//------------------------------// // Brotherhood: Fulfilling the Contract // Story: Skyrim: The Faces of Death // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Amaryllis had no idea how much time had passed between the moment she had fallen asleep and the moment she had started to wake back up, though as she started to come to she could have sworn that she heard the sound of moving water around the coffin that she, and the Night Mother, were in, though she was somewhat happy to see that the coffin had been created to prevent water from getting inside it and harming the ancient corpse, otherwise she was sure that she would have drowned before even waking up. "Hurry, Nazir!" she heard a familiar voice say, though that was when she realized that Babette was just fine and that she hadn't been killed by the Penitus Oculatus, and her words indicated that Nazir had definitely survived the aftermath of the assault on their Sanctuary, and she was also sure that Babette had to be using one of her vampire powers to figure out that Amaryllis was inside the coffin, "I'm telling you, she's in there!" "I'm going... as fast... as I can, you stupid she-devil." Nazir commented, his statement sounding broken due to the fact that he was speaking in between his attempts to pull the coffin out of the pool that it had landed in, especially since she did knock it through the window so the two of them could survive the roaring flames that had been eating away at the rest of their home, "I don't see you... helping..." "I'm not exactly built for manual labor, you know that." Babette replied, referring to the fact that her body was that of a little kid, meaning that she couldn't do things that adults usually did, not that such a thing seemed to bother her at all, before she focused on what was happening at the moment and stopped thinking about her body, "Now come on, you've almost got it!" "One more... pull... yeeaahh!" Nazir said, though that was where Amaryllis heard the sound of the coffin being pulled out of the pool and was positioned on the ground, just like it had been inside the chamber it had been in earlier, and, as she expected, she heard the sound of her brother panting for a moment, showing that he had put a lot of effort into getting the container out of where it had landed after what she did to escape being burned alive, "There, the Night Mother's coffin is no longer in the pool." "Can you get it open?" Babette asked, showing that she either didn't have the skills to get it unlocked, since she did prefer to use her small child body to her advantage whenever she was out on contracts, or she did have the skills and was merely testing Nazir to see if he had the skills before she offered her assistance in getting the coffin unlocked, though Amaryllis wasn't sure how it had been locked again, since she definitely didn't do that. "I... I think so." Nazir answered, his tone informing her that he needed a few seconds to regain his energy, since he did just finish hauling a heavy iron coffin out of the pool that Amaryllis had pushed it into earlier, thus saving both of their lives in the process, before he took a deep breath and readied himself for the next step of what they were doing, "Just wait for a couple of seconds and I'll tell you if I can open it or not." You must speak with Astrid. Here, in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. Amaryllis heard a third voice say, one that came from the coffin she happened to be resting in, as it was the voice of the Night Mother, though part of her was happy to hear that Astrid had survived the attack on the Sanctuary, meaning she had either been outside when the attack went down, just like Babette, or she had been knocked out and was untouched by the flames due to landing in a safe place, like in the pool the coffin had landed in, without crushing her if the latter was true. It was in that moment, just after the Night Mother had spoken to her, that Amaryllis was able to fully rouse herself and shake off the desire to fall back asleep, where she turned around and faced the part of the coffin's lid that the Unholy Matron was constantly staring at, as it was time to exit the coffin and reunite with the surviving members of her Family, as she knew some of them would want to finish their contract, before the lid opened and she found both Nazir and Babette waiting for her as she took a step forward. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. It's all right. You've been through a lot." Nazir said, referring to the mess in Solitude, with the Emperor's decoy, the assault on their Sanctuary, which Amaryllis couldn't see at the moment since she was facing the wall that the stairs to the first chamber were built into, and the fact that she threw herself into the Night Mother's coffin to get them out of the area that could have cooked them, "Maybe you should just sit down for a bit... provided we can find something for you to sit on." "I'm... I'm fine." Amaryllis stated, as the truth of the matter was that she hadn't taken any damage from all the soldiers she had fought to get to this point, even if her earlier anger, at seeing her Family targeted and killed, had finally faded, but that was when she focused on what she had been told, as it might lighten the mood, even though she could see that the rest of the area had been charred by the Penitus Oculatus' attack, "The Night Mother told me that I have to speak with Astrid, and that she's here, in the Sanctuary." "She's here!?" Nazir nearly exclaimed, though at the same time Babette seemed slightly happy by that news, as it did mean not all of their Family members had been killed by the Penitus Oculatus, but even as he said that Amaryllis got the brief impression that he wasn't sure where Astrid could be inside the ruined sanctuary, meaning that she had to be hiding from him and Babette, "By Sithis, I thought we had lost her as well. Let's go!" As Amaryllis walked away from the coffin, so she could figure out where Astrid was located, she discovered that the rest of the Sanctuary was