This chapter has been edited.
Chapter One – Something Stolen, Everything Lost
A dusky blue-green sky consumed the night in Riften, sending all of the residents indoors as did every time the sun fell. The only signs of life were two miniscule torches in the hands of the two guards by the city gates, which were barely able to compete with the dark atmosphere, and the noise from the local tavern.
A figure entered the city with her head low and her feet determined, though she was shaking uncontrollably with fear. She bolted past the guards without her usual greeting, and sped into the first turn near the tavern.
"A beautiful pair of swindlers make a beautiful way of living... don't they, Allie," a voice cooed from a short distance away.
'Allie' nodded as she turned the corner, preparing to stop before her associate.
"But these beautiful swindlers can't make a beautiful living if one of them shows up late, can they?"
Now the voice had been reduced to a vicious hiss, which was able to confirm Allie of who she was running into.
"Of course not. I apologize."
Allie was now standing before a pale woman with black hair and able leather armor, her companion for the evening, who had introduced herself three months ago as 'Sapphire.'
"I just got a little lost on the way back."
Sapphire pursed her lips and the space between her eyebrows and nose was wrinkled. "...I don't think you should take leisurely strolls outside a city you've only lived in for a few months. Especially not when you've got important things to do... Are you at least ready for our 'appointment?'"
Allie let a small smile play upon her lips. "Always. Let's hurry."
Sapphire nodded, and the two exited their alley. They made a course for the center of town, where their target would be, and also where watchful eyes would be expectantly absent.
The women spotted the Dark Elf, Brand-Shei, and routinely took their positions with the thief unknowingly behind him, and the warrior in front of him.
He looked up from locking away his merchandise, into the green eyes of pale brown woman. Sapphire crept up to his backside, smiling, and Allie took this as her signal to start.
"Closing up?"
He nodded briefly. The two had never spoken before, but they'd no doubt seen each other around.
"Well... are you willing to make any last minute purchases for an admirer?"
Brand-Shei looked up slowly, and curiously wrinkled both brows, letting his hands cease in their current activity. "...An admirer?"
He spoke the word as though it were foreign, and Allie looked him in the eyes, smiling as genuinely as she could. "Normally from afar... but I happen to need a satchel, and you happen to be the only shopkeeper around when I return from a quiet, thoughtful walk. I think Mara herself is sending messages to us here."
He chuckled, and Allie saw the end of Brand-Shei's dagger slip in and out of her sight. "Do you now? I've never even considered that you-"
"Brand-Shei!"
Allie turned around furiously, breaking her concentration, and Sapphire rose from her stealthy crouch.
"Are you an idiot? You filthy thieves, return to him what you've stolen!"
Allie, Brand-Shei, and Sapphire turned to face the justice-driven 'lioness' from a distance away, alongside her lap dog, Aerin.
"Nothing has been stolen, Mjoll. Return to your business," Allie spoke firmly.
This seemed to infuriate the Nord even more, as she scowled to the greatest of her ability. "Robbing someone unsuspecting and unarmed with a sharpened axe on your back happens to be my only business, traveler, and you and I will settle this now."
Aerin reached out to her, but before he could close his hands around her arm, she was gone. "Mjoll, no!"
"If you interfere, I will hurt you, Aerin. Stay back!"
Mjoll stepped angrily towards Allie with Aerin bolted in place behind her, drawing her greatsword without further conversation. Allie lifted the battleaxe from her back, and prepared to engage Mjoll in the battle she would obviously not back down from.
The two blades clashed once, and Sapphire, only being allowed seconds of contemplation, drew her dagger. She ran swiftly to Brand-Shei's backside and slit his throat, backing away as his body slunk to the ground. The thief hurried to the bigger fight, and moved around to Mjoll's behind. She extended her arms, trapping the Nord's neck between her forearms, and Allie proceeded to swing her axe into Mjoll's middle.
Drawing the axe away, Allie stepped back. Sapphire released her hold on Mjoll's body, and watched spitefully as it fell to the ground.
"What a shame."
"Mjoll!"
Aerin was running now, and pushed Sapphire out of his way as he dropped to his knees before his only friend, who was now dead.
"Oh, by the Divines, Mjoll..."
