Amaryllis, Wind, and the rest of their group stood there as they stared at Serana and Lynthia for a time, as the pair of ancient vampires seemed to be focused on the other and didn't seem to care about anyone else, or at least for right now since the former had asked for their aid in getting back to her family home, the home of the Volkihar Clan based on what the latter had said before Serana seemed to pale. There was something about what Lynthia had said, about the ritual day and the sacrifice that had been made by the head of Serana's clan, that had chilled Serana to her core for a time, though it had to be the ritual day, as while Amaryllis wasn't familiar with the ritual days of the Daedric Princes she did know that they were very important and Molag's had some sort of influence on the reawakened vampire. Of course Serana wasn't the only one who was frozen right now, as Sharva seemed to be still and she felt that it might be due to the runes that were on her, where she assumed that while the ashen Khajiit was bound to Dagon it was possible that the someone in Molag's cult provided these runes, twisting them to make her the servant of the Prince of Destruction, or maybe she didn't want to piss off Lynthia, as she was the daughter of a powerful Daedric Prince. Amaryllis really had no idea why all of these Demiprinces and Demigods were suddenly coming out of the shadows, to join Za'kera in her quest, though all she could figure out was that it had to be due to having an interest in Akatosh's upcoming war with the Aldmeri Dominion, all while Wind didn't seem bothered by this at all, no doubt due to the fact that she was the apprentice of Hermaeus Mora's daughter, meaning she had access to far more knowledge than anyone else in the whole of Skyrim.
In the end Za'kera stepped forward and put herself between Serana and Lynthia, which was rather brave, or foolish since it depended on who was viewing the situation, causing the two vampires to focus on her for a few seconds as she broke the odd tension that had been resting between them, all while Amaryllis kept herself at the ready in case one of them just so happened to do something foolish.
"Look, I don't know what is going on between you two, but I'd rather not have you at each others throats," Za'kera said, as she had a feeling that if the two vampires remained like this for some time it would end up in a fight, likely resulting in the pair tearing up this place and resulting in Serana perishing, given that her potential foe was the daughter of Molag Bal, as she knew he was very powerful, just like Hermaeus Mora, "though we're heading to Castle Volkihar so we can learn more about what is going on with the vampires... you two can do whatever you want once we're done."
Amaryllis found that Lynthia smiled a little, like she was pleased to find that the Dragonborn was willing to stand up to her and stop a fight from happening, while Serana huffed before walking to her right for a second, likely to put some distance between her and the daughter of Molag Bal, before her friend sighed and walked by the monolith that Serana had been trapped in for who knew how long. She knew that it was time for them to leave Dimhollow Crypt, since they had found the 'artifact' that the vampires had been looking for, meaning they were going to have to pass through another Nordic area before being able to leave this place, hence why she, Za'kera, and the others readied their weapons for anything else that might be waiting for them. Sure enough they found something waiting for them on the other side of the bridge that they were walking over, which was heading off in the opposite direction of the area they had come from, where Amaryllis found a stone creature of some kind bursting out of wherever it had been imprisoned and rushed at her and her companions, a gargoyle based on what Lynthia said as she hung back to watch them, or maybe it was to watch Serana. What Amaryllis found was that the skin of the gargoyle was rather tough, which made sense considering she was attacking stone, and the same seemed to be true as Wind lashed out with a pair of Ice Spikes that slammed into the creature's chest, though it was then that they found that Za'kera seemed to be having a better time since she had ebony blades, all while Sarana quickly found whatever plans she had for combat needed to be changed as she hurled her own Ice Spikes at their foe, in addition to the red drain spell that some vampires used.
What Amaryllis found to be interesting was that Lynthia didn't raise a hand to help them, not that she was surprised by it since the ancient vampire didn't seem to care about most of them and might only be focused on Serana, though in the end they were able to cut down the gargoyle and found a path leading to the ruins that seemed to be the way out, even if it did look like they would have to fight through a few more undead before leaving. Sure enough there were a number of Draugr that needed to be taken down so they could continue moving towards the exit that had been built into this place, to which she and Za'kera swung their weapons and cut down their foes, while Wind and Serana blasted some of the others with a few ice spells, leaving Lydia to take down a more powerful one who had an ebony weapon. Of course Amaryllis seized the weapon once their foe fell, since leaving weapons like that behind seemed like a crime, all while Sharva didn't seem to care as she hacked and slashed her way through some lesser Draugr, as she seemed focused on getting them out of there and less on her own safety, meaning she had to be a careless fighter at times, which might be bad given how the group was operating right now. After clearing out that chamber they found a lever that opened a metallic gate and lead right to one massive chamber, which seemed to be the exit that would take them outside, though there were all sorts of undead, both Draugr and skeletons anyway, scattered all over the place, plus a Word Wall that Za'kera could learn from, to which they sighed as they advanced on their enemies, this time Amaryllis hung back and used her bow to take out a few Draugr, just to even the odds for the others.
