Chapter 4

*I don't own Skyrim, but I own Juheena and Juheena owns Farkas*

Silently, Juheena crept up the ruined wooden stairs, taking extra care to get Anja over the missing boards safely. Anja seemed able to handle herself well though, and soon they were at the top in one piece.

"Your things are around here somewhere. Maybe I should look for mine while you look for yours!" Anja exclaimed in a whispered voice.

"Good plan, little fairy." Juheena then proceeded to pick the locks of various chests around the room, discovering many other people's things, but none of her own. Finally, coming to a large chest partially hidden behind a table and chairs, her heart skipped a beat. Oh please lady luck, Mistress Nocturnal, please let this hold my things.

She slipped the makeshift lockpick into the lock, and waited to feel the tumblers. This was one difficult lock. Surely the oblivious bandits couldn't have made it themselves. She picked for a few seconds longer, when to her disappointment, her makeshift pick snapped.

She exhaled slowly. What was she going to do? If she couldn't get to her things, she couldn't help these people. How would she free them all without some real picks? She rested her head against the large chest for a few moments, thinking. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Here, can you use these?" Anja showed her a handful of hair pins.

"Oh! Anja you're a genius!" Juheena plucked a pin from the girl's hands and began to work on the lock.

"My mamma got them for me for my birthday, and what better way to use them than here?"

Juheena paused, heart soaring. If only she had been like this little girl so many years ago….

She felt the tumblers release, and she slowly lifted the lid while holding her breath. The chest was filled to the brim with her armor, daggers, jewelry and potions. Lying on top of the heap was her Ebony Greatsword. She grabbed the sword enthusiastically and gave it a big kiss, which sent the girl into a fit of giggles.

Holding back laughter herself, she attempted to hush the girl, but it was too late. The door burst open, and in poured at least ten, fortunately under protected, bandits.

"Halt! Drop your weapons, Cat!"

Juheena pushed Anja behind her slowly and raised her sword, ready for a fight. "Not on your life, you worthless scum!" Juheena was seething. Anja was in danger, and all of those people's lives rested in her hands. Something she didn't intend to mess up. She calculated her approach.

If she went for the overweight one on the end, she could shove him into the line of bandits behind him, taking out at least four temporarily. Then she could focus on the most heavily armored one by exploiting the spot underneath his chest plate, running him through. There was half of them. The archer would come next, with a throwing dagger through the head. Almost done. She would turn around, slice the skinny ones in half with one wide arc, then the big one…well she would have to figure that out when the time game.

She then deftly executed her plans, though one of the bandits used as an Argonian bowling pin tried to pull a fast one on her. The big one came up from behind and plucked her up like a doll, and threw her against the door. Juheena was winded as she tried to stand up, and quickly fell back down. The Argonian bowling pin grabbed the dead archer's bow, and pinned her to the door with a shot to the shoulder.

As Juheena screamed out in pain, Anja took advantage of the bandit's misdirected attention and threw one of the Khajit's throwing daggers, hitting the big one straight in the back of the head. The Argonian, about to shoot Juheena again, staggered back as fast as he could, but was still caught under the big bandit's weight as he fell. Anja ran and stabbed him before he could escape and attack again.

With shaking hands, Juheena pulled the arrow from her shoulder while wincing and holding back whimpers of pain. "Anja," she muttered, "You're a hero."

Anja smiled. "You must have cleared this place out! There can't be any more of those buffoons around here, not after that display in the Entertainment Hall."

"So that's what they call it." Juheena mused bitterly. She walked over to the chest and filled her knapsack with her belongings, and putting on her Dark Brotherhood armor. She placed a handful of enchanted lockpicks in Anja's pocket, and then took a handful of her own.

"If these are enchanted, why do you have so many?" Anja asked as they made their way down the stairs with their newly re-acquired possessions.

"Well, I couldn't get the enchantment just right. They break after the lock has been picked, but if it hasn't opened something, it can't break. It's confusing, so I just left them the way they were." Juheena explained, picking the lock to the cage with two stronger women.

"What can we do?" The lovely Bosmer asked.

"Can you pick a lock? These picks will make it lots easier, even if you can't."

"I can, but my sister can't. I'll help you free prisoners, and she can help them retrieve their things. Any maybe find them some food…"

"Sounds great to me." Juheena handed the Bosmer a pile of picks, and together the three of them had half of the room completed in a few minutes. Women were hugging, sharing loaves of bread, and putting on dresses that the younger Bosmer had found. The room was joyful at the least. Broken faces wore smiles, health potions were given to women who had contracted diseases in their stay at the horrible establishment, and hope was restored.

But somehow, in the big group of people, a single bandit remained. He kept a low profile as he made his way through the throng of people, and finally made it up to the Khajit that had ruined his brother's business. She would pay.

He stabbed her through the gut, and she fell to the floor, clutching her stomach, teeth bared in pain.

Then, for her, the room went black.

xOoOoOx

Vilkas stomped into Jorrvasker, grumbling something about damned cats, and boots, and maps. Farkas lifted his eyes curiously to his brother. "Where's Juheena?"

"I don't know. She ran off ahead of me and left me in the dust. She also took the map with her. I came back to get another. By Ysmir's beard, the girl can run."

Farkas's brow furrowed. "She's alone? " He rose from his chair, picking up a map off the table and grabbed his sword. "I'm comin'. I want to make sure she's ok."

"Fine by me." Vilkas replied, and together they were out the door and on their way to meet Juheena. Farkas couldn't help but wonder if she was okay. His Kitty-Kat, as he had lovingly called her since the first day, meant too much to him. Even if Vilkas clearly had a better chance at winning her affections, he still tried his hardest. He wasn't the sharpest sword in the forge and he knew it. Vilkas had an eloquent vocabulary, and knew everything about everything, it seemed to Farkas. All he could do was fight and stare off into space. Or preferably, into her eyes, or at her long fingers, or at her shapely curves…

An image popped into his head of Juheena that he quickly pushed out, feeling it's immediate effects on his groin. He knew what he felt for Juheena went far deeper than lust. She treated him as if she was equal to his brother, something nobody had ever done. That was why he felt he had to come. He had a bad feeling, deep in his stomach. He didn't know why, but he felt his lovely Kitty-Kat needed help. And he wanted to be the one to give it, not Vilkas.

Author's Note

Ooooh! We have some suspense on our hands!

Please rate and tell us what you think! Farkas needs to know if he needs to polish his armor, or maybe read a book (or try). And of course Juheena loves tips on alchemy and sneaking. You could always tell Vilkas a joke! Maybe he will laugh! (Or smile…or at least something).

Thanks for reading!