"Serana, you can't go anywhere, it's too dangerous!"
"If they have Jordis, they'll have her at the Embassy. I remember Nero telling me once that that's where Rulindil interrogated people when they were looking for the Blades. Now they're looking for me. If they have her, then that's where she'll be," said Serana.
She fetched what supplies she could to leave; the way to the Embassy wasn't far at all, she would be quick. Serana searched a room and found a few potions, before throwing them into a small knapsack. As she turned to leave though, Valerica stood in the doorway.
"Serana, you cannnot go, you're in no condition to do this," Valerica warned her daughter.
"I have to do something, mother. I have to," Serana moved past her towards a table, where she picked up a dagger.
"You could give birth any day now, you can't go out there!"
"I can't just sit here!" Serana whirled on her, "you don't understand, I just... can't."
Serana made for the castle doorway, but Valerica suddenly became a swarm of bats that flew in front of her before forming herself again.
"Okay. Fine. I'll go. You stay here where it's safe and I'll go to the Embassy," Valerica reasoned.
"No, mother, I need to do thi-AGH!"
Serana dropped her bag of supplies and gripped her stomach, falling to to her knees as she did so. She could feel it.
"Oh no... oh no no no, it's coming. It's coming now!"
Valerica went whiter than ever before suddenly scooping Serana up in her arms and, in a speed Serana almost didn't see, she brought her to a large bed. Serana began breathing heavily; this felt much more intense than the last times.
"Just keep breathing, Serana," said Valerica while she prepared to help her give birth. Serana breathed heavily and slowly. Not now, not now, she thought, inhaling and exhaling before, slolwy, the feeling went away.
"It's... it's gone..." she said hesitantly.
Valerica blinked a few times before giving a huge sigh of relief, along with Serana.
"Gods' damn it," said Serana before she began to push herself off the bed, "close one."
When Valerica saw, she put a hand on Serana and held her.
"No, no, absolutely not, you are not going anywhere, Serana. You could go into labour at any moment," Valerica stood up, "I will go to this Embassy. I will find this friend of yours, and I'll bring her back here, as fast as I can."
Serana didn't want to put her mother in the firing line, but she saw how herself going was a very bad idea. If she went into labour whilst trying to save Jordis...
"Alright?" asked Valerica.
Serana reluctantly nodded.
"Okay, now you are to stay here, and do not move," ordered her mother, "I will return before midnight."
Serana sighed. She didn't want this but... what else could she do?
"That dragon of yours, it will stay here to protect you?"
Serana nodded, "as far as I know."
Valerica nodded and made for the door, but as she was there, Serana spoke.
"Mother?"
Valerica looked back.
"Be careful," said her daughter.
Valerica smiled and nodded before leaving.
~ Across Skyrim ~
Nero grunted as the woman did more work on his chest; she was healing it, he could see that, though she could only use the basic healing spell, and that took its time. She had given him potions to help, from which he could deduce that she had some sort of training in this.
"Sorry for kicking up earlier," said Nero, who was feeling like shit but slightly better than before.
"Don't worry about it," said the woman, who continued working, "I've worked on worse than you."
A fire was burning in the pit that filled the room with a nice warmth. Beside it, Ralof was sat on a chair, cleaning a bow.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"About as good as I look," replied Nero, before suddenly yelping at another twist of the woman's hand.
"Try to stay still," instructed the woman, to which Nero obeyed.
"My boy found you in the snow," said Ralof, "thought you were a dead deer, with the red on brown."
Nero remembered he was wearing imperial armour, which was probably cut to shreds from the fight. It was rested on another chair close by. He looked from it to Ralof, who continued cleaning the bow.
"We were out hunting," said Ralof, "you're lucky we found you."
The woman tightened Nero's bandage up before speaking to him, "alright, that's going to need time to heal properly. You'll need to stay here."
She turned to leave the room but stopped at the door and turned to Ralof, "I'm going to check on Hroki, you tell me if he starts writhing or touches that bandage."
Ralof nodded, and the woman left, before he looked back at Nero. A moment of silence passed between the men, before Nero finally spoke up.
"What happened to you?"
