"Oh, gods, what just happened?!"

"He was taken away, where he can be dealt with properly," said a cold and powerful voice. It came from somewhere behind me. "Now... what to do with you?"

I turned to see a woman as pale as snow, with eyes as cold as night, towering above me. Her body was clad with a sort of hooded, indigo robe, the fabric barely covering her. Her sleeves dropped down to the floor, and I felt as though I would be able to hide in them. She had a hood pulled over her head, casting an eerie shadow over her intimidating—yet beautiful—features. Two nightingales perched on her shoulders, and a third rested on her left wrist.

"Lady Nocturnal?"

"Yes, it is I, Nocturnal. Mistress of Night and Shadow. The Daedric Lord who now holds your fate in her hands."

"My Lady, please—"

"Don't bother begging. Your pleas fall on deaf ears. I have already made up my mind."

"So I am to spend the rest of eternity here? Floating in some realm of Oblivion while the remaining Nightingales mourn the loss of another?"

"If you would kindly let me finish!"

I shrank back within myself, feeling so much like a scolded child.

"I have decided that it would be a shame for your... somewhat promising career as my Nightingale to end before it could begin. I have already claimed one soul today, and I desire not to claim another. Therefore, I will return you to your realm, but you must remember you are a Nightingale. If you stray from my path, I will not hesitate to claim your soul and send you to the very same place I have sent that traitor, Mercer Frey."

I found my knees trembling. "Yes, my Lady."

"Now, go and return my Key to me. It is your place, as my champion, mortal."

My eyes cracked open as warm breath blew past my cheek.

I tried to sit up, but a heavy, leather-clad arm draped over my waist. I turned my head back, seeing Bryn's sleeping and peaceful face just behind me.

My face grew hot with embarrassment. I had forgotten about falling asleep next to Brynjolf.

I managed to roll onto my other side, so I faced Bryn. His arm still wrapped around my waist, and his fingers splayed over the small of my back. A small smile tweaked his lips as he slept. I had never seen him look so peaceful.

I traced my index finger over the scar on his cheek, smiling as his beard tickled my fingertip.

The arm around my waist shot up and the hand latched around my wrist. I gasped as Bryn's bright green eyes opened, and his smirk grew into a full-blown smile.

"Good morning, lass."

I relaxed as his hand released my wrist. "Good morning, honey."

He chuckled sleepily as he rolled onto his back and stretched, very much like a cat. I giggled at him.

He turned to me after he finished stretching, eyes shining and lips twisted into a grin. "How'd you sleep?"

The last part of my vision, where Nocturnal sent me back to the realm of the living, played through my head. Her warning echoed in my ears, the words weighing on me ominously. It was quite the threat: stray from her rules, and she would pull me back to her realm without a second thought. It wasn't something I was comfortable talking about just yet.

"I slept well, I suppose. How about you?"

"Better than I have in a long time. I think you had something to do with it."

My cheeks flushed again as I sat up. "Oh, shut up. It's too early to flirt."

"It's never too early to flirt, lass."

I punched his chest. "Shut it."

"But you're cute when you're mad."

I snatched my cape off my legs and slapped him with it. "I said, shut it!"

He laughed it off and sat up. "I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"

I crossed my arms and frowned. "No."

He cupped my chin in his large hand and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. "How about now?"

I shoved him to the ground, having to fight back a smile. "Still no."

"If you two are quite finished..." said Karliah not ten feet away, "I would like to get out of this drafty cave and be on the road."

I had totally forgotten about Karliah, and guilt pinched my gut. Not to mention embarrassment made my cheeks burn.

As I sat by the still-warm embers of the fire, Bryn and Karliah broke camp. They cleaned up the supplies, stuffed the bedrolls back into the satchels, then kicked dirt over the embers.

With our campsite cleaned, Bryn helped me to my feet. He held onto my arm, keeping me steady as we made our way out of the cave.

The brisk winter air wafted around us the moment we came out of the cave. Even with my cape wrapped around my body, I shivered. It was freezing out here. I couldn't wait to get back to Riften, where it was at least warmer.

"Easy, lass." Brynjolf helped me hurdle a fallen tree that had blocked the road. "Don't hurt yourself now."

I smiled a little at his care. From the moment I stepped into the Flagon, he had been watching out for me. It was hard to believe that it would soon be my job as his Guild Master to watch out for him.

It still didn't feel right, knowing I was next in line for the Guild Master's job. Bryn deserved it. He was Mercer's second-in-command. He should take the job. But he didn't want it, and I couldn't bring in upon myself to refuse the job and make him take it. If he thought I could do it, then I was determined to prove I could.

I shook my head a little as I skirted around another fallen tree. I didn't have to think about leadership just yet. We still had to get back to the Guild, and I had to return the Skeleton Key to the Sepulcher. I had plenty of time to prepare for that role.

-------

It was well past midnight when we stepped outside of Nightgate Hall. We had gone inside so Bryn could retrieve his Guild armor (he said he preferred it over the caped Nightingale uniform), and Karliah had decided she was going to stay here. She said it was her home, where she belonged. We stood at the entrance, Karliah with her hands clasped in front of her, and Bryn and I facing her.

"If you ever need me, this is where I'll be," she said, nodding to the door. "You're Nightingales, too. Should you choose to, you can join me here."

