Basically what the title says, this will be a fanfic following the Dark Brotherhood questline in Oblivion. The character will be similar to the one I used for this questline, who is somewhat based on myself. Each post will be a chapter, you know the drill. This is my first fanfic, so feedback and criticism are welcome and wanted, mm'kay?

Now sit back, and relax as you read of Silvie's journey into the Night Mother's embrace...

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Chapter 1
Virgin Blade

The night was cold and dark, a few leaves drifting by in the slight breeze that softly glided through the small village of Pell's Gate, just south, across Lake Rumare, from the Imperial City. With the moons almost dark and the sky heavily clouded, it was almost completely dark outside. A few candles and torches burned inside a few of the homes, but most people had gone to bed, and all that could be heard were the howls of distant wolves and the rustle of small animals in the bushes.

It was in this silence that a woman's shrill scream rang out through the air. Inside the home of Irroke the Wide, a dagger tore through the flesh of the man's chest, sinking deep into his heart. A shaking hand let the knife go as the man fell to the floor, dead.

Silvie screamed again as she ran out the door and out of the village, doors opening behind her as people woke up and looked outside, wondering what was going on. She kept running and running, not bothering with any roads or paths, just running straight south, blind to any direction or sense. I've killed a man, I've killed a man... she thought over and over in her head, tears steadily streaming out of her hazel eyes. I've killed a man... I'm a MURDERER! She screamed once more, the third time in as many minutes, and clutched her head, her fingers tangling in her shoulder-length auburn hair, as she fell to the ground, sobbing. The muddy earth seeped in through her simple cotton clothing as she huddled into a ball, screaming and sobbing. "I killed him, I killed him..." she was muttering to herself now.

It's alright, a voice inside her head consoled her, even though it's tone was cruel. I'm sure you'll get used to it.

"Shut up!" she screamed out loud. "Just... Just take over! Just get me away from here!"

Gladly.

The sobbing stopped, and the small Breton girl stood up and smiled wickedly. She ran off into the woods, calmly jumping over logs and dashing through bushes, the mud-soaked cotton clothes becoming ripped and torn in some places. Her face became frustrated after a while. "Would you quit that damned sobbing?" She snapped, apparently out of nowhere.

I-I'm sorry Alice, Silvie replied, now in the back seat of her own mind. I... I just killed somebody...

Alice sighed. "I know," she said softly, truly trying to help the girl. "Just rest. Don't worry, I'll get us out of here."

If it's possible to nod when you no longer have a head, Silvie did. She let her consciousness drift off while Alice continued running. It wasn't long until she was too tired to continue. She crawled into a small hollow beneath a tree trunk, curled up into a ball for warmth, and joined Silvie in sleep, ignoring the sinking feeling that she was being watched.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Silvie's mind replayed through the night's events in her dreams. Breaking into the house... accidentally waking the man up... the man trying to get Silvie out of his house... and then the single, terrified thrust that had ended the man's life. She didn't even know his name, and the sight of his eyes staring into hers, the life flooding out of them, was all over. A wall of lifeless eyes gazed at her, and she curled up and screamed.

"There, there..." a soothing, familiar voice said. "It's going to be alright..."

The eyes disappeared, replaced by a kind, almost motherly face. It was a mirror image of her own face, and the voice was almost identical to hers. "Alice..." Silvie whispered between sobs.

Alice hushed her, her hands stroking through her hair as she hummed soothingly. "I'm here for you..." she cooed, and it made everything better. Silvie hugged her, seeking refuge in the woman who was the friend, sister, and mother she had never had. She quieted down, and the dream faded to darkness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Silvie woke just before dawn's light came. The forest was still shadowy and dark, but as she looked up she could still see the silhouette of a dark, robed and hooded figure.

"You sleep rather soundly for a murderer," he said, smiling.

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And there's the first chapter! It was a tad rushed, but I think it turned out okay. Please leave your comments, and look forward to Chapter 2: Lachance's Offer

It's quite short, and for starters you should take your time on everything. The good thing is I like that she has two personalities. The odd thing is the evil one calms down the good one, but it's different enough to like.

Hmm... not quite sure what to make of the multiple personalities. At first, I thought it was one of those "dead twin possesses living twin" things, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Your beginning was absolutely positively perfect. Starting like that is a classic technique for building suspense, and it's classic because it works! Even then, you threw me for a loop when the screamer turned out to be the murderer, not the victim. It's not often that I'm pleasantly surprised like that. Good show.

Your mechanics are sound. You had a couple overly-long sentences... but this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, so I don't exactly have the right to criticize.

My singular complaint is that the narrative moves too quickly. I feel like we don't know her just yet. Why does she have the multiple personalities, for example? (I can understand you wanting to hold off on that for suspense purposes, but it feels like one of those vital things that you should know right away. Then again, someone else might disagree on that.) What is Sylvie like? What are her hopes, dreams, goals, strengths, weaknesses, fears? What is her occupation?

Also, what really got her into this mess? The explanation you provided for how and why she killed him didn't really seem adequate. I hope it'll be developed later... I hope I hope? Why was she so fearful of the man that she stabbed him? Where had she gotten the knife? Obviously, she's not predisposed to killing people, so I'd like to know just how she ended up doing it.

