Serana and I circled to the front of the wayshrine, ready for another fight. To both our surprise, Gelebor stepped out of it, having used one of the portals within it to travel the distance.

His green eyes met mine and he offered me a sad smile, "So, the deed has been done. The restoration of this wayshrine means that Vyrthur must be dead and the Betrayed no longer has control over him."

I took a deep breath and let it out, calming myself from my battle readiness. "Actually, the Betrayed weren't to blame," I admitted.

"What? What are you talking about?" the Knight-Paladin looked from one to the other of us, expression begging for answers.

"He was a vampire," I explained, as bits of information clicked in my thoughts. "We found evidence of vampirism among the Betrayed before coming to the vale. He said he was infected by one of his Initiates. I suspect that once Vyrthur became a vampire, his dark emotions drove him to control the Betrayed."

Once the infection had completed its course… well Vyrthur wasn't a Son of Coldharbour. Like any normal vampire, his compassion and empathy would have been stripped from him. All he would have had was his anger. I could see Vyrthur's bitterness driving him to call upon the Falmer to attack the priests for continuing to worship a god he hated and blamed. From there, he could just freeze some of the Falmer for his use once the witnesses had been taken out.

"A vampire? I see," he paused thoughtfully. "That would explain much. Deep inside, it brings me joy that the Betrayed weren't fully to blame for what happened here."

I blinked at him, "Why?"

The Knight-Paladin's expression softened with quiet hope. "Because that means there's still hope that they might one day shed their hatred and learn to believe in Auri-El once again."

"You think that maybe… the Betrayed can be cured?" I had been forced to kill so many of them, but it would be nice if they became a race that could interact with others in a less hostile way.

Gelebor sighed and shook his head, "I feel nothing but sympathy for the Betrayed, despite my actions against them. But I'm afraid that they're well beyond a cure at this point. The twisted forms you've seen didn't occur overnight. It isn't a plague or a disease that ravaged our species. The dwarves may have stolen their sight, but it took many generations for them to become what they are today."

"Oh…" I felt my hope fade to disappointment.

Gelebor gave me a reassuring smile. "Perhaps they'll never return to their former appearance, but over the centuries, I've noticed a rise in their intellect. If a line of communication could be established with them, maybe they can find peace. It's the only way they'll discover that they weren't always malignant. They were once a proud and prosperous race. I can feel hope for them again, and it's been a long time since I felt that way. It's been long overdue. My thanks to both of you."

I gave him a tired smile as the rush of battle began to drain away, "You're welcome."

To my surprise, the snow elf bowed deeply to me. "You risked everything to get Auri-El's Bow, and in turn, you've restored the Chantry. I can't think of a more deserving champion to carry it than you. If you wish to learn more about the bow, or obtain Sunhallowed Arrows for it, I'd be more than happy to help. You've but to ask."

He stepped out of the way, and I saw a silver bow floating within the wayshrine, shining with a soft golden light. I took the weapon in my hand, and it came easily and lightly into my grip.

"What will happen to you now?" Serana asked as I inspected the weapon.

It was simple in design, but I could feel a current of power humming through it. I pulled the string to feel the draw, and there was no resistance. Something told me that if I unleashed an arrow, it would still fly with full force.

The Knight-Paladin shook his head. "Even with Vyrthur gone and the Inner Sanctum destroyed, my duty as a Knight-Paladin of Auri-El remains. I've been sworn to protect this vale and everything it represents, until I die."

"What will happen to the Chantry?" I stepped back out of the wayshrine and looked back at the destruction that Vyrthur had wrought.

"While it would fill me with joy to see the Chantry back to its former glory, that time has long since passed. Now that my brother's dead, it's quite possible I'm the last of our kind."

I grimaced, "Then I've contributed to the extinction of your people."

"There's no need for that kind of talk," he reassured me. "I said it was possible. It's also quite possible that there are some other isolated conclaves of snow elves nestled elsewhere on Nirn. I'll also assume Vyrthur didn't exactly give you the option to stay your hand."

