Okay, I've decided to write out the Goldenglow chapter - I didn't actually intend to before, but hey - life's full of nice little surprises isn't it? Anyway, this is a long chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Sorry for any typos I may have missed - I was writing this quite early - like 4 am early. So, enjoy Tenebraeus' first ever heist!

Chapter Five

"Goldenglow estate is a bee farm." Brynjolf explained to me, as we sat at the table inside the cistern. Brynjolf drank from another tankard of mead before continuing. "They raise the wretched little things for honey. It's owned by some smart-mouth elf called Aringoth. You, me and Vex, we're going to teach him a lesson by burning down three of the estate's hives and clearing out the safe in the main house." I nodded, acknowledging this.

"What's the catch?" I asked carefully. Brynjolf grinned, and drank more mead.

"The catch is that we can't burn the whole place to the ground. That important client Mercer mentioned would be furious if you did." This seemed obvious to me.

"That makes sense." I nodded. "Aye, the last thing we want to be doing is crossing our our clients." He pulled himself up out of the chair. "Come, we'll go see Vex." He led me through the cistern and back into the Ragged Flagon.

"So, what about this Aringoth?" I asked cautiously.

"I told you, we don't turn a profit by killing. What's more is that Maven would prefer it if he stayed alive, but if he tries to stop us from getting the job done, we'll kill him." This sat uneasily with me. I couldn't kill a person. "Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to kill him. Vex will be accompanying you. I doubt she'd pass up another shot at the place." I nodded. Brynjolf led me through to the storage cabinet and towards the fearsome woman leaning against some crates. Her blonde hair was notted in a similar fashion to Brynjolf, but her tanned skin alerted me that she was from Cyrodiil - like me. As she saw us approaching, she clenched her jaw.

"I want to make two things perfectly clear." She informed me. "One: I'm the best infiltrator this rathole of a Guild's got, so if you think you're here to replace me, you're dead wrong." She said, her eyes emitting a pulsing on the second to last word. "And two: you follow my lead and do exactly what I say - no questions, no excuses."

I gulped. Brynjolf put a hand on my shoulder, grinning.

"The Guild has a lot riding on this lad. Don't make me look foolish by mucking it up. You watch yourself on that island. Those mercenaries don't take prisoners." He looked up at Vex. "And neither does she."

We stood on the dock opposite the Goldenglow estate, examining the place in the moonlight. I couldn't help but marvel at the Nordic manor - it was so different to Cyrodiil! No stones or marble, but oak panels, all along the side of it! It was three floors high - something I presumed to be symbolic of prosperity to the Nords.

"You ready lad?" I looked up to Brynjolf, who had stepped away from the other thief. I nodded. "Scared?" I nodded. I was very scared, in fact. What if they caught me? I saw the guards with fire burning brightly in the breezeless moonlight. "I remember my first job." He grinned, looking back at the estate. "It was at the College in Winterhold. I had to scale up the back of the cliff to get in. Not something I enjoyed that much... but once the adrenaline kicks in, you'll be fine. Soon, you'll come to love it." I nodded, gulping. I wasn't sure how I felt about that - loving theft. Alas, I had made my choice. I had to do this. "Vex?" Vex approached us, looking to Brynjolf. "Where did you say the entrance was?"

"Just across the bay." She pointed towards the docks on the island that the estate stood on, at a small wooden mound that protruded from the grass. "What's the plan?" She asked him.

"I'm going to burn down three of the hives from the outside. After I've set fire to them, all the guards are going to come outside and search for me. By the time they're outside, I need you to be in Aringoth's safe. You'll have about a minute or two to get out." The way Brynjolf spoke - it was with such accuracy and confidence! However, at the same time, he had a relaxed approach to everything - no worry whatsoever about getting caught, or worse, killed. I couldn't help but admire this man, who was willing to jump in the face of death without so much as battering an eyelid.

"And the boy?"

"He's going to stick with you Vex. I need you to take care of him."

"Just because I'm a girl, it doesn't mean I'm a wet nurse-"

"Do you need a wet nurse Tenebraeus?" Brynjolf looked at me directly, cutting off Vex. His boldness and authority made me hesitate before answering - the way he looked at me told me there was no right or wrong answer - just an honest one. I hesitated.

"No." I said, assured of myself. I didn't need a wet nurse - I could take care of myself - I had survived an ambush and survived for another three weeks. I didn't need a wet nurse.

