Elder Scroll series 1. In Dire Need of Recruits

In Dire Need of Recruits…

Looking around the ruins of the Falkreath Sanctuary I began to realize just how lucky we had been to survive the events of last night. The Penitus Oculatus, the emperor's elite guard, betrayed our former leader and matron of this sanctuary: Astrid. She herself had betrayed us, though I understood her reasoning; she did it to save everyone, and I held no grudge against her for it… even as I granted her wish to become the Black Sacrament. With the contract to kill the emperor complete, I now helped Nazir lift the rubble off the bodies of our fallen family for burial. With Astrid dead, I was now both their Listener and their Sanctuary "matron".

"Damn… it's hard to believe that we could be whittled down to only three members in just one night." Sighed Nazir as he sat down on a nearby pile of rubble, the red guard had been through quite a bit in the past twenty-four hours and I couldn't blame him if he needed to rest for a minute.

"While I agree with you Nazir, we live on so that is all that should matter. Isn't that right Listener?" Said Babette as she walked into the room from the entrance hall, two shovels in her small hands. Although she may look like a child of around ten years old, Babette is in truth a three hundred year old vampire; she had just finished doing her part to bury our family members by digging at least one of the graves- a vampire she may be but a child's body can only do so much. I simply nodded, hoping they would give me time to let all of this sink in; although I had lived it, I was having trouble accepting it. I was still expecting to hear Festus grumbling about something down the hall, Abjorn hammering away at a sword on the anvil, and to hear "Greetings sister." from Veezara every time I passed by his favorite spot near the waterfall. We wrapped the bodies in what bed sheets we could find and carried them outside, with the graves already dug it was simply a matter of committing the bodies to the earth.

As the last of the soil was dropped into the graves, I approached each in turn and placed a single Deathbell flower in farewell.

"Shadowmere… we're leaving." I said aloud, receiving a loud neigh in response. The black spirit horse walked up to me and tramped at the ground; in front of his former master's grave. Shadowmere had once belonged to Astrid, though she had lent him to me during my recent contracts- though now I suppose, he was officially mine. Leaving the Falkreath Sanctuary behind would be difficult, but I rode away in silence after telling Nazir and Babette that I would meet them in Dawnstar… I still had some things left to do. I rode out and across Skyrim to the capital of Riften and stabled Shadowmere before entering the town. I walked through the town in the direction of the Temple of Mara, I walked around to the graveyard behind the temple and into the open air crypt. I pressed the button hidden in the diamond shaped insignia and the stone coffin slid back revealing a staircase leading to a door. I walked down the stairs and into the Thieves Guild Headquarters in cistern. I greeted my friend, Brynyolf and continued on to the Ragged Flagon, where I found the man I was looking for in his usual place.

"Delvin, I have some work for you- Brotherhood business." I said as I sat down at the table. He leaned back in his chair with one hand on his drink.

"An' wot kinda work are we talkin' about?" He asked, wary of what I might ask. I sighed and pulled out a bag of septims,

"Nothing much, I just need you to fix up our new Sanctuary in Dawnstar." I explained as I set the bag on the table. Delvin's eyes locked on the bag and he held out his hand,

"Miss I do believe we 'ave a deal!" He exclaimed, one hand shaking mine and the other on the bag of gold. Delvin was a bit of a leech, but he always got the job done quickly; no doubt the Sanctuary would be in pristine condition by the time I arrived.

I dismounted from Shadowmere outside the Dawnstar Sanctuary, and for some reason something felt… amiss. I put it off as being uneasy about a new place and entered the sanctuary. Indeed Delvin worked fast, I walked into the main hall and found the whole place looked considerably better… except for one of the tapestries- it was still moth worn! I would have to take this up with Delvin the next time I was in Riften. I sighed and walked down into the dining room to find Nazir sitting at the table drinking a flagon of mead. "Ah, your back!" Nazir said as he turned his head to me before returning to his mead. I explored the refurnished sanctuary for a few minutes and was very pleased with my personal bedroom. I wanted to take a nap for a bit but now that everything was settled I wanted some time alone and would rather not be around anyone for now. I walked back to the main hall and out the Black Door, back onto the beach. I walked up to the water and looked out at the sea. The cold northerly winds blew strongly and whipped by, blowing back my dark red ponytail. I sighed and closed my dark brown eyes and simply relaxed to the sound of the cold waves on the shore accompanied by the whistle of the wind. My eyes shot open as that same odd feeling washed over me- now I knew I was right… someone was watching me.

"Show yourself." I said with a hand on one of my two daggers. I waited for a moment, and before long out of the shadows came someone I didn't think I would ever see again.

"Cicero? What in the blazes are you doing here? I would have thought you half way to the Imperial City by now!" I exclaimed, relaxing a little; though still keeping my hand near my dagger. It was true that I had allowed Cicero to live after he had attacked Veezara, but I never expected him to come back! I had gone to the Dawnstar Sanctuary for the first time when looking for Cicero with the full intent of making him pay for injuring Veezara… but seeing him injured and dying- I just couldn't finish the job. I left Cicero at the sanctuary with some bandages and healing potions, and by the time we arrived later there was no trace of him.

"You thought poor Cicero would just leave his mother? The Listener made a grave mistake in allowing Cicero to live; Cicero should be Listener! Prepare to die!" He exclaimed, and once again my hand was on my dagger and ready for him to attack. "Ahhahahahaha! You should see the look on your face! Just kidding, Cicero has come to serve the Listener and his beloved mother." Cicero said with a cackle; I groaned in frustration, this man was going to drive me simply batty! I sighed and followed Cicero into the Sanctuary once more.

As one could expect, Nazir and Babette were bewildered that Cicero was still alive,

"Why am I not surprised the fool lives?" Asked Nazir with a roll of his eyes. He knew I was too kind to kill without the Night Mother's blessing; frankly I wasn't sure if I was happy he understood me, or angry that he had so little faith that I would follow orders.

"So… Cicero is alive, and we're friends again? I simply can't keep up!" exclaimed Babette in mild frustration. Cicero and her had been on good terms until his attack on Veezara, though I never told her he had apologized; hopefully they could mend bridges and let the past lie for the sake of the sanctuary. I just smiled and sat down at the dinner table at last, though I didn't quite get as far as eating anything before a familiar voice entered my mind.

"_Peace is restored at last. Now that the family has gathered, I wish for you to speak for me child." _explained our unholy matron, her voice making my head swim. I really don't think I will ever get used to her sending her voice into my mind; every time she did so I always became dizzy the longer she talked, and this would be a test of my own endurance to hear her for a prolonged time.

"Everyone please sit down, the Night Mother would like me to speak for her; she has something she wants all of us to hear." I said quickly before they could disperse to wherever they might go here. As the Night Mother finished speaking to me, my vision went hazy and began to whirl before my eyes; but I persevered and did my best to ignore it and explain.

"The Night Mother wishes for us to bring the Brotherhood to it's former glory, we are now only four members of what had once been several thousands across Tamriel… this displeases her, and Sithis himself. She wants us to concentrate on gaining members for now, and when we have enough for this Sanctuary to function she will inform me of the need to move on and restore one of the other Skyrim Sanctuaries. Once we have restored enough of the Dark Brotherhood's presence in Skyrim, she will advise me in appointing new Speakers to reform the Black Hand. When it's time for me to leave this Sanctuary, she says she will leave the management of it to my discretion." I explained, finishing as I stood and began to walk away to my room; struggling not to show my dizziness or to stumble.

I opened the door to my room and shakily closed it behind me before making my way to my bed and collapsing without even bothering to take of my shoes and Shrouded Robes. I quickly fell into a dreamless asleep. I awakened what felt like moments later by a loud knocking at my door. I sleepily told whoever was on the other side they could come in without so much as lifting my head from the pillow.

"Listener! Why are you still asleep? Cicero wishes to speak with you, yes he does!" Said the self proclaimed "Fool of Hearts" as he opened the door to see me beginning to fall back to sleep. "The Listener isn't doing a very good job of listening…"He said before I heard footsteps approach my bed. "Go away Cicero… I wanna sleep." I grumbled into my pillow before I was rudely awoken by being pushed out of my bed and onto the floor. I let out a slight growl and I sat up on the stone floor and saw where I had once laid peacefully was now Cicero grinning like… well, a fool.

"Perhaps now the Listener will listen to poor Cicero?" he taunted with a pout. I face-palmed and stood up before walking over to my nearby desk and sitting down in my comfy chair. Cicero jumped off my bed and strolled in front of my desk before finally getting to what he wanted so badly to talk to me about. "The Listener says our loving mother wishes for us to gain new members, this is correct yes?" He began, I simply nodded groggily as I was not quite fully awake yet. "So, Cicero was thinking maybe we should employ an old method of recruitment; one that has not been used in nearly two hundred years!" he continued, and I had to fight not to smile at my own thoughts 'Cicero thinking? Were all doomed!'. "We send what members we have out to find potential… members, and when we witness them commit the act- poof! Our members show themselves and offer the potential a place at the Sanctuary! What do you say Listener? Listener?" He finally finished as I began to doze of in my chair. I heard him sigh and not much else until… "WAKEY WAKEY LISTENER!" he practically screamed in my ear. I nearly fell out my chair much to his enjoyment as he began to cackle loudly. I rubbed my eyes in frustration before ordering the fool to inform the others and leave me be.

"By Sithis, if this is what my life is going to be now I may have grey hair by the time I'm twenty-five!" I grumbled to myself after Cicero closed the door behind him. I stood up and walked back to my bed, this time I kicked off my shoes and got under the covers before finally falling back to sleep.

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><p>So this is the beginning of "Return of the Brotherhood", lame title I know but it's the best I could do; suggestions are welcome. I am accepting Character submissions as of now! You can send them in a review, or if you have information on your character you don't want others to see: like secret history or secret connections, please send it in a PM. Here is the skeleton of what I need, you may add extra info if you think it can help me better understand your character; and please no Dragonborn:<p>

Name: (please do not give your character any aliases, you must give a first name, and may give a last name but it is not required that you do)

Race: (Explains it's self.)

Age: (you may give approximates if you don't want to be exact.)

Height: (Please not in metric)

Appearance: (please no pics unless it's part of your profile icon)

Personality: (as much detail as you can give me, and your character will be as close to what you want them to be!)

Equipment: (weapons and armor, please provide information if they are enchanted)

Skills: (known spells, what skills is your character good at? Like lock picking or sneaking, etc.)

History: (please include as far back as your character can remember, the closer to the present the more details I need. If you have information you don't want others to know until later, please PM me with your character info.)

Please ensure you are as thorough as possible with your information or I may need to contact you for more details!


	2. Nothing Says Family

So this is Chapter 2, and I want to say right now: I NEVER EXPECTED TO GET THAT MANY REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER OVERNIGHT! Everyone who has reviewed so far has made me very happy! I may be slow to update since there are already so many people who submitted characters on the first day; I need time to figure out where to put everyone and how to introduce you all! If you have a request for how your character comes to the attention of the Brotherhood, please PM me with it so no one can read the reviews and get a spoiler.

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><p><strong>Nothing Say's Family Like an Arrow in The Face<strong>

I awoke to an odd sound that echoed through the halls of the Sanctuary, it was faint but I was barely awake so I could still hear it. It sounded like… raucous laughter; why this was odd with Cicero around was simple- he was never this loud. Something had to have been deathly funny for him to be this loud, and my curiosity got the better of me as I rose to investigate the disturbance. I navigated the halls and soon I arrived in the main hall, where Cicero sat at the table across from a light green Argonian with a dark patch on one side of his face who seemed more intent of his mead than like he was listening to Cicero's ravings.

"What are you on about now Cicero? And who is this?" I asked him drowsily. Cicero leaned back in his chair and looked at me nearly up sided down,

"Listener! Cicero was wondering when you would finally wake up! This is a new recruit Cicero has found! Cicero has yet to get his name though…" Said the fool with a bit of a playful scowl at the Argonian. I chuckled a little at Cicero's plight and approached the Argonian.

"What's your name? Or should we just call you 'Argonian' all the time?" I asked him simply, though he seemed to ignore me as he sipped his drink again. I sighed and looked at what he was drinking, a simple show mead, I had to give Cicero more credit; he had given him a less than great mead and left the good stuff, the Bochet, as a bargaining chip. I'd have to ask Cicero where he found this one later, but I suspected he found him in a tavern or inn.

I began to walk away and let Cicero deal with this when I heard the Argonian slam his flagon onto the table with a satisfied sigh after obviously downing the last of his mead.

"My name is Zany Vazzaras, I don't much care for anyone but myself so don't bother trying… but I do like killing and money; joining the Brotherhood allows for both, so where do I sign up?" He said without even looking to either Cicero or myself. I smiled and walked over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out a fresh bottle of mead. I walked over to Zany's side of the table and opened the bottle, pouring it into the now empty flagon.

"I trust Cicero wouldn't be stupid enough to let you in here without testing you first." I paused to glance at the fool in question slightly, he was grinning more than usual so I suspected I was correct in my assumption. "So let's skip the formalities shall we? Welcome, Brother; if you wish to change into your new armor you can find it in a chest in the recruit's dorm, I'm sure we have something for an Argonian of your stature." I said with a smile, happy to be gaining at least one new member so soon.

"No need, I prefer my armor anyway." He said simply before taking a tentative swig of the refilled flagon; he seemed to like it, as he drank deeply of the high quality Bochet. I acknowledged his request and frankly I didn't mind, his leather armor would more than likely be dark enough to conceal him while on contract so I saw no harm in allowing him this.

"Cicero, since you brought this recruit here without my knowledge, I wish for a full report on how you found him and how you tested him." I told Cicero as I began walking away, glimpsing his disdainful expression as I exited the room.

I didn't really want to do what I was about to do, but I knew that it needed to be done. I walked up the steps to the entrance of the sanctuary where Cicero had placed the Night Mother's coffin on what seemed to be a raised dais in the corner. I needed to speak with our Unholy Matron, hopefully she could tell me where to look for our next recruit. Cicero had said that we needed to wait for a potential to commit a murder, but I was curious to know if the Night Mother could give me a heads up on where to look; there were too few of us to search all nine major cities and still fulfill contracts so any help she could give me would be a Sithis-send.

"_You seek my guidance child? Rare is it that a child will come to it's mother in such a way, but I will aid in what ways I am able. Your search begins in Winterhold, there you will find a young Breton woman like yourself; she has already committed the necessary act… several times. Find her, and offer her a home where she and her lust to kill can belong._" Instructed the Night Mother, causing my head to swim again; but I needed to shrug it off quickly as I walked to the top of the stairs leading to the dining hall.

"Zany! It's time you show me what you can do, were leaving for Winterhold in five minutes; meet me outside the Black Door." I said before walking briskly to my room. I needed to grab a few things before we could leave, mainly a scroll containing information on a contract in the area. This contract was a tricky one and that was why I couldn't take care of it myself or pass it off to Nazir or Babette; this contract was for a mage who lived at the college. While I spoke with the potential, I could test Zany's skills by sending him after the target; at the very least he could tail the target and accurately gauge his schedule for the potential to take care of him, doing this much would be enough for me. I left my room and walked out the Black Door onto the beach. Zany was standing against the rocks looking out to sea. I approached him and with him standing I realized he was fairly tall for an Argonian, standing maybe around 5'11", almost a full 6 feet tall. As he turned to face me I realized that the dark patch on his light green face wasn't just a dark patch of scales- but a half-healed burn; based on the damage done and the fact that it had only partially healed, I guessed that it had to have been magic related. Maybe bringing him to a city close to a bunch of mages wasn't such a good idea. Too late now I suppose,

" Ready to go?" I asked him, he nodded and I whistled for Shadowmere who I had hidden in the sparse forest above the Sanctuary; townspeople seeing a red eyed horse without it's rider could pose too many questions accompanied by inquisitive eyes. "You can either ride with me or walk, it's up to you. Should you chose to walk, I'll meet you at the inn." I said simply as I mounted my horse. Zany looked from me to the horse and took off running in the direction of Winterhold. I chuckled a little and took off myself; Zany could run fast I'd give him that much, but nothing short of a dragon was faster than Shadowmere.

I arrived in Winterhold before the sun had set and waited on the porch of the tavern for Zany, who arrived within the hour. I gave him his orders: to track the target and not kill him, we would test the potential's skill with this contract. As Zany ran off towards the Mage's College I began to wonder how he was going to get in, but sent this thought to the back of my mind as I entered the Inn. Upon entering, I noticed the place was rather… empty; fitting since the city was practically destroyed several years ago. Most of the patrons were male and as such not who I was looking for; there were only two women in the room, a Nord barmaid and a woman sitting in a chair against the wall. She was small, though she seemed taller than myself, with short black hair; and as she looked up to see who had entered the Inn, I noticed she was also a Breton. This had to be the one I was looking for. I walked up to the bar and ordered a drink before sitting down at the table near the black haired woman.

"What's your name stranger?" I asked her simply, an innocent smile plastered on my face.

"Kestrel." Was all she said, no more and no less. She looked to me and I could see the look of a killer in her dark green eyes.

"So Kestrel, I can tell by the fact that your distant from the people here that your not from this town. So there are only so many reasons why anyone would come here, one of them being work and the other being the search for work. I am here for the former, while I suspect you are here for the latter; perhaps I can help you with this." I explained to her simply, giving her just enough information to pique her interest in what I was about to offer. I passed her the scroll I had previously shown to Zany and her eyes flitted across the contents before she handed it back to me smiling.

"So if I do this, what am I being paid?" She asked to the point. I smiled,

"You will be paid in more than just gold. Meet me below the rock face- next to the sea, and I will grant you your reward." I said simply before standing to pay for my drink and leaving. I exited the Inn and found Zany waiting for me outside.

"This mage is boring, all he does is sit in the apprentice dorm and write new spells. Never have I seen a Khajiit this intent of mage craft." he said with an even deeper scowl than he already had. "Can we kill him now?" Zany asked exasperatedly, I smiled at him and motioned for him to follow me as I searched for the easiest and fastest was down the cliff to the icy beach,

"We won't have to, our newest Sister will take care of him for us." I said as we began our descent.

We only had to wait an hour for Kestrel to arrive, a Glass Bow in hand.

"The Khajiit is dead." She stated simply as she placed the bow on her back. I hadn't heard a commotion so I began to wonder why she had her bow at the ready.

"I would ask how it went, but your bow being ready tells me you were spotted." I said, asking her in a round about manner. She scoffed,

"Hardly, he was dead before anyone could guess where the shot came from." She corrected me, so she was a talented archer; she must have shot him from the town side of the bridge… an impeccable shot to be sure. "I would have talked my way into the college, but the Khajiit left the main building and began walking down the bridge and into my range; so I took the shot." She explained with pride. I smiled at her,

"Well then about your pay, this is the gold for completing the contract." I said as I handed her the coin purse. "There is more gold to be had though, and a place for you alongside others like you. This is the second half of your reward should you choose to accept it." I continued, watching as realization began to dawn in Kestrel's dark green eyes.

"So your with the Dark Brotherhood? I figured as much, you didn't look like a mage so I wondered why you would want an apprentice dead." She reasoned out loud before continuing, "So your recruiting me?" she asked, I simply nodded. "Damn… well I might as well accept, not like I have anywhere better to go." She said with a sigh.

"Go to Dawnstar, there you will find a Black Door near the sea; it will ask you a question. Answer: _Silence, my Brother; _and your new family will welcome you with open arms." I explained before turning to Zany and nudging him with my foot, as he had nodded off from boredom. With the knowledge of a new recruit on her way home, Zany and I returned to the Sanctuary.

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><p>Okay so people may be wondering what "Show Mead" and "Bochet" are. These are types of mead! Show Mead is a simple and nearly flavorless mead, while Bochet is very flavorful and tends to taste like marshmallows, toffee, or chocolate. I did my research! Also, bad play on words when Alyce goes to talk to the Night Mother; it's kind of a switch of "God-send" to "Sithis-send" and it sounded better in my head than it did in writing, but I left it all the same with no better ideas.<p> 


	3. Tools of The Trade

**Tools of The Trade…**

Two days after Kestrel's arrival at the Sanctuary, I woke early that morning to what sounded like the roaring of a sabre cat. Thinking someone had left the trap door open and one had slipped in, I jumped to my feet and grabbed my daggers before rushing down the hall to what had once been the torture chamber. I had it repurposed not too long ago into an armory and forge, as we never really needed to torture people… and if we did I preferred it be done on the spot or at least outside the Sanctuary. I stopped running just in the doorway and was greeted by a dagger sailing by and slicing a few strands of hair.

"RAWRGH! How can anyone be expected to work with this useless junk!" raged Zany as he practically turned the armory inside-out. I turned and pulled the dagger out of the wooden support beam and examined it to find that it was a nicked and battered iron dagger; the lowest quality weapon available in nearly the worst shape possible.

"Zany! What the hell is your issue?" I asked him, hoping maybe he had a good reason for scaring me awake. Zany was now wearing a hood but when he turned to face me I could still see the rage in his expression.

"These weapons are nothing but junk! I wanted to familiarize myself with our armory in the event that I need to borrow something… but the moment I tried to use one of these things-" Zany began to explain, though he needed to pause for a moment to regain control of his temper, "It snapped in half! I tried a different one, it snapped too!" He finished explaining with venom in his voice. I walked into the room and looked around to find the remains of two other iron daggers, both had indeed snapped in half.

"I agree, this equipment is a joke." said a voice from the door. I turned to see Kestrel leaning against the door frame with an iron arrow in hand. "Look at this arrow, do you see something… wrong with it." She asked as she held the arrow by each end. I may not be an archer, but I can tell when an arrow is bent; and this arrow would be lucky to fly even remotely straight. I sighed and told them that I would take care of it.

With Abjorn's death during the Pentus Oculatus attack, we have been left without a smith at the Sanctuary; we would need to find a new one fast, or things could get ugly with sub-par equipment. I had faith in the Night Mother when I came to finding capable assassins, but a talented smith was another question; I would need to do a bit of leg-work for this one. It was common knowledge that Eorlund Grey-Mane was that best Blacksmith in all of Skyrim, however there wasn't even a remote chance we could get him as our smith. Perhaps asking around Whiterun could bring me to a blacksmith for hire that was nearly as good. I dressed in my typical disguise and hidden weapons before heading for the main hall.

"Nazir, try to keep Zany under control while I'm gone will you?" I asked with a smile as I headed up the stairs to the Black Door.

"You worry too much Listener." Nazir replied nonchalantly, he had apparently not heard our resident Argonian's outburst earlier. I sighed and headed up the stairs and through the Black Door, greeting Shadowmere before heading off for Whiterun. The journey to the heart of Skyrim was fairly dull, a few wolves were all I had to contend with.

I entered the city gates and watched as several city guards began to mass before me. At first I thought they knew who I was and had gathered to arrest me, but my nerves were eased when a Dunmer woman began speaking to them about a dragon they were about to fight. I shook my head at their foolishness, Dragon's have been dead for hundreds of years and everyone knew that! I headed down the city street in the direction of the Bannered Mare, as taverns are always the best source of information no matter what your looking for. I entered the tavern and sat down at the bar,

"Do you think you could help me with something? I'm looking for a Blacksmith for hire, someone who can hold their own in a fight while helping to maintain equipment. Can you recommend anyone?" I asked the barkeep; pretending I was just a simple adventurer looking for a Hire-hammer. The barkeep thought for a moment as she continued to wipe out a mug.

"There was an Orc feller by the name of Donovan Gravebone who was claiming to be a smith, but he left a little while ago headed for Windhelm I think; he said he was looking for… The Dark Brotherhood!" She explained, her voice dropping to a whisper as she uttered the name of the notorious guild of assassins; I had to fight not to smirk. He was looking for us, while we were looking for him; by Sithis what good fortune! I gave the barkeep a tip before leaving and heading out, practically running out the city gates.

"An Orc passed by here recently, which way did he go?" I asked the guard outside the gate.

"I wouldn't bother going after him if I were you Miss, that fool went off after a Giant! They occasionally come near the gates but if we leave them alone they eventually go away; this one was almost gone, but that blasted Orc charged at it like it was nothing!" The guard explained as she shook his head in disbelief. Orc were known for reckless behavior, but they weren't exactly common in Whiterun so this must have been the guards first time meeting one.

The guard had been pointing in the same direction each time he mentioned the giants, so I suspected that was the way to the Giant camp. As soon as I stepped off the road and onto the small ridge beside it, I could see a Giant fighting with someone half it's size clad in full ebony armor that stood out against the white snow; two other Giants lay dead not far from the current combatants. I stood there and watched, as our smith I wouldn't expect him to leave the Sanctuary for contracts, so this was as good a test as any to judge his skill with the blades he would forge. As the last Giant fell I began to walk down the ridge to the victorious warrior, clapping in recognition of his skills.

"Very well done, I must say if your skill with a smith's hammer is anything like your swordsmanship I think I just may have a job for you Donovan Gravebone… if your interested." I said, in a manner that oddly reminded me of the late Astrid almost as soon as I said it. Donovan simply scoffed and began to walk away,

"I'm not interested, I'm looking for The Dark Brotherhood; if you can't direct me to them, then go away." he said gruffly, I smiled as he turned away.

"Well then maybe you should reconsider my offer, as the Brotherhood has found _you_." I said as a matter of factly. Donovan kept walking, obviously not believing me and my claims of being a member of the Brotherhood. "Fine don't believe me, but if you change your mind… head to Dawnstar and hidden in the rocks facing the sea you will find a Black Door. It will ask you a question, answer: "_Silence, my brother" _and you may begin your new life as a member of the Dark Brotherhood; if anyone should give you trouble upon entering, simply tell them Alyce sent you." I explained, knowing he could hear me even as he continued to leave. I too began to walk away, though my destination was the stables; after saddling Shadowmere I was off once again, this time bound for home.

I arrived in Dawnstar just as the sun was falling below the horizon, and wearily entered the Sanctuary hoping to head straight for my room and go to sleep; no such luck however.

"Listener you have returned to us once again! Cicero must speak with the Listener of a situation most dire!" raved Cicero like the madman he was, though I sighed and waited for him to continue. "That Argonian, Zany threw a knife at poor Cicero! He said Cicero was… annoying, and he nicked Cicero's hat! Is Cicero really so annoying, surely the Listener doesn't think so?" asked Cicero, giving me his obvious bet attempt at a pleading puppy-dog look. I rubbed my closed eyes with my fingertips in frustration.

"Only when you talk too much, and as for your hat… it's enchanted right?" I asked him, receiving frenzied nod of Cicero's head for a reply. "Well when our new Blacksmith arrives he can try to fix it for you." I continued. Cicero looked like he was so happy he could hug me, and he almost did were it not for my sleeve blades between the two of us. "Don't get over excited, or you'll become annoying." I said flatly, as I held my forearm out vertically so that the blade would not stab him unless I wanted it to. "For now… just go bother someone else, I wanna sleep." I said with finality before walking off to my room and locking the door behind me. I changed into my nightclothes and dropped like a rock into my bed and fell asleep nearly as fast.

Several hours later I awoke to knocking at my door, and at first I thought it was Cicero again.

"Go away you clown!" I shouted from my bed, not bothering to get up.

"I'm guessing Cicero has been annoying you as well Listener?" Asked the voice of a young girl, Babette! I jumped to my feet in surprise, opening the door with a look of embarrassment on my face,

"I'm so sorry I though it was Cicero again! He keeps getting me up and out of bed for the stupidest reasons." I explained to the vampire child who wasn't a child at all; the "Un-child", as many people seemed to call her.

"It was a simple mistake then, no real harm was done. I simply thought you would wish to know an Orc has arrived claiming to be our new Blacksmith. Is he the one you went to find yesterday?" Babette inquired, I simply nodded before walking back into my room to change into my shrouded robes. Once I was decently dressed I left my room and headed for the main hall, where I soon found the Orc Donovan sitting at the table with Kestrel and Zany as they talked over flagons of ale; though as expected Zany was sitting by himself at one end of the table with a pint of mead and not exactly being talkative.

"I see you changed your mind about my offer." I said from the top of the stairs, walking down slowly.

"I suppose you could say my curiosity got the better of me." he stated simply. Upon hearing this I began to ponder, Orcs were not known for being curious or the kind to be this well spoken; I truly began to wonder about our newest member. It had donned on me when I entered the dining hall that Donovan was not wearing his ebony helmet, and since I was closer now I could begin to see that he was not a normal Orc; he looked almost like a fellow Breton, which led me to the conclusion that he was likely a Half-Orc. His parentage mattered little to me unless it got in the way of his duties, so I disregarded it as trivial; though this did explain his human-like demeanor and well-formed manner of speech. I would have asked him about it, but I supposed it was another question for another day.

I sat down at the table and decided to get down to business.

"So Donovan, how are you at repairing enchanted items?" I asked him simply as I remembered Cicero's hat.

"Not too bad I'd say, why?" Donovan inquired with a hesitant tone; he probably thought I would give him a store room full of broken enchanted armor and swords as his first task for the Brotherhood.

"Well you see, while I was out looking for you an… incident occurred that resulted in the damaging of an enchanted hat. I was hoping you could repair it so I wouldn't have to listen to the complaining of it's owner." I explained as I rubbed my temples from a phantom headache I knew would become real if he couldn't repair the hat. At that moment Zany began to slink off to elsewhere. "Where do you think your going Zany? Since it was your fault, any assistance Donovan may need: be it fetching an item or help with the repairs, you are to help him as punishment." I said with my disapproval of his actions in every word. As Listener, I had the authority to order him around and to punish improper behavior, and though he had not been here long- Zany was made very well aware of this. He grumbled something that sounded almost like,

"Yes Listener… you miserable Hagraven." but I let it slide, I would rather not start something with a new member; it was bad for business as well as my conscience. I left Donovan with Cicero's damaged hat and left for my room again. Hopefully Cicero had written his report about how he had recruited Zany, I would soon find out if it was on my desk or not; if not I may reconsider having Donovan repair his hat.

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><p>On a side note: I have read the reviews and I just wanna say "WOW" so many characters have been submitted in such a short amount of time! Is my story really that good? I've actually written many stories and nearly all of them have been duds… so everyone I just wanna say that I nearly started crying with joy when I saw the reviews from the very first day and the number just kept climbing; though I know compared to a lot of fics it's not a lot, it is however the most reviews I have ever gotten for a single story! I figured you all might want to know a specific reason why I may not post new chapters often: I suffer from depression; though seeing how everyone love this so much, I think it may actually give me the strength to fight it for all of you since I can't do it for myself. Once again, THANK YOU ALL!<p>

Also, every character submitted will be accepted. It's just a matter of when and how. We have eight other cities in Skyrim that don't have Sanctuaries anymore… do you think the Night Mother is pleased with this? I THINK NOT! Don't even get me started on the rest of Tamriel (hint hint, wink wink!)! The story will be moving to a new city after chapter 4, so everyone needs to tell me what city you want it to go to next and who should be left in charge of the Dawnstar Sanctuary! Though I already have plans for certain characters, so if everyone picks one of them I'll just go with the next most popular.


	4. Legacy of The Past

Before we begin the latest chapter, I just want to make an announcement! For everyone who is either tired of waiting for me to put in their character, people who are already in the story, or people who just are interested in Role Plays; a friend of mine has recently opened a role play forum (of which I am a member) here on FanFiction titled: "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim RP Alduin's Return". Please feel free to check it out and Role play with us! I look forward to seeing some of you there!

PS: please note that all occurrences in the RP (role play) are to be considered Alternate Universe to this story as they are not truly connected in anyway besides having my character (though she is not the listener in the RP). If you wish for something from the RP to be made Canon, please PM me about it with your reason for wanting to make it so; and please say more than "because it sounds really cool" as this will prompt me to ask for more details!

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><p><strong>Legacy of The Past<strong>

I walked into my room and over to my desk. As I had hoped, Cicero had indeed written a report on how he had found Zany Vazzaras, one of our newest members, though I had to sigh at how little detail was put into it's construction- though I could tell he at least tried. I sat down at the desk and began to read the paltry but sufficient report:

_The great and powerful Listener has ordered Cicero to write a report on how he found the Argonian Zany, so this is what Cicero will do! Cicero found our scaly Brother in Riften, he was actually something of a mercenary for hire. Cicero watched as Zany was given a job, though Cicero did not know the details; Cicero followed and continued to watch. Soon Cicero saw how eagerly the Argonian took to killing any and all that stood in his way. After watching Zany return to his employer and receive his pay, Cicero then approached him with an offer of his own. Zany had proven to Cicero that his skills were sufficient to join the Dark Brotherhood and offered him a place at the Sanctuary, as the Listener instructed us all to begin recruiting, though the Argonian did not seem interested. Cicero then remembered from watching Zany that he seemed to love mead, and asked him if he would think about it over a cup; as the Listener would not accept failure. Cicero then brought Zany to the Sanctuary, knowing that if Cicero could not persuade the Argonian- then surely the Listener could! Then the Listener came into the hall not long after we sat down, and all was well as she skillfully persuaded Zany into joining!_

_Did Cicero write a good report?_

I had to laugh a little at how eager Cicero was to please; he almost reminded me of a puppy… a murderous puppy, but still a puppy none the less. I placed the report in my desk, I would decide what to do with it later, and stood to close my door. Now that my duties as Listener were completed for the moment, I would now have time to grieve for my fallen friends. It had been four days already since we buried them out side the destroyed Falkreath Sanctuary, and I had yet to give the memory of my friends time to bleed and then heal as any ordinary person would be able. I began to wonder if there had been anything I could have done to prevent their deaths.

_Three nights earlier…_

_I ran to the Black Door as Pentus Oculatus agents waited outside for me to arrive, they should have ran but they did not know how enraged I had become knowing the danger to my family; The agents fell dead within moments. I entered the Sanctuary and my eyes burned from the smoke, the agents had set fire to the wooden supports of our cavern as well as the Black Hand tapestries. The first two agents died swiftly and before they had even seen me, then three more came at me from the other side of the blaze. They surprised me and one nearly ran me through, had it not been for Abjorn in his werewolf form jumping out of the flames; killing my attacker instantly, but dying soon after- presumably from smoke inhalation and newer injuries in addition to the one Cicero had inflicted. If I had been more cautious, I would not have needed Abjorn's help and I could have ordered him to leave immediately after revealing himself. I had been too entirely late to save Gabriella and Festus, who had been slain after putting up a significant fight; as bodies of the agents were strewn about their own. I continued my search through the crumbling tunnels for any survivors and my heart began to sink with each passing second as it became less and less likely that anyone other than myself was still alive. _

_KLANG-SHING-KLANG. The sound of swords clashing caught my ears and I rushed into the dining hall to see Nazir struggling against another Pentus Oculatus agent on the upper level that once served as sleeping quarters. I dashed to his aid as he fell to one knee, the agent about to finish him off; I barely made it in time to put one of my daggers between the agent's sword and Nazir's neck. I was overjoyed to find at least one of my family members still alive, and I began to wonder if Babette was still alive as I ordered Nazir to leave the crumbling Sanctuary while I looked for the Un-child and Astrid. I was unable to find either of them as the tunnels began to give way; the night mother speaking to me once again, this time telling me to hide in her iron coffin as my only means of escaping the flames and falling debris. I did as she suggested and was indeed saved, falling asleep inside to be awakened later by Nazir and thankfully Babette as they fished the coffin out of the small pond under what had once been the stained glass window. Seeing both of them alive gave me some form of hope, and the night mother informing me of Astrid's survival gave me even more; until Astrid asked me- no pleaded with me to end her life as a living Black Sacrament. I took pity on her, even if she asked that I do not, and did as she wished; it was the least I could do for her after all that had happened. Even if this was her doing, she had done it to protect the others; her family. I probably would have done the same if we had switched places._

As the memory of that horrible night finished playing through my mind, the tears I had struggled to keep in check these past few days began to finally break free. I cried like a child as I slumped against my door, sliding down to sit on the cold stone. I wanted to just sit there and cry my eyes out, and for several minutes I did; but I kept my sobs quiet, so no one would have to hear their Listener in a time of weakness. A knocking at my door forced me to dry my eyes and return shakily to my feet.

"Yes, what is it?" I asked simply as I opened the door to see Kestrel with a shocked expression on her face. At first I though something bad had happened, like Zany had finally killed Cicero or something but when I asked her what was going on all she said was,

"You need to see this Listener, I don't think I can explain it!" and with that she ran off down the passage in the direction of the upper level of the main hall. I followed after her, bewildered of what could possibly have her this riled up. As we turned the last corner into the main hall I could see the others had also gathered and were crowded around The Night Mother's coffin. As I approached they began to realize that I was there and as I got closer they began to make a path for me; revealing what they had been gathered to see. A tall man in black robes was kneeling before the Night Mother as if in prayer.

"You have done well… Listener, to gather this many assassins to replace the ones that were lost not even a fortnight ago. You honor The Night Mother with your tenacity and skill." said the man with a deep yet oddly smooth voice; it was oddly familiar too. The man stood before turning to me, his hood was drawn over his face but I could still see that he was smiling.

