A/N - Still don't own Elder Scrolls, but I wanted to give Meaa-Dar a backstory. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 9

Twelve hours later, after waking refreshed and ready to go, Aria bathed and ate some breakfast, then walked down the hallway to Vicente's quarters. At her knock, Vicente's cheerful voice invited her in. She entered to see him standing by his bed, buttoning up his black shirt. He was barefoot and his brown hair hung loose above his shoulders. She blushed and looked away.

"Aria, welcome. I trust you slept well."

"Yes, thank you. And you?" Aria looked back and noticed a gold amulet hanging around his neck.

"Very well. How does your cheek feel?"

Aria touched the stitches. "It's fine. Antionetta did a good job stitching it up."

He finished buttoning his shirt and sat on the bed to pull on his stockings and boots. "Forgive my dishevelment. I just woke up not too long ago."

"It's...it's alright."

Vicente paused with one boot in his hand. "Is something wrong, Aria?"

Aria looked at him. "I'm fine. It's just...I'm not used to seeing...I mean..." She blushed even more.

Vicente nodded, a small smile on his face. "I see. I'm sorry if my lack of dress makes you uncomfortable. Forgive me for forgetting that you are still unaccustomed to many of our ways."

She assured him that it was alright and the two chatted amiably while Vicente finished getting his boots on, tied his hair back, and strapped on his silver longsword.

"Now then," he said when he was finished, "how can I help you?"

Aria sat down in the chair he pulled out for her. "Last night, you said Mraaj-Dar hates newcomers. Can you tell me why? I don't want to give him any more reasons to get mad at me than he already has."

Vicente poured a glass of wine for each of them. When he sat down across from her, he sipped his wine thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "Not many people know. Mraaj-Dar and I are currently the two oldest family members, so the others are too young to remember."

"Remember what?"

"Thirty years ago, before any of the current family members arrived, he was friendly and trusting. He was young, probably around your age, full of fun. Full of life. For a few years, he was a very pleasant person to be around.

"Then Sho-riah came. She also was a Khajit. She was young and pretty. Naturally, she and Mraaj-Dar were drawn to each other. She was here for a little over a year. Mraaj-Dar fell deeply in love with her, and we all thought she felt the same for him."

"She didn't?"

"No one really knows. One day, she and Mraaj-Dar went out on a contract together. Their target was a member of the Imperial City Watch. No one knows for sure what happened, but it appeared that Sho-riah set him up. Mraaj-Dar didn't come back on schedule, so we all grew worried. He returned three days later. Without Sho-riah."

"What happened to her?"

"He wouldn't tell us. He wouldn't tell anyone. He still won't, even to this day. But ever since then, he's been cynical and angry toward new members. You see, if Sho-riah did set him up, then not only did she betray him and break his heart, she betrayed the Brotherhood. One of Mraaj-Dar's best qualities is his unwavering loyalty. He would rather die than betray the family, and he would rather kill than see the Brotherhood destroyed by a traitor."

"Do you think he killed her?"

Vicente shrugged. "It's entirely possible, which would make it that much worse for him. Being forced to kill the one he loved would have hurt him deeply."

"So he doesn't trust anyone."

"Not exactly. He doesn't trust new family members. He doesn't want a repeat of what happened to him. After you've been here for a year or two, he'll soften up."

Aria leaned back in her chair and sipped her wine. Mraaj-Dar's story was sad, but it explained a lot. She still had questions, though. She leaned forward again. "So he hates newcomers because of Sho-riah. Is it all new family members or just new female family members?"

Vicente set his glass on the table. "He's angry at all newcomers, but it does seem to be worse with women. You should have seen him when Antionetta arrived."

Aria sat back again and crossed her arms. "So how do I handle him until he stops trying to tear my face off?"

Vicente smiled and leaned back with his hands folded across his stomach. "I spoke to him about what happened last night. He hates being surprised, but there was no reason for a reaction that extreme. He was already upset about Ocheeva ordering him to sell you equipment, and bumping into him didn't improve his mood. Because I had to reprimand him, he won't be even remotely pleasant. My advice would be to just avoid him. Not permanently, just until his temper cools. If he speaks harshly to you, just try to speak softly to him."

Aria nodded and changed the subject. "So what do I do until I get another contract?"

