I heard that Maven was waiting in the Barb, so I headed straight there. The Argonion man that helped out Keerava, Talen-Jei, glared at me as I entered. "You have some nerve coming back here after what you did to Keerava."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, careful to keep my hand off my wounded bicep. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk to Maven Black-Briar. Where is she?"

"Upstairs, waiting for someone. I assume it's you."

"Thanks." I headed for the stairs.

I found Maven sitting in a chair, hidden by the back wall. I came into her line of sight, and she right away started looking me up and down, scrutinizing. "So you're the one." She pursed her lips. "Hmm. You don't look so impressive."

I crossed my arms again. I don't look so impressive? After I singlehandedly infiltrated Goldenglow Estate, burned down three hives, raided Aringoth's safe, and made it out of there with only a cut on my arm to show for it? What was this woman's deal? I swallowed my pride, though. After all, I did not want to wind up with a dagger stabbed into my back and my body dumped into the canal. That did not mean I could not do a little—ah, shall we say—humble bragging. "I'm the best at what I do."

Maven raised a single, perfectly groomed brow. "Is that confidence I hear, or is it arrogance? Strange how often they're confused." Her expression softened, albeit only in the slightest. "You have to understand, it's been a long time since Brynjolf's sent me anyone I can rely on."

"You have no faith in the Guild?"

"Faith? I don't have faith in anyone. All I care about is cause and effect. Did the job get done, and was it done correctly. There's no gray area."

I nodded. "Understood. Where do I begin?"

"Head to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun and look for Mallus Maccius. He'll fill you in on all the details."

"I assume I need to head there as soon as possible?"

"That would be preferable. So get going."

I nodded again and headed for the door.

"One more time, in case I didn't make myself clear," Maven said behind me, "you butcher this job, and you'll be sorry."

I stiffened, but said nothing and continued on my way out of the inn.

It was nearly midnight, I was exhausted, and Maven told me to leave as soon as possible. Well, "as soon as possible" would just have to be in the morning, because there was no way I was traveling on an empty stomach and weary feet.

I entered the Cistern and headed straight for the nearest table. I sat down on the long bench and laid my forehead on my arms. Should I have rented a room at the Barb, since I had no idea where I was supposed to stay down here? No one had shown me where to lay my head, or if I even had a place to do that.

"You know," a kind voice said behind me, "you don't have to sleep at the table. There's a bed for you."

I turned to see the Breton I had met earlier, Etienne Rarnis, standing behind me. His brown leather hood had been pulled down, and his brushed blond hair fell neatly to his shoulders. He gave me a gentle grin and laid a hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head and sat up straight. "I don't know where it is."

"I'll show you." He sidestepped once, holding his hand out towards the sleeping area. "If you'll follow me...."

I smiled and stood up, letting him lead me to one of the few open beds. He kicked the chest at the foot of it. "Just place your belongings in there. No one will touch them."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow.

He smirked. "No, not really. We're thieves, after all."

I shook my head, sitting down and pulling my boots off my feet. "Then I'll be careful."

He started to walk away, but something on the side of his neck caught my eye. "Etienne?"

He stopped and turned. "Yes?"

"That scar on your neck. Where did you get it?"

His face paled. "It's not something I like to remember."

I braced my elbows on my knees and gave him a curious and pleading look. "Please? Tell me?"

He sighed, rubbing his palm against his scar. "About a year ago, I was captured by some of those Thalmor agents and dragged to their embassy near Solitude. They interrogated me for weeks. I didn't know if I was ever going to make it out."

"How'd you escape?"

"A stranger, a young woman with raven-black hair and sapphire eyes, infiltrated the embassy and saved me. She had no reason to, but she did. She even singlehandedly defeated a troll that was standing between us and freedom." He smiled a little. "I owe her so much, and I have no idea where to find her."

"Do you know her name?"

"Something like Hilva? No, that wasn't it. Y... Ylva. Her name was Ylva."

"Well, if I ever hear of anything about someone named Ylva, I'll let you know. Okay?"

He nodded. "I just want to thank her."

"I understand. Thanks for showing me where I can sleep."

"No trouble."

"One more thing, before you go." I reached into my satchel and pulled out the golden bee statue I had found at Goldenglow. "You have any idea where I might be able to sell this?"

He nodded. "Take it to Delvin. He'll buy it for a fair price."

"Thanks."

He walked off, and I worked on getting out of my heavy, damp armor. I laid the cuirass next to my bed, then pulled my trousers down. I now only wore a sleeveless undershirt and a pair of short pants. I crawled under the blankets, laying my head on the pillow, and stretched out on the straw mattress. The furs were warm and soft, softer than any I had ever slept on.

With the sounds of my sleeping Guild mates filling my ears, I drifted into the nicest sleep I had in years.

-------

"Lass. Wake up."

I pushed the hand off my shoulder, rolling onto my side and pulling the fur closer to my chin. "Why?"

"Because Maven is furious that you haven't left yet, and it's almost ten in the morning."

I sat up then, keeping the fur close to my chest. Bryn gave me a surprised look, eyes shimmering like emeralds in the soft torchlight.

"I didn't mean to sleep this late." I rubbed one fist against my eye. "I guess I was just tired."

"Well, you can sleep after the job's done. You shouldn't keep Maven waiting." He handed me a cloth-wrapped bundle of something. "Breakfast. Eat fast."

I opened the cloth to find a wedge of cheese, half a loaf of bread, and an apple inside. I set it aside and stood up. Somehow, I managed to get dressed and eat at the same time. Once I finished eating, and once I pulled my boots on, I grabbed my satchel, slung it over my shoulder, then headed for the Cistern's exit. I remembered the bee statue, but I would just have to wait until I got back from Whiterun to take it to Delvin.

