literature

No Man Left Behind part 1

Deviation Actions

gangyzgirl's avatar
By
Published:
1.7K Views

Literature Text

Three lone travelers made their way along the winding road by the sea towards their destination. Hawks circled overhead seeking out a free fish meal from one of the returning ships. The sun's beam was a tangerine in color as the day was almost done and shined brightly almost blinding those who tried to look directly at the Blue Palace that stood out above the surrounding walls.

Two mortals rode horses and the ghost followed close behind. One was a black and red Argonian and the other an Imperial protected by a glistening glass armor that shined brightly in the sun's light. To many towns they were considered heroes and protectors of the land, but they were in fact three of the core members of the Dark Brotherhood. The  Argonian was known only as KaNack and he had become the leader of the Dark Brotherhood and the Listener, Cicero the jester and Keeper of the Night Mother and the Spectral Assassin that had once been a Speaker for the Black Hand.

Many Black Sacraments had been answered after such a long period of silence thanks to the Argonian's arrival. What was once a starting group of four had expanded to many members. Once trained, the assassins spread out on to form their own guilds of killers and five years later, new sanctuaries had appeared in different parts of Skyrim. The home in Dawnstar however was the vital one, the home of the Night Mother, the source for all the assassins' contracts.

The Listener proudly rode the black steed Shadowmere while covering his face was the mask of the Dragon Priest  Nahkriin ; proof of how he had gone to the ancient dragon temple Skuldafn and lived to tell the tale. Cicero rode the horse Frost. The horse had been given to him as a gift from his kindly Listener. Doing so much travel on Shadowmere, the mage knew his trusted follower would never be able to keep up on foot and decided to give the jester the horse when the argument between him and his original owner Louis got slightly, HEATED.  The ghost kept to the mage's right and away from the dirt being kicked up from the horse's feet on the dusty road.

The spirit was a gift given to KaNack by Astrid and was deemed 'Buddy', as he was not given a name and never seemed to speak of one; at least not to the mage's recollection. The ghost never corrected him and the name stuck. Armed with only a blade and a bow, the spirit would rush into the fight without a second thought for he was there to follow and serve the leader of the Dark Brotherhood. There would be an occasion when the spirit was too injured and had to return to the void; without fail however, twenty-four hours later KaNack would conjure him back. 'Buddy' was a constant companion and if KaNack could help it, he would do his best to protect and heal either one of his companions, living or dead.

Cicero was a sight to behold when traveling with the Listener. The Argonian forged his faithful jester glass armor that was of the highest quality. KaNack insisted Cicero wear the armor during travel to provide him with extra protection because there was only so much healing the mage could provide during a fight. Fool of Hearts that he was however still wore his jester clothes underneath the armor. KaNack also provided Cicero with staffs that they came upon during their adventures and explorations. As much as the fool loved his ebony dagger, shooting the staffs was great fun and the Listener never said 'No' to Cicero whenever a staff appeared and the jester wanted it.  Duel wielding staffs became almost second nature to Cicero and he enjoyed the ability to wield lightning, frost and fire just like his Listener could.

The trio had just finished almost a week of completing Black Sacrament contracts and the Argonian was tired and missed the company of his spouse. It was at Proudspire Manor where KaNack's wife, Brelyna, lived and also his home away from home at the Dawnstar Sanctuary. The mage brightened up when he saw the large walled structure of Solitude ahead in the distance.

"There it is! We're almost there!" He gave Shadowmere a gentle nudge to his side with his foot and the horse's pace increased as the mage rode to the stables. Cicero sighed as he took his time riding Frost to the stables and then dismounted. The Fool of Hearts always got antsy when it came close to the end of the week; the Keeper did not like staying away from Mother for too long. KaNack failed to notice this as he stroked Shadowmere's velvet muzzle.

"Good work, Shadowmere, you've earned yourself some oats and rest." The Argonian filled the buckets with water and food for the ravenous steed who feasted snorting happily. The mage threw a blanket over Shadowmere's back covering up the emblem of the Black Hand on his saddle. The head of the stable was paid a handsome amount to make sure that no one disturbed the horses; after all, it would not be good for the resident thane of Solitude to be discovered to be an associate of the Dark Brotherhood, the company responsible for the murder of the Emperor. There were at least two residents in Solitude that KaNack knew would not be happy with him if word got out.

"Oh, Listener, must we stop now?" Cicero pined as he looked out towards the docks. The Dawnstar Sanctuary was less than a ten hour ride away and jester knew that all too well. "Mother needs tending! We've been gone for much longer than expected!"

"Cicero, our horses need rest, and I haven't seen Brelyna in two weeks. I do have a family outside the Brotherhood." He turned towards Solitude gazing at it longingly. "I hardly ever get to see her as it is."

