Skyrim | Thief Of Hearts | DISCONTINUED

8.

{Brynjolf POV}

'Brynjolf, can I talk to you for a moment?' I looked up from my breakfast groggily and saw Mercer. He didn't look like he had slept and under his eyes were dark circles clearly visible. 'Mercer, you don't look so good.' He grumbled and sighed. 'I know, you don't have to tell me. However, what I want to you tell me is where that lassie you keep talking about is at.' I frowned. 'You mean (Y/n)? She won't talk to us unless that lad Relyn is gone from our Guild.' Mercer rolled his eyes, throwing his arms in the air. 'What is her bloody problem with him?' 'That's none of our concern, but--' 'You are talking about me?' We turned to Relyn, who was sitting at the bar, a small smirk on his face. 'Yes, yes we are. That lass (Y/n), what is her problem with you?' He dropped his gaze to the floor, the smirk not leaving his lips. 'Let's just say we have a complicated history, shall we? I tried making up to her but she just wouldn't budge.' I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. 'There's got to be more to that.' I muttered, turning towards my breakfast again. 'I want you to seek her out and bring her here, Brynjolf.' 'Why?' 'Because I say so!' I swallowed thickly, looking in Mercers angry eyes. I didn't really have a choice, did I? 'Okay. But if you dare to hurt her with your bold words, I'll slit your throat.' A small smile lingered upon his facial features. 'Well, there is no need to get rough about your little girlfriend.' I clenched my jaw and looked away with flustered cheeks. Mercer grinned and walked away. Relyn walked up to me and leaned down, his face close to my ear and his voice decreased to a whisper. 'Listen here, friend. If you come anywhere close near my (Y/n), I'll have your head on a silver plate. Understood?' I shivered and nodded, not daring to look up. What did this man want from her? Why did he say (Y/n) was his? Was I... jealous? No, no that couldn't be. I just met her anyways and they've known each other for quite a long time so it seems. I stood up, brushed the breadcrumbs off my clothes and went to town.

(Y/n) was sitting in my stall on top of a crate, her legs crossed and one of her hands petting the head of her wolf. 'There you are, I was already afraid that you wouldn't show up.' She looked rather giddy today. 'Sorry I'm late. I ran into some trouble on the way here.' She frowned. 'Oh, what kind of trouble?' I sighed and decided not to hold the truth back from her. 'Relyn threatened to kill me if I came anywhere near you.' Her (e/c) eyes turned angry. 'That bloody son of a... I need to get out of here and soon. I can't be with your Guild unless that bloody psychopath is gone!' I caught her gaze for a moment before she quickly turned away. 'I'm sorry, I can't be with your Guild.' She stood up and picked up her backpack. '(Y/n), wait.' She looked at me with sorrow in her eyes. 'I'm so sorry Brynjolf.' 'I'll find a way, really!' 'Then you better be quick. Relyn can be around any corner.' I pushed her towards the gate. 'Let's go to the wilderness to speak, then.' She nodded quickly and I followed her outside the city. 'So, mind to tell me what exactly is the problem between you and Relyn?' She looked away, her pace quickening. '(Y/n).' 'Just... Not here, alright?' 'Okay.' The cobble road became mossy and the moss became dirt, until we were fully off the path and walked past some rivers. After a good hour of walking, (Y/n) stopped in her tracks. 'We can take a break here.' We sat down on the grass, looking out over a breathtaking valley. 'Are you hungry?' she asked, feeding Nero some raw meat. 'A bit.' From her bag she took a small bundle of leaves and unwrapped it in her lap. It appeared to be freshly baked fish and my stomach started to growl. 'Well, you sound rather hungry too, lass!' The (h/c) girl smiled. 'I haven't had breakfast yet.' She handed me a piece of the salmon on a leaf and I thanked her politely. 'Tell me lass, how did you end up here?' Her facial expression fell into a frown. 'Well, that's a long story. Mind to hear me out?' 'Take your time.' She leaned back against a rock, munching on her fish. 'It started a long time ago, when I left my home in Riverwood behind once I turned eighteen. Well, I didn't really leave anyone behind, just my caretaker after my parents died in a fire. I traveled to Markarth because I heard about the great architecture of the Dwemer city. However, my money disappeared quicker then I thought it would and I ended up rather homeless.' She paused a second to take a sip from her water skin. 'I decided to make a living out of hunting and thievery. Because of a slightly larger crime I committed in Markarth which involved breaking in in the Dwemer museum for some "valuable" scraps of metal,' a small chuckle left her lips as the continued on, 'I had to flee and went to Falkreath. I tried selling the metal there but it turned out to be worth nothing. However, I didn't stop practising the art of thievery. I also hunted every day though, I still had to eat and so did Nero, who I found as a pup all left alone at some cave, his mother probably hunted down by some bandits. One day I met Relyn. I almost shot him because I thought he was some wild animal, but he turned out to not be angry at me. We became best friends and soon we became lovers. Oh, I loved him so much. He could make me laugh like no one else. We hunted, laughed and stole together, we even got a bit on the wealthy side of the civilians, who thought we earned all the septims in an honest way. The only thing that bugged me though was the fact that Relyn was rather... protective and selfish. He wanted me all for his own and threatened every man that looked in my direction. Alas, love makes blind and I had just shrugged it off. Appearentally love makes dumb also. On a particular morning Relyn proposed to break in at the longhouse of the jarl for treasure. And that's when everything went downhill.' (Y/n) sighed sadly and stroked her pets light fur. 'If you don't want to tell me lass, then--' 'No, you wanted me to tell you and now you'll get it. Anyways, the break in went very smoothly until we were about to leave, our bags full of copper and moonstone circlets, several expensive rings and a full purse of septims. It was one mistake. One tiny mistake that set everything on fire. Quite literally, actually. It was just a small movement that Relyn miscalculated. While pushing himself through an open window, he bumped over a burning candle and that set everything alight. I was still trapped inside and the fire soon spread throughout the whole room. Of course, the guards were already aware of the ruckus we had caused. Relyn, he just left me behind and ran. When the guards found me, the flames had already done damage to my body.' Carefully, she lifted her sleeve. I gasped and put my hands in front of my mouth. On her left arm from her wrist to her shoulder was a large and long scar, the flesh around it torn and a darker shade then the rest of her body. 'The pain was searing and I was on one side happy that I got caught. If I was out fleeing, I could've lost my arm in order of it not being treated correctly. However, Relyn let me down and I knew I would never forgive him for abandoning me in this dark hour. I was in prison for over a year before I managed to escape, so yet here I am right in a city where in all places of the world Relyn also is.' I looked at her with a look of sympathy. 'I'm sorry.' She lowered her head and sighed. 'I'm alright. Pain heals over time. I hope you now understand why I hate Relyn so much.' 'I understand, lass. But I may have the perfect idea of how we could get rid of Relyn now I have this information.' Her eyes lit up, a smile growing on her face. 'Really? What is it?' I smirked and put my index finger in the air. 'I'm not telling you yet, but one thing is for sure and that is that there are loads of work to do!'