Serana sobbed into Skylar's chest. She lifted her head to look at her face. Still nothing. Skylar's eyes were closed, Her hair was damp, and still no breathing.
Serana pressed her forehead against Skylar's for a second before she lightly pressed her lips against Skylar's.
Serana's Heart skipped a beat and she felt as if the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders. Because the moment she had pulled away was the moment Skylar began to cough.
Serana could not help but to release a relieved laugh as she helped the smaller girl lay on her side. "That's right, let it out, good girl." She said as Skylar coughed out all the water that was in her lungs. She rubbed circles on Skylar's back until her violent coughing calmed down.
Serana let out a sigh as she pressed her face into the back of Skylar's damp shoulder. "I thought I lost you." Serana muffled against her shoulder.
"What... Happened...?" Skylar rasped in a very weak voice. Serana smiled and pulled Skylar onto her lap, there she cradled her protectively. She rested the side of her face against the top of Skylar's head.
"You almost drowned." She did not want to say those words but Skylar wanted to know.
They were silent for a few minutes. Skylar didn't want to move, her entire body was hurting. Her muscles felt pulled and pushed past their limits, and she could feel where her body hit the rocks beneath the surface of the water. She was lucky to be alive. That was the only way she could explain how she survived. Luck. Despite everything her body went through, she could not help but wonder... There was a spot on her chest, just above her breast that hurt... It felt like a kind of bruise you get from someone hitting you and leaving a red mark.
She brought her hand up and rubbed the area. "What's wrong." Serana said quickly.
"Donno, just hurts there." Skylar mumbled weakly.
Serana's eyes went wide in realization. That was where she hit her when she thought she had lost her. "I think I did that." Serana said guiltily as she tightened her hold on Skylar slightly.
"Oh." Skylar said as she dropped her hand.
"I was so scared, I couldn't get you to breath." Serana began to ramble on in an attempt to figure out why exactly she decided hitting Skylar's chest was a good idea.
At the time she couldn't think straight, she was a vampire, and when she hit someone it was stronger than a humans hit. Skylar was in her human form so of course she would have caused some damage. Maybe even more than she thought. As she remembered she realized just how hard she had pounded on Skylar's chest. That alone could have been enough to kill the poor girl.
"Shhh.." Skylar Shushed her. "I'm ok." She whispered.
They sat there in silence for a few moments. Serana slowly rocked Skylar back and forth. The hand she used to hit her burned with guilt. She closed her eyes.
"Skylar." She whispered.
"Hm." Skylar hummed quietly.
"Can I see?" She asked. Skylar's brow furrowed.
"See what?" She rasped. Skylar's lungs hurt, she wondered just how long they would be like that.
"Where I hit you... Can I see?" Serana asked again as she lifted her head off of Skylar's.
Skylar opened her eyes as a blush appeared on her face. It's not like Serana was going to see anything, but still it was pretty close to that area. "Um, I think it's ok..." Skylar said, refusing to look up at Serana's face.
Serana Seemed to clue into this, Skylar's shyness was cute and it made her smile slightly, but she still needed to know if she really did hurt Skylar and if she needed to be healed.
"Please." Serana asked gently as she rubbed her hand up and down Skylar's back. Skylar thought for a moment before she gave in and nodded slowly.
She sat back but Serana kept her on her lap, she held her up with an arm around Skylar's shoulders as her other hand began to slowly and carefully undue the string that kept the front of her Dawnguard armor closed. She only undid enough to expose the top part of her breast but it was enough to get Skylar blushing madly. She gently moved the fabric on one side of her chest slightly, taking care to keep her covered. She did not have to move it much to see intense bruising. It was already black and blue and the size of her fist. The inner portion of the bruise was almost white. Serana could not help but to hiss at the sight.
Skylar was blushing madly. And it did not help with her eyes managed to see Dash sitting on top of a rock watching them. She wanted to tell him to go take a walk or something. But she didn't seem to have enough energy to yell, or even talk really. All she could do was send him a bone chilling glare as Serana examined the bruise.
Skylar's eyes went wide and she began to blush even more when she felt gentle cold fingers run over the blemished skin. They were so gentle, it felt as if a feather was gliding over her skin. Honestly it felt nice. Cold fingers on her bruised skin, despite the fact that they were being watched Skylar liked having Serana so close. She would have a talk with Rocky later when she had more energy.
