As we walked down the center aisle, we finally spotted Roy, who is already on his second plate of food and at least one mug of ale, judging by the volume he was talking and laughing at. As we made our way closer to the table, Roy spotted us and let out a cheer at our presence; as if he hadn’t just seen us a short time ago. The rest of the table quickly looked to see who he was cheering for and joined upon spotting us.

“Bronie! Torin!” Roy exclaimed, “Come, come sit.” He grabs his plate and mug and shuffles down the bench, making room for us on the same bench he was previously sitting alone. Torin and I settled in, smiling in greeting to the two Bastard brothers at the other side of the table, Jui & Jiw, who were originally from the Port. The tables on either side of Roy’s table was filled with Bastards and Laborers, all of whom were listening to Roy’s story.

“So what were you so animatedly sharing with these lovely drunks?” Torin asked smiling at Roy’s listening audience who laughed good-naturedly.

“I was just telling our friends here,” Roy said gesturing vaguely around “about how Bronie scared little Loren Russo enough that he wouldn’t be a problem any time soon, the little weasel,” as everyone nodded in agreement. Loren Russo had been a pest for a few cycles. Having him handled was a relief to those up to date with the country’s affairs. There are some amongst the Guild who live within the sects and don’t enter the actual countryside again, leaving behind the constant problems for a simpler life.

“He wasn’t so little,” I reminded him. “But I don’t think he will be a problem now that he and I have talked,” I said, laughing along with the chorus of snickers at my word choice. “And this one was quite full of himself.” I raised my mug as I continued. “ He even bought me a drink just before I wiped the bartop with his face.” I took a long sip from my mug as everyone laughed. Beside me, Roy let out a loud belly-laugh.

“Enjoyed that did ya, Bronie?” Jui asked.

I squished my face slightly before responding. “Don’t we all?” I asked. “I don’t know about you. But I became a Bastard to help folks and beat down those who would use and abuse them.”

“Aye,” Roy said.

“Some ladies take up knitting to take out their frustrations. Bronie? She bashes heads.”

“Not as many as Jonah,” I pointed out.

“True enough,” Roy said.

“If there weren’t any issues with dealing with Loren Russo, then what kept you today?” Burdur asked, he was one of the Laborers listening to Roy at the table to the left of ours.

“What do you mean?” Chian asked, he was a Laborer who was Jui and Jiw’s cousin.

“Tamara and her sect of bastards were helping in the backfield when a Flyer came with an urgent task and they left. You were the only sect out, and late at that, so I figured something happened.” Burdur said

“That’s quite a bit of speculation,” Torin pointed out.

“But I’m right, aren’t I?” Burdur said.

“We were on our way back from the task when we saw a column of smoke and investigated,” I said, starting to get annoyed with repeating myself about the event already. “We couldn’t send word about our lateness until we got there,” I finished.

“And?” Tumef, another Laborer sitting beside Burdur asked.

“And what?” Roy asked.

“What was the smoke?” Chian asked. Jui and Jiw looked at him, momentarily perplexed. As Bastards, they know what these signs mean. Chian hasn’t left Tavern since the three of them arrived when they were Flyers as children.

Roy started to retell our journey for the surrounding tables. Torin and I ate the entirety of our meal together in relative silence as the others were invested in Roy’s retelling of what we saw at Frigga’s and its neighboring settlement. However, Roy purposefully neglected to talk about the scorch marks, as that was a particular detail that only Bastards knew about. The Guild’s Council agreed that the best way to determine which attacks were brigands and which were this mysterious enemy was to withhold this main factor. Unfortunately, it was a terribly kept secret.

Word often spreads quickly through the Tavern. Which meant keeping a secret was fairly difficult. It was a consequence of being a part of a secret organization filled with sellswords, spies, smugglers, and wanted individuals. But there was a code that we of the Guild lived by that separated us from our less moral brethren in the same employ. Unfortunately, I never expected that the spies and sellswords in my life to keep a secret from me.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked Torin in a hushed voice, continuing our earlier conversation.

Torin sighed. “You know why.” He took another bite of the meat on his plate. “If a Chief of the Guild tells you something in confidence, you keep it. Even if you don’t want to.”

“I know,” I acknowledged. “But accepting the proposal was your idea.” I made it a statement rather than a question.

He lifted his nose slightly in the air as if he was some snub nose royal. “I am known to have good ideas from time to time.”

“Lovely, now you brag,” I said with a huff, taking a bite of a piece the deer on my plate.

“Enough you two,” Roy said through a mouthful of food. He grabbed a half-full pitcher of dark liquid from a passing Bastard and refilled both our mugs. “Drink. Whatever you two are whispering about can wait until tomorrow.” We both smirked at his lack of tact but apparently took too long to grab our respective mugs.

“Drink!” Roy yelled, some food flying out with the words. He raised his own mug and the surrounding tables joined him. Torin and I grabbed our respective mugs and raised ours towards the rest of the table. With a cheer to the Guild, each of us emptied our mugs in unison.

