Shout Out to our latest follower, who has also favourited the story as well as me - you know I love it when people do that - GamergirlGG. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter!

Reviews...

Sir AC - Yeah... well, I've sort of figured out how I'm going to mould him - I'll PM you with the details when I'm going to bring him into the story

Panther Hardraad - Well, looks like it all turned out well then.

I got off of my horse, Abbacus, and walked across the sturdy dirt, following Brynjolf. He came to a halt in front of me and and examined my face.

"What?" I asked, suspicious of what I was meant to be doing. "Why are we stopping?"

"This is it lad." I glanced around the place. This was just a road. There were a few stone boulders here and there but that was it. A long rockface along the left side of the road, but nothing special. It was just a road. There was dirt, trees, ditches and rocks.

"This is what?"

"What do you think?" I scratched my hair, pulling my hood down to better examine the place.

"This is just a road."

"No lad, this isn't just a road." I rolled my eyes.

"If this is another one of your cryptic lessons where I have to guess what happened here..."

"No, you don't have to guess. You know what happened here." I looked up at him, completely and utterly bemused. "You were here when it happened."

I looked back to the scene, examining everything. I couldn't see anything.

"Okay, just tell me." I said finally. Brynjolf jerked his head towards the rockface beside us. I looked over towards it. "It's just a big stone." I said, bored of whatever mindgame he was playing.

"Look at the stone." He instructed me.

"I've looked at the stone."

"Then you're not looking close enough lad. Look at the stone."

"What is this all about?" I snapped at him. "Why would you bring me here to a road that's pretty much outside of Skyrim and tell me to look at a rock?" Brynjolf proceeded to sit on a nearby bolder, and began to read through Enthir's journal once again - as he always did. I shook my head and moved towards the rockface. I looked at the moss that had overgrown onto the formations of the rock. No... not the formations - the carvings. I brushed a hand along the stone, wiping off all moss and the occasional insect. Finally, I made out the carving of a dragon with broad, angular wings. This was the Imperial sigil.

Finally I realized.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked quietly. I turned back to Brynjolf. "Why?"

"Because you need to remember who you are lad. This boy I see in front of me isn't the same one that I remember six years ago. You're not the boy who was terrified of the idea of stealing, or hurting anyone else." I shook my head at him.

"You don't understand." I muttered.

"You don't think I understand?" He asked, surprised by my comment. "Do you think I don't care about Mercer leaving us? He was like a brother to me Tenebraeus. He was like my brother, and he betrayed me."

"Yes, but I needed him!" I tried to explain, anger building up in my chest at mentioning him. "He was teaching me control and how to use my magic. He was training me, and he left me - I trusted him, and he abandoned me!"

"And now you're becoming like him Tenebraeus!" Brynjolf snapped back. "I heard from Khadba about you and Linwe." I rolled my eyes.

"So what?"

"So what? That's the problem! You don't care about anyone else other than yourself Tenebraeus! You kill people, you fight with fellow thieves-"

"No, Khadba is not a thief - you know that. He's just hired muscle we paid in drink."

"Khadba is not the issue here lad." He shook his head. "You need to remember who you are before you do something worse."

"Stop treating me like I'm still a child!" I shouted at Brynjolf.

"I've never treated you like a child lad, you know that." Brynjolf said, even-tempered. "But I have a responsibility to tell you when you're starting to act like someone you're not." I kept quiet, thinking back on all I had done. I wasn't a monster... I wasn't like Mercer. I was just angry - I had a right to be angry. "You remember everything that happened here?" I nodded.

"My father put me on the horse and told me to ride." Brynjolf nodded.

"The Stormcloaks ambushed them. The never stood a chance." I sighed, and looked at the rock again. "It was a slaughter. It was only a couple of weeks later when the civil war started. The Stormcloaks held the east, and the Empire the west. It was bloody and brutal. Not to mention the dragon attacks." I shuddered at the stories I had heard of the beasts. "Skin stronger than diamonds, but rougher and coarser than leather. Their torn wings would cast shadows across entire cities. Everyone would scream out in fear - swords would often brush off their scales, and arrows would flail down through the air as they helpless bounced against their scales like sticks thrown by a child." I gulped.

