Author's Note: Hello everyone! Here's chapter 40! Thanks a bunch to those stopping by to read/follow/fav/review! As always, you guys are awesome!

Chapter 40: Decay

Ava stepped into another massive room, hearing Lucien's soft footsteps fall in line behind her. The way in which the room was fashioned strangely reminded her of Castle Dour back in Skyrim. Large red banners hung from every wall, and lush, matching carpet lined the floors. The banners, much to Ava's curiosity, held no insignia. They were all completely blank. A large, intricately furnished throne sat at the other end of the enormous room. In the throne sat a tall, regal figure in royal robes.

"I see you've come to find me on the other side." the man spoke calmly, his voice instantly recognizable to Ava. The figure stood, tall and proud, his dignified presence filling the whole room.

He approached Ava and Lucien, placing his hand on Ava's shoulder. "It seems we meet again." Her eyes traced over his white mane and facial hair, and the lines of age and wisdom on his features. He smelled of familiar, exotic spices, and his voice sounded rich and deep.

"Emperor..." It was all she could bring herself to mutter. "I-I never thought I'd see you again."

"I'd wager not under these circumstances, anyway." Titus chuckled. "Well I assure you, niether did I."

"I just want you to know that what I did wasn't personal. I had to do it." Ava felt the immediate need to explain herself, as she remembered being deeply moved by the Emperor's sense of dignity and honor before she bled his life away. It was the least she could do.

"Ah, yes. Like I told you before, dear. It was fate. You couldn't stop it anymore than you could stop your own heart. We all have a time to end, and that time was mine. Of course..." Titus gave a sly grin. "Your time has come too, I see."

Ava nodded, for a simple lack of words. What else could she possibly say to a man that she'd murdered over two years ago?

"I guess you're wondering where all this is going, aren't you?" the Emperor asked, seeming to notice her confusion. "Personally, I wasn't a part of your initial welcoming. However, I requested to meet you again myself. You were distant and blood-soaked when I last saw you. You stood before me as a being devoid of any humanity, and yet..." The Emperor folded his arms, studying her briefly. "Yet, you responded to my final wishes. You had Motierre eliminated for what he'd done to me. An act like that requires...compassion. I guess in some bizarre, baffling way I wanted to meet you again - - the enigma who sent me to the Void..." he spoke slowly, staring into her eyes, before breaking contact to continue on. "It seems you clean up quite nicely. You look quite innocent and harmless in your current state. Of course, that couldn't be further from the truth. You are a killer, correct?" he inquired, his tone becoming darker.

"Yes, I am." Ava answered, feeling uneasy. "Even before I was grown, I killed and I enjoyed it. I spent my whole life running from it, but I've accepted it now. I guess after I was initiated into the Brotherhood, I secretly hoped that I was innocent on the inside. I'd hoped that this was all the Night Mother's doing deep within me, and not my own...Maybe that I was a good person held hostage by her power...I'm still not so sure. I mean, I can be two very different people..." Ava explained, freely revealing her inner-most thoughts. What else did she have to lose? She was in the Void, after all.

"I bet you'd like to know, wouldn't you?" The Emperor smiled slyly, as if he knew something Ava did not.

"Yes, I would. Why?" Ava raised an eyebrow.

The Emperor said nothing, simply turning and walking to his throne. He stood beside it silently, as Ava felt a slight poke in her back.

"Go to him, Ava. He's going to show you." Lucien whispered in her ear from behind her.

Ava stepped up to the throne, as Titus motioned toward the seat. "Please, sit."

Ava breathed in deep, sitting down.

"Close your eyes, my dear." Titus' deep, rich voice commanded, as she obeyed his words. "Now, open them..." His soothing voice faded away as she found herself surrounded by her old home in Cyrodiil.

She found herself paralyzed, unable to do anything but watch whatever was to unfold before her. Lucien and the Emperor were nowhere to be found.

"Papa!" She saw a small, raven-haired girl frantically running into sight. It was Ava, when she was but a small child.

Her father, Timaeus, stood nearby as she ran into his big arms. He scooped her up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What's wrong, my girl?" She could see that her younger self was crying, with tears staining her tiny cheeks.

"I-I saw a bunny. He's hurt really bad, Papa..." Her small form wept, as her father began to soothe her.

"There, there, my girl. I'll tell you what, I have to sell some supplies to this nice fellow over here and I'll come right back and help your little friend, alright?" Timaeus grinned broadly, as he always did. Ava could remember how happy and loving her father could be. Just seeing him again, even if in a strange vision, was enough to make her heart melt.

She watched as her father walked away from her child self, briefly talking business with another merchant. She watched as the child dried her eyes, sneaking away from her father and running into the nearby forest. A small, frightened rabbit flopped about frantically in an attempt to scurry away. The poor creature appeared to have a badly broken hind leg.

