I'm sorry this is so late. For the final 1500 or so words I got the worst case of writer's block I have ever had in my entire life. I'm not overly happy with the ending of this chapter - it just refused to flow. So I'll do what I always do when I don't think a chapter's up to scratch - wait to see what you guys think, and edit it you think it needs work.

So here we are, the final chapter of Three Pieces of Amber. Please enjoy. :)

Derkeethus had heard stories of people saying that they had lost the will to live. Before, he had always dismissed it as a foolish thing they said when they were too consumed by grief to think straight. But now he understood exactly what it meant.

Brynjolf had said that J'shana died quickly, too quickly to have felt any pain. Derkeethus hoped that was true. It didn't make the fact that she was dead any easier to bear. But he was glad that she hadn't suffered. He hated the thought of her being in pain. And he also hated the thought of her lying in that tomb, curled up on the cold ground with an arrow in her throat, her silky fur dull and those beautiful amber eyes glazed and still. And he also hated the thought of how casually, how calmly, he had said goodbye to her before she left.

But there was one thought that hurt him more than any other. And that was the thought of what the future held.

Where did he go from here? What was left for him now? It was because of J'shana that he had been living with the Guild. He couldn't stay in Riften, not after this. He knew that the city would always be too full of ghosts. But where else could he go? Could he really return to his old life in Darkwater Crossing? He didn't think he could. He didn't want his days to return to their old, meaningless pattern of mining and fishing and sleeping. He couldn't return to that life now that he had started living one that was so different.

That was what frightened him most. When he looked into his future, he saw nothing. Only emptiness. Without J'shana, his life had quite literally lost all purpose.

A lesser Argonian, a more selfish one, might have wished that he had never met J'shana. But Derkeethus did not wish that and he never would. He had been so happy with J'shana. He was so glad that she had come into his life and taught him what love really meant. She had made him feel so alive, made him see the world in a way that he had never seen it when he had been on his own. He wouldn't have changed that for the world.

He closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about the future. Just for now, he would let the memories live again.

J'shana returned from Sovngarde, of course. She returned with her eyes shining and an incredible story to tell. That night, they sat side by side in the courtyard of High Hrothgar, light flurries of snow swirling around them, as J'shana told him the tale of how she had travelled to the land of the Nord dead, spoken with the ancient heroes of old, and confronted the World Eater. Her Shout had torn him from the sky and her arrows had claimed his life. And so Skyrim had been set free.

Just for a brief time, everything had been perfect.

Their happiness, though, had been short-lived. It had, in fact, lasted two and a half days. On the first day, they travelled to Darkwater Crossing, where Derkeethus reunited briefly with his old friends and poured out the story of his adventures while they listened with wide eyes. On the second, they returned to Sky Haven Temple and, after a heated argument, finally managed to persuade Delphine that Paarthurnax was not a threat. For the morning of the third day, they did nothing very much. Everything seemed different now that they had no mission, no quest. The two of them had left the Temple and wandered aimlessly into the wilderness, discussing where exactly they were going to go and what they were going to do, but not coming up with any ideas. But that was fine; that was right. After all those weeks with the weight of their task hanging over them, it was wonderful to finally break free and have no responsibilities, no duties, no nothing. Just the two of them, alone and content. Together.

And then that peace had been shattered at noon on the third day.

They had been walking through the trees, talking. Derkeethus could never remember what exactly they had been talking about, except that he had been enjoying the conversation. And then, without warning, J'shana had let out a sharp exclamation, grabbed his arm and hurled herself onto the ground, pulling Derkeethus down with her.

A moment later, a dozen lightning spells burned into the trees exactly where they had been standing only a heartbeat before.

Breathing in fast, hard gasps, Derkeethus raised his head and saw them explode from the woods. Thalmor. Fifteen of them at least. Even with J'shana's Shouts to aid them, they were very nearly both killed. And they would have been killed, if Derkeethus had been the only living creature on Nirn who had sworn themselves to J'shana. Luckily for them, he was not.

It was Odahviing who saved them. Answering the summons that J'shana had roared to the clouds when she had realised just how much trouble they were in, the crimson-scaled dragon had swooped down like a scarlet thunderbolt and sent the Thalmor flying. Five had already fallen to J'shana and Derkeethus's efforts, but within seconds five more had joined them – three burned to crisps, two with gaping wounds clawed in their stomachs. Before long, the rest had fled, leaving only one remaining, the arrow that J'shana had fired into his gut preventing him from running with the rest of his comrades.

As Derkeethus and Odahviing looked on, J'shana dropped down on her knees beside the gasping, struggling elf, grasped the lapels of his robes, and pulled him up to face her. 'Why did you come for us?' she snarled, her voice trembling with fury. 'Do not dare lie to me. I know this was a planned attack.'

