Three

Eira

It took me two days to find the caravan transporting Kharjo back to Riften. In my haste I had only thought to bring one horse. I cursed myself; I would have to make due.

Skyrim's multicolor sky was beautiful yet the weather was always bitterly cold. Snow lay in drifts along the road in crystalline banks that were frozen solid; ice covered the cobbled road in a sheet, disturbed by the foot prints of men and horses alike. The air would have nipped at my nose if not for my mask; I had made it from the material of an old black tunic. It hid my face well, only my amber eyes were visible beneath my hood. I readjusted my cloak, telling myself the cold didn't really bother me. Besides, I had worse things to worry about.

There were murderers out there, framing us. From what I had seen so far, I had learned there was more than one. There had to be. There was no possible way they could get from location to location so quickly, even if they rode the swiftest horse in Tamriel. It was impossible to kill two people in two different cities at the same time. This brought me to the conclusion that there was more than one murderer. Maybe two, maybe three. A group. That was much more worrisome than somebody acting alone. A group would feed each other's toxic vile thoughts and ideas, nothing good could come of it.

Brnjolf wouldn't be happy when he learned I had deviated from this investigation. Even if only for a few days, he wouldn't approve. I could understand where he was coming from; Maven was breathing down his neck. The exact reason I didn't want to run the Guild myself… officially that is.

Maven had finally been crowned Jarl of Riften and the Imperials had taken the Rift. Maven, the matriarch of the Black-Briar family, was now more intolerable than ever, and the feeling was definitely mutual. She strutted around as if her whole life had been leading up to her crowning; I rolled my eyes at the thought. I sighed and reminded myself yet again that I had worse things to worry about.

For three months, there had been a number of these incidents. I had been investigating since the beginning and I still had nothing. It had started in the northern cities, and inch by inch, most towns and majorly populated areas had suffered a murder or disappearance. These people were usually found in their homes, robbed and dead, or robbed and missing. There were more killings so far than disappearances. The missing were mostly women, and an even number of men and women had been murdered within their own homes. There was no pattern in their age, hair color, place of origin, or anything else. I simply had no idea who was responsible or, more importantly in my opinion, why? Why were the lives of innocent people being wasted left and right? It made me sick, I knew even if the Guild wasn't being blamed, I would still be hunting these pieces of garbage to the ends of Nirn. Whatever their reasons could be… they would never be good enough. Whoever was responsible would pay.

It was only natural for people to blame us; I really couldn't blame them for that assumption. Especially since it was a known fact that the imperials had wiped out the Dark Brotherhood last Autumn. Nobody stops to listen to an honorable thief, why would they? There is no such thing; at least from their point of view.

When I returned from my travels from the Imperial City, I had arrived to find a corrupt Mercer in Gallus' place. His corruption had given us a vile reputation over the years and we had had nothing to show for it. I had killed him myself, putting an end to his reign. The guild was a much better place than it had been in well… ever.

We were richer than ever before, and life was great. And best of all, it was almost 'clean' money… in a way. I had stopped the flow of jobs between poor and poorer, and started going after richer targets. I liked to target corrupt officials and politicians, filthy rich ambassadors, wealthy families that took advantage in court by using their family name, and so on and so forth. Our members were able to take more pride in their work and I didn't have to be involved in a guild that helps poor people get poorer. A win win in my eyes.

Until all this mess at least. Somebody had crossed the wrong woman; I would own them when I found them.

I shook my head, I had to stop dwelling on it. The only thing we could do right now was lay low to protect ourselves. Only our most experienced thieves were allowed to go out on jobs. It didn't stop the terrible feeling that danger was looming over my head like a hatchet about to come down. If anything happened to them, I would blame myself. I knew I would.

Their existence and success, it was my livelihood. It was what my father had wanted. It was the only thing I had most yearned for while I was locked up in the Imperial City's prison five seasons ago. They were some of the only memories that had gotten me through the hardest days, thoughts of the guild, my guild. Who was I if I could not protect what I loved?

I took a deep breath through my nose, right now Kharjo was my priority. He needed my help, I readjusted in the saddle. I needed to pull my head out of my ass and focus. My stomach growled, but I was too anxious to eat. Instead I emptied my flask into my gullet. I was starting to wonder how much longer I would have to go before I saw them.