Serana gentle pressed very carefully to be sure she didn't break any ribs. She sighed in relief when she didn't find anything. She covered the bruise with her hand and looked down at Skylar's face. "It's a really bad bruise." She whispered as she rubbed her thumb over her chest.
"That feels nice..." Skylar mumbled. Serana arched an eyebrow.
"Your hand... Feels nice on the bruise." Skylar answered her silent question.
"Oh." Serana said with a smile. It was only then she realized just how close she was to a certain area, She herself began to blush but she didn't move her hand, instead they stayed like that, Serana's hand covering the bruise and caressing her thumb on her chest just below her collarbone.
They stayed like that for a while. Serana thought it was a good idea to just stay put until Skylar built up enough energy. Near death experiences were a draining situation. She didn't know if the poor girl had enough energy to even so much as stand on her own two feet at the moment. For now she would allow her to rest.
She lowered her head so that it was laying on top of Skylar's again. At this point It looked as if Skylar had drifted off to sleep. She closed her own eyes and listened as Skylar's heart beat steadily with her vampire hearing. That sound, and knowing that Skylar was going to be ok relaxed her an intense amount.
Dash watched as Skylar slept in Serana's arms.
"Far too close." He mumbled as he got up off the rock he was sitting on and began to walk over to an opening in the cave wall. "A path..." He mumbled as he rubbed his chin. There was light pouring in from where the path lead.
He turned and looked over his shoulder at the couple. Serana's eyes were closed but he knew that she was awake. She was allowing Skylar to rest, as would he. He remembered the lecture he got from Skylar when he watched them cuddling before. She was not too happy about that at all.
He began to follow the path. He was not afraid for where the path may lead, he was already dead, if there was anything dangerous down this path he would be able to come back with the information and give it to Skylar. He certainly could not be hurt, but she sure could.
His brow furrowed as he walked by a plant. When he turned back towards it, He realized the light that was in the cave was actually coming from the plant itself. In fact the entire cave was filled with them. "wow." He said as he looked around. "How is this possible?" He muttered as he continued on his way. He knew that Skylar would either catch up with him, or he would make it back to her before she woke up, either way, there was many things to see in this place. It was like another world inside a world.
Skylar opened her eyes and found that she was still in Serana's arms. She had no idea how long she had been out or for a moment she didn't remember where exactly she was. But a quick look around reminded her of the events that had occurred and that they were very deep in a cave somewhere.
Her lungs still ached and her body felt beaten. She blinked a few times before she realized that Serana's hand was still on her bruise. The truth was that Skylar had been lucky indeed that the hit that Serana had given her didn't break anything. She probably would have been at risk for a punctured lung, then she not have to worry about drowning in the water but her own blood instead.
Even so she forgave Serana, in fact she did not blame her at all.
She looked up at Serana's face.
She did not know if she was asleep or not but a second later her eyes opened and she smiled down at Skylar. "Hey..." She whispered. "How do you feel?" She asked her. Skylar blinked a few times and took a breath before she answered.
"Like I got stepped on by a dragon." She answered honestly.
Serana gave a low chuckle. "Do you think you can walk?" She asked her. Skylar nodded. Serana drew away from Skylar slightly and assisted her to her feet. Surprisingly Skylar did not seem to have a problem at all. Just the pain from bruises and hurting lungs. Which were all understandable.
Skylar looked around confused. "What's wrong?" Serana asked alarmed when she saw the look on Skylar's face.
Skylar's brow furrowed. "Dash?" She called out. But there was no response. "Odd..." She muttered as she rubbed the back of her head. She was beginning to think that maybe her head got hit pretty hard and now she couldn't see him.
"He probably just needs to catch up with us." Serana said as she took Skylar's hand in her own. "I don't think he is the one we need to worry about." She added as she brought her other hand to Skylar's face. Her thumb gently caressed a cut that was just above her brow. She wondered how she got it. From a stray piece of wood when the bridge broke? Perhaps a rock as the current tried to take her life...? Or maybe during the fight they had before they found themselves in the ice cold water? But at that moment it seemed like it didn't matter, all Serana cared about was that She was there standing in front of her full of life.
