Dardeh had been waiting to hear the pounding on the door, and was there to open the entryway to the Sanctuary. He took one look at Brynjolf\u2019s face and then focused on Roggi\u2019s, his eyes frantically searching for answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in, you two,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cWhere\u2019s\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Roggi shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll explain in a minute. First we need to see about getting Brynjolf some food. He\u2019s in a bit of shock. I\u2019m surprised you couldn\u2019t hear his stomach growling from in here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dardeh tried to make eye contact with Brynjolf but found him staring blankly, looking around but not seeming to register much of anything.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even seem to notice the red-haired Imperial man wearing a jester\u2019s outfit who was quietly studying him from an alcove nearby.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure. Downstairs. \u00a0Sayma\u2019s down there, and some of the others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brynjolf shook himself out of his daze long enough to look at Dardeh and nod.\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d was all he managed before heading for the stairwell.<\/p>\n
Dardeh leaned in close to Roggi. He inclined his head toward the alcove without shifting his gaze away from Roggi. \u201cThat over there is Cicero, the one little Bryn was talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI see. Interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dardeh glanced over Roggi\u2019s shoulder, toward the door. \u201cWhere\u2019s Andante?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?<\/em>\u201d Dardeh hissed.\u00a0 \u201cHow is that even\u2026 what\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo see for yourself if you want, Dar. There\u2019s a pile of red ash out there. Brynjolf said he drew a posse of vampire hunters away from him, and us, and just stood there in the sun and let himself be taken.\u00a0 I don\u2019t understand it. \u00a0But Bryn is human again. Andante cured him just before this all happened.\u201d\u00a0 He reached for Dardeh\u2019s hand and squeezed it.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a mess, Dar. I don\u2019t think he realized how much Andante meant to him. We need to keep an eye on him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go sit with him while you tell Sayma.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOK. I\u2019ll try to make it quick.\u201d<\/p>\n They descended the stairs to the large main room, where Brynjolf had taken a seat at the long table and sat staring down at its surface, his hands clasped together and resting on the top.\u00a0 Every so often he would twist the two rings he wore, and sigh.<\/p>\n Sayma was standing next to the fireplace, speaking to the man she had introduced as Nazir, when Roggi approached.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a problem,\u201d he began carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAndante is\u2026 gone. And Brynjolf is human again. And he\u2019s hungry.\u00a0 And, uh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma grabbed his arm and hissed. \u201cAndante is what?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGone. Dead. I don\u2019t have all the details but I found Brynjolf sitting next to a pile of ashes out on the shore. And by the way, we need something to collect them into.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma\u2019s mouth dropped open.\u00a0 She shut it again, but had nothing to say as she visibly tried to process the information he’d just presented to her.<\/p>\n Nazir looked as shocked as Sayma had. \u201cHe\u2019s dead?\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI make it a point not to get close to people I recruit, but Andante was different. I liked him. I don\u2019t like that many people. I\u2019m going to miss him.\u00a0 Listener?\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s probably an urn in the back. Go get it and see what you can do about collecting the ashes. We can find something more suitable later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt once, Listener,\u201d Nazir said and turned to leave, but then paused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if you\u2019d like I\u2019ll share the news with Babette and Cicero. You\u2019ll undoubtedly know when I\u2019ve succeeded with that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Nazir,\u201d Sayma said. \u201cI think I\u2019d better check on Brynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi stopped her with a hand.