Cliche chapter name, I know, but I couldn't think on any better. If I think on a better name, I updade this chapter and change it.

And believe it or not, but this chapter was going to be even bigger than already is. I had to cut some things and save them for the next one.

"...Relax your shoulders, but not too much. Hold it steady and close one of your eyes to help you better aim."

One of Dawnguard's many newest recruits, a Dunmer, had her hands shaking a bit, doing her best to aim with a crossbow, something she had never done before. At her side, the Orc and Dawnguard ranger Durak was instructing her, teaching her the basics.

The recruit deeply breathes and does her best to aim. Closing one eye, she shoots when she's certain the aim was above the helm she was using as a target. But unfortunately, her calculations were wrong and she ended up hitting the crate in which the helm was in.

"Damnit!" She yells, partially angry with herself.

"Don't be so harsh on yourself. You're still learning." Durak advises. "But remember: Only shoot when you're certain you'll hit your target. It doesn't matter if you'll only shoot once. The most important thing here is control and to make every shot count. Take this tip with you for life. Now try again."

Now walking towards another recruit who was training with an axe on a dummy, Durak watches as the Redguard swings the axe bluntly.

"Stop, that's not right! Swing an axe like that and all you'll get is hurting yourself. A more proper weapon for you would be a mace." The Orc warns the Redguard.

Training many recruits at the same time wasn't something strange to Durak. He did that a lot in the Orc stronghold he lived in, before joining the Dawnguard. It was one of the many things that made him one of Dawnguard's finest instructors.

"Here. Try it now." Delivering a mace to the Redguard recruit, Durak crosses his arms and watches the man hitting the dummy in a much better way than with the axe. However, out of nowhere, a strong blue light appears in the middle of the training ground, calling the attention of everyone there, not just Durak and the recruits.

Many Dawnguard members were with their weapons steady - Durak included. However, he lowered his axes a little and frowned in confusion when the light fades away to reveal the Dragonborn and his companions.

"Ugh... My head..." A heavy breathing and dizzy Vardall stood there hunched over with hands on his knees. Besides the dizziness, the Warden also was having an unnatural urge to vomit, but he was able to control himself on that matter.

"Divines..."

Looking back at the others, Vardall finds them all in the same situation, sick, dizzy, and almost puking. The only one who still was perfectly fine was the Nerevarine.

"Vardall... Let us not do that again, okay? Whatever that was..." Arissa says.

Lucien even had to kneel, given how much affected he was. "If that's how teleportation feels, I'm glad it's a rare skill among mages."

"Yeah... There's not even many among the Dominion who know such spell." Farlenya's comments made Lucien stare at her for a few seconds. He still wasn't used to having a Thalmor with them. But at least he had a feeling that was going to be something temporary.

Being the only one there who was perfectly fine, Nerevar made question to pass by each of his friends and aid them with his spells, or healing potions, in Serana's case.

"It is normal to feel sick after the first teleportation. Your bodies will eventually get used to it."

"How's that you're so well?" Lydia questions the Protector of Morrowind, at least already feeling a little better.

"One of my allies among the Mages Guild in Morrowind was quite the master of teleportation spells. He helped me a lot during my journey." The Dunmer explains. "I also felt sick on my first times, believe me."

Feeling a little better already, Vardall finally notices the quite amount of Dawnguard members watching him and the others, as well as Durak approaching him.

"You are a weird man, Dragonborn - but that's why you're useful. If you're here, can I trust you have the remaining Scrolls?"

The Grey Warden says nothing and just points to the Elder Scroll at his back. Durak sighs.

"Report back to Isran right away. But don't raise your hopes high, we had a little problem while you were away." Vardall doesn't have the chance to ask the Orc, as he turns and shouts to all recruits to resume training, with him following them.

Raising his eyebrows, the Dragonborn wonders what problem Durak was talking about. Turning to his friends and seeing they're all better, he says nothing and just signals with his head for them to follow him, to which they consent. On their way, Farlenya takes this time to look around the fortress of the vampire hunters, surprised by their somewhat good logistics and organization. Nothing close to the Dominion, though.

Upon entering the fort, Vardall made his way to where Isran used to stay while being followed by the others. On the way, however, a familiar and quite loud noise calls his attention, together with a shout across the place.

"Hey! Come back here!"

Looking around, Vardall barely has time to process things when a white mass hits his legs. Looking down to see what it was, the Grey Warden finally spots none other than the baby Gryphon he and Nerevar saved, looking up at the Dragonborn with those cute eyes of his while trying to climb Vardall's legs.

The Grey Warden opens a great smile. "Hey, it's you!"

Kneeling and petting the gryphon a little, Vardall notices how energetic he was, moving around no-stop. The Warden then grabs him with both hands and raises from the ground, smiling all the time.

"How's you, huh? Is your wing better?"

Behind Vardall, his group watched that scene. And upon seeing that, Farlenya opens her eyes wide and lets her jaw drop a little bit. "A gryphon?!"

