The Dragonborn's Apprentice

Fin Nahlot

I thought back to when I had met the seemingly crazed man. He looked small and vulnerable. He looked how I felt right now. Without my horse and without my bulky steel armor and sword, the three-foot difference seemed like only three-inches. All it took was a hard peck to completely freeze me.

"By Sithis, this ends now! Back away, fool! Whatever you've been planning is over!" I pulled myself away from Cicero and looked towards Astrid. "Are you alright? I heard the commotion. Who was Cicero talking to? Where's the accomplice? Reveal yourself, traitor!" She spoke loudly to the room.

"I spoke only to the Night Mother! I spoke to the Night Mother, but she didn't speak to me! Oh, no. She spoke only to her! To the Listener!" The fool danced in happy little circles. He leaned in to peck the Night Mother on her rotting cheek. She seemed to smile, although her lips remained cracked and flakey.

"What? The Listener? What are you going on about? What is this lunacy?"

"It's true, it's true! The Night Mother has spoken! The silence has been broken! The Listener has been chosen!"

Astrid shook her head and turned to me, seeking a more comprehensible explanation. "When I heard Cicero screaming, I knew you'd been discovered. I feared the worst. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Was I fine?

"Then what in Sithis' name is going on? Cicero said he spoke to the Night Mother, but she spoke to you? Is this just more of the fool's rambling?"

"It's true. The Night Mother spoke to me. She said I was 'the one'."

"What? So, Cicero wasn't talking to anyone else. Just... the Night Mother's body? And the Night Mother, who, according to everything we know, will only speak to the person chosen as Listener... just spoke. Right now, to you?" I nodded, unable to believe the entire situation myself. Why didn't the Night Mother speak to Cicero? Or more importantly, why did she speak to me?

"By Sithis. And... what did she say?" I proceeded to tell her about Amaund Motierre and Volunruud.

"Hmm? Listen, I don't know what's going on here," Astrid spoke sternly, "but you take your orders from me. Are we clear on that? The Night Mother may have spoken to you, but I am still the leader of this Family. I will not have my authority so easily dismissed. I... I need time to think about all this. I'll find you when I'm ready to discuss the matter further."

After Astrid left, I turned to Cicero, who was happily humming to himself while hugging the Night Mother's coffin. I didn't want to disturb him, so I quietly slipped out. All my prior energy was gone, and I was almost positive that I was asleep before my head had even hit my pillow.

...

"We need to talk." My head shot up and slammed into someone's leather chest. Astrid's leather chest.

"Of course, Astrid," I said sarcastically. Would I ever get a full night's sleep again? "What it is."

"Look. Something is happening here. I'm not entirely sure what that something is, but... well, we need to find out. If the Night Mother really did give you an order to talk to a contact, we'd be mad to ignore it. And I think we both agree, Cicero's brought quite enough madness to this Sanctuary. So, go. Go to Volunruud. It's a crypt, pretty far to the northeast. Talk to this Amaund Motierre. And let's see where all this leads, hmm?"

I forced myself out of bed, my limbs felt better than yesterday, which was good. Since joining the Brotherhood, I'd been sore more times than not. But it was well worth it. I could see that using those daggers had brought out the muscles in my forearms. Sneaking so often brought out those in my calves and thighs. I was happy with the way I looked in the mirror, armor on or off.