Unfamiliar Faces
Chapter 3 – Tracking the Brotherhood
Castle Dour in Solitude is usually rather active. However, for the past few days, since the Moot started, it's been slightly more abuzz than normal. The Jarls' personal guards have been consulting with the Legion and with Solitude's guard to ensure the safety of their leaders, thus making things increasingly more difficult for the Legates on duty at the Castle.
This particular morning would prove to be more difficult, though, as a Breton woman, clad in heavy armor and carrying an akaviri longsword, strode into the castle. She was accompanied by an older man who looked like he'd already seen his better days. "We're here to see General Tullius," she said to a soldier on duty, "We received a letter from him four days ago."
"You must be Delphine," came the voice of the general, as he joined the two newcomers, "Mikkel said to expect you, as soon as you got my message."
"What's this about, General? The Blades haven't served the Empire itself since the Great War.
"You'll want to hear this," Tullius advised Delphine, "But we'll discuss it with Mikkel, at his place, Proudspire Manor. And before you ask, yes, he is a Thane of this hold, just as he is in Whiterun, the Rift and Eastmarch, too."
"Then lead the way, General," the older man said, "We should hear the Dragonborn out, Delphine. This could be important."
Proudspire Manor was quiet. No one had even risen from the bed yet. Mikkel found himself not wanting to get up, what with the gorgeous blonde lying next to him. Over the weeks since Riala had come into his life, he found himself quite stricken by her. She was everything he could want in a woman. She was strong enough to handle her own affairs, and a sure enough stunner, but she still had this feminine side that wanted him to be there with her through it all. She had confidence in spades. He had also come to the conclusion that modesty and Riala didn't always go hand in hand. The fact that she liked to sleep nude was something that he learned the first night they were together, and he was also reminded of when she first saw the pool at his Whiterun mansion. This morning, she slept with her back to him, and his body spooning hers. He held her with his left arm, and his hand cupped right under her firm yet soft breast. His right hand rested on her stomach, his arm around her waist. He took a whiff of her hair, and could smell the concoction she used to wash her hair, which had a hint of juniper berries in it. An intoxicating aroma, if he had ever smelled one. No, Mikkel didn't want to get up, not one bit.
For Riala, she had learned that Mikkel was a man she could count on. He knew about her from his dealings with the divine, Akatosh. But he spent even more time getting to actually know her. The fact that he kept himself in excellent condition wasn't wasted on Riala, as she had observed his well-toned physique when he joined her in the pool of the mansion in Whiterun, the very day she had arrived. The weeks they spent in Whiterun together, getting to know each other had taught her that he was a man that would go to Oblivion and back for those he cared about. He had already taken down Alduin, as well as stopped all the same crises she had in her world, including Miraak, who she failed to stop. There was a strength behind those blue eyes of his that said, in no uncertain terms, "I will do what I have to do to ensure the safety of those I love." It's that strength, that determination that attracted her to Mikkel. Now, she rested peacefully in his arms, feeling his heart beat against her back, and feeling his strong arms around her body, and his breath against her neck. Though she was strong in her own right, she still wanted to feel safe, and his arms around her made her feel protected.
Elsewhere in the manor, Mikkel's housecarl, Jordis, answered the door, only to be met by General Tullius of the Imperial Legion, Commander Caro of the Penitus Oculatus, and two others; a blonde haired Breton woman, and an older Imperial man who looked like he had seen better days.
"We need to see the Thane," Tullius told Jordis, "It's important."
"He's not awake yet, but I will go get him," the housecarl nodded, showing the four to the dining room, before going upstairs to retrieve her Thane. She walked up to the bed and shook Mikkel, rousing him from his sleep. "Pardons, my thane," she began, "But General Tullius is here with three other people to see you. They said it's important."
"By the Nine divines," Mikkel said, "Ok, tell them I'll be there in a few minutes." He slowly extricated himself from Riala, before getting up, while Jordis went to deliver the message. This action also roused Riala from her own sleep.
"Let me guess, Delphine just arrived and now she and Tullius are downstairs?" she asked.
"Yeah, their timing couldn't be worse," Mikkel replied, putting on a blue suit he had bought from Radiant Raiment after arriving from Whiterun just a few days ago. Riala found a robe from the College of Winterhold, and put it on. She was no wizard, but damn if the thing wasn't comfortable.
