A/N: My first story! Just had to write something about the Dark Brotherhood. I originally wrote it to show to a few friends who aren't into the game so a lot of stuff you probably already know has been briefly explained and I've nicked a lot of quotes from the game. Anyway hope you like it, and if you do please review! :D

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There was a charge in the air. The wind seemed to whisper words of death as its bitter cold touch gently caressed her skin. Shadows stretched out to her, growing as the sun hid behind the horizon, casting a blood red light across the sky. The echoing of rushed footsteps told her that the town's citizens were heading to their houses before nightfall – the gathering clouds meant rain was coming. A mist descended slowly on the town, cloaking her from the ever-watching eyes of the town guards. Not that they'd be able to stop her even if they tried. A smile came to her lips as the last rays of light disappeared and the town descended into the darkness of night: now was her time to strike.

She moved silently through the town, keeping to the empty alleyways, embracing the shadows. Her shrouded armour and hood helped to conceal her further; a unique armour held only by a select few, light for easy manoeuvrability when running and fighting, but tougher than leather and blacker than the void. This armour was known to only those in the infamous Dark Brotherhood – a guild of assassins, a guild she was a member of. To become a Dark Brother or Sister, one could not request membership, but would be scouted out by one of the Speakers, four high-ranking members of the Brotherhood. To be recruited, one would have to kill someone in cold blood. After doing so, a Speaker would approach them while they slept and offer them membership into the Dark Brotherhood by giving them a quest. Should they fulfil it, they would become a full member. This is what she had done so long ago, and was the reason she was currently sneaking through the province of Bravil.

Water droplets began to cut through the mist as the rain started. By now the town was devoid of all people, save the guards. But they wouldn't be a problem, not for her. She had reached the rank of Silencer, a rank just one below that of Speaker. But she wished not to be promoted – a Speaker would get fewer contracts than a Silencer, and she longed for the moments when she would land the final blow and claim her prey.

Swiftly moving through the town, she quickly came to her destination: the Monose household. It stood taller than the surrounding houses, almost ominously. It made sense that her latest victim should live in such a lavish house; he was, after all, a very successful merchant, one who has in his past made many friends, and many more enemies. It is one of those enemies who wished her to be here tonight. Quickly scanning around her to check she wouldn't be seen, she made her way towards the house.

Approaching the building, she knew better than to go through the front door. Making her way round to the side, she took to the shadows so as to remain undetected, and began to climb up the side of the house. The rain was soon pouring down, hitting her with all its force, almost as if trying to force her to the ground. But it wouldn't be enough to stop her. Carrying on up the wall, she was illuminated for a split second as a blot of lightening flashed through the sky, accompanied by a clap of thunder. Using the momentary light to get a better view, she managed to make it to the balcony. Crouching by the door, she reached into her pocket for a lock pick, and set to work. Carefully listening to the clicks made by the lock, her years of practice paid off as she managed to unlock it first time. Gently creaking the door open, she checked the room inside was empty, before creeping in and quietly closing the door behind her.

She could hear noises coming from downstairs, the voices of two men. As she made her way towards the stairs, treading carefully so as to not make any noise, the voices became clearer.

"…in Anvil by Fredas. I will not accept any excuses."

"Y-yes sir. Of course."

As she reached the landing, she stayed to the side and watched the two men below, being careful to stay in the shadows and remain hidden. One of the men was standing tall, look down at the other, wearing an expensive suit. The other was cowering in front of him, wearing the clothes of a cheap merchant. Her red eyes went back to the businessman. The public knew him as the respectable merchant Drakar Monose, but she knew there was more to him than that.

"And don't make the same mistake as last time!"

"Yes sir! I promise everything will be satisfactory!"

"It had better be. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind."

"Yes sir. Shadow hide you."

Her ears perked up as she recognised the greeting used by the members of the Thieves Guild. Having been in it for a time in her life, it took her a good few months to get out of the habit of saying 'shadows hide you' every time she spoke to someone.

The merchant quickly picked up a bag and ran out of the front door, into the rain. If Monose was in the Thieves Guild, this was likely the reason someone wanted him dead. She watched as he turned and headed into another room. Waiting a few moments for his footsteps to stop, she heard the sound of a door open and close. Quickly but silently, she made her way down the stairs and through the house. She looked in every room, but he was nowhere to be found. This could mean only one thing – he'd gone to the basement.