"So... why aren't they around anymore?"

"Because of the Dragonborn lad."

"Dragonborn?" I asked, bemused.

"A man with the power of a dragon. He killed Alduin the world-eater and saved all of Tamriel." I rolled my eyes.

"Sounds a little bit like another Nordic legend to me."

"Aye, it is lad. But that doesn't mean it's not true." I shook my head and rand my hands across the stone. I stopped; my nail was caught in a small crack in the rock. As I pulled my hand away, I could make out something inside the rock - something glimmering. I held my hand out to the rock and used my senses to dig into the crack and then split it in two. I then picked up the small glimmering object.

It was a ring. A small, silver band with a large ornate signet: an eleagantly written word that was above a long narrow staff, and what seemed to be some type of orb, with flourescent ribbons protruding from it. I examined the word carefully. Magnus.

"This was my father's ring." I said quietly to Brynjolf. "He must've hid it before he died. It's an heirloom."

"You know lad, you talk an awful lot about your father, but you've never said all too much about your mother." I shrugged. "Your father wanted to you to be a diplomat or some sort aye?" I nodded.

"I guess so. Titus was always the warrior."

"So what did your mother want?" I shrugged again.

"She wanted me to travel with her. Learn my magic from her... you know, my grandfather Tenebraeus was a great mage. From what I had heard anyway."

"So, you were named after him I'm assuming?" I nodded. "You said to me before that you got your magic from your mother?" I shook my head.

"I told you she told me I did. It makes sense after all. I'm not a great fighter like my father - like Titus."

"So you believe you're like your mother?" I shrugged for a third time.

"It's not a bad thought." He nodded.

"You know, the Stormcloaks are defeated. You've been able to leave for years. I doubt anyone could stop you, and I don't know of any bounty on your head (and believe me, I would have by now). What's stopping you from leaving?" I sighed, trying to figure out how to word it.

"What is there that would make me leave?"

"You have a brother out there somewhere. You could have your family back - however little is left of it. You could become a noble again, be famous with some tales of your exploits." I grinned to myself at the idea of telling the Lord Dantaeus of my time as a thief. He'd probably have a heart attack.

"Titus may be dead by now. Or alive and the new General Magnus." I scratched the back of my head. "Either way he's come to terms with my death. I couldn't disrupt his life." I said. "Not now. Maybe in a few years."

"What difference will years make?" I thought for a moment.

"It could mean Mercer's death." Brynjolf nodded.

"A grim job. But one we must do." I nodded back at him.

"Any idea how we catch him?"

"Any plans Mercer had, he'd have kept in his house. And Mercer was the sort to plan out every eventuality." He explained. "We find his house, we find Mercer. Or at least his plans." I nodded.

"Seems logical." I nodded. "So, where's the house? Riften?" Brynjolf shook his head.

"That's the problem lad - I've no idea where to look. Riften could be too obvious, but he could've counted on us thinking that when he bought it. I just don't know lad."

"How did you hear about this?" I asked finally, realizing that he seemed omniscient at the moment.

"Stay in a tavern long enough and you'll hear all sorts." Brynjolf informed me with a wink. "You've still got a long way to go lad." I nodded, calmer now.

"I know. I guess Mercer didn't want me to be a good enough thief to catch on to what he was doing." I chuckled dryly.

"Well then, we'll have to train you to be better. If we're going to have any hope of catching him."

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We're rapidly approaching the ominous and evasive enigma that is the Nordic girl.

Also, I wanted to recommend another Skyrim Story - only two chapters at the moment, but check out After That the Dark by Operafangrl - it's only two chapters at the moment, but well written. I'll drop a link below this for you guys to check out, but remember to tell people about this story!

s/9243988/1/After-That-the-Dark