the sounds of suffocating on shit and piss," muttered back Yosa'Min, Serana rolling her eyes. When they'd arrived back in the physical world, after a few minutes of disorientation and general pain, Yosa'Min had asked her sire if she was alright. Serana had simply smiled and asked her if she could have some time to process it all. When Yosa'Min had vowed she could wait centuries if she needed to the nord hadn't bothered to fight the desire to hug the small redguard. Since they'd continued their journey however, Yosa'Min could easily note how determined and quiet Serana had become, worrying the fledgling but she couldn't ask her about it either. Resigned to wait as she'd promised, Yosa'Min followed after Serana with care.

They pressed on, climbing up the old tunnel until they arrived at the top. A set of bars blocked their way, a grate on the floor that probably was where the refuse was dumped on the other side. Yosa'Min bristled as she realized it was the size of a person. "You can't be serious," she uttered, looking at Serana who seemed just as displeased.

Clearing her throat, Serana motioned to the bars. "Unless you can think of another silent way to get past these, it's our only option."

Yosa'Min glared at the thick metal bars, took wide for either of them to slip their whole body through, and then nodded. "That shadow thing you can do, with the bats, can you go through solid things when you do that?"

Serana blinked, surprised. "Never tried."

"Please do."

Shrugging, figuring it was certainly worth a shot, she focused on the other side of the bars. Wisps of shadow flickered off of her skin, tendrils of darkness that formed into the shadows of bats spinning around her, and then she surged forward, consumed by the black substance. Reappearing on the other side, Serana clutched her chest and winced in pain. "Ow," she muttered. Yosa'Min copied her, and while there was a firm pain in her chest from phasing through something solid she certainly preferred it to smelling of refuse.

They were not alone, though it felt as if they were. The room they had entered was tall and rather cave like, metal cages wedged between stone arches lined the walls that were solid stone. The smell inside it made Yosa'Min swoon, forgetting about the foul scent that still clung to her armor and instead she walked towards the nearest cage. A woman lay inside, groaning loudly about the pain with incomprehensible words. She was dressed in rags that were torn over and over again, dirt and blood caked upon each other to her skin and clothes. When Yosa'Min's shadow fell upon her, various torches illuminating the dungeon like chamber from high up above, the thrall gasped and looked up at her. "You know, all this Oblivion traveling has made me quite thirsty," said the redguard as she reached for the lock.

"Here," offered Serana as she slid in besides the redguard, handing her a large red bottle.

"That's not what I meant," replied Yosa'Min as she recognized the blood potion.

"We don't have time for a feeding," said the sire as she scanned the area, "we need to find the moth priest."

Waving the notion off, Yosa'Min jiggled the cage door but it was locked. "Well you can do that while I tend to my needs."

"And if you kill her by accident? You haven't fed from anyone without doing that yet. We can't leave any evidence that we were here."

Sighing, the redguard gave in and took the potion. The hunger faded as she drank it, though the thick scent of blood was still edging her back towards doing something rash. As they began to examine the cages that held one or several thralls each, she spotted her sire drinking a potion as well. Eventually they found the elderly man, sitting in a cage with many lashes upon his body. His robes were torn like the rest of the thralls, fresh wounds still marring his body and his face was gaunt with hunger like the others as well. What was unique to the bearded man however, was the piece of cloth wrapped around his eyes. "This can't be good," muttered Serana as they approached. Yosa'Min easily unlocked the cage and they slipped inside, the moth priest tilting his head towards them and reaching out with his hands. "You've gone blind?" She asked.

"Yes," he replied with a strained voice, "I am afraid I was not prepared well enough to read the Elder Scroll you brought to me my Lady."

"Is he still enthralled?" Whispered Yosa'Min, Serana nodding softly.

"I am sorry I am unable to assist you further."

"It's fine," replied Serana comfortingly, "What did they do to you? Why are you harmed?" She could understand him being fed off of, the bite marks between the tears in his robes were easy enough to spot, what confused her however was what looked like lashes from a whip across his body.

"When the second Elder Scroll was brought to the castle, Lord Harkon wanted me to read it. Unfortunately I already had succumbed to my blindness due to reading the first one. He was enraged, and had me chained and whipped for failing him."

Frowning, Serana sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."

"My Lady?"

