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<\/p>\nThey\u2019d headed directly to the Reach after stepping out through the portal and back through the Sepulcher.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll be all right if we\u2019re gone a few more days,\u201d Sayma had told him. \u201cI\u2019m sure of it. Bryn\u2019s used to having me gone and the others are much better company for him than I am anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brynjolf had given her a warm look. \u201cWell I\u2019m sure he loves having his mother around. But I will admit that I won\u2019t mind having you to myself for a few more days, if you\u2019re all right with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was hard for her to argue with that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Seviana Umbranox was delighted to have her ancestor\u2019s six journals, even more so when Sayma refused to accept payment for them. \u00a0It just didn\u2019t seem right to her, and she laughed to think that she was leaving coins on the table. \u00a0Seviana then asked if they would help her and her husband get to Solitude; they wished to return to Cyrodiil and weren\u2019t convinced that their own limited abilities would get them safely through the Reach.<\/p>\n
Sayma swapped glances with Brynjolf.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not, lass? Let\u2019s do this before things get messy. Besides, I have a couple of small pieces of business to take care of in Solitude before we head back to Riften. May as well do them all now.\u201d<\/p>\n
He assumes I\u2019m returning to Riften with him. <\/em>She smiled to herself once more, laughing at the warm glow that went along with realizing that. Well, I like the idea.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOf course. We\u2019d be happy to help. Let\u2019s get going.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the middle of the night when they finally stood on the docks of Solitude to say goodbye to Seviana and Lucien.\u00a0 They thanked Sayma once again, and Seviana took her hands, pressing a small, metallic object into her palm.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the key to the house, in the Reach. It\u2019s yours now, to do with as you wish. Best of luck to you, Gray Fox.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma wanted to argue with her, but simply nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd to you as well.\u201d<\/p>\n The Umbranoxes walked down the docks to await the next ship. Sayma and Brynjolf made their way to Solitude to rent a room at the Winking Skeever.<\/p>\n \u201cUgh,\u201d Sayma said as she kicked off her boots and flopped down on the bed. \u201cI hate traveling through that part of the Reach. Every carnivore known to mankind and they all want to eat me. So what\u2019s this business you need to take care of, Bryn?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told you,\u201d he said, shrugging out of his heavier pieces of armor and joining her on the bed. \u201cI need to go see the Jarl about Proudspire. I want the place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetween the two of us we\u2019re going to own homes in every part of Skyrim. It\u2019ll be a full time job just making sure they\u2019re all in decent repair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, well that\u2019s a good thing. Bolt-holes for people when we send them out on jobs.\u201d He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on one hand. \u201cNow then, as to the other matter. I\u2019ll do it first thing in the morning. I\u2019m going to go find Dynny\u2019s wife and pass along the message from him.\u201d<\/p>\n She frowned. \u201cAre you sure? I told him I would do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf smiled. \u201cYes, lass. It\u2019s my job to do. She doesn\u2019t know you and she\u2019ll never forget me. I want this to be finished, for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma grinned. \u201cWell watch your face. I like it the way it is, and to hear you tell the tale she was aiming for the other side, last you spoke to her in person.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that right. You like my face?\u201d He slid closer to her. \u201cDo you still like it when it\u2019s really close up?\u201d He leaned over and planted a light kiss on her lips.<\/p>\n Well now. He\u2019s changed, but he hasn\u2019t changed all <\/em>that much, has he?\u00a0 I\u2019m glad.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI do indeed, Red. But I thought you wanted to get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSleep is overrated.\u201d<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n Sayma woke up as Brynjolf returned to the room, looking subdued.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! You\u2019ve been gone and back already?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded, and sat down heavily in one of the room\u2019s chairs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was harder than I expected. It took her a second to remember me. She was going to shut the door in my face when she realized who it was, until I told her I had news about Dynny.\u201d\u00a0 He heaved a sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd? Did she let you in?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. It took a bit to explain to her that we\u2019d discovered him in the Soul Cairn, and I\u2019m still certain she doesn\u2019t quite understand that.\u00a0 But when I told her that he\u2019d sent this message\u2026 she started to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAww.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. I don\u2019t think she ever gave up on him, lass, no matter what he did. It was an arranged marriage, and Dynjyl wasn\u2019t exactly a ladies\u2019 man; but as he told me so often they did care about each other. And she was head over heels with him, the whole time.