"Cicero does not see why the Listener can't keep her at Sanctuary. Plenty of room there. Then Listener could see her and still keep close to Mother!"

"She can't possibly know what I do outside those walls. She would never understand. As far as she is concerned, I'm just fighting dragons and protecting the countryside." He turned to the spectral assassin that had just caught up with them. "You don't mind staying overnight, right Buddy?"

"Lead, and I will follow, Child of Darkness," the spirit answered simply.

"You always take the Listener's side," the jester grumbled.

Cicero sulked as the three walked up the long road that led to Solitude. Seeing his Keeper in such low spirits, the mage wrapped an arm around his shoulder playfully.

"Cicero, have I ever kept you away from your keeping duties for longer than promised?"

"Err, yes Listener," the Fool of Hearts answered blatantly. "Several times in fact."

"Oh, well it won't happen this time, I promise!" KaNack stated with a grin. "Mother will be tended to at the proper time. All I ask for is some time with my wife."

"Yes, Listener," the jester sighed. "Humble Cicero lives to serve."

Solitude opened to them, and there were people busy packing things away as evening was coming and the shopping hours were over. The only business open was the Winking Skeever that would most likely to be entertained by one of the three that night, whether he was wanted there or not.  The guards greeted KaNack as thane and showed the proper respect to the trio as they found their way to Proudspire. The manor was much larger than the Listener's previous abode back in Whiterun; but with the added company it made sense that the mage would want larger living quarters. After the three entered, the smell of fresh horker stew struck Cicero's nose and his stomach growled.

"Poor Cicero is hungry."

"We'll get something for you to eat. Just make yourself comfortable. Brelyna!" He called out as he pulled off the mask Nahkriin, no longer needing its blessings at the moment.

The female Dark Elf appeared from the kitchen area and beamed when she saw KaNack.

"You're home, my love!" Brelyna rushed over, embracing her husband.

The two had met each other when both were apprentices at the College of Winterhold. KaNack had offered to help her when she was still learning some spells, and they had been together since that moment. It was shortly after he had become leader of the Dark Brotherhood when the Argonian finally proposed and married the Dark Elf.

The Dark Elf opened her eyes and gasped when she saw that they were not alone. "Oh, and you brought your friends….Again."

"Did you put carrots in the stew this time? Cicero likes carrots," Cicero muttered as he brushed past the Listener and Brelyna.

This was not the first time that KaNack had returned with company and she was sure it would not be the last. He had insisted that Cicero was the best companion he could ask for on adventures and only laughed when his wife recommended Lydia. She did not mind the company of 'Buddy' as he was quiet and only spoke when he wanted to share a story of the past, dark as they were.  The jester, on the other hand, he was something different all together. He had a sense of humor that disturbed her greatly and she felt he was more than slightly touched in the head. She could not comprehend how a mentally unstable jester was a better companion to fight dragons than a professional housecarl to the Jarl of Whiterun.

Cicero removed his glass armor, revealing his crimson jester's outfit underneath. Even though the armor was light, the jester felt relieved to be out of it. He placed it into a nearby chest along his with his three favored staffs: the staff of chain lightning, the staff of fireballs and the staff of the Frost Atronach. He had literally hundreds of staffs back at sanctuary, but these three he enjoyed the most.  

"I'm sorry, Brelyna, we just came back from a long journey, and I couldn't let them go ahead without me." He pointed over at the spirit and jester. "Besides, these two have a million stories to tell. You love stories."

"Yes, but as the lady knows there is plenty of history in Solitude as well. Cicero can tell many stories. Such as the murder of Victoria at her wedding, the death of the false Emperor or the death of the real Emper…."

"Cicero, that is enough!" snapped KaNack. He did not appreciate Cicero bringing up past jobs performed in the town he lived in, especially those he had been responsible for. Brelyna had definitely had enough of Cicero and stormed back into the kitchen.

Cicero made his way over to KaNack and playfully nudged him.

"You know Listener, as Cicero always says, the quickest way to a lady's heart is with a long sharp dagger."

"Cicero!" KaNack hissed, hoping Brelyna didn't hear Cicero's dark humor. Jordis the housecarl was nearby, and it was obvious by the expression on her face that she didn't find the Fool of Heart's humor in the best of taste either.  "Listen, Brelyna seems madder than usual; I'd better go talk to her."

"Please, please!" insisted the jester giving a slight bow. "Cicero understands the Listener needs his privacy, Cicero will go off and amuse himself!"

Cicero had made a few jokes, but the Argonian noticed a lack of mirth in his friend's usual persona.  "Are you alright? You don't seem yourself."