All this stuff can be developed later, no prob. It's just... you gave us so very little to work with. Take your time with this. Let Sylvie (+Alice) set a pace of her own. Really delve into her, and let her (+Alice!) come out and show us what she is made of. Don't write the story to move from event to event... most of us have seen that before, so it's not that interesting. Instead, write the story to develop Sylvie, and let the events happen around her. This should be a story about her rather than about the Dark Brotherhood... so really take your time in just writing.

I'm writing a story about the Main Quest... and I find that it helps to deviate a little bit from the set questlines. If you let the character take the wheel, their in-game conversations and the way they tackle certain problems could be vastly different from the canon versions. A single conversation change can drastically alter the rest of the story, just because then events might flow differently. Perhaps she charms the M'raaj-Dar early on, meaning there's never that nasty antagonism (or, perhaps, she messes up in front of Ocheeva, leading to the den matron helping her only reluctantly!). Or, perhaps she refuses to do the Purification, leading to her trying to find another way to handle the bad situation. Or, perhaps she picks up on Bellemont's deception early on, when he starts pegging people for being "wicked," which is really rather un-DB-like. Don't be afraid to deviate from your in-game RP. Trust me; it's more interesting that way, for both readers and writer.

The DB is my favorite questline, so it must be loads of fun to write about it. I wish you luck in that, and hope that you continue this story, whether you heed my critique or not. You obviously love your character, so I doubt you'll have trouble continuing this story. Enjoy yourself, and it'll show in the narrative. :goodjob:

I will try to read this one, but I will find it hard to do so. I have a favorite fanfic on this board, maybe you have heard of it? A Listener's Tale. It is a wonderful write of the DB questline. So I feel i might be too biased to read your fic. But I will try.

Thanks for the criticism all, you're helping me greatly. As promised, here is Chapter 2.

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Chapter 2
Lachance's Offer

Silvie looked up at the man, gaping, eyes wide. "Wh-Who are you?" she stammered out. She grasped for Alice, but she wasn't there. She was still asleep.

"I am Lucien Lachance," he began, "Speaker for the Dark Brotherhood. And you..." He trailed off. "You are a killer."

Silvie's eyes widened as she remembered what she had done the previous night. Silvie lowered her head and cried, more quietly than she had the night before. She wanted to deny it, to say that she hadn't done it, but it would be uselees and she knew it. She was a killer.

"I..." she sobbed, "I-I was j-just..."

Lucien bent down and put a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Your work pleases the Night Mother," he said kindly. "I have come to you with an offer, an opportunity, to join our family."

Silvie looked up at him, not saying a word. Family... the word whispered throughout her mind. The only family she had ever had was her father, and she hated him. That was why she had ran away. That was why she had been living as a thief for the past few months. But perhaps a real family... a kind and strong father, a caring mother, and brothers and sisterd for her to be with... the concept was almost too much for her.

"So," he smiled, "I have your rapt attention." His face grew serious, and his tone changed to match. "Listen, on the Green Road, Southeast of here, lies the Inn of Ill Omen. There you will find a man named Rufio," he smiled cruelly. "Kill him, and your initiation into the Dark Brotherhood will be complete."

She gaped at him. Kill him? Hadn't she done enough killing? Even if it was jsut one man, it weas more than she had ever wanted to. She shook her head. "No," she said weakly. "No, I'm not a killer."

"No?" Lucien said the word slowly, as if tasting the refusal on his tongue. "The Night Mother sees it differently. Take this," he pressed something into her hand. "It is a virgin blade, as you were last night. It is a gift, in case you should reconsider." He stood and backed away, his voice deepening. "Your path is clear," he said firmly. "Send Rufio to his grave, and the Dark Brotherhood will embrace you... as family." She didn't notice him casting the invisibilty spell, only gasping as he melted into the surrounding. "I do hope we meet again soon," he said almost wistfully.

Silvie sat in shock for several moments, not fully sure whether what had just happened was real or a dream. She looked at the dagger in her hand. It was exquisitely forged from dark ebony, the black blade shimmering in the light of the now rising sun that filtered in through the trees. She didn't know what to do. Some part of her wanted to leave that accursed blade there, forget that any of it ever happened, maybe bed her father to take her back. But that thought disgusted her. She had known when she left that a wretched existence was all she would be able to scraqe out. Was she going to chicken out now, when her first big test came?

But at the same time, she didn't want to kill anybody. She now had a taste of what killing was like, and she wanted nothing to do with it. She had heard of the Dark Brotherhood, a shadowy guild of cutthroats and assassins. She had read about some of their works, their grizzly killings. She knew that if she joined, it would only be more and more blood.

But a family... it sounded so good. She couldn't make a decision right there. She put the knife in the sheathe she had on her belt, from the iron dagger that, for all she knew, was still in that man's chest. The blade was too long for it and it cut through the end, but it worked well enough for now. She walked off in the direction of the rising sun, east. She would reach the Green Road, and then... who knew.

I bet there are lots of inns along the road, she thought. Maybe I won't be able to find it.

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Well, it was another short one, but lengthening my writing is something I'm still working on
Tell me what you think, and look forward to Chapter 3: Marked by a Raven

Yeah, I hear what you're saying with trying to make your writing longer. Don't really know what to say to you there :shrug:
But yeah, other than length, I'd say pretty good. Keep at it!

Chapter 3
Marked by a Raven

And what did you tell him?

Silvie sighed. "I kind of told him no, but he still gave me this," she patted the dagger, "and gave me directions. I think he still expects me to do it."

