{"id":1570,"date":"2022-02-28T10:12:35","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T17:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/?page_id=1570"},"modified":"2022-03-07T12:31:33","modified_gmt":"2022-03-07T19:31:33","slug":"chapter-16-sayma-and-brynjolf","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baakay.com\/Snow\/volume-ii\/part-i-past-and-present\/chapter-16-sayma-and-brynjolf\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 16 – Sayma and Brynjolf"},"content":{"rendered":"
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 <\/p>\n

Sayma stared at Coyle as he sank back down onto the bench opposite her.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe I just said that,\u201d he muttered. \u201cDon\u2019t see someone in twenty years and just blurt out something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t know what to say. She was still in a state of shock. She was still shaky from having fainted. She was still in a painful combination of panic and anger that Brynjolf had stormed out the way he had, just as though she\u2019d had any control at all over the situation.<\/p>\n

And she couldn\u2019t get over the fact that Coyle was here, in front of her, close enough to touch after twenty years.<\/p>\n

One minute I\u2019m fixing dinner and the next the world has turned upside-down.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, Coyle. Why did it have to happen the way it did?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 it\u2019s ok,\u201d she stammered. \u201cI\u2019m a little off-kilter myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned. \u201cWell, I meant I\u2019m sorry for just blurting out what I was thinking. But I\u2019m sorry for everything.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cYou asked me whether it would have made a difference, to know I was hurting you. I said \u2018of course\u2019 and that\u2019s true enough right now; but if I\u2019m honest I\u2019d have to admit that then, back then when Daron was still alive\u2026\u201d He shook his head. \u201cNo. It wouldn\u2019t have. The stuff gets its hooks into you and won\u2019t let go. I watched you walking away and I couldn\u2019t make myself stop, or get up to stop you from leaving. So, I guess I\u2019m sorry for that. More than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma nodded, saddened by his confession but not surprised by it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always figured that was the case. That\u2019s why I hate it, Coyle. Because of what it did to you and Daron. And I\u2019ve known others, since then. One of the men who worked for me, a friend of Brynjolf\u2019s. He died an addict.\u201d She frowned. \u201cI\u2019ve come to realize that it doesn\u2019t affect everyone the way it did you two, but I still don\u2019t have to like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Coyle\u2019s eyebrows rose slightly. \u201cI\u2019ve heard about that \u2018friend,\u2019 from Bryn. He worked for you, too, eh? What are you the boss of?\u201d<\/p>\n

She felt the neutral expression she\u2019d been trying to keep freeze solid on her face. That was an unfortunate turn of phrase, wasn\u2019t it? Well what was I going to say? Brynjolf\u2019s lover was an addict? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you that. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smirked. \u201cI see. If you told me you\u2019d have to kill me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma almost laughed. It was both unsettling and heartrending that they hadn\u2019t seen each other in decades and yet were talking as if they were just picking up a conversation they hadn\u2019t finished the day before.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething like that. I\u2019ve not taken a very active role in things ever since Qara was born, though I am still officially the one everyone listens to.\u201d I\u2019d best be careful. It\u2019s not as though Coyle doesn\u2019t know we\u2019re a bit shady. Still, we\u2019ve done an excellent job of keeping that to ourselves all these years and it would be a shame to ruin things now.<\/em><\/p>\n

She watched his eyes as he scanned her and nodded slowly. His grin turned into a smirk, and as it did an ache took hold of her heart.<\/p>\n