ruined, either by pieces of the ceiling that collapsed the tunnels, or the flames that had eaten all of the corpses, either leaving charred bodies or just bones in some cases, but she could tell that their home was ruined and that it would take forever to return it to what it used to be. It was rather sad to see the Sanctuary is such a state, one that made the Dawnstar Sanctuary perfect in comparison, granted she hadn't seen much of that one since the guardians had allowed her to get to Cicero in seconds, rather than her having to explore the entire place to find him, but all of this pointed to one thing. The only place that Astrid could be in was her room, even if that had been torched as well, but it did seem to be the best place to start her search and that was where she headed, though while it took her maybe a minute to get up there she was surprised to find that a dresser remained, one with some scorch marks on it, though behind it rested a short tunnel that brought them to an unusual sight. It was in that moment that they discovered Astrid's fate, as it looked like she had been knocked out by someone and had been set on fire, as her body was seriously burned to the point that it looked like she should be dead, but the sound of Nazir and Babette moving behind Amaryllis seemed to awaken the leader of their Family, who gasped for air as her eyes opened, allowing her to gaze upon the surviving members of their Family, or, to be more specific, to gaze at Amaryllis. "Alive...." Astrid managed to say, though even as she said that Amaryllis knew that there was no saving her from all of the wounds and burns that had been inflicted upon her body, in fact the only ones she knew that could reverse all of this damage were the Princesses of Canterlot, and they were on a world that couldn't be accessed at all, so Astrid's chances of surviving this were incredibly slim to having no chance, "You're alive... thank Sithis..." "Astrid..." Amaryllis said, though that was as far as she got, because seeing the leader of her Family like this, even if she did suspect her of being the one who told Commander Maro about their plot to kill the Emperor, was enough to make her stop talking and just look at what was going on at the moment, while she knew that both Nazir and Babette were just as surprised as she was, meaning they must have thought Astrid was dead at first. "Ssshhh.... Please. There is much... I have to say, and... not much time..." Astrid stated, though her usual commanding tone was gone, in fact everything that Amaryllis was used to seeing and hearing was gone, leaving her as a broken person that was near the end of her life, hence the reason she said nothing and listened to whatever Astrid had to tell her before her life gave out, "I'm sorry... I'm so very sorry. The Penitus Oculatus... Maro... he said that by giving you to them, he would leave the Dark Brotherhood alone... for the rest of our days. By Sithis, I was such a fool to believe him. All of this... it's all my fault. You are the best of us, there is now denying that, and I nearly killed you... as I've killed everyone else..." A side of Amaryllis wanted to rage at Astrid, since her earlier thoughts about Maro uncovering the assassination plot had been true, especially since it appeared that their dying leader was responsible for killing half of their Family members by striking a deal with Commander Maro, while the other side of her wanted to remained silent for a time, not wanting to say or do anything as she considered what she had been told and if there was more to Astrid's crimes than what they had heard so far. "Don't you see? It was me!" Astrid continued, apparently taking Amaryllis' silence as her unwillingness to speak, even if she had spoken her mind about several of the things she had done in the past, while also revealing her sins to both Nazir and Babette, who kept quiet as she talked, just so they could get the whole story from her, "I set you up, wanted you dead. I betrayed you, the Night Mother... everything I hold dear. And now Maro has betrayed me. I just wanted things... to stay the way they were. Before Cicero, before the Night Mother, before... before you! I thought I could save us... I was wrong. But you're alive! So there's still a chance... a chance to start over, to rebuild. That's why I did... this. Don't you see? I prayed to the Night Mother! I am the Black Sacrament!" "Astrid, what are you saying?" Amaryllis inquired, because while she understood the majority of what Astrid had just said, the parts about her betraying her and the rest of the Family, only to be betrayed by Commander Maro, the only part she was having difficulty understanding was the last part, though even as she said that she looked at what was around the fallen leader of her Family, the candles, the nightshade petals, her unique dagger, and the position that Astrid was laying in, one that made her realize she was the effigy of the Black Sacrament, just like she had been told. "I'm saying you were right." Astrid said, revealing that, after all of this had happened, she realized that Amaryllis had the Family's best interests at heart and that she had been that way from the day she joined them, even with a few of the suggestions about how to improve themselves when there was no Listener, before opening her mouth again, "The Night Mother was right. The old ways... they guided the Dark Brotherhood for centuries... I was a fool to oppose them. And to prove my... sincerity, I have prayed for a contract. Amaryllis, you are to lead this Family now, and I give you the Blade of Woe, the symbol of my office, so that you can see it through. You must kill... Me!" Amaryllis stood there for a moment as she levitated the Blade of Woe into her hand, allowing her to look at the blade that Astrid carried with her at all times, even if she never used it, before letting out a sigh as she came to a decision, as she brought the blade right down into Astrid's chest, bringing her life to an end in an instant, though at the same time she felt a bit of her own health