Arven ran as fast as he could. His feet slammed down onto an uneven surface, rocks being kicked away from his feet with every step as the harsh sun bore down on him. He didn't dare look back; he couldn't even think about it. His mind was blank. All he could do was run.

That terrifying, brutal roar reached his ears once again. He started to run faster if such a thing was even possible. Even though he was exhausted, bloodied and bruised, he still managed to sprint faster than he ever had. If he had time to think, the warrior would've boiled it down to pure fear.

Eventually he slipped. His foot slid on some loose gravel and he came crashing to a halt, trying to roll his body in a way that didn't end up with him impaling himself on the iron sword he carried.

The second he hit the ground he was scrambling to get to his feet once more, looking over his shoulder to see if there was any more distance between him and that monster. There wasn't. His panicked expression grew into one of pure horror as he looked into the eyes of the dragon. That disgusting, unnatural beast that had slaughtered everything in its way. The dragon had arrows sticking out of its hide all over its body. A sword was lodged into its stomach and it limped heavily.

Right now, it couldn't even fly. The beast was close to death but that didn't stop it from chasing Arven down. He didn't know why but for some reason it came for him before all else. Everything that got in its way was either thrown to the side or killed. Arven had watched it bite the head off of a soldier. Tear another in half. It even ate a soldier in full armour.

The entire squad that had been sent to investigate the tower was incapacitated, all except for Arven. A few lucky ones had been knocked unconscious, most had been killed.

"Get away from me! Get the fuck away!" Consumed by fear, Arven slashed out with his sword as he scrambled to his feet, continuing to run. You can't outrun a dragon, though.

Moments after he had started to run once more a blinding, terrible pain shot through his back. The dragon had lunged out to bite at him. He managed to evade getting eaten but those fangs pierced his breastplate, tearing flesh from bone as three incredibly deep gouges mangled the man. Arven dropped to the floor with a cry as the dragon only managed to swallow his armor, the straps that kept the armour on breaking by some miracle to let him break free. Despite the horrid pain he tried to crawl away. That was brought to a halt as soon as the dragon bit down on his leg. He felt a fang pierce directly through his thigh before he was flung across the floor.

He wished for unconsciousness. At this point he even wished for death. He just wanted this horrific experience to be over. Somehow he held onto his consciousness, his own blood almost blinding him from cuts and scrapes all over his face as he struggled to watch the dragon approaching him. Arven was unable to move his legs by this point, with only his arms still having some strength left.

Eventually the dragon made its way to his body. The beast got close, moving in until its snout was only inches away from Arven's face. It smelt terrible, the stench of blood and rotting flesh making Arven want to puke. The dragon made eye contact with Arven, staring into him. The beast was intelligent, that much was obvious from the way it moved. The way it studied him.

Unexpectedly, the beast spoke. "You are no Dovah."

Then beast opened its mouth, its jaws parting to close down around Arven's mangled torso.

No. Fuck this. Fuck this thing! I am not going to die to this beast!

Arven tried to scream, but all that came out was a gurgle from the blood resting in his mouth. He reached to his leg, feeling it in a distinctly unnatural position but he found what he needed. The imperial drew out a dagger, stabbing it directly into the roof of the dragon's mouth. The beast howled. It wailed in pain as Arven struck again and again, trying to stab it as many times as possible before it withdrew.

Holding the dagger in place as the dragon pulled away, he managed to tear a long jagged line from the roof of its mouth to the front, blood pouring out. While alone it wasn't a fatal blow, there was only so much damage the dragon could take. It limped away with a few slow steps until it stumbled, falling to the floor with a resounding crash. From the arrows and blades in its hide, now with the added strain of blood filling its mouth the beast finally succumbed to its wounds.

It laid only meters away from Arven with one piercing eye staring him down until it closed. Arven felt something as it died, but he couldn't explain it. The warrior laid on his back, unable to catch the breath he so desperately needed as he felt a blackness rushing up to greet him.

