Uncomfortable silences were slowly but surely becoming a staple in Arven's life. He'd been walking with Serana in the moonlight towards riften for half an hour, with each of them being able to count the amount of words exchanged on both their hands. The distance from the fort to Riften was short, thankfully, so they'd soon have something to do besides walk in silence.
Despite that, Serana figured it couldn't hurt to try and get some conversation going.
"So," she said. "You can breathe fire. That's, kind of cool."
Aren let out a soft sigh. Out of everything to talk about, this was pretty far down on the list.
"Yeah, I guess I can," he said.
"How? Is that some kind of destruction magic?" Serana seemed oddly perky as she spoke, as if the topic was exciting for her.
"I don't think so, no."
"Well… how do you do it?"
Arven shrugged. "I shout."
Serana blinked a few times, shaking her head. "Pardon?"
"I shout. I yell some words, and things happen. That's honestly the extent of my knowledge of how it works."
"Right. And you can do this because you've got the blood of a dragon, correct?"
Arven hung his head. This conversation just gets better and better, he thought.
"Yeah," he grumbled out as a reply.
"You know, I'm pretty sure any normal person would be thrilled to have that sort of power," Serana said.
"It isn't as great as you'd think."
"Really? It seemed pretty damn great when you scared off a group of ancient vampires with it," Serana said. As she spoke she was almost staring at Arven, trying to study him despite the helmet he had on. She did notice his heartrate rising as the topic of dragons came up, though.
"It has its uses, sure."
"That's putting it lightly. Some of those vampires have been calling for your head, even though now they're too scared to leave the damn island."
Arven let out a small chuckle. He was glad that he'd made an impression.
"Why are you so hesitant to talk about it, or even use it though?" Serana asked.
"It's a long story."
"Well, we've got plenty of time!"
Arven didn't reply for almost a minute after that. Serana decided to drop the topic, she didn't want to ruin a trip before it even had a chance to get started. After the silence had grown uncomfortable once more however, Arven stopped in his tracks.
Serana took a few more steps after before she stopped as well, turning back to look at the Imperial.
"Arven, you okay?"
Arven dropped his shield to the floor, the metal leaving an imprint in the snow shortly before he unclasped his belt and let Dawnbreaker come to rest on the ground. Then, he started working at the buckles on his side that kept his breastplate on.
Serana stepped back. "Uhh, what are you doing?"
Arven didn't respond, he just continued to remove his armour. It was a lengthy process but after a minute or so he let his breastplate and the leather padding along with it fall to the floor.
"No, seriously. You can keep your clothes on, this is really uncomfortable," Serana said.
"Payback for you making terrible conversation," Arven replied. He finally got to the bandages that were wrapped around his torso. They were hiding essentially everything from his upper chest to his hips, with one shoulder bare. He went to work unravelling them.
"Very funny. Seriously, you only got hurt a little while ago. Don't you need those?" Serana asked.
"I recover pretty fast." Finally, he let the bandages fall to the floor. He then illuminated his hand with some restoration magic and held it near his torso, showing off a plethora of long, jagged and very pronounced scars. Many were in the shape of teeth all across his torso, most dwarfing the most recent one caused by the dagger in his ribs.
Serana's jaw dropped and for the moment she had absolutely nothing to say. After she'd seen all of the damage to Arven's front half, he turned around to show more puncture marks along with three long, jagged scars running down his entire back. When she saw that Serana took half a step back, although from curiosity and just to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her, she reached out to touch them. Arven didn't pull back.
Her fingers gently ran over the three long scars, giving them the softest touch imaginable.
"What did this?" She asked.
"Dragons. That was one of the first I fought, I was running away and it slashed at me. Tore up my back before biting my leg and flinging me across the ground." Arven said.
"And you didn't die?"
"Like I said, I recover pretty fast. I think the blood makes me more resilient than normal." After Serana had a good look Arven started to place his armour on once more. "Doesn't do anything to help the pain, though," he continued.
Arven waited for a response as he put on his armour, although none came. All Serana could muster was a mumbled apology, although she seemed more confused than ever.
"Dragons are the only thing I hate as much as vampires. They're just as merciless. They burn villages, kill for pleasure, take whatever they believe to be theirs. Unlike being a vampire hunter though, I didn't choose to be Dragonborn," Arven said. "I hate vampires, but I don't mind fighting them. Dragons on the other hand absolutely terrify me, and the only way I've been able to beat them is through using their own power. Not to mention, when they find out that I've got their blood, they take that as an insult to their race and try to purge me."
