Sometime ago.
Arven was breathing raggedly, hands on his knees as he hunched over, struggling to catch his breath. He raised a single hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, but even as he managed to regain his breath he felt that his heart rate wasn't lowering.
"Again, Dragonborn," Arngeir said standing off to his side. "You must focus."
I am focusing, you asshole, Arven thought to himself as he stood outside High Hrothgar. He had spent days out here in the cold, doing nothing but shouting over and over again. Knowing that he would have to fight Alduin, The Greybeards summoned him once more to train the Dragonborn. They had said that they worried, for his Thu'um wasn't strong enough. Arven disagreed. He thought that his Thu'um was fine, and spending days on end doing nothing but shouting was taking a serious toll on his sanity.
In front of Arven, the Greybeards summoned an ethereal target for Arven to strike down. Standing tall, Arven inhaled, holding the breath deep within his chest before he shouted.
"Fus Roh Dah!"
A wave of energy and destruction boomed from Arven, striking the target that stood in front of him before the shout echoed across the mountain. Even in Whiterun people could faintly hear Arven's voice on the wind. The spirit that was summoned with the strength of four Greybeards staggered, stepping backwards as it wavered. Yet, it didn't fall. Arven's hands went to his knees once more, taking in deep breaths as he shut his eyes tight. Each shout was getting weaker, not stronger. He hated using this power and it showed.
"Again!" Arngeir called as another spirit was summoned. The Greybeards themselves were looking just as exhausted as Arven from the repeated summonings, yet they persevered.
"Why?" Arven asked. "Why continue? It's obvious I'm not getting any better at this," he said.
"You are not strong enough yet, Dragonborn," Arngeir replied. "Your Thu'um lacks focus!"
"How does that make any sense?" Arven said as he stood up, resting his hands on his head as he tried to calm himself. "You said yourself that my Thu'um was the strongest you've seen. All four of you together can't produce a shout as strong as mine."
"We cannot," Arngeir agreed. "But Alduin can. We are not the ones you must fight; the World-Eater is your opponent. And his Thu'um will be overpowering, developed over millennia."
Arven turned away, taking a few steps as he continued to catch his breath. He hated this training. With every soul he was forced to take he felt his Thu'um get stronger whenever he used it. But he hated using it. Whenever he did he felt that side of him flare up, as if it was trying to overtake his body, and every time he had to push it down.
"Your Thu'um is still one of a mortal. It mimics that of a human who has learned to master it, not the one of a true Dovah," Arngeir continued. "Against common enemies, against weaker Dovah, you can prevail. But against the World-Ender himself, you must be able to match the ferocity of his voice, lest he shout you apart."
At this point, I might even prefer that over continuing this, Arven thought.
"Do you know if that's even possible?" Arven asked. "I'm mortal, just like you. Maybe I can't produce a shout as strong as his."
Arngeir shook his head in response, taking a few steps closer to Arven. "You are the only one who can. You may have the body of a mortal, but you have the soul of a Dovah. You just refuse to use it."
"Because I'm not a dragon," Arven retorted. "I'm nothing like them."
"You are closer to them than you think. Closer than you are willing to admit. I do not know why, what you have is a gift, Dragonborn," Arngeir responded.
Arven stared the man down. He was feeling on-edge. Hours upon hours of shouting had his blood boiling. He felt the power from every soul he'd absorbed so far boiling in his chest. He felt them fighting, as if they wanted to break free of the cage he had placed them in, but he held them back. He pushed them down, denying that part of himself before he turned on his heel and walked back to the main building.
"We're done. I'll kill Alduin as I am," Arven stated.
Or die trying, he thought to himself.
Unsurprisingly, the Soul Cairn was not a welcoming place. Arven didn't feel cold, he didn't feel any noticeable change in temperature, yet there was an inescapable chill that lingered with him. His surroundings were bleak, dim and drained of all life and colour with the exception of a purple hue that seemed to come from a void in the sky.