It was sun high when I finally did just that.

I passed right by them, looking for any opportunity to gather information. I clicked my tongue. I hated going into a situation blind. My posture was relaxed; I slowed my horse as I passed, feigning courtesy. I allowed myself one glance at the cage. I recognized the hunched figure within.

I flicked my fingers up towards the wagon driver without looking at him. He nodded back to me; I stayed quiet under my hood. My eyes didn't move but I was taking in everything I could from my peripheral vision. My face was still covered, my mask still pulled up over my nose.

There were twelve soldiers, I couldn't believe they had so many. Usually only four soldiers would transport one prisoner at a time. Let alone twelve. And this wagon, this wagon was loaded with a metal cage not tall enough for a human, or Khajiit for that matter.

Inside that cage was my old friend, Kharjo. I could make out the shadow of his feline face looking at me from behind the bars of his prison. He was now apparently known as M'aiq the Liar. Catchy. And fitting. I smirked.

By the looks of him, he needed a good meal and a good night's rest. And probably a bath most of all. I knew how it felt to be imprisoned. My gut twisted for him, but I quieted my anticipation.

An impatient mouse is a dead one. I heard my father say. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. I would take care of Kharjo once I set him free from these imperial dogs. Letting emotion cloud my decisions was what would get me killed. I could hear my father's voice ranting at me, even see the finger wagging.

I stared blankly ahead. I paid no mind to the soldiers and yet they eyeballed me. As if a lone woman like myself would attack them…? Or steal their prisoner…? Psh… I really hoped they weren't thinking that.

The last man, bringing up the rear, sat upon a large black stallion; he was not an imperial. He was clearly a Nord. His plain steel armor had extra furs stuffed beneath them to fight against the bitter winter weather. He was carrying a huge Greatsword on his back; I recognised him as a Companion. He seemed tall for a Nord, dark hair touched his broad shoulders; he had light skin and black warpaint that darkened the area around his stormy gray eyes, making them seem even more electrifying.

A Companion… I wouldn't mind talking to, I thought. Then blinked, realizing he would not feel the same; seeing as he was an 'honorable' Warrior of Ysgramor and I was a leader of the greatest larceny group this side of Tamriel. No, he wouldn't take kindly to me one bit.

When our eyes clashed though, it made me unsure. Thank oblivion for my makeshift face covering. His eyes bore into me and mine his; I saw recognition in them that didn't belong. This made me uneasy. He looked almost confused, and opened his mouth as if he may say something—

No sooner had our eyes locked, he was gone. I could feel their absence, fear replacing it almost instantly. Had he recognised me somehow? I dismissed this thought, if he knew who I was he would be shooting an arrow into my back to collect the reward.

I was certain I had never met this man before in my life; yet something deep within me stirred and for some strange reason I knew that was not true. I did know him… from where I had no clue.

A breeze whipped passed, chilling me to my bones. I wrapped my cloak around myself tighter, trying to ease the tension eating at my stomach. I heard a light voice whispering to me through the breeze.

I looked around, there was nobody there. I was riding alone now, the caravan long behind me. The wind picked up again, and I heard the voice clearly this time. The wind sang to me softly, a beautiful whisper… a wolf in sheep's clothing.

He would break his own bones to find his lost twin,

In exchange for the blood spilled of their kin.

Horror gripped my chest but I didn't dare to turn around. I kept going until I found a spot I liked. It was a large boulder, which I hid my horse behind.

I allowed myself a moment of recluse, taking a deep even breath that did not match the turbulence within me. Why my ghosts were coming back now, I had no idea. I didn't like it one bit.

From there I made sure I had all of my belongings in case anybody did come across the horse. I took off on foot after the cage, the soldiers, and the man with the familiar eyes.

XXX

I followed them from the forest, on foot, until darkness came. The men stopped for the night and I sighed in relief. I was leaning against a large oak tree, well out of sight of them. Once I knew they were stopped, I scrambled up into the tree branches, the leaves and darkness were my cover as I stalked them from above like a predator ready to pounce.

None of the Imperial soldiers even paid any attention to Kharjo. He sat in his cage, looking uncomfortable, not able to stand up to his full height. After a moment I realized they were going to leave him right where he was, not giving him a chance to stretch, or relieve himself, maybe for the whole night. I hadn't seen them offer him any water either.

