JoS/Henriette/13th Journal - Prophecy

Second Seed, 8th, 4E 202

We made it to the Ancestral Glade, a place every bit as pretty as I expected it to be. There I completed the ritual to read the Scrolls. It was a little scary, but also just about the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. The way its vast knowledge flowed into my head cannot be described in words. When it was all over, I knew where we had to go. I… I can't even explain how. I just knew.

That's when trouble found us. We had been followed by the Dawnguard. How careless could we have been to not notice them?

I feel that our goals regarding what we're planning align with them more than they align with Harkon considering that we want to stop the prophecy from happening as well, but even if we had tried to explain that, they likely wouldn't have listened. They just wanted to kill us… I think? It's hard to say. They might've wanted to capture me alive as well. Maybe they don't know how to initiate the ritual themselves? Who knows? Well, whatever the case may be, we will never know.

It was a dragged-out fight. We were outnumbered from the start and our enemy had the high ground. The glade was shaped kind of like a bowl and we were at the bottom. I also had a feeling they had sent their best against us. It could be why they've been so careful of attacking us as of late. I mentioned it in passing as a joke in the past, but maybe they really are a little scared of us.

Eventually they got to the point where they realized they were losing. The only survivor left tried to escape. We were able to stop her, mostly thanks to Serana's frost magic. She probably thought we were going to torture her, turn her into a thrall or something, but I just wanted to speak with her. I had a message I wanted to relay to Isran.

"Relax", I said. We don't want to fight them, we don't need to, and they don't need to fight us either. I tried to tell her that I've got no interest in trying to plunge the world into darkness, nor do any of my friends, or most of the other vampires for that matter. We're simply looking to collect the tools for completing the prophecy so we can stop it from happening.

It was clear that she didn't know everything I was talking about or that she even believed me, but in the end, Serana told her that it didn't matter and that we would not hesitate to kill them if they stood in our way. I told her that there are many vampires who think differently from us, and if the Dawnguard wants to hunt those clans, fine, but they shouldn't concern themselves with us. We just want to exist in this world in peace. If, however, they choose otherwise and group us together with all other vampires, we might just have to fight back and seek to eradicate them in our interest of survival. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that.

"Consider this our final warning", I said, as I handed her a potion and left with my friends.

So anyway, where are we going? Well, the place is called Darkfall Cave. It's somewhere towards the border with High Rock, directly to the west from Dragon Bridge. Despite the vision I saw, I still don't know exactly what we will discover there besides the bow, but something tells me we better pack a lot of stuff. Time will tell.

Second Seed, 11th, 4E 202

We did some final preparation before embarking on our long journey, and we found the cave relatively quickly. There haven't been too many dangers in our way yet, just some pesky spiders and trolls, but as we delve deeper, that thing will change. Auriel's Bow isn't merely a treasure that's locked away in here in some kind of container. To obtain it, we must do so much more than just a little bit of tomb raiding.

We actually met an elf here, a Snow Elf called Gelebor. He knew that we were coming for the bow. No, wait, that's phrasing it badly… He guessed that's what we were there for as soon as he saw us. He didn't actually anticipate us coming. Apparently, nobody ever comes to this cave for any other reason, and he's been here presumably for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Man, I do not envy him.

So anyway, he's a Falmer, an ancient kind, a more sophisticated one, not like those twisted, blind… Things. For starters, he actually looks like a proper elf, he's got an upright posture and all that stuff, and he's not blind either. I never knew they used to have some kind of connection… It was an interesting history lesson, that's for sure. I won't go into much detail about that though. He, along with his brother, is probably the last true representative of his race.

Ahead of lies perhaps the most well-preserved part of the ancient kingdom of Snow Elves, a chantry devoted to their god Auri-El, as they call him. It's weird how different cultures have different interpretations of the same gods. I mean, I call him Akatosh because that's what I've been taught. Greybeards also said that my gift of Dragon Blood is a gift from Akatosh. Some even think that the two are two entirely different gods or that they've split in two or something… Aedra are confusing sometimes, not gonna lie… But I digress.

In order to reach the Inner Sanctum of this chantry, the place where the bow is located, we must follow some kind of pilgrim's path and fill some dumb old jug with water from a bunch of wayshrines scattered along the way. He called it "the Initiate's Ewer", but that just sounds pretentious. It's a fucking jug!

