Curing the Incurable
Ian S. McClure
The night breeze blew throughout Auridon, soft and cool. I stared at our meager fire, and at the resting forms of Suhr, Lilinastre and the boy Verolias. I myself could not sleep on this night—my dreams had taken me back to that horrible place of torture and misery. In truth, I had only told a half-truth to Lili, when she asked if I remembered Coldharbour. For when I slept, my mind wandered through memories of the cold, terrible realm of Molag Bal. And that, combined with worry over Elereth, was sufficient to prevent my rest.
To say I was worried about my Bosmeri partner would be an understatement. Her newly-acquired vampiric nature had begun to change her during our trek back to Vulkhel Guard—she had grown colder, more aloof. Moreover, though she still expressed desire to be rid of this affliction, I knew that she had begun to enjoy slaughtering the wildlife and drinking their blood—her crimson eyes told much more than her tongue, in this case. I looked at her then, off in the distance—for she no longer stayed close to us. She was, at the moment, draining the corpse of a parrot she'd shot. I knew it was necessary for her to 'eat' so, for we had discovered that foregoing this meant she would be harmed by sunlight, and her mind would come ever closer to succumbing to the bloodlust. I just didn't like it one bit.
But I believed that, even as an unholy monster, Elereth was, deep down, still herself. I just needed to find the Bosmer I had fallen in love with again, and bring her to the surface. With a final glance at the rest of the group, I rose, as silent as I could in plate armor, and walked over to her. It was not long before Elereth's gaze turned to me.
“What do you want, Ardolan?” she asked coldly, dropping the limp parrot corpse.
“To talk.” I replied simply.
She snorted. “About? Not much to say, besides what we all know. I'm a vampire, and we need to go to Vulkhel Guard to see if Mastengwe can cure this supposedly-incurable sickness. Or is there something else?”
I frowned a bit.
“Well, I want to talk about how you're holding up.”. I hesitated, before adding, “You've gotten... different, since Ondil. I just want to know if—“.
Here, I was interrupted by a small chuckle from Elereth. “You want to know if I'm a threat, now.”
“What? No, Elereth, no.” I said, surprised. “I trust you. I just...” I sighed, before continuing: “You're acting strange, lately, and I'm worried.”
“Worried? About a vampire? Right, sure.” she replied testily.
Here, I grabbed her shoulder. “Elereth, this isn't your fault, or your choice. I know this, and that's why I'm—all of us, actually—are helping you. We'll find Mastengwe, and everything will be back to normal.”
“But what if it's not?” she asked in a low voice. “What if there really is no cure, and I'm stuck as an immortal, blood-sucking—thing?”
I was silent for a stretch of time. “Then I will make sure that you remember your time with me.” I finally said, with a soft smile. “Elereth, you've been a valuable friend to me—by the Stars, more than that, and you know it. Even if you must remain a vampire, I am sure you will not lost sight of yourself, like so many before you. That's why I stayed to help you—I love you.”
Elereth rolled her eyes, then broke into a wide grin—the first in many nights. “Have I mentioned how sweet you are?” she asked, her voice losing a bit of the chill.
I did not answer. Instead, I hugged her, still smiling. Eventually, she broke the embrace. “You should get some sleep, Ardolan. I've… fed enough that the sun won't bother me. We'll leave at first light.” I returned to the camp then, and found that, indeed, sleep finally came to me.
The next day, early in the morning, we resumed our trek to the city. I studied my companions as we walked—Suhr was, as usual, nervous, casting glances at every shadow, with a clawed hand on the lead of the panther Kismet. Lilinastre was content, contemplating the beauty of Auridon as she hummed a song unfamiliar to me. Elereth was, seemingly, more herself than she had been of late, though it was a tad difficult to tell. However, it was Verolias who caught the bulk of my attention, now. The boy walked, despite his youth, with a surprisingly grim, serious demeanor, not even playing with Lili when she offered. Curious, I moved next to him, even as we continued with our walking.
“How're you holding up, Verolias?” I asked politely.
His boyish face remained impassive. “I'm managing. Hearing about how you killed Aluvus was… Well, it was a bit tough. Even if Father really died years ago. And I'm worried about Elereth.”
I nodded, lowering my voice a bit. “Ah. Well, losing a loved one is always difficult. And, suffice to say, you're not the only one worried about her. But Elereth is still herself, don't worry.”
“If you say so.” the boy said, wary. He was silent for a long while, until he finally began talking anew: “Ardolan. What's going to happen to me when I reach Vulkhel Guard?”
I hummed. “Well, I won't lie. Living as a youth without parents is not easy… My recommendation is to find work, something you're good at, and earn your coin like that.”
“Where would I find work, though?” he replied. “Nobody will hire a child… I mean, I've always wanted to work at an inn, I guess, but—“
Here, Lili interrupted, joining us as we walked. “Well, I know a woman in Vulkhel, who owns the tavern in town. Salted Wings. I could put in a good word for you, if you like.”
Verolias smiled. “Oh! I'd like that. Thank you!”
I smiled as well, then walked a bit further with my sister. “You really think Oinara will hire him?” I asked, lowering my voice again.
“Yeah, sure. She's a nice person, and she's always looking to hire folk. Tried to hire me, actually.” Lili said casually.
“Well, we're close to the city, now.” I said. “We won't have to wait long to see what happens, with him and with Elereth.”
