Oh wow I'm actually adding onto this story again? Wooowwww... look at me go.
Nothing cute in this one, not at all.
They're headed into the Soul Cairn with Serana already lowkey freaking out on the inside and Irina stressed out about having so many things on her to-do list (because being the world's savior is a full-time job)
The moment they both stepped foot onto the island, was the moment Serana had focused back into reality. She refused to sulk in the presence of Irina, she would much rather enjoy her company for as long as she was able before the accepting the reality of having to dig into her past.
Serana never thought that she would have to face her problems in the company of someone she loved, or, somebody else in general- the nord wasn't used to having anyone but her dysfunctional family around, and their servants. Her presence, her mere presence... and the effect Irina's had on her was impossibly delightful.
The last thing the nord wanted was for her family issues to come to light, they already were in the spotlight- she wouldn't be surprised if the dovahkiin hadn't already judged her family harshly, and it was alright because Serana knew that her parents were corrupted and twisted people, that they would rather twist and turn their daggers into each other's stomachs before realizing that their child had been watching with horrified eyes at their own hate towards one another.
What she didn't want, however, was for Irina to have to deal with her past issues because Serana couldn't gurantee her own mental stability. She also hoped to no god in particular, that Irina never find out the extent to which they'd all gone for their vampiric origin.
It was briefly mentioned that Irina had done Molag Bal a service, albeit not of her own willing desire, but she never worshipped the daedric prince- not like her family did.
Slender fingers curled around an elven dagger and she sighed silently. Irina was much stronger than her when it came to mental fortitude, perhaps she should invest in spending a couple years in isolation. Her life was already so lonely, the woman didn't suppose being by herself any longer would help.
That's what makes us so different, I would be miserable facing the truths of my life- Irina willingly went up that mountain to have other men tell her the wrongs of her ways. To help herself.
While the dovahkiin knelt down to tie down the jetty, Serana watched her form silently. Her daedric sword was strapped to her side, her armor glistened against one of the few tiny rays of sunlight that beamed down onto nirn.
She was completely armored head to toe, her helmet obscured the side of her face and gave Serana the temporary privacy to admire from afar. Irina had burdens lifted from her shoulders, but something told Serana that the bosmer had something more plaguing her mind.
The nord wasn't blind to her sudden wakings in the recent nights they shared a bed together. Something had been on her mind. The nord hadn't a clue as to what.
Not that they had the luxury of an insightful conversation now, they'd dallied for far too long. Serana needed help, and Irina was the only person who could as of this moment.
Her father was impatient to get his hands on Auriel's bow, stopping him was the most important thing on her mind now. Whatever emotional turmoil that would happen next, would happen and she'd have the time to deal with it after everything was done.
She could at least promise herself that.
Then maybe I'd be better qualified to understand where she was coming from... Our conversation at the docks was concerning.
As the dovahkiin made to stand, Serana swallowed nervously at the faraway look in the elf's eyes. She squinted toward the sky as if looking for something but there was nothing to be seen- the sky was gray with thick clouds looming over them. Only tiny pockets of sunlight poked through but they were temporary and hardly lit up anything.
It was unsual- Serana thought she saw the corner of her mouth curl into a frown but when she turned in the direction of Serana, there was a blank face- with eyes way beyond their years.
Serana led them the woman around the bend of the castle, into unexplored areas that Irina did not bother to poke at lest she find one of Harkon's minions inquiring about her snooping in the castle. She's had the thought to do so before, just to familiarize herself with the island. Although the idea was completely shut down when she noticed the far-away interest that Garan Marethi had with her.
Vingalmo was also someone to be weary of, although his approach was more up-front and personal. The altmer had taken to speaking to her about her personal life with no qualms, she suspected that the dark elf hadn't the same manner of doing things.
Their boots made small crunching sounds as they stepped over thick gravel, the sea and wind shielded any oppurinity to listen for any other footsteps that would have been following. Irina and Serana had stepped foot on the island as enemies, and the atmosphere felt as such when they set their eyes on the looming castle. The dovahkiin kept her hand on the hilt of her sword, at the ready.
"You are awfully quiet, Serana. Are you alright?" Irina asked as she cautiously scanned the inlet.
Not at all, actually. Thanks for asking.
