Author's Note: This one is pretty much all Aria. She stole the show and ran away with it. I needed to start to tie up some loose plot strings and this one just worked nicely. It's a little shorter than my usual chapters. Hopefully the next chapter will make up for it.
Warnings for character death
Shouts used:
Unrelenting Force - Fus Ro Dah - Force Balance Push
Aura Whisper - Laas Yah Nir - Life Seek Hunt
Storm Call - Strun Bah Qo - Storm Wrath Lightning
Chapter Twenty-One: Vendetta
Earlier that evening
The Breton Guild Master, Mercer Frey, looked up from the note that had just been handed to him by Thrynn, growling. Maven must be out of her mind to make such demands. He shouted across the Cistern at his ginger-haired second-in-command, who had been sitting near Sapphire, their heads close together as they chatted amongst themselves, "Brynjolf! Get your ass over here!"
Mercer watched as Brynjolf hastened over to his side, a weary 'what now?' plastered on his handsome face, "Yes, Mercer?"
"I have orders from Maven, but we are going to have to be very careful about how this is carried out. I want you to bring me Vex." Mercer replied, and even though he glanced sideways at Brynjolf, he didn't quite make eye contact.
Brynjolf's brow furrowed. "What's the job?"
"Fetch me Vex and I'll tell you both when she's here. Have I made myself clear?" Mercer growled through clenched teeth.
Something didn't seem right, the ginger thief mused as he headed for the Flagon. Suspicion roiled in his gut and he didn't like it one bit. It didn't take him long to bring Vex over into the Cistern, despite the fact he took a few moments to caution her that something was up, something that he didn't like.
"Good, you're both here." Mercer glanced at both of them as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Brynjolf scowled, "What is this about, Mercer?"
Mercer ignored his second's question as he turned to the equally scowling blonde standing beside Brynjolf. "Maven is requesting your infiltration skills for a job, Vex. She has learned that a certain Thane of Jarl Laila's court has an object that she wants to get her hands on. It's incredibly rare, one of a kind. It's called an Aetherial Crown. It's some sort of circlet made of gold and a rare mineral the Dwemer called Aetherium. The contacts she's spoken to says it should be blue. The location of the forge was lost until recently. Maven claims that she has a buyer willing to pay a very large amount of gold and we aren't going to let her down. Search the house here in Riften. If it isn't here, then we'll have to break into her other houses, Markarth, Solitude, Whiterun, and Falkreath."
Brynjolf protested loudly, "Are you serious, Mercer? You want to send Vex into the Dragonborn's home, knowing what she's done in the past to us? Knowing what the lass is?"
"According to Maven, no one is home at present because they were all at the Bee and Barb. Now is the time to do it." Mercer retorted, his face an angry mask. "Maven wants this and she won't accept a failure."
Vex glared at Mercer then glanced at Brynjolf. "That bitch killed Tonilia for no reason. It's about time we got some payback. I'll find what Maven wants, even if I have to rip that house to shreds. If it's not here I'll head for Whiterun."
Brynjolf shook his head, watching Vex leave the Cistern. He had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling. He knew Aria wouldn't take too kindly to them breaking into her home, not after Maul had nearly killed the little red-headed lass.
After Aria had said her goodbyes to Balimund and Kirsli, she quickly cast an invisibility spell upon herself and crept to the ladder leading to the basement. She stilled her breathing, listening carefully, then made her way down the ladder. She crouched down at the bottom of it, listening again. There was a noise coming from her bedroom.
"Laas Yah Nir," she whispered, letting her Aura Whisper shout reveal any and all life forces that might be in the house.
The shout detected one. The same one who had caused the noise moments earlier. Aria crept to the doorway, peaking in. A lone figure in the black Guild armor was rummaging through her safe at this very moment. Aria really didn't keep anything valuable in there. She imagined the thief was mighty disappointed to have gone through all the trouble of opening it only to discover it held a handful of burned books she'd collected from various Nordic ruins. Aria wasn't stupid, though. All of her real valuables were in Whiterun, guarded by the Companions.
But this invasion of her property begged the question of just what she was going to go with the thief. She had had enough of the Thieves' Guild. It was more than obvious that Brynjolf had gone back on his word. Whoever this was had come into her home and Aria wasn't about to forgive such a trespass.
