Crimson Snow

  • 'I look around and see a structure of granite or some other type of rock, with arches sticking out of the groin in uniform rows, the air is stale and cold. Sticking out of the ground in a random array of rows are braziers. In the middle is a pillar with a button on top... My curiosity got the better of me soon my hand presses down on the button... A spike springs from the button striking my palm, causing it to bleed. I recoil back, luckily it was just a slight cut and it was my shield arm. Behind me, the braziers alight with purple flame and start to move around, connecting in areas, causing the ground to have a mysterious bright purple light. When they stop moving, the pillar with the spike raises and there is a mysterious structure appeared... I pressed my uninjured hand on it, causing what appeared to be a lid to fall. Behind the lid was a woman, she appeared to be in her twenties, raven black hair with braids on both sides of her long, flowing hair, pale skin, and golden eyes... She was a vampire! Just when I notice this, she falls down from her prison and sticks her arms out to keep her from falling on her face. I help her up and she tells me "Markus? Hey, Markus?"... Wait... What?' I return to reality and turn my head and see my companion behind me. I look into her shining eyes and get lost in them for a second. "Hmm... What is it Serana?" I look at her and see her smiling, her skin looking paler than normal... Well, we are in the cold. Snowflakes clung to her hair. "Glad to see you back in the land of the living." She said with a chuckle. The irony of a vampire saying this was not lost on me. "What were you thinking about?" "How we met... It seems so long ago." I reply, It has only been 5 to 6 months in actuality. "Yeah, back then you had less scruff." She says as she points to my beard and has a slight laugh. I haven't shaved in months, I just didn't care enough to do it. I laughed with her and I turned forward again, ready to continue on a trip back home to Whiterun. The soft snow catches on the wind and floats down, slowly covering the gravel path with a blanket of snow. An icy wind lashes at my tan skin, my body shivers at the contact. I thought to myself, 'Gods!!! Why is it so bloody cold?!' I never became truly used to the harsh, cold lands of Skyrim. It's freezing weather may seem normal to the native Nords here, but I'm from a land where it only truly became cold during the winter, and even then, it was never like this. The soft flakes drifted down and clung to my armor and cloak, painting them white rather than the regular blue-grey of the steel plate armor and the dark brown of the cloak. The snow that melted on my armor turned to water and just made it that much colder to move. Whiterun is still miles away, and the weather was getting worse... "Hey Serana?" As I turn to face her, her eyes look heavy and her head is slumped forward a bit. But when she sees me, she stands up and puts a smile on her face. "Yes?" She asks nonchalantly. "Are you ok? You look a little down..." I put my hand lightly on her shoulder. "I'm just freezing, I'll be better soon." And with that, she smiled and walked ahead. "Come on!" As she walks past me, I am worried... It is common knowledge that vampires are technically undead... They aren't affected by the cold or by frost magic... Though because of this, she is now far away as I lagged behind. I sprint towards her to catch up. The snow is flying past me as the wind whips past me in a gigantic gust. I hug myself for the chance of getting warmer. My teeth start to chatter on their own. Maybe it would be best to wait out the storm. "S-Serana, let's try and set up a cam-" and before I can even finish, Serana falls to the gravel. "SERANA!!!!" I rush towards her unconscious body and pick her up, cradling her in my arms. My vision blurs as I shake my head looking for somewhere to make for camp. As I turn around, I see a mountainside with a cave entrance. It will have to do... "Hold on Serana..." I run inside as fast as I can. ...1 hour later... I finish setting up the fire with the spare firewood I carried in my backpack. I lay Serana nearby to allow me to take care of her in the light while I warm up. I take off her black armored corset so I could try to lift her shirt up to try and find any possible injuries. As I look across her stomach her i see light scars from our journeys, covering her toned body. "You won't find anything wrong..." I jump at the noise. I see her looking back at me. "How long have you been up?" I ask, trying to calm my racing heart by breathing slowly. "Just now... You aren't really dexterous." She laughs at me... What? "How can you joke about this? You collapsed outside! I was worried!" After hearing this, she turns away from me and frowns. "... I... I Was tired..." She tells me. Looking at the fire. "Serana... Why are you lying to me? Do you not trust me?" I ask her with a hurt expression... After all we went through... She doesn't trust me? "This... This isn't something I can just talk to you about!" Her eyes start to tear up and she shifts to face herself away form me. I try to walk up to her and sit next to her. "Let me try, I want to help you... We're friends right?" She is quiet... Her head turns to her left to face me. "... Ok." "Lately I have been feeling... Sick... I get tired and dizzy very easily..." She pauses and sighs... "And the reason being is... I have been... Starving..." I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "You're hungry? Why didn't you say so? I have some food in my pack." I walk back and grab my bag. I pull out a loaf of bread and hand it to her. But for some reason she doesn't accept it. "That's not what I meant..." She says, still looking at the floor. What does she mean?... Oh... "You need... Blood?" As soon as I ask, she starts to tense up. "Serana, if you need to feed, I can he-" Before I can finish she cuts me off "No... Don't you dare say it..." "Serana, you need to feed!" I yell at her. How could she say something like this? She looks so weak and sickly! "I can't feed from you!" She shouts at me. "I haven't fed on anything since I was put in that tomb you rescued me from... That was over 2000 years ago! I would have to drink a lot of blood to help myself... And once I bite into you..." She shook her head at the thought. "Serana... You have to do it... You could barely walk an hour ago, and there is no wildlife around because of the storm... This is the only option." "I can't! If I lose you, I lose the only one good thing that has happened to me!" She yells at me, sobbing as she does this. "If I feed from you, I might not know when to stop... And then... I'll be all alone again... My dad is dead... My mom is gone... My only friend is you!" "And as your friend I want to help you!" I tell her. "I know you wouldn't kill me." "H-how can you be sure?" She asked in between her crying. I kneel down in front of her and wipe away her tears. "Because I know you Serana, I trust you." Her golden eyes stare into my dark brown eyes, it is hard to believe something that I found terrifying months ago was now something I found beautiful now. She starts to calm down somewhat... "If you don't make it... I just want you to know-" It was my turn to cut her off as I press a feather light kiss to her mouth. She freezes at the touch of my lips, but slowly eases and returns it. I regrettably pull away to breathe and smile at her and say "I feel the same..." And for a brief moment, I see a smile on her face before she braces herself for what comes next. She puts her right hand on the back of my head, gripping tightly but trying to not hurt me, and tilts it to the right. Her left arm is placed firmly on my right forearm. "I'll try and make this as quick and as painless as possible." And in a moment, her teeth pierce the skin on my neck. I wince at the pain, but try to keep my composure. I start to feel the sting from her sucking my blood and my body is starting to go numb... I feel my head pounding as she continues to feed. "Ser-" I could barely talk, my voice was giving out... My eyes start to feel heavy as it goes on for what feels like centuries... I can't talk anymore, it just becomes wordless breaths. My eyelids start to fall as I fight to stay awake... I feel... Tired... Must... Rest... ... ... ... "Markus!!!"