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed, and met Sayma\u2019s gaze for a moment. \u201cIt\u2019s one of those things that make me unhappy about myself, you know? I could no more have ignored him than I could have ignored Nocturnal, and she ended up being hurt in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n Like me and Roggi.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut was she alright? When you left, I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded, with a sad smile. \u201cShe thanked me. And she shook my hand. And she\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cApologized for the scar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye.\u201d He grinned. \u201cI told her I\u2019ve kept it all these years to keep myself in line. She laughed. I thought it best not to tell her what I do these days.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma rose, dressed, and snacked on a boiled cr\u00e8me treat that was waiting on the room\u2019s table. They descended to the first floor, and were about to leave the inn when Sayma spotted a familiar figure sitting in the first alcove nearest the door.\u00a0 She grinned at Brynjolf and then approached him.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Gulum-Ei. Long time no see. What\u2019ll you give me for these?\u201d<\/p>\n He stared at her, coldly she thought.\u00a0 For of course he had no way to know who he was looking at, having last seen her before she\u2019d changed her face.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid you must be mistaken, milady. I\u2019m not\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf, standing just behind Sayma, cleared his throat.\u00a0 Gulum-Ei looked up at him and gulped, his already beady eyes bugging out a bit more.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019ll you give the lady, Gulum-Ei?\u201d Brynjolf murmured.<\/p>\n \u201cThe usual rates,\u201d the Argonian said. \u201cLet\u2019s see what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma happily offloaded a fair number of gems and other baubles that she\u2019d been carrying around since entering the Halls of the West. She was pretty sure that Gulum-Ei had given her more than they were worth. She was also pretty sure he hadn\u2019t figured out exactly who she was.\u00a0 She was snickering by the time they walked out into the sun.<\/p>\n \u201cNicely intimidated,\u201d she said as they strolled down the road toward the Blue Palace.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one thing that I don\u2019t seem to have lost, turning human again. It\u2019s handy.\u201d<\/p>\n She grinned at him. \u201cWell I suspect you\u2019re intimidating enough as it is to someone who knows who you are, as he does.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell I hope Jarl Elisif doesn\u2019t share that knowledge. She knows who I am, but as far as I know not what organization I\u2019m part of. Erikur knows me, of course, but he\u2019s also bright enough to keep his mouth shut.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma grimaced.\u00a0 She\u2019d met Erikur, one of the Thanes in Solitude, while trying to get the Thieves Guild reestablished across Skyrim. He was an unsavory man, one who talked a good story but would likely flee at the first sign of danger; who took his great wealth for granted and looked down on anyone not in a similarly privileged position, and who, as far as she had seen, had inappropriately wandering hands. She didn\u2019t like him, but he had been a necessary evil in getting business rolling again.<\/p>\n \u201cWell he won\u2019t recognize me. He only met me the once and I still looked like Dag at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n They mounted the long, elegant staircase to Jarl Elisif\u2019s audience hall to find it full of people.\u00a0 The steward sat in one corner, along with some of her thanes.\u00a0 Erikur was there, but he was deep in conversation with Thane Bryling.\u00a0 Elisif\u2019s housecarl, decked out in appropriately intimidating steel plate, stood hovering near the throne.\u00a0 He gave them a long, distrustful look. Sayma was suddenly aware of their slightly grubby black armor in comparison with the fine clothing worn by almost everyone else, and tried to shrink back next to the wall; but Brynjolf saw her movement and stopped her with one powerful hand.<\/p>\n Jarl Elisif \u2013 the presumptive High Queen of Skyrim following the death of her husband, King Torygg \u2013 was on her throne, speaking to a well-dressed man standing before it. He was of medium height and build, a Breton, with close-cropped ash brown hair.\u00a0 The purple Colovian outfit he wore was a mismatch for him and for the court, but it was nevertheless finer than anything worn by anyone else in the room and it gave him a presence, an aura of grandeur that nobody else in the space had.<\/p>\n Sayma noticed something else. The look that Elisif was giving him was more than a simple expression of interest. There\u2019s more here than meets the eye. I wonder what exactly it is. Not that she needs an excuse to spend time with a handsome man; she is a widow, after all. Still\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n The man gave a slight bow to Elisif and stepped backward.\u00a0 A shudder ran up Sayma\u2019s spine; it was the same half-bow she\u2019d seen Andante use and for a moment she had the eerie sensation of seeing him there, rather than the Breton man who actually stood before the Jarl.\u00a0 He turned to leave, giving her and Brynjolf a quick once-over as he walked away.\u00a0 He nodded, briefly, but said nothing.<\/p>\n Brynjolf stepped up to the throne, and once again Sayma had to admire his confidence. He was used to dealing with people in a position of power, that was true; but he suddenly carried himself as though he was a Jarl himself, not merely the leader of one of Skyrim\u2019s underground organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cJarl Elisif,\u201d he rumbled, smiling. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time. I believe your late husband\u2019s father still sat the throne when I spoke to you last. You probably don\u2019t remember.\u201d He waved a hand at his armor. \u201cEspecially dressed as I am. You\u2019ll forgive me. I\u2019ve been traveling and fine clothing doesn\u2019t withstand sandstorms very well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do remember you, Brynjolf,\u201d Elisif said, rising from her throne.\u00a0 \u201cBoth of us were a great deal younger then. I hope the years have treated you kindly. What might I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, my lady,\u201d Brynjolf began, \u201cthere is a home here in Solitude that was owned by a very close friend of mine, one of your former Thanes named Andante.\u00a0 He\u2019s recently\u2026 deceased, as you no doubt know. I would like to purchase the home from you and am prepared to offer a generous amount for it, which I have on hand at this very moment.\u201d\u00a0 He opened his pack to show off the accumulation of coin and gems in it and smiled up at her, self-assured, radiating that power of personality and persuasion that was perhaps the strongest of his considerable strengths.<\/p>\n Elisif shook her head. \u201cThat is a very generous offer indeed, Brynjolf, and under normal circumstances I would have been more than happy to accept. But as it happens, Proudspire has just been sold to Lord Wickham.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s smile never left his face but Sayma could see that he was shocked, nonetheless. He wasn\u2019t expecting to be turned down. That didn\u2019t even enter his planning.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLord\u2026 Wickham?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Elisif said, and Sayma couldn\u2019t help but notice the slight flush of pink rise to her cheeks. \u201cLord Edwyn Wickham, of High Rock. Or more accurately, I suppose, of Winterhold. He\u2019s recently been named Archmage. He wanted a home on this side of Skyrim as well, and like you came prepared to pay handsomely for it.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, Brynjolf. It\u2019s simply a matter of timing.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh it was more than timing, I think. I\u2019m sure Bryn isn\u2019t the only one with advanced powers of persuasion.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf, to his credit, handled himself as though he was not the least bit flustered or surprised by these developments.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that,\u201d he said, inclining his head. \u201cPerhaps this Lord Wickham will allow me to purchase a few of the personal items I was hoping to take away with me from the house. How might I find him?\u201d<\/p>\n Elisif laughed, a light, musical sound. \u201cWhy, he\u2019s just left. He is the gentleman dressed in purple who was just here. Perhaps you can catch him. I saw him descending the stairs just a moment ago. I\u2019m certain he\u2019s not leaving Solitude quite yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Ah yes. I see how it is. So you have a date with the man, do you? Court intrigue is such fun.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Brynjolf said. \u201cIf you\u2019ll excuse me, my Jarl, I will see whether I can find him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Elisif replied, returning to her throne. \u201cAnd I am sorry for your loss. I had no idea you were Thane Andante\u2019s friend. We will all miss him.\u201d<\/p>\n He bowed, another perfect imitation of Andante\u2019s half-bow, and turned, almost rushing toward the stairs. Sayma caught Erikur giving him a glance, but Erikur\u2019s face revealed nothing.\u00a0 He\u2019s probably not thinking a thing, the toad. He\u2019s too stupid to wonder what Bryn is up to, or who I am. What a waste of air the man is. <\/em>\u00a0She slipped down the stairs after Brynjolf, to find him speaking to the man in purple.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand you just purchased Proudspire,\u201d he was saying.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I did,\u201d Edwyn said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lovely place. I take it you\u2019re familiar?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cAye. Its former owner was a very close friend. I spent a great deal of time there. Which is why I wanted to purchase it.\u201d<\/p>\n One side of Wickham\u2019s mouth rose. \u201cI see. Well I\u2019m sorry to have disappointed you, in that case. I\u2019m quite taken with it and have plans for it. However\u2026 what did you say your name was, again?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sneered. \u201cI didn\u2019t. Name\u2019s Brynjolf. And this,\u201d he said, reaching for Sayma\u2019s hand and pulling her closer to them, \u201cis Sayma Sendu.\u201d<\/p>\n What are you doing, Bryn? <\/em>\u00a0She peered at Lord Edwyn Wickham.\u00a0 He was quite attractive, his eyes a steely gray; and while he was impeccably groomed and well-mannered and appeared to be friendly enough, she was not convinced of that.<\/p>\n \u201cPleased,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n He smiled at her, clearly amused. \u201cAs I was about to say, Brynjolf, I did notice that there were a great many personal effects left in the house. I gather that his passing was sudden and unexpected.\u00a0 Go and speak to Jordis, the housecarl. I\u2019m certainly not averse to you taking those things, and she can help you pack them up.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled, and Brynjolf relaxed just a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you. There are a few things of sentimental value to me. I\u2019ll go do that now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe gems and soul gems remain, is that clear?