9 Morndas First Seed 205 4E 6:00 PM
"Cicero is bored," the jester complained.
The Imperial was locked up in a cage hanging five feet above the ground. He was wearing nothing but his small clothes. The Stormblade had demanded that he be stripped of the Stormcloak armor he had falsely been wearing. Cicero's legs dangled between the bars. He kicked them to emphasize his boredom.
Hulgar swallowed nervously. He had drawn the short straw for watching the madman and could not wait for his shift to end. When they had dragged the short man into the dungeon, he had not even been struggling. He just laughed and laughed and laughed.
Hulgar had heard the redhead earned his black eye from the Dragonborn when she captured him on the battlefield for mockingly laughing at her when his companion managed to escape. The Nord didn't know why, but apparently the Dragonborn had been more interested in capturing the woman than the man.
To be honest, the prisoner didn't look dangerous at all, especially for someone who was supposed to be an assassin. Even if you ignored the purpling black eye and the fact that he was wearing practically nothing, the man was tiny, almost a foot and a half shorter than a proper Nord. He had quietly sat there smiling and laughing instead of screaming threats and crying uncontrollably like some prisoners Hulgar had to watch in the past. He had even told a couple of decent jokes. Hulgar would need to remember the horker one for his next shift off.
It was the singing that sent shivers down Hulgar's spine.
Cicero sang the most disturbing songs. The Imperial had sung about strangling birds, feeding cats to rats, creeping in the night. The one about stabbing a maid in her gut was the one that scared Hulgar the most. It wasn't just the material was morbid, but the fact that the man was just so damn cheerful while he uttered the words.
"Cicero has a question," the prisoner said calmly. He looked Hulgar directly in the eye. "When is Cicero going to be tortured?"
"Nords don't torture their prisoners," Hulgar said proudly. He had served Jarl Ulfric for years and was glad they stuck to the old ways instead of adopting the insanity of the Imperials. The thought of hurting a helpless human being was sickening. "You'll be held for a few days. When the Dragonborn is ready to travel, you will be transported to Windhelm where a trial will be held for you. Depending on what the verdict is, you will either be sentenced to prison or executed."
"Pity," Cicero sighed, "Cicero had hoped there would be something to alleviate the boredom. I had really looked forward to swearing 'I'll never tell, damn you!' Ah, well! No use complaining, right?" That broad grin and laugh did nothing to reassure Hulgar. When the Imperial spoke again, his voice was so serious and dark, Hulgar thought he was going to piss himself. "Still, Cicero is bored and that is a bad thing."
"I'm…I'm sure someone will come down to question you soon," Hulgar stammered. "No doubt they'll want to know why you were here and where your companion went."
"Oh, goody!" Cicero clapped happily.
At that moment, the Dragonborn entered the dungeon with a squad of guards. Hulgar tried not to stare at her, but he was entranced by the woman wearing her unique dragon scale armor. She was a living legend and she was their leader! Not only had Lydia Dragonborn saved the world from a dragon god, but she was going to save Skyrim from the Empire and their damn Thalmor friends as well.
When Hulgar snapped a salute to his commander, Lydia nodded in return. Hulgar thought he could die from happiness from being recognized. "Has he given you any trouble?" she asked quietly.
"No, ma'am," Hulgar said. "He has some strange mannerisms though. If I may, I suggest you don't leave any green kids down here. He might spook them." When the Dragonborn nodded and smiled, Hulgar almost volunteered to work a double shift. Almost.
"So, clown," the Dragonborn said as she turned to the prisoner. She said the word clown as if it was a curse. "How does it feel to be left to rot alone in a cage?"
"Hecate will come for loyal Cicero," the Imperial said arrogantly with complete confidence.
"Who is Hecate?" Lydia asked.
Cicero grinned and pressed his forehead against the bars of the cage. He beckoned for Lydia to lean closer. When the Dragonborn did, he said, "She is the whisper in the dark. She is the silence broken. She is Cicero's mistress and the leader of the Dark Brotherhood. She is the Listener and nothing can stop her when she puts her mind to it." The jester then laughed loudly in Lydia's face.
"We'll see," Lydia said as she jumped back. Her face was livid. She turned to one of her escorts. "Double the guard. Let's see how well the Brotherhood does when we're ready for them."
