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<\/p>\nDag stood before the Temple of Mara, determined to do this thing and yet trembling.\u00a0 A part of her heart still broke thinking of the sweet, tentative way Roggi had suggested they visit this place together.\u00a0 But a larger part of it was terrified by what she intended to do, and what sort of reception would result from it.\u00a0 She walked up the steps, slowly, and entered.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Temple was a serene place, quiet and warm.\u00a0 Pews were arranged on either side of the room, facing an altar and a shrine to Mara, the mother-goddess and goddess of love.<\/p>\n
Brother Maramal, the Priest of Mara, stood not far inside the door.\u00a0 He turned to her as she approached.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlessings of Mara upon you, my child,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHow may I assist you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that this is the place in Skyrim where I might get married,\u201d Dag murmured, not able to raise her voice above a whisper.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wish to be married? Splendid!\u201d\u00a0 Then he explained how the procedure would work. \u201cLife in Skyrim is hard, and short, and there is little time for prolonged courtship,\u201d he said.\u00a0 A person looking for a spouse should buy and wear an Amulet of Mara, he told her, to indicate their availability for marriage; then, when a prospective spouse agreed, one of them would return to him to make the arrangements.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to buy the amulet, then,\u201d Dag gulped.<\/p>\n
Way to raise coin for the Temple<\/em>, her sarcastic voice observed.<\/p>\n Shut up, already. Someone has to pay for the amulets.<\/em><\/p>\n It was a beautiful necklace, really: a disc with intertwined symbols of infinity under an intricate knot, and with a green stone in the center, the color of new spring leaves. \u00a0It was perhaps a bit on the ostentatious side, especially for a person who rarely wore, or even owned, jewelry; but it was supposed to attract attention, after all.\u00a0 Dag slowly fastened it around her neck, her fingers fumbling with its clasp, her thoughts racing hither and yon. What if he doesn\u2019t notice? What if he doesn\u2019t \u2026 want me?<\/em>\u00a0 What would she do, she wondered, having to be side by side with him every day, even having to give him direction if his intention for her to become Guildmaster became reality, and yet knowing that he didn\u2019t care for her the way she cared for him?<\/p>\n And what of him? All she knew about his past was that he\u2019d come to Skyrim from Falskaar as a boy, and that some of the Guild thought he had slept with everyone in it. She grinned to herself for a moment, until her thoughts went serious again. Well what if he had? What if he already had someone, and she\u2019d just never noticed?<\/p>\n She almost took the Amulet off.<\/p>\n You\u2019re stronger than that.<\/em><\/p>\n Dag sighed and worked her way to Grelka\u2019s stand in the marketplace to unload some of the pickings of her travels.\u00a0 Grelka glanced at Dag, her face showing frank surprise.<\/p>\n \u201cWell look at you, wearing an Amulet of Mara! Does that mean you\u2019re available?\u201d she said, with a twinkle in her eye.<\/p>\n Dag was stunned.\u00a0 Wow, she thought.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t exactly what I was expecting.\u00a0 Well then. It\u2019s actually kind of flattering.<\/p>\n She grinned. \u201cI think so,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what he has to say about it.\u201d\u00a0 I hope that wasn\u2019t rude, she thought.\u00a0 I had no idea. Grelka didn\u2019t seem offended, though.\u00a0 She chuckled and bought the items Dag had to sell. Then she reached across her stall and gave Dag\u2019s hand a squeeze. \u201cYou\u2019re a real friend,\u201d she said. \u201cGood friends are hard to come by, and are very special to me.\u201d<\/p>\n I wonder what I did, Dag thought. Well, as long as it was a good thing.\u00a0 At least there are a couple of merchants in Riften who don\u2019t think I\u2019m an extortionist.<\/p>\n She went to the Ratway.\u00a0 If she dealt with Vex and Delvin first, before seeking out Brynjolf, maybe her stomach would stop flipping.<\/p>\n Her eyes darted about the Flagon, anyway, searching for him, but he wasn\u2019t there.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know whether I\u2019m making this better or worse, she thought.<\/p>\n Devlin was pleased with her work.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d better watch out, pet, or I might just start to respect you. You\u2019re one of the best damn thieves in this place. And if you tell a soul I said that, I\u2019ll deny it.\u201d Dag thought that she saw his eyes flicker down to her neck for just a moment, but he said nothing about it.<\/p>\n Instead, he handed her a new job, a big one, he said, one that could start re-establishing the Guild\u2019s power in the north.\u00a0 Torsten Cruel-Sea, in Windhelm, had asked for the best in dealing with a problem.