Meanwhile, a little far from the group, Gunmar turned a corner, breathing quite heavily from chasing the white griffin all over the fort. Looking around for the animal at the fort's main area, he finally spots Vardall holding the said one.

"Vardall. I should have known." The Nord approaches the Dragonborn.

"Thanks for looking after this little fella, Gunmar." The Grey Warden smiles. "I hope he didn't give you much trouble."

The Nords place his hands at his hip, still breathing quite hard. "Trouble? All this brought to me was trouble! The number of sleepless nights just taking care of this guy... But I guess he was just missing you, his savior."

The Dragonborn chuckles. "Sorry for that."

"Now that you're here, you can keep it. At least it will make my life easier."

"He already has a name?" Vardall questions.

"No." Gunmar answers. "From my actual tasks and taking care of him, a name never crossed my mind. You can do that yourself."

"Hmm..." Still holding the gryphon in his hands, Vardall turns him around a bit, analyzing him while quite the possibilities of names cross his mind.

But while looking at the gryphon's wings, is where a name stands out.

"It is pretty uncreative, but what about Greywing? I mean, the grey patterns on his wing were one of the first things I noticed about this little guy."

Gunmar raises his eyebrows, thinking for a second. "It's good enough, I suppose."

Vardall's smile opens even more. "Then Greywing it is!"

The now-named Gryphon seemed to like his new name, with him making some cute sounds. The grey patterns on the gryphon's wings weren't the only things that inspired Vardall to name him like that. The fact that one of the gryphon's wings was broken when Vardall and Nerevar found him - and the history of the Grey Wardens with their gryphons helped out a bit.

"Well... I need to get back to work. He's your problem now." And with that said, Gunmar walks away, returning to his duties at Fort Dawnguard.

Meanwhile, Farlenya kept watching Vardall and the gryphon with a strange look. Looking at her, Lucien could swear the Thalmor was... emotional? She looked somewhat sad as if the vision of the gryphon reminded her of something.

Vardall keeps smiling while he holds Greywing in his hands. But when he is turning to face his friends, the erratic nature of the gryphon comes to light. Shaking himself no-stop, Greywing manages to set himself free from Vardall's hold, using his forearm as a base and jumping to the Dragonborn's chest, clinging to Vardall's Grey Warden armor with his claws.

"H-hey!"

The gryphon then, not satisfied, starts to walk around Vardall's entire body, always using his claws to support himself. The Dragonborn was certain he would get quite injured by Greywing's claws if wasn't wearing his Grey Warden armor.

"Now... come back here, you...!" Vardall tries his best to catch Greywing but without success. The winged creature keeps walking all over his body, dogging from his hands always when Vardall approaches them. Not even the Elder Scroll on Vardall's back was spared from being used as a bird perch.

But things get worse when Greywing climbs at Vardall's left shoulder and, to the Dragonborn's despair, starts to peck his head and even tries to eat his hair.

'Ow! Let it go! LET IT GO!"

This entire situation was enough for the Dragonborn's friends to handle. From Inigo to Nerevar, none of them was able to hold back their laughs. Even the Dawnguard members who were nearby and Farlenya herself weren't able to resist and at least chuckle a little with such a scene in front of them.

Finally taking the little gryphon into his hands, Vardall stares at him with quite an unfriendly expression. He can feel the blood dripping from the wound Greywing created on his head with his beak, just showing that besides his cute appearance, the gryphon was a creature to not be messed with.

"Are you done?! You're satisfied?!" Vardall's voice had a little tone of anger.

Greywing simply chirps at Vardall's words, not seeming to know or care what he caused.

The Dragonborn grunts. "If you're not going to behave, you'll force me to take extreme measures!"

Vardall knew Greywing wasn't going to obey him. Even saving the gryphon's life, the Dragonborn still had to properly train and educate the animal. He couldn't spare the time now, but luckily he had an alternative for the time.

Still holding Greywing in front of him, Vardall shouts - doing his best to not possibly hurt him: "Kaan!"

Upon being hit and affected by Vardall's shout, Greywing finally seems to relax. His expression smoothes a little and he seems to be less agitated than before.

"There we go... Better, right?" Quickly holding the gryphon with one hand, Vardall casts a spell to heal the little wound on his head. He then moves to gently pet Greywing, slightly smiling, even with the circumstances.

'Being honest, you're too cute for me to get that mad at you.'

Now with things calm, Vardall thinks for a moment. Looking at his left shoulder, and then back at Greywing, the Grey Warden has an idea.

"Alright... Here's a deal: If you promise to behave, I'll let you stay on my shoulder."

Reacting for the first time to Vardall's words, Greywing starts to get excited by the Warden's proposal, whistling with joy as he tries to move.

"But as I said, behave!"

