'' Come on!''

She ran as fast as she could through the forests of Eastmarch, losing her horse after the unexpected encounter with a dragon at the Bonestrewn Crest. The dragon has actually done her a favour; the guards have lost their horses too, as well as her trail. If there weren't for it, she might not have got this far by now.

She looked behind her shoulder, not seeing but hearing the guards' shouting; they were getting closer. She couldn't breathe anymore, and her whole body ached from the run, unable to go any further; that would be the death of her.
Instead of going on, Illie stopped, hiding behind the trees and pulling herself together. The illusion spells required a lot of focus to be cast correctly. Raising her hands slightly, she focused until a purple light appeared in her left, and a pale green one in her right hand.
She closed her eyes, and hoping for the best, cast them in the same time, before she disappeared only moment later.

'' Where is she?'' One of the guards asked, stopping and eyeing around in hope to find her somewhere and stop her with his knocked arrow. '' She couldn't just disappear!''

'' She could.'' The other guard, slightly older that his companion, looked around with his steel sword ready for an attack. '' She's a mage, remember?''

'' And a Dragonborn, too, yet she nearly got killed by a dragon, like her horse.'' The younger guard added. '' I wouldn't be surprised if she had flown away on that dragon, but to vanish into thin air… That's what I'd call a trick.'' He shrugged, lowering his bow, while his companion rolled his eyes.

'' Didn't you see what she did in the middle of the town…''

While they were bickering, Illie peaked from behind the tree, still in her invisible form. She frowned, weighing the risk; she never used that Shout while invisible.
Yet it could save her life. It could distract them long enough to… Well, long enough.

The younger one then interrupted the other guard. '' Shouldn't we chase someone?''

'' I don't think there's much use in it anymore.'' The older Nord said. '' She has most likely fled to the Rift. Not even Ulfric has the power to get her out of there without the help of the Jarl.'' He said.

'' We are close to the boundary, that's true.'' The younger Nord replied. '' But still, until she gets to Shor's Stone, we can still-''

'' Hey, skeever butt!''

The sudden voice snapped them out of their thoughts, and they both readied their weapons. '' What was that?'' The younger one asked, nocking the arrow again.

'' I don't know.'' The older one replied, while Illie, glad that she was still invisible, repeated the words.

'' Zul Mey Gut!'' she whispered.

'' Hey, cheese brain!''
The older guard jerked, glancing at the younger and pointing to the path ahead.
'' It's coming from there.'' He whispered, and they both started sneaking there, opposite from her direction.

Illie took a deep breath, taking the dwarven bow from her back and nocking a steel arrow, aiming at the younger guard.
Releasing the arrow, she watched as the youngster collapsed with a silent choked sound, not moving after it pierced his throat, since he made her job easier by not wearing a helmet.
The older one snapped his gaze towards him, and then turned around, marching at her with a cry since she was visible once more. Not a moment passed, and he was already on his knees, staring at the red-feathered arrow sticking out of his chest.
He looked up with wide eyes at the Dragonborn, who simply released the third arrow and ended his suffer.

Once both guards were taken care of, Illie straightened, taking a deep, shuddering breath as she watched the guards with pain in her heart.
Only a month ago she was their hero, their commander, their thane. Now, she was their murderer.
She always tried to find a way to kill as less people as she could; she never had enough cold blood to do it just like that, not feeling anything. At least not those that were fully alive.
And for trying to find the way to do just the opposite, she had to flee once more.

She approached both dead guards, searching them and finding a disappointing amount of gold. She flew from Windhelm with nothing but her bow, few dozen arrows, a steel dagger and her now dead horse.

Once claiming that little gold they had, she threw one last pained glanced at her dead chasers, before she turned around, walking slowly as she entered the safety of the Rift.

Brynjolf sighed, watching as the Guildmaster marched through the cistern, returning from the meeting with Maven.
He was furious, as much as he could see, but by the time he got back to the desk, he seemed to cool down, if just for a bit.
Watching how Mercer shook his head before grabbing the large book from the table, stopping to think about whether or not to throw it into the water, he pushed himself off the wall, approaching the furious Guldmaster, who decided it was best to keep their ledger unharmed and threw it back on the table.
'' Maven is not satisfied, I see.'' He commented, while Mercer leaned on the table, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

'' No, it all went perfectly well. That is why I almost threw the Guild ledger into the cistern!'' He hissed back, but Brynjolf has known him far too well to back off just like that, which is exactly what anyone else would do in his stead. '' That bitch always wants more. I don't remember the last time she was satisfied.''

