The voice came through eerie and chilling, "Listerner! Is that you ? Oh, I knew you'd come. Send the best to defeat the best. Astrid knew her stupid wolf couldn't slay sly Cicero."

Terra walked through slowly watching for anything out of the ordinary. Something made the hair on the back of her neck rise and she jumped back just as blow barely missed her.

There before her was a ghost dressed as Dark Brotherhood member. Soon there was another one standing next to the first ghost.

"What the …" there was an interruption of Terra's comment with another strike, "Really?! Assassin ghosts?!" Terra cussed as she worked her magic to take care of these creatures.

"Oh, but this isn't at all what Mother would want. You kill the Keeper or I kill the Listener? Now that's madness!" Cicero was echoing through the Sanctuary.

Terra was staring into the darkness of one room. She couldn't stand the sound of his voice, not because it irritated her but because everyone turned against him because he stood for what he believed in. She was the Listener and had heard Mother's voice. The last comments pang a slight resonation in her chest. She didn't actually want to kill the jester. He had been kind to her and didn't mock her.

The traps that she was running into were not difficult to disarm but if one were not paying attention they would be in a lot of pain because these were designed to cripple. Probably so the ghosts could finish off the invader.

"Ouch! Pointy pointy! My home is well defended. I always have been a stickler for details. Get it? 'Stick-ler.' Hahaha! Oh, I slay me!"

The sound of him saying ouch must mean he had set off his own trap. Fool, she shook her head and she chuckled a little to herself. He was funny in a way, a very dark way but still funny.

"You're …still alive. Cicero Respects the Listener's abilities, of course, but could you slow down a bit? I'm not what I used to be. Heh," he was trying hard to bother her with his comments but all it did was making her wonder what he was hiding in all his madness. Even after reading all the journals she had been no closer understanding what made someone like him tick.

She looked at herself in one of the pulls of water that was left in the cave. She could see a tired creature that was not into this hunt. She summoned the Ancient Spectral Lucien Lachance. There was a little piece of her being that was hoping he could give her something to grip to.

"I will kill this jester if you so desire, but there is a disturbance in the Void. Our dread father does not wish this," Lucien said as he flickered into existence.

Terra stared at the form before her. "This is confusing to me and I have no idea what am I to do? There is conflict with in the family and I am standing here trying to figure out how this is suppose to go."

"The keeper is a sacred position within the Dark Brotherhood. Ask yourself – do you trust the wisdom of our Lady?" Lucien commented as he strode through the darkness with Terra.

The wisdom this spectral was spouting is something that Terra couldn't ignore. He was a wise person in life who is to say he wasn't a wise one in death. She watched as he attacked the other assassins who charged her. At the very least he was helping her as she worked the traps, he took on the ghosts.

"Brr! Chilly! You'll enjoy this. Not an original part of the Sanctuary, per se. Let's call it a 'forced addition.' Forced by what? Oh, come and see!" Cicero sounded almost like he was struggling to keep away from Terra.

She said nothing, just listened to his rambling to see if there was a clue to his insanity.

"All right, so Cicero attacked that Harlot, Asrid! But what's a fool to do. When his mother is slandered and mocked? Surely the Listener Understands!" Cicero confessed honestly.

There, Terra smirked at his comment. He was simply doing his job; she couldn't possibly execute a man for following the true orders instead of the rants of a power hungry woman. This did not mean that Terra did not admire Astrid, cause she did, this woman held together a shattered guild. The problem was she had no faith in the events that led to this group existing. She could understand.

Cicero admits, he thought the Listener would be dead by now. Heh. Maybe we could just forget all this? Hmmm? Let bygones be bygones? What do you say?" Cicero's voice changed for a moment, almost something of admiration was hinting in his voice.

Terra felt couldn't stand the fact that this was happening. She hadn't questioned anything that had been going on previously but now she did. She couldn't hurt someone so dedicated to his single goal; take care of the Night Mother. He really did nothing wrong, he was fulfilling his duty that was given to him long ago. She could truly admire the dedication this man had.

"You caught me! I surrender! Ha ha ha ha, "Cicero was lying on the ground panting and holding his wound. The slash was deep. Made of course by an animal of sorts, foolish Arnjorn, this would take time to heal and if this was what was supposed to happen one could ponder on what was to happen next.

Terra just stared at the man before her assessing the damage. She could not bring herself to speak. In an odd inkling she just wanted to reach out to him and hug him gently. The thought made her shiver a little.

"Oh, you prefer to listen, eh? Of course, of course! The Listener listens! A joke! A funny joke! I get it. Then listen to this – don't kill me. Let poor Cicero Live! I attacked the strumpet Astrid, I did! And I'd do it again! Anything for our mother! Return to the pretender, tell her I'm dead! Tell her you strangled me with my own intestines! Ha ha! But lie! Lie, and let me live!"

Terra quirked her head to the side for a moment, that was definitely an answer for them both. She could lie to the woman and no one would check because they wouldn't doubt her, or maybe they wouldn't want to tempt the anger of Sithis. She had not answered Cicero.

"Do what you will. Cicero has no fight left. In the end, Sithis will judge us both," Cicero was getting impatient as Terra watched him, he shifted uneasy under her stare.

Terra signaled the spectral to stand back. She knelt near Cicero and smiled softly. Slowly she took the strongest healing potions from her belt and laid them at his feet. She caressed his cheek for a moment and stared him in the eyes. She just nodded to him and got up.

"Astrid's request has been fulfilled and Cicero has been killed," Terra said as she walked out of Dawnstar. She softly whispered to herself, "Hopefully the Night Mother is watching over us both."