Chapter 4
Ingratus Abbas, Fidelis Filia - Ungrateful Father, Loyal Daughter
Bjorn woke with a start. Something had taken hold of his leg. He roared loudly and reached for his sword, within a second it was drawn and pointed at the offender. It took him a moment to realize who had touched him, the rays of the rising sun making it hard to see. After a few moments of blinking, his eyes found the startled face of Serana at the end of his sword.
Her pale hands were resting upon his damaged leg, but her eyes were wide as she looked at him, a mix of anger, mistrust, and perhaps just the smallest bit of fear swirled around in a torrent within those eyes. Bjorn nearly turned red in the face, "Don't you know not to touch a man when he's sleeping?!"
He bellowed in his anger, which made Serana flinch and then turn red herself. She glared at him and those eyes that were such a mix of emotion now held one thing, anger. She bared her fangs at him in a feral defense and snarled, "You're the one walking around with a bum leg! You should be thanking me for trying to heal it!"
That snapped Bjorn out of his rage quickly. He looked down to where her hand was upon his knee. Blood magics were gently seeping from her hand and into his injured leg, stitching the flesh together and mending the damage that was done. She had taken it upon herself to heal him, but why?
"Why did you do that?" Bjorn inquired after a moment of embarrassed silence. Serana just looked at him.
"Because you walking around with that bum leg is slowing us down. We have to get to my house quickly, so I can get some things straight. And..." She grew quiet for a small moment and then looked away, "You got that wound from freeing me. The least I can do...is heal it up." She said so quietly Bjorn had a hard time hearing her. A smile creeped onto his lips and he reached out to gently pat the hand that was still resting on his leg.
"Thank you, you are kind to look after me so."
Serana just nodded, as if she couldn't think of a better response in words. Her eyes turned back to her task, and after a few moments of dull pain, she had Bjorn healed up good as knew. Standing up and flexing his leg, Bjorn found that he felt even better than new. He looked to Serana, "Where did you learn to heal so well?"
It was a foolish question he knew, normal means of Restoration magics didn't work upon the undead, it infact harmed them more than anything, but still, Serana had done something to heal him up. He wondered what that skill was, and wished to know where she learned it so she perhaps could. Seeing as how that could come in handy sometime in the future. Serana just looked at him and smiled,
"There is magic within my family. All you have to do is know the right spells and the right way to use them. And you can do just about anything. Including mending dead flesh." She laughed at her last line, as if it were some inner joke that was only funny to her. Bjorn just shrugged,
"Perhaps you can teach it to me some time?"
Serana looked up to him and gave a soft smile, "I'd love to."
The conversation ended there however, and in a silence that wasn't as awkward as one would think, the two began to clean up. Packing up his things and untying the house, Bjorn found that Serana herself had actually sat within the little tent he had made for her. While he was sure she didn't sleep in it, it at least warmed him a bit to know that she had used it. Any mild comfort he could give her away from that stone prison was enough for him really. Those thoughts made Bjorn pause as he saddled the horse. His brow furrowed deeply and he stood there at the horses side. Why was he so smitten with her? Did she have him under a seduction spell? Could fellow vampires succumb to such a simple trick? He wasn't sure, but there was something about her. The way her raven hare caught the moonlight just right. The way she smiled in just the right way to either show off her fangs, or not to. How she smiled at the world like she had seen it for the first time. It was just...beautiful. The way she carried on with little things, such as cleaning up a camp, was so graceful a dancer couldn't have held a candle to her. The way that those lips of hers would part when she would speak and oh how he longed --
"We ready to get going?"
Her voice interrupted his little daydream, and Bjorn gave a jump of surprise. That pulled a laugh from Serana, she had startled him!
"A little jumpy this morning?" She teased lightly and then walked over with everything she had packed up and began to tie it all down to the horse. Bjorn cleared his throat, muttered something about how it was nothing and that the weather was nice before doing a sweep around the camp. They had packed everything, which was good. Returning to the horse, Bjorn climbed on and then offered a hand down to Serana. She looked up at him confused.
