When we finally reached the cobblestone path at daybreak, we separated. Having agreed to give me my space to think, Rynjus left me at the bridge just outside of Markarth while he continued on for a drink, a hot meal, and some rest.
I spent at least eight hours on the bridge, staring at the river and pondering my many choices, twisting Madesi's ring on my finger, the unusual gem heavy in my pouch.
It was almost sundown.
I had a responsibility, a duty to the guild. I had communed with Nocturnal. I had elevated myself through hard work and skill. I did not take this lightly.
But there was also Rynjus. For two years, I hoped more than anything to find him during my travels through Skyrim and now he was in Markarth, reunited with me, all thanks to the Gods.
Could I ignore the thief inside me? And if I could not, would I be able to curb the thief inside me?
Could I turn my back on the Gods after getting what I had desired most? Could I turn away from Rynjus, the one I had longed for?
Slowly, I slipped the ring off my finger and examined it.
Nocturnal had called me to Dead Crone Rock and I had found another Stone of Barenziah, but I was still one short. Who knew how long it would take to find the last one?
But thanks to the Gods, I had suddenly been reunited with Rynjus. I imagined the many long years we would have together in our big house in Solitude. We would plant a garden and sell the vegetables in the marketplace. We would adopt children together - a thought that I had never seriously entertained before. I could be happy with him, so truly happy - if only I stopped feeding the thief inside me.
If only I stopped my search for the last gem.
With resolve, I threw the ring into the water and walked to Markarth to find Rynjus, my love.