"Cicero is just tired Listener, and the Night Mother is on his mind. Can't keep Mother waiting."

KaNack nodded his head in agreement; it was vital that Cicero was there to tend to the Night Mother. Without proper keeping, she would literally rot away, breaking off all contact between her and the Brotherhood. "We leave first thing tomorrow Cicero; wake me if you wish. We will go straight to Dawnstar."

"The kindly Listener is too good to humble Cicero." The mage nodded to his companion, and then left for the kitchen to try and console his wife.

The spectral assassin made his was over to the Fool of Hearts and stood next to him. "Have you heard of the tale of Mathieu..."

"Yes, I have," Cicero muttered as he grabbed a sweet roll from a nearby plate and chomped into it.

"Alright then," sighed the spirit. Cicero grabbed a second sweet roll and then turned around and exited the house to Solitude. The ghost waited for just a moment before he followed the Fool of Hearts out; he had become very familiar with the jester's antics and knew it would be better with a pair of eyes on Cicero. He had expected Cicero to head to the Winking Skeever for some drink followed by singing, but the inn was passed by completely. Instead, Cicero pushed open the large doors of the stronghold and left.

"What is he up to?" the spirit pondered aloud. The jester walked up a path to the high Cliffside near the Solitude Port and faced the sea. One could see clear past the horizon from the perch at the top. Cicero took a seat and continued to munch on his sweet roll as he stared out ahead at the sunset.  The Spectral Assassin kept his distance, surprised to see the usually jumpy and laughing jester almost at peace at the serenity of the beauty before him.

"It's not polite to sneak up on people," Cicero stated still staring ahead. "That must mean Cicero is rude as well." Cicero chuckled lightly and the ghost took it as an open invitation to join him.  They watched the sun begin to fade turning the whole sky a blood red in color.  "This is my favorite part," the jester giggled. "Red sun at set, the jester's a threat," Cicero sang lightly before laughing loudly at his own song. The assassin relaxed as Cicero was starting to behave like his old self again. Cicero held out the second sweet roll to the spirit.

"I don't eat," the ghost said quietly.

"Oh that's right. Cicero forgets. No intestines or stomach. Cicero would hate to have no stomach, would make eating so much more unfulfilling." Cicero chuckled again as he began to eat the second sweet roll. The Spectral Assassin stood next to Cicero as the jester sat on the grass watching the last of the sun's light die out. Soon the sky would be lit up with the bright greens and blues of the aurora borealis.

"What are you doing out here?" the ghost asked.

"Cicero is sitting, can't the kindly specter see?" crooned Cicero. The jester laughed loudly again, and then stopped when he noticed the serious look in the ghost's eyes. Cicero coughed once and then explained. "Yes, you see, the Listener said first thing in the morning we can return to Mother! Loyal Cicero is out here so at the earliest hint of morning, he can wake the Listener and we can leave as promised! That is all Cicero is doing, no sneaking or stabbing, just sitting and snacking!"  He laughed again as he finished the last of the sweet roll and licked the icing from his fingers.

"Shouldn't you try instead to get some sleep?"

"Cicero hardly ever sleeps. You know that."

"Yes, your sunset to sunrise serenades are all too familiar to me. I had no idea there were that many words that rhymed with disembowel."

Cicero chuckled as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. Somehow the Listener always managed to sleep through the night despite the jester's singing.

"Cicero's singing might attract the creatures of the night, but Cicero does not worry about bears or wolves. They would not eat poor Cicero, oh no! Being a fool, they would think I taste too funny." Cicero once against burst out in laughter at his own jokes, and the Assassin couldn't help but allow a small smile to form on his face as well.

"May humble Cicero ask you a question?" The Spectral Assassin looked over at the jester and tilted his head in agreement. "Why is it that you allow the Listener to call you 'Buddy'? It seems so…. Inappropriate," Cicero then looked up at the spirit with a knowing smirk. ", Lucien Lachance."

The mention of his name made the ghost chuckle and nod his head. "Ahhh, it seems like an eternity since someone outside the Void has called me by that name." He turned to Cicero still smiling. "He is very young, and it's been so long since I was first cast into the Dread Father's arms.  I cannot expect him to know much about me and my place in the Dark Brotherhood, and it's not as though my name has been brought up to him before."

Cicero pulled out his ebony dagger and held it up letting it shine in the moon's glow.

"But the Listener should! Cicero knows all about you. About your loyalty to the Black Hand. How you were the Speaker. How you met your grizzly end." Cicero looked at him. "The Fool of Hearts could sing many songs just with the tale alone." The jester's eyes then narrowed. "They were the real fools! Cicero would not have believed the lies!" he snarled. "Cicero would have fought alongside Lucien! Lucien did not kill the Listener!"

