Northbound Pilgrimage II

Chapter XLII - Another Sword, Another Shield

Author's Note:

Alright, time to conclude the Riften plotline, though a lot of it didn't actually take place in Riften :D I hope you all enjoyed the first longer one after the arduous and angsty separation and that you're excited for the next one ;) There will be only a couple interlude chapters before we delve into it.

Thank you all so much for reading and commenting and voting etc. It means the world to me and I can't wait to share more of the story with you all the time <3

Enough rambling though :) Here's the chapter already. I hope you enjoy.

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The next day Bishop and Aeyrin were on their way back to Riften.

There were only a few more loose ends to tie up, besides hoping that the Brotherhood would just... give up whatever they were planning. As unlikely as that was, there wasn't much else that the two of them could do at that moment. They only had to be more careful, even out in the wilderness. Karnwyr would have to guard them when they were asleep, instead of running around the woods, and they might even have to start putting some traps around their camps. It was a small price to pay for some piece of mind. Hopefully Bishop had only been tracked down the last time because they spent more than two or three nights in one spot. That would not happen again.

They have discussed whether to tell Karliah about any of this – about Sibbi's murder or about the Brotherhood. She could be grateful after the results it all got for her operations, but... then again, she could be worried about her alliance with Maven now. She valued that a lot and Bishop and Aeyrin were not certain about her ideas about the best course of action. What was certain, however, was that Karliah would always go forth with her plans. And without knowing those, Aeyrin and Bishop agreed that it was better not to risk it. They were off the hook now in any case, as it appeared. There was no one who knew about Sibbi's murder... well... aside from the Dark Brotherhood. And hopefully revealing something like that to the public was not their style.

So now they only needed to return in order to see the completed house in Riften and to keep up those appearances. And additionally, they have agreed to send a letter to Lynly from there, pretending that they had just learnt of Sibbi's death from the local rumors. That should take care of their immediate problems.

Bishop was also planning on sneaking out, at some point, in order to stop by the Black-Briar mansion and pick up his deed and his key. He would also have to figure out how to pay the next tax covertly, but maybe, by that time, he would have already told Aeyrin. There was no point in planning that now. He still wasn't sure when he wanted to tell her. That was why last night he had only told her that Maven mentioned the mysterious anonymous delivery of the bounty notice. It was worrying for the both of them, but they could hardly find out anything more without any actual leads.

After they reached the city, they made their way around the Bunkhouse and towards the building by the water. Honeyside was a somewhat small house with an entrance leading into the city proper and a back porch with access into the wilderness beyond the city gates. It would have been kind of perfect for smuggling, if the house wasn't so visible in the city. There was no way that someone could transport any large quantity of goods out of there without anyone noticing. But it was nice to know that Bishop and Aeyrin had a sure way inside the city now, in case the guards would ever decide to demand some 'visitor tax' again. Then again... they weren't really 'visitors' anymore.

The place was already fixed up and furnished with the basic necessities. There was a small kitchen, right by the entrance from the city, and a bedroom in the adjacent room without a wall separating it from the kitchen area. There was an access wooden staircase in the bedchamber leading down into the basement level as well. Well... so much for privacy. At least Breezehome had doors. But it wouldn't have been an issue if they weren't expecting the imminent housecarl that could appear at any minute.