I finally came to a rather small looking village. According to the map this should be Falkreath? I looked around, there is only around 7 buildings or so? I guess Astrid would want me to meet her here to make sure no one was around. But I have no idea where to find her?
I kept riding around the town, hoping I would find her somewhere. "Hey you! I've been looking all over Falkreath for you! I have a letter for you" I stopped the horse and received the letter from the courier. He simply ran off afterwards.
I looked at the letter in my hand. I wonder if it's from Astrid? I opened up the letter "Right outside of Falkreath you will find a small lake". Nothing more? Well I guess I'm hunting lakes now. I rode out of Falkreath and searched the nearest area for a small lake.
Finally I found the small lake, even though it was more like a big puddle of dark water. It was just down a tiny hill. I tied the horse to the nearest tree by the puddle-lake. I looked closer at the black puddle, I had no idea what was in it. But it didn't look good.
I then heard some noises from behind me and I turned around to see Astrid. Considering she is the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, she really isn't that stealthy? I'm glad I didn't say that out loud.
"Oh great. I was wondering if I would ever see you again." Astrid said plainly "and I take it you killed the blacksmith" I nodded. I don't know what I was feeling, I had somehow thought I would have been excited to finally join the Dark Brotherhood. But something felt odd. I simply couldn't explain what it was so I tried to push the thought away.
"Good. Now that you have repaid your debt, I would like to invite you to join or family, become our sister. We can always use more initiates. So what do you say?" I had been waiting my whole life for this moment and I wasn't just about to let some weird feeling tell me otherwise, maybe it was the beff stew. Yeah it had to be that!
"I would be honored to join your family." I said bowing my head.
"Wonderful. Then follow me." Astrid turned around and walked towards the small hill. What I hadn't seen was that there was a small passageway that led to a door.
Wait, that door! It's the door from my dreams the other night? The handprint, that was also on the first letter I got from the Dark Brotherhood.
"What is the music of life?" A dark low whisper came from the door.
"Silence my brother" Astrid answered it and the door opened "welcome home".
I followed close behind Astrid as we entrede through the door. I almost tripped as we came to some stairs. It was dark and it only became darker when the door closed right behind me. Astrid continued down the stairs with me right behind her. We entered a room, with a big table in the middle, there was a big map on top of it.
Astrid turned around towards me "welcome to our sanctuary, this is where we stay and live when we don't have contracts. This is also the safest place in all of Skyrim, I would even say all of Tamriel. Now, before you go off to meet the rest of the family, there are some rules, not many, but I demand that you follow them." I was already prepared for this, the Old One had thought me everything about the five tenets, I could even recite them in my sleep.
"I am the leader, you do as I say, nothing more, nothing less. Is that understood?" Astrid looked intensely at me.
"Yes of course and the five tenets?" Astrid looked rather shocked when I brought that up. "How do you know about that?!" She asked. I don't know what it was, but my guts told me not to tell her the truth. "I once read about it in a book." Astrid simply looked at me, maybe she didn't buy it? Maybe she knew I was lying?
"Well it is true that the Dark Brotherhood once worked like that. But we don't, it's an outdated way of doing things. See where it brought all the other sanctuarys. We are the last one standing and that is only because I chose not to follow those old rules. Those are the ones that killed all the others."
Astrid turned away from me and walked over to a doorway that led further into the sanctuary. All the others are dead? So they are the last ones? But how can she think that she can just forget about the tenets, those are the words of Sithis himself.
"But no more of that, I think the rest of the family would want to meet you." Astrid said waiting for me to follow her.
We entered a big room, this looked more like a cave with water and there was a big window above the water. There was green moss everywhere, even some flowers here and there. It was really pretty, way different from Skyrims snow and ice outside.
"But the Night Mother is the mother to us all! Her word is what we follow! Would you really dare disobedient and surely... punishment!" A high pitched voice rang through the cave hall of the sanctuary. I knew that voice! I stepped up besides Astrid. And surely enough, it was that jester guy, Cicero. "By Sithis I had already gladly forgotten about this" I could hear Astrid muttering for herself.
"You just keep talking and then we will see who gets punished!" A tall broad man with blond hair was walking towards Cicero, he seemed angry and stared Cicero down. Cicero however didn't seem put off by the big Nord. No he seemed ready to take on the Nord if he needed to, his hand hovering right over his dagger. They stared each other down like two mad wolf's, until an older man stepped in between the two of them.
"Oh sit down Arnbjorn, you lumbering lapdog. The man here has had a long journey, the least you can do is be civil! Now I for one is happy to welcome you mister Cicero to the sanctuary. You bringing the Nightmother definitely signals a welcoming return to old traditions." The old man said, the Nord called Arnbjorn, turned around and went over to sharpen his axe. Ciceros posture seemed to loosen up and he removed his hand from his dagger. "Thank you oh wise and kind wizard! Sure to earn our Lady's favor."
Astrid stepped forward in front of me. "Cicero. You and the Night Mother is of course welcome here. And you will of course get the respect you deserve of your position as Keeper. Is that understood husband!" Astrid looked towards Arnbjorn.