The sun was getting higher in the sky as Silvie walked through the forest. Alice had woken up some time before, and Silvie had told her of the mysterious Lucien Lachance and his... offer. Silvie sighed again and closed her eyes. "I don't want to kill any more, but..." she gazed pointedly at nowhere, imagining it as straight into Alice's eyes. "A family, Alice! He offered me a family!" She started walking again, her head low. "I don't know what to do. Sometimes I wonder if all of this is really worth just getting away from my father..."

Stop right there! Alice snapped, and Slivie halted in her tracks. You know very well why you left your father. You know you would go all the way to Black Marsh if you had to! She made a sort of mental sigh. He's the reason I'm even here. Nobody can handle that much stress... that's why I came to help you carry it.

Silvie nodded and continued walking. Alice had been with her since she was a little girl. The first time she realized that she wasn't just imagining her was a little after her tenth birthday. She still shivered to remember it. The feeling of being trapped inside her own mind, watching your life through eyes that were your own yet somehow not, unable to do anything. It was a terrifying feeling. She had gotten used to it now, sometimes even brought it on on purpose. Alice was better at dealing with things than she was.

Not to mention she was better at Magicka.

Silvie continued walking on, thinking about her father. It was something she never liked doing, but she had to force herself to remember why she left. The beatings... the Magickal tortures... the frustration at her complete ineptitude at her father's greatest talent... and most of all, the lies and deception of it all. What would people do if they found out that the leader of an entire chapter of the Mages Guild beat his only daughter?

The walk continued for a few hours, Silvie thinking of what course of action to take. She tried to think reasonably, acceptence at the cost of innocent blood, but the thought of the kind, smiling face of a mother she had never known kept coming to her mind. You know I'll be with you, no matter what you choose, Alice told her. I'll help you on whatever path you take.

Silvie sighed, then groaned. Her legs were getting tired from walking all day, and her stomach was growling. She didn't know much about the wilderness, so she didn't even attempt to find any edible berries. She rubbed her temple as she continued walking, thinking she might have to sleep in a tree that night, when a building came into view.

Silvie froze in her tracks, her heart racing. Was this it? Was this the Inn of Ill Omen? She slowly, stiffly walked forward, not sure what she would even do when she got inside. Would she find and kill Rufio? Would she even be able to spend the night there? She held tightly to the small stone wall for support as she came closer to the door, Alice's voice calming and reassuring her. She stumbled up the small steps and opened the door.

Inside the inn there were two Khajiit women and a Breton man. One of the Khajiit was behind the counter, while the other was babbling to the Breton about her 'poor, lost, Jumbo Potatoes.' At the sight of food on the counter, Silvie forgot all about Rufio and Lucien Lachance. There was food!

She stumbled slowly to the counter. The Khajiit behind the counter turned to her, eyes widening. "Oh, you poor dear!" She cried, grabbing her arm and helping her into a seat. "You must be starved! Here, hove some berries!" She grabbed a bowl of berries and put them on the counter in front of Silvie, who immediately began gorging herself on them. When she reached for one of the bottles near her, the Khajiit took it away from her and laughed. "No, that's Tamika's West Weald. You look a little young for that." She ducked under the counter and produced a canteen of water. "Here, drink this, it's from the well outside." Silvie nodded and took it, drinking liberally.

A few short moments passed of Silvie veritably pigging out on the berries before the Khajiit woman took them away. "I think that's enough for now," she smiled.

Silvie looked up her, remembering about Rufio. She glanced at the Breton man, wondering if he would be dead from her dagger by tonight. She turned back to the Khajiit. "Thanks," she said, "can you tell me where I am?"

The woman put a clawed finger to her feline chin and thought. "You're just off the Green Roan, about halfway between Bravil and Lake Rumare."

Silvie shook her head. "No, where is here?" She pointed at the floor.

The Khajiit's eyes widened. "Oh!" She understood now. "This is Faregyl Inn. Don't worry about the food, I'm not shy about helping out." She smiled. "Especially with all the extra coin I've got! I'll tell you, business has actually increased since the Inn of Ill Omen reopened!"

Silvie froze. "W-what?" She stammered. "Inn... of Ill Omen?"

The Khajiit nodded. "Yes, the Inn of Ill Omen! It's just down the road, south of here. I imagine people don't like the name, but it reminds them that they need rest, so they come here and- Hey, where are you going?"

Silvie had gotten up and was making for the door. "Sorry, I, uh... I have to go." she apologized before leaving out the door.

It was so close! She couldn't stand it! She had to get away, go far away, maybe even back to her father, she didn't want anything to do with this and-

Calm down! Alice nearly screamed to her. Silvie stopped, realizing she was standing a a fairly nice, paved road. The Green Road. She shivered. She looked to her right, to the south, where lay Bravil and, much closer, the Inn of Ill Omen. To her left would lead north, to the Red Rim Road that wound around Lake Rumare and the Imperial City. She remembered the little town that sat almost right on the intersection of the two roads... Pell's Gate. She fell to her knees, her hands on the ground. She was literally trapped, trapped between a murder she would commit and a murder she had already committed.

Calm down, Silvie, Alice whispered. Take a deep breath, and stand up.

Silvie did just that, slowly standing and breathing deeply. "What should I do Alice?" she asked, on the verge of tears. She had gotten herself into a hole, and didn't know how to get out. "Maybe I should just go back, I'm sure you could-"

Stop! Alice snapped. I am not going to pretend to be you in front of your father again, alright? You're going to need to learn to stand on your own, and that means you can't go back to your father like a repentant puppy! Silvie took a deep breath. She knew Alice was right. She couldn't go back to her father.