It took a bit of time for them to take down the enemies that were in this chamber, allowing Za'kera a chance to head over to the Word Wall and claim the Word of Power that was on it, Gaan as she informed Amaryllis and Wind once the deed was done, before they gathered the treasure that happened to be in the large treasure chest, before heading over to the exit they had spotted and departed from Dimhollow Crypt, allowing them all to step out into the cold environment of Skyrim at long last.
"Ah, it's so good to breathe again! Even in this weather, it's better than the cave." Serana commented, showing them that she was taking in the air once more, which was understandable given that she had been trapped in that cave for a very long time, something that only Ma'jera might know given her studies and information, but she also pulled up a hood that came with her attire, which kind of shielded her from the sun's rays.
"We're on the other side of the mountain, meaning we'll either need to move on foot or retrace our steps to get back to our carriage," Tolan said, as they had left their carriage near the smouldering ruins of the Hall of the Vigilants, given the nature of the mountain path that brought them to Dimhollow Crypt, though he glanced at Serana and Lynthia for a few seconds, no doubt debating whether or not he wanted to be involved with them, "I'll head back to Isran and give him the news about what was inside Dimhollow... maybe he will have some information on what's going on right now, and maybe have an idea on what we need to do next."
Amaryllis noticed that Tolan didn't mention vampires at all, no doubt because he didn't want to enrage or annoy the pair of ancient vampires that were standing nearby, who simply stared at him for a moment as he turned and walked away, but after he departed Za'kera turned and headed for the area that their carriage was resting in, even though they were now heavy two ancient vampires, who followed behind her and her companions. As they walked towards their destination, so they could rest and use the horses to get to Serana's home, Amaryllis figured out a few things that may or may not make things much more complicated, as it appeared that their newest companion had fled her home in the middle of a feud that her parents were in, something she figured out because she mentioned that if one of them was there it might be bad for all of them, while the other she would be happy to see. Such a thing told her that it was likely that she was in trouble with one of her parents, likely her father, and that she would prefer to be reunited with her mother, though Serana didn't give any specifics right now, confirming her desire not to share information with people she didn't trust entirely, so she could only guess and make assumptions right now, and when she glanced at Wind her friend nodded her head, which told her that she must have come up with the same thoughts. Other than that they remained silent as they made their way back to where the carriage rested, even if it meant wasting time tracking it down, but it gave them time to consider what Serana had to say on her home and where it rested, an ancient castle that should still be standing after all this time, though if her family was still alive Amaryllis was sure that the place she had called home had to be standing.
Eventually they tracked down the carriage and everyone climbed onto it, Lydia taking her seat in the driver area while the others climbed in on the backside, where they got moving and made their way towards Solitude, where each of them just wanted some time to themselves and not to be worried about running into more enemies, even though it was unlikely that more vampires would find them on their travels.
One thing they ran into was a group of Thalmor agents, ten wizards and ten soldiers based on Amaryllis' count, who just so happened to be fighting Kya, where the insane Argonian swung her scythe and hacked her way through them without any concern for herself, causing Serana to raise her eyebrow as she watched the battle go down, since it was blocking the road and they needed to wait for it to be over. Once more it was hard for Amaryllis to tell if the blood that had been spilled on Kya was actually her own or if she seemed to enjoy bathing in the blood of her enemies, as she was an odd one and it was strange to see her in battle, even if she let out a battle cry at one point, as it was 'Roina guides my blade', making her take a moment to wonder if it was the nickname of a Daedric Prince or if she was insane enough to have created her own god to satisfy her mind and explain her habits. In the end it didn't matter what the Thalmor did as Kya cut her way through all of them, like they were novices and she was an expert showing someone else the correct way to do battle, but once it was done she got up and smiled as she stared at the blood that had was resting on her weapon's head, clearly pleased with the scene that had been created over the last couple of minutes. With that done she seemed to notice that they were there, as if she was now seeing them for the first time or something, and placed her weapon on her back before moving the bodies out of the way, even though she did take the coins, gems, and weapons for later, or at least that seemed to be what she was doing, allowing Lydia to get underway once more and let them pass where Kya happened to be standing, leaving them to focus on their true destination once more.
It took a while for them to get to Dragon Bridge and head up a road that was beyond it, heading to the west as they went up a hill, though Serana continued to direct them along the path she remembered and it quickly brought them down the backside of the mountain range that Solitude rested on, before eventually bringing them to a fort that seemed to be one of the Thalmor outposts, even if they were focused on a boat that allowed them to reach an island with an imposing castle, no doubt the one they were looking for.
