Disclaimer: I do not own The Elder Scrolls series, or any of the characters from the game, or the locations.
I only own Cynn, as she is my OC, and any more original characters that might find themselves within this fanfiction.
Just as soon as she closed her bloodshot eyes, the nightmares ensued.
Fire.
Everything was on fire.
Her comerades, her home, everything. She could even see some imperial faces within the fire.
That did not ease the pain. She heard screaming.
How could she let something like this happen?
How could Astrid let something like this happen? How could she be betrayed by her own brothers, her sisters?
But there was no time to think. She had to find her people. Her family.
They couldn't all be dead, could they?
She tore up the sanctuary, looking for anything, anyone. And the fire. It followed her, blazing after her. She had to find her family before she too became engulfed in flames.
She had to find them...
"Listener! Listener! Wake up!" Cicero's voice finally broke through her dream. The nightmare dissipated.
"Oh, thank Sithis. Dear Listener has awoken!" Cicero's sing-song voice sounded relieved. Cynn's eyes opened, and she clenched her sweaty palms.
"What...Where's the fire? Where's my family? Oh, Sithis, my family..." She moaned, and then sat up, looking straight at Cicero, rage in her eyes. She snatched his collar, pulling his face close to hers as she snarled at him. "Cicero...where is my family?"
"The Brotherhood is where it has always been, Listener! Here, in your sanctuary! Please, Listen—" She interrupted his rambling.
"Cicero," She said with a small voice, letting him go, realizing her mistake. "I'm sorry, I really am…I didn't mean to jump on you like that…It's just, I thought that something had happened…I thought my dream was real…"
"Cicero forgives!" Cicero told her. "Will you tell Cicero about this dream? Cicero only wishes to help!"
"You do?" Cynn said, looking at him with a small smile. She felt a little guilty for nearly attacking Cicero like that, when he only meant to serve her. Sure, she could kill a few parents, but she couldn't be rude to one of her own family members. "Well…I had another nightmare about the fire. It was…it was horrible." She wrapped her arms around herself and frowned at the covers of her bed.
"How can Cicero help his listener?" Cicero asked.
"I…I'm fine. I don't need help. It was just a dream. If I can survive through the real thing, I can survive through this." She said with a small chuckle, the image of her nightmare fading from her mind. Unlike her usual dreams, she could remember her nightmare very clearly, which made her slightly uneasy. It was then that Cynn realized with a start that she was drenched in cold sweat.
"If you say so…" Cicero said, attempting a small smile, though a shadow of concern still lingered on his face.
"Cicero, would you mind leaving me? I need to clean myself up." She murmured, slightly embarrassed for him to see her as such a mess.
"Of course, of course. Cicero will leave now." Cicero said cheerfully, leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Cynn got to her feet, stepping over to a corner of her room that neglected to have furniture. She fiddled with a small stone on the wall before the wall opened to a tunnel. It was one of her many secret exits out of the Dawnstar Sanctuary, one of the recent ones that she'd had put in when she'd bought all the upgrades for the sanctuary. It's purpose was to serve as an escape route if soldiers ever invaded. Again.
She shuddered as she recalled the invasion at the original Sanctuary, the one that had wiped out 2/3 of her Brotherhood. It resembled her nightmare in many ways, and she decided to banish it from her mind. Grabbing a second set of the Shrouded Armour that she always wore, she crept down the tunnel, closing the wall behind her. She didn't need a torch; there were small openings in the roof spaced just far enough apart to light her way. She'd had those put in, too. They were very convenient.
After just a short walk, she reached the end of the tunnel. It opened up at an abandoned beach on the Sea of Ghosts. It was a perfect place to get a bath, providing there weren't any slaughterfish or horkers around.
Rarely did anybody wander this side of Skyrim; she didn't worry about anybody stumbling upon her little bathing place, and if they did, she would simply kill them.