Moving and placing the winged animal upon his left shoulder, Vardall carefully watches if Greywing would try to do some of his mischiefs again, which didn't seem to be the case. Greywing quickly finds the spot and perfectly stands at Vardall's shoulder, deeply looking inside Vardall's eyes, while the Warden does the same. It is also now that Vardall finally starts laughing at this entire situation.

"Now I get it why Gunmar wanted to get rid of him as fast as he co-"

"What's all this mess about?!"

Everyone there, no exceptions, turned to stare at Isran, who had just entered the place. The stoic Redguard had a very unpleasant expression on his face and rage burning deep inside his eyes. Silence ruled over everyone, as it looked like the slightest sound anyone dared to make would bring severe consequences. Even Greywing was afraid of Isran, with the baby Gryphon trying to hide behind Vardall. And Farlenya had felt like it was First Emissary Elenwen herself who had entered the room.

Eventually, Isran's gaze stops at Vardall and the others.

"So Gunmar finally managed to deliver that beast, eh? Never again bring something like that animal again!" The Redguard stares directly into the Dragonborn's eyes. "But enough talk! We already lost too much time and have bigger problems now. Follow me, all of you."

So Isran turns and starts walking towards a section of the fort. Finally, everyone there felt like they could breathe again.

Without saying a word, Vardall turns to face his friends and Farlenya. He moves his head toward the direction Isran went, without saying a word. Everyone understood the obvious signal and followed Vardall when he started walking in the same place Isran went. They all walked through the fort's interior, until some private quarters. Once inside, they spotted Isran with his arms crossed, and the Moth Priest Dexion sitting on a desk.

"Dexion?" Lucien Flavius asks as soon as he sees his father's friend. "Is everything alright?"

Finally realizing Lucien and his group were there, Dexion turned his head to where he heard Lucien's voice and smiled. "Hello again, young Lucien! I trust your journey was successful?"

Staring at the Moth Priest, it didn't take long until everyone noticed something wasn't right.

"Yeah... We found all the other Scrolls." Lucien had a bit of apprehension in his voice. "Why... you're wearing a blindfold? Are you-"

"Blind?" The Moth Priest lets out a long sigh. "Yes. I'm afraid so."

Now it was time for Vardall to start making questions: "How did this happen?"

Dexion opened his mouth to answer, but as soon as he did that, the Nerevarine spoke for him: "You neglected the careful preparations, am I right?"

Dexion sighs again and nods. "I was so excited to read the scroll, to help you all, that yes, I neglected the necessary preparations. I thought I'd be able to allay the after-effects, but I was wrong. Now I'm paying for it."

"There's anything we can do to aid you?" Vardall asks. "We could try-"

"No. It'll have to run its course, and there's always the chance I may never recover." The Moth Priest's expression was now taken by sadness.

"There must be another way!" Serana closes her hands into fists. "We can't just give up and sit while my father finds Auriel's Bow!"

"There's another way." Dexion says as he turns to face Vardall and the others. "The question is, how much are any of you willing to risk to find Auriel's Bow?"

Vardall's group looked at each other, understanding that what the Moth Priest was about to say was serious and very dangerous.

"What do we need to do?" Vardall asks.

"Scattered across Tamriel are secluded locations known only as Ancestor Glades." Dexion explains. "There's one in Skyrim. Performing the Ritual of the Ancestor Moth within the glade should provide the answers you seek."

Now it looked like a light had gone on in Lucien's mind. "The ritual... of course! How I haven't remembered that?!"

Now Vardall was curious: "Explain this 'ritual'."

"One needs to carefully remove a bark from a Canticle Tree with a specific tool called Draw Knife. Once you have the bark, it will attract the Ancestor Moths to you. Once enough of the moths are following, they'll provide you with the second sight needed to decipher the scrolls." Lucien explains it while everyone listens carefully.

"How do you know that?" Arissa raises one eyebrow.

"I studied for some time with the Moth Priests back at Cyrodiil. They're kind enough to explain each detail of this ritual, even though I am not one of them. But I guess my father's influence helped a bit..." The Imperial explains.

"And I have a Draw Knife right here with me." Dexion searches inside the backpack he always carried, touching everything inside until he finds what he seeks. Taking the knife, he delivers it to Vardall. "From what I saw in the vision, the Elder Scroll which foreshadows the defiance of the gods with the blood of mortals is the key to the prophecy. You should read it in that specific order."

Isran, who until now was only listening to everything, finally intervenes in the conversation: "You all should leave right away. This is the key to getting Auriel's Bow and we can't lose time on this."

Hearing that, Vardall turns to stare at Nerevar and then at Farlenya. The Protector of Morrowind knew exactly what the Dragonborn was thinking.

"We'll leave as soon as we can, but we have something to solve first that will require some privacy." Vardall affirms.

The Warden's words didn't please the Dawnguard leader. "I said we can't waste any more time! Trivialities can be solved later, when we finally have Auriel's Bow-"

"This ain't something trivial!" The Dragonborn yells as he walks until Isran, stands above the man with his superior height. "What we need to discuss is something of great importance. Maybe not for the Dawnguard, but still is. Otherwise, why do you think we would have brought a Thalmor with us?"

