Skyrim | Thief Of Hearts | DISCONTINUED

29.

{Brynjolf POV}

I didn't know what to feel, nor did I know if I wanted to feel anyways. Mercer appeared to be competition for me around the area of (Y/n), but now she had to kill him? He was my friend, for Mara's sake! I shuddered, swallowing thickly before turning to the (race) and Dunmer on the other platform. 'Ready to go?' My attempt to sound confident vanished like snow for the sun. I sighed, stepping towards the gate without even awaiting an answer. 'Where are you going?' Karliah asked me, the sound of boots against stone audible as she approached me. I halted in my tracks, spinning around, my gaze avoiding (Y/n) in every way possible. Her face was barely visible in her Nightingale armor, but I saw her eyes shimmering under the hood and that was enough for me to notice the sadness that had washed over her. 'We have to think this through.' Karliah said, beckoning (Y/n) to follow us outside. The fresh air that filled my lungs as we stepped out of the Halls made me realize that I had been breathing weirdly the last few minutes. 'Brynjolf...' the (h/c) (race) said, her voice a whisper. I looked at her, she had taken her hood off and her hair was messy. It made her seem adorable, but also vulnerable. Suddenly she seemed so small, so weak as tears threatened to spill over the rims of her eyes. '(Y/n)...' 'I can't kill him, Brynjolf. He has been kind to me. Rescued me from the Nord soldiers, helped me towards the river to wash myself.' I narrowed my eyes, leaning closer. 'Mercer came after you because I ordered him to!' Her expression went from wistful to surprised to a sullen one. 'You ordered him? Were you too miserable to not go by yourself?!' I felt my heart shatter in my chest as I understood what I just had said. 'N-No, I didn't mean it like that!' She scoffed, stepping away from me. 'You don't even care about me, now do you?' 'If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't be here with you to become a Nightingale!' 'Oh, you take on every opportunity to become a thief with a few more advantages with me but you don't even want to risk your own bloody life to check up on me?!' Her broken face told me I really hurt her. 'Alright quit it, both of you! We have to come with a plan to stop Mercer before he does that stupid thing of his, before things really get out of hand. When all of this is fixed, you two figure out your love life. Not before that, alright?' I blushed as she mentioned this love stuff and coughed. 'Of course.' 'Let's head back to the cistern, perhaps we could find something there.'

I peeled the tight armor off my skin, tiny beads of sweat covering my skin. The chilly air making contact with my now bare chest made me shiver from the cold. I bent down, taking an empty steel tankard in my hand to scoop up some water from the bucket I was standing in before I poured it over my almost naked body. My muscles tensed under the sudden icy liquid, but I gritted my teeth and did it again. From the other room, I heard (Y/n) and Karliah whisper about what to do next. I finished washing myself and put on my Thieves Guild armor, happy to wear something comfortable again. I knocked on the door trice and Karliah opened up, beckoning me to join into their conversation. 'So, we were thinking, (Y/n) is going to break into Mercers desk and steal his journal, it might contain useful information about his whereabouts.' I nodded. 'Sounds good. How can we know that he didn't take it with him? Perhaps he will return and catch us red handed!' Karliah rolled her violet eyes. 'That's why I make (Y/n) do it, so if he decides to show up, he won't be too mad. He has a soft spot for her.' I narrowed my eyes as I looked at (Y/n)'s flustered face. 'Don't flatter yourself too much. Mercer is mentally unstable.' I said, jealous of her blushing about Mercer instead about me. Her eyes shot up to my face. 'Is that envy I sense?' Karliah muttered, avoiding any suspicious glances the Guild members sent her way. I knew they were still wary about her presence, but I had told them it was all okay when we entered the cistern half an hour ago. Still, they were watchful. 'Why don't you go speak a bit with them, Karliah?' I proposed as I turned my gaze to (Y/n). Her eyes locked with mine. 'We need to talk.' The Dunmer nodded as she walked away and I stepped closer to the (Race). She stepped back, frowning deeply. 'What was all of that about? Mentally unstable? Are you literally grabbing any chance to trample Mercer in order to win my heart? I expected better than that from you, Brynjolf.' I blinked a few times at her angry face, not sure why she was acting this way. 'What is the matter? I am just telling you facts!' Her hand slapped across my face, my cheek stinging instantly. 'That's what you get for being so selfish! Mercer is your bloody friend! You shouldn't treat him that way for the sake of love! If you are like that, so treacherous against the ones you care about, I don't want you.' As the words left her pink, plump lips, I felt emotions I had never felt before. She spun on her heel and walked away, but I didn't follow her to wherever she was going. I was glued to my spot, my jaw slightly hanging open and my cheek throbbing with pain, accompanied by a tingling in the pit of my stomach. She was even beautiful when she was angry... My head started spinning, I had never felt this way about anyone before. (Y/n), what are you doing to me?! I thought as I wiped my clammy hands on my armor. I was crazy in love, and if this was love, then I was already addicted.