being restored, meaning the Blade of Woe had an enchantment that stole the life energies of the person that the wielder was facing. She waited for a few seconds, just to make sure Astrid was gone, before sighing as she pulled the blade out, grabbed the sheath that it went with, and added it to her belt, as she knew that it and the Razor would be a good combination for the future, before heading out to where the Night Mother was waiting, giving Nazir and Babette time to understand what they had just learned. Astrid is dead. It is as it should be. May she find redemption in the Void. the Night Mother side, speaking when Amaryllis was close to her coffin once more, where all she did was remain silent, as it appeared that the ancient being preferred to have someone listen to her talk and not have someone talk back to her, in the sense of a conversation, and she had the feeling that this was important for the future of her Family, But while you live, the Dark Brotherhood lives. We must fulfill our contract. Emperor Titus Mede II must be eliminated. Speak with Amaund Motierre at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun. He will know the true Emperor's location. But first, inform Nazir of your plans. For you are the Listener, and must bind this Family together. At the very least Amaryllis was happy to see that the Night Mother shared her thoughts, that the Emperor had to be eliminated and their contract had to be completed, especially now that the true Emperor had likely heard the news that the Dark Brotherhood had been wiped out, no doubt from Commander Maro himself, and it was time to exploit the fact that the Penitus Oculatus likely believed they had been destroyed as well, which was the reason why she was heading back to the Sanctuary's entrance and stopped when she found Nazir. "By Sithis, what a mess." Nazir commented, as he didn't like the fact that nearly everything that they owned had been consumed by the flames and that half of their Family had been killed by the Emperor's security force, as it seemed easier to blame them for what had happened, instead of blaming Astrid, but even Amaryllis could tell that he was getting used to the fact that he was going to have to blame Astrid for everything that happened, "I guess this is the end of us." "Actually, we're not finished, not yet anyway." Amaryllis replied, causing Nazir to glance at her while Babette turned her head a little, showing Amaryllis that the ancient vampire seemed torn about what Astrid did and that she was focusing on their former leader for an unknown period of time, before she focused on her brother once more, "The Night Mother has spoken to me again, and she's given me a new task." "What?" Nazir nearly exclaimed, almost as if he had been wondering if the Night Mother and Sithis had forsaken them, due to what just happened to their Family, the last in the entirety of Tamriel from what Amaryllis gained from what she read in Cicero's journals, before he focused on what he had just been told and what it could mean for the future of their Family, all while Babette seemed to be staring in the direction of Astrid's hidden chamber, "Well... what did she say?" "She said that I must speak with Amaund Motierre once more, whose apparently hanging out in the Bannered Mare at the moment." Amaryllis stated, though even as she said that she could tell that Babette had already connected the dots and was envisioning what the future would hold for them, once the contract was completed, while Nazir seemed surprised about the information, before the truth dawned on him as well. "Does that mean what I think it means?" Nazir inquired, almost as if he knew what the truth was and was unwilling to speak it out loud, out of fear of the possibility that Amaryllis was pulling his leg and that she was going to disband the Dark Brotherhood, even if he did know that such a thing had a very low chance of even happening, and that the only reason he was even considering it was because he had felt they were safe in this location, only for one of their number to betray them and bring about the destruction that was around them. "It does mean what you think it means. The contract is still on, and the true Emperor must be assassinated." Amaryllis said, though even as she said that she knew there was one more target she wanted to take out, before this contract was brought to a close, because Commander Maro was the one that had given the order to attack the Sanctuary and that did make him partly responsible for the death of their Family members, something she intended on collecting, and it would help reinforce the belief that the Dark Brotherhood was alive and that no one was safe. "There's still a chance... but how are we going to kill the Emperor, when our plan has been ruined?" Nazir asked, as he knew that the Gourmet was now a wanted figure in all of Skyrim, as that was something that Babette had learned earlier, on her way back from one of the minor contracts he had given her, so there was no way that Amaryllis was going to be able to use that disguise again, not without some alterations to the form so it looked like someone else. "Oh, I'm sure that Amaund will have some information to share with me when I talk to him," Amaryllis answered, as the way she saw it the man had given them all the pieces of information they needed for the first plan, even if that had failed due to Astrid messing up, so all she had to do was approach him and get the information that he had this time, all so she could figure out the best way to kill the Emperor, as the time for something like taking the place of the Gourmet was over, meaning it was time for some infiltration, which was her specialty, "Trust me on this, Nazir, this time I won't fail the Dark Brotherhood, and the next time we see each other I'll be bringing good news!" "You know, I will put my trust in you. Fly, my sister. Find out what that slimy bastard Motierre has to say, then send the Emperor to Sithis." Nazir replied, where a smile appeared on his face and the fear of his Family being reduced