By midday, we arrived at the arch that served as gateway to Vulkhel Guard. The group split up, then—Lili went with Verolias to the Salted Wings, to talk to Oinara about employing the youth, Suhr took the drowsy Kismet to the stables, and I accompanied Elereth, who wore a hood in addition to her normal leather armor, to find Mastengwe. We decided to check in with the Mages Guild, seeing as how the Altmer sailor was a member of the institution, and see if she was there.
Curinure smiled politely as he saw us approach. “Ah, Ardolan, Elereth. Scintillating to see you two again. May I inquire as to the purpose of this visit? I very much doubt it is an idle diversion.”
I smiled in turn. “Ah, yes Magister. We're looking for Mastengwe again. It's a rather urgent matter—would you know where she is?”
“Alas, she's not on the island anymore. Left for Valenwood—Greenshade, I believe—two days ago for some research.” the mer said.
“Ah.” I said simply, casting a glance at Elereth. She looked utterly crushed, but soon composed herself somewhat. “Well… We'll make do. Thanks.” Quickly, we left the guildhall.
That night, we slept at the tavern again. Elereth was composed throughout the day, maintaining a stony face as we met with Suhr and Lili, but she broke down when we entered the room. She began to sob, rocking back and forth on the bed. I said nothing. Rather, I sat down next to her, placing a hand on her in an attempt to console her. I myself was quite distressed. Without Mastengwe… How could she be rid of this horrid affliction?
For an hour, Elereth cried, until her tears ran dry. Eventually, she managed to choke out, “Ardolan… I—I can't stay with you all. I'm a danger...”
“You are a danger only to our enemies, Elereth.” I said calmly, breaking my silence.
“That's crap, and you know it.” she replied, her voice cracking. “You can't travel around with a vampire. It's too dangerous.”
“I am no stranger to peril.” I replied in turn. “And if it means that you're happy, I would storm Coldharbour and duel Molag Bal himself. You must stay strong, Elereth. This does not define you.”
She sighed shakily, putting her face in her hands. Just then, Suhr and Lilinastre entered the room. “There is good news. Oinara has hired Verolias.” Suhr said with a soft smile.
“See?” I told Elereth. “There is always a light to be found, even in such stifling darkness.”
Lili rolled her eyes. “A bit too poetic, Ardolan. Still, he's right, Elereth—you can't just focus on the bad stuff.”
“But it's my fault!” Elereth suddenly said. “I was the one that got captured, that couldn't fight off Aluvus' servants.”
“Elereth—” I began to say, but she held up her hand.
“Enough. I'll… I'll just have to live with this, I guess... Since you all seem fine with it, I'll stick around.” she said, sullen.
I smiled. “Remember that you don't have to deal with this problem alone, Elereth. I will stand by you.”
“Aye. This one as well.” Suhr said.
“Don't forget me. I'm staying too.” Lili added.
Elereth looked at all of us, and sighed a little. “Thank you, all of you. I'll do my best to live up to what you think I am...”
I nodded. I then looked outside, where night had well and truly fallen. “Well. We should get some rest—we have to head for Mathiisen at first light, and that's rather far from here. We've kept Razum-dar waiting for a while, so it's best we pick up the pace.”
“Aye.” Suhr said. “Who's getting the bed?”
“I vote Elereth.” Lili piped up. “I think she needs it more than us.”
“Agreed, agreed.” Suhr replied, smiling at Elereth again.
“No, it's—it's fine. I'm getting another room.” she said, looking at the floor. “Ardolan, could we talk there, in private?”
I blinked, but replied, “Of course, Elereth.”
We got into the room, removing our respective armors to sleep in the clothes underneath. When I finished storing the heavy suit, I looked at Elereth. Even with her bloodied eyes and pallid skin, she was quite attractive out of her armor. Finally, I said: “So. What did you want to talk about, Elereth?”
She sighed, turning to me. “I want to know something...”. She sat down on the bed. “You've stood by me, even as I became a… Well, a monster. You're still my friend, and that means a lot to me. But… I'd understand, if you wanted to break our relationship off. I'm not really attractive anymore, and, no matter what you say, I'm dangerous.” She sighed, before continuing: “I just want to know if there's still a spark, there.”
“Depends.” I said, with a slight grin, sitting next to her. “Do you still have the spark of which you speak?”
“What?” she asked, surprised. “I mean—yes, of course. But, I'd understand if you wanted to—”
“Then there's your answer.” I interrupted.
There was a brief silence, before Elereth forced a timid smile, as though she still doubted my words. In a hushed whisper, she spoke:
“Again, you're so sweet. How many times can I mention that?”
I reached out, pulling Elereth towards me, and lovingly kissed her on the lips. She returned the passionate gesture, and there I felt my doubts of my affection to her shatter like glass, before eventually we both broke away from one another.
“You know… We are alone in a tavern, like you wanted earlier...” I said, with a slight smirk.
She flashed a coy grin. “Oh, you scamp.” she said coquettishly, before kissing me again, climbing onto me as she did, and… Needless to say, I received little sleep this night.
I… Well, I believe that will suffice for this entry. Until next I write…
-Ardolan Larethbinder
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Comments
I am pleased you changed the ending so it is in your words. It works well I think.
Looking forwards to the next chapter.
Wonder if in your world Vamperism is sexually transmitted... Hahaha...