'Elenwen,' the Thalmor agent gasped weakly. 'You are… enemy of the Dominion. Invaded the Thalmor embassy.' He let out a choking cough. 'Thought to be… member of a rebel tribe from Elsweyr.'

Even though he was clearly only seconds from death, he found the strength to sneer. 'You're a dead woman, beast. You have the power to be an enemy –' He broke off, fighting for air, then continued. 'An enemy of the Dominion. The Thalmor will not allow… such a threat to live. They will hunt you down, cat. You and your pet lizard.' A wolflike smile spread across his face. 'Better… start… running…'

His eyes rolled back and his body hung limply in J'shana's grasp.

J'shana let his body fall and took a step backwards, a terrible bleak expression on her face. 'I should have known they'd never leave me be,' she said quietly.

'It'll be all right,' Derkeethus said, hurrying forwards to wrap an arm around her shoulder. 'We won't let them find you.'

'Joorre have short memories, Dovahkiin,' Odahviing rumbled from behind them. 'If you hide for a time, then you may be vodahmin by these elves.'

Derkeethus could see that J'shana was shaken, but the Khajiit was not one to despair. 'Even the Thalmor won't want to waste time and soldiers hunting me down if I hide for long enough,' she murmured. 'Especially not with the Civil War going the way it is. 'Her face grew thoughtful. 'Maybe it would do me good, to disappear for a while. Now that Alduin is dead, I have no reason to stay in the eye of the citizens of Skyrim. Perhaps if I simply stop being the Dragonborn for a while…'

Odahviing let out a quiet growl. 'You cannot change your hez,' he warned.

'I know,' J'shana replied. 'I am not sorry that I am Dragonborn.. But I'm not sure how long I can keep living this life.'

Derkeethus understood what she meant. It sometimes seemed like half of the people of Skyrim treated her as if she were some divine being, while the other half accused her of being a fake. There were plenty of Nords who seemed to think that it would be better to have no hero than one who was a Khajiit. It didn't surprise him that J'shana was considering vanishing - especially now that this had happened. It was dangerous for her to remain in the open. They had survived one Thalmor ambush, but would they be so lucky the next time?

'And now this has happened, I think my path is clear.' There was regret in J'shana's voice, but not a trace of hesitation. 'I will hide for as long as it takes for the Thalmor to… well, I doubt they will forget about me, but maybe I will become less or a priority in time.'

Odahviing dipped his head approvingly, and spread his wings. 'If you have no further need of me, Dovahkiin, then I shall leave. But should you need me again, call to me. Zu los vahriin wah hi. Call, and I shall come.'

The vast wings spread and flapped, and the dragon lifted off into the sky, leaving J'shana and Derkeethus looking at each other.

'Where will you go?' Derkeethus asked, his voice suddenly shaking ever so slightly. If J'shana planned on disappearing, did that mean she was leaving completely? Leaving him? 'The Blades could help you.'

'No.,' J'shana replied instantly. 'I will not put the Blades in danger. I may have my disagreements with Delphine, but they are my friends. If I were to lead the Thalmor to them, I would never forgive myself.'

Derkeethus nodded. Though defeating Alduin had been their principal mission over the past few weeks, the two of them had, at Delphine's request, been able to recruit a few people into the order. The first had been a fiery woman named Uthgerd who they had encountered in Whiterun, and the second was a naïve but brave-hearted young Nord named Erik. Delphine seemed pleased with their progress, and she had asked J'shana and Derkeethus to keep their eyes out for any possible third recruits. To put the Blades in danger was the last thing either of them wanted – and if J'shana, the Dragonborn, was planning to go into hiding, Skyrim would be needing some professional dragonslayers.

'But where, then?'

J'shana twined her tail around her legs, frowning. 'Do you remember the offer Brynjolf made to me, when we went to Riften to find Esbern?'

Derkeethus hesitantly inclined his head. 'He asked if you wanted to join the Thieves Guild.'

The Khajiit shrugged slowly. 'When I lived in Cyrodiil for a time, I picked up… certain skills. There was no other way for me to survive.' She sighed. 'If I joined the Guild, I would be hidden. I would live outside the rest of society. And they seem more honourable than most bands who live at odds with the law – they have a code, at least, and a sense of family. I might well grow to like such a life, and I know that I have the skills I need.'

Derkeethus felt pure hatred for the Dominion surge through him. How dare they do this to J'shana? She was the hero of Skyrim, and they were driving her into the sewers as if she were a rat.

'I'm going with you,' he announced.

Her eyes widened. 'Keeth, no. I can't ask you to give up your life for me. It's me they're after. You have a home, friends- '

'But they already know about me. They can find out who I am easily. I'll be no safer if I return to Darkwater Crossing.' Derkeethus took a step towards her. 'And I am not leaving you. Whatever we choose to do now, we do it together.'

