I think I've written my funniest Finverior scene to date in this chapter. I'm just so happy with it.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! This is Book Four of my series! Full Moon, Walk in the Shadows, and Sovngarde Beckons are the prequels in that order.

Please remember to Fave/Follow/Review!

Musical Inspiration for this chapter: Sunday, Blood Sunday by U2, Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd


Chapter Twelve

(20th of Rain's Hand, 205 4E)

"Gods damn it, woman, are you trying to kill me?" Einarr snapped at Assa, flinching in pain.

Assa smacked the back of his head and glared at him. "Sit still or this will hurt a lot more!"

Einarr growled angrily and hissed in pain when Assa inserted the suturing needle into his flesh again. He was still pissed off that he had dropped his guard long enough to allow an Imperial to injure him. While he mostly blamed the Imperial for the gash below his ribcage, he also blamed Galmar for forcing him to wear the Stormcloak uniform. Never in his life had he worn light armor because he truly believed it didn't offer enough protection in a fight. This battle proved he was right, since the cuirass practically fell apart when the sword struck his side.

Maybe I can figure out a way to convert this into something heavier, he thought to himself as Assa put in another stitch to his wound.

The Stormcloaks had taken Fort Greenwall less than an hour ago, and after taking surrendering Imperials prisoner, they began tending to their wounded. They only lost a few good men, but it was still a disappointing loss for the army. The commander in charge of The Rift, Gonnar Oath-Giver, was making arrangements to have their bodies returned to their families, as well as letters to Ulfric so they would receive financial compensation for the loss. This first battle caused Einarr's bitterness toward the whole civil war to increase.

He let out a heavy sigh and Assa glanced up at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"It's all just such a waste," he told her. "All these good men and women, killing each other all because of a threat everyone seems to have forgotten. We shouldn't be fighting our brothers and sisters; it's exactly what the Thalmor want."

Assa frowned. "Aye, we know, but we can't fight them alone. Not when they have Valenwood and the Empire. And we can't exactly bow down to the Empire after signing the White-Gold Concordat. We're the sons and daughters of Skyrim, and we will not abandon our freedom."

"But how much will taking back our freedom cost?"

Instead of answering, Assa fell silent, her gray eyes darkened with a troubled look. She finished stitching him up and tied off the thread of sinew before slicing what was left off with the tip of her dagger. She cleaned off all the blood with a wet rag and handed him his cuirass.

"There, that should work for now," she told him.

"I think I've grown too accustomed to having my injuries healed," he grunted, pulling the top of his armor back on. "One of the Companions back at Jorrvaskr knows healing magic, and she's always tending to our wounds."

"That actually sounds very convenient."

"Aye, it is. Why don't the Stormcloaks have any healers?"

She gave him a wry look. "Because a true Nord doesn't rely on magic to win their battles."

Einarr chuckled. "Ah, I forgot all about that. That's right, true Nord will bleed and die proudly."

Assa let out a little tinkling laugh and shook her head. "Nay, believe me, I always thought that recruiting healers to the army would be a good idea. I'm sure the Imperials have them."

"They probably do."

During the march into The Rift, Einarr took some time to get to know Assa a bit better and could see why his father enjoyed being around her so much. Despite the fact that she was a soldier, she was really a very sweet woman, always attentive toward other people's problems and selflessly worrying about others before herself. She would tell him stories of all the ruins and caves she explored before the war with her deceased husband and Einarr started to admire her adventurer's spirit. It made him want to drop everything and take a look at some of the places she had been to, as well as explore a few new ones. He was still a little sore over her reaction to Kiraya, but in spite of that he was really starting to like Assa.

"Oi, Assa!" shouted a familiar voice.

Einarr and Assa both looked over their shoulders and saw Ralof approaching them. When they marched from Windhelm, Einarr was delighted to see the soldier from Riverwood would be accompanying them into battle and spent the nights they camped catching up with him, sharing mead and stories. Ralof had expressed his sorrow over the news of Lassarina's death, and while Einarr desperately wanted to tell the man that she was actually alive, he knew he couldn't risk letting the fact spread throughout the troops.

"Ralof, good to see you survived the battle," Assa said as he neared. "Did you receive any injuries? I just finished stitching up Einarr."