\u00a0 Delvin was sending her; not asking whether she was interested, but simply giving her the assignment.<\/p>\n Hmm, Dag thought.\u00a0 What is this, another test?\u00a0 Well I suppose Brynjolf and Karliah need to be sure I can handle things before they crown me Guildmaster.\u00a0 She grimaced.<\/p>\n \u201cOK, Delvin, I\u2019ll get up there as soon as I can manage it.\u00a0 I have a couple of things I need to take care of here, first, if that\u2019s ok.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d he nodded.\u00a0 She was convinced she saw his gaze flit across the Amulet again.\u00a0 Well he\u2019s no fool, she thought.\u00a0 It\u2019s not as though he doesn\u2019t recognize the thing.<\/p>\n Vex was also pleased with her work, and prodded her to take more.\u00a0 Leaving without taking another job was like leaving a fat coin purse on the table, after all.\u00a0 And we all know that you don\u2019t leave coin purses on the table, Dag thought, grinning as she accepted another job. At least I have no illusions about myself in that regard.<\/p>\n Dag went around the corner into the Cistern, but he wasn\u2019t there. She wandered around the room, checking nearly every corner, even peeking into the still-opened and still empty vault. So where has he gotten himself off to, she wondered.\u00a0 It was so important for him to get back here to supervise things, and he\u2019s not even here? The \u201cprecarious time\u201d wouldn\u2019t exactly be the best moment to leave Riften on some small job or other.<\/p>\n Dag was starting to get annoyed when she stepped into the training room, for once devoid of thieves training. She caught her breath. He was there, perched on a bale of hay, engrossed in a book. \u00a0He was wearing a new set of the thick black leathers of the Guildmaster, the ones with the finest enchantments money could buy, like the ones he\u2019d worn before but somehow seeming even darker. Even the midnight black hood that covered his head could not disguise him to Dag. He cut a much finer figure as Guildmaster than Mercer ever did.<\/p>\n She walked over to him, waiting.<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked up. Dag could see enough of his mouth to see that tiny smile, that small acknowledgement that was all he usually offered her, or anyone. Then he looked back at his book.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, lass.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t hear you there.\u201d<\/p>\n She was perfectly confident that he had known she was there from the moment she entered the Flagon, and she laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re lying, but that\u2019s ok.\u00a0 You\u2019re right about that damned hood. You could be Maven under there.\u201d<\/p>\n He chuckled and pushed the hood off, then ran his hand through his hair.\u00a0 \u201cBetter?\u201d Somehow the torchlight managed to find every fiery highlight in his hair, and his movements revealed the glint of gold, a heavy pendant hanging around his neck, an unusual look for him.\u00a0 She smiled and nodded, not trusting herself to say anything.<\/p>\n He glanced at her again and then back to his book.\u00a0 \u201cWell I\u2019m glad to see you back in one piece.\u00a0 I wanted to give you a proper thank you for everything you\u2019ve done to get the Guild back on its feet.\u00a0 I take it the Skeleton Key is back where it belongs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be back if it wasn\u2019t. You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf closed his eyes and heaved an enormous sigh.\u00a0 He was silent for a long moment. When he did speak, his voice was quiet, deep, and weighty.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it, then.\u00a0 After all those years of helplessly watching the Guild decline. \u00a0Thank you, lass.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag watched his face change. Sorrow flickered across it for just a moment, to be replaced by sheer weariness.\u00a0 He reached up and rubbed his eyes, then opened them and looked back down to his book.<\/p>\n Dag was stunned. The Guild really was the most important thing in the world to him, and watching it fading away must have hurt desperately. He had been the glue that held it together, all this time, and the strain had to have been immense, especially in the face of Mercer\u2019s betrayal. Dag had known all of that, intellectually, but seeing it reflected on Brynjolf\u2019s face was heartrending. No wonder it had been so important to him to get back here after Mercer died, to try to hold it together. No wonder he never slept more than a few hours at a stretch. No wonder he had sounded so tired when he asked her to be Guildmaster instead of himself. No wonder he wouldn\u2019t look up from that book and reveal his feelings.<\/p>\n Well then, she thought, even if he won\u2019t have me, I really have given him something special, at least assuming that Nocturnal follows through on her end of the bargain. I\u2019ll be more or less content with that. Having watched Gallus\u2019 final moments she felt confident, though, that Nocturnal would be with them; she was all business where her contracts were concerned.