FicWad

Chapter Three: Karnag’s Confession
We took the portal back to the balcony where Gelebor was waiting for us. He greeted us as friends, and we told him of what had happened. As I recounted the story of the battle, he paid close attention to the manner in which Harkon fell, having burst into arcane fire at the touch of the bow’s sun-hallowed arrows. I asked him why, after killing Harkon and returning Valerica to Tamriel, why Serana still did not live. “It seems I was somewhat mistaken with my earlier conjecture,” Gelebor said. “The ritual, it seems, was meant to be a foray to a marriage ceremony. Now, from what little materials are left here after so many millennia, I can still purify her soul, but it requires the merging of a pure soul, untouched by Molag Bal to do it.”
“Use mine,” I said immediately. “My soul belongs to the Divines, as well as my patron Daedra of Malacath and Meridia. I must surely be pure enough.” If she could, I think Serana would have been blushing. “Karnag, don’t you think we’re rushing into this?”
“No. Serana, I'm serious. It took me so long to be able to, but I meant it every time that I said I love you. I feel it in my soul, burning like fire.”
“Are you really sure?”
“Serana, my love, please, for Talos sake, marry me. I want nothing more than to bind our souls together for eternity. I love you. You are everything I have ever wanted, and I couldn’t imagine living the rest of my life without you.”
“I love you too Karnag. Alright, I’ll marry you.” Gelebor looked almost sentimental, with a tear in his eye. “Well, it’s settled then. I’m afraid I don’t know how to put on a wedding ceremony. Karnag?” I thought for a moment, then said, “The Orc ways of marriage often include bloodsport and wanton violence. But I have an idea.”
I went off with Gelebor for a short while and told him of the Induction ceremony I took place in when I joined the Companions of Whiterun. We practiced the oath, then we prepared for the ceremony.
We stood before an altar of Auri-el, Serana and I facing one another. Gelebor began the ceremony. “Dear friends and companions, we are here to bear witness before Auri-el, the union of these two souls in holy matrimony, until they join the gods in the realms of Aetherius. Karnag gro-Gornish, do you take Serana Volkihar to be your wife?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to raise your shield in her defense?”
“I will stand at her back, that the world may never overtake us.”
“Do you swear to raise your sword in her honor?”
“My blade stands ready to meet the blood of her enemies.”
“And do you swear to raise a mug in her name?”
“I will lead the songs of triumph as our halls revel in her stories.”
“And do you, Serana Volkihar, take Karnag gro-Gornish to be your husband?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to raise your shield in his defense?”
“I will stand at his back, that the world may never overtake us.”
“And do you swear to raise your sword in his honor?”
“My blade stands ready to meet the blood of his enemies.”
“And do you swear to raise a mug in his name?”
“I will lead the songs of triumph, as our halls revel in his stories.”
“Then, by the power vested in me by almighty Auri-el, I hereby pronounce you, husband and wife. You may, well, I don’t know, do whatever happens next?” Serana giggled shyly, and we leaned in for our first kiss.
I have run out of words adequate to describe the sensation. It was as if being burned by cold fire, and having warm shivers rock the body. As we kissed, Serana took a deep breath through her nose and broke away, gasping.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, believing she was in danger. But I saw it, her eyes were green as emeralds, and had lost their bloody red. The color returned to her face, her cheeks reddened with excitement. She felt her face, her chest, her arms, all with an expression of shock and disbelief. “I’m breathing… Karnag, I’m breathing! I haven’t breathed in centuries! I can feel my heart pulsing in my chest! I can’t believe it!” She cried tears of pure joy, and I couldn’t have been happier.
Even Gelebor shed a tear. “I haven’t seen joy like that in millennia, child! I’m glad to have been a part of it.”
Serana kissed me again, and again, between sobs of joy and excitement. It was truly, the first time in a very long time, that she had really been alive. Her soul was clean, and once again breathed the cold Skyrim air. In the eyes of the gods, she and I were one.
As Serana continued to adjust to her new state of being, I turned to Gelebor and said, “My friend, I truly cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done for us.”
“No thanks are required. May it never be said that the Snow Elves were not generous with the teachings and blessings of Auri-el.”
“Still. If you ever need anything from us again, you have but to ask.”
“Likewise. Now go on, consummate this marriage! Before Auri-el changes his mind!” We laughed, and I took Serana’s hand. It was warm, and I could feel her heartbeat through it. We stepped into the portal one final time and prepared to go home.
We rode to Falkreath, where I had built a modest home, overlooking lake Ilinalta. When we arrived, Serana surveyed the modest homestead, and was happy. “It’s beautiful, Karnag. No people around, sturdy and simple. I love it!”
