Hi, everyone! Another two weeks have come and gone, so here's a new chapter! Enjoy!
"Go!" Iris hisses in Bryn's ear, stuffing the drinking horn in her bag. She follows him and slips out of the bedroom, right as the court wizard reenters the room from the other door.
"Did she see us?"
She flings a glance over her shoulder, half-expecting the court wizard to be chasing after them. "No. Thank the Gods."
They straighten up, emerging into the main part of the Palace, both clad in their fine clothes.
"All that's left is the Stone of Barenziah," Iris tells him. "And—" She curses. "It's in Elisif's bedroom."
Bryn lets out a breath. "Vex wasn't wrong about this being a challenge for us."
Iris nudges him with her elbow. "Nothing we can't handle. Let's go." She creeps up the stairs and slips past the court and into the hallway.
"Her bedroom is the last one down this hall," Bryn whispers.
She nods, starting down the hallway. Once the two Nightingales reach the door, Iris puts an ear to it.
"Laas," she Whispers. Detecting no auras, she tries the handle, but finds it's locked. A wave of guilt washes over her as she remembers the Skeleton Key tucked away in an inside pocket. Swallowing thickly, she pulls out a lock pick and goes to work on the lock. It only takes her two tries for the door to swing open.
"I can't believe it." Brynjolf sneaks over to the bedside table, picking up a golden case above which a gleaming red gem floats.
"Is that it?" Iris joins him, peering at the unusual stone.
"Aye. It is." He carefully closes the case and adds it to Iris's bag. "That's everything."
"Now, we just have to get out."
The two thieves manage to make their way out of the Palace unnoticed.
"That was easier than I thought it was going to be," Iris comments as they stride down the cobblestone streets.
"I agree. It seemed easy enough. Makes me wonder why Vex had us go on this job. I'm sure the others would have been able to handle it."
"Maybe, it was an excuse for us to spend time together?" Iris laughs when he arches an eyebrow at her. "Right. Wishful thinking."
They reach the Winking Skeever, and Bryn begins to move toward their room when Iris catches his arm.
"Wait." Her violet eyes swim with playfulness. "We need to settle that drinking contest."
He chuckles. "Let's at least drop our things off first."
She obliges, following him to the room and tossing her bag and sword on the bed. She takes a few septims from her purse and tucks them into her pocket, not bothering to change out of the fancy attire.
"Alright. Ready to lose?" A smirk lights up her face as she challenges him.
"You're the one who should be preparing to lose, lass," he banters as they emerge into the tavern and take seats at the bar.
Iris orders two meads to start, passing her gold to a man in a black robe to give to the barkeep.
"Say, you look like someone who can hold their liquor," the man tells her as he passes the gold to the barkeep.
Elbowing Brynjolf, she replies, "Well, thank you. I've been trying to convince him all day."
The black-robed man laughs, holding out a hand. "I'm Sam."
She takes it, shaking his hand. "I'm Iris. This is Brynjolf."
Bryn nods at Sam, grinning. "The last thing she needs is more encouragement. She's been bragging all day about how she's going to beat me in a drinking contest."
Sam raises his dark eyebrows. "Drinking contest, eh? How about a friendly contest to win a staff?"
Iris tilts her head, immediately interested. "What kind of staff?"
"It's a magic staff, I can tell you that." Sam smirks. "So, how about it?"
Iris grins, looking to Bryn. "Do it with me," she urges him. "We'll settle both contests at once."
He chuckles, nodding. "You're on, lass."
She looks back to Sam, a smirk on her lips. "You don't stand a chance, Sam."
Sam laughs loudly. "We'll see about that." He draws a bottle out from his bag and pours three cups. "This is a special brew, very strong stuff." He hands the thieves cups. "Let's get started. I'll start round one. Down the hatch!" He tips his head back, downing it. "Your turn!"
"Here we go." Iris clinks her cup against Bryn's before downing it. She grimaces as it burns her throat, warming her insides.
"One down, my friend. One down." Sam refills their cups. "And another one for me." He easily downs another. "And how about you?"
She scoffs. "A second drink? Easy." She downs the drink, the burning sensation tickling her throat. She blinks quickly, realizing her slightly blurred vision.
"So says you." Sam grins, glancing at his empty cup. "I think I've hit my limit on these things. Tell you what. One more and you win the contest."
Iris turns to look at Bryn, feeling dizzy. He gives her an encouraging nod; she barely notices his unfocused eyes. "One more? No problem." She doesn't realize her words are slurred until she's already chugged her third drink. A puff of air leaves her lips as the room begins to spin, her head becoming cloudy.
"Wow. You've really done it." Sam watches her with wide eyes. "The staff is yours."
Iris thinks she thanks Sam, but she's not sure if she says it aloud.
Sam chuckles, looking at her. "You know, you're a fun person to drink with. I know this great little place where the wine flows like water. We should head there."