She slowly turned south, following the road. Before very long another building came into view. Above the door was a sign with a raven on it, the universal sign of a bad omen.

The Inn of Ill Omen

Silvie shivered as she continued forward. You know, Alice said, I didn't say you had to kill the guy. You can just walk on by, go to Bravil, maybe start off there and-

"No." Silvie cut Alice off now. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to..." she took a deep breath, "I'm going to kill Rufio and get a new family, a family that will have nothing to do with my father." She turned onto the small path that led to the inn. It seemed to tower before her, even though it was little more than a two-story cabin.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

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EDIT: fixed a few spelling and grammar errors

Better length, and it's nice that you had a non by-the-book DB part.

Few spelling mistakes and typos that could have been avoided with a read over.

If it's late, just go to bed, then wake up and edit it or something. Editing is quit boring and hard when your tired, in my opinion.

Other then that, I can't really find anything super wrong with it.

Keep it up. :thumbsup:

Good improvement, but along with that came some minor spelling errors. It seemed you were rushing your typing this time, or were tired because you use 'teh' instead of 'the' three times. It's nothing major at all, just take blademasters advice and proofread it when your mind is awake and clear. Other than that, your doing good.

Thanks you guys, I went back and fixed the errors I could find. Let me know if you find any more. I'll get Chapter 4 posted later today!

Chapter 4
The Blade of Woe

It was nice enough inside the Inn of Ill Omen, though not quite as nice as Faregyl Inn Alice noted. There was a Nord with his arms around a Redgaurd woman in front of the counter, and an Imperial Legion Forester sitting at one of the tables, his fingers on his temples as he drank from a tankard of ale. The Nord looked at the door as Sylvie entered.

"Oh!" he looked delighted to have a customer, though Alice noticed how he kept his arms around the woman, who ignored her completely. "Welcome to the Inn of Ill Omen! Manheim Maulhand, at your service!"

Alice groaned a little. She didn't particularly like Nords. Heck, she didn't particularly like anybody. The only other person aside from Silvie she had ever know was Silvie's father, and Hannibal hadn't left a very good impression on Alice's view of at least mankind as a whole.

Silvie simply whispered the words again, "Inn of Ill Omen..."

Manheim made a little cuckle. "Yeah, it's a horrible name for an inn, I know, but I just can't bring myself to change it." He shrugged and smiled. "Besides, I like the sign!" He looked around the nearly empty room. "Not much of anybody staying here these days," he continued wistfully, then smiled. "Except old Rufio that is, and of course my beautiful Minerva here." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and she smiled brightly in return.

The Legion Forester in the corner cleared his throat. "Oh yeah," Manheim added, looking at the Forester. "and the occaisional Legion man." He looked back back at Silvie. "Did you need something? A room, or something to eat?"

Silvie shook her head. "Um, you said Rufio?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, yeah, ol' Rufio," Manheim sighed. "He's been staying here for a couple of weeks now, downstairs in the 'Private Quarters.' Hiding from something if you ask me." He shrugged. "But, hey, what do I care? The man pays his tab."

Silvie nodded, heading towards the trap door that led downstairs.

"Oh, so you're here to see him?" Manheim asked. Well, duh, Alice thought to herself. Why else would we be asking for him? Silvie just bit her lip and nodded. "Well, don't expect a warm reception." He warned. "He'll only put up with me because he knows I'll kick him out if he gets troublesome."

Silvie nodded again and opened the trap door. She climbed down the ladder, closing the door shut and looking around. It was just a short hallway, two doors on the left side. Her heart began to beat faster. She tried to open the first door. Locked. She shivered and moved to the next one. She paused a moment, her hand on the handle.

Are you sure you want to do this? asked Alice. Above anything else, she didn't want Silvie to get hurt. That was why she was there. Why she had always been there. That was why... people like her even existed, to help support minds that couldn't support themselves. Hannibal, Silvie's father, was not her father. She didn't have one, except maybe Sheogorath himself, but Alice wasn't really one for religion. After all, how could any god explain her very existence? Two minds in one body? Alice didn't know, and she didn't really care about the 'how' of her existence. She was much more concerned with the 'why,' and that was Silvie's wellbeing.

And she wasn't completely sure this was the best thing for her. But she didn't see any better paths.

Silvie nodded. "Yes," she whispered, "didn't you yourself say that I had to put distance between my father and me?"

Yes, I did, Alice replied calmly, but you don't need to kill anybody to get away from him.

"Alice," Silvie's voice was still quiet, but it gained an edge it had never had before. "I've already killed somebody. There is already blood on my hands. How much worse can it get to add a little more?"

But Silvie, I-

"No," she raised her voice just a little, than quieted back down. "No, I'm getting a new family."

And with that she pushed open the door.

The room was dark. There were no candles or torches blowing, and it was cold from being underground. At first it seemed like there was nobody there, but as Silvie's - and Alice's - eyes adjusted to the dark, they noticed a large lump laying on the bed, rising and falling like it was breathing. As a matter of fact, it was.

Silvie and Alice thought it at the same time: Rufio.

Silvie slowly walked towards the man. He was sleeping deeply, despite it only being late afternoon, and he occaisionally muttered something, like he was dreaming. "I ain't done nothin'..." he groaned as Silvie got closer. He rolled over, his back now facing her. "Just leave me... leave me alone..."

