Silence

Chapter I

The road out of the Imperial City was even colder than inside the city and only the huffing and hooves crunching dirt kept me aware of the carriage I was riding on was still moving. I was slightly warmer though thanks to the thick robes I had hastily purchased from Divine Elegance in the Market District after I woke up this morning. Now I was on my way to the Inn of Ill Omen to kill a man named Rufio.

Lucien hadn't been very detailed in describing Rufio, but I guess that came with the territory of being an assassin. All I knew was that Rufio was a man, staying at the Inn of Ill Omen and that the location of said Inn was somewhere north of Bravil along the road. So, I was en route there via carriage, which cost me a healthy bit of my septims, a truly bitter investment to prove myself to Mr. Lachance and the Dark Brotherhood.

I was brought my musings as the carriage driver called from the front, "I never seen you around before, you leave the city often?" he was an Imperial, easy enough to tell. Like me, his eyes were a shade of brown and dark haired.

Shaking my head I replied, "No, I don't. My first time in two years, actually," I wasn't lying, I hadn't any reason to leave the city for two years that I considered worth the risk of possibly dying in the wilderness so I stayed within the stone walls trying to get by. So, no point in lying to the driver, no harm right? He was just doing what he was paid to do and I imagine that driving a carriage could get boring without conversation.

"Two years, huh? Talos that's a long while to get out and enjoy the great outdoors," he commented with a shake of his head.

I smiled bitterly. The outdoors weren't so great when you slept on the street most of your young adult life, not at all in fact did I ever consider the outdoors great. I wanted walls, a roof and comfort instead of cold, uncomfortable and poor.

So, for what felt like Hours me and the carriage driver talk about idle topics until finally the carriage stopped with a sudden jerk, knocking the driver forward and almost off his perch. I however was taken to the floor of the carriage with a grunt.

"What in the Divines?" I muttered as I go to my hands and knees.

"Bandits!" The driver cried and snapped the reigns of the two horses pulling the carriage along. They huffed and attempted to move, but one of the leather armored bandits rushed up and with a shout of bloodlust cut a bloody gash across the side of the driver, who fell over onto the ground clutching his side screaming in pain.

"Get the one in the back!" I heard an Argonian's voice order. I felt my pulse quicken, I couldn't take bandits, I didn't even know how many of there were! They could have people with bows watching from a distance or just sheer numbers surrounding the carriage.

Footsteps along the side of the carriage brought me back to my current problem among problems. The group of bandits about to kill me for what little I had left on me. Alright, inventory count! I had some ragged clothing, a new robe, a brand new dagger given to me by Lucien Lachance and a map.

I was dead.

I tried to quell my racing heart and think the situation out when the first signs of the bandit was his hand, in its grip was a mace, iron and heavy. Then the rest of the bandit, a Breton if had to guess, who sneered at him, "Get out 'ere!" he reached for me.

I chose to fight, naturally. I wasn't going to run, they could catch me on the horses they just liberated so, options as they were left me with only my fight stance and not flee. I gripped the handle of the Blade of Woe in my robes and let him drag me by the scruff of my shirt towards him.

Then I struck, my hand jerked the blade free of its sheath and flew in an arc that blinked past the man's shoulder in a clumsy strike. But the way his eyes widened and he let go as if burned to clutch his now bleeding shoulder I guess I hit my mark, something that hurt.

I took his screams as my cue to fight for all I was worth. I leapt to my feet and jumped onto the bandit, my boots landed on his chest and shoulder with my full weight and he collapsed to the ground and screamed all the louder when I heard bones snap and his breath gasp out what air that was in in lungs.

I reached down, took his mace and surveyed my surroundings while I rose back up to my full height. I caught sight of two more bandits. The Argonian and a Kha'jiit, the Kha'jiit growled and raised his gleaming steel sword before charging at me with clear harmful intent.

I gripped the mace tighter then I reared back and tossed it square at the charging bandit's face. The heavy instrument of death flew fast and hit three times as hard as the kha'jiit barely gasped before his comrade's mace bashed his face halfway into his skull.

Heart racing and body itching for movement I looked to the Argonian, who was already there beside me and dropping his own sword. I feebly raised the blade of Woe and metal met metal, but unlike his heavy sword my small dagger wasn't made for it and I dropped it in pain when the blows strength went from the blade to my hands.