Ralof smiled with a small breath, before looking up, "I retired. After Whiterun, I got sent to one of the hidden military camps. I was still recovering from this," he pointed to the scar just next to his eye, before continuing, "swore that I'd come back and give Hadvar one right back."
"He told me he killed you," said Nero.
Ralof sighed, before going on, "it was there I met Faye. She helped me, she healed me. Then, when we both heard the news about you and your Empire storming Windhelm, we knew it was over. So we both left, together."
Nero didn't know what to say.
Ralof looked up, "she's a damn good healer, that woman."
Then he stood and moved hhis chair over closer to Nero, "so what happened to you?"
Nero scoffed, "I got stabbed."
Ralof chuckled a little, "if I'd have found you out there a couple years ago, I would've made sure you were dead."
Nero looked over to him, and after a moment, he asked, "why are you helping me Ralof? You have a lot of reasons to have left me out there, so why didn't you?"
Ralof looked over, "well, retirement does give you one thing. Perspective."
He took a breath before beginning, "I was asked to join that new group, the Stormblades, you know them?"
Nero nodded, "heard of them recently, yeah."
"Well, they knew I was an old Stormcloak, that we both were, and they wanted us in their new army. We'd be fighting more from the shadows than on the battlefield. They also wanted to kill you."
"Yeah I heard about that too," said Nero.
"But in these few years since the end of the rebellion... I've come to realise a lot. And after hearing about what happened at your wedding, when you told the Dominion to piss off... I knew you weren't part of the problem."
Nero stayed silent.
"But after all this time here with Faye and Hroki... like my sister, I'm done with the fighting."
"Was hoping I would be too," said Nero.
"So what really happened? Who did this to you?"
Nero looked over, "well it's funny you should ask."
So he explained to Ralof about the Dominion and the Warrior from the very start.
"I suppose they've been waiting until the right time to do it," finished Nero.
"Gods..." said Ralof, "what will you do?"
Nero looked up at him, unable to answer. Just then though, the woman, Faye, came back into the room and looked to Ralof.
"Hroki's in bed, though he's been awake the whole time. Would you go and calm him?"
Ralof nodded and left the room, leaving Nero with the woman.
"Thank you for helping me," said Nero.
The woman folded her arms, "my husband and son brought a near dead man to my house. It's my job to help."
Nero smiled, "Ralof told me he met you during the war?"
Faye nodded, "I was a healer, stationed at one of the camps. He came to me after the battle of Whiterun, all cut up. I healed him and nursed him back to health, and we fell for each other. We've been together since."
"Your boy... I didn't scare him I hope," said Nero.
"He'll be alright. I try not to let him see too many corpses in his childhood, so I wasn't going to have you dead on my table."
"Really... thank you."
Faye looked down and saw the sincerity in Nero.
"Well... try to get a good night's sleep if you can. You have to let yourself heal. I'll see how it looks in the morning."
Nero nodded, and with that, Faye left the room, leaving Nero alone with his thoughts.
Serana. Please be alright. Gods, she could have already given birth, and he wouldn't know it. No, don't think about that, just... what to do next? Where would she go, where would Odahviing take her? Castle Volkihar, that much is obvious, which means she'd be with her mother, Jordis too. So she'd be alright, but delivering the baby... that wouldn't be so easy.
As soon as I'm better, I'm going there. I need to be fast, I should summon... no, I can't shout. Then the Warrior may sense me, and know I'm still alive. Not yet. I need to go on foot. Horseback hopefully. Castle Volkihar's a long way from here though, and it's towards the Embassy... I should stop at Whiterun, get supplies, and then move on.
Slowly, Nero began to drift off, and he dreamt of Serana, but also of his youth, training with his mother in their grounds outside the lighthouse. He dreamt of war, and the bloodshed that would follow, and himself at the centre, clad in imperial armour, with everyone he knew beside hik, riding to war.
~ Thalmor Embassy ~
Valerica watched from close by; the guards were posted at the gates outside, looking alert. She became a swarm of bats and flew upards into the sky and towards the Embassy over the walls. She descended and materialised into herself hiding behind a wall while some guards spoke nearby.