Anger started to boil in her chest. These people were monsters, she knew he hadn't been arrested for murder. Larceny yes… did that warrant this treatment? Or was it because he was a Khajit? My vision tinged with red. The sooner I could take Kharjo away from them the better. They were bringing him to be executed.

I watched, still fuming silently, as the Companion with the steel eyes approached the wagon. There was enough room, even with the cage, for him to sit on the seat beside it. I strained my ears to hear what he was saying.

"You must be hungry." The Companion muttered, offering the Khajit some bread. I watched as Kharjo took it with a bitter, grateful look. "I bet you want this more." The companion gave up his own flask. I watched Kharjo guzzle down the liquid without a word.

"Oy!" One of the soldiers hollered. "Don't be giving him water!"

"And let him die before we get there?" The Companion answered snidely, then seemed to think of something better. "You don't care if he has to take a shit?"

A silent chuckle traveled through the soldiers, the man's face flushed.

"Why would I give a shit," He jerked a finger towards Kharjo, "about this worthless shit?" The soldier hissed, coming closer to the Companion. There was a hush among the men. This was obviously their ranking officer, most likely he was in charge of this expedition. The Companion stood slowly and the man kept on.

"This sorry sot is the only one who knows where the bloody Dragonborn went, don't you know what that means?" The soldier sneered.

"Enlighten me." The companion deadpanned. The soldier smiled and said the words slowly, like he was speaking to a child. The Companion's jaw tightened visibly.

"The Dragonborn finally rid us of the bloody Thalmor and this rug is going to sell him out in exchange for his own life." The soldier spat on the ground, "I'll turn him into a carpet myself before letting that happen." He sneered.

There was a louder chuckle from the men behind him, he turned in their direction for approval. What he shouldn't have done, was take his eyes off the Companion. I watched silently, my blood pounding in my ears. I watched the Companion grab the soldier by the neck and lift him up off the ground two foot lengths. He gripped the Companion's hand, clawing desperately at the hold, trying to weaken the vice. He may as well have been trying to break iron.

"That's your reason?" His expression was twisted into rage. His eyes were full of electricity as he spat at the soldier. After a moment he let him drop to the ground in a heap, I felt my mouth open a little in shock. The man lay coughing and sputtering, the soldiers stared on with unease. Some had their hands on their swords but not one dared to brandish it.

"Maybe if your imperials had ended the Great war instead of bending over with your pants down for the Thalmor, none of this would have happened." The Companion's voice rang loudly, I felt my lips twitch. "That has nothing to do with the way you're treating a prisoner you've been put in charge of protecting. In case you forgot, the Dragonborn has brought the Thalmor down on us, thank him for that you stupid shit."

None of the other soldiers said a word as the dark haired companion picked up the man's flask from where it had fallen beside him. He also took the cage key from where it lay beside the man, I blinked.

"You're lucky I don't report you to Tullius myself." The companion smiled and stepped over the imperial. I watched him return to Kharjo, who was trying to seem small inside his cage.

"Thank you." I heard Kharjo whisper as he accepted the flask offered to him. I heard a grunt come from the Companion and realized he was settling down right there beside Kharjo. While I was glad somebody had some morals, that didn't make my task any easier.

I crouched above them for a moment with one question burning in my mind.

Who was this man?

XXX

The night air turned even brisker as the moons rose high above the horizon. The sky was a splatter of blues and pinks painting the almost black background. I was too focused to watch the stars for long, but I knew they were beautiful. I waited until late into the night, when the man on watch was dozing off to sleep and the only thing that could be heard were the crickets among the trees.

Once my feet were back on the frozen forest floor, I lowered myself into a crouch. I snuck closer to the circle of sleeping men and glanced at the wagon where the Companion was fast asleep beside Kharjo's cage.

My heart beat in my chest, I kept my breathing steady. Nothing to be afraid of; yet my heart raced on. The adrenaline that I felt was out of place; I wondered if there was a possibility this man could be a part of the Circle. The circle members of the Companions were werewolves, a secret I had stumbled across by mistake after robbing Aela the Huntress in my early days as a thief. I had found a letter of hers within a bag I had stolen, written to a man named Skjor. They were obviously lovers, yet she spoke of hunting down, murdering, and feasting upon people. I had been mortified, disgusted, and afraid; I had brought the information to Gallus immediately.

