People were still celebrating the end of the Oblivion Crisis, nearly a year later. Skingrad went all out on wine, with production tripling almost overnight. No one knew how they did it exactly, and no one was asking any questions. The wine was flying off the shelves as it was.

Lena was spending a lot of time in the area, partly because of the long established vampire covens that weren’t entirely hostile, and mostly because of the wine. A drunk vampire is one that doesn’t bite necks, was the saying, and so she was welcome at the Two Sisters Lodge as long as she was drinking. People soon got used to seeing her around and stopped worrying for their necks too much.

It worked well, Lena thought. A drunk vampire may pass out in a ditch the same as every other drunkard, but when the stupor lifted, the vampire would still have to feed, and a drunk mortal in the same ditch made for a passable donor, even if the vampire passed out again after that.

One night Lena woke up in a back alley of Skingrad, her head spinning with drink, her skin burning from sleeping under the sun. She looked around for someone to feed on and saw a fellow nearby, equally passed out with drink. She crawled over to him, not risking getting up, and found his neck. The fellow wore a peculiar hat with horns, she smirked at that and sank her fangs into his flesh, finding the vein. His blood had an interesting taste, and she wondered what he’d been drinking. She fed enough to keep her going, he would not notice a thing. She let go of his neck and sat up. Her head was clear, the effects of the wine had all but vanished, and she was surprised at that.

“Did you enjoy my blood?” The fellow sat up, grinning at her. “You may take more if you like, I’ve got plenty.” It was only now that Lena could see him for what he was, and he was a dremora. She jumped up. “Don’t be scared, I don’t bite,” he laughed. “Even though they call me Sanguine.”

“Sanguine? As in – the Daedric Prince?” Lena rubbed her eyes.

“At your service,” he bowed, still sitting on the ground. It looked funny and Lena laughed. “Here for the wine, of course.”

“I am Wolf,” Lena introduced herself. “Here for the wine as well.”

“Very well, Lena Wolf, why don’t we get something to drink? I do hope Two Sisters are already open.”

They got up and went to the lodge, and it was only later that Lena realised that she hadn’t told Sanguine her first name.

Their feast went on for days. Whenever Lena was about to pass out, Sanguine’s blood sobered her up again. She never took much, she just took enough to keep going. Sanguine didn’t seem to get really drunk regardless of how many bottles of wine he poured down his throat. It wasn’t all that surprising – he was after all a Daedric Prince.

“Will you be staying another week?” The publican marked up her ledger when Sanguine dropped a hefty purse on the counter. “Room and board again?” He nodded and she smiled, putting away the money. This customer was paying in full, and then some. She could not care less whether he had horns or not.

“Can we have dinner in the room?” Sanguine leaned over the counter and spoke in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. “With just a few bottles of wine, not too much. Food for two.” The publican nodded, taking his order. Sanguine turned to Lena who was toasting some newcomers. “Put down your goblet and come with me, don’t drink!” He said with urgency into her ear. She startled, but did as he asked.

Sanguine led her to his room on the upper floor of the building. It was a nice suite with a dining table, some shelves and knicknacks, serving people who valued privacy, she thought.

“Vampire hunters,” Sanguine said after he closed the door behind them. “Those newcomers… I’ve seen the way they looked at you. I’d rather you stayed alive.”

“I’ll lead them out into one of the covens, they could use some fresh cattle,” she said darkly. “Skingrad is the safest place for mortals, no one feeds in the streets here! All covens have thralls…”

“I beg to differ, you did bite my neck,” Sanguine grinned. “There’s always an odd vampire in every city, and Skingrad is no exception.”

At that point there was a knock on the door and a maid brought in their dinner.

“You need food as well as blood, so tuck in,” Sanguine gestured Lena towards the table, sitting down himself as well. “I ordered dinner for two and I see the innkeeper knows what this means for a dremora,” he grinned with satisfaction, lifting the lids of the many pots and dishes completely covering the table, and some even stacked on top of each other. “Roast or stew? Where do you want to begin?”