There was no more discussion. Nothing more needed to be discussed. They stood there in each other's arms for a long while, and Derkeethus thought how strange it was that this was the second time a battle with the Thalmor had ended up with them holding each other.

What felt like a minute passed. Then J'shana let out a soft purr. 'I love you,' she murmured.

Those three words were the most beautiful sounds that Derkeethus had ever heard in his entire life. 'I love you too, Sha,' he breathed, holding her a little closer. 'And we will come through this. Together.'

And so they did.

They made a hurried journey to Riften, staying alert every step of the way. Even the sound of a snapping twig was enough to make them glance uneasily over their shoulders, gazing into the trees that surrounded the road with apprehension, but it was always just a deer or a fox. They reached the City of Thieves without incident, ventured into the ratway, and found the Ragged Flagon once again.

Brynjolf had been surprised but pleased to see them, and he'd been even more pleased when J'shana accepted his offer. Derkeethus knew that though he had to hide just as much as J'shana did, he wasn't quite comfortable yet with stealing from anyone – and anyway, he didn't have the skills for it. The Guild's deputy had decided that Derkeethus could play a different role – helping Tonilia make the armour, perhaps, or assisting with allocating the missions to the different members.

Mercer Frey, the Guildmaster, had met them, spoken to them, and approved of them joining. Derkeethus wasn't sure what to think of the harsh-voiced, cold-eyed Breton. To be sure, he kept the Guild in order, and the other thieves had an enormous amount of respect for him. But the Argonian always felt slightly wary around him. Perhaps it was because he had never heard Mercer say anything kind to anyone, or perhaps it was simply because he never smiled.

And so, as time passed, the two of them became part of the strange family that was the Thieves Guild. Under Brynjolf's teaching, J'shana became a talented thief, able to pick locks, break into houses and walk silently as a breath of wind. Derkeethus never accomplished any proper missions himself, but he performed practically every other job that the Guild needed him to do. And they were happy. They were together, and it seemed that the Thalmor didn't know where they were. Nobody in the Guild knew that J'shana was the Dragonborn, with the sole exception of Etienne Rarnis, who had witnessed J'shana's power over the Voice when she had set him free from the Thalmor embassy. But having been a prisoner of the Dominion, the young Breton was not at all keen to set eyes on a single Thalmor agent again, and once the situation had been explained to him, Etienne had promised not to say a word.

Months went by and turned into years. J'shana became a better and better thief, and she and Derkeethus grew still closer. One day, she returned from a job she had been assigned in Solitude with a war-dog in tow; a vast, shaggy beast with fur the colour of iron and very round brown eyes. His name was Meeko, and J'shana had taken him under her wing after finding him sitting beside the body of his previous owner. Some of the Guild had been hesitant at first about keeping a dog in the Flagon, but Meeko was impossible not to love. Within days, he too was part of the family. And soon J'shana had her own horse, too, a beautiful palomino stallion named Frost. Not long after, she had uncovered and dealt with a Skooma dealer in Riften, and the following chain of events had led to her owning a small house in the city, named Honeyside. Most nights, the Khajiit and the Argonian would sleep with their friends in the Cistern, but occasionally, when they wanted to be alone, they would return there together. Those were wonderful nights, carefree nights when they would sit together by the fire with Meeko resting at their feet, watching the flames dance as they talked and laughed together. And Derkeethus would fall asleep listening to the sound of J'shana's breathing, letting the soft purring sound lull him into sleep.

He found it hard to think about how easy everything had been back then. The threat of the Thalmor still hung over them, but every so often he and J'shana would venture out and visit the Blades in Sky Haven Temple, or the Greybeards in High Hrothgar. The news from Delphine was always the same; the Dominion was hunting them still, but they had no idea where to look, and with tension mounting every day that the Civil War continued, it looked like the accursed elves would eventually give up searching for them.

They never discussed what they would do if it ever became safe for them to return to the outside world, but they knew, through some unspoken agreement, that they would cross that bridge when they came to it - and that they would stay together. But it never actually came to that, because it was after they had been with the Guild for a few years that J'shana was sent to Goldenglow.

Just another routine mission, they'd been told. Yes, Vex had been hurt when she'd tried it, but J'shana shouldn't have any problems, as long as she was careful. Break into the estate. Clear out the safe. That would be the end of it.

But it hadn't been the end. It had been the beginning.

The Honningbrew mission had seemed unrelated at first. And then it was revealed that somehow, for some reason, the same person had both bought Goldenglow and funded Honningbrew. Derkeethus had wanted J'shana to stay out of it, after that. He'd known that there was danger involved in the whole business, and she was in it too deep for his liking already. He'd asked Brynjolf to keep the Khajiit out of the affair, and when the Nord had replied that there wasn't really anything he could do, he'd even summoned up the courage to appeal to Mercer. But the Guildmaster had ignored him, and J'shana had been sent to take care of Gulum-Ei. She had returned bearing news, and with it a name: Karliah.

