By the end of the next day, Ivan was back in Riften. The place brought back memories of the last time he was in the city, but he brushed them aside, avoiding the temple like it was a disease. Ivan donned a hood he got off a bandit that stopped him along the way, and quietly entered the orphanage.
Inside, Ivan snuck around to find the woman he was to kill. There was a room with several children gathered around the fireplace. They played with handmade toys, but looked downtrodden. Ivan swallowed hard when he thought about all these parentless children. He knew how they felt.
He ducked behind a bookcase when a woman entered the room he was in. She had long, brown hair, and wore a yellow dress. By the looks of her, she must have been Imperial by birth. She hummed a cheerful tune and used a cup with holes in it to water some flowers growing by the window. Ivan took his hand off his dagger. Surely this wasn't Grelod?
Suddenly, a door opened in the room where the children were. The Imperial woman jumped, and quickly entered the other room. A loud voice rasped through the orphanage.
"What are you children doing on the floor?! Constance! Did they do their chores? If one of you shirked your duties, you'll get an extra beating tonight!"
Ivan made his way through the building to get a look at Grelod. She was the epitome of an old crone. With a face wrinkled into a permanent scowl, a hooked nose, and a hunched posture. If Ivan didn't know better, he would've mistaken her for a hagraven.
"And I'll hear no more of getting adopted!" Grelod continued. "Nobody wants you useless creatures!"
"Of course, Grelod." Constance answered sadly. "And don't worry! All their chores are done, and they even tended to the garden out back! They've been angels all day!" she piped, hugging two of the children, whose countenances brightened slightly.
"Humph! You probably did some of their chores for them, knowing you!" Grelod sneered. "You lazy brats! None of you will get dinner tonight! Now, what do you say?"
Many of the children looked about to cry. One of the little girls grabbed a boy's hand, who looked to be her big brother.
"Thank you, Grelod. We love you, Grelod." they mumbled in unison. Then the little girl began to cry. Grelod's face twisted in disgust.
"No crying! You're lucky to be here, you ungrateful urchin!" Grelod lifted her cane to smack the child, but her brother put himself between them, putting on a brave face. Constance intervened as well.
"Please, Grelod! Y-you must be tired from all the hard work you did today! Why don't we just send them to bed?" she implored.
"Get out of the way, both of you! I'm going to teach her a lesson in respect!" Grelod shouted.
As Ivan watched this sad scene, he was sneaking around to the back door. When Grelod was about to beat the little girl, Ivan knew he had to do something. He grabbed his bow and an arrow, and shot the old woman, who died instantly. There was a silence. Suddenly, the children began rejoicing.
"She... she's dead! Grelod's dead! Hooray!"
"Aventus Aretino! He said he'd summon the Dark Brotherhood for us! He did it!"
"We love you, Dark Brotherhood!"
Ivan hurriedly fiddled with the door, finding it locked tight. Great. He fumbled through his pack for lockpicks. As he did so, he glanced back into the other room. The little girl continued to cry, hugging her big brother.
"I... I'm so happy!" she sobbed as her brother consoled her.
Ivan heard a gasp. He stiffened, and turned slowly to see Constance staring at him in fear. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. Then she whispered to him.
"You... you killed her?" she asked. "Are you part of the... Dark Brotherhood?" Ivan shook his head quietly.
"Aventus sent me here. I couldn't stand to see these children being harmed." he replied. "I know you'll take better care of them."
Constance seemed to relax somewhat. She smiled a little. Suddenly, they could hear the front door open. A guard's voice was heard.
"What's all the ruckus?"
Ivan jumped. He was in for it now! Quickly, Constance came towards him. He thought she was going to grab him, but instead, she pulled out a key and unlocked the door.
"Get going! And... thank you." she whispered. Ivan bowed to her slightly before vanishing into the night.
As Ivan traveled back to Windhelm, word spread that the headmistress of the Riften orphanage was killed by an unknown archer, as an arrow had been found in the old woman's head. Ivan waited until nightfall to enter the city, concerned that he might be recognized for the uproar he caused on his last visit. He also worried that guards might stop any archer they saw, looking for the killer of the headmistress.
