Welcome To The Family, It Ends In Tragedy (Lucien)

 Prompt: Welcome to the family, it ends in tragedy (storytelling collective prompt: Unexpected Death)

Starting October off a bit spooky and maybe just a little petty :)

Of all the things I would have ever expected, Mathieu Belemonte plotting not only my own death but the deaths of my adopted family and closest friends was not on that list. Should I have thought of it after he joined the sanctuary despite my being responsible, however responsible a child can be, for the death of his mother? Perhaps, alas I didn’t and now I think back on it sitting around in my spectral form waiting for Issy to return to this other sanctuary we’ve ended up in. I was never overly fond of Skyrim, too cold with the exception of Riften and perhaps Whiterun, and full of people who lack a significant number of brain cells perhaps only partly due to consistent hypothermia. Unfortunately one of them is currently in charge of this sanctuary, tucked away in a little corner of Falkreath in the forests where no right minded person treads after dark. Astrid seems to think that because she knows a spell of sorts to summon me she can do whatever she wants, including but not limited to stealing my beloved horse, berating a certainly insane but otherwise useful member of the brotherhood, and most importantly completely ignoring the tenants- the set of 5 rules that are crucial to the etiquette of the brotherhood. While more relaxed generally than The Morag Tong when it comes to the tenants the Dark Brotherhood is just as strict if not more than our Dunmer cousin with enforcing the rules be followed. The rare exception to the rule is granted when a purification occurs, an ancient rite done to a sanctuary in effort to rule out a traitor. The last one that I know of to occur was the one ordered for the sanctuary I called home, with very few survivors left after the euthanasia carried out against many of my friends. Welcome to the family, the brotherhood often tells recruits, however they don’t often mention it’s chance to end in tragedy.

As I mull over my thoughts I’m interrupted by the presence of Arbjorn, a member of the Falkreath sanctuary and husband of Astrid. We talk briefly before he sits and begins to do his own thing as I still sit perched on the ledge I’d made myself comfortable in, or as comfortable as one can get while not being fully dead yet not fully alive, and surrounded by mostly jagged rock. I know more about him than I do Astrid, and my opinion of her husband still remains negative. It takes a lot to get kicked out of the Companions, at least from what the members of the Circle I’m acquainted with say, and Arbjorn was kicked out from the organization after being inducted into the Circle as a result he remains afflicted with lycanthropy. To him it seems more of a gift than a curse, and he uses it to devastating effect. I’m all for a good murder, trust me, however his technique seems…lacking a certain refinement, more hack and slash and get potentially messy than a quick death that won’t draw attention. That’s why my preferred method was always poisoned apples, I had enough on hand for Shadowmere, so I’d take a few here and there to use for work. Silently I glare at Arbjorn from my place on the ledge, he doesn’t seem to notice. Something is off in this sanctuary, though I can’t place my finger on it.

Cicero, the insane jester assassin who arrived at the sanctuary is the only one who seems to know anything is out of place, and that’s from what I can piece together from bits and pieces among his babbling. Babette, the child vampire who was turned during the Oblivion Crisis has some minor knowledge of the last purification and specifics of what lead to my death, but doesn’t seem to agree that Astrid is up to something. The other assassins come and go, not having much to say to me aside from a comment here and there. Finally, after what seems like an eternal number of hours, Issy returns- with Anna, and as a result Farkas, in tow for reasons still unclear. Farkas immediately turns back toward the entrance upon seeing the slightest glimpse of Arbjorn and I follow him out hoping to pick his brain as to what he’s doing here. I wouldn’t think of either of them to be the murderous type, self defense werewolf form massacre aside. We sit on the rocks near the small pool outside as I pet Shadowmere, I really need to give her a good bath one of these days, she needs it. Eventually I find out that neither he nor Anna are here by choice, in fact Astrid had them kidnapped for interfering with a contract put out on a cruel orphanage head. The kidnapping was supposed to be a test of initiation into the brotherhood, a strange welcoming of sorts. While Astrid wasn’t looking the two managed to escape somehow, likely magic, and immediately tracked down our dear mutual friend Isabelle. Of course Issy heard the tale and stomped all the way here, as one would do if they heard such a story. We peak in the door briefly to hear raised voices, Astrid and Issy, arguing about the conduct of the kidnapping and the supposed interference with the contract. Sure a contract is a contract, but if most of a town wants a cruel old lady dead why should it matter if some nobody took matters into their own hands? There’s always more people to kill, and kidnapping was never on my list of getting new recruits. It was always I’d go to them, in various ways, sometimes in the middle of the night through a window, others in broad daylight to rescue someone from the gutter. Once the matter is resolved and our Dragonborn friend and her companion are sent on their way I pull Issy aside. As much as I hate to say it, given the last time it lead to many an unexpected death,including my own- this place needs a good purification. A hard thing to admit, but a necessary one at that. Silently we watch the members of this little black hearted community go about their day. Welcome to the family, they say…if only they mentioned it ends in tragedy.