Morthal was slowly improving as a town. It was still small, and isolated, but there were signs of it becoming more prosperous. A wreath of vines and snowberry leaves decorated a door here. New clothing on the townsfolk there. Some of the wooden walkways had either been fixed or were in the process. But I think the greatest sign of the town's healing from the tragedy and dangers of its past... was the skeleton of Hroggar's new house.

Jorgen, owner of the town's mill, Hroggar, and Thonnir were cursing good-naturedly at one another as they wrestled a support beam into position. I had to stop and smile warmly at the sight. If that wasn't a sign of something positive, then I'd eat one of my dragonbone arrows; ebony shaft and all.

I turned back to the Moorside Inn, leaving the fog-shrouded sunlight for the dim interior. The Inn wasn't exactly roaring with guests, but Jonna was bustling well enough taking care of a traveling merchant and a few other travelers. We took our meals there, with the happy Redguard serving us food seasoned with new spices that had been added to the inn's inventory.

Falion came over to greet us in our quiet corner, and after some travel-related gossip and small talk, I murmured to him, "Serana would like to be cured."

To his credit, he did not jump or shout in shock, but he did go still for a moment, before nodding solemnly, "Very well. Meet me at the summoning circle in the marsh just before dawn. It's to the north of the town, just across the bridge and a little off the trail leading to where Movarth made his lair. You'll be able to see the broken buttresses rising above the grass from the path. The summoning circle is in the center of those structures." He turned to regard Serana thoughtfully, then nodded, "Your decision to be cured is not to be taken lightly, Serana. I presume you already know the cost for your humanity."

Serana met his gaze evenly, "Yes. A black soul gem. I promise the soul is… deserving of its fate."

"It is good to hear that," Falion returned, "but of equal importance: you should know that the gift of life is offered by someone who truly thinks you are worth it."

Serana gave me a warm look, "Trust me… I know."

Falion smiled a bit. "All right. I shall review the ritual to make sure I will be doing it correctly."

"Is the magic complicated?" Serana's voice took on a tinge of interest only a dedicated mage could have.

Falion gave a small huff of laughter and shook his head, "It's more of a prayer mixed with bargaining. The magic of exchanging your soul for the soul you have captured is simple…"

And then my fellow Redguard went off on a tangent full of mage terms and jargon that I didn't even try to follow.

Finally, Serana seemed satisfied with whatever gobbledygook was involved in the technical aspects. Falion looked pleased with having been able to talk shop.

"All right, then I will see you at the summoning circle. From there, we will banish the creature you have become."

Falion popped the last piece of food from his plate into his mouth, then excused himself from our table and the inn. He wanted to double check the spell to make sure he would be doing it right. Serana and I moved into the room we had rented for some privacy.

I closed the door on the sounds of quiet cheer and chatter and turned to see that Serana was holding Arondil's soul gem in her hands. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, and she was turning it over and over as she gazed into its depths as though looking for answers. By the way her jaw moved, I could tell she was running her tongue over her fangs, over and over again, as though memorizing the feel of them.

I gently put a hand over hers, "Septim for your thoughts?"

She jumped a little, then met my eyes with her own glowing ones, "Just… thinking. About being cured. When you told me I could be cured, I was immediately in favor of it. I wanted to live again, to be human, to shed millennia of unwanted past. I wanted…" She let out a breath that seemed to come from deep inside of her, "...to shed the last bit of my father's legacy."

I nodded and gestured for her to go on.

"When we went to Riften and got the tip, it was… just another step toward the end, you know?" She took a shaky breath and blew it out. "When we got Arondil's soul, I felt vindicated. He really was a vile, twisted person. He deserves this. But suddenly… I'm thinking again."

"About trading a soul for your humanity?" I tilted my head slightly.

"Kind of? You remember, don;t you? What it took for me to be like… like this. The price that was paid…. The… the one thousand maidens… and myself."

I gave her hand a little squeeze, "Thinking about what it means to give it up?"

My girlfriend nodded, her eyes looking haunted. She fumbled through her next words, trying to put them into a coherent form. "What I had to endure, and what happened to those maidens. It feels a little like casting off my vampirism is... making their deaths even more meaningless and cruel. They died for this," she gestured at herself, "and now I'm tossing it all away. Worse, the price to get rid of my vampirism is so much cheaper than what it cost to become a vampire in the first place."

