Sorry I'm late. It's just this last days I started play Metal Gear Solid V for the first time and... acquired a addiction.

Vardall always loved both the crackle and the gentle heat of fire. It reminded him of his days traveling through all of Ferelden in order to stop the Blight. He loved to just sit in front of the fire in the camp while he was patrolling and just have a quiet moment to himself, without having the weight of the world in his shoulders and not worrying about what the tomorrow would bring. Some nights Leliana would join him, both telling stories to and enjoying each other's company. It was in those moments where Vardall finally realized he was not alone in the world, because Leliana would always be with him.

How naive he was...

Here he was, far from his home on another land, having to deal with another major threat that can destroy the world, sitting over a campfire in another camp, with new people and without Leliana.

Vardall sighs and stokes the fire with a stick. He and his friends were now taking Serana, the vampire they'd met at the Dimhollow Crypt, to her home. They traveled for a few days and were now camped at a place near Solitude. Vardall remained awake to watch the camp while his friends slept. His nightmares still were something very random and unpredictable. Some nights, he was able to sleep like a baby, without any type of problem. Other nights, however... It looked like they were haunting him even while he was awake.

Today was one of those nights.

Suddenly, Vardall hears a noise on his side. Normally he would promptly react to such a thing, but he could see from his eye corner that it was just Serana getting up from her sleeping bag.

He laughs a dry laugh at the same time he looks at her, with a little smile on his face. "I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to sleep."

"I already slept for centuries. I'm done with that." Serana also sits near the fire. The flames make her eyes look even more beautiful, as well giving a more alive tone to her pale skin. Vardall liked that a lot.

"Good point." Vardal told her. Once again, the silence was upon them. During these days of travelling, Vardall and the rest of his group tried to talk with Serana, to get some information or only to know her a little better. But until now, she was showing herself to be very silent and reserved. She had her reasons of course, as Vardall and his friends still were total strangers to her and Vardall introduced himself as a member of a vampire hunters organization. The very little Vardall managed to learn from Serana was that she didn't have a very good relation with her father, another vampire called Lord Harkon.

Even not trusting him totally, Serana finds Vardall really intriguing. He was part of a vampire hunters group, but instead of killing her, he decided to help her. He was also a Dragonborn, a being that already was legendary even before Serana became a vampire. And joining that with his really good appearance, magic skills and mainly his blood, which had a very exotic and different smell.

Talking about Vardall's blood, Serana finally decides to talk. "Being honest... Your blood is not what I expected."

Vardall lifts one eyebrow. "How so?"

"Only from its smell, I can tell if someone's blood will taste good or not, so that way I can always focus on drinking the best blood." She talked. "You're a Dragonborn. You have dragon blood running through your veins. I expected blood such as that to have a very good smell, and indeed it has, in parts." Serana had refined senses, even more than other vampires. She told Vardall she was able to sense and smell his blood even before he opened the sarcophagus she was trapped inside.

"Your blood has a mixed smell. Part of it has a pretty good smell, while the other..." Serana was trying to find a word to describe it. "The other part of your blood smells like something... rotten and... poisonous, so to speak."

Vardall wasn't surprised with that as he knew exactly the reason for that. "Because it is."

That caught Serana's attention even more. Vardall continued. "Dragon blood isn't the only blood I have in my veins. I also have a... different type of blood."

Now Serana was truly curious. "What type of blood?"

Vardall decides to tell Serana a little about his tainted darkspawn blood, but without too many details. "It's called tainted blood, and it's really, really bad."

Serana lifts one of her eyebrows "Tainted blood?"

"It's a very long and complicated story. And believe me, this blood is... horrible. It corrupts everything that touches and because of it, I only have more 30 years to live, if I'm lucky." Vardall sighs. "Tainted blood is a death sentence, even for those like me who were able to survive it. When the time comes, I will not be able to resist any longer. My body and mind will start to rot, until I become just a husk of who I was." The Grey Wardens were truly necessary to fight the Darkspawn, kill the Archdemon and stop the Blights. Without them, Thedas would already have perished. But that doesn't mean it was easy.

Serana now had some mixed feelings between confusion and even fear. She had never heard of such blood before. "Why do you have such a terrible thing inside you?" Serana asks.