\u00a0 \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi examined her face for a moment while he tried to decide what to say. \u201cI don\u2019t even know how to begin. But\u2026 the two of them, Bryn and Andante, they were\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTogether,\u201d Sayma frowned. \u201cI gathered that when Andante called him \u2018loverboy\u2019 not too long before you and Dardeh arrived. I\u2019m not sure how to deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDeal with it by knowing that he is hurting, really badly. I\u2019m worried about him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf\u2019s a strong man, Roggi. He\u2019s been through some bad times and pulled through without a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi frowned and shook his head. His voice dropped to a quiet murmur, the one Dardeh had heard him use with the assassin in the Rift one afternoon a long time before. \u201cPlease don\u2019t make me get angry with you. It wouldn\u2019t end well. You didn\u2019t see Bryn out there on the beach, crying. You didn\u2019t see him when you left Riften. He was well on his way to being dead when Delvin came to get me. I nursed him back to health.\u00a0 He\u2019s got that look on his face again, and I\u2019m really worried about him. He\u2019s not that good at losing people he loves.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma looked into his eyes for a long moment. \u201cCrying? I\u2026 have a hard time picturing that. \u00a0So you\u2019re saying he really cared about Andante?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi snorted. \u201cNo. I\u2019m saying he loved<\/em> the man. They loved each other. Stranger things have happened, you know. I don\u2019t think he truly knew how much until now, and it\u2019s too late. After you left Riften, I kept Brynjolf from drinking himself to death but Andante is the one who brought him back to life, strange as that sounds given how everything turned out. Andante adored Bryn. Simply adored him.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed. \u201cI don\u2019t want to see him fall apart again, Sayma. And part of that is your fault. I need you to help me hold him together.\u00a0 It\u2019s the least you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma dropped her eyes to the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right. And I\u2019m sorry. It\u2019s just that he\u2019s my\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Roggi said, flatly. \u201cHe was<\/em> your husband. Technically he still is, but you left him. You forfeited any right to judge what he\u2019s done with his life since then, and don\u2019t you dare<\/em> forget that.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the thing. I promised you I\u2019d stand with you if you ever needed me, and I meant that. But there are a lot of things we will need to talk about at some point. The biggest issue is what you did to Brynjolf.\u00a0 That\u2019s going to be hard to move past.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi. I thought \u2013 little Bryn, I thought he might have been\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know. What if he\u2019d been my son? But he\u2019s so clearly Brynjolf\u2019s and it doesn\u2019t excuse you leaving Bryn in the dark all this time since the boy was born. Or the rest of us. We all thought you were dead. You of all people should know how much that hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma hung her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI know. But it\u2019s not just that, it\u2019s\u2026this. The Sanctuary. The Night Mother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI frankly couldn\u2019t possibly care less about that right now,\u201d Roggi said coldly, earning himself a startled look from Sayma. \u201cGo see about getting him food. He\u2019s been living on \u2013 well, you know \u2013 for months now and he\u2019s suddenly human again. He\u2019s going to pass out if he doesn\u2019t eat. I need to walk around a little bit. I\u2019ll be there in a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma nodded and went into the main room, stopping to speak quietly to Babette as she came slowly down the stairs.\u00a0 Babette looked stricken.\u00a0 After a few moments she nodded, and left down one of the hallways.<\/p>\n Roggi was making his way down another, toward the source of the moans he heard ahead of him, when a loud wail echoed through the Sanctuary.<\/p>\n \u201cAndante! Andante! No, no\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Cicero. No wonder they find him a bit of a challenge.<\/em><\/p>\n __<\/p>\n Sayma had been talking quietly to Dardeh, both of them keeping an eye on Brynjolf, who sat by the fire holding a tankard but not really drinking from it. Nazir had left carrying an old Nordic urn, and had returned a few minutes later to place it on the table. She watched Roggi return to the dining room, approach Brynjolf, and rest a hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are you doing, brother?