Stepping over to her usual fire pit, she lit a fire, to keep herself warm as she shed her clothing. Her thin, elven frame shone against the moonlight, and she again thanked the Gods for making sure nobody was out on this beach on this beautiful, cold night.
Hardcore as she was, she didn't mind the freezing temperature of the air, or the even colder water. She simply cast a flame spell over the water to heat it up a little, and dove in. She somehow felt even more naked without her beloved Blade of Woe in her hand. She'd left it with the pile of clothes on the beach, and she hated being without a weapon.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps, and out of the foggy darkness came a shape, a human shape. She shrunk into the water, only her yellow cat-like eyes and her nose above the waves, her burgundy hair flaming around her in the cold, cold water.
But somehow, the person saw her, and a voice arose from the mist.
"Cynn?"
"Who are you?" She asked, getting up slightly, so now her chin barely brushed the water. She didn't bother to keep the snarl out of her voice.
"Don't you recognize me? I should think anybody in Skyrim would recognize me by now…"
"Ulfric?" She asked the darkness, her jaw literally dropping a little.
"Yes! I've finally tracked you down, Cynn." Ulfric exclaimed happily.
"What, did I kill your cousin or something? Is that why you're here? Vengeance?"
"What would make you think that? Do I look like I'm trying to kill you? No…I have a contract for you, my dear."
"Couldn't you choose a better time for this? Like, say, when I'm not naked?"
"Oh, you're naked? I hardly noticed. Thanks for the information." He stepped over to the fire. "Oh, and by the way, if I were trying to kill you, this would be the most perfect setup…You're weaponless, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not. I still have fists, don't I? And I've always been good with fire spells…" she informed him. "Do you think you could at least wait until I've gotten my clothes on before you propose this…contract? And why couldn't you just perform the Black Sacrament like everybody else?"
Ulfric smiled, his features lit up by the light of the fire. He turned around to permit her to dress in privacy. A very foolish move on his part, but she didn't mind too much. "I didn't perform the Black Sacrament because it's impossible to gain privacy in a castle like mine."
"I see." She muttered, getting into her armour, putting the sweaty, smelly armour in her inventory. "You can turn around now." She told him, just as she was adjusting her cowl.
"Now, let's get down to business." Ulfric said, facing her again, his hands in his pockets.
"Yes, yes, tell me…who is going to die?" She said, smiling now. She was much more comfortable now that she knew she could fight back, were Ulfric to attack.
"General Tullius. I'm sure you've heard of him? Well I've decided that I want him dead. I'm just tired of him, you understand."
"And the payment? I'm assuming good pay for a job like this…"
"How does…15,000 septims sound to you?"
"Sounds wonderful. What are the details?"
"You cannot tell anybody, not even your, ahem, family about this contract."
"But the Night Mother knows. She always knows."
"I thought you were called the Listener because you're the only one who can hear her? Regardless, you cannot tell them. I do not trust them like I trust you."
"It is very unwise to trust me." She said, putting emphasis on the 'very'. "But…I suppose I can leave out this little contract…As long as it doesn't require any harm to come to my family. I'm very protective of my family, Ulfric…" She said, running a finger along the sharp edge of her blade.
"I can see that. But, I assure you, this contract won't involve or endanger any of your family members." He said, sounding rather sure of himself.
"So be it then, it's bound in blood. Tullius will die." She said, grinning slightly.
"Don't let me down, Dragonborn." Ulfric said, turning away to leave. Cynn froze, her eyes glued to the back of his head. How did he know?
"How do you know what I am?" She demanded, her mouth barely moving as her teeth were clenched so tight. She rushed in front of him to stop him from leaving, holding the blade to his chest. Nobody was supposed to know…Nobody. Nobody could know that the leader of the Dark Brotherhood was also the Savior of Skyrim, Slayer of the World-Eater.
AHHHH! Tell me what you think! I don't usually write fanfictions, this is actually my first in a long time, and it's my first fanfic of the Elder Scrolls as well. I'd love to hear what you think; hopefully it will encourage me to keep writing! :D