SOUND OF THE VOID

Turns out dawn was as terrible as I thought it would be. I woke up to Garnag pounding on my door, I was still tangled in Bryn's arms, so it took me a few minutes to rise and pull my robe against me. When I opened the door, the hulking man was standing there in his beautiful armor.

"Couldn't find any nightclothes that fit you?" I yawned, noting he didn't seem to have taken them off all night.

He glared at me through his helmet. "Get ready. I'm leaving here in ten minutes and if you're not with me, I'll leave you."

Well, that would have solved all my problems. I considered letting him leave. Let him go deal with the Listener by himself. But the words Bryn told me last night woke me up more than any cold shower could. When I remembered the horrible, evil, woman who might be holding the Night Mother's voice in her head, I dressed quickly.

Nightingale armor intact, and Ebony Blade strapped to my back, I kissed Bryn lightly on the forehead to alert him. "I'm going." I whispered.

His hands curled around my forearms, as if he wanted to pull me back. To make me stay. "I want to go with you." He whispered. His eyes were groggy, but he seemed determined.

I wanted him to be with me too. We both knew the Rift like the back of our hands due to all the time we spent in Riften, and if Maven were the true Listener, she might listen more to Bryn than me. But without anyone here to defend Penny and the house…it would surely be broken into. "You have to protect Penny and the animals." I ran a hand through his hair.

His golden eyes wouldn't leave mine. "I thought you scared them off last night."

I grinned down at him. "I did, but they tend to rally back. Stay here, I'll just be gone for a few days. If I have trouble with Maven, I'll get Delvin involved."

He only chuckled at that and pulled me down for another kiss. A harsh throat clearing behind us broke us up. Good thing too, I'm sure if I laid down again, right next to him I wouldn't be able to leave.

With that picture perfect moment in the past, I now rest my head on the back of our carriage. This pissed off Garnag even more than my tardiness. He was adamant I ride horseback with him, both on one horse. When I said I wouldn't, he told me to saddle up my own horse. When I said I actually don't own horses, because I kind of hate them, he looked like he was going to blow a gasket.

He stomped around. Bitched and moaned, but we finally came to a conclusion: tie his horse up to a carriage and drive us. I told him it would have been easier just to find a carriage driver…but he wouldn't leave his horse behind.

I yelp and go tumbling forwards as the carriage makes a dead stop. The rest of the body jolts forwards with the force of it. "Sorry." Garnag grumbles as he gets off his horse.

"Little warning would have been good." I mumble and rub my forehead.

He ignores me and instead pulls some large bags from the back of the carriage. "Help me set this up."

I raise a brow. "It's not that dark yet. I thought we were going to push through the night to get there."

As I say that, I notice the sun setting the far distance. The sky was getting lighter and lighter before we'd be plunged into complete darkness. Ahead of us, a sheer rock wall towered. It wouldn't be too hard to scale it to get into the Rift, but it sure took the energy out of you. The best way to make the ascent was with horse or carriage, nice and slow, up the designated path.

"We could keep going. But if you don't want a repeat of last night, we need to rest here." He ties up his horse to a nearby tree and comes back to help me pull down the bags. I look around. We're in a large field. Not too far from the road and not really out of sight.

"I thought the witches were setting up right around my house." I grumble.

"No." Garnag snaps. He opens one of the bags and pulls out a long tarp. I notice he ties it expertly, and low on the trees, so it didn't appear as if a tent were here. If I was right, we'd be sleeping low enough to the ground no one would see us unless they stepped on us.

"If you were paying attention." He says haughtily, "You'd notice they had bags with them. Worn out shoes. They were making a pilgrimage. I smelled the sharp scent of the Reach on them. They were walking east. Heading here to the Rift."

"Great, glad to know you were playing detective. What conclusions did you come to?" I cross my arms. Showing I'm not helping him, not when he's treating me like something his horse spit up.

"I heard in Cyrodiil that most witches liked the Rift. Some sort of magic about it."

"So, you're assuming they're all up there."

"I'm making an educated guess." He snaps, glares at me, then points. I follow where is finger was signaling and pause. Up above, in the dense orange and yellow forest of the Rift, I notice something strange. Tiny green and purple lights were softly floating in the air, like dust motes. It would be impossible for a human to see it from this far, but vampire eyesight sheds the light on many little details. Sounds like Orc sight does as well.