He sneered, "Die, now!" he spun around for another swing. This one was aimed for my stomach, I stumbled back, tripping over the body of the first bandit and the swing missed me. Thank the Divines for that one, I stood and raised my fists as the Argonian rushed me again, a thrust forward and I jumped to the side and the blade pierced my robe and skimmed my side. It drew blood and I felt pain shoot through the area.

Pain that doubled the strength of my punch to his leather armored gut. He gagged and stepped back twice and tried to bring his sword back, I gripped his hands with both of mine and jumped at him with all the force I could muster. We hit the dirt and I kept a vice grip on his hands, if that sword got free I would be at a very big disadvantage.

He growled and hissed, "Damn you!" he lifted his knee into my injured side and I cried out. As much as I didn't want to, my body reacted without my permission and I let his hands go. Before I could collect myself my vision blurred when his elbow collided with my face and caused me to roll off him.

Vision still blurry and trying to refocus I saw him drift into view. On his feet, looking very angered and sword pointed down at my chest with both hands. "Any last words, cur?"

I gritted out, "Yeah, just three…" he stopped a moment and that was enough for me to roll onto my side as the blade came down and impaled the ground where I had been, then I slammed my knee into his and with a sickening shriek his leg bent backwards and he fell to the side.

"By the divines!" He cried as he looked at his broken knee, I was completely forgotten as he tried to soothe what must have been fire in his leg. I slowly stood, turned to his forgotten sword and gripped its leather wrapped handle.

I pulled it free, then turned to him and I felt a sudden anger and excitement surge through me as I twisted it around and brought the point down and through his chest, piercing a lung and heart at the angle I stabbed him from. He coughed up a splatter of blood then died on the dirt. Hands shaking and body oddly numb sides the small pain in my side I let the handle go and my legs gave out on me, I fell onto my ass and stared at the dead Argonian, Kha'jiit… but…

I turned to the back of the carriage. The Breton lay there, still coughing and looking like he'd just seen something unsightly, I forced my legs to respond and stood again, shakily I walked towards him, taking up his old mace as I did. He saw me coming, gasped and tried to crawl on his back away from me.

"Don't hurt me! I am sorry!" He pleaded as he tried.

"Not yet you're not…" I muttered at him, tired now that the adrenaline was leaving my blood. I gripped the bloodied mace tighter and was soon at his side, I raised it over my head with both hands and brought it down on his final scream with a wet crunch and all was silent ever more sides my heavy breathing.

I fell back against the carriage and gathered my breath while staring at the blackening sky. I remembered another thing, I turned and called, "Hey, driver! You alive?" I moved over to the side.

He was on the ground, his side still clutched and his teeth grit in pain. He nodded and that was enough for me, I moved to him and used the little strength I could gather t help him on his feet and up onto the driver seat again, then I too sat next to him to keep him steady.

"Can you drive?" I asked, ignoring the heaviness of my eyes. Who knew defending oneself was so exhausting?

He shook his head, "No, but we're close to Bravil, take the reigns and just give em a good snap," he instructed through his teeth.

I nodded. "Good snap, got it," I turned to the horses, took their discarded reigns and then with a small pause of hesitation I snapped them and the horses jerked forward in a light jog along the road. I snapped them again and they sped up, I glanced over to the driver. "We need to find you a healer."

"Ya think?" He snipped, "I know, Just… damn this hurts, nice work though," he gave a lopsided pained smile. "Glad I had you with me. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Desperation," I stated honestly and gave the reigns one last snap before I let the horses do the rest.

The remainder of the ride to Bravil was silent and filled with nothing but the drivers groans of pain and my self slapping to keep awake at the reigns. When we did reach Bravil, after passing the Inn of Ill Omen mind you, I rushed to the guards and explained that we had been ambushed by bandits on the ride and he needed help.

They quickly carried him off into the city and I told them I had to leave to the Inn of Ill Omen to meet my friend, they hadn't questioned me further and I was off on foot down the road, I hadn't mentioned my own injury and instead hid it beneath my robe and looked at the darkened sky overhead.

