A/N:This chapter hasn't been fully read over yet, I will be reading over it soon and will fix the mistakes that I find. If any of you happen to find grammatical mistakes, feel free to tell me in the reviews/comments, thanks! Also, thank you for the support so far, it means a lot :)
DISCLAIMER: As you know, I do not own the Elder Scrolls. Therefore, all of the credit involving the game goes to the talented people at Bethesda Softworks. In saying that, some of the characters, a bunch of plot stuffs and mystical happenings that happen in this story belong to me.
Donning my armour wasn't as hard as it had once been. I was instantly glad that there were only a few straps in tricky places that couldn't be tightened before wearing it. When I had first become a member of the Thieves Guild, I neglected to wear my armour because it was too difficult for me to put on by myself. Back then, I favoured my leather and hide armours over everything else.
I looked at the half-full knapsack on my bed. Although a feeling in my gut told me otherwise, I knew that I had everything that I needed for this trip. Brynjolf would give me money for the inn in Ivarstead, and even if he didn't I could always earn my keep whilst I stayed there. Wilhelm was an old friend of mine.
With my armour secured, I walked over to the floor length mirror and surveyed myself. My hair was such a light shade of blond that it almost always appeared white, a trait that my brother, mother and I used to share. I pushed the horrible memories away and looked over the rest of my features. My eyes were pale blue, which complemented my slightly tanned skin. My face was nicely shaped, with high cheekbones and full, dark lips. My eyebrows and eyelashes were so dark that they looked black, which contrasted with my otherwise light toned features. I was short for a Nord, most Khajiit would easily be taller than me. I was also thin and didn't have the usual bulkiness of my kin. The Thieves Guild armour hugged the small amount of womanly curves that I did have, the thickness of the leather in some places made it seem like I had more than I actually did.
Nodding at my presentable state, I walked over to my bed and picked up the knapsack. I pulled the top straps closed and threw it over my shoulder as I made my way towards the door. As I walked past my fireplace, I picked up the sack of gold that Brynjolf had given me. After a moment, I tucked the coin purse into one of the pockets in my armour, deciding that I would let Vipir win this one. I left Honeyside with a smile on my face.
The chill didn't bother me as I made my way through Riften's empty streets. The steady breeze brought the scent of coming rain over the city, I breathed in heavily. I didn't bother sneaking, even though I passed a few guards on my way to the graveyard. I knew that all of them would be thinking of mead or a warm bed.
It began to rain as I pressed the hidden button to open the secret passage into the Cistern. I quickly looked over my shoulder to make sure no-one saw before I glided down the stairs and closed the door over me.
Time to face the music, I thought as I pushed the wood off of the pipe that led down into the Cistern. I hope you're ready to have a laugh, Vipir.
I dropped silently to the floor of the Cistern, part of me expected to hear the enthusiastic talk of the Guild, but there was only silence. Confused, I looked around for one of my Guild brothers, the only one that I saw was Brynjolf. He was standing in the centre of the Cistern with his back to me.
'You took longer than I had hoped, lass,' he called without turning around. 'I was waiting for a show between you and Vipir, but now Vipir is drunk in the Ragged Flagon.'
'I wouldn't have done anything, Bryn, but admit the fact that I lost. Even if I am a thief, I aim to remain an honest one.'
Brynjolf laughed and turned around to face me. 'An honest thief, eh? Such a thing is unheard of, lass. Thieves wrap themselves in illusion and lies.'
'Aye, we do, but only to the people we steal from.'
I walked up to him, repositioning my knapsack as I did so.
'I'm ready to head towards Ivarstead, Bryn,' I murmured. 'Just tell me to go, and I'll go. The sooner I talk to Talsgar the sooner I can come home.'
Brynjolf's smile widened, he reached up and stroked my cheek. My heart fluttered wildly at the feeling and I willed myself not to blush like a young love-struck girl.
'Your fires burn strong. Have I ever told you how sexy that is, lass?' he murmured.
