That's Madness (a Skyrim fanfiction)

Chapter Eight - Whispers in the Dark

"Well, well, well," Astrid says when I arrive at the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary at some ungodly hour. Although she is in sleepwear rather than her armour and her hair is loose around her shoulders, she still manages to look threatening. "I never thought we'd see you again,"

"It's a long story...I had to run away from my family,"

Astrid smiles at me gently. "Child, we are your family now. You have an incredible gift and you would be wasted in Jorrvaskr among the Companions. Here, you can truly shine,"

"Thank you," I rub my eyes. "I've got the payment from Muiri,"

"Excellent. Now, there is something I need to discuss with you but that can wait until the morning. You look exhausted, poor dear. Go and get some rest," Astrid says. 

Gladly accepting her order, I blearily stumble across the cavern until I manage to find the sleeping area. Everyone else is soundly asleep and I manage to find an empty bed and fall into it gratefully. 

My dreams are weird and disturbed. I hear whispers throughout my sleep and I see visions of flames and people screaming. I wake up feeling disconcerted and awkward. The Sanctuary bed is nowhere near as comfortable as the one in Breezehome but nevermind that. Breezehome, Whiterun and Jorrvaskr are all behind me now. 

I sit at the table in the dining room and Nazir hands me a delicious-smelling pie and a tankard of hot milk with some herbs and spices mixed into it. 

"As the unofficial chef of the Dark Brotherhood, allow me to welcome you to a life of better food and better pay," Nazir sits with me. "Go on, eat the pie. It's my grandmother's recipe,"

"You knew your grandmother?" I ask as I bite into the pie. Nazir wasn't wrong about a life of better food. The pie is absolutely wonderful. 

"She raised me. Broke my heart when she died," Nazir nods his head. "Well, what's done is done. You finish up  your breakfast and go speak to Astrid. She wanted to talk to you,"

I do as Nazir says, not finding it difficult to finish the pie seeing as I'm starving and it's the best thing I've eaten in a long time. When I finish up, I walk in the direction of the first chamber where Astrid usually spends her time. Veezara is sitting by the Word Wall, looking thoughtfully at the lake. Arnbjorn is working at the forge and I assumed that Babette, Gabriella and Festus were working at the Alchemy and Enchanting stations. 

"You wanted to see me, Astrid?" I ask her when I see her. 

"Yes. I have a slight issue," Astrid nods her head. 

"What's wrong?"

"It's Cicero. Ever since he arrived, he's behaviour's been...well, erratic would be an understatement. I do believe he is truly mad but it's worse than that. He's taken to locking himself in the Night Mother's chamber and talking...to someone, in hushed but frantic tones. Who is he speaking with? What are they planning? I fear treachery," Astrid explains. 

Great. I ran away from one madhouse, only to arrive at another. 

Astrid continues with her worries. "As the Night Mother's Keeper, he believes he's entitled to the rule of this Sanctuary. Cicero will cite our independence as the need to revert to the Old Ways. He'll claim we're undisciplined, unruly. Heretical, even. Ironically, the Night Mother could prove to be just as much a victim...the queen in a fool's twisted game of chess,"

"So...what does this have to do with me?" I frown. 

"Dear sister, I need you to steal into that chamber and eavesdrop on their meeting. It'll be no use clinging to the shadows as they'll see you for sure. No, you need a hiding place, somewhere they'd never think to look...like inside the Night Mother's coffin,"