"Who the hell are you and how did you gain entry to this Sanctuary?" I asked him with caution, hoping he was not some Pentus Oculatus spy who had followed a member to our door. The man's smile shifted into a smirk and his hand reached up to pull back his hood,

"I am… Lucien Lachance." He stated with a dark gusto, the room fell silent and I began to wonder if this man was crazier than Cicero.

I began to chuckle and slowly it turned into a laugh before becoming an all out guffaw.

"HAHAHHAHA! That's a good one, tell me another! Lucien Lachance died centuries ago, everyone here knows that; if that's the best alias you could come up with, you might as well have killed yourself." I said with a sneer, curious of the real story behind this man but still wishing to get this encounter over with.

"Do you truly doubt my claim, Listener? Try to summon your 'Spectral Assassin' then; that will be all the proof you will need." The man claiming to be Lucien stated as he crossed his arms impatiently. I willed magicka to my hand, a dark purple aura engulfing it completely before I cast it to the side; the portal appeared… but nothing came out. I was dumbfounded as the portal closed without anything passing it's threshold. "You see? While I am indeed… deceased, The Dread Father has granted me some semblance of a new life in The Dark Brotherhood's darkest time of need; though I doubt I will be able to leave this Sanctuary." Lucien explained with a bit of discontent as he murmured his suspicion that he was now confined to Dawnstar. I just shook my head in disbelief… this man really was THE Lucien Lachance! "I can see you have been busy, Alyce." Lucien said plainly as he scanned the crowded room. I chuckled a little at his obvious statement,

"I'm simply doing as the Night Mother bade me, Grandfather." I said with a smile. The whole room went errily silence after that. Though it was Zany who broke the silence,

"Wait just a Sithis damned minute here! The listener's name is Alyce, and Lucien is her… GRANDFATHER?" He shouted with surprise. I turned to them all with a sheepish look,

"Great-Great-Grandfather actually. I'm sorry everyone, I guess I forgot to introduce myself when I recruited all of you; my bad. My name is Alyce Lachance."

Some of them began to grumble, others began to whisper among themselves, and some just stayed silent. I began to wonder if maybe my introduction slipping my mind had faulted their loyalty or something. My anxiety only increased as Kestrel stepped forward.

"Listener, I mean, Alyce. Nazir has been explaining the Brotherhood's history to us and I think I speak for all of us when I say: with a descendant of Lucien Lachance as our Listener, not even the Thalmor stand a chance!" She explained with a smirk. I was relieved to hear that they now had more faith in me than before. After a few moments, Lucien clearing his throat brought our attention back to him.

"Though the Night Mother has assured me of the validity of your bloodline, I would like some confirmation of my own. The woman for which you were obviously named: Alyce Delafont, the woman I once loved, was the wielder of an enchanted dagger: Steelheart. While it's practical enchantment was that it would cause it's target to violently hemorrhage, it's passive enchantments allowed it to be wielded only by someone of it's creator's bloodline. I would like you to locate this dagger and bring it back to me as proof." He explained as he handed me a slip of paper; there was a hint of sorrow in his voice as he mentioned my namesake. I looked at the paper and read the name of a ruin that I was not familiar with, "^?" I asked Lucien with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled a little as he placed his hands on his hips,

"Yes, your namesake was very fond of Alyeid ruins, I'm guessing that when she retired from her work as an assassin… she hid her equipment deep inside of that ruin." He explained with a slight smirk, and when he mentioned the Alyeids my heart sank. Alyeid ruins were commonly found in Cyrodiil, and with none in Skyrim it was obvious I would need to venture into heavily Thalmor occupied territory. I sighed heavily before walking off to my room to pack; though before I entered the corridor leading out of the hall I could have sworn I heard Lucien mumble: "She is so much like her it's uncanny."

I entered my room, closing the door behind me, and dressed in my common disguise of a simple blue dress before beginning to pack for this dangerous journey. Deciding between my Shrouded Armor and Shrouded Robes was a tricky task: the armor provided physical defense while the robes provided magical defense, I would run the risk of being over-encumbered if I brought both so the need to defend against the magical prowess of the Thalmor worried me more than anything I could find in the ruins so I chose the Robes. It was a very good thing I managed to find a silver dagger several years ago, as using it in conjunction with my standard steel dagger meant that I would be well defended against any ghosts I might encounter inside the ruins. I finished packing by stashing a few potions in my knapsack before walking over to the mirror I had placed on my wall; I stood there and tied mid-length blood red hair up into a high ponytail, I was now ready for the road and began walking back to the main hall with my knapsack of gear over my shoulder. No one said a word as I left, though I could feel all there eyes on my in a silent wish of good luck. I exited the Black Door and walked up to the beach before I whistled for Shadowmere, the black steed trotted up to me with a light neigh and I began to fasten my knapsack to her saddle.

"LISTENER! WAIT FOR CICERO!" shouted the high pitched whine of the Sanctuary's resident madman. I sighed and turned to him,

"What do you want Cicero? I'm actually rather busy at the moment." I said with disdain, I didn't have time to put up with his raving antics. Cicero grinned like the madman he was before breaking in to one of his iconic and silly dances.

"The Listener is going on a journey, yes? Cicero wishes to accompany you, oh great and powerful Listener!" he explained as he danced, where this man got all this energy will forever be a mystery far greater than where the Dwemer disappeared to.

"Gah, fine! First we head for Whiterun then on to Helgen, from there we can catch a carriage through Pale Pass and into Cyrodiil.

Traveling with Cicero was less than pleasant, as I had expected; and nearly the entire ride to Whiterun, I spaced out just so I didn't have to listen to him. We arrived at the city on the hill, forgoing the town it's self and only stopping at the stable to get Cicero his own horse. It was actually quite humorous watching this little man struggle into the saddle of the massive black horse; which was ironically taller than my Shadowmere by several inches. Finally I got so fed up with waiting for him to saddle the horse that I dismounted Shadowmere and pulled him up onto his horse from the opposite side.

"Are you finally ready?" I asked with frustration as I once again saddled Shadowmere. Cicero gave me a grin, and in the blink of an eye he was off in the direction of Riverwood and Helgen beyond. "Is he trying to race us?" I muttered blankly to Shadowmere, who began to stomp her hooves indignantly at the idea of the fool and a mortal horse possibly beating us in a race. I smirked as I ushered Shadowmere into a very willing gallop, "We'll just have to show them they can't beat us now won't we?" I said as we began to quickly catch up; Shadowmere gave her two septims on the matter in the form of a triumphant neigh. Once we hit the high hill behind the farms outside Whiterun, Cicero began to cheat; he would occasionally take short cuts through the wilderness to jump back into the front, I was not please with this in the slightest. "So you have to cheat to win? I'm disappointed in you Cicero!" I shouted over the clamor of hooves to the fool as Shadowmere and I once again past him and his horse. As Riverwood came into view, Shadowmere burst into the fastest gallop I have ever seen her attempt; I knew she had a competitive streak but nothing like this, as I was so caught off guard that I was nearly thrown from the saddle! I quickly righted myself and looked back slightly to see that Cicero's horse was now rearing in surprise because of Shadowmere's unnatural speed. When Cicero was then thrown from the saddle, I halted Shadowmere who then whinnied at me for forgoing the race, and ran to check on my annoying friend.

"Oww oww wow… stupid horse, Cicero should stabby stab it and eat it for dinner!" complained Cicero as he lay on the ground cradling his arm, I knelt on the ground next to him and gently examined what looked to be his only injury; and when he practically screamed in pain by just moving his arm slightly, I knew it was broken.

"Calm down, your arm is broken. I'll help you stand up and we can walk the rest of the way to Riverwood, I can get you bandaged up once we get to the Inn." I said as I stood to walk around to his uninjured side and helped him to stand.

We walked into the Sleeping Giant Inn and the barmaid rushed to us asking what had happened, mostly worried that it had been a bandit attack, I assured her it was just a horse accident and she sighed in relief as she went to fetch the makings of a sling for Cicero's arm. She soon returned she offered to tend to his arm for us, though I thanked her I said I could do it myself… more for her sake than Cicero's; as I didn't think he would let anyone he didn't know, let alone trust, treat his injury. I sat down on one of the tavern benches beside him and began to inspect the break more closely after giving Cicero something to bite down on should the pain be too much for him; though I knew he had masochistic tendencies, a broken arm is something different that no one could ever enjoy. The break was one his lower arm and seemed only minor and did not require setting so a simple sling would be sufficient, so I started to wrap his arm in bandages to prevent the sling from chaffing his arm and for extra stability, once that was done I used the two small planks the barmaid had provided and wrapped them onto either side of his arm before I used the stronger of the cloth bandages to make the actual sling.

"There, now you should be like that for at least a month or two; by the way Cicero, which hand do you fight with?" I asked him out of curiosity, if memory served: Cicero was right handed. Cicero grinned, though I could tell he was still in pain,

"Cicero is ambidextrous, though better at stabbing with his right." He said, though he slowly began to understand what I was implying. If we encountered a situation where we would need to fight, Cicero would be nearly useless and more of a liability than anything. I had half a mind to send him back to Dawnstar right there and then… but he would have to ride back alone, and I couldn't bring myself to let him leave alone and run the risk of being attacked and nearly defenseless. I couldn't very well leave him here in Riverwood either, or he might slaughter the whole town out of boredom! I sighed and talked to the Innkeeper about renting two rooms for the night, 20 gold later we settled in for the night; and come morning we were ready to continue on to Helgen.

I helped Cicero onto Shadowmere carefully, as his horse had run off yesterday after throwing him; Climbing up and into the saddle myself after I had firmly scolded Shadowmere for yesterday's debauchery and given her strict instruction to be careful so as not to jostle Cicero's arm… too much impact on it could permanently injure it; and not being able to kill anything ever again could very well break what little sanity Cicero had left. We soon were on our way, following the riverside road past a set of standing stones and what looked to be a cave. When we finally reached Helgen, I did not expect to find it in ruins.

"What in Sithis happened here?" I asked in breathless awe of the carnage, the scorch marks everywhere meant either a very large group of Flame Atronach had stormed through… or the claims of dragons returning were more than simply half-witted stories. The doors to the town were closed, and we could still see smoke rising from beyond the wall- so we skirted the destroyed town and decided we would have to go on to Cyrodiil riding Shadowmere, much to her dismay. We climbed the mountain and I soon began to remember how Pale Pass had gotten it's name, for the bewildering snowstorms that often made crossing into Cyrodiil nearly impossible. We decided to camp for the night in a leeward stone overhang, that would shelter us from the snow as well as the wind, that was not far from the border gate. I set up the bedrolls and helped Cicero down from the saddle and over to one so he could wait for me to get a fire going. It didn't take me long to start a fire after I had collected the wood, a basic fire spell was sufficient to get the wet tinder started. While I was no mage of high skill, I had taken the time to learn the basics of the Destruction School as well as the fundamentals of Restoration.

We sat down to our dinner of traveling provisions and ate in surprising silence. Though I wasn't surprised that it didn't last long,

"Why does the Listener treat Cicero with such kindness?" blurted Cicero with a tone of sincere curiosity as he turned his head to look at me. I really didn't know how to answer, I always treated everyone from the Brotherhood with as much kindness as they individually deserved… though I didn't think I had show Cicero that much more than anyone else.

"What makes you think I treat you any different than any of our other Brother's and Sisters?" I asked him, truly wondering what I had done to give him that impression. Cicero smiled, though oddly it wasn't a deranged one that I had become so used to; he seemed almost sane, though I had never known him before the loneliness of being the Night Mother's Keeper had warped him mind into what it was today.

"Well for one, the Listener does not get irritated with Cicero as often as others do; the Listener seems to tolerate Cicero more than she does others as well." he said with a slight laugh, and I began to wonder when I had been less tolerant with someone… oh right that time with the drunken idiot in Falkreath. That had been an interesting day: Cicero had been harassing everyone, including myself, the entire day; I was minding my own business talking to Babette about what we could do to possible get Cicero to calm down his mischievous antics when Festus butted in and told me to stop my whining about the fool and get over it. This did not go over well with me and I am ashamed to say I knocked the old man out cold, though I remedied my shame with the fact that the old grump had it coming for quite a while.

Word had gotten back to Astrid about it and as I was not yet the Listener by then, I was punished and had to tend to Babette's Frostbite Spider for a week… needless to say I kept my nose clean and my temper in check after that. Remembering this I realized I did show more tolerance for Cicero's antics than others, it was probably do to the fact that frankly he reminded me of someone when he acts the way he does.

"You know, when you act like a child- parading around and dancing like a fool, you remind me of someone… very dear to me." I said, my voice slowly decreasing to a mere whisper as the painful memory came flooding back to me. I shook it off, as remembering that now would reduce me to tears- something I didn't want anyone from the Brotherhood to ever see.

"Who does Cicero remind the Listener of? An old friend? Or a former… lover perhaps?" Cicero said with a sly and teasing tone, but I just sighed and laid down to go to sleep. Cicero then huffed and grumbled before I heard him do the same.

"My little brother, you remind me of him." I murmured before I drifted off into sleep.

The sun shone in my eyes, waking me from my dreamless slumber. I sat up to see Cicero was gone from his bedroll and wondered where he could have disappeared to- though probably off to answer the call of nature. I rolled up the bedrolls and fastened them back onto Shadowmere's saddle before kicking dirt and snow onto the last embers of our campfire. I waited nearly twenty minutes before I became impatient waiting for the fool; ten minutes more, and I became worried. Nothing takes this long, and I began to fear the worst. The snowfall had covered any and all tracks, but something barely visible under a light dusting of snow caught my eye… blood. My head spun and my stomach lurched, something had taken Cicero in the night; though judging by the snow over the blood it had only happened maybe an hour before I woke up. The fact that I had not awakened from the disturbance meant that either Cicero had gone somewhat willingly, or that he was no longer conscious to protest. I gathered my weapons and maneuvered Shadowmere into the overhang so I could change into my Shrouded Robes. Once I was ready I set off following the blood to a small clearing not far from our camp, there I could easily see the dark yet colorful jester tied to a post in the middle of a bandit camp. Why they had taken Cicero and left me behind was a mystery to me… though somehow I suspected Shadowmere had given them a "touch my master and I shall devour your souls" look when they tried to some near me; and had snagged Cicero instead. I crept into the camp quietly and hid behind a couple of barrels and waited for the right moment to sneak over to my captive friend; though a branch snapping behind me made me go rigid and I turned on a dime just in time to see an rather nasty looking Orc swing an equally nasty looking war hammer that collided easily with my shoulder; I went flying and rolled across the ground before stopping not far from Cicero.

"So much for my rescue plan." I said to him with a half-hearted smile, my attempts at a joke caused me to realize that my shoulder had been popped out of place; great, that would be a bitch to pop back. Now both of us were defenseless, we would surely die… well Cicero would for certain, though my fate at the hands of these uncouth bandits would be far less pleasant. I struggled to my feet through the pain in my shoulder, thankfully it was my left and not my right- though the pain shot across my torso and into my other arm making it feel almost like both had popped out. "I refuse to go down like this." I said as I panted from the pain and fought to stay conscious as I brandished one of my two daggers; the Orc and his bandit brothers laughed and snickered at my bravado as they closed in around us. I quickly cut Cicero loose, though in his condition he barely made up for my now useless arm as I did for his.

The equivalent of one person with a two daggers against what seemed to be at least twenty well armed bandits… not good odds. Cicero and I exchanged glances of hopelessness and stood ready for the bandits to attack; though I sent a silent prayer to Sithis, "Dread Father, please help your children… we need your aid." I thought to myself as I closed my eyes for a moment. At first I thought it was a pointless effort, but a small voice chimed into my mind that made my hopes soar,

"_Now is not your time to join me in the Void, child… your aid has arrived."_ said the voice, smooth as silk but sharp as a knife. My eyes shot open as I heard one of the bandits scream and fall to the ground, where he had once stood was now a young woman with short-cut hair, that was such a light shade of grey that it almost appeared to be white; an illusion spell that had once concealed her was dissipating like mist around her as she stood between us and the bandits. Another bandit soon fell, though not by the silver haired woman's hand; another young woman who appeared to be slightly older with shoulder-length black hair had snuck behind one of the other bandits in their confusion, sinking a dagger deep into his back.

"Tsk- Yuki these guys are fucking weak! Why did I expect more of bandits? Hey lady, we can deal with these goons- you should tend to your injuries unless you WANT to die." said the black haired woman brashly. Despite her attitude, she had a point; though I would need to wait to heal my arm, I could at least tend to Cicero- the bandits has beaten him up pretty badly, not even considering to show him mercy due to his still broken arm. I cast a few healing spells his way and he flopped down onto the ground, obviously exhausted from holding himself up through the pain; for a madman and a fool, he was a stubborn one. I turned from Cicero to the fight between the two women and the bandits, I was impressed by their skill with daggers- the black haired one's dual bladed style was much like my own, and the silver haired one seemed like more of an support mage… they definitely worked well together. It was while watching them that I realized that Sithis had brought these two to us, perhaps I should attempt to recruit them? As the last man fell, the girls began to walk up to us. "What the hell are you two still doing here? We killed the bandits, shouldn't you and your freaky husband be running off to gods know where?" asked the black haired woman. I nearly snorted from surprise that they would think something like that!

"We are not married! We are simply travelers, though we are normally able to fend off bandit on our own." I said as I motioned toward Cicero who was now attempting to stand himself while still babying his broken arm.

"So what the hell are you to doing out here anyway? Or where you looking to get killed?" She asked again, her silver haired friend gazing at us emotionlessly- though I could almost see the cold aura that seethed around her; not one of ice, but one of hatred for the world around her, I had seen many people like this- but never of this degree.

"We were journeying to Cyrodiil, to a specific ruin. Though in our current state, doing so will be quite difficult; perhaps you could be troubled to join us? We could make it worth it for you?" I asked them, I wanted to see more of how these women fought, learn more about them… and maybe persuade them into joining the Brotherhood.

"Sure whatever, the ruins in Cyrodiil are chock full of treasure; that should be payment enough. My names Luna, and this is Yuki." Luna, the black hair one who had been doing all the talking, explained; while Yuki, the silent but foreboding silver haired one, simply stood there.

"I am glad we could come to an agreement so quickly, my name is Alyce Lachance and my friend here is Cicero… if he has a last name I am not aware of it." I explained; not hearing Cicero chime in meant that he probably didn't have or know his last name, which wasn't really that uncommon since the war several years ago left many with no idea who their family was. "Well then, lets tend to my arm and be off shall we?" I said as I sat down to try and pop my arm back in place.

While Yuki and Luna went to fetch their gear from there own camp, Cicero sat not far from me- wanting to help but afraid to ask, I had found a small piece of wood to use as a bit and a sturdy tree to lean on… this was going to hurt something fierce. I was mentally cursing myself for not asking for help but as I leaned my back on the tree, preparing to slam my weight into my shoulder; Yuki and Luna returned.

"What are you some kind of dumb ass? If you do it like that, you'll ruin your arm!" Luna grumbled as she sat down her gear and came over to assist me. I sat down on the tree roots and sighed, I knew she was right. "Alright this is gonna smart, just try not to pass out." Luna said as she took my upper arm in one hand and placed the other on my shoulder. After a sickening crack and a scream of pain muffled by my wooden bit, my arm was now back where it belonged; I panted away the pain and felt like I was going to vomit, but instead I just slumped over… and passed out.

**Cicero's P.O.V.**

"lightweight." said the dark haired woman named Luna as the Listener slumped to the side, she was quite brash and very rude towards the Listener. Cicero did not like her very much, thought he had only just met them… Yuki seemed alright- though her will to kill anything in her path that crossed her was obvious even if she never spoke. This was going to be an interesting journey indeed, and Cicero would have much to tell their loving Night Mother when he returned to Dawnstar; yes, indeed he would.

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><p>Author's note: for those who don't know: "leeward" means to face away from the wind. In this case it would mean that the overhang they camped in would not have the wind blowing into it, which would make it the perfect place to camp during a snowstorm.<p>

Also, to anyone who writes Cicero fan fiction, I'm not sure if anyone else has realized that "Cicero V." in the character filter is actually "Cicero Verius" and is one of the merchants in Oblivion- not our insane jester. Though someone should suggest he be added or something to the site managers, it would be a lot less confusing that way. I would do it myself, but E-mail hates me- seriously it never works for me (hence why I don't give out my e-mail, it doesn't work)!


	5. Bloodline

Wow, its rare for me to post another chapter so soon! Please enjoy!

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><p><strong>Bloodline<strong>

After our incident with the bandits, Cicero and I- plus Yuki and Luna: the two tag-alongs I had asked to come with us to Cyrodiil in hopes of recruiting them into the brotherhood, finally made it through Pale Pass without much trouble. Thankfully the only animals we ran into were wolves… if it had been something "bigger" I- I don't really know how I would have handled it. I shook the thought of this from my mind as we crested a ridge and the White-Gold Tower appeared in the distance; we had arrived in Cyrodiil, now to head for the town of Bruma. We made our way down the steep mountain and soon arrived at the city gates of the town in question, once inside I was surprised to see that the civil war of Skyrim had not touched this city so fully influenced by it's close proximity to the northern province. I sent Cicero, Luna, and Yuki to the Inn to acquire sufficient rooms for us to stay the night, while I made a bee-line for the alchemists so I could buy something to kill the dull pain in my shoulder and something for Cicero's arm. I walked into the shop to find it smelling heavily of various ingredients, though I could only manage to name a few such as nirnroot and lavender; I walked up to the counter and waited for the shopkeeper to notice me, though it took her a moment, the kindly looking elderly Wood Elf saw that she had a customer and came walking up to me. She was short for a Bosmer, probably shorter than five feet tall with snowy hair held back in a Cyrodilic style known as a "stick-twist".

"What can Renwyn help you with today deary?" She asked in a grandmotherly tone, reminding me of my own grandmother.

"I'm looking for something to cure this ache in my shoulder, it was recently popper out of place and re-set. I also need something for my friend who has a broken arm." I asked her as I examined some of the colorful bottles displayed on the counter. Renwyn smiled and turned to the shelf behind her, needing to fetch a stepstool to reach the bottles she wanted.

"These should be what you need, the small red bottle is for your shoulder and the short but stout one is for your friends arm. Will that be all you need?" She informed me kindly, I nodded and she continued. "Lets see, that will be 140 Septims." she said, I placed the money on the counter and waved goodbye as I left. I drank my potion and immediately the pain faded away to nothing, I stopped by the Inn and gave Cicero his potion before leaving again to finish up my second errand.

I exited the Inn and did not need to go far to find the place I was looking for- as the temple was directly in front of the Inn. I enter the hallowed hall of the divines, though this one in particular was at one time dedicated to Talos: the mortal-turned-divine, and native son of Skyrim, this temple had been converted into a chapel to all divines save for it's original deity. With a shrine to Akatosh at the altar in the middle, the stained glass image of Talos covered by a black sheet both inside and out, I walked across the room to the shrine of my preferred patron: the goddess Kynareth. I had my reasons for worshiping her, reasons that I was certain both Sithis and the Night Mother were aware of and understood- for they never spoke of it nor did they ask me to leave my faith when I became the Listener. As I prayed, my hand went instinctively to my neck… where my Amulet of Kynareth had once been many years ago; it had been my mothers and the day she died, I some how managed to lose it- and I have been looking for a replacement to no avail. As I stood to leave, the door to the temple opened and in walked the last person I would ever expect to see in a temple of the divines: the one and only Cicero.

"What is the Li-" he began to say as I cast him a vicious glare, he stopped in his tracks and rephrased what he was about to say. "What are you doing here _Alyce_? Cicero had no idea you worshiped the divines?" He said this time, and something about how he said my name sent a shiver down my spine; it was so new to hear him call me that rather than "listener" all the time, but I never expected a reaction like that. I shook it off and answered his question,

"Only one, Kynareth, for reasons that do not concern you." I said coldly, surprising even myself as I walked past him and out the door. I returned to the Inn, and received rather ill news; the Inn only had two rooms, since I couldn't ask Yuki or Luna to sleep in the same room as a man they did not know- I would have to share a room with Cicero. Thankfully the rooms had two beds so the awkwardness of potentially sharing a bed or deciding who would sleep on the floor was avoided. I said goodnight to Yuki and Luna as I walked into my shared room, I climbed into bed and fell quickly asleep.

I awoke the next morning to find that either Cicero had never gone to bed, or he had already risen and made his bed exactly as it had been. I groggily stepped out of the room and into the hallway leading back to the main room of the Inn, I walked into the main room to find Yuki and Luna eating breakfast- but still Cicero was nowhere to be found.

"Dare I ask where Cicero has disappeared to?" I asked them as I sat down to join them. While Yuki acted as if she had not heard me, Luna simply shrugged. I sighed and ate my breakfast in relative silence. By the time we had finished breakfast, Cicero had returned- though with little explanation as to his whereabouts; "Cicero had an unexpected errand of his own to tend to." was all he had to say about it. I simply waved it off as another aspect of his dwindling sanity as we gathered our gear and set off for the Alyeid ruin of Rielle. We left Bruma behind through the North Gate and headed slight northwest from there, seeing the remnants of Cloud Ruler Temple high on the mountain from where we walked. We deviated from the path as we came near the remnants of a small cottage with broken graves standing silent vigil; one of which seemed different from the others as it sat on the opposite side of the cottage from the rest. Little more than wolves stood in our way as we traveled the remaining distance to Rielle, and the sun was still very young in the sky.

"Let's be cautious once we are inside, besides the Alyeid traps- my ancestor was a tricky one who would probably have set traps of her own." I explained as I drew both of my daggers, ready to face anything: be it corporeal or ghostly.

Upon entering the ruin we walked down the narrow staircase into a hallway that split into two directions. I could hear the creaking of a skeletal guard coming from the left path, so we took the right: why stumble into a fight that you could easily avoid? We continued down this hall until it split again, though one path was blocked by a locked gate… and I had forgotten my lock picks back at the sanctuary!

"Well, no going that way I suppose." I muttered as I rattled the door slightly. I turned to head the other way, but the sound of someone swiftly picking the lock caught my ears and I turned back to see Yuki standing from a crouched position as she stashed her lock pick back with the rest of her gear. "I stand corrected! Well done, you did that in the blink of an eye even though that was obviously a difficult lock; I'm impressed!" I said truthfully, I had never seen this much skill at lock picking! Yuki simply ignored me and pressed on into the ruin with Luna close behind. I looked to Cicero with a shrug and followed our companions. We encountered little resistance as we delved into the Rielle Crypt, and I began to wonder if my ancestor had really placed her dagger here or if we were even in the correct ruin. We dispatched the few ghosts that roamed the burial chambers as Luna and Yuki took turns gathering up what little treasure they could find while the other assisted in the fights. Though Cicero and the others did little damage to the ghosts with their ordinary weapons, my silver dagger did very nicely as it cleaved their barely corporeal forms- leaving nothing but ectoplasm behind; which Yuki promptly scooped up and into vials, I knew the price the substance would fetch at an alchemists- but cared little for selling the remains of things I has slain. As the last ghost dissipated into ectoplasm, I stepped into what seemed to be the main burial chamber, seeing enchanted candles lit around a coffin on the far side. That coffin no doubt held the dagger, and Gods know what else. I stepped into the room and a gate closed behind me, shocked I turned to see my companions attempting to find a switch to raise the gate to no avail. I would need to find a way out on my own.

Examining the room I began to notice flits of color scattered about the floor… rune traps. My forbear must have known a mage from Skyrim, as these traps were commonly seen there and almost never in Cyrodiil. I walked cautiously towards the coffin, certainly the gate switch would be there. I had nearly reached the coffin when I stumbled into one of the traps that had been concealed far better than the others. I writhed in pain as the lightning trap sprung and sent volt after volt of electricity surging through my entire body. I crumpled in a heap on the floor, smoke lightly billowing off me as I struggled to breathe; my head swam as I fought to remember how to cast a healing spell, as I didn't dare move without fully healing myself- one more like that and I would definitely be dead. As the light of my healing spell surrounded me I looked around once more for any traps that stood in my way, seeing none between the coffin and myself I cautiously stepped forward and finally reached the coffin. I forewent opening the lid for the moment and searched for the gate switch, finding it hidden behind the coffin. With the gate now raised, Cicero, Yuki, and Luna entered the room and followed the path I had taken.

"Wait a second! This coffin has the symbol of the Dark Brotherhood on the lid." exclaimed Luna as she came closer, I turned to see that the stone coffin indeed had a blood red tapestry emblazoned with the signature Black Hand mark of the Brotherhood; we were undeniably in the correct place.

"That would make sense, as we are members of that same group." I explained to them as I began to push the lid off the coffin. Inside there was no body, just a pristine set of black robes folded neatly with a simple steel dagger laid upon it inside of it's sheath.

"Ooooo! The robe's of a Black Hand member! Are they Lucien's? Or was the Listener's foremother also a member… wait that can't be right, she was his Silencer! Oh, Cicero is so confused!" Said Cicero as he peered into the coffin from beside me. I was confused as well, but I gathered up the articles and placed them in my knapsack regardless of the unanswered questions they had brought up.

I turned to leave and found Yuki and Luna looking at me with almost unreadable eyes; they obviously wanted answers.

"Who the hell are you two really? If your with the Dark Brotherhood then you can tell us where to find the Listener, right?" Luna asked coldly, she obviously did not like being kept in the dark about our true motives for coming to this ruin. Cicero and I exchanged glances and he immediately started laughing, I at least tried not to laugh- though I admit I at least chuckled a little.

"We are with the Brotherhood, though may I ask why you wish to find our Listener?" I asked, not yet revealing that I was the person they had evidently been looking for. Luna grumbled and looked to Yuki, who then nodded wordlessly as usual, before giving me an answer,

"We want to join." was all she said, and at that point… I cracked. I laughed so hard I think I even scared Cicero a little bit, as I could swear I heard him jump a little. "What the hell is so Gods damned funny!" Luna practically growled at me, I regained my composure quickly and told her exactly what I had found funny.

"It's actually very humorous that you have been looking for the Dark Brotherhood, you found us of course- saved our lives in fact. But what is down right hilarious… is that I AM the Listener." I said with a smirk, this managed to silence Luna- though to an odd effect; Luna was the one to speak.

"If you are the Listener, then tell us what we have to do to join." She said flatly- with not even the slightest hint of emotion in her tone; not exactly monotone, more like her spirit had been broken long ago. I pretended to think about it for a moment, then gave them a simple answer.

"No." I said simply, earning me glares from both women. I a heartbeat Luna had grabbed the scruff of my clothes and was now up in my face in anger.

"WHY THE HELL NOT!" She fumed, I sighed for a moment and looked lightly to the side to see Cicero drawing his ebony dagger; I held my hand out, telling him to stay his blade- he obeyed begrudgingly and I could swear I heard him huff in disappointment. I turned my gaze back to the infuriated Luna and gave her a lazy look,

"Because… you've already been accepted." I said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Luna blinked a few times before letting me go. "From the moment you saved us, I was intending to ask you to join; now that I know this was your wish all along, there is no need to test you as you have proven your skill and willingness to send souls to our Dead Father Sithis." I said as I reached for the floor and picked up my fallen knapsack before tracing my steps back to the door. "Lets go home to your new family, Sisters." I said, turning to watch them and Cicero following my steps. We left the ruin behind and returned to Bruma, though we would not stay another night; since it was currently midday it would be pointless to pay for two rooms when leaving was a better option. Heading home would be far less eventful, as it would be easy to catch a ride with a guarded caravan bound for Dawnstar.

We found a Khajiit caravan from Elswyr that was headed for Skyrim, though they had originally planned to only go as far as Whiterun- a nice bag of gold changed their minds fairly quickly. As we set out from Bruma, I settled into the carriage- seated between Cicero and one of the Khajiit guards- and not long after we entered Pale Pass… I fell asleep.

_A young girl of fourteen dances in the wildflower strewn lowlands outside of the city of Whiterun, her long red hair is pulled back into a simple braid with a few white flowers tucked into her hair. Her dark brown eyes glimmer with childish delight as she and her younger brother of twelve collect flowers for their mother who sits on a blanket not far from where they played. The little boy sees something near the base of the mountainside and asks his mother if he can investigate; she reluctantly allows it so long as he stays within sight. He dashes off and his sister laughs at his rambunctious-ness as she continues her dancing about, collecting each flower that catches her eye in an attempt at a graceful swoop that usually ends in her nearly falling over. All seems at peace… then a scream echoes across the plains, drawing the attention of both mother and daughter. They rush to the location of the scream, and another tolls out as the mother finds her son no longer among the living. The sister is in shock, not knowing if she should flee or stay by her weeping mother's side. Over her mother's tears she hears the growl of a beast on the ridge above; she looks to see the Predator of The Plains, it's maw dripping with her brother's blood- hungry for more. Fear over takes her and she is unable to scream, the Predator pounces on the mother who doesn't even try to fight; unintentionally fooling the cat into believing her to be a fresh corpse to be eaten later. The beast advances to the daughter, who finally remembers how to move and begins to run. The girl leaps over fallen, sun-bleached, trees doing what little her small legs can to gain ground against the powerful ones of her pursuer. The girl stumbles as the cat reaches it's claws out to strike her back, cutting her deep- though she falls off one of the many ridges that scatter the plains, saving her from damage to her spine; her heart pounding in her chest as she waits for the beast to kill her. The Predator looms over the edge at it's fallen prey. A strong wind blows and the girl is struck by the will to live and her mind darts to methods of escape. The wind blows again, this time it seems to guide the girls hand to a piece of mammoth tusk, broken off of a nearby skull, she lifts the sharp implement above herself- the point outward as the Predator leaps from the ridge._

I awakened from my slumber, sitting bolt upright in the carriage. I placed my face in my hands as I attempt to calm my breathing. 'That damned dream again' I thought, wondering if I would ever get a decent nights sleep.

"Did the Listener sleep well? Cicero hopes his shoulder served as a good pillow for her." Whispered the insane jester beside me, obviously reveling in the embarrassment I was now attempting to hide by keeping my head down and tapping my foot with impatience. If he said one more word about how my head had evidently leaned on his shoulder nearly the entire time I was asleep- I would gut him where he sat. I did not take kindly to being mocked by anyone; the last man to mock me… well lets just say his voice went up a few octaves by the time I was done teaching him a lesson. The rest of the ride was silent as we passed Whiterun, and by sunset we had finally arrived in Dawnstar. The Caravan bid us farewell and returned the way they had come, obviously returning to their original plan. Cicero and I led Luna and Yuki through the small town and up to the beach outside the cove, turning to show them the Black Door and giving them the password to enter. Cicero and I waited and watched as both of them entered separately, after being assured that the door must acknowledge them both independently or risk being locked out should the other not be present to open the door. It was an apparent failsafe we discovered several days ago after opening the sanctuaries previously hidden library at the end of a mysterious dead end hallway. If someone enters the sanctuary without being recognized as a Brother or Sister, once they leave they are permanently locked out; apparently this was introduced during the time when our Sanctuaries were being infiltrated by people who followed our members and entered before the door closed; how a door could remember who someone was, I will probably never know… nor would I ever want to. As Luna then Yuki entered the Sanctuary, Cicero and I finally followed to find they had waited for us in the entry chamber- a smart choice since we had not informed anyone of their arrival. I took the lead and escorted Luna and Yuki to the dining hall while I ordered Cicero to gather the family for introductions.

"Are you going to insist on introducing every member you recruit?" Asked Lucien as she soundlessly walked into the room. I smiled at my ancestor,

"I'm guessing it wasn't done back in your day?" I asked him as I placed one hand on my hip. He gave me a glare that anyone could guess meant "would I be asking if we did? I didn't think so." I simply sighed and waved it off. I was Listener, and I would do things my way- if we were meant to be a family, then we should introduce new family members to everyone they will be living with. I introduced both Luna and Yuki, who acknowledged their new Brothers and Sisters in there respective ways. I was not allowed to pay closer attention to further introductions as Lucien motioned for me to follow him.

Lucien "ghost-walked" upstairs to stand before the Night Mother's closed coffin,

"I trust you found more than just new members?" Lucien inquired as he folded his arms impatiently. I pulled my knapsack off my shoulder and pulled out the robes and dagger. Lucien then reached out his hand as if to take the dagger, but brought his hand back to rest at his side. His eyes falling to the robes beneath the weapon. "Did you find that with the dagger?" He asked sternly, though with a hint of surprise in his voice. I nodded and he turned to face the Night Mother,

"So… you made her Listener did you? She certainly had the skill and the tenacity… but these robes are untouched by the wear of use- did she die soon after?" He asked the Night Mother, do doubt expecting her to tell me the answers to his questions. The tell tale dizziness that always preceded and followed her voice seeping into my mind was enough of a confirmation.

"_Indeed, I made your foremother- Lucien's love- my new Listener after the unfortunate death of my previous one. However, she soon forsake my voice and the sanctuary that had once called her family to follow a different path for the remainder of her days; I do not know what became of her after she abandoned the Brotherhood, for her soul never became one with the void." _Whispered the Night Mother into my mind, though it often felt more like screaming in my ear despite the softness of her tone. I relayed her words to Lucien, his expression stoic; though if it had been me in his position I would have been a whirlwind of emotion. I didn't know what to say to him; what do you say to a man who has been dead for four-hundred years, who has just found out that no one can tell him the final fate of the woman he loved? I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but was cut off by Lucien.