Usually, such comradery would continue with rounds of drinks and laughs, but the ale didn’t spread warmth through me like it usually did. Instead, I couldn’t help my thoughts from drifting back to the Prince’s imminent arrival and my lord husband.

How am I going to survive this? Will I never escape my fate as Bronwyn Moor? Is this the beginning of the end of my life as Bronie Stone?

Torin noticed my sudden silence and slightly bumped my side, silently asking me if I was alright.

“I’m fine. But I am going to head to my cabin,” I said lifting my mug and finishing off the rest of the ale. “Any more of this and I will sleep through the Bastards meeting in the morning,” I said, moving to grab my plate and mug as I got up from the table.

Torin moved to follow me, but I rested my mug filled hand on his shoulder, halting his ascent. “Stay,” I said. “I’m fine, I just need some sleep.”

“You sure?” Torin asked. “ I can walk you,” he added.

“Yes, I am sure. Stay, have another round for me,” I said smiling. Torin reached up and patted my mug hand briefly and nodded his agreement. “Walk together to the meeting tomorrow?” I asked.

“Yes,” Torin said, happy to get some more time together. Though Jonah and I could spar for hours, Torin and I would often talk into the night as children, talking about Flyer training or our thoughts on Guild matters. When Torin left my sect, we lost our ability to frequently have one of our late night talks. I was often out of Tavern escorting caravans of supplies to the various settlements supported by the Guild or dealing with hooligans who are being a nuisance to the country folk.

I said my good-byes to the rest of the table and Roy, grabbed my mug and plate and moved towards the door. There weren’t many people left within the main longhouse. Most Laborers have early mornings ahead of them. The few that remained here are some of those who either enjoy the company more so than a full night’s sleep or preferred the ale to sleep.

I was able to slowly make my way to the door, woven baskets full of dirty dishes to the right of it; a task for the youngest group of Flyers to clean tomorrow. When I first came to the Tavern, I wouldn’t talk to anyone. I was like a skittish deer that felt trapped. This behavior carried over as a Flyer, and subsequently, dishwashing was one of my favorite tasks, as most other Flyer related tasks required talking to others.

Does Father still see me as that silent and scared little girl? I asked myself. Worse yet, with the fear of being found creeping into my core, I had to wonder if I am still that little girl.

As I walked out of the longhouse, I was able to maneuver my way through the emptying clearing and made my way back down the main Tavern path. Quickly the darkness of the surrounding forest enveloped me as I wandered down the path, with only the light of the moon the guide me. Thankfully, I know every inch of The Tavern, so even on nights without the lunar shine, I could still find my way to my little slice of this paradise.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy the feeling of being back home as my mind kept wandering back to all those season cycles ago. Back to when a rich foreigner came to my brother Lanzo, who had inherited the title of Lord Moor only a season cycle earlier, at the height of his debt. The man offered to pay off all of Lanzo’s debtors, on the condition that he got to marry me. My mind was filled with the image of my brother agreeing in earnest, smiling at the thought of erasing his debts. I could kill him for tossing me aside so easily.

He agreed despite the fact that the former Lord Moor had already brokered a marriage between me and one of the King’s two sons before his death; my father Leon even made sure that the son was to be determined by me once we were older, in order to give me some semblance of control on who I got to spend my life with. But Lanzo took away that small fatherly gift when he agreed to this life-altering deal.

Thankfully the Guild takes care of the abandoned, even if they were originally of the Crown. Or, perhaps it was simply my familial relation that drove Chief Eurus to send a sect of Bastards on task. Nevertheless, they sent someone to infiltrate the stronghold and aid me in escaping from the decisions of a desperate man and smuggle me back to the Tavern.

What a life I have had here, and all because of Eurus. He gave me a second chance at life, family, friendship, and the opportunity of being my own person. As a member of the Crown, so much of my life had been dictated for me because of the family I was born into. When my brother shipped me off, the Crown did nothing, leaving me to the fate my brother chose for me, despite the insult of a broken deal. But Eurus acted, and he saved me. Coming to the Guild gave me opportunities I never would have had within the Crown. Though that control wasn’t able to hold up against the sadness that being abandoned created. Having family around me during the time afterward saved me. They saved me.

As I walked around a bend in the path, I was able to spot a lone torch light up ahead, marking a path up the mountainside. The path led to the main lodging lands throughout the Tavern valley. Small foot trails led off of the lodging path, leading to familial lands and Flyer barracks. Most incoming orphans and runaways, like myself, would live in one of the many Flyer barracks. Many Bastard pairings and marriages were forged within one of the many Flyer barracks in each Guild sect. Instead, as a daughter of the Chief, I stayed with the Stones in the Chief’s Lodge, near the Tavern entrance and the Command Lodge.

