Skyrim One-Shots

Cicero x Reader ~The Silent Steps (2)~

You sat upon the cliff with closed eyes, black hunched as your cloak draped over your shoulders and whispered with the wind. You did not feel the wind, did not feel the cold. 

No, all you felt was the cold knife of betrayal. 

You must tell him, the Night Mother whispered, there is no other way. All of the children of night wander without guidance- tell them. 

There was a cough from the group of assassins behind you, most of them covered in ash and lungs filled with smoke after the day's events.

Veezara was severely wounded- no telling if he'd make it out. Arnbjorn was dead. Festus was dead. Nazir was hurt, Gabriella was hurt, Babette was uninjured, and Cicero refused to speak.

But they were huddled together, wishing their sorrows away and helping each other in the mere fact that they all were alive.

An unfamiliar dagger rested at your hip. Blood coated your armor. Your weapons were stained red.

"I'm going to hunt," you heard the voice of Babette mutter into the silence, barely audible from your position.

Nazir was the only one who responded. "Be careful."

The soft drum of Cicero's hand on the Night Mother's coffin was the only noise around.

The birds did not sing. The wind did not whistle as it should.

All was silent. 

Your eyes flickered open, staring out into the darkening sky.

Tell them, she urged. Darkness rises when silence dies.

You stood, turning.

Nazir met your gaze, then Gabriella, who narrowed her eyes and looked upon you with a snarl.

Your feet were silent against the grass as you walked closer.

"So," Nazir murmured, "what happens now?"

The fire popped, the wood re-adjusting itself as you crouched beside the Redguard. "We make for the Dawnstar Sanctuary."

Your voice was quiet, but not weak or weary. It was assured, it was calm. 

"We'll die trying to get there," Gabriella choked out.

"No," you murmur, "we die when we believe as such. We will make it out of this better than we were, we will not let this hold us back. This is not the end."

You shook your head, flowing.

"This is not the end?" Nazir muttered. "Yes, yes it is, ____. Every damn person in all of Skyrim and their mother knows where the Dawnstar Sanctuary is. We're not safe anymore."

"And when were we ever safe?" you raise a brow, voice low. "Darkness rises when silence dies. We rise, and we rise fast. Astrid did not uphold the Brotherhood, she did not follow the rules. This is what happens. It will not happen again. We are not just sellswords."

Cicero stopped his drumming.

His hand fell to his side, and his head turned to you, eyes wide.

"Listener?" he questioned incredulously. Gabriella and Nazir stiffened.

You stood, voice cold. "Remember the last day of our journey to the Falkreath Sanctuary, Cicero?"

He nodded frantically, "Cicero remembers- he remembers well!"

"I told you I heard something."

"____ did," the redhead affirmed.

Your lips broke into a grin, wide and the opposite of cruel. Kind, hopeful. "Draw your conclusions, Cicero. I don't command you. You are your own, as are all of us here."