Deception, Domination, and Dragons (Skyrim Self-Insert)

“So, job’s done, and you even brought the gold. Best of all, you did it clean. I like that. Dumping bodies and keeping the guards quiet can be expensive.”
 
Having handed the debts over to Brynjolf finally, Svanna and I can’t help but exchange a knowing look at his words. Nothing about this had been clean for us, but only on a personal level. As far as he was concerned, well, we’d handled this like true professionals. Indeed, it was another point in favor of something fucky going on around here.
 
Astrid had claimed half of Skyrim knew about Svanna’s killing of Grelod already, but it seemed that not even Brynjolf knew just yet. He’d probably find out soon enough, but for Astrid to somehow know while her base of operations was halfway across the Province, and Brynjolf’s base of operations was right here in the city… yeah, that was definitely weird.
 
“What comes next?”
 
A wry grin spreads across Brynjolf’s face.
 
“Heh, eager aren’t you lad? Well, judging by how you handled those shopkeepers, I’d say you’ve done more than simply prove yourself. We need people like you in our outfit.”
 
I hum, looking over to Svanna for a moment, considering doing the whole song and dance about the Thieves Guild falling on hard times. But not only do I already know about all of that, I know exactly why as well. There’s no point in asking Brynjolf when he has even less information than I do.
 
“We’re in.”
 
Looking pleased as can be, Brynjolf straightens up.
 
“Excellent, follow me. I’ll show you the operation, and then you can ask any questions you might have.”
 
From there, Brynjolf leads us deeper in, all the way to the Ragged Flagon Cistern. Once we’re inside, despite already knowing Svanna wasn’t from this timeline, I lean in close to her as we both lay eyes on the rest of the Thieves Guild currently hanging out around the Cistern.
 
“Recognize anyone?”
 
I’m honestly not that surprised when she just shakes her head. From what I remember, most of the decaying remnants of the Thieves Guild are actually newcomers who joined up in the last few years. The organization had a huge turn over rate, and only a handful of people would have been left behind from those times anyways. All of those veterans had been back in the Flagon Proper and given Svanna hadn’t recognize any of them… yeah, I wasn’t surprised.
 
Eventually, Brynjolf leads us over to the man himself, the most dour, sour individual I’ve met since arriving in Skyrim. Of course, I know precisely why Mercer Frey is the sourpuss that he is. Despite having unlocked his potential with the Skeleton Key, his betrayal of his fellow Nightingales and his Patron Daedric Prince has left his terrible luck pervading through the entirety of his organization.
 
He’ll cut and run soon enough, though I imagine even if the Last Dragonborn wasn’t narratively destined to kill him before he could get away, there was no place he could truly hope to hide. Either way, Brynjolf clears his throat, drawing Mercer’s attention to us.
 
“Mercer? These are the ones I was talking about… our new recruits.”
 
Turning to look us over for a long moment, I can tell that Mercer has an Appraiser’s Eye, possibly even more than Brynjolf. He judges us quickly and does not find us wanting, seeing the sheer strength of our enchanted gear and frowning slightly as he hides his greed behind a mask of sheer disdain and indifference. I wouldn’t have seen it if I wasn’t looking for it, but Mercer Frey likes what he sees… he’ll just never admit it.
 
“This better not be another waste of the Guild’s resources, Brynjolf.”
 
With that said to his second in command, Mercer glares Svanna and I down.
 
“Before we continue, I want to make one thing clear. If you play by the rules, you walk away rich. Break the rules and lose your share. No debates, no discussion. You do what I say, when I say. Do I make myself clear?
 
I can’t quite help myself from cracking a smile, and a joke. He’s just not that intimidating, if I’m being honest.
 
“You know, you should bring Mjoll the Lioness down here and tell her that. She was convinced you lot were a worthless rabble who would betray each other for a single coin.”
 
Brynjolf clenches his jaw at that, but Mercer, to my surprise, actually lets out a bark of laughter.
 
“I’ll let that comment go because you’re new here. Suffice to say, if that bitch were half as aware of us as she’d need to be to truly be a problem, she would have been dealt with a long time ago. Now, are we clear on all of this?”
 
“Aye, crystal.”
 
“Good. Then I think it’s time we put your expertise to the test.”
 
“Wait a moment… you’re not thinking of sending them to Goldenglow, are you? Even our little Vex couldn’t get in.”
 
Mercer just scoffs as Brynjolf steps in again, sounding concerned.
 
“You claim these new recruits possess an aptitude for our line of work. If so, let them prove it.”
 
Turning his glare back onto the two of us, he cocks his head to the side.
 
“Goldenglow Estate is critically important to one of our largest clients. However, the owner has suddenly decided to take matters into his own hands and shut us out. He needs to be taught a lesson. Brynjolf will provide you with the details.”
 
And with that, the dour man turns back to his desk, as if that’s all there is too it. Which to be fair, for someone as checked out on the running of his own guild as Mercer is, it probably is all there is too it. But for someone like Brynjolf, who still actually gives a shit…
 
“Mercer? Aren’t you forgetting something?”
 
