The Sanctuary was in chaos when she arrived back, with everyone surrounding Veezara who lay on the ground. There was blood around him and on his uniform, and Aerelin felt a sick feeling in her stomach when she didn't see Cicero or Arnbjorn anywhere. Astrid was quick to drag her aside, a fierce fire in the other woman's gaze. With orders to find out where Cicero may have run off to, Aerelin found herself searching in his sleeping area. He had quite a few journals, and she managed to read them in order in spite of herself. It near broke her heart and when she finally had the information Astrid wanted, she almost didn't want to share. The other woman had made her orders very clear: find Cicero and kill him for this betrayal. Aerelin swallowed back her discomfort and nodded, leaving the Sanctuary immediately. The horse that Astrid provided was certainly unique, and Shadowmere had reached Dawnstar in half the time it normally took. Arnbjorn lay wounded, and Aerelin gave him a healing potion to get him home. Nervously, she approached the door to the ancient Sanctuary.
"What is life's greatest illusion?" The raspy voice that emanated from the door caused a chill down her spine, and she drew her bow slowly.
"Innocence, my brother." The door opened with a welcome, and she slipped inside. Creeping down the stairs, she was surprised it didn't smell more musty, though Cicero must have been using it for some time.
"Listener? Is that you?" She halted at the bottom of the stairs, eyes darting around but not seeing Cicero anywhere. "Oh, I knew you'd come. Send the best to defeat the best. Astrid knew her stupid wolf couldn't slay sly Cicero." Deciding he must have heard the door answer her, she pressed on. Aerelin remained on high alert, not wanting such a decorated member of the Brotherhood manage to sneak up on her. A ghost stood just inside the second doorway, and she was quick to shoot it dead. "Oh, but this isn't at all what Mother would want. You kill the Keeper or I kill the Listener? Now that's madness." He sounded weak and somewhat far away, but the echo told her he could truly be anywhere. There was no telling how large this Sanctuary was.
As she continued on, she nearly missed the tripwire, triggering it instantly and freezing her in her tracks. Spears sprang from the wall, reaching across the wooden bridge that led to the next room. She clenched her teeth as she watched them continue, back and forth.
"Ouch! Pointy, pointy! My home is well defended. I always have been a stickler for details. Get it? 'Stick-ler'." In spite of the tense situation, she couldn't stop a small chuckle at the stupid pin. Cicero laughed out loud. "Oh, I slay me." Carefully, Aerelin made it across the bridge with only a couple scratches, easily taking out the ghost that stood on the other side. Down the stairs, she found two more, shooting a lamp down into a puddle of oil to incinerate them. As the flames died and she continued, Cicero coughed out. "You're...still alive. Cicero respects the Listener's abilities, of course, but could you at least slow down a bit? I'm not what I used to be. Hah." The barked laugh was harsher than normal, causing her to speed up a bit. A snow filled tunnel soon greeted her, and she hesitated. "Brr, chilly! You'll enjoy this. Not an original part of the Sanctuary, per se. Let's call it a forced addition." Frowning, she moved forward. "Forced by what? Oh, come and see!" The troll was a surprise, and she took more effort than she'd planned taking it down.
Two more ghosts, and several quips from Cicero later, she felt she must be coming to the end. Her cuts from the spears hurt more with every step and that troll had left more than just a mark on her. She came to a shut door, taking a deep breath as she heard him from the other side.
"And now we come to the end of out play. The grand finale." Straightening as much as she could, Aerelin opened the door slowly, wary of any other creative traps Cicero may have set. He lay on the floor near the fireplace, a pool of blood slowly growing around him and causing her heart to leap in her throat. Pulling her cowl down, her gaze met his, and she could see the pain radiating from his eyes.
"You caught me! I surrender!" His laugh sounded weaker by the moment, and she stepped closer slowly. He watched her closely, eyes bouncing from her own to her bow and back. She remained silent, inching ever closer. "Oh, you prefer to listen, eh? Of course, of course! The Listener listens!" He paused before continuing. "A joke! A funny joke! I get it. Then listen to this – don't kill me. Let poor Cicero live!" She stopped a few feet from him, keeping a safe distance between them. "I attacked the strumpet Astrid, I did! And I'd do it again! Anything for our Mother." He shifted, as though trying to get comfortable while bleeding out on the stone. Aerelin wanted nothing more than to drop to her knees and heal him. "Return to the pretender, tell her I'm dead! Tell her you strangled me with my own intestines." A laugh, though nothing about this struck her as funny. "But lie! Yes, lie! Lie and let me live!" She could see the desperation in his eyes as she started towards him again.
"Oh, Cicero..." He looked up at her warily as she moved around him, turning her back to the fire as she settled near his head. Gently, she reached towards his wound, carefully prodding around the edge and watching him flinch. It looked more like claws than a bite, and though it was deep, she could help him a bit. Still worried he may attack, she waved her hand over his wound, feeling the drain on her magicka as the wound began to heal under a golden glow. He watched with wide eyes as his wound closed. "My friend, you will live. But please, do not come back to the Sanctuary." She pulled her hand away, shifting to rummage through her bag. "I cannot protect you from them all. I will care for the Night Mother while you're gone." Slowly, he sat up a bit, still looking dazed and exhausted. Handing him a smaller bag she kept her food and some healing potions in. Pushing it into his hands, she caught his gaze.
"Listener..." He seemed at a loss for words, and she wondered if he truly thought she would kill him. He was her friend, after all; more than any at the Sanctuary, and even some in the Guild. Without another word, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek before taking her leave, not once looking back. Cicero was a smart man; he'd be fine as long as he avoided the others. The ride back to Falkreath was long and arduous, and Astrid descended on her as soon as she entered.
"Well? The jester, is he dead?" Aerelin gave a simple grim nod, and Astrid seemed to relax into a mixture of glee and relief. In only a matter of moments, Astrid had her back on track to kill the Emperor, though Aerelin couldn't help but wonder what would become of her closest friend.