\u00a0 But Dag couldn\u2019t tell that to Brynjolf. First, it was Karliah\u2019s story to share, not hers.\u00a0 And second, she would be the one with unwelcome emotions if she tried. She\u2019d been trembling for close to an hour already, fighting hard to hide it.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I did something to help, I\u2019m glad. Thank you, Brynjolf. \u00a0That \u2026 means a lot to me.\u201d It meant more than a lot.\u00a0 He\u2019d just let that facade of his drop for a moment, revealing something important to her. Her, a nobody out of Nowhere, Stros M\u2019Kai.\u00a0 She cleared her throat.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the way, I like the new gear. Neckwear, even. Fancy. It suits you.\u201d<\/p>\n He wrinkled his nose, still not taking his eyes off his book.\u00a0 \u201cThe others made me do it.\u00a0 It feels strange.\u00a0 Brand new and stiff.\u00a0 I like my old armor better, but I guess if I could wear that Nightingale getup I can get used to this for a while,\u201d he said, shifting his shoulders in the jacket.\u00a0 He tugged on the heavy chain and pendant around his neck.\u00a0 \u201cAnd this thing is kind of a tradition around here. A badge of office, I suppose.\u00a0 It has an enchantment on it, to help with \u2026 well, intimidation if we get right down to it. I was surprised it was here, actually. Thought it was probably at the bottom of that cavern along with Mercer\u2019s bones, getting rusty. I guess he must have taken it off because he had the Key and didn\u2019t need it any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPfft. Your old armor needed to be taken out and burned. It was filthy. As to the amulet, traditions are good but I\u2019m sure you don\u2019t need the extra help parting people from their coin.\u201d<\/p>\n He chuckled. \u201cWell, lass, I fully intend that this will be hanging around your neck in the not too distant future.\u201d\u00a0 He looked up at her then, finally, and his gaze naturally fell to her neck — and the Amulet of Mara hanging around it.<\/p>\n His eyebrows rose, just a bit, and his eyes flickered, much as they had that first day in the marketplace when she had told him no. \u00a0Dag\u2019s heart was threatening to pound its way out of her chest. Would he mention it? Would he pretend he hadn\u2019t seen it? Would he spare her the embarrassment of rejection?<\/p>\n He looked back up at her face. A moment passed, then another, maybe an eternity, in which his brilliant green eyes held hers intently but didn\u2019t reveal their thoughts. It reminded her, horribly, of that long look across the Cistern. She couldn\u2019t decide whether he was upset, disgusted, or maybe resigned, but he definitely didn\u2019t look happy. He heaved another great sigh and worked at the inside of his mouth as though he wasn\u2019t quite sure what words he wanted to speak, and needed to consider his choices very carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cI see you\u2019re wearing new jewelry as well.\u00a0 An amulet of Mara, is it? That usually means someone is \u2026 available.\u201d<\/p>\n She tried desperately to be matter-of-fact. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s what Maramal told me. So I bought the thing. I\u2019m hoping the message gets across.\u201d<\/p>\n Again he was silent, staring at her, obviously sizing her up. \u00a0Oh look at the two of us, Dag thought, dancing around, each trying to outguess the other. This is absurd. Why can\u2019t one of us just say what we\u2019re thinking?<\/p>\n \u201cI was pretty sure you didn\u2019t pick that up in the Sepulcher.\u201d He gave her a small smile and sighed heavily. \u201cSo, you want to get married. I almost hate to ask. Which of the lads is your mark? No, wait. Let me guess. It\u2019s Thrynn. I\u2019ve seen the two of you together more than once. No wonder Vipir\u2019s been sour lately.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag took just a moment to be startled, then broke out laughing. He had<\/em> watched her talking to Thrynn. \u201cThrynn? Really?\u00a0 He\u2019s fine to look at and all but Thrynn? Really?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf raised one eyebrow.<\/p>\n \u201cNo? I\u2019m surprised. I would have bet a tidy sum on that. In that case, I can\u2019t even imagine. Don\u2019t tell me you\u2019re wearing this for my benefit, lass,\u201d he said, chuckling.<\/p>\n \u201cThat depends entirely on whether you\u2019re interested,\u201d she said, quickly, blurting the words out before she had a chance to back down, her knees threatening to give way. Those were the words Maramal had told her to say, or at least a reasonable facsimile of them.<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d Brynjolf\u2019s brow furrowed.<\/p>\n Dag\u2019s heart fell to the floor. Oh damn, she thought.\u00a0 Now he\u2019s going to tell me what a good joke it was, or just say no and send me away.\u00a0 And I am going to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment. I hope my face isn\u2019t showing what I\u2019m feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cOh!