Skyrim, The Bloodlust Within

Lord Harkon

I smiled and climbed out of the small wooden boat.

"I'm looking forward to it" I say, glancing over to the left of the Castle to see that the sun was resting on the waves of the horizon.

"We best get moving" I heard Serana say. "My Father will want to speak with you before giving you his blood" She said, leading me up to the Castle gates.

I follow beside Namasur and Serana as we lead up to the Castle, the heavy wooden doors growing bigger as we approached. A Vampire was positioned outside the castle, wearing a lighter version of the Vampire armour that Namasur was wearing. Upon arriving he moved to block out paths.

"Namasur, and our royal daughter Serana, why have you brought a stranger to our Castle?" He asks, his face and eyes cold as they glare at me.

Serana steps forward, the look on her face was calm but full of emotion.

"You have no authority to know why I have chosen to bring him here, I doubt that you are aware of events that occurred on that night over 10 years ago, am I right, new blood?" Serana says, a cold glare in her eyes. The Vampire that Serana had called 'New blood', suddenly had a hurtful look in his eyes, he bowed down onto his knees and lowered his head.

"Forgive me Serana, I should have known better to question our Lord's Daughter" He says in a regrettable tone.

Without another word Serana and Namasur passed the guardsman and pushed through a heavy wooden door, upon entering the building Serana turned to me and said

"Come on in, you'll find that other Vampires will be more welcoming than this one" She says, holding the door open for me. 

I nod and walk forward, not daring to take a last look at the sun-filled world. As Serana entered the Castle, leaving me at the doors, I wondered if my life would ever be the same. Then smiling to myself I thought 'Why would I ever want to be human?', before pushing my way into the Castle, and letting the wooden doors close with a soft thud behind me... 

As the doors closed behind me and I looked onward, I was illuminated with a dull grey light from a window to the left of me, which had a rather well-crafted stone statue of a Gargoyle before it, knelt down with it's wings folded and hind legs and arms held down before it in an attack position. Serana whistled at me for me to walk with her, and I followed. 

"Namasur has gone to get my Father" She said, walking down the stone stairs to the main hall of which we were now stood in.

Looking around the Castle was decorated with red drapes, hanging from the Castle walls and layered across the stone floors. Before me were two large dining tables, and on them laid not food such as bread or with drink such as wine, but human bones and blood scattered across the table. Various Vampires were sat at the chairs that surrounded it, feasting on human bodies that had been laid across the wood as a meal for them to feed from.

Candles illuminated the halls, bright and yellow in colour, they cast a rather dull but alerting atmosphere around the Castle. As I walked onward, I saw... Dogs? No, hounds? Wandering around the Castle. Their body was a light black in colour, the skeletal form of the creature could be seen through the skin that clung to the bone. It's face was that of a skull, hollow with burning red eyes that looked up at me, looked through me... As I walked past them. 

As Serana raised her hand to stop me from walking ahead, she turned to face me just as what I presumed to be her Father, Harkon, walk through one of the Castle doors. Blocking my view from him for only a few seconds she said

"Listen, do not speak unless you are spoken to, treat him with respect, do not answer back, and do not raise your weapons or temper, or you'll be the next meal on the table" She said quickly but clearly. "Do you understand?" She asked.

I nodded in response and she walked ahead with me behind.

"Ahh Serana, my daughter" I heard a deep and ancient voice say.

"Greetings Father" I heard Serana reply back, a warm smile on her face.

As Harkon turned his head to face me, my mind went back to that day my parents were killed. Before my mind gave way to the darkness that held onto my mind, I remember seeing a face that was all too familiar. I remembered it now... That pale face, the eyes that burned with a forever lustful fire, the calm features in his voice and face as he watched me lie in the dirt and grass. The clean cut of a black scruff that adorned his chin, cheeks and upper lip, just as black as the world as my vision faded... 

Harkon approached me, his face a smile as he stood before me.

"So, why is a stranger in our halls?" He asks me, his eyes looking into mine. 

I look back, my face un-moving as I spoke, though it was with respect.

"My name is J'zargo, I have come here to seek what my past has led me to" I say, leaving Harkon with a hint of who I was. 

Harkons face stretched back into a grin. "Ahh, the young cub, who fought for his parents as they burned in death's sweet fire, that night over 10 years ago, if i'm correct?" He says, raising his hand to my face he pointed to my scars across my left eye.

"Those 3 scars, how could I forget what you did to the Vampire that killed your parents? After he killed them you stood up, managing to ram a sword through his chest, but not before he managed to rake his talons across your eye, leaving you with a nice memory of that day" He said, stepping back to where the court could see him. 

"Everyone, this Khajiit, this Vampire, this is the cat that fought for his survival when he was just a young cub, barely surviving a Vampire attack that killed his only family, and with a bite wound to his neck, he stood up and fought to avenge their deaths, everyone, J'zargo shall become who he was meant to become, not the foul filth that crawl in the darkest reaches of Skyrim, living in dirty caves and feeding from the dead" Harkon announced, causing a wave of cheer and applause to echo through the Castle. 

Turning to me, his face that of pure bloodlust he said

"Ready to become a True Vampire, ready to become... A Vampire Lord?"