All of this sounds like a chore, but there's no other way to go about this. Gelebor also says that we have to kill his brother Vyrthur, who's been corrupted by the blind Falmer, or as he likes to call them, the Betrayed. That's the only way we can restore the wayshrine located within the Inner Sanctum and get our hands on the bow. He also warned us that many have tried to complete this task over the years and that none have passed. It might very well be that we're going to be no different, but… If we fail here, at least we know we will fall along with the prophecy… I hope. The chantry is pretty huge, and we have to be well prepared to spend nights and days there, maybe even better part of a week.

To make a more personal observation, since we're dealing with Falmer, we're probably going to be dealing with Chaurus as well. They tend to walk hand in hand… I have pretty much already accepted that we're going to be raped ahead. It's strange, but somehow accepting it makes it a little bit easier.

Second Seed, 12th, 4E 202

We had entered Falmer's realm, and we were fighting on their battlefield on their terms. Ahead of us laid a long passage of pitch-black darkness, with only mushrooms and strange tube-like organisms providing light from their eerie glow. We were forced to tap into quite a bit of blood magic to sustain our predator's vision, but at times even that didn't feel like enough. It's a good thing I can also detect lifeforms using the power of my voice, and I didn't even have to shout.

And just as I predicted, we were faced with Chaurus as well, as became apparent from the very beginning. We didn't even get through the first group of bugs without one of us getting caught and raped by the tentacles. It ended up being Sofia. We were able to save her rather quickly, so she didn't have to suffer for long.

Serana hasn't been with us on many adventures, so she hasn't experienced as much of this as we have. She was a little disgusted by the sight of what these Chaurus are capable of. She was worried that it might happen to her as well, to which I simply said, it will, and that's a promise. She was quiet for a long while after that.

Oh, but that was just the first group of enemies we were up against. We encountered a LOT more.

Then, it happened again, and the third time, and then the fourth. Every single time it was Sofia. Forgive my dark sense of humor, but seriously, it would've been funny how it ended up being her all the time if she wasn't being brutally raped! The spit of the Chaurus that got on her must be attracting tentacles to attack her. We couldn't even help her out when the fourth set of tentacles raped her. They went all the way and filled her with their foul seed.

I could just tell that she was so done at that point. Can't blame her as we hadn't even made it to the first shrine at that point.

Luckily, it didn't take much more time to finally find one. Four left to go. We also found the way out from the caves, so we can actually get outside now. Sun is rising soon though, and we've had a long day, so we're going to hunt some fresh game and call it quits for now. We need rest. Badly. There's a lot of deer here, and also Falmer for blood, so we won't be getting hungry, that's for sure.

Second Seed, 13th, 4E 202

Serana couldn't have said it better. It's like a whole another world. It reminds Skyrim only in its coldness and tall mountain peaks surrounding us, and I guess trees are more or less the same, but flowers and animals are quite different here. They've been isolated from the other parts of Skyrim for so long, and ancient elven ruins dot the landscape. This is the Forgotten Vale. I never knew such a beautiful place existed so close to my home.

We did find two more of the way shrines, but that was about as far as we progressed this night. I must say though, I didn't expect us to find three out of five so quickly, not after Gelebor told us that this place is massive. We also found some ancient book that Urag might be interested in, maybe even pay good money for. No idea what it says, but it's remarkably well-preserved considering it's probably the ancient Falmer that wrote it.

Then, we found a giant with snow-white fur native to this valley. It would've been a tough foe to meet face to face, not gonna lie, but at the same time, the lumbering oaf made for great target practice. On its corpse, we found a strange crystal. It wasn't a natural gemstone or anything. It has been artificially created, that much we're sure about. We don't know what kind of purpose it serves, but we're going to hold onto it. If nothing else, it's an interesting treasure. I wonder if it's worth anything to a collector.

On a final note, we didn't expect it to be this cold out here. Our Vampiric blood offers us some resistance from the cold, so we know we won't freeze to death or anything, but it's not plausible to continue our journey like this. I'm going to craft us some warm fur armor as soon as we get back to the cave. Those Sabercats provided us with lots of it, and I have no doubt that the following night will be much easier on us when we have proper clothes for this chilling weather.