Just as he was ready to close his eyes a powerful surge of strength flooded into him. He opened his eyes wide, turning to the dragon to see it disintegrating into a gorgeous array of lights. Arven had no way to describe what he saw. Flesh and tissue melted away until all that was left was bone, a swirling tempest of magicka being sucked into his body.

Moments later he heard the shouts of men in the distance. Turning his head over to one side he saw a group of soldiers, some fresh and one or two covered in blood and scrapes pointing to him. They all sprinted towards Arven, rushing to his aid.

Arven cried. It wasn't from happiness, necessarily. He was just exhausted in every way possible, and all he could do was cry. Just as the soldiers reached him, a powerful, booming voice echoed across the entire landscape.

"Dovahkiin!"

Arven shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts that ran through his mind over and over. The memory was an incredibly unpleasant one, but it never left him. He had built up a sweat as he dug graves for the soldiers who were killed in the ambush by the vampires. He was hoping that some labor would clear his mind, but the memories of the first dragon he fought rushed to him from nowhere.

Just as he was readying himself to lower the last soldier into his grave, Arven felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped turning around only to see Serana looking at him with an amused expression.

"Some warrior you are. You're very easy to sneak up on, you know?" She said.

"Sorry. Was lost in thought," Arven replied.

"I could tell," Serana said. She studied him, peering into his eyes. He hated it when she did that. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just, bad memories."

Serana didn't push the subject any further. Instead she gave Arven a hand, helping him to lower the last guard before shoveling the dirt over the body. Arven's body felt sluggish but he pushed on, although Serana ended up doing most of the work.

By the time the graves had been completed and Arven was satisfied, he felt like he could pass out on the spot.

"Alright, let's go. I've got a room booked at Dragon Bridge," Serana said.

Arven nodded. The sun was high in the sky by this point, despite still being low on the horizon when he started to dig. Serana was wearing her hood like usual, her hands covered by gloves as she tried to avoid any direct sunlight.

The two started the short walk over to the town, walking side by side on the path.

"You sure took your time," Arven said.

"Decided to have a nap," Serana responded. Arven just looked over with an incredibly unimpressed look.

"I'm joking," she continued. "I got questioned when I got there. The guards finally caught onto the attack."

"You alright?"

"I'm a big girl, I can handle myself," she said, even though she appreciated his concern. "They were really persistent. At first, they thought I was a thief and that I had something to do with it. By the time I convinced them I wasn't, they were asking me to stay in town for the day so they could 'watch over me'." She scoffed.

Arven let out a brief laugh. "How kind of them. How could you possibly turn down such a generous offer?" Serana just rolled her eyes.

"By the time that was done, I just booked the room and came back here. Bad news, though."

Arven just looked to her. He sighed internally, but at this point he was far too tired to really care.

"Only room left was a double bed. Looks like we're sharing," Serana said with an apologetic smile.

Arven had taken his helmet off earlier as he worked, and he now regretted it. As the helmet hung from to his waist, he felt heat rushing to his cheeks.

"I'll sleep on the floor, it's fine."

Serana just snorted. It was a very un-ladylike laugh, but it was cute in its own way. "I'm kidding. You're so easy to stir up, it almost isn't even fun."

"Why do it, then?"

"I said almost. It's still very, very fun."

"You know, you must be the most talkative person I've ever travelled with," Arven responded.

Serana's eyed widened ever so slightly. "Oh, you've travelled with other people? Always figured you more as the loner type." After speaking she recoiled slightly, raising her hands. "Not that it's bad or anything! You just seem like you prefer your own space."

Arven shrugged. She was right, after all. "I do, mostly. When I first found out what I am, I had jarls sending people to me to try and win my favour. They really didn't take no for an answer."

"Really? That seems… strange."

"Well, some of them thought I was a kind of God, as stupid as that is. Either that or a descendant of the old Emperor. I can understand why they did it."

