Skyrim was full of places wary travelers would prefer to avoid. Still, few would compare with Riften-most wretched hive of scum and villainy in the province, the home of the infamous Thieves Guild that went through a rocky and uncertain period but now was facing new dawn in its tale, not without the Dragonborn's help. Even when the Empire claimed the city, they couldn't root out the rot that plagued it for years.

The dark elf remembered how he joined the guild, initially for profit, curiosity, and getting underworld contacts that could later come in handy, like now. It was a remarkable journey; he almost got killed a few times and betrayed by the guild's leader. In the end, he became a nightingale, Nocturnal was blessed and even got offered the chance to lead the guild, but this was not his fate.

The shortcut to the Ragged Flagon was off-limits and did not open up, so he had to descend into the Ratway. These dungeons brought up many memories, few of them positive. Here anyone needed to be careful; behind every corner, there could be something wanting to kill you. As the Dragonborn mused on this. He saw someone in the shadows behind the corner jumping at him with a knife.

It was an argonian rogue trying to plunge his weapon into Rialyn. The Dovahkiin blocked his strikes with a mace and pushed the attacker back. The argonian looked at him in shock and hesitated to attack.

"Wait…You're not a city guard! Who are you?"

"No, not before you."-Rialyn responded; he saw argonian's genuine confusion, but soon he reluctantly spoke.

"My name is Nerius Calilures. I'm from the docks here."

"And what are you doing in the Ratway?"

"I…I just lost something and…Fine, I guess there is no point lying. I want to find the Ragged Flagon."-Rialyn had guessed as much; this was a beginner thief determined to earn his place in the guild. He was glad to see his time among thieves brought benefits.

"I am not exactly a servant of the law, so don't worry."

"Why are you here, then?"-Nerius put his weapon down but didn't trust the Dragonborn completely, especially when he hid behind heavy armor.

"The name's Rialyn, and I am here for the same reason as you."

"You want to join the guild as well?"

"Not exactly, but I'd like to talk to someone there."

"Maybe we should go together."

"Sure, I'll show you the way."

Rialyn walked towards the hideout, and Nerius followed. The dark elf could see the wonder in argonian's eyes; the thief quickly discerned that this was no ordinary criminal before him but still couldn't quite wrap his head around who he indeed was.

"Any reasons for joining?"-Rialyn kept up the small talk, trying to learn more about his newfound companion.

"They don't pay us enough in the docks; I can barely sustain myself! I heard I can earn a fortune with the guild, and I don't have much to lose if I get caught anyway."

Desperation is the most excellent motivator. If not for it, Rialyn might never have even visited Skyrim. He understood Nerius's plight. Perhaps a bright future awaited him. Soon the pair arrived at the Ragged Flagon, a hideout of Skyrim Thieves Guild.

"Is that it?"-Nerius asked; the Dragonborn silently nodded. He hadn't visited for a long time now, but the guild was doing well.

Soon they entered the Flagon, the place of repulsive smell and similar people, the thieves were busy restoring the guild to its former glory, and upon seeing it, Rialyn felt some pride in him. He could already notice Brynjolf, the new guildmaster of thieves, and his old comrade, instructing three newbie thieves, seemed like he remained busy.

"If you want to avoid getting caught, lads, then stay in the shadows and don't come out unless there is a necessity, and always remember…"-Brynjolf was in the middle of his talk when he noticed Rialyn, who had just taken his helmet off.

"Still watching over the inexperienced. Some things never change."-The Dragonborn said as he saw the thief smile.

"Do my eyes deceive me? You finally returned, lad!"

"Believe it or not, I missed this place."-They shook hands with each other, and Rialyn noticed a very surprised Nerius.

"You know each other?"

"Oi, and who are you?"-Brynjolf asked.

"I am Nerius; I came here to join you."

"Ah, another recruit, wonderful. Go to the three over there and wait for a while. I'll give you an assignment."

Nerius walked to other thieves, two nords, and a khajiit who seemed to arrive here shortly before he did. Brynjolf looked at Rialyn; he appeared somewhat concerned, looking in his eyes.

"You look somewhat sick to me, not going to lie."

"Nothing in particular. After all the travels, anyone would look a bit weary. So how is it going with the guild? I see you already have four recruits today."

"Yes, that's a catch, and quite extraordinary at that, usually, we don't get as much, but I am not complaining."

"And where is Karliah?"

"She is on a thieving spree away from Riften, but she'd be glad to see you as well… Said she hopes you haven't forgotten our duty to Nocturnal."

"There are at least three Daedric princes with a claim to my soul after death, but I don't intend on dying yet."

"Now I recognize you; only the Dragonborn can have such confidence! What about your travels?"-Brynjolf asked with interest.

"A bit of this, a bit of that. I aided Companions and College of Winterhold, but I don't maintain contact."

"Not a fan of magic? Me neither; nothing compares to a skillful hand."

"Yes, I don't care for magic except for a few…Essentials."-Rialyn showed a spell of fire in his hand.

"And Companions? Rumor has it they are hiding much from citizens of Whiterun."

"That they do, but it wasn't the reason I left. They are nords. The entire brotherhood is formed around them; I can hardly relate…If it makes any sense."-Rialyn wasn't sure himself; he was full of doubt.

"After all this time, you still don't see Skyrim as home, eh?"

"Speaking of home…I came for a reason, Brynjolf."