'' What does she want now?'' He asked, frowning. '' She gets her profits, we get ours; everything is the same as always. Does she want a bigger cut or what?''

'' She wants Goldenglow to be settled once and for all.'' Mercer replied, sighing and trying to calm down; the more time it passed, the bigger problem it was.

Brynjolf straightened, nodding to himself. '' Of course.'' He huffed. '' What else could she ask for?''

'' The Goldenglow must be taken care of. If we lose Maven, the Guild is doomed.'' Mercer straightened, pushing himself of the table.

'' We'll take care of it. We always do.'' Brynjolf said.

'' I damn well hope so. I'm sick of hearing her gabble every time we meet.'' Mercer grumbled, making his red-haired colleague snort. Shooting him with a look, he returned to his usual self, just waiting to finally have some peace.
'' What are you laughing at? Got no better things to do?'' He asked, and Brynjolf got serious, before turning around and walking away to his bed and chest before he ended up like Etienne last week, when he returned after nearly six months of absence.

When he got out of the cistern, he sighed, glad that he didn't end up in the water. Clutching the finer clothes in his hands, he entered the separate room to change, before he headed back to the market to do the best he could to help the crumbling Guild.

Illie pulled the belt on the robes again, finding them a bit oversized for her slimmer body.
Once she entered the Rift, she slowed down, knowing that she was safe, at least for now. She was sure Ulfric will sent the bounty throughout Skyrim, and that she will become wanted quite fast. Luckily, she was never in the Rift before, so she could at least try to get some coin before fleeing either to Morrowind or Cyrodiil, starting a new life, without dragons, draugr, murders and such.
Maybe she would find someone and settle down; her tale would be forgotten, and her trail lost.
Maybe she would come to her senses and finally stop dabbling into matters that concerned gods and no one else.

On her way, however, she stopped at Shor's Stone. More importantly, she first approached the Shor's Watchtower, suspicious about the lack of the guards guarding the boundary of Eastmarch and the Rift, only to discover all of them have been killed.

The lack of luck for the guards was actually quite a bit of luck for her. Her adept robes, dwarven bow and daedric arrows were her trademarks, and the stories about the Dragonborn have spread like a wildfire after every battle, at least from what she could see and hear.
But she wouldn't be as easily recognized with novice robes, iron arrows and a hunting bow. Though she knew several spells, they wouldn't be of much use in combat if she would waste all of her magicka, and the very thought of parting with her bow was hard to think off; she has carried it on so many adventures that it simply became a part of her life.

A part that she had to get rid of in order to live further.
Replacing most of her gear with less valuable one, she passed through the wilderness of the Rift only the morning after spending the night in Sylgja's house, a miner who was kind enough to let her spend the night in her small, but warm house.

The novice mage robes were in a chest on the second floor of the tower, along with some gold. Knowing they will no longer need it, she took both, as well as the hunting bow and iron arrows. She merely kept her dagger and Wheelstone, how Calixto named it.

She reached Riften gates at sunset. Nervously, she approached the doors guarded by two Stormcloaks, hoping that they didn't get the orders already.
'' Hold there!'' A gruff voice of one of the guards made her freeze on spot. She didn't even notice how close she is to the gates.
As she froze, she watched as one of the guards kept coming closer, and closer, increasing her anxiety.
Please, don't know me. Please, don't know me. Please, don't know me.
She prayed in her mind, while the guard approached her fully, stopping in front of her and watching her with crossed arms through his guard helmet.
'' Before I let you into Riften, you need to pay the visitor's tax.''

The tax. She thought. Thank the gods.
But now, another problem appeared; she had barely enough money for her own needs; every single coin was important, and the taxes were never low.
'' Tax? What's the tax for?'' She frowned, and the guard sighed. She was sure he rolled his eyes under that helm.

