I didn't find Rasha, and the innkeeper told me that he hadn't hosted anyone like my brother in recent years. I wasn't too surprised considering what I had heard from Elena but I started to worry because I knew that Rasha had been so close to Alisanne. Not too much though, because in those days Rasha still seemed as strong and intelligent as a god to me; ah, actually as a god should be! Now, however, I know enough about our gods not to consider them as models in these regard... I rented a room in the same hostel and the owner, seeing my clothes and my large baggage, didn't ask for payment in advance. Ah, that was indeed a relief, the reality is that I was very poor, there wasn't even a single septim in my little pockets!

Then I went out into the bustling streets of the port district and, as I strolled leisurely, pondering how to proceed to find the Guild of my Mistress's disciples, I borrowed some money from various unsuspecting individuals who were gaping at the tricks of a group of acrobats advertising a nearby circus. The harbor district was just as lively as before, teeming with people of all sorts and kinds. Traveling merchants from the south loudly praised their goods and bargaining with them was a real pleasure; generally, when they asked for twenty septims for an item, you could be sure they'd sell it for less than five! I entered a blacksmith's shop and bought a hunting knife with two edges, short and with a very solid blade. I found a secluded corner and strapped its sheath around my left leg, then I stepped confidently and cheerfully towards the entertainment area of the port, full of taverns, pubs, and other such establishments. I had a meal on the terrace of a place where the docks were clearly visible. Ah, I will never forget the taste and especially the scent of the fish fried in oil from Bravil! Nor the beer, so bitter and tasty, produced here! Lost in thought, I remained in front of my tankard, watching as a bulky ship with most of its sails torn and tattered entered the port.

An entire crowd of people hurried towards the docks, merchants with their servants, customs officers and dockworkers while a bunch of urchins stumbled among their legs. Quite amused, I clearly saw that at least one of these ragged and mischievous children was pickpocketing some of those hurrying to the berth. And he did so in collaboration with two other kids who kept stumbling among people's legs, pretending to be stupid and helpless. I moved to a free table right at the edge of the terrace and began to carefully observe the movements of the three children. They operated in perfect cooperation and the pretenses of the two assistants were worthy of famous actors. One of them, with crooked legs and huge warts on his face, cried incessantly and continuously begged, cheekily extending his dirty tray towards the faces of the people who were meanwhile tripping over the third one who stumbled among their legs... It's sad and yet so funny that the impudent one's tray was full, especially of food and fruits. And meanwhile, the group leader skillfully worked the pockets of everyone around. Suddenly, after the ship had already docked and the gangplanks were being set up, a man in the crowd started to agitate and shout "Thieves! They stole my purse!" and immediately after that, a bigger brat entered in a hurry into the crowd and apparently started to beat up the pickpocket, throwing him to the ground and slapping him. The other two urchins started to scream horribly and bolted through the crowd while the two protagonists tumbled together in the dust of the old port.

When I saw this, I got up, hastily paid for my meal and dashed towards the scene of the fight. Which ended very quickly as the people around intervened, slapping the so-called attacker and trying to help the fake victim. I burst into uncontrollable laughter and almost lost the bigger urchin, the so called aggressor, who was now running very fast, easily breaking away from the angry crowd. But not fast enough to escape from me, as I caught up with him in a narrow alley and grabbed him by the rags he was wearing. He stopped instantly and turned towards me with a snake-like swiftness and, in his hand, I saw gleaming a thin and serrated blade. I seized his hand and, while holding him by the throat with the other hand, I twisted it until the blade fell. I slapped him until his nose bled, and then, after I knocked him to the ground and immobilized him, I drew a beautiful reddish line on his face with one of my claws. I then loosened the grip around his throat as he began to roll his eyes and, smiling sweetly, I politely asked him to take me to his gang leader. He grimaced and began to squirm but I drew another memory on his face and then announced that I would kill him if he didn't do as I said. I looked him in the eye and saw him yielding to the power of my smile so, after a few moments, we strolled hand in hand like two good friends through the alleys of Bravil.

