Eternal Night - A Skyrim Fic
This story is part of the ‘Seal Upon Your Heart’ Series, find the timeline here.
You can find my fanfic master list here.
“Plagued by nightmares her whole life and finally free from her prison of twenty years, Vilvyni finds herself being cared for by the Dark Brotherhood’s Keeper. Will their paths reveal themselves to be more entwined than it first seems?” Cicero/OC
Rated M, for some adult themed content, language, and abuse themes.
Chapter Three - The Forced Smile
"That's five new contracts," Nazir grinned, setting down his pen and stretching his hand, "this will keep the new recruits busy."
"Good," I closed my eyes, feeling the pressure lift from my mind. I loved hearing the Night Mother in my head, but it left my physical being drained.
"Let me know if you need anything, Listener," he patted me on the shoulder before standing from his chair and heading off to find the recruits.
Erorn was still skulking around in the dining area and I didn't like the idea of being left alone with him; so I made my way up to our Matron's shrine where Cicero was busying himself setting up candles. I watched him from the small wooden bench kept by her tomb. Watching him move about I realized I had never really paid attention to his clothes until now. They were always the same; similar to a jester's motley. The red and black fabric looked as though it was once quite fine, but had faded and worn so thin in places it had needed to be patched. The soft leather gloves and boots were trimmed in what appeared to be gold thread that had long since lost its gleam. They were definitely in need of a good washing, and some repairs.
"Here you are," the light sound of Babette's voice broke through my analysis of Cicero's attire. "Mind if I sit with you?"
"No, of course not," I smiled at her. She returned my smile and sat down next to me on the bench. We both sat in silence and listened to Cicero's singing. The words were nonsense, but the tune was enchanting. I closed my eyes and listened to the melody. I could feel myself drifting into a semi-conscious state and it felt wonderful. Everything was dark and I was wrapped in warmth. I could feel the presence of the Night Mother, but this time it wasn't limited to my mind; the pressure was everywhere, but it was comforting. I knew I had slipped into some form of The Void.
"Your hair is beautiful," Babette's words pulled me from my own mind. She reached up as if to touch it. "Would you mind if I braided it?"
"Do you really want to?" I could feel the heat of blush on my cheeks, "I mean, no one has ever wanted to do anything with my hair."
"Not true," Cicero stopped singing, but didn't turn to face us, "Cicero wanted to wash and brush Flower's hair, so he did."
"When?" I asked, a little shocked.
"When he first brought Flower home," he continued to adjust candles, keeping his back to us, "her hair was so twisty and knotty, but pretty. And silver, like the stars in the night sky. Cicero always thought Mother's hair would have been silver too."
Babette laughed softly, causing Cicero to pause in his duties. Still, he didn't turn around; he returned to his tasks and resumed his singing.
"Yes," I turned to Babette, "you may braid my hair, if you would like." I sat on the floor and allowed the child, our un-child, to braid my hair while we listened to the singing of the Keeper.
"Yes! Yes!" Cicero's eyes lit up, "Un-child should braid Cicero's hair if that's all it takes to make one look so lovely!"
I laughed, imagining Cicero sitting in an irritated, hunched position while Babette happily braided his auburn hair.
Babette laughed too, "do you want to be as lovely as Vilvyni?" Babette asked between chuckles.
"Everyone should be so lucky as the Listener," he grinned wildly and poked me in the side, "she gets to hear voices in her head and be as pretty as a flower."
Babette's laughing caused her to fall to the floor, holding her sides. "Cicero, you are crazy," she sighed.
He grinned down at the small vampire. "Cicero? Crazy?" I could see a gleam of something sinister in his eyes, "that my dear un-child, is madness."
We all laughed.
Once we had all calmed down Cicero stood from the bench and turned to face us, "Cicero needs to get Mother some flowers."
"Perhaps you should take Vilvyni with you. She hasn't left the sanctuary since she got here, and before that, she hadn't been outside in a very long time," Babette nudged me, "it would do you good to get some fresh air."
"Oooohh, yes, yes, yes!" Cicero danced around in front of us, "the Listener and the Keeper out to find flowers for Mother!"
"Oh, okay," I stood up, "it would be nice to get out for a bit."
"Cicero will gather a basket and some snacks. What would the Listener like? A sweetroll? Or perhaps a carrot?" he began to hurry off without waiting for my answer.
"Have fun you two," Babette threw me a wicked smile as she wandered off towards her room.
Cicero was being very particular about the flowers to be allowed in the basket.
"Too purple," he scrunched up his face, "too short." Only about a third of the flowers I brought to him passed the inspection.
"You sure are picky," I sighed.
"Mother gets only the best and prettiest flowers," he motioned to the basket, "to please Mother, Cicero must take the best care."
