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<\/p>\nBrynjolf sat at his accustomed table in the Ragged Flagon, waiting for Delvin Mallory to join him from the Cistern. He yawned hugely, unable to prevent it, and then chuckled to himself hoping nobody had seen him with his jaw wide open.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Got to get some sleep soon. I\u2019m getting to be too old for this kind of schedule.<\/em><\/p>\n He\u2019d never been quite as enchanted by another living being as he was with the tiny, feisty Qaralana, but she had made sleep a rarity since her birth. She woke them every two to three hours, demanding attention, or food, or dry clothing. \u00a0He didn\u2019t mind \u2013 she was a brand-new infant, after all – but his system found it jarring. Sayma, though, seemed to take it all in stride.<\/p>\n He smiled, thinking about it. He\u2019d not seen her deal with an infant when Chip was born. He hadn\u2019t even known she was still alive when Chip was born. This experience, therefore, was completely new to him. \u00a0And even though he didn\u2019t generally sleep much himself, he was getting even less sleep than usual and in shorter stretches. Sayma, though, seemed to be able to tuck Qara into the crook of her arm and grab a nap effortlessly, and somehow wake seemingly refreshed. She hadn\u2019t had so much as a cranky moment since the child had been born. In fact, she\u2019d been as peaceful and as loving as he could ever remember seeing her.<\/p>\n The lass is amazing. I\u2019m a lucky man.<\/em><\/p>\n He rubbed his bleary eyes and tried to focus his muzzy brain. It didn\u2019t really matter. He felt like a father. Really and truly, a father.<\/p>\n He loved Chip. He was proud of Chip, enjoyed seeing him growing daily; it was just that he\u2019d not been there for the beginning, to know within himself in the core of his being that he was a father. It was obvious, though, that Chip was his son – obvious to everyone who saw him. Even Maven Black Briar had noted his presence in Riften, lifted one perfectly-sculpted eyebrow and said, \u201cI see that you\u2019ve been busy, Brynjolf. Don\u2019t let fatherhood stand in the way of your business sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf frowned at the memory. Once more, the nagging idea that had been growing quietly in the back of his mind for months knocked loudly at the door of his consciousness.<\/p>\n Maven is getting to be a problem. It\u2019s time we did something about it.<\/em><\/p>\n My \u2018business sense\u2019 says that we\u2019re no longer losing money because a thief is siphoning it off every day, the way we were while Mercer was still alive. My \u2018business sense\u2019 says that between us, Delvin and I can make more money for this Guild than Maven ever heard of and none of us will ever have to take orders from her again. <\/em><\/p>\n It had all started when he\u2019d approached her with an idea he\u2019d had, about the potential for setting up their own business. It would take her connections at first, of course, to get a supply chain established from Elsweyr up through either Cyrodiil or Morrowind and into their hands. But if that could be done, he\u2019d told her, he had the knowledge necessary to start them down a path that would make all of them very, very wealthy.\u00a0 And after all, wasn\u2019t that what the Guild helped her accomplish? Imports and exports, the redistribution of wealth?<\/p>\n Maven had turned him down cold.<\/p>\n \u201cI have things well under control, Brynjolf. This moment of time is crucial for me and my businesses, and therefore it is crucial to you as well. Don\u2019t forget that.\u201d\u00a0 She had paced back and forth in her Riften manor, giving him long-suffering looks now and then. \u201cIt might have been a good thing in disguise that the wretched Stormcloaks managed to win the war. I did enjoy being the Jarl \u2013 after all, I do run the hold in all but name, and always have \u2013 but it may work out better for me this way.\u00a0 However, it is going to require a delicate touch to adjust various operations to our best advantage. And you, my dear Guildmaster,\u201d she had said, the sneer on her face showing how sarcastically she meant the title to be understood, \u201cdo not have a delicate touch. It is your job to do what I say, when I say it, and to provide the muscle to get things done when I tell you to.\u00a0 That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf had felt his temper rising at that.\u00a0 He\u2019d put up with Maven and her orders for a great many years, without complaint, because that was the way Gallus had told him it was supposed to be, and it was the way Mercer Frey had told him that it was supposed to be.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t questioned any of it, for a very long time. Decades. And they\u2019d gotten along reasonably well in spite of his chafing under the weight of her withering sarcasm from time to time.<\/p>\n But now he<\/em> was the Guildmaster. And he was one of the three Nightingales, sworn to protect the conduit to Nocturnal\u2019s power in the tangible world.\u00a0 He was married to another of the Trinity. And furthermore, he had spent a considerable amount of time as a Nightlord vampire, with a level of power that \u201cLady Maven,\u201d as she liked to be called, could not begin to understand or appreciate.\u00a0 He had looked at her and imagined what it would feel like to rip into her jugular, letting her blood flow, watching her ruination at his hands.\u00a0 Once, it had been such a strong impulse for just a moment that he\u2019d almost drawn back his lips into the position to allow a fanged attack \u2013 and then he\u2019d remembered. He was human. He had no fangs or claws. All he had was his dagger and, sharp though it may have been it was not on its own enough for him to withstand Maul, and Maven\u2019s son Heming, and the others who would come running to her assistance at a second\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n The problem with having power now \u2013 much more power than Maven was aware that he had, in spite of his human status \u2013 was that he wanted his freedom as well.