"Aria! Miss Aria!" She heard someone calling for her and felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. It took a moment before her blue eyes snapped open and she whipped a knife out, pressing to the other person's throat as she grabbed their shoulder.
The other yelped and stiffened, "Hey, boss, I'd rather keep my blood inside my body, please. I don't need an extra breathing hole," he smiled nervously at her.
Aria relaxed her body slightly as she realized that the man was one of her subordinates who worked as a guard for her, she sighed and sheathed the blade as she turned her cold eyes up at him, "And what the hell are you doing in my quarters? Really Ethos, does the door have a sign on it that says 'All Are Welcome! Please Come in and Help Yourself'?"
He shook his head, backing away towards the door, "N-no ma'am, sorry, it's just… just…" he fidgeted with his cuirass and one of the buckles on his belt.
Her expression turned to annoyance, "Well? Spit it out skeever breath, I don't have all day,"
"Well we were afraid that you were having a fit, what with today being what it is—"
"Enough! I wont have any of your measly little excuses. Get back to your patrol and don't let me catch you or any of your comrades in here again, or so help me you'll either find yourselves locked up for life or tanning in a leather rack, do I make myself clear?" Aria snapped, sending the man backwards slightly.
"Yes ma'am!" he nodded and scurried from the room, leaving Aria to herself with the shutting of a wooden door.
She sat up in bed, scratching her eyes of sleep as she finally relaxed her shoulders. It was a few moments before she looked out her window, soft light of the early morning crept into the chamber as the sun rose. She sighed as a heavy weight settled on her shoulders; she leaned forward and rubbed her temples to calm herself.
It had been ten years, and still the sting wouldn't go away.
Aria shook herself again and rose, she walked to her washbasin and splashed her face to clear her head from the terrible dream. She leaned against the basin and stared at the reflection in her dusty mirror, the woman that stared back looked back at her. Aria's hard blue eyes gazed back, framed by her dark auburn hair, a single braid falling from the side of her head to rest over her left ear. A long scar stretched vertically over her left cheek beneath her eye, covered by a red tattoo that resembled an upside down wing.
She straightened herself, dressing in her normal leathers and clipping the belts over her body, pulling up her mask over her face, resting it on the bridge of her nose. She looked again into the mirror, her body lean and lithe as a cat. She turned once and nodded, before throwing her cloak over her shoulders and strapping her blade to her belt.
She didn't care what day it was. Today was today and that was it.
Aria crept along the lower docks in Riften, her ears and eyes now open in the clear, early morning air. She listened all around, hearing the sounds of bartering merchants above in the town square, the banging and clanging of metal in the blacksmith's shop, even the sounds of the water below the docks of the lakeside town. She glanced back, her eyes the only things visible beneath her black hood and mask as she looked about, before ducking down into the Ratway. She could have gone the secret way through the graveyard, but somehow Aria enjoyed walking through the dark sewer path. The rats all gave her a wide berth, yet they followed her on her way, her presence nearly invisible as she walked alone through the dim light.
The sounds of running water streaming through the sewers and the scuttle of the rats in the Ratway calmed her slightly, making it easier for her to focus. Aria rounded a corner through the dripping stone arches and stepped down into the Ragged Flagon, moving through that silently and nodding when other thieves would acknowledge her passing.
She moved through to the Cistern, crossing the center-arched pathways towards the desk and the tribute chest. Aria drew her hood and mask back as she finally relaxed; she then moved to look at her plan book, looking at all the heists they had done in the past few weeks. The guild was bringing in a steady flow of coin, and trade couldn't have been better, but somehow it just wasn't enough. Aria felt incomplete, like something was missing. Flipping through the book she sighed and knelt down to look through some of her scrolls of plans, maybe there would be some heist she could think about to take off the edge of the day.
She suddenly heard the clearing of a throat and looked up, standing before the desk she saw one of the thieves of the guild, a young khajiit, her hood down and her black fur and markings making her clear eyes stand out as she looked at the human. Aria raised an eyebrow and rose to stand, leaning both hands on the table as she looked at the other thief.
"Well Za'jir? What brings you here?" Aria's auburn hair remained tied back for now, the braid at her left temple dangling down beside her ear.