She placed a kiss on Skylar's forehead and slowly pulled away. "Let's go." She whispered with a gentle smile. Skylar nodded and followed her deeper into the cave.
As they walked down the path Skylar was completely shocked by the plants. "They glow!" She said as she poked one. When her finger made contact the light instantly faded. "What?" She muttered as she took a step back. When she did the light came back. "Fascinating." Serana laughed when she saw how infatuated Skylar was.
The continued on their way until they came to what looked like a lake. The color faded from Skylar's face when her eyes fell on the body of water. "Oh gods..." She muttered. "Why does there have to be so much water." She whimpered.
Serana turned and gently took Skylar's hand. "Hey, I'm here this time. I won't let you drown." She said with a chuckle. Skylar smiled slightly before Serana stepped into the water. "It's not that deep." She said as she guided Skylar deeper into the cave.
But Skylar stopped walking and sniffed the air. Her brow furrowed and she turned. "What's wrong?" Serana asked her. "More vampires?" She said as she pulled out her dagger.
"No, I smell a troll." Skylar said as she pulled out her crossbow. She scrunched up her nose. Trolls were a brutal creature, especially when it came to their smell. Skylar really did not like them at all. The Dawnguard is known for using them as weapons. It was one of the reasons why she did not like to be in the Castle. The smell was so intense for her it nearly made her physically ill. It was like a dead animal that had been laying out in the sun for far too long and has begun to decompose.
"Where?" Serana asked her as she looked around But she didn't have to look for too long. The troll found them before they could find the troll. It growled and charged. Skylar instantly began to fire bolts into its skull, unfortunately Trolls were also known for having really thick skulls. "Shit!" Skylar cursed as she dove out of the way and into the water.
She instantly jumped to her feet and resurfaced. She gave her head a shake to get the water out of her eyes in time to see the troll charge again. But this time Serana blasted it with fire. "They can't take the heat!" She yelled. The troll began to panic, but not for too long. It simply dropped down into the water to extinguish the flame and was back on its feet within seconds. "Damn." Serana muttered, I never thought of that." She added as she began to throw icespikes at it instead.
Skylar realized that she had dropped her crossbow somewhere in the water. "Uh oh." She muttered as she looked down to see only the black liquid. "Thats not good." She said as she dove back into the water and tried to feel the bottom for her crossbow.
She came back up breathless and empty handed. "Where is it!?" She cried in frustration as she punched the water angrily. The troll began to charge at Serana.
Skylar turned and threw a icespike of her own at the beast. It clipped the trolls shoulder causing it to release a howl of pain. It then turned to her and growled. Skylar froze. "Oops." She muttered.
"Skylar... Run!" Serana cried as she continued her assault with the Icespikes.
Once again the troll narrowly misses as Skylar dove out of the way and into the water. She resurfaced quickly and tried to feel around under the water with her feet for her weapon.
"Skylar!"
A smile spread across her face as she recognized the voice. "Dash!" She called.
"Over here! It's over here!' He said as he pointed towards his feet.
Skylar began to trudge over to him. She dove and was happy when her fingers met the familiar metal of her crossbow. She resurfaced in time to see the troll charging again. But this time she had three bolts ready all at the same. "Night night." She said as she fired them into its skull. The three bolts together was enough to bring the beast down.
It let out a low groan as it fell backwards into the water with a huge slash. Skylar shielded herself from the wave of water that rained down upon her before she put her crossbow away. "Too exciting." She muttered as she began to walk through the water and to land again. Serana shook her head as she followed her.
Skylar rubbed her nose in a feeble attempt to rid herself of the stench the troll left behind. "Uhh I'm going to be smelling troll for weeks now!" She growled as she dropped her hand furiously. Skylar fell silent when she looked on ahead to see a person standing in the distance. "Hey who's that?" she asked as she pointed towards the figure. It looked like a man.
Serana followed her gaze and arched her eyebrow. "Do they live down here, it looks like they have an entire home set up down here, camp and all." She said as she noticed the person's surroundings.
"Do you think they are dangerous?" Skylar asked her cautiously.
Serana shrugged. "Only one way to find out." She said as she began to walk towards them. "But don't turn your back..." Serana warned her. "We don't know if we can or cannot trust them." She finished.