"I don't ride horses." She said simply. Bjorn shook his head, reached down and manhandled up her onto the horse. In one mighty tug, he had her in the air, and behind him. He looked over his shoulder,
"You do now, it'll get us there in half the time. Pull your hood up, we're going to ride through the day."
Serana gave him a very nasty look but pulled up the black hood that rested on her back. With her skin safely tucked away from the sun, Bjorn pulled his own hood up and then urged the horse onward, towards Solitude.
The trip to the small boat that would take them to Serana's home had taken three full days. With little worth nothing, the two had had a very simple trip over, only having to stop to rest the horse, and once drain a few rogue bandits of their blood for later consumption. They didn't speak much the whole way there, only for simple questions or for directions. They had their own thoughts to keep them busy after all. Serana would sometimes ask him about where they were, or what they were passing, and Bjorn would tell her all he knew. She would seem fascinated, but then sad at the same time, like it were all passing before her at a speed she couldn't keep up with. Like she were trying to capture all these moments in her mind, before she wouldn't be able to again. Why she thought this way, Bjorn wasn't sure. He knew she was a vampire, and she didn't get along with her father...but would he cage her up like some animal? Why was she so forlorn at passing all these places by?
Once at the small boat, Bjorn tethered the hose down and then nodded to Serana, "Ready?" he asked as she climbed into the boat. She didn't answer him at first, but just sat down, and looked through the cloudy mist to see her home looming in the distance. Untying the boat, Bjorn gave it a push and then hopped in. Taking the paddle, Bjorn began to row them towards the castle.
The boat ride over was short, and silent. Neither wished to break it, for fear it would break themselves. The mist got a bit thicker as the went, but Bjorn didn't pay it much mind. He just pushed forward, until the bow of the little boat hit the land. Jumping out, Bjorn pulled the boat further onto the shore, tied it down, and then moved to help Serana out. She looked like a deer caught in the sight of a hunters bow. Reaching down into the boat, Bjorn gently took her forearms and helped her up and then out. She nodded to him in thanks, and then waited. Bjorn took the lead, and began to walk up the stone path that lead to the front door of the castle.
About half way up the bridge, a hand gripped Bjorn's shoulder to stop him. Knowing it was Serana's, Bjorn stopped and turned back to look at her. Serana herself looked a little shaken, but perhaps a bit more determined. She nodded to him,
"Hey so...before we go in there..." she hesitated, sounding perhaps a bit nervous as to what lay before them. Bjorn looked to her concerned, as if afraid something had happened to her.
"Are you alright?" He asked with a little more urgency than he had meant to. Serana looked at him and then smiled, though the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"I think so...and thanks for asking." she gave a small pause, and Bjorn waited, keeping his eyes locked to hers, as if trying to read the stone mask she had put over her face.
"I wanted to thank you for getting me this far. But...but after we get in there, I'm oing to go on my own for a while. I think..." She looked confused and then shook her head, giving a sigh, "Look I just need to be alone for a while. There's a lot of feelings wrapped up in this old place, and I don't think you're quite ready for them. So just..." She paused again, this time looking frustrated. "Just let me take the lead in there."
She then pushed forward, past Bjorn, barely giving him a chance to respond. Turning around, Bjorn followed her like a faithful dog, though in truth, his heart sunk. She didn't want to travel with him anymore? She seemd so carefree when she was out in the wild with him. She didn't seem at all like this stone faced vampire he saw before him. She was a completely different person, and it startled him. Had he done something ot offend her? Was she mad at him for some offense he didn't know he had committed? Still, Bjorn would follow her, like hte dog he found himself becoming.