The khajiit flicked her ear as she grinned and handed Aria a note, "Just a letter, Miss Aria," her accent was heavy and rolled off her tongue with a purr, "The courier said it was important that I give it to you personally,"
Aria frowned and took the letter, rolling it over in her hands as she inspected it for any possible hidden traps. Finding none she broke the wax seal and unfurled the letter and glanced over it with a curious look in her eye.
Nightingale,
The quest for gold is never over, and in this case, it's just beginning.
The Winking Skeever, four days. Corner table, ask for wine.
The Crimson Coyote
Aria nearly dropped the letter, her blue eyes going wide as she stifled any other kind of reaction. Instead she just stared incredulously at the parchment in her hand, remaining silent for a good few minutes before she glanced up. Za'jir was still standing in front of her with an expression of concern.
"Get me Brynjolf, immediately. If he's doing something then tell him to drop what he's doing and come see me," She looked back at the letter, trying to discern whether or not it was a fake. This was the position that Brynjolf found her in when he finally appeared before the desk, Aria hadn't even moved, her eyes glazed as she stared at every inch of the letter. She looked up as he approached and shoved the parchment to him, "Look at that, Bryn, and tell me that it's not real, that it's a fake and that I can toss it into the fire and burn it,"
The man in front of her frowned and picked up the letter, reading it over. With each moment he took to read his expression changed to match hers. His gray-green eyes tracing over the letter a few times before he finally shook his head, "I can't say lass, it looks pretty damn legitimate,"
"That's what scares me Bryn! It can't be him! Didn't he vanish? Has he suddenly… I don't know, come back from hiding to send me creepy messages?" Aria stared at the man incredulously as he scratched his auburn beard thoughtfully.
"Really lass, I have no idea," he looked at her, "And he wants to meet in Solitude? Shall I send a footpad to go and check things out? I know how much you… dislike going there, after Greg—"
"No!" she snapped back at him a little too quickly, "Sorry, but no. I need to go there myself and make sure, with my own eyes, that this really is Coyote, and not some trick,"
"If it is a trick, though, what if they catch you?" Brynjolf inclined his head; "You know that catching the Guild Master of the Thieves Guild would put a nice big jewel in their treasury, a big feather in their hat," he raised an eyebrow but she shook it off.
"I know, Bryn, but really I'll be fine," she sighed and ran a hand over her face, before looking back at the letter, Brynjolf had placed it back on the table before her.
He nodded and shrugged at the same time, "Alright, but be careful alright? We don't want our best to end up in Solitude prison because Crimson Coyote is somehow back in business,"
Aria smirked and pulled her hood back up and replaced her nightingale mask, "Come on Brynjolf, it's me we're talking about, I can handle any dog that comes my way,"
Aria arrived in Solitude around sunset about four days later, her hood drawn and her stance wary. She was sure most of the guards wouldn't recognize her, the last time she was here she had been a whole lot different. The last time she was there she had been young and stupid, and it had cost her a friend.
She shook herself inwardly, her mind set on the task ahead as she ignored her brooding and set off towards the Winking Skeever, the letter in her pocket and her eyes hard. Inside it was warm and filled with dim, smoky light, her cloak behind her feeling overly warm with her hood and mask. She kept both on, moving over to the far corner table where she saw another cloaked figure with his head bent over a bowl of stew. When Aria sat down across from him she leaned on the table and crossed a leg over the other, her blue eyes unreadable.
"I hear the wine here is spectacular, what do you think about getting some with me?" she paused, waiting for his answer.
There was a silence between them, and Aria feared she had the wrong man, "I would Nightingale, but mead is always my preferred drink, provided you have enough gold,"
Her eyes widened only slightly, Aria leaned forward a little, eyes suspicious, "Coyote?"
The man slid his wrist across the table towards her, "Why don't you search my and find out if I have what you're looking for, milady?"
Aria suddenly whipped out her dagger and held it to the man's throat, knocking over his flask of mead and her chair while she pushed back the other's hair only a smidgen, keeping him immobile. Her eyes caught the flash of a red tattoo over a blind eye, just before she turned back and smiled to the rest of the inn, all eyes turned on her and the man.
