It was early in the morning when Jack awoke. He looked up to the ceiling of the inn he was in, not realising the changes which had occurred outside. He yawned and stretched, heading out to train.

As he trained, running his laps and lifting his weights, he noted the guards each whispering between one another and throwing glances his way. He didn’t really think of it much.

One guard approached him, though as he did, Jane stepped in front of the guard to block his path. “Good morning, Jack,” she said, smiling down at the young man. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling well thank you, and you?” Jack replied.

Judging by his response, Jane realised that he didn’t know what had happened. She shot a glare to the other guards before smiling down at Jack again. “I’m doing great. Would you like to train together?”

Jack’s eyes beamed at her, like a little puppy who had been told he was going for a walk. “Yes please!”

Jane could feel the light shoot at her as he beamed at her joyfully. She couldn’t help but want to protect such naivety, even if it was going to end up poorly for him at the end of it. She drew her sword and the pair sparred one another lightly, Jack practising his various techniques as she played with him. She kept shooting deathly glares to the other guards, who eventually gave up on trying to talk to him.

Jack felt great after working up a sweat, returning to the inn to wash up before heading to the smithy. There he could hear Merri already hard at work, and saw Terry waiting for him.

“We’ll head to the Merchants’ Guild first,” Terry said. “Come along.”

Jack followed Terry out, trying to remember the path towards the Merchants’ Guild. It seemed that the Merchants’ Guild was within the inner ring of the city. The guards at the gate did not dare to stop Smith Terry on his way in, as the Smith sauntered in with a swagger as though he was meant to be there. Jack looked up at the Smith a little confused, but then say the other nobles all walking around with a swagger.

The nobles all around threw glances their way, taking a look at the Smith and then the boy, giving him cold looks and then looks of apprehension to Smith Terry. They, of course, believed he was beneath them, but they didn’t need to earn their name on his blacklist for saying it out loud. They would respect him for his abilities, and for nothing else.

Smith Terry guided Jack to a building he had only seen once before, many years ago when he was just a boy. The corners were each painted yellow so it always stood out. It looked identical to the building he had stepped in, though that building had been at another city entirely. They stepped into the merchants’ guild, the bell jingling behind them as the door opened and shut. At the desk was a beautiful woman who glanced at them, noting the Smith arrive, and then her practised smile painted her face.

“I didn’t expect to see you, Smith Terry,” she said.

“I should have made an appointment, but I was in a bit of a rush,” Terry said. “I’ve come to set up an account for Jack, though I assume he already has one.”

“Jack?” she asked, shifting her body from her waist so she could look at the young man who was looking all about.

The inside was made of wood, from the desk, to the wall, to the floor. Jack reached out to rub the wall to feel how sturdy it was, admiring the craftsmanship. The Merchants’ Guild could certainly afford the imported wood, as well as the workers required to slot everything together so seamlessly.

When he heard his name, he straightened up and looked to the beautiful woman. She had long brunette hair, which was done in a plait and draped in front of her shoulder.

“Jack Bloodwall?” she asked.

“That’s right,” Jack said. “Oh, well…” He looked to the side, wondering how he was meant to say it.

“He currently is trying to prove himself in the world, but for administrative purposes, he is Jack Bloodwall,” Smith Terry said.

The woman smiled and nodded. “Do you have proof of your identity?”

“I have my letter,” Jack said, reaching into his pocket.

As he did, Smith Terry reached into his cloak and held out a dagger, handing it to the woman. She checked the sigil at the bottom and then returned the dagger to Terry. “I have confirmed his identity,” she said.

Jack looked up at Terry, who didn’t look back to meet the young man’s gaze. A dagger? As in, an Apprentice’s Mark? His eyes beamed at the Smith’s back. So he was truly a Smith’s Apprentice! It wasn’t just for show, with the dagger his identity and rank would be solidified!

“Actually, it hasn’t been registered yet,” Smith Terry said.

“Then I will need the letter to register it.” She looked at Jack, who quickly handed it over. She scanned it and then returned the letter. “Just a moment.” She left to find his book, returning a few moments later. It was so quick, and Jack wondered if perhaps the guild was just that good at administrative tasks. He hadn’t expected that the woman had put his book aside since the Knight had come earlier to

The woman left and returned a moment later, pulling out the book. “It seems that the dagger hasn’t been registered yet.”

“Please do,” Terry said, handing it over.

“I will need to see the letter, just in case,” the woman said, smiling politely.

Jack quickly handed it over and she checked the letter and then the dagger. She spilt a little bit of wax onto the paper at the front and then used the pommel of the dagger to print the sigil onto the wax, and then returned both the letter and the dagger.

“Did you have other business?” she asked.

“Please open up two bonds for Jack,” Smith Terry said. “A funding bond and a saving bond.”

She smiled. “Will he be depositing monthly into the guild?”

“I’m not sure,” Terry said, looking down to Jack.

The clerk giggled, causing the men to look at her with a set of looks. “Excuse me,” she said. “I was just reminded of something.” If she recalled correctly, it was Sir Anthony who had come to deposit items into Jack’s account. She had heard he had perished, though looking at Jack, it appeared that he didn’t know. She smiled sadly at Jack.

“He’ll be earning a monthly wage through the smithy as my Apprentice, but he’ll also be earning an influx of coin through auctions whenever he has the chance.”

“I can set up the accounts to deal with that,” she said. “How much are you wishing to deposit into his account as an Apprentice?”

“Five gold per month to each account,” Smith Terry said. He looked down to Jack. “I’ll give you the other half right into your pouch, but this way you’ll have something to fall back on in a few years.”

Jack smiled. That meant he’d get ten gold in hand every single month, which wasn’t a bad deal. He probably wouldn’t have a chance to spend it all, though. “Can we put half of that coin inside my saving bond too?”

“Rather than the saving bond, why not just your savings?” The clerk smiled. “The saving bond is a bond which uses a small percentage of your bond to invest, and the funding bond is one which you can spend the entirety of it to invest. You currently already have them active, but it’s also a good idea to top up your actual savings.”

“I have them already open?” Jack asked.

“Indeed. Someone had already opened them up before for you, so you have a little already. Your father also opened up an account with you when you were just a boy, so you have some savings already.”

“How much?” Jack asked, before Smith Terry raised a hand.

“Don’t worry about how much,” Terry said. “We can’t dilly dally here all day. Let’s say five gold in each account then, and five gold in hand to you at the end of the month? You can always retrieve some gold from your account if you’re in need.”

“Okay,” Jack said, nodding his head. He wasn’t too interested in finances, but it sounded like a good enough idea.

“If you ever have need, please contact us immediately,” the clerk said, bowing her head.

“I will. What’s your name, miss?”

“Eda,” she said, smiling at him with her practised smile.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, miss Eda.”

“And you as well, Jack.”

The Smith and his Apprentice left, though not before checking Jack’s accounts. It hadn’t changed much since the last time she had seen it, but it was still an impressive amount. He wondered if all the Bloodwall children were so rich, and a thought crossed her mind to check the older brother’s accounts, but she shook away those thoughts. It would be improper for her to check the accounts with no good reason. Considering how much Sir Oliver was depositing in Jack’s accounts monthly, she wondered what he was up to.