Rejoining with Serana, we discussed our day over dinner in a quiet nook in the Winking Skeever. Our time in the city passed peacefully that week. The gold and emerald ring was enchanted, and the faint pale blue glow swirled gently over the surface. Serana sent it off, along with a letter for Falion, in the hands of a reputable courier. Fihada's arrows were completed a day later, and each arrow was a masterwork; well worth the coin spent.

We returned to the Radiant Raiment frequently for fittings. It quickly became clear we would need a chest for Serana's clothes and a carriage to take them with us. Which, of course, brought up a whole other conundrum for us; what were we going to do with it all?

Serana and I discussed places where we could make a home. We hadn't stopped to discuss the result of this shopping spree, and we were on the opposite end of Skyrim from Fort Dawnguard. Serana was reluctantly willing to continue her association with the Dawnguard. But even now as a human, she didn't have much in the way of an attachment to the militaristic stone fortress or the standoffish people within.

I had to admit, while the Dawnguard was a good place to dispatch teams from, it wasn't exactly a home by any sense of the word for either of us. Buying a home, or land on which to build a home, required permission from the Jarl of the hold.

So far, my greatest impact had been in Morthal. As much as Jarl Idgrod respected me and I respected her, living in a dusky swamp where I couldn't see the sun and where everything was damp and prone to mildew was not my idea of a homestead.

Our musings were answered one day when a courier arrived in the city with a letter.

.

Lasirah, Warden of Dawn,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Siddgeir, and I have the honor of being the Jarl of the proud and ancient city of Falkreath.

The fame of your exploits across Skyrim has brought you to my attention. If you are interested in becoming a Thane of Falkreath Hold, I invite you to speak to me the next time you are in the area. Aside from the honor that accrues to the title, my thanes are entitled to a personal housecarl. I also can tell you privately that a choice parcel of land in Falkreath would be available for your purchase should your services prove useful to me.

I look forward to meeting you in person.

I remain,

Jarl Siddgeir of Falkreath

.

One glance between us and we decided to prepare for travel. I sent a letter to Isran, explaining our intent to settle in Falkreath and inviting the Dawnguard to visit should they ever come to pass by our way.

Months passed. We took some time to establish ourselves in Falkreath. We helped Jarl Siddgeir deal with bandits, and helped the people of his town prepare for the approaching winter. For a few days' worth of help with the harvest, we came away with starters for our garden. We were soon able to buy a piece of property outside the town and a little off the main road. With the two of us working together with Rayya, our new housecarl, we soon had the place livable. We would be able to pass the winter in comfort, with planning for expansions to happen next spring.

The place was slightly isolated, but as construction progressed, guards soon made our home part of their regular patrols. They seemed to come a bit more frequently when Serana took to maintaining an apiary and brewing mead in a small, private capacity. Guards found reason to come for a mead and a friendly word, and we soon cleared the area of a necromancer and a pack of aggressive wolves.

As domestic life settled around us, I found my thoughts returning to the amulet that lay wrapped in cloth in my own clothes chest.

It was the evening of the first snowfall of winter when I gathered up my courage. As I came out of the bedroom, I found Serana sitting with an open book in her lap, murmuring The Ten Commands of the Nine Divines.

"Mara says: Live soberly and peacefully. Honor your parents, and preserve the peace and security of home and family." Serana's voice hitched on the words 'parents' and 'family.'"

I winced, then murmured back, "Dibella says: Open your heart to the noble secrets of art and love. Treasure the gifts of friendship. Seek joy and inspiration in the mysteries of love."

She jumped and looked up at me with a small rueful smile, "The two were opposites for us."

"Perhaps in the past," I agreed softly, settling down next to her. "The Argonians say 'the old skins of yesterday are shed to make room for the new skins of today.'"

Serana tilted her head thoughtfully, "Interesting." Her eyes settled upon the amulet around my neck and her eyes widened. "I think I see where this is going. Is that why you're wearing an amulet of Mara?"

"I was hoping you might want to talk about it," I agreed.

Serana started to flutter her hands over the book, then forced herself to stop the nervous gesture. "Look, you're great, really, and I care about you. A lot. And I'll come with you wherever you want to go. But I just don't think that's for me. I mean… with my history… with everything in my past... I still get a kind of chill walking by a temple. I can't even imagine going into one, much less being able to bring myself to actually ask for that kind of blessing." She looked sad and a little wistful as she spoke.

I nodded, "I understand. If I'd been through what you had, I wouldn't want to enter another temple as long as I lived either. But if you really would like to share your life with me, I think we can bypass the temple. I've heard that there is a woman in Riften who holds ceremonies for people who want things more private."

I cupped her face in my hands, so that it was a tender gesture that wouldn't spark her fears. "I want you, I want us… I want a family. A good one. Tradition isn't as important as the meaning behind whatever words we say."

I hoped that my question would sound as calm and soft as it sounded in my head. I needed to know if she felt the same. "I know you care about me, but I need to know: as a friend, or as something more?"

Serana hesitated, and for a moment, I saw that old fear stir behind her eyes. Then she blinked and it was replaced by something that made my heart stutter. Serana leaned forward, until her words were but a whisper in my ear.

"Both."

A heartbeat later, I had her in my arms, pressing soft kisses along her skin. Serana buried her face between my neck and shoulder, soft sounds of pleasure drifting up to me on occasion. The fingers of her left hand laced with mine and seemed to hold on for dear life. It was sometime later when we came up for air, a bit disheveled.

"Do you… do you think we could set up something for our guests if we hold it outside of the city? What would we even do for a ceremony outside the temple of Mara?" Serana asked when we had caught our breaths again.

"I think we can hire some porters to bring seats and tables for the guests to a clearing in the near forest. I don't know how they do it in Skyrim, but in my village, everyone celebrated with kegs of rum and feasting." I winced, thinking back to the loss of my village due to an over-exuberance for the rum. "Well, maybe not quite so much rum.. but I bet Talen-Jei and Keerava could have time to get a decent spread of food for us after the ceremony."

As the night grew long, we murmured questions and plans and ideas to one another, smiles and soft laughter whisking away the sad shadows of Serana's past.

The next day the planning began in earnest. Invitations had to be made and sent as soon as the date was set. Although Riften's climate was much more mild during winter than the rest of Skyrim, Serana's mother was invited. She would have to travel through parts of Skyrim where things got very harsh indeed. We chose a date in Second Seed, the fifth month of the year, when the rains were tapering off but everything was still lush and green.

We met with the Priestess Arie at the Bee and Barb after discussing the feast with Keerava, the Argonian woman who ran the inn. She was delighted to go over our requirements and the spot we had chosen, overlooking the lake among the trees just a short jaunt past the gates of the city. This would keep us close enough for partygoers to return to the safety of the city without the risks of getting lost or fouled by something wild.

Serana, in particular, had been adamant about celebrating in the forest. She planned to visit Kynareth's shrine in Whiterun before the wedding to offer a tribute and get the goddess's blessing. The flower that had been put in her hair back in Eldergleam Sanctuary had long since returned to nature. However, Kynerath's welcome of Serana into her new path of worship was now as much a part of her life as Stendarr and Meridia were in mine. Getting married under Kynerath's influence felt like a very good omen to me.