'' For the privilege for entering the city. What does it matter?'' He all but snapped on her, making Illie frown even further.

She couldn't risk getting a bounty in the Rift as well. Sighing, she already surrendered and prepared to pay the tax. '' How much?'' She asked, reaching for her miserable amount of gold, a hundred septims. At most.

'' One hundred and thirty.''
Her hand stopped immediately, and she snapped her gaze up, looking at the guard with sudden anger.

'' One hundred and thirty?!'' She exclaimed, seeing how the guard glanced around nervously at her raised voice. '' Outrageous! This is obviously a shakedown!''
Her voice was raising in volume bit by bit, and by the end of her third sentence, he was shushing her down.

'' All right, all right, keep your voice down! You want everyone to hear you?'' He whispered, and she stopped shouting. '' I'll let you in, just let me unlock the gate.'' He whispered, and she gave him a nod, following him to the gate. She caught the amused look of the female guard with a hide helmet, who even gave her a friendly blink.
'' The gate is unlocked. You can head inside when you're ready.'' The guard with a helm said, and she smiled shyly, feeling a bit ashamed for putting him in such situation.

Thanking him, she entered the city, wrinkling her nose at the strong smell of moldy wood and stagnant water, probably from the canal. Looking around, she noticed that most houses looked the same; two floors with a balcony and metal door contrasting the rest of the wooden house.

But as soon as she made her way towards the small bridge over a canal, a strong arm grabbed her and turned her around, making the blonde Breton face a tall, strong Nord in steel armour, looking at her like a sabre cat watching its prey.
'' I don't know you.'' He hissed in low, dangerous voice, scowling the slightly scared Breton. '' You in Riften lookin' for trouble?''

'' No, no, no.'' She shook her head immediately, glancing at his hand that was gripping her strongly, almost painfully. '' Just passing through.''

'' Yeah? Well, I got news for you; there's nothing to see here.'' He spat out, and she frowned. '' Last thing the Black-Briars need is some stranger stickin' their nose where it doesn't belong.''
Saying this, he let her go, and only now she felt the numb feeling in her upper arm.
'' The Black-Briars have Riften in their pocket and the Thieves Guild watchin' their back, so keep your nose out of their business. Me? I'm Maul. I watch the streets for 'em.'' He straightened, now looking less angry than before, but still unfriendly. ''If you need dirt on anythin', I'm your guy... but it'll cost you.''

She raised her eyebrows a bit, watching the Nord with slight confusion. '' Dirt, huh? I'm not exactly clean myself.'' She huffed nervously and smiled, immediately regretting that as the Nord straightened even more.

But instead of making another angry remark, he huffed and smirked, crossing his arms and confusing Illie even more.
'' Then we're speakin' the same language. Good. So what do you want to know?''
He asked, and she thought about all he told her already, only to pick the topic that interested her most.

'' You mentioned the Thieves Guild? Who are they?'' She asked, frowning slightly in worry, for she had a feeling they are to be avoided.

'' Well, if you can't figure it out yourself, I'll tell you – it's a thief organization.'' He said, and she couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.
'' If you do that any harder, they might stay stuck up like that.'' He said, earning a slightly annoyed glare from the Breton. '' All in all, they're probably the fastest, the best and the most dangerous way to get paid in this city.''

'' You know them?'' She cocked an eyebrow, recognizing the hint of admiration in his voice.

He snorted. '' You kiddin'? My brother Dirge works in their hideout. I used to run with them myself, but took a job with Maven after they started hittin' a rough patch.'' He said, and Illie, now feeling much more comfortable, shifted her weight. ''If you want to get in on that action, find Brynjolf in the marketplace. I'm sure he could use someone like you.'' With those words, he walked away, leaving Illie alone on the bridge.

She looked around again, before she headed to the only place she could actually find something useful, being it information or gear; the marketplace.

Brynjolf sighed; his throat was getting dry from all the shouting and offering.
His so-called Falmerblood Elixir had its first day on sale, and by now he only had two buyers.
And he had even less luck in getting rid of Brand-Shei.

That stupid Dunmer just couldn't keep his mouth shut. Well, he wasn't really stupid, but wasn't smart enough to realize he shouldn't stick his nose where it didn't belong. Especially by spreading the word about the Wisp Essence – dammit, just when it started selling off.

