Torina felt the sickness of panic building within her.

Since the...episode in the fissure, she'd been resolutely ignoring her feelings for Gelebor. The moment she realized there was even a small chance they were reciprocated, a stone formed in her stomach.

Men and mer had approached her in the past so she was far from naive to what was happening. Since Helgen she'd skyrocketed to celebrity in most of the holds of Skyrim. Not always for a good reason, but that was the nature of gossip in Tamriel, and her own brash nature. She learned quickly how far someone would go to try and acquire her power. Marriage proposals, dowries, contracts, she'd seen all manner of attempts. The first few were enticing in her youthful naivete and nearly won her over to pledge her faithfulness in the eyes of Mara. For one reason or another those fledgling attempts were broken, most of her own accord. Some weren't clean breaks for her reputation or her heart.

Now she was grateful for the drive to explore and adventure that kept her from staying in one place long enough to become attached.

There were others who merely sought her as a conquest. Doubly so, for her 'exotic' appearance. Granted, she used them for creature comforts just the same as they used her. Torina was no blushing virgin, and regardless of the opinions of some, neither was she a two-bit trollop. She'd been discreet and selective in her choices and regretted exactly none of them. Some nights while traveling alone across the land she'd lain in her bed in an inn or along a trail and brought herself pleasure at the memories of those encounters. Those secret moments ended abruptly when she realized that her mind was frequently picking only one mer to think on. One she'd never bedded to begin with, with long fingers, entrancing pale skin, and a gaze that pinned her like a luna moth beneath glass.

Now her cheeks heated almost on cue when she entered the same room as Gelebor, or even when she thought of him. She chalked her feelings up to infatuation, admiration for his intellect and strength perhaps, and tried to lock them away within her. There was no time to pursue anything. Besides, a mer of his age and prestige shouldn't be bothered by a mer like herself, a less than chaste reputation behind her and a mess of murky involvements with Daedra. Daedra that very likely destroyed his entire race.

What a sordid mess that could be.

The worst part, to her, was that the entire trip into the fissure was a waste. That chest held nothing of value to their research. All it did was serve to fortify her burgeoning...interest in the mer.

"Your idea regarding the involvement of the Daedra has merit, Torina," Gelebor said one afternoon several days after they'd almost been found by some of the Betrayed.

He sat cross-legged on a window ledge. The room they occupied used to be one of many dining halls but the two of them were slowly turning it into a research laboratory. Outside, the winter sunlight was bright against the ice and snow, though it offered no warmth in its rays.

Torina kept her eyes on her lap where she had a book open for notes, her voice growing more agitated with each sentence. "Of course, who else would have enough power to revert or affect a sentient race like this? Aedra have been known to change races before - Azura with the Chimer for instance - but it didn't desecrate them to their cores. All Falmer should have black souls, and yet they carry white, like animals. Even the worst men and mer I've faced in battle carried black souls still. Aedra aren't without fault, but this is further than I could see any of that pantheon going - the Daedra are far more likely. It's barbaric to consider what's happened!"

Gelebor stayed silent a few moments after her impassioned outburst. Before he could speak again, Torina sighed and apologized, looking up at her companion. "I shouldn't lash out at you, of all people, about this."

"I share your frustration," Gelebor said. His eyes were closed and he looked almost relaxed against the ornate stone windowframe. If not for the pinched expression on his face he could be asleep. "And I agree. No other entity except an Aedra or Daedra is powerful enough to do this. The history the Dwemer fostered with the deities also connects perfectly - their open mocking made my race anxious and uncomfortable at the best of times, especially with our previous closeness to Auri-El. Knowledge and the pursuit of it is a righteous endeavor, a pursuit my race and those like us shared, but not enough to replace the Ones who influence and created Nirn."

Torina chewed on one of her fingernails but stopped before she bit it to the quick. "I wish I could connect the two events with more evidence, but from what I see all signs point to whatever forced the Dwemer to disappear."

