Claimed: A Thieves Guild Fanfiction [Revised&Edited]

Chapter 8

  The moment of Mercer's revenge came much too swiftly for Arsha's liking. Brynjolf had caught Arsha as she was leaving the Flagon for another job and pulled her to the side. "Hey, lass. Word's gotten around that it was you who pulled the Goldenglow job. It's caught the attention of Maven Blackbriar. She wants to meet with you. Now." He sounded excited, but Arsha was slightly worried.

"Can you promise that I'll come back?" she asked him. She had heard of Maven's reputation, in fact, she had been involved in it a few years- she cut off the thought.

Brynjolf laughed and shook his head. "It's not like that, lass. She just wants to talk." Arsha narrowed her eyes suspiciously but nodded in acceptance anyway.

"I'll go see her," she said. "Oh, I think Mercer wanted to see you, Brynjolf. Be careful." Brynjolf gave her a grimace before heading for the Cistern. Arsha followed him, heading for the secret entrance to the graveyard above.

Brynjolf headed toward Mercer's desk and she heard the beginning of their conversation. Not really the words, but the tone. She had a feeling Brynjolf would not like the following discussion. Silently, she wished him good luck before climbing the ladder and entering the Riften graveyard.

The bright sunlight was almost blinding after the dimness of the Cistern. The light made her feel uncomfortable and exposed, but, after making sure her mask and hood were firmly secured, she strode out of the graveyard and into the streets of Riften anyway.

As she made her way to the Bee and Barb, a few citizens lost valuable items. She stuck to the shadows so well that people barely noticed her, so she was able to pick pockets with ease. By the time she had reached the doors of the inn her pockets were considerably heavier with her recently 'acquired' items.

When she stepped into the inn, she was met with a hostile stare from Keerava. She ignored the irritated Argonian and made her way over to Talen-Jei. The other Argonian looked nervous but not angry or scared. "I'm looking for Maven Blackbriar. Oh, and I have those flawless amethysts you were wanting."

For a few moments, Talen-Jei was frozen in a silent shock. When he finally did regain his ability to speak he thanked her profusely, causing Arsha to squirm uncomfortably. She was a thief; she wasn't used to people showing her gratitude. Finally, she cut him off. "You're welcome," she said. "Now, can you show me where Maven is? I need to speak with her."

Talen-Jei nodded and led the way up the wooden stairs the way he had hen Arsha had rented her room that first night. This time, however, instead of leading her to one of the rooms when they reached the top of the stairs, the Argonian gestured to a shadowed alcove.

"Thank you again," Talen-Jei said in a reptilian whisper before disappearing back down the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, Arsha strode forward until she was standing across from Maven Blackbriar. The woman looked her over with a critical eye for a few moments before saying, "So you're the one. Hmm. You don't look very impressive."

Arsha considered her responses for a moment before answering, "How about we skip the conversation?" She had a feeling that Maven was a person who respected strength. Luckily she was right, as Maven replied,

"You're a firebrand, aren't you? It's about time Brynjolf sent me someone with business sense. I was beginning to think he was running some sort of beggar's guild over there," Maven declared, gesturing to the chair across from her. "Sit."

Arsha sat in the chair, crossing her arms in front of herself. "You have no faith in the Guild," she observed.

Maven laughed, "Faith? I don't have faith in anyone. All I care about is cause and effect. Did the job get done and was it done correctly. There's no gray area."