\u201d Edwyn\u2019s voice had an edge to it that had not been there before.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Brynjolf murmured. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t dream of it. I\u2019ll go clear out his things now. Appreciate it.\u201d\u00a0 And without engaging further, he swiveled on his heels and strode out the door of the Blue Palace.<\/p>\n Sayma scurried along behind him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Bryn.\u00a0 At least we get to take whatever it was you were looking for of his.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s pace was hard to keep up with.\u00a0 He walked with sharp steps that spoke of anger.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not that much that I really wanted. He had some favorite books, and notes. The key to his cabin in the mountains is there. And more of his skooma.\u201d He looked at her and shook his head. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, lass. We\u2019re taking it and we\u2019ll sell it. It\u2019s not for me.\u00a0 And his uniforms are there. The various guilds. Some jewelry. And a couple of robes that I want for sentimental reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n He snorted. \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing, but at least we don\u2019t have to spend the money now. What\u2019s got me going is that man. There\u2019s more to him than meets the eye. I recognize it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma frowned. \u201cWhat are you talking about? I got an odd feeling about him too, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf dropped his voice. \u201cLord Edwyn Wickham of High Rock, the Archmage of Winterhold, is a vampire. I\u2019d bet my life on it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI recognize that particular illusion spell when I feel it. He was masking yellow eyes, or I don\u2019t have red hair.\u201d<\/p>\n Another vampire. Just what we need.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI guess we\u2019d best be keeping an ear to the ground for words about the College of Winterhold, just in case,\u201d Sayma said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like there\u2019s anything automatically wrong with him being a vampire, but it\u2019s a bit of a concern. That means he\u2019s even more powerful than most.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. If he\u2019s a good enough mage to be in charge of the place he\u2019s a dangerous man.\u201d<\/p>\n They knocked at the door of Proudspire. As they waited for Jordis to come open the place, Brynjolf turned to Sayma.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you say, lass. Come to Riften with me for a few days after this? It\u2019s going to be hard to go through these things. And I could use the company.\u00a0 Let\u2019s take some time for us.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled at him. Yes. I want that. I want to see my son, but he\u2019s safe. Right now, I want to see what will happen, with us.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d enjoy that.\u201d<\/p>\n __<\/p>\n Brynjolf hung the last couple of items from Andante\u2019s former home in the cabinet in Honeyside\u2019s bedroom and sighed.\u00a0 It had indeed been hard to go through Proudspire, looking at the places they\u2019d shared and handling things that he knew Andante had made, or bought, or \u2026 How was it he put that? Liberated from their previous state of confinement.<\/em>\u00a0 He\u2019d made certain to retrieve the green robe he\u2019d always worn when they\u2019d stayed there, and the beige robe with red accents that Andante had worn, the robe that still smelled like him. That moment had been difficult, for even though time had passed it had been a vivid, visceral reminder of the moments when the robe had held the man and not simply his scent.<\/p>\n But he\u2019s not really gone. Not completely. He\u2019ll be waiting when I get there, or at least that\u2019s what we\u2019re told.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take that as the truth, whether it is or not. <\/em><\/p>\n And that\u2019s not what\u2019s important, anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n He looked around the bedroom and smiled. There were a great many memories stored in this space, one of which had been playing over and over in his mind for the past few days. He remembered the warmth of the head resting against his shoulder and the sound of Andante\u2019s voice as he\u2019d said, \u201cI\u2019ll help you find her, my love,\u201d all that time ago.<\/p>\n I always knew he cared about me but that one thing, more than anything else. That moment. That told me everything I needed to know about him.\u00a0 It\u2019s a shame that it took me so long to realize I cared for him as well.\u00a0 But he knew what was important.<\/em><\/p>\n Brynjolf reached into his pocket.\u00a0 It was there, as it had been ever since the day he\u2019d pried his hand open to show Roggi what he had in it. He never was far from it. Even when he\u2019d changed to vampire garb he\u2019d brought it with him, tucked deep into a pocket where he could touch it, slip it on and off his finger, and think about what it meant.\u00a0 Andante had seen him fiddling with it, occasionally, but had only smiled at him and had never questioned why it was with him after confirming that yes, it meant that he was a married man.<\/p>\n He pulled it out and examined it and then smiled.\u00a0 Yes, it was time.<\/p>\n He walked quietly to the stairs and up them.\u00a0 Sayma was stirring something in the cooking pot, humming to herself, and he found himself smiling.<\/p>\n She\u2019d been wonderful, in the time since they\u2019d come back from Hammerfell.