Serana hummed to herself for a moment, thinking. "They wanted a God, and they ended up with you. How terrible."

"You're a mean person," Arven responded. Serana just flashed him a smile.

"I'm lovely, thank you very much."

"Anyway. Lydia was the only one I could tolerate for any period of time, and even then I just felt bad for her, putting her in danger so often. So, I just have her look after my house."

"Oh please, I'm sure you loved having her around."

Arven looked to Serana, obviously confused. "Not really. She's nice, don't get me wrong but I just felt awkward travelling with someone following me silently all the time."

"Nice? She's stunning, Arven."

Arven thought about it for a moment. Serana had a point. Lydia was definitely attractive, he just never thought of her in that way.

"I wasn't really in the best state of mind to even notice back then. I was a lot worse than I am now."

Serana let out an inquisitive hum, her eyes studying him intently.

"Well, I guess that's believable."

Arven didn't respond after that, and Serana didn't press the matter any further. The two continued to walk towards the town in silence from then on out, a few minutes passing until Serana spoke up again.

"Hey, Arven," she said.

He turned to face her, raising an eyebrow.

"Does travelling with me bother you?"

"Immensely," he responded without hesitation. She punched him in the arm.

"No, seriously. I know you like to keep to yourself. Do I bother you?"

Arven went to respond, but he paused. He hadn't ever thought about it. If he was to be honest with himself, he actually didn't mind her company. The realization shocked him.

She's a vampire. An exceptionally dangerous one, at that. I really, really shouldn't enjoy spending time with her. Is this okay?

"Okay, can you say something? Not saying anything at all is kind of putting me on edge," Serana said.

"Sorry," he replied after a pause. "No, you don't bother me. I'm… glad, that I'm travelling with you."

"Okay, no need to be a sarcastic ass," she replied.

"No, I'm serious. You don't know how to shut up, but it's a good distraction. I feel less stressed when we talk." Arven sighed to himself, reaching up to rub the amulet underneath his shirt. He knew she wasn't charming him or placing him under any spell, but the doubt was always there.

"It's… comforting," he said. He couldn't look her in the eyes as he admitted it. It was almost embarrassing in a way. He didn't hear a response from Serana, instead she just nudged him with her shoulder. Turning to look at her she was simply looking forward with a sweet smile across her lips.

That was the last of their conversation before they reached the bridge leading into town. Before they crossed it, Serana stopped Arven.

"You might want to, well… clean up, before we head into town," she said.

Arven blinked at her. "Why? I can do that when we're in town."

"You're covered in blood and all of the guards would've heard of the attack by now."

"Ah."

Begrudgingly Arven walked over to the nearest stream while Serana remained by the side of the road. His armour wasn't in too bad of a shape but his face still had some dried blood on his skin with even more matted in his hair. He was surprised that Serana hadn't responded to it more.

Maybe she has, and I'm just too tired to notice.

After removing his armour he walked into the stream with his clothes still on. The Imperial submerged himself, running his hands through his hair to try and get as much of his blood out as possible. He spent a good few minutes bathing himself before he was satisfied that he wouldn't draw too much attention.

The urge to stay in and rest on the side of the bank was strong, but a meal and a good bed would be far more helpful to him in his current state. He walked out of the water begrudgingly, using the same trick as he had many times before to dry himself off.

Just before he put his armour back on the man paused, an idea coming to his head. He opened up one of the small packs attached to his belt and picked out one of the empty bottles he carried. Then, he drew out his knife.

Minutes later and Arven emerged from the road freshly washed. He was far from clean, but it was a vast improvement from before.

The pair of them walked over the bridge, not passing a single person before they reached the other side where a pair of guards were stationed. They both lit up as Serana approached, but their expressions soured heavily when they turned to face Arven.

"Hold it right there, Dragon Bridge is closed while we run an investigation."

Serana frowned. "You let me pass just an hour ago."

One of the guards nodded. "Aye, that we did. We won't turn away a woman in need of shelter, but this," he continued while motioning to Arven. "An armed man appearing shortly after an attack, that we can't allow."

