Trace had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, but sure enough there she was… Astrid, leader of the Dark Brotherhood, sitting in her cell looking… looking frankly pissed.

 

Trace: Astrid!?! What are you doing here?

 

Astrid: Shut your mouth. I need your actions, not your words Jalena. Don’t make me regret coming for you.

Trace sighed and began having a monologue.

 

Trace: ‘Oh, hi Trace! Glad to see you’re well.’ Oh thanks Astrid! You know that means the world to me. ‘I would have shown up earlier, but things with the Brotherhood…’ Don’t worry, don’t worry. What can I do to help?

Trace: That’s how you fucking come to ask someone for help that you could’ve sprung weeks ago, you bitch!

 

Astrid: Don’t test me Jalena…

 

Trace: Or what? You’ll kill me? You can’t threaten me with that, because that’s always been on the table!!

Astrid hopped off the dresser and began staring hole through Trace.

 

Astrid: You’re right, things have been rough with the family, but you’ve no right to talk back to—

 

Trace: You’re not my leader anymore! Oh have you forgotten that?

 

Astrid: Gods! You bring that fool… I take that prancing fool into my home and this is how I’m repaid?

Trace: Heh, troubles with Cicero? Figures. I knew he was crazy, but seems like he’s more of a loon than you can handle.

 

Astrid: Werewolves, wizards, eternal ten year old vampires, an Imperial that flips a switch and becomes a berserker… what does it matter? I’ve rarely met a lunatic I haven’t liked. Cicero’s problem isn’t his madness. It’s an adherence to an ancient, outmoded way of life. The Night Mother’s ways simply aren’t our ways. The fool just couldn’t accept that, and now he must pay the price.

 

Trace: But isn’t the Night Mother’s ways the Dark Brotherhood’s ways? Just because you’ve had to rough it while she was away doesn’t mean—

Without forewarning Astrid grabbed Trace by the throat and lifted her off the ground.

 

Astrid: That fool tried to kill me… tried to kill us all!!

 

Trace: A-Astrid… I… I-I can’t…

Astrid tightened her grip on Trace’s throat.

 

Astrid: The Dark Brotherhood is a family… The Sanctuary is a family. And, we’ve always welcomed those… shunned by society.

 

Trace: A-A-Astrid… please…

 

Astrid: How would you feel if I personally tried to kill your family? Your Thieves Guild family? Would you just stand by? Would you just do NOTHING!?!

 

Astrid’s grip got even tighter and was disabling Trace from speaking.

 

Astrid: Now Cicero coming after me, I can understand But even if it was just me… to go this far. To attempt to murder the leader of a Sanctuary, Cicero must pay with his life. There is no other option.

Astrid released her grip, and Trace dropped to her knees struggling to catch her breath.

Astrid: Do you understand now? I need your help Jalena. I need you to go hunt down that damn jester! My husb—Arnbjorn is already hunting him. However, I think that he may require some assistance.

 

Trace: Haa… haaa… why d-don’t you do it?

 

Astrid: You don’t think I want to!? Arnbjorn said that he could sense my frustration, my anger, and that’d be a burden to carry that into a battle or for him to have someone with these feelings supporting him.

 

Trace: Then… get someone else? You’ve got actual members left don’t you? Get one of them.

 

Astrid: What part of, ‘he tried to kill us all,’ do you not understand, Trace?

Trace ignored her question and uneasily got to her feet. She always hated being talked down to, literally or metaphorically, and regardless of how she felt Trace wasn’t about to let someone, especially Astrid do so today.

 

Trace: S-so, what did you do to piss him off?

 

Astrid: Me? Nothing. At least nothing I’m aware of.

Trace: Don’t lie to me Astrid. Cicero may be a fool, but he’s no fool. He wouldn’t simply attack you without reason.

 

Astrid glared at Trace and hen sighed.

 

Astrid: Well… if I’m being honest, I haven’t exactly been discreet lately in expressing my frustration with this whole situation.

 

Trace raised an eyebrow.

 

Trace: Situation? What situation?

 

Astrid: Obeying the Night Mother, that Dunmer being the Listener. It’s ridiculous!

Trace: You didn’t seem to think so when they first joined…

 

Astrid gave Trace a chilling glare.

 

Astrid: I’ll let that slide. Anyway, Cicero may have overheard me talking to one of the others about the Night Mother. It’s possible that I was…

 

Trace: Incredibly rude?

 

Astrid: Not entirely respectful.

Astrid: But enough about all of that, I need you to hunt him down and end his Life, Jalena!

 

Trace: Get the Listener to do it.

 

Astrid: Oddly enough, she wasn’t there when he went psycho. I’m beginning to think more and more that this was planned by the two of them. So will you help me or not?

Trace turned from Astrid.