\u00a0 He wanted the Guild to prosper on its own, without having to kowtow to the whims of the brilliant but overbearing woman with whom the well of his patience had, after most of a lifetime, just about gone dry.<\/p>\n He\u2019d bitten his tongue, that time, and dropped the subject, and gone back to the Cistern to supervise the business of being Maven Black Briar\u2019s hired thugs. And he\u2019d fumed. The Thieves Guild had a long and storied history that was more than that. He wanted it to be more than that once again.<\/p>\n He and Sayma had discussed Maven from early in their marriage when she was still Dagnell.\u00a0 Sayma had never liked Maven or the control she had over the Guild and over Brynjolf in particular.\u00a0 It had been a sore point between them before Dagnell left and it continued to be a point of contention now, although less of one with every day that passed. She wouldn\u2019t necessarily be pleased with what he had in mind, but he was certain she\u2019d approve the goal.<\/p>\n The lass was right about her. She needs to be taken down a peg. Several pegs. But how do we do it?<\/em><\/p>\n Well one thing we do is\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Loud, rapid footsteps on the wooden platforms around the Flagon interrupted his train of thought, and he looked around to see what was happening. A slightly built but fairly well-dressed young man ran up to him and stopped for a moment, holding up one finger while he caught his breath.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can I do for you, lad?\u201d Brynjolf said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re Brynjolf?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat depends. Who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got something for you. Your hands only.\u201d He peered at Brynjolf and raised one eyebrow. \u201cAssuming that you\u2019re Brynjolf. I was told to look for a man with red hair, green eyes, and a scar. I can\u2019t see your eyes,\u201d he said, leaning down and squinting. \u201cToo dark. But the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf chuckled. \u201cI match the description. Well yes, I am, as it happens. So what is it that you have for me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA message from Windhelm. \u201c He handed Brynjolf a folded and sealed piece of fine parchment.<\/p>\n Brynjolf\u2019s eyebrows rose.\u00a0 \u201cFrom Windhelm, you say? Let me see.\u201d\u00a0 He took the paper, broke the seal and started reading.<\/p>\n To Brynjolf of Riften<\/em><\/p>\n I understand that you had knowledge that was shared with my wife regarding the recent unpleasantness along the northern shipping lanes. Your actions had almost immediate and highly beneficial effects and for that we thank you. It has come to my attention, however, that the situation has once more deteriorated. I believe we may have mutual interests in this area and would like to speak with you in person regarding them. This would be my preferred meeting place but other arrangements could be made.<\/em><\/p>\n Please send a reply via my trusted courier.<\/em><\/p>\n Ulfric, Jarl of Windhelm<\/em><\/p>\n He folded the parchment up again and slipped it into his leathers.\u00a0 He frowned, considering what he might say to this courier.<\/p>\n Ulfric Stormcloak. Who would ever have imagined that he, a ratty urchin from Falskaar, would end up being summoned to discuss business with the future High King of Skyrim? He had no particular awe for that Jarl, or any other Jarl for that matter. They were all people, just like him, each of them having strengths and weaknesses of their own. But this particular Jarl had connections to his existence in ways he\u2019d never imagined. Some of those connections would argue very strongly against his coming anywhere within arm\u2019s reach of the man.<\/p>\n He thought about Roggi, and what he knew of the situation between the two of them.<\/p>\n Not all that long ago I was ready to go to Windhelm and tear the man apart because of what he did to Roggi. But I suppose that if Roggi was a big enough man to forgive him \u2013 at least enough to come to Riften for the man\u2019s wedding – I can be big enough to speak to him about business.<\/em><\/p>\n He looked at the courier and nodded. \u201cI\u2019ll need to speak to a few people before I can send the answer. Why don\u2019t you relax? Spend the night in the inn, and I\u2019ll have a reply ready for you in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n The courier looked uncomfortable for a moment, until Brynjolf fished a handful of septims out of his pocket and handed them to him. \u201cHere you go. My treat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, sir!\u201d The courier\u2019s face lit up. \u201cI\u2019ll come to see you in the morning.\u201d\u00a0 He headed immediately for the exit, no doubt looking forward to visiting Keerava\u2019s bar before doing anything else.<\/p>\n Brynjolf ran a hand down his face and rubbed his chin. This development added yet another layer of complexity to what he had in mind.\u00a0 So the Jarl of Windhelm has concerns about shipping, does he? So do I. Maybe there is some common ground between us, after all. <\/em><\/p>\n He heard the familiar sounds of the false storage cabinet scraping along the floor, and looked toward Vekel\u2019s bar in time to see a familiar figure enter from the corridor beyond.\u00a0 Delvin stopped to speak to Vekel, and then made his way over to Brynjolf.<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, boss. I\u2019m done now.