After picking the lock, she gently opened the basement door to reveal a flight of stairs. The stairs seemed to lead down into darkness, and without a torch there would be no way of seeing anything. Standing back for a moment, she cast a night-eye spell on herself. Her vision became illuminated, allowing her to see clearly down the stairs. She stepped into the basement and gently closed the door behind her. Creeping down the stairs, she trod carefully, not even the creaking stairs giving away her position. Coming to a corner, she stayed with her back against the wall, looking around the corner just enough to see but not be seen.

There he was, sitting at desk. On the desk stood an oil lamp; the only source of light in the room. He seemed deeply engrossed in his work – he'd never notice her coming. An easy kill. Gently drawing her blade, she began to creep forward. Her blade was, like the armour she wore, exclusive to the Dark Brotherhood. The Blade of Woe it was called, a unique blade, the metal tainted black and red from the enchantments it carried. The damage these enchantments would deal was easily enough to kill most people, should the blade itself not be struck with enough force. But should she have to fight someone more skilled in combat, she had a long sword and was skilled in destruction magic. Feeling it buzz with power and blood thirst in her hand, she began to make her way towards her target. She gripped the handle tight, ready to plunge the blade into his back. Everything was going according to plan, soon she'd be back in the Sanctuary ready to collect her gold. Everything, that is, until she reached the centre of the room.

Suddenly there was a grind of metal from above her, as a cage fell from the ceiling, trapping her. She looked around herself frantically, assuming a fighting stance. How could she have been so stupid not to check for traps? She mentally cursed herself before turning her attention to the man in front of her.

For a moment he didn't move, but she could hear him laughing. A dark, triumphant laugh that echoed in her head. As he stood and began to turn, she tipped her head forward so that her hood covered her eyes and cast her face into shadow. He turned to face her, his blood red eyes met her own. The light cast an orange glow on his green-blue skin, harsh shadows flicking on his face cast from his bony features and long, pointed ears. He picked up the oil lamp sitting on his desk and stepped towards her.

"Did you really think it would be that easy, assassin?" he asked, a hint of smugness in his voice, "Did you truly think you could just wander up to me and kill me? I must say, I was expecting better." He began to circle round the cage, the lamp in his hand, casting dark, flickering shadows over her body from the bars of the cage. "I expect you think you were sent here because someone contacted the Dark Brotherhood with the intent of having me murdered. I'm afraid to say that you'd be wrong."

She took a sharp intake of breath at this news. It threw her off balance and confused her, but she couldn't let it show. If it was not a regular contract, then what? A dark feeling in the back of her mind said that the Dark Brotherhood had betrayed her. But they wouldn't. She knew they wouldn't. Would they?

"I suppose you should know the reason of your being here before you die," he said. She tightened her grip on her blade, preparing for a fight. He took a step closer to the cage, forcing her to take a step back to stop the light from illuminating her face. "Belisarius Arius," he stated. At the mention of this name, memories of one of her recent contracts came flooding back. It had been a glorious kill, she'd struck him and left him living just long enough for her to tell him that his soul now belonged to Sithis, before he exhaled his last breath. Now that she thought about it, he had been part of the Thieves Guild as well. And suddenly this all made sense. "Yeah, you've got it," Monose said, as if reading her mind, "he was my partner, and an important member of the Guild. Not only was he important to us and our plans, but he was also a close friend of mine. Which is why I will have the pleasure of killing you."

Quickly lifting her blade ready to fight, she had to resist the urge to let out a scream as her arms were suddenly grabbed from behind. She gasped as her attackers secured her arms behind her against the bars so she couldn't move. Looking up at the two people behind her, she expected to see the faces of men looking down at her – but what she actually saw she would never have imagined. She looked up into the eyes of beings that looked as though they'd been taken from the depths of hell – charred red skin, spiked metal amour, and black eyes. Staring into those eyes was like staring into death itself.

There was another grind of metal from above her, ripping her attention from the creatures behind her to the man standing in front of her. He had activated a lever on the wall, which had lifted the three walls of the cage around her, leaving the wall she was pinned up against. He looked at her with a satisfied smile.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" he taunted, looking at the two demons holding her back, "I summoned them myself. I'm more than just a simple thief, you know. I've had my share of fun with dark magic, summoning beasts from the pits of Oblivion. Usually, I would not use them to kill. I find people much more useful to me alive. But in this case, I'll make an exception."