"I'd heard stories about the Soul Cairn, but I never thought I'd see it myself," Serana said as she walked alongside Arven.
"So, does this place creep you out as much as it does for me?" Arven asked.
Serana nodded, walking alongside him. "You'd think a vampire would be right at home in this place," she replied. "You'd be wrong."
As they walked Arven couldn't help but notice the countless undead on the vast plains. They were mostly idle, standing by or walking around aimlessly, yet that didn't make Arven any more relaxed. Alongside them were the 'currency' of the Soul Cairn, souls. Some of them only appeared as wisps of smoke or energy, dancing through the air while others appeared as full-sized ethereal humans.
Arven tried his best not to look at the souls. He prayed that they weren't sentient, that they weren't aware of their cruel punishment, yet he had a horrid feeling that they were.
"Look at this place," Serana said. "I can't imagine coming here. Mother must've been terrified."
"A Vampire Lord, terrified? That's hard to imagine," Arven said.
"We're not immune to fear, you know," Serana retorted.
"It's just hard imagining something that would threaten you," Arven replied.
"There's a few things," Serana said. In all honesty there was only three things she could think of that would threaten her father. Another Vampire Lord, a dragon, or Arven. "Let's just find my mother and get out of here, quickly."
"Sounds good to me," Arven said. "Actually, quick question. I know you mentioned it before, but what was your mother's name again?"
Serana smiled. "Valerica. Why, wanting to make a good first impression?"
"Not quite. I'd just rather not piss off a Vampire Lord," Arven replied. Serana didn't offer a response.
As they walked they kept to a stone path that shot out a long distance in front of them. There were buildings scattered around surprisingly, with souls and undead mainly focused around them, so by sticking to the path the pair avoided any confrontations. Occasionally one of the undead would look to them as they passed, but none of them moved towards Arven or Serana.
"I just realised, we're working on the assumption your mother still has the scroll with her," Arven said as they continued walking forward.
"There's no way she would have left it in Tamriel. The whole point of coming here was to get both it, and herself as far away from father as possible, and she'd want to look after it," Serana said.
"I guess this is pretty good as far as hiding places go," Arven muttered.
Serana scoffed in response. "It looks like this path eventually meets up with a large castle, or building of some sort," Serana said as she pointed off into the distance. "I can't imagine mother wandering around aimlessly. It seems like as good of a place as any to start looking."
"If it keeps us on this path, I'm all for it," Arven said as he kept his eyes on the many creatures they passed. Many of the undead were armed, skeletons with jagged swords and bows always carried at the ready. He wondered why a place like this would even need guardians like that, if that's what they even were.
He couldn't tell if it was just in his imagination or not, but as time went on he felt like more of the undead were looking directly at him, rather than just ignoring him.
"This place is really starting to give me the creeps," he said.
"You and me both," Serana replied.
"Are there any animal souls stored here? I can't see any. Only humans, elves," Arven observed.
"I don't think so. One of the theories about the Soul Cairn is that only black souls are stored here," Serana explained.
"I can't tell if that's a relief or not. At the very least, this place has turned me off ever trying my hand at enchanting," Arven replied. "It's like a twisted sort of purgatory here. Not suffering, but just existing, cold and alone."
"You can't do anything to help them Arven. Don't try, you'll only get hurt yourself," Serana said as she noticed Arven's eyes lingering on the souls they past.
"Well, I could kill the Ideal Masters," he joked.
"…You're certainly confident Arven, I'll give you that," Serana said.
Time seemed to lose all meaning as they walked. When they eventually approached their destination, Arven realised that he had no idea how long they had spent walking there. It could've been minutes; it could've been days. He turned around and saw the place where they entered, a beacon of purple light far, far off in the distance.
"It looks like there's some sort of barrier around this place," Serana mentioned as they approached the building. "I don't know if we'll even be able to get through there."
"If there's a barrier then there's something worth protecting inside. Hopefully, your mother put that up, and she can just let us in," Arven said.
"Confident and optimistic. Look at you go," Serana said with half a smile on her lips.