He knows. He always knows. He\u2019s understood me from the moment I met him, when I was just a little child. It\u2019s never changed.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh, Coyle.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut,\u201d she said carefully, trying to change the subject, \u201cyou seem fine now. Are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He laughed \u2013 a single, raspy chuckle that sounded more like sarcasm coming loose from its moorings than anything else. He stood, and stretched, and turned to face her; then he plopped down onto the braided rug she\u2019d made long ago and put out here in the gazebo because it didn\u2019t seem good enough for the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d he said slowly, the sarcastic grin not leaving his face. \u201cNot really. I can come across like a sober and responsible adult if I have to but\u2026 do you know, the day I finally met Brynjolf I had to get to him via the back entrance out of Riften\u2019s jail?\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at him, not knowing what to say. \u201cI am not sure I knew there was a back entrance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more like an escape hatch that someone carved into the back wall of one of the cells.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI don\u2019t know, Dag, it\u2019s just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t help but interrupt. \u201cSayma. I know it seems strange, but I left Dagnell behind a very long time ago. My children don\u2019t even know there was such a person.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded, slowly. \u201cI see. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d He reached up slowly and ran a hand through his hair. \u201cI guess I understand wanting to leave the past behind as well as anyone. Damned pirates<\/em>.\u201d He said the last two words so quietly she almost missed them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, it\u2019s a long story. I\u2019ll tell you some day, but not today. The beginning of it is that after Daron passed I pulled myself together enough to get work hauling sail. Took some time to get strong enough to do it, but, hey, I guess I was always pretty good at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sayma smiled. \u201cYou were. I remember you climbing all over the riggings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI almost had a decent life again, too, doing that. We shipped stuff up around High Rock and along the coast here. I\u2019ve been to Solitude, and Dawnstar, and Windhelm. Even made it over to Blacklight a couple of times. But it\u2019s a long, long time out there on the sea if you\u2019re an addict, and I ended up\u2026\u201d He trailed off, frowning, and shook his head. \u201cThat\u2019s a tale for another day, and maybe a couple of tankards of mead, once we\u2019ve got Bryn settled again.\u201d He gave Sayma a lopsided, guilty grin. \u201cWell, like I was saying. I had it under control just enough to keep going. I had to. I watched Daron die and that\u2019s when I knew I just couldn\u2019t keep living the way we\u2019d been living. Doing things I never would have done otherwise. I guess you just get used to it after awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma sighed. \u201cSo I\u2019ve heard,\u201d she said absently, her gaze drifting across the open yard toward the lake. \u201cSeems like all the men in my life have ended up getting used to living in ways I\u2019d never have expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

She suddenly realized that it was dead silent, and looked back at Coyle to see him staring up at her with the strangest expression. Oh damn. I\u2019ve done it again, haven\u2019t I?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re right,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not what I\u2019d have preferred to do as a way to get by, but I had to get by. You can\u2019t just stop once the skooma really has you. I can\u2019t even begin to tell you how painful it is if you just stop. So I have to have some, pretty much every day, but I limit myself. If it never got to Bryn, well, he\u2019s one of the lucky ones. And that\u2019s what he tells me; mostly he just stays away from it and he\u2019s careful when he has to do quality control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma didn\u2019t know how to respond to that. She\u2019d thought she had her life back on track, for years now. The children were grown, and mostly gone; she and Brynjolf had managed to pry Maven Black-Briar\u2019s fingers out of the Guild, for the most part. And they\u2019d been happier for all this time than she could possibly have hoped.<\/p>\n

And it had all been a fa\u00e7ade. At least that\u2019s what it seemed like now.<\/p>\n

Whatever happened to the girl who was tough enough to grow up on her own and make it halfway across Tamriel without backup? I barely remember her now.<\/em><\/p>\n