Allie stared at Aerin as he cried. She had only taken in what she'd just done, and her heart started to pulse with an overwhelming regret. It burned.
"Do you want to kill him, or should I?" Sapphire's voice demanded, just before her form blocked Allie's entire sight of Aerin and the dead body.
"Kill him..."
"Yes, kill hi-"
"Kill him? ! We've already murdered three people, two more than were needed! This is a massacre now, Sapphire, and your damned Thieves Guild won't cover anything for us!"
Allie was trembling even more intensely than she had been before she entered the city gates, ready to strangle the life out of her only good for nothing friend.
"You're right. They won't. Which is why we are going to kill them, and leave. If we let him live, he might find a way to turn this on us. And you didn't hesitate to drive your blade into her, did you? He'll want your crime answered to more than mine."
Allie started to tear up, her eyes throbbing. "I don't want to do any more damage than we've already done. I won't let you do this."
Sapphire scowled, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Sure you won't."
Allie screamed over Aerin's intense sobbing, not able to stop the thief from silencing him forever.
Sapphire's eyes grew blank, and she grabbed Allie's wrist. They walked to the back entrance of the Bee and Barb.
"Stop sobbing, for Mara's sake."
Allie wiped her face, and exhaled violently. "I didn't want any of them to die. I didn't expect to take a life today," she said, her voice weary.
Sapphire cupped her companion's face in her hands, patting her cheeks.
"We're going to go into the Bee and Barb, and act like nothing happened. Then we're going to gather everything we need, and we're leaving Riften. Straighten up, Allie."
Allie's eyes narrowed.
"Just like that, then. Murder four people and go on with life."
Sapphire nodded, her expression as hard as stone. "Or murder four people and be executed, for all of Riften to see. Do you think my actions will be without consequence? Do you think my damned Thieves Guild will allow murder to go unnoticed? What's done is done."
Allie swallowed, and Sapphire pulled the doors to the tavern open. The regulars were lively as usual and kept in their own business, barely noticing the two women as they made their way over to a table.
"You insist on eating something now, Farkas? Right after we've already feasted?"
Allie's eyes were drawn to the conversation they were about to seat themselves near. Three Nords, two men and a woman, sitting around a table full of bread, meat, and wine. Sapphire sat with her back to them, and stared into Allie's eyes as she plastered hers to the people behind them.
Their heartiful laughter and chatter ceased when the two women found themselves settled in their chairs, making Allie stare even longer.
She was glaring into the bright, colorless eyes of a man, his black hair tucked behind his ears, and wild paint around those very same eyes. She glanced at the other male, who looked very similar to the first, only with longer hair, and to the female, a warm brunette with green eyes, and black slashes of paint across her face.
Allie looked to Sapphire, who'd apparently realized that she'd been caught staring, and let her head fall into her hands.
"You're hungry, aren't you Valerie? Go get some food."
Allie rose without hesitation, walking over to Talen-Jei, and ordering something... anything. She reached into her pocket upon hearing a price, and placed it on the counter after she received her plate.
She went to sit back down, and placed the plate in the middle of the table.
"Why are you so unsettled, Redguard?"
Allie froze, her hand in the process of bringing a grilled piece of leek to her mouth.
Sapphire turned around. "She's not unsettled."
"I'm fine," Allie added with a 'tone,' trying to make it seem as though Sapphire were an overprotective friend.
The person that had asked, the first male she'd observed, wrinkled his brow slightly.
"My friend, here, just got the impression that we'd disturbed you. You were staring, and then you got up a little too quickly. I apologize, friend." The woman smiled.
"It's quite alright." Allie said, smiling briefly before returning to her food. Sapphire had turned back around, and reached for a piece of grilled chicken.
The two women began to eat, and said nothing over their meal. It wasn't long before they heard the people behind them begin to whisper, and Allie couldn't make out every word, but she'd heard bits and pieces that gave her an idea of what was being said.
"Just ask." Came from the woman.
Then, "You don't even know what I meant by that." from the first male.
There was a small chuckle, and "He doesn't want to." from the second male, but it wasn't his entire sentence.