"A few cuts and bruises but nothing that needs to be worried over," Ralof reported, taking a seat beside them. "So you were injured, Einarr?"

"Aye, a damned Imperial got lucky," he grunted. "I hope we get a day to rest before storming Riften."

"I actually just heard the captain talking about that. Apparently Maven's ready for us and had some Imperial soldiers hiding out in the city so they could guard it. Oath-Giver has no idea how we're going to get inside."

"Einarr, don't you have friends within Riften?" Assa asked him.

He caught the meaningful look in her eye and nodded stiffly. "Aye, my sister had allies inside the Thieves Guild, but what good are they when we're out here and they're in there? I doubt Maven's letting anyone inside the city right now, even merchants or travelers."

"I guess it's the captain's problem to deal with, then," Ralof sighed, rummaging through his knapsack and pulling out three bottles of mead. "So I say we just rest until we have to attack Riften."

Einarr agreed but didn't grab one of the bottles. Instead, he slowly got up and pressed a hand to his wound.

"Save me one of those. I'm going down to the lake to wash all this blood off."

"What, the mighty Dragonborn can't handle a little blood under his fingernails?" Ralof teased.

"He's got the right idea," Assa murmured, taking a sip of mead. "I used to be blond before the battle. All the blood in my hair has turned me into a redhead."

Ralof laughed and grabbed a strand. "Actually, it's all dried and brown now. Looks nice on you."

Assa rolled her eyes and shoved him. "Sod off, you milk-drinker. Einarr, let me know if there's any relatively private areas I can wash off in when you get back."

"Will do," he nodded, grabbing his pack and heading toward the lake.

When he reached the lakeshore, he stripped down to his skin and inspected the wound on his side as he gently cleaned it and the rest of his body. He couldn't believe how much grime and dried blood he was covered in, but he was pretty sure the majority of it was his. He had just walked out of the water and was drying off with a towel when he heard a low whistle behind him.

"You know, I never realized it before, but you've got a great ass, Einarr," said a voice he never expected to hear.

"Finverior?" he gasped, turning around.

The Bosmer's amber eyes drifted down to below Einarr's waist and he let out a hum of appreciation. "Well would you look at that. You're a big boy, aren't you?"

Glaring, Einarr wrapped the towel around his waist and restrained the overwhelming urge to punch the wood elf across the jaw. "What the fuck are you doing out here? Nay, better question, why are you here?"

"Everyone in Riften is freaking out because of the battle that happened only a few miles up the road. The esteemed Jarl Maven Black-Briar is panicking and doubled the guard in the city to protect against an impending attack." He scratched his chin and arched a brow at him. "Your sister sent me to ask when you're planning to attack."

"I don't know. I'm only a soldier here; I don't have any command over the troops."

"Then tell your superior officer that you're attacking tonight. She's arranging for the gates to be available to you. You and the Stormcloaks will be able to walk in without any problems."

Einarr stared at him for a moment. "And how did she arrange that?"

Finverior smirked and started to walk away. "Don't worry about it. Be at the gates tonight with the rest of the soldiers. I'd better get back before the guards start patrolling the docks."

Einarr wanted to call him back and insist he tell him what Lassarina had done, but he thought better about it. The sun was already starting to set, and if they were going to attack tonight, they needed to get moving soon. So he quickly dried himself off and threw his armor back on before running back to the fort to inform the captain of this new development.

oOo

"I thought you said we'd be able to walk in through the front gates!" Captain Gonnar spat, glaring right at Einarr. "There's two guards standing there."

Einarr frowned and stared at the two guards curiously. Finverior had told him that the city gates would be accessible, so why were there guards stationed there? Had their opportunity to attack passed them by already?

"Einarr, what's going on?" Assa whispered to him.

"I don't know," he growled. "I was told we'd be able to walk right through the gates."

"Wait, what's that?" Ralof spoke, pointing up at the wall. "I thought I saw something move on top of the wall."

Einarr glanced up to the strong wall surrounding Riften, and for a few moments he saw nothing. But then he caught a flash of moonlight bouncing off a polished blade and saw the shadows moving.

Nay, that's not a shadow, he thought to himself, recognizing the familiar armor his sister wore.