Eventually he had picked up his shield, throwing it onto his back before buckling Dawnbreaker around his waist once more. "Every time I use their power, I'm reminded of every time I've fought a dragon. I don't like to use it unless I have to. And when people find out that I am the Dragonborn, it just brings everything flooding back. Then they get angry when I don't share in their enthusiasm."
Fully dressed again, Arven started to walk leaving a dumbfounded Serana behind him. She quickly caught up.
"Does that answer your questions?" Arven asked.
"Yeah. I'm sorry," Serana replied. She sounded genuine, and didn't push the topic anymore. Arven appreciated that. She was the first person to leave him alone once he'd explained it. Most people tried to convince him otherwise, or call him a fool.
"Just give me some warning next time you decide to strip in front of me, would you?" Serana asked, her lips curling up into a playful smile.
"Next time?"
Serana shrugged. "Hey, I don't know your motives. I'm just a single woman out travelling with a stranger, a girl has to look out for herself you know?"
"Oh please, you're likely the most dangerous thing on this half of the province. I'm the one that's going to be on edge this entire trip."
Serana smiled. "You don't have to be on the lookout all the time. I can tell you if anyone's getting close," she said.
"Sure. Doesn't help protect me from you, though,' Arven said. Serana's mood instantly dropped after hearing that.
"You still don't trust me, do you?"
"Do you still have fangs?"
"Why do you hate all vampires so much?" Serana asked. "I haven't hurt you, haven't tried to hurt you, or do anything against you since we've met, but you're acting like I'm a threat to you."
"You are, simple."
"I'm not! I have no ill wishes against you, except that I want to smack you across the face to knock some sense into you!"
Arven looked away. "I think that's enough personal talk for one night, don't you?"
Serana just sighed, defeated. "Whatever."
Arven felt a twinge of guilt as he noticed Serana's expression, but he didn't say anything more. He couldn't trust her, that was a stupid risk that had next to no benefits. Besides, at least this way there'd be less awkward conversations for him to deal with.
After cresting the nearest hill, the lights of Riften finally became visible in the distance. The two continued walking towards the city, following the main stone path that connected Riften to the East. There was a chance of brigands, following the main road, but Arven highly doubted that any could pose a serious threat to him or Serana.
While the walk was silent, their surroundings gave Arven plenty to admire to pass the time. He'd always marvelled at the natural beauty of Skyrim and the aspen trees surrounding Riften never ceased to amaze him. He barely even noticed the cold, partially due to his dragon blood and partially due to him simply being distracted by his surroundings. Strangely, the sound of nature and water running down a stream was one of the few things that could always calm him.
By the time they reached the city, the sun was barely starting to crest over the mountains, much to Serana's dismay as she put up her hood.
"Are you sure this person will be at the gates of Riften? It's really, really early," Serana asked.
Arven nodded. "He's always been there. The guy is dedicated, if nothing else."
Arven was right. Near the stables a carriage was patiently waiting, the man sitting at the front idly picking his teeth while his horse munched on whatever grass was within reach. Arven approached the man from the front, not wanting to startle him.
"Morning," Arven said.
"Morning, need a lift?" The man replied. Straight to the point, as usual.
"No, actually. I was just wondering if you've seen or heard of a priest from Cyrodiil travelling around here. Calls himself a Moth Priest?" As Arven spoke Serana stood off to one side, resting against a tree roughly 5 metres away.
"Now why would I know anythin' about that?"
Arven shrugged. "You travel a lot; you probably see a lot. I've got better chances asking you than anyone at random."
The worker paused for a moment, scratching his chin. "Might be that I have, but I can't say for sure. I got enough troubles on my mind just tryin' to scrape by out here."
Arven grumbled softly to himself. "Please, it's very important that I find him."
"Can't help you friend. I might remember better if my pockets weren't so light."
Gods dammit, Arven thought. He reached into his gold purse strapped to his belt, fumbling around for a suitable amount of coin to bribe the man with. Before he could pull any out, Serana stepped up.
She pulled her hood back just enough to reveal her face, but not enough so that the sun could shine on her skin. "Please? We really need to know where this man is," she said, her voice sounding much softer than usual.