"I would suggest taking the carriage," called Bryn from across the Cistern. "It'll save time!"

I nodded and waved his direction. Then I set my foot on the lowest ladder rung and began to climb.

Just my luck to get cornered by Maven as I was leaving the marketplace. She literally shoved me into the nearest wall and pinned her arm to my throat. Even though I was lithe and narrow, I knew I would have no trouble shoving this angry Nord woman off me.

But I knew better than to try.

"I thought I told you that time was of the essence," she hissed, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Instead you wasted your time sleeping when you could have been traveling to Whiterun! You could've been there by now!"

"I know," I wheezed. She had a harsh hold on my neck. "But I just got into Riften two days ago. I needed—"

"Needed what?" She pressed a little harder on my neck.

I winced. "Rest. And food. We thieves can't work on empty stomachs and tired minds." I wrapped my fingers around her wrist, hoping she would let me go. "I was just on my way to Whiterun. I can assure you that I'll handle the job."

She let me go, but her eyes remained narrowed. "Mark my words, novice. If you mess this up, they will never find your body."

I nodded, slowly. "Understood."

"Now, get going."

If it had been any other person, I would have offered a snarky salute before leaving. But I knew that Maven was already pissed at me. Anyone could see that. I was not about to make it worse by pissing her off even more.

I left the city and hired the carriage outside to take me to Whiterun. I told him that I would appreciate it if he could make the best time possible. He nodded, slapped the reins, and his horse started moving.

-------

The journey to Whiterun was uneventful. I managed to catch a little more sleep on the way there, even though the roads were bumpy.

When we made it to the stables, I thanked the driver and hurriedly jumped from the carriage. The weather was nice, I had to admit. The skies were clear, and the sun had just enough heat to keep the cold away, but not too much to make wearing leather armor unbearable. Why hadn't the Guild settled here? Strategically, it would have been the best place. Centermost hold in Skyrim, trade routes full of caravans ripe for robbing.

As soon as I entered the city, though, I realized why they had stayed out.

Two words: The Companions.

Even from the gates, I could hear them sparring. Honor-bound men and women dueling just for fun. They hated corruption of any form, and they were driven by ancient codes of conduct. They had their rules, just as the we had ours. Unfortunately for us, the Companions have no qualms about killing. I could only imagine what they would do to me if I tried to pick a pocket.

Losing a hand would be the least of my worries.

I shook those morbid thoughts aside and proceeded towards the marketplace. I had my hood pulled up, shielding myself from the sun and any risk of people seeing my face. I doubted that most common folk would recognize the armor I wore; the Thieves Guild falling on hard times made it easy to slip in and out of cities without being noticed. But I still knew better than to go without my hood.

Stepping into the Bannered Mare, I was greeted by a warm fire and soft music coming from a blond bard at the corner of the room. Several people, including a couple wearing Companions armor, sat around the fire and at the bar. They laughed, joked, and drank to their hearts' content. Their jovial attitudes were so much better than the ones that were normally found in the Barb. People here seemed to be happier. People in Riften were grumpy, no matter how much mead they drank.

Why was that? I wondered.

I walked up to the bar, leaned against it, and motioned for the woman behind it to come closer. She looked like a gentle woman, plain-faced, dark hair pulled back, kind eyes. She gave me a smile. "Welcome to the Bannered Mare, friend," she said, her voice thick with a Nordic accent. "My name's Hulda. Do you need something?"

"I'm supposed to be meeting someone here. A Mallus Maccius?"

"Oh, yes. You'll find him the the storage room." She pointed towards an open door behind me. "In there."

"Thanks." I made my way across the room an through the doorway. The patrons around the fire gave me strange looks, but I ignored them. I was used to stares, anyway.

I found an Imperial man sitting in the far corner of the room. He wore simple clothes, his black hair was brushed behind his ears, and his tight face was bent in a scowl. His dark brown—almost black—gaze bored into me as I stood in front of him.

He shook his head and took a quick swig from his tankard. "Can't a man drink in peace?"

I sat down in the seat across from him. "Maven said you were expecting me."

His scowl fell away, replaced by a look of recognition. "I'm going to keep this short 'cause we have a lot to do. Honningbrew's owner, Sabjorn, is about to hold a tasting for Whiterun's Captain of the Guard, and you're going to poison the mead."

Sabotage? This was going to be fun. "Do you have the poison?"

"No, no, that's the beauty of the whole plan. We're going to get Sabjorn to give it to us." Mallus's lips bent into a sick, lopsided grin. "The meadery has quite a pest problem and the whole city knows about it. Pest poison and mead don't mix well, you know what I mean?"

I offered a nod. "How do I fit in?"

"You're going to happen by and lend poor old Sabjorn a helping hand. He's going to give you the poison, but you're also going to dump it into the brewing vat."

A grin turned up the corners of my mouth. "Clever."

"Maven and I spent weeks planning this. All we need is someone like you to get in there and get it done." He motioned back towards the door I came from. "Now get going, before Sabjorn grows a brain and hires someone else to do the dirty work."

I asked him how I was supposed to get to the brewing vats, and he told me the best way in. Afterwards, I thanked his for the information and stood from my seat.

"Remember. Sabjorn will need a helping hand. Make it look good."

I nodded, spun on my heel, and left the room. No one stopped me from leaving the inn, although I could feel a few gazes boring into the back of my hood.

While the people of Whiterun are friendly, they certainly are suspicious.

Then again, I would probably be suspicious of a leather-clad, hooded stranger who came into the Bannered Mare only to meet with one man and leave less than ten minutes later.

And they're right to be suspicious. I am a thief, after all.