Chapter Text
Vorstag throws another body on the pile. The last one for the day. The daedra ahead of him begin the long trudge up the mountain and into the pass, where the portal back to Coldharbour is. He stares up to the sky, willing the clouds to part, for the stars to peek out.
His heavy armor is easy to move in now. Not as cumbersome or difficult. After retrieving Mannimarco last month, he is pleased to hear his screams each night. He could be near or very, very far from his cell. But each night Vorstag sleeps with a smile on his face.
“Looking for a Winged Twilight? Those lookers don’t grow on trees here.” A daedra hisses as he passes him.
Vorstag doesn’t grace him with an answer. He just stares, long and hard at the sky, awaiting any star to peek out.
On one of the long nights on the road with Serana, he often enjoyed stargazing with her. Any constellation he could find, he used to find them comforting as a mercenary. But with Serana, a woman with little knowledge of the world around her, it was a joy to see her face light up with every constellation he pointed out.
To see the stars peek out, just once, always reminds him that she’s alive. She’s somewhere out there, hopefully searching the same stars.
He nearly stumbles, a rock tripping him up. A daedra hisses out a laugh and pushes him. Vorstag bumps into another daedra who shoves him and soon, before he can stop it, a brawl starts. Vorstag won’t just stand there and take it, so he fights back, kicking and shoving where he can, feeling every hit and every cut on his face.
At the portal, he’s a bloody mess, but at least everyone else looked worse than him. He steps through. The others file down their line. Molag Bal sits on his throne, his chin on his hand and with a bored expression on his face.
“Champion?”
Vorstag turns at the sound. “Yes?”
“I got him to break today. He told me that his land is called Amaranth. It’s a place of his making. He did it, against any will of the gods. It will be destroyed as soon as I can get word out.” Molag Bal says with authority.
Vorstag blinks. That land was beautiful, it shouldn’t be real and now it won’t be. “Good.”
The Prince hisses out a laugh. “Violence looks good on you, remember that.”
The man could only sigh. He was right, violence and Vorstag went together like sweetrolls and honey mead. In his cell he lays down, stretching out on his bed so he can stare at the ceiling above and wish for stars. One day, it will be granted. They’ll be peeking out from some hole in the ceiling, and he’ll be asleep before he can notice, he just knows it.
It’s a fever dream. Maybe he got hit harder than he thought. When Vorstag blinks his eyes open he feels a soft hand landing on his cheek.
“He’s ready.”
“Good.”
Feminine, soft voices. Vampire hearts. Vorstag looks around only to see Valerica and Serana picking him up. “Where…”
“Shh.” Serana hisses. Her hood is pulled close to her face so no one can see. Her mother is the same way. They heave him up and Vorstag only has time to yelp when he’s pulled into another world.
Amaranth is broken. The realm had been torn so badly beyond repair a strange sort of occurrence was taking place. The north held a permanent sun blazing in the sky. To the south, the stars were held in the sky like bright, shining jewels. The moons remained far, far away, but are always clashing with the blue of the sky in the north.
Serana explained as much to Vorstag. “You know, the manor was almost gone, the library is destroyed but at least we will have somewhere to stay.”
Vorstag keeps looking around the gardens in awe. Some plants grew well in the summer-like patches. Others withered in the winter covered parts. “What happened here?”
“The land was unstable to begin with.” Mother starts, her hands clasped behind her back as she stares at the manor before them. “Tearing through the realms as Mannimarco and my daughter did on that day created a destabilizing effect. To do so further continues to damage the realm.”
“It was hurt when you came to get me?” Vorstag asks, his hand running through Serana’s hair. She leans against him, loving the way she’s held. She feels his steady heartbeat beneath her.
“Yes, that’s why it took so long to get you from that hold in Oblivion. Forgive us.” Mother says sheepishly. “I had to make sure this realm wouldn’t fall apart with the walking the three of us would do out and back. Especially to a stronger realm such as Coldharbour.”
“Why not let it just…disintegrate?” He asks.
“Because then Molag Bal would have you for good.” Serana says quietly. She can feel Vorstag stiffen beneath her, she just pulls him closer. “Here, he can’t get to you, we warded it off from other realms and that took up the rest of the time.”
“As long as Amaranth stays, you can have a haven from the Prince.” Mother confirms. “Make no mistake, though. He will come back for you someday. Or he’ll forget and realize finding another Champion is in his best interests.” She shrugs. “We will see. For now, though, we need to stay here. At least for a few decades before going back to Skyrim.”
