Wyatt didn’t know what to think of this mage wearing the traditional brown robes as he led him into the back room to speak about his “proposal.” When he had first seen him, sitting at the table all alone and complimenting Lea for his meal, he still didn’t know what to think. He wanted to hate him on sight as he hated all mages these days, but he was too young, too cheerful, too unknown. Maybe he’s one of the good ones, Wyatt thought dubiously as he opened the door to a private room, which the mage then thanked him for doing.

Will wonders never cease?

Still, even though the mage seemed young and inexperienced, there was a presence about him. It wasn’t the presence of a warrior, facing down an enemy with all his intimidating might. It was something more, something greater. He didn’t even know he had it, which made Wyatt even more curious as they sat down, and he took a good look at him for the first time.

The lad was of average height and strength. He was also powerful. Wyatt stretched out his limited magical senses and felt a veritable well of power that the mage possessed. Wyatt didn’t even know how he was doing it, just that he could accomplish such a feat. Regardless, the mage—Marek, Wyatt reminded himself, seemed excited. He had a smooth-shaven face, brown lanky hair, and cool blue eyes, which were seemingly aglow with anticipation.

Marek was also patient, which was good, tolerantly waiting for him to conclude his inspection of him. Despite himself, Wyatt found himself impressed with the young man.

“W-well,” Marek began. Wyatt raised an eyebrow as the younger man stuttered, suddenly looking nervous as he played with the hem of his robe. Wyatt didn’t say anything, crossing his arms and allowing the mage to calm himself and try again. “I have a business proposition for you, Wyatt, and I would appreciate it if you let me finish my proposal before you make your choice.”

“I can do that,” Wyatt said, amused. He leaned forward, strangely eager to hear the mage’s proposal. “It’s not every day I receive business proposals, after all.”

Marek nodded, wetting his lips nervously. “As you can tell, I am recently graduated from the Citadel,” he said, motioning to himself and showing off his brown robes that marked him as a mage.

Wyatt hid a smile at this. He reminds me of Bella when she’s excited about something, he thought. Wyatt banished the image of his daughter’s smiling face as he nodded to Marek, who seemed to be waiting for a response.

“Traditionally, Mages are supposed to take a tour of the world in order to accumulate knowledge about the world, just as we have been learning about magic,” Marek said. He was getting into the swing of things now, and while Wyatt now had an inkling of what Marek’s proposal was, he was interested enough to ask him a question.

“Traditionally?” Wyatt asked. “That implies that it’s no longer being done as much as it used to be?”

“Sadly no,” Marek said, frowning. “Many take jobs immediately after graduation in and around the Citadel. In recent years, some mages haven’t returned to Velaire after their World Tour, enough that the Council has begun to hint that perhaps graduates shouldn’t go on such journeys.

“And yet you’re planning on going anyways,” Wyatt said with a smirk. “What did your instructors and friends think?”

“Oh… well, I don’t have many friends,” Marek said, running a hand through his hair embarrassedly. “But the friends that I do have were in favor of it.”

Wyatt felt his gaze sharpen as Marek placed a hand on his chest. He looked at his neck and saw that he was wearing a necklace. What is he wearing? Wyatt thought, intrigued as Marek released his hold on whatever good-luck charm or priceless jewel that he had been holding.

“So, you are going on a tour of the world, and you are going alone,” Wyatt said. “Where do I come in?”

“I want you to join me as I form a Company and be my second,” Marek said.

Wyatt heard nothing as Marek kept on speaking as he tried to contain his anger. He didn’t think Marek knew, which was why he tried to suppress it. Had this been a decade ago, Wyatt would’ve probably said yes, but now, he had a business, a wife, a daughter, and another child on the way by the end of the year. He would never leave his wife and family behind. He also didn’t want to leave the successful business he and Lea had managed to build almost entirely on their own, which was no small feat on the dusty roads leading to Velaire.

Wyatt managed to calm himself, and he refocused on the conversation. Marek was still talking and hadn’t noticed his momentary lapse, which Wyatt was thankful for.

“You were once the Captain of the Citadel Guard after all,” Marek said. “Even though it has been over eight years since your retirement, I can easily tell that you are just as capable now as you were then.”

“Oh?” Wyatt asked, curious to hear how a mage thought he was capable. “How so?”

“You’re still in good shape,” Marek said, pointing to Wyatt’s arms. "You may own a bar, but from what I’ve been told, you do not indulge in alcohol overly much, and you can be seen training during most mornings behind the bar. I’ve been told it’s quite the daunting sight.”

“You have done your research,” Wyatt mused.

“I’ve tried to,” Marek said, his expression with contained eagerness. “It’s no small thing asking someone to be my Second, after all. As I’ve previously mentioned, I would be happy to settle for a sixty-forty split in favor of yourself.”

“Myself?” Wyatt asked, puzzled by this. I must’ve missed more than I thought during my lapse. “But it’s your Company.”

