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The rain calmed the city tonight. Lirrah watched, perched on a roof, gazing at the empty streets of Riften. Only the occasional guard walked by, but they paid her no mind. It was too dark to see her anyways. The rain pelted her hood and soaked her to the bone, but she didn’t care. Her mind was somewhere else entirely. It replayed the events of last week over and over again. The betrayal, the desperation, the anger. It made her sick. But Mercer was dead, she killed him. And now she took his place.
She still didn’t fully understand why they had chosen her to lead. If Lirrah had to pick anyone it would be Brynjolf or even Delvin. But she knew Bryn didn’t want to lead and Delvin told her he was "too old". It wasn’t like she had to volley for support either, she had allies and friends within the Guild and yet, taking Mercer Frey’s place felt so wrong to her.
Lirrah pulled her legs closer to her chest as a cool wind blew the rain towards her face. The movement caused her still-healing scar on her abdomen to ache and she inhaled sharply as she shifted. Out of all the moments she replayed in her mind, that was the one she thought about the most. The image of the man she so respected and admired standing over her, with the intent to kill, haunted her dreams. She winced as she remembered his blade slicing down her cheek, and her hand instinctively reached up and felt the small scar. Lirrah tried to forget the fear she had in those moments. She honestly thought she was going to die.
“What are ya’ doing up here, lass?” A voice asked from behind her. The sudden noise shocked her, and she turned around quickly, only to be faced by Brynjolf. She instantly relaxed. She smiled at him and he returned the gesture, settling down next to her. “You do realize it’s pouring out.” He mildly joked. Lirrah huffed out a short laugh.
“I just needed some air.” She told him, not taking her eyes off the empty roads. But in her peripheral, she could see him nod, then hang his head. Lirrah knew he understood. She could tell he was still angry at himself. Angry he let the Guild get so bad, angry he didn’t stop Mercer in time, and angry that he lost someone he thought of as a friend.
“Why did you come up here?” She asked him, turning her head to face him. He was already soaked from the rain and his auburn hair was sticking to the sides of his face and neck. He didn’t bother putting his hood up. He lifted his gaze from the city and looked at her.
“It gets crowded down there.” He tells her, his mouth forming a gentle smile. Lirrah didn’t say anything else. She wasn’t sure how to reply. She desperately wanted to cheer him up, to fix it all. But she was still healing too.
The pair sat in the rain, in silence, for a while. They had always enjoyed each other’s company. Lirrah especially liked having Brynjolf around, he made her feel so secure. Which was ironic she thought, considering their profession.
The rain didn’t seem to bother either one. In fact, it only added to their serenity. It reminded Lirrah of the first day she met Brynjolf when it was pouring in the marketplace, and he had watched her swipe her dinner from the produce vendor. Her face cracked into a smile as she recalled that day.
“You know, I went out to look for you, lass.” Brynjolf broke their silence. Lirrah sat up, not even realizing she had begun to lean onto his shoulder.
“What?”
“I went to look for you,” He paused. “And Mercer, after you didn’t come back from Snowvail.” He admitted. Lirrah was stunned.
“I didn’t know that.” She mumbled in response.
“Did you know I found Mercer?” Brynjolfs tone changed. He was harsher when mentioning her predecessor’s name. Lirrah shook her head. “He was in Windhelm. He told me you died . That Karliah had killed you.” There was that silence again. It was almost louder than the rain. He had never told anyone about this, he didn’t tell anyone he saw Mercer.
“I should have gone with you two,” Brynjolf said, letting his head hang low again. Lirrah sighed, sympathizing with his guilt.
“It wasn’t your fault, Bryn.” She assured him.“None of this was your fault.” He didn’t reply to her, so she inched closer and tried again.
“Coming with me would’ve gotten you killed. I’m only alive because of Karliah.” She says. “Mercer had a plan and he’d been doing this for years. No one caught on to him, this is not on you.”
Brynjolf lifted his head, and Lirrah watches the water droplets drip down to his jawline. “It’s funny,” He laughed to himself. “When we received word from our contacts that you were alive, but with Karliah, I was actually so angry with you. Confused and angry.” He stops and smiled, looking at Lirrah now, he fully turned to face her. And as he spoke his hand slowly reached up and cupped her cheek. His thumb caressing her scar. “But when I saw you walk into the Cistern, I swear lass, I was the happiest man in the world.”
Lirrah laughed a bit, feeling the sweet sting of tears at her eyes. “Bryn-,” She began to say but Brynjolf interrupted.
“Just wait, let me say this, I’ve been waiting so long.” His hand dropped from her face but he reached down and held her hands instead.
“Lirrah, I almost lost you countless times in this past week.” He says. “I was actually going to admit all of this after we survived Irkngthand, but the Nightingale duties got in the way of that.” Lirrah giggled and wiped at her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest, she swore it was in her throat.
“Anyways, lass,” he continued. “I know our lives are about to become even more intense with rebuilding the Guild and your new leadership, but I just had to say that,”
“I love you!” Lirrah exclaimed, hoping with every fiber of her being that those words were what he was about to say next. Thankfully, his face lit up.
“Aye lass, you could’ve let me finish speaking.” Brynjolf chuckles before cupping her face in his hands and pulling her lips to meet his. Lirrahs’ heart was going to burst. Her arms reached up and wrapped around his neck and she pulled him closer while matching his passion and kissing him back. Her frame was so small compared to his that she was nearly engulfed by his presence. He suddenly stopped kissing her but she wanted to melt when she felt him smile against her lips and let out a chuckle.
“What?” She asked, reaching to his face and tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.
“I think a few people just won some bets in the Flagon.” Lirrah chokes on a laugh.
“Were we always that obvious?” She asked, pressing her forehead to his. She closed her eyes as he leaned down and pecked at her neck, leaving a trail of kisses up to her cheek.
“Oh lass,” He said. “ Absolutely. ”