Sanctuary

Chapter 3: Sanctuary

The corners of the map fluttered in the wind. She resisted the urge to scrunch it up into a ball and toss it across the clearing.

Sometimes, she wished enchanted maps existed.

The immobile ink seemed to stare indifferently back at her, and finally, she folded it back up with a huge sigh and tucked it back into her pocket.

She still didn't know where she was. She had forgotten to ask Astrid where she had brought her and now the assassin was long gone.

It had been a couple of hours since Noela had released the two remaining hostages, and after that she had spent a good deal of time wandering around, trying to work out her current location.

Not coming across any landmarks though and being in completely unfamiliar territory, she was still as lost as she was two hours ago, perhaps more so; now she didn't even know where the shack was.

She supposed, the only way now was to use Clairvoyance. The problem was, she didn't know where she wanted to go.

Noela stretched her arms. She was feeling a lot better now that she had drunk a few health, magicka and stamina potions, but her stock of potions was running low and she made a mental note to brew a new batch as soon as she saw an alchemy table.

She sat down on the grass, thinking. A list of places came to mind. She could return to Windhelm, and continue what she had been doing—trying to find a wealthy house to steal from. Or, she could return to Whiterun, maybe pay Lydia a visit and inform her that she was not dead. She hadn't been home for almost a month now.

Or lastly… she could take up her offer. Join the Dark Brotherhood. Start a new career.

The last option made Noela shiver. She was still recovering from the 'ordeal' Astrid had put her through. It had only been a few hours ago, after all.

Noela thought back to the shack, the way Vasha's head had felt as she had placed her hand on it a second before she had burned it beyond recognition. The smell of his cooking flesh, the scorching heat of the fire and the screams of the other hostages echoing throughout the cabin were still fresh in her memory.

Perhaps it was his vulnerability as he knelt before her, or the softness of the fur on his head beneath the executioner's hood that made her feel the undeniable power she had over him in his final moments.

That she could determine exactly when another person lived or died, not having to worry about defending herself, that she was safe the whole time; well, it was a feeling she had never experienced before. Until Riften, until Grelod.

And now, the second one. As she recalled taking their lives her blood pulsed faster, from excitement, or even fear, she couldn't tell.

Suddenly, she stood up. Like a flash of inspiration, she knew where she wanted to go. Guided by nothing but a feeling of wanting to know, she conjured up a blue vapour in her hand, a line shooting out and snaking its way through the trees.

She followed it swiftly.

24 Rain's Hand, 4E203

In the southwest reaches of Skyrim, in the Pine Forest…

It had been three days since Noela had decided to travel to Falkreath Hold. It was a beautiful area, the smell of pine wafting on the breeze, fresh and inviting. The mountains stood tall in the distance, their snow-capped peaks providing a stark contrast to the rest of the snowless forest.

Noela walked along the road, the blue light from her palm flashing out every few seconds as she continually cast the spell. Days of travelling on foot had tired her somewhat, and she had figured out that she had started off somewhere in the north of Skyrim and was likely almost at the other end of the province by now.

She was just beginning to wonder when Clairvoyance would direct her off the path and below the road to where Astrid had said the secret entrance was, when it did so.

The blue went down the embankment, off the road into the dirt and Noela followed, feeling damp leaves clinging to the soles of her boots.

It was only a few hundred metres until she spotted a dead end, nothing but a black pool of water sitting beneath a small, sheltered cliff.

But the line of blue led somewhere to the left, and then she saw it.

A black door.

At first glance, it was terrifying; a large, white skull protruding from the door itself. And then, she noticed something familiar. The same sinister handprint that had been on that letter she had received in Windhelm, except it was blood-red instead of black, smacked right into the middle of the skull's forehead.

Perhaps the most unsettling thing about the door though, was there seemed to be strange sounds coming from it.

As she took a few steps closer it became more obvious. An ethereal, echoey sort of sound, a whisper, and the low, almost inaudible pounding of a heartbeat. Like the door was alive, or rather, that it breathed death, or something bizarre of the sort.

Noela stared at the door, the sight and combination of sounds making her stop dead in her tracks. Everything in her body was screaming for her to run the other way, to get as far away from the door as possible.

But, though her blood was running cold and her hands were clammy, her mind was calm. That despite her physiological reactions, she knew what she wanted to do.

The door was sunken into the rock, the main road right above it. She walked into the shadows that the rock provided and stood in front of the door.

"What is the music of life?" a breathless, raspy voice asked.

Fists clenched to control the rapid heartbeat in her ears, she replied, "Silence, my brother."

"Welcome home…" the door hissed, and swung open.

Noela stepped tentatively through the doorway of the Dark Brotherhood hideout. She turned as she heard the heavy slam of the door behind her.

