Know how all of you love Kiraya? How would you feel about a chapter set in her POV? Well guess what... YOU GOT IT!

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Chapter Twenty-nine

"What's wrong with that girls hands?" a Nord from the corner of the tavern said loudly. "They're all furry."

"Forget her hands, Angrenor, look at her eyes," said his companion, another Nord who was severely drunk.

Kiraya felt her ears flatten underneath her cowl and she stared down at the plate full of food with a frown on her face. She had come into Candlehearth Hall with Brynjolf and Fang to get something to eat and rooms for the night, and someone had noticed her mixed race features right away. They wouldn't stop staring at her, and Kiraya was starting to get a feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. The feeling that she didn't belong.

Brynjolf noticed her frown and gently tapped her jawline with his knuckles. "Ignore them, lass. They're just a pair of ignorant drunks."

"Aye, I know," Kiraya mumbled, sparing a glance at the two Nords, who were both still staring right at her. "But it reminds me why my grandfather would always have me cover myself up or hide in our tent. So no one could see me and start saying bad things."

"So that's the reason you were always covered up back at Honorhall."

Kiraya nodded and dropped a piece of her horker steak onto the floor for Fang. "I was always covered up after Papa left the caravan. I only stopped because he said it was alright to show myself, that I shouldn't be afraid to show people who and what I am."

"And you shouldn't be," Brynjolf agreed, smiling at her. "But Windhelm might not be the best place to do that. The people that live here are hateful towards anyone who isn't a Nord."

Fang suddenly growled at Kiraya's feet and she looked up to see the two drunk Nords were walking over to their table. Her whole body stiffened and she reached for the dagger on her belt but gasped when she realized it wasn't there. That's when she remembered that her aunt had taken it from her during a hallucination, when she tried to stab Brynjolf.

"What'd you say, thief?" asked the Nord named Angrenor.

"If I heard correctly, I could have sworn he just insulted everyone who lives in Windhelm," the drunk Nord added.

Fang growled even more and Kiraya placed a hand on his head, trying to keep him calm.

"Listen lads, why don't you make this easier on yourselves and just walk away?" Brynjolf told them, flashing a cocky smile.

"I think we need to teach this thief some manners, don't you, Rolff?" Angrenor looked at his drunk friend.

"Aye, I believe we do," Rolff chuckled. "He's probably just a gray-skin lover."

Both Nords pulled Brynjolf roughly to his feet and Kiraya got out of her chair. "Leave him alone!"

Fang backed up her words with an angry bark and everyone in the tavern fell silent to watch the scene before them. Rolff pushed Brynjolf to the side and looked down at Kiraya. Before she knew what he was thinking, the drunk man's hand flashed out and ripped her cowl off her head.

"Look at that," Rolff laughed. "Guess the thief's a cat lover too. Has a filthy half-breed brat!"

"I'm going to warn you one last time," Brynjolf growled, instantly infuriated by the men advancing on Kiraya. "Walk away from the girl, or else."

"Or what?" Angrenor demanded, shoving Brynjolf again. "You're going to have that rug of yours claw us?"

"Aye, we're not scared of you thief," Rolff nodded, reached over to Kiraya and grabbing her hair. "Or you're little half-breed."

Kiraya cried out from the man tugging at her hair and Fang immediately bristled. Without hesitating, the wolf snarled and sank his teeth into Rolff's arm, making the drunk Nord scream in pain and release Kiraya. Once the wolf had attacked, Brynjolf followed suit and punched Angregor in the face.

"Get this damned beast off of me!" Rolff screamed, trying to shove the angry wolf away with his free hand.

"Kiraya, grab your pet and get out of here!" Brynjolf shouted.

"But what about you?" Kiraya cried.

"I'll be fine lass, just go."

Kiraya nodded and grabbed onto Fang's collar. "Come on boy, we have to go!"

Fang obediently released Rolff's arm and ran after Kiraya as she vaulted down the stairs and outside the inn. Not knowing her way around the city, Kiraya turned left the moment she was outside and down some steps, slick with snow and ice. She ran past people in a blur, not even noticing that most of them were Dark Elves. She would have kept running, but she accidentally bumped into someone and sent them both falling to the ground.

"Ow," Kiraya groaned, sitting up. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright," said the voice of a young girl. "I saw you coming and should have gotten out of the- oh wow, look at your ears!"