Derkeethus ground his teeth together. He wished he'd never heard that name. The name of the traitor, the name of the murderer. The name of the monster who had taken J'shana away from him.

The Dunmer was a killer, they were told. It was thanks to her that the Guild was in the miserable state it had been when they arrived. The Guildmaster before Mercer had been an Imperial man, Gallus Desidenius. It was a name they had heard whispered by some of the other members, but whenever they had asked about its owner, they had always received the same answer: 'Mercer's predecessor. Don't talk about him in front of any of the senior members. Especially not Mercer.'

Now, with J'shana so deeply involved in this whole affair, the truth came out. Gallus had been murdered – murdered in cold blood by one of his most trusted fellow thieves, a Dunmer woman named Karliah. If it hadn't been for Mercer, who had witnessed the crime, no one would ever have known. But the Breton had made it back to the Guild in time to tell them what had happened, and Karliah had vanished. The Guild had hunted her down, using every source and contact they had, but she had never been found. That had been twenty five years ago.

But now, it seemed, she was back. And it looked like she wanted to finish what she had started a quarter century ago, by killing Mercer just as she had killed Gallus. The happenings at Goldenglow and Honningbrew had been attempts to weaken the Guild. And now she was hiding in a place called Snow Veil Sanctum, the place 'where the end began.' The place where Gallus had died.

On the morning of the previous day, Derkeethus had been sitting at the rim of the Cistern pool, browsing a book entitled Racial Phylogeny. It had been lying around the Cistern, and he had, in a moment of boredom, picked it up and started to read. It was interesting, if a little confusing – although there was something about the Khajiit subspecies that definitely went against what J'shana had told him. He had just made a mental note to ask her about it when he saw her approaching, but her tense and worried expression made him realise quickly that now was not the time.

'I need to talk to you,' J'shana said, sitting down beside him. 'Mercer has just spoken to me.'

Derkeethus set the book aside and nodded for her to continue. 'What did he say?'

'He's going to Snow Veil Sanctum.' The tip of J'shana's tail twitched, the way it always did when she was agitated. 'He wants to find Karliah . He says he's going to avenge Gallus's death and put an end to this whole business.' She swallowed nervously. 'And he wants me to go with him.'

It took a moment for the meaning of her words to sink in. When they did, Derkeethus sat bolt upright, his eyes wide. 'Why you? ' he burst out. 'It's far too dangerous. She's a murderer. Why not one of the others – Brynjolf, or Vex?'

'Mercer says it has to be me. He was insistent.' J'shana pressed her hands together, shaking her head slightly. 'I think he wants a skilled fighter to go with him, who knows about what's going on but who is not too valuable to the Guild. '

'So that it doesn't matter if you get killed?' Derkeethus leapt to his feet. 'No. He can't do that. And if he doesn't' see that, I'll make him.'

'Keeth!' J'shana jumped up too, grasping his arm. 'There's no arguing with Mercer, especially not when he's in this mood. And I understand why he wants it to be me, rather than one of the seniors. The Guild can manage if I die.'

'But I can't.' The words slipped out before Derkeethus could stop them – before he'd even realised that he was saying them.

J'shana smiled at him, letting out a low purr. 'There's no need to be worried. We'll be back soon. I promise.'

And Derkeethus had believed her. She was Dragonborn; she could deal with a single Dark Elf, especially if Mercer was with her. Derkeethus had never seen the Guildmaster in action, but all those who had agreed that he was an expert swordsman. 'Karliah doesn't stand a chance against the three of them,' Brynjolf assured Derkeethus later that day, after J'shana had left along with Mercer and Meeko. 'She's not going to know what hit her.'

If he had known, as he said goodbye to her at the door of the Cistern, that if she left she would never return, he would have run over to her and held on to her tightly, forcing her to stay behind no matter what Mercer said. But he had not known, and she had gone. And she had not come back.

He would never again feel the smoothness of that silky ash-grey fur, or hear her laugher or her rumbling purrs, or see her smile or her wonderful flame-coloured eyes. She was gone, gone forever.

One arrow. How could one arrow have killed his Sha? She was so strong, so fast, so alert. Why hadn't she seen it coming in time to dodge? Why had she been leading the way, anyway? Wasn't Mercer the Guildmaster? He should have gone first! He should protected J'shana – he should have saved her!

Derkeethus closed his eyes. If only he had been there. Maybe he would have been able to stop it from happening. Then J'shana would still be with him.

He unfurled his fingers, staring at the ring that still rested in his palm. As he watched J'shana leave, he had made the decision to give it to her. He had been making it for months, but even though it had been completed some time ago, he hadn't yet found the courage to ask her that question, the question he had longed to ask for so, so long. He had been going to ask her when she returned. He had been so certain that he would ask…

But now he never would.

