Yes, and Erik wasn't looking forward to that one bit. "Aye."

Turning to Siobhan, Faoir pleaded, "You will stay a little longer, won't you?"

"We won't leave this week," she promised him gently. "Or next, likely. Beirly has found some good places to mine up here and wants to take some of it back with him. Grae, too, wants to build a path from here to Quigg so that we can easily come and go. That will take a good week all by itself."

A thought that hadn't occurred to Erik, although it should have. With prebuilt paths, they could easily come and go without spending much time on the road.

Pointing a finger at him, Siobhan ordered mock-sternly, "You are hereby forbidden to help build that path. You are to spend every moment possible with friends and family."

Chuckling, he swept her an exaggerated bow. "Yes ma'am."

"Good." Satisfied, she pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to bed. See you both in the morning."

Erik knew that she was gracefully leaving and giving father and son private time to talk. Taking it, he sat in the chair she had just vacated.

"Well, son," Faoir said, easing back into his chair. "If I had a way to change the past, I would wish we'd been able to find you that day you were kidnapped. But if this is how life must be, at least I know you're in good company and under a good guildmaster. This way, at least, we'll see you regularly."

If Erik had his choice, he might very well go back to that dreadful day he had been kidnapped. But when all was said and done... "I couldn't agree more."

Epilogue.

"And so ends the story of Erik Wolfinsky."

Wynngaardian that he was, Rune responded promptly. "That was a fine telling, and I thank ya for it."

Wolf inclined his head. "I enjoyed the telling."

After that traditional exchange was done, Rune was speechless for a long time. Finally, he managed with a hoarse voice, "And I thought I was difficult."

Wolf threw back his head and laughed. "No, I was worse. I admit I set a bad example with her. Because she had such good success with me, she didn't think twice about taking you on."

They walked a few paces in silence, Rune mulling this over. "So even though ya made it home, ya decided ta stay with Deepwoods."

"Oh, I had all sorts of justifications and reasons for it at the time, mostly that I owed Siobhan too much to just stay in Reske. But the truth was, I'd formed deep ties with her. I was very fond of Beirly and Grae by that point too. I wanted to stay with them." Wolf shrugged, as the decision now seemed completely clear-cut to him and obvious to make.

"I know." Rune's tone was certain, and Wolf was sure that he really did know. "I had ta make the same choice."

"Yes, you did." Wolf shook his head in memory, amused by it still. "Siobhan is terrible about forcing people to do things. She'll entice you, bribe you, and charm you into it, but she'll never force you. I was worried we'd lose you because of how she is. But in the end, you're like me. You fell in love with the guild and couldn't bear to part with it."

Rune wasn't yet open enough to admit to that. Out loud. But actions spoke louder than words and the fact that he stayed even when things were uncomfortable for him spoke volumes. Besides, Wolf had been where the boy stood. He knew exactly what was going through that head.

As an afterthought, he added, "And it's not like I had to choose one or the other. I still see my family at least once a year. Siobhan makes sure of it. Partially for me to see them, partially for us to pick up things to trade."

"If I had family in Sateren, she'd likely take us there once a year, too."

"Undoubtedly," Wolf agreed.

Rune ducked his head to glance at Wolf's iron hand. It caught flickers of light now and again, letting off a dim glow. "Ya said that because ya lost the hand, ya were able to meet Siobhan. Do ya not regret it? Even a little?"

"No, not at all." Wolf's gaze gravitated toward the sleeping camp and he felt a hum of contentment settle into his chest. It was a feeling he always had when he saw them and knew they were safe and well. "The hand was the price I had to pay to bring me to Deepwoods. They are well worth the price."

Honorifics:.

For Saoleord: (From most formal to informal).

Zhi used when speaking to an older person of great important. Gender neutral.

Jia used when speaking to a guest or a person of higher status. Gender neutral.

Gui used for people that are strangers with no special significance. Gender neutral.

Ajie used for an elder sister, relative, or older female friend.

Ren used for an older brother, relative, or older male friend.

Jae used for a sister or close female friend of the same age.

Xian used for a younger brother or male friend near the same age.

Teherani:.

Maee used to denote respect from the speaker. Not gender specific.

Characters:.

Siobhan Maley Guildmaster of Deepwoods. Siobhan is from Widstoe, Robarge. She's twenty-eight years old. Dual wielding swordsman.

Grae Masson Master Pathfinder. Hails from Widstoe, Robarge. Twenty-eight years old.

Erik Wolfinsky "Wolf" the Enforcer. From Reske, Wynngaard. He was kidnapped as a child and sold as a slave until his late teens, when he lost a hand in a bad fight with a dark guild. Then he went on the black market for cheap because he was crippled. Shiobhan bought him and gave him the choice of going back home, but he chose to stay and work off his debt with her. In return, she had an iron hand built for him to replace the lost one. Wolf uses shield and broadsword. He's thirty years old.