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m alright. I ate a bit of bread and cheese. Thank you, lad. I know you\u2019re worried about me, but don\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi chuckled. \u201cWe\u2019ll never break you of that, will we. I\u2019m as much of an old man as you are, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I feel older today.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure you do. But you look<\/em> younger, Bryn. I think being a vampire did something to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. As long as it wasn\u2019t what happened to some of those people.\u201d He shuddered. \u201cThe transformation wasn\u2019t pretty, for some of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma wandered over to them, followed by Dardeh.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t imagine. But it certainly didn\u2019t harm Andante\u2019s looks.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf glanced at her briefly and then returned his attention to his tankard. \u201cYes, he was nothing if not handsome. I told you. Back when I first met him. He was the one who stole the gem from Madesi and then sold it back to him.\u201d<\/p>\n He sighed, and looked not at Sayma, but at Roggi. \u201cAll this time and I was with Vitus Perdeti. I can\u2019t believe I didn\u2019t see it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma shook her head. \u201cAndante.\u00a0 Vitus was a horrid man, by all accounts.\u00a0 Andante was a thief and an assassin but he had principles, and he was fun to be around.\u00a0 They were strange principles, but he had them. I and everyone else in the Brotherhood would have trusted him with our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know him very well,\u201d Dardeh rumbled, \u201cbut he was always good to me. Even if he did give me a hard time about Roggi.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled at his husband.<\/p>\n \u201cVitus!\u201d came a mournful wail from atop the stairs. \u201cOh Vitus. Vitus Perdeti, gone, gone away for good.\u201d<\/p>\n The four of them stared at each other for a moment, and then back up toward the Night Mother\u2019s coffin, where Cicero was wringing his hands and dancing about as usual.<\/p>\n \u201cCicero!\u201d Sayma called.\u00a0 \u201cCome down here for a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Listener, of course, Listener,\u201d the oily voice responded, and Cicero padded down the stairs to stand in front of Sayma.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it, Listener?\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma stared at him. \u201cI hardly know where to begin,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 \u201cCicero, did you know Vitus Perdeti?\u201d<\/p>\n Cicero gave her a disgusted frown. \u201cWell of course Cicero knew Vitus Perdeti.\u00a0 He was in the Dark Brotherhood in Bravil when Cicero was\u2026 well\u2026 something else than the Keeper.\u00a0 A long, long time ago and far away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid you know that Andante was Vitus Perdeti?\u201d<\/p>\n Cicero nodded enthusiastically.\u00a0 \u201cOf course I did, Listener. He was a very pretty boy and Cicero always remembers very pretty boys.\u00a0 Of course it was a long time ago, that he was a boy. But still, Cicero remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you never told us?\u201d<\/p>\n Cicero tossed his hands up in the air and made a disgusted noise. Then, in a tone of voice utterly different from his usual sing-songy nonsense, said \u201cWell of course I didn\u2019t tell you that. If a man as well-known as Vitus Perdeti was going by a name like Andante there must have been a good reason for it, don\u2019t you think? I wouldn\u2019t have given away something like that.\u00a0 Really, Listener. I\u2019m mad, not stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n His face fell, the moment of lucidity apparently having passed. \u201cAh! Andante. My poor, lovely Andante! Whatever will Cicero do without you?\u201d He turned and danced his way back up the stairs to begin muttering in front of the Night Mother\u2019s coffin as he had done since the Dark Brotherhood had moved to the Dawnstar Sanctuary.<\/p>\n Sayma and Roggi stared at each other in amazement.<\/p>\n \u201cI would laugh, except that it\u2019s not funny,\u201d Sayma said. \u201cWho would have imagined that Cicero was the only one who knew. Not even Andante did!\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cHe didn\u2019t. Not until very recently.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi beckoned for Sayma to follow him, and went to the far side of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cIs everything under control?\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma nodded. \u201cNazir collected\u2026 the ashes. He found a bow in the bushes nearby. Brynjolf said it\u2019s important that it go back to someone named Serana at Castle Volkihar, but he can\u2019t go back there himself any longer because he\u2019s not a\u2026 vampire. So I sent Babette. She\u2019s on her way west, right now, with the bow and a note from Bryn.