Chapter Text
She crept toward the sleeping figure slowly and as quietly as she could; she could hear Vognar yelling at her in her mind that she was not as quiet as she thought she was and shook her head vigorously, determined to prove him wrong even if he was dead. She had spotted the redheaded Nord man earlier in the day and had been following him at a distant, using the brush and the thickness of the trees to mask her movements. She was sure he would have some coin on him and from the looks of his clothing he had plenty to spare. She felt the rumble in her stomach, hunger gripping her and pushing her to action. She was about a foot away from the coin purse and it looked heavy; she could almost taste the venison steak and leek soup she was craving. She slowly reached for the purse until she could feel the leather underneath her fingers and then she closed her fist to hold it tight so as not to allow the coins to jingle and make noise. She barely moved her hand back towards her body when she suddenly felt the sting of her skin being cut open by the dagger held in the hand of the Nord who was suddenly staring at her intently. “You’re not that good, lass.”
“Goddammit!” she hissed as she released the purse and grabbed a hold of her arm in pain; looking down she saw no blood but a burning sensation. She looked at the dagger in his hands to see signs of enchantment upon the glass weapon.
The Nord sat up, keeping an eye on the girl but sheathing the blade. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the disheveled look to her long red hair; he guessed that she was on the run from something. “You need to work on your skills if you think you can make it out here as a thief, lass.”
“I’m not trying to be a thief,” she said defiantly. “I’m just hungry.”
The redhead raised an eyebrow and reached for his pack all the while keeping an eye on the young girl. He reached in and pulled out an apple, some dried horker meat, a chunk of two-day old bread with a wedge of hard cheese then fished around for the bottle of mead he knew to be in there as well; he handed the food and drink to the girl and said, “Eat then, lass. Get your fill, then you can tell me your story.” She eyed him suspiciously for a moment before the hunger pangs took over and she somewhat graciously accepted the food and started to eat. She took a long pull off the bottle to wash down the dry bread then proceeded to eat the meat. He watched her and wondered what her story would entail. She had the look of someone who had lived somewhat a life of comfort but there was something in her demeanor that told him differently. There seemed to be a sadness that touched those ebony eyes of hers that he could tell she was trying to keep locked behind some wall in her mind. He sat back, his back against the side of the mountain he was camping near for the night. He said nothing as she ate, merely watched her as she filled her stomach.
She finally set the last bites of the cheese wedge down, took one last pull off the bottle before setting it back down, then wiped her chin where some mead had trickled down. She looked at the man who was intently watching her and she said meekly, “Thank you, sir.”
“Sir?” He laughed then continued, “Lass, I’m not that much of a gentleman. Name’s Brynjolf. Yours?”
“Raveena.”
He smiled and continued, “Raveena, tell me, what brings you out here with no coin to your name?”
Her eyes shifted down for a moment then back at him. “The person I was traveling with died near Falkreath. I took all the coin that was on him, but it wasn’t enough to see me all the way to Riften.”
“Riften? Why would you want to go to Riften?” he asked.
“A friend of my father lives there, or lived there. I don’t know if he’s still around but I was hoping he would help me as a favor to my late father.”
“One would be wise to be wary of friends in Riften. Who’s your father’s friend?”
“A man by the name of Gallus Desidenius.”
The Nord eyed her suspiciously suddenly then leaned forward. “How did your father know Gallus?”
“You know Gallus?” she asked, elation permeating her voice. “Can you help me get to him? I’m sure he’ll compensate you well for making sure I get there safely.”
He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry to tell you, lass, but Gallus is dead.”
Her face shattered as his words registered in her ears. “He’s dead?” Tears started to spill down her face and she turned her head quickly to hide the them. Suddenly she realized Brynjolf was next to her, his hand on her arm, a look of concern on his face.
“Aye, lass, he’s been gone for some time now. How’d your father know him?”
Raveena wiped her eyes free of the tears and took a deep breath. “They grew up together, they were the best of friends but my father was part of the Legion and had been sent to the Imperial City. Sometime later he returned to Skyrim but for some reason he didn’t make contact with Gallus; he never told me why. He just always told me that if anything ever happened to him that Gallus would help me.” She ran her hand through her hair, her anxiety showing clearly in her movements.
Brynjolf thought a moment and with visible resignation he continued, “Gallus was like my father, he had been there for me for as long as I can remember. I wouldn’t be honoring the memory of him if I didn’t help you, Raveena. I’m on my way back to Riften. Come with me, I’ll set you up with a place to stay where you can earn some gold. We can teach you all that you need to know to get by.”
“We?” she repeated, her eyebrow slightly arched.