Silvie bit her lip as she got closer. Even after all she had said, she wasn't quite prepared to take another life. She unsheathed her new dagger, looking at it. She had always liked to name things, but she couldn't come up with anything to call it. She slowly held it against Rufio's throat, shaking madly.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. She knew she didn't have to do it. She knew she could just walk away and pretend it didn't happen, but Alice knew that she knew it and so she stayed quiet. She knew that if this was what Silvie wanted to do, she would do it.

Silvie took another deep breath. She thought of a lot of things in shorter time than she thought possible. Did this man have family? Friends? Hopes or dreams? For that matter, did the man she had already killed? How much sadness would his death cause? How much woe would it bring?

She banished those thoughts, replacing them with thoughts of her new life, her new family. A life away from her father, and all the sadness and fear he had brought her.

But as she slid the blade across Rufio's throat it all came back, and she found a name for the dagger Lachance had given her.

The Blade of Woe.

The only thing I found that isin't up to par is that she bites her tongue more than once. I don't know if you meant to stress the point of her being nervous or not, but for me it doesn't sound completely right. Well anyways, good job!

Yeah, I've noticed that she does that a lot too. I guess it's just a habit she's formed :shrug:
Or maybe I just like using it

Muuuuuuuuuch better. I feel much more attached to both Sylvie and Alice now... and I was very impressed with how Syvlie wrestled with the decision. Many fanfics like this fail to realize just how difficult it must be to kill someone when you're still pretty innocent... I fear it's one of my own flaws in writing. You, on the other hand, go in depth into her thought processes, offering us a foil in Alice to bring out the explanation. Well done.

Also, the thing with the father adds a lot of depth. I don't think you've come out and said just what happened, but the implication is definitely there, and that's enough to hold the reader until we're ready for the big reveal. Artfully done. Bravo.

Well, when someone as picky as I am doesn't have any complaints, you must be doing something right. Keep writing this; it's rather enjoyable, and I want to see how it turns out for her/them. :goodjob:

Alright then, you might want to say to people that it's a habit. Because then some people might think it's an error. But on another note, I psychoanolyze waaaay too much and you should disregard my opinion. Haha, either way your doing good so it doesn't really matter....

Honestly, I don't think she needs to be explicit about it. It seems fairly obvious to me that Sylvie bites her lip when she's nervous. It's not an uncommon nervous habit, so it doesn't really need explanation, nor attention called to it. To be honest, I think explicitly saying that it's a habit would cheapen it. :shrug:

I didin't mean for him to flat out say that it's a habit, but to reinforce the notion that it is a habit. I think it just adds to the nuance when someone adds markers as to how many times a character does something noticable. "She bit her lip"once again, or "She bit her lip"for the second time. I didin't mean to spark anything. Rest assured Wilt, this isin't a big matter at all if you were wondering.

Wow... exactly how happy do you need to be to break out dancing to J-Pop for an unknown length of time? I think I may have been touched by Sanguine last night!

Wait a minute... EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's Chapter 5. I need to go rinse my mouth.

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Chapter 5
(insert DB reference here)

Silvie tried not to think about what she had just done as she wiped off the blade and resheathed it in the ill-fitting leather slip. She calmly left the room, although it may have been a bit quick (who wants to be in a room alone with a dead body?). She made sure there wasn't any blood on her clothes before she climbed up the ladder. In hindsight, she supposed it was lucky Rufio had been facing the other way when...

She shook her head and climbed up the ladder.

Manheim was behind the counter. Minerva had gone upstairs, and the Forester was still at the table, in perhaps the same exact position he had been in when she went down. She couldn't help but eye the Legion man warily. She was fairly sure Legion Foresters had the authority to arrest criminals...

"Well, that was quick," Manheim interrupted her thoughts. "I'm surprised I didn't hear any screaming!" She started breathing heavily. Did he know? She noticed the Forester move his arm a little. Why was she paying so close attention to him? He couldn't know. Manheim continued on, "He always screams when anyone other than me goes down there..."

She let out a sigh. He didn't know. "He... was asleep." she told him, maybe a little shakily. "I didn't, uh... didn't want to wake him."

Manheim nodded and sat back in a chair behind the counter. She didn't see what he was doing, her eyes were all on the Forester, who had turned to here when she spoke, perhaps noting the shakiness of her voice. He noticed her staring at him. "Something wrong, miss?" He asked.

She almost panicked. She was sure he would put it all together, would figure out that there was a dead man just below their feet, but she did her best to just shake her head. "N-no, I... I'm just tired," she stammered. She was beginning to shake all over.

She jumped when Manheim unexpectedly piped up, "You can have a room if you want one. Ten Septims a night though."

"N-no thanks," she breathed deeply, steadying herself. "I really... really should be back on the road.

Stay calm, Alice whispered to her as the Forester stood up and walked over to her. Really really took in how big the man seemed, even though Alice thought he was by no means an impressive figure. Her heavy breathing returned, and she found that she couldn't move.

Even though he walked normally, it seemed like he was cooming in slow motion. He reached out, and Silvie almost jumped back again, pleading innocence, when he grabbed onto the door handle. "Let me get that for you," he said as he opened the door. "Safe travels, miss."

She smiled and nodded, though neither expressed gratitude like they should have. She walked quickly out the door, forcing another smile at the man as he waved a little and closed the door behind her.