“It is,” Marek admitted, “but I don’t need much money. Wyatt, if you’ll allow me to be that familiar with you, I require enough to get by and to outfit new arrivals into the company. I’m not doing this to get rich, and let’s be fair, once my tour is over, I’ll be returning to the Citadel.”

“You may use my name, and of course,” Wyatt said in a daze. He could easily remember vividly how rich everyone was within the Tower, even the lowliest of Mages. It simply wouldn’t do, after all, for their members to wander the streets of Velaire looking like vagabonds.

That’s a lot of money, Wyatt thought. His family needed him, of course, and he wasn’t going to up and leave them, but a few years of doing jobs that he was more than qualified to do and he and his family would have enough to weather almost any storm.

“I understand that you have a young family,” Marek said, and upon Wyatt’s refocused glare, he raised his hands in a calming gesture. “And I also understand that you don’t want to leave them. However, I do think that after a year or two on the road with me and you’ll find that it’s more than worth it. A mage and the former Captain of the Citadel Guard? You are still remembered, Wyatt, as an honest man in a city where dishonesty rules the day. I, with your counsel, would be more than willing to pick jobs that are either closer to Velaire, better paying, or anywhere in between.”

“Closer to Velaire?” Wyatt asked, raising his eyebrows. “How far—”

There was a knock on the door, a pause, then two quick knocks followed by a longer pause and one knock. Lea, Wyatt thought fondly. She would arrive during meetings with a knock that they have devised—patrons like to knock on things the more they had to drink—and he had asked her to use the knock during meetings to both break up the tension and to ply the visitor with free food or drink, which would almost always put them in a favorable mood even if they didn’t take anything.

“One moment,” Wyatt said, rising from his chair as Marek looked at him quizzically. “That would be our refreshments.”

“Oh, but I didn’t order anything,” Marek said, glancing from Wyatt to the door inquisitively.

“It’s free of charge,” Wyatt replied, going to the door and opening it. Immediately, a wave of noise, heat, and light struck him. Wyatt looked over Lea’s shoulder to see that the bar was full of happy patrons, which was always a welcome sight.

“Beer, cheese with cutting knife, cut sausages, two mugs, and two plates beneath this plate,” Lea said, matching Wyatt’s smile with one of her own when she saw him. She, too, seemed to be in a good mood because the bar was full and content. “I will return to clear the table in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you, Lea,” Wyatt said, taking the tray. “I will see you then.”

Lea shut the door, and Wyatt slowly turned back to Marek and began walking back to the table while keeping the tray level.

“You have a good sense of balance,” Marek noted as Wyatt placed the tray on the table between them.

“Comes with the trade,” Wyatt joked as he lifted the food tray and placed it beside the two plates. Giving the first to Marek, he then took a plate for himself.

“Drink?” Wyatt asked, passing him a tankard of cold beer. Not their best, but good beer, nonetheless.

“I suppose,” Marek said with a sigh before he smirked and took a sip of the beer. Wyatt watched with amusement as Marek set the tankard down and stared at it for a moment in clear disbelief.

“It’s not poison,” Wyatt said, chuckling.

“No, no,” Marek said, shaking his head. “I wish this quality of beer had been freely available in Velaire. My fellow students and I would’ve killed for beer like this.”

“Oh?” Wyatt asked, resisting a shudder at the thought of serving food and ale to mages not in control of their powers. “You don’t have good beer in Velaire?”

“Wine? Yes. Beer? No,” Marek said. He took the tankard and drank a deep quaff. Still holding onto his tankard, he then flopped back into his chair and sighed again, smiling at his beer mug. “We’re required to wear our robes at all times, you see. The moment they see our robes, they assume our purses are full and charge accordingly. We’re given a stipend, but it’s not nearly enough for the good beers, and this,” Marek raised the tankard—which sloshed but didn’t manage to spill to Wyatt’s relief— “is good beer. Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Wyatt said, and to his surprise, he meant it too. While making money was the point of any business, there still was nothing quite like a patron who thoroughly enjoyed the food or drink he had provided. He motioned to the food platter. “Would you like some food?”

Marek took a deep breath and looked at the sausage and cheese. “I wouldn’t have had dinner if I’d known there was such good faire waiting for me,” he mused, but there was no bite to his words. He looked tempted. “We should be getting back on track,” he said unconvincingly.

“And we will,” Wyatt said. “Eat and enjoy yourself.”

Not much was said as Wyatt filled his plate full of sausage and cheese. Next, he did the same for Marek, who thanked him and then began eating his meal like he hadn’t just polished off a full meal barely a half-hour before.

“You seem to have two stomachs,” Wyatt noted as he watched Marek finish his plate. He wasn’t even halfway done with his own.

“Anyone would with the food you put out,” Marek said, leaning back in his chair and idly sipping his beer. “That’s all for me, though. I would literally burst. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Wyatt said, pushing his plate aside. It wasn’t finished, but he could carry it up and finish it later. “It’s time to return to business.”

“It is,” Marek said. He blinked, and within moments, the carefree young man was replaced with the focused individual Wyatt had been dealing with a quarter-hour before. “I recall that you had a question for me?”