\u00a0 It was clear that she understood how difficult everything had been for him. It was clear that she understood the effect her actions of two years prior had had on those around her. And she\u2019d simply accepted whatever happened, trying to help where she could.<\/p>\n It\u2019s like having the boy changed her, the same way being a vampire changed me. We\u2019re different people now.\u00a0 And yet we\u2019re the same. And it\u2019s just as I told the lad. All I\u2019ve ever wanted was to bring her home and hold her.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLass,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n Sayma turned her head to smile at him. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n By the Eight she\u2019s beautiful.<\/em><\/p>\n He cleared his throat, suddenly and unaccountably nervous.<\/p>\n This was, after all, his wife.<\/p>\n This was not only his wife, but his partner \u2013 his fellow Nightingale, the woman he\u2019d chosen off the street to eventually become Guildmaster. And furthermore, she was the mother of his child. And yet, he was suddenly as nervous as he had been standing before Dagnell, in the training room of the Thieves Guild, so long before.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t believe she wanted me then.\u00a0 And if she wants me now, well, I can scarcely believe it still. <\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been with others, given parts of me away that she can never share. I\u2019ve been a vampire. I\u2019ve had a life that a person could hardly hold up as an example for anyone else, and yet here she is, come back to me, and she seems to be glad of it.<\/em><\/p>\n I know she\u2019s my wife, technically, and officially. But I want it to be real again.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking,\u201d he said, closing the ring in his left hand.<\/p>\n \u201cOf what? You thinking always makes me nervous, Red.\u201d<\/p>\n He snorted. \u201cRed.\u00a0 Really.\u201d<\/p>\n She stood back from the cooking pot and walked over to him, slipping her arms around his waist.\u00a0 And for a moment he nearly forgot what it was he\u2019d meant to say, because in spite of everything that had happened to them Sayma took his breath away, every bit as much as Dag ever had, and he had to remind himself that this was the same woman he\u2019d loved since the moment she first laughed at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, really.\u00a0 Now what is it that you\u2019ve been thinking about?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf gathered up her left hand in his, and then smiled into her pale green eyes. We still go together. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been good, I think. Since the Crypt, out there in Hammerfell. At least I think so. How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma smiled up at him. \u201cYes it has, Bryn. Very nice. I\u2019m \u2026 very happy about that.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled back at her and breathed deeply.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I, uh\u2026 have something of yours and I thought maybe you might like to have it back,\u201d he said quietly, and opened his hand. \u201cI want to\u2026 may I\u2026.\u201d and fumbled to slip the ring onto her finger, in the place it should have been for all the intervening months since she\u2019d walked away from Riften.<\/p>\n Sayma stared down at her hand and then looked back up at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cYou still had it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. Never let go of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBrynjolf.\u201d\u00a0 Sayma\u2019s eyes filled. \u201cHow is it possible that you \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cI love you, that\u2019s how. Never stopped. He knew that, too.\u00a0 Both of them did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head. \u201cNo.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have time to waste on all of that any more.\u00a0 We\u2019ve\u2026 done all of that. Let it go, lass. We have to let it go, both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded, mutely.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what do you say? Will you be my wife again?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBryn,\u201d she said, her husky voice catching in her throat and becoming even raspier.\u00a0 \u201cI never stopped being your wife. Not even when I left. Not in here,\u201d she said, touching her chest.<\/p>\n For a moment Brynjolf saw Andante, standing on the beach outside the Dawnstar Sanctuary, touching his chest above his heart as he said \u201cVitus Perdeti only loved one person in his entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, lad. Thank you. You loved me enough to give her back to me. Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n He smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cNow and forever,\u201d he said, quietly. \u201cI don\u2019t think I told you that the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEyes open, and walk with the shadows,\u201d Sayma replied gently.<\/p>\n Brynjolf leaned down and kissed his wife, gently but thoroughly, and then gathered her in close to his chest. After a moment, she sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019re still going to be Guildmaster,\u201d she murmured in his ear, then skittered away laughing while he gave chase around the room, laughing as well. He caught up with her, grabbed her in his arms, turned her around as she giggled and squirmed, then kissed her.\u00a0 She kissed back.\u00a0 A few moments later they were both moaning, and panting, and he pulled away long enough to whisper \u201cdownstairs. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n She darted down the stairs ahead of him, pieces of her black armor marking the way toward the bed under the mounted saber cat.