She didn't move from where she stood on the wall and it was almost impossible to see her, but Einarr knew that she was looking at him and the rest of the soldiers hiding in the trees. Then her hands lit up in a faint golden light and he saw her nod her head to the gates.

"Who in Oblivion is that?" Gonnar asked.

"Those are our eyes on the inside," Einarr replied with a grin. "It's safe to go ahead."

"What about those guards?"

Einarr looked at the guards standing in front of the gates and noticed something odd about them. The entire time that he and the rest of the soldiers had been standing in the trees, they hadn't moved once. They were in the exact same position without moving a single muscle. Without thinking, Einarr stepped out from the shadows of the trees and walked right up the road to the gates. When he reached them, he looked up to his sister, shocked at what she had arranged.

The guards hadn't moved because they were no longer alive. They both had daggers buried deep in their gullets and were being held up by knives that were pinning their cuirasses to the wall they were propped against. He never thought his sister would be capable of something like this, but looking up at her, he saw no remorse in her eyes. Her whole face was covered by the shadow of her hood as well as her mask, but he could tell Lassarina felt no regret over this.

"Einarr, is it clear?" Assa voice cut through the silence of the night.

He didn't take his eyes off his sister but answered, "Aye, it's clear."

The Stormcloaks charged out of from the shelter of the trees and joined him at the gates. He glanced over his shoulder when Assa and Ralof appeared at his side to nod at them, and when he looked back to his sister, she was gone.

"Who was that?" Ralof asked him.

"A friend," Einarr answered, moving along when the gates were thrown open.

The rest of the soldiers inside of Riften were completely unprepared for their attack, and chaos erupted. The Stormcloaks hacked away and cut down any enemy that stood in the way, following Captain Gonnar as he shouted at them to make their way to Mistveil Keep. Einarr kept taking on too many opponents at once, which normally wouldn't be a problem for him, but the wound on his side was slowing him down and restricting his movement. He couldn't swing as widely as he was accustomed to without risking popping his stitches. He had just brought down the soldier in front of him and paused to catch his breath when he heard Assa shout.

"Einarr, behind you!"

He turned his head to see a soldier charging at him, his sword raised over his head and ready to come down to strike. Einarr didn't have enough time to react, but before his enemy had the chance to strike him, an arrow hissed through the air and pierced his skull. The man died instantly and fell to the ground. Looking up in the direction he saw the arrow come from, Einarr noticed several dark figures standing on the roofs of the houses around them, all of them wielding bows.

She's brought the Thieves Guild to this fight, he realized.

One of the thieves jumped down to the ground beside him and walked over. He realized it was his sister only because she wore her Nightingale armor.

"You're not usually that sloppy in battle," she said to him. "I've been watching you this whole time. Why are you so slow?"

"I got hurt taking Fort Greenwall," he explained, pressing his hand into his still-sore wound. "We don't have a healer, so I had to get stitched up."

"Here, let me take care of that then."

Lassarina's hands lit up in a warm golden light, and she placed one palm gently over his wound. Einarr instantly felt the relief that came with the healing magic and could feel the wound closing up. He let out a sigh and placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, looking into her eyes. He noticed they looked different, but he figured it had to be the darkness making them look odd.

"Thank you; that feels much better," he told her.

"You're not going to find a lot of guards at the keep," she informed him. "Maven's not the only one who can pay people off."

"That's good to know."

"Einarr, are you all right?" Assa asked, running over.

"Aye, I'm fine," he nodded. "My sister healed me."

Assa smiled at Lassarina. "It's good to see you again."

"We'll have time to exchange pleasantries later," Lassarina told her sharply. "You and the rest of the Stormcloaks have a city to take, and my thieves and I have to make sure no innocent people get caught in the battle."

Without another word she turned away and ran over to a house, climbing the beams with ease as she made her way up to the balcony. He watched her for a moment but then turned to Assa when she touched his arm.

"Are you all right to keep fighting?" she asked him.

"Aye, I'm not an old man yet," he chuckled, lifting up his sword and nodding to the marketplace, which was swarming with battling soldiers.

