Author Notes
I hope everyone enjoys this story so far and finds this chapter equally as enjoyable. As this is non-canon and take place in the post-game world, I ask you enjoy with an open mind. Things may or may not be as they seem. I tried my best to stick to the heart of the characters included. My desire to make this have the feel of it being like the game is what drives a lot of the decisions. It is not so much good vs. bad, light vs. dark, instead, ideals play a part and make people act a certain way.
Enjoy the reading and feel free to leave any feedback as you desire.
-Dragonxtreme7
20th of Hearthfire
The morning started off colder than Tenaya cared for. Their fire died sometime in the middle of the night. Chattering teeth snapped Tenaya to life with the wind blowing through. Damn this pass for not having a decent cave to break the wind or give some type of shelter. She looked towards Matria who didn't seem to mind any of this. Her face turned to a frown seeing three pelts of fur keeping her warm. So nice to have someone to share with.
Tenaya stretched her arms in the air with a loud yawn. Matria started to stir with the sound of a whimper. Neither of them was morning people, but Matria was far worse than she imagined. This vampire woke up wanting to devour anything and everything just for being the one to do it. She never saw anything like it, ever. Not even the Dragonborn was this grumpy. Only after the initial wake-up wore off would she dare speak.
"We should get going early. The snow looks fresh up ahead. Save the horses the best we can." Tenaya demanded way too early in the morning. A look though from Matria brought on a conversation she didn't expect.
"I decided to join the College of Whispers you know. You were right, my life should not be about what I am but what I can be. This is a gift and I don't understand things well enough." Matria said.
"That's… surprising I think..,."
"Since the ceremony, all I did was kill and hunt and gloat. You put things in perspective for me. I need to make something of myself. Knowing your stories gave me some hope I wouldn't just be a monster."
Tenaya didn't have anything to say to that. She looked on flattered, somehow changing the life of a vampire, equally as nervous hearing this from another. This vampire however was a lot younger and didn't get sealed away for multiple ages. She had hope for Matria though. Maybe somewhere in her she would resist the urges of Mogal Bal and become something better.
"We still need to go get going. The horses will struggle in this weather."
With her usual groaning, Matria loaded everything up and settled in under the hood. Today would be torture with the sun so high and fresh snow all around. She signed up for this and understood better than anyone how the travel would go.
The morning started quiet like the other did. Tenaya rarely spoke a word other than to marvel at something in the distance. Matria barely asked questions knowing the silence would only make it more awkward. Each of their horses walked forward, oblivious to the tension their riders carried. Nothing made them want to be together as Matria debated if this was such a good idea to ask her for help.
Hours went by with the snow getting deeper on the path and conditions taking a turn for the worse. As they moved forward, snow began to fall this high in the mountains. Matria slipped the hood off her face when the sun went away, giving in to the clouds and cold. Her smile came back when the pain of the day faded. Tenaya remembered that week all too well. She hated the sun and regretted stepping outside more often than not. The Vale proved worse than anything she encountered.
"There is smoke up ahead, it might be them." Matria called out. Tenaya couldn't make anything out, taking her word about what came next.
She steered her horse the same direction Matria went. For the first time since their departure, Tenaya yielded and let her start down the path in front. The smile on Matria's face remained out of sight, but it surely was a victory of sorts. This woman pushed her every button when she could and to have to give her the front made things bittersweet.
Not too far up the path Thenaya made out the smoke as well. They were getting close and probably for the best with the weather continuing to get worse. The snow turned from flakes to more of a snow fall with the road starting to become muddy as it stuck. Their horses struggled in some areas where water pooled leaving the last stretch of the journey more a nightmare adventure. Each hoof slopped through sending both of them bouncing back and forth with their struggles.
The camp came to sight as Tenaya went to the front. This definitely was the Dawnguard. The trenches on the ground protected them from any assault that sure wouldn't come. Swords glowed a vibrant white inside one of the tents, freshly blessed no less for their attacks. The banners flew over the camp now resembling a mixture of the Fort outside Riften and a shining light. Oh yes, the Dawnguard came to show who they were. Little changed it seemed under Isran's control.
"If I was you, I would keep your head turned and out of view." Tenaya whispered to Matria.
Both approached on their horses moving off the path.
"Halt!"
A young man stopped them on their approach, lifting his crossbow their direction. Two others moved over in their traditional Dawnguard attire. The outfits looked just as they did before; a cascading style tunic with a belt around the waist. These however carried heavy enchantments from the looks of it. None of the past misgivings carried through. Gone were the days of a rag-tag bunch of people with their petty armor and weapons not fit, this group looked ready for a fight.
"I came to speak to Isran." Tenaya asked politely with no attitude to cause a situation.