She moved closer, within a few feet, noticing the thief was female with blonde hair. Aria had seen this woman before in the Ragged Flagon. The burned books were spread out at her feet. The thief had emptied other strongboxes of their contents, but it was mostly books and other clutter. No shiny trinkets that thieves delighted in.
"FUS RO DAH!" Aria unleashed the Unrelenting Force from her throat straight at the blonde thief, sending her crashing into the back wall a few feet away.
Straightening herself, Aria dashed into a nearby room which held a small forge and found a length of rope in one of the supply chests. She returned to her bedroom with it and knelt beside the thief. A cursory check revealed the blonde was still breathing. Aria quickly tied her up and donned her armor. She dragged the thief up the stairs, uncaring if it caused any damage. By the time Aria was done with her, these few bumps and bruises wouldn't matter.
Then she poked her head out onto her back porch where her housecarls were still lounging. Lydia was at the far end by herself, drinking from a bottle of wine while Jordis and Iona each occupied one of Argis' knees. Jordis and Argis were kissing while Iona nibbled at his ear and neck. It didn't take a genius to realize what the three of them would be doing later. A growl rumbled in Aria's throat. Without Farkas here, she wasn't in the mood to listen to her housecarls fucking all night.
Interrupting their fun right now, however, would be worth it. Oh, they wouldn't be happy about it, but that was what made it fun for her. Aria snickered.
"Hey, caught me a rat," she called out, "Armor up. We're gonna roast it."
Lydia jumped from her seat with an excited shout while Argis groaned. He leaned his honey blond head against Jordis' chest, muttering under his breath over Thane Aria's bad timing. Jordis and Iona frowned, begrudgingly pushing themselves from Argis' lap. They joined Lydia and headed into the house, giving Argis some time to readjust himself.
When the housecarls were all armored up, though, they made for a formidable sight. Argis looked every bit of the fierce warrior he was in his Dragonbone armor. Lydia's sculptured ebony armor looked more like a catsuit as it fit the contours of her body like a glove. Iona and Jordis both wore blackened dragon scale. The process to blacken the scales had caused Balimund no small amount of headaches, but considering the end result looked so fantastic, it was worth it. That didn't mean he wanted to do it again.
Aria dragged the bound thief out onto the porch and down to the small boat tied to her dock. Then she added a few other things she would need. Her housecarls joined her. And though Argis grumbled slightly, he took up the oars and rowed them out the island that Goldenglow had once sat upon. He found a place to tie up the boat and they all climbed up on the shore.
Aria bade Argis to carry the thief while Lydia and Iona grabbed the supplies. Once Aria had found the right spot, she quickly dug a shallow pit not more than eighteen inches deep, long enough to fit a person inside. She lined it with dried kindling, dumping upon that a layer of fire salts, and set it aflame with her fire breath. When she had a good layer of coals, she divested the thief of her armor and rested her on the flame. Then she covered her form with the dirt she'd previously removed.
It wasn't long before the thief woke up from being knocked out by the Unrelenting Force shout, screaming as fire licked her skin. Aria grinned in satisfaction, even as her housecarls raised their eyebrows at the lengths she would go. After a particularly loud piercing scream echoed across the quiet night sky, she pulled the greatsword from her back and brought it down across the thief's throat, effectively decapitating her.
A cold, hard glare crossed the Dragonborn's face. She scooped up the severed head, its features twisted in horrific death throes. She stuffed it in a burlap sack, turning to her housecarls. "To the Ratway," she simply stated.
The dingy corridors hadn't changed much since the last time she had entered the Ratway. Quickly she traversed them with her housecarls trailing behind her. The Ragged Flagon was near empty, the barkeep the only person in sight. Aria calmly approached him, knowing full well he wouldn't appreciate her being here. She had killed his lover the last time she was down here.
A dark scowl crossed his face, "You have no business here. I suggest you leave." Then he returned to sweeping the floor.
"I will as soon as I see your Guild Master." Aria responded with a sharp tone to her voice. "Tell him the Harbinger of the Companions requests a meeting."
She glanced to the right as she picked up the sound of two voices to the right of her. Under her breath she whispered, "Laas Yah Nir." Her shout detected two auras in the corridor leading to the Cistern. She could smell their hearts beating, knew one of the voices belonged to Brynjolf, the other though… perhaps the bald headed man she'd seen the last time she was here.