"I'm good. I just have an ominious feeling about the place... I'm not sure why-" Serana had cut herself off when the sharp whizzing of an arrow sliced the side of her cheek. She softly grunted and brought a hand to her face, her eyes turned upward to find black robed skeletons roaming the back of her castle.
There were quite a few of them, easily a dozen. They were armored with chestplates and the black robes gave them a shroud of darkness that was almost unsettling- but Serana had seen worse. Most of the undead were equipped with bows and before she could think to analyze any more, more arrows came racing towards her.
Irina grabbed her forearm and yanked her against the rocky wall, they had little cover but enough to house the both of them. "good instincts, bad reflexes, dear." the bosmer joked. The nord cast her an annoyed look as she healed her sliced cheek, the glow faded from her fingers while Irina summoned her bow.
About seven or eight arrows struck the gravel in which Serana had once stood. The nord heard the bosmer swallow loudly beside her. "oh my..." the dovahkiin murmured.
A deep inhale came from her right and Serana peered down to find Irina had crouched low enough to blend in with the shadows, she shifted away from cover with a slow fluid movement. She had an arrow knocked and at the ready, and the moment her eyes picked up on her target did she exhale sharply.
As soon as she sent the arrow flying did Irina retreat back into cover, "there's quite a few of them out there." Irina chuckled in disbelief.
"Why on nirn are you laughing?" Serana asked with disbelief. They had just begun their investigation that would probably lead to a dead-end, fighting at the beginning without any reason was something that did not soothe Serana's nerves.
"My dear, I live for the thrill of battle." Irina said with a frustrating grin. "I will need you to cover me, a battle of archers would bore me-"
"Irina, for the grace of the queen. Kill them." Serana said with a disbelieving tone. Now was not the time for Irina to be excited for battle, they had much ground left to cover and being stopped here had unexpectedly frustrated the nord more than necessary.
The bosmer pouted but nodded all the same.
"As you wish."
Watching the dovahkiin had calmed Serana down some. She moved fluidly, knocking her arrows and sending them flying back to the undead. Her focus was all onto the enemy, not a shred of hesitation- she shifted between kneeling and standing to move back into cover when she needed. The nord had half a mind to help her by using her magic but the moment she decided to flare electricity into her palms, Irina had stood on her two feet.
"That was quick." Serana commented. As she stepped out from the shadows, Irina turned back to her and grinned, "I'm a native to Valenwood, I represent my culture."
"I can see that, and still with half your quiver. Remind me to never set you off." Serana spoke as she walked ahead of the elf. Her tone was joking, but her eyes were already faraway. She almost didn't notice the last skeleton coming out from the shadows of small archway. Without a second thought, the nord took a stance and flung hardened ice at the ghostly creature.
Bones shattered against the archway and clattered around their feet.
Her eyes were narrowed into slits and Irina noticed the fury almost instantly. Anger did not suit her, and it was never seen on her before. The bosmer took a step forward and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, Serana relaxed some but she knew that Irina had pieced together her demeanor and a sense of dread filled her at the upcoming conversation.
"What's wrong? You look mad." Irina said with furrowed brows.
"You noticed? Well, that's not suprising." Serana said with a dejected sigh. Her own hand placed itself over Irina's and held the smaller calloused digits in her palm, she kept her stare locked forward, and she stiffened her jaw. Why was speaking so difficult now? She refused to look the woman in her eyes, she didn't know why but she knew that something would set her off if she did.
That was the wrong answer and she knew it.
Damn it... Say something!
They stood in silence for a moment, the only sounds were the sea and wind. Irina kept herself in place, respecting the woman's silence. When no explanation came the bosmer made a face but withdrew. Thinking that the nord didn't want to share her woes with her Irina made to take a step backward and give the woman her much needed space. As she moved Serana silently winced at her touch leaving.
Now was not the time for emotional dependency. Absolutely not. This was the worst time for any of that. Serana couldn't stop herself from moving even if that were true. She simply allowed herself to fall into the worst choice. In a slow yet fluid motion she turned around on her heel and reached for the wood elf's forearm, a gentle pull to bring her unsuspecting body closer and a hand cupping her cheek were the only things that briefly registered in Serana's mind.
The nord's eyes fluttered closed as she kissed the shocked dragonborn. When Irina relaxed against her hold Serana thought that she would kiss her back, how presumptious of the nord to think that.
