Chapter One-Fly Home Nightingale
Laurelin Vo'Shai took a deep breath and let it out in a long, slow sigh of contentment. This moment was perfect. Dawns light was just beginning to bleed up the velvet black mantle of night cloaking the land. Tiny swirls of pearly mist crept around the white boles of the aspens on the lake shore. Pale golden leaves glistened and quivered in amorphous clouds over each stark branch. The last trill of the last night bird pierced the morning, a lovely keening note, underscored by the whisper of the morning zephyr.
"Like passing through a rainbow, there and gone." Laurelin breathed to herself. Her lovers arms slid tighter under the snow bear pelt covering their bare limbs. Her delicate hand played across the hair of his chest, felt his heart thumping steadily away.
"Hmm?" he mumbled sleepily, turning his face and opened compellingly beautiful emerald eyes to gaze into Laurelin's icy blues. She smiled and kissed his nose.
"Nothing, really. Just thinking aloud. Go back to sleep love". She looked back over the side of the tiny fishing boat they had tucked themselves into last night, out at the brightening shore. Her eyes seemed to drink in every detail of the scenery. It was too lovely to ruin with talk of business.
Her lover, having not returned to sleep, noted her evasion. The set of her jaw told him 'nothing really' was 'something really'. He liked to think of himself as a patient man, but trying to out wait a contemplative elf-well this man was human after all. It wasn't long before he had to act, draw her out. His blunt forefinger hooked around her chin, pulling her gaze from the mountains she'd been scrutinizing so intently. His thumb feathered over her pursed lips, eliciting a hungry smile in return. His voice-which Laurelin thought of as warm honey poured over thunder- finally broke the silence as they gazed at each other.
"What weighs so heavily on your mind Lass?" he rumbled softly. Laurelin loved the music in his voice, loved the way he called her 'Lass'. When he called her that, she almost felt young again. Almost. Another sigh whispered passed her lips before she began.
"Bryn, I need to go home for a while. A month at the least, maybe two or three."
His deep chuckle sounded briefly as he craned his head around and gazed up at the back porch of Laurelin's house. "I take it you'll not be meaning yon manse?" He arched an eyebrow at her, half smile fluttering uncertainly across his handsome face.
"No Bryn, not yon manse. Valenwood." She matched his half smile with one of her own. Describing Honeyside as a manse was being a trifle free with the definition of manse. Brynjolf loved fancy sounding words though, and the word had a certain polish to it.
"So, were ye going to tell me before you vanished into the woods, or leave a pretty smelling note?" He paused realizing he was sounding more upset than he should be. "How long before you leave? Lass, I need you here to keep things with Maven and the Jarl running smoothly! Divines above, we've only just wrested a bit of control from Mavens fist and now you're going camping?" He noticed the slight frown at his last remark and bit his lip. "Sorry that was out of line. I can tell you don't want to go. You just took me by surprise is all."
"His accent always becomes more pronounced when he's upset," she thought."Or very happy..." Laurelin hugged him closer saying, "The Divines above know I'm glad to finally have the Guild doing so well. We've both-all of us worked so hard to get where we are. I'm proud of you and the others, in ways I can't say. Take it as a mark of faith in your abilities Bryn. I wouldn't leave if it wasn't important, nor if you were not up to the task." Her expression implored him to understand, and he did.
"What is so important that you must leave now?" He leaned forward and let his warm lips trail softly up her jaw, tease the tip of one finely pointed ear. Her eyes closed as she shivered with sudden thrills.
"Family, dearest, I need to return for my family. A-" she paused briefly, "there was a courier for me earlier. He had a letter."
"Aye they usually do at that. Was this one at least wearing his trousers?" He stopped teasing her ear and looked her squarely in the eyes when she didn't chuckle. "What was it, lovely one?"
"News, both fair and foul I'm sad to say." Brynn appeared somewhat mollified and nodded for her to continue. While she was collecting her thoughts, slender fingers idly traced the out line of his jaw, thumb skimmed over his short red whiskers. How do you tell your lover of three years something like this. It had simply never came up. Now it would be plain strange. "Well the fair news is actually joyous-my youngest daughter is nearing the time of her own first birth. I would be there to welcome my newest grandchild into the Light of Living."
He studied her face, waiting for the punchline. His lass was a notorious trickster and loved a good joke. Seeing she was in earnest however, he asked "So why in all of these years have you not mentioned you have children? Grandchildren! Some of those harpies out in the market can shriek about theirs, all day long with out taking a single breath."
"I don't speak of them because of the separation I feel, the pain. Well, it can be staggering sometimes how much I miss them. If I allow it."
"How many do you have?"
"Children? Three. Two daughters, one son. I think I was surprisingly prolific for a Bosmer."
"And the grandchildren?"
"Four-three now. That is the heart shattering, bad news. As Matriarch of our little clan I must go and perform the family rites and conduct the mourning. For my oldest grandson. He was killed in a raid." Laurelin gulped down chilly air, biting her knuckles hard, trying to choke back the the angry tears she was not allowed to shed yet. Bryn held her close, stroked her white-gold hair. For once his glib tongue could offer no comfort. So he kissed her forehead, and twined their long fingers together. When she finally smiled up at him again, he knew the worst was passed.
His wicked smile lit his face up as he said "I was thinking-"
"Marvels abound!" she cut in.
"-that maybe I should stop calling you Lass," scooping her up and rolling her over his chest, so she straddled his hips.
"Don't you dare ever stop," she chided. "That's an order!"
"Yes Ma'am-Gran'ma-Boss-errr Susannah?" He fended off several playful slaps as he cooed out each name in that 'take me now' tone he used sometimes. The last one earned him an unexpected thump to his chest and he finally cried out "Lass! Okay lass it is, now and forever. Oww."
Laurelin rubbed the spot she had punched. "Serves you right. Anyway, where were we?"
"You were dumping me I think, or was it you were dumping a whole load of work on me? Something like that." A troubled expression raced across his face to disappear again. "I suppose between Delvin and Vex we can handle the lads and lasses well enough."
"Don't forget, Karliah is right around the corner. I know you can do this love! You have always been the motivating force behind our new success, but you need to have some faith in yourself. The Lads all do. I do." Laurelin whooped softly as he rolled them over, the boat rocking sharply for a moment then stilling. Brynjolf's warm, smooth lips hovered over hers for an enticing moment, then quirked and pulled slightly back.
"Does this mean I claim your share of the lads take while you are away?" His lovely eyes twinkled down, threatening her resolve.
"Aye, I suppose it does. There is just the matter of mine own fees..."
"Oh? Those being?" Mischief and desire danced together on his smiling face. Dimple on one side, jagged scar on the the other. With or with out the scar, Bryn smiling like that made him the most appealing human she had ever met.
Laurelin pulled his head closer, claiming the kiss he had just denied her. He straightened the bearskin over them as she breathed in his scent and moaned. "We can discuss terms here in my office." His arms gathered her into his embrace, banishing grief and duty for the precious moments they stole together.