“And it’s not done yet. It’s no castle, and certainly no stronghold, but it’s home.”
“Well, let’s get out of the cold.”
I unlocked the door and found the inside just as I had left it, nearly bare. A bed, a small table and chairs, and a fireplace. I conjured up a little fireball and lit the fire, and the small house warmed up quickly.
We had stopped in Falkreath on the way and picked up a couple of venison chops to throw on the fire. “If there’s one thing that life in the stronghold taught me as a youngling, it’s how to properly cook a steak!” I joked with Serana. She laughed and said, “Hey, even if it’s terrible, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had one!”
“You what? Never had a steak before?”
“Well, yeah, Karnag. I did spend the last three thousand years as a vampire after all.”
“Oh. Right. Of course, sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m just happy to be alive!”
“I’m glad you’re with me, Serana. I’m not used to having companionship for any length of time.”
“Why not?”
“Well, it’s not the Orcish way. We have our kin, who we fight beside until we fall in battle, and not much else. We are the outcast elves. When I was a soldier, we were taught not to develop close attachments. I saw many soldiers come and go. Few survived until the end. I’ve never really had friends, or much less, female companionship.”
“You’ve never had a woman, Karnag?”
“What can I say? Tradition runs deep for Orcs. Only the strongest of the stronghold is permitted to take wives and have children. He remains chief until someone, usually one of his sons defeats him in battle and a new chief rises.”
“Your father was a chief?”
“He was. Narbul The Ironskin. I don’t know if he still is. I haven’t been back since I left to join the army, and haven’t heard anything from them. To them, I’m a disgrace. To be defeated in battle is a fate worse than death.”
“Then why do you support the Empire in the ongoing war?”
“Because the only hope we have of defeating the Dominion once and for all is with a united Empire, with Skyrim in it. Only after we muster our strength can we take the wrath of mighty Talos to Summerset.”
“Look at us, rambling on like ‘an old married couple.’ Is the steak done? I haven’t eaten in centuries!”
“Just about, my love. Just about.”

We had our meal, and we laid in bed, holding one another, both miserably tired. We had been through a lot and were happy to find solace on one another. It was hard for me to believe that the beautiful woman in my arms, who not so long ago I had met for the first time, was my wife now, in the eyes of the gods. I had to wonder what my kin back home at Gornish-Shul would think!
Serana was everything I ever wanted in a partner, a lover, and a friend. She was beyond beautiful, and her once cold skin was now warm, and full of life. As I held her, I felt her heart beat, almost in rhythm with mine. Those little pulses were like drum beats on my heart, and the longer I felt them, the stronger I felt about her. So many strange, alien feelings I couldn’t reconcile. Orcs are not meant to have such emotion, but here I was, as sentimental as any human!
She rolled over to face me, her deep green eyes almost peering into my very soul. Her face was mere inches from mine, and I couldn’t help but to kiss her. I couldn’t believe the love I felt for her, and how passionate it burned in me.
She asked me, “So, honestly, Karnag. Not a single woman?”
“Before Talos, I swear. Not one.”
“Well, shouldn’t we do something about that?” Her words dripped with honey as she spoke, I had never seen this in her before. “I mean, Gelebor DID say we should consummate our marriage.”
“That he did...that he did.” We had already left our armor in a chest when we got home, and we were just lying in our under clothes. Serana sat up and slowly, almost seductively, took off her shirt. Her skin was so pale, almost like a fine ceramic. I was afraid to touch her, she looked so smooth and fragile. But I did. I moved my hands across her form, caressing her skin as it curved and bowed, but I couldn’t help but feel a little shame. My hands were rough from years of battle and work, and her skin was so soft.
But she seemed to enjoy it, and that’s all that mattered to me. “You don’t have to be gentle with me, Karnag. I’m not fragile,” she said with a smile.
She took my hand and pressed it against her chest, and she let out a small sigh of pleasure. Her breasts, bare before me like perfectly formed melons, swayed with the small movements her body made. She braced her hands on my chest as she straddled me, as I continued to touch her all over.
“I’ve never taken a lover either, you know,” she said between breaths and sighs. “Love making doesn’t really work for vampires.”
“Then we’re both experiencing something new, aren’t we?” She nodded, slightly biting her lower lip. I don’t know why, bit that little motion was all it took for me, I was ready for her. Every other thought left my mind, and all I could focus on was loving her.
She stood back up and took off her pants, and stood before the crackling flames, exposing herself to me for the first time. “Well, what do you think?” she asked with a seductive smirk. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She almost radiated beauty, to challenge Dibella herself. I could barely contain my excitement, and the desire to make love to her was more than I could bear. My heart was racing harder than it did in battle. But I had no idea what to say, and fumbled with my words. “You...you are...I...um.” She laughed and threw herself on top of me. We kissed and embraced, and she looked me in the eyes and said, “One rule; I’m on top.”