The sounds of the outside suddenly cut off, and her ears were met with nothing but stone-cold silence. Chills ran up her spine as the silence pressed against her eardrums, more deafening than any actual noise.

A short corridor extended before her, and she descended the sandy steps, her senses seemingly heightened by the survival instinct deep within her that begged not to take another step forward.

Still, she ignored it, clenching her teeth to control the strong anxiety she was feeling. She made a right turn, and within moments, found herself in a room.

It was a moderate-sized chamber, shelves of miscellaneous items like books and alchemy ingredients lining the wall to her right, and a large stone table with a throne behind it on the left. The table was almost completely covered with a map that appeared to be that of Skyrim, several daggers sticking out of it where they were embedded in the table below.

Her instinct then detected someone watching her, and her eyes darted to the corridor at the opposite side of the room. Within the doorway, a woman dressed in Dark Brotherhood armour stood leaning against the wall. Blonde hair reached almost to her shoulders, partially done up in braids.

As Noela met the woman's gaze, she felt her breath hitch in her throat as she recognised intelligent, green eyes.

"Astrid," she said, dipping her head in a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"Ah, at last! I hope you found the place alright."

Astrid unfolded her arms and walked out of the shadows of the corridor toward Noela. As the light from the multiple candles about the room illuminated her features a little better, Noela let out a small gasp of surprise.

The woman—was incredibly beautiful. Noela blinked. She couldn't have guessed that when she had vaguely wondered what had been under that cowl and mask, that this was the face that was hidden beneath it.

"Yes, it was easy enough, with the instructions you gave," responded Noela in a more formal tone.

Astrid was a Nord that appeared to be in her late thirties, with a demeanour that oozed authority and confidence. Although her presence would likely be intimidating to most, Noela did not feel it; in fact, it was easy to see that the woman commanded something of respect. Noela had no idea of her position here, but somehow she could see a similar sort of… desire; for high expectations, achievement and ambition, that Noela herself could easily relate to.

"Well, I'm glad," said Astrid, stopping a few feet from Noela and spreading her arms. "Welcome to the Dark Brotherhood. Herein begins your new life, and your new career. You're part of the family now." She gave a warm smile that enhanced her already appealing features even more. "This as you can see, is our Sanctuary, you won't find a safer place in all of Skyrim, so get comfortable."

"I am honoured to be a part of your family, Astrid," said Noela with as much politeness as she could muster. Though she felt rather distracted by the woman's appearance, Noela was not going to let that ruin the hopefully good first impression she wanted to make.

"Our family, my dearest. Our family," said Astrid with a wave of her hand. "Together, united as one, the Dark Brotherhood can accomplish anything. You will find that your fellow brothers and sisters come from all walks of life, but ultimately, it is our diversity that strengthens us."

Astrid walked to the stone table behind her and picked up an old-looking book that lay on the edge, its cover rather tattered and worn.

"Read this," she said, holding it out to Noela. "It may shed some light on the Dark Brotherhood that you might not have known. Consider it your homework, in preparation for your training tomorrow."

Noela was eyeing the book with curiosity and took it from Astrid's hand, muttering a soft, "Thanks." Then she looked up at the Nord. "I'll be undergoing training?"

"Yes," replied Astrid with a nod. "It's a new program I've put together just recently—see, most of our new recruits weren't making it past the three-week mark."

"You mean—they died?" Noela asked in surprise.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, sister. This line of work is not to be taken lightly, as I'm sure you're aware. It most certainly isn't for the faint of heart."

"No problem," said Noela confidently. "I assure you that I will not meet the same fate, that I intend on producing nothing but my best work here."

"Mm," said Astrid, peering at her with interest. "A determined student, likely to excel? Well, it appears you're precisely what the doctor ordered, Noela. I am glad I crossed paths with you."

Noela was about to remind her that she had, indeed, kidnapped her, which was not remotely close to crossing paths, but decided it best not to bring that up right now.

"Well now, do you have any questions? Otherwise I'll ask you to find Nazir; he'll be able to tell you more about your training for tomorrow, and show you around the place."

Noela thought for a moment. "Yes. Are there any rules I should be aware of?"

"Hmm…" said Astrid, seeming to recall something. "Used to be the Dark Brotherhood was bound by Five Tenets, but we stopped following those years ago. All those rules, all that discipline, and look where the Dark Brotherhood ended up. We're the last of our kind, and we live the way we see fit. Bottom line—respect your family. Do that, and everything else will fall into place."

"The last of our kind?" Noela repeated blankly. "What do you mean by that?"

