My eyes remained open this time, so Serana and I both saw the Forgotten Vale together. I gasped. What I thought would likely be a small clearing that led to another cave was in fact a large valley of snow and rock. At the base of the valley, a frozen river ran all the way through, alongside which stood a forest.

I could see the signs of Falmer encampments, but the beauty of the Vale was barely diminished. "It's beautiful," I said, awestruck.

"This is the kind of thing I wanted to see when I came with you," she agreed. "It makes everything, getting locked up and dealing with my father, almost worth it." She was quiet for a moment, and I didn't speak either. "I think that's another Wayshrine up there," she said, pointing. "Let's go."

We continued through the Forgotten Vale, at one point being attacked by two dragons that were tougher than any I had faced in a long time. The first fell quickly enough at the point of a sword I had taken from a Falmer, but the second had gotten the measure of our skills and reacted more readily. At one point I considered calling on Durnehviir, but the fear of the wrath of the Snow Elves stayed my Shout. The second died on the wing, slamming into the shore of the river with the almighty crash of bone and rock colliding.

"Two?" Serana demanded, panting. "Two of those beasts? What's next, will Alduin fly over those mountains?"

I limped over to stand between the mountainous corpses of the dragons. "Please don't tempt fate."

She followed me, but stopped when I raised my hand. "What are you doing..?"

I didn't answer as the dragons began to smoke and crackle with flame, and closed my eyes. The fire rushed toward me, and I dimly heard her panicked yell. I felt the souls merge with my own, and the faint itch of new skin crawling over the injuries I had sustained during the fight. Nonexistent wind rushed past my ears, and I heard a distant iron clang that always came at the very end. My eyes opened slowly, and Serana looked like she was about to rush at me at any moment.

"What in Oblivion was that?" she demanded.

"Dragonborn," I reminded her smugly. "If the souls of slain dragons aren't destroyed, they can be brought by Alduin, or they can reform elsewhere." I gestured to the corpses. "They won't be coming back now."

She glanced over me. "Are you injured?"

"Not at all." I rolled up my legging to show where a stray spike had torn the muscle of my calf. It was completely gone. "That's the nice thing about fighting dragons, their souls completely rejuvenate you." I frowned. "Are you hurt?"

"Nothing I can't fix." She placed a palm over a burn on her arm. It looked like she was using a healing spell, but it was the same purple as the braziers outside her tomb. "There," she said as the angry red disappeared. "All better."

That was surprising to see. "I didn't know healing spells worked on vampires."

"They don't." She smirked. "Another trick I learned from my mother."

I rolled my eyes with a snort. "Vampires with healing powers and glowing deer. What is Tamriel coming to?"

Our path led us to a rather large cave system cut into the ice. Inside were, of course, more Falmer, but killing them was incredibly simple. The ice ledges could be reached easily, and my arrows picked the creatures off one by one.

Naturally the next encampment we found had to be extremely difficult. The Falmar had built themselves on the rocky walls of the ravine, which in an annoying twist of irony's blade, made their arrows far more annoying to deal with. As much as I hated to do it, I Shouted more than once. The fire that left me also left a hole inside my chest, but I found it hard to be upset when the Falmer buildings caught fire. We passed through, picking off the ones foolish enough to attack us, and made it to the final Wayshrine.

Yet again we were greeted and yet again I filled the ewer. This time, though, it finally felt and looked like there was water in it. It glowed faintly, and almost in response, I saw a glow off in the distance. "I think that's where we need to go," I told Serana, and we headed toward it.

A massive building of marble that had been sculpted beautifully, and yet not in a way I recognized, came into view as we crossed the rather ornate bridge that led to it. A statue of Auri-El seemed to look down at me with a stern, yet loving countenance.

Serana felt differently. "I swear that statue is judging me," she muttered. "But this looks like the place; I've never seen a building like this before."

"I think it's some kind of temple," I told her, surveying the steps that led to the door.

"I never saw anything like this back on the island," she said quietly.

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, grinning. "There's plenty more out there. Wait until you see a Dwemer ruin."