He had assured me they were not vampires as I had feared, but werewolves. In fact, he explained their history to me. Gallus had shown me the Thieves Guild Hidden Library after that. It was within the Vault, behind another hidden door only the Guildmaster knew of. This had been only shortly after I started taking jobs when I was 16 summers. Since then, I had done a lot of reading about the people who lived in Skyrim. Everybody had secrets, and I was definitely no exception to that. That was exactly why I needed to know everybody's dirt.

I shook my head. I needed to seriously focus if I didn't want to die. I didn't know what in oblivion was wrong with me.

The soldiers were sleeping around the wagon in their bedrolls. Every single one of them, I checked, was soundly asleep. The man that had been walking back and forth on guard, had sat down for a moment, only to be snoring loudly not minutes later. The wagon and its single horse was right in the center of them, beside a tall slim birch tree. They had unhooked the wagon from the horse and laid the wood rig on the ground beside it. Their other horses were tied up in a neat row along the forest line.

Taking a deep breath, I let my cloak's magic envelope me. I was immediately at ease knowing I was invisible. My footsteps were silent as I snuck passed the sleeping imperials. I saw the Officer that had been in the scuffle was sleeping as far from the Companion, and the wagon, as possible. A smirk touched my lips.

I untied the wagon's horse from the tree, just on the off chance this did turn messy. I took my time not to make a sound. Very gently, I lifted the leather straps into place and hooked the horse up again. Sweat dripped down my neck. Finally, I turned my attention to the cage; the moon shined through the clouds, casting a silver tint on everything in sight. It also created enough light for me to see the reflection of two eyes staring back at me from behind the metal bars.

I climbed up into the back of the wagon slowly, careful not to shift it hard. My hand reached out and found his, squeezing gently. He had cuffs around his wrists, I handed him a lockpick deftly as I eyed the Companion sleeping not three foot lengths away. I was just turning towards the lock when a voice made me freeze.

"Eira." The voice whispered faintly. So faintly, I wasn't sure that I hadn't imagined it. But then I heard it again. I was frozen, it was not Kharjo who had said my name, but… the Companion?

Confusion swept through me, how did this man know my name?

He was still once again, I didn't know what to do. This certainly had never happened to me before. I didn't even know this man and he was apparently having dreams about me… which was strange to say the least. I countered with myself; did I really mind? Whatever the case may be, a girl can never have too many men dreaming about her… If it was a man I knew maybe.

I fixated back on the cage. I needed to focus, this was not the time to be getting distracted. What on Nirn was wrong with me? What the fuck was going on around here? Who was this guy?

I slid my lockpick into the giant lock keeping the cage firmly shut. I fiddled with it for a long moment, then two, then three. I kept stealing glances at the Companion. Kharjo dared to clear his throat ever so quietly so only I could hear. It was an insult, a silent hiss to hurry up. I heard it, and something in me just snapped. Perhaps it was the pressure, perhaps it was the result of bottling my feelings, perhaps it was the fact that I hadn't slept in almost two days.

"I know." I hissed in impatience at him; the words slipped from my mouth before I could take them back. "Fuck." I added, knowing it was too late.

I was not myself, that much was obvious. I felt my invisibility flicker away almost instantly from the amount of oh shits going through my head.

I looked up, and the Companion was staring right at me, but not like he was going to kill me, no, more like bewilderment. I knew what he saw, my amber eyes filled with panic. I took advantage of his being distracted and punched him right in the face. It took him by surprise to say the least; he was much larger than me, but I was stronger than I looked. I shoved him off the wagon, and by then a few soldiers had heard the scuffle and were waking up, lurching to their feet and fumbling for their weapons. The guard was running towards us, I saw him getting out a bow and fumbling to notch an arrow.

I practically flew to the driver seat and slapped the reins down hard. The horse squealed in surprise, having been asleep on his feet, and we took off thundering towards the path. Those left in our way didn't wait to scurry from our course. I felt an arrow whizz over my head; I ducked.

"That was clean." Kharjo mocked me from behind. I felt a laugh rising in my chest, I pushed it back down.

"That's a funny way to say thank you." I hissed back at him. "At least you're free now." I added.

