Dark Ties (Part 1- The Orphan)

An orphan has finally had enough. He runs. He finds the Brotherhood. He finds a family.

Dark Ties- An Elder Scrolls short Story

Part 1- The Orphan

The fire scorched through Honorhall, hot as Oblivion itself.
The orphanage was home to ten Nords, but eleven children. There was one other. The Dark Elf. The Dunmer whom no one knew the name of. He was abused, segregated by the other children. He was darker than the average Dunmer, as black as night, with a large satin scar along his left eye, eye itself white and torn.
One day, he had finally had enough. He lit the fire, and burnt down Honorhall.
The screams rang out all throughout Riften, women and children burnt alive, flesh melting from their bones. The young Dunmer, around eleven at the time, jumped down into the sewers, and ran. He escaped the city, smokestacks rising high above the city walls.
It took the young Dunmer months to reach Dawnstar, as far as he could get from Riften. Squatting and traveling in camps and convoys.
Above Dawnstar he found a cave, with a mysterious door. It was black but with a red skull, written in what looked like blood. The boy touched the ebony door, and it spoke to him in a deep echoed voice.
"What is the illusion of life?"
The boy stumbled back, in fear, and retreated to the tent right of the door. There he stayed the night, for he had nowhere else to go.
The next morning the boy charred a skeever using a scroll of fireball he found. He was sitting in front of the tent when a Nord in a black robe emerged from the cave. His garment shimmered red in the light, and he spoke.
"The Door saw you last night."
The boy stuttered. "Is it alive?"
"It is neither." He squatted beside him. "You must be the Dark Elf the whispers speak about, hmm?"
"What do they say?" The boy asked.
"They say you burned down Honorhall months ago? They've begun construction on a new building. You caused quite a stir. Killed ten children and two older Nord women."
"They beat me. They laughed at me. They took my eye." The boy wasn't making eye contact with the man. The Dunmer turned his head and showed him his white eye.
"I'm not condemning you son. Contrarily I'm very impressed. It takes a mean sort to murder twelve people. Would you like to come inside?"
The boy stood. His tattered ragged clothes covered in snow. "Yes, sir."
His head hung down, staring at the snow coated ground.
"Innocence, my brother. Speak it when it asks." The man told the boy.
"What is the illusion of life?"
"I... Innocence, my... My brother." The Dunmer's voice was timid.
The door opened, and the man walked him in the tunnel. The tunnel was carved out of gray stone, and let out to a candle lit lobby. There was a table with two chairs, that the old man sat down at.
"Sit down, son." The old Nord commanded, the child Dunmer sat. "What is your name?"
The young Elf stared down at the table. "I don't know."
"How... Unfortunate."
"They called me Shadow. Because of my skin." His hand balled into a fist. "It was mocking."
"Hmm, well son, how would you like to become one of us?"
"You never told me who you are." The boy looked up at the old man.
"Well my name is, Asgarik," He spread his arms wide, "and this is the Dark Brotherhood Dawnstar Sanctuary."
"So you're an assassin?" The boy looked around. "I have nowhere else to turn. I've already stained my hands, so I see no fallacy in joining you." He let out a small smile. "It might be nice to have a real family..."
Asgarik grinned, "Excellent!" He stood up and extended his hand toward the child. "Welcome to the family, Padomay."
"Padomay?"
"Sithis' alias! Quite the honorable name."
The Dunmer took his hand. "And I am quite honored."
So the young Dunmer joined the Brotherhood. He met the rest of the assassins. An Orc by the name of Batul Gra-Shel, an Argonian couple, Judicla and Julicus, and finally the other Dunmer. His name was Zansef, a tall blue skinned Dunmer, bearing the family armor.
As Padomay climbed the ranks over his years in the Sactuary, Zansef hated it. Even after Zansef gained the Sanctuary after Asgarik's death, he was always jealous of Padomay's exceptional talent. As Padomay gained the title of Brotherhood Silencer, he was Zansef's subordinate. The talon on the Speaker's hand. He was the second in command for the Speaker Zansef. There was no assignment that Padomay could not handle.

"Brother Padomay, I have a new assignment for you." Zansef called.
"Sir." Padomay stood ready to listen. He bore the armor of the Brotherhood, and used a bandana to cover his dead eye.
"We need to you to take out an Altmer in Falkreath. His name is Viarmo, part of the Aldmeri-Dominion. Our client says he killed his brother, and he wants you to avenge his murder."
"The last part is always the same isn't it." Padomay took out his ebony dagger and stared down at it. It glimmered a red aura, he called it Meridia's Blessing. It leeched the energies of its victims like a poison. Padomay was a master wizard and enchanter, as well as a deadly with a blade, he smoothed and enchanted the dagger himself, and always used it.
"There was a," Zansef paused for a moment, "special request. The client wants you to whisper on the victim's ear, 'Mother is calling.'"
"What's the pay?" Padomay sheathed his dagger.
"A thousand gold." He threw a bag of coin on the table. "In advance."
"Consider it done." Padomay grabbed the bag. He put it in his satchel, turned and exited the sanctuary.

Padomay stood on the roof of the Dead Man's Drink inn. The wind was blowing in the night, and Padomay had cloaked himself with an invisibility spell. He was waiting for Viarmo to exit the bar so he could tail him further, and dispose of him.
He used a detect life amulet to see the Altmer through the roof. He had been drinking, or sitting at the bar at the least, for the last hour or so. Finally he stood up and made headway toward the front door. The Altmer left and headed south toward the forest. He was wearing the Aldmeri uniform and walked with a sense of purpose.
Padomay dropped to the ground, silent and graceful, and followed. He got at least a hundred yards out of town and Padomay made his move. He cast a paralyze spell at him, but the Altmer turned quickly and cast a ward to block it.
"Nice try." He said and casted a fireball. Padomay rushed the spell, drew his dagger and swiftly sidestepped past the scalding sphere. He was on top of the Aldmeri in a matter of seconds, and thrust his blade into Viarmo's heart.
"Mother is calling." Padomay whispered, and caught the Altmer in his arms.
His eyes were wide. "Do you understand what you have done?" He asked using a spell to keep him alive for a few precious seconds.
"Fulfilled a contract."
"You just slayed... Your listener."
Viarmo fell limp. Padomay looked at the corpse. It couldn't be. Why would Zansef have him kill the Listener? Or was it the contracter? No, Zansef would have known. Padomay took the coat off the High Elf, and flipped his lifeless corpse over.
And he saw it. On his left shoulder, a skull with a crown, bat wings, hair and exed out mouth. The crest of the listener.
"S**t." The Dunmer muttered under his breath. "Zansef, you b*****d. You're dead."
Of course he wasn't concerned about Viarmo. Now that he killed Skyrim's Listener the whole Brotherhood would have a price on his head, and Zansef was responsible for all of it.
He left the deceased Listener and took off. Back to the Sanctuary. Back to the Family. Back for revenge.