Thank you so much for the reviews everyone, as well as those that have read the story, added alerts etc :D
Brace yourself for this chapter, there is a little shock in here somewhere muhahaha :D
Enjoy!
Serana couldn't stop smiling. She had seen the way that the young Jarl had been looking at Morgan. She recognised a crush when she saw one, and instead of being angry, she found it amusing.
Poor girl. Longing after someone like that and also knowing she belonged to another.
She cast a sideways glance at Solia, who was walking alongside her and she smiled a little more when the young woman caught her eye.
"What is it? I don't have a rash or anything have I?"
Serana laughed.
"No. You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago."
"You don't look that old."
"And if I said I was four thousand five hundred years old?" Serana smirked.
Solia's mouth dropped open and Serana gently took her hand.
"Vampirism does have a few benefits Solia, but there are also drawbacks. I know that you still wish to become one but you need to know about everything it entails before committing to it. You could end up being in Aetherius long before your time."
"I know," Solia sighed. "But the Dragonborn survived it…."
"Thanks to her dragon blood and her dragon soul, not to mention her powerful blood line," Serana replied, squeezing her hand gently. "She is unique Solia. Not many mortals survive a bite from a pure blood vampire, let alone one such as myself."
"What's the difference between you and another vampire? You know, the ones that live in caves."
"I am a Volkihar vampire," Serana explained. "And a Daughter of Coldharbour. Trust me when I say that there are many differences between us."
Solia took the unspoken hint that Serana did not wish to continue the conversation topic and she nodded once before another question came to her mind.
"Why did you come to me? And how did you know where I was?"
"The Unholy Matron told the Listener where you were of course," Lucien interjected with a small smirk on his face. "She chose you to join our Family."
"She…chose me? I…"
Lucien waited patently and he smiled when she spoke again.
"Could you tell her it is a honour and I won't let her down?"
"My dear child, she already knows."
Solia beamed at him before looking ahead once more. Lucien and Serana smiled to each other and the rest of the journey to the Sanctuary continued in silence. But Serana kept wondering something. And it was beginning to dwell more and more on her mind.
I love Morgan. But so do many others. Am I the one for her or am I destined to be rejected once more. There are many who love her in one way or another. Elisif, Aela, maybe a few of her other Housecarls who I haven't met yet. Not to mention any of the Thieves' Guild members who I met once. That Brynjolf seemed very interested in her and I have to say, he was very attractive….
Serana sipped a little of the blood potion, her mind whirling with emotion.
She loves me, I am sure she does. I am unsure though about what I feel….I only ever had one relationship and I ended up killing him….I never want to do that to Morgan.
Serana hissed softly.
You are being stupid Serana. She loves you and you know that you love her. You are just too afraid of your past to move on. Elisif has a huge crush on her but that will pass. Aela is a ravishing thing but she likes to live free. Brynjolf is the same, just a lot smoother at talking. No. Morgan is mine, and mine only.
She smiled.
Besides, it wouldn't be the first time she and I had another person involved in our….activities.
"Are you well, Sister? Do you need to rest?"
"No, I'm fine, thank you Lucien. I was just thinking is all."
Lucien nodded to her and she sighed.
When I see Morgan again, I am going to pin her down and make her mine again. I have taken too long in taking things slowly and others are trying to take her away. She is my Dragonborn. The rest can fuck right off and get their own.
Serana smiled wider and felt as though a great weight were lifted off her shoulders. She couldn't wait to get back to the Sanctuary and await Morgan's arrival…
"It's one less item to worry about I guess," Elisif sighed as she took a dainty sip of wine.
"Thank you Elisif. And fear not, I will make sure no-one knows who she is or where she went."
"And if she were caught again?"
"Then I would await the Night Mother's orders on whether to rescue her or not. It is a dark path I am walking Elisif, and I pray that I don't lose myself in the process. We kill for profit. But most of the time, the target is always someone who deserves it."
Elisif was taken aback at her words at first but then she recalled that the woman before her was prat dragon. She smiled a little and gently took the vampire's hand in hers.
"I hope neither of us live to regret this. But thank you for being honest with me Morgan."
"I hope so too."
There was a few minutes of silence but Elisif took the moment to take a moment to look at the Dragonborn.
There is something about her. It is not the vampirism, nor her power that makes her beautiful. It's something else, but I cannot figure out what it is. Her hand is cold yet it feels as though my arm is going to set alight somehow. It might be her eyes, like flames in the dark, that makes her stunning. Or maybe it's her hair, black as midnight. By the Divines, what is wrong with me?
"Your heart is racing, Elisif. Are you alright?"