As they walked up the hill towards their destination, Serana's eyes suddenly went wide as she broke out into a full sprint. Arven went to follow, his body tensing up, but when he heard Serana call out he relaxed back into his normal stride.
"Mother!" Serana yelled as she ran as quickly as she could. Running up to the barrier she reached out with both hands, placing them on the opaque force-field that kept them from advancing any further. On the other side of the barrier a woman turned to face Serana with an expression of pure shock.
"Maker… it can't be," the woman said in a hushed tone that barely reached Arven. "Serana?"
The woman who now walked towards Serana, Valerica, had a striking resemblance to her. Long wine-red hair flowed down her shoulders, full, lush lips were painted across her face and striking yellow eyes stuck out in the darkness. Her face was sharp and, just like her daughter, absolutely stunning.
Arven would've been at a loss of words from her beauty, if her presence alone didn't put him in a state of near anxiety. She had the same presence that Harkon did, even though the barrier. He felt his skin crawl in a horrible way along with the urge to draw his sword and run. It took a few deep breaths before he continued walking forward, standing a few metres behind Serana.
"Is it really you, mother?" Serana asked, her words quick and erratic. "How do we get inside? We need to talk."
Valerica ignored the questions, her arms folded across her chest as she almost looked angry.
"Serana, what are you doing here? Where is your father?" She asked. Arven cringed slightly at the mention of Harkon.
"He doesn't know we're here. He has no idea where I am, actually," Serana explained.
While Serana's mixture of excitement and apprehension was palpable in the air, her mother regarded her with a frown before turning off to the side.
"Harkon has found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?" She asked. So far, the woman hadn't even noticed Arven yet, something which he was grateful for.
"No, you've got it all wrong," Serana retorted. "We're both here to complete the prophecy our way, not his. That's why we came to find you."
Valerica's eyes only now locked onto Arven, widening as realisation dawned over her. "Wait a moment… you brought a stranger here? I thought that was a thrall! Have you lost your mind?"
This isn't the wholesome family reunion I'd hoped for, Arven thought to himself.
"No, you don't-" Serana said before she was cut off.
"You. Come forward. I would speak with you," Valerica said as she stared directly at Arven, her gaze enough to almost freeze him on the spot.
"I'd rather not," Arven replied. "You two look like you have some things left to discuss."
"We do. Such as why a vampire hunter has come into the company of my daughter," Valerica responded. "And I assume you're not daft enough to not realise what she is. It pains me to think that you'd travel with her under the guise of her protector, in an effort to hunt me down."
Arven felt a flash of anger surge through him. The suggestion that he'd stoop to the level of using Serana, and the arrogance of the woman to assume that he'd come to this forsaken place solely in the pursuit of one single vampire? With his arms folded across his chest he clenched a fist, exhaling deeply.
Serana went to speak for him but Arven raised a hand, stepping closer to face Valerica. He took off his helmet, holding it under an arm so she could see his face.
"There is no single person, vampire or not that I'd want to kill enough to compel me to chase them to this desolate corner of the world. The only reason I stepped foot into this place is to protect Serana. I know that's a foreign concept for you, but it's the truth. I have no interest in you personally whatsoever, and I'd be more than happy to leave you locked behind this barrier for the next few millennia, if your daughter didn't need your help," Arven said.
Serana's mouth opened slightly, dumbstruck at the words Arven had said. There was a venom coming from his lips. He tried to suppress it but he mostly failed, and it reminded Serana of his almost unending hatred for her kind. She just hadn't seen it like this in so long, given how close they had gotten. She had assumed that perhaps he was growing accustomed to the idea of vampires being possibly good, but perhaps he was only getting accustomed to her?
She didn't know how to feel about that.
Valerica's eyes narrowed as she regarded Arven. "For someone who's very trade is murdering vampires, you're a damn fool to be talking to someone of my status like that," she responded. "If you even truly understand who it is you're talking to."