Iris suddenly feels her vision blurring, blackening at the edges. She stretches out a hand to steady herself, but she can't shake the sensation of falling.
"Hey, you don't look so good—"
"Wake up! Wake up!"
Iris groans, pressing her hands to her temples as she struggles to open her eyes.
"That's right! It's time to wake up, you drunken blasphemer!"
Her head pounding, Iris forces her eyes open, finding a very angry looking priestess glowering at her.
"What—" Confusion floods her mind when she finds herself lying on the ground. "Blasphemer?"
The priestess crosses her arms. "I see. So, you don't remember fondling the statuary, then?"
"What?" Iris blinks, sitting up and finding herself in the Temple of Dibella.
In Markarth.
"I'm guessing you also don't remember coming in her and blathering incoherently about marriage or a goat," the priestess goes on. "Which means you don't remember losing your temper and throwing trash all over the temple."
"I–I'm so sorry. I…don't even remember how I got here." She rubs her temples, straining against the pounding in her head.
The priestess eyes narrow. "Oh, I'd love to help you figure it out, but I'm so busy cleaning up the mess you made of our temple." Her voice drips with sarcasm. "Now, if you were to help tidy up and perhaps apologize afterwards, I might be able to help you."
Iris forces herself to her feet, stumbling. "W–Was there a man named Sam with me? Or Brynjolf?"
The priestess's face scrunches up in dislike. "Dibella teaches love and compassion, but that doesn't mean we're just going to tell you what you want to know and let you walk away from this. Pick up your mess, then apologize, and if we think you're sincere we'll consider lending you aid." And with that, the priestess turns on her heel, heading to the back of the temple.
"What in Oblivion?" Iris has never been so confused. Or hungover. Ever. And she's Dragonborn. Whatever Sam gave her must've been really fucking strong for her to feel like this now.
Her eyes rove about the temple, finding random pieces of trash lying around. Sighing, she goes to work picking everything up, her head throbbing painfully the entire time. She finds a Giant's Toe, a Hagraven feather, two bottles of wine, and a piece of parchment. Still perplexed, she unfolds the parchment and finds it's a note from Sam. It lists a bunch of random items needed to "repair the broken staff". Iris has no idea what this means. But she has nothing else to go on. So, she returns to the priestess, telling her that everything's been cleaned up.
"You were ranting when you got here, but most of it was slurred," the priestess informs her. "You did say something about Rorikstead. Maybe you should take a look there."
Iris thanks her and hurries on her way.
Hours later, Iris arrives in Rorikstead, feeling even worse than before. She wanders through the streets, trying to figure out what she did here, when a man comes running up to her, waving his fist in anger.
"You've got a lot of never showing yourself in this town again. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Iris winces at his loud voice shooting through her aching head. "I'm sorry? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sorry's not good enough! Not while my Gleda is still out there, alone and afraid. You kidnapped her and sold her to that giant!"
"What? I did?" Iris rubs her eyes, her head aching from the bright sun. "Gods, that sounds really bad."
"You're damn right it does! I'll never breed another prize-winning goat like her. And don't you think of coming back to Rorikstead until you get her back from that giant!" the man shrieks.
She shakes her head, holding out her hands. "Okay, fine, but did I say anything about where I left a staff? Or what exactly happened with Gleda? I'm…a little fuzzy on that." And everything else, she adds silently.
"You mentioned something like that…when you were running off with my goat! Tell you what, you bring back my goat, and maybe I'll give a damn about your staff." The man crosses his arms, clearly shutting up until he has his goat.
Groaning softly, Iris nods. "Fine. I'll get your damn goat."
She manages to find the stupid thing with a giant of all things. Once it's taken care of, Iris grabs hold of Gleda's leash and drags her back to Ennis.
"Okay, here's your goat. Now, will you help me?" Iris grumbles, shoving the rope into his hand.
He glowers at her, gently petting Gleda. "I still can't figure out why you stole her. You left a note explaining it, but half of it was gibberish and the rest. The only part I could make out was repaying Ysolda in Whiterun. Guess you could try there."
Iris nods, thanking him and heading to Whiterun.
Gods, she thinks, this is the last time I'll ever participate in a drinking contest.
Iris tumbles into Whiterun and sets off to look for Ysolda. She catches her reflection in the water and cringes. Her hair is tangled in clumps, her eyes bloodshot, and her purple clothes are wrinkled. What in Oblivion happened last night? She's so caught up in her thoughts, she literally runs into Ysolda.
"There you are! Look, I've been patient, but you still owe me." Ysolda places her hands on her hips.
Iris sighs, rubbing her sore eyes. "Okay, how much do I owe you?" She decides to just give in instead of asking what happened.
But Ysolda shakes her head. "It's not about the money, really. I wouldn't have given you the wedding ring on credit if you weren't so obviously in love. But if there isn't going to be a wedding, the least you can do is give the ring back. That was one of my best pieces."