"I agree. The information on that phenomena is sparse. I lived in a time with the Dwemer and now without, and unfortunately resided in hiding during the event that caused their disappearance. And, I was not around my people enough to see their regression." Gelebor kept his eyes shut but lifted his hands to rub his face. "There are many things I wish I could remember more clearly of that time."

"How are you so sure it was an event, and not a series of exodus?" Torina asked. Her hand hovered on a note in Nelacar's handwriting, that very question written in five different ways without a direct answer. "Nelacar, my Altmer friend in Winterhold, has theorized there was likely a great war or flight from Skyrim regarding the Aetherium Forge. It's far more logical than an entire race vanishing into thin air overnight."

"His theories, while sound, are incorrect. Not even the Dwemer in their folly would let that mineral eradicate them entirely. They had far too much pride but enough self-preservation to outweigh it. No. The event was swift and sudden like crushing an ant beneath your foot. I am sure of it."

With brows furrowed in thought, Torina looked at the way her scarred hands pressed into the paper, smudges on her knuckles from ink and charcoal. The ashen grey of her skin looked darker next to the ivory paper and the light blue of her tunic sleeve. "I think I agree with you, especially if the Daedra had anything to do with this. The question is...which one? There are several I would dismiss entirely, of course, like Peryite or Meridia. Their meddling in Mundus doesn't fit what we're looking for."

"What of a joint effort between several Daedra?" Gelebor suggested.

"I don't know them to get along well enough for that. Each has their own end-goal. But...it would require so much power to erase an entire race like this, and completely change another, that I think you're right." Torina sat back and looked over to Gelebor. His eyes were open now and she felt the weight of them on her as surely as she could feel the circlet on her head or the rings on her fingers. "I would have a better feel for which Daedra could be at fault if there was more physical proof of their disappearance. The only things really left behind by the Dwemer seem to be their machines and tools made from their specially forged metal. Have you been inside any of the ruins since their disappearance?"

Gelebor shook his head. "No. I've not left the Vale or the cave system below it in many centuries."

With a sigh, Torina sat back harder into her chair and folded her arms, attempting to hide her agitation. "I feel as though we're running in circles. The answer feels as though it's resting on a ledge in sight but just out of reach!" She shot up and paced in front of the fireplace a few times before marching towards the doors, leaving without comment.

Through the ornate double doors she was met with a short hallway. Several hundred square feet of the palace-like citadel had been uncovered through Gelebor's efforts so she was able to wander for a few minutes before catching herself headed towards the upper balcony. Nights when she couldn't sleep and the itch to drink another potion almost consumed her she would go there. The open sky sung sweet soothing music to her soul. The biting air that high in the snow-covered mountains revitalized her - that cold was more effective than any stamina or focus potion could be. Here, the air was thin and didn't carry the taste of earth, only stone and ice and the occasional whiff of a Falmer campfire. Something about it centered her.

So, she allowed herself to venture there, a place she hadn't gone to in the daylight very often due to the glare of the sun against the snow at almost blinding levels, to think.

Gelebor waited before following her, allowing her a head start. She sat kneeling at the topmost level of the balcony, facing the mountains and sky, breathing deeply with her eyes closed. The rush of frustration still heated her blood and she fidgeted even as she tried to meditate. Weeks had passed without any true headway. He understood her reaction, empathized, but had accumulated a high tolerance of patience those years spent underground.

Since he realized she was out of sorts, he did his best not to startle her on his walk towards her. "Your theories are more useful than any I've had myself, Torina. My mind was stuck puzzling over my brother and not the fate of my race, a flaw to be sure. That lasted for several eras. The headway we've made in the months since your arrival is staggering by comparison. I never considered the possibility that my people were changed to their souls. I've waited millenia for these answers. I can wait a few months or years more."