Kiraya looked up and got her first look at the person she ran into. She was a young Nord girl with brownish-red hair and light brown eyes. Her gaze was fixed solely on Kiraya's ears, but instead of disgust, the girl looked interested in Kiraya.

"Are those real?" the girl asked, reaching over to touch them, only to squeal with delight when they twitched.

"Aye, they're real," Kiraya murmured, shifting uneasily.

"Are you a Khajiit? I've never seen a Khajiit before."

"I'm only half Khajiit. My mother was Khajiit, but my papa is a Nord."

"Wow, that's amazing! What's your name? I'm Sofie."

Kiraya blinked and looked at Fang, who was sitting a few feet away, looking around for any signs of danger. She knew they needed to keep moving in case anyone was following.

"I'm Kiraya," she answered, getting up and dusting the snow off her leather armor. "But I really have to go; I was running from some Nord men."

"I don't think they'll follow you here," Sofie told her. "They don't like coming to the Gray Quarter."

"The Gray Quarter?"

"Aye, it's where all the Dunmer live. Everyone living in the good part of the city don't like them, but they're all actually really nice. My friend Suvaris buys flowers from me every day and invites me over for dinner sometimes."

For the first time, Kiraya got a look at her surroundings and saw that not a single person around was a Nord; they were all Dunmer. They didn't pay much attention to Kiraya or Sofie, but she saw a few of them gaze at Fang uneasily. Worried that someone might do something to the wolf, Kiraya got up and walked over to Fang, grabbed onto his collar, and pulled him to her side.

"Is that a wolf?" Sofie gasped, her eyes widening with fear.

"Aye, but he won't hurt you," Kiraya said. "My aunt found him as a pup and raised him to be tame. His name's Fang."

Fang's tail wagged at the mention of his name and he licked Kiraya's hand, making the girl giggle. Sofie's eyes brightened a bit and she took a step closer to get a better look at the wolf, only to freeze and gasp when Fang turned to look at her.

"It's alright," Kiraya reassured her. "I swear to Talos that he won't hurt you. He just wants to say hello."

Sofie looked at Kiraya for several moments before nodding and reaching out to pat the top of Fang's head. When the wolf didn't do anything, Sofie smiled and reached out to pet him again, this time scratching him gently. Fang's tail thumped against the ground and he stood to lick Sofie's cheek.

"See he's friendly," Kiraya smiled.

"Aye, he really is," Sofie giggled.

"Kiraya?" called out a voice.

Kiraya turned, her body stiffening a bit, but she relaxed when she saw it was only Finverior, walking down the street towards her.

"Finverior," she sighed, running over to him.

"What are you doing in the Gray Quarter, kid?" he demanded. "I thought your father had Brynjolf take you to the Candlehearth. Where is he?"

"Some men were bothering us and Fang bit one of them. Brynjolf told me to run away, but I didn't know where I was going."

"Shit kid, we better get back there fast before your father shows up and start slicing off heads."

Kiraya nodded and was about to follow him but remembered Sofie. Turning to look at the girl, she smiled sadly and raised her hand to wave.

"I've got to go now," she said. "Sorry."

Sofie smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "It's alright, maybe I'll see you again soon."

Kiraya nodded. "Maybe." She looked at Fang and clicked her tongue. "Come on, Fang."

The wolf loped after her, slowing down once he was at her side and she grabbed onto his collar. She followed Finverior back to Candlehearth Hal,l where guards had already arrived and shouting could be heard from upstairs. Kiraya sighed in relief when she heard her father's voice and ran upstairs with Fang.

"There it is!" Rolff shouted, pointing at Fang. "There's the beast that attacked me!"

"Aye, because you were harassing a little girl!" Brynjolf spat, sporting a bloody lower lip.

"Kiraya," her father was suddenly in front of her, pulling her into an embrace before checking her over. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she nodded, wrapping her arms around her father's waist. "I got lost for a little bit, but Finverior found me and brought me back."

"She ran all the way to the Gray Quarter," the Bosmer said, finally making his way up the steps.

"Guards, I demand you take that damn wolf and dispose of it," Rolff said.

Kiraya gasped and glared right at the drunk Nord. "You can't do that! He only bit you because you were pulling on my hair!"

"Shut up, you half-breed piece of shit!"

Rolff never saw her father's fist coming. One moment the Nord was shouting an insult at Kiraya, and the next he was lying on the ground, clutching his mouth painfully.