"Getting a little handsy there, weren't you old man? Watch where you're touching next time," she pulled back her knife and righted her chair, before sitting down again. The rest of the inn went back to it's merrymaking while she looked over at Coyote.
"By the nine, you didn't have to knock over my mead… I meant what I said you know," he picked up his flask and motioned for the bartender to bring him another.
"Quit the small talk, is there somewhere we can speak in private?" she leaned back in her chair and glanced about. She didn't like being out in the open, especially if they were speaking so closely about work.
Coyote nodded and got up with his mead, having finished his food he left a few septims on the table and the two of them left to a smaller room above the chatter of the inn. They sat down at a table and Coyote sighed heavily as he lowered himself into his chair and sat back. Aria realized that the man before her was a whole lot older than she remembered, then again she never knew how old the Coyote was when she knew him as a younger thief.
"So, you wanted to see me so much that you sent me some weird letter?"
The man shook his head, his hood still hiding most of his face as he sipped his mead, "Really Nightingale, I wished only to get in touch with you," he smiled gently.
Aria looked at him curiously, "So what's so important that I had to drop everything and come meet you in some shady corner of an inn?"
"Oh Aria, really you're just as crabby as you were as a footpad," Coyote dug around in his pockets for a moment, before producing a scroll and a small book bound in dark leather. He placed the items on the table very carefully, both of them looking incredibly old. "I think you'll be familiar with this little thing," he tapped the scroll with one gnarled finger.
Aria's eyes went cold, "You brought me here to show me that cursed thing? You better get your point across in the next ten seconds Coyote, or your reappearance will be short lived," she snarled warningly, her hand on her knife.
"Listen Aria, I know that this is going to bring up old wounds but hear me out—"
"Old wounds? You dragged me here to talk about old wounds?" the woman's patience was wearing thin. She didn't like cryptic words and she didn't like riddles, they always made her feel stupid and childish and she hated that.
Coyote held up his hands, "Really Aria, just hear me out!" he raised his voice a little and she paused, "That's better, now I've been doing some digging about that treasure you wanted to get your sticky little paws on,"
"That treasure is a death trap, and you know it Coyote,"
"Not necessarily a death trap, I've been doing some research and I found a way in," Coyote smirked and opened his book.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean this, Nightingale," she saw Coyote point to a page and saw an image of a text scribbled into the parchment.
"What is this?"
Coyote smiled a crooked smile at her, "A text, I found its location here in Solitude but, see I'm too old to go after it and the treasure. I need a strong pair of legs and good reflexes to go in after it and get the treasure. All I ask in return is a nice slice of golden pie when you come back," he slid the book across to her and waited for her reaction.
Aria was silent, staring at the Dwemer runes on the page and the image of the text. It was drawing of a small journal, some kind of map, maybe. "So let me get this straight, you want me to do all the legwork, find this impossible Treasure of Volund-zel, and be back in time to give you a piece of it?"
The old man raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, shrugging only a little, "Well… sort-of... pretty much that's what I'd like you to do. I can help you out a little, all I ask is a little piece of the spoils," the man fixed his hood and held out his hands to her, "So? What do you think? All you need to do is some old-fashioned burglary for now,"
The woman stared at the page still, not moving much. She thought for a short moment, running an ebony-gloved hand over her mask. The last time she had gone after this treasure, it had cost her a comrade's life. She didn't like to hold onto the past, but no matter what one does, something will inevitably come back to haunt them be it something small or something like this. Aria let the silence stretch between them as she thought, her eyes now glancing between the scroll and the drawing on the page, weighing the pros and cons of the situation. It had been a long time since she had gone after something this big, the Treasure of Volund-zel was a fable among thieves, much like the Eyes of the Falmer, only this had been even bigger. The prince of the snow elves had kept all his riches in his tomb, along with half his kingdom's wealth, which was said to be larger than the capital of Skyrim itself. Aria had dreamed of this kind of pay-day, had planned and charted her way to the ruin once she had found out about it, she had needed that scroll and had gone with Greg herself to retrieve it, and that's where it ended.