"I see… that matter aside, let me teach you how this dagger works. As I told you before you left, the dagger is enchanted with a powerful bleed spell; even the smallest nick of the blade will cause the target to bleed out. Now your _Foremother_, was no fool; she also enchanted it specially so that it could neither harm it's wielder nor be wielded by anyone other than those of her bloodline. Quite ingenious really, she was a master of enchanting… among other things." Lucien explained, a smirk appearing on his face as he obviously remembered something I would rather never know. Lucien tried not to let show how this news effected him, but I could tell by how he paused that he really did care. Lucien then left, while I remained standing in front of the Night Mother; I could feel another wave of dizziness.

"_I have more to say to you child, your foremother blamed me for Lucien's demise… while I allowed it to happen, it was she who was the ultimate downfall of the Brotherhood; we are both at fault. While she never betrayed our secrets, leaving the Brotherhood without a Listener left them vulnerable. This was the cause of our descent into obscurity; the brotherhood was weak to defend it's self without a Listener to guide them with my words. Repairing the damage done by this mistake now falls to you, though I believe we have enough members in this Sanctuary. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the family before moving on; when you believe yourself to be ready, choose one member to take with you to the next Sanctuary and one member to become the new "Matron" of this Sanctuary- though gender of the chosen does not matter. My words have been heard, go now my child and rest." _The Night Mother explained, though halfway through I had to sit on the floor because I had become so dizzy from her speaking directly into my mind; I will definitely never become accustomed to this. I attempted to stand, but found my limbs would not quite obey me and I began to fall backwards. I braced myself for the fall, but instead I fell back into someone's arms.

"Is the Listener not feeling well? Shall Cicero aid her in reaching her bed?" Asked the voice belonging to the arms, I used him to stabilize my shaking legs and could see the typical grin on his face; did he ever stop grinning like an idiot?

"No Cicero, I am fine." I said as I began to walk away, though the rest of me did not seem to agree as I my vision began to blur and the floor became considerably closer to my face as I fell forward.

**Cicero's P.O.V.**

"The Listener certainly doesn't look fine." Cicero grumbled as he caught the Listener, preventing her from falling. Cicero sighed as he lifted the Listener into his arms, she was surprisingly light, and began to walk to her room- avoiding the family members, if Cicero didn't then the Listener would be very cross with him for giving them the wrong idea. Cicero entered the Listener's room and lay her down on the large bed, covering the Listener with the blankets before turning to leave. Cicero left the Listener to her dreams, whatever they might be, and returned to the silence of his own room… oh how Cicero hated the silence; though come morning the silence would give way to the bustle of breakfast, so this small thought gave Cicero hope as he too lay down for the night.

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><p>Well then, this chapter raises a few questions: what was Alyce so afraid of running into in the mountains? Why is she a worshipper of Kynareth? What was her dream really about? What about Alyce's foremother, what happened all those years ago? No worries everyone, all will be revealed in due time… though there are a few people who know, they better not tell!<p>

Writing things in Cicero's point of view is weird, it's what he is experiencing… but written in third person. But I've been told I write him very well so I guess I'm doing okay! Everyone who has said this, I THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Has anyone else noticed the dead end hallway in the Dawnstar Sanctuary? It has to lead somewhere, so I gave it a purpose by saying it's the hidden entrance to a library.

Also the ruin they traveled to is an actual ruin in TES 4: Oblivion, small and easily overlooked since it has little to no treasure- save for a few welkynd stones. In addition: the lock Yuki picked, is a Hard Level lock that you can pick in TES 4: Oblivion to reach the second level of the ruin more quickly.

On another interesting note: apparently Alyce is a real name! I originally thought it up as a variant of "Alice", but after looking for a Spanish name for my Assassin's Creed Role Play character I noticed one of the names on the list was "Alyce"! Ironically, Alyce means: Noble, or of Noble means; basically it means "Noble of heart", those who know more about her will know this to be very true.


	6. Bounty Hunters and Tavern Brawls

New Chapter! Enjoy and please let me know what you like or dislike about it!

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><p><strong>Bounty Hunters and Tavern Brawls<strong>

I woke up with a splitting headache, and I began to wonder exactly what I did last night- though I soon remembered I had passed out from the strain of the Night Mother's voice. How in the hell other Listeners had dealt with the dizziness I will never understand, but then again maybe it was just me? I sighed as I sat up and rubbed my eyes with my fingers, though I was glad I wasn't woken up by Cicero again. I stood up and walked out of my room, headed for the dining hall for breakfast. Since Festus died during the Pentus Oculatus attack, Babette and I have been taking turns cooking- we would ask Nazir to cook, but frankly we trust him in the kitchen less than the old man; and Festus' cooking was simply dreadful, often it would taste or look more like an arcane concoction than a soup and when it wasn't supposed to be soup- we could swear it moved! I walked into the dining hall to the smell of something delicious; oddly enough Babette seemed to have coerced Kestrel and Zany into helping her in the kitchen and setting the table. I sat down at the table just as they began serving, though I was apparently the only one other than them who was up. As expected, breakfast was a type of soup; though this one was very different from what I had come to think of as the norm. It was more of a chowder, with potato's and corn as well as bits and chunks of bacon. I ate a tentative spoonful, and was shocked by the smooth yet shocking taste; needless to say, I downed the entire bowl quickly. Zany and Kestrel had evidently done the same as they both finished around the same time I did.

"Babette, if you had this recipe why didn't you ever give it to Festus?" I asked her, curious as to why she would have left us to the horrible fate of the old mage's cooking. She looked at me blankly before responding,

"It was my mother's to tell the truth, I was afraid Festus would botch it like he did nearly every meal. Besides, I was unsure I had remembered the recipe correctly and it required some testing to get it right." She explained with more emotion than I was used to seeing from her as she sat down in a nearby chair, not touching the food on the table. As a vampire of her age, she didn't need to eat normal food and could easily sustain herself on blood alone. I thanked Babette for sharing the recipe that seemed so close to her heart and excused myself from the table.

I walked back to my room and sat down at my desk, pulling out a list of targets that still needed to be dealt with. I had given Nazir permission to use my desk while I had been gone, and found that several of the names on the list had names written beside them and had been checked off as completed. Lately it appeared that everyone was becoming very busy, as the once long list had been whittled down to just three names in a span of three days; frankly I was proud of my family members for taking to their jobs with such gusto! Which reminded me of the Night Mother's order to get to know the current family members before choosing who I would leave in charge when I left to start the next Sanctuary. Who to start with? Well both Zany and Kestrel where awake; it said on the contract list that Yuki and Luna were currently in Markarth, and I remembered that before Cicero and I left- Donovan said he was going to make a journey to Redbelly Mine in Shor's Stone for more Ebony ore. I swear that man has a fixation on Ebony! I sighed and decided that I should probably go with getting to know Zany, as he was the first recruit and I had still yet to talk to him much. I left my room once again and headed for the dining hall, where I had last seen him; though when I arrived he was long gone. I found Babette sitting in the same chair as before, reading a book.

"Any idea where Zany has wandered off to?" I asked her offhandedly, she didn't even look up as she responded,

"He said something about going to Riften, though I was only half-listening." She said as she turned the next page of her book. Wonderful, I would have to go to Riften just to talk to him? While it sounded like more trouble than it was worth, I had a feeling that Kestrel had left as well for someplace probably even farther. I sighed as I left the Sanctuary and saddled Shadowmere for the ride to the stinking cesspool that was more commonly known as Riften.

The ride to Riften was fairly uneventful, though the bandit camp along the road forced me to take a side road that had inconveniently been overrun with trolls that traveled in pairs. While one troll was difficult enough for a lone adventurer, two at once was nearly unheard of and I was forced to run past them- finding another pair along the way; letting the guards at the door tend to the trolls as I entered the city. Knowing Zany, he was likely to be at The Bee and Barb- the tavern at the heart of Riften. I entered the tavern and had to duck immediately to evade a mead filled flagon sailing through the air that clattered to the walkway outside after narrowly missing my head. I took a second to scan the room before ducking behind an overturned table.

"I take it someone here in Riften is on your list?" said a voice not far from me, I turned to see it was Zany- who was also hiding behind a table.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" I shouted to him over the clamor of the bar fight. Zany seemed to laugh a little,

"Some bounty hunters were looking for me, so I caused a bar fight to slip away… though it didn't work out so well." he explained sheepishly, obviously annoyed with how his plan had gone awry. I shook my head, suddenly thinking getting to know Kestrel would have been a far better idea! I sighed and was about to stand when someone pulled away the tables we were hiding behind, I looked up to see two very unsightly looking Argonian men who seemed to have had mead spilled down their fronts. I turned to Zany and scolded him with my eyes; THIS was how he had started a bar fight? He needed to learn more tact when it came to causing a diversion. Just as one of them grabbed Zany by the front of his shirt, a member of the Riften guard entered the tavern to quell the disturbance. The two Argonians fled at the sight of him and the tavern keeper immediately pointed out Zany as the cause of the fight… and I was caught up in the middle of everything by association!

I sat in a fairly uncomfortable chair as I leaned my head back on the cold stone walls of a prison cell. I exhaled sharply in annoyance,

"Well… that certainly did not go as you planned now did it?" I said as I folded my arms over my chest. Zany said nothing in response as he relaxed on the cot by the other wall. For causing that bar fight, though I technically wasn't responsible for it, we had been given a night in jail. They say nothing builds a friendship like a jail sentence, but I was hesitant to consider this "bonding" since Zany had been in his own little world from the moment we were thrown in here! "So are you just going to lie there like a lump? Or are you going to explain why those bounty hunters got you so rattled?" I asked him as I stomped a foot and leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees. For a moment I thought he had fallen asleep, but he soon huffed and sat up as he swung his legs over the side of the cot.

"Normally bounty hunters would be nothing to deal with… but they said they were working for one in particular I would rather not have the displeasure of meeting." he explained as he mimicked how I sat, though lacing his fingers with each other in deep thought. Whoever this bounty hunter was, he had to be a force to reckon with if Zany was this unnerved!

"So who is this bounty hunter anyway?" I asked him out of curiosity. He sighed and began tapping his foot, a common nervous act,

"The Marsh-Stalker; a notorious bounty hunter from Black Marsh, no one has ever escaped him for longer than a week… ever. If he is after me, then not even the Brotherhood can help me." He explained, obviously trying not to think about how hopeless his situation sounded. I was about to respond to his pessimism but all talk ceased when the jailer came by our cell to let us out.

As we walked out of the dungeon and into the light of day once more, I stretched and had to jog to catch up to Zany who was making a beeline for the city gates. "I'm sorry Sister, but I will not be returning home." he said as we exited the city. I grabbed his shoulder to stop him from running out the gates and turned him to face me.

"Zany, get a grip would you! All we have to do is find this 'Marsh-Stalker' and kill him before he kills you!" I said with a reassuring smile, though Zany did not seem to accept my positive attitude. He held a straight face for a several minutes before he slowly began to crack up laughing. I was beginning to think Sheogorath had taken Zany's mind and looked around nervously, unsure if he had indeed cracked under pressure.

"Bahahaha! You think it's that simple? Many have tried to kill the Marsh-Stalker, all of them failed- he is immortal!" Zany explained as he slowly returned to his senses. I began to grin maliciously, an idea forming in my head.

"So if we did manage to kill him… we would become more notorious than he was?" I asked him slyly. Zany seemed to pale, though he also seemed to understand what I was getting at. If the Dark Brotherhood was the ones to take down someone who was supposedly un-killable, our reputation would be one large step closer to being restored. While I grinned from ear to ear as I turned around, Zany face-palmed,

"We're both going to die… deranged woman. Where are you going anyway?" he muttered as he followed me; I didn't slow my stride as I continued and turned down onto the staircase leading to the waterway,

"I have a contact here in Riften who may just be able to help us find this 'Marsh-Stalker' fellow." I explained as we walked along the waterway to the door I had been looking for. I knocked once and the door slowly swung open, I motioned for Zany to stay while I entered the house cautiously. Though as soon as I crossed the threshold, an arrow was knocked and aimed at my neck- at fairly close range. The steel point of the arrowhead scraped across my neck as I turned my head slightly to see a familiar face. "Nice to see you too, Arrati." I said plainly as the Argonian woman withdrew her arrow and returned it as well as the bow to a nearby table. She was tall, standing about 5'6" with gold eyes and small spikes along the top of her head in two neat rows- the first spike having a small gold loop attached to a coin for decoration; though the one thing that set her apart from every other Argonian I have ever seen, was her scales- black as the Night Mother's heart. Arrati and I have an interesting history, one that I would rather not bother with here since it is in the past and of no importance to what is happening now.

I sat down at the kitchen table and waited for Zany to get the hint that it was safe, thankfully he wasn't a complete ninny and caught on quick.

"So what is it that you need Alyce? Who do you need me to track?" Arrati asked as she sat down with a cup of Argonian tea- by the smell of it, frankly it reminded me of turpentine with a hint of honey. Arrati isn't just a contact, she kind of an uninitiated affiliate of the Dark Brotherhood- in other words, she is the woman I go to for help when a client doesn't know where to find the target. She knows who we are and how to find us, but so long as she gets paid… she could care less- that said, she is the loyal type and has told me of many times she was asked to find the Brotherhood and feigned unimaginable fear just to get the potential client to go away. I suppose one could call us friends, in a manner of speaking; I don't step on her tail and she won't put a knife in my back.

"What? Can't I come visit an old friend- okay, yes I have someone I need you to track. We're looking for someone who goes by the name of 'Marsh-Stalker', have you heard of him?" I began to say in a casual manner, until Arrati gave a quite the glare that seemed to say "get on with it before I get my bow". Arrati sighed at my explanation before looking to Zany with an almost sympathetic expression,

"Run afoul of the Marsh-Stalker did you? I think I may know where to find him." She said blankly, with little to no emotion at all. I thanked her and gave her the usual payment of 500 gold for her assistance as she wrote down directions to a nearby abandoned mine where she said the bounty hunter gang had been hiding out in. Zany and I bid Arrati farewell as we left her house, bound for the city gates and Lost Prospect Mine beyond.

The mine was not far from the town, nestled into the mountain to the south-east of Riften. As we entered the mine I could see small flecks of gold in the stone of the wall; it had once been a gold mine, though now it seemed to be empty of both miners and their well-sought after ore. We entered the main chamber cautiously, though we were puzzled when we realized that the mine was empty.

"Now that your out of the city, I can finally do my job." Said a familiar voice from behind us, near the entrance of the mine. Zany and I turned around in surprise to see Arrati standing in front of the passage to the only exit, her bow drawn with an arrow aimed for Zany's throat.

"You have betrayed me Arrati? Sold Zany out to the Marsh-Stalker?" I asked her in disbelief, shocked that someone who valued loyalty above all else would do something like this. Arrati frowned,

"I am truly sorry this had to happen my friend, but the bounty on this ones head was too great for me to ignore- if I did, then people would ask questions." She said with what seemed like regret in her voice, though I knew Arrati was a master of speech craft so I doubted the emotion was genuine. I was taken aback by her words, though I knew she cared about money I always thought money meant less than friendship to her.

"You would trade my trust for gold?" I shouted in frustration, throwing my arms out to my sides in anger. Arrati then sighed and lowered her weapon slightly,

"You just don't get it do you? I did not sell you out, for I AM the Marsh-Stalker." She said with annoyances. As soon as Arrati finished speaking, Zany broke into a fit of laughter,

"You? The immortal Marsh-Stalker? A nice joke little girl, though I have heard better from a madman!" Zany said through his fit of mirth. Arrati growled and readied an arrow once again, Zany immediately calming as we heard her bow string drawn back, drawing his weapons- twin scimitars that glimmered with magic- in response. The arrow released with barely a sound. Zany dodged it by stepping to the side- the arrow skipping across the empty floor of the cavern. I thought about taking part in this fight, but then I remembered that I had yet to witness Zany's potential in combat- and I stepped back into one of the two empty passages so I would be out of their way.

Arrati was just as fleet of foot as Zany, dodging his attacks with ease as she fired her arrows- which never made there mark as Zany dodged them as he had done the first. As Zany swung his scimitars I could see what kind of enchantment was obviously embedded in them- in his left he held one of flame and in the right he held one of frost- an odd combination; though I had heard that heating something then freezing it again rapidly could cause burns far more severe than flame alone and that the same could possibly work in the reverse. As I watched them I began to count down to the moment when Arrati would get angry and draw her sword.

"Five…" I began to count under my breath, watching as Arrati attempted to take the high ground by jumping from the table against the wall to the cold coals of the brazier stand and the waterfall ledge beyond. "Four…" Zany sneered and followed her movements to reach the ledge, Arrati's gold eyes going wide as he stood before her on the ledge. "Three…" Arrati then bolted from the ledge and into the small pool below, rushing from the water as fast as she could move- firing off another arrow that this time was knocked aside by Zany's scimitar. "Two…" Never had I seen anyone give Arrati this much trouble, and she glanced at me with a scowl- knowing her reputation with the brotherhood was also at stake. "One." Arrati roared with rage as she drew her sword; ironically enchanted with shock in comparison to Zany's blades of frost and flame. As Arrati charged at him with fury in her eyes, I could practically feel Zany's excitement for battle from where I stood. He stood his ground with scimitars before him, and when Arrati was close enough he ducked under are sword strike to slash her with his frost blade- but did not use the flame to finish her off. Instead he mumbled something inaudible and Arrati crumpled to the ground, seemingly unable to move; he had used a paralysis spell to immobilize her. "ZANY!" I shouted as I watched him raise one of his blades to kill Arrati, freezing in surprise at my voice; he had obviously forgotten I was even here. "She is still useful to the Brotherhood, kill her and I will kill you myself." I said coldly, seeing disappointment in what I could see of his dark blue eyes from under his hood.

"As you wish, Listener… Hagraven." He said with a sigh, the last part mumbled as he sheathed his blades; I knew he had a habit of calling me that- at least he omitted the "miserable" this time.

After a few moments Zany's spell broke and Arrati sat on the ground in frustration.

"Zany, go wait outside please- I wish to speak with my friend alone." I said without turning to him, and waited until I heard the wooden door to the cavern open then close again before kneeling in front of my fallen friend.

"He is good I'll give him that. Now would you tell me how you knew?" She scowled as I began to cast a healing spell on her wound. I smiled,

"One of your men, he talked far too much when drunk off his ass." I said with a chuckle as I stood to help her stand. Arrati folded her arms in annoyance while I simply smiled, "Thank you again for not killing him, Marsh-Stalker." I said with a sly wink before turning to leave the mine, finding Zany standing with his hood surprisingly down- a look of shot on his face.

"She got in only one good hit, I was too full of adrenaline to even notice…" He said as he held an arrow out for me to see, it's steel tip red with blood.

"The Marsh-Stalker is one of the best archers in Tamriel, I would be surprised if she didn't at least graze you." I said as I saddled Shadowmere, preparing to leave as I offered Zany a ride home; he declined quickly and began to run home… though he seemed to be limping oddly with a curious red splotch on the back of his leather pants. I shook my head and laughed as I headed off for home myself.

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><p>Wow, this took me a bit to finish! Sorry everyone, but things have been pretty hectic; though the next chapter should be easier since I have pretty awesome idea in mind! Also, before anyone asks about the fire and ice making worse burns idea: it is actually true that if you heat or freeze something then do the opposite too quickly the subject can either die from shock or get severe burns.<p>

Alyce knew Arrati was the Marsh-Stalker all along and set up the whole thing so she could see Zany fight in a environment where he wouldn't be killed! Well isn't she a sneaky one? And before anyone asks, yes Arrati shot Zany in the ass with an arrow.

So who do you guys want to see Alyce get into trouble with next? Kestrel? Donovan? The sisters Luna and Yuki?


	7. Where's a Dragonborn When You Need One?

This is WAY overdue, but I have an important announcement I have been stupidly forgetting to put in the past two chapters… WE HAVE AN OFFICIAL ARTIST FOR RETURN OF THE BROTHERHOOD! The fabulous "TwistedParanoia" has offered her services on this matter and may I say…. HER WORK IF FREAKING AWESOME! Be sure to look out for her character, Thuban, not long into the next story arc!

I don't think I explained this before, but each section of this story will be written in "arcs" like an anime; currently we are in the "Dawnstar Arc", which involves recruiting for that sanctuary and personal stories for each recruited character. Once Alyce gets to know each of the recruits better she is going to pick who will be the leader in Dawnstar and which one of them will go with her to the next Sanctuary. That said, I want people to give me suggestions on who should go with Alyce to….. Winterhold! I've already decided on the Dawnstar leader so no one needs to worry about that. This is largely how the story will be structured from here on out, though I may throw in a few random things like character rosters and perhaps a FMV/songfic or two.

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><p><strong>Where's a Dragonborn When You Need One?<br>**

It was nightfall by the time I arrived back in Dawnstar and after entering the Sanctuary I realized that not everyone was asleep, as I could hear the tell-tale hammering of Donovan in the armory. I made my way to my room, which was just down the hall from the re-purposed torture room turned armory that doubled as a forge- a small and well hidden skylight letting out the excess heat while still managing to warm the entire Sanctuary quite comfortably. I entered the room silently, seeing Donovan hard at work on his latest project- wearing a lighter weight blacksmithing garb in comparison to his usual suit of Ebony Armor. I leaned on the stone doorframe, waiting for him to notice I was there- it didn't take long for him to finish hammering and dunk the blade into water to cool it, glancing up to see me with a look of surprise.

"Listener? Just getting back or did I wake you by mistake?" He asked with slight alarm, I smiled and entered the room completely.

"Just got home, though while I'm here may I see your work? Think of it as an impromptu inspection." I said simply, holding my hand out for the blade he had just finished forging.

"Certainly, just give me a few minutes to wrap the hilt and sharpen it. Feel free to peruse my other works while I finish this one." He explained with confidence as he picked up the now cooled blade and walked into over to a workbench to wrap the hilt of the blade before beginning to sharpen it. I waited patiently, examining the craftsmanship of an ebony dagger. The balance was excellent, the hilt wrapping snug and secure, the folds of the blade strong and beautiful to behold, the only test I needed was of it's sharpness- I brought the blade to my palm, gently sliding the blade across the thick muscle below my thumb. The cut was slight but undeniably clean, damn near perfect, though I knew it could always be better.

"You seem quite fond of ebony, though please remember that it makes for heavy armor- not exactly stealthy without the proper enchantments." I said off hand as I picked up a small piece of cloth to wipe the blade and staunch my cut. By now Donovan was sitting at the grindstone sharpening what I could now see as a standard length steel sword- I was happy to know he did not make solely ebony equipment- he glanced from his work for only a second to see me examining the dagger.

"Indeed I am, I find it makes some of the cleanest cuts with minimal effort- added strength only making the cuts deeper. The enchanting is no problem for me, I actually enchanted that blade over there not long before you arrived." He said, nodding his head in the direction of a weapons rack.

Three weapons hung there: an ebony claymore, another steel sword, as well as a glass bow. It was obvious from the sheen of magic on the blade that the steel sword was the one that Donovan spoke of. I picked the blade up off the rack and examined it, seeing the sheen up close made me near certain that it was of a flame enchantment- the magick practically dancing like flames across the smooth surface of the blade.

"Overall I must say your skill is superb, though there is always room for improvement." I said simply, hoping not to offend him too much with my criticism. Donovan finished sharpening the sword and placed it on another rack,

"I understand what you mean, I know my work is not perfect- close perhaps- but I am not yet a master smith." He said with a sigh as he removed his blacksmithing apron. It was when he mentioned not being a master smith yet that an idea formed in my mind.

"Would you be up for advanced training with one? A true master of the craft?" I asked him as I folded my arms, remembering a close friend of mine who last I checked was looking for a competent student. I was a little taken aback by how eager Donovan became at the mention of training with a true master smith,

"You know of a Master who is willing to train me? Truly?" he said happily, a exuberant light in his magenta eyes- oddly childish for an Orc of his stature. I rolled my eyes a little before beginning to walk away, stopping at the door,

"Indeed I do, now get some sleep because tomorrow we will be going on a little field trip." I said with a laugh as I headed for my room, hearing Donovan scramble to clean up the armory before scurrying off to bed. As soon as I shut my door behind me, I shook my head at the contradictory personality of or resident blacksmith. He was a well spoken Orc, gruff yet accepting of criticism, and was mature but with a childish eagerness to improve. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever understand or know the reasons behind who Donovan was, but put it out of my mind as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the next morning to a feverish knocking at my door.

"Listener? Are you awake yet? I'm ready to leave when you are." came the voice of Donovan from the other side of the door. I chuckled at his excitement,

"Wait for me in the dining hall, I will be ready shortly." I shouted as I climbed out of bed, not needing to change as I had forgotten to change into my sleeping clothes before going to bed once again. I gathered my gear, leaving Steelheart in the dagger case on my low wardrobe. I left my room and found Donovan- in full ebony armor with his helmet sitting on the table- wolfing down his breakfast that Babette had apparently helped Kestrel make. Though I was not really that hungry, I figured I could eat later once we arrived at our destination. After Donovan finished eating, we set out for the location of my Master Smith friend… an Orc Stronghold just outside the settlement of Kynesgrove called Narzulbur. We rode in relative silence, chatting a little about the surprisingly clear weather today- usually in Winterhold and Windhelm it was always spitting snow if it wasn't a full on blizzard, though today was unusually calm. We approached the gates of the stronghold and were greeted by the usual gate keeper,

"Hail Blood-kin, Malacath welcomes you back! I will inform the Chieftain of your arrival." Yatul said before opening the gate and running off. Donovan giving me an odd look as we entered the tall wooden gates,

"Curious about why they call me 'Blood-kin'? Lets just say that not only was my mother a friend of the current chieftain, but I also helped them fend off an attack from a nearby Giant camp a few years back." I said simply as I guided Donovan past the various huts to a wooden bridge that spanned the gap between the Cliffside Forge and the rest of the stronghold. Hearing the hammering of the smithy all the way from the gate, it only became louder as we approached.

We crossed the bridge and stood before the open-air forge, covered by a wall-less hut to protect the forge from snow and rain. A tall and brawny Orc man stood hammering at an Orcish claymore, his face contorted into a grimace of concentration. We stood for a few moments and waited for him to finish with the hammering of the hot metal before cooling it in a trough of water- Donovan being the first to speak,

"Somehow I figured the Master Smith you spoke of would be an Orc, if not a Redguard." he said with a slight smile as he held out his hand to shake the Orc man's hand.

"You figured wrong on both counts kiddo." said a voice from behind us, a smirk on my face as I placed a hand on Donovan's shoulder and turned him around to face the person we had come here to see. There before us stood the true Master Smith- a Bosmer woman who stood no taller than 5'4" with her lightly tanned skin and light brown hair dusted with soot, her coal black eyes alight with amusement as she watched Donovan adjust to the news that his new teacher was neither Orc nor Redguard- the common races for Master Smiths.

"Donovan, I'd like you to meet Erawyn- Erawyn this is Donovan, I'd like you to train him." I said with a courteous smile. Erawyn simply scoffed,

"Why should I? I've tried training half of these ice-brained Orcs… to no avail! I'm beginning to think about moving to Hammerfell or maybe Orsinium." She said with a roll of her eyes. I was about to say something in Donovan's defense, but he beat me to the punch.

"In truth, I am only Half-Orc… but if you truly doubt my skill, here- examine this blade; I forged it myself." he said as he drew a blade- wrapped in cloth- from a strap on his back, handing it carefully to Erawyn. It was when he said he was only Half-Orc that the inconsistencies of his personality began to make sense in my mind, it also explained why his 'tusks' looked far shorter than that of most Orcs. Erawyn examined the blade meticulously, though she tested the keenness of the blade on a strip of fine leather rather than the palm of her hand.

"Hmp, so maybe you do have the talent to be my student… though might I ask what your other half is?" She questioned as she handed the blade back to Donovan. I was curious as well and listened intently,

"My mother was a Breton." he said plainly, though he seemed a little hesitant to tell either of us. Somehow I wasn't surprised to hear that Donovan and I shared common blood, being a Breton myself- though I mentally face-palmed when I realized that Donovan was a Breton sounding name.

I left Erawyn and Donovan to get acquainted, mentally wishing him luck with enduring her harsh training as I crossed back over the bridge. I had met her when she first came to this stronghold two years ago, challenging the previous Master Smith here for the run of the smithy- needless to say that she won by a long shot, and I was here long enough so see many Orcs try to keep up with her and be her apprentice… none ever stood up to her standards. I sat down on a small bench by the cooking fire outside the Chieftain's large hut, seeing him and his eldest daughter already eating lunch.

"Alyce, Yatul told me you had returned. Paying a visit to Erawyn I'm guessing?" He asked after taking a moment to swallow a large bite of roasted goats leg. I tore a hunk of meat off the goat on the spit for myself, taking a moment to eat a little before answering.

"In a manner of speaking, I brought her a promising student." I said before returning to my late breakfast. The Chieftain and his daughter glanced at each other before breaking into booming laughter.

"What makes you think he will be any different from the others who have tried to learn from her?" asked the Chieftain's daughter, as she too had tried to be Erawyn's apprentice. I finished off my food and simply smiled,

"He's already skilled in smithing, almost as good as Erawyn- he's just here for supplementary training, plus he as a few tricks that even Erawyn can't do herself." I explained happily, knowing that if anyone in all of Tamriel was meant to be that stubborn Elf's apprentice… it would be Donovan.

After about an hour of watching a sparring match between two denizens of the stronghold, I began to wonder if Erawyn had actually accepted Donovan for training and began the short trek back to the smithy across the bridge. I found Donovan hammering away at a blade with Erawyn leaning against the support posts of the roof with her eyes trained on Donovan's every swing of the hammer. Even I knew never to interrupt a smith at work, especially during the shaping stage, so I stood and waited for him to finish. Apparently he was almost done and after about twenty minutes more, he dunked the still glowing blade into the water with a loud hiss and a small cloud of steam.

"So I found a keeper this time I take it?" I said sarcastically, my face contorting into an 'I told you so' smirk. Erawyn sighed as she walked over to the now cooled blade and drew it from the water.

"He will have to do, no one else has shown this much give-a-damn when it comes to metalworking. I even insulted his technique to test his resolve, and he took it like a man instead of some oversensitive milk-drinker." Erawyn said with a sigh, though I knew her well enough to know she was happy to have finally found an apprentice worth her time.

"Master Erawyn has taught me how to forge Daedric weapons and armors, and in such short time! I always thought it would take me years of training to reach that level of skill from where I am now." Donovan said with awe in his voice, surprised that Erawyn could have taught him this much in only a few hours.

"A true master knows that shortcuts lead to shoddy craftsmanship, but that is part of technique rather than the knowing of how to forge something as complex as Daedric equipment or even Dragon armor. Both of which take a full day of refining and working the material before its even ready to be finished as the sun goes down; this blade is brittle compared to a fully finished Daedric blade." Erawyn explained as she walked out from under the roof to stand beside a rock by the cliff's edge- slamming the blade down to shatter like it was nothing special. I could see Donovan wince at the sight of his work shattered like a child's plaything.

"You just love demonstrations don't you?" I said with a smirk as Erawyn returned to the forge. She gave me a look and picked up a piece of unfinished metal to heat it in the forge.

"There is little I can teach you beyond what I have already, you must learn to forge Dragon Armor on your own- but I can teach you an important part of being a smith that many people never think improves craftsmanship." She said before she took a moment to work the bellows. Both Donovan and I were puzzled. "A true Master Smith knows that gathering their own materials puts their heart no only into the forging of the blade or armor, but also in the very material it's self- for twice as much heart. Though I don't have the time to gather the scales and bones I need for my latest suit of Dragon Armor, so I need you two to go out and kill a Dragon for me." She continued as she held up the white-hot metal and brought it to the anvil to hammer it into shape.

Donovan and I left the forge in silence, uncertain about Erawyn's task for us… neither of us were Dragonborn so how were we going to kill a Dragon and it stay dead long enough for us to collect the bones and scales? One of the few kinds of people I don't have as contacts, would be Dragonborn. We would just have to do what we could and hope whatever we did would be enough! We left the stronghold and ventured out into the hills to search for any signs of a dragon. We did not have to wait long to see a huge black Dragon fly high overhead in the direction of Kynesgrove. We waited in the bushes for the right moment to strike… but we were stunned by the scene that began to unfold before our very eyes. The Black Dragon spoke in a language that was strange to me, the ancient burial mound not far from where he hovered off the ground exploded in a blast of dirt and scattered rocks- from under this storm of earth emerged the skeletal form of another Dragon that slowly began to flesh out and become what it had obviously been before it's death as if it hadn't been dead for thousands of years. We almost didn't notice when a young Altmer woman stepped out from behind a large stone with a heavily armored Imperial woman close behind. The Black Dragon spoke to the Altmer woman, who simply stood there glaring at the resurrected Dragon… a desire to kill in her eyes that I could see from our hiding place like a glowing beacon. The Black Dragon spoke once more before flying upwards and off into the sky, the other Dragon roared and took off as well… but remained to rain fire down on the Altmer and Imperial. As the dragon circled, the imperial woman began to fire arrows with minimal effect on the Dragon the seemed to fly faster than any arrow. Soon the Dragon landed with a gust of wind that rustled the leaves of our hiding place,

"I am Salikonir! Hear my voice and despair!" roared the Dragon, startling both Donovan and I to hear it speak the language of men. As we continued to watch, we began to wonder if we should assist these two… but as soon as we made the decision to assist, the fight was over. The Dragon collapsed to the ground as the Altmer woman trust her blade into it's maw as it opened to breath flame. A bright light engulfed the Dragon, it's body seeming to burn away, and the light rushed to the Altmer woman and wrapped around her like a whirlwind- sinking into her body to vanish as quickly as it came. The Altmer woman and her Imperial companion talked for a moment before leaving for places unknown, and as they left we emerged from our hiding place.

"Well… I suppose we can collect the bones and scales from this Dragon and be on our way." I said as I walked to stand beside the remains of the Dragon, finding a handful of scales and several bones that could easily be carried. We gathered what we could and began the trek back to the stronghold.

The gates of the stronghold opened for us as we approached and we made a beeline for the forge.

"Well, well… you killed a Dragon and returned to tell the tale. This should be enough for a fine suit of armor." Erawyn said as she greeted us at the forge-side of the bridge, obviously eager to get started on her project. Neither of us told her that we hadn't lifted a finger to slay the Dragon; we did not hide out of cowardice, rather more in awe of the great beast and uncertainty of how to tackle the challenge.

"Donovan if you want to stay a while longer and observe Erawyn at work you may, I will head home alone. I trust you can make your own way back on your own?" I said as I began to walk back across the bridge, knowing that the slight nod of his head was probably the best answer I would get- his mind fully focused on the prospect of observing the making of Dragon Armor. I chuckled lightly as I found Shadowmere quietly grazing inside the walls of the stronghold, her very presence frightening the goats around her. Hearing me coming she raised her head and walked up to the gate, knowing it was time to leave for home. I hauled myself into the saddle and began the ride home, a quiet ride with little more than the clopping of Shadowmere's hoofs to ring through the fading light of day. I crested the ridge outside the town of Dawnstar, witnessing the sun falling below the dark waters of the Sea of Ghosts. It was an eerily beautiful sight, and I kept my eyes on it intently as Shadowmere walked along the small bay to the location of the Black Door. I wanted to stay outside and watch the sun sink lower into the sea, but a strong and cold wind blew landward and I quickly reconsidered the idea and rushed inside. There would be many more sunrises to come, perhaps tomorrow it would be warm enough for me to watch it… and that's if I could sneak away long enough from the rabble within the Sanctuary.

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><p>That was pretty short, but i ran out of ideas for this... sorry everyone! Also apologies to Zaleger(SP?) if i made Donovan sound like an over eager doofus.<p> 


	8. Blood On The Ice

So here is Chapter 8! For everyones who is curious, i made a poll on my profile page so everyone can vote for their favorite character so far! when a new Sanctuary is completed i will close the previous poll to put up the edited one with notes about who had how many votes in the previous poll to keep track of how popular each character is!

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><p><strong>Blood On The Ice<strong>

After returning home to Dawnstar yesterday I went straight to bed, though I slept like a rock I was now wishing I had stayed in bed. Zany was trying to kill Cicero again, Donovan had been working up a storm in the forge all morning- the noise could be heard loudly through out the entire Sanctuary, while Kestrel was currently arguing with Luna about Sithis knows what. I could feel a migraine forming as the noise just seemed to pile up.

"Something wrong Listener? Oh Cicero knows what would help! A song!" said the ever present madman as he noticed my foul mood, though was oblivious of the fact that I was rubbing my temples. Cicero began to dance and then freely broke into song, I slammed my hands on the dining table and walked off in a huff for the silence of the shore outside the Sanctuary. Lately there had been far too many people than I was willing to deal with, or have ever dealt with in my whole life! With the addition of Luna and Yuki, we now had a total of ten members under one roof… a bit of a clamorous situation. As I stepped out into the cold midday air and walked up to the near frigid waterside I began to realize something… I needed a damned vacation! Anywhere would be better than cooped up with everyone in the Sanctuary, though I tended to stay away from Whiterun unless it was on business. As I continued to think about where I could slink off to for some quiet time, the Black Door began to open and I sighed thinking it was Cicero coming to bother me yet again. I turned however to see it was Luna and Yuki, both with looks of determination and anger on their faces.

