Aedenrel wasn't sure what she was doing in Bravil. Truth be told, she hated the town, and more than anything else, she hated the smell. It was a lovely stomach-turning stench that made her want to toss her lunch upon the ground. With a sigh, she made her way through the streets, generally wandering. It hadn't been a week since she'd last talked to the Night Mother, but maybe she could do with an extra dose of Luck. Passing the Chapel, she heard the people inside start singing some sort of hymns. She fought the urge to cover her ears as she made her way to the statue.

Kneeling down, she whispered quietly to the Night Mother. She was extremely surprised to hear the small whisper in her ear in return, the cold, chilling voice that sent shivers down her spine. "Ah, my Listener, you have returned. It is not yet time," she heard the Mother chiding her, wondering if she was about to be scolded or injured for her idocity. "But, I do have use for you. Things have not been going the way I want them to, little Listener. No, no this isn't about the contracts. Those have been carried out beautifully. This is about a member of the guild... But no, I will not bother you with the details now. Let me get your attention again, little one.

'Somewhere in Bravil, in one of these shoddy little houses, is a Great Treasure. I have plans for you, Aedenrel, and this Treasure is going to aid both you and me. Find it. Cherish it. When the time comes, use it. Go now, and find it. I'll speak with you again when I need you." The voice faded, though Aedenrel could have sworn she felt the Night Mother caress her hair softly as she left. Damn, thought Aedenrel, the Night Mother knows exactly what to entice me with. For as long as she had been alive, Aedenrel had found herself unable to refuse the promise of treasure. It had often gotten her into trouble, but it was never anything more than what she could handle. Obviously, because she wasn't dead.

She held her head high as she walked through the streets of Bravil, making her way again to the Chapel. The singing seemed to have stopped, but she wasn't sure how long it was going to last. Making a quick mental calculation, she summed up the total number of houses in Bravil. It was going to take her quite some time, she concluded, to search every house for a treasure. Maybe she ought to hire someone to help her. Then again... It was probably not a good idea, seeing as how the "treasure" probably belonged to someone else.

She hated Bravil, even more than she hated Leyawiin. Both cities made it impossible to find anything, and both cities were too far South to come to regularly. Now, she hated Bravil even more. Suddenly, she stopped, and turned slowly towards one of the houses. She had a gut-feeling, an instinct telling her that what she was seeking lay within. Aedenrel was always one to follow a hunch. They'd let her down before, she reasoned, but she'd never ended up dead. Looking around carefully, Aedenrel noted that there was no one to witness her walking into the house. Not that it really mattered, because she had her armor on if she really needed it. With a smile on her lips, she checked over her shoulder once more, and pushed the creaky door open.

The inside was like every other Bravil house in existence, drab, damp, and disgusting. It smelled slightly better than outside, she noted, as she crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her. It looked nothing special, Aedenrel thought with a sigh. There was probably no treasure here at all, and she had just trespassed into someone's home for no reason. What would they say, she wondered, when they came to the door and found her snooping through their things?

"Who's there?" It was a male voice, probably an Imperial or a Breton. She didn't need to turn to see him, as she already knew she was going to be in trouble. She wasn't in the mood to fight, so she sighed.

"Sorry, I must have... Come in the wrong house..." She went to turn towards the door, but found herself compelled not to. It was a strange sensation, but she felt the need to face who was speaking to her. With a sigh, she turned, and found herself nearly nose-to-nose with the houses' owner. There was something familiar about him, she thought fleetingly. Something was incredibly familiar about those bright blue eyes. And... he was blind? There was a slight white fog over them, and the way he stared at her, unfocused.

"Then leave," he murmured. He didn't appear to be in the best mood, but he didn't look like he was about to call the guards on her. She quickly scanned his ears, neck and hands, searching for some kind of magic jewelry that could be her treasure. Nothing, she frowned, studying him closer, wondering just how long she could stay before she became an unwelcome guest. "I might be blind, but I'm not deaf. You're still there, and I don't want you to be. NOW leave."

His tone is what caught her there. She studied him intently, searching for some hint or clue. That's when it hit her. "AARON." The word, his name, came out more like a gasp than anything else. As she let realization sink in, his frown deepened and his eyebrows sloped ever deeper into a scowl. He made no comment as to whether or not he knew who she was, but she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. A feeling she was beginning to dread. A feeling that she was a pawn in a game, and she had no control over what was happening to her.

Of course, she reasoned to herself, maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe he's not Aaron at all, and I've made some horrible, terrible mistake.

"Aedenrel..." He said her name no louder than a whisper, and she felt the whole world come crashing down around her. This is what the Night Mother had meant. She could already see the plans moving into action, the world was already conspiring against her. Whatever the Night Mother wanted, the Night Mother got.

"DAMN," she exclaimed, resisting the urge to throw her hands up into the air in frustration. "Damn, damn damn, damn, damn. How can this be happening?!" When the Night Mother issued an order though, she knew she had no choice but to obey. If this man, this childhood friend, was her treasure she was going to have to take matters into her own hands.

"So it is you," she heard him mutter. What, he wasn't happy to see her? Or, well, not see her?

"Yeah, it's me. What are you-"

"Leave." It wasn't an order, it was a command. And now, she was being insulted.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"Leave..." The bright-blue eyes stared at her, unseeing, but he could hear. In that moment, she frowned, and knew what she had to do. Digging in her back-pack, she withdrew a short dagger, Elven in craft. From the pouch she wore around her waist, she withdrew a small vial of her own making, and dripped the contents onto the blade; the effects of a paralysis poison, with a sleep effect that would knock him out for a few hours. Before he knew what was happening, she'd stuck him in the arm, not enough to hurt him, but enough to let the poison sink in. It was after he'd hit the ground that she knew she was in all sorts of trouble.