Markl Hammon Scholar. Markl uses a sword spear, and hails from a prominent family in Winziane, Robarge. He's twenty-five.

Tran Amar Enforcer. He's also something of a translator, as he speaks three dialects fluently. Tran comes from Jioni, Teherani. Tran has twin swords that he keeps at the back of his waist, but often just uses his fists and feet to fight. He's thirty-two.

Conli Rorona Physician. Conli comes from a family of apothecarists on Island Pass. He's forty years old.

Denney Icean Half-Teheranian, half-Wynngaardian, she is Conli's niece. Denney has an amazing ability with animals. She's twenty years old, the second to youngest member of Deepwoods.

Fei Man Lei Enforcer. Hailing from the mountains of Saoleord, he is the only sensible fighter in Deepwoods. He fights with any weapon that comes to hand. Twenty-six years old.

Beirly Kierkegaard Fixer. Beirly comes from Widstoe, and is one of the founding members of Deepwoods. He's known with his ability with tools, and can make or fix anything. Thirty-two years old.

Sylvie Waverly Trader. Hails from Coravine, Orin. Sylvie is twenty-six.

Rune Maley Enforcer. Former assassin from Silent Order that adopts the guild and refuses to leave. He is the youngest member of Deepwoods at eighteen years old.

Bo Sei Jin City Master of Saoleord.

Kim Ram Im Master Historian of Saoleord.

Sei Ja Na Master Librarian of Saoleord and the only woman on the council.

Hyun Woo City General of Saoleord and Master Strategist. He volunteers to teach the enforcers of Deepwoods strategy and becomes their teacher.

Oh Jae Pyo Commerce Expert and council member of Saoleord.

Ryu Jin Ho Master Strategist of Saoleord that volunteers to go with Deepwoods into Robarge. He stays and alongside Hyun Woo, helps them with the war.

Cha Ji An Designated Ambassador from Saoleord. She also stays with Deepwoods and helps them with the war.

Gared Darrens Guildmaster of Blackstone, the guild in charge of Goldschmidt.

World:.

Verheimr Planet's name.

Wynngaard Northwestern Continent.

Quigg Once nothing more than a trading post, Quigg has become a major trading city over the past century. With no formal design or planning, the city has sprawled in every conceivable direction as people have deemed it necessary. It's an infamous labyrinth and even natives are known to get lost if they wander outside of an area they know. Despite the fact that it rests on Wynngaardian soil, it has no distinct ethnic group and is instead a catch-all for every nationality of people. Quigg is unusual because despite its size, no single guild rules over it. Quigg is Denney's hometown and where she and Conli met.

Sateren One of the largest guild cities in the four continents, it is ruled by the Iron Dragain Guild. Sateren has existed since the time of governments, and parts of the city are so old that there are no records of when they were built. It is a predominantly Wynngaardian city, but there are enough foreign tradesmen coming in via Quigg and the Dual Channel that people of other nationalities don't warrant a second glance. Sateren prides itself on trade first and foremost, with various food products and highly bred dogs being their main source of trade goods. Sateren is Rune's hometown.

Vakkiod Most villages in Wynngaard do not prefer to deal with the outside world or have any true business dealings with the guild cities, and Vakkiod is no exception. A small village, it makes most of its livelihood through various herds and fishing from the relatively nearby Drahn Lake.

Drahn Lake This lake is famous for never completely thawing year round. The northern section always has chunks of ice floating in it no matter if it's high summer.

Winter's Heart A grassland famous for being completely slick with ice most of the year. It's only unfrozen during the high summer months Reske All of Wynngaard is known to produce strong people who are excellent at fighting, but even then Reske is in a league all on its own. A more mountainous region, Reske is wrapped up in winter most of the year and the people there are practically immune to the cold. They get their livelihood from the sea, especially from Wulfschanz Harbor, and all Reskens can sail every a ship, even under the most arduous situations. This is Wolf's hometown and where he was kidnapped at fourteen.

Teherani Southwestern Continent.

Cymer The wealthiest city of Teherani by far, Cymer is ruled by the White Dawn Guild. With the trade coming in through Robin's Wake and the Grey Bridges, it is considered to be the trading hub for the Teherani continent. It is also the most ethnically diverse city of this land as it sees more foreigners than Teheranians.

Pryiam's Waters Pryiam's Waters are famous for being leech infested and no soul dares to actually enter this huge lake. The Teherani people are well-known for using their own limbs to get them wherever they want to go, but the one exception to this is swimming because no one is willing to enter leech-infested waters. Despite that, quite a bit of trading activity happens because of the lake as people load barges with different trade goods.

Torrian's Island This is completely grassland without any civilization on it. The Teherani people leave their herds and herd dogs on the island for months at a time as it's completely safe from predators.