My heart felt like it had fallen into my stomach. As much as a flirt that Brynjolf was with Vex, Tonilia and other women, he had never once complemented me on anything other than thieving skills. Even then, a complement on my skills was rare.
I just shook my head, not knowing how else to reply.
He stared at me for a moment. 'You know I wish I could come with you lass. I haven't seen you fight with those twin blades of yours yet.'
I smiled innocently up at him. 'Then why don't you join me? I could use an extra pair of eyes on the road.'
I watched as the fire in his eyes faded and his face became stern. Something in my chest fell at the sight, as I already knew what his answer would be.
'Sorry lass, if we go together no one would remain here to look after the Guild,' his voice was flat, he turned and began walking away from me.
'What about Karliah?' I asked, keeping my tone light and cheery as I followed him.
'Last I heard of her, she was off somewhere to the north hunting down rumours of a long-lost friend of hers,' he muttered.
'What if I told you that you were wrong?' I called.
Brynjolf hesitated. 'What do you mean?'
'Karliah is staying at Shor's Stone, she found a lead there not long ago. If we send a courier now she can be here by sunrise and we'll be halfway to Ivarstead.'
I stopped where I was, watching Brynjolf's back as he contemplated the information that I had given him. Silence overcame us for a moment, I could hear distant music and drunken laughter.
Sounds like a hell of a party that the Guild is throwing in the Ratway, Vekel never hires bards, I thought with a smile tugging at my lips.
Brynjolf finally sighed, but still didn't turn to face me. 'Send the courier, lass, and be quick about it.'
A delighted grin tore across my face and I jogged back to the graveyard entrance. I climbed the ladder and pulled myself out of the stone pipe and into the small room under the grave. I pulled on the chain and ran out of the graveyard, knowing that the entrance would automatically close behind me. I didn't stop jogging until I reached the Bee and Barb, where there was always a courier available for hire.
The inn was quieter than I had expected it to be, I hadn't realised the time in my earlier haste. Sure enough, the courier was sitting alone at the bar, he was a rather bulky bosmer. Keerava glared up at me as I approached, both her, and Talen-jei, still hadn't moved on from the one hundred septims that I had shaken out of them for Brynjolf five years ago. I rolled my eyes discreetly and ignored her. The courier was sipping cheap mead and picking at his meal, I stepped up and took the seat beside him.
'I need you to deliver a message to Shor's Stone before dawn,' I said simply. 'Are you up to the task?'
He swallowed the mouthful of mead and looked over at me half-heartedly. 'I could be talked into it.'
I stifled my irritation and reached for the coin purse that Brynjolf had given me earlier. 'Will this be enough?' I asked irritably and tossed the purse at him.
The bosmer caught the coin purse easily and weighed it in his palm. 'To whom am I delivering the message?' he asked.
'Look for a dunmer that goes by the name of Karliah, she'll most likely be sleeping at the inn in Shor's Stone. If she's not, I trust that you can find her,' I murmured.
'What is the message?'
I took a scrap of paper from the bar and pulled my charcoal pencil from my belt. I quickly scrawled my request onto the paper and folded it in half. I was hoping you could do some baby-sitting for us. Take care of the Guild until we get back – Bloodwing.
The bosmer was looking at me with a strange expression on his face when he took the note. I didn't question him or thank him for carrying out my wishes. He'd taken fifty septims, he didn't need thanking.
I stood from my seat at the bar and left the Bee and Barb, I circled around to the front to check that the courier was leaving before I traced my way back to the Guild.
A few moments later Brynjolf and I were seated upon our own horses. Brynjolf's stallion was the colour of cream with a slightly darker toned mane and tail. It had dark brown spots on its flanks and brown stockings. It was the most beautiful creature that I had ever seen.
I hadn't known that Brynjolf had a horse.
My own was also a stallion, but he was mostly black in colour with a slightly lighter mane and tail. He had one white sock on his front left leg and a bunch of light grey spots between his eyes.