Sighing, he looked around, but before he started yelling out his offer he noticed a new face in town; a young, blonde Breton in dirty mage robes, equipped with a hunting bow, iron arrows and a steel dagger.
Looks like someone could use a coin or two. He smiled, leaving his stall behind for a moment to approach the Breton, who was still eyeing around.

'' Running a little light in the pockets, lass?''

Illie snapped her confused gaze at the red-headed Nord, who was watching her with a smirk.
'' I'm sorry, what?'' She frowned, caught off-guard with his question.

The Nord smirked. '' Your pockets… They're a little low on coin. I can tell.''

She couldn't help but glance at the pocket where she help her miserable amount of coin, and then look at the Nord in bewilderment.
'' How could you possibly know that?'' She frowned, suspicious about the smirking Nord.

'' It's all about sizing your mark, lass.'' He chuckled, crossing his arms, while Illie simply stood there, dumbfounded. '' The way you walk, what you're wearing… It's a dead giveaway.''

'' My wealth is none of your business.'' She said, trying to walk away, but he merely raised a hand in front of her, preventing her from going any further.

'' Oh, but that's where you're wrong, lass. Wealth is my business.'' He raised his eyebrows with a friendly look, and Illie had to confess that he was persuasive. Very persuasive.

Finally she understood, and with a smirk, narrowed her eyes at him.
'' I guess you're Brynjolf?'' She asked, and he raised his eyebrows, surprised by her statement.

'' Well, since you already know me, may I get to know you?'' He asked, and her smirk dropped, and she turned serious, and…was that unease?
'' It's alright, you don't have to.'' Noticing this, he decided not to push her any further; if she wants it, she does, if not…Well, he'll find someone else. Hopefully.
'' But… Since you are a bit light on coin, how about helping me?'' She frowned at him; there was no real harm in listening to his offer.

'' What do you have in mind?'' She asked, and the Nord smiled, showing his white teeth.
Got you. He relaxed, lowering his hand.

'' I've got a bit of an errand to perform, but I need an extra pair of hands.'' He turned serious at this point, watching her blue eyes looking at his carefully. '' And in my line of work, extra hands are well-paid.'' She frowned, already suspecting the job will not be quite legal. And she was right.

'' What do I have to do?''

'' Simple. I'll cause a distraction and you're going to steal Madesi's silver ring from a strongbox under his stand. Once you have it, I want you to place it in Brand-Shei's pocket without him noticing-''

'' Wait… Break the law? Are you kidding?'' She frowned, and Brynjolf's expression dropped, forming something like disappointment.

'' Sorry… I usually have a nose for this kind of thing.'' He said, visibly disappointed. '' Never mind then, lass. If you change your mind, come find me.''
With these words, he watched her with a sad look, before turning around and slowly walking back to his stand with potions.

Illie looked at the ground, thinking; she did stuff like this before, only the place was not full of people. Not living people, at least.

And she couldn't risk getting a bounty, or even worse, get caught. She would never see the sunlight again.
But how should she cross the border with no money? How should she start over?

Looking up, she walked up to Brynjolf before he got to his stand, tapping him on his shoulder.
'' I'll do it.'' She said, and Brynjolf's face immediately brightened up.

'' Seems like my nose is still working for this. Glad you came to your senses.'' He said, smirking once more. '' But it seems a bit too dark now, there's not enough people to pull this through. How about we meet tomorrow morning?'' He asked, and after getting a positive response, he nodded to himself.
'' Very well, then. I'll be waiting... But don't be late.''

Hello!

This is my first Skyrim and my first fanfic in general, but I had the story in my mind for a while.

The Dragonborn will be a bit different than the usual in-game one you could play as, but I hope that the change will be welcomed, since I don't think everyone wrote about the Dragonborn being something like this. What? You'll find out soon :)

Now, will Illie do this without a hitch and impress the Nord, or will she do just the opposite and fail in her task?
And what did she do to be chased all the way from Windhelm to Riften? Why did she need to flee?

Please leave a review to let me know what you think or if you have some advice! If you want to, of course :)

See you soon!