"It was necessary." Vardall dodges his gaze from Serana, looking back to the fire. "If I haven't done that, I..."

"What?" Serana eagerly awaited an answer, but Vardall didn't deliver what she wanted. "...I do not want to talk about it, if you don't mind." He simply says. "It's something, like other things, I wish to forget." The death sentence... The nightmares... Becoming a Grey Warden was not a great honor as many thought, it was a sacrifice. A sacrifice Vardall never wanted to pay, but he had no choice.

Silence was upon them once again. Vardall didn't expect Serana to understand what he went through. "...Okay." But her next words surprised him.

Vardall looked back to her, confused. "What?"

"It's okay. You don't want to talk about it, so I will not ask more."

Vardall finds that truly confusing and strange. Normally with such a thing, people would cover him with questions and more questions. Serana noticed Vardall's confusion. "Look, Vardall... You're not the only one here with a complicated past." Suddenly Serana crosses her arms around her body, almost like... a defensive posture. "I... also have bad memories of my own..."

By her body language and expressions, Vardall could see that whatever happened to Serana, it was serious. "And I would not like to make you remember them with pointless questions."

Serana looks to Vardall and surprisingly smiles, the first honest smile he sees on her. "That's... kind of you."

This makes Vardall's heart beat a little faster and he smiles back. Even though he didn't want to remember his past, Vardall couldn't deny that talking a little about it gave him a kind of… relief. Maybe one day he could be more open with his new friends about him and his past.

But today was not that day.

# # # # # # # #

The next morning came really quickly while the group continued their travel, deciding to leave before the sunrise. Even not being severely affected by the sun, Serana still had some problems with it, as it irritated her skin. The more clean landscapes of Haafingar were replaced by yet more snowy places as the group traveled for a few more hours until their destination. They all arrived in a small dock with only one single boat, and in front but still far from them, an island with a gigantic castle.

"This is the place." Serana tells. "We used to use this boat to reach my home."

"That big castle there is your home?" Sofia asks. "It's truly impressive."

"Yes. Castle Volkihar" Serana answers. "Come on, let's go."

Vardall nods. "Okay. All of you wait here, this boat isn't big enough for all of us." Vardall ordered his group and followed Serana until the boat, only to be stopped by a hand on his arm. He looks back and sees that Lydia was the one who held him.

Lydia opens her mouth to talk, but Vardall quickly raises his hand as a signal for her to don't talk. "Let me guess... You're gonna tell me this is reckless and dangerous."

Lydia opened her mouth to try to talk, but the words were stuck in her throat. Vardall said exactly what she would say. Vardall giggles with her expression. "Look, not just you, Lydia, but all of you: I will be fine. I can totally deal with a big group of vampires. I already killed worse and more dangerous creatures."

Lydia sighs as he and the rest of them know they're not able to convince Vardall of the contrary. "Just... Be carefull, okay?"

He smiles. "Don't worry. But if I die, Inigo will be the new leader of the group."

"It would be a pleasure, my friend." Both Inigo and Vardall giggled, as Vardall was only joking and Inigo knew that. Lydia sighs again.

Leaving his friends back and pet Bran once again, Vardall boards the boat with Serana and proceeds to the island.

"This is not going to end well..." Lydia was worried about Vardall going alone in a place like that.

"Remember what Vardall is capable of. He'll be okay." Arissa tells Lydia, but that wasn't enough for her to relax.

# # # # # # # #

After a few minutes, the boat arrived at another dock and both Vardall and Serana were now looking at the gigantic castle upon them. It looked even bigger than before.

"So this is your home?" Vardall looks to Serana, questioning her.

Serana nods. "Yes. Home sweet... castle."

"Big place." Vardall had already seen his share of palaces and castles back on Thedas, but this one here was one of the biggest and certainly the most imposing. "Yes, it is. It looks even bigger than the last time I saw it, several centuries ago."

They both proceed to the castle by a stone bridge. The bridge was full of gargoyle statues. Vardall knew some of them were real gargoyles, because he had the feeling of being watched.