The door refused to budge, not even when I shoved my shoulder against it. "Damn it," I growled, slapping my hand onto the stone sun jutting out. "How do we get in?"

She looked around. "What about this basin?" she asked. "I think you need to pour the water in here."

I looked from the door, to her, to the basin, and sighed heavily. In my beast form, my ears would have been folded back, but I settled for scowling. I muttered rather unkind things about Snow Elves, rituals, and magical basins as I more or less dumped the water from the ewer. The water glowed brighter as it poured through notches in the stone and into a groove in the stonework below. On and on it flowed until it came to the door. The stone sun glowed briefly, and the doors opened.

I caught Serana smirking at me, growled wordlessly, and stalked into the temple.

Directly inside were more Falmer, but these were...

"They're frozen!" She was just as startled as I was, though I stepped forward to poke one. It didn't move, and she stopped herself from snatching my hand back. "I wonder how long they've been like this."

My lip curled. "And I thought the Soul Cairn was creepy. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

The chapel was only a short walk away. Inside, sitting on a throne of ice, sat another Snow Elf. "Did you really come here expecting to claim Auriel's Bow?" he sneered. "You've done exactly as I've predicted, and brought your fetching companion to me."

I did not miss the leer he directed at Serana, and I did not like it. My beast and I growled in unison, and it echoed off the ice menacingly.

"Is he talking about me?" Serana hissed.

He stood, glaring down at us. "I'm sorry to say that this means your usefulness is at an end!"

The thunderous crackle of ice breaking brought it to my attention that the Falmer and Chaurus that we thought were frozen and dormant were no longer that way. They were too close for me to shoot, and I was out of arrows anyway, so I began swinging my bow. When the one closest to me died, I drew the sword I used to slay the dragons and leapt into the larger group.

The Arch-Curate was outraged at their defeat. "Finish them!" he bellowed, and I saw something very heavy crash into the ground beside me.

"Watch out!" Serana cried, yanking her dagger from the eye-socket of a Falmer. "He's pulling down the ceiling!"

We killed even these, both helped and hindered by the large chunks of ice that were a constant threat. "This has gone on long enough, children!" the Snow Elf snarled. "My life ended long before you were born."

The last of the frozen Falmer broke free and attacked us, and weary as we were, we cut them down as well. "Surrender and give us the bow!" I shouted.

"Death first!" He roared out something that I couldn't quite make out and the walls and ceilings came crashing down. A glancing blow struck my side and I fell to my knees.

I knelt there until the cacophony ceased. Serana tugged me to my feet. "Are you alright?" she asked, gripping my shoulders. I nodded, still stunned. "Come on, we can do this. I know we can." Her eyes hardened. "He's up on the balcony."

"Let's end this," I growled, and we gave chase.

"Enough, Vyrthur!" Serana shouted. "Give us the bow."

"How dare you!" He was hunched over, gripping his side as though he were injured. "I was the Arch-Curate, girl. I had the ears of a god!"

I curled my lip. "The Falmer corrupted you. We heard the sob story."

He laughed harshly. "Gelebor and his kind are easily manipulated fools. Look into my eyes, Serana, and tell me what I am."

I couldn't see them, but Serana did, and gasped. "You're... You're a vampire? But Auriel should have protected you."

He cursed foully. "The moment I was infected by one of my own Initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me. I swore I'd have my revenge, no matter what the cost."

I blinked. "You swore to take revenge... on a god?"

His golden eyes met mine, and I saw the madness in them. "Auri-El may have been beyond my reach, but his influence on our world wasn't. All I needed was the blood of the vampire and his own weapon to destroy all he held dear on this plane."

She staggered, as though struck. "The prophecy? You created it?"

He bared his teeth in a feral smile. "A prophecy that lacked but a single ingredient; the blood of a pure vampire. Of a Daughter of Coldharbour."

I saw the flash of red in her eyes before she gripped the Snow Elf by the throat, holding him up with one arm. "You waited all this time to see someone with my blood come along," she spat. "Well too bad for you, because I intend on keeping it. Let's see if your blood has any powers."