"Insult her again," her father snarled. "I dare you."

"Alright, everyone just calm down!" a guard shouted, getting between Rolff and her father. "From what we've gathered from the other witnesses, Rolff and Angregor started the fight, but that still doesn't excuse bringing a wild animal into the city."

"That wolf is as tame as most hounds," her father told the guards. "And like any loyal hound, he was just protecting his owner from harm."

"Nonetheless, we're going to let both parties off with a warning. And I suggest keeping that wolf locked up during the remainder of your time here."

Kiraya saw her father's body was tense with anger and she could see the storm brewing in his eyes, but instead of continuing the argument, he just grabbed Kiraya's shoulder and pulled her towards the rooms, ordering Fang to follow. The wolf generally preferred to ignore any orders that didn't come from Kiraya or her aunt Lassarina, but to her surprise, Fang obediently followed her and her father to the rooms Brynjolf had rented. Finverior and Brynjolf followed too, and they all crammed together into the small room, all looking upset and angry.

"This is why I hate this city," her father spat once the door was closed. "If some issue involving another race comes up, they always favor the Nords."

"And you wonder why Lassarina and I hit this place more than any other city," Finverior chuckled.

Kiraya climbed onto the bed to make more standing room for everyone, and Fang curled his warm furry body around her, allowing the girl to lean back against him. "Fang was only protecting me."

"I know, kitten," her father told her with a smile. "You did nothing wrong."

"Aye, lass, the politics here are just a bit corrupt," Brynjolf added, wiping some blood off his lip with a thumb.

"Seems those two drunks got a couple of hits in," Finverior commented.

"They got lucky."

Finverior chuckled and held up a gently glowing hand. "Here I'll have that fixed up in a second."

"You're a healer?" Kiraya's father asked.

"When you're in my line of work, it's good to know a few healing spells," the Bosmer explained, tapping his still bruised nose with a finger from his free hand. "Already fixed the break that Vilkas caused."

"You have to heal yourself often?" Brynjolf asked, pulling back and touching his fully healed lip once Finverior had finished.

"Well, the first two months I traveled with Lassarina, she took a swing at me every night, cause I was trying to-" he broke off and glanced at Lassarina. "-get better acquainted with her. After she broke my nose, I got sick of it and stopped. She's tiny, but she packs a mean punch."

"Aye, I taught her that," her father told the elf with a grin. "Thanks for bringing Kiraya back, by the way. Why were you in the Gray Quarter, anyway?"

Finverior gave him a look. "I'm a Wood Elf in a city full of people just like those two out in the tavern. You think I was going to stay in Candlehearth Hall? No, whenever I'm in Windhelm, I stay at the New Gnisis Cornerclub. The Dunmer who runs the place and I go way back. I know him from my previous job."

"Your previous job?" Brynjolf echoed. "And what job was that?"

Finverior grinned. "Another story for another time. And it's a story best not told in Windhelm."

With an arrogant grin on his face, Finverior walked out of the room and close the door behind him. Part of Kiraya wished that he would have stayed at the inn with them, but she knew after what she experienced out there that this inn was probably not the best place for anyone who wasn't Nord to stay.

"So, when are we leaving?" Brynjolf asked her father.

"Well, Kiraya and I have to return back to Whiterun soon, so you'll be going to Riften without us," her father explained. "Vilkas will be going with you to help Lassarina through her recovery. And if you don't mind, I'm sending Finverior with you too. Despite his personality and what he's done, he was the only one that was able to calm Lassarina down during her hallucination."

"He's probably gone through withdrawals himself."

Kiraya knew all about skooma addicts. Her grandfather sold skooma to anyone who wanted it during their travels, and she often saw the same people return for more, their bodies shaking and their eyes wild for more of the drug. But even though Za'nir had sold it, he also forbade Kiraya and her aunt Tahana from ever touching it, saying it would enslave them for life. The stories he used to tell her made her wonder if her aunt Lassarina would ever be able to get over her addiction.

"If she's calm enough tomorrow, I'll hire a carriage to take you all to Riften," her father continued. "Then Kiraya and I will return to Whiterun. As Harbinger, I shouldn't be away from Jorrvaskr long."

"Papa, is aunt Lassarina going to be alright?" Kiraya asked.