Why am I antagonising a Vampire Lord? Arven thought to himself as he went to speak once more. He had the answer in his mind. He was surprisingly angry at Valerica for the way in which she had treated Serana. She was a woman who subjected her daughter to horrific things all for the pursuit of power, and that made Arven's blood boil.
"I'm painfully aware of who I'm talking to, don't you worry," Arven said. He had more to say, but in the corner of his eye he saw Serana's expression. He let out a sigh.
This isn't about you, or your hatred. This is about Serana. Just shut your mouth and do what you have to, he thought.
"Is that so?" Valerica responded. "I still fail to understand why you're even here. Considering who you are, the weapon you carry, I find it hard to believe that your intentions are noble," she said.
"Do you even know the meaning of the word noble?" Arven said before he could shut his mouth. A second after he spoke, he cursed himself for not being able to hold his tongue.
Valerica glared at him. Then, surprisingly, she let out a bark of a laugh. "Hah! I can't remember the last time I spoke to a mortal who wasn't afraid to speak their mind," she said. "This is oddly refreshing."
Arven sighed. He never understood vampires, and Valerica was no exception, it seemed.
"Regardless of your bravery, or sheer stupidity, whichever it is, Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from fulfilling the prophecy. I would've expected her to explain that to you," Valerica continued.
"I'm fully aware. Sometime between freeing her from her tomb, to meeting your husband, and to being dragged to this corner of hell I think I've gotten the whole picture," Arven responded. "That's why we're here, to get your Scroll and figure out how to prevent all this from happening."
Valerica cocked an eyebrow. "Do you really think I'd have the audacity to lock my own daughter away purely for the protection of a Scroll?" She asked.
"Obviously," Arven said. "If you can't tell, I don't exactly think highly of you."
Valerica's eyes narrowed once more. "The Scrolls are merely a means to an end. The key to the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself."
Arven closed his eyes, exhaling deeply before he turned his head to look at Serana. At the same time, Serana stepped up closer to be at Arven's side.
"What do you mean, mother?" She asked.
Valerica turned back to her daughter, turning on her heel to start pacing back and forth along the barrier.
"When I fled Castle Volkihar with you, I fled with two Scrolls, as I'm sure you remember. Your scroll Serana, speaks of Auriel and his arcane weapon, Auriel's bow. The second scroll, my scroll, declares that the blood of Coldharbour's Daughter will blind the eye of the dragon," Valerica explained.
"I'm assuming that isn't the literal meaning," Arven said. "Why is Serana the key, though?"
"Like myself, Serana was a human once," Valerica said. "We were devout followers of lord Molag Bal. Tradition dictates that-"
"Don't," Arven suddenly said.
Valerica paused, looking at him before speaking again. "You said you wanted to know why-"
"I wanted to know why Serana is the key to the prophecy. I do not want to hear about the barbaric torture you forced your daughter through," Arven said.
"I didn't force her through anything. She participated willingly, as did we all," Valerica responded. She spoke in a stronger tone, her voice resembling that of Harkon's. The voice and presence which made Arven tremble. Yet now, he didn't feel the same fear he did back in the castle. He was far too angry to cower away.
"I'm not here to listen to your bullshit lies. I'm here to get the scroll and stop your bastard of a husband. That's it. And to do those two things, there is no requirement for me to sit here and listen to all the ways you mistreated and abandoned your daughter," Arven replied. As he spoke, he felt his blood getting hot. The ground around him shook just a little bit, as his voice rose to match the intensity of Valerica's, taking on a nature closer to a Dragon than a human.
He pushed his blood back as soon as he spoke, exhaling deeply. Valerica didn't respond. She just studied him, her eyes narrow as she tried to figure out exactly who, or what he was. As she did Serana stepped between them placing a hand on Arven's chest to gently push him back as she looked up to him, her eyes pleading with him.
"Arven, it's okay," she whispered to him before turning back to Valerica. "What does our blood have to do with this, mother?"