"It won't do you any good," Cicero taunted. "The Emperor knew we were coming and look at how he turned out."
9 Morndas First Seed 205 4E 6:30 PM
"Nazir!" I yelled as I stumbled into Sanctuary. I had ridden Shadowmere back at neck-breaking speed. To the demon horse's credit, she hadn't even looked winded by the time we got to the Black Door. "Nazir, who's in Sanctuary?"
I was running down the stairs so fast I was worried I would slip and fall, but I couldn't convince myself to slow down. I made my way to the dining room where Nazir was cleaning up the area from dinner. The Redguard looked at me like I was a crazy person. I probably looked like one.
"What is wrong, Listener?" he asked calmly.
"The Stormcloaks captured Cicero," I gasped. I stopped by the table and leaned against it to catch my breath. Although it had been more than four hours since I last saw the Keeper, my heart was beating just as hard when our escape happened.
"Dammit, woman, I warned you something like this might happen!" Nazir yelled. "I tried to tell you that confronting the fake Dragonborn was a bad idea."
"Clearly I've learned my lesson!" I snapped back. "Who is in Sanctuary?"
"Meena," Nazir said. "The others are out on contract." The Khajiit wandered out from the Initiate room from hearing our voices.
"Meena, go to the Bard's college and collect Aventus," I said. "Cicero has been captured and we're going to get him back."
"Has it occurred to you that we should leave him?" Nazir suggested. "They will be waiting for us and nothing is worst for an assassin than to be expected."
"I dare you to say that again!" I growled as I grabbed the front of Nazir's garb. "Go on, say it!"
"Brother, sister, calm down," Meena said. She seemed enjoy being mediator for a change. The Khajiit bared her teeth in some sort of predatory grin. "As long as Hecate goes to such lengths for all of us, Meena has no complaints."
"Bah," Nazir sneered as he jerked away. He smoothed his clothes out of arm's reach from me. "Meena has a point. You better be this dedicated if something happens to rest of us."
"I'll never leave anyone behind," I swore. "Get moving. We have a lot to do in a short amount of time."
13 Fredas First Seed 205 4E 11:00 PM
Cicero was lying on his back with his feet pressed against the top of the cage. Damn thing was too small to do anything other than sit. It was so boring! At least poor Cicero had company with the guards even if most of them wouldn't talk to him. To be forced to be alone would have been maddening.
"Hulgar," Cicero said still practically upside down, "what day is it?"
"How do you know my name?" the guard asked, surprised.
"Cicero pays attention," the jester shrugged. "The day?"
"Fredas," Hulgar responded. Hulgar was Cicero's favorite guard. He would talk back sometimes despite Lydia's command not to.
Fredas? So late already? Cicero tsked. Hecate should have been here already. Cicero really must get back to Mother. Assuming he couldn't steal a horse, he would need most of tomorrow to get back to Sanctuary in time. Especially since he couldn't go in a straight line as it would risk someone following him home. Cicero may be a fool, but not that much of a fool!
Ah well, you couldn't say Cicero didn't try to wait for Hecate to come rescue him.
Cicero rolled over so he was sitting upright. He beckoned to Hulgar. "What to see a neat trick?" Cicero asked playfully.
"I really shouldn't," Hulgar said nervously. He tightened his grip on his spear. "The Dragonborn has orders for us to not get within arm's reach of you."
"Hulgar isn't supposed to talk to lonely Cicero too," the jester pouted. "What could humble Cicero possibly do to a guard as strong and as quick as you? Flash you with his privates?" When Cicero laughed, he was pleased to see Hulgar join in timidly.
"Okay, but no funny business," Hulgar warned as he approached. Maybe the Imperial would show Hulgar something he could show off at the camp fires. The jokes he had learned had been pretty well received.
"Cicero cannot promise that for his business is funny business," Cicero said. "What else is a fool good for?" When Hulgar was close enough, Cicero placed his hands through the bars of the cage. "Observe how there is nothing in Cicero's hands." He turned the palms back and forth to show both sides. Hulgar nodded dutifully.