Since the barkeep didn't seem too inclined to acquiesce to her request, she would take matters into her own hands. She marched towards the voices, finding them just inside the small room she and Brynjolf had fought in the last time she was here.
"Brynjolf," Aria flashed a wicked grin at him.
The rather frantic yet heated conversation carried out by the two men before her came to a halt as the ginger haired one looked over at her, frowning, "Yes, lass?"
"Perhaps you'll be more likely to carry out my request than your barman was. As Harbinger of the Companions, I request a meeting with your Guild Master… NOW!" At first her demeanor was calm then it changed in an instant. Her eyes glowed silver, her teeth bared menacingly.
Brynjolf had seen it before. His jaw clenched as fear ate at his composure. There could only be one reason why she was here. He knew this wouldn't end well. There hadn't been any word from Vex. He knew he shouldn't have let Vex go alone, but Mercer had insisted. He should have trusted his gut and went with her, even if it meant defying Mercer.
The ginger thief rubbed his face. He knew Mercer wouldn't be happy about her showing up here. Would be pissed if he brought her into the Cistern, but Brynjolf had to know what happened to Vex. He glanced over at Delvin, noting the wide-eyed fear in the older man's eyes. Delvin had been in love with Vex for years, but the beautiful blonde sneered at his advances.
Brynjolf carefully looked Aria up and down, scrutinizing every inch of her. She carried nothing but her weapons, but a cursory glance past her revealed four heavily armored warriors. Her housecarls. He sighed, shaking his head, "Follow me."
He and Delvin led her and her housecarls into the Cistern. It was a large domed area with a water feature in the middle. Aria slowed her steps long enough to use her Aura Whisper shout, mentally taking count of the number of other Thieves' Guild members congregating within the area. Some were sitting at table, chatting amongst themselves. A few were playing dice or cards. Others were shooting arrows at training dummies. From what she knew tell, none of them posed a serious threat to herself or her housecarls. In fact, she was sure she could paint the walls red just like she had done with the Brotherhood.
Brynjolf approached Mercer's desk, knowing full well what the Guild Master's reaction would be. Heads were sure to roll. He just hoped one of them wasn't his. "Mercer, I present Aria Winterbourne, Harbinger of the Companions. She has requested a meeting with you."
Mercer's pinned his steely gaze upon his second-in-command, rage simmering within them. "Then you should have told the bitch I was busy." He glanced from Brynjolf to Aria with a sneer on his curled upper lip, "You are not welcome here, Harbinger."
"Is that so, Guild Master? Especially since you were so kind to extend an invitation." Aria plastered a wolfish grin on her face, motioning to Argis who handed her a burlap sack. She dumped the contents onto Mercer's desk, watching as Vex's severed head rolled across the desk, falling to the floor and coming to rest at Delvin's feet.
A chorus of startled gasps and cries filled the air. The bald Breton thief fell to his knees, a wail on his lips, as he stared at the head. His sobs echoed loudly as he clutched it to his chest. Though disbelief, sorrow and anger flooded every bit of Brynjolf, he kept his wits about him, calling forth Sapphire to take the Breton thief into the back where he could mourn in peace.
"The next thief I catch, I'll send them back to you a piece at a time." Aria growled out. "Then it's your head I'm coming for, Guild Master. From what I've seen, this guild would be better off without you. Obviously your people don't matter to you, especially if you are going to keep throwing them at a dragon."
Mercer sneered at her, "Wolf, more like it, Harbinger."
Barking laughter slipped from her lips, "You think you are so clever, don't you? Just because you've discovered a few of our secrets. I may be a werewolf, yes, but it's the dragon you should fear more. I'll roast you alive just like I did that pretty little thing you sent to die." Aria crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'd love to do it right here, right now, but there's someone else who wants to see you dead even more than I do, and I shall not rob that person the pleasure of putting an arrow through your black heart."
Brynjolf's brows went up into his hairline as a bewildered cry ripped from his throat. Something more was afoot than he ever imagined and he only hoped he'd discover what before this vendetta or whatever it was Aria had against them wiped out everything he held dear.