Her father gave her a sad look. "We can only hope so, kitten."

oOo

Lassarina woke up the next morning feeling miserable and cranky, pacing around the room anxiously. Her withdrawal symptoms were back once again in full swing and it was driving her insane. The potion Vilkas had given her last night was actually skooma, but she hadn't told him that and swallowed every single piece, letting the sugars dissolve on her tongue and calm her anxiety. But once again she thought that Finverior was screwing her over by giving her a weak batch. The effects barely lasted more than a couple of hours and she had fallen asleep to forget her disappointment.

"Are you hungry, love?" Vilkas asked her from where he was sitting on the bed while she paced.

"Nay," she muttered.

"You should still try and eat something. You're starting to look the way you did when you first came to Jorrvaskr."

"Even if I did eat, I wouldn't be able to keep it down. The withdrawal is making me nauseous."

She didn't have to look at Vilkas to know he was frowning. He had been up all night, watching her sleep, as if he were afraid she would disappear if he closed his eyes. She knew he was worried about her, but Lassarina knew that nothing she said would calm him down. He was stubborn that way, but she loved him nonetheless. Made her feel extremely guilty for not telling him he had given her skooma the night before.

"I need to get out of this room," she complained, walking over to the door and slamming her fist against it. "I'm sick of staring at these walls. I want to be outside."

"Lassarina, you know it's not a good idea for you to leave this room," Vilkas said, getting off the bed and walking over to her.

"I'm fine; I'm not going to hallucinate. That potion Finverior gave me is working well, so please, can we just go outside?"

She turned her pleading gaze towards him and she could see his resolve crumble. With a sigh and a nod, Vilkas moved to the door and knocked on the wood.

"Ralof, let us out."

Lassarina heard the door bar slide out of place and then the door was open. Ralof was looking at her with concern in his blue eyes and flashed the look over to Vilkas.

"Is this a good idea?" he asked.

Vilkas nodded. "I'll keep her under control if she starts to get out of hand."

"You know, I'm right here," she grumbled, stepping past Ralof and out of the room for the first time in days.

Vilkas followed her, grabbing her hand and keeping a gentle but firm grip on it, no doubt in case she tried to run. But she wasn't going to run, not anymore. She was done with that. He led her down several stairs and opened a door that let them into a war room. Ulfric and Galmar were both standing over a map of Skyrim displaying several flags, but they turned to look at them at the sound of the door opening. She saw alarm flash in both their eyes and Galmar's hand drift to the handle of his axe.

"What is she doing out of her room?" Galmar demanded.

"Are you going to cut me down with that axe, Galmar?" Lassarina asked, glaring at him. "´Cause if you aren't, I suggest you lower your hand."

"Galmar, I told you my sister is not to be harmed," Ulfric warned.

"I just don't want to end up like those soldiers that brought her back," the older man grumbled. "Plus I didn't forget how she threatened me when she was in that jail cell."

"She was getting anxious in the room," Vilkas explained, stepping in front of her.

Everyone turned to look at the sound of approaching footsteps, and Ulfric's steward stepped into the war room. The man looked surprised to see Lassarina but turned his attention to Ulfric.

"The Dragonborn is here," Jorlief said. Glancing at Lassarina he stammered, "I mean, the other Dragonborn. Her brother, erm, I mean, her other brother. Einarr."

"Good," Lassarina sighed, slipping her hand out of Vilkas's and walking past Jorlief. "Maybe we'll be able to leave soon."

She walked into the main hall and saw her brother standing by the long table with Finverior and Brynjolf. Kiraya was sitting down beside Fang, looking oddly subdued, but she ignored that for now and walked over to Einarr, who looked shocked to see her.

"Rina, what are you doing out of your room?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she reassured him with a roll of her eyes. "That potion Finn made is working."

"I knew it would," the Bosmer smirked arrogantly.

"Einarr, have you made the preparations to leave yet?" Vilkas asked, walking to Lassarina's side.

"Aye, I wanted to discuss that with you," Einarr nodded, motioning Vilkas to come closer.

He reluctantly left Lassarina's side and walked over to Einarr. Both men spoke in hushed tones, with Brynjolf listening, occasionally nodding his head. While they were busy, Lassarina looked at Finverior and jerked her head so he would come to her. Her friend grinned and did so, leaning his head forward once he was close.

"What is it, beautiful?" he asked softly. "You need something?"