\u201d<\/p>\n He rose from the hay bale and tossed the book into a corner.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me make sure I understand. \u00a0Is that what you\u2019re saying, lass? You\u2019re asking about me?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked so genuinely unsure and confused.\u00a0 She should have been sympathetic but instead she was simply annoyed.<\/p>\n \u201cBy all the gods, Red, don\u2019t be an idiot,\u201d she snapped. \u201cWhy else would I say such a thing to you?\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf took a deep breath and blew it out. He crossed his arms and just looked at her, examining, as though he was about to send her off on an assignment.\u00a0 She wanted to die. A part of her felt like it was<\/em> dying.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want her.\u00a0 Coyle didn\u2019t want her any more, Roggi didn\u2019t want her any more, and now Brynjolf.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t need a man in her life but she wanted a man. This<\/em> man. Specifically this one.\u00a0 Not just for bedding, as much as she had to admit she wanted that, but for good. And he\u2019s going to turn me down, she wailed to herself. She struggled, hard.\u00a0 I\u2019m not willing to let him see how distressed I am.<\/p>\n Brynjolf cleared his throat and spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all. Red.\u00a0 Really.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head and sighed.<\/p>\n Dag looked down, trying to hide a small grin. In spite of her overwhelming sadness, it still made her laugh to see the reaction he had to her pet name for him.<\/p>\n \u201cBut more importantly – I\u2019ve been alone all my life, lass. With people, of course, but alone. The Guild has been my only family, really. I\u2019ve never had anything that lasted very long. I\u2019ve tried, now and then, but…\u201d\u00a0 He trailed off and shrugged.<\/p>\n Dag nodded. \u00a0I get it. \u00a0He\u2019s been alone all his life and he likes it that way.\u00a0<\/em> She struggled to keep her face neutral. \u201cNeither have I. Things \u2026 go sideways.\u201d That had been his phrase.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, exactly. And this line of work, well, it doesn\u2019t really fit well with family life. You can imagine. You even told me that. \u2018You\u2019re not a nice family man, Brynjolf,\u2019 if I recall correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded.\u00a0 Yes, she sure had said that, damn it to Oblivion. And trust him to remember it word for word.<\/p>\n He stopped, working again at the inside of his mouth as if he was having a hard time to find the right words.\u00a0 He\u2019s trying to figure out how to let me down gently, she thought. And I appreciate that, but I wish he wouldn\u2019t drag it out like this.<\/p>\n He spoke quietly. \u201cI\u2019ve learned how to keep my mouth shut and my feelings to myself about this sort of thing because it never works out. Not ever. A quick hello here and there, a roll in the hay, some nice little interludes, but I\u2019ve always assumed I would be alone in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag took a deep breath and swallowed.\u00a0 She was about to apologize for putting him on the spot like that when Brynjolf reached for her hands. They dwarfed hers, big and calloused as they were. His words came slowly, deliberately, carefully chosen. \u00a0He looked at her intently, saying \u201cpay attention\u201d with his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, lass.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what kind of husband I would make. I\u2019m pretty rough around the edges.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve noticed.\u201d She shrugged. \u201cSo am I. I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not the kind of man who is going to be bringing you flowers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know. I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t be writing you a ballad.\u201d He grinned. \u201cI might try to sing you one, sometime, and I\u2019m not sure how well I\u2019d do with that, but I definitely won\u2019t write one.\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed, and squeezed his hands in amusement and nervous excitement.\u00a0 Maybe he wasn\u2019t trying to say no after all.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d go find myself a bard if that\u2019s what I was interested in having. Brynjolf. I don\u2019t care<\/em>. I wouldn\u2019t have ever thought of asking if I cared about such things. I know you better than that.\u201d I want you, you idiot, not flowers. I can grow flowers if I want some.<\/em><\/p>\n He smiled. \u201cWhat I\u2019m trying to say is that if you\u2019re really serious about this I can\u2019t think of anyone better. I would be very happy to be with you, lass.\u201d<\/p>\n Her legs threatened to give way beneath her. Thank you, all the gods, Dag thought. Thank you, Talos. Thank you for this one very special thing.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Brynjolf.\u00a0 I\u2019m really serious. We have to at least try. It seems to me that we somehow – match.