"One thousand maiden souls to get it, a single necrophiliac to lose it again," I agreed. "Then again, whether you stay a vampire or cast it away, nothing changes for those poor souls. Also, remember: you weren't the one who sacrificed them. Those maidens died at the hands of your father, and he has already had his punishment for it." I let out a long breath, then gave her a small smile. "At this point, I think letting go of your vampirism is just another path on the road to healing."

"Are you sure it's not selfishness?" At my blink, Serana dropped the soul gem and her hands began their nervous fluttering over the furs of her bed. "I want to stop hungering, I want to be able to exist every day without having to… hunt and… and kill. I want to be able to be with you…. all of you… without living in fear that I'll… hurt you. That I might… infect you. I want to be happy."

I shook my head, "It's not selfishness; it's self-care. If someone is being self-serving, there's a desire to take from others, regardless of whether it causes harm. Self-care is about setting boundaries to prevent someone else from taking advantage. It's about giving yourself time to replenish your own health."

"I guess I feel that what I want is a bit like what my father wanted. I don't want to have to hide from the sun anymore," the words were soft.

Ah. That's the part she truly fears.

"Okay, well I don't know if you remember your mortal days much, but we humans need to be careful of the sun too. We can get burns from too much sun. When I was still a kid in Hammerfell, I played on the shores of the oasis with the other kids. And like any kid, clothes and heat don't mix. So of course we stripped down to our small clothes and splashed around. That night… hoo boy did I regret it! My skin hurt a lot, and a few days later, I was peeling like a lizard." I stuck out my tongue, earning a small smile from Serana. "But you are right; your vampirism does amplify the damage a hundredfold."

I ran my lower teeth over my upper lip thoughtfully, "I don't think what you want is exactly like your father though. Your father wanted to do whatever he wanted, to whomever he wanted, with nothing to stop him. You just want to live again; to be part of the world, instead of apart from it."

Serana's face cleared and her brow smoothed as I put her feelings into words, "Yeah… that's it. That's what I want."

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's what every person wants, deep down. If you want to cure yourself, you know I'll support you." I eyed the pouch where Serana was keeping the black soul gem; "We've come this far, after all."

Morthal was slowly improving as a town. It was still small, and isolated, but there were signs of it becoming more prosperous. A wreath of vines and snowberry leaves decorated a door here. New clothing on the townsfolk there. Some of the wooden walkways had either been fixed, or were in the process. But I think the greatest sign of the town's healing from the tragedy and dangers of its past... was the skeleton of Hroggar's new house.

Jorgen, owner of the town's mill, Hroggar, and Thonnir were cursing good-naturedly at one another as they wrestled a support beam into position. I had to stop and smile warmly at the sight. If that wasn't a sign of something positive, then I'd eat one of my dragonbone arrows; ebony shaft and all.

I turned back to the Moorside Inn, leaving the fog-shrouded sunlight for the dim interior. The Inn wasn't exactly roaring with guests, but Jonna was bustling well enough taking care of a traveling merchant and a few other travelers. We took our meals there, with the happy Redguard serving us food seasoned with new spices that had been added to the inn's inventory.

Falion came over to greet us in our quiet corner, and after some travel-related gossip and small talk, I murmured to him, "Serana would like to be cured."

To his credit, he did not jump or shout in shock, but he did go still for a moment, before nodding solemnly, "Very well. Meet me at the summoning circle in the marsh just before dawn. It's to the north of the town, just across the bridge and a little off the trail leading to where Movarth made his lair. You'll be able to see the broken buttresses rising above the grass from the path. The summoning circle is in the center of those structures." He turned to regard Serana thoughtfully, then nodded, "Your decision to be cured is not to be taken lightly, Serana. I presume you already know the cost for your humanity."

Serana met his gaze evenly, "Yes. A black soul gem. I promise the soul is… deserving of its fate."

"It is good to hear that," Falion returned, "but of equal importance: you should know that the gift of life is offered by someone who truly thinks you are worth it."

Serana gave me a warm look, "Trust me… I know."

Falion smiled a bit. "All right. I shall review the ritual to make sure I will be doing it correctly."

"Is the magic complicated?" Serana's voice took on a tinge of interest only a dedicated mage could have.

Falion gave a small huff of laughter and shook his head, "It's more of a prayer mixed with bargaining. The magic of exchanging your soul for the soul you have captured is simple…"

And then my fellow Redguard went off on a tangent full of mage terms and jargon that I didn't even try to follow.

Finally, Serana seemed satisfied with whatever gobbledygook was involved in the technical aspects. Falion looked pleased with having been able to talk shop.