"Alright, we'll sleep here tonight." I give up and help him.

We got everything tied up. His horse fell soundly asleep. I even pulled some grass and tree branches to keep the carriage as covered as possible. Then, Garnag and I sat around a small fire. He still needed to eat, and I noticed he brought the whole buffet: fish, rabbit, even some wolf. I sat next to him in silence while he chewed and slurped at everything. Each sound was beginning to grate on my nerves, but I kept my cool. I'd rather deal with him than some other people.

"You sure know a lot about witches." I murmur offhandedly, while taking a sip of some blood Penny was nice enough to pack. I also noticed a whole bag solely designated to teatime, teacups, a kettle, tea, and every spice imaginable plus some extra pumpkin spice. He had good taste.

The Orc wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. Rabbit guts come smearing off it. I notice he barely cooked anything. He told me, sometimes Orc's like to eat things raw. I didn't pry about it further. "I do. I know more about things than one would think. In the Cheydinhal Brotherhood we had a lot of downtime. Too much downtime." He takes another bite.

Something rings a bell. "Cheydinhal? Wait…" I study him a little more closely. He's tall, big, his face looked slightly familiar. But he didn't have the eyepatch. I watch his eyes a bit longer and notice one wasn't tracking as quickly as his other one. "Do you have a fake eye?" I ask, bluntly.

He just stares at me. "Yes. I lost it when I was defending the Night Mother's crypt in Bravil. I used to wear an eyepatch, but Nazir said it's too distinguishing. So, glass eye it is."

I feel like I'm close to choking. The memories begin to come in and suffocate me. Everything I saw about this man. He was that guy. The one I saw in the Night Mother's memories. I can almost feel the phantom hands of Sithis reaching around my body to pull me back into the Void. Garnag now stares at me more wearily.

"I saw you. I know what happened…" I trail off but I can't just stop there, not with the way he's looking at me. So, I elaborate, "When I was fighting the Night Mother, Sithis helped us. He brought us all, Mother, me, and her other child into the Void. There, we followed her on her path. Sithis wanted to show us her memories- who we were dealing with, and how to stop her. He convinced her to change her mind."

I take a deep breath. This might be awkward. "I saw what happened in that other Dark Brotherhood. How you guys got her coffin back to Cheydinhal before it was overrun. That's when Cicero went mad…"

Those jester's crazed eyes still haunt my nightmares, but there was never a time I knew him not to be insane. Not until that night.

"You knew him?" He asks sharply.

I nod slowly, now sitting as still as possible. Garnag was looking at me with an intensity I've never seen about him. Not even the night he came to my house and berated me about fighting witches. "I did. He's not someone I'd wish to spend any more time with. But he's my brother by heart and soul."

Without taking his eyes off me, he slowly, so slowly raises the rabbit carcass to his mouth and tears on another piece of flesh. He chews thoughtfully, "The Night Mother chose him too?"

"No. Not as a Listener. But as her Keeper. He's her child as much as I was…am." I say after a moment.

"Sounds like he got what he wanted. He told me many times he heard her. But we never took him seriously, we already had our Listener."

Alisanne. That girl who heard her. "I saw her fight to the death for Mother. She fought valiantly."

"As much as the Night Mother would want. She had a good warrior defending her." He eyes me, "Sounds like she had another one."

I shrug, "I killed her…so."

He chuckles. "What a mess that was. I wish I could've stopped it. Was Cicero happy?"

That question puzzles me. "Why do you care?" I ask before really thinking about it.

Garnag nearly breaks the rabbit in his hands. He lowers it to his lap and stares me down. "All you knew was a man lost to madness and loneliness. I knew someone far more charming, funny, generous, and competent. If you were truly watching everything that night, you knew how badly the Cheydinhal Brotherhood broke him."

I guess he has a point. I remember that night. Watching the madman turn into a beautiful and enjoyable stranger before my eyes. Before he fell into his obsession with Mother. I remember his brown eyes slowly growing wild with madness as he crawled around the little room he locked himself into. It was only him and Mother's coffin then. "He was happy. All he wanted was for her to acknowledge him. And she did." I don't dare tell Garnag that Mother almost killed Cicero on many occasions. Nor, do I tell him that I entertained that thought as well.