"Who comes and asks to speak with the leader of the Dawnguard?" He boomed with arrogance.
"Tenaya of house Darix."
None of them looked familiar to Tenaya. She spent time with the Dawnguard, but too many years passed and these were fresh recruits. One of them walked away while another joined to point her crossbow towards Tenaya. The messenger vanished in a tent. It didn't take long for a loud growl to come out. Isran remembered her apparently.
Isran came out of the tent with authority. The warhammer she remembered so long bounced behind him. Every step sent it swaying like the wind. He didn't appear to change much. His attitude and temper seemed very much the same as before. Typical Isran.
"You have some nerve even coming to speak with me. I thought I made it clear you were no longer welcome to the Dawnguard!" Isran growled out. Oh how Tenaya hated this man and all he became.
"Good to see you also Isran. Is that a new set of boots you have? I don't remember yours ever being clean."
Tenaya poked him a little bit for the attitude. She didn't care for him and the disrespect would not go unnoticed. Outnumbered or not, this man was not deserving of respect or a graceful tongue for what he did.
"It seems you cured yourself of being one of those filthy creatures. Maybe you have a small brain if nothing."
"And it seems you are outside your lane here Isran. This is Cyrodil, not Skyrim. Leave people alone here. Your making a mess and it isn't one this province needs."
Isran stared Tenaya down. She hopped from her horse to the ground. Staying up so high made her uncomfortable with the number of crossbows pointed her direction. His eyes watched Matria a lot more closely. The lack of speech from her started to create an unease nothing would resolve.
"You brought it with you to see me, didn't you?" Isran yelled with a motion towards Matria. "I wondered if you would fall for her again with all of your stupidity. I warned you how it would end. No one ever listens until it is too late."
"That is not Serana. Leave her out of this. I am here to ask you to stop the hunting in Cyrodil. Go back to Skyrim and leave the people here alone. You killed a decent person when y…"
Isran refused to allow her to speak anymore. "Decent person? Have you forgot these creatures are not even human? They are scum, bottom feeders of the lowest kind. I wouldn't wipe my ass with their dying corpses even if it stopped my own death. Tell your friend to drop her hood. Let's see the great Serana Volkihar again."
"I am not who you think I am. She travels with me to ask you to stop the bloodshed." Matria spoke softly to prevent any waves. Isran didn't care, he never did.
Two of the Dawnguard went beside her horse and looked her direction. Their comments went straight to Isran who refused to let anything go. Before anyone could move, his hands grabbed the nearest crossbow and fired the bolt. The shockwave sent Matria from the horse and through the air. Her screams echoed against the mountains. Birds flew from trees leaving little doubt to the agony she suffered.
Tenaya ran over to Matria never expecting something like this. Isran didn't seem to care and carefully loaded another bolt, taking his time with her on the ground clawing back and forth with screams of pain.
"You sympathize with yet another vampire. Did the first Daughter of Coldharbour not break you down? Your poor little heart was shattered and the wound from that dagger will never go away."
He fired another bolt towards Matria with a direct hit in her stomach again. The Dawnguard laughed while grabbing me in route to check on her. Isran went about his usual business while preparing yet another bolt in the crossbow. His fellow Dawnguard handed him another from her pack with nothing but a smile on her face. All of them enjoyed this torture from the looks of it.
"Stop this! So help me if you do not I will make you stop!" Tenaya yelled seeing the vampire squirming on the ground with sobs escaping her lips. Her pleas went nowhere went a hand slapped Tenaya in the face to get her to stop talking. The line she put in her mind crossed the moment the third bolt fired at her defenseless body.
Tenaya uncurled her hands from their grasps calling the single darkest spell she remembered. She never used it for fear of what might happen. Arniel Gane promised the spell would work and he would support her for freeing him. She never felt right using these kinds of spells knowing they were borderline necromancy as it was.
Purple swirled around both her hands being held. Her shoulder hit the first one enough to free her grip. Both hands came together, and the swirl moved away just in time to break Isran from his bolt. The shade materialized in front of Matria at a heavy cost to Tenaya. She dropped to her knees with the world spinning. That spell took a lot out of her and drained everything she had right there.
All the Dawnguard stood staring at this shade of a man, looking to be caught between two worlds. This wasn't like a shade found in some crypts or guarding a necromancer, this shade had a form to it, battered clothing off decaying flesh.
"You summoned my soul… Speak your request…"
A bolt fired through the shade. Rippling waves through the ghost. The shade didn't take kindly to the gesture, letting his form change from ghostly to the plane itself, feet lowering to the ground instead of a half body floating. His form was as grotesque as it seemed before only in this realm and no longer caught between from the abyss.