\u201d\u00a0 She moved closer to him, tentatively, and reached up to touch his face, tracing the jagged scar on his left cheek. I\u2019ve never touched him before, she thought.\u00a0 Only in battle, only trying to help him stay on his feet.\u00a0 Maybe I can help him stay on his feet in a different way from here on out.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, lass.\u00a0 I think we do.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled, raised her hands in his and kissed her palms, one at a time, his gaze fixed on hers. He smiled, a gentle, genuine smile that went all the way to his eyes. Then those beautiful eyes began to twinkle.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to\u2026 may I\u2026\u201d he said, and dropped her hands. Before she could speak, he laced his hands into her hair, moved closer, and bent down to kiss her.\u00a0 Dag had been trembling for an hour and now found herself trembling again, for a different reason.\u00a0 It was like the finest wine, heady and delicious, and she closed her eyes and melted into it, learning the shape and taste of him as his mouth caressed hers, their tongues touching, exploring. Yes, yes, yes, she thought. There you are. Finally. I\u2019ve been looking for you.<\/p>\n He pulled back and smiled, then began slowly planting small kisses down the scarred side of her face and along her neck, the most sensitive part of her.\u00a0 Dag closed her eyes and tried not to moan aloud.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you really do want me?\u201d Dag whispered against the softness of his red hair.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes, lass,\u201d he purred next to her ear in between butterfly kisses above her collarbone and then back up her neck. \u201cVery much so. \u00a0I\u2019ve wanted to do that for a long time,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI want to do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n She barely had time to be startled by that revelation when he did just that.\u00a0 He dropped one hand, tracing down her spine to her waist and pulled her into him as close as he could. This kiss was not at all gentle; it was aggressive, his breathing speeding up, and she could feel how much he wanted her. Oh my, Dag thought somewhere in the back of her mind. How long has he been thinking like this<\/em>?\u00a0 She leaned into him, meeting his aggressive kiss with her own, stopping to nip at his neck, just under his ear, and then returning to his mouth, running her hands into his hair, then down his back, willing him to understand how much she wanted him in return. \u00a0This was it, she thought, all those times I thought I wanted to hit him.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t recognize it. The kiss had her whimpering, and Brynjolf moaning lightly, and it threatened to turn into something else right then and there. It stopped only because there was the sound of a throat being cleared behind them.<\/p>\n Dag\u2019s heart nearly stopped. She whirled around to see Delvin standing in the door with his arms crossed.\u00a0 Brynjolf laughed, a deep, musical rumble.<\/p>\n By all the gods, Dag thought.\u00a0 I must be as red as a forge.\u00a0 We were just shy of starting in on each other\u2019s leathers, right here in the training room. That would have made for quite the show, for certain. Her heart was pounding; she willed it to slow down and it wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n An exhibitionist to boot, eh? Who knew?<\/em><\/p>\n Oh just shut up, would you please, just once? Dag thought. Not that she and Coyle hadn\u2019t made love right out in the open more than once, under the edge of the docks, but still. Nobody had been watching.\u00a0 At least she thought that had been the case.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, well. What do we have here? Kissing up to the boss, are we?\u201d Delvin asked, trying but not quite succeeding in looking stern.<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2026 kissing the boss at least, Delvin,\u201d Dag said, embarrassed and probably as red as it was possible for her to be. \u201cSorry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa. I was talking to Brynjolf.\u201d Brynjolf laughed again and made a face at him. Oh, Dag thought. Of course he knew what Bryn and Karliah had in mind for the future. How stupid of me.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you were enjoying that nearly as much as I was, Delvin,\u201d Brynjolf snickered.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t try to deny it. I know you\u2019ve been standing there for awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin smirked. \u201cCaught. Red-handed.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf looked back down at Dag and smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIs it really settled then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is if you say so. \u00a0I mean that was rather the idea, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Delvin shook his head and blew out a deep breath. \u201cShadows be praised, it\u2019s about bloody time.