She hummed and shook her head, "You know, you start talking to me about old-fashioned and I swear I'll wipe that stupid smile off your face within seconds. Now where is this journal? You say it's in Solitude, who has it and what can you tell me about it?"
"That's my girl!"
Why in the world am I doing this? I thought I had given up on this fools gold errand? Honestly I thought it was a stupid enough decision when I went after the damn scroll, and look where that got me. She growled to herself and clenched her fist as she reached up to grab a second hold on the stonework, now here I am, climbing this forsaken damn tower of the damn Blue Palace in the middle of the damn night, to get a damn journal that may or may not lead me to the damn treasure.
Aria reached up again as she clambered up the side of the tower, remaining in the dark and keeping her ears open for any guards. She made it up to a window and carefully peeked in, seeing no one was there she slipped inside, quiet as a shadow.
The thief glanced around the room; it was dark and only lit by a single torch on the far wall. There was a table decorated with a plate and a candlestick, a block of cheese and a knife sitting out on the plate along with a bottle of wine. Across from that was a tall wardrobe sitting half open, an iron chest locked with a rather simple lock, and a bookcase overflowing with old and new tomes. The room was stuffy and warm, and completely deserted.
Good, no one here to bother me. Thank Nocturnal… she quietly crept towards a door and out into a hallway, the whole place completely silent as she snuck about. Down the corridor she found a set of stairs leading to the main floor, she moved like a cat and hid behind a pillar, checking the layout. Two guards walked about on the lower level, easy to take out if she used a throwing knife or two. She analyzed the room, it was a room that the Jarl kept for her own personal library, and at the head of the room Aria could see two lanterns on either side of a small podium. On the podium was a thin; leather bound text about the width of one finger.
That was all Aria was able to see for now, as she ducked back behind the pillar as a third figure appeared near the text. This one wasn't wearing guard armor; this man was an imperial but wearing leather armor and carrying a heavy sword on his back. His dark brown hair short and kept out of his face, and his leather armor thick but easy to move in, smart for a hired sell sword. Yet the guards didn't seem to give him a second thought, a mercenary then.
Aria cursed and held her knife close as her eyes analyzed the room. All around the room was a long balcony that molded with the hallway. If Aria could sneak around to just above the book, she could sneak down and snatch it, knock out the mercenary, all before the guards came back to check. She would be long gone by then, with the text and off towards her riches. She had made sure that there were horses for her and her supplies all ready at the gate for her getaway, and this time she made sure no one knew of her presence in Solitude.
The thief crouched, her weight evenly distributed and her clothing making no sound along with her movements. The shadows cloaked her like a soothing blanket while she moved; she remained utterly hidden and inconspicuous. She was nearing the journal when the guards left the room to survey the lower floors, Aria waited for the mercenary to leave to look at a few books in another room, before quietly climbing down and snatching the journal with a smirk.
Easy as pie, she thought happily, her gloved hand closing around the leather journal, just as she heard the slide of metal on metal, the sound of a weapon being unsheathed. She whipped about with her dagger and faced the mercenary just as he was approaching her and the both of them froze in place.
"Put it back, thief," the man growled, his green eyes hard as he stared Aria down, "if you do I may just be persuaded to ignore this whole fiasco and let you go, you have my word,"
Aria raised an eyebrow, her eyes the only things visible through her hood and mask as she crouched and readied herself to run. She knew that she only had a few minutes before those guards came back, so she shook her head and made to move around towards the stairs.
"Really now? Will you? Because I have a feeling you wont," she kept the text close to her body.
"Can't you trust someone to honor their word?"
The mercenary didn't back down, instead he only followed her as she tried to escape. Her arms tensed while she pocketed the text and drew a second knife. "I don't trust a sell sword to honor any word, I trust none but my own to myself if that's what you mean,"
"Now that hurts, and I'm no sell sword!" his movements suddenly tensed, it was only a tiny movement but Aria saw it moments before the man flew at her. They met each other in a flurry of metal and cloth, Aria defending herself with her two daggers, dodging when she could and ducking as the man swung at her. "If you won't surrender, I'll take that back by force," he snapped, swinging again and almost clipping Aria in the side. She stepped aside just in time to avoid the rather deadly blow and she jumped back, springing towards the steps as she tripped up the man and made him stumble back towards the podium.
