Hullo, everybody! Chapter ten por vou. Many of you may hate it, but. . .but nothing, I won't make any promises! Regardless of how you feel, please leave your thoughts as reviews and I hope you enjoy! -LR

I burst through the heavy, gilded doors before throwing myself against them will all my might.

"Shit!" I hissed. "Shit!" I braced all my weight against the doors as bodies began to slam against the other side.

I looked all around me and found a war axe propped against the wall. I reached out and grabbed it, slipping it through the handles of the door, my eyes dancing warily about the frame to gauge whether it would give.

Satisfied, I checked my side.

Deep red blood seeped lazily from the wound.

"Shit," I breathed.

Everything had been going just fine a moment ago!

The old bastard Calcelmo was just as selfish as he was paranoid. Wouldn't even let me sniff in the direction of his research on the Falmer tongue. He must have found out that I'd stolen the key to his solar.

Upon reaching it, I found a heavy stone tablet that was much, much, much too big to carry out of there. I scanned the room more to find parchment and charcoal all around. Immediately, I knew what to do, and made rubbings of the thing

That was when they came.

About a dozen heavily armed guards had trooped into the solar.

The tablet I had just "stolen" made for a good hiding place; it was huge, remember, and blocked me from their view. But not for long. Thinking quickly, I drank an Invisibility potion, but as it took effect, one of the guards coming up the stairs made eye-contact with me.

He got an arrow off just as I jumped from the ledge and ran for the door where I stood presently, praying to the Divines to keep it from giving purchase.

I was startled out of my thoughts by the muffled count: "One. . .two. . .three. . .PUSH!" and had to hear it a second time before its significance hit me.

"SHIT!"

I whirled in a circle before looking out over the ledge of the balcony I stood upon.

"One. . .two. . .three. . .PUSH!"

No turning back now.

I vaulted over the side, landing neatly on my feet on a cliff face a few meters below the ledge just as the guards burst through the doors, crashing down the stairway I had abandoned. Once all noise of them had vanished, I inspected my wound again.

The arrow head was still lodged in me.

My breath began coming from me in short, quick bursts; I was having a panic attack. Even as a child, I never could stand the sight of my own blood.

"Hold your breath," Adji would have said. "Rontu, hold your breath and count to ten."

I started counting.

"Good. Now backwards."

I obeyed.

With my mind cleared, I refocused on my injury. The arrow had not hit any organs; the shot itself had been half-assed.

"Hell, even Maven coulda ghosted me, at that distance," I said, and chuckled to myself, immediately regretting it when my stomach clenched in pain. "Shit. Okay. Shit." I peeked at the arrow head again and sighed. "Like ripping off a leech," I reasoned, and before I could talk myself out of it, I put the handle of my steel dagger in my mouth, and plunged my fingers under my skin, fishing out the steel tip.

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut again, allowing only a small whimper of pain, and a mantra of curses to escape me. "Alright," I breathed. "Okay."

I searched my pouch for a healing potion, and only found ones for Stamina, Invisibility and Magicka. I quirked a brow, Magicka, huh?

"What the hell did you say, Jarsha?" I murmured to myself. "Drink, and focus. Alright. Drink, and focus. Drink, and focus."

I squeezed my eyes shut and gulped down the bottle of Magicka. Once it was gone, I sucked in my breath as I felt all my nerve-endings pulsing with energy.

"Drink, and focus."

Keeping my eyes shut, I raised my palms and focused the energy I felt into them before placing them both on my stomach.

"Focus," I whispered. "Focus."

I could feel myself healing, and peeked an eye open to watch the wound close into the neat seam of a scar.

"Amazing," I breathed. "Thank you, Jarsha. Thank you, Adji."

I sat up straighter on the cliff face; taking in the view of the city of Markarth. I was going to have to climb down to get out of there. I peered over the edge. There was a waterfall just beside the cliff. It could cover for me.

Thanking the Divines under my breath, I carefully began my journey down the rocks, and behind the cascading water. There was something of a cave there, and I took a moment to change out of my Thieves Guild armor and into a regular dress; scarlet red, over a white blouse with red ties along the sleeves, an onyx circlet over my hair, and leather boots.

