Dovahkiraan: The Story of the Dragonborn

by HawkeyeNextGen

Adonis "Don" K'hotei is no ordinary Dunmer. His earlier years were almost nothing short than that of a tragedy. Trying to remember a past he had long forgotten, he comes across new and familiar faces in the land of Skyrim, and sure enough begins to walk a new path of life, the path of the Dragonborn.

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Walking in Shadow

The next thing I felt was the cold crisp air of Skyrim nipping against my skin. For a second there I almost mistook it for the icy cold hand of death, until I felt my heart slam itself against my ribcage. My eyes shot open and I panicked as soon as I gained a foothold of the snow and got up to gain a sense of my surroundings, slipping once upon the frigid froth. The first thing my eyes gazed upon was a fellow Dunmer; Karliah herself. We were standing outside of Snow Veil Sanctum.

"Easy, easy. Don't get up so quickly. How are you feeling?" She asked as she helped me off of my knees.

"Wait a minute…" I said before pulling away from her immediately. "You shot me!"

"No, I saved your life. My arrow was tipped with a unique paralytic poison. It slowed your heart and kept you from bleeding out. Had I intended to kill you, we wouldn't be having this conversation." She explained.

"Why bother saving me?"

"My original intention was to use that arrow on Mercer, but I never had a clear shot. I made a split second decision to get you out of the way and it prevented your death."

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you."

"Mercer made an attempt on your life didn't he? If I'm not mistaken he also stole all your valuables." She said. I immediately felt all my pockets which were empty. I then noticed to my horror, the body of my horse; Alfisgar lying upon the snow next to Karliah's own. I dashed towards her hoping the worst hadn't come to pass, but it had. Mercer slit her throat. That son of a bitch had killed my only horse. Alfsigar and I had bonded much over our adventures across Skyrim from The Reach to Eastmarch. She was as loyal as she was steadfast, and I swore there and then that I would avenge her, as she never deserved to die by anyone's hand.

"So…Mercer is the one who betrayed the Guild?" I asked.

"Yes, the poison on that arrow took me a year to perfect; I only had enough for a single shot and yet I used it on you. All I had hoped was to capture Mercer alive."

"What would you gain from that?"

"Mercer must be brought before the Guild to answer for what he's done. He needs to pay for Gallus's murder."

"How do you intend to prove it?"

"My purpose in using Snow Veil Sanctum to ambush Mercer wasn't simply for irony's sake. Before both of you arrived, I recovered a journal from Gallus's remains. I suspect the information we need is written inside."

"I wish I knew. The journal is written in some sort of language I've never seen before."

"Anyone who can translate it?"

"Enthir could, he was Gallus's friend at the College of Winterhold. He's the only outsider Gallus trusted with the knowledge of his Nightingale identity."

"What's a Nightingale?"

"Perhaps I'll tell you more about it later. Right now, we need to head for Winterhold with the journal and get the translation." She said. Although I remained skeptical of her, I assured myself she was more trustworthy than Mercer; at least she didn't kill me. As we treaded our way towards Winterhold, I asked her just who Gallus was. Apparently he was more than an expert thief, he was also a protégé, an intellectual scholar and more surprisingly, Karliah's lover. She said she couldn't help but feel responsible for his death, as her presence allowed him to let his guard down. It seemed they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when the end began. As soon as we found Enthir at the Inn, and after an exchange of introductions, we handed him the journal. He claimed that it was entirely written in the language of the Falmer. Those were the Snow Elves who ruled Skyrim once, and when they lost their war with the Ancient Nords, were pushed underground into the great stone-clad houses of the Dwemer who promised to lend them refuge, but ended up betraying them by turning them into test subjects for their own twisted cruel experiments; enslaved. The living remains of the Falmer nowadays are evolved into hideous blind nocturnal abominations whose way of life can repulse even the most stomach-hardened of Nords. The only one he knew of who could possibly translate the encoded journal was an Altmer named Calcelmo, who was stationed all the way in Dwemer City of Markarth. I had a feeling I'd be walking one huge circle across the whole of Skyrim. At first Karliah denied to come along as she was already framed by the Thieves Guild for murder. I insisted she came along seeing I was unarmed. It was good thing barely anyone knew who she was anymore, so we headed immediately there across the Northern Rim of the country.