"Hey, so... before we go in there..." Vardall was caught by surprise with Serana's sudden words. He looked at her, she looked a little uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" Vardall asks, truly worried. Serana quickly nods in confirmation. "I am, thanks for asking." He could swear he saw the minor glimpse of a smile on her face, but even if that truly happened, her expression quickly returned to her usual neutral expression. "Look, thanks for bringing me here, but after this I will like to follow my own way for a while, I think...'' Was it Vardall's impression or Serana sounded in doubt? Anyway, she continued to talk right after. "I know your friends would love to kill everyone in this place, so I expect you to show more control."

"Don't worry, I'll do nothing." Vardall told her and Serana nods. "Once we're inside, just... stay quiet and let me lead." She returned to walk. Vardall sighs as he returns to follow her after a few seconds. His feelings were a complete mess these last days, all because of Serana. As still didn't know what to do, and this wasn't a place to lose his focus, he decided to put that aside for now.

Arriving near the castle gate, Vardall and Serana were received by a man, probably a vampire. The man widened his eyes as soon as he saw Serana. "Lady Serana? It's you?"

"Yes, it's me." Serana answers. The man then focuses on Vardall. "And who is this man? He's no vampire."

Vardall concentrated very big amounts of mana on his hands, ready to cast spells and attack at any signal of danger. He trusted Serana, but he was entering a place full of vampires, he would not let his guard down now. "He's with me. Open the gate."

Vardall noticed the vampire didn't like that very much, but he wasn't going to disobey Serana's order, so he opened the gate.

"Lord Harkon is a good man. Make sure you pay him the respect he deserves." The vampire told Vardall, who just ignored him and entered the castle with Serana. As soon as he was inside Castle Volkihar, Vardall was received by the presence of an Altmer vampire, almost as tall as Vardall.

"How dare you to trespass here! Who..." The vampire asked in an aggressive tone to Vardall, but before he could do something, the vampire recognised Serana. "Serana? It's really you? I cannot believe my eyes..."

"Vingalmo." Serana answered in a cold way. The deadly gaze she was giving to Vingalmo scared Vardall a little.

"Hmm... I'm feeling a history." Vardall murmurs, but it was high enough for Serana to hear, and the deadly and scary gaze she had was moved to Vardall, who widened his eyes and felt like his blood froze.

Vingalmo seemed to ignore that and moved until a door that was behind him. "My Lord! Everyone! Serana has returned!"

Vingalmo's words made Serana stop looking to Vardall, which he internally appreciated, as it seemed he was only now allowed to breathe.

"Looks like I'm expected." Serana moved forward and Vardall followed her. Once they both warn down some stairs, the scenario Vardall saw was horrible. He sees many and many vampires, all set down in tables. Upon those tables had many things, such as blood inside glasses, served as wine, human organs and even entire human bodies being consumed by the vampires. Besides all those vampires, also had several of those black dogs that Vardall faced before, that Serana told him were called Death Hounds.

Many of the vampires started to whisper, surprised with Serana's sudden return and the Elder Scroll she was carrying. Others however, focused their attention on Vardall, probably also smelling his different blood.

At the center of all, it was another table, and next to it was a throne, and sitting on the throne was a man that Vardall supposed to be Lord Harkon, Serana's father.

"Ah, my long lost daughter, returns at last..." Harkon's words confirmed Vardall's suspicions. Lord Harkon was a nord, and just like Vardall, his hair was also black and long enough to reach his neck. But different from Vardall, who has a full beard, Harkon has only a goatee. And just like all vampires, Harkon also had vampiric eyes, much more similar to Serana's eyes than the regular eyes of other vampires. "...I trust you have my Elder Scroll?"

Serana crossed her arms, clearly a little upset with her father's question. "After all these years, that's the first thing you ask? Yes, I have the scroll."

"Of course I'm delighted to see you, my daughter." Harkon assumed a more defensive posture while talking, but Vardall could see he was just pretending. "Must I really say the words aloud?" Harkon then puts his hand upon his chin. "Ah, if only your traitor mother were here... I would allow her to watch this reunion before putting her head on a spike."

("What a family...") Vardall thought internally, without vocalizing his sarcasm. Harkon then finally turned his attention to Vardall. "Now, tell me... Who's this stranger you have brought to our hall?" Vardall still kept his expression as neutral as possible, remembering some of the teachings the Greybeards taught him.

"This is my savior, the one who freed me." Serana told her father.

"For my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude." Harkon once again put his hand under his chin. "Now, tell me... what's your name?"

