Valerica led them to her laboratory, where Serana and Nero had come to find her, eventually opening up a portal to the Soul Cairn, a grim place if she ever saw one. The portal was gone though, and the room seemed only slightly rearranged.
"You got rid of the portal?" asked Serana.
"I don't need it anymore, but if ever I do I have the recipe to open it again. Now I've turned my attention on to other projects. Still," she went to a cupboard and from it she pulled a table with straps upon it, "some older ideas have remained."
She pulled the table into the centre of the room, where the portal used to be. The restraints were made of iron. No, silver, with runes upon them, and upon the table was a slab of stone.
"Guessing this isn't just to hold an ordinary human?"
"Nothing gets past you, dear," answered Valerica as she also fetched something else; a small package wrapped in cloths and linens. She uncovered it to reveal a black soul gem, that seemed to be shimmering.
"Huh," said Serana, "I thought there'd be more to it than this."
Valerica set the stone up on a small pedestal she also presented, then looked up at Serana.
"Dear, this isn't an ordinary black soul gem."
Serana raised an eyebrow, and finally asked, "what is all this? Care to explain?"
Valerica stood up once everything was in place, "I'm sure you remember the time before me and you set off to escape your father?"
Serana nodded.
"In this time, as you know, I was looking for ways to kill him. I didn't have the same bravery, or stupidity, as your husband to take him on in a straight fight. I needed a more sure way to destroy him."
Serana was quite used to this talk from her mother now, and didn't show a sign of weakness.
"One of the many solutions I devised was to cure Harkon of his vampirism, rendering him mortal and thus, vulnerable. So I designed this slab to hold him in place while I practised the ritual. But there is more to it than this. Are you familiar with the standard procedure of removing vampirism?"
Serana nodded, "I know it requires a filled black soul gem and the ritual needs to be done at dawn at a summoning circle."
Valerica nodded, "this is the ritual used to cure more basic forms of vampirism. We are royal vampires, and have been for centuries. More is required to take it from us. Something deeper. You must be willing to banish the beast. You must be willing to become mortal again. That is where I fell short, for I knew then I could never cure Harkon. Now it just so happens the time I spent perfecting this soul gem was not in vain. You did the right thing coming to me. The sun is still rising, so if you wish to do this, now is the time."
Serana thought about all of it. What it was worth. She remembered what she went through for it. The ceremony... enough. No more running. She accepted it, but now it was her choice. Now, she was making her own path.
"One question. Will this harm my baby?"
"It will not. Though you are technically dead, the child is the spring of life within you Serana. But it will hurt you. We are banishing a creature that has been bonded to you for millennia. This ritual will be painful."
She looked up at Valerica and nodded, "let's do it."
Her mother nodded back and motioned, "get on the table then."
Serana took off her cloak and climbed on, lying down straight. Valerica locked the cuffs around her wrists and ankles, and she saw the runes light up. Magic. These would hold.
"Now, when I begin, you will feel pain not only in your body, but in your soul. Do you understand?"
Serana nodded, looking straight up.
"Very well," said Valerica, who stood next to the table and raised her hands.
She began speaking, but not in the common tongue. It was something else. Something darker. Daedric.
She looked down upon Serana, who saw darkness fill the room. Then she felt it. Serana felt her entire body ripping, as if being pulled in every direction. She grunted under the pain, pulling at her manicles. The runes shone brighter and held stronger.
Valerica continued speaking the ritual words, and the soul gem began to shine brighter. Serana felt darkness around her body, and she cried out in pain. The darkness of her past crept up on her all at once. Molag Bal. Her family. Her father's greed. Her mother's hatred. Her past came for her. Then, the door opened and she fell to the ground. A man helped her up. A handsome, kind and gentle man. Nero. Being with him. Laughing with him. Loving him. The Companions. Aela, the twins. All of them drinking and laughing. She would fight for that.
She gritted her teeth as the darkness was ripped out of her, and she screamed. Valerica shouted the last sentence, and the rumbling and darkness cascaded. Serana jolted on the table and the pain stopped.
She panted, not moving at all.
"Serana!"
Valerica came and undid her shackles, freeing her. She took hold of her head and lifted her up.
"Serana! Answer me."
Serana slowly opened her eyes, and saw a blurry figure in front of her, holding her.
"Mother," she said with a smile.