Second Seed, 14th, 4E 202

A new day, or rather, a new night was ahead of us. We continued our journey, this time up the mountain. We did find the fourth waypoint and then some, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, as we weren't actually able to get to it yet. Why won't I share a story with you about how we nearly died?

Dragons, that's why. Yes, that's a plural. There were two of them at the same time. It was on top of a large, frozen lake on a plateau. One of them was kind of weak and we were able to kill him quickly, but when we were faced with the remaining one, things started going south really fast. It was his last stand.

First, giant fireballs summoned by his voice started raining down on us. His breath was also strong, and he just wouldn't land to fight us on equal ground. I think he was scared, or perhaps just fighting smart. There's a fine line between the two. It proved out to be too much of a task for us, so we ran and FAST. We weren't willing to die there.

We were able to find refuge in a nearby cave that was populated by an ice giant. Well, fighting a giant is easier than fighting a dragon that can literally burn you alive in seconds! It also happened to have another one of those strange gemstones on it. This one is different color though.

I'm not sure if the dragon followed us or if it knows we're hiding here, but we're a little afraid of finding out. We will have a chance to fight it later, but we have to be able to surprise it somehow…

Second Seed, 14th, 4E 202

Now the second of these two dragons lies dead. It wasn't an easy fight, even with us being able to ambush it, but we had the edge we needed to defeat him.

When we exited the Ice Giant's cave, we also found something nearby. There was some kind of strange ruin, or a machine… Something powered by magic, something that was still operational. We didn't even know this until we figured out that the two large crystals we found could be used to operate it. With it, portals to different parts of the vale can be accessed. They must've been used by Snow Elves as some kinds of treasure rooms or guarding posts or something, or perhaps just ways of traveling across vast distances quickly. They seemed to be quite good with portals and teleportation magic. I've even heard of there once being wayshrines similar to what you have in this valley, which could be used to travel across all of Skyrim. I wonder what happened to them. Did the ancient Nords destroy them?

The first one of the places we teleported into was overlooking parts of the cave we had previously visited, while the other one actually led inside some larger elven ruin. There we found heaps of treasure; gems, gold, and ancient weaponry… This place is full of riches! It also proved to be an adequate resting place. What's not to love? It's warm, it's safer than a cave, and it's even spacious. We don't have much reason to continue our travel with the sunrise fast approaching, so we'll rest here. We did go outside just to get the water we needed from the wayshrine. Not too many wind animals up here, but luckily we have some food left from yesterday.

I think Sofia's little bastard children are due soon. She's getting a little restless because of that. Maybe I should comfort her? Serana isn't too interested in that, but she doesn't mind us having that kind of relationship, I think… Maybe she's just embarrassed to admit that she secretly wants to join in. Who knows, she could be gayer than me and Sofia combined! Ahaha, probably not… Although that would be kind of hot.

Next, we're gonna have to travel past the fourth wayshrine, but we haven't scouted ahead to see where it leads.

Second Seed, 15th, 4E 202

Our way to the last wayshrine is not yet finished, and it might not be finished in a long while. Behind us lies a whole lot of fallen enemies as well as enemies we simply gave up on, along with a whole lot of bad memories all of us would rather forget. Ahead of us though, might lie something much worse.

For all intents and purposes, it seemed like a kind of landscape I would excel in. Our enemy were mostly Falmer as well as winged Chaurus, but these guys weren't living underground. It was a vast canyon traversing from the frozen lake towards the southwest. There were a lot of tall ledges, a lot of bridges, and a whole lot of distance between us. I did most of the job at the beginning. I must say, I've gotten excellent at aiming. I don't hit every time, but most people wouldn't be able to hit a single arrow on a moving target from as far back as I did. Problems only started when we had to get up close and personal with our opponents, who despite being blind, had figured out our exact location.

It isn't easy to move here. As I said, this is a canyon. There's a lot of ice everywhere, and falling down doesn't sound attractive. Falmer took advantage of this to corner us and outnumber us. There were so many of them, over a dozen, some of them even attacking from away our arms reach. We never had a chance against all of them. They wore us down, their poison started tiring us, and they forced us into submission. Blindfolded, tied up, and gagged, they dragged us to some cave, a cave where we've been ever since. It was the first time any of us had ever lost to these creatures. It has always been the Chaurus. Now though, even though we're at our strongest, stronger than we've ever been before, we all fell so easily.