For a moment, all logic fell out of my mind, and I stupidly asked why. Her response was a look I had become all too familiar with during our travels together, the look that silently said, ‘What do you think, genius?’ I immediately remembered things better not remembered, and corrected myself.
Her skin had gotten so warm, little droplets of sweat began to form. “Huh. I had almost forgotten what sweat was like. It’s like I’m in a whole new body. And I want to feel everything I can with it,” she said as she pulled down my pants, still straddling me. Her eyes got wide, and she made a small gasp.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, concerned she was afraid. “No, I just wasn’t expecting it to be so...big,” she said, with a mix of excitement and just a little bit of caution. Relieved, I let out a sigh, and she leaned down to kiss me as she prepared to take me inside her.
She moaned loudly as I slowly started to penetrate her, and as she slid down further, the feeling was almost like tiny shocks going up my spine, but in a good way. We took things nice and slow, just enjoying the sensation. Her moans grew louder as we moved faster and faster, and we went harder and harder. She screamed out in ecstasy, and slammed down on me, as her body tightened, and her legs clamped inwards. “By the Nine...what was that?” She asked me. I smiled, and I told her, “I think you just climaxed, my love.”
“Climax? But I don’t want it to be over!”
“Don’t worry,” I said with a chuckle. “There are plenty more where that came from.” She bit her lip again and, almost shyly, said okay. And she started riding me again and leaned back with her arms on my ankles and her legs spread wide apart. I couldn’t take my eyes off her face, as she continued to moan and blush with every stroke.
Her body writhed in ecstasy with every little movement, from the sheer amount of sensation. It was getting too much to take, and I sat up, bringing her face to mine, and she wrapped her legs around my body. My hands met her waist as I plunged myself deeper and deeper into her, until I couldn’t contain myself anymore, I emptied my seed deep inside her. This caused her to climax again, and she tightened her legs around me, and dug her finger nails into my back as she did. It hurt, but it was a good pain, a satisfying one.
We sat there for a moment, almost dazed at what had just happened. We laid back down, and she out her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, with an intense feeling of satisfaction. She turned her head towards mine and asked me, in a coy way, “Am I going to have your child now?” I smiled at her and said, “If we’re lucky!” She smiled and said, “Good. Because I think we could have some beautiful half-Orc children. I want several of them.” I laughed, and said, “I’m going to need to build a bigger house!”
We laid together, as the final embers of the fire began to die. We nestled together, and drifted off to sleep, with loving thoughts all through our minds.
When morning came, I was awoken by a sharp rap at the door. Groggy and bleary-eyed, I hastily pulled on my pants and grabbed my sword, not sure what to expect. I opened the door, and a courier stood in the doorway. “Are you Karnag gro-Gornish, Praefect in the Imperial Legion?”
“Son, I haven’t been in the Legion in many years. What’s this about?”
“Urgent message from Castle Dour, sir. From the desk of General Tullius himself.”
“What could the General possibly want with me?”
“Well sir, that’s not for me to know. Sorry to bother you.” He took off and I closed the door behind me. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and opened the message. Serana, barely conscious, asked, “What is it, my love?” I read through the message and my heart sank. “It looks like Ulfric Stormcloak is preparing to lay siege to Whiterun. General Tullius has reinstated me, to the rank of Legate in the Imperial Legion and is requesting that I report to Jarl Balgruuf immediately.”
“You must be kidding!”
“I’m afraid not, my dear. This is the General’s stamp. I must go. The Jarl needs me. Whiterun needs me.”
I geared up for my departure. I secured my armor, my sword, axe, and my crossbow. I said my goodbyes to Serana, and said, “Wait for me, my love. The Divines will see my safe passage home to you. With any luck, this war will be over soon, and I’ll be back in your arms before you know it.” She had tears in her eyes, and told me, “Write to me whenever you can. Promise me.”
“I promise. I’ll send letters with every courier I find, along with my pay. Hopefully you’ll still be carrying our child by the time I return. I love you, Serana.”
“I love you, Karnag. Now go, and please, be careful.” I closed the door behind me and drew my axe from my belt loop. I found a tree near our little home, and with a deft swing, embedded the blade of the axe in its bark. A symbol, a message, a reminder of where home was.
And so, I rode to Whiterun, not knowing what my future held for me, and keeping my mind occupied on the night before kept me from speculating on what I was walking into. Not even to the road and I already missed her. She had become everything to me, and for the first time, I had a real reason to return home from battle. For Serana, and for the Empire, I ride.