Brynjolf followed Aria back to the surface, catching up to her just as she reached Honeyside. "What in the name of Shor's bones is going on, lass?"
His hand wrapped around her elbow, knowing the act of touching her might cause her housecarls to move against him. Aria turned to face him, inclining her head at the four warriors surrounding them. She wordlessly motioned to them to give her and Brynjolf a moment. Jordis, Iona, and Lydia immediately entered the house, but Argis lingered behind a little longer. He raised an eyebrow at her, questioningly, as he glanced back and forth from the redheaded thief to her.
Aria cleared her throat, "Go on, Argis. I'll be fine."
Argis gritted his teeth, leveling a glare of warning upon Brynjolf, before he nodded at his Thane and left them alone to talk.
"Protective lad, eh?"
Aria chuckled low in her throat, "Very much so. It doesn't matter that I really don't need it. It just nice to know he and the others care." She stretched her arm out, offering it to him. "Walk with me."
Brynjolf took her arm, leading her about the city in a stroll. "I need the truth, lass. I am tired of losing people I care about. I am more than willing to come to an accord with you."
Aria pursed her lips. She knew the most recent death had rocked several members of the guild to the core and yet she knew there would be more. "Tell me why Mercer sent someone into my house after you and I had a deal that you'd keep your people out of my business?"
Brynjolf exhaled a heavy breath, guiding her towards the docks. They passed by Balimund's forge, though he was not present. He knew this was one of the things Mercer and Maven would be less than pleased if he told Aria the truth, but if those two kept throwing people he considered to be family at her, there wouldn't be anyone left.
"Maven wants something of yours. How she knows you this item and what she wants it for I couldn't say."
"Couldn't or won't," Aria interjected as they descended the stairs leading to the docks.
He guided her away from the Meadery, circumventing the Fishery until they reached the far end of the docks. Aria sat down, dangling her feet above the water of Lake Honrich. Sitting beside her, Brynjolf mulled over her question. "I don't know all the details, lass. Apparently she has a buyer."
"Then my next question would be what the hell was the thief looking for when she broke into my house and why the fuck did Mercer or Maven think I would keep anything of value here in Riften when you lot are here in this hellhole?"
"Something called an Aetherial Crown. That's all I know, lass." Brynjolf's voice took on a bit of an angry edge.
Laughter tore from Aria, shaking her so hard she nearly fell into the water if it hadn't been for Brynjolf grabbing hold of her.
He frowned at her laughter, making Aria laugh even more. Tears of mirth rolled down her cheeks and she grasped for air. As soon as she calmed herself, she gave him an answer he was not expecting. "Tell Maven I said she'll have to climb to the peak of the Throat of the World and convince its guardian to part with it."
A curse ripped from Brynjolf's lips. It suddenly made sense. What she had said to Mercer about dragons. This wasn't going to go over well. Not at all. "Lass, what you said to Mercer earlier, who is it that wants to see him dead?" The feeling he had that gnawed at his gut returned, more potent than before.
Her expression sobered, her eyes locking with his. "I wish I could tell you, but you will know everything in due time. I swear it. Honestly Brynjolf, I'm tired of fighting with you and your people, but that bastard you call a Guild Master and oh yes, that bitch Maven will not survive the storm that is coming. If she thinks the worst I can do is burn down her home and put her out of business, then she has not learned that you don't fuck with the Dragonborn."
Brynjolf gasped, his green eyes widening in disbelief. "That was you?"
Aria nodded, pride gleaming the depths of her silver eyes.
"How?"
"I am the Dragonborn." She stated and stood up. She threw back her head, and raised her arms to the sky above. "Strun Bah Qo."
The skies blackened to darkest pitch as a torrent of rain, thunder and lightning erupted all around them, drenching them in an instant. Brynjolf scrambled beneath the eaves of the Fishery while Aria embraced the storm she had called forth. She laughed, dancing about until the energy of the storm faded as quickly as it had begun.
"You are one crazy lass," Brynjolf shook his head. He still didn't know what to make of her revelations, but he knew one thing was for certain. If there was any hope of saving the guild he had given his life to, it would be by going against the will of Mercer and Maven.
For whatever Aria and her mysterious partner had planned, it meant everything he knew was about to change. He only hoped when the dust finally cleared, he was still alive to see it.
oOo