"Dare I ask what your up to Sisters?" I asked them, a little worried since Yuki rarely showed any form of emotion at all. Yuki stayed silent as ever, while Luna scoffed

"It doesn't concern you." she said through gritted teeth, though I was not dissuaded from pursuing the issue. They obviously did not want to talk about it, but whatever it was it was obviously something that was going to take them far from the Sanctuary as they mounted their horses swiftly and took off down the shore in the direction of the road. I grinned with a mischievous idea, I was in need of a vacation yet I could not let this issue lie- so I saddled Shadowmere and followed the pair to wherever their destination might be.

The task of following them was less than easy as I soon found out, their destination was obviously Windhelm- due to the increase in snowfall around us and the sparse foliage surrounding the road. I had come through here just yesterday and their was no snowfall, but the weather today was far more expected for this region and although the snow falling around was beautiful… it seemed to hold a foreboding weight to it. Wherever Yuki and Luna were going- be it the city it's self or somewhere within the region- ill winds seemed to be around us as I followed them. The ancient city of Windhelm soon came into view and the pair left their horses at the stable before taking the long stone bridge across the river to the city proper. I did the same but kept my distance from them, at least long enough to enter the city as if it was of my own accord and by pure coincidence. Walking into Windhelm I began to realize why I never come to this city- the racially intolerant ice-brains who live here. The Nords of Windhelm are quiet often asinine and racist, the worst example of humanity I have ever seen in my life… and that's coming from someone who kills people for a living. That aside I decided to hurry up and find out what Luna and Yuki were up to so I could get out of this hell-hole as fast as possible. I found them in a rather unexpected location: the graveyard. I watched them talking with the guard and the witnesses of what appeared to be the grisly murder of a young woman. Soon they began to walk up the steps from the graveyard back to the main street and I decided now was as good a time as any to reveal myself.

"Fancy seeing you two here. Shame about that girl, was she someone you knew?" I said to them innocently, though sadly it seemed that Luna wasn't busing my "coincidental and innocent" act.

"Shut it Alyce, we know you followed us here- what the hell do you want?" Luna asked, while Yuki beside her simply glared at me silently. I smiled and told them the Night Mother's orders for me to get to know the members of the Sanctuary before moving on to the next location. The whispered to each other before turning back to me, "The Night Mother's wishes matter little to us, but we also don't want to piss her off either. If your gonna help us catch the bastard they call 'The Butcher' then lets get going already- just don't get in the way." Luna said with a bit of a growl in her voice. These two never seemed the vigilante type, but murder was our business not this creeps- might as well eliminate the competition I suppose.

Apparently the guards would not allow us to assist in the investigation without the permission of the Steward, so here we were in the presence of Jarl Ulfric and his Steward inside the Palace of Kings. The Jarl's voice echoed through the stone castle as he left his throne to speak more privately with his General about the war with the Imperials. Truthfully I had thought about joining the Stormcloaks before I joined the Dark Brotherhood, but the very day I began to pack for the trip to Windhelm I found what appeared to be a journal page tucked into one of my mother's old books- the handwriting was neither hers nor my good-for-nothing Father's and the paper was yellowed and fairly old. The page mentioned a tight-knit group similar to a proper family- my first glimpse of my families legacy, the Dark Brotherhood- and it was what made me seek out the elusive group in the first place. I mused about my own past while Luna spoke with the Steward, he took a moment to write out a Writ of Assistance- a document with his signature that we could show to anyone who questioned our permission to investigate the murders. With the proper papers in hand we returned to the guard, who was a little surprised to see a third investigator but happy that someone was finally dealing with the murders either way. While Yuki and Luna tracked the blood trail the guard had found, I would question the priestess of Arkay in the nearby Hall of The Dead. I entered the hall and was greeted by the musty smell of embalming fluids and decay, I had to hold back the bile that seemed to well up in the back of my throat as the smell became stronger the further into the hall I delved. I found the priestess examining the body and it's numerous wounds, and upon seeing it closer I could tell they looked more like planned incisions that haphazard injuries. The Priestess explained as much, though that the cuts were made by ancient Nord tools- that much I had not been able to guess. She also informed me that all the victims had been Nord women, never a Dunmer or an Argonian. I began to wonder if the murderer was a disgruntled Dunmer of the Gray Quarter or perhaps a mistreated Argonian of the Windhelm Docks. I would have to speak to Luna and Yuki about the possibility of this. I stepped out of the hall into the clean air of night with a deep breath of relief, Yuki and Luna coming around the corner with evidence in hand.

Apparently the Butcher was actually the court magician and has been working out of the first victims house, Hjerim. Yuki had picked the lock on the door and granted themselves entry to investigate the building. They had found the fliers some woman had posted around town to catch him as well as a mysterious amulet inside the killer's lair. With this damning evidence, we made our way back to the castle to inform the Steward- though we were stopped by a curious old man.

"Is that a Wheelstone Amulet? Might I have a look at it?" He asked as he pointed at the amulet in Yuki's hand. She held it out by the string for the man to examine, "Marvelous, would you be interested in letting me buy it off you? My name is Calixto and I run a museum of oddities here in Windhelm, that amulet would make a lovely addition to my collection." the man asked us, offering 500 gold for the trinket- we didn't need it to convict the mage so agreed to sell it to simply get it off our hands. We bid Calixto goodbye and entered the Palace of Kings, the Steward was less than happy to hear that a member of the Jarl's court was the murderer but thanked us for our assistance in the matter as he ordered the guards to apprehend the mage. We left the Palace and made our way to Candlehearth Hall, the tavern at the heart of Windhelm, it was fairly late so we would stay in town for the night before heading back to Dawnstar in the morning. As we paid for our rooms I began to wonder why the sisters Yuki and Luna- who cared little for anyone but themselves- would come all the way here to end the killing spree of a murderer who was killing people they had probably never met. As we reached our rooms I had to ask them about this,

"Why was catching this murderer so important to you two? What haven't you been telling me?" I questioned them, they looked to each other then back to me.

"That's none of your business, it's over and done with so there's no reason to tell you anything." Luna said before she and Yuki retreated into their room for the night. I sighed in defeat and did the same, falling asleep fairly quickly. I awoke several hours later to screaming and a clamor outside my rented room, jumping to my feet I rushed to open the door- finding that Yuki and Luna's room was now crowded with people. I left my room to stand in the doorway of their's to find that one of the beds was stained with blood, both beds were empty of their occupants.

"We thought the Butcher had been caught! Now he's taken two girls in one night!" Said one of the patrons of the tavern as he left the crime scene. Outside the room, the barmaid who had come to wake us up was sitting on a nearby bench fanning herself- it had been her scream that alerted the other patrons and awoken me. I left the room after gathering their things, I brought the gear to the tavern owner to hold on to- save for Luna's daggers in the event that my plan worked. No one messes with my family, be they of blood or Brotherhood- I knew where the Butcher was hiding while he did his vile work… he may be safe from the guards but he sure as hell wasn't safe from me.

I walked with purpose towards Hjerim, what few people were in my way rushed to step aside as if I was the Jarl himself. The lock on the door was picked by Yuki before, but the Butcher was not quite the idiot I had thought he was and had locked it tight behind him. I wasn't exactly the best at lock picking but I had no time to find the key, so I backed myself up against the door of the Cruel-Sea house and charged at the heavy wooden door; hoping to at least break the lock in the process if I didn't break my shoulder as well. I impacted on the door with a loud thud and I felt the lock give a little, I grimaced at the pain and backed up once again though not as far- I raised my foot to bash it the rest of the way with one powerful kick. The lock broke after two good kicks and the smell of blood rushed to meet me at the threshold. If the house had truly been lived in once before it would have been a sight to behold, though now it was practically empty save for a few sparse bits of furniture. I could hear a voice from upstairs and made my way there, stopping to quickly listen to what the voice was saying.

"You thought you could escape me? Perhaps you did, but coming back to Windhelm was a terrible mistake." Said the voice of a man that sounded somewhat familiar, then the sound of struggling that seemed to come closer to the stairs. I rushed downstairs and ducked into the archway on my left, what could have been a kitchen at one time though the fireplace was full of long dead embers. I peered around the archway as I heard the struggling pass by me to see Luna being dragged by a man towards what had looked like a dead end section of the house with a set of wardrobes for storage. I swiftly made my way up the stairs and found Yuki unconscious on the floor. She was safe up here so I quietly rushed back downstairs to the spot I had seen the man drag Luna to- and it appeared as if they had both vanished! As I looked around the dead end my eyes soon fell on one of the wardrobes, it looked oddly close to the wall- as if it was nailed to it for some reason. I then began to wonder why the house was shaped to have a big gap under it like it appeared to be built… and I realized it must be a hidden room. I quietly opened the door to see the man who had dragged Luna into this room holding a knife- making careful incisions into Luna's arm. I snuck up behind the man and tapped my hand on his shoulder, he spun around quickly and as he looked to me I thrust my dagger deep into his heart.

"Targeting civilians, not a good idea. Abducting and attempting to kill members of the Dark Brotherhood… a very bad idea. Give my regards to Sithis." I said with venom in my voice, watching as the man- who I then realized was the old man Calixto from yesterday- died with fear in his eyes for whatever eternal torture our Dread Father had in store for him.

I dropped Calixto's body to the floor with disgust and wiped my dagger on his shirt to rid it of his blood. That done I turned my attention to Luna and at first I thought I was too late to save her- then I noticed the rise and fall of her chest- she was alive; though if she was unconscious she should have at least woken up from the pain of that man cutting into her. I carried her out to the main room and laid her down to examine her injuries in a better light, the hidden room being lit by only a candle or two rather than the daylight that now poured in through the busted door. The cut was not her only injury, but they looked as if Calixto was attempting to… surgically remove her muscles and tendons. I repaired the damage to her legs and arms, glad I had arrived before he could begin removing them, though I was certain she would need some time to work the muscle back to what it had once been. As I finished sealing up Luna's wounds, Yuki stumbled down the stairs; seeing Luna on the floor she rushed to her sister's side.

"Now will you tell me why this was so important? Calixto said you two had escaped from him before?" I asked Yuki, not expecting her to answer me in the slightest. She gazed at me with eyes empty of emotions, but slowly I began to see the pain behind them that she and Luna had obviously shared.

"Luna and I are not actually sisters; that sorry excuse for a man held us captive during his preliminary experiments before he began killing to bring back someone from the dead. When we heard him talking to the corpse about how he was going to start killing people to start restoring her… I managed to the lock on our cage and we escaped. That was a few years ago, after that we fled to Cyrodiil- but we returned to find the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim, just in time to meet you and Cicero on the border." She explained slowly, and slowly their closed personalities began to make sense; they had been tortured and used by someone who cared nothing for their well-being only to escape. Yuki continued to explain that she had been lucky enough to have had Luna there to protect her, putting herself in harms way whenever she could- though at the price of her own sense of feeling, now Luna could feel no bodily pain and was constantly checking herself after a fight for any wounds. This selfless care for someone she only knew from their time as Calixto's captives was apparently were there sisterly bond was born.

"That's why he took Luna first while you were unconscious, she was awake and put herself between you and harms way." I said as I realized the truth of what I had seen, though she struggled against him I knew Luna could have shrugged Calixto of like a fly and run away… but she was unarmed- unable to kill him- and that would have left Yuki to a horrible end. Yuki simply looked at Luna with her emotionless eyes, and frankly my heart broke for them; though I doubted they would ever like to hear how much I cared for my Sisters. Together Yuki and I carried Luna out of Hjerim and back to Candlehearth Hall, much to the surprise of the Innkeeper. I left them safely together in their rented room and asked the innkeeper to let us stay a little while longer- at least until our friend woke up; she agreed realizing to be alive we must have finally caught The Butcher. I left the tavern and made my way to the Palace of Kings.

I entered the palace to find the Steward sitting at the central table eating his breakfast.

"The mage was not The Butcher, he is innocent. The real Butcher abducted my friends and has been dealt with, this nightmare is finally over." I told him simply before turning to leave, but was stopped by a far deeper voice behind me.

"Leaving so soon Miss? Surely you want to be rewarded for your efforts?" Said Jarl Ulfric as he walked briskly out of his war room, obviously he had been in the middle of a conversation as he General was standing flabbergasted in the doorway behind him.

"All I did was kill a murderer, though it's good to see the Jarl of Windhelm cares so much for his people's safety." I said kindly, showing respect for the Jarl by curbing my sarcasm. Ulfric smiled slightly, though he waited to hear what I wanted as a reward. "Perhaps we can just say the Jarl of Windhelm owes me a favor? My name is Alyce Lachance… remember it well." I said as I walked out of the palace leaving the Jarl as well as his Steward and General in an air of mystery and bewilderment. I returned to Candlehearth Hall to find Luna had awakened. A they gathered their gear I handed Luna her daggers before she started a scene to find them, she smiled and took them back kindly.

"Thank you for everything… Listener." Luna said quietly as we stepped out of the City gates, I looked at them with an astonished look that grew even more as I saw both of them smile before walking away towards the stable.

"Divines and Daedra…" I whispered to myself as I too walked to the stables, thanking any being that would take credit for this turn of events. Luna and Yuki had finally confided in me there past and the reasons for their close sisterly relationship; and now I had a feeling that Yuki would finally begin to open up while Luna would start to calm down as they could slowly begin to put their painful past behind them. We left Windhelm behind and made our way back to Dawnstar and the Sanctuary; though even after a day and a half it was still noisy as all hell.

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><p>This was really short again, but next chapter will be fairly long! Even if I have to combine it with chapter 10 to make it so!<p> 


	9. The Breakout

Holy shit this is late… BEYOND late… on the bright side it's a fairly long chapter!

**The Breakout**

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><p>I awoke from yet another dreamless sleep and walked drowsily out of my room, I headed for the dining hall- hearing something that sounded like muffled laughter, curious about the noise I sped up my pace and found Kestrel with her feet up on the table and a letter in one hand with the other firmly clasped over her mouth to muffle her own laughter.<p>

"Kestrel, has Sheogorath stolen your mind?" I said with slight worry. Kestrel always seemed the most mentally grounded of our members- if she had lost her wits it would be a simple matter of time before the rest of us were bloody bonkers.

"N-no… I just received a letter from my mother… Some sap has just killed Mercer Frey! The Master of the Thieves Guild! The dumb fool is probably going to be exiled for it too!" Kestrel explained as she slowly began to regain her senses. I sighed in relief and sat down at the table for breakfast, though as I ate an idea began to form in my mind.

"Why not go see your mother? Perhaps her giving you this bit of news means she wants to see you?" I asked her, though I was beginning to wonder how her mother had gotten this kind of information. Kestrel scoffed,

"I doubt it, the thieves guild wants little to do with murderers." she said with a barely noticeable sigh. So her mother was a member, that explained the insider information. I smiled and stood up to rid the table of my dishes, speaking as I went,

"You would be surprised how accepting of murderers they truly are, though not among their ranks. I have a friend there who helped get this place up and running the day before you joined!" I explained, her eyes going a little wide in disbelief. Kestrel took a moment to think then looked to me with a look of shaky determination.

"Alright, I will go see her… though I would rather not go alone." she said with a slightly hopeful tone. I smiled kindly, finding the perfect chance to get to know Kestrel better- though I had almost given up on doing so before leaving for the next Sanctuary!

"I would be a horrible Listener if I wasn't willing to be there for my Brothers and Sisters." I said happily as I began to walk outside to ready Shadowmere.

Kestrel soon walked out of the Black Door dressed in a disguise similar to my own, while my dress was a light blue that contrasted with my blood red hair- hers was brown and white that complimented her sooty black hair.

"Ready to leave?" I asked her from atop Shadowmere. Kestrel nodded hesitantly- I could see her apprehension over seeing her mother plain as day on her face. I smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry so much, what do you have to fear of your own mother?" I asked, not really meaning it as a question to be answered. Kestrel saddled her horse with her eyes to the ground and we left the shoreline behind- though she soon answered my rhetorical question by the time we reached the road.

"Her disappointment." Kestrel muttered, possibly not intending for me to hear… but I did. I pretended like I hadn't heard a thing, but inside I wondered what her mother could be disappointed about- though I suspected I would get the answer by the time this visit to Riften was over. The trek to Riften was a long one, fraught with bandits and the occasional wolf pack in the volcanic lowlands- though we encountered an unusual amount of Trolls once again on the side road around the bandit fort, though with two of us their abnormal numbers stood little chance. We arrived in Riften as the sun began to sink in the sky.

"Halt, before you enter the town- you have to pay the visitor's tax." said one of the gate guards, I looked at Kestrel with a look that I was certain she understood as 'is this man serious?'. Kestrel scoffed as she approached the guard and whispered something in his ear, I couldn't hear what she was saying but it had to have shaken the crooked guard as he allowed us into the town without further trouble.

"Just don't tell Bryn alright?" he said to Kestrel, my eyes widened- so Kestrel knew Brynjolf as well? Perhaps her association with the Thieves Guild went deeper than her mother being a member? Though I suspected Kestrel was a member of the guild, I thought it best to take the long route thought the Ratway rather than the shortcut through the crypt- better safe than having Mercer's successor complaining about the meaning of "secret" in "secret entrance".

The Ratway seemed to have been recently cleared- though their was a dead Khajiit woman that did not seem to have died that long ago lying in the middle of the entrance with a fancy Elven Dagger in her hand… it did not seem like she belonged in the squalor of this sewer-like underground; I shrugged it off as a former noble woman turned Skooma addict and continued on our way. The drawbridge that was often down was currently drawn so we had little choice but to drop down into the lower level- though we did not need to go the long way through the Ratway, as Kestrel was able to pick the expert lock to the left of where we dropped down. After going up the short stairway into a small kitchen like area, with the door to the Ragged Flagon on the far left of the room. We entered the Ragged Flagon and I was surprised by the changes since my last visit! There were merchants that had set up shop in the formerly cluttered alcoves around the basin of water that most of the underground tavern was built over. I then remembered something I had been forgetting to take care of,

"Kestrel, if you want to go find your mother I have something I need to tend to real quick." I said as we walked around the basin of water that most of the underground tavern was built over. Kestrel nodded and left me to my business as she passed the tables and such to disappear into the guild house- the cistern- though a door hidden inside a large storage closet. I found who I was looking for seated at his usual table not far from where Kestrel vanished into the Cistern.

"Delvin, might I have a word with you about the job you did for me?" I said calmly as I sat down at the table.

"Somefin' wrong wit' the job I did?" he asked, seemingly a little worried that I would kill him for a unsatisfactory job- I may be an assassin, but I'm not Astrid and would only scold him for anything I disliked.

"Predominantly your work was excellent, though we converted the torture room into a forge- but that's not what I had an issue with. One of the moth-eaten tapestries was left unchanged." I explained kindly, hoping he would fix it as a courtesy. Delvin laughed a little,

"Is that all? One of ma' boys musta forgot abou' it- I'll send some one out, it'll be fix' by the time ya get back to Dawnstar." Delvin assured me, sure he was a money grubbing leech- but he was a good business man and apparently knew when not to try and weasel more money out of people- especially ones who could kill him easily. With that bit of business dealt with I bid Delvin good day and left the Ragged Flagon for the Cistern.

I walked into the large room to see several changes had occurred since my last visit, the junk that had accumulated over the past years had been cleared, new tapestries had been hung, and in one section of the large room there was now a statue of the guild's patron- the Daedric Lord Nocturnal- standing proudly for all members to see. Kestrel was no doubt in one of the side rooms, probably talking with her mother, so I approached the statue with the intent of paying my respects to the Daedra. I wasn't exactly a Daedra worshipper, but I knew that when unusual things happened in the world- either it was the actions of the Divines or the Daedric Lords, and that both deserved reverence for any assistance they gave… be it direct or otherwise. I gazed up at the statue, wondering what kinds of things Nocturnal could have assisted me with lately that I had been unaware of- but my thoughts were interrupted by a hand snaking around my waist. Surprised I drew a dagger from within my sleeve and turned to the person beside me and placed it at his throat. The man in question was of thin build and where it not for the flat chest and broad shoulders- his figure would be easily mistakable for a woman.

"Hey there gorgeous, are you a new member of the guild?" said the man with an obviously flirtatious tone, though I could not see his face behind the black mask he wore under an equally black cowl.

"No, I'm here with a friend. Now kindly remove your hand before I remove it from your arm." I said coldly, not appreciating this man's attention. The man chuckled as he did what I asked, backing up a step as Kestrel returned with Byrnjolf beside her wearing the same usual black armor as the flirtatious man- though without the mask and cowl. Seeing the man in a somewhat defensive position and the dagger in my hand, Brynjolf laughed loudly.

"Couldn't keep your hands to yourself could you Minx?" Brynjolf said with a bit of a chuckle,

"Wouldn't you like to know Byrn?" said Minx in a almost husky tone as he placed a hand on Byrnjolf's arm suggestively- Brynjolf cleared his throat as he attempted to ignore Minx's obvious advances.

"So to what honor do we owe a visit from the Listener?" asked Brynjolf, upon hearing this Minx seemed shocked to know he had been flirting with the leader of the Dark Brotherhood- hopefully that will teach him to keep his hands to himself in the future.

I explained to Brynjolf that I was here as emotional support for Kestrel as she visited her mother, though apparently her mother was nowhere to be found. Bynjolf explained that she had gone off to Markarth as part of a job and had yet to return; he also informed me that Minx was actually Mercer's replacement. She had apparently left just after sending the letter to Kestrel, and so had been gone almost a week… which was reportedly highly unusual for her. Upon hearing this, Kestrel became fairly worried- though she tried to hide it.

"Well… looks like were headed to Markarth. Kestrel, we ride when your ready to leave." I said with a tone of finality as I walked back towards the Ragged Flagon.

"Wha? Um, yes… of course Listener." came Kestrel's surprised voice from behind me, obviously bewildered that I would be so willing to set out for someplace as far as Markarth to search for the mother of one of my subordinates. Though she didn't know it… I knew a thing or two about losing ones mother and would not stand for it happening to someone else if I could help it. I walked into the Ragged Flagon and immediately the chatter ceased, everyone could sense my determined fire as I walked purposefully out of the room and returned to the Ratway with Kestrel in tow.

"See to it that you have enough arrows and any other items you think you might need, we will be headed into Foresworn territory and though we are both Bretons I doubt they will be very welcoming." I said as we emerged from the Ratway and into the light of day once more. Kestrel nodded slowly, no doubt bewildered by my sudden seriousness and command of the situation, before running off up the stairs ahead of me.

"I love a woman in charge." said the voice of Minx behind me, though I think he learned his lesson as he was now keeping his distance. I sighed irritably as I turned to see him leaning against the stone wall of the waterway.

"What do you want Minx?" I said as I attempted to keep good relations with the Guild Master, though I swear could hear him smirking behind that damned mask.

"I want several things, though the only one I think I could possibly get from you is being allowed to come along to Markarth." he said with a bit of a bored drawl. I scoffed,

"Does Mercer's replacement care more about his thieves than the old Guild Master did?" I asked, frankly a little amused by Minx's assumption that this was any business of his- sure Kestrel's mother was a member of his guild, but Kestrel wasn't and in my eyes that made it Brotherhood business.

"Don't talk like you knew my dad well. He was a cold-blooded murderer among honorable thieves- he cared nothing for any of us." Minx spat, I was a little shocked to hear that Mercer had a son- much less one that I had never met or even heard about.

"Fine, if you want to tag along- then whatever, just don't get in our way." I said with a tone of finality as I walked off and up the stairs- leaving Minx with what I was certain was a triumphant grin on his obscured face.

I was already outside the town and ready to leave when Kestrel and Minx arrived,

"One would think you two took a detour through town just getting to the gate." I said jokingly as I saddled Shadowmere. Minx being the hopeless flirt he obviously was, wrapped one arm around Kestrel's waist in a suggestive agreement to my joke- Kestrel simply elbowed him in the stomach before walking away from him to saddle her own horse.

"Maybe I deserved that." he said sheepishly as he too saddled a horse, Kestrel and I looked to each other for a moment,

"Maybe?" we said in eerie unison, laughing out loud as we realized we spoke the same thing at the same time. Thankfully Minx was quiet for the first half of the ride, though as we stet up camp for the night he became far more talkative.

"Spending the night under the stars with not one but two lovely ladies… I must have died an gone to Sovengarde." He said as he set up his tent. Now I was fairly certain I could tell by the tone in his voice what sort of expression he currently had- right now I was positive he was once again smirking behind his mask.

"I always thought Sovengarde was a Nord thing?" Asked Kestrel curiously, it was true that Nords frequently mentioned Sovengarde- the spiritual home of their ancestral dead- but the Breton's who grew up under Nord influence were raised to see things much the same way as the Nord children. I couldn't see Minx's face, but since his father was a Breton I assumed he looked much like him.

"It is, but it I'm guessing the Guild Master was born and raised in Skyrim to think of Sovengarde in such a way." I said as I finished setting up my tent and laid down in my bedroll for the night. Kestrel seemed to understand and agree with my reasoning, and Minx did not deny it so I assumed that I guessed correctly as I fell once again into a dreamless sleep. I awoke the next morning to a surprisingly peaceful scene, Kestrel was packing up her tent… and Minx was still out cold asleep.

"He seems far more agreeable when he sleeps- the beauty of silence is truly remarkable." I said groggily as I began to pack up my tent as well. Kestrel fought not to laugh, but she was unsuccessful and ended up waking Minx from his slumber. I sighed disappointedly, I had been hoping for us to pack up quietly and just leave him here in the hopes that he would head back to Riften- but when do I ever have such good luck?

Surprisingly we did not encounter any Forsworn along the road, nor did we see so much as a wolf pack- somehow this felt like some kind of ill omen, that something far worse than what we could have encountered was yet to come. We arrived outside Markarth and left our horses at the stables. Together we stood outside the stone walls of the old Dwarven city- repurposed many years ago after the disappearance of the Dwemer.

"So, are we just going to stand here gawking or are we going to head inside and look for Kestrel's mother?" asked Minx as he became fairly impatient. I sighed, wanting nothing more than to tell him to shut up, as I stepped forward with Minx and Kestrel to enter the city. I had only been to Markarth once on a contract for the brotherhood and therefore had little idea of the layout of the city; so I had no choice but to ask Minx what kind of assignment Kestrel's mother was on and where we might find her. The answer he gave shocked Kestrel and I as much as it made us angry that he hadn't said anything about it sooner- she had been sent to steal something from the Silver-Blood family, and since she had yet to return or even check-in with a Fence… Minx surmised that she had been caught and sent to prison inside Cidhna Mine.

"Let me guess, you didn't tell us this because you want us to help you break her out?" I asked irritably as I folded my arms across my chest; Kestrel standing with her hands on her hips as she obviously tried to ignore her worry over her mother's safety.

"You guessed it, now all we have to do is get sent to prison and break out." Minx said cockily, almost like he had done something like this before.

"What about our gear? The guards will obviously confiscate it all, breaking out of the mine would mean abandoning everything." Kestrel said as she brought up a very important point. Minx just sighed as he placed one hand to his hip,

"I can arrange for someone to retrieve our things from the guards no problem. Are we doing this or not?" he asked with an annoyed tone. Kestrel and I looked to each other before telling Minx that we would let him handle the details of our escape and the retrieval of our things. Now all we had to do was get sent to prison… should be easy enough with all these guards in a tizzy over all the Forsworn attacks.

It was a simple task to get ourselves arrested: Kestrel hauled off and decked a random passerby, Minx nicked a necklace from the nearby jewelry stall- getting caught on purpose, while I simply defended them from the guards- getting arrested as an accomplice to assault as well as theft. The guards walked us to the mine where our things were taken from us and we were forced to change into simple rags. Though I mentally thanked the guards for the decency of allowing us privacy to change individually. When they released me into the mine, I was alone- so I went down the wooden walkway gladly in search of Kestrel. I did not have to look long to find her, she was sitting by the small campfire on the floor of the main chamber.

"Kestrel, where is that lecher Minx?" I asked her, curious as to where he had vanished to. Kestrel shrugged,

"Who knows, though my guess is he flirted his way out of prison." she said with a disdainful sigh. I think it's needless to say that I was very… displeased with how our break out plan was going.

"If I ever get my hands on him I swear by Sithis I will KICK HIS ASS." I fumed, going as far as making an oath of vengeance against Minx- though since he was the Thieves Guild Master I had to remember not to swear to kill him… as much as I wanted to. I sat down beside Kestrel and we began discussing a new escape plan, though neither of us could think of one that didn't involve the Forsworn that were also imprisoned here. After about an hour of discussing our options we figured that perhaps a plan would come to us by morning and that for now we should just try to stay calm, out of trouble, and get some sleep for now. Though the two of us staying out of trouble is about as likely as seeing a flying Mammoth.

I awoke what felt like minutes later- though the time was immeasurable whilst underground in this hell-hole of a prison- to someone shaking me awake.

"List- Alyce wake up!" Said Kestrel as she shook my shoulder. I've never liked being woken up out of a sound sleep for anything, and this time was no different- I mumbled something that was unintelligible even to my own ears and attempted to drift back to sleep. That is until the massive Orc that we had seen guarding a nearby gate came crashing down on top of me howling in pain.

"What the hell?" I shouted as I scrambled out from under the heavy Orc, looking to where he had been standing to see a young Breton man of about 18 with shoulder length black hair and what appeared to be ice blue eyes.

"Sorry about that pretty lady, but that guy wouldn't let me through this gate." the young man said… something about him seeming oddly familiar- though I couldn't quite place why since I couldn't remember having ever met him before.

"Johnny, did you find a way out- Kestrel?" said a female voice from one of the side tunnels, Kestrel turning to see who had said her name.

"M-mother?" she murmured, her voice barely audible- even in the sound amplifying effect of the mine. I turned to follow Kestrel's gaze to see a Breton woman in her forties with graying black hair not unlike Kestrel's. Kestrel's mother seemed shocked to see her daughter here, but before Kestrel could say another word- her mother had rushed to embrace her.

"This is all very touching, but I think it would be best to leave before the guards come for a check-in." said the young man that Kestrel's mother had called Johnny. I scowled at him for a moment, but then I realized he did have a point.

"Sadly he has a point, best save the reunion party for after we are safely out of Markarth." I said with a sigh as I walked to the gate the Orc had been guarding to find it locked.

"Anyone have a lock pick?" I asked them, though Johnny simply smirked and walked up to the unconscious Orc to rummage in his pocket- finding two keys within.

"Who needs a lock pick when you have a key?" he said with a slight laugh as he used one of the two keys to open the gate. We followed Johnny down the short passage, seeing another gate soon after the first and lamp light at the end of our current tunnel- the obvious choice appeared to be the gate- luckily for us the second key fit it.

Apparently the gate lead to a nearly collapsed Dwarven ruin deep beneath the city of Markarth, and like all Dwarven ruins that have not been touched in centuries… it was crawling with Automations and the occasional Frostbite Spider. Without weapons, Kestrel, her mother, and Johnny were less than effective in combat- allowing more harm to themselves than what they caused to the Spiders or Automations. I thanked my own foresight that I had decided to learn the basics of all three Destructions spells years ago; my Spark spell doing significant damage to the Automations, while my Flames decimated the Spiders. It did not take long for me to tire, the strain of using spells I was not accustomed to using wearing heavily on me to the point where I attempted to cast Spark on an approaching Dwarven Sphere- to get nothing more than a faint light at my fingertips.

"Damn it…" I swore as I backed away from the Automation to rest for a moment and regain my strength a little. I looked to my companions to see Kestrel and her mother pick up rocks in an attempt to distract the automation- though I could not located Johnny… until I heard a rock hit the metal automation from a direction away from Kestrel and her mother. Though no one appeared to be there, I had a feeling Johnny was more than he seemed- being somewhat proficient in the use of Illusion magic.

"You coward! How is that a distraction if it can't even see you?" I fumed as I finally found a place behind a collapsed pillar to hide while I rested.

"Am I a coward? Or simply smarter than you?" Johnny said with a laugh, though I was surprised to see that his spell had yet to wear off… perhaps he was more than simply "proficient" in the use of Illusion. Despite Johnny's less than helpful assistance, I was given enough time to rest and blasted the aggravating automation with flame once again. It fell to the stone floor with a clatter and we sighed in collective relief as we continued deeper into the ruin and found the door to the exit soon after.

As we left the ruin behind and the first rays of morning nearly blinded us from being underground, I began to realize that without Minx… our things were lost to us. My face paled as I realized I had put my faith in him and as a result- had lost my ancestor's dagger. I was saddened deeply by the lose of the enchanted weapon, but would have to shrug it off for now as there were more important matters to be dealt with.

"Kestrel if you want you can take your mother back to the Guild and return to Dawnstar when your ready." I told her simply, as tired as we both were I was certain she wanted to talk with her mother alone. Kestrel looked like she was about to say something, but her mother beat her to it.

"That won't be necessary. Though I would like to know why you came to Cidhna mine in the first place." her mother asked as Kestrel and I fidgeted a little under her scrutinizing tone. Kestrel seemed quieter than I had ever seen her and I was a little surprised when she spoke up to explain our reason for being here.

"We came to get you out of prison… I got your letter and went to see you in Riften- but Bryn said you hadn't been back for a week, so we came looking for you." She explained, seeming almost afraid of disappointing her mother with her reckless behavior. Her mother sighed heavily, before smiling warmly at her daughter.

"I'm glad you came, though it was stupid of you to get yourself thrown in prison… I'm still proud you have found a place to call home in the Dark Brotherhood." she said happily before hugging Kestrel tightly. Kestrel seemed shocked, and after a moment she returned the hug in kind. As they hugged I turned to Johnny with a sigh,

"I have to say you handled yourself pretty well back there, if you want a job as an assassin- look for me in Winterhold." I said to him simply, not really looking to get anymore members in Dawnstar but it wasn't a bad idea to recruit him for the Winterhold Sanctuary. Johnny simply nodded as he walked off towards the city gates. Kestrel then bid her mother farewell and we too left Riften for home.

The ride back to Dawnstar was silent and we avoided anything in our way, as we were both far to tired for a fight right now; we arrived at the Sanctuary well after night fell and were glad to find everyone else already asleep. Kestrel and I parted ways and I made a bee line for my room, intending to get some sleep before tomorrow- when I would pick the Matron of the Dawnstar Sanctuary and who would go with me to find the old Sanctuary in Winterhold. Though that was if that Sanctuary survived the Great Collapse, and if it hadn't then I was unsure of what we would do about obtaining a base in there. I entered my room and collapsed in a heap on my bed, not bothering with removing my weapons or changing into my nightclothes… I was simply too exhausted to care. I slept surprisingly soundly and awoke the next morning… to silence. No one was knocking on my door, no one was trying it wake me, and Cicero was not trying to flip me out of my own bed… oddly enough something about this did not feel right. I left my room quietly, peering around corners and sneaking through the shadows of the hallways- hoping that the remnants of the Pentus Oculatus had not found us and found a way inside. I came to the dining hall and was stunned speechless by the sight that I saw… everyone was gathered here, seemingly waiting for me.

"Ah the Listener has awakened, we thought it best to let you sleep since you have been working so hard… though we had to tie Cicero up and gag him to stop him from trying to wake you." explained Babette with a small smile, her fangs showing slightly. I looked around the room and found the fool in question sitting on the floor next to the stained glass image of Sithis with a scowl on his usually chipper face as he was indeed bound and gagged. I laughed a little at the sight and sat down at the only empty seat left at the table.

"So all of your are no doubt gathered to hear my decision on who shall lead this Sanctuary and who will be coming with me to Winterhold, correct?" I asked them with a sigh, my eyes scanning the room to see a collective nodding of heads and hear a few murmurs of "yes". Surprisingly they were all patient as I thought about my important choice one last time.

After about a minute of thinking I realized there was only one course of action that made sense for me to take.

"I've decided… to leave this Sanctuary in the capable hands of Babette. Though she may appear to be a child, she is the eldest and most experience of us all- please follow her orders as you would my own. As to who will be joining me in Winterhold…" I explained, pausing for a moment to see that half of the people gathered seemed to be leaning forward slightly as if waiting for their names to be the one I would select. I sighed when I saw that the person I had chosen was not one of the people hanging on my words. "Zany, do you have no interest in going to Winterhold?" I asked him, not yet telling anyone who I had chosen. Zany scoffed,

"I'm not particularly… fond… of mages." he replied tentatively almost realizing why I was asking before I had even announced my decision.

"Well I suppose your going to have plenty of time to work on that, because you will be coming with me to Winterhold." I said with a smile as Zany dropped his head to the table.

"Miserable Hagraven…" he muttered.

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><p>So this is chapter 9, chapter 10 should be fairly easier since I actually have an idea of what to do for that one.<p> 


	10. Children of The Night Mother

Want to know more about your favorite group of assassins? well this chapter will explain... most of your questions you probably have; as well as give you a better image of what they look like.