to nothing disappeared, showing Amaryllis that he was ready to follow the path she was walking and that he was prepared to see what was waiting at the end of the road the Night Mother was directing her down, "Ah, but when you're done, there's no use returning here, is there? I was thinking that we could use the Dawnstar Sanctuary, make a proper home there. Listen, when you're finished with this Emperor business, meet Babette and me there... and don't worry, I'll find some way to move the Night Mother. Now go... and come back with a barrel full of gold, hmm?" Amaryllis nodded her head in agreement, as she was happy to see that both Nazir and Babette were feeling slightly better after everything that had happened to them and their Family, before she told them what the phrase to get into the other Sanctuary was, since she was the only one besides Cicero that knew it right now, and left them to their own devices as she headed for the entrance of the now ruined Sanctuary. While she did that there was one member of the Family that she hadn't seen, both during her return to her new home, after killing the Emperor's decoy, and after waking up inside the Night Mother's coffin, and that was Meeko, because she hadn't seen any dead dogs around the area and knew that he would have fought to protect his new Family. As she took to the sky, and headed for Whiterun on what appeared to be the early evening of the day following her attempt on the Emperor's life, all she could assume was that the Penitus Oculatus had kidnapped Meeko for some odd reason, even though there was the slim chance that he could have been released back into the wild in case the Family was doomed to die, so he didn't suffer the same fate. For now her focus was on her target and the information that Amaund would have for her, as Meeko would have to come later, and she used her faster speed, as time was of the essence, since she had no idea how much time was left before the Emperor departed from Skyrim and was put beyond their reach. It took her seventeen minutes to reach Whiterun, where she landed behind one of the walls and shifted into a male Nord that looked like a weary adventurer that was going to rent a room at the inn for the night, who the guards glanced at for a moment before she headed inside, where she quickly made her way to the Banndered Mare, though as soon as she entered the inn she found Rexus sitting near the fire and that Amaund was heading into the back room, though when she followed him, and closed the door behind her, she discovered that the man looked like he had aged a little, even growing out a short beard in the process, which seemed impossible based on the amount of days they had been working on the contract he hired them to do. "What is it?" Amaund asked, though even as he said that, and Amaryllis knew it was the same man since his voice was the same from the last time they had seen each other, he took a seat that happened to be facing the door, while at the same time Amaryllis dropped her disguise for the time being, as they needed to have a quick chat about the real Emperor, and anything else that came to her while she was here, "I said I didn't wish to... be disturbed." "Amaund Motierre, you and I have some unfinished business." Amaryllis replied, informing the man that she came to chat about the contract he wanted her and her Family to do, even though it cost them much more than what she originally thought it would cost them, but right now she was focused on the fact that the man in front of her had information that she needed and that she couldn't leave without learning what he knew. "By the gods. You... you're alive!" Amaund exclaimed, apparently not caring about someone hearing what they were talking about, as if he was asking for someone to lash out and stab him, something that Amaryllis was tempted to do since her Family was gone, but she reminded herself why she had come here and listened to what he had to tell her, "But I had heard... your Sanctuary... Please! You mustn't think I had anything to do with that! I wanted the Emperor dead! The true Emperor! I still do! It was Maro! He..." "I want to talk about the Emperor... the real Emperor, not one of his decoys." Amaryllis stated, stopping the man in his tracks, as she really didn't want to talk about Commander Maro, not yet anyway, and it seemed that her statement actually caused him to pause and listen to what she was saying, before she sighed and glared at the man, as it appeared that her new armor was enough to intimidate anyone at this point, "Where is the Emperor?" "You mean, after all that's transpired, the Dark Brotherhood will still... honor the contract?" Amaund inquired, as if he had been afraid that she was going to tell him that the deal was off due to the fact that her Family had been decimated by the Penitus Oculatus, but when she nodded her head a little, to indicate that she was going to do that, a grin appeared on his face, indicating that this likely pleased him, "Why, this is astounding news! The Emperor is still in Skyrim, but he won't be for too much longer. He's onboard his ship, the Katariah, which is moored offshore in the Solitude Inlet. But you must hurry! If you can get on board that ship, and kill Emperor Titus Mede II, as contracted... I will reveal the location of the dead drop that holds your payment." "Good, now I know where he's located." Amaryllis said, though she was getting annoyed with Amaund, mostly because of the fact that he was being loud on purpose and was trying to get her to do something, so unless everyone in the main part of the inn was busy drinking, and would have no idea what had happened in this room, she was sure someone would inform the guards as to what was going on, before she focused on the other thing that she wanted to ask, before she left and headed back to Solitude once more, "Now then, where can I find Commander Maro?" "Ah, yes, I can imagine you would want to settle that score." Amaud nearly laughed, almost as if he felt a little sorry for the man that had invoked the wrath of