Five

Eira

I patted my horse beneath me as I finally reached the last leg of my journey. I had traveled through the night, killed a few spiders and narrowly avoided various woodland predators. My horse had a bloodied rump from the bandits at the Valtheim Watch Towers and my food stores were running dangerously low. I was exhausted, hungry, and in need of a hot bath that I knew I wouldn't get.

At last, three days after Vex had gone missing I arrived in Whiterun. The hold lay before me as I descended the road from Riften. Dragonsreach stood tall and proud in the distance, I could see the carriage coming from the east, carrying a few passengers. I urged my horse onwards. I had thought about changing my gear, despite having every guard in my pocket… I didn't want to flaunt myself to the Companions after one of their own had just been murdered under their nose. I knew they would blame us. Blame me. Blame anyone they could. I knew I would do the same.

I wore my cloak, it covered most of the plain brown dress hiding my bags and weapons beneath it. When I arrived at the stables I dismounted and handed my reigns to the stable hand. He promised to look after her for me before I headed into the city. There seemed to be so many guards about, more than usual. I strutted down the street daring any who passed to question my place here. I passed two Companions and three guards just from the front gate. My nerves gave a buzz and adrenaline coursed through me.

The Bannered Mare loomed ahead of me as I avoided the market vendors' gazes.

The air inside the inn was warm, I thawed my hands by the fire. Once I had warmed up I approached the now empty bar. The inn owner was happy to rent me a room for the night, which she delivered me to soon after. It was only midday, but I knew that I would have to wait until the sun set before I could begin my prowl for answers.

I had not had a chance to visit Kharjo after I had arrived home. Oh no, I had far worse things to be concerned about. When I had arrived home Fasendil had retrieved me from the flagon and dragged me to Maven's office. I hadn't even been there for five minutes. I had known there was something wrong from the moment I saw his face.

When I arrived Brynjolf was already there, confirming my suspicions. The two of them had stood looking at me as if I knew what the fuck was going on.

"It seems…" Maven's voice had been like ice, "your little Vex has gotten herself into trouble. With your help, no less."

The ground rocked beneath me. My throat was constricted, her words the fuel to my sudden fury.

"Vex?" I had heard myself say, mouth suddenly dry.

"She went to carry out a contract for you in Whiterun? This note came back to us yesterday." Brynjolf handed me a note. I opened it with numb fingers. It read:

A Trade. If you want her back alive.

The Dragonborn for your guildmate.

We will contact you.

A chill ran down my spine. I could feel their gazes on me. There was no keeping the anger from my voice.

"What makes these fucks think we can just acquire the Dragonborn from thin air?" I spat. Fasendil was watching me intently, his eyes fell at my words. "Nobody knows where the Dragonborn is, how in Oblivion are we supposed to?"

Frustration was seeping through me at the seams. My chest ached, I could see Vex's face. I was so stupid, whoever it had been must have wanted me. It was obvious. My blood was rushing in my ears, the world was silent in the background; I could hear a ringing that refused to go away.

Maven pressed her hands together, squeezing them until her knuckles turned white. Her dark eyes looked thoughtful, before finally flickering to me.

"You have no idea who the Dragonborn is?" Maven smoldered. "You are our highest ranking member Eira… I assumed that, surely, you would have information regarding him seeing as that is your forteㅡ"

I slammed my hand down on Maven's desk, hard. The noise made her jump. Fasendil moved towards me but retracted the hand when my voice pierced the room.

"You think I'm keeping something from you?" I demanded, my voice quiet, barely suppressing the fury. "Don't forget who you're talking to Maven." I whispered, an edge to my voice that could cut skyforge steel. "I'm the one that pulled this guild from the miserable shambles Mercer plunged it into. Not you. Not Brynjolf. Not Karliah. Me." I flared, Maven's eye twitched slightly. "I don't know who the Dragonborn is." I continued, "But that doesn't mean I won't find out. I've never had a reason to find him before."

"And how do we know they won't kill her then anyway?" Maven asked, meeting my eyes.

