Hello darling readers! This may be the last chapter for these two, but not the last story. I'm WAY too attached for that. There'll be a continuation regarding dealing with Alduin, and then Miraak, so... enjoy!
The cathedral door boomed open, startling me into awareness. Neither I nor Serana had moved, and at some point I had stopped noticing anything. I looked toward the sound of leather boots thudding on stone to see Isran. His brow creased momentarily to see us like that, but for once, said nothing.
Serana shifted, and I stood to help her to her feet. My arm stayed around her shoulders. "It's done," she said to Isran, voice still strong. "He's dead, and the prophecy dies with him."
The reason for the old hunter's unease became clear as he said, "I... suppose this must have been difficult for you."
"My father really died a long time ago," she said neutrally. "I did what needed to be done, nothing more."
"I think perhaps..." His frown deepened. "I think you did more than that. You have my thanks."
He looked to me. "I would like to speak with you, back at the fort. Come and see me when you can." I nodded, and he left.
I looked down at Serana, searching for any sign of something being very wrong. All I saw was quiet sadness, and though I ached for her, she would be okay. "What will you do now?" she asked.
She smiled. It didn't quite reach her eyes, but it was genuine. "I remember you mentioning Solstheim at one point."
We found passage to the far-off island in Windhelm, on the Northern Maiden. Serana took time to feed in the city, on travellers that wouldn't cause a scene. None of them died of course, but a bite mark on the neck of a prominent citizen might have stirred a ruckus. Once we were on the boat, I slept. A lot. Even though she hadn't been out much, my beast was as exhausted as I was. And with Serana beside me, my dreams were no trouble.
There was some strangeness in Raven Rock, a stone controlling the minds of citizens who touched it. One look between us was all it took, and we left as quickly as we could. We made camp in the north, past the ashlands, and spent a few weeks hunting together. My beast was less than happy to be in such a good location and not be allowed to roam, but Serana couldn't hunt like me, so I stuck with a simple bow that I had traded with a nearby village for. Auriel's Bow, of course, stayed with Isran. I was somewhat certain that a group of vampire hunting fanatics could keep it safe from anyone stupid enough to try and use it again.
Still, there was always the underlying fear that someone would try again. When Serana would venture off without me, it was never long before I went looking for her. She definitely noticed, and one day she confronted me about it.
"I can take care of myself," she said irritably. "Why do you keep following me?"
I ground my teeth, rather against speaking of it. "You're still a Daughter of Coldharbour," I said, the words rushing out. "Someone could still try and harm you, for that stupid prophecy. Isran and the others are only human, and if they lost the bow, the next stop would be us. I can't let that happen."
My hands, frantically trying to tear each other apart in my panic, were calmed by hers. I looked up, meeting her eyes. She didn't look irritated anymore. "Do you remember me asking if you would become a vampire for me?"
"What does this have to-" She squeezed my hand, and I nodded. "Yeah, I do."
She watched me intently. "What if I asked the opposite? What if I asked if you would make me a werewolf?"
The thrill that ran through me made my beast's position on this clear, but I was still unsure. "You'd be mortal," I told her, trying to make that as clear as possible.
"I know." She smiled, a slight twist of her lips.
I all but howled my delight as I grabbed her in a bearhug, spinning her around. We went back to camp to prepare. Though I had never made someone else like me, I had heard enough from a story the elders of my pack told occasionally. She would have to drink blood from my vein under the light of the moons. She wrinkled her nose a little when I told her this, but went ahead with it anyway.
The light of Masser and Secunda shone down through a clear sky, which to me seemed like a blessing from Hircine. I cut my wrist, just enough to fill a small bowl. I stepped back as she drank, and watched as she fell to the ground. The first transformation was always the most intense, as I well remembered, and her vampire blood could not have made that any better. I watched as the transformation set in, as she became a wolf like me. Her fur, where mine was a sandy color, was as dark as her hair. She rose to her feet and howled, before tearing off into the darkness. I followed soon after, and we ran until morning.
When I woke, we were beside a burbling stream. Snow covered the ground, but I barely felt the chill. I sat up, and saw her beside me. Her eyes met mine, now a shining silver, and for the first time since the death of my pack, I felt whole.
And the look on her face said she felt the same way.