\u201d Delvin pulled out a chair and sat down at the table with him. \u201cWhat is it that I can do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have a bit of a business proposition in mind, Delvin, and I want your opinion on it. But it must remain in the strictest confidence between us. Absolutely nobody else can know at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin\u2019s eyebrows arched in curiosity. \u201cShoot.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf paused for a moment. Once he broached this idea to Delvin, allowed it out of its cage, so to speak, it could never be re-caged. It was now, or never.\u00a0 He\u2019d known Delvin almost his entire life. He was certain that he could trust Delvin.<\/p>\n But he\u2019d been certain that he could trust Mercer Frey, as well. That hadn\u2019t turned out so well in the long run.<\/p>\n \u201cBoss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Delvin. You have to understand that this is a very delicate situation and I have thought about it for a long time before bringing it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin leaned forward in his chair, his eyes sparkling. \u201cNow you\u2019ve got me intrigued.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs well you should be.\u201d\u00a0 Still he hesitated. What am I doing? It\u2019s like a mutiny.<\/em><\/p>\n Delvin frowned. \u201cYou know me, Bryn. If I couldn\u2019t keep my mouth shut I\u2019d have been dead a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf took a drink of his ale and smacked the tankard down onto the table. \u201cAlright. Here\u2019s the thing. You know that I spent some amount of time with Vitus Perdeti.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin\u2019s eyes rolled. \u201cYes, how could I forget that? The two of you strutting around like you was married or something.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf grinned.\u00a0 Yeah, I guess we did, didn\u2019t we?<\/em>\u00a0 He lowered his voice and leaned forward. \u201cAnd you know what his family was known for, in Bravil, yes?\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin\u2019s brow furrowed. \u201cMmm-hmm. I do indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you remember that stock of \u2013 goods \u2013 that I had you take care of not long after he died.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Get to the point, Bryn.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf lowered his voice even further. \u201cWhat if I were to tell you that Vitus showed me how to\u2026 replicate\u2026 that particular material? Had me practice making it? Would that be a thing that would pique your interest?\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin\u2019s mouth fell open for a moment, and then shut, only to open again in a smile.\u00a0 His eyes opened wide for a moment and then narrowed, sparkling.\u00a0 \u201cOh yes. Oh yes indeed. If I am understanding you correctly, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think you are, Delvin. I assume that you sampled the material before you found buyers for the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did. And you weren\u2019t kidding, Bryn; that was\u2026\u201d He stopped himself and chuckled. \u201cThe best. Just like you told me.\u201d\u00a0 He sat back and rubbed his hands together. \u201cWell, well. Aren\u2019t you the clever one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to think so, Delvin. But there is a small problem. Several of them, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin nodded. \u201cSupply chain strikes me as the obvious one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the first obvious one, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin stared at him, silently, working his mouth. \u201cWell you know such things can be arranged, Bryn. But something tells me there\u2019s something you\u2019re not telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, it\u2019s the big problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSayma?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf chuckled. \u201cI can see where you\u2019d think that, Delvin. And that will be a bridge I need to cross at some point. I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019ll be fine. No, she\u2019s<\/em> not the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin\u2019s expression went completely flat, and Brynjolf started to panic just a bit. Had he overestimated the depth of their friendship somehow? Was Delvin going to immediately go to Maven?\u00a0 And would he need to take his family and escape Riften, after all the years he\u2019d been here? And to where? Back to Falskaar? Could he even find his way around the place after most of a lifetime away from it?<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll have to be particularly careful in that case,\u201d Delvin murmured. \u201cAssuming we\u2019re talking about the same \u2026 problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf released a breath he hadn\u2019t known he was holding. \u201cYes. Very much so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t spoken to this person about it. Just so I\u2019m completely clear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot in so many words. Whenever I try to broach the topic of having ideas I\u2019m told \u2026 how to put it\u2026 we are the muscle and nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin sneered. \u201cI don\u2019t know about you, Bryn, but I\u2019ve had about enough of that noise for one lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf grinned. \u201cFeeling brave?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell my brother knows a lot of bolt-holes if I need to use them. Solstheim\u2019s a good place to hide.\u201d\u00a0 He sat and studied Brynjolf for a few more moments.<\/p>\n \u201cProfits?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo be divided up between the principals and the Guild. Quietly, of course. Some of our people could use a raise.