"When the ship's here, do you think we'll get a new station?"
"Not a chance. It'll still be these same rounds every day, whether you like it or not."
"Oh come on, you really think she's going to send them to all the major cities? She'll want this place reinforced, which might give us a bit more freedom."
"This is why you're just a guard, not a tactician."
They continued talking while Valerica looked for a way inside. She flew up and over the first building towards the second. There was a courtyard between them, where more guards were patrolling. To her annoyance, there was no other way in to the second building. She flew back down and reintegrated before casting invisibility upon herself. Then she slowly snuck towards the second building and entered without a noise.
Inside, she looked around. Her nose smelt blood, probably from the interrogation chamber. She heard someone in a room nearby; they seemed to be writing. She snuck past and found the stairs down, where she descended towards a locked door that she quietly broke open.
This was it; the smell, the cells, the shackles. The woman was here. Valerica heard someone swing something and someone else instantly cry in pain.
"It's easy, just tell me where she went."
"I don't know," replied a woman in a raspy voice that sounded broken and beaten.
Valerica came down quietly.
"You know the rules," said the guard, and was about to swing again.
"Wait! Okay... I'll tell you..."
Valerica watched from behind a wall as the guard went closer to the woman and she instantly bit his ear off.
"AGH! YOU STUPID BITCH!"
He was about to swing hard, when suddenly hands grabbed his throat, and threw him out of the cell into a wall, before he fell to the ground. He looked up to see a figure with cold orange eyes, before it bared its fangs and plunged them into his throat and bit it out.
Valerica stood up, and turned back to the blonde woman in the cell; she was bloody and bruised across her face, wearing nothing but a ripped tunic.
"Jordis?" asked Valerica.
"Who... who are you?"
Jordis regarded Valerica, "you're wearing clothes like Serana..."
Valerica came over and pulled the shackles off, making Jordis fall to the floor. She pushed herself up slowly and felt her wrists.
"Thank you," said Jordis, while Valerica looked around for a way out.
"Do you know where a way out of here is?" asked Valerica.
Jordis nodded, "they have some kind of trapdoor somewhere here, where they throw dead bodies."
Valerica scanned the room while Jordis pulled her armour back on that was resting on a table.
"Who are you again?" asked Jordis.
"Valerica, I'm Serana's mother," said Valerica absently whilst looking for the trapdoor, before finding it.
"Then, wouldn't that make you a-"
Valerica ripped the floor up like paper; it was nothing to her. Then she covered her nose.
"Oh, I've had foul smells before, but that is bad," she looked back to Jordis, "are you ready?"
Jordis nodded and joined Valerica before the door opened up above, and in walked Rulindil. He looked down and saw the two of them, going wide eyed.
"Who-wha-" he stammered a moment before instantly crying, "GUARDS! GUARDS! WE HAVE AN INTRUDER!"
Valerica threw a fireball towards him and it struck the wall behind, throwing flames here and there. The wood was catching on fire.
"Now, my dear," ordered Valerica before descending into the hole.
Jordis looked back at Rulindil and gave him her middle finger before jumping into the hole with Valerica. Below was a freezing cold cave that had rotten meat and bones around.
"Oh, that explains the smell," said Jordis.
"Indeed, follow me."
They both made their way out of the cave and into the sold night winds of Skyrim.
"Where to now?" asked Jordis.
"To my house. Oh you can't fly can you? Shame. Well you'll just have to run," said Valerica.
Then she bolted into the wilderness, before Jordis instantly followed her. Behind them, fire began to slowly engulf the buidling, and Rulindil ran out into the courtyard, outting his hands on his head.
"You WHORES!" he cursed to the heavens.
~ Castle Volkihar ~
Serana waited anxiously for her mother to return. It wasn't a long trip to the embassy from here, especially for a vampire. While she waited, she looked around in her old room. Certain things held good memories; her favourite old book laid on the side, next to other books about sorcery and necromancy that she used to study to please her mother.
She picked up her old book; it was a tale about a brave warrior, who sought out mystical beasts to slay and villages to save. Sometimes she used to pretend she was that warrior, swinging a wooden sword and going on adventures around the beach of the island in the daytime, before she was turned. She picked it up, thinking she would like to read it to her baby when he or she was born.
