The Dunmer arrived at the empty farmhouse. It, and the requisite barn next to it were both closed and locked, waiting for its inhabitants to return.

The intruder deftly picked the lock and let himself into the small house through the kitchen and settled into a large, comfortable chair in the living area that belonged to the owner. It faced the kitchen, and the main entrance to the building.

He didn't have long to wait. As expected, a tall female soon entered, laden with food, cleaning supplies and some flowers. She bustled about the kitchen, putting items away without realizing that she had a guest.

Once done, she smiled at her efforts before turning to the living area. Upon spotting the seated intruder, she immediately drew two weapons into a fighting stance.

"Get out of this house," she said menacingly, slowly advancing toward him. "You shouldn't be in here."

"Marelle Alersen," the intruder said, catching her attention in a different way. He slowly rose from the chair. "Put down your weapons. I'm here to talk, not fight."

"I'm listening," she said, not changing her stance. He knew who she was, and she tried to keep that from many.

The Dunmer smiled and nodded. He didn't really expect her to stand down. "I'm Teris."

Marelle's eyebrows lifted. They were both members of the Dark Brotherhood. But while Marelle was slowly working to take them down from the inside, Teris had been assigned to kill one of her dearest friends. He was an enigma, and a search for him had proved fruitless. And now, he was here. In the Dragonborn's home.

Teris slowly put his ungloved hands up, where she could see them. "No weapons. Just talk. On my honor."

Marelle hesitated. Teris was known for following his own code of honor. In fact, he only took contracts where the targets really were guilty of a crime. It often infuriated Astrid, leader of the assassins, but he was so good that she held her tongue and gave him only the contracts he would want.

She slowly put her weapons down. "If we're going to just talk, would you like a cup of tea?" The comment was sarcastically made, but the Dunmer was pleased to accept the offer.

Feeling a bit surreal, the half Altmer, half Nord woman brewed some tea while her unexpected guest settled back into the chair, looking approvingly around the farmhouse. It was quaint yet cozy, and moderately decorated. There were some wood carvings on the mantle of the fireplace, one of a mountain flower that matched the real ones she had brought in, and small feminine touches dotted the rooms. A bedroom lay tucked away in a small corner of the home, with fresh sheets and blankets neatly folded to one side, with a writing table and wardrobe next to it. There were some letters on the table, in the clear handwriting of Elarie Stormal, currently residing in the Morrowind province of Solstheim.

Teris took a sip of the tea Marelle offered while she settled into the second armchair, trusting that it wasn't poisoned. She looked questioningly at him, but waited patiently for him to begin.

"I've been to Solstheim," he began. Marelle nearly spilled her tea. The Dunmer smiled. "Don't worry, the mage and mercenary are fine, nothing happened." His host relaxed fractionally, but still remained alert.

"Yes, I've been forced to take the contract to kill Elarie. I'm not going to do it. But I do need your help."

At his unwilling host's look of surprise, he continued. "My real name is Mathis Drelen," he began. "Elarie is a former graduate assistant from the Arcane University, where I studied under her father. I have a great regard for her, as well as for Teldryn Sero." He smiled, thinking of their meeting only a few days ago in Raven Rock. His former teacher had remembered him on sight, and Sero had been gracious in responding to his questions. The old warrior had neatly sidestepped questions about the Great War as many veterans did, but the tales he told of Blacklight and some mercenary jobs were highly entertaining. It had been a truly enjoyable evening. They welcomed his company, and he was never made to feel that he was intruding on their time. "Sero and I are both House Redoran," he explained. "He's a hero of mine. I am not foolish enough to cross blades with him, nor would I want to."

Marelle looked at him suspiciously. "If you don't want the contract, why accept it?" she asked. "Surely you have enough clout to turn it down."

Mathis shook his head. "It's not that simple," he said, taking another sip of his tea. "Which is why I'm here."

"Marelle, it's no secret that the client who wants Elarie dead paid thrice the original contract to get it done by me. That's serious coin. Unfortunately only Astrid knows who the client is. There is another contract that many do not know about – assassinating the Emperor. The best way to prevent both is to take the Dark Brotherhood down now. But I need some help. And you're the logical choice. Your selection of contracts is similar to mine, and you don't kill innocents. Unlike some of the new recruits, who have no care for that sort of thing." Here he grimaced. "I've been stopping those cold-blooded killers but it's only a bandage to what really needs to be done. I can't work on all at the same time, and Astrid is pressuring me to complete the contract on Elarie as the fool who attempted the first one failed. Anyone could have eaten from that plate and been poisoned. He's no longer around to try again."

Marelle shivered involuntarily. Her friend had had a very close call – the attempt had been a sliver away from succeeding. It was true that several recruits had accepted contracts and were not seen again. Veezara just said that they were unsuccessful. But for Teris … Mathis… to claim that he'd been the one responsible for stopping them, well, she didn't know what to think.

"I know who you are and who this farm belongs to," he said. "It's how I knew how to find you.

"Tobias Firebrand was the Dragon Bridge commander before Maro," he continued. "When assassins killed his family, he quit and retreated to this farm. He is a good man, doing his job. And he paid the price for that when his wife and child were murdered." Mathis shook his head. "I caught wind of that contract too late. I couldn't get here in time. When I did, the bodies were all that was left. I think it was at least quick. I had to leave them as is, for him to find. I witnessed his agony when he returned home, after narrowly surviving the attempt on his own life."