 

Trace: You’re an incredibly rude and unclothe woman, you know that Astrid.

 

Astrid: What the—

 

Trace: If I didn’t have feelings for you, I’d have killed you when you released me.

 

Astrid: If I didn’t think you were capable, I wouldn’t be here. If I didn’t care about you, you wouldn’t be alive. Saying shit like that holds no weight, Trace. So are you going to help me?

Trace shook her head.

 

Trace: No… I… I can’t. I’m trying to change who I am. I shouldn’t even be in here to begin with. I can’t keep getting caught up in the Guild’s and the Brotherhood’s business. I’m… I’m sorry.

 

Astrid: This is because of that pigheaded Nord bitch. Mjoll is her name isn’t it?

 

Trace: It doesn’t matter! Just go…

Astrid: If you change your mind, I’ll be at the Sanctuary. Please Jalena, I need you—the Brotherhood needs your help in this.

 

Trace: I’m not going to go back on this!

 

Astrid’s rage began to boil to never before seen heights, when suddenly a calm came over her.

 

Astrid: Heh, if that’s how it’s going to be… Maybe I’ll make sure some of the initiates get word of all the folk crying out for Mjoll’s death via the Sacrament. Maybe that’ll make everyone happy.

Trace: W-wait!! You wouldn’t!!

But it was too late, Astrid was gone.

Minutes went by, and little by little Astrid’s words sunk in. Everything Trace had done since being shunned from the Brotherhood had been undone in an instant, and that more than anything scared her to death.

Trace: Nonononono!! This… this can’t be happening!! First the Guild, now this!? Mjoll, oh Mjoll... I screwed up. I screwed everything up! And now you’re… I can’t protect you from within here…

???: Whoever said they needed your protection in the first place? I swear, you Imperials always think you know what’s best for everyone. Why didn’t you just come to me and tell me what was going on?

Trace tensed too shocked to turn around.

 

Trace: Was… w-was that my imagination? There’s no way Mjoll would come and visit me… I must be dreaming.

Mjoll: Must be a multi-person dream, because I also can’t believe that I’m here visiting a criminal.

Trace ecstatically rushed over towards the bars to her cell and pressed her body against them.

 

Trace: I… I can’t believe it… this… this…

Mjoll: No need to be so happy. You don’t even know why I’m here.

Trace stood back and twirled around excitedly.

 

Trace: I don’t need to know! The fact that you’re here is more than enough for me!

As soon as the words escaped her lips, reality sunk in. Trace was a prisoner. Mjoll hated all forms of riffraff and the sort of people who would end up in prison. Yet Mjoll was visiting Trace who was convicted of theft and assault.

 

Trace: Wait… what are you doing here?

Mjoll: Well it certainly wasn't Aerin... He told me i should just let you rot, and for a while I agreed with him...

 

Silence filled the air and Mjoll sighed before she continued.

 

Mjoll: …It was Vex.

 

Trace: Vex!?!

 

Mjoll nodded.

 

Mjoll: You see… Vex confronted me week you were imprisoned. At first I expected us to come to blows, and we almost did, but then she told me what had really been going on with you. How you’d been changing your ways, doing right by Riften and its citizens, trying your hardest to stay out of trouble…

 

Trace: Mjoll…

Mjoll: Vex explained that you took that horse, because she had foolishly rushed off to a job that she would have probably been killed doing if you hadn’t showed up. Vex even took complete responsibility for everything, and tried to pay the stableman back.

 

Trace: I have changed Mjoll… but, I’m still a bit hot headed… I wish I could change that, but I just… please believe me when I say that’s all I’ve done illegally since being back. I promise you!

 

Mjoll nodded again.

 

Mjoll: Vex also told me something else something that ultimately made me come to see you…

 

Trace: Huh??

Mjoll: She… she seemed rather torn up about it, and rather frustrated when she was explaining it.

 

Trace: What was it? I can explain everything!!

 

Mjoll: She told me that you’re in love with an assassin, and Vex herself… and… and with me…

 

Trace froze. She didn’t understand how she was supposed to explain this. Even the truth sounded like lies to Trace, and she knew it to be true! Seeing the shock on Trace’s face, Mjoll continued.

 

Mjoll: I was shocked when she told me, but… it’s not like I didn’t have a clue. I’m not completely pigheaded you know.

Trace began to tremble with fear after Mjoll said that last sentence.

 

Trace: P-p-pigheaded!?! Y-you… how much did you hear?

 

Mjoll chuckled.

 

Mjoll: Umm… apparently there’s a Dunmer who listens?

 

Trace blushed furiously.

 

Trace: Gods… kill me now.

Mjoll: Look, Trace… I just want you to know… that I’m sorry.

 

Trace: S-sorry? For what!?