Serana lead him all the way up to the top of the bridge, and spoke quiet, hushed words to the gatekeeper. After a moment or two of discussion, the gate keeper pulled the chain, and let them both in. Seranan looked over her shoulder, as if to make sure Bjorn was still there, and then headed into the castle.
The moment Bjorn opened, he noticed instantly how dark the place was. There were few, if no windows at all, and the place seemed lit by brazer only. The overwhelming smell of death reached his nostrils, and Bjorn had to give a gentle sigh at that smell. He really was in the layer of a vampire. Serana walked forward a little, but they were both stopped by a high elf who must have been a vampire for centuries, for her was abosltely blood starved to the point of horrid disformity.
"How dare you tresspass here!" The elf snarled and walked forward, as if ready to strike Bjorn down, before he noticed Serana. The sight of her stopped him in his tracks and he blinked a few times, jaw nearly hitting the floor. "Serana? Is that you?" He asked in disbelief. Serana just nodded.
The elf's confused expression suddenly turned to elation and he nearly cheered, "I can't believe my eyes!"
The elf then nearly ran towards the top of the stairwell that was at the end of the hallway Bjorn and Seranan were standing in. Once there, he proclaimed happily, "My Lord! Everyone! Serana has returned!" "
Serana looked to Bjorn and gave a small grimace of surprise, "I guess I'm expected..." She didn't sound happy about it. With slow, almost languid steps, she walked down the hallway, down the steps and between the two tables that flanked the main hall.
Bjorn was right behind her, and when he could see the mainhall, he was both surprised and not surprised at the same time. Vampires of all ages and races were standing around, feasting upon dead corpses and drinking blood from mead kegs. They were celebrating something it would seem, perhaps another year of power and prosperity for them, or perhaps they did know Serana was coming, and this was their celebration. Bjorn watched Serana closely as she walked between the tables and towards a Nord man who did look a bit like her, it must of been her father.
The fathers eyes were trained up Serana and he gave a warm smile, though it didn't look to be for her, but perhaps for something else associated with her.
"My long lost daughter returns, at last! I trust you have my Elder Scroll?"
Bjorn was taken aback by that. After all this time that Serana has been gone, he asks about that? Seranna seemed just as upset as he was.
"After all these years, thats the first thing you ask me?" She sounded hurt, perhaps heartbroken a bit, but then jaded up nearly instantly and said codly, "Yes, I have your scroll."
The man smiled at her, "Of course I'm delighted to see you my daughter. Must I say the words aloud?" There was a slight pause as Serana let the question hang, as if letting the silence answer it for him.
Continuing like the silence meant nothing, just like the pain of his daughter feelings of rejected, the man before her went on. "If only your traitorous mother were here, I would let her watch this reunion before putting her head on a pike. Now tell me," His eyes now fell upon Bjorn. "Who is this stranger you have brought ot our hall?"
Serana walked back to Bjorn and stood next to him giving him a soft smile. "This is my savior, the one who freed me." She said it proudly, like it were something she liked in him, or perhaps it was an insult hurled at her father. Bjorn wasn't sure, but he liked either option.
The father walked up to him and nodded his head, "For my daughters safe return, you have my gratitude. Tell me, what is your name?"
Bjorn just looked at him, confused for a moment, and unsure if he should tell. Looking to Serana, he realized that he'd have to coperate, if he wanted to stay in Serana's general company.
"I'm called Bjorn. Who are you?" He asked cooly, sizing the man before him for any threats and possible means for attack. While Bjorn found none, he did have an uneasy feeling that should the man before im decie to attack, there would be little, to nothing Bjorn could do to stop it.
The man smiled, "I am Harkon, lord of this court. By now, my daughter would have told you what we are."
Harkon gave a wide smile, showing off his fangs. Bjorn nodded lightly, "Yes, she's told me that you and your court are all vampires."
