Entry 69

Morndas, 21st of Morning Star

It is done. This one, Vilkas, Inigo and Serana returned to the Fort and Isran gathered the men and told them to meet at Fort Dawnguard for the final assault. This one gathered the Companions, and together the Dawnguard and the Companions stormed the castle. Every vampire inside was slaughtered. Serana and J'Hirra found Harkon awaiting us in the throne room before his altar to Molag Bal. He wished this one to hand over the bow, but this one refused and he opened his wings and charged!

Gargoyles were summoned along with a dozen armed skeletons. Harkon swept around the room and used his life-drain magic from afar. After cutting through a few undead, this one managed to sever his arm from his body. He vanished and reappeared, hovering above the altar while his arm regrew. "Use the bow!" Serana called and this one fired an arrow into his chest.

He vanished into mist and sent more undead after us. When he revealed himself, too weak to fly, claws tearing for this one's throat, she fired an arrow right into the center of his head. Or, she tried to. He smacked the bow from her hand and toppled her to the floor, his claws ready to pierce through her chest into her pounding heart! The golden arrow through his brain stopped him. Serana lowered the bow and Harkon fell, dead, and his body dissolved into bloody ashes.

"Serana, why? Your own father…" His last words made Serana bow her head and toss aside the bow. Inigo was by her side in an instant.
"Are you alright?" He asked.

"It had to happen. Everything was leading up to this, right from the beginning. He destroyed our family. He deserved to die." Her voice was steady, but her eyes shone with unshed tears. Inigo took her into his arms and his voice trembled when he said, "I am so sorry, Serana."
He held her close and for a long time they remained that way. This one left them alone

On this day, the threat of a sunless world came to an end. Serana has been accepted by the Dawnguard for all her help and will stay as long as they allow her, and this one made sure to tell her she is welcome to join this one on any future adventures. Since the battle at the castle, Khajiit has spoken with Valerica and she will return to Castle Volkihar. Hopefully she and Serana can be as close as they once were before Harkon divided them.

Bloodied and exhausted, this one leaned on the bridge, listening the waves crash over the ringing in her ears.
She told herself it had to be done, but Serana's tearful eyes would not leave her mind. In that moment, she felt that no matter how justified her actions were, someone would always be left hurt by the deaths this one left in her wake.
"Dear, are you alright?" This one felt a hand, blue-furred, on her shoulder and found Inigo and Vilkas by her side. Inigo's hair was still crackling from the vampire's lightening magic, and Vilkas was bandaging his arm.

This one held Vilkas tightly and felt her worries dissipate in his arms, if only for a short while. This one wanted to go and check on her Companions, but Vilkas told her, "You rest, hear me, woman? You've done your part. Farkas, Aela and I will aid the whelps." This one tried to protest, even though her body was screaming for rest, and Inigo restrained this one. "I've got her, dogbreathe. Go on."

"Aye, you keep her there, cat." Vilkas was smiling as he left.
Inigo put his arm around her shoulders. "My friend, you are a marvel. You save Skyrim from Alduin, then from Miraak, and now from a cannibal cult hellbent on world domination. I don't know how you do it."
This one felt purposeless hearing his words. "Surely, this one's job is done, then. Skyrim cannot possibly face more threats than that."

"I wouldn't count on that. There's still the Thalmor to worry about, and never forget the rabbits and chickens. Forgetting about them would be most dangerous indeed."
This one looked at him as if he were crazy and he smiled and this one found herself laughing. "I am serious about those little freaks, my friend. You have done a great thing today, so why the long face?"

This one confessed, "This one killed a power hungry vampire set on dominating Tamriel, but she also killed her friend's father. Was there really no other way? Does it always have to end in violence, or is this just the path Khajiit has chosen? Did killing Alduin really amount to anything, was there no way for this one and Miraak to join together?"