Ava couldn't recall anything about this particular situation. She did know a healing potion applied to the area would easily have healed the poor, helpless thing.

"It's okay..." the small girl cooed, petting the fearful creature as it lay on its side, panting from painful exhaustion.

Instantly, the scene before Ava changed. Timaeus suddenly came into view. "Ava? Where are you? I'm back!" Timaeus searched about, calling after her.

"Over here, Papa!" a tiny voice answered, as Timaeus darted through the bushes to find her.

What Ava witnessed next made her blood run cold. Timaeus' eyes grew wide with horror and disbelief.

The small child held the dead creature in her arms. A river of blood seeped down the front of her yellow peasant dress. "It's okay, Papa. I fixed him." the child beamed, gently stroking the creature's still form.

"Ava, honey...W-what did you do to him?" Timaeus asked, attempting to remain calm, though he was obviously shaken from her disturbing behavior.

The child smiled innocently, pointing to a bloodied stone on the ground. The small animal had a matching pool of blood oozing from it's skull. "I made him go to sleep, Papa...He's not hurting now..."

"Honey, your Mother could've given him a potion to make him better. You didn't have to do this...Why did you think this would be the best way, Ava?" Timaeus questioned the child, in a vain attempt to make sense of it all.

The small child giggled, shrugging. "This was quicker."

Timaeus' face went slack, as he held up his hands, still in shock. "Okay, honey. Put him down."

"Can we bury him? And have a funeral?" she asked, smiling curiously.

Timaeus answered, his voice shaken. "Yes, Ava. But you must promise me not to ever do that again. Next time, wait for me or your mother. We try to heal things first from now on, you hear?"

The child nodded, placing her tiny, blood-covered hand in his own. "Yes, Papa."

"Good, now when we get home you go clean up. I need to talk with your mother." Timaeus said soberly, leading her away from the scene.

Ava closed her eyes, feeling quite shaken by the truth that played out before her. Opening her eyes, Ava found herself breathing heavily from her emotions. She was back in the presence of Lucien and Titus Mede II, sitting in the enormous throne.

"I-it was me the whole time, wasn't it? I mean, I had it in me..." Ava's voice trembled as she stood to face the two men.

"That answer has some truth to it, my dear." the Emperor replied promptly.

"What do you mean?" Ava asked, baffled by his answer.

"You mentioned that you wanted to know if it was all you or if the Mother was simply holding you hostage, correct?" the Emperor asked, as Ava nodded in response. "The answer to that is rather strange. It was a bit of both, actually."

Lucien stepped up, grinning deviously. "Yes, our Mother does some interesting things at times. You were born a killer, but somehow your parent's love kept you safe from your own tendencies. Without them, however, you had nothing to hold you back. When you killed those masked bandits, that was all you. The darkness was already within you, Ava. That's how the Night Mother noticed you - - favored you, even. Taking quite the liking to you, she slowly crept into the cracks of your psyche, subconsciously guiding you to her dark family. Did you ever stop to ask yourself why you were so compelled to help the jester and Aventus? You had acquired your instrument of destruction long ago. The Night Mother simply used your tools for Sithis' purposes."

"Oh...I see now." Ava sighed, both relieved and disturbed to know the truth. "I can't help but to wonder if I would've killed again without the Night Mother's influence..." she pondered aloud, new questions forming in her mind.

"Most certainly, Ava." Lucien chimed in. "A born killer does not simply stop killing. You would do it again, once the correct trigger arrived to set you off."

"What trigger?" Ava raised a brow, puzzled by his answer.

"You are quite the unusual creature, my dear!" the Emperor interjected. "You aren't a typical, blood-thirsty deviant like many. You have empathy and compassion - - something rare for your breed. I'd consider you more of a murderer out of necessity, much like a feral beast inside. You murder to ease your suffering, to preserve yourself, and when things get in your way."

Lucien nodded, "Yes, I couldn't have said it better myself. Having humanity makes you all the more interesting to our Dread Father. You grieve for those you kill, most likely by result of your upbringing. You had a very loving family, Ava. They taught you right from wrong, and you listened to them and learned. They have gifted you with feelings, and thus you grieve for the pain you've inflicted by committing such atrocities against your fellow man. You grieve for the incapacity you have to be as good and righteous as you desire. Painful is the fact that you cannot exist as humane and untarnished as they wished for you to be. Doesn't matter in the end, though. Death is part of life, much like aging and sickness. They all have their places."