Elisif blushed.
Fool! She can sense your heart from the other side of the room, let alone holding her hand like this.
She made to let go, but Morgan gently squeezed her hand and smiled at her.
"It's alright, I don't mind."
Does she know? Oh Gods!
"Elisif, it's fine."
The Jarl of Solitude shivered and she knew that somehow, Morgan knew her feelings. She made to hang her head, but Morgan's free hand now cupped her chin and forced her to look up.
"Elisif, if I were single right now, I would kiss you right now and give you the world. But you still think about your husband…who is a very attractive man, I have to say…"
"You…met my husband?"
"In Sovngarde. When I was making my way to Shor's Hall in Alduin's soul snare."
"Soul snare?"
Morgan grimaced. She had never told anyone this but she thought that Elisif needed to know that her husband hadn't forgotten about her.
"He set a mist in Sovngarde. It was how he regained his strength….by devouring the souls of the lost, trapped in the mist. While travelling there, I met many souls. Imperial and Stormcloaks alike. Then I met your husband."
Morgan smiled at the young widow.
"He first mentioned your name when I spoke to him. Even now, he waits for you. He wished that you would find your happiness again before you met him once more."
Elisif felt her tears falling but made no movement to remove them.
"He then asked who I was…and you know what I said?"
Elisif shook her head.
"I said I was a friend of yours and was going to grab Alduin by the tail and kick him right up his scaly arse."
Elisif sniggered and Morgan beamed at her, giving her hand another squeeze while releasing her hand from the Jarl's jaw.
"I did just that. And when it was over, I saw him standing there on the mountain nearby, with hundreds of other souls. He was so happy, Elisif. He felt so free. I am sure that he would have gotten past Tsun and allowed entry into the Hall."
"Tsun? But…he guards the Hall does he not? You are a very capable warrior, but my beloved…he wasn't so well versed in combat….that bastard proved that."
"He wouldn't have had to beat him," Morgan replied gently. "Tsun only wished to test a person's bravery. And for Torygg to stand up to someone who could use the thu'um and not run away like many would have done…Elisif, I am certain he would have been allowed inside…and so will you one day."
"I don't even know how to hold a dagger."
Morgan smiled.
"I will be your dagger. Striking your enemies when they cannot see me. But if you want, I could…give you a few pointers in wielding a blade…"
Elisif smiled.
"I couldn't ask…"
"Come on. You killed that Thalmor bitch Elenwen without any difficulty. Please Elisif. You are dear to me and if you were to be hurt, I wouldn't be very happy."
The Jarl of Solitude smiled.
"What do I need to do?"
"It seems like nothing ever happened."
Astrid gently rested her hand on Babette's shoulder and nodded. They were standing outside what used to be the Falkreath Sanctuary. She closed her eyes for a moment, deliberately not looking to the north where her husband was killed in front of her eyes.
"Come on," she said after a few seconds.
Golag stepper forwards in front of her and banged on the battered wooden door that had replaced the old stone door of the Sanctuary.
The door was wrenched open and the Orc didn't flinch as a red eyed vampire emerged, her face twisted with slight disgust.
"Golag. I told you not to come here with others. Are you out of your stupid mind?"
"You must be Alva," Babette said lightly.
Alva looked down and she stared.
"You…."
"You know who I am," Babette said simply. "And you also know what I do."
"Get in here before a patrol passes."
The three of them walked inside the old Sanctuary and Alva slammed the door shut before jogging in front of them. They noticed that as they walked down into what used to be Astrid's planning room, the vampires had managed to make some rudimentary tables and chairs in their place. There was little sign of the fire that had gutted their old home, but Babette still hissed angrily when they came to the cavern.
Look at them. Two dozen vampires and all of them are weak. I doubt any of them have fed well in days.
There were over twenty vampires that she could sense and Babette wasn't impressed. She looked at Alva and tilted her head curiously.
"Lot's of vampires here aren't they? How many are newly turned, Alva?"
"Fifteen," Alva muttered.
Babette sighed and she gently took Alva's hand, motioning her to meet her gaze by kneeling down in front of her. The taller vampire did so and Babette smiled.
Poor girl isn't a leader. She was thrust into a position where she wanted revenge and now she is surrounded by almost-feral vampires. Time to show them what a true vampire is.
"Alva, what you have done is foolish. Its well and good feeding off one or two people every now and again, but to attack a village repeatedly? You know that they will search here eventually."
"What more can I do? They killed everyone in Morthal….even Morvarth."
"Morvarth was a powerful vampire, but he wasn't close to the ones that I know of."
"Who is that?" Alva scoffed. "I would have known about a vampire who can lead."