Comments

20 Comments
  • Drifa Skir
    Drifa Skir   ·  January 16, 2014
    Well-crafted - you've put in a number of sense impressions that draw the reader into the story.  And the open ending is just right. :)
  • Seyd
    Seyd   ·  September 26, 2013
    Ah, I have my own personal character backstory that was a little inspired on the forum about your character's theme
  • Bryn
    Bryn   ·  September 26, 2013
    It is my own personal canon considering all of the hell they went through to see her, they wouldn't be able to do it again.
  • Seyd
    Seyd   ·  September 26, 2013
    Although what confuses me is how she says her mom is gone, if you go back to the Soul Cairn after killing Harkon her mother returns to her alchemy room in the castle.
  • Bryn
    Bryn   ·  September 26, 2013
    Bad Matt... Shame...
  • Matt Feeney the New Guy
    Matt Feeney the New Guy   ·  September 26, 2013
    Well there is Armathyx's story, but Serana doesn't faint, she just becomes irritable (Women, am I right, guys?....I'll just show myself out).
  • Bryn
    Bryn   ·  September 26, 2013
    Really? I have only found 2... Both of them are not exactly what I would call great
  • Seyd
    Seyd   ·  September 26, 2013
    I like it but, I mean no offense by this, but it's just that I've already read a lot of stories that have Serana falling unconscious and then feeding on the dragonborn at his/her insistence.
  • Bryn
    Bryn   ·  September 26, 2013
    Your right... I have ideas on how to continue it, but I will leave it as is and leave it up to the reader :)
  • RuneRed
    RuneRed   ·  September 26, 2013
    Awesome short story, wonderful ending - please don't add to it (keep your readers wanting more).