She shook her head at herself and forced her attention back to the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo he\u2019s been making skooma all this time?\u201d She had to ask. She knew it was going to hurt to hear the truth but she had to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cGosh, I\u2019m sorry about that, Sayma,\u201d Coyle said. \u201cYou weren\u2019t supposed to know. He even told me to keep it under wraps and I was just so rattled to see you again that I totally forgot. Guess I left my brain in my other pants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma sighed. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t make it better, you know, to find out that he\u2019s been keeping something from me all this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coyle snorted. \u201cAnd you never told him that I was Coyle Sendu<\/em>? Can you blame him for being upset? Stendarr\u2019s balls, Sayma, I\u2019m flattered but that would have bothered me, too, and nothing bothers me anymore.\u201d He shook his head, rose, and took a seat beside her. \u201cSo I guess I was right about him after all, huh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She frowned. \u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you know. Every time he talks about this former business associate of yours there\u2019s a tone in his voice. I\u2019ve wondered about him since I met him. I guess when you\u2019ve done as much of absolutely everything as a guy like me has, just to survive, you get a feeling about people.\u201d He glanced at Sayma. \u201cThough why a man would be interested in another man if he was married to you; well, I can\u2019t quite fathom it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma found herself unable to catch her breath for a moment. It had been painful enough to watch him and Daron sell themselves for skooma, back when they were all young. It had been gut-wrenching to realize, later, that her own bad choices had opened the door for Vitus to step through and claim a part of Brynjolf\u2019s heart. And the worst of it was\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my fault. I ran away, Coyle. I ran away from you, and came here; and a couple of years later I ran away from here. I thought I was being strong, at the time. What I was being was stupid. I can\u2019t blame Bryn for what happened next. Andante was just easy to like. He loved Brynjolf with everything he was at a time when Bryn needed him. At least that\u2019s what everyone tells me. And I wasn\u2019t here. I made a mistake, and I ran away. That\u2019s why I\u2019m not Dag anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coyle surprised her by reaching over and squeezing her hand, briefly. He might as well have been reaching into her chest to squeeze her heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t hold it against him, Sayma. About the skooma, I mean. It\u2019s not good that he never told you, though I can see why. He really is the best. He says he learned from this Andante fellow. And now I\u2019ve learned from him. I can tell you that it\u2019s pretty widely known that Skyrim\u2019s a lot better off for all the money he raises than it would have been otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? What do you mean by widely known?\u201d That wasn\u2019t something she felt comfortable hearing, not at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, don\u2019t get me wrong. Almost nobody knows who\u2019s making it, or the fact that all the extra money your High King has comes from a slightly, uh, irregular business. I just have connections in low places, you could say. That\u2019s what brought me here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He paused for a moment, and Sayma heard him clear his throat. Oh dear. Whatever it is, don\u2019t say it.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019d known you were here I\u2019d have been here a lot sooner. Trust me on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCoyle, please don\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, don\u2019t get me wrong, Sayma,\u201d he repeated. \u201cBrynjolf is a good man. A very good man. You\u2019re fortunate to have him, and he\u2019s fortunate to have you. But if I\u2019d known you were here I wouldn\u2019t have been able to stay away. Probably just as well.\u201d He chuckled. \u201cI mean just look at this place! Who would ever have imagined one of us would end up living in a place like this? Back when we were kids, swiping bread off the tables in the market?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma couldn\u2019t look at him, but she felt herself beginning to smile anyway. \u201cFishing under the docks?\u201d<\/p>\n

Coyle chuckled. \u201cThat\u2019s not all we did under the docks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She felt her cheeks getting hot. \u201cNow cut that out. We were just kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly until we weren\u2019t anymore,\u201d he said. She could feel the grin in his voice, even without looking at him. \u201cHey, do you remember the time we took that trip out into the desert and camped at the oasis? Remember that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sayma closed her eyes and smiled in spite of herself. She couldn\u2019t possibly, ever, forget that. They\u2019d decided to get away from the docks \u2013 and Daron – for awhile, and had trekked out into the desert, as far away from other people as they could get. They\u2019d pitched a tent, and made a campfire. And she could still hear his voice \u2013 back before age and hard living had made it raspy and low.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you wanna go skinny dipping?\u201d he\u2019d teased. \u201cNobody else out here for leagues and that water sure looks nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Coyle. It\u2019s the middle of the night!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the better!\u201d he\u2019d proclaimed, shucking himself out of his already-minimal clothing and scampering out to sit atop a rock in the middle of the pond. \u201cCome on in!\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019d laughed while he sang a rowdy sailing song, and peeled herself out of her own armor, and followed him out into the water. They\u2019d splashed each other and chased each other around like the barely-adult people they were, until finally \u2013 as so often happened \u2013 he\u2019d pulled her close for a kiss that started gentle and ended up anything but.<\/p>\n

His hair was longer than mine back then, almost. And he had the most beautiful arms. <\/em><\/p>\n

She blushed thinking about it. And then she thought about the day she and Brynjolf had bathed in a similar oasis, back when they\u2019d been making very careful steps back toward each other. She was simultaneously delighted to remember a happy time from her youth and saddened to realize that she and Brynjolf were once again at odds with each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then you turned me down,\u201d Coyle said with a laugh. \u201cI should have known better but, you know, romantic that I am I just had to see if I could sweep you off your feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma cast a quick glance at Coyle and snorted with laughter. \u201cRomantic that you are. A regular poet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it\u2019s not my fault you didn\u2019t take me seriously!\u201d he protested. \u201cThere I was, all starry-eyed and everything, and asked you to marry me and you thought I was kidding!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayma shook her head and giggled. \u201cOf course I thought you were kidding! There we were, two stupid kids, out in the middle of nowhere, and you said\u2026\u201d She stopped, remembering the smile that he\u2019d been wearing, standing there by the fire.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2018I love you, Dag,\u2019 he told me. \u2018I\u2019ve loved you since we were little kids. Let\u2019s always be together. Let\u2019s get married.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