So they are married. Fair enough I guess, but why would Astrid be with such a grumpy guy? Well that is truly none of my business.
Arnbjorn simply huffed and continued sharpening his axe.
"Oh yes! Thank you thank you!" Cicero squealed while doing a little dance. "But make no mistake Cicero! I am the leader of this sanctuary. My word is law! Are we clear on that?" Astrid said sternly and Cicero nodded "of course mistress! You are the boss." He said while bowing. "Didn't everyone have something to do?!" Astrid said loudly and turned around and walked away. Everyone seemed to go their different directions, getting back to what they were doing before.
A small child came up to me "hello, you must be new here. I'm Babette, pleased to meet you." It must have been obvious by my facial expression, that I found it rather odd that a small child was here, cause she answered right away "I'm a vampire. I'm actually older than you, almost 300 years old."
Well that explains it.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Jet." She looked me up and down "ah an' Imperial, not everyday you see an Imperial here in Skyrim. And two in a day? That's almost a record. Anyway, I guess you haven't gotten your shrouded armor yet? I'll fix that. I'll come by later with it for you." And with that Babette walked away again.
Everyone had left the cave hall except me and Cicero, who was standing by the big box he had been transporting on the wagon, that day I found him by the road. There was still something weird about that box. I slowly started to walk towards it. I couldn't help it and suddenly I stood right beside the box. Looking up at it. It seemed so big and tall. Like I was nothing compared to it, and much less to what was inside it.
"Need to find mother some flowers. Pretty, pretty... Another member of the family mother, see!" I was pulled out of my daze as Cicero waved his hand in front my face. "Oh I'm sorry." I said as I turned towards him. "Wait... oh wait! I know you! Yes! From the road. Cicero never forgets a face. You were the one who helped me! You helped poor Cicero. Talked to Loreius. Got him to fix the wheel! Oh you may have pleased me! But indeed you have pleased the Night Mother! And the lady, she never forgets." Cicero said enthusiastic.
I kept looking back at big wooden box in front of me. And it seems Cicero started to notice. I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn't stop staring at the box, when I suddenly remembered what Astrid had said, something about a Keeper? She was referring to Cicero, which meant he was my superior and Astrids too. Even if she didn't want to admit it.
I turned my head and looked at Cicero when I asked "so what exactly does a Keeper do?" The Old One had never really spoken of keepers, he just briefly mentioned it. Cicero seemed rather befuddled by my question, as if he didn't know how to answer it. "Well... Cicero is the Keeper... I keep things?" I started to find it slightly odd the way Cicero would sometimes refer to himself, as if he wasn't there? "I protect the Night Mother. Our matron. Makes sure no one disrespects her!" I nodded my head.
I had to meet the other members too. So I said my goodbyes to Cicero and decided to venture further into the cave looking sanctuary.
The first room I entered seem to be some kind of alchemy room. Here I was greeted by a gorgeous young dunmer woman. She had big bright red eyes and long dark hair that framed her slender face.
"Ah new sister. May I offer my most sincere welcome to the family. I am Gabriella and this is Festus." She pointed towards the man standing by the alchemy table. "I won't even bother! You are new and you can just see me as the grumpy uncle. I don't care. You might not even be here for that long." The old man said, not even looking at us. That was harsh. And I thought he would be more reasonable than Arnbjorn? I guess not. "Don't mind him. He's just old." Gabriella said with a calm voice. "Nice to meet the both of you. But I will have to get going, there's still lots of things I haven't seen yet." I said and Gabriella bowed her head in respond and Festus didn't even bother to answer.
I continued down a corridor and some stairs and came to what looked like the kitchen.
~ASTRID~
As I was looking over the different contracts on the table, I couldn't help but think about Jet. There was something weird about that girl. Something awfully familiar and it somehow made my blood boil. But whatever it was, it wasn't the most important issue at the moment. I had tried to ignore Cicero for months. I knew he was on his way, but having the Night Mother here? That would suddenly ruin everything I've done and worked so hard for. The letters from Cicero had long since been burned to ashes. But that didn't keep him from coming anyway.
I started massaging the sides of my head. I knew Cicero would be a problem and that I would have to find a way to get him to drop the old ways or get rid of him. I could hear Arnbjorn fiddling around with his sword. Probably sharpening it.
And what about Jet? What was it that was so familiar about her. A lost girl, with nothing and no one. But then again, how could I be sure of that?
No matter how hard I tried, I just simply couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something weird about her. Was it the attitude? That she seemed to think she's better than everyone else? Maybe her blond hair and green eyes? They kinda reminded me of someone else, but then again it couldn't be. Maybe it was the fact that she plainly stole our kill?
She had repaid it... in a way. About that, I wonder how Whiterun is doing after they lost their beloved beautiful blacksmith. She was the perfect little victim, a young beautiful woman, with a gorgeous husband, surely there must have been someone wanting her dead.
~JET~
I had finally greeted everyone and Babette had also given me my new armor. I loved it! It fit perfectly and it just felt right! I wonder, if the Old One had been here now? Would he be proud? Proud that I finally found the Dark Brotherhood and found my home! That I finally had somewhere I belonged!