Soon enough, she got up and wandered a bit, looking around. Her mother had cleaned the place up a bit, which was nice. Sooner or later they would have to take care of that gaping hole where the door used to be. That would require some heavy lifting. She thought it would be funny to make Nero come and fix... Nero...
She sat down in a chair and closed her eyes. Was it time to grieve yet? Or did the fighting have to be done first? The fighting... who would be on her side? All of Skyrim?
Serana got up and walked out through the gaping hole into the cold winds. She descended the hill and saw the big red dragon on the lookout nearby.
"Dragon!" she called, but it continued looking out to the water.
"Ova... Odahviing?" she called.
The red dragon looked back and down at her, before jumping off the tower and landing on the beach.
"Ah, Kiim do Dovahkiin, greetings," he said.
Serana nodded, non-fluent in the dragon language but able to understand him enough, so long as he still spoke the common tongue alongside it.
"I've come to ask about... well, you really. What are you going to do?"
The dragon tilted his head a moment, as if confused.
"Zu'u dreh ni mindok, you ask me what is my path now that the Dovahkiin has fallen?"
Serana nodded, the sentence shaking her a bit.
Suddenly though, the dragon turned his head back to the water, and in the distance, Serana could see the icewater jetty coming up. The dragon was about to roar, but Serana stopped him.
"No, no! I think that's them!"
As it slid onto the beach, Valerica stepped out and helped Jordis out onto her feet. Serana came to her aid.
"Serana, you're... you're okay..."
"Yes I am, Jordis. Let's get you inside," said Serana as she lend her shoulder for support, looking back at Odahviing momentarily before turning back and helping Joris up the hill.
Inside they helped her into a bed where she rested her tired body and aching wounds. Valerica looked at Serana, who sat by Jordis' side while she rested.
"Hopefully she's alright by tomorrow. I know Jordis, she's a toigh one," said Serana.
"Dear, it may take sightly longer than one night to.. why tomorrow?"
Serana looked up, reluctant to answer.
"I know you're going to try to talk me out of it."
"That's no reason not to tell me, Serana."
Serana sighed and stood up, "because we need to start preparing mother."
"Preparing for what?"
"To fight back."
Valerica realised just what Serana meant, but before she could say more, Serana continued.
"I'm going to get some sleep now, we can talk in the morning. But..." she hugged Valerica, "thank you mother, for all you've done."
Then Serana walked away, and Valerica watched. Her daughter truly was strong.
~ The Next Day ~
The sun rose on Skyrim and Nero slowly opened his eyes. He looked around, and saw a young blonde boy standing next to the bed, looking at him. Nero said nothing at first, confused about who and where until last night came back to him.
"You must be Hroki?"
The boy nodded.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Nero," said Nero before he slowly tried to sit up, which was much less painful than yesterday. He sat off the side of the table, whilst Hroki still just looked at him.
"Mama and Dada said you're the Dragonborn," said Hroki.
Nero raised an eyebrow, "they did, did they?"
"Is it true? Like in the stories?"
Nero smiled and nodded, before Hroki looked amazed and began throwing him with a wave of questions like how did he defeat Alduin, how many dragons has he slain and can he fly. Nero tried answering what he could but suddenly Ralof and Faye entered and Faye came and picked him up.
"You shouldn't be bothering him, Hroki, I told you not to."
"Aw Mama, I just wanted to talk to him."
She put him down away from Nero, "you be a dear and go and fetch the furs from below."
"Yes, mama," and with that, Hroki disappeared, leaving Nero alone with Ralof and Faye.
"Feeling better?" asked Faye, motioning at his bandages.
"I didn't expect it to heal this quick," said Nero, "how?"
"The potion I gave you last night, a recipe of my own. The healing lasts hours long, though it is slow."
Nero tried to stand and wobbled a bit; Ralof came to catch him but Nero stopped him, leaning on the table to balance himself, taking slow breaths.
"I don't even know what to say," said Nero.
"How about helping me clean the table so we can eat?" said Ralof.