Serana went to speak, but Arven held a hand out to stop her. He approached the two guards who both tensed up, hands moving closer towards their belts. He didn't mind complying when guards were simply doing their job, but the cocky, arrogant expression on one of their faces just irritated him immensely.

"I am Legate Arven of the Imperial Legion, thane of Solitude. I don't have time for this."

The two guards paused for a moment, until one laughed. "Hah! And I'm General Tullius! Impersonating an officer is a crime, you know."

While the one guard laughed, sticking his chest out, realization dawned across the other guard's face.

"Alen," the guard said, "shut your damn mouth!"

Alen turned to face his friend, frowning. "You watch what you say Bjorn, I'm still your superi- "

"That's the damn Dragonborn you fool!"

"What?"

"Look at his sword!" The guard immediately braced up, saluting Arven with an apologetic look strewn across his face. "My apologies, Legate! We didn't recognize you at first."

The other guard just looked confused, until he looked over Arven one more time and proceeded to almost pass out. He braced up as well, saluting, although he did so with the wrong hand. Arven approached the one who was denying them entry before, stopping only inches away from his face.

"I just buried the bodies of the soldiers who died while you were busy standing here conducting your investigation," he said.

The guard didn't respond. He was almost quivering with fear. There was the temptation to think of some punishment for the man, but Arven didn't have it in him at the moment. He was just too tired.

Arven walked off, leaving the two men where they stood as he walked over to the inn while Serana jogged to catch back up.

"A Legate as well? Just how many titles do you have?" She asked.

Arven sighed. "However many people throw on me. It's frustrating, mostly. Has it's uses though."

"He's still standing there you know," she said with a smirk as she looked over her shoulder. The arrogant guard was still standing in place, frozen. The other one was just shaking his head.

"Good."

Once the two entered the inn Serana lead them directly to their room. She pulled out a key, twirling it on her index finger before unlocking the door. As she passed the inn-keeper she offered a smile and a nod, while the inn-keeper went off into another room in a slight hurry.

Arven was curious, but he didn't speak. The room was similar to the one they'd stayed in back at Rorikstead, if not slightly bigger. The moment the door was closed behind him Arven kicked off his boots, collapsing on the bed with a long groan.

"Don't you fall asleep just yet," Serana said.

He managed to pull himself up with some considerable effort before looking at her. "You're going to have to give me a very good reason for that."

As if on queue there was a knock at the door. Arven frowned, but Serana quickly opened it to let in the inn-keeper. She was carrying a huge plate filled with food. It wasn't anything extravagant, but there was enough meat, stew and fruit to satisfy Arven. There even seemed to be a pie of some sort.

His eyes lit up in a second, and as soon as it was placed down at the table he was digging in voraciously. There was a momentary pause to offer his thanks to the inn-keeper, who just laughed, before he was back to eating.

Arven didn't even notice that Serana had slipped out of the room to talk with the other woman.

"Thank you for that, Faida," Serana said.

The inn-keeper nodded. "You're most welcome. Your husbands had a rough few days, looks like."

Serana immediately shook her head. "Husband? No, no we're not married. He's just a friend."

"Oh! Apologies my lady, I didn't mean to assume. We do have spare rooms, and it looks like we'll be having a quiet night what with the attack and all. You're welcome to one of them if you'd like, no charge."

"Ah!" Serana responded, somewhat lost for words. "That's… very kind! But," she trailed off, trying to think of a plausible experience.

"You want to watch over your friend?"

Serana resigned herself, nodding. "I do."

The inn-keeper offered a motherly smile. "Well, you let me know if you need anything else. I'm here all day and night."

Serana offered her thanks before returning to the room. Arven looked up as she entered, but only for a moment before he resumed his feast. He already had made a mess with his fingers covered in food.

"Ever used a fork?" She asked. Arven just grunted as he continued his feast.