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Since Brynjolf assures me you’ll be nothing but a benefit to us… fine. You’re in. Welcome to the Thieves Guild, you two.”
 
And with THAT, the conversation is definitely over. Brynjolf takes us a bit away, before letting out a relieved sigh. He nods to Svanna with a smile, once more ignoring me.
 
“Welcome to the family, lass. I’m expecting you to make us a lot of coin, so don’t disappoint me.”
 
I suppose it makes sense, if his intuition is telling him Svanna is the ‘True Thief’ of the two of us… but it also has me a little paranoid, so I interject again.
 
“Right then, we’ll be off to do this Goldenglow Job, I suppose.”
 
I already have all the pertinent details, so there’s no real reason to waste time talking to Brynjolf. To his credit, the red-haired Thief looks a little alarmed.
 
“Hold, lad. I haven’t told you the details yet.”
 
Deciding to push things, I just give a half-shrug.
 
“Don’t need them. Svanna and I prefer to do our own reconnaissance.”
 
Gritting his teeth, his nostrils flaring, Brynjolf crosses his arms over his chest.
 
“… Very well. But you do need to know the job specifics. You’re to burn down three and ONLY three of the estate’s hives and clear out the safe in the main house. No more damage than that, understood? Place needs to be intact by the end of things.”
 
I nod amicably, seeing how that lined up with what I remembered from the game. Wasn’t about to fuck up our first real job for the Thieves Guild, even if I also remembered Brynjolf just smoothing it over, even if you did.
 
“We’ll take care of it. Piece of cake.”
 
Brynjolf’s fingers dig into his arms as he tightens his crossed arms, but he doesn’t comment, even as Svanna and I turn and leave the Cistern behind.
 
-x-X-x-
 
It really is a piece of cake. Its not arrogance, if we know how good we are. Then, it’s just confidence. Less than an hour after we’ve left Brynjolf back in the Cistern, Svanna and I are leaving Goldenglow Estate behind. Three and only three of the beehives are on fire, and while the estate is abuzz with activity, all of the mercenaries positively freaking out after the fire started, no one so much as detected our presence.
 
Not even Aringoth noticed we were there as I picked his pockets for the safe key, and we made off with the documentation that would further the Thieves Guild Questline in short order. One step closer to Karliah and Nocturnal, but for now, I was ready for something of a break. However, as I turn to Svanna to suggest we take the rest of the day off for a job well done, I’m taken aback by the look on her face. She’s staring off into the distance, clearly thinking hard about something.
 
When she finally looks over at me, she has a bright, almost manic look in her eyes.
 
“My ruby.”
 
I raise an eyebrow at that. I was worried about when she would realize that the Thieves Guild didn’t have her ruby. To be frank, I’d always assumed that they wouldn’t, by this point in time. Even before we’d found out that she wasn’t from this timeline, I’d been worried about how to handle the moment when it came, because the likelihood of them hanging onto a small ruby after all this time seemed… infinitesimal to me.
 
“Svanna, I’m sorry but…”
 
“No.”
 
She shakes her head, cutting me off.
 
“They don’t have my ruby. Of course, they don’t. Svana Far-Shield never found it in the first place, never got exiled from Riften. But that… that means it should still be where I originally found it.”
 
My eyes widen at that. Her logic is… impeccable. If she’d never claimed it in the first place, then it should be right where she found it, right? She’s looking at me now expectantly, either hoping I’ll agree with her, or dreading I’ll tell her it’s a fool’s errand. And given she told me she found her ruby by digging around on the shore of a lake, normally I would definitely say it was a fool’s errand. However, I had a way of getting around that, didn’t I? A method I’d not been making full use of since arriving in Skyrim, something that had helped me find Svanna, easily enough.
 
And so, I get to make Svanna’s day as I smile at her and nod.
 
“You’re right. Let’s go get it.”
 
Svanna beams, and together we head back to Riften, or more accurately, the shore of Lake Honrich. Once we’re there, Svanna hesitates, as if finally realizing the sheer size of the task she’s putting in front of her. I don’t let her look crestfallen for long however, before casting Clairvoyance on her.
 
“Think of your ruby, Svanna. Every facet of it. How it felt in your hands, how it looked. Think of it and about how badly you want it back. And then… follow the path.”
 
She focuses for a moment, concentrating so hard that she closes her eyes shut, screwing her face up rather cutely, at least in my opinion. Then, she opens her eyes and gasps.
 
“I see it. I see the path!”
 
“Then lead the way.”
 
Svanna does so, and at first, we’re just traveling along the shore of the Lake. I think nothing of it as we get closer and closer to the city, with Goldenglow Estate continuing to be a hive of activity behind us. I’m not worried about us getting caught, there’s no one in this world who could find us when we don’t want to be found.
 
However, when I recast Clairvoyance on Svanna and the path suddenly takes us away from the Lake, I’m more than a little confused. My brow furrows, even as Svanna doggedly follows the path off of the shore and onto the road, and then into Riften itself… only to almost immediately leave it behind again as we end up on the road once more, heading East.
 
