First Impressions (Pt2 | Ch1)
And so truly began my service to Sithis in this land of peace and harmony. So truly began the events that led to this night. I traced a finger up the sheath of one of my knives, feeling the hard leather through my glove. The weapon seemed to call to me, wanting out, wanting blood. With any luck, it would have plenty soon enough.
The silence remained as my prayer to Sithis echoed through the halls of my mind. Perhaps he couldn’t hear me after all, perhaps he was shunning me and my blight. He had not spoken to me since that night in Fluttershy’s cottage, so very long ago. Had I failed him? How could I have? He had asked me to bring his unholy light to this realm and I had. He had asked me to train my acolytes into skilled assassins and I had. He had asked and I had delivered unto this land the blood he so desired...and at a cost.
Yet no reply came.
I looked about me, eyeing the cold stone walls of my room with a sigh. Perhaps His silence was a sign for us to stay and flee as I had told them, that I shouldn’t have been swayed by talk of vengeance...yet the others were right, we had a shot to end this ordeal in one quick move if only we acted fast enough.
They’re right, Aram, my mind put in, He may leave you alone as you say or he might hunt you down, who can know?
They name it vengeance. We do not kill out of vengeance, I recited in my head.
Let them name it what they will. It’s insurance that this family survives, that no more of us die, my mind countered, perhaps you are content to living like a rat on the run again, the rest of them aren’t. They may leave you if you don’t do this.
And why do you think I’m doing this? I retorted, letting out a quick snort of annoyance.
There was a knock at my door, rousing me from my internal debate.
“Aram?” a voice came through the thick wood.
The voice reminded me of that fateful night, the night that my acolytes came to me. That single pivotal night that led up to this very moment, my jaw tightened as I remembered...
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Part II: Hail Sithis
Chapter One: First Impressions
I sized up the three ponies before me.
Farthest to the left was the one without wings or a horn, a female by her voice. Her eyes were green like apples, bright as the fruit, and narrowed at me. Even if she was of the fairer sex, she stood a full head taller than the other two, her dark brown body ripe with muscles. A stripe of white ran through her otherwise chocolate mane.
Next to her was the unicorn, a male and skinnier than her. Fear shone through his steel grey eyes, beads of sweat breaking out upon his grey-white coat in spite of the night’s chill. His mane glimmered silver in the moonlight that shone down into the room. His fretful eyes darted from me to his comrades and a taste of bile touched my tongue at the sight of his fear.
Tearing my eyes from him, I settled them on the last of the three: the pegasus. Her dark grey coat reminded me of a storm, brilliant yellow eyes flashing like lightning. Her face beheld a slight grin, eyes drinking me in like some exotic, mysterious creature. Her jet black mane blended well with the darkness as she brushed it aside with a hoof.
“Rainy Day,” the pegasus named herself with a grin, “or just Rain, for short.”
“Cream, family Chocolate,” the large one with neither wings nor horn rumbled with a thick accent, standing tall and proud, “Call me Choc.”
I turned my gaze to last of the three, the unicorn, who still seemed a tad frightened. If he turned out to be a coward of some sort, I didn’t know what I’d be able to do with him.
“Oh, me,” he said, realizing that I was staring at him. My jaw tightened as he floundered, “I-I’m Moonbeam. Just Moonbeam.”
“Rain, Choc, Moonbeam,” I said, committing their faces to memory as I turned to each, “Okay.”
The three of them stared back.
I frowned.
Well? my mind inquired.
Quiet. I wasn’t prepared for this, I glanced towards the window. Moonlight streamed through at a nearly horizontal line, they came early.
“So…” Moonbeam began awkwardly, “Aram Falíe, right? What kind of a name is that?”
I glared down at the craven unicorn, “What?” I asked.
“Oh, well, just…” he stumbled over his words, glancing away, “I’ve never heard a name like that before.”
I imagine not, I didn’t say.
“So we’re here. What’re you training us on?” Rain put in, a hint of impatience in her voice, “the creature of stone mentioned a job, one that would ‘benefit our talents’.” To emphasize, she turned slightly and gestured to her flank with a wing. A silvery dagger with a splash of crimson at the tip lay across it. Her eyes darted down to my own weapons, “Hopefully that means what I think it means.”
“I’m to train you to be assassins,” I confirmed, “to serve our dread father, Sithis.”
The ponies gave me confused looks, sharing them amongst themselves. Frowning for a moment, I considered my words and elaborated. I had a decent understanding of our dread father, perhaps I wasn't the best versed to teach them of Him, but I was all there was.
