I do not own Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Sadly, this chapter has a lot of italicized text, so it took me longer to edit.
Dang.
Review Responses:
Guest: That's nice of you, anonymous friend! I'm always waiting for you, too. For your review, that is!
Mia78: Again, I apologize for not writing your name correctly. Stinkin' iPad. Anyhow, keep on writing reviews, friend. I really appreciate them.
P: I'd say Ziris is pretty happy to get a compliment from Mercer, yeah. She likes feeling validated. And here's the more you asked for. I hope you see the update!
Chapter 11: Whiterun and Solitude
A few days after the Goldenglow fiasco, Ziris was coming back into the cistern from the Ragged Flagon after informing Delvin a job she'd done at the stables had been completed. She paused when Mercer waved her over from where he stood at his desk, and she quickly jogged across the cistern to him.
"What do you need?" she asked, stopping in front of his desk.
"Maven wanted to express that she was impressed by your intrusion of Goldenglow," Mercer responded, gesturing to a letter on his desk. "She also wanted to know if you were available for a job she needs completed over in Whiterun."
Ziris drew her eyebrows together. "I'm not allowed to leave Riften, I thought," she said.
"You weren't, but it's been two weeks," Mercer answered. "You were specifically requested for this job, so I'm lifting your punishment." Ziris grinned at him, and Mercer waved her off. "You're supposed to meet someone named Mallus Maccius at the inn in Whiterun. He'll explain everything to you."
"Do you want me to head out now?" Ziris queried, and Mercer shook his head.
"Tomorrow morning. Get some rest. The pass to Whiterun is bound to be snowy, so you'll have to take the north road instead to avoid it, which takes longer."
"Do you not think I can make it through snow?"
"You almost froze to death a few days ago because of a swim in Lake Honrich," Mercer responded. "Seems that not all Nords are built for the cold." Ziris crossed her arms, and Mercer turned his gaze down to his ledger. "I was able to get you a horse for free."
"What? A horse?" Ziris paled. "I don't do horses."
"You will for this," Mercer answered simply. "Any other complaints, or can I get back to my work?"
Ziris sighed to herself, and turned away from his desk, heading for her bed. On her way there, she was called to a halt by Sapphire, who approached her.
"Hey," the brunette thief greeted. "Can we talk a bit?"
"Sure," Ziris replied, surprised by her approach. "What about?"
"I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting recently," Sapphire explained. "I've been a bit of a bitch to you, and you really don't deserve it." She shrugged her shoulders. "I know that what I was doing with Shadr wasn't fair, and I wanted to thank you for stopping me while I was ahead. Sometimes I get greedy."
"We all do," Ziris assured. "We're thieves; it's in our blood."
Sapphire nodded in agreement, and then offered Ziris a smile. "I heard about Goldenglow. Good job."
"Thanks," Ziris said. "It was easier, knowing how Vex was able to get on the island." She tilted her head. "What about you? Gotten any good jobs lately?"
"Not really," Sapphire responded. "Delvin said he had something over in Markarth, but that's a long journey to take by myself."
Ziris grinned. "You could always take Rune with you. I'm sure he'd keep you company."
Sapphire seemed taken aback for a moment, and then she laughed. "I guess we weren't being as subtle as I thought," she said, and Ziris shook her head. Sapphire nodded, considering it. "I guess I could take Rune, with permission from Mercer of course." She shuddered. "I hate asking him for things."
"He can be a bit prickly," Ziris agreed. "The key is knowing the right time to approach him." She gestured to Mercer's desk. "See? Right now is a bad time, because he's busy working. Later on, though, when he's had a bottle or two of Black-Briar mead and is getting ready to go to Riftweald… that's the golden hour."
Sapphire laughed again. "I'll keep that in mind." She faced Ziris again. "So, what's the story with you two, then?"
"He found me in Riften when I was seven, starving and ready to give up. He brought me to the Guild and taught me everything I know, made sure I was the best damn thief I could be," Ziris told her. She smiled wistfully. "I owe him a lot."