"Mm." He wipes his face and goes to grab another skewer of…gods… it's a recently deceased skeever. I stare off into the woods while he eats that. "Where's he headed to now?"

"I don't care where he's going. I just told him to get her coffin far away from here. He could be headed to another continent for all I know. But if I'm being honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he floats around Tamriel before crawling back here."

"I wouldn't be, either." He swallows harshly. "If anything, I'm glad you were with him. He might have been…off-putting at times. But he really just needed a friend."

I don't say anything after that. I just help him clean up, then we both crawl into that makeshift tent. I lay on my side, my front facing the outside of the tent, with the Ebony Blade right next to me. Garnag lays on his back and falls asleep almost as soon as he rests his head.

Then, it's just the sound of snoring and whatever bugs and animals are out this night. That doesn't calm my roaring mind. I run his words through again. If Cicero truly needed a friend, well, he treated them very badly. I clench my fists as those memories assault me. Every single second of torture at that crazed jester's hands. The drops of blood he held over my head when I was chained and weak. How close I was to feeling the sustenance…

If Garnag were there, I know he wouldn't put up with it like I did. No, he probably would have set his foot down far sooner than I did. All he had to do was-

Something breaks nearby. Not the sharp crack of a branch, but the harsh cracking of a glass bottle. I suck in a breath and hold it. Slowly, I inch forwards, so my head sticks out of the makeshift tent. I could wake Garnag, and I should. But to stop his insane amount of snoring would be to alert our new friends. I told him as much before bed, that if he snores, he's going to be a problem. He just told me anyone who walks our way will be without a head. So not to worry about it.

But I didn't really want a draining fight again. With as little sleep as I got last night, I don't need to face Maven groggy and looking like a hungover drunk. She already thought the worst of me. Yet, I can't sleep knowing there's something spooky going on outside.

I crawl, on my belly, so my arms and legs shoot out like a strange looking lizard to propel me. There was a small hill before reaching the edge of the slope up to the rift. When I crest it, I pause. My face is stuck between sharp, long blades of grass which were just turning to those rich yellow colors of fall. I have to move a bit further to really see.

Down below is another merry circle. All the mages stand, holding each other's hands and moving around and around again. Their dark robes sway in the nighttime breeze, making them look like ghosts cloaked in darkness. In the center, a man with a ghastly looking face caked in white and black makeup chants and holds out potions in the air. He throws them, they levitate for a second, then fall and smash on the ground.

Looks like I found the source, and they weren't even fazed by Garnag's sharp sleeping voice. I crawl a little closer, just to get the full picture. Same thing as last night: men and women, young and old, definitely inexperienced, were all circling the man. It almost looked like a weird cult.

Maybe I should've disposed of them. All I had to do was snipe with the bow and arrows I brought. Or I could've spiced things up and used a little magic. But in my time with the Night Mother in my head, she had many things to say, most of those words were sharp, piercing, and harsh enough to break a heart.

The rest were either hateful quips at the people we'd meet, commands, or little tidbits of information that turned out to be useful. One of those was to never engage an enemy if I didn't have to. Even as a nearly undefeatable Vampire Lord, I would still expend energy. And I didn't feel like drinking mage blood to come back up to speed. It always tasted metallic, gross, and filled with something strange. Like harsh magic. I wanted to sleep anyways.

So, with the sound of the weird guy's chanting, and the harsh breaking glass, I crawled back into the tent. And slept with the symphony of Garnag's snoring and the hard ground to hold me.

"Hey, did you hear anything last night?" The Orc asks in a rough voice. I nearly yelp when the cover of the tent is pulled from me, sending the searing sun to scald my skin.

"Ah!" I cover my face quickly. No, the sun wasn't really a problem with my Nightingale Armor. But it wasn't pretty. I could still burn a bit. "A little warning."

"What happened last night?" He asks and moves so his large frame blocks the sun.

"Mages down below that hill." I point to where I was. "They weren't doing anything too strange, so I let them be."

"And you call yourself the Leader of the Dark Brotherhood." He almost sneers.

I launch up to my feet, still in the shadow of his body. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you truly were an assassin, killing them wouldn't be any inconvenience for you." He looks down on me.