Torina's face pinched and she squinted up at Gelebor. The bright sunshine at this altitude and reflected on the snow and ice was painful to her eyes more suited for the dark. Another after-effect of time in the Soul Cairn as a vampire. She didn't have an answer for him right away but was glad he'd joined her on the balcony and for his words. She hoped he understood how much that assurance meant to her.

"You're far more patient than I am," she said solemnly, looking down at her hands.

Gelebor moved to kneel in front of her, a rueful smile on his lips. "Out of necessity. We will find our answers, my friend. I am sure of it."

In this position she still was shorter than the elf, but not by much. Her hands, resting on her knees, gripped a little tighter. The sunlight here shone across his skin more beautifully than a dawn over the mountaintops. She found herself staring at his lips as he spoke again.

"Would you join me inside, Torina? I fear the air here is stronger than your robes - you're trembling."

Torina felt the tremors in her arms and chest, then, as Gelebor pointed them out. Her lips fell open briefly and she wondered if she dared admit exactly why she trembled. Sitting as they were, he was the closest he'd been since that moment in the cave. The urge to lift herself slightly, and lean forward just a touch, was hard to ignore. She wanted so badly to trust him. She didn't want to fail him, either.

"Gelebor," she started to say. She took a breath to steady herself. "I want - there are so many things I want. Do you understand?"

Pale eyes met crimson with a steadfast gaze. Gelebor rested his much warmer hands against her fingers, and both felt burned from the difference of cold against heat.

"I want to understand," he said, unsure what else to say in answer. He wanted to get her back inside where there was a warm fire in the grate and a stew that was nearly finished cooking. "We can speak more on it when you return with me."

"Torina?" Serana's voice cut through the quiet moment like a blade. "Gelebor, where are you?"

Gelebor tore his eyes from Torina's to look behind her. "We are here, Serana!" He lowered his voice again and coaxed Torina to stand before the vampire could see them.

The pair were nearly to the entrance of the balcony when Serana appeared. Her face was serious as she led her charges. Her orange eyes squinted against the bright sunlight and she opened her mouth before either mer could say another word. "I'm sorry, there was no other way to get the answers we need."

Torina, shoulders squared and most of her previous vulnerability hidden, regarded the two newcomers with exasperated expressions.

"Dexion. Sorine. What are you doing here?"

Gelebor sat between Serana and Torina at the round table that evening. After the trek from Volkihar to the Vale, the two newcomers needed time to thaw and recover before recounting their reasons for coming to the hidden place.

The snow elf had donned formal robes for the occasion. Doubly because they were lined with soft furs and the night outside was clear and cold, seeping through the bricks of the citadel, not to mention the habit of showing his best for guests. Old royal habits died hard, it seemed.

He'd lent Torina the charcoal cloak he'd worn the night they'd traveled to the fissure. As he'd rested it on her shoulders he was reminded of that close moment and was glad she was faced away from him, as a blush lightly colored his cheeks. Undoubtedly the clothes in the citadel bedchambers they hadn't uncovered yet would be rotted beyond saving and she still had limited options. Most of her clothing was designed for battle, not comfort. A trip to acquire more suitable clothing for his guests, especially the warm blooded Dunmer, would be in order. The others were properly dressed for the weather though they were offered similar treatment from their host.

The sight of Torina wearing his cloak was constantly distracting. However, Gelebor kept himself from ignoring the matters at hand.

All the plates were cleared before them without much conversation. The meal was heartier than what Gelebor and Torina had enjoyed in the weeks since the vampire left to contact the moth priest. On their way up to the citadel the group had collected several salmon and brought supplies from the Dawnguard. Combined with the mushrooms and wild game Torina brought in from the Vale, it left the mortals full and sated. Serana had joined them at the table but, of course, did not attempt to consume more than a mouthful or so for taste.

The moth priest cleared his throat to break the silence. All eyes were on him.

"Serana explained some of the dilemma facing you," Dexion said. His hands folded on the table before him. "Though I'd hoped to hear and learn more directly, from the both of you."