Instead what had happened was Irina shoving the nord away with a controlled push. Serana made a shocked sound and had to catch herself by taking a half-step back, she stared wide-eyed at the dovahkiin who merely gave her a questioning look. As if in disbelief at the woman's actions.
"Come now, keep your thoughts to yourself if you so wish. I won't pry, but don't try to use me as a distraction to your mental strife. It's unbecoming and I won't indulge." Irina said with her arms crossed over chest. She didn't even look mad, she looked disappointed. Serana took note of the frown Irina wore and found herself releasing a sigh. What a woman.
The nord could almost laugh, she was right after all, it wasn't only unbecoming... it was rude to Irina. Serana could almost cringe at herself, and how cowardly the nord must have looked trying to hide away from her own problems. Serana managed a half-smile in spite of herself and spoke, "I'll remember that. Thanks."
Irina's expression softened just a touch and she nodded back, "I'm here for you, don't forget. I won't speak on the matter unless you'd like."
The nord nodded back and looked on ahead, "Follow me, there's a door up some stairs that leads to the undercroft."
Irina took note of her dismissal of her words but stuck to her own word and didn't say anything else, no matter how much she wanted to.
Interestingly enough, Serana carried herself exceptionally well during their venture into the deepest parts of her home. Irina could feel and see the emotion brimming behind her eyes, as if she were going to explode at any moment- the bosmer made sure to prepare herself for a breakdown of some sort. However, it wasn't necessary because it didn't happen.
They entered the undercroft and together they sliced through death hounds and a madwoman who had been living inside the castle for who knows how long. Irina being the curious woman she was, searched the woman's body and found a journal fragment explaining a small piece of her past. Serana seemed uninterested in the vampire's body and was not entirely shocked that she lived beneath the rest of the unsuspecting clan.
The only remark she'd given on the topic was, "the castle is huge, I wouldn't be surprised to find another vampire living here unsuspected either."
As they pressed forward and eventually reaching the courtyard did Irina almost catch the emotion bleed out of Serana.
Distraught was an understatement. The first words to leave her lips upon entering were a shallow, "oh no..." and it was then that Irina had unknowingly given Serana all of her attention, albeit she was subtle. Her orange eyes scanned her countenance for any traces of panic, she found none. Although she did notice the hard set of the woman's jaw and her slightly furrowed eyebrows.
The garden was nothing like she'd described. Everything inside was dead, not a trace of life. Upon further inspection Irina could see that the what she assumed was a door that lead to the great hall was walled off with rubble. Her calloused hand touched the rubble and Irina found herself feeling a small portion of Serana's pain.
Her voice was barely audible, and her shoulders sagged "do you know how beautiful something can be, when it's tended by a master for hundreds of years?"
Disappointment and sorrow, were right behind her eyes. Irina had noticed this now more than ever, Serana had always had an atmosphere around her that was a bit sorrowful- Irina could relate to that given her own experiences in life. Although, they both never expressed that- at least, Irina had never done so.
There was an unspoken understanding between two individuals who had experienced pain in their lifetimes. One could see it in the expressions they made, how they lived their lives, what their interests are and what bores them. The intricacies of a person are not so intricate if one bothers to pay attention, and Irina paid attention.
She paid enough attention to realize that Serana had never closed the door of her past, and they were walking head-first into it to prevent the plans her father had for the Volkihar clan. Irina wondered if the woman knew how honorable that was, because what she was about to do would affect the lives of many innocent and good people. She may not have intentions for the good of the world, or anything outside of her own security.
But, nonetheless, Serana could have found a stopping point to delay her father- she could have found a great many ways to do all that she wanted without having to risk her own sanity. But, the problem would be better resolved if it were dug out root and stem, and that was enough to view Serana with respect.
The painful nostalgia she must feel, I would feel the same if I stepped back to the village in Valenwood.
They delved further into the castle, much deeper than Irina expected to go- Serana herself even said that she didn't know what lay ahead of them. Both women moved forward, Irina kept her hand on her sword and was unsurprised when she had to use it.
Again, they battled through many creatures and undead. Skeletons and gargoyles in particular. It felt like hours of traversing through the castle, in reality about only one actual hour went by. They'd both been caked with a decent amount of dust and Irina had tiny cuts across her chin and small tears in the leather of her armor.