He led me to one of those places which are politely called "dance halls" in Bravil and there I met for the first time my dear friend Courtney who was busy serving drinks at the lounge tables. When she saw us, she passed the tray to a colleague and signaled us to follow her. Together we entered one of the usual rooms in such a place and there she stopped, looking at us questioningly and worried. I released the urchin then and said to the girl "I'm looking for Rashid." Her eyes widened- ah, Courtney is very cute when she does that!- and smiling, she pushed the brat out of the room. Of course, I must not forget to mention that she did this only after she received all the money collected by the scoundrel from the little "performers". Then, while turning to me, she said "Show us yer nails, luv, would ya?" to which I exposed the terrible claws from my left hand and waved them in front of her eyes. She started laughing, a melodious and pleasant laughter, looked me in the eyes and said "So, the little Princess is 'ere. Golden hair, a li'l dolly, all sweet an' cute and bleedin' beastly claws! An' on the 'unt for Rashid! Oh, I'll be makin' meself a nice bag o' coin fer this! So, luv, do us a favor an' 'ave a bevvy wiv me. My shout!"

"Can you speak more clearly? I don't really understand what you're saying..." I said. "Nah luv, that ain't 'appenin'!" she laughed again and took my hand, dragging me after her.

Then she took me to the dancing lounge and we sat together at one of the elegant tables with exquisite lamps, and the owner herself hurried over and looked at Courtney questioningly. She emitted her crystalline laughter again and said "Nadia, come 'ere an' sit wiv us, once in a bleedin' blue moon, birds like us get ter meet a Nightingale, innit!" The owner's eyes widened in surprise and she said "But I already saw one in my life, Courtney!" "It don' matta, you'll see anuvver one right now!" Courtney said and then Nadia sat down and called one of the girls, ordering snacks and drinks. "On the house!" she said, adding "Courtney, you're off today and, if the honored Nightingale wants you as a guide and companion in Bravil, you're at her disposal." "If Courtney wants..." I added, smiling. "Too right, kitten!" she replied with another burst of laughter. My expression darkened a bit and I said softly "Kitten... It's been a long time since someone called me that." Courtney looked at me seriously and lovingly at the same time. "So not kitten! Then maybe esteemed and respected Nightingale?" and here the ice broke between us and we laughed all cheerfully and then we feasted together until evening. Ah, from the bitter beer of Bravil to the sweetest and most deceptive liqueurs of the Summerset Isles, with a mandatory stop through the sour and delicious wines of Elsweyr, all the known and unknown drinks of Nirn passed on our table! And the candied almonds together with the strange eggs of rare reptiles from Black Marsh, the exotic and very large nuts from Valenwood, and many, many others! But the delight, at least for me, was the hearty sweet roll from Skyrim! You see, the blood speaks and demands and vague memories from my distant childhood, so far away that it seemed like the fabulous tale of a strange being who once lived, long ago, in distant and strange lands, made me ask for horker stew, and Nadia looked at me with teary and kind eyes and said "It's been a long time since another Nightingale, another young blonde, asked us for such a thing! But, as then, I will apologize and regret to say that we cannot prepare such a thing here! The shores of the Sea of Ghosts are so distant, especially now!" And then I found out that another war, a strange one, between brothers, was raging in the region of the North, far away, beyond the Jerall Mountains.

But the evening came and as the place filled with well-dressed and well mannered people, the variety show began and the girls, dressed so temptingly and cute, performed dances of a strange and wild beauty to the music ranging from nostalgia and melody to the violent and yet harmonic tunes of Hammerfell. At one point, Courtney got up from the table despite Nadia's protests, ran upstairs, and returned in a blink of an eye appropriately dressed and took her place among the dancers on the stage where she seemed to be the lead dancer. Let's just say that from that moment on, the performance became divine, and the orchestra, propelled by the impressive presence of the soloist on stage, released chords of a rare perfection. My soul vibrated, cried and laughed then and I knew right away that Courtney, this tavern girl, would be one of my best and closest friends! After midnight, the show ended and we said goodbye to Nadia, who was sometimes happy, sometimes sad, and we happily headed to my hostel. The boy behind the counter started to protest when he saw Courtney climbing the stairs with me and then we turned back, went to him, and, as I sweetly looked at him, I grabbed a button and pulled him towards me. I kissed him and looked into his eyes for a while and the boy softened and looked back at me and Courtney laughed again with her so dear for me laughter! Later, I found out that she had used this opportunity to collect the silver bell from the reception counter and the whole set of spare keys hanging on a nail under the same counter... Of course, I took them in the midst of her laughter and returned them to the boy who, down there, was terribly sad and anxious to see them missing.