He had never thought that the Divines were so heartless. He had heard so much about Mara's benevolence, Her grace and kindness.

If She was so kind, why had she let J'shana be taken away from him?

Derkeethus drew in a long, slow breath. With a trembling hand, he slipped the ring into his pocket, out of sight.

He didn't know what he was going to do with his life now that J'shana had been torn out of it. But he did know what he was going to do right now, right away. He had no plans beyond that, but for now, his path was clear.

He was going to Snow Veil Sanctum. He didn't care how many Draugr he had to fight or how many traps he had to avoid to get through. He was going to find J'shana's body. He was going to get her out of there and give her a proper funeral. And if Karliah was still there, then she would pay for what she'd done.

And if Derkeethus couldn't best her, then maybe, just maybe, he would be united with J'shana in death. That would be better than a life without her.

He lifted his gaze to the sky, smiling as he remembered something. Some nights, when they were sitting beside the fire together, J'shana used to sing. Often it was in Ta'agra, but sometimes it would be in the common tongue, so that he could understand it. There was one song that she only ever sung when she was feeling sad, or at least thoughtful. It was one, she said, that she had made up in honour of her fallen tribe. Derkeethus had only ever heard it a few times, but the words had stuck in his mind.

Now, as he stood alone on the shore, it felt right to sing it himself. For J'shana.

He breathed in deeply, and began.

'Your spirit is gone from Nirn

Your memory stays behind

Though dead you lie, I close my eyes

And see you in my mind

No suffering can pain you now

Your soul is born anew

I won't forget the times we shared

Those joyful days with you.'

He paused, listening to the sound of the words fading away, leaving only the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore and the leaves rustling. He struggled to remember the second verse, but after a few moments it came to him, and he went on in a voice that trembled slightly.

'For death is just for now

Some day I too shall die

The Gods shall bear my soul up there

To join you in the sky

We'll meet again when that day comes

When death sets my soul free …'

His voice trailed off. The last lines – what were the last lines? He couldn't have forgotten them. He knew them; he was sure of it.

And then, out of nowhere, he heard a soft voice finish the song.

'We'll never be apart again

For all eternity.'

Derkeethus froze.

Those were the last two lines. But only he and one other person knew that song.

And he knew that voice.

No. No, it couldn't be. He was only hearing her because he wanted to so badly.

And then something large, grey and furry cannoned into him from behind, making him stagger backwards with a gasp. He glanced down and let out a surprised yelp of mingled surprise and delight. 'Meeko?'

The dog bounded around his feet, tail wagging wildly, and that was when Derkeethus knew. Meeko went nowhere without J'shana. If he was here –

He spun around. 'Sha?' he heard himself cry.

'Keeth.'

Words had power; Derkeethus had always known that. He had, after all, been living with the Dragonborn for some years, and he had witnessed first-hand the damage that some words could do, when they were carefully selected words in the Dragon Tongue. But ordinary words had power too – the power to make you laugh or cry or smile. The power to change lives.

That one word – J'shana's nickname for him – was enough to change his life. To turn grief into elation within a single second. To bring back a million hopes and dreams that he had given up.

There she stood, the wind stirring her ash-grey fur, that familiar small, shy smile on her face. Her brown leathers were, in places, stained with specks of what like blood, and the look in her eyes was one of complete exhaustion. But it was her. It was J'shana. His J'shana. Alive.

He stared at her for a second, unable to believe what his eyes were telling him.

Then he realised that he didn't care if this was impossible, because there she was. Somehow, Brynjolf and Mercer had been mistaken, or lying. It didn't matter which. All that mattered was that they'd been wrong, and J'shana was alive.

He ran to her without another moment's thought. And when he swept her up in his arms and heard her delighted burst of laughter, he knew that this was real.

'You're alive,' he gasped, not really caring how completely unnecessary the statement was.

She chuckled, pulling him in a little closer. 'Just about.'

Derkeethus felt a wave of questions build up inside him. 'What happened to you?' he blurted out, pulling back a little way so that he could see her face. 'Brynjolf told me… I thought you were…'

'Well, that news was slightly premature, but he was almost right.' There was happiness in J'shana's voice, but also a deep weariness.

'I thought I'd lost you.' Derkeethus could barely hear his own voice, it was so thick with tears – but this time the tears were caused by happiness.

'I'm sorry, Derkeethus. I really am.' J'shana suddenly sounded distressed, and as she sometimes did when worried, she began babbling at lightning-fast speed. 'I would have come back before, but we had to translate Gallus's journal, and so I had to go to Winterhold and then all the way to Markarth, and even on Odahviing it took a long time, because I had to trawl through this Gods-damned Dwemer museum and then I almost got caught by the guards, and then I had to go back to the Frozen Hearth to show the rubbing to Enthir and then we came back to Riften –' She broke off, breathed in deeply, and continued. '-But I couldn't come and find you because we had to make Brynjolf look at the journal and then we had to persuade him to open the vault and then we had to tell him about Mercer and Gallus and the Nightingales, and after that Bryn said that he needed me to break into Mercer's house and I asked Rune where you'd gone and he said he didn't know, so I asked Etienne and he said you'd gone home, so I went into Honeyside and you weren't there and then I came out here and –'

'Sha!' Derkeethus shook his head desperately as he tried and failed to keep up. 'I… I didn't catch a word of that.'