The elven dagger she carried flashed in the pale light, and scarlet dripped onto the stone below. The Arch-Curate died quietly, not out of honor, but out of the profound defeat that dimmed his eyes before death's embrace did. The final Wayshrine behind us rumbled open, and I twisted to see if there were more enemies.

It was the Knight-Paladin. "So the deed has been done," he mused. "The restoration of this Wayshrine means that Vyrthur must be dead, and the Betrayed no longer hold him."

"The Betrayed weren't to blame." I levelled a malevolent glare at the body.

This was news to the Snow Elf. "What? What are you talking about?"

"He was a vampire," Serana said raggedly, startling me. "He controlled them."

"A vampire? I see. That would explain much." The news didn't seem to upset him. "Deep inside, it brings me great joy that the Betrayed weren't to blame for his downfall."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

His face lightened considerably. "Because that means there's still hope that they might one day shed their hatred and learn to believe in Auri-El once more." He bowed his head. "It has been a long time since I felt that way, and it's long-overdue. My thanks, to both of you."

I nodded in acceptance of his gratitude. "And the bow?"

"You risked everything to get the bow, and in doing so, you restored the Chantry. I can't think of a more deserving champion to carry it than you." He stepped back, gesturing to the Wayshrine. "If you wish to learn more about the bow, or obtain Sunhallowed arrows for it, I'm more than happy to help. You need only ask."

That seemed intriguing. "Sunhallowed arrows?"

"The bow was said to be carried by Auri-El himself into battle against the forces of Lorkhan," he explained. "It draws its power from Aetherius, and as such, an arrow loosed from the bow produces a magical effect similar to being burned by fire."

"That seems powerful," I said, thinking of the use it might be in dealing with Harkon.

He shook his head. "That isn't all. With the Sunhallowed arrows, you would be able to produce a much more spectacular effect. It would cause bursts of sunlight to envelop your foes. Particularly useful against the undead."

I frowned. "Vyrthur said something about using blood."

The Knight-Paladin, clearly disgusted, answered slowly. "An arrow dipped in blood and used with the bow may corrupt its purpose, and cause it to function differently. If you were foolish enough to try, of course."

Not likely. "Where would I get Sunhallowed arrows?"

He looked pleased at the change of topic. "I can assist you in that. If you were to bring me some well-made elven arrows, I could imbue them with the proper incantations and rituals."

"Damn." I regretted not grabbing some from Fort Dawnguard before we had left.

Serana stepped forward and handed me something. "I grabbed some before we left," she said at my astonished expression.

"Can you use these?" I asked him excitedly.

"Absolutely." He took the arrows carefully. "I can only do twenty at a time, but twelve will be simple. Just a moment." He murmured a spell, and the arrowheads began to glow subtly. I took them back from him and set them in my quiver.

"What will you do now?" I asked.

"For the time being, I will remain here on the overlook and continue trying to keep the Sanctum free of the Betrayed." He gestured to the Wayshrine again. "You're always welcome to return here through there, of course."

I wished him luck, and Serana and I went to get the bow. It hovered above a pedestal, similar to that of elvish make, but more ornate. "It's not as shiny as I expected, but it's still beautiful," she commented as I stowed it on my pack.

"So what now?" I leaned against the wall of the Wayshrine that wasn't a portal, arms crossed.

She sighed. "I think we both know. It's time to face my father. If we don't, he'll keep chasing us for the rest of our lives."

I snorted. "There's no way we can run. I am definitely not moving in with your mother." I smiled at her. "We'll face him together."

Her answering smile was one of gratitude. "If we head back to the castle and kick his door in, we're going to be knee-deep in his sycophants. We should head back to Isran and let him know we've found the bow."

I shoved off the wall. "He's bound to have a sword or two."

We went through the portal and out of the cave. It was just after dusk. A cursory glance told me that Serana appeared rather uneasy. "Are you ready to do this?" I asked gently.

She made a "heh" sound. "I don't think you can ever be ready to kill your parent. I'm doing my best not to think of him as a father anymore."

"A wise old elder once told me something," I said quietly, looking up at the sky. "Mourn the loss of what was, embrace the gift of the new, and move forward with purpose."

"Thank you," she murmured, and we left.