TO KILL AN EMPIRE

Her hopeful face stares back into my weary one. "It's time." Astrid says. Her joy and excitement almost rub off on me.

"Now?" I ask, knowing the answer full well.

"Oh, yes. And I've decided you will have the honor."

Of course. "I will serve you." Voice catches the emphasis, but she has no leverage to be petty.

"Oh, I have the utmost faith in your success, believe me. So, let's begin. Go now to Castle Dour in Solitude. Present the Gourmet's Writ of Passage to the officer in charge, Commander Maro. I'm sure you remember him. You'll gain unrestricted access to the kitchens, and the Emperor. You're posing as a chef, so you'll be able to poison his meal rather easily."

"Which poison do I use?" I fiddle with my mask, debating if I should wear it or not. No one is really noticing my face.

"Here take this- it's called Jarrin Root. All it takes is one taste, and the effects are quite immediate. The Emperor will be serving Sithis before he even knows he's dead. Once Medo has been killed, escape through the upper door, and across the bridge. I've 'arranged' for it to be unguarded once the alarm is sounded. Now go, my friend. Go, and fulfill your destiny as Listener."

The name rings hollow for me. Listener. But so many people put so much weight into it. I wonder what Astrid here would think of me if I failed. Nothing tethered me to the Sanctuary. Voice was impatient. It was time to leave. I pocket the poison and leave to find a carriage. When I open the Sanctuary door the scent of blood is everywhere, an omen for what is to come.

At first, I thought Solitude was on lockdown. Now, I see how heavily guarded it is. No specific threat. Just a chill in the air that something was coming. Something big was about to go down and no one is certain if they can stop it.

The air was tense. I understood why people stared at me, it's not because of my Nightingale Armor, oh no, I stripped that. People weren't staring because of my ridiculous chef getup complete with the chef hat. It's because I was running around like a maniac. A chicken with it's head cut off trying to find the kitchen.

Voice told it best to me in the carriage, the best way to hide for me would be in plain sight. The assassin is always in the shadows, not outside causing a scene big enough to stop the most unobservant in their tracks.

"Please! Please!" I begin to fake cry. Real tears for me meant blood and that wouldn't be pretty here, so I dabbed some water on my cheeks for emphasis. "I'm so lost! The city is so big! I can never find what I'm looking for!"

The guards are oblivious as ever, I mean c'mon, I bought property here not even four months ago. Or maybe it was the chef hat. That seemed to be the best disguise.

"Come with me." A guard gently guides me by the elbow up the steps and into the castle walls. Near where I squished Vici with that gargoyle. Yikes. I can't help but glance over and find pieces of the stone remaining in the courtyard.

"It's just so scary here! That…that assassination that happened! All of Tamriel heard of it!" The guard listens to my ramblings and nods along. Eventually, he hands me a sweetroll to calm my hysteria.

I bite into the sugary goodness while Voice talks.

Good, keep going, when we enter the walls mention your position as Gourmet.

"Where do you need to be, miss?" Guard asks.

"The kitchen, duh." I say a little too harshly. Forgot the act. "I'm sorry for snapping, I'm just on the edge of my seat you know? Assassins. The talk of the Emperor being in danger. All I want to do is cook him a damn good meal then get out of here."

"Yes, yes, that will be arranged. Don't worry, no guard here will miss the assassin. If there is one."

"Oh good! Thank you so much for defending us! Whatever would we do without you?" I clutch onto the guard's armor. He just shrugs and points to the kitchen ahead.

A very pretty Redguard woman was cooking some stew. I immediately recoil from the scent. Lamb stew. "Not another delivery. I told you people, our stocks are fine. Now put whatever you have over there, then get out!"

"Don't speak to the Gourmet like that!" Yells the guard from outside.

The woman writes pure fear on her face before it melts to pleasant surprise, "The Gourmet? Oh! Finally! When I heard the Gourmet was being brought in to cook for the Emperor, I could hardly believe it. It's just…" She pauses.

I swallow, I damn well hope she hasn't seen me before. For all I know she lives right next to Proudspire Manor and saw me living there.

"You're a Nord! And a vampire! I never would have guessed it! But where in the world did you learn to cook like that? Here in Skyrim? Or maybe somewhere less…"

I need to derail the interrogation. "Enough! The Gourmet needs to cook, and talk gets us nowhere!"

She shuts up after this, "Yes, but of course! Ahem. The Emperor has requested your signature dish- the Potage le Magnifique. I've taken the liberty of getting it started. But the cookbook only says so much, and everyone makes the Potage differently. I would be honored if we could make it…the Gourmet's special way."

"That's fine but what's with the lamb stew?" I point to the concoction she's brewing. Smells just like it used to be in Markarth…before the ashes.

"Oh! This is just an appetizer. The Emperor requested it after it became a hit in Markarth."

I swallow the lump in my throat. Don't think, just act. "What ingredient do we need next?" Asks the woman. She's so innocent and forthcoming. I can't ask for anything burned.

"Um, how about oregano and basil?"

"Done!" She smiles and drops said spices in. "Now what?"