 

Mjoll: I never listened to you. I found out that you were part of the Thieves Guild and just dismissed you as a crook and nothing else. I thought that you only fed me lies so you could get with me.

 

Trace: I deserved it. You told me not to lie to you… besides I knew it was going to be like this between us when you found out what I was. I mean I was a thief. It makes sense that you’d hate me.

Mjoll: I don’t hate you.

 

Trace: Huh!?

 

Mjoll took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

 

Mjoll: I don’t hate you Tra—Jalena. I was just frustrated that I thought everything we ever had was a lie. But from what you’ve done, and what I’ve heard today… Whenever we get more time to talk… I’d like to start over or at the very least clear things up between us.

Mjoll: So until we talk again, go help the Brotherhood and the Guild if you must. They’re both like family to you right? Whether or not I like what they stand for, family is family. And I won’t stop you from helping them. Nor will I judge you for doing so. Just make sure you—

Trace grabbed Mjoll by the head and locked lips. She knew it was a dumb move, she knew it was the exact same action that caused a rift between herself and Vex, but it’s what she wanted and there was nothing that was going to stop her from taking this moment for herself. At first she could feel Mjoll trying to pry herself away, but soon the Nord gave in and Trace could feel her trembling from pleasure.

After some time, Trace felt like something was wrong and jumped away from Mjoll… and just in time too. The Nord had moved to swing at her head and Trace narrowly avoided it. Trace smirked when she looked at Mjoll’s face. The Nord didn’t know whether to be happy, angry, frustrated, sad, but her body knew enough was enough.

Mjoll: W-w-what in Oblivion!?! W-w-why’d you do that? I didn’t say—

 

Trace: I’m afraid of rejection, learned that much about myself while I was in here. So I just act. But by the way you swung at my head, I’m assuming that you didn’t enjoy it or it was disgusting…

 

Mjoll: N-no… I mean yes!! I mean… I… I don’t know…

And then it was clear as day to Trace.

 

Trace: Was that your first kiss?

 

Trace stuck out her tongue mischievously as Mjoll turned beet red.

 

Mjoll: N-n-NO!!! I’ve k-kissed before—we’ve kissed before!!

 

Trace shook her head.

 

Trace: Nope! We’ve hugged a lot, held hands, and I’ve kissed you neck a bunch, but we’ve never kissed. You were always super against it. Wow… so I was Mjoll’s first…

 

Mjoll began mouthing things in protest, but no words came out.

Trace turned her back on Mjoll and began to stretch.

 

Trace: Yeah… I’m going to savor this… Oh the fantasies…

 

Mjoll: Jale—TRACE!! You wouldn’t!!!

 

Trace: Of course I would! I stole the kiss of the woman I love. Of course I’m going to fantasize about what could have happened afterwards.

Mjoll: One of the women you love…

 

Mjoll sucked her teeth and although she was still embarrassed tried to get back on track with what she was saying.

 

Mjoll: Listen, that… that kiss didn’t mean anything! But still be careful Trace. It’s not like you’re going to be taking on an unsuspecting victim…

Trace: Heh, Cicero? I’m not worried about that loon. But since you’ve given me permission, I might help the Guild out with a little internal problem they’ve got going on.

 

Mjoll: This isn’t a joke Trace! You could seriously get hurt out there!! Don’t be so reckless! I don’t want to have to worry about whether you’re okay or not every night.

Trace suddenly became very serious.

 

Trace: I’ll never have you or anyone else worry about me. I know what I have to do, and I’ll make sure to do it and get back to Riften as soon as possible to make sure nothing happens to you.

 

Mjoll turned away embarrassed.

 

Mjoll: Stupid Imperial… no one said anything about needing your help…

Trace winked.

 

Trace: Heh, I know. But for my friends, and especially my potential lovers, I’d do anything for their sake.

Mjoll: Can you… can you do something else?

 

Trace: What’s up?

 

Mjoll: Tell Vex it’s not all her fault, that you forgive her. I’ve seen her recently and I may not like her or her work, but she’s been working herself to death over this. When you see her you’ll know what I mean.

Trace: (And that’s what I love about you. Who hate thieves, dislike Vex, and still care about her wellbeing because I like her…)

 

Trace gave her a thumbs up.

 

Trace: Sure! I mean, there’s really nothing to forgive her for, but I’ll let her know.

 

Mjoll nodded and after giving Trace a long worried look, walked off.

Trace leaned on the post near her bed and sighed.

 

Trace: (Alright then… what goodies did Astrid and Brynjolf leave for me?)

 

She reached into her rags and laughed when she pulled out two steel daggers.

 

Trace: (Those two are so alike it’s crazy…)

Trace scratched the back of her neck and let out a relieved sigh.

 

Trace: I guess the pity party is over… I’ve even got Mjoll’s blessing. Watch out Skyrim, Trace is back!