J'shana let out that small gasp of air that always came from her when she was laughing and crying at the same time. 'It's… a very long story.' She swallowed hard, and Derkeethus saw that her eyes were wet. Gently, he reached down and wiped away the tear that was beginning to form, leaving a small damp streak on the silver fur. The Khajiit lifted her hand and placed it on top of his, holding it against her cheek, and they stayed like that for a long moment.

'Everything Mercer said was untrue,' she said finally, in a slightly steadier voice.

'I can see that,' Derkeethus said, feeling slightly uncertain. 'I… I suppose he thought you were dead, but-'

'No. I meant everything.' J'shana shook her head. 'Everything he told us.'

Derkeethus frowned, trying to work out what she meant. 'He told me – well, he told Brynjolf and Bryn told me – that you took the lead, and Karliah shot you.'

'Actually, I suppose that was the truth.' J'shana sounded vaguely amused by that.

It didn't amuse Derkeethus. He felt his hands clench into fists. 'She will pay,' he snarled. 'I will make her regret what she did to you.'

'No!' J'shana's eyes widened. 'No, you don't understand. You mustn't hurt her- if anything, you need to thank her. She never tried to kill me. She saved my life.' Seeing his face, she sighed. 'Karliah was never the traitor, Keeth. The traitor, the murderer… it was Mercer. It was him all along.'

The Khajiit had always been a good storyteller. On the occasions when she told Derkeethus a tale, she would tell it in the way he might have read it in a book, building up suspense and making him laugh and smile at all the right moments. But this time, she told the story in the same way that she had told the tale of her tribe's death – in a grim voice, telling him nothing but the facts.

And the facts were not what Derkeethus had been expecting to hear.

Karliah had not killed Gallus.

Mercer was the one responsible for the former Guildmaster's death, and all the pain and misery and ill fortune that had followed.

He had been stealing from the Guild, for an entire quarter century, even before he murdered Gallus.

The Breton had framed Karliah for Gallus's murder, and ever since then, the Dunmer had been on the run – innocent, but helpless, and completely alone.

She had indeed shot J'shana in Snow Veil Sanctum, but with an arrow coated in a special poison which had paralysed the Khajiit rather than killing her.

Mercer – and Derkeethus had cried out in horror upon hearing this - had then stabbed J'shana in the chest and left her to bleed to death.

Karliah had carried J'shana out of the ruins, healed her, and told her all the truths that J'shana was telling Derkeethus now.

'I wanted to come back right away,' J'shana said quietly. 'I knew that Mercer would have told the Guild that I was dead – either that, or that I was a traitor too. And I didn't care all that much what everyone else thought, but I didn't want you to think…'

'I wouldn't have believed Mercer if he'd said that you'd betrayed us,' Derkeethus promised. 'I expect that was why he decided to tell us you'd been killed.'

'I would have come back the moment I woke up if I could.' J'shana seemed to be pleading slightly, as if she was worried he didn't believe her. 'But Karliah and I couldn't have faced the Guild without proof. They'd have killed her straight away, and there's already been enough death.'

Derkeethus smiled. 'It's all right. I'm not angry with you.'

'Well, you should be.' J'shana suddenly turned away from him. 'I promised you I'd come back and I almost broke that promise. I should have seen this coming. If I hadn't been so worried about the Thalmor all the time, perhaps I would have seen Mercer for what he is-'

'Sha, stop it.' Derkeethus placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her back to face him. 'If the whole Guild never noticed for twenty five years, why should you have worked it out in two?' Seeing the devastation on her face, he added, 'It's all right now. You're safe. We'll find Mercer and I won't let him hurt you again. Everything's all right.'

She dropped her gaze. 'Maybe.'

'Shana.' Derkeethus very rarely called her that, and as far as he knew, he was the only person who ever actually addressed her that way. 'Tell me what's wrong.'

The Khajiit continued staring at the ground for a few seconds, then let out a long sigh. 'Karliah told me… she and Gallus were together, before he died. When he left for Snow Veil Sanctum, I'm sure he promised her that he'd come back, just as I did. But he never did. And I almost didn't.' She was beginning to sound almost frantic. 'I don't ever want to lose you that way, Keeth. I don't want to lose you at all. I don't know how I would stand it. I don't know how Karliah has. I… I don't know how you did.'