“Uh, Svanna?”
 
“I know it’s my ruby… I know it’s my gem. It’s this way. I’m not thinking of anything else; I promise.”
 
“Alright…”
 
To be fair, after thinking about it a bit more as we continue on our way, I realize it makes a fair amount of sense. Just because Svanna had found her ruby on the shore of Lake Honrich several years ago, didn’t mean it would still be there today. No, it was just as likely that someone else, maybe even one of the other orphans, would dig it up instead and possibly sell it, or keep it.
 
Still, I was a little concerned about how far this path was going to take us, and where exactly Svanna’s Ruby had ended up. As we made our way further down the Eastern Road out of Riften, I realized we were actually getting closer to Fort Dawnguard then I would have preferred.
 
Thankfully, well before we can end up traveling through the Mountain Pass, Svanna declares that the path suddenly veers North. And indeed, there is a less official road that goes North of us, up into the hills near the base of the mountain. Belatedly, I realize exactly where we’re heading.
 
“Svanna… we’re coming up on Black-Briar Lodge.”
 
Even if she came from an Alternate Riften, Svanna was still a Riften Native. She, more than anyone, knew the power that the Black-Briars had over Riften. To say nothing of everything we’d been told about them in the time since we arrived in the city two days ago. But at the same time… this was her ruby. So, I wasn’t particularly surprised when Svanna just scowled.
 
“I don’t care.”
 
I grin and bow my head towards my little Dragonborn’s decision.
 
“Fine by me.”
 
After all, it wasn’t like I was scared of the Black-Briars either. I, who was approaching the four digit mark in levels, was never going to give two shits about a slimy politician bitch and her under the table criminal enterprises. Fuck Maven Black-Briar… frankly, I wouldn’t mind if that was EXACTLY what we ended up doing here today.
 
Alas, our infiltration of Black-Briar Lodge reveals no Maven. I’m not entirely surprised, I’m pretty sure this is her vacation home, and she lives in Riften usually, to keep a direct eye over all of her dealings. It’s a holiday home almost certainly, albeit one that’s well-guarded with dozens of tough-looking mercenaries.
 
Needless to say, I’m not impressed by any of them, and neither is Svanna. We could slaughter them all if we truly wanted to, but we also don’t need to because they’re so easy to sneak past. I get a few more level ups as we make our way inside, until eventually we reach the master bedroom and I finally get to lay eyes on Svanna’s ‘Ruby’.
 
The whoop that the lithe Dragonborn gives off as she rushes forward and snatches the ‘ruby’ off of the bedside table is absolutely adorable, but I won’t lie… I’m a little too busy being flabbergasted. Narratively speaking, I should have seen this coming. Something as important to Svanna as her ‘ruby’? It was never going to be JUST a ruby.
 
I could already see where this was going, as Svanna came back to me with what most Skyrim Players knew only as ‘Unusual Gems’ and only those who actually went out of their way to find out what they were, knew as ‘Stones of Barenziah’.
 
“Svanna… that’s not a ruby.”
 
The red head blinks and looks at me, brow furrowed, and face marred with a frown. I’m quick to raise my hands defensively.
 
“Or at least, it’s not JUST a ruby.”
 
To be fair, the Stones of Barenziah were never actually named as anything more than gemstones in the game… they could be rubies, but then they would have been called the Rubies of Barenziah right? Probably? Either way…
 
“Svanna, what you have in your hand there is a Stone of Barenziah. One of a set of twenty-four in total. And the full set… it belongs to the Crown of Barenziah, said to enhance a thief’s abilities.”
 
I know, even as I’m speaking, what this will result in. A sort of fond, exasperated resignation pervades my being as Svanna’s eyes widen further and further with every word from my lips. My little greedy Dragonborn has just found her ‘ruby’… and then discovered it’s part of a matched set that all are made to go into a crown. In the end, there’s really only one way for this to go.
 
“I want the rest. I want the crown.”
 
I grin at that and incline my head as my eyes dance with amusement.
 
“Of course, you do. And of course, we’re going to get them for you. But first… we have bigger fish to fry. All in due time, Svanna. All in due time.”
 
Svanna frowns at that, thinking it over for a moment, before looking down at the one Stone she already has. From the way she nods, it seems she decides that having HER ‘ruby’ back at least, would have to be good enough for now.
 
Well, at least we had Clairvoyance. Hunting down the Stones would be such a pain otherwise. For now, though, I needed a break, so to speak. A little… fun, before we continued on. And so, as Svanna and I headed back down the road towards Riften, not a single one of the mercenaries guarding the Lodge even aware of our presence, I glance at her and grin.
 
“Hey, what do you say to paying a little visit to your doppelganger, before we go back to Brynjolf?”
 
Svanna considers that for a moment, before nodding enthusiastically.
 
“We include the blonde too. I want them both.”
 
Chuckling, I wrap an arm around my Dragonborn’s shoulders. She, in turn, cradles the Stone of Barenziah to her chest, as if still completely amazed to have it back in her possession.
 
“Of course, Svanna. Of course.”

-x-X-x-

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