They were both in relatively good shape by the time they reached the impressive laboratory of Valerica.
Irina had her index finger to her lips sucking off some blood that seeped from under the nail, a gargoyle had smashed her finger in the process of throwing her against a wall- the irritating throbbing had the dragonborn thoroughly annoyed for the rest of the way. Since that encounter, the woman had sheathed her weapons and used her thu'um to blast away the creatures in a shout of fire and rage.
It was probably the only thing that made Serana give a small chuckle.
They searched for the woman's notes and in the process of rummaging through books and looking at shelves, the dragonborn found something that made her eyes widen. On the wooden table, smack in the center of the laboratory, there were bones arranged in a clumsy manner. Mammoth tusks, the skeletal frame of a human and the head of a troll- and in the lonely corner of the table, were dragon bones.
Irina swallowed deeply, and placed a hand on her throat. Her nostrils filled with the air of the sea and ash, an image of her robed attacker resurfaced in her mind. She was briefly reminded of Miraak and his threat to Tamriel.
Orange eyes looked for Serana and found her reading through a small battered journal, her focus entirely honed into the pages. She found something important, it looked like. Irina let her arm hang loosely by her side and frowned.
She will despise me for leaving her now, I wouldn't be able to come back from that. Not during this delicate time. But, I have to leave... again. Why must I always leave the people I love?
The sound of boots and stone made the elf shift her attention back up, Serana was approaching with a light in her eye. That was a good sign. Irina managed a smile to herself and pushed back the thought of Miraak for just a moment, he would be on Solstheim still- he had his shrines and his way of magic. His cultists hadn't been probing the mainland since she's climbed down, so that was also a good sign. She'd been down for quite some time now, damn near six months already.
So that's time enough for the woman to set a plan in motion.
As the nord began to speak, Irina barely registered her words. Irina found herself lost in thought to her plan of action, she would return to Sosltheim no doubt- and very soon. But, before she did that the woman would have to help Serana just enough to find out more about the prophecy and of Harkon.
Serana's expression was not as grim as it was just the hour before but she still looked nervous. Irina finally managed to blink into focus when the nord cursed under her breath, orange eyes flickered upwards in confusion. The pale woman had her nose buried in the journal again and she cursed one more time.
"Damn it. We're also going to need a sample of her blood. Which, if we could get that...we wouldn't even be trying to do this in the first place." she said with a hand on her head in exasperation.
Irina almost spoke automatically, "you share her blood."
Serana gave her a knowing look "Hmmm. Not bad. We'd better hope that's good enough. Mistakes with these kind of portals can be... gruesome. Anyway, enough of that. Let's get started." the woman went on to list off the ingredients needed for the portal, and Irina found them within minutes. The bosmer carried all of the necessities needed in her arms while Serana stood by the vessel expectantly.
Irina felt a chill run down her spine at the way Serana sliced her hand open, she did so with ease and the only indication that it hurt was her eyes wincing just a touch. The elf almost made a face when the nord made a fist to squeeze out more of the blood, just as Irina was about to comment on the matter the stone beneath them shook.
Both women had to hold their balance as the stone beneath them, where the portal lay, slowly opened itself with bright hues of violet light protruding from the entrance. The stone ominously lifted itself from its fixed point in the ground creating a staircase leading to the portal, to the Soul Cairn. Irina felt her jaw so slack while Serana stared wide-eyed in awe.
"By the blood of my ancestors... she actually did it. Created a portal to the Soul Cairn... Incredible." the nord muttered. She made to take a step forward, already wanting to dive head-first into oblivion but Irina grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her back. Serana made a sound of confusion and glanced to the bosmer whose eyes looked at her full of concern.
How cute.
"Before we go, I wanted to ask you something first." Irina said with a small frown. The concern was making the nord's chest fill with appreciation that Irina would be the one to accompany her during this time of strife.
"Of course, what is it?" the nord asked. For the sake of not letting a raging a blush grow any deeper than it should, the woman took her wrist back to her side.
"What will you do if we find your mother?" she asked curiously. Irina hoped the question didn't pry, as she had promised not to. However, she could see Serana grow visibly uncomfortable as she shifted her weight between her feet. "I've been asking myself the same thing since we came back to the castle. She was so sure of what we did to my father, I couldn't help but go along with her. I never thought of the cost."