'I wasn't originally planning to come with you lass, but this may make your training over the coming weeks go a lot more smoothly.' Brynjolf murmured. 'Most of the skills that I wanted Delvin to help you hone are skills that he taught me himself.'
I didn't reply. Honestly, I don't think I expected Brynjolf to come with me either, but I was glad that I had been able to change his mind. I wasn't the best at sweet talk and I had a feeling that Talsgar's teaching wouldn't go smoothly for me no matter how good of a teacher he was.
'As you said lass, the sooner you get this whole job done, the sooner you can come home,' he murmured.
Forcing myself not to flush slightly, I leaned down against my stallion's neck and urged him into a slow canter. Brynjolf quickly followed in suit, catching up to my side again. I hadn't been lying about his company making the road-trip easier, both of our senses drank in the world around us. Both of us were listening intently to make sure that no one had followed us from Riften and to make sure that we would know when someone was approaching.
When Riften was lost in the trees, we both began to relax and slowed our stallions to a trot. I sat up straight in my saddle, only lightly holding the reins. Neither of us talked as we rode on into the night, passing the occasional pack of wolves or lone sabre cat. We didn't meet anyone else on the road and as I had predicted, we were a few miles away from Ivarstead when the sun finally bought light back to Skyrim. The light made me uncomfortable, I found myself keeping my stallion on the edge of the road where the trees provided shade.
Brynjolf noticed my unease and chuckled quietly. 'What is it lass? Afraid of a bit of sunlight?'
I gritted my jaw and led my stallion back out into the sun. I refused to let Brynjolf assume that I was afraid, but I was. The light made it harder to hide from travellers and bandits we could meet on the road. Despite my unease I continued to lead my stallion down the centre of the road, but I never lost focus on the world around me.
After three hours had gone by, the Throat of the World began to peek down at us through the light cloud cover that always seemed to surround it. My paranoia seemed to increase steadily with the rising of the sun. Nothing slipped past Brynjolf, he noticed my stress as well and I could tell that it was making him nervous too. Even though he had obviously noticed it, Brynjolf hadn't teased me about my anxiety after the first time.
When we finally reached Ivarstead without any trouble, I finally began to calm down a little. My heart was still pounding a million miles a minute, but my head was no longer clouded by fear. I wasn't constantly scanning the trees around us with my left hand resting on the hilt of the hidden dagger strapped to my thigh.
Brynjolf pulled his stallion to a stop outside the inn and looped the reins around the porch fence. I hesitated in my saddle before doing the same and following Brynjolf inside. I tried to ignore the curious stares that the guards threw in our direction.
When we were inside, Brynjolf stopped me before we were within earshot of the others at the bar. He leaned down until his eyes were only a few inches higher than mine, they were filled with worry.
'What happened back there, Kirani?' he asked in a hushed voice.
I tore my eyes from his, feeling blush return to my cheeks as humiliation pumped through me. I shrugged, unable to say anything else.
Brynjolf sighed. Unhappy with my silence, he lifted my chin with a single finger so that our gaze met again.
'Tell me,' he ordered.
I swallowed, the majority of me wanting to shake my head or lie but I couldn't lie to him like this. He would be able to tell and he wouldn't hesitate to call me out on it.
'I was worried that we would get spotted,' I said simply.
'By who?'
'I don't know, guards, travellers, bandits … anyone,' I murmured.
When his finger dropped from my chin, I looked down at my feet again.
He sighed, and without looking at him I knew that he was running a hand through his shoulder length red hair. I continued to look at the floor, the knowledge that he could see my blush made me blush even more with embarrassment.
I heard him inhale as if he was going to say something, but he hesitated before he could fully form the words. Curious, I automatically looked back up at him to find him staring down at me with an unrecognisable emotion on his face. I watched as his eyes softened and he relaxed a little.
'I wouldn't let them touch you, lass,' he murmured.
Before the meaning of his words could even begin to sink in, he turned around and walked straight towards the bar. Pushing my swelling feelings for him to the back of my mind, I cast my gaze over the bar and immediately found who Brynjolf was stalking towards, Talsgar was here.