"I can tell you myself, that I am no better. I have the spilled the blood of many, even if not physically with my own hands. I destroyed many lives with but a simple command. Often my motivations were little more than ridding myself of annoyances or obstacles that prevented me from a goal. Other times I'd been in a much darker, malicious frame of mind. Either way, I killed many and I killed often. You and I...I believe we are more alike than you realize...I hope I've given you the answers you seek, and enlightened you so that the rest of your journey may be less confusing." the Emperor concluded, his words somehow calming Ava's troubled mind.

"Thank you...Honestly, you shouldn't be so kind to me. I ended your life." Ava remarked, still feeling guilt gnaw at her insides for taking everything from him.

"I am the one who should be thanking you. You may find it hard to believe, but I'm finally at peace here. No more wars or bloody politics to bring out the dark beast within myself. I'm at rest, and the beast sleeps peacefully in the recesses of my being. Now I can travel as I please - - wherever my consciousness will allow. Now, I believe our time has swiftly run out. Come back and visit anytime you wish. Think of me from time to time, won't you?"

Ava nodded, both strangely comforted and a bit confused with her new life. It seemed to have so many possibilities that Nirn simply did not. Having physical constraints grounded her in her past life, whereas now her spirit flowed freely in the Void. So much freedom may have been liberating, but it was also terrifying.

"Are you ready for our next stop, Ava?" Lucien asked softly.

As Ava nodded quietly, Lucien grabbed her by the hand, leading her through yet another door.

"Where are we going now?" Ava asked, noting a broad grin forming on LaChance's features.

"We're going to meet an old friend." he answered slyly, as the two passed through the door, walking into a vast field in the dead of night. Stars were twinkling in the clear sky, as a large bonfire burned brightly in the distance. Around the fire sat various, unknown people. They were all laughing and cheering amongst each other, each of their voices sounding strangely familiar. The whole setting seemed eerily familiar, for that matter.

"We've arrived!" Lucien waved, catching the attention of a tall woman who stood beside the brilliant blaze. Ava noted that the woman had shoulder-length, golden locks and donned a crimson-colored gown.

Ava squinted, trying to recognize the mysterious lady approaching them in the distance. Upon further inspection, the woman appeared to be a curvy, attractive Nord. When the mysterious form came into full view, Ava gasped.

"Well, well, well...Look what we have here..." A slight smirk fell upon the woman's lips, as she purred seductively.

Ava's mouth hung open, in awe. "Astrid..."

Vottur watched the flames blaze on the sea in the distance. He wiped at the intruding tears that forced their way out of his dark eyes.

"It was the best we could do, brother." Nazir stepped up among the crowd of assassins, reassuring Vottur that burning Ava's body was the best option. "We couldn't place her in a normal cemetary. They wouldn't allow it. I just didn't want our enemies to catch wind of where she'd be buried and desecrate her gravesite."

"You're right, brother..." Vottur replied, "This was for the best. Did you send the letter?"

"I'll track down the courier first thing in the morning. Babette needs to know," Nazir replied. "She'll most likely show up here when she finds out. She took quite a liking to Ava from the get-go. You still meeting up with Ulfric?"

"Yes. I'll be heading off shortly. He and Violet will be waiting in Windhelm. As soon as I get my orders, I'll return. Keep our brothers and sisters on their toes. Most likely, we'll all be travelling to Solitude upon my return. Since our family in Falkreath will commit the assassinations of the Imperial guards in the cities, we'll use our siblings in Dawnstar for the seige. Ulfric wishes to fight as quickly as possible, as do I. Perhaps we'll finally have Maro's bloody head on a stick and be done with it." Vottur growled, feeling his blood heat up at the very thought of Maro. His vengeance was long past due.

A faint wailing noise could be heard from the ground beneath them. Vottur recognized it as the jester going into another fit of pure rage. Only a day had passed since the jester found Ava, and Cicero had spent a majority of it screaming and writhing about like a rabid werewolf. Other assassins had been the unfortunates chosen to bring him food and drink, only to have it spit in their faces and cursed every breath. If Vottur found the man vile before, his former demeanor was mild compared to the persona he'd taken on now.

Before, Cicero's violent and psychotic side had been more or less contained due to his affections for Ava. Without her, however, his humanity seemed to completely vanish, leaving him with nothing but his inner-torment and rage to drive his existence. Vottur wasn't one to fear much, but the extent of the jester's darkness seemed to reach depths that made even his skin crawl.

Trying to sleep the next day proved to be nearly impossible for the Vampire. Cicero's eerie cackling, mixed with his strange singing and chanting, flooded the hallways of the Sanctuary for hours on end. His madness hung thick and heavy in the air like a ghostly presence, taunting the whole Sanctuary without ceasing. It was clear that the jester was miserable and tormented, and had decided to make the whole Sanctuary suffer for letting him live.

