And here we are—shameless fluff before all hell breaks loose :)

As always, thanks to all you readers, lurkers, and wonderful reviewers :)

And a random thought, why do I tend to end sentences with a :)? Hmmm… **strokes imaginary beard**

-)

I sat on the edge of my bed in the Cistern a week later, my feet on the floor, elbows on my knees, head in my hands, trying to make sense of my life. My secrets were eating away at my insides, and Meridia's warnings and were only serving to further the need to tell someone. It felt twelve different kinds of wrong to be keeping these things from Brynjolf, from Tonilia, from Niruin… from everyone. Mercer knew; what was I hiding?

Oh, that's right. All hell would break loose the instant I told anyone. Besides, I wasn't about to ruin Tonilia's wedding day like that.

I had almost told him yesterday—Brynjolf, that is. I was spared that dreaded conversation by his stubborn Nord pride—or rather, Vekel's. Brynjolf, Vipir, and Thrynn, being the resident Nords in the Guild, had to shoulder the entire burden of whatever it is Nord men do before their weddings. We'll talk later, he promised apologetically, there's just so much that needs to be done.

And why hadn't Mercer told anyone yet? Or come to me? The man had the ultimate bargaining chip poised over my head, and yet made no move to use it. And how long had he known? Why hadn't he confronted me before now? And why, oh why, did he have to mention it before sending me crashing headfirst into Lake Honrich?

And Avalon… how did she get tangled up with the Dark Brotherhood? She was Morag Tong, and damn proud of it. Something enormous would have had to happen for her to change Guilds like that. And the Dark Brotherhood weren't search-and-rescue; they were cold-blooded killers. Either Neva was dead, would be shortly, or someone in the Brotherhood was looking out for her and called an off-the-books favor.

With a weary sigh, I pulled my cuirass over my underthings and stuffed my aching feet into my boots and padded over the to Ragged Flagon. It felt strangely empty with the absence of Vekel, but given the fact that he was getting married that night, it was forgivable. I felt lost without Tonilia to bother, or one of Brynjolf's schemes to listen to. She was busy being schooled by Sapphire on a traditional Nord marriage, and he was busy doing some sacred traditions and whatnot with Vekel.

"Feeling lost?" Delvin prodded good-naturedly, taking up residence in the chair across from me.

"A bit," I admitted, absentmindedly picking apart a loaf of bread with unfeeling fingers. "Where's Vex?"

The old Breton smiled mournfully. "Sapphire needed some help with our Redguard friend. Vex was volunteered."

I had to laugh at that. "Cheers," I said sullenly, clunking my tankard against his.

We drank in companionable silence for a time, but once Delvin got to pontificating, the atmosphere just went to pot. "…And hopefully this curse of ours won't hurt them any," he was saying. "Not like it did Ceylon and Juri."

I recognized those names. "Brynjolf's parents?"

"Aye." Delvin was visibly surprised. "I suppose Brynjolf's told you about them?"

"Only in passing." I set down my tankard. "He doesn't like talking about his family much. And given how much I like talking about mine, I can't say I blame him."

He snorted at that. "Has he mentioned they both ran with the Riften Guild?"

I nodded. "And that's how you reconnected with his father after you were run out of High Rock?"

Delvin nodded, staring into the dregs of his tankard. "I miss that crazy old coot. Always up for an adventure, Ceylon was. If there was a dangerous job, he'd be the first to take it. And Juri…" He let out a low whistle. "…she could pick a lock in two seconds flat, melt right into the shadows, and charm any man, to boot." He let out a worn breath, then. "And they fell in love so hard that… well, to use the Dunmeri expression, it made their ancestors dizzy."

"Did they stay with the Guild?" I couldn't help but ask. "Afterwards?"

Delvin nodded. "They did, for a time. But the Cistern is no place to raise a family. When Juri found out she was pregnant with Raynor, the both of them went inactive. Ended up in Falkreath, and kept an eye on the Dark Brotherhood for us. A few years later brought Brynjolf, and a few more years after that, their untimely demises."

"What happened?" I asked, thoroughly ensconced in Delvin's story.