I stare back. "I wasn't in the mood. I was tired, hungry, and frankly, I don't really want to be the Leader of the Dark Brotherhood. If you want the title, you can have it."

He grinds his teeth, "Why stay then? Why take on that title if you really don't want it."

"Because I don't want her coming back here! I don't want to deal with the Night Mother rising again, and I know anyone, even you Garnag, would fall prey to her will!" I throw my hands up. "I'm not even sure I can keep Maven from cracking."

His brow furrows, "Who's Maven?"

"The Listener! The one we're going to find…I figure that's her." I pant. I see his shoulders relax a little. We're still tired and all this infighting wasn't doing us any good. "Let's just go. I'm sure the mages are gone, and they won't be a problem. I just want to talk to Maven then head home." I brush past him and pick up the rest of our things for the road.

"No, they aren't, they headed into the Rift." He follows closely. "It's why we should have killed them."

I don't know what the hell he's talking about. If anything, I'm starting to think our burly guy here secretly wishes he was a witch as well. That is, until I look up and see the wall of purple and green magic barring the Rift from the rest of the province.

"What the hell? What is that?" I put my things in the carriage and gape.

"That's what I was trying to tell you about." He says gravely. "It won't hurt us, but when we pass through, it will alert the witches in there that we are in the province. Whoever you saw last night was the last group headed in for the Witches Festival."

The…what? "Why does that sound fun?"

"Because it is. It's more for kids than adults. Children dress up as little monsters and Jarls to go ask for candy from strangers." He laughs. I think I know what he's talking about. Pumpkin carving. Carriage rides through hay fields. We had something like that as a kid in High Rock, but it was called something different. Come to think of it, we were celebrating the holiday too, just in a more subdued way with Bryn's birthday party. I'm sure Penny was putting up decorations as we speak. Garnag continues, "Everyone gets in on it though, adults put up decorations, carve pumpkins, screw around with magic. But for witches and mages it's far different. This is the season for them to test their skills. There are challenges, potions brewing, feats of strength through spells. New recipes for potions are brewed with the Witchmother Cauldron. Last time, they created new runes…They also open portals to Oblivion."

"Great."

"Sometimes unlucky passerby's get changed into animals or skeletons." He looks down at me. "But this year? This is the 13th season of their new Witchmother. Or Witch Queen. It's going to be far more extravagant than last year. That's for sure."

I just pull on my Nightingale Hood and strap on my Blade and bow and arrows. "Even more reason to get in and get out of Riften. Let's go. I'm sure Maven is just dying to see us."

Garnag didn't complain. I just sat in the back of the carriage while we made the slow ascent. Once we got to that shimmering portal of light, I tensed. I thought it would feel strange going through it. It just felt like a cold flush on my skin. It wasn't barring us, just letting us know it knew we were here.

After that, things got weird. The Rift is a beautiful, if not, the most beautiful place in Skyrim. In my opinion. But now, instead of bright yellow light kissing orange-yellow trees and fields of wilderness, it was dark. Some of the leaves had fallen and were already decaying on the ground. But instead of shriveling up and dying, each one the horse stepped on turned to gold dust. I looked around in awe as the air got thicker with darkness and magic. Green, purple, blue and black lights hung in the air. It was almost suffocating until we hit some boundary.

Then it all slipped away. Now, I could see Riften as it usually was, covered in the mist that ran off the lake and into the canals. Not much magic in sight. "Will it engulf Riften?" I ask Garnag who's just spurring the horse on.

"Usually, no. But this year? I'm not sure." He tells me.

When the carriage stops, I leap from it to head to the entrance. The guards take one look at me and move to open the door. Sounds like my reputation is still nice and tidy here. I grin at them under my Nightingale hood, but they won't see it. Garnag hands the horse and carriage off to the stable and follows me in.

Looks the same as I left it. A dewy scent hung in the air with the encroaching mist. I hear people milling about the boardwalk areas and into the marketplace. Honeyside, my other home, was just around the corner, and where we'd be staying the night. If we had to. All this talk about witches made me antsy to get out.

"Come on. The letter should be with Keerava." Garnag takes the lead.