"It was cruel of him to treat you in such a way," she replied, "I wish I could say that the old him wouldn't have harmed you but that would be a lie." Stepping back, she turned to Yosa'Min who was staring at the wounds upon the aged mortal. "I'm afraid we're going to have to find another way to read those scrolls."

Looking up at her sire, Yosa'Min chewed on her lip for a minute. "I could."

"What?"

"I could read it, I've done it before."

Baffled, Serana tilted her head. "You have?"

"I had to in order to learn how to force a dragon to the ground with my Thu'um. It showed me the great nords of old that battled Alduin on the Throat of the World. I didn't go blind doing it though I don't know if my luck will hold up twice."

The priest waved his hands quickly, catching their attention with ease. "If this is true then perhaps you can do it again. There is a place, known as the Ancestor Glade, that might help you in doing so. It is to the southeast of Falkreath, in a set of caves." The redguard paled at the thought of returning to the forested hold. "If you use the drawing knife upon one of the canticle trees within, you should be able to attract enough of the ancestor moths that they will help you read the Elder Scrolls with less risk to yourself."

"I'd rather not go blind," remarked Yosa'Min.

"If you have attracted enough of them, they will help you focus. Their magic is a great aid to reading Elder Scrolls. They are why we are called moth priests. If you have read an Elder Scroll before, it is quite possible you were meant to read these as well. They have a mind of their own, and if you do not wish for you to read them then you never would."

Sighing, the redguard glanced at Serana. "You know I think when I'm old and crotchety I'm going to kill for one day without magic." The nord chuckled softly.

"You will need to read all three of them to get a clear view of how you will acquire Auriel's Bow."

"Three!" Objected the short woman. "Sweet merciful Kynareth I'm really gonna see how much Nocturnal loves me... We need the other two then Serana."

"My father has them..." replied Serana, frowning with thought. "Yosa-"

"I can do it."

"Are you sure?"

Smirking, the fledgling nodded her head. "I was a thief, one of the best, I'm sure I can break into wherever they're keeping the Elder Scrolls."

"Only if you're certain." Yosa'Min nodded her head. "They're most likely in my father's room, locked up somewhere."

"Gonna need to know how to get there," replied the fledgling, something about her shifting before the sire's eyes. Hardness filled her sunset eyes, determination and poise rather than witty comments or heavy emotions visible in those burning orbs.

"It's right next to the shrine room."

With another nod, she stretched a bit before dropping low. "Keep quiet, I'll be back soon," she said before slipping out of the cage. On the side opposite of where they'd enter there was a set of stairs that took her into a kitchen, various items used for cooking scattered across tables and counters. There was an obscene amount of blood kegs lining the walls, and she could only wonder how some of that was still fresh. Mindful of the closed coffin that most likely belonged to the chef, the redguard was soon at the entrance to the main hall. It had been early night when they'd returned from the Soul Cairn, making the redguard hope that only some of the fellows in the castle had awoken from their daytime slumber just yet. She carefully peered around the corner to check for a clear coast. Standing on the balcony was Lord Harkon, the vampire lord fuming with rage as he shouted at Orthjolf and Vingalmo.

"I don't care what it takes, you will find them!"

"Lord Harkon, we have no clue where they've gone," protested Vingalmo, standing in the center of the court with the fiery haired nord. "They've simply vanished."

Harkon sneered, and teleported down below in a flurry of shadows and bats. He grasped the altmer by the neck and slammed him into a nearby table. "People do not simply vanish," he growled, "they leave and hide or die. Last time you were able to track her down, and now she does not have her treacherous mother assisting her! You will find her!"

"Lord Harkon, please!" Weakly protested the elf further, grasping pitifully at the nordic vampire's hands. "I cannot find her if I'm dead!"

Releasing him and stepping back, Harkon smoothed out his robes and glared once more in warning before he turned into a cloud of bats once more and reappeared up on the balcony. "All of you will search the lands for my daughter and her fledgling, do not return until you have found any sign of her or I have summoned you myself!" The other assembled vampires gave obedient nods and rushed through the main gate into the castle. Orthjolf and Vingalmo lingered for a few terrible moments, looking up at the fuming vampire lord, before they too moved to leave.