Astrid exhaled. "What I mean, sister, is that we're in a much worse state than you probably realise. The Dark Brotherhood is on the verge of extinction; we are all that's left. This Sanctuary"—she indicated about the room—"is in fact the last remaining Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary in all of Tamriel. The rest've been wiped out."

"Really? What happened?"

"That—is a long story. I'll tell you another time, Noela. What you have to know is—this is my Sanctuary, and you'll obey my rules. Everyone here looks out for one another, so as long as you don't cause trouble, you'll fit right in."

"Understood." Noela dipped her head again. "So, that would make you the leader of the Dark Brotherhood then, wouldn't it?"

Astrid smiled. "I'm glad you understand. Now, one last thing…" She went to the shelves and came back with a set of apparel and some shoes. "A welcome home present. The robes of the Dark Brotherhood. May it serve you well in all your… endeavours."

Noela took the Dark Brotherhood robes and shoes from her which were coloured red and black, same as the armour. The handprint she had seen numerous times now was emblazoned on both the front and back of the robes. All the pieces of apparel carried various enchantments on them; she could tell from their magical signatures.

"Thank you," said Noela.

"Soon the Night Mother will arrive, and things are sure to get even more interesting around here. But for now, go and see Nazir. And be sure to introduce yourself to the rest of your family members. They're all very eager to meet you."

After Astrid had dismissed her, Noela proceeded down the narrow stone steps that led deeper into the Sanctuary. She didn't have to go far to find the rest of her 'family' though; a group of people were standing in the large cavern she now found herself in, and they were talking in excited voices.

The room appeared to be a natural cave that was now being used as both a training ground and a smithing space; a grindstone, workbench and forge were present on the left of the room, with training dummies further in the distance. On the right, was a spectacular-looking waterfall, majestic in its height, the water falling graciously into a pond below.

The sound of rushing water reverberated around the cavern, but it wasn't enough to drown out the conversation, and as Noela neared the group of assassins, she began to make out sentences.

"Again, again!" laughed an Argonian male. "Do the part where he tries to buy you some candy."

A little girl with luminous red eyes spoke up. "Okay, okay, wait. Here we go." She arranged her features into an elongated sort of expression. "Oh, you are such a pretty little girl. Would the sweetie like a sweetie? Oh yes, how about some chocolate?"

Noela counted six people in total, including the little girl, and they were all watching her very animated gestures with amusement.

"Oh yes, please, kind sir," the girl continued in a higher register. "My mama and papa left me all alone, and I'm so very hungry. I know a shortcut to the candy shop. Through this alley!" Then she switched her voice back to its lower tone again. "Oh ya, very good, very good… My, it is dark down here. Oh, but you are so beautiful. Such a lovely smile. Your teeth—your teeth! No!"

The girl curled her upper lip back to reveal sharp fangs, then she tilted her head sideways and lashed out into the air as if to bite an invisible person in the neck.

Everyone began laughing, and Noela stared at the vampire child.

"Oh Babette, but you are so wicked," said a female Dunmer mage, shaking her head.

Then a Redguard male wearing an Alik'r hood said to the elderly mage beside him, "What about you, Festus? How did that last contract turn out?"

Festus didn't get to reply though, a large Nord man with broad shoulders cutting in with thick sarcasm, "Oh, yes please old man. Regale us with your tales of wizardry."

Festus let out a heavy scoff. "The young and stupid, always mocking the experienced and brilliant," he said, shaking his head at the Nord. "My contract went very well, I'll have you know. Tried a new spell—little something I've been working on in my spare time. Came 'this' close to turning that priest inside out." He held out a thumb and forefinger to indicate a tiny amount. "Damned messy."

The others nodded, some with interest, some not so much, then the Dunmer said to the Nord, "And what of your latest, Arnbjorn? Something about a Khajiit? Merchant, was it?"

He opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Babette, the vampire girl who squealed, "Oh, a big doggy chasing a little kitty, how adorable!"

Roars of laughter rang about the cavern.

Arnbjorn though, crossed his arms, looking none too pleased. "I am not adorable, it was not funny, and he wasn't a merchant. He was a Khajiit monk, a master of the Whispering Fang style. But now he's dead, and I have a new loincloth."

Everyone laughed again and then the group dispersed, the mages and the vampire heading for the far end of the cavern.

Noela had stopped at the foot of the steps, and suddenly remembered that she was meant to speak to Nazir. She wasn't sure who that was, though.

The Redguard, who was nearest to her, spotted her first and approached.

"So you're the newest member of our dwindling, dysfunctional little family," he said, stopping before her and giving her a quick eye up and down. "I've heard quite a bit about you."

Noela bowed her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Save the niceties for now," he responded rather coldly. "I have no intention of getting invested in someone who may be dead tomorrow. If you're still breathing in a few weeks, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends."

