A Dragonborn by any other name

Dubious Sanity

As Lucia climbed down off the cart in Falkreath, using the Wabbajack as a staff and walking stick, she stretched. Flipping a coin to the carriage driver as a tip, she shouldered her pack, and set off back down the road, small amounts of illusion magic wrapping around her to make her look like she wasn't worth being a target. In this manner, she reached the turn-off to the sanctuary. Leaning against a tree before going in, she dropped the magic, and felt a familiar presence nearby. "Shadowmere?" The word slipped out unintended, as she turned to the pond, letting the tips of her fingers touch the water. She hadn't seen her mother's horse in years, though she knew it had been passed through many hands.

Realising that she couldn't call forth the steed, she rose once more, walking over to the black door, placing her hand on the palm print. "The music of life is silence, my brother." The door welcomed her home, swinging open, and she stepped through, ears peeled for any sounds. There was the babble of voices in the main area, which she walked towards, making little sound other than the swish of her skirts. Laughter filled her ears, the familiar laughter of a friend, rather than the high-pitched cackle of a madman.

"Oh yes, I told some jokes of my own. I took his place and performed instead, as the contract stated he needed to perform. They never found the switch." Lucia grinned, moving into the light, clapping. "You always were good with the jokes Cicero. How… How are you?" The members of the sanctuary turned, some wary, others smiling, a few giving her double looks at the outfit she was wearing, the staff she bore. The crimson-haired Imperial beamed.

"I am well sister Lucia. Better than I have been in a long time, and I understand I have you to thank. Thank you Sister." While speaking, he had stepped closer, and with the final words, he handed her his own dagger. "I know it is not much, but this dagger has brought me through many things. Now it is yours." Seeming to become aware of the stares, he gave her a quick hug, and moved away. "I need to prepare to take care of Mother soon." With those parting words, he fled up the stairs, and Lucia deliberately put the dagger in her boot, looking at the others levelly.

"It is done, he is sane once more. Probably pained, he saw the fall of two sanctuaries, but sane netherless. Is that enough for you Matron?" The blonde Nord nodded, before beckoning her over, and walking up towards the entrance. Lucia followed, silently.

"I am still not happy you challenged my authority, but it has certainly eased the transition of the Keeper and the Night Mother. As I told you, I have a contract you can take. Word has reached us that a child is praying to the Night Mother in Windhelm, for the murder of Grelod the Kind, who runs the orphanage in Riften. You are to go to Riften, kill the old woman, and then to Windhelm to collect payment from the boy."

"Yes Matron. May I speak to Cicero for a while before I leave?" Astrid looked at her suspiciously.

"You may, but not for long. This Sanctuary needs to start making a name for itself. With the old hag here we need to…" She didn't get the chance to complete the sentence, as Lucia had a dagger at her throat.

"Never dishonour the Night Mother. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis. Let this be your first strike, Matron. To have the Bride of Sithis in this sanctuary is to have a final chance to rebuild the Brotherhood. There may no longer be a Black Hand, but I'll be damned if I let the tenets fade away. In the old Brotherhood, I would be your superior in skill and in rank, but the Black Hand is no more. I am willing to follow you, as I have no wish to lead, but I will not take disrespect. Am I understood? And that goes for you too wolf." She had felt, more than heard, the werewolf approach. He must have heard what she was saying from the other wolf. Astrid, meanwhile, was glaring at the taller woman, but eventually backed down, sullenly.

"Understood."

"On that note, I will be spending time with the Night Mother often. Just because there is no Listener," She deliberately left out that she had been named such, "Does not mean she is undeserving of prayer."

With those parting words, Lucia walked back to the main chamber, and spoke out evenly as she crossed the room towards the stairs. "Babbette, I know you can hear me, would you please come here?" The child vampire came out of the dining area, giving her a curious look. Lucia shook her head, and nodded towards the door to the chapel, where the Night Mother's coffin resided. Opening the door, she moved through, and let Babbette in as well, before closing it behind her. "Cicero!" The once-mad imperial came in, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yes Sister? Sister Vampire?" Lucia looked between the two, sitting down on one of the benches as she collected her thoughts.

"First, Darkness rises when Silence dies. Shh!" She forestalled their speaking.

"Technically, that makes me leader, but I am willing to leave it to Astrid for now, she is Matron and leader of this sanctuary. Second, I have reinstated the Tenets. There will likely be an announcement made when I am gone. Until such time as we know the Wrath of Sithis has been recovered, I will be acting in it's proxy. Astrid is already on her first strike. I need the two of you to be my eyes and ears. Can you do that for me?" She received nods from both of them, and inclined her head in acknowledgement. "I am going to Riften to kill Grelod the Kind. Then I travel to Markath to meet with a contact. You two need to be ready to leave, just in case, I do not trust Astrid completely, and I know the feeling is mutual."

"But Lucia, why won't you announce it? You are the Listener after all." Babbette cut Cicero off.

"I don't want to lead, only to listen. I have other things I need to do at the moment. I am not the right person to rebuild this place. I do not have the administrative know-how. Now. I have to go." She hugged both of them, and then left, silently slipping through the sanctuary, on her journey to rebuild the Brotherhood into a force to be reckoned with.

A/N: This is my reposting of my current fanfic onto Wattpad at the suggestion of a friend. It can also be found on FanFiction.net under the same name. Any constructive criticism would be wonderful. About Turn back the Clock... I am not sure when it will be updated next. I am having trouble finding the right muse for it.