Brynjolf's P.O.V.
There was no way I could return to Astrid now. I had to get Azure back safely. I took the stone out of my pocket and focused on Azure again. Suddenly the smell of a campfire filled my nose.
"So how did you end up in Helgen in the first place?" Asked an unfamiliar voice.
"I made a mistake I don't mean to repeat," I sighed in relief when I heard Azure's voice answer.
"A mistake?" Said the first voice.
"Yes."
"I thought you didn't make mistakes,"
"Everyone makes mistakes, I just happen to make a very small amount," Azure said. Someone laughed.
"Well aren't you modest!" They said, still laughing.
"Well then, since I've told you all about me, why don't you answer and I'll ask for a while?"
"What do you want to know?" They said.
"Have you always wandered the wilderness, or did you have a home?" Azure asked.
"I was a bard for a while, even graduated from the bards college. It was mostly spy work, but I've written a song or two," they answered.
"A bard? You know I'm going to make you sing eventually," I had heard enough to know that Azure was talking to an ally. I walked out from behind the bush I appeared behind to be met with an angry wood elf with her bow drawn, aiming at my face.
"Tell your friend to be carefull with her bow, lass, you wouldn't want to injure this piece of art," I said, pointing at my face.
"Hmm, maybe I should let her, it is very tempting, might even improve it, bring it up from hagraven to troll," she said. "Niriilah, it's ok, this is Brynjolf, he's an old friend."
"So, when is that song going to happen, or are we just going to sleep lass?" He asked Niriilah.
"I thought that you only called Azure lass,"
"Azure's never been friends with another girl, so naturally I'm going to call you lass as well,"
"Then I might accidentally use you for target practice," Niriilah remarked. And with that we set up some bed rolls. I gave my bedroll to Brynjolf and shared Niriilah's. The next morning we ate bread and cheese and then started walking towards the Rift. We didn't talk much until we arrived in Ivarstead. Brynjolf was asking Niriilah lots if questions.
"So Azure is the daughter of Azura, and she has wings, and you have horns, so you are the daughter of whom?" He asked
"Azure is the daughter of Azura, born on her sister, Nocturnal's summoning day, and that is why she has her wings and a natural ability to melt into the shadows, I am the daughter of Hircine, Lord of the Hunt, so I have an extra strong sense of smell and an unnaturally good aim," Niriilah explained.
"So, you two never had to work to improve your skills?"
"No, we worked just as hard as anyone else, probably harder, when you have a deity for a parent you have impossible standards to live up to," I said bitterly.
"But you call Astrid mother, and you have a real mother,"
"Astrid took care of me, raised me, in the Dark Brotherhood we are a family, Astrid is my mother, just as Gabriella and Baebett are my sisters and Nazir, Arnbjorn, and Veezara are my brothers,"
"What about Festus?"
"Festus is also technically brother, but I call him old man,"
"And what will Niriilah be?"
"Sister if course, what else would she be?"
"I don't know, things have changed since we became the New Brotherhood,"
"Well I mean, technically anyone in the New Brotherhood could be brother or sister now, but it wouldn't be the same, I lived in the Dark Brotherhood my whole life, they are my family, the only people I've ever really known all my life until you two,"
"So... I'm your brother?" He asked. That mostly ended the conversation and we kept walking. Eventually we got to a road and began following it east.
"Oh mother! How am I supposed to move you now!?" Said a voice from behind a wagon. A jester came out from behind the wagon a yelped in surprise. We were dirty, armed to the teeth, and kind of looked like bandits. "Hello travelers! Can you help Cicero move his poor dead mother?"
We looked at him in shock, and Brynjolf was the first to reply.
"No." He said, he kind of growled it, and the jester frowned then hummed a sad toon. Ugh, this jester was getting on my nerves!
"Move jester!" I growled, drawing my blade.
"Quite the violent one here! And what fine armor you have! Very similar colors to Cicero's!"
"What are you implying, human!"
"Why don't we just help him? It's quicker than arguing with him," Niriilah said,
"Oh Cicero likes this one! So nice, so resonable!"
"Can I just kill him? We don't have time to move his mother!" I complained.
"We're not killing him! He's just trying to move his mother so he can bury her!"
" Fine! But if he's not going to Riften, then we are not moving his cart!"
"Not to Riften but near! So very near! To take mother to the rest of our family! Cicero can pay you," he said 'pay you' really creepily, and I saw Niriilah shudder.
"I think we need to fix his cart lass," Brynjolf said.
"Cicero asked another traveler, but he refused..." Cicero said, frowning.
"Do you have to speak as if you're someone else!" I grumbled. My grip on my dagger tightened. I should kill this annoying jester before he brings us more trouble. Niriilah gave me a look that said: 'don't even think about it.' I put my dagger back in it's scabbard, pulled a box of tools out of my backpack and handed it to Brynjolf. After a while of working, and replacing pieces of the wagon's broken wheel with branches the wagon was fixed and we were on our way
"Could someone please shut this jester up!" Brynjolf complained when Cicero told the same joke for the fifth time.