Quick as lightning, Cicero gestured using his telekinesis spell to summon a mug to his hand. Shattering it against the floor of his cage, the assassin grabbed the largest shard and used it to slit the guard's throat. "Notice how there now is," Cicero said laughing darkly. As the body fell to the ground, Cicero sighed, "Cicero always loses his audience at this point."
Now that the keys weren't in the possession of a living person, Cicero was able to easily pluck them with his magic. A twist of the key and the jester was free again! The first thing Cicero did was dance a merry jig, ecstatic to be able to move again. "Must oil Mother soon," Cicero muttered as he stripped the body for clothes. "Get all the hard to reach spots."
13 Fredas First Seed 205 4E 11:30 PM
Aventus, Nazir, Meena, and I were crouched in the shadows waiting for Babette to complete her mission before advancing into the fortress. Vedave Sendal was waiting at a different hilltop ready to rain down fire and ice if things went terribly wrong, which given the circumstances was most likely to happen.
I tightened my mask and cowl around my face just to have something to do with my hands. My Brotherhood leathers creaked as I shifted position. I was getting twitchy, but it was vital to wait until the right moment to move. An assassin had to be able to adapt when the situation changes, but it was much better to organize everything to your favor beforehand.
I watched Babette as she timidly walked with her flower basket amongst the loud soldiers. Periodically she would stop and offer to sell pretty mountain flowers to the soldiers. While they politely looked at her wares, the vampire quietly slipped poison into their cooking pots. Once a transaction happened or was denied, the Breton girl moved on, smiling happily.
Quickly a large number of soldiers were slumped over their dinner bowls asleep from the draught slipped into their food. I was wrathful enough to have had my family slaughter every last one of the Stormcloaks, in fact the dragon part of my soul was screaming for it. But I still wanted to keep some aspect of my humanity and decided that slumber was much more discrete than death. A few slumbering soldiers this later wouldn't draw attention like dead soldiers allowing us more time to get in and out unnoticed. I wanted Cicero back, but I wasn't going to risk another family member to get him. No matter how much I wanted to.
"Go," I whispered when Babette was out of sight. The vampire child would continue her rounds through the camp quietly poisoning guards and sabotaging weapons and horses when possible. No one would think it strange to see a child in the camps. It was not uncommon for a career soldier to bring his family with him; and there were always waifs who had no one to take care of them so they would do chores for the warriors for a few septims in return. In war there were always orphans who had to get by somehow.
We stole like shadows across the plain into the camp again. Nazir dashed into a tent to wait to guard our exit. The Redguard nodded quietly as he pulled the tent flap closed to hide his presence.
We were almost to the fort when cries could be heard from the camps. I turned and saw that Babette had set up a distraction by setting some of the tents on fire. Soldiers ran to deal with the hazard before they lost too many supplies.
Once we were at the entrance, Meena broke off. She crammed herself into an alcove to hide while guarding our backs. "Try to not get killed," the Khajiit winked mischievously. "Meena would hate to have to be the leader of the Brotherhood if something terrible were to happen to the Listener."
I just shook my head before continuing. We were in the final stretch. I was not comfortable being within the stone walls. Outside in the camp, there were many escape options and you could more or less see where you were going. In here there were just the cold walls blocking my sight past thirty feet or so.
I did my best to block out Aventus. In the six months since the boy had left for Bard's College, he had grown another six inches and his chest had broadened. His unruly brown hair had grown long enough to be pulled back into a neat ponytail that trailed down to his shoulders. At fourteen, without hitting his growth spurt, Aventus was already almost six feet tall. He definitely had Nord blood in him.
"You're staring at me," Aventus said blushing.
"Sorry," I said, "I keep trying to reconcile the man next to me with the little boy I found alone in a house four years ago."
"You think I'm a man?" Aventus grinned goofily.
"You will always be that boy to me," I said, "but, yes, you have definitely grown into a man." I leaned forward and hugged Aventus. Suddenly I felt another set of arms wrapping around the two of us.
"This is just so touching!" Cicero cried. The Fool was wearing Stormcloak armor with bloodstains on the front. "Cicero is glad he got to be here for this."
"Cicero!" I said happily. I shifted so I could hug just the fool. "How did you escape?"
"It was time to go home," he said simply. "Cicero couldn't wait for Hecate any longer."
"You mean you could have escaped sooner, but you didn't?" I blinked in surprised when Cicero just nodded. "Why in the Void didn't you then!"
"Hecate said to wait for her," Cicero said as if talking to a slow child. "So Cicero waited, but it got so late and Cicero simply must get home to Mother. Mother needs loyal Cicero."
"I really hate you sometimes," I muttered as I dug into my belt pouch. "You don't deserve this, but I brought it for you." I handed Cicero his jester's cap.
"Oh, the Listener spoils Cicero so!" he crowed as he dropped the cap onto his head. "Cicero did have the worst time. They refused to torture Cicero no matter how much he begged."
"I promise to chain you to the wall in the torture room when we get home," I said rolling my eyes.
"Cicero is so lucky to have such a kind Listener!" the jester said clapping happily.
"Guys, as weird as all this is," Aventus spoke up, "we really should be leaving since we completed our objective."
"No," I shook my head. "I came here for my armor and I mean to have it."
With Cicero free, we wouldn't need to go into the bowels of the fort where the dungeons were. Instead we turned upward to find Lydia's room. This late at night she should be in her room, hopefully asleep. My experience with bandit occupied forts indicated that the leader's room should be in the room of the highest tower. The three of us melded with the shadows as we stalked through the fort.
It was thankfully easy to avoid guards as we moved through the fort. They felt safe here. They had made this place their home for the winter with no mishaps, and complacency made them incompetent. Men and women were half asleep as they walked their patrols or nodding asleep while seated at a table.
It didn't take us long to find a door with the Talos symbol on the door. It was practically a flashing target for an assassin. Pride of heritage and symbolism made it so much easier to find a target and kill them. Not that I planned on killing Lydia. Tonight was purely acquisition.
The door was unlocked so I quietly pushed it open. Inside, the room was pitch-black. I could make out vague outlines thanks to my night vision and the window letting moonlight in. The room wasn't very big, but much more private than most soldiers got to enjoy. A single bed was along the far wall. I could make out a lump, but not much more. The three of us crept in looking for a mannequin that the dragon scale armor would be left on when not in use. There was a mannequin set up in the corner opposite the bed, but it was bare. Something was wrong; Lydia always properly put her armor away.
"This is taking too long," Aventus said. He pulled the covers off the bed to reveal rolled up furs.
The door to the bedroom flew open. Lydia was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed and smug look on her face. An entire squad of Stormcloaks stood behind her with weapons drawn. "You must be the leader Cicero was bragging about," Lydia sneered. She had not recognized me since I was wearing my cowl and mask. "You don't look like much to me."
I hate when things don't go according to plan.
I shrugged affecting helplessness as I desperately tried to think. Lydia was armored and had four times as many men than my companions and me. No doubt she had more men waiting below in case we got past the first line of defense regardless if it was from us fleeing or cutting our way through.
"Traitor!" Aventus screamed as he charged Lydia. His large spiked mace was already in mid-swing as he ran. I had spent too much ranting about how I wanted revenge around the young, impressionable boy for Aventus to stand idly by when he finally saw the false Dragonborn.
I braced myself when I saw Lydia calmly drop her arms as she took a deep breath. "FUS RO DAH!" she Shouted causing both Aventus and Cicero to go flying backwards. I resisted the force Shout thanks to my own training.
"How are you still standing?" Lydia snarled. "No matter." She gestured and her soldiers streamed into the room.
I flipped backwards so I landed on the far side of the bed. I gestured for Cicero and Aventus to join me. To their credit, they managed to get to their feet and to my side incredibly fast. The three of us grabbed the underside and pushed the bed so it flew into the first wave of Stormcloaks. Not only did it pin those men, but it helped block the door so no more could get in easily.
"We've got to get out of here," I muttered. I turned to the window. "Get to the roof!"
"The roof?" Aventus asked. "We'll be trapped!"
"We're already trapped here," I snapped. "Go!" Cicero was already mostly out the window having immediately followed my command. It was one of the things I loved about him. He never questioned or asked if I was sure when I said what to do.
I started shooting arrows to force the Stormcloaks to take cover either behind furniture or back into the hall. The ones pinned by the bed were trying to get it off of them, but it was difficult with no one to help them.