Horses weren't allowed in the city limits, so that plan was out of the question. And what would the guards say to her when she passed them dragging an unconscious civilian behind her. Of course, she could always come back for him later... Oh, she was most definitely screwed.

Aedenrel took off her pack, and set it on the table to her right. Then she made Aaron more comfortable by putting a pillow under his head. With a sigh that she let out between her teeth, she knew she was in big trouble. Potions, poisons, extra weapons, clothes, and all of her alchemy equipment. She sighed again as she thought about the amount of time Aaron would be out-of-commission, and how much time she would need to make a plan. She scooped everything back into her pack, and dodged out the door, intent on enlisting the help of a beggar and the Mages guild.

The first thing she had to find, a beggar, walked right up to her. She smiled as the old man asked for a few spare coins, so he could get a new pair of shoes. And then she handed him a few, whispering words as she did. "I need a distraction in an hour, to get the guards away from the door. Do you think you can provide one?"

"Depen's on the sort'a distrac'tun you needs. What are you look'n fer?"

"I'll get a small flame going on one of the abandoned houses, you alert the guards. But you don't know anything about anything, and this never happened." There was a twinkle in her eye, one that made people want to trust her. But it didn't work on the beggar that day.

"I think I'll be need'n summore coins 'afore I 'tempt that." A toothless grin, bereft of malice, but full of mischief greeted her. And the Wood Elf maiden had no other choice than to hand the man another handful of coins. "Thankee, Ladie."

She disappeared down the street after that, with a determined gait and a set jaw. She knew exactly how long she had left, and it wasn't long. Aedenrel nearly threw the door to the Mages Guild open when she reached it, and the other Mages eyed her suspiciously as she stormed the counter.

"What can I get you today?" The High Elf behind the counter meant well, but her attitude had always annoyed the Wood Elf. Then again, almost every High Elf she'd ever met had annoyed her.

"I need a very, very strong Chameleon spell. I'll take potions, scrolls, enchanted whatnot and anything else." Perhaps it was her tone of voice, but the High Elf's smile quickly faded.

"How much Chameleon are you looking for, Magician?"

"100 points. Complete camofluage." Her smile seemed to catch the High Elf off guard.

"Another secret mission, Aedenrel?" The girl behind the counter flashed Aedenrel a grin, and pulled a box from under the counter.

"Indeed. I'm afraid I can't spare the details..."

"You never can, dear. Anyways," the High Elf took a key from her pocket and opened the glass top of the box. "We have potions, charms, amulets, scrolls and everything else you can think of. Feel free to inspect them."

Time is running out, the thought ran through her head as she picked up a little glass vial that contained a potion. I didn't bring an incredible amount of gold with me, either. "These will do just fine," Aedenrel decided, and pocketed a potion and two scrolls. Then she carefully counted out the gold that she owed, and handed it to the girl behind the counter. Without another word she walked out of the Mages Guild and back towards Aaron's house.

When she opened the door again, he was still knocked out, and still on the floor. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, and inspected the potion in her hands. The effects wouldn't last long, hopefully just long enough to get him out of the town. It was going to be a long shot in the dark, and she would only get one chance. Aedenrel didn't allow herself to think about what might happen if everything didn't go according to plan. She knew she would end up in jail with no questions asked. Attempted kidnapping, arson, trespassing and who knew what else. No, she didn't let herself think about it.

Aedenrel bit her lip in her nervousness and sat down on the floor next to Aaron. Holding his neck in the elbow of one arm, she forced the Chameleon potion down his throat. He didn't cough or sputter, which was good. Then she activated both of the scrolls over top of him. And finally, after taking another deep breath to steady her shaking hands, she cast a weak Feather spell to help herself carry him out of the town. She would look silly doing it, but at least no one would think that she was up to something.

Most of the citizens and guards of Bravil were so doped up (on skooma that they drank ritualisticly) they hardly noticed what was going on around them at any given moment. Unless, of course, someone came up and reported some crime. As Aedenrel stumbled out the door, she checked the sun, and sure enough almost exactly an hour had passed. She snapped her fingers lightly, and pointed the fireball towards one of the bridges that connected the two halves of the town. And then she saw the beggar run towards the guards. A smile flickered briefly on her face as she made a mad staggering-dash towards the gate. No one was watching what she was doing, which was good. It was exactly what she had wanted.

She exited the town just as the Chameleon and Feather spells wore off, and she nearly fell to the ground carrying Aaron's full weight. Aedenrel clacked her tongue lightly to gain the attention of her horse. The midnight colored mare walked to her, and nuzzled her cheek for a moment, then whinnied. Obviously she wasn't happy about the extra weight she knew she was going to have to carry.

Knowing she didn't have much time, the Wood Elf dug in her pocket and uncorked a small white bottle. She splashed the contents onto Aaron's head, and then lifted him almost effortlessly onto the horse's back. Then she got on in front of him, and spurred the horse onwards, knowing that a pursuit probably wouldn't be too far behind.

A few hours later, Aedenrel was tired, and so was her horse. Her mood had turned sour after only a few minutes, seeing as how her horse, Shadowmere, had decided that she didn't like carrying extra passengers. Aedenrel also felt slightly bad, as there was a voice in the back of her mind that kept nagging at her.

You don't kidnap your friends. Especially your blind friends.

Yeah, well that's what I get for getting involved with the Dark Brotherhood. With a sigh, she steered Shadowmere towards the North. Her home was a long way away, and she wanted to get there before night fell. Her own bed, her own sheets, with the smell of home, and not of swamps and sewers... She drifted into her own thoughts. Shadowmere knew the way.