"Happy Vex?" She scowled at him. "Just make sure he doesn't get a knife in the gut and I'll make sure no one asks you to breastfeed." She was bright red, shooting me a look of detest, making me shrink back. "And, for the love of Ysmir, don't scare the boy." He winked at me, which made me unable to hide a grin. Then, He began to walk back off into the night, supposedly to circle around to the front of the estate, leaving me alone with a fierce and fearsome Vex.

"I trust you know how to swim?" She asked curtly. I nodded, afraid that if I tried to speak, I would only emit a strangled choke. "Keep up." She said, and with that she dove into the water, gracefully. I did the same, landing quietly in the water, only to immediately grab my arms underwater. It was unbelievably freezing. It definitely woke me up. I looked up to see the outline of Vex swimming into the darkness and so, for fear of being left behind, I began to swim as hard as I could underwater.

In no less than twenty seconds we had reached the wooden mound on the grass. Vex was already lifting the wooden covering, completely unfazed by the water. I, on the other hand, was gasping for air, and rubbing my arms as fast as I could. I could see Vex's distaste in her face, but she did not say anything - probably because she didn't want to be heard by the patrolling guards nearby. She pulled off the cover and gestured for me to get in, which I did. I dropped down into the sewers, and immediately stopped gasping for air. I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from breathing and from also voicing my distaste. Moments later, Vex dropped in beside me, pulling her hood up over her hair, as I did the same.

"What is it with you people and sewers?" I asked through cupped hands. She gave me a stern look.

"Shut. Up." She looked around in the sewer. "Mara, I'm as blind as a bat..." I immediately thought of something! My magic! I could make light! I hoped... I had never really mastered a lot of it, but I could sustain fire! I outstretched a closed palm and opened it, a ball of fire sat in the palm, radiating light into the darkness. I could make out Vex's impressed face. "You have your uses." She said, walking slightly ahead of me, as I needed her to lead me through the sewers.

Eventually, we found a small ladder, leading up to another wooden cover.

"What's this?" I asked.

"The cellar."

"But why's a ladder here?"

"I put it up the last time I was here." She answered. She climbed up first, and I followed, waiting for her as she quietly closed the trap door.

"Do you think they know we're here?" I asked, cautious of the silent home.

"Well, they would've smelt us by now..." She answered. I grinned at the answer, and followed a cautious Vex, who leant behind a doorframe, and peeked into the room carefully. She nodded to me. "All clear-" suddenly, we heard the thunderous footsteps of mercenaries run down the stares of the manner, and out of the doorframe beside us. She put a hand on my mouth and pushed me up against the wall, waiting for the men to exit - they all did. She waited another moment by the doorframe. A later mercenary ran out after them. Only then did she remove the hand from my mouth.

"Damn it, he's early." She muttered. She turned to me. "We need to move." And with that, we began to hurriedly sneak through the house, up to the third level, where she halted me. She leant around the corner, seeing one mercenary still present. She turned back to look at me. "There's always something." She muttered. She took out a small knife and spun around from the doorway, throwing it swiftly through the air and into the mercenary's jugular. She eleagantly swept along the floor before the man had hit the floor and grabbed his body, lowering him softly to the floor without a noise, retrieving her knife. I stood there, watching the blood drip from the man's throat. His eyes were still very much alive - focused on my feet. His angry face of war was still etched upon his face. I felt tainted watching this man lying there, dead on the floor. I looked back to Vex, who had taken out a pair of long meal instruments I recognized to be a lockpick. She spent a moment at the door, before there was a soft click, and she straightened up, opening the double doors and walking boldly into the room. I followed after her, rather sheepishly.

An Altmer man cowered behind a case of books. He turned around to us, fear sketched upon his face. He wore fine emerald robes, gold trimmings and furs over his shoulders, various gold chains hung around his neck. He whimpered by the wall as Vex approached.

"Worthless mercenaries." He shook his head, as if he hated himself for hiring them. "I didn't think Maven or Mercer would allow me to get away with this, but I had no choice." He explained desperately.

"I just want the key to your safe." Vex said, no hint of emotion evident in her voice.

"I can't!" He tried to desperately explain, exasperated. "I may as well cut my own throat."

"What makes you think I won't?" Vex snarled.

"I don't believe you!" He stammered. "That's not your way." Vex cocked her head to the side, examining the man.

"Fine, I'll just open it myself." She said, and turned to walk away.

