Author's Note: Yes, an Oblivion fanfic. I haven't written anything in quite a long time, and I figured that since I enjoy Oblivion's Dark Brotherhood so much, and rather disliked its end, why not create an alternate ending? I thought the way the Dark Brotherhood came to a halt to fast and so easily was quite dissatisfying, after such a colourful questline. So this is my interpretation of what might happen, mainly if Lucien had lived. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Oblivion, The Elder Scrolls Series, or any of the characters involved (excepting my Player Character, Ysuran). Oblivion © Bethesda Softworks. 'Fool's Dance' © me.

Bypassing Arquen and her Black Hand cronies was pathetically easy. The man in robes basked in his triumph, smug at nature, as he strode along the woody path from Applewatch to Bruma's East Gate. He didn't like the way he had to go about his success, but sacrifices were things he'd gotten used to making... There was nothing he could do about it, he thought. What's done is done.

Now, he knew how he'd deal with the rest of the Black Hand. Their impudence would surely not go ignored.

He suspected he was about halfway there. He was about to call for Shadowmere, but remembered that he'd given her up to that Silencer of his. A strange one, him – Ysuran was his name. A Dark Elf, too. My, did he ever show promise! The rate at which he advanced in the Brotherhood was decidedly staggering. A Silencer in less than a month...yes, he was certainly special.

The man brought a bottle of Cyrodilic brandy to his lips, enjoying the crispness and warmth of both the evening and the brandy. At that moment, he wondered what exactly had become of Ysuran. He was sure he'd gone to Applewatch; he saw him enter the place. But that, of course, had been his cue to leave. He almost felt sorry that he'd left him there by himself, but the robed man was sure that his Silencer could deal with them accordingly...he only hoped that he hadn't killed the poor sods. Yet.

But as the dark-haired man downed the last of his brandy, he realized that he had forgotten something. Something very important. He cursed under his breath several times, threw down the empty bottle, and made utmost haste to Bruma.

The young Dunmer trudged up the path that led to Applewatch farms in an unusually excited manner, eager to hear of Lucien's plans. They would definitely uncover the identity of the traitor!, he said to himself. He smirked, pulled back his hood, and opened the door...

'Ah! The lucky Silencer has arrived,' said a fairly tall Altmer woman as he entered the farm, puzzled; what were other family members doing here? And where was Lucien?

'Don't worry, child, we are all of the Black Hand. I am Arquen,' she said, 'and the traitor has been eliminated. The Brotherhood is finally rid of his treachery.'

He nearly took comfort in her words, but not until he saw the battered corpse hanging from the ceiling.

'By Sithis!- Who is?...' he exclaimed, fearing the worst. The body would otherwise be unrecognisable due to the horrid mutilations, but Ysuran could tell. Upon closer inspection of the body, or rather, the body it once was, he could only confirm that it was Lucien. But not Lucien. Now it was a mere corpse. He felt his Dunmeri eyes turning a dangerous shade of red, disbelieving. It couldn't be true. It shouldn't be true. But he knew it was, and it was their mistake.

Their error. They'd pay dearly. Ysuran was in a state of shock for a moment, clenching his jaw, trying to will the sight away...but he looked directly at Arquen and lost it.

'What in Tamriel do you think you've done?' he yelled. 'Eliminated the traitor? You've murdered the very core of the Dark Brotherhood, you idiots! Lucien did nothing...nothing to betray us...how could you be so- so arrogant? Damn! I can't believe...you brainless, hopeless...impulsive fools!' He felt a strong urge to turn his blade on the woman, but decided against it. They may have been Tenet breakers, but he wasn't.

The Black Hand merely scowled at his outburst, except Arquen, who gave him a pitying look.

'I know it's hard for you to accept this, friend, but...he was the trai-'

'Traitor my mudcrab!', he retorted. 'Lucien had served Sithis with nothing but loyalty in mind! There is absolutely no way he could have been the traitor! He tried to stop me... from killing Ungolim...'

'Dear brother, is that doubt I see in your eyes?', said another Dark Elf, smiling. 'If Lucien was not the traitor, care to tell us who is?'

He didn't have an answer. He could have given them proof that it was someone else, would have loved to see the looks on their faces... yet with all this proof he had, he could only establish Lucien's innocence. But the real traitor was still unknown. All he knew was that it had to be one of the people in that room...or more. Perhaps all of them. Despite what he knew, Lucien was still dead. Nothing else seemed to matter at that point. Ysuran's patience was dwindling with every second.