"Um," Cooking was never something I did as a human. "That." I point to a jar behind her.

"Skeever eyes?" She balks.

"You questioning me?" I put my hands on my hips.

"No, no, it's just…I never thought." She dumps a quarter of the eyes in. I'm not that squeamish but even I wince when the eyes come floating back up.

"What else?"

"Alcohol. Some form. Maybe ale?"

"Yes! I never would have thought! That must be what brought out the distinct musky flavor the last time."

I pause, "You had the stew in Markarth?"

She's all smiles, "Yes! First batch!"

Okay. "Now, final ingredient." I pull out the root Astrid gave me and hand it over. The woman across from me eyes it and turns it around. "I've never seen something like this before. May I try it?"

"No!" I lunge across the way and pull it back. "It's horrible if you eat it by itself but trust me when I say it's better in this…just don't taste test any of this. I think the dinner guests are going to inhale the whole thing."

"Of course, of course!" She drops the root into the stew, I expect some sort of red ominous steam to rise. But nothing happens. "I will say, it has been an honor getting a chance to prepare a meal with, well… the best chef in the entire Empire."

I do a subtle bow. "Honor was mine."

The woman blushes. "I'll carry the stew pot and lead the way up to the dining room. I'm sure the Emperor and his guests are dying to meet you."

I motion to her, "Lead the way."

Two winding staircases later and the woman is standing nervously before the door. "I'm so nervous, could you go first? Just stand there and be amazing! I'll serve."

I nod. Nothing left to say, all that needs to happen is the Emperor falling over dead choking on this horrible concoction. I push through the doors, but no one looks at me, they're all looking at him. The Emperor sits at the head of the table and looks as you would imagine an Emperor. Old, wrinkly, but powerful. Elaborate clothing and nonexistent hairline.

"Aha! Here we are. Honored guests, I present to you- the Gourmet!" He rises and signals to me. I keep my eyes down so they don't see the glow. Easier to remember a vampire.

"Ah the first course of the meal! My friends, as Emperor, I of course reserve the right of the first taste."

This rings a bell. This isn't good. Normally, they get someone else to do it. I edge closer to the door. Something is off and Voice feels it too.

Be ready to run.

"Oh delicious!" The Emperor crows at his first bite. "The lovely crunch! Was that nirnroot?"

"Skeever eye." Cook woman responds. Her smile could light up the room.

"Skeever eye?" He looks puzzled, "Why, that's disgusting. Ach!" He tumbles over. Dead.

"By the gods the Gourmet has poisoned the Emperor!" A woman next to him shouts. I lock eyes with the woman holding the stew. See the betrayal on her face. "Yes. It was me, no one else! Everyone else is innocent!" I shout. That's all I can give her. As much as I want to, I can't give her more protection than those words.

I turn and race out the very door Astrid told me about. Guards are hot on my heels.

Something wrong. Something wrong. Ponders Voice.

The windmill is up ahead. I've never seen it like this until now. It's beautiful. I just hope I can come back to this city sometime. I'm about ready to make the leap from the castle when I hear them.

"That man was, by far, the most insufferable decoy the Emperor has ever employed. I'm glad he's dead. Ah, but I'm even happier that you killed him." The guard walks out of the shadows from the awning and I recognize him as my former contract's father. Maro.

"You. An assassin for the Dark Brotherhood, have just made an attempt on the Emperor's life. Would have succeeded, had it been the real man." He laughs, "Surprised? So was I, when a member of your 'Family' came to me with the plan. We worked out a deal, you see. An exchange."

The cold begins to settle in my bones. Only one person could have done that.

"I get you, and the Dark Brotherhood gets to continue it's existence." He pauses then laughs before his face becomes startlingly stern. "But you know what? I've changed my mind. How about this? I kill you, and butcher each and every one of your miserable little friends? Your Sanctuary is being put to the sword. My guards will be there soon. That's what I think of this little 'deal'. You killed my son! All of you! And now you'll pay the price."

"Good lecture on your villain plan." I snap back, "But you're stupider than I thought."

Before the guy can really charge me in his blind rage, I pull the Ebony Blade. "Oh no, not me, not this time." He shakes his head and backs under the awning of the windmill. Guards flank him now.

"Kill her! And leave no body left to bury." Maro shouts, venom dripping on every word. Guards fly out at his command, but I am readied with the Ebony Blade. I swipe and slash, guards fall one after the other. I don't really think about the movements. Just that I need to get through them and out of this city.

When the three of them are bleeding out on the ground I race across the wall to the other end. Another guard jumps out of nowhere. But I'm faster, I pull the Blade up and sever the front of his neck before he can make a move. Almost dead. I don't stay to finish the job. More guards are arriving. I leap from the castle wall, and instead of feeling relief and joy at the completion of my quest, I am once again riddled with anxiety. If I don't get to the Sanctuary soon, there might be nothing left to save.

Cicero's Journal Entry

4th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 202

The time of reckoning has come for Astrid. Oh, I can hear it, Mother even from so far away. The sweet music.