\u201d Sayma sighed, and looked down.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is hard. I\u2026 never would have imagined\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi tsk\u2019d.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I never thought I\u2019d be saying something like this to you, Sayma, but you are going to have to get over yourself and think about the others.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma\u2019s head shot up and she glared at him. In spite of the seriousness of the situation she could feel her anger rising; and she didn’t like being angry with Roggi.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m serious,” he told her. This isn\u2019t about you and your remorse. Right now, this is about losing Andante. And how he was doing a good thing. For all I know it\u2019s the only good thing he ever did. He thought he was saving Brynjolf, and you, and your child. \u00a0I watched him, the night I learned he was a vampire. He knew he would be out of the picture if we found you.\u00a0 And he knew he had to go forward with finding you anyway, for Brynjolf. I could hear it in his voice and read it on his face. I think\u2026 he needed Brynjolf as much as Bryn needed him, and he needed Brynjolf to be happy.\u00a0 It kept him human, strange as that sounds. And he kept Brynjolf alive. So don\u2019t be hard on Bryn because he spent this time being with Andante.\u00a0 They needed each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma was staring at the floor again, by the time he finished. Her arms were wrapped around herself tight and she was shaking.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand it, but who am I to say anything at all. I guess\u2026 I guess I hoped that once he saw Little Bryn\u2026\u00a0 Damn it, that\u2019s why I answered his query in the first place, Roggi. I think I really wanted him to find me. I wanted him to forgive me, just a little, even if we were never together again.\u00a0 And then I find out that he\u2019s been living with a man who worked with me. And I find out that you are married\u2026 to my brother. Forgive me if I\u2019m a little confused right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him.\u00a0 \u201cWasn\u2019t it you who used to say that you don\u2019t get to choose who you love?\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded, slowly. \u201cI suppose so. If not for me, and that, we all might not be in this mess. Because, Roggi,\u201d she looked up at him, pleading for understanding.<\/p>\n Roggi smiled sadly, and pulled her close into a hug.<\/p>\n \u201cI know. It\u2019s been a hard time, figuring all of it out. It\u2019s going to be hard for some time to come. But there are some things that are too beautiful to forget,\u201d he added, his voice dropping, \u201cand one of those was Nilheim. I had forgotten what it was like to be alive until that day.\u00a0 I\u2019ll always be grateful to you for that.\u201d<\/p>\n She knew Roggi meant to be comforting with that, but in the moment she felt as though he’d stabbed\u00a0 her in the heart. She fought to contain herself as he let her go and smiled down at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to go be with my husband now, because if the truth be told this all has stirred up some things for me, too. We\u2019ll talk about me and Ulfric sometime, and you\u2019ll understand.\u00a0 But right now, just go be with Brynjolf.\u00a0 And we\u2019ll be at the inn tonight in case you need us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait.\u201d She seized his arm in a steely grip. \u201cYou\u2026 and Ulfric?\u201d Her eyes narrowed, her voice became that of the Listener; and Roggi’s expression said that he\u00a0 knew he had spoken out of turn once more.<\/p>\n Roggi sighed. \u201cYes. I can\u2019t talk about it right now, not standing here down the hall from a torture chamber. It\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He paused for a moment, as if thinking hard, and then took her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cYes I can. I can tell you some of it. Sayma, this,\u201d he nodded toward the room where there were four moaning prisoners shackled to the wall, \u201cthis is what I did. For Ulfric. When I was in his service.\u201d<\/p>\n She blinked. \u201cYou what?\u00a0 Roggi, you\u2026 what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was one of his interrogators.\u00a0 I used to, um, apply pressure to people for information.\u00a0 Remember I told you how I made them pay, the bandits who killed Briinda? Well I wasn\u2019t kidding about being really good at it.\u00a0 I have… wait, I\u2019ll prove it to you.\u201d\u00a0 He stepped back, slung his pack down off his shoulder and reached into the bottom of it. He pulled out a small, neatly folded leather case.<\/p>\n Then he flipped it open.<\/p>\n There, each in its own specific compartment, was a set of gruesome tools. Curved knives, corkscrews, pliers, and an assortment of blades.\u00a0 Roggi stood, staring at it.