the Dark Brotherhood, before he considered the information that he had and what he wanted to tell her, which was followed by him deciding to give her what she wanted to know, "Last I heard, Commander Maro was at the Solitude Docks, conducting the Emperor's departure... though one of the guards I got the information from told me that there was a whine coming from one of the crates his soldiers were putting on their own ship." "Oh, I am so going to kill him." Amaryllis commented, as she now knew what was going on, because she had been very curious about what happened to one of her Family members and it appeared that she now had confirmation on where the missing member was located, before she turned towards the door and then glanced back to Amaund, "Not only did he give the order that killed most of my Family, he's stolen my dog as well!" Amaund said nothing as Amaryllis shifted back into the disguise she had been using to get inside the city and opened the door that she had closed earlier, where the people that were inside the inn saw the same Nord adventurer that they had seen enter the establishment, before she excused herself and exited the building, while making sure to promise the innkeeper that she would be right back, even if she wasn't planning on returning in this form. She quickly made her way back outside the city, making it look like she had forgotten something important, and the guards barely paid any attention to what she was doing, allowing her to slip through the main gates and head over to the wall that she used to cover herself when she was changing forms. The moment she was sure that the coast was clear, and none of the guards could see her, she shifted back into her true form and took off, quickly getting to the point where no one would be able to see her all that well, before she headed to the northwest and started to fly through the air, as it was time to make Commander Maro pay for the deaths he had caused and for stealing Meeko, and then she could find the Emperor's boat and finish him off, as she was getting a little tired of this game they had been playing with him. Amaryllis discovered that, thanks to how fast she was flying, it only took her about thirty-five minutes to reach the docks that were near Solitude, though she landed on the hill that was heading down to the dock, as it appeared that there was no one in that area and that there were no guards as well, so she was able to land and shift into her Khajiit assassin form with ease. Of course, as she did all that, she did notice the massive ship that was in the inlet, just like Amaund had told her earlier, which meant that the Emperor was likely waiting for the rest of the Penitus Oculatus to arrive before he departed for Cyrodiil, or wherever the ship was supposed to be sailing to next, and it would be rather easy for her to get aboard the ship, even if she couldn't land on the deck itself. Fortunately she had an idea where another entrance to the ship rested and would be checking it out in due time, but her first order of business was to head down to the smaller ships that were currently in the docks and find her first target, though it wasn't hard to spot Commander Maro standing on the walkway, in front of a boat that two of his soldiers seemed to be loading, which was where Meeko was being held against his will. The only reason she could think of, for why they would kidnap her dog, was to give their Commander something to take his mind off of what had happened during the Emperor's visit to Skyrim, namely the death of his son and the fact that they had ruined Gaius' name, but even as she thought about that she remained silent as she approached the area in question, as it appeared he was chatting with his soldiers before their departure. "And the outpost at Dragon Bridge?" one of the two soldiers asked, showing that they must have been going over all of the stuff that had been prepared ahead of time, for when the Emperor was originally planning on coming to Skyrim, and it appeared they had reached the end of the list that they were talking about, but none of them had noticed that they were no longer alone as they talked. "It will be shuttered by the end of the month." Commander Maro replied, though even as he said that he sounded like he was happy about what they had been able to do, something that his soldiers hadn't picked up on yet while Amaryllis was able to detect it rather quickly, before he considered something else, "After that, well, it can be turned into whatever the residents of Dragon Bridge want to turn it into." "Very good. And you'll be returning to..." the other soldier started to say, only to stop when he and his partner realized that neither of them really knew what their Commander was going to do once they left Skyrim behind, where this had to be the first time that either of them even considered such a thing, though Amaryllis remained silent as she listened to them and waited for the perfect time to strike down the first of her targets, where they pair glanced back at their Commander for a couple of seconds, "Well, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly will you be going now, sir?" "Hmph. Now there's an excellent question." Commander Maro answered, showing that he approved of what the pair was doing as he looked at one of the crates that happened to be on the small boat they were loading up, which was where a whine could be heard, informing Amaryllis as to which crate Meeko was trapped in, only for him to turn his gaze back to the soldiers that were in front of him, "Truth is, as soon as the Emperor sets sail, I'm resigning my position." "Oh... I see." the first soldier said, though that was when he and his partner stopped what they were doing, put what they were carrying down on the deck, and then saluted their Commander, showing Amaryllis that Maro was definitely well liked, potentially even loved, among the members of the Penitus Oculatus, "Well then, Commander Maro, let me be just say that it's been an honor serving under you." "The honor has been mine." Commander