'But I didn't have to.' Derkeethus cupped his hand under her chin and lifted her head, making certain that she was looking at him. 'I thought you were dead and… yes, I felt lost. I didn't know what to do. But I'm not going to let that happen again, I promise.'

Some of the fear left J'shana's eyes, but she still seemed anguished. 'We still have to go after Mercer. He's powerful, Keeth. He could kill me. I can't promise that I'll come back.'

Derkeethus looked at her, and realised suddenly that despite all her skill with a bow, despite her fierce fighting spirit, and despite the fact that she had the blood and soul of a dragon, she was far more vulnerable than she seemed. She had lost so much. She had so little to hold onto, so little that she could put her faith in.

And there and then he made the decision. He was going to change that. And he was going to start right now.

'Sha, can I ask you something?'

Her brow creased, but she nodded.

Derkeethus slipped a hand into his pocket. It was funny; he'd always thought that he would be terrified when he came to this moment, but strangely, he was not.

'I've been meaning to ask you this for quite some time,' he admitted, closing his hand around the ring. 'And I… well, I was planning to ask you after you returned from Snow Veil. For a time I thought I would never be able to. So I'm going to do it now, before you go after Mercer.'

He hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to go on. Then he decided that the best and only thing to do was to say nothing, and give it to her.

With a swift tug, he pulled the ring from his pocket and held it out. The sunlight winked on those three pieces of amber, but for the first time since the previous evening it didn't pain Derkeethus to look at them.

J'shana stared at the ring for a moment without speaking. Then, moving slowly, she picked it up and turned it over in her palm, gazing at it as if transfixed by the way the silver caught the light. Derkeethus waited for her to speak, but still she said nothing, and finally he decided to break the silence.

'Do you know the Argonian tradition?' he asked.

The Khajiit nodded, still not tearing her gaze away from the ring. 'I know it.'

Derkeethus hesitated, realised she wasn't going to say anything else, and scratched the base of his horns, suddenly feeling self-conscious. 'So you, um, know what I'm asking?'

She nodded again, but this time she didn't speak.

There was a lengthy pause, and Derkeethus thought it would be best for him not to say anything. When J'shana remained silent, it was usually because she was thinking, and thinking hard.

He had a feeling that she was thinking hard now. The truth was, he didn't know what she was going to say. He knew what he wanted her to say, and he suspected that she wanted to say it too. But what if she felt that she couldn't say yes? They were still in danger, after all – what if she thought she shouldn't make another promise that she might not be able to keep?

'I know that this might not be the time,' he burst out. 'With Mercer still threatening us. But I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And if you're going to go hunting Mercer, then I want you to have something to live for – '

He never got any further, because J'shana suddenly kissed him.

For a moment, he froze in surprise; then he relaxed and kissed back, slipping his hands around her neck and savouring the moment. And just as he had somehow been able to forget about Alduin and the dragons and Sovngarde and everything that put them in danger when they kissed for the first time in Skuldafn, so he was able to forget again now. He was able to forget Mercer, and the Guild, and everything that threatened them. He was even able to forget that still-lingering pain that Brynjolf's announcement of J'shana's death had caused. Just for a few seconds, he let it all go.

'Something to live for?' J'shana murmured, as they finally broke apart. 'Keeth, do you think I don't already have something to live for? I have you. I could lose everything else that I've come to care about – the Guild, Meeko, everything – but as long as I still had you, I would have something to live for. You've been what I have to live for for a long time. If it weren't for you, I would never have survived to defeat Alduin. I'm not sure I would even have wanted to survive to defeat Alduin. You make everything worthwhile, Derkeethus.'

Derkeethus blinked, staring at her, too overwhelmed to speak.

'If you think that I need to make any sort of promise to you to give me a reason to return, then you're wrong. I already made them a long time ago.' She smiled. 'I just didn't say them out loud.'

Frowning, Derkeethus tipped his head on one side. 'Is that a very roundabout way of saying yes?'

J'shana's laughter rang out through the air. 'Yes!'

Derkeethus let out a shout of mingled delight and triumph, swept her up in his arms and spun her around. He could hear her laughing, and Meeko barking – he sincerely doubted the dog understood what was going on, but Meeko always seemed able to pick up when J'shana was happy.

'I'll have to send word to everyone in Darkwater Crossing,' he blurted out, as he set J'shana down. 'They'll want to come. And maybe the Blades, too, and your friends from Riverwood, Faendal and Ralof. I guess it'll have to be quiet, though… will the Guild want to come? Some of them will, I'm sure, Rune and Etienne for certain, and we can ask Erandur to come down from Dawnstar - ' He stopped mid-sentence. I'm rambling, he thought in surprise. That's new.

He heard a soft purr echo through the air. 'We'll have plenty of time to work out the details once I'm back.'

'Do you want me to go with you?' Derkeethus asked. 'To find Mercer?'