Isran maintained his usual stoic expression, not letting him be intimidated by the Dragonborn. But still, he dodges his gaze until Farlenya, who was only watching the entire conversation and sighs.

"Be fast, then." Moving to help Dexion get up, the leader of Dawnguard exits the room as he guides the Moth Priest out.

After that, Vardall also turns to look at his friends.

"It would be better if only me and Nerevar talked with our 'guest'. You all could go outside and wait at the fort's exit, please? This will not take too long."

Most of the group knew what Vardall and Nerevar would discuss with the Thalmor, and agreed right away. Inigo and Serana, on the other hand, didn't know what was going on, but still trusted Vardall on this matter. One by one they left the room, with the only remaining being Greywing, who refused to go away from the Dragonborn, so Vardall gave up and allowed the Gryphon to remain upon his shoulder, just with the promise he would remain quiet.

Smiling, Vardall pets Greywing's head, which the gryphon appreciates. Farlenya watches that with both her eyebrows raised.

"I still don't understand how an inferior being such as you managed to get a gryphon. A Snowcap Gryphon, to boot! I never saw any other than the Welkynars to tame those beasts." The Thalmor words make both Vardall and Nerevar look at her. "And it can be noticed you both share a rudimentary bond of some sort. And I doubt you had gone through the necessary magical rituals all the Welkynars undergo to create the initial bonds with their gryphons."

Vardall pets Greywing a little more, smiling the entire time. "I and Nerevar saved this little guy from some bandits a few weeks ago. I don't know anything about this magical ritual you mentioned, but I think my Thu'um might have covered that matter. Besides that, creating bonds never had anything to do with magic. You just show the animal love and loyalty, and it will return you the same. It's only natural."

"I..." For the first time since they knew her, Farlenya seemed to hesitate. "I never believed I would say such a thing, but... there's some wisdom in your words, for a Nord."

"Apologize for the interruption, but I think we aren't here to talk about gryphons." Nerevar's comment calls Vardall and Farlenya's attention. "We have something important to discuss."

His friend's words made Vardall assume a more serious expression, even Greywing felt that. With a more determined gaze, he signed for Farlenya to sit down at the table. The Thalmor didn't like that, but since she wanted her answers to satisfy her curiosity, she knew she would have to play by the Dragonborn's rules for a little longer. She then obeyed, sitting down while Vardall and Nerevar remained in their places.

Removing his helm, Nerevar kept a more gentle stare over Farlenya. "Well... Before we start, I think presentations are needed. You already know our names, my lady. Would you care to inform yours to us?"

That was something that slipped entirely through Farlenya. Until now, none of them knew her name. She could use that to her advantage, to lie and keep her real identity within the Dominion safe... but she decided to not. Something annoying inside her, together with Nerevar's unnatural speech and charisma was making her want to say the truth.

"...I am called Farlenya. Farlenya Jaerwatch." She kept her gaze unchanged while saying her name.

"What a fancy name... Not that I can complain, given my own." To Vardall, that name meant nothing to him, just something he would likely forget after some time. But to Nerevar... that name meant something, and it finally gave him a hint of who they were dealing with.

"Farlenya Jaerwatch? You are somewhat related to Viraaya Jaerwatch?" The Dunmer's voice had a tone of both doubt and surprise.

"Ugh... Don't even start talking about my mother." The Altmer grunted while dodging her gaze in disgust and crossing her arms.

With such revelation, Nerevar now had both eyebrows raised, continually staring at Farlenya.

"Uhh..." Meanwhile, Vardall wasn't understanding a thing. "The Dragonborn here didn't catch it. Would someone care to explain?"

The Moon-and-Star is placed out of his reverie by Vardall's question, slightly shaking his head. "Sorry about that. I just didn't have any idea of this."

Vardall was even more confused, now even frowning. The Nerevarine sighs before starting to explain: "The Aldmeri Dominion, and by consequence, the Summerset Isles, is ruled in the form of an oligarchy, where a council of five families dictates and shares all the power among themselves. The Jaerwatch is the most powerful of these families, so powerful that they could practically rule by themselves. Their leader and matriarch is Viraaya Jaerwatch, a 300-year-old Altmer and an extremely important figure in Tamriel's political scenario, considered a hero inside the Aldmeri Dominion and the Thalmor."

Slightly widening his eyes, Vardall's gaze runs between Farlenya. "So...? Should we be impressed or even scared you're the daughter of such a powerful figure? That means nothing in my book." The Dragonborn also crosses his arms. "And the way you talked about her makes me suppose mother and daughter don't get along too well, right?"

Farlenya says nothing, but her expression shakes a little, with a mix of anger and even a little of fear, giving Vardall all the information he needs.