She began to struggle desperately against the strong grip of the demons as he walked closer to her, drawing a dagger. Her anxiety grew and grew as he came closer. Closing her eyes and looking to the ground, she knew she had to calm herself down. She couldn't be scared; assassins don't fear death. Her eyes remained on the ground as he came to a halt in front of her.

"But before I kill you," he said quietly, it evident that he was toying with her from the confidence in his voice, "I would see your face." With that he lifted his hand to her head and pulled off her hood. He gasped, and she looked up to see the shock on his face. "Who would have thought," he said quietly, "a fellow Dunmer." She couldn't help but let a small smile come to her lips as he used the word 'Dunmer'. Dunmer was the name her people called themselves in her homeland of Morrowind. But over here in Cyrodiil, the locals were far fonder of calling them Dark Elves. He lowered his face so that it was level with hers. "My dear Dunmer maiden, how beautiful you are. Perfectly pale blue skin, deep sanguine eyes…" he watched her for a long time, looking deep into her eyes. Then he pulled away. "How rare it is to see another Dunmer here. And yet you would still kill me." The soft smile that once adorned his lips turned to an angry scowl. "You are a traitor to your own race!"

"And what are you, if not the same?" She asked. His glare intensified.

"You killed my partner and close friend. I am merely returning the favour," he replied.

"And I am merely doing my job."

"Which is to kill the men who are too merely doing theirs!" he retorted angrily, lifting the dagger.

"It seems you're doing more than your job would allow," she said calmly, no longer allowing herself to be scared by the situation, "if I remember rightly, a Thieves Guild member is 'forbidden from rending the flesh of any man, lest he should pay the Blood Price.'"

"'Unless the deed is in self-defence, in which case no such penalty shall be held,'" quoted Monose, completing the very quote that she had hoped to stop him with. "You've come to kill me, I'd say this was acting in self defence." He began to step back towards her again, the dagger raised, ready to strike. She watched him intensely, almost daring him.

"I do not fear death," she said confidently, "the Night Mother will welcome me into her cold, loving embrace." He laughed at her.

"Don't you get it?" he said patronisingly, "Your precious Night Mother doesn't exist! Your Unholy Matron, as you call her, is just a figment of myth, as is your God, Sithis. When you die nothing but an eternity of darkness awaits you." She closed her eyes and turned away from him with a smile. She'd always felt sorry for those who refused to accept her Gods' existences.

"You will regret your blasphemous words," she said quietly.

"We will see," he replied. "A shame to lose a beauty such as yourself, but business is business." As he lifted the dagger, she looked up at the blade. In the glint of the firelight, she saw something on the blade… liquid. She frowned at it. "It is not only summoning demons I can do," Monose said, noticing her confusion, "but I have become rather skilled at mixing potions designed to poison the mind."

"What are you talking about?" She demanded. He simply smiled at her.

"You will see." With that he lunged at her with the blade, but she was prepared. In a swift move, she threw a leg up and caught the side of his arm in a kick, knocking the knife from this hand. As he stumbled backwards, the room was illuminated but a sudden burst of orange and red light as she created an intense ball of fire in her hands. The daedra fell backwards at her attack, releasing her from their grip. Glancing to the side, she saw Monose running towards her, dagger raised. Darting away, she ran for the shadows, narrowly avoiding the attacks of Monose's summons. Daedra were known for being strong but slow, assassins were often the opposite: fast and agile. But so were thieves. Light on his feet; Monose was fast, but she was faster. As she ran deeper into the basement he followed her. Turning a corner she ran into the shadows, but found herself in a dead end. Spinning around, she saw Monose and his daedra approaching her, weapons ready.

A smile came to her mouth as he hands began to glow a bright green. She saw a look of anger cross Monose's face: he knew what she was doing. Within seconds the spell had taken effect, and she was totally invisible. Her targets backed away, wearily looking around the seemingly empty room for their invisible assailant.

Suddenly the attacks happened with lightning quick speed and accuracy. Monose stumbled back nervously as both his daedra fell from the assassin's attacks and faded from existence, as summoned creatures do when they're killed. Cold sweat formed on his brow as his breathing quickened.

