Chapter 3: A Sound Sleep

Lucien Lachance sat by the corner of West Weald Inn as the storm outside continued to rage. He held a book in his hand and a tankard of wine was on the table beside him. He had been here for fours hours and for four hours he endured the noise of travelers who where trying to escape the storm. For four hours he had been observing the proprietor, Erina Seranus, as she watched him suspiciously. For four hours he had been waiting here for her, their supposed new sister. Yet in those four hours he had yet to complain. Such patience was indeed present in the Cheydinhal Speaker yet there were some things in which Lucien's tolerance was deemed short of; among such things were facts regarding the Dark Brotherhood's traitor.

Lucien knew that it wouldn't be long off before the blame would fall on him. Yet that was not what worried him the most. What worried him was the fact that his Sanctuary, his family, would pay the ultimate price for the Hand's incompetence. He sighed and placed his book down on the table. He pondered once more and shuffled through the facts that they had been able to gather regarding the traitor. His hand unconsciously reached for the tankard and he felt the cold handle against his calloused hands. He took a sip of his wine and it somewhat reminded him of the Night Mother; cold, somewhat bitter, yet addictive enough that one may find his or her self devoted to follow through the end.

Abruptly, Lucien's musings came to a halt when he felt the brisk night air waft pass him. He looked towards the door and there stood a figure cloaked in gray. Abruptly, Lucien's musings came to halt when he felt the brisk night air waft pass him. Lucien knew that from first glance it was not a man from the way that figure moved. As she walked over to the counter she held a swift and graceful gait, one that could be likened to a dancer, or to Lucien, and assassin. Silence, as it seemed, now spread throughout the entire building as all eyes were on the mysterious newcomer. She never brought her hood down despite how it seemed more appropriate. Erina tried to get a look at her features yet the shadows cast by her hood obscured her vision.

"Can I help you?" Erina questioned, distrust lacing her words.

She smiled

ooOoo

The rain poured mercilessly onto Bravil as its streets filled with water. Flood was imminent in the shack-filled city yet tonight, the atmosphere was filled with a sort of dread. Its citizens were in their homes, travelers were in respective inns, no one wanted to get stuck under the storm in the dark of the night; no one, well perhaps except for Gellius Terentius, the son of Count Regulus Terentius.

The Count's son ran around the city with a bottle of skooma in hand. The drink, as it seemed, gave him the illusion that it was but a peaceful and calm night instead of its complete opposite. He continued to run but stopped briefly to catch his breath. He was now sitting by the statue of the Lucky Old Lady. He hummed a cheerful tune as he unplugged another bottle of skooma, ignorant of the impending danger.

"I got you all alone" She thought to herself, a deadly smirk on her features. Her dark red hair clung to her ashen face even when the wind blew her way. Her black leather armor also clung to her as she crouched on the rooftop of the skooma den. How she got there was a mystery even to her yet she didn't have time to brood over it. Her hands held a black bow in place with an arrow notched; her target, him, the not so beloved future count.

She had been waiting for the moment that Gellius Terentius would finally be alone, and to her, it almost seemed poetic that he would die in the rain and by the statue of the Lucky Old Lady, the symbol of Bravil, no less. She could imagine it now; the future count would suddenly be silenced with an arrow through his heart. A mix of blood and skooma would spurt from his lips and onto the marble flooring of the statue. He would look longingly to the bottle in his hand and he would raise it to his lips. Yet afore he would be able to take one last sip, the bottle of skooma would fall from his weakening hold and he would tumble to the ground. He would look to the sky and for the briefest of moments he would regret how he wasted his life on skooma. He would imagine how different Bravil would have been if he were actually there for his people. And speaking of his people, he would lose the chance to see them once last time for his eyes would close just before they would come out of their homes, out of guilds, stores and inns to see what happened. He would miss the only chance he had of seeing his people as his people. And with that he would forever leave this plane and enter the Void.

She laughed silently to herself and sighed in amusement. Poetic indeed she thought to herself as she raised her bow. Without a second thought she aimed at her target and pulled back on the notch. She smiled…

ooOoo

She smiled, a heartwarming smile; that caused Erina's distrust to diminish.

"I was wondering perhaps if I could acquire of some food and a room for the night" She replied in a soothing voice that beguiled not only the innkeeper, but also her customers. Lucien resisted the urge to snort as he felt a charm spell crawl all around the inn and discretely he cast a "dispel" spell.

"Very well… that will cost you twenty-five gold" Erina said her previous wariness completely absent. The other merely nodded and produced a small leather pouch. She paid the allotted amount, smiled once again and seated herself near the corner. Soon, the inn was back in its previous condition; noisy and rowdy.

Lucien eyed the newcomer by the corner of his eye. She sat with her plate before her whilst a candle cast dancing shadows upon her face. He couldn't see much about her facial features but he didn't need to. He knew, from the moment that she arrived, that she was her target. That she would be the hopefully new recruit to his family, but with that thought, came the bitter knowledge that she was one of the reasons why their numbers had been dwindling.

It wasn't until her gaze met his, that Lucien realized that he had been blatantly staring at her. She looked at him with a face that showed no emotion yet with eyes that surged with annoyance.

The candlelight illumined her features more clearly now as they stared at one another. Her face was rounded and her features were defined by smooth curves. Strands of dark crimson hair, framed her face and her lips were drawn into a straight line. Her eyes were a dark shade of something that he could not discern for the flames gave her irises a tint of brown and red. Overall she looked beautiful yet tired. She would have looked like a pampered noble if it weren't for the fact that a light scar ran from her eyebrow to her cheek and she was slightly covered in mud and grime.

