Enjoy!


Chapter 7: Rivals

I've experienced more kinship in a month since joining the guild than I have in my entire life before meeting Leila and Arissa that night in Helgen. Before long, Lorena and I had met every member of the guild and each of them greeted us with smiles upon their faces and compassion in their hearts. They accepted both of us as members, and as guild brother and sister.

The Guild's senior members who gave the orders and issued the jobs were some of the most intrueging characters in the guild. Firstly, Old Man Delvin, or Del, was a breton man who was once a member of the Dark Brotherhood in his youth. He's usually found slumped in the Flagon after having to many mugs of mead. But out in the field, Delvin was one of the best, if not the best at keeping his footsteps quiet and presence undetected. Then their was Vex. A hearty woman she is. She is an imperial who was very quick to anger and very very arrogant, but I knew her heart is in the right place. Brynjolf said she has been like that for as long as he can remember. He often refers to her as "my little Vex". I think Del and Brynjolf may have something for her.

But then there is Niruin. A bosmer like Leila whose skill with the bow and sword is unmatched. He's also a master thief, being proficient in all aspects of thievery. Maybe that was due to him being almost a hundred years old and once being in a brotherhood of thieves much like the Thieves Guild before he left Valenwood.

There are so much more friends that I have met in the guild. Garthar, Rune, Thrynn, Vipir, Etienne, Cynric, Sapphire, Ravyn, and Lorwyn. I see all of their faces. And they're all my brothers and sister in crime. Through the years I have grown to love them all, but in the end no one had my heart than my closest friends.

The people who had been around me since day one. The five mortals who I cared for most out of everyone else. Lorena, my dearest sister. The beautiful but tough Arissa. Ragvir, who had been hard to get through at first. The reserved and content Ania. And Paws who was a little on the weird side, but a brave little khajiit he was.

When I think back and reminisce on the times we all had been young, and full of youth. We were unstoppable. And we had our whole lives ahead of us. We took on every challenge together and pushed each other to move forward and facing down many a threat. Together as friends.


The sun was setting. Turning the a sky from an azure color to a purplish indigo. Slowly the stars began to find their light. Revealing a sky of diamonds and pearls in a sea of twilight.

I had been outside the whole day grabbing anything of value off of unsuspecting victims in the streets of Riften. A few gems there, some jewelry here. Some loosely dangling coinpurses everywhere. You'd think people would be more conscious about it in the city of thieves.

It has been a whole month since I first set foot in these streets. And ever since then, my skill as a thief increased ten fold. Leila as my mentor and Arissa as my partner, my footsteps got quieter, my hands were much more sleight. My mind grew more cunning and quick thinking. I was able to erase my entire presence.

Lorena, took to reading books. Which didn't surprise me. With so much time on her hands and with me working all the time, reading was the best thing for her. What did surprise me was what she decide to read. It was all content about thievery and the art of stealth. I knew one day that she will decide to be one of us herself.

The sky grew dark and the moons shone their ruby and silver lights on the city streets.

I had my arms crossed, leaning against a brick wall in the darkness of an alley way. Watching the citizens of Riften walk by, carrying out their business.

At night I would strike out on my own to make some extra coin, picking peoples pockets and grabbing some valuables off market stalls.

As I scan the faces of the people who walk by. Some shoot glances at me. Most can recognize my armor, others were completely unaware that whatever was in their pockets were completely at risk. My eyes moved towards the gate when I spotted something interesting.

A perculiar old nord. Dressed in some fancy furs littered in jewelry. The nord walked non-chalant down the street. Keeping my eye on him I slipped into the shadows of the alleyway. I made my way through the back of the houses to catch him on the otherside.

Slipping out of the next alley, abit further infront of the nord. I walked towards him. As I got closer I took a deep breath and pretended to bump into the man. Making a quick dip into the man's pocket.

'Watch 'ere you're going.' The nord said with a powerful accent.