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cManufacturing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it could be done quietly enough right here in the Ratway, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin snorted. \u201cNow that we don\u2019t have the Thalmor running around under our noses all the time, sure. At least for the time being.\u201d He rubbed his chin. \u201cI wonder if we can get into that safe room Mercer had under his house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be ideal, wouldn\u2019t it? Good. I know of one other perfect spot but it\u2019s full of vampires, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin shuddered. \u201cThen it\u2019s not a perfect spot.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced around to make sure they were well out of anyone\u2019s earshot; but even Vekel knew better than to try to eavesdrop on a conversation between the two principals of the Guild, especially when it was well known that at least one \u2013 and maybe both – of them had close ties to the Dark Brotherhood.<\/p>\n \u201cDistribution?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf sighed. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the other problems. It\u2019s a big one. You know that the EETC had some big issues awhile back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I may or may not have dropped a hint or two about that in an ear that has access to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me guess. Ulfric Stormcloak.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf grinned. \u201cRight. I don\u2019t know him but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRoggi?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm, no, that\u2019s not the ear I used, but for a good reason. At any rate, Delvin, there was a pirate group to blame and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d Delvin looked around again and leaned closer. \u201cBlood Horkers. And someone busted up their headquarters pretty good. So shipping\u2019s on again and we\u2019re good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot so much though. The piracy\u2019s started up again. I think something fishy is going on and I think the fishy smell leads here.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin ran a hand over his face.\u00a0 \u201cOk, boss.\u00a0 If you\u2019re right, that\u2019s a big issue.\u00a0 So tell you what we\u2019ll do.\u00a0 You get me a list, I\u2019ll start shopping. In the meantime\u2026 maybe you could get ahold of that ear you were talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cI\u2019ll see what I can do.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned back and blew out an enormous breath.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a big step and I\u2019m more than a bit nervous about it, Delvin, but something has to be done. We\u2019re better than that, better than a group of hired thugs.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin waved his hand around, indicating the businesses that had settled in and grown busy in the area outside the Flagon in the time since Mercer Frey\u2019s demise. \u201cAnd this proves it. We always was better than that, boss, it\u2019s just that times were tough for awhile. Then you lot took care of Mercer and it\u2019s been just like a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf smiled.\u00a0 Delvin still didn\u2019t know one piece of information that he deserved to know.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a miracle, Delvin. It was Nocturnal. We opened the conduit to her shortly after we took care of Mercer and that\u2019s what\u2019s done it.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin\u2019s head cocked to one side. \u201cWhat are you talking about, Bryn?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf leaned forward again and spoke quietly. \u201cYou\u2019ve seen Karliah wearing her dark armor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, who hasn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrue, she does like it. It doesn\u2019t suit me quite as well, but before she was expecting it looked awfully good on Sayma, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin blinked. Then he blinked again. His head cocked to the other side.<\/p>\n \u201cNow wait just a bleedin\u2019 minute, Bryn. Are you saying that you and Sayma are\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf grinned. \u201cThe other two Nightingales, yes. There was a lot going on right around that time, Delvin, and that was just part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell I\u2019ll be. You\u2019re just full of surprises aren\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0 He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. \u201cSo speaking of surprises, how\u2019s the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNoisy,\u201d Brynjolf said, chuckling. \u201cAnd beautiful. I never thought I\u2019d be looking at myself and seeing a father, Delvin. But here we are.\u201d\u00a0 He leaned forward and lowered his voice again. \u201cAnd that\u2019s part of why this is important.\u00a0 I\u2019ll protect the Guild as long as I live. You\u2019re my first family.\u00a0 But now I have another family, too.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t want all of us sitting around waiting for scraps to fall from a certain highly placed table if we can do better on our own. I\u2019ve had enough of that. I\u2019ve got about enough time to get things done before I\u2019m an old man, and I intend to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin grinned.\u00a0 \u201cYou young ones, talking about old age. You\u2019ll never cease to make me laugh.\u201d He rose from the table and headed back toward the Cistern.