King-Fall

VII. All in Vain

I woke under a leanto, with arms and legs wrapped me, and the heat of a fire was nearby. The woman pressed herself into me and quivered like a fish out of water. A fire is right THERE, I thought in annoyance. Then I started really waking up and remembered everything that happened.

I sat up, headgear off, and croaked, "Serana? What happened?"

She closed her eyes and turned over. I frowned, the temple reminded her of Molag Bal. "Meridia still wants to talk, go."

"Serana," I stroked her hair but she swatted my hand away, "are you alright?"

"Time. Just a little time."

Sighing deeply I got up and tried to wisecrack, "Hey, that's one way to get you in a temple, right?" Serana didn't laugh or even acknowledge that she heard me. Yeesh, I thought, that was probably a bad joke.

This time, I went to the beacon of Meridia at the center of her shrine. It was faster than the catacombs and I think Meridia doesn't really want to waste to much time on me. I hit a knee at the shrine and the world went slower and was a shade bluer than before.

"Well, you purged my sanctuary again after leading your rival here. I don't know if I should thank you or punish you."

"I still need to atone for your messenger."

There was a smirk in the deity's voice, "Responsible. The Talion I thought I knew wouldn't remind me of things as that."

"You were pretending to forget?"

"Yes."

"What must I do to have your curse lifted?"

The voice sighed and tsked me, "Talion, Talion, Talion, do you have any idea how bad you messed up?"

Goosebumps came over me, my eye twitched and my hand gripped my knee that I had propped up.

"The Divines have forsaken you, Boethiah's challenger hunts for your life and Hermaeus Mora?" There was a dramatic pause before the voice added, "He waits for you Talion."

"Your messenger, he said that I was to die by my son's hand?"

"You are no longer going to die by your son's hand, but unless fate is altered when necessary you and your wife will die within a weeks time."

"Who shall slay me?"

"Can two be one especially when one disagrees with the other? A new thing shall horrify the earth and it will be because of you, Talion. And though your son will not slay you; he WILL make you fall before him."

I looked down into the dirt, what can I do?

"There's still hope. You just have to fight and not fall."

The color returned to the world and I was speechless as I returned to camp on the hill. Serana was by the fire with her hood up, her eyes shut tightly as I sat on the log next to her. My voice was hollow as I asked, "So... did Meridia tell you something like what I got?"

"Kinda." She sighed and it was a long moment before impulsively I got up, unsheathed the Bloodskal Blade with all my might and cleaved a log in half.

"Vain! Vain!" I screamed in pain.

"Talion..." Serana said wearily.

"I killed," with every word I chopped into the nearest tree, "fought, stole, murdered, studied, sacrificed over and over in vain!"

I stabbed the blade into the mud and tried to just resort to crushing the handle.

"I did it all to avoid this," tears flowed down my face, "I did everything in my power, everything! Even some of the questionable things were to save..." I plumped down into the dirt, "others."

Serana tentatively walked up to me and knelt down into leaves next to me. I shook my head as the tears flowed. The pictures of all that I had done, the horrors I faced, the immoral misdeeds I committed; they all flashed through my mind's eye. I looked up at Serana who just stayed there for me. I blushed at a realization.

I didn't... do Serana for others. The stupid thought made me laugh but it was empty of humor, a laugh of sadness. Serana leaned in, and whispered softly in my ear, "I'm still here."

"I'm sorry, for sending you away all those years ago."

She battled a hand at it dismissively, saying, "Oh, I'm immortal, I'll get over it. I was also the one who turned you down." She didn't look at me when she said, "I really did need you nine to ten months later though."

"Was that when you mourned your father's death?"

"Pfft, I helped you kill him. I-" she sighed, and soberly muttered, "I will probably always mourn that day."

"I still don't know if Akatosh is my mom, my dad... sent me down in an egg."

She laughed but I was serious. I never figured out who my parents were and now I most likely was going to die without knowing. I became swallowed by my destiny, why was I here? To defeat Alduin? To end the civil war? That's done and yet the sword hasn't left my hand. Is the saying always true? Those that live by the sword are bound to die by it.

"Hey, by the-" Serana sighed, lifting up my head, "somebody's, I will die with you. You changed destiny once. You just need to nudge it over a bit. Let's do this."

???'s pov

Gaining magika slowly over time I used passively healing spells as I traveled through the forests. I can't risk another engagement until I can use the benefits of my Atronach birth-sign. Maybe I should travel to the stone as well? No, I decided as I cast a high-level camouflage spell, I need to watch my prey... and the vampire's friends.