Sapphire seemed disbelieving. "Mercer, acting as a mentor?" She shook her head. "You're making that up."
"Swear I'm not," Ziris said, lifting a hand. "He was different back then, before the Guild started to fall to pieces. Time's changed him, and given him a lot more gray hairs." Sapphire laughed again, and Ziris smiled, glad they were finally getting along.
"So… I'm assuming you're an orphan, too, then?" Sapphire guessed, moving past her to sit down on the edge of Ziris's bed. Ziris nodded and joined her.
"My parents were killed in a vampire attack on our farm," she explained. "I was able to hide from them, and when they were gone, I made my way to Riften, having no other place to go." She shook her head to herself, the dark memories starting to resurface. "I spent two weeks on the streets. By the time Mercer caught me trying to steal, I was nothing more than skin and bones, and my clothes were rags. I was at the end of my rope." She let out a breath. "Mercer, and the Guild, saved me."
"And now you're living the life, the prized thief of the Thieves Guild, and the Guild Master's favorite," Sapphire mumbled. "I wish my tale was just as sweet."
"You don't need to tell me," Ziris said. "It's not anyone's place to ask, and you shouldn't have to talk about it."
Sapphire offered her a small smile. "Thank you," she said. "I appreciate that."
Ziris merely nodded back. "That's one thing you can be grateful for, in the Guild, if nothing else. No one pushes you for information. As long as you're a good thief, you're welcome here." She stood up and gave Sapphire a grin. "And… I doubt you have any problems with that."
"True enough," Sapphire agreed with a shrug of her shoulders. She rose as well. "We'll have to talk more, sometime," she said. "Maybe when you get back from… Whiterun?"
"That's it," Ziris confirmed, "and we should. After all… what other girl is there to talk to? Vex? Tonilia?" She shook her head. "Not the most appealing choices."
Sapphire laughed. "True enough," she said, and then she waved. "Have a safe trip."
"Thanks," Ziris responded, and then she watched Sapphire walk away. She settled back down onto her bed and let out a breath, glancing across the cistern towards the master vault.
After a night of dreamless sleep, thankfully, Ziris was on her way to Whiterun, hoping that she didn't muck up this job. It was one she'd been requested for specifically, by Maven Black-Briar herself. If she messed it up, she didn't doubt there would be trouble for her, and the Guild.
She assumed there was enough of that already.
Ziris had forgotten how good it felt to go on a job outside of Riften, and have it go extremely well. She'd completed the task assigned to her, and received a rather large portion of gold from someone who wasn't even plotting with her, as well as another one of those mysterious letters that she had found in the safe beneath Goldenglow. Obviously, whoever this mystery person was was very set on ruining the relationship between the Guild and Maven Black-Briar, which Ziris knew to be one of the only relationships that had survived after Gallus's death.
After presenting the letter to Mercer, and receiving the pay Maven had offered up, Ziris watched him read it, and scowl.
"Do… do you think it's one of the thieves who got away, after the mutiny?" she asked him carefully, and Mercer grunted.
"Whoever they are, they're well funded, and have been able to avoid identification for years," he said. When Ziris frowned at him, he shook his head. "Similar events have occurred with other sources in the past. It doesn't matter at this point; our nemesis is going to pay dearly, because I believe I may have discovered a way of finding out who they are."
"Ooh." Ziris placed her hands on the desk and leaned towards him eagerly. "Tell me more."
"The parchment you recovered from Goldenglow mentions a 'Gujul-Lei'," Mercer began, gesturing to where it sat on his desk. "According to my sources, that's an old alias used by one of our contacts. His real name is Gulum-Ei." He rolled his eyes to himself. "Slimy bastard."
Ziris nodded to herself. "He's the one with the… ties in Solitude, right? East Empire Company inside man?"