“Sithis is the birthed incarnate of Padomay, the god of chaos and change,” I began, remembering what I’d read and heard, putting it to my tongue, “We name him our father, for we are his children to do his bidding. It is in his name that we kill, sending the souls of the lives we end to His everlasting presence, the void,” I watched their expressions in the darkness as I spoke of the dread lord. Each appeared slightly perturbed, Moonbeam most so, though there was a gleam of interest in Rain’s eyes, “When we kill it is for Sithis and He alone,” I continued, injecting some of my own ideals into the lesson, “If a threat can be avoided you will avoid it. Shadows and stealth will do you better than daggers and bows. When we kill it will not be for vengeance, never for fun or some thrill of sport, only for Sithis.”
Unless he’s the listener, my mind put in.
Quiet! I snapped back.
“So…” Rain put in during my brief internal quarrel, “he’s, like, a spirit or something?”
Spirit? I gave a mental snort, “Sithis is no mere spirit. He is our god. Others may pray and offer up meat and mead, coins and flesh to their own deities, but not us. Our offerings to the dread lord are the blood and souls of those we slay…” I paused, considering a moment, “You do understand the concept of a god, do you not?” I asked, “An all-powerful being, immortal, omnipotent, capable of feats far greater than that of mere mortals.”
“So...like the princesses?” Moonbeam inquired.
Princesses? Like the one in your dream? Luna, was it? my mind inquired.
I’m wondering the same thing… I replied, “Princesses?” I asked, looking between the three.
“Celestia and Luna, the rulers of Equestria,” Rain put in, confirming my suspicions, “They’re alicorns: ponies with both horns and wings. With their magic they move the sun and moon through the sky.”
And visit dreams, it would seem, I thought. As my eyes lifted to follow her hoof, the moon began to dip below the horizon, the sky beginning to take on the glow of dawn.
Being powerful enough to move the heavens themselves? I wondered, hiding the sudden burst of surprise that splashed across my face with a scowl, They could make very powerful enemies indeed… I stored the information away for later.
“Yes, close enough.” I drew my eyes back to my acolytes and continued, “Understand: we are not murderers, we are assassins. We do not run about slaying to and fro like madmen, our kills are quick, clean, and above all: precise.”
Letting that sink in for a moment, I felt myself growing more comfortable with this teaching process, perhaps it wasn’t so hard after all.
“You mentioned talents,” I changed the subject, hoping to gauge each pony in turn, “what talents do each of you have? What are your skills?”
“I’m good with this,” Rain spoke up immediately, grinning as she held up a silvery dagger, “and these,” she turned her head to one wall, snapping out one of her wings sharply. A trio of small throwing knives thunked into the wall. Turning back to me, she splayed out the other wing, showing three more blades hidden amongst the feathers, “plus, I know how to keep to the shadows when I need to.”
Promising, my mind commented.
We shall see, I thought, jotting down mental notes on her.
She fluttered over to retrieve her throwing blades, I turned my gaze to Moonbeam.
He flinched at the intensity of my stare...or maybe because he was a coward.
“Oh, um, me,” he began, “Um, yeah, well I’m a decent enchanter and they haven’t yet made a lock I haven’t been able to pick,” he forced a smile as I let my gaze bore into him, “I’m not bad as a pickpocket either.”
How can you pick pockets when you don’t wear clothes? I kept to myself, “What sort of spells can you cast?” I asked, unconvinced of his worth.
“Oh, well I can enchant things and I’m not so bad at telekinesis either,” Moonbeam replied, his forced smile faltering.
Worthless as an assassin so far, I mentally grumbled before speaking, “What about combat magic? Illusionary magic? Alteration magic? Any sort of useful magic?”
“I...well...not much of that. I mean, I guess I’m more of a sneaky sorta stallion than a fighter...sorry,” his smile broke as he cast his eyes to the floor, glancing up at me as if he were a kicked dog.
“He is good at making things,” Choc put in with her odd accent, looking at me with an intense look of her own. I returned it in kind, but she didn’t flinch away.
She’s no coward, that’s for sure, I noted the somewhat defiant tone of her voice, “And what are you good at?”
“Breaking things,” she replied simply.
“Choc’s a good fighter,” Moonbeam put in, flinching as I looked to him, “Um, sh-she used to do fights back in Stalliongrad. She was quite good, I don’t think she ever lost a fight,” Choc let out a huff of air, chest puffed out, as if daring me to challenge her, “That’s one of the reasons Rain and I picked her up a while back.”
A good skillset, though she doesn’t look like someone capable of stealth, I eyed her powerful, but large frame.
“How many people have you killed?” I asked, eyes still on Moonbeam. Again he flinched and again I marked him as a worthless coward. How had Sithis sent such a miserable excuse of an acolyte to me?
Moonbeam blanched as he spoke, “Well...n-none, actually. I usually just sneak past ponies,” he paused for a moment, “I knocked out a guard...once.”
Annoyed, I turned to Choc.
“Five,” she said, “two were fighting, accident. Crippled many.”
“She was good in the arenas,” Moonbeam put in unhelpfully.