They started by destroying our armor and stealing our weapons. We lost everything to them, and there's no doubt they've emptied the jug out as well. Refilling it isn't going to be a problem anymore, at least compared to this… Who knows if we're ever going to be able to get all of our stuff back. Will we recover even half of our stuff?

Then, they gang-raped us for hours. It was a proper gangbang. Even though there were three of us girls, they still felt like an endless horde. They had us surrounded and always had a new rapist lined up waiting for the previous one to finish toying with us. They were just constantly on top of us and offered us no rest. There was always at least one having their way with us, sometimes even two. It's hard to even tell how long they used us. We were blindfolded for large parts of the time, and even after they fell from our eyes, we still couldn't even see well in the darkness.

When they were satisfied and done raping us, they threw us in a cage together with their pets Chaurus, and we were too tired to do anything to defend ourselves anymore. A hive locked behind traps and bars, walls made of spikes and bones was set to be our prison. Our purpose here is to serve as their cattle along with their Chaurus to breed more of them, more eggs, more meat for consumption, and more chitin for weapons and armor. At times the bugs themselves mounted us. At other times it was just the tentacles entangled to our limbs. They let us go pretty quickly after filling us all with their eggs, so at least they're easy to satisfy. Our blood magic is useless against them, so are our fangs and my voice. And without our weapons… What can we do?

Second Seed, 16th, 4E 202

There isn't really any way for us to get out of here, at least not from the inside anyway. We've looked everywhere desperately, tried to find any possible chance at exit, but it's completely impossible. The door can only be opened by the Falmer from the outside, and that hasn't happened for the entire duration of the time we've been here. The Chaurus have done us for multiple rounds during that time too, and we're already feeling so defeated and so tired… My legs, my bloated stomach… I barely feel like I can stand. I couldn't run away even if I tried.

It's hopeless, seriously hopeless for us. Like, what if they have poisons similar to ones that those Falmer in Blackreach used? That would be an absolute disaster…

There has to be some way out, there just has to be. I refuse to believe this is it for us.

Second Seed, 17th, 4E 202

After roughly two days of captivity, the first piece of the puzzle falls into place. It's a small sign of hope, but it's at least something… There's a way for us to get out of this mess.

The Falmer come to check on us once in a while, mostly to collect eggs. When they do, they usually take one of us for a ride as well. My time was actually first, while Serana and Sofia were left behind. I was much more willing of a participant than last time around, not only because I didn't want to anger my overlords but also because I have to be on the lookout for clues about how to escape this place.

It probably doesn't sound convincing considering I'm enslaved, but I can tell that Falmer aren't the strongest or the most intelligent slavers I've faced. They are exceptionally prominent with using poisons and other elixirs, but in many other ways, they're subpar. Sure, they've got more than enough muscle in their arms to outpower any of us, but it's not a coincidence that we've avoided getting raped by them up until now. I'm also convinced that we can use their blindness to our advantage. We just have to be very quiet when we eventually attempt our escape, maybe with the exception of me.

My current plan is that we might be able to use my voice against them, perhaps as a distraction in addition to using it as a weapon. Our vampiric powers are also effective against the Falmer… Just not these Chaurus we're trapped with most of the time. We might need to get our hands on their weapons somehow since we don't know where our items are held. We don't even know how large this cave truly is…

There are still clues for us to observe. We can't strike against our slavers yet. I'm sure we can figure something out given enough time.

Second Seed, 19th, 4E 202

We might've acted a little hastily, but it did work out in the end. We made it back outside, but we're taken a few major steps back, and we've got no weapons or armor of our own, just some daggers and swords we looted from the Falmer. They still have our jug as well, so we definitely have to be going back there to complete this journey by refilling it again, but that's for when we've eventually recovered.