She stood there in the open for a moment, relieved to be out of the building. There was utter silence, it seemed. No birds, no rustling in the bushes, no anthing. The only thing Silvie heard was her own deep breathing. The moment didn't last long though, as Alice shortly screamed into her mind, Whay are you just standing there? RUN!

And run she did. She didn't have a particular direction in mind, which some part of her mind (which may or may not have been named "Alice") thought she should, but she didn't care. She just ran. She ran and ran and ran, not daring to look behind her. In fact, she didn't really look much in front of her either, and it wasn't long before she tripped. She managed to get her arms out in front of her, cushioning the fall as she let out a short yelp.

She started crying there, on the forest floor. She was already regretting the murder. Why? she thought to herself. Why did I do that? She clutched at her head. Maybe it wasn't to late to turn around, not to walk this path. She didn't know if she could handle all the killing. She had started calming down when she heard a faint chuckle behind her. Silvie whipped around to see Lucien Lachance standing not three paces away.

While Silvie sat dumbfounded, Alice was studying the man. She was impressed by how capable a sneak he was, but also took to notice that it would have been difficult to discern him from background noise with all of Silvie's crying. She was also impressed by the presence he exhuded. She thought the black hooded robe was just a tad overdone, but at least he didn't have fangs. That would have been too much. Not to mention that people with fangs were generally good to avoid.

Hm. Maybe fangs would have been a good addition.

Alice would have continued thinking such things, but he started speaking then. "So, the deed is done," his deep, cruel voice made it impossible to focus on anything else.

Silvie stared at him. "How...?"

"-do I know this?" he finished for her, a wicked smile on his face. "You will find that there is much the Brotherhood knows."

His face grew serious. "Now hear this, the killing of the old man was the signing of a contract, the manner of execution; you signature, Rufio's blood; the ink." The wicked smile reappeared on his face, and Silvie couldn't tell which look she found more frightening. "As a Speaker for the Black Hand, I personally oversee a group of family members in Cheydinhal. This is the group you will join. You will go to Cheydinhal, to the abandoned house on the east end of town. In the basemant, you will find a black door."

Alice was enjoying this. She liked this sense of... not quite fear, but something close to it. Perhaps danger? There was just something she liked about Lucien, unlike Silvie, who was absolutely terrified of him. "You will be asked a question," he continued, and Alice wondered by who. "You must answer 'Sanguine, my Brother.' Once inside, you will speak with Ocheeva. She will guide you from there."

Silvie nodded. "You are now one with the Dark Brotherhood," Lucien smiled kindly this time, an act that took both Silvie and Alice by surprise. It also distracted them from his invisibility spell, and as he melted away, he whispered softly, "Welcome to the family..."

Silvie's first coherent thought also came out through her mouth. "I wonder if he always does that."

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A little rushed I'll admit, but I swear the next chapter will malke up for it.
Who knows, I might manage to get it up later tonight!

You know he does. It's what makes him so very Lucien.

Also, it may be interesting to see how that incident in the inn pans out. Someone will eventually find Rufio's body--probably sooner rather than later--and either Manheim or the forester will put together what happened, and who knows what they'll do about it? NPC initiative is an interesting consequence that isn't accounted for in the game, and it can really spice things up.

Not much else I can say. Keep it up.

Man, you had to go and describe exactly how this one was going to start off... Oh well. Sorry for leading you all on, I tried, but my mother's darned time restrictions popped in. I think this chapter is the better for it though. Gives me more time to think about what I'm typing, not to mention proofread. Well, here you go!

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Chapter 6
Discoveries

The Forester had been the first to notice be suspicious. In fact, he was the only one who was suspicious. Minerva had come back down and was necking with Manheim like they were in their teenage years before either of them could be suspicious.

It was late at night when the Forester's suspicion won out. He started for the trap door. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Manheim warned. He was doing a little bit of cleaning. In the form of emptying previously filled tankards of ale. Into his mouth. "If he was asleep earlier, he'll be up now," he continued. "And he wouldn't be at all happy to see you."

The Imperial nodded and opened the latch.

There didn't seem to be anything odd... except of course a faint smell that he fancied tickled his nose in a rather unpleasent way. As if that wasn't enough, Rufio's door was left open. That did not seem like something a paranoid old man would do.

It was with a certain quickness of step that the Forester moved into the room, already suspecting what lay inside. At first he thought he had been wrong all along. Rufio seemed to be asleep in his bed. But he squinted harder when he realized that the man wasn't breathing. Not to mention the smell, once again. This time he was sure he smelled it. It was similar to after he had killed a deer.

He wasn't at all surprised when he approached and found his throat slit.

He was up and out of the basemant in a few heartbeats. Manheim smirked. "I told you-"

"We've got a murder on our hands." The Imperial cut him off.

Manheim's eyes widened, and the tankard crashed into the floor, coinciding nicely with the thump heard upstairs as Minerva shouted "What?" A few seconds later she dashed down the stairs in a simple nightgown.

The Forester nodded. "Rufio's dead."

Manheim groaned, putting his head in his hands as Minerva gasped and covered her mouth. All three of them looked down at the floor at the same time, then looked at each other again.

"But who-?"

"The girl." The Forester cut Manheim off again.

"Im-Impossible," he stammered. "She didn't... didn't seem like a killer..."