"But anyway..." The Dragonborn continues. "We aren't here to talk about your family or your relations with your mother." Vardall gets a little closer to Farlenya, staring at her now with a deadly gaze. "We are here because of one question: what do you know about the mirror?"

It didn't take too long for Farlenya to understand what Vardall was talking about. "The artifact at the ice fields? An old legend, or more properly, a bedtime story that happened to be true."

Nerevar and Vardall look at each other, both with the same questions and doubts in mind.

"And what would be this 'legend'?" Vardall was even more curious about all of this.

Farlenya rests on the chair. "It is unknown how and even when it happened, but from what I was able to discover, it was likely during the Merethic Era. I don't know how, but a group of Aldmer explorers from the old continent of Aldmeris discovered something in the middle of the Padomaic Ocean; an unknown land. It is said this unnamed continent was home of elves called Elvhenan, who were the creators of powerful mirror-shaped magical artifacts."

Upon hearing that, Vardall's jaw drops and he opens his eyes wide in complete surprise. People of other continents already stepped on Thedas? While many questions ran through his mind, Farlenya continued to tell her tale: "...Both amazed and curious by such artifact, the Aldmer, after some time, deceived the Elvhenan and stole the magical knowledge of the mirror, returning to Tamriel intending to build their mirror and dominate its power."

Such a thing also creates many questions inside Nerevar's mind. How he had never heard such a tale, even being a mere bedtime story Altmer parents tell their children? Perhaps he had heard, but never gave the appropriate attention. Slightly dodging his eyes until Vardall, he sees how much the Thalmor's words had hit the Grey Warden. Managing to keep most of his composure, the Dunmer crosses his arms and stares at Farlenya.

"A story about lust for power and deception... I bet it was your favorite as a child." This marks one of the few times Nerevar jokes on purpose.

Farlenya's expression remains unshaken. "You mock me with words, Nerevarine... but you aren't wrong. Perhaps the hint that exists more in Nirn than what we already know drew my attention the most, but this story indeed was my favorite during my childhood."

Farlenya lets out a dry laugh while with a half-smile and slightly shaking her head. "But now I know it isn't just a story... So many doubted me, and I was right in the end..."

Almost not hearing the conversation beside him, Vardall still was trying to process such a thing. The Grey Warden had numerous questions, but he knew he wouldn't get any satisfactory resolution. But yet, there was one question he couldn't answer.

"How did you find out the mirror was real?" Vardall questions, more than ever deeply staring at Farlenya. He still had many things running through his mind, and he felt if he wanted answers, he needed to give some as well.

"It was quite the challenge, but I succeeded in the end." She declared. "It all started as a hobby when, 10 years ago, I noticed strange writing in some ancient Aldmer books my mother was studying, the last remaining from such old age. I felt there was much more behind it, so I took it and started studying myself. Soon words lead to patterns, patterns lead to information, and information leads to directions. It took me an entire decade of lonely work and countless sleepless nights, but it paid off in the end. I was able to deduce that the Aldmer visited this unknown continent and stole the knowledge of the mirrors and that it was located somewhere in Skyrim's ice fields. Giving they're dealing with something unknown and volatile, makes sense for they to choose such a isolated place to create and test on the foreign magic.

"Why didn't you ask for anyone's help?" Nerevar questions.

Farlenya puffs: "And for what, have to share all glories? The rediscovery of such an artifact would be my mark in the history of the Dominion! It would finally put me out of my mother's shadow! You fools don't understand... that mirror represents-"

"That mirror is called Eluvian, and this 'unknown land' you mentioned is called Thedas." The Grey Warden bluntly declares.

Farlenya blinks for a few seconds, totally confused. Even Nerevar wasn't understanding a thing now.

"W-what..?" Farlenya stutters. "What do you..."

"Because I am from Thedas, and I crossed an Eluvian to arrive in Tamriel." The Dragonborn reveals.

The Thalmor became speechless for the next seconds, still absorbing what she just heard. Meanwhile, Nerevar approaches Vardall, almost whispering in his ear.

"Are you sure you want to reveal such things to her, Vardall? You don't think it would be better if-"

"She said she wanted answers, right? So I shall give her some." The Dragonborn interrupts the Nerevarine. Turning to stare at Farlenya again, the tall Grey Warden slowly leans across the table, facing Farlenya in such a way that, to be honest, made the Thalmor Justiciar fear for her life. She felt that the Dragonborn would kill her if she even dared to dodge her gaze from him or even breathe. Greywing, who was still at Vardall's shoulder, did the same.

"But be warned, I want to know everything you know. Every. Single. Detail. No more lies. No more secrets. And if you dare hide anything from me... You'll meet a fate worse than death. Being a slave to some entities in Oblivion doesn't sound very nice, don't you agree?." Vardall says those words in such a cold way that surprises even Nerevar. "We have a deal?"