Walking to the Bee and Barb is interesting. I notice banners of orange and black lining the walkways. Little cutouts of jack-o-lanterns taped to them. On the ground were many carved pumpkins here and there, all with glowing lights in them. It made the place…cozier in a way.

I quickly think over what I'm gonna carve. I always want to go the ambitious route and do some elaborate carving. Like a realistic werewolf or something. But if we were being honest, all I'd do is a big smiley face and call it a day.

Garnag shoves open the door and…wow. The Bee and Barb went all out. Inside, makeshift chandeliers with glittering blood red crystals were suspended in the air by magic. Candles floated above the tables. Garlands of orange and black with little cobwebs and candy corn lined the bar. A giant, goofy, looking stuffed spider was suspended right above our bartender's face. She laughs as someone tells her something funny, and that smile slowly disappears when she sees me and Garnag.

"Thought I wouldn't see you for another eon." The Argonian jokes with me. Her voice is gravelly from all the yelling she was doing today. I don't blame her. The bar is pretty packed for mid-afternoon.

"I decided I'd make my rounds now." I say. "But we're not here on usual Guild business. I'm here on behalf of the Dark Brotherhood."

Woman doesn't even bat an eye. Back when the Night Mother was running the place, I heard she was so fearful, she almost shut down the Inn. "Ah. That."

We stand there for a moment, all eyeing each other up. Knowing, all we had to do was walk away. Not acknowledge the note or the Listener. Maybe then the Night Mother wouldn't return. But we all knew if I didn't corral the person hearing Mother in their head, she very well might come stomping back to Skryim to reign Oblivion on us for what we did.

"I'll take it." I hold out a steady hand.

She lays the note, oh so carefully in my palm. "What do you want to drink? It's on the house." She smiles softly.

I pause, "Uh, lets both do two honey meads. I'll buy his. Add some sweetrolls too." I hand over the coin and drag Garnag over to a corner table. It's sure going to be weird to drink with this mask on, but I didn't want to take it off just yet. I didn't want any witchy people, or other potential enemies to see my face in here. Only the people who knew me before would know me now.

I rip open the seal.

Ebony Warrior,

Your contract is a middle-aged woman, short, with medium length black hair, sharp eyes and an even sharper tongue to match. Watch out for that. Her name is Maven Black-Briar. I will say, I don't envy you or Eve's position. She's a thorny one. Tell her what's going on and why we need her. Make sure she's the real deal. Meet her outside of Mistveil Keep when you get there.

-Nazir

Blunt, straight to the point, not many jokes. "He's nervous."

"As he should be." Garnag says when two mugs of decadent honey mead and four large sweetrolls fresh from the oven slam on our table. Our flustered Keerava runs off to help some other customers, taking the cue that we needed to be left alone.

I take a long sip of mead after pulling my mask up a bit. The sweetness is nearly overwhelming. Man, I missed this place. "Maybe Maven's not it."

"Or she is, and we have to babysit her and keep her from bringing that villain back into the province." He interjects. "Let's just go meet her and find out."

I finish my mead quickly. The rolls go down nicely, thick and gooey, they're the perfect comfort food before facing off with the head bitch herself. Garnag wasn't a fan of sweets and after seeing his diet last night, I was a little surprised. But I ate his rolls for him, finished my mead, and we were off.

I thought it was strange we weren't meeting her in her house, but I won't complain. The less time with her, the better. I take the lead. Garnag blusters behind me. When the mist slowly parts away, with the tall building covered in moss behind it like a foreboding castle, I see Maven standing there with a long black cloak. Staring at me like I was some cat who barfed in her bed.

"We're here." I pull my hood off. "Heard you might be hearing voices."

"I'm sure you're disappointed." She looks down her nose at me. "You were the most precious thing to the Night Mother for so long and now you're losing your title."

Oh, how nice it would be to punch her right in her smirking face. "If you're truly hearing her, then I don't envy you at all. You're in for one hell of a ride." I say with a little smile of my own.

Hers falters, slightly. "What is it you need? I'm sure the Dark Brotherhood is taking me into their Sanctuary at once, but I thought you left them behind."

I take a long pause, long enough to make her sweat. "You got that wrong. If you truly are the Listener, then I'm your new boss."

Her eyes widen, the only sign that she's surprised, "That is fine. I just need to know how to proceed."