We woke up very late and after consuming almost all the hostel's ice cream, we set off to the residence where I was supposed to meet Rashid. But Courtney was still dressed in her dancer costume because my clothes didn't fit her, she being a tall and sturdy girl. People were turning their heads as we walked down the street, so we entered a shop and she bought clothes and a pair of shoes. Our short walk through Bravil which was washed by the rain during the night and still smelling fresh with its coolness, was very pleasant because Courtney is a wonderful girl, very cheerful and full of joy and jokes. But she also has a sharp tongue and is very cheeky at times, sometimes picking fights with people on the street, sometimes even insulting them directly! She's a true daughter of the South, a girl who grew up without parents in the midst of the noisy and ragged gangs of Bravil's urchins. But that day she was exceptionally happy and kept telling me about the reward she was going to receive from the Godfather. "So, Courtney, you weren't entirely alone in the world! You have a godfather and he seems to be a wealthy man..." I said, to which she giggled and replied, "Ah, ain't just me Godfather, is it? 'E's our Godfather, the lot of us, includin' you an' all, I s'pose, tho' me li'l nose tells me summat's up!" and she twitched her funny little nose in such a funny way that I couldn't help it, and tiptoeing, I kissed her right there, in the middle of the crowd.

We arrived at the Godfather's villa and inside we were greeted by a very solid and tall individual, with a terrible scar on his sinister face. Courtney addressed him familiarly and unabashedly: "Brassius, this 'un 'ere's the Nightingale our Godfather's been waitin' on fer years." To which he stepped aside and let us pass, but just as we stepped on the stairs, he suddenly grabbed my left leg, exactly where my knife was. He then grabbed my arm with a hand that seemed to crush my joints and grinned at me: "The knife stays with me, Nightingale!" Lightning-fast, I scratched him deeply and, surprised, he let go, and I ran up the stairs. After a short moment of surprise, the brute recovered and rushed after me. Courtney tried to get in his way but he pushed her aside with a single movement of his shoulder and in the blink of an eye he was beside me, up, at the top of the stairs. I waited for him calmly with the knife in my hand and, when he reached me, I looked him straight in the eyes, which were like the eyes of a dead fish. "Stay where you are, brother, or I'll kill you," I said sweetly, to which he unfolded an enormous chain he wore around his waist and grinned "Let's dance, Princess." But Courtney started screaming at the top of her lungs, so a door opened, and a young blond man with a delicate appearance came out into the long and spacious hallway and said "What's going on here? Courtney, when will you stop your antics? Are you drunk again?". "Yer the bloody pissed bloke an' a berk, Tom!!" she screamed hysterically. "Yer villainous monster, Lucas the gorilla, wants ter kill the Nightingale! An' 'e gave me a right beating; now I ain't gonna work fer a long time, an' I ain't gonna work fer you swines neither!" and she started cursing wildly, with a voice so loud that my ears started ringing. An elderly man, solid and with a very expressive face, emanating calm and strength, who had come out into the hallway behind Thomas, raised his hand slightly and, seeming bored, said, "Leave them alone, Lucas, please! Courtney, why are you disturbing the peace of this place? And who are you?" "She's on the hunt fer Rashid, her name's Elsie, innit? An' she's got bleedin' beastly claws! Found 'er, Godfather, I 'ave!" Courtney said proudly. The old man smiled slightly and came towards me. He looked me straight in the eyes and I returned his gaze, sharp and very calm, to which he smiled slightly melancholically and said "She is! She's her daughter... What's your mother's name, little lady?" "Shaira" I replied without hesitation. "Shaira? From the Imperial City?" he replied, looking at me surprised. "Yes, gramps, her, even her, may her soul rest in peace" I said. "Gramps?" he laughed heartily. "I'm already starting to like you, little one! Though, the name is Vito.But it would really please me to be your Godfather! And I'm not talking about Shaira here; I'm talking about the mother who gave birth to you." "Ah, her name was Kiersten" I sighed and tears involuntarily welled up in my eyes. "Yes, Kiersten, the last Nightingale who visited us before you, Elsie. Come with me, please," he said softly. "You too, Courtney, and you, Thomas, go and tell them to bring pastries for the girls" he added. "An' some bleedin' sweet wine fer me, Thomas!" Courtney cackled excitedly. "Just a little beer, Thomas, please," the Godfather replied with a smile.