"Oh, enough of that already," she whispered angrily, pulling the small vial out of the pocket of the linen trousers she got from her pack. "What in Oblivion is this weak shit? Have you been buying from a bad source or something?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying this skooma is weak, Finn. The effects barely last two hours."

"Yeah, I know. I tried finding some stronger stuff, but there wasn't a single caravan on the way, so I had to buy it from some Argonians at the docks. Sorry, but you'll have to make due with it for now."

She glared at him and raked her hand through her hair. "It's not enough. The symptoms keep coming back after a few hours. I'm going insane. You need to get me some stronger stuff now."

"I don't have a contact out here, Rina. If you want some stronger stuff, you're just going to have to wait until I can get in contact with one of my better sources."

"Lassarina?" Vilkas's voice called out. "Are you alright?"

She looked up and smiled at Vilkas. "Aye, love, I'm fine. Just talking to Finn."

Vilkas walked over to her side and kissed her temple. "Well, we're leaving for Riften in a few hours."

"Riften?"

"Aye, we all thought it might be best for you to recover there. Unless you wanted to go to Whiterun?"

The moment she thought of Whiterun, Lassarina realized that Aela must have had her baby by now, and she was not ready to face that. She didn't want to be tortured by the sound of her child crying or by seeing the huntress hold her baby. It would be too painful and be a daily reminder of what she had lost.

"No, Whiterun is a bad idea," she told Vilkas. "I want to go back someday soon, but I'm just not ready to see Aela. Or her baby."

"I understand," Vilkas murmured, pulling her into a hug. "It was hard for me to see them both at first too."

"What did she end up having?"

"A boy," Einarr answered, walking over. "Named him Randulf."

Lassarina's heart clenched and she frowned. Aela had given birth to a son, exactly as Lassarina was supposed to. No, going back to Whiterun was definitely not an option yet.

"Bryn, will the other thieves be alright with Vilkas being inside the Cistern?" Lassarina asked her second.

"You won't be staying in the Cistern," Brynjolf explained. "Delvin and I had Riftweald Manor fixed up in the last six months. We were going to use it as barracks for the new recruits, but you can use it until you've recovered from your addiction."

"Are you sure?"

"Aye, lass. The Guild needs its leader to get better already. I'm tired of having to do your work for you."

"Lassarina said she was going to leave the Guild after she did that job with Mercer," Vilaks growled. "She's not going to be returning there."

"Vilkas," Lassarina murmured, wrapping her hands around his bicep. "Love, I'm not going to leave the Guild."

"What?" he and Einarr said in unison.

"Mercer left us in bad shape, in more ways than one," she explained. "I was asked to lead and I agreed. I made a promise to lead them, and I'm not going back on my word. I'm going to remain their leader and help restore the presence of the Thieves Guild in Skyrim once more. "

"That's comforting to hear, lass," Brynjolf smiled.

"But I'm not going to be living in Riften. I'll work from Whiterun once I'm better and we've moved back."

Brynjolf furrowed his brows. "Wait, how's that going to work out, lass?"

"Mercer rarely did any jobs himself; he was always too busy sorting through paperwork. The way I see it, it doesn't matter where I am, since I won't be doing any actual jobs." Lassarina looked at Einarr, Brynjolf, and Vilkas in turn. "I trust you're satisfied with that?"

The men just sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to sway her onto either side, and all nodded.

"Good," she smiled. Turning to look at Finverior she added, "Do you have anymore of that potion?"

Her friend nodded and produced a tiny vial from his pouch. Lassarina gratefully took the skooma and barely noticed the look all the men shared as she quickly poured the crystallized drug into her mouth. The relief of the drug came instantly and she once again felt ashamed for lying to Vilkas about getting clean, her resolve too weak to resist the temptation of the skooma. But she wasn't even aware that the men around her were lying to her as well.


Dear Rolff Stone-Fist... Never mess with Kiraya, or you're gonna have to deal with both Fang and Einarr's teeth. And Lassarina... The guys are screwing with you... It's not skooma. It's a placebo to make you think it is. Seriously people, never disregard the power of placebo's. I once tricked my friend into thinking she was drinking alcohol (even though the Pina Colada was virgin) but she still acted like she was completely shit faced. It. Was. Hysterical. Never seen her dance before in my life, but I saw it that night.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and remember to Fave/Follow/Review!

Much love,

Mirage