Skylar nodded and began to make her way up to him. His back was turned to them. His skin looked grey and his hair was white and was stuck straight up. And his ears... Pointed? An elf? Not any elf that she had ever seen.
"Um... Hi?" Skylar said not wanted to get too close to the unknown creature in front of her.
"Do not be afraid." He said as he turned to face them.
"Oh my god! It's a snow elf!' Dash yelled as he walked up to him. Dash got so close to him as he examined the creature. Skylar was so happy that No one but her could see him. Dash poked his pointy ears, looked at his dark eyes, and looked at his armor.
"I wish I was wearing that armor and look that good in it." He muttered as he took a step back.
"You're a Snow Elf." Skylar said as she looked at him.
"Yes I am." He said with a quick nod. "You can call me Gelebor." He said as he drew closer to Skylar. Skylar looked at him from head to toe. She figured that it was worth a shot.
"Do you know of Auriel's bow?" She asked him. He turned his head slightly but he still looked at her.
"Perhaps." He said as he turned his back to her. "Why do you ask?" He said slowly.
"We need it.' Skylar said, not wanting to give him all of the details.
"What makes you think I will let you have it?" He asked as he turned back to her. This time he was further away. Skylar furrowed her brow and stepped closer. "How do I know you won't abuse that kind of power?" He said as he crossed his grey arms over his chest.
"We are going to use it to stop Lord Harkon." Skylar said honestly as she looked up at him.
"Is that so...?" He said unconvinced.
Skylar sighed and looked back to see Serana with a worried look on her face. Then Skylar turned back towards him. A new approach was needed. "Ok, put it this way if we don't get it he will and he will use it the he wants to."
This seemed to catch his attention. "Now that's a problem." He said with wide eyes.
"Yes it is, if we don't he will." She said as she crossed her arms over her own chest. As she did so she felt her bruise throb.
"Yes I do know where the bow is, but I need you to do something for me first." He said carefully.
Skylar nodded slowly. "I guess that's fair." She said a little unsure.
"Kill my brother." He said without color coating it.
Skylar blinked in shock. "Ok say that again." She said.
"My brother is tainted and is corrupting the land. I need you to rid this place of his taint before it is... Unreversable." He explained.
Serana stepped forwards. "So you would kill your own brother?" She pressed.
He nodded. "For good reason, I tried to save him, but now I know it's far too late. My brother died a long time ago." He said as he turned his back towards them again. "Now his body is controlled by an evil that should not be." He said as his hands began to glow.
The ground began to shake and shift. Dash, Skylar, and Serana watched in amazement as a structure began to rise out of the ground.
"Take the pilgrim's path, you will find five structures like this one. You will take this pitcher and fill it with water from each, only when it contains water from each structure will you be allowed in the Inner Sanctum." He said as his hand began to glow again. This time a doorway opened in the back of the structure. A portal to another path.
"Good luck" He said as he bowed his head.
Skylar looked at Serana and shrugged. Serana too the pitch of water and walked briskly through the portal, Skylar followed close behind.
When they were through the portal Skylar followed Serana close behind.
"What now?" Serana asked her when she saw her come up to her.
"We follow the path I guess." Skylar said as she continued walking. "I don't trust him, how do we know that he has the bow?" Serana asked as she stopped Skylar from moving on. "For all we know he has sent us into a trap!" She said with her brow furrowed.
Skylar could see that Serana was really serious about this but at the same time... "What other choice do we have, It was the only lead we had to go on." Skylar said with a shrug. "And quite honestly I didn't see a way out anywhere in sight." She finished.
Serana sighed and nodded. "You're right, but we need to be careful we have no idea what we are walking into." She said as she began to walk again.
Skylar followed her. It was true Skylar was feeling the exact same way Serana was feeling. But the only difference was that Serana was more vocal about it. Skylar on the other hand wanted to see if what the elf said was true. She didn't see any lie in his eyes but still she didn't know him very well so the question was... Could the Elf be trusted...? She sure hoped so, for all she knew she just led them both to their deaths... And the only upside for that is that Dash will have some more company to wander with.
"Skylar! Look at this!" Serana said in awe. Skylar looked up and her jaw literally dropped. It was like a world inside of a cave. There were... Deer? Deer running around, they had glowing markings all over their bodies, as well as wolves and other animals.