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cAlright then. I\u2019ll start working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf waited for a few moments, trying to settle the nerves he hadn’t expected to surface, before pushing his own chair back and returning to the Cistern.\u00a0 \u00a0He stopped by the bed he\u2019d used there for many years to fish his other outfit \u2013 the green quilted clothing he wore in town \u2013 out of the chest where he\u2019d left it.<\/p>\n After changing, he climbed up out of Riften\u2019s lower level to take his place at his stall in the marketplace, and began reciting the spiel about Falmerblood Elixir.\u00a0 He was still selling it, after all this time. There were those who had bought some once, tried it, and were utterly convinced that it had worked despite its being nothing more than some goat blood mixed with water and a few benign herbs.\u00a0 They constituted a steady clientele and also brought new customers frequently enough that he was able to continue the scam as a cover for observing the ebb and flow of life in Riften. He\u2019d picked up a lot of useful information that way, even though some days were spent just standing around thinking.\u00a0 He expected this to be one of those days.\u00a0 He hoped it would be.<\/p>\n He needed<\/em> a bit of time to think, before he decided on his next steps.\u00a0 He needed to consider all of the potential angles involved in making a trip to Windhelm to speak with Ulfric Stormcloak. He didn\u2019t know what Ulfric might be thinking, and he really wished he could pick Roggi\u2019s brain before he approached the Jarl; but the fewer people who knew he was going there, the better.\u00a0 Most importantly, though, he wasn\u2019t about to go anywhere or do anything without checking in with Sayma first.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been through so much. If Delvin and I get this operation going, it\u2019s going to be hard for her to take. I don\u2019t want her to hate me for it, but if I approach it just right\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n He paused in his thoughts, remembering the long, awful day when he and Dagnell had finally aired all of their differences, when she\u2019d been forced to acknowledge that she\u2019d gone to Roggi first with her deepest and most painful memories, not to her husband.\u00a0 All of those things had been hard to learn. Getting past those moments had taken a lot of time and a lot of work.<\/p>\n And yet one of the things that had stood out to him about that period of time, over and above all of the other painful moments, was that Dag hated the stranglehold in which Maven Black Briar held the Guild. Surely she would support him if he\u2019d found a way to break them free from that stranglehold. Delvin clearly liked the idea.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Delvin wasn\u2019t his wife. He didn\u2019t share children with Delvin.<\/p>\n Brynjolf sighed. He needed to let her know that Ulfric had called for him. She would have valuable insights about what all of it might mean.\u00a0 As to the rest\u2026<\/p>\n Maybe she doesn\u2019t need to know.<\/em><\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Sayma was sitting on the back porch of the house, rocking the baby in her cradle, when Brynjolf entered the protected vale where their home was situated.\u00a0 Iona was running around with Chip, and the two of them were giggling as though they were the same age and not several decades apart.\u00a0 He grinned at the sight and sat down beside Sayma.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s she doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s fine,\u201d Sayma said quietly. \u201cSleeping, finally. You did a wonderful thing by making this cradle, Bryn.\u201d\u00a0 She pushed it a couple of times more and then looked over at him. \u201cSo why is it that you\u2019re here? You\u2019re usually working right about now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had a courier come to visit,\u201d he said. \u201cA special courier even, from Windhelm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWindhelm? Really?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. It seems that the Jarl would like me to visit him there.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma stared at him. \u201cUlfric wants to see you?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s disruption going on in the shipping. Again. He wants to talk to me about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy you, Bryn? I didn\u2019t even realize he knew you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause right after the war ended, his new wife was here in Riften and I suggested to her that she might want to get him to look into the state of shipping.\u00a0 You remember. The Blood Horkers were interrupting everything that the East Empire Trading Company tried to move.\u00a0 Bad for them, bad for us. Bad for everyone, really.\u00a0 It turns out that Frina was behind routing them out of their hidey-hole and opening up the supply chain for everyone again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s good, then!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye. The problem is that the pirates seem to be starting up again and for whatever reason, Ulfric seems to think I\u2019m a person to talk to about it.\u00a0 So his courier is waiting for me at the Bee & Barb. He wants an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma frowned. \u201cI don\u2019t see any problem with you going to Windhelm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I\u2019m fine here. Iona\u2019s with me, Karliah\u2019s been checking in. If push comes to shove we can have her fetch one of the others, though I\u2019d rather not; the fewer of them know the way in here the better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI agree. So why are you frowning?