Disclaimer: I do not own Oblivion or any of its characters. If I owned it, I wouldn't need to write fan fiction about it. :P My inspiration for this story is allshallfade and her story is The Dark Brotherhood: A Listener's Tale. And you too, my readers and reviewers! =) You guys give me the inspiration to write and make sure I don't leave this story half-finished.

Chapter 3

I walked to the rooms at the end of the corridor, feeling a bit nervous.

I passed no one and soon found myself face to face with two thick doors that lead to Vicente Valtieri's room. I could see the faint glow of magicka surrounding the door.

Ah yes, I almost forgot the Sanctuary is over three-hundred years old.

I had had lunch with Teinaava, Talaendril and Gogron, and we discussed the sanctuary and its occupants. Yet, they had not revealed how Vicente survived three centuries; they had said I would know when I met him.

Very strange, I had thought. I shook my head to clear it of these thoughts.

Well, I'd better get on with it.

"Ah, there you are! Lucien has told me so much about you!" A Breton was sitting in the shadows, bent over a desk strewn with paper. The whole room was dark, save for a small candle near a stone slab. There was also a paper-strewn table with two chairs and a bottle of Tamika's best.

He looked up and smiled at me. His dark brown, almost black, hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He had eyes of crimson, his face was gaunt, and I could see fangs poking out of his upper lip. A vampire?

"Warmest greetings to you, I trust you have already spoken to Ocheeva? I am Vicente Valtieri. I provide assignments for all new family members," then, seeing my expression of surprise, he added, "please, do not let my appearance... unnerve you. The needs and Tenets of the Dark Brotherhood come before my own needs as a vampire." I relaxed a little. My past experience with vampires was... less than pleasant. In fact, I had wondered into an abandoned, as it had first seemed mine. They had attacked me, and I had just made it out alive, with a lot more treasure than I had expected. Some of those vampires even carried Daedric armour. I'm glad the Tenets prevented him from making a meal of me. He also didn't look like one of those blood-starved vampires, who would attack the first living thing in sight.

"Now, if you're ready to get to work, I can provide you with your first contract."

Really? I'm ready for anything!

"A contract is a secret pact one enters into with the Dark Brotherhood. They provide us with gold, and we remove someone from existence. A contract is fulfilled by a skilled assassin, such as yourself, who keeps the Dark Brotherhood's end of the bargain. So it has always been. While carrying out the contract, you may have the opportunity to earn a bonus if certain parameters are met. Now, let's begin, shall we?" I couldn't wait.

"I'm prepared for my first contract."

"I'm not sure how you feel about pirates, but you've got to kill one. A captain, in fact, on his ship, surrounded by his crew. Interested?"

"Of course I'll accept!" His smile grew at my eagerness.

"Excellent. Here is what you must do. Go to the Waterfront District of the Imperial City. There you will find a ship named the Marie Elena. Board the ship and find its captain, Gaston Tussaud. He'll be in his cabin. Eliminate Tussaud in any manner you see fit. The pirates have been moving a lot of cargo onboard lately. You may be able to smuggle yourself onboard in one of the packing crates. Oh, and one more thing. Get into the habit of asking your fellow family members about any current contract. Their insight may prove invaluable. Take care," he added. I turned and left him to his paperwork.

I smiled as I headed for the dorms.

I think I'm going to like it here.

~{::}~

I awoke, hearing a loud, booming noise.

Laughter! I haven't awoken to laughter since Kvatch!

I immediately sat up, a grin on my face.

"I'm sorry, Sister," giggled Talaendril, "I have tried to keep him quiet, but, as you can see, I failed," she poked Gogron in the ribs, which resulted in another round of laughter.

I noticed now that Teinaava and Antoinetta were there too, Teinaava was attempting to conceal his sniggering, but Antoinetta was doubled over in a fit of giggles.

"What are you all laughing about?"

"We were just talking about one of my contracts long ago," Gogron boomed.

"He was sent to kill a little Nord girl at her birthday party," Talaedril couldn't hide her laughter any longer, and so Gogron continued.

"She asked me if I was the jester! So I said to her, "No, I am a messenger of death." You should have seen the look on her face!" He chuckled. "Anyway, she won't be seeing the age of six!"

Teinaava suddenly burst out laughing and almost fell to the floor, triggering the rest of us.

I don't know how long we sat there, holding our sides, but finally the laughter subsided. Antoinetta wiped away a tear, and I realised that I too was crying from giggling too much. I hastily dashed them off with my sleeve.