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Inside, he sat back behind his enormous desk and invited Courtney and me to sit in the armchairs in front of him. Courtney leaned over and placed a bag on the table, saying to him, "Yesterday's takin's, from the 'arbor, Godfather." and she smiled sweetly, coquettishly, but he frowned at her, so she quickly sank into her armchair. "So, Elsie, what can I do for you? We've been expecting you for years but I have the feeling that you found a much more welcoming host than us back then." "I'm looking for my brother Rasha" I said. "Rasha, the eldest son of Shaira and Alisanne's right hand, so to speak. He left the city some time ago, right after Alisanne's death" the Godfather said thoughtfully, looking straight into my eyes. "He was wounded and my men helped him sneak out of the city with a huge crate they loaded onto a cart. Then he headed north, on the Green Road, and one of my boys accompanied him. But he never returned, so I assume that your beloved brother preferred to erase all traces... As you all do in your brotherhood, my dear!" he added with a slight smile. "That's all I can tell you about him; our contacts with the North have been cut off for over a year and we don't know much about what's happening there now." "So, I'll go north then" I said. "I advise you to wait; the Green Road is more unsafe than ever and even the forests nearby are scoured by bands from the Altmer's army. The river is also patrolled by elvish boats. And then, the North is vast. So many possibilities! Stay here for a while; we may receive news from our brothers in the Imperial City in the meantime!" "I'll stay for a while then, Godfather. Can I keep Courtney with me? She can show me the city, teach me your ways?" "Of course, if you wish! And only if Nadia can do without her, I know Courtney is needed in her establishment." "Ov course Nadia can, right, she told me yestaday she couldn't stand me no more an' it'd do me good ter disappear fer a bit!" Courtney cackled very pleased by herself. "An' besides, the Nightingale's so tiny; someone's gotta look after 'er in this wretched city!" "It's settled then! But to be honest, Courtney, I don't think Elsie needs your protection!" "We can even not deprive Madame Nadia of her services; I want to work there with her girls, Godfather!" I said. "Are you sure about this, Elsie? Maybe you don't know very well what they do there, and if you want to work and learn our ways, you could work with my son Thomas." the old man said. "What does Thomas do?" "Ah, financial investments here in Bravil, contacts with the judges and the militia as well" he smiled. "Boring..." I sighed. "Or with my son Sonny; he manages much more interesting businesses here. Although I don't know if you'll get along well with him!" "No Godfather, please allow me to work at Nadia's place, at least for a while!" "Of course" he sighed and added, "You can live here, with me and my family if you want." "Thank you so much Godfather, but I have a residence in the port area and I truly love the surroundings." "As you wish, Elsie! Give your address to Thomas; we'll keep an eye on you" he then got up, circled the desk and kissed me on the cheek and then, after slapping Courtney's bottom, who screamed delightedly, he opened the door for us and, smiling slightly, said, "I expect more and faster from your team on the docks, Courtney!"

We both went out onto the street very cheerful after Courtney grinned in front of Lucas and we went to Nadia's place which welcomed us very warmly. I lived there one of the happiest periods of my life so far; the girls were so friendly and Courtney quickly became my best friend, a friend and mentor at the same time. Nadia treated all of us very nicely; I think she even loved us a bit because beneath her appearance as a tough nightclub owner I'm pretty sure there was hiding a mother's heart! They taught me very interesting things and there I learned the specific jargon of the Guild, the recognition signs and the specific hierarchy. But the Bravil Guild had deviated a lot from the traditional path; it was more like a bank and, as the strangest and at the same time unpleasant matter in my opinion, they never stole from the rich, exactly from where they could have! On the contrary, they mercilessly preyed on the poor, hardworking people, and small shopkeepers both from Bravil and those who came here from all corners of the world to do business in this city of contrasts! They also used to lend money with interest, and they were ruthless in enforcing debts from the poor debtors but very lenient with skooma traffickers who had an almost legal branch in Bravil. Because you see, friends, in Bravil it is legal to buy or sell such a dangerous and yet attractive liquor in certain places, but it is not allowed to possess it! Which is ridiculous because the city guard is not allowed to search you! I can't help but laugh now but also feel angry when I remember all those strange laws from Bravil, a city where, rather than elsewhere, the rich became even richer and the poor even poorer!