In normal circumstances, Farlenya would promptly punish anyone who spoke with her in the way. But now... Now she could do anything unless slowly nodded in agreement. It was quite the mix of fear for her life and finally satisfy her curiosity.

Slowly retreating, Vardall takes a deep breath and finally sits on a chair by the table.

"And to let it clear... Elvhenan wasn't the name of the elven people, but the name of their kingdom."

Vardall explained the best he could of Thedas to Farlenya, without revealing much. He said only the necessary and that was enough. The main subject was the ancient Elves, the Eluvians - and their purpose and power - which he couldn't reveal much, given not even Vardall knew the exact powers and purposes the Eluvians had, but he did his best.

A discussion about the Fade and Thedas' magic followed after some time, with Vardall revealing only the essentials. He wasn't going to go out saying everything of his homeland to a Thalmor.

Now about Flemeth...

"...She was a big mystery to me. Not even her daughter, one of my closest friends, knew what her mother was." The Grey Warden crosses his arms. "Flemeth's real identity remains hidden deep under a pile of stories, lies, and ramifications. Was she human? A demon in disguise? I killed her once, but we all could see, it didn't matter in the end. She was a powerful witch with an even more powerful connection to the Fade, but the truth about her... we'll likely never know." The gaze in Vardall's eyes still had a small glimpse of anger. "But now... all it matters is that she's dead for good."

As soon as he stops talking, Vardall rests back in the chair, not letting his eyes slip away from Farlenya. "Were those the answers you wanted? Are you satisfied?"

The Thalmor became speechless for the next seconds, as this certainly was much more than she asked. Not only did she receive more information about the mirror, the Eluvian, but also about the land of its creators. And after each of the answers she received only more questions were created.

Too bad for her that the Dragonborn's patience was short right now.

"Well... If that's all you had to say, we're done here." Vardall gets up from his chair, his gaze being nothing else than a mixture of cold and anger while looking at Farlenya.

That made the Nerevarine frown. "What are you doing, Vardall?"

"We already know what we need, so she's no longer useful to us." As soon as Vardall casts fire upon his hand and points it towards Farlenya, Nerevar quickly gets up from his chair, grabbing the Dragonborn's hand and moving it away, making him dodge his stare at the Protector of Morrowind.

"Hold on! This isn't necessary!" Nerevar yells at the Dragonborn, still holding his hand.

Vardall pulls his hand back. "How not, Nerevar? You heard it by yourself. She knows too much. Besides... She's a Thalmor. Getting rid of her would be a favor to Tamriel-"

"These vampires you're facing... they must be a really serious threat if you needed to collect three Elder Scrolls to stop them." Farlenya questions out of nowhere.

Both Vardall and Nerevar dodge their eyes to the Thalmor, with the Dragonborn still with murderous intents in his gaze.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Vardall says bluntly.

Nerevar watches Vardall from the corner of his eyes before looking back at the Thalmor. "Yes, they are. If we do nothing to stop these vampires, they'll have the means to block the sun, perhaps forever. They would eliminate their main weakness and would be free to spread chaos all over Tamriel."

Such revelation made Farlenya assume an even more alert posture. The reveal of the vampires' goal made her realize that this situation was more serious than she first thought. "Now I see why you said you're facing something that was a threat to both the Empire and the Dominion. I'll not just sit around without doing nothing." The Thalmor had conviction on each of her words now. "And if that means I'll have to temporarily ally myself with lesser races... so be it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... You're asking to join us?" Vardall almost didn't believe what he heard.

Farlenya crosses her arms while looking at the Dragonborn. "That's exactly what I'm saying. First Emissary Elenwen is too focused on both the dragon threat and the civil war to deviate her attention and resources against the vampire threat. And even if I informed her, she would likely not believe me, like many other times. So your group remains my best chance to preserve the Dominion from such a threat."

"It is a good offer... but I don't think we can accept it." Nerevar words make both the Thalmor and the Dragonborn look at him while frowning.

"Nerevar, what are you-"

"You are an extremely skilled individual, my lady." The Moon-and-Star ignores the Dragonborn. "Having you in our group would have us at an ever bigger advantage against our foes. That being said..." Nerevar's expression changed to a more serious one. "Most of our friends simply don't tolerate you, and your presence would bring us nothing but trouble for now. Our group works together as one, with each of us complimenting the other's strong points while keeping our weaknesses hidden. We, different from you Thalmors, work together based on loyalty and respect, not fanaticism and blind orders. The presence of a problematic element such as you is something we can't tolerate."

Nerevar then runs his hand over his goatee. "But if your desire to help us is truly genuine, you can do that in other ways. The Dawnguard would heavily benefit from someone like you, so why not join them?" Nerevar raises an eyebrow, following his suggestion to Farlenya.

The Thalmor was quite irritated by Nerevar's affirmations, but she was smart enough to see he was somewhat right. Even being an entire group of lesser races, Farlenya saw firsthand how they operated together, basically in perfect synergy. As with any unwelcome element in a Thalmor squad, she could see why she was refused among them.