"Okay," I looked around, but I had just about picked the area clean, "I am going to head up the hill a bit; I think I see some nightshade."
"Yes, yes," He waved his hand in the air, preoccupied with looking at some small blue flowers, "don't wander too far, Flower doesn't have a dagger."
"I'll stay close," I called, heading up the hill. We weren't very far from the entrance of the Sanctuary, but it was nice just to be outside in the daylight. I stopped when I got to the top of the hill and looked out at the ocean. I had only seen it once before when I was very little, and all I really remembered was being afraid of the crabs. A cold breeze blew and cut right through my light jacket. I should have dressed warmer. Wrapping my arms around myself I looked around for the nightshade I thought I had seen. I couldn't find it. However, I did notice some about five yards away and made my way towards it.
The nightshade bush was quite large. "I should be able to find at least a few stems that Cicero will like," I mumbled to myself and knelt in front of it to get a good view of the blossoms. I had only picked three flowers when I felt something hit my head, hard.
I tried to stand up, to turn around and find out what it was but my limbs were slow to respond and the pain in my head was growing. My legs gave away and I sat down, looking up I could see the dark outline of someone much larger than me.
Everything went black.
My head was killing me. I was becoming more aware of surfacing from my unconsciousness and with it the rising pain levels in my head. I tried to cover my eyes, the light in front of me was making it worse, but I couldn't move my arms. They were pinned above me, tied together by a familiar feeling.
Rope.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thinking and vision.
"Open your eyes, Listener," a mocking voice called to me, "we can't get started until you wake up."
"What's going on?" I asked, "where am I?"
"Oh, Listener, I would have thought you would know where we are," the voice teased. I recognized the voice, and I didn't like it.
My vision began to clear and when I realized where I was, my heart sank.
"Surely you recognize your old home," Erorn smiled at me. His face made my stomach turn, he looked too much like his uncle. He had smashed the table that had been left in the cave to make a large fire in the middle of the main chamber. He had me tied to the wall where Master had attached a large ring, to hang me from when I was disobedient.
"Let's get started, I waited too long for you to wake up," he made his way towards me, an ebony dagger in his hand, "first let's get rid of those clothes they gave you. You might get the wrong idea of who you are if you wear nice clothes for too long."
I looked away from him, concentrating on the small opening in the cave ceiling while I felt him cut at the dress Cicero had given me. Once it fell away I could feel the cold wall of the cave against my back, it sent shivers down my spine.
"Yes, that's how I remember you," he looked me over, greed in his eyes. "I have wanted you since I saw Cicero carry you into the Sanctuary."
"You'll never have me, Brother," I spit the last word at him, reminding him of his place.
I saw anger flare in his eyes. He covered my mouth with his hand and pressed my head against the rocks. He leaned in and whispered angrily, "You think you can save yourself, do you?" His eyes went wide. "You want to save yourself for that jester, don't you!?" he yelled in astonishment, throwing his hands up. "What? Are us Nords not good enough for the great Listener?" he bowed in an exaggerated motion, mimicking Cicero, "you prefer insane Imperials now?"
"Don't you dare mock him!" I yelled, hate burning in my veins. After everything that had been done to me, after all the suffering I had endured, for the first time, I felt a deep, abiding hatred for the eyes that Master and Erorn shared.
"You love him, don't you?" he came in close again, "well, if you love a jester, let's decorate your face to match, hmm?" He pressed the tip of his dagger into the skin just below my left eye and pulled it down my cheek, stopping about an inch above my mouth. The blood ran down my neck, hot and thick. Then he mirrored the line above my eye, starting just below my eyebrow and dragging the dagger up my forehead. I clenched my teeth as he matched my right eye to my left one. I had learned after years of painful punishment that crying out only gave them more pleasure.
He took a step back to admire his work, "what? No smile?" He laughed, "you can't have a jester without a smile."
"Fuck you," I spit blood at him.
"Oh, my dear," he grabbed my jaw, forcing my mouth open. He placed the dagger in my mouth, pressing it against the inside of my cheek, "if you won't smile for me, I'll just have to make you." In one motion he split my cheek open from the corner of my mouth to where my jaw connected.
I couldn't keep my scream inside. The pain was unbearable.
"Still no smile?" he pressed my head back again, placing the dagger back in my mouth, splitting my other cheek as well.
I allowed my head to hang down, resting my chin on my chest, through the tears I could see my blood pouring down my bare torso.
"Don't you see, stupid Dunmer bitch," he was cleaning his blade, "no matter what people tell you, no matter how much prestige you are given," He took a handful of my hair and pulled my head back up, "you will always be shit, because that's all you Dunmer are, shit."