"That's the one," Mercer confirmed. "He must have acted as a go-between for the sale of the estate, and I'll bet he can finger our buyer."
"So, you want me to go find him, and… tease the name out of our scaly friend?" Ziris guessed.
"Tease, poke… stab. Whatever you need to do," Mercer growled. "Talk to Brynjolf before you leave if you have any questions."
With that, he turned back to his ledger, obviously dismissing her. Ziris wasn't done speaking with him just yet, however. She adjusted her weight against the desk to draw his attention again. When he looked up at her, she tilted her head.
"When we find out our mysterious Guild destroyer, what are we going to do to them?" she questioned.
"Is that any of your concern?" Mercer retorted.
"It should be, considering I'm doing all the footwork in trying to figure out who it is," Ziris replied, giving him a meaningful look.
Mercer took an obvious moment to relax, and then he looked at her again. "How about we focus on finding out their identity, first, and then we can discuss our plans for them?" he suggested. "Now, stop bothering me, and go do your job."
Ziris rolled her eyes to herself, and moved away from the desk, turning and glancing around the cistern. She didn't spot Brynjolf anywhere obvious, and she decided that any advice he had for her was worthless.
It was best for her to get off to Solitude now. She could sleep in the carriage on the way there.
She started for the ladder, only to stop when someone called her name. She turned, one hand on a rung and one foot up, to find Thrynn jogging up to her.
"Where are you off to now?" he asked.
"Solitude," she responded. "Have to deal with a…" She trailed off, and let out a breath, glancing him over. She knew what the East Empire Company was like, with all their burly ship guards. Thrynn might be a helpful addition to her task, if she ended up needing to fight her way out. "How about you just come with me?"
"What?" Thrynn looked surprised. "Are you sure? You never bring anyone with you on jobs."
Ziris considered that. The only two thieves I'd work with are Mercer and Brynjolf, and I don't go on jobs with either of them for obvious reasons, she thought.
Thrynn didn't know that, however, and so she offered him a grin. "There's always a first time for everything." She gestured up the ladder with her head. "Come on."
She started up it herself, and nodded when she felt Thrynn climb up behind her. Things would go much smoother with him along. It was just one of those feelings.
The journey to Solitude was a long one, that lasted well into the night. Ziris slept for most of it, and when she awoke as the carriage they'd hired pulled up outside the farm just beyond Solitude's gates, she saw that Thrynn had fallen asleep as well.
She nudged him awake with her shoulder, and he blinked a bit, then stretched.
"Let's go," she murmured to him, and then climbed out of the carriage ahead of him.
Thrynn landed beside her, and Ziris led the way up towards the gates of Solitude. The sun was just barely rising over the mountains to the east, and she decided they could stand another hour or two of sleep, in an actual bed.
So, when they made it inside the city, she immediately headed for the Winking Skeever, and walked up to the bar, where a tired looking man stood with his arms crossed on top of it. He yawned by way of greeting her, and sleepily accepted the septims she offered him as payment for a room.
"The room with two beds is upstairs," he directed, waving his hand towards them.
Ziris nodded her gratitude, and led the way up the stairs. As soon as they found the room with the two beds, she settled down on the edge of one, and watched as Thrynn took a curious look around the room.
"What?" she asked him, slightly amused despite her drowsiness. "You've never been in an inn before?"
"No, I have," Thrynn answered, finally looking at her again. "It's just… this one is the biggest."
Ziris chuckled, and laid down, sighing in relief. "Get some more sleep," she advised him. "We most likely have a long day ahead of us, and I would like to be at least semi-conscious throughout it."
She heard Thrynn settle down on the other bed, and then she fell asleep.
When she awoke, a long line of sunlight was slanted across the floor of the room, and she bolted awake, noting its length, and how it did not resemble that of a sunbeam of late morning, but rather one of early afternoon.