"Hey, so... before we go in there..." Serana said, where she came to a stop at the base of the bridge that lead right to where the front door of the castle rested, though at the same time Amaryllis could feel a surge of emotion from her, as she had no idea which of her parents might be waiting for her when they passed through the door, so she was worried for one and hopeful for the other.
"Are you all right?" Za'kera asked, though while she didn't have the powers that Amaryllis and Wind had, to sense what sort of emotions someone was experiencing at any moment, it was easy for her to tell that Serana was worried about seeing who was on the other side of the door, something that made her stop and ask the question, just to calm Serana down before they headed inside the castle.
"I think so... and thanks for asking." Serana replied, showing that, while she didn't trust them all that much, she actually did like people trying to be kind to her in some way, instead of being brutes or uncaring individuals, before taking a few moments to gather herself as she stared at the castle for a time, "I wanted to thank all of you for getting me this far... but after we get in there, I'm going to go my own way for a while. I think... I know your friends, the Dawnguard, would probably want to kill everything in here, but, after seeing you guys in battle for a time, I know that I don't have to worry about you guys attacking whoever is on the other side of the door... a word of warning, once we're inside just keep quiet for a bit and let me take the lead, just in case my father's the one we end up meeting."
Za'kera nodded her head, which was echoed by Amaryllis and the others, before they followed after Serana as she walked up to the front gate of the castle, where the gatekeeper, a mind controlled Nord to be exact, seemed pleased to see them and raised the structure and allowed them to enter the castle in no time, only to discover an Altmer vampire, once more in the attire of a more noble figure, waiting on the other side.
"How dare you trespass here! Wait... Serana? Is that truly you? I cannot believe my eyes!" the vampire stated, where at first he came across as someone who was about to defend the castle from intruders, something that would have caused them to draw their weapons if he had continued speaking like that, before he paused as he discovered Serana standing among them, causing him to smile as he walked over to the ledge, "My Lord! Everyone! Serana has returned!"
Serana quietly informed them that the speaker was Vingalmo, a retainer and advisor to her father, before they walked up to where the vampire was standing and stared out at the open chamber that happened to be in front of them, one that had all sorts of tables and chairs set up, like a dining hall of sorts, and there were a number of servants who seemed to be serving the vampires that had paused in their feasting.
"My long-lost daughter returns at last." a voice said, where Amaryllis found that it came from a rather impressive person who stood in the middle of the dining hall that was in front of them, even it was down some stairs, someone who had to be the Lord of this castle, Serana's father no doubt since she could feel the worry coming from the vampire, before she found that he was interested in something else, "I trust you have my Elder Scroll?"
"After all these years, that's the first thing you ask me?" Serana asked, her tone and emotions showing that she had been hoping for something totally different, that even if she had been hoping to avoid contact with her father part of her had a desire for a warm welcome, even though he seemed cold and only desired the Scroll that was on her back, before she took a moment to sigh as she and the others walked down the stairs, "Yes, I still have the Elder Scroll."
"Of course I'm delighted to see you, my daughter." her father replied, where Amaryllis and Wind glanced at each other, as they could tell that he was lying through his teeth and only cared about the powerful artifact that was on Serana's back, even though he glanced over to Za'kera and the others for a moment, taking note of them before pausing as he noticed Lynthia standing among them, "Must I really say the words aloud? Ah, if only your traitor mother were here, I would let her watch this reunion before putting her head on a spike. Now tell me, who are these strangers that you have brought into our hall?"
"These are my saviors, who freed me from my prison." Serana answered, taking the reigns as she told them, to paint the group in a good light for when they encountered her parents, especially in the case of her father as Amaryllis figured, but the return of the Elder Scroll and herself caused all of the vampires to share some words with each other, while focusing on what they were doing.
"For my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude. Tell me, what are your names?" the Lord of the castle said, where he turned his attention to Za'kera, Amaryllis, Wind, and the others for a moment, showing them that while he was happy for the return of the Elder Scroll, and he claimed that Serana's return made him happy as well, he was interested in who they might be.
"I am Za'kera, the Last Dragonborn and Thane of Whiterun," Za'kera replied, figuring that a title or two might impress the vampire lord and open the way for them to talk, while deciding not to mention the fact that she was the commander of an army, especially one that was building itself right now, before moving onto Amaryllis and the others, where she noticed that Harkon raised an eyebrow when Lynthia was mentioned, "And you are?"
"I am Harkon, Lord of this Court." the vampire said, where it was clear that he was putting emphasis on his title as well, if only to make them aware that they were standing before royalty, either because he was intimidated by the presence of Lynthia, the highest form of vampire royalty, save for her mother anyway, or he wanted them to be taken aback by what he had to say, "By now, my daughter will have told you what we are."
