The next two weeks passed in a comfortable blur. Arsha settled into life at the Guild and began to grow closer to all of its members, except for Mercer. The Guildmaster was as indifferent to her as ever, but Arsha found that she didn't mind as much as she had used to. As long as Mercer wasn't paying any attention to her, she could relax a little more.
And relax she did. She no longer slept outside of the Cistern anymore unless she was out on a particularly long job, and she had spent a fair amount of time with each of the Guild members. She and Niruin had spent an entire day trading archery tips and having friendly competitions. She had also completed more than her fair share of jobs, both in Riften and the rest of Skyrim. Enough, in fact, that Delvin had called her in for a special job. She was heading to speak to him now.
The Flagon was a little quieter now than it was usually, something Arsha noticed as she stepped into the tavern. It was about an hour past noon, so most of the Guild members were either out on jobs, or honing their skills in the training room, which left the Ragged Flagon feeling slightly empty. Vekel's fire was still crackling merrily, though, so Arsha ordered something to eat as well as a drink before she went to talk to Delvin.
After Vekel had given Arsha her food, she walked over to where Delvin was sitting. She gestured at the spot across from him and asked, "May I have a seat, Del?"
Delvin looked up from his mug of mead before responding, "Sure thing. I'll tell you about a job that's come our way while ya eat." Arsha nodded to let Delvin know that he had her attention before she started on the venison in front of her.
"You've been doin' good lately, and you've gotten the Guild's name out there again. That's good, means people are startin' to fear us again," for a brief moment, Delvin got a faraway look in his eyes, and Arsha knew he was remembering the glory days of the Guild. "Anyway," he shook his head and continued, "you've also caught the attention of some important people that would like to make use of our services. That's where this special job comes in. I was contacted by a fellow named Endon, he's a silversmith in Markarth. It seems he's had something of value stolen from him, and he'd like us to steal it back."
Arsha tilted her head sideways. It wasn't often that a thief stole something only to give it back to the rightful owner.
"I know what you're thinking, normally we're the ones doing the taking, but this contract will help us secure a stable foothold in Markarth. It'll bring us one step closer to restoring the Guild to its former glory," Delvin stated, and Arsha could see a hint of longing in his eyes. Delvin clearly missed the old days, same as everyone else in the Guild who had been around then.
"Sounds like a good job, I'll take it, as well as any other jobs you have in Markarth. I might as well get something else done if I'm going to be there anyway," Arsha responded, already beginning to plan for the trip.
Delvin grinned. "I like the way you think. I have a fishing job in Markarth, and I think that Vex may have a nice little heist for you as well."
"Thanks, Del," Arsha said as she stood from her seat and took a piece of paper from Delvin that explained the details of the jobs. She was about to walk away when Delvin stopped her by adding,
"You might want to bring someone along, just in case. This is an important job, so ya shouldn't take any chances."
Arsha nodded, it made sense to bring someone else. Two sets of quick ears and eyes were better than one. "Do you think Brynjolf is free?" Arsha asked. He was the Guild member that Arsha was the most comfortable with, so she would prefer to bring him. She didn't want to bother the second in command if he was doing something else, however.
Delvin shrugged. "Probably, but I dunno. Mercer may have him doing somethin'."
Arsha nodded and thanked Delvin again before leaving the table and heading over to where Vex stood in her usual spot. After Arsha had gotten the heist job from Vex, she headed back into the Cistern in search of Brynjolf. If he was available, she wanted to leave today. She figured it would be bad for business if she kept an important client waiting any longer than she had to.
The Cistern was alive with noises, most of them coming from the training room. That seemed to be one of the places that Brynjolf spent the most time, so Arsha decided to check there first. As she walked in, she almost got hit by a stray dagger swipe. Thrynn and Rune were dueling.
"Whoah there!" Arsha exclaimed with a laugh as she ducked one of Rune's daggers. "I wasn't aware that coming in here was punishable by death."
Rune immediately dropped his daggers and blushed. "Sorry about that, Arsha. Thrynn was helping me train."
"It's no problem, Rune. I have a suggestion though," Arsha said and walked over to where Rune stood, across from Thrynn. "When Thrynn is in a stance like this one, it leaves his left side open for you to do something like this." Arsha lunged forward and ducked beneath one of Thrynn's outstretched arms to jab him in the side. The former bandit stumbled backward a bit. "See?"
Rune laughed and nodded. "Thanks, Arsha," Arsha nodded and turned to leave the room, since Brynjolf wasn't there when Rune called after her. "Did you need something?"
Arsha shook her head. "I was just seeing if Brynjolf was here. I have something I need to ask him."
From behind Arsha, Thrynn spoke up. "Brynjolf is out on a job around town somewhere. He said he'd be back soon. I think he's doing a numbers job at the Bee and Barb."
"Thanks, Thrynn. I'll wait for him outside."
Arsha left the Cistern and headed to the Bee and Barb after grabbing the supplies she would need for the trip to Markarth. If Brynjolf decided that he wanted to go with her, they could leave right away.
Brynjolf felt someone watching him as he walked out of the Bee and Barb. He knew that no one had seen him when he messed with the ledgers at the inn, he had been practically invisible thanks to the heavy shadows. So why did he feel someone's eyes boring into the back of his head? He sauntered around the inn, and the feeling followed him.