Upon entering Markarth, a man named Weylin attempted murdered a woman named Margret in the streets before Karliah skillfully threw her dagger which pierced the man's chest before he could pierce the woman's. Strangely, the guards did little to address the situation, and only cleaned up the body as if nothing happened. A man named Eltrys asked us to meet him in the Shrine of Talos in one of the towers. Upon meeting him, he revealed that these incidents have been happening for years, and some suspect the Forsworn are behind the murders; the so-called madmen of the Reach, the natives who once occupied the province before the Nords came to conquer. The grudges held between the two factions ran hot within their blood. Although we were already on business for the Thieves Guild, Karliah agreed to come along with me, being a victim of injustice herself. We first talked to Margret at the Silver-Blood Inn, who revealed she was an agent of General Tullius of Solitude who was sent to investigate the murders. She suspected that Thonar Silver-Blood was behind those murders, but had no solid proof. We figured we start off with Weylin who stayed in a place called the Warrens, the slums of the city where the unfortunate slither off. Upon investigating his room we revealed a conspicuous letter. It wasn't long before a mercenary pulled me into a fistfight, from which I fortunately emerged victorious. The merc claimed he was sent by Nepos the Nose to try and silence us, so Karliah suggested we split up, as she and Enthir would head to the residence of Nepos while I would pay a visit to Thonar Silver-Blood, who was at the Treasury. In order for me to gain an audience with him, I had to pay a sum of coin to his custodian. Upon questioning Thonar one of his maidservants mercilessly slaughtered his wife in the name of the Forsworn, of who I killed her in self-defense. It was then Thonar revealed that a Forsworn named King Madanach has been operating from deep within Cihdna Mine, acting as a scapegoat under his command in exchange for his life, but recently had begun to deviate from his order. As soon as I attempted to leave the Treasury with the evidence I found, three guards entered the Treasury dragging the body of Eltrys who they killed, and were planning to pin the murders on me, as they were being paid by Thonar. I found myself not only cornered, but also unarmed as Mercer had robbed me of my arms a day earlier. I was infuriated, stripped of my weapons, riches, and now my dignity. I had no choice but to surrender as the corrupt guards swore I'd remain in Cihdna mine forever, and I'm sure I would've remained in there forever if it wasn't for King Madanach.

As it turned out, he as well as his fellow inmates too were victims of the widespread injustice of Markarth. After spending an entire day mining ore till my muscles ached without any food or drink, Madanach decided he would plan an escape with the inmates and myself from the mines through an old tunnel leading to a series of Dwemer ruins running through the underground of Markarth. Many of us were weaponless, and unable to handle the perils ahead, except for Borkul the Beast, an Orc with firsts of iron. I swore I saw him punch through the head of juvenile Frostbite Spider in one thrust. At the end of the ruins waiting for us, was none of than Karliah herself along with Nepos the Nose, who was a Forsworn agent himself. As it turned out, Karliah caught wind about my wrongful imprisonment, and struck a deal with Nepos, that if she could find evidence of Thonar's corruption, Nepos would contact King Madanach and plan for their escape. After we retrieved our belongings from them and adorned our armor, we exited the ruins only to find Thonar and a few of his crooked guardsmen at his side. I easily cleared the path for us by shouting Unrelenting Force, which sent him and his lackeys flying across the cityscape. As the Forsworn made their escape, drawing the attention of the city guard, Karliah and I delivered the evidence, in the form of a journal she obtained last night, to the Jarl who granted me a pardon and ordered an immediate change in the guard. It brought me great pleasure to know that those who worked at Thonar's side would be the ones vomiting up silver bars.