<\/p>\n Sayma glanced over his shoulder at Dardeh\u2019s horrified face.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen Roggi opening his backpack and walked up behind him, silently. He was staring at the tools with an unfathomable expression.\u00a0 He glanced up at Sayma, his eyes pleading.<\/p>\n Roggi shrugged. \u201cYou know what?\u201d he said, flipping the case shut and refastening the clasps that held it closed.\u00a0 Then he met her gaze and smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I need these anymore.\u201d His voice dropped. \u00a0\u201cWell, I know I don\u2019t.\u00a0 Took a guy\u2019s thumb off with just a knife, I know I don\u2019t,\u201d he mumbled.<\/p>\n Sayma\u2019s mouth fell open.\u00a0 \u201cHis thumb?\u00a0 That was you? Out in the Rift?\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi met her gaze, startled that he\u2019d said anything.\u00a0 \u201cUh.\u00a0 You heard about that, did you?\u00a0 Yeah, that was me. I\u2019m sorry. Obviously I didn\u2019t know he was one of your guys.\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cHe wasn\u2019t. He was one of the old guard.\u00a0 But Roggi.\u00a0 You.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled sadly.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, me.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry. It\u2019s a long story. I never lied to you, but I never told you all of it and that part is pretty ugly.\u00a0 These, though. I\u2019ve been toting them around with me for more than ten years now.\u00a0 I have two little girls at home and I don\u2019t think we need them even thinking about what their other Papa used to do with them.\u00a0 Here,\u201d he said, handing the package to Sayma.\u00a0 \u201cPut them in there.\u00a0 They\u2019re sharper than what you have on hand, anyway. I checked them.\u201d He grinned. \u201cProfessional curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma took the case, numbly, not knowing what to say, her head swimming as she tried to grasp what she had just heard. She looked up at Dardeh, who had put his arm around Roggi\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re really giving them up?\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n Roggi smiled at him. \u201cYeah. I\u2019m giving them up. I don\u2019t need them anymore, Dar.\u00a0 That\u2019s all done. I\u2019m leaving him, and them, and everything he ever did to us, behind.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cThey wouldn\u2019t be much good against a dragon, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n They turned to leave, but Sayma reached out and grabbed Dardeh\u2019s arm to stop him.<\/p>\n \u201cWait just a moment,\u201d she said, not realizing that she was once again speaking as the Listener, the Guildmaster, her voice heavy with authority.<\/p>\n But Brynjolf heard it.\u00a0 His head snapped up and he stared at her, frowning, from across the room.<\/p>\n Dardeh raised an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did Ulfric do to you, Roggi? I need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh shook his head, and growled.\u00a0 \u201cHe doesn\u2019t need to revisit this, Sayma.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes he does, lad,\u201d came a quiet voice from the far corner of the room, from the figure who had moved to perch on the stairs to where Cicero was muttering to the Night Mother.<\/p>\n They all turned to look at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n He stood, slowly, almost painfully, and walked over to where they stood.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to get all of it out in the open.\u00a0 All of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh started to object, but Brynjolf held up his hand to stop him.<\/p>\n \u201cListen.\u00a0 I have a right to have you listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi and Dardeh exchanged a glance, and Roggi nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThe longer we all keep secrets, the less time we have to help each other, and the more likely we are to make mistakes that we\u2019ll all regret later. I don\u2019t want someone else to leave without knowing the truth. And like it or not, we\u2019re all family in this room. Right here, right now. I don\u2019t want to end up losing another one of you like I just lost Andante.\u201d He swallowed hard. \u201cOr Dynjyl,\u201d he whispered. \u201cOr Dag,\u201d he murmured, looking up at Sayma.<\/p>\n He walked over to the long table and sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to tell you about Dynjyl so that you\u2019ll understand about Andante. And there are other things to get out in the open. So you\u2019re all going to sit with me, for a bit. And we\u2019re going to talk. And we\u2019re going to listen.\u00a0 And then we\u2019ll decide what to do next.\u00a0 Please.