"Well this certainly is not something that one would see every day." Skylar said as she looked around.
There were more of the glowing flowers. The ceiling was very high up and hanging from its was a giant ball of light, the same kind of light the flowers gave off.
"It's like a sun inside a cave." Serana said quietly.
"Is that what the plants live off of? Perhaps that's why they glow?" Skylar said as she turned her attention to a very large flower.
"Must be." Serana said, thinking that, that was the only explanation.
"It's like... A giant underground Garden." Skylar said as she began to follow a path that lead her deeper into the opening. Serana followed.
A light glow caught Skylar's attention as she was walking by a body of water. "What..?" She muttered as she drew closer to the water's edge. She knelt down and look into the depths. It was dark now. But seconds later a light glow began to surface slowly. Skylar watched curiously but suddenly she squealed as a glowing fish popped up and squirted her with water. She fell backwards and onto her back at the water splashed into her face. She wiped her face with her hand. "More water... Great..." She mumbled as she laid there on the ground.
Serana walked over to her and looked down at her little wolf that was laying on the ground and gave her a face. "Having fun with the fish?" She asked with a smile.
Skylar blushed and jumped to her feet. "It started it!" She said as she looked at Serana.
"Of course it did." She said as she gentle too Skylar's hand and lead her down a path. "It looks like there is a structure up there." She said as she pointed to the top of the cave wall. "This path will lead us there." She said with a smile.
"Doesn't seem so hard." Skylar said as they followed the path.
The path led them into an overhang. Skylar instantly lifted her head at a certain smell that her nose seemed to tune into. She pushed Serana to the side and she herself jumped to the other just in time to dodge a pouncing mountain lion. Just like the other animals the lion had glowing markings all over its hide.
"Skylar!" Serana cried as she recoiled backwards. Two more mountain lions where slowly making their way over to the vampire as the other was trying desperately to take a bite out of Skylar.
"Hold on!" Skylar cried as she pulled out her dagger.
The mountain lion pounced on Skylar but Skylar brought her dagger up and stabbed it repeatedly into its neck. After like ten quick stabs it collapsed. Skylar pushed the lion to the side and pulled out her crossbow in time to shoot the last two lions. Each embedded itself into each lion's skull.
"That was close." Skylar said as she walked over to Serana and helped her to her feet.
"Again way too close." Serana said as she patted the dirt off of her pants. "Come on we are almost there." Serana said as she turned to the path that lead up to the structure.
"Please don't let there be any more dangerous animals..." Skylar mumbled.
"How about butterflies?" Serana said with a laugh.
Skylar looked at her slightly confused but then her eyes widened when they say glowing butterflies fluttering around freely. "That works." She laughed.
As they approached the structure Skylar quickly noticed Dash leaning against it... Talking to another ghost. "What..?" She muttered. "Dash? I see you made a friend." She said with a smile.
"Indeed I have." Rocky said with a smile.
Serana looked around confused. Obviously she couldn't see Dash or the other Ghost.
"Another Ghost." Skylar said with a shrug.
"Oh." Serana nodded.
"When you collect the water I shall open the path for you." The ghost said with a nod.
"Oh!" Skylar said as she took the pitcher from Serana's pack and made her way over to what looked like a bird bath and took some of the water from it. She placed the lid back on the pitcher in time to see another doorway open.
"That was easy." Serana laughed as Skylar put the pitcher away.
"A little too easy." Skylar mumbled.
"The way gets more dangerous, prepare yourselves." The ghost said before he disappeared.
Skylar jumped back when he was gone. "Where did he go!?" She said as she looked around.
"He fulfilled his purpose, there is no reason for him to stay." Dash said with a shrug.
"So... Every ghost has a mission that they need to complete before they can pass over?" She asked.
Dash shrugged. "I honestly do not know." He said honestly. "Skylar nodded "Let's move on."
They went through the portal and Skylar's eyes went wide. "Wow!" She said in awe. It was the outside world, there were dear with glowing pelts running around, snow, trees, it was breathtaking. Serana Agreed. The made their way out of the structure and the next one was just down the path.
"It's so beautiful." Serana said in awe.
Before Skylar could make her way down the path Serana gently took hold of her hand. Before Skylar could ask her what was up Serana spoke first. "I'm glad your are here with me." She said with a smile. Skylar felt a light blush on her cheeks as she smiled gently at Serana.
