An illustrated Skyrim story beyond the fall of the Dark Brotherhood~
After a surreal event, Cicero is inexplicably thrown back into a clear state of mind and his memories from his life prior to his madness return. We begin to learn who he really is...
"Take him down to the dining table," Mother instructed, "He needs to eat."
Wrath carried Cicero down the steps of the Sanctuary into the main hall. The strange haziness and heavy air began to lift and everything seemed to fall back into place around them. Cicero squinted as the dim light from the fireplace brightened gradually. Had he passed out again? How did they get back to Dawnstar so quickly? He couldn't remember even leaving the jail.
Wrath set him down in a chair at the table in the center of the room and leaned down over his shoulder to whisper, "If it were up to me, you'd be stripped of your skin and hung from the rafters to rot."
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A chill ran up Cicero's spine. It was like death itself had made a verbal threat. He knew it wasn't actually the Dread Father speaking. Wrath just spoke for him, not unlike the Listener speaking for the Night Mother... but it didn't make the threat any less horrifying.
Wrath slowly leaned away. Cicero hesitated before glancing back only to be startled to notice that the giant daedra had vanished. Only a slightly shadowed distortion lingered in the air for a brief moment, suggesting where he once stood.
"Get the Keeper some food," Mother called to Sage who was sitting by the fireplace warming his hands.
Sage glanced over at Cicero, with a hint of surprise on his face, "What took you guys so long?" he asked, climbing to his feet, "Was the target that hard?"
"Huh...?" Cicero was still trying to orient his mind to the transition. He felt like he had left his brain back in Riften.
"You two have been gone for almost a week," Sage sighed, heading over to the cooking station, "The Wrath performed the ritual on the four vessels. We couldn't wait for the fifth. He's pissed."
Clearly.
"The final vessel has expired," Mother explained as she filled a cup with water from a bowl near the cooking fire, "Wrath has gone to retrieve it. This will delay our progress but everything is still on track."
"Expired?" Sage scoffed in amusement, "How'd that happen?"
Cicero didn't reply. Mother placed the cup of water in front of him and took a seat on the other side of the table. "Trouble with the Dragonborn," she spoke for him, "She's gone rogue."
Sage dropped a wooden spoon in an over-dramatic fashion, "Rogue? Our thoughtful and predictable Jade? I can't imagine..."
Cicero glared at the sarcastic elf over the edge of his cup as he drank. He was grateful for Mother to cover for him but Sage's attitude was testing his last nerve.
"Cicero! Cicero! Cicero!" Ruby's sweet tiny voice cheered from across the room. She sprinted toward them with her hands out and fingers spread. Cicero quickly set his cup down and braced for impact. As if weightless, she glided into his arms and buried her face into his shoulder. She was literally bouncing with excitement to see her friend again. Sage scowled and picked up the spoon just as dramatically as he had dropped it.