He closed his eyes, taking a few breaths. "His pain… by Azura, I've never seen anything like it. I thought he'd return to his post with a vengeance, but he'd been broken, and shut himself away from the world. He quit the Legion and holed himself up here." He took another deep breath. "I stand against the killing of innocents, Marelle. A day old baby should have been spared. This was not a hit, just pure cold-blooded murder.

"I bear some responsibility for his pain. When he was a commander, working with the Penitus Oculate, I dropped him clues about certain contracts they could help prevent. I let him know of my existence, and used that connection to help thwart the taking of innocent lives when I needed back up. Of course, he was already successful at what he did. But perhaps, if I didn't gain his aid, which made his success more notable, his family would still be alive today."

The tall woman looked thoughtfully at the Dunmer in front of her. "What happened is not your fault," she said slowly. "You were trying to save people, same as what he was doing. He would've freely agreed to work with you."

Mathis looked up. She sounded sincere, which gave him the impetus to continue.

"I've checked up on him periodically," he said. "To make sure he's all right. Fortunately the Brotherhood decided that his quitting and becoming a recluse was just as good as killing him. He wasn't perceived to be a threat anymore. But with that slaver contract being so near him, I came to check on him and found you in the farmhouse."

Here he stopped and faced his host. "I didn't stay, leaving you your privacy. But I do know that after that day, he sent a letter to Commander Maro, his replacement at Dragon Bridge. Then he went on a trip, and next thing I know, he's being hailed as the Dragonborn. He's been credited with saving Whiterun, ending the civil war, becoming head of the Companions and the College of Winterhold, among some other rumored exploits. He's a Thane in every Hold. But in between all these accolades, he makes time to come here – where I've seen you taking care of the farm while he's away."

Marelle blushed. It was frightening that he knew so much about her, yet she felt oddly comfortable with him, and trusted her instinct that he was telling her the truth. He was certainly correct in the details that she knew, and from what Tobias had told her.

"Marelle… I know you want to bring down the Dark Brotherhood. I'm here to help."

That got her attention. She'd been so careful of her intentions, and Teris was a big stumbling block in her way. His abilities and the assassins who admired him numbered many, and he had the potential to restart the order on his own. And yet he was here, offering to work with her to rid Skyrim of the Dark Brotherhood.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked.

"Would you believe me if I said I got into this because I wanted revenge?" He held his cup tightly, looking down at it. "I found out that Astrid and Arnbjorn personally killed people I loved, one a complete innocent, and I joined to bring them down. We've been working on parallel goals."

He swirled the tea in his cup. "The Brotherhood is also nearing one of their end goals - assassinating the Emperor. I am not overly worried about the ascension line – there will always be some vestige of the Empire. But if they are successful, they become the prominent assassins, over others like the Morag Tong. As a Dunmer, I know the Morag Tong – they are preferable to the Dark Brotherhood under Astrid and their predilection for turning a blind eye to killing innocents. They only attack those who have committed slights, crimes or for political gain. And never outside of the contract terms.

"I've been keeping my head down for years to find out why Astrid and Arnbjorn have strayed so far from the original tenets. They are despicable, using the order for their own ends." He took another sip of his tea, his hands shaking slightly while he waited for a response.

The half Altmer's mind was in a stir. Teris was admitting that he was doing the same as she, and for the same reasons – out of love. He knew almost everything about her, Tobias and their friends. But he didn't use any of this against her, only coming to her for help.

She took a sip of her tea, keeping it as steady as she could. "What would you have me do?" She asked.

Teris visibly relaxed, releasing the tight hold on his cup. "There are several things," he said. "I'll need to be seen to Astrid as working on the contract for Elarie. I also need to follow the contracts leading to the Emperor's assassination job." He leaned forward. "Once we can discover who is behind both contracts, we can destroy the Dark Brotherhood. The Falkreath Sanctuary is the last major base of operations in Tamriel." He looked at his cup. "I've no doubt that it will emerge again one day, as it has done before," he said. "But I need to try to protect innocents, now and in the future.

"Marelle, there's one last thing you should know about me. I've just discovered that I'm the new Listener."

The female assassin stared at him. There had been no Listener in the Dark Brotherhood for many years. That Teris had been chosen was not completely a surprise due to his skill, but that he was the most honorable of the assassins seemed contrary to the role.

"The Night Mother whispers about the fall," her guest continued. "It's surprising, but the targets she whispers about really do deserve it. Astrid and Arnbjorn really have strayed from the path, and she knows it, and doesn't care for it."

He looked up at the half Altmer. "I'm still determined to finish what I started," he said firmly. "But if it comes down to it – if I start to lose myself, I need you to kill me." At her expression, he explained. "The jester Cicero has already pledged his loyalty to me as the Listener. Once the Dragonborn knows my role in all this, he and your friends may hesitate before striking. Firebrand has a kind heart, Elarie has known me many years and Sero is a fellow Redoran. Those factors together could be fatal for them, from Cicero. He is the only Dark Brotherhood survivor from Cyrodiil, and yet saved the Night Mother's remains. That alone means he should not be taken lightly. You are talented and trained. I can depend on you to not hesitate."

Marelle slowly accepted his terms. Teris looked relieved, and leaned back in the armchair for a few moments before speaking again.

"Here's the outline of what I have planned. I'd appreciate your advice and some help with the details."