Torina shifted in her seat next to Gelebor, but if she were unsettled by Dexion, she was hiding it well. Her tone was flat, even though her words were accusatory. "I'd asked that you both remain with the Dawnguard. The research is important but not nearly as important as the sanctity of this place - and both of your safety considering this blasted Civil War."

"You're a proud fool, Torina," Sorine said. "Avoiding us isn't going to solve this."

Gelebor could hear Torina grinding her teeth. The crimson of her eyes sparkled in the light from the roaring fireplace, casting her stony expression with hard lines, and throwing a rust colored shade over her ashen skin. There was a moment he could feel, even see, the way the dragon's soul within her was shaping her on the outside. An electric buzz along his arms warned him she was holding her temper as best she could.

"I may be proud but I am no fool. How long until Durak or Isran try to come to the Vale? And if the entire company joins them, the Forsworn in the valley beyond would certainly notice an entire legion of soldiers and their families entering a tiny almost hidden cave. And to what end? Their good intentions carry a heavy price. Serana and I have taken great pains to ensure that Gelebor and the rest of this Vale has been left as untouched by the outside world as possible." Torina paused and took a deep breath to move her tone back to something flat and unsettling rather than emotional. "Prove to me that your entry here will not disturb the Vale further."

Sorine leaned forward on the table, and waved off Dexion when he tried to shush her. "Who are you to speak for the Vale, then, Dragonborn?"

A snarl ripped from Torina's throat long enough to shake the ceiling above, and she stood, slamming her hands on the table to rattle the dishware. The power of her Voice silenced the table. Everyone regarded her with wide eyes. An almost empty goblet of wine toppled to the floor. Her outburst seemed out of place compared to Sorine's question.

Standing as she was, Gelebor half expected steam to start curling from her nostrils. "You would do well not to question my methods, Sorine. Prove it to me. Prove the Dawnguard will not follow you. Until you do, the Falmer are in danger. An entire ecosystem beneath our feet could be destroyed. I will not allow these people to be destroyed because you and Dexion could not contain your incessant curiosity."

"Falmer? In danger?" Sorine scoffed, nearly unfazed by Torina's posture. "The Falmer are more a danger to us than we are to them."

Palms still flat against the table, Torina dug her fingers into the top and left black scorch marks where fire was called to her fingertips. Another soft snarl reverberated from her throughout the hall, and several icicles crashed to the floor near the windows at the far end.

That was enough to force Gelebor to speak.

"Enough! From all of you. I trust that Sorine and Dexion have come to the Vale in the light of Auri-El, with intentions meant only to assist, not to detract from our work. There is no indication otherwise. Torina you have spoken highly of your Dawnguard companions, and I recall their names specifically. Does this not also apply to those who have joined us wishing only to assist?" Combined with the light from the fire and the pale moonlight through the windows, Torina blushed and her face reminded him of the last moments of dusk before true nightfall. Gelebor allowed the awkward silence to hang for another minute longer then turned to his newest guests. "Your journey must have proven difficult as winter falls around us. Please, let's retire for the evening. Our eyes and tempers will be fresher in the morning sun."

A chastised silence filled the room. Dexion looked extremely relieved that Gelebor had spoken up to halt the women's argument. In contrast, Serana looked nothing short of entertained, though she kept out of the squabbles. The vampire followed her friend out of the room as Torina turned and stalked away without a word. Torina almost succeeded in slamming the doors between the dining hall and corridor, except Serana was there to stop them. Orange eyes glowing in the night, she looked over her shoulder before leaving and nodded at Gelebor once, reaffirming to him that he had done the right thing.

[A/N] Been a while since I've done one of these so just a reminder:

I have the same userID on AO3 and also cross-publish this over there. I am more active there. I also have a tumblr that has asks open where I post a variety of things related to the fandoms I am active in.