The hunt for Mercer continued. Karliah and I managed to make contact with Calcelmo within Understone Keep, who insisted he was a busy elf, having spent two human lifetimes dedicating his time and effort to studying the Dwemer. Upon asking him to grant us access to his laboratory, he refused, insisting his work must be kept secret in order to avoid sabotage. I explained to him in a gesture of empathy that my friend Karliah's lover was brutally murdered, and the only key to finding the whereabouts was in the encoded journal of Gallus. Upon revealing the journal to him, Calcelmo was intrigued and impressed at the fact there were few in all of Tamriel who could translate, let alone write the Falmer language. Earning his sympathy, he struck a deal with us; that if we were to eliminate a Giant Frostbite Spider who was occupying an excavation, he would escort us to his lab. Although I was fearful of those dreaded horrors, we accepted the terms. While Karliah used her bow to pierce the creature, I would draw the Spider's attention by using a new shout I learned while in Ustengrav; Become Etheral. Using it, I was virtually be unharmed, though I was still scared out of my trousers as the beast attempted to attack me. It didn't take long for Karliah to take it down. After that little endeavor, Calcelmo kept to his promise and escorted us to his lab located within the Dwemer Museum, which held an impressive display of artifacts, technology, and other trinkets, odds, and ends discovered from deep within the city. Upon reaching the end of his lab, there stood a standing stone tabled upon an elevated platform, which revealed itself to be a key, correlating the language of the Falmer with the common Tamrielic tongue. Upon obtaining a charcoal rubbing of the tablet, we thanked Calcelmo for his service and headed our way out of Markarth, wherein the streets still smelled of blood.

We meet up in the cellar of the Dead Man's Drink Inn with Enthir, who has been stationed at the Falkreath since my imprisonment. "So...how was Cidhna Mine?"

"Spare me the theatrics." I replied before handing him the rubbing of the Falmer Key Tablet. He then proceeded to examine both the roll and compared it with the writing of Gallus's journal. "Hmm. This is intriguing, but highly disturbing." He said. "It appears that Gallus had suspicions about Mercer Frey's allegiance to the Guild for months. Gallus had begun to uncover what he calls 'an unduly lavish lifestyle replete with spending vast amounts of gold on personal pleasures.'"

"Does the journal say where this wealth came from?" Karliah asked.

"Yes. Gallus seems certain that Mercer had been removing funds from the Guild's treasury without anyone's knowledge." He replied.

"Anything else, Enthir? Anything about... the Nightingales?"

"Hmm. Yes, here it is. The last few pages seem to describe "the failure of the Nightingales" although it doesn't go into great detail. Gallus also repeatedly mentions his strong belief that Mercer desecrated something known as the Twilight Sepulcher."

"Shadows preserve us…so it's true…" Karliah uttered, her breath becoming shallow.

"I'm not familiar with the Twilight Sepulcher. What is it? What's Mercer Frey done?"

"I'm sorry Enthir, I can't say. All that matters is we deliver your translation to the Guild immediately. Farewell, Enthir. Words can't express..."

"It's alright Karliah. You don't have to say a word." Enthir replied, before he bid us farewell, and invited me to pay him a visit in the near future. Upon departing the Inn we headed along the southern rim of Skyrim past Helgen back toward Riften. I figured during this it was time I had some answers. "Alright Karliah, just what exactly is this Twilight Sepulcher?" I asked her.

"You've come this far, so I see no harm in concealing it any longer. The Twilight Sepulcher is the temple to the Nocturnal, the most ancient of the Daedric Princes. The Nightingales are sworn to protect it with their lives." She responded.

"What type of protection does it require?"

"Everything that represents Nocturnal's influence is contained within the walls of the Sepulcher. Now it seems Mercer's broken his oath with Nocturnal and defiled the very thing he swore to protect."

"Thieves…and temples. It just doesn't add up."

"I felt the same way when Gallus first revealed these things to me. I think given time, you'll understand what I mean."

"I'd understand better if less mystery was involved."

"As a Nightingale, I've been sworn to secrecy regarding the Sepulcher. I know the Guild doesn't do much to foster faith, but I'm going to have to ask that you continue to trust me."

"Very well then, I trust you."

"In the meantime, I wanted you to have this." She said before handing to me a particular sword. The blade was made of the smoothest metal I had come across. The carving in the smooth Onyx hilt had the symbol of what I could only assume was that of a Nightingale. "It belonged to Gallus, but given the circumstances I think he'd approve."

"Thanks. I'll put it to good use." I said.