"Morgan Aurelius. She is one of us now. Or more specifically, she leads us."
"The…Dragonborn? You cannot be serious."
Astrid smirked now.
"She is our Listener, Alva. And she hates Stormcloaks much more than you do. She is of Volkihar blood, and you must have known about them."
"Morvarth talked about them many times. He was not very fond of their leader."
"Harkon is dead, torn apart by Morgan herself."
Alva looked up sharply at Astrid and she felt no increase in her heartbeat. She wasn't lying, and that worried her.
"What do you want?"
"An alliance," Babette grinned as she let go of her hand. "We need numbers if we are to remain active in Skyrim. And Morgan may need your help in the near future. In return, we can get you enough to keep your new Family fed."
There were hisses all around them and Babette snarled, her fangs fully bared.
"If any even think of attacking us, I will personally make sure that your ashes are sprinkled on the biggest pile of dragon shit I can find. And if any of you survive, Morgan will hunt you down and give you the most painful death imaginable."
"I…I thought she was…a heroine."
"She is," Astrid agreed. "But she is also our Listener. She has a darkness within her that rivals anything save our Dread father himself. She is a true Daughter of Sithis."
A cold wind blew around the cavern.
Alva shivered.
"What was that?"
Babette smiled.
"Let's just say that we are being watched right now."
Alva looked around at her clan and nodded to them.
"We have little choice but to leave. Astrid, can you guarantee we will have enough blood?"
Astrid smirked.
"With Morgan leading us, there will be more than enough blood Alva. Just one word of warning….don't fuck around with her, she has been in a rather bad move recently."
Another cold wind blew around the cavern and Alva realised what it was.
She was telling the truth. And someone is watching us right now….is it Him?
"Where can we stay though?"
"There is a large cavern next to our Sanctuary in Dawnstar. We are currently making it more habitable as well as making a place for cattle to feed off of. But with your help, the work won't take as long."
"And who cam we get as cattle. With this number, we will need many people…maybe a few dozen."
Babette smirked, her fangs glinting in the soft torchlight.
"Dawnstar is full of Stormcloaks…and by getting rid of them, we also aid a 'friend' of ours in doing so, as well as giving you a steady supply of blood."
There were mumblings amongst the vampires and then they all stood up and nodded to Alva, who smiled back at them. She then turned to face the three and sighed.
"It seems we have an agreement. But Golag my dear…next time someone asks you to keep a secret, for fuck's sake, keep it a secret."
Golag smirked.
"If I hadn't been 'persuaded' by the two ladies here, I wouldn't have told anybody."
Alva smirked and nodded.
"Fair point. We better leave before anyone investigates. And if anyone tries to kill without the order to, I will kill you myself," Alva warned the assembled vampires around them. "Remember, we are now a part of something greater and we need to be more careful."
There was a few seconds of silence before the vampires all nodded once more before they all began to run into the old passages to gain what little belongings they had. Astrid smiled and extended her hand, which Alva took eagerly.
"Welcome to the Dark Brotherhood my dear. And thank you."
"For what?"
Astrid chuckled and smiled as she let go of her hand.
"For joining our Family, dearest."
Alva smiled again and she looked down at the vampire girl who was smirking at her.
"You will not be disappointed," Babette promised.
"That's it, hold the dagger like that, and make sure you don't twist your wrist, it would hurt if someone were to grab the dagger and try and wrench it out of your grip."
Elisif smiled as she did what the Dragonborn told her, the glass dagger in her hand held in her right hand. She tried to ignore the way that Morgan was standing behind her, her right hand guiding her grip on the dagger and her other hand resting on her stomach.
"Ready? Like I told you, I am going to try and grab you from behind. Kindly don't slash my head off."
"I doubt I could even get close to you," Elisif replied dryly.
Elisif held in a giggle as Morgan's amused chuckle blew air around her ear.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Elisif waited as Morgan let go of her and stepped backwards. She recalled what Morgan said in her mind, waiting for her to begin.
When I try and grab the arm where your dagger is being held, you take my arm and drop, pushing upwards with your feet. The momentum should flip me over your shoulder. Then you gently prod my chest with the dagger to simulate a kill. Is that easy enough to follow? I could always get Falk to help…
Elisif smirked.
No chance I would ask Falk for something like this. Dealing within the Court, yes. Training in how to hold off a dagger attack, definitely not. Besides, maybe spending a little time with Morgan will mean I can calm down more in her presence.
"Go."