Harkon gave a light laugh at this, like it were insulting to call him a vampire and he found it amusing. "Just just vampires. We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in all of Skyrim. For centuries, "He started, pacing back and forth before Bjorn as he recounted their strength. "We have lived here, afar from the cares of the world. All that ended when my wife betrayed me and took what I cared most for..."
A slight tinge of guild touched Bjorn's heart. How painful that must have been. To have something ripped from you from someone else just as close. yet the guilt didn't last long. Bjorn had a feeling the heartbreak Harkon suffered wasn't from the loss of his wife, or his daughter, but for the scroll Serana carried so faithfully upon her person.
Looking to Serana and then back to Harkon, Bjorn asked a simple question, "What happens now?"
Harkon gave a wicked grin, "You have done me a great service, and now you must be rewarded. There is but one gift I can give that is equal to the Elder Scroll and my daughter." he paused for dramatic effect, whihc made Bjorn slightly irritated. Harkon continued, "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!"
Bjorn looked at Harkon with a skeptical look. And spoke just as skeptically as he felt, 'I'm already a vampire. What more can you offer me?" The words were more like an insult really, Harkon had little he could offer Bjorn that he didn't already have. Right?
Harkon laughed, and the laugh itself was an insult to Bjorn. They were getting off to a lovely start. "You have contracted a disease yes, but you are no true vampire. Accept my gift and I promise you will realize the difference. Refuse me and I will banish you from my halls and have you hunted down." Bjorn looked at Harkon skeptically, any fool he tried to send after him would meet his arrows before they even found him. Harkons threats held little weight, at lest for Bjorn. Opening his mouth to decline, Harkon cut him off.
"Perhaps you still need convincing?" Stepping back, something Bjorn had never even heard of happened. Harkon began to shift and change, bones cracked and reformed, appendages sprouted from his back and a dark, blood like substance covered his whole body. As Harkon convulsed and shifted, Bjorn was filled with awe, disgust, and interest. With an small explosion of blood, Harkon no longer stood before Bjorn, but an ugly creature of death and knight. It had ashen skin, and ratty wings. Claws on the feet and fingers, and an ugly bat like face. Fangs protruded from the lips and the chest was exposed. A crown rested upon the mans head, and only a loin cloth of red cloth hung between his legs. It was truly terrifying.
"NOw make your choice." Harkon demanded from his new, fang filled maw.
Bjorn looked to Serana, who had inched just a bit closer to him, as if she got some sense of...protection? Comfort? He didn't know. But she got something from him, and while he knew it would be simplier to elave, he couldn't. There was just something about her, about her plight, about her fathers fixation with that elder scroll. What did it all mean? Looking to Harkon, Bjorn nodded.
"I will accept your gift."
Harkon grinned and growled out, "Be still."
With a speed that Bjorn didn't know anyone could possibly have, Harkon rushed him, claws finding his head and shoulder. Craning his head, Harkon sank his teeth into the muscle of Bjorn's neck, and he felt himself give a strangled cry as his body went stiff as a board from the attack. A gasp reached his ears, and he thought it was a womans, but he wasn't sure. The whole world was getting fuzzy, and he felt his body slipping away, like her were dying one more time, just like he had all those years ago. There was little he could do before he felt himself collapse and the world went blank.
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Bjorns head was spinning as he finally began to regain consciousness. He opened his eyes and slowly moved to try and push himself up onto his hands and knees. The world was blurry, and his head pounded with a throbbing like he hadn't ever felt in all his lifetime. His body felt weak and shaken, like he had just overcome some nasty illness that nearly killed him. Looking around like a drunk from a hangover, Bjorn found himself in a dark stone room, with Harkon at the front, next to a fount that was flowing with blood.
Pushing himself to his knees, Bjorn found himself unsteady but determined. Pushing himself upright, Bjorn got to his feet and wavered a bit, before groaning, and gripping his head. With his sight clearing, Bjorn heard Harkon speak.
"Awake at last? Good...the power is growing within you, and now you must learn to wield it."