I stared into his eyes and felt the hate in my veins grow. I could feel heat rising from beneath my skin.
"What the...?" he released my hair and took a step back.
"You forget one thing about Dunmer," I wanted to smile, to show him how pleased I was with what was coming, but his cuts had severed my muscles. I would have to be satisfied with the fear in his eyes.
"You can't," his eyes widened, "you're a half-breed. You shouldn't be able to…"
I screamed as my skin erupted in fire, it billowed out from me, catching him and throwing him back into the fire he had built. Through the roar of the flames, I could hear him scream as he was burned alive. The fire had burned through my ropes, releasing me. I fell to the ground; the cave around me blackened with scorch marks.
I slowly pushed myself up; I stumbled out into the night air. For the second time I left this cave covered in blood, but this time it was mine. I had no idea how to get back to the Sanctuary or how far away I had been taken. Surely they would be looking for me. I kept walking, holding my face, trying to stop the bleeding.
I could feel my legs weaken before I fell to my knees, but I didn't want to remove my hands from my face long enough to catch myself. That's when I heard my name.
"Vilvyni!" it was distant, but I could hear it.
"Here," I gasped as loudly as I could without opening my mouth. I stood and tried to make my way towards the voice. I could hear the pounding of hooves against the ground as the horse and rider got closer.
"Here!" I called again, opening my mouth partially. I cried out in pain and fell to the ground again.
"I found her!" I heard Nazir bellow, "Over here!"
He dismounted and pulled a blanket from under his horse's saddle, "by Sithis, what happened?" he wrapped it around my shoulders.
"Erorn," I breathed.
Babette quickly joined us. "Here, let me see," she crouched next to me. "I don't see any wounds on your body, where is all this blood coming from?" She looked at my face. "Move your hands," she pulled lightly on my wrists and I let my hands fall away.
"Sweet Mother," Nazir breathed.
"Listener!" I heard Cicero scream as his horse ran up. It reared back, whinnying at the sudden stop. He jumped from its back and came barreling towards us.
"Cicero! Don't touch her!" Babette screamed at him.
Worry flooded his face and he froze in his tracks. "Bad? No. No. No!" Cicero covered his face, "Cicero only just found the Listener!" He stomped around in a circle like a child throwing a fit.
"We need to get her home before she bleeds out," Babette told him, "you're the fastest rider. I want you to take her back to the Sanctuary. In my room there are healing potions, give her one and lay her down. I need you to wrap her face if I don't get there before then." She was pulling the blanket tighter around me as she looked me in the eyes, "riding the horse will hurt, but you need to get back as soon as possible."
I nodded and returned my hands to my face before Cicero could see.
"Cicero will be like the wind!" he leaned down and scooped me up like I weighed nothing, "Cicero won't fail the Listener!"
Babette wasn't wrong, the ride was excruciating, but Cicero wasn't wrong either and the ride there was swift.
Cicero carried me towards the large black door.
"What is life's…" it began.
"Innocence!" Cicero yelled impatiently, "innocence, intolerance, incognizance!"
"…greatest illusion?" the door finished.
"INNOCENCE!" Cicero screamed.
"Welcome home, Brother," the door sighed and opened.
"Stupid," Cicero kicked the door and carried me inside. Cursing the door most of the way he carried me down the spiral steps to our room. He placed me on the bed, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders again.
"Wait here," he patted my legs lightly, "I will be right back." He hurried out of the room.
When he returned he was carrying a small red vial, "Flower must drink this. The un-child said it will help."
I shook my head, my hands still covering my cheeks.
"Please," he begged on his knees before the bed I was sitting on, "let Cicero see your wounds." He placed the vial on the bed next to me and reached for my hands. I pulled away.
"What?" he asked softly, "is it my gloves?" He pulled them off, "there, only Cicero's hands now."
Slowly, I lowered my hands.
"Dear Mother," he gasped, his eyebrows knitting together, "how the Listener must suffer." He picked up the vial again, "I am sorry, but Flower must drink this."
I tried to cover my cheeks again, but he lightly placed his free hand on mine. "Cicero will be gentle," I let him hold my hands in his and nodded.
"Lean your head back and open as wide as you can," he squeezed my hands, "be ready to swallow."
I closed my eyes and did as he asked. The pain was almost more than I could bear. The bitter liquid hit the back of my throat and I almost choked before swallowing it. I was grateful when the pain relief was almost instant.
"Good," he smiled at me, “good.” He placed the vial back on the bed and took my hands in each of his, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of mine. "Cicero will go get bandages and wrap your wounds until the un-child returns to mend them."
I covered my face again as I watched him leave. Once he was gone I allowed the tears I had been fighting to fall.
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