"When did you start hearing her?"

"A week ago. I was doing a thorough inspection in the meadery, making sure things were running smoothly when I heard her. It was like a detached voice, feminine, and…harsh. She told me I was her new Listener."

I cross my arms. "Not good enough. Tell me exactly what she said."

Maven looks like she's about to sneer but she thinks better of it when she sees Garnag at my side. He's pretty pissed right now after seeing who he might be dealing with. Something tells me he prefers the company of nice, sweet, and meek people who won't go against him.

"She said this, 'I have found my new Listener, hear me well, do as I say, and you will succeed.'"

That sure was…formal. "What else? Since then."

"Just various things, 'You were meant to be mine', 'Hearing me is in your blood', 'When I tell you to kill, you do so' I haven't heard anything else."

"Huh." I say, "Okay, so nothing along the lines of 'You're a piece of shit I'd rather scrape off my boot than feed and baby'? Or, 'I command you to come get my coffin and bring it back here'? How about, 'My last Listener sucked so you have a lot to live up to'?" I rattle off. I notice Garnag giving me the stink eye and Maven staring at me like I just sprouted a head of a daedra.

"No. Nothing that crass."

Interesting. I'll have to do some more digging. Either she was lying, or Mother has taken a liking to this conniving woman. I highly doubt that. She had some choice words for Maven when she was back in my head. I could say she even hated Maven too. She was, afterall, another person instrumental in the murder of my parents. No, she didn't call the shots like Mercer did when that evil vampire stole into the night to kill them. But she had close ties with Mercer.

Just thinking of him makes my blood boil. But I had to stay focused. No, Mother hated Maven because she helped get my parents killed. If they weren't murdered and I didn't go to jail for the power I wielded, Mother would have gotten her way much sooner.

Then again, maybe Maven was the perfect choice as Listener. She was already corrupt, so she wouldn't go to any Jarl or guard to alert them of the Dark Brotherhood and the Night Mother, she wasn't that stupid. She had many, many ties over the province and probably over the continent. Just because she heard the Night Mother, didn't mean she needed to go hole up in Dawnstar. She could technically perform those duties here.

"Has she said anything at all about me or Skyrim? Or what happened?" I ask.

Her expression becomes more composed as she thinks. Mighty good poker face she has. "No. It sounds like she's thinking in the present. She just wants to give me contracts and then to relay them to the Dark Brotherhood." She stands up straighter and pulls her cloak tightly around her. "I have a very important meeting soon. Do you know how you wish to proceed? Am I wanted in Dawnstar?"

My mind was whirring. I was too confused by it all. If Mother were truly with her…there'd be some sort of reaction. "Has she said anything to you now? About me?"

She pauses and surveys me, head to toe before looking back to my eyes. "I don't hear a thing. Just the constant droning you're doing."

It shouldn't have been the dagger to the heart like it was. In a weird, warped way, I kind of wish Mother tried to speak to me through her. Tell me something, anything, to let me know she was there. It's what I expected. But since she didn't…. things were only getting more complicated. "Go to your meeting. We'll meet with you tomorrow." I say in a hollow voice.

She only clears her throat. "Good. I'm glad the idle chit-chat is over. Tell Nazir if he wishes to work with me, he should be more concise in his efforts. I will meet you at the Bee and Barb at nine in the morning. Don't be late." She sneers and wanders past me.

I feel deflated. Shaky. I have to think this over. "What do you want to do?" Garnag asks me.

"Let's go back to the Inn. I need to talk with some friends who might know more about this."

"Maven said that? Maven Black-Briar said that? Hahaha! Oh, blimey, talk about biting the hand that feeds you." Delvin takes another long swig of his mead. By my estimate, he was already three drinks deep.

I held my own drink next to my lips. Garnag stood back by the door, he could still listen, but he didn't want to participate. He said he wanted to survey the room for anyone out of place. Across from me sat two good friends from the Thieves Guild: Vex and Delvin.

Vex, the woman who was usually quiet and harsh in her dealings, looked me in the eye. "I think she's lying. I wouldn't be surprised."

"Why?" I have to ask.

"It doesn't add up. I'd think if the Night Mother wanted a new Listener, and she wanted someone here, she'd either choose someone close to you or someone you wouldn't even know."