"Not yet I'm not. You didn't even get the key."

Oh fuck. I knew I was forgetting something.

I always had a backup plan, and a backup for a backup; I never left home without it. Being prepared was why I had accomplished so much success over the years, even on my off days.

We flew down the path, back the way the wagon had spent all day traveling in the opposite direction. The wagon was loud and hit every single bump and rock in the road it could find.

"Take this!" I handed Kharjo a satchel. Inside he would find some lockpicks and a dagger. After a moment he joined me, having freed himself from the cage. He launched it into the path behind us. We were approaching the spot, I brought the wagon to a halt and we both jumped down before I sent it careening away once more.

The rock loomed beside us. I led Kharjo around the backside of it. No sooner had we disappeared, the moon was cast behind some clouds and the pounding of horse hooves came thundering down the road. We waited with baited breath, I held my mare's muzzle gently, willing her not to make a noise.

Once they were gone, I could finally relax a little. A bear hug enveloped me, a familiar embrace I hadn't felt in years.

"I knew you would come for Kharjo, little half-pint." He squeezed me harder. "It has been far too long."

"It has." I whispered to him. "Although I hear you go by M'aiq the Liar now? Fitting." I grinned.

He chuckled. "Hiding in plain sight, as always." He winked. "Kharjo is glad you didn't kill that one fellow in the wagon."

I folded my arms over my chest, "I don't kill unless I must."

"So your father's teachings weren't lost on you. Kharjo is glad." He hugged me again, I realized he was shaking. "How old are you now?" He leaned back and held me at arm's length. I could only imagine how much pain his legs and back were in because of that cage.

"I've seen 26 summers." I smiled bitterly.

"That is alright, you're still only three summers to Kharjo. Kharjo has thought of you often since our last meeting. Did you ever find your father, Eira? Are you alright?" He asked, and the question struck me like a punch in the gut.

The sound of horse hooves clomping towards us saved me.

"We'll catch up later." I gasped, glad to change the subject. "You have to go now."

I didn't give him time to argue. I gave him the other bag I had brought for him, with armor and food and water that would last him days. I pulled the warm fur cloak out of the bag and threw it around him. He swung up into the saddle. The other horse was getting closer to the rock, but unlike the others it was slowing. Panic gripped me as I whipped back to him.

"Go to the Sepulchre. You'll be safe there. Don't go to the Guild, trust me. Now go!" I spanked my horse hard on the ass and she took off into the night; I hoped they would make it. There were supplies enough to last him until spring.

I didn't wait to watch him disappear, I ran to the rock and scrambled over the top. I let my cloak envelope me before I came into view. I froze.

There, standing in the road in the dark, the Companion was looking at the wagon tracks that had dug into the road. I must have made a noise because he looked in my direction. A chill went down my spine, for a moment it seemed like he could see me. Then his eyes moved on and I exhaled.

"I know you're there." He muttered, "I can hear you thief." He sniffed the air, "And smell you."

I grit my teeth. Was he going to turn into a blood thirsty beast and track us into the woods? I shuddered at the thought. Werewolves terrified me. A thousand of the horror stories filled my head, I felt like I was going to be sick.

"There you are." He was barreling towards me, I wasn't sure if he really knew where I was or not.

"Stop, drop your weapon." I demanded, thrusting the magic into my voice that would bring any ordinary man to his knees. To my surprise, it worked. He froze right where he stood, making it easy for me to pluck his coin purse off his belt. He dropped his sword, barely missing me as I slid between his legs and vaulted onto his horse, left abandoned in the road behind him. How convenient.

He was in a daze as he whipped around and stumbled after me, too late. "Hey!"

"Thanks for the horse." I shouted as I took off, north east, towards Riften. Home. If he did shift to chase me, I didn't wait to witness it.

I kept repeating to myself that my horse would outrun him. It had to.

A chill of fear ran down my spine when, not many miles later, I heard a wolf howl in the distance.

XXX

Author's Note

Hey guys, hope you're enjoying it so far. If you want me to keep going leave a review or drop a like! ;p

I just wanted to let you know that this story is definitely written for somebody that has played the game. I'm not really going to go into details about basic Skyrim stuff because I'm assuming you already know.

That is all! Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim or any of its content.