It happened when they came for one of us. It had to be someone else other than me, and it was Sofia this time. I used my voice, and it proved to be just as effective of a weapon as I predicted. Falmer rely too much on their ears, and now their ears were ringing in pain. Serana was able to get to one of the Falmer who was dragging Sofia away and bit its neck. I snatched its weapon, a sword, and attacked the other slaver. A powerful surprise attack was able to take its life instantly. There were two more, but at this point, we had alerted all of them. We had to run out fast.

We had a very good idea of where the entrance to that place was, and we headed there. It led to the bottom of the canyon, where liquid water filled its cavities and vegetation was able to grow. We were able to hide our presence midst the sounds of flowing water. They were looking for us, but we were careful enough to not get noticed. It's a good thing their restraints were all primitive ropes and such, and not made of metal or leather, like some of the more problematic items are. They made no noise either and could be struggled out of easily.

Now, we're back in the woods, where it's at least a little bit safer. Like I said, we're stark naked, so obviously, we're freezing, and our weapons are limited, but we can gather our strength and rebuild.

Second Seed, 20th, 4E 202

The Falmer came for us. It was only a small scouting party though, and we saw them coming. We've got even more weapons now, but this still isn't enough. Our bodies have recovered well from the abuse we took, and we were even able to hunt some fur and leather from the wilds. We can do this. We're sure we can.

Besides, I actually forgot about something crucial… We might not have extra weapons in our arsenal, but we do have an ally we could rely on. I'm sure Durnehviir would hate to see me in this state, considering that I'm the one who defeated him, but at the same time, he owes me, and he will owe me a little more if I grant his wish and let him fly the skies of Tamriel again. I'm sure he would appreciate having some fun killing some Falmer for us as well…

Yes, that sounds like a cunning plan. No way those disgusting blind creatures stand a chance against him…

He can only maintain his presence in Tamriel for a short period of time, or so he told me. He's still bound to the Soul Cairn, so we might really only have one chance. My plan is to somehow attract the attention of the Falmer and drag them away from their caves so that my flying friend can have fun with them. I have a feeling that it's not going to be too hard. After all, there's no way that those Falmer want to let us slip away from their fingers, considering how much they loved having us around.

Second Seed, 20th, 4E 202

Well, well, well… Everything I predicted happened. Tricking those dumb Falmer to chase us out in the fields wasn't hard at all, and they didn't stand a chance against Durnehviir. It was an absolute bloodbath. He destroyed the bridges connecting different parts of the canyon, burned their huts, and killed so many of them. It was honestly quite a sight to see.

I also correctly predicted the fact that he was surprised and saddened to see the mighty Qahnaarin in this sorry state.

But as I said, his time in Mundus was limited, so he was forced to return to the Soul Cairn pretty much instantly after he was done. We didn't even have a chance to thank him, but we'll get a chance next time around. I promise that next time I summon him, it won't be to beg for his help, but rather to reward him for his loyalty towards me and to let him soar the skies freely and for fun. We were left to pick up the scraps.

There were still Falmer left, but they had lost too many and were up for easy pickings. We invaded their stupid little cave and quickly found the chest where they had hidden our stuff in. Surprisingly, we saved large parts of them, and fortunately, we could find everything we wanted to find. It's not like we lost all our wealth either, as most of my money and savings have been at home ever since I left for this current adventure.

We then went to refill the jug. It was luckily quite easy since the wayshrines could be used as portals to access all the shrines we had previously visited. Now, we can finally continue our journey and hopefully make it straight to the Inner Sanctum.

Second Seed, 22nd, 4E 202

And so, our long journey through the Forgotten Vale concludes. We're at its end, looking down on the valley from the high point, contemplating what has happened and what we must do next.

The way from the fourth wayshrine to the fifth was way longer than any of us thought, but we have to wonder, would it have gone faster had we not been more careful this time? Well, probably, as in hindsight, we were more cautious than we needed to be. Better safe than sorry though, as we didn't want to get caught again, not after we worked so hard to save ourselves from the last group that enslaved us. We did make it there in the end, and after we did, we were able to get inside the Inner Sanctum, which lied directly in front of the last way shrine. It was time to face Vyrthur, Gelebor's brother.

This chantry had been frozen almost all the way through from the inside, along with the Falmer and the Chaurus who guarded it. They could free themselves of the magic that binds them inside the ice if disturbed, but ONLY if disturbed. After fighting the first group of them, we quietly decided to not bother the rest and instead just continued forward quietly and carefully.