The man gawked for a moment before he tried to speak, stumbling over his words repeatedly until he cleared his throat. His face was bright red. "N-now that I think on it, I did see your priest. He tried to hire me for a trip to Dragon Bridge, but that ain't one of my stops."
"Wait, you don't go to Dragon Bridge? That's directly on the way to Solitude," Arven said.
"Aye, and I don't go there either. Last time I went to Solitude I had Imperial Soldiers impose a toll on me. Damned near took all the gold I had!"
Sure, 'Imperial Soldiers', Arven thought. He'd heard of people disguising themselves as soldiers before to try and profit on the war.
"Can you take us to Rorikstead?" Arven asked.
The man paused for a moment before nodding. "Aye, I can do that. Hop in back and we'll be off."
Arven nodded his thanks, then went to the back of the carriage with Serana. Before they climbed up he caught Serana by the arm, pulling her aside to look her in the eye.
"Did you just use magic on him? An innocent?" Arven asked in a low, yet harsh whisper.
Serana rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't. I knew you'd get all bothered and angry if I did. I just asked him nicely with a smile. See?" Demonstrating her point, Serana gave Arven a stunningly beautiful smile. He knew it was staged but that didn't diminish the effect at all. He found himself completely lost for words, her eyes, even though they were red, they were stunning. He realised that he'd never seen a woman as strikingly gorgeous as Serana was, especially when she smiled, and he didn't want to look away.
Arven didn't realise it, but his mouth was hanging open slightly. Serana finally decided to break him out of his trance, flicking him on his helmet.
"Quit staring. Let's go."
"…Yeah, sure."
The following day was mostly uneventful. The trip from one side of Skyrim to the other (a trip that was getting far too familiar, Arven noted) was a long one, even by carriage. During the trip Serana mostly talked with the carriage driver, quizzing him about his life, seemingly finding amusement in the small differences of society between her former time and the present.
They stopped on occasion for a break, or to drink or eat. Once again, Arven rarely spoke, only responding to any questions asked directly of him. At one point the carriage driver asked Serana if there was something wrong with Arven. The Imperial had frowned beneath his helmet while Serana just chuckled. By the time the sun was just starting to set with the clouds becoming a soft orange/pink colour in the light of the late afternoon, Whiterun was approaching. The trip was long, but at the very least a carriage in clear weather was a much more comfortable experience than walking in a blizzard.
"Seems like as good a place as any to stay for the night," the driver said. "Are you both comfortable finding a place to stay in Whiterun?"
Serana looked to Arven, who nodded. "We'll be fine. Meet you in the morning, at dawn," Arven said. As he hopped off the carriage, he handed over a generous sum of gold to the driver, covering the cost of both days. With the way he looked at Serana, he didn't have to worry about him not being there the following day.
The pair approached the gates, walking up the incline towards the entrance. Many of the guards nodded to Arven as they passed, recognising him despite his armour and helmet.
"I'm assuming you know of a decent inn, or something of the sorts?" Serana asked.
"Actually, I live here," Arven replied.
Serana seemed surprised.
"What?" Arven asked, noticing her expression.
"Oh, nothing. It just seems awfully… normal, to own a home in a city. Figured you to be the 'always on the road' type," Serana said.
"I am. This house was… gifted."
"Someone gave you a house? Why?"
Arven didn't respond, instead walking up to the two guards at the gate. Each braced up as he approached, nodding their respect.
"Good evening Thane, it's good to see you again," one of the guards said.
"Evening Erik. I trust you and the family are well?" Arven said.
"That we are Thane, even more so now that the city is back under your protection."
Arven smiled gently. "Only for the night I'm afraid, but I appreciate that."
The guard let out a short bark of a laugh. "One night is better than none! Enjoy your evening, and safe travels for the morning my Thane."
Arven and Serana both entered the city, walking towards Breezehome. The building had been gifted to Arven after assisting the city in both repelling the Stormcloaks, as well as various dragon attacks. It was a nice gesture, however it was one of the few places where Arven found it near impossible to hide his Dragonborn status. That alone made him have a strong dislike of the place.
Once they were out of earshot, Serana stepped up to Arven.
"You're a thane?" She asked.
"That I am."
"Well, aren't you just full of surprises. So if you're staying at home, any suggestions on where I can spend the night?"
"I have a spare bed."
