Femke

With the warmth of the fire washing over me, I dozed against Bryn's shoulder. He had an arm wrapped around me, hand resting in the curve of my waist. He had also taken off his cape and laid it over me. It granted me the extra warmth I so desperately needed.

"It's a shame you had to die, Femke. What a waste."

"What on Nirn are you talking about? This isn't... I can't be...."

"I'm here. You watched me die. Logically, that means you're dead, too. Now we're waiting for Nocturnal to try us. To see what part of the Evergloam she will send us to." His head hung. "I know I won't be going anywhere nice."

"You should've thought about that before you stole the Key and killed Gallus!"

"Still so simple, Femke. So naïve. Everything is black and white, no gray area. Well, my reasons for taking the Key and Gallus's life are so hard to explain, and I doubt we have enough time to talk about it."

"We're dead. We have all the time in the world."

"No, we don't. Soon, you'll have a vision of what you wanted most in life, and a vision of what your life would've been like, had you survived. Once that happens, I doubt I'll be around to see your reactions."

"None of this makes any sense."

"Lass? You all right?"

Jolting from my vision, I sat up and pressed a hand to my lips. "I'm sorry. Lost in my own thought. What were you saying?"

Karliah sat up a little straighter and stoked the flames. "Brynjolf refused to give up on you. He said you'd wake up."

I grinned and wiped a hand over my aching forehead. "Well, he was right. Obviously."

"But I don't understand how. You inhaled a lot of water. You drowned."

I shrugged. "I can't explain it, either, Karliah. But I'm alive. Isn't that enough for you?"

"I just don't see how it's possible."

I could not help but feel like I was being interrogated. It made me defensive. "Well, it's not like the gods had a nice little chat with me while I was out."

"Easy, lass." Bryn rubbed my arm gently. "You don't have to be so angry."

"You didn't see anything? Didn't hear anyone speak to you?"

Colors began to swirl before my eyes. Light and sound blended together in a torrent of sensation. I shot a glance to where Mercer had been standing. "What's happening to me?"

"You're fading into your visions. Don't fight it. It'll go smoother if you embrace it."

"Mercer—!"

When I blinked, I no longer stood in the dark, shapeless void alongside Mercer. Instead, I lay on a warm bed beside a crackling fire. I had my hands resting on my belly, which was covered by a green, woolen blanket and heavily swollen. I stroked my palm over my stomach's curve gently, my voice crooning a soft, sweet lullaby.

The doors on the other side of the wood-walled room swung open, and Brynjolf stepped inside. On his face was his signature smile, and in his arms was a little girl with an angular—no, elf-like—face. She had beautiful green eyes and soft, black hair that came to her elbows. From underneath the locks, her ears stuck out in soft points, and on one ear, she wore a chained earring and cuff almost identical to mine.

"Have a good time at the market, Fai?" I asked as the little girl jumped from Bryn's arms and ran to my bedside.

"Oh, yes, Mama! Daddy took me by Madesi's stall, and he bought me this!" In her little fist, she held a silver locket. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Very pretty." I tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, then cast a glance at Bryn. "And what did he use to pay for it?"

"No need to worry, my dear," said Brynjolf as he sauntered into the room. "It was just an early birthday present for her."

"You spoil her too much."

He sighed, reclined on the bed next to me, and wrapped his big arms around me. He nuzzled his face into my neck, breath hot against my skin. "And what's wrong with me spoiling my little girl?"

"Hey, Femke, can you hear us?"

I blinked, suddenly light-headed, and leaned into Bryn's side.

"Lass?" Bryn pressed his big hand against my cheek. "You're white as snow. Everything all right?"

"I... I think so." I nodded to shake his hand away. "You ask something?"

"You saw something, didn't you?" asked Karliah as Bryn tended to the cold sweat that had settled on my brow.

"Karliah, take it easy on her. She's shaken up as it is."

"I'm trying to shed some light on what actually happened. Why Femke is still alive and not drifting in the Evergloam right now. She shouldn't be here. She should be dead."

"But she's not! Can't you just be happy that she's still here with us?"

"I am happy. But I'm also curious. You can't blame me for my curiosity. I've never seen anything like this."

"Karliah, I... I think I did see something." I sat up, pushing Bryn's hand away. "I was standing in a void, a dark void. Mercer was there."

"Mercer?" Bryn's brow furrowed.