Maro stated, where he returned the gesture and put a smile on both of the soldiers' faces, almost as if he only did this to the soldiers that impressed him, or maybe this was his final act before he was no longer their leader, before he lowered his arm, "You both should be proud of what we've accomplished here. The Dark Brotherhood is no more, and the Emperor is finally safe!" The two soldiers nodded their heads in understanding, though before anyone said anything else, or got back to what they had been doing, Amaryllis revealed herself and they turned to look at her, while at the same time Meeko let out an excited bark, as he seemed to be the only one that really recognized her, regardless of what disguise she was wearing, and she was blaming that on his nose, before she focused on her target as she drew her daggers. "By the gods... you!" Commander Maro declared, showing Amaryllis that he did recognize the armor that she wore, as he had a good chance to study it before he sent those three soldiers to their deaths, before a look of rage appeared on his face as he realized that he never heard from those soldiers, along with the fact that the "Gourmet" up and disappeared as he confronted her, "But it can't be. You're dead. You..." In that moment he seemed to go berserk as he roared and pulled his greatsword from his back, where he brought it down on where Amaryllis was standing, but thanks to her new skills, and her more agile movements, Amaryllis was able to dodge the attack and let the head of the sword collide with the wood of the dock, where it actually got stuck thanks to how beaten parts of the walkway seemed to be. She then used that opportunity to stab Commander Maro in the chest several times, with both the Blade of Woe and Mehrunes' Razor, forcing her foe to let go of his weapon and raise his fists, but as he tried to hit her with some punches she dodged them like they were nothing and lashed out again, this time slicing open his neck and let his body fall to the ground. Fortunately, since Commander Maro had been the one to lash out at her, all of the guards that were in the area didn't move to bother her, while the two members of the Penitus Oculatus seemed too stunned to do anything, allowing her to climb aboard their boat, walk over to the crates they had been loading, and undid the latch on Meeko's cage, who climbed out and landed on the deck of the boat, where he growled at the soldiers for a few seconds, showing that he wasn't happy about being caged like that. Amaryllis calmed him immediately, as she didn't want the guards to bother her and alert the Emperor as to the fact that she was here, which was why she left the dock and had Meeko follow her, even though she walked over the stone bridge and headed in the direction of the Katariah, as it was time for the Emperor to meet his end. As soon as she reached a good spot, where Meeko would be safe for the period of time she was inside the large ship, Amaryllis made sure that he would stay in the area that she was stopping in, which was where he sat down and panted with a smile on his face, before she dove into the water and headed for the underside of the ship, though it didn't take her long to find the chain that would allow her to enter the lowest floor of ship, and let her leave the water so she didn't drown while looking for the Emperor. The first thing she encountered on the ship was the sound of a sailor that was tired from all the work he had done in the last couple of hours, where he dropped off the cargo that he was carrying, with his back turned to the area that she was in, and then headed back the way he came, either going to get himself something to eat or he was going to relax until it was time to set sail. Amaryllis wasted no time and started to move forward, where she carefully sneaked through the part of the ship that she was in, as it appeared that there were a number of sailors down here and most of them seemed to be in the process of heading to sleep, meaning it would be awkward if she took one of their forms and was confronted by one of the Penitus Oculatus, as she was sure they were somewhere on the ship. It didn't take her long to reach what she had to assume was the eating area for the sailors and the soldiers that were guarding the Emperor, even though it was mostly deserted, save for a single soldier that seemed to be off duty and was in the process of getting drunk, which would tick off whoever his commanding officer was. As she carefully explored the ship she also overheard two soldiers discussing the attack on the Sanctuary, where they sounded pleased by the fact that it had been burned to the ground and that they were sure that all of the assassins that called that "rat hole" home were dead, though she restrained herself from lashing out at the soldiers, as bodies would make someone raise the alarm, and moved on with her search. On the second floor she found a few doors around her, one that seemed to lead to a room that one of the Penitus oculatus was working in, as in working on some gear, before finding a few metallic cells that seemed out of place, which was when she found that one of the cells was occupied by a female Khajiit in rages, who hadn't noticed her at all, but what caught her attention was the fact that her fur was ash colored and it looked like red Daedric runes had been etched into her skin. Instead of worrying about the prisoner, as that was what the Khajiit had to be, she turned towards one of the other rooms and found an odd sight inside it, as one of the sailors was holding a bloody dagger while another sailor, this one dead, and a dead member of the Penitus Oculatus rested on the bed in front of him, like he was having a mental episode of some kind, but the last thing she wanted was for him to ruin everything and alert the Penitus Oculatus. That was the reason why she smacked him in the back of his neck and he fell unconscious, where she wrote a quick note and placed it in one of his hands, as well as a mead bottle in the other, as there happened to be on in the room