"As Daughters of Coldharbour, our blood carries special properties. Properties that enable your father's prophecy to be fulfilled," Valerica said to Serana, although her eyes remained fixed on Arven.
"It's why I wanted to protect you, Serana. If Harkon got hold of Auriel's bow, and your blood, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete. Even if you died in the process, he'd see that as a worthy sacrifice, for the good of all vampires," Valerica continued.
Arven felt his anger surging. The thought of Harkon disposing of Serana to further his goals made him furious.
"That is why I did what I did, Serana. I needed to protect you so Harkon doesn't try and kill you," Valerica stated.
"That won't happen," Arven said, mostly to himself under his breath.
"And how exactly do you plan on stopping him? You'll kill him, perhaps?" Valerica asked with a cocked brow, as if she found the statement amusing.
Arven sighed. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Harkon, judging from what he saw. When he thought about it though, he realised that he'd gladly try in order to protect Serana.
"I'd try, at least. Better than locking Serana away for a few more centuries," he responded.
Valerica scoffed. "You care nothing for Serana, or our plight."
"I care for her more than you realise. At least enough to not want to sentence her back to a prison," Arven snapped.
"And you called me a liar. You're here because of who you are, vampire hunter. You're here because we're evil creatures, abominations, things to be destroyed," Valerica said.
"Yet I've put more effort into protecting your daughter than you ever have," Arven replied curtly. During this exchange Serana was silent, staring back at Arven as he spoke on her behalf.
"You reunite with your daughter after hundreds of years, and you spend your time attacking me instead. You haven't even asked for her input on a single thing," he continued.
Valerica opened her mouth, yet she paused. Turning to face her daughter, the woman spoke, poison dripping from her voice as she discussed the man before her.
"I don't know why you brought this stranger along Serana, yet it's obvious you should be rid of him. He knows nothing of what we are, of our struggle," Valerica said.
Serana seemed unsure for a moment, as if her words were failing her. Yet she spoke, and when she did, she did so with conviction, her jaw set.
"This 'stranger' has done more for me in the brief time that I've known him than you have in centuries, Mother," Serana said as she stood by Arven's side. Valerica's eyes went wide with anger in response.
"How dare you! I gave up everything I cared about in order to protect you from that fanatic you call a father!" Valerica responded.
"Yes, he's a fanatic!" Serana said. "But he's still my father. Why can't you understand how that makes me feel?"
"Oh Serana," Valerica responded, her tone both caring yet condescending. "If only you'd open your eyes. The second your father discovers your role in the prophecy, your safety is no longer a concern. Your blood is all he'd care about."
"So what, to protect me you decide to shut me away from everything I cared about?" Serana retorted with anger rising in her voice. "You never asked me if hiding in that tomb was the best course of action, you just expected me to follow you blindly. It's been centuries! Nothing that I loved, nothing that I knew of my world is around anymore. I woke up in a dark tomb with a damn sword to my neck! Not that you'd even care, since you're too obsessed with your own path, just like father. Your motivations might have been different, but in the end, you treated me the exact same way he does, like nothing more than a pawn."
Serana's voice was growing faster, her words becoming less coherent as she almost rambled. As if hundreds upon hundreds of years of anger was coming to the surface. She'd wanted a nice reunion with the only family she had, yet she didn't get that. She was berated instead.
"You're my mother, yet you haven't shown a fraction of the care that I've received from a damn vampire hunter! This man has shown me what it's like to have someone that actually cares about me. He doesn't see me as a tool to be used, a pawn in some sick, twisted game. Why the fuck did I have to meet someone who wanted to kill me before I could even understand what it's like for someone to actually give a shit?" Serana practically yelled, taking deep breaths as she vented.
"All I want is for us to be a family again," she continued as her voice grew weaker. "But it's obvious we can never have that. Maybe we don't even deserve it. But we have to stop him before he goes too far, not cower away in tombs. And to do that, we need your Elder Scroll."
Valerica didn't speak for a moment, studying Serana as a heavy silence hung between the two of them. By the time she did speak, she let out a long, deep sigh, her posture relaxing.
