Babette decided to leave to gather alchemical ingredients for her potions and poisons. On her way out of the Black Door, she could hear a lute playing. And someone singing, a woman. Not any woman's voice, Selene's voice. It was soft, low-pitched and feminine. But she doesn't recognise the song however.

"The Planemeld is nigh,
The Planemeld is nigh
Our doom is now at hand"

Babette looked to the pond next to the Sanctuary and saw Selene sitting on a rock, strumming the final notes of her song.
"You can play?"
Selene stopped playing and looked next to her at Babette and smiled.
"Barely. This is actually one of the only songs I know."
"I didn't recognise the song. What is it called?" Babette went to sit next to her.
"It's called 'The Planemeld'. It's been around since the Second Era."
"Sounds interesting. What is 'The Planemeld'?"
"Well, back in the Second Era, when Tamriel was in a great war over a crumbling kingdom, the Daedric Lord Molag Bal decided to invade Tamriel in an attempt to meld his plane of Oblivion with Mundus. Some say that he was defeated by a Vestige, others say that another Daedric Prince banished him and it is also said that both worked together to send him back to Coldharbour."
"Did that really happen? I never heard it ever happening."
Babette rose an eyebrow.
"It is a matter of debate. I personally believe it happened, for that event is also the birth of the Empire."
Babette looked up at the sky "It's starting to rain, I need to found those ingredients… I'm sorry, I need to go now. Farewell, sister!" Babette then got up and walked away.
"Farewell…" Selene whispered after her. She then started to play again and began singing again.

"We tilled Skyrim's ground despite frozen toil
We tended the kwama beneath Morrowind's soil
We hunted the wa-"

"You have a lovely voice." Veezara's voice came from behind Selene.
Selene stopped and suddenly blushed at the compliment. "Then why interrupt?" A teasing tone in her voice.
Veezara sat on the rock next to Selene. "Selene, we need to talk. Before the Initiate spoke to you, you were going to explain your armour."
"Um… alright… Well, I saw it and it brought back memories and…"
"Is that the truth? Or is that a lie that you wish for me to believe?" Veezara's voice became slightly stern, that side of him does not come out often. But she does not wish to embarrass herself and tell the truth, on the other hand, she also doesn't want to lie to one of her most trusted friends.
Selene nodded. "Yes. It's the truth."
Veezara smirked and took Selene's hand. "I trust you."
Selene looked at her hand in Veezara's then looked to him and smiled.
Babette emerged from the forest and blushed.
"Oh! Am I interrupting something?" A small smile creeping on her face.
Veezara and Selene both whipped their heads to Babette.
Selene flushed hard. "Oh! Oh no! It wasn't-Not like that! No! I just-"
"We were just… talking, Babette. No need to worry." Veezara was calm, unlike Selene who was trying to calm herself and trying to brush off her embarrassment.
"Come, It's starting to rain." Veezara led the two vampires in the Sanctuary.


In the main entrance, Babette, Veezara and Selene were having a laugh until screaming pierced their ears.

"DEFILER! DEBASER AND DEFILER! YOU HAVE DISRUPTED THE SANCITY OF THE NIGHT MOTHER'S COFFIN! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

Selene's eyes widened "The Initiate… of course! That's why he asked me." She whispered to herself.
"Let's go!" Selene urged Veezara as they rushed up the stairs to the Night Mother's shrine. They saw Astrid sprint up to the shrine as well.
Astrid turned to Veezara and Selene. "Have your weapons ready. Be prepared to kill the traitorous little fool on my order."

With Veezara having his steel sword ready and Selene having her enchanted elven dagger ready, they burst in through the doors.


"By Sithis, this ends now! Back away, fool! Whatever you've been planning is over!" Astrid then quickly snapped her head to the Initiate.
"Are you alright? I heard the commotion. Where's the accomplice? Reveal yourself, traitor!" Astrid called out to the empty spaces in the room.
Cicero quickly intervened. "I spoke only to the Night Mother! I spoke to the Night Mother, but she didn't speak to me. Oh no. She spoke only to him! To the Listener!"
Selene at Veezara then back to the scene. She put away her dagger, unlike Veezara who still readied his sword.
Astrid's eyebrow rose. "What? The Listener? What are you going on about? What is this lunacy?"
Cicero danced on the spot jubilantly. "It's true, it's true! The Night Mother has spoken! The silence has been broken! The Listener has been chosen!"