Hair stood up all around with lightning crackling between his hands. Each hand pulled apart with lightning continuing to crack between. The next bolt fired didn't make it through, brought down to the ground in charred remains. His lightning fired forward, sending two different Dawnguard through the air with smoke rising from their bodies. If they survived, it would take some miracle.
Tenaya didn't waste her opportunity either, knocking out the guard standing to her side. She scrambled on the ground quickly to Matria who let out a strange combination of moans and sobs, her eyes shifting to Isran, who remained unwavered with the last Dawnguard there.
"This is what it has come to Tenaya, you are a necromancer? Did you learn nothing about the pathetic creatures around you?" Isran boomed pulling his Warhammer out with a charge to the shade.
Their collision gave off a shot of light like no one could believe. The shade faded from the world and Isran carried the hammer her direction. Tenaya stood up in front of Matria, coming eye to eye with Isran. He bounced the hammer in his hands, the light returning from the first shot. The enchantment must be something powerful to keep something like that happening. She never saw a hammer requiring a recharge time.
"You want her, you go through me. She came to ask for peace and didn't raise a finger against you. Some hero you are." Tenaya said bitterly.
"It doesn't deserve to live. Move out of my way."
She turned to look at Matria who threw away her hood. Matria did everything she could to sit up, not wanting someone else to fight for her now. "Let him… you tried Tenaya…"
"No! You did nothing wrong. You wanted peace. He doesn't even belong in Cyrodil."
Isran spit on the ground towards Matria. The bulging veins in his head added a lot of tension to moment. He wanted to slam the hammer down so badly on Matria. He looked between Tenaya and Matria, wondering what the best option for an attack would be. She saw this look before with Serana. He sized up the moment better than anyone. He wouldn't be denied, not now, not with her on the ground without a chance to get away.
The hammer started lifting in the air as Tenaya launched herself at Isran. It started coming down in slow motion. Her shoulder smacked his stomach before it connected, the hammer sailing to the right too far and smashed in the ground. Tenaya pulled her dagger with Isran startled, raising it towards his throat. His remaining Dawnguard lifted the crossbow with the scrum happening before her eyes. Tenaya held the dagger to his throat, screaming for him to calm down.
Tenaya turned her head for a moment, saw the crossbow aimed at Matria on the ground. Whoever this woman was, took her time aiming. Tenaya pushed Isran away and moved towards Matria, dropping the dagger on the ground to free herself. Every ounce of muscle Tenaya could muster went straight to her legs. Mud kicked every direction as she yanked Matria to the side as the click of the crossbow let loose.
Fire engulfed the side of her leg with a scream escaping her lips at the same time. She turned her head to see the bolt straight through her calf just above the ankle. Matria didn't take the hit and groaned on the ground with tears in the corners of her eyes. This wasn't what she wanted. Sure, she asked Tenaya to kill this man for coming to kill her. She finally realized the pain she brought her as Isran berated her on the ground.
"Another Daughter of Coldharbour causing you pain I see. Did you kiss this one and sleep with her as well? I am sure you have a thing for the undead. It pains me to see you struggle like this but nothing you do not deserve. The moment that thing showed up asking for help, I knew what it meant. You were always stupid, and it is why I removed you from our prestigious group. Watch her die like Serana should have."
Tenaya trembled hearing the words. He cut deep with those comments, his incessant belittling almost too much for her ears. If she would die, it would be a death where she stuck up for those who deserved it. Matria deserved it. She was younger than Isran in life period, but yet, he judged her death a requirement for what purpose? All to fulfill some of his sick and dark requests because a vampire killed his family. This vampire didn't, she wasn't even a vampire then.
"When we find your former thing, we will make sure to have her send a message. All of them can live in Oblivion together daydreaming of you Tenaya."
With everything left in her body, Tenaya mustered all the magic she could letting her hands turn to ice. She grabbed his Warhammer as he lifted it. Isran kicked her away, Tenaya barely able to hold herself steady from the last of her magic draining out. She looked at the head of the Warhammer covered in thick ice totally oblivious to Isran.
His swing shattered the hammer as it came down on Matria. She felt it but the shattered hammer did almost no damage. Tenaya smiled his direction on the ground with a laugh coming out. Isran became enraged with the laughter. He couldn't stop himself anymore and grabbed Tenaya to inflict as much punishment as he could. Her laughter didn't stop as he shook her wildly.
"Think that is so funny don't you? That ways my favorite hammer! Do you know how long Gunmar took to make that?" Isran yelled at her.
A backhand rattled Tenaya but she didn't waiver. The laughter continued until he finally snapped, demanding an answer.