that she had opened the door to, making it look like he had gotten drunk and killed two people before passing out, before she left the room and continued looking for the room the Emperor was in. On the other side of the floor that she was on she found a room near a ladder that would take her up to the deck, the last place she wanted to be, and discovered that the person who owned this particular room was the ship's captain, who just so happened to be asleep, but fortunately for her there was a key to her left, a master key by the looks of it, and she took it with her magic, before closing the door as quietly as she could. The next thing she did was return to the side of the ship that the drunken sailor was in, passing by the room with the two dead bodies, where Amaryllis slipped the key into the thick wooden door that happened to be in her way and entered the part of the ship that no doubt had the door that lead to where the Emperor was waiting, though at the same time the vast majority of the Emperor's guards seemed to be asleep, save for someone that was likely Commander Maro's second-in-command was walking around one of the rooms in front of her. Since the man's back was turned towards the door, and he couldn't see the direction she was coming from, all Amaryllis had to do was wait until he wasn't paying attention and walked up the stairs that were to her right, allowing her to reach the next level of the ship, where she found another wooden door that likely headed back to the ship's deck, while the iron one to her right seemed to be the best option for her to pick. As such Amaryllis used the master key on the door and slipped into the large room that was in front of her, one that looked like it was near the back end of the ship, and sitting in the middle of the room, at what appeared to be an official desk of some kind, was a man that looked just like the decoy she had killed earlier, though he was actually staring at the door she came through and seemed to sigh for a moment. "And once more, I prove Commander Maro wrong. I told him that you can't stop the Dark Brotherhood from fulfilling their contracts... in fact, no one can stop them." Titus Mede II commented, speaking to himself for a moment, even though Amaryllis was sure that he was actually talking to her and the fact that Commander Maro had tried to stop her from taking his life, almost as if it had been Maro's idea to use the decoy and not the Emperor's, before he glanced up at her, "Come now, don't be shy. You haven't come this far just to stand there gawking at me." "You were... expecting me?" Amaryllis inquired, though at the same time, as she stood up, she scanned the room and found that there were no guards to be found, it was just the two of them, meaning that this wasn't a trap that she just so happened to be walking into, like when she impersonated the Gourmet earlier, but she kept her weapons at the ready, just in case things went south. "But of course. You and I have a date with destiny." the Emperor replied, his tone suggesting that he either knew the history that Astrid had told her about, in regards to rulers that had been killed by assassins over the years, or that he knew nothing about that part of history and that someone had told him this meeting would happen, "But that's the way it is with assassins and emperors, isn't it? Yes, I must die. And you must deliver the blow. It is... it is simply the way this situation will end. But I wonder... would you suffer an old man a few more words before the deed is done?" "I'm listening." Amaryllis said, because part of her was interested in what the Emperor had to tell her, due to the fact that he seemed completely resigned to his fate, like he knew that his life was going to end in the next couple of minutes and that there was nothing he could do to prevent that from happening, once more making her wonder if someone had told him that this would happen, though at this point the only ones that could do that were one of the Divines, who could have spoken to him before this trip and informed him that he was destined to die, regardless of what his security service tried to do, before she focused on the figure before her once more, though she did think about the odd Khajiit and decided not to ask about her. "I thank you for your courtesy." the Emperor said, his tone informing her that he was actually pleased that she wasn't like all of the other assassins, who simply would have stabbed him while he was talking and would have been long gone by the time someone came to check on him, before he focused on what he was going to say next, "You will kill me, and I have accepted that fate. But regardless of your path through life, I sense in you a certain... ambition. So I ask of you a favor. An old man's dying wish, if you will. While there are many people who would want to see me dead, there is one that set the machine in motion. This person, whomever he, or she, may be, must be punished for their treachery. Once you have been rewarded for my assassination, I want you to kill the very person who ordered it. Would you do me this kindness?" "I'll... consider your request." Amaryllis answered, though she was conflicted over this favor, as Amaund was the one who wanted them to kill the Emperor for some reason, but lately it was like the man had lost his mind or something and was begging for someone to put a dagger in his head or slit his throat, and here the Emperor was offering her the chance to remove an annoying client that wouldn't shut up, almost as if Titus Mede II had been told of the plot to kill him, by the one who wanted him dead, as she noticed the Emperor nearly paused when he mentioned 'he' in his last statement, a near slip up if she ever heard one, and now he was asking her to eliminate the final loose end. "Thank you. Now, on to the business at hand I suppose, hmm?" the Emperor said, where he got up from where he was sitting and headed to the curved window that was in the backside of the room, allowing him to look out at the water that was all around the ship, no