"Thrynn!" she exclaimed, throwing a boot across the room at his sleeping form. It hit him square in the back, and he shot upright with a shout of surprise, grabbing for the boot himself, prepared to throw it back. When he blinked, and recognized her, however, he grunted and lowered it.
"What?" he grumbled, rubbing at his eyes.
"We slept in a lot later than I thought we would," Ziris replied hastily, standing up and yanking on her other boot at the same time. She stumbled across the room to him, yanked the other from his hand, and pulled it on as well. "Get up," she ordered. "We need to get moving."
"Calm down," Thrynn mumbled, doing as she said nonetheless. "It can't be later than one o'clock or so. We'll be fine."
Ziris didn't know if she believed him or not, but she decided she'd rather not take any chances. She left him to get situated, and flew down the stairs of the inn, stopping dead when she spotted someone she didn't think she'd ever see again sitting at one of the tables on the first floor.
Hainin Marshal glanced up from the food he was eating, and blinked at her in surprise, before a guilty light entered his green eyes, and he turned his gaze downwards again.
Before she could say anything to him, however, someone else entered through the doors of the Winking Skeever, a young woman with brown hair.
"The execution is beginning," she said, and immediately, several of the patrons who were eating meals slid out from behind their tables and headed outside after her.
Ziris and Hainin exchanged another glance, then, on silent agreement, they both moved outside to see what execution the woman had meant.
When they stepped outside, Ziris blinked against the sunlight, and glanced upwards. The sun itself was barely past the halfway mark, and she let out a relieved breath. It wasn't as late as she'd originally thought.
She followed Hainin towards the crowd that was gathered before a stone platform of sorts, built into the wall of the city directly across from the inn. They stood together at the edge of it, and Ziris frowned when she saw the Nord standing before a headsman's block, dressed in tattered rags and with his hands bound.
Why are they killing off a Nord? she wondered.
"Roggvir." She glanced towards the city guard that was standing up on the platform as well, and saw he was speaking to the prisoner. "You helped Ulfric Stormcloak escape this city after he murdered High King Torygg."
Ziris blinked in amazement. They're only just now executing him? My Gods.
"By opening that gate for Ulfric, you betrayed the people of Solitude," the guard went on.
Shouts rose up from the crowd around her and Hainin, including one of "Traitor!" and another of "He doesn't deserve to speak!"
Roggvir, however, stepped forward nonetheless, and looked out at his fellow citizens. "There was no murder!" he said. "Ulfric challenged Torygg. He beat the High King in fair combat!" Boos followed this declaration, but he went on above them: "Such is our way! Such is the ancient custom of Skyrim, and all Nords!"
The booing merely grew louder, and Ziris watched as Roggvir bowed his head. He allowed the guard to pull him over to the headsman's block, and lower him down to his knees behind it.
"On this day, I go to Sovngarde," he murmured to himself.
Ziris winced when he rested his head over the edge of the block, and closed her eyes right before she heard the heavy fall of the headsman's axe.
It was all done in less than a minute, and when she opened her eyes again, glancing towards her left, to where Hainin had been, she saw that he was gone.
She frowned to herself, and looked around at the slowly departing crowd. He was nowhere to be seen, and she decided that he wasn't worth looking for.
She turned, ready to head back into the inn and fetch Thrynn, but paused when she spotted another fairly familiar face headed that direction as well.
Both she and Cry Silverworthy came to a dead stop as their eyes met. Ziris noticed that the young Nord looked rather out of place in the city, with the worn armor she was wearing and the confused look in her eyes. She turned away from Ziris almost as soon as they'd noticed one another, and she disappeared.
Ziris sighed to herself, wondering what the Gods were plotting, why they had put the three of them all together in Solitude on this particular day.
She decided that it didn't matter as much as finding out who was trying to bring down the Guild, and she headed back into the Winking Skeever, ready to find Gulum-Ei and end her business in Solitude as quickly as possible.
Also, this chapter was really short and I apologize. Think of it as the crappy Christmas present that you open before getting to the bigger ones.