That's Madness (a Skyrim fanfiction)

Chapter Seventeen - The Dark Brotherhood Forever

A few months after the death of the Emperor, Tamriel and Skyrim managed to overcome the political turmoil. The Stormcloaks were able to conquer most of Skyrim but couldn't breach Solitude, so a peace conference was held. Skyrim was split in two: Western Skyrim consisted of The Pale, Winterhold, Eastmarch and The Rift and Eastern Skyrim consisted of Hjaalmarch, Haafingar, Falkreath and The Reach. Whiterun and factions such as The College of Winterhold, The Companions and The Bards College were allowed to remain neutral. A new Empress was crowned, Titus Mede's niece Lexa Mede I. 

In the Brotherhood, business has never been better. We rebuilt the Sanctuary with the help of Delvin Mallory and within weeks we had a functioning family again. Then the recruitment began. We found two Nord twins, a pretty girl named Lavinia and her handsome brother Thomas. As well as those two we have a sly-looking Bosmer named Andriel. 

Before we had recruited and after we had renovated, myself, Nazir and Babette held a small memorial ceremony for Astrid, Veezara, Arnbjorn, Gabriella and Festus Krex. We made five kills, each one in their name, and placed a nightshade flower on the body of the person we killed in their name. I haven't stopped looking for Veezara. I refuse to believe he's dead. 

I slow Shadowmere down into a trot as we approach the Black Door. Shadowmere seems uncomfortable about something and I dismount from him and whistle for him to return to Sithis. Then I see the source of his discomfort and an uneasy smile spreads across my face. I had thought I'd never see them again and it's a relief to see that I was wrong. 

"You took your time getting here," I say. 

"Oh yes, it is Cicero!" Cicero exclaims. "You were a fool to spare me. What, did you think I would be grateful? Cicero should be Listener! Not you! Now you will die!"

I look at Cicero pointedly. Even though he has a look of fury on his face, his eyes are twinkling and he isn't doing a good job of holding back a smile. "Good to see you again," I respond. 

"Ahhhh...gotcha!" he giggles. "Oh, Listener, you should see the look on your face!" he bursts into a fit of laughter. "Oh, Cicero has returned! Not to kill the kind Listener, but to serve, until one of us dies horribly in service to our Mother! Best friends forever! In the meantime, I'll make myself at home in the Sanctuary. I'm sure Mother needs...tending,"

Cicero breezes past me and I follow after him. I'm not sure how Babette and Nazir will react to Cicero being alive and the fact that I didn't kill him. Nazir and Babette were adamant that Cicero should die, but when Astrid was revealed as a traitor...maybe they'll be lenient. 

In the Sanctuary Cicero is delighted to see the Night Mother's dead body again and begins sprinkling flowers by her feet. Babette comes over to me from where she was working on her potions. 

"So...wait. Cicero is alive? And we're all friends again?" she sighs. "I can hardly keep up..."

Before I reply to Babette an intense, white-hot pain arrives in my head and I squeeze my eyes shut. 

"Yet another child has prayed to their mother. Speak with the grief stricken chef  at the Windpeak Inn, here in Dawnstar. Accept his gold, then eliminate the target. Hail the Listener! Hail Sithis!" she croons into my head. 

"Another Contract?" asks Babette. 

"Mhmm," I nod my head and massage my temples. "How about you take this one? Grief stricken chef at Windpeak Inn," 

"It would be my honour," she bows. 

I hang my bow carefully on the weapons rack in the training room and I pause by the urns. Each urn represents a fallen family member, including Astrid. Their ashes aren't in there because there was no way to tell which burnt corpse was which, so instead we scattered nightshade and deathbells inside the urns. I stare at Gabriella's urn thoughtfully, remembering her last words to me. About her son. Azaron. I have absolutely no idea where to start looking but I know I have to find him eventually.