~Author's Note~

Hello everyone~! This is a little Skyrim fanfiction that I have been working almost a week now, and have been working on it non stop. I'm actually quiet pleased with it so far, but am very nervous about uploading it. I only hope that you all will like it as much as a few of my friends have! Any minuscule review or favorite is greatly appreciated. It's a great way to lift my enthusiasm in writing too! Since I usually have a horrible way of leaving many stories without ever finishing. Also, I have about six chapters already written, and I'm debating on whether I should keep with updating once or not. Advice or constructive criticism is welcome 3

Another little side node, this story is greatly influenced by two things at the moment: a song and Romeo and Juliet. Of course, it will not be as tragic as the play, but there will be a few notable references in latter chapters. Anyone who can guess the song (by the title) gets a cookie 3 Well, I shall end this rant here. Enjoy~!

Your's Eternally, Erin

"You are certain we are going the right way?" It was a question of unease, spoken in such a soft tone it was almost inaudible. Yet for the Khajiit woman it was clear as day. Having spent the past few weeks with her soft spoken companion, she learned to pick up on the sounds he made before he spoke as to listen to him.

"Of course, V. You doubt my sense of direction too easily." She grinned back at the feminine boy sitting awkwardly on the large horse. His curly red hair was tied up and stashed away under his golden cap, and his eyes of sky darted in such a manner it confirmed his distinct fear of the darkness around them. He looked even smaller atop the large stallion they had found to have taken a liking to him. Such a frail, useless companion to have. Durga wondered how she got stuck with such a whelp.

"I apologize, Durga. I am just nervous." He casted his eyes downward in shameful embarrassment. Sometimes Durga had to ponder how he pulled off his little lie so well. He was, in fact, a terrible actor for a bard. She took the apology with a swift nod of her head and continued to lead her mare forward. They were headed south after a night spent in Windhelm to the notorious town of Riften. Of course, her rabbit of a friend did not know this yet. If it were up to him, they would still be safely behind the walls of Whiterun.

Durga could still remember meeting the young Valentyne. During a simple job to retrieve a stolen object from a group of bandits, the foolish boy had come up behind her and almost had his throat slit as punishment for being so brazen. After a brief and panicked explanation, he had begged her to allow him to tag along with her, promising to lend any hand his skills could lend. For whatever reason, she had given into him far too easily. Maybe it was his voice, gentle and silken with such an appealing accent that it was hard not to lend a tentative ear. Or it could have even been the way he spoke, as if there was nothing else but his words to be wrapped around. Whatever it had been, Durga gave in to his baby face and they had been adventuring around ever since. The pretty boy was good for distractions and conversation. Not a single other thing had she found him good at.

They had been on the move to their destination for about a week now, and Valentyne was beginning to have a sinking feeling that they weren't really headed for the nice little lake she had promised him. He did trust her, there was no doubt about that, but sometimes Durga enjoyed bending the truth to avoid his anxious complaining. Valentyne clutched the black cloak tighter to his small body. The night air chilled his bones with cold and fear. He really hated the dark, it was just too unwelcoming.

In envious silence, he watched as Durga struck down a lone wolf with one swing of her blade, keeping perfect balance on her horse. To be as brave as her was a large dream of his. Granted, Valentyne was a confident young man, but when his fears took him over he was no braver than a mouse. He had tried to toughen himself up back in Whiterun, teaching himself a bit of swordplay but even still holding a blade just felt awkward to him. So he just led his horse on, sitting in groveling silence and picking away at the dreams that welled themselves deep in his gentle heart.

Not even an hour later they were circling around a large lake, their destination being revealed before Valentyne's big doe eyes. And it didn't look very appealing.

"Durga… Where are we?" The nervousness in his tone was the clearest thing, but just below the surface was the hurt. Durga had lied to him because she knew he wouldn't have been able to handle the idea of traveling to a place with such a shifty reputation. Valentyne knew where they were, and he knew that Durga knew he did. The better question would have been 'Why did you bring me to this grotesque place where a frail young man such as myself did not belong and would certainly have his face smashed into a rock in a matter of moments upon entry?' Oh Valentyne and his hidden meanings.

"Look V," She sighed turning her horse around to face him, an utter seriousness in her cat eyes. "I have to find someone here for Delphine. We will be out within a day, I promise. Just stick close to me and you'll be fine." The normal Khajiit lingo even to her was strange. Having grown up around Nords, she found their way of speech much more normal compared to the way her parents had spoken. The smile of reassurance stilled the boy's fears a little. Durga had yet to lead him into harm's way, and she didn't seem to have any plans to anytime soon. So he did as he had been told, and kept fast to her heels as they walked their horses to the gate.

