Chapter 6

After her bath, Antionetta helped Aria finish settling in before they were summoned to dinner. The Breton girl made her way across the living quarters to the dining area, where she claimed two seats at the table, along with the other family members. Once everyone was seated, Ocheeva stood up from her place at the head of the table.

"As I'm sure you all have noticed, a new Sister has arrived to join our family." She gestured to Aria, who was sitting to her left. "This is Aria, a new daughter of the Night Mother. Remember, this is her first day here, so for Sithis' sake, don't overwhelm the poor dear."

She sat down, and one by one, those family members Aria hadn't already met introduced themselves. The Argonian to Ocheeva's right spoke first. He had similar markings to Ocheeva's. "I am Teinaava, brother to Ocheeva and loyal son of Sithis. I wish to welcome you to our family, and to this Sanctuary, my newest Sister. May you find yourself at home here, in the loving embrace of our Lady the Night Mother."

Aria nodded to him. Telaendril was sitting next to him, but since she and Aria had already met, she elbowed the Orc sitting on her other side. "Welcome! Welcome to the family!" he said enthusiastically. "I'd hug you, but Ocheeva told me not to. Gogron gro-Bolmog is my name, and bashing skulls is my game. And it's a game I like!"

Aria stared at him for a moment, unsure of how to respond to that. "Gogron," Vicente cautioned from the other end of the table, "remember what Ocheeva said. We don't want to frighten the poor girl off." He looked at Aria. "My apologies, Aria. Our dear Brother here tends to be a little...over-enthusiastic."

Aria nodded, feeling even more nervous than before. It was going to take a little while to get used to knowing a vampire. Everyone looked at the Khajit sitting across the table from Gogron. He growled when he realized he was the center of attention.

"My name is Mraaj-Dar," he snarled. He didn't offer any words of welcome or excitement that she was there. In fact, Aria thought he looked angry about her presence.

When it was clear he wasn't going to say more, Ocheeva stood again. "I trust that everyone will do their best to make sure that our new Sister feels welcome here. Now, for dinner." She sat down and with that, everyone started in on the delicious food that Telaendril had prepared. Stories, comments, and jokes were exchanged during the meal. There was a lot of laughter and good-natured teasing, and everyone seemed to be in a festive mood because of the new addition to the family.

Aria, although she was the center of attention for much of the meal, still felt too shy to say much. But she enjoyed watching and listening to the others. After dinner, Telaendril and Gogron cleaned up while the others herded Aria to the living area.

Antionetta pulled her down to sit next to her on the bearskin rug, while the everyone else made themselves comfortable around the room. "Now," she said, putting her arm around Aria's shoulders, "it's time for some family talk."

"Uh, okay..." Aria started to say.

Ocheeva sat in a leather chair. "Bloody heavens, Antionetta. Give Aria a chance to gather her thoughts." She looked kindly at Aria. "I'm sure you must have many questions, my dear, just as we do. Ask away."

Aria looked around the room, unsure of where to begin. Her eyes fell on the ebony dagger she'd strapped to her leg. "The man who recruited me- he said he was a member of the Black Hand. What is that?"

Vicente, who was lying on the floor on his stomach, answered, "The Black Hand is our ruling body. The four Speakers each oversee a set of Sanctuaries. As the most recent addition to the Black Hand, this is the only Sanctuary that Lucien oversees."

Ocheeva nodded in agreement. "However, Lucien isn't here very often. His duties with the Black Hand keep him very busy, so he trusts me to keep the Sanctuary in order."

Teinaava spoke up from his place on a nearby bench. "Ocheeva and I have known Lucien since we were hatchlings. He is the one who trained us in the way of the Shadowscale, and is like a father to us."

Aria cocked her head. "Shadowscale?"

Teinaava nodded. "In the Argonian homeland of Black Marsh, those born under the sign of the Shadow are taken at birth and presented to the Dark Brotherhood. A Shadowscale hatchling is trained in the arts of stealth and assassination, and lives a life in service to the mighty kingdom of Argonia. Any Shadowscale who lives to come of age is accepted into the Dark Brotherhood as a full member. So it was with myself and Ocheeva."

"What he says is true," Ocheeva said, seeing the look on Aria's face. "All our lives we have lived together in the shadows. We are egg mates, you know. Twins. We were taken at birth and given to the Dark Brotherhood. We returned to Black Marsh as Shadowscales, trained in the arts of stealth and murder. Together we served our nation as spies and assassins, as all Shadowscales do. When we came of age, we joined the family as one. And here we are."

Everyone was silent for a moment, listening to the crackling of the fire as Aria digested that information. Vicente stared absently into the fire. "I remember when I first joined the family," he said, returning to the previous subject. "This Sanctuary was controlled by another Speaker at the time. Lucien took over when she was killed while fulfilling a contract."

Antionetta looked at Aria. "I will always think of Lucien Lachance as my savior. When he found me, I was living in a gutter, an inch away from death. I owe him everything."