"So, your first contract," said Gogron, breathless from laughter, "no chance for a bonus, huh? That's all right, you're better off! Who needs magic items when you've got raw skill? And the great thing about killing a target up close and personal is you can talk to 'em before you do it! You know, say something scary!" Telaendril shook her head, hiding a smile, and Antoinetta and Teinaava exchanged amused looks.

"So, what is your first contract?" asked Teinaava. I told him of what I must do.

Teinaava nodded, "The Marie Elena, you say? I've seen that ship. There's a unique balcony at the stern. My guess is it leads to the captain's cabin. That could be useful."

"Thanks, Teinaava, I'll remember that," I smiled.

"I've travelled by prison ship. It was cramped and dark. There was little room to move around, but plenty of shadowy nooks to hide in. Remember that," said Antoinetta. I looked at her, surprise written clearly on my face.

"You've travelled by prison ship?"

"I got caught out on a contract in Morrowind, and they sent me back here for sentencing, but they always miss a lockpick," she smiled mischievously.

"So how does someone set a contract? I mean, how do people get in contact with us if we're secret?" I asked my Family.

"To employ the services of the Dark Brotherhood, one must perform a ritual to the Night Mother," Teinaava answered me. "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."

"Amazing," I smiled.

~{::}~

"Tell me about your first kill," Antoinetta requested a few days later. I hadn't yet gone to the Waterfront, as I knew Tossaud would be there for the next few weeks. And I wanted to get to know my family members, and to train more. Actually, I've been training most of the time, learning how to sneak more silently, shoot more efficiently, and use a dagger in a more deadly way. Ocheeva showed me the places that would cause the most and the least pain. I also taught Talaendril how to heal basic wounds.

"Now let's see, where to start?" At the beginning, or should I? I'll just tell them from the time I ran from Valenwood.

"I was born in a small town in Valenwood. I was but eight years old when I was thrown out of home. I lived a year in the Imperial Waterfront with my sister, but when I was nearly caught stealing, we started moving again. I was weak from starvation, and collapsed on the road just below Kvatch," I smiled at the memory. "A boy helped us. He made sure we were cared for by the local smith's family. Ten years later, my sister was murdered," the only night I was away, I added silently. "I was distraught. I journeyed to the waterfront, I do not know why. Perhaps I just wanted a whisper of the memories I shared there with my sister. Anyway, I joined the Thieves' Guild with the hopes of forgetting. But bloodlust and revenge are hard to disregard. After six months, the amount of time it took me to become the Grey Fox, I started looking for a way to improve my fighting skills, and lo, the Fighter's Guild seemed to bounce out at me when I was in Anvil." I wonder how they're going, now that I've left Owyn in charge. "I was there for about," I paused, trying to remember, "eight months? Nine? I don't really know. I joined the Mages Guild later. I was checking on Armand in the Waterfront, when I heard of a murder just committed there. The scenario was all too familiar. He always left a mark on the body, one small slit on the neck, shaped like vampire fangs, but never perfectly circular. He wasn't very competent at covering his tracks, and it was surprisingly easy to find him. I had heard from a guard that he always came here. One night, I guess I got lucky, because he was really drunk. He spotted me once, but I was disguised as a beautiful blond High Elf with blue eyes. He attempted to woo me," we all chuckled.

"Sounds like ol' Kim!" Gogron boomed.

I smiled, "Well, I was terrified to be seen following him into his house, and so I walked towards the graveyard, pretending to be mourning for a lost love. I feigned anger when he tried to 'comfort' me and just ran. He didn't follow me, to my convenience. The hapless fellow didn't notice me when I circled back and followed him. We entered the basement. I thought the chase was up when I saw the door. But it stayed open when Kim," I said his name for the first time, "said the password."

"Sithis must have approved of your actions," Teinaava said quietly.

I wondered if this was true. The magicka surrounding the door would have barred your entrance, my mage's sense told me. So that's the spell surrounding this place. It must be to avoid detection.

"Anyway, I followed him silently, using a detect life spell to see who was up and about. I saw only one awake life form, which I assume was Ocheeva?"

"You're probably right. She's always awake late into the night," Antoinetta replied.

"I stayed close behind him, and, before he fell asleep, I crept up, pulled out Heart's Woe," I paused for effect, "and said: 'it seems that I have won, this time'," I said, using the same malicious tone as before, when it happened. "I slit his throat then and there, but I guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought, as you both woke up," I motioned to Teinaava and Talaendril, who both nodded.