"All right, then I will see you at the summoning circle. From there, we will banish the creature you have become."

Falion popped the last piece of food from his plate into his mouth, then excused himself from our table and the inn. He wanted to double check the spell to make sure he would be doing it right. Serana and I moved into the room we had rented for some privacy.

I closed the door on the sounds of quiet cheer and chatter and turned to see that Serana was holding Arondil's soul gem in her hands. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, and she was turning it over and over as she gazed into its depths as though looking for answers. By the way her jaw moved, I could tell she was running her tongue over her fangs, over and over again, as though memorizing the feel of them.

I gently put a hand over hers, "Septim for your thoughts?"

She jumped a little, then met my eyes with her own glowing ones, "Just… thinking. About being cured. When I first realized that I could let go of my vampirism, emotionally, it clicked perfectly. My mind kept saying 'Yes, this it it! This is right! This is what I want!' And I was excited. Thrilled even. I felt confident that something finally felt good to aim for. That for once, I wasn't terrified of the future. I wanted to live again; I wanted to be human; I wanted to shed millennia of unwanted past. I wanted…" She let out a breath that seemed to come from deep inside of her, "...to shed the last bit of my father's legacy."

"Oof. Yeah, I can see how you would seize that idea and run with it." I rubbed the back of my neck.

"When we went to Riften and got the tip, it was… just another step toward the end, you know?" She turned the soul gem over, absently, running her fingers along its length as if to search for flaws in the object as well as her thoughts. "When we got Arondil's soul, I felt vindicated. He really was a vile, twisted person. He deserves this. And then... as we made the trip back to Morthal, I began to doubt myself. Began to doubt my decision…"

"About trading a soul for your humanity?" I tilted my head slightly.

"Kind of? You remember, don't you? What it took for me to be like… like this. The price that was paid…. The… the one thousand maidens… and myself."

I gave her hand a little squeeze, "Thinking about what it means to give it up?"

My girlfriend nodded, her eyes looking haunted. She fumbled through her next words, trying to put them into a coherent form. "What I had to endure, and what happened to those maidens. It feels a little like casting off my vampirism is... making their deaths even more meaningless and cruel. They died for this," she gestured at herself, "and now I'm tossing it all away. Worse, the price to get rid of my vampirism is so much cheaper than what it cost to become a vampire in the first place."

"One thousand maiden souls to get it, a single necrophiliac to lose it again," I agreed. "Then again, whether you stay a vampire or cast it away, nothing changes for those poor souls. Also, remember: you weren't the one who sacrificed them. Those maidens died at the hands of your father, and he has already had his punishment for it." I let out a long breath, then gave her a small smile. "At this point, I think letting go of your vampirism is just another path on the road to healing."

"Are you sure it's not selfishness?" At my blink, Serana dropped the soul gem and her hands began their nervous fluttering over the furs of her bed. "I want to stop hungering, I want to be able to exist every day without having to… hunt and… and kill. I want to be able to be with you…. all of you… without living in fear that I'll… hurt you. That I might… infect you. I want to be happy."

I shook my head, "It's not selfishness; it's self-care. If someone is being self-serving, there's a desire to take from others, regardless of whether it causes harm. Self-care is about setting boundaries to prevent someone else from taking advantage. It's about giving yourself time to replenish your own health."

"I guess I feel that what I want is a bit like what my father wanted. I don't want to have to hide from the sun anymore," the words were soft.

Ah. That's the part she truly fears.

"Okay, well I don't know if you remember your mortal days much, but we humans need to be careful of the sun too. We can get burns from too much sun. When I was still a kid in Hammerfell, I played on the shores of the oasis with the other kids. And like any kid, clothes and heat don't mix. So of course we stripped down to our small clothes and splashed around. That night… hoo boy did I regret it! My skin hurt a lot, and a few days later, I was peeling like a lizard." I stuck out my tongue, earning a small smile from Serana. "But you are right; your vampirism does amplify the damage a hundredfold."

I ran my lower teeth over my upper lip thoughtfully, "I don't think what you want is exactly like your father though. Your father wanted to do whatever he wanted, to whomever he wanted, with nothing to stop him. You just want to live again; to be part of the world, instead of apart from it."

Serana's face cleared and her brow smoothed as I put her feelings into words, "Yeah… that's it. That's what I want."

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's what every person wants, deep down. If you want to cure yourself, you know I'll support you." I picked up the black soul gem and tucked it into the pouch where she had been keeping it; "We've come this far, after all."

