Love Bound In Spilt Blood (Cicero X Reader)

Chapter 2: Initiation Part 1

     You weren't up North too often. It was quite cold. Your hands trembled in the extreme cold, how do people stand this weather you think. You had only decided to go to Windhelm following the rumors of a young boy who was trying to call upon the Dark Brotherhood.

     As soon as you stepped foot into Windhelm, all around you, all you could hear was talk and gossip about this boy. Aventus Aretino he was called. After asking around you finally figure out where his house is. As you walk up you see a woman and child talking. You hide behind a corner and listen to their conversation.
     "Then it's true, what everyone is saying? That Aventus Aretino is doing the Black Sacrament? Trying to summon the Dark Brotherhood?" The child asks.
     "Oh, Grimvar... always with the nonsense. No, no, of course not. Those are just tales..." The woman shakes her head.
     "Fine. Then I'll invite him out to play. He lives right there. I'm going to knock on his door..."
     "No, child! Wait! That boy, that house - they're cursed." You can hear the fear in her voice.
     "Ha!" The child shouts, "Then I'm right. I knew it. He's trying to have somebody killed!"
     After a moment of silence the woman speaks once more, "All right. I won't deny it, child. What you heard is true. But Aventus Aretino walks a dark path. His actions can lead only to ruin. Now, enough. We will speak no more of this. I am the only friend you need." You hear them walk away and figure this is your chance.

     You walk up to Aventus' house. After making sure there were no guards around you start to pick the lock. After a good minute the door unlocks. You make your way inside.
Upon entry the smell of death fills your nose, something has died here. You hear a faint childs voice coming from up the stairs. You make your way up trying to be quiet as possible. You see presumably Aventus kneeling over a skeleton, stabbing a knife into the floor repetitively. You stand in the door way staring, watching him, listening as he repeats the same words over and over again, "Sweet mother, sweet mother, send your child unto me for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear." You pity him. Instead of standing watching you decide to take action and knock on the doorway. Aventus whips around, looking you up and down. He quickly gets to his feet and runs towards you.
     "It worked! I knew you'd come, I just knew it! I did the Black Sacrament, over and over. With the body and the... the things. And then you came! An assassin from the Dark Brotherhood." He stares with a sparkle in his eye.
     You take a sharp inhale in, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not who you think I am."
     He laughs, "Of course you are! I prayed, and you came, and now you'll accept my contract."
     "Contract?" You say confused.
     He nods, "My mother, she... she died. I... I'm all alone now. So they sent me to that terrible orphanage in Riften. Honorhall. The headmistress is an evil, cruel woman. They call her Grelod The Kind. But she's not kind. She's terrible. To all of us. So I ran away, and came home. And performed the Black Sacrament. Now you're here! And you can kill Grelod The Kind!"
     You stand for a minute taking in everything that he just said. While doing so he starts to speak again.
     "Please hurry. To be honest, I'm kind of lonely here. As much as I hated getting sent to Honorhall, I really miss my friends there..." He walks away. You leave.

     You figure it wouldn't be the end of the world if you killed just one person right? Right? Surely the brotherhood wouldn't mind, this could be their day off. Besides the kid did seem pretty desperate for this Grelod to be killed. 

     As you make your way into Honourhall and turn the corner you see Grelod. She appears to be talking to the orphans. After standing and listening to the horrible things she says to these children you see the reason behind Aventus' contract. He was indeed right. She was not kind. While her back is turned you shoot an arrow straight into the back of her head without second thought. Some people aren't innocent, some deserve to die. She collapses and you quickly make your escape. 

***

     You open the doors to Aventus' house and make your way up the stairs. The young boy makes his way over to you, "Grelod The Kind is dead." You say flatly.
     A smile quickly spreads across the boys face, "Aha! I knew you could do it! I just knew it! I knew the Dark Brotherhood would save me! Here, just like I promised. This should fetch you a nice price. And thank you. Thank you again." He hands you his family heirloom. You nod, and make your way out of the house.

***

     The day has been long and tiresome. All you can think about is your bed, you're just down the road from your humble abode before a carrier stops you dead in your tracks.
     "I've been looking for you. Got a message I'm supposed to deliver, your hands only." He hands you an envelope.
     "Who's it from?" You ask. He shrugs.
     "Don't know, pretty keen on keeping his identity hidden." You nod and continue walking.

     When you arrive at home you figured you might as well read that mysterious note. You sit comfortably on the end of your bed. You open the envelope. Inside was a paper with a large black handprint on it with only two words, we know. You carefully inspect the note looking for anything that could identify the sender. Alas, you find nothing. You decide not to worry about it too much, it's too late to deal with this. You lay back into your bed, closing your eyes. In your dreams you are running through a field, your being chased by someone.

"Why is the ground wet?"

You awaken.