About a day had passed in the span it took to get from Markarth to Riften. By the time we arrived at the city gates it was dawn. There, I met up with both Sofia and Inigo. Inigo was quite worried about my whereabouts for the past few days, as he heard nothing from the guild. Sofia was concerned about me as well, though she didn't really like to admit it, keeping to her overconfident facade. After introducing them to Karliah, they seemed rather shocked having known what they were previously informed about her. I told them to just trust me before Karliah suggested we head into the Ratways towards the Ragged Flagon rather than taking the secret entrance under Mara's temple. As expected, the Flagon was empty. Everyone was waiting for us in the cistern. Upon entering we found Brynjolf, with Vex and Delvin at his side, armed with daggers in their hands.

"Lad, you better have a good reason why you and your colleagues are here with that murderer?"

"To be honest, we feel dragged into this as well." Inigo said.

"Please, lower your weapons so we can speak. I have proof that you've all been misled." Karliah spoke.

"No tricks, Karliah or I'll cut you down where you stand. Now what's this so-called proof you speak of?" Brynjolf asked.

"I have Gallus' journal, as well as Enthir's translation of it. I think you'll find its contents disturbing." Brynjolf slowly stuck out his hand and snatched the journal and the rubbing from both mine and her hand. Each turn of the page he made was slower and slower as he examined the context. "No, it... it can't be. This can't be true. I've known Mercer too long..."

"It's true, Brynjolf. Every word. Mercer's been stealing from the Guild for years, right under your noses."

"Karliah speaks the truth." I said. "After Mercer and I tracked her to Snow Veil Sanctum, he attempted to murder me and worse still, killed my only horse."

"Wait….you're serious." Sofia asked.

"There's only one way to find out if what the lass says is true. Delvin, I'll need you to open the Vault." Brynolf said.

"Wait just a blessed moment, Bryn. What's in that book? What did it say?" Delvin asked.

"It says Mercer's been stealing from our vault for years. Gallus was looking into it before he was murdered."

"How can Mercer open up a vault that needs two keys? It's impossible. Could he pick his way in?"

"That door has the best puzzle locks money can buy. There's no way it can be picked open." Vex said.

"He didn't need to pick the lock." said Karliah.

"What's she on about?"

"Use your key on the vault, Delvin. We'll open it up and find out the truth." Brynjolf said before he and Delvin simultaneously used their keys upon the vault. When the doors swung upon the only things that graced our eyes were some cups, a few inexpensive paintings, and a series of cobwebs. Karliah's suspicions were true. "By the Eight! It's gone, everything's gone! Get in here, all of you!" Brynjolf shouted. We rushed into the vault to see what Mercer had taken; which was just about every single item of value.

"The gold, the jewels... it's all gone." Delvin uttered.

"That son-of-a-bitch! I'll kill him!" Vex shouted.

"Vex! Put it away... right now. We can't afford to lose our heads... we need to calm down and focus." Brynjolf said.

"Do what he says, Vex. This isn't helpin' right now."

"Fine. We do it your way. For now."

"Delvin, Vex... watch the Flagon. If you see Mercer, come tell me right away."

"Wait a minute…does this mean that Mercer has been stealing our cut of the riches as well?" Sofia asked. "He's gonna pay for that."

"Pretty much. Not to mention he stole all my valuables as well." I replied.

"How on earth was he able to steal all that without both keys?" Inigo asked.

"Whatever the case may be, we'll hunt him down."

"Agreed."