.

The air was alive with sound in the pre-dawn fog. It quickly became clear that the marsh provided a migration stop for birds, and was a favorite haunt for predators. Thankfully, just the normal kind.

Several dark lumps near the murky shores turned out to be ducks, roosting near the edge of the grass before the sun rose for the day. Serana gasped softly and pointed excitedly; a pair of tundra swans sat together, their long necks bent back to tuck into their wings. A splash brought our attention to a mink hunting along the opposite shoreline. It would slip into the water, disappear below, and emerge with a frog gripped in its jaws nearly every time. What surprised me is that instead of eating the frogs, it was scampering to a hollow stump and stashing them... perhaps for future meals. Autumn in the swamp turned the place into a hotbed of activity for creatures who were either preparing for winter or fleeing ahead of it.

The dying grass swished and crunched beneath our boots, sparing us from the chilled mud that would have otherwise been our path. The stone buttresses were easy to use as a landmark, even in the eternal mist that seemed to lurk in this area of Skyrim. A mage light soon flared to life ahead of us, and we found ourselves standing with Falion before a thick slab of stone etched with runes.

"Good, you're here." The Redguard gestured toward the slab, "Stand upon the summoning circle when you're ready, my dear. Oh, and I'll need that black soul gem of yours before we start."

Serana paused, staring at the black crystal with a pensive expression, before finally placing it in the mage's outstretched hand. "Let's… get this over with."

Serana stepped up onto the stone platform and walked toward the center. She took a deep breath, let it out, and turned toward us with a solemn nod.

Falion took a deep breath, spread his hands, and began; "I call upon the Outer Realms; home of the Daedric Princes. Hear my prayer and respond!"

The dawn air, once full of frog song and the sleepy twitter of birds, abruptly went silent. This was not the silence of a stalking predator, or the silence of fear where my heartbeat was the loudest thing in the world. Instead, it was a… waiting silence… a listening silence. It was the silence of the world, waiting to see what earth-altering magic Falion was going to call forth.

"In death, there is new life, and in Oblivion there is a beginning for that which has ended. As the cycle turns, the power shifts!" Falion's voice never wavered, but I felt a… tension around the Redguard mage that made me turn to him in concern.

The air around us began to haze even more than the usual perpetual mist did. My skin began to itch and goosebumps chased after waves of energy that soon rolled over my skin. Serana and the summoning circle came into sharp focus, even as the grass around us blurred into a mass of green and brown. The energy stopped rolling across my skin and instead flowed toward my girlfriend like a current in a river. It spilled over me, past me, and then swirled around her. Serana seemed to stagger, but did not fall.

This was a different magic casting than any I'd ever seen. From what I had seen and experienced, magic didn't need words; it relied on the mage's will, concentration, and gestures to be used and directed. This felt more like... a mixture of prayer and outright commanding the world be altered to suit his needs. From the way the world was reacting, this couldn't possibly be easier than the -admittedly limited- ways I was used to seeing and using magic.

Falion held out the black soul gem, "In payment, a soul for a soul!"

There was a ripple in the air, and the black gem disintegrated into fine dust. I got the very cold feeling that Arondil's soul had just found itself in Molag's realm.

Falion's voice rose in his final command; "Let the sun banish the night, and return life to the one bound to death!"

The figure of Serana blurred for a moment, and I could vaguely see her hand come up to cover her eyes before the world snapped back into focus. The energy dissipated between one blink and the next, and Serana straightened, slowly dropping her hand from her face. Her head was bowed slightly and she seemed to be taking stock.

"The ritual is complete. You are human once more, my dear," Falion lowered his hands and gave her a small bow. "Now, if you two will excuse me, I would like to return to my home and… get some rest."

I shot him a look and saw sweat beaded on his forehead; the spell had clearly taken it out of him.

"Hey, Falion… Thank you," I smiled warmly at him.

He gave me a weary smile in return, bowed slightly to both of us once more, and turned back toward town.

I stepped up onto the stone summoning circle, "Hey. How're you doing?"

Serana paused, then lifted her head to look at me. Her glowing amber irises were gone: replaced by very human, clear blue eyes. She ran her tongue over her teeth, then grinned at me; there was no sign of her fangs. "I'm human! The thirst is gone!"

I gave her a warm smile, "How do you feel?"

Serana closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath, "I feel like I can breathe again for the first time since I was turned."