Well, hello again! Will I ever finish this story? Lord knows. . .
Warning: Major spoilers for Dawnguard DLC. Just so you know.
"I call upon Oblivion realms. The home of those who are not our ancestors. Answer my plea! As in death there is new life, in Oblivion there is a beginning for that which has ended." The mage raised his palms toward the night sky, "I call fourth that power! Accept the soul that we offer! As the sun ends the night, end the darkness of this soul! return life to the creature you see before you!"
Lydia's eyes fluttered, knees weak. . . Terah observed with interest her dearest friend's reaction to the cure. In mere moments of hearing Falion's words, her face settled into a peaceful mask as she gracefully collapsed to the ground, Farkas barely catching her fall in time. The twins' faces were plagued with worry, but the dragonborn knew all too well that their friend was fine.
Odd. Such grace. Do all cures go so smoothly? She supposed so, as she pondered the idea. Gazing down affectionately upon Lydia's face, she offered comfort. "Relax, you two. She will wake with the dawn anew, reborn, rosy cheeks and all. Trust me," she added with a curt nod.
Teldryn had been watching at a small distance just outside of the ritual mound, equally transfixed and fascinated with the experience. There was something about Terah's voice that was so. . . comfortable, sometimes. That was the only way he could describe it. It was as if she could coax the wildest of beasts into her trust. A gift he found so rare in people, let alone Nords.
The burley twins laid the resting woman on a bedroll for the night, seeing that it was preferred for Lydia to stay within the ritual mound until she woke. Terah's eyes caught those of her Dunmer comrade as she bid her fellow Nords farewell for the moment to speak with Teldryn privately, but of what, he was not sure. Was she to finally elaborate on her werewolf friendships? Or perhaps to scold him for some offensive thing he said? She had been keeping him out of the loop ever since she reunited with her Companions, and it was starting to get to him. Such a secretive little thing.
They walked some distance away from the ritual site to gain some privacy. Comfortable silence hovered between them, only sounds of sloshing footsteps in the marsh could be heard. Terah finally slowed her pace and rounded to look her friend in the eyes, sighing earnestly. "I suspect you have questions," she inquired as the corner of her mouth tilted upward ever so slightly.
Leveling with her, Teldryn removed his helm as to speak to her face-to-face. Much more honest that way. "Well," he said nonchalantly, locking his helmet into its nook on his back. "I don't know where to start, truly."
He looked down at her smooth, calm features. It was dark, but the moonlight shone bright across her pale skin. Gray eyes peered up at him patiently, honest and open to him. It was a change from her normally caged demeanor, and he had to admit, he was almost struck by the beauty he saw before him. She simply waited, eyes locked onto his as a small smile formed on her lips.
He shook his head, snapping out of his trance. The elf latched onto the first thought he could muster; "First: How do you know so much about vampirism?"
"The answer is quite simple, actually. I was once a vampire."
Now, he gawked. "What?" His eyes wide, incredulous, "You. Were a vampire?"
She choked back a laugh. "Indeed."
"How? Were you attacked? Were you unaware that you caught the disease?" Surely she would recognize signs and symptoms. The wheels in his mind spun rapidly as he looked down upon the young woman with. . . pity? He could not say. He could not imagine what the poor girl had been through.
"I've encountered many a vampire in my time, but no. This was a choice I made. I. . ." she struggled, "Asked for it. From a friend. A very powerful, vampiric friend."
Pity immediately turned to confusion, and perhaps a spark of anger. Teldryn hated vampires. Why in Oblivion would this perfectly respectable woman ask for such a thing?! After a moment of letting her words sink in, he snapped at her, "Are you mad?"
"A bit, yes," she admitted, unabashed. "Surely you were able to gather that much before I revealed this bit about myself."