The Exiled Lands This wasteland doesn't have a single plant growing on it, not even cacti. The natives here do not venture into the heart of it for fear of being baked alive, and instead skirt around the edges whenever they wish to travel. Those that are thrown out of their villages as punishment for crimes committed are exiled to these lands, never to be seen again.

Bog's Marsh One of the few marshes that exist in the four continents, this area is well known for its leeches, poisonous snakes, and very unfriendly human inhabitants. It is this marshland that Denney was lost in for four days, wandering until she was found again by her guild members. (They've never let her live that down, either.) Jioni Tran's hometown and the place that he lived until he was a little shy of turning seventeen. As a small village, it is unknown by most and has no noticeable trade or specialty. The village mainly survives by trade and hunting in the forests around the lake's edges.

Robarge Southeastern Continent.

Goldschmidt One of the more prominent guild cities of the continent, it is ruled by Blackstone Guild. A sprawling, industrious city, it manufactures as much in trade goods as it buys. Deepwoods Guild was founded in this city, registered as a sub-guild of Blackstone, and it is there that it's existed for the past decade.

Widstoe Ruled by High Legacy Guild, this city is the second oldest in Robarge and was founded just after the governments fell. Situated on the edge of Exidor Port, it does more trade by sea than any other city aside from Island Pass. Beirly, Grae, and Siobhan hail from this city.

Winziane Infamous in the world for being a wildly successful city in spite of the fact that it has no specialty, Winziane is a relatively new city in Robarge and has only existed for the past eighty years. It was built and now run by the Silvermoon Guild, Markl Hammon's family.

Converse The last city that one can stop in before leaving the continent via the Grey Bridges, it serves travelers from all nationalities and backgrounds. More than trade goods, it specializes in services as it sees more travelers than any other city aside from Island Pass. Converse began as a simple camping area, erected by the workers who built the Grey Bridges over a millennia ago. It has grown considerably since that time but in spite of its size, no official guild rules over this city. Converse boasts the largest black market on Robarge and is where Siobhan bought Wolf.

Stott Despite the fact that it is the last city before you cross the Third Bridge over to Orin, Stott has no true wealth or size to it. Few choose to stay there as it takes no more than five hours to cross the Third Bridge and there's no reason to delay the journey by staying in the city. With poor trade opportunities and no real draw to visitors, it has always struggled financially.

Orin Northeastern Continent.

Wingate Founded by dwarves many centuries ago, it is now mostly owned and operated by humans. Wingate thrives off the trade coming in from the Dual Channel and across the Third Bridge, but despite that, it is the poorest guild-operated city of all of Verheimr. The Highlords Guild runs this city, but do so only because of tradition instead of any real money or power. This is Conli's hometown although he spent very little of his life there.

Saoleord Home of some of the fiercest, most renown fighters, this city is shrouded in mystery. It is the most inaccessible city of Verheimr and the people that built the city designed it that way on purpose. They did not want any outside influence, and they are rarely seen outside of their homeland. Rumors have it that there is no leadership, guild, or government ruling over the city but there is no basis for this. Fei was born and raised here but left at the tender age of fifteen.

Coravine The Fallen Ward Guild, who founded and rule over Coravine, have petitioned many times for help in building a fourth bridge that would connect Orin directly to Wynngaard. Unfortunately, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears with the other guilds and so they are only able to do trading by sea on the Dual Channel. Perhaps because of this, the city has never flourished, and the only people that come to it do so either by boat or from Gibbons. This is Sylvie's hometown.

The Grey Bridges - Built during the time of governments, the Grey Bridges have existed almost longer than history records. It started as a simple project by the ancient monarchies of Robarge and Wynngaard in order to promote trade between the four continents. A mammoth project, it took nearly a hundred and twenty years for all four bridges to be complete. Spanning fifty feet wide, the bridges were built to accommodate a great amount of traffic coming and going both directions. At the time of their construction, they cleared the water by thirty-five feet, but due to the slow shift of currents, the buildup of silt and sand, and other such factors, that is no longer the case. Now, the bridges are susceptible of flooding during high tide. Despite this, they are still heavily in use and are the more popular method of traveling from one continent to another. The main connection for three of the bridges is Island Pass, which serves as a gatekeeper for Wynngaard, Teherani, and Robarge. Conli is from this island.

Over thirty years ago, in the hills of Tennessee, a nice, unsuspecting young couple had their first child. Their home has since then been slowly turned into a library as their daughter consistently brought books home over the years.

No one was surprised when she grew up, went to college, and got her Bachelor's in English. Despite the fact that she has a degree, and looks like a mature young woman, she's never grown out of her love for dragons, fairies and other fantastical creatures. With school done, she's ready to start her career, hopefully by blending two of her loves: books and fantasy.

Her website can be found here: http://www.honorraconteur.com.

end.