He spun around as he heard a creaking behind him. Then from the side, then behind him again. She was toying with him, and he knew it. But he also knew that invisibility spells weren't perfect: once the person using them attacks, the spell would ware off. It was this knowledge that allowed him to see her as she attacked him.

Quickly raising his blade to block hers, he found himself staggering backwards defending against her rapid attacks. As his back hit the wall, he ducked as her blade hit the wall above him. Swiping out with his blade he tried to hit her but again she was faster and evaded his attack. The two of them once again ran at each other, blades clashing, hands glowing with magic.

As they separated again, the air cracked as a bolt of thunder erupted from her hands straight towards Monose. Jumping out of the way, he barely had enough time to dodge as once again she ran towards him. Their blades clashed again, and the assassin's superior skill quickly became evident as her blade hit more than just metal, slicing through his flesh.

Falling to the ground clutching his wounds, he looked up with just enough time to see her standing over him, sword raised. In one last attempt at escape he lashed out with his dagger, only just cutting her leg. In any other situation she would have paid no attention to it, but it seemed Monose was a far more skilled alchemist than her previous targets.

The small cut suddenly began to burn with pain as the poison worked its way through her veins, spreading itself throughout her body until it reached her brain. She lost feeling in her limbs and went limp, collapsing to the ground. She desperately tried to keep consciousness as she saw Monose walking towards her, weapon ready, but she found it impossible to keep her eyes open as the last breath she'd held so tightly in her lungs escaped her lips and her world went black.

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Sweet Mother, sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear.

The world was spinning. Fast. Too fast.

May the Night Mother welcome you into her cold, loving embrace.

Whispers came from every direction, echoing, circling. Screams of the hunted cut through the voices. Cries of pain. Pleas of mercy.

What is the colour of night?

There was no ground, just the void. The endless void. Just blackness, an eternal nothingness.

Sanguine, dear brother.

Flicker of a flame, dancing, taunting. Vision blurred by a drop of blood. More blood. Pouring out. The blood of the victims, the innocent and the guilty.

May we always walk in the shadow of Sithis…

Her eyes snapped open as she gulped in a lungful of air. But there was nothing to see, just blackness. She was floating, flying, falling. A cold wind embraced her. The whispers returned, echoing through her head, echoing through her mind…

I have become rather skilled at mixing potions designed to poison the mind.

Poison the mind… that's all this was. In her mind, a poison designed to mentally scare people.

How best to describe our dread father?

Her eyes scanned the vast, unending emptiness in front of her. There was nothing but herself and the eternal darkness. She closed them again, the engulfing blackness surrounding her, pulling at her, sucking her in…

Imagine a perfect, cloudless midnight, cold as winter ice and shrouded in shadow. That is Sithis.

She opened her eyes again. The never-ending blackness, designed only to scare people and make them hide in their own minds had no such effect on her – it was, she realised, the closest she'd ever get to Sithis. As she fell, she did not fear the darkness… she embraced it.

XXX

With a gasp her eyes opened, just before Monose's blade sliced through the hair towards her. With the adrenaline acting before her brain could, she jumped forward, blade in hand, straight towards her attacker.

As they fell to the ground, she felt the familiar touch of blood as it seeped from the wound in his stomach over her blade and her hands. His eyes widened as he dropped his sword, chocking and gasping for breath. After a few moments of struggle against his own mind, he managed to focus on her and force out a word.

"Im… possible…" he spat out. She gave a small smile.

"Never underestimate a Dark Sister," she said. Looking down, she ripped the blade from his stomach, as the sound of flesh ripping was accompanied by an agonised scream. Blood poured from the wound, spreading across the floor. His head fell backwards and hit the floor, as blood ran down from the sides of his mouth. As he struggled with his last breaths, she leant over him and put her mouth to his ear. "Now you will meet Sithis," she whispered, "and you will see the dark truth."

Sitting back up, she watched has be breathed his last. Satisfied, she rose to her feet, swaying slightly as the adrenaline wore off. Her leg still burnt, but that mattered little now. Reaching into a pocket she pulled out some Nightshade leaves, the calling card of the Dark Brotherhood, and sprinkled them over his body. Replacing her sword in its scabbard, she made her way back out of the basement, treading thick, red footprints behind her.

Deep into the night the rain had stopped, allowing the moon to shine down on Bravil, but not even the moonlight alerted the guards to the silent assassin as she escaped into the night.