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi nodded, and moved to take a seat next to Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cAye, my brother,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n Dardeh and Sayma looked at each other in surprise and then slowly moved to the opposite side of the table.<\/p>\n The others \u2013 the new members of the Brotherhood, Nazir, and even Cicero \u2013 drifted around the Sanctuary but they all kept a respectful distance from the table.\u00a0 And they were quiet, all except for Cicero, whose whimpers about Andante were audible but not truly understandable, drifting down from the vicinity of the Night Mother\u2019s coffin.<\/p>\n And they talked.<\/p>\n Brynjolf stared at the table, a far-away look on his face, and told them about Dynjyl, smiling when he reached up to the scar on his face, fighting to keep his composure when he got to the part where he\u2019d met Andante and thought he was seeing Dynjyl all over again.<\/p>\n \u201cNo wonder,\u201d Roggi murmured.<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded at him, then glanced at Sayma. \u201cI don\u2019t know why I never told Dag.\u00a0 I guess it didn\u2019t seem important at the time.\u00a0 But I wish I had, now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDag,\u201d Sayma said sourly. \u201cLike she\u2019s someone different.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t she?\u201d Brynjolf replied coolly, staring at her. \u201cSayma has a child who is old enough to speak in sentences and walk about on his own. Sayma is the Listener.\u00a0 Dagnell is the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild and\u2026\u201d he trailed off.<\/p>\n She sighed. She could feel her face reddening.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi slowly, carefully, told them all what only Dardeh had known before. Brynjolf ground his teeth, Sayma kept wiping tears away, angrily.\u00a0 Dardeh muttered under his breath about wanting to kill Ulfric, and Roggi shook his head. \u201cNo, Dar. We\u2019ve talked about this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you don\u2019t understand, Roggi,\u201d he growled. \u201cDadarh came to me in a dream.\u00a0 Just before Skuldafn.\u00a0 Do you remember when I put away the scimitars?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe wanted me to kill Ulfric. He was Dark Brotherhood. \u00a0It was his final contract and he couldn\u2019t complete it because he died. He wanted me to complete it and when I refused he told me I wasn\u2019t worthy to be his son.\u00a0 He said\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 I will have to use the girl,\u201d Sayma said, absently.\u00a0 She was staring at the table as if she was the only one in the room.<\/p>\n Dardeh turned to gawk at her. \u201cDon\u2019t tell me he\u2019s been at you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course he has, Dardeh. He\u2019s my father.\u201d<\/p>\n She sniffled.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember him, so clearly.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what he was, of course, not when I was so little at the time, but what I do remember is the two of them being so warm, him and my mother – Saban.\u00a0 It always felt like there was caring. At least for those few years. And then they were killed. Right in front of me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell I\u2019m glad he cared about one of us,\u201d Dardeh muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cDar!\u201d Roggi said, sharply.<\/p>\n Sayma looked at him in surprise, and then immediately regretted her words. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I forget how it was for you. I mostly grew up without him, too, but at least I had that little bit of time with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded, and frowned, and patted her arm.\u00a0 \u201cYeah I know. I\u2019m sorry to have said that.\u00a0 I\u2019m\u2026 bitter about it. I\u2019m not proud of that. But it wasn\u2019t your fault.\u00a0 And I had my Ma until I was a man grown.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cBut he\u2019s been whispering in my ear.\u00a0 All these years.\u00a0 Telling me to kill things. It was bad enough when we were chasing Mercer Frey and it only got worse after that. I think that\u2019s why I ran away from Ulfric when I first heard him.\u00a0 I just had to get away.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know why. Now I do.\u00a0 It was Father. He wants me to kill Ulfric.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at Roggi. \u201cBut if I\u2019d known what he did to you, I would have killed Ulfric where he sat, instead of running away.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh laughed, a dry, humorless laugh.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d have helped.\u00a0 I came close, as it was, a couple of times. I\u2019m afraid he doesn\u2019t like me very much.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf was staring at the table.\u00a0 \u201cIf I had known,\u201d he said, \u201cI\u2019d have ripped out his throat. And now I can\u2019t, any more.