The Story of the Listener, My first fanfic. Options

[Kayla]

Ok. This is my first fanfic. I'm a tad nervous about it, but I'd like to see what everyone thinks.
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I sat quietly on a bench beside the pawnshop on the docks of Anvil, staring out over the dark Abecean Sea. Through the clouds in the sky, I could see that the sun was setting. A chilly wind blew my black robes and hood as though they were weightless, but the persistent breeze was unsuccessful in penetrating the black light armor I wore underneath my robes. I listened to the fragmented conversations of the dock workers, and watched as people hastily walked by, fearing that it would soon begin to storm.

Before I knew it, the sun had set completely. The Nord who owned the shop I was sitting in front of walked outside. He locked up his shop and began to make his way down the stone street toward the resident area of Anvil. He hadn’t even noticed that I’d been sitting just feet away from him. I heard the Nord loudly greet someone before he walked completely out of earshot. Soon after, an Orc walked by. I studied the Orc carefully as he passed. He walked with a slight limp and had a large scar on his left arm, and just as I expected, he opened the door to the dockside warehouse and went inside.

It was completely dark now. Neither sun nor moon shone through the twisting clouds in the sky. The wind picked up, carrying moisture in it.

I stood and made my way to the back door of the warehouse. I picked the lock and the door swung open. Quickly I slipped into the thick darkness inside. The warehouse was fairly big but, a few candles on a large table in the middle of the room revealed the Orc’s position. He was busily unpacking things from crates and setting them on shelves. He was completely unaware of my presence, and I preferred it that way. I slipped through the shadows toward him. In the darkness I felt strong, invincible, and incapable of fear. I observed his movements, the way his body flowed with each contraction and relaxation of each muscle. I watched every joint in his body, paying close attention to his spinal cord. The Orc was old, and moved as though he’d been doing hard labor his entire life. Almost every movement looked as though it pained him.

As soon as I was sure of his reactions, I silently unsheathed my ebony blade, a gift from a dear friend, and I closed in on the Orc. He was still unaware of my being there, even though I was soon right behind him, almost breathing down his neck. In one quick motion, I lunged out of the shadows, grabbed the Orc with my right arm, wrapping it around the front of his neck and shoulders, then I brought my left hand up and stabbed him right in the jugular vein. The poor old Orc didn’t even have a chance to yell. I let go of the body letting it fall limply onto the wooden floor of the warehouse. I waited for his gurgled breathing to stop, then I snuffed the candles out and exited the warehouse the same way I’d come in.

(Expect updates!)

[Kayla]

I walked through Anvil, enjoying the young night and the cool breeze, wondering if it was going to rain. I reached the city gates, and exited. A guard wished me safe travels as I walked to the local stable. I nodded in response to his kind gesture, and I opened the stable gate. My black horse, Shadowmere, which was also a gift from a dear friend, was waiting patiently for me. When she saw me, she walked to me and affectionately nuzzled my hand. I patted her on the head and climbed onto her back. I had a long journey ahead of me.

Shadowmere made traveling fast, and I arrived in Cheydinhal just as the sun was rising. I stabled my horse and walked into town. I smiled, as it was raining in Cheydinhal. I took off my hood and let the rain drench my face, and my long brown hair.

I approached the east wall of the city and climbed down the well in the back yard of the old, abandoned house. As I set foot on the stone floor, I felt as though I was home. It didn’t take me long at all to find Arquen. She was an Altmer, and she towered over my Breton stature.

“Ah. Listener, you’ve returned.” She said, smiling. “I’ve heard of your success.” She placed 300 coins in my hand.
“Listener, you know that as a member of the Black Hand, you don’t have to kill anymore if you don’t want to.”
I pocketed the coins and looked at her. “Killing is invigorating. I enjoy serving our Dread Father.”
She nodded. “As you wish, sister. There will always be contracts open for you. The sanctuary is quickly filling up once again. We have new recruits. It will be up to you to watch their progress. We could use some more Speakers.”
I nodded. “Don’t be too hasty to fill the slots, Arquen. We need loyalty and experience in a Speaker.” I said before I walked off to the living quarters to have a bite to eat.

I was disappointed to find that the sanctuary had very little food. All we had left was carrots and lettuce. But we still had quite a bit to drink. I munched on a carrot and drank some mead as I smiled at the thought of sending one of the murderers out to shop for food.

A muscular Imperial man approached me, along with a short, bright-eyed Imperial woman, both wearing Dark Brotherhood armor. They sat down across from me.
“Excuse us, Listener. We’re sorry to interrupt you, but we were just curious about something.” The woman said.
I noticed that all the other murderers in the living quarters were staring at us.
I smiled. “No need to apologize. Are they curious about the same thing?” I asked, jerking a thumb back at all the others.
The man smiled. “Nothing escapes your observation, most revered Listener. Yes. They are curious about the same thing.”
I laughed. “Well, have them come over here and sit with us.”
I liked the newer murderers in the sanctuary, but I didn’t like how they treated me as though I was superior to them. With a wave of the Imperial man’s hand, the other murderers of the sanctuary came and took a seat at our table.
“Now, tell me what is on your mind.” I said.
The Imperial woman cleared her throat. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Was Lucien Lachance really a traitor?”
Her question surprised me.
“Who told you that he was?” I asked.
They all looked nervously at each other.
Finally, an Argonian spoke up.
“Arquen told us.”
The others nodded in agreement. That statement confused me, but I saw truth in their eyes and believed them. I wondered why Arquen would say something like that… Especially now.
“No.” I answered. “Lucien Lachance was a good man, a loyal son of the Night Mother and servant of Sithis. Why Arquen would tell you that he was a traitor is beyond me. Especially since Lucien is now with our Night Mother and Dread Father.”

The murderers looked a little confused. I could tell that they were trying to decide who to believe. I too was confused. Arquen and I had promised that we would not speak of what had happened to the Brotherhood. This agreement especially emphasized that the new recruits were to know nothing about it.

I spent the rest of the night thinking about what to do. I wanted to confront Arquen about breaking our agreement. I wanted to tell the new recruits about what had happened to Lucien. But, in my line of work, I had learned that silence always paid off. I fell asleep soon after resolving to keep my mouth shut for the time being.

This post has been edited by Kayla: Apr 23 2006, 07:53 PM