Lucien pulled out his spectral dagger and began to hold it up to the moons' light as Cicero had done. Even though it was slightly transparent, somehow the blade glistened.

"Your sentiments are appreciated Cicero, but I have long since forgiven those brothers and sisters for their mistake."

"How? Poor Cicero cannot understand how."

"They loved the Dark Brotherhood just as I had. All evidence had been pointed to me as the traitor and the murderer of the Listener. The only source to the Night Mother's words had just been slain. Tell me, jester, what would you do if you found that someone had killed our Listener?"

"Cicero would slice them from head to hip!" Cicero snarled, slashing his blade in the air madly as he leaped to his feet, his eyes burning with fury.

"And so did they. At least they thought they had the right man," Lucien sighed. "I forgive them because they were confused and needed someone to blame. Someone to release their heartbreak and anger onto." Cicero sheathed his blade as he stared at the Spectral Assassin, and the spirit lowered his blade. "I forgive them, and now I serve our Dread Father in the Void, as you and the Listener shall one day."

"Cicero sees how Lucien can forgive. The Fool of Hearts has no patience for those who wrongly accuse their own Brothers. Still, the forgiving spirit could tell the Listener his name. The Listener, well, listens!"

"It's almost flattering that he took the time to give me a name when none was given," answered Lucien as he sheathed his dagger. "Besides, those in the past who have summoned me only did so when they needed me in battle. Once I had gone back to Void, it would be some time before I was asked to return." The ghost looked at Cicero. "This Listener, KaNack, he is the first one who summons me just so I can be by his side whether in battle or not." He looked up at the stars and folded his arms. "It has given me a chance to stare up at the night sky and have time to appreciate my surroundings, and not have to worry about fighting off some threat. There is finally time to enjoy being in this world. It's the closest I've ever felt to being alive again."

Cicero pondered over this as he looked up at the sky as well. The stars had come out, and the beginning signs of the aurora borealis begun to blanket the black night sky.

"When the time comes to serve the Void, will Cicero be allowed to caper?" the jester asked meekly. The question only made Lucien smile more.

"The Dread Father knows all you have done Cicero. He has a place specially chosen for you. A position as his personal jester."

"Oh happy days and happy nights!" Cicero laughed as he cart-wheeled across the grass. "I have served well, I have! Sweet Cicero will continue to make both his Father and Mother proud!"

The Spectral Assassin could not help but laugh as Cicero continued to dance and sing loudly, thrilled that there would be merriment to spread once in the Void. The banter and antics of the jester provided a moment, just a moment of distraction and their guards were lowered. That was all that was needed. Four arrows shot out from the darkness, tearing through the spirit of Lucien and ripping out trails of blue mist. Lucien arched back and released a howl of pain before dispersing into a pile of blue smoky residue.

"Lucien?!" Cicero stopped dancing and spun around unsheathing his ebony blade. He knew that his friend would be alright, he was in the Void and there is no pain in the Void. The Listener would bring him back again as always. "Who's there?!" Cicero scanned the area before him, but saw no sign of any archers or any persons for that matter. Ahead was a dense grouping of trees that lead into the forest.  The Fool of Hearts eyes narrowed, and he slowly moved towards the forest. "Madness is merry and merriment's might," he quietly sang in a dark guttural voice, his eyes never blinking, "when the jester comes calling with his knife in the night…" Then he saw a gleam of steel off armor from the moon's glow, and that was all Cicero needed to see his target. "Now you're mine!"

The Keeper launched into the dense woods, blade in hand, ready to slay all who dared to attack any member of the Dark Brotherhood, be they alive or dead. The Dread Father would soon have new victims to play with in the Void.
This is my first attempt at a Skyrim fanfiction. I Have a good idea of how I want the story to go. I can't really give out details, it will spoil the reveal in the second part.

I want to thank :iconheiwako: for looking over the first chapter and giving me some helpful tips and suggestions.

I used my gameplay character as the Dragonborn and YES for the first few months of gameplay I had no idea that the Spectral Assassin had a name and I called him 'Buddy', I still do in fact.

I hope those who read this will enjoy it.

Here is the live reading of the story: WARNING, I was sick when I read this so I cough during the reading at points [link]
© 2012 - 2024 gangyzgirl
Comments13
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
NorroenDyrd's avatar
I've always wondered myself how the people belonging to a Listener's "normal" world outside the Sanctuary might react to his/her choice of sidekicks. :XD:
I love how fluent and involving your narration is, and I sobbed a little during that scene where Lucien talks to Cicero...