Vardall answered without fear. "My name is Vardall, and you must be Lord Harkon."

"Yes, I am the Lord of this court. By now, my daughter already told you who we are..." Harkon looked directly into Vardall's eyes, probably searching for any sign of fear or something similar, which Vardall didn't give him the pleasure of.

"You're vampires." Then he looks at one of the human bodies lying upon one table and being consumed by other vampires. "But I think I could also tell some secret cannibal cult that I would be right."

Harkon ignored Vardall's joke. "Not just vampires, we're among the oldest and most powerful vampires of Skyrim."

Now Vardall felt some fear. He was not surrounded by just some regular vampires. Harkon continued to talk. "For centuries we lived here, far from the cares of the world. All that ended when my wife betrayed me and stole away that which I valued most."

Betrayed by his wife... Vardall knew the feeling very well. "Your wife stole Serana?" Vardall lifted one of his eyebrows as he asked.

"Yes, but not just her." Before Vardall could hear more, Harkon changed the subject. "You have done me a great service, and now you must be rewarded."

"Rewarded?" Vardall crosses his arms, curious.

"There is but one gift I can give that is equal in value to the Elder Scroll and my daughter. I offer you my blood. Take it, and you will walk as a lion among sheep. Men will tremble at your approach, and you will never fear death again."

"You're offering me to be turned into a vampire?"

Harkon smiles a little. "Not just any vampire. Perhaps you still need convincing? I not only offer you power, but also more." He says. "The moment you walked inside my court, I could sense your blood was not normal. It's full of filth and sickness that is consuming you slowly." Vardall already predicted that. But of course he felt his tainted blood, it's very likely every vampire here felt it.

"Yes. My blood isn't normal and it will kill me in time. But why does that matter?"

"Because... I can cure you."

Vardall widened his eyes as never before as he looked, non-believer to Harkon, his words hitting him with unbelievable strength. Cure him? Harkon could cure him from his Grey Warden blood? Free him from a certain and painful death to the taint? Vardall became speechless for several seconds, still non-believer. "But... how? How can you cure me?"

"It's simple. The power of my blood will purge that filth and make you whole again." But of course that wasn't simple. To see himself free from one cursed blood, Vardall would need to replace it by yet another cursed blood. He carefully analyzed his options, considering that: if he accepted Harkon's gift he would earn even more power and would see himself free from the burden that comes with becoming a Grey Warden. But… becoming a vampire didn't sound very good to him. Eternal life and an always present hunger for blood? He didn't like the idea. Besides, what would his friends think if he was a vampire? Not just his friends, but all of Tamriel, as he already knew the bad reputation of blood-sucking monsters that vampires had, a very deserved reputation. It would basically be the same if, on Thedas, he was a blood mage.

Taking all this in consideration, Vardall has made his choice.

"No. I refuse your gift." Vardall was chosen. "I already have too much innocent blood on my hands, and I don't wish to let that number grow." Serana seemed surprised with Vardall's last words. He didn't look like someone who would kill innocents just for nothing. Harkon however, was disappointed and even angry.

"So be it!" Suddenly, Harkon's body is surrounded by a sort of black smoke and Vardall can see it was suffering some sort of change.

The smoke then fades away and Vardall finally can see what Harkon had become. He had turned himself into a tall and grey humanoid creature, with sharp claws and bat-like wings. On the top of his head he also had something that looked like a crown. He then starts to float and casts a spell in one of his hands.

"You are prey, like all mortals! I will spare your life this time, but I banish you from this castle!" Before Vardall is able to do something, Harkon uses his spell on him. Vardall suddenly feels him be covered by a very bright light, so bright that he needs to close his eyes. It needed several seconds for Vardall to get used to Skyrim's normal light when he opened his eyes again.

He was now outside Castle Volkihar, totally confused. How did he get here? Harkon's spell probably was a teleportation spell, but that didn't matter. He feels bad for letting Serana in a place like this, but it was her choice. Quickly returning to the boat he and Serana used to get here, Vardall crosses the sea again. He needed to reunite with friends and tell Isran about those vampires as soon as possible.

Since the blood of Harkon cures your character if he's a werewolf, I thought the same could be applied to the tainted blood. It wasn't with Harkon, but Vardall still will be cured from the taint, and the Nerevarine will be a key element for that to happen.