He shook his head sadly. "Being in the Guild makes you a lot of enemies, Tiberia. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. After Karliah went berserk and our luck started turning, a lot of old enemies came out of hiding. Being so close to the border to Cyrodiil made them easy targets. Both sons came back to Riften after the fact. Raynor was old enough to join and promptly did so, but Brynjolf was still too young to understand what exactly he was getting himself into." The old Breton chuckled at some private joke. "I still think he doesn't really know. Explains how he got involved with you, no offense meant."

"None taken," I assured him, leaning back in my chair to digest this new information.

-)

The last time I'd been in the Temple of Mara, I'd been forcibly dragged in here by my pointy ears, and been forced to pray to Divines I didn't worship. This time was far more pleasant—I strode right in through the front doors along with my Guildmates. Having spent most of the morning casting spells at a warded Delvin, I was feeling pretty damn good. All it took was bath, some clean, fine clothes, and a bit of good spellcasting, and Tiberia Morwyn was back in the saddle, bitches.

I claimed the end of a pew towards the back of the temple, and wasn't really surprised when Brynjolf materialized out of nowhere to claim my other side. "Successfully terrorized Vekel?" I asked with a smirk.

"Aye, lass," he replied with a similar countenance. "By the way, what was it you wanted to talk about the other day?"

It was like he'd dumped a bucket of ice water over my head, my mood dropped so fast. But I had an out! "Not now; there's a wedding going on."

He smirked, and laced our fingers together at the edge of my skirts and under the cover of the temple's semidarkness. "Later, then."

Something about the way he said that sent a shiver down my spine. And though I said, "Aye, later." I still turned to the aisle, thankful to have something else to focus on, other than the handsome (and utterly distracting) Nord on my right.

Vekel was being led up the aisle by a rather bewildered Vex, though she hid it well. "Should be his mother," Brynjolf whispered to me, sensing my confusion. "But she's been gone years, now. So it's another important woman in his life."

He cleaned up nicely, this skinny brown-haired Nord who kept my Guild well supplied with mead every night. He'd obviously bathed for the first time in… probably ever, now that I stopped to think about it. His hair was braided and tied off, the traditional Nord way, and his clothes were cleaned and freshly washed (not to mention, much nicer than what he usually tended bar, in. His Sundas best, as it were). I could almost see what Tonilia saw in him in that fleeting moment. He took his place at the altar, and on the other side Maramal was giving him an encouraging smile.

Then the door to the temple opened once more to reveal the bride. But it wasn't my drinking buddy standing there—no, this was some dark, desert princess gliding smoothly up the aisle. She was dressed in traditional Redguard marriage attire—loose, flowing trousers, shoes with hooked toes, and a shirt that bared her midriff, shoulders, and arms. The veil that covered her face was tied into a ponytail on the top of her head, and the entire ensemble was dyed a brilliant crimson with alternating patterns of intricate gold filigree. Mercer Frey led her up the aisle, depositing her across from Vekel with a clap on the Nord's shoulder and a knowing grin. Clearly, Tonilia's father wasn't around, either.

I turned to Sapphire, who was seated behind me, because I just had to know. "Where in blazes did you get that?" I asked her under my breath.

Sapphire grinned, and I realized with a start that Thrynn was seated next to her. I suppose should have seen that one coming, but eh. I've had a lot on my mind. "A buddy of mine is a tailor in Markarth and owed me a favor," she hissed back. "And he was more than happy to procure it for us. His only lament was that Iwouldn't be the one to wear it." She rolled her eyes, and I had to grin at the way Thrynn's hands involuntarily clenched at the news. Oh yeah, he'll treat her just fine.

"It was Mara the first gave birth to all of creation and pledged to watch over us as her children," boomed the priest Maramal from the front of the temple, and my head whipped back around to watch the ceremony. I'd never seen one performed under the eye of the Divines. "It is from her love of us that we first learned to love one another. It is from this love that we learn that a life lived alone is no life at all." He paused his speech to look around the room, a smile splitting his face from ear-to-ear. "We gather here today—under Mara's loving gaze—to bear witness to the union of two souls in eternal companionship." He turned to the bride. "Tonilia, Daughter of Ruptga." Then to the groom. "Vekel the Man, Son of Talos."

