Part One

“Didn’t you hear? The Thane returned to town this morning. She was unconscious when her horse brought her to the gates! Looked white as death, she did.”

Brynjolf’s head snapped upward, his eyes finding the source of the voice in seconds. It was that damned Lioness woman, whispering to her friend whose name he could never quite remember. They had their heads bowed together, as if that would help the fact that the woman didn’t seem to have any familiarity with keeping quiet. It was only a moment later that he fully realized the weight of what was said, and it felt as if his stomach was trying to extract itself from his body through his throat. Before his mind had the chance to act, his feet had already begun carrying him swiftly over to the table they were hunched over, stopping only inches away from the pair.

“Alaya—where is she?” His voice was insistent and low, as he tried to suppress the fear and anxiety that was slowly creeping through his entire body. He kept his gaze steady and focused on Mjoll’s face as she jerked herself upright and hurtled a sharp glare his way.

“And why would I tell you, thief?” she sneered, anger overcoming her features. Her loathing for the Guild, and for him, was definitively apparent. Her companion, however, looked startled, if not a bit frightened. Brynjolf knew that Mjoll was a force to be reckoned with; he knew that she considered herself Riften’s protector, and that she despised the Thieves’ Guild. He also knew that she had no idea her dear friend Alaya the Thane had single-handedly restored the Guild to its former glory and then some, before becoming the Guild Leader in the span of only two years. Brynjolf struggled to keep his composure. If he let his anger get away from him, it would take him ages to find Alaya, and that was the very last thing that he wanted. He took a calming breath before replying.

“I need to see her. Now.” Brynjolf cursed at himself internally. His voice had betrayed him on that last word, cracking noticeably under all the building anxiety. Mjoll merely narrowed her eyes at him. She considered him a moment, and just as she opened her mouth to speak, her friend spoke up.

“Mjoll, tell him.” The lad was quiet, but determined. Brynjolf turned his gaze to the smaller man to find him giving Mjoll a level gaze. He said nothing else; he merely looked at her with the same calm expression.

“Aerin, you can’t be serious!” she snipped. She looked confused and unsettled. Clearly she was not expecting her quiet companion to speak up, let alone in Brynjolf’s defense. Her gaze flicked between his and Aerin’s faces for several moments before she huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. When she turned her gaze to him, it was wary, but mild.

“She’s being taken care of in the Temple of Mara. Don’t you dare hurt her, thief, or I’ll track you down myself and see that you’re thrown in the dungeons to rot.”

Brynjolf was gone before she had the chance to finish her threat.

Part Two

"Lass," he snarled.

His voice was an octave lower than usual, its harshness a fresh burn on her carefully locked-away heart. Alaya held herself steady, her cool demenor preserved only by the contemptuous hatred she felt toward the man who had betrayed them all. "You'd better have a damn good reason for bringing that traitor around here." His voice trailed off, a threat behind the sound. She could see the fire burning in his eyes--hotter than the dragonfire inside her own chest--fueled by the cinders of her betrayal.

The lance she felt through her heart was just as hot, scorching her insides, but she could not allow herself to crumble. Not now. Not after so many months alone and on the run, the looming threat of Mercer Frey driving her forward, knowing that her family was in danger. Their safety was her priority, of much more consequence than her own ridiculous feelings. She blinked back tears.

"I do," she assured, "and she's not a traitor. But Mercer Frey?" Alaya met each accusatory glare with a careful mask of calm assertiveness. "He is. And I'd bet my fortune that you'll find the evidence you need in the Guild coffers."