She had a point. "But- Still!" he stammered. "Vampires are foul and murderous creatures! How could you -"
"Relax," she waved a hand at him. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't know of the cure. There was once a vampire problem here in Morthal that I helped with while I was passing through on my way to Solitude. This was years ago, mind you, during some of my earliest travels in this fine land. Anyways, I befriended Falion and he taught me of vampirism. Some years later, after the defeat of Alduin, I found myself caught up in a vampire war that most never even knew existed. I was faced with a desperate situation that required me to either give up part of my soul, or become a vampire. Knowing it would not be permanent, I chose the latter. Funny how things work out."
Brows furrowed on his angular face. He blatantly stared at her, not sure if she was full of it or not. After some time studying her expression and mulling her words over in his head, he decided she was telling the honest-to-gods truth. He couldn't hide the smirk growing on his face as he shook his head, "You're still crazy."
"Again, haven't we established this already?" she teased.
"Wait!" he exclaimed, dying to know more details. "Tell me about the vampire war you speak of."
The dragonborn grinned, amused by his enthusiasm. Seeing that they were sitting ducks until dawn anyways, she obliged. Sitting on a rock, she motioned him to join next to her. Terah spoke of the rise of the Dawnguard, her first encounter with Lord Harkon, the Elder Scroll, how Serana had become her friend. . . but she hesitated to tell him about the Falmer. The real snow elves. It was a secret she held very close to her heart, and it almost haunted her. Such a sad fate. . .
Shaking the thought from her head, she shrugged. Teldryn knew too much already, and he could be trusted. This she knew undoubtedly, but how she knew she could not say. Terah fidgeted a bit to get the elegant, white elven bow off her back and returned to her original position, shoulder-to-shoulder with her Dunmer friend. "You've seen me use this, yes?"
"I have," he acknowledged. "It's admittedly the most beautiful bow I've ever seen."
"Isn't it?" she smiled as she traced the carvings along the bow with her finger, admiring the artwork.
"Fitting for you to have it."
The words came out on their own, so tenderly for such a gruff voice. Terah's smile faded slightly as she looked into his eyes, not entirely sure what he meant with his words. Is he. . ? No, you're overthinking it, she told herself.
Teldryn gulped. He hadn't meant to be so forthright about his admiration for her. Surely she knew what effect she had on him. Didn't she? He could remember how she tasted, so sweet and smooth like honey. Their close proximity didn't help his thoughts, for now he could smell her scent of lavender and old magic. It would be so easy. . .
The little Nord broke eye contact, returning her attention to the bow. A small flush crept up her cheeks, but she forced herself to ignore it. "This," she started, clearing her throat, "This bow is why there was a war in the first place."
A brow rose at her, silently urging her to elaborate.
"This is Auriel's bow," she admitted. Teldryn could be trusted with this knowledge. "With the right arrows, it has the ability to rain raw energy and light upon the undead. Also, with the right arrows, it has the ability to block out the sun, giving vampires full range of power and potential to take over the world as we know it." She shrugged playfully, "Depends on how you wanna use it."
He seemed impressed. "I can see why the vampires wanted it so badly. And you simply dance your way around Skyrim with it?"
She couldn't help but let out a laugh, "Indeed, I do! But no one realizes it; everyone assumes it's simply a pretty bow. No one knows of the whole ordeal except the Dawnguard and the Companions, really. And it needs to stay that way," she warned, giving him a steely stare.
"I understand perfectly."
"I knew you would," she complimented with a grin.
Terah finished her story of vampires and snow elves, including her trip into the Soul Cairn and all. Teldryn threw his head back in laughter at the mention of Saint Jiub, one of their first conversations finally making sense to him now. She chimed in with her own laughter, slapping his arm and calling him an old man. For a moment, time stood still and they forgot themselves, simply enjoying each other's conversation. Terah could barely remember the last time she felt that way.
Squeezed this chapter out rather quickly. I'll probably clean it up later, just wanted to get it out there. I'm hoping to get back into this story and finally finish it, it's just hard after so long! D: