The Breakout

I awoke from yet another fitful sleep and walked drowsily out of my room. I headed for the dining hall- hearing something that sounded like muffled laughter, curious about the noise I sped up my pace and found Kestrel with her feet up on the table and a letter in one hand with the other firmly clasped over her mouth to muffle her own laughter.

"Kestrel, has Sheogorath stolen your mind?" I asked with slight worry. Kestrel always seemed the most mentally grounded of our members- if she had lost her wits it would be a simple matter of time before the rest of us were bloody bonkers.

"N-no… I just received a letter from my mother… Some sap has just killed Mercer Frey! The Master of the Thieves Guild! The dumb fool is probably going to be exiled for it too!" Kestrel explained as she slowly began to regain her senses. I sighed in relief and sat down at the table for breakfast, though as I ate an idea began to form in my mind.

"Why not go see your mother? Perhaps her giving you this bit of news means she wants to see you?" I asked her, though I was beginning to wonder how her mother had gotten this kind of information. Kestrel scoffed,

"I doubt it, the thieves guild wants little to do with murderers." she said with a barely noticeable sigh. So her mother was a member, that explained the insider information. I smiled and stood up to rid the table of my dishes, speaking as I went,

"You would be surprised how accepting of murderers they truly are, though not among their ranks. I have a friend there who helped get this place up and running the day before you joined." I explained, her eyes going a little wide in disbelief. Kestrel took a moment to think, then looked to me with a look of shaky determination.

"Alright, I will go see her… though I would rather not go alone." she said with a slightly hopeful tone. I smiled kindly, finding the perfect chance to get to know Kestrel better- though I had almost given up on doing so before leaving for the next Sanctuary.

"I would be a horrible Listener if I wasn't willing to be there for my Brothers and Sisters." I said happily as I began to walk outside to ready Shadowmere.

Kestrel soon walked out of the Black Door dressed in a disguise similar to my own, while my dress was a light blue that contrasted with my blood red hair- hers was brown and white that complimented her sooty black hair.

"Ready to leave?" I asked her from atop Shadowmere. Kestrel nodded hesitantly- I could see her apprehension over seeing her mother plain as day on her face. I smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry so much, what do you have to fear of your own mother?" I asked, not really meaning it as a question to be answered. Kestrel saddled her horse with her eyes to the ground and we left the shoreline behind- though she soon answered my rhetorical question by the time we reached the road.

"Her disappointment." Kestrel muttered, possibly not intending for me to hear… but I did. I pretended like I hadn't heard a thing, but inside I wondered what her mother could be disappointed about- though I suspected I would get the answer by the time this visit to Riften was over. The trek to Riften was a long one, fraught with bandits and the occasional wolf pack in the volcanic lowlands- though we encountered an unusual amount of Trolls once again on the side road around the bandit fort, though with two of us their abnormal numbers stood little chance. We arrived in Riften as the sun began to sink in the sky.

"Halt, before you enter the town- you have to pay the visitor's tax." said one of the gate guards, I looked at Kestrel with a look that I was certain she understood as 'is this man serious?'. Kestrel scoffed as she approached the guard and whispered something in his ear, I couldn't hear what she was saying but it had to have shaken the crooked guard as he allowed us into the town without further trouble.

"Just don't tell Bryn alright?" he said to Kestrel, my eyes widened slightly- so Kestrel knew Brynjolf as well? Perhaps her association with the Thieves Guild went deeper than her mother being a member? Though I suspected Kestrel was a member of the guild, I thought it best to take the long route thought the Ratway rather than the shortcut through the crypt- better safe than having Mercer's successor complaining about the meaning of "secret" in "secret entrance".

The Ratway seemed to have been recently cleared- though there was a dead Khajiit woman that did not seem to have died that long ago lying in the middle of the entrance with a fancy Elven Dagger in her hand. It did not seem like she belonged in the squalor of this sewer-like underground; I shrugged it off as a former noble woman turned Skooma addict and continued on our way. The drawbridge that was often down was currently drawn, so we had little choice but to drop down into the lower level- though we did not need to go the long way through the Ratway, as Kestrel was able to pick the expert lock to the left of where we dropped down. Together going up the short stairway into a small kitchen like area, with the door to the Ragged Flagon on the far left of the room. We entered the Ragged Flagon and I was surprised by the changes since my last visit. There were merchants that had set up shop in the formerly cluttered alcoves around the basin of water that most of the underground tavern was built over. I then remembered something I had been forgetting to take care of,

"Kestrel, if you want to go find your mother I have something I need to tend to real quick." I said as we walked around the basin. Kestrel nodded and left me to my business as she passed the tables and such to disappear into the guild house- the cistern- through a door hidden inside a large storage closet. I found who I was looking for seated at his usual table not far from where Kestrel vanished into the Cistern.

"Delvin, might I have a word with you about the job you did for me?" I said calmly as I sat down at the table.

"Somefin' wrong wit' the job I did?" he asked, seemingly a little worried that I would kill him for a unsatisfactory job- I may be an assassin, but I'm not Astrid and would only scold him for anything I disliked.

"Predominantly your work was excellent, though we converted the torture room into a forge- but that's not what I had an issue with. One of the moth-eaten tapestries was left unchanged." I explained kindly, hoping he would fix it as a courtesy. Delvin laughed a little,

"Is that all? One of ma' boys musta forgot abou' it- I'll send someone out, it'll be fix' by the time ya get back to Dawnstar." Delvin assured me. Sure, he was a money grubbing leech- but he was a good business man and apparently knew when not to try and weasel more money out of people; especially ones who could kill him easily. With that bit of business dealt with, I bid Delvin good day and left the Ragged Flagon for the Cistern.

I walked into the large room to see that the changes were not confined to the public half of the Guild house. The junk that had accumulated over the past years had been cleared, new tapestries had been hung, and in one section of the large room there was now a statue of the guild's patron- the Daedric Lord Nocturnal- standing proudly for all members to see. Kestrel was no doubt in one of the side rooms, probably talking with her mother, so I approached the statue with the intent of paying my respects to the Daedra. I wasn't exactly a Daedra worshipper, but I knew that when unusual things happened in the world- either it was the actions of the Divines or the Daedric Lords, and that both deserved reverence for any assistance they gave… be it direct or otherwise. I gazed up at the statue, wondering what kinds of things Nocturnal could have assisted me with lately that I had been unaware of- but my thoughts were interrupted by a hand snaking around my waist. Surprised, I drew a dagger from within my sleeve and turned to the person beside me and placed it at his throat. The man in question was of thin build and where it not for the flat chest and broad shoulders- his figure would be easily mistakable for a woman.

"Hey there gorgeous, are you a new member of the guild?" said the man with an obviously flirtatious tone, though I could not see his face behind the black mask he wore under an equally black cowl.

"No, I'm here with a friend. Now kindly remove your hand before I remove it from your arm." I said coldly, not appreciating this man's attention. The man chuckled as he did what I asked, backing up a step as Kestrel returned with Byrnjolf beside her wearing the same usual black armor as the flirtatious man- though without the mask and cowl. Seeing the man in a somewhat defensive position and the dagger in my hand, Brynjolf laughed loudly.

"Couldn't keep your hands to yourself, could you Minx?" Brynjolf said with a bit of a chuckle,

"Wouldn't you like to know Byrn?" said Minx in an almost husky tone as he placed a hand on Byrnjolf's arm suggestively- Brynjolf cleared his throat as he attempted to ignore Minx's obvious advances.

"So to what honor do we owe a visit from the Listener?" asked Brynjolf, upon hearing this Minx seemed shocked to know he had been flirting with the leader of the Dark Brotherhood- hopefully that will teach him to keep his hands to himself in the future.

I explained to Brynjolf that I was here as emotional support for Kestrel as she visited her mother, though apparently her mother was nowhere to be found. Bynjolf explained that she had gone off to Markarth as part of a job and had yet to return; and that Minx was the new Guildmaster. She had apparently left just after sending the letter to Kestrel, and so had been gone almost a week… which was reportedly highly unusual for her. Upon hearing this, Kestrel became fairly worried- though she tried to hide it.

"Well… looks like were headed to Markarth. Kestrel, we ride when your ready to leave." I said with a tone of finality as I walked back towards the Ragged Flagon.

"Wha? Um, yes… of course Listener." came Kestrel's surprised voice from behind me, obviously bewildered that I would be so willing to set out for someplace as far as Markarth to search for the mother of one of my subordinates. Though she didn't know it… I knew a thing or two about losing one's mother and would not stand for it happening to someone else if I could help it. I walked into the Ragged Flagon and immediately the chatter ceased; everyone could sense my determined fire as I walked purposefully out of the room and returned to the Ratway with Kestrel in tow.

"See to it that you have enough arrows and any other items you think you might need, we will be headed into Forsworn territory and though we are both Bretons I doubt they will be very welcoming." I said as we emerged from the Ratway and into the light of day once more. Kestrel nodded slowly, no doubt bewildered by my sudden seriousness and command of the situation, before running off up the stairs ahead of me.

"I love a woman in charge." said the voice of Minx behind me, though I think he learned his lesson as he was now keeping his distance. I sighed irritably as I turned to see him leaning against the stone wall of the waterway.

"What do you want Minx?" I said as I attempted to keep good relations with the Guild Master, though I swear could hear him smirking behind that damned mask.

"I want several things, though the only one I think I could possibly get from you is being allowed to come along to Markarth." he said with a bit of a bored drawl. I scoffed,

"Does Mercer's replacement care more about his thieves than the old Guild Master did?" I asked, frankly a little amused by Minx's assumption that this was any business of his- sure Kestrel's mother was a member of his guild, but Kestrel wasn't and in my eyes that made it Brotherhood business.

"Don't talk like you knew my dad well. He was a cold-blooded murderer among honorable thieves- he cared nothing for any of us." Minx spat, I was a little shocked to hear that Mercer had a son- much less one that I had never met or even heard about.

"Fine, if you want to tag along- then whatever, just don't get in our way." I said with a tone of finality as I walked off and up the stairs- leaving Minx with what I was certain was a triumphant grin on his obscured face.

I was already outside the town and ready to leave when Kestrel and Minx arrived,

"One would think you two took a detour through town just getting to the gate." I said jokingly as I saddled Shadowmere. Minx being the hopeless flirt he obviously was, wrapped one arm around Kestrel's waist in a suggestive agreement to my joke- Kestrel simply elbowed him in the stomach before walking away from him to saddle her own horse.

"Maybe I deserved that." he said sheepishly as he too saddled a horse, Kestrel and I looked to each other for a moment,

"Maybe?" we said in eerie unison, laughing aloud as we realized we spoke the same thing at the same time. Thankfully, Minx was quiet for the first half of the ride, though as we set up camp for the night he became far more talkative.

"Spending the night under the stars with not one but two lovely ladies… I must have died and gone to Sovengarde." He said as he set up his tent. Now I was fairly certain I could tell by the tone in his voice what sort of expression he currently had- right now I was positive he was once again smirking behind his mask.

"I always thought Sovengarde was a Nord thing?" Asked Kestrel curiously, it was true that Nords frequently mentioned Sovengarde- the spiritual home of their ancestral dead- but the Breton's who grew up under Nord influence were raised to see things much the same way as the Nord children. I couldn't see Minx's face, but since his father was a Breton I assumed he looked much like him.

"It is, but it I'm guessing the Guild Master was born and raised in Skyrim to think of Sovengarde in such a way." I said as I finished setting up my tent and laid down in my bedroll for the night. Kestrel seemed to understand and agree with my reasoning, and Minx did not deny it so I assumed that I guessed correctly as I fell once again into a dreamless sleep. I awoke the next morning to a surprisingly peaceful scene, Kestrel was packing up her tent… and Minx was still out cold asleep.

"He seems far more agreeable when he sleeps- the beauty of silence is truly remarkable." I said groggily as I began to pack up my tent as well. Kestrel fought not to laugh, but she was unsuccessful and ended up waking Minx from his slumber. I sighed disappointedly, I had been hoping for us to pack up quietly and just leave him here in the hopes that he would head back to Riften- but when do I ever have such good luck?

Surprisingly we did not encounter any Forsworn along the road, nor did we see so much as a wolf pack- somehow this felt like some kind of ill omen, that something far worse than what we could have encountered was yet to come. We arrived outside Markarth and left our horses at the stables. Together we stood outside the stone walls of the old Dwarven city- repurposed many years ago after the disappearance of the Dwemer.

"So, are we just going to stand here gawking or are we going to head inside and look for Kestrel's mother?" asked Minx as he became fairly impatient. I sighed, wanting nothing more than to tell him to shut up, as I stepped forward with Minx and Kestrel to enter the city. I had only been to Markarth once on a contract for the brotherhood and therefore had little idea of the layout of the city; so I had no choice but to ask Minx what kind of assignment Kestrel's mother was on and where we might find her. The answer he gave shocked Kestrel and I as much as it made us angry that he hadn't said anything about it sooner- she had been sent to steal something from the Silver-Blood family, and since she had yet to return or even check-in with a Fence… Minx surmised that she had been caught and sent to prison inside Cidhna Mine.

"Let me guess, you didn't tell us this because you want us to help you break her out?" I asked irritably as I folded my arms across my chest; Kestrel standing with her hands on her hips as she obviously tried to ignore her worry over her mother's safety.

"You guessed it, now all we have to do is get sent to prison and break out." Minx said cockily, almost like he had done something like this before.

"What about our gear? The guards will obviously confiscate it all, breaking out of the mine would mean abandoning everything." Kestrel said as she brought up a very important point. Minx just sighed as he placed one hand to his hip,

"I can arrange for someone to retrieve our things from the guards no problem. Are we doing this or not?" he asked with an annoyed tone. Kestrel and I looked to each other before telling Minx that we would let him handle the details of our escape and the retrieval of our things. Now all we had to do was get sent to prison… should be easy enough with all these guards in a tizzy over all the Forsworn attacks.

It was a simple task to get ourselves arrested: Kestrel hauled off and decked a random passerby, Minx nicked a necklace from the nearby jewelry stall- getting caught on purpose, while I simply defended them from the guards- getting arrested as an accomplice to assault as well as theft. The guards walked us to the mine where our things were taken from us and we were forced to change into simple rags. Though I mentally thanked the guards for the decency of allowing us privacy to change individually. When they released me into the mine, I was alone- so I went down the wooden walkway gladly in search of Kestrel. I did not have to look long to find her, she was sitting by the small campfire on the floor of the main chamber.

"Kestrel, where is that lecher Minx?" I asked her, curious as to where he had vanished to. Kestrel shrugged,

"Who knows, though my guess is he flirted his way out of prison." she said with a disdainful sigh. I think it's needless to say that I was very… displeased with how our break out plan was going.

"If I ever get my hands on him I swear by Sithis I will KICK HIS ASS." I fumed, going as far as making an oath of vengeance against Minx- though since he was the Thieves Guild Master I had to remember not to swear to kill him… as much as I wanted to. I sat down beside Kestrel and we began discussing a new escape plan, though neither of us could think of one that didn't involve the Forsworn that were also imprisoned here. After about an hour of discussing our options, we figured that perhaps a plan would come to us by morning and that for now we should just try to stay calm, out of trouble, and get some sleep for now. Though the two of us staying out of trouble is about as likely as seeing a flying Mammoth.

I awoke what felt like minutes later- though the time was immeasurable whilst underground in this hellhole of a prison- to someone shaking me awake.

"List- Alyce wake up!" Said Kestrel as she shook my shoulder. I've never liked being woken up out of a sound sleep for anything, and this time was no different- I mumbled something that was unintelligible even to my own ears and attempted to drift back to sleep. That is until the massive Orc that we had seen guarding a nearby gate came crashing down on top of me howling in pain.

"What the hell?!" I shouted as I scrambled out from under the heavy Orc, looking to where he had been standing to see a young Breton man of about 18 with shoulder length black hair and what appeared to be ice blue eyes.

"Sorry about that pretty lady, but that guy wouldn't let me through this gate." the young man said… something about him seeming oddly familiar- though I couldn't quite place why since I couldn't remember having ever met him before.

"Johnny, did you find a way out- Kestrel?!" said a female voice from one of the side tunnels, Kestrel turning to see who had said her name.

"M-mother?" she murmured, her voice barely audible- even in the sound amplifying effect of the mine. I turned to follow Kestrel's gaze to see a Breton woman in her forties with graying black hair not unlike Kestrel's. Kestrel's mother seemed shocked to see her daughter here, but before Kestrel could say another word- her mother had rushed to embrace her.

"This is all very touching, but I think it would be best to leave before the guards come for a check-in." said the young man that Kestrel's mother had called Johnny. I scowled at him for a moment, but then I realized he did have a point.

"Sadly he has a point, best save the reunion party for after we are safely out of Markarth." I said with a sigh as I walked to the gate the Orc had been guarding to find it locked.

"Anyone have a lock pick?" I asked them, though Johnny simply smirked and walked up to the unconscious Orc to rummage in his pocket- finding two keys within.

"Who needs a lock pick when you have a key?" he said with a slight laugh as he used one of the two keys to open the gate. We followed Johnny down the short passage, seeing another gate soon after the first and lamp light at the end of our current tunnel- the obvious choice appeared to be the gate- luckily for us the second key fit it.

Apparently the gate lead to a nearly collapsed Dwarven ruin deep beneath the city of Markarth, and like all Dwarven ruins that have not been touched in centuries… it was crawling with Automations and the occasional Frostbite Spider. Without weapons, Kestrel, her mother, and Johnny were less than effective in combat- allowing more harm to themselves than what they caused to the Spiders or Automations. I thanked my own foresight that I had decided to learn the basics of all three Destructions spells years ago; my Spark spell doing significant damage to the Automations, while my Flames decimated the Spiders. It did not take long for me to tire, the strain of using spells I was not accustomed to using wearing heavily on me to the point where I attempted to cast Spark on an approaching Dwarven Sphere- to get nothing more than a faint light at my fingertips.

"Damn it…" I swore as I backed away from the Automation to rest for a moment and regain my strength a little. I looked to my companions to see Kestrel and her mother pick up rocks in an attempt to distract the automation- though I could not located Johnny… until I heard a rock hit the metal automation from a direction away from Kestrel and her mother. Though no one appeared to be there, I had a feeling Johnny was more than he seemed- being somewhat proficient in the use of Illusion magic.

"You coward! How is that a distraction if it can't even see you?!" I fumed as I finally found a place behind a collapsed pillar to hide while I rested.

"Am I a coward? Or simply smarter than you?" Johnny said with a laugh, though I was surprised to see that his spell had yet to wear off… perhaps he was more than simply "proficient" in the use of Illusion. Despite Johnny's less than helpful assistance, I was given enough time to rest and blasted the aggravating automation with flame once again. It fell to the stone floor with a clatter and we sighed in collective relief as we continued deeper into the ruin and found the door to the exit soon after.

As we left the ruin behind and the first rays of morning nearly blinded us from being underground, I began to realize that without Minx… our things were lost to us. My face paled as I realized I had put my faith in him and as a result- had lost my ancestor's dagger. I was saddened deeply by the loss of the enchanted weapon, but would have to shrug it off for now as there were more important matters to be dealt with.

"Kestrel if you want you can take your mother back to the Guild and return to Dawnstar when you're ready." I told her simply, as tired as we both were I was certain she wanted to talk with her mother alone. Kestrel looked like she was about to say something, but her mother beat her to it.

"That won't be necessary. Though I would like to know why you came to Cidhna mine in the first place." her mother asked as Kestrel and I fidgeted a little under her scrutinizing tone. Kestrel seemed quieter than I had ever seen her and I was a little surprised when she spoke up to explain our reason for being here.

"We came to get you out of prison… I got your letter and went to see you in Riften- but Bryn said you hadn't been back for a week, so we came looking for you." She explained, seeming almost afraid of disappointing her mother with her reckless behavior. Her mother sighed heavily, before smiling warmly at her daughter.

"I'm glad you came, though it was stupid of you to get yourself thrown in prison… I'm still proud you have found a place to call home in the Dark Brotherhood." she said happily before hugging Kestrel tightly. Kestrel seemed shocked, and after a moment she returned the hug in kind. As they hugged I turned to Johnny with a sigh,

"I have to say you handled yourself pretty well back there, if you want a job as an assassin- look for me in Winterhold." I said to him simply, not really looking to get any more members in Dawnstar but it wasn't a bad idea to recruit him for the Winterhold Sanctuary. Johnny simply nodded as he walked off towards the city gates. Kestrel then bid her mother farewell and we too left Riften for home.

The ride back to Dawnstar was silent and we avoided anything in our way, as we were both far too tired for a fight right now; we arrived at the Sanctuary well after night fell and were glad to find everyone else already asleep. Kestrel and I parted ways and I made a bee line for my room, intending to get some sleep before tomorrow- when I would pick the Matron of the Dawnstar Sanctuary and who would go with me to find the old Sanctuary in Winterhold. Though that was if that Sanctuary survived the Great Collapse, and if it hadn't then I was unsure of what we would do about obtaining a base in there. I entered my room and collapsed in a heap on my bed, not bothering with removing my weapons or changing into my nightclothes… I was simply too exhausted to care. I slept surprisingly soundly and awoke the next morning… to silence. No one was knocking on my door, no one was trying it wake me, and Cicero was not trying to flip me out of my own bed… oddly enough something about this did not feel right. I left my room quietly, peering around corners and sneaking through the shadows of the hallways- hoping that the remnants of the Pentus Oculatus had not found us and found a way inside. I came to the dining hall and was stunned speechless by the sight that I saw… everyone was gathered here, seemingly waiting for me.

"Ah the Listener has awakened, we thought it best to let you sleep since you have been working so hard… though we had to tie Cicero up and gag him to stop him from trying to wake you." explained Babette with a small smile, her fangs showing slightly. I looked around the room and found the fool in question sitting on the floor next to the stained glass image of Sithis with a scowl on his usually chipper face as he was indeed bound and gagged. I laughed a little at the sight and sat down at the only empty seat left at the table.

"So all of you are no doubt gathered to hear my decision on who shall lead this Sanctuary and who will be coming with me to Winterhold, correct?" I asked them with a sigh, my eyes scanning the room to see a collective nodding of heads and hear a few murmurs of "yes". Surprisingly they were all patient as I thought about my important choice one last time.

After about a minute of thinking I realized there was only one course of action that made sense for me to take.

"I've decided… to leave this Sanctuary in the capable hands of Babette. Though she may appear to be a child, she is the eldest and most experience of us all- please follow her orders as you would my own. As to who will be joining me in Winterhold…" I explained, pausing for a moment to see that half of the people gathered seemed to be leaning forward slightly as if waiting for their names to be the one I would select. I sighed when I saw that the person I had chosen was not one of the people hanging on my words. "Zany, do you have no interest in going to Winterhold?" I asked him, not yet telling anyone who I had chosen. Zany scoffed,

"I'm not particularly… fond… of mages." he replied tentatively almost realizing why I was asking before I had even announced my decision.

"Well I suppose you're going to have plenty of time to work on that." I said with a smile as Zany dropped his head to the table.

"Miserable Hagraven…" he muttered.