"No! I won't let you take away everything I've worked so hard to build!" The man yelled, and he grabbed a knife and charged at her. She spun around, knife in hand, but he didn't reach her. Instead, he had burst into flames, screaming and yelling in pain, until he fell to the floor, a burnt corpse. Vex turned around to me, my hand still outstretched, a flame still evident. I took a small step backwards... I had killed a man. I had killed someone. I felt dirty. Tainted once more. I was no longer just a thief - now I was a murderer too.

"Thanks." Vex said. "You're quite handy." I nodded - her compliment of my murdering felt sour. "Come on." She led me by the hand down to the basement of the estate, and used the key to open the door to the safe room - coin purses stood in an open chest, and the safe was firmly locked next to it. I had questions in my mind - like why she didn't just pick the lock of the safe and the door, and avoid killing the men all together? Why was the chest already open? Was someone else here? If they were, how did they get in without the key? Why couldn't we have done the same?

I watched her pocket the coin purses into all of her pouches, and she gave me some to put in mine, before she opened the safe, taking out another coin purse and a small note. She opened it briefly, then put it in her pouch, and went to leave the saferoom.

I was about to follow her when I noticed something - a glimmer coming from the safe. I crept towards it and opened it, find a small gold model of a bee. All of my temporary horror was diminished by this gleaming object. The candlelight gave this golden gleaming bee a strange essence - something that made me want it. I didn't care for the gold coins Vex had gifted to me - I just wanted this object. I moved forwards to it and lifted it up of the metal shelf, examining it. I felt a small tremble of excitement as I held it. I knew about what was worth money and what wasn't - this wasn't worth an extravagant amount of money. But... he had put it in a safe. This meant something to the dead man upstairs - someone who had died for a chance of it not being taken. That sentimental value... it made this priceless. I grinned to myself, as I realized I could have it - I held it, it was mine now. This power that larceny gave me... I liked it.

"What are you doing? They'll be back any minute now!" Vex hissed as she came back into the saferoom, and took my hand leading me out of the basement, up the stairs and down another flight back into the cellar we came from.

Brynjolf met us back at the cistern in the Ratway, and had left immediately with Vex to talk to Mercer about the robbery. Half an hour later, I was I sat on the intersection of the pathways, my feet dangling above the water below.

"You okay?" I looked up at the figure. Brynjolf was standing there. I nodded. "You can tell me if you want." I shrugged in response, looking back down at the water below - the reflection of a murderer. "Is it about Aringoth?" I nodded. He sat down beside me, placing a bottle of mead beside himself.

"I killed him." My voice cracked, and I felt the tears begin to pour down my cheeks - it was the first time I cried since I witnessed my fathers death.

"No, no... don't cry..." Brynjolf stirred uncomfortably. "I'm not... no, don't cry..."

"I'm not crying." I stated, looking away to wipe away the tears and rub my eyes. I was thankful no one else was around to see me cry.

"Of course not," said Brynjolf gruffly and slowly, "because that's what... not what lads do... right lad?" I stayed quiet, knowing he was saying this to avoid an awkward situation. I may have been young but I wasn't stupid. "You've got to understand that, this is the way life is. Sometimes we have to kill people - it's our last resort." I nodded, remembering the words I had grown up with - the words that seemed a lifetime old.

"Taking life is necessary when more lives are at risk." I said. Brynjolf nodded.

"You saved Vex's life today - that's no small feat lad." He put a hand on my shoulder. "I heard you took a souvenir?" I nodded. "Can I see it?" I opened the pouch at my waist and took out the small model. Brynjolf held it up to the light. "Nice swipe lad." He grinned, examining it. "It's not worth as much as you'd think though." He chuckled.

"I know." I said lowly.

"Then why steal it?" I felt mixed emotions to the word. Steal. It felt... strange. It was wrong, and treacherous - deceitful and dishonest. But at the same time, it felt liberating. It felt empowering. I liked it.

"I wanted it." I said simply.

"That's a good a reason as any." He handed it back to me. "I'd suggest you hide it well lad - I wouldn't trust the people around here with a septim." I grinned. I stood up with Brynjolf. "Get some sleep lad. When you get up, we'll start some jobs around the town." I nodded. I hugged him. I knew he felt awkward at this, but I needed it. I had felt so miserable and alone since coming to Skyrim - I missed my family - even Titus. I guess I just wanted somewhere to belong.

I guess I had found it.