"I am too." She said gently. Serana touched her shoulder before they continued on.
They collected the water and once again the ghost up and disappeared. Dash would always be there waiting for them.
The next structure was at the bottom of a mountain. As Skylar collected the water she looked up at the path that lead up to the top of the mountain.
"It has been far too easy so far." She mumbled with a brow furrowed. "Stay alert." Serana told her. Skylar nodded and they made their way up the path.
When they made it to the top of the mountain Skylar groaned when she saw just what was waiting for them at the top.
"Oh Come on!' She cried. "More water! I should have seen this coming." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest, again while she did so she could feel her bruise throb in protest of the movement.
Serana looked around. "The ice looks very thick. I think it's safe for us to walk across, and look on the other side of the lake, it's another structure." She said as she pointed to the structure. Skylar nodded.
"Ok..." She said still unsure if they would be safe on the ice. "Let's get this over with." She mumbled as she stepped onto the ice.
It was slippery but they managed to stay on their feet. Serana laughed as Skylar nearly slipped on the ice.
"Hey! That's not funny!" Skylar said with a chuckle.
"Actually yeah it is." Said Dash as he casually walked over the ice with no problem.
"Yeah well you're a ghost, you can probably float over the ice." She said as he walked in front of her and stuck out his tongue.
"Indeed, I can also go under the ice and meet you on the other side." He said as he waved and sunk into the ice.
Skylar blinked a few times and shook her head. "I will never understand that ghost." She said with a sigh.
Just then she jumped and froze as the ice began to shake. "Please tell me that didn't just happen." She said shakily.
"Just stay calm and take it slow." Serana said as she held her arms out for balance.
To Skylar's horror the Ice began to shake and crack. "Oh no..." She mumbled. She jumped as Dash jumped out of the ice.
"Um just a little hint of advice for both of you! Get your asses moving!" He yelled as he floated backwards towards the other side of the lake.
"What!? What did you see down there!?" She called after him. Serana made her way over to Skylar with a scared look on her face.
"Two dragons under the ice getting ready to surface! I don't think they like that you are on their lake!" He yelled.
"What?" Serana asked alarmed.
"Get moving." Skylar said quickly.
Serana didn't ask any more questions she began to follow Skylar across the lake. But unfortunately they didn't make it too far. They both screamed as the ice that was just a few feet in front of them burst open and a dragon flew out with a massive rawr leaving a very large opening in the ice.
They jumped and turned in time to see another dragon burst through the ice behind them as well.
It did not look good. The two massive dragons began to tear up the ice. They dove back into the lake and burst back out numerous times before they stayed flying in the air. It was as if they were telling Skylar and Serana just who owns the lake, and that there was no possible way in hell that they would be able to escape as long as those two beasts were alive. Because that place was where the beasts have sleps for so long.
They began to circle above. "What do we do?" Serana asked quietly as she slowly drew her dagger and readied herself to begin to throw spells if need be. Skylar drew her crossbow and swallowed the fear.
"We fight for our lives, there's no other way. If I know dragons... They will fight for their meal." She said as she loaded an exploding Bolt. Sorine had some talent. Skylar thought as she looked at the bolt. She had yet to try it, this just seemed like the right time to do so.
"Look out!" Serana screamed as she dragon swooped down. Skylar stayed where she way and aimed her crossbow. "What the hell do you think you are doing! Move!" Serana screamed as she watched helplessly as Skylar stood there.
"Closer... Closer... Almost..." She mumbled to herself as the beast came closer. It was as if everything went to slow motion. She fired her bolt just at the right moment, the beast opened its mouth allowing the bolt to enter its body. Only then did Skylar dive out of the way. As soon as the beast clamped its giant jaws shut its the bolt exploded within its belly causing it to cry out in agony as it slipped into one of the holes in the ice it had created. When the creature disappeared into the freezing, deep, dark water. The surface of the icy hell turned red. "That's one." Skylar said as she jumped ungracefully to her feet, she slipped slightly because of the slippery surface. She wondered just how Serana was able to stay on her feet.
She was so graceful, it was as if she was dancing with the dragon as she threw her spells at it. Just when Skylar was beginning to think that Serana was winning the fight against the dragon, it threw its own fireball at her. She managed to jump out of the way but the fireball was close enough to Skylar that the ice that she was standing on exploded.