My Hammerfell clothes would be much too conspicuous.

I slipped out from behind the waterfall and onto the main road, quickly blending into the crowd. That was how I intended to escape the city: acting as a normal citizen while keeping a watchful eye on the Markarth guard.

Instead, I was stopped right before the gates by a courier.

"Got something I'm supposed to deliver. Your eyes only," he said conspiratorially before disappearing on his route.

I unfolded the note, and was shocked to the core at its content.

Things are much worse than I could have believed. Left Riften almost as soon as I arrived. Rode all night to meet you. Find me just inside the first mine. Do not be followed. Come now.

There was no signature.

It wasn't the urgency of the letter that killed me; it was the fact that it was written in my native language. I knew the handwriting as well.

I didn't waste a moment to let my expression betray the concern I felt, and walked lightly to the gate, and to the mouth of the mine without rushing. I cast my gaze around the entrance before settling on a disturbance at the peak of the tunnel.

"It's safe," I reassured Jarsha.

He crept cautiously from the shadows.

"It's never safe," he amended warily. "Especially not now."

I recoiled.

"What's with the cryptic note? What's wrong."

He gave no answer.

"Is it Paia?" I breathed. Still no response. "Fuck, it is, isn't it? I've lost her, I've lost-"

"No, she's . . .well, she's not fine, I can't and won't lie about that. She's not dead either, or beyond our help. But we need to get on the road. Now."

"One at a time," was my only response. I couldn't afford to waste time with questions when my best friend- no, no, too polite, my sister was in danger.

I left the mines first, and mounted Queen Alfsigr, pulling off and onto the open road. When I reached the first pass outside of Markarth's view and jurisdiction, I dismounted and crossed into the pass, changing into my Hammerfell clothes for more comfort.

After that, I pulled my mare out of sight and waited for Jarsha to catch up to me.

"What do you mean, it's not safe?"

"Brynjolf has gone berserk." All the breath left my body. "He figures you and Mercer have sprung the vault and run off together. The vault itself is completely dry."

"No," I hissed. "No."

"Brynjolf thinks that Mercer hired you and Paia as accomplices, and that the story behind you and I being siblings is just a cover. He figures Mercer told you what you needed to know about me and our family to be convinceable."

"No, no, he couldn't. . ."

"He believes that the climax of the charade was a 'mythological' trip to go after Karliah, and that Paia was meant to stay as your eyes and ears."

"What?" Time stopped. "What has he done with her?" He gave no response. My fists clenched, the nails digging through into my palms. "WHAT HAS HE DONE WITH PAIA?!"

"She's been locked away," he said quietly. "The others are reluctant and protestant, but Brynjolf has convinced Delvin, and that's all he needs. They were the two vice-heads after Mercer, and the others are obliged to obey them."

"Did you speak to her?"

"No," he said sadly. "She's guarded at all times. I managed to get her your note, and she seemed to register that she wasn't alone."

"How could you tell?"

"She said 'Me, too'," he supplied. I grasped my mouth, crouching over. The last line of my letter had been I love you. Tears sprang into my eyes. "That, and 'I will wait for you'."

I immediately stopped crying then and my eyes widened.

Now was not the time to cry. Now was the time to save my sister.

"Jarsha," I said rising. "You will meet Karliah at the promised place. We will need her to vouch for us to the Guild. I will return alone-"

"-Segen, no-"

"-alone," I reiterated coldly. "And I will end this."

"End what?"

"I knew not to become involved in the Guild. But I acted against my instincts. I let the means interrupt the end, which is you and Adjin. This is my punishment for being sidetracked." I seated my horse. "And it will not happen again."

"Don't do this" he said worriedly. "Rontu."

"We'll meet again in Riften, brother."

"Rontu-"

I put my heels to Queen Alfsigr and sped towards Riften, trying to keep my mind as clear as possible.

"Faster," I whispered, and she stretched her legs out farther, putting her head down and charging forward. Just as Paia and I, we were one. "I'm coming for you," I hissed to the wind. "Wait for me."