Though her heart did not beat in her chest, she could easily imagine it doing so in panic. Harkon was onto them, and hunting them. Swallowing dryly, she waited until the last of the vampires had left the chamber and Harkon had gone somewhere else before she dashed across it. While it wasn't all that wide, it was far enough that she feared some keen set of eyes would spot her. Nocturnal smiled down upon her however as she made it without incident, and was swiftly turning around the corner to the shrine and spotted the door that must have led into Harkon's chamber. She crept up to it, making sure she didn't make a sound, and pressed her ear to it. Listening as closely as she could, she tried to hear him stirring inside, when Harkon's voice resounded from the direction of the laboratory on the other side of the castle. Relieved, she slipped inside with ease.

Over the years as a thief, Yosa'Min had crept into many a place she wasn't supposed to, including bedrooms. She's seen quaint ones and grand ones, messy and well kept, but nothing had ever been like this one. Harkon's bed chamber was two tiered, a small step of stairs leading up to the raised section on the far side where his bed and various personal affects were located. On the first level, was a fireplace on the left with a pair of chairs and a small end table, the fire recently tended to and crackling quite loudly. What was unique however, was the long table with torture tools precisely laid out across it. Her blood turned cold as she spotted vials and long curving tools, wood axes and scissors mixed between curious irons and spoons. A rather familiar wooden rack was nearby, the same kind as what Isran had strapped her into and she felt ghosting pain along where he'd stabbed and burned her. Fresh blood was spilled on the ground, mingling with rubble and torn rugs.

Wondering just how far off into insanity he truly had wandered, Yosa'Min was quick to search for the Elder Scrolls. Easily and gratefully rushing past the torture scene, she began to rummage in his more personal portion of his bedroom. There was a set of display cases nearest to the stairs, and she frowned to not find the legendary magical items within them. There was also a long wooden storage box running the length of the railings, and she quickly picked the lock. "There you are," she whispered with delight as she took in the two shimmering golden scrolls. Lifting the rather heavy items into her hands, she carefully closed it without making a sound and crept back, strapping them both over her back like a bow and quiver.

She was about to set down the stairs when she heard the door open, and with terror she dove to the other side of his green laden bed. Keeping as quiet as she could, the vampire listened to footsteps on stone floors, and soon didn't have to wonder who it was. "Foolish girl," muttered Harkon, a chair creaking as he sat in it. "Where does she think she can run away to? Same place as her mother perhaps... My dear Serana have you lost your mind?"

Gritting her teeth in muted frustration, Yosa'Min waited for him to leave but it seemed that would not happen soon. Knowing that Serana couldn't hide in the cattle pens forever, she poked her head around the bed in hopes of spotting the dangerous vampire. What she was met with was the man himself standing inches away, glowering. "I could smell you," he growled out, a sword in hand.

"Oh... I forgot," she gulped.

Harkon surged forward to grab her but Yosa'Min dodged with the same fancy trick he was quite a fan of, reappearing by the steps and she took off without a thought. "Get back here Yosa'Min!" He called after her, the redguard ignoring his demand and rushing down the stairs into the main chamber. She was cut off by a trio of thralls that groaned words at her that made no sense. Evading them with a certain skill few possessed, she ran as quickly as she could to the door she'd come through. A flash of darkness was the only warning she had before Harkon had moved in front of her, the redguard slamming into him and stumbling backwards with a brisk hiss.

"Where do you think you're going?" He said, voice dripping a certain kind of danger. "I must wonder, why not head for the door? What's down here that you needed to get to first?" Harkon motioned with a hand and Fura Bloodmouth, one of the few vampires that hadn't departed the castle, rushed past him to investigate. He was slowly advancing towards Yosa'Min, the growl of deathhounds filling her ears and she whirled her head around to see the dark dogs creeping ever closer. "Where is my daughter?"

"My Lady is out of your reach," hissed the redguard, backing up slowly.

"Your Lady?" He mocked, "She might be royalty in this court but I am your Lord and you answer to me."

Daring the most she could, she managed to get a table between them though it meant nothing. "I'm afraid not."

"I should have taken you as my own immediately!" He snapped, something boiling beneath the mask of rage he wore. It was far more savage than what he allowed to show, waiting to be let out and dying to consume. "I will give you one chance to turn the Elder Scrolls over to me and reveal the location of my daughter, or I shall make this the most painful experience of your miserable life."

