"Give me that or die." Elissa Nightingale said. She was pointig the edge of her dagger at the frightened farmer in front of her.
"But..!" He complained. "It's my property! You can't just take it...can you?"
"Well, it's my property now, so get out of my sight or die." Liss was wearing her full Dark Brotherhood garment, to inflict fear in those who happened to come in her way. Like this farmer, who apparently thought a wooden cart was a big deal. Fool.
"No! You can't!" The farmer said.
"Here are your choices." Liss said firmly. "1. give me the cart. 2. Die. And do you know what? I still get the cart no matter what you choose."
"But...Mylady..."
"I am no lady, old fool, now get out of here."
The farmer stood, looking at Liss stubbornly.
"Do I have to kill you?" Liss asked. She took a step forward. Then, without warning, she raised both her arms and roared loudly.
"RAAARGH!"
The farmer shrieked, and turned. With frightening speed he fled his horse and cart, and the fearsome little girl who had just claimed them.
"Divines, help me!" That was the last Liss heard of the farmer. She did feel bad about this, though. In reality, she was not as heartless as she had just been. Only on special occasions. This was a special occasion. The Unholy Matron herself had given Liss a task – A task which she could on no accounts shove aside. It had to do with her legacy, the Dark Brotherhood.
She sped her horse, a little too much maybe, but it could not be helped. She was the Listener! Liss heart jumped each time she remembered it. This was good. She felt alive.
The cart bumped on rocks on the road, the horse was sweating but Liss did not care. She was chewing on a piece of bread. She decided to eat on horseback, since she could not afford to waste any time by stopping. She was a litte worried, though, that she would be labelled thief thanks to the unfortunate but essential action she had taken, stealing the farmers cart. However, it would be difficult for people to identify her, she was wearing a black hood and a scarf covering most of her mouth.
The road to Windhelm was long and tiresome. If you could call that a road, of course. Liss navigated the horse and cart through unpredictable landscapes. Muddy swamps could without warning turn into a cold and harsh tundra. Nevertheless, Liss made it to Windhelm in one piece. She had been confronted by a minor number of bandits on the way to the windswept city, but they had been no match for her.
That night, Liss slept quite well in her bed at the Candlehearth hall, for the first time in many months. She fell asleep thinking about finding the Night Mother. And how the Dark Brotherhood would rise again.
Early the next morning, Liss left the hall to begin searching for the Night Mother. She saddled her horse, who seemed rather well-rested, attached the cart to his reins and then they set off to the east, the icy shores at the edge of Skyrim.
The waves thundered against the rocks, horkers roared at each other and seagulls shrieked above her as Liss stopped her horse and tied him to a gnarled tree.
She walked carefully, knowing that the rocks were slippery and the water cold. She continued that process for ten more minutes, searching for something like a coffin, treading lightly on the rocks. Then eventually, she found something. A coffin of solid metal, shaped like an Iron Maiden, a torture tool of old. Then she heard the voice.
"Well done, my child. You have found me."
"I have, dearest mother. What do you want of me now?"
"We shall find a new sanctuary. But do not haste, my dear, first you will have to get me on to that cart."
"A new sanctuary, dear mother!?" Liss said. This was great. "Where would that be, Night Mother?"
"You will see, my child." the voice said in Liss head. "Just go where I tell you to go. You have proven yourself a most useful servant of Sithis."
The next destination was an abandoned bandit cave not far from Helgen, the town which had been destroyed during one of the first dragon attacks on hundreds of years. The Night Mother had told Liss everything she needed to know. Liss biggest dream had come true. She was the Unholy Matrons Listener. Few could boast that, Liss knew, and she took great pride in it.
The trip to the cave was long and exhausting. Liss could not ride the horse to hard, now that they had a hundred kilogram coffin on the cart. And they had to stop for food and water at a small farm. Luckily, Liss had not needed to kill anyone, since the residents of the farm did not ask any questions whatsoever. Liss appreciated that. It was not that she had any pity for these smallfolks. She just could not afford to risk that anyone escaped and told some guards if Liss began killing off the peasants.
Liss and the Night Mother kept telepathic contact at all times. Liss told the Night Mother about her assassinations. She listened patiently, and threw in a "Good, good!" or a "Most impressive, my child!" here and there.
"Why, dear mother, haven't you spoken to me earlier?" Liss asked. The thought had just struck her.
"I was searching for the right one, child. It is hard finding such a seasoned assassin such as yourself among all the peasants and soldiers and wizards and who-knows-what."
That evening, Liss set up a camp in the outskirts of a forest. She found a good shelter between some large rocks. She made up a campfire. It took a while, she was not very good at it. She fumbled with the tools and it was not until the sun had completely dissapeared that Liss managed to light the sticks and pinecones. Then she began blowing on the embers until the fire was large and warm. Its flames reached high up in the sky and ate the thick firewood like a bear ate a rabbit. Liss felt the warmth spreading through her cold fingers, up her arms, her chest and the rest of her body. The winters were cold here in Skyrim, but if one knew how to survive and had the right instict, something like a little cold could not stop her.
Liss woke up. It was still dark, but it was hard to see that from the light of the fire. Someone had put on more wood. Slowly, Liss spied the area with her blue eyes. It did not take long before she saw the creature sitting by the fire. It was large, dark and...furry? A bear, was Liss first though as she reached down to her belt and searched for the dagger. It was eating a rabbit. Two more were being roasted over the fireplace. Liss began to feel how hungry she was. But she had to kill this bear first. And that was no easy task. She shivered. And thats when she remembered that bears don't know how to put a log on a fire. The creature must have felt Liss eyes staring. It looked up. Brown eyes met Liss eyes. A predators eyes.