"She didn't tell us anything, we figured out you were vampires rather easily," Amaryllis remarked, as there wasn't much to say to that, as they were wearing the attire of the various blood sucking enemies they had seen so far, which she didn't include Babette in since her sister had a better fashion sense than these guys, even though she did see that some of the vampires were gnawing on bones for some reason.
"Not just vampires." Harkon stated, almost like he was offended by her statement, no doubt believing himself to be above the others of their kind that were outside the castle, causing Serana to roll her eyes as she heard him say that, no doubt a little annoyed by what her father had said, before he thought about something else, "We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim... the members of my Court can easily topple a Hold, if I were to give them the command to do so. For centuries we lived here, far from the cares of the world, but all that ended when my wife betrayed me and stole away that which I valued most."
"Based on what I'm seeing, a Hold is beyond their powers... a small settlement, on the other hand, is more reasonable for all of them," Lynthia remarked, though it really sounded like she was trying to pick a fight with Harkon, one she might be able to win since she was far more experienced than he had to be, as she was the daughter of the first vampire and the Prince of Domination, before she smirked for a moment as she saw some annoyed looks on Harkon's Court, hence why she glanced at him for a moment, "then again, most of you are fledglings compared to me."
"Anyway, you deserve a reward for the service you have done for me." Harkon continued, either ignoring Lynthia or just decided that he would deal with her in due time, where Lynthia just stood there and watched him, even though one of the servants seemed to realize who she was and offered her a cup of blood, which she took and swirled around a little, giving her a more noble appearance, "There is but one gift I can give that is equal in value to the Elder Scroll and my daughter: I offer you my blood. Take it, and you will walk as a lion among sheep, men will tremble at your approach, and you will never fear death again... here, let me show you the power!"
In that moment Harkon seemed to choke as he called upon his inner power, blood red lines appearing and crisscrossing all over his body for a few seconds, like he was turning into something else before their eyes, before the blood shattered as he emerged, as a creature that looked like a more humanoid gargoyle, while his attire had been reduced to a loincloth, a jewelry chest piece, and a cape which sort of blocked his tiny looking wings, like an infant's wings... even though Lynthia chuckled as a pair of leathery bat wings, black colored, emerged from her back and fit through some holes that she made at some point in the past.
"Can you please stop trying to show off at every chance you get?" Amaryllis asked, because traveling with the children of the gods, be they the Divines or the Daedric Princes, was getting old real fast and she could tell that her friend was tired of it as well, though she found that Lynthia just chuckled as she heard the remark, causing her to mentally moan as she and the others found that Za'kera was stepping forward.
"Look, I'm not interested in becoming a vampire, rather I would have your cooperation," Za'kera replied, where she took a moment to turn and glance at the assembled figures that were around them, all while Amaryllis and Wind knew that there were more vampires lurking somewhere in the shadows, as some were annoyed that she would turn down the offer, as it would have placed her in the Court as well as given her immense power, "War is coming, one unlike anything this world has seen in a long time, and I intend on meeting our enemies on the battlefield with everything our world has to offer, be it mages, warriors, thieves, assassins, werewolves, vampires, and even the dragons... and I would prefer if your Court and the Dawnguard stopped this pointless feud and lent us your aid."
"You expect us to simply step down and join hands with the ones trying to kill us?" Vingalmo inquired, though it was more like he was demanding an explanation from them, something that caused the Court to laugh as they heard what she had to say on the matter, almost as if they thought she was insane or foolish for saying such a thing, even Harkon seemed to find this funny, "Next you're going to tell us that Alduin has returned, or something foolish like that..."
"Well, the World-Eater has returned, and he's allied with us to take down the Aldmeri Dominion," Wind remarked, speaking for the first time since they arrived at the castle, though Amaryllis was glad that she had her mask on since she had to take a moment to smile as she found that all of Harkon's Court stopped laughing, as if they considered her statement for a few seconds, before she glanced at Za'kera, "Hey, do you think he'll come if you speak his name to the heavens?"
"No idea... it might annoy him, to be exact, but I think we might be able to do that." Za'kera remarked, something that did cause the vampires to pause for a moment as they considered their words, like they were starting to believe that they had been telling the truth and not lying about what was going on, to which she turned for a moment and make it look like she was leaving, before pausing for a moment, "Lord Harkon, if you would like to join up with us, come to the new fort that has been built near Whiterun... trust me, you can't miss it."
Amaryllis kept the smile on her face as they left the stunned Court behind, where Lynthia fell in with them and both of her wings disappeared as quickly as they had appeared moments ago, before Serana glanced at her father for a few seconds, as he was still stunned by what had been said, and actually followed after them, showing them that she had more sense than her father, but a full scale war likely interested her and caused this decision to be made, though Amaryllis knew this was the start of them stopping the last of Skyrim's dangers before moving forward with their next plan.