Elder Scrolls Oneshots (REQUESTS OPEN)

Mercer Frey x Reader

In the far eastern corner of Riften, there sat a small structure that was seemingly overlooked by most guests to the rickety town, but was well-known to the locals as the best bakery in the Rift. It had been in the possession of the (y/l/n) family for generations, and was currently being run by a young (race).

(Y/n) was an aspiring bard, although they could not bear the thought of leaving the bakery behind to travel to Solitude. In the meantime they would toil over pastries, humming tunes to themself and passing between kneeding dough and jotting lyrics and melodies in a small journal kept stashed in a nook by the counter.

They dreamed of the day they might have a spouse, someone who could help them run the bakery while they played their music at the local inn, or perhaps even the bunkhouse. (Y/n) sighed, lost so in thoughts of a future far off that they nearly missed the handsome Breton who strode into the store.

Mercer Frey was well-known by everyone in the Rift as the sleazy, relentless leader of Skyrim's Thieves Guild. Though dwindling and dysfunctional, the guild still managed to strike fear into the locals. Rumor had it that the Bee and Barb had been their latest target, and they had turned to a fist fight to prove their point.

(Y/n) looked up just in time for a gloved hand to be thrust into their face, "I believe you owe the guild some money, I am here to collect it." They swallowed nervously, however it was the only sign of weakness as they stealed their gaze against the thief. "I don't believe I owe you anything, I wasn't informed of an agreement between us." Mercer smirked, his hand coming to rest on the hilt of the dagger he wore strapped to his waist. (Y/n) was smart enough to know he wouldn't use it, he was not in the proper stance to, and therefore it could be nothing more than a ruse to scare them.

"The agreement stands that everyone in this town owes a penchance to the guild. Hand over the septims or you will come to regret it." (Y/n) did not waver, instead they crossed the arms defiantly. "I owe nothing to people who give me nothing in return. This is hardly stealing, has the thieves guild really fallen so far as to threaten for goods and gold?"

Mercer smirked, over his years as a thief he had never met anyone who stood up to the guildmaster like the (race) had, and made a hasty decision right then and there. He reeled for a come back, smugly stating it once his mind had caught up with him. "And you think you could do better?" (Y/n) faltered a bit, torn between giving in and accepting the challenge. They had never really thought of themselves as the kind who would resort to thievery, although they were extremely stubborn, and in the end agreed.

"Go to the Ragged Flagon in the Ratway, if you can get there in one piece Brynjolf with introduce you to the guild." With that, he turned to leave, but not before unsheathing his dagger and placing it on the counter before the (race). "A pretty thing like you probably doesn't even know what this is. Use it as defense in the tunnels, there are some even more unpleasant than thieves. With that, he turned and left, his gate just as cocky as it had been on his entrance.

(Y/n) watched him go with mixed feelings, on one hand the man had frustrated them profusely, but on the other he had also intrigued them. They quickly cleaned their workspace, threw the stale pastries away and sealed the new ones so that they'd stay fresh, and closed the bakery early that night. In their haste the (race) made it halfway to the Ratway's entrance before remembering the oven.

They quickly ran back through the streets and was greeted by the sight of their bakery ablaze. (Y/n) bit their lip, their hand flying to the small journal in their pocket. Perhaps after this mess with the guild, they would finally make their way to Solitude, as they were now free to do so. They stood there and watched until the bakery was just a pile of ash and scorched logs, rummaged through the embers for the salvagable septims, and once more turned back to the Ratway.

~♡~

Part two coming soon
For Fanficionlover899