As soon as they were about to tie their horses to a nearby tree, the guard came up to them. He told Durga that only the North Gate was open. Always the curious one, Durga questioned him intensely, and Valentyne could see the guards discomfort from the shuffling of his feet. Finally, gaining a little bit of courage to face up to her, he threatened to not allow them in at all if she didn't comply. Durga grumbled her annoyance as they walked their horses to the front gate.

"Well at least we have a proper place to put the horses." Valentyne commented cheerfully as they neared the stables, only getting an angry harrumph from Durga. She was horribly impatient about everything he had come to find, especially with things that stunted her continuing of a job. After they tied up the horses and paid the stable hand, they walked up to the gate. Once again, they were confronted by a guard. Durga's silver eyes flared at him, but still he went on his clearly rehearsed speech.

"Hold there," He said in a rather cocky tone, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Before I let you into Riften, you need to pay the visitors tax." Durga sighed in exaggerated aggravation, throwing her arms into the air for an added effect.

"This is obviously just a shakedown!" She growled at him. "What a joke! Are you even a guard? I doubt it. I will not hand over a single septim to you, or anyone in this filthy rat hole." Durga was right in his face at this point, stabbing daggers into him with just her narrow eyes. Although she was terrifyingly serious, the guard wasn't wavered from his pompous attitude at all. Clearly he had more gall then the last guard they had faced.

"Then I guess you won't be entering Riften anytime soon, cat." He spat out the insult with such venom, Valentyne couldn't help but flinch. He saw Durga's hostility rise, and at the moment her hands balled into fist he knew it was time to intervene. Putting a gentle hand on Durga's armored shoulder in quick reassurance, he stood in front of her and the guard, just in case she lost it.

"Excuse the hostility, sir, but what my companion here means is to not cause a scene before the gates of Riften. We simply want to get in, and since clearly we have uncovered your true intent on taking our money right from under our booted feet, it would be in both of our best interest if you let us past. We would not want anything about our little meeting slip to a real guard now would we?" The complete and utterly sincere quality in Valentyne's voice was what baffled the thief the most. In a matter of moments, he had unlocked the door without a second thought to it. As if the boy had put him under some sort of strange spell, he was completely dazed after they walked through, and looked at his own companion for some clarity in the matter. He was also staring after the two travelers, equally astonished.

Valentine walked closely to Durga, so closely that he bumped into her a few times when someone else walked to close and he panicked. Durga didn't seem to mind; she had figured this reaction from him and was much more pleased with this then any constant whining. It was too late for them to get any information on Esbern tonight, so she immediately started walking towards a building called the Bee and Bard.

No one seemed to be stirred by their sudden entrance, all attending to their own matters. Some were loud and hopelessly drunk, and some were quiet and glanced around with an intuitive eye. Either way, it didn't help the young boy's nervous disposition, and he had to resist the urge to clutch onto Durga's arm. He followed at her heels to an Argonian woman behind a wooden counter. Valentyne listened as Durga bought them a room, glancing around with an eye of suspicion for every person there. Although his trust towards people was vacant on a normal basis, it was especially so in this town.

Once in their room, Durga took off her heavy armor and stretched out her muscles in a very feline fashion. Valentyne just watched her, sometimes finding himself fascinated with her natural way of living. It was just the curiosity of his well-born nature, so he never once questioned it.

"I'm going to go out there and have a few drinks, V. Relieve some of this stress," She told him as she threw on a more comfortable attire. Changing in front of the young boy never bothered her. She knew he wouldn't be ogling at her like some lust filled man; it just wasn't how he was. Valentyne nodded from his spot on the bed, sitting with his knees to his chest as he fooled around with his flute. He was far too sick to his stomach out of weak nerves to entertain at tonight. Besides, he doubted any coin would be thrown his way at a place like this.

He sat in silence after she left, listening to the loud laughter from downstairs. It wasn't often that Valentyne indulged himself in a glass of wine or a tankard of ale. He thought alcohol was horrible and tasted awful, but if offered he felt it rude not to accept. Many a time he would be hunched over vomiting from too many drinks offered for his entertainment.

A few moments passed, and then an hour with still no sign of Durga. Sitting up and getting off the bed, Valentyne took of his cap and let his curls bounce down to his shoulders. His lengthy hair added to his feminine quality, but it didn't seem to faze him in the least. Every jabbing insult to the very humorist joke about his appearance never once bothered him. He took everything he was dealt in an easy going stride. After pacing the room a bit, he finally decided it was time for bed. It would be difficult to ignore the shouting from under his feet, but he'd manage like he always had. He reached up to his neck to grab the string that was normally tied around his neck to find it gone. In a state of panic, he grabbed at his clothes but still didn't find it. The ring that had been attached to it was a gift from someone special he had had in his life as a child.