"Ah, business. Here I thought you just wanted to see your old comrades."-The thief said half-jokingly. "What is it?"

"I need a ship and a crew to sail from Skyrim to Morrowind."-Rialyn answered; Brynjolf looked surprised.

"Damn, out of all you could have asked for…Is that what it is about? You wish to go home?"

"As much as it can even be called home."

"And what of the guild and everything you've built here? I stand by what I said back at the shrine of Nocturnal. You could've been a good leader to us."

"Perhaps, but I am leaving the guild in good hands; I'm needed elsewhere…And that's the path I need to walk myself."

"I can help you with that, I suppose. There are some of our agents in Windhelm now that our network has been restored; I can direct you to them. They could help you with that, for the right price, of course."

"There's always a complication, is there…"-Rialyn was interrupted by a sudden scream. He and Brynjolf turned around and saw the two novice Nord thieves surrounding Nerius, one of them attacked the argonian, who tried to resist.

"Hey, what are you doing there?"-Brynjolf was getting ready to interfere; he saw that the thieves had daggers in their hands. As Nerius evaded their hits, he looked at Rialyn.

"Behind you!"-The argonian shouted. The Dragonborn turned around and saw a khajiit thief with a blade in his hand charging toward him.

"Die!"-The assailant did not get the chance as Rialyn evaded and unleashed his fire spell upon the khajiit; it caused him some pain, but the thief soon retreated into the shadows. Brynjolf seemed to be on it. He could deal with this enemy while Rialyn would help Nerius.

The dark elf ran towards the argonian who was doing his best to resist two nords, as hard as it was for him. Rialyn took one of the Nord thieves himself while pushing the other away; he quickly pushed the man to the ground and bashed his head with a mace.

Before Nerius could prepare himself for another attack, the second Nord rushed towards the argonian ready to stab him; there was no time to waste, and the Dragonborn reacted immediately. By running in front of Nerius and standing before the assassin.

"Fus Ro Dah!"-A mighty shout emerged and pushed the Nord into the wall; before he could do anything, Rialyn unleashed his fire spell and burned the bandit to death.

"You saved me…Thank you!"-Nerius seemed grateful.

"Nothing difficult."-Rialyn turned around; there was one more thief to deal with.

"But wait…The shout…You're the Dragonborn, aren't you?"-The argonian asked; Dovahkiin silently nodded and continued his path. At the other side of the room, Brynjolf had Vex arriving to help; together, they had the khajiit beaten easily. The thief was wounded and lying on the floor.

"He didn't probe much of a fight; we thought you'd want to question him."-Brynjolf said. Rialyn nodded and approached the assailant.

"Why did you come here?"

"To kill you."-The khajiit spit back; Rialyn remained calm but kept his weapon on the ready.

"And who sent you?"

"I'm not telling you!"

Rialyn hit the thief with a mace, aiming for his hand to cause as much pain as possible. He screamed in agony and could barely resist.

"Do you still wish to push me?"-The Dragonborn asked, staring at khajiit with his vampire's eyes.

"Fine, fine! We got a contract from elves in the embassy…They promised a lot of money, said you'll be here in a few days, that's all!"

"Appreciated."-Rialyn said before finishing the bandit off. He then looked at Brynjolf and noticed suspicion in his eyes.

"The elves, he means, the ones I think about, right?"

It came much earlier than Rialyn expected. Thalmor agents followed his every step and sent mercenaries to finish the job, underestimating the Dragonborn.

…

There were no long goodbyes with Brynjolf and others; he had no time to waste. Brynjolf gave him a name and sent a letter to Windhelm to notify them about Dragonborn's arrival. Once she arrives at Windhelm, Rialyn will have to set up the expedition and then finally leave Skyrim for a long time, perhaps forever. It excited him, in a way, knowing that the time had come to open a new chapter in the book of his life. However, Rialyn knew that Thalmor would follow at every step before he left. For them, he was a threat…

As the elf approached the carriage that would bring him to Windhelm, he heard someone following him and, soon, a familiar voice.

"Wait!"-An argonian shouted; Rialyn turned around and saw Nerius standing beside him.

"Did I forget anything?"

"I asked Brynjolf, and he told me about you…You're the Dragonborn; you saved Skyrim from dragons, helped end the Stormcloaks, and saved the Thieves Guild from downfall!"

"So?"

"Many in Skyrim revere you."

"And many fear me, for a good reason."

"To me, you are still a hero."-Nerius spoke with admiration in his voice, Rialyn somewhat enjoyed listening to it, but he tried to be careful and not be enamored by pride.

"I am a hero by accident; fate plays cruel jokes on us sometimes."

"By accident or not, all the same to me."

"Did you want anything from me or just wanted to express gratitude?"

"You are going to Morrowind, right? I want to travel with you."-Rialyn didn't expect this; they barely even met, and now this argonian wanted to follow him on a journey that didn't even have a clear purpose.

"It won't be easy, and I doubt I will return soon."

"It doesn't matter, I longed to get out of Skyrim for a few years now, and I wish to take my chance. The Thieves guild may provide opportunities, but none are as good as this."

"And what about Riften? Don't you have anyone here?"

"Just a few associates, nothing at all holds me here."

Nerius was determined and sure about his choice and Rialyn, so there was no reason to reject him. A strong and skillful rogue would be helpful to the crew he would have to assemble. There will be an opportunity to see whether he is truly up to the task.

"Very well…Let us be off."