He cursed himself for changing the subject. But he was suddenly worried. He wasn't going to let Mercer split them up again.

'I need to find out where he's gone, first,' J'shana said. 'Bryn wants me to break into his house.'

Derkeethus felt a claw of anguish grip him. He knew he wouldn't be able to accompany her if she was on a break-in mission. Over the time he'd spent with the Guild, he had slowly become better at stealth, but J'shana's training, combined with her natural Khajiit agility, made her a far better thief than he was. He would only slow her down.

'The others will probably want to leave straight away, but I'll try to come back here before we go after Mercer.' J'shana twined her tail around his. 'I don't know how long we'll be, but I'll try my best not to keep you waiting. '

A grin spread across Derkeethus's face. J'shana would be all right. He knew she would be all right. 'And this time, if someone comes back and tells me you're dead, I'll make sure I don't believe them until I've got proof.'

'And I'll make sure you don't have to,' J'shana promised.

She stood gazing at him for a moment, then suddenly she lifted her hands to her neck and pulled something free from beneath her tunic. Derkeethus' eyes widened as he recognized it. It was a piece of amber, very similar to the ones he had placed in the ring he had made, almost perfectly spherical and strung onto a piece of thin twine. It was J'shana's naming amulet, given to her along with her name soon after he had been born. Every member of her tribe had one, even the tiny Alfiq and the vast Senche-Raht. They were said to protect them from harm, warding off dark spirits and encouraging fair fortune. J'shana had always maintained that he didn't know whether they actually had any magical power, but that wearing it was important to her. In all her life she had only ever been without it once, and that was when the Imperials had taken it from her at Helgen. But to her surprise, as she made her escape alongside a Stormcloak warrior, a Nord serving the Imperials had thrown it to her. 'I put up quite a fight when they tried to take it from me,' J'shana had explained. 'I didn't care about them dividing up my possessions among themselves after they captured me, but when they took my naming attitude, I lost control. I told them what it meant to me, that I'd worn it all my life... I fought them until they knocked me out. I don't know why the Nord – I think his name was Hadvar – decided to give it back to me, especially after I followed Ralof. I'm just glad he did.'

Derkeethus watched in amazement as she pulled it over her head. He had never seen her take it off before. Why was she removing it now, when it was practically a part of her?

Before he could react, she leaned forwards and slipped it over his head. It fell down around his neck, and the warm amber sphere clinked slightly against his scales.

'I want you to take this,' J'shana announced.

'Sha, no.' Derkeethus felt it would be rude to pull it off, but he didn't understand why she was giving it to him. 'I can't-'

'Yes, you can, and you will.' The Khajiit smiled and held up her right hand, stroking the ring with her fingertips. 'I have this to protect me now. I don't know if my naming amulet has any real power. My tribe had them, and it didn't prevent their deaths. But if I am leaving you for now, I want you to be safe. And if this can keep you safe, then…' She shrugged slightly.

The Argonian closed his hand around the amulet. 'I know what this means to you, Sha,' he told her. 'I will treasure it. I promise.'

They stood there for a moment; then an urgent-sounding bark made them both turn their heads. Meeko had risen to his paws and was wagging his tail meaningfully.

'I think he knows I've got a job to do,' J'shana chuckled.

'He's no fool.' Derkeethus crouched down and ruffled the thick fur on the war-dog's head. 'You look after her, Meeko.'

Meeko barked again, and nuzzled J'shana's leg. She rolled her eyes. 'All right, boy. I'm coming.'

She looked back at Derkeethus. 'I have to go. But I will be back.'

'I know.' She would be; he had to believe that. 'And in the meantime, I might as well send a courier to Erandur.'

She grinned. 'I think that would be a wonderful idea.'

Derkeethus pulled her to him and held her close, shutting his eyes and savouring the moment, just in case it was the last one they would spend together. But it wouldn't be. They had a future; he was certain of it. A future together.

J'shana finally stepped away, glancing over her shoulder at the shape of the city. 'Goodbye, Keeth.'

He shook his head. 'See you soon,' he corrected her.

He watched her go, moving at a calm but brisk walk, her head and tail held high, Meeko bounding alongside her. It pained him to see her leave, but at least this time she would not be gone forever.

Derkeethus saw her stop suddenly, turn, and look back at him. She raised her hand, and in the simple gesture Derkeethus saw the promise she hadn't spoken aloud, the promise to return.

He kept gazing after her long after she had disappeared.

He was worried for her. He would not deny that. But he was not afraid. He knew, somehow, that she would be back. It might be hours, it might be days, weeks even, but soon she would return.

Closing his eyes, he found that he could see it. It was a picture made by his imagination, but it felt as real as a vision from the future. He could see her returning, Meeko padding at her side, her eyes gleaming, her fur shimmering silver, and her face brightened by her dazzling smile.

And that silver band with its three pieces of amber shining in the sun.