Time passed and the two Dovahkiin soon joined their four guests in the dining room. The discussion started by Delphine asking Mikkel why he had asked for her to come all the way from Sky Haven Temple, to Solitude. He explained all about the new covenant with Akatosh, which made an alliance between man and dragon kind. He then introduced Delphine and Riala, which shocked the Breton to find out there was another Dovahkiin in the world now. It's then that Mikkel turned the conversation over to Caro, who briefed Delphine and Esbern on the situation with the Dark Brotherhood. To say that the news shocked the two Blades would be stating the obvious.
"Delpine, you're great at tracking down information," Mikkel told the Blades agent, "We want you to locate the Dark Brotherhood's sanctuary. We want to get in there and wipe them out."
"If you want to get to their leadership, though," Esbern replied, "You'll have to do something to get their attention. Like maybe steal a kill."
"How can we figure out what contracts they have?" Riala wondered, "The Dark Brotherhood is the most secretive organization in all of Tamriel."
"My people in Windhelm have told me," Tullius noted, "That for the last month, a young boy, Aventus Aretino, has been locked in his family home, and has been trying to perform the Dark Brotherhood's black sacrament to summon an assassin. To what ends, we don't know."
"That could be the way in we're looking for," Mikkel thought out loud, "I have an idea. Riala, why don't you go with Commander Caro and Delphine, and track down and destroy the brotherhood's sanctuary. I'll go to Windhelm and find out why Aretino wants to summon the Brotherhood. It should give me the chance to kill the Brotherhood's leadership, should I steal this kill from them." Riala nodded.
"Pruzaan do gluus, Dovahkiin Mikkel. Best of luck," she said, embracing him tightly.
Mikkel returned the embrace, and whisered in her ear, "Zu'u fen daal das, dii sil liin. I will return soon, my soul mate."
"What do we tell the Jarls about you leaving right now?" Tullius inquired of the Dragonborn.
"Tell them I'm doing business for the Legion. Balgruuf knows I'm aligned with the Empire, as does Elisif, Brunwulf and Maven." Tullius nodded as Mikkel went to his armor chest and grabbed the Nordic armor he wore on the trip to Solitude, also grabbing his weapons and arrows. He suited up and was soon headed out the door.
Several days pass as Mikkel rides from Solitude to Windhelm. During that time, Riala had joined Delphine in tracking down the brotherhood's sanctuary. The intelligence provided by the Penitus Oculatus stated that they were probably hiding somewhere near Falkreath, so the two hunted in that general area.
During that time, Mikkel had made his way into Windhelm, and walked through the city, finding the Aretino boy's house. He found it way too easy to pick the lock and get into the residence. Once inside, he heard the boy sounding desperate, chanting out the black sacrament. Looking around, he saw that there wasn't much food around, so he guessed that the Aretino boy wasn't eating, foregoing his own body's need for nutrients in order to keep performing the ritual. "This kid must really be desperate," he thinks to himself, "Who would he want dead that bad?" It's then that he noticed a piece of paper on the floor. He picked it up and read it. It was a notice from the desk of Ulfric Stormcloak, saying that since his mother died, he was being sent to Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. "Ouch," the dragonborn thinks, "I can imagine who he wants dead now. That old bat takes child abuse to a whole new level." He strode up to the child, and tapped him on the shoulder. The boy's eyes lit up, thinking his ritual had been answered. Sure enough, Mikkel's suspicion was correct, and the boy wanted the keeper of Honorhall Orphanage, Grelod the Kind (Talk about false advertising), dead.
"I've heard of her," Mikkel noted, "Believe me, she's got it coming. I'll do it, Aventus, but you won't owe me anything. This is a case I'll take on, no charge."
"Oh, thank you," the young boy said, hugging the dragonborn, "thank you." Mikkel then reached in his pack and pulled out some food from his own stores, a couple wedges of cheese, some bread, and three apples.
"Here," Mikkel smiled, handing the food to Aventus, "You need to eat." The child took the food and started to eating, while Mikkel left the house, and rode on to Riften. The trip took another two days to ride from Windhelm to Riften. He soon found himself staking out Honorhall Orphanage from a nearby rooftop, his dragonbone bow in hand. Sure enough, old Grelod left the Orphanage every day around 10 am. It's then that he noticed that she had met with a man from the Thieves guild in an alley behind the Bee and Barb.