With nothing left to stand on she fell into the ice cold water. It was an instant shock. She managed to strap her crossbow to her back as she scrambled her way back to the surface of the water. The top of her head hit ice. She needed to find the opening. Her heart was racing a mile per minute. She had no air! She needed to breath! Just when she thought she was going to die she burst up through a hole in the ice and managed to take hold of the edge. Her hands were far too numb, and the surface far too slippery for her to pull herself out of the ice. If she stayed there long enough she was going to slip back under and die of the cold before she had a chance to drown.
"Skylar hang on!" Serana called over to her as she continued her battle with the dragon.
"Trying to..." Skylar managed to say through chattering teeth.
Skylar tried to dig her nails into the surface of the ice as she fought for her life. "So cold..." She whispered.
"Skylar! Just hang on for a bit longer."
She turned her head to see Dash kneeling beside her. "D-Dash" She said. "I'm here." He said quickly as he tried to place his hand on her's only for his hand to go right through. "Damn it." He mumbled as he looked around. Skylar did not have much longer left, If she goes under again, she will not come back up this time.
"Serana, hurry!" He said frustrated.
Serana desperately threw her spells at the dragon, but with the beast in the sky it proved to be a very hard target. "Damn it!" She cursed. She had to get to Skylar, but the moment she tries to get to her she knew that the beast will either go for her or herself. "Hang on..." She begged. "I won't lose you" She said determined. She looked over at Skylar for a moment to see that most of her was still in the water. Her arms were on the ice and her head was down. Unconscious? No her arms were moving.
Serana turned in time to see the dragon swooping down. Anger filled her. 'You want to play with fire!?" She screamed as her hands ignited to life. "Fine! You can have it!" She said as she saw the sparks in the back of the dragons throat as it opened its jaws when it was close. She threw a huge fireball into the dragons mouth and into its belly.
She didn't wait to see it die, instead she rushed over to where Skylar was. She reached into the water and took hold of the back of her armor and began to pull the poor girl out of the freezing hell. "Skylar, say something!" Serana demanded.
"I'm ok." Skylar said through chattering teeth. "No more big bodies of water please..." She said when she was out of the water shivering.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Serana said as she scooped Skylar up and began to carry her the rest of the way to the structure that was waiting for them.
Serana had collected the water and now they were sitting inside of the structure with a fire going. Skylar leaned against a wall curled up in a blanket as she waited for her Clothes to dry.
She looked up to see Serana walking in with some more logs for the fire. "How are you feeling?" Serana asked her as she placed them on the fire.
"I'm ok, just cold." Skylar chuckled as she stared into the flames. Being inside that structure almost reminded her of being inside the cage that had torn her away from her original home. It was one place she did not want to be in, but she did not have much of a choice, she could not just get up and go to the last structure completely naked... Well she could in her wolf form but still.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dash sitting against a wall watching the moon. They decided that it would be a good idea to just stay there for the night, they didn't know what kinds of creatures that come out at night in the Vale.
Serana sat down beside Skylar and brought an arm around the smaller girl. Skylar leaned against her and sighed in content. Dash rolled his eyes got to his feet.
"This is when I go for a walk." He said as he bowed and walked out of the structure. Skylar smiled at him, it was not like they were going to do anything but still she enjoyed the privacy.
"I think that was twice in one day." Skylar mumbled.
"What?" Serana asked her confused. At first Serana thought she was talking to Dash but how Skylar looked up at her told her different. "You saved me twice today." Skylar told her.
Serana could not read her expression. Serana cupped her cheek and touched her forehead with her's. "And I would do it again if I had to." She whispered before she placed a kiss on Skylar's forehead. Serana went to pull away but Skylar stopped her by placing her lips on hers. With a small smile Serana began to move her lips against hers as she gently scooped her up and placed her on her lap, not once leaving her lips. Serana wrapped her arms around Skylar and pulled her closer. The smaller girl was still shivering a little and Serana was determined not to let Skylar get sick from the cold.
They eventually pulled apart for air. Skylar leaned her head against Serana's shoulder as Serana began to run her fingers through her hair. Eventually Skylar nodded off with Serana watching over her.