After Aventus had cleared the window, I ran to join them. I took one last glance behind me and saw Lydia climbing over the tilted bed. "I'll not let you get away!" she swore as she leapt for me. The former housecarl almost managed to grab my foot as I scaled the wall. I gave a halfhearted kick as I retreated. I made a rude gesture to infuriate Lydia into following me.
It worked.
Three years had been long enough that I forgot how fast Lydia could move when she was pissed. Even in the full body armor, the Nord was right on my heels as we scrambled up the wall to the peaked roof. I had also forgotten how damn loud she was. Lydia sounded like a herd of mammoths trampling behind me.
A pale hand reached over the side of the edge, palm open. I grabbed it and Cicero jerked me up the last little bit so I was dragged onto the roof. I nodded my thanks as I ran on to the top most part of the roof while drawing my bow. I sent a flare-laden arrow into the air; it burst into red fireworks that alerted the others that it was time to withdraw. I quickly followed with a Shout that made the roof shake with the force.
"What was that?" Lydia asked as she pulled herself onto the roof. Aventus and Cicero positioned themselves between us. "Was that a Shout? Who are you?"
"I am Hecate, the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood," I said calmly as I removed my mask and cowl. Lydia's face fell with dismay when she saw my face.
"My thane," she said softly. Lydia's face hardened. "You not only join an insane religious cult of assassins, but you become their leader? What in the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm a Fate's child," I said. I resheathed Styx. I would not be fighting Lydia. "My destiny was chosen a long time ago. All I can do is accept it."
"That's such bullshit!" Lydia retorted. She hefted her two-handed sword into an attack stance.
"We outnumber you!" Aventus yelled. "Surrender!"
"Please," Lydia snorted, "as if I couldn't take on three members of a half-assed assassin's guild. Especially with the unrelenting force shout at my command. I can easily knock the lot of you off this tower just with my voice. What can you possibly do to stop me?"
"We wait," I said simply. I walked until I was standing behind Aventus and Cicero. The jester was chuckling lightly to himself.
"Wait for what?" Lydia asked suspiciously.
"For that," I said pointing.
Lydia turned to see the result of my Shout. Odahviing, an ancient red dragon was flying towards our location. The huge creature landed on the edge of the tower, most of its body latching onto the stone wall side. "Dovahkiin, how may I help you?" he asked in the draconic language.
"Knock her out," I replied gesturing to Lydia. "Don't kill her."
The dragon complied by raising a wing and slamming it into Lydia. The Nord went down with a heavy thud as she crashed into the tile. She was lying still when Odahviing removed his wing.
"How did you do that?" Aventus asked, his mouth hanging open.
I walked up to Odahviing and patted the dragon's muzzle as a sign of thanks. "Odahviing helped me defeat Alduin after I trapped him in Dragonsreach. He has sworn to serve me when I need him. If you call a dragon's name, they will come. No matter how far away they are."
"Oooooh! What a neat trick! The Listener should teach Cicero!" the jester suggested.
"I don't think so, my jolly jester," I said. I turned to Odahviing. "Can you carry all of us out of here?"
"Creatures as small as your kind I would barely notice," Odahviing rumbled in the language of man. "Climb onto my back as you did once before." We three assassins scrambled onto the dragon's back so that Cicero was in the front, then me, and Aventus in the back. Odahviing scooped up Lydia in his giant claws.
When we took to the air, Cicero laughed merrily. His jester's cap flapped in the wind, but didn't fly off his head as one would expect. "You've got to tell me how you do that one day," I yelled in his ear.
"What would be the fun in that?" Cicero said winking.
14 Loredas First Seed 205 4E 12:30 AM
Once we escaped Fort Snowhawk, I had Odahviing take us to Solitude so we could drop Aventus off. A journey that would have normally taken us hours instead only took minutes. "Study hard and often," I said playfully as a farewell before giving Aventus a quick peck on the forehead.
Odahviing then took us to a nondescript field that had been chosen as our rendezvous point to meet back up with the others. Even with the detour to Solitude, we beat the others there. Cicero did a barrel roll off the dragon and rolled in the cool night grass while laughing.
"We simply must do that more often!" the jester said. "So much faster than horses."
Odahviing snorted; the force of his breath almost knocked Cicero over. "I am not a mount, joor."