"Two birds, one stone," Mikkel thought, as he nocked an arrow onto the string of his bow. He aimed right at the old woman's chest, right where her heart is (The organ, a person as cruel as her probably doesn't have the other). He let the arrow loose, and it soared right through Grelod, and wedged right in the thief's own heart. "That bastard had a price on his head, too," the dragonborn thought as he quietly snuck down from the rooftop and got his horse from the Riften stable.
After letting Aventus know that he had killed Grelod, Mikkel left Windhelm and started the trip back to Solitude. He soon found a decent spot to camp overnight, and stepped down from his horse, and unrolled his bedroll.
Mikkel woke up on the ground, groggy. He wondered where he was, but soon realized he was in some abandoned shack. A strange woman was sitting on a shelf. "Sleep well," she asked of her captive.
"Where am I?" the dovahkiin asked, "Who are you?"
The strange woman had an amused sound to her when she answered, "Does it matter? You're warm, dry...and still very much alive. That's more than can be said for old Grelod. Hmm?"
"So, you know about that?"
"Half of Skyrim knows. Old hag gets sniped in an alleyway not far from her own Orphanage? Things like that tend to get around. Oh, but don't misunderstand. I'm not criticizing. It was a good kill. Damn nice shot. Old crone had it coming. And you saved a group of urchins, to boot. Ah, but there is a slight...problem."
"I'm sure there is," Mikkel noted.
"You see, that little Aretino boy was looking for the Dark Brotherhood. For me, and my associates. Grelod the Kind was, by all rights, a Dark Brotherhood contract. A kill...that you stole. A kill you must repay." Mikkel just remained silent, reaching in behind him for the dragonbone dagger he kept for emergencies, as she continued her explanation. "If you turn around, you'll notice my guests. I've collected them from...well, that's not really important. The here and now. That's what matters. You see, there's a contract out on one of them, and that person can't leave this room alive. But...which one? Go on, see if you can figure it out. Make your choice. Make your kill. I just want to observe...and admire."
"If you only knew," the Dovahkiin thought, as he pulled the dagger from behind him, blade in between his thumb and forefinger in prime throwing position, and threw the dagger right into the woman's head, piercing her right eye. "Choice made," he stated, then retrieved his dagger from her head. Keeping with his usual habit of collecting unique armors, Mikkel gathered up the woman's armor, revealing that the woman was an altmer, and nowhere near as well built as Riala. "Oh well," he thought, putting the armor in his pack, "Time to let these poor bastards go." He cuts their bonds, while the one in the center, a rather noisy Breton woman, continually bitched at him, until he had had enough. "Listen to me," he stated, matter of factly, "I was abducted just like you were. I just killed the bitch that did it. Now, do us all a favor and SHUT UP." The malevolent woman quickly shut her mouth, and Mikkel opened the door for everyone to leave.
Just outside of Falkreath, Riala and Delphine had been watching this strange door for days, when they noticed someone walking up to it. It apparently asked a question, to which the person answered, "Silence, My Brother". They noted that, and decided to wait a couple of hours before moving in.
When the time came to move on the Brotherhood, Delphine strode up to the door. "What is the sound of life?" the door inquired.
"Silence, My Brother," Delphine answered, and she and Riala entered quickly. It didn't take long for the slaughter to begin, as two akaviri longswords started rending through the flesh of one Dark Brotherhood assassin after another. Soon, there was no one left in the cavernous sanctuary, save for the female dovahkiin, and the blades grandmaster. They grabbed what they could carry from the place, and then left, headed back to Falkreath, where they hired a carriage to carry them back to Solitude.
It only took a couple of days for Riala and Delphine to return to Solitude, where they went straight to Castle Dour. That's where they met up with General Tullius, and Commander Caro, who informed them that the Brotherhood's leader was now dead, and Mikkel was back in town. After letting them know that the Brotherhood had been slaughtered, Delphine decided to get a room at the Winking Skeever, while Riala went back to Proudspire Manor, where Mikkel was waiting for her. She quickly stepped right over to him, and was soon wrapped up in his arms again. "Mikkel," she said, "When will this whole moot be over with?"
"They have the final vote in two days," the Imperial man answered, "Till then, let's just relax. I'm sure we need it, after what we've just done." That's when Mikkel picked Riala up, carrying her into their bedchamber.
Meanwhile, Jordis, Mikkel's housecarl, could only think, "I really need to get a life."
End Chapter 3
NEXT CHAPTER – COVENANT REVEALED TO THE EMPIRE.