<\/p>\n A goodly amount of time later, Sayma sighed, her head on his chest. He felt more content than he had in a very long time.<\/p>\n \u201cRed.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled into the darkness. I did miss being called that. What a foolish thing.\u00a0 Like \u2018loverboy.\u2019 I guess what matters is the feeling that goes along with it, isn\u2019t it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYes, lass?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes it was.\u201d\u00a0 Oh there was never any question of that, lass, no matter what\u2019s happened in between. We\u2019ve always gone together in the most outrageous way.<\/em><\/p>\n There was a moment of silence, as he ran his hand through her hair, stroking it absently.\u00a0 Then she spoke again.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you have any favorite names for girls?\u201d<\/p>\n What an odd question.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNo, not really. Why do you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t quite know how to say this, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He pushed her back off his chest far enough so that he could look at her face.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there something you\u2019re not telling me? Again?\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma laughed. \u201cNo, I haven\u2019t been keeping anything from you. And you may have noticed, but Roggi\u2019s quite definitely in love with my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned.\u00a0 \u201cI have noticed that, yes. I think his days of looking at anyone else are long gone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s like this. I have got the strongest feeling that we just started another child.\u201d<\/p>\n Absurd.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s foolish, lass. How could you know such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n She grinned at him. \u201cI just have a feeling.\u00a0 This was different. Very different.\u201d<\/p>\n Really? A babe?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSayma\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He ran his hand down over her silken, exquisitely flat stomach and rested it atop the place where one day there might be a child moving about.<\/p>\n \u201cI barely know what to say. I\u2019m to be a father?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAgain. I\u2019m certain of it. I just feel different.\u201d<\/p>\n He felt his heart rise up into his throat. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll be here for the whole thing, this time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, love.\u201d<\/p>\n He stared at her in awe.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how you can know such a thing, but I\u2019ll take your word for it. I\u2019ve had stranger things happen in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have to warn you about something, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma propped herself up on an elbow and leaned over Brynjolf, grinning at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI get awfully frisky when I\u2019m pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n What?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cShor\u2019s bones, lass, no! We can\u2019t risk hurting the babe!\u201d<\/p>\n She giggled. \u201cBrynjolf. Don\u2019t you remember the last few weeks before Dag left? Don\u2019t tell me you\u2019ve forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d He cast his mind back and thought about it, remembering being so tired he could barely work the forge and yet there being no end to Dagnell\u2019s attentions.\u00a0 \u201cShor\u2019s beard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShor and his beard had nothing to do with it, dear. It was me, and your son.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t know it quite so soon that time. Don\u2019t worry. When it\u2019s time to be more careful I\u2019ll be sure to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell then.\u201d<\/p>\n She fell back onto the bed, laughing. \u201cBrynjolf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled up at the ceiling.\u00a0 A family of my own. Roggi was right. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI love you too, lass.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma turned her head and smiled at him. \u201cI don\u2019t know whether I ever told you this, but I love it when you call me lass.\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter all that bellyaching about it in the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, dear.\u201d\u00a0 She rolled over onto her side and snuggled up against him, and their combined warmth began lulling him toward sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cWell to tell you the truth of it, when you were gone I missed being called Red. A lot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou won\u2019t have to miss it ever again. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n They lay there in the quiet, and the dark, and their breathing became slower and more regular. As his eyes closed, Brynjolf thought that he saw two men with dark hair, two faces, one with brilliant blue eyes and the other with orbs of glowing gold, both of them smiling at him with expressions of the deepest love as they waved goodbye.<\/p>\n They\u2019d headed directly to the Reach after stepping out through the portal and back through the Sepulcher. \u201cIt\u2019ll be all right if we\u2019re gone a few more days,\u201d Sayma had told him. \u201cI\u2019m sure of it. Bryn\u2019s used to having me gone and the others are much better company for him than I am anyway.\u201d … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/4-1-24-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart I: Sayma Sendu<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"