"How did you find the meal dear?" Erina asked as she took the seat beside her

"It was quite filling, Thank you" She replied briefly before turning her focus back to Lucien.

Erina smiled at her yet seeing as how the other seemed to ignore her she sighed. Slowly she followed the other's gaze and saw that it landed at him, the man who had been making her feel uneasy. For a moment, Erina thought that the girl had taken an interest upon him; yet upon closer inspection, she saw the alarm in her dark eyes. The dark orbs that were glaring at her other customer sent a shiver down her spine; and not a good one.

"Dear" the innkeeper whispered to the other's ear "I hope that you will soon pry your eyes away from him… He is a dangerous man; one, that I feel, does not take kindly to people who stare" the crimson hair girl looked at her yet nodded her thanks afterwards. Erina soon left hesitantly and as she was walking away, the Bosmer girl thought to herself "Dangerous…He's not the only one"

ooOoo

She smiled unbeknownst to the danger that she was in. A moment ago, she was the hunter, skilled and ready for the hunt; yet now she was the prey, helpless and ignorant.

Shock entered her being for what seemed like an eternity and suddenly, agony erupted from her chest. Her hands lowered the exquisite bow she held before ultimately dropping it. It hit the skooma den rooftop with a soundly thud yet its sound paled in comparison to the thunder that echoed in her ears. She looked down to her stomach and behold, a silver arrowhead protruded. Her eyes were distant and her mind tried to discern what was happening. Yet as her mind raced, it failed to give the order that she should steady herself; and she fell downwards onto Bravil ground.

She screamed as she felt her bones break on impact and she watched as Gellius Terentius ran away in fear. Too bad she thought to herself and she smiled bitterly at her fate. She prompted her self on her elbows and amazingly she felt the ceramic bottle of skooma by her side. She was not really one for alcohol, yet considering that she was dying, she could care less. She drank her fill as she listened to footsteps that neared her and she awaited her assailant. Soon, he, no she, was there.

"I missed…" Her enemy stated yet didn't seem troubled in the least bit.

Her attacker stood poised before her; a glass bow in her hand. Her gray cape danced in the air and revealed the mail armor it would have covered. Her armor reflected the lightning that streaked over the horizon and she gasped in awe. She had milky white skin which countered the ever darkening skies. Her dark crimson hair was now in a loose stick twist and several strands clung to her face. It was then that she caught sight of her assailant's eyes.

Her sarcasm had now passed and it was replaced by wonder. Her hunter's eyes were as black and as cold as she imagined the Void to be. They welcomed her into their deadly depths with a calm and peaceful embrace and she succumbed completely. She wanted to spend her fleeting moments in the gaze of those dark orbs and it was then that she fully realized how harmonious her hunter's features were.

Her pale skin seemed almost akin to the skin of the deceased. Her hair was in the color of blood and it was in great contrast yet accord with the darkness. And her eyes, they were the gateway to Sithis' Void, to their Dread Father's realm. This, this person before her, she was not a mere mortal or assassin. This, this Goddess before her, was the Night Mother, their Unholy Matron in the flesh. She had come for her; she had come to take her within her icy hold and into the Void.

"Mother… my beloved Night Mother" she whispered and in turn, the other's eyes widened in surprise.

It was then that she felt herself go numb. Her vision was now nothing but a blur and it darkened with every passing second. For an instant she heard her assailant ask her in a soft voice "What did you say?" She would have answered; she wanted to tell her Mother the sudden enlightenment that she had. Yet before she could have even made a single sound, she became unconscious. She now laid lifeless in the pool of her own blood. Her heart ceased to beat yet she continued to smile.

ooOoo

"I hope that you have a sound sleep dear" Erina bid the girl farewell as she began to head to her room. The other smiled and nodded her reply and continued on her way. Half and hour passed since her departure when the door opened once again; in came one of Erina's usual customers, Else the God-Hater, and walked over to her.

"Else, I was wondering where you went off to" Erina commented as she poured herself a bottle of wine

"I just came from Bravil" The other answered "I would have made it here earlier if the guards had let me pass sooner"

Erina pondered for a moment before asking "Why would they hold you up in Bravil?"

"It turns out that there was a murder committed there earlier today or last night" The other replied whilst taking the drink not meant for her. "From what I've heard, the victim is a member of the Dark Brotherhood" she said in a quieter tone.

Erina's eyes widened in surprise and she replied "Why is it that you think reports of these killings are increasing?"

"Dunno, but, I do know that the 'victim' died with a smile on her face. The guards actually thought that she was sleeping on the road and having a good dream at that" Else replied and finished the drink with a single gulp.

"Hmm… Sleeping, huh?" Erina said to herself and unconsciously she looked up to the sleeping quarters upstairs. With a shrug she lowered her gaze and realized that the man by the corner was now gone.

ooOoo

Lucien stared at the sleeping figure before him. The moonlight shone upon her half-naked form. Her milk like skin looked warm and smooth and it seemed to entice him closer. Her dark red hair tumbled across her back and her slender form could be easily made out as the cotton blankets were wrapped tightly on her.

"A sound sleep indeed…"

A/N: Wew… what a long chapter… Anyways, I would just like to thank those people who reviewed my fic; it really means a lot guys ^_^

RnR