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><p><strong>Children of The Night Mother (Roster 1)<strong>

**Listener - Alyce Lachance**

A young woman of 21 years of age with blood red hair and dark brown eyes, she stands 5'5" with her shoulder-length hair commonly in a ponytail. Her outfits range from Shrouded Robes to Shrouded Armor based on the situation- though when traveling she tends to wear a simple blue dress with various hidden throwing daggers. Alyce is the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood and the descendant of Lucien Lachance and his Silencer-turned Listener from many years ago. Her past is shrouded in mystery- but everything will become clear in time. Specializes in the use of dual daggers, though as a Breton she has some skill with the basic forms of Destruction- but is mostly proficient in the use of basic healing spells. Alyce has a very motherly personality and is always willing to help her Brothers and Sisters, though she also has a habit of extending her kindness to anyone who is not marked for death by the Brotherhood. She is stubborn and when angered- would punch Alduin in the face and not blink twice about it. Alyce has contacts in every hold and some in the various groups around Skyrim, and she uses them whenever the need arises without a second thought- each one having been someone she helped in the past or a close friend, though only a very small handful know she is a member of the Brotherhood. Alyce also seems to have a heightened sense of awareness when outdoors, the cause of this is unknown but is assumed to be a gift from Sithis and the Night Mother to the Listener. Finally, Alyce was born and raised in Whiterun- and has been riding horses since she was old enough to stay in the saddle on her own, which contributes to her unsurpassable skill at riding… challenging her to a horse race is most definitely a fool's errand.

**Heavy-Hitter/"Follower" - Zany Vazzaras**

An Argonian man in his mid-thirties with light green scales-save for a patch that is burned nearly dark brown on one side of his face- and cold dark blue eyes. Zany is almost always frowning or scowling, but giving him a pint of mead is usually enough to weasel a conversation out of him and maybe a nicer expression if your lucky; that said, Zany is not a drunk- he just likes to drink. Zany prefers to wear his enchanted leather armor set rather than the Shrouded equipment available to him; in addition to his armor he always wears an enchanted hood to hide his face. His body armor enhances his speech craft, his gloves enhance lock picking, and his hood enhances Illusion magic. He also has a habit of calling Alyce a "Hagraven" when she gives him orders he does not agree with- though he's not stupid and never says it loud enough for her to hear it clearly. Zany specializes in the straightforward use of a pair of enchanted scimitars as well as Illusion magic- particularly paralysis and invisibility. Though he is more of a straightforward attacker he is still very capable of sneaking around and is naturally agile and can find a way to get to almost anywhere nearly regardless of the terrain. Currently, Zany is not affiliated with a specific Sanctuary and follows Alyce until she can find a Sanctuary where he will not find severe conflict- preferring not to come back to Dawnstar and find the Zany has killed Cicero for being… well… Cicero.

Dawnstar Sanctuary

**Matron - Babette**

She appears to be an Imperial child of perhaps 10 years, though like most of the Brotherhood members- not everything about her is what she seems. Babette is a vampire and has been as such for about 300 years, she apparently loves being a vampire since no one ever suspects a child to be a murderer. Her talents lie mostly in the creation of potions and poisons for the use of other Family members- though at a price. Alyce chose her to lead the Dawnstar Sanctuary because of her centuries of experience and the fact that she seems most capable of keeping everyone in line.

**Second-in-Command - Nazir**

Nazir is a Redguard man of approximately 30 years of age, and other than his great dislike of any form of musician or merry-folk- not much is known about him. When Alyce left Dawnstar Babette chose him to be something of a Second-in-Command to assist her in any way she needs, mostly since she cannot always go out in the daylight.

**Stealth Striker - Cicero**

An Imperial man of approximately 26 years of age, he is the Keeper of the Night Mother and after years of wishing she would speak to him in the silence of the old Cheydinhal Sanctuary- his mind snapped, taking on the mentality and garb of his final contract as an assassin. Cicero is often annoying, but Alyce seems to be one of the few who can tolerate him- mostly because his antics remind her of her deceased younger brother. His skills surprisingly lie in silent kills with his ebony dagger- remaining silent just long enough to end the target's life… then breaking into song or fits of insane laughter.

**Archer - Kestrel Farieah**

A Breton woman of 25 years of age; she stands 5'7" with short and manageable sooty black hair, a lean figure, and a bright smile- she isn't the person you would expect to be a killer. But, looks deceive. Her eyes are a dark green, filled with a more predatory light- as if you were her prey… which is basically true, except if you're her Family. Kestrel prefers to wear the Brotherhood provided Shrouded Armor, save for when she needs to keep a low profile- then she wears a simple brown and white dress. She is often wiry and sarcastic, though she is kinder to her Family members she tends to become quite aggressive when angered- but usually saves her anger for her contracts. Kestrel favors a Glass Bow she calls Edge that was given to her by her deceased betrothed- killed by her own hand with this very bow; though she also has an iron dagger she uses for closer encounters. In addition to her weapons and armor, Kestrel also wears a silver and amethyst necklace that slightly boosts her sneaking skills. Being a former initiate of the Thieves Guild, trained from childhood to join- she is talented in: stealth, lock picking, and speech craft- but her talent with a bow far surpasses those and makes her the designated archer of the Dawnstar Sanctuary.

**Blacksmith/Heavy-Hitter - Donovan Gravebone**

A man of 47 years of age with an Orc father and a Breton mother. He stands 7'5" with moss green skin and black hair tied back in a ponytail with magenta eyes. Though at first glance he seems more Orc than Breton, being fairly muscular even by Orc standards, his mother's influence on his features can be seen if one knows how to see them- a slightly simpler facial structure in addition to his lower "tusks" being considerably short though still noticeable. In combat, Donovan is calm and fearless- favoring a Dwarven Bow and an Ebony Great Sword; outside of combat… he's more complicated. He has a very contradictory personality: gruff yet somehow still kind, harsh but not mean-spirited about things, as well as simple but not simple-minded. Donovan is the Blacksmith of the Dawnstar Sanctuary, favoring the creation of ebony equipment but knows that he needs to make a diverse selection for his fellow assassins. Donovan wears a full set of ebony armor that he smithed and enchanted himself, though he is not stupid enough to wear this when working the forge and changes into lighter clothing with a blacksmithing apron; in addition, it is rare to see him with his helmet off outside of the Sanctuary. Though Donovan is extremely talented in smithing, it is not his only skill- he is quite talented in enchanting, the use of heavy armor as well as two-handed weapons and even archery. On a final note, he has recently trained with a Master Smith- the constantly cranky and difficult to impress- Wood Elf Erawyn.

**Silver tongue - Luna**

**Infiltrator - Yuki**

A mysterious pair: Luna is obviously the eldest of the two, being an Imperial whose age is estimated to be anywhere from 20 to 25; where as Yuki is obviously younger, being a Nord whose age is estimated to be anywhere from 19 to 24. These two are never far from each other, and though they are not related by blood they considered each other sisters long before they were recruited into the Brotherhood. Much of their pasts are a mystery to the both of them- at least until the day they met as the prisoners of Calixto in Windhelm, the man that would one day become "The Butcher of Windhelm" in order to resurrect his dead sister. During their time as his prisoners, he experimented on both of them- though mostly on Luna, who protected Yuki from the pain of his experiments as much as she was able to… and lost all sense of pain and gaining her confrontational personality the process. While Yuki was not hurt as badly by Calixto as Luna was, his treatment of both of them and the belief that no one bothered to search for them lead her to lose all faith in anyone other than Luna as well as losing nearly all sense of emotion.

**Luna **stands 5'6" with black hair that reaches a little passed her shoulders. Her bangs are swept to the side of her face, enough to allow them to not get in the way of her fighting; her eyes are an unusual red for an Imperial- this is possibly another side effect of Calixto's experiments. Luna's skin tone lies somewhere between pale and tanned while not quite being a common skin tone. She prefers lighter armors and is highly proficient in the use of dual daggers and is a master of speech craft- the only person who can see through her lies is Yuki. It is this skill with words that makes her the "Silver tongue" of Dawnstar- someone who is the most adept liar and skilled with words. Though her skills of speech craft are superb, she is also near undetectable when sneaking.

**Yuki **stands 5'3" with light gray, almost white, hair that is kept cut just above her shoulders at all times and her eyes are a shade of dark gray. She's short for a reason; being malnourished as a child stunted her growth significantly. Yuki is also quite pale despite being outside often, this due to the fact she always wears a hood and hides from the sun or at least tries to. What weapons Yuki prefers is currently unknown, but assumed to be daggers like Luna. Yuki is talented in Illusion magic and is a master of Lock Picking; earning her the position of "Infiltrator" at the Dawnstar Sanctuary- no one can surpass her skill of getting to places she is not supposed to be- which also improved by using her small size to fit into spaces most others cannot pass through.

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><p>So thats everyone in the Dawnstar Arc! Next up is Winterhold, so get ready for magical mayhem... as well as the reveal of a powerful enemy!<p> 


	11. Enemy On The Horizon

Wow, this is so DAMN OVERDUE its not even funny! Though you all can thank one of my readers for inadvertantly giving me the motivation to get off my ass and finish this chapter! I figured i should give a shout out to Liam Davies and let him know that him calling me his Role Model REALLY helped motivate me. Thank you, and this Story thanks you too!

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><p><strong>Enemy on The Horizon<strong>

"ZANY! Where in the hell is that blasted lizard?" I shouted as I stormed the halls of the Dawnstar Sanctuary in search of the Argonian in question. After hearing that he was to accompany me to Winterhold, he asked to be given time to gather his things- I agreed of course; but now I see the fool just wanted time to escape. I walked briskly into the dining hall to find Donovan sitting at the table, and upon seeing my furious visage- he cringed and seemed to almost cower in his ebony armor. "Have you seen Zany? That fool turned tail and ran." I asked him through gritted teeth, not intending to take my anger out on Donovan… but it happened anyway. Donovan shook his head feverishly and I sighed in near defeat. "If you see him, please hog-tie him and put him on the next carriage to Winterhold will you?" I asked Donovan with a weary laugh, tired of searching for Zany and simply wanting to get on my way.

"Will do, Listener." Donovan laughed loudly as I made my way up the stairs to leave. As soon as I reached the top of the stairs, I nearly fell back down as the Night Mother once again sent her voice into my mind.

"_Be careful my child, for Sithis has not been pleased with his children for quite some time… I fear he may take action against you to test if you are worthy and capable of bringing us back to glory_." she said, her voice a harsh mind-numbing whisper as always. My head spun as I stood with my hand against the wall, waiting for my vision to straighten. Once I could see clearly I made my way out of the Sanctuary and out onto the shore. Shadowmere was standing by the door, waiting and ready to carry me swiftly to Winterhold. I saddled my dark steed and settled for a run along the shore, knowing of a path back up the icy cliff not far from my destination.

Shadowmere galloped along the shore as I leaned forward in the saddle, loving the feel of the wind on my face as we rushed and jumped over fallen trees and the occasional large stone. I had been riding horses since I was old enough to sit in the saddle on my own; feeling at home on horseback as much as I did with a blade in my hand. As soon as the college came into view I prepared to slow our pace and veer off to the right onto the path up the icy slope. I brought Shadowmere to a halt behind the last house before the bridge to the college and dismounted, walking into town as if I had come here on foot- Shadowmere tended to cause quite the ruckus when children came up to the Void-horse and found her eyes to be red as blood and her pelt far darker than they originally thought, and the skulls on her bridle didn't diminish her fearsome appearance either. I walked to the commonly empty tavern to rest after the long ride and sat down at one of the corner tables.

"Hey there beautiful." came a voice I thought I had left behind in Markarth… my head dropped as I wanted so badly to just ignore him.

"Minx." I said curtly without looking to him, knowing he would sit down at the table whether I wanted him to or not.

"So, what's the Listener doing in Winterhold?" he asked curiously. I gave a small smile, mildly amused by his blunt curiosity,

"I could ask the same of you Guild Master." I said with a sly smirk as I looked up at Minx… my eye going wide and my jaw dropping. "Wha? How? So you didn't abandon us in Markarth?" I said bewildered to find that the young man named Johnny- who Kestrel and I had escaped Cidhna Mine with- wearing Minx's strange black armor sans the hood… meaning that he was in fact Minx- which would explain why he was here, since I had told the young man named 'Johnny' to meet me here… so Johnny must be his real name.

"No I did not, I just thought you would like to see the face behind the mask… did I make a good impression?" He asked, a devious smirk on his face as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. I scoffed at his flirting, then began to wonder- did he still have our things? "Before you even ask, I have a courier bringing Kestrel her things from Cidhna- yours are right here." he said with a smile as he picked up a knapsack from the floor next to him and handed it to me. I smiled genuinely at Johnny,

"Thank you, really… I had something very dear to me that I had feared was gone forever." I said gratefully, knowing Steel Heart was within this bag of my things.

"So… about what you said in Markarth- you really think I could be an assassin?" Johnny asked, his tone surprisingly serious, albeit curious.

"Perhaps, though what about the Guild?" I asked him simply, wondering how he could leave his duty as Guild Master behind to become an assassin. Johnny grinned as he answered my question,

"They have Brynjolf, so they should be fine without me." I just shook my head and sighed at how nonchalant he was about his role as Guild Master… hopefully he could be more serious about being an assassin.

We spent the night at the inn, seeing no rush to head out to the new sanctuary immediately- partially because I was still waiting for Donovan to catch that coward of a lizard Zany. Frankly I was quite disappointed with Zany, he never showed fear in battle- but something about mages apparently unnerved him, though I suspected it had something to do with his scar. I really couldn't fault him for that… I had my own scars and fears that resulted from them. Regardless of this fact, I was pleased to see the carriage driver pull up in front of the tavern in the morning and point his thumb at the carriage.

"I'm supposed to deliver this poor bloke to someone named 'Alyce'?" he asked with a laugh, no doubt Donovan had done as asked- even telling the driver what I looked like to make sure Zany arrived in the right place. I chuckled and thanked the driver as Johnny and I hauled the humorously hog-tied and irate Argonian out of the carriage.

"I'M GONNA KILL THAT DAMNED ORC! TRAITOROUS BASTARD!" Zany fumed as I un-gagged him and began to undo the bindings on his hands.

"You will do no such thing, I told him to send you here… I didn't think he would ACTUALLY hog-tie you though." I said with a chuckle, earning a glare and a grumble from Zany in response. "Now, shall we be on our way? The Winterhold sanctuary awaits." I said with a smile as I began to walk back to where I had left Shadowmere with Zany and Johnny in tow. My steed neighed in greeting at the sight of us, I patted her mane as I looked out across the chasm to an island not far from the pillar of stone the college stood on. On that island atop a high hill overlooking the sea sat an ancient ruin known as Sky Temple Ruins, where the entrance to the next sanctuary was supposed to be hidden.

Traveling back down the cliff the way I had arrived in Winterhold was an easy task, though we needed to back track along the shore to cross the water over a series of ice flows to reach the island- best to avoid the risk of a slaughter fish attack in the deep waters, as I have never liked those damned things. The ruin was high on the cliff above, meaning we would need to find a safe way up- and so we traveled along the shore, keeping close to the Cliffside. After a few moments a path was revealed on the backside of the cliff… with destroyed skeletal guardians littering the path- someone had been here before us. We drew our weapons and ascended to the ruin, following the path cautiously. When the path leveled out at the peak of the cliff, I ordered Zany and Johnny to stay back while I investigated- hoping that whoever had been here before us was long gone. My heart fell when I realized we were not alone on the cliff top ruin, as soldiers had camped near the altar not far from the ruin. Returning to Zany and Johnny, I began to feel like we were being watched… though I felt no ill intent from whatever eyes were on us. I held up a hand for my companions to remain silent while I looked around, searching for signs of our watcher.

"You could sense that I was watching, I am impressed." came the voice of a stranger from behind a large chunk of ice not far from where we stood. The source of the voice stepped out of hiding to reveal a Dunmer man in curious looking black leather armor, his deep blue skin and dull red eyes scrutinizing us like an over expecting teacher. His * hair swept back at about neck length with a thick goatee, his appearance over all stating that he looked to be in his early forties. Zany brandished his scimitars while Johnny drew back his ready arrow- aiming it at the man's heart and waiting for a reason to shoot this stranger.

"Who are you?" I asked him warily, cautious despite how something told me he meant us no harm. The Dunmer man chuckled lightly, holding his hands up to show he was not holding a weapon,

"My name is of little importance at the moment- rest assured I will divulge it in time… but for now I believe we must attend to the soldiers camped not far from us. They are called, the Imperium Ultis- an anti-assassin group that recently formed… after the assassination of Emperor Titus Mede." He explained quickly as he came closer and peered around a stone pillar at the soldiers, looking back at me as if he knew I WAS the one who had killed the Emperor. "Do not ask how I know, I will explain that later as well… for now, simply follow my lead." he said with a small smile. Zany and Johnny looked to me for guidance, unsure of this unnamed stranger, I simply shrugged- if this man knew of a way to get these soldiers away from the ruin, I was willing to follow his lead.

The Dunmer stranger, apparently also being an archer, asked that Johnny follow him to a vantage point where they could fire their arrows with little worry of attack from the soldiers. Leaving Zany and myself to attack on foot, warning us that illusion spells would be of little use against these soldiers. My Argonian companion was less than pleased to hear that his best spells would be close to useless, then again- when is Zany pleased… besides when he has a flagon of mead in hand? I chuckled lightly at his aggravation before slowly sneaking around the debris of a few fallen pillars, my target being the closest of the soldiers. I had not even come within striking range when the soldier somehow heard my approach and raised the alarm,

"They're here!" the soldier shouted as he drew his sword, the blade glimmering with magic… as did his companions- even their armor glimmered with magic. I was alarmed to see and entire bevy of twenty or so soldiers armed with enchanted equipment- anti-illusion magic no doubt, their position as an anti-assassin group made painfully clear as they stood to attack. The fact that they seemed to have been expecting us unnerved me even more as I stood from my stealthy crouch to defend myself against a sword that was swung for my neck. My daggers would be little defense against a sword- even less so against the war hammer that was swung at me next. These soldiers were ruthless, as soon as I parried one attack- another was swung at me that required a dodge, only for me to need to dodge the moment my feet touched ground. An arrow sailed through the air and struck home in the neck of one attacker- looking for a moment to the source to see the Dunmer stranger standing on the roof of the ruin nocking another arrow and firing at a soldier who was swinging his sword at Zany from behind. My suspicion against this stranger was lessened as he aided us, giving the soldiers enough of a surprise for me to stab one in the back with Steelheart and gain some sort of an advantage over the soldier's superior numbers.

"FOR THE EMPEROR!" screamed a voice behind me, I turned to defend myself from the oncoming attacker- but he was closer than I expected and I felt the pain of his dagger piercing my skin.

**3****rd**** Person P.O.V**

Alyce looked down at her stomach where the dagger had pierced her, her eyes wide with disbelief as her own blades fell from her hands to the snow soundlessly. The world rushing around her in silence as her legs gave out under her and she fell to the ground.

"ALYCE!" roared Zany as he rushed to the side of the Listener, cutting down her attacker and dropping his swords not far from where she lay bleeding in the snow. "Don't you dare die you miserable Hagraven! The Brotherhood still needs you. I…" he shouted at her as he held his hands to her wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding, his voice breaking off as he wondered exactly what he was about to say- but put it out of his mind as he focused on keeping Alyce from bleeding out. Johnny keeping the Imperium Ultis at bay the best he could with arrows dipped in paralytic poison with some success while the Dunmer stranger hopped off the roof of the ruin to aid Zany and the fallen Listener.

"This fight is lost, we must withdraw!" Shouted the unnamed Dunmer, drawing a small vial from a pocket in his armor- throwing it to the ground to shatter into a cloud of smoke- causing an ample diversion and alternative to an invisibility spell. Zany placed Alyce's daggers back in their sheathes before carefully lifting the petite woman and together with Johnny and the mysterious Dunmer, he fled the conflict with the wounded Listener in his arms.

**Alyce's P.O.V.**

I returned to consciousness and at first I thought I was dead- drifting through the Void- only to realize that there was a bed underneath me and a blanket on top of me. I blinked my eyes open slowly, not needing to worry about the light apparently as the room I was in was fairly dim. I looked up to the wooden ceiling and tried to remember what happened to land me in this unknown place… the fight outside the Winterhold Sanctuary! I sat up quickly- too quickly it seemed, as my head began to spin and I could feel the bandages on my abdomen… and could see that I was now wearing nothing but the bandages over my torso and the pants to my Shrouded Robes. I was about to swing my legs out of bed to investigate who had brought me here and to reprimand them for their actions against my modesty… when Zany strode into the room and I immediately pulled the covers up and around myself.

"So the Hagraven still lives." he said with a scoff, though I could tell by his posture that he was glad to see I was still among the living.

"Zany, who brought us here- and where is my shirt." I asked, the last part sounding off from embarrassment. Zany laughed loudly at how uncomfortable I was before walking to a nearby dresser and pulling out the missing shirt to my Shrouded Robes. He surprisingly turned around without needing to be asked and gave me time to don the shirt over my bandages before turning back around with an irritable huff.

"That Dumner lead us here when the fight proved useless, to some abandoned lighthouse." he explained as I stood to straighten my clothes and investigate our mysterious ally.

Leaving what appeared to have once been a shared bedroom behind, I walked into a kitchen with Zany in tow and the mysterious Dunmer sitting in a chair by the fireplace- the fire shimmering with faint light of residual magic, though it now burned on it's own it had most likely been started with magic.

"Ah, so our lady Listener has awakened." he said as he turned to me, the room dimly lit- save for the light of the fire- making his red eyes appear to glow slightly.

"While I should thank you for your assistance, I should also like to know the name of our ally and what business you had at that ruin." I asked as I folded my arms across my chest, casting the Dumner a suspicious gaze. He chuckled lightly before standing to his full height and bowing to me slightly,

"I am Hadranius Sheath-Hollow, fellow child of Sithis and emissary from one of the remaining Morrowind Sanctuaries. My business at that ruin was to assist in the restoration of the Sanctuary beneath it- in a sense, to assist you in any way within my power." he explained as he stayed bowed, not seeing the small smile creep onto my face.

"Well then, I thank you Brother- without your assistance we would likely be dead now." I said happily and with a slight chuckle of my own, though my cheerful moment was interrupted by a sharp pain in my side- my stab wound agitated by my chuckle. "Damn, did they poison me? I have never known my injuries to smart this much after the fact." I asked as I instinctively brought my hand to my covered wound. Hadranius sighed as he stood straight once again,

"That they did, though the poison has been neutralized- it appears it's affects can still be felt slightly. You should try and rest-" he said simply, though something seemed to have caught his attention as he raised a hand for neither of us to speak. After a moment I could hear the noise as well… the chittering of chaurus. "It appears that this lighthouse is not nearly as abandoned as it first appeared." Hadranius continued with a small sigh, most likely disappointed with himself for bringing us into a seemingly safe place- only for dangerous chaurus to be lurking somewhere within.

"Rest will have to wait, who could sleep with that racket anyhow?" I assured him with a smile, before walking back into the bedroom and finding my knapsack with my weapons inside.

I returned with my daggers sheathed at my sides and a question in mind,

"Where has Johnny wandered off to?" I asked Zany who simply shrugged, though my question was answered moments later when the door opened with a slight flurry of snow and the young man in question strolling in with firewood in hand.

"It's colder than the Listener's heart out there- visibility is next to nothing." he said as he shook snow off his shoulders. My jaw dropped when he called me cold hearted.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME COLD-HEARTED! What grounds do you have to even suggest such a thing?" I fumed, momentarily forgetting about the chaurus chittering that warned of danger. Johnny smirked as he sat down the firewood,

"Only a woman with a heart of ice could resist my charms the way you do." he said as he took a few steps closer and reached out a hand to caress my cheek- which I promptly swatted away.

"Ever think your not nearly as irresistible as you seem to think you are?" I asked him with a slight edge of venom in my voice. Johnny chuckled lightly as he placed a hand on his hip,

"Not a chance, anyone other than you is putty in my hand if I wanted them to be." he taunted, I simply threw my hands to the side in frustration with his cocky attitude and turned back to Hadranius and Zany.

"Lets just get going and deal with these chaurus shall we? Maybe throw Johnny to them as a distraction." I suggested jokingly, earning an actual laugh from Zany and a chuckle from Hadranius as he shook his head.

"You don't seriously mean that." Johnny purred, his lips at my ear as he snaked his arms around my waist. I gritted my teeth and elbowed him in the ribs, making him grunt in pain and release me.

"No, but the idea is sounding better and better by the minute." I stated as I stepped away from Johnny, my statement making Zany laughed even louder.

* * *

><p>Imperium Ultis = Latin for "Emperor's Vengeance" idea and name for them comes from my amazing friend LDKsolid- the creator of Hadranius Sheath-Hollow.<p>

My, my, this chapter raises a few questions doesn't it? What was Zany about to say when Alyce was injured? Is Alyce really cold-hearted? Will she EVER reciprocate Johnny's advances? Wait, scratch that last one- that one is so unlikely it's not even funny.


	12. Terror In The Ice

**Terror In The Ice**

After locating the key to the cellar, we made our way below the lighthouse- finding not one but two chaurus in the roaming below… as well as a hole in the wall that no doubt lead to their nest deep within the ice.

"A whole nest? Oh dear… where there are that many chaurus- there is likely to be Falmer; stay on your guard." warned Hadranius as we swiftly dealt with the two lone chaurus. I nodded to him and stepped up to the entrance of the ice tunnel, peering inside the best I could without actually entering. I could hear the echo of more chaurus within, though I could also hear was sounded like shouting… as well as laughter. I raised an eyebrow at the thought of Falmer laughing and shook it off as a trick of the mind before motioning for Zany, Johnny, and Hadranius to follow me inside. "Watch your step, these icy caverns can be tricky." Hadranius advised us, though it was something obvious- I accepted the advisement in kind. The short tunnel emptied out into a moderately sized cavern… with no surprise we could easily see two Falmer huts across from the tunnel. Johnny walked ahead of the rest of us, apparently not as cautious as I- though the chitter of a chaurus on our right cause me to pull him back by his scruff. I motioned for him to be silent and crept around an outcropping of ice, pointing at the chaurus I had heard- thankfully it had not noticed us yet- Johnny nocked an arrow, waiting a moment before releasing the arrow which sank deep into the Chaurus chitin killing it instantly. Johnny smirked before beginning to walk off to retrieve his arrow, seeing him so smug reminded me of a promise I had made not too long ago. I walked behind Johnny and waited for him to bend over to retrieve his arrow… before kicking my boot to his posterior.

"WHAT THE HELL?" he swore as he nearly teetered over into the chaurus' acidic blood. I simply smirked as I folded my arms,

"When you left us in Markarth- I swore by Sithis that I would kick your ass. As Listener I cannot leave a vow to our Dread Father unfulfilled." I said simply, though my smirk soon grew into a smile. Johnny simply grumbled while Hadranius sighed and Zany… burst out laughing again- honestly I think that Argonian is too easily amused by my treatment of Johnny.

With my vow fulfilled I once again donned a serious demeanor as we delved deeper into the ice caves, though I was forced to halt our progress as we entered another tunnel to spring a claw trap.

"Very perceptive lady Listener, that trip wire was hidden quite well. If you had not seen it- you surely would have been gruesomely impaled on that claw." Hadranius complimented, though I could tell he was trying to make light of what could have happened… albeit disturbingly darkly. I simply nodded before continuing our descent into the caverns. We continued along the icy tunnel and just as we turned a corner, a small brown blur slammed into me- knocking me back slightly and causing me to wince from the sudden jolt to my wound. I looked down at what had slammed into me to see a child clinging to my Shrouded Robes.

"A child? Here?" I said with disbelief and a slight glance over my shoulder at my companions. The boy looked up to me with curious gold eyes, the goggles on his head slightly askew.

"I was looking for chaurus acid…" he mumbled as he pulled away from me and began toeing the ice with his boot. He stood about 4'3" with short and spiky sooty grey hair and looked like he rarely ever saw the sun by how pale he was. He wore a brown trench coat- the obvious source of the blur I had seen as he ran into me- as well as various odd contraptions and potions hanging from his person by sets of rings. A very odd looking child indeed.

"A child should not be in a dangerous place as this, we should take him back to the entrance and leave him there while we deal with the chaurus." advised Hadranius, I thoroughly agreed with him and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder to get him to follow us out.

"NO! I wanna get some chaurus acid! I need it for a poison!" he said, his voice barely above a whine as he shrugged his shoulder away and folded his arms stubbornly. I was about to explain to him why it was too dangerous… but the clanking of something I was not expecting to hear caught my attention. Around the corner the boy had come from came a Dwarven Spider… and the boy rushed up to it without a care.

"Get back here! That thing will kill you!" I shouted as I rushed to save the child with my daggers in hand. The boy stood defensively in front of the automation… while it seemed to cower behind him. Perplexed I lowered my daggers and gave the boy a look- wordlessly asking him to explain.

"This is Gimli, he's my pet! I reprogrammed him… but… it kinda made him a bit of a coward. A glitch I've been working on fixing." he said simply as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. I sighed and crouched down to be at eye level with the boy.

"If you really want to come with us, then you must promise to stay back and let us handle the fighting." I said motherly, trying to make a deal with the boy- one that would be in our favor while still making him happy. He thought about it for a moment before smiling brightly,

"OKAY!" he agreed cheerfully. I chuckled and stood to move aside so the boy could head near the back of our group where he would be safe. "By the way, my name is Phoenix. Phoenix The Alchemist!" he said proudly, striking a pose and pointing at his chest with his thumb. I smiled with a slight chuckle,

"I am Alyce. This is Hadranius, Johnny, and Zany." I said as I pointed from myself to each of my companions. Phoenix grinned as he lead his automation to the back of the group beside Zany before I smiled and motioned for us to continue.

As we neared the exit of the tunnel I began to hear the chitter of Chaurus once again,

"Zany, stay with Phoenix- if anything gets past me, kill it." I ordered, not wishing harm to come to the boy and leaving him in Zany's capable hands.

"Miserable Hagraven…" he grumbled as he brought his scimitars to the ready, and I could see Phoenix tug on Zany's sleeve slightly to get his attention.

"Alyce isn't a Hagraven silly, she's too pretty. Those things are REALLY ugly." he said with a laugh, causing me to shake my head at his comment before rushing into the cavern. A single chaurus wandered the icy floor, while two Falmer could be seen on a ledge above the tunnel we would need to enter to progress further. As I rushed into the cavern one of the two Falmer jumped down to swing a war axe at my face- though it stumbled when Hadranius fired an arrow into it's arm, his aim obviously altered to avoid hitting me by accident; otherwise I was certain he would have aimed for it's forehead if not it's heart. As I slashed at the first Falmer- two more came charging into the room… and one appeared to be a formidable Nightprowler. With one Falmer each, it was fairly difficult to keep track of the battle- these Falmer being stronger than most I had ever encountered, as the one I fought always seemed to manage to parry or dodge my attacks just in time to avoid injury… more than likely I was fighting a quick and spry Skulker. I risked a glance at my companions- finding that I was not the only one having difficulty with my opponent, and I was about to end my fight quickly to assist them… until my heart stopped to see the forgotten chaurus making a bee line for Phoenix.

The chaurus charged at the boy, Zany being busy too keeping the Falmer Nightprowler at bay to notice- though at such a short range, the crossbow Phoenix drew out of his trench coat would be of little use to defend himself. My attention was split between the Falmer I was fighting and the situation with Phoenix- and the Falmer took the opportunity to take a stab at me, which I narrowly evaded with a minor slash to my arm before angrily stabbing the Falmer under his chin. I was enraged as I moved swiftly from the now dead Falmer and ran to Phoenix's aid.

"Leave. Him. Alone." I practically growled as I jumped on the back of the chaurus and began stabbing it between it's armored plates, the acid burning my skin slightly- but something about my current state made me ignore it as if it wasn't even painful. It was like another person was in control of my actions… a far more deadly and ruthless person. The chaurus shuddered underneath my furious stabbing, dying painfully slow- but I didn't care… I kept stabbing it.

"Alyce… it's dead." Hadranius said simply, as if I didn't know the chaurus was no longer living- but I did not care to listen to him. Though after a moment a hand grabbed my wrist and I turned my head angrily to who was interfering.

"That's enough, what has gotten into you?" Asked Zany as he held my wrist, an odd look of worry hidden in his cold blue eyes. I looked from him to the slaughtered chaurus and said nothing as I got of the back of the corpse and looked at myself, I was covered in acid- and only now was it beginning to sting.

"Give me a moment to wash this off." I said blankly, walking back to the tunnel to wash the acid off in a small pool of water we had seen earlier. I was now fairly cold as I returned- though it did calm me further- and I at first was just going to deal with it and let the fighting warm me… but I could see the suggestive look in Johnny's eyes as I returned with my Shrouded Robes clinging to my body- and cast a very small fire spell around myself to dry my clothing, much to his apparent disappointment.

With my clothing now clean of acid and dried of the ice water, I lead my companions into the tunnel below the ledge- which brought us up to the very same ledge overlooking our battlefield from moments ago. My eyes scanned the area for another tunnel, though I didn't see one… I did see what appeared to be a drop off on the left side of the ledge. As we drew closer to the location, I could easily hear the chitter of another chaurus. I motioned for Johnny to come closer to the edge beside me, together we peered over to find the sound to be correct- Johnny ceasing the chittering with a well aimed arrow between the chaurus' armored plates. I knelt beside the drop off and weighed our options, there did not appear to be a way back up- then again there had been a live chaurus at the bottom, meaning that there had to be a way out of the lower area we were not yet aware of… since as far as I knew Chaurus could not jump, much less jump the height required to reach the ledge we stood on.

"SO… we gonna jump or what?" Asked Phoenix with a grin, his hands behind his head childishly as he toed the edge with his boot. I chuckled lightly before looking to the others as I nodded,

"It appears that is our only option." I said simply, though before any of us could make a move- Phoenix had hopped off the edge with his Dwarven Spider in tow. I chuckled at his foolish eagerness before ensuring the others had made it down the ledge safely- then lowering myself down as well.

"Now that is a view I could get used to." Johnny chuckled, obviously referring to my posterior as I made my way down the ledge. I sighed and once I was down and close enough to him- sent my fist into his ribs.

"Johnny… silence." I said simply before walking into the tunnel that was now before us with Phoenix following close behind, hearing Zany snickering and Hadranius sighing as I left Johnny in pain from my punch. I may be a woman- and I may be a Breton- but I am far from weak; having wrestled several Orc friends in the strongholds to the ground during sparing matches. Though… I had pulled that punch, so Johnny should consider himself lucky.

We delved deeper into the ice cavern, stopping at another drop off- this one far steeper than the last. Below we could see at least three chaurus walking in the frigid shallow water.

"Hadranius, Johnny- take them out." I ordered as I moved back to allow them both on the small ledge to take aim- and I was surprised by Hadranius' skills as I witnessed it with my own eyes unclouded by the heat of battle, taking down the third chaurus swiftly after his first before Johnny could even nock a second arrow.

"Impressive Hadranius, Johnny is one of the best archer's I've seen- but you bested him in terms of speed before my very eyes." I complimented him, he simply bowed his head slightly as he remained crouched on the ledge. Johnny pulled a disappointed face- obviously displeased with my comment- and began making his way down the small ledges along the side of the drop off to the watery floor below. The rest of us followed swiftly after him, Phoenix making quite the splash as he dropped down beside Zany- making the grumpy Argonian glower at him, earning a laugh from the boy in return. I chuckled at their antics and made my way to the only tunnel, finding it to be quite short- leading to a very short drop into what appeared to be a fairly large and slightly flooded cavern. Johnny brushed past me and began taking down the chaurus we could see in the room- most likely wanting to prove he was just as good as the experienced Hadranius. I allowed him to deal with the five chaurus in the room alone, knowing it was better to let him tend to his wounded pride than to assist him even if he could handle it himself. As the last chaurus we could see fell, Johnny fired an arrow through a gap between a pillar of ice and the wall- the arrow hitting the ice wall on the other side and gaining the attention of one more chaurus… which fell in a heart's beat exactly like the others. I smiled my approval as I hopped off the ledge and into the cold water.

"Not many archers would think to sacrifice an arrow to gain a target's attention. Well done." I heard Hadranius compliment before joining me in the shallow water. Johnny said nothing as he and the others followed our example and hopped off the ledge.

We walked cautiously through the freezing water, fighting back shivers from the cold- and from the sight that now met our eyes as we turned the corner… a chaurus reaper. Essentially the queens of the nests, these beasts were commonly three times the size of the normally small chaurus- though their immense size made them immeasurably more deadly. The reaper spat acid in our direction- none of us staying still to see if it would strike its target as we dispersed around the large cavern. Johnny and Hadranius moved towards a path leading to a high ledge while Zany charged forward towards the reaper with his scimitars at the ready.