Courtney and I were thrown in jail based on one such law... Our occupation was not prohibited in the gleaming yet so musty city, but any time, a woman without relatives and especially unmarried, could be accused of indecency based on simple testimonies. And female indecency was severely punished in this Southern city with quite long sentences in the detestable prison of Bravil! Another oddity was this so damp and dark dungeon where quite a few women spent a part of their lives! The usual food and sleeping places there were indeed products of a nightmare but you were allowed to buy food from wherever you wanted in the city, and again, I burst into laughter and indignation, you could even buy furloughs! At exorbitant prices, of course, but it was so amusing to see those so ill- intentioned guards rushing with trays full of steaming and succulent food! I must add here that Courtney felt particularly good in jail; she had a lot of friends there and, above all, she enjoyed fighting fiercely with other poor women who were locked up there... However, I didn't enjoy all these amusements and I even felt guilty eating goodies under the hungry eyes of the less privileged detainees... Courtney and some of her friends even started a small skooma trade there in prison, under the indulgent eyes of the female guards! And, as usual, the main consumers were those poor women who watched us with envy while we were sitting at the table! These aspects of prison life saddened me and I even cooled off from Courtney for a while, starting to stay away from her and not to talk to her or her friends anymore. And then, after a short time while she tried to preach her dirty trade to me, Courtney gave up her little business and we became friends again. But I can tell you that she still reproaches me to this day, half jokingly, half seriously, for depriving her of the opportunity to get rich! Still, we both laugh and embrace warmly when we remember those days when we were still so innocent; our wave of crimes and wrongdoings was far from beginning...

Ah, the great city lived and fully breathed in those dreadful days, so different from the rest of Cyrodiil. The city's dignitaries had the wisdom to declare the city's independence when the elves began to advance from the south, from the direction of the recently conquered Leyawiin, and they paid sacks full of gold to the Altmer leaders to pass through without hindrance! They even agreed on a monthly tribute to be paid from then by the City to the Dominion. Me and Courtney continued our merry and quite eventful life; we were only severely scolded from time to time by the Godfather for stealing from our rich clients and I'm sure that he had something to do with our putting behind bars... I even received my team of urchins whom I was supposed to teach and lead but given my past experience when the urchins from the Imperial City never accepted me among them, this occupation did not appeal to me and I soon gave it up under the Godfather's benevolent gaze. We used to have meals with him and his family on the holidays which are so frequent in Bravil and I can say that he had an exemplary family, the only one who was more untamed and violent among them being Sonny, the eldest son. Ah, these eldest sons often have a peculiar way of behaving, and that reminded me of Rasha, and then I would become sad and wonder if he was still alive. No news came from the other Guilds from Cyrodiil, and time passed, and I had become so accustomed to the life I led that all the strange occurrences before seemed like a distant dream... But sometimes I used to go with my beloved Courtney to the Temple of Mara and there she would light black candles under a certain statue of the goddess, and then I would feel strange and pleasant shivers in my soul again. Courtney claimed that Mara, our beloved Mother as she called her, spoke to her in those moments, advised her, and promised to protect her... But now we both know better which aspect of Mephala was the one whispering sweet things to us! And so, our life went smoothly and without shortages for a while that passed like a moment, a joyful moment in our tumultuous life!

But the day of reckoning came when the powerful structure of the skooma traffickers from Elsweyr decided to take control of all operations in Bravil... And I'm sure my Mistress was involved here even though she doesn't want to admit it; ah, I don't believe there are greater liars in Oblivion than Nocturnal and Mephala! They are sick entities in this regard and Nocturnal is rather often very pleased to apply the perverse methods of the Queen. Street battles in which the City Guard did not intervene shook Bravil for weeks and the Godfather and his entire family perished during this time, and the two of us, who had fought alongside their few faithful followers, decided to flee from the City where there was almost nothing left for us now! Nadia had also died and her saloon had been looted and set on fire so there was nothing holding us there, in that wonderful and so dangerous city...

So, in the dead of night, we left Bravil by the boat of a smuggler who dropped us off somewhere on the southern shore of Lake Rumare just at dawn. And since I remembered with crystal clarity that distant day when Cicero, Rasha's blood brother, had told me that if I needed support to seek him out at a certain alchemist's, we both set out on the road to Cheydinhal, avoiding the Altmer patrols as much as possible, because the Imperial City, the king of cities from Nirn, was under siege, and from where once only fireworks and merry party rumors erupted, now only thick black smoke emerged and only the dry, regular sounds of catapult projectiles striking the mighty walls could be heard...