"As painful as what you did to Valerica and Serana?" Snapped Yosa'Min, trying to find a weapon she might use and creeping towards the blacksmith in a slow circular motion. They were like a pair of wolves squaring off, waiting for the advantage before striking. "Giving them to Molag Bal like that! What did you have to offer for your power, slaves, your family? What did you lose that day!?"

"My mortality of course," he purred, and then rushed forward.

Yosa'Min watched his swift approach and as soon as he was close enough she opened her mouth and sucked in a mighty breath. "YOL!" Without much time before he'd have been upon her, she could only manage the weakest form of the shout but it was still enough. Harkon screeched as he fell back, fire licking at his armor and the softest of burns upon his body. The hounds howled in agony as their bodies were set aflame. "Wanna try that again?" She growled in warning.

"What pleasant surprises you have for me," he replied, a curl to his lips that unnerved her. "I certainly won't waste you."

"You'll have to bite me first," she spat, at last near the door and she sprinted inside with the elder vampire hot on her heels. She jumped the railing and rolled upon landing, grabbing the first weapon she could and turned around just as Harkon lunged at her. She blocked his strike with the haft of a bow, and gritted her teeth as she felt it give beneath his steel. "She's not your pawn anymore!" She snarled, spitting in his face before rolling away from his followup attack. Harkon growled lowly, flicked a hand, and she felt her strength suddenly waning. Waves of red light rolled over her body and twisted towards his outstretched hand, Yosa'Min gritting her teeth as she struggled with even standing. "YOL!" She shouted the moment she could, burning several pieces of furniture and Harkon had to momentarily release the spell in order to block the attack. In that gap of time she snagged a quiver full of arrows and darted back to the rest of the castle.

Something slammed into her back, and she gasped as she felt fangs pierce her neck, her body smashing into the bloodstained floor. Fire burned throughout her, Harkon's weight forcing her down and she couldn't get him off try as she might. Instead she did the one thing she thought she could, and shouted once more. "FEIM!" Her body turned a ghostly blue before becoming entirely translucent, Harkon no longer stealing her blood but instead biting a spirit of a woman. She easily slipped from beneath him then, and took off towards the thrall pens once more, a slightly stunned Harkon trying to understand how she'd escaped.

Just as she'd entered the passageway Fura came running, ignoring Yosa'Min's ghostly form and shouting for Lord Harkon. The redguard blinked as Serana came running after her, magic swirling around her hands. Then her translucent form was over and Serana barely avoided ramming into her. "Serana!" Shouted Harkon with fury, "What is the meaning of all of this! Why is your fledgling stealing the Elder Scrolls? Why have you turned against me?"

Serana glanced between, her eyes zoning in on the fresh bite mark on Yosa'Min's neck, and she turned to her father with a special kind of anger. "I'm done playing your games father!" She proclaimed, "And you will not harm Yosa'Min with them either!"

"Games? What games?"

"Don't play stupid with me. You don't care what gets in your way to power, even if that means you have to destroy your family to get it."

"You sound like your mother," he growled.

"I'd rather sound like her than you."

"Where will you go?" He demanded, stepping towards them but she hissed so fiercely even he gave pause. "My control of this province is far greater than you can imagine. If you try to leave I will find you. Stay, my sweet daughter, and we can stop the sun together!"

"Take out the sun and the mortals are sure to come after you," she warned, "and maybe we'll just leave Skyrim then? You're too far gone father, I'm afraid I have no other choice."

Harkon's eyes were slits as he loomed towards them. "You've been talking to your mother, haven't you?"

"You'll never know," she hissed back, "consider this goodbye father."

"Serana!" He lunged forward, ignoring the pair of arrows that Yosa'Min had managed to shoot into his chest. Serana grabbed the redguard by the wrist and the pair of them began running. He shouted after them, casting spells that sapped their strength but unable to stop them as they made it to the grand doors at the front. Fura Bloodmouth jumped in the way, but was quickly shouted to the side by Yosa'Min. They'd made it as far as the jetty before they were forced to stop, Serana whirling around to block Harkon's sword just in time.

Gritting her fangs as she held her father back with but only a dagger, Serana shouted at Yosa'Min as she strung an arrow. "We can't make it across on that boat quick enough. You need to transform!"

"Are you sure? We could stop him right now if I transformed!"