Aria heard the scramble of the guards and knew she had to wrap this up quickly; she raced at the man, slamming all her weight into him and kicking out at his shins. He pulled away and she slashed at his abdomen, the man avoided it, but then knocked her feet out from under her. Aria gasped lightly when her back hit the ground and the man stood over her, his sword poised above her chest as he snatched the text back from her.
"I told you, to hand it over and I'd let you go," he smiled, waving the book in the air. "All you care about is selling off your stolen items, gaining money for yourself and keeping yourself happy. Yet all the people who have to deal with you and your ilk are stuck with the miserable tasks of hunting you down or trying to predict your next move. You thieves are nothing but rats, vermin that cant ever get enough scraps to keep themselves satisfied!" he growled, lowering the blade so it rested over her heart.
The woman glared up at the man coldly, "Don't you talk to me about honor and vermin, you're paid for your loyalty," Aria kicked up and knocked the man away and pulled herself up, "You don't know anything about my 'ilk' as you call us, sure we're rats, but we're damn smart ones,"
"And you'd know about loyalty? You care only about how much gold you get in a day!" he snapped.
Aria only smirked beneath her mask, "What of you? You don't care how much you get, dog?" she could hear the guards coming back, the man before her was too fired up that he didn't, the rage on his face rather apparent.
He waved the text again, "I care a lot about how much I'm paid! I'll make sure by out-witting you I'm paid far more than my original wager!" That was when the guards appeared, a small battalion of them. The three parties observed one another for a moment, the guards taking in the scene. The man talking about getting paid, while holding one of the Jarl's priceless artifacts, while speaking to a thief.
A grin lit up Aria's eyes and she watched as the man turned to look at the guards, who drew their swords and glared at him, "Traitor! The Jarl trusted you with guarding this place! We trusted you! You'll be hanged for this along with your accomplice!" Yet when he pointed his sword to Aria, she was gone, and the text snatched clean out of the man's hand.
When the two looked around for her, they spotted her already up the stairs and dashing away into the shadows with a musical laugh.
"See you later boys! Thanks for the help!" and with that she dashed through the upper room and out onto the windowsill and down the side. She dashed out onto the battlements, vanishing into the dark almost completely. There was a commotion behind her, telling her that the former 'guard' was fending off the other guards rather desperately.
Oh well, it's not my problem. She jumped across the buildings and into the city, heading for the edge and making sure the text was secure in her armor pocket. It didn't take long for Aria to make it to the gate, jumping over the battlements and climbing the side of the towers, up one side and down the other. The sounds of guards could be heard, but distantly only; she unraveled a rope from her many hidden pockets and lowered it down the side of the wall. She tied it off and tested the grip, before she quickly dropped down to the ground outside without even raising the guard's suspicion. Aria then snuck through the ditch on the side of the road towards the farm on the edge of the city, slipping out the gate and jogging down to the horses.
That was when a loud cry went up from behind her and she saw the mercenary sprinting away from the city like some rabid lunatic, a group of guards bearing down on his heels just as Aria swung into the saddle of her horse.
Coyote appeared out of a shadow and frowned, "That a friend of yours?"
"None of mine," she shrugged as she felt her heartbeat pick up. This is not going to turn out the same as last time! I'm out of here! She nodded to Coyote, "I'll send you a message when I can, walk with the shadows, friend," she turned her two horses about.
"WAIT! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME!" she heard a shout behind her and saw the man from the tower sprinting towards her. He ran up and leapt into the second horse's saddle just as Aria was pulling away.
"By the nine! Gods!" Aria had to calm her horse as it whinnied and reared while she spurred it forward, the other following almost immediately with the man on board.
"You got me into this mess! So you get to fix it! I bring you back and they'll hear me out!" the former guard rode next to her, no choice but to follow because their horses were tied together.
Aria cursed and spurred her horse into the dark of the road as the guards fell away behind them, "Nocturnal save me, they don't care! Gods now I'm stuck with you. Keep your mouth shut, we need to lose them before we sort this all out!" and with that the two riders vanished into the dark, just as the snow began to fall along the road and the darkness overtook them like a blanket.
