[Book 1] Skyrim: There's Something About You, Lass (EDITING)

8 - The Pursuit

The air was dry with the tension you were receiving from Riften. The Guild knew you were here, and they probably made sure you weren't able to get in from a different way other than the one they wished to leave. You were afraid of their opinion of you now, and of Brynjolf's outlook of your loyalty. You were walking around with a supposed traitor, and now you were about to waltz back into the Cistern as if everything had not happened.

You inhaled sharply as you wandered into the Flagon, noticing a worried-looking Karliah there. She was nervous, probably just as much as you were. 

"I'm glad you're here. I think some of these people are beginning to suspect who I am," she said, a frown visible on her face.

"I would understand why. . . Mercer has put such a massive target on your back, you're nearly impossible to miss," you said with a sigh. 

"Are you ready to face the Guild?" she asked, a look of hope in her eyes. She was hoping you were as bold as you had been acting these past days, and to be entirely honest you weren't.

The Guild was going to be a struggle to face alone. You couldn't bear the sight of your friends staring at you like you were some sort of traitor. You couldn't stand the sight of Brynjolf with a look of betrayal in his green eyes. You didn't think your heart could take the message lightly. You had developed feelings for Brynjolf, those that definitely meant more than just friends and fellow thieves.

After taking in a sharp breath, you finally let it out. "I'm ready. Let's go," you lied.

"Keep your eyes open. I'm not sure what to expect when we enter the Cistern." Karliah turned around, walking on the stones that arched around the pool of water in the middle of the Ragged Flagon. She was slow with her pace, unsure of what to think. You couldn't blame her either. She was one of the most hated individuals in the Guild. You were worried the Guild wouldn't think, and would smite her as soon as she walked in the room. You were worried that you would be next, and Brynjolf would be the one doing so.

Your heart sank at the thought. Brynjolf, a man you had grown so close to. You had only hoped he would listen to your reason. . . 

Please be wise, dear Brynjolf. . . you thought as you stepped onto the wooden planks that made a passage to the other end of the Flagon. In seconds, you and Karliah were striding past the counter top that you usually saw someone wiping off and you were making you way into the secret passage behind the cabinet.

You saw the cistern doors in your sights, and your heart thudded in your ears. Your panic was rising, you thoughts were beginning to spiral. You felt as if you were going to lose a bit of your already-lacking confidence as soon as you stepped through that door. When Karliah put her hand on the handle and clicked open the door, your heart dropped when you saw three Guild members gathered near the door. Their weapons were drawn as they stared threateningly at Karliah. You were hoping they dismissed you, but the attention you have gotten made your heart disappear and your voice catch in your throat.

"You better have a damn good reason to be here with that murderer," Brynjolf glared at you warningly. 

The lump that caught in your throat was refusing to go down. You couldn't make your case, you were so scared of being in the same room with Brynjolf. You were the one person he trusted, and the look of double-crossing on his face told you that applied no longer.

"Brynjolf. . . I'm so sorry, I ca--"

"You, of all people, lass. . . I thought I could trust you a lot more than that. I never thought you would ever lead her back here." Brynjolf wouldn't let you talk. He was angered. Hurt. Something you never wanted to see him become.