Closing her eyes for a moment, Serana stared into Harkon's furious eyes, picturing the man she'd once known and taking in the one before her. She could easily remember walking the perimeter of the island with him, her father watching out for her as she explored their new home and smiling when she praised how spectacular it seemed. Try as she might, looking into his enraged eyes she could still see the small bits of kindness and what once was love. Her heart ached at the thought of striking him down despite the danger he posed, and with a heavy sigh she shook her head. "I... I can't."

Sighing with understanding, Yosa'Min lowered the bow and began to concentrate on her secondary form. Serana kicked Harkon back as the redguard's body began to contort, dodging his following attacks and sending an ice spike through one of his arms. "Please father!" She pleaded, "We don't have to do this!"

"If you are not with me then you are against me," he seethed, rushing forward and getting in a trio of slices across one of her arms. She cried out in pain, staggering to the side, and blasted lightning at him. Harkon moved back towards the bridge, and rushed once more as soon as the spell was done.

"We could have been a family!" She cried, Harkon getting in another good blow. "I don't want to kill you!"

"If only that were true," he spat, "I know you've conspired against me for centuries. All the way back to your mother to now!"

"That's a lie!"

"Then prove it! Give me Yosa'Min and the Elder Scrolls, join me at my side as we conquer the sun once and for all!"

Serana smiled sadly at him, shaking her head as she prepared another spell. "I wouldn't be your daughter I would be a tool."

"You're wrong!" He shouted, swinging his blade and catching Serana as she tried to dodge. She screamed as the sword sliced through her armor across her side, making her stagger. Harkon raised his sword high, intending to inflict the final blow, when he finally noticed that Yosa'Min was not turning into a vampire lord as expected. He nearly dropped the blade as the redguard roared with might, finishing her transformation and taking on the form of a hybrid dragon. "Amazing!" He gasped in awe, already imagining so much they could do until he recalled she was no longer on his side.

Raged burned in Yosa'Min's eyes as she lunged forward, wrapping her forearms around Serana to pull her into safety, wings flapping powerfully to raise the draconic vampire into the sky above the castle. Her tail swung around and caught the vampire lord, sending him sailing across the bridge towards the castle. Yosa'Min curled upwards, and landed on top of the nearby tower, placing a bleeding Serana down carefully on the roof. "Yosa..." She uttered as she tried to find another blood potion, "Be careful." The Dragonborn blinked once, snorted clouds of smoke, and then jumped from the tower back towards where she spotted Harkon fleeing towards the safety of the keep. Snarling in disgust, she attempted to pursue but he was using the shadows to move faster than humanly possible, making it to the massive door just as she would have taken his head with her claws.

Shouting in outrage, she slammed her claws down again and again against the wooden door until it gave, snapping into smaller pieces and she managed to get her long serpentine neck through. Harkon stood on the other side, fear awash on his face and without another thought he fled further into the castle as she wiggled more of herself in. The second archway inside groaned as he raced through and a massive stone wall dropped down from above. Roaring with fury still, flames burst from her mouth to try and melt through it but the dark stone would not even glow. Yosa'Min slammed her claws upon it several times over before she gave up, remembering she had an injured sire atop a tower, and flew up to where Serana awaited.

The brunet's head was down when Yosa'Min arrived, foreclaws clutching the edge of the tower while the rest of her hung from the side, wings beating loudly. "I'm sorry... I-"

"You don't have to apologize," replied Yosa'Min as she dipped her neck so that Serana might climb onto her. "We'll just deal with this as we go." Nodding softly, Serana kept a tight grip on the spines along her back. "Let's see how far I can get in this form," she laughed, trying to cheer up her sire, her voice echoing over the waters. She flapped her wings furiously, pushing off the tower and climbing into the sky.

The stars were brilliantly shining around them, nary a cloud in sight, and within a few beats of her wings Yosa'Min had crossed the sea and was flying over land. Exhilarated, she completely ignored what lay on the ground or sat upon her back, instead focused on the sky and land as she soared over head. Suddenly she understood why so many dragons would reveal themselves with mighty roars, and let loose a mighty bellow. "Come on Serana!" She laughed with glee, "You're riding a dragon!"

Despite herself, she could only give a weak nod. "Yeah..." Her mind however, was not upon the majestic and beautiful ride through the sky, but instead of her father. "I'm sorry..." She whispered again, burying her face against Yosa'Min's green scales. The Dragonborn sighed, and the rest of the flight was in silence.