The Imperial nodded. "No, she didn't." He then looked at Minerva. "Minerva, get dressed. Go over to Faregyl and warn them that there's a killer, and ask Abhuki if she's seen teh Breton girl. I'm going to see if I can track her down. Manheim..." He trailed as he looked at Manheim. "You stay here. I think you can handle this better than Minerva could. Just stay upstairs, and don't disturb the body." He opened the door and stepped outside and slammed the door behind him without a word. He looked for his horse. Gone. And something told him that it hadn't wandered off on it's own.

He found Silvie's trail, but he could tell that she was long gone. On a horse.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Silvie had turned control over to Alice after Lachance left. She was in no condition to travel and both of them knew it. She rested her mind, trusting Alice to get them to Cheydinhal safely. Of course, Alice thought nothing of making the trip go a little faster by taking the horse that sat grazing outside the Inn of Ill Omen. It didn't complain to her very much, and though neither Silvie or Alice had ridden a horse independently before, Alice found it to be simple enough.

She was halfway to Cheydinhal by morning, and by noon she was a the front gate.

She trusted the horse to the Black Waterside Stables after removing anything she thought made it look like it belonged to the Legion. She wasn't surprised to find that Cheydinhal's front gate opened to the market district of sorts. The residential area was on the other side of the river.

It wasn't hard enough to find the 'abandoned house' Lucien had mentioned. It was trashed down and dumpy, and rather close to the Chapel too, Alice thought. She had to get a little creative when she found that the door was locked.

She sighed. At least it wasn't boarded up, like the windows. How would she have gotten through a boarded-up door? Even at night, she doubted she could manage such a thing unnoticed.

Luckily fer her, she just happened to find a lockpick lying in the bushes nearby. Either a thief had hid it there (not a bad idea, she thought) or somebody was expecting her. She suspected the latter.

Of course, she had never been particularly good with lockpicks. However, her luck was apparently extended, for she found the lock to be extremely simple. The lock clicked, and she looked around, in hindsight thinking she should have done so before. To her luck (once again), nobody was around. She was begining to think she was having an inexplicibly good day when she opened the door and stepped inside.

The smells were everything you'd expect in an old, abandoned house. Dust, mold, the usual. She went to the basemant, as instructed, noting the trashed boxes and shelves and such. Not as much as she noted the broken-down wall leading to a red-glowing tunnel though. Undazed by cobwebs and dustclouds that wafted up wherever she walked, she entered the tunnel and saw the black door.

It was the creepiest door Alice had ever seen, that was for sure. Not that she had really seen any other creepy doors. But if she had, she was sure they wouldn't have been as creepy as this one. A skull with a black hand on it was depicted on the upper part of the door, while on the lower part there was a woman holding a dagger with a number of children holding their hands up in... was it praise? Or was it fear?

Alice couldn't suppress a shiver. The door also seemed to be the source of the red light. She looked around for whoever would be asking the entry question. When she saw nobody she only shrugged and approached the door.

She jumped as a dark voice whispered, "What is the color of night?"

The door asked the question? Alice paused while searching for the answer Lucien had given her and Silvie. She cleared her throat before answering as the Speaker had instructed; "Sanguine, my brother."

The door slid open noisily, revealing a short section of hallway left before it opened into a chamber. As she stepped over the threshold, the door whispered in the same death-like voice, "Welcome home."

Not bad. I wonder how far the Forester will follow her for?

A few spelling mistakes, mainly the "teh" and one "tehn" which showed that you did not read over your work very good.

I was a little confused as to why she would go back to the Inn to commit another crime. Especially when she was running like crazy only minutes before. She did steal the horse from the Inn of Ill Omen, correct?

I was confused about the horse thing too. :mellow:

Silvie was running, then Alice went back and got the horse. I guess that kind of thing doesn't work then. I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

And thanks for pointing out the spelling errors too. I'll get on that.

Chapter 7
The Sanctuary

Alice gave Silvie a mental nudge to wake her up. We're here Silvie, she whispered to her. And that really got her awake.

Alice stepped lightly, looking around. It was a large chamber, with two doors on either side and a hallway across the room from her. From the ceiling hung a number of lanterns, and a few torches clung to the walls. The ceiling was supported by four thick pillars in the middle of the room, a few tapestries hanging from them. While most of these tapestries were simply red designs, a few of them depicted a black hand surrounded by a white oval. A few tables and chairs sat in the corners of the room, and in the center of the chamber stood an Argonian woman wearing black armor, smiling at her.

Alice approached her cautiously. "Ocheeva?" she asked tentatively.

The smiling Argonian nodded. "Yes, I am Ocheeva. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Silvie, Lucien's told us all so much about you." She held out a hand to be shaken.

Alice looked around, not seeing anybody else, before shaking her hand. "Silvie says hi too." she smiled.

Silvie gaped in her mind. You're not...! Alice couldn't help but smirk.

Ocheeva cocked her head to a side quizzically, her free hand reaching slowly for her dagger. "Are you not Silvie?" she asked slowly.

"I'm Alice," she responded casually. "Silvie's not out right now." She tapped her head. "She isn't feeling well."

You're telling her? Silvie screamed at her, outraged. She didn't want her knew family to think she was blessed by Sheogorath.

Alice figured that Silvie wouldn't be very happy about it. I told you I wasn't going to be you any more, she explained to her. She smiled as she added Don't worry, I'm sure they allow crazies here.

Silvie screamed in frustration. Alice, you're going to ruin EVERYTHING!

Alice ignored her and kept smiling at Ocheeva, who was staring at her with a confused look on her face. To help clarify, she explained; "We share a room in here," she tapped her head again, "and from time to time I'm the one in control. I'm making sure this place is alright for her." She shrugged. "It's my job to protect her."