Only five? I wondered, or three, ignoring the two accidents. It’s still better than the craven unicorn.
Finally, I turned to Rain.
“Seventeen,” she replied, glancing away for a moment, “Why? How many have you killed?” she continued, sounding like she wanted a change of subject all of a sudden.
The question made me stop and think for a moment. Could I put an actual number on the list of those I had sent to their graves and, at least later on, to Sithis? I remembered my first kill, a few after that, but then each seemed to blur into the other. Bandits and highwaymen and raiders and rapers and thieves until I joined the Dark Brotherhood and added the blood of the innocent to that list.
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied, “more than a hundred most likely.”
A hush fell over the room as all eyes found me. Moonbeam’s ears darted back against his skull as his tail tucked behind him. Choc’s gruff facade faded as she blinked in surprise, sizing me up again. Rain’s jaw dropped in shock, wings twitching outwards before she collected herself. I’d expected reactions, but the number seemed to really throw the ponies off.
“A hundred?” Rain picked her jaw back up off the floor as she spoke.
“About that many,” I replied, Seventeen is better than three, at least, “I lost track over the years.”
“A hundred?” Rain asked with a hint of doubt as she eyed me up and down, “How long have you been doing this? How old are you?”
The question surprised me, forcing me to think for another moment. It had been the beginning of Sun’s Dusk, the two hundred sixteenth year of the fourth era when I left Skyrim. I frowned as I calculated and answered: “Since I was sixteen or seventeen...and I’ve seen twenty seven years pass since my birth.”
Rain started to say something when the bedroom door creaked open, drawing all eyes to it. My hands relaxed away from my knives as I spotted Fluttershy poking her head in.
“Is everything okay up here?” she asked, blinking blearily into the darkness, “I thought I heard…”
There was a flash of movement from the corner of my eye and I swiveled about as my hands found my knives again, ready for an attack. But before I could complete the turn, a dark shape lunged past me on a whisper of wind.
A pained cry came from the door as Rain slammed it against Fluttershy’s head, knocking her to the floor in a daze. Biting down on her mane, she yanked Fluttershy into the room and pressed a blade to her throat with a wild gleam in her eye.
“Release her!” I snarled, not realizing I had a drawn arrow pointed at Rain’s head until my right arm flared in pain.
Rain’s eyes darted up, widening in surprise at the sight of me aiming at her. She spat the dagger into a hoof as she stood over Fluttershy, not willing to let her up just yet, “Wh-what?” she stammered.
Great first impressions, Aram! my mind commented.
Shut-up, I snapped back.
I let the arrow fall back to its knocked position and lowered my bow, lessening the glare of my gaze.
“Release her,” I stated, toning my voice down as I jerked my head towards Fluttershy, “Look at her, does she look like a threat to you?”
Didn’t you think she was a threat a short while ago when you awoke beaten and battered in her home? my mind inquired.
I didn’t attack her, I mentally replied with a snarl, otherwise ignoring my mind.
“I…” Rain stated, looking from Fluttershy to me with a worried expression, “b-but she…”
“Wh-who are th-these p-p-ponies?” Fluttershy whimpered from the floor, looking ready to wet herself as she vibrated with terror.
I paused, considering an answer for a moment. There was no way in Oblivion I was telling her the truth of the matter, I’d have to kill her if I did. At the same time, what excuse could I use? It wouldn’t make sense to call them friends, she’d know I was lying...
“Bodyguards,” Choc rumbled from behind me.
“Y-yes, we’re mister Falíe’s bodyguards,” Moonbeam put in with a stutter, still clearly vexed from my near-killing of Rain.
“Yeah, uh, sorry,” Rain said, finally stepping away from Fluttershy. She slunk back into a dark corner, as if trying to hide in the shadows, “thought you were, um…” she trailed off, mumbling something towards a wall.
“It-it’s o-okay,” Fluttershy stuttered quietly from the floor. I considered approaching to help her up, but she got to her own hooves before I could act, “I-I just heard v-voices…” she gulped down her fright, taking a calming breath as she continued to tremble lightly.
“I was just getting to know them,” I commented, wanting to be rid of her, “I’m fine, you can go back to sleep, Fluttershy. Everything’s okay.”
“I...um...oh, yes,” Fluttershy replied, rubbing her head with a hoof, “But...but...why do you need b-bodyguards?”
Throwing a quick glance at Choc and Moonbeam, I only got a shrug from the latter.
“I’ll explain in the morning,” I said, opening the door and gesturing for her to head down, “Don’t worry, I’m not in any danger, I’m fine.”
“I...are you sure?” she asked, looking up at me with bright, wide eyes that swam with care, “I-I could always get help if you ever needed it.”
