Rising from the Ashes
We're almost at the end!
The next morning, Brynjolf and Freja rose early to seek out the Shadow Stone just outside of Riften. They spent the long walk talking and teasing, as if nothing had ever gone wrong between them, and as if Brynjolf had never been broken by Freja's sudden disappearance.
When they arrived, the sun was just beginning to peak up over the Throat of the World, although there was no sign of Karliah. Well, no obvious sign, at least. If she was anything, it was a queen of shadows. For all they knew, she was hiding in the trees, waiting.
"Well," Freja remarked, "what do you think we're going to face?"
Brynjolf's green eyes gleamed in the morning light, and he smiled. "I'm not sure, lass. But whatever it is, I have a feeling it's not going to be easy."
"You're right about that, Brynjolf," a familiar, shadowy voice said. Both Bryn and Freja turned around quickly to see Karliah standing next to the stone, reclining against it nonchalantly as if she'd been standing there the whole time. "But before we take another step, there's something we need to discuss."
Freja's ears perked up, noticing the serious look on Karliah's face. She tugged at the braid of white-blonde hair that hung down her chest, anxiously waiting.
"Aye," Brynjolf said. "What is it?" Brynjolf, too, noticed a strange look in Karliah's eyes, but she barely flinched as she spoke.
"The time has come to decide Mercer's fate. Until a new Guildmaster is chosen, the decision falls to you, Bryn," Karliah said.
Brynjolf gazed over at Freja, a little surprised. I must decide? After Mercer, Brynjolf sometimes wondered if he would be the next Guildmaster, but Mercer was surprisingly tight-lipped when it came to the future of the Guild. Sucking in a breath of air between his lips, Brynjolf scratched at the reddish stubble on his chin before speaking.
"I have thought about it. Mercer Frey tried to kill both of you... He betrayed the Guild, murdered Gallus in cold blood and made us question our future. For all this, he needs to die."
Karliah nodded, a hint of satisfaction spreading in a smile on her lips. Then suddenly, she walked past both Freja and Brynjolf in the direction opposite the stone, beckoning them to follow her. The both jumped to attention and began following.
"Okay, so now where are we going?" Freja said.
"Nightingale Hall. It's the headquarters of the Nightingales, cut into the mountainside by the first of our kind. I'm bringing you here so that we can find the edge we need to defeat Mercer Frey." Freja looked excitedly at Brynjolf; Karliah usually spoke in such riddles that Freja was amazed to finally be receiving real answers.
"You see... Gallus, Mercer and I were once members of the Nightingale Trinity," Karliah continued, hopping over a downed tree. Brynjolf jumped over, then helped Freja over in a gentleman-like manner. They struggled to keep up with Karliah, entranced by her sudden honesty.
"We disbanded twenty years ago when Mercer betrayed us by slaying Gallus and dumping his body in the ruins of Snow Veil Sanctum."
"But... What is the purpose of the Nightingales?" Freja said quickly. Karliah stopped, grinning.
"An apt question. We are sworn to protect the Temple of Nocturnal. But this isn't about religion or destiny... It's nothing more than a business contract between yourself and Nocturnal." She began walking again, with Bryn and Freja following behind. "Consider this an extremely risky job, but with a massive potential for profit."
Suddenly, the three of them stood before a massive door which seemed to protrude from the cliffside. Almost as if it could sense them, the massive door swung open, leading to a huge, dimly-lit antechamber with candles burning everywhere. The three thieves stepped cautiously inside.
"In the next room, we will convene with Nocturnal. The terms of this arrangement—of becoming Nightingales—are quite simple. Nocturnal will allow you to become a Nightingale and use your abilities for whatever you wish. In return, in both life and death, you must serve as a Guardian of the Twilight Sepulchre."
"Wait, what?" Freja suddenly said, her arms crossing defensively in front of her. "In life... and in death?"
Karliah cocked an eyebrow at the blonde's response. "Yes. Once the oath is struck, the terms are binding. Upon your death, your spirit will be bound to the Twilight Sepulchre as one of its guardians."