"I'm going to find her." I met her cold stare with my head high, determined. I felt a rage in my chest; the fragmented pieces I had been so carefully trying to hold in place were threatening to shatter. "While I'm gone, I expect you all to be weary and suspicious of everyone." I gazed pointedly at Maven, poking a finger into the desk. "Somebody is coming for this guild, we've known for months. Whatever they could be planning could be set into motion. The Guild isn't safe, in fact, everybody in Riften could possibly be in danger."

Brynjolf took the note back from me quietly. Nobody said a word. I felt the silence in my gut, and I refused to accept it like they clearly had.

Vex was going to die. It would be my fault, she had gone to steal that amulet for me.

"Brynjolf. I want you to dismiss the guild members, we will talk more logistics later… but I want you to send everyone home for now. If they have nowhere to go we both know a place they could stay warm and dry."

I raised a brow at him; he confirmed with an abrupt nod. He would know I spoke of Nightingale Hall. Karliah may not approve but we had no choice at this point. It was obvious an attack could be imminent. I would even shut down the Flagon if I had to. Only until I got this mess sorted out.

You can't hide everybody forever.

The small voice in the back of my mind brought me back to the present. I shoved the voice down bitterly. That didn't mean I wouldn't try.

I plopped down on the bed, dagger in hand, and covered my face with a pillow to muffle my screaming. After a minute or two I stopped; that never made me feel better anyway.

XXX

I had found when I let myself get too exhausted, my dreams were nowhere to be found. I thanked the stars for the dreamless sleep as I rose from my slumber, wiping the drool from my chin. The bar downstairs was beginning to gain noise, which only meant one thing. The night rabble was in, and it was time for me to go out.

I grabbed an apple on my way as I slipped through the crowd; I kept my hood low, covering my amber eyes. The door opened and two companions sauntered into the inn. One I recognized as Aela the Huntress. Her warpaint glowed freshly applied purple across her face. The man she was with had one white eye and a hard masculine face. From scars alone I could tell he had seen many a battle.

Aela the Huntress scrutinized me as I passed, I paid her no mind. I didn't linger though and pushed my way through the door. The night air was brisk and sharp compared to the warmth of the inn. The sun had set long ago from the looks of it, most people were in bed at this late hour, I hadn't realized how long I had slept. I snuck around the hut of Olava the Feeble, stowing my dress and other unwanted items into one of her barrels.

My footfalls were silent as I made my way towards the backside of Jorrvaskr Hall. My invisibility cloak enveloped me, shrouding me in utter darkness. My determination was no match for the Companions, I would find who had taken Vex and before I killed them they would take me to her. I had let this gone on long enough as it was, and still I had nothing to show from my so-called investigation. Anger made my steps come faster until I found myself within bow range of the back patio.

The guild hall was lit, but not as loud as I expected.

I heard the crunch of footsteps, and after a moment determined it was the man on watch. I hesitated, after a moment he circled the building. I waited until he was out of sight then moved towards the back door.

The door creaked slightly when I opened it gently. I slid through the small opening I had made and shut it as quietly as I could behind me. The three people in the guild hall were snoring quietly, mead cups in hand. The stairs going down to their quarters were to my left; I knew Vignar Gray-Mane's room was one of the few on this floor.

My footfalls were silent as I carefully made my way towards it. When I finally made it to the doorway I froze. There, sleeping soundly on the bed in front of me, was the very Companion I had been running from three days ago. His coin purse suddenly felt heavy on my belt. His face was red, puffy, I could tell he had been crying. My heartstrings were plucked, one by one at the sight. I hadn't even thought of him since the incident; it was strange to see him here now, and looking so peaceful and vulnerable in sleep.

There was a single candle in the room, full to the brim with hot wax. It flickered across his face, hardly giving off any light at all.

Vignar Gray-Mane. I thought he must have been important to him.

I cursed myself internally, already knowing I would probably regret this later. I felt his coin purse on the back of my belt; my fingers brushed it, remembering how I had seized it from him. I loosened the strings and set it quietly on the table beside him. Before I could change my mind, I took my attention away from it.