Sapphire made eye contact with her, sending the message that they were on the same page, and Allie tuned them out from thereafter. Either they actually knew something was wrong, or they were contemplating whether or not to ask if the scar on her face was real.
"Excuse me..."
Allie lifted her head, trying to act as though she hadn't expected this, and Sapphire turned around as well.
The woman smiled. "Sorry to bother you again, friends. But what are your names?"
Allie was surprised, but hesitated from letting it appear too obvious. "My name is Valerie. This is my friend-"
"Saphira," Sapphire interjected calmly.
The woman nodded. "Ah. I am Aela, and these are my shield-brothers, Farkas and Vilkas."
"A pleasure." Sapphire said, attempting to seem friendly. It'd startled Allie to see Sapphire's change in character, and she stared at her for a moment.
"Shield-brothers... are you Companions, then?" Allie asked, drawing her eyes back to the people behind them.
"Indeed. We have business here in Riften-"
"Well, I think it's best we head on," Sapphire smiled, standing.
Allie stood without contemplation, though she wondered why conversation with these people wasn't in their best interest. They'd seemed friendly enough.
"We should be leaving as well."
The three of them rose in unison after Aela's announcement, and Allie and Sapphire watched as they exited the tavern.
"It was a pleasure meeting you three," Allie called to them.
And then it was silent between the two of them for a moment, before Sapphire turned to Allie.
"I'm going to go back to my house. I suggest you do the same, and clear your head before you do anything stupid," she whispered.
Allie nodded, and exited through the front door after Sapphire had exited through the back door.
As she stepped out into the night air, her heart sank.
The bodies.
She turned to her right, and saw that Aela, Farkas, and Vilkas weren't there- in fact, no one was there, not even the corpses.
Without standing out front much longer, she turned to her left, and caught a glimpse of the Companions leaving. She started walking, not allowing her mind to race just yet. She'd wait until she got home to do that, and as she got closer and closer to home, she found it hard to do that.
What had happened to the bodies... the blood? Who had cleaned up the mess for them, and why?
"You. Pretty face."
Allie's brows wrinkled, and she looked around her in every direction. Finally, she spotted the source of the voice, which was strangely enticing, and also female.
When she set eyes upon this person, it was a very pale woman; strikingly beautiful. Even from Allie's distance, she could tell. She had long auburn hair that fell to the sides of her hips, and her eyes were glowing an eerie green. Her figure was covered by an intricate purple robe, and her feet, by armored onyx boots.
"I'll give you 5,000 septims if you go with those three right now."
Allie blinked, not knowing how to respond. She stumbled for words for a few moments over the thousands of questions that had been raised, before finally managing to sputter something out.
"Why... would you do that?"
The woman stared at her, but kept her smile in place. "Because I cleaned up your mess."
Allie shook her head, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
"...That doesn't make sense."
The woman walked toward her, grabbing Allie's brown hands, and smiling even harder. "I want you to go with them. You will have no future if you don't, and I don't think you should waste away."
Allie was dumbfounded, but the woman was starting to make sense. "... You already know I won't get away with what I've done?"
She nodded. "You won't. And neither will your friend. Does this mean you'll go then?"
Allie shook her head as though she were confused. "I suppose I don't have a choice..."
A heavy purse replaced the woman's hands, and Allie found that the woman's face had grown serious.
"In addition to what was initially promised, that's enough to buy a home in Whiterun, if you so choose. It is also enough to purchase necessities and anything extra if you have use for it. There will be more to come if you comply."
"Comply...? How will you find m-"
The woman brought a finger to Allie's lips, and pointed to the city gates. "They move fast, my dear. You will want to hurry."
Allie pocketed the purse, and began to walk toward the gates. The woman was very strange, and she had sent her on her way very quickly. She'd covered up her mess, sent her to people who would 'give her a future', and gave her the coin to start a new life. She had no idea of what to think, or how to think... but she'd gotten the impression that she shouldn't think at all when the woman called out to her again.
"Run to them!" was what she heard, and mindlessly, she ran.
A/N: The DB's name will be changed to Noela once I get the chance to replace it in a document editor.
I have tried to clarify the issue regarding the Thieves Guild and murder, and there have been some minor adjustments to dialogue. Thanks for reading, I might be updating soon.
- July 2014