The stars were out and it was decently warm, not unpleasantly so. I took a deep breath and enjoyed the scent of nature before continuing on my way. In about an hour I reached the Inn of Ill Omen. I didn't bother knocking on the door and stepped inside.

The bartender looked up at me from behind his desk and gave a nod in greeting, "Greetings, traveler! What brings you to my humble inn?" he gave a smile.

I moved forward and stopped at the desk, "I'm looking for an old friend of mine, his name is Rufio, heard he been here?" I knew he was here, but I needed to make it seem like I was poorly informed.

The barkeep nodded, "Oh yeah, he's still here." he gestured towards the hatch in the corner of the room beside the door, "In what I like to call the private quarters, he rented out the room for a full month," he paused and leaned forward. "If you ask me, he's running from something, but…" he leaned back. "What do I care? He pays his tab."

"Yeah, he always was… tidy," I smiled and turned to the hatch, moving over to it. "Okay, you old bastard, Its been years so if you draw a knife on me this time I'll sock you one…" I grumbled like an old acquaintance before I opened the hatch and climbed down into the darkened basement of the inn.

I crept along the passage until I found Rufio, he looked at me from the desk in the room and he growled out, "Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?" he stood and went for his dagger at his belt.

Stepping back and gathering my wits I decided this could work. "Rufio! It's me! Can't you-No!" I drew my own dagger and tackled him to the floor before he could shout, "Why! Why are you doing this? HELP! BARKEEP!" I screamed and drove my dagger into his chest deeply before I leapt back into the door and slid down it, Rufio staggered up and took a step towards me before collapsing.

The barkeep arrived shortly after and surveyed the scene, this time I made sure my injury was in sight and the scuffle made it seep quite a bit to the point I was a bit dizzy, "Oh Gods!" he said, moving to my side and kneeling. "Are you okay? What happened?" he looked to Rufio.

"Rufio! He… attacked me! He didn't even… remember me…" I sputtered and looked at my bloodied hands, as if noticing the blood for the first time. "Ahh!" I swiped them as if to try and remove it. "Why did he do it? He… and my father! They were best friends!" I didn't bother hiding my own tears this time, I didn't know my father and it was always a good pain to call upon for tears.

The barkeep kneeled and patted my shoulder, "It's alright, son, you did what you had to…" he tried to comfort me. But inside, the pain of my fatherless self and the pride of being an excellent liar swelled. I had killed Rufio and completed the task set to me by Lucien Lachance, now I needed to wait.

"Come on, I'll get you a room so you can rest and I'll ride out for the guard post nearby at Bravil when you're asleep," He assured me, I nodded and he helped me stand. I welcomed the help, it really was difficult to stand at this point. I had lost a lot of blood and repeated scuffles was taxing.

I was laid on the bed and he bandaged my wound before he disappeared out the room and before long I heard the front door closing, then nothing but silence. I smiled slightly, then closed my eyes to let slumber take me.

A cold presence filled the room and I awoke.

"Well done, Dear child," The same cool voice of Mr. Lachance greeted my ears as I sat up and looked at the robed Speaker. "You've performed admirably, and quite ingeniously." He gave that predatory smile and he held up the cleaned Blade of Woe, "You forgot this. Dear brother," he held the blade handle out to me.

I noted the 'brother' suffix and took the blade back and looked at him before sliding the dagger into its sheath and hiding it under my pillow. "So…Am I part of the Dark Brotherhood?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes, dear brother, you are," Lucien replied good naturedly with the same smile. "Now, I oversee a particular group of our family, you will join that group."

"Where must I go?" I sat straighter and tried to keep steady.

"When you are rested," He stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, forcing me down onto the bed and he lifted the covers over me. "Go the Cheydinhal, there you will find an abandoned house. Go inside and find the tunnel, when you get to the door, answer thusly. "Sanguine, my brother." and speak to Ocheeva."

"Cheydinhal, Abandoned house… Sanguine, my brother… Ocheeva," I mumbled lightly and yawned, my eyes drooping. "Understood, Speaker."

"Good, child, now rest," a dark chuckle echoed in the room. "And know I will be watching you."

I couldn't tell if that information comforted me or not, but before I could decide I was asleep yet again and this time I was not awoken by anyone.

End of chapter 1