The companion slept so soundly, he looked at peace, very childlike in slumber. I couldn't help but ache for him, had this been his father? A hole in my chest that I had not felt for years, suddenly pricked at the edges. Was that how he was feeling? Alone? I tore my gaze away from him, he wasn't why I was here.

I gave the room another look over, eyes pausing on the bed still stained with blood near the window on the east side of the room. It appeared the victim had been stabbed in the heart whilst he lay in bed. From the amount of blood and the shape of the stain, I could only conclude that he had bled out here. I didn't know if he had been awake, or whether or not he had put up a struggle. I couldn't tell those things without a body, which had obviously been removed.

It didn't matter either way, I looked for other signs of a struggle, but found none. I rummaged through the drawers and paused when I found Vignar's journal. I rifled through it for a moment before stuffing it into my bag. If there was some sort of connection, I would find it. After a moment of inspecting every inch of the scene, I spotted something.

Blood. But it wasn't near the bed. It was on the ground, near the floor. It was a fingerprint, yet placed in the darkest corner of the room just between the rug and the wall. I dropped to my knees, trying to look more closely. I pulled a potion of night vision from my pouch and gulped it down. I could see every inch of the room now as I leaned into where the blood spot lay hidden.

I could see now, it looked like someone had recently touched this rug with bloodied fingers. I lifted it, immediately spotting more blood beneath. My breathing hitched as I revealed not just blood, but a letter. I blinked in confusion. The letter turned into two, then, three, and as I pulled the rug back more I saw an entire sentence scrawled in blood.

They're coming.

My eyes narrowed, reading the words over and over as if that might change them. This was Vex's handwriting. I wasn't sure whose blood it was, but this was obviously meant for me. I had seen her handwriting a million times on every one of the contracts I had performed for her. This was her message to me. Her message to me before she was taken. Whoever it was must have followed her; somehow Vex had figured out what was going to happen. If I could, I would have bet the blood she had used to write with was her own. I knew there was no way she had done this to Vignar. I held back the urge to slam my fist into the floor.

I replaced the rug to its original place and started to back up slightly. I froze when I ran into something solid and warm behind me. I jumped away, my heart leaping into my throat. I whipped around, coming face to face with the sleeping, now awake, Companion. I remembered those stormy gray eyes instantly. But now, they looked like a hurricane as his eyes dragged up and down my figure.

I felt my gut clench in fear.

"I can smell you." He said in a low voice. Before I could move, or even think of what to to do next, he had grabbed the candle and splashed it onto my head. I thanked the gods I was wearing my hood in that moment, but it seemed to have the effect he wanted.

"There you are."

I ducked, his arms whipped over my head. I skittered backwards but it was no use. I could feel the wax warm on my head, giving me away. My hand fumbled for the window latch when I heard the Companion roar in rage. I squeezed out of the opening, but not fast enough.

My feet landed on the snow covered ground, but a hand had gripped the back of my hood. I was yanked back, almost falling if not for the grip holding me up. The hand held my hair along with it. I yelped in pain when it twisted.

"Please!" I begged, then prepared to try again with charmspeak in my voice. I didn't need it. As soon as I asked I was let go. I fell onto my back in the snow, I knew I only had seconds to react. I scrambled up, and started to sprint for the front gate.

"Stop her!" I heard someone shout. I didn't look back.

I gasped for air as I sprinted, trying to run faster when I heard the sound of pursuit behind me. I had a plan already forming in my mind. I knew where I would escape, where I could lost them and slip from the city into the nightㅡ

Something knocked me to the ground from behind. The dirt came up to meet me; someone grabbed the back of my head and forced my face down. I heard the scrape of my skin before I felt the hot pain. Somebody was holding me down with their body weight, and by the sound of the heavy panting it was a woman. She still held my head down in the dirt; I struggled, trying to buck her off.

She slammed my head into the ground again. I felt panic grip me; I didn't have time for this. Vex didn't have time for this. I felt my consciousness slipping just as I heard a voice.

"Aela, stop! You'll kill her." The voice was low and full of fury. I felt my head fall to the dirt for a final time as my vision escaped me and I slipped into unconsciousness.

XXX