AN: I am slightly hesitant to post this chapter, but I hope that no one will be disappointed. I'm trying to figure out where I want the story to go, and how it will get to that point.

This doesn't have anything to do with my fanfic, but it's something interesting I just noticed. When Brynjolf runs into the empty vault of the Guild, he says "By the Eight!". However, in the quest Blindsighted, he says "By Talos, Mercer has a lot to answer for". It's just curious that he swears by the Eight Divines, but also by Talos. Perhaps he's found a way to separate Talos from the Eight in order to worship him? He is living in the Rift, after all, a Stormcloak allied hold. Anyway, back to the story. Apologies!

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is property of Bethesda Softworks. I own nothing but Roseleigha. Thank you for allowing my words to have the privilege of your time.

The Seer and Her Thief, Chapter 9

Emerald eyes flickered open slowly. The first thing they met where the colorless eyes of the woman he had just been having dreams about. Before numbness finally left his body, Brynjolf felt the soft but strong arms of Roseleigha wrap around him. She was nearly laying on top of him, body trembling and sniffling. He took a moment to absorb the moment, letting himself soak in the warmth of her and the amount of emotion she was giving him in one simple hug.

"It's okay, lass," he said. "I'm here. I'm not leaving you."

She finally pulled back, looking into his eyes and frantically wiping the wetness away from hers. "Your ego can never be harmed, even when you're on the brink of death." She looked down at her hands, placed on her thighs as she sat on her bed Brynjolf had just awoke from.

A heavy feeling hit his heart once he remembered where he was and why. "By the Eight, Mercer is going to kill me."

"Don't worry. I sent a message back to the Guild a few days ago. They know we're going to be here for a while," she said, letting out a worrying laugh.

"A few days ago?" he asked. "How long have I been out?" He tried to sit up, but felt her warm and soft hands on both of his shoulders, pushing him back into bed.

"Only two days. As soon as we got back and I had your fever settled, I sent the letter. You still need to rest, though."

"You really are clever, lass."

"And you're ignorant and stubborn, Bryn." She finally let out a genuine laugh.

A moment of silence sat between them for a while as Brynjolf went scrolling back through his memories. He remembered the deafening scream of the dragon priest, the surprise of the frost atronach from behind him knocking him downhill. Nothing could erase the memory of the small built woman in front of him Shouting and the fire spewing from her mouth.

Roseleigha seemed to know exactly where his thoughts were and where they were going.

"I bet you have a lot of questions. I suppose I owe you answers." He simply nodded, knowing she'd be able to answer his questions dead on without him needing to say a word.

"I lied. When I told you about my past. My family wasn't killed by bandits. We were attacked by a dragon."

"A dragon?" Brynjolf couldn't help but blurt out.

"Would you hold your tongue? Talk too much and I won't tell you." She sighed, recomposing herself.

"Right when we were having dinner," she went on. "It came breathing fire right down onto our house, as if its sole mission was to kill me and my family. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. I remember my father trying to calm my siblings while my mother rushed all of us out of the house. My parents grabbed the twins before they tried to leave from the back, but the house collapsed right on top of them." She gritted her teeth as she tried to keep the tears from falling on her face; Brynjolf reached out to hold her hand and she accepted, allowing her small hand to be encompassed by the much larger hand. "I'm never going to forget the look on my brother's face when he saw our father take his last breath, still desperate to get his girls out from the rubble. I had to pull my siblings away. I had to take them to keep them from collapsing; I couldn't let them have the chance to soak in the fact that their parents were gone. I put on a straight face and dragged them away.

"I tried to keep us all together, but the third eldest, Canis, just collapsed. Nirn tried to pull her back up, but she wouldn't move. I had to pick him up and carry him while he punched my back, begging me to let him save Canis. The dragon suddenly swooped down and took her and dropped her into the ocean." Brynjolf felt a warm wetness on the back of his hand, but allowed her to continue through her weeps and sniffles. "I can still hear him scream as she just fell into the sea. Jazibell was nearly a corpse and Nirn was still calling out for Lavender, one of the twins that died with mum. I heard the dragon swoop down again. The next thing I remember is hearing Nirn scream for me and Jazibell. I guess I threw him behind a rock and tackled Jaz to keep her from being dropped into the ocean like Canis.

"I knew I had to do something. If I didn't kill the damn lizard, then all of us were going to die. I told myself it was my responsibility to protect the last members of my family or die trying." She paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath so she could keep going. "I didn't protect them, Bryn. I didn't even die trying. I was the only one that made it out. Why couldn't I save them? All of my baby sisters, my beloved baby brother, they're all dead. I let my dad's blooming flowers get burned alive. How am I supposed to see them in Sovngarde without shame?"

Brynjolf could feel his heart slowly breaking and stopping with every word she said. He finally had enough, reached for her cheek and pulled her face into his chest, hoping to keep her from talking. It worked, but that didn't stop her tears from flowing, dampening his thin tunic that was already filthy and stained mildly with blood. He held her head to his chest while his other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her body close. She was shaking, whimpering, crying, trembling: everything a person does when they're infused with anger, regret, shame, and grief.

After what seemed like hours, the tears had stopped but the heat from her head remained on his chest. He kept his hand firmly on the back of her head, wishing they could be like this forever. And he had a feeling that she felt the same, but maybe that was his enormous ego she had mentioned earlier.

"Rosie?" he asked finally.