Bjorn was confused and he looked around, his mind unable to truly comprehend anything at the moment.
"Wh...what ha...what happened? How...how did I...how did I get here?" Bjorn asked after a few moments of trying to get his thoughts together. Harkon grinned.
"My blood is potent. At first the body is overwhelmed by it. After my bite, you collapsed and fell into a slumber. Now your flesh has acclimated to the new blood that courses through your veins. I assure you, no harm was done to you while you slumbered. In truth, your strength surprises me, not all mortals can withstand my embrace.
Bjorn looked around a little more, able to take in a few more details now that his mind was clearing.
"What is this place?" He asked as he took in the sight of the shrine Harkon was standing next to. He could have sworn he knew those symbols...
"A shrine to Molag Bal, the mighty Daedra Prince who is father to all our kind. Our power is a blessing frm him. It is he who first bestowed the gift of the ancient blood to me."
Bjorn knew now exactly how this had come to be. No wonder Harkon was so strong, he had made some sort of deal with a Daedric prince. But Molag Bal?
"You made a pact with Molag Bal?" Bjorn questioned, wanting to get to the bottom of it all as quickly as he could. He didn't wish to be near that evil shrine for to long, he had heard horror stories of the things that Molag Bal tends to force his followers into doing to gain his favor. Harkon spoke.
"In an age long forgotten to history, I ruled as a mighty king. My domain was vast, my riches endless and my power infinite. And yet as my mortal life neared an end, I faced a seemingly invincible enemy; my mortality. I pledged myself to Molag Bal, and in his name I sacrificed a thousand innocents. In reward, he gave everlasting life to my wife, my daughter, and myself. Thus I have defeated mortality himself. Now, are you ready to hone the skills I have bestowed upon you?"
Bjorn trained with Harkon for the better part of that day. Harkon taught him how to shift in and out of the terrible form Harkon had taken to bestow the gift upon Bjorn. Called the Vampire Lord, the form used blood magic, and life magic to kill its foes. Feeling a power he had never felt, Bjorn did feel as if he could take on the whole world, like he knew that nothing the world could throw at him, would ever overtake him. After his training, Bjorn assumed his normal form, and began to take his leave, but Harkon stopped him.
"I have a task for you." He said simply, and Bjorn turned to nod to him, "I will do as you ask."
Harkon smiled, it would seem he had found a very suitable pawn indeed. "Good. Go and speak to Garan Marethei. Tell him it is time. He will understand."
Bowing before Harkon, Bjorn took his leave. Stepping down a few steps from the chamber he was in, Bjorn found himself face to face with Serana. She looked at him for a long moment, before suddenly rushing at him and throwing her arms about his neck and hugged him tightly. Bjorn, so shocked by the sudden affection, wasn't quit sure what to do. Before his mind could respond with hugging her back, Serana pulled away,
"Oh Bjorn! You finally woke up! Thank the Gods...I was so worried that you wouldn't make it through the trials. My fathers blood has killed many who have accepted it...I feared you'd be one of them."
Touched by her concern for him, Bjorn smiled and nodded gently, "What did you expect? I am a Nord man after all. I don't think a little blood can take me down."
Serana rolled her eyes and then stepped away, her hands fully leaving his body and she just looked at him for a moment, "The transformation suits you. I like the paleness of your face, and the red-orange is much better than what you had before." She teased gently, which made Bjorn playfully scowl at her. She rolled her eyes at his scowl and then waved her hand, as if to dismiss him like some common slave.
"Don't you have some errands to run?" She asked playfully, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips. Bjorn stuck his nose in the air, looking defiant for her amusement.
"Well yes of course I do. I am rather important around here Serana. After all, I did save your sorry hide from some cave."
Serana smacked his arm playfully and shook her head, a laugh coming from her throat, but as soon as it began, its stopped. Her eyes were fixed on something behind Bjorn, and when Bjorn went to look, he found that Harkon had just passed.
