Ok, I'm changing this chapter up a little. The end was so frikkin cheesy that it made me literally rotfl.

It's basically the same, just a few changes. You don't have to read it again if you have already done so, just skip to the next chapter.

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THA-thump THA-thump THA-thump

Every heartbeat sounded like distant thunder to his almost unhumanly sharp senses

He could hear it faintly

He could feel her fear

She was awake

She was frightened

And if she knew he was there, she had every reason to be

Was it possible that she was expecting him?

xxxxxxx

Arianna's eyes flew open as she felt a chill go down her spine. She had been trying to fall asleep for several hours, but something was not letting her. She was tired, but all of her senses were on alert. Something wasn't right…

Darkness blanketed her, and the only light that shone was a patch of moonlight that shone down through the window. She had her back turned to it and she faced the wall. She wanted to move but she dared not. Like a child afraid of the monster in the corner, she dared turn to see the danger that hovered nearby. Her heart hammered even harder in her chest.

Someone was there. She sensed it, felt a chilling presence. Almost as if Death itself stood in the corner, waiting for her to move and break the spell.

Finally, gathering her courage, she willed herself to move. She eased her hand underneath her pillow, careful not to disturb the silence, and slowly eased her fingers up until she felt the cold metal of her dagger…

She froze instantly in terror when she heard a sound.

A deep, harsh chuckle. So mysteriously quiet and cruel, she thought for a fleeting second that Death truly had come to claim her.

She was frozen, paralyzed. She had never in her life been so truly frightened.

Then a soft deep voice spoke; "You should know, Arianna, that it takes more than steel to kill a shadow."

The words were so clearly spoken, yet so low and soft, like the wind as it whispers through the tall grass, but so cruel and full of darkness that she could almost see the blood on his hands. It was strangely and eerily beautiful to listen to, it caused a mixture of emotion inside of her; raw terror and much to her surprise, comfort.

She felt as if she should respond, but no words came. She shut her lips and remained silent, waiting for him to speak. She wanted to hear it again, but she wished it would go away.

I'm going to die

She heard the voice again, but this time it was a little louder, a little closer, a little more deadly.

"Do not assume I have come to kill you; I have not. Though you are right to be afraid."

Once again, she kept her silence.

"So it is silence you prefer then? As do I, Sister, as do I. For is silence not the orchestration of death, the symphony of Sithis himself?"

Sithis…

"I come now with an invitation of a sort. I have been watching you for quite some time now Arianna, and I have seen you kill. You have blood on your hands. The Night Mother is impressed by your work."

Arianna could feel him coming closer, though she could not hear him. His feet did not brush against the wood or make the planks creak.

"We have been searching for individuals such as yourself. Our family. The Brotherhood always has room for the oppressed, the friendless, the…" he paused "…restless. Murderers, in essence." He purred.

Arianna was frozen as she felt him draw nearer, and she almost jumped when she heard him speak again. This time, his voice was close to her ear, whispering smoothly but forcefully.

"Join us, Arianna. Be one of us. Become one with the shadow, like us. Serve the darkness under my command."

Arianna turned her head suddenly, expecting the first thing she would see to be a glinting pair of eyes, the ones whose gaze she felt on her back…

But there was no one there.

She sat up, bringing her legs underneath her and sitting up on her knees. The room was still and dark. She could see nothing but the patch of pale moonlight. But he wasn't gone, she knew it. She still felt the icy presence.

She opened her mouth, willing her voice to come, and after what seemed like forever, it came. "What must I do?"

She took in her breath sharply but didn't shrink back when he suddenly appeared in the rays of light. She couldn't see his entire face, only his mouth. He was robed entirely in black with a silver sword gleaming at his hip in the pale light.

She saw his mouth twist into a smile. "On the Green Road south of the Imperial City lies an inn called, "The Inn of Ill Omen". There you will find an old man named Rufio. Kill him. I will find and approach you once again and give you further instruction, completing your initiation into the Dark Brotherhood. Now sleep, for I must leave and you have a long journey ahead of you."

Arianna settled back down, willing to obey, her eyes focused on him all the time. As she laid back down he bent down and placed a dagger on the floor. She closed her eyes, and saw him melt back into the shadows, his chilling presence melting back to the warmth of the inn.