Forever Gone

        The battle was long since gone. The remains of the clan, both ash and corpse strewn about. Slain Dwanguardians were strewn about in the Great Hall and the Corridors surrounding. The few remaining members wept for their brethren, cursing the Dawnguard, uttering vows to dismantle the organization of Vampire Hunters once and for all. In the midst of the heavy cloud of sorrow, in the center of the Great Hall, Sedric knelt. Vaesha strewn across his lap. Her features soft, and eyes dull. The pair shared their appearance of tattered clothing and blood splatter, but only Vaesha appeared worse for wear. In her abdomen, a crossbow bolt with faint crackles of an enchantment protruded from her. Blood seeped through her crimson shirt, making it black from the amount of blood absorbed by the fabric. Sedric cradled her head as he called Magicka to his fingers, attempting to heal her wounds, but his power was waning and her wounds not getting any smaller.

        "Vaesha, please, hold on... Don't return to Sheogorath's realm," he whispered, tears starting to pour from his eyes "please... Don't go..."

        The Vampiress shifted her dull crimson eyes at him, a partial smile on her lips. She was weak. The Dawnguard had caught them by surprise, using their enchanted silver crossbow bolts, the very bolts used in their first Raid, and special magic made especially for the use against any Daedra or Undead creature. Aside from her weakened form, her body ached from the partially healed burns she received from the Dawnguard's Sun Spells. Her eyelids twitched as she attempted to keep her eyes open, reaching up with a shaking hand to rest upon his cheek.

        "I... I must..." her voice was broken "Sedric... H-he calls for me... Sheogorath... calls his servant..." Sedric held his hand over hers, fighting back more tears "Don't leave me, I can't even fathom being away from you right now, not ever. Please, hold on for me Vaesha, please..." Vaesha let out a pained chuckle "I can't disobey him, Sedric, Sheogorath's word is... L-Law..." her hand would have fallen if it weren't for Sedric holding it "Please, don't go, I'm begging you Vaesha. Please," he was desperate. Sedric hardy ever begged. "It is too late Sedric..." she murmured "I...Must... Obey..." her voice trailed off, the remaining light in her eyes fading. Sedric clenched his jaw, he wasn't going to allow himself to wail in front of the clan. He wanted to remain strong. He continued to hold onto Vaesha, holding her still and limp form close, his face burrowed into the crook of her neck. With Vaesha's tether to the Shivering Isles, each death she encountered on Tamriel sent ehr soul back to the Isles to recover, taking longer with each death. However, something was off. Whenever Vaesha "died", her form crumbled into ash. This time it wasn't. Vaesha's main fear was to be eternally trapped in the Shivering Isles once Sheogorath no longer required her services as Ambassador. What if her fear had came true? Sedric broke down further, holding Vaesha's form even tighter. He cried and cried and cried, losing track of time. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he finally looked up. The hand belonged to Vaesha's half-brother, Nikolai. the Vampire Lord held a solemn expression, a rare expression for him. He never got along with Vaesha, he despised her, even when he was a toddler when he and vaesha were still mortal.

        "My Lord..." Nikolai sighed "I am sorry, but she's gone..." Sedric looked to Nikolai with anger slowly rising in his grief filled body. He held Vaesha's form close to him before rising, eyes starting to burn like fire.

        "No, she is not gone," he replied with a bit of harshness in his tone "she will come back, as she always had done before in the past," Nikolai sighed,

        "My lord... She is not coming back, you know deep within your heart that I speak-," Sedric abruptly turned away, forcing causing Nikolai to cease what he was about to say.

        "I refuse to believe that," Sedric began to step away "You don't know her as I, and you never will. You are too absorbed into yourself and your attempts to raise in station. You didn't give a Skeever's arse about her." he continued to walk away, the remaining clan members parting for their solemn lord as he ascended the stairs to his quarters. He refused to accept that his time with Vaesha had came to an end. But Nikolai spoke the truth, and deep down inside he knew as well. That Vaesha was never returning. He would never see her again. hear her laugh as she went about her day. He'd never see that smile that she wore whenever she spent time with Sahri. Vaesha was gone. Forever bound to the Shivering Isles to wander as a ghost, never to see her family again.

She was... Forever gone...