With all cheer gone from Serana's face, she shook her head, "I have to go." And before Bjorn could even utter a word, she was off. Giving a sigh of frustration, Bjorn shook his head and walked onward through the castle, looking for this Garan fellow.
Walking through the mainhall, and hearing a few cutting words from the nearby Nord and High Elf, Bjorn managed to get a location on Garan from a nearby imperial. Walking to the adjacent room, and up the stairs, Bjorn found the Dunmer vampire inspecting something on a table. Approaching, Bjorn cleared his throat,
"Are you Garan Marethei?" He asked to the Dunmer, who looked over his shoulder and nodded.
"Yes I am he. And you are?"
"My name is Bjorn. I have a message from Harkon."
Garan nearly cut him off, "Lord Harkon. Remember your place." He paused for the briefest of moments, "Now, what is our Lord's wish?"
Bjorn gave a slight shrug, "He simply said 'Its time'"
Garan's expression turned from mild annoyance to shock. His eyesbrows shot up so high Bjorn thought they might puncture a hole in the roof. "Well well." Garan said with a click of his tongue. "He wants the Claice then? You've heard of the Bloodstone Chalice yes?"
Bjorn shook his head, "I've never head of it."
Garan shrugged, not looking surprised.
"Its a rather well kept secret. The Chalice has been in Lord Harkons possession for quite some time. It is able to increase the potency of our powers."
Garan suddenly pushed away from the table, walked right past Bjorn and down the stairs. Bjorn was quick to follow. As they walked, Garan continued his tale, "Lord Harkon has neglected it for ages, so if he wants it now, grander things are in the future. Good. Lord Harkon has never cared to use the chalice, relying on his more than adequate powers until now. This is an intriguing change."
They passed into the main hall, and came between the Nord and the High Elf who were still exchanging insults. Garan stopped and looked between the two, a slight look of annoyance crossing his features.
"Excuse us. I need to fetch the Bloodstone Chalice."
The High Elf looked at Garan with a surprised expression, "The Chalice? Why?"
The nord shared the same expression, but his was more angered than just surprise, "What are you going on about?"
Garan waved a hand dismissively at the Nord, which made the Nord look even more upset. "Lord Harkon's orders Orthjolf. Calm yourself. He has instructed our friend here to fill it."
The elf looked to Bjorn, with a little more intrigue than surprise this time. "Really?" He questioned towards Garan.
Garan just nodded, "Indded. He is off to Redwater Den."
Both the High Elf and the Nord nodded their heads and spoke their wishes of good luck and favores of the gods upon Bjorn, which seemed strange to him. Pushing forward past them, Garan shrugged, explaining. "Vingalmo and Orthjolf are Harkon's prime advisors. 'm sure they're quite surprised you're taking the Chalice." He gave a laugh, as if it were some inside joke that Bjorn didn't know just yet.
Stepping into a side room that held a single little pedistole, and upon it a large silver chalice with intricate carve work done about it, Bjorn and Garan stopped. Garan continued to speak, "And here we are." He motioned to the chalice. "Now this Chalice needs to be filled directly from the Bloodspring that is at the heart of Redwater Den. But thats not enough. Once thats done, the blood of a powerful vampire must be added. Keep in mind that Redwater Den has fallen into...well lets just say less than reputable members of society have taken hold in there. It's your choice to deal with them, or force your way through. But hurry back. You don't want to keep Lord Harkon waiting."
Nodding and takin the Chalice, Bjorn set it within one of his belt pouches and then nodded to Garan. Stepping out of the room they were in, Bjorn cast a quick glance around the main floor, as if hoping to catch a glympse of Serana before he left. But alas, she was not there. Feeling his heart sink a little more, Bjorn hung his head and headed out into the rain that had taken hold of the castle while they were inside. He had to go to this Redwater Den.
He hoped Serana would still be at this castle when he returned...