Moonlight's Embrace (A Skyrim Fanfic) (ORIGINAL)

Thief's Return

WBE: 1,267
WAE: 2,559

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((4th of Rain's Hand, 4E 205))

I bolted up, doused in sweat. I caught a glint of red before it vanished into the murk.

"Damn you, Vaermina," I hissed. She'd been giving me nightmares since that day I'd left the Guild two years ago.

Or at least that was my assumption. I could always be wrong.

The sun shone through the stained-glass window of Proudspire Manor, the home I'd purchased with my adventuring funds. Children ran about, enjoying the sunny weather. For the past few days, it had done nothing but rain. Still, rain will make the flowers grow. Small birds flew around in the sky, enjoying the morning spring air.

I took a bit of time to think over what I needed to do. I had something scheduled tomorrow... Ah. My meeting with Riften's court wizard. If I left tonight, I could reach Riften by the afternoon of the following day. With a groan and thought of how I truly didn't want to get out of my nice warm bed, I stretched and stood. 

I'd avoided Riften as much as I could, but at this point, I had no choice. The forgetful wizard in Mistveil Keep had information I'd needed for my research over the Soul Cairn, not to mention the Elder Scrolls. I'd gotten a bit of information from Valerica, but I needed to know about the Ideal Masters.

Almost instantly after my nightmares had begun, I'd taken refuge with the Companions. Their loss was suddenly driven by the Call, to which a friend and I pursued.

Defeating Alduin was the greatest task I'd ever been set upon, and I was thankful I hadn't been alone.

A group of vampire attacks had forced me to the Dawnguard-- a group dedicated to eradicating vampires. As it turned out, a powerful Vampire Lord had grown bold and attempted to change the world using a legendary weapon. He'd been... taken care of with the help of another unexpected ally, but my curiosity over the Masters in the Soul Cairn could not be sated.

My ally had returned to the place she belonged while I tried to find a way to not only contact the Ideal Masters, but also to destroy them and set free the souls trapped within the Cairn.

I found ways to translate several olden books without making any rubbings. As it turned out, some had bits and pieces of prophecies from the Elder Scrolls themselves. Unfortunately, there were still passages left unreadable in more than one. I had one single book with more information than any I'd collectively found, though it was difficult to fully translate. 

I had eventually realized that even though I'd managed to avoid it thus far with other portions of my personal project, I now had no choice but to return to Riften.

I'd accepted the meeting when I had nothing else waiting for me, promising to myself that I wouldn't bother with the Thieves' Guild while there.

Moving almost like a Dwarven automaton, I reached underneath my bed to a dusty chest, securely hidden under the floorboards. Inside were the two outfits I wanted to forget about but couldn't bear to rid myself of. My adventure as a Nightingale seemed as though it had happened hundreds of years ago, regardless of the truth-- it had only been two years.

Brynjolf undoubtedly found a new foolish lass to sit on his lap and feed false promises to. He and Karliah must've brought the Guild back onto its feet.

That's what the passing of time helped me do. I no longer felt as much pain over Brynjolf. The old adage seemed to fit well... There's a fine line between love and hate, and I do indeed hate Brynjolf again.