Upon entering the Aretino residence, Ivan found the boy Aventus cured up in his bed, sleeping. Ivan looked around the house, finding it mostly empty. There was scarcely any food to be seen. His heart sank. It saddened him to think that the boy would rather be even here, than the orphanage. From what little of the orphanage he had seen, he could understand why. But things would be different, now. Ivan gently shook the boy awake.
"Aventus?" Ivan spoke quietly. The boy sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. He looked up at Ivan and smiled.
"You're back! That must mean... Grelod, is she...?"
"She's dead, Aventus." Ivan answered. Aventus jumped out of bed happily.
"This is great! I bet Hroar and Runa are so happy! They've been there the longest. Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" Aventus hugged Ivan around his middle. Ivan smiled and put a hand on the boy's head.
"Aventus, now that Grelod is gone, I'd like you to go back to the orphanage." he said. Aventus looked up at Ivan and frowned.
"But... I don't want to go back there! This is my home!" he argued.
"Of course. And you can come back here when you're old enough. But right now, you're alone, and there's hardly any food here. Constance is caring for the orphanage now, and I bet your friends are missing you." Ivan urged. He saw Aventus's face soften.
"Constance is nice..." he admitted. "Alright. I'll go. But how will I get there? I was escorted by guards last time."
"Leave that to me." Ivan assured him.
Ivan and Aventus gathered the boy's things and went to the Windhelm stables. Ivan got him situated on a carriage, then took a seat next to him. He remembered gravely what happened the last time he took a carriage ride. He would not let that happen again.
"To Riften, if you please." Ivan told the driver.
"You got money to pay for the ride?" the driver asked. Ivan realized he only had a small handful of change. Then he remembered something. He handed the driver Aventus's silver necklace.
"Will this do?" he asked. The driver inspected it carefully in the moonlight. Then he smiled.
"This'll do nicely." he replied. Then he clicked his tongue and flicked the reigns, signaling for the horses to move forward.
Aventus sat quietly for most of the ride, gripping his small bag of possessions. He seemed deep in thought.
"Something on your mind?" Ivan asked. Aventus shrugged.
"I wish I didn't have to leave. I wish... Mom didn't have to die." he said quietly. He tightened his grip on his bag. "After Dad left us to go fight in the war, Mom worked so hard. Then the soldiers came and told us that Dad died in battle, and..." tears welled up in his eyes. "And my mom was just never the same after that. Then she got sick, and told me I was man of the house, now. That place is all I have left."
Ivan understood. Granted, he was older than Aventus when his parents were killed, but the feeling remained the same. The feeling of helplessness as you lose those closest to you. Wondering if, had you done something different, something more, that they might not have died. Worried that, somehow, the fault of their deaths was on your shoulders. Ivan knew the feeling all too well. He put an arm around the young boy.
"That's not true, now, is it?" Ivan asked. Aventus looked up at Ivan in confusion.
"You've got your friends back at Honorhall Orphanage. And you've got me. I'm your friend, aren't I?"
"Of course you are!" Aventus said eagerly. Ivan smiled.
"There, see? Stop looking at what you don't have, and look at what you do have! I bet you'll find you have more than you thought you did." he said encouragingly. Aventus grinned, and leaned up against Ivan, and soon fell asleep. Ivan's shoulders drooped. He could stand to listen to his own advice.
As Ivan looked out over the moonlit scape of Skyrim, he realized he felt more whole than he had in a good long while. Ironic, seeing as he was now under the instruction of Sithis. Yet here he was, helping an orphan in need, and traveling the roads of Skyrim once more, just like old times.
By the time Ivan and Aventus made it to Riften, it was morning again. Ivan dropped Aventus off at the orphanage. The boy received a warm welcome from the children and Constance. Already, the place had a new feel about it. Ivan knew the guards were watching him warily, as he wore a bow on his back. He smiled warmly as he spoke to Constance.
