Theryl took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the putrid scent of rotting corpses, floating entrails, and freshly charred death hounds that dominated the undercroft of Castle Volkihar.

"Ahh, this smell brings back memories."

"The smell of death and decay brings back memories? Really?" Serana said, sheathing her daggers.

Theryl crossed his arms about his chest and nodded sagely. "Don't get me wrong. I'm quite fond of Skyrim's cold, crisp, fresh air, but it can be too much of a good thing, you know? Every now and then you need to give the lungs a good shock to make sure they're running properly. Besides, better to be breathing in air heavy with the odor of blood and gore than to torture oneself with the dry, musty atmosphere that haunts the millions of draugr crypts that seem to be everywhere around Skyrim."

"I see."

In an effort to preserve her sanity, Serana had finally taken Chuckles' advice. She no longer contested the random stream of alcohol-tinged stupidity that flowed forth from Theryl's maw. Uttering the occasional mundane pleasantry had the effect of denying the dragonborn a path that would distract him from their overall goal and, at this point, she would do nearly anything to finally get the job done and be rid of Theryl forever.

"You know what all that dust does to your sinuses?"

"No," Serana muttered. "What?"

"Drives it bloody mad that's what! Flay 'em, freeze 'em, burn 'em or shock 'em. Doesn't make a damned lick of difference with the stupid draugr. They all go down with a big cloud of dust that is guaranteed—*guaranteed* I say—to send you into an embarrassing fit of sneezing and sniffling."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes," Theryl said, following Serana through the undercroft. "I've been run through with an ancient greatsword more times than I would like to admit just because of a poorly timed sneeze. It's the worst part about exploring draugr dens, really."

"Wouldn't the worst part of draugr dens be the draugr themselves?" Serana said.

Theryl shrugged. "Not really. Draugr are no fundamentally no different than other skeleton. Albeit with the ability to use shouts and some rudimentary spells. But their bones smash as easily as any other."

To illustrate his point Theryl thrust his palms forward. The air before him curdled, growing heavy like mist, taking the form of an intricate warhammer. He raised it about his head and brought it down with a powerful swing.

"One or two of those and it's game over!"

The warhammer disappeared in a puff of smoke and Theryl placed his hands on his hips. A stupid grin was plastered on his ruddy face, as if his little display was something to be proud of. Serana let out a small sigh and continued trudging through the darkness, eager to be free of both the dragonborn and the putrid filth. Thankfully, she did not have to wait long as their journey through the bowels of Castle Volkihar came to an abrupt end when she through open a door that was little more than a mass of rotted planks and rusty hinges and found herself facing a truly tragic scene. Her mother's garden, the site of so many cherished memories, was ruined.

"No. . ." A single tear rolled down her cheek.

The beautiful flowers that she had spent so many years tending, the alchemical plants whose properties had been lovingly taught to her by her mother, Valerica, everything was gone. Like her mother, like her family, the garden she within which she had grown had decayed. A grim reminder that all that she had once held dear was gone and would never come back.

"Huh. I didn't know vampires could cry," Theryl said, taking a drink of mead from his canteen. "I'll have to remember to note that."

Serana fell to her knees and let out a bark-like laugh. "Well, I'm glad that you find my misery useful. All of my hopes are now officially destroyed. The garden is dead. The last place where I saw my mother, the last place where we were really and truly a family is nothing more than dust in the wind, but, hey, now Theryl the drunken asshole knows that vampires can cry so it was all worth it."

Her words were laced with despair and her bitter laughter gave way to anguished sobs that wracked her entire body. Theryl took another sip of mead and made his way to one of the flowerbeds.

"Honestly, there's no need to be dramatic."

Serana raised her eyes and watched as Theryl plunged his fingers into the loamy soil. He took a deep breath, filling his body with magical energy that made his body glow with a brilliant blue light. Then, he exhaled. The energy flowed out of his body, through his fingers and into the soil. Serana watched, wide eyed, as the plants that had been dead for decades—centuries, even—slowly came back to life. The stems straightened, energized by the dragonborn's magicka. Branches grew, giving birth to knew leaves and bulbs before her very eyes.

"Everything eventually comes to an end, Serana," Theryl said. "Families grow apart, lovers grow distant, and lives end, leaving behind nothing more than an imprint. Memories, legacies, and dynasties are all that remain and these too will erode by the will of Akatosh. Such is the sad reality of our existence."

"Wha-"

"But in every end there is a new beginning, and it is not altogether impossible to recover what was once lost," Theryl said, motioning to the now thriving flowerbed.

The dragonborn knelt before Serana and cupped her face in his hands. The skin of his palms were rough and calloused, but they brought her warmth and comfort. He wiped her tears away as gently as he could and eased the vampire onto her feet.

"Please," Theryl said. "We'll find your mother. So don't cry, okay?"

Serana smiled. "Okay. We've nearly found my mother's lab. All that's left to do is solve whatever cryptic puzzle she put in place to keep my father out."

Theryl snorted. "Cryptic my pale, muscled ass." He spun on his heels and stared suspiciously at the giant moondial in the center of the courtyard. "I don't know what disappoints me more; that your mother would think this is an adequete magical countermeasure or the fact that the stupid thing actually worked. Help me gather the missing pieces, would you?"