Serana stood so still in the chapel that Torina started to fear her companion was turning into stone.
The doors to the chapel behind them opened with great protest, hinges creaking and wood groaning as they swung inward. Isran stepped forward slowly, glancing towards Serana as he passed her, before speaking to Torina.
"It is done?" he asked.
Not looking at the pile of ash that used to be Lord Harkon, Torina nodded.
Isran looked towards Serana again then shared a meaningful glance with Torina. She waved him on to the next room where the cautious sounds of celebration were starting. She didn't fault the Dawnguard their joy but she wouldn't join in while her closest friend needed her. Understanding this, Isran left again, pulling the doors shut behind him to afford the two as much privacy as he could.
Serana was crouched down by the ashes when Torina turned around. Her hand hovered above the messy pile of clothes, jewelry, and other odds and ends coated in the remains of her father.
"He was still my father," she said, her whisper sounding loud in the empty chapel room.
Torina wasn't sure what to say but decided to crouch next to her and simply listen. Part of her knew the deep cuts a betrayal by a parent could create. But, she didn't even begin to assume what Serana was feeling was the same. Her grip on the handle of Auriel's bow shook slightly and she tried to swallow away the sick feeling in her stomach, being patient and understanding for her friend before her own needs.
"Would you like a moment alone here?" Torina asked.
"No. I'd rather leave," Serana answered. The implication that she didn't want to be alone at all was obvious.
Outside the chapel, the celebrations of the Dawnguard were generally reserved but the activity was still too much for Torina to handle. The group was tired, to be sure, though ready to start celebrating at any moment. She did not take pleasure in killing some of the oldest creatures in Skyrim, no matter how far gone they were in their bloodlust. The longer she spent taking lives the sicker she felt. And, since it went against much of her dragon soul's nature, the dichotomy within her worsened each day she fought against it.
She followed Serana out the front doors of the castle. Torina noted that Serana did not look at any of the ash piles filling the grand hall or foyer as they left but did pause once they were outside to look up. The dense fog remained around the island. It protected Torina's vampiric companion somewhat but the fact it was near midday was obvious in the way the temperature rose outside.
In the quiet and solitude, what they'd done seemed to hit Serana full force. She stumbled towards one of the stationary gargoyle statues remaining on the bridge and sunk to her knees near it, face in her hands. Torina followed her and rested a hand on her shoulder. The vampire's shoulders did not shake. She sat silent and as unmoving as the stone she leaned on. Settling herself down next to her friend, Torina called restoration magic to her hands, the kind that would not hurt but would soothe Serana. As she drifted her hands around her, Serana didn't react, her body absorbing the healing magic easily.
"Thank you," Serana said hoarsely as Torina worked.
Torina stopped so she could hear Serana clearly, the chiming of the spell almost louder than her voice. "You're welcome."
Slowly, Serana lifted her head, face dry but orange-irised eyes red rimmed. Torina wondered if someone who'd lived solely on a diet of blood for centuries could cry like a mortal could anyway. It seemed she could not. Looking into her face closely an idea came to Torina.
"Your mother," the mer said. "She's still in the Soul Cairn. Could she possibly return now that Harkon is gone? If any uncorrupted vampires remain in Tamriel, they will need a strong beacon to turn to."
"Uncorrupted? Torina, you speak blasphemy as a vampire hunter," Serana said. As dark as her words were, her voice was full of hope. She looked around them to see if anyone was around and listening in. "To return to the Soul Cairn you would need me to soul trap you or turn you back into a vampire. I cannot do that."
"Why not?" Torina asked with a short laugh. "You've done it once before, so-"
"You've still maintained traits of a vampire since you performed that ritual with Falion," Serana interrupted bluntly. She took both of Torina's hands between her own, the skin cold to the touch. "And your dependency on health and stamina potions worries me. You require more and stronger concoctions the longer you push yourself on these quests and missions. And there's the fact your soul isn't quite the same as another mortal's. Can a dragon's soul truly be fully captured in any soul gem? Altering your soul further than it already has could prove disastrous to your mortal body.
"I appreciate you wishing to join me, my friend. And for reminding me, giving me hope, as you always do." Serana squeezed Torina's hands affectionately. "I'm going to head up to the balcony now to travel to the Soul Cairn. I don't want to waste any more time. Please don't try to follow me."
Torina already felt a pit of loss opening up inside of her. While only traveling together for a few months, Serana had become her closest friend she'd ever had. She'd told the vampire more personal things about herself than she'd told anyone before. Losing her would make it hard for her to find the strength to open up again.
"You promise you'll return, with or without your mother? If she refuses?"
"I promise," Serana said solemnly.
"Then if you don't return in a fortnight, I will find a way to get to you. I'll risk remaining a vampire the rest of my days to free you." Torina stopped herself from showing her emotions too openly on her face. "I can still call Durnehviir. I will call him as often as I can to check in on your status."
Serana nodded, committing the plan to memory. She stood and brought Torina up with her. "I need to take this chance while the Dawnguard is distracted. I think I can scale the walls from inside of the garden."
"Have you been keeping that a secret from me this whole time, when we could have used that in so many nordic ruins?" Torina teased.
Pulling a face, Serana said, "I have to use my Vampire Lord abilities and I hate becoming a cloud of bats for any length of time."
The friends paused their conversation as a handful of Dawnguard left the keep and started walking towards the boats. Durak and Sorine were among them.
"Go, celebrate with them," Serana said. "Tell them whatever they need to hear for why I'm gone."
"Done. And if you return before two week's time, send a courier to Winterhold."
The vampire stopped walking away to turn back and give Torina a questioning gaze. "Why are you going there?"
Torina waved her on, ready to jog to catch up with her compatriots. "I need to see an elf about a soul gem."
And so the true quest begins. The first quest marker is on the Frozen Hearth, the quest is titled Freeing the Betrayed.