The red dragon settled into a comfortable sitting position while Cicero danced around him begging to be taught the dragon language. I turned to Lydia who was still unconscious and stripped her of my armor. A few moments after I finished, the Nord awoke.
"Why? Why did you wait all this time to come for that armor?" Lydia asked as she slowly sat up. "You must have known I have been using it for a long time now."
"At first I didn't know it was you," I said as I carefully stacked the pieces together. "I was so mad. Furious beyond reason, really. I must have thought of a dozen ways to kill you."
"So you've come to extract your revenge?" Lydia asked. I could tell by the stubborn set of her chin that she wouldn't beg for her life.
"No," I shook my head, "I gave up that idea a while back. This wasn't about petty revenge, although I admit that the idea of no one impersonating me ever again is very appealing. I really do need the armor."
"Why?" Lydia asked suspiciously. "You could have made more."
"I need this specific set to get close to Ulfric Stormcloak," I looked Lydia in the eye, "so I can kill him."
"Never!" Lydia yelled as she threw herself at me. Even with no armor or weapons, the housecarl was not going to stand idly by while her sworn charge was threatened.
I easily sidestepped the charging Nord and flipped her so she landed on her back. I placed a steel toed boot on her throat to keep her from moving. "Listen to me, Lydia, and listen well. I hope this is the last time we see each other, because otherwise it meant you decided to come after me and that wouldn't end well for you. I could have killed you. I probably should. You know who I was and who I am and that just makes a bad combination.
"But you were my friend and saved my life countless times. Just as I did for you. So, I figured we owed each other. The thu'um can consume you with anger. I was there. Ulfric probably still is. You don't earn his reputation for a temper without a reason. Part of what you're feeling right now is a result of untrained thu'um dominating your life.
"I know you won't tell anyone who I really am. After all, either it would be to someone you were posing as the Dragonborn for and would reveal the lie, or it would be someone who already knows the truth and you've already proven yourself to be a liar. In the end, your own deceptions have caught up to you. You cannot go back to Whiterun or Windhelm once Ulfric is dead.
"So, go to the Greybeards. Live with them and learn their ways. Be the student Ulfric and I never were. Embrace the Way of the Voice and find peace, my friend."
"Damn you, Diana, damn you to the Void!" Lydia swore as she struggled under the pressure of my boot.
"I have already been promised that fate," I said calmly, "and I assure you it's better than going to Sovngarde." I gestured for Odahviing to come and pick up Lydia. Once the dragon had the Nord securely in his grasp, I gave her a small peck on the cheek. "I understand why you hate me, but you will always be my friend." I pressed my forehead against hers. "I love you, Lydia."
"I'll stop you!" Lydia swore as she struggled against Odahviing's steel grip.
"Odahviing is taking you to High Hrothgar at the top of the Throat of the World. Without a horse, you'll never make it back in time." I stepped back to give the red dragon room to start flapping his wings for flight. "Goodbye, Lydia."
As Odahviing took flight, I could hear Lydia slinging curses at me. I really hoped that she followed my advice and found Arngeir to teach her the Greybeard's pacifistic lifestyle. I doubted it. Lydia really was a true Nord and would not be satisfied without getting revenge for the murder of her jarl. Things would never be settled between the two of us and unless my own life or Cicero's were in danger, I don't think I could ever kill Lydia. This stalemate would have to be good enough.
"Yol, yol, yol," Cicero chanted as he walked up to me. He pouted and whined, "Why isn't it working?"
"Because, thankfully, you are not trained enough, my dear, darling, deadly Keeper," I laughed. "If I have any say in the matter, you never will. That mouth of yours is dangerous enough."
"But Cicero wants to learn!" Cicero complained. He wrapped his arms around me and nestled the hollow of my throat where he traced his lips along my skin. "Cicero would be such an eager student."
"I assure you that I have better plans for your tongue than spewing of fire and ice," I said as I shivered with pleasure. It should be some time before any of the others showed up. I pulled Cicero closer so I could undo the straps holding his armor closed. We might as well preoccupy ourselves until then.
Then once the Brotherhood was together again, we could proceed with the next step of fulfilling our contract to kill Ulfric Stormcloak.
A/N: The next chapter should be the final chapter of For the Future of Skyrim. Thanks to all my readers for their support!