-A.N. I know cruelty's heart is copper/bronze but for the story's sake, it's gold. And since there's next to no songs in Oblivion, I'm just going to take some from real life and pretend it's canon. Who cares, really-
The next morning was quiet. The sun fell smoothly through the windows and I watched serenely as the dust floated around so carelessly. The house felt empty. But it was warm and the couch was comfortable. I had fallen asleep there, right where my Speaker had left me, as if maybe he'd come back to find me.
I made myself get up finally, and decided it would be a productive day. I took to cleaning the house, sweeping, dusting, organizing what little I had stored there. I thought perhaps I would even move some things there, closer to the sanctuary, maybe to prevent any unnecessary travel when I could be spending time with them. Anything to be closer to my family while still allowing myself a safe space for alone time. Or not so alone time, I thought with a smirk on my face.
Once I was satisfied in cleaning the house, I wrote down a few items to pick up in town. Stepping outside, the sun was warm on my skin. I had changed into a more modest dress, parsley green and flowing to my knees. It had a white slip with short, loose sleeves underneath. I wore leather boots that went to my ankles and laced all the way up. A nice outfit to allow me to fit in but not be lost in a crowd. I was raised without parents, without money, and with little to do but scrape my way by in life. And I found as I grew older and had more money, sometimes all I wanted to do was blend into society. Something I never could have done as a child. I was scorned and hated. And I had finally started to heal from it, something I had truly deserved. And I chose, from blending in, the styles that I liked, the things that made me feel like me. And pretty dresses you'd see a maiden from a fairytale wearing was one of the things that truly brought me joy.
I bought a few groceries from smaller shops, always choosing small businesses over big ones when I could. A few bottles of nice wine for any special occasions, new candles to replace the old ones used so lovingly to stumps, and had set about to pick flowers to place on the middle of my dining table in a nice vase I had sculpted myself when I was younger. One of the few good memories I had to hold on to. I became set on making new ones.
Something about the Dark Brotherhood had opened a new gateway for me. I didn't have to save the world anymore, I had already done it. Sure, I was a killer. But so were they. My family. I was imperfect, I was weird, I was different. But so were they. Its what made us all so beautiful. It's what made me feel deep in my chest that I would have and could have done anything for them.
In one of the shops, something had caught my eye. It was rounding noon, the sun was high in the sky and the cicadas sang. It was a canvas. An empty stretch of canvas and worn-down charcoal pencils. Tools someone had once loved. I bought it, thinking back to the times when I was little, perhaps a pre-teen, and sold my drawings on the side of the streets. Probably for less than they were worth.
I had brought it back to my house and thought for a while on where to set up my station. I thought, what feels right? I tried upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside. Nothing was working. But I had a feeling of what would. I packed my things and headed to fort Farragut.
The sun was a little lower in the sky by the time I had gotten up the hill and I simply assumed Lucien would either be somewhere else or wouldn't mind the slight intrusion. I could remember the way Cheydinhall looked from the top down early the other morning, but the way it looked then with the sun casting glory upon the sparkling stone walls and the colors of Spring breathing life into it was simply breathtaking. I had no colors to use, but Grey scale felt right. So I found a stretch of dry grass, setting my things in front of me and my canvas propped on some logs and sticks. And I began to sketch what I saw. I hummed and sang as I did, singing about a Soldier, Poet, and a King.
By the time I had finished, the sun had nearly set. Feeling content with my piece, I thought on what to name it. There were trees and buildings, houses, wildlife. It conveyed life in its true form; neither light nor darkness, but in-between. Many view life as only in black and white, even the saying itself doesn't make sense. There is always color. It isn't just black and white and color, there's Grey, too. And the Grey is beautiful. It represented, to me, many things. Uncertainty. Living in the moment. The choice to leave the past where it lies, and to not worry about the future before I have forged it. If light is the past, that which we clearly see, and darkness is the future, that which we do not know, I choose the times of Dusk. The times of Dawn. I choose uncertainty. I choose the moments between sleeping and waking, the moments where smiles think they hide, the times to consider decisions, the times to love and the times to live. The times of opportunity where anything can happen. Grey is a choice and an opportunity. The opportunity to add color, opportunity to change, or the choice to simply stay the same. The choice between surviving and living. I chose now. Today. I chose living. I turned the canvas over and I named the sketch, "Opportunity". Then signed my first name and packed my things.
The next day I made sure to collect the reward from my contract, along with the bonus. My reward was an enchanted gold amulet that fortified strength and willpower. And the bonus made me almost emotional. A key to the well behind the abandoned house. The secret entrance into the sanctuary that only trusted members of the guild are allowed access to.
I chose to see Ocheeva, but was stopped on the way by Teinaava. He seemed troubled.
"Sister, do you think I could ask of you a favor?" He asked me quietly
"Sure, what's going on?" I sat down with him, listening intently.
"I have a rather... intimate matter I need dealt with." He said apprehensively. I gave him an odd look, bordering disgust. "Not like that, you nasty." He chuckled. "This is a rather delicate situation, though it has no effect on your standing within the brotherhood. Are you still interested?"
"Of course. Anything for my family." I said with a smile.
"I find your decision most agreeable! Now, the details. Far south of here, on the southern end of Cyrodiil, lies a swamp called Bogwater. Hiding in that swamp you will find an Argonian Shadowscale named Scar-Tail. Kill this renegade, and bring me his heart as proof of the deed." He explained. Then, as if reading my mind, continued.
"When Ocheeva and I trained with the Dark Brotherhood as children, we befriended another initiate, a Shadowscale by the name of Scar-Tail. The three of us were inseperable. When our training was completed, we reluctantly parted ways. But now... Now, the unthinkable has happened! Scar-Tail has fled Black Marsh and refuses to fulfill his duties as royal assassin! This is an act of treason! This treachery must be punished! Just as a member of the Dark Brotherhood cannot kill a fellow family member, a Shadowscale is forbidden from slaying another Shadowscale. That is why you must go to Bogwater and eliminate that treacherous snake! Please kill Scar-Tail, so Ocheeva and I can put this matter behind us."
"I solemnly swear I will return with this traitor's heart." I said to him, giving him a salute. "I will take today to prepare and I'll leave first thing in the morning. Could you mark it on my map?" I handed him the scroll and he left a precise, black dot of where to find Bogwater. I thanked him and went to find Ocheeva for more information.
She was in her room as usual, reading a book in a language I didn't understand.
"Ocheeva? Could I ask a few questions? I've been sent on a bit of a mission by Teinaava." I asked kindly. Her face lit up.
"You have agreed to kill Scar-Tail? Thank you!" She said happily. "Scar-Tail is a traitor to Argonia, and a blight upon Tamriel! Kill him, as my brother requests, and we will be forever in your debt."
"I will do so happily. I just wanted to ask, what is Shadowscale?"
"Teinaava and I, all our lives we have lived together in the shadows. We are egg mates. 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." She seemed happy and reminiscent. "Go now, dear sister. And may the night mother wrap you in her cold, loving embrace."