"I would suggest training. There is always room for us to improve our skills, or to learn new ones. The training room is equipped with dummies and targets, or you can practice with one of your Brothers or Sisters." He waved a hand in the direction of his bookshelf. "I also have books on various subjects that you can borrow, should you be interested."

Aria stood up and moved over to the bookcase to examine the titles. "Is there anyone who can teach me how to fight?" she asked, turning to face him. "I'm pretty good at sneaking, but I've never really had experience with weapons. Thankfully, Tussaud was drunk, or I'd have to set the record for Shortest Lived Family Member."

"I see. Hmm..." Vicente rubbed his chin as he thought. "Gogron or Teinaava would probably be your best options. Gogron hates being stealthy, but his style of training could be useful in a fight. Teinaava is an excellent trainer of stealth fighting. And if you're interested in other lessons, I'm sure Telaendril would be willing to teach you to use a bow. She's a talented archer. And I don't know how you feel about the arcane, but knowing some basic spells could be useful, too."

"And who can teach me about that stuff?"

"Mraaj-Dar is the best mage in the family. Normally, I would ask him, but considering the circumstances, I don't think that would be a good idea. The next best option would be to teach you myself."

"You...you could teach me?"

Vicente raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all," Aria said quickly, trying not to blush, "although I should warn you. I've never done magic before, so you have your work cut out for you."

"I'm sure we'll manage just fine. I'm not a master battlemage by any means, but I know a fair number of basic spells and a few more advanced ones. I can teach you how to use them."

Aria thanked him and reached to pick up her empty wine glass. Vicente waved her away. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of them. I need to get some breakfast anyway." He picked up the glasses and walked back up the hallway with her. In the main room, Aria reluctantly parted company with him. Since she had nothing better to do, she made her way to the training room. She pushed the heavy door open and surveyed the room for the first time.

It was a large room, supported by thick stone pillars just like the rest of the Sanctuary. To the right stood a few targets. Mraaj-Dar stood in front of one of them, viciously throwing spells at the target. The center of the room was clear, with a large padded mat lining the floor, forming a training circle. To the left stood two full-size dummies. Teinaava crouched near one, practicing various kinds of stealth strikes. Gogron stood at the other dummy, swinging a huge battle axe that probably weighed more than Aria did. She approached him cautiously and said, "Um, excuse me?"

The Orc completed a swing and lowered his axe. He turned to her, looking even more intimidating in his ebony armor. "Yes, little Sister?"

Aria smiled nervously. "Sorry to bother you. Vicente told me that you could teach me how to fight. Is that right?"

He nodded eagerly. "That's right. I'm especially good at using blunt weapons," he hefted his axe, "but I'm fairly good at using all kinds of weapons." He grinned down at her. "So what are you interested in? Axes? Swords? Maces?"

Aria thought about that. She wasn't really interested in axes or maces, and she only had the slightest ideas about swords. She gestured to her Blade of Woe. "This is really the only weapon I've ever used."

Gogron leaned his axe against the wall. "Daggers are handy to have, sometimes, but it takes a good fighter to be able to use them successfully in battle. Given your size, I think a shortsword might suit you, though." He walked over to a weapons rack and selected two swords, one considerably shorter than the other. He handed her the shorter one.

"First things first. You need to know the parts of a sword." He pointed out each part of the sword and explained it's importance, then drilled her on them. They went over them repeatedly, until she had them memorized. "All right. Now that you have that down, let's try some basic stances."

Aria took what she thought was a good stance. Gogron immediately shook his head and started correcting her. "Pull your elbow in. Good! All right, move your left foot back a few inches. Not quite that far..."

By the time Telaendril announced lunch, Aria was wondering what she'd gotten herself into. Gogron was proving to be a demanding teacher. She followed the others into the living quarters and sat down next to Antionetta at the table. The two girls caught each other up on their mornings as they ate, then Gogron herded Aria back to the training room.

For the rest of that day and for the following week, Aria trained endlessly with Gogron. As she trained, she grew stronger and her reflexes sharpened. The stances and moves he taught her became second nature. After two weeks of this, Vicente asked Teinaava to start teaching her the secrets of being a good assassin. The stealthiness she learned on the streets stood her in good stead as she honed these new skills. She still sparred and trained with Gogron daily, but a portion of her time each day was spent learning how to kill without a sound. Her days were busy, but Aria had never been happier.