She groaned, seeming irritated that he broke the silence. "You just had to talk, didn't you?"

He let out a soft chuckle, keeping her head still on his chest and watching her back rise and sink with her breath. "I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"I suppose," she whispered. He could still hear the ache in her voice.

"Do you mind telling me the rest?"

She lifted up her head and supported herself on her hand, placed on both sides of Brynjolf. Her gaze stayed in the center of his chest though. He could see her puffy red eyes nonetheless. "I don't know how, but I was able to kill the dragon. As soon as I heard his last roar, I turned and found Nirn. He was looking at me as though I were a monster and then I realized why. The dragon's scales began to be enveloped in light and almost evaporate. I was surrounded by a light and felt as if something was worming its way into my body and soul. I tried running and reaching out to Nirn, hoping to save him, but then…" she paused once more, as if still unsure of what really happened. "He was completely pale, covered in blood. Once I was close enough to him, to touch him, his eyes became absent of life and his head dropped like a boulder to the ground. It was so hard to stay conscious, but also hard to keep myself from screaming. I must have spent a good few hours trying to heal him, to revive him. Mum nearly forced me to learn restoration spells, saying it would save me as it had saved her and da countless times, but I still couldn't save him."

"Rosie…" Brynjolf whispered. "You don't have to keep talking."

Her eyes met his with a determined look on her face. "No. I told you that I owed you answers, so here they are. I know you want to know everything, so this is everything. From the moment I walked into the marketplace and felt your eyes on me, I knew you wouldn't stop until you knew as much as you could about me, most likely bed me as well." She shook her head and let her eyes wander to her hand. "Never mind that last part. Anyway, there was still fire and smoke all around me. I didn't bother to move myself away or Nirn from it. Maybe I was scared, maybe I was stupid. I don't remember. My eyes were so dry from crying and the smoke. That's what blinded me. My own weakness and stupidity."

Brynjolf could see her biting her lip roughly, frustrated with herself. He reached out to touch her cheek, but she snapped her head away and looked at the wall. After a quick moment, she got up and stood against the wall, fixating her eyes on a spot on the opposite wall, just like she had in the training room inside the cistern. Her face was blank and empty of emotion.

"I must have passed out after some time because I woke up in another man's house. I knew something was wrong with everything immediately. I couldn't see, I felt cold, sore, scared, and confused. He tried to help me get my vision back, but it never changed. So he took me in, but I would have rather died back with my folks. I was teaching myself to live and see again, but it didn't help being the servant of asses like they were. He was a Thane of Solitude, with his wife and two kids a little younger than me, mind you I was 12 winters old. Immediately I hated it and tried to run away, but the damn wife always found me before I made it out the gates. I didn't make it out for another 5 years maybe."

"How did you escape?" Brynjolf asked, scared of the answer.

He saw her eyes fill with hatred as she spat out the words, eyes still stuck to the wall, "I stole from them as soon as I had figured out where they kept the money. I was able to kill the wife and make it look like suicide without a problem, making it easy for me to get out the gates. Whore was cheating on her husband since before I had become their servant. She was a terrible mother anyway." Brynjolf's body shook a bit and she laughed at that. "What? You've seen I'm the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, and you know how vicious I am. It's part of my 'spark and attitude', isn't it?"

"I didn't think you had killed a mother and housewife, lass…"

"Don't 'lass' me!" she snapped, fiery white eyes blazing in his direction. "I had no choice. She beat me like she beat her kids, I most likely got off easy though. She tried to sell my body on the streets but I had to get the guts to kill every man she sold me off to and brought the coin to her only to have her spend it on gems and jewelry. That wench whored herself out to nearly any man in the Haafingar! I had to listen to her children sob in the room next to mine at night because she was so abusive to them. She was no housewife and definitely no mother, Brynjolf. She deserved to die." Her top lip rose into a snarl as she growled the words to him. "Do you think me shallow enough to kill a woman who was kind to me, who treated me like their own? Absolutely not! Not after how my family was killed like they did, just because I was born with this goddamned 'blessing' that has turned my life to hell! I should've died in that house fire; my sisters and brother should still be here. My mother was pregnant when she died, did you ever think about that?"

"Rosie, I didn't mean- "

"Stop. Talking." She said firmly, locking his eyes to hers. "I guess opening up to you meant nothing. I'm just a heartless killer now, aren't I?"

"That's not true!" he yelled, groaning at the pain that shot through his chest.

She closed her eyes and sighed, walking out of the room. "You need to rest or that wound will reopen. I'm going out for a while; don't bother trying to find me."

"ROSIE!"

The Nord's scream for her only stayed inside her room once she closed the door. He threw an empty bottle of mead against the wall in frustration and pain. He stared at the ceiling for a long time before his eyelids descended over his gaze.


AN: Odd for me to add a note at the end of a chapter, I know. However, I have long overdue thanks to give to everyone who has reviewed any and all of my chapters.

So, thank you to: Zombigail, the first reviewer, you really made me smile; ConnorPerson; mia78; lady73; ShanRhada73, glad I inspired you; P (Guest); Manu (Guest); Nina (Guest); and everyone else who reviewed anonymously. You are all why I continue to write. I'm hopeful that my story will continue to do you all proud.

Also, just in case anyone was slightly confused: Roseleigha was never raped. I considered adding that, but I feel that it's too frequent in fanfictions and I can't possibly imagine or put into perspective what a victim of domestic violence/abuse has been though.