I lowered my head frantically. 'Sorry sir, I wasn't watching where I was going. Please forgive me.'

The nord made a sound that sounded like a mix between a sigh and a grunt, shook his head and kept walking.

I walked the opposite way with a smirk across my face.

'Sweetroll from a baby.' I said tucking a gold ring into one of my many pockets which were either full or half full from jewelry to gems and lockpicks.

Feeling triumphant, it was time to call it a day. Passing nervous glares, I melted into the shadows that gripped the city. I never took the main streets. It was smarter not to. Any type of trouble may be connected to us, even if we had nothing to do with it. So to avoid any contact with the citizens I would stick with back alley routes.

I was excited to get this loot to Tonilia, return to my chamber and read a book with Lorena. But right now I was meeting the gang in the cementary. We had all been busy doing small jobs and the occasional big job every so often. So we had little time to stop and talk to each other, relax and catch up.

I could see the light from the Temple of Mara in the distance. It's fire lit the portion of the street it was on with a soft bronze glow. When the city is blanketed in thick fogs, the lights from the temple is what assures me i'm home. I slipped into the back to see a pair soft brown eyes staring at me. Ragvir and Ania were locked in conversation. Paws was sitting legs folded in what seemed to be a meditation position.

'You're late Plagarius.'

Arissa brow was creased, but she still wore a smile. She looked so mischievous sometimes, even though it never took away her beauty. I could always tell when she had an attitude.

'Sorry, I got a little caught up.' I apologized shaking my pockets so that the loot made a little jingle.

Arissa pressed a mug of drink in my hand. It was warm and the aroma was sweet. 'Here, take this.'

'Thank you.' I said dipping my head

I heard the scraping of the secret entrance. Lorena emerged wearing armor that seemed like guild armor but instead did not have all the pockets and buckles.

'Sev, you're here finally.' Lorena bursted out.

'Sis, that armor...'

'Oh, this? I asked Tonilia if she can make me a set. She said armor is for members, so I persuaded her a little.' My sister said with a small wink at the end.

Automatically I knew what she had meant. 'With my coin, eh?' I asked, dryly. Lorena nodded and put on a sorrowful smile. 'Its alright I guess, it looks fantastic on you. Just don't get any bright ideas. Like joining.' my mouth twitch into a grin. 'Atleast not anytime soon.'

She shrugged and grabbed my drink and took a little sip and scurried away to talk to Paws.

I turned to Arissa who was holding a drink of her own. 'Charming little thing, isn't she?'

Arissa let out a laugh and nodded. 'She is cute alright, but you know she'll end up joining the guild anyway. I've seen her in the training room. She managed to open some really heavy locks.'

I shook my head and lowered my shoulders. 'It can't be helped then, when the time comes i'll just have to be ready.'

Arissa raised her brow amused. 'You sure? This is a dangerous field. We're all so young, i'm even surprised we were accept so easily in the guild.'

'But almost every thief in the guild are masters at what they do. They must understand that to be masters, starting at a young age is ideal.' I stated.

Arissa shrugged. 'You're probably right.'

As soon as the conversation was over I felt an all to familiar breathing on my neck. 'Paws I thought I told not to-' I turned around to see the khajiit holding his hand straight out, and hanging from it was little Lorena.

'This one sends his deepest apologies, but..' He paused squinting at the girl. 'Is this yours?'

On the side of his arm was Lorena dangling with a glint of mischievousness in her eye.

Arissa laughed and I joined her.

'Looks like someone got a taste of their own medicine.'

'Lorena, get down.' I told her trying to hold back my laugh.

Lorena finally let go of his arm. 'I just wanted to see if I can actually sneak up on a khajiit.'

I shot a glance at Arissa who chuckled at me.

'But khajiit is no practice dummy, when communing with the moons, this one must not be disturbed. If there is any hope, this one can convince the divines to make this khajiit, a full sized khajiit!'