And I laughed at him. I really didn\u2019t think he was serious. Because why would anyone think I was good enough to marry? It was the same thing that happened with Roggi. And both of them just smiled and swallowed their disappointment.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI said I loved you ever since we were kids,\u201d Coyle said. \u201cAnd I meant it.\u201d He didn\u2019t sound bitter, or angry, or distressed in any way; he was just very matter-of-fact. \u201cThat\u2019s just the way it is. No point in trying to pretend anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, Coyle.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Brynjolf ended up being the lucky one, and I won\u2019t have myself being the reason something happens to disturb that,\u201d he continued. \u201cI really like him, you know? He\u2019s a good man, Sayma, and you should hear him talk about you. I didn\u2019t know who to expect meeting his wife but I knew it would be someone special. You need to hang onto that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He rose to his feet, stretched again, and grinned at her. \u201cWell, here\u2019s the thing. I\u2019ve been smelling that stew you were making ever since I walked into your house and I don\u2019t mind telling you that I\u2019m a hungry guy. My mouth has been watering and I\u2019ve been trying not to let my stomach make too much noise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sayma laughed and rose to her feet, crossing her arms and pretending to be cross. \u201cYou haven\u2019t changed a bit, have you? Anything for a free meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s so good to see you again. And yeah. Anything for a free meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brynjolf had come back from the Crypt prepared to admit that he\u2019d been too quick to anger. It was always the same, he thought as he walked slowly across the yard and toward the back, where he thought he heard voices. I let my temper get the best of me. I\u2019ve done it all my life. I blew up at her and almost hurt her, back when she was still Dag. I threatened to drain her dry when I found out that she had been hiding from me for two years, when I was still a vampire. I scared her half to death down in Hammerfell when I got angry talking about Brunulvr – and thank the Eight I took it out on a rock instead of on her. And here I was throwing a fit and threatening to get turned again \u2013 which would have been the single stupidest thing ever \u2013 just because\u2026<\/p>\n

He looked up at the gazebo just as Sayma\u2019s low chuckle rippled across the open space between them. There they were, Sayma and Coyle, standing close together under the canopy. He couldn\u2019t see exactly what was happening, but he saw Coyle\u2019s broad back, and saw his hand on her arm.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brynjolf opened his mouth, and shut it again.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve lost her, haven\u2019t I. All these years and just like that, I\u2019ve lost her.<\/em><\/p>\n

He took a deep breath and let it out, quietly, not wanting to attract their attention. Then he turned and slowly walked back the way he\u2019d come, not knowing exactly what he was going to do but knowing that he needed the company of friends.<\/p>\n

The Cistern was quiet and peaceful when he stepped into it. A few of the men were there, gathering near the food; but he found that he didn\u2019t have the heart to go visit with them. All he could think about, looking at the space, was how it had looked twenty years earlier \u2013 dim and dirty and full of cobwebs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Cobwebs and grunge. <\/em><\/p>\n

She came here because of him. And now he\u2019s here.<\/em><\/p>\n

He heaved a sigh and left the way he\u2019d come, quietly, without speaking.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later he found himself back at the head of the Crypt\u2019s stairs. \u201cAre you still here?\u201d he called, making his slow way down them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, boss,\u201d Tyna called up. \u201cYou don\u2019t need a special invitation, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cBut I guess I always want to be sure I\u2019m not in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d never be in the way, Brynjolf,\u201d Agryn said. \u201cBut I\u2019m still not going to turn you.\u201d<\/p>\n

In spite of himself, Brynjolf chuckled. \u201cNo, lad, that\u2019s not why I\u2019m here. I went home and, well, I\u2019m not exactly sure what was going on but I\u2026\u201d He trailed off and shrugged. \u201cI needed to be with friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so you are,\u201d Agryn told him. \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019d be just as welcome with Serana, too, but I\u2019m not so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSanguine?\u201d Vyctyna chimed in, giggling.<\/p>\n

\u201cTyna,\u201d Agryn groaned. \u201cThat was awful.\u201d He grinned up at Brynjolf. \u201cYes. I\u2019m not so sanguine about the rest of them out there. I\u2019m sure some of them would love to get a taste of the blood that was next in line after Andante.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry things are unsettled right now, Bryn,\u201d Vyctyna said. \u201cBut try not to worry. Anyway, what can I get you? Mead? Water? A blood potion?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf was amused at Tyna in spite of himself. He found himself cracking a smile. She can tell I\u2019m upset and is doing her best to make me feel at home. <\/em>He\u2019d just about opened his mouth to reply when a bright Imperial voice called from the entryway above.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreetings and salutations, all ye who are below! Who\u2019s home?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf froze. That voice was far too familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are, as usual,\u201d Vyctyna replied. \u201cCome on in!\u201d<\/p>\n