Upon this disturbing revelation, Brynjolf tasked us with investigating Mercer's homestead, Riftweald Manor; a gift from Maven Black-Briar, although he seldom resided in there. He suspected we could find a lead to help us track Mercer down somewhere within the premises. Fortunately for us, it wasn't far from the secret exit under Mara's Temple. After taking out a watchdog mercenary and gaining access to the upper porch using a collapsible rampart, we snuck into the house and took out other mercs along the way. We searched the house high and low but couldn't find any clues, until Inigo found a conspicuous wardrobe, much like the one Delphine had at the Sleeping Giant Inn at Riverwood. Passing through we entered a series of sewer tunnels which was connected to the house, and was laid with an impressive number of traps. Fortunately, spending time in Nordic ruins, I had the experience needed to point out where the traps were located. Eventually, we came across what we could only assume was his study, with a bust of the Gray Fox, a peculiar map, and a bowl of gems which we gladly took from. There was also a unique sword dubbed "Chillrend" within a perculiar display case. In an act of generosity, I thought Sofia should have it. Upon returning to the Cistern we presented the map to Brynjolf. He was shocked, as this was Gallus's pet project; a plan to retrieve the fabled Eyes of the Falmer from the ancient Dwemer ruins of Irkngthand. These eyes were said to be ancient jewels of an unknown material housed in an ancient statue deep within the ruins, which were supposedly priceless. If Mercer were to get his hands on them, he would be set up for life, and disappear from Skyrim altogether.

After the guild made amends with Karliah, she, Brynjolf, my companions and I spoke to discuss the matter. We all agreed that Mercer needed to die, but Karliah claimed in order to gain the upper hand against him, we would have to strike a deal with the ancient Daedric Prince of Nocturnal. This took us to a place called Nightingale Hall, a chamber located a short hike southeast of Riften. According to the Guild, the Nightingales were nothing more than just a legend, a fairytale to keep them in check. This was presumed as the Nightingales themselves were sworn to secrecy in service to Nocturnal, acting as the shadowy guardians of her Twilight Sepulcher. Karliah revealed to us that Mercer betrayed his oath to the Nightingales by desecrating the conduit of the Sepulcher known as the Ebonmere; a portal to Nocturnal's realm of Evergloam, from which her connection with Nirn is maintained. From it, Mercer stole a relic the Skeleton key, an artifact which not only could open any physical doors throughout the entirety of Nirn, but through other realms in the known realm of Mundus. From the Ebonmere, Nocturnal's greatest attribute; luck, influences those who pledge their servitude towards her in their favor. Without the Ebonmere remaining open, their luck, and the Guild's, had run dry. Not only did this explain how Mercer was able to steal from the vault, but proved Delvin's suspicions of a curse as true.

Thus it fell to Brynjolf, Karliah, and I to reverse this curse. I always told myself I would only be joining the guild to gain the skills needed to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy, but I never thought I would find myself this knee deep within such as conflict. Strangely enough, I was starting to enjoy my time with the guild, as did Inigo and Sofia. As we entered the hall, Karliah explained how Nocturnal's influence to Nirn influenced the luck of the Thieves' Guild, and without the Skeleton Key to keep the Ebonmere open, the guild's luck had run dry. In a room adjacent to the entry tunnel, three sets of Nightingale Armor sat upon a set of stone display pillars. It was then Karliah revealed to us that in order for us to defeat Mercer, we had to become Nightingales ourselves by striking an oath with Nocturnal. Brynjolf accepted, but I declined, as I saw myself as a follower of Lady Azura, of which Nocturnal saw as one of her rivals. Karliah was insistent as she explained without Nocturnal at my favor, Mercer would have a greater chance of overpowering me. Upon revealing to her that I was Dragonborn and had the beast blood in me, she and Brynjolf seemed convinced of my abilities. The otherworldly ritual took place at a shrine with three stone outcrops located above watery chasm, wherein Nocturnal herself spoke from her realm to Karliah, who begged for her forgiveness. The Daedric Prince was displeased with her, but nonetheless accepted her terms to kill Mercer for his sacrilege against the Twilight Sepulcher. Afterwards, we headed towards the ancient ruins of Irkngthand.

The ruins of Irkngthand were located near the border of Eastmarch and The Pale. It was the first time I had ever seen the Dwemer ruins outside of Markarth. We suspected it to be overrun by bandits, but all we saw were the bodies, virtually flung around the area. As we stumbled into the entryway, we saw one of them was still breathing, but heavily wounded. In a state of delirium the live bandit spoke of a walking shadow which clouded his vision before stabbing him and slaughtering his accomplices with little effort before taking his last breath. It was the first time I felt sympathy for a lowlife such as him. As we ventured deeper into the ruins my curiosity had officially piqued. The architecture in the surrounding environment was unmatched by any living being in Tamriel today, and were renowned for their superior technology and supreme intellect. They created machines with powers to supposedly rival the gods themselves, but at the end of the Second Age, they had all disappeared from the realm of Nirn. Some suspect they wiped themselves out in the Aetherium Wars, others say they tapped into the Heart of Lorkhan and ascended to another plane of reality.

