I followed Cicero into the main corridor. I hadn't really gotten the chance to look at it when he rushed me to his room. It was more of a cave than an actual sanctum. The stony walls were lined with tapestries, all displaying pictures of the Dark Brotherhood hand. There was an armory in this room, a waterfall too. But not too much else. Like the original room, several doors sputtered out into different directions, leading into unknown territory. Unknown territory most definitely filled with assassins.

"Oh, Babette, but you are so wicked," a cool feminine voice cooed. A young girl, she couldn't have been over 10, smiled proudly. Proudly and wickedly with her sharp white fangs. Chills ran down my spine. A vampire? Part of the Dark Brotherhood? What more could they have up their leather gauntlets?

"What about you Festus? How did that last contract turn out?" asked the redguard next to her.

"Oh, yes, please, old man. Regale us with your tales of wizardry," another said.

"Ah, the young and stupid," the older gentleman, whose name I was guessing must be Festus, said. "Always mocking the experienced and brilliant. 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." He scrunched his fingers tightly together. "Came this close to turning that priest inside out. Damned messy."

"And what about your latest Arnbjorn?" Asked the same woman as before. "Something about a kajiit? Merchant was it?"

"Awh! A big doggy chasing a little kitty! How adorable!" Giggled the vampire girl. I wondered what age she really was. I was scared to ask.

"I am not adorable, it was not funny, and he wasn't a merchant. He was a kajiit monk, a master of the Whispering Fang Style," growled the man. The he smiled. "But now he's dead. And I have a new loincloth." The group of crimson-clad assassins laughed. It wasn't an evil cacophony like I had expected it to be. You'd except a group of people whose idea of a field day was to see who could find the most creative way to kill someone with a spoon to each have their own maniacal laugh. But they didn't. Their laugh was warm and friendly, like a family sharing stories at the dinner table after a hectic day. I looked at Cicero. He was practically on the ground, his cheeks a bright pink.

The group continued to share laughs and story's as the redguard man turned to face me.

"So, you're the newest member of our dwindling, dysfunctional little family," his voice boomed happily, though his choice of words wasn't necessarily the most upbeat. "I've heard quite a bit about you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, because I really didn't know what else to say.

"If you're still breathing in a few weeks, I'm sure we'll be the best of friends," Nazir smirked.

"Cicero has already dubbed Innocence his best friend!" the jester said, grabbing my arm defensively.

"Innocence," Nazir said, disregarding the fool entirely. "That's quite an interesting name. I do wonder where your parents picked that up."

"I don't know," I said shyly. "My parents died when I was little. I never met them."

"I see. How did they die?"

"A dragon attack. That's what Sanguine told me, anyways."

"Sanguine?" Nazir looked intrigued.

"You know... Sanguine. The Dragonborn. Destroyer of the Eater of Worlds. He adopted me when I was ten. He started training me and I became his apprentice. Well, more of less his slave but he tells other people that I'm an apprentice."

Nazir's face twisted in deep thought, then relaxed.

"I try to stay out of politics. I have a much deeper love for spreading my targets blood across the walls. Speaking of which," he took something out of his robe and handed it to me. "Here."

A scroll. Three names. Three locations.

"These aren't particularly glamorous assassinations. I'll be honest, they don't pay much either. But they'll keep you busy. When you've completed all those, we'll see if I have some more."

I nodded to him and swallowing the lump in my throat that appeared whenever killing was the topic of conversation. It surprisingly shrunk every occasion.

"Kill well, Dragonborn's apprentice," Nazir's low voice boomed. "And often."

"Oh, Cicero cannot believe you are going on your first contract! Ahah! It seems like just this morning that Cicero was dragging you out your window and into the darkness of night." He sighed. Closing my eyes and tuning his shrill voice out, I began to assess my situation. I was about to kill three people. Three people that could be innocent or guilty. Three people in which I have no connection to. Three people who have lives and families. Three people who are just like me...

Was this all worth it? Was it worth it to kill people by order just to start over? Starting over didn't need to be this difficult did it? I could have just left? I could have just moved to a small town and become an alchemist or a jewel seller, someone Sanguine would steer clear of. I could have left... couldn't I have?

...

"Innocence," Sanguine said angrily from across the table. I shrunk down in my seat. Maybe I had burnt the chicken breast. I couldn't afford to lose this home, I had only just gotten here. "Look at me." I looked up into his piercing blue eyes. "If you ever leave me, Innocence- I swear to Stendarr- I swear to Mara, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth, Akatosh, Zenithar... I'd swear to Talos and the Deadra too if they both weren't unholy and wicked. I swear that if you ever run from me, I will find you. I will hunt down every shop, pub, inn, and dungeon until I find you. Then," he paused. "I'll kill you. The sooner you realize that you belong to me, the sooner you can truly find yourself." He looked through my skin and into the heart that simply wanted to be loved. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dragonborn."

"Very good, my Innocence."

...

I shook the memory away violently. Astrid said that this was the safest place in all of Skyrim, so this is where I belong. I sighed and listened carefully to the sounds around me. Cicero's whistling. Water running. Grindstone spinning. Several voices humming. My eyes snapped open. In front of me was a smoothed rock formation that I hadn't noticed before. Chiseled into the sides were characters. Dovahzull. I ran to it and began translating. I could only pick up a few words and phrases. I knew that I had seen some of these letters before. I stepped closer and the wall began to glow.

A word wall. I had witness Sanguine step in front of dozens of these and be filled with the voice of the dragon. Those were the only times I thought that Sanguine looked beautiful, as soon as he harnessed the power. Before he had gotten to use it against them...

"Krii. Lun. Aus. Kill, Leech, Suffer." I said aloud, hoping for some sort of response, yet knowing better than that.

"You can read that?" Cicero asked. I had just realized that he was standing right behind me. I felt his hot breath down my neck and shivered.

"Somewhat. It's Dovahzull. Dragon Speak. Sanguine taught it to me."

"Innocence is a very interesting one," Cicero smiled warmly. "Cicero would love to see what else lies in the beautiful head of the Dragonborn's apprentice."