Nero nodded, and helped clean the rags and cloths off the table including the large sheet before Ralof put plates and bowls down along with cutlery while Faye got to work on some breakfast. Hroki then returned with some furs in his arms.
"Good boy, Hroki. Ralof, take Nero to a room where he can change," said Faye.
Ralof nodded and took the furs from Hroki, running his hair a little bit in passing, before leading Nero to a room where he dressed himself. His imperial armour was a lost cause at this point; cut to shreds and he would stand out. These furs were alright. Then he returned to the dining room and sat down with the others to some breakfast.
"So, what will you do?" asked Faye while she ate some bacon.
"I'm going to find my wife," said Nero after drinking some coffee that tasted divine, "wherever she is, she could go into labour any day now, she could already have done so. So I need to find her first.
Ralof nodded, "where would she be?"
"There's a house that her family used to have. It's near Solitude, but it's well hidden."
"She's near Solitude?" asked Ralof, "that means she's near the Thalmor as well. You're going there on foot?"
Nero nodded, "I have to. I'm going to stop at Whiterun for supplies though. I have a house there that's not completely cleared out yet."
Ralof nodded, "best of luck to you, Dragonborn."
After breakfast, Nero was ready to take off. He picked up his blood-stained sword which Ralof asked about; he was amazed it was made of dragonbone. Nero went outside and memorised Ralof's directions towards the main road.
"Thank you again, for all you've done," said Nero.
"Remember, don't open that wound up again," said Faye.
"Bye mister Dragonborn!" said Hroki, waving.
Nero waved back, before Faye ushered Hroki inside, leaving him and Ralof alone for a moment.
"Really Ralof, thank you."
"When you find your wife, what will you do then?" he asked.
Nero regarded that, "what do you mean?"
"I mean are you going to fight them?"
Nero didn't answer.
Ralof put his hands on his hips, "for the longest time, I believed that the next great war with the thalmor was inevitable. That the fight would come sooner or later. And over the past few years, I knew that if and when it started, you'd be at the centre of it."
Nero still said nothing.
"But now... I have a family. I have people I care about, that I don't want to see gone. Who don't want to see me gone. I don't want my boy growing up without a father, or even without his mother."
Ralof stepped forward, "I suppose what I'm saying is... you have more reason to start this war than anyone, Dragonborn. But that doesn't mean you have to."
Nero felt like he should say something, but all he did was nod in understanding.
"Safe travels, Dragonborn" said Ralof.
Nero nodded in thanks, before summoning the spectral horse Arvak and climbing on him, and then riding away.
~ Castle Volkihar ~
As morning came, Serana picked up her knapsack and was ready to leave with Jordis; they discussed where they would go and what they would do. It was no wonder that Valerica hovered in the room, hearing Serana's plan.
"The Companions?" she asked.
"They're Nero's best allies and the most skilled fighters in Skyrim, which means we'll need them," explained Serana.
"In Whiterun if I'm not wrong?"
Serana nodded.
"I'm not even going to begin with why that's a bad idea since that seems to not matter to you and instead I'll ask why you have to instead of me or Jordis?"
"Because mother, they don't know you which means they won't trust you, and Jordis is too injured to do this alone."
"Ah so a pregnant woman about to go into labour is better suited for the task-"
"Mother," Serana stood up, "I know you think it's a bad idea. But the point is, if we don't do something soon, the Thalmor are going to tighten their grip around Skyrim, and sooner or later they're going to find this place. By that point, we'll be too weak to stop them, and I'm not living life on the run, especially with my child. All we're going to do is find the Companions and get them to spread the message."
"That message being?"
"That it's time to fight back. For everyone. All of Skyrim."
Valerica wanted to say more, but she knew that there was no talking her daughter out of this.
"Fine, but I am coming with you. You're sure we can trust these people?"
Serana looked her mother in her eyes, "they just lost their harbinger, which means mother that they might just start this war before we do."
As soon as they were all ready, Serana led the three of them outside down the hill, where Odahviing was still perched.
"Odahviing!" called Serana, and the red dragon lowered his head.
"Kul sul, kiim do Dovahkiin," he replied.
"I need you to take us to Whiterun Hold."