"Phoenix, go with Johnny and Hadranius- assist them with your cross-bow." I ordered the young boy, mostly wanting him out of the reapers range than to help with the fighting. He grinned and mock saluted me,

"Gotcha boss!" he said with a grin before bolting up the path to where the two archers were now hailing a barrage of arrows on the reaper. With Phoenix safely on the ledge I moved to assist Zany with the ground assault, drawing my daggers from their sheaths as I dashed up to the reaper- driving my blades up and under one of it's chest plates as Zany did the same on its back, making it rear back in pain. I twisted the blades and drew them to the sides- slicing open the reaper's neck, jumping back to avoid the gush of acidic blood that resulted. The reaper soon fell dead in a heap, blood pouring from its gashes as well as trickling from the various arrows and several bolts that protruded from it. Zany sat on the icy floor, on a small section that was just out of the water to catch his breath; while I had not done nearly as much as he did, I was still fairly exhausted as well- sitting down on the icy path where Johnny and Hadranius sat waiting further up. "WHOOHOO!" shouted Phoenix as he hopped off the path and dashed up to the reaper carcass with a vial in hand- placing the lip of the small glass container to one of the wounds, letting the acidic blood fill it before closing it with a simple cork stopper.

I chuckled at the boy's antics, his enthusiasm was a heartwarming sight to be sure. Phoenix placed the vial in one of his pockets and walked up to me with a disconcertingly serious expression on his face.

"You guys are assassins right? Dark Brotherhood I'm guessing? You guys are WAY too skilled to just be adventurers." he stated simply, I simply blinked for a moment before chuckling goodheartedly.

"That we are. Though don't tell anyone… or we may pay you a visit someday." I said sadly, hoping the boy could keep our secret. Phoenix grinned as seemed common for him,

"Only if you let me join!" he said cheerfully, though with an obvious hint of deviousness to his statement. I laughed loudly, drawing attention from my companions as it echoed through the cavern. "I'm serious! I've killed someone before- it was more fun that I thought it would be." he continued with a slightly deranged light in his eyes- this light unnerved me but I could see the boy was still sane, though delighted with killing. It saddened me to see someone so young confess to being a murderer… but that also meant the boy held promise as an assassin to have had the nerve at such a young age.

"You said you are an alchemist, yes?" I asked him, he nodded vigorously in response. I thought about it further for a moment before coming to a decision. "Very well… though until you are 18- you are not allowed to go on contracts of your own. You will be chaperoned until then, for your own safety and the secrecy of the Brotherhood." I said motherly, laying ground rules for our youngest member until he would reach adulthood. Phoenix's eyes widened,

"WHOOPIE! I won't let you down Alyce!" he shouted as he ran happily up the path and past Hadranius and Johnny with Gimli close behind him. I chuckled at his joy and stood to follow him, Zany joining me as he realized we were leaving. I walked up the icy slope, though I was stopped by an obviously worried Hadranius.

"May I have a word with you lady Listener?" he asked with a slight glance at where Phoenix stood waiting at the top of the icy chamber, no doubt what- or rather who- he wished to discuss "The Brotherhood is no place for a child, we should send Johnny or Zany to bring him to the orphanage in Riften- or at the very least leave him in Winterhold." Hadranius advised, though I was less than pleased with this suggestion.

"No. He wishes to be an assassin and as such I will allow him so long as he obeys my rules, the decision is final Hadranius." I said sternly, folding my arms across my chest stubbornly. He sighed heavily,

"It appears our fair lady Listener is as stubborn as a grizzled old Orc. Very well, if that is what you wish." he conceded with a reluctant sigh.

"The boy is an alchemist, despite his age- he has skills that would benefit the Brotherhood. Even you know that we are in need of members, especially with the Imperium Ultis after us now." I explained, Hadranius nodded as he realized my reasons were more than valid enough to warrant Phoenix being allowed to join. With this issue settled Hadranius and I resumed our walk up the icy slope to the top of the cavern, finding a high drop into the first cavern the only course of action left to take. I dropped down first and waited for the others to make it safely down before leading the way out of the ice cavern and back to the lighthouse proper.

We left the lighthouse once we were certain that we were ready to return to the island- where the Imperium Ultis troops no doubt still guarded the entrance to our Sanctuary. If memory served me correctly, we managed to kill five out of the twenty soldiers before being overwhelmed- and with our recent addition to our ranks that meant that there would be three soldiers to each of us. I had no idea how far the lighthouse was from the island until we finally arrived at the base of the cliff leading to the ruin, each of us a little out of breath from the journey. We did not stop to rest, fearing that the soldiers we knew were likely above us on the cliff might look down or march down the nearby slope and find us off guard- so we continued on to the cliff top, finding that the soldiers had not left as we had hoped in vain.

"So… what's the plain boss?" asked Phoenix excitedly as he clutched his crossbow tightly, his eyes once again holding that deviously deadly light in anticipation of killing the solders. I pondered our options and potential approaches for a moment. Following the same stealthy tactics we used previously would likely be expected and they would be vigilantly guarding against an archers assault from a distance- quite possibly having a constant watch on the roof of the ruin, which was the best vantage point on the cliff. A frontal assault would be less expected- but foolish as only two of us could rush into the fray to defend the three archers from the charging soldiers. We were faced with quite the predicament to be sure; as I took a moment to look around the area, finding little in means of options… until my eyes fell on Gimli the Dwarven Spider.

"Phoenix, can you use Gimli as a distraction?" I asked hurriedly, my mind whirling with a plan. He nodded slowly, hoping I wasn't planning on letting his automaton get destroyed. "Don't worry I won't let harm come to your pet. Simply have him run out and draw a few of the soldiers away- or at least draw their attention." I said with a reassuring smile, receiving a thankful nod in return before the boy instructed his pet to do as I required.

As Gimli clanked out into the open area, the rest of us crept along the icy ledge just out of the troop's line of sight to sneak up behind them. The spider reached his designated position and hopped up to gain the troop's full attention, once he had them watching him warily- he… began to dance? Hopping from one set of metal legs to the other and swaying around to an unknown music- if it hadn't been crucial for us to remain silent, I am certain this sight would have brought some of us to tears from sheer laughter. The ruse went better than I expected, every soldier was either too curious or fascinated by the dancing automaton to notice us as we drew closer to our distracted targets. Hadranius and Johnny pulled their bows taut- Phoenix already having a bolt ready in his crossbow, each ready to fire if the soldiers turned around sooner than expected as Zany and I crept ever closer. When we reached a great swords length from the nearest soldier, I gave a subtle signal for our archers to take different targets further back- as Zany and I had successfully come within range of our targets. One of my daggers dug deep into a soldier's back as the attack began, Zany cutting down one as well- our archers taking out one each as the soldiers flew into a surprised panic, having been trained to combat such situations their last thoughts would be of their own foolishness in falling for such a simple ruse. Another soldier charged at me in rage for his fallen comrades, vengeance burning in his eyes- only to be extinguished by an arrow to the throat. The man fell and I moved on to the next soldier waiting to die, stabbing him with Steelheart in the side of the chest through a joint of his armor- the man's blood pouring freely due to the enchantment on my ancestor's dagger. I had yet to truly use the blade in such a manner, so I marveled at the results for barely a moment- but that was apparently enough for another soldier to try and take a swing at me.

"Why don't you just stay dead? ASSASSIN BITCH!" he swore as he lunged to stab me with his sword- obviously the same soldier who had nearly killed me before. I jumped back, knowing his speed from memory and barely made it out of the way to avoid harm as the man stumbled slightly from the momentum of his own attack. I was barely fast enough to evade, let alone counter his attacks- though I only needed to keep him away long enough for one of our archers to take him out or for Zany to assist me. My eyes darted about as I counted the remaining soldiers: besides the one I was currently evading, Zany was locked in combat with a large brute of a man wielding a large war axe; while three more soldiers hid behind the rubble as they casted spell after spell at Hadranius, Johnny, and Phoenix- Gimli having returned to his master's side after the fighting began. Apparently assistance would likely come too late… I would need to deal with my opponent alone.

As I continued to dodge the soldier's attacks, I began to study his movements. After each forward strike- he would take a small step back, whenever he slashed his blade in any direction- his feet would act as a tell for which way he would swing. He had likely been a mage before joining this group of soldiers- possibly drafted to fill a necessary spot, given a sword and minimal combat training to kill assassins who had spent most of their lives with a blade in their hands… a foolish mistake on part of the Elder Council, one which I was keen to take advantage of. I feinted far to the right, making like I was about to roll to the side and behind him- he fell for it easily and I change direction quickly, diving straight at the man and driving Steelheart into his stomach easily through his Cyrodilic chain mail. As the man fell to the ground bleeding out, I gazed around expecting to be attacked by one of the mages hiding behind the rubble- only to find they had been dealt with by a sneak attack from Phoenix and Gimli. With the battle concluded I sat down in the nearest patch of snow that wasn't soaked with blood to rest. The others doing the same across the now battle torn clearing,

"I've been meaning to ask Phoenix, just how old are you?" I asked the young alchemist, and was shocked by his immediate response.

"Sixteen." he said blankly, sitting on a rock not far from me with his spider automaton Gimli beside him. I blinked in surprise, he was FAR shorter than a boy his age. "Yeah I'm too short it be sixteen- I know, I hear that a lot so you don't even need to say it. I think I get it from my mom… she's a Dunmer." he explained hesitantly, looking down at the ground as if he expected us to hate him for his obviously split heritage. I smiled softly at the worried young man- no longer a simple child as he had first appeared,

"You need not worry about any of us hating you for who you are. At our other Sanctuary, our blacksmith is half Orc and half Breton- so I would not allow anyone to speak ill of either of you." I assured him. His head bolted up at this, and before I could blink he was beside me- giving me the tightest hug I had received in quite some time.

"Thank you Alyce." he mumbled, obviously happy he had found people who would accept him. I returned the hug with a small smile, and as I pulled away I looked around at my companions. Hadranius was leaning against the exterior of the ruin as he waited for us to enter the Sanctuary together, Johnny was relaxing on a fallen stone pillar, while Zany simply looked at something behind me with a small tug of a smile on his face.

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><p>Okay…. So this showed off Alyce's motherly side. Put a child in danger and she WILL wreck you and your whole damn day… but any thoughts on why she went BERSERK?<p>

AND YES I NAMED PHOENIX'S DWARVEN SPIDER AFTER A CHARACTER FROM LORD OF THE RINGS! WHY? CAUSE GIMLI IS BITCHIN'! Anyway, thoughts and opinions? I should very much like to know what everyone thinks of Phoenix.

Also, who seriously believe Zany was looking at something BEHIND Alyce? Yes it is official, Zany has feelings for Alyce that he doesn't quite know how to show… but will he figure it out in time to win her heart? Before any one asks…. I WILL be introducing a romance sub-plot eventually so keep your minds open to ANY relationship possibilities for Alyce and ALL the members of the brotherhood... that said, Alyce is straight, so please keep that in mind.

Finally, in case anyone hasn't noticed- the lighthouse in this chapter is an ACTUAL place in Skyrim. Nearly everything in this story is based on ACTUAL places and even some missions in-game. The only things that do not exist are the sanctuaries in the holds other than Falkreath and Dawnstar- those I make up and design myself.


	13. Not The Vacation I Had In Mind

**Here is Chapter 12! It took me a while to get this one ready, but i may need just as long to finish chapter 13- sorry about this everyone! Please enjoy the story XD**

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><p><strong><span>Not The Vacation I Had In Mind<span>**

I was the first to enter the new Sanctuary, telling Hadranius to keep the others outside while I made sure the chambers were not flooded by melted ice, infested with chaurus, or even partially collapsed. I was surprised to see where the Black Door of this sanctuary once stood proudly- it had somehow been torn from its hinges and lay covered in ancient dust on the floor of the entry chamber. I entered the tunnel into the sanctuary proper with caution- not knowing what could have done such damage or if it was even still here. All caution drifted elsewhere for several moments as I entered the main hall- my eyes wide from the sight before me. The main hall resembled a rectangular trophy room of sorts- almost like the throne room in Windhelm- but at the far end the room widened out and on the back wall was the iconic stain glass depiction of Sithis standing proud behind a large oval table with several chairs around it in the center of the widened area; save for space enough for all seated to cautiously watch the entrance. The trophy plaques and stands had been emptied long ago- though I could still see timeworn outlines of swords, axes, and daggers that had once been displayed with honor and dignity; where these relics of our past glory had gone, I couldn't fathom a guess. The main hall seemed stable enough, so I returned to the entry chamber and allowed my fellow assassins to bask in the ancient glory of the Dark Brotherhood.

"Whatever had once been here must have been displayed soon after the construction of this sanctuary to have had such a lasting afterimage on the plaque." Hadranius pointed out as he immediately began to examine the room and it's meager yet interesting contents. I walked to the oval table, my hand running along the cold stone surface as I walked around the toppled and broken stone chairs- reaching the chair at the farthest end and feeling… as if it was mine; it must have been a place reserved for the Listener, not that I cared for special treatment or traditions of needless respect. I dubbed the sanctuary safe for use and allowed them to disperse- I would check in with them and how they were settling in later, for now I needed a nap; however I still needed to locate the living quarters.

I explored the halls, finding that of the two passages on either side of the oval table- the right one lead to a training hall and forge, while the left lead to a dining hall; however, the path taken did not seem to matter really- as the whole place had been constructed in a circle, the living quarters being the farthest from the main hall and connected the dining hall with the training hall. Though I was quite surprised to find five individual rooms, plus one larger room for what I was guessing would be the Matron of this sanctuary… however there still remained a seventh door- one in the center of the other six that seemed to be spaced far apart from the other doors, as if it needed that much space between them. I opened the seventh door and was almost disappointed to find that it was a simple office, no doubt reserved for the Listener when visiting. I sighed as I examined the room quickly, noticing another door behind the desk. I opened this door… and my breath left me; this room was far larger than the Matron's room, with a double bed on a raised dais- draped with slightly damaged, but still beautiful bed curtains. On each of the walls there were more plaques and even a few weapon stands as well as dressers and chests for my things. I sat on the bed and looked around in awe, this grandiose room was to be mine? I highly doubted it, such things were meant for people of importance… but the only people more important to the brotherhood than the Listener were the Night Mother and Sithis- and I knew the Dark Brotherhood had never been stupid enough to reserve a room like this one for their Unholy Matron and the Dread Father.

"Damn, someone hit the jackpot… mind if I help you christen that bed?" said the eternally flirtatious Johnny as he leaned in the doorway, eyeing me as I sat on the bed like a wolf watches a doe.

"No. I'm certain it's previous owner christened it long before either of us were even born." I said with a sigh, a lame excuse- but it was enough to turn Johnny's advances down. He sighed and turned to leave,

"If you change your mind, I'll be in the Training Hall." he said with a chuckle as he walked off and left me once again in peace. I fell back on the bed, a small cloud of dust rising up from underneath me- making me cough lightly as I sat back up and spent the next few hours cleaning my new bedroom and my office.

I was exhausted by the time I finished cleaning, climbing into bed after wolfing down a light dinner. I slept like the dead- that is until a familiar voice awoke me from my slumber,

"The Listener must wake up! Mother is waiting!" said the voice of the one and only Cicero, I groaned into my pillow- thinking I had left him behind in Dawnstar… though apparently not. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, thinking this madman had no idea what sleep was or of it's importance.

"Cicero… leave me be... or… I. Will. Kill. You." I said darkly, though muffled through my pillow, the mad jester simply laughed at my threat as he began to dance at my bedside.

"Oh ho ho, he he he- the Listener is quite cranky." Cicero sang, teasing me out of my bed by invoking my anger. Cicero fled my room in a rush of hysterical laughter, with myself following close behind- no weapon in hand, but I was still quite angry about being awakened so rudely. I followed Cicero out to the main hall- that I had started to think of as 'The Meeting Hall'- and when I turned the corner into the large room… he had apparently vanished. Yet I could still hear his insane giggling as I stood before the stain glass image of Sithis. Then a thought occurred to me… in Dawnstar, there was a hidden entrance to the sanctuary behind an image exactly like this one; I examined the edges of the glass- looking for signs of a handle or switch, finding a small handhold hidden behind the glass's iron rim. I opened the glass door and entered what appeared to be a small, candle lit chapel hidden within the sanctuary- at the back of the room, on a raised pedestal, already sat the Night Mother's coffin.

"_You have done well my child, the family grows in numbers and skill- all thanks to your efforts. Rest a while and let the family tend to it's self, for expanding too quickly can often lead to disaster." _came the voice of the Night Mother, her voice once again slamming into my mind and making me nearly fall over- thankfully the stone benches of this unholy chapel seemed sufficient enough to break my fall. I sat on the stone bench and waited for my mind to stop spinning, thankfully Cicero was being quiet for once. The Night Mother had basically just given me time off for a vacation, and as I left the Unholy Chapel and found Zany once again trying to wring Cicero's neck for something the fool had probably done yesterday… I realized I needed the time off.

"Hadranius, your in charge. I'm going on a little vacation." I said simply, the aged Dunmer walking in from the dining hall at just the right moment. Hadranius nodded respectfully as he smiled and calmly pried Zany off Cicero; as if he was separating two squabbling children. I sighed lightly and left the Winterhold Sanctuary behind, standing out in the light snowfall of morning- the Sea of Ghosts stretching out calmly to greet the rising sun. I took Shadowmere by the reigns and walked her across the ice that served as a bridge over the water to the shore- I had never liked swimming by the sea, nor had I ever liked the deadly slaughter fish that often hid beneath the waves. I climbed up into the saddle and off we rode, I wasn't quite sure where I would go and simply let Shadowmere pick our route as we dashed along the shore- eventually veering off inland. As I reached the cliff top overlooking the Sea of Ghosts, I realized I had no idea where I could go that would be peaceful and maybe even relaxing; then I remembered the sulfur springs near Riften. Many times I had seen hunters lounging about in the hot waters of these springs, never really finding the time to try it out myself… now I had the time. I journeyed south from Winterhold into Whiterun territory- giving the city a wide berth as I passed through the mountains into the hilly plains. The sun beginning to set as I made camp near what appeared to be a hidden shrine to Talos; taking a few moments before going to sleep to pay my respects to the outlawed Divine.

I awoke to the sound of movement not far from where I lay half-asleep, the sun barely a glimmer on the horizon as I slowly opened my eyes to see someone rummaging through my knapsack. I jumped to my feet and was bewildered to find my weapons gone- I had been disarmed in my sleep, this intruder having taken my daggers from their place beside my sleeping form. I could care less about my ordinary steel daggers, but Steel Heart was one of a kind; and a family heirloom at that. I lunged at the intruder, a bandit by the looks of him, but he apparently expected this and jumped out of my way and dashed to his waiting horse- taking off in a hearts beat. I slammed my fist on the ground in frustration, momentarily forgetting the location in which this theft had occurred… the open plains of Whiterun. I leapt to my feet and saddled Shadowmere quickly, my heart beating rapidly as I watched the bandit quickly become smaller and smaller over the plains. I would need to push Shadowmere to her limits to catch the thief now, but I had to try; though I was thankful that Shadowmere could not die from over-exertion should my attempt fail. I swung myself quickly into the saddle, willing Shadowmere into a sprint from the start- receiving her excited whinny in response; she was all too willing to chase after her master's target. We slowly began to gain on the thief, being within shouting distance by the time we neared the city of Whiterun it's self. I began to wonder just how long this bandit's horse could keep at this speed, as it was nothing more than a Riften Dapple Grey. Just as we crossed the bridge over the creek that joined the rushing river, the bandit's horse began to falter- the bandit abandoning his steed and rushing off up the hill and out of sight for only a moment… before I crested the hill myself and lost sight of him.

"Damn it… we must find him." I muttered to myself, Shadowmere shaking her head as she scoffed at me- her actions all too obviously meaning: "No, you think?". I sighed and approached the river, my intention to allow Shadowmere a few moments of well earned rest before setting out to track the thief… my eyes catching on the sight of freshly torn fur on a patch of briars. The fur was up too high to be a wolf- yet the wrong color to be any other animal- leaving the only conclusion to be that it had come from the bandit's fur armor as he passed through here. The sneak had apparently crossed the river on foot- thinking he had covered his tracks, but had not realized his armor had been torn. "Rest for a moment my friend, I've found that little fools trail." I said simply, patting Shadowmere's mane encouragingly as she lowered her head to drink from the cold waters of the river.

Shadowmere and I crossed the river where I had found the bandit's fur- chuckling absently as we emerged on the opposite side to find that the bandit made no attempts to hide his tracks on this side, believing himself safe from my search. His foolish folly would be his undoing and my triumph when I showed him first hand the power of what he had stolen from me. I sighed as I realized I had been spending far too much time with Cicero… his careless lust for killing was bringing to rub off it seemed. I chuckled at the thought as I watched the tracks lead straight through Riverwood and into the woods; the tracks finding their end near the mouth of a seemingly abandoned mine. I entered the mine with caution, bandits being prone to crude but effective traps; keenly watching the floor as I warily crept along through the shadows of the entrance tunnel. As I entered the chamber at the end of the tunnel, I was surprised to see that someone was apparently here before me- two bandits in the lower area of the large cavern lying dead with a single arrow to the throat, the sent of blood still fresh in the air. A shadow shifting across the wooden path in what appeared to be a make-shift gate house caught my attention quite easily- though to these dim-witted bandits it would have seemed nothing more than a trick of the light. I moved deeper into the shadows and made my way across the high wooden platform that spanned the entry cavern across the partially flooded floor. I moved slowly as I crept through the well lit tunnel that would more than appeared to lead to the gate-house. Upon entering I began to feel as though something was amiss- soon realizing what as a hand covered my mouth and an Orcish Dagger put to my throat.

"You do not appear to be a bandit, who are you and what are you doing here?" whispered a voice close to my ear as my captor held me against their chest to prevent me from moving.

"I am no bandit, who I am and my business is my own." I said simply and without fear of the dagger that could so easily end my life.

"And why should I believe you? I could release you- only to receive a dagger in the back for my naivety." he reasoned, the dagger becoming slightly closer to my neck- just enough to press uncomfortably into to my flesh without breaking the skin; this man no doubt being well trained to achieve just the right amount of pressure immediately.

"If I was a bandit, would I be sneaking around the hideout?" I reasoned, hoping this would give him food for thought. My captor taking a moments pause,

"Point taken…if you are not a bandit, then I have no business with you. Leave." he said simply as the blade was drawn from my neck and I was released, I turned to my former captor and found his face obscured by the hood of his dark green cloak. The man seemed to look at me for barely a moment before turning to flip a switch on the floor, lowering the bridge to the inner section of the cavern and made for the tunnel- his cloak swishing as he moved.

"I have business with these bandits myself, they have taken something dear to me- so I will take their lives if need be." I chuckled lightly as I followed the man through the tunnel and to the bridge. He said nothing to that as he drew a bow and swiftly killed the two bandits that came to investigate the mysteriously lowered bridge- with a single arrow each and barely a moments aim. Needless to say, I was impressed- I had seen several archers in the past year, but I had a feeling this man was probably the most skilled of them all. He paid me no mind as he crossed the bridge and into the tunnel on the other side, I stayed for a moment- so that it might seem like I had left… but followed shortly after. In addition to locating the hideout of the thief who had taken Steel Heart… perhaps I had found another addition to the Brotherhood? What a 'vacation' this was turning out to be; at this rate I doubted I would be able to spend any time at the hot springs before Hadranius would send a search party looking for me.

I followed the mysterious man across the bridge, keeping enough distance between us- staying in the shadows and out of his sight as we entered a wide dark corridor; the man reaching the illuminated end and leaning against the wooden support at the corner as he peered around, jumping out quickly and firing an arrow at a startled bandit. The man disappearing from view as I quickly peered around the same corner to see the lone bandit with an arrow protruding from his throat, his dead eyes glazed in silent terror as blood pooled on the stone floor beneath the corpse. I took a moment to look into the room behind the corpse, seeing various ill-gotten goods stashed behind the iron gate that barred the entrance. On the wooden table- in plain sight- lay my daggers and my knapsack on the floor beside the it. I rushed quietly to the door and tried the latch- finding it locked tighter than I miser's purse. Once again I cursed my lack of lock picking skill and vowed emptily to learn more of that particular craft once I was out of this mess. I would return when I had more time to examine the lock, for now I would continue my observation of the mysterious man; returning to the path through the bandit hideout and finding the man watching and waiting from a ledge looking out into a large cavern spanned by a wooden bridge over a pool of water and a tall yet slim waterfall that dropped sharply into the room. Below the ledge was oddly a forge, hidden within the mine, an Orc bandit hard at work on what looked to be the start of a steel mace- though his work was interrupted by an arrow penetrating the back of his neck, severing his spine as he dropped to the stone floor with a thud. Before the other two visible bandits could even draw their weapons to search for the cause of their comrade's death, they too fell to the mysterious man's arrows- falling into the water below the bridges they had stood upon only seconds before. This man appeared to be a faster shot than Johnny… if I could persuade him to join the brotherhood we would have to test who was a better shot at farther range. The man returned his bow to his back with his quiver and turned to leave the mine, and I stepped out of the shadows slowly.

"My you are quite the shot, what say you to a small proposition?" I asked him quickly, getting to my point without mincing words- uncertain if this man would draw his bow again if I took too long. He folded his arms without a word and I took this as a sign that he was listening. "I lead a very… particular group, and would like to offer you a place with us. You caught me off guard and could have killed me before I would even have had the chance to scream. Your archery is impeccable- I only know of one archer that even comes close. You also seem to have no issue with killing silently and without bringing attention to your exact location. What say you… to joining the Dark Brotherhood?" I said, using a flattering silver-tongued tactic to persuade this man into seeing how well he would fit in with a family of murderers.

He seemed to flinch slightly at the thought of consorting with killers, but after a moment he spoke up.

"If I may chose my contracts- taking only those who deserve death- then I will join you. I am no cold-blooded murderer." he said simply; with what sounded like pained conviction in his every word as he stood rigid as stone. I smiled softly,

"I see no issue with that, despite our reputation we are not all the monsters we are made out to be. Some of us are, but most of us have honor and do no more than is necessary to get the job done right." I explained, the man's stance seeming to relax as we came to a quick and easy understanding.

"Then it is settled, where shall I accept my contracts?" he asked simply and to the point.

"At the Sanctuary, meet me in Winterhold and I will show you to your new home… but first, perhaps you could help me with something?" I said, asking sheepishly for assistance with the locked door down the hall. The man laughed lightly before walking away to pick the lock for me; I followed along behind him and retrieved my things with a grateful smile.

"An assassin who cannot pick a lock? How unusual." the man remarked, a hint of amusement in his tone as he teased me playfully- as if we had been friends all along. Oddly, I was not even slightly angered; on the contrary, I accepted the teasing as his way of showing ease around me- as before he had been tense and far too wary of every movement I made.

"What I lack in stealth I make up for in strength." I said simply, drawing one dagger from it's sheath and slamming it deeply into the wooden table- nearly slicing through up to the hilt before drawing the dagger back out and sheathing it at my side. The man's eyes widened, no doubt surprised a young woman of my stature could possess such strength… if only he knew the training I had endured during my teen years, then it would not be nearly as much of a shock. I walked around him and began to leave the mine, but stopped when I realized something-

"I don't believe I caught your name yet. I am Alyce Lachance, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood." I said, seeing no point in hiding my position or my heritage- he would find out eventually and seemed the type to dislike secrets; though I doubted he actually knew the significance of the name Lachance. This bit of information making his eyes widened once again,

"Arren Tr- I mean- Arren… simply Arren." he said, almost giving away what I assumed was his last name- I did not ask as it was none of my business.

"Well then Arren, I will meet you at the tavern in Winterhold. May you walk always in the shadow of Sithis, my Brother." I said kindly before walking swiftly to the main chamber and out the way I had entered the mine.

I sighed when I realized it was now sunset, the day having passed swiftly in my pursuit of the thief and the excursion into the mine. I had no idea how long the Night Mother would be willing to wait for me to return, and was less than keen on testing her patience. I clicked my tongue, seeing hide nor hair of Shadowmere- which was odd for her when we were abroad from the Sanctuary. The fact that she did not respond to my summons alarmed me, and though my steed could not die- she could indeed be knocked out for several hours.

"Shadowmere, I am in no mood to play games." I said aloud, warning my demon horse that her mischief would not be tolerated today if that was indeed the case… and I actually found myself hoping that it was. Something did not feel right. The forest was still- deathly silent- and I could almost hear a whisper of warning on the wind.

"Run… watching… danger…" whispered the wind in my ear, turning my stomach with dread as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. My eyes darted around as I searched for signs of someone spying on me from the forest around me, seeing nothing out of the ordinary- but the wind and the lack of even the slightest birdsong told me otherwise. I heard a rustle of the bushes to my left and in a blink my daggers were drawn, my arms out before me in a defensive stance. My heart pounded as I waited for whatever made the noise to emerge from the bushes- and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief when I saw the glowing red eyes and inky black pelt of Shadowmere approaching as the source of the noise. Had the voice on the wind been nothing more than a trick of my worried mind? It had sounded so real… so terrified for my safety and urgent that I flee the area at once. I felt far safer once I sat securely in Shadowmere's saddle, and rode off into the falling night towards the city of Whiterun and Winterhold beyond that.

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><p><strong>Oh damn, anyone else think Arren and Johnny will be rivals on the archery range? What about the ominous feeling Alyce got as she exited the mine? And what was up with that voice on the wind? All these questions will be answered in time… some sooner than others.<strong>


	14. When Assassins Need Fear The Shadows

**First off I want to apologize to everyone who has been waiting patiently for their character to appear in this story. I can only do so much at a time with the information I'm given, and some characters are easier to fit into the story than others. Other characters inspire me more easily than others. However some characters have hardly any information at all- and therefore will not likely be used in the long run. I am sorry for this, but I can only work with what I'm given- and when I'm not given much I can't exactly pull a rabbit out of my hat. Thank you, anyone who understands the position I'm in and once again- I'm sorry for this.**

**Secondly, this chapter may be a bit confusing as the situation kinda jumps around from Alyce's POV to a third person POV. Perhaps it will make sense by the end, when you understand WHY I had to write it like that.**

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><p><span>When Assassins Need Fear The Shadows<span>

As I rode along the road to Winterhold, having left Whiterun territory behind by moonrise, I began to feel ill at ease once again. I constantly found myself looking over my shoulder as I sat safely atop Shadowmere's saddle, an unwavering sense of being watched nagging at the back of my mind. Though my great steed was an immortal demon horse- she still could tire- and was slowing with exhaustion after a long and arduous journey. I patted Shadowmere's mane when I realized she could go no further without a rest, dismounting from her saddle and setting up a temporary camp under a large tree. The ill ease only increasing as I sat on the ground, trying to will myself into getting some sleep despite the feeling of being watched. I leaned against the tree, staring out at the growing darkness- shadows that I once had felt safe in becoming dangerous and worthy of caution. I sighed as I leaned my head back against the bark of the tree, a cool wind rushing past me and gently caressing my skin- before bringing that same voice in it's wake.

"Watching… run… kill you…" it whispered in my ear, my blood running cold as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end in terror. This voice terrified me… but at the same time the sound of it brought momentary comfort and a feeling that I was not alone besides Shadowmere and whoever was undoubtedly watching me. This feeling giving me strength as I stood to my feet and confronted my stalker.

"I know you are watching me. Reveal yourself and make your intentions known, perhaps I will let you live." I said darkly, that same feeling- the intense desire to kill without mercy- that I had felt in the ice caves only days ago coming over me once again. I fought it back the best I could, but as someone put a hand over my mouth from behind I panicked- like a cornered animal I lost control of my wits and fought with all I could muster. I felt the arms that attempted to contain me unsheathe my daggers and toss them aside as I struggled, my elbow soon finding it's mark deep in the man's stomach just below his ribs where his diaphragm controlled his breathing- sending him into a coughing spasm as he struggled to breath. In my terrified rush to flee, I had not bothered to grab even one of my daggers before running off into the forest- my only thought of getting away from this attacker.

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Meanwhile, in Winterhold…

Zany entered the tavern with his ever present grimace in full force; Alyce had not been seen in almost three days… and the entire Sanctuary was tense with worry for their Listener's safety. Word had been sent to Dawnstar of her disappearance- on the dim hope that she had simply gone to check in with them unexpectedly; this hope being dashed as Babette confirmed that she had not been seen since her original departure. Zany stifled a frustrated growl as he sat down at the bar and ordered the largest flagon of mead the small tavern could offer.

"Still can't find Alyce?" asked the barkeep as he wiped out a glass, Hadranius having asked him to keep an eye out for the unmistakable red-haired woman at the end of the second day and informing him of who he could relay such information to. The Argonian man grumbling before taking a deep swig of his mead irritably, "I'll take that as a no." the barkeep sighed heavily. The name 'Alyce' rousing a stranger in the corner of the tavern from what seemed to be a light sleep, his dark green cloak swishing slightly as he stood and approached the bar and the Argonian man.

"Did I hear you say the name 'Alyce'? Would that be 'Alyce Lachance' by any chance?" the stranger asked curiously, his face well hidden behind his hood. Zany normally would ignore anyone who disturbed him in his cups- but few knew of the Listener by her full name, this fact caught the Argonian assassin's full attention.

"Why do you ask?" Zany inquired gruffly, feigning disinterest in the stranger.

"You could say she is family, my Sister of some sorts." the stranger said warily, a hunch telling him that he was speaking with one of Alyce's assassins. Zany turned to face the stranger with equally wary eyes,

"That's funny… she is my Sister too, I suppose that would make you my Brother as well." Zany said skeptically- knowing that if this stranger knew Alyce and was calling her 'Sister', that he was more than likely a new recruit. The stranger seeming to relax slightly as he realized he had found someone who could aid him- as Alyce had not yet arrived and he was becoming anxious. "Perhaps we should talk elsewhere." Zany stated rather than asked as he paid for his drink and headed for the door with the stranger close behind.

Zany lead the stranger out of town, down the cliff side to stand beside the shoreline.

"So, you're a new recruit; how do I know your telling the truth?" Zany asked bluntly, frankly not caring either way- he just needed to know if this stranger's information could be trusted. The stranger nodded once,

"I was asked to come to Winterhold by a wispy young woman with hair the color of blood and dark brown eyes, she was quite different from what I assumed an assassin would be like- far kinder." the stranger explained, describing the Listener to perfection. Zany sighed heavily, no doubt in his mind that Alyce had sent this man; not that his lack of doubt showed at all, outwardly he still appeared skeptical- or maybe that was just his perpetual grimace.

"If you saw her, then were the hell is she?" Zany asked, his voice bordering on anger. The stranger shrugging slightly before a smirk appeared on his lips- barely visible from under his hood.

"If she is missing, then allow me to track her. Few know the landscape of Skyrim like I do." the stranger offered, his posture and proclamation oozing confidence in his skills.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you." Zany grumbled, absently placing his hands on the pommels of his scimitars- a silent and subtle warning that if this was some kind of trick, the Argonian assassin would gut this stranger like a fish and hang him out to dry.

"I prefer to work alone, but I can see your Listener means much to you." the stranger said with a teasing tone hidden in his words. Zany simply growled irritably as he shrugged off the stranger's implications. "My name is Arren, might I ask your name Brother?" the stranger, Arren, asked as he watched Zany begin returning to town.

"Zany Vazzaras." the Argonian assassin said reluctantly, simply wanting to get this search done and over with; having Alyce back home meant he could actually enjoy a cup of mead in peace without Phoenix or Johnny harassing him about 'not caring that she is missing'.

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Back with Alyce…

I ran through the forest, jumping over fallen logs and scattered stones in an attempt to put distance between my pursuer and myself. The sound of a bear scuffling along making my hammering heart drop, behind me I had my pursuer of unknown intent- but before me I now had a bear, who soon came into my view. The bear regarded me with what felt like calm understanding in my frantic rush to get away- the wind whispering to me once again,

"help you… keep running." the wind whispered, though I was puzzled by this for only a moment as I could feel my pursuer getting closer, before I took off once again- cautiously skirting around the bear who paid me no mind as it watched the woods behind where I had once stood. I ran swiftly, dashing full tilt and nearly tripping over myself when I heard the bear roar and a fight ensue where I had left the animal behind. My heart once again hammering in fright, but it felt heavier as I thought about the bear seemingly giving it's own life to save mine.

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Meanwhile, with Zany and Arren…

Zany and Arren had left Winterhold behind, following the road Alyce would have taken both to and from the town; and it wasn't long until they found her recent tracks on the road, leading to the side where they found the very irritable Shadowmere and her master's weapons lying on the ground unsheathed with Alyce nowhere to be found.

"There is no blood, that is a good sign- though the ground is trampled in a way that says there was a struggle. She ran off this way, a man pursued her." Arren observed as he kept his eyes on the ground, occasionally bending to one knee to get a closer look at the tracks. Zany saying nothing before storming off in the direction Arren said Alyce had ran, Arren following him swiftly. It did not take the pair long to find the corpse of the bear lying butchered in the forest,

"What manner of man could do this? Let us hope it is not the man pursuing our Listener." Arren said with a breathless sigh, the cloaked man feeling a nagging sense of dread settling in that told him such luck was not likely as they continued their pursuit of Alyce and her attacker.

