Welcome back! I decided to upload the next chapter, obviously. This chapter is slightly longer and goes into some things with Cydra and Brynjolf's relationship. Please enjoy, and review!

I DO NOT OWN THE ELDER SCROLLS, I simply own my OC's.

Brynjolf sat alone, quite frustrated. Money was disappearing and he had no idea where it was going. He felt the need to throw everything to the floor. Of course, that wouldn't fix anything, it would only make his disorganization worse. Vex was always nagging him about how he needed to set up his office better. Sure, he had a few too many things lying around but it's not like he had time to clean house.

Suddenly a knock sounded at his door "Brynjolf," called a female voice. He didn't need to turn around to recognize the person. Sapphire had been his friend for a very long time.

He turned slightly to look at her, she seemed stressed. "What is it? Something go wrong?" he asked while knitting his brow together. It wasn't often Sapphire even showed signs of distress.

A nervous hand ran through her hair "Um, we need to talk," she awkwardly shuffled into the room and shut the door.

He quirked an eyebrow and smirked "You finally fallen in love with me, eh?" he watched as she fixed him with that signature scowl she usually wore.

"No, and I never will." she mumbled while leaning up against the wall. Her features softened, her eyes were glued to the flickering flame of his candle. "Brynjolf, I don't know how to say this. You know I'm not good with easing things up,"

Brynjolf spun slowly to face his friend "Out with it, I ain't got all day," he said to her. Something was off. He knew it when it came to her.

Sapphire seemed to take a deep breath and she was holding it as she blurted "She's here," only causing Brynjolf more confusion.

"Who is here? You are going to have to be more specific," he stated with aggitation.

Her gaze finally rested on his "Brynjolf, Cydra is here."

For a moment, it felt as if all the air was knocked right out of his lungs. That name, it brought back so many memories, so much pain. It was shocking. Silence racked the air, no one needed words to be spoken. "What... Why?" he managed to croak out.

His friend shook her head "Dark times have fallen on her. Celestria was murdered and now she doesn't know what to do. I thought maybe we could take her in for awhile-"

Brynjolf's cutting gaze shut her mouth. "You want me...To take in...The woman who left us? The one who deliberately hurt all of us?" he growled. Cydra was a person he never wanted to see. She was his first love, and his last true one. After she broke his heart he resorted to taking any woman to bed, it dulled the pain of her memory. Why would he want to see her?

"Don't think of the past anymore," Sapphire snapped "It's the past Brynjolf. Things have changed, we have changed. She needs our help, and you cannot deny a woman help," her words rang true. He couldn't turn away a person in need, especially one he used to hold close to his heart.

His words came out in a low growl "Fine," he returned back to his work "Leave me, I'm sure you have that guy too hassle,"

XoXoXo

"Do you ever dream?" whispered the young girl. The boy next to her looked over with a funny expression.

"Not really," he said as he tucked his hand under his head, the grass was starting to tickle his neck.

The girl smiled "I dream," she raised her hands and spread them open so she could see the stars between her fingers. "I dream of being an adventurer. I want to travel Skyrim and see it's beauty. Will you come with me, Bryn?"

The young boy blushed at the use of his very annoying nick-name. "Course I will. Women can't go off alone. I couldn't risk you getting hurt," he stated.

She giggled next to him "You are my best friend, Bryn. My very best friend. And one day, we will be hero's together. Just picture it, Cydra and Brynjolf's adventures. Tales of the Glorious Riften Hero's." she laughed to herself.

"Hey!" he snapped, sitting straight up so he could glare down at her. She still wore a toothy grin. "Why can't my name go first? It should be Brynjolf and Cydra, not the other way around," he gently tugged her long dark hair.

Her laughter died down too a small giggle "Lighten up Bryn. I'm obviously better than you," she jumped up and started frolocking back towards the city.

He took off after her "No you're not! I'm better!" he shouted after her.

Cydra woke with a jolt, her heart was pounding in her ears. That dream, it wasn't a dream. It was a memory. Sadness threatened her, but she managed to push it away. She remembered when she was a child. But she really remembered him. Brynjolf. It hurt her to think of him, she could recall when they were young. Young and in love. With a violent shake of her head, Cydra quickly dispersed of the thoughts.

"You're awake, finally," said her friend from the doorway.

The younger girl rubbed her aching head "How long have I been asleep?" she asked in a small voice.

Sapphire grimaced "Long enough for me to get the guts to tell Brynjolf of your arrival and for him too calm down." that's when Cydra hopped out of bed. A wild expression was on her face.

"B-Brynjolf, he is here?" she sputtered in disbelief.

The other woman was stunned her friend could move so fast in a moment of seconds. "Uh, yes. I guess I should explain.." Sapphire trailed off.

Cydra managed to give her a pointed look "You think?" she hissed in an irritated tone.