Serana acted almost fed up with the way he was acting, but she was happy. It was nice to see him lively, even if it's just with something so simple as eating.

After Arven had finished, almost demolishing the plate that could've fed a family he reclined back on his chair. With a lazy groan he reached for his bed, far too full and tired to move for the moment.

"Feel better now?" Serana asked with a coy smile as she sat up on her bed, legs crossed while she idly read a book.

"Much better," he replied turning to face her. "Thank you for that."

Serana's smile grew slightly wider. "You didn't even offer me any. How inconsiderate," she said with a smirk.

Arven looked down to his plate. All that was left was some bones, some crust of the pie and the remnants of a stew. He actually felt guilty for a split second before realising that he was being toyed with. He turned to her, offering the most unimpressed look he could muster.

Serana giggled to herself.

"Actually," Arven said, remembering something. He all of a sudden felt… silly.

I really hope this isn't going to be awkward.

Serana responded with a curious hum, her book closed around a single finger to keep track of where she was. With an almost pained grunt Arven brought himself to his feet and walked over to his satchel, squatting down to ruffle through his belongings.

"Oh, did you get me a present?" Serana asked with a sarcastic tone as she leaned forward expectantly.

"Something like that," Arven responded.

Serana's expression changed to one of genuine surprise. "Wait, really? …Why?"

"It's… not really a present." With a sigh, Arven stood up with a bottle in his hand. He held it out before himself, while still keeping it close as if he wasn't fully committed to giving it to her. It was a vial of his blood that he'd filled back at the stream.

Gods, this is awkward.

Serana just blinked at it, dumb-struck.

"I don't want you to suffer out of consideration for me. I appreciate it, I really do, but I don't want you to go hungry. Especially if it means it'll be harder for you defend yourself."

Arven wasn't quite sure why he did it. Not exactly. Part of it was out of consideration for Serana, much to his surprise. Some of it was out of a desire to keep her under check, so that she wasn't a danger to anyone.

He was starting to hate the part of himself that didn't still trust her.

Serana quietly stood up, placing her book down as she stepped over to him. She seemed shocked.

"Are you sure?" She asked, looking up at him.

Arven just nodded. Serana reached out to take the bottle, holding it in her hand. Then, suddenly, she hugged him.

Arven's eyes went wide as he froze, his arms hanging awkwardly for a moment before he hesitantly wrapped them around her back. The second he did that Serana pulled away, the contact reminding her of what she was doing.

"Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to, I just…" Serana trailed off, refusing to make eye contact as her skin became flushed.

"Are you okay, Serana?" Arven asked.

"I'm fine, really. That's… It's just been a while since someone's done something for me without an ulterior motive, you know? I can't even remember the last time my parents did something for me that didn't involve the damn scroll or their stupid feud."

Without an ulterior motive, huh?

Arven felt a serious pang of guilt. He tried his best to suppress it.

"Sorry, again. I shouldn't have done that."

"It's fine. It was just a bit of a shock," Arven replied.

Serana looked down at the bottle in her hand, smiling softly to herself. There was a faint hunger in her eyes, but nothing compared to what it had been when Arven cut himself on his helmet.

"If you need more, just ask." Arven said.

"Thank you."

Arven let out a deep sigh. Once the surprise had worn off the exhaustion was back. He walked over to his bed, collapsing on it before shifting about to get comfortable.

"Hey, Arven," Serana said turning to face him. He was already asleep. She let out a quiet laugh, holding the bottle close to her chest. Not wanting to disturb his sleep, even though he could likely sleep through just about anything at this point, she returned to her bed.

"You're far too nice to be a vampire hunter," she softly muttered to herself.

Hey! Back again sooner than I expected! A shorter update this time with no real action, just some added character interactions. Had a bit of free time recently so what better way to use it than to write! Hope you all enjoy reading it, and as always thank you to everyone who takes the time to read it, and a HUGE thank you to everyone who follows, favourites or leaves reviews.

Hope you all have a great day!