The only living things found in place of the Dwemer, were that of the dreaded Falmer. Suffice to say my first encounter with them wasn't pleasant. Indeed, not only was their physical appearance revolting, but their breath and odor were nearly intolerable. We passed through an entire nest of them in what could only have been former slave pens constructed by their former masters. Most praise the Dwemer for their advanced régime, but few have ever criticized their cruelty to their own cousins. One ponders how such an intellectual race can be so uncivilized.

Along the walls of the caverns were a series of pipes. Karliah suspected we were underneath Lake Yorgrim, and it became evident that the ceiling was unstable. It didn't take long for us to come across a gargantuan cavern where an enormous bronze statue containing the Eyes of the Falmer were, which were currently being filched by none other than Mercer himself. We had him cornered, or so it seemed.

"Wow…would you look at that stunning view." Sofia said. I tilted my head towards her as it didn't sound like she was admiring my statue, but my physique instead. "What, I wasn't looking at you? Okay I was admiring you. But what can I say? I like men in tight fitting armor."

"He's here and he hasn't seen us yet. Brynjolf, watch the door." Karliah said.

"Aye, lass. Nothing's getting by me." Brynjolf replied.

"Climb down that ledge and see if you can..."

"Karliah, when will you learn you can't get the drop on me?" Mercer intervened as he used a sort of magic to bring down the stone platform we were on, causing us to fall onto the debris. I slowly regained a footing before Mercer spoke again, "When Brynjolf brought you before me I could feel a sudden shift in the wind. And at that moment, I knew it would end with one of us at the end of a blade!"

"Give us the key Mercer, you're outnumbered." I said.

"But not outclassed." He retorted. "Tell me, what's Karliah been filling your head with? Tales of thieves with honor? Oaths rife with falsehoods and broken promises? Nocturnal doesn't care about you, the Key or anything having to do with the Guild!"

"This isn't just about Nocturnal, this is personal."

"Revenge is it? Have you learned nothing from your time with us? When will you open your eyes and realize how little my actions differ from yours? Both of us lie, cheat and steal to further our own end."

"The difference is I still have loyalty."

"It's clear you'll never see the Skeleton Key as I do... as an instrument of limitless wealth! Instead you've chosen to fall over your own foolish code!"

"If anyone falls, it will be you Mercer Frey!"

"Then the die is cast, and once again my blade will taste Nightingale blood!" He shouted just before casting a spell which rendered everyone paralyzed. As soon as he did, I shouted, "FEIM!", which rendered me to become ethereal, allowing the spell to pass through.

"You got all kinds of tricks up your sleeve too huh? Very well then, let's see what you're made of!" Mercer said as he virtually became a silhouette before my very eyes. The shadows emitting from his body seemed to spread all across the cavern, impossibly clouding my very sight and my other senses in darkness. Fortunately for me, there was my shouts. One of them was known as "Aura Whisper", which I had obtained in the Nordic ruins of Volenruud during my training on the path of Dragonborn. Concentrating my breath, and maintaining my composure, I spoke the word, and the universe listened. From within the darkness I could detect the figure that was Mercer charging at me from behind and leaping into the air from to strike me down. In that instant, I dodged his assault and counterassaulted in a fury, catching him off guard. My training with the Companions in the art of combat have paid off. It took a few attempts, but as soon as I slashed his gut, the shadows retreated giving way to light. There, Mercer was on his knees, holding his gash. "But…how? I had you…cornered like a rat. I was gonna end you. You're not even…a Nightingale…"