doubt waiting for Amaryllis to do the deed and leave before the guards came to check and be sure everything was alright. Part of Amaryllis still considered this to be a trap, but at the same time the Emperor was so resigned that it made her wonder what in the world was going on, to which she simply walked up behind him and sliced open his neck, killing the Emperor of Tamriel in a matter of seconds before dropping his body to the floor, though instead of wasting more time she unlocked the door with the master key and left the ship. She quickly discovered that there was a short balcony of sorts in front of her, somewhere that the Emperor could stand and stare out at the water behind his ship, though it was a place of safety since it looked like there were no ropes or ladders to get to this point, to which she shifted back into her true form, leapt off the rail, flew over to where Meeko was waiting, picked him up, and then headed for Whiterun. There was much more to this assassination than what she originally believed there to be, back when she was first told that her Family was being hired to kill the Emperor, and the bad part was that she didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle, and she was sure that both Nazir and Babette would have no words of advice for her. All she could do at the moment was return to Amaund and give him the news that he was waiting for, that the Emperor was dead and that the contract he had hired them to do was, at long last, complete, so she could receive the payment and head back to Dawnstar, as it was time to move on with the next part of their lives. The only good thing about this was that all of the sailors and the Penitus Oculatus had been asleep, meaning it would be hours before the residents of Solitude, much less the rest of Whiterun, heard about the fate of the Emperor, meaning Amaund could be well on his way back to Cyrodiil by the time the couriers told people around the province that the leader of the empire was dead, meaning no one would be able to see or hear his reaction... even though it would be some time before she decided what to do about Amaund and the Emperor's last request, which was just fine with her. Since she was carrying Meeko it took her an hour to get back to Whiterun, where she shifted into a female Bosmer archer, who just so happened to have a dog as her companion, and they entered the city together, where she headed right for the Banndered Mare once more, entered the inn, where she discovered that most of the people, save for Rexus, were drunk and paid them no mind as she entered the room that Amaund was in, where she closed the door as soon as Meeko was with her and made sure her form was what the man was expecting. "Aha! You're back!" Amaund stated, his tone and face revealing that he was happy to see her again, though the only thing that Amaryllis was annoyed by was the fact that the volume of his voice happened to be much higher than what it should be, especially given what they were going to be talking about, and she was sure that if he kept at it she was going to fulfill the Emperor's last wish and put the man out of his misery. "Yes, and Emperor Titus Mede II lies dead, killed in his quarters on his ship." Amaryllis replied, as that was the truth of the matter and she kept her voice low enough so that only Amaund could hear her, because that seemed like the sort of thing that an assassin would do when they were returning from one of their contracts and the person they had to speak with happened to be inside a city or one of the various inns she had visited since her arrival. "I know! I know! I received the news not moments ago!" Amaund exclaimed, his voice remaining in the loud tone that he had used when she entered the room, though at the same time Amaryllis raised one of her eyebrows, because there was no way, in any of the numerous realms of Oblivion, that someone already knew the Emperor had been slain, as she had seen no couriers and the few people that were awake certainly didn't know the news, otherwise they would have made sure everyone in the city had been awakened by this bit of news, "This is glorious! My friend, you may not realize it, but you have served the Empire, indeed all of Tamriel, in ways you cannot possibly imagine. Ah, but you care little for politics, am I right? You want money! And money you shall have! Your payment waits for you at a dead drop, which is inside an urn, in the very chamber where we first met, in Volunruud. Now please, go. Collect your money, and let us never look upon one another ever again. Our business, thank the Divines, is concluded." Amaryllis said nothing to that as she came to a decision, where she drew the Blade of Woe and drove it straight down into Amaund's head, going right through both his skull and his brain, because he knew something that no one else knew at the moment, and was acting like he was trying to get her caught for the crime they had committed together, but at the very least this would ensure that none of the patrons would hear the news before the rest of the city did. "But we had a deal..." Amaund managed to get out, despite the fact that Amaryllis was sure he was dead in seconds, due to the area she had attacked, before whatever lingering life vanished from his body, leaving her to pull her dagger free and clean it, before returning it to it's scabbard, reverting to her Bosmer disguise, and then headed for the city gates with her dog following behind her, as it was time to collect the payment and then head back to the Dawnstar Sanctuary. Amaryllis wasn't sure what was going on, since there was no way Amaund could have survived her attack and tell her something before dying, especially given the fact that doing something like that to someone was usually instant death on the target's part, but she pushed it out of her mind as she focused on heading to Volunruud, so she could collect the gold Amaund told her about and put this entire venture behind her, all while focusing on what the future held for her and the rest of her Family members.