The aromas of those delicious dishes reminded Lena just how hungry she was in fact, hungry for food this time. She’d been drinking too much and forgot that she needed to eat too…

After dinner she could scarcely keep her eyes open. She wasn’t drunk, but sleep was another need that she’d been neglecting, and it was now catching up with her as well. She fell into bed and was asleep within minutes. Sanguine smiled, watching her sleep.

…

When Lena woke up the next day, she saw Sanguine next to her engrossed in reading the paper.

“Listen to this,” he laughed. “They finally caught the Grey Fox! He is apparently Hieronymus Lex’s mother!”

“He… is a mother?” Lena thought she misheard, perhaps she wasn’t quite awake yet.

“The Black Horse Courier has the best stories!” Sanguine laughed again, putting away the paper. “You are looking better today,” he looked her over. “Just a helping of blood and you’ll be ready to take on those vampire hunters.” He turned his head pointing at the exposed neck.

“I can’t just go on biting your neck, I’m not drunk any more,” Lena shook her head. “It’s not right.”

“What’s not right?” Sanguine looked at her in mild surprise. “You need blood as much as you need food and sleep, there is no avoiding it, Molag Bal be damned. And I volunteer.”

“Why?” Lena squinted at him. “You are not a thrall.”

“A thrall!” Sanguine roared with laughter. “That’s a good one! I’d like to see them try!” His laughter was infectious and Lena started laughing too. “No, I am not a thrall, but neither do I fear it as mortals do,” he finally calmed down. “For one, I do have a lot of blood, and for two, you do not harm your donors… I’ve watched you well before I let you feed on me.”

“It depends,” Lena looked somber now. “Sometimes I take it all… sometimes I even…” She did not finish, thinking of those few occasions when she had to make do with the blood of a corpse.

“Sometimes doesn’t count,” Sanguine said softly. “Why are you here drinking your days away, Lena Wolf?”

She looked up but didn’t answer. He stroked her hair and she let him. He kissed her and she responded – the vampire hunters could wait.

…

“Leave them be, you can’t kill all the vermin,” Sanguine was caressing her as she rested her head on his chest, exhausted, her heart beating fast. “I know vampires – you are not all the same, but those hunters make no distinction.”

“They see us as monsters or beasts…” Lena sighed. “And many of us are just that… many, but not all. I didn’t choose it… I still want a life, somehow.”

“And that is why I let you feed,” he kissed her hair. “Come on, you need it. I won’t even notice. I like it, in fact…”

He turned his head again, his vein was throbbing… Lena gave in and bit his neck.

…

In the years that followed Lena met Sanguine on many occasions, and sometimes he took her to one of his islands for a bit of peace and quiet. It was always early evening there, but the sun never burned her skin, there were no vampire hunters, no bandits, no rats of any kind… She so enjoyed his islands. Sanguine was exceptionally easy to be with.

“I don’t see why they call you the Prince of Excess,” she said once. “I see no excess, just pleasure… of more than one kind.”

“That is excess to some,” he smirked. “I don’t believe in celibacy or restraint, as long as it brings pleasure… I do not ration my drink or my love, I have no morals… I never bothered with that. Are you enjoying my company? That is all that matters.”

“I am not complaining,” Lena smiled, allowing the rays of a setting sun tickle her skin. “Do you have subjects? Since you are a Prince… I’ve ever only seen you alone.”

Sanguine snapped his fingers and a dremora warrior apeared. “My Lord,” he said and bowed.

“This is one of the warriors that answer to the call of the Sanguine Rose,” Sanguine turned to Lena. “Yes, I have subjects, dremoras all. How many of you answer to me?” He looked at the warrior who shrugged. “We don’t bother with count. There are several clans. But you won’t find them slaughtering mortals akin those that recently invaded your world.”

The dremora warrior snorted, Sanguine waved his hand and the warrior vanished.

“So, not all dremoras are the same… a bit like vampires,” Lena smiled.