"I'm here from Windhelm, to bring this boy back to the orphanage." he said. Constance recognized him immediately, and smiled, albeit a little nervously.
"Why thank you, kind sir whom I've never met before!" she said. "What a benevolent thing for you to do, looking out for the poor orphans of Skyrim!" She smiled and waved at the guards, who turned and continued their patrol. Then she spoke in a quieter tone to Ivan.
"The guards are gone, now. But I'm sure they'll be back if you stay too long. I want to thank you for what you've done, but I'm sorry to say what money I have is to cover the needs of the children here." she said. Ivan shook his head.
"But of course! I wouldn't dream of expecting payment. Please, see to it that these children are well looked after. That would be payment enough." he said humbly. Constance smiled. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
"If only everyone in Riften were more like you." she said gratefully. Ivan bowed deeply, turning then to young Aventus.
"Are you sure you can't stay for a while longer?" he asked hopefully. Ivan smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.
"I'm afraid not. But I'll be sure to visit now and then." he promised. He waved goodbye to everyone before leaving. After turning away, Ivan realized how tired he was. It had been a good long while since he had a full night's rest. He knew the children would likely speak to each other about the identity of Grelod's killer, so he would have to be careful about visiting here in the future. But for right now, all Ivan needed was a place to rest. He headed for the inn.
Ivan slept peacefully all that day, and into the night. As he opened his eyes, however, he realized he was not in the inn in Riften any more. He sat up, and realized he was in an abandoned shack. A woman sat atop a bookshelf, watching him with some interest.
"Sleep well?" she asked gently. "I should hope so. You've been out for quite a while. I'd nearly forgotten how well my sleeping agent works."
No wonder he had slept so well. He had been drugged. Annoyed, Ivan stood up and glared at his captor.
"Who are you? Where is this place?" he demanded.
"Easy, easy. My name is Astrid. I'm not here to hurt you. On the contrary, I'm a fan of your work. Especially your latest work. Grelod, was it?"
"You know that was me?" Ivan asked in surprise. Astrid laughed.
"Of course, Dear! The Dark Brotherhood has eyes and ears everywhere! We have to, to fulfill our contracts. Incidentally, that's the reason I've brought you here." she said.
"I see." Ivan answered. "I pretended to be a member of your organization, and killed your rightful contract."
"You are a smart one." Astrid answered. "You understand that The Dark Brotherhood has a reputation to uphold. Usually, those who aren't one of us, but pretend to be, are out to make themselves look more impressive. We deal with them the same as any contract. But not you. You acted like a real Brotherhood Agent would. Get in, kill, get out, no questions asked. I like that."
"So what's the problem?" Ivan asked.
"Our numbers are small." she said. "The Dark Brotherhood is a dwindling family. I've seen you in action, and I liked what I saw. I want you to join us."
Had Astrid asked at any other point in Ivan's life thus far, he would've flatly refused. But now, Ivan had had a taste of what being part of The Dark Brotherhood was like, and the flavor was pleasing. Besides, his mother used to be among their ranks. He was curious to know what that side of his mother would've been like. He nodded.
"I'll do it."
"Excellent!" Astrid said happily. She hopped down from the bookcase, beaming at Ivan. "Oh, I just know you'll love it! Welcome to the family! Here, I'll take you to our hideout! Let's go!"
Ivan followed Astrid as she led him towards The Dark Brotherhood. With what little his mother had told him about being a member of this organization, he knew they operated under the direction of Sithis, and the Night Mother. He wondered if Sithis had pointed him in the direction of Aventus in hopes that Ivan would eventually join The Dark Brotherhood. With that in mind, he was interested how this new situation would pan out.
Sorry it's been so long since my last chapter! Inspiration comes and goes, for me. Rest assured, I do plan on completing this entire story, so don't fret during the occasional hiatus. I'm working on several things at once, and rotate my attention between them. Thanks for reading my story! If you like what you see, be sure to comment! You commenters are the reason this story is still alive! Love to you all!