Ocheeva looked at her sideways, perhaps a little suspicious, or maybe just still confused. In any case, her hand left her dagger. "You have nothing to fear from us," she said slowly. "What does one have to fear from their family?"

Flashbacks of Silvie's father came to Alice. "In my experience, sometimes quite a bit."

Ocheeva didn't look pleased to hear that. "Follow me." She made a hand motion at her as she walked to the door on Alice's right. Alice didn't see any reason not to follow, so she did so. "These are the living quarters," Ocheeva explained. "At this time of day, almost everybody is in here." She opened the heavy doorway into a hall that went down before turning right, then left into another chamber full of beds, tables, shelves, and cupboards. A few people, all in the same black armor as Ocheeva (except for a steel-clad Orc, Alice noted), were sitting at a long table. A Breton girl, slightly shorter than her but with short blonde hair and blue eyes, was the first to notice them.

"Newest sister!" She cried in delight, dashing from her seat and hugging her tightly. Ocheeva couldn't help but chuckle at Alice's odd expression of confusion and awkwardness. The girl pulled away, smiling widely. "I'm Antoinetta Marie, I've heard so much about you!"

"Look..." Alice scratched the back of her neck, wondering how many times she was going to have to explain this. "I'm not Silvie, alright? I'm Alice, I'm just checking out the place for her, okay?"

Antoinetta frowned and looked at Ocheeva, as did the others who had stood up and had been coming towards her, no doubt to greet her themselves. Ocheeva closed her eyes and sighed, her reptilian mouth giving it a light hissing sound. Or maybe it was her frustration letting itself out. Alice rolled her eyes and let out a similar sigh, though the frustration did not result in a hiss. "Can we just say I'm Sheogorath's little gift to dear Silvie?"

Silvie groaned. How much worse could Alice possibly make it?

Everybody looked at each other, shrugged, than continued towards her, though they were considerably more awkward about their introductions.

The first one came from an Argonian named Teinaava, who was apparently Ocheeva's twin brother. He seemed nice enough. He wasn't quite sure how to talk to Alice, ecpecially after she explained that Silvie was still there, listening.

A Bosmer woman introduced herself as Telaendril. "You're lucky you caught me here," she added after her greeting. "I'm usually out and about, I leave for Leyawiin later this week."

And then there was the steel-clad Orc, who's name was Gogron gro-Bolmog, seemed to have the least trouble. In fact, it was as though he didn't even care whether this was Silvie or not, he was happy to have a new person to tell his bloody tales to.

Ocheeva turned to her, interrupting the Orc before he could get started on one of those stories. "There's also M'raaj-Dar and Mathieu Bellamont, but they're out fulfilling contracts right now. M'raaj-Dar could be back later today actually, though you just missed dear Mathieu. He left just yesterday, so it will take longer for him to get back. Oh!" her eyes widened, like she had just remembered something. "And Vicente! He's in his quarters."

Antoinetta piped up. "Ooh! You have to meet Vicente! You'll absolutely love him!"

The girl grabbed Alice by the arm, pulling her along out of the living quarters almost faster than she could follow. Everybody else followed behind, some of them laughing at Antoinetta's eagerness, or maybe Alice's expression. Antoinetta took them down the fall that was across from the exit, leading them to the right, down a small flight of stairs and to the left, where Antoinetta knocked on another heavy wooden door.

"What is it?" a Breton voice from inside asked.

"It's..." Antoinetta looked at Alice, not quite sure how to describe her. She then shrugged and called back "It's the new sister!"

Alice rolled her eyes as the voice inside called back "Oh! Please, let her in."

Antoinetta nudged her forward. "Go on!" she encouraged.

Alice sighed and opened the door and walked in, closing it behind her. Inside, a man was sitting at a table, a book open on the table in front of him. Alice and Silvie both noted his... odd appearence. His skin seemed stretched tight over his features and had the texture of an old onion, not to mention it was deathly pale. He seemed dreadfully gaunt and malnourished, as well as having black eyes and she thought she could see fangs poking out from his thin lips.

"So you're the new sister?" he asked. "Silvie, isn't it?"

"N-no..." she found herself stammering, though she didn't know why. "I'm Alice..." she forced a smile, "Sheogorath's little present for her."

Vicente chuckled, then held up a hand. "Please, don't let my appearences disturb you." He stood up, and Alice found herself fighting not to back away. "The Tenets of the Dark Brotherhood come before my own needs as a Vampire."

Both Alice and Silvie gasped at once. That certainly explained the features. He continued explaining. "I was stricken with Vampirism nearly three-hundred years ago, on an expedition to Vvardenfell. I hunted alone for nearly a hundred years before the Dark Brotherhood found me." He smiled. "Now I have a family that accepts, and even values, my unique gifts."

That struck a chord not only with Silvie, but with Alice as well. She liked the idea of not being viewed as the manifestation of Silvie's mental instabilities. And hey, if the vampire wasn't already at her throat, she figured she and Silvie would be alright.

She breathed deeply and relaxed. She noticed the sounds of the five outside listening in. "You know," she smiled at Vicente, "for assassins, they're really not that good at staying quiet."

"Oh, they really are." Vicente smiled back. "That's just Gogron, making enough noise for all five of them."

The two laughed, and Alice figured she was going to like it there.

Yeah, I always thought that the Dark Brotherhood were very friendly for Assasins