"It was your little expression of glee that gave you away," Talaendril smiled.

"My expression of glee?"

"You sort of squealed when he died. Well it was something between a squeal of glee and a shout of triumph," Teinaava grinned his toothy Argonian grin.

I really did? How could I not have noticed?

"Ocheeva must have heard it too. Remember how she just appeared as soon as you said her name?" I thought of how I didn't know these people but two weeks ago. Now, they were my family, and I was telling them what I haven't told anyone for years. These people were my confidants, my friends. We were kindred spirits. Oblivion, even M'raaj-Dar has his charms. Amazing how that grumpy cat wormed his way into my good-graces.

"And so here I am. In the end, killing him was the best thing that ever happened to me," and now my tale was told. I thought of what I had lost, and what I had gained. I had lost a family and gained one.

"So what happened when you just disappeared on Lake Rumare for two years?" Teinaava called me back to the conversation.

What! This is unexpected... Should I tell them? Or should I keep my secret?

Before I say anything, Ocheeva came in, calling us to luncheon.

I followed my Family into the kitchen and dining room. A massive fireplace greeted me with a fire roaring in it. A stove squeezed in next to it. The stove was entirely black and had a couple pots bubbling on it. M'raaj-Dar poured one of the pots contents into some mugs on a long, wooden table. There were two benches on the long sides and a stool at the head. Cupboards surrounded me, some filled with food and some with wine, ale, tea leaves and other drinks. Garlic and herbs hung from the ceiling. The whole room smelled delicious. I hadn't yet realised how hungry I was, but now I felt like I hadn't eaten for a week.

I sat down next to Teinaava and Antoinetta on one of the benches; Gogron, Talaendril and Ocheeva sat opposite us. M'raaj-Dar served the meal, and then sat at the head. Vicente entered and seated himself at the end of the table.

It was quiet for a while, save for the sounds of eating, until we sat, nursing cups of coffee, chatting about our kills.

"How did you all end up in the Brotherhood?" In all my time here, I haven't asked any of my siblings' first kills.

"Actually, Lucien did not try to recruit me. Not at first. He tried to kill me. My father wanted me dead, and he hired the Dark Brotherhood to do it," Talaendril smiled slightly at the memory. "I escaped from Lucien, and paid my father back for his treachery. Lucien came to me again that night with an offer I just couldn't refuse," she grinned.

"Ocheeva and I have known Lucien since we were hatchlings," Teinaava said through a mouthful of bread and cheese. He was still eating, even though the rest of us had finished. "He is the one who trained us in the way of the Shadowscale, and is like a father to us."

"I will always think of Lucien as my saviour. When he found me, I was living in a gutter, an inch away from death. I owe him everything," Antoinetta had a distant look to her face.

"I once saw him deal with an insubordinate Brother, someone who had broken the Tenets. It took me a week to get the blood off my boots," Gogron suddenly said. We burst into laughter.

I don't think I have laughed this much since my sister was alive.

Amazing how one can change. I thought I would never be close to anyone, and yet here I am, chatting with a group of assassins, speaking of kills as others would the weather. I feel so at ease here.

I should really get going on that contract.

After lunch, I went to pack my things for the journey I was to make tomorrow. I placed the Blade of Woe into my pack. I thought for a moment, wondering what I should bring. I held my journal, wondering whether to pack it or leave it. I had kept that journal since Valenwood. My mother had given it to me on my birthday. It was magically linked to my thoughts, but I still liked writing in it.

Okay, I'll bring it.

I looked in my chest to see what else to pack.

My journal, some potions and ingredients, a spare change of clothes. Oh! And my disguises. Hmmm, should I bring my Dark Elf disguise, or my Bosmer disguises? I'll just bring them all. I'll wear my Shrouded Armour and Heart's Woe.

"Are you packing for your contract?" Antoinetta came in to put something in her chest.

"Yeah, do you have any suggestions?"

"Have you got poisons? Or the means to make them? Poisons are always handy on a contract. Also, you might want to bring a sword, or a bow and some arrows, in case you get into a fight."

"Thanks," I grabbed Dragon bow, my enchanted Elven bow I had picked up in a ruin somewhere, and considered taking either my Stormcall arrows or my especially enchanted fire, shock and ice arrows.

Stormcall are always handy. I think I'll keep my other arrows for special targets.

With that settled, I proceeded to the Training Room to practice before moving out tomorrow.

A/N Thanks for reading! R&R! Wow, this is my longest chapter yet! I promise there will be some action next chapter. I hope to get to the next chapter soon.