"If that's how things need to be... very well, then. I'll aid Dawnguard."

Nerevar opened a big smile, but before he could say anything, Farlenya said faster: "But be warned this is just a temporary alliance! Once all threats to the Dominion are neutralized, we'll go separate ways."

"This is fine by me." Nerevar raises both his hands while saying it. After that, he dodges his head to the Dragonborn. "And for you, Vardall?"

"I expected such stupidity from literally anyone, less you, Nerevar." The Dragonborn crosses his arms, with his voice still with its cold tone, a characteristic that indicated when he was angry. "You know what...? Fine. But when things go south, it's on you."

The Nerevarine opens a half smile. "It's decided, then."

"I'll talk with Isran." Vardall sighs. "Let's just see if that guy will agree with this. I swear he's one of the most stubborn people I've ever known..."

Both the Dragonborn and the gryphon on his shoulder stare at Farlenya with almost a deadly gaze. Before leaving the room, he stares deeply at the Nerevarine, almost like a predator watching its prey.

"If things go wrong and all the vital information she knows reaches the rest of the Thalmor, you and I will have a little talk." He grunts angrily before leaving the room in search of the Dawnguard's leader, leaving the Protector of Morrowind and the Thalmor Justiciar alone.

Sitting in his chair again, it was only Nerevar and Farlenya in the room now. Silence reigns for a time. It looked like both parts didn't have anything else to say to each other. But that was just appearance, as Farlenya had one more question.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping me alive?" The Thalmos asks bluntly. "I know vital information that neither you nor the Dragonborn wants to leak out, and yet you're letting me live? Don't you realize how stupid this is?"

"You're not wrong, my lady. I'm taking a big risk by letting you live. Not only could this spread information we don't want to be spread, but this could easily make Vardall lose all his trust in me. Even now he is far from it and has suffered many things... Thedas still is his homeland, and I know he refuses to let anything bad happen to it, just like me with Morrowind."

Sighing, Nerevar holds his helm with both hands and stares at it, apparently with no reason at all. "To be honest, I'm sparing you only because you remind me of myself in many ways, especially how I was centuries ago."

Farlenya frowns as she crosses her arms, curious about Nerevar's words as he continues speaking. "Trust me when I say once I was just as stubborn as you, also feeling superior to others. I always dreamed with greatness in the orphanage I grew up in Cyrodiil, and always dreamed of being someone. When I found out I was the Nerevarine... that filled me with a sense of joy and accomplishment I always wanted."

Nerevar sighs sadly. "And unfortunately I let that grow up in my head and my ego dominated me. It already was concerning when I defeated Dagoth Ur and destroyed Akulakhan, but it became worse once I defeated Hircine. I was the reincarnation of Indoril Nerevar. Azura's chosen one, the Moon-and-Star. I had just defeated a Daedric Prince, so in my head, that all made me superior to other people."

"And you are." Farlenya suddenly says, catching Nerevar's attention. "As you said, you are Azura's chosen one and defeated none other than a Daedric Prince. You have power beyond imagination. And when the Dunmer started to worship you? The entire Dominion would sacrifice anything to achieve your status. Why worry about lesser beings?"

"I said the same thing to myself centuries ago. When my behavior drove my allies away, my friends... I didn't care at the first moment. I was convinced I didn't need anyone." Nerevar sighs again, closing his eyes for a moment. "And I only noticed how shortsighted and stupid I was years later when I returned from Akavir and laid my eyes upon the ruins of Vvardenfell and the dead bodies of its people. A people I was meant to protect..."

The Moon-and-Star opened his eyes again, staring at Farlenya once more. "Help you escape this damn way of thinking will not compensate for my mistakes, but it's better than nothing."

Farlenya lets out a dry laugh while crossing her arms. "I was right. You are a fool, Nerevarine. You have all this power and influence over others and yet you reject it. Pathetic. And if you think you'll make me become like you, you're high on skooma, I'll tell you that."

Nerevar stares at the Thalmor with an unshaken expression. "I'm trying to help you, my lady. Help you before you only notice your stupidity when it's already late. Also, it may mean nothing to you now, but hear what this old Dunmer has to say: no one is superior to anyone. From the mightiest emperor to the most miserable beggar, we're all the same."

Farlenya also kept her expression unshaken, not reacting at all to Nerevar's words. With nothing more to say, the Dunmer and the Altmer just stare at each other in complete silence, waiting for Vardall to return.

"...that's something I didn't expect. But yes, we could make good use of her." Isran crosses his arms. "Aside from you and a few others, we don't have many with profound magical knowledge. More mages are always welcome."

"Just do me a favor. If she gets out of the line or doesn't prove herself useful anymore, even if it's just once, don't hesitate on killing her. She will not be missed." Even the cute, baby gryphon on his shoulder doesn't do much to make the Dragonborn less imposing as he talks.

