Bound By Madness

81. And The Ashes

Hush Arn. My Cicero, tell me what happened later, but for now... Right now, Ellery is right. We can't leave Mother here in this place. This Sanctuary is no longer secure and we need to bring her someplace safe. The other Sanctuary is the only option we have right now. But at the same time, it was the Empire's soldiers who attacked us, no matter who's command they were under. And how better to tell them how bad a mistake that was than to take their leader out from under their very noses? The Emperor shall die and it shall be by our hands.

My smile was not a pleasant one as I moved my gaze from my Jester Assassin to the other members of my family. The Wolf Nord, the Kitchen Master, Babette the Not Child, Ellery, and Bastian who was both brother and Listener. These were all that remained of the Family besides Amicus, Cicero and I, a realization that broke my heart.

Even if it was not that many lost, it was still far too high a number for such a small family group. Too many treasures lost before they could even truly be claimed. The sobs that broke through my smile, shook my body and made my heart clench had my Cicero wrapping his arms around me all over again as he pulled me back against him from where I had shifted forward to look at him earlier.

"Faith, sweet Faith, tell Cicero what he must do to bring back her smile. Please, he can't bear to see his love cry like this... It breaks his heart," he whispered softly as he began running his fingers through my hair.

Shaking my head, I turned and wrapped my arms around him, not caring how much it hurt to move. I just wanted to be held by the arms of my lover, those arms that had always made me feel so safe and cared about. He didn't have to say or do anything, as long as he held me.

Just hold me, my Cicero. Just let me feel that you are beside me, still safe from death's reach. Father can't have you yet. I still need you too much for him to take you away.

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It took hours to get everything sorted out, but it was ultimately decided that the Kitchen Master, the Wolf Nord, Babette, and Ellery would take Mother to the Dawnstar Sanctuary while Bastian, Cicero, Amicus and I would head over to take care of the Emperor and his guards. Ellery was the only one of that group who knew the password and so it would remain until such time as we returned and decided what the next step would be for the Dark Brotherhood. Or rather, until Mother let us know what it would be.

In the meantime, Bastian would focus on the Emperor himself, while the rest of us would take care of the guards. If needed, I would be unlocking doors for the Listener, but mostly I would be focusing on watching out for traps and making sure that nobody slipped up behind Bastian. Amicus would be watching out for both me and Cicero, but if we needed to split up, he'd promised to keep our Jester Assassin safe for me.

I'd almost felt guilty about the enjoyment I got at seeing Ellery's face as the wagon slowly began to move away, Babette sitting down beside him and beginning to ask the first of what I was sure would be many questions. For once, it would not be me answering the endless questions she had about my Ellery. Perhaps she would even get him to tell her something new about Amicus.

Amicus, do you want to be like Ellery is now? He seems... happier now that he can interact with everyone.

"It is not the Family that he wishes to interact with, dearest Faith. But no, I do not want to be like Ellery, although if the chance comes, I would not refuse it. I will be happy, whether or not I ever gain a body of my own. I'm just not sure what the cost would be for each of us, since I am not like Ellery," my Assassin whispered as he stood behind me, waiting for me to get on one of the waiting horses.

Well, that is true. You didn't die as he did. Did you?

"No, sweet Faith. I never died. I'm not sure what things would be like for us if your assassin had died before you met him again. I can only imagine how bad things would have ended up for us all," he said quietly, running his fingers through my hair before gently leading me to my Cicero's side. "Ride with your Jester Assassin. He's waited so patiently for you, after all."

Oh... Okay.

Turning to my Cicero, I smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek, thankful that Babette had made sure my wounds were healed before she loaded her supplies onto the wagon.

Amicus says I should ride with you since you waited so long for me.

"Well, Cicero sends his thanks to Amicus. Cicero has indeed waited a long time for his Faith to come back to him. But he must admit... he would have waited as long as it took for her to return to him and he would think dearest Faith worth having waited for, just as he does now. The only thing Cicero regrets... is the fact he spent so many years without his beloved Faith, even if she did carry a part of him with her?" He reached out a hand to cup my cheek, smiling at the confusion on my face. "Cicero loves Faith, Valencia, Juniper and everyone else that she has been and still is. Because Cicero loves all of his sweet Faith. Although, he hopes that Ellery does not carry a part of her anymore since that could make things... awkward. Cicero thinks things might be awkward enough as they are, now that Ellery has his body back."

I don't understand, Cicero.

"No worries! No worries! Cicero is just thinking out loud! Pretty Faith shouldn't bother herself with such things. Cicero would rather know what she plans to stitch for her Cicero since she said she is not going to stitch him a new Motley. Cicero... Cicero wants to thank her for understanding how he feels about his motley," he looked down into my eyes as he finished speaking, leaning forward to brush his lips against mine before pulling me slowly into a hug. "Cicero would truly be lost without you."

Hours later, we were riding hard towards Solitude, Cicero's arms around me as he led the horse, following Bastian along the path to end an Empire.