"Serana, your eyes," exclaimed Valerica.
"Wha..."
A moment later, her mother showed her a mirror, and Serana looked into it. It took a moment to register it was a mirror, but then she saw herself, and her eyes... they weren't orange. Then she opened them wide, and took the mirror. A pair of emerald green eyes looked back.
"It worked," she smiled and began laughing, before throwing her hands around her mother and holding her tightly.
"Oh, dear, you really must give me a warning," Valerica smiled, "come on, let's get you up."
She helped Serana sit up, though she was wobbly.
"I feel... faint."
"You will for a bit. It's to be expected. I'll get you something to eat."
Valerica walked Serana to a seat nearby and went off for a bit. Meanwhile, Serana regarded her eyes in the mirror. I can't believe it, she thought. It worked. It really worked. Her skin looked less pale as well. She got up, with a sudden burst of energy, and began walking, then running. She opened the door to the bridge outside, and the cold wind blew in and over her. She saw the sun's light rising, and at first felt caution, but then, slowly, she raised her hand and touched the light. It felt... warm. She smiled.
Valerica came back, "I'm sorry I couln't find anything actually substantial or... even edible to eat, at least for you."
"It's okay, mom, I brought some food myself."
Valerica raised her eyebrows, "mom? Gods' above, what have you done with my daughter?"
Serana laughed and fetched some bread that she brought, and offered Valerica some.
"Oh, dear, I've not had real food in centuries."
"Well then you must be starving," smiled Serana.
Valerica reluctantly took the bread and took a bite, before choking and spitting it out, "oh gods' that is truly awful!"
Serana laughed, "I guess you've been off it too long."
"Not long enough," replied Valerica.
A moment of silence passed before Valerica asked, "would you tend the garden with me?"
Serana was almost speechless. She hadn't been asked that in thousands of years. She smiled, and nodded, "sure."
Not too long after they were in the courtyard again and Serana was tending the flowers with her mother. Valerica began talking about Serana's child and where they would be staying. Serana told her about the Lakeview house, and how big it was.
"The size of a town?" asked Valerica, "not trying to put this place to shame are you Serana?"
She laughed, "no mother, to be honest it was a bit of a surprise to us. Nero was given the reward for saving the land. Guess sometimes the world does remember the debts it owes."
"So when will it be finished?"
"Oh in a few months time. I'm hoping it will be done and furnished before the baby is born so we'll have a chance to actually get used to the place. Until then, I guess we'll be staying in Solitude, in between cleaning all of Nero's other houses of all his junk."
"Well then I know where I'll be able to find you nearer the time."
Serana looked up, confused.
"So I can be there for my daughter."
When she said it like that, Serana found herself not only unable to refuse, but also not wanting to refuse.
"Okay. Nearer the time though."
"Of course dear. I'll let you and your husband have a few more months of privacy. Will be best for the pair of us."
Serana shook her head, before Valerica suddenly jolted hers up.
"What is it?"
"Trespassers," said Valerica and stood up. Serana got up and followed her.
They went to the front door, where they saw some folk getting off a boat on the beach. There were four of them, and a woman. She was bound and gagged with rope, and the men were pulling her along.
"Bandits," spat Serana.
"Leave this to me," said Valerica.
"No wait! Let me go."
"Serana, you're in no state-"
"I've got this mother, trust me."
Valerica reluctantly obliged, and let Serana walk out.
Serana went out the blown out door and onto the bridge. At the bottom, the bandits stopped as they sighted her. The one at the front, a big nord man, smiled.
"Well well, boys. Two in one day!"
The others laughed, and the bound nord woman tried screaming, but one of the men pushed her to the ground.
"So what the fuck are you doing on my island?" asked Serana.
The others went silent, until the nord man in nordic armour and a big axe stepped forward, "your island?"
He began laughing, "we're standing on it now, it's our island. How about you just put these ropes on yourself? There's four of us and one of you, bitch."
Serana smiled, "I like those odds."
The nord man sighed before walking up, "I gave you a chance, and as you can see, I'm not afraid to hit a woman."
"That's okay," replied Serana who summoned magic to her hands, "neither am I."
He ran straight for her, and when he was just a few metres away, she threw an ice spike into his face. He stopped, and fell straight over, some of the ice shattering onto the stone.
She looked up from his body to the other men, who stood flabbergasted.