He then turned back to face the congregation. "The sand and snow meet here, on this most joyous occasion. May these children of Mara journey forth together in this life and the next, in prosperity and poverty, in joy and hardship." He bowed his head a moment, and when he raised it again, his voice was solemn, biding. "Do you, Vekel, agree to be bound together, in love, now and forever?"

Vekel didn't hesitate. "I do, now and forever." His accent had never seemed thicker than it had that moment.

Maramal continued, clearly relieved. "Do you, Tonilia, agree to be bound together, in love, now and forever?"

She didn't either. "I do, now and forever."

Maramal's ear-to-ear grin was back, and I had to hand it to the priest. He knew how to silence a room, and his happiness was infectious. "Under the Authority of Mara, the Divine of Love, I declare this couple to be wed!"

I couldn't help but smile as Vekel carefully flipped Tonilia's veil around and kissed her. It was good to see my friends so happy.

Maramal, meanwhile, reached into a pocket of his robe and added, "I present the two of them with these matching rings, blessed by Mara's divine grace. May they protect each of you in your new life together."

Vekel slipped one onto the third finger of Tonilia's left hand, and she did the same for him with the other. And then, in what I later learned was accordance with the Redguard tradition, he gathered Tonilia up in his arms, and strode down the aisle. For a Redguard couple, they weren't officially married until he carried her out of the temple. Only then were they officially bound. Until then, the wedding could still be nullified. And once Vekel strode through the double doors and down the steps, the rest of us finally stood. I heard Sapphire breathe a sigh of relief from behind me, and quirked a questioning eyebrow in her direction.

"When Tonilia told me about that, I wasn't sure Vekel could handle it," she confessed to me as the congregation began to disperse. "He's never been the strongest of sorts."

I had to laugh at that. "I'm pretty sure he'd take on a dragon in his skivvies armed with nothing but a rusty kitchen knife, if Tonilia asked him to."

I heard Brynjolf's hearty laugh over my shoulder and his accent add, "Actually, he probably would. It's hopeless; the man's so far gone."

"Not unlike another Nord I know," Thrynn quipped, cuffing Brynjolf upside the head with a grin.

Bryn slammed a retaliatory fist into Thrynn's arm. "Don't insult us; you know Delvin's not a Nord."

Thrynn let out a short, barking laugh as the four of us descended the stairs. "Uh, not quite what I meant, Brynjolf."

Brynjolf's evil grin informed the rest of us that he was aware of that, thanks. We reached the bottom of the stairs, and I felt myself pulled off the side of the stairs, and into an unexpected kiss. His aggravating beard dug into my skin, but the discomfort was minor in comparison to what else was going on.

There were no sparks from kissing Bryn. The occasional shock from not expecting it, sure, but no butterflies took up residence in my stomach, no world-shattering revelations were suddenly clear. It just felt… human. I used to shudder at the word, but there's just no better one for the feeling. Being with him, around him… it was easy as breathing. Funny, how easy and yet uneasy the man could simultaneously make me.

He broke us apart after a moment, and neither of us said anything for the space of a few breaths. I had to break it; this silence was killing me. "You clean up pretty well, for a Nord who spends most of his time in the sewers," I smiled.

He grinned. "You're always beautiful; I find complimenting you rather redundant. But, eh, I'll probably keep at it a while longer." He glanced down at the rest of me moment. "Though you in a dress is truly a sight for sore eyes."

I snorted, and playfully shoved him off me. "Come on you great lout; everyone's probably already at the Bee and Barb."

He tapped his temple, classic Oh-I-got-ya style. "I like the way you think, Dunmer."

I laughed, tugging him out of the shadows and into the rising dusk. "You like the way the Nord in me thinks."

"Possibly," he agreed, catching up with me in two easy strides. "But the Dunmer is what makes it interesting. Daedra worship, destruction magic, and just a dash of madness—life is never boring with you around, Tiberia."