“Dremora is just a species,” Sanguine shrugged. “Are all humans the same?”

“I hope to meet one of your dremoras some day,” Lena looked at him with mischief. “How do I get hold of that Sanguine Rose? It sounds useful.”

“You’ve got to queue up, then do a task,” Sanguine looked stern. “It’s a Daedric Artefact, don’t you know! You mortals are supposed to work for that!”

Lena burst out laughing, and Sanguine joined her.

“You don’t believe me, do you? And yet it is true. There are rules… We can’t just flood Mundus with overpowered weapons and such… If one can call it that… Ever seen Sheogorath’s staff? If that is a weapon, then I’m a bunny, for sure.”

Picturing Sanguine as a bunny prompted another explosion of laughter, but eventually Lena calmed down and made a mental note to visit Sanguine’s shrine in Cyrodiil and see about getting the Sanguine Rose. Somehow she didn’t think that the associated task would be too hard.

…

When Lena got the cure for vampirism and her body turned into that of an old woman, she fell in despair. The Demented in the Shivering Isles all agreed it was the right response, the Manics all disagreed and tried to cheer her up with greenmote and felldew, but nothing worked. Lena could not get over her loss – the loss of her form, it seemed superficial but it hurt so badly, she did not know what to do with herself. She stood at the top of the falls on the Eastern side of New Sheoth and jumped off. She did not expect to survive.

…

“Suicide is forbidden here by the decree of Prince Sheogorath,” she heard a Mazken guard saying. “I shall have to arrest you, mortal.”

“Don’t be silly – she isn’t dead,” another familiar voice intervened. “Only soaked, and that isn’t against the rules.”

Lena opened her eyes. Sanguine.

“Not dead. I see.” The guard squinted. “Attempts of suicide are forbidden too. We don’t arrest dead bodies.”

“She didn’t mean that, did you, Wolf?” Sanguine sat her up. “Tell her you didn’t mean it.”

Lena looked up. The guard was watching her, her sword drawn.

“I didn’t mean it, I am sorry,” Lena said in a small voice. “I was just going for a swim…”

“Hmm… Well, be more careful next time, mortal,” the guard sheathed her sword, satisfied, then walked away.

“What are you doing here?” Lena hugged Sanguine, glad that he saved her life after all.

“I’m here for felldew myself,” he winked. “Came to see what a mortal Lord Sheogorath did with this realm. I see the guards still treat you like any other mortal, even though you are supposed to rule over them, at least for now.”

“The title of Lord Sheogorath is not the same as that of Prince Sheogorath,” Lena sighed. “I get all the duties and no fun…”

“We’ll need to change that,” Sanguine shook his head. “Sheogorath is known for throwing the best parties ever… it must be one of the duties, I’m certain. Why don’t you see to that?”

Lena nodded, it was a good plan… but it didn’t distract her from the sense of loss of her body that drove her to the top of that waterfall in the first place. Sanguine seemed to have noticed it, he snapped his fingers and whisked her away to one of his islands.

…

“What did you do?” Lena looked at her hands and saw young, soft skin and slender fingers instead of a near skeletal hand of her new mortal body. “Will this last?”

“No, it won’t, I’m afraid, it’s just an illusion,” Sanguine sighed. “It was important to you, but not to me. Yes, I preferred the way you looked before, but I’ll get used to the way you look now, as long as you stay you…”

He took her in his embrace and kissed her, and a few minutes later the illusion dissolved, but Sanguine did not release his embrace.

“It is more than just looks,” Lena started sobbing. “It doesn’t feel the same… I lost agility, strength, even magic… it’s useless…”

“But I still love you the same,” Sanguine didn’t give up. “Like all those other people who care for you as well.”

“What other people?” Lena kept sobbing.

“Those others with whom you’ve been through hell and back,” he reminded her. “I know there are some.”

He might have said the wrong thing because Lena’s sobs got worse, or may be he said what she really needed to hear. Those others… she’d been staying away, but perhaps she should just… oh no, that still hurt too much… she wasn’t ready yet.