He heard the light but irregular tapping of the man bounding down the stairs. A young man\u2019s footsteps. A young man\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be pleased, I hope, to learn that I not only eliminated the feral you sent me after, but also took out that completely odious mage you mentioned, who was in the same place. It really was a good thing that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Ondale Perdeti stopped in mid-sentence and mid-stride as he looked up to see Brynjolf standing there with Agryn and Vyctyna.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou!\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI might ask the same thing, lad,\u201d Brynjolf answered, wondering how he could contain his dismay. \u201cI\u2019m glad to know that my hunch about you being a vampire was right but I can\u2019t say that I ever expected to see you here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale looked at all three of them in turn and shook his head. \u201cLikewise, I\u2019m sure. Particularly since it\u2019s rather obvious that you are not<\/em> a vampire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn and Vyctyna looked at each other in confusion and then back at Brynjolf and Dale.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two know each other?\u201d Vyctyna blurted out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say we know<\/em> each other, exactly,\u201d Dale said slowly. \u201cWe\u2019ve met. We\u2019ve spoken over a drink. I\u2019ve met Brynjolf\u2019s utterly delightful daughter. I\u2019m aware that he knew my father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn frowned. \u201cWho was your father? And why would Brynjolf know him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis name was Vitus Perdeti,\u201d Dale said, staring at Brynjolf.<\/p>\n

Yes. Yes it was. And how painful it was to get that name back to him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cShould I know that name?\u201d Agryn asked. \u201cAside from the last name being the same as yours, of course, but that\u2019s hardly unusual. Many people share surnames, and I\u2019ve known of several Perdetis over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf looked at him and shook his head. \u201cYou never met him, Agryn, even though we\u2019ve just recently been speaking of him.\u201d Agryn\u2019s frown deepened. \u201cBut you\u2019ll know who we\u2019re speaking of if I tell you that he used a different name when we travelled together. He called himself Andante.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, what<\/em>?\u201d Vyctyna exclaimed. She turned to stare at Dale. \u201cYour father was the one who took down Lord Harkon and you never told us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dale looked confused. More than confused, actually, Brynjolf thought. Poor lad is trying to sort out half a dozen things at the same time. If he didn\u2019t remind me so much of his father I\u2019d almost feel bad for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d Dale began speaking and then stopped, shaking his head. \u201cI didn\u2019t tell you, because I didn\u2019t know. I never met my father. I had only a few nuggets of information about him that I received from my mother; and of course Brynjolf here was kind enough to supply a few more. I can\u2019t say that I ever thought much about him in any respect, truthfully.\u201d He rubbed his chin for a moment, looking back and forth between Brynjolf and Agryn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t fathom what reason I would have had to give you the name of my father. It would never have occurred to me as being remotely relevant to anything at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf sighed. \u201cI think I can shed some light on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot too much light, please,\u201d Dale said, earning himself a glare from Vyctyna.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d<\/em> laugh, but I can\u2019t. He reminds me too much of his father when we first met.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll keep it brief, then,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cThis is all happening because a couple of years before Harkon passed \u2013 before you and Edwyn arrived, Agryn \u2013 Vitus Perdeti failed a contract in Markarth. He was taken and tortured by the Thalmor, and he lost his memory. That\u2019s why everyone knew him as Andante. That was the name he used because he\u2019d lost his own. That was the name he used when we found Serana. That\u2019s the name he used when we killed Harkon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh,\u201d Vyctyna said. \u201cSo everyone at the castle kept talking about Andante because\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he died before you all showed up in Skyrim, and nobody in the castle ever knew his real name. He didn\u2019t, either, until just a short time before he died. I don\u2019t remember mentioning it to Serana, though I might have in passing. There wasn\u2019t a reason to. I knew who Andante was, they knew who Andante was\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me see if I have this straight,\u201d Dale interrupted. \u201cMy father, the man who never so much as darkened my mother\u2019s door for my entire lifetime, was the one who took down the legendary Lord Harkon? He was a vampire strong enough to take down Harkon?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf nodded. \u201cAye. That about sums it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he called himself \u2018Andante\u2019 because he failed a contract given to him by\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf sighed. \u201cI suppose there\u2019s no point in trying to keep that a secret after twenty years. He was in the Dark Brotherhood, lad. Both before he came to Skyrim and afterward. I guess some things just stay with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale stared at them for what felt like an eon. Then he tossed his head back and started laughing, a full tenor belly-laugh that made Brynjolf\u2019s heart hurt because he remembered Andante\u2019s nearly-identical laugh so very well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell isn\u2019t that rich,\u201d he chuckled, wiping a few tears of laughter away with the back of his hand. \u201cLike father, like son, it would seem. It\u2019s not as though I aspired to grow up just like dear old Dad, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf frowned. \u201cWait, what are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

