“BRYN!” Sapphire cried, leaving Etienne still crouched by the wall. “Brynjolf, you're alive, thank the gods. Bryn, oh Bryn, the Thalmor, they killed everyone and they took Mercer!”
Mercer was the least of Brynjolf's worries right now but for the Thalmor to have taken him... not good.
“I saw that for myself, lass,” Brynjolf said quietly, holding on to Sapphire and comforting her as best he could. “Are you both all right?”
Sapphire nodded, still looking a bit tearful, but still strong and that was his girl Sapphire all over. She wasn't into men as lovers, Brynjolf knew that and had long accepted it, but the two of them were good friends regardless.
“I think so,” Sapphire whispered. “I made a few healing potions for Etienne and me, but we were both lucky – his Breton blood saved him from the worst of it, and I guess they just must have missed me with their worst spells.”
Etienne was slowly staggering to his feet, glaring at Brynjolf. Oh good, Etienne had realised what Sapphire hadn't.
“You!” he cried. “It was you they were after! Because of what you did to their Embassy!” He had his dagger out, pointing wildly at Brynjolf and while his hands were shaking, he was still capable of killing someone.
“Brynjolf? What does he mean?” Sapphire asked, and he didn't like the look on her face either. “What do you know about this?”
“Etienne, if I'd not taken that job, you'd still be in that Embassy,” Brynjolf snapped at him before turning to Sapphire, adopting a more placatory tone with her. Etienne probably hadn't ever killed anyone in his life, but Sapphire definitely had and rarely lost sleep over it. “Listen, Sapphire, I'm sorry, I didn't know they'd trace it back to the Guild. It was a big job, I couldn't say no!”
“Are you telling me you robbed the Thalmor bloody Embassy and this is payback?” Sapphire said quietly, too quietly, her eyes as cold as the gem she was named for.
“Yes,” said Brynjolf, hanging his head. “I'm so sorry, Saff. Believe me, it was important.”
“What was the pay for this?” Sapphire asked, still eerily quiet.
“Six thousand septims,” Brynjolf confessed. Trust Sapphire to care mostly about the gold.
“Six thousand septims,” Sapphire repeated, still far far too calm for Brynjolf's liking. “I see. Tell me, Brynjolf. Was it worth it? Was the coin worth the lives of all our Guild brothers and sisters?”
“I didn't do it for the coin!” Brynjolf cried, surprising even himself, especially as he realised it was true. The coin had stopped mattering the moment he'd found Delphine's Thalmor file, read it and realised his not-quite-lover wasn't crazy at all, she was sane, strong, brave and in horrible horrible danger.
“So you did it for a laugh?” Sapphire shouted, finally losing her temper. “You brought the Thalmor down on us because you were bored?”
“No!” cried Brynjolf, but Sapphire wasn't listening.
“Everyone is dead, Brynjolf!” Sapphire shouted. “Thrynn, Cynric, Rune, Niruin, Vipir, they're all dead! Mercer probably will be soon if he's not already, and I've not even gone to look at the Flagon yet. All thanks to those Thalmor bastards, and now I find out it was because you were stupid enough to rob them??”
“Sapphire, I'm sorry,” Brynjolf pleaded, although the mere fact she was shouting at him meant at least she probably wasn't about to stab him. “I didn't mean... I didn't know this would happen! I used a false name, covered my tracks, had a whole false identity set up! Someone sold me out, Sapphire. Someone betrayed the Guild. I know who it was too. You want revenge? Come with me, we'll deal with him together then rebuild the Guild, I swear it.”
“Rebuild??” Etienne cried. “Brynjolf, they know we're here, they killed everyone, what's left to rebuild?”
“Then we'll do what we do best, lie low, wait for the fuss to die down... then we'll come back,” Brynjolf growled. “Maybe the Thalmor know my name, they don't know yours. We'll be back, and if we have Sapphire here as Guild Second running things in Riften while I'm based... elsewhere, then that's what we'll do. Let the Thalmor think they won. We'll come back from this, I swear it.”
