Terra was standing in the Night Mother's coffin. She felt disgusted with herself. She had fought Astrid on this request but in the end she was standing in the coffin with the corpse of the renowned mother of the Dark Brotherhood. She was desecrating this sacred figure. She struggled to get comfortable but was doing everything to make sure that she didn't do anything to the corpse.

She had to be in the coffin for a long period of time as she had to wait for Cicero to return to his room. The problem was this man was loyal to the Dark Brotherhood. He was so loyal that he was driven mad because of his job as keeper or at least that is what she got from reading his journeys. So when Astrid said that the jester was plotting against her, Terra just figured the woman was paranoid.

Thinking back to the first time she met the man she had thought him extremely odd. Of course, at the time he had been carting "his mother" to her new burial site. This was sad for Terra at the time because she had also buried her mother and often worried about the site but her was this guy who carried so much that he was moving her. She did everything she could to help his cart get fixed.

The surprise happened when he arrived with the Night Mother, Terra was speechless to the fate of them meeting up again.

The silence here was not a good thing, it leads one to ponder. Terra eyed the corpse with worry. It was so deafening silent that it made her head hurt.

She took a deep breath to calm her nervous, but her mind slowly went back to Farkas. The way he had looked when she last saw him, it had been a disaster. She had said something terrible to prevent him from following her, but it had worked too well. In the end, she had not received any letters from him for the last couple of months. It actually hurt to think about that. He had completely eliminated her from his heart completely. She felt her heart ache. Why shouldn't he have? She had said a truly terrible thing. She had made it seem that the effort of his letters of trying to have her return was for nothing because she was nothing.

To be honest with herself at this moment she felt like she was like the fiend who had left her mother in that cabin in the mountains. The only redeeming fact was she had not left him with a child that would be a horrible reminder of a choice made. A tear ran down her cheek.

Cicero voice slowly floated through the coffin. He sounds so desperate, sad, and in all honesty lonely. He talks of needing the Night Mother and how it has been for him. He tries desperately to convince the woman in the coffin that he would be the best as Listener. To give up the job as Keeper and fulfill the role that is most needed.

In all the sincerity that Terra could muster, she felt like she could connect with him on some level. Deep down she felt regretful that he couldn't be what he most desired. She listened carefully but no matter what he said or no matter how one spins it he is the most loyal person that Terra had ever heard of and that was kind of terrible because he was an assassin of the highest level back in the day.

The fact that he seemed to be begging the corpse for some insight made Terra feel for him, she would love to be able to ask someone else what they are suppose to do on any subject. Take away the responsibility from her for one thing and she would be grateful for such a gift.

Terra was really starting to feel disgusted with herself as she was standing there in a coffin spying on someone who didn't do anything to her and seemed to be the most loyal person to a cause even if he was the one responsible for taking care of a corpse.

Something felt off all of a sudden, Terra felt like someone else was with her in a coffin. She felt like someone had been watching her. The voice on some level was comforting to Terra, like a warm, gentle hand that held her close all the while guiding her in the darkness.

"Poor Cicero. Dear Cicero. Such a humble servant. But he will never hear my voice. For he is not the Listener," the warmth in the darkness spoke gently.

"Oh but how can I defend you? How can I exert your will? If you will not speak? To anyone!" Cicero cried softly in whispers to the coffin.

"Oh, but I will speak. I will speak to you. For you are the one. Yes, You. You, who shares my iron tomb, who warms my ancient bones. I give you this task- journey to Volunruud. Speak with Amaund Motierre," the voice of the ancient unholy matron has dubbed her Listener.

Terra stood there in astonishment. She had done what to deserve this?! Stood in a coffin by a corpse and warmed the ancient bones that lay there wary of long travel. She shivered to herself. She really did get herself into some terrible messes.

Cicero whined softly and Terra thought she could hear him stroking the coffin, "Poor Cicero has failed you. Poor Cicero is sorry, sweet mother. I've tried so very hard. But I just can't find the Listener."

Terra stood there, what was the luck that the little jester on the road would be the one transporting the Mother and on top of that lead here to this sanctuary where she was staying herself? She bit her lip and struggled with what was happening.

"Tell Cicero the time has come. Tell him the words he has been waiting for, all these years: 'Darkness rises when silence dies.'" The voice had some kind of substance and when Terra thought on the history of the Night Mother, she shivered. Though the mother cares for her adopted family, one wonders about the woman who slaughtered her children for a God who loved her… love might not be the best word for what they had but it was definitely blind loyalty.

Terra let a breathe escape her lips and this sound even so soft cause a ruckus outside. She could hear Cicero freaking out.

"What? What treachery! Defiler! Debaser and Defiler! You have violated the sanctity of the Night Mother's tomb! Esplain yourself! Speak, worm!" Murder was flashing in Cicero's eyes as he tore open the lid revealing Terra standing there with the corpse.