Agryn heaved a huge sigh. \u201cBryn, Dale is our contact in the Brotherhood. Our\u2026 other<\/em> contact, after Babette.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf\u2019s mind spun. And so did his head, nearly to the point where he needed to sit down. Dale Perdeti is in the Brotherhood and Sayma never told me? What is going on?<\/em><\/p>\n

Am I completely irrelevant to her, now? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAlright,\u201d Dale said. \u201cLet me be certain that I have this clear in my mind. My father was in the Dark Brotherhood. And a vampire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Brotherhood since he was a boy,\u201d Brynjolf said, feeling somehow apart from his own voice as if someone else was speaking. \u201cBack before the Sanctuary in Bravil was destroyed. He operated as a \u2013 lone contractor, I guess you\u2019d say \u2013 until he ended up being taken out by the Thalmor.\u201d He looked at Dale and nodded. \u201cAnd he was a very powerful vampire, one of the strongest I\u2019ve ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dale smirked. \u201cAnd you, the very human father of the delightful Miss Qaralana, are here in the presence of three potentially hungry vampires because\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch your tongue, boy,\u201d Agryn said, the tone of his voice sending chills up Brynjolf\u2019s spine. \u201cBrynjolf was Andante\u2019s \u2013 that is, Vitus Perdeti\u2019s \u2013 second in command. I never saw Perdeti in action but I have seen Brynjolf. He was a much more powerful vampire than you\u2019ll be for a very long time to come. He was the rightful Lord of the Volkihar after my sire died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf watched Dale\u2019s eyes widen for a moment as the two of them stared at each other. Then Dale\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re no longer a vampire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is correct. Of course, if you were interested in providing me the use of your fangs, we could remedy that,\u201d Brynjolf found himself saying with a tiny smirk, the nagging desire to experience that power once more rising up yet again in spite of his best intentions.<\/p>\n

There was an enormous sound. Suddenly Agryn filled the space, roaring, his huge gray wings keeping him just above the floor. Brynjolf\u2019s hands flew up defensively, and Dale, caught completely off-guard, cowered beside him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cNO,\u201d Agryn growled. \u201cYou will not. You will not offer, Ondale. And you will not ask, Brynjolf. Not now. Not ever. Never again. Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf and Dale looked at each other again, neither of them able to speak.<\/p>\n

\u201cAggie,\u201d Vyctyna said softly. \u201cThis is a little much. Put away the wings now, okay?\u201d She touched him on the arm and smiled.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s afraid. She\u2019s seen him act this way before, and she\u2019s afraid. Maybe he\u2019s right, and he\u2019s going to go mad the way Edwyn did.<\/em><\/p>\n

Shor\u2019s beard. <\/em><\/p>\n

The fearsome gray creature that was Agryn Gernic snorted, shook his head, and reverted back to his human form. He dusted off his armor and cleared his throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry about that,\u201d he mumbled. \u201cI got carried away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s alright, lad,\u201d Brynjolf said gently. \u201cSo did I. It\u2019s been a long day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it would be better if you left us for a little while, Boss,\u201d Vyctyna said, looking at him apologetically. \u201cI think we\u2019ve all had a bit of a shock just now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cAye. I\u2019ll just be on my way then,\u201d Brynjolf said, heading for the stairs. As he climbed them, he heard Agryn.<\/p>\n

\u201cDale, sit down. Tell me how it went, and then we\u2019ll give you your next assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight away, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brynjolf emerged into night, wondering where he should go. And wishing he had the company of his very best friend.<\/p>\n

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Home Previous \/ Next   Sayma stared at Coyle as he sank back down onto the bench opposite her. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I just said that,\u201d he muttered. \u201cDon\u2019t see someone in twenty years and just blurt out something like that.\u201d She didn\u2019t know what to say. She was still in a state of shock. … <\/p>\n

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