He and Assa ran side by side into the fray, watching each other's backs as they fought their foes. Ralof joined up with them at some point, and the three of them were easily decimating the enemy forces. Their minds synchronized and each of their moves landed with expert precision. Ralof would stun his opponent with his shield before he brought down his battleaxe, and Assa spun around with her twin swords, each move so graceful she appeared to be dancing.

"Assa, what's your count at?" Ralof asked during the fight. "I've got five so far!"

"Ha! Only five?" she teased, striking down another Imperial. "I've got six."

Einarr rolled his eyes at them, a bit disgusted that they were counting how many kills they had. He was just pushing a soldier off the end of his blade when he heard Assa let out a cry of pain. He whirled around to look at her and saw she had her hand pressed to her face, blood seeping out between the fingers of her fur gloves. He was reaching out to her when he heard the familiar hiss of an arrow right before it pierced her shoulder. She screamed in pain and fell to her knees, dropping her weapons and clutching the injury.

"Ralof, cover Assa!" Einarr shouted, his eyes scanning for the archer.

He spotted the bowman standing on top of the roof of the orphanage, already nocking another arrow aimed at Ralof. Einarr was about to call out a warning when a bulky black figure climbed onto the roof behind the soldier and grabbed his arms, forcing the arrow in another direction as it was released. He watched them struggle and fight against each other for a few moments before the thief finally got the upper hand and stabbed his foe in the chest. The body rolled off the roof and the thief pulled off his hood, revealing his red hair. He waved his hand to Einarr, and he shook his head in return.

"Brynjolf," he muttered to himself as he turned to check on Assa.

"It's a through-and-through," Ralof told Einarr. "She got lucky, but we should get her somewhere safe."

Einarr nodded. "Aye, I agree. Here, help me support her."

The two of them helped Assa to her feet and supported her between their bodies as they moved through the dying battle and over to the blacksmith's shop. A thief was already jumping off the roof as they reached it and held out their hands to take her. This male thief wore the traditional Guild leathers, and had the look of an Imperial about him. It took a moment for Einarr to remember his name.

"Rune," he said as it came to him.

"We'll treat her here," Rune nodded to Einarr. "Finverior is already on his way."

"Dragonborn!" Gonnar shouted. "We're storming the keep!"

Einarr turned to look at the captain and saw him leading a group over to Mistveil Keep. Grabbing Ralof's shoulder, he started pulling him over to the captain so they could join them. They cut down any soldier who tried to get in their way and practically kicked down the doors when they stepped inside the jarl's home. It was nice and warm inside, and sitting in her throne, Maven Black-Briar was glowering at them. She had no guards by her side except for two Nord men. One of them was nothing but muscle, a menacing look on his face as he stood between Maven and the Stormcloaks. The other was scrawny and looked absolutely petrified.

"It's over, Maven," Gonnar announced as he walked forward. "The Rift is Ulfric's once more, and you're under arrest for the murder of Laila Law-Giver and her sons, Harrald and Saerlund."

"It's not over!" Maven spat, slamming her fist down on the armrest of her throne. "Maul! Kill them all, I don't care if you have to sacrifice yourself to do it!"

Einarr turned his gaze to Maul and saw the man looked a bit conflicted. He was reaching for his blade and Einarr was getting ready to meet the man in a fight, when they were interrupted by someone walking into the keep.

"Maul, we gave you a deal; you do nothing and you live," Lassarina said as she walked past Einarr.

"Who in Oblivion are you?" Maven shrieked.

"That doesn't matter now. It's over, Maven. Just go quietly."

"Maul, why are you just standing there? Do something!"

Maul turned to Maven and shook his head. "Sorry, Maven, I enjoyed working for you, but I'm not going to die for you."

Einarr watched Maul walk over to his sister, and they shook hands when he reached her.

"Welcome back to the Guild, Maul," Lassarina told him.

"You traitor!" Maven shouted. "I'll have your head for this!"

"You won't be killing anyone where you're going, Black-Briar," Gonnar said as he walked right up to her and slapped some shackles on her wrist. "You are hereby stripped of your position as Jarl of The Rift."

Maven sneered at Gonnar. "And who will run The Rift in my absence? You? Ha! I'm the only one capable of running this hold!"

"Jarl Ulfric sent a courier saying that The Rift will be temporarily run by one Eisa Shadow-Song."

