A Fool's Blade

Chapter 5 - Innocence Lost

        Jade entered through the gates of Windhelm and saw two Nord men and a Dark Elf woman.

        “We haven’t taken a side because it’s not our fight.” The woman insisted.

            “Hey, maybe the reason these gray skins don’t help out in the war effort is because they’re Imperial spies!” One of the men said to the other.

            “Imperial Spies? That’s ridiculous!” Her patience was wearing thin with the men.

            “Maybe we’ll pay you a visit tonight, little spy. We’ve got ways of finding out who you really are.” The men turned away from the Dunmer as she sighed.

            The woman then turned to approach Jade. “Are you like the rest of the Nords? Do you hate the Dark Elves?” The irritability was clearly present in her voice.

            “What?” Jade said shocked. “No! I don’t hate your people."

            The tension and agitation that had built up on the woman’s face had disappeared. “You’re in the wrong place then. This is a city full of prejudice people; just about anyone who isn’t a Nord is fair game for their bullying.”

            “Is that why they were giving you so much trouble?”

            “Yes. Rolff is the worst out of them though. He stumbles around the Gray Quarter, drunk, in the wee hours of the morning shouting insults. Quite the charmer that one.” She said sarcastically. “So who are you, why have you left your home to come here? I’ve never seen you around Windhelm before.”

            She’s never seen me in Windhelm before. Nice to know I’ve never been caught here. “Oh, pardon me. My name is Jade. I came from Riften to… find someone.”

            “Riften? Oh! Have you come to take the Aretino boy back to the Orphanage?”

            “Um…yes. Yes, I have.”

            “That poor boy… his residence is to the right of here, just up the slope.”

            “T-thank you.” Jade stuttered. She walked towards where she had pointed. She saw a child and another Dark Elf woman conversing with each other.

            “It’s true then. Aventus is doing the Black Sacrament?”

            “Of course not, child. They’re only rumors.”

            “Then I’m going to invite him out to play right now!” The little boy ran to the house.

            “Wait! Don’t! That boy, that house, they’re cursed!”

            The boy stopped right before he knocked on the door. “So, I’m right! Aventus is trying to have someone killed!”

            “Alright, alright. I won’t deny it, child, but the path he walks is a dark one that can only lead to ruin and destruction. Come along now. I am the only friend you’ll ever need.” The pair walked off.

              Jade ducked by the door making quick work of its lock and heading inside.

            “Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother, send your child unto me for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear.” Someone was chanting.

            She crept up the stairwell and was a bit horrified at what she discovered. There was a small room that looked as if it was a bedroom, with candled light up in an almost complete circle. A skeleton, a chunk of human flesh and a heart, with a flower she recognized as nightshade, lay within it.

            “Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother, send your child unto me for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear.” A boy was stabbing the flesh with an iron dagger. “Sweet Mother, Sweet Mother, send your child unto me for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear.” It was like he was in a trance.

        Jade tapped the boy on his shoulder. The boy shot up whirling around to face her. "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!"

        "Wa-wait, kid. I'm not who you think I am."

      "Of course you are! I prayed, and you came, and now you'll accept my contract."

        "Contract?"

        "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!"

           "Grelod the Kind? I've actually...well I...I already killed her..."

        The boy looked at her amazed. " Whoa! I mean, I knew the Dark Brotherhood was good... just not that good! You killed the old hag before I even asked! Here you can have this. It's some sort of heirloom."

        Jade looked at her reward, and cocked her head to the side in confusion. "This is a plate."

        "Supposed to be pretty valuable."

        "This is a plate."

        "It should fetch you a nice price."

        "Kid. This is a plate."

        Aventus shrugged his shoulders. "I'll go back to the orphanage later. Give them time to, you know, clean up the mess."

        "Alright. Just be good to Constance."

        "Yes ma'am."