"Hmm... I understand your concern. We're dealing with a Thalmor, after all."

"A Thalmor that knows too much." Pointing with his head, Vardall indicates Isran walks with him to the room Farlenya and Nerevar are in. Walking through the fort and finally reaching the room, Vardall enters while being followed by Isran. Inside, both men find Farlenya and Nerevar just staring at each other, stares they quickly dodge to the door once it's open.

Vardall still had his deadly gaze over Farlenya, and once again the Justiciar didn't let her be shaken by it.

"Well, what are you still doing there? Come on, let's properly introduce you to the Dawnguard ranks." Isran signals for Farlenya to get up and follow him. The Thalmor was visibly irritated with all this, with her even grunting, but still, she got up from her chair and moved until Vardall and the Redguard.

Before the Altmer could exit the room and follow Isran, however, she was stopped by Vardall, who placed a hand on her shoulder. Farlenya right away removes the Dragonborn's hand from her, basically disgusted by the touch.

Turning to face the Dragonborn, Farlenya was once again received by the usual deadly and cold gaze he always made when he looked at her. Even Greywing at Vardall's shoulder shared the same gaze the Dragonborn had.

"Don't make me regret letting you live, Thalmor." He also delivers that ultimatum with a cold, angry voice.

Keeping staring at him for a few seconds, Farlenya doesn't answer. After that, she just follows Isran through the corridors of the fort, completely disappearing from Vardall's watchful eyes once she and the Redguard turn a corner.

Finally letting go of some part of his cold and angry facade, Vardall sighs deeply, even running his hands through his face and hair. He then turns to face the Nerevarine, who was looking at him, without saying a word. There were many things both heroes wanted to say to each other, but they both knew that wasn't the moment.

Sighing again, Vardall points outside the room: "Let's go. We already let the others wait for too long."

Nerevar doesn't say a word. He just nods and gets up from his chair, following Vardall until the entrance of Fort Dawnguard, where the group was waiting for them.

"Look. There they are." Lydia points as soon as Vardall and Nerevar turn a corner and enter their field of vision.

"You both look shaken, my friends. What happened?" Inigo didn't even try to hide his concerned tone.

"And where's that Thalmor?" Arissa asks.

"Not here. Let's go somewhere more private." Vardall warns as he watches their surroundings and sees all the Dawnguard members close by.

Most of the group look at each other, quite concerned. But still, they follow Vardall's command and they all leave Fort Dawnguard, walking until the exit of Dayspring Canyon, where there's no one close to hear them talking.

"Good." Vardall says. "Now that we're here..." He and Nerevar then explain their conversation with Farlenya. All revelations they received and the fate of the Thalmor Justiciar, for now.

Arissa was the first to react, quickly turning to confront Nerevar.

"You let the Thalmor live?! Why?! This might be the most stupid thing I ever saw you doing, Nerevar!" The rogue yells angrily at the Protector of Morrowind.

Nerevar sighs. "I know very well what I did. I think Farlenya deserves a chance. Besides, we can extract more information from her later. Like about her mother."

"And what about what she said about the Eluvians?" Serana questions. "How are you, Vardall?"

The Dragonborn shrugs. "Happy I got some answers, at least. I mean, many people of Thedas always suspected there were more places in the world we didn't know, and Farlenya's tale only confirmed what I already knew. Also, in Thedas we don't know that much about the ancient elves and their kingdom, so I ain't surprised they ever had contact with the Aldmer people"

"Anyway, we have other priorities at the moment." Nerevar interrupts. "We need to go to the Ancestor Glade so we can read the scrolls. The best way is using your teleportation spell, Vardall."

Basically, everyone in the group squirms in disgust at the idea. They didn't want to repeat the experience after their first teleportation.

Vardall sighs. "I know you guys don't want to do this. Believe me, I also don't want to, especially because of this little guy here." Vardall pets Greywing's little head, making the gryphon let out a cute little squeak, which made Vardall smile a little. "But still, it is the fastest way for us to arrive at the glade. According to Dexion, it is close to Falkreath, so I'll teleport us there, so we can continue on foot."

"It wouldn't wouldn't easier if you just teleported us right at the glade's entrance?" Lydia questions.

"It doesn't work that way. For the teleportation to be successful, I need to have a clear mental image of the place I want to teleport. That means I have to at least have visited the place once in my life." The Dragonborn warns.

"Then let's get this one with. And also prepare ourselves for the worse..." Inigo says the last part with anguish in his voice.

With everyone now close to him, Vardall prepares himself. He channels the Magicka on his hands, meanwhile thinking about Falkreath. Once he's done, he hits his hand on the floor, and the group is, again, nowhere to be seen.

Can a gryphon to be considered kinda a cat, given they have the body of a lion?

Obviously there'll be more about Farlenya in the future. She'll recieve more development soon, and I can say she'll become a key character in future events.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Comments are more than welcome, as always.