For a moment I had to register what Paws had just said. I glanced from Lorena to Arissa who had the same look and thoughts as I did. Not before long we were all filling the cool night air with laughter.

I caught myself in the moment. This was the life. A life filled with friends and laughter and freedom. But the moment had been interrupted when Ragvir approached.

'Glad to see you all having a good time.'

I turned to Ragvir standing tall with his arms crossed. Ania in the back rolling her eyes.

'You're more than welcome to leave, Ragvir.' I told him outright. 'No need to rain on our fun.'

'Excuse me if I believe that this guild is no place for children.' Ragvir said glaring at me. The nord had a slightly harsh tone.

Ania placed her hand on Ragvir's shoulder. 'Ragvir, maybe you should leave them alone, we're out here to take a well deserved break from the others.'

Ragvir shook the girl's hand off his shoulder.

'There's no way we can do that. This is no place for children.'

'As far as I know we were invited to the guild by the guildmaster, Paws is no child. And you, you are only a few years older than us.' I began to grow impatient. What exactly was wrong with us in the guild if we put in our share of work for it?

I began to remember something that Brynjolf told me. When Ragvir first sought to join the guild he was never accepted so easily as I was. Brynjolf had said he turned him out and told him to "grow up a little first."

I looked into Ragvir's icey blue eyes. 'The problem may not lay with us, maybe you're the one who needs to grow up a little more.'

The nords face changed. I see the fury building behind those eyes.

'What did you just say to me?' Ragvir voice got deeper and some what menacing.

'You heard me, Ragvir.'

His body began to tense and and his clenched and his fist as tight as he can. 'What do you know about it, milk-drinker?'

My eyes narrows and my gaze did not leave his eyes. In my peripheral I could see Lorena, Arissa and Paws slowly back away. 'You need to grow up, and not be so jealous of us.'

Redness spread across his face. He was angry. Before I knew it a fist was speeding straight for my face. A flashback to when my father use to beat me struck my mind. Ragvir's fist was fast, but it was not as fast as my father's. And so I ducked narrowly dodging the massive hand that was heading towards my head. Quickly, I lunged forward into his lower body trying to undo his balance. He barely budge, as expected of a nord. Nords were naturally more powerful than imperials.

Pulling the collar to my armor, I stumbled trying to get free. Another fist came crashing into my cheek. I waled as I fell to the ground with a loud thud. I ignored the pain and grabbed both his legs successfully pulling him off balance. Ragvir fell on his back and I quickly recovered and got to my feet. I threw two punches into his eye before he put up his arms. With all his strength he grabbed me and threw me into one of the headstones that littered the cementary.

I shook my head to clear my sight and watched as the nord quickly approached me. Turned onto my stomach and got up on all fours to attempt to stand before he got to me. It was too late. With all of his might he sent a kick straight into my stomach. I let out a pain filled cry as I fell flat on the ground.

'Ragvir stop!' Arissa called out desperately.

'No.'

'Leave him alone.' This time it was Lorena's voice.

I finally got to my feet and stood up. Ignoring the pain in my face and stomach. 'Have you gotten it all out yet?' I asked warily.

He spat on the ground and launched another fist. I flinched, closed my eyes and braced for the powerful nord's fist to connect with my face again. But it never came.

I looked up to see that the nord arm had been restrained by another person. It was a dunmer woman, she wore thieves guild armor but it was worn down and tattered at the edges. The armor was completely littered with sown on patches.

There was something very perculiar about this dark elf. It was odd she had the strength to completely stop Ragvir's blow, as slender and fragile looking as she was. What truly struck me was her eyes. They were not the color of an ordinary dunmer. The usual crimson red. No.

Her eyes were indigo.

'That's enough.' The elf spat out.

Ragvir dropped his arm.

'You two do know that you're desecrating generations of honored guild member's graves?' She looked around. 'My friend's graves..'

'Karliah, I-' Ragvir began.