“I did,” Wyatt said. He inwardly noted that Marek’s memory was above average, which was to be expected considering he was a mage. “I was wondering what you meant when you said that you were willing to take jobs that were closer to Velaire.”

“Oh,” Marek said, looking non-plussed and more like the nervous version of himself he had been at the beginning of their meeting. “It’s not my preference, but I would do that if you wanted it. I’m to see the world, and I would prefer to go to the Huzha Desert and fully experience it.”

“I see,” Wyatt said. “I’m afraid I will have to decline your offer, even though I find myself sorely tempted to accept.”

“And why is that?” Marek asked. There was an undercurrent of surprise mixed with anger in his voice, which made Wyatt stiffen in his chair. “If you don’t mind telling me, that is.”

“Of course,” Wyatt said, forcing himself to sound normal. “I have a young family, like you said, and while your point on securing wealth for my family is good and I appreciate the sixty-forty split, I cannot leave my family, especially with another one on the way.”

“You’re having another child?” Marek asked and then shook his head. “You just told me that. Congratulations. I cannot say that I’m not disappointed, but I understand.”

Marek stood and bowed. “I will see myself out,” he said. He placed a hand on his chest again—no doubt feeling his necklace—and frowned. “Once again, thank you for your food and hospitality. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

“Good evening,” Wyatt said. He watched Marek open the door with a little more force than required. There was the familiar explosion of noise, sound, and lights, but once again, at the other side of the doorway was Lea. She had been reaching for the door handle and jumped back, startled.

“My apologies for startling you,” Marek said tonelessly. “Excuse me.”

Marek edged around her and walked out of the room. His speed picked up as he threaded his way into the crowd, and Wyatt watched as the mage eventually disappeared.

“I assume you told him no?” Lea asked, closing the door behind her. She came into the room and began to pick up the plates, goblets, and food. Wyatt remembered that he wanted to eat the rest of his plate later but didn’t bother correcting her.

“I did,” Wyatt said. He couldn’t keep the reluctance out of his voice. Lea put her bundle down and placed her hands on her hips. She wasn’t angry or accusing, but when Lea did that, Wyatt knew he would end up spilling his guts out to her.

“And do you regret saying no?”

“He asked me if I would be his second in a mercenary company he was forming,” Wyatt said. Lea froze, but Wyatt smiled and reached out, pulling his wife into his lap. “I told him no because that would mean leaving you, Bella, and our child,” he said, placing a hand on her belly that was just beginning to swell.

Lea put a hand on top of his. She didn’t turn to face him, relaxing into his arms where they sat for a few reflective moments.

“And yet you want to go,” Lea eventually said. She turned her head to face him, and like it always did, her beauty took his breath away. Wyatt raised a hand and went to brush some of her golden hair out of her face, but she stopped him with her own hand, which she held.

“Wyatt,” she said, and her tone of voice told Wyatt that he would be in trouble if he kept ignoring her question.

“I do,” Wyatt said. “Call it a flight of fancy or wishful thinking, but while I don’t miss my job, I do miss being who I was, if that makes any sense.”

“I understand,” Lea said softly. “It’s a downgrade going from the Captain of the Citadel Guard to—don’t interrupt me, Wyatt,” she said sternly, wagging a finger at Wyatt as he started to deny that she was a ‘downgrade’. “You may call me the most beautiful woman in the world, but you were once someone of great importance doing an important job, and you left all that behind to marry me, a commoner, and to start a bar on the road to Velaire. You may be a commoner as well, but you are not ordinary, Wyatt. You’ve never been content to settle.”

“Any man would be content with you—” Wyatt began, and Lea shook her head. She was smiling, which was good, but she was shaking her head, which wasn’t good.

“Don’t patronize me, Wyatt. You were given a rare opportunity doing something you are still good at doing, and you said no for the right reasons. That doesn’t mean that you can’t regret it. When you’re ready, go back to the bar. Your patrons already miss you.”

Lea then got off his lap, gathered the plates, and left. Wyatt stared at the table and worried at a piece of it with his nails. There had been something else, too, that he hadn’t mentioned to Lea. He didn’t know why exactly he hadn’t said it. He just didn’t.

With the arrival of Marek, who was a recently graduated mage, he knew that he would only be the first to visit him. He hadn’t left on exactly good terms, and there were those who would do his family harm. If he left, they would probably leave his family alone for a few years. Then, he could then use the gold he had gathered to move his family far away from Velaire.

“Oh well,” Wyatt said out loud. Shaking himself, he stood and opened the door. I said no for the right reasons. He smiled as the bar erupted into applause and cheers as he stepped out of the room and took his place back behind the bar.

“Sorry about that,” Wyatt said with a broad grin that he didn’t feel when most of the bar had hushed. “Business proposition. Continue to eat, drink, and be merry!”

The bar cheered, and a more natural smile slipped onto Wyatt’s face. It wasn’t much, but it was the home he had built and chose.