He gave her a look that communicated quite clearly that he didn't think she was going to survive until then, and Noela said, "What's your name?"

"Nazir."

She took a breath. "Nazir, I'll have you know that I will most definitely be alive in a few weeks. I'm not your typical cutthroat, so… I do hope you're looking forward to having a new best friend."

Nazir blinked, and then he scoffed, "Yeah, right. I'll believe it when I see it."

He was about to turn to leave, when Noela said, "Astrid said to ask you for an orientation of sorts."

"Oh, right," he muttered.

Nazir gave her a tour of the Sanctuary, and she met a few of the other assassins that they bumped into along the way.

There was Veezara, the Argonian who was doing some archery practice in the training section of the cavern. Then there was Gabriella, Festus and Babette—the two mages and the vampire. There was also a terrifying-looking frostbite spider living in the pit in the corner of the room, which Gabriella had affectionately introduced as her pet, Lis. Lis fed on human remains, and Noela briefly wondered whose skeleton that was that now lay in the pit with the arachnid.

Nazir had then shown her the dining hall, and took her up the log ramp that led to the sleeping quarters directly above. She was given the spare bed and a trunk to place her belongings, before Nazir finished up the tour.

"Be out by the black pond tomorrow at dawn. Pack supplies for a few days, and your mentor will take you on a few practice assassinations. Well… not practice, per se, you'll be killing three very real, flesh and blood people," he laughed darkly. "And make sure you're not late."

He strode down the ramp back to the dining room and Noela walked over to her bed, letting the clothes and book she was still carrying in her arms tumble down onto the mattress.

She let out a sigh, thinking that Nazir was probably not as cold and unfriendly as he let on.

Still, her activities over the last hour had somewhat worn her out; meeting a bunch of deadly assassins was not something one did every day, let alone deciding to live with them for the unforeseeable future.

Her attention was caught by the book and she picked it up, remembering that she had homework to complete before tomorrow.

Because it was still the afternoon and she probably shouldn't be sleeping so early anyway, Noela went in search of somewhere nice to read it. She ventured into the next room, and found herself in a long and wide corridor that sounded like it led back to the cavern, from the sound of the waterfall in the distance.

There was a table and couple of chairs by the wall, and she sat down.

Looking up, she saw that there was a framed picture on the wall; well not exactly a picture. On closer inspection, it appeared to be a list of sentences.

The Five Tenets.

Quickly, Noela read through them.

Tenet I: Never dishonour the Night Mother.

Tenet II: Never betray the Dark Brotherhood or its secrets.

Tenet III: Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior.

Tenet IV: Never steal the possessions of a Dark Brother of Dark Sister.

Tenet V: Never kill a Dark Brother or Dark Sister.

And after each tenet, were the words: To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

Noela's mind flitted back to what Astrid had said to her, that the Dark Brotherhood was no longer bound by these rules. She couldn't see what was so bad about them though, if anything, it seemed that they would only act to solidify the 'family'.

She shrugged, and was about to open the book in her hands when she heard footsteps approaching from behind. She turned to see Arnbjorn standing there.

"Well, well. It's raw meat. Oh, my beautiful wife has told me all about you."

"Er—your wife?" Noela asked, confused.

Arnbjorn frowned, "Let me guess, Astrid failed to mention I'm her husband? She has a tendency to do that. Doesn't want the others thinking she plays favourites."

"Oh, she's married?" Noela asked in surprise. To you? She wanted to add, surveying the rough-looking Nord.

He was tall with long, white hair that draped over his shoulders and down to his wide, muscular chest. He was well-built, though for some reason he wore no gloves or shoes like the other assassins. There was also a faint smell of body odour or something coming off him. She wondered why Astrid had chosen to marry him; his scent was rather off-putting, not to mention his boorish and crude manner.

"Yeah, lamb shank, I just told you that."

"Arnbjorn, was it?" said Noela. "What can you tell me about yourself?"

It was a kind of out-of-the-blue question, and usually she wasn't one to pry at all, but she wanted to find out more information on this husband of Astrid's.

Arnbjorn replied, "Look, if you're trying to get to know me—don't. I don't like you, and I never will. It's nothing personal. But my wife trusts you, and I trust her judgement. So you can't be all bad." He gave her a serious look. "Here's what you need to know: I'm a werewolf. I like killing things. I love Astrid. I hate annoying people. And the colour blue gives me a headache."

He then stalked off before she could respond.

It took her brain a few seconds to register it, but then she realised that the reason he smelled was most likely because he was a werewolf.

Still, she wasn't sure what Astrid saw in him, and decided it was not her business to care about it anyway. She returned to the book in her hands.

The Night Mother's Truth.