\u00a0 I was beginning to think we\u2019d all have to be peeling your fists off each other before you two idiots sorted things out.\u201d\u00a0 He winked at Dag.\u00a0 \u201cI saw the gem earlier, pet, and was just hoping I knew what was afoot. Sorry to be a sneak. I just had to see for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen have you ever not been a sneak? It\u2019s what you\u2019re good at, you thief. Out<\/em>, Delvin,\u201d Brynjolf said, mock-snarling. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work to be done before we can make things official.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, boss,\u201d Delvin said, grinning. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no doubt that if it\u2019s one kind of work you\u2019ll be handling it,\u201d waggling his eyebrows,\u201d and if it\u2019s the other I\u2019m the one who\u2019s going to be stuck doing it,\u201d and headed out toward the Cistern, no doubt to gossip.<\/p>\n Dag snorted. \u201cThat man has a filthy mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cHe does. But he\u2019s probably right, isn\u2019t he. And we did give him a bit of a show, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag swatted at his arm. \u201cGood grief.\u201d Then she looked back at him. \u201cI know this is really out of nowhere.\u00a0 I figured you would laugh at me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, lass,\u201d he replied gently, smiling. \u201cEven if I was going to turn you down I wouldn\u2019t have laughed at you.\u00a0 I\u2019m not that cruel. At least not to people I care about.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded. \u201cI should have known better. Listen. I could probably just have taken you over to my house and talked you into bed if that was all I wanted. At least I think I could have. Eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou could,\u201d he agreed with a grin. \u201cYou could have done that a long while ago. I would never have said no to that kind of offer. You don\u2019t have to marry me for that, lass, I\u2019ll take you up on it right now if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Dag grinned. \u201cThe \u2018a long while ago\u2019 part is a surprise.\u00a0 I thought you could barely tolerate me.\u201d<\/p>\n Brynjolf smiled again. I could get used to this, Dag thought. He looks older when he\u2019s angry, but he looks much younger when he smiles.<\/p>\n \u201cThink about it. I didn\u2019t know why I was doing it, but I kept you with me a lot of the time, didn\u2019t I? It just seemed important to keep you near. I should have had you training, with the others, getting archery lessons from Niruin and all that. If I\u2019d done that, though, Vipir would have spent all his time trying to shuck you out of your armor, and he\u2019s better looking than me and a lot younger.\u201d He smiled again and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cTruthfully, I thought that Thrynn already had. I don\u2019t often misread things that badly.\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed. \u201cIs that what it was, that day, when you wouldn\u2019t talk to me and then stared at me across the Cistern?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProbably,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t really know for certain why I was upset, just that I was, and that it was about more than just Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut, Bryn, speaking of armor, this isn\u2019t just about me trying to get you out of yours, as much as I\u2019m looking forward to doing that.\u201d \u00a0He grinned broadly, and she returned the look. \u201cI \u2026 don\u2019t know how to explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n He pulled her in to his chest, arms wrapped around her and head bent to touch hers and they stood there, not speaking, for several long moments, the echo of the embrace he\u2019d given her in Bronze Water Cave. \u00a0Then he pushed back, gently, holding her shoulders, looking thoughtful. There was something that she could not fathom flickering in his eyes. Before she could ask, though, he sighed.<\/p>\n \u201dYou don\u2019t really have to explain.\u00a0 I think I know. Listen, lass.\u00a0 There\u2019s something that I really have to take care of, right now, before it\u2019s too late.\u201d he says. \u201cBut I want to see you. Alone. Soon. Go to your house and wait for me. I\u2019ll be along shortly.\u201d\u00a0 He kissed her once more, in a way that left no doubt how much he wanted to see her, alone.<\/p>\n Dag stood before the Temple of Mara, determined to do this thing and yet trembling.\u00a0 A part of her heart still broke thinking of the sweet, tentative way Roggi had suggested they visit this place together.\u00a0 But a larger part of it was terrified by what she intended to do, and what sort of reception … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baakay.com\/FanFic\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/1-2-22-2.png\")
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<\/p>\nPart II: Shadows<\/a><\/div>\nPrevious<\/a> \/ Next<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"