Food for thought. I mull over that. Vex has a point.

"Or, she's telling the truth and we have a new harbinger of death." Delvin laughs, "Ah, to think she's stuck in the Dark Brotherhood, a group she's had so many dealings with, and now has to be their most prized employee. Priceless."

I take another drink before wrapping things up. "We'll see. If you guys think it's iffy…"

"Think over it. We're both split on what's happening." Delvin burps, "Might need to wait until she says something to Maven. Then, you get your answer."

Right. I swirl my mug around, watching the golden liquid swish along the sides, foam roiling on the top. "If she is listening to Mother, I want to intervene. I told Mother to never come back here. To never even think about talking to anyone here. She's not supposed to be doing that as dictated by leader of the Dark Brotherhood."

"You really think she'd follow the rules, love?" Delvin stares at me straight. "I'm betting she's just seething in her coffin right now, waiting for the perfect time to screw you over."

He had a point too. I sigh and set down my now empty mug. "I'll think over it tonight. It's been a long day."

"Ah, chin up." Delvin lightly chucks my chin, "I don't like seeing you so down. You have too much of a personality to keep it dampened. What about Bryn? You have all the events set up?"

Now, I grin like a fiend. "Oh, yes. Apple bobbing, pumpkin carving, pie throwing, the works. I even got some fireworks for the event. And cake. I ordered one from Solitude again."

"Don't tell me it's vanilla." Vex jokes. She takes another sip of her drink to hide her smile from me.

I only grin wider. "Not exactly. It will be for the cake part, but the frosting is an elaborate scene of the living dead."

"Ah, to have a birthday on the season of the witches." Delvin finishes his drink. "Tell him I'm excited, I'm counting down to next week when I make him drink himself under the table. Only turn thirty-five once."

"Need to get him a gift…" Vex trails off.

"I have an idea." I lean in and whisper it to them. Both of them are giggling and grinning like Cheshire cats when I leave them for the night.

"Thane, are you sure you want to take this on? You seem stressed." Iona asks me when I finally take my seat in Honeyside. Garnag was raiding the fridge for whatever raw meat we had. Iona, my housecarl sat across from me in the main room. Dried leaves hung down from up above, framing her pretty face and dark hair. I had a feeling her girlfriend, Sapphire, was responsible for all the flora decorating the house now.

Not that I cared, it did reek a bit of the marsh though. "I have to. It's my job." I remind her and gladly take some spicy hot chocolate from Wujeeta. She's been another friend of mine here. A good friend. She welcomed me and helped me during the various crisis's here when I first got back to Riften.

"Drink it while it's hot. It's going to be even hotter." The Argonian laughs.

I take a sip and damn…she's right. Spices burn right through my tongue and throat, but man is it good. "Might add some alcohol." I laugh.

"Here." Garnag walks past a wide-eyed Wujeeta and a skeptical looking Iona to pour a shot's worth of whiskey in. "This will put hair on your chest." He grumbles.

"Not something I want." And I take a sip.

"I'm going to bed." He stares down at me. "Good job today. Let's hope we can get this over with tomorrow. Then we'll both be on our way."

"Aw, leaving so soon?" Wujeeta cries.

"Need to." I laugh, "I need to get Bryn's party ready for when you get there."

"True, true. I still need to get him a gift." She grumbles. She gives a hesitant smile to Garnag who looks to her, then Iona, then to the locks on the door.

"If you need me, scream." He tells us and pats me once on the head before heading down.

I sigh and take another sip of molten chocolate fire. "Iona how's the house been?"

"Good, Thane. It's been nice." I pause. I haven't seen her so flustered before.

"How good?"

"Very." She won't meet my eye.

I have a sneaky feeling her good mood has to do with her relationship. But generally she's skittish to talk about her private life, she'd much rather help me out, and I'm tired, so I won't pry. "And you, Wujeeta? How's the orphanage going?" After she kicked her addiction to Skooma, she was able to land a job at the orphanage. I thought it was wild she would be working with kids based on her demeanor, she was happy but also prickly at times.

"Very good. We're going to the pumpkin patch soon. Iona is helping me out on that little field trip. I've already taken a liking to some of the kids. They'll get the best pumpkins of the patch." She whispers conspiringly.