Einarr's eyes widened. "Eisa Shadow-Song?"

"Who in Oblivion is that?" Maven demanded.

"That would be me," Lassarina said stepping forward and finally removing her hood and mask.

Einarr gasped when he saw her, mainly because the woman he was looking at wasn't his sister. She spoke like her and smelled like her, but she looked nothing like her. Gone was the dark auburn hair, replaced with locks the color of wheat, and her pale skin was now tanned a sun-kissed gold. The pale-blue eyes that proved they were siblings were gone. One eye was now sea-green and the other was milky-white, a long, jagged scar slashing across the lid and continuing down her cheek to her jawline. The woman in front of him was a complete stranger.

"You can take Maven with you," Lassarina, or rather Eisa, told Gonnar. "But I want her husband and daughter to remain here as insurance. I don't want her son Sibbi anywhere near here. He's a menace."

"My husband won't just agree to be your prisoner!" Maven spat. "Tell her, Hemming!"

The scrawny Nord that had been standing beside Maven ducked his head and, after a moment's hesitation, walked over to Lassarina.

"I never said they'd be prisoners, Maven," Lassarina continued. "Hemming is more of a business partner and will be helping me keep the hold in order. I am a very busy person after all."

Maven said every nasty word she knew as Gonnar and his soldiers dragged her out of the keep. Einarr should have followed them, but he was still in shock over his sister. He was desperate to know what exactly she had done to herself, but he had to wait for her to finish speaking with Hemming and Maul.

"Look, I don't know anything about this jarl business," he overheard her saying to Hemming. "I don't even want to hear anyone calling me 'Jarl,' so I'm giving you all the responsibilities, Hemming. In exchange, you'll get all rights to Black-Briar Meadery and will be a friend to the Guild from here on out. Just don't cross me."

"Of course, Eisa," Hemming nodded fervently. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good, now make arrangements to have that son of yours moved out of his lavish prison cell and over to The Pale. Daine's already prepared for his arrival."

Hemming bowed and left the hall, moving toward the living quarters. Lassarina dismissed Maul as well, and only when the main hall was clear did she turn to him. He could see that she looked extremely nervous and tense, as if she were waiting for him to lecture her.

"Lassarina . . . what on Nirn did you do to yourself?" he asked her.

"It's not permanent, if that's what you're worried about," she explained. "It's just some very complex magic at work to make me look different and give me the freedom to move around without worrying if a Thalmor is following me."

"A spell? So you can have it undone at any time?"

"Aye."

"Good, because you look more like Ulfric's sister now than mine."

Lassarina let out a little snort and wrinkled her nose. "Aww, Einarr are you jealous?"

He rolled his eyes and shoved her a bit. "So what's with the name? Eisa Shadow-Song?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Eisa has been my alias for years now when it comes to Thieves Guild business, and I drew inspiration from mother's last name for a fake one."

"And you're all right with being in charge of an entire hold?"

"Wouldn't be much of a change. I pretty much ran The Rift before I was given power officially. Who do you think puts gold in the guards' pockets?"

Einarr chuckled and sobered after a moment. "Have you gotten any leads yet?"

His sister's face fell and she looked down to the floor. "Nay, nothing yet. What about you?"

"I had to move out the minute I got to Windhelm. I spent a night there, and then I was marching here the next day. But I left Aela in charge of the Companions until the war is over."

She looked up at him. "Aela? Why not Vilkas?"

"I wouldn't trust Vilkas with the account books the way he is now. The man is a complete mess."

He saw her eye darken and decided to change the subject.

"So . . . is that eye actually blind right now?"

"Nay, I can see just fine out of it. It's all just a ruse, big brother." She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "So you think you'll stay a few days? It'd be nice to spend some time with you."

He smiled sadly at her and wrapped an arm around her as they started to walk out of the keep. "I'll see what I can do."

oOo

Einarr hadn't been able to stay like Lassarina had hoped, since the Stormcloak captain asked him to head back to Windhelm with Assa and Ralof to deliver news of their victory. It was probably for the best anyway, since she was up to her ears in letters and books, searching for any intel on the Thalmor that Maven could have been keeping. It was no secret that Maven Black-Briar had dealings with both the Thalmor and the Empire, and Lassarina was hoping that her relations with them would result in any clues to Faolan and Lyanna.