He leaned against one of the many beams that held up the houses of Riften, scanning the crowds for the one who was watching him. He thought he had found the person, one of the merchants in the market, but then they turned away the feeling, however, lingered. Brynjolf shook his head, frustrated. Then he heard a soft voice behind him, coming from the shadows.
"You alright, Brynjolf?"
Brynjolf nearly jumped out of his skin. Instead, he turned around, hoping he could keep the surprise off of his face. "I'm fine, lass. What are you doing out?"
Arsha stepped out of the shadows before saying, "I was looking for you, actually. I got a special job from Delvin in Markarth and he said I should bring someone along. Are you available?"
Brynjolf tilted his head slightly, thinking about it. He had just finished the job for Delvin, and Mercer refused to talk to him, so he wouldn't be abandoning any of his duties as second-in-command. Besides, maybe he could learn more about the mysterious lass under that mask during the trip. "Aye. When do we leave, lass?"
"Now, if you're up for it. I already packed for the trip," Arsha replied, and Brynjolf noticed the pack she had over her shoulder.
Brynjolf chuckled a little at that sight. Arsha had obviously known that he would say yes. "Lead the way, lass," he declared with a little bow. Arsha's eyes sparkled, and Brynjolf had a feeling that she was wearing a smirk behind that mask she wore.
When they reached the stables just outside of the gates of Riften, Brynjolf immediately noticed the new, and for some reason only, horse. It looked familiar somehow. "Is that Maven's horse, Frost?" he asked the lass, who was feeding the horse an apple.
"Yes. Maven's son wanted me to sell it for him, but I told Maven about the deal and she said that I could keep Frost if I stopped the sale," Arsha explained as she hoisted herself onto Frost's bare back.
"No saddle, lass?" Brynjolf asked, raising an eyebrow. Arsha was full of surprises it seemed.
Arsha laughed. "It's hard to have two saddles on a horse," she gestured at the surrounding stalls, which were, as Brynjolf had noticed earlier, empty. "Maven moved the other horses out of the stables for now. She said something about ensuring that Frost had Hofgrir Horse-Crusher's undivided attention. That means we have to share." Arsha extended a gloved hand, and Brynjolf took it.
As Arsha urged Frost out of the stall and they began their journey down the road, Brynjolf decided to start up some conversation. "If you don't mind me asking, lass, what brought you to Riften those weeks ago?" Brynjolf wasn't sure if he would get an answer, as the lass seemed to be fairly protective of her past. Luckily, Arsha seemed willing to share.
"Honestly, I was bored." In front of him, Arsha shrugged. "Being a hunter was nice; I got to connect to the wilds of Skyrim, and I had plenty of time to relax. Turns out, it was too much time, though. I'm a woman of action, so I came to Riften to get a start on a new life. I didn't think I would get roped into a life of thievery, though," Arsha explained, finishing with a laugh. Brynjolf decided that he really liked the sound of her laugh. A grin crossed his face as he came up with a plan for the next few days. He would figure out as much about the lass as he could, and he would make her laugh as often as possible. Pretty simple, as plans went, but he had a feeling it would turn out to be quite rewarding.
With that goal in mind, Brynjolf asked another question. "How long were you a hunter before you came to Riften?"
For a few moments, Arsha didn't respond, and Brynjolf worried that he had somehow overstepped a boundary. He had thought that was a safe question. Eventually, Arsha said, "I understand that you want to know more about me Brynjolf-"
"Call me Bryn, most of the Guild does," Brynjolf cut in.
"I know you want to know more about me, Bryn, but you have to understand that my past is my own, and there are some questions I won't answer. However, I'll answer this one."
Brynjolf nodded, even though Arsha couldn't see him. He understood that the lass wanted her privacy. There were a lot of people in the Guild that guarded their pasts closely. He was confident that he could learn Arsha's eventually. After all, he did have a reputation.
"I was a hunter for about three years before I came to Riften…" Arsha went on to tell about her life as a hunter, and Brynjolf found himself fascinated. Even living a life as simple as she had, Arsha was able to capture him with her words. She painted a picture in his mind of green forests and the smell of slowly roasting venison. He could almost see the stars that she described lying under. Brynjolf could hear the content in the lass's voice, and he knew that she had truly enjoyed her time as a hunter. She spoke the most about the peace that she had felt. That made Brynjolf wonder what she had done before she had lived as a hunter. He had a feeling that there had been very little peace, whatever it had been.
The ride seemed to pass swiftly as Brynjolf and Arsha continued to share different experiences of their lives. The sun began to set, and Brynjolf noticed that Frost was slowing. Arsha led the horse off of the road and into the forest. Before long, they reached a clearing and Arsha slid off of Frost's back.
They set up camp there and Arsha cooked for the two of them. Brynjolf watched her practiced movements with admiration. It was obvious that she had lived in the wilds of Skyrim before, and now that Brynjolf knew more about her, he could appreciate the history that came with those well-learned movements.
They talked some more as they ate, and Brynjolf made Arsha laugh as often as he could. The sound of her laugh was melodic, somehow different from the laughter that Brynjolf usually heard around the Guild.
Before long, the sun had set and the moons were out. Brynjolf and Arsha pitched their tents; he felt like Arsha was showing off when she set hers up in a fourth of the time that it took him. Once his tent was finally up, Brynjolf crawled inside and was asleep as soon as his head hit his bedroll.
A/N Things are about to start picking up the pace in this story soon. I hope you are all enjoying it so far!
Question: What is your favorite game from the Elder Scrolls series?