I laugh. "Get the biggest ones and they have more to carve."

"What are you carving this year?" Wujeeta asks, out of the blue.

An odd change of subject, but a welcome one. I'd much rather think of things that were silly and fun instead of who might be the next Listener to the most dangerous creature on this continent. "Not sure. Maybe a cat. Or a witch."

Iona spits out her drink. "Thane, are you sure? They're causing so many problems around here…I'd settle for something a little less…troublesome."

"Well, I could do Bryn's face. Or Delvin…" I trail off before finally reading the fear in the room. "Wait, how bad are they? I saw them on the way in, but I didn't know."

Wujeeta sinks into her chair. Her hands are clutching her mug so tightly. "They come into town sometimes. On some days, they cause problems with the vendors and with Keerava. Other days, they just stand on the docks and stare into the waters." She shivers.

"I've been locking the doors at night and sometimes I wake to find them unlocked." Iona growls, "There's no way they should be unlocked unless magic is being used. I don't know any mages to be that stupid and bold."

She had that right. "They'll be gone soon though, right? After the 13th they're gone."

They both nod but I can still feel the tension. "Just have to get through the festival and it all goes back to normal." Wujeeta chimes in. She gives me a smile and finishes her drink.

"True. And we have the birthday party." I sigh, "Sorry guys, I'm tired and have a lot to think about. I might hit the hay and see you guys in the morning."

Wujeeta stands to collect our mugs. "I'll let myself out and see you in the morning. What do you want for breakfast?"

I think it over. Nope, don't need food as a vampire, but I did enjoy the taste and texture. "Eggs. Over easy. And hash browns if you have it. Pumpkin pancakes maybe?"

Iona breaks out into a beautiful smile. "I have the perfect recipe for that. Rest up, Thane and tomorrow morning you'll have the breakfast of champions."

I give them a two-finger salute and stand to go to my room. I hear them talking the whole way out the door. Iona appeared to be wanting to walk Wujeeta home, which was good in these woods, and probably pick up Sapphire on the way back.

Finally, I lay down in bed. Not even bothering to take my armor off. The candles are still lit, emitting a soft glow into the room, and illuminating all the books and paintings I decorated with. Being back here, I wonder why I haven't been in Riften recently. Come to think of it, I've been scared. Being here brings back a lot of memories, good and bad, but I was scared of the terrible ones that wanted to haunt me. The one filled with raw fear I felt here the first time I came here and the second time when I was readying to find the Daedric Artifacts. In Lakeview I have a place I can build. With my own happy memories that can comfort me.

Staring at the ceiling, I memorize the lines and cracks here. I could still have a happy life in this home. I just had to live some in this city again. Maybe after the season is over and winter has the province in it's grasp, we'd come back here for a bit. Wouldn't be a bad idea.

My thoughts barely brush on the fact that Maven might be the Listener. She was already causing so much stress and turmoil; I didn't want to think about her too much. Instead, I let my eyes fall shut. But not before registering three things: One, the door was wide open. Two, someone had laid a hand across my lips to place some sort of spell on my face. And three, before falling into an unwanted sleep, I notice all the candles blow out like they're nothing than a common nuisance. Then darkness swallows me whole.

Cicero's Journal Entry

3rd of Frostfall, 4E 203

Why, maybe Cicero has gone mad! Positively, glowingly mad! He was pacing the upper deck tonight. Worrying about Mother again. However will we get the mildew out of her coffin? But that isn't what made Cicero pause and rub his eyes. Why, there was something at shore! Some sort of glowing light that pulsed up into the air! The rocking of the ship kept most of it away from Cicero.

One second, we're facing the sea and land, the next, we are staring at the sky. How treacherous sea travel is. But when the land came into view again Cicero was right! Strange magic is afoot. Purple and white light. Something divine. Something is brewing in the north and it doesn't look enticing in the slightest.

Then again, mad as Cicero is, he envies whoever is in the center of that. They're probably having the time of their lives while Cicero only gets to sit on a rotting ship and rock with the waves. Ah, they don't know how lucky they are.

A/N: Thank you for the views and likes! Just wanted to give a quick status update: I posted the latest chapter in Frostbitten last night and I'll be posting more soon!