You're all scum, he thought. One day, you'll die the way he did, and cursed by Sithis if I don't send you to your graves myself...

'I didn't think you could tell us,' said a tall brown-haired Breton, who seemed particularly loathesome.

Ysuran made a point of giving each one of them a glare, so as to instill in them his sense of certainty. It didn't seem to work, though. Arquen was still smiling that idiotic smile of hers.

'Well...the truth will reveal itself to you sooner or later,' she said doubtfully. 'But for now, we should concentrate on the task at hand. You are aware of the Lucky Old Lady in Bravil, yes?' Ysuran glared at her. '...Yes, I think you are. Well...those in Bravil don't know how lucky they really are. You see, that statue is the embodiment of the Night Mother herself, and her crypt lies below it. We must go there at once to speak to-'

'Oh, shut up, you insipid hag,' he finally spat. There was a flare in her eyes. 'I'll go nowhere with you! The Night Mother would never want to see you after breaking three of the Tenets!'

Arquen seemed taken aback. 'I have broken no Tenet!', she denied. 'What would a mere Silencer know about the Night Mother? And I am no hag, you insolent little...'

'Fine. Think what you want. But I'm not going to go along with people who betray the Brotherhood!' He put his hood back on. 'You will feel Sithis' wrath for being so careless in your judgement. And don't come bothering me when you find that you've become ghosts because the real traitor has slain you all!'

And he left without another word.

Once outside, he automatically knew where he had to go. It was only a matter of time before Arquen and the others got there first, but luckily for him, Shadowmere was on his side.

He quickly mounted her saddle and galloped down the path, gradually disappearing into the shadows.

No sooner did Arquen breathe did she go into a cacophony of rage.

'I cannot believe him! Who in Tamriel does he think he is? Hypocrite!–- tells me I broke a tenet, when he just broke one himself! How dare he disobey his superior! I will make stuffing out of his brain! I-'

'Sister,' the Dunmer interrupted, 'calm yourself. I'm sure he will learn his lesson in due time. He is a valuable member of the family; killing him would only give us another replacement to recruit.'

She scowled viciously, showing her true colours.

'Very well. But if he pulls another one of these atrocities with me, there is no guarantee I'll keep my blade sheathed.'

They stood there in silence for a moment, not quite knowing what to do.

'Should we not follow him, sister?', the Breton asked.

'No. Leave him be, Mathieu. For now, our main concern is making sure the Brotherhood is re-established. I will see the Night Mother and ask her if I might take charge of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary - Mathieu, you and Belisarius will recruit new members. Banus, you stay here and keep watch, just in case that fool returns.'

'Yes, Arquen.'

She took any valuable items she could find in the farmhouse, like potions, food, and weapons. The others followed her out, one by one, and before he knew it, Banus was alone. He glanced warily at Lucien before reaching for the rope that hung him from the ceiling and loosening it. He felt that his body should at least be unrestrained after death. He sat down on the floor and sighed happily.

At last. Free of the company of that dreadful Altmer beast. In truth, he hated Arquen. He had the feeling everyone hated her, especially Ysuran, judging by the looks he'd given her and the way he spoke to her. Then again, he probably hated Banus, too...he wasn't any less involved in Lucien's murder than she was.

Regardless, he was still on Ysuran's side, because deep within his soul he knew that Lucien was not culpable. In fact, he rather liked Lucien - he suspected that Arquen was the real traitor... her bossiness, her explosive personality, her two-facedness... all typical traits for someone that would want to take complete charge of the Dark Brotherhood. He also thought she had a grudge of sorts against Dark Elves, but that was another issue altogether...

Just then, he noticed an odd faltering light in the corner of his eye. It was coming from Lucien's corpse. He crawled over to inspect the body, and noticed the contours of the face wavering. A soft green glow encompassed the cadaver, and it seemed to be morphing into something, or someone else. Very suddenly, the entire body took a different form; the legs got longer, the face became gaunt, the body appeared slightly more plump and the mutilations were less obvious. It took a little while for Banus to realize that this was the work of Illusion magic, used to cover up one's identity.

Meaning whoever they killed wasn't Lucien LaChance.

He knew there was little time before they discovered he was still alive.

He had to visit the Night Mother, and fast. After much running, he finally reached Bruma's East Gate, and from there, made his way to the Wildeye Stables. When he discovered they only sold paint horses, he walked back to the gate in frustration. Damned if he was going to walk all the way to Bravil; he stole a healthy-looking bay horse from one of the guards.

They could chase him if they wanted. But he was Lucien LaChance. He always evaded capture.