"I'm sorry, Serana. I didn't know," Valerica said. Serana's eyes widened, as if shocked that her mother was actually apologizing. "I didn't see, I suppose… my anger for your father got the better of me. It estranged us for far too long. I'll give you the Scroll, if that's what you want."
"You, though," Valerica said as she turned to Arven. "Your intentions aren't clear to me."
"I already explained them" Arven replied curtly.
"Yes. But the question is if I believe you," Valerica responded. "If you want the Elder Scroll, you'll need to lower this barrier that has me trapped in here."
"How would we do that?" Serana asked.
"There are three beings. Three Keepers, employed by the Ideal Masters that rest at the towering spires you can see off in the distance. Destroy them and the barrier should fall," Valerica explained.
"It's never easy, is it," Arven mumbled to himself. He then turned, starting to walk off at a slow pace while waiting for Serana to join him.
"We'll be back soon, mother. We'll get you out of here," Serana said as she placed a hand on the barrier, pausing for a moment before turning to catch up to Arven.
"Oh, one more word of warning," Valerica called out as they walked off. "An undead dragon known as Durnehviir is roaming the Soul Cairn. He oversees the Keepers and might intervene."
Arven flinched at her words, shaking his head slightly as he continued to walk. "Of course. I go to the ends of the world and I still can't escape them," he muttered.
Serana looked at him, noticing his spiking heart rate but she didn't speak. She was at a loss for words, still processing what just happened. It wasn't until they were well out of sight of Valerica's prison that the silence between them spoke.
"Sorry about that Serana," Arven said.
"For what?" Serana asked as she looked to him.
"For losing my temper. I didn't mean to intervene, I wanted you to just talk it out with your mother. I, uh… thought I could control myself," he said.
"It's okay," Serana said with a soft smile. "She sort of dragged you into that conversation, willingly or not."
"That doesn't forgive what I said though."
"You didn't mean it?" Serana asked.
"Oh no, I meant every word of what I said," Arven said with a slight snort of a laugh. "That doesn't make it appropriate though. I probably should have just stayed behind while you talked to her. Would've made more sense."
"You know, for a moment I forgot about how much you hate us," Serana said.
"Not 'us'," Arven replied. Serana looked to him, confused.
"Not you," Arven clarified. "Never you."
Serana looked forward, holding one of her arms as she felt a blush coming to her cold cheeks. She felt a warmth coming from her chest, a sensation she wasn't used to, but one that she found very enjoyable.
"But I know what you mean. I was trying to think of her as your mother, but some of the things she said just… I don't know. It made me much angrier than I expected," Arven continued.
"Like what?" Serana asked.
Arven looked to her, stuttering for a brief moment. "Well. She reminded me of your father. Talked about you as if you were a tool or an asset. Not a daughter."
"That's what made you so angry?" Serana asked.
"Of course it did," Arven said. "How are you feeling though? After talking to her?"
Serana let out a sigh. "Relieved… I think. That was surprisingly draining. All those things I said had been building for a while. You have no idea how long I wanted to say that to her."
"Feel better?" Arven asked.
"Yes and no," Serana said. "I just keep thinking about everything that's happened. Maybe if I was smarter or caught on earlier, I could've prevented all of this from happening."
"You shouldn't blame yourself Serana. This is on your parents, not you," Arven said.
"I know that in my head, but I just can't help second guessing myself. I just feel bad about… the way things are," Serana said. "Sorry. I know you're trying to help. Thank you," she said as she turned to smile at Arven.
"This entire thing is a total mess, but… at least one good thing came out of it all," Serana continued.
Arven looked away, but only after being trapped by her smile for a few seconds. He reached for the helmet dangling from a belt around his waist to place it back on, but Serana reached out to grab hold of his arm, stopping him. Then she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder, interlacing her fingers with his own and letting out a soft sigh as they kept walking forward side by side.