But as with all children, the time came where we needed to find our place within the Guild, with me itching to get out of the valley of the Tavern. So, the Stone children chose to go through the various Flyer trainings at the different sects throughout the Guild. As the season cycles passed, each of us got to decide how we wanted to serve the Guild. All three of us decided that we wanted to be Bastards together and returned home to serve our father.

While we were going through Flyer training, we were only able to come together as a family during the Meeting of the Guild that occurred once a season cycle, so we were also a bit sick for home. When we came back to The Tavern, we were too old to live with Father in the Chief’s Lodge. Together as a family, we found the perfect spot for our cabins on the mountainside of the valley, prepped the stretch of land and then built the cabins together as a family. We also put in a stone pathway connecting each of the Stone children’s cabins. Father handed over chiefly duties to the council and spent half a moon cycle with his children, building their place within the Tavern, his chiefdom.

I turned off the path towards the rest of the Tavern lodging and turned down the stone pathway we put in. My cabin was the first on the path to the right. Through a lining of trees, I could make out Torin’s cabin. Jonah’s cabin was further down, marked by another lamppost to help the children. I walked up to the small steps to my cabin’s porch, furnished only by a small set of chairs separated by a table.

My cabin had the perfect view of the Tavern from the roof with the valley‘s far edge and field framed by the forest on the mountainside. I slept many summer nights sprawled out under the stars on the perch I made with Father a few cycles ago. It was one of the many cabin related tasks that he worked on with me. From the kitchen table to the chairs on the porch, we slowly built the furnishings that filled my home. Father said I should always know how to make things, both in my mind’s eye and with my hands. He taught me strategy and arms, but he also taught me how to properly swing a hammer and sturdy table.

As I entered the cabin I scanned the entirety of my small piece of The Tavern. In the left corner directly beside the door, there stood two bookshelves in the corner, each filled with small tokens, stacks of books and piles of blank parchment. Completing the reading corner was a small table and a large lounging pillow, like the one Jonah was sitting in while we were in Father’s office. Straight ahead was the small kitchen area with a stone fireplace built into the right side of the cabin. Though cabins all had a small functioning fireplace and eating area, many Tavern folks choose to dine each night within the Main longhouse with their brethren. A small ladder led up to the loft above the kitchen area, where the edges of blankets could be seen hanging slightly over the edge.

I entered my cabin and started to unstrap my belt and remove my riding clothes. Though I tried to focus on the task at hand, my slightly drunk mind drifted back to the foreign man who ruined everything before I knew it.

His name was Kasrad Doon; even the thought of his name sent a chill down my spine. He was a traveling merchant that was known in the ports as a wealthy businessman with a ruthless dark side. He was slighter taller than the average man and someone that I could only describe as handsome in a non-typical way. His hair was the color of the night sky with silver streaking through by his temples. His handsome face was marred by a scar that ran down his right brow. However, most would probably say that it enhanced his attractiveness. He spoke with a slight accent that drew everyone, including myself, ensuring that you listened to every word. His mannerisms matched each word with extravagance as if he was directing an orchestra with each utterance.

We were wed only a day after I arrived at his palace deep within the Northern Mountains. No one was there to represent or support me as the marriage was quickly arranged before I was sent off to my future husband. He was never cruel to me, outside of our wedding night, which was a typical evening between husband and wife except I was all of thirteen.

We are married now my dear. To share our marriage bed is our duty this night. But I promise I will not return to your bed until you are older.

In the Guild’s eye, only cowards hide behind a sense of duty to explain away their actions when they do cruel or terrible things. However, he kept his promise and didn’t lay a hand on me after that night. Instead, he kept me isolated from those in his keep and had me remain within a suite of rooms. I was alone, save for the maids and tutors that he sent to take care of and teach me.

Each night we would have dinner together. We would split the feast while having forced, polite conversation. He would share a bit about his day of managing his trading affairs, and I would talk about something that I learned from the tutors. He would then comment on a gift that he sent for me, including gowns and paints for me to pass the time with. It all became quite habitual and was the only interaction

Despite his kind tokens, I could see a conniving glint hidden in his eyes, even back then. He seemed like the person who used gifts and money to get what he wanted. The way he calculated each move and seemed to plan out each exchange as if everything happened for his sole purpose always made me uncomfortable. In this instance, he wanted me, even though I didn’t understand why.

It took me a few months before I was finally able to run away from the forced marriage, surely ruining some grand plan for the man. It is because of that fact that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that if I ever returned, Kasrad would not show me the mercy or kindness he showed me when I was a child. The night I fled from the Kasrad’s stronghold, his anger was mighty. The walls echoed with his voice, demanding for his servants to find and stop me. His words haunted me to this day, echoing in my head just as it did the night I ran.

I climbed up the loft ladder and crawled into bed. I was hoping sleep would ease my mind. Instead, I fell asleep with his words echoing in my mind.

Run, my dear, run and hide. But always remember, Time is my ally, Lady Moors. I will find you, even if it takes an eternity.