"I am Dragonborn." I said. Upon hearing that, Mercer became infuriated and attempted to attack at me once again. But I soon had him decapitated, and claimed his weapon dubbed, "Malice" in victory, as well as the Skeleton Key from him pockets. But now was not the time to celebrate, as the cavern was starting to collapse, and filling with water. The paralysis spell wore off of everyone and we searched the cavern to find a way out. At first it seemed the situation was futile, until I climbed up the statue and felt a slight draft coming in from the ceiling. As soon as I pointed out the loose ceiling to Inigo, he shot at it which caused the rocks to give way to an opening. We scrambled up the statue to one after the other into what seemed to be a tunnel leading out of the cavern. Upon reaching the cave we were all accounted for, except for Sofia. I dove back into the rising water to search for her. In that moment my blurry vision could make out was that her foot was caught on some debris. I assisted her as best I could, heaving back and forth until her foot came free. I wrapped her around my arm and swam as hard as I could back to the surface. As soon as we breached, I gasped for air. Pulling Sofia onto the ground I realized she was breathless. I pounded her chest hoping to All-Maker that she'd survive. It wasn't long before she began coughing up water.

"Don…you…you saved me?" Sofia managed to ask.

"Of course. You've stuck with me for this long. It's the least I could do." I replied.

"You…you really care about me? Even after what you did?"

"What did I do?"

"Nevermind. I'l… tell you when we get back to Riften." She said as she sighed. I stood up to face Karliah.

"I can't believe it's over. Twenty-five years in exile and just like that, it's done. All that remains is to ensure the safe return of the Skeleton Key." She said.

"Sounds like it will be a simple task." I replied.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. When the Skeleton Key was stolen from the Twilight Sepulcher, our access to the inner sanctum was removed. The only way to bring it back will be through the Pilgrim's Path."

"I take it you've never been onto the Pilgrim's Path?"

"It wasn't created for the Nightingales. It was created to test those who wished to serve Nocturnal in other ways. As a consequence, I have no knowledge of what you'll be facing."

"So…why aren't you coming with?"

"I've been a Nightingale for a very long time. I sold my allegiance to Nocturnal in exchange for many profitable years of thieving. Falling in love with Gallus was wrong. It was a distraction that allowed the Sepulcher to be desecrated and it likely cost him his life. Until the Key is returned, I will never set foot inside that place again."

"Karliah, falling in love is never wrong…what you had with Gallus was never your fault. Mercer took advantage of what you had and used it against you. I'm sure Gallus doesn't blame you. In fact, I'm sure he'd want you to gather the courage to set foot onto the Pilgrim's path, and face your failure, and right your own wrongs. We'll face it together."

"Perhaps you're right Dragonborn…in that case, I'll stick along with you on the path."

When we exited the cave, Brynjolf said he'd head back to the Guild to take care of business, while Karliah and my companions would head to the Twilight Sepulcher, located within the western region of Falkreath.

Standing upon the threshold of Nocturnal's Temple, I could feel an uneasy sense of a supernatural Aura leaking into the mortal realm. Upon entering the main chamber, the shadows seemed to take on a life of their own, shrouding whatever light there was. Suffice it to say that the Pilgrim's Path was no easy endeavor. Along the path we met the ethereal figure of none of other than Gallus's specter, who stood watching the entrance to the path that lead towards the Inner Sanctum. Karliah was relieved to meet him again, and expressed her regret towards having ever been in a relationship with him. In a gesture of reassurance, Gallus encouraged her not to blame herself for Mercer's betrayal. Gathering her fortitude, we pressed forth into the Inner Sanctum. On the path we ran into a number of clever traps, placed in the most inconspicuous and shrouded of places. Fortunately, Inigo's Khajiit night-eyes helped clear the path for us. I recall in one sect of the path we had to stick to the shadows to avoid being touched by an unnatural light which burned our skin. Deeper into the sanctum, we reached what seemed to be a stark and unambiguous pit. At first, it was assumed we had hit a dead end. But Karliah was insistent that this was our destination. Not to mention that something was tugging in one of my pockets. Upon further observation, it seemed that the Skeleton Key was acting as if it was being pulled into pit by an unseen hand. Trusting Karliah, we leapt in and landed hard, but all that was at the bottom was the remains of a skeleton who perished from starvation and thirst long before. I was about to seriously question Karliah's sense of direction until the ground before us virtually disappeared gave way to another chamber. Before long, we stood upon a large glazed pedestal that contained a peculiar aperture in the center. I could only assume this was where the Skeleton Key was supposed to fit. After inserting the artifact and turning, the whole chamber began to quake. We backed up as soon as the plinth began to collapse, revealing the Ebonmere; Nocturnal's portal to Nirn, and from it arose the Daedric Prince of Shadow; Lady Luck herself. She sounded rather unimpressed with our endeavors, as she emphasized that these events were expected to happen as she had foreseen. As a follower of Azura, I could tell that my allegiance was testing her tolerance. Nevertheless, as a token for my service for the Guild, she allowed me to drink from the Ebonmere, and obtain a unique ability as an Agent of Subterfuge, wherein I could absorb a said amount health from an enemy instantly. Nocturnal conveyed her disappointment towards Karliah, but had accepted her act of redemption. Gallus's specter showed himself once more to express his pride and adoration to Karliah before exchanging a touching farewell, and stepping through the portal to the realm of Evergloam.