"So do I," Telaendril said, joining the conversation as she and Gogron sat down.

"Lucien found you, too?" Aria asked.

Telaendril shook her head. "Yes, but he did not try to recruit me. Not at first. No, he tried to kill me." At Aria's shocked expression, she explained. "My father wanted me dead, and he hired the Dark Brotherhood to do it. I escaped from Lucien and paid my father back for his treachery. Lucien had followed me, and he came to me again that night with an offer I just couldn't refuse. He brought me here."

Aria blinked a few times. "Wow. That's...unbelievable."

"It's true," Gogron insisted. "Lucien recognized her talents immediately. And we're all grateful he did, because she's our best cook."

Telaendril giggled and playfully swatted him. "Oh, stop it, Gogron."

"Now it's our turn for a question," Antionetta said earlier eagerly, turning to face Aria. "To start, you're an Imperial, but your name sounds Elvish. Why is that? Do you speak Elvish?"

Aria shook her head. "My mother was best friends with a Bosmer family when she was growing up, and she learned a lot of Sylvan from them. My parents had trouble having children, so when I was born, they named me aria."

"Aria means 'gift'," Telaendril explained for the benefit of the others.

Teinaava nodded. "That explains much." He looked back at Aria. "It is a lovely name, dear Sister. Now, you have another question for us?"

Aria nodded. "Who is the Night Mother?"

Antionetta looked thoughtful. "I've always kind of wonder that myself. Some say she's an old woman who lives somewhere here in Cyrodiil, but I'm not so sure."

"Why aren't you sure?"

Antionetta shrugged. "Well, she's been around for centuries. I think if an old woman had been living in Cyrodiil for that long, someone would have noticed by now and we would have heard about her."

"Not necessarily," Vicente said. "If that particular story is true, then I imagine our Lady would be wise enough to move around, or stay away from people altogether."

Telaendril smiled. "I think our Lady is surely an ancient and powerful Elf. Someday when I am Listener of the Black Hand, I will look upon her beautiful and unholy form."

Gogron shook his head and crossed his arms. "I don't know who the Night Mother is, but she pays me to kill people. My own mother should have loved me so much."

Everyone except Aria laughed at that, then Teinaava gave a more serious answer. "The Night Mother is the Dark Brotherhood's Unholy Matron. She guides our actions, just as the Dread Father once guided hers."

"The Night Mother speaks only to one member of the Dark Brotherhood," Vicente added, "the Listener of the Black Hand. And when our Lady speaks, death follows."

Seeing Aria's brow furrow in confusion, Ocheeva explained. "See, to employ the services of the Dark Brotherhood, one must perform a ritual to the Night Mother. Only then will she heed their prayers for murder. It is an ancient rite, this Black Sacrament. All across the Empire, every day, people beseech the Night Mother to take the lives of others. After a person performs the ritual, they are contacted by a Speaker. Gold is exchanged, and the details worked out. So it has always been."

"So...people pray to the Night Mother...then she gives the names of the people to be contacted to the Listener?" Aria said, trying to work out the process.

"Exactly right," Vicente answered. "Then the Listener passes along the names to the Speakers, who contact the...client, if you will. The Speakers get all of the necessary details, then pass along them along to us in the form of contracts."

"What's the Black Sacrament?"

Ocheeva shook her head. "That is a conversation for another time. It's getting late, and we could all do with some rest."

Everyone started to get up, but Aria held up a hand. "Uh, c-can I ask one more question?"

The family sat back down as Vicente pulled himself into a sitting position. "Of course. What is it?"

"Uh," Aria hesitated. She wasn't sure how to phrase her question, so she blurted out, "Who is Sithis? And what is he? I've heard him mentioned a lot since I got here, but- I mean- is he a Daedra or something?"

Teinaava leaned forward. "Who is Sithis, you ask? Some call him the Dread Father. It was his terrible love that gave birth to the Dark Brotherhood, so very long ago."

"Sithis is the darkness of time immemorial," Vicente said fervently. "He is no Daedra, and dwells not in the realm of Oblivion. No, Sithis is something altogether...different."

"Those fools in the Church and their so-called 'Nine Divines'..." Ocheeva said. "There is no divinity beyond the eternal and terrible rule of our Dread Father, Sithis."

Telaendril stood up. "The story is that long ago, in an age now forgotten, Sithis came to the Night Mother and begat her five sons."

Aria nodded slowly. "The Dark Brotherhood?"

"Exactly. So you see, as Teinaava said, Sithis' love gave birth to the Dark Brotherhood."

Ocheeva stood up again. "That is enough for one evening. You need time to think about all of this, and I'm sure you must be tired, dear."

At Ocheeva's insistence, everyone got up and started getting ready for bed. Antionetta filled Aria in on the morning routine, then the two girls went to bed.

Aria's mind was whirling as she lay in her new bed. So much had happened in the last couple of days that she was having trouble comprehending it all. But one thing was sure: she already felt loved and accepted by these new friends. Maybe with time, they really would become a family.