“I’m fine, Fluttershy,” I repeated, not unkindly, “I’m sorry my bodyguard attacked you, try to go back to bed,” I ushered her down, listening to the descending clop of hooves over hardwood. I kept listening until I could hear no more, making certain the door was closed.
My jaw tightened as I turned to Rain, a bit surprised and perhaps a little impressed when it took me a moment to spot her. Her dark colors blended well with the dark corner she’d slunk to, but I knew the shadows better.
“What was that!?” I snapped, gesturing to the door.
“I’m sorry,” Rain apologized, sulking back in the shadows. Her bright eyes flashed dully as they found my own, “She startled me, I...thought she was a threat!”
“How did she strike you as threatening?” I demanded, keeping my voice down so as not to bring the yellow pegasus back up, “Was she armed in any manner? Did it look as if she were spying? What possessed you to attack her!?”
Easy, Aram! She said she was sorry.
Shut-up! I snapped back.
“I-I don’t know!” Rain snapped back, voice raising, “I said I was sorry, what more do you want!?”
Capable acolytes that I can damn well trust! I mentally snarled.
“Look, it was an accident, surely…” Moonbeam but in.
“Be quiet,” I snapped, irritated. I wheeled away, tearing my eyes from the three of them, “all of you! Be quiet!”
At the very least they listened to that command, silence falling across the room. Dawn’s light crept up across the floorboards, spilling steadily into the room as a new day came into being. Somewhere outside a rooster called at the sunrise, crying that the world begin to awaken from its slumber.
I needed a moment of quiet, a moment to calm myself and think. Sithis had given me a mission, this creature of stone had given me a riddle, these ponies had given me my acolytes. Things were coming together and unravelling at the same time. Yes, I had my acolytes but they were all sub par. Choc was a brawler, likely incapable of stealth. Moonbeam was a craven unicorn with no knowledge of offensive magic. Rain seemed a good choice, but lacked discipline and perception.
A sigh of annoyance escaped me, the last piece of the first riddle playing back through my head.
...Once they are ready, you shall know a father’s unholy light is ready to glow…
Once they are ready... I recited in my head. Perhaps the riddle hadn’t been so simple as I’d thought after all. It was quite clear to me that they weren’t ready, not yet, but that was the point of it all.
“Fornication,” I muttered.
“Wh-what was that?” Moonbeam stuttered from behind me.
A mental sigh escaped me as I turned, looking over the three ponies and standing tall. None of them were ideal, I could already name flaws with each of them, and it would be my job to fix those flaws.
That, and there was one final thing about the Dark Brotherhood I’d neglected to mention.
“I said earlier that we are not murderers,” I spoke, letting my eyes trace over the three before me, earning each of their gazes, “neither are we bandits, highwaymen, or thieves…” my eyes landed with purpose on Moonbeam, he gulped as I continued, “...there are a set of laws that govern us: the five tenets. They are as follows:
“Tenet one: never dishonor the Night Mother.” Upon speaking it, I realized I hadn’t educated them on the Night Mother either, though would such a thing matter if she was in Skyrim? “She is the bride of Sithis, and it is to her that those wishing for us to spill blood pray to,” I gave a brief explanation, then continued.
“Tenet two: never betray the Dark Brotherhood,” again my eyes played over the three, “this should go without saying. Do not divulge our secrets, whether they be dead drops, names of our members, targets we plan to kill, or any other form of important information.
“Tenet three: never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior. I am your superior and you will obey my orders, suffice to say.
“Tenet four,” again my eyes briefly found Moonbeam, “never steal from a dark brother or sister. We will become a family of sorts, bound by the blood of those we send to Sithis. Should you be caught stealing, I will add your blood to that sent to Sithis,” I hissed.
“Tenet five...”
Your personal favorite! my mind put in.
I remained silent, mentally.
“...never kill a dark brother or sister. We are a family. You would not betray your family, deceive them, or steal from them. If these tenets are not clear, speak now, for I will tolerate no breakage of them.”
My three acolytes looked at each other, then back to me.
They remained silent.
“To break any of these five tenets is to invoke the wrath of Sithis himself, something that none of you would surely enjoy,” I continued, drawing to a close, “his wrath will test you, consume you, likely even kill you...”
As you can attest from experience, my mind commented.
Shut-up, I mentally grumbled, speaking: “Are there any questions?”
Again my acolytes glanced amongst themselves. Rain, with a quick flash of pearly-white teeth that contrasted against her darker coat, grinned as she looked to me.
“When do we start?” she asked.
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EDIT: instantly featured? Holy shit.
6565980 Back in the game, old pal?
Good to see you back...
NNNNoooooooooo it was so good i Need MOAR!!
If you would be alright with you
On a side note I love the Flow of the story so far keep it coming ☯
Good fan fiction!
3852458
Kind of, they're hated by everyone, even the Thieves Guild don't like. (Though they do work with them from time to time.) Though they themselves don't believe they're evil.