Karliah? I remembered Leila mentioning that name to Brynjolf one night during a job in Shor's Stone. This must be the person they were talking about. A dunmer with indigo eyes.

'There is no excuse for this indecency, Ragvir.' She glared harshly at him. 'You are a member of the Thieves Guild. Not some routy bandit clan.'

'It was my fault.' I yelled out trying to save Ragvir from punishment. 'I provoked him, even though he needed to hear what I had to say.' I walked towards the elf. 'Let the blame fall on me.'

The dark elf's mouth twitched.

'No Severus.'

Ania stepped in. 'We were all was out here enjoying ourselves. Ragvir decided to start picking on them and Severus was only retaliating.'

Karliah let out a deep sigh and began sizing me up. 'We'll just have to see what the Guildmaster makes of this.'

The night was over for everyone and we all headed inside behind Karliah. I could feel everyone's all eyes on me and couldn't help but feel extremely guilty for what I had done. The words that I had said. I could feel regret building up inside of me.


'I'm terribly disappointed.'

I looked into those piercing emerald eyes. I looked into all of there eyes. Emerald, grey, dark brown, indigo, pale blue, and dark green.

'We're sorry, we had no idea what fighting entailed.' I tried to apologize.

'You gods-damned right you're sorry! The cementary is a mess right now!' Vex yelled.

'Lass, let the guildmaster handle this.'

Vex sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes.

Leila bit her lip. 'Sev, I told you before I brought you here that the guild is more than just a guild. We're a family. And Ragvir is your guild brother.'

Ragvir let out an almost silent sigh.

'But brothers fight..' Leila continued. 'And so i'll keep it simple and go easy on you two.. You'll train with Niruin, you'll learn swordplay, archery.. And discipline. For six months you'll train and you will not do any jobs for us, until it is over.'

It was as if Ragvir had kicked me in my stomach all over again. This was the consequences for break the guild's rules. Now I have to bear this punishment

'Certainly you can't be serious, boss?' Ragvir protested.

'You were serious when you were about to hurt your fellow guild member.' Karliah added in.

'Tomorrow you all will meet in the training room,' She stared at us for few more moments. 'Learn all you can, you two.'

I glanced at all of the guild seniors and shook my head. Trying to protest would probably be futile. We fought in a place where they buried their friends. Honorable guildmasters, members who died in the field, people they had loved and cherished. I had no right to say anything against this.

'Yes, Guildmaster, I understand.' I said finally.

The walk back to my chamber was agonizing. The feeling of failing my new family was so much to bear. I never wanted that. I don't blame Ragvir, I merely wanted Ragvir's friendship. But his malignant attitude had to stop.

Lorena was in her bed already fast asleep and my bed never looked so good. I emptied my the contents of my pockets into my coffers, tore my armor off and layed down. I let the darkness take me as my body went to rest.

That night I dreamed about my mother.


Three months. Three full months had passed since day one of training.

Day after day we awoke, headed into the training room where Niruin was waiting. And everyday we picked up wooden swords, learned to hold a sword, how to swing a sword, proper stances when wielding a sword, and we hacked at dummies until our arms became numb.

The training wasn't bad. Not until the stubborn nord began to shoot aggrivating comments at me again. Then I would hit the dummy harder until it's stuffing fell out.

'It's your fault, we aren't out on jobs.'

I swung the wooden sword at the dummy pretending to duck under an invisible opponents blade, swung around and gave the dummy another slash. 'My fault? Weren't you the one making snarky remarks at me?'

Ragvir made a "Tch" sound before swinging his sword at his dummy. 'Yeah, well I can't understand how a kid like you was invited to join the guild.'

My mouth formed into a smirk as I proceeded to stab the dummy

'Maybe... Just maybe.. I'm a better thief than you.'

Ragvir stopped attacking his dummy and turned towards me.

'Is there something the matter, Ragvir?' Niruin said, glaring at the nord with his dark green eyes, the color of evergreen foliage.