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Back with Alyce…

I had no idea where I could run to, I was miles away from Whiterun or Winterhold- the only places close enough where I would be safe… though for different reasons. As I thought about where to run to, my foot slipped on a patch of thin moss and I fell to the ground in a panicked heap.

"About time you fell, that was a neat trick with the bear- but you will soon join it anyway." came an unfamiliar voice, cold and unfeeling to my ears- my heart feeling like it was about to burst from my chest in terror. I had only experienced fear like this once before in my life- a moment I could never forget- nor could I forget the sound that filled my ears from a high boulder not far from where I lay on the ground propped up on my elbows. My eyes darted to the source of the sound and I had to fight not to scream… the one thing I feared more than this mysterious pursuer- a sabre cat. I was frozen in terror as the beast leapt from it's perch and approached me silently, regarding me without harmful intent- closer to indifference- and turned it's massive head to face my pursuer. The man showed no fear of the massive cat, his blood red eyes locked on me with murder clear as a cloudless sky in his intent. I tried to calm myself, the cat growling menacingly as the man took a step towards me. Now there was no doubt in my mind… the cat was protecting me. The same type of beast that had haunted my nightmares for years… was coming to my aid. The wind whipping up around me- not moving a single leaf in the trees around me in the process,

"Protect… with your life…. My Sybil…" whispered the voice on the wind, calming me slightly as I suddenly felt safer despite the dangerous man only feet away from me. The sabre cat rose it's massive head to the wind, as if it too heard to voice, before roaring loudly at the man as a final warning. The man grinned maliciously before lunging at the cat with a steel sword in hand, the cat sinking it's claws into the man's shoulders- but he simply shrugged it off as if it was nothing before stabbing the sabre cat clean through the chest with his sword. The beast falling to the ground as he withdrew his blade and turned his attention back to me.

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Meanwhile, with Zany and Arren…

The pair easily heard the Sabre cat's roar, at first they thought nothing off it- but then they realized how close it was and became wary of the beast's ire- oblivious to why the cat was angered. They followed the tracks of Alyce and her pursuer, Arren drawing his bow and firing off a shot at the man when he and Alyce came into view- the arrow sinking deeply into the man's lower neck, where it met his shoulder. He yanked the arrow from his skin with no regard for injury as he rose his sword to strike at the Listener who still partially lay on the ground paralyzed with fear. Arren fired another shot as Zany dashed out ahead of him, this time the arrow landed in the man's wrist- the blade falling from his hand in surprise rather than pain. Zany tackling the man to the ground with his scimitars crossed at the man's throat, thoroughly willing to kill him

"Wait! I wish to know why he wanted me dead- perhaps someone hired him." Alyce said quickly as she began to rise to her feet, her courage returning with her trusted friends now by her side. The man laughed,

"Beautiful, but stupid as hell. No one hired me, I just like killing attractive women." he said with a dark- almost salacious- tone as his red eyes fell on Alyce; her eyes widening with shock, just before Zany pressed his blades closer to the man's throat.

"Say the word, and I can shut him up real quick." Zany said, practically asking for Alyce to tell him to kill her attacker. As Zany kept the man in check, Arren scanned the area with his eyes- looking to see if the man was working alone; instead his eyes fell on the corpse of the sabre cat. His eyes widened slightly, surprised to see yet another large and dangerous animal dead in the path of this murderous man… yet Alyce had no wounds- from an animal or otherwise. "No, lets have the Night Mother pass judgment on him." she said simply, Zany grumbling as he got off the man and roughly rolled him over to bind his hands with a strong strip of leather from his knapsack before hauling the man to his feet.

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About two hours later, at the Winterhold Sanctuary- Alyce's POV…

We returned to the Sanctuary with each family member eager to see me safely home.

"ALYCE!" Phoenix shouted as he practically tackled me to the floor, his exuberant antics bringing a warm smile to my face. The rest of the family crowding around me for an explanation as to my disappearance; all of them falling silent as Zany dragged my pursuer into the main hall.

"And who might this be?" Hadranius inquired curiously, his expression blank until Arren entered soon after, "And this?" he continued, raising an eyebrow in confusion. I sighed as I pried the still clinging Phoenix from around my waist,

"This man is the reason I was delayed on my return home, he attempted to kill me." I explained as I motioned towards the man Zany had dragged inside, pausing for only a moment before motioning towards Arren, "And this man is Arren, our newest Brother; who aided Zany in locating me." I finished, my attempted murderer glaring at everyone in the room before sneering at me.

"Stupid bitch, I WILL kill you if it's the last thing I do. I'm gonna enjoy spilling your blood all over the place." he taunted with a malicious grin, though I knew with the entire family present he wouldn't be able to even get within arms reach of me before one of them would strike him dead. Phoenix bolding stepping forward to kick the man in the shin,

"Shut it ya creep!" the boy grumbled, Johnny scoffing with a shake of his head.

"Kid, I could think of many things to call this guy. 'Creep' is nowhere near the top of the list." Johnny said as he glared at the man, watching him as if he would break free any second. I was about to suggest we lock my attacker in a spare room until judgment could be passed… but then I felt the cold numbness that often foretold the dizzying pain of the Night Mother's voice entering my mind.

"_This child is lost in the darkness- a darkness that is vile and unloving… bring him to me."_ She whispered, my head spinning once again to the point where I had to brace myself by placing a hand on Zany's shoulder; being the only person within arms reach of me besides Phoenix.

"Take him to the Night Mother, she wishes to see him now." I said, my voice bordering on gaspy as I shook my head to clear the fogginess. Zany nodding as he shoved my attacker towards the stain glass door and into the Night Mother's chapel. The chapel was dimly lit by candlelight, giving it an eerie glow as Zany hauled my attacker before the Night Mother's coffin; Cicero opening the large iron doors to reveal the mummified corpse of our Unholy Matron. After a few moments I began to wonder if she might speak through me, bracing myself for her to intrude on my mind once again- but she did not. Instead I watched as the man dropped to his knees, wrenching his head back- his eyes having gone black as night.

"Go away you foul hag. I will not give up this vessel." muttered the man to an unknown speaker, his voice seeming… distorted. I looked around the room, receiving questioning glances from everyone- Cicero shrugging in confusion as I looked to the Night Mother's Keeper for answers; even the fool had no idea what was going on.

_Unbeknownst to Alyce and the others in the room, a battle of wills had begun inside the man's mind- to the victor would go his soul. A Daedra- his infernal form nothing more than a shifting mass of cold and unfeeling darkness- attempting to keep the hold he had on the man, the vessel he currently inhabited. In the depths of the darkness within the man's mind, a woman began to take form- tall and slender with raven black hair and eyes wearing a long elegant dress the color of a moonless night._

"_I will give you one last chance to release this child." the woman spoke- the Night Mother in a form from long before her mummification- her words evenly measured and holding the promise of death… one that even this Daedra could not return from. The mass of darkness laughed cruelly,_

"_Do your worst, wench. This mortal is mine." the Daedra growled as he launched tendrils of shadows towards the Night Mother, she smiled lovingly as she materialized a familiar dagger of black and gold to slice the tendril in mid-air; though her expression was a façade, as she despised this creature for keeping the man whose soul hung in the balance from a mother's affection._

"_Sithis desires this boy's soul, it is no longer yours to do with as you please." she said coldly as she suddenly leapt elegantly forward towards the Daedra- her blade ready to strike. The Daedra cackled as it summoned a sword of pure malice from within the man's heart, wielding it as a weapon of dark blue-black flames. The Daedra deflected the Night Mother's attack, parrying with one of his own- the Night Mother dancing to the side as she evaded the attack, slashing her blade across the Daedra's mid-section. The Daedra howled in pain as it clutched it's side, lashing out with nearly a hundred tendrils as he forced the Night Mother away from him. The tendril's pursued her, the Night Mother standing her ground and slashing her blade across the palm of her hand before slamming her bloodied palm to the ground- the emblem of Sithis appearing before her to block the attack, her dark lover aiding in this fight in his own way._

"_You hide behind your magic of the Void, but death cannot truly touch a denizen of Oblivion. You cannot kill me." the Daedra laughed coldly, pausing for a moment as he charged forwards- confident that the Night Mother could not stand against his attacks for much longer. "Prepare to die… wrinkled old bitch." the Daedra taunted, pushing the Night Mother to the limits of her patience; her darkly ethereal form beginning to reflect her irritation with this stubborn Daedra; her hair beginning to whip about behind her as if a powerful wind had cast it alive. The Night Mother's eyes glowed with rage, her dagger shifting as it absorbed her anger and the anger of the soul's that her Listener had gathered for the Dread Father with this very blade- the metal shifting and elongating into a full length sword… the Wrath of Sithis, invoked within the mind of a mortal; even the Night Mother had no idea what this could do to the man's psyche._

"_You have been a bad child… bad children are to be punished." she murmured, and in one fell swoop of her new blade the Daedra was struck down- cut in half as the connection between him and the man was severed for good._

I watched as the man muttered to himself for several moments, cautiously asking that everyone stay back as he screeched in pain before lurching forwards- his breathing heavy and labored as if he had just run from Hammerfell to Morrowind in a single day.

"Xenos? Xenos?!" the man grumbled as he caught his breath, and I cautiously began to step forward. "He's gone… I'm free." he continued to mutter, his tone that of disbelief. As I neared him I began to feel strange, almost as if my lungs had begun to fill with water- like I was drowning- everything going black after a few moments. My last thoughts before blacking out were odd… the fact that I was speaking confused me; but not as much as the fact that the voice did not sound like my own. My mind drifted in blissful silence for several moments- or was it hours? I couldn't tell the difference until I began to awaken. I opened my eyes to find myself laying on my bed, the covers drawn over my formerly sleeping form. I sat up to see that my room was empty and silent for a change, whatever had happened- someone had remembered to restrain Cicero while I slumbered. I lay back against my pillows, debating with my sense of duty whether I should get out of bed or take the day off- though my internal argument was cut short by my door opening.

"Listener?" said a familiar voice- though this time the voice that had been spewing vulgarities was now calm and collected. I looked to the door and watched as the man who had attacked me entered the room, my hand immediately going to the dagger I kept under my pillow in case of emergencies. "Stay your hand, I mean you no harm!" he said hastily, showing me his hands and keeping them far from any place he could have stashed a weapon.

"What business do you have in my room? After attempting and vowing to kill me, no less." I said coldly, wanting nothing more to do with this man who had terrified me into becoming nothing more than the pathetic girl I had been once before in my darkest time, when all I could do was run. The man smirked,

"Think of this as a truce. I still want your beautiful blood on my hands, but the Night Mother asked that I be civil with you as her Listener." he said with a chuckle, as if he couldn't believe he had agreed to such a thing. He paused for a moment before sighing, "My name is Nikita Contortus, figured you would want to know." he said simply before turning to leave. I was shocked to hear that the Night Mother had spoken to him, confusion racking my mind as I tried to wrap my head around it.

"How could the Night Mother have spoken to you?!" I said in alarm when I realized the implications- perhaps I could give up the position as Listener to another? Nikita laughed- sounding more like a bark- "She spoke through you, Sister." he said darkly, leaving and closing the door behind him. I sat dumbfounded. He had just called me 'Sister' and the rest of the family was not here watching him like a hawk… the Night Mother had accepted my attempted murderer into the family.

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><p><strong>WOW. Is anyone else blown away by this? Hell, I wrote the damn thing and even I'm a little shocked XD<strong>


	15. A Light In The Darkness

**Please keep in mind that I am aware of this chapter feeling rushed, I just can't seem to stretch it out without sounding "rambly". So please enjoy, and try to look past this minor oops?**

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><p><strong>A Light In The Darkness<strong>

I sat at my desk, irritably looking through notes on contracts that had yet to be fulfilled. A knock at my door shaking me from my feeble concentration, I shouted that the door was open and in walked Hadranius with a grim expression. "Listener, we have a… situation on our hands." he said simply before walking off, leaving my door open as a sign to follow. I stood from my desk and followed Hadranius through the corridors to the training hall, an usual scene playing out before me. Our newcomer, Nikita Contortus, fending off attacks from both Johnny and Zany.

"Ah, and here comes our beautiful Listener now." Nikita scowled, barely dodging an arrow from Johnny before laughing. "Give it up kid, your never gonna hit me- just like your never gonna get with her." Nikita taunted, nodding his head in my direction. I was about to break up the fight when Zany threw himself at Nikita with both scimitars drawn. Nikita had apparently expected this and jumped out of the way of the angered Argonian. "Bah, should have known you would get all pissy at the very mention of someone other than you getting with that red-headed bitch. We all know you want her." Nikita continued to taunt with a laugh, making Zany snarl in rage- his blades swiping wildly.

"THAT'S ENOUGH." I shouted, bringing the fighting to an abrupt halt- Zany's scimitars finally inches from their mark, poised for a perfect strike to Nikita's throat. "Zany, I have a contract for you in Windhelm. Johnny, I have one for you in Solitude; both of you meet me in my office." I said coldly, both of them sheathing their weapons and walking off without another word. "As for you Nikita, I have no doubt that you instigated this debacle- and so there will be no contracts for you until you learn not to fight with your new family; as I know how much you love killing." I said simply before walking off to return to my office and deal out the appointed contracts.'

**Nikita's P.O.V.:**

That… that… BITCH. How dare she forbid me from killing?! Even with Xenos gone from my mind I still feel the strong urge to kill, to feel the warm slickness of blood on my hands and my prey's life slowly ebbing away; just the thought gets me riled up for the kill. I ran a hand through my shoulder length and slightly graying blonde hair, sighing as I thought about how I would get around this little 'killing embargo' the Listener had just passed on me. A grin creeping onto my lips as I came to a realization: with the town of Winterhold so close by- so isolated in the wilderness- it wouldn't be that odd for someone to… vanish without a trace. I turned around and headed for the exit, leaving the Sanctuary behind in a matter of moments. I skirted the town and headed straight for the mountainside just outside it, lying in wait for a suitable victim. As I sat on a ridge not far from the path through the mountain, I began to hear someone approaching from the wilderness in the direction of the town, curious I crept closer- keeping hidden- and as I grew near I could see that it was two young women. One was a Dunmer, her laughter raucous and carefree and I scoffed as I thought about the wolves of the region rushing in and tearing her apart for such noise. The second however… was an Imperial. Something about her unhinged me, I felt that same urge to kill her as I had our dear Listener- but for the life of me I couldn't bring myself to move. I was rooted in the spot, stunned stupid by the way the sun shone off her fair blonde hair- by her lively yet dark blue eyes. My heart quickening, I was confounded by this reaction. I wanted to know more about this Imperial woman: who was she? Why did she affect me this way? By the look of her she was a mage… was this feeling an affect of her magic? Had she placed a spell of complacency around herself to make others more at ease in her very presence? I followed the pair as far as the town, not wishing to reveal myself and their destination being the college making pursuit impossible. For three days I would travel to the town and wait in the shadows to see if she would leave the college grounds- watching her go about her daily business in silence. I only ventured close to her once, inside the tavern- this soon becoming a mistake as a drunken fool began to harass her… and I became enraged. The idea of anyone touching her making my very blood boil in my veins, and I could not stop myself from assisting this man in seeing the error of his actions; planting my fist firmly between his eyes before leaving the tavern without a that, I began to grow frustrated by the mystery that was this Imperial woman- and I steeled myself to do the unthinkable… as the Listener for assistance.

**Back To Alyce's P.O.V:**

I was reading at my desk when I heard a knock at my door, getting up to answer it swiftly- though I was surprised to see Nikita on the other side.

"Have you come to betray the Night Mother's trust? Or do you actually need something?" I asked coldly, not really wanting anything to do with him.

"I… need your help." Nikita grumbled, obviously irritated with himself for even thinking about asking me this. I fought not to laugh at the idea of Nikita needing my help as I stepped aside and let the imposing 6'3" Nord into my office. He sat down and began to recount a tale I never thought possible, Nikita not only laying eyes on a woman he thought attractive- but he also seemed to have saved her from a drunk? I shook my head in surprise .

"I see… so you wish for my opinion of the situation?" I asked him, though I already had an idea of what might be 'wrong' with him. Nikita nodded once and I sighed, "Nikita, I think your in love." I said softly, a disbelieving look on my face as I watched him process this information.

"Is that why I can't imagine slitting her throat? Why the very thought of it… churns my stomach?" he asked bewildered, I shook my head in disdain.

"I would say so- wait you've never been in love before have you?" I asked, surprised that someone of his apparent age- around forty by my estimation- would have never known what such a strong and uncontrollable emotion would feel like. He shook his head again, and I sighed heavily- truthfully I had only been in love once, and even that hadn't gotten very far at all before it ended.

"You have to help me, I feel like I'm going mad… well, even more so than I already am." Nikita pleaded, his tone turning to sarcasm as he tried to keep his composure.

"Alright, I have a contact who will be coming to town soon. He can get me into the college to speak with her, if you want I can ask her if she would be willing to meet with you." I offered, Nikita's face brightening in a way I had never seen happen to him- truly blissful at the idea.

"Thank you, truly." he said barely reluctant gratitude before leaving me in peace, probably to go and find a shirt that didn't have bloodstains on it for his meeting with this girl. I chuckled at the thought and tried to remember when I had last heard from my expected contact… he would be due in Winterhold within the next two days and would be staying at the inn for the following three days. I grimaced as I remembered the last time I had seen this particular contact… he had made a very unwanted suggestion and the result had been the breaking of his wrist and the warning that if he made such suggestions of me again I would break far more than that. Thinking about this I made a mental note to ensure that my contact and Johnny- and by the rumors, Zany- NEVER meet.

During the two day wait for my contact to arrive, Nikita had kept his nose curiously clean and out of trouble- even ignoring the presence of Zany and Johnny. Now, on the appointed day, Nikita sat in the main hall- no doubt eagerly awaiting the news upon my return. I nodded to him as I left the Sanctuary, raising an eyebrow when I realized he was leaning back in his chair with a curious straw hat with the brim drawn over his eyes; a faint shimmer of magic showing the garment to be enchanted somehow. I shrugged my curiosity off and exited out into the snowy landscape, the air for once being free of the sight-limiting blizzards that where common place along the Sea of Ghosts. I left Shadowmere grazing on the island, making my way to the town on foot before heading into the tavern. Waving a greeting to the innkeeper as I approached,

"I'm looking for an Imperial man, he goes by the name of Svaki. Has he checked in yet?" I asked simply, the innkeeper sighing before a pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

"Looking for me Alyce? How about we talk more in my room?" Svaki purred against my ear, his hands drawing back to my waist before I removed them myself and turned to the lecherous man I begrudgingly called a contact; if this man wasn't as useful as he was perverted, I would have probably killed him by now. Svaki pouted momentarily at my rejection of his advances, his light blue eyes going from disappointed to barely intrigued in a hearts beat.

"I need your assistance, I have someone who wishes to speak with a particular mage at the college- however I have no right to enter such a place and will need help either getting inside or getting the mage to come to me." I explained, Svaki grinning salaciously at the prospect of having a favor owed to him- then I reminded him that he still owed me several favors for cleaning up his conjuration experiments for him several years ago. He hung his head in defeat,

"Alright, do you have a name? Or perhaps a description of this mage?" Svaki asked, finally becoming serious about this endeavor. I recounted Nikita's description of the woman he had seen, and Svaki looked at me blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter. "That… should be the easiest favor I have ever repaid. The mage your looking for is my little sister, the whole reason I'm even visiting this gods-forsaken town." Svaki explained, his voice teetering on the edge of another laughing fit. I sighed, if this woman was anything like her brother… Nikita would find a very interesting match. Svaki left me behind in the tavern, though I could still hear his barks of spontaneous laughter for several moments more.

I waited for what had to have been at least an hour before Svaki returned with the blonde Imperial woman in tow; however I then guided her and Svaki into his room to speak more privately. The woman smiled at me softly, her hair indeed seemed to form almost a halo around her innocent looking face- making her look far younger than she actually was likely to be, which I guessed to be little older than twenty-four. Her dark blue eyes identical to her brother's- though with a far kinder quality to them.

"You have need of my skills as a healer?" she asked, her voice soft and calm- almost demure in comparison to Svaki boisterous nature. I rose an eyebrow in Svaki's direction, he gave me a look that said 'I had to tell her something- what was I supposed to say?' as he went palms-up.

"Actually, yes. I would like to offer you the chance to help several people on a regular basis, though before I ask- how do you feel about those who are compelled to violence?" I asked, skirting about the mention of assassins or the Brotherhood; a plan forming in my mind all the while. The woman looked down thoughtfully for a moment before looking back to me,

"I think such people have a piece of them missing, one that only killing can fill- until they find something else to fix it. It's not their fault they feel this way, so who am I to judge?" she said kindly, meaning every word as truth. I smiled, coming to the realization that this woman actually could be beneficial to the Brotherhood as more than just a way to keep Nikita calm.

"That's a good answer, Svaki has assured me that you can be trusted- so I ask you now… will you become the healer of the Dark Brotherhood's Winterhold Sanctuary?" I asked, her jaw dropping in surprise her eyes darting from me to her brother for several moments.

"I-I… so long as I don't have to kill anyone…" she murmured. I stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly,

"You would simply be the healer- nothing more unless you wish it." I promised her, receiving a warm smile in return as she nodded once in understanding. "Now, may I ask the name of our new healer?" I asked after a few moments, realizing I had yet to catch her name. she gaped for a second before chuckling at her mindless oversight.

"Svina Avalon." she said happily, and I immediately knew she would brighten up the Sanctuary with her cheerful demeanor from here on out.

"Very well then Svina, allow me to guide you to your new home." I said kindly, motioning towards the door and glancing to Svaki- a subtle gesture that I would ensure his sister's safety at the Brotherhood… or knowingly risk the wrath of her Necromancer older brother.

I returned to the Sanctuary with Svina in tow, chuckling softly when I heard snoring from the main hall as we entered. I knew Nikita had fallen asleep long before I saw him, still leaned back in his chair with that curious straw hat over his eyes. Svina's step seemed to falter when she glimpsed him, no doubt uncertain of actually meeting an assassin other than one that her brother trusted so readily.

"Nikita." I said loudly, making him snort in surprise as he awoke with a start. "Gather the family please." I asked him, making sure Svina stayed behind me and out of sight for the moment. Nikita grumbled as he stood and did as he was asked, returning several moments later with our Brothers in tow. I stepped aside and Svina shyly stepped forward, "This is Svina Avalon, our newest Sister and this Sanctuary's healer. Treat her kindly, lest you anger not only the Night Mother- but myself and her older brother." I said simply, paying more attention to how Nikita reacted to seeing her. His eyes had gone wide at the first sight of her, his jaw dropping slightly before he regained his composure- seeming almost eerily calm in her presence. The family soon began to depart for their own agendas, although Phoenix was one of the few who remained.

"Nightshade, Vampire dust, and… Deathbell… are you an alchemist?" he asked as he sniffed the air, slowly walking up to Svina and sniffing her.

"Yes, I am. Though I am better at Restoration." Svina chuckled, looking from Phoenix to Nikita- who still had not taken his eyes off her. "Is he always this… odd?" she asked me quietly as she glanced from Nikita, who had returned to his seat at the table.

"No… usually he's worse." I said with a sigh, placing a hand on Phoenix's shoulder and beginning to bring him with me as I made my way out of the main hall- my intention being to leave Nikita alone with Svina… and hope she wouldn't get killed.

**Nikita's P.O.V.:**

The Listener had pulled through for me; there she was- the one woman who unnerved me like no other. Now she was to be a member of the Brotherhood- around the Sanctuary nearly every day. It was almost too much, I honestly had no idea how to even approach her now that she was here. As the Listener left with the nuisance of an alchemist in tow, Svina slowly walked up to the table and sat down across from me.

"Hello, you are the man from the tavern… yes?" she said softly, making me shiver at the sound- she remembered me? I nodded absently, looking off to the side as I attempted to ignore her while I tried to ignore the strong urge to kill this beautiful woman. "You ran off before I could say thank you." she said with a soft chuckle, this simple sound making my heart jump. She really has no idea the effect she has… and that fact actually pissed me off. On one hand, I wanted her near me- but on the other I couldn't help but hate this involuntary reaction she invoked in me… it was like being possessed by Xenos all over again. She stood to leave, thinking I could care less if she thanked me or not- and I jumped to my feet. My hand shooting out to grab her throat, clutching angrily to her soft skin with one hand- lifting her slightly off the floor as I choked her; and yet she regarded me calmly. Her dark blue eyes held not even the slightest twinge of fear. This angered me even more, my grip tightening in my rage- Svina let out a strangled gasp before she finally began to struggle. I grinned maliciously, watching her struggle to breath- my enjoyment however was interrupted by an arrow piercing my shoulder. I scowled and released Svina, letting her drop to the floor as I whipped around to see Johnny holding his bow with a look of smug triumph.

"Gottcha." he said before nocking another arrow and preparing to fire. I would have launched myself at the little brat- but I never expected Svina to recover as quickly as she had… or to jump in front of me defensively.

"Please leave him be. I will not let you hurt him, no harm has been done." she said simply, my eyes mimicking Johnny's as both our eyes widened in surprise. Johnny shook his head and returned his arrow to it's quiver and walked away with a look of reluctance. Svina waited until Johnny was gone before turning around and regarding me with a soft smile, as if I hadn't just been trying to kill her. She said nothing as she walked around to my side, bringing her hands up and gently removing the arrow before casting a healing spell on my wound.

"You are an odd one aren't you?" I mumbled, not intending for her to hear me- but she apparently did.

"You saved me once, I… had faith that you wouldn't hurt me." she explained with a bright, kind, smile. I said nothing, truly bewildered by her. As the wound on my shoulder closed and she drew her hands away, I figured she was going to leave- but she didn't. What she did do… surprised me even more; she softly kissed my cheek.

**Back To Alyce's P.O.V.:**

"Nice work." I whispered to Johnny as we peered around the corner at Nikita and Svina. I had informed Johnny of my plan only moments before this 'incident' and had recruited his help in bringing the two together. I had known Nikita would attack her, but I also knew he wouldn't kill her- I just needed Johnny to give the situation a little push in the right direction… in case I was wrong. Now that Nikita knew Svina felt this way about him, I was confident that he would never attack her again- and he was likely to make sure no one else did either. Frankly it was a win-win situation: Svina would be safe, so Svaki would be happy; while Nikita had someone to love, keeping him focused on her and out of my hair. I sighed contently and turned to return to my office and see if any of the assigned contracts had been fulfilled yet- that is until I heard the tell-tale sound of someone entering the Sanctuary.

"GODS BE DAMNED! WHERE IN OBLIVION IS THAT MISERABLE HAGRAVEN?!" roared Zany as he returned from his contract, no doubt looking for me as he threw his fit. I could hear Svina squeak in surprise at Zany's outburst, Nikita growling in irritation as he lead her out of the room past Johnny and I as we entered the main hall to investigate what had gotten our Argonian Brother so irate.

"Who pissed in your mead?" Johnny asked with a sarcastic grin as Zany stormed up to me, his dark blue eyes ablaze with a cold anger.

"Shut it thief." Zany said bluntly, rather than his typical snide remark. "Someone stole my scimitars. A thief in Windhelm, he snatched them right out of their sheaths before I could even blink." he continued as he turned his attention back to me. I sighed heavily at this news, if it wasn't a love-sick psychopath it was an idiotic thief stealing from the wrong assassin.


	16. The Lost Boy

Before I get into this chapter, I want to give a shout out to the people who have really been a big help in motivating me, keeping me focused, and in helping me come up with ideas whenever I get stuck.

**xcaliber234, HowsThisForAName, Commanderfettt, Juggalo Prince, The Father Confessor, The King of Vampires. and Dark Brother 16.**

All of you have either been an amazing help or the best friends I could possibly ask for- so I will be giving each of you first pick of who your characters will face off against in a RoTB special independent story that will be posted soon after if not with the chapter after this one.

**(Title Undecided, suggestions welcome)** - members of the brotherhood will face off with each other, other people, and maybe even in teams. If you do not wish for your character to be a combatant, please PM me and I will notify the readers in the first update to the story. All matches after the first will be selected by popular demand via number of reviews to this particular story. ANY CHARACTER MENTIONED IN ROTB IS FAIR GAME! WANNA SEE DONOVAN FIGHT THE MASTER BLACKSMITH ERAWYN? I CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN! OR MAYBE YOU WANT JOHNNY TO TEST HIS SKILLS AGAINT THE BROTHERHOOD VETERAN HADRANIUS? SAY THE WORD AND IT SHALL BE DONE! Wow… I used too many shouty captials… oh well at least that was likely to be read XD Anyways, on with the chapter!

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><p><strong>The Lost Boy<strong>

I've never really liked Windhelm very much, though it is a beautiful city- often blanketed in an elegant haze of snow- it's aesthetic qualities tend to mask the cruel underbelly of the people that live there.

"Lets find the thief and be done with this frozen hell hole." growled Zany, as we passed through the city gate.

"Where were you when the thief struck?" I asked my grumpy Argonian companion, his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes darted about from under his hood; no doubt feeling quite exposed and vulnerable without his beloved enchanted blades.

"Where the bloody hell do you think?!" he spat angrily, his agitation rising by the second.

"The tavern I'm guessing? Well… why not go investigate there while I look around the city?" I suggested, knowing very well if I let Zany go there alone he was more likely to investigate the bottom of a flagon than the tavern it's self; a mellowed and tipsy Argonian makes for a far better travel companion than an edgy and irritable one any day. Zany said nothing as he quickly ascended the steps before us, entering Candlehearth Hall and leaving me to hunt down the thief on my own. Frankly it was when I stood there alone amongst the falling snow that I realized now would be an excellent time for one of our recent additions to the family- Arren, a skilled tracker- to be present… though I hadn't thought of this before Zany and I left the Sanctuary in as much haste as we had. I if I had been allowed to think for five minutes without Zany raging about his stolen weapons, it probably would have occurred to me to bring Arren along; but that was out of my control, so I might as well see what I can do on my own. As I stood and debated which section of the city I should search first, my eye caught a slight movement from around the other side of Candlehearth Hall- a person hiding around the corner had just peeked out to see if I was still standing there. I walked slowly, careful of the crunching snow beneath my feet as I neared the corner; jumping around the edge of the building to watch the person- a young man of perhaps 23- dash headlong into the stone wall of a building… only to skillfully clamber up it, finding handholds were I never could have thought possible on the seemingly well wind-worn stone. The man turned to face me from high above, and I could barely make out a toothy grin amongst the snowstorm- but there was no mistaking his fangs gleaming in the moonlight. This man was a vampire, and by the familiar twin scimitars that now hung from his belt- he was also Zany's thief.

The man dashed off across the rooftops, and I followed suit along the streets- keeping him in sight as best I could. Though eventually I lost sight of him, his vampiric speed and agility far greater than mine… though he apparently thought I had lost sight of him long before- as I saw him jump down from the rooftops not far from where I stood, and I watched him saunter cockily off onto another street that veered off our current one. I followed silently and smirked when I realized the vampire had cornered himself in an alley leading to an abandoned shop with an overhang blocking any ascent to the rooftops.

"Damn it…" he swore audibly, and I stood with a hand on my hip- his misfortune being my good luck.

"Give me back what you stole and I will let you live." I said bluntly, my eyes locked on this vampire- watching and waiting for him to try and escape.

"I have stolen nothing tonight, save for the virtue of a farmer's daughter… then her life." he said with a sarcastic chuckle. I narrowed my eyes at him in annoyance,

"I never said it was tonight, rather those scimitars you stole from an irritable Argonian two days ago." I said as I motioned towards the swords at his belt, a scowl appearing on his face.

"Damn it…" was all he said, though with more aggravation than before.

"I will only ask once, return the blades or risk the wrath of Sithis… for he is not kind to those who wrong his children." I said coldly, warning the thief of who he had dared to tangle with. His eyes going wide before he did something I was not expecting… he removed the blades from his belt and handed them to me, though it was his words that truly caught me off guard.

"My apologies Sister, I was unaware of the origin of these blades." he said with a half smirk, the look of a scolded child hidden in his dark amber eyes. I was stunned, this young vampire was a member of the Brotherhood? Impossible.

"You are of the Brotherhood?" I asked curiously, though doubting his claim.

"Yes. I left several years ago only to return roughly a week ago to find the Sanctuary in ruins, my family dead and buried. I assumed I was the only one left, though I did wonder who had buried them." He explained, though I was still skeptical.

"Really? Where was the Sanctuary? Who was it's Matron? Name the other members." I asked him, testing his information should he be lying.

"Just south of Falkreath, and our Matron was Astrid. The other members being her husband- the werewolf- Abjorn, Veezara, the un-child Babette, Nazir, Gabriella, and my Grandfather Festus." he said with a confident smirk as I blinked in further surprise.

"Excuse me… but… Festus was your grandfather?" I asked bluntly, surprised that grumpy old man had even procreated much less had a grandchild.

"Yep." he said with a heavy sigh. I saw no resemblance at all between this man and that old man that could have given Zany a run for his money in a competition of the grumps. This young man stood roughly 5'10" with spikey ear length crimson hair- with an oddly sliverly gleam to it; his ears peeking out from behind his hair seeming slightly pointed… possibly from his vampirism, but something about his facial structure seemed somewhat elvish.

"I don't see it, but I will take your word for it… Brother." I said simply, giving a slight sigh of reluctance; hesitant to believe he was a member of the brotherhood, but his facts lined up. Only Babette and Nazir could prove his claim now, as by his account he had left long before Cicero ever arrived; however the Night Mother could also prove him true or false.

"Shall we return home to Falkreath?" He asked innocently, apparently believing us to still be based out of the ruined cavern.

"We no longer operate out of Falkreath, by order of the Night Mother we have begun the restoration of the Sanctuaries across Skyrim. Currently I call Winterhold home, now that you have returned the blades you may come with me there and be welcomed home once again." I explained, the young man smirking broadly.

"I'd rather you welcome me into your bed." he said perversely, and all I could do was sigh heavily; just my luck to find yet another recruit who wants to sleep with me… Sithis help me.

"I would watch what you say to your Listener." I said simply, though making my warning obvious. His smirk faltered little at hearing this,

"So you're the boss? Nice… a big improvement on Astrid. You single?" he asked, no doubt pressing his luck to see how far he could push my buttons before I reacted violently or caved to his flirtations.

"Perhaps I am. Perhaps I'm not. Doesn't really matter does it? Your not the only Brother trying to weasel his way into my bed, I will treat you the same way I treat him; with refusal. Now if your done flirting, perhaps we should locate my companion and return home?" I said coldly, turning on my heel and heading back to Candlehearth Hall with the currently unnamed young man in tow; disappointment on his face the entire way.

As we approached the tavern, I could hear a scuffle occurring within- though it soon spilled out into the streets as a very familiar Argonian came tumbling out of the tavern with a burly Nord man in a headlock.

"Zany. Let him go, we're heading home." I said simply, never breaking stride as I headed for the city gates. Zany released the Nord man and gave him a boot to the ass, sending his head straight into a snowdrift before following me and our other companion.

"Whose the kid?" Zany asked bluntly, his words slightly slurred by the effects of too much mead. I chuckled and looked to the young man, waiting on his introduction.

"Vaughan Sanguino, and I'm not a kid. I was 23 when I was turned about 5 years ago." he explained with slight anger at being called a child, letting his fangs show enough for even the drunken Argonian to see.

"Great, another blood-sucker. Remind me not to tell him to 'bite me' next time I get pissed." Zany said with a scowl as I sighed and handed him his scimitars.

"Please refrain from violence against our Brothers and Sisters… and no biting any of them Vaughan- at least not without my permission and their consent?" I said irritably, addressing them both in turn; at this point I was simply eager to be heading home after this ordeal and was not in the mood to referee an altercation. The pair remained silent, though I could tell they would not get along anytime soon, and we left the city of Windhelm behind- heading home to Winterhold and our island Sanctuary. As I mounted Shadowmere's saddle, I could see Zany and Vaughan glaring at one another- daring each other to suggest riding home with me. "Zany. Get your ass on the horse." I said angrily, my patience thinning as I chose the man less likely to attempt to take advantage of the closeness sharing the horse would require. Zany smirked at Vaughan, who simply attempted not to pout in further disappointment as Zany climbed skillfully onto the back of the saddle.

"Tsk, I can run faster than a horse anyway." Vaughan said dismissively, putting his current position off as nothing before dashing off towards Winterhold. Shadowmere whinnied indignantly as she clopped her hooves as if to say: "Lets show this boy who is truly faster, shall we?" I simply chuckled at hear eagerness and snapped her reigns, giving her the signal to speed off after Vaughan; Zany's arms zipping around my waist to keep himself from flying off as we jolted from motionless to breakneck speed in a matter of seconds.