He smiled, a large grin that touched his eyes with a glint of mischief. “Aye, lass. You see, Gallus was the Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, which I am a part of. We are kind of a family, all of us outcasts in one way or another. What do you say, Raveena?”
She looked at him, then at her fidgeting hands. She really didn’t have much choice the way she saw it. She had nowhere to go and she was too proud to beg for handouts. She looked back up at him and saw sincerity in his green eyes. She nodded her head and said, “Yes, I think I’ll do that.” She smiled back at him and somehow knew that things were going to be okay.
#
Riften was a welcome sight to Raveena; she was tired of the road and always being on the lookout for wolves and bears and those nasty frostbite spiders. She no longer would be looking over her shoulder on the lookout for bandits; she reveled at the thought of a restful night’s sleep, something she had not had since Vognar and her had fled Markarth when the Forsworn had attacked the city and took it over. They passed through the main gates of the city with a simple wave through by the guards. He led her through the city, pointing out the Bee and Barb to their right, then he pointed out the market and told her that they would be going to the other side of that. He directed her towards a set of stairs that led down to the lower level of the city, closer to the water. He pushed open a door and held it open for her. She looked around as they walked through the passageways and he pointed out some of the little traps they set up such as bear traps so that she wouldn’t mistakenly step on one. Finally, he pushed open one last door and they were greeted by the sounds of people laughing and joking as well as the smell of food wafting towards them. Raveena saw merchants along the walls, selling their wares, from potions to weapons to odds and ends; a couple people noticed her and Brynjolf and followed them with their eyes as they walked to a bar where a few men sat drinking from tankards. Brynjolf approached the group, Raveena a step behind, looking somewhat hesitant. One of the men looked at the two and she felt as if his eyes bored into her; she shifted her weight on her feet nervously.
“Well, Brynjolf, what do we have here?”
“Mercer, this is Raveena; her father was friends with Gallus.”
His blue-green eyes, shadowed with doubt, looked her up one way and down the other. “Really? And what brings you to this den of thieves?”
“My father always told me that Gallus would help me if I ever found myself in need of it; Brynjolf here told me that Gallus is now dead but perhaps the Guild can help me out. I just have nowhere to go; this is my only option.”
Mercer nodded briefly. “Then Brynjolf can show you the ropes.” He looked at the redheaded Nord and said, “Take her to the training room and see how good she is with locks.”
Raveena smiled, relieved that she wasn’t going to be thrown out of here. She looked at Brynjolf who was giving her a knowing smile. He nodded and told her to follow him and then he led her into a short hallways and unlocked the side door. He walked her through this cistern, showing her where she could sleep while introducing her to a couple of people. They soon entered a room that had dummies on poles for practicing archery and a slew of chests. Brynjolf reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of lock picks as he asked if she knew how to use them. She smirked slightly; picking locks was one thing she was really good at. She took them from him and walked over to one of the chests and quickly set to work, slowly feeling around the inside of the lock until she knew that she had it and opened the chest. “I think I do.”
He chuckled at the glint in her eye as he walked over to her. “Now if we can get you to be that successful when sneaking up on people, lass.”
She looked at him and said, “Maybe I just need a better teacher than what I had before.”
In that instant when Brynjolf looked at the young woman he saw beauty on her face that he didn’t see on any woman ever before; there was an innocence to her while at the same time her eyes hid obvious pain. He was thoroughly intrigued by her; alone but seemingly unafraid and completely wiling to learn. What life had she known before finding herself alone and hungry on the road to Riften? Her smile warmed the room and he found himself thinking that she was going to be the breath of fresh air the Guild needed. He smiled back at her and said, “Maybe you do, lass. We’ll work on that tomorrow when I see how good you are at pickpocketing.”
“Great,” she mumbled, “I can’t be silent to save my life and you want me to attempt to pickpocket someone. I’m doomed.” She sat down on the chest and looked down at the ground beneath her feet. “Do you really think I’m gonna be able to pickpocket someone when I can’t even sneak up on anyone?”
“Stick with me, lass, and I’ll teach you everything that I know.” He rested his hand on her shoulder, then said, “Don’t worry, Raveena, you’re going to be fine here. I swear on Gallus’s memory that I’ll take care of you.” She looked up at him, her black eyes questioning. “Like I said, Gallus was like a father to me. You came here looking for him; I’m one of the few that knew him the best so it’s only right that I step up and do what he would have done.”
She smiled at him and said, “I will never forget this, Brynjolf. I owe you so much.”
“Come on, lass,” he said, motioning for her to follow him out. “Let’s go get a drink. My treat.” She smiled as she bounced up, “Your treat? You’re on.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief and he suddenly wondered what kind of trouble he had just gotten himself into.