"Not until I get paid," I said to him, sharpening my knives from the back of the wagon.
"Is this the part where you start to make vague threats and clean your fingernails with your knife?" Niriilah asked.
"So I see you've read Romulis's: Life as a Bandit,"
"There were many books in the Bard's College's library,"
"Ay, in one of the the former Thanes of Solitude's as well,"
"So thats how he died!"
"Azure is and was involved in every death of every important person in Skyrim," Brynjolf added.
"If you want something done and done well, you send the best," the conversation continued on like that, sharing stories and ignoring Cicero.
It was just past midnight on Middas when we arrived in Riften, and we decided to stay in the Bee and Bard for the night. Cicero gave me a bag of gold (100 gold counted and checked) and went on his way, taking his mother with him.
"Good riddance," Brynjolf muttered as Cicero walked out of the city.
"Hey Brynjolf, we can get to the Brotherhood from the Ratway, right?" I asked from our corner table in the tavern.
"Yeah, we found this old dwarven sewer system or somthing right under the old guild quarters that leads right to the new base,"
"Good, how about we go do our own business, for maybe, an hour, then meet back there,"
"Sounds good lass, see you in an hour," he got up from the table and walked out, into the streets. Niriilah looked slightly worried as he walked out.
"Whats the matter?" I asked.
"It's not that important, but, I um, haven't ever been to Riften before, and um..." she said.
"Just stick with me, you'll be fine," I said, and she gave me a worried smile. We walked around Riften and I pointed out places to go, and places to avoid. After an hour we headed into the Ratway. We had just crossed the draw-bridge when we started hearing voices.
"Come on men! It's time we clean out this rat's nest!" We heard the voice of the captain of the guard say.
"We have to destroy the bridge! Now!" Niriilah yelled. I held up my hands and burned the bridge with a fire spell. The guards came around the corner, and when they saw us the captain growled.
"Theres a side entrance at the bottom, jump!" He yelled. I saw the door they meant, and before anyone could get to it, I used telekinesis to move the remaining hunks of wood in front and held them there. "Go through the tunnels, move!"
Niriilah and I ran for the entrence to the Ragged Flaggon, pulled open the door, ran through and barricaded the door with whatever would hold.
"Brynjolf! BRYNJOLF!" I yelled.
"Woah lass, calm down and tell me what's going on," he said.
"The guards, they're in the Ratway, they're going to kill everyone here! You need to get everyone out!" I yelled, pointing at the old thieves guild entrance.
"Everyone into the guild quarters! Now! He yelled, motioning for them to follow him. Everyone in the Flaggon got up from what they were doing, and followed Brynjolf into the guild. I ran after him, Niriilah close behind. He pushed a torch holder on a wall down and a secret door opened, everyone ran through and Brynjolf turned to me. "Come on lass! We've got to go!"
"Go Brynjolf, take Niriilah and tell Astrid what happened! I'll hold them off!" I shoved Niriilah into the passage and twisted the torch. The wall slammed closed and I drew my weapons.
"Sir, it's empty!" A guard yelled.
"They must be hiding in the guild! Go!" Growled the captain. Half the guard must have been there, they ran into the guild and right past my hiding spot.
"They're all gone!" The same guard yelled.
"They must be here somewhere! Search the whole place!" The captain barked to half of his company. "The rest of you! Stay with me! Someone else is here..."
I drew my crossbow and loaded an arrow, I crept around the room, staying in the shadows. I slowly and quietly aimed the crossbow, so it would take out at least five of the guards with one shot (idiots were standing in a line!) I shot and took out six, (one guy literally walked through my line of fire) the bolt ripped through all six's flimsy helmets, and embedded in the wall behind it.
"How much did you pay these bandits to dress up like guards?" I asked, stepping out of the shadows.
"I thought all thieves were always looking to betray each other," he spat, "why did you save them?"
"Two reasons: first, I was taught to never betray my friends and family, second, I'm not a thief," I said, grinning wickedly holding up my daggers in a defensive stance.
"Assassin! Kill her!" He yelled and drew his greatsword. Ten men came at me at once, and when they were close enough, I sent a wave of fire in all directions, just barely missing the captain. Every one of the ten bandits who ran at me died. The only one left was the captain. He ran at me, swinging his sword in hope it would hit me. I ducked under his blade and jumped on him from behind, knocking him over. He fell, but pushed me off, and I landed not far away. He rolled over, and was going to get up, but I was there, with a blade to his throat.
"Did you really think that even if you did kill us all you'd get away with it? Maven would have your head!" I growled.
"The bitch wouldn't even know I did it! I would be running drills in the training yard, while these fake guards destroyed the guild!" He said, spitting in my face. "How did they escape?"
I laughed, "As if I'd tell you! You were an idiot, and idiots only see one thing before death."
"What?" He growled.
"Me."
Hey guys, I made minor changes to this chapter and chapter 9, nothing big, but it closes some plot holes. Thought I'd let you know :)