Iris's heart thumps in her chest. "W–What?" she squeaks. "Wedding? Ring? What—Do you know what I did with it?"
Ysolda exhales sharply, raising her eyebrows. "You went right out to give it to your fiancee! Don't you even remember where you left her? And after you told me that sweet story of how you met in Witchmist Grove! I can see why she left you."
Iris sighs in relief when she finds it had nothing to do with Bryn. She knows she loves him, but getting married? While drunk out of her mind? She's glad nothing happened between them. That she knows of at least.
"And what was that story about my, uh, fiancee?"
Ysolda watches her, dumbfounded. "How could you forget? It was the sweetest story I'd ever heard. You met at the full moon, under the biggest tree in Witchmist Grove, surrounded by fireflies. It was straight out of a storybook."
"Oh, Gods." She swipes a hand across her face. "Can you tell me where I said the wedding ceremony would be? Please."
The woman huffs, crossing her arms. "Well, I'm sure your bride-to-be will tell you when you get to where the ceremony will be. If she still wants to marry you when you tell her you can't afford the ring, of course."
"Okay, fine." Iris groans and sets off for, where else? Witchmist Grove.
By the time Iris makes it back to Whiterun with the ring, she swears that she'll never drink a drop of alcohol ever again. She had to kill the damn hagraven for the ring, but she really didn't feel all that bad doing it.
When she finds Ysolda by the market, she practically throws the ring at her.
"Here's the ring. Now, where was the ceremony going to be?" She's just desperate to figure this all out and take a much-needed nap.
"You said the ceremony was going to be in Morvunskar. You said your friend Sam was going to be your best man."
Her eyes light up at the mention of the strange man. "Thank you so much." After mentally preparing herself for whatever lies ahead, Iris sets back out onto the road toward Morvunskar.
"You have to be fucking kidding me!" Iris bursts out, using her Thu'um to kill the last mage prowling the ruins of Morvunskar. Panting, she stumbles down the hall, fighting back tears of frustration. She barely pays attention to where she's going until she finds herself surrounded in a thick mist, the sensation of flying fluttering in her stomach. Everything goes black for a moment before she finds herself in some sort of grove.
She moans, closing her eyes. "Why me?"
She forces herself to make her way down the path. Imagine her confusion when she reaches a clearing to find a long dining table sitting in the center, people holding flagons and eating mutton. And sitting at the table's head and standing up when he spots her? Sam.
"You're here! I was beginning to think you might not make it!" Sam bursts out in excitement.
"Where in Oblivion are we?" Iris asks, her brow furrowing. "And where's Bryn?"
Sam chuckles. "I thought you might not remember your first trip here. You had a big night. I think you've definitely earned the staff. And as for your friend, he's fine. He's sleeping in the tavern as we speak."
"I have all the things needed to repair the staff." Iris draws them out of her pocket.
"Oh, the Hagraven feather and so on?" Sam waves his hand. "You can throw all those out. You see…"
Iris gasps as a red light engulfs the man, a Dremora returning in his place. But not just any Dremora.
Sanguine.
"I really just needed something to encourage you to go out into the world and spread merriment. And you did just that! I haven't been so entertained in at least a hundred years." He gives her an amused smile.
"You can't be serious," Iris moans, rubbing her temples. "So, all of this was just a prank?"
Sanguine widens his eyes in mock offense. "Just a prank? Just a prank? The Daedric Lord of Debauchery does not deal in mere 'pranks'. This may have begun as a minor amusement, but it wasn't long before I realized you make a more interesting bearer of my not-quite-holy staff."
"Well, why did you choose me, then?"
He grins, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let's be honest here, Liriiette. I don't always think my decisions through. But you…you're going places. Maybe a little influence from your old uncle Sanguine could help adjust your course a bit…"
"Thanks…I guess."
He beams at her, clapping her on the back. "My pleasure. But I think it's time for you to go." He shoves a beautiful staff into her hands and pushes her along the path. "No fun keeping you locked up in here with this." He stops pushing her to bow deeply. "The other Daedra were right about you, you know. You are a fun mortal to mess with."
"I'm not fully mortal," she reminds him.
"Ah, yes, that whole Dragonborn thing." He waves his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Well, in any case, it was an honor to meet you, little Liriiette."
Before she can reply, she finds herself engulfed in darkness. But she seems to blink and then find herself back in the Winking Skeever, standing in the middle of the tavern with the staff in her hands.
She stands there, unmoving, trying to figure out what just happened when a disheveled Brynjolf shuffles in, locking bloodshot eyes with her.
"There you are! What the fuck happened last night?"
She turns to face him, her expression slack. "I have no fucking idea."
I have to say this was one of my favorite quests in Skyrim. So funny! I had to include it in Iris's story.
Anyway, special thanks to Guen for the review last week!
Be sure to favorite, follow, and review to let me know what you think!
We'll get back to the usual drama next update, but this was a fun break, I think!
See you in two weeks! :)