"He told me I was dead, and that Nocturnal would soon be there to claim us."

Karliah leaned closer, eyes sparkling under her hood. "What happened after that? Did you see something else? Like a vision?"

I hesitated. Mercer had said that the vision was either what my life could have been like, or what it would have been like. What if my life could still be like that? What if Bryn and I got married and started a family? We just confessed our feelings a few days ago. What if he didn't want any of that? What if hearing about us starting a family drove him away from me?

So I lied. "Yes, I did. I saw me standing at the Guild Master's desk, surrounded by riches untold, and the Guild flourishing once again."

"And that's it? Nothing else?"

I shrugged, wiping the back of my hand across my sweaty forehead. "I can't remember anything else. I'm still trying to recover from dying and coming back to life."

"Don't strain yourself, lass. Just take it easy, all right?"

"Once we're able, we need to head back to Riften," said Karliah, leaning against the cave's rocky wall. "Then there's the unfinished business with the Key."

"What about it?" I asked.

"It needs to be returned, but that won't be an easy task."

"Why not?"

"To get the Key back to its rightful place, you'll have to head to the Twilight Sepulcher, and take the Pilgrim's Path."

"Do I have to do it now?"

Karliah chuckled. "Of course not. You're in no condition to take the Path. You'll need to be at your best before you head to the Sepulcher."

"One step at a time, lass," said Bryn as he drew his hand up and down my arm. "Mercer's gone, and he's not coming back."

When I blinked, I was standing in the void with Mercer again. He gave me a look of utter disbelief, which was far more disconcerting than his normal scowl.

"What?"

"What did you see?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Whatever you saw, it's what your heart desired most, and what your life would've been like."

"What're you saying?"

"You had whatever you wanted. Whatever was going to happen in your future, it's what would've made you happiest." His scowl returned. "How can you be a thief and have everything you would ever want already?"

"Maybe because I am not motivated by greed or power. I just wanted a happy, easy life. A home. I had that home with the Guild."

Before he could answer, a dark shadow came up from the void beneath his feet and swallowed him whole. My gut wrenched at his screams.

"Think it's time we get some shuteye, eh?"

I rubbed my fist against my eye, trying to ignore the still-brewing headache and the memories of Mercer's screams. "What? Sleep?" I yawned. "I'm all for that."

Bryn and Karliah began to set up the bedrolls. Bryn laid two side-by-side, one closer to the fire, while Karliah put hers facing the cave's entrance.

"Easy, Femke," said Brynjolf as he helped my recline on the bedroll closest to the flames. "Easy."

"I'm not made of glass, Bryn." I burrowed under the thick coverings, thankful for their warmth. "I'll be okay."

He laughed once and settled himself in his bedroll. I tried not to stiffen when his arm snaked around my midsection, pulling me closer to himself.

"Bryn, what're you doing?"

"Just tryin' to keep you warm, lass." His chuckle sent shivers down my spine. "You're still cold as ice."

I sighed, turning my back to the fire. Unfortunately, that meant I was no face-to-face with a certain, smug redhead.

His gaze flickered towards Karliah for a moment, then back to me. "Lass, what did you really see?" His voice had dropped to a whisper. "In your vision?"

"What, you don't think I was telling the truth? I'm wounded, Brynjolf."

"Lass, I know when you're telling a lie. I know how to read people, remember?" His hand cupped my cheek, the pad of his thumb stroking my cheekbone. "Now, what did you really see?"

I sighed, my cheeks growing hot. "It's... it's embarrassing."

"Your secret's safe with me, lass."

"You sound like a little girl, waiting for her best friend to tell her who she fancies."

He chuckled again. "Quit dancing around the subject, Femke. Just tell me."

I closed my eyes, my cheeks practically on fire. "I saw you. Us, really, in the future. I was lying in bed, and I was obviously carrying a child in my womb. Then you came in, and you were holding a little girl. She looked like a hybrid; she looked like me. Bryn, I think I saw our family."

"A family, lass?" His tone was breathy, still low.

Hesitantly, I nodded. I opened my eyes, expecting to see a confused look on his face. Instead, he bore his cocky half-smile.

"How do ya like that? You and me, starting a family?" He snuggled even closer to me, close enough to share his warmth with me through our bedrolls. "I think I like that idea."

I smiled. "Just don't get ahead of yourself, Bryn. Right now, we're both too busy to think about having kids."

"Maybe, but a man can dream, right?"