"Next?" she asked.
Another bandit nocked an arrow and aimed at her. She threw a lightning bolt that sent him into the water. The other two came at her and she took out her dagger. The first swung and she dodged, stabbing him in the chest before punching him straight in the face. The other came at her with a greatsword. She sidestepped, letting the bandit slice his other friend. She then raised her hand, aimed straight at the bandit's head and smiled, before letting loose a fireball that exploded in his face, killing him. Serana stood back, three of the bandits dead around her. She looked at the woman who was on the floor, and knealt down to take out her gag.
"Thank you! Thank you so so so much!" the woman blurted out.
"It's okay. You're safe now."
She screamed though as she looked towards the water, and Serana followed her gaze to see one last bandit coming onto the beach, his chest blackened from the lightning bolt. He took out another arrow and nocked his bow.
"Close your eyes," said Serana before standing in front of the woman.
"You killed my friends you monster!" he cried.
"Oh trust me, I'm not the monster here, and you messed with the wrong woman. Mother!"
Suddenly a swarm of bats came and englufed the man, who began screaming, before they became Valerica who had the man by the collar. He pleaded for his life, before Valerica sunk her teeth into his neck. He died. Valerica stood up, and wiped her mouth.
"Well these should make a good few meals," said Valerica.
Serana smiled, before cutting the woman's bonds and helping her up, "can you stand?"
"Yes. Th-th-thank you. They... they..."
She burst into tears and Serana embraced her, "let's get you back home."
They went to the jetty to take off, and Serana stopped for a moment.
"Thank you Mother. For everything."
"Of course dear," she raised her hands and Serana embraced her one last time before turning and sailing back to Skyrim.
It took another day to return to Whiterun, after Serana had walked the woman to Solitude where she could find her own way. The Sun was getting low, and the evening was drawing in as she rode up to the stables and then continued on foot to the Whiterun gates.
She went through and came in to the city, where she saw Breezehome a little ways up the road. There were empty chests stacked outside and the door was open. A moment later, Aela walked out and grabbed a chest before spotting Serana down the street. She turned in and said something before out walked Nero to see her. She came up and he came down a bit. They embraced, before she leant up and kissed him.
"You're back," he said, "so... how did it go?"
She nodded, "it worked. I'm not a vampire anymore. All clean. I... I feel like I can breathe again for the first time since I was turned. The world is alive, and so am I, for once."
Nero noticed, "your eyes, they're... they're green."
She smiled, and leant in and kissed him again.
"I also feel... hungry. Very hungry."
Nero laughed, "well we were just thinking of getting some dinner."
"Oh yeah, how's the packing going?" she asked with a sly smile.
"You got away this time, Mrs Dragons-bane, but I have a few other houses to clean, and that'll be just us."
Serana sighed, "I'll have to think of something."
Nero laughed, before Aela joined them.
"So, did it work?" she asked.
Serana smiled, "it did. I'm very hungry."
She laughed, "well then, let's go get something to eat, and more importantly something to drink!"
The twins joined them on hearing that along with Lydia, and they all made their way to the Bannered Mare. They ate, and drank, and laughed. And Serana never felt more alive.
Author's Notes:
And there we have it folks, Serana is cured! She is a vampire no more! Glad I finally got to finish this story as well. I know this chapter is a long one, might even be my longest.
Also to address possible questions that may arise, the ritual that Valerica performed on Serana is obviously loosely based on the ritual performed by Falion in the game, needing a filled black soul gem and to meet at dawn at the summoning circle. For a royal vampire, it requires an improved version of a black soul gem. The person being cured also needing to be willing is a flip on the idea of contracting vampirism: Serana said the first vampire was not a willing subject, and Molag Bal is the prince of domination, so for the cure it just makes sense to me that the subject must be willing.
It's probably going to be a while before I return to this; exams are coming fast and I need to divert my time to study and preparation. Though these are fun to write, I need to give my attention to my education right now before coming back to this when I have more free time.
When I do come back to it though, rest assured I have been excited about the next arc for a very long time, since the beginning even. I began thinking of the next arc after the last chapter of Legends of the Dovahkiin which, if you've not read, go and read right now.
No new characters or dragon language used so I'll say thank you very much for reading, I cannot wait to start writing the next one. Since it's going to be a while, I will give you one teaser about it: I plan to call it Last Vigils