Ragvir shook his head, but his eyes never left mine. If it wasn't obvious, Ragvir wanted to go round two. My remarks towards him set him off so much, but when ever he'd do it he never expect a comeback. It seemed odd.

Niruin looked between the both of us. I assumed he could tell that things got intense by the look on his face. The wood elf folded his arms- as all of our guild member like doing- and looked at us with a smirk. 'Fine, you two want to fight? How about a little sparring match. First one to be pinned loses.'

We both glared at Niruin in shock.

'A sparring match, you say?' Ragvir answered before I could. 'I consent.' He finished, squinting his blue eyes in my directions.

'And you Plagarius?'

I nodded and shrugged.

The wood elf waved his hand, signal us to take position. I stood angled to Ragvir and let my weight drop to my legs. I rolled my shoulders keeping them loose. I stared into those blue eyes and saw a glint of amusement in them. I would be a liar if I said I didn't feel any amusement either.

Ragvir was a nord and had all the strength of one. I am a imperial, my only advantage would be that i'm a quick study, a very quick study. My smaller body could be used as an advantage also, his muscles slowed him down and I was far slender than he was.

He stood poised and ready.

'Remember you two, this is a friendly match, understood?' Niruin called out putting emphasis on "friendly"

We both nodded and answered in unisen.

'Remember all the techniques I taught you two in the past three months.' Niruin he began to remind us. 'Ready?... He paused. 'Begin!'

Ragvir and I began circling each other, looking for a quick opening, a weakness in each other's defence.

Ragvir's smirk grew. 'You know, i'm going to win.. I'm a nord, we're made for this.'

'I don't think so.' I said disagreeing. 'You maybe bigger, stronger than I am, but i'm an imperial. I am faster and smarter than you are, and i'm prepared to use that as my advantage.'

'We'll see about that!' Ragvir said charging his sword trying to catch me off guard.

I block his blow with my own. Stepped in and did a sweeping move, narrowly missing Ragvir's head. I spun around getting distance between us. He launched another lunge move this time I barely had time dodge it. Jumping back, he took the oppurtunity to pull a reverse sweep move which I blocked, bringing my sword up leveled to my face.

'Use your nord strength in those attacks Ragvir, know when to attack swiftly and lightly or when to put alot of power in your blows.'

I side stepped nearly stumbling on my own feet, which made my attack that came after too slow and easily dodged.

'Watch, that footwork Plagarius!' Niruin called out.

I got back into position and so did Ragvir.

He flicked his sword. 'Give it up, Plagarius.'

I grinned and chuckled. 'Plagarius? I see you've upgraded from calling me a mongrel to my name, eh? Are you starting to respect me now?'

Ragvir gritted his teeth. 'You know kid, you truly have a talent at getting under my skin.. Ragvir crept closer. 'Too bad that's your only talent!'

Ragvir drove his sword as hard as he could. Lunging in with so much force I could feel the air coming from his rush. But he had fell into my trap. A trap I knew I was going to use when we started this little match. And it was too late to do anything about it.

Before his sword could connect I jumped clear out of the way. Revealing to Ragvir, a dummy, and he couldn't stop himself.

With a loud crash of broken wood Ragvir was on the ground in seconds, laying over a broke dummy. There were wood chips and straw everywhere. Before I could celebrate my triumph, I held my sword straight at Ragvir's head. When he managed to turn his head. He had nothing but pure shock stricken across his face.

I had won.

'Severus wins for pinning Ragvir.' Niruin announced, shock and amusement also on his face.

Someone started clapping by the doorway, someone I hadn't noticed. We all turned our heads to see Leila standing there, a huge smile cracked on her mouth.

'Well done, that was good.' Leila complimented. 'But the games are over.' Her face became serious. 'I need you two for a very important and dangerous job.'

'Yes, Guildmaster.' Ragvir and I said in unisen.