Etienne didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded, putting his dagger away. Even Sapphire looked mollified.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 17.2
Date: 2013-12-10 07:38 pm (UTC)Mercer was the least of Brynjolf's worries right now but for the Thalmor to have taken him... not good.
“I saw that for myself, lass,” Brynjolf said quietly, holding on to Sapphire and comforting her as best he could. “Are you both all right?”
Sapphire nodded, still looking a bit tearful, but still strong and that was his girl Sapphire all over. She wasn't into men as lovers, Brynjolf knew that and had long accepted it, but the two of them were good friends regardless.
“I think so,” Sapphire whispered. “I made a few healing potions for Etienne and me, but we were both lucky – his Breton blood saved him from the worst of it, and I guess they just must have missed me with their worst spells.”
Etienne was slowly staggering to his feet, glaring at Brynjolf. Oh good, Etienne had realised what Sapphire hadn't.
“You!” he cried. “It was you they were after! Because of what you did to their Embassy!” He had his dagger out, pointing wildly at Brynjolf and while his hands were shaking, he was still capable of killing someone.
“Brynjolf? What does he mean?” Sapphire asked, and he didn't like the look on her face either. “What do you know about this?”
“Etienne, if I'd not taken that job, you'd still be in that Embassy,” Brynjolf snapped at him before turning to Sapphire, adopting a more placatory tone with her. Etienne probably hadn't ever killed anyone in his life, but Sapphire definitely had and rarely lost sleep over it. “Listen, Sapphire, I'm sorry, I didn't know they'd trace it back to the Guild. It was a big job, I couldn't say no!”
“Are you telling me you robbed the Thalmor bloody Embassy and this is payback?” Sapphire said quietly, too quietly, her eyes as cold as the gem she was named for.
“Yes,” said Brynjolf, hanging his head. “I'm so sorry, Saff. Believe me, it was important.”
“What was the pay for this?” Sapphire asked, still eerily quiet.
“Six thousand septims,” Brynjolf confessed. Trust Sapphire to care mostly about the gold.
“Six thousand septims,” Sapphire repeated, still far far too calm for Brynjolf's liking. “I see. Tell me, Brynjolf. Was it worth it? Was the coin worth the lives of all our Guild brothers and sisters?”
“I didn't do it for the coin!” Brynjolf cried, surprising even himself, especially as he realised it was true. The coin had stopped mattering the moment he'd found Delphine's Thalmor file, read it and realised his not-quite-lover wasn't crazy at all, she was sane, strong, brave and in horrible horrible danger.
“So you did it for a laugh?” Sapphire shouted, finally losing her temper. “You brought the Thalmor down on us because you were bored?”
“No!” cried Brynjolf, but Sapphire wasn't listening.
“Everyone is dead, Brynjolf!” Sapphire shouted. “Thrynn, Cynric, Rune, Niruin, Vipir, they're all dead! Mercer probably will be soon if he's not already, and I've not even gone to look at the Flagon yet. All thanks to those Thalmor bastards, and now I find out it was because you were stupid enough to rob them??”
“Sapphire, I'm sorry,” Brynjolf pleaded, although the mere fact she was shouting at him meant at least she probably wasn't about to stab him. “I didn't mean... I didn't know this would happen! I used a false name, covered my tracks, had a whole false identity set up! Someone sold me out, Sapphire. Someone betrayed the Guild. I know who it was too. You want revenge? Come with me, we'll deal with him together then rebuild the Guild, I swear it.”
“Rebuild??” Etienne cried. “Brynjolf, they know we're here, they killed everyone, what's left to rebuild?”
“Then we'll do what we do best, lie low, wait for the fuss to die down... then we'll come back,” Brynjolf growled. “Maybe the Thalmor know my name, they don't know yours. We'll be back, and if we have Sapphire here as Guild Second running things in Riften while I'm based... elsewhere, then that's what we'll do. Let the Thalmor think they won. We'll come back from this, I swear it.”
Etienne didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded, putting his dagger away. Even Sapphire looked mollified.