For some reason, Freja's heart rose in her throat. Karliah turned defiantly towards the door that would lead to Nocturnal, but Freja stayed behind, taking a few steps towards a dusty, wooden bookshelf. She grabbed it, steadying herself. Brynjolf was close behind.
"Lass, what is it?" He asked softly.
"This... This is so much more than simple thievery. This is selling our souls. This is madness!"
Brynjolf smiled, raising his fingers to caress the delicate skin of her cheek. "You're thinking of this wrong. Remember what you said to me last night... You said this is the life we were made for. This may very well be our true purpose. And what better way, but together? I know you sought the Guild out to hide from your troubles, but don't you realize, lass... Perhaps it was Nocturnal, sending you to us. To me," he whispered. "But I'm scared. I'm a Nord, and I expected to spend my eternity in Sovngarde, but... What choice do we have?"
Freja looked up at Brynjolf, overwhelmed by the warmth of his green gaze. She sighed, inching closer to him.
"I'm... I'm scared, too," she mused tenderly, unable to even look at him. She thought back to only a few months ago when she had regretted letting him know anything about her. Now, all her vulnerability disappeared.
Brynjolf almost smiled, though not to tease her, but simply because he was in awe of her. "I will never leave your side. In this, we stand united. I promise," he said softly.
Finally looking up at him, Freja nodded. "Fine. Let's go."
Within moments they were all three standing in the room connected to the outside chamber. It was pitch black, though Freja could feel Brynjolf's heat next to her.
Suddenly, Bryn and Freja heard Karliah's voice call out loud and clear through the darkness. "I call upon you, Lady Nocturnal, Queen of Murk and Empress of Shadow... Hear my voice!"
There was a flash of light, and suddenly Freja was sitting at a richly-decorated table, covered in food and drink. Looking down, Freja noticed she wasn't wearing her armor anymore, but instead a black velvet floor-length dress, with rich black diamonds dripping from her neck. What in the name of the Nine... Looking up, Freja gasped, suddenly seeing a gorgeous woman sitting across the table from her. Her skin was incredibly pale, though her hair, lips, and eyes were dark purple. The woman smiled wickedly, flashing her pearl-white teeth as she bit into a black, rotted apple.
"Well, well," the woman began. "It's been a long time since I've sat before Nightingale initiates. I sense more promise in you than I did in the last group... Although you seem bent on making the same mistake as my darling Karliah. Her love for Gallus was an error, costing me my key and causing my precious Sepulchre to become desecrated."
Freja simply stared, dumbfounded. She had a million questions, but she knew better than to ask them. She was obviously speaking with Nocturnal—or at least, an image of Nocturnal. She wasn't exactly sure where she was, or if it was some type of illusion. And what of Karliah's mistake with Gallus? Was Nocturnal suggesting that Freja's feelings for Bryn were a similar mistake?
"Well, no matter. Why do you come to me, child?" Nocturnal's dark purple eyes bore into Freja's lightness; it made her feel strange.
"I come to take the Oath, and become a Nightingale," Freja murmured, trying desperately to sound confident.
Nocturnal threw the blackened apple behind her head casually, sighing as she did. "How boring you are, my dear. Straight to business, hm? Well, fine. I name you an initiate, as well as restore Karliah's status. But I warn you, dear Freja... I will not accept the same mistake twice, when it can be avoided easily. Do not let your affections get in the way of your Oath. You will do what needs to be done, or you will spend an eternity in the muck of my displeasure."
Freja opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly she was cast into darkness once more, thrown to the ground. Disoriented, she could hear others breathing. "Bryn?" She whispered.
"I'm... I'm here, lass," he said between breaths.
"So she accepted you both, then?" Karliah's voice floated through the darkness.
"I... I think so," Freja said, the words muck of my displeasure still wringing in her ears.
"Excellent," Karliah said excitedly. "Then you will say the Oath and become Nightingales. When all is finished, we go after Mercer. It's time to retrieve the Skeleton Key and finish this once and for all."