My footfalls echoed loudly throughout the cistern. While the sound was familiar, it was anything but homey. The traps about the Ratway had increased tenfold and I had outsmarted every one of them.

Shadows came running from all directions before becoming figures as they came into view.

"Toothless." I could hear my name on Cynric's breathless voice, but I ignored it. "Toothless, I knew- I never doubted- SHE'S BACK! DELVIN, NIRUIN, VEX- SHE'S BACK!"

I continued my brisk walk towards Brynjolf's rooms.

"Toothless- Rontu, wait, we- Bryn! Brynjolf! She's back!"

Just as he yelled this, I kicked in the door to Brynjolf's rooms. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Tonilia scrambling to cover herself and Brynjolf jolting awake and brandishing a dagger.

"Rontu. . ." he whispered hoarsely. But I didn't hear him.

There was no moment in time, no glorious reunion, like I thought there'd be a month ago. I felt nothing for him, just indifference. And even that was too cold for me to truly say that I "felt" towards him.

I crossed the room in three long strides and plucked his keys from their hook on the wall before exiting the room.

Brynjolf was still struggling into his trousers.

"Rontu, you're back," Vex was saying, as I entered the cistern. She was visibly relieved. "You were gone so long, we thought- Bryn thought-" I pushed past her. "Rontu?"

Not only Vex, but Devlin, Cynric, Niruin and all the rest were brushed by as I advanced towards the Ratway Vaults. I came to the edge where the vast space stretched between the door to the Cistern and the Vaults themselves and could see Paia's form in the cage I'd used to visit with Brynjolf.

"Ninneh!?"

I moved away from the edge and travelled all the way around and up to her cell.

"Segen!" she cried, and that damn near broke me.

I literally couldn't find the key to the cell fast enough, and focused my energy and rage into my palms once more before blasting the door off of its hinges. I kicked it in and Paia ran to me.

"Segen!"

"Ninneh," I sighed. "Are you hurt? Can you walk?"

"I'm fine, but you-"

"Don't worry about me," I snarled, hoisting her up. "I'll be fine in just a minute."

Brynjolf had just made it to the door- or gap- to the cell, looking bewildered and angry and nervous and snide and worried all at once.

"Not with your lover?" he asked loftily.

I whirled on him, all of hell in my eyes.

"Shut the fuck up," I said, so quiet and so bitter that he was shocked into silence. "You just shut the fuck up. You know absolutely nothing. Not about family. Not about sacrifice. Not about love." Paia's breath on the back of my neck was soothing, and the only reason why I could get the words out. "Not that I owe you an explanation, but seeing as you've been so fucking eager to fill in the blanks, here's one for you: Mercer betrayed all on his own. He stuck me when we went after Karliah and left me for dead before returning here to loot the vault. After that, we spent all our time looking for that bastard and doing everything to track him down to save this- to save your family. So in this two month that I've been off sacrificing everything for your family, you've been here, needlessly brooding and imprisoning my own." I snorted, my smirk wry as I raked my gaze over him. "We should have known better."

"Who is this we?" He snapped, not prepared at all to answer to the rest.

"Karliah and Jarsha. They will return here in a day's time to finish our work on Mercer. After that, I suppose they'll take over the Guild. And after that. . .after that, I'm not sure."

There was a long silence between us, filled only with Paia's light breaths against my hair.

"Rontu . . .I am so, so sorry."

Well, there it was. His apology. After I had spent months thinking of only him. After I had died and been reborn with new purpose. After he had poisoned my image with his anxious lies and after he had put my family into a windowless cell.

This was his apology.

"I am so, so sorry, Rontu," he repeated, and I wanted to laugh.

"Yes," I said, with a small smile. "Yes. You are."

I waited for him to move aside, and I passed him by, with Paia on my back.

He did not offer to take her, and I knew it was only because he knew I would be outraged at his offer.

Fate has crossed your stars, Ri'saad had said. You came to this cold land for your blood, and the blood binds you. He is the same way.

And I knew then that the bonds of blood that kept me from him and he from me had only tightened their grip.