Walk in the Shadows

Thirty-Four

This was it. After months of preparation, hard work, and determination, I was going to take my rightful place as the leader of the Thieves Guild. I did not know if I was ready to take on this kind of responsibility, but I knew the others believed in me. If they helped, maybe I could do this. Just maybe.

"Right," said Bryn as he folded his arms over his chest. "We're all here." He looked to his right, where Del and Karliah stood, then to his left, where Vex shifted from one foot to the other. The rest of the Guild fanned out around the Cistern, all eyes on me. I could feel their stares burning into me, making me fidget in place.

"I've never been one to stand on ceremony, so let's make this quick," continued Bryn. "The Guild needs a new leader, and Femke has agreed to take that place. Do we all agree that she should fill that position?"

Delvin gave me a short nod and a cheeky smile. "I think so, Bryn."

"Karliah?"

My Dunmer friend smirked. "Absolutely."

"Vex?"

The Imperial shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Then it's settled. Femke, step forward."

I did as commanded, standing in front of the semicircle of thieves.

Bryn took a triangular-shaped amulet off his neck and helped slip it over my head. "Think of this as your badge of office. You're our leader now. You need to look the part. Tonilia should have some armor for you." He smiled as he smoothed my hair away from my face. "Congratulations, lass."

I glanced around, seeing the other thieves splitting up and going back to whatever it was they were doing before. "So that's it?"

"Aye, that's it. Were you expecting something grander?"

"No. We're thieves, after all. We don't spend our money on lavish or vain things. I'm okay with this."

He wrapped me into a tight hug, face buried in my hair. "When you finish squaring everything away down here, meet me in Riftweald. Best we get cleaning."

I nodded. "Sounds good."

He chuckled as he pulled away. "Honeymoon's over."

I nodded and laughed with him. "Guess it is."

With a gentle smile and a quick kiss to my forehead, Brynjolf turned and left, heading for the ladder across from me.

I spun on my heel, deciding to go talk to Ton about my new armor first. I liked my Nightingale armor; it fit me better than anything I had even worn. But Bryn was right. I needed to look the part of Guild Master. Besides, it would be nice to have the option to choose one armor or the other.

"Heya, boss," said Tonilia as I came into the Flagon. She sat in her usual spot, on the crates stacked on the wooden dock. She had a cheeky grin on her face.

"You seem happy," I said as I sat down across from her. "Why so chipper?"

"Coin's flowing in, people keep coming to me to fence off their goods, shops have been set up right here in the Flagon." She turned and pointed to the four previously empty alcoves. One had a blacksmith's forge, one was an alchemist's apothecary, and the other two appeared to sell weapons and armor.

Ton looked back at me and grinned again. "With this much business, of course I'm happy." She leaned forward on her crate. "You hear about your armor?"

I nodded. "Sure am. People seem to think I need to look like I'm in charge."

"Well, I agree with those people, whoever they are." She reached behind her, into another, open crate, and lifted up a set of black leather armor. It looked heavy, but she was able to hold it all on one arm. It was covered in pockets and pouches, and it had a black bandolier across the chest.

"Should fit you all right," said Ton as she handed it over. "It had twice as many pockets as your old armor, and it's sturdier. Should deflect the stray arrow or throwing knife."

I smiled and threw the armor over my shoulder. "Thanks a lot, Ton."

"Don't mention it, Femke. You're the boss now. You need anything, come to me. I'm the best fence you can come to, and I've got good prices. I'll even throw in a special deal, just for you. 'The Guild Master Special.'"

I chuckled under my breath. "Sounds like a plan. I'll see you later, Ton."

"Be seeing you, boss."

-------

After speaking to both Delvin and Vex about new recruits, jobs, and other boring things like that, I headed topside to meet Bryn at home. If what he had told about Riftweald was true, there would be tons of work to do.

I pushed the front door open, entering a large living room packed with furniture. A small table and two low benches sat pressed against the wall on one side. Beside me was a cabinet holding bottles of wine and goblets. Candles had been set on the table and lit. The floor had been swept, and the broom beside the stairs leading up had cobwebs on it.

"Bryn!" I called, closing the door and heading into the dining room.

"Upstairs, lass!" he called back.

I backtracked to the stairs and climbed up. The hallway definitely needed to be cleaned. Cobwebs, straw, and dusty old crates were scattered everywhere. It smelled horribly musty up here, and I covered my mouth with my hand.

"Bryn, this place really needs some work," I said with a cough as I walked into the bedroom right off the stairs. It was the cleanest room in the house, and maybe even the biggest. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace, the mantle decorated with snowberry wreaths and candles. A large double bed with green bedsheets pressed against the far wall. There was a desk, where Bryn and I could do our paperwork after we left the Guild at night. Various dressers and wardrobes sat at irregular intervals around the room's perimeter.

From a dark corner, Bryn approached me, smiling his signature smile. "It's really not that bad. We clean out the crates, open the windows, get rid of the musty smell, and it'll be just fine. Perfect place to raise a family." He hugged me gently, face buried in my hair. "By the way, you didn't tell anyone about..." He pulled away slightly, staring at my belly, "you-know-who, did you?"

I shook my head, smiling just a little. "We just got back, I got promoted, and we moved into our now home. I doubt they could take anymore good news at this point." I poked him in the chest. "Besides, didn't we agree not to tell until we could decide who would be godfather and godmother?"

He chuckled. "Aye, you're right. Don't want anyone fighting, do we?" He rested his hands on my hips, thumbs stroking along my stomach. He had tears in his eyes. "I can't believe that in less than a year, we'll have a baby."

I smiled and kissed his nose. "It's so amazing."

He returned my smile and closed his eyes for a moment. Then, the gentle look on his face vanished in an instant, being replaced with a look of panic. "What if I'm not a good father?"

"Oh, Bryn." I reached up and caressed his cheek. "You have nothing to worry about." I pulled away and laid my head against his chest. "You'll be a wonderful father, and you'll be our little one's hero, no matter what."

He snorted. "I've never been the hero type, lass."

"Well, you're my hero." I looked up. "My thief in shining armor."

"'Thief in shining armor,' eh?" He hummed and kissed my forehead. "I like the sound of that."