"There you go, doubting yourself and asking questions that do you no good. You do that a lot, you know? Asking these questions does you no good now, my friend. How about you ask yourself this; did it feel right to do any of those things?"

This one thought on it. Killing Alduin was something that had to be done, even if the outcome is still uncertain.
Miraak on the other hand is a twisted subject matter, and this one's opinion on it changes from day to day. He was lost in his power that is for certain, but he and this one understood one another..

Harkon was Serana's father, and this one cares for Serana deeply, but he was lost in his obsession and Serana knew no other outcome was possible.

"Yes, in this one's heart, doing these things felt right. But no matter how right it is, people still get hurt."

"You cannot be responsible for that, J'Hirra. As sad as it is, the world and the needs of its people as a whole outweigh the effects of your actions on a few. It upset me when you joined the Stormcloaks, but it was clear that your mind and heart was focused on the bigger picture."

"Inigo, this one is sorry. She never meant for politics to come between us."

He gave her shoulders a squeeze. "I am, too.

"You'll never let this one live that one down, will you?"

"Nope."

For a while, we were quiet, listening to the waves crash and the gulls cry out.
"This one doesn't know what to do now." She confessed. What else is there for her to do! Surely this one has reached the maximum of things for her to accomplish!

"Why, you become Empress of Tamriel, of course! You are a demi-God, my friend! Skyrim won't be effected by your actions, but the rest of Tamriel will and with you as Tamriel's ruler, you'll cut a bloody path through the Thalmor with your Voice!"

This one may just do that. Inigo clapped this one on the shoulder.

"As Mr. Dragonfly says, never look forwards or backwards, just look at the world around you. The now is what matters, my friend, and you have won a great victory today, despite it all. No matter what comes to pass, you will always have me by your side; you would have to do something unspeakable to make me leave you now...aside from joining the Stormcloaks."

"Still not over that?" Vilkas asked, chuckling as he came to rest beside us against the bridge and forcing Inigo's arm off this one's shoulder so he could hold her instead. Inigo countered that by putting his arm around this one's other shoulder. "Gods, cat, get over it."

"Like you're over the time we let J'Hirra get arrested because you stopped to sniff some beef, you overgrown mutt?"

"I said it once, I'll say it again; not my fault." Though they argue, on that day there was a lighthearted air about it.

"What about the time you walked into that spike door trap in Bleakfalls Barrow and sent all three of us flying?"

"And how about you, climbing up a tree to escape some chickromancer and his army of undead chickens!"

"If you knew what I know, you'd have climbed up a tree, too, dogbreath!"

"I know exactly! You're crazy!"

This one's ears ached as they both argued at one another through her ears, and she put her arms around both their shoulders and ducked, knocking their heads together. No matter what comes to pass, she hopes they can continue to brighten her day when they squabble like children, but have one another's back when the going gets rough.

Inigo is right. The now is what matters and now, tonight J'Hirra writes this while Vilkas sleeps beside her with Lucia on his right and Sophie on this one's left. Downstairs, she can faintly hear Inigo singing to Mr. Dragonfly as he prepares his midnight sweetroll and she can hear Serana's laughter at his song, and this one feels the deepest contentment in her soul.

No matter how exciting, beautiful, and dangerous her adventures are; the journey J'Hirra looks forward to the most is always the journey home. This one seems to have a penchant for saving the world time and time again. Hopefully her next adventure will be more peaceful.

Perhaps one day, she will lay down her blade, but not while the world still has need of the Dragonborne.

THE END

I want to thank my dedicated readers for the highest view count and the most comments I've received on any of my stories.

I'd like to thank Nina, my Guests, Mia, Manu and everyone else who left lovely comments in every chapter and for reading through to the end.

I honestly never expected such lovely reception for something I wrote for fun out of a deep love for Skyrim.

Thanks for all the support and showing our girl J'Hirra so much love. I hope you enjoyed her journey as much as I do. (I still play her on Special Edition).

Till next time!