"Alright, alright, calm down and take a seat," Sapphire said in that I-Don't-Take-Bullshit kind of voice.

With a deep breath, the young woman sat down on the bed. What if she had to see Brynjolf again? What if he ignored her? What if he hated her? She swallowed her thoughts, that didn't matter. She left him. It didn't matter now. Sapphire folded her arms "It was about two years after you left when Brynjolf met some people. He was involved in some kind of town-running guild. He told me about all the gold and treasures he was raking in. I decided 'Hey, that might be a nice deal' so I joined. We called ourselves the Thieves Guild. We were pretty good too. I watched as Brynjold climbed in the ranks of the group. Soon he was second in command. I'd stayed with him, all the way, up to this day. That's where you are now, the Thieves Guild. We've made our home in the underground of the city, the Ratway." she shrugged her shoulders "But we laid claim to some of the nicer parts we now call the Cistern and Ragged Flagon. That's about it." she mumbled.

Cydra was sort of surprised, when she still lived here, Brynjolf had no intetentions of staying in the city. He was ready to run off with her and be the adventurers they always dreamed of becoming. She figured he'd already been half way across Skyrim by now. "But...He wasn't supposed to just stay here. He told me he wanted to see the world," she murmured.

Sapphire sighed heavily "Cydra, he wanted to do those things with you. Once you left, he had no reason to go. So he stayed." she explained, she watched as a pained expression came onto her friend's face. "Don't worry though, I'm not sure Brynjolf could be any better off." she quickly added. Everything went quiet, Cydra was too lost in her thoughts. The older woman was desperately thinking of something to say to her friend. "I...I brought you some clean clothes. It's a simple dress but we didn't have anything else." Sapphire scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Oh, thank you," the dark haired girl said as she took it into her hands. The feeling of the rough fabric made images of her sister pop into her head. They used to pretend their dresses were made of fine silk when they played dress up. Although it was only a rough, itchy kind of tunic. Cydra could afford anything fancy. Tears stung her eyes but she let none fall.

Sapphire sighed softly and poured water into a basin. "Wash up and I'll take you around town. Lot's changed." she said as she passed through the door to get a bottle of mead.

The girl discarded her old clothes and donned the dress. It fit alright, but bagged in areas. Cydra ran water over her face, through her hair, and up her arms. Dirt swirled in the liquid. A wistful emotion rose up in her as her friend's words echoed in her head, He had no reason to go. A cold and familiar feeling covered her aching soul. It was the feeling she trained herself to have always. Being a deadly assassin required it, she could have no emotions. No guilt, no sadness, and absolutely no happiness.

Her evil mind decided to recall murders that she had commited in the past. She had killed a bride at her own wedding. She killed a homeless man. She had even killed the Emperor, and he stood there like a noble man, accepting his fate. She shot him with an arrow, mercilessly. Cydra squeezed her eyes shut to fight away the memories. "Who have I become?" the question had resonated in her ever since she held her dead sister, her blood staining her hands. Before she could travel further into darkness a voice called her back.

"Cydra," Sapphire said "C'mon, standing around is getting you anywhere." Cydra turned to her with a strained smile. Not much could be said.

As they passed through the Ragged Flagon, Cydra took in the dimly lit place with many suspicious looking residents. Most looked like thieves. This was definitely Guild ran. Even though it was pretty run down it was better than the place the Dark Brotherhood called their home. The thought of that damn 'family' made her anger flare. "Hey, Sapphire, who's the girl? She get lost?" asked a rather rough voice. Cydra quickly found the owner. A man sitting in a wooden chair, a half empty tankard, and a thief uniform.

Sapphire stopped while crossing her arms "A friend," she replied as she tilted her head "If you are anymore concerned, Mallory, speak to Brynjolf," as if the name was posion Cydra winced. That didn't go unnoticed by Delvin or Sapphire. The older girl took her friend's arm and pulled her towards the exit. "Let's go," she murmured.

XoXoXo

"Mercer," Brynjolf practically pleaded "You must be a little suspicious. Some of this money that's coming in, it's vanishing! Someone is taking it!"

The Guild Master regarded his second-in-charge nonchalantly. "Relax, I'm sure you just miscaculated. We shouldn't go around accusing anyone of anything." he waved the boy away "Besides, that isn't for you too worry about. Shouldn't you be making money instead of complaining?" his voice held no interest in the fact that money was possibly being lost.

Brynjolf sighed in defeat "Fine, but please, Mercer, look into it. If you don't, I'll take the liberty of doing so," as he walked away he heard the man chuckling. He was acting so strange lately. It almost made the auburn haired man infuriated. He shook his head and made for his stall in the local market.

Sure, scamming people wasn't his life-long dream. But hey, he was making some pretty good gold. He really shouldn't be complaining. Riften wasn't as nice as it used to be. Too him, it seemed dreary with overcast skies and chilly air. A fire could hardly warm the place. It didn't help that it was the end of Frostfall and going into Sun's Dusk. Winter would soon arrive and make it all the more bland and depressing.