Serana paused for a moment, slightly shocked. "I'm honestly surprised you'd be comfortable with me staying in the same house as you while you slept. I'm assuming you're actually going to sleep, this time."
"I am. I'd rather know where you are than have you roaming the city."
"Right, of course. Sure. I'll take you up on your offer."
"Are you going to sleep?" Arven asked. It was something he never really figured out. He'd seen vampires sleep, but he'd also heard that they don't need sleep. Now was as good of a time as any to figure that out.
"Maybe. I'm not really tired, so there's no need," Serana responded.
"Okay, how does that actually work? Do you need to sleep, at all? Is it just a way to pass time for you?"
"Now who's asking the personal questions?"
Arven grunted. "Alright, nevermind."
"No, it's fine," Serana responded. "We don't need to sleep, no. It does refresh us if we're especially exhausted, though. After a fight or a physically demanding day, it can be nice. If I'm just lazing around though, there's really no need."
Makes sense, Arven thought.
"So, what will you do all night?"
"Read, maybe? Got any books?"
"A few."
After arriving at Breezehome Arven knocked twice before entering. Serana raised an eyebrow at that, unsure as to why he was knocking on his own door.
"You're not going to surprise me even further with a family or something, are you?" She asked.
"I'm not exactly marriage material."
"I've noticed. That's why it'd be a surprise."
Arven chose to ignore that. He did smile upon seeing a familiar face when he entered the building, though.
"My thane!" A surprised voice said. "It's good to see you again!"
"Hello, Lydia," Arven responded. He took off his helm as soon as he entered, placing it down on a nearby table.
"It's been quite a while. Just staying for the night?"
Arven nodded. "Hope you don't mind the intrusion."
"How could you possibly intrude on your own home?"
Arven let a tired smile come to his face. Serana followed in behind him, the woman scanning the house out of sheer curiosity. The house was furnished, but it was bare at the same time. There wasn't a single personal touch that she could see. No decorations, trinkets, items, anything. Everything she saw had a purpose and was particularly bland in colour.
"Lydia, this is Serana. She's… helping me out with a few things," Arven said in a brief introduction.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady," Lydia said.
"The pleasure is all mine," Serana responded as she studied the other woman. Lydia was in full armour, well-crafted steel with a shield on her back and a fine, long blade strapped to her side. It seemed like an ebony blade, something which even Serana knew was worth a considerable sum. At the very least, the woman seemed like she could handle herself.
Serana stepped up to Arven, whispering in his ear. "I like her, she called me a lady."
"Do you have to get to close?" Arven responded, stepping away.
"Sheesh, touchy. So, where am I staying?"
"I'll show you to your room, my lady," Lydia said.
"Thanks, Lydia. I'll see you in the morning Serana," Arven said as he began to climb the stairs.
"Turning in already? You know it's barely even night time."
Arven nodded. "Yeah, I'm just exhausted."
You did get stabbed fairly recently, Serana thought.
Lydia promptly showed Serana to her room, a spacious and comfortable enough place which had the same sort of décor as the rest of the house. There were at least a few books on different topics, most of them either relating to a practical skill or legends of the Dragonborn. There was one book that stood out, being much more worn than the rest. As Serana sat down on the bed she picked it out, flicking through the pages.
It seemed to be a typical hero fantasy told to children. A strong warrior protecting the town from various monsters and invaders. On the first page, a hand-written note was scrawled onto the paper.
To my Hero,
Know that I am proud of you, that I am proud to be your mother and that my love for you will never run out. You are the brightest thing I have ever brought into the world, and I will care for you always.
Love, your Mother
Serana couldn't help but smile gently as she read the note. It was hard to imagine the Imperial upstairs as a child, let alone a child resting in the arms of their mother. It made Serana think back to her own mother, a somber moment falling upon her. She went to place the book back, but the faint sound of conversation upstairs reached her sensitive ears.
"I hate to ask you to do this, Lydia," Arven said.
"It's quite alright my thane. If I may, can I ask why?" Lydia responded.
"I just… I'd feel much safer knowing you were still awake tonight. I haven't had the best week recently, that's all."
So that's why he's fine with me staying here, Serana realised. She clenched her fist, nails digging into her skin out of sheer frustration.
Damn him.
Hey again! A shorter chapter this time, just some character development. The next chapter will be much longer with a lot more action in it! Hope you're all enjoying it so far, and once again a huge thank-you to everyone who follows, favourites and leaves reviews!