Shadowmere caught up to Vaughan in moments, catching the vampire by surprise- his stride faltering in his moment of dumbfounded shock to see us catch up so quickly. Zany still clinging tightly, his heart no doubt hammering as Shadowmere thundered along the road- cutting through the wilderness every so often, jumping over everything in her path with speed and grace. Vaughan regained his composure quickly, returning to our little race to prove he could outrun my demon horse- though I was confident his pride would be taking another shot below the belt by the time we reached home. We soon overtook Vaughan, passing him as we neared a deep and swiftly moving river- Shadowmere could bound over the large rocks with little effort to land on the opposite side with ease… though I hadn't expected Shadowmere's footing to slip as she landed, her body lurching forward to slam into the rocky shore. My demon mare cried out in pain, throwing Zany and I from her saddle as she crumpled to the ground. While Zany fell onto the shore… I fell into the swiftly moving river, hitting my head on a rock and passing out as the current carried me downstream. The last thing I heard before I lost consciousness was Zany shouting my name over the roar of the rushing water and what sounded like someone diving into the river after me.

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><p>Yes, this is really short- but I have a reason to do so. Just wait for the next chapter, though it may take some time as I need to figure out how to bring in a certain character. Until then I will do my best to work on the story mentioned above, which will hopefully inspire me and give me ideas!<p> 


	17. The Falmer Under The Falls

**The Falmer Under The Falls**

I awoke to the blurry skies above as I lay on my back, my clothes soaked with water- but I wasn't as chilled as I should have been; turning my head to see a fire burning not far from where I lay on the smooth stone.

"Hey, your not dead. Good for you." said a voice not far from me, I turned to face the voice and found my eyes falling on a dainty young Bosmer woman with oddly cut lavender hair; the back short cut to the nape of her neck, though her long bangs hung around her face and over her left eye slightly- the tips of her bangs skirting over her collar bone with her pointy ears poking out slightly from behind her bangs.

"Where am I?" I asked her, cautious of this stranger but too curious not to ask.

"The Rift, just north of Dark Water Crossing along the river. You fell off the waterfall and washed up on the shore, I watched and I think someone was trying to catch you- but he didn't wash up so I think he may be dead." She said nonchalantly, as if she cared little for what she was saying.

"What did this person look like?" I asked, hoping it wasn't Zany or Vaughan who had possibly died in an attempt to save me.

"Some Argonian guy, why? Did you know him?" she asked, beginning to realize that her words may have had more of an impact than she had obviously thought. I sighed and looked at the ground… Zany had given his life to try and save mine. It was times like this when I wonder if I am an angel of death, I bring it as an assassin and somehow it seems to follow me everywhere.

"Yes… he was a close friend- like family." I said softly, my eyes burning from the tears I fought back- I refused to let my emotions get the best of me.

"I know how that is, believe me I do. I lost someone close to me about a month ago… it's rough getting over that sort of thing. All you can do is soldier on and try not to think about it- at least, that's what I do." She advised, her words sounding a little wiser than she looked; her somewhat skimpy black and red outfit a little out of place in the cold climate of Skyrim.

"Thank you, Miss?" I asked, having yet to catch this woman's name.

"Names Rin. And you?" she answered quickly, her lively starlight blue eyes frankly reminding me of a child's as she grinned.

"Alyce Lachance." I responded simply, not mentioning my position as Listener of the Dark Brotherhood- as I did not yet know if this woman could be trusted.

"Well Alyce, if you want you can stick with me until you feel like heading home. I have some business with a bunch of Falmer not far from here, you can come if you want or start heading home." Rin said simply, giving me the choice to assist her or leave for Winterhold. This woman had fished me out of the river before the current could carry me off again, helping her with a bunch of Falmer was the least I could do to repay her.

"I think helping you with these Falmer is the least I can do to thank you for your assistance." I said with a kind smile, placing my hand on my hip as I stood- glad to see my weapons were still on my person; though my knapsack was no doubt with Vaughan and Shadowmere at the top of the falls, Steelheart safely within the bag.

"That's a relief. I'm good with a bow, but Falmer- they like to swarm and are faster than all hell. Not easy to line up a good shot when one's trying to bash your skull in." Rin said with a sarcastic chuckle as she placed a bow and quiver on her back, preparing to leave.

We traveled along the river, south to the small mining village of Dark Water Crossing; heading over the nearby bridge and up the path- Rin veering off as we neared the middle waterfall of the three that cascaded down from the large lake up on the high cliff.

"You ready?" she asked as she lead me off the path to a door set into the rocks, a Falmer totem sticking out of the ground beside it. I nodded as I drew my steel daggers and prepared for the worst. We entered the cavern and I was not surprised to find it nearly flooded considering how close it was to a waterfall; Rin letting me pass her without a word- I assumed it was because I was a melee fighter and she was an archer. The water reached my waist before returning to knee height as it had been when we entered, Rin sighing as we found drier ground. I was about to ask her why the water had unnerved her- but a Falmer jumping down from a nitch on the wall silenced my question as I dodged it's strike, returning it in kind to the soft spot just under it's jaw. "Damn, you must do this sort of thing often." Rin said off-handedly, though I tensed at how right she was; just how observant was this Bosmer?

"I had a friend in the Companions growing up, he insisted on teaching me how to use a blade." I said with a small chuckle, though what I said was actually not a lie… at least not completely.

"Companions, huh? They're like the Fighter's Guild in Cyrodiil, right?" she asked as she took aim at a Falmer high on a ledge as we continued through the cave, killing it with an arrow to the throat in a single shot.

"Something like that." I said with a nod, before falling silent to sneak up on a Falmer inside his hut- slitting his throat before he even knew I was there. Rin said nothing more, so I kept silent as well- simply delving deeper into the caves with her in tow.

It didn't take long for us to reach a dryer section of the cave, the water up to our ankles as we walked up a small flight of stairs into what appeared to be part of a long forgotten Nordic ruin hidden deep in the mountain.

"YOU FALMER BASTARDS BETTER WATCH YOURSELVES WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE! I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU ALL!" raged a familiar voice, echoing through the hallway- but loud enough to be close.

"Zany!?" I said with surprise, rushing ahead of Rin and up another set of stairs into a circular room with a grate in the middle of it- looking down to see a very irate Argonian looking back up at me.

"Alyce?! Hurry up and get me out of this damn hole, you miserable Hagraven!" he growled, once again without his beloved blades; I wasn't sure what had him more upset, being unarmed or being held captive.

"Just give me a moment-" I began to say, though an arrow piercing my shoulder turned my words into a grunt of pain as I pulled the projectile out to see it of Falmer make; standing up and facing a Falmer Archer in a room just off the circular one.

"And that is why you don't run ahead. Jeez, your almost as bad as my partner." Rin said with a small scowl as she arrived and launched an arrow at the Falmer, who ducked behind the wall to avoid being hit. I moved quickly into a small nitch in the wall, taking the moment to use a small healing spell on my shoulder- closing the wound and easing the pain. I peeked out from behind the stone to narrowly escape an arrow to the face, watching it zip by and hit the wall- drawing my attention to a lever on the wall. I pulled said lever and watched as a section of the stone wall pulled away to reveal a passage, as well as hear the klang a gate open not far away; it was possibly the door to Zany's cell.

"ABOUT SITHIS DAMNED TIME!" Zany raged as he stormed up the passage, barreling into the circular room; cutting down Falmer arrows as he went. I hoped Rin hadn't heard his mention of Sithis… but, her being a wood elf made this unlikely. Needless to say, Zany was not happy as he cut down the Falmer Archer in one swing off his flaming scimitar; lobbing off it's head before giving it a swift kick to the ribs in anger. "Should have known you too stubborn to die falling off a waterfall." Zany grumbled as he sheathed his blades and turned to face me.

"Just goes to show I'm far more durable than most people think- GET DOWN!" I said, changing my tone as a Falmer Nightprowler fell from somewhere above Zany without a sound; raising it's blade to strike him from behind. I charged forward and tackled Zany out of the way as the Falmer's blade sparked against the stone floor, Rin letting fly an arrow to stun it as I righted myself and sliced out it's knees from behind it; the Falmer falling backwards in pain, dropping it's blade to clutch it's wounded legs. I flipped one of my daggers in my hand, driving it down into the Falmer's heart; it clung fruitlessly to life for only a few moments before it's body went limp; the Falmer's lungs no longer drawing breath as the life drained from it's body.

"So, your friend isn't dead?" Rin asked as she stood with her bow still at the ready, her eyes flitting to the unexplored hallway not too far from us every so often.

"Apparently not, there must have been an underwater passage beneath the falls; Zany probably fell in just the right spot for the current to take him under." I reasoned- as the entrance of the caves had been farther up the waterfall than where I had fallen, it was easy to understand how we had ended up in different locations after my fall and Zany's less than successful rescue.

"Could you two cut the chatter so we can leave?! I have had enough of this damnable place to last me a lifetime." Zany complained, grumpily folding his arms across his chest as he waited impatiently for us to get moving. I sighed and made for the passage out of the circular room, moving slowly and quietly- dropping low so Rin could fire an arrow at a Falmer at the top of a staircase ahead of us; killing him with one shot as she had the one before. Honestly I would say she was on par with Arren, if not better with a bow than he was- though not quite at Hadranius' level of skill; I was beginning to think about recruiting her to find out how she truly compared against my current archers. I lead us up the staircase, carefully stepping over a tripwire and triggering it from the other side to release a Falmer claw trap before it could do any harm. Zany and Rin following me through the small tunnel into a cavern with a small waterfall, Rin taking down one of the three Falmer in the area as Zany jumped off the ledge into the wide stream with his blades drawn- slashing two long strikes down the torso of a second Falmer. Rin dropping the third before he could even draw his bow from the ledge at the top of the waterfall, his body falling over and bobbing along with the current before going over the far edge into the dark abyss. I sighed and took the only available path through a tunnel to our left, following it upwards and coming out on the ledge where the third Falmer had once stood. We continued through a small tunnel, leaving the cave ruins behind through another ancient door- dropping into a shallow section of a small lake farther up the waterfalls.

"Well, I have to go tell the people at Dark Water Crossing the Falmer problem has been taken care of; later guys." Rin said with a laugh, placing her bow on her back and running off- a whistle sounding and a Cyrodiil white mare galloping into view, Rin's stride never faltering as she hopped up into the saddle and rode off. Zany and I waded out of the lake and up the small hill that lead to the road in silence and I began to wonder if Shadowmere would hear my call wherever she was. I whistled for her as I always had, waiting a moment… and sure as the sun shined, she came galloping through the wilderness.

"The Un-Child wasn't kidding when she said this horse was fast as darkness it's self." Zany grumbled, sounding surprised Shadowmere could have arrived so quickly without a rider. Though I had a feeling this was something she could only do without a mortal in her saddle, possibly traveling through the Void to span great distances.

"Babette has seen Shadowmere with many riders, so she would know all this grumpy mare can do." I said with a chuckle as I patted Shadowmere's mane, receiving an irritable snort from her in return.

"I'll walk. I'm not getting on that beast ever again." Zany said simply as he began to walk off down the road in the direction of Winterhold. I sighed and mounted Shadowmere's saddle, bringing her to walk alongside my grumpy Argonian companion in silence. We traveled without a word from The Rift into Eastmarch once again, making camp for the night in the woods beside the road. I tied Shadowmere's reigns to a low branch before unfastening my bedroll from her saddle, Zany simply walking off- possibly to collect wood for a camp fire. I sat down on my unrolled bedroll and waited for him to return, not needing to wait much longer than twenty minutes. Zany came back and dropped the small branches in a heap before sitting down on the ground against a nearby tree. I cast a small flame spell on the branches, setting them ablaze before the fire calmed and became a simple camp fire.

We sat in silence, my arms wrapped around my legs with my head on my knees as I sat slowly drifting between sleep and consciousness. Though I was roused from my half-slumber by something small bouncing off my side. I lifted my head and looked at the ground below where I had been struck, my eyes going wide to see something I hadn't expected- an Amulet of Kynareth.

"I found that with my scimitars when I came out of the cell. I have no use for it." Zany grumbled as he looked off to the side, his cold blue eyes hidden behind his hood. I blinked as I took a moment to make sense of the gift, a broad smile growing on my face as I picked up the amulet and before Zany could even blink I had rushed over to him and embraced him in a tight hug; his off-handed gift being more important to me than he probably knew.

"Thank you… I've actually been looking for one of these for quite some time." I said happily, surprised to feel the normally distant Argonian returning the hug with minor reluctance; though I could tell by how awkward his response was, that he wasn't exactly used to this sort of thing. I pulled out of the hug and sat on my knees as I drew the strings of the amulet around my neck, fastening it securely- the metal charm feeling warm against my skin as it sat over my collarbone, the simple sky blue gem gleaming proudly. Though when I looked up at Zany I could swear his scales looked a tad pink, my own face becoming red as I realized I was kneeling between his out stretched legs- having been basically sitting in his lap as we hugged only moments before. I stood without a word and returned to my bedroll, laying down and facing away from Zany to hide my embarrassment as I attempted to drift off to sleep. I awoke the next morning to find the fire snuffed out and Zany already leaning against the tree, ready to leave as soon as I was; though he looked a tad impatient- not that this was anything new.

"About time you got up. Lets go." he grumbled as he stood straight and turned to leave, knowing his head start would matter little once Shadowmere and I were on our way. I rushed to roll up my bedroll and fasten it to the saddle all the same, the amulet hanging around my neck reminding me of last night's embarrassing situation. I dropped my forehead to the cool leather of the saddle, Shadowmere whinnying sounding almost concerned to my ears.

"I'm fine… just, thinking." I said slowly, feeling foolish for reassuring my horse that I was fine; then again she was a demon horse of human-like intelligence, so maybe I shouldn't have felt so foolish after all.

"ARE YOU COMING OR NOT, YOU MISERABLE HAGRAVEN?!" I heard Zany shout from down the road, and all I could do was chuckle as I jumped into the saddle and guided Shadowmere into a gallop; passing Zany with a grin.

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><p>Those of you who are aware of the romance sub-plots… please note that Rin is TAKENSPOKEN FOR/CLAIMED. So no asking for her. Also… I'm aware of the screwed up geography in this chapter- just kinda go with it because I really wanted to use this mini-plot to break up the monotony of "Alyce does this, goes here, gets that person, comes home, now we move on" so I might just do that more often if everyone likes it XD

On the mention of Romance Sub-plots, who thinks Alyce should be with Zany? This is a small snippet of the possibility- either way I will add him to the poll that will be posted on my profile much later. Though you may also suggest other men as options (Alyce is STRAIGHT, I have nothing against gays/lesbians/bisexuals, I simply am not- so it's easier for me to make Alyce straight), simply suggest someone in your review and give me a reason why ("Because he's hot" and "Because they would look cute together" do not count as valid answers). If anyone wishes to discuss their male character making this list, and I haven't already spoken to you about it or your character isn't already spoken for- please don't be afraid to PM me about it.


	18. Abducted

So I have some bad news everyone. I no longer have internet at home at the moment, so currently I will only be able to get online once a month or so. So, here is the long awaited next chapter!

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><p><strong><span>Abducted<span>**

Zany and I had returned safely to the Sanctuary late the next night, both of us fatigued from the journey and parted ways for our rooms just after entering the main hall. I stumbled into bed after changing into my night clothes, my head feeling heavy on the pillow before I drifted off to sleep; I slept for perhaps an hour… before a familiar voice arose me from my slumber.

"Alyce…" whispered the voice, the same one that had been haunting me- though this time there was no wind to carry it to my ears. No this time it felt as if it was all around me, beside me, and far away at the same time. I tiredly climbed out of bed and looked around the room, hoping it was some kind of prank and not my mind slipping away. Then the voice came again though this time it felt as if it was in my office, and all I could think of was to follow the sound of the voice. I left my room and entered the office antechamber, seeing no one there either- but the voice sounded again, calling my name from outside in the hallway. It appeared to be leading me somewhere, all rational thought told me to ignore it and just go back to sleep… but another part of me wanted to know what this voice was and what it wanted from me. I followed the mysterious voice outside into the chill night air, though the normally storming Sea of Ghosts was eerily calm; a light dusting of snowfall without the roaring wind to bite at my skin as I realized I was still only in my night clothes. I berated myself for this oversight as I turned around to head back inside where it was warm. "Alyce Lachance… it has been too long since we last spoke. Ten years next month, if memory serves." came the sound of an elderly woman behind me, though her voice sounded almost the same as the one that had lead me outside.

"How do you know my name?" I asked as I turned around quickly, my eyes falling on an old woman; her gray hair loose about her face- looking both tame and wild at the same time- her sky blue eyes bright with mirth as she smiled at me.

"I have known you since before you were even born. I knew your mother too, and your brother." she said with a chuckle, tapping her oaken walking stick on the snowy ground before taking a seat on a piece of ancient rubble- pulling her wolf pelt shawl neatly around her shoulders.

"Who are you?" I asked simply, this woman becoming more and more familiar even though her explanations seemed to beat about the truth.

"I am an old friend, someone you once considered a second Mother after yours was taken. You have been avoiding me for quite some time child." she said crossly, though I could tell she wasn't really angry about anything.

"You are not making sense, just who are you?!" I asked more angrily, becoming frustrated and my hand raising to my amulet without thinking about it.

"You know exactly who I am." she said simply, a kind smile on her lips as she looked up at me… and I don't know what happened as the world suddenly became a blur as I blacked out, my eyes opening to find myself back in my bed as if I had never gone on my late night walk.

I sat up and shook my head of sleepiness, my late night walk feeling so real- but distant like a dream at the same time. I stood and dressed for the day, walking out of my room and making my way to the dining hall; the morning events of breakfast in full swing. I sat down at the table and I could feel a small nagging twinge in the back of my mind… had I forgotten something? No… I don't think I had- then it hit me, and it might as well have been literally considering the pain I was in as the tiny twinge erupted into raging pain. I fell back and off the bench onto the floor, my hands firmly clutched around my head in agony- my head feeling like it was exploding from the inside, my eyes on fire from the pain. I screamed something unintelligible and could feel bodies clamoring around me in concern. I writhed about on the cold stone floor, but not even that could quell the burning in the slightest; my amulet feeling like it was tightening about my neck like a noose.

"What the hell?!" Johnny shouted, feeling a hand grasp the amulet before it was yanked off and clattered to the floor. I felt the air rush into my lungs and the pain in my head vanish as quickly as it had come along.

"Are you well Listener?" Hadranius asked worriedly as he stooped and helped me to my feet long enough to sit down on the bench again.

"I… have no idea." I said breathlessly my head spinning from the shock of whatever had just occurred.

"This damn thing must have been cursed." Zany scowled as he kicked the amulet against the wall.

"_That amulet was not the source of your pain._" said the voice of the Night Mother, her voice sharp on my mind- but gentle in comparison to what I had just been through.

"No, something else did it- so the Night Mother says- but I won't be putting it back on until we know what did." I sighed, holding my head in my hands as I hunched over and propped my elbows on my knees; my fingers combed through my blood red hair. Just when I finally got a glimpse of having a symbol of my old faith back- it turned out to be hazardous to my health, though if the amulet didn't cause it… then why had it tightened about my neck?

I stood and picked up the amulet, taking it to my room and placing it on my desk with a frustrated sigh. Though I soon found a letter neatly placed on my desk, and I sat down to read it's contents.

_Listener,_

_I have located a willing initiate with the skill of a blacksmith, I am certain she will be of use to you in Winterhold. She is a Redguard woman by the name of Meliadoul and should arrive in Winterhold by tomorrow with a report of how she was recruited._

This letter being signed: Donovan Gravebone- Blacksmith of Dawnstar Sanctuary. Tomorrow… that would be today. Damn… leave it to our Orc smith to leave me with next to no time to prepare- then again if this had been on my desk yesterday there really was no way of my knowing. I brought the letter with me as I stood and rushed out the door, our latest recruit would no doubt be waiting at the tavern- Donovan, not yet knowing the location of this Sanctuary, couldn't possibly have told her anything else.

"Shouldn't you be laying down or something after that episode?" Johnny asked as I breezed past him.

"No time, a recruit from Dawnstar is due to arrive any minute and I doubt she will wish to be kept waiting." I said hurriedly as I made for the entrance, not surprised to hear Johnny chuckle and follow after me.

"Well then, I might as well come with you. Who would hold you close if you have another attack?" he flirted, and I simply rolled my eyes as I kept walking.

"I didn't need it then, I won't need it ever." I scoffed, and I could swear I heard Johnny's pout as he tagged along through the entrance and out into the light snowfall of midday. I looked up into the pale blue sky and sighed when I remembered my dream, it was currently the 28th of Heartfire… which meant Frost Fall was only a few days away- and with it, my least favorite day of the year.

"Something on your mind?" Johnny murmured as he attempted to once again throw an arm around my waist, receiving my elbow to his stomach yet again.

"It's nothing of your concern." I said far colder than I had intended as I began walking down the icy hill, Johnny sighing and following in silence.

We climbed the icy path up from the beach to the town, walking casually into the street as we made our way towards the tavern. I opened the door and was assaulted by the typical strong smell of booze with the faint undertone of someone who had apparently not been able to keep their liquor down. We entered the tavern and made our way to the bar, inquiring with the Innkeeper if a Redguard woman had arrived. The Innkeeper nodded and pointed to one of the rooms; I gave him my thanks and walked the short distance to the door, opening it and seeing no one inside. I asked Johnny to stay outside, having a nagging feeling this room was not nearly as empty as it seemed. I entered the room and closed the door behind me, standing perfectly still and calm as I felt a dagger's blade ghost across my neck- the slightest pressure and my throat would be slit.

"Who are you? A Sister?" asked a cold, but distinctly female, voice from behind me. I chuckled lightly,

"Listener, actually." I said frankly, and immediately the blade was withdrawn and I was able to turn around and face my would-be attacker. There was little doubt that this was Meliadoul, her skin being a russet color like most people of the Alkir' Desert- marking her as a Redguard. Her dark brown hair barely brushed over her shoulders as she regarded me with caution in her equally brown eyes.

"So you're the 'Winter Rose' the crazy bastard in Dawnstar mentioned?" she asked, and I laughed a bit at this. Cicero had given me quite the interesting nickname… and I actually rather liked it- making a mental note to thank him next time I was in Dawnstar.

"I suppose that would be me. You are Meliadoul?" I asked, double checking the assumption that I had the correct person; receiving a nod in response. I sighed and walked around Meliadoul, opening the door and stepping out with her in tow- Johnny falling into step with us as we left the tavern.

"So… are you single?" Johnny asked, and I nearly face palmed as I heard him grunt from Meliadoul turning on a dime and punching him in the stomach before walking briskly up to match my gait.

"Is he always like this?" she asked, and all I could do was sigh as I confirmed that it was indeed a common thing for him. Johnny thankfully remained silent- keeping his wandering hands to himself- as we returned to the Sanctuary to find a dagger sticking out of the mortaring between the stones of the ruins exterior, a note pinned between blade and stone. I wrenched the blade out and read the mysterious letter… my teeth clenching and my eyes going wide in anger, the words on the page boiling my blood in its veins.

"What is it?" Asked Johnny curiously, attempting to peer over my shoulder. I crumpled the paper and threw it to the side before storming into the Sanctuary.

"EVERYONE TO THE MAIN HALL. IMMEDIATELY." I seethed, my voice echoing as I entered and began to pace; the rest of the family filing in quickly.

"What is the commotion Lady Listener?" Asked Hadranius worriedly, and I had to breath deeply so as not to snap at him.

"Someone… has taken both Phoenix and Svina. The pair apparently were captured on their way home from Windhelm, but I will not stand for this- I want them found." I instructed, Nikita practically barreling past me as he heard that his love was taken. "Nikita, stay put. The kidnappers left a note detailing their location, I will need every blade available to ensure their safe return. We have no reason to trust their assailants will release them alive, but should we encounter superior numbers- your strength could mean life or death for both of them." I explained as I placed a hand on the man's shoulder, Nikita simply growling in frustration and returning to stand where he had before.

"Where are we to find them?" Asked Hadranius as he folded his arms, no doubt about to formulate a battle strategy should he know of the place.

"An abandoned prison, south of Windhelm along the river." I stated simply, frankly never having been there myself. Hadranius said nothing, rather it was Zany who spoke up.

"I have been there, it will be challenging to enter in mass as there is only one entry point and one 'drop-exit' out the back- but that also falls in our favor to blockade the assailants." he explained, and I was surprised he was speaking so much at one time- and without a hint of spite in his tone. I nodded and turned for the door, before a thought came to mind.

"Johnny, I want you to bring reinforcements from Dawnstar. The kidnappers may be Imperium Ultis- in which case, greater numbers will ensure our survival." I stated, Johnny nodding and dashing out of the Sanctuary to begin his mission.

We left the Sanctuary en mass, dispersing along the shoreline to reunite on the other side of the town. Our journey into the Windhelm-Riften area was uneventful… but I could easily see bandits hiding in the forests and behind rocks; obviously not stupid enough to tangle with what was without a doubt a well armed group of fairly pissed off assassins. We met no interruptions as we followed Zany to a small stone bridge that spanned the river,

"Under this bridge is the back exit, I will enter here- it is a far drop into the tunnel and few else can climb like I can. The entrance is farther up the river, beside the waterfall." he said gruffly as he approached the railing, pointing up river before vaulting over the railing and splashing slightly as he ducked under the bridge.

"You heard him… lets go get our Brother and Sister." I said blankly, my eyes no doubt reflecting the dark fury hidden beneath my momentarily calm exterior. My subordinates nodded in firm agreement- although Meliadoul looked rather confused… obviously never having realized how seriously we took our claim as family. I lead them up the river, seeing the ruined prison fort across the small chasm; the whole structure looked as if it had nearly toppled into the river entirely after what had to have been a severe storm, not far from it being a small riverside hut that looked to have faired even worse- a tall tree having fallen through it's roof, and as we walked along the cliff it was obvious that the inhabitant had been inside at the time of the unfortunate accident. We used a downed tree to cross the raging waterfall to the other side of the river, clambering down a stone slope to the remnants of the prison entrance. I entered the building first, motioning it was safe for the others to follow after several moments of checking the hall for hidden adversaries; if the Imperium Ultis was behind this, they would try anything to catch us off guard. I stepped into the circular two-tiered hall that was common in Imperial prisons I had seen in Skyrim- regrettably I had seen my share of them during the earlier parts of my career as an assassin.

"Hadranius, I want you and Arren to take position here on this upper level. If we need to flee, you are to cover our escape." I ordered, the pair of them nodding before picking spots along the ledge; staying hidden behind the stone pillars as Meliadoul and Nikita followed me down into the lower level.

I was surprised to find the halls empty of Imperium Ultis soldiers, and something about this did not feel right to me. Only now that I was beginning t calm down did I realize that the Imperium Ultis did not seem the type to kidnap anyone- much less an assassin… but they were the only ones who knew of our Sanctuary's location; a random bandit clan wouldn't have the brains or would they know WHO they were dealing with, and the letter had addressed us as the Brotherhood.

"Whoever took Svina must have balls of diamond, that or they don't know who they're fucking with." Nikita scoffed angrily as we continued to delve deeper into the prison with no resistance. I couldn't help but chuckle as I turned to my attempted-murderer- turned-brother,

"Then lets show them… why no one harms my family." I said darkly, my voice dropping into a tone that was both foreboding… and motherly at the same time. Nikita smirked as he adjusted the grip on his sword and I stopped walking as we reached an apparent dead end- though there was a hole through the wall of the back left cell into the prison block behind it.

"Meliadoul, how is your lock picking?" I asked, doubting Nikita was tactful enough to be any better with the delicate skill than I was.

"Passable." She said blankly, catching the hint and dropping to one knee before the door and examining the lock before pulling out a pick and setting to work; the door swinging open after a few minutes and three broken picks.

"Better than I am, and that's good enough for me." I said with a shrug as I passed through the now open door and walked straight on into the opposite cell block. I was unsurprised to find this cell block empty as well, though I could hear a voice from down the only available hall.

"Oi! You are gonna be sooooo sorry you were ever even born when the boss gets here!" came the angered voice of Phoenix as he shouted at his captors- proceeded by what sounded like the muffled shouts of them putting a gag on him.

"Does this brat EVER shut up?!" said one of the captors as we drew closer,

"From what I can tell? No." said another voice this one sighing in disdain- and sounding far too male to be Svina. I stopped just short of the room where the voices seemed to be coming from, signaling for Meliadoul and Nikita to stay put as I peered around the corner to find not just Svina and Phoenix held captive- but a third person I had never seen before sitting tied up beside them. This man being a moderately elderly Dumner- looking older than Hadranius in the least- clad in rather unusual mages robes. I ducked back behind the wall, giving my companions a nod that we could enter the room with no problem- there was apparently only one kidnapper that I had seen; an easy fight for the three of us.

Nikita stormed out before I could blink, charging in with his sword drawn and ready to spill the blood of the kidnapper- but I wasn't expecting to nearly be knocked on my ass by Nikita being thrown back at me.

"So… Mother's favored blood has arrived, and she has brought friends. You should have asked me before bringing anyone else to your play date." sneered the kidnapper, his greasy looking black hair hanging limp and tangled about his gaunt face as he stared at me with deathly blank black eyes; his apparently heavily enchanted imperial armor suggesting he was indeed Imperium Ultis… but where was the rest of the insufferable group?

"Mother? Playdate? This guy's a lunatic." Meliadoul scowled as she watched this strange man, most likely looking for any signs of weakness or an opening in his deceptively calm defensive demeanor.

"Lunatic? How disrespectful… it seems Mother has not been disciplining the children enough. Don't worry, Father will fix that." the man said, his voice dripping with sadistic venom as he drew his sword and approached us- his eyes filled with a familiar hatred… and I froze. My mind flashing back to a distant memory I wanted nothing more than to forget.

"_Mommy!" screamed a little girl of only seven years as she dashed in the front door of the house she had been born and raised in. She dashed to her mother who cradled her in her arms before hiding the fearful and crying girl behind her back, a man storming in quickly after- with rage and malice in his eyes as he approached the woman who guarded her daughter with determination in her eyes._

I was drawn from the memory by the sound of Meliadoul hitting the stone wall with a sickening crack; hopefully she was not gravely injured after such force being impacted on her spine. This man was far stronger than he appeared- though he looked plenty strong with arms as big around as one of a burly Orc. His lopsided malicious grin growing at the sight of the motionless Meliadoul; turning his eyes to me and it grew even more to see my obvious terror.

"What are you waiting for? Kick his ass!" Shouted Phoenix as he kicked at the floor, his arms still bound as he sat beside the equally helpless Svina and the mysterious Dunmer captive. My eyes flitted to them, and in that moment their captor took advantage of the split in my attention to make a stab for my torso- this blade falling short as I dodged, though it did slice my thigh rather deeply in the process. My bound companions struggling against the ropes that held them as I fell to the floor clutching the wound in my hand as I brandished Steelheart from it's sheath at my back. This was not the time to fight a long battle, a single nick was all I would need.

"A little girl with a broken soul, wielding a weapon from before her time. How quaint... Try as she may to slay the demons of her past; you can't kill a demon like me, not with that pathetic knife." the man sneered, my heart jumping into my throat… this mad man couldn't know my past- there was no way. I squeezed my eyes shut to block out his taunts and his cruel laughter as he watched me emotionally squirm, lunging blindly forward as I attempted to drive the blade into this man's chest; being knocked away like a silly girl, Steelheart clattering to the floor uselessly. "As I said, you can't kill me child." the man chuckled darkly- but then he coughed and gasped for breath; spinning about to reveal the Dunmer man smirking but still very restrained… and Steelheart buried to the hilt in the madman's back. The man snarled with his last breath as he fell to the floor face first, his blood being magically guided swiftly out of his body and onto the stone floor.

"Well, that was eventful- I did warn him he would rue the day he tangled with the likes of me; now if you would kindly untie these bonds I believe I can be on my way." the Dunmer said curtly, though his eyes seemed to hold a wary light as he looked directly at me; and I shivered slightly as I struggled to my feet, checking on Nikita and Meliadoul's injuries first- sighing in relief to find them simply unconscious.

I untied Svina and Phoenix first, both of them remaining silent about my slight breakdown. There would be time to explain… someday… but for now I turned my attention to the Dunmer, who seemed to become rather impatient and even more suspicious that we would free him at all.

"Who are you?" I asked him, frankly curious how he had moved my blade without even touching it- and something told me he was more than he seemed.

"My name matters little. Release me." he said simply, more like an order than a request. I chuckled at how easily this man could demand things in his current predicament, my nerves beginning to calm with this single moment of humor.

"Fine, tell me how you killed this man without the use of your arms." I ordered rather than asked, raising my eyebrow as I challenged this man's sense of authority over me. The Dunmer man sighed,

"A simple levitation spell, I have had many years of practice in several schools of magic. Might I leave now?" he explained, sounding like he was talking down to children before changing the subject back to his freedom. I said nothing to him as I turned to Svina,

"Why is this man with you?" I asked, curious about the Dunmer's involvement in their abduction; perhaps he had been the first man's partner in crime, who had simply angered his deranged friend enough to warrant his current status.

"This man was with us when we exited a ruin, we fought along side him- he is a talented mage." she explained hurriedly, her nerves far more gone than my own after such an ordeal- no doubt Nikita would fawn over her when he awoke.

"Yeah, the geezer's packin' some good spells too." Phoenix piped in, a grin on his ever childish face.

"You flatter me, it was simply a taste of what my years of training have sown." the Dunmer said with an almost smug tone… and I immediately was reminded of Festus enough to smile. I knelt beside the Dunmer man and he flinched slightly as I drew one of my daggers.

"I will release you, but… I would like to know if you would join our family first." I asked kindly, my eyes hopefully shining with the sincerity I held in my words. The elf was wary of my suggestion that much I could see plainly.

"And what family might that be? The Dark Brotherhood perhaps?" he inquired intuitively and I could not help but smile.

"The one and the same." I said simply, the Dunmer man thinking for hardly a moment before he sighed.

"On one condition… if ever there is a contract for the life of a Thalmor agent- it must be mine." he said with an almost fiendish smirk. I scoffed lightly, seeing this request as more than reasonable; having granted specific contract requests in the past.

"Welcome to the family, Brother…?" I said kindly, my dagger slicing through the ropes with ease.

"Thuban." he said simply, his eyes focused on his hands as he rubbed his wrists from the chaffing of his bindings. I smiled softly as I stood and offered Thuban a hand, though he ignored it without any hint of malice or ill content- seeming even more self-reliant type than I had originally thought.

With our reason for being here finished and the kidnapper dead on the floor, Thuban cast a levitation spell to carry both Meliadoul and Nikita out of the ruin, and it was then that I wondered where Zany had ended up if he hadn't been ahead of us as he intended. I stepped out of the hallway into the main chamber where the sound of our archers drawing back their strings was the only sound over the quiet gurgling of a small waterfall surging through a crack in the nearby stone wall. At the sight of me they relaxed and stood at ease, Hadranius nodding in approval as Arren gave a small smile to see our brother and sister safe.

"Has Johnny arrived with reinforcements?" I asked, finding the flirtatious thief still absent. Hadranius sighed,

"The boy has yet to return. He will no doubt bring all of Dawnstar's forces here long after we leave." he said with a shake of his head, Arren chuckling beside him.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he arrives with his fly down… no doubt the reason for his absence." the ranger joked and I fought not to laugh as I shot him a warning glare; I wouldn't allow anyone to speak ill of him- or of Johnny in turn… even if it was an assumption I could understand of someone with Johnny's personality.

"If you are done gossiping, perhaps we could head home?" Thuban said with a slightly annoyed sigh- no doubt seeing us less as assassins and more like chatty old women; thought there were times I could understand such a notion. We exited the abandoned prison and found a very irate- more so than usual- Zany just approaching the door from the path.

"Where have you been?" I asked with a dumbfounded tone, surprised that Zany might have been goofing off rather than helping to save Svina and Phoenix.

"That passage I went in was a mess- the place caved in long ago and collapsed a bit when I entered, I had to clear the path enough to even get out the way I came." he snarled, though I could tell he was more shaken about being nearly buried alive than he let on.

"Well, our family is safe… it worked out in the end. Lets just go home." I said softly, the gruff Argonian simply scoffing before seeming to relax a bit- each of us rather tired from the stress of worrying if we would reach our formerly captive Brother and Sister in time. We could relax once we reached home, and after enough rest… I would begin to acquaint myself better with the family of Winterhold before moving on to the next Sanctuary to be restored.

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><p>Anyone have any idea what the deal was with that old woman? Was that really a dream? And what caused Alyce's attack? Was it related to the Amulet? Or was something else at work? And what about Frost Fall does Alyce hate so much? What could have happened ten years ago to make her hate that month? What was the deal with that freaky guy who kidnapped Svina and Phoenix? Just what the hell is the whole story of Alyce's past? So many questions, so much to do… we'll see what secrets I'll reveal the truth of next time.<p>

Also, note to the creator of Meliadoul- you never gave me an eye color for her, so I had to wing it. My apologies for the slight deviation. Also, you said her name was unoriginal- if so, it must be from an earlier Elder Scrolls game or something because I have never heard or anyone with the same name.

To TwistedParanoia: I'm sorry if I made Thuban seem too full of himself, I will rectify this in his personal chapter. Until then, anyone else should make not that it is not pride- but confidence- that Thuban speaks with.


End file.
