Skyrim: Fall of the Dawn

27. How it begun

15 years ago...

The green-eyed young man rode on horse with his comrades, the Dawnguard warrior. Fallen, flaming leaves of Rift engraved the road. Dimhollow Crypt was their destination.

The vampire attacks started more often than ever, they reproduced like rabbits. All of the Dawnguard despised them. Alesan thought he did too.

The words of Hawkard Farron echoed in ears: "Go there, lads, but be careful. Beware of the Silver Witch. You haven't heard of her. Yet. Trust me, my experience tells me she will create a great name among vampires by slaughtering our brothers and sisters. Of what I heard of her, she can be very deducive. Do not fall on her tricks. Beware of the Silver Witch."

That sentence remained in Alesan's head for long time. By the time they came to the entrance to Dimhollow Crypt, he forgot about it.

Alesan worked with his group of warriors very well. He ordered them and they obeyed, knowing that his talent for strategy was almost equal to Isran's and his cunning like a vampire's.

So as soon as they entered the crypt ravishing scent of death burned their nostrils. Alesan ordered his group of four warriors to stay hidden as they eavesdropped what two surviving vampires were saying. Alesan's dark eyes wandered toward the lifeless body of Vigilant of Stendarr that came to Fort Dawnguard this morning. Seeing one moment person alive and very next dead wasn't something that could leave you indifferent. Not him, at least. The longer he looked the body the more his rage and hatred toward these bloodsuckers rose. He ordered the warriors to attack. The vampires were down in a second.

He was very proud of his elite group, warriors he hand-picked himself. They were the result of his work. Well, he was very young but respected. Isran saw a great potential in him. And so was with Blaise.

However, they weren't successul for long. By the time they got to the centre of Dimhollow Crypt, where they stood in front of some strange sarcophagus, there were only three of them left, Alesan and two young Nords.

"Alesan, be careful! Who knows what kind of beast is inside!"

One of them warned Alesan who slowly approached the stone coffin. His bloody hand already moved to touch the cold, ancient stone, but it moved until it was open and inside was a sleeping young silver-haired woman. She opened her amber eyes and fell onto her knees, looking weak yet graceful like a butterfly.

Instinctively, Alesan grabbed her and softened her fall. Her dreamy eyes looked deep into his green ones and at that moment, Alesan saw a vampire so weak that it almost looked humane, but much more delightful.

"Alesan! Move away!"

The Nords said to him, but he angrily gawked at them.

"Who's here in charge? Who is giving orders!?"

He made Nords know their place as he returned his attention to the young vampire in front of him.

Suddenly, a sound of rattling made him look behind only to realise they were now surrounded by more than ten vampires. The Nords prepared their crossbows but it was hard to hide the pre-death shivering. Alesan moved away from the girl, pulling out his weapon, one-handed blade and a dagger.

"Look what we have here..."

Spoke a master vampire who was obviously a leader of this deadly clan. He stepped out, challenging the Nords to fire a bolt at him.

"If you let us take her, we might as well kill you quickly or turn into a vampire cattle, or maybe even spare one or two of you to return to Dawnguard with a message to give up on hunting us."

The Nords looked at Alesan. He knew what he had to choose in order to save his group. But he did not.

"I will not let you touch her."

So the fight begun. The fight which was so bloody that this entire pedestal became one red fountain. One of the Nords died, looking at Alesan with his blue eyes full of accusing and desperation. Eventually, Alesan lied in the puddle of blood with a terrible wounds from which were spilling his organs. On the other side, there was a last warrior, missing an arm. He approached Alesan with knife in his hand.

"You bastard! You killed us!"

He yelled and stabbed Alesan into shoulder making him scream. The Nord pulled out the dagger and striked again, this time the clavicle which he broke. One last stab should be aimed for the throat. But the death blow never came, for it was horrific sight in front of Alesan. White hand went all the way through back and lungs of the Nord, holding Nord's still beating heart. He fell down, lifeless.

The silver-haired girl approached Alesan who was dying. She sat beside him and gently carressed his wet hair, full of blood and sweat.

"You are not like them. You protected me."

She whispered in his ear like a silver angel, making a tear escape from the corner of his green, slowly lifeless eye.

"Alesan, be my Lord, rule beside me, may you be reborn at the Twilight of their Dawn and rise as undead in the night. Be a Lord. Be powerful. Be a vampire, for I, Sylvianne Darkash, The Silver Witch, Lady of vampires, command you so."

I betrayed my comrades for greater purpose. I saw something in her. Something they didn't. I was never meant to be an agent of Dawn. I was born in the night. My blood corrupted and my soul painted black. For greater purpose, greater power. Something they couldn't comprehend.