Morgan's words jolted her out of her musings and she took a small breath like Morgan had instructed beforehand. She saw Morgan's arm reach over her shoulder and grasp her forearm, and Elisif wasted no time. She grabbed her arm and pushed upwards and away with her feet, twisting as she did so, so that her motion would force Morgan to flip over her shoulder.
But instead of flipping the Dragonborn over her shoulder as planned, Elisif felt her feet become tangled in her long dress.
Oh…sh...dear.
Elisif yelped as she fell, and she caught a glimpse of a black blur flashing over her shoulder as she fell.
"OOF!"
The Jarl opened her eyes and she blushed immediately when she realised what had happened after she had fallen. She was straddling Morgan's stomach, her thighs on either side of the Dragonborn's slim body. The dagger was on the floor in the corner of the room while her hands rested on Morgan's shoulders.
Oh gods…
"Sorry!" Elisif squeaked, then paused as she took in Morgan's amused expression.
"Well, it was half right anyway," Morgan laughed, making no attempt to move. "If you had held onto the dagger, you would have….mmmmm."
Elisif wasn't fully aware that while Morgan had been talking, she had bent down, watching her talk and in that short time, she had closed the gap to a hairsbreadth. And she had kissed the woman pinned beneath her.
No, stop this Elisif, this is wrong.
Elisif broke the kiss and scrambled to her feet, walking away from Morgan and shivering as she looked out the window, deliberately watching the guards patrol the courtyard below so she could regain her thoughts. She was also trying to ignore the sudden heat beginning to build in her lower body.
I am so dead. Serana will kill me when she finds out. Why was I so stupid? I knew she was taken and yet I allowed myself to lose control and try and take Morgan for myself!
"Elisif."
Elisif ignored her name being said and continued to fret.
I need to leave. Maybe go to High Rock. I cannot stay here after what I just did. Morgan will think I am some common street whore after what I just did. I have ruined our friendship because of my stupid childish crush….
And then she blinked, and Morgan was standing in front of her, a small smile on her face.
"Elisif, please. I can see what you are saying to yourself. I'm not angry, and Serana will not kill you for acting on an impulse. I have a feeling she knew more about your hidden desires more than I did."
"I…"
"It's fine. I dare say everyone has done such a thing at one point or another. Even Serana."
"What do you mean?" Elisif asked.
"She told me that she only tracked me down at first because she could sense my blood was different. I had a hand injury when we first 'met', and her first impulse was to try and taste my blood due to being starved for over four thousand years. But she never meant to turn me," Morgan explained softly, looking at her with a saddened expression.
Elisif found herself reaching out and taking one of Morgan's hands.
"She only meant to taste me and then, when the time was right, introduce herself proper. She wanted my help but she found herself unable to dismiss her first instinct to feed off of me. But I do not blame her. Being alone for so long, I cannot imagine how badly she felt about it afterwards. That is why she took me away from Whiterun in the first place. She wanted to say she was sorry, in her own, awkward way."
Morgan sighed, but smiled.
"But over time, I began to fall in love with her. Not because of her strength, or even her beauty. But because of who she truly is and the way she cares about others. And I have a feeling that your feelings for me are the same, no?"
Elisif blushed and then dipped her head, feeling ashamed of her behaviour.
Morgan gently lifted her chin again like she had done before and smiled.
"It's fine Elisif, truly. It was a very nice kiss in fact."
Elisif smiled then, feeling her heart soar again.
" I am such a fool."
"No, you're a Jarl. An attractive, strong willed, intelligent and well loved Jarl of a Hold in Skyrim. And you are also one of my dearest friends."
The Jarl of Solitude felt her blush becoming red hot and she laughed then, letting go of Morgan's hand an taking a shuddering breath.
"I don't suppose you want to try again?" she managed.
"We better not, no point in tempting fate twice."
Elisif smiled again and nodded.
"I am so sorry for what I did."
"Forget it. No real harm done. Besides, not many people can say they had the Jarl of Solitude on top of them."
"Morgan!" Elisif squeaked.
I will never be able to live this down. I only pray that Serana takes the news about what I did in good standing.
Then she noted Morgan was laughing and that thought vanished.
Now I come to think of it, sitting on top of her was rather nice.
Elisif cursed as Morgan bowed and took her leave, her laughter easily heard in the corridors of the Blue Palace. She giggled and straightened her skirts out before seeing the glass dagger on the floor. She walked over and bent down, picking up the weapon and turning it over in her fingers thoughtfully.
I need to be stronger, for many people's sakes and not just my own. It's time I started acting like a Jarl instead of just a pretty woman sitting on my husband's cold throne.
She would seek out Rikke, she decided, and ask her what she needed.
I hope I haven't left it too late. My people need me.