"Not really," I admitted, "And he's the cause of a lot of suffering for... others." I glanced at Serana and noted her expression darkening before quickly changing the subject. "What about the wayshrines?"

"For the time being, they will remain open. If remnants of our kind who escaped the betrayal at the hands of the dwarves exist out there, perhaps they will find this place one day." He paused, looking thoughtful, then added, "For the time being I will remain here, on the overlook. Perhaps I shall continue trying to keep the Sanctum free of the Betrayed. You're always welcome to return here at any time, of course."

"I think we should both stay here as well, at least for a day or so," I suggested. "We've been through a lot. The healing potion helped after the explosion, but I still feel like I offended a bunch of Orcs and they taught me manners with their fists."

Gelebor smiled, "Well, this is the safest place you can be for now. We can talk more once you have rested."

.

We pitched our tent near the wayshrine and invited Gelebor to sit and socialize with us.

The Knight-Paladin showed me how to crush juniper berries and use them as a glaze to sweeten the deer meat. This was a pleasant change, since the meat tended to be a bit stronger in flavor than beef and needed something to soothe the woodsy taste.

Serana soon had him discussing various alchemy ingredients. It wasn't long before my girlfriend was happily scribbling notes for the flowers she had gathered in the caves. We learned it was called a 'gleam blossom.'

The pair went on a short excursion together, and she returned looking well-fed. She also brought back several ingredients, including pieces that I swore were antennae from the damn flying chaurus insects. These too, were alchemy ingredients.

I had learned long ago that it was better not to ask what went into potions. Some of the ingredients to restore health could involve the eye of a sabercat, charred skeever hide, and a dried and finely ground-up dragonfly. Sometimes it's better not to ask, and simply be happy with the results.

Gelebor told me about the bow and its history. Apparently, Auriel had used this weapon in a battle against a world-destroying being named Lorkhan in ancient times. The weapon drew its power from the Immortal Plane, where the Divines originated, and channeled that power through the sun itself.

I could see why it would be an amazing weapon against the undead, and with Gelebor's help, got twenty of my arrows enchanted to increase its power.

Serana studied the bow doubtfully later that evening, "It's… not as shiny as I was expecting. Still, it's beautiful." She tentatively caressed the bow with an appreciative smile.

Thankfully, the bow didn't react to her touch, though that boded ill for us if Harkon got his hands on it.

Later that evening, I asked the question that I knew would lay us on the hardest path to date; "What will we do next?"

Serana sighed softly and closed her eyes for a moment before saying, "I think we both know… it's time to face my father. If we don't, he'll keep chasing us for the rest of our lives."

So… this is it. No more delays. No more chances. It's time to face the headsman's axe. Out loud I said, "If we do, he'll have to die."

To her credit, Serana didn't flinch, "I've been thinking about this for a long time. It's... it's not easy, but we have much of a choice. It's obvious my father's well beyond reason and telling him that Vyrthur made up the stupid prophecy won't sway him from trying anyway. This has to end here and now."

"Are you positive you're ready to do this?" I asked gently. I had been trying to prepare her for this eventuality, practically from the day we had met, but it was still a hard question to have to ask.

She gave me a brokenhearted look that spoke volumes more than her next words. "I don't think you can ever be ready to kill your own parent. I'm doing my best not to think of him as my father anymore. And really? He isn't, and hasn't been, for a very long time."

I held out my hand to her, meeting her gaze steadily, "Then let's face him, together."

She accepted my hand with a smile. "If we head back to the castle and kick the front door in, we're going to be neck deep in his friends. Let's head back to Isran and let him see what we've got first. I'm betting he'll lend us a sword or two."

"Oh, he'll lend us more than that," I smirked. "We've been doing all the heavy lifting. If he doesn't jump at the chance to do some proper work for a change, I'll personally kick his butt."