So much was revealed to us when we fought him…

Gelebor thought that the Betrayed had corrupted his brother, but it was actually the other way around. Vyrthur had become a vampire, even despite the protection of his god. He was so filled with hate and so intent on revenge that he came up with the idea of corrupting Auriel's Bow with the blood of a vampire, and he was pretty happy that we had brought Serana to him. The prophecy had been conceived by him all along, and given how he had all the tools at his disposal, he was happy to see it to the end. However, he didn't come up with it to control the world, but rather to ruin and destroy it. It just reinforced our belief that the prophecy must be stopped and the belief that Harkon is in the wrong to pursue it.

He wasn't that powerful of a foe, at least not alone. His servants caused us a lot of trouble, but when he was eventually faced with us alone, he was as good as dead. All the pieces to complete the prophecy were finally in our hands. I have to wonder, wouldn't it have been better for us to not search for these treasures to stop the prophecy from taking place? Well, yes and no. If we didn't find these pieces, someone else would've. Besides, with Auriel's Bow now in our possession. It's a powerful weapon against Harkon, a weapon that can take him down without question.

Yeah, that's right. We will kill him. We're not afraid of him. I may be thankful for the gift he has bestowed upon me, but now it's time for him to die. In fact, I think that's next on our bucket list. Better get this done with sooner rather than later.

Second Seed, 25th, 4E 202

There are certain traditions that must be respected in Castle Volkihar, and certain rules that must be followed. There's a lot of political maneuvering going on here constantly, and people like to settle their scores either by fighting to the death or by sending their goons to do the killing instead, and this is just accepted. Nobody bats an eye. That's why nobody, not a single member of the clan, tried to stop me from challenging Lord Harkon's rule in a fight to the death. They were willing to watch centuries of work to see this prophecy fulfilled go to waste. That's how important tradition and customs are to these people.

First, Serana and Harkon had some words to exchange. Serana asked if he truly was willing to cast his own daughter aside by sacrificing her, and it really seemed like that was Harkon's intention all along. He had never been honest about it and was hoping that Serana would never find out.

As for me, he wasn't disgusted with me or even angry. In fact, he showed great respect towards me during our little talk, describing me as one of the strongest vampires he'd ever met despite me being just a toddler compared to his ancient self. He gave me just one opportunity to betray Serana and take his side, but I wasn't gonna do that. After all, if he was willing to sacrifice his own daughter, who's to say he wouldn't have betrayed me next and tried to have me killed after I was no longer useful to him?

Obviously, I said no. Then, Harkon and I faced off.

Serana had told me a lot about how to prepare, what kind of battle strategy we should use, and so on and so forth. I'm not ashamed to admit that she's a lot smarter than me, so obviously, I took all of her advice. She said that he has everything against me; strength, size, speed, experience, power, numbers… But that I also have a shot against him. I have many powerful tools of my own, all of which could be used to counter most of his advantages over me.

Auriel's Bow isn't just some silver weapon the likes of which the Dawnguard uses. No, this weapon enchants every arrow drawn through it and burns through the flesh of the undead. It's not really a weapon that should be in my hands, considering it's a weapon designed to kill people like me. Regardless, I'm not sure if even Harkon knew just what kind of power it possessed before I first struck him with it. I also used my voice to carry the arrows just faster and further. My every shot was like a straight line, a ray of light that pierced straight through his body, and with the first shot that pierced his body without him even being able to dodge, the realization of his inevitable defeat quickly dawned on him. He wouldn't be able to defeat me one on one, not with the arrows being able to pierce his magical wards and shields.

He tried to pull all the stops early. He summoned the dead to fight for him, and he brought the gargoyles to life. Harkon wasn't willing to stick to the rules of this being a simple duel over the bow, so my friends joined the fight as well. Serana and Sofia were both very prepared for this because they knew it wouldn't be a one-on-one fight. Lucky for us and unlucky for my foe, all those undead that Harkon tried to use to oppress me just ended up being fodder for my friends.