The nord found herself looking away from the other woman's eyes in embarrassment, she didn't have a better answer than that and to speak freely with someone who was so much wiser than her...- Serana's eyes widened when Irina took a hold of her hand in a gentle grip. Her gauntlets had a portion of leather that covered her palms but kept her fingers free and Serana took notice of her finger, the smashed one, bleeding once again.
"You're doing fantastic, I've been admiring your resiliency from afar. As far as your mother's concerned, we won't know until we find her, eh? Best to think of it like that." Irina reassured.
Serana swallowed deeply and nodded, "Yes... yes, you're right. I'm sorry. I just didn't expect anyone to care how I felt about her, not even you- but! Thank you. It's means alot." the dovahkiin gave her a reassuring squeeze and Serana thought she might swoon right then and there. Her golden eyes flickered to the woman's lips again and she mentally berated herself for thinking of anything romantic at a time like this.
Yet, when else would be? The moment they step foot in the Soul Cairn it was going to be all business. Not even the most concerned look would make Serana melt in the presence of her mother, there'd be too much to say to even think twice about stealing a kiss or even having a moment to themselves.
The room was eerily silent with Irina watching her with the same yearning. A small breath of a laugh escaped her, how fairytale her love was, falling in love with the dovahkiin. With a woman.
Even though this was definitely the worst time, Serana wanted to try her luck again.
Irina gave a small grunt when the nord squeezed her hand tightly, the taller of the two pulled the woman closer and with a more gentle approach slipped her fingers underneath Irina's chin. Their bodies were flush against each other with Irina's arm pulled back behind Serana. Irina's armor was unforgivable, blocking access to anything and everything.
Better for them, honestly.
"May I? Please?" the nord asked. She nudged Irina's chin upward, encouragingly. Her own lips tantalizingly close to the elf's but she refrained and waited patiently for the shorter woman's response.
Her voice was hushed but had an underlying pleading tone that the bosmer could not refuse, a pink hue colored the elf's cheeks like a fire spreading across her countenance. Unsurprisingly, she nodded and closed her eyes awaiting Serana. She looked so bashful. The nord could almost smirk in satisfaction at the thought of having her feelings reciprocated.
Irina kept tense as her finger was beginning to hurt some, but she didn't voice her pain until their lips met. Was she doing that on purpose? Because it hurt, alot. Serana swallowed a pained grunt from the bosmer and she furrowed her brows to keep her own libido in check. Her grip loosened just a tad but only enough to make the elf relax.
How she wanted to push her tongue inside but she knew if she did that then the sensation would muddle her mind.
Instead, the nord took to repeatedly kissing her. One deep kiss after another, Irina couldn't find the right tempo to match the nord and often found herself eager to kiss her back but the nord had restarted a different pace. Her lips moved on their own and had Irina mesmerized. She could almost forget the ominous violet light that came from the portal behind Serana.
Irina shuddered at the featherlight touch of Serana's fingers moving over the exposed portions of her cheek, in a light caress. The nord had her eyes closed savoring the shorter woman's taste, hoping silently that the way Irina's free hand clutched at her hip was because of something deeper than lust.
"Serana... my hand- you've got it in the most painful grip." Irina managed out with a few shallow breaths.
One final kiss was pressed to Irina's lips while the nord eased her hold on the woman, golden eyes glinted with pride at the pink coloring the dovahkiin. As they both caught their breath the nord gave her a half-smile, looking embarrassed. Irina wondered how she could look so graceful with every expression, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I just... I got carried away. I guess your words had a greater affect on me than... erm..."
She dumbly trailed off unable to express herself. Irina simply nodded, she could feel her face was burning and she wondered why that was- she didn't have to think very hard as to the why... but anyway.
"I could tell. Trust me." Irina said with a dazed blush. The nord found herself giving a small smile as she caressed the elf's cheek, Irina had been flushing more and more around Serana and it filled the nord with hope. She kept the image of Irina's recent expressions forever in her mind, things to never be forgotten- Serana wouldn't know when they would end after all, better for her to remember the happy moments.
She retracted herself from the dovahkiin who had brought herself out of her daze and focused in on the portal, Serana turned around slowly and eyeing the ominous portal a more serious expression made its way onto her face.
"Let's go on, we have to find Valerica."