Tying up his hair sloppily and throwing on his cap, he basically ran down the old wooden steps and into the crowd of people that had seemed to double in size. It took him a while to find his companion; she had been sitting in a far corner with an older looking man. His auburn hair seemed brown in the dim light, and his large body structure and scruffy look signaled to Valentyne that he was a Nord. They seemed to be in a serious conversation of sorts, and though Valentyne hated to interrupt, that ring was more important to him than anything.

"Oh V," Durga said as he neared their table, a slight bit of shock in her tone. The Nord looked up at him as well, a look of surprise also in his gaze. "I didn't expect you to come down. We were actually just talking about you." The urgency in Valentyne's eyes was an immediate signal to Durga that something was wrong. Then she noticed that the string that she had never once noticed off of him was gone, and she immediately knew the cause of his panic. She sighed deeply, downing the rest of her ale quickly and standing up. "Well it seems our little conversation has to be cut short." The sentence was directed to the Nord who was still taking Valentyne in. "We seem to be missing something of ours."

His steady gaze shifted up to Durga, his green eyes almost laughing at her. "You've been hit already have you lass?" Durga shot him a glare, her gaze as steady as his.

"No, we simply misplaced something." The lie came off her tongue with such truth that it took a while to notice the way her lip twitched after, a clear sign of a false sentence. Most people wouldn't notice it, but after being with Durga for as long as Valentyne had, it was almost as obvious as the way she crossed her arms in front of her chest whenever she was agitated.

"Aye, lass, of course. My mistake." The sarcasm was obvious, causing Durga to glare more, narrow eyes becoming narrower. "It would seem to me like you are already in need of more of my help. Care to rethink our little arrangement?" To this, Durga said nothing, just thought. Valentyne looked back and forth at them, completely in the dark about everything that had just occurred in the past hour she had been gone.

"Well… actually." Durga suddenly smiled big, glancing over at Valentyne. "Maybe my friend here could help you while I go looking for who I need. V may seem useless, but under the correct circumstances he can surprise you." Valentyne frantically looked up at Durga, eyes wide with horror. Help this giant of a man? Who Valentyne himself knew nothing about? Was she crazy? "I mean, he did handle your thief within a matter of seconds." The Nord himself didn't seem too happy about this idea himself. He looked Valentyne over again, making him shift uncomfortably on his feet.

"Well lad, are you up to doing some work for me?" The Nord looked straight into Valentyne's eyes, causing him to freeze automatically. There was something about him that arose both panic and fascination in him. It made him ever more uneasy, and he let out a choked stutter. The Nord shook his head, laughter lit up in his eyes again and a smile appeared on his face. "I'll take that as a no."

"Don't be ridiculous, V can do it," Durga countered strongly, giving the boy a hard pat on the back, allowing Valentyne to know that he was about to screw everything up if he didn't shape up. "Just you wait and see. We'll be there tomorrow at 8 on the dot." Valentyne was glad for the hope she seemed to have in, but he also feared it was all false. Whatever this little 'job' for him was, it didn't seem too easy. Nor too legal.

"Alright lass," The Nord told Durga, also finishing up his ale. He stood up, and Valentyne had been right about his largeness compared to him. He was distinctively taller than him; a foot, at least. "I'm trusting you judgment in this boy." He shot a sideways glance to Valentyne, causing him to get that unease in his gut again. Durga and the Nord shook hands, and with gleeful triumph she took her companion back up to their room. When the door was locked and they were sure they were alone, Durga fell back onto the bed with a soft sigh.

"Those girly tendencies of yours will get you in a mighty heap of trouble one day, V." Durga watched him, all seriousness cloaked around her words. Valentyne was pacing again, cheeks tinted with a soft pink hue. He just couldn't understand what was wrong with him. Granted, most men scared him in the first place and made him horribly anxious when alone with them. Normally when Durga was around him he was completely fine. There was something about that Nord that just sent him in a little tizzy of embarrassed panic. "Whatever you do, tomorrow you cannot act like that. He has information on Esbern that I need, and won't give it to me unless I help him."

Valentyne looked at her solemnly. Whatever this job was the Nord had for him, he had to do his absolute best to not disappoint. If not for his own pride, but for Durga's. She had done so much for him, and he owed it to her to help her in return. He nodded, regret already settling over as she grinned widely at him.

"He can even help with finding your ring, V. If we work together we can be out of here in no time." He only nodded again. Even long after they had said their good nights, Valentyne found himself staring up at the night cloaked ceiling. Lost in the bottomless pit of his thoughts, he thought of everything and nothing. The ring, the path ahead, and that Nord. What was it about him that made Valentyne so uneasy and at peace at the same time? Sighing heavily into his pillow, he shook his head rapidly. He ran his fingers through his mop of curls, glancing over at Durga who was at complete peace in her sleep. Maybe it would be best to take after her and just forget about everything and sleep.

He tried this tactic out, but when the sun rose his eyes were still wide open.