Veezara looked at Selene, who looked at him and nodded her head, reassuring him that he will not need to fight. Reluctantly, Veezara sheathed his sword.
Astrid approached the Initiate who would now supposedly be 'The Listener'. "Then what in Sithis' name is going on? Cicero spoke to the Night Mother, but she spoke to you? Is this just more of the fool's rambling?"
The Listener shook his head. "No it's true, The Night Mother spoke to me."
"What? So Cicero wasn't talking to anyone else. Just... the Night Mother's body? And the Night Mother, who, according to everything we know, will only speak to the person chosen as Listener... just spoke. Right now...to you?"
The Listener nodded. "Yes."
Selene's, Veezara's and Astrid's eyebrows all rose. "By Sithis…" Astrid let out a soft whisper of shock.
Astrid tried to shake off the news and further questioned the Listener. "Well, what did She say?"
"She said to travel to Volunruud and speak with Amaund Motierre."
"Amaund Motierre? I have no idea who that is. But Volunruud… that I heard of, and I know exactly where it is."

The Listener's speech seems to heighten in excitement.
"So should I do go? Shall I go see what this 'Amaund Motierre' wants?"
Astrid crossed her arms. "Hmm? No. No! Listen, I don't know what going on here, but you take your orders from me. Are we clear on that? The Night Mother may have spoken to you, but I am still the leader of this Family. I will not have my authority so easily dismissed. I... I need time to think about all this. Go see Nazir - do some work for him. I'll find you when I'm ready to discuss the matter further."

As Selene left with Astrid, Veezara and The Listener, she could hear Cicero singing,
"Ooh, you are The Listener, you are The Listener! I have served Mother well, I have!"
That sent another shiver down Selene's spine. She never felt comfortable around Cicero, like he was some kind of volatile potion that would explode if dropped or moved about harshly.

Veezara noticed Selene shiver and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
Selene looked away from the door that to the Night Mother's shrine and motioned her head into a small secluded area of the Sanctuary, somewhere that only she knows and nobody else.


Once alone, Selene sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"No. No, I'm not alright."
"Tell me my dear, what's wrong? Whenever you are around Cicero, you seem to be… on edge. Jumpy, if you will."

"Well… I definitely don't trust Cicero, I feel like he is too unstable for this Family to keep around. I understand that it is the way of the Dark Brotherhood and that I don't really understand the rules of this family and that I never understood the Five Tenets, but it's just that I already lost my biological family and I don't want to lose this one and-"
"Selene." Veezara's calm voice comforted Selene and his warm hands grabbed hers.
"No matter what, you will always be a part of the Family. You are the closest person to me, and I trust you with my life. And I promise you, nothing will happen to this Sanctuary except safety, wealth and comfort."
Selene smiled and lightly blushed. "I feel close to you too, Veezara. More than anybody else in this Sanctuary. I feel safe around you, I can talk to you without hesitation and I honestly never thought you would be the first one to share my past with. The assassin who was sent to kill me."
Veezara chuckled as his memories brought him back with his first encounter with Selene.
"It fills me with joy to hear those words escape your lips."

"Veezara?" Selene looked up at him with her amber eyes.
"Hmm?"
"I trust you enough to tell you this… Do you think Astrid is a good leader?"

"What?" Veezara's voice slightly raised in confusion.
"Do you think Astrid is a good leader?"
"I believe she is committed to the Family, yes. Why do you ask?"

"I just… I just think… this sounds utterly insane but… I'm starting to doubt Astrid's true intentions to this Sanctuary. I don't know, I just feel like that the atmosphere in here is very tense, especially since the Night Mother arrived. Even more so now that we supposedly have a 'Listener'."

"SELENE! WHERE ARE YOU? I NEED YOU TO DO SOMETHING FOR ME!" Selene heard Festus Krex call out for her.
"VEEZARA? I HAVE A CONTRACT FOR YOU!" Veezara heard Astrid call out for him.

"Well, perhaps we should be going. We'll talk later?"
"Of course." Veezara smiled.
"And Veezara?"
Veezara turned his head to Selene.
"Thank you. For everything."