\u00a0 Unless\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma\u2019s head shot up. \u201cDon\u2019t even think about it, Red.\u201d<\/p>\n He growled. \u201cDon\u2019t call me that. You haven\u2019t the right.\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth as if to answer him and then shut it, looked down at the table, and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t ask to be made human again. I could go see your friend Babette and have this resolved, have all my power back, in five minutes. And then <\/em>I would happily march over to Windhelm and take care of the issue.\u00a0 It\u2019s not as if I have anything else to keep me from it.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cListen to all of you.\u00a0 You\u2019re all ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n They stared at him. He stared back, his glance defiant, moving from one to the next.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, the only one of all of us who would ever have stood a chance of pulling off a murder like that was Andante, and you all know it. Dar, my love, you would have been too angry and emotional and you would have Shouted someone to bits who wasn\u2019t Ulfric and suffered for it the rest of your life.\u00a0 Bryn, you\u2019re a thief, not an assassin, no matter how good you are with your weapons.\u00a0 And Sayma,\u201d he frowned, \u201cYou just aren\u2019t as good as he was.\u00a0 I know this because it was my job to know things and I knew all about the \u2018best of the best,\u2019 just like Delvin did.\u00a0 We just didn\u2019t know that was Andante.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSecond, as far as you are concerned, Brynjolf.\u00a0 No, don\u2019t interrupt me,\u201d he said, holding up his hand as Brynjolf started to protest. \u201cI won\u2019t put up with it. Not right now. Yes you do have things to keep you from it. You have the Guild, if nothing else. They\u2019re your family, too, and don\u2019t try to tell me otherwise. You have us, and we are your real family, every one of us. And you have a son. That\u2019s why Andante healed you and you know it. Can you imagine what he would think if he knew you were going to throw that away?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked away, and down, frowning.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd third,\u201d he said, \u201cnobody is killing Ulfric.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi,\u201d Dardeh said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Dar. I told you before.\u00a0 Nobody is killing Ulfric except me.\u201d<\/p>\n Then he shocked them all by chuckling.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I won\u2019t kill him.\u00a0 I will just make sure to parade myself around in front of him once in awhile and let him see how happy I am, in spite of everything he did to me.\u00a0 And he can choke on it and sit on his cold throne in his big, lonely stone castle and be miserable and alone.\u00a0 For the rest of his life.\u00a0 And he can think about how somebody else was the one who saved the sons and daughters of Skyrim and the damned Thalmor to boot.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t him.\u00a0 It was Dardeh.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked around the table.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t need to kill him.\u00a0 He\u2019s already dead.\u00a0 He died a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Then he grinned again, this time an unpleasant sort of grin. \u201cOf course\u2026 that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t do everything possible to keep him from ever being named High King.\u00a0 I suspect that among us we have enough contacts and pull to make such a thing very difficult to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n It was silent for a moment. Sayma looked around at the expressions on her family’s faces and was surprised and confused to see the frown Dardeh wore as he stared down at the table.<\/p>\n Then Brynjolf started laughing.\u00a0 \u201cShor\u2019s bones, Roggi, who knew you had such an evil streak in you?\u00a0 That\u2019s the best idea I\u2019ve ever heard, lad.\u201d\u00a0 He chuckled a bit more.\u00a0 \u201cI can promise you that Andante would be laughing if he heard it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi patted him on the back. \u201cOh come on, Bryn, of course you knew about my streak. So no more talk about being a vampire again, eh?\u00a0 We need you the way you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded, and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t lie, I\u2019m going to miss it.\u00a0 I liked\u2026\u201d He cast his gaze around the table and shrugged. \u201cI liked the power. That\u2019s why I wanted it in the first place, just in case any of you might think Andante forced it on me. He didn\u2019t. That\u2019s not the easiest thing to admit but it\u2019s true.