Vottur stood with the others, watching the flame blaze for the longest time, until it had consumed Ava's remains and the wooden makeshift raft she'd been placed on, reaching the water and dying out. As somber smoke lifted to the heavens, a hush fell over the crowd, prompting Vottur to speak and move things along. "Nazir, I'm leaving for Windhelm. The next time I see you, make sure to it that our family is hungry for battle."

"Miss Babette, I have a letter for you." A young, female assassin held out a piece of rolled parchment. "I ran into the courier this evening, just as he was leaving Falkreath. He said it seemed urgent."

Babette raised an eyebrow, taking the letter and unfolding it. Upon reading the horrid news that the parchment held, Babette grew deathly silent. In all her years, she would never have expected the terrible news that it held.

"Is everything alright, Miss Babette?" the young woman asked, apparently noting the blank look on Babette's features.

"Tell Temani to help watch over this place while I'm gone, understand? I'm going to Dawnstar, and I'm taking our little dearie with me. She needs to face what she's done. Gather up a couple of our assassins who aren't out slaying Imperials. I'll need their help, dear." Babette instructed the young woman, as she nodded eagerly in compliance, quickly scurrying off to follow Babette's orders.

The dark child's lips curled into a bitter frown, as she quietly made her way to the prison chamber. She entered the dim prison, where Lielle dangled, staring blankly at the floor in silence.

"Well, my little darling, I hope you're proud of yourself. You certainly outdid yourself this time." Babette spoke calmly, keeping a cool exterior despite feeling her blood run hot.

"What are you talking about, you little demon?" Lielle hissed through clenched teeth.

"You never liked our Listener, for whatever petty reason you had spiraling in that warped mind of yours. I guess you'll be rather pleased to hear of her death, won't you?" Babette said nonchalantly, not allowing her true emotions to be displayed for the mage to see.

"Ava's...dead?" Lielle gasped, her eyes growing wide as a satisfied smile fell on her lips.

"Yes, I simply don't know what we'll do now that she's gone. Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Babette feigned a distraught appearance, hoping to build up Lielle's emotions before tearing them apart. Little did the daft girl realize that Babette was playing her like a bloody lute. She'd make her pay for her sins against the Brotherhood. It was only a matter of time. "Now we simply have no Listener. It's quite unfortunate, really, to be so weak..."

"Too bad, I guess." Lielle shrugged, smiling contently. "I guess Haldor the Lawless was far too much for your little princess. I knew he'd have no problem wiping her off of the face of Nirn. He's much stronger than that pathetic excuse for a leader could ever have hoped to be! My only regret is that I wasn't there to see it! HA!" Lielle laughed haughtily, attempting to provoke Babette.

The night child simply remained silent, waiting for the right moment to strike her prey. Little did Lielle realize that Babette held the key to tearing her world apart. Babette simply savored the moment, drinking it in like a warm glass of blood. Babette had followed the mage long enough to learn of her infatuation with the Dragonborn. Too bad his eyeless corpse was currently being dangled on a stick for all of Skyrim to see. Babette smirked, amused by the very thought of it all.

"What's so funny?! Your precious Listener is dead. You have nothing to be smiling about, little girl!" Lielle spat, apparently growing annoyed with Babette. Oh, this was going to be priceless.

Babette painted a false frown on her face. "But, haven't you heard? Haldor's not exactly fairing so well himself, my darling." she cooed, watching with satisfaction as Lielle's face contorted with genuine worry for the man.

"What do you mean, you little hag?! What happened to him?!" Lielle snarled, yanking her chains in a bout of anger. "WHO HARMED HIM?!"

"Harmed isn't exactly the right word, silly girl." Babette smiled deviously. "Killed would be far more accurate."

"YOU LITTLE BITCH! IF I EVER GET OUT OF THESE CHAINS I'LL MURDER YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU! I'LL BURN YOUR GODS-FORSAKEN SANCTUARIES TO THE GROUND! HALDOR WAS RIGHT, YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF PATHETIC, WEAK-MINDED CUTTHROATS! YOU'RE NO BROTHERHOOD! HE WAS MORE DANGEROUS THAN ALL OF YOU COMBINED, YOU FILTHY WORMS!" Lielle screamed and spat, standing and kicking at Babette, despite the constraints of her heavy chains.

"Keep telling yourself that, dear. Of course, from what I hear, we're the ones who've mounted his dangling corpse on a stick. Quite a sight to be seen, I'm sure. Well, it was certainly nice chatting with you, but I really must gather my things. You see, we're going to take a little trip to Dawnstar. You know, the place where you told your lover to go and murder my Listener. Well, I have a feeling that nobody there is very happy with you at the moment. Too bad for you, isn't it?" Babette grinned heinously, as she calmly pattered away, enjoying every scream that fell from Lielle's lips.