The carriage ride was a bumpy one, doing nothing to calm Vilkas' nerves. He had faced many worthy foes throughout his career, but not once had he been nervous over a job. 'So why,' Vilkas thought, 'can't I stop shaking?'

Farkas could tell his brother was troubled, so he clapped a hand on Vilkas' shoulder, startling him. "You need to lighten up, brother. We'll be finished this job and back home in Whiterun before you know it." He chuckled, sure of what he was saying. Vilkas, however, was not as easily convinced. Hearing the brothers conversation, Aela frowned. Now that she was looking, she noticed that Vilkas looked paler than he usually did.

"I have only seen you nervous once or twice, and that's only when you had to speak in front of a large crowd. Care to talk about what has your stomach in knots?" Aela probed, hoping to get a speedy response from the man. Instead, all she received was a mumbled reply, followed by Farkas' rambunctious laughter. She twitched, getting annoyed with the boys.

"Speak up now, you know how I hate mumbling! Speak to be heard!" Aela said forcefully, making Vilkas snap his head up. He sneered, his fists clenched tight in his lap.

"I said," He started, "That I hate thieves."


"Guild meeting! I need everyone to gather in the cistern. Now." Mercer yelled to the inhabitants of the Ragged Flagon. Many of them grumbled, annoyed that they had to leave their unfinished drinks. Rela, however, was curious. Mercer didn't call guild meetings often, the last one was held after Gallus' death. That was a sad day for all the thieves, most surprisingly Mercer. Rela had never seen his face so gaunt and colorless, let alone see him speechless.

She shook the thought out of her mind. Gallus was a good man, and she didn't want his death to cloud her mind like it had when she first heard. Making her way towards the Cistern, she made eye contact with Delvin, who shrugged, clueless as she was.

Making her way into the Cistern, Rela made eye contact with Brynyolf, whose expression was grave. Rela's heart sank, for Brynyolf usually tried to be positive for the others, for him to be so openly unhappy was unnerving. "Alright everyone, gather round!" Mercer spoke from his desk, leaning against it. The group formed a half circle around him, curious as to what he wanted to talk to them about.

"We have to be extra... careful." Mercer sneered, arms crossed tight across his chest. "Given the fact that I get rather heated about this subject, Brynyolf has volunteered to enlighten you all about the current situation." Mercer turned towards Brynyolf, who seemed uncomfortable under the older mans gaze.

Clearing his throat, Brynyolf started to speak. "As Mercer started to say, we have to be more careful around town. Some of our sources have informed us that the Jarl has hired some of the companions to guard the Black-Briar meadery." Gasps were heard throughout the group, whispered words and worried glances being passed between the thieves. Maven had close ties with the guild, so why would she have hired another force that would interfere with the thieves guild work?

"Listen, we were as confused as you were until Maven explained it to us. Originally, she was going to keep some of us posted around the meadery, but as soon as the Jarl heard how frequent the attacks were becoming, she decided to step in." Rela grimaced. The Jarl was a sweet woman, Rela had even talked to her a couple times, but she was such a goody two shoes!

Rela puffed her cheeks out, reluctantly listening to Brynyolfs beguiling voice. "Now, Maven couldn't just refuse the Jarls help, forcing her to accept the help of the companions. What this means for us is that we have to be cautious on our jobs around town, maybe stopping work all together for a while." A chorus of groans and complaints erupted from the group.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Vex and Dirge exclaimed, reaching for their weapons. Rela watched in shock as her fellow members reacted violently, all of them angry at the aspect of losing work. Rela was awed by her brothers and sisters, going on and making such a ruckus. Did they not realize what Brynyolf had said? The Companions, some of the most famous champions in all of Tamirel!

Tired of all the squabbling going on, Rela decided to speak up. "QUIET! ALL OF YOU!" A stunned silence fell over the group, Brynyolf standing slacked jawed, staring at the girl. Glancing at the others, Rela's face went red, embarrassed by all the attention.

Brynyolf chuckled at her reaction, coughing to get the attention back on him. "Yes, well, as I was saying, while those dogs are in town, we need to be on our guard. What that means is no jobs in town, no using either the Ratway or the Cistern exits unless you know that you are completely unwatched-" Brynyolf ticked off his fingers at each of these commands, the faces off the group getting more despondent with each one.

"...And finally," Rela looked towards him, surprised to find Brynyolf staring waveringly at her. "No interaction between our guild, and theirs."


Hey guys! Slightly shorter chapter this time, but it just felt complete as soon as I typed that last sentence. Look forward to anther update soon!