Returning to the Thieves Guild, Maven Black-Briar had caught wind of Mercer's betrayal and our apparent success in tracking him and the Eyes of the Falmer, which we returned to the guild, presumably the first of many riches yet to be plundered throughout the land. As a token of gratitude, she allowed a free shipment of Black-Briar mead to the Ragged Flagon in celebration of our achievement. What really caught me by surprise was how both Brynjolf and Karliah had discussed their position of the new Guildmaster, and decided that title should befall to my shoulders. I felt honored to have been a part of this merry little band of misfits, as did my two other companions as well, who gladly partook in the underground festivities.

"Children always creep me out. Is it just me or do all of them look the same?" Sofia asked as we sat around a table with some mead. "If we had children…what do you suppose they'd look like?" I almost chocked on my mead upon hearing that statement. "Oh no! I meant hypothetically! Although you are kind of…*sigh* I'm just gonna stop before I really embarrass myself."

"What aren't you telling me?" I asked.

"Um…what do you mean?

"You always act like we've known each other for a long time before we met in Whiterun. Why is that?"

"We…had a life together, you and I." She revealed after a long moment of silence passed us by.

"Truly?"

"Remember when I told you how my parents were the funny type? That's because we didn't get along all that well. When they finally kicked me out of their house, they left me penniless too. I mostly spent those days in dark damp caves. Not that I didn't mind them, I mean, you won't find a better place for privacy."

"So…where did we meet?"

"In Cyrodiil. After deciding to ditch Skyrim, I first met you when you found me sleeping in the barn at some farm near Kvatch. The owner threatened to throw me out, but you insisted I stay. I have to admit, those hoes are a real pain to use. Never again will I do an honest day's work."

"What happened to us?"

"You mean really can't remember?"

"I'm afraid not."

"You left me."

"What?"

"Do I need to repeat myself? You hurt me Don. At first we started getting along very well. We became infatuated. One night I came back after making a delivery, only to find you missing. The owner told me something happened to you; something you refused to clarify; something that…led you to become a bandit."

"I…why? Why would I do that?"

"You never told me, you never told anyone why. But now you can barely remember your own reasons, I guess that matters little now doesn't it? After you left me I came back to Skyrim and dated a Breton from High Rock for some time, but I guess he couldn't handle me. I was too much for him."

"Sofia…I'm sorry. Whatever I did to you in the past I'm sorry."

"How do I know you're being truthful Don? Nope. You know what? Don't answer that." She said as she gulped down the rest of the mead in her Flagon. "I'm not gonna stick around you anymore just for you presence to remind me of my past. I want nothing to do with it." She said before she stood up and started to walk into another direction. Just then, she returned her attention to me. "And you know what? Remember how you said to Karliah that falling in love is never wrong? Well, sometimes…sometimes I wish I had never fallen in love with you."

"Sofia…"

"Don't try it. Not after you broke my heart. And don't even think about following me." She said as she stormed out of the Ragged Flagon. From that moment forward our spirits had become dampened over smell of sewer and mead. As I stared into my flagon and gazed upon my reflection, I began pondering just who or what I had become, and what past I had forgotten.