She was just finishing up reading through another book of accounts and tossed it aside with a heavy sigh. There was absolutely nothing of use in any of them. It had been a week since The Rift was taken back by the Stormcloak army and she'd been searching through the books every single day but had nothing to show for it. Even with Hemming, Karliah and Amelia helping her, they were coming up short.

"Hemming, are you sure this is everything Maven had?" Lassarina asked the man.

Hemming scratched his beard as he thought. "Well, there might be some more things in the manor and in the family cabin. I can have some men go and retrieve them."

"Aye, please see to it."

"Are you crazy, woman?" Amelia demanded from where she sat on the floor surrounded by stacks of books and papers. "We haven't even gone through everything in here and you're asking for more?"

"We can't leave anything unchecked, Amelia," Karliah told her simply, not even looking up from the letters in her hands. "Anything that could help us find Faolan and Lyanna is a blessing at this point."

"Why can't we have the men help us with this too?"

"Because men have short attention spans," Lassarina joked, causing both Amelia and Karliah to chuckle. "Plus you and Brynjolf are already disgustingly sweet when you're in the cistern. If he was here, neither of you would get any work done."

The petite Breton rolled her eyes and went back to her stack of papers. Lassarina smirked a bit and reached for another accounts book. She was about halfway through it when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called out.

The door opened and Vex strolled in with her three-month-old son Lucian in her arms. The boy clearly took after his Nord father Garthar in appearance, but he had his mother's blonde hair and eyes. Lassarina could already tell the boy was going to be a handful when he was older, but for now he was just a sweet little baby who made her ache for her own children.

"I like your new place," Vex told Lassarina. "Much nicer than the Guild bunkhouse."

"Enjoy it while we have it," Lassarina said. "Once this war is over, it's going to whoever Ulfric decides to appoint jarl."

"Well, I came to help with whatever I can. I'm sick of staying at home, and I can always bring Lucian with me to read through documents."

Amelia stood up and held out her arms. "Here give him to me; I need a break." When Vex handed her son over, the Breton started cooing to the small boy, waggling her finger in front of him. "Oh, hello there, little lad. Why don't we take a walk around the keep?"

As she was walking out, Amelia nearly ran into Sapphire.

"Watch it, I'm holding a baby!" she snapped to the tall Nord woman.

Sapphire backed up against the wall, her hand up in surrender as she let Amelia walk by. "Sorry, sheesh."

"Sapphire, you come to help too?" Lassarina asked her.

She shook her head. "Actually, there's someone asking for you at the inn. You might want to go see him right away."

Lassarina arched a brow and looked at Sapphire confused. "Are they asking for me or for Eisa?"

"You. Talen-Jei will point him out for you."

Lassarina let out a heavy sigh and stood up, stretching her body as she started walking out. While she was worried over who was asking for her by her actual name, she was relieved to finally be getting out of that paper-cluttered room. At least she looked different now, so she could scope out who was asking for her before approaching them. She quickly made her way to The Bee and Barb and walked up to Keerava and Talen-Jei at the bar. They were the only other people in Riften outside of the Guild that she trusted with the knowledge that she was still alive and she was making use of the traffic that came through their inn and all the rumors they heard during the day.

"Sapphire said someone was here asking for me?" asked them softly.

Talen-Jei nodded. "He's in the upstairs room."

"Who is it?"

Both Argonians just smiled at her. "Just go up. It's the larger room."

Now she was curious and made her way up the stairs to the large room. As she neared the room, Lassarina saw the door was open a crack and placed her hand on her dagger to be safe. She knocked softly on the wood and gasped when she heard his voice.

"Come in."

She pushed open the door and stared at Vilkas in shock. When he looked up at her, his brow furrowed in confusion and asked with a menacing growl, "Who are you?"


Woah! Vilkas is in Riften! All right people, let's have a play-by-play in this relationship war. Lassarina was the one to decide they needed some time apart and left, giving her a lot of the power in the ring, but in an unexpected turn of events, Vilkas has made the first move to seek her out. But he doesn't know she's changed her appearance, so we'll have to see how this plays out.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please Fave/Follow/Review! Getting your reviews always makes me smile!