"Only an idiot let's their guard down for a single moment you once told me."
Tenaya pushed her dagger in to his abdomen as far as she could. Isran crumbled to the ground letting go just as quickly. He wouldn't die, she wasn't that lucky. The last remaining Dawnguard rushed to his side and quickly pulled him to safety. Within a few minutes the entire place went quiet with their cart going back towards Riften. They survived somehow. Isran wouldn't forget this one ever, but she didn't want him too. This wasn't the Dawnguard she knew and helped all those years ago. They changed to something much worse.
"Matria…" Tenaya said hopping over to where she laid on the ground. "Don't even try to struggle right now. I need to yank these bolts and get you healed even if it kills me."
"Don't, I will be fine. Just get these from me and let me feed so I do not lose all my blood."
Tenaya didn't feel up to an argument anymore. She worked her way through each of the bolts. They came out in a rather unpleasant fashion, each one sending screams into the air and through the Pass. Matria's fingers clung tightly to her arm with the last one out. Every breath made things so much worse.
Together they went to the first dead Dawnguard and Matria didn't hold back. She tilted his head and ripped half of his neck out to get as much blood as she could. This was the monster side she knew and didn't care for. Tenaya saw this thirst before. She was this feast for Serana a long time ago. Watching Matria go through the two bodies like they were nothing only made her realize she had so many unanswered questions for Serana.
Matria collapsed to the ground with little energy. Tenaya had a bolt sticking out of her leg still. After all this she managed to forget about it and live through the pain. Matria noticed though and yanked the remaining half of the bolt out. What was a nice gesture sent Tenaya's world spinning and darkened for a moment. Stars came through the corners of her eyes. Both stayed on that muddy ground for hours. Tenaya had to recover from the magic use on top of everything else and Matria couldn't even stand on her own power. What a fine group these two made.
When the time did come and Tenaya managed to get to her feet, the haste of departure from the Dawnguard left a lot of stuff here. One of the carriages remained and Tenaya took full advantage. Every item she could scavenge for sale went into that carriage along with Matria.
"There must be some god looking over me. They had one potion left…" Tenaya rejoiced taking the entire thing down. This one tasted as close to dog feces as it got but the potion started working immediately. Her insides felt alive again along with the wound in her leg closing some. The muscles ached but nothing like before. She managed to walk on her own without wanting to scream.
The magicka didn't help as much as she would have liked but at least she had something. The journey back with wo horses pulling would go a lot faster if the conditions held. Matria groaned still on the side of the carriage.
"I have a feeling you saved my life today because of someone else." Matria said blandly once she had some of her strength back, wanting to understand better. "You knew another Daughter of Coldharbour? I figured you ran into a pure-blooded vampire before but that surprised me to hear so much more."
"Her name was Serana…" Tenaya said swallowing the lump in her throat, "she is the reason I left Skyrim and went in to hiding. I loved her and she left me for dead once I finished helping her. She's a Daughter of Coldharbour as is her mother. Both are older than the empire itself. I gave everything for her. Until I met you, I felt satisfied to die never knowing. You changed that."
"How did I change that?" Matria asked incredibly curious as she climbed beside Tenaya.
"I assumed Molag Bal was the reason she couldn't love and did everything. The truth after I heard about it all from you is much deeper. Molag Bal doesn't control you after or play with you after. Something else happened and now I want to know the truth."
Matria watched as Tenaya gripped the straps harder. Her knuckles turned white thinking about everything. For a time, they rode in silence. She couldn't come to ask anything else. The emotions inside Tenaya already scared her half to death. What she went through may never be put to words.
As they pulled to Bruma, Tenaya carefully stepped out of the carriage and reached in to get her personal items and took two things she wanted from the Dawnguard. All the rest she left with Matria.
"Take this and make your money."
The gesture didn't go unnoticed and a smile returned to Matria's face even with the pain she endured. She didn't care for the items even though they would help her immensely.
"I would offer to go with you, but I would be in your way. For what it's worth, this Serana, she made a mistake. I barely know you and see the good inside you."
Tenaya smiled for the first time at something Matria said. This was genuine, not forced. "We will meet when I return. I will just ask for a little bit of your blood and let you go off to school. I promise when my business is done in Skyrim, I will find you to see how you are doing."
"I can live with that. I wish you the best Tenaya."
Matria cut her own hand and used the old potion bottle. She gave her as much as she asked for without regard.
"Being friends with a vampire isn't the worst thing. Best wishes to you Matria. I will find you when this is over, you have my words on the nine."
Tenaya limped her way into the city and back to home. Her leg still ached, but she needed to get herself together. The journey had to happen sooner than expected. She would just need to get herself together on the journey.