Night Of The Hunter

Whispers in the dark

The wind howled through the trees and the snow made it nearly impossible to see more than a few meters ahead.
Most people had already went to the nearest villages. I just kept walking, I was used to being alone. The feeling of loneliness was nothing new. It had actually become rather comforting. It was a familiar feeling and that made me feel safe.
I didn't know where I was going or where I came from.

Most of my life I had been wandering around from place to place. Adapting and alone.
I can slightly remember a woman with white hair and green eyes holding me while running. But that must have been a long time ago or something from a dream. 

Every day it became more and more difficult for me to distinguish between dreams and reality. Was I cursed? Maybe. I wouldn't be surprised.
My mind always drifted of. Like it didn't belong in this cold and hard reality that other people called Skyrim. Had I really walked from Cyrodil to Skyrim?
Well seems like it. My mind wandered off to all the stories that I had heard from the different inns. Some kind of legend of a dragonborn, that guy even had a song. Quite impressive in a world where music is not something you hear every day. 

I look up from the ground and it seems like the snow was quieting down. 
What is even my goal with this? Where was I going? I knew nothing of Skyrim... other than it was really cold.
When was the last time I got something to drink? Maybe I should find some water or something. I had a bad habit of not staying hydrated. I almost don't feel thirsty anymore unless I'm completely dried off.

Seems like a city right ahead. Hmm maybe I can stay at an inn there?
Hopefully.
I walked towards the city entrance but was stopped by a guard. 
"You will have to pay to get in!" The guard said.
I just stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Did he think I was some kind of idiot?
"Yeah right! And you will need to back down before I slith your throat" I said plainly. I was used to these kind of guys and most times they would let me through and if not by my words alone, what came afterwards always persuaded them or the rest of them.

I had once been with some bandits who thought me to use a weapon and to sneak up on unsuspecting people.
Back then I was just a child. Small and thin. I could fit into most small places and so they saw me as quite useful.
That was also where I met the old man. I never did get his name. Everyone just called him the Old One. Since he was the eldest. 
He was the one to tell me about the dark brotherhood and Sithis and of course the Night Mother.
He thought me to kill and follow the five tenets. He said something about it being my destiny. I never did understand him. He eventually disappeared, everyone said he had gone off somewhere to die alone. But I still think he's out there, somewhere.

The guard before me simply chuckled and said something about me being a little girl. I was definitely not small. I was thin but rather high for a female Imperial. But of course the guard before me was a Nord, so to him I was small. and also because Nords hate everything that isn't a Nord.
That's just fact. So I lazily took out my two daggers and took slowly walked towards the guard. I looked down at the ground and prepared myself for whatever needed to be done. I stopped just in front of the guard and looked up at him with an evil grin. I could see he was kinda intimidated by my action. 
"Fine whatever. Had to try" he took a step back and just let me pass.
Well that was easy. Typical guards. 

I walk into the city called Windhelm. A dunmer woman was being harassed by some Nord men. I really didn't bother and just went on with my own business. That was until I heard a boy talk to a woman about some kid. 
"Then it's true, what everyone is saying? That Aventus Aretino is doing the Black Sacrament? Trying to summon the Dark Brotherhood?" The boy said in a rather high voice. The woman hushed him to stay quite "Oh, Grimvar... always with the nonsense. No, no, of course not. Those are just tales..."
"Fine. Then I'll invite him out to play. He lives right there. I'm going to knock on his door..." the boy was about to walk over to a house right next to them. 
The woman grabbed ahold of the boy. "No, child! Wait! That boy, that house - they're cursed."
Hmm interesting. 
"Ha! Then I'm right. I knew it. He's trying to have somebody killed!" The boy exclaimed.
"All right. I won't deny it, child. What you heard is true. But Aventus Aretino walks a dark path. His actions can lead only to ruin. Now, enough. We will speak no more of this." The woman dragged the boy with her.
Hmm maybe my nap at the inn can wait?

I went over to the house the boy had talked about.
Seems like you will get a visit Aventus.

I picked the lock on the door. It was pretty easy so no one noticed.
I closed the door softly without making a noise. I wanted to see with my own eyes. The legendary Dark Brotherhood the Old One had talked about. 
I went silently up the stairs and I could hear a low voice coming from a room not far from me.

"Sweet mother, sweet mother. Send your child onto me. For the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear." The boy sounded tired, like he had been doing this for hours on end.
Seems weird.
I stood by the door and could see him, his back turned to me. He even looked tired. Dried in blood were covering the floor and the candles around him were almost burned all the way down.
Either he had been doing this many times before and never cleaned the floor and couldn't afford new candles. Or he had been doing this for many hours. I guess the last thing.

I took a step forward and was now right behind him. 
After some time of just standing behind him I make a slight sound "ahem". He froze and slowly turned his head around.
He looked shocked and jumped up to stand in front of me. "It worked! I knew you'd come, I just knew it! I did the Black Sacrament, over and over. With the body and the... the things. And then you came! An assassin from the Dark Brotherhood."

I didn't say anything. I just looked down at him. His eyes bright with hope. "You don't have to say anything. There's no need. You're here, so I know you'll accept my contract." He clapped his hands in excitement.
What was I to do? The Old One had told stories of the Dark Brotherhood and the Night Mother being the one to give the informations about contracts. But why hadn't there already been someone to take this boys contract? Seems kinda weird. 
"So the contract?" I asked plainly. 
Suddenly Aventus looked distressed. "My mother, she... she died. I... I'm all alone now. So they sent me to that terrible orphanage in Riften. Honorhall. The headmistress is an evil, cruel woman. They call her Grelod the Kind. But she's not kind. She's terrible. To all of us. So I ran away, and came home. And performed the Black Sacrament. Now you're here! And you can kill Grelod the Kind! Please hurry. To be honest, I'm kind of lonely here. As much as I hated getting sent to Honorhall, I really miss my friends there..."
I nodded and went for the door but Aventus voice made me stop in my tracks. "Pleace don't kill Constance Michel. She really is kind"
That was the last thing Aventus said before I left his home.

I stood In front of the gate to Windhelm and looked at the road in front of me. What was I doing? I didn't care about the boy? And definitely not some mean old hag. Was it because I found it weird the Dark Brotherhood hadn't responded? Meehh. I'm probably just bored so why not? Well Riften it is!

I started walking, and I couldn't stop thinking about why no dark Brotherhood member had shown themselves? 
Was it true? What the bandits had said, that the Dark Brotherhood was just a myth? A ghost story to get people to behave?
Was everything just something the Old One made up? I couldn't stop thinking about it and it made me worried.
What if the Dark Brotherhood wasn't real?

_____________________________________________

This was the first chapter of my first "official" fanfic. I hope you liked it.
Please tell me what you think, I appreciate all kinds of feedback!

Ps. The drawing is mine, I will usually use my own drawings for this story, that also means that each chapter can take various time.
I do have some few chapters right now tho.

Kind regards
Jet