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 Redguard 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 main chamber from the entrance hall, with 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, Arbjorn 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 or even the faint clinking Gabriella's mortar and pestle as she worked on her latest poison . 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 her former master's grave. Shadowmere had once belonged to Astrid, though she had lent her to me during my recent contracts- though now I suppose, she 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 the cistern. I greeted my friend Brynjolf as he passed me, 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 require. 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 have 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 its former glory, we are now only four members of what had once been several thousand 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… recruits, 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 off 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.