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Part FIVE: Returning Home
"Fall into a chair, kick off your boots, and enjoy the sweet screams from those that are dying"
So I'm finally returning home. I had been gone for four days before I was captured by the Imperials. Then it was two whole days between my capture and the events at Helgen, and now even that was four days past me. It had been a week and a half since I had seen my Family. Gathering all of my things from the room in the inn, I pack my bag and wait a few hours for it to be midnight, when most of the town has retired into their houses or into the inn for some drinks. As agile and quiet as any feline, I leap up onto the windowsill in my room and then down to the ground. I pull out my steel dagger from my belt and creep along in the shadows of the buildings. When a Redgaurd comes along and almost sees me, I silence him instantly, leaving his body to be found later. In truth, I had wanted to do that for quite some time. He always annoyed me asking me if I had been to the Cloud District in that pompous tone of his. I crept out to one of the battlements and climbed onto it, getting a good look at the landscape in front of me before leaping down and officially starting my journey back to the Brotherhood.
What a pleasant view... I can't wait until it's all behind me.
I make it away from Whiterun with ease. The only stealth the journey requires is for me to slip behind a single guard patrolling the streets outside and to sneak past a small group of Legionaries. Within a quarter of an hour, I can see Riverwood. I pass by in the darkness caused by the shadows of the trees on the other side of the river without disturbing a soul. As soon as the town is out of sight once again, I spot a flame atronach through the trees. I draw my bow to defend myself, but notice that it hasn't even seen me. It's too busy fighting off a sorcerer of some kind that's further into the woods. Sheathing my bow, I jump off a short cliff into the river below, swimming to the far bank just to be sure that I won't attract the attention of the two. Shortly afterward, I stumble upon the camp where I found the hunter that same day as the Helgen attack. The camp is still fully set up. No one must have noticed it yet. I'm tempted to sleep in the bedroll in the tent because I haven't slept since the previous night, but my desire to get back to the Sanctuary drives me to keep going, despite my weariness. With that decision made, I keep moving, leaving the camp for some other tired traveler to stumble on.
Even if I don't stop to sleep, I do stand by the fire for a minute or two to warm up.
I travel through the wilderness between Riverwood and Falkreath as fast as I can, not even missing a step when a wolf charges at me. I simply draw my knife and stab it once as it leaps on me. It falls dead instantly and becomes just another thing that falls behind me on this trip. By the time the sun is peeking above the horizon, I'm just outside of the city. It's not far from here that my Brothers and Sisters lie in wait. I make my way to the Black Door and utter the password. "Silence, my Brother." Once inside, I can't help but smile. I know it's against an assassin's nature to ever smile out of joy, but I can't help it. I'm here. Finally. However, I immediately lose the smile. Astrid comes racing around the corner, dagger held at the ready to attack whoever was invading the Sanctuary. When she saw me, she looked shocked for a second, but then took back her signature neutral expression. "It's you... We all thought you were dead. I guess not, and the Imperial?" I explained to her what happened and told her that I couldn't confirm Hadvar's death. "How unfortunate," was all she said. Then, after a long silence. "You better go let your Family know you're still alive."
In case you can't tell, she's not very happy with me...
I walk down the stairs into the main chamber of the Sanctuary, where everyone was gathered around listening to Babette, a charming little girl who was also a three-hundred year old vampire assassin. I hang back from the group a bit and listen in, but Babette sees me. "So the little kitty found his way out of the paper bag," she said. Such a condescending comment sounded odd in such a young voice, but I had grown used to it over the years. I tell them of my capture, the attack on Helgen, and my escape. They all agree that it's a fantastic tale, but that it's sullied by the news of my failed mission.
A lizard, cat, man-wolf, desert nomad, a few dark sorcerers and a vampire... Welcome to my dysfunctional little family.
After storytime ends, I make my way up to my bed, glad to see that even with them all thinking me dead, they hadn't moved any of my things. I drop my bag on the mattress, but before I lay down, I walk into the other room where the stained-glass of Sithis rests. Sitting on a bench, I look at the picture, thinking about how I made it home. Praying to the Dread Lord, I thank him for allowing me to survive long enough to get home and to continue to send souls to the Void in his name. Sitting back, I let out a sigh and relax.
I am home...
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