"Thank you for the offer, Karliah, but..." I took Bryn's hand in mine, "our place is with the Guild."

"I thought you would say that. In any case, I have something to give you." She took the bow off her back, holding it out to me. "This bow has served me well. I hope that it will do the same for you."

"Karliah...." I shook my head. "I can't accept this. It's far too much."

"You must take it. Please, Femke. I want you to have it."

I wrapped my free hand around the polished black wood, feeling the smooth designs etched into the bow. It thrummed with a powerful magic; it must have been enchanted.

"Karliah, thank you for this gift." One-handed, I strapped the bow over my back, handing Bryn my old one. "If I can ever repay you—"

"You trusted me when no one else would. You cleared my name, and you helped us restore the broken trinity of the Nightingales. Believe me, that bow is merely a trinket compared to what you've done. I hope it serves you as well as it has served me."

"Thank you, Karliah. For everything you've done. I'll never forget it."

"Come and tell me when you're going to return the Key. I'll do my best to help you should you need it."

Bryn and I both nodded, then made our way to the short path leading back to Riften. Torchbugs floated lazily in the air, white the sounds of crickets and birds filled the warm night. If I was not still hurting from the events that transpired in Irkngthand, I would have found the situation romantic.

Brynjolf, seeming to enjoy the quiet night air as well, tightened his grip on my hand. "Pleasant night for a stroll, isn't it, lass?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid I'm too tired to enjoy it." I stifled a yawn with my free hand. "I feel like I can't walk any farther."

Bryn stopped walking, let go of my hand, then scooped me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me like an infant against his chest. My head fell to his shoulder.

"This feel a little familiar to you, too?" he asked as we passed through the open city gates.

"Yes. The day we met, in the rain. I was barely alive."

"At least now you're only barely awake." He laughed a little as we reached the secret Guild entrance. He kicked the button with his foot, then descended the stairs as quickly as he could.

Of course, once we came to the ladder, he encountered a problem. There was no way he would be able to carry me down the hole. The opening was too small, and he couldn't climb down the ladder without use of his hands.

I let go of his neck. "Just put me down. I'm fine."

Gently, he set me down, then let me go down the ladder first. Once I was safely at the bottom, he came down after me.

We stepped into the damp Cistern, smiles on our tired faces and satchels heavy with loot. The Guild never slept, it seemed, and most of the members were still ambling around, chatting with one another.

Then, Etienne turned, seeing us standing there, and started shouting. "Brynjolf and Femke are back! They're back!"

It didn't take the rest of the Guild long to rush to us and start grilling us with questions. The one they kept asking was, "Did you get the Eyes?"

With a smirk, I reached into Mercer's old satchel and pulled out one of the massive gems. "See for yourself, guys."

Everyone shut up when they laid their eyes on the massive jewel. Delvin reached out and touched it, murmuring curses under his breath. Vex gaped, mouth open and eyes wider than saucers. Tonilia stood by and shook her head in amazement. The newer members of the Guild just stared, struck speechless.

"I don't believe it," said Etienne. "You actually got one."

"Not just one," said Bryn as he produced the other from his satchel. "We got both."

"By the Eight!" shouted Delvin. "You actually did it, you bloody fools! You pulled off the great heist!"

"We couldn't have done it without Karliah," I said, letting the Guild pass one of the Eyes around.

"Aye," agreed Bryn behind me. "We never would've succeeded without Karliah's help."

"Where is she?" asked Vex. "Sounds like we all owe her an apology."

"She's on personal business," I said. "I wouldn't expect to see her down here anytime soon. But if I see her, I'll be sure to tell her thank you for all of you."

Delvin held the Eye in his arms, gazing at it as he would an infant. His eyes reflected the shimmer the gem gave off in the low light of the Cistern. "A heist like this deserves celebration."

Ton nodded. "Vekel, honey, break out the mead! It's time for a party!"

I cast a weary glance at Bryn. I was really looking forward to a night of rest. My body was tired, even though I got enough sleep last night. But, a heist like this didn't come around very often, and it did deserve a celebration. What was the harm of letting the thieves indulge themselves, anyway? After the trying times the Guild had suffered through, perhaps it was time to let loose and enjoy ourselves.

"Just this once," whispered Bryn as the other thieves walked towards the Flagon, ready to party. He leaned down and gave me a gentle kiss. "We all need this."

"Well, I'm not Guild Master yet, so I can't stop them from celebrating. And you're right. We need this."

He linked his arm around mine. "Come on, lass, before they drink up all the good mead."

So, I let Bryn lead me into the Flagon, as I mentally prepared myself for a night filled music, laughter, and of course, intoxication.

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A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I never meant to keep y'all waiting for updates! I'm so sorry! But hey! At least I got the chapter up now, right?

On an unrelated note, I'm sure some of you have noticed that I mention Emerald_Parrish a lot. Well, that's 'cause she's my best friend, and she has been my number-one fan since I started writing. Anyway, I bring her up because I want to say something about her story, Syndicates. One, it's an AMAZING story! Two, you should go check it out. She's a great writer, and her story is a wonderful one, and she deserves more love on that book of hers. She works hard at writing it, keeping it updated as regularly as possible. So go do me and her a favor and check out her book, Syndicates. And if you like it, give it a vote and leave a comment. It'll make her day.

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! I promise to be more regular with my updates from now on! Love and sweetrolls!
~WG 💙