\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma hesitated for a moment, as if putting all of her thoughts together carefully and testing them out before airing them. She nodded, after a moment, and looked him in the eye.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause, Bryn, the whole thing smells of Maven Black Briar.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cI see that we\u2019re both thinking along the same lines.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven with as much influence as she has over the EETC, she doesn\u2019t outright control<\/em> it. But if she can disrupt it enough, she can slip more of her people into important positions. And what happens then? More gets skimmed off and funneled directly to her. And she has leverage over people in other parts of Tamriel. Important people.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf nodded. \u201cAye. It\u2019s bad enough for her that Gulum-Ei\u2019s skimming comes to us, not to her directly. She hates that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you know what I think about her influence on our operations.\u201d Sayma looked at him for a long while, and then glanced back down at Qaralana as she squeaked. Satisfied that the baby wasn\u2019t going to wake up, she looked back at him.<\/p>\n \u201cSo are you finally getting tired of her, Red?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf grinned. \u201cThat would make you happy, wouldn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but I\u2019m more interested in what\u2019s going on to get Ulfric Stormcloak, of all people, involved at the level that he\u2019d want to speak to you, specifically.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure, lass. But I expect that he had the idea from Frina. She would know that I have access to various things here, because she\u2019s close to Roggi, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Roggi and Dar and Frina all fought together. Ok, that makes sense. So you\u2019re asking permission to travel, Guildmaster?\u201d<\/p>\n He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. \u201cYes. I\u2019m asking permission to travel, Listener. I don\u2019t want to leave my beautiful wife and beautiful children alone if they aren\u2019t willing to be left alone. We spent enough time apart.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled at her. \u201cAlright then. I\u2019ll send the message with the courier tomorrow and make sure everything is under control before I leave.\u201d<\/p>\n He settled back onto the bench and watched his children as one of them slept and the other ran about on his stubby little legs. Chip was growing so quickly; already it was hard to remember how small he\u2019d been on that horrible day outside the Dawnstar Sanctuary. But he was a little charmer. His language was becoming clearer by the day and he was soon going to be waist-high to his father.<\/p>\n Am I going to be a good father? Is it even possible? Will I be able to give them any kind of example in life, after all of the things I\u2019ve done? <\/em><\/p>\n He sighed loudly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that all about?\u201d Sayma asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking about being a father,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n She snickered. \u201cNot too hard to think about given the evidence before your eyes, I would hope.\u00a0 Seems to me you are one, whether you were ready for it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAye, that I am. But I want to be a good one, lass. Not like\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot like your father. Or mine. I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want Chip to be ten years old and running away from me because I\u2019ve beaten him over a septim on the table in front of Delvin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou won\u2019t,\u201d she said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd how can you be so sure about that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I saw you hold Qara right after she was born. Because I see you turn into a mass of smiles whenever you get to pick up Chip. Because, Mr. Guildmaster, I have seen your face when you were truly angry and truly unhappy, and I\u2019ve seen it when you are at peace. And you\u2019ve never once looked at either of these children with anything other than a peaceful expression.\u201d<\/p>\n He considered that for a moment, smiling. He thought back through all the things he had been through with this woman and nodded.\u00a0 She was right.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, lass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor giving me the family I never had.\u201d<\/p>\n Sayma smiled up at him. \u201cYou\u2019re welcome, Brynjolf.\u00a0 For what it\u2019s worth, I never had a family either. Not a real one. Not after I was a tiny child. This makes me feel\u2026 like a normal person. Or as normal as I can ever be, under the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n He chuckled. \u201cYes, here we are the two of us and most people would just as soon lock us away. Or worse. But we have a family.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love you, Red.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love you too, lass. Now and forever.\u201d<\/p>\n They sat and rocked Qaralana for a long while, each of them wrapped up in solitary thoughts, but both of them sharing their comfort.<\/p>\n Brynjolf sat at his accustomed table in the Ragged Flagon, waiting for Delvin Mallory to join him from the Cistern. He yawned hugely, unable to prevent it, and then chuckled to himself hoping nobody had seen him with his jaw wide open. Got to get some sleep soon. I\u2019m getting to be too old for … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/5-2-4-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Resolution<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"