\u00a0 It was so much more than what any of us have had otherwise, I promise you. \u00a0You have no idea.\u00a0 Or maybe you do.\u201d\u00a0 He licked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cOdd. I would have thought I\u2019d miss the taste of\u2026 well, never mind.\u00a0 Let\u2019s just say I\u2019m looking forward to some more real food.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI can \u2026 appreciate that.\u00a0 I still get excited whenever I get called out to deal with a dragon because, well\u2026 that power\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked around the table. \u201cAlright then. I wasn\u2019t ever expecting this, any of it. I thought Andante and I would be leaving, for Volkihar, and continuing our lives as they were. I wasn\u2019t expecting to need to take him home like that.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed to the urn. \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting anything from here except information. And now my life\u2019s completely different again. I don\u2019t know where we go from here but I know where we don\u2019t go, and that\u2019s good. I guess I take him home to Honeyside.\u201d He turned to Roggi and started to speak, but his voice caught and he just shook his head. \u201cRoggi. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ok, Bryn.\u201d He smiled. \u201cYou\u2019re family. You can bet I\u2019m going to watch out for you if I can. I was alone when I met Dag, and you, and now I have a family again.\u201d He smiled at Dardeh. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why I don\u2019t need the tools any more, Dar. I should have gotten rid of them the day I married you.\u201d<\/p>\n Dardeh smiled. \u201cRoggi. I\u2019m not that great and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou have your moments, Dar.\u201d He looked at the others. \u201cListen, the two of us need to get over to the inn.\u00a0 I, uh, think you two have things to talk about that don\u2019t involve us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, lad.\u00a0 We\u2019ll talk before you head back to Falkreath.\u201d<\/p>\n Roggi and Dardeh rose and left the room, and it became intensely quiet in the big chamber of the Dawnstar Sanctuary.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about you, Brynjolf?\u201d Sayma finally asked, tentatively.\u00a0 \u201cWhere will you be tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sighed, and ran his hands through his hair.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know. I just\u2026 can\u2019t even think right now. There\u2019s just too much to take in. My head hurts, and my body hurts, and I am hungry, and I can\u2019t deal with anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n It was quiet for another long moment.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd your heart hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyes welled up again, and he nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWell then,\u201d she said, rising from her side of the table, \u201cin that case you are coming to my house.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, lass,\u201d he started.<\/p>\n She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have to know.\u00a0 I have an extra room.\u201d<\/p>\n She walked around the table and held out her hand.\u00a0 \u201cCome on. This has been a terrible day for all of us, but especially for you. The last thing you need is to spend the night in this place. Or alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Still he hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, Brynjolf, I know we have more things to talk about than we will be able to say in half a lifetime but right now you\u2019re hurting and I have a comfortable place where you can stay. \u00a0And\u2026\u201d she sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYour son is there, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf stared at her, for a long time.<\/p>\n \u201cMy son.\u201d<\/p>\n Then he nodded and took her outstretched hand as he rose.<\/p>\n She slipped her arms around him and pulled him close, not looking at him, resting her head on his chest.\u00a0 He held his arms out, away from her, startled by her embrace.\u00a0 She ignored him and held him anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Bryn,\u201d she murmured. \u201cI\u2019m going to miss him, too. I really am.\u201d<\/p>\n And he very slowly brought his arms down and held her, for just a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, lass,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n Dardeh had been waiting to hear the pounding on the door, and was there to open the entryway to the Sanctuary. He took one look at Brynjolf\u2019s face and then focused on Roggi\u2019s, his eyes frantically searching for answers. \u201cCome in, you two,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cWhere\u2019s\u2026\u201d Roggi shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll explain in a … <\/p>\n