He also tried to shield himself off behind some kind of impregnable shield conjured by blood magic more advanced than anything I could even conceive of. No matter, my bow could even pierce it. He couldn't use his magic to drain away our lifeforce, and he couldn't use anything around him to recover. All of the powers that us vampires have over mortals weren't going to help him. He may be an ancient vampire, but we also proved that he's rusty when it comes to fighting against his own kind. He had no counter to our weapons. Serana's plan was working. That didn't mean that it was easy for us. It was an endurance fight that tested my limits of just how far I could go… Just one mistake on my part could've ruined it all.

My limits were enough. I was able to stay focused. I eventually had him defenseless in front of me.

He could no longer maintain his Vampire Lord transformation and turned back to his normal self. On his knees, he shouted obscenities at me, at his very own daughter, and I just kept drawing arrows, quietly sinking them one by one into his undead flesh. Eventually, he was too tired to even shout, so he just kept talking, coughing up blood. I still kept shooting. I finally decided that I was done torturing him, so I aimed at his heart, shooting the last arrow through it. Then, it was over. His remains reduced into dust.

Serana hugged me as soon as it was over, and she thanked me. She was crying, and I couldn't blame her. She knew it had to be done, and she was thankful, but I had just killed her father, so it was only natural for her to feel mixed emotions from this. I asked if she was okay, to which she replied by actually kissing me on the lips. She properly pushed herself on me. As confused and surprised as I was, I couldn't help myself. I just had to stick my tongue out and make the kiss sweeter. She liked it a lot, I think.

Come on, Serana, don't pull stunts like that on me. You make me actually want you.

Others had noticed that the fight had ended, and there was one man standing behind me. Garan Marethi congratulated me on my victory, saying that I had proven myself to be the superior vampire. I must admit that I'm not as familiar with all the other vampires here as I'd like to be, but here he was, recognizing me as his new Mistress. It's not something I really even considered before now, but that really is the case now, isn't it…? This castle is now mine? I kind of don't want it, but… These guys wouldn't accept me just handing it over either, or would they? Who are they to defy my orders now? Of course, some would love to take the leadership from me, but they, of course, see it as a necessity to kill me to claim that throne. That's even more unacceptable.

Man, what a pain…

Maybe it's wrong of me to just abandon these guys, but I don't intend on becoming a leader here. I'm sure that this clan can actually operate without me. I feel like a lot of work has to be done towards that though. In fact, there's a lot of work ahead of this clan, period. For example, I find it hard to believe that the Dawnguard is willing to take our existence just lying down. With Auriel's Bow in my possession, they must be shaking in their boots. I guess I could use it as leverage against them in the future? If they know anything about the prophecy, they must at least be wondering why it hasn't come to fruition. I hope Isran realizes that maybe I'm not the enemy he thinks I am. If not, I might have to pay an unfriendly visit to their fortress in the near future.

Well, whatever the future may hold, it has to wait. I'm going to enjoy some well-deserved rest in my actual home. As for Serana? Well, she was ready to wish me goodbye and told me she was so thankful for everything I had done, but I wasn't going to allow that. I just laughed at her and asked her what she was talking about. Obviously, she's coming with me! I'm taking her home with me! I'm not going to let that cutie slip out from my fingers, especially not after the stunt she pulled on me! I want more of that and maybe go even further. I want to lay her down naked on my bed and just have my way with her over and over again… And I actually told her that, whispering it straight to her ear. She wants it too, she's okay with it…

Well, say no more, my lovely Serana. You're gonna live with me and be part of my unique little family now.

And even when if you look past her obvious sex appeal, she's extremely helpful to have around. Sofia likes her too, and they like each other just as much as they like me; not as much as I like them, but still! Besides, three little vampire girls are always better than two. Wouldn't you agree, dear diary? I should probably recruit Babette as well to make it four! Dawnguard would think twice about crossing us after that…

There was, however, still one final thing left for us to do before we could depart from Castle Volkihar, and that was to go visit Valerica in the Soul Cairn. We brought her the news and told her that doesn't have to hide anymore. She's free to return to her home now since her safety is guaranteed. She's a mighty vampire in her own right, so it's not like she's going to be messed with anyway. In fact, would she not make for a suitable replacement for Harkon? Better than me, that's for sure.

But now, the sun is rising, and I'm ready to rest and relax to prepare for a long journey home tomorrow.

• 14th Journal - Humiliation