As he called out to the visiting people and locals, his eyes wandered. He could always tell an honest man from an unhonest one. Although, those men didn't catch his eye. No, rather it was a woman. A breathtakingly familiar one. For a long moment he couldn't breathe, he was frozen. His voice caught and his heart seemed to stop. That's when her briliantly blue eyes held his, immediately drying his mouth. He felt as if he was swallowing sand. As if she suddenly recognized him, her gaze widened.

Cydra. She was just as he had pictured in his lonely nights. Except, she seemed to be more beaten up and sorrowful. No happiness was potrayed on her face, not like he remembered. What? Why was he thinking of her like that? Brynjolf finally found his strength to tear his eyes from hers and shout out advertisements.

A familiar ache rumbled deep in his heart. "Damn it," he whispered to himself.

XoXoXo

When Cydra saw him it was like the world gave way from underneath her. It was like she traveled back in time, when he could make her weak in the knees and sweep her away like a swift wind. His eyes were the richest brown that she recalled from her memory, except they were missing their old warmth. His face had aged little, although he had grown his hair a tad bit longer. Dressed in a rich blue robe highlighted his every feature.

You gave that up long ago, a voice echoed in the back of her head. Sapphire was talking and showing her around but Cydra wasn't listening or watching. All she could hear was her racing heart, how could he still do this to her? After so many years? After so much training to let go?

She dared one more glance up at him, only slightly disappointed to see him speaking with a customer. Sapphire noticed her friend watching the man and hastily made sure they got away. But one day they would have to be around each other. The real question was, could she handle it? Could he? Would her walls crumble?

No, why would he want you. You're the bitch who left him with nothing more than a letter and didn't come back. The voice scorned her and she knew it was true. Yes, this was the fate she chose. She would see it through.

The funny thing is, fate has a way of always turning everything upside down and throwing you into the unknown.

-An Hour Later-

After seeing the city once more, Cydra felt like she had never left. This place was truly her home, it was in her veins. For once, she even allowed herself the liesure of smiling. It was a tad forced, smiling felt like a guilty act. Sapphire seemed to be in good spirits after seeing her friend finally smile and laugh at a few small jokes.

It was a relief too not have to be constantly observing everyone, manipulating everyone, and spotting everyone's weaknesses. Cydra had never realized how much energy it took until she had stopped. "You mind if we head back to the Ragged Flagon? I need some fuel," Sapphire gestured to her stomach.

Cydra offered her a smile "I was just thinking the same,"

They walked quietly, neither was good at small talk. But being old friends, they knew they didn't need it. The silence was comforting. Cydra knew that a serious conversation was awaiting them after lunch but she'd rather not think of it. "You know, I think I better introduce you to everyone soon," Sapphire inquired as she opened the door.

"I suppose," Cydra tapped her chin "It is indefinite how long I will stay." as those few words escaped her mouth she wanted them back just as quick. Sapphire's expression was enough to make her wince.

She was confused and obviously hurt "You intend to leave, again?" her voice was small. It wasn't often Sapphire became hurt. She didn't let anyone see her vulunrable side. Much too dangerous in a town like Riften.

The younger woman sighed "No, that's not what I meant." she reassured her "I simply meant that not everyone exactly likes me here. I doubt I am welcome forever," she explained.

Sapphire pulled herself together and grinned "Don't worry about that." she waved away her friends worries as they sat at the bar.

A rough looking bartender came over and nodded towards Sapphire who returned the gesture. "What've you got for lunch?" she questioned.

"Eh, I just cooked up a pot of tomato soup. Also got some bread and cheese. That suit your liking?" the baretender asked.

Cydra dished out a few coins but Sapphire pushed them back. "I got this," she said "We'll take two bowls of soup and two pieces of bread with cheese." she ordered.

"Eh, well if it isn't ol' Brynjolf? Get some gold?" drawled a voice behind them, freezing Cydra's blood, it felt like knives running through her veins.

She could practically feel his gaze burning through her as he spoke "Just a few septiums," he said casually. He still had the accent, the one that sounded like silken honey. Sweet and smooth. Yet his tone seemed to be slightly bitter. She had no doubt it was because she was close by. "Ah, well, were you planning on ignoring me forever? It's been awhile, Cydra," he challenged her.

Cydra turned in her chair to see him, he was just as handsome up close. She gave him a curt nod, trying to hide away her hurt. "I had no intention, Brynjolf," she replied in a monotone voice. Suprising even herself, she had no idea how she had mustered the strength after such cutting words.

Tension crackled in the room like lightning of a heated storm. This was not going to be easy.

I hope you liked it! I hope to have the next chapter out soon enough. School is coming up, ugh, so things might slow down a bit. Oh well, review, please! I love to read them :D See ya later!

-LoveToWrite14