Arven looked down at her, questioning her with his gaze, but she just gave his hand a soft squeeze.
"Hey Arven, can you tell me about your parents?" Serana asked. "Only if you don't mind, I don't want to bring up bad memories.
"I… Yeah, I can. Why?" Arven asked.
"I want to know what it's like, having a regular family," Serana responded.
"I wouldn't exactly call them normal," Arven said.
"But they loved you?" Serana said.
Arven paused for a moment, then he nodded. "Yeah, they did. My mother was very overprotective. She was really against me helping them out when they were working as priests. She said she didn't want me to see the injuries some people got. Wanted me to stay innocent, Dad used to say," Arven started to explain.
"She'd always kick up a fuss whenever I did something remotely dangerous, but she was always eager to teach me anything," Arven continued. "When my Dad got frustrated with how slowly I learned things, she'd stay with me and keep helping me until I finally got it. It took months before I could even heal a small graze, I still don't know where she got the patience from," Arven said. As he spoke Serana had a gentle smile across her lips, holding herself close to him as they walked through the desolate landscape.
"Then every night after father got frustrated, he'd go and cook us dinner. Still the best food I've ever tasted," Arven said.
"Your mother didn't cook?" Serana asked.
"Oh, Gods no," Arven replied. "Mother couldn't cook at all. Anything she touched ended up inedible. Burnt, usually," he said with a short laugh. "They were both very peaceful people though. When I started teaching myself to fight, they hated it. I'd run off with some other kids as a young teenager and we'd spar, I'd come home with bruises and cuts and they'd yell at me for what felt like hours. After that, mother would teach me to heal my own wounds and father would start cooking."
"They sound like wonderful people," Serana commented.
"They were," Arven said. "I… wish you could have met them."
Serana's eyebrows perked up. "You want to introduce me to your parents? That's a serious step, Arven," she teased.
Arven felt his cheeks grow flushed, frustrated that he didn't have his helmet on to hide his embarrassment.
"No," he said. "That isn't what I meant. I just would have liked for you to meet them. Anytime I brought friends home they'd take care of them like they were family. You deserve to know what that's like," he said.
Serana didn't respond, only squeezing his arm tighter. She felt strange. Her chest was growing heavy, all of her thoughts becoming clouded as the man she was clinging to made her feel a way that she'd never experienced before. A few weeks ago, and he was threatening to kill her, yet now he was the kindest man she knew. A voice in her head told her that she didn't deserve any of it, but even so. She never wanted this feeling to go away.
"And what happens when they find out what I am?" Serana asked in a weak voice. It was a silly hypothetical question, but it represented a real doubt in her mind.
"Well, father might've been upset if you didn't enjoy his food. And things might've gotten a bit awkward if mother accidentally tried to heal you or something, but… after they met you and talked to you? Wouldn't have been an issue," Arven responded.
"Really?" Serana said.
"My parents were far more accepting people than I am. I guess that didn't really rub off on me," he said.
"It did," Serana said. "It sounds like a lot of their personalities did. They did a great job raising you, Arven."
"Oh, they'd really like you. Just say stuff like that and they'd let you stay forever," Arven laughed.
Arven kept talking, bringing up old memories, talking about times where he'd angered his parents or where something had happened that always made him laugh to think about. Serana was listening, soaking it all up, but in the back of her mind there was a single thought she couldn't shake.
She just couldn't believe that out of all the places in the universe for her to accept that she was falling in love, it'd be in some forsaken slither of Oblivion. Funnily enough, she wasn't bothered by it. She was simply happy to be with him.
What's that? I'm back with another chapter in a reasonable timeframe? With *two* updates in a single month?
I'm just as surprised as you all are! A bit of a shorter chapter this time, but I figure that a slight reduction in length is far better than waiting months for the next one to come out. Again, as always, thank you to everyone who reads, likes, follows and comments. Every single time I get a notification that someone has followed or left a comment I get a little surge of happiness, so it's all appreciated.
Hope you're all having a good week! See you again soon, hopefully!