Serana’s chest constricts at that. She was here for so long with Mannimarco, the land is stained with imperfect, horrible memories. But one look at her mother and she knows she can banish them.
“And as a precaution, to keep you two bound to one another and safe, I suggest you say your vows now.” Mother waves her hand to the dais ahead.
A month ago, it was a terrible idea. Dark clouds filled the skies, Mannimarco had her in his unrelenting grasp. Now though, things look different. Behind the dais stands a shining blue sky with a sun that won’t hurt them. The beautiful skyscape is framed with flowers on a trellis. White and red and purple blooms line the wooden structure. Her mother will help them with their vows, she just needs one thing.
“Would you want to?” She stares up at Vorstag.
His smile is so beautiful her breath hitches. How could she have forgotten a face like that? His answering kiss is all she needs to know.
Vorstag traces her shoulder with his hand, up and down, into her hair and down her bare back. Serana rests her head against him. They both lay under a blanket in the windswept meadow to the south. He thought she might be apprehensive to sleep out under the stars. After so long in his cell, the last thing he wanted was to stay indoors when they could be outside. He keeps staring at those glimmering lights, thanking each one of them for the good grace he was given.
He could be back in Coldharbour.
He lets out a long breath, waking Serana. “What’s wrong?” She mumbles.
“Just thinking.”
“About what?” She asks, a little more awake now.
“Are you still a god?”
A beat of silence. “Yes. I needed the powers to get to you, but I think they’re fading.”
“Why is that?”
“I just…I think we did the apotheosis wrong. Or maybe it’s not meant to be…”
Vorstag swallows hard. “You heard me tell your mother that when I left Coldharbour Molag Bal was going to have someone destroy this realm. Someone divine or daedric.”
“I know, I heard, my head was a little fuzzy from the wine.” She grins against his chest. After their short ceremony, they went to the ballroom to dance, drink and eat. Valerica only drank blood, leaving the alcohol and food to the other two. Vorstag had a wonderful time feeding Serana cake and showing her that yes, human food can be quite delicious if one knows what to taste.
“Will that happen?”
“I don’t know, I don’t think so.” Serana murmurs. “I’m giving back my powers tomorrow.”
“What?” Vorstag tenses, “What if we need them, for Mannimarco?”
“He’s not coming back. Molag Bal has him.” Serana nuzzles his neck. “Mother thinks if I give back my powers, we can keep Amaranth and stay here until she finds you a way out of your deal with the Prince.”
Vorstag swallows, staring at those blessed stars. “That might be a long time.”
“We have a long time.”
“Not if the realm doesn’t hold.”
Serana sighs and sits up, her face engulfing the largest moon and showing she’s quite prettier than the celestial body. Her golden gaze pierces him with authority. “I won’t let him take you again just like you won’t let Mannimarco take me. If this realm is destroyed, whether through time or divine intervention and Molag Bal takes you,” She rests a palm on his chest, making her vow. “Then I will find you. I won’t let you go with him again.”
He feels it’s only a matter of time. But the way her eyes stare down with such love, such determination, he feels the same feeling swelling in his chest. If she were taken again, he would go to the ends of the universe to find her too. He pulls her down, kissing her softly along her lips, and down her jaw.
“If this is a slice of eternity, we better enjoy it.” He murmurs against her.
“Eternity means forever, we’ll have this land forever.”
He pulls her down and flips, pinning her under him so he can show her how much he loves her. How much he appreciates her. Any other woman wouldn’t have gone to such lengths for him. Any other woman wouldn’t give up the gifts of the gods just to keep him at their side. He’s never felt so loved, so cherished.
And as the night goes on, when they finally rest, he says a silent thanks to the stars again for bringing him home.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading and liking this story! I know there were a lot of breaks in between postings but I’m so happy everyone stayed on board with it. This was a really fun fic to write, I enjoyed exploring where Serana and Vorstag went and how they overcame their own challenges. I also loved capturing that “Beauty and the Beast” vibe from Serana’s side of things (even though my version of Mannimarco has no redeeming qualities). Vorstag’s side was harder to write, I hated dragging him through all that pain and suffering but it’s what I would expect when kept by a Daedric Prince.
Even though, we are at the end of the story for those two, I have ideas for other fics. I’m toying with a plot that centers around the Companions after the events of Storm of Skyrim and Frostbitten